Saturday
II Tim. 3:1-9; Luke
20: 21-45:4
A passage from St. Theophan the Recluse
“Who are those having a form of godliness, but denying the
power thereof? (II Tim. 3:5). Who are those others, ever learning, and never
able to come to the knowledge of the truth (II Tim. 3:7). The former are those
who maintain all the external routines in which a godly life is manifested, but
who do not have a strong enough will to maintain their inner dispositions as
true godliness demands. They go to church and stand there readily, but they do
not make the effort to stand with their mind before God continuously and to
reverently fall down before Him. Having prayed a bit, they release the reins of
the control of their mind, and it soars, circling over the entire world. As a
result, they are outwardly located in the church, but according to their inner
state they are not there; only the form of godliness remains in them while its
power is not there. With them everything else, (in the spiritual life) can be
thought about in the same way.
The latter are those who, having entered the realm of faith,
do nothing but invent questions: ‘What is this? What is that? Why this way? Why
that way?’ They are people suffering from empty inquisitiveness. They do not
chase after the truth, but only ask and ask. Having found the answer to their
questions, they do not dwell on them for long, but soon feel the necessity to
look for another answer. And so they whirl about day and night, questioning and
questioning, and are never fully satisfied with what they learn. Some people
chase after pleasures, but these chase after the satisfaction of their
inquisitiveness.”
In this passage, St. Theophan focuses on the idea of truth in the Christian life. He explores the rituals of people who say their prayers and go to church and that is the farthest extent to which they go. St. Theophan inquires, do they really know God? Do they make an effort to become close with Him in mind, body, and spirit? Their actions are what they express outwardly but God truly knows the state of their spiritual hearts. This piece was written in the 1800s and it goes to show that the topic of people’s true spirituality is still relevant today. St. Theophan also goes into the nature of the constant questioning that becomes apparent in our humanness. We have the tendency to ask what the reason is for everything but we know that with God’s will, He has all the answers. As Orthodox Christians, we are encouraged to trust in the Lord with all of our being. I believe this is something that we all struggle with at some point in our lives. This is something that I personally struggle with at times being a college student and uncertain about what the future will bring. But at the end of the day, I need to remember that God is on my side and by trusting in Him, I have faith that His plans are best for me.
Written by Jackie Loupakos
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