Seriousness
Seriousness
Seriousness is the means by which the saints reached…
Seriousness helps the continuity of spiritual growth…
The non-serious person wavers between ascent and descent…
Difficulties do not hinder the serious person, but he overcomes them…
Seriousness is evidence of manliness and strength of character…
Satan fights seriousness by many means…
Seriousness is one of the most important landmarks of the spiritual path, and without it a person cannot reach his goal. If we were to ask:
How did the saints reach those lofty statures in the life of the spirit?
The answer would be: because they walked the spiritual path with complete seriousness.
They had a clear plan that 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 departed, and they never allowed external circumstances to hinder them.
Thus the saints reached quickly.
Saint Abba Misael the Hermit walked in monasticism with seriousness from the first day, and he was able to become one of the hermits at about seventeen years of age. His spiritual father, Abba Isaac, observed the great strictness with which he treated himself.
Saints Maximus and Domadius reached a high degree of spirituality while the beard of one of them had not yet grown. Yet their prayers were like a beam of light reaching heaven, because they walked the spiritual path with seriousness.
Saint Theodore, the disciple of Abba Pachomius, as well as 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 you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Matt 19:21). All the people in the church heard this verse with him, but he alone arose with complete seriousness and carried it out practically.
Likewise, he heard the saying: “If you were a monk, you would enter the mountain in the desert, for this place is not suitable for monks.” He said: “This is the voice of God to me,” and he arose with seriousness and entered into the depths of monasticism. Thus he established the monastic life with seriousness. Who among us has such seriousness in executing the commandment, with precision and speed?
These are some examples from the lives of monks. In the field of ministry, we may mention as an example Saint John the Baptist, whose entire period of ministry was about one year, and during that year he preached repentance and prepared a people ready for the Lord. He was serious in his ministry, to the extent that the Lord said about him: “Among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist” (Matt 11:11).
We also mention the seriousness with which Saint Paul the Apostle walked in his ministry, to the point that he labored more than all the apostles who were before him (1 Cor 15:10).
Seriousness in life is evidence of manliness and strength of character.
The person who is serious in his spiritual life is one who respects himself, respects his principles, respects the word that comes out of his mouth, and respects the spiritual path he walks. Therefore, he is distinguished by stability and steadfastness. He is like a huge ship that cuts its way through the sea of life with strength toward its destination, not like a small boat tossed by waves in every direction.
It is astonishing that many walk in their material and worldly affairs with seriousness, but in their spiritual life there is no seriousness at all.
They are serious in their work for the sake of profit, promotion, job security, or fear of punishment. But in their spiritual life there is no inner motivation pushing them toward seriousness—perhaps because the fear of God is not in their hearts, or because eternity is not before their eyes. Therefore, they do not commit themselves to a clear spiritual path in which they walk.
The person who is not serious in his spiritual life continually wavers between ascent and descent. His path is unstable: he falls and rises, rises and falls. At times he is fervent in spirit; at other times he is lukewarm or completely distant from spiritual life. Sometimes he prays, and sometimes he forgets his prayers. He may read the Bible or may not. If he finds time, he sits with God; if he does not find time, he does not care much and treats the matter with indifference.
His life and worship are characterized by laxity, while the Scripture says:
“Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully” (Jer 48:10).
Seriousness in the spiritual life does not accept negligence, laxity, hesitation, or retreat at times. It does not accept wavering between two camps: love of the world and love of God.
The serious person never compromises the rights of God.
He takes God’s due from himself first before taking it from others. He walks in God’s commandment with firmness, precision, and depth. His obedience to God is without argument or bargaining.
Our father Abraham walked in obedience with complete seriousness when he took his only son to offer him as a burnt offering according to the Lord’s command. He did not argue with God or object to His command; rather, he obeyed God without his heart changing toward Him. This is seriousness in obedience.
Likewise, Joseph the Righteous was serious in his obedience to the commandment and in guarding his chastity, even if it led him to prison. 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 Lord’s commandment when he said to King Herod: “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife” (Mark 6:18). He did this without caring whether he would be thrown into prison or have his head cut off.
Where is this compared to those who pressure the Church to marry during fasting periods, without taking God’s commandment seriously?
The serious person does not excuse himself or offer justifications for his sin.
A man is a man regardless of external circumstances. Joseph the chaste was under pressure, yet he did not submit or compromise with sin under the excuse that he was a slave and under authority, and that his mistress could harm him. Daniel the Prophet did not allow himself to eat the king’s delicacies, even though he was a captive of war and subject to a system. He was serious about the principles he believed in, regardless of surrounding circumstances.
The spiritual person is also serious in his repentance.
If he abandons sin, he abandons 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” (Heb 12:4). How deep is the seriousness of this expression—“to bloodshed”!
The one who is serious in repentance does not postpone it, as Felix the governor did (Acts 24:25) or King Agrippa (Acts 26:28), but is like the prodigal son who arose immediately and went to his father and offered repentance in a broken heart.
The seriousness of repentance appears in the saying of that spiritual father:
“I do not remember that the demons have overpowered me twice in one sin.”
Because once he has known it, he cannot return to it again.
But the one who confesses and communes, repeats the same sins, and repeats the same confession—there is no doubt that he is not serious in his repentance.
In the famous 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 observation:
repentance was a point of transformation in life with no return to sin.
It was serious repentance that moved from sin to holiness and then strove toward perfection. Those sinners were transformed into saints, becoming examples in righteous living, a blessing to others, and also spiritual guides.
They were serious in renouncing Satan and all his evil works, and serious in reconciliation with God and in their longing 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” (Ps 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 is characterized by continuous growth. Seriousness grants him spiritual fervor, and fervor continually pushes him forward.
He struggles for purity and perfection to the furthest limits. With perseverance and diligence, he gives God all his strength, all his abilities, all his will, and all his heart, and works with all the grace given to him. He does not fall short in anything but expends all his energies.
Every day he grows more attached to God and closer to Him, deeper in divine love, and greater in understanding and practicing virtue.
He does not pamper himself, flatter it, or excuse it in any negligence. If it becomes slack, he compels it to do the work of God until it becomes accustomed to it and performs it in love.
The serious person does not care for his own desires, but sacrifices any pleasure for the sake of the Lord.
Thus those trained in seriousness labored continually for the Lord. They always sacrificed their comfort for the sake of their spiritual life, such as Saint Paul of Tammah, who struggled with severe asceticism in subduing his body to his spirit, until the Lord said to him: “Enough labor, My beloved Paul.” Likewise, David the Prophet said: “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” (Ps 132:3–5). This is seriousness in the spiritual life.
The serious person, when 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 him the saying of the apostle: “Run in such a way that you may obtain it” (1 Cor 9:24). Thus he remains fervent in spirit at all times (Rom 12:11).
As long as ideals are before him, he does not accept half-solutions or stopping partway, but continues with full activity toward perfection. Therefore, he is in continuous ascent toward God, and naturally, the one who advances continually has no fear of setbacks or regression.
He takes everything seriously: serious in repentance and in not compromising with thoughts; serious in his spiritual course and in all practices of virtue; serious in his spiritual disciplines, never breaking them for any reason; 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 rethink it or bargain over it, nor delay fulfilling it, nor try to replace it, nor procrastinate or retract his word. Rather, with all seriousness, speed, and precision, he fulfills it, keeping before him the saying of Scripture: “Better not to vow than to vow and not pay” (Eccl 5:5). The example of Jephthah the Gileadite is clear in the seriousness of a vow (Judg 11:30–35).
The serious person is also serious in his worship; he does not suffice with formalities.
Rather, he cares about the essence and depth of spirituality. Therefore, he is deep in his worship, with full faith, humility, and reverence of heart. He prays with understanding, fervor, focus, 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 as a libation in his prayers, contemplations, prostrations, and fasting. His body is not inside the church while his mind is outside it. Whatever the Lord guides him to, he strives diligently to fulfill. He is also serious in his service.
Seriousness always leads to success and excellence.
Every responsibility entrusted to him he performs successfully and in the best manner, whether in his church life, his secular job, or any project he undertakes.
But Satan fights seriousness by every means, sometimes even with scriptural arguments. 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 carelessness. Or Satan may say that seriousness is against flexibility. We say that flexibility is not a field for laxity or release from precision and commitment. Or he may say that this is against the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Rom 8:21). We say 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. This is what I wish to speak to you about in a coming issue, God willing.
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