Eastern spirituality really stresses the fact that God wants sons and daughters, not slaves. St. Paul speaks about “sonship by grace.” God respects the free will of His children, as clearly seen in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. We see this in the father’s response both to the son’s departure and the son’s return. Man can change with God’s help.

But God never imposes grace on the human will. He seeks our consent. When a person consents, he cooperates with his whole will, spirit and heart. This is truly the beginning of spiritual life, a most beautiful mystery.

Man’s greatness is not in his creatureliness but in his resemblance to the Creator. He is “self-governed,” ruled by his own will, in the image of the one who rules over all. Yet such “lordship” is accomplished only with the help of God. Man depends on God’s assistance. He is a “referential” being, who must continuously refer to God for help and guidance.

Men and women are beings of infinite desire. They long for the endless, the infinite. This is because, by our nature, we are relative, fragile, ephemeral. There will always be an emptiness to be filled, a spiritual void, until we are perfected in Christ. The whole process of Theosis is meant to bring this reality about in our lives.

Real life in Christ is a steady process of true spiritual unfolding. It cannot be rushed or forced along, any more than a flower can be forced to bloom. Divine grace cannot be stolen from heaven. It is given as a gift from the hand of Christ, as part and parcel of our relationship with our Triune God. God is the Lord, the giver of every good and perfect gift. We pray this in our Divine Liturgy. The Father knows our need better than we do. He gave His Son to us. He gives us His Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth who is everywhere present and filling all things. This comes directly from our Prayer to the Holy Spirit that we say on Pentecost.

The pace of our spiritual development is