Homily for the Commemoration of Saint Theophan the Recluse
By Fr. Daniel Sysoev
By Fr. Daniel Sysoev
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Happy commemoration day of Saint Theophan the Recluse! Saint Theophan the Recluse lived in Russia in the 19th century and was a champion of ancient Orthodox traditions and teachings, which he translated into Russian. Renowned as a great interpreter of Holy Scripture, Theophan went into seclusion to study, live, and learn from God's teachings. His works are a priceless gift to us all. Priests often recommend reading Saint Theophan and Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov to those entering the Church. Saint Theophan possessed a special gift, enabling him to reveal the mysteries of faith with simplicity and depth. In his writings, he answers any question, even the most complex, such as those about extraterrestrials. Theophan was not afraid of questions and could provide exhaustive answers, drawing on Holy Scripture.
Nowadays, many people say that the dignity of a Christian is not to think and to be stupid. This is the exact opposite of what the Lord Himself taught and what the apostles said. Stupidity is the sign of an atheist, who is, by definition, stupid. And he is stupid because logic does not work for him, the thought process does not work, and he often simply tries to shut up his opponent. A Christian must be wise; he must develop his mind. Developing it can be done in different ways. There is the method of "piggy bank," which is very popular now: we throw absolutely everything into our minds. We can read a book or watch a movie, because everyone reads a book or everyone watches a movie. But simply accumulating information does not develop the mind. There was the great pagan philosopher Heraclitus, one of the founders of Ionian philosophy in Ancient Greece. He said this: "Much knowledge does not teach intelligence, and if it did, it would have taught Pythagoras." He despised Pythagoras extremely, since Pythagoras believed in the transmigration of souls, and Heraclitus did not consider him worthy of the title of man.
Simply stuffing your head with information doesn't necessarily increase your intelligence. To be intelligent, you must also learn to use this information correctly. There's a concept called "mental hernia," which, at worst, leads to insanity and, at best, to complete stupefaction. People fill their heads with all sorts of junk, and as a result, nothing good comes of it. Even if the necessary information exists, it's unsystematic, making it impossible to access. And this is natural, because there's no culture of reason. Reason must be developed, and this requires a foundation of reason, certain walls and a roof for the mind. Just as a house is uninhabitable without walls and a roof, so is the mind.
How to learn to develop your mind in a Christian way?
First, repentance is necessary. Paradoxically, repentance is the primary condition for the proper functioning of the mind. What does repentance mean? A change of mind. We must acknowledge that our point of view is not the primary, objectively true one. There is an absolutely objective truth — God's point of view. This truth is unshakable, like the rock upon which we can build our minds. The cornerstone of our minds must be God and His Word. We renounce our minds in the name of God, in order to build a harmonious edifice of thought, our intellect. Repentance forces a person to clear away the debris in their head and see everything from a different perspective — from the perspective of the source of eternal life. The first condition for the proper functioning of the mind is the affirmation: "No thought of mine can be correct if it contradicts God's Revelation."
And no other person's thought can be correct if it contradicts God's revelation. This is also very important, because many people say that we should respect the opinions of others. And Christians ask, "Why?" From a common sense perspective, explain to me why I should respect the point of view of others? This is completely unfounded. The point of view of others and those around them are completely different things. For example, an alcoholic friend comes to me, tries to enter the church, and can't, because he thinks the door is next to the real door. Should I respect his point of view? I won't respect his point of view! First, I'll bring him to his senses, pour a bucket of cold water over his head, then bring him into the church, sit him down, and when he comes to his senses, we'll talk. If we don't respect the point of view of others, this doesn't mean we don't respect others. A lie is unworthy of respect; it doesn't deserve it, and anyone who respects it is committing a very grave sin.
God says: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20). This is truly the curse of God.
The second condition for the proper functioning of the mind: "Don't trust the opinions of others if they contradict God's." No matter how many of these people are around, even the entire planet, their quality won't change with the number of zeros. We are coming to the conclusion that we have a foundation — absolute truth, independent of everything. This is God's Revelation, understood according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, according to the teachings of the saints, who always and everywhere held the same opinion on all matters. Scripture and Tradition must be realized by us in the realities of our lives. Then we use the knowledge we received in school, at university, from friends; we must test it all against the standard of truth.
But knowledge alone is not capable of building a house, as the Apostle Paul said: “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor. 8:1). Therefore, a prerequisite for the proper assimilation of knowledge is love for God and one's neighbor. Without this, our mind will not be developed. All knowledge must be hierarchical. It is impossible to simultaneously develop both the soul and the body, because there is a single energy within our being that manifests itself in both the spiritual and the physical. If we invest too much in the body, our soul will suffer. Therefore, everything must be put in its proper place. There is a place for the body, which functions well when subordinated to the mind. There is a place for the soul, and there is a place for the spirit. The mind or spirit, according to the Holy Fathers, must be subordinated to God, our feelings and will must be subordinated to the soul, and our body must be subordinated to our will and feelings.
This is the correct order, and we must properly distribute both our strength and knowledge. First of all, we develop spiritual knowledge; secondly, we develop mental knowledge; and thirdly, we develop physical knowledge. Spiritual knowledge involves having a proper relationship with God and seeking the path to Him. Mental knowledge allows us to understand what is happening within ourselves and in the souls of those around us. We must gather knowledge about the people around us in order not to hurt them, to treat them with care, not to touch their sensitive points, to help them, and to support them—this is a direct duty of a Christian stemming from the second commandment. The third area we must develop is physical knowledge. We should cultivate science, culture, and art, provided that they do not interfere with the soul. This is the correct system for building knowledge.
God bless you!
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.