Holy Resurrection
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St. John Cassian's Threefold Renunciation of the World
6:30
The speaker outlines three kinds of renunciation taught by St. John Cassian in Conference III of the Philokalia. The first is bodily departure from possessions and wealth. The second is abandonment of vices and passions of soul and body, the former way of life. The third is turning the mind from everything present and visible to contemplate the future and desire the invisible and eternal.
The Lord's command to Abraham to leave his land, kindred, and father's house signifies these three renunciations together: land represents worldly wealth, kindred represents habits and vices attached from birth, and father's house represents every remembrance of the world and what appears before our eyes. The third renunciation occurs when, having died with Christ to the elements of the world, we look not at things seen but at things unseen, for the seen are temporal and the unseen eternal, turning our mind toward the eternal dwelling.
The speaker emphasizes that bodily renunciation alone profits nothing if inner passions remain. The Apostle teaches that even giving all goods to the poor and martyrdom without love is worthless. If the inward man remains impatient, wrathful, envious, proud, or self-seeking, the outward renunciation is worthless.
It profits little to accomplish the first renunciation with fervor but not the second with equal zeal; we must attain the third, departing in heart from the house of the former father according to the old man and directing the mind wholly toward the heavenly. We must not imitate the Israelites who, after tasting heavenly manna, longed for the unclean foods of Egypt, saying it was well with them in Egypt; whoever returns to former cares after renouncing the world says the same in thought.
Passions must be cut off and cast away while still in this body, or they will accompany the soul after death. Virtues and vices are the true wealth that remains inseparably with the soul, which no king can give and no enemy can take away, not even death. Those who renounce the world inevitably face warfare against the passions from the very beginning.
St. John Cassian treats this warfare in the fourth and fifth Conferences and in detail in the Institutes, from which the speaker will draw what is most essential.
Key moments
- There are three kinds of renunciation: bodily leaving riches and possessions, abandoning former way of life and passions of soul and body, and drawing the mind from everything present and visible to contemplate the future and desire the invisible.
- The Lord's command to Abraham, "Go forth from your land, kindred, and father's house", signifies the three renunciations: land is worldly wealth, kindred is former habits and vices attached from birth, father's house is every remembrance of the world and what appears before our eyes.
- The third renunciation occurs when, having died with Christ to the elements of the world, we look not at things seen but at things unseen, for the seen are temporal and the unseen eternal, turning our mind toward the eternal dwelling.
- It profits little to accomplish the first renunciation with fervor but not the second with equal zeal; we must attain the third, departing in heart from the house of the former father according to the old man and directing the mind wholly toward the heavenly.
- We must not imitate the Israelites who, after tasting heavenly manna, longed for the unclean foods of Egypt, saying "It was well with us in Egypt"; whoever returns to former cares after renouncing the world says the same in thought.
- The Apostle proclaims that even if one bestows all goods to feed the poor and gives the body to be burned but lacks love, it profits nothing; if the inward man remains impatient, wrathful, envious, proud, or self-seeking, the outward renunciation is worthless.
- Passions must be cut off and cast away while still in this body, or they will not cease to accompany the soul after death; virtues and vices are the true wealth that remains inseparably with the soul, which no king can give and no enemy can take away, not even death.
- Those who renounce the world inevitably face warfare against the passions from the very beginning; St. John Cassian treats this warfare in the fourth and fifth Conferences and in detail in the Institutes, from which the speaker will draw what is most essential.