The foundations of the spiritual life are love and humility. Where there is love, Christ dwells within – as He is Love, and where there is humility, the Grace of God abides in man. Then God reigns everywhere, and the Earth turns into a paradise. And where there is no love and humility, the devil resides there, and the people together with him, even here they live in hell, day after day they distance themselves from participation in the blissful life. The easiest way to salvation is through love and humility. If we do not have them in ourselves, we will be tried. These two virtues soften God and they rise His creatures to the heavens. According to those qualities, the holy Angels define God’s children, they lovingly take them and without fear carry them through many air toll gates-many trials, and they ascend them to the tenderly-loving Father, to God.
Venerable Elder Paisios the Athonite
