(Painting: Detail from "The School of Athens," showing Heraclitus, by Raphael, 1509)
Second Letter to Basil, in response to Basil's Letter 2:
Hi, Basil.
I have to say, it’s hard not to be impressed by your
commitment to mastering the passions. Your letter (II) was a timely one for me.
I’ve often longed to be able to simply cut off the distractions of the world,
to retreat into a place of solitude and be refashioned there. But, as you point
out so well, it’s easy enough to leave the things of the world behind, but it’s
quite another thing to find a way to leave yourself behind. Our real problem,
you and I (and all the rest of humanity) is that we bear our passions within
us, and the only road forward is to make space in our inner lives for the slow
process of healing that Christ’s Incarnation bestows on our sin-infected
natures.
I’m glad that you seem to have found a place in your monastic
community in Pontus to be able to work toward that goal. I’ve often learned
that there’s nothing I can do to bring about spiritual change within myself
(that’s God’s work alone), but that I can take some practical steps to clear
the way for him to work. Your suggestions—holy meditation leading to
“tranquility of mind,” regular prayer, and temperance in eating—are all things
I’m trying to put into practice as well, though my immediate surroundings might
make it a bit more of a challenge for me than it was for you to find the space
and time to wipe away the old habits and impress some new ones into the “wax
slate” of my life.
My road to victory also seems a bit more difficult because much
of the particular wing of the Christian tradition of which I’m a part tends to
cast a blind eye toward many of the “natural” passions. Many of my fellow Christians seem to
shrug away several troubling passions, many of which lead to gluttony, sloth,
vanity, and a generally self-serving lifestyle. Too few, even within the
church, would find your all-out assault on every natural inclination towards
personal comfort something proper and commendable. We’ve forgotten that we are
fighting to make manifest the Kingdom of God in the battlefield of our bodies.
So, in many ways, I feel that I labor alone.
But your letters hearten and
encourage me, Basil. I can understand your desire to convince your friend
Gregory to join you in your monastic life in Pontus. Give him some time—I think
you’ll be surprised at what the Lord will yet do through him. In the meantime,
keep me in your prayers.
Your friend and servant,
Matt