The Rule of (the Future Saint) R. Joseph OwlesA Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles It's a work in progress. The Constitution for the Order of the Kingdom (or the Saints)--I haven't decided yet. REGULA DE ORDO DE REGNUM CHAPTER I Listen It is our first duty and privilege as children of God, and servants of the Kingdom, to listen. To this end the sainted Benedict of old counseled us to listen, not merely with our ears, but with our whole heart, mind, and being. Listen, not only to these words"because in these words you shall find life"but listen also to others. This is not a counsel, dear children, to readily accept all that is said, but listen. It is both cruel and arrogant to reject the words of others without first taking the time to give them a hearing. It is both prideful and hurtful to decide that they will have nothing to say that can benefit us. So listen, dear children, to all. For God asks us to be generous, not with our possessions, but with ourselves, not merely giving what we have, but who we are. We demonstrate our generosity first and foremost by listening. Above all else, dear children, listen for God in all things"for God our Father is present in all things and we shall learn to see him in all things if we can learn to discipline ourselves and learn to become blind to our desires. To find God in all things is our goal. Yet, finding God may not always be about seeing God in all things, it may also be about hearing the invisible God, making His presence known through a small, still voice, through preaching, through the sounds of nature, through the anything and everything of any given moment. So the first thing we shall do is listen. As you learn to listen for God in all things, dear children, listen also to the words of this instruction. This is the code by which we shall dedicate and discipline our whole lives. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself has declared that there are two ways: the way of life, and the way of death. We must pass through a narrow gate to enter onto the constricted road that leads to life, but the gate entering onto the expansive road that leads to death is wide. So we are instructed to enter through the narrow gate and find life (Mt. 7:13-14). These words, dear children, lead to the life promised to us by our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who seek life, dear children, will listen to these words. They will listen, not only with their ears, they will listen with their hearts and minds. Dear children, do not listen to these words as one who enters a debate, seeking to disprove and to argue, but rather, listen to these words as one who is lost in a desert who finds an oasis. Extinguish everything within you that refuses to hear. Do not listen with your intellect, but listen with all that you are. Learn to listen with your feelings, listen with your mind, listen with your spirit, and not just your ears. Listen to these words as if they are the words of a loving parent speaking to a child. CHAPTER II God Does Not Hide from Us If our first duty and privilege, dear children, is to listen, our second is to understand that God is not hiding from us, but can easily be found. Yet, there is a price to be paid in finding God: we must be willing to give up our own will. God is always present, yet often invisible. The more we can learn to put aside our wants and our concerns"to put aside our own will"the more visible God becomes to us. The will often stands as a barrier between us and God, making us blind to His presence, deaf to His voice, unfeeling to His touch and embrace. So, dear children, understand that finding God is as easy as abandoning your own will. It is a simple thing to abandon your will, but simple does not mean that it is easy, or that it is not at times terrifying. A leap of faith may sometimes feel like falling, for what is flying after all, if not falling sideways faster than down. But the birds of the air demonstrate to us the gracefulness of their falling. The birds have learned how to fall well by trusting in the process and using it for their purpose. So we too, dear children, must learn to trust in the process of God’s will by saying “no” to ourselves, so that we can learn how to say “yes” to God. We had all gone astray like sheep, all following our own way (Is. 53:6). We have strayed from God by what we have done, and by what we have failed to do. We have strayed from God with our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. We have strayed from God in our slothfulness and in our disobedience. We have strayed by loving our own will more than loving God"and this leads us into disobedience and rebellion. Yet our obedience leads us back to God. It often seems like hard work to obey, but the reward of our obedience will often prove to us that it is worth the effort. So once more I say to you, dear children, listen to the words of this teaching: We can find God if we are but willing to lose our will once and for all, arming ourselves instead with the powerful and excellent weapons of obedience, battling not on behalf of our own will (which has usurped dominion and keeps us in bondage), but battling instead on behalf of Christ the Lord, the true King. CHAPTER III Whenever we set out to do anything, we should be determined to do it for God, sincerely and devoutly asking Him to bring whatever it is that we set out to do to perfection. So, dear children, before you do anything, dedicate the activity to God, asking Him to bless it and bring it to completion in a manner that suits His will and is beneficial for all"for whenever we are asking God to bring about something to perfection, we are asking God to make it conform to His will. Do Everything for God If everything we set out to do is for God, and not for ourselves, then we will find ourselves constantly reminded that we should do whatever it is to the best of our ability and out of good motives. It will please God and assist us in avoiding thoughts and behaviors that displease Him. We must remember, dear children, that we are not God’s children by our own doing, but by God’s doing. It pleased God to count us among His children. So let us always make certain that He does not regret that choice. Let us always seek to avoid the short-sighted and evil things that break God’s heart. As children we should strive to make our God a proud Father and avoid any behavior that brings about disappointment and shame. God has given us so many good things, and we should use the good things God has given us to serve Him. We should not think to use them for our own selfish desires and motives. Always remember, dear children, that all that we have, and all that we are, are gifts from God; therefore, we are to find ways to use all that God has given us to serve God instead of serving ourselves. If we can remember that everything is a gift from God to be used to serve God and not ourselves, then God will never appear to us as an angry father who makes threats to disown (or who actually disowns) his children. God only appears brutal and tyrannical to those who serve their own wills. God only seems furious to those who serve themselves and, by doing so, fall into disobedience"disobeying His will and His commandments. To those who serve God and not themselves, God is never perceived as angry, brutal, oppressive, threatening, or punishing"for these stem from fear, and those who serve God have no reason to fear God. So, dear children, let us set out to serve the Lord and follow Him to glory instead of serving ourselves and leading ourselves to destruction. CHAPTER IV Called to the Kingdom Dear Children, every day God calls to us to live with him in his Kingdom. It is time for us to wake up, rise from bed, and face the day life has in store for us! The Scriptures try to wake us from our slumber by saying: “It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep” (Rom. 13:11). So let us open our eyes to the light of God. Let us also hear His divine voice with wonder and reverence. The divine voice that is calling out to us each day pleads with us by saying: “Oh, that today you would hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Ps 94[95]:8). He also says: “Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:7). What else does He say? “Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you fear of the LORD” (Ps 33[34]:12). “Walk while you have the light, so that darkness may not overcome you” (Jn 12:35). The Lord is looking for workers from the midst of a large crowd. He is shouting to that crowd over and over “Who is the man who delights in life, who loves to see the good days?” If when we hear this, our answer is, “Yeah, that’s me!” Then God says to us: “If you want to have true and everlasting life, ‘Keep your tongue from evil, your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Ps 33[34]:14-15). Once you have done these things, I will always look after you, and I will always listen to your prayers. And even before you can call out to me, I will already say, “Look! I am here!’” (Is 58:9). Dear children, what can be sweeter than to hear the voice of the Lord calling out to us and saying that? See how the loving kindness of the Lord shows us the way of life? So let us clothe ourselves with faith and by doing good works, as if we are dressing ourselves for battle. Let us proceed down the same path that He travels, guided by the Gospel, so that we may become worthy of seeing Him, who has called us to His kingdom (cf. 1 Thes. 2:12). God’s kingdom is a sanctuary. If we want to live in the sanctuary of His kingdom, then we will devote ourselves to doing good works"there is no other way to reach it other than running to it by our good works. But let us ask the Lord, as the prophet did, saying: “LORD, who may abide in your sanctuary? Who may dwell on your holy mountain?” (Ps. 14[15]:1). After we have asked this question, brothers and sisters, let us then listen to how the Lord answers, because His answer shows us the way to His sanctuary. The Lord says: “Whoever walks without blame, doing what is right, speaking truth from the heart; Who does not slander with his tongue, does no harm to a friend, never defames a neighbor” (Ps. 14[15]:2-3). If we can do these things, then we have defeated the disgusting demon that tempts us. We have cast him and his temptations out of our hearts. We have thrown them against Christ our rock, and they are smashed into pieces (cf. Ps. 14[15]:4; Ps 136[137]:9). If we can maintain a reverent awe of the Lord, dear children, and if we can avoid becoming puffed up by our own good deeds, and if we can avoid spiritual pride, wrongly convincing ourselves that we are somehow good and noble in ourselves, but rather remembering that anything that is good within us is not anything that we achieved, but what the Lord has done within us, then we will praise the Lord for making us whom we have become (cf. Ps 14[15]:4), saying along with the prophet: “Not to us, LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory” (Ps. 113[115:1]:9). It was in this way that the Apostle Paul refused to take any credit for himself. He said about his own preaching: “by the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Cor. 15:10). He also said: “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord” (2 Cor. 10:17). This is why the Lord said in the Gospel: “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock” (Mt 7:24-25). The Lord Himself lived these words and taught them to His followers. The Lord waits each day for us to respond to His pleading with our actions. That is why God has given us life, and keeps us alive, so that we can one day respond to Him. If we respond to His call, God gives us plenty of opportunity and life to change who we have been and how we have lived. It’s like a peace treaty"our part is to change how we live, and God’s part is to let us live so we can live in a new way, making up for all the mistakes and misdeeds that we do before we accept God’s call. It is like the Apostle said: “Are you unaware that the kindness of God would lead you to repentance?” (Rom. 2:4). The Good Lord Himself has said: “I swear I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live” (Ezek. 33:11). So as it stands right now, dear children, we have asked the Lord who will dwell in His sanctuary, we have heard the Lord’s requirements for dwelling there. If we live up to our side of the bargain, then we shall be heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven. We are like tenants following the rules of our landlord"if we do not follow those rules, we find ourselves evicted from our home. We must prepare our hearts and our bodies for battle"because it is a struggle to live under the dictates of God in holy obedience. So let us also ask the Lord for Him to supply us with His grace that will assist us in doing what is impossible for us to do on our own. Because the fact is our human nature is opposed to obedience and left to ourselves, we are unable to meet our requirements to live forever with God. If we really do desire to obtain everlasting life, flying from the pains of hell, then, while there is still time"while we are still alive and in these bodies"while we still have time to accomplish all these things, we must hurry now without delay and do at this very moment all the things that will benefit us forever. Dear children, if you have listened to the Lord’s call to live in His Kingdom, then you must ask yourself now, “Am I ready to accept that call now?” You may find, after prayer and reflection that though you desire to live in accordance with His Kingdom, you are net yet ready to devote your life to it"that even though you are not yet willing to live in the fullness of the Kingdom in all things everywhere, you are willing to be willing. Ask the Lord each day for the willingness to grow into His Kingdom in its fullness. If the Lord has graced you with the willingness to live in the fullness of His Kingdom from this moment on, then this instruction has been developed and established as a means for guiding those of us who have accepted the call to the Kingdom in all the ways necessary to live in service to the Lord. We cannot let our fear of discipline cause us to run away and veer off from the road that leads to salvation and life. The road is bound to be narrow at the start"we may even feel it is so restrictive at first that it is hard to move forward at all. But if we stick to it, advancing further in religious life, growing in faith, we will find it becoming wider, and where we once found it difficult to move at all, we will find it easy to run. The road we move along is the road of God’s commandments"as we progress along that road, our hearts grow larger and we experience the sweetness of love that is beyond words. So our intention is to never turn away from the Lord’s guidance, and to persist in His teaching as we live in community and fellowship until the day we die. May we patiently share in the sufferings of Christ and be found worthy to be joint heirs with Him in His kingdom. CHAPTER V The Lord Identifies with the Lowly Dear children, the one who was without sin identified with sinners, not to rule them, but to serve them, and through His service, save them. This, dear children, seems to be the difference between the enemy and the Lord: the one who rebelled does not identify with us who have also rebelled, but seeks to lord our rebellion over us, holding it over our heads and striving to bring us down to his level of depravity and misery; the one who has never rebelled, who placed the will of God above all else, who remained faithful to God and who is without sin, aligns Himself with us who are sinners, not so that we may serve Him, but that He may serve us, ultimately bringing us up to His level of righteousness and glory. The one who rebelled thinks he is better than those of us who have also rebelled; the one who was faithful to God in all things does not think He is better than us, but takes every aspect of our lives into Himself, redeeming our lives and undoing our rebellion. This act of identifying with us who are sinners and rebels began at His baptism. The Lord Jesus Christ was without sin and had no need to repent because He saw the world as it truly is, “came down from Galilee so that he could be baptized by John in the Jordan”(Mt. 3:13). But when John the Baptist saw this, he tried to stop Jesus by saying “I need to be baptized by you, not the other way around! Why are you coming to me?” (Mt. 3:14). But what was the Lord’s response? “Just do it! It’s necessary for me to carry out everything that brings about a right relationship with God” (Mt. 3:15). Our Lord who had no need to repent, who was not infected with the same inclination to rebel that we are infected with, chose to subordinate His ego and His pride, and acted as one who had rebelled, so that He could then teach those of us who have rebelled, how to change our attitudes and our understanding, so that we may be delivered from the consequences of our rebellion, and instead, take our places as faithful citizens and servants of His Kingdom. But this, dear children, was not the end of His endeavor to align Himself with us, for the Holy Spirit then sent our Lord out into the wilderness, because to those who seek to serve God and His Kingdom, this world is a wilderness filled with temptation. So the Lord identifies with our struggles and temptations by submitting Himself to temptation. “He fasted for forty days and forty nights, so he was hungry. And the Tempter came to him” (Mt. 4:2). Pay special attention, dear children, that the Tempter does not come at the beginning, but after forty days"when Jesus is physically, emotionally, and even spiritually at His weakest. The Lord had not eaten for forty days and was starving, and the enemy attacked Him on this point and said to our Lord: “Since you are God’s Son, why don’t you command these stones to become loaves of bread so you can eat them?” But Jesus replied to him, “Because the Bible says that ‘A person doesn’t survive by only eating bread, he also needs to be nourished by every word that God speaks” (Mt. 4:3-4; Deut. 8:3). Dear children, pay attention here to the wisdom and obedience of our Lord! He refused to use His power to serve Himself, even though to those of us who have rebelled, it appears to be a legitimate use of power"to keep ourselves alive and stave off hunger. But our Lord, placing service of God over service to Himself, and even above service to His own needs, trusted that He would be fed by God Himself, and rejected using His power for His own benefit. Yet, dear children, do not be tempted to believe that the end of this point, for later in the Holy Gospel the Lord will use His power to feed more than five thousand men and their wives and children. Jesus teaches us obedience and how to serve God and His Kingdom by refusing to use His power to serve His own needs and wants, but using His power to serve the needs of others. This is a lesson in repentance in that the world tells us to first take care of ourselves, and then we can take care of others, but our Lord Jesus Christ tells us to understand the world differently by telling us to first take care of others, and our own needs will be taken care of as well. In all of the temptations, the Lord turns the expectations of the world upside down. He chooses the opposite of what the world chooses. He chooses serving others above serving Himself; He chooses not to test the Lord"not seeking guarantees from God, or putting conditions on serving God"but He chooses to accept God’s will, even if it means dying alone and hungry out in the wilderness; He rejects the offer of worldly power, and by rejecting that power, He is given ALL power in heaven and on earth. Through His temptation, our Lord teaches us how to repent, how to understand the world differently. He teaches us that the way of the Kingdom is at odds with the way of the world, and that what may seem like wisdom in this world, is a trap. The world, and those of the world, will tell you that you need things from the world. That the world will supply all of your needs an wants if you go along with the world. But this is the trap, dear children. The more we accept the things of the world, the more we are under the power of the world. The world gives to us so that it can then threaten to take away what was given. And in our fear of losing what we have, we slowly give ourselves to the world, until we one day become completely owned by the world, and the one who rules this world. But the world and the things of the world are passing away (1 Cor. 7:31). Therefore, if we are of the world, we shall pass away with the things of the world. When we change our understanding of the world, dear children, and come to the conclusion that the world has nothing of value to offer us, then we are free from the world. The world cannot threaten to take away from us what we do not value, or what we do not have. So as long as our ambition is for wealth, power, security, and as long as we look for the world to provide those things, we are owned by the world and will always end up serving the world. But if we decide that our ambition is serving God and His Kingdom, and abandoning a drive for wealth, power, and security, then the world has no power over us. It is the way of things, dear children, that we are in error in our understanding of the world. “The way of the world” and “the facts of life” are not how the world was designed, but what the world has become through sin. The world is not the world that was made by God; the world is the world we have made through rebellion and sin. A vehicle that runs on gasoline may still run if some other fuel is substituted, but it will not run as efficiently or without problems and the need for constant repairs as time goes on. If we are convinced that this other fuel is the only fuel that works, we will never have a vehicle that runs in the way it was intended, efficient and free from problems. It would only be when we accept that our understanding of how the vehicle works is in error, and we change our understanding, using the fuel that is intended, that we have the vehicle was always wanted that runs the way it is intended to run. Therefore, dear children, since we have already learning in this instruction that the Lord calls to us each day to live in His Kingdom, that living in His Kingdom requires us to subordinate our own will in favor of serving God’s will, since we have learned that there are two ways"the way of life and the way of death"and since we have learned that the way of the Kingdom is the way of life, let us now learn that the way of the world is the way of death. Our foe, who at times may be subtle and patient, will play upon our understanding, and lead us into error and to serving him through serving the world. And yet, dear children, we are not called to remove ourselves from living in the world, but we are to serve the Lord and His Kingdom in this world as a witness to, and as a judgment against, the world as it is, and the assumptions of those who live in it, and who seek to serve it in exchange for security. For when we have repented"when we have changed our understanding of the world" we see that the economic, political, power, and other systems of the world that promise freedom and peace, only offer us bondage and dissatisfaction. “So, dear children, If it does not please you to serve the LORD, decide today whom you will serve. As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Jos. 24:15). CHAPTER VI Dear children, humility is commanded to us by our Lord, when he says that “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11; 18:14). In this, our Lord shows us that every exaltation on earth is a form of pride, and that humility on earth brings about exaltation in heaven.Humility The simple truth, dear children, is that pride is a lie. A life filled with pride is a life established upon untruth"the foundation is false and unable to support the structure of our life. Pride is a prison, self-centeredness is the cell. Humility is the key that unlocks our cell and frees us from imprisonment. Humility is not a denial of our freedom but the pathway to it. The Scriptures state that Jacob, while dreaming, saw a ladder with angels ascending and descending (Gen. 28:12). St. Benedict instructed long ago that we must construct that ladder in our lives if we wish ever to hear that heavenly exaltation promised by the Lord. This simply means, dear children, that we are to fashion our lives on the symbol of that ladder"our pride must descend and our humility must ascend. The ladder is a symbol of the life we establish in the world"our lives are lifted up to heaven by our Lord if we bring low our pride, and increase our humility. The ladder has two sides connected together by various rungs"St. Benedict instructed that the two sides of the ladder are our bodes an our spirits, and these two parts are connected by various rungs of humility. Because of these rungs, we can step onto that ladder and climb upward. The first rung of humility is to remember that we are not God. The first rung on the ladder is to keep the fear of the Lord always before us (cf Ps 35[36]:2). If the Lord is always in front of us, then we cannot lose sight of the fact that He is Lord and we are not. But how do we keep the Lord always before us? God has given us instruction through His commandments; therefore, dear children We must remember all that God has instructed us to do. When we remind ourselves that we are not God, and we encounter God in worship, in Scripture, in our prayers, or in any number of ways, we often feel the reverent fear and awe that comes when the small and sinful meets the infinite and righteous. Those who learn that they are not God learn to have reverent awe for God, while those who never learn they are not God grow in pride and remain in their sins. For us, dear children, awareness of sin, and awareness of ourselves as sinners and sinful is not a condemnation or a burden, but a grace: because we know we sin, we can seek forgiveness; because we know we are sinners, we can strive to do better; because we know we are sinful, we can become more than we are in the present. Those who are unaware of their sinfulness, or those who refuse to accept it, cannot seek forgiveness because they are unaware or do not believe they need forgiveness. They cannot strive to be better because they are unaware of a better state for which to strive. They are now the best they can ever hope to be, and may not even be that for much longer, because sin is often like a progressive disease, making a person weaker and sicker over time, reshaping him into a shadow of what he once was, and cutting him off from what he could have been. For this reason, dear children, we should remind ourselves of the tradition that says that those who despise God will burn in hell for their sins, while everlasting life is prepared for those who fear God. We should meditate on this often, not so we can judge others whom we deem unfit, but so we can guard ourselves even more against sin and the vices of thought, word, deed, and self-will. It is prideful to assume we are bound for heaven and those we dislike or dismiss are bound for hell. We meditate on hell to remind ourselves we are just as worthy of hell as anyone else, maybe more so, but knowing this will help us grow in humility, which will help to lead us to eternal life. Remembering God’s commandments, remembering to keep the Lord before us"these should be simple things to do, yet they are often difficult for us because our physical cravings make us forgetful. So fear of the Lord and keeping God’s commandments"the entire understanding that we are not God, but God alone is God"is discovered in the striving to ignore the desires and demands of the flesh"the physical cravings"and to devote ourselves more and more to the spirit. So, dear children, let us also be determined to remove our physical desires as soon as they become obvious to us. To meet this end, it is often good to remember that God sees everything. There is nothing that we can do that remains hidden from God. Even if God were not all-seeing, His angels are stationed all over the earth, and they report to God hourly. The prophet tells us that God is forever present with us in our thoughts, weighing our hearts and intentions. The prophet says: “O just God, who tries hearts and minds” (Ps. 7:10); and: “The LORD knows the plans of man” (Ps 93[94]:11) and “with all my ways you are familiar” (Ps 138[139]:3). He also writes: “The thoughts of man shall give you praise" (Ps 75[76]:11). Therefore, since the Lord knows all of our thoughts, we are to always be on guard against evil thoughts and desires: “I was honest toward him; I was on guard against sin” (Ps 17[18]:24). So we are not allowed to do whatever we want because the Scripture tells us: “Do not let your passions be your guide, but keep your desires in check” (Sir 18:30). This is why we ask God in prayer that His will may be done in us (cf Mt 6:10). So the best instruction for all of us is that we should not follow our own will, but remember that the Scripture says: “Sometimes a way seems right, but the end of it leads to death” (Prov 16:25). When we remember what is said of those who forget this, that “Their deeds are loathsome and corrupt” (Ps 13[14]:1), we are filled with dread. Our wills can easily become corrupted so we must keep the Lord in front of us at all times. When we remember that we are not God, and that we are required to serve God, but God is not required to serve us, we discover our capacity to be humble as the Lord requires us to be humble. Humility requires us to subordinate our thoughts, our own desires, our own will, to God’s will. God’s will is expressed in His commandments. The goal of the humble person is to forever remain spotless and pure before the Lord. This requires the humble person to keep himself from iniquity. We must be on guard against our desires because death sets up shop near the entrance of pleasure. “Do not let your passions be your guide” (Sir 18:30). The eyes of the Lord look upon both the good and the bad (cf Prov 15:3), and if the Lord is always looking down from heaven and watching human beings to see if anyone understands, or to see if anyone is looking to find God (cf Ps 13[14]:2); and if our actions are reported to the Lord day and night by the angels who are appointed to watch over us each day, we should always be on guard, dear children, just as the prophet tells us in the psalm when he says that we should never let God see us “gone astray” and being “perverse” like someone who never does anything good (Ps 13[14]:3). God has spared us at the present time because He is gracious and waits for us to be changed for the better, but do not allow yourself into thinking that because God is silent, He does not see, for one day we may hear the Lord say to us: “You have done all this, and I have said nothing” (Ps 49[50]:21). The second rung of humility is that we do not love our own will. The Lord Himself told his disciples: “I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me” (John 6:38). We too are not to be in love with our own will, but to embrace the will of God. Our will distracts us from God. We lose sight, dear children, of what we want for our lives because we become focused on what we want in the moment. It is only when we abandon our own will that we find peace. We find that we become happy when we stop chasing after our own wants. So we cease chasing our wants, not because we have become so enlightened or spiritual, but because we have learned that chasing after our wants only brings confusion and emptiness. If we learn to distrust our own desires and seek after what God desires for us, we will find purpose and peace. It has been said that “Self-will comes with punishment, but God’s will wins the crown.” The Third Rung of Humility Is to Learn Obedience. It is often good for us to find someone to whom we can subordinate ourselves. A leader, a spiritual guide, a parent, a teacher, a friend, a boss, anyone. It may be an institution, a church, a school, an employer. This is not a manifestation of weakness. In fact, it often takes more strength to obey than it does to rebel. In obedience we learn to be formed by God through others. God always works through human beings. If we want a relationship with God, it requires a relationship with others. We trust that God has put people in our lives to shape us"that our superiors are not tyrants or challenges, or even chores to deal with, but opportunities to learn obedience and grow in faith. In this we imitate our Lord, of whom the Apostle said: "He became obedient even to death" (Phil 2:8). Obedience may also require us to obey circumstances as well as people. There are things we cannot change, no matter how much we would like to change them. If we cannot change them, then we are powerless over them. If we are powerless, then those things are our superiors requiring obedience. An alcoholic, for instance, is powerless over his condition"he is unable to change the fact he is an alcoholic"therefore, the condition is his superior, and he can only find health and happiness if he obeys that condition by submitting to the reality of his alcoholism, rather than rebelling against the condition and trying to master his alcoholism. Obedience to the unchangeable condition of alcoholism demands that he does not put alcohol into his body. This is an act of humility because his pride would demand that he seek to change what cannot be changed, making abstinence from alcohol impossible. Only by obeying his condition can he find freedom from it. Therefore, we learn to accept what we cannot change, whether it is people or circumstances. We recognize our limitations and we accept them. In this we learn obedience. The fourth rung of humility is that we accept even hard and tasteful things. We live the life as we have it, not the life we would want it to be. For if we ignore the life we have while yearning for the life we do not have, then we have no life at all. So we learn to accept our lives, even if they contain what is distasteful and difficult to endure and accept. We learn acceptance and this teaches us to have patience and an even temper. We cannot grow weary of accepting life as it is, or give up in the face of our challenges and circumstances, but we are to hold on in faith, for as the Lord says: “whoever endures to the end will be saved (Mt. 10:22). Scripture strengthens us to have courage and to wait for the Lord. Our humility is proven in tough times just as precious metal is purified by fire. The fire is hard to endure, but if we can but endure it a little while, we will emerge from it pure and precious. This of course is difficult to do, and it is impossible for pride to endure it at all. For the fire in our lives comes to us as adversity and even injury from others. Pride cannot accept injury, but must injure in return. Pride cannot accept adversity, but imposes its will on circumstances and others. Pride says “When I get my way, I’ll be happy”; Humility says “Whether I get my way or not, I am free, and happiness lies in freedom.” Humility offers us patience and teaches us to let God deal with our adversaries; Pride is impatient and takes matters into its own hands. It is only by humility that we can keep the commandments of our Lord. Pride cannot endure being struck on the cheek without lashing out, but it is only humility that allows us, when struck, to turn the other cheek to the one who is attacking us. It is humility that allows us to go two miles when forced to march one. It is humility that allows us to give the shirt off our backs when our coat is taken. And it is humility that allows us to bless those who persecute us as St. Paul instructs. When we are not playing God; when we are not so in love with our own will; when we can learn to accept our limitations; then we can learn to endure all things, even what seems most intolerable and distasteful. For it is Pride that says “Why me?” but it is Humility that says “Why not me?” The fifth rung of humility is to be open and genuine, especially about those things we most wish to conceal. Pride conceals faults; Humility exposes them. In this we learn to be open and honest about who we are. We hide nothing. Each of us has thoughts and desires that we seek to conceal. But the more we keep these unattractive parts of ourselves in darkness, the more they become twisted and distorted. If we but open wide the windows of our souls and let the light of God shine through, exposing all that we are to God, then the power of those desires and thoughts diminish and we find freedom from them. The trap of this rung of humility is the belief that we can expose ourselves to God while keeping ourselves secret from others"it is the belief that we can confess to God without confessing to another person. There is no humility in telling God what God already knows. Perhaps there is some humility in coming to realize the depth of our sin, and confessing that awareness to God, but true humility is required to look another human being in the eye and confess to that person all that we are, all that we desire, all that we think, all that we do. Humility says “This is who I am when nobody is watching; these are the desires of my heart.” So the fifth rung of humility requires confession. We confess to the Lord, we confess to our superiors, we confess to ourselves, we confess to circumstances and situations we cannot change, we declare to everyone and everything exactly who we are. We strip off our pride and stand before everyone and everything completely naked, for those who are in innocence do not fear nakedness; it is only those filled with shame who seek to cover themselves. The sixth rung of humility is to be content in everything, no matter how modest or degrading. In this rung we learn to be grateful for the thing itself, and not merely for the value we impart to the thing. If we have accepted God’s will, then we gladly and gratefully accept where God wills us to be. Some are chosen for tasks that are menial and appear disgraceful and demeaning. Often we can look at our lives and determine that circumstances or events are not fair. Yet, we neglect to notice that the unfairness of life often works to our advantage as much or more than it works to our disadvantage. We only rail against life being unfair when we do not like the outcome or feel it is being unfair to us in particular. When we like the outcome, or when it is unfair to others while leaving us unaffected or even allowing us to gain an advantage, we do not bemoan the unfairness of life, but rather receive the boon as if we are entitled to it by the nature of our very existence. This is pride. Pride cries at the unfairness of life when events seem against us, and it remains silent or is smug when life works to our advantage. This sixth rung of humility allows us to learn that if we are truly engrossed in God’s will, then nothing is unfair or demeaning. It is merely an opportunity to serve the Lord and to gain humility. Therefore, we find contentment in every task we are required to perform, and in every situation in which we find ourselves. “When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do” (Lk. 17:10). The seventh rung of humility is not just giving lip-service to humility, but believing in the deepest part of ourselves that we are humble. It is never enough to let our faith and our humility to be a matter of mere words, but we must make them a part of our very being. Talk is cheap, and it is an easy thing to say one thing, but do another. So we must not merely preach humility, we must live in humility. We do what we believe, and if we believe ourselves to be humble, we will begin to behave in ways that demonstrate humility. We come to believe that we are not deserving of anything; therefore, all that we have, and all that we are, is a gift given to us by God. The seventh rung of humility reminds us that we are, in reality, of no consequence in the grand scheme of things. As hard as it may be for our pride to accept, the world existed without us before we were born; it will exist without us after we die. Therefore, we are not crucial to the existence of the world. In time, our greatest achievement and our greatest failure will be forgotten from this world. No one will remember it. We will have no lasting victory or defeat. For the most part, we matter only to ourselves. So instead of devoting hours and energy worrying about what others are thinking about us, we accept that only we are thinking about ourselves, and that everyone else, like us, is too busy thinking about themselves to think about us. All our worries, all our plans, all our failures, all our achievements, all our strengths, all our weaknesses, all that we are will vanish from this earth, and when we are not here to remember ourselves, we will be forgotten by all. The eighth rung of humility is that we discipline our actions, only doing what is sanctioned by those in authority over us, and those elders who have provided us with examples to follow. We give up our power, and ultimately our desire, to act according to ourselves. We only do those things we are instructed to do by our superiors, and by those faithful people, who provide examples for us to follow, and of course by those in Holy Scripture, especially our Lord Jesus Christ who instructs our behavior by both His words and deeds. This rung of humility determines that we are not to take matters into our own hands, but we are to temper our actions by the counsel and instruction of those under whose authority we find ourselves, trusting that God uses these authorities to form and shape us. The Ninth Rung of Humility Is That We Do Not Criticize or Offer Advise Unless We Are Asked. The Lord encourages this when He says: “Where words are many, sin is not wanting; but those who restrain their lips do well” (Prov. 10:19). It is not our job to correct everyone. It is not our jobs to offer advice. It is our pride that tells us we know more than others, or that we know better. Unsolicited advice is always taken as criticism, and correcting others invariably creates conflict. We Speak only when asked to speak. We critique only when asked to critique. When asked for advice, we only offer it after much reservation, and only after being sure the person really wants our counsel. Often a person asks for advice, but is only seeking approval for what has already been decided. In this situation, honest advice will only lead to an argument if it differs from what they want to hear. Arguing is pride expressing itself, and it settles nothing. First of all, in most arguments, neither side is listening to the other, but merely attacking the other with their own ideas. Neither side thinks they are in need of reform, so both spend time trying to convince the other that he is wrong, which is impossible because he is convinced that he is right and is trying to convince the other of that fact. This is true even if it is a matter of factual error. Arguing only makes the other more likely to defend the error and become committed to it as if it were truth. Even if the argument is won, it does not mean that the winner is correct or right, it only means that he is better at arguing. So offer your comments only when asked. Try to avoid answering if possible. If you cannot avoid speaking, then speak only what needs to be said"do not justify it; do not defend it. Just speak it and be silent. The Tenth Rung of Humility Is Not to Look down on Anyone or Anything. Literally the counsel is to refrain from laughter, at least excessive laughter. But it isn’t laughter in a moment of joy, but that of a fool in ignorance. “Fools raise their voice in laughter, but the prudent at most smile quietly” (Sir. 21:20). The context of the quote is that of the value of education and knowledge, and that those who do not understand things are prone to laugh at what they don’t understand. So the laughter is that of derision and jeering. If we are no better than anyone else, then nobody is any worse than us. We are not to deride anyone. Pride puffs itself up by tearing others down. Humility finds room for all to be honored. This means that we are not to laugh at the mistakes of others. We are not to laugh at the failure of others. We are not to take pleasure in the misfortune of anyone. The more we grow in humility, the more empathetic, and ultimately sympathetic, we become. The Eleventh Rung of Humility Is to Speak Gently, Calmly, and Briefly. We do not use our words to attack anyone. We speak what needs to be said in a calm and gentle manner. We do not yell. We simply choose our words carefully; we speak them frankly; and we speak to contribute to what is being said, not to detract from discussion, or attack or hurt others. Good speech requires good listening. So we listen more than we speak. We are candid in our speech and open in our listening. The Twelfth Rung of Humility Is That Our Whole Demeanor Expresses Humility. It is good to have humble thoughts. It is good to speak humble words. But these are not enough. Thinking about humility and talking about humility isn’t enough. In all that we do, we are to do it with humility. Even if it is taking a walk, tending a garden, performing our job"even if we are simply standing or sitting, we are always to express humility. If we keep in mind the fear of the Lord"that we are not God, that we no longer trust our own will, that we submit to obedience, that we accept what is unchangeable, that we are open about our faults, that we find contentment even in what others consider lowly and demeaning work"then we will keep in mind our sins and imagine that we are already standing before the judgment seat of God. So in all that we do, it is best for us to repeat the words of the tax collector, who stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’” (Lk. 18:13). When we have ascended through all these rungs of humility, we will arrive at that perfect love of God that casts out all fear (1 Jn. 4:18). If our only motivation to do what is right and good is our fear of hell, then our right is prideful, and our good is selfish. If, however, we are instead motivated, not by fear of hell, but by love for Christ, then we have a true and humble faith. As we rise to the perfect love of God, casting away all fear, we find that we can keep to a habit of goodness and virtue without much effort or thought. It has become our custom and no longer requires discipline to maintain. We no longer have to strive for it because it becomes who we are. May the Lord be pleased to cleans us all from vice and sin, and to manifest all these degrees of humility in our lives through the Holy Spirit. CHAPTER VII Dear children, if we truly wish to obtain humility, and the benefits that humility offers us, then we must learn how to obey. This is not as simple as doing what we are told, dear children, because obedience is so much more than simply following an order or a command. Remember that it is our first duty and privilege to listen, and obedience means listening. So obedience is part of our first duty, not merely in doing what we are told, but listening to what we are told. We listen for God in all things, and obedience offers us an opportunity to listen for God in the words of our superiors. This means, dear children, that we may do what we are told to do, but we may not be practicing obedience as we do it. Obedience is not doing what we are told, or eventually getting around to doing what we are told to do, or doing, but resenting what we are doing or doing it begrudgingly, or doing it and complaining the whole time"none of these are examples of obedience. These are forms of pride in that we believe we know better than the one issuing the command, and we only follow such commands because we feel as if we do not have the power to resist it, so we do what we are told with our bodies, but our hearts and minds are in rebellion. So this means that obedience has more to do with how we conduct ourselves as we do what we are told to do than it has to do with simply carrying out commands.Obedience The “how” of obedience is to instantly perform the task we are commanded to do. It is done without argument, without delay, without complaint. When we happily do what we are told to do, the moment to are told to do it, then we are practicing obedience. This kind of obedience is an attractive quality that is consistently displayed by those who love Christ more than anything else. This does not mean that everyone who obeys in this manner does so for the same reasons"some people practice genuine obedience because they have taken a vow to do so; others practice it because they are afraid of going to hell if they do not; and still others practice obedience because they want to experience the glory of everlasting life. Nevertheless, the point is that the instant a superior issues an order, we gladly do it without delay, as if the order were given to us as a command from God Himself. That is what the Lord is talking about when He said: “as soon as they heard of me they obeyed” (Ps 18:45). He also says to the teachers: “Whoever listens to you listens to me” (Lk 10:16). People who practice obedience sacrifice their own wants and desires. They set aside their own personal tasks and projects. They leave their own work unfinished, and immediately begin working on what they are told to do. The instant they receive the order, they respond with the appropriate action. By behaving in this way, we can mirror the way that disciples respond to Christ"Christ, the master, commands, and the disciples finish the work. Always remember that the superior is not issuing orders for the sake of issuing orders, or to boss people around, or for the sake of exerting power. This is not some sort of ego trip! The order being issued is something that is vital to the life and work of the community. That is why we sacrifice our personal goals and projects for those we are commanded to perform. Our personal projects may be vital to us individually, but the projects we are asked to do in the community are vital to everyone; therefore, communal needs (what is good for all) take precedence over personal needs (what is good for one or a few). The One Who Issues the Command and the One Who Follows it Are Partners in Serving God and Each Other"they are joined together in God’s work. Superiors obey God and the community by issuing the command in the first place, and the community obeys God through obedience to the one issuing the command. We are all partners in what we are doing, so we do what we are commanded to do as quickly as possible. We live in reverent awe of God, and our desire to progress toward eternal life inspires us to quick obedience and a swift completion of the task. That is why we are willing to follow the narrow path spoken of by the Lord: “narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life” (Mt. 7:14). That is why we do not go off and live however we please, obeying our own wants and desires. That is why we live under the guidance and dictates of another person. That is why we join communities of faith, and live under the authority of the superiors. We truly live up to the well known saying of the Lord: “I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me” (Jn 6:38). Obedience is only obedience"and it is only acceptable to God and admired by other people"if what has been commanded is then carried out without hesitation or delay, and is done enthusiastically, without grumbling or complaint. The rule of thumb we have adopted is that obeying our superiors, and other leaders within the community, is the same as obeying God, because God Himself has said: ““Whoever listens to you listens to me” (Lk 10:16). So the people in the congregation are to be happy to obey “for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor 9:7). If a member of the community is not happy to obey, and complains and bad-mouths any of the leadership of the community, or the superior, not only with his lips, but also by harboring resentments deep in his heart, he is not obeying and will not be acceptable to God, even if he ends up doing what he was commanded. As far as God is concerned, he is nothing but a trouble maker and a rabble-rouser. He receives no reward for his work. On the contrary, what he is really doing is sowing discord and is making himself subject to the punishment reserved for those who cause conflict within the community. His only hope is to make a substantial change in the way he thinks and behaves. CHAPTER VIII Dear Children, vows of silence are not required for us, but keeping silent is recommended. We have learned through practice and observation that those who talk a lot also seem to sin a lot. Therefore, in order to guard ourselves from sin, we take it upon ourselves to remain silent whenever possible. Silence We are to behave in a manner that is in keeping with what the prophet has said: “I said, ‘I will watch my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will keep a muzzle on my mouth.’ Mute and silent before the wicked, I refrain from good things” (Ps 38[39]:2-3). The prophet makes it clear with these words that silence is better than any speech"even speech that most people would consider to be good and positive. So, if we are instructed that there are times when silence is to be preferred to even speaking good words, then we should clearly abstain from bad words all the more. Using our words for evil and in a hurtful way is the same as doing evil and hurtful things. Our rule is simple: saying it is as bad as doing it and will be punished the same way! Words are tools for communication and for praising God, but they are also tools that may be used as weapons. A hammer was designed to drive nails into wood, but it may be used to hit another as easily as it is used to hit a nail. Most tools that we use to build may also conversely be used to tear down. Most tools that we use for some good purpose may easily be used as weapons against another person. So we are careful with our words, just as a carpenter is careful with his dangerous tools. In keeping with our rule above, if we use our words as weapons to attack, or to hurt, we are guilty of beating someone with a hammer or some other tool. We do not even use our words as weapons for defense. If someone attacks us with words, we refuse to misuse our speech to hurt them, for our Lord Jesus Christ instructs us not to resist evil but to turn the other cheek to the one who strikes you (Mt. 5:39). We obey this command whether we are stricken by another with their hand, a weapon, or with their words. Dear children, we have learned that just as the one who speaks a lot, sins a lot, the one who becomes more and more perfect begins to speak less and less. Therefore, since silence is so important, the more perfect members of the community should rarely speak at all. This includes remaining silent even when what they would talk about would be good, holy, and edifying. It is written: “Where words are many, sin is not wanting” (Prov. 10:19). It is also written somewhere else: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21). This is because it is fitting for the teacher to speak and for the student to remain silent and listen"that is how the student learns. So if anything must be asked of the superiors, or the leaders, it should be asked with all humility and with respectful submission. So, dear children, we certainly remain silent rather than use our words to hurt others, or to gossip, but we also think that it is not fitting for us to tell crude jokes, speak idle words, or even saying silly things designed to provoke laughter. We feel that these things are more fitting for those who are joined to the world that is passing away. Let senseless people engage in senseless talk! We feel it is better to exclude such things rather than include them and inadvertently fall into eternal punishment. No one in the community should engage in too much talk, especially the kind of talk already mentioned. CHAPTER IX Dear children, we shall forever be unable to see God if we refuse to change how we look at and understand the world. Remember that our disobedience comes from serving our own will above God, and as long as we accept the precepts of the world, we will become so twisted in our thoughts that, even if we strive to serve God and His Kingdom, our service is really to the world. Such is the cunning of the enemy that we become deceived, believing in our hearts that we are serving the Lord and His Kingdom, when we are in fact serving the devil and the world.Repentance The first thing the Lord teaches those who would follow Him is “Change the way you think about the world” (Mt. 4:17; Mk. 1:15). This is the meaning of repentance. We may experience as some point in our lives a change of heart about the things of the world, but until we have a change of mind, dear children, we shall always find a way to serve the interest of the world. Repentance is a call to change our hearts and conduct. It is turning our lives away from rebellion and self-interest and turning it instead toward obedience to God. Dear children, always keep in the front of your minds that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand"it has been spilling over into this world and our Lord promises that it is only a matter of time before it bursts onto this world, replacing the systems of this world with the Kingdom of God. In the fullness of the Kingdom, not only do we live in obedience to God’s will, but every aspect of this world, including sickness and death, poverty and despair, will become subject to God’s will and be no more. The Kingdom of God has already begun to be present in this world in the person, the activity, the teaching, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, and the Lord calls to us to continue to embody His Kingdom in how we live our lives. Dear children, our Lord Jesus Christ shows us how to be obedient by serving God’s will and not his own. For as St. Paul taught the Philippians by saying that our Lord Jesus Christ “had the same form as God, but He didn’t consider that being God’s equal was something that He should selfishly hold on to. Instead He let go of his power, grabbing the form of a servant, being born like any other person, possessing the same human frailties as all of us. That is how the Christ humiliated Himself for us, and how He was obedient to God, even to the point of dying a shameful death on a cross” (Phil. 2:6-8). And so, dear children, St. Paul instructs all of us to have the same mind as Christ (Phil. 2:5)"that is, to think the same way He did"not considering our own positions and wealth as something we should hold onto, but rather, like our Lord Jesus Christ, we should be willing to let go of the things of the world so that we may grasp the things of the Kingdom. Let us not fill our lives with worldly things and desires, but let us empty ourselves of worldly things, so that we may be filled with spiritual things. CHAPTER X Dear children, we must keep in mind that when our Lord Jesus Christ begins His teaching about His Kingdom, he does so by declaring who is blessed, and conversely, who is not. It is the nature of those who serve His Kingdom to be blessed. It is the nature of discipleship to be blessed. Blessing is not an emotional state as in “happy,” dear children. It is a condition"a state of being. The opposite of blessing is not ‘unhappy,” it is cursed. Blessed and cursed are the two conditions of existence. So the Lord clearly states who is blessed, and from His statements, we can infer who is not, and if you are not living in the state of blessing that comes with serving His Kingdom, dear children, it is feared that you may be living in a cursed state.The Blessed The blessings described by the Lord are only so in light of the new vision of repentance. The blessings of the world are wealth, glamor, power, sex, prestige, and the like. The blessings of the Kingdom are poverty, meekness, chastity, persecution, hunger, and devotion to God. The blessings of the Kingdom appear comical and unworthy compared to the blessings of the world when viewed from the eyes of the world. But when we have changed our understanding of the world, and have chosen to serve God and not our own will, we can see the blessing in poverty, in chastity, in hunger, in meekness. The hard fact, dear children, is that we cannot live in two worlds, but we must choose to live in one or the other. We cannot be on two roads because the two roads lead to two differing destinations: life or death. “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other” (Mt. 6:24). So, dear children, if we love the world, we will grow to hate God; if we love God, we will grow to hate the world. If we love God’s will, we will grow to hate our own will; if we love our own will, we will grow to hate God’s will. Therefore, in keeping with what has already been said, it is time to choose whom we will serve. Will we serve God, or will we serve the world? Will we serve our will, or will we serve God’s will. Will we seek first the Kingdom and its righteousness, or will we seek riches, power, glory, and prestige as offered by the world? Here, dear children, is sobering counsel which must be considered: no choice is a choice. If we do not choose for the Kingdom then we are choosing for the world, even if we never actually articulate a choice or believe we have chosen the world. The Lord knows that we firmly stand in the world, just as He knows that when He asks which we will choose, since we are in the world, if we say nothing or refuse to choose, we are choosing to stay were we are"in the world. So we shall all make the choice"we shall either say yes to God’s Kingdom and God’s will, or, even if we remain silent, we will say yes to the world and the ways of the world, replacing God with our own will. The blessing that God bestows on us is that blessed promise of inheriting the Kingdom. Yet, even though our inheritance has not yet come, we are not without benefit while we live. It is often the case in the world that a child born into a wealthy family, even though he may have no real wealth of his own, knows that he will inherit the entire wealth of the family, and based on that knowledge of future wealth, lives in the present as if he is already in possession of great wealth. This is how it is for us, dear children. We are confident of our future blessedness and wealth; therefore, we live as if we are blessed with the fullness and riches of the Kingdom as we live our lives in this world. This is not to say that we receive nothing in the way of blessing now. Life is filled with blessings. Yet those who place their trust in wealth for their blessing will have to rely on their wealth to save them in time of need. Those who rely on power for their blessing will have to rely on their power in their time of need. Those who rely on position and prestige will have to rely on their position and their prestige in time of need. Yet, those who rely on God for their blessing will find God reliable in their need. Dear children, God’s love sometimes serves as God’s judgment. Out of love, God will not force anyone to serve Him, or seek Him for security"God will give us what we choose, and if we choose wealth, God, out of love, will honor that choice, and God, out of love, will let you live with that choice. And in that moment of need, when you find that even the wealth you have relied upon cannot save you, you will come to understand how God’s act of love is also an act of judgment. But those who trust in the Lord and nothing else, will be sustained by the Lord. Those who live by the sword will die by the sword (Mt. 26:52); those who live by the law will be found guilty by the law (cf. Gal. 3:10; Jas. 2:10); but those who are righteous will live by faith (Hab. 2:4; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). Notice, dear children, that to the crowd our Lord says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Mt. 5:3), but to His disciples He says: “Blessed are you who are poor” (Lk. 6:20). We come to Jesus as members of the crowd, hearing His message. We will never come to Him as disciples unless we first can humble ourselves, removing not just pride in general, but our spiritual pride. It is not the state of poverty that is blessed, but the one who willingly takes on poverty for the Kingdom who is blessed. God does not bless lack and want and misery and need. God blesses the humility and faith that is required to give up everything for the Kingdom. This was taught to us when Peter, the Rock, himself expressed: “We have given up everything and followed you” (Mt. 19:27). To which our Lord assures us by His response that “everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life (Mt. 19:29). So, dear children, to the disciple Jesus says that those who give up everything and follow Him, making themselves poor are blessed; yet, to the crowd of potential disciples He says the spiritually humble are blessed. And our Lord will show us what it means to be spiritually humble and spiritually proud: “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity"greedy, dishonest, adulterous"or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Therefore, dear children, let us be like the tax collector, who was spiritually humble, and not like the Pharisee, who was spiritually proud. The tax collector, by being spiritually humble, even though he was despised, accepts the condition for discipleship; the Pharisee, by being spiritually proud, even though he was respected and honored, rejects the condition of discipleship, finding it offensive, leading those like him to seek the death of our Lord. So, who are the blessed, dear children? To the crowd He says: “Those who are spiritually humble are blessed Therefore, dear children, the Lord teaches all how to live in the world as it was designed to be lived in, telling all of us to be spiritually humble, to grieve for the state of the world, to be gentle and meek, to hunger and thirst to have a right relationship with God, to be merciful, to be single-mindedly devoted to God and not double-minded or trying to have it both ways (striving to serve both God and the world), and to work for peace. All who do such things will become offensive to those who are anchored to the world; and in fact, a good way to judge just how anchored you are to the world, dear children, is to ask yourself how offended you become when you realize that the Lord is speaking these words to you as well. The Lord is also up front, dear children, about the fact that if we take his words to heart, striving to live in the manner He instructs, we will be persecuted, denounced and slandered. And just as those who strive for wealth, yet who are poor, are not necessarily blessed, but only those who willingly make themselves poor for the Kingdom are blessed, those who are persecuted, denounced, and slandered are not necessarily blessed, but only those who are willing to endure such things for the sake of the Kingdom are blessed. And what is true for the crowd is also true for the disciple, but to the disciple, the Lord adds: Blessed are you who are poor, Therefore, dear children, it is fitting for us, who seek to serve God and His Kingdom, to willingly take on the discipline of poverty, being intentional in what we shall do without, rather than striving to gain possessions we do not have. The discipline of poverty may have different expressions in different contexts: those living together in community will renounce private property and hold all things in common; those living as families or individuals on their own, will only acquire what is needed for the support of the family, and be willing to give away the remainder. For instance, those who strive to serve the Kingdom in their lives may live in an area where ownership of a car is necessary; yet, they are not permitted to purchase an expensive or flashy car, but only purchase the one that suits their needs as inexpensively as possible. For just as the Lord aligned himself with the poor, so do we. We, in all ways possible, voluntarily live as one who is poor, choosing our homes, our food, our attire, our transportation, and all other things in keeping with those who are poor. We do this because our Lord did this, and this is how we are blessed. CHAPTER XI Good Works Dear children, we are building a life that is worthy of God. Remember it was stated earlier that if we want to dwell in God’s sanctuary, then we will devote ourselves to performing good works. Good works are the bricks by which the edifice of eternal life is built. All builders need a set of tools to perform their task; therefore, dear children, we also need tools if we want to devote ourselves to good works and build a life worthy of dwelling with God. Dear children, understand that our deeds are the tools of our spiritual work! If we have applied these things to our lives each and every day without ceasing day and night, we will find approval on Judgment Day. This will demonstrate our worthiness to receive the reward that the Lord has promised to give us: “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9). The community is the workshop in which we perform all these good works. Our Lord Himself tells us of the importance of our words when he says: You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father (Mt. 5:13-16). The Lord also instructs us on this when He says: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be (Mt. 6:19-21). We store up treasures in heaven by performing good works on earth. No one can steal a good deed once it is done. No one can tarnish a good deed. So the more good deeds we do on earth, the more our minds become fixed on heaven, and the more our lives begin to model the heavenly Kingdom even while we are living here on earth. But just in case we are not convinced that the Lord requires us to devote our lives to performing good works, he also tells us: Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers’ (Mt. 7:21-23). And when the Lord tells us of the coming judgment for all humanity, he plainly states that the criterion for judgment is our good deeds to others who are weaker than ourselves. When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Mt. 25: 31-46).So let us stop pretending that our actions are not important to the Lord when He consistently tells us over and over that what we do for and to others is how we are judged by Him. If we are His disciples, then we will live in the manner He instructed His disciples: As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick (Mt. 10:7-19). So, dear children, let us now learn to live like disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, seeking His will for our lives. Let us learn to proclaim our allegiance to Him by how we live our lives, living as he did, identifying with the lowly and the sinner, serving them. Let us like the Lord not seek to be served, but seek to serve Him in all things. Let us learn right now, dear children, that we serves the Invisible God by serving those made in His image. Faith, dear children, is not belief in the existence of God, but a belief that His existence matters, and that our existence matters to Him. Dear children, if our existence matters to God, then how we live our lives matters to God. Therefore, if we want to serve God, we serve everyone who matters to God, which is to say, we serve each other. Even the person we despise is loved by God as much as we are, for God loves each one of us as if we are the only one ever to have existed, so we are required to love each other as well. This is why good works is required. There can be no love if there is no works, just as St. Gregory the Great has told us: “The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things" but when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist.” The first thing we are to do is to love the Lord God with our entire being"heart, soul, mind and strength. The next thing we do is love our neighbor like we love ourselves (cf Mt 22:37-39; Mk 12:30-31; Lk 10:27). Then comes the other things: We preserve life and do not kill. We honor the Sacrament of Marriage and refuse to commit adultery. We only claim what is ours and refuse to steal or take what does not belong to us. We are content with what we have and refuse to yearn to possess things that do not belong to us (cf Rom 13:9). We speak the truth in all things and refuse to commit perjury or give false testimony against anyone (cf Mt 19:18; Mk 10:19; Lk 18:20). We honor all people (cf 1 Pt. 2:17). We do to others as we want others to do to us (cf Tob 4:16; Mt 7:12; Lk 6:31). We also do for others what we want God to do for us. We deny ourselves so we can follow Christ (cf Mt 16:24; Lk 9:23). We discipline our bodies (cf 1 Cor 9:27). We do not seek after pleasures. We love fasting. We do what we can to help out the poor. We clothe the naked. We visit the sick. (cf Mt 25:36). We make sure that the dead are buried. We help people our when they are in trouble. We console those who are grieving. We keep ourselves aloof from the ways of the world. We love Christ more than anything else in the world. We do not give into anger. We do not nurse feelings of revenge. We do not consider ways to be deceitful. We mean it when we off the peace of Christ. We do not avoid being charitable. We do not make promises we are not able to keep, so that we do not end up lying. We speak the truth, with our hearts as well as with our tongues. We never repay anyone with evil for the evil they did to us (cf 1 Thes. 5:15; 1 Pt 3:9). We do not hurt anyone, and we even patiently endure any injuries done to us. We love our enemies (cf Mt 5:44; Lk 6:27). We do not curse anyone who curses us; instead, we bless them when they curse us. We patiently endure persecution for the sake of justice (cf Mt 5:10). We are not prideful. We do not drink a lot of alcohol (cf Ti 1:7; 1 Tm 3:3). We do not eat too much food. We do not sleep too much. We are not lazy (cf Rom 12:11). We do not complain or grumble. We do are not scornful to anyone. We place our trust in god. We do not give ourselves any credit for any good that we see in ourselves, but we give God the credit for it. But when we find something evil within us, we are certain that is our own doing and is not from God. We fear the coming Day of Judgment. We have the dread of hell. We desire eternal life and yearn for the day when we have it. We always remember our mortality and keep it in front of us. We keep constant watch over our actions as we live our lives. We maintain a certainty that God sees us at all times and in all places. We hurl any evil thoughts that arise in our hearts against the rock of Christ, smashing them to pieces. We confess our evil thoughts to the clergy who have authority over us in the community. We do not like talking too much. We do not engage in idle talk, mindless chatter, or silly comments that get a cheap laugh. We do not like to laugh too hard. It is our desire to focus when holy texts are being read. We often apply ourselves to prayer. We confess our past sins to God each day in prayer, sighing and crying as we do, and we amend our future behavior. We do not fulfil our physical desires (cf Gal 5:16). We despise our own will. We do everything we are instructed to do by our superiors and leaders, even when they are acting like hypocrites and are not doing what they teach others to do. Heaven forbid this should ever happen among us! But even if it does happen, we are always mindful of the Lord’s teaching: “do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example” (Mt 23:3). We do not desire to be called holy, especially when we are not. It is our desire to become holy, not to be called holy. If we are ever called holy, we hope it is only after we have first truly become holy. We want to follow all of God’s commandments. We want to do this by how we live our lives. Our good deeds are how we keep the commandments of God. We love chastity. We do not hate anyone. We are not jealous of anything or any one. We do not even entertain envy in our minds. We do not love discord. We do not love pride. We honor and respect those who are aged. We love those who are younger. We pray for our enemies"this is how we show our love for Christ. We make peace with anyone who opposes us or who antagonizes us. We do not let the sun set while we still are at odds with them. We never lose hope and confidence in God’s mercy. © 2013 Bishop R. Joseph Owles |
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Added on February 3, 2013Last Updated on February 3, 2013 Tags: Bible, Jesus Christ, Church, apocalypse, revelation, John, Patmos, God, heaven, earth, Holy Spirit, Christian, Christianity, teaching, apostles, ministry, kingdom, Welfare, Christmas, saint Author
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