From St. Dimitri of Rostov, "On the Inner Man", chapter 2
CHAPTER 2. On prayer that invigorates a man and unites him in love to God
Above all, one must know that any Christian (all the more a member of the clergy, by virtue of his calling) must strive first and foremost with all his might to live in constant union with God who created him, loves him, shows him mercy, and is his highest good, for he is created by Him and for Him; the soul was created by God, and its center and ultimate goal can be none other than God alone. For from Him it derives its existence and nature, and in Him it will live forever. For all things visible on earth that are lovely and delightful, be it wealth or glory or a wife or children, will soon pass away. All things beautiful and sweet and lovely in this world do not belong to the soul by nature, but rather to the body; they are temporary and fleeting like a dream; but the soul is eternal and cannot rest anywhere but only in the eternal God, in its highest good, who surpasses all other beautiful, sweet, and lovely things. He is the natural resting place of the soul, for it came from Him and one day it will return to Him. But the flesh is of earth, and will return to earth; and thus the soul, which comes from God, returns to God and abides with Him. For it was created by God to abide with Him for all ages. And so we must fervently seek unity with God in this passing life, that we might be with Him and in Him eternally in the next.
And there is no other way to be united with Him than by utter heartfelt love; for this is how the sinful woman in the Gospel received such great mercy from Him, forgiving her sins and uniting her closely with Him, "for she loved much" (Lk 7:47). He loves those that love Him, and He clings to those who cling to Him; He reveals Himself to those that search for Him, and to those that desire to enjoy His love, He bestows its sweetness liberally.
So let a man seek to awaken such divine love in his heart, that he might be united by it to God, and cleave to Him with the unbreakable bonds of love. We must pray often, lifting our minds to God. As wookd that is often held up to the fire will yield many flames, so prayer that often immerses the mind in God will ignite the heart with divine love. And when it ignites, it warms the whole man; it gives light and instructs, revealing to him the inscrutable secrets of its wisdom. It brings his spirit into the presence of God at all times, like the flaming Seraphim, to gaze upon Him with the mind, and there to partake of its spiritual delight.
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