But the conversion does not end there; it should lead us further, along a path that will make us different. The conversion begins, but never ends. It is an incremental process in which we become more and more what we should be, until, after the day of judgment, the categories of fall, conversion, and righteousness disappear and are replaced by new categories of new life. Christ says: "Behold, I make all things new" (Rev. 21:5).

One can pray anywhere and everywhere, but there are places where prayer finds its natural atmosphere; these places are temples, in fulfillment of the promise: "I will gladden them in my house of prayer" (Isaiah 56:7).

After the temple is consecrated, it becomes the dwelling place of God. God is present here in a different way than in the rest of the world. He is present in the world as a stranger, as a stranger passing from door to door, having nowhere to lay His head; He comes as the Lord of the world, rejected by the world, expelled from His kingdom and returned to it to save His people. In the temple He is at His home; He is not only the Creator and Lord by right, but here He is recognized as the Creator and Lord. Outside the temple, He acts when He can and how He can; within the temple He is in all His power and power, and it is up to us to come to Him.

When we build a temple or make a special place for prayer, we are doing something that goes far beyond the apparent meaning of this fact. The whole earth, created by God, has become an arena of human sin: here the devil acts, here there is an incessant struggle; There is no place on this earth that is not stained with blood, suffering, or sin. By choosing a small space on it, by invoking in the sacraments that impart grace and the power of God Himself to bless this place, by cleansing it of the presence of the evil spirit and allocating it to be God's footstool on earth, we are again winning back for God a part of this dishonored land. It can be said that the church is a place where the Kingdom of God is revealed and manifested in power. When we enter the temple, we must be aware that we are entering sacred ground, a place belonging to God, and we must keep ourselves in accordance with this consciousness.

The icons that we see on the walls of the church are not just images or paintings; An icon is the focus of real presence. St. John Chrysostom advises us to stand in front of the icon and close our eyes before we start praying. He says: "Close thy eyes," because it is not by looking at the icon, not by using it as a visual aid, that it gives us help for prayer. It is not a substantial/essential presence in the sense that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. In this sense, the icon is not Christ; but there is a mysterious connection between Him and the icon. By the power of grace, the icon participates in something that can best be defined in the words of Gregory Palamas as the energy of Christ, as the active force of Christ working for our salvation.

Painting an icon is an act of worship of God. A board is specially selected and consecrated, paints are consecrated, and a person who is going to paint an icon prepares for this by fasting, confession, and communion. During his work, he leads a particularly abstinent lifestyle, at the end of which the icon is consecrated with holy water and anointed with myrrh (this last part of the consecration, unfortunately, is now often omitted). Thus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, an icon becomes something more than a painting. It is saturated with presence, filled with the grace of the Spirit, and in the mystery of the communion of the saints and cosmic unity, it is connected with the saint whom it depicts. The saint's involvement in the icon cannot be identified or even compared with the presence of Christ in the Holy Gifts; and yet the icon is the focus of a real presence, as the Church knows and teaches from experience. An icon is not a likeness, but a symbol. By the power and wisdom of God, some icons are singled out as miraculous. Standing in front of them, you feel how they themselves address you.

One priest served in the church where the famous miraculous icon of the Mother of God is located, and deeply felt its active participation in the divine services. Over the centuries, the icon has darkened very much; From where he stood, he could not distinguish her features and continued to serve with his eyes closed. Suddenly he felt that the Mother of God on the icon seemed to compel him to pray, directing his prayers, influencing his mind. He felt the power emanating from the icon, which filled the church with prayer and collected scattered thoughts. It was almost a physical presence, it was a living person, demanding with authority

[1]    Fr Laurent. (c. 1605-1691). La pratique de la pre sence de Dieu. Paris, 1948.

UNANSWERED PRAYERS AND PETITIONS

In the story of the Canaanite woman (Matt. 15:22-28) we see how Christ, at least at first, refuses to answer the plea; This is an example of prayer subjected to an extremely difficult test. A woman asks for something perfectly just, she comes in full faith and doesn't even say "if you can," she just comes in confident that Christ can, that He wills, and that her child will be healed. And the answer to all this faith is "no". It is not that prayer is unworthy or faith is insufficient, but that the supplicant is not one of those people to whom Christ came: Christ came for the Jews, and she is a pagan; He did not come for her. But she insists, saying, "Yes, I am not one of those, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters." And she stands, believing in the love of God, despite what God says, believing with such humility, contrary to His arguments. She does not even appeal to the love of God, she only refers to its manifestation in everyday life: I have no right to a whole loaf of bread, just give me a few crumbs... Christ's clear and categorical refusal tested her faith, and her prayer was fulfilled.

How often do we pray to God, saying, "God, if..., if it pleases you..., if you can...," like the father who said to Christ, "Your disciples were not able to heal my son, but if you can, do it" (Mk. 9: 22). Christ answers this to others "if": if you can believe at all, all things are possible to him who believes. Then the man says: I believe, Lord! help my unbelief. One "if" depends on the other, because where there is no faith, there is no way for God to enter into a concrete situation.