Acquire the Spirit of Peace and a Thousand Souls Around You Shall Be Saved

 Frequently over the past several weeks - and even months - the topic of evangelism has arisen.  I use the term rather broadly, as meaning everything from reaching those who are not currently Christian to dealing with those whose behavior we find problematic, or at the least are having struggles in some aspect of their lives.

Typically, the discussion leads quickly to questions about what books can we buy the individual so that they can understand what the right thing to do is.  If not books, what do we say to them.  What words of wisdom can we bring to bear on the situation.  Leaving aside the question of whether we aren't, in fact, demonstrating an utter lack of humility in judging the behavior of others (and more often, judging their motivations or heart), we are certainly demonstrating a lack of humility by assuming that anything we can say will lead anyone else into a better place.  At a loss for words, we resort to a book.  Conditioned by years in Western Christianity, we think the intellect is the path to salvation.  We ultimately want to convert people, either in core belief, or at least in behavior, by force of argument.

I've been thinking lately of a quote by St. Seraphim of Sarov, "Acquire the Spirit of Peace and a thousand souls around you shall be saved."  This reminds me of a saying attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, "preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words."  What St. Seraphim is saying, is that if we become holier, if God's grace fill us, other people will be drawn to that grace.  They will then seek out the source of that grace themselves.  Holiness is attractive.  That is why so many people flock to see the spiritual elders at the various monasteries.  Once you been once, you mourn the longer you are away.

The problem, here, is twofold.  The first is that acquiring the Spirit of Peace requires work.  It requires conquering our passions by fasting, it requires spending time in prayer.  It requires dying to ourselves.  How much easier is it to order a book from Amazon and consider your job done?  Move on to yelling at the guy who cut you off on the freeway, or gossiping about your neighbor's recent troubles.  Actually attempting to correct your neighbor is better, because although it may take a bit more work, you may actually get the ego boost of winning an argument.

The problem, of course, is that ego boosting rarely helps the other person, and most certainly does not help us.  Growing in grace, means growing in humility.  When the day comes that we do not seek to correct others, and instead love them,  when the day comes that we understand we are probably worse sinners than they are, then we will be closer to helping everyone.  That is what the Fathers have always said, and always demonstrated.

Oh, but that requires work, and I don't much care for that.