Talking with Geronta Pavlos of Sinai :
Q 'Love God first, then yourself, then everybody and
everything,' you have said. So the source of authentic love – of all our
enduring happiness – is to unite ourselves to God’s love. How radically this
differs from the idea of spirituality as submission!
A 'Whoever wants to, let him follow me,' Christ says.
And even then, freedom is not lost. Nonetheless, free will in God is a mystery,
these things cannot be fully explained.
Q Secular society seems terrified by this free will,
insisting that people are born helpless victims of their passions.
A This is not correct. We have examples of holy people
who previously lived in sin, mired in sin, and were sanctified. This is
momentous! People who were bound to sin, and managed to become saints. There is
no passion from which a person cannot escape through the grace of God.
Q Is it Western society’s demand to 'understand' God
on human terms (or not at all) that renders people powerless before their
passions?
A Yes, but of course. Because you cannot understand
God; if you could, He would not be God, He would be something else. But one can
'live' God, live with God – with prayer, simplicity, with humility and love –
by putting His commandments into action.
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