C.S. Lewis was a popular English writer who lived in the twentieth century. He came to Christ after atheism and his books became among the most widely read from the middle of the last century until now. He once wrote an imaginative, meaningful story called The Great Divorce. It goes like this: God sent a bus to hell inviting residents who would like to leave and go to heaven. The bus filled up quickly and drove those passengers toward heaven. But before arriving, the bus stopped at a rocky place. The driver asked the passengers to get off the bus and told them that they must walk a fair distance on the bumpy road to reach heaven. He also informed them that the beginning of the walk would be difficult, on their bare feet. He reassured them that if they embark, they will find themselves, after a short period of time, walking like those who have shoes on their feet.
Everyone got off and happily went on their way toward heaven. But they soon began screaming and complaining about the rocky road, the thorns, and the sun. So, they started heading back to the bus one by one. Some of them had only walked a little, some walked a fair distance, and some others returned when they had almost reached heaven. Thus, the bus had to return to hell with all its passengers on board.
Isn’t this the case with most, if not all people, especially in our current age? People want an easy and uncostly salvation. They want a consumerist salvation, just like the consumerist society in which they live. Humans have become unwilling to accept anything uncomfortable. They want a convenient religion that satisfies and comforts their consciences; a religion that fulfills their worldly lusts and desires; a religion that does not transform them and does not challenge them to advance and grow. The majority desire a religion that is based on a few simple duties in exchange for peace of mind, the satisfaction of worldly desires, and enchanting the heart with the promise of paradise in the next life.
Christ began His preaching with a call to repentance: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). To repent means to relinquish something and replace it with something better. However, giving up an ingrained habit, a burning desire, or a raging lust seems difficult for humans. Let us quickly review some of the reasons that make it difficult.
One reason is that when a believer’s love for God does not reach the required level, repentance becomes arduous. The love of parents for their children drives them to sacrifice all that is precious and valuable without hesitation. Their children’s wellbeing is more important than anything. Thus, love is the incentive and the motivation. When you love, you flow with joy and yearning.
A second reason is getting used to an easy lifestyle and unwillingness to exhaust oneself. Modern man is no longer physically tired, but instead psychologically and spiritually weary, especially in the meaninglessness of his life. Some data show that about 45-50% of prescriptions filled are sedatives and antidepressants. In some countries, they are the best-selling drugs. Lack of physical fatigue breeds an aversion to spiritual struggle. The latter requires standing, prostration, fasting, abstinence, etc. These contradict the nature of a comfortable lifestyle, or rather, a seemingly comfortable lifestyle that is much more agonizing than spiritual hardship.
A third reason is that people become accustomed to their misery. One of the perplexing aspects of humans is that they prefer the misery of their familiar state over aspired bliss because pursuit of this requires change and uprooting their situation. People may prefer hell over walking the “narrow path,” even if it leads them to heaven. They are afraid, so they remain stuck in what they have, fearful of losing even that and not reaching for more. Settling for a life of misery pushes people toward resignation more than it encourages them to strive and rush to reject it and work to change it. Change carries the risk of success, failure, or stumbling. Humans today, with their great anxiety, desire guaranteed reassurance, even if it is illusory or deceptive.
If believers live in an environment that does not encourage creativity, initiative, courage, and adventure, the pursuit of “the abundant life” (John 10:10) becomes more difficult.
A fourth reason arises from man’s fear of revealing and exposing his innermost self to a spiritual guide when seeking spiritual healing. Our desire to look our best before others hinders us from revealing our inner flaws and imperfections. We then compensate by grumbling and complaining, blaming our sins on various people and/or circumstances. People today fill themselves with tension, pain, loss, and sins of all kinds, becoming like drunkards who treat their sobriety with more intoxicants. However, openness relaxes the soul and brings out all the snakes constantly slithering on the inside that poison life.
In so-called civilized societies, people frequently visit psychiatric clinics because there are no spiritual fathers. Relieving internal pain is a basic human need, and so you see people wandering in a desperate search for loyal friendship and a sincere, honest embrace. This is what the sacrament of repentance and confession is for us. But, as someone rightly described it, it is a “forgotten medicine.”
A fifth reason is the love of sin. Man struggles in vain against his sin until he hates it. Returning to it means he still loves it, as Saint Isaac the Syrian says. Hating sin and feeling disgusted by it makes man humble, freeing himself of any arrogance, self-importance, or delusion in his own power. Then he opens himself to God’s overwhelming mercy, confident that only his Lord can save him from his condition. Divine grace embraces him and frees him.
The Lord said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many” (Matthew 7:13).
He also said, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Which one would you choose? Fatigue followed by endless joy, or wearying comfort which lasts forever?
His Eminence, the Most Reverend Saba Esper, is the Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
