The Ascetical Homilies of St. Isaac the Syrian - Homily I, Part III

Holy inebriation! We are to become drunk with faith.  For those inebriated with alcohol there is often a loss of the capacity to think about things or see things clearly. For those inebriated with faith, there is a loss of sight of the things of this world and attraction to them because one’s gaze is fixed upon the Beloved. Love alone draws the soul forward. Indeed, it is by the grace of God that we make that initial turn towards Him and so begin to see with a greater clarity the inconstancy that sin brings into our life and the healing, the hope, and the joy that faith alone provides.  

Our senses and our natural faculties that we use constantly to perceive the world around us often become a source of distortion because of the weakening of our will and the darkening of our intellect. And even if these faculties should function perfectly, they still are incapable of comprehending God as he is in himself.  

When faith begins to grow, we begin to see the presence of God in all things and his Providence acting on our behalf. Love, seeks union and communion and perfect Love is present in our lives in a transformative fashion. We need not fear affliction, poverty, or the hatred of others knowing that we are loved with a perfect love. We are never in isolation when we are in Christ through faith and the grace that he provides us. The inconstancy of sin is replaced with the stability and fearlessness of faith. The world can take everything from us, including our honor, and yet we find no loss in it. With St Paul we count all things as refuse in comparison to knowing Jesus Christ and him crucified. Isaac wants a to understand the need to be fully immersed in this love, to be inebriated by it and permeated by it so that it shapes our entire existence.

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Text of chat during the group:

00:02:32 Paisios: Baptismal. One moment I'll get headphones.

00:09:33 Una: I see we have a dog and cat in attendance tonight

00:09:45 Una: Very Franciscan

00:09:59 Una: Are they keen on Isaac?

00:14:26 Bob Čihák, AZ: P. 114, # 7

00:16:53 Paisios: Reacted to "Are they keen on I..." with ❤️

00:22:00 Eric Jobe: There is an emphasis here on “perception” (rgeshta), which he repeats, a perception of the power of faith versus the perception of visible matter. I think this keys into the notion of being drunk. When we are drunk, we lose perception. If we are drunk with faith, we lose perception of worldly things and become perceptive to spiritual things.

00:22:07 Una: How does this paragraph fit with the essence/energy ?

00:23:10 Una: Thank you

00:23:40 Jamie: Reacted to "There is an emphas..." with 👍

00:23:42 Lee Graham: Reacted to "There is an emphasis…" with ❤️

00:27:50 Alex Underwood: Reacted to "There is an emphasis..." with 👍

00:36:46 Bob Čihák, AZ: Just over the last few days, my nous perceived than I am a reflection of God in that He created me in His “image and likeness.” Other people are also blessed in this way. I’m seeing Christ more easily in others.

00:37:18 Rachel L.: Is it wrong then,to want to be comfortable around people,  want friends, and have relationships with others outside of my family?

00:37:50 Anthony: Our parish priest said something very important: it is very difficult to commit a mortal sin. 
This counters a tendency to fear we will lose God, that is kind of common among "traditional" ways of thinking.

00:37:58 Rachel L.: I'm confused about the practical application of this

00:42:35 Eric Jobe: St. Isaac makes a contrast between fear of death and fear of God (who destroys death by death). It seems we are controlled by one or the other, as if some type of fear is necessary. Why? Perhaps because we lack perfect love that “casts out all fear”. I believe it is something that Diadochos of Photiki talks about in Philokalia Vol. 1.

00:42:44 Joshua Sander: I've been reading commentary on the book of Job, and it seems to correspond well to this paragraph, especially demanding investigation due to a lack of faith, and then moving from that to a faith that is born of grace and viewing God relationally rather than legalistically. Do Isaac or any of the other Fathers view Job's journey in this way?

00:45:14 Catherine Opie: Reacted to "There is an emphasis..." with ❤️

00:45:45 Kate : Is this trust in the providence of God something that we bring about in ourselves, or is it a grace that we must pray and beg God to give to us?

00:56:36 Art: This paragraph calls to mind St John of the Cross “…if the desire of the will be dispersed among other things than virtue, it must be weaker as regards virtue.  And thus the soul whose will is set upon various trifles is like water…never rises.”   Ascent of Mt Carmel.

00:59:50 Paisios: "Silence is the womb of wisdom"

01:00:07 Paisios: I don't

01:11:13 Kathleen: Can’t find raise hand. But can you elaborate more on #13?  Examples? Perhaps next week if no time.

01:14:00 Una: Look under "reactions" on the tool bar on the bottom. It's an icon of a heart

01:14:20 Una: Right beside "chat"

01:15:00 Anthony: Sorry I can't find the raise hand button.  I sense now the same sense of rage and vengeance as in 2001

01:17:19 Myles Davidson: Replying to "Can’t find raise han..."

Maybe repost your question so Fr. sees it

01:19:03 Paisios: In my rage, whose heart will I change?

01:19:25 Jessica Imanaka: Reacted to "In my rage, whose he..." with 👍

01:19:43 Carol Roper: Reacted to "In my rage, whose he…" with 👍

01:20:04 Edward Kleinguetl: “God’s love is powerful enough to heal everything, but you must find the courage to decide to pass through the ‘narrow gate’ of forgiveness. This choice is more demanding than the spontaneous reaction of resentment and accusation, but it is a decision in favor of true life.” (Fr. Jacques Philippe)

01:20:28 Elizabeth Richards: Reacted to "“God’s love is power..." with ❤️

01:20:32 Fr. Miron Kerul-Kmec Jr.: Reacted to "“God’s love is power..." with ❤️

01:20:54 Mary Clare Wax: I think of the movie, "The Mission," where some of the priests decided to fight back, and in the end, they were all killed. It was a very sad thing to see. I so hoped they would change their minds and pray until the end like the Superior of the Jesuits did.

01:23:28 Edward Kleinguetl: Reacted to "I think of the movie..." with ❤️

01:23:52 Edward Kleinguetl: Reacted to "In my rage, whose he..." with 👍

01:25:42 Catherine Opie: Since I have become Catholic and humbled myself before God the anxiety and restlessness I always felt has disappeared. Now I find I am  even more humbled by becoming an outsider in my family and with old friends because of this choice. I feel grief but not anxiety. Because

01:25:58 Gina Marie: Reacted to "“God’s love is power..." with ❤️

01:26:24 Tracey Fredman: Reacted to "Since I have become ..." with ❤️

01:27:04 ANDREW ADAMS: Thanks be to God! Thank you, Father!

01:27:07 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂

01:27:13 Gina Marie: Thank you, Father!

01:27:17 Jeffrey Ott: Thank you!

01:27:20 Joe: Thank you Fr. Charbel

01:27:23 paul g.: Excellent tonite

01:27:25 David: Thank you Father. May you be blessed with good health

01:27:50 Catherine Opie: Thank you Fr.

01:28:25 David: Meeting Planner – Find best time across Time Zones