February: Day 29: Venerable Cassian the Roman

February: Day 29:
Venerable Cassian the Roman
 
(On Leaving the World for God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Cassian, whose memory is celebrated today, lived at the end of the fourth and the first half of the fifth century. At that time, spiritual enlightenment was most widespread in the East. In the East, the ascetic life developed in all its strength; the deserts and mountains were populated by holy monks, whose glorious names were honored by the entire Christian world. Striving for spiritual perfection, Cassian in his youth left the home of his parents and all the pleasures of the world, left his fatherland, Rome, and came to the East. He lived for some time in the desert of Scetis, took monastic vows in Bethlehem, went around all the desert monasteries of the Thebaid, listened to Saint John Chrysostom in Constantinople, and only after many years returned to Rome. This was during the persecution raised against John Chrysostom; Cassian was one of those who sought his protection.

After some time, he moved to southern Gaul (France), to the city of Marseille, and was the first to introduce monastic communal life to this country, following the example of the East. He wrote many books, with which he introduced Western Christians to the regulations and rules of Eastern monastic cloisters, set forth the conversations of the desert fathers on various spiritual subjects, and refuted false teachings. He died in 435.

II. Venerable Cassian, who left the world with its pleasures for the unhindered service of God and the attainment of the possible heights of moral perfection, teaches us, if not to leave the world, then in any case not to become attached to it with our hearts, but, living in it, to be always ready to sacrifice everything for God out of love for Him.

a) The commandment of Jesus Christ to leave everything for God applies to all believers.

Let us listen to the words of Christ, saying: "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26). Lest you should think that this strict saying refers only to the chosen disciples, or apostles, the holy evangelist did not fail to say with precision to whom it was spoken. Many people went with him, he says, and turning, he spake unto them. And so, not only to some chosen ones, but to all without exception, does this sentence extend, that one cannot be a disciple of Christ, who shall not forsake, or hate, all that is naturally dear, that is, who by strong love for God shall not overcome and conquer the love for all that is loved outside of God.

b) The commandment to leave everything for God is necessary. For what purpose, it may be asked, are these sacrifices of deprivation for God, Who gains nothing through them? Truly, God, as All-sufficient and All-good, has no reason to deprive, because He has nothing to demand; He Himself gives everything, and bestows it upon all. He does not require any deprivations for Himself, and man himself cannot do without them in order to acquire something better. He who wants to sail must first untie, or, for haste, cut off the rope with which his boat is fastened to the shore. He who really wants to be on the path to heaven must necessarily, either gradually, with attention and effort, resolve, or, if he feels sufficient strength in himself, with a decisive blow, cut off all passionate, earthly attachments. It is necessary to free oneself from the lusts of the flesh in order to surrender to the attraction of the spirit. It is necessary to trample underfoot the earthly things in order to be wise in the things above. It is necessary to cast the world out of the heart so that there is enough space in it for boundless love for the infinite God.

c) How can we fulfill this commandment? We do not dare to ask how many of us, in the strict and full sense, have left everything for the sake of following Jesus Christ? Recognizing our imperfection and unworthiness, we do not acknowledge our right to experience what the Lord Himself requires only from some, under the condition of perfection: "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come and follow Me" (Matt. 19:21).

If we have not left everything for Christ in deed, do we fulfill this at least partly by intention and desire? Does your heart sometimes say to you: How much do I still have in the world, in comparison with what is necessary for temporary life! How I am burdened with worries because of it! How I am distracted by pleasures! Lord, who became poor for my sake! Grant me to partake of Your holy and saving poverty, to leave cares in my thoughts, to leave pleasures in my feelings! How much, and how vividly I still love this transitory world. Lord, who loved us so much that You laid down Your life for us! Help me, for the sake of love for You, to moderate natural love, to mortify impassioned love, to hate my soul that does not love You enough, so that the pure love of Your Holy Spirit will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly and rest (Psalm 54:7) with You, and in You alone!

But lest these very feelings should seduce you with a mere phantom or an indecisive impulse to renounce creatures, look around and consider whether you have actually left anything for God, and especially that by which your dominant inclination is most tempted. "Abraham was exceedingly rich" (Gen. 13:2); and he did not reject or squander his wealth, but when, for the love of God, he did not spare his beloved son, then there remained no doubt that he was ready to sacrifice for God all that he had, without the slightest remainder. If, on the contrary, with the raptures of the desire to serve God, with the expression of readiness to sacrifice everything for Him, you have not yet actually sacrificed for Him anything to which your love of property clings: then your readiness and your desire are very doubtful. If you have not yet left anything in the world, then you have not yet taken a single step in the wake of Christ, not a single step on the path to heaven.

III. Call us, O Lord, by Your all-effective word, to follow You, and inspire in us a sincere feeling of forsaking everything for Your sake alone, that we may find everything in You, and ourselves be found in Your love. Amen. 

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