(excerpt from Sophronius 2nd Letter on Discernment, )
Discernment is“right judgment” and the two words are used in this way in the Holy Scriptures. So we can say that every judgment reveals a kind of discernment.
The commandments are given to us as a rudder which directs the movement of the boat. Good and evil are defined first in the Decalogue and that does not concern us here because we define good and evil according to the love of God revealed to us in the wisdom of the cross which has at its foundation the Decalogue. The cross is the true new measure of what is good and what is evil for the new creation. By his resurrection our Lord Jesus Christ defined for us [with] his new creation what is eternal and what is temporary. Because the cross and the resurrection are one event, the eternal good is that which is of love and has the seal of the cross, I mean sacrificial love, which demands from us to give up even our life itself for the sake of the one who offered his life for us our Lord Jesus Christ. What is good is revealed by the cross and the resurrection more than by the Decalogue because adultery was physical under the old covenant. But in the new creation it is in the human heart where the Holy Spirit dwells and it is in the human heart where good and evil are born. So also we do not kill but give up our life for Christ and for our brothers. This was not in the Decalogue because the cross was not erected as the sign and measure of true judgment. We no longer keep the Sabbath according to the Jewish customs but according to the resting of the new creation where making peace and forgiving injures and trespasses is the true rest and the true Sabbath which we keep with the Lord and for the Lord. The Decalogue remains unchanged but our relationship with God and with each other have changed according to the Gospel.
Logic is a tool which helps, but does not exclusively govern my ability to discern what is “true” or what is “real”. Why? Because, as a tool, logic is limited to the assumption that I know all of the variables in a given equation. Accordingly, I don’t trust my ability to “reason” through every belief, nor is it the only means by which I am able to discern what is true, real, beautiful or just. I also use my heart or “nous” and ultimately, I hold that up to the example of Christ's love. There are many things in my experience which defy logic and rational explanations, not the least of which are the actions of human beings. So then, it is the “knowing” of my heart that I trust, not the perception of my senses or even the analysis of my intellect.
Logic, in terms of the “rule of reciprocity” expressed in mathematical terms as a balanced equation, and as a universal moral standard, cannot be applied to our faith as it is expressed in the Gospels. Christ’s crucifixion, death and resurrection were in no way a reciprocal equation or a logical act. He, who was without sin, took the sins of all upon Himself in order that the scales of justice concerning the actions of men, be overturned. In this one act, the loving God, through sacrifice and motivated by love, reconciled and redeemed all of creation. This is a mystery, not an equation. Christianity calls us to return good for evil, love for hate, not good for good or evil for evil. Perhaps the Old Testament law of "an eye for an eye" was meant to limit the amount of retribution one man might demand of another, based upon the hearts of men at that time and the society in which they lived. Certainly Christ "raised the bar" when He came in the flesh to teach men and to save them from themselves. And in setting this higher standard, He also gave us, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a connection to Him by which we may overturn the limits of the "Law". The “rule of reciprocity” does not prevail in a belief such as this. This mystery is integral to the tenets of our faith and is part of a core of beliefs which sets our Faith apart from all others. The fact that evil exists, and that it exists even in persons who profess our faith, in terms of an equation, is not equal to the tenets of our faith being flawed. It is not logical that God would become a man to redeem all men. However, it does show us, by example, that Love is the means by which evil is conquered. You cannot slay evil by killing one man, or a thousand – evil can only be eradicated when a man’s heart is transformed by selfless love on behalf of those whom he values more than himself. That is why Christ did not use His omnipotence to destroy the evil people and potentates of the day, that is why there is such importance placed upon the "condition of one's heart" in the Gospels.
With each new being, there is the potential for holiness or evil through the exercise of free will. The “rule of reciprocity” must always fall short when there is a conflict of desire, and even of need. In our “reasoning”, if there is a choice between my survival and yours, it is logical that I put myself first.
Since I know that my ability to reason is limited to certain factors, i.e. intellect, pertinent information, etc. the only part of my person that has the ability to overcome these limitations is precisely that part of me which defies rational thought and logic. That part, is of course, my “nous”. Through my own experience and by reading the accounts of others who trust in this “nous”as it is understood in a Christ centered life, I have experienced, witnessed and as a result, learned or discerned, that this is the only way to overcome evil and suffering in this life, and it is the only place where joy, hope and faith may exist and grow. Reason or logic, intellect and knowledge are in and of themselves subject to gross misuse by men who do not also have the temperence of wisdom. Wisdom, or discernment, comes from God through the Holy Spirit and enters through our open hearts.
No comments:
Post a Comment