Hermitage Note: Saint Hesychios - Fighting the Fight

Hesychios of Sinai was a hieromonk [priest-monk] at Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai. He was also an ascetic author of Byzantine period literature.

Nothing is definitely known concerning his personal life and career or the exact time which he lived. Enough is known of him through his writing to distinguish between him and the more celebrated Hesychius of Jerusalem who lived in the 5th Century.

Saint Hesychios the hieromonk is included in the Synaxarion of the Greek Orthodox Church [Synaxarion or Synexarion is the name given in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches to a compilation of hagiographies corresponding roughly to the martyrology of the Roman Church], which states that he was the Hegumen [Abbot] of Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai in the 7th century. His Feast Day is observed on March 29th in the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox churches while his liturgical celebration in the Roman Catholic Church is on October 3rd.

I am slowly reading the Philokalia [and listening with the ear of my heart as Saint Benedicts directs us to do in the first verse of the Prologue of the Rule of Saint Benedict]. I started the Philokalia over a year ago. It, like the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, is best taken in small bites in a way that allows for introspection and reflection.

The Philokalia contains a collection of the writings of Saint Hesychios. Here, in the desert sands of the Philokalia, I discovered this Sainted monk from the 7th Century. I think it is important to point out that the collected writings contained in the Philokalia are not primarily directed toward a broad general audience. They are pointed primarily toward monks living strict ascetic lives. Remember, too, that the Rule of Saint Benedict is not directed primarily to a general audience but to monks living in monasteries that he and his disciples founded.

These writings, however, are full of practical guidance regarding how to name, discern, overcome, and live triumphantly over the temptations of Satan and the demons whose only purpose in their fallen angelic state is to test and try those of us who choose to live with our human hearts and minds set toward the Beatific Vision of God. This reality, that Satan and demons are real villainous entities ensconced in a warfare against the all that is godly … against all that pertains to salvific mission Christ … is a reality that modernites need to pay close attention to. Evil is having a heyday in these modern times. Many are deceived by Evil’s deceptions.

We are not left to our own ends with only a hope for our own beatification in Heaven. We are directed now, while we have our capacities, to experience and develop in our own process of theosis or deification: a process akin to the Vow of Benedictine monks and Solemn Promise of Benedictine Oblates to conversatio morum or more commonly referred to in the English as conversion of morals or conversion of life. The great necessity herein is to experience, like Christ on Mount Tabor, our own transfiguration. We are called to change. Rejecting change … refusing to change … is not an advisable route to travel.

Like the principles for living taught by Saint Benedict in the Rule of Saint Benedict, the principles contained in the Philokalia beg to be integrated into and applied to our lives within the contest of our station in life. Hence, we find ourselves consciously living in a manner in keeping with the Apostle Paul where he says, “I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” [1 Corinthians 9:27]

A few weeks back I wrote in a Hermitage Note: “The simple truth of the matter is that we become what we give our affections to. What we give our affections to overtakes and overwhelms us. Our passions take rule over us and then entirely ruin us. In our ruled and ruined condition, we are unable to see through the cataracts that rob us of the clearer spiritual vision. Without this clearer spiritual vision, we will never be able to discern the forces that are at work to incite the principal evil passions that vie to destroy us.”

Saint Hesychios presents both a challenge and his affirmation from the hot desert sands where he gives us this word … a word that is good for both monks in the monastery on Mount Sinai, solitary religious hermits living in the caves in the desert, and us modernites whomever we are and wherever we are.

“There is no venom more poisonous than that of the asp or cobra, and there is no evil greater than that of self-love. The winged children of self-love are self-praise, self-satisfaction, gluttony, unchastity, self-esteem, jealousy, and the crown of all these, pride. Pride can drag down not men alone, but even angels from heaven, and surround them with darkness instead of light.”[1]

The way we go, what we do, how we live … whether we are fighting a good warfare against Satan and the demons who seek the destruction of our souls … whether we are committed and engaged in our own process of conversatio morum, theosis, or deification, whether we are surrounded by darkness rather than light … truly is a choice that we make.

[1] Saint Hesychios, Philokalia, Para. 202, Page 225 [Kindle]