Temperance Works Miracles
February 21
(Our Venerable Father Timothy of Symboloi)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
February 21
(Our Venerable Father Timothy of Symboloi)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
Temperance works miracles. Thus, in the life of our Venerable Father Timothy of Symboloi it is written that through temperance he subdued the waves of the passions, became dispassionate, and became a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit; preserving virginity both in soul and in body. He received the gift of wonderworking, drove demons from people, and healed every disease. Such miracles temperance accomplished for Timothy and such great benefit it brought him. But here a question naturally arises: what then? Did temperance bring great benefit only to Timothy? And to others? What should we answer to this?
In the book Incorruptible Food it is written, among other things, the following: "Temperance propitiates God and blots out sin. Come now, men of Nineveh, tell what delivered you from the destruction that threatened you — was it not temperance? Come forward, men of Judah with your king Jehoshaphat, tell what freed you from your enemies and appeased the angered God — truly, temperance. Thus Esther, in order to save her people from the death decreed by Haman, practiced abstinence for three days, as it is written: 'Queen Esther fled to the Lord, seized by the struggle of death, and removing her garments of glory she clothed herself in garments of distress and mourning, and instead of costly perfumes and fragrances she covered her head with ashes and filth, and greatly humbled her body, and every place of her adornment and joy she filled with her torn hair' (Esther 4:17).
Further, another man says concerning temperance: 'Temperance makes a person moderate, frugal, sober, modest, silent, chaste. If this virtue dwells in the soul, it tames desires, moderates passions, increases holy aspirations, punishes the corrupt, sets in order everything disordered within us, drives away depraved thoughts, plants knowledge, extinguishes the fire of lust, fills the mind with quiet calm, and always protects from the storm of vices.'"
Therefore, as you see, temperance brought great benefit not only to the Venerable Timothy, but has brought and continues to bring it to others. Let us therefore hold fast to this virtue — especially spiritual temperance — for bodily temperance without spiritual temperance is nothing. Let us abstain from pride, from envy, from hatred, which destroy every reward even for bodily abstinence. Thus the blessed Jerome says:
“What profit is it to exhaust the body by abstinence when the spirit burns with pride? What praise shall we receive for paleness from fasting when we grow pale from envy? What virtue is it not to drink wine, yet to be intoxicated with anger and hatred?” (Epistle 14).
So, brethren, bodily temperance alone without inner, spiritual temperance — we repeat — is nothing and will bring us no benefit.
Therefore, brethren, while practicing bodily abstinence, let us above all practice spiritual abstinence: let us cast out from the mind impure thoughts, from the heart evil desires, pride, envy, anger, and every uncleanness. This will be true temperance, pleasing to God, and therefore saving for us. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
