The soul cannot know peace unless she prays for her
enemies. The soul that has learned of God's grace to pray, feels love and compassion
for every created thing, and in particular for mankind, for whom the Lord
suffered on the Cross, and His soul was heavy for every one of us.
The Lord taught me to love my enemies. Without the
grace of God we cannot love our enemies. Only the Holy Spirit teaches love, and
then even devils arouse our pity because they have fallen from good, and lost
humility in God.
I beseech you, put this to the test. When a man
affronts you or brings dishonor on your head, or takes what is yours, or
persecutes the Church, pray to the Lord, saying: "O Lord, we are all Thy
creatures. Have pity on Thy servants and turn their hearts to repentance,"
and you will be aware of grace in your soul. To begin with, constrain your
heart to love enemies, and the Lord, seeing your good will, will help you in
all things, and experience itself will show you the way. But the man who thinks
with malice of his enemies has not God's love within him, and does not know
God.
If you will pray for your enemies, peace will come to
you; but when you can love your enemies - know that a great measure of the
grace of God dwells in you, though I do not say perfect grace as yet, but
sufficient for salvation. Whereas if you revile your enemies, it means there is
an evil spirit living in you and bringing evil thoughts into your heart, for,
in the words of the Lord, out of the heart proceed evil thoughts - or good
thoughts.
The good man thinks to himself in this wise: Every one
who has strayed from the truth brings destruction on himself and is therefore
to be pitied. But of course the man who has not learned the love of the Holy
Spirit will not pray for his enemies. The man who has learned love from the
Holy Spirit sorrows all his life over those who are not saved, and sheds
abundant tears for the people, and the grace of God gives him strength to love
his enemies.
Understand me. It is so simple. People who do not know
God, or who go against Him, are to be pitied; the heart sorrows for them and
the eye weeps. Both paradise and torment are clearly visible to us: We know
this through the Holy Spirit. And did not the Lord Himself say, "The
kingdom of God is within you"? Thus eternal life has its beginning here in
this life; and it is here that we sow the seeds of eternal torment. Where there
is pride there cannot be grace, and if we lose grace we also lose both love of
God and assurance in prayer. The soul is then tormented by evil thoughts and
does not understand that she must humble herself and love her enemies, for
there is no other way to please God.
What shall I render unto Thee, O Lord,
for that Thou hast poured such great mercy on my soul?
Grant, I beg Thee, that I may see my iniquities,
and ever weep before Thee,
for Thou art filled with love for humble souls,
and dost give them the grace of the Holy Spirit.
O merciful God, forgive me.
Thou seest how my soul is drawn to Thee, her Creator.
Thou hast wounded my soul with Thy love,
and she thirsts for Thee, and wearies without end,
and day and night, insatiable, reaches toward Thee,
and has no wish to look upon this world, though I do
love it,
but above all I love Thee, my Creator,
and my soul longs after Thee.
O my Creator, why have I, Thy little creature,
grieved Thee so often? Yet Thou hast not remembered my
sins.
Glory be to the Lord God that He gave us His
Only-begotten
Son for the sake of our salvation.
Glory be to the Only-begotten Son that He deigned to
be
born of the Most Holy Virgin, and suffered for our
salvation,
and gave us His Most Pure Body and Blood to eternal
life,
and sent His Holy Spirit on the earth.
O Lord, grant me tears to shed for myself,
and for the whole universe,
that the nations may know Thee and live eternally with
Thee,
O Lord, vouchsafe us the gift of Thy humble Holy
Spirit,
that we may apprehend Thy glory.
Source: http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/Holy_Fathers/St._Silouan_the_Athonite/
CONVERSATION