Sanctification and Holiness – The Way to Holiness
The Way to Holiness
The way to holiness is traveled by those who struggle strenuously and responsibly against demonic activity and sinful passion. This struggle is catharsis, cleansing. It is followed by adornment of the soul with the virtues. Another struggle begins at this point – to embed the virtues permanently in the soul, to guard them, and to simultaneously maintain a healthy sense of humility.
Cleansing of the passions purifies a person, while the achievement of virtue in his life makes him pleasing to God. But neither one of these is the purpose of our spiritual life. The struggles are motivated by man’s desire to share in holiness. But, it is God’s love that introduces man into the realm of holiness, not the works of man himself. This spiritual truth is emphasized by all the Fathers of the Church.
Entrance into the realm of holiness, the condition of dispassion, ascension toward greater things, the sweet and blessed transformation, the blessedness of peace, union with God, the condition before the Fall, the angelic way of life, deification – all these are patristic expressions seeking to describe and define the saint – the person united with God.
The saint is not the rare exception, standing aloof, especially destined for sanctification. The saint, rather, is a person who, through personal struggle, helps himself to succeed in his purpose – the purpose that stands always under the shadow of divine grace. The saint is a simple, social, gracious, joyful, authentic, unaffected person who exemplifies heart-felt, honorable and sincere relationships with other people, with other saints, and with God. The presence of the saint is a blessing, a transmission of peace, a source of joy, and an occasion to glorify God.
The saint possesses harmonious relationships with people, and his over-abundant love extends even to the non-rational creatures of God, which the saint helps, heals and directs – while they in return serve, protect and watch over the saint. The saint, living in the condition of grace that existed in Paradise before the Fall – an undisturbed relationship with God – attains liberation from the carnal passions, patience, fearlessness, endurance of climatic change, and a healthy unconcern about what he shall eat, what he shall wear, or where he shall stay. Nor is he concerned, for example, with how to cross over river currents, great distances, open seas – or how to pass the darkness of night. There are many narrative stories about saints who were hosts to wild beasts in the cells or caves of their ascetic endeavors (St. Gerasimos of the River Jordan, St. Seraphim of Sarov), who walked on water as if on land (St. Mary of Egypt, St. Gabriel Iverites, St. Lawrence of Salamina), who delayed the setting of the sun (St. Bessarion), or who flew as if they had wings (St. Maximos the Kavsokalyvitis).
Particularly marvelous in the lives of the saints is the profound and harmonious unity and symphony that can be observed in all of them. The perfect love and divine light of the Holy Spirit removes contradictions and oppositions from their lives and teachings. This is a significant indication of authenticity.
The saints are the true servants and devotees of Christ. They love Christ above everything and they reveal their love in word and deed. Christ loves them all the more for their love for him. The saints resemble Christ mainly in the degree of their love. In this life they loved us, and now that they are near Christ – “the utmost desire” of their heart – they love us even more. This is why they assist us in our distress. According to St. Basil the Great the saints are the nobles of the earth, the ones who have been glorified, the magnanimous, the robust, the authentic, the pure, the beautiful the strong the ones who deserve God because they became his friends through love.
Among the innumerable saints, some are distinguished by particular charismatic attributes of their lives, such that they attain a special popularity among people according to age, gender, character, profession or other particularity. Some of the saints are young persons (St. Mamas, St. Nestor, St. Elpida), some are children (St. Kerykos, St. Agapi, St. Hionia), some are parents (St. Basil and St. Emelia, St. Efstathios and St. Theopisti, St. Xenophon and St. Maria), some are elderly (St. Haralampos, St. Kyriakos), some are soldiers (St. Demetrios, St. George, St. Theodore), some are physicians (St. Stephen the Deacon, St. Theodore of Studium the Presbyter and Abbot, St. Polycarp the Bishop and Martyr of Smyrna), some are great pastors of their people (St. Spyridon, St. Myron, St. Nikephoros), and still others are local saints of a particular region. There are saints from all the areas of the earth, of all occupations, and of all types and characters.
Even in our own century (20th) the Holy Spirit gives new life and new saints (St. Nektarios of Pentapolis, St. Arsenios of Cappadocia, St. Savvas of Kalymnos, St. Methodia of Kimolos, St. Silouan of Mt. Athos and contemporary saintly fathers of Mount Athos such as Fr. Jerome Simonopetritis, Fr. Isaac Dionysiatis, Fr. Savvas Micragiannanitis and Kallinikos the Hesychast).