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Pope Benedict XVI- General Audiences |
General
Audience
On the Teachings of Aphraates
"Prayer Is Strong When It Is Full of God's Strength"
H.H. Benedict XVI
November 21, 2007
www.zenit.org
Dear brothers and sisters!
On our journey into the world of the Fathers of the Church, today I
would like to guide you toward a little-known area of the universe of
faith, namely those territories in which the Churches of Semitic
languages, not yet influenced by Greek thought, flourished. Such
Churches developed through the fourth century in the Near East, from the
Holy Land to Lebanon and Mesopotamia. In that century -- which was a
period of clerical and literary growth -- the ascetic-monastic
phenomenon was developed with autochthonous characteristics, which did
not come under the influence of Egyptian monasticism. Hence the Syriac
communities of the fourth century represent the Semitic world from which
the Bible itself evolved. They are an expression of a Christianity whose
theological formulation had not yet come into contact with other
cultural currents, but rather lived thinking their own way. These are
Churches in which asceticism in its various hermitic forms (hermits in
the desert, in caverns, recluses, stylites), and monasticism in the form
of community life, play a vital role in the development of theological
and spiritual thought.
I would like to introduce this world through Aphraates, also known as
"the wise one." He was one of the most important and enigmatic
characters of fourth-century Syriac Christianity. He lived in the first
half of the fourth century and was a native of the Nineveh-Mosul region
-- today’s Iraq.
We have little information about his life; he had strong ties with the
ascetic-monastic environment of the Syriac Church, on which he reflected
a great deal in his work. According to some sources, he was the head of
a monastery, and later ordained a bishop. He wrote 23 speeches known as
Expositions or Demonstrations, in which he discusses different topics of
Christian life, such as faith, love, fasting, humility, prayer, ascetic
life, and also the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, and
between the Old and New Testaments. He writes in a simple style, with
short sentences and at times contrasting parallelisms; nevertheless he
manages to make consistent speeches by developing articulated arguments.
Aphraates came from a clerical community halfway between Judaism and
Christianity. The community was very closely linked to the Mother Church
of Jerusalem, and its bishops were traditionally chosen among what were
called James' "relatives," the "Lord’s brother" (cf. Mark 6:3): These
people were connected to the Church of Jerusalem by blood and faith.
Aphraates spoke Syriac, a Semitic language like the Hebrew of the Old
Testament and like the Aramaic spoken by Jesus himself. The ecclesial
community in which Aphraates lived wanted to stay faithful to the
Judeo-Christian tradition, of which it felt it was a daughter. Therefore
it maintained a close relationship with the Jewish world and its sacred
books.
Significantly Aphraates defines himself as a "disciple of sacred
Scripture," of both the Old and New Testaments (Exposition 22,26), which
he considered his sole source of inspiration, and so often mentioned it
that it became the center of his reflections.
Aphraates develops different arguments in his Expositions. True to his
Syriac tradition, he often presents Christ’s salvation as a type of
healing and consequently, Christ as a doctor. In keeping with this, sin
is seen as a wound, which penance alone can heal: "A man that has been
injured in battle," says Aphraates, "is not ashamed to put himself in
the hands of a doctor. ... Equally so, he who has been injured by Satan
should not be ashamed to admit his fault and to distance himself from
it, asking for the medicine of penance" (Exposition 7,3).
Another important aspect of Aphraates' work is his teaching on prayer,
and particularly on Christ as the master of prayer. The Christian prays
following Jesus’ teaching and the example he has set us: "Our Savior
taught us to pray saying: 'Pray in the secret of the one who is hidden,
but who sees everything.'" And again: "Enter your room, pray to your
Father in secret, and the Father who sees this will reward you" (Matthew
6:6). … Our Savior wants to show that God knows the desires and thoughts
of the heart" (Exposition 4,10).
To Aphraates, Christian life is centered on the imitation of Christ,
taking up his yoke, following him on the path of the Gospel. Humility is
one of the most apt virtues in a disciple of Christ. It is not a
secondary consideration in the spiritual life of a Christian: Man’s
nature is humble, and God exalts it to his own glory. Humility,
Aphraates states, is not a negative value: "If man’s root is planted in
the earth, his fruits ascend before the Lord of greatness" (Exposition
9,14). By remaining humble, even in his earthly surroundings, a
Christian can establish a relationship with the Lord: "The humble man is
humble, but his heart rises to the uppermost heights. The eyes of his
face observe the earth, but the eyes of his mind observe the highest
summit" (Exposition 9,2).
Aphraates’s vision of man and his physical reality is a very positive
one: The human body, in the example of the humble Christ, is called to
beauty, joy and light: "God is attracted to the man who loves, it is
right to love humility and to stay humble. Humble individuals are
simple, patient, loving, honest, righteous, experts in what is good,
prudent, serene, wise, calm, peaceful, merciful, ready to convert,
benevolent, profound, thoughtful, beautiful and attractive" (Exposition
9,14).
Often in Aphraates’ teachings, Christian life is presented in a clear
ascetic and spiritual dimension: Faith is its base, its foundation; it
makes of man a temple where Christ himself lives. Faith therefore
enables a true charity that is expressed in the love toward God and
toward one’s neighbor.
Another important aspect in Aphraates’ thought is that of fasting,
understood in its widest sense. He speaks of fasting from food as a
practice that is necessary to be charitable and pure; of fasting in the
sense of self-discipline with a view to sanctity; of fasting from vain
and loathsome words; of fasting from anger; of fasting from owning goods
in the context of the priestly ministry; of fasting from sleep to pray.
Dear brothers and sisters, to conclude, we return again to Aphraates'
teaching on prayer. According to this ancient sage, prayer is achieved
when Christ dwells in the heart of Christians, inviting them to a
coherent commitment of charity toward their brethren. He writes:
"Give relief to those in distress, visit the ailing,
Be solicitous to the poor: This is prayer.
Prayer is good, and its works are beautiful.
Prayer is accepted when it gives relief to your neighbor.
Prayer is heard when it includes the forgiveness of sins.
Prayer is strong when it is full of God’s strength" (Exposition
4,14-16).
With these words Aphraates invites us to join in a prayer that becomes
Christian life, a life that comes to fruition, infused by faith, by
openness to God and, as such, by the love for one’s neighbor.
[Translation by ZENIT]
[After praying the Angelus, the Holy Father greeted pilgrims in six
languages. In English, he said:]
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In this week’s catechesis we turn to Aphraates, an outstanding figure of
fourth-century Syriac Christianity. The Syriac Churches, Semitic in
their language and thought, remained close to the Jewish-Christian
tradition, and were deeply influenced by native forms of asceticism and
monasticism. Aphraates was thus part of an ecclesial community on the
frontier between Judaism and the Greek world. According to some sources,
he was the head of a monastery and later consecrated a bishop. He has
left us twenty-three talks, known as "Demonstrations," on various
aspects of the Christian life. His style is vivid and close to that of
the Bible. In the Syriac tradition, he presents Christ as the physician
who heals us from the wounds of sin and our great teacher of prayer.
Aphraates presents a positive view of man, called in the flesh to
beauty, joy and light by the imitation of Christ in his humility. The
Christian life is seen in ascetic and spiritual terms, rooted in faith
and flowering in the love of neighbour. Following the teaching of this
great master of the spiritual life, let us strive to show charity and
forgiveness to all, so that our prayers may be "strong with the strength
of God" (cf. Dem. 4:16).
To all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors I extend a warm
welcome. In a special way I greet Senior Staff members of the USS Harry
S. Truman, deaconate candidates from the Diocese of Brownsville, and
members of the All American Star Dance Team. May your visit to Rome be a
time of growth and renewal. Upon all of you I cordially invoke an
abundance of joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.
[In Italian, he said:]
Distressing news is reaching us concerning the precarious humanitarian
situation in Somalia, and especially in Mogadishu, ever more profoundly
afflicted by social insecurity and poverty. I am following the
development of events with concern and appeal to all those with
political responsibility, at both local and international level, to find
peaceful solutions and bring relief to these dear people. I also
encourage the efforts of those who, though facing insecurity and
discomfort, remain in the region to bring aid and comfort to the
inhabitants.
© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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