As the eyes see sensual objects, so faith looks with spiritual eyes at the hidden.
Reverend Isaac the Syrian
A person is born with innate trust. In the mother’s arms, the baby feels calm and warm — she replaces everything for him during the first weeks: the Universe, the source of nutrition, protection, life itself. For nine months he lives under her heart, and this connection is inextricable.
The world is gradually pushing its boundaries. The soul of a child, pure and vulnerable, meets with illness the imperfections that experience throws up. A person learns that not everything can be trusted, but the trust itself does not go away. It is sewn into us by the Creator and remains until our last breath. We trust the teacher who imparts knowledge, the pilots who guide the plane through turbulence, the surgeon who takes the scalpel. We don’t know these people — and yet we trust themselves to their honesty and skill. Every day, more often than it seems, we live by faith.
In difficult times, a person seeks a point of support — not just to hide from danger, but to relieve anxiety, find meaning and move forward with confidence. In a world of impermanence, lasting protection cannot be found. The only solid foundation is God. It is not for nothing that the Slavic “hope” has the same root as the word “reliable”. Faith is an anchor that holds you in the midst of everyday storms and does not allow you to break on the reefs. The anchor was one of the first symbols that early Christians used to denote faith and hope.
Man is a borderline creature. He lives simultaneously in two worlds: visible and invisible. The body is visible and can be touched. But the reality of the soul is confirmed by thousands of evidence — we feel its pain, its joy, its languor. This means that life is not reduced to the needs of the flesh. The soul belongs to the invisible world, which has its own laws, and to obey them means to lead a spiritual life.
A healthy, fruitful soul strives for God, wants to know Him and unite with Him as the source of life. Saint Basil the Great said: “It is impossible for the body to live without breathing, and it is impossible for the soul to exist without knowing the Creator.”
What is needed for spiritual life to be correct and bear fruit? First of all, faith. Without it there is no hope for God, no prayer, no love for Him. God knocks on every human heart. To respond to this knock is faith. Deafness to this call, unwillingness to respond is unbelief, a serious illness of the soul. Faith is a gift of God, but to receive it, you must want to heal your sinful life. The first step to this is repentance. Then the first sprout of faith hatches in the soul, which grows stronger over time and bears saving fruit.
It all starts small, barely noticeable: “I believe, Lord! help my unbelief.” These words were spoken with tears by the father of a seriously ill child when the Savior told him: “If you can believe a little, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23). When a person understands with his whole being that only God can help — that no one but Him will deliver from sin and death — faith finds good soil and bears fruit. Therefore, having felt the desire to believe, you need to ask God to nurture and multiply this faith. He does not fulfill a single prayer so willingly.
God gives the Church to all who seek Him. In it, according to His promise, He Himself dwells, and in the holy sacraments the path of union with Him opens. If you accept this truth not only with your mind, but also with your heart, the Gospel will be revealed as the Good News of salvation, and the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven will be revealed. The main one is love. “This is My commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12). To ensure that faith does not remain unsteady, work is needed. It begins with prayer, and the Lord gives what we ask for. But in order for the sprout not to be smothered by weeds, one must cleanse oneself of them—from selfishness, sinful habits, passions, and spiritual laziness. The seeds of faith will not be eaten by birds and will not be drowned out by thorns if a person more often leaves the bustle of the world and comes to the temple. There, “under the shelter of the Most High” (Ps. 91:1), faith will receive protection, grow and bear good fruit. The soil of the soul needs to be softened and warmed. Nothing makes her hard and cold more than focusing on herself. These vices are overcome by good deeds and active love for people — after all, faith without works is dead.
Charitable fond Holy Land
Investment in the Soul!
