St Peter of Damascus: Stillness alone engenders knowledge of God...

Stillness alone engenders knowledge of God, for it is of the greatest help even to the weakest and to those most subject to the passions.

It enables them to live without distraction and to withdraw from human society, from the cares and encounters that darken the intellect. I mean not simply worldly cares but also those that appear insignificant and sinless.

As St John Klimakos says, ‘A small hair will irritate the eye.’ And St Isaac says, ‘Do not think that avarice consists simply in the possession of silver or gold; it is present whenever our thought is attached to something.’

The lord Himself has said, ‘Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also’ (Matt. 6:21) -either in divine or in worldly thoughts and concerns. For this reason all should be detached and should devote themselves to God. If they live in the world, they can in this way attain at least some measure of understanding and spiritual knowledge.

Or they may devote themselves wholly to God, making it their one concern to conform to His will; and then God, seeing their intention, will grant them rest through spiritual knowledge.

By this means He confers on them the meditation that belongs to the first stage of contemplation, which enables them to acquire inexpressible contrition of soul and to become poor in spirit (cf. Matt. 5:3).

Leading them in this way gradually through the other stages of contemplation, He will make it possible for them to keep the Beatitudes until they attain peace in their thoughts. This peace is the ‘realm’ or ‘dwelling-place of God’, as Evagrios says, referring to the Psalter: ‘In peace is His dwellingplace’ (Ps. 76 : 2. LXX).

St Peter of Damascus