It is Easier for Monks, but Not Impossible for Lay People to Live in God

In the degrees of this renunciation, they distinguish first the painful tearing of the heart from sensible things through hatred, then tastelessness toward them, and further the contemplation of them from God, which does not turn one away from God. For renunciation of everything, and likewise for life in God, it is best for those who wish, are able, and are called to choose a special way of life—the monastic or solitary. In this life both become possible in their full purity and ripeness. And in the order of ordinary life it is not impossible, but is joined with great labors and obstacles. It is better when someone, having established himself in life in God in separation from the world, goes out or is called afterward into communal life for the sake of the work. In that life, life according to God has a special action; that person is the representative of God for people, distributing his blessing to all. (3, 345–346)