From St. Barsanuphios the Great:
How does a man renounce himself? Simply by forsaking his natural desires and following the Lord. That is why the Lord speaks here strictly of what is natural and not of what is unnatural.
For if anyone forsakes only what is unnatural, he has not yet forsaken anything of his own for God's sake, because what is unnatural does not properly belong to him. But whoever has forsaken what is natural, always says with the Apostle Peter, "We have left everything and followed You. What will there be for us?" And he hears the blessed voice of the Lord, and by His promise is assured of the inheritance and possession of eternal life.
Since Peter was not rich, what did he renounce and what was his claim? Surely he renounced his own natural desires? For unless a man dies to the flesh and lives in the spirit, his soul cannot rise.
Just as in a corpse there are no natural desires whatever, so too there are none in a person who is spiritually dead to the flesh. If you have died to the flesh, how can natural desires live in you? But if you have not attained this measure of spirituality, and are mentally still in your infancy, humble yourself before a teacher, that he may correct you with mercy, and do nothing without advice even though it may seem to you apparently good. For the light of demons eventually turns to darkness.
For if anyone forsakes only what is unnatural, he has not yet forsaken anything of his own for God's sake, because what is unnatural does not properly belong to him. But whoever has forsaken what is natural, always says with the Apostle Peter, "We have left everything and followed You. What will there be for us?" And he hears the blessed voice of the Lord, and by His promise is assured of the inheritance and possession of eternal life.
Since Peter was not rich, what did he renounce and what was his claim? Surely he renounced his own natural desires? For unless a man dies to the flesh and lives in the spirit, his soul cannot rise.
Just as in a corpse there are no natural desires whatever, so too there are none in a person who is spiritually dead to the flesh. If you have died to the flesh, how can natural desires live in you? But if you have not attained this measure of spirituality, and are mentally still in your infancy, humble yourself before a teacher, that he may correct you with mercy, and do nothing without advice even though it may seem to you apparently good. For the light of demons eventually turns to darkness.
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