A young monk once said to his elder, “Elder, what do I have to do to find salvation?” The elder responded “Do you really want to be saved?.” All of us have the desire to be saved, but to what degree do we really have this desire and put it into action?
Young monk said: “Elder, yes, I do want to save my soul, but, the question is how? Is there an answer?”
The Elder said: “This is a common question that confronts all of us, and is asked regularly. Firstly, we need to acknowledge, that, in no other is there salvation than Christ Himself; ‘for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4:12). The problem, however, does not depend on, how I can be saved, but, how can I make God’s desire for me, my own desire, ‘who desires all men to be saved…’ (1 Tim 2:4). For us to be saved we must first have the desire to be saved. Then, we must put this desire into action. That is, to do all that is required, from our part, for our salvation and to make use of all that the Church offers us, for the purpose of our salvation. We need to: trust God, live in obedience to God, have faith in God and to adjust and apply our life according to God’s Commandments. Of course all this must be done with the wise guidance of our spiritual father.”
