Another View 6

Elder Joseph, the venerable hermit of the Holy Mountain, wrote to one of his seekers “that grace always precedes temptation,” a concept polar opposite of what I had always thought. My illogical logic posited that if one was tempted, that prayer and presence would ensue, encouraging one at that point not to walk into the hollowness of whatever intemperance might beckon. But not so!

He rather says, “As soon as you see grace, tighten your belt and say, ‘The declaration of war has come! Watch out, you [human] of clay, where the malicious one will wage the battle.’” In other words, grace is the warning sign that temptation is in sight, just now in front of you, and is the bugle call to be awake and watchful.

What a new and insightful way to live life, to know that seduction stands just the other side of grace. I would never have imagined such a thing. My clarity before was this: I invite temptation into my life, others invite temptation into my life, temptation pursues me and invites itself into my life. But that grace is the prelude to this enchantment -- not ever would that have crossed the threshold of my theological purview.

The Elder talks about grace in three ways: purifying, illuminating, and perfecting. The essence of this purifying grace is the rejection of all thoughts that would hinder the heart. Thoughts given liberty to preoccupy the mind are always seen as logismoi -- that is, thoughts become an obsession. Any thought can become a preoccupation. And that which “occupies” us becomes our new idolatry, a new god -- it dominates by fear or through our newest drug of choice, some kind of adrenaline that gives the thought energy. It can be our preoccupation with a mistake we made, with power or fame, with sex or fantasy.

Grace comes in watchfulness, to warn us, to keep our focus before whatever thought may come to distract us from the gaze of God. This grace moves us to a state of dispassion -- the transfiguration of the passionate aspect of our souls, a reintegration wherein our passions move to their highest state, and the result of which is spiritual freedom. It is this state that is known in the early tradition of Christianity as “purity of heart.”

The complimentary rule of thumb would be now expressed accordingly, “do not be intimidated and do not be afraid of temptation.” That does not match, of course, with the teaching from the prayer Christ taught his disciples. Or does it? “Lead us not into temptation” is perhaps precisely the meaning of this teaching. For with grace as antecedent to temptation, there is opportunity to insight and focus (illumination) and to move more fully into what God’s intended purpose is for our lives (perfecting). Temptation becomes the avenue for salvation, and the more complete understanding of God’s desiring.

The Elder asks in his correspondence at one point, “Do you seek grace from God? Instead of grace, he allows a temptation” (again this seems opposite from the teaching of the Prayer). The reality, of course, is that temptation more often than any of us would admit or choose, overwhelms the grace. And this happens the whole of our lives.

What is the antidote, then, if grace seems not powerful enough to sway one from temptations path? That would be ascesis -- the practice of awareness, of watchfulness. Like the disciples, we cannot “remain awake even for a little while.” In our slumber, grace is unrecognized. It is not that grace is powerless. The focus upon the temptation, upon the hold of the undisciplined heart and mind gives in, gives way. Grace escapes from our field of vision. We become ravaged by thought, and will yields, and the heart falls into captivity.

All the more of the meaning behind Jesus’ constant encouragement to his disciples, “Stay awake!” Welcome to the world of the desert understanding of what seems to be still the heart of temptations snare, and in our forgetfulness, it becomes Another View.