In the last issue of this article I began to present Theophan’s ideas on the characteristics of a sinner. Theophan believed that a sinner is a person who has turned away from God and has become self-centered, making himself the main object of his entire life and activity. However, this self-centeredness only leaves man empty and he then turns all of his activities to finding ways to fill this real emptiness. The saint says:

This emptiness, which was formed in him as a result of falling away from God, kindles in him an incessant craving that nothing can satisfy. This craving is vague, but constant. A man becomes a bottomless abyss; he tries hard to fill this abyss, but he cannot.

It is important to note that Theophan can only assert this because of one of the basic beliefs of the Church: man, who has been made in God’s image and likeness, is created for union with God. The only thing that can truly satisfy man is union with God. Why? Because that is the way God created us.

Many of the Fathers of the Church have expressed this same sentiment. It can be summarized by the simple words: my soul is restless until it is joined with you, O Lord.

I believe that humans, because God created us with free will, seem to strive for independence and fear any suggestion of being totally dependent, even on God. And yet it is only when we can be dependent upon God and surrender ourselves to His plan for us, that we can truly experience freedom and   fullness of life. So the human struggle is one of surrendering, voluntarily, to total dependence on God and not allowing our desire for independence to keep us from such dependence.

The interesting thing is that the Fathers and Saints discovered that when they surrendered their whole lives to God they truly gained freedom. It is the act of free surrender that is so totally important.

These are heavy thoughts. Think about them. Ask yourself: Am I dependent on God or myself?
Kristus vstal zmŕtvych! (Slovak)