Fear of God
But then Palamas asks: "How can this fear enter into the psyche? Even if it could do so, how would it be able to live in a psyche that is surrounded, bewitched, and enclosed by varied and conflicting arguments, at least until that psyche will say goodbye to all these things and give itself entirely to the School of God. This is when it finally gives itself wholly to its love of following the commandments. This is why it is good that the Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and divine contemplation."
This fear of God has an emotional effect on us. Palamas adds: "This fear of God will not live in the psyche alongside other feelings. It drives them all out. Then it polishes the psyche by prayer, making it like a wax tablet ready to be impressed with35 the grace36 of the Spirit."
When they begin to practice a traditional prayer-exercise regularly, most people begin by putting their heart into it. But depending on which of these types we fall into, it will of course go on from there in very different ways.
For most of us who find ourselves having moved onto the first of these three steps, the most common problem is that of distraction. The whole of this stage of spiritual growth is really aimed at one thing: at learning what distraction does to us, and discovering how to deal with distraction. This can take many years, because it involves a change in what we want, and for this to happen we must begin to separate from our ordinary habitual wanting.
This is not the same as what we think we want. We must remember what we want in our inmost hearts, only then will we be able to overcome distraction.
Here it has been suggested that we should learn to distinguish or recognise the different kinds of wanting. Thinking is not enough, only recognition changes the desires in the heart.
|
