CONSISTENCY
The angels of God tear away from the face of God, and from His gaze, and drive out the mind of the one who stands before God and prays to Him carelessly, as if with contempt, without reverence and good humor...
Venerable Simeon the New Theologian
Jesus Christ (Savior)
The contempt of the Pharisee
Two people entered the temple to pray: one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing, prayed to himself like this: “God! I thank You that I am not like other people, robbers, offenders, adulterers, or like this tax collector: I fast twice a week, I give a tenth of everything I acquire.”
The publican, standing in the distance, did not even dare to raise his eyes to heaven, but, striking himself on the chest, said: “God! be merciful to me, a sinner! I tell you that this one went to his house justified more than the other: for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 18:10-14).
Saint Basil the Great
(Interpretation on the prophet Isaiah)
The beginning of pride is contempt
“It is the day of the Lord of hosts against every one who is annoying and proud.”
Perhaps the first sin is annoyance (contempt) and pride, because the devil, having become an annoyancer from satiety with the blessings given to him, retreated from God and tore away the opposing forces with him, saying: “I will set my throne above the stars of heaven, I will sit on a high mountain, on the high mountains, even to the north; I will rise above the clouds, I will be like the Most High” (Isa. 14:13-14). Therefore, this is where revenge begins. And if anyone “got proud and fell into judgment” and fell into the “devil” (1 Tim. 3:6), then he will be condemned along with the leader and, as it were, the creator of pride, for the Lord “resists the proud” (1 Pet. 5:5). The beginning of pride is usually contempt. Whoever despises and considers others to be nothing and recognizes some as poor, others as people of low birth, others as ignorant, as a result of such contempt he comes to the point that he considers himself alone to be wise, prudent, noble, rich, strong, and contempt serves him the beginning of pride. For to be proud means to make an effort to become higher than others, and in order to achieve this, a person humiliates his neighbor and exalts himself. And contempt is the beginning of pride, and pride is the evil offspring of contempt. Therefore, oh, because similar sins are punished in a similar way. So, the glorious day of the Lord will bring Fr. But we, the poor, indulge in these vices every day, and do not understand how sinful we are. “Vexers” (speakers) “They will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:10). But we indulge in slander and backbiting, we do not understand that the words that I now utter will stand against me on the day of Judgment, will block my path and become, as it were, a wall through which it is impossible to cross. Who among us does not exalt himself? Who does not despise his neighbor? But contempt is more important than slander. For the latter is dishonor inflicted only by word, and contempt is intended to shame the insulted by deed itself. Of course, it is now possible for someone who is high, if he wants, to descend to the humility of the humble, and there is a danger that the humble will now be brought into the exaltation of the proud. For the very thought of oneself that one has reached the heights of humility serves as a reason for exaltation, and to exalt oneself over someone who is apparently a great sinner is already a terrible pride, which the Pharisee allowed in himself before the tax collector.
Venerable Simeon the New Theologian
Demons take possession of the soul with tyranny for contempt of God
Great harm comes from someone who does not pray to God, for such a soul is left deprived of God’s enlightenment, divine power and peace from demonic temptations, and demons constantly arouse in it indecent movements, unclean lust, urges for fornication, untruth, vanity, pride, conceit. Just as the body needs buried air in order to breathe, so the soul needs constant remembrance of God, that is, prayer. But again, if someone prays to God simply, haphazardly, as if in passing, without the fear that one should have who stands before God, before Whom the Cherubim tremble, not only does this not bring any benefit, he not only suffers damage... but suffers incomparably more destructive harm, the wrath of God, the disgust of God, the expulsion of God. For just as the king’s bodyguards immediately seize the king from the presence of the king and drive out the one who stands before the king carelessly, without fear or decency, and the king does not forbid them to do so, so the Angels of God tear him away from the face of God and from His sight, and drive him out. the mind of one who stands before God and prays to Him carelessly, as if with contempt, without reverence and good humor, and then the demons immediately seize him with insolence and violence and circle him wherever they want, in shameful and unclean places, or in evil deeds, or for things that are vain and useless. And neither the one who suffers this from demons feels it, nor God takes pity on him and does not free him from this because he despised Him and transgressed His commandment, which commands: work for the Lord with fear, and rejoice in Him with trembling ( Ps. 2:1)). Therefore, it would be much better for such a person if he did not pray at all, because demons do not take possession of the soul for any sins with such tyranny as for contempt of God. And the earthly king endures his debtors and those who sin before him in some way, and for those who despise him, he is a grave and terrible avenger. Why is there no greater sin than praying to God with contemptible negligence?
Whoever prays... with contempt obviously does not know what God is...
There is no greater sin than to pray without the fear of God, without attention and reverence. Anyone who prays or sings psalms simply haphazardly, with carelessness and contempt, clearly does not know what God is...
Venerable Neil of Sorsky
About contempt and pride
Needless to say about contempt and pride, he cries out in grief. Their names are different, but, in essence, they are the same thing: pride, and contempt, and arrogance, and arrogance; and they are all repentant, as Scripture says: God resists the proud; and: everyone with a high heart is an abomination to the Lord (Prov. 3:34; 16:5), and is called unclean.
Venerable John of Kronstadt
Why blasphemy and contempt?
Blasphemy and contempt for the spiritual word come from what?
From the pride of our hearts, from the arrogance of our minds. Our contempt for our neighbor who sins
The devil with cunning encourages us - instead of being irritated with him himself - instills in us to notice the sins of our neighbor in order to embitter us, irritate us against the person, arouse contempt for him, and thus keeps us at enmity with our neighbors and with the Lord God Himself. Therefore, one must despise the sins themselves, the mistakes, and not the neighbor who does them at the instigation of the devil, out of weakness, habit; to pity your neighbor, with meekness, with love, to admonish him as if he were forgetting or as sick, as a captive, a slave of his sin. But our malice and contempt for our neighbor who sins only increases his illness, oblivion, his spiritual captivity, and does not reduce it, and it makes us seem insane, sick, captives of our own passions and the devil - their culprit.
Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov)
The emerging contempt for the brethren of other monasteries...
The Fathers forbid choosing a glorious monastery as a place of residence in the opinion of worldly people: vanity, common to the entire monastery, must necessarily infect each member. Experience shows that the entire brotherhood can become infected with the spirit of vanity, not only because of the material advantages of its monastery, but also because of the high opinion of the laity about the special piety of its charter. The contempt that arises from this for the brethren of other monasteries, which is precisely what pride consists of, takes away the possibility of monastic success based on love for one’s neighbors and humility before them. — As an example of how temptation, acting little by little on a monk, as if imperceptibly and insensitively, can finally prevail over him and plunge him into a terrible fall, we cite the following story: “In an Egyptian monastery there was a certain old man who fell into a serious illness and accepted service from the brethren. Seeing that the brethren were working for his sake, he decided to move closer to the villages so as not to bother the brethren. Abba Moses (probably the one whom St. Cassian calls the most sensible among the fathers of the monastery, who were generally distinguished by an abundance of spiritual gifts) told him: “Do not move to the vicinity of the villages, so as not to fall into fornication.” The elder was surprised and saddened by these words, he answered: “My body has died, and is this what you are talking about”? He did not listen to Abba Moses and settled in the vicinity of a worldly village. Residents, having learned about him, began to come to him in large numbers. A certain girl also came to serve him for God’s sake. He healed her - apparently: the girl had some kind of illness, and the old man had the gift of miracles - then, after some time, he fell with her, and she became pregnant. The villagers asked her: “Who is she pregnant from?” She answered: “From the elder.” They didn't believe her. The elder said: “I have done this, but save the child who is about to be born.” The child was born and was breastfed. Then, on one of the monastery’s holidays, an elder came there with a child on his back and entered the church at a meeting of the entire brotherhood. The brotherhood burst into tears when they saw him. He said to the brethren: “See child: this is the son of disobedience.” After this, the elder went to his former cell and began to offer repentance to God.”
Venerable Leo of Optina
Where humility does not dwell, contempt and arrogance dwell...
Schema-Archimandrite Abraham
Schema-Archimandrite Abraham often recalled the Gospel story about how Jesus Christ offered prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane on the last night before his torment after the Last Supper. This prayer itself was the beginning of the torment of our Lord. Evangelist Luke said that Jesus sent up prayers until he sweated blood. Other evangelists also testify to the struggles he experienced.
In the God-man Jesus, two wills functioned: human and divine (that is, afraid of torment and wavering). As a result, the Savior, although not without the support of the angel who strengthened him, prevailed over himself, the will of the mortal submitted to the will of God.
But Jesus remained a perfect, real man on that terrible night. In this case, impeccability does not mean the highest stage in the evolution of a being, but the fullness of the Savior’s human nature.
Experiencing fear and struggle while reading the prayer, Jesus asked his immediate disciples - John, Peter and James - for human assistance. Those who, as written in the Gospel, showed the greatest zeal, albeit sometimes unreasonable, but still sincere.
And so the Savior, returning to his disciples after his first prayer, discovered that they were sleeping. He reproached them for not being able to stay awake for even a single hour. As you can see, the most zealous disciples of Jesus, having lost spiritual vigor and succumbing to bodily weakness, were unable to withstand the test that awaited them in the future.
Sin
What does negligence matter? Irresponsibility, carelessness, idleness, neglect and insensitivity in matters of faith. That is, when a person is negligent not only about everything that surrounds him, but also about the work of his salvation.
When fasting begins, it would seem that those who are worried about fasting are somehow preparing. Many enter Lent slowly, little by little, they also sin, and live without much change, which should not happen. Abba Isaiah says this: “Neglect and laziness are the rest of this age.” That is, when a mortal indulges in negligence and laziness, he wants to relax, to find peace in things, in energies and thoughts that belong to this world. There is a pacification of the flesh, of bodily wisdom, when a person tries to find a point in his essence so that he never strains, he simply wants to do nothing, be relaxed, and for this receive various benefits.
And now the very philosophy of modern life is, in principle, this: maximum profit, minimum labor. Accordingly, this leads, of course, to colossal spiritual distortions.
Correlation of sins
Where does laziness and negligence come from - which passion comes from the other? The Holy Fathers write in various materials that just as laziness is born from negligence, so negligence arises from laziness - these sins have mutual assistance. That is, they feed each other and encourage each other.
If a person is lazy, then he becomes careless about everything. If a person is careless in some matter, then laziness visits him, he loses strength, and becomes unfit for any good deed.
There is also a prayer created specifically for people suffering from inattention, distraction, and negligence in prayer. It has the following content: “Lord, gather my scattered mind and cleanse my frozen heart, give me repentance like Peter, tears like a harlot, sighs like a publican, and with a great voice I call on You, God, save me, for I am the only Compassionate and Lover of Mankind.” .
Negligence
So, negligence is a terrible misfortune. It is known that the Apostle Peter became faint-hearted and denied the Savior three times. All the other apostles took off running. Only John the Theologian remained with Jesus until the end.
Pray and watch, so that you do not fall into misfortune: for the spirit is willing, but the body is weak. The apostles showed what we would today call negligence. They probably had some valid reasons: fatigue, grief, fear, lack of understanding of what was happening.
Evangelist Mark says: “For their pain is painful” (Mark 14:40). Why were their eyes burdened? Maybe from crying? Be that as it may, in the end the apostles showed negligence, which led to a terrible difficulty.
New Testament
Now you know that negligence is a negative phenomenon. The Lord in the New Testament specifically says that laziness is a negative feature of human existence: “the lazy is the slave of the evil one,” then lazy and careless virgins are also mentioned who did not take care of purchasing oil and other things.
The Lord himself claims that the lazy do not acquire anything good in life, and this is terrible. And the Holy Fathers report that laziness and negligence are not even an ordinary sin, they are a real detriment to human life, which turns a mortal into some kind of piece of wood, a weak, weak-willed, unreasonable creature.
Old Testament
How is negligence interpreted in Orthodoxy? What kind of action is this? What does the Old Testament say about him? In the book of Proverbs (in the Old Testament), the wise Solomon asserts that negligence and laziness are stupidity, and every stupidity, according to the teaching of the book of Ecclesiastes, the book of Proverbs, is evil. It's very bad to be stupid, there's nothing good about it.
A wonderful parable says: “It is better to meet a mother bear without cubs on the road than a fool with his stupidity.” Think, what a comparison! If you meet a mother bear without cubs, you will definitely die, there is no other way out. After all, she will definitely kill a person, since her children were taken away from her, she takes revenge on people. Every person caught by the bear on the way is subject to inevitable death. And Solomon declares that it is better to meet her than to face a fool and his stupidity, it was considered so evil.
Proverbs
Proverbs says, “He who is careless about his own ways will perish” (Prov. 19:16). This saying also applies to spiritual life. If we do not take care of our ways, we will certainly be lost unless the Lord forgives us. If we don’t care about studying at school or university, will we be able to get anything? If we do not care about raising children, then children will grow up uncouth. Accordingly, everyone understands perfectly well that negligence and laziness are real death for a person, especially the collapse of spiritual existence.
Apostle Peter
Few people know that negligence is a sin. Thus, the Apostle Peter experienced the above moment very acutely. When in the priest’s courtyard the Lord looked at him with silent reproach, he began to cry bitterly. According to legend, throughout his life, the Apostle Peter, hearing a rooster crow, began to weep. He burst into tears even when he had already been pardoned and again received the rank of apostle, becoming one of the most important messengers - a pillar, as the Evangelist Paul said about him.
On icons, the preacher Peter is recreated with grooves on his cheeks, which in icon painting custom is a sign of repentant tears.
Trouble
The Holy Fathers talk a lot about negligence. This sin can lead to terrible disaster! This is especially important for those who are leaving this world to remember. It probably seems to them that, having shown some zeal and changed their way of being, they have left all dangers and temptations behind, and they have very little left to do to save themselves.
But Schema-Archimandrite Abraham writes that changing one’s position and clothing in the ether does not provide salvation. We can remain the same internally or even become much worse.
Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) reports with bitterness that he saw many people leading the life of a monk and already acquiring passions in the monastery that they did not have in the world. He believes that these people had no repentance.
