During the past several months we have paused to reflect upon the great spiritual figures who influenced Christianity from apostolic times to the end of the first millennium. They came from a variety of cultural, political and social backgrounds but went on to shape the foundations of the Christian faith. On analyzing their life and works, four points stand out.
- Genuine seekers of the truth: The nineteen persons highlighted in the past issues of Magnet emerge as genuine seekers of the truth. Some of them, such as Pachomius, Ambrose and Augustine, accepted Christianity as adults, while others were born in Christian families. Irrespective of their infancy and upbringing, they had a deep quest for God and travelled across countries and continents in search of the truth. Cassian and Germanus would stand out because of their arduous journey into the deserts of Egypt in order to be taught by the spiritual guides (Abbas).
- A deep personal experience of God: Though they were drawn by the life and witness of other individuals and communities, the ultimate source of their commitment was their own personal experience of God. Such was the impact of this experience that they could not but share this experience with others. Symeon the New Theologian would speak of the need of undergoing a second baptism whereby one’s faith is personalized and one’s entire life is moved by the foundational experience of God. This inner experience led to varied external expressions in the form of theological dogmas, establishment of religious orders, social commitments, political involvements and so on.
- Struggles/Persecution: Discipleship and struggles were intrinsic to the lives of all the great figures. All of them experienced internal as well as external struggles. If the internal struggle was emphasized in the life of Antony of Egypt, Cassian, Evagrius and Augustine, the external would be emphasized in Ambrose, Chrysostom, Maximus, Benedict and Gregory. The inner and external struggles transformed them into shining witnesses for the community and led others to emulate their example. They faced exile, tortures, humiliations, mutilations and even death in order to bear witness to Christ.
- Transformation: The personal transformation of these individuals led to a transformation of the context and society they lived. Their spiritual depth made them interiorly attuned to the invitation of the Spirit as well as the deception of the false spirit leading towards a heightened sensitivity to what was taking place around them. They responded to the poverty, suffering, ignorance, political machinations, discriminations and religious hypocrisy by responding with discernment, prudence and courage. Their lives reveal to us the unity of an authentic spiritual life – i.e., a unity of growing intimacy with God, along with a commitment to the poor and marginalized
The first millennium reveals the changing contours of Christian spirituality. The first phase consisted in understanding martyrdom as the climax of commitment. With the passage of time, martyrdom would be interpreted differently. The Desert Fathers and Mothers would understand Christian perfection in a more nuanced manner. This would be a period of great spiritual insights and many of the core elements that make up a systematic understanding of Christian spirituality even today would find their origin during this period. The solitude of the desert led these great persons towards an inner journey and their insights were articulated in a systematic manner. While it can be said that the choice of individuals and their insights in this column of Magnet cannot be considered exhaustive, they offer us a glimpse of the wisdom contained in the tradition of Christian Spirituality.
The second millennium would throw up new contexts leading to new and creative responses. Though the challenges were new, the great individuals and movements of the second millennium allowed the lights of the past and the ever new impetus of the Spirit to guide them towards a renewed and progressive realization of the Kingdom.
Fr Francis Pudhicherry SJ
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