Theotokos was born after a lot of prayer, against all odds. Still, she had to stay in the Holy of Holies to be prepared for twelve concise years.
Adam, though sinless in paradise, also had to be put through the test. He had to undergo some kind of preparation, in order to show that he was at- tracted by God’s love and that he wanted to be with Him eternally. God expected Adam to show he was enthralled by walking with Him in the Garden in perfect communion. God expected Adam to show that his life was filled with this communion. Adam proved unprepared. He didn’t take advantage of the fact that he was sinless. He proved careless, indul- gent and self possessed.
Similarly, regardless of how many skills or poten- tial he may have, regardless of how fervently he may be listening to the word of God, every man needs to be watchful at the crucial time, at the time of testing, in order to prove worthy of God.
Archimandrite Symeon Kragiopoulos (†)
From the book: Archimandrite Symeon Kragiopoulos, “SPIRITUAL MESSAGES” Panorama Thessaloniki, 2017
