Categories: work, lives-of-saints, spiritual-journey
Date: 11 February 2010 22:18:05
I have become rather addicted to podcasts from Ancient Faith Radio. There are a large variety of podcasts to listen to; I've been listening to a selection from a few of them to work out which ones I'd like to hear more of.
A Word from the Holy Fathers is one podcast I am greatly enjoying, and benefiting from. The life and works of the early Church Fathers and Monastics still hold great truths for us today, and the presenter, Deacon Matthew Steenberg, does a wonderful job in bringing their words into practical actions and insight today.
The podcast I listened to on the way to work yesterday, and again this morning because I need to hear it again!, was Defeating the Slavery of “Bad Habits”. A very interesting podcast, and one I think that links into my reading of Sirach and the course I am currently doing, Moral Life in Christ, which I blogged about a few days ago. And the class last night, looking at virtues and vices, made a very similar point to the podcast.
Through the sayings of Saints John Chrysostom, Ignatius Brianchaninov [author of the challenging and for me very helpful The Arena], Issac the Syrian and Abba Isaiah the Desert Father, Deacon Matthew Steenberg brought out the fact that it is often the "small" sins, the "bad habits", that are the real barrier to growth in Christ. We can often look at the "big" sins, feeling confident that we do not participate in them, but the bad habits are what trips us up and prevents growth, as well as leading us down a path which may lead to "bigger" sins.
But there is hope; there is always hope in the mercy and grace of God. We may feel, as Deacon Matthew Steenberg says, shackled and bound by our inability to overcome these habits, we may feel as if we are lost and we have no ability to resist them: we feel helpless. But the key is to remember, however hard it may seem, that we are capable, we are not helpless; almost helpless perhaps, but never helpless. And by conquering these bad habits, for they are called "tyrants" by St John Chrysostom, an apt word I think, we can, through the grace and mercy of God, conquer the larger ones.
I am struggling a lot with patience [among many other things] at the moment; I always have, truth be told, but at the moment I seem to be more impatient than ever. No doubt why this podcasts, the words on the course I am doing, and the words in the book of Sirach, are hitting me particularly hard. But it is good; this life is a struggle, the Christian life is a struggle; and through the love, mercy and grace of God I can draw ever nearer to Him.