Asceticism: My Two Cents
The hierarchical model of asceticism was primarily based in the Greek philosophical school, in which the whole of the cosmos fit into a structured order of higher and lower. The spiritual realities, pneuma, were ranked higher then those things bound to the physical, material worlds, bound in the hyle. Thus, when those of a Greek background began taking up the new religion of Christianity for their own, they continued to hold onto their hierarchical understanding of the world, transferring this philosophy into a new theological context. This model tends to see the body and the physical in contradiction, constant opposition or obstacle to the spiritual plane that one should aspire to, in their understanding. I primarily see this as a weakness in ones taking up of a mode of asceticism.
Coming from a background of theological study which was ingrained not only in an understanding of this hierarchy, but which took this philosophical hierarchy ex cathedra, so to speak, I have seen its many detrimental effects. One tends to see the world as a “prison or cage” as this hierarchy begins to steep every aspect of ones life and thought. Ones “spiritual life” can easily become something in a sense detached from ones work, interaction and whole life. This philosophy taken over to theological contexts, in my experience, transferred an entire student body’s understanding of gender, filtered individual personalities into “a role,” and emphasized reason as higher then emotion.
I find these issues to contend. Chrsitians should gravely question whether or not the cosmos should be so strictly categorized, or in a theological context, whether Christ desires this compartmentalization of our entire being, for separation and disunity are always the result of the fall. Moreover, this hierarchy seems to be in contradiction to the message of Christ who says: “Take my yoke upon you; yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.” In this, Christ commands us to take up his yoke, that yoke he carries being a very physical cross, one which we must embrace in heart, mind, strength and soul: in every aspect of our being. This hierarchy of the cosmos even seems to contrast with Saint Paul in his words to the Galatians, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free person, woman nor man. (imagine the cultural shock of a Greek audience)” Lastly I see it in contrast to the “baptismal equality” of John Paul II.
The incarnational model of asceticism can be seen demonstrated in the thought and lives of two thirteenths century men, Francis and Bonaventure. “The world itself was for Francis that form in which God may be known, loved and served. The sensible world, far from distracting a person fro the greater reality of abstractions, was the arena in which the activity of God could be discerned. Francis’ goal was not to free himself from the sensible world, but to practice holiness in participation with it (Miles, 115).” Perhaps a good illustration or expression of the incarnational model of asceticism is the [Benedictine] motto “Ora et labora,” which it seems links the call to pray unceasingly and yet to be living in equilibrium between body and soul, balanced, and as far as is possible, restoring the state of “Integritas.”
According to Miles’ understanding, the existential intentionality of all of humanity partakes in a particular energy, what she defines as a “desperate and unconscious demand: “the flesh” (Miles, 22).” I believe that in this century there is (perhaps a greater need then in past eras for a) new and positive asceticism, one which recognizes and properly channels the power and beauty of what “the flesh” speaks, both to and of our identity. I believe that this mysterious, magnetic force which Miles describes in the traditional semantics of Saint Paul (who introduced this terminology) is possibly a type of divine imprint, or map, ingrained in our being, in order to direct us towards the completion of our being, a concept not limited to the intellectual, dogmatic formulations of the Christian tradition, but rooted in every culture; in every heart.
The reason I suggest that a new asceticism is greatly needed in our time, is that the “desperate and unconscious demand” we observe in ourselves and humanity seems to have been heightened. We stand in the bleak ruins of the emotional and spiritual disasters of communism, ideologies spreading the love and honor death, world wars, and atomic bombs. The state of dehydration of the spirit within us, the lack of the nourishment one finds in meditation, silence, and inner quiet, creates a man more desperate and spirit-starved then in any known culture. The lacking of connection to “the source” is greater, ergo the desperation and demand is greater. The relentless demands of the flesh can only be satisfied by one-ness with the Life-source. Miles posits that the effect of the flesh’s desire being directed towards (and taking control of) the body, and the natural desires of the body, leads to an “agenda of sex, power and possession (Miles, 23).” There is evidence in observance of history and society that the flesh has generally taken control of the body in modern American culture, for these three goals are at the fiber of the media, trade and virtually every aspect of life in America today.
Any ascetic practice requires the body’s continual state of “nourishment and patterns of habit” to be reset, in order to reset the state of the soul, as they are intrinsically connected. I believe an effective way of implementing this realization of soul-blody connect in mainstream society is to bring to mind the very central focus of health already present and demonstrate as far as possible that spiritual health and physical health are intrinsically connected. Any health magazine will opint to the connection between peace of soul and bodily harmony. Statistics and medical sciences reflect this connection. For example, they reveal that multiple, random sexual partners is simply unhealthy for the body and percentage wise, points to early death and /or a wide-variety of illness. This could be seen as pointing to the soul-body link. Modern Americans already understand thoroughly that eating well and good bodily care is a good to be sought. it affects moods, feelings, performance, energy, etc. One can very easily raise this already present understanding to the next level and incorporate the spiritual with the physical.
Coming from a background of theological study which was ingrained not only in an understanding of this hierarchy, but which took this philosophical hierarchy ex cathedra, so to speak, I have seen its many detrimental effects. One tends to see the world as a “prison or cage” as this hierarchy begins to steep every aspect of ones life and thought. Ones “spiritual life” can easily become something in a sense detached from ones work, interaction and whole life. This philosophy taken over to theological contexts, in my experience, transferred an entire student body’s understanding of gender, filtered individual personalities into “a role,” and emphasized reason as higher then emotion.
I find these issues to contend. Chrsitians should gravely question whether or not the cosmos should be so strictly categorized, or in a theological context, whether Christ desires this compartmentalization of our entire being, for separation and disunity are always the result of the fall. Moreover, this hierarchy seems to be in contradiction to the message of Christ who says: “Take my yoke upon you; yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.” In this, Christ commands us to take up his yoke, that yoke he carries being a very physical cross, one which we must embrace in heart, mind, strength and soul: in every aspect of our being. This hierarchy of the cosmos even seems to contrast with Saint Paul in his words to the Galatians, “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free person, woman nor man. (imagine the cultural shock of a Greek audience)” Lastly I see it in contrast to the “baptismal equality” of John Paul II.
The incarnational model of asceticism can be seen demonstrated in the thought and lives of two thirteenths century men, Francis and Bonaventure. “The world itself was for Francis that form in which God may be known, loved and served. The sensible world, far from distracting a person fro the greater reality of abstractions, was the arena in which the activity of God could be discerned. Francis’ goal was not to free himself from the sensible world, but to practice holiness in participation with it (Miles, 115).” Perhaps a good illustration or expression of the incarnational model of asceticism is the [Benedictine] motto “Ora et labora,” which it seems links the call to pray unceasingly and yet to be living in equilibrium between body and soul, balanced, and as far as is possible, restoring the state of “Integritas.”
According to Miles’ understanding, the existential intentionality of all of humanity partakes in a particular energy, what she defines as a “desperate and unconscious demand: “the flesh” (Miles, 22).” I believe that in this century there is (perhaps a greater need then in past eras for a) new and positive asceticism, one which recognizes and properly channels the power and beauty of what “the flesh” speaks, both to and of our identity. I believe that this mysterious, magnetic force which Miles describes in the traditional semantics of Saint Paul (who introduced this terminology) is possibly a type of divine imprint, or map, ingrained in our being, in order to direct us towards the completion of our being, a concept not limited to the intellectual, dogmatic formulations of the Christian tradition, but rooted in every culture; in every heart.
The reason I suggest that a new asceticism is greatly needed in our time, is that the “desperate and unconscious demand” we observe in ourselves and humanity seems to have been heightened. We stand in the bleak ruins of the emotional and spiritual disasters of communism, ideologies spreading the love and honor death, world wars, and atomic bombs. The state of dehydration of the spirit within us, the lack of the nourishment one finds in meditation, silence, and inner quiet, creates a man more desperate and spirit-starved then in any known culture. The lacking of connection to “the source” is greater, ergo the desperation and demand is greater. The relentless demands of the flesh can only be satisfied by one-ness with the Life-source. Miles posits that the effect of the flesh’s desire being directed towards (and taking control of) the body, and the natural desires of the body, leads to an “agenda of sex, power and possession (Miles, 23).” There is evidence in observance of history and society that the flesh has generally taken control of the body in modern American culture, for these three goals are at the fiber of the media, trade and virtually every aspect of life in America today.
Any ascetic practice requires the body’s continual state of “nourishment and patterns of habit” to be reset, in order to reset the state of the soul, as they are intrinsically connected. I believe an effective way of implementing this realization of soul-blody connect in mainstream society is to bring to mind the very central focus of health already present and demonstrate as far as possible that spiritual health and physical health are intrinsically connected. Any health magazine will opint to the connection between peace of soul and bodily harmony. Statistics and medical sciences reflect this connection. For example, they reveal that multiple, random sexual partners is simply unhealthy for the body and percentage wise, points to early death and /or a wide-variety of illness. This could be seen as pointing to the soul-body link. Modern Americans already understand thoroughly that eating well and good bodily care is a good to be sought. it affects moods, feelings, performance, energy, etc. One can very easily raise this already present understanding to the next level and incorporate the spiritual with the physical.
posted by Velvet at 1:53 PM
1 Comments:
The ordering of the the cosmos, the hierarchy treansfers into all of life. Pneuma over hyle is not the only thing forced into a hierarchy for the Greeks. Reason is placed over passions. Which translated socially into man over woman etc etc etc Everything is classified into an exact role.
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