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In the Sayings of the Desert Fathers is the tale "The Faithfulness of the Woman of Ill Repute Who Married the Governor."
The Abbot spoke to one of the brothers:
There was a woman known to be a woman of ill-repute, for she had many lovers. The governor approached her, saying, "I will marry you, if you promise to be faithful to me." She vowed to, so the governor married her and took her to his palace.
Her previous lovers still longed to have their way with the woman. They collaborated, "That governor has taken her into his home. If we risk going into the palace, he'll catch us and punish us. We'll get out of that, for we can go up behind the palace and whistle to get her attention. She'll hear us and come down, and we'll enjoy her."
The woman heard whistling. She, knowing its intent, blocked her ears, bolted the doors, and hid herself in the most inward part of the palace.
The aged Abbot explained the story to the brother. The woman of ill repute is our soul, and the lovers are our passions. The governor is Christ Jesus; the innermost part of the house is our heavenly dwelling place. The whistlers are the devils; but the soul can always find refuge with its Lord.
St. Ambrose says about the devil: "He is unable to harm anyone who does not harm himself. In fact, anyone who denies heaven and chooses the earth is, as it were, rushing towards a precipice, even though running of his own accord" (On the Gospel of St. Luke).
Regarding the passions, St. Maximus the Confessor speaks: "What keeps the spirit free in the face of external realities and of the images of them is spiritual love and the mastery of self" (Centuries on Charity).
Scripture teaches: "But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." (I Corinthians 10.13, NLT)
Let us clarify some terms, before proceeding to conclusion. The word "devil" personifies ultimate evil, complete absence of God. "Devils" personify this same evil. Passions refer to the opposite of virtues. For example, diligence is a virtue, sloth is a vice; generosity is a virtue, greed is a vice; ... The term "passion" speaks of the emotional content of the vice, and this is its root of temptation.
Every person deals daily with temptation. Temptation is evidence we are alive. We are meant, however, for freedom, not captivity to instinctual drives gone awry. Every vice has its own inherent slavery; every virtue has its own inherent freedom. The story of the governor's faithful wife demonstrates inherent freedom to choose a determination for faithfulness to virtue, to our new Love Who is Virtue. This loving of Love implies, as noted by Maximus the Confessor, temperance, or self-discipline. To choose heaven, now, in the words of St. Ambrose is as much a free choice as the freedom to choose the precipice of ruin due to earthly attachments.
Spiritual Exercise
Meditate on I Corinthians 10.13. Are you being tempted in any area of your life? How? Pray for insight and discipline to keep free your spirit, unbounded by adherence to vices that would weaken your love for Jesus Christ.
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