“ “Abiding in the word” (keeping the commandments, engaging in the practices of the faith) is the necessary pre-condition for “knowing the truth.” One manifestation of this with which many believers are familiar is the “coin drop.” Any amount of information may have passed our ears and eyes. The Scriptures, the Liturgy, various hymns and writings, all of them bathe us in their wisdom while we remain inert, untouched, and even bored. And yet, there can come a moment when the “coin drops.” A single phrase can catch our attention and understanding takes place – sometimes with wonderful joy and delight. These great moments of grace point towards something that has taken place in the heart. Hours, weeks, even years, standing in the services, fasting and failing, confessing and struggling, all work as a plow on the hardened soil of the heart. So much seed had fallen by the wayside or on the rocks and disappeared. But then, a single seed finds fertile ground and its grace fills the soul. Such moments are not just worth the wait, they point towards the essence of the faith and the true nature of its work. We are not saved by information. We are saved by the Word working richly in our hearts transforming us. A single such word can save.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“Moments of clarity appear, much like the sun when it peeks out between the clouds on a cloudy day. However, just as the clouds often move back over the sun’s rays and cover them once again, so often that moment of clarity and insight gets covered back over by the noise and distraction of our daily life, and eventually it is forgotten.” (Fr. Joshua Makoul)
“I think the evidence for this is that anyone who perseveres in prayer does so because at some point, or maybe even at multiple points, he or she has experienced something of the real God. Some moment of clarity, of awe or joy, something numinous and impossible to express in words. We know what the real thing is.” (Hieromonk Maximos)
“There are blessed or tragic moments when we can see a person revealed to us in a light with a depth, with an awesome beauty which we have never suspected before. It happens when our eyes are open, at a moment of purity of heart; because it is not only God Himself Whom the pure in heart will see; it is also the divine image, the light shining in the darkness of a human soul, of the human life that we can see at moments when our heart becomes still, becomes transparent, becomes pure...” (Metropolitan Anthony Bloom)
“No one feels God's presence all the time, at every moment of his or her life. Even the greatest saints have moments of doubt, uncertainty, and darkness…There have been many times when I have experienced a moment of spiritual clarity only to have it drowned out by the cares of everyday life. The Faith gives me daily disciplines so that I can keep what I have heard rather than losing precious treasure in the rush of daily life….This present moment is the best moment of my life. Why would I say that? Because the present moment is the only point of contact I have with God. All else, past and future, is a construct of my imagination. The present moment is the only reality I have.” (Rev. Christopher H. Martin, Father Barnabas Powell, Albert S. Rossi, PhD)
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