PERFECTION, ALMSGIVING, PRAYER, FASTING, AND
CHASTITY
In monastic and
ascetical literature from the earliest Christian times the word and idea of
"perfect" are often confronted. The monk seeks perfection, the monk wants to
begin to become established on the path that may lead to perfection. But is this
the result of monasticism? Is it the monastic and ascetical tendencies in early
Christianity which bring forth the idea of perfection, which bring forth the
idea of spiritual struggle and striving? It is our Lord, not the monks, who
injects the goal of perfection into the very fabric of early Christian thought.
In the Gospel of St. Matthew (5:48) our Lord commands: "Be ye therefore
perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect"
Traditional
monastic and ascetical life has included among its activities almsgiving,
prayer, and fasting. Were these practices imposed upon an authentic Christianity
by monasticism or were they incorporated into monastic and ascetical life from
original Christianity? In the Gospel of St. Matthew it is once again our
Lord and Redeemer who has initiated almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. Our Lord
could very easily have abolished such practices. But rather than abolish them,
our Lord purifies them, gives them their correct status within the spiritual
life which is to do them but to attach no show, no hypocrisy, no glory to
the doing of them. It is proper spiritual perspective that our Lord
commands. "Take heed that you do not your righteousness before men in order to
be seen by them; for then you will have no reward with your Father in heaven"
(6:1). Therefore, when you do alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the
hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be glorified
by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you are doing
alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your
alms may be in secret; and your Father who is seeing in secret will reward you"
(6:2-4). And prayer is commanded to be done in a similar manner to ensure its
spiritual nature. At this juncture our Lord instructs his followers to use the
"Lord’s Prayer," a prayer that is so simple yet so profound, a prayer that
contains within it the glorification of the name of God, a prayer that contains
within it the invoking of the coming of the kingdom of God, a prayer that
acknowledges that the will of God initiates everything and that without the will
of God man is lost. It is a prayer of humility in that it asks for nothing
beyond daily sustenance. It is a prayer of human solidarity in forgiveness, for
it asks God to forgive us only as we forgive others, and in this a profound
reality of spiritual life is portrayed, a life that unites man with God only as
man is also united with other persons, with mankind, in forgiveness. And then
there is the prayer to be protected from temptation and, if one falls into
temptation, the prayer to be delivered from it. So short, so simple, yet so
profound both personally and cosmically. Is monasticism a distortion of
authentic Christianity because the monks recite the Lord’s Prayer at the
instruction of and command of our Lord? If monasticism used free, spontaneous
prayer, then it could be faulted for not having "followed" our Lord’s command.
But that is not the case. Is monasticism a deviation because of the frequent use
of the Lord’s Prayer? Our Lord was specific: when praying, pray this. It does
not preclude other prayers but prominence and priority is to be given to the
Lord’s Prayer. Indeed, it is certainly foreign to our Lord to restrict the
frequency of prayer. The "vain repetitions," or more accurately in the Greek,
the prohibition of "do not utter empty words as the gentiles, for they think
that in their much speaking they will be heard." This is in essence different
than our Lord’s intention. And our Lord says more on this subject, a subject
considered of importance to him. In the Gospel of St. Matthew (9:15) our
Lord makes the point that when he is taken way, then his disciples will fast. In
the Gospel of St. Matthew (17:21) our Lord explains to his disciples that
they were unable to cast out the devil because" this kind goes out only by
prayer and fasting." This verse, it is true, is not in all the ancient
manuscripts. It is, however, in sufficient ancient manuscripts and, moreover, it
is contained in the Gospel of St. Mark (9:29). It is obvious that our
Lord assigns a special spiritual efficacy to prayer and fasting.
Chastity is a
monastic and ascetic goal. Not only an external celibacy but an inner chastity
of thought. Is this too something imposed upon authentic, original Christianity
by a Hellenistic type of thinking or is it contained within the original deposit
of apostolic and Biblical Christianity? Again it is our Lord who lays down the
path of celibacy and chastity. In the Gospel of St. Matthew (19:10-12)
the disciples ask our Lord whether it is expedient to marry. "Not all men can
receive this saying but those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs
who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by
men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the
kingdom of heaven. He who is able to grasp it, let him grasp it." The monastic
and ascetical goal merely "follows" the teaching of our Lord. Original
Christianity never imposed celibacy. It was, precisely as our Lord has stated,
only for those to whom it was given, only to those who might be able to accept
such a path. But the path was an authentically Christian path of spirituality
laid down by our Lord. In early Christianity not even priests and bishops were
required to be celibate. It was a matter of choice. Later the Church thought it
wise to require celibacy of the bishops. But in Eastern Christianity celibacy
has never been required of one becoming a priest. The choice to marry or to
remain celibate had to be made before ordination. If one married before
ordination, then one was required to remain married, albeit the ancient Church
witnessed exceptions to this. If one was not married when one was ordained, then
one was required to remain celibate. The Roman Church, not the Eastern Orthodox
Church, extended the requirement of celibacy to priests and had a very difficult
time attempting to enforce it throughout the ages. One can never force forms of
spirituality upon a person and expect a spiritually fruitful result. The words
of our Lord resound with wisdom—to those to whom it is given, to those who can
live in this form of spirituality.
In monastic and
ascetical literature from the earliest Christian times the word and idea of
"perfect" are often confronted. The monk seeks perfection, the monk wants to
begin to become established on the path that may lead to perfection. But is this
the result of monasticism? Is it the monastic and ascetical tendencies in early
Christianity which bring forth the idea of perfection, which bring forth the
idea of spiritual struggle and striving? It is our Lord, not the monks, who
injects the goal of perfection into the very fabric of early Christian thought.
In the Gospel of St. Matthew (5:48) our Lord commands: "Be ye therefore
perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" Traditional
monastic and ascetical life has included among its activities almsgiving,
prayer, and fasting. Were these practices imposed upon an authentic Christianity
by monasticism or were they incorporated into monastic and ascetical life from
original Christianity? In the Gospel of St. Matthew it is once again our
Lord and Redeemer who has initiated almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. Our Lord
could very easily have abolished such practices. But rather than abolish them,
our Lord purifies them, gives them their correct status within the spiritual
life which is to do them but to attach no show, no hypocrisy, no glory to
the doing of them. It is proper spiritual perspective that our Lord
commands. "Take heed that you do not your righteousness before men in order to
be seen by them; for then you will have no reward with your Father in heaven"
(6:1). Therefore, when you do alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the
hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be glorified
by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you are doing
alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your
alms may be in secret; and your Father who is seeing in secret will reward you"
(6:2-4). And prayer is commanded to be done in a similar manner to ensure its
spiritual nature. At this juncture our Lord instructs his followers to use the
"Lord’s Prayer," a prayer that is so simple yet so profound, a prayer that
contains within it the glorification of the name of God, a prayer that contains
within it the invoking of the coming of the kingdom of God, a prayer that
acknowledges that the will of God initiates everything and that without the will
of God man is lost. It is a prayer of humility in that it asks for nothing
beyond daily sustenance. It is a prayer of human solidarity in forgiveness, for
it asks God to forgive us only as we forgive others, and in this a profound
reality of spiritual life is portrayed, a life that unites man with God only as
man is also united with other persons, with mankind, in forgiveness. And then
there is the prayer to be protected from temptation and, if one falls into
temptation, the prayer to be delivered from it. So short, so simple, yet so
profound both personally and cosmically. Is monasticism a distortion of
authentic Christianity because the monks recite the Lord’s Prayer at the
instruction of and command of our Lord? If monasticism used free, spontaneous
prayer, then it could be faulted for not having "followed" our Lord’s command.
But that is not the case. Is monasticism a deviation because of the frequent use
of the Lord’s Prayer? Our Lord was specific: when praying, pray this. It does
not preclude other prayers but prominence and priority is to be given to the
Lord’s Prayer. Indeed, it is certainly foreign to our Lord to restrict the
frequency of prayer. The "vain repetitions," or more accurately in the Greek,
the prohibition of "do not utter empty words as the gentiles, for they think
that in their much speaking they will be heard." This is in essence different
than our Lord’s intention. And our Lord says more on this subject, a subject
considered of importance to him. In the Gospel of St. Matthew (9:15) our
Lord makes the point that when he is taken way, then his disciples will fast. In
the Gospel of St. Matthew (17:21) our Lord explains to his disciples that
they were unable to cast out the devil because" this kind goes out only by
prayer and fasting." This verse, it is true, is not in all the ancient
manuscripts. It is, however, in sufficient ancient manuscripts and, moreover, it
is contained in the Gospel of St. Mark (9:29). It is obvious that our
Lord assigns a special spiritual efficacy to prayer and fasting.Chastity is a
monastic and ascetic goal. Not only an external celibacy but an inner chastity
of thought. Is this too something imposed upon authentic, original Christianity
by a Hellenistic type of thinking or is it contained within the original deposit
of apostolic and Biblical Christianity? Again it is our Lord who lays down the
path of celibacy and chastity. In the Gospel of St. Matthew (19:10-12)
the disciples ask our Lord whether it is expedient to marry. "Not all men can
receive this saying but those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs
who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by
men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the
kingdom of heaven. He who is able to grasp it, let him grasp it." The monastic
and ascetical goal merely "follows" the teaching of our Lord. Original
Christianity never imposed celibacy. It was, precisely as our Lord has stated,
only for those to whom it was given, only to those who might be able to accept
such a path. But the path was an authentically Christian path of spirituality
laid down by our Lord. In early Christianity not even priests and bishops were
required to be celibate. It was a matter of choice. Later the Church thought it
wise to require celibacy of the bishops. But in Eastern Christianity celibacy
has never been required of one becoming a priest. The choice to marry or to
remain celibate had to be made before ordination. If one married before
ordination, then one was required to remain married, albeit the ancient Church
witnessed exceptions to this. If one was not married when one was ordained, then
one was required to remain celibate. The Roman Church, not the Eastern Orthodox
Church, extended the requirement of celibacy to priests and had a very difficult
time attempting to enforce it throughout the ages. One can never force forms of
spirituality upon a person and expect a spiritually fruitful result. The words
of our Lord resound with wisdom—to those to whom it is given, to those who can
live in this form of spirituality.
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