How in the church, among those millions of water-baptized, to recognize the Church and those who are orthodoxly ecclesiastical: Christians and catechumens (so as not to accept the devil in the guise, mask of an angel of light, servants of the antichrist in a moral, flattering, hypocritical shell-mask as Christ’s disciples: Christians or orthodox catechumens), that is, baptized with the Holy Spirit (= Christians, Church) and those who sincerely-truly-orthodoxly prepare-proclaim for baptism with the Holy Spirit (= catechumens)? First of all, by their fruits: mercy-love for all people and standing in Truth (in Christ), humble desire for the fullness of Truth-Orthodoxy (the fullness of the Holy Spirit, acquisition of the Spirit of Truth). Christians – this is Christ Himself, they, conceived by God with the Holy Spirit, grow (passing from the Strength of the Holy Spirit to even greater Strength of Grace) to the full measure of the stature of Christ (“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me”, “You (Christians) are the temple of the Holy Spirit, members-hypostases of the Body of Christ full of the Holy Spirit”); in this irreversible process of deification, Christians more and more bring forth the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, faith, meekness… The fruits of the Holy Spirit cannot be unseen, unfelt: “A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden (holiness-God-communion), and shines-scents in this dark, cold, selfish, godless world with the fruits of the Holy Spirit”. Therefore, Christians, no matter how foolish they may be for the sake of Christ, cannot be hidden from those who sincerely seek Truth, from listeners (who – all hearing-sight-discernment for the sake of knowing the Truth-Christ) – such people are found by the Lord, and in the Holy Spirit He shows them Christians, the Church, in Which He prepares them for baptism with the Holy Spirit. And the catechumens – like Christ: strive with all their might to be like Christ, act like Christ (and Christians), resemble Christ, to become righteous, to reach the Goal, to acquire the Only True Value-Pearl-Treasure – the Lord Jesus Christ! Here “as” (catechumens – like Christ) is a moral, ethical, ascetic category. Catechumens ascetically, by willpower (with the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, Who always helps sincere catechumens (externally, in an old testament way), suggests, instructs, gives strength) do, perform (with all their might, with discernment and advice, strive to fulfill all God’s commandments) all the same as Christians, for whom (Christians) to love – is natural, because Love is the nature of the Holy Spirit, the grace of Which – is the second Nature of the human-Christian, which they acquire in baptism with the Holy Spirit!
Christians and catechumens are always in prayer (and repentance) – they communicate with Christ. Christ for Christians and catechumens – is the Value, Which is the cause and motivation of all conscious actions-deeds, everything is done for the sake of This (Only!) Value, for the sake of achieving the Goal – union (communion-community in everything and always) with Christ God! Everything they do – they do as for Christ, and perceive everything that comes to them (every moment-reality and everything, and everyone in it) as Christ, as Christ’s Gift, Christ’s Love (“as” – in this context is an ontological (hypostatic) category, and not a comparative-ethical one, just as in the commandment “to love your neighbor as yourself” – see above). “Whatever you did (good or bad) to one of the least of these (every neighbor, every person) – you did to Me (Christ)! And what you did not do (good or bad) to the neighbor – you did not do to Me (Christ)!” (see Matthew 25:31-46). Did good to the neighbor – did good to Christ; did not do evil to the neighbor – did not do evil to Christ! Did evil to the neighbor – did evil to Christ; did not do good to the neighbor – did not do good to Christ! Catechumens are those people who are constantly in repentance; they are those who at all times fervently repent (each according to their measure of faith, which constantly, in the process of orthodox proclamation, grows) – follow Christ, trying at all times and in everything to be pleasing to Christ, to do only the will of the Lord Jesus – preparing for baptism with the Holy Spirit. (Do not think that there are many catechumens, it is also a small flock (units among the thousands who fill the temples on days of “spiritual sales-consecrations (Easter cakes, eggs, apples, water, etc.)” or come to satisfy their needs-desires: to partake of the sacrament, to confess, to be baptized, to be married…), which, sincerely seeking Truth, the Goal-Sense of life, presses around the Church (Christ and Christians)). Catechumens are known by their constant repentance. A catechumen (who seeks the Pearl-Christ, cares to acquire It), at least in the evening and in the morning, gives (should give) an account to himself: what he did not do that Christ God wants, and what he did that Christ does not want, and thus testing himself, repents all his life. A catechumen, when he sins, does evil-sin, accepts a sinful, God-opposing thought, or does not do what he should have done, that is, good, – immediately, as soon as he comes to his senses, to himself, when he wakes up from the area of oblivion and remembers Christ, repents (not waiting for the evening or morning – when he reviews a certain period of lived time): hates evil-sin, condemns (and does not justify) himself, reproaches himself before Christ, asks for forgiveness from Christ and further moves after Christ, taking and carrying his cross, which he “threw off”, did not accept (as a Gift from God), committing sin: doing evil or not doing good. The catechumen repents of sin immediately when he recognizes his sin, that he has sinned! This is how every catechumen should be!