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| Saint Sophrony the Athonite. |
There
is no way adequately to describe this experience of Divine visitations. They do
not repeat themselves in the same form - almost every time they bring something
new with a different sequence.
The
Name of Jesus Christ for the believer is like a high fortress-wall. It is not easy
for the enemy to cheat his way through the heavy iron gates if our attention is
not distracted by outside concerns. The Jesus prayer gives the soul the
strength to resist harmful influences from outside. It does even more. It
affords us the possibility to influence the milieu in which we live- to emerge,
as it were, from the inner depths of our mind and heart and mix with our
brethren in love and peace. Increasing peace and love, commanded by God, induce
ardent prayer for the whole world. The spirit of Christ draws us into expanses of
love embracing all creation, so that the soul prays urgently:
“O
Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, have mercy upon us and upon Thy world”
I
remember how invocation of the Name Jesus Christ merged with the presence
(invisible) of Him Himself. And from that moment this wondrous Name - and other
Names of God - have become channels towards unity with Him. At that time I was
already an ordained priest. The celebration of the Divine Liturgy likewise
assumed a different character: it was not only an act untainted by any wavering
of faith but a sensation felt all through me of the FACT of the presence of
God, accomplishing the Mystery. I felt the profound meaning and reality
contained in St. Basil the Great's words: 'Thou hast given us the revelation of
heavenly mysteries.":
Yes,
the Lord, even unto us the least of men, reveals the mystery of the priestly
service.
After
that, my spirit was given to apprehend in many ways the efficacy of the
Liturgical Office but I do not know whether I can find words
to express my experience. The Liturgy as a Divine Act involves the whole being.
There is no querying, HOW is this possible? For the priest it will be obvious,
an ontological fact. 'Take - this is My Body ... Drink - this is My Blood.' And
before, I used to take communion, not without faith, not without love, but with
a less vivid consciousness of what was happening. Invocation of the Name of
Jesus Christ gave me the experience of the blessed - but at the same time
fearful- presence of the Eternal God. This does not mean, of course, that a
similar sequence is obligatory for everyone.
With
the first words of the Liturgy - 'Blessed is the kingdom of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost' - comes God's gracious response. Not always
with equal intensity. The Liturgical Canon demands crucial attention. The most
exalted moment occurs with the Epiclesis. The priest and with him all who are
present in the church petition God the Father to send down the Holy Spirit. And
He comes and fulfils their supplication.
Through
the Liturgical Act I learned to contemplate the life of Christ-Man. Before
saying to the Aposdes, 'Take, eat: this is my body?" He had
prayed in secret to the Father. He did not utter these fearful words as Master
but as the Son of man, teaching us not to allow a single impulse within us that
might have a trace of 'self-divinisation'. I have put this conception at the
root of my life in Christ. I pray to the Father as a created being. I hope for
salvation only as a gift of love from on High. I seek the adoption of sons not
otherwise than through Christ; and hallowing and enlightenment only through the
Holy Spirit. All these Three - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit -
according to my profound conception are One Life, One Dominion, One Light, One
Love. In Each of them there is absolute Fulness of Divinity. They are separate
in me, undivided. They flow together in me without confusion. This is an
eternal fact of Divine Being, Whose seal I hunger to receive despite my utter
unworthiness. I am not trying to explain the Holy Triunity through logical
abstraction. I live this great Mystery reverently, the revelation of which
gives me the answer to all my questions.
Reference:
On
Prayer. Archimandrite Sophrony(Sakharov).Essex 1996.