Because we take cues from the world, that plunge us deeper and deeper into the bustle and information flows. One can even drown in it. This is the main task of the humanity’s enemy which he fulfills successfully.
Obviously, we are caught with our passions. For example, one has passion of judging so he gets many opportunities to judge people, maybe even for real wrongdoing; they can unleash their “righteous fury”. If one likes to talk idly, he gets a dozen of opportunities as well. One prone to gossiping has an open field for work – to spread unverified rumors, to slander with a clear conscience, to dramatize, to rejoice at the failures of the enemies. Moreover, one can even hide behind rosy mask of protecting the just cause. Lazy ones have something to do, too. They can claim that everything is bad, say that everyone is bad, trust no one, and keep lying on the couch, while sighing and marooning. Conscious and proud ones look for opportunities to assert themselves at the expense of others and find them.
This list is endless.
We have no time to think about the main thing – the salvation of our own soul. Information rushing from everywhere makes us respond to it, get involved in it and be distracted from main things.
Is it possible to change the situation? The further the harder, I think.
Until we are bogged down and drowned in all this, we need to learn self-monitoring. All the time.
You read the information, get an idea of something and ask yourself: “Is it important to me? – Yes, maybe it’s important or interesting;
Will this help me in saving my soul, on the path to personal holiness? – “No, it will absolutely not help me.” Therefore, we do not need it at all. What is not saving for us is destructive.
We have to approach information, something we let in or fill ourselves with extremely carefully.
Having filled the vessel with dirty, muddy water, it is no longer possible to contain clean, life-giving, spring water in it. We have only one life and one vessel. And our future depends on how we fill it.
It is hard to imagine Reverend Seraphim of Sarov, Sergius of Radonezh or any of the new martyrs steeped in constant excursions, endless empty conversations, spreading all sorts of gossip or replying to information attacks and slanders. However, there were enough reasons for that. They chose a different path, that is why they became saints. They chose God’s grace over some earthly benefits.
Living in God’s way is not to judge, not to gloat, not to sow discord, not to respond to evil with evil, not to be sad, to trust God, not to be afraid, to rejoice, to love your neighbor, to forgive everyone, to be engaged in your own salvation. And the saints maybe chose God’s way with an obvious effort.
And what about us? We are only drowning in human passions, adding our own sins and fears to this abyss, and reject God’s way, thus denying the very possibility of holiness.
In this case, our destiny is the noise in the head, constant anxiety and fear, murmur and, as a result, complete godlessness.
Translated by The Catalog of Good Deeds
It must be as you say, that we cannot become saints ourselves. But praise God, Christ is Risen, and God desires all. God can and will and does and has made saints of us. Just because He Wills it.
The Apostle Peter was also drowning at the moment he realized that he, like Christ, was walking on water.
And please God, may each of us find a way, even if tiny, to walk like Christ. And to God be the glory!