When a person becomes a believer, he sees the traces of God everywhere – not only in the physical world, but also in his own life;

 

When a person becomes a believer, he sees the traces of God everywhere – not only in the physical world, but also in his own life;

He sees it in the past, as well as the present, and thus, he is hopeful for the future as well. At this point, he already contemplates his own life as a divine history, which means that he sees how God intervened many times and how He still intervenes in his everyday life…

In the second stage, a human being bears the fruits of the right spiritual life – he gradually manifests the qualities that previously existed in him, as in an image of God, only as a potential, but didn’t realize itself in the real life.

For example, he is able to remain calm where it would have been impossible for him to be calm,

Where he got angry, he is now merciful,

Where he was cowardly, he is now strong,

Where he was afraid, he is now brave,

Where he would despair, he is now hopeful,

He rejoices where he would’ve previously been joyless,

He is happy in a place where it would previously be absolutely impossible to be happy…

This also helps a person in his toil: it is no longer difficult to fast, it is no longer difficult to stand at the Liturgy, it is no longer difficult for him to forgive his neighbor and to bear his weaknesses… these are the first and the second stage - the period of purification.

So, the first stage is when a person sees the traces of God in his personal life, and the second stage is when he gathers the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Then comes the third stage - the meeting with the Incarnate God.

And there begins a terribly painful process in the spiritual life of a human being - seeking the Living God, seeking the personal relationship with the Living God, which is the cornerstone of the New Testament, the Gospel…

The Lord points us to this many times - to draw near to Him, to follow Him, and this process can go on for a lifetime.

We may reach our last breath without having attained this state, but this should not be a reason to despair… because if a person's life is full of pursuit of God, this is already the path of salvation…

Even if one isn’t able to reach the state of theoria, which is the period after purification, the important thing is for a person to be walking on this path…. whether he reaches the state or not is not decisive, because when he passes away, he will still see God and stand before Him as a saved person…

The important thing is keep walking on this path.

Archpriest Theodore Gignadze