Grace is not a mood, a burst of inspiration, or a wave of emotion during prayer. It is the quiet presence of God that purifies, strengthens, and steadies the soul. Feelings come and go according to health, weather, sleep, or memory. Grace remains constant, though our awareness of it changes. When the heart is clean, grace is sensed as peace; when the heart is clouded, it is still there, but unseen. The danger is to confuse its absence with Gods absence — as if He withdrew whenever we grow numb or cold. In truth, He allows dryness so that faith may grow beyond sensation. Western spirituality often ties grace to excitement: if one feels uplifted, God is close; if not, He is silent. But Orthodox teaching understands grace as participation in divine life — not emotional but ontological. It works quietly in humility, patience, and obedience. The proof of grace is not how a man feels, but how he endures, forgives, and resists sin. The soul matures when it stops seeking pleasant states and starts seeking righteousness. When peace returns without reason, when the will softens toward others, when prayer becomes honest — that is grace at work. Not as feeling, but as reality.