Elder Arsenie Papacioc: It’s me, Your great ascetic!
“It’s me, Your great
ascetic!”
“You’re not ready; I’m not
opening the door for you!”
The ascetic was worried: “I
wonder why?” And he went again to the door and knocked.
“Who is
there?” asked the Lord.
“It is you!”
“If you are Me,
enter!” – That is to say, God gathers with those who are gods by
grace.
So it is not permitted to
knock at Christ’s door with stains, since any little sin is not small! If should
not be understood that the struggle is to become perfect only in not committing
sins! This is a little brash, and it is not the way of humility. You have to
believe that the grace of God is helping you and that if you’re something it’s
only by God’s grace.
This is how I understood
the words of St. Silouan, uttered to him by the Savior: “Keep thy mind in
hell and despair not!” Our deeds can’t save us; therefore, we have reason
for a continuous and authentic humility; not a rational humility, but a true
humility.
