A passage from the biography of St. Silouan the Athonite, a 20th century monk, by Archimandrite Sophrony:
The Staretz [Holy Elder] used to say,"The Holy Spirit is love, and He gives the soul strength to love her enemies. And he who does not love his enemies does not know God."
This last criterion occupied an absolutely exclusive and incontestable place in the Staretz' soul. He would say,
"The Lord is a merciful Creator, having compassion for all. The Lord pities all sinners as a mother is compassionate with her children even when they take the wrong path. Where there is no love for enemies and sinners, the Spirit of the Lord is missing."
Elsewhere in this rich biography, we learn that St. Silouan, who died in 1938, taught the necessity to refuse to wish evil upon people, even our persecutors. He taught that we always and everywhere had to remember that the greatest desire of the Lord was for all to be saved. If we act in a way that makes it harder that those who despise us will be saved, then we act contrary to the Lord's will.
A hard, hard teaching, that. It makes it undeniably clear to me how very far indeed I am from sanctity. Despite my pride, Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.
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What a coincidence-- we're going through Monk of Mt. Athos in our book discussion group. St. Silhouan, pray to God for us.
In the words of the old country preacher, "That's why he's a saint and we aint."
I rather suspect that the true saint knows he is himself very far from sanctity. Tolstoy's Father Sergius always seemed to me to be a saint despite his sin. Even the saints need the Divine Mercy. The Bestower of the gift of free will on man would have it no other way.
I'll echo and agree with Rod on this, rare as that might be. Me too. God have mercy.
I would be interested from those who have experience both in Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christianity if this is something Orthodox teach and emphasize more effectively than Catholics, maybe particularly American? I understand there are many wonderful books and stories in Roman Catholicism of the saints as well; my question would be rather in the teaching and perpetuation of the faith and the spiritual striving of the adherents.
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