Indeed, He (our Creator) meant us further to be free from care and to have but one work to perform, to sing as the angels, without ceasing or intermission, the praises of the Creator, and to delight in contemplation of Him, and to cast all our cares on Him. - St. John of Damascus, Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Chapter XI.
Don't you think that if God wanted us to sing that he'd have songs in the Bible? Hmmmmm?
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the stated goal of monasticism: to follow Christ's greatest commandment, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind." This, what St. John here describes as singing, is the only work demanded of us. All of the other 'works' that were developed in the early Church are simply aids in learning and preserving this ability to sing and follow the greatest command. Fasting, vigil, prayers, services, alms, etc. were never meant to be commoditized as ways to earn salvation, but guides to following this commandment, to be synergistically perfected in our lives (sanctification) and not simply to be declared perfect for Christ's sake (justification) and finish there. Opposition to the earning paradigm with regard to these works is central to all of the Confessions' critiques, and not the abandonment of these tools (as with the Reformed). I remember how shocked I was when I saw Luther's actual suggestion for morning and evening prayers because it included the direction to MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS! What!? To see his thoughts on fasting, almsgiving, etc.
ReplyDeleteIt is my contention that the fight against the earning paradigm as the only paradigm through which to look at the faith apart from the Lutheran one set Lutheran theology in ways contrary to the early Church's (and early Lutheranism's) view of these 'works'. This is seen today by every other church or religion's faith boiled down to a misunderstanding of Law & Gospel- only one paradigm or the other.
Chaz....
ReplyDeleteHuh? mmm and all this time... I thought the Psalter was indeed a song book :)
How utterly silly of me :P
Matt
Yes. Quite silly. :-P
ReplyDelete