The Holy Scriptures instruct us to honor and respect the elderly: "Thou shalt rise up before the grey-headed, and honor the presence of an old
man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord thy God"
(Lev. 19:32). Are we then not obligated to respect and honor the Saints and friends of God? Yes, we are obligated to do so; for the Holy Scriptures direct us not only to honor and respect but also to
reverence and fear them: "Ye shall keep My Sabbaths, and reverence My saints" (Lev. 19:30)
.
God Himself attests that He bestows glory to them who glorify Him: "I will glorify them who glorify Me" (1 Kg. 2:30). Thus, we should rejoice when
honoringthe memory of the Saints whom God has glorified, just as the prophet and king David did:
"But to me, exceedingly honorable are Thy friends, O Lord; their principalities are made exceedingly strong. I will count them, and they
shall be multiplied more than the sand" (Ps. 138:17).
And this is why elsewhere he orders emphatically,
"Praise ye God in His Saints" (Ps. 150:1). The wise Solomon similarly admits: "
The memory of the righteous is accompanied with
praise, but the name of the ungodly shall be extinguished" (Pr. 10:7).
The New Testament continues to instruct and recommend that we honor the Saints. "Wherefore I also," says the Apostle Paul, "after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints
cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers" (Eph. 1:15-16). And in his epistleto the Collosians he repeats, "We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints" (Col. 1:3-4). The apostle repeats the same thing in his epistle to Philemon: "I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and
toward all saints" (Phm. 1:4-6).
Unquestionably, the word "saints" in the above verses refers to all the devout faithful who preserve a fervent love for Christ within their hearts. If, therefore, we are obligated to honor, respect, and love every fervent and devout Christian, how much more are we obligated to reverence the Saints whom God Himself has honored and glorified?
St. Nektarios
—from the book Nothing is Incurable for St. Nektarios—
“And the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentile unto all men . . .” (II Timothy 2:24)
OUR PIOUS BROTHERS AND SISTERS, the laity in Christ, must also take care not to be led astray by the spirit of the world and to confuse imprudent zeal with the true spirit of evangelical love.
St. Nectarios of Aegina offers us, in just a few lines, an image of the true zealot of Christ:
“The zealot according to knowledge, motivated by the love of God and his neighbor, does all things with charity and self-effacement; he does nothing that might bring sorrow to his neighbor; such a zealot is enlightened by knowledge and nothing prompts him to deviate from what is morally right” (see Self-Knowledge, pp. 135-136).
The zealot blessed by Christ is a model for the true Christian, the principle characteristics of whom are fervent love for God and neighbor, gentleness, religious tolerance, forgiveness, graciousness of manner, and, in general, all of those fruits of one dwelling in the Holy Spirit.
By contrast, that unfortunate Christian who is inspired by zeal not according to knowledge is a “ruinous man” who literally turns the Gospel of Grace and love upside down.
Let us see how the saints of the Orthodox Church view the zealot whose zeal is not according to wisdom:
his zeal is a “seductive fire, a consuming fire”
“destruction comes forth from him and desolation follows in his wake”
“he beseeches God to send down fire from Heaven and to devour all of those who do not embrace his principles and convictions”
he is “characterized by hatred for those of other religions and confessions, envy and persistent anger, violent resistance to the true spirit of Divine law, an unreasonable obstinacy in defending his own views, a passionate zeal for prevailing in all things, the love of glory, quarrels, contention, and a love of turmoil” (St. Nectarios, ibid.).
Orthodox spirituality has always considered it essential that zeal go hand-in-hand with love, so as not to become deviant:
“Zeal for piety [or preserving the Church and Holy TraditionBMB] is a good thing, but when combined with love” (St. John Damascene, Patrologia Graeca, Vol. SCIV, col. 1436).
The magnificent epistle of St. Dionysios the Areopagite to the Monk Demophilos, in which he expounds in a God-inspired way on the subject of the extremes of importune zeal, shows that this “temptation” among the pious is ancient.
But now let us juxtapose with the demon of imprudent zeal the zealots of Patristic deity, calling to mind their Patristic precepts:
“We will not approve of your fits of rage, which are alien to genuine zeal (‘unenviable impulses’), even if you should invoke Phineas and Elias a thousand times” (St. Dionysios the Areopagite, Patrologia Graeca, Vol. III, col. 1096C, “Epistle to Demophilos the Monk [or Therapeutes, a term used by St. Dionysios for a monastic],” 5).
Likewise, our Savior, through the Apostle Paul, “teaches us that we should educate with gentleness those who reject the teaching of God”; “for the ignorant need to be instructed, not punished, just as we do not chastise the blind, but lead them by the hand” (ibid.).
Let the pious Faithful never forget that the criterion of the genuineness of our love is not imprudent zeal, but withdrawal from all of our passions:
“Strive to love every man equally, and in short you will drive out all of your passions” (St. Thalassios, Philokalia, Vol. 2, p. 213, and Patrologia Graeca, Vol. XCI, col. 1441B).
Our zeal for piety, like every other spiritual endeavor, is of doubtful purity and genuineness if it does not incline the heart towards love and humility:
“For every pursuit and every endeavor involving great toil that does not end up in love and a contrite spirit is futile, and yields no profitable result” (St. Symeon the New Theologian, Catechesis I, Sources Chretiennes, Vol. 96, pp. 143-145).
Hence: “Zeal for piety is a good thing, but when combined with love!”
Metropolitan Cyprian of Oropos and Fili
Of all people, the atheist is the most misfortunate person because he has been deprived of the only good thing upon the earth: faith—the one true guide toward the truth and happiness. The atheist is a most misfortunate person because he is deprived of hope: the essential staff needed to journey through
life's lengthy path. The atheist is a most misfortunate person because he is deprived of
human love, which caresses the aching heart. The atheist is a most misfortunate person because he has been deprived of the divine beauty of the Creator's image, which the Divine Artist has etched withinman and which faith unveils.
The eye of the atheist sees in creation nothing other than the operation of natural processes. The brilliance and magnificent beauty of the Divine Creator's image remain hidden and undetectable to him. As he glances aimlessly at creation, nowhere does he discover the beauty of God's wisdom, nowhere does he see God's omnipotence, nowhere does he observe God's goodness and providence,
nowhere does he discern the Creator's righteousness and love for creation. His mind is neither capable
of ascending higher than the visible world nor
reaching beyond the boundaries of physical matter. His heart remains anesthetized and indifferent before God's ever-present divine wisdom and power.
Within it, not even the slightest desire to worship
the Lord exists. His lips remain closed, his mouth silent, and his tongue frozen. His soul voices no
hymn, doxology, or praise as an expression of gratefulness to God.
The peace of the soul and the serenity of the heart have been removed by disbelief; instead, mourning has inundated the depth of his being. The delight, which the faithful person experiences from executing God’s divine commandments, and
the great pleasure that he enjoys from
an ethical way of life are unknown feelings for the atheist.The elation which faith bestows to the believer has never been felt by the atheist’s heart.
The assurance that arises from faith in God’s providence, which relieves man from the anxiety of life’s worries, is a power unknown to him.
It’s a popular topic; a word thrown around here and there. We love our mothers and fathers from birth; we love our siblings, our friends, and even co-workers. We “fall in love” and many times vow to love one person for the rest of our lives.
So what kind of loves are these: familial, “love of one’s own”? In what way do we love those around us naturally? I use “naturally” because I think we’d all agree that to a certain extent we are naturally inclined towards loving. But the nature of this love, the root, where is it to be found? What is the goal of this love? Why do we love: for what purpose, for what benefit? What makes this “natural” love of ours binding? What unites us to those that we love?
I suppose it’s easy to think that all or any kind of love is good and of God, but is this true?
I don’t propose to know the answers to the above questions. In fact, I don’t even plan on trying to answer them here. Each in its own right could be expounded upon in its own article. I simply would like to talk about the relationship love has with Christ and if indeed Christ is the binding element of love.
The Scriptures tell us “We can do nothing without Christ”, and, “Except the Lord build the house, in vain do they labour that build it.” So, this brings us to the heart of the matter: Can love that is not mediated by Christ be called, or be in essence, love?
Here is a small, but powerful excerpt from a letter St. Nektarios wrote to one of the nuns under his spiritual care: “Be careful in the development of the feeling of love. It is endangered when the heart is not supported by honest prayer, and can then become carnal, unnatural, and can darken and burn the heart. I hope that this doesn’t happen. Love each other like holy sisters and let only the common love you share for the Lord unite you.”
According to this great theologian and miracle-worker, loves exist that are not good, are not “natural”, are not of God and in the end will only harm us, “darken and burn the heart” even.
I do not know how to discern which love is “carnal” and which is not, which is “spiritual” and which is based solely on selfishness. The only thing I know is that the Scriptures seem to suggest, just as St. Nektarios’ letter does, that love is of a very particular nature and can only be shared, understood, felt, and given with Christ as our conscious mediator. Again I will quote a letter written by St. Nektarios to a nun who (I’m assuming unknowingly and unintentionally) allowed her love for him to turn into something other than that which is mediated through love of Christ:
“My soul has become cold towards Syncletici so much that I have become indifferent towards her because of her state of mind. I love all of you, my dear girls, not because you love me but because you love our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a common love that we have for the Lord and it is that love which makes my heart love you, and it is what binds us. When one of you takes the love in your heart away from the Lord and offers it to the vanity of the world and the passion of the soul, then my love towards you will diminish because you have taken Christ out of your heart and have thus broken the bond of love between us, because, of course, the link that binds us is the common love of Christ.”
I must admit when I first read this I felt guilty. Have I too taken the love in my heart away from the Lord? Am I guilty of offering the love in my heart to the “vanity of the world”? The saint’s words seemed so sharp they cut me like a knife; I can’t imagine how they made Sr. Syncletici feel. Despite how she initially felt on reading her elder’s letter, I think they most likely helped her see her error.
How often do we fall into the same or similar error with our friends, co-workers, classmates, siblings, and/or parents? Perhaps not in a way that can turn into lust, but in a way that is merely human and devoid of Christ.
Can there be ANY love without Christ? I don’t think so. I don’t know what this means about the world and the supposed love non-Christians have for one another. It seems to me that St. Nektarios is clear: we cannot even love without Christ.
St. Nektarios
He who fears the Lord has found grace before God, and the Lord will
listen to his requests. The will of them who fear Him shall He do, and their
supplication shall He hear, and the Lord shall save them (Ps. 144:19).
When the sun’s rays enter through a window, they light up
everything in the home and enable us to see even the finest particles of
dust. Similarly when the fear of God makes its way into the heart, it reveals
to a person all of his sins.
The fear of God, being sacred and holy, is dispassionate and poses
no threat or harm. St. Gregory the Theologian says the following
concerning the fear of God: “Where there is fear, there is keeping of the
commandments. When one keeps the commandments, there is
purification. Where there is purification, there is enlightenment.”
The fear of God fills the heart with a certain spiritual joy and
jubilation. The fear of God is a divine gift because it is one of the seven
gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isa. 11:3), and it dwells in the pure heart. With
respect to our interaction with others, the fear of God is made manifest as
love, righteousness, and compassion for our fellow man. The Holy
Scriptures state that the man who fears God is righteous. The wise Sirach
refers to the fear of the Lord as a “crown of wisdom” that springs forth
peace, healing, and health (Sirach 1:15).
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord! (Ps. 111:1).
—by St. Nektarios—
The fear of God is a sacred feeling that fills the heart of him who has
come to know God and His divine characteristics.
The fear of the Lord is manifested as perfect love for God, as
devotion to Him, and as worship of the Divinity. He who fears God loves
God with all his heart, with all his strength, and with his entire mind. Such a
person’s heart has clung to the Lord, and he calls upon His name. God the
Lord is his boast, and He alone rules in his heart. Having devoted himself
completely to the Lord, he offers his heart to Him, and from the center of
his existence he worships Him. The law of God has become the law of his
volition, and he desires only what is virtuous, good, and perfect. His lips
ceaselessly praise the Godhead, and his heart glorifies the Lord. He sends
up unending doxology and thanksgiving to God, and he blesses Him with
his soul.
He who fears God has become pure in soul because the fear of the
Lord has cleansed his spirit. The fear of the Lord has sanctified his heart
and mortified his flesh by subjugating the carnal desires to the power of his
soul. The fear of God has become for him a teacher of wisdom and
prudence, and it has instructed him to understand what is true, what is
virtuous, and what is pleasing to God. The fear of the Lord has become for
him a fountain of life, and it will deliver him from the snare of death.
The Lord is the strength of them who fear Him, and His covenant
shall be manifested unto them (Ps. 24:14). The fear of the Lord is pure,
and it remains unto the ages of ages (Ps. 18:9). An angel of the Lord will
encircle them who fear Him and will deliver them from evil (Ps. 33:7).
—by St. Nektarios—
On account of their supreme calling, it is necessary for future mothers to
receive the appropriate upbringing from the onset of their infant years. A suitable
upbringing for them consists of instruction that targets the mind and heart. Both
these parts together comprise the two centers around which man’s intellectual
and ethical education revolve. If either one of them is neglected, education
becomes imperfect and impaired. Even though the mind and the heart are
members of the same soul, nevertheless, they are in need of different means of
education. The heart, on account of its sensitivity belongs to the metaphysical
realm; the mind, on account of its intellectual capacity belongs to the physical
world. Consequently, each one of them requires to be taught its individual and
particular truths.
The truth specific to the mind is education, while that of the heart is
religion. Therefore, it is necessary for us to provide education and religion to our
daughters, so that they will be capable of transmitting these to their own children
later. Education and religion are two brilliant lighthouses that guide man as he
travels in the ocean of this present stormy life, guard him from shipwreck, and
distance him from every dangerous reef. They are the two eyes of the soul, which
she uses to examine the things that surround her, and which enable her to walk
without stumbling toward blessedness and salvation. They are the two spiritual
organs that perfect man and render him worthy of his sublime descent and his
supreme position in creation. Only mothers educated in this manner are capable
of producing good children, useful citizens, and courageous men.
Hence, we must provide our daughters with both religious and intellectual
instruction, in order to render them worthy of their calling. It is necessary for godly
education and cultivated religion to coexist because these two components
constitute the only secure provisions in life that can help man in a variety of ways.
A one-sided upbringing, being deficient, leads to one of the following two
improper sequela: superstition or indifference for God’s law. Each one is a
natural outcome and a direct result of the type of upbringing.
Intellectual and religious instruction are two different trees planted in the
same field, which require equal care and attention in order for them to grow
equally. Unequal cultivation will result in disproportionate development and,
consequently, one tree will thrive and flourish, while the other one will wither and
atrophy. If we concern ourselves with the mind alone, man’s religious feelings will
inevitably become impoverished. If we give all our attention solely to an
uncultivated form of religion, man’s intellectual powers will shrivel and be
arrested. Ill consequences of the former are irreligiousness and atheism, which
are followed by countless evils; of the latter, superstition. These are the results
when our daughters receive one-sided, partial education and incomplete
upbringing.
—by St. Nektarios—
The mothers of all great and virtuous men serve as brilliant examples for
us. Such shinning models are the mothers of the three great hierarchs, St. Basil
the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. John Chrysostom.
Desiring to give their children the best possible education and to refine
their mind through Hellenistic wisdom and science, they did not hesitate to hand
over their sons to idolater instructors, in order for them to suitably develop and
grow intellectually. They were not afraid of the professors’ heterodoxy because
they had self-assurance: they were certain that (through their personal example)
their own love for true education and their own fervent zeal for the Christian faith
had entirely been channeled into and completely inundated the hearts of their
children. They knew that nothing would be capable of shaking the principles and
convictions their sons had concerning the Christian faith because they had been
diligently established and built upon a rock!
Consequently, Nona and Amelia, the good and virtuous mothers of St.
Basil and St. Gregory, sent their sons to Athens: to the center not only of
education and enlightenment but also of idolatry—where the religion of the
Gentiles with all its accompanying grandeur was firmly rooted. And indeed, their
convictions were not proven wrong. Both young students had within the depth of
their hearts the flame of faith in Christ, and they remained uninfluenced
throughout the entire duration of their studies. They were neither shaken by the
teachings of the sophists who systematically battled Christianity nor allured by
the magnificent ceremonies of Gentile worship. On the contrary, they remained
firm and strong in their religious beliefs and returned home to their mothers,
offering themselves as a reward to them for their didactic efforts, their maternal
care, and their virtue.
Similarly, the good and virtuous mother of St. John Chrysostom, named
Anthousa, who became widowed at the age of twenty, completely devoted
herself to raising her one and only son; for she considered this to be of greater
importance than a second marriage. Like the other two mothers, she was not
afraid to hand her beloved and cherished only child (when he came of age and
needed higher education) into the hands of an idolater instructor. Her
assuredness in her own faith was assuredness in her child because she was
convinced that she had deposited all of her faith into the soul of her beloved son.
She too was not proven wrong. A short while after completing his studies and
practicing law, John gave himself to serving the Church. Livanios, St. John’s
professor, filled with disappointment after failing to proselytize John to his own
religion, sorrowfully exclaimed: “Woe! What type of women does Christianity
produce!” This is how he pointed to the reason for his failure.
Truly, how beautiful! What brilliant examples these pious mothers are for
us! What magnificent images! What wondrous role models! Who can deny that
mothers give rise to great and virtuous men! Thus, Jacques Rousseau makes the
following observation in his work Emile: “Men will always be whatever women
want them to be. If you desire to have great and virtuous men, teach women the
meaning of righteousness and virtue.”
Therefore, we must educate and instruct our daughters (who will later
become mothers) according to the examples set forth above, attending to this
assiduously from their early childhood years, so that we can be assured of fruitful
and beneficial results to come.
—by St. Nektarios—
Due to the influence that each mother exercises upon her own child,
mothers are capable of molding children after their own character, just as a potter
molds clay in the manner he wishes.
Diogenis would say the following concerning the easily pliable years of
childhood: “The education of children can be likened to potters’ vessels. Just as
they shape and form clay as they wish while it is still soft, but are unable to shape
it once it is fired, similarly children who are not painstakingly disciplined cannot
be changed once they grow up.”
Plutarch further asserts: “youth is easily pliable and workable, and while
such souls are still tender, teachings are embedded deep within the soul.”
Hence, during the tender childhood years, mothers are capable of
effectively and profoundly impacting a child’s soul, mindset, feelings, nous,
imagination, and ethos.
After this age, the youthful heart begins to harden, and
instruction becomes—if not impossible—very difficult, as the divine Chrysostom
correctly attests: “it was necessary right from the beginning when you noticed
these evils developing, while your child was still young and obedient, to restrain
him rigorously, to make him grow accustom to the essentials, to regulate and
chastise the ailments of his soul.
You should have removed the thorns when it
was easy to do so; when it was easy to uproot them on account of the tender
age. Now it has become difficult to do so because, due to negligence, the
passions have multiplied and increased. For this reason, it is written: ‘bend his
neck while he is still young,’ when discipline is easier to implement.”
—by St. Nektarios—
A mother can, with a single glance, with one kiss, with her sweet voice and
tender caress, at once evoke the desire and inclination for virtue within the heart
of her child. Similarly, the same mother, with one glance of disapproval, with one
tear rolling down her cheek, through a single expression that reveals the pain in
her heart, is capable of distancing her child from a destructive evil endangering
his heart. As a child is raised in the motherly bosom and warmed in the maternal
embrace, he begins to love even before he learns the meaning of love, and he
begins to submit his will to the ethical law even before he comprehends the
ethical law. A mother alone is the most suitable person to foster the initial
understanding concerning God within an infant’s heart.
On account of this, St. Basil the Great says: “the understanding of God that
I received as an infant from my blessed mother has flourished within me. I have
not changed anything when I reached maturity, but I perfected the principles that
were entrusted to me by her.” While Pestalozzi, foremost amongst contemporary
educators, attributes the entire religious education of a child to his mother and
proclaims: “I believed my mother. Her heart showed God to me. My God is the
God of my mother. The God of my heart is the God of her heart. O mother, dear
mother! You revealed God to me through your instruction, and I found Him
through my obedience. O mother, dear mother! If I forget God, I will forget you
yourself.”
However, just as a mother’s every virtuous deed, every good word, and
each righteous disposition constitute the cornerstone for the child’s ensuing
virtuous works, words, and inclinations, similarly, a mother’s every evil deed,
word, and disposition contains destructive seeds for the child’s ensuing evil
actions, words, and inclinations. Thus, a child eventually becomes similar to what
his mother is like. If a mother’s soul is hideous, malicious, dark, corrupt,
insensitive, and coarse, if her inclinations are evil, her manners scandalous,
immodest, and indecent, if she is prone to impiety, anger, hatred, and other
irrational passions, then it will not be long before these evil stalks spring up from
the child as well. Conversely, if a mother’s soul is divine, pure, joyous, innocent,
and full of the fear of Lord, if her inclinations are noble and holy, if her
dispositions are serene, God-loving, and compassionate, then a child’s soul,
reflecting itself in front of such a mirror and imperceptibly mimicking her,
becomes similar to his mother, and, with time, he propagates seeds of virtue.
Hence, when the great Napoleon asked a certain renowned educator of that time
(by the name of Madame Campan) what France was in need of in order to
acquire good and virtuous men, “mothers,” responded this prudent lady to the
monarch. “Then,” instructed the prominent emperor, “produce such women who
will be capable of fulfilling this immense national goal.”
—by St. Nektarios—
The upbringing of children must begin during infancy. This is necessary in
order to direct the child’s powers of the soul—as soon as they begin to emerge—
toward good, virtue, and truth, while simultaneously distancing them from evil,
indecency, and falsehood. This age is the secure foundation upon which a child’s
moral and intellectual understanding will be erected. Thus, Fokilidis says: “It is
necessary to teach someone to do good work while he is still a child,” because
man sets out from childhood, as from a starting block, to run the race of life. St.
Basil the Great affirms: “It is necessary for the soul to be guided right from the
very beginning toward every virtuous exercise, while it is still soft and moldable
as wax; so that, as a child begins to speak and to acquire discernment, there
exists a road comprised of the elemental concepts and devout etiquette that were
initially imparted, giving him the ability to speak good and useful things and
inspiring him to acquire a proper moral conduct.” Truly! Who will not agree that
the first impressions during childhood remain permanently ingrained and
unforgettable? Who doubts that various influences during early youth become so
deeply imprinted upon a child’s tender soul, that they continue to exist vividly
throughout the duration of his life?
Nature has appointed parents, but especially mothers, to be instructors
during this early stage of life. Hence, it is necessary for us to suitably teach and
diligently raise virtuous women, on account of their supreme calling to become
teachers; for they will serve as the images and examples that their own children
will follow. A child mimics either the virtues or bad habits of his mother—even her
voice and manners, even her ethos and conduct—to such an extent, that one can
very appropriately liken children to phonographic records that initially register
sound, and then play it back as it was originally voiced, in the identical pitch, the
same quality, and with the same accent and emphasis. Each glance, every word,
every gesture, and every action of a mother becomes the glance, word,
expression, gesture, and action of her child. Hence, Asterios notes: “one child
speaks exactly like his mother, another bears a striking resemblance to her
personality, while yet another takes on his birth giver’s manner and conduct.” By
being in the constant presence of her child and through her repeated counsels, a
mother profoundly affects the soul and character of her child, and she first
provides him with the initial impetus toward virtue.
—by St. Nektarios—
They who have the audacity to group and compare the survival instincts of animals with the psychological qualities of man demonstrate that they are superficial and purblind because they perceive neither the restricted features of animals, nor the general, free, independent, and infinite character of man…
It is impossible, right from the onset, to compare man to animals because there is an infinite chasm separating the two from each other…They who equate the traits of animals (when taken collectively) to the virtues and qualities of man, or the works and actions of animals to the works and accomplishments of the human intellect, and draw conclusions concerning their similarity err upon the very fundamental basis of the comparison; thus, their conclusions are incorrect…
What type of comparison and can be made between the works of animals and the technological advancements or the miracles of science attained by man? How greatly is poor man deceived as a result of superficial examination! What is there in common between the instincts and the never-changing capacities of animals and the scientific
achievements of man? Man is extremely deceived, nearsighted, and blind!
Why can he not discern and distinguish the difference between human beings and animals? How have educated people strayed away from true
science to such an extent as to classify humans and animals together!
How are they able to recognize the similarity that exists in their anatomical composition yet unable to perceive the difference that exists in their spirits?
What is there in common between man and monkeys? If their similar physical appearance brings them together, their dissimilar spirit sets them apart to such an extent that the ability to compare the two vanishes. Was God perhaps obliged to create a different [anatomical] form for the embodiment of man, totally unlike any other found within the animal kingdom, prior to breathing His Divine breath into man, in order to render him an image of God? No, dear reader. God’s divine breath is so magnificent and noble that it was capable of rendering man an exceptional
and preeminent being even by using an inferior template [for his body].
by St. Nektarios
They who reduce man to the ranks of the irrational animals and who
liken man’s soul to that of the animals deny the soul’s grandeur, the soul’s
unique qualities and spiritual powers, and man’s sublime destiny. They are
blind and unable to see the supremacy of the human soul, even though it is
apparent through her works and clearly confirmed throughout the
centuries. They close their ears to the voice trumpeted by the soul’s
powerful achievements.
Man’s soul is an exquisite entity that is adorned by
divine virtues, which, in turn, sanctify his earthly domain. Man was truly
created to sanctify the earth.
Proponents of the theory that man evolved from apes are ignorant of
man and his sublime destiny because they deny that man has a soul and
refuse that he is capable of experiencing Divine revelation. They rejected
the spirit, and the Spirit deserted them. They abandoned God, and God
abandoned them. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became
fools” (Rom. 1:22). “God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do
those things which are not fit” (Rom. 1:28).
A certain poet says very
appropriately: “When the malicious demons want to harm someone, first
they strip a person’s mind of sound reasoning and then persuade him to
espouse a corrupt belief, so that man can no longer comprehend that he
sins.” This is true because if people were aware of what they were saying,
they would not debase themselves or pride themselves on being
descendants of the genus of primitive animals. The prophet very fittingly
said about them: “Man, being in honor, did not understand; he is
compared to the mindless animals, and is become like unto them”
(Ps. 48:20).
St. Nektarios
