Stages of Spiritual Growth.

        In Orthodox theology and spirituality masters and students of the subject have proposed several patterns or stages, variously named, for measuring spiritual growth. A basic one consists of a paradigm of three stages: (a) purification (katharsis), (b) illumination (photisis), and © perfection (teleiosis). One might use this three-stage pattern as a heuristic model to discuss three levels of theological discernment and diagnosis in Christian life. We should not think that these levels or stages are sharply separated. On the contrary, they are dynamically connected, interpenetrating each other especially at the points of their boundaries, and each level includes gradations of considerable range. To give them titles for discussion, these three levels of discernment may be called: (a) practical, (b) spiritual, and mystical. Some remarks on each may be in order.

        The practical level of discernment pertains to the entire range of Christian practices such as worship, study, ethical obedience, fasting, service to others, and unceasing struggle against evil. Practical discernment has to do with such matters as learning to pray, finding time to pray, perceiving and cultivating patterns of Christian behavior at home and work, distinguishing and choosing priorities according to Christian teaching, finding ways of seeking forgiveness and reconciling with others, anticipating and avoiding occasions of sin, and many other similar nuts and bolts of Christian life. Such insights deserve to be called theological because they involve elementary knowledge of God's truths and God's will about what is good and evil, right and wrong, appropriate and inappropriate, pursuable and avoidable, based on received tradition. This practical theological discernment is strongly guided by the community of faith and its leaders. To be sure, the personal faith, innate moral sense, and individual reason of the Christian are intimately and intricately involved as well, and not without profound and complex struggles beginning with true repentance, a deep conversion of the mind and heart to Christ. Yet one's own discernment is elementary, based on the teaching, guidance, and way of life of the Christian community.

        The goal of this first stage is purity of heart from evil passions, that is, the liberation of personhood from the bonds of fallen humanity — the whole corporate and personal pattern of selfishness, manipulation, greed, exploitation, corruption, anger, hatred, cynicism, and despair. The saints teach that sin and evil are foreign to human nature, a distortion of the image and likeness of God, a beclouding of reason and moral sense, a sickness of the soul, a corruption of humanity and creation. By sin is not meant some moralistic transgression, as sin is often trivialized by some, but the power of sin expressed in human life through wrong choices, wrong goals, wrong relationships, wrong attitudes, wrong values, wrong acts, wrong use of things — all those things which define the forces of alienation and disintegration in humanity, community, as well as the environment. The way to health and wholeness is through the grace of God and the stable practice of the evangelical virtues such as faithfulness, humility, self-control, service, holiness, and love, as well renouncement of self-will, egomania, and indulgence to evil passions.

        Because unruly human nature easily follows its own ways and falls prey to many temptations, the ascetic disciplines of regular prayer, fasting, and meditative reading help in centering the mind on the living God, freeing persons from ingrained habits of sin, purifying the heart, restoring human rationality and moral capacity, and opening the way to ongoing inner transformation. Among the fruits and criteria of progress in this way of life are growing stability of Christian behavior, an inner sense of purpose and well-being, moments of true peace and joy in the Lord, and desire to learn more about and to grow closer to the mystery of the living Christ.

        The grace of the Holy Spirit is active in all the stages of Christian growth but its gracious action in the Christian becomes more conscious in the second stage of illumination. Spiritual discernment, a critical mark of illumination, already begins in the higher levels of the previous stage, that of purification, and is signified by the occasional warm and joyful stirrings of the Holy Spirit in the depths of one's being. As these stirrings become more frequent, the Christian experiences illumination at the same time. At this second stage the Spirit becomes a more abiding presence, a growing flame, a lantern of the soul, and a source of living waters as Christ said. At this level discernment may be called truly spiritual primarily because it is a gift of the Holy Spirit and secondarily because the Christian through illumination acquires a deeper understanding of the meaning of what he practices as a Christian.

        We need not quibble about terminology. In the patristic tradition this second stage is called theoria, often translated contemplation. However, it is not contemplation in the sense of meditative cogitation on a verse of Scripture, a Christian truth, or an aspect of creation, things which in themselves are of course commendable. Rather theoria is a dynamic state of being in which the Christian can testify to an inner conscious awareness of grace working in the heart, a profound sense of being surrounded and penetrated by the divine presence, and a radiant sense of awe, wonder, and gratitude about everything. Theoria may be translated consciousness of grace, awareness of God's presence, spiritual vision, that is, vision of God, as the etymology of the term theoria (theoro=“see God”)indicates. However, it is not yet an actual mystical vision of the uncreated glory of God in its greater reality, nor certainly a psychological vision in terms of created images, but an abiding lively awareness of God's presence — precisely a spiritual vision of all things in the light of the divine presence.

        At this level of illumination, spiritual discernment is neither directly connected, nor necessarily dependent on acquired theological knowledge. One may possess a theological doctorate and be known as a famous scholar in theology, but be entirely devoid of spiritual discernment (and, alas, sometimes even practical discernment). However, this level coherently builds on and also transcends practical discernment just as theoria builds on and transcends the first stage of praxis (“practice”) without ever leaving behind the praxis. To give some examples, practical discernment perceives the Christian obligation to speak the truth, spiritual discernment perceives the freedom that truth works. Practical discernment distinguishes the importance of love, spiritual discernment is guided by the power of love. Practical discernment knows that prayer brings one before God's presence, spiritual discernment delights in prayerful communion with God. In the former case discernment is based on theological knowledge, whether elementary or expert, acquired from the ongoing tradition of the community and also based on God-given abilities of reason and moral sense. In the latter case discernment is a gift of the Holy Spirit which has cleansed the powers of the soul and crowned the received knowledge with a spiritual light. In the full stage of theoria, knowledge of God is no longer simply pedagogical or abstract, it is personal communion with God. Theology becomes spirituality and spirituality is true theology. The Orthodox definition of theologian is not merely a person who is professionally trained and holds a theological degree but a person who knows God through faith, goodness, purity, and a life of deep prayer.

        Many examples of spiritual discernment can be given from the saints. There is a story in the Desert Fathers similar to the account of the adulterous woman brought before Christ. A certain brother in a monastery fell into disgrace. He came before the Elder Anthony and together with him came many brothers who, wishful to restore him to proper monastic discipline, overwhelmed him with reproaches. Now the Elder Paphnoutios was also present and told the brothers a parable they had never heard before. “I saw,” said Abba Paphnoutios, “on the bank of the river a man sunk to his knees in the mud; and some came up with outstretched arms to pull him out, and they sunk him to the neck.” Then Abba Anthony said: “Behold a man who can truly heal the soul.” Hearing these words the brothers were cut to the heart, repented of their overzealous tactics, and restored the erring brother to the community. In a similar spirit Abba Makarios used to say: “A proud and ill word would turn good men to evil, but a good and humble word would turn evil men to better.” And another Father, echoing the words of Jesus, said: “The devil cannot cast out devils.”

        One has of course much to learn from such stories and all the treasures of the wisdom of the saints. One should also seek, with humility and prudence, to practices such teachings and principles even while striving at the first stage of purification. However, at the stage of theoria, which is the level of illumination, spiritual discernment is ad hoc, that is, spontaneous, intuitive, truly inspired by the Holy Spirit. Spiritual discernment perceives not only spiritual insights but expresses and applies them with spiritual power and freedom appropriate to the needs and circumstances of the moment, often transcending and even seemingly going against Christian convention. The Jewish religious leaders who came before Jesus, just as the accusing brothers who came before Anthony and Paphnoutios, had a legitimate claim to uphold their respective traditions. Yet Jesus and the two elders of the desert perceived a far greater truth, a truth of love, which did not necessarily reject the demand of the law but affirmed the more profound purpose of the law, that is, to give life.

        The third stage of Christian growth, the stage of perfection, cannot occupy our attention long because only the perfect can speak about perfection. The lives and writings of Saint Isaac the Syrian, Saint Symeon the New Theologian, and others, give evidence of a truly mystical level of union with God in His uncreated light and glory. These saints speak of actual visions of the risen Christ as uncreated light which penetrates the beholder and transforms him into light as fire radiates through glowing iron. Such saints, including Moses, the great prophets, the apostles, Saint Paul converted on the Damascus road by a vision of divine light, and many others, known and unknown in the Christian tradition, are primary witnesses of revelation and pillars of the life of the Church. At this level one might speak of a truly mystical cognition, mystical discernment, grounded in the actual experience of theosis (“divinization”), and often prophetic, radical, and disturbing in its bold call for repentance and a life worthy of God. “It is not [your] theological knowledge which is the light,” cried out Saint Symeon to Byzantine theologians of his time, “but the [uncreated] light which is the knowledge.” He called emperors, patriarchs, bishops, priests, monastics and lay people to deep repentance and to apostolic life through an adult baptism of the Holy Spirit. He was cast out of Constantinople and died in exile. Within one or two generations the Church proclaimed him a saint and gave him the distinct title New Theologian.