Do
you seek out self-help programs for your self-satisfaction? I did. I
have had experience with many of the self-help programs that continue to
be offered. Meditation centers, for example, call people to”inner
peace” and prove their power with studies that show they reduce stress.
For a long time I thought this was what it meant to become spiritual.
To get in touch with your “inner-self,” to find “peace” within,to become
what you were meant to be. The problem is that these goals are al self
defined. Fr. Deacon Matthew Steenberg sums it up well in his recent
article in The Orthodox Word. He writes,
...the
mantra of society is largely one of self-satisfaction. It is true that
by this world we are called at times to examine ourselves; but we are
charged to do so to discover how to be happy an content with ourselves,
either as we are or with the “true self”… Humanity is at its best when
it comes to be content with itself as it is, deep within. We are to
look inwards, to discover and define the “self” with whom we must learn
to be comfortable and content.
For
many years, I thought that looking inward was seeking the inner soul.
But, I now know that this “inner being” i sought was of my own
creation. I was really pursing my own vision, my self-actualization,
my contentment with who I am as I defined it. This is a delusion. Fr.
Deacon Matthew goes on to describe two forms of this delusion.
Firstly,
there is the simplistic belief that one can and should be whatever one
wishes to be, however one wishes to be it, so long as one does not harm
others…. the goal of an self-examination is the discovery of the “me”
with whom to be happy and satisfied…. the very core so such a mindset is
that any attempt to particularize belief and action imposes upon the
freedom of the will in a negative way.
A
more nuanced, refined form exists, in the various contours of the “new
age” and”self-help” movements… which still orbit around the central
point of self-satisfaction and contentment with the true self…. they
oftentimes do involve calls to change and transformation… there remains
however a solid foundation in self-definition. the “true-self” one aims
to discover and love through shedding of such false selves, is still a
self defined by one’s will and desires… they root of both is the same:
satisfaction gained through contentment in the self, as defined by the
self.
This
view generally rejects all forms of formal religion and you here the
claim, I am spiritual but not religious. Things like sin are rejected
as being outdated or old fashioned and even superstitious. There is a
reliance on the psychological interpretation of reality instead. and
don’t even think of mentioning demons or the devil or heaven and hell.
these are no more than “outmoded myths aimed at enforcing moral codes’.
there is no acknowledgment that everything of this world is the result
of a Creator. We tend to believe n theories like the Big Bang theory
and a random process of evolution as truth. As a result the call to
change to become in the likeness of Christ is lost. Instead, we can
only cope by accepting things as they are and find contentment with the
present state.
Fr. Deacon Matthew says that this is a deception and a trap to the Christian.
The
human person is to instigate whatever helps, whatever modification to
his life and lifestyle may bring about a deeper satisfaction with whom
and what he is, He is charged not to become something else…, but to
become happy with the self that lies hidden.
So
what is that we are called to as Christians if this is not the case.
from my own experience this is difficult to discern as we re easily
deceived by our current societal norms.
Fr. Deacon Matthew says the following,
Christianity
is a life rooted in Christ’s own. Its charge is not to live for self
but to live for Christ; and its goal is not satisfaction but
transformation. the Christian is called to become, to enter into a
newness of life that is another’s––that is Christ’s. He is to discover
the “self” of his current existence, precisely so that he can work to
change it into a life not defined by his on will, but defined and made
real by another––by God Himself. the life in Christ is a life of
transformation into a New Man. It is a life that works toward
resurrection, when the body of this death shall pass away and the
glorified man will know the Lord of Golory.
What
I discovered after many false paths, is that this involves a
surrender. A giving up of our own definition of our “self.” We have to
find a religious tradition that we can trust and make a choice to
follow its guidelines so we can be transformed into the image of
Christ. This does not promise happiness or contentment with the nature
of this way of life we may now enjoy. But a refocusing of our entire
attention on the Kingdom of God.
Again Fr. DeaconMatthew,
If
we struggle authentically toward our sanctification and redemption,
this orientation towards and into the Kingdom must become paramount in
us. Every act must be considered from the perspective of that future
life and its attainment. When we do not act in such a way, we reduce
our choices and our behaviors to the limited perspective of the brief
sojourn. Rather than see the context of our behaviors , actions, and
decisions as the eternal life of God’s abiding Kingdom, we see it as the
short span of this life, and adjust our whole vision and world view
accordingly.
Orthodox Christians to day must reclaim this focus. It stands at the heart and center of the whole life in Christ.
This
authentic kind of Christian life involves a constant struggle with our
desires and passions. We need to learn humility and self-discipline.
It is a daily task, a battle that needs to taken on each and every day.
Saint Basil the Great writes
Examine
what sort of being you are. Know your own nature, that your body is
mortal but your soul is immortal, and that our life is twofold in kind.
One kind is proper to the flesh, quickly passing by, while the other is
akin to the soul, not admitting of circumscription. therefore be
attentive to yourself (Deut 15:9), neither remaining in mortal things as
if there were eternal, nor despising eternal things as if they were
passing…. Understand yourself with all exactness, that you may know what
gift to apportion to each––for the flesh nourishment and coverings, and
for the soul doctrines of piety, education in courtesy, training in
virtue, correction of the passions. (St. Basil, Homily on the words “Be
attentive to yourself.”)
This is what the Orthodox way of life is al about.
Fr. Deacon Matthew's complete article “Taking Stock of Our Struggle” in available in The Orthodox Word, No 263, 2008.
He
serves in the Parish of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Oxford,
England. He received his doctorate in Theology from the University of
Oxford and is currently Professor of Theology and Head o htTheology
& religious Studies at Leeds trinity and All Saints College,
England. He has authored many books and is the creator of www.monachos.net, a valuable resource of Orthodox patristic theology.
Source-orthodoxwayoflife.blogspot.ca
Source-orthodoxwayoflife.blogspot.ca
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