“In the place where I find you, there I will judge you.”
This profound statement underscores the immense significance of a single moment in time. Imagine: will He find you in repentance? Will He find you in confession? Will He find you uttering the words, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you” (Luke 15:18)? Has He drawn near to you while tears of true repentance and self-accusation filled your eyes? Consider this – in a mere instant, God makes a decisive judgment. “The Lord is faithful in all his words” (Psalm 145:13). However, if He encounters you in a different state, oh soul, the eyes of your spirit will awaken, and you will perceive what you have lost – but to what avail? If God condemns a person, repentance becomes futile. When the “fair” of life concludes, words lose their meaning. Everything is finalized.
Oh, what a profound mystery this is! O my God, my sweet Jesus, open the eyes of my soul so that I may clearly perceive this great mystery of my eternal salvation. Grant me, through Your Grace, the wisdom to prepare provisions now, lest I repent in vain at the end of my life.
As You see, I am doing virtually nothing and am utterly consumed by the leprosy of passions. Bestow upon me tears and grant me repentance before the final hour arrives, when I will hear Your voice: “Set your house in order, for you shall die, you shall not recover” (Isaiah 38:1).
Spiritual Treasures from the Holy Mount Athos – Collected from the letters and homilies of Elder Ephraim, Bunavestire Publishing House, 2001, p. 63
