Contemplation of God’s Qualities in Creation

Contemplating the visible things of God’s power and providence, His goodness and wisdom, as St. Paul says (cf. Romans 1:20-21), and perceiving the mysteries hidden in the divine Scriptures, [the one whose intellect has been purified] is given the grace to ascend with Christ through the contemplation of intelligible realities…. Perceiving the invisible through the visible, and the eternal through the transitory, he realizes that if this ephemeral world… is so beautiful, how much more beautiful must be the eternal, inconceivable blessings “that God has prepared for those who love Him” (I Cor.2:9)

~ Philokalia, Vol. III,  A Treasury of Divine Knowledge, Book 1, trans. by Philip Sherrard, Faber and Faber, London, p. 99.

The Wonder of Creation’s Processes

Contemplating all created realities, the individual is filled with wonder. He marvels how the Creator by a simple command brought the four elements out of nothing; how, by virtue of His wisdom, opposites do not destroy one another; and how out of the four elements God made all things….

~ Philokalia, Vol. III, “The Sixth Stage of Contemplation,” trans. by Philip Sherrard, Faber and Faber, London, p. 137.

There is Nothing Incidental or Evil in Creation

St. Gregory the Theologian says these things [of the magnificence and wo nder of creation] are insignificant in comparison with Christ’s incarnation and with the blessings to come. He perceives too how God’s goodness and wisdom, His strength and forethought, which are concealed in created things, are brought to light by m an’s artistic powers. …

Whoever is aware of all this recognizes that there is nothing incidental or evil in creation, and that even what takes place against God’s will is miraculously changed by God into something good.

~ Philokalia, Vol. III, “The Sixth Stage of Contemplation,” trans. by Philip Sherrard, Faber and Faber, London, p. 137.

Moderation in Contemplation

For what one cannot understand, one should give silent thanks, as St. Isaac (the Syrian) says, but should not presumptuously assume that one has understood it. And St. Isaac, borrowing his words from Sirach, also says, “When you find honey, eat moderately, lest by over-indulging you make yourself sick.

As St. Gregory the Theologian says, “Uncontrolled contemplation may well push us over the edge, when we seek for what is beyond our strength and are unwilling to say, “God knows this, but who am I?”

And as St. Basil observes, we must believe that He who made the mountains and the great sea monsters has also hollowed out the sting of the bee.

~ Philokalia, Vol. III, “The Sixth Stage of Contemplation,” trans. by Philip Sherrard, Faber and Faber, London, pp. 140-141.

Give Thanks to God for All Things

As it is said, “In everything gives thanks” (1 Thess. 5:18)…. No matter what you do, you should keep in mind the Creator of all things…. When you see the sky, the earth, the sea and all that is in them, marvel at these things and glorify their Creator. When you put on clothing, acknowledge whose gift it is and praise Him who in His providence has given you life. In short, if everything you do becomes for you an occasion for glorifying God, you will be praying unceasingly. And in this way your soul will always rejoice (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:16; Psalm 77:3. LXX).

~ Philokalia, Vol. III, “God’s Universal and Particular Gifts,” trans. by Philip Sherrard, Faber and Faber, London, pp. 173.

Spiritual Sight

Spiritual insight is characterized first by awareness of one’s own failings before they issue in outward signs… and second by the knowledge of the mysteries hidden in the divine Scriptures and in the sensible creation.

~ Philokalia, Vol. III, “True Discrimination,” trans. Philip Sherrard, Faber & Faber, London, p 159.

The Great Value of Stillness

If we are to attain the humility and spiritual knowledge necessary for the understanding of the mysteries hidden in the divine Scriptures and in all creation, we need devotion and stillness, total or partial…. Stillness is the highest gift of all, and without it, we cannot be purified and come to know our weakness and the trickery of demons; neither will we be able to understand the power of God and His providence from the divine words that we read and sing.

~ Philokalia, Vol. III, “Spurious Knowledge,” trans. by Philip Sherrard, Faber and Faber, London, p. 194

Lessons from the Night

For those who practice the virtues and have reached a stage of spiritual progress where they can contemplate creation, he says there are valuable lessons in the night.

Where the contemplative life is concerned, the night supplies us with many themes for contemplation. First of all, it reminds us of the creation of the world, since all creation becomes invisible because of the darkness, as it was before it came into existence. This in turn prompts us to reflect how the sky was empty then and without stars, as happens now when they become invisible because of the clouds. When we see only darkness, we are reminded of the darkness that was over the abyss, and when suddenly the sky becomes clear again [and day returns] and we are struck by wonder at the world above, and offer praise to God, just as did the angels are said to have praised God when they saw the stars (cf. Job 37:7).

~ Philokalia, Vol. III, Book II, “Twenty Four Discourses,” Nr. XXII, as translated by Philip Sherrard, Faber and Faber, London, p. 262.

God’s Marvelous Care for Creation

Peter addresses the insights which emerge as one experiences the illuminating light of Jesus Christ and how it opens up a deeper, more profound understanding of creation. He finds nothing in all creation that can harm him. Illumined by the knowledge of God he rejoices in the Lord on account of all the things that He has created, marveling at the care He shows for His creatures. The person who has attained spiritual knowledge not only marvels at visible things, but also is astonished by his perception of many essential things invisible to those who lack experience of this knowledge.

~ Philokalia, Vol. III, Book II, “Twenty Four Discourses,” Nr. XXII, as translated by Philip Sherrard, Faber and Faber, London, p. 261

Bio

A Syrian monk who writes primarily for other monks. St. Peter lived in a small skete (a monastic village) in the Syrian desert. He tells us that he does not know what he will write until he picks up his writing implement and it is actually touching paper…. He never owned any books. His writings depict a cosmos infused with the presence of God and he finds everywhere the love of God dwelling in all things. St. Peter of Damascus is important for ecological awareness because he reflects a cosmological vision in which “God’s providence embraces the whole of creation.” This becomes accessible to us, he writes, as we mold ourselves into the likeness of God through the acquisition of the virtues and contemplation. From St. Peter of Damascus we learn that the world is a manifestation of divinity; that through creation we can discern the Word which sustains every creature; that through examination of both the little things and the large, we find the continuing work of our Lord Jesus Christ while still in this world. In accordance with the monastic style of his time, his writing is deliberately asystematic which requires the reader to restore the original internal harmony to arrive at his or her own view of their place in spiritual formation.

The Wonder of Creation

God’s providence embraces the whole universe…. By contemplating the beauty and use of each thing, (one who has acquired the habit of detachment) is filled with love for the Creator. He surveys all visible things: the sky, the sun, moon, stars and clouds, rain, snow and hail… thunder, lightening, the winds and breezes and the way they change, the seasons, the years…; the four-legged animals, the wild beasts and animals and reptiles, all the birds, the springs and rivers, the many varieties of plants and herbs, both wild and cultivated. He sees in all things the order, the equilibrium, the proportion, the beauty, the rhythm, the union, the harmony, the usefulness, the variety, the motion, the colours, the shapes, the reversion of things to their source, permanence in the midst of corruption. Contemplating thus all created realities, he is filled with wonder.

~ Philokalia, Vol. III, “The Sixth Stage of Contemplation,” trans. by Philip Sherrard, Faber and Faber, London, p. 136-137.