WATANI International
27 November 2011
To flee from the love of praise and honoring, the following should be observed:
1. You should know that any glory received from people is false.
It may be given you haphazardly from people not knowing your reality but judging according to the outer appearance. They do not read your thoughts, nor know your feelings and emotions, nor your hidden sins and falls. Others may praise you out of courtesy or decency, or for encouragement, flattery or for a certain purpose. People##s praise may be harmful to many, detaining them from knowing and correcting themselves. Poor is the person who loves praise! He wants to be praised in all cases, and likes to believe whatever is said, whether he deserves it or not!
2. You should know that praise will not bring you to God##s Kingdom, for God searches the minds and hearts (Rev 2: 23), and knows the secrets and hidden things. In judging you He does not depend on what people say. You should therefore befriend those who guide and reprimand you. However, if people praise you, you should remember your sins, your weaknesses, and your confessions of shameful things and awful faults in which you fell. This may make the effect of praise less harmful.
3. Say to yourself: I am still on the way and do not how I will end.
The scripture says, consider the outcome of their conduct (Heb 13: 7), for many have begun in the Spirit, and were made perfect by the flesh (Gal 3: 3). The Scripture also says, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Cor 10: 12) So many are the wars of the devil, and so hard are his deceit, wiles, and cunning. You ought therefore to ask the Lord to protect you, for sin has cast down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were strong (Prov 7: 26). Say, ##I do not count myself stronger than those who fell.##
4. To flee from praise from the others or within yourself, look to much higher level, so that you may feel how small you are.
If you look to, and compare yourself with, sinners and spiritually weak people, or to those who are lesser in virtue and righteousness, you may find yourself righteous in your own eyes (Job 32: 1). Likewise, if you look to those who are lesser than you in understanding and knowledge, you may be wise in your own eyes (Prov 3: 7)
God##s children acquire humbleness because they always aspire to the perfection required from them by the Lord, “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Mt 5: 48) “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Pet 1: 16) Also with regard to sanctity and perfection they consider themselves in the scales lighter and wanting (Ps 62: 9; Da 5: 27)
Whatever high levels they attain in fasting, prayer, asceticism, and self-denial, and in every virtue they struggle, they consider themselves weak and poor, because the high level they were aspiring to is still far away, not yet attained!
If you praise yourself within for a certain virtue you have attained, remember what levels the Fathers had attained in this same virtue, you will then know that you are much lesser.
If you praise yourself for praying the hours## prayers (Agpeya) regularly, for instance, remember that you only pray some of the psalms of each hour, while the Fathers used to pray all the psalms of each hour. Some of them moreover used to spend the whole night in prayer and practiced continual prayer. They crucified their mind so that no other thought would occur to it, as St. Makarius of Alexandria did. Also remember how the fathers prayed with awe, tears, fervency, love, and faith, then, you will see that you are a mere beginner or even lower! Compare yourself with higher levels with respect to all other virtues.
Are you fought with vainglory just because you pay the tithes regularly? Do you also pay the firstlings? If so, know that Christianity has gone beyond this principle of giving, for the Lord says, “Give to him who asks you.” (Mt 5: 42), and also, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow me.” (Mt 19: 21) Even if you attained this level, see this story of a saint who excelled in charity, sold all that he had and gave the poor, and when nothing was left he sold himself as a slave, and gave his own price to the poor! I say this not that you may do the same, for this is now impossible, but I mean that you should be humbled.
5. In order to flee from honoring, know the true meaning of the lower place.
It does not mean that you sit in the last place as a location, for some do so that they might be known as being humble, or do so outwardly while love of vainglory destroys them within. The lower place actually is to feel within that you really deserve such a place or position. Once a monk said to St. Timothy, ##Father, I see that my thoughts are continually with God.## But the Saint said to him, ##It is better, my son, to see yourself below all creation.##
It is also said about two young monks that they entered to the dining room of the monastery, which was at that time divided into tables for the elderly monks, and others for the young monks. Then one of the elderly invited one of two young monks to sit with them, and he did, while the other went to sit at the table of the young monks. When leaving, the latter said to his companion, ##How dared you to sit with the seniors?## the other monk said, ## If I had sat with the young they might have preferred me to themselves in everything, because I am older than them, but when I sat at the table of the seniors, I felt tiny and undeserving to speak. I sat shyly with bowed head. I was actually in the lower place or position.
Even if the others gave you the first place, say to yourself, ##All those are better than me!## If you teach children in Sunday Schools, consider them better than you, they are angels. Ask God that you may become like them in simplicity, purity, and esteem in the sight of God. There was once a Sunday-School-teacher who used in any hardship to ask the children of his class to pray for him. He said, ##I tried their prayers in my hardships, and felt they were strong and effective more than my own prayers.##
6. If you want to flee from the love of praise, flee from the love of seeing visions and miracles.
If the devil knew this desire about you, he will lead you astray with false visions, for the apostle says, “Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” (2 Cor 11: 14) Once Satan appeared to a saint, saying, ##I am Angel Gabriel, God has sent me to you.## But the saint answered him, saying, ##Perhaps you are sent to somebody else and you missed the way, for I am a sinner, undeserving to see an angel!## The holy Mar Isaac likewise said, “Who sees his sins is better than him who sees angels.”
Once some monks asked St. Abba Bachomius, saying, ##Tell us about a good scene you have seen.” He said, “One like me, a sinner, cannot see visions. Yet if you want to see a good scene, look to a meek and humble person, and you will see God in him. Better than this, never seek to see.”
Indeed, since visions will not save you on the Last Day, do not seek them, but rather be aware of your sins, for this will lead you to repentance and bring you salvation.
This also may apply to those who seek to speak in tongues, not for the purpose of preaching others, but to claim that they have attained the fullness! Some of those say to the others, ##Come, that I may give you the Spirit and the fullness that you may speak in tongues!!
7. If you want to flee from praise, you should conceal your virtuous acts.
If you do good deeds for God##s sake, not to be esteemed by the others, you will not care whether people see you or not. Rather revealing your virtues may make you lose your reward from God, for you will have got your reward on the earth (Mt 6: 2)
Once some monks of Sheheit desert met with Mother Sarah, and revealed their thoughts, and she said to them: ##Indeed, you are of Escete … you conceal whatever virtues you have, and whatever weaknesses you do not have you ascribe to yourselves!##
Again one day a Syrian monk living in the Sheheit desert came to St. Makarius the Great, saying, ##I would ask you, Father: when I was in Syria, I was able to spend many days fasting, but here in Egypt, I cannot complete one day fasting! Why is that?##
St. Makarius answered him, saying, ##There, as monasteries in Syria existed in cities amidst people, you were able to spend days fasting, because you fed on vainglory represented in getting praise from the others during fasting and abstention. But in the desert, nobody sees you, therefore you quickly feel hungry.##
That is why the saints said, ##If virtues are known they will end.## Therefore they used to conceal their virtues, their knowledge, and their wisdom, but if it is God##s will to reveal your virtues and wisdom, let His will be done, but you ought not to have a hand in it. Beware then to boast of yourself or to seek a good fame.
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