Icxypion wrote:Amen, Maria. That is also why the whole historic Church has always condemned very sternly the pagan body-negating and body-denigrating practise of cremation. Rather the body is to participate in eternal redemption and that so-called dust to which we will be TEMPORARILY returned to will be raised in an INCORRUPT and ETERNAL and GLORIFIED state! SolarFlare needs to humble himself and admit that while what he says is partly true, it is very misleading and erroneous because it is NOT the whole truth, and as such has brought him to some very problematic and wrong attitudes about the physical body. Also, in my experience about monastic zeal, it is dangerous and prideful in fact to declare how much one wants to denigrate oneself in a human effort to imitate humility by performing acts of humiliation. If you really want to develop humility and not merely a reputation for it then start with the far more difficult and honest task of simply not standing out, boldly and freely declaring your opinions, and so forth. Being quiet, very slow to speak, and tempering your words with self-mistrust and asking for the wisdom of others is better. But to declare that one will rush to be insulted, and trodden underfoot and seek epic billboard humiliations, well that is already walking hurriedly down a road away from the very humble heartedness you proclaim yourself to be seeking.
Well written, Symeon.
Glad to see that you have returned. I have missed your inspirational posts like this one.
If we had a Post of the Month award, you would be in the running.