“The
Church lives in the context of Pentecost. Illumination — which is the
aim of Baptism and is assumed to be identical with Chrismation, as
Chrismation is illumination — is the heart of the Mysteries, and
Pentecost is the heart of the heart. The two go together, because anyone
who reaches illumination, when and if God wills, arrives at
glorification. Glorification, however, is not a continuing state, and he
returns to illumination. Glorification is not a permanent state in this
life. Thus illumination is supposed to be a permanent state. If someone
is not in the state of illumination it means, according to the Fathers
of the Church, that he has fallen. He returns to illumination through
the Mystery of Confession.
So we have the first Baptism, we have Chrismation and afterwards we
have the second Baptism. The second Baptism may be the monk’s repentance
in order to reach illumination, which he did not find at Baptism. Or it
may be the Mystery of Confession that is sometimes accompanied by
Chrismation, when those concerned have denied Christ.
