It Is Unreasonable to Become Attached to Earthly Things
March 6*
(A Parable of Venerable Barlaam Concerning This Temporal Life)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
March 6*
(A Parable of Venerable Barlaam Concerning This Temporal Life)
By Archpriest Victor Guryev
In order to impress His teaching more deeply upon the hearts of His listeners, Jesus Christ often presented it in parables — that is, in comparisons or riddles. For the same reason the Holy Fathers also at times taught by means of parables, and several of these have been preserved down to our time. With the latter, from time to time, I intend to acquaint you, and by way of example I now present one of them.
A certain man, says the Venerable Barlaam, encountered a terrible, raging beast that was ready to tear him to pieces. Fleeing from the fury of the animal, this man fell into a deep pit, and while falling, fortunately managed to grasp the branches of a large tree that was growing in the pit. Having seized the branches firmly and found some support for his feet, the man considered himself already safe. But suddenly, looking down, he saw two mice that were constantly gnawing at the root of the tree, and still lower, a dreadful serpent with its mouth wide open, preparing to devour him. Turning his eyes away from this terrifying sight, he saw an asp coming out of the rock, very close to him. Surrounded on every side by dangers, the man naturally lifted his eyes upward and there, on the top of the tree, he saw a very small quantity of honey.
Meanwhile his situation was becoming dreadful. The tree on which he stood, undermined by the mice, was already about to fall; his feet, insecurely placed, were slipping, and death threatened him from every side. What then did the unfortunate man do in such a situation? Instead of undertaking anything at all for his deliverance, he calmly reached for the honey and began to taste it.
What does this parable mean? It presents an image of our present life. The beast that relentlessly sought to devour the man is the image of death, which inevitably pursues all of us. The pit is the world, filled with all kinds of deadly snares. The tree, continually gnawed by the mice, is our life, constantly being undermined by time. The asp represents the misfortunes threatening the body from the passions, which torment and destroy it. And the terrible serpent depicts the insatiable belly of hell, ready irretrievably to swallow us.
What, finally, do the small drops of honey signify, toward which the man surrounded by dangers stretched himself? They represent the insignificant pleasures of this world, after which we — although we know very well that death and eternal torment await — still chase, and thus are suddenly seized by death and brought down into hell.
Does not this parable seem to open the eyes of us all? Indeed, brethren, who has blinded us in such a dreadful way? We know that there is God; we believe that there is a future life and that there will be recompense after death. And yet what do we do? How do we live? As though there were no God, as though the future life did not exist, as though nothing exists, and nothing has existed, and nothing will exist.
Yes — but do we ever repent? Yes — but most often only when it is already too late. Death will come; the judgment of God will arrive, and then we will begin to say: “Ah, what have I done? Why did I live in this way?” But will our repentance help us then? Will our cries be heard? Alas! After death there is no repentance, and each will receive what is due according to his deeds.
Therefore, while there is still time, let us come to our senses, let us awaken from our folly, and instead of chasing after phantoms, let us firmly stand against our enemies. Having conquered them, we shall pass safely beyond that pit which is the belly of hell, and we shall be made worthy of eternal blessedness. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
Notes:
* In the original text, there is no entry for March 6th. There this is the third entry for November 19th.
