Those who seek humility should bear in mind the three following
things: that they are the worst of sinners, that they are the most
despicable of all creatures since their state is an unnatural one,
and that they are even more pitiable than the demons, since they
are slaves to the demons. You will also profit if you say this to
yourself: how do I know what or how many other people’s sins are,
or whether they are greater than or equal to my own? In our
ignorance you and I , my soul, are worse than all men, we are dust
and ashes under their feet. How can I not regard myself as more
despicable than all other creatures, for they act in accordance
with the nature they have been given, while I, owing to my
innumerable sins, am in a state contrary to nature.
St. Gregory of Sinai, Philokalia, Vol. IV.
Comments
4 responses to “St. Gregory of Sinai, Philokalia, Vol. IV.”
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Given said…holy cow! Talk about your positive affirmations. One morning I was talking to Peggy about the notion of Tabla Rasa being contrary to the notion of original sin. And that without the concept of original sin there is very little room for forgiveness. This reading provides a lot of room for forgiveness.On first read, I am not getting much of a spiritual hit off of this, but I will stick with it for the week & see what comes up.12/04/2006 02:58:00 PM Given said…In our ignorance you and I , my soul, are worse than all men, we are dust and ashes under their feet.I do not generally think of my soul as ignorant. I like to think that my soul is the universal part of me connected to God. Something that comes from without, that is pure, that is universally wise and touched by the infinte. I think that this may be an error in thinking–if there is a perfect and pure part of me, then there is a part that does not need improvement. This is limited thinking. All of me needs constant improvement–there is not perfect soul with in. I have to work for the better, not for the good.I also like this being worse then all men–it is egotistical in the extreme to think that one is the worst–that there is none worser. But the fact is that this mindset does help with growth. Or, more importantly, this mindset of being the worse sinner prevents judgement–if I am the worst, who am I to judge anything? Who am I to give advice?That is a very healthy place to be.
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they are the most despicable of all creatures since their state is an unnatural oneThe importance of being natural is not something that I usually think of as being Christian in nature, but clearly there is a trend towards the Natural in the early church. The Natural State of Man–sinless, in living grace with god, connected not seperate–that is clearly the goal. Of course, this also does not allow the putting on of airs–the natural state of your existance is clearly something that must be understood, must be embraced, and needs to be addressed directly.Unnatural is the most despicable state since it cannot be trusted at any level…
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they are even more pitiable than the demons, since they are slaves to the demons.I am not sure that I follow this logic. The slave, as property, is not by definition worse then the owner. Demons create sin, perhaps is the point, and I follow sin. The notion that the creation is at least a creative act at some level, versus the mere following of the sin (which is at some level boring for its commonness), may be the exact point here.By not thinking creatively, by not creating, by simply allowing oneself to be a slave we are worse then the tools that created the slavery.Not sure that I exactly follow this third item.
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My thought on this today is that not every one is seeking humilty. There is not explict reason to seek humility, so I am not sure why I am looking for it.I guess that I think humility will help me to reduce my own suffering.
David Given Schwarm 
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