Letters of Spiritual Direction to a Young Soul - Letter Fifty-seven Part II

Tonight we picked up with Letter 57 where St. Theophan is discussing with Anastasia the various stages of the development of the passions; the movement from feelings, the provocation of desire, aided by a multitude of thoughts, that then gives over to concrete resolution to commit to sin. There is a kind of premeditation that is fostered by giving ourselves over to these realities and stages that Theophan describes. If unchecked we begin to plot even in a half-conscious way how we are going to act and complete the sin. It is then that the conscience is violated and the commands of God are disregarded. In this struggle we are ever so capable of rationalizing sin and the path to sin. Yet, what we are called to is to put on the mind of Christ. It cannot be our own ego or our reason that becomes the standard of judgment. Rather, we must allow ourselves to be drawn into the Paschal mystery; we must put on the mind of Christ in such a profound way that it is Christ acting within us. Only then will we begin to love as he loves, to forgive as he forgives; willing to be obedient to the Father and to His commands even when cannot see things clearly. Our love for Christ must be so great that our asceticism takes on the shape described by Theophan and the fathers; that is, we  become willing to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ - bringing every thought before Him for His blessing or judgment.

 

---

Text of chat during the group:

00:18:21 Gilmar Siqueira: And Brazil. :)

00:18:34 carolnypaver: Awesome!

00:18:47 Mark Cummings: Thank you for doing this remotely!

00:28:12 Gilmar Siqueira: Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: the Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

00:28:33 Jim Milholland: Thank you!

00:45:37 Eric Williams: Turn the other cheek, love your enemy, do not resist an evil man - but in parking lot after mass, all bets are off. ;) #roadrage

00:56:04 Wayne Mackenzie: When you get this point it can be to late.. and the sin is committed

01:08:04 Eric Williams: Categories of sins too often allow us to find the minimum we must do or how much can get away with. Instead, they should be used to help us better see what to avoid and how to seek after the will of God. We should seek maximal holiness, rather than just minimal sinfulness.

01:09:03 iPhone: Venial or mortal. Sin is sin. It separates us from God. 100% agree with Father.

01:10:07 Erick Chastain: Ambroise de Lombez says that the pride to have an "orderly mind" in one's thoughts leads to scrupulosity

01:10:58 iPhone: ^ Exactly. OCD (me lol)

01:12:49 Eric Williams: Despairing that all sin damns us because God is just is the Christless cross, and rationalizing all sin as acceptable because God is merciful is the crossless Christ.

01:23:49 Eric Williams: This discussion of aggression and retaliation is very timely as I struggle to respond in a Christlike way to a very difficult and infuriating neighbor. Deo gratias!

01:24:00 Erick Chastain: anger according to st Thomas Aquinas is any kind of desire to take action to set something right

01:24:34 Erick Chastain: ...it's not necessarily the emotion which leads to violent action

01:24:52 Erick Chastain: ...for example, just calling the cops is already an act of anger

01:24:53 iPhone: Amen!