However, while matter has not yet been transformed into light, it is possible for a person to become light himself and act according to the word of the Savior: "You are the light of the world" (Matt. 5:14). This is accomplished in imitation of Christ, Who said of Himself: "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). This means that we too are called to become light, like God, freeing ourselves from all the circumstances in which we live, from the conditions of the world, space and time. As if we were not made of flesh and blood, as if we were born by the grace of God and were free from all change and decay.

To hope to reach such a state is to begin to experience it. It begins with faith. Faith begets love. Love motivates us to do good works, which in turn enable us to grow to a vision of God. The vision of God is realized at the level of the heart. That is why it is said that the pure in heart shall see God (Matt. 5:8). This will happen not only in the age to come, in the Kingdom, but already in the present tense. If the love of God makes a dwelling place in you, if you realize that you are loved by God, you will be freed from everything, as the Apostle Paul wrote about it: "I say to you, brethren, the time is short, so that those who have wives must be as if they had none; and weeping as if they were not weeping; and rejoicing as not rejoicing; and those who buy as if they did not acquire; and those who use this world as if they did not use it; for the image of this world is passing away" (1 Corinthians 7:29-31).

Those who do so do not leave this world, but they are no part of the world, for they now live in the kingdom that governs their hearts. They no longer live in the image of this world, since they have taken the image of Christ. They can marry if they want, or not marry, because they have outgrown marital relations. They eat and drink, but they are free from the demands of the womb. They deal with money, but remain poor in their search for God. They are friends with art and thought in order to immerse them in the mind of God and the Divine beauty. Those of them who govern states are the servants of men; Their concern is to fully accept the responsibility entrusted to them. Likewise, those who serve people in the Church take care of this; to ensure the good of these people. Thus reflecting the light that is in them, they enliven it with the heat of those who come to them.

It will be objected that our description of what people who take God's call to sanctification seriously are called to do is very idealistic, that it lacks pragmatism, because the world is not like that. Our answer is simple: In reality, there are only two possible ways: either to leave the world to those who are willing to trade in the truth, which will lead them to destruction, or to lead the world beyond its own limits and thus give it a chance of salvation. We will also be told: "You forget that we live in a world that is evil, deceitful, base, cunning, lustful, and changeable." We will answer that we know all this, but we want to see the maturation of a new world. We want people to become a new creature. We will add that the world has its own logic, and those who seek the Kingdom have their own logic. They are aware that the world will persecute them and cause them all kinds of sorrows. But they also know that "out of tribulation proceedeth patience, out of patience experience, out of experience hope, but hope does not put to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit which was given to us" (Romans 5:3-5).

Simply put, there is no life without effort. Since every effort is crucifixion, those who agree to ascend the cross have chosen their destiny: to be resurrected in this world. Divine logic is also simple. It requires a testimony from us. And the testimony is to see God here and now, and to witness it. If you see only the world, you run the risk of being blinded by it; the criteria of your judgment will be violated because of this. The world will draw you deeper and deeper and finally swallow you up. On the contrary, if your eyes are fixed on God at every moment, He will always be at your right hand, so that you may not be shaken (Acts 2:25). The power given to you by this continuous vision of God will help you to look at yourself and others with the same gaze. This power will give you the opportunity to act without turning away from what you see. Through your mediation, the world will then become the Church, that is, a space for Christ. Nothing that exists in the world – homes, trade, science, technology – will be lost. God wants nothing to be lost, but He also wants the purpose of all these things to change, so that purity is above all use. Nothing will change in creation, nature, matter, soul, but the creature will become a divine creature, and the same will happen with nature, matter, and soul.

When a person becomes like God in this way, the divine power present in him is able to take root in the very depths of history. The face of the world, of course, will remain the same, but its structure and spirit will change. By assimilating God's plans, the world will adapt itself to God's ways of acting.

In the end, you will have to admit that you cannot change the course of things. You realize that war and sin continue to prevail. Realism will lead you to assume that the world has always been like this and that nothing will change. But realism should not kill hope, in other words, stop the effort. Nowhere does Scripture say that at the Second Coming God will find the world a better place. But this should in no way turn you away from the work for which you are responsible: to try to improve the world, with the truth that is in you, to bring the brethren to a new birth. The historical world lives in many registers, and light in it coexists with darkness. This means that you must constantly cut through the darkness and spread the light around you.

You will also have to state that evil is increasing. Maybe you will think that this is exactly what is happening today. It must always be remembered that "few are the elect" (Matt. 22:14). But don't let this upset you. Your business is still to invite the brothers to a feast. There will always be those among them who will hear your call. Your duty is to call everyone, for you yourself were called to save the world. Those who do not listen to you may die, but they will choose their own fate. You are a sower, not a reaper. God will reap the harvest on the last day. In the meantime, without revealing to you the "mystery of sin," He calls you today and tomorrow in His name to root out sin. It will come to pass, here or there, when you least expect it.

The most important thing is to save yourself from evil. For you are responsible for the salvation of your soul. Thus you will purify yourself every day with the abstinence of a man who does not accept any dirt and rejects any compromise. Do not forget, however, that he who has managed to protect himself from the filth of the world must also protect others from it. God will reward you for every ray you give you.

Therefore you must always remember that the expression "to save one's own soul" does not mean to accumulate virtues for one's own benefit, which, however, would not make any sense, for it is obvious that he who saves his own soul certainly saves the souls of others. On the contrary, this expression means that you cannot purify others if you have not purified your own soul. This is what we mean when we prioritize the liberation of our being from the embrace of darkness that pollutes us at every moment. Seeing your inner freedom, others will also be encouraged to liberate themselves.

Since everything comes from within a person, do not imagine that you are able to purify the soul by deeds that seem good to you: deeds can be good only when they come from a pure and good soul. You are more important than your affairs. You will have to be the founder of grandiose institutions, but if it is not done from a loving heart, they will serve nothing. You can direct yourself by an effort of will, but if you lack love, all this will be only conventional. Any worldly organization, if it is limited by the worldly spirit, will perish with the world. People need to be loved, even if they live in the heart of the desert. Part of our Church was once nomadic. This living Church was called the "Church of the Tents" in Jordan, and its bishops and all their flock were nomads. Our Church knew both universally recognized achievements and prosperous institutions, but they turned out to be alien to the Spirit.

It is important to have the criteria for distinguishing between good and evil, permanent and ephemeral, true existence and the organization of existence. The true is not always seen through the organization. When you participate in the creation of institutions, the main thing is to put love first, to know the ultimate goal, which is never a means. I am not saying that we do not need tools and means, I am only drawing attention to the fact that the accumulation of them in large quantities is not always inspired by the Spirit. Where the Spirit wants to breathe, there He finds His own means of expression, and these means are not limited to the realm of reason.

If the mind does not visit the heart to be enlightened in it and to know its own limits and its own weakness, it will become more and more withered and will find satisfaction in the accumulation of things. And only the heart connects all things.

What is a well-trained soldier without love for the fatherland? What is a priest in whom the fire of God does not burn? What is the Church without the Word? What is the whole world worth if it is deprived of gifts from above? How can one become an heir of the Kingdom of God if one does not manifest in life, in the practice of the virtues of poverty of spirit, meekness, mercy and peace, named by Jesus in the Beatitudes, this true "charter" of the Kingdom, to which the entire Gospel can be reduced? What is a Christian if he is not "the light of the world" and "the salt of the earth"? "But if the salt loses its savor," said the Teacher, "with what wilt thou make it salty?" (Matt. 5:13).