“The kinship of the Spirit with the soul is not a matter of nearness to a place—for how can one come near to the bodiless in a bodily manner? Rather, it is a matter of separation from the passions which came into the soul afterwards because of its love of the flesh and which deprived it of its kinship with God. So, after it was cleansed from the shame which tarnished it through wickedness, and after it returned to its natural beauty and, as it were, restored the ancient form to its royal image by cleansing, only then can it draw near to the Paraclete. Just like the sun, He will use the eye that has been cleansed to show you in himself the image of the invisible, and in the blessed vision of the image you will see the unspeakable beauty of the archetype. Through this comes the ascent of hearts, the guidance of the weak, and the perfection of those making progress. The Spirit illuminates those who have been cleansed from every stain and makes them spiritual by means of communion with Himself. When a ray of light falls upon clear and translucent bodies, they are themselves filled with light and gleam with a light from themselves. Just so are the Spirit-bearing souls that are illuminated by the Holy Spirit: they are themselves made spiritual, and they send forth grace to others. Thence comes foreknowledge of the future, understanding of mysteries, apprehension of secrets, distribution of graces, heavenly citizenship, the chorus with angels, unending joy, remaining in God, kinship with God, and the highest object of desire, becoming God.”
(On the Holy Spirit, 9.23)