Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Abba Gelasius
It was said of Abba Gelasius that he had a leather Bible worth eighteen pieces of silver. In fact it contained the whole of the Old and New Testaments. He had put it in the church so that any of the brethren who wished, could read it. A strange brother came to see the old man and, seeing the Bible, wished to have it, and stole it as he was leaving. The old man did not run after him to take it from him, although he knew what he was doing. So the brother went to the city and tried to sell it, and finding a purchaser, he asked thirteen pieces of silver for it. The purchaser said to him, "Lend it to me, first, so that I may examine it, then I will give you a price." So he gave it to him. Taking it, the purchaser brought it to Abba Gelasius for him to examine it and told him the price which the seller had set. The old man said to him, "Buy it, for it is beautiful and worth the price you tell me." This man, when he returned, said something quite different to the seller, and not what the old man had said to him. "I have shown it to Abba Gelasius," he said, "and he replied that it was dear, and not worth the price you said." Hearing this, he asked, "Didn't the old man say anything else?" "No," he replied. Then the seller said, "I do not want to sell it any more." Filled with compunction, he went to find the old man, to do penance and ask him to take his book back. but he did not wish to make good his loss. So the brother said to him, "If you do not take it back, I shall have no peace." The old man answered, "If you won't have any peace, then I will take it back." So the brother stayed there until his death, edified by the old man's way of life.
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7 comments:
My friend, an atheist ironically, brought me to your site. This Abba Gelasius seems to truly have known the meaning of 'turn the other cheek'.
Erek,
Hey, thanks for checking out of my little corner. I'm glad to hear that it is a welcoming place for your friend. At least I hope that's what he/she thinks.
Yeah, I think Abba Gelasius is on to something. Sadly, I don't think many of us have the patience to allow such things to happen. All we want is our stuff back...at least in America.
Peace,
Scott
This concept has made an impression on me since I was a child. I heard a story about a woman giving away the last of her bread to a stranger who came by. I don't recall what the story was from, I always thought it was the bible, but I never found it in the bible. I thought long and hard as a child about why she would do such a thing.
I've always wished I could be like that, and I've been fairly adept at letting things go when people have robbed me or for various reasons I couldn't take them with me, but still I end up accumulating stuff again.
I would trade it all for a clear sense of purpose like Abba Gelasius seems to have, but no matter how I pray for that it doesn't seem to come. I'm lost in a very comfortable bourgeois setting. Things are alright, they are comfortable, but I just cannot have that level of faith, though I wish I could.
The story of Abba Gelasius, is precisely what I think Christ is trying to tell us, but I find myself crippled by doubt.
Erek,
We see the concept of voluntary in the teaching Jesus offers to the rich young ruler when he tells him to go sell all that he has and follow me. I think Christians often misinterpret voluntary poverty as the normal for the Christian life. If you have kids, for example, then poverty is not an option because there is a responsibility to provide what they need to live a good and healthy life. Of course, the question then becomes "what is a good and healthy life." At this point the church has often interpreted Jesus' words in terms of simplicity and I think there is something there. Check Richard Rohr on this topic. The ultimate question is to what end does your life lead. Accumulation of resources, materials, money, etc. are not bad in themeselves (just ask poor churches), but in a context like mine where we do have money then our responsibility is to use it wisely and in a manner worthy of the gospel. These are not easy questions, no doubt. In fact, I think these are the questions the church never really get's answer to so that she can move on with her business. I think we are to ask these questions perpetually as we follow the Jesus way and in the power of the Spirit discern what the good life is. And I don't think American capitalism/consumerism has the corner on it.
Peace,
Scott
I agree.
What do you think of the Prosperity Gospel? While I find Joel Osteen to be a likable guy and find his message to be uplifting and I hope he's helping people, I find the core philosophical message to be a bit muddled in some cases and downright creepy in others.
Jesus wants you to be rich? Uh, since when? I'm not saying that Jesus wants you NOT to be prosperous, but there does seem to be a bit too much of a focus on fiscal wealth as an indicator of prosperity.
I have met people who don't have much money at all but are so personally resourceful that I see a level of wealth that I envy more than I do the riches of any billionaire.
What do you think about the prosperity movement in general?
Thank you for your responses,
Erek
Erek,
You know, I always just sort of based the prosperity gospel folk, mostly because I just didn’t know what to say. I was with you in the sense that something feels a bit off. I mea, at the very least I was learning to see a discrepancy between what they were saying, and something like the Sermon on the Mount. But I have a new way of thinking about thanks to James Smith’s article called What’s Right With The Prosperity Gospel.
http://trinitypastor.wordpress.com/2009/05/29/james-k-a-smith-asks-whats-right-with-the-prosperity-gospel/
He says that the prosperity gospel gets it right in the sense that God does want us to have an abundant life. If we don’t agree with this then we have to say that God wants us to suffer. And I don’t think He does. Now, I think you bring up the main point in that you have seen in others a level of wealth based on their resourcefulness rather than there money. I think the good life, or the abundant life is what God wants for us, but in a world where Sin and death still linger on, the way of Jesus looks like suffering because the world (one marked by violence). When we live the good life (a life marked by peace) we are necessarily at odds with the rest of the world. I think that is what it means for Jesus to know that His life was going to lead Him to the cross.
Does that make sense? I’m kinda tired right now. Just got done with a class we are teaching at our church on how to read the bible.
Peace,
Scott
Sorry, my first sentence should read, "I always just sort of bashed the prosperity gospel folk."
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