A true christian’s heart is only familiar with Christ
As things stand, the Christian will feel like a stranger in this world. If he loves Christ indeed and this love is the driving force behind being obedient to Christ, he will experience desert and martyrdom in his heart. However, there is also the other side of the coin.
There may be someone in a monastery, in a family or, let’s say, in a group of people, who, for some unknown reasons, separates himself and stays untouched by the spirit of his environment, unimpressed, like a lump in the dough.
And despite being among all these people, he feels like a stranger untouched by their spiritual life, the grace and spirit of the community. And little by little the others around him will feel as though he is a stranger, too.
The love of God uses everything for man’s benefit. Archimandrite Symeon Kragiopoulos (†)