September: Day 4: Teaching 2: Holy Hieromartyr Babylas of Antioch

September: Day 4: Teaching 2: 
Holy Hieromartyr Babylas of Antioch
 
(Do Not Associate With the Wicked)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. From the life of the Holy Hieromartyr Babylas it is known that three of his disciples - Prilidian, Urban and Epolonius - loved their holy mentor more than their parents and together with him suffered for Christ, inheriting, thanks to the guidance of Saint Babylas, eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Their example teaches all young men to seek friendship not with the wicked, but with pious people. Friendship with the wicked can sooner or later expose both our soul and body to the greatest danger. Both the word of God and human life convince us of this.

II. a) The word of God states that the descendants of Seth, the son of Adam, lived virtuously and in a way pleasing to God throughout the time that Adam was alive, which is why Sacred Scripture refers to them as the sons of God; they did not intermingle with the lawless descendants of Cain, whom the word of God calls the sons of men. However, after the death of the patriarch Adam, the piety of the sons of God began to weaken; and after the death of Seth, they became utterly corrupt. The reason for this corruption was that they drew close to the wicked descendants of Cain, for does not close acquaintance and friendship with corrupt individuals lead to moral decay? It is well said in the Psalms: "With the holy you will be holy, and with the crooked you will be corrupted" (Ps. 17:26–27). And Jesus, the son of Sirach, likens the soul-destroying friendship with corrupt individuals to pitch; he states: "He who touches pitch will be blackened, and he who associates with the proud will be like him" (Sirach 13:1). In the same way, one should consider not only pride, but also every other sin, and especially about the impurity of carnal sin: whoever makes friends with a wicked person will learn from him also his vice, and will blacken himself, as a man who touches pitch is blackened. And the wicked life of depraved people is justly likened to pitch: as pitch is black and sticky, as it easily adheres to everything, and when it burns, it emits a foul smoke, and its flame is difficult to extinguish, so the abominable deeds of the wicked are gloomy, disgusting, and black, like the Ethiopians. And God Himself says to them in the book of the Prophet Amos: "Are you not to Me, O sons of Israel, like the children of Ethiopia" (9:7)? When, he says, you became corrupt, did you not become in My sight as dark as the Ethiopians? Every sinner is a black Ethiopian, he hates the light, and "does not come to the light, lest his deeds be exposed," for they are evil (John 3:20). And he who makes friends with such Ethiopians, blackened like pitch by their abominable deeds, cannot but be blackened: for evil is clingy, it easily adheres to man, who by his very nature is more inclined to evil than to good, as it is said in the Scriptures: "A man's mind is diligently attached to evil from his youth" (Gen. 8:21). And as soon as a person, having made friends with wicked people, begins to corrupt himself, and like pitch to be kindled by the fire of sin, then he already begins to emit the malevolent smoke of temptation, backbiting, and shamelessness; everywhere, like smoke in the wind, bad rumors spread about him, and all good people shun him... When sin becomes a habit for him, it is difficult to correct it, just as it is not easy to extinguish a burning tar. That is why God commands: "Depart from among them, and be separated, and do not touch their uncleanness, and I will receive you, and I will be a Father to you" (2 Corinthians 6:17, 18). And the Holy Apostle Peter thus implores: "Save yourselves from this perverse generation" (Acts 2:40); he says, save yourselves as from inevitable destruction, for in truth it would be a miracle if anyone, living among the rebellious and corrupt, did not perish completely. We marvel at the righteous men: Noah, Abraham, Lot, Job, Tobit, who were saved while dwelling among lawless nations; we celebrate their lives as a wondrous phenomenon in the world. One of the Greek sages wisely stated when asked what in life is worthy of astonishment: "A good man among the wicked," he replied. If you encounter one good man among a multitude of corrupt individuals, regard him with awe as though he were a miracle, for such people are rarely found — rarely, for they have all turned aside, together they have become corrupted, as the Psalmist says: "There is none who does good, no, not one" (Ps. 52:4).

What, then, is the cause of such widespread corruption among humanity? It is precisely the fact that people tempt one another and suffer from the bad examples of their sinful lives. Each one observes the wickedness of others and is tempted, and thus begins to commit the same evil, so that the number of wicked individuals increases while the number of good individuals decreases. Therefore, the Lord says in the Gospel: "Woe to the world because of temptations" (Matthew 18:7) – woe, because the world is full of temptations, just as it is full of sins! The eye is tempted, for how many injustices are seen being committed in the world! The ear is tempted, for how many flatteries, blasphemies, lies, and wickedness are heard in the world! And who can escape all these temptations? Therefore, woe to the world because of temptations!

b) Many, wishing to protect themselves from the temptations that are encountered at every turn in the world, fled to the deserts, sought refuge in the mountains and caves, just to avoid seeing and hearing worldly temptations, among which it is difficult to be saved. And if many passions wage war against those living in the deserts, far from the world, stopping some altogether on the path to salvation, then these passions more easily conquer and utterly destroy those who live among the perverse and corrupt generation. 

An elder, living in a skete in the Egyptian deserts, once came to Alexandria to sell his handiwork, and upon seeing a young monk who entered a tavern, he was greatly saddened. He waited for the monk to come out of the tavern, took him aside, and said: "Brother! Do you not know how many snares the devil has? Do you not realize how we, monks, are corrupted by sight and hearing when we are in the city? And you, young monk, frequent the tavern; for there you are compelled to hear and see only sin. I implore you, my son, flee to the desert, for it is easier for a monk to attain salvation with God's help there." The young monk boldly replied to him: "Go away, old man! God demands nothing from us, as long as the heart is pure." Then the elder raised his hands to heaven and said: "Glory to You, O God! I have lived in this desert hermitage for fifty-five years, yet I have not attained a pure heart; and this brother, even while residing in the tavern, already possesses a pure heart." The elder said this only to express his astonishment; in reality, he did not believe that anyone could attain a pure heart while living amidst the temptations of the world. (From the works of Saint Dimitri of Rostov).

III. To conclude with the words of Saint John Chrysostom: "As the body often perishes from the infection of corrupted air, so too does the soul frequently suffer harm from association with wicked individuals; and just as a person afflicted with scabies can transmit their disease to the healthy, so can the soul also be adversely affected by mingling with corrupt individuals. Therefore, Christ not only commanded us to avoid such people but also to reject them: for if, He states, your right eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away (Matthew 5:29). In this commandment, He does not refer to the eye itself — since what harm can an eye do when the soul is in a healthy state — but rather to friends, those close to us who have become as if members of our own body, commanding us to hold little regard for their companionship, so that we may more securely ensure our own salvation. Therefore, the Prophet says: 'I have not sat with the vain assembly, nor will I go in with the wicked' (Psalm 25:4). 'Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked' (Psalm 1:1). Typically, wild beasts cause less harm than corrupt individuals; the former openly display their venomous actions, whereas the latter insidiously and quietly spread their contagion day by day, gradually undermining the strength of virtue. Yet, when you intend to settle in a city, you strive to learn all about the local climate, whether it is harmful, damp, or dry; but when it comes to your soul, you make no effort to discern the character of those with whom you are to live."

Let us, my beloved brethren, also avoid wicked individuals and immoral societies, and safeguard our children from them as the pupil of our eye, so that they may not perish in soul and body, and may not be deprived of life, not only in this world but also in the eternal. 

 

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