Watchfulness is not established suddenly, but by long labor, and only after the passions have settled down. Since many passions naturally settle down in elders, the order of nature itself requires them to be sober-minded.
Yet this does not always happen. It does not happen when the preceding life was not upright. Therefore in this commandment to elders there is hidden also a commandment to men: to exercise themselves in watchfulness.
Then in old age they will possess this virtue as an inalienable quality.
Opposed to sobriety are inattention to oneself and one’s affairs, distraction of thoughts, laziness, and negligence. Blessed Theodoret writes that sobriety requires one “always to be watchful and sober, and to have prudence fitting to one’s age.”
Saint Chrysostom says: “Old age too has its defects. Carelessness, idleness, forgetfulness, dullness, and immobility belong to it. Therefore the Apostle commands the elders to be sober-minded.
For many things dispose a man at this age not to be sober-minded, especially what I have mentioned, that is, the dulling of all the senses, slowness, and difficulty in movement.”
But whoever attends to himself can always be sober-minded, that is, “vigilant and ready for every proper thing” (Blessed Theophylact).
Second, he must be honorable, “and becoming in outward appearance” (Blessed Theodoret). Sobriety defines the elder’s inner disposition, while honorableness defines his outward conduct.
He must carry himself so as to dispose everyone to reverence toward him. This commands dignity, restraint, and a certain gravity in movements, speech, and all actions.
Third, he must be self-controlled. Saint Chrysostom says: “By self-controlled he here means prudent. For self-control is the sound condition of the mind.” Oecumenius and Theophylact say the same.
The wise Sirach also writes: How beautiful is judgment for gray hairs, and for elders to understand counsel! How beautiful is wisdom for the aged, and understanding and counsel for the honored! (cf. Sir 25:6-7).
But others understand self-control here as purity from fleshly sins and lustfulness. Jerome writes: “The Apostle commands elders to be self-controlled, lest they give themselves to fleshly lustfulness at an age naturally alien to it.
With blood cooled toward it, they must not serve as a scandalous example for the young.”
The same thought can be seen in Blessed Theodoret, who interprets “self-controlled” as “careful for a good life.” We may suppose that this is not foreign to Saint Chrysostom either.
For after saying what was quoted above, he adds: “There truly are, indeed there are, even among elders, men who are unrestrained.”
Oecumenius says: “One cannot think that Saint Paul demands from elders abstinence from fleshly lust, when it is naturally already presumed in them.” Yet this expresses only how incongruous lustfulness is with old age.
It does not mean that it does not overcome even the old. The Wise Man also says that his soul finds hateful the life of an adulterous old man diminished in mind (see Sir 25:3-4).
It follows that there are lustful elders. Lust deprives them of sense and carries them after itself. Therefore it is no wonder that Saint Paul had this in mind when commanding that elders be exhorted to be self-controlled.
These three things, self-control, honorableness, and sobriety, embrace life in every possible relation, that is, toward oneself, toward other people, and toward God. Sobriety cannot be established otherwise than when the mind is united with the thought of God.
From this it is clear that the Apostle wants elders to present an exemplary life in every respect.
These three also contain all degrees of a life pleasing to God: spiritual, psychic, and bodily. By sobriety the spirit is brought into close communion with God.
But when the spirit has thus entered its proper rank, it does not reject the psychic and bodily life. Rather, it spiritualizes them. The spiritualization of the soul appears in honorableness, in which righteousness is joined with love.
The spiritualization of the body appears in self-control, which includes every detachment from all that is sensory and complete purity from the passions.
“Sound in faith, in love, in patience,” means “that they should believe sincerely, be distinguished by love for their neighbor, and courageously endure what they suffer from hostile enemies of the truth” (Blessed Theodoret).
Sound faith contains not only right confession, but still more it holds God faithful in the depth of the soul. It considers itself bound to be faithful to Him always and in everything.
Love, feeling the Fatherly love of God toward itself, burns with its own love for Him. With this love it embraces all who bear the image of God.
Patience is the fruit of faith and love. It is watered by hope and ripens under its action, or in its atmosphere, and more precisely in its warm shelter.
It upholds and bears both the work of faith and the labor of love. Above all, it good-naturedly endures everything encountered because of them: toil, constraint, sorrow, disasters, sufferings, and death.
These three are the summit of perfection in life according to God, in Christ Jesus, by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Who is it more natural for this perfection to adorn than elders?
Blessed Jerome, in interpreting this passage, considered it not superfluous to speak at length about these virtues.
“Those who receive soundness of faith will hear from the Savior: your faith has saved you (Mk 10:52). Or, as elsewhere: I have not found such faith, no, not in Israel (Mt 8:10).
For such soundness of faith they will become sons of Abraham, of whom it is written: Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness (cf. Gen 15:6).
Habakkuk too, understanding this sound faith, says: the righteous shall live by faith (cf. Hab 2:4). Read again the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews and enumerate the whole catalogue of sons of faith placed there.
There it is written: by faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain (Heb 11:4). By faith Enoch was translated so that he should not see death (Heb 11:5).
Noah, believing God concerning things not yet seen, made the ark; and Abraham went out not knowing where he was going (Heb 11:7-8).
And so that no one might think Sacred Scripture gives no example of faith among women, it is written in that Epistle that Sarah received power to conceive seed and bore beyond the age, because she judged Him faithful Who had promised (Heb 11:11).
There the faith of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, and others is praised. You will know them better by reading the Epistle itself.
But as there is soundness of faith, so there is also soundness in love. Who possesses soundness of love, if not the one who has loved God with all his soul, with all his heart, and with all his strength?
Then, hearing the commandment of Christ, he will turn love also toward his neighbor. For on these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.
The one who has sound love does not envy, is not puffed up, does not behave disorderly or dishonorably, is not provoked to anger, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth. He bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things (see 1 Cor 13:4-7).
Since love never fails, the one who abides in sound love never fails. Neither tribulation, nor distress, nor hunger, nor persecution, nor nakedness, nor danger can separate him from the sound love he has in Christ Jesus.
But why do I speak of sword and other lesser things, which cannot separate the one who possesses sound love? Neither death, nor life, nor Angels, nor Principalities, nor Powers, nor things present, nor things to come can do so.
Neither height, nor depth, nor any other creature can separate the one who has sound love in Christ Jesus (see Rom 8:35-39).
Having thus understood what sound love is, let us also take from Scripture an example of what is said about those in whom love is not sound.
The Savior says of the last times: because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall grow cold (cf. Mt 24:12). Love is hot in those who burn in spirit.
But in those subjected to the influence of cruel winds blowing from the north, love is cold as ice. For from the face of the north evils shall be kindled upon all who dwell on the earth (cf. Jer 1:14).
Amnon too was once frozen by this coldness of love toward Tamar his sister (see 2 Sam 13).
We must beware lest a similar disease of love sometimes overcome us. For it happens that our love for a young woman or some woman is holy at first.
But later, when the soul is softened and weakened by passion, our sound love gradually begins to wither and passes into sickness. At last it brings us to the brink of destruction.
Therefore the Apostle also prescribes to Timothy that he strictly exhort the young to guard themselves in purity in every way (see 1 Tim 5).
Complete purity exists in spirit, soul, and flesh. The eye must not be scandalized by clinging to the beauty of a woman’s face. The ear must not delight in hearing flattering words.
The mind, formerly strong, must not be weakened by such charms.
Therefore let both young men and elders, both young women and aged women, keep watch. Let them guard their heart with every diligence, lest instead of soundness of love, the sickness of love enter in.
Let them beware lest, instead of holy love, an unholy love creep in and cast them into Gehenna.
The one who is sound in faith and sound in love is also sound in patience. This is patience especially tested in temptations, for he who endures to the end shall be saved (cf. Mt 24:13).”
THEOSIS