December: Day 8: Venerable Patapios

 

December: Day 8:
Venerable Patapios
 
(We Must Avoid External and Earthly Glory and Seek Internal and Heavenly Glory)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Patapios, now being glorified, was a native of Thebes in Egypt, and lived at the end of the sixth and beginning of the seventh centuries. He was descended from Christian parents and was brought up in piety. Having come of age, he left worldly vanity, became a monk, and in the desert he labored in unceasing labors and prayers. But soon his name became famous; many began to visit him, asking for his instructions; and then Patapios, seeing that he could not live in solitude and silence, as he desired, and wishing to avoid worldly glory, moved to Constantinople. There he began to live in a cramped cell, near Blachernae, praying day and night; but his glory could not be hidden from people. God granted His Saint miraculous power, and all the sick, who with faith asked for his help, received healing through his prayers.

The Venerable One died at a ripe old age.

II. Venerable Patapios, who avoided earthly and external human glory and for this purpose even left his homeland, teaches us, brethren, to avoid earthly and external glory among people, in whatever form it may be expressed.

Why should we avoid human glory?

a) Because, first of all, it is difficult for a person to bear glory without harm to his soul. This is difficult not only for the impassioned or those struggling with passions, but also for those who have conquered passions and for the saints. Although they have been granted victory over sin, they have not been deprived of changeability, of the possibility of returning to sin and under the yoke of passions, which has happened to some due to a lack of vigilance over themselves, when allowing trust in themselves, in their spiritual state.

Venerable Makarios the Great relates that a certain ascetic who lived with him received the gift of healing in such abundance that he healed the sick by the mere laying on of hands; but, having been glorified by men, he became proud and fell into the very depths of sin. (Discourse 27:16).

In the fourth century there lived in Egypt a holy elder who had a special gift of miracle-working and because of it great fame among men. Soon he noticed that pride had begun to take hold of him, and that he was not able to overcome it by his own efforts. The elder resorted to God with the warmest prayers, that he might be allowed to be possessed by a demon for the sake of humility. God fulfilled the humble-minded request of His servant, and allowed Satan to enter into him. The elder was subjected to all the attacks of a demoniac for five months; they were forced to put chains on him; the people who flocked to him in great numbers, glorifying him as a great saint, left him, spreading the word that he had lost his mind, and the elder, freed from human glory and from the pride that was engendered in him because of this glory, thanked God, who had saved him from destruction. Salvation was accomplished through insignificant languor and dishonor before carnal people, who did not understand that because of the signs the devil was arranging misfortune for the elder, and through open madness the elder was returned to the safe path by the wondrous mercy of God. (De Vitis Patrum, Bk. 4, Ch. 13).

b) Therefore, secondly, external and earthly glory must be despised, because external glory in itself has no value, and does not deserve to be the object of search for a Christian, who must strive for eternal, heavenly, spiritual glory. This is what Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk says about this:

"Honor and nobility, how great are they considered by the sons of this age, it is impossible to say... But this fruit is beautiful on the outside, but rotten on the inside, and when misfortune and troubles come, or when everyone dies, it falls and disappears, as if it had never been. Then the high-born is no longer distinguished from the commoner, and the master from the slave. Then everyone will recognize an empty name and title, like an inflated wineskin, but idle. And what happens to the soul, which lived in a noble body, ruled over people, but itself worked for passions, denounced and judged people, but itself is denounced by conscience and the law?... What happened to it?... We know that 'God shows personal favoritism to no man,' that 'everyone will receive what he has done with the body, either good or evil.' Moreover, we read in His word that 'severe judgment awaits the exalted' (Wisdom 6:5-8). The honor and nobility of this world without true Christian nobility are subject to greater judgment and condemnation... I am not condemning noble persons here, let that not be, but ambition and love of glory, which cannot fit with true Christian nobility and faith, according to the word of Christ (John 5:44). And I admit that it is a pagan thing to chase after vain glory – a pagan thing, who seek only what is in keeping with their feelings. Christians are ashamed to imitate the pagans in this – Christians, whose hearts faith should lead to another, incomparably better, nobility.”

After this, Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk poses the question: "What is the true glory that a Christian can desire?" So, he answers this question:

“To be a true Christian, a son of the Orthodox Church, a member of the Body of Christ, to have fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ... All the glory of the kings and princes of this world is nothing before Him. This glory is not seen now, but will be revealed at the last day (1 John 3:3). But vain love of glory does not allow a poor man to this true glory. Love of glory, I say, and not the glory of this world. For it is one thing to have glory and honor in this world; another thing to desire and seek glory and honor in this world. True Christians and saints can have and do have glory in this world, but they do not seek it, and even more so, they flee from it. Love of glory is a sign of passion for the world, and it is criminal and unbecoming of a Christian heart.”

c) Therefore, my beloved brethren, having rejected external and vain glory, let us take care to acquire internal, spiritual glory. One great preacher of our Church, Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow (see his Sermons, Vol. IV, 1882 edition, p. 563) speaks thus about this internal glory.

"Say to the adorned temple: you are not the chamber of the heavenly Bridegroom. His chamber is the immaculate heart. He dwells in the hearts through faith" (Eph. 3:17).

"Say to the fine garments: not one of you is fit 'to be a wedding garment' (Matt. 22:12), in which they enter the royal wedding, and without which they are cast out into outer darkness. This garment is not woven in the camp, and will not be brought from a foreign land - it is partly given from above, partly produced by each one's own exploits, according to what is said: 'Put on our Lord Jesus Christ' (Rom. 13:14); 'put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering'" (Col. 3:12).

"Say to the sumptuous feast: the heavenly Guest will not come here, although He promised to 'enter' and 'supper' with everyone who 'opens the doors' to Him (Rev. 3:20). He has other food: 'man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God' (Matt. 4:4). He must open the doors of the heart, and they are opened by prayer, love and keeping His word: 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him" (John 14:23).

“Say to the thoughts of vanity and greed when they approach your good deeds: 'Go away, you foxes that destroy the grapes' (Psalm 2:15); we want to preserve for the Lord the fruit of the grapes that has not been touched by anyone.”

III. With the help of the above-mentioned and similar spiritual reflections and exercises, "may the heavenly Father grant you,” brethren, “according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man” (Eph. 3:16), so that, having “the glory within,” we may be found worthy of eternal glory. Amen.

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.