Open the Doors

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock Our world is a world of locked gates, bolted doors, barred windows, and guard dogs watching over our possessions. When we enter our homes, the first thing we do is lock the door behind us—to keep out strangers, to prevent anything valuable from being stolen, to ensure that no harm is done. At night, we double-check whether the front door is locked, so that nothing external disturbs our sleep.

What drives us in this locked and barred reality? How to Overcome Fear, Find a Spiritual Father, and Other Miraculous StoriesFrom this article you will learn what it is like growing up in a family with thirteen children who are “people of the old school”—what kind of protection all of us have, how to overcome fear and find a spiritual father, what is the power of a parent’s blessing, the mystery of Divine providence, and many other interesting and miraculous stories.

“>Fear? Uncertainty? Distrust of everyone and everything? It is as if we are putting up barriers against people who make us uncomfortable, drawing a boundary between “friend” and “foe.” Do they want to come in? Password! If you know the password, enter. If not, sorry…

Isn’t this exactly how many of us lock our hearts to God? He stands outside the door and patiently knocks—will they open to Him? Will they let Him in? Every person on earth has heard this knock at least once in their life, when for example a serious illness suddenly strikes, when a child falls sick, when a loved one dies, when something terrible happens at work or in service, when heavy sorrow grips the soul, a dark grief from the realization of the injustice, cruelty, and deceit of the world around us.

Some, on the contrary, feel the touch of happiness: a blessed marriage, the long-awaited birth of a child, the publication of a first book of poetry, the jubilance a strong friendship, and many other bright, joyful things which, though rare, adorn our life.

Many of us lock our hearts to God. He stands outside the door and patiently knocks—will they open to Him? Will they let Him in?

It is God knocking:

“I am giving you all this, only repent, turn to Me, open to Me, let Me in, and I will give you what no one else ever can.”

Blessed are those who hear the knock and open the door, welcoming God into their lives, making Him, through the steady climb of spiritual ascent, the Master, the Lord of their being.

But how many there are who stop their ears, fail to understand anything, and… never open? Fear? Uncertainty? Distrust? Only on their deathbed do some people’s eyes finally open: What did I waste my life on? What did I trade it for? Copper coins? I was offered royal garments, and I chose a beggar’s rags. The King came to me! But I only welcomed beggars as if they were royalty, forcing the Divine Guest to stand behind my closed doors.

So many unfortunately keep the doors of their hearts closed to Christ, but wide open to all kinds of filth: Anger—How to Conquer the Beast Inside YouI get terrified as I hear this! What should I do, a sinful and fallen man? How can I learn to control myself? How can I “conquer” sinful anger inside me?

“>anger, On the Sin of GreedThose who believe in the Gospel know that the Lord takes care not only of the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, but also for man.”>greed, hatred, malice, enmity, murder, slander, On Envy and Other MattersEnvy ruins a man: both the one who envies and the one who causes it with his boasting and pride.”>envy, jealousy, theft, fornication. What is this, if not conscious rebellion against God? Our sinful passions, untreated by repentance, worsened by complete disregard for our inevitable accountability for them, amount to open hostility toward the Creator, a blasphemy against Him. Can anyone say that such a life leads to happiness? A life of reckless abandon never leads to good, and blasphemers have ended poorly.

Faith throws open the doors to an infinite, joyous world—a world named Jesus Christ.

It is a world of endless Love, divine Beauty, inexpressible Joy, Blessedness, and Happiness.

And this is not just an approximate description of paradise in the afterlife. This is the very essence of our faith!

Here is a paradox: to rejoice in Christ even in sorrow, sickness, and loss. To thank Christ in hardship, failure, and grief.

When Christ dwells in your heart, locks break, doors open, and with open arms you go out to meet the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, the wounded, the suffering, the imprisoned—to comfort, to warm, to feed, to bind up wounds, to calm, to speak a gentle word, a word that makes the lonely feel less alone, a word that helps the lost find new meaning in life.

Each of us stands before the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven, the eternal Kingdom of Christ, and each of us holds the key: a life according to the Gospel commandments, active repentance, and tireless mercy.

Yes, we enter the Kingdom not by our own merits or virtues, but only by the grace and love of God, who expects mercy from us toward others and is ready to forgive any sin—as long as we confess it sincerely before Him.

In the Kingdom of Heaven, there will be no locks, no closed doors. Everything will be open to everyone.

This is what we see in the icon of Christ’s Resurrection: Beneath the feet of the Risen Christ are broken locks and scattered keys—symbols that through His Life-Giving Resurrection, the Savior has opened the sealed, tightly shut gates of hell and led out those prisoners who desired to follow Him into the Kingdom of Light.

The Lord has opened the doors of His Kingdom to mankind:

Enter, My beloved, live, possess, and inhabit the paradise prepared for you from the foundation of the world!

Let us always keep this in our hearts: God is with us!

With God, all doors are open to goodness and love—and locked to all evil in the soul.

In this way, with Christ, by following Him, let us walk the path of the years granted to us, keeping in our hearts the greatest commandment of God:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself (Luke 10:27).