The soul requires discipline to overcome disinclination
My soul suffers from a certain blindness when it comes to itself. In its desire to be more relaxed, indolence, insensitivity and deceit rule the soul. In my refusal to master the work of salvation, complacency sets in. Since no one can enter into my inner life but me, I am the only one who can persuade myself to bring discipline into my spiritual life. I am the one who must reason with myself before depravity and sin can extinguish the light of the knowledge of the truth.
The dramatic increase we are witnessing with mega-storms are forcing us to accept that we really do not have control over our environment. We are seeing that there are no easy fixes for all the societal problems that are mounting up like piles of garbage on hot city streets.
In truth, change can only come about when it begins in the soul of one person. Throwing off my own blindness can in itself bring light to countless others, which is why Saint Seraphim said, “if you acquire inner peace, thousands around you will be saved”.
This task is not just about our leaders or professional religious people, it is about me. I am the one that must overcome my disinclination to do anything that has salvation at the forefront, otherwise I will be the person who drags down those around me as they fail to thrive in the difficult world that is coming, where food shortages, and scarce water, will bring many to despair.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Photo: A deer in the lower forest of the monastery.
Saturday March 23, 2019 / March 10, 2019
Second Saturday of the Great Lent. Tone one.
Great Lent. Food with Oil
Parents’ Saturday. Remembrance of the dead.
Martyrs Codratus (Quadratus) and with him: Cyprian, Dionysius, Anectus, Paul, Crescens, Dionysius (another), Victorinus, Victor, Nicephorus, Claudius, Diodorus, Serapion, Papias, Leonidas, Chariessa, Nunechia, Basilissa, Nice, Galla, Galina, Theodora, and others at Corinth (258).
St. Paul of Taganrog (1879).
New Hieromartyr Demetrius, priest (1938).
Martyrs Codratus, Saturninus, and Rufinus of Nicomedia (3rd c.).
Venerable Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria (567).
New Martyr Michael of Agrapha, Thessalonica (1544). (Greek).
Martyr Marcian (Greek).
Venerable George Arselaites (6th c.).
St. Attalus, abbot of Bobbio (626).
St. Kessog, bishop of Loch Lomond.
St. John of Khakuhli, also called Chrysostom (10th-11th c.) (Georgia).
The Scripture Readings
Hebrews 3:12-16
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:
“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
Failure of the Wilderness Wanderers
16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses?
Mark 1:35-44
Preaching in Galilee
35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. 37 When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”
38 But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”
39 And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.
Jesus Cleanses a Leper
40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”
41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43 And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Fr. Abbot Tryphon, I ask for your blessing. Yes, during Lent I have also been thinking about seemingly “benign activities” that I engage in that seem to be dampen my motivation to pray, read, and study more about our Orthodox Faith. These range from angry people on the Internet ranting about that the state of politics or society to absurd sitcoms. While, at first, these things seem stimulating and funny, I am actually inviting “disinclination” into my soul as I give blocks of time to things that have no value. And worse, threaten, to “rewire” my thinking about Salvation and Reality.
Adam in Illinois
As the deer panteth for the water doeth my soul longeth after Thee. Psalm 41:1. Thank you Abbot Tryphon for reminding us that we should always choose to look up and depend on Christ no matter what comes our way.
In His Mercy, Andrea
To counter disinclination or aversion, Fr T. Hopko would say “Pray as you can, not as you want. Pray as God inspires you to pray, not as you want to, but as God gives. And for a Christian that would mean in one’s heart, in one’s room, and in one’s Church.”
Maxim #2 of 55
I am in urgent care at Kaiser this am having my heart monitored. Thankfully I have my phone with me. Your words go right into my heart. Thank you that your words are with me, especially at this time!!
Nina
May God be with you, Nina, and may you walk out of urgent care in good health. My prayers are with you.
Dear Abbott,
Adam in Illinois is so correct. The social media and T.V. distractions keep us from what is true and real. One of the great problems facing our society today.