Do not forget your goal, my child. Look into
heaven and see the beauty that awaits us. What are the present, earthly things?
Aren’t they but ashes and dust and a dream? Don’t we see that everything here
is subject to decay? Whereas things above are everlasting, the kingdom of God
is endless, and blessed is he who will dwell in it, for he will behold the
glory of His divine face!
My child, do
not forget that we are in this world only temporarily and that our life dangles
by a thread and that all the desirable things in the world are vain. So,
whoever despises the vain things of the world—in other words, does not
passionately desire them—will participate in the eternal good things.
So, when we
have this knowledge of the truth, naturally we shall turn the eyes of our soul
at every moment towards the eternal life, towards the heavenly Jerusalem, where
the choirs of angels chant godly canticles of ineffable sweetness and wisdom.
Oh, my children, how much glory your souls will have when after death they
ascend to the heavens and are numbered with the angels in heaven!
Let us
glorify the risen Lord, Who counted us worthy to celebrate His holy
Resurrection. Let us pray that He will also count us worthy to celebrate the
eternal Sabbath in the heavens, in the new Jerusalem, in the eternal joy. “And
no one will take this joy away from you (Jn. 16:22).” Indeed, my child, for
earthly joy is followed by sorrows which can annihilate it, whereas heavenly
joy is not, because it flows continuously as if from an inexhaustible and
life-giving spring.
Let us compel
ourselves in our Christian duties in order to be able to celebrate the eternal
Pascha* close to our Christ and see Him face to face for our blessed enjoyment,
without it being interrupted anymore by trials and despair.
*Pascha
Pascha
literally means “passover.” It is the celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection,
known in Western Christianity as Easter.
Selected from the Letters and Homilies of Elder Ephraim of Arizona
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