The Three Stages of the Spiritual Life - audio

Fr Zacharias Zacharou Source


The Three Stages of the Spiritual Life According to the 

Theology of Archimandrite Sophrony and his
disciple Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou

First, we turn to God, like for example when we are becoming
Orthodox, after our Baptism, we have fire and zeal and we 
want to learn, prayer is easy and we notice that fighting sin
becomes possible. This is what we observe in the lives of
the saints, in Holy Scripture, and in the lives of the saints of 
every age.Notice that the stages of the spiritual life are not a
program. God's Providence sets up a plan for us.

(As Father Zacharias points out, God’s Energy, His Grace 
is at the same time purifying, illumining and deifying. It is 
like a sphere, anytime we touch a part of the sphere we touch 
the whole.We must not be seeking wonders and visions but 
only to enter deeper into repentance and prayer.

The stages of purification, illumination and theoria are 
expressed as such for the sake of explaining the indescribable.
What we actually observe is the life as lived by Elder Sophrony
and by the saints of all ages) that is, in the three stages, as 
described here)

Second, Grace ‘seemingly’ departs, things get hard, it is difficult
to pray, we fall and get back up over and over. We still receive 
consolation from God from time to time, but spiritual life is a 
struggle. Most of us will be in this phase until we are near 
our death.

We know, we are struggling correctly if we are not in despair, if 
the pain of the struggle causes us to pray more, to go to 
confession, to try harder, to repent and to hope, to fall and get up,
again and again.

We know we are not struggling correctly (and will be held 
accountable by God), if we are in despair and despondency, if 
we accuse God to be cruel, and fall in a state, where we do not 
care about salvation, we are content with our sin and cease to 
fight against it. It is imperative that if we find ourselves acting
this way, we wake up, stop fighting against God and realize
that God is still with us, that he loves us and that eventually, if 
we hold on, God will give us a more permanent and perceptible
indication of his presence, consolation and strength to overcome
sin.

Third, the awareness of Grace returns to remain, suffering is no
longer a burden but a blessing, and we receive power from on high
to persevere and to prepare in hope for our departure to the Lord.

Fr Zacharias explains it this way, in his lectures and his books,
From Faith to Faith page 17
"At first, our faith is necessarily immature and needs to
grow and develope within us. This first faith involves the
turning of our whole being towards God; it orientates our
spirit towards the One God Who is without beginning. Our
faith, then, gradually enters upon an intermediary stage,
which consists of hoping and trusting in God, particularly
in situations where humanly speaking everything seems
to be without hope. And eventually, we grow into a more perfect form of faith: the disposition of the soul is now 
stable, and she begins to live the words of the apostle:

'For unto you it is given not only to believe in Christ, 

but also to suffer for his sake.' Phil. 1:29.

To listen to Fr Zacharias' teaching about the spiritual life please

visit the website of the Antioch Diocese of the West at the
links provided below.

Source

FEATURING:

Very Reverend Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou
St. John the Baptist Monastery in Essex, England


THEME:
Sing unto the Lord A new song:
The Three Stages of Spiritual Life in the Theology of Elder Sophrony


Session 1: Introduction and From Faith to Faith


Session 1 Questions and Answers


Session 2: Sing a New Song and Longing to See


Session 2 Questions and Answers


Session 3: Entering into a New Covenant


Session 3 Questions and Answers


Session 4: The Merciful Chastening


Session 4 Questions and Answers


Session 5: Blessed Despair and Creative Suffering


Session 5 Questions and Answers


Session 6: Saving Truth of Self-knowledge


Session 6 Questions and Answers


Session 7: Struggle with Temptation and Godly Zeal


Session 7 Questions and Answers


Session 8: Knowledge of the Ways of Salvation


Session 8 Questions and Answers


Session 9: Gratitude


Session 9 Questions and Answers

Video of the places associated with the life of Elder Sophrony
Born in Moscow on Sept 22, 1896-
Reposed in the Monastery of St John the Baptist,
Essex, England on July 11, 1993