After all those said, as a small advice, we will have to force ourselves to be vigilant and strive or rather have a permanent care how we will stand up to communicate with God the Father. By divine meditation we understand that the man was created only to occupy his mind with God. After we do everything is needed for the body and for the cares of life, all the rest of our time should be spent thinking about God and the afterlife.
The contemplation of God is an endless heaven. Thousands of heavens can`t be compared with the contemplation of God. These holy and experienced monks like my elder, who approach God and communicate sensibly with Him, become some spiritual astronauts who take the material stuff up to the spiritual world and search the things as they are and know only God and nothing else. `Me and God and nothing else!` From here on it opens an endless contemplation of God.
With such contemplations and perception of God how to perceive the elders the desert as a seclusion from people? Only by remembering that they might meet a man they grow sad. The desert was a comfort for them. Saint Silouan rested in silence and when he needed to go out he threw his kamelavkion on his face so that he would not see anything which could distract his mind from the contemplation of God.
`Why do you cover your face, father?` they asked him. Don`t you want to see us?`
`No, brother. What`s the use of seeing so many things around when God made Himself man for me?`
He said these wanting to give an answer to his brothers but those who have the experience of contemplations realize what he meant by these few words.
The enlightenment these men receive is so intense that the man doesn`t find his words to express what he feels. He feels his soul as a bride of God, adorned with divine clothes (as a worldly bride feels she is united with her groom) and that it is fulfilled his spiritual wedding with the Son of God and the soul`s reached ecstasy for this wedding is eternal. This nuptial bond lasts forever.
In another state he feels as a child of God who will inherit the eternal Father Whose beauty cannot be understood or described and he adorns himself from the richness of his Father. Some other times the soul feels such courage as if it would be ready to sweep away all the herds of demons. These of course are just words but in feeling there is something incomprehensible which cannot be compared with anything else.
Once in the Great Lent in the first days from the first week, while we were in the desert, because we had a hesychast way of living, separated from one another, I went out to pick up some greens. But I can`t describe or explain what happened to me. However, I will tell it for the glory of God! I found myself in heavens, among angels and chants. It was a ravishment of the mind, something frightening. If this state had lasted more I would not have been able to stand more on my feet of such a great delight. This was something coming out from God`s mercy since I was not able to explain it. It was not something coming out of my endeavor. And from this poor relish and knowledge I can tell what will happen with the man when he saves his soul with God`s mercy and not because of his deeds. Since nobody has deeds worthy of salvation. I feel so unworthy and small that if God didn`t help, I would be completely naked, perfectly aware of my wretchedness. If only we knew what God has prepared for those men who struggle till the end, we would say: `God, give us some more patience!`
Let us ask God to give us this patience, this zeal, this power. But I who tell you these things have nothing from these charismas because I did not work for my God, as I had to. That`s why I am rightly deprived of His benevolence.
May God make us worthy to shelter Him in our hearts and feel Him alive and True now and in His eternal Kingdom!
Excerpt from The Art of Salvation published by Evanghelismos.
