Seven words about life in Christ

The essay “Seven Words about Life in Christ” (or “On Life in Christ”) is the main creation of rights. Nikolai Kavasila. The treatise sets out the foundations of the Christian spiritual life and also explores its nature. The main idea of ​​the work is that the new grace-filled life given to believers in Christ is not only obtained through the saving Sacraments, but is also supported and developed thanks to an active human life in accordance with the Gospel law (Word 1). In Words 2-4, the author consistently reveals the creative action of the Divine Sacraments: Baptism (Word 2), Confirmation (Word 3) and the Eucharist (sacred Communion) (Word 4). He explains how each of these Sacraments not just symbolically, but actually transforms a person, uniting him with Christ and giving him a new, incorruptible life. Baptism is a spiritual rebirth that unites a person with the death and Resurrection of Christ, cleanses from sins, grants adoption to God and becomes the basis for all subsequent life in Christ (Word 2). Confirmation seals the Christian with the Holy Spirit, giving him Divine powers for spiritual life and strengthening him on the path to perfection in Christ (Homily 3). The Eucharist is the highest degree of unity with Christ, where the believer, accepting His Body and Blood, becomes one with Him, receiving true spiritual food and the guarantee of eternal life. This is the culmination and completion of the entire process of spiritual regeneration (Word 4). The 5th Word speaks of the consecration of the throne (sacred altar), which deepens the understanding of the holiness of the space where the Sacraments are performed. Words 6 and 7 “sacramental asceticism” (preservation of the grace of the Sacraments), which is based on the idea of ​​​​cooperation (“synergy”) of God and man (or Divine grace and human will). The gifts of Christ received through the Sacraments lead to the complete spiritual transformation of a person. They give believers a perfect life, making them like God and allowing them to live virtuously, becoming partakers of the Divine nature (Word 6). In Word 7, the author summarizes the entire teaching by explaining that life in Christ through the Sacraments leads to the attainment of fullness of salvation and eternal glory. He writes about the final perfection and bliss to which the soul comes, being in inextricable union with God. *The title of the work in Greek is Περ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ ζωῆς. The words of Nicholas Cabasilas about life in Christ were widespread in Greece; this is evident from the fact that manuscripts of these words are found in many libraries, and moreover, more than one copy 1 . Gass published them in print in 1849, collating them from many copies, with his preface and notes. Most of the manuscripts contain only six words about life in Christ; Gass also found a seventh word about life in Christ in one manuscript of the Vienna Library, which, as one must think, was written later after the others and is therefore rarely found in manuscripts. In his words about life in Christ, Nicholas Kavasila reasoned that the new life of grace given to believers in Christ is received by them and supported in them by the power of the saving Sacraments, and by human activity in accordance with the law of Christ. In the sixth and last word, Kavasila discusses to what moral heights a Christian can reach here on earth, if only he makes an effort to preserve and increase in himself the treasure of the Grace-filled Gifts. The sublime flow of thoughts, the strength and liveliness of pious feeling, the deep understanding of the spirit of Holy Scripture constitute the inalienable merit of the words of Nicholas Cabasilas. This explains the numerous lists in which these words are preserved - they should be a joyful reading for people seeking salvation and striving in piety. You might be interested in: