Wisdom From the Skete Rule of St. Nilus of Sora

After finishing reading "Desert Fathers," I have been re-reading "The Northern Thebaid: Monastic Saints of the Russian North." It is another superb publication of the St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood. Naturally, these two books fully complement each other. I was particularly struck by this description of the inner war with thoughts, gleaned from the works of St. Nilus himself . I do not think this passage is hard to understand, or just for monastics. All Christians must struggle with thoughts. To struggle with thoughts, we must understand them.

"Five degrees can be distinguished in the battle as one is led away from God-pleasing purity of mind: (1) A simple thought or suggestion which comes to the mind from outside; not depending upon us, such fleeting thoughts are not sinful in themselves, and even the spiritually perfect are not entirely free of them. (2) 'Conjunction' or conversation with the thought, granting it permission to come within, receiving and holding it in the mind. This may be done with or without passion, so it may be sinful or sinless, depending on the outcome. (3) 'Joining' or accepting the thought, being defeated by it; this is judged more or less severely depending on one's state of advancement in spiritual life and on the basic orientation of one's heart: one may be defeated in thought yet still determined not to sin in act; or one may accept the thought to such an extent that one is prepared to act according to its suggestion, in which case a penance should be given by one's spiritual father. (4) 'Captivity' is an involuntary attraction of one's heart to the thought, from which state one may be freed and return to one's self with God's help; or, more seriously, the thought constantly settles in one's mind and the mind, carried away from its good orientation into evil thoughts, can no longer return to a peaceful state. (5) 'Passion' is an inclination and activity that have nested themselves in the soul for a long time because of habit and become as it were the soul's nature. A man comes to this state at first voluntarily, but end by being completely enslaved by it. 'Passion' must be subject to penance in this life, or it will bring tortures in the future life."