St john cassian biography of rory

John Chrysostom. The famous bishop of the Eastern capital elevated Cassian to the diaconate, and placed in his charge the treasures of his cathedral. After the second expulsion of St. Chrysostom, Cassian was sent as an envoy to Rome by the clergy of Constantinople , for the purpose of interesting Pope Innocent I in behalf of their bishop.

It was probably in Rome that Cassian was elevated to the priesthood, for it is certain that on his arrival in the Eternal City he was still a deacon. From this time Germanus is no more heard of, and of Cassian himself, for the next decade or more, nothing is known. About he was at Marseilles where he founded two monasteries, one for men, over the tomb of St.

Victor , a martyr of the last Christian persecution under Maximian , and the other for women. The remainder of his days were passed at, or very near, Marseilles. His personal influence and his writings contributed greatly to the diffusion of monasticism in the West. Although never formally canonized, St. By Your actions you taught us to look beyond the flesh for it passes, rather to be concerned about the soul which is immortal.

Wherefore, O Holy John Cassian, your soul rejoices with the angels. Thy words breathe forth the sweetness of heavenly cassia, dispelling the foul odour of passion and pleasures; but with the sweet fragrance of thy discretion and temperance, they make known the spiritual ascents in the Spirit, leading men on high, O righteous Father John Cassian, divinely-sent guide of monks.

Share the feast of Righteous John Cassian the Confessor with an icon greeting ecard. Chapel Saints and Feasts. Outline of Cassian's Conferences : [ 20 ]. The desert ascetics of Egypt followed a three-step path to mysticism: Purgatio , Illuminatio , and Unitio. These stages correspond to the three ways of later Catholic theology. During the first level, Purgatio in Greek, Catharsis , young monks struggled through prayer and ascetic practices to gain control of "the flesh"—specifically by purging their gluttony, lust and desire for possessions.

This period of purgation, which often took many years, was intended to teach young monks that whatever strength they had to resist these desires grace came directly from the Holy Spirit. At this point, the Illuminatio theoria in Greek commenced. During this period the monks practiced the paths to holiness as revealed in the Gospel, identifying strongly with the Christ who taught the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5—7.

Many monks took in visitors and students and tended the poor as much as their resources allowed. Many monks died never having moved past this period. The final stage was the Unitio theosis in Greek , a period in which the soul of the monk was meant to bond with the Spirit of God in a union often described as the marriage of the Song of Solomon also called the "Song of Songs" or the "Canticle of Canticles".

To find the solitude and peace that this level of mystical awareness demanded, elderly monks often fled into the deep desert or into remote forests. His asceticism, while rigorous, was tempered by common sense. Cassian says hospitality should override ascetical routine. Even the most contemplative of anchorites should entertain visitors. Both asceticism and ministry are aspects of the practical life.

In his Conferences , Cassian recommended as "absolutely necessary for possessing the perpetual awareness of God" the formula in Psalm 70 69 v. Domine, ad adiuvandum me festina "God, incline unto my aid; O Lord, make haste to help me". Not without reason has this verse been selected out of the whole body of Scripture. For it takes up all the emotions that can be applied to human nature and with great correctness and accuracy it adjusts itself to every condition and every attack.

It contains an invocation of God in the face of any crisis, the humility of a devout confession, the watchfulness of concern and of constant fear, a consciousness of one's own frailty, the assurance being heard, and confidence in a protection that is always present and at hand, for whoever calls unceasingly on his protector is sure that he is always present.

It contains a burning love and charity, an awareness of traps, and a fear of enemies.

St john cassian biography of rory

Seeing oneself surrounded by these day and night, one confesses that one cannot be set free without the help of one's defender. This verse is an unassailable wall, an impenetrable breastplate, and a very strong shield for those who labour under the attack of demons. Benedict of Nursia praises Cassian's Conferences in his rule [ 25 ] [ 26 ] and use of this formula became part of the Liturgy of the Hours in the Western Church, in which all the canonical hours , including the minor hours, start with this versicle , which is omitted only if the hour begins with the Invitatory , the introduction to the first hour said in the day, whether it be the Office of Readings or Morning Prayer.

Alphonsus Liguori also cites Cassian's recommendation to use this short prayer continually. In the West, Cassian's proposition that "the slightest glimmer of goodwill" could be attributed to the human drive was widely regarded as unacceptable in relation to the prosperity of the Augustinianism of the period Conf. For when God sees us inclined to will what is good, He meets, guides, and strengthens us: for "At the voice of thy cry, as soon as He shall hear, He will answer thee;" and: "Call upon Me," He says, "in the day of tribulation and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.

Cassian finds the will to be insufficient for spiritual progress, and traces this back to the initial sin of pride. Cassian illustrates advanced cases of the will's pathology in the Institutions , saying these problems began when man "believed himself capable of attaining the glory of the Godhead by his freedom of will and hard work.

In regards to demons, Cassian noted that the earliest coenobites would ensure one monk was reciting a prayer, psalmody, or reading at all times, due to their belief that demons were especially prevalent at night. Cassian promotes David's evil spirit repulsing prayer at Ps. His third book, On the Incarnation of the Lord , was a defense of orthodox doctrine against the views of Nestorius , and was written at the request of the Archdeacon of Rome, later Pope Leo I.

In this book Cassian points out a link between Nestorianism which stresses the humanity of Jesus and Pelagianism which stresses human effort. Later theologians, however, labeled Cassian as " Semipelagian " because he stressed the role of the human will , as opposed to Augustine's stress on the totality of grace, in moving towards salvation. The ideas expressed by Cassian to which critics have pointed as examples of his alleged Semipelagianism are found in his Conferences , in book 3, the Conference of Abbot Paphnutius; book 5, the Conference of Abbot Serapion; and most especially in book 13, the Third Conference of Abbot Chaeremon.

The view that Cassian propounded Semipelagianism has been disputed. Lauren Pristas, writes: "For Cassian, salvation is, from beginning to end, the effect of God's grace. It is fully divine. Salvation, however, is salvation of a rational creature who has sinned through free choice. Therefore, salvation necessarily includes both free human consent in grace and the gradual rehabilitation in grace of the faculty of free choice.

Thus Cassian insists salvation is also fully human. His thought, however, is not Semi-Pelagian, nor do readers who submit to the whole corpus emerge Semi-Pelagians. The Latin Church condemned Semipelagianism in the local Council of Orange , but recognizes Cassian himself as a saint. Augustine Casiday states that Cassian "boldly asserts that God's grace, not human free will , is responsible for 'everything which pertains to salvation' - even faith.

In The Book of Mystical Chapters , a compilation of sayings of the Church Fathers by renowned theologian and early church historian [ 38 ] John Anthony McGuckin , Cassian is quoted as saying the following:. The thief on the cross certainly did not receive the Kingdom of Heaven as a reward for his virtues but as a grace and a mercy from God. He can serve as an authentic witness that our salvation is given to us only by God's mercy and grace.

All the holy masters knew this and unanimously taught that perfection in holiness can be achieved only through humility. According to some scholars, Cassian is a prominent representative of a monastic movement in southern Gaul which, ca. His thought has been described as a "middle way" between Pelagianism , which taught that the will alone was sufficient to live a sinless life, and the view of Augustine of Hippo , which emphasizes original sin and the absolute need for grace.

For instance, Anglican priest and historian Owen Chadwick stated that Cassian held that man can come to God without the intervention of divine grace first; [ 40 ] and the Presbyterian theologian B. Warfield called Cassian the leader of the monastics in southern Gaul who asserted that men begin their turning to God and that God assists that beginning.

The spiritual traditions of Cassian had an immeasurable effect on Western Europe. Many different western spiritualities, from that of St Benedict of Nursia to that of St Ignatius of Loyola , owe their basic ideas to Cassian. Pope Gregory I 's teaching on the seven deadly sins comes from Cassian, as does much of his teaching on compunction and prayer.

Philip Neri used to read Cassian to the laity and would frequently use his work as the starting point for his own addresses. Cassian's writings stress the role of prayer and personal asceticism in attaining salvation by contrast with Augustine's writings which stress the role of God's justice and grace predestination and take a more negative view of human effort.

His teaching on overcoming the eight evil tendencies See Books 5 to 12 of The Institutes were the inspiration behind the way the Irish monks practised asceticism, as shown in the Irish Penitentials. The Institutes had a direct influence on organization of monasteries described in the Rule of Saint Benedict ; Benedict also recommended that ordered selections of the Conferences be read to monks under his Rule.

Moreover, the monastic institutions Cassian inspired kept learning and culture alive during the Early Middle Ages , and were often the only institutions that cared for the sick and poor. The town of Casimcea in Tulcea County also bears his name. Coming from a distinguished family, he attended the schools of his epoch. But enlivened by a burning thirst for spiritual perfection, he gives up as a young man the vain and deceptive attractions of worldly life and goes to the Holy Places Holy Land accompanied by his friend Herman, brother not by birth, but by spirit.

This is how both of them became monks in a monastery in Bethlehem. Establishing themselves in the coenobitical tradition according to the monastic way of life of the monks of Palestine, Mesopotamia and Cappadocia, and in their desire for greater perfection, they decided to leave for the anchoretic sites of Egypt, among the solitary monks of whose holy life they heard.

That's how they came to the communities in the Nile Delta, getting deeper from there in the wilderness. But everywhere they went, they searched with zeal for the solitary saints, so that they could honour the splendour of grace and the wealth of their fruits, and ask them spiritual counsels for the salvation of the soul. These questions and answers will be left to us as a holy inheritance in the Conferences of the Desert Fathers , with which St John Cassian endowed the Church.

Acquiring what they could gather from their heavenly doctrine, to Abba Joseph's advice, they remained in Egypt seven years, and then went on to take spiritual advice from these teachers in their spiritual fight from time to time, until they arrived in the notorious Skete wilderness, founded and made the bright wilderness worthy of being celebrated by all by St.