And the acquisition of a humble and a contrite heart
When the monk attempts to rely on his own strength to do battle with his fallen nature, he will be defeated. The arena, his field of battle, takes place in his own heart, and will be a life long battle. The monk must manifest his word in deeds, and his weapons in this unseen warfare, must be based on complete lack of self-reliance. His monastic skufa serves as his helmet, symbolizing his total reliance on God’s mercy. His shield and his coat of mail, is his firm trust in He whom he serves. The monk’s armor, his cassock, is bound with his belt, which is the cutting off of bodily passions.
The monk’s boots keep him grounded in humility, and serve as a recognition of his powerlessness in this spiritual warfare without having put on Christ each hour. The Prayer Rope becomes his sword, which he holds in one hand, assuring that the Jesus Prayer is ever on his lips and within his heart. His spear, which he holds in his other hand, is the blessing cross, representing his firm resolve to resist the passions which assail him.
The food that sustains him in his battle against the enemy, is frequent communion with God, both through the mystery of the Holy Eucharist, and inwardly; the clear and cloudless atmosphere, which enables him to see the enemy from afar. Finally, the monks mantle reminds him that he must be dead to the world, for this very cloth will become his burial shroud.
The monk must be on guard, ever quick to ask forgiveness of his brothers, ever ready to account before them, his failure to live the Gospels in fullness and truth. For the monk, not a day, not even an hour, must pass without examining his conscience, for only in being ruthless with himself, will he rid every trace of the old man, the fallen man, from his life. The whole of a monks life must be given over the the acquisition of the Holy Spirit, and a humble and a contrite heart.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
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