Know thyself.
The Christian understanding of self- knowledge is substantially different from that of the world.
The Christian call is not one of egocentric self-fulfillment or self-gratification. The danger of a quest to “know thyself” outside the bounds of Christ Jesus is that, to some degree or another, it has elements of philautia (self-love).
The search for self is toxic if its goal is only to please the self and confirm its desires and inclinations, thereby discovering more pleasure with which to indulge; seeking spirituality devoid of the Spirit. The peril is to become like Narcissus of mythology, forever seeking an elusive reflection in the waters of psychological self-infatuation. Staring alone into the pool of self, one becomes entranced by the aura of one's own self-reflection (many time mistaking it for spirit), which is deceptively sweet at first but leads to death in the long run. All self-centered searching will end in a loss of true existence and life, like Narcissus who perished in his attempt to embrace his own reflection. “He who loves his life shall lose it” (John 12:25), the God-Man Christ clearly proclaims.
The Christian understanding of self- knowledge is substantially different from that of the world.
The Christian call is not one of egocentric self-fulfillment or self-gratification. The danger of a quest to “know thyself” outside the bounds of Christ Jesus is that, to some degree or another, it has elements of philautia (self-love).
The search for self is toxic if its goal is only to please the self and confirm its desires and inclinations, thereby discovering more pleasure with which to indulge; seeking spirituality devoid of the Spirit. The peril is to become like Narcissus of mythology, forever seeking an elusive reflection in the waters of psychological self-infatuation. Staring alone into the pool of self, one becomes entranced by the aura of one's own self-reflection (many time mistaking it for spirit), which is deceptively sweet at first but leads to death in the long run. All self-centered searching will end in a loss of true existence and life, like Narcissus who perished in his attempt to embrace his own reflection. “He who loves his life shall lose it” (John 12:25), the God-Man Christ clearly proclaims.
Christ tells us in the Gospels “he
who desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
for my sake will find it ” (Mat 16: 25). The Christian search for
self-knowledge is not predicated on the narrowness of modern individualistic "self-expression." The standard for knowing one's self is the boundless
God-Man: Jesus Christ. In the beginning, mankind was created in the
image and likeness of God. The reference point of true self-knowledge is placed concretely and objectively outside of mankind; this preserves a man from self- delusion. Thus only in God is the true image of mankind found, mankind must orient himself by a higher image: to be Godlike. Without God, mankind embraces a phantom and drowns in the depths of self-deception.
Mankind is not able to search his interior depths without the illuminating light of Christ the Creator. After the fall repentance was set as the standard for restoration of true human self-knowledge. “When we are immersed in sins, and our mind is occupied solely with worldly cares, we do not notice the state of our soul. We are indifferent to who we are inwardly, and we persist along a false path without being aware of it. But then a ray of God's Light penetrates our soul. And what filth we see in ourselves! How much untruth, how much falsehood! How hideous many of our actions prove to be, which we fancied to be so wonderful. And it becomes clear to us which is the true path” (St. John Maximovich).
Mankind is not able to search his interior depths without the illuminating light of Christ the Creator. After the fall repentance was set as the standard for restoration of true human self-knowledge. “When we are immersed in sins, and our mind is occupied solely with worldly cares, we do not notice the state of our soul. We are indifferent to who we are inwardly, and we persist along a false path without being aware of it. But then a ray of God's Light penetrates our soul. And what filth we see in ourselves! How much untruth, how much falsehood! How hideous many of our actions prove to be, which we fancied to be so wonderful. And it becomes clear to us which is the true path” (St. John Maximovich).
Man is intended to grow in the
image of Christ, for Christ is the image of God (2 Cor. 4:4). In
becoming conformed to the image of Christ, we become conformed to that
image for which mankind was intended, in doing this we find our true
“self.” By rejecting and dying to the image of the sinful world
we become alive to the Image of God, and by returning to It, we begin our return to our true and originally intended state. “A righteous man whose heart is
filled with consolations of the Holy Spirit, wherever he may be,
everywhere will be Paradise because the Kingdom of Heaven is within
us (Lk. 17:21)” (St. Innocent of Alaskan, Indication of the Way
into the Kingdom of Heaven).
To come to Christ means that the
image of the fallen old man is being crucified, it must die. We do not gaze
into the Christian Faith like Narcissus gazed into the waters of the pool, we do
not seek to enjoy our own beauty or vain self- affirmation. We seek to heal our souls and to confront the wellsprings
of darkness which we many times so easily excuses in our lives. This is done only by
conforming to the great Physician and His revelation of
true spiritual health. If
we soberly and vigilantly weigh all things: our thoughts, our deeds,
the inner movement of our hearts, and walk in the light of Christ's grace, then as St Theophan the Recluse says, “you will carry a
Teacher within you, wiser far than any earthly teacher.” For it is
“through Him (Christ) we fix our gaze on the heights of heaven. In
Him, we see the mirror of God's pure and transcendent face. Through
Him, the eyes of our hearts are opened. Through Him our foolish and
darkened comprehension wells up to the light” (St. Clement of
Rome).
We
are called to approach our Orthodox Faith in simplicity of heart and the firmness of conviction that Christ Jesus has given us His very Self, in the revelation of the hypostatic union, as the Archetype of knowledge of true humanity. Yet, If we gaze at our own “beauty” and seek to measure
faith according to it, we become idolaters and worship and praise
our own image (although we may frequently give it the name “Jesus”).
In
pure vision sanctified by the Holy Spirit we come to the mirror of the revealed Faith, not to be infatuated by our own “self” but
to seek the image of Christ, the only True Man. This encounter necessitates kenosis - self-emptying. Whenever our own self-obsession occupies the high place of our being, taking the place of Christ, it keeps us in self-delusion.
Through the Cross, we are given true vision, and with spiritual eyes being enlightened and washed by the flesh and blood of Christ we then, with great eagerness, lose our fallen self-life for the sake of Christ and thereby find true Life in Him (cf. Mat. 16:25).
Through the Cross, we are given true vision, and with spiritual eyes being enlightened and washed by the flesh and blood of Christ we then, with great eagerness, lose our fallen self-life for the sake of Christ and thereby find true Life in Him (cf. Mat. 16:25).
In seeking to learn and evaluate our self in the
revelation of Christ, shining in the Church, there are none of the
Narcissistic drivings of the worldly pursuit for self-fulfillment and
“knowledge.” Let us turn from the Narcissistic pools of modern
self-infatuation and indulgence, most of all concerning faith, and
set our gaze upon the Living waters, seeking to wash in the pool of
Siloam, according to Christ's words: “Go,
wash and see” (cf. Jn. 9: 6-7). We must know our self and the
authentic nature of our humanity in the light of Christ the True
Man. As St. Cyprian of Carthage says, “How can you expect to be
heard by God, when you do not hear yourself? How do you expect God to
remember you when you pray, if you do not remember yourself?” Pure
remembrance comes when we turn from the delusional reflection of self-love. “The one who hates his life in this world shall keep it to
eternal life” (John 12:25).
