I pray that you will get fully well. What can we do? The Lord chastens us so
that we may have an eternal reward. Since we have no ascesis †, the Lord
gives us illnesses and afflictions to count it as ascesis for us so that we may
have some small consolation when we are judged before Him.
What can we do, my child? This is how God wants things: that we suffer
here in order to find repose in the world to come. Everything here is transient;
there, eternal. Winter is bitter, but paradise is sweet. Let our feet freeze here
so that they may dance there eternally! Glory to Thee, O God.
—-
Ascesis is man’s struggle to keep the commandments of
Christ. It encompasses not only his bodily and spiritual effort,
but also the method by which he passes through the three
stages of the spiritual life, namely: purification of the heart,
illumination of the nous, and theosis. Thus, it is an essential
tool for one’s sanctification. According to St. Gregory Palamas,
it is primarily “the evangelic life which is based on repentance.
It is man’s preparation for his union with Christ.”
From the book
Councels from the Holy mountain
Selected from the letters and homilies of Elder Efraim of Arizona
Selection of passages from the book by Silviu Podariu
