Our way to Purification (kátharsis), Illumination (photismós), and Deification (théosis)

ΤΗΕ ROLE OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH

previous:

http://hristospanagia3.blogspot.com/2018/09/who-is-spiritually-healthy.html

What does it mean to be a Temple of the Holy Spirit?

Let us take a look at this state right now. When a person is a Temple of the Holy Spirit, the following takes place: The Holy Spirit is in this person's heart, and prays to God, communes with God! This is the restoration of the old Adam (before the ancestral sin) in this person. Because this is how Adam was before his fall; he had the Holy Spirit and was in constant communion with God.

Now, this takes place again in our Church, in all those who want and proceed with their purification and illumination, by the Grace of God.

Through purification, when we get rid of all our logismoí (as mentioned earlier), we create the proper conditions to host the Parakletos (Comforter), the Holy Spirit, in our very being. The Holy Spirit comes and dwells inside us. What actually happens is what Christ said to us [John 14:23]: "...and we (Him and His Father) will come unto him (us) and make our abode with him us)", and that's when man becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit. When we go through this process, and get purified, make our heart free from thoughts (both bad and good), then we allow for the Holy Spirit (who wants to be united and longs for this sacred union) to be reactivated inside us and do the praying.

Hence, what we call a prayer, noetic prayer, is not what WE do, but what the Holy Spirit does, when it is being activated. Until then, what WE do is just incomplete; it is simply an effort of ours preparing our union with God. However, in order for this bridging, in order for this union of man with God to take place, it is God Himself Who must come and make it happen.

Our ceaseless prayer begins with our mouth: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me". Then our intellect takes this prayer and brings it down to our heart. Slowly but steady, when this monológistos (consisting of one logismós) prayer, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, grows old inside our heart, when we repeatedly call upon his Devine Name, we drive away all our logismoí. This is the way to achieve this.

f. Savvas Agioreitis

To be continued...