Just as at Pentecost, the hymns of the Church express strange sounds and paradoxical words of the Spirit, which surpass the darkened mind of man, yet witness to the awesome reality of God, so the Spirit releases strange echoes of redemption within the heart inhabited by the fire of love for God. The hymns of Pentecost sound strange in the ears of the world, and only the initiated can comprehend them. Similarly, the paradoxical echoes whispered in the ears of the friends of Christ, speak of ineffable mysteries pertaining to the love of God.
Monasticism is indeed paradoxical in the eyes of the world, whose natural tendency is to throw off the yoke of humility and avoid pain and suffering. Whereas the monk, in his endeavour to remain continuously in the ‘earthquake’ of God’s presence, takes upon himself the yoke of humility and is granted experience of its hidden powers. Each time he humbles himself before his brethren or weeps with self-condemnation before the Lord, he dis- covers that its burden is light and turns into gladness.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
‘Bearing the reproach of Christ’
The Otherness and Ethos of the Lamb of God
The Ethos of Christ
The Monk, Bearer of the Otherness and Ethos of Christ
The Mission of the Monk and His Service to the Church
‘Resist not evil’, the True Victory of the Monk
Victory in the Deep Heart
The Blessedness of Humility
The Paradox of Monasticism
Zeal for the Word of God
Eternal Dimensions of Monasticism
Faith and Dedication
Repentance Without End
Exactness of Obedience
The Link in the Chain of Tradition
Considering Oneself Below All
Crucifixion of the Mind
The God of Our Father
Self-hatred
The Hypostatic Mode of Living in the Monastic Culture
The Garment of Humility of the Mother of God, the Pattern for Monasticism
The Excellency of Humility
‘Be it unto me according to Thy wordʹ
‘Not to be seen by menʹ
Purity
Holy Scripture
The Deep Heart and Hypostatic Prayer
‘The order of nature is overcomeʹ
Bearing the Life-giving Deadening of the Lord Jesus
Holy Fear
Confirmation in the Truth of the Way
The Gift of Prophetic Life
Abstaining from Defending Oneself
The Hour for the Lord to Act
Embracing Divine Life
The Psalm-prophecy for the Mother of God (Psalm 45)
Hearing the Word of God in the Heart
Inner Space and Beauty
The Garment of the Soul
Being Led into the Bridal Chamber
Holy Boldness
Monasticism, the Immediate Response to the Divine Calling
He Who Has Received Fire, Let Him Run
The Swiftness of Stillness
Becoming All Eye
Monasticism, the Fulfilment of the Commandment of Love
Desire to Convince God
The Monk as an Image of Pentecost
The Mad Love of the Monk
Humility, Thanksgiving , Joy
The Friends of the Lord Jesus
The Sober Drunkenness of the Monk
Index of Scriptural References