Acolyte's Thesis - The Lukewarm Man

[Monomakhos 1849]

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ACOLYTE’S THESIS

The Lukewarm Man

 

Scribed by

ACOLYTE SERAPHIM OF LEORA

 

HOREN’S CALLING

1771

 

An icon depicting the prophet, Exalted Sigismund, after receiving the Scroll of Auspice.

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Section I - Knowledge and Ignorance

Section II - The Sin of Today

Section III - Comfort and the Struggle towards Grace

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| Section I |

 

Glory to you, our Lord Theós. Let the words I speak be true and just, Theós. Let them be remembered in the hearts and minds of all who read this if they are so, and let them be forgotten if they are not so.

 

There is nothing in this world to be held in greater esteem than knowledge. Knowledge is the illumination of the Lord within all things, and most importantly, within the souls of men. The opposite, as it were, is ignorance. And if knowledge is the light of creation, then ignorance is darkness, thus sin. Ignorance, darkness or sin, this foul triune, is proper to the irrational spirit and to the man who does not know in his heart the commands of our Lord. And in turn is knowledge proper to those who are rational, bearing the faculties of understanding. Yet knowledge does not by default entail understanding, for when I write of knowledge I write of true knowledge. False knowledge in so far as it is a knowledge of that which is not, is ignorance and not knowledge. Falsehood is nothing but that which is not. Yet how does one discern falsehood from the truth? It is simple, and all we need do is look towards our sacred scriptures. That we might approach the teacher in whom there is borne no falsehood and who is the truth, our Lord Theós who by the grace of his divine essence, all-powerful and ever eternal unto the ages of ages, gifted to us the labours of our virtue.

 

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| Section II |

 

So let us hear the voice of Him who is the wisdom and the power of all things and then let us learn the true knowledge of all things that are. Approaching with all the attention and sincerity of our soul undefiled by the passions, for even the sharpest eye cannot gain a clear view of the truth that lies before him if the light that is within us becomes darkness, and that darkness itself is stoked by the malignance of sin festering within the heart. And it is this darkness I speak of which has manifested itself upon the peoples of the earth. That has made itself at home in the houses of men and taken them to bed in matrimony of the senses and the soul. If men did not have the so-called ‘nobility’ of sin, then they would have never reached this barbarous state of moral degradation we witness today - that people are destroyed, physically and psychologically. Yet it transcends beyond the material and noetic spirit of man to become a sickness upon the spirit. Men have become as the beasts of the earth, they feel the comfort of sin and do not have the heart to leave it. It has become fashion to them; I weep, to look upon us that we are a Canonist nation, and yet we are in such a pitiable state. When a person today sees a man who walks the other path, the one of truth and knowledge, who strays from sin and purges the passions of the spirit, they think him to be old-fashioned and backwards. To them, to not sin is a crime, an insult, while sin to them is progress.This is the worst thing of all, for if those who lived in darkness would cast aside their pride to at least acknowledge their condition, this illness of the soul, Theós would have mercy on them. They would rather justify what is unjustifiable, to glorify sin; the greatest blasphemy that man might commit in defiance of our Lord. To consider sin as progress and forward-thinking, and morality as backward ignorance. And it is for this reason that those who struggle in the purging of their passions to maintain in life purity and piety will be greatly rewarded. As it is written in the Scroll of Virtue.

 

“I am the Lord God without peer, and My Word is the holy word, and My path is the virtuous path, and all the blessings of the Virtue shall fall before the righteous who tread it.” (Virtue 1:9)

 

“And as I have created for you the struggles of the world, so too do I create the struggles of the spirit. And as I have created the struggles of the world and the spirit, so too do I bring their remedies.  For I have given you the pains of the world, and I have given you their cure. And you shall know the trials of this theater of virtue, and know that they shall strengthen you.” (Virtue 5:5-8)

 

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| Section III |

 

In the old days. In the days when faith came before convenience, perverts and drunkards were shamed to appear in the public. The wife who had strayed only just would have not dared to come out from her home. And this was good; for it served as restraint. Yet in this day, if someone lives in accordance with the virtues of our Lord, they are made fun of. But in the days of old, when lay people sinned, when sickness came upon their souls, they felt in their hearts the burden of their illness, bowed their heads and would not come upon those who lived spiritual lives. Instead they admired the devout for their piety and closeness to our Lord. The greatest travesty is that today, people do not feel guilt in their hearts, nor respect for others. And if a man does not live in accordance to the standards of this new world, he is ridiculed for conviction. As I mentioned before, it is born of convenience. Men look for comfort in all things but they will never be comforted; the passions cannot be justified for they cast a veil over the soul and blind him to the knowledge and teachings of our Lord. We taste in our mouths bitter poison when we live apart from the Lord. And when a sinful man embraces Theós anew, he is alike to a prince who is fed with divine bliss, with heavenly sweetness and all the exultations of Paradise. Even though he lives upon this earth, in himself does he sense a small part of the joys of the life that awaits us in the hereafter. So overwhelmed is his soul that he cannot do any work, that divine warmth makes his knees buckle as if they were candlesticks and his heart leaps and wishes to fly out because this world and all things material appear worthless in comparison to the divine. And this is why men must strive to drive the darkness from their hearts. To purge the passions and open their eyes to the wisdom and knowledge that our Lord grants freely. For a person who has distanced himself from the Lord, who embraces sin and the luxuries and conveniences of this world receives in him demonic influence, whereas a person who is close to God, who embraces him, receives his grace and the promise of paradise in the hereafter. And that is the highest calling to which all men must answer.

 

May the Lord Theós offer us mercy unto the ages of ages for our countless sins against Him and may He offer us a long life so we may repent from such sins.

Through the prayers and intercessions of the holy Exalted prophets, the Exalted Sigismund whom this thesis is dedicated to, the Holy Mother of Mankind and of Peace Saint Julia, and all the saints. Amen.

 

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[JoanOfArc 4604]

Father Griffith praised his acolyte for his extraordinarily detailed thesis, speaking the words, “Another theologian in the making! I am astonished by your knowledge and your humility in being dedicated to learning more!” He knew one thing about the acolyte he was raising to become a priest; a word that crossed his mind the moment he laid eyes on the man. And that was holiness.

[thesmellypocket 1859]

Pius of Sutica considers imposing the word "Filioque" on this thesis.