Transcription
Elder, what are the conditions required for the Holy Spirit to dwell in a person? An aesthetical spirit, humility, film, spiritual nobility, and self-sacrifice. A person is useless without the grace of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is light, divine light. Everything is founded on this. If someone cannot see, he may walk into a glass pane, fall off a cliff, into a pit, or even into a sewer. He cannot see where he is going because he lacks light. But if he sees a little, he is more careful. And if he sees more clearly, he avoids all these dangers and walks safely on his path. And for the light to come, one must want to leave the darkness. Even if people can see dimly, they will not fall. And God will not grieve. If an earthly father grieavves when his children fall into mud, thorns or precipaces, how much more does God grieve?
All the evil that happens in the world is because divine illumination is lacking. And when divine illumination is absent, man is in darkness. Then one person says, "We should go this way." Another says, "No, I know better. We should go that way." Another says, "No, this way." And another that way. Each one thinks that his way is the best. In other words, everyone is concerned with doing good, but they are in dimness, and so they cannot come to an agreement. If this dimness didn't exist, they wouldn't argue. They would all see the best road and walk together on it. I mean that everyone may move with good intentions. But because this dimness exists, many problems arise both in society and in the church. At least in the church, most people do not have a bad disposition. But divine illumination is missing.
[music] They struggle for what is good. But where do they end up? This is why we must ask God to give us even a little divine illumination otherwise we will stumble like the blind during the divine liturgy when the priest says thine own of thine own. I pray to God to enlighten the world so that it may see if God enlightens even a little the darkness will flee so that people will not become spiritually crippled. And during the second psalm which St. Perennios of Capidoshia used to read so that God may enlighten those who are going to councils. I say may God enlighten all the rulers and then enlighten the hierarchy and all the fathers of the church so that they may receive the Holy Spirit and help the world. Even if God enlightens just one person and makes the others receptive, do you know what good can happen? One word from a single ruler can change everything. People are in great need of divine illumination. The good God gives his divine illumination to those who have a good disposition.
A judge once told me about an incident he personally encountered. A monk had been sent by his monastery with £500 to buy a piece of land. He went to ask a merchant for advice and the merchant said, "Leave the money with me so that you don't have to carry it around." The monk having a good thought said, "What a good man. He even relieved me of the burden." But when he returned, the merchant refused to give him the £500 and on top of that claimed that he had given the monk 8 million. The poor monk was distraught, wondering how he would return to the monastery. He had given the money, received nothing, and now the man was demanding millions more. The case went to court. During the trial, the judge, moved by an inspiration, asked a series of questions, and it was proven that the merchant not only hadn't given the monk anything, but had in fact taken the money from him. I discerned in that judge a state like that of the prophet Daniel, because he had fear of God, God enlightened him, and he acted rightly.
The whole foundation is divine illumination. And when divine illumination comes, a person brings peace to his surroundings and he himself progresses spiritually. This is why I say lights, chandeliers, and the inventions of the human mind are good. But greater is the divine light of God's grace which enlightens man. The person who has divine illumination sees things with great clarity, receives information without doubt, and not only does not grow weary, but helps others greatly and positively.
[singing]