Navigating Praise and Insult: A Path to Growth

Where is true freedom to be found? How do we recognize it within the human person? The fathers of The Evergetinos reveal it to us in a powerful fashion by speaking to us once again about humility and the manner in which we respond both to insults and to praise. 

Freedom comes from clearly seeing where true dignity and identity is found in ourselves and in others. We evaluate ourselves and others often by accidental qualities and external behaviors. As Christians, however, faith is meant to illuminate what we have become in Christ. We are called to something far greater than natural virtue. Grace builds on nature. Even the greatest kindness we could show another person or forbearance in the face of slight or insult is hardly recognizable and comparison to what our response must be in Christ. 

With the incarnation life has forever changed as well as our understanding of love and mercy. We cannot allow ourselves the too easy freedom of loving or hating others merely because of what they do or say to us. The only way that we are allowed to respond to another is to love them. 

This cannot be an abstract notion for us. We should believe it so deeply, embody it so fully, that “Contrarily, as though they entailed fearful death, the destruction of your soul, and eternal damnation, completely turn away from and despise all love of power and glory, and the desire for the various laudations of men“. I don’t think there is a stronger way of stating this!

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Text of chat during the group:

00:45:29 Ambrose Little, OP: Powerful stuff!   00:45:51 Amale Obeid: I’m newly relearning the Christian faith so I apologize if this is off track but it seems to me that the every reaction that is caused between the world or another person and myself is what I take to the vertical of the cross - between me and God. The horizontal between me and others is for their service only.   00:49:49 Vanessa: Goes back to love God and love thy neighbor (that includes love our enemies).   00:57:42 Sean: Is no. 6 against nature, I mean man is hierchical by nature, like troops of apes   01:14:25 Rebecca Thérèse: It seems like sound advice to me and could protect people from abuse by narcissists who try to make others dependent on them for self-esteem. Also cults try to recruit people by love-bombing. Humility and level-headedness can protect from these things.   01:14:30 Amale Obeid: How do we actually practice this? Other than slowing down time so much to allow space for a slower reaction? Or do we ask God for this grace to recognize it immediately in the moment?   01:16:31 Rachel: I am thinking of how really truly seeing the other, and ourselves as living icons, realizing our dignity helps in a way to reign in inflated egos as we realize how it is a pure gift of God, It reigns in the anger that can rise up in reaction to mistreatment by the humbling reality of Whose image we are all made. Also, I wonder, how we approach God, and the Saints, if how we see God, the way we pray, the experience of our life in God affects how we react to praise or insult   01:18:27 Vanessa: Replying to "I am thinking of how..."   St. Francis of Assisi talks about how we can go beyond what is natural (feelings towards others) through love of God. A mark of holiness.   01:19:07 Rachel: Reacted to "St. Francis of Assis..." with 😇   01:19:33 Vanessa: Reacted to "Yes, that balance is..." with 👍   01:23:34 Rachel: Replying to "I am thinking of how..."   I erased it as you already said what I typed   01:24:03 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂Have a good retreat!   01:24:14 Rachel: Replying to "I am thinking of how..."   😇   01:24:14 Lorraine Green: Thank you Father   01:24:19 Susanna Joy: Thank you so much, Father. Blessings on your retreat. You will be in my prayers.   01:24:56 Andrew Adams: Thank you Father!   01:24:58 mflory: Thank you, Father!   01:25:00 Rachel: Replying to "I am thinking of how..."   Thank you!   01:25:09 Louise: Have a great retreat !