We have to put on the helmet of salvation which is our hope as st. Paul tells us in the letter of 1 Thessalonian 5:8,"But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation "

and in Ephesians 6:14,"Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."

I would like to discuss what does the hope as the helmet of salvation mean to you? It would be great if you can share a link from Church fathers/saints teaching regarding this topic.

I recommend memorisation of and frequent reflection on Romans 12:12.

"Rejoice in hope; be patient under trials; perservere in prayer."

The helmet of the warrior was the part of the armor that protected his head and that vital organ that allows you to have function of your body. Without the brain mankind is nothing. I know watching my Alzheimer’s patients is a very painful experience for me. The mind, second the soul, is the most important part of what makes us who we are - give us our identity, character, personality. We, during combat, must protect the mind and with the Helmet of Salvation we do just that.

But why is the helmet associated with the salvation of our souls? Our minds are what we use to make the vital decisions, reasonings and our choices to do that which is right and wrong—good and evil. Yes, one can argue that the soul or the “heart” leads us, but I would say that it is the mind that gives us the abilities to think about either the good or bad that the world has to give us. Saint Paul knew that the whole purpose of living was to “fight the good fight” and to win the “prize”. Keeping the prize on the forefront of our minds keeps us on the straight and narrow road—the problem is that most people do not want to think about death and would rather live a life that leads to ruin—even Christians. We as Christians need to remember what Christ did for us, that He gave His life to give us salvation from the mortal chains of humanity. He died and liberated us from the hands of the devil.

How is it that we can keep salvation on our minds?

First of all, prayer is an essential and integral part of our lives. When we pray we enter into communion with the Almighty. We need to spend time with Him and let Him guide our thoughts and minds to the place of peace—a place that only He can bring us. Prayer is a great weapon of warfare against the adversary because nothing can stop it. It knows no walls, no borders and can reach the farthest reaches of the universe. Prayer is so powerful that we can even change the mind of God!

I know, I know, nothing can change the mind of God—right? Well let me give you a few examples... How about Abraham pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18? How about Moses pleading with God not to destroy the people for worshiping the Golden Calf while Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments in Exodus 32? True, these examples are in the Old Testament and with men of God, but are we not all the people of God? If we only believe we could have all that we need and want. God wants to bless us and give us the plentiful portion of His love. And, I believe for a fact that Christ, my Advocate and attorney has gone to bat for me more than once—even when I do the same offense over and over again. We, as the children of God, have the ability to reach the ears of God; all we need to do is have faith.

Second, is reading the Word of God. (And, before I go on, I would say that all of these things are connected and not alone. All is needed to keep salvation on our minds and in our hearts.) The Word of God is only a drop of God’s wisdom, but none-the-less it is God’s wisdom. He spoke through the men and women who wrote the words for us to have and learn. The Scriptures are a guidebook for our lives and have some of the greatest history ever. The fact that the death and resurrection of our God is in written form is a great Testament to our faith. No other faith in existence can claim their God came back to life. We need to keep reading the scriptures to keep our mind focused and aware. I know that every time I read the Word of God that something more is revealed to me about my salvation. I try very hard to live by the Word, and honestly, I fall short everyday—but the thing I keep in mind is that I have His mercy to rely on.

The third thing is church. Even though I get frustrated and angry at the church politics, my love for the Church keeps me grounded. When I receive the Sacrament it gives me the strength I need and the blessing I need to keep in line with my God. The Church of God, not of man, is a place where we can go to be with other like-minded warriors of faith. The term church (in Greek - ekklesia) means the people, not the building. Christ died for the church, not the stones of a building, but for the people. When we attend a place of worship, (a place where Christ dwells), we are temporarily removed from our lives and put in the presence of God. Of course my goal is to be in the presence of God always and everywhere I go. All aspects of our faith are supposed to bring us closer and we need to stop allowing all the distractions of the world get to us—from the outside world and the inside world of the church.

These three things are not the whole of our salvation; these three things help us get closer to attain our “prize”. It is important that we spend time with God daily. The goal is to spend every minute of the day with Him, but for most, (including myself) that is hard. I know that I try to live my life keeping my death in mind. Not death as is in suicide or as I cannot wait to die, but the death of this body so that I can attain my salvation and get the keys the mansion promised me. To go to the place where there is no more pain and suffering, no more tears and hurts. Why would I not want a place of peace and love where there is no fear and hatred? Until the return of Christ we must keep our Helmet of Salvation on to protect our minds from the darkness of the world and hope that we can hang on until our death. Pray that we can be found worthy to enter the gates of heaven.

Until then the battle rages on.

This was very beautiful and inspiring, dear Alexandr. Thank you.

In Christ,
Alice

thank you Sielos and Alexandr.