By
definition, an Orthodox Christian is one who strives to be obedient to the
Commandments and, at the same time, obediently tries to fulfill the
requirements of an Orthodox way of life, as revealed by Scripture and
Tradition. Thus, obedient attendance at divine services, frequent reception of
the Mysteries, observance of the seasonal fasts, the giving of alms, acquiring
the spirit of charity, etc.—all of these, and more, constitute the bare minimum
expected of those who follow Jesus Christ. This holy obedience is, however,
only the beginning for anyone who wishes to call himself Christian; these are
the first steps in spiritual life, in keeping with what the Lord has taught us:
If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments. He that hath my commandments, and
keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. He that loveth me not, keepeth not my
words (Saint John 14.15, 21, 24). This is why Saint Paisios Velichkovsky has
written: "The keeping of God's commandments and His words is nothing else
than perfect obedience toward Christ the Lord." From this the Orthodox
Christian quickly learns how utterly lacking he is in the spirit of obedience
and love.
So
fundamental, so essential, are these obedient first steps, however, that they
cannot be passed over lightly. Yet, because they represent the patient, hard
work of actually beginning to walk the narrow path to the kingdom of Heaven,
they are the least attractive to the new Orthodox Christian, and are often
ignored. This is why a priest who works particularly with converts will first
assign to his new spiritual charge the routine of piety as outlined above, a
routine primarily intended not only to test obedience, but to touch the heart
rather than the head. In the words of Saint John of Kronstadt: It is extremely
dangerous to develop—to educate—only the understanding, the intellect, and to
ignore the heart. We must, above all, attend to the heart, for the heart is
life... , so that it may direct all the thoughts, desires, and inclinations of the
man throughout his life.
Many
converts never progress beyond this initial requirement to obey the principles
of an Orthodox way of life; some actually spend their lives struggling against
it altogether. But those to whom it is granted to go deeper, to go beyond the
baby milk of spiritual life, there awaits the experience of the strong wine of
Orthodox obedience. It is the purpose of this short essay to examine this kind
of obedience—obedience to a spiritual Father—in the life of an Orthodox
Christian layman.
There are
three general principles that apply here. First, one must distinguish between
an elder and a spiritual Father. An elder fills the prophetic ministry in the
Church; as such, he must be obeyed as one who truly reveals the will of God to
others. There are virtually no true elders left on the face of the earth today,
and those who claim to be elders or allow their followers to call them by that
title—especially here in America, where Orthodoxy is so immature—, do no service
to the cause of Orthodoxy. There are far too many western converts to Orthodoxy
who, lacking willpower and conviction are more than willing to abdicate their
own common sense and judgment to another; the ensuing personality cult has
nothing whatever to do with Orthodoxy. It is a fact that the average layman
often confuses the functions of the elder and the spiritual Father.
Secondly,
obedience to a spiritual Father is not so much a question of commanding and
obeying as of leading and following. In other words, a spiritual Father must
never see him self as one who issues edicts, but as one who leads the lay
person given to his care by God; he leads by word and deed. So many examples of
this abound in the lives of the Saints that it would be pointless to begin
citing them here. It need only be said that the relationship between a layman
and his spiritual Father is not a legalistic one; it is not based on a vow of
obedience (although, by grace it could be very binding on a particular
spiritual Father and child). Rather, it is a living bond between two living
souls, one more experienced than the other, one capable of showing the way
because he has already begun to travel it, the other willing to trust and
follow. The late Schemamonk John, for many years the Father Confessor of
Varlaam Monastery, who also had many non-monastic spiritual children, put it
this way: "The wise spiritual life was explained with precision by the
Holy Fathers in their writings, but what they wrote can be best understood by
being lived. It is the spiritual Father who must live these principles,
according to his strength and the grace given to him, in full view of his
spiritual children. To those who turn to me, small-brained as I am, I will give
my opinion and then always say: But consider the matter yourself." The
spiritual Father does not coerce, he does not give orders; rather, he takes the
spiritual child by the hand and leads the way, gently but firmly.
Thirdly,
those who can give spiritual guidance are now so rare that a layman must
exercise great caution before placing himself under obedience. This is why the
great nineteenth-century Elder Makarios of Optina Monastery wrote the following
to a lay person: "It is certainly a great consolation, and a great help on
the way, to find a director under whose wise guidance our will is cured of
self-will, our mind of self-regard. But in these days, it is most difficult to
find one." If it was already difficult one hundred years ago, in the last
days of grace-filled Russia, to find a spiritual Father, how much more
difficult it is for us today! A contemporary of Elder Makarios, and himself a
great spiritual guide, Bishop Ignatios Brianchaninov, cautioned those in his
care: "Conceited and self-opinionated people love to teach and give
directions. They are not concerned as to the value of their advice. It does not
occur to them that they can cause irreparable damage to their neighbor by their
misguided advice, which is taken by an inexperienced beginner with
irresponsible confidence ... . They want to make an impression on the beginner,
and subject him morally to themselves. They want human praise. They want to be
reputed saints, astute elders, teachers with spiritual insight. They want to
nourish their insatiable vanity."
How then
is the layman, who is progressing beyond the day-to-day routine of pious
living—fasting, vigil, prayer, etc.—to find the direction his soul needs for
further growth? In most instances, a parish priest will direct this person to a
wise monastic who can provide guidance. Failing this, as even Bishop Ignatios
says, the layman must seek out the will of God in Scripture for himself,
imploring God to send him help. It may happen that in time God will send a wise
counsellor, a spiritual Father; but meanwhile the lay person must wait
patiently, not being overly anxious to submit himself to another, lest he
become a servant of men (1 Corinthians 7.23) rather than a servant of God. If,
at last, God sends a spiritual Father, then, Bishop Ignatios writes, with
weeping and heart felt groanings implore God not to allow you to turn aside
from His all-holy will and follow a fallen human will, your own or that of your
neighbor—your spiritual adviser (spiritual Father). In just the same vein,
Elder Makarios wrote the following to a spiritual child: "I shall try to
answer you as best I can, but you must pray. Pray that God may grant me the
ability to say the right words which will bring you help."
One of
the signs by which a layman can recognize his spiritual Father is this: a
spiritual guide is not longing to give anyone advice; on the contrary, he knows
that of himself he is empty and incapable—as even Elder Makarios wrote: "I
have told you nothing that is an invention of my own. All of what I say comes
from the writings of the Fathers. Mine is only the humble work of choosing
passages suitable to your particular case." Similarly, Bishop Ignatios
says that the Fathers forbid us to give advice to our neighbor of our own
accord, without our neighbors asking us to do so. The voluntary giving of
advice is a sign that we regard ourselves as possessed of spiritual knowledge
and worth, which is a clear sign of pride and self-deception. How many spiritual
Fathers today can withstand such a test? Yet, there may be a handful. Such true
spiritual guides give advice with fear of God and only because it was asked of
them; knowing their own grievous inadequacies, they do not expect instant
obedience, but leave it to the judgment of their spiritual child. In this way
they protect both themselves and their spiritual children. The spiritually
mature layman, however, knows that if he obeys his spiritual Father in all
things that do not conflict with the Law of God or his God-given common sense,
God will not at all abandon him.
Anyone
who has read much in the writings of the holy Fathers and lives of the Saints
will realize that what has been said above about the layman and obedience is a
very pale reflection of what was once in the Church. But the level of
spirituality in church life is so low today that it is God's will that lay
people aspire for nothing more than voluntary obedience to a spiritual Father.
To go beyond this is not only dangerous, but calls into question the providence
of God. Spiritual growth for the layman is still possible, but it is now very,
very slow and painstaking. Still, growth does take place. In the words of
Bishop Ignatios: "It is a great mystery of God, a great blessing for us,
that it is left to us to feed on the crumbs that fall from the spiritual table
of the Fathers. These crumbs are not the most satisfying food, but they can
prevent spiritual death."
By Father Alexey Young (now Hieromonk Ambrose)
Source: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/layobedience.aspx
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