“While our salvation depends of the grace of God, asceticism is ‘the active part of the spiritual life.’ It is the effort that we must make in cooperation with God’s grace. It is not an option but a central part of responding to His grace so we can be perfected by it. God always leads but we must also follow.  Ascetic efforts like prayer, fasting, and repentance are what liberates us from sin. They fortify our true nature.”

~Fr. Dumitru Staniloae