Flesh versus Spirit

Posted: June 30, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Etcetera | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This posting focuses on St Paul’s observed spiritual conflict between flesh and spirit, or that between sinfulness and holiness.  The Apostle describes this battle in the seventh chapter of his letter to the first century Roman Christians.  He writes about this intense conflict that took place within him while a Pharisee under the Mosaic Law.  A portion of his exposition is found in the following verses:

Now, if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells [oikousa] in me.  So, I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.  For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self.  But, I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which exists in my members (Romans 7: 20 – 23).

Yet, with these words, St Paul does not excuse this inner civil war — he gives praise to his Savior:

Wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?  I give thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord…So there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus set me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 7: 25a – 8:2).

Given this truth, this reality, St Paul then moves on in the eighth chapter of Romans:

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit since the Spirit of God dwells [oikei] in you.  Now, if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this one is not his.  But, if Christ is in you, indeed the body is dead on account of sin, yet the spirit lives on account of righteousness.  Now, if the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells [oikei] in you, the one who raised Christ will bring to life even your mortal body on account of his Spirit who is living [enoikouv] in you.  So then, brothers we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — for if you live according to the flesh you are going to die.  But, if by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body you will live (Romans 8: 9 – 13).

This is the teaching of the Church and we are to pray for, and work for our sanctification, or the development holiness of in life.  This can be seen from a portion of the Prayer of the Hours.  It asks this of God:  “Sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, set aright our minds, and cleanse our thoughts.”  Elsewhere, in another epistle, The Apostle prays that this godliness may be our reality:  “Now, may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely… (1 Thessalonians 5: 23a).”  The verbal form “may…sanctify” is stating that this is his hope for them — it is not guaranteed.  This sanctification must be attained by ongoing cooperation with, and the leading by, the Holy Spirit.  The third Person of the Trinity is to be allowed to operate in our lives:

For as many who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.  For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to again fall into fear, but you received a spirit of sonship by which we cry, “Abba, Father!” (Romans 8: 14 – 15).

In a number of the verses noted above, two Greek verbs were highlighted within brackets.  These are oikein (to live in) and enoikein (to live as a member of a household).  With the verb oikein, St Paul states that both sin and the Spirit live in us.  But with the verb enoikein, only the Holy Spirit is to live in us as a member of our households.

I recently had a dream where many people occupied my home (some of them were quite disturbing in appearance).  They were trespassers.  They had to be thrown out of my house.  It was a battle, and I had to use physical force to push them out.  So, it was either me or them.  The two occupants were incompatible.  Similar to my dream, sin and corruption are illegal squatters, foul inhabitants, who must be evicted.  As this process of eviction continues, the welcome Spirit of God indwells more, and more of our homes.

Jesus Christ Conquers

So, how do we evict sin from our home?  Be sure, we have the rightful power to throw it out.  We are given the spiritual weapons.  We have the powerful force of the Sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist.  We have the spiritual practices of prayer and fasting.  We are to accomplish the good works of faith.  And we have the inspiring lives of the saints — their tactics and methods of spiritual warfare are to be copied.  Additionally, we must have a game plan.  We must determine in advance how we will act by faith in certain settings and challenging situations where we know there will be the chance of the attack of sin.   Our battle plan is to ensure we win the moment.  We need to alter thought practices by replacing them with prayer, words of blessing, and the recitation of Scriptures.  And in addition we are to utilize holy exercises that will bring about the eviction of the squatter.  For example, we have in our arsenal the posture of prostration before an icon of Christ — we maintain this position of humility coupled with prayer until the temptation passes.

We are all in the same struggle, and we all have the same goal.  But remember, as we cooperate with God in this continual battle, God will have the victory:  Jesus Christ conquers!

In Christ, 

Fr Irenaeus

Lamp of the Body, Lamp of the Mind

Posted: October 4, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Etcetera | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

In St Matthew’s gospel we read this statement from Jesus: “The eye is the lamp of the body (Mt 6: 22).”  This is not a scientific statement — it will not be found in any  textbook of anatomy or physiology.  Our Lord continues his statement,  “If your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light.”  This is what is to be understood:  vision directs the actions of the body to proper movement, work, and activity.  In contrast, if one is blind, then the actions of the body are conducted in darkness.  With blindness proper action, work, and activity are altered.  In the ancient world’s realities, blindness generally led to impoverishment and want.

Light and Life

The Fathers of the Church made this connection:  As the eye is to the body, so the mind is to the soul.  Thus, if the mind is filled with the light of Christ there will be proper action, work, and activities that are pleasing to God.  If the mind is darkened by sin and worldly understanding one will be governed by passion and such works will be displeasing to God.

Hence, the battle is in the mind.  The Prayer of the Hours contains in its central portion this petition:  “…sanctify our souls, purify our bodies, set aright our minds, cleanse our thoughts…”  With a healthy eye there is a healthy body.  With a holy mind there is a healthy and holy soul.

How will the purified, properly oriented mind lead to proper perceptions and actions in our lives regarding the needs of the body and money?  In the verses that follow Mt 6:22 our Lord speaks of wealth, and the need for food and clothing.  Christ declares this about the mind obsessed with wealth:

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and wealth (Mt 6: 24).

One may have wealth and serve God first if one has a healthy mind.  Such a person can follow this directive of Christ:  “Store up treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is, there also is your heart!”  (Mt 6: 20 — 21).  In contrast, if one clamors for wealth and relentlessly seeks it without any thought for God, one will have gained the whole world, yet will have lost one’s soul.

In following verses (Mt 6: 25 — 34) our Lord speaks of everyday needs and the anxieties that do arise from these cares,

Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, with what you will clothe yourself.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than these?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his statue?  (Mt 6: 25 — 27)

Jesus continues this teaching:

Therefore, do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat? or, “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?”  For after all these things the nations seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be given to you (Mt 6: 31 — 33, emphasis added).

In all honesty, though, such anxieties and worries can afflict the faithful.  Such matters can weigh heavily on the mind.  We find ourselves in the grip of runaway inflation caused by foolish and terrible monetary policies.  This, in turn, has brought upon many very hard choices and understandable concern.  Day to day choices are now made that may not have been necessary in recent years.  These choices must be made not only for self-interest, but also for one’s neighbor.  Many consumptive habits are to be altered, decreased, and even eliminated in some cases.  Though such changes of habits have come about by ill conceived governmental policies and dictates, such lifestyle alterations may be of benefit to the soul.

However, I bristle at the mandated demands for change made by secular powers.  It is my opinion that they are not for the good of humanity or the environment, but are mandates placed upon us for their own further empowerment and enrichment.  I recall the cynical definition of the Golden Rule:  “Those with the gold make the rules.” The wealthy, powerful elite make the rules only to strengthen their “hold on the gold.”

In the past two years I find it ironic that the power elite are calling on our sacrifices to protect — primarily — the environment.  I am suspicious.  If they are not “doing for the children” so much anymore, they are doing in “for the environment.”  I am for the environment!  I am for its protection and healing.  I am for the welfare and well being of every human and every creature.  We are to bless God’s creation, cultivate, and nurture it.  We are never to exploit any creature or any part of the creation.  But, I am suspicious of the true motives of the power elite of the West.  A British commentator recently summed up their mindset quite clearly:  “It’s not that they love the environment so much as it is that they hate humanity.”  In all of this that is set before us in these days, we are not to think that such manipulation is new.  St. James gives us his wise and holy perspective from the first century:

…Is it not the rich who oppress you, is it not they who drag you into court?  Is it not they who blaspheme that honorable Name by which you are called?  (James 2: 6b — 7)

Yet, we do not need to vilify them.  We are to have eyes wide open.  We are to be perceptive — very perceptive and alert.  Ultimately, it is not the power elite that are our enemies.  St. Paul clarifies,

For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world ruler of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore, take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6: 12 — 13).

Jesus Christ Conquers

The battle is in the mind.  We are to see with eyes of wisdom, peace, and holiness.  With a healthy eye and a holy mind, we must come together to meet the common needs of each other when they arrive.  Every sacrifice we may be forced to make — we are to make to the glory of God — not to appease those who hold oppressive power.  In all these matters, though meant to work against us, we can redeem them in and by Christ to the good of all and all things.  Every abasement that we may have to endure is to be seen for our salvation that Christ may be more fully formed in us.  By the utilization of truth, righteousness, the Gospel, peace, faith, salvation, prayer, and perseverance we will stand in Christ with and for one another by a wise, peaceful, and holy vision (see Ephesians 6: 14 — 18).  And being thus armored, when necessary, faithfully, and peacefully, resist our oppressors who do the bidding of dark powers.

Once more, as we find in the Prayer of the Hours, we are to ask God to “set aright our minds and cleanse our thoughts.”  Thus, we will have a healthy mind and a sound spirit to face every challenge that will come our way to the glory of God!

In Christ,

Fr. Irenaeus