By Elder Ephraim Philotheitis
We are expecting difficult and dangerous years to come in our life. The devil is angry and opened his mouth like Hell to swallow us all inside.
Blessed is the human being who escapes from the devil’s teeth and flies to heaven in order to be safe and sound. The situation is getting worse every year. Sinfulness and nakedness have reached the peak, and, therefore, it is obvious that divine justice is about to come.
That is why we must be in a hurry, as well as feel sympathy for our brothers and sisters, not only our relatives but also the brothers in Christ. If we are in danger, while being protected by the Theotokos, I cannot imagine the danger people, who are constantly exposed to sin, are in!
If we are burning, while we are away from the fire, what happens to the people who are surrounded by flames?
When I confessed, while being in Canada, I felt sorry for the people. I was praying and welling up during the confession. “Lord, help me to love people as You love them. Help me to forgive them, as You forgive them. Enlighten me through Your spirit, with which You are patient and, therefore, full of love and tolerant. I want to do the same as You, so that love can help other people and myself. I can only offer a few things by your Grace.”
Thanks to this prayer, I felt a lot of love and affection for other people.
