By Archimandrite Zacharias
God calls man to a wondrous life. Knowledge of the rough and arduous way, but also of its luminous end, gives wisdom to the mind while begetting inspiration and confidence. It takes many trials to break open man’s heart so that it can be enlarged to accommodate the glorious Spirit of God. Spiritual rebirth does not take place in the bliss of the first grace, but after a painful struggle in the furnace of temptations when man convinces God that he indeed belongs to Him, whether he lives or dies.