Слово 87. О втором делании в человеке

Another activity after this happens when a person goes through a good life well, and reaches the ascension to the level of repentance, and approaches the experience of contemplation and doing it 678. When he receives from above the grace to taste the sweetness of the knowledge of the Spirit, the beginning of this work consists in the following: a person is first convinced of God’s providence for man, is enlightened by His love for creation 679 and is amazed at the structure of rational beings and the great care of God for them. From this begins the Divine sweetness in him, the ignition of love for God, kindling in the heart and scorching spiritual and physical passions; and a person feels this power within himself as soon as he begins to think rationally about all created natures and about every object he encounters, enter into research about them and reason spiritually. Therefore, a person, with such strong and divine diligence and a good conscience, then begins to be aroused by Divine love, and immediately becomes intoxicated with it, like wine; his members relax, his thoughts remain in amazement, his heart is taken captive to God; and thus, as I said, he becomes like one drunk with wine. And to the extent that internal sensations intensify, this contemplation intensifies. And to the extent that a person tries to live a good life, to preserve himself, to spend time in reading and prayer, to the same extent their strength is confirmed and strengthened in him. And it is absolutely fair, brothers, that over time he has to forget about himself, that he wears this body, and does not know whether he is in this world. This is the beginning of spiritual contemplation in a person, and this is the beginning of all revelations to the mind! And with this beginning the mind grows and strengthens in the innermost; they are elevated to other revelations that exceed human nature; in short, through his hand all Divine contemplations and revelations of the Spirit are communicated to man, which the saints receive in this world, and all the gifts and revelations that only nature can know in this life. This is the root of our feeling, implanted in us by our Creator! Blessed is the man who preserved this good seed, as soon as it fell into his soul, and grew it, and did not waste it from himself with vanity and soaring thoughts about the transitory and perishable. To our God be glory forever! Amen. In the Greek text: “with your love for the Creator.” In our translation, the reading of St. Paisia. You might be interested in: