Spiritual Contemplations for those who serve the Lord |
1. Discipleship of Thoughts Within man there exists a huge, creative, constructive mental energy freely granted and furnished by God in order for man to think of all that is good, pious and of good reputation. St. Paul says to the Philippians, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8). Therefore, it is necessary for thoughts to be brought under discipline according to the course of Christian perfection in order to obtain the trophy of Grace and gain protection against prodigality, ignorance, and loss. The sources of thought discipline are numerous:
Here we ought to remember that we need first and foremost to acquire humility because discipleship of the mind needs humbleness of the mind. On the other hand, when will the time come for a proud, arrogant, stubborn, stagnant, counseling-rejecting mind to be disciplined? 2. Discipleship of the Senses and Organs The human body is a magnanimous entity with members, senses, feelings and propensities that need to be disciplined to become healed, straightened and stabilized in the path of righteousness; in order to know how to proceed in every good deed. The best source of accomplishing this comprehensive discipleship is in the church environment with her Orthodox worshipping and celebrations that are rich occasions, feasts and prayers.
3. Faith and Dogmatic Discipline Since their inception in the bosom of the church, the faithful believers receive their dogma and doctrines passed on, once for all, from the saints. However, this faith edifice needs to be established through the believer’s continuous discipleship on the teachings and sayings of God and the fathers. These sayings nourish and confirm the beliefs protecting them from doubts and backsliding. The best source of dogma discipleship is the liturgical life in our great Orthodox Church enriched with the mysteries, dogma, and grace witnessed for by the Holy Spirit. One grows theologically and dogmatically whenever educated and disciplined on the thoughts of St. Cyril the Great, the Pillar of Faith, St. Athanasius the Apostolic, St. Dioscorus, the Defender of Faith, St. John Chrysostom, the Hero of Orthodoxy, and St. Gregory, the Theologian. Also, the faithful gets disciplined through the actual living of the church feasts such as the major feasts that highlight our Christian dogma. Some of these dogmas are the Incarnation, the Annunciation, the Cross, the Redemption, the Resurrection, the work of the Holy Spirit. Every major feast is a school by itself from which we draw firm teachings concerning our dogma. To be a disciple of dogmas is not just mere intellectual lectures on theology but rather a life lived primarily through the church. Therefore, it is the duty of servants to very early give those whom they serve to drink from these dogmas through a regular church life. 4. Personality Integrated Discipleship Man benefits from lessons offered by life itself. For example, St Anthony benefited from the words of the naked woman about to swim in the sea. Because of her words, he entered the desert taking her reproaching reply as if sent from heaven. St. Ephraim, the Syrian, learned from the woman staring at him who asked him to look at the ground from which he came. He benefitted from her words and trained himself to be humble.
*Adapted from HGBY monthly Clergical letters - Nov. 2012
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