Spiritual words

Know that All that You Have Received from God, Was Given as a Loan

    • Photo: Oana Nechifor

      Photo: Oana Nechifor

Buy yourself rest with struggle, the unseen face of God with watchfulness, the delight of eternal goods through fasting and thirst. Keep in your head your mind and knowledge; in your eyes the look of God; under your feet the ground where you shall return; in your ears the teachings of the Bible.

All that you have, you have received from God: wisdom, mind, reasoning and craft. And you rule over everything: the earth, the mountains, waters and sky, and they were given to you as resource of food. But they were given to you as a loan, so that you pay them back through: justice, love, kindness, humbleness and mercy. And He will bestow upon you gifts that no eye has seen and no ear has heard, and no heart has felt, that God prepared for those who love Him.

While you are still in the sight of this world, while the bargaining is not over, buy yourself the mercy of God with your mercy for the poor; eternal grace with your righteousness; eternal life with humbleness; crown with justice; heaven with kindness; life among angels with prayer. Buy yourself rest with struggle, the unseen face of God with watchfulness, the delight of eternal goods with fasting and thirst. Keep in your head your mind and knowledge; in your eyes the look of God; under your feet the ground where you shall return; in your ears the teachings of the Bible; in your heart, the weep for your sins; on your tongue the truth; in your mouth, prayer; in your hand, alms for the poor; in your soul, peace; in your body, purity; in your belly, hunger; in your knees, prayer to God. And  if you will take care of all these, you will be the son of light, member of the Kingdom of Heaven, the heir of eternal joy and inhabitant of the Divine Jerusalem. Praised be our Lord, now and for ever! Amen!

(Translation from: Î.P.S. Pimen Arhiepiscop al Sucevei şi Rădăuţilor, Din cuvintele duhovniceşti ale Sfinţilor Părinţi, Editura Arhiepiscopiei Sucevei si Radautilor, Suceava, 2003, p. 240)