My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
STRIVING FOR ATTAINMENT OF THE ACQUISITION
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
By Saint Seraphim of Sarov
"The Lord has revealed to me," said the great elder,
"that in your childhood you had a great desire to know
THE AIM OF OUR CHRISTIAN LIFE, and that you have
continually asked nab great spiritual persons about it."
I must admit that from the age of twelve this thought had
constantly troubled me. In fact, I had approached many
clergy about it, however, their answers had not satisfied me.
This could not have been known to the elder
"But no one," continued Saint Seraphim "has given you a
precise answer. They have said to you, ‘Go to church,
pray to God, do good–that is the aim of the Christian life…
"However prayer, fasting, vigil and all the other Christian
practices may be, THEY DO NOT CONSTITUTE THE AIM
OF OUR CHRISTIAN LIFE. Although it is true that they
serve as the indispensable means of reaching this end, the
true aim of our Christian life CONSISTS OF THE
ACQUISITION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD. As for fasts,
and vigils, and prayer, an almsgiving, and every good deed
done for Christ’s sake brings us the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
All tha tis not done for Christ’s sake, even though it be good,
BRINGS NEITHER REWARD IN THE FUTURE LIFE NOR THE
GRACE IF GOD IN THIS LIFE. That is why our Lord Jesus
Christ said: "He who does not gather with Me scatters"
(Luke 11:23]…
The Lord uses all His divine means to give such a man, in
return for his good works, the opportunity not to lose his
reward in the future life. But to this end, we must begin
WITH A RIGHT FAITH IN OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE SON
OF GOD, WHO CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS
AND WHO, THROUGH OUR ACQUIRING FOR OURSELVES THE
GRACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, BRINGS INTO OUR HEARTS THE
KINGOD AND OPENS THE WAY FOR US TO WIN THE BLESSINGS
OF THE FUTURE LIFE…
"What do you mean by acquiring?" I asked Saint Seraphim.
"Somehow I don’t understand that."
"Acquiring is the same as obtaining," he replied. "Do you understand
what acquiring money means? Acquiring the Spirit of God is exactly
the same… The acquisition of God’s Spirit is also capital, but GRACE–
GIVING AND ETERNAL, AND IT IS ALMOST THE SAME WAYS AS
MONETARY SOCIAL TEMPORAL CAPITAL.
"God the Logos/Word, the God-Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, compares our life with the market, and the work of our life on earth He calls trading. He says to us all: "Trade till I come" (Luke 19:13), buying up every opportunity, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16). In other words, make the most of your time getting heavenly blessings through earthly goods. Earthly goods are good works done for Christ’s sake that confer the grace of the All-Holy Spirit on us.
"God the Logos/Word, the God-Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, compares our
life with the market, and the work of our life on earth, He calls trading. He
says to us all, "Trade till I come" (Luke 19:13), buying up every opportunity,
because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16). In other words, make the most
of your time getting heavenly blessings through earthly goods. Earthly
goods are good works DONE FOR CHRIST’S SAKE THAT CONFER THE GRACE
OF THE ALL-HOLY SPIRIT, ON US.
"In the Parable of the wise and foolish virgins, when the foolish ones ran short of oil, they were told: "Go and buy in the market." But when they had bought it, the door of the bride-chamber was already shut and they could not get in. Some say that the lack of oil in the lamps of the foolish virgins MEANS LACK OF GOOD DEEDS IN THEIR LIFETIME. Such an interpretation is not quite correct. Why should they be lacking in good deeds, if they are called virgins, even though foolish ones? Virginity is the SUPREME VIRTUE, an ANGELIC STATE, and it could take the
place of all other good works.
"I think that what they were lacking was THE GRACE OF THE ALL-HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD. These virgins practiced the virtues, but in their SPIRITUAL IGNORANCE they supposed that the Christian life consisted merely in doing good works. By doing a good deed they thought they were doing the work of God, but they CARED LITTLE WHETHER THEY ACQUIRED THE GRACE OF GOD’S SPIRIT. These ways of life, based merely on doing good, without carefully testing whether the bring the grace of the Spirit of God, are mentioned in the Patristic books: "There is another way which is deemed good in the beginning, but ends at the bottom of hell."
"Anthony the Great in his letter to monks says of such virgins: ‘Many monks and virgins have no idea of the different kinds of will which act in man, and they do not know that we are influenced by THREE WILLS: The First is God’s All-perfect and All-saving will; the Second is our own human will which, if not destructive, neither is it saving; and the Third will IS THE DEVIL’S WILL–WHOLLY DESTRUCTIVE.’ This third will of the ENEMY prompts man to do any no good deeds, or to do them good out of VANITY, ore MERELY FOR VIRTUE’S SAAKE RATHER THEAN FOR CHRIST’S SAKE. The second, our own will, PROMPTS US TO DO EVERYTHING TO FLATTER OUR PASSIONS, OR ELSE IT TEACHES US LIKE THE ENEMY, TO DO GOOD FOR THE SAKE OF GOOD AND NOT CARE FOR THE GRACE WHICH IS ACQUIRED BUT IT. But the FIRST, GOD’S ALL-SAVING WILL, CONSISTS IN DOING GOOD SOLELY TO ACQUIRE THE HOLY SPIRIT, AS AN ETERNAL, INEXHAUSTIBLE TREASURE WHICN IS PRICELESS. The ACQUISITION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS, IN A MANNER OF SPEAKING, THE OIL, WHICH THE FOOLISH VISRGINS LACKED. THEY WERE FOOLISH JUST BECAUSE THEY HAD FORGOTTEN THE NECESSARY FRUIT OF VIRTUE, THE GRACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, WITHOUT WHICH NO ONE IS OR CAN BE SAVED, FOR: "THORUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT EVERY SOUL IS QUICKENED AND THROUGH PURIFICATION IS EXALTED AND ILLUMINED BY THE TRIUNE UNITY IN A HOLY MYSTERY.’
"The oil in the lamps of the wise virgins could burn brightly for a long time. So these virgins, with their bright lamps were able to meet the Bridegroom, Who came at midnight. With Him, they could enter the bridal chamber of JOY. But the foolish ones, though they went to market to buy more oil, when their lamps we going out, were unable to return in time, for the door was already shut. The market IS OUR LIFE; the door of the bridal chamber, which was shut and barred the wy to the Bridegroom IS HUMAN DEATH; the wise and foolish virgins are CHRISTIAN SOULS; the oil is not the good deeds, BUT THE GRACE OF THE ALL-HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD WHCIH IS OBTAINED THROUGH GOOD DEEDS AND WHICH CHANGES SOULS FROM ONE STATE TO ANOTHER — SUCH AS, FROM A CORRUPTIBLE STATE TO INCORRUPTEBLE STATE, FROM SPIRITUAL DEATH TO SPIRITUAL LIFE, FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT, FROM THE STABLE OF OUR BEING (WHERE THE PASSIONS ARE TIED LIKE DUMB ANIMALS AND WILD BEASTS) INTO A TEMPLE OF THE DIVINITY, THE SHINING BRIDAL CHAMBER OF ETERNAL JOY IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD, THE CREATOR, REDEEMER AND ETERNAL BRIDEGROOM OF OUR SOULS..
(To be continued)
____
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 