St. Sofian of Antim: "We are never alone, but always with God"

We strive so that by calling on God, through Him we may become beings that are not alone, but with God. If we succeed in making space for God within ourselves, all the better for us, and for others!

Yes, God forgives us immediately when we repent with tears. 

Usually, a person returns to God when he has a great difficulty. At that moment he shouts, screams, reads akathists, does prostrations! When there is a greater difficulty, each person prays at his level.

Saint Paul says this word: “I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some.”  That is, he lowers himself to the needs of each person and seeks to help him, to enter into his life, into his problems, to help him resolve them. Saint Paul says this word on behalf of God. He borrows this formula from God, because God also seeks the salvation of all, not only of monks.

Not only are monks saved, but also simple, common, lay people.

God does not need a very well thought out philosophy in order to listen to our prayers. Many times a sigh from the depths of the heart is enough. A very short call: “Lord, help me and do not abandon me,” a sincere and humble word said with pain and faith in God Who is so present in our heart and in our conscience. 

We always banish God through our deeds, but if we repent and we truly feel bad and do not repeat the sin, then God forgives us immediately, helps us, and is very present.

There are very many people who sinned against God and were forgiven. Beginning with the two great Apostles, Peter and Paul. In the beginning, Paul terribly persecutes the Church of Christ, then he returns to God and God makes him His chosen vessel. Peter, who was always with Him and always promised that he would go to die with Him, in a moment swore that he did not know Christ. And he was forgiven, but he wept his entire life for this denial, that he did not know Jesus. And he was forgiven. 

There were many cases in the two-thousand year history of Christianity, known cases, but many more unknown, unspoken, and unwitnessed, which occur in the conscience of each person. 

You know that God exists and is before you, and still you lie and justify yourself. And who knows how a thought comes to you from God and you repent and feel bad, and God forgives you and you return to a normal relationship with God. 

In this very motley, very varied world, each person has his problems with God, each of us humans. Some sin their whole life. Others God bears with and gives them a thought of great repentance for their wicked life and they become righteous. But you cannot know if this chance will be given to you, if you will have this thought. You should not wait for this moment. Each person has his own personal relationship with God. There doesn’t exist a single formula through which all people can be saved. All of us are sinners, but from time to time we should return to ourselves, because we all fall short of where we should be.

Let us repent, with the sincere belief that we are unworthy. God does not put us on trial, as people do, but receives us with all of His love. God’s love is more precious than any kind of human love. And if we come to understand the goodness of God, no matter what lowly state we have fallen to, let us realize that we are fallen and let us ask for forgiveness, turning towards God. But [we must ask for] a profound forgiveness, with tears, with repentance, and God will forgive us immediately. 

We are never alone, but are always with God. God is everywhere present, and is more present in your life the more you call on Him. There is a prayer which the monk says, a prayer of invocation of the Name of God: “Lord Jesus.” According to our rule, we are obliged to always say it. And slowly but surely, this obligation transforms into a calling of love, because we are very close to God, and God must abide within us. And if this calling is done persistently, for a long time, its results are very pleasant. A spiritual warmth is produced in our being and our faith in God grows, our love for God, for people, and for nature increases; this love which comes from the heart, from God. This feeling of living in God penetrates us: just like a fish lives in water, so too does the monk live in God, in this atmosphere in which you feel fully in God. I am referring to the monks who live according to the command of God, since you cannot always maintain this state, because all kinds of currents of worldly life wash over us. Practically speaking, we are not at all heavenly beings, even though we would like to be; and we strive so that by calling on God in our life, through Him we may become beings that are not alone, but are with God. 

If we succeed in making space for God within ourselves, all the better for us, and for others!