Seriousness in the Spiritual Life
Seriousness in the Spiritual Life
Seriousness is one of the most important elements of the spiritual life. If we were to ask: How did the saints reach those lofty heights in the life of the spirit? The answer would be: because they walked the spiritual path with complete seriousness. They had a clear line which they drew for their lives and walked in it with a steadfast heart that did not waver. They did not deviate from it to the right or to the left. They had firm principles from which they never strayed, and they never allowed circumstances to hinder them.
Thus the saints reached their goal quickly. Saint Abba Misael the Hermit walked in monasticism with seriousness from the very first day, and he was able to become one of the anchorites while he was about seventeen years old. His spiritual father, Abba Isaac, used to notice the extreme strictness with which he dealt with himself. Saints Maximus and Domadius reached a high level of spirituality while the beard of one of them had not yet grown. Yet their prayers were like a ray of light reaching to heaven, because they walked the spiritual path with seriousness.
Saint Tadros, the disciple of Abba Pachomius, and likewise Saint John the Short, each became a spiritual guide for his generation in monasticism while still a young man.
Indeed, what brought Saint Abba Antony to monasticism except seriousness? He heard the verse that says: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor… and come, follow Me” (Matthew 19:21). All the people in the church heard this verse with him, but he alone rose with complete seriousness and carried it out practically.
He also heard the saying, “If you are a monk, you would enter the mountain in the wilderness, for this place is not suitable for monks,” and he said, “This is the voice of God to me.” He rose with seriousness and entered into the depths of monasticism, thus founding the monastic life with seriousness.
Which of us has such seriousness in carrying out the commandment, with accuracy and speed?
These are some examples from the lives of monks. As for the field of service, we can mention as an example Saint John the Baptist, whose entire period of service was about one year, and during this year he preached repentance and prepared for the Lord a people made ready. He was serious in his service, to the extent that the Lord said about him: “Among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11).
We also mention the seriousness with which Saint Paul the Apostle walked in his service, to the point that he labored more than all the apostles who were before him (1 Corinthians 15:10).
Seriousness in life is a sign of manliness and strength of character.
The person who is serious in his spiritual life is a person who respects himself, respects his principles, respects the word that comes out of his mouth, and respects the spiritual path on which he walks. Therefore, he is characterized by stability and steadfastness. He is like a massive ship cutting its way through the sea of life with strength, heading toward its goal, and not like a small boat tossed by the waves in every direction.
It is astonishing that many people walk with seriousness in their material and worldly work, but in their spiritual lives there is no seriousness at all. They are serious in their work for the sake of profit or promotion, or for job security, or out of fear of punishment. But in their spiritual lives there is no inner motive that drives them to seriousness—perhaps because the fear of God is not in their hearts, or because eternity is not before their eyes.
Characteristics of the Serious Person
The person who is not serious in his spiritual life is always wavering between ascent and descent. His journey is unstable: he falls and rises, rises and falls. At times he is fervent in spirit, and at other times he is lukewarm, or completely far from the spiritual life. Sometimes he prays and sometimes he forgets his prayers. He may read the Bible, or he may not. If he finds time, he sits with God; if he does not find time, he does not care much and meets the matter with indifference.
His life and his worship are characterized by laxity, whereas the Scripture says: “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully” (Jeremiah 48:10).
Seriousness in the spiritual life does not accept negligence, laxity, hesitation, or turning back at times, nor does it accept wavering between two camps: the love of the world and the love of God.
The serious person never compromises the rights of God. He takes God’s right from himself first before taking it from others. He walks in God’s commandment with firmness, accuracy, and depth. His obedience to God is without argument and without bargaining.
Our father Abraham walked in obedience with full seriousness when he took his only son to offer him as a burnt offering according to the command of the Lord. He did not argue with God or object to His command, but obeyed without his heart changing toward the Lord. This is seriousness in obedience.
Likewise, Joseph the Righteous was serious in obeying the commandment and in preserving his purity, even if it led him to prison. And Daniel the Prophet was serious in his worship of the Lord, even if they cast him into the lions’ den.
The serious person has a strong heart that does not weaken before external circumstances. John the Baptist was serious in keeping the commandment of the Lord when he said to King Herod: “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife!” (Mark 6:18). He did this and did not care whether he was thrown into prison or had his head cut off.
How far this is from those who pressure the Church to be married during the fast, without taking God’s commandment seriously.
The serious person does not excuse himself, nor does he offer justifications for his sin. A man is a man, regardless of external circumstances. Joseph the chaste was under pressure from circumstances, yet he did not submit to them nor compromise with sin under the excuse that he was a slave and under the authority of others. Daniel the Prophet did not allow himself to eat from the king’s delicacies, although he was a captive of war and subject to a system. He was serious in the principles he believed in, regardless of surrounding circumstances.
The spiritual person is also serious in his repentance. If he leaves sin, he leaves it seriously and does not return to it again. He is serious in resisting sin and is not like the Hebrews whom the Apostle rebuked, saying: “You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin” (Hebrews 12:4). How deep is the seriousness of this expression—unto blood.
The serious person in repentance does not postpone it, as Felix the governor did (Acts 24:25) and King Agrippa (Acts 26:28), but is like the prodigal son who rose immediately and went to his father and offered repentance with a contrite heart.
The seriousness of repentance appears in the saying of that spiritual father: “I do not remember that the demons overcame me twice in one sin.” For once he recognized it, he could not return to it again. But the one who confesses and partakes, and repeats the same sin and repeats the same confession, is without doubt not serious in his repentance.
In the well-known stories of repentance in the lives of the saints, such as the repentance of Mary of Egypt, Pelagia, Augustine, and Moses the Black, we notice an important point: repentance was a turning point in life with no return to sin. It was a serious repentance that moved from sin to purity, rose from purity to holiness, and then ascended to perfection. Those sinners were transformed into saints, becoming examples of righteousness and a blessing to others, and they became spiritual guides.
They were serious in renouncing the demons and all their evil works, and serious in the reconciliation relationship with God and in their desire for a virtuous life.
As for those who sin every day and rely on the saying of the Psalm: “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10), these are not truly repentant. God’s mercy is for those who are serious in their repentance.
The person who is serious in his spiritual path has among his characteristics continuous growth. Seriousness grants him spiritual fervor, and fervor pushes him continually forward. He strives for purity and perfection to the farthest limits, with perseverance and diligence. He gives God all his strength, all his capabilities, all his will, and all his heart, working with all the grace given to him. He does not fall short in anything, but expends all his energies.
Every day he becomes more attached to God and closer to Him, deeper in divine love, greater in understanding virtue and practicing it. He does not pamper himself or show it favoritism, nor excuse it for any negligence. If it becomes slack, he compels it to the work of God until it becomes accustomed to it and performs it with love.
The serious person does not care for his personal desires but sacrifices any pleasure for the sake of the Lord. Thus those who trained themselves in seriousness were continually toiling for the Lord. They always sacrificed their comfort for their spiritual life, such as Saint Bula the Anchorite, who struggled with severe toil in his ascetic practices and in subduing his body to his spirit, until the Lord said to him: “Enough toil, My beloved Bula.” And like David the Prophet who said: “I will not go into the chamber of my house, or go up to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids… until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob” (Psalm 132:3–5). This is seriousness in the spiritual life.
The serious person, if he encounters difficulties, does not excuse himself by them, but overcomes them. He does not surrender to an obstacle, but struggles and prays, striving toward ideals, placing before himself the saying of the Apostle Paul: “Run in such a way that you may obtain it” (1 Corinthians 9:24). Thus he remains fervent in spirit at all times (Romans 12:11).
As long as ideals are before him, he is not satisfied with half measures or with passing through only part of the path, but completes it with full activity, heading toward perfection. Therefore, he is in continual ascent toward God. Naturally, one who continually advances has no fear of setbacks or turning back.
He takes everything seriously. He is serious in the life of repentance and in not compromising with thoughts. He is serious in his spiritual course and in all the practices of virtue. He is serious in his spiritual disciplines and does not break them for any reason. He is serious in every word that comes out of his mouth, and serious also in all his vows and commitments before God.
He does not make a vow and then reconsider it, bargain over it, delay its fulfillment, try to substitute it, procrastinate, or go back on his word. Rather, with full seriousness, speed, and accuracy, he fulfills it, placing before him the saying of Scripture: “Better not to vow than to vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:5). The example of Jephthah the Gileadite clearly shows seriousness in vows (Judges 11:30–35).
The serious person is also serious in his worship. He is not satisfied with outward formalities, but cares for the essence and depth of spiritual matters. Therefore, he is deep in his worship, with full faith, humility, and reverence of heart. He prays with understanding, fervor, concentration, and heartfelt love for God. He does not allow his mind to wander here or there, nor his senses to roam, but pours himself out in his prayers, meditations, prostrations, and fasting. His body is not inside the church while his mind is outside it. Whatever the Lord guides him to do, he strives diligently to carry it out, and he is serious also in his service.
Seriousness always leads to success and perfection. Every responsibility entrusted to him he fulfills successfully and in the best manner, whether in his church life, his secular job, or any project he undertakes.
The Warfare of the Demons
But Satan fights seriousness by every means, perhaps even with scriptural persuasions. He may sometimes call it literalism or submission to the Law instead of grace. But we say that grace does not encourage laziness, laxity, or negligence.
Or Satan may say that laxity is against flexibility. We respond that flexibility is not a field for laxity or for loosening precision and commitment. Or he may say that this is against “the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). We reply that there is no freedom that contradicts the commandment, and true freedom is liberation from sin.
Finally, we say that seriousness is also connected to faithfulness, precision, and commitment.
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