The moment we accept death, true life
can begin. (Elder Aimilianos of
Simonopetra)
*
The secret to his freedom does not
lie in the rejection of his suffering, but in his joyful acceptance of them. He
will be truly free only when he lets go of wanting to be free of his
sufferings, for all freedom and all life depend on our being in right relation
to God. When he accepts his death; when he allows himself to hear the sound of
his footsteps descending into the grave, he will find that death no longer has
a hold on him, for now he is with God. The darkness will vanish and he will see
only light.
*
If he accepts to become an instrument
of God’s will, he will emerge triumphant; but otherwise he will fail.
*
If “l” exist God cannot exist, for
there cannot be two gods, and so it is either God or the self. When someone
sees only his own suffering, God cannot answer him, for it is precisely the
mistaken, negative attitude toward suffering that constitutes the separation
between him and God. But if “I” cease to exist, if my relation to my suffering
changes, then I can be united to God. This union depends on the denial of my
self, so that God can come into my life.
*
I must learn to accept suffering with
joy, to find joy within my suffering, to realize that even in my moments of
glory, I am nothing but “dust and ashes” (Gen 18:27), a pelican in the wilderness
(Ps 102:6), lost in a desert land, seeking shelter in a landscape of ruins. I
must realize my sinfulness, my nakedness, my alienation from God; I must
realize I am like a sparrow alone on a house top (Ps 102:7), not because I have
some psychological problem, but because I have been separated from God. … In
this cry, this calling out, there exists the hope that I will hear the sound of
His footsteps, and these will overtake my own and lead me to salvation.
*
Source: Psalms and the Life of Faith,
by Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra, pp 104-10
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