Saint John the Sinaite (+ Fourth Sunday of Great Lent): “On Vainglory”

Saint John Climacus

Anyone who’s vainglorious is a Christian idolater. Externally they pretend to worship God, but in fact their aim is to please other people, not Him. Everybody who wants to show off is vainglorious. If people such as that fast and pray, they get no reward from doing so. Because they do both to win the acclaim of other people.

God often hides from our eyes any good thing we might have about us. But anybody who praises us, or rather deceives us with praise, opens our eyes. And as soon as that happens, our inner riches simply disappear. It’s a great achievement if your can expel other people’s praise from your soul. But it’s an even greater accomplishment if you can reject the praise of the demons which urges you to boast and be proud inside yourself.

Real humility isn’t that you belittle yourself of your own volition. Because who hasn’t any patience with their own self? People who are really humble continue to love others even when being laughed at by them. People who boast of their natural gifts, that is their wit, their perception, their mellifluous tones and anything else that people acquire without much effort, will never gain supernatural gifts. Because if you’re ungrateful over little things, you’ll be shown to be the same over important ones.

There’s the glory that God gives, as He Himself confirms: “I will glorify those who glorify me (I Kings 2, 30). There’s also the glory that comes from the devil, through the praise of other people.  This is why the Lord said: “Woe betide you when everyone praises you” (Luke 6, 26).

You’ll recognize and know full well the glory that God gives when you count as damage the glory given by other people, when you avoid at all cost and when, wherever you find yourself, you hide your way of life. But you’ll also know the glory of others when you do every little thing “to be seen by people”.

When they start to praise us, or, rather, deceive us, let’s quickly recall the multitude of our sins and then we’ll certainly be cognisant that we don’t deserve what they’re saying about us. Whenever there’s a fall into some sin, it’s always preceded by pride. “Pride goes before a fall”.

Proud people are like a pomegranate that’s shiny on the outside and rotten within. Because they’ve become very devils and enemies to their own selves. Those who are irrevocably linked to humility, become so much milder than other people, kind, caring and devout. They become peaceful, joyful, tractable, vigilant and tireless.

It’s my view that only the angels in heaven are able not to sin at all. Because I heard the earthly angel, Saint Paul, say: “It’s true that my conscience doesn’t trouble me over anything, but that doesn’t mean I’m really innocent. The only one who can judge me is the Lord: (I Cor. 4, 4).

Knowing that inner virtue is linked to external appearance, the Lord took on the garb of a servant and washed the feet of His disciples, indicating to us the method we should apply in order to progress along the path of humility. Because our soul is affected by our external concerns; what we do is imprinted on it and it conforms with that. If pride made some angels into devils, humility can certainly make demons angels. So, for this reason, let those who’ve fallen take courage.

Let’s struggle with might and main to reach the head of humility. And if we can’t manage that, at least let’s get to the shoulders. And if even that’s too much, let’s not miss out even on its embrace. Because I’m afraid that people who lose out on that as well won’t be in any position to gain anything at all in eternity.

Source: Φωνή των Πατέρων [Voice of the Fathers] 2, Holy Monastery of the Paraclete, Oropos.

Saint Theophan The Recluse-Do Not Wish Other People to Know Your Good Deeds

Saint Theophan the Recluse. "Thoughts for Each Day of the Year".

 

  [Gal. 2:6-10; Mark 5:22-24, 35-6:1] Having resurrected the daughter of Jairus, the Lord charged her parents straitly, that no man should know it. Thus are we commanded: do not seek glory, and do not train your ear for human praises, even if your deeds are of such a nature that it is impossible to hide them. Do what the fear of God and your conscience urge you to do, and behave as though such talk did not exist. Look after your soul—as soon as it inclines the slightest degree in this direction, return it to its place. A desire for people to know is provoked by a desire for praise. When there is praise the goal is achieved; but this undermines one’s energy and suppresses the praiseworthy activity, and consequently suppresses the continuation of praise. Thus, one who wants people to know of his good deeds is his own betrayer. It is a good thing for people to praise what is good—for why wouldn’t someone praise what is good? But do not keep this in your thoughts; do not expect it and do not seek it. Indulge yourself in this and you will be totally spoiled. One indulgence leads to another. Increasing the frequency of the same deeds turns them into a habit, and you will be a lover of praise. When you come to that point, then not all of your deeds will be praiseworthy, and praise will cease. Because you lack praise from others, you will begin to praise yourself, and this is what the Lord called sounding a trumpet before oneself. This is even worse. The soul then becomes petty, and chases solely after tinsel. Do not expect true good to come from such a soul.

How to Recognize Vainglory- Elder Paisios

 

 

Often in our spiritual practice we find ourselves struggling. We try and try but the effort seems so hard. What is the problem? Why do we often feel anxious that our efforts do not yield the results we seek? Why does God seem distant and unreachable even when we try so hard?

Elder Paisios gives us some insight into this common problem.

He says,

We need to be careful in our spiritual life. When spiritual people are affected by vainglory, they feel very little satisfaction, and they are left with a sense of emptiness in their heart. There is no fulfillment, no rejoicing of the heart, and as their vanity increases, the emptiness inside makes them suffer even more. Where there is anxiety and despair, there is a demonic spiritual life. You should not feel anxiety over anything at all. Anxiety comes from the devil. Wherever you see anxiety, you must know that the devil has been at work. The devil will not go against the current. If there is a predisposition, he will push in that direction in order to cause us trouble and deceive us.

When in the course of our spiritual struggle we feel anxiety we must know that we are not moving within the realm of God...

In other words, one should not strive with an unhealthy fastidiousness... Christ is full of love, kindness and consolation and He never stifles, but gives abundant oxygen and divine consolation.

So what do we do to avoid this condition. We must be kind to ourselves and accept that we are prone to make mistakes, to be tired. We need to have humility and set aside our self-proclaimed righteousness depending on our own efforts.

Elder Paisios advises us to live the spiritual life not in our minds, but in our hearts. He says,

Never do a job without putting your trust in God with great humility, because otherwise you will agonize and you will tire your mind and soul. It is a lack of faith that hides behind anxiety, but pride can cause anxiety also.

If you cannot complete your required prayer rule, don't force yourself through your own efforts. Relax and turn to God. If it is because you are too tired to complete it, ask God's forgiveness and get some sleep. Then the next day arrange your schedule so that you will not be in this same condition again. Entrust everything to God and God will guide you.

The Elder tells us to keep the mind always close to God. This applies to all situations where you are having difficulty in completing your task. Trust in God and seek His help.

When we try through our own efforts and feel anxiety, this is the sign of vainglory.