Our emotions, "apatheia," and "theosis"

Although I dealt with “basics” in my previous two posts, this one might prove to be more basic than either. Basic or not, my wish is that it should clarify a few misconceptions about Christian asceticism (self-discipline) and possibly serve as an encouragement for some. I intend here to address the topic of emotions. Not long ago, a reader asked me to comment on how our emotions relate to our ascetic practices, our contemplation and meditation, and to eusebeia or “piety” in general. I agreed to do so, and this is that post. Some of our misconceptions arise from a failure to note that the Christian understanding of the goal of the mystical and ascetical life is not interchangeable with concepts held by other religions and philosophies. Neither in theory nor in practice can we be consistently “perennialist” or “syncretist,” nor should we attempt to be. That’s not to say that there aren’t things to appreciate in other beliefs (I certainly do), but rather, that genuine “appreciation” requires the critical faculties necessary to recognize dissimilarities and antinomies between them and our own faith. For example, there are intractable differences between, say, the Christian’s ultimate objective and the Buddhist’s (to note two irreconcilable extremes, not least where human emotion is concerned). So, to begin, I will try to elucidate two key terms in Christian practice, before moving on to the main topic: