What is Heaven? It is a place filled with evergreen flowers, full of spiritual scents, the joy of angels, the paschal life, divine love, incessant doxology to God and eternal life! Therefore, there is so much to fight for and yet, our fight is so little!

Oh, Heaven, how beautiful you are! I am called by your beauty and transforms me into another man. Why shouldn’t I struggle and fight to win you? God, my Lord, cast away this pride of mine so that guided by the holy humbleness I can become a citizen of the sweetest Heaven. Amen, so be it!

(Translated from Comori duhovnicești din Sfântul Munte Athos, Culese din scrisorile și omiliile Avvei Efrem, Editura Egumenița, p.19)