How precious
is the time of this life! Every minute has great worth, for within one minute
we can think so many things, either good or evil. One godly thought raises us
to heaven, and one diabolical thought lowers us to hell. So then, behold how
valuable every minute in this present life is. Unfortunately, though, we do not
think about this, and hours, days, and years pass with no profit—but is it
merely with no profit? How much damage we have all suffered—and I,
first—without realizing it! But some day, when our soul is about to depart from
our body, we shall realize it. But, alas, it will be too late; there is no room
for correction then.
We must realize this now when we can still
make a start. We should take advantage of the precious time of our life. Truly
blessed is he who compels himself and makes a start, because some day he will
become spiritually rich. It is never too late, for the Lord awaits each one of
us to awaken so that He may give us work. He waits until the eleventh
hour. He tries with every means to
awaken us.
I pray that all of us will awaken, light our
lamps, and with a vigilant eye wait patiently for the Lord to come, so that we
may enter the resplendent bridal chamber of eternal bliss, the festival of the
bright angels, to chant with them the resurectional canticles, which will
elevate us from theoria † to theoria and to divine ascents! Then—oh, then!—we
shall fully realize what a great work it is to compel ourselves in everything
and that our superiors did well to push us and grieve us, for we shall say,
“Behold what we see now!” Then our thanks to God will have no limits. Then we
shall really render thanks worthily to God!
† Theoria
Theoria is
the “vision of the spirit” or “a non-sensible revelation of the nous” (St.
Isaac the Syrian) through which one attains spiritual
knowledge.
That is, through theoria, the Holy Spirit grants one understanding of the
mysteries of God and creation which are hidden to the rational human intellect.
Knowledge stemming from theoria is revelation from above. Theoria is not
intellectual work, but an operation of the Holy Spirit which opens the eyes of
the soul to behold mysteries. The Church Fathers often contrast it
with praxis
which is an indispensable prerequisite of theoria. In the first stage of
theoria, the prayer is said without distraction and with a sense of the
presence of God with love, peace, mourning, etc. In the next stage, the nous
proceeds to feel what Adam felt in Paradise before the Fall, and it sees
spiritually how all nature glorifies God. Furthermore, it sees His omnipotence,
omniscience,
and providence therein. St. Maximos the Confessor calls this perceiving the
inner essences or principles of created beings (Philokalia, vol. II, p. 69). In
the final stage of theoria, one beholds God Himself in uncreated light.
(Evagrios the Solitary, On Prayer, Philokalia, vol. I.
From the book
Counsels from the Holy mountain
Selected from
the letters and homilies of Elder Efraim of Arizona
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