In order to live as an apprentice of Jesus we need to be trained. The ancient word for this training is ‘ascesis’. This training, or ascesis, is absolutely necessary if we are to live in some other way than what is “just natural.” In other words, without deliberate effort to change direction (which is the meaning of the word ‘repent’) we will just coast along in the way we have always lived.

These words from Metropolitan Anthony, a famous Orthodox Priest and Bishop, clarify what is meant:

“the ascetic endeavor, which can be summed up in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: “Renounce yourself, take up your cross and follow Me”. To recognize one’s own nonentity and discover the secret of the Kingdom is not enough: the King of Love must be enthroned in our mind and heart, take undivided possession of our will and make of our very bodies the Temples of the Holy Ghost. This small particle of the Cosmos, which is our soul and body must be conquered, freed by a lifelong struggle from enslavement to the world and to the devil, freed as if it were an occupied country and restored to its legitimate King. “Render unto Cesar that which is Cesar’s and to God that which is God’s’: the coins of the earthly kings bear their mark, Man bears the imprint of God’s Image. He belongs to Him solely and totally; and nothing, no effort, no sacrifice is too great to render to God what is His. This is the very basis of an ascetic understanding of life.”

We are now entering the season of Lent. This is the time to take up our cross, deny our old way of life, and learn to follow Jesus.

David