Now while I may have said my bit in an unusual way� what I said in my last two post agrees with the brunt of what Fr. Maximos has written.
>We are naturally "hard-wired" for perfection, by which he seems to mean the
> complete subjection of body to soul, so that the body can fulfill the spiritual purpose
> for which it was created.
This is what I call a restoration to the original design.
>This is precisely what the Greek Fathers mean by "purgation"
This is the first necessary step.
[Purgation] the cessation of voluntary sin and the purgation of involuntary sin.
[Enlightenment] this is not continuous as there is a see-saw between purgation and enlightenment. While God will use enlightenment to effect progress - our eventual union with God is not one of an intellectual union - but a union of - wills. Enlightenment is the carrot - and purgation is the stick.
[Mystical Union] this is when involuntary habits of virtue - have now been solidly created and will now maintain our union of wills � with God� with ease.
Mystical Union : The ease by which we had sinned before - now becomes the ease by which we remain united to the Will of God.
>Another way of saying this is that the perfection of the saints is one in which
>we never make an involuntary movement again.
However this is not that accurate. But I understand what he was getting at.
The subconscious levels of our spirit (mind) have an automatic mode. It takes care of such autonomous responses as heart rate, breathing, muscle reflex and coordination, body heating and cooling� etc.. etc� as well as emotions, desires, passions, etc.. etc� these are truly involuntary actions and responses as well as the operation of memory, hearing, vision, etc.. This automatics mode of subconscious movements - MUST be present and working for us to function as humans. If it did not - we would not be able (for just one example) to access body memory - which would then make every body sensorial experience as brand new as a new born baby. We would taste something and have no way to compare the taste to anything we had already tasted. We would hear something (perhaps a word) and have no way to compare that sound with words we had already heard.
So it is not the involuntary nature of the subconscious mind that ceases� its automatic habits are changed. By a change in goal. And it is exactly this change in habits (for the good) that allows one to eventually attain mystical union � before physical death.
>Askesis is the persistent search for sin, both voluntary and involuntary.
This, of course, is the same as attention to conscience. In the beginning of our spiritual life it is more analytical examination of reason and logic� but in the progress of the spiritual life this settles to be more of a simple and continuous glace at conscience.
>Sin does not seem in St. John's view to corrupt nature. Rather it alienates us from our true nature
Very true.
Our created spirit (mind) and our created body - always and at every moment operate and function exactly according to their design. They have no choice in the matter. They must follow and operate exactly in the way that God designed them to operate - because - of the [I\]immediacy[/I] of Providence upon that design and function. One must also take into account God�s immediate use of our own bodies (in sickness and such) as a tool he uses in his efforts to re-form our personality).
In other words, whatever potential human nature has for perfection can only really be acutalized through grace. This is especially clear in his treatment of the human will (based largely on the thought of St. Maximos) where it is quite clear that human perfection of the will is really only possible in union with Christ (the source of all knowledge, including knowledge of ourselves).
And now HERE the quote above) is the real gem! If understood properly - there is nothing more true.
While we can �adjust� our own subconscious programming (habits, memories, responses, etc..) to a certain degree� (and this does have some value when the goal is to make us more socially compatible)� we humans are incapable of programming ourselves to holiness. ANY reprogramming that we ourselves do (or have done to us) is (at best) an imitation of what we imagine holiness to be.
Reality itself - MUST do the reprogramming. I say �reality� - but we also know that Reality (the experience of reality) is also a person. It is Providence. God himself must do the reprogramming.
To the excessive extent that we try to do this reprogramming ourselves � (behaviorism - hoping that the persistent changes in behavior and adopted beliefs will eventually become subjective - INTO the heart) to the excessive extent that we make efforts to replace the existing programming with a new set of programs� we become fundamentalists and Phrasees. The re-programming we do is as broken and as bad as the programs we have replaced (or perhaps worst! Because we believe them to be so holy!).
How does God himself than� do this re-programming of our subconscious??
(I must shorten this now)
God�s immediate will (our daily bread) comes to us in two ways. 1) Externally with daily events and situations 2) Internally within our conscience. These two expressions of God�s immediate will - are - synchronistic.
Now to say �synchronistic� is really very simple because at any moment in the day and under any situation - we may look to our conscience to listen to know what we may do (are free to do) and what we should not do. Now � the way I said that (re-read it) is key. Because we most often think that to know God�s will in some matter - is to know what we SHOULD do. And that is not the way it works. God does not violate our free will. Life in God is life with an ever increasing freedom and liberty. Our conscience will let us know what we should NOT do - and with that we are free to do all that is not a should-not.
To warp up.
Sanctification takes place in the memories. The subconscious levels of our spirit. It is the re-formation of our personality (the greater part of personality being the subconscious and automatic habits). Providence coming to us hidden behind each and every event that happens to us each day - is the hammer - and our conscience is the anvil.
When we die. Nothing goes with us except one thing - that is - out personality formed here in this theater of life. It becomes the �room� which is prepared for us in heaven - and within it we shall live forever after the body (the place of changes and temporary events) has been separated from us as a causal factor in shaping our personality.
While attention to Providence (external and internal) during day (when we must be about things) is something we should strive to do� nothing better combines these two (attention to Providence and attention to conscience) than .. Contemplative prayer. For the nut of contemplative prayer is just such a non-analytical attention and awareness to - existential Providence and to conscience.
THIS - is our part in the cooperation with God�s efforts to - reprogram us. Our attention to Providence (again: the risen Christ) � and our attention to conscience. It is via Providence (immediate Providence) and via conscience - that God does his �reprogramming�.
Reality IS the best therapy. But by that we mean it is through our existential experience of reality - that God imparts into us - that which forms us into what he would like to form us into.
We know not what we shall be - but we do know that we shall be like Him. So HOW? Can we even imagine that we can program ourselves to be like Him when we have no perception of what he is like?? No man has ever seen Providence. Logos. Our senses either spiritual or body are not capable of grasping such and object. We can see the evidence of Providence (from the beginning God has made himself know to all men by the evidence of created things) by we can not know Providence as an object to our faculties.
The law (any human expression of even the best programming) has never ever saved - anyone. While we must make reasonable efforts to abide by the law - our dedication to the law (even religious laws) is not a work which will reform the hidden layers of our personality - down to the heart. What we do is - imitation (which has some social value) as long as it is done reasonable.
Now if I go any further I would jsu be repeating myself and drawing in more scriptures to support.
Thanks for reading. While not every deatil will be exactly correct (not a theological thesis) the overall brunt of it is very inline with church and scriptures.
Eli... the next few weeks will be very busy for me at work and at my hobby as both have some immediate needs and deadlines. I will look for comments when I return.
-ray
