The Monk Silouan of Athos told us: "A novice on Athos used to pray incessantly to God, so that He might forgive him his sins. And he began to reason about the kingdom of heaven, and thought: "I may be saved if I diligently ask God to forgive my sins, but if in paradise I do not see my parents, I will grieve for them, for I love them. What kind of paradise would it be for me if I were there to grieve for my relatives, who may be in hell?" This sinful novice thought of the kingdom of heaven: "As on earth there is no joyful feast if there are no parents or relatives, so in paradise, if I do not see the relatives whom I love, I will mourn." So he thought for six months. And one day, during Vespers, the novice lifted his eyes to the icon of the Savior, and prayed a little, in five words: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner," and he saw that the icon became a living Savior, and the novice's soul and body were filled with unspeakable sweetness, and the soul knew our Lord Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, and the Lord is gracious, and beauty and meekness unspeakable, and the soul was instructed that from God's love one cannot remember anything about anyone, and since then his soul has been burning with love for the Lord."
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