Friday, August 15, 2003
St. John on malice or remembrance of wrongs continued...
The man who puts a stop to anger has also wiped out remembrance of wrongs, sinceoffspring can come only from a living parent.
A loving man banishes revenge, but a man brooding on his hatred stores up troublesome labors for himself. A banquet of love does away with hatred and honest giving brings peace to a soul, but if the table is extravagant then license is brought forth and gluttony comes jumping in through the window of love.
I have seen hated shatter a lecherous relationship, and then afterwards remembrance of wrongs stood in the way of restoring the relationship. Now this is amazing, one devil cured by another. Still, this may be the work of divine providence rather than the work of deamons.
Remembrance of wrongs is far removed from sturdy, natural love, but like a flea hidden on a dove, may live next door to fornication.
St. John has had a profound impact on our group. It seems as though we usually com together very chatty and talkative. When we finish the reading, we are left silent, staring deeply into ourselves. It is a time for the diagnosis of our individual conditions; a time for the shockwave to run through after the bomb has detonated. Slowly, we all come to and enter into discussion. Usually the first thing we ask is: "How did he say to get up this step?"
I should note that we all started reading this book with varying degrees of skepticism. We have been reminded over and over that it is "addressed to monastics, whose path is very different from our own." We have found this to be true to an extent. While there are things we may never have application for (like being banished to a prison for monastics), we have begun to cling very tightly to St. John's Ladder in any way we find applicable. Having listened intently to St. John's prognosis and ralizing its stinging realitiy, we are desperate for the cure. We are desperate for real change, real transformation.
So there we sit...varying in ages 20 to 30; varying in religious backgrounds from charismatic, to Catholic, to Buddhist; varying in interests from philosophy to surfing, and yet, contrary to common evangelical opinion, this 6th century monk has offered us something that transcends all of the fluff we bring. He has given us something that is relevant in the most immense way. He has taught us that the condition of the soul and man's desire to find healing will never be irrelevant.
The man who puts a stop to anger has also wiped out remembrance of wrongs, sinceoffspring can come only from a living parent.
A loving man banishes revenge, but a man brooding on his hatred stores up troublesome labors for himself. A banquet of love does away with hatred and honest giving brings peace to a soul, but if the table is extravagant then license is brought forth and gluttony comes jumping in through the window of love.
I have seen hated shatter a lecherous relationship, and then afterwards remembrance of wrongs stood in the way of restoring the relationship. Now this is amazing, one devil cured by another. Still, this may be the work of divine providence rather than the work of deamons.
Remembrance of wrongs is far removed from sturdy, natural love, but like a flea hidden on a dove, may live next door to fornication.
St. John has had a profound impact on our group. It seems as though we usually com together very chatty and talkative. When we finish the reading, we are left silent, staring deeply into ourselves. It is a time for the diagnosis of our individual conditions; a time for the shockwave to run through after the bomb has detonated. Slowly, we all come to and enter into discussion. Usually the first thing we ask is: "How did he say to get up this step?"
I should note that we all started reading this book with varying degrees of skepticism. We have been reminded over and over that it is "addressed to monastics, whose path is very different from our own." We have found this to be true to an extent. While there are things we may never have application for (like being banished to a prison for monastics), we have begun to cling very tightly to St. John's Ladder in any way we find applicable. Having listened intently to St. John's prognosis and ralizing its stinging realitiy, we are desperate for the cure. We are desperate for real change, real transformation.
So there we sit...varying in ages 20 to 30; varying in religious backgrounds from charismatic, to Catholic, to Buddhist; varying in interests from philosophy to surfing, and yet, contrary to common evangelical opinion, this 6th century monk has offered us something that transcends all of the fluff we bring. He has given us something that is relevant in the most immense way. He has taught us that the condition of the soul and man's desire to find healing will never be irrelevant.
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