OF THE HOLY GREGORY ON THE PURPOSE ACCORDING TO GOD
AND ON THE EXERCISE ACCORDING TO TRUTH; AND A SUMMARY DESCRIPTION FOR THOSE WHO ASKED CONCERNING THE PURPOSE OF PIETY, AND HOW THEY OUGHT TO LIVE TOGETHER AND STRIVE ALONGSIDE ONE ANOTHER.
A If anyone, momentarily separating his mind from the body and having become free from the servitude of the passions and from folly, were to look upon his own soul with a clear and sincere gaze, he would perceive within its nature both God’s love for us and the will of His creation. For whoever considers things in this way will find that the inclination of desire toward that which is excellent and best is akin to man and, as it were, cohesive and inherent; and likewise the impassible and blessed love for that intelligible and blessed image, of which man is a likeness, is joined to his nature.
B But a certain deception originating from these visible things, which are always in flux, leads astray the soul—careless and unguarded due to listlessness—through irrational passion and bitter pleasure, bewitching it and drawing it toward a grievous wickedness, which is generated from the delights of this life and engenders death for its lovers. For this reason, the grace of our Savior has bestowed upon those who receive it with desire the knowledge of the truth, which is the saving medicine for souls, by which the deception that bewitches man is truly dissolved, and the ignoble pride of the flesh is extinguished and suppressed, the soul—having attained so close a union—being led by the light of truth toward the Divine and its own salvation.
It is fitting, therefore, that he who intends to bring his body and soul to God according to the law of piety, and to offer Him an unbloody and pure worship, should make the pious faith—which the voices of the saints cry out to us through all of Scripture—the guide of his life, and thus present his soul, obedient and yielding to the paths of virtue, C freeing himself from the bonds of this life, and dedicating himself entirely to the faith and life of God alone, while knowing clearly that where the faith of piety and an irreproachable life exist, there the power of Christ is also present; and where the power of Christ is, there is an escape from wickedness.
A It is, indeed, of great, of very great moment for the acquisition of intelligible goods among those who have received holy baptism with fear. For the rich and abundant Spirit, who is always flowing to those who have received the grace—of which the holy apostles were filled, and showed forth to the Churches of Christ the fruits of the fullness—this Spirit remains as a co-worker and indweller in those who have sincerely received the gift, according to the measure of the faith of each one who has shared in it, building up the good in each for the sake of the soul’s zeal in the works of faith. Therefore, every one of us must, by progressing in virtue, ever bring himself to the perfect man, according to the Apostle: «Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.» B The growth of the body towards its reaching its full size is not in our power. For nature does not measure stature by the will and desire of man, but by its own impulse and necessity. But the measure and beauty of the soul, in the renewal of rebirth—which the grace of the Spirit gives through the zeal of the one receiving it—depend upon our own will; for as much as you extend your struggles for the sake of piety, so much does the magnitude of the soul also extend itself. And the grace of the Spirit grants eternal life and the ineffable joy in heaven; but the dignity to receive the gifts and to enjoy the grace is obtained by love through faith, according to one's labors.
C Now, when the justice of works and the grace of the Spirit have proceeded to the same point, in the soul into which they have come together, they fill it with a blessed life; but when separated from one another, they provide no profit to the soul. For the grace of God cannot frequently dwell in souls that flee from salvation, nor does the power of human virtue by itself suffice to raise to a perfect form of life souls that are devoid of grace. «Unless the Lord build the house, and keep the city, in vain do they labor who build it.» From this we are taught not to think that the entire crown is placed in human efforts, but to refer our hopes regarding the attainment of the end to the will of God. D For the will of God is that the soul should be purified through grace, and presented pure and clean to God. For the Lord calls such people blessed, saying: «Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.» Do you see the reward of purity? What is better than to see God, so far as it is granted to us? Therefore David also asks for this, saying: «Let my heart be blameless in thy statutes, that I may not be ashamed.» He commands us to fear shame, and instructs us to put it away as a filthy garment. Again he says: «Then shall I not be ashamed, when I look upon all thy commandments.» For in the fulfillment of the commandments, the Spirit places boldness. And again: «Create a clean heart in me, O God,» and, «Stablish me with a guiding Spirit.» Elsewhere...
A he asks: «Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord?» then he answers: «Innocent in hands and pure in heart.» It is right, therefore, for him who desires to be joined to anyone to imitate his ways. Thus, it is necessary that the soul that desires to become the bride of Christ should become like the beauty of Christ, so far as it is able. The soul that intends to soar toward the Divine B and to cling to Christ must expel from itself every sin—I mean theft, and robbery, and adultery, and avarice, and fornication, and the venom of the tongue, and every manifest class of transgressions, and also those that are hidden, such as envy, diffidence, malice, fraud, and whatever other swarms of vices there may be, which the Scripture hates and abhors just as much as the manifest class of errors. Whose bones has the Lord scattered? Is it not of those who study to please men? Whom does the Lord abhor as a wicked and bloodthirsty man? Is it not the deceitful and fraudulent man? For, «The Lord abhors a bloodthirsty and deceitful man.» Does not David openly imprecate those «who speak peace with their neighbors, but evils are in their hearts»? Therefore, we are also commanded neither to hunt for praises from men, nor to be ashamed of insults received from them; for the Scripture deprives those who practice some virtue for the sake of ostentation of the rewards that are in heaven, as they receive the praise of men here. C But they say, “How then does the Lord say, ‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven’?” We therefore say to you that the Word commands the one who follows the commandments of God to do everything he does while looking toward Him, and to study to please Him alone, hunting for no glory from men; but rather to flee from the praises bestowed by them, and from ostentation, but that he should be known through his life and works, so that those who become spectators of these—He did not say, “that they may admire the one who is demonstrating himself,” but, “that they may glorify your Father who is in heaven.” For He orders all glory to be referred to Him, and every action to be completed according to His will, with whom is also proposed the reward for the works of virtue. Be desirous of those praises that consist in the things above, saying that of David: «My praise is with Thee.» And, «In the Lord shall my soul be praised.» D The Lord counts him who is desirous of honor bestowed here among the unbelievers. For, «How,» He says, «can you believe, who receive glory from men, and do not seek the glory that is from God alone?» Hatred also is among the hidden sins. And hear the Lord saying: «He who hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that every murderer has not eternal life.» Therefore, cast out of life him who hates his brother, just as the homicide. Now, that there is no difference between evils hidden within and those that are manifest, hear the Apostle: «And as they did not approve,» he says, «to have God...
in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death.» A You see how he has joined malignity and pride and deceit and the rest of the hidden things with murder and covetousness and all such things. Thus, the evils hidden in the souls are so wicked and difficult to heal, that it is not possible by human effort and virtue alone to uproot and remove them, unless one takes the power of the Spirit as an ally. For this reason David also says: B «Cleanse me from my secret faults, and keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins.» For the one human being is composed of two parts: of soul and of body. And the one is external to him, but the other remains within throughout this life. Therefore, it is necessary for a man to be vigilant externally, watching that nothing of the hazardous transgressions falls upon him, shakes him, and corrupts him. Regarding whom even the Apostle threatens, saying: «If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy.» It is also right to guard the inner C senses of the soul with every caution, lest some reason for vice, emerging from the depths from somewhere, having corrupted the judgment of piety, might enslave the soul, having filled it with passions that secretly tear it apart. «You shall not join,» says the blessed Moses, «in your threshing floor animals of different kinds together, such as an ox and an ass. Nor shall you weave together in a garment wool with linen. You shall not cultivate in the land of your soil two fruits together. Nor a second one for the year. You shall not cast a different species of animal upon another for breeding.» D What do these riddles mean? That one must not plant vice and virtue together in the same soul. What friendship has temperance with incontinence? What harmony has justice with injustice? The one always departs as the other approaches. Therefore, it is necessary for the wise farmer, as if from a potable and good spring, to send forth pure streams of life, knowing only the cultivations of God, and persisting in working them throughout his life, so that even if some foreign and strange thought should creep into the secrecy of virtue, He who sees all things, seeing your labors, may quickly with His own power cut away the treacherous root of the thoughts before they sprout. For it is not permitted to stray from hope, nor for him who always adheres to Divinity to remain unavenged. But if the widow who is mentioned in the Gospel, whom the magnitude of the injury brought before a judge who was not kind, yet the great diligence and perseverance of the little woman in prayer overcame the disposition of the judge, and called forth the punishment of the one who had done wrong—do not, therefore, give up while you are praying. For if
the shamelessness of that widow in prayer bent the sentence of a harsh magistrate A, how are we to despair of the zeal owed to God, whose mercy you know often reaches out to those who ask? “Strive,” says the Apostle, “for the spiritual gifts; and yet I show you a more excellent way. If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding bronze or a clanging cymbal.” And he declares here what the profit of love is: “Love does not envy, does not boast, is not puffed up, does not behave indecently, does not seek its own things, is not provoked, does not think evil, does not rejoice in iniquity; it rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
What is this? Even if someone attains to the other gifts which the Spirit provides (I mean the tongues of nations, and prophecy, and knowledge, and the gifts of healings), yet has not been purely liberated from the passions that disturb him from within by the help of the Spirit, nor has he received the perfect medicine of salvation into his soul, he still stands in fear of a fall, because he does not possess love, which stabilizes and confirms one in the state of virtue. When, therefore, the wealth of that prayer comes to you, then be poor in your disposition, always submitting yourself, and by securing in your soul the ornament of love as a sort of foundation for the treasure of grace, struggle against every passion until you arrive at the goal of piety. B
Again, the Apostle says: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away.” He called a “new creation” the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a pure and blameless heart, free from all malice, wickedness, and shame. For when the soul hates sinning, and according to its ability appropriates the way of life of virtue to itself, and having been transformed in its life, receives the grace of the Spirit into itself, it has become entirely new and has been refashioned. Moreover, the words, “Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new batch,” and the words, “Let us feast, not with old leaven, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth,” harmonize with what was said regarding the new creation.
For the tempter sets many snares for the soul; and human nature is too weak by itself to be able to report a victory over him. For this reason, the Apostle also commands us to arm our members with heavenly weapons, saying: “Put on the breastplate of righteousness; and shod your feet in the preparation of the Gospel of peace; and having girded your loins in truth. Above all, taking the shield of faith, you will be able to extinguish all the fiery arrows of the Wicked One.” C These are the unrestrained passions. And he enjoins one to receive the helmet of salvation, and the holy sword of the Spirit. By this he means the Word of God, which is in power, with which one must arm the right hand of the soul to strike back at the Enemy’s devices. Do you see how many D ways of salvation the Apostle has pointed out to you, all stretching toward one path and one goal—among which also...
the curriculum of life, which looks to the summit of the commandments of God, is completed. A
It may be judged that the very Word in the power of God, by which it is fitting for the right hand of the soul to be armed, strikes down the works of the enemy. Do you see how many ways of salvation the Apostle has pointed out to you, which all stretch toward one path and the same goal; in which the curriculum of life, regarding that which relates to God’s commandments, is easily completed, so that one condemns one’s life, nor is conscious of having deemed oneself worthy of God.
B Such, then, is the goal of piety. It is necessary that those who have decided to devote themselves to the pursuit of true wisdom know this goal accurately, so that they may cast aside all haughtiness and arrogance, and not grow proud on account of right actions; and when they have denied their own soul together with their life, they should cast their eyes toward that one wealth which God has granted to those who love Him as a reward for their love for Christ, just as the Apostle himself says: “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. xii, 1, 2). Let us not, therefore, be puffed up by the gifts of the Spirit, and take our having accomplished something through virtue as a pretext for haughtiness and pride, before we come to the end of the things hoped for; lest we fall from our eagerness, having rendered the preceding labor useless to ourselves through arrogance, and having appeared unworthy of the perfection toward which the grace of the Spirit was drawing us. This is the great achievement of philosophy: that he who is great should be humble and pure in heart, and should judge his life, not having in his conscience deemed himself worthy before God.
We believe that the things pertaining to the hope of attaining this goal have been sufficiently stated for those who have chosen to live wisely. It remains, therefore, to add to what has been said how such persons ought to live together, and how they ought to run in competition with one another until they have arrived at the city above. Therefore, it is necessary for him who clearly despises the noble things of this life and denies all worldly glory, also to deny his own soul along with his [worldly] life. The denial of the soul is to seek one’s own will nowhere, but rather the will of God, and to use that as a good pilot, which directs the common assembly of the brotherhood in harmony toward the harbor of the divine will; and to possess nothing beyond the common, except for the garment that covers the body. For in this way it will be easier, with joy and hope, to perform eagerly what is commanded by those in charge, as a servant of Christ redeemed for the common need of the brethren. For this is also what the Lord desires, saying: “Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant” (Matth. xx, 26). C Such service among men ought to be without reward, and such a one must be subject to all, and serve the brethren like one who is a debtor of interest. D Furthermore, it is fitting for those who are set over this spiritual choir, considering the magnitude of their care and the malice that lies in wait for the faith and meditates deceitful arts, to be anxious for the dignity of their oversight, and not to bear a high spirit on account of their authority. For it is fitting that those established in oversight should labor more than the others, yet think more humbly than those under them, and provide their own life as a model of a servant.
A They must consider that they hold as a deposit from God those who have been entrusted to them. Thus, those in oversight ought to care for the brothers as good tutors for tender children, whom they have received in trust from their parents. For those [tutors], observing the habits of the children, apply to one stripes, to another warnings, to another praise, and to another something else of that sort, doing none of these things for favor or out of hatred, just as spiritual leaders also ought to act. If you are thus disposed toward one another—both the subordinates and the teachers—the former obeying commands and instructions with joy, and the latter advancing the brothers to a state of perfection with pleasure—and if you outdo one another in showing honor, you will live the life of angels upon earth. Let each person persuade himself that he is inferior and weaker, not only than the brother with whom he associates, but even than every other human being; for knowing this, he shall truly be a disciple of Christ. Knowing, therefore, the fruits of humility and the loss caused by pride, imitate the Lord, and run as one body and with one soul toward the upward calling, loving God and one another. For love and the fear of the Lord are the first fulfillment of the Law. B Yet it is not the nature of things for love toward God to arise in us simply or by chance, but through many labors and great cares, and with the cooperation of Christ, just as Wisdom has said: "For if," it says, "you seek it as silver, and like treasures you search for it, then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." And having found the knowledge of God, you will easily comprehend the fear of God, and you will rightly accomplish what follows—I mean, love toward one’s neighbor. For when the first and greatest commandment has been acquired through labor, the second, being lesser, is of lighter labor: since he who does not love God with all his heart and with all his mind, how could he sincerely and diligently take care of the love of the brothers? C But when the architect of malice has found someone who does not surrender his whole soul to God, and who is empty of love for Him, he easily enslaves him and casts him headlong into depraved thoughts, now making the commandments of Scripture seem heavy, and the service rendered to the brothers burdensome; then again, he elevates him to arrogance and pride based on that very ministry toward his fellow servants, so that he seeks glory from men and demands honor from the brothers, and thus pursues and performs the deeds of unbelievers. For he is an unbeliever who hunts for human honors instead of heavenly ones, as the Lord Himself says somewhere: "How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and do not seek the glory that is from the only God?" Therefore, if the love of God is present in us, it is necessary that all other things follow upon it: brotherly love, gentleness, sincerity without hypocrisy, perseverance and diligence in prayer, and, in short, every virtue in its kind. Since, however, when great D
A possessions are at stake, there is need for great labors—not such as are undertaken for the display of men, but for the sake of pleasing God, who knows that which is hidden—to those who love God the labor of the commandments is easy and sweet, since love toward Him makes the conflict light and desirable for us. For this reason, the Evil One strives by every means to cast the fear of the Lord out of our souls, and to dissolve the love toward Him with unlawful pleasures. For he is cunning; if he finds the guardians sluggish, he steals the opportunity to invade the labors of virtue, and to sow his tares among the wheat—I mean slanders, pride, vainglory, desire for honor, and the other fruits of wickedness.
Therefore, we must be vigilant and watch the Enemy from every side, so that even if he sets up some artifice through his impudence, it may be fended off before it touches the soul. Remember also, for my sake, constantly this: that Abel offered to the Lord a sacrifice from the firstlings of his sheep and from their fat, but Cain from the fruits of the earth, though not from the sheep. B "And God," it says, "looked upon the sacrifices of Abel, but to the gifts of Cain He did not attend." It is possible, therefore, to learn from the sacred history that everything which is done with fear and faith is acceptable to the Lord, not that which is done sumptuously without love. For not otherwise would Abraham have received the blessing from Melchisedec, had he not offered the first fruits and the choicest things to the priest of God. By "choicest things" he means the first fruits of his possessions—the very soul and mind—commanding us not to sacrifice praises and prayers to God in a mean spirit, nor to bring just anything to the Master, but if there is anything choice in the soul, to dedicate it, or rather the whole of it, to God.
However, as to which of the parts of virtue should be considered better, and C which should be practiced before others, and which second after this, and the rest in order, it is not possible to say. For they are linked to one another, and through one another they lead those who practice them to the summit. For simplicity hands over to obedience; obedience to faith; this to hope; hope to justice; that to service; and this to humility; and from this, gentleness is assumed; and it leads to joy; and joy to love; and that to prayer; and thus, being hung from one another, and having suspended the one who clings to them, they carry him to the very summit of what is desired, just as, on the contrary, wickedness brings its friends down through its own parts to the uttermost wickedness.
But we must persevere especially in prayer; for it happens to be, as it were, the leader of the choir of virtues, and through a mystical holiness and spiritual activity and an unspeakable disposition, it joins the one who perseveres in D prayer to God. He, burning with desire, finds no satiety in prayer; but is always seized by the desire for the Good, according to that which is said: "Those who eat me shall yet hunger, and those who drink me shall yet thirst." And elsewhere: "You have given gladness to my heart." And the Lord says: "The kingdom of heavens"
A within you is. He called the joy which is implanted in souls from above through the Spirit a Kingdom; which is an earnest of the everlasting joy, which the souls of the saints shall then enjoy. Since, therefore, it has been demonstrated what is the goal of piety, which ought to be set before those who choose a life dear to God—which is the purification of the soul and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through the progress of good works—let each of you who has prepared his soul in the manner demonstrated, and has made it full of divine love, thus surrender himself to prayers and fastings, mindful of Him who exhorts us to pray without ceasing and not to grow weary. For diligence in prayer bestows great things upon us; only let each one do this with an intent and upright conscience, nowhere wandering in his thought voluntarily, nor discharging it as a reluctant debt born of necessity, but fulfilling the desire and love of the soul. For the Lord Himself will suggest to those who ask how they ought to pray, according to that which is said: "He who gives prayer to the one who prays." Therefore, it is necessary both to ask, and for him who persists in prayer, which is of such great importance, to know that he is entering into a contest with great zeal and tension of strength. Since vice lies in wait for such, seeking on all sides to overturn their zeal. From this comes the relaxation of body and soul; from this comes softness, and listlessness, and neglect, and the rest, by which the soul is perished, being torn apart B by degrees and deserting to its enemy. Wherefore it is fitting that reason, like a prudent pilot, should preside over the soul, preparing it to sail uprightly towards the harbor which is above, and restoring the soul whole to God, who entrusted it to faith and demands it back. And it also behooves those who are in charge to assist such an one, and with all diligence and admonition to nourish the desire of the one praying in his purpose. For the fruit of the virtues of those who truly pray, being manifest to those who understand, becomes useful not only to those who have made progress, but even to those who are still infants and in need of instruction, inciting them to imitate what they see. The fruit of pure and sincere prayer is simplicity, love, humility, endurance, innocence, and other things of this kind, which precede the eternal fruits and blossom here during the life of the zealous. Prayer is adorned with these fruits; if it is destitute of them, it takes upon itself a vain labor. And C not only it, but also the entire way and reason of philosophy—which has a sprout of this kind—is in reality the path of justice and leads to the right end; but being deprived of these, it is left a hollow name. What use is there of a cultivated vine, if the fruits are not present, for the sake of which the farmer has endured his labors? What profit is there in fasting, and prayer, and vigil, if peace and joy and love, and the remaining fruits of the grace of the Spirit are not present? Wherefore, one must undergo the labors of fasting and prayer and other works with much pleasure and love and hope; but one must believe that the flowers of these labors and their fruits are by the operation of the Spirit.
A But if anyone should attribute these things to himself and ascribe everything to his own endeavors, in place of those incorruptible fruits, a spirit of arrogance is planted within that man. Therefore, it is fitting to sustain the struggles undertaken for the sake of virtue with joy, and to attribute the liberation of the soul from the passions to God, so that the soul, having become better than its former self and superior to the very powerful malice of the Enemy, may provide itself as a good dwelling-place for the adorable and Holy Spirit; and, having received from Him the immortal peace of Christ, it is united through this peace and clings to the Lord.
But if there are some who do not yet possess the intensity of perfect prayer, nor the diligence and strength due to such a task, and are left behind in this virtue, let them fulfill their obedience in other matters, serving according to their ability, working readily, and ministering with zeal and pleasure—not for the sake of any wage, nor for the sake of human glory, nor as if serving bodies and souls that are foreign to us, but as serving the servants of Christ, as if they were our own inward parts, so that our work may appear pure and free from deceit before the Lord. B Let no one use weakness as a pretext for avoiding the pursuit of good works; for God commands nothing that is impossible. For He says, "Whoever gives a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward." 41 What is easier than this commandment? And yet the reward for so light and easy a task is heavenly. And again, "Insofar as you did it to one of these, you did it to me." 42 C The command is indeed small; but the gain to the obedient is great. Therefore, He demands nothing beyond our strength; but whether you do something small or great, the reward follows you according to your intention. For if it is done in the name and fear of God, that gift comes which cannot be taken away; but if it is for the sake of display, listen to the Lord Himself swearing, "Truly I say to you, they have received their reward." D And so that no one may suffer this, He instructs the disciples, and through them ourselves: "Beware of performing your almsgiving, or your prayer, or your fasting, before men; otherwise, you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." To Him be glory to the ages. Amen.