ATHANASIE IEVTICI, The monk in grace according to elder Sophrony summary
Through repentance, prayer and the ascetic struggles of the monastic life, the Grace of the Holy
Spirit distinguishes the monk in Grace. Such monks were Saint Silouan and his disciple and
bi¬ographer Elder Sophrony.
By the Grace of the Holy Spirit, believers are informed of the presence of God in their lives and
advance in Christ. The monk tastes Grace. The taste of Grace, which in realized within the Church,
cultivates a closer relationship with the living and true God, with the life-giving Trinity. The monk
experiences the taste of divine Grace by his participation in the Divine Liturgy.
Elder Sophrony shows in his works that people thirst for God and this is why they want to emerge
from the constraints of time and space. Communion with God ushers man into divine eternity. In
this way, new horizons are opened for human existence. If hu¬man life and, in particular, that of the
monk, is not a life in Grace, i.e. the life of Christ Himself within us, then we are poor and na¬ked.
In order to keep man from aggrandizement, which displaces the Grace of God within him. He uses
His withdrawal as a means of training. This lies close to the boundaries of despair, but is not the
same as really being abandoned by our merciful God. It occurs so that our faith will become deeper,
greater and fi rmer.
KEYWORDS: monk, grace, elder Sophrony

ATHANASIE IEVTICI