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Saint Sophrony of Essex speaks to us
That man also said: “If we now return to the infirmity of our human nature, of which the apostles were also bearers, remaining faithful to the narrative of the Gospels, as well as to the experience of the Church Fathers, we can say the following:
Very great and sublime was the vision of the Apostles on the Mount of Transfiguration, and yet still imperfect, because at that time they were still unable to receive all the fullness and all the perfection of the Light that was shown to them, and that is why the Church sings: «showing Your disciples Your glory as far as they were able», and in the other hymn, «as much as they grasped».
Very great and sublime was the vision of the Apostles, but then still imperfectly assimilated by them: those waverings to which they were to be subjected in the days of Golgotha still remained possible; and only later would Peter be able to rely on it as a testimony to the truth (cf. II Peter 1:17-18).
Still imperfect had been the vision of the Apostles on Tabor, and yet so great and true was that vision of the «ever-existing beauty and the mystery hidden before the ages», so much so that neither the vision of Moses on Sinai (Exodus chapters 19-20 and 33-34), nor that of Elijah on Horeb (1 Kings 19) reached its height and perfection, which we see from the words of the Church's hymn: «In darkness You were seen by Moses of old, but now in the light of the unapproachable Godhead» (Ode 1, Canon 2)”.
I do not hide from you that, drawing you into the depth of the ineffable mysteries of the divine discourse, I myself am filled with fear. And not only fear, but also shame tests me now. The wise writer of Proverbs said: “Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well” (Proverbs 5:15), while I bring you what I have “extracted” from the experience and inheritance of others. Seeing, however, with what attentiveness you listen to the word, as if you had not had enough of it, I will share with you also the conclusion of my unforgettable conversation with that wonderful man...
We are all called to one and the same perfection
Though captivated by his inspired word, and grateful for his condescension towards me, I was at the same time full of sorrow at the thought of my own darkness, and I was silent, pondering to myself: “This is not destined for me.” To comfort me, my teacher continued thus:
“When we do not deem ourselves worthy to see the most becoming glory of the Godhead, the most righteous impulse of our spirit is to examine itself. And, if our soul is valiant, we will say to ourselves: Because of my unrighteousness I deprive myself of this gift, for «he who walks in righteousness and speaks what is right… he will dwell on high… he will see the King in glory» (cf. Isaiah 33:15-17). But, despite these things, let us by no means allow despair within us; on the contrary, let us keep vigil in spirit and receive tears of repentance for ourselves. Let us cast away the unjust thought that this would be only the fate of a few chosen ones, a thought that could cut off holy hope from us.
The truth, in which we must necessarily strengthen our hearts, is that the Lord «will by no means cast out anyone who comes to Him», nor will He reject (John 6:37). All of us, without partiality, both the great and the small, both the significant and the insignificant, all are called to one and the same perfection to which the Lord called those whom He took up on Tabor, the Apostles Peter, James, and John, because we too, like them, have received the same commandments, not others, and therefore the same honor and calling as they, not a lesser one.
Carefully examine the entire order of the Feast service, and you will see how powerfully the Church calls and urges all to ascend the immaterial Mountain of the intellectual vision of God, thereby showing that not only in ancient times, and not only to the Apostles, did the Lord deign to show them the horizons of His Divinity, but in all ages, and even in our days, He has not ceased and will never cease to pour out, according to His promise, the same gift upon those who follow Christ with all their heart.
Besides the false humility: «This is not for me», besides the unjustified despair born of idleness and love of pleasures, there is yet another impediment to the vision of the uncreated Light, namely, the audacious aspiration of our mind to see God, to encompass Him in our own thinking, to somehow forcibly penetrate the mystery and depths of His Being, so as to master Him as an object of knowledge. It is difficult to find words to express the essence of this proud exaltation of our mind, but it is important to understand that, this time, not a «luminous cloud», but mist and darkness, which hide God, will meet us.
If we direct the eyes of our mind «straight» to the Sun of the Being before Ages, towards «to see Him as He is» (cf. 1 John 3:2), these eyes will be burned and blinded by the unapproachable and all-consuming Light of the Godhead, just as our natural eyes are blinded and burned when we direct them, unprotected, straight at the sun. In Scripture, we have a wonderful example that teaches us to restrain from boldness before God: the six-winged Seraphim, who surround the Throne of the Most High, covering their faces with two of their wings (cf. Isaiah 6:2)”.
The true way to see the Divine Light
„Both known and seen, God remains unchangeable, beyond all knowledge and vision. This boundless transcendence of God, in the «mystical» language of divine discourse, is called «darkness». The New Covenant nowhere uses the word «darkness» in connection with God; it tells us that «God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all» (1 John 1:5). Because of His boundlessness and, therefore, because He ultimately remains unseen, unknowable, the New Covenant speaks thus: «No one has ever seen God» (John 1:18); and in another place: «God dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one among men has seen or can see» (1 Timothy 6:16).
However, when philosophers and heretics arose who maintained the possibility of fully knowing God, the Holy Fathers, to cut this foolish idea off at the root, turned back to the images and language of the Old Covenant: «And God spoke to Moses, saying: Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to gaze… And the people stood afar off, and Moses entered the thick darkness [darkness] where God was» (Exodus 19:21; 20:21). Thus, specifically to more deeply condemn the foolish wise, the Fathers returned to the word «darkness», with which the wise Lawgiver, Moses, restrained his people, still ignorant in matters of knowing God, from the urge to see God; and, so as not to depart from the Revelation of the New Covenant, the Fathers called this darkness – «pre-enlightened».
The true way to see the Divine Light passes through the inner person. All our thoughts, all the power of our desire must be directed solely towards «to keep the commandment of God unspotted and blameless» (1 Timothy 6:14). Then the Light of God visits man, as the experience of ages has shown «in various ways and in many forms» (Hebrews 1:1). And no one will ever be able to say what the limits of God's goodwill towards us are, for it is truly boundless; and no matter how much man yearns for God, and no matter how much he burns with love for Him, the outpourings of Light nevertheless remain unexpected and unthinkable, for they have no end, even when the Light surpasses the powers of our nature to bear its radiance. And the only word we will be able to say, and even affirm, in this regard, is that «God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all», and that «dwells in unapproachable Light» (1 John 1:5; 1 Timothy 6:16), and that He always appears in Light, and as Light”.
“Lord, enlighten my darkness!”
But even with these words, the perplexity of my fearful soul did not dissipate. I saw no path before me; I did not know how to approach this life, where to begin; I felt in darkness and wondered: “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?”. And the answer came to me:
“Ask, pray! Like Saint Gregory Palamas, who for years cried out: «Lord, enlighten my darkness!» – and was heard… Pray with the words of the church hymn: «May Your ever-existing Light enlighten me, the sinner, Giver of Light», and strengthen yourself in faith, remembering that the Church does not pray for things that are impossible”.
Then that man, as if deeming it impossible for such a prayer to remain unanswered from above, concluded his speech thus:
“When your soul knows this Light, then later, losing it again, you will yearn for It, and like Saint Symeon the New Theologian, you will seek It and cry out to Him:
«Come, true Light,
Come, eternal Life;
Come, the rising of the fallen;
Come, the exaltation of the downtrodden;
Come, the resurrection of the dead…
Come, King, most Holy,
Come and dwell in us,
And remain with us undistant,
And undivided reign in us
You – the One, unto ages of ages.
Amen»”.
From “The Birth into the Unshaken Kingdom”,
Reîntregirea Publishing House, 2003