St Isaac the Syrian’s Exhortation For Christians Today

Last updated on: January 28, 2011 at 6:00 am by Henry Karlson

St Isaac the Syrian’s Exhortation For Christians Today 2011-01-28T06:00:36-05:00 Henry Karlson

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Of the many spiritual and theological lessons that we find in the writings of St Isaac the Syrian, perhaps one of the most important for us to keep before us is the way he expresses our relationship with God. We begin with fear of God, for God is holy and good, but because of that holiness and goodness we find in God, we become attracted to him – for God becomes not just someone whom we fear, but someone whom we love. We see and experience God not as a master whom we must obey, but as our sweet beloved whom we want to please. We are not distracted by the things of the world which would separate us from him. When we seek after earthly honors, we might attain them for a short time, and when we do, we find they never satisfy our desires. We want more and more from them; eventually we will come to a limit of what they give, and we will find ourselves still wanting more, and not know where to turn next. When disaster strikes, and what we had attained is taken from us, we will grieve. The way of the world is always the same; it entices us with much, but it never gives what it promises. This is not to say the world is evil, and that we must entirely reject it. Rather, we must put it in its proper place, and that is done by putting ourselves in our proper place – the world and all it offers are mere trifles compared to what is offered and given by God. We can and should enjoy the world as a gift of God, as an expression of his glory, but we should not do more than that – we must find ourselves capable of being ourselves as we are meant to be, being ourselves in the way God intended us to be, without all the extraneous trappings of earthly grandeur (this will, of course, differ from person to person). In his ascetical writings, St Isaac offers us the wisdom to help us achieve this; but when we read his works, we must be careful, and understand that what he writes in a rhetorical fashion; what he says must be adapted for the needs of the reader, needs which will differ according to the vocation God has chosen for them in their daily lives. We must keep the focus which God intended us to have in mind, and see how we can bring about it in our daily lives. We must keep God first. We must focus on satisfying God. If we do that, then we will not worry about what others think – they don’t know us as God knows us, and they don’t love us as God loves us. If we focus on what others think, we will never find happiness. If we focus on what God thinks, we will find our happiness as we find our rest in God.

Quotes from St Isaac the Syrian[1]

It is difficult to find anyone who is able to bear honors, or it may be that there is no such person, on account of his ready capacity for change, even if, as one says, he is like an angel in his way [of life]. [I -2]

A person in whom grace abounds loves righteousness and so rejects the fear of death. The soul of such a person finds many reasons why one should endure afflictions because of the fear of God. Those things which are harmful for the body and which are reluctantly sustained by nature and consequently cause pain are considered as nothing when compared with what is awaited. The person’s mind is fully persuaded that no one can know truth without gaining experience of suffering; also God provides very carefully for man, so that he is not abandoned to chance. Those especially who have gone out in search of Him and who have borne suffering for his sake see this clearly, in colors as it were. When, however, lack of faith is planted in our heart, all of these things are experienced as contradictions and not for the sake of testing. The taunts that trust in God does not “pay off” and that God is not so concerned for you as He is thought to be, which are frequently buzzed by those who lie wait and shoot their arrows from ambush – these taunts are not worthy of response. [I-8]

Anyone who is intent on honor will not lack occasions for grief. [I-12]

The friend of virtue is not the one who diligently does beautiful things, but the one who gladly accepts the evil things which cling to him. [II-12]

Cover the sinner even though you are not harmed by him. Indeed, encourage him for life and the mercy of the Lord will sustain you. [II-15]

Manifest your weakness before God at all times, lest strangers test your strength while you are separated from your helper. [II-20]

Fear is useful to human nature to preserve the boundary of transgressing a commandment. But love is necessary to arouse in human nature a longing for good things, for the sake of which a person takes pains to do good works. [III-13]

Seek precious things from the One who does not withhold; you will receive honor from Him because of the wise choice of your will. [III-22]

The soul that loves God is at rest in God alone. [IV-1]

First loosen external bonds from yourself and then be solicitous to bind your heart to God [IV-2]

Let yourself be despised by fools on account of ignorance and not by the wise because of shamelessness. [IV-45]

[1] Taken from St Isaac the Syrian, On Ascetical Life. Trans. Mary Hansbury (Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1989).

Henry Karlson

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