Stillness
Once a man has made up his mind to live his life in stillness, let him set himself in order and pass the rest of his days in the cultivation and regular practice of stillness.
-St. Isaac the Syrian
MEDITATION
A spiritual teacher who has meant much to me over the last three years has been St. Isaac the Syrian, or, as he is sometimes called, St. Isaac of Ninevah (ca. 613–ca. 700). After rising to a prominent position in his native Syrian church, he was appointed as the bishop of Ninevah (modern-day Mosul, Iraq) in 676 CE. For reasons unknown to us, he resigned that position within six months and forsook the upward ladder of church leadership. He moved out into the desert to be a hermit and eventually became a leader in a small monastic community of people seeking the Lord. He was revered for his teaching and wisdom.
Reading ancient Christians can be quite the intellectual, emotional, and theological task, especially reading desert hermits like Isaac. The distance that exists between them and us is profound: culturally, historically, and sometimes theologically. Reading Isaac is indeed challenging at times. But I happen to think that the challenge of reading Christians of different times, places, and persuasions is a crucial discipline because it chastens us and reminds us of the vastness of the body of Christ and the limits of our own times. I have found Isaac to be a gentle and wise teacher who focuses much attention on the inner dynamics of a heart that is seeking after the love of God. One of my favorite proverbs of his is “The aim of prayer is that we should acquire from it love of God, for in prayer are to be found all sorts of reasons for loving God” (Hom. 63, B 439, from The Wisdom of St. Isaac the Syrian).
Around eighty-five of Isaac’s homilies have survived. The brief homily shared here in its entirety is given the number 13 and is introduced as an exploration of stillness, a challenging practice for ancients and moderns alike. In the prelude to the text, Isaac discusses how sometimes in our lives, “melancholy and suffocation of soul occur[s],” and “sometimes sudden joy and unaccustomed fervor.” The spiritual life is full of seasonal, weekly, and daily modulations: there is light, and then there is darkness; there is melancholy, and then there is joy; there is withdrawal, and then there is engagement. The key, Isaac says, is to cultivate the regular practice of stillness and prayer, to keep reading the scriptures and those who have come before us, and to be patient, “expect[ing] to receive help” from God. Help shall then come.
Once a man has made up his mind to live his life in stillness, let him set himself in order and pass the rest of his days in the cultivation and regular practice of stillness.
Whenever it happens to you (as is usual in the regular practice of stillness which is determined by divine grace) that your soul is enshrouded by thick darkness from within and, as with the sun’s rays when they are hidden from the earth by the mist of clouds, for a brief time she is deprived of spiritual comfort and the light of grace on account of the cloud of passions that overshadows her; and further, that the joy-producing power in your soul is curtailed for a little, and your mind is overshadowed by an unwonted mist: then do not be troubled in mind, do not lend a hand to despondency. But be patient, be engaged in reading the books of the Doctors of the Church, compel yourself in prayer, and expect to receive help. Then straightway help will come unawares.
For just as by the rays of the sun the face of the earth is unveiled from the darkness of the atmosphere that enshrouds it, even so is prayer able to dissolve and scatter the clouds of passions from our soul, and make our mind transparent to the light of gladness and comfort which, indeed, it customarily produces in our thoughts, but especially when it possesses material of succor from the divine Scriptures and vigilance, which make the mind to shine. For continual study in the writings of the saints fills the soul with incomprehensible wonder and divine gladness. To our God be glory unto the ages. Amen.*
EXPLORATION
How do you notice yourself responding to the words of Isaac? What is the practice of stillness like for you?
Consider incorporating regular times of stillness into this Lenten season. Perhaps there is a certain place in your area that is more conducive to this kind of stillness (Isaac found a cave); consider making regular visits there.
Who are those teachers of the spiritual life who fill your soul with “incomprehensible wonder and divine gladness”? Consider making a regular practice of learning from them in this Lenten season.
Joel Littlepage is the associate pastor of Grace Mosaic, laboring in the areas of worship and spiritual formation. A professional musician, he lives in the beautiful Fifth Ward of Washington, DC, with his wife, three sons, and a flock of chickens.
*The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian, rev. 2nd ed., trans. Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Boston, 2011. All rights reserved. Used with permission.