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Reading: Weekday
February 3, 2023
Ultimate Truth and Sweetness is to be Found in Reading and
Understanding Holy Scripture 6
by Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain
A source of spiritual delight is the word of God contained in Holy Scripture
because there is to be found ultimate truth that enlightens the mind, which, being
mind, has truth as its object. Moreover, there is ultimate sweetness and grace in the
words of Scripture, which draw like a great magnet the hearts of the readers to agree
with them and to be convinced. This is only natural. After all, the words of
Scripture are the words of God and of the Holy Spirit. This is to say that they are
the words of truth itself and grace itself…
St John Chrysostom said, “The reading of Holy Scripture is the opening of
heaven…” In Holy Scripture we see humble words, simple words, but within they
possess such great depths of the knowledge of God that the passing wisdom of this
world cannot even stand beside it. St. Paul wrote about this wisdom of God:
“Among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or
of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and
hidden wisdom of God”…
If you love to enjoy true and complete delight from the Scriptures, seek to
read them not merely with simple understanding, but with deeds and practical
realities. Moreover, seek to read them not merely for the mere love of learning but
also for the sake of ascetic endeavors and discipline, as St. Mark wrote: “Read the
words of Holy Scripture with an eye to practical applications and not merely to be
puffed up by any fine thought that you may receive from it.” Another Father said:
“This is why the lover of knowledge must also be a lover of discipline and practical
application. For knowledge alone does not give light to the lamp.” You will receive
this light if you contemplate on the content of Scripture and realize that it was
written to correct you and not the others, as again St. Mark said: “The humble
person who has a spiritual life reads the Holy Scripture and understands everything
to refer to him and not to others.” For this is true wisdom, fear of God, and
avoidance of evil: “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from
evil is understanding”… “The first wisdom is a praiseworthy life purified by God.”
6 Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain. A Handbook of Spiritual Counsel. The Classics of Western Spirituality. Trans. Peter
A. Chamberas. New York: Paulist Press, 1989. 186-190.