Joe Versus the Volcano: St Arsenius the Great

Tuesday, 19 July 2011

St Arsenius the Great

Today is the feast of St Arsenius the Great, who was born in around 350 A.D. in Rome to a Christian, Roman senatorial family. He was made a deacon by Pope Damasus I who recommended him to Byzantine Emperor Theodosius I the Great as a tutor for his sons. After spending several years living in luxury in Constantinople with the imperial family, he retired to the desert to pursue a life of prayer, solitude and repentance. Known for his often-repeated saying “Many times I spoke, and as a result felt sorry, but I never regretted my silence”, he died in 445 at the age of nearly 100. There is an engaging bigraphy on the Coptic Orthodox Church Network.

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Cyril of Alexandria

"After Christ had completed his mission on earth, it still remained necessary for us to become sharers in the divine nature of the Word. We had to give up our own life and be so transformed that we would begin to live an entirely new kind of life that would be pleasing to God. This was something we could do only by sharing in the Holy Spirit....When the time came for Christ to ascend to his heavenly Father, it was necessary for him to be united through his Spirit to those who worshipped him, and to dwell in our hearts through faith."

Basil of Caesarea

"Just as when a sunbeam falls on bright and transparent bodies, they themselves become brilliant too, and shed forth a fresh brightness from themselves, so souls wherein the Spirit dwells, illuminated by the Spirit, themselves become spiritual, and send forth their grace to others. Hence comes foreknowledge of the future, understanding of mysteries, apprehension of what is hidden, distribution of good gifts, the heavenly citizenship, a place in the chorus of angels, joy without end, abiding in God, the being made like to God, and, highest of all, the being made God."

Benedict of Nursia

"We believe that the divine presence is everywhere and that ‘the eyes of the Lord are looking on the good and the evil in every place’. But we should believe this especially without any doubt when we are assisting at the Work of God. To that end let us be mindful always of the Prophet's words ‘Serve the Lord in fear’, and again, ‘Sing praises wisely’, and ‘In the sight of the Angels I will sing praise to Thee’. Let us therefore consider how we ought to conduct ourselves in the sight of the Godhead and of His Angels, and let us take part in the psalmody in such a way that our mind may be in harmony with our voice."