God allows a great shake. Difficult times are coming. We will be put to difficult tests… We shall take everything seriously and adopt a spiritual way of living. The context forces and will force us to live spiritually. And it is preferable to do it with joy and good will and not out of necessity. Many Saints would have wished to live in our times so they may achieve salvation.

I am glad that some people threaten me with death because then I speak and I ruin their plans. Late at night when I hear somebody opening the gate my heart leaps with joy. But then I hear them saying You have a telegram, pray for … I say to myself: That was it? I lost this opportunity as well! ... And not because my life becomes more difficult but because I am glad to die. We all should be glad we have this opportunity. There is a great reward for it.

In the past, when a war started, even the soldiers of defence went to fight for their county, their people. Today we don’t do it anymore, we don’t fight for our country or to protect our houses from barbarians, to protect our sisters, we don’t go to protect our families or ideologies but we go to fight either for Christ or for the devil. The front is clear. During German occupation you were a hero if you did not salute a German. Now you are a hero if you don’t salute the devil. Anyways we will have some terrible events. There will be spiritual battles. Saints will sanctify themselves even more and devils will become even more evil. Nevertheless, I am comforted deep in my soul. This is a storm and only the struggle is of value, because nowadays we don’t fight against Ali Pasha, Hitler or Mussolini but with the devil. And this is why we will have our grace in heaven.

May that the Almighty God balance the evil and convert it in good! Amen.

(Translation from: Cuviosul Paisie Aghioritul, Cuvinte duhovniceşti, Vol. I Cu durere și dragoste pentru omul contemporan, Editura Evanghelismos, București, 2012, pp. 35-36)