“How then can we cultivate faith?” Michael asked again.
“By spiritually exploiting everything that comes our way, positive or negative. If a difficulty our way, or even a tragedy, we should use it for spiritual advance. We should do the same with whatever good fortune comes along. Furthermore, spiritual work takes place within us with prayer and study. At the beginning these two are extremely necessary. We cannot progress spiritually if we do not pray.”
“Even if we don’t know how to pray?”
“Even if you don’t have a clue how to pray,” Fr. Maximos replied categorically. “Even if you don’t understand what you are saying, and even, I daresay, if you don’t believe in the one to whom you are praying. Prayer is your dialogue with God and the study of the word of God. The study of the Gospel and the words of the saints are much more important than the accumulation of knowledge about spirituality.”
“How so?” Teresa asked.
“Because holy books are written through divine inspiration, our souls commune with the Spirit that is embedded in these holy writings. They are food for the soul, for our entire being.”
“And this happens regardless of whether we are aware that it happens,” I noted.
“That’s right. So from our vantage point, spiritual advance presupposes prayer and study,” Fr. Maximos repeated. “By living within the Ecclesia, we undergo its therapeutic pedagogy and participate in its mysteries. We are then gradually led to the experience of the Christ who is within us. At first this work takes place without us realizing what goes on. But if we persevere, at some point a switch will turn on and we will be filled with light.
“The person who lives inside God,” Fr. Maximos continued, “lives immersed in the Light. Such a person has no trace of darkness inside him. He does not experience confusion or turmoil. And even when he falls and commits a sin, through metanoia (repentance) his balance is restored. The fall does not kill or destroy him. God, as the great Healer, is ever present, offering His fruits of faith, gentleness, and self-control that will lead this person toward his perfection.
~Adapted from Kyriacos C. Markides, Inner River: A Pilgrimage to the Heart of Christian Spirituality
