How Grace Comes
“God sends His Grace to the man who submits himself to Him and asks for It. In order for Grace to come we need humility and certain patterns of behavior are necessary from us.”
“Which mannerisms? What do you mean?”
“I don’t know if I should tell it to you. It’s not proper. Something is written about this in the works of St. Isaac the Syrian.” He retrieved a book from the shelf and leafed through the pages. He was having a difficult time saying it and finding it. At one point he said, “Lord Jesus Christ” and opening the book forcefully, he immediately found what he was looking for.
He read the text: “He who reached the love of God no longer desires to remain here. This happened because love negates fear. My beloved, because I have become a fool, I cannot bear to keep this mystery a secret. I become a fool for the benefit of my brothers because this true love cannot be kept secret from people you love. Many times when I was writing these things my fingers remained motionless on the paper and I could not bear the joy that overwhelmed my heart and calmed my feelings.”
The Elder read to me up to here. And this meant to me. “I am telling you ineffable things out of love. I too am becoming a fool “for the welfare of my brothers, as Abba Isaac did”.
And furthermore while Abba Isaac was writing, “his heart was opening up to Christ and he stood still” and his fingers remained motionless on the paper.
Subsequently, so that I could understand, since I asked him twice, he related the following to me:
What happened to Him at Saint John the Theologian Monastery on Patmos
“One summer, when I was in Athens, a dentist friend of mine and his wife asked me if we could go to the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian on Patmos.
“We went to the cave where the Revelations were received. The very spot where the rock was ripped open, where Saint John lay down and where he grabbed the rock to get up.
“You should know that these places have become sanctified. They impart holiness and grace.
“I felt my heart opening up little by little and then I walked out because there were other people there. In the afternoon, wanting to once again live this grace, I asked that we go there again. I told my companions to remain bowed and motionless while saying the prayer. (Don’t get up and don’t be concerned about anything that you might see.’
“I also bowed and was saying the prayer. But the Grace would not come as it had that morning. I got up and censed the altar, and the whole Church. I came back to my place and then my heart opened up. I remained with my hands open for a long time.
“My soul was filled to overflowing. Only one person entered and probably saw me. I don’t know. It probably was the parish priest and he left again. We got up and kept silent until the evening. I didn’t eat much. They never asked me anything. I told them not to discuss what happened because it’s not proper. It is something that can be easily misunderstood. This is the proper way. I did not force myself. I did not become upset. I did not get impatient. I got up, I censed, and the Grace came of its own accord, when It wanted to come. And you should keep your mind on profound things: “Lord Jesus Christ…” Allow yourself to be loose and unhurried in the hands of God and He will come and envelope your soul.”
~Adapted from Monk Agapios, The Divine Flame Elder Porphyrios Lit in My Heart
