“So when we examine ourselves and discover that our behavior is similar to that of Christ, we can rejoice,” Fr. Maximos continued. “Otherwise we should humble ourselves. Never justify ourselves. Whoever tries to justify himself or herself will never reach metanoia.”
“How does one humble oneself?” Maria wondered.
“Thank God there are plenty of opportunities in our everyday life to humble ourselves! The more difficulties we have in life, the greater the opportunities for humility.”
Teresa sighed. “Easier said than done.”
“We are impatient and often interpret opportunities offered to us by Providence in worldly, self-centered ways. We seek justification in a worldly manner. Had we really learned humility, we would not witness the disintegration of our families. We wouldn’t have the social and political problems that we now face.
“We, not others, cause the problem,” Fr. Maximos insisted. “It doesn’t matter if others create problems for us even if they are the worst human beings possible. What matters is our own inner state of being. If we do not find peace within ourselves, even if we live among angels, we are bound to create strife and conflict between ourselves and others, either as individuals or as groups.”
Fr. Maximos then reminisced about an encounter between Elder Paisios and a hell and damnation theologian, an Old Calendarist (a follower of the Julian calendar) zealot. He wished to condemn people who did not abide by the old calendar to Hell and eternal damnation, a habit of mind that naturally caused him problems in his relations. “My dear,” Elder Paisios told him in exasperation, “if I am to go to Paradise and find you there, I would rather go somewhere else! The way you carry on, you will create havoc wherever you go.”
After our laughter subsided, we paused for more tea and pastries.
“Let’s now talk about joy, the next to the last fruit of the Spirit that St. Paul mentions in his epistle,” Fr. Maximos began. “I don’t need to repeat that God’s fruits of the Spirit are in reality infinite. Joy is the reality at the very depth of our being,” he declared.
“Well, that’s a bold statement, considering all the misery and unhappiness in the world,” Emily said half-jokingly.
“I mean the true joy that only God can offer. You see, right from the beginning, God created human beings in order to be joyous. He created Paradise for them. Human beings are created for joy. That is why Paradise is described in the scriptures as a place of bliss and pleasure, of happiness and contentment.”
“We are created for pleasure and joy, but all we experience is pain and suffering,” Teresa complained.
“This isn’t part of our true nature. Humans cannot find rest in pain, no matter how much we philosophize about it. It was after the Fall that pain entered into human existence.”
“Is this why after the Resurrection, upon meeting the first group of women, Christ saluted them with the word chairete [be joyous]!” Eleni asked.
“Well said. God brought an end to the sorrow of human existence and revealed the joy embedded in God’s very nature, not the worldly form of joy and pleasure, of course.”
~Adapted from Kyriacos C. Markides, Inner River: A Pilgrimage to the Heart of Christian Spirituality
