Inspired by the longing towards God, man is able to confront all trials. If we will not allow the flame of our heart to quench, even when God withdraws His grace from us allowing us to taste the spiritual death, we will remain still on the path leading to God.

As flies of beasts cannot get close to the boiling pot in order to defile our food, so will happen with our heart: as long as it burns with ardent love for Christ it will never be robbed by passionate thoughts, and the wolf of bodily passions will not be able to tear apart its prey - the heart that longs to bring pure sacrifice to the Lord. But, once the fire quenched and the meal is cold, flies come and defile it.

Inspired by the longing towards God, man is able to confront all trials. If we will not allow the flame of our heart to quench, even when God withdraws His grace from us allowing us to taste the spiritual death, we will remain still on the path leading to God. It depends only on us if the threatening death will be transformed into a spring of life or will eventually destroy us. Facing death is absolutely necessary in order to test our longing for God. If, despite the threat of death we remain still in the decision of following Christ and doing the good deeds that we learned while the grace was still with us, then our faith will be bigger than death and will conquer the world, according the word of Saint John the Evangelist (1 John 5,4)

(Translation from: Arhimandrit Zaharia Zaharou, Adu-ţi aminte de dragostea cea dintâi (Apocalipsa 2, 4-5) – Cele trei perioade ale vieţii duhovniceşti în teologia Părintelui Sofronie, Editura Doxologia, Iaşi, 2015, pp. 170-171)