The mind is in hell but the heart is in paradise

Elder Silouan. Photo: myslo

Preface

What is our mind scattered on today? Where do we spend our time? Whatever happens at the Council of Crete, our soul will be neither cold nor hot. It will be cold in Tartarus and hot in the Lake of Fire over other things. It’s because during our earthly life we haven’t managed to hop onto the steps leading to Heaven.

Every time has its own features of spiritual endeavor; each time is special. The peculiarity of our time is that we have become spiritual paralytics. The notion of struggle has vanished from the practice of contemporary spiritual life. In every confession, we typically repeat the same things; each day resembles another like two drops of water. Only the reflection in the mirror changes, but my soul remains the same. It is as it was, and it will continue that way. Thus, life will pass.

How to be saved today? What to do when you feel incapable of anything? A heart of stone and emptiness in the soul. No tears, no compassion, no labours, no struggles. We live "like everyone else". Like all people and all animals. We work, eat, sleep, reproduce, suffer, age and die. We rarely smile and often feel despondent. What comes next?

The universal formula

The words of Christ, no matter whom they are addressed, always have a universal character. The Word of God has a special quality of being explained and understood countless times. Christ’s words to Elder Silouan “keep your mind in hell and do not despair" also have a universal meaning. Many Holy Fathers see in them God's help to people of our time. The novelty and uniqueness of their formulation create difficulties in understanding them, but this should not be an obstacle for someone seeking the answer to the main question of their life: "How can I be saved?"

The place of hell for our mind: the world we live in.

All the sorrows that occur in our lives are our personal hell. Illness, war, loss of loved ones, lack of money, fatigue from life, worries, anxieties, fear, pain, injustice, grievances, etc. – these are the salvific millstones for our soul. They are means that refine the diamond of the soul to make it a jewel. This is our individual hell, where our mind resides daily.

The deeper a person is, the deeper their understanding of the universal tragedy of our world is, and the more sorrow there is in the soul. In the earthly, historical world, there will never be a triumph of truth and love. It is a place of suffering. In it, all suffer: animals, people, birds, trees – everything alive lives painfully and dies painfully as well. Attempting to dilute suffering with joy and merriment is like feasting during a plague. In the morning, a hangover sets in, and new pain knocks at the door.

The hope is that this hell of life is God's help to us. It is the furnace in which the bacteria of sin in our souls must burn away.

The presence of the devil and his demons around us

I believe our readers understand that the demonic world is not folklore or fairy tale. However, I am not sure we grasp how significant its participation is in our lives. In fact, not a day passes without the devil trying to orchestrate us.

Many of the Fathers, answering the question, "Why, if God is Almighty, does He allow the devil to tempt us, subject us to misfortunes and sufferings?" said, "because it is beneficial for us." The existence of the demonic world is permitted for our own good. It is one of the most important players in our fate. It must not be underestimated. It plays with us as much as God allows it. He will always build traps for you.

If there is no devil in your life, it only means one thing: you are living your life in his cage. If you decide to escape from his dungeon, he will chase and pursue you until your last breath and even beyond. He will arm others against you (his favourite pastime), he will enter you through your thoughts, and he will arrange situations for you to fall or be tempted. He will know no rest day or night until he destroys you.

God-forsakenness

"Where is God?" This is the most troubling symptom. When you are so happy that you do not need Him, He welcomes you with open arms. But try to turn to Him when you are in despair, when all hopes are in vain, and what awaits you? The door slams shut before your nose, and you hear the key turn twice in the lock, the bolt clanks – and then silence. The windows are dark. What does His obvious presence in times of prosperity and complete absence when you need His help most in your life mean?”

C. S. Lewis “The Pain of Loss”

The great writer wrote these words when death took his much-beloved wife. A person is a being that, by nature, is called to love and to be loved. We see the beauty of this world, and it inspires us. We see that the world was created with astounding wisdom, and it fascinates us. We understand that behind the beauty and wisdom of the world lies an incredible Author. We know about Him from the Revelation given by Him Himself. But it is not enough for us to know that God is Love; it is not enough to understand this; we need to feel His love, we want to live in His love, we need to be in His love, we need to give Him our love.

But we have none of this. We know the theory, but in our hearts, there is emptiness, and in our souls – vacuum.

Longing for God is a hellish longing for true love. Not the kind that is here today and gone tomorrow. Not the kind that depends on the whims of fate. Not the kind that can be destroyed in an instant by time and life’s circumstances. But that love which never fades and goes nowhere. This longing for God is also our hell.

Self-condemnation

The root of all our problems is pride. "Man – this sounds proud," wrote Maxim Gorky in his play. "Man is proud clay," teaches us Elder Joseph the Hesychast and continues, "One piece of clay exalts itself over another; one piece of clay envies, deceives and despises another. Another piece of clay crawls or steals from another." Clay thinks it is the centre of the world. The clay beneath our feet is what remains of us. This is our future.

Once, this clay had exquisite fragrance, adorned itself, captivated, enchanted, conquered and delighted – now it is merely dirt beneath our feet. Man has forgotten who he is without God. He is Adam (Heb. ‏אָדָם‎‏, literally "man"; cognate with the Hebrew words ‏אדמה‎, "earth" and ‏אדום‎, "red"). Therefore, the Apostle Paul writes, "Value others above yourselves," (Philippians 2:3). Abba Anthony says, "Place yourself below the animals." St. Pimen the Great confesses to his disciples, "Believe me, where Satan is, there I will be."

The Alexandrian cobbler, who was holier than St. Anthony the Great, said, "All will be saved, but I will perish." There is a fundamental law of asceticism which states, "the amount of grace is directly proportional to the amount of humility." The Fathers often speak of condemning oneself to eternal torment as an experience of spiritual endeavor. This experience leads a person to perfect repentance and profound humility.

…and do not despair

Despair is the most terrible thing that can happen to a soul. In despair, it becomes wild and loses connection with God. The formulated advice of Christ to Elder Silouan speaks of a royal balance between two harmful thoughts: "You are holy" and "You will not be saved." Both thoughts are instilled by the devil. The covenant of Christ given to the elder is very close to His words, "He who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 24:13). These words have absolute significance for each of us.

The practice that Christ taught Elder Silouan is aimed at purification and protection from every sin, liberation from every influence of the devil and hell itself, but primarily at attaining humility in its perfect form. Humility, alongside love, is the main Christian virtue.

He who keeps his mind in hell and directs all his hope and trust toward God's mercy stands before God as a true "poor in spirit", completely free from the world and from himself, relying not on himself at all and expecting nothing from his own efforts. He knows experientially that all good and sorrowful things that happen to him are from God, and only from Him. His prayer becomes intense and continuous. He can already say along with the Apostle: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). Now he knows experientially the other words of the Lord: "My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). In self-deprecation, he receives the fullness of being and grace. By becoming lower than all, he is exalted above all.

The fact that the advice "Keep your mind in hell and do not despair" was given by Christ Himself, equating it with the Gospel, obliges us to implement it to the extent accessible to us. These words possess universal meaning, sufficient for different moments of life so that, according to the level of spiritual advancement, each person may find in them support and help to move forward on the path to God.

Read also