Prot. Dionysius Dunaevsky. Reverence is the trembling of the soul before the doors of Paradisetranslated

The humble soul, standing on the border of the worlds, freezes in sacred awe, realizing that entry into Paradise is not a merit, but a miracle of mercy. The great ascetic, Abba Sisoy, testified to this truth with his entire life and his very death.

In a distant desert, in a modest cell surrounded by silent sands, he lay on his deathbed. Disciples gathered around - brethren, for whom the elder was a living example of holiness: a man who had exhausted his body with fasting for decades, spent his nights in prayer, and with whose hands miracles were performed. With just one word from him - “Get up and get out” - the dead youth was resurrected. They waited with trepidation and pain in their hearts for the last moment, not daring to break the silence that reigned in the cell.

Suddenly something incredible happened: the old man’s face shone like the rising sun, illuminating everything around with an unearthly light. The disciples froze - it seemed to them as if the walls of the cell had dissolved, and Heaven itself had entered the cramped space.

- Father, what do you see? - one of the brothers whispered barely audibly.

“Reverend Anthony the Great came to me,” Sisoi answered quietly.

A few moments later his face lit up even brighter.

“Now I see the faces of the prophets...” he said.

And after a short time...