This essay is part three of a little series I have been doing about putting on the mind of Christ. I have continued to update the liturgies in the other two based on my own experience with practicing them. You can read the first one about kenosis HERE and the second one about tending your inner flock HERE.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16
At the heart of every person there is a radiantly beautiful light that no darkness can overcome. It is the light of Christ, the law of love imprinted on our hearts. Jesus cautions us not to hide our light under the basket of self doubt and shame. Rather, we are to put our inner light on a lampstand, so it can shine down upon our house and everyone in it. When we allow the light to shine within us, every part of our soul is blessed. Every member of our body sees the light, with all the goodness it bestows, and gives glory to the source from which it comes.
For Pelagius, the discovery of our inner light is where the contemplative life should begin. In his letter to Demetrias, he explains that ignorance of our inner light is the greatest obstacle to the pursuit of virtue. If we do not believe we are capable of living a holy life, we will never even try. We will lose the race before it has begun. When our eyes are opened and the shadows of ignorance are dispelled, we recognise the power and beauty of human nature and are filled with hope. This hope is our friend and our teacher. Pelagius described it like this,
“Whenever I have to speak on the subject of moral instruction and the conduct of a holy life, it is my practice first to demonstrate the power and quality of human nature and to show what it is capable of achieving, and then to go on to encourage the mind of my listener to consider the idea of different kinds of virtues, in case it may be of little or no profit to him to be summoned to pursue ends which he has perhaps hitherto assumed to be beyond his reach; for we can never enter upon the path of virtue unless we have hope as our guide and companion.” (Trans by Rees)
Many Christians in the world today have been taught they are sinful and weak by nature, have no role to play in their own spiritual growth, and should not trust their own inner wisdom. First and foremost, this false teaching must be set aside.
When someone is about to run a race, you do not say to them, “There’s no way you’re going to win this by your own strength, you are clumsy and slow.” Everyone knows this would be a foolish thing to say. It would fill the athlete with sadness, taking away the courage of their spirit. Instead, a good coach reminds people of their own strengths while encouraging them to stay focused on their goal. This is because we are more likely to win the race when we believe in ourselves.
The training of a spiritual athlete begins by approaching the secret places of the soul. Examine yourself more attentively and ask what opinion your own thoughts have about the quality of your soul, allowing your conscience to pass judgement on the good of nature. Gain wisdom from the inner teaching of your heart, learning about the good qualities of your mind from no other source than the mind itself. Do you not desire to live a life of love? When you grow in virtue, does this not please you? When you miss the mark, do you not feel remorse? The law of God is written upon your heart and your conscience bears witness to it.
In every corner of the earth, in every age that has come and gone, there have been holy people who brought forth goodness into the world. Even though they did not share the same beliefs, worship the same gods, or have the same cultural practices, all of these holy people were able to reach inside themselves and bring forth something beautiful. One does not need to read the bible or be baptised in a church to be holy. When those who have never heard the gospel manifest the teachings of Jesus by their own nature, they are a law unto themselves.
Pelagius gives several examples from the scriptures of holy people who had never heard the gospel of Christ or read the law of Moses. The list includes such pivotal figures as Abel, Enoch, Melchizedek, and Abraham. Most importantly for our discussion here, Pelagius uses Job as an example of someone who was blameless and upright without ever having heard the instructions of the Apostles.
“What a man Job was! A man of the gospel before the gospel was known, a man of the apostles before their commands were uttered! A disciple of the apostles who, by opening up the hidden wealth of nature and bringing it out into the open, revealed by his own behaviour what all of us are capable of and has taught us how great is that treasure in the soul which we possess but fail to use and, because we refuse to display it, believe that we do not possess it either.” (Trans by Rees)
By the power of his own nature, Job embodied all the blessed virtues. The very first words in the book of Job are, “There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.” He was a man who knew his inner light and allowed it to shine upon his entire household, blessing all his family and friends.
When great hardship befell him, his friends tried to convince him that it was his fault, that God was punishing him for some secret crime. They even went so far as to suggest that Job could be considered guilty and deserving of God’s wrath simply because he was a human being. But Job remained steadfast in his refusal to accept their counsel, he knew that his heart was pure.
In the end, Job found the answers he was looking for in the natural world. God appeared to him in a whirlwind and blessed him with a mystical experience that gave him the perspective he needed. God reoriented Job’s thoughts away from his own suffering towards the beauty of creation. In this, Job was able to put on the mind of Christ, to see the world through the eyes of the one who has created it. After he received this mystical experience, Job turned to God in prayer and said “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.”
The juxtaposition of hearing and seeing refers to the opening of his inner senses. The mystical encounter he experienced allowed him to know God heart to heart. It is not enough to simply learn about the mind of Christ, to hear about it by reading an essay like this. Putting on the mind of Christ involves a real encounter with God in the depths of our nature.
Putting on the mind of Christ opened his inner eyes, but his mystical experience began with his outer senses. God appeared to Job in the wind of the storm and invited him to consider all the things of earth. The awakening of our inner senses begins with our outer senses. When we feel the wind on our face, see the clouds in the sky, and hear the birds singing in the trees, we open up the hidden wealth of nature inside us. Eriugena described it like this,
“This world… is the first stage for those who wish to ascend through the senses to the knowledge of truth, for the different kinds of visible things draw the contemplative soul on to the knowledge of invisible things.” (Trans by Davies)
Therefore, the first stage in putting on the mind of Christ is to participate in the beauty of nature. Go for a walk in the woods, along the seashore, or across the wide open plains. As you go along your way, use your outer senses to draw your spirit into the mystery of God’s creation. Notice what you see, smell, hear, touch, and taste.
Look carefully at what is close around you and then turn your eyes towards the horizon. Take a deep breath and smell the unique aroma of each season. Notice the feeling of the solid earth under your feet and the temperature of the breeze blowing by. Listen for the rustling leaves or the crashing of the waves. Bring a bottle of water to taste or do some wildcrafting if you know how.
As you acknowledge each one with your outer senses, speak to it saying, “thank you oak tree,” “thank you wind,” or “thank you sun.” Marvel at the majesty, intricacy, and harmony of the world God has made. Remember that you are one of God’s creatures and open the hidden wealth of nature within you so that it pours out into the cirlce of life. Be one with everything and give praise to the God who has made you.
If you come across a holy place, where the veil between heaven and earth feels thin, stop there to pray. Allow your inner senses to join your outer senses, and know the hidden beauty of every creature. See the colours, shapes, and textures of the trees with your outer senses and see the light of Christ raditating out of them with your inner senses.
With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. Here are some suggested psalms to chant from both the biblical psalter and Psalter of the Birds. You can get a copy of Psalter of the Birds HERE. Between each psalm say, “I put on the mind of Christ with the help of the angels and the saints before me” and make the sign of the cross.
Biblical Psalter: 8, 19, 65, 98, 104, 148
Psalter of the Birds: 10, 13, 53, 60, 78, 136
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