PHILOKALIA MINISTRIES

This morning, as I watched the fire consume the logs upon the hearth, I thought of Abba Lot coming to Abba Joseph and saying, “Abba, as far as I can, I keep my little rule. I fast, I pray, I keep silence, and I strive to purify my thoughts. What else should I do?” And the old man stood up, stretched out his hands toward heaven, and his fingers became like ten lamps of fire. He said to him, “If you will, you can become all flame.” That story has haunted me for years, but this