Testament to spiritual children

Father Hieromonk Nikon (in the world Nikolai Belyaev) 1888–1931, spiritual son, novice and successor of the Optina Elder Barsanuphius, entered the Skete in December 1907. In April 1910, he was tonsured into the ryassophore, and on May 24, 1915, on the day of Simeon of Divnogorets, into the mantle, with the new name Nikon in honor of the Holy Martyr Nikon. About a year later, monk Nikon was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon. 1917 is the year of initiation into hieromonk. Then, already in Soviet times, after the arrest and exile of Elder Nektarios, Hieromonk Nikon became the confessor and Elder of Optina. He serves in the last open church of the monastery. After the final closure of the monastery, he moved to Kozelsk, where he continued to serve and sing in the choir in the Assumption Cathedral. 1927 – the elder was arrested. He was sent through Kaluga and Butyrka to Solovki, but did not get there and was left on Popov Island. Elder Hieromonk Nikon died in Pinega in 1931 from tuberculosis. With the bishop's book. Ignatius Brianchaninov (Op., volume 5) Fr. Nikon was not separated during his imprisonment in Kaluga (1927–1929); Before the stage to the north, he was allowed to meet with spiritual children; he took out the book and quietly put it into the wide sleeve of the monastic rag of Mother Ambrosia, who carried it out of the prison walls. These precious notes are the spiritual testament of hieromonk Fr. Nikon to his orphaned spiritual children, a living testimony of his senile feat. 1. About studying the Gospel Commandments and living according to the Gospel Commandments One elder told his disciple that he, while still worldly, came to his friends and, among other things, started talking about God, the faith of Christ and other spiritual subjects. One of those present did not agree with his reasoning and even expressed her disbelief and, in any case, disagreement with the teachings of the Orthodox Church. Unable to convince his heated interlocutor, he said: “What if your deceased parent or someone else close to you, appearing to you, testified to the truth of what the Holy Church affirms - would you believe then or not?” “No,” she answered. - "Here you go! This only confirms the Holy Gospel, which says: “If anyone rises from the dead, they do not have faith” (Luke 16:31) - this was what needed to be proven.” This is how crazy a person can reach if he wants to live according to his own will, and not in obedience to the Holy Spirit. gospel teaching. Whoever does not want to accept the Holy Gospel with his heart and live according to it, the best sermons and edifications, the most convincing evidence are not intelligible to him. Spiritual saving work consists in assimilating the holy Gospel teaching to the mind and heart. Unfortunately, often people (both monks and lay people who consider themselves Christians) who love to read the Holy Gospel, go to Church and generally belong to the Holy Orthodox Church or consider themselves such - do not want or do not try to apply the commandments of the Gospel to themselves in all matters and circumstances of life, knowing them; as if they, that is, the commandments, were given for everyone except them. For example, it is well known that the Gospel requires that we forgive each other’s offenses. But we don’t want to forgive, we find it fair to repay the one who caused us grief in one way or another, and thus we renounce Christ’s teaching, if not with words, then with our hearts. What madness! Rev. Mark the Ascetic writes: “The Lord is hidden in His commandments and is found by those who seek Him as they fulfill His commandments.” (The Spiritual Law, ch. 190). These words have deep meaning. Only one who fulfills the commandments of Christ in his personal life can find the Lord. But if someone’s own will—“let it be my way”—is more valuable than the teachings of Christ, I will remain silent... Everyone will reap what he sows. You must not only know the Holy Gospel, but also live according to it, otherwise you cannot be a Christian, much less a monk. It is necessary for a person to personally begin life according to the mind of the Holy Gospel and the Holy Church of Christ - both in external actions and in the soul. Only the personal feat of cleansing the heart from passions according to the commandments of Christ can clarify this issue. 2. About the struggle with oneself and about keeping oneself from temptations A person who does not restrain himself in small things, thinking that a small thing does not mean anything, loses the habit of fighting with himself and relaxes spiritually. Having become unaccustomed to fighting in insignificant and small things, in his opinion, he generally becomes unaccustomed to fighting with himself and can no longer withstand the temptation when it is required to show valor in the Lord and in an important matter. Rev. talks about this very well. Avva Dorotheus. You can come to such a state of self-indulgence and unwillingness to fight yourself without noticing it, gradually. Let the enemy not deceive us! Let's keep a close eye on ourselves. Anyone who wants to acquire true obedience must always try to obey, in the simplest, even everyday matters, but one cannot be obedient to an evil deed. Anyone who wants to acquire chastity and purity of heart must renounce all dreams and sinful pleasures, no matter how small they may seem. Anyone who wants to have a strong Orthodox faith should not allow himself to listen, think, or talk about anything contrary to faith. He who wants to acquire love must reject every evil and unpeaceful thought, not to mention deeds and words, and must forgive everyone fair and unjust insults. Anyone who wants to acquire a good conscience and honesty should not allow himself the slightest false or crafty word, either in large matters or in small ones, etc. Skill is of great importance, both good and bad. A skill attracts a person. Having cast aside self-pity and guile, with self-sacrifice we will begin to fulfill the commandments of Christ in both large and small matters, on the one hand, and the fight against sin also in large and small matters, on the other hand. The Holy Apostle warns everyone to guard themselves from temptations and pay attention to themselves: “If you think that you are standing, then watch yourself so as not to fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). No one is immune from all kinds of mental and physical downfalls until his death. In all humility one must guard oneself. If every deed, word and thought puts a stamp on us, then we must take all measures to preserve ourselves from everything harmful. And ep. Ignatius and St. the fathers write that very often, almost always, we do not feel harm to ourselves from a harmful deed immediately after this harmful deed: this harm is felt after some time; the result is the fruit of the evil accepted into oneself, which makes itself felt in its various manifestations. Everyone can see this for themselves, reaping the bitter fruit of their mistakes and hobbies; Only those who do not pay attention to themselves and do not consider themselves, their mental and heartfelt states in the light of the Holy Gospel and the Scriptures of the Fathers, do not see or feel this; in other words, they lead an absent-minded life. Often a harmful deed does not seem harmful. This is the seduction of the enemy. You should not trust yourself, your heart and reasoning. In deciding what is harmful and what is not harmful, one must be guided by the instructions of the Gospel Scripture and the charter of the Orthodox Church and Sts. fathers, as well as the advice of a spiritual father or elders who, from their experience in spiritual life, can give edification. Sin puts its stamp not only on the soul, but also on a person’s appearance, on his outer behavior and appearance. Finding excuses for oneself cannot calm the conscience; it only upsets the person more. It is difficult to break free from the power of sin. The saving grace is the fear of death, the mercy of God gives time for repentance, we need perseverance in the fight against sin, even if sin overcomes us from time to time. It is necessary to move away from temptations and vanity in general. The purpose of the Lord's allowing of stumbling blocks is for a person to acquire humility and reject arrogance. It is necessary to reject all despondency and continue the fight against sin. Those who expect and seek comfort and tranquility in life are mistaken; sorrow, deprivation, and difficulties are necessary for salvation. If life is so changeable and fleeting, why cling to it? Humbly considering ourselves always, until death, capable of any sin, small and large (according to our understanding), we must earnestly pray to the Lord for help “so that we do not fall into misfortune.” Conceit does not care about preserving oneself and is the cause of great falls; temptations take over and overthrow a person. Some, seeing that the Lord does not give them for a long time the desired way of life, in which they hope to receive spiritual benefit and peace of mind for their restless heart, fall into negligence, having infected themselves with a false thought, inspired by the enemy, that, they say, I will force myself to virtue when I have the convenience to do so (for example, when I am worthy of monasticism or a solitary life or when I have removed from myself certain duties and etc.), but now this is impossible for me. Let such people know that our lives are not arranged arbitrarily, but by the Providence of God, that peace is found in the renunciation of one’s will, that complete comfort can never be found, that the Lord does not require the impossible from us, and that feasible fulfillment of God’s commandments is possible everywhere and always. For compelling himself in a given place and position to piety, the Lord, seeing a person prepared, fulfills his desires for good... The revival of the soul is accomplished by the will of God and the power of God, but man is required to have his will in bringing repentance to God. The period of repentance required by the sinner is known to the One God. The repentant sinner, even being, as it were, forgotten by God, as it seems to him, at the wonderful discretion of God, gains spiritual benefit and comes to prosperity: The Lord leads to salvation! The wondrous wisdom and goodness of God is in God’s allowance for man to fall. Not all compassion and empathy is commendable. Every business requires a spiritual attitude towards oneself, and not a universal one. Patience is uninterrupted complacency,” said Bishop. Feofan Vyshensky. Article “On the will of God” (p. 82, vol. V, chapter XIV) bishop. Ignatius teaches us to submit to the will of God. It is necessary for every believer to know what is said in this article, no matter whether he is a monk or a layman. To great regret, for the most part you see and hear grumbling around you and within yourself, unwillingness to submit to what the Lord sends, the demand for fair treatment and other insane manifestations of resistance to the will of God. How great is our weakness! How weak is our faith! It’s not our business to argue why this or that happens to us; you need to know that this is the will of God, you need to humble yourself, but demanding, so to speak, an account from God is extreme madness and pride. So everyone should: 1. Demand from yourself (that is, force yourself to do) the fulfillment of all commandments and 2. consider everything that other people do to us, that happens to us without the assistance of people, as the righteous judgment of God for our benefit, our salvation, and humbly endure it all. This will be soul-saving and will bring peace to our hearts. God! Thy Holy will be done. Comprehension of God's will is available to the pure through their lives. They receive the gift of spiritual reasoning, and it is higher than all virtues. 4. About keeping yourself from the good that belongs to fallen human nature A good deed is not every good deed, but only such a good deed that is done for the sake of God. The appearance of a matter is not its essence. God looks at the heart. How we must humble ourselves, seeing that passion is mixed into every business. Moderate abstinence is most beneficial. It is more profitable to be dishonored and suffer, but God’s will be done; You can’t go into grief on your own. This is insolence and pride; and it may happen that you cannot endure what you have taken upon yourself without permission. Sin, covered with the guise of goodness, creeps up and damages the souls of those who do not trust themselves to the Gospel. Gospel goodness requires self-sacrifice, “renunciation of one’s will and reason.” Man was created by God good and blameless. After the Fall of Adam, sin entered into human nature, evil entered. In order to deliver man from this evil, according to the judgment of God, it was necessary for God - the second Person of the Holy Trinity - to become human and redeem man from the evil that he suffered. The redemption of man was accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ on Golgotha, on the Cross, through His suffering, death, and resurrection. You have to believe in this. This is the basis of our faith. In addition, Christ gave people His commandments, which teach how a person should live, in order to be a follower and disciple of Him, in order to do His will for the sake of the eternal salvation of the soul. Who will accept Christ the Redeemer and St. the laws of the Gospel and will live in accordance with this, he becomes a Christian, and whoever rejects or neglects this remains only with his fallen nature, in which the original good is mixed with evil; such a person cannot be called a Christian; he is alien to the Christian life and the salvation of Christ. With the guise of good remaining in fallen nature, the enemy tries to distract everyone from Christ, cunningly proving that fallen good is the only good, for that is how it seems to those who do not know the teachings of Christ. Whoever, despite all the deceptions of the enemy, adheres to the gospel teaching, must inevitably experience a struggle within himself. Fallen nature loves itself and loves this world, and the Gospel requires self-sacrifice and love for God. Therefore, there can never be agreement between them. This disagreement between them is noticeable in all relationships, in all questions of life and morality. For example, monasticism, built in the spirit of the Holy Gospel, on the love of God and the renunciation of worldly life, has always been a stumbling block for the people of this world, it has always been hated by them, incomprehensible as doing something alien to them. The servants of Christ, even if they were in the world, loved monasticism and love, seeing in it the ideal of Christian life, which is not alien to them in spirit. Speaking here about monasticism, I mean not individual people, but the very way of life, and speaking about the people of this world, I also mean not living in the world, but with their souls devoted to worldly life. The elders advise reading and re-reading the works of the saints. fathers. They are deep and understood gradually. Their subject is spiritual life, and it is extensive: “Your commandment is great” (Ps. 119:96). There is no limit to spiritual growth, so rereading is of great importance. It is better to reread a small number of books with reverence and attention than to read a lot quickly. Reading is one of the most necessary activities. Without reading or listening to reading, one cannot know the truth. When I talk about reading, I mean exclusively the reading of the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the fathers and churches. But reading will only bring the desired benefit when what you read, to the best of your ability and ability, enters life, becomes the rule of life, and not simple, bare, soulless and cold knowledge. What good can it be if a person knows that he needs to pray and does not pray; knows that it is necessary to forgive insults, and does not forgive; knows that he needs to fast - and does not fast; you need to endure - and you don’t tolerate it, etc. Such knowledge, according to the word of the Gospel, will even condemn a person. Therefore, you need to read with attention and try to live in the spirit of what you read. Of course, we cannot immediately become the executor of everything that is written - we need gradualism. First, forcing yourself and a humble awareness of your weakness, then the knowledge gained from reading will bring the desired benefit. In general, all the books and writings of St. fathers and true teachers of the Church on spiritual life, and especially writings on prayer, must be read with extreme attention, slowly, delving into every saying, every word to the best of your ability, so as not to miss anything necessary, so as not to give yourself a reason for an incorrect, arbitrary understanding and interpretation of what you read. Spiritual life and the feat of prayer have their own laws, their own consistency; they must be studied and understood, assimilated into the mind and heart. Arbitrariness and self-thinking should have no place here; they lead a person astray. A seemingly small deviation or inaccuracy sometimes leads to big mistakes and delusions that have bitter fruits and consequences. If something seems incomprehensible, unclear, then you need to ask someone who knows, if you have such a person, and if you don’t, then let it remain incomprehensible for the time being, do not try to understand with your mind. In due time the Lord will send admonition; St. speaks well of this. Tikhon Zadonsky. The elders advise reading and re-reading the books of the scriptures of Sts. fathers. Scriptures of St. fathers contain the truth of spiritual life and wisdom, which always provides the reader with consolation, admonition and spiritual reinforcement! They can never lose their vitality, for the spiritual life set forth in them forever has its laws unchangeable. They (the scriptures) are understood and assimilated gradually, as the reader and aspirant grows spiritually, as they gain understanding from experiences and personal experiences. By the way, the latter is one of the reasons for the need to re-read the writings of our fathers. And it is advised to re-read them like this: if a person sees that he is being attacked, for example, by the passion of anger, then it is advised to read about this passion and the virtue opposite to it; if anger attacks, then read about anger and love; if fornication attacks, then read about fornication and chastity, etc. It is useful for those depressed by sorrows to read about the benefits and necessity of sorrows, etc. It has been noticed that what makes a particularly strong impression on the soul is what it needs at a given time. This advice should not be considered as a ban on reading books in a row. Those who wish and have the opportunity, let them read each book in a row. This is even necessary to obtain a complete impression and concept of the writings and teachings of this or that saint. father. And you can use this advice according to your spiritual need for this or that reading. It is best, if possible, to receive the blessing of your spiritual father for each reading. In the absence of such an opportunity, you need to receive at least a general blessing on the order and choice of books to read. Fear is a manifestation of lack of confidence in one’s own strength. Courage is a manifestation of hope in the omnipotent power of God and help. Those who are truly wise in the Lord blame themselves for their impatience. Patience can be proud and wrong. It does not allow one to know the truth. Everyone needs to prepare for sorrows. Without recognizing yourself as worthy of sorrow for your fall, you cannot know the Savior. An example of two robbers. From surrendering oneself to the will of God, the spiritual power of faith and spiritual consolation appear in a person’s heart. A sorrowless life is a sign of God’s displeasure towards man. One should not envy those who live without sorrow, for the end of their sorrowlessness is deplorable. Temptations and sorrows reveal the state of a person’s soul; in modern terms, they are like some kind of exam. Sorrows protect against arrogance. Surrendering oneself to God: His will for us, the Church with its teachings and sacraments, the gospel teaching. To indulge in grief without permission is impudence, pride, and madness. Accept what God sends. The fruit of sorrows is the purification of the soul and its spiritual state. It must be stored. In our sorrows, people are only instruments, and have no power over us. So, let's all be patient! Elder Alexander of Gethsemane said: “As much as the soul can accommodate in enduring sorrows, so much can it accommodate the grace of God.” Leaving behind unrealizable dreams of impossible feats and sublime ways of living, let us begin in humility with the patience of sorrows. When our souls are prepared, if it is God’s will for it, the highest will be given to us. Recognition of God's judgment on us as righteous, for we have all sinned. Let the conscience of each of us confirm to us that our sins are great. We ourselves are to blame. We must humble ourselves and thank God for everything. True servants of God will hide themselves. If the monks of the last times do not have monastic work, then in what way should they resist the influx of sorrows in order to improve the glorious and longed-for salvation? In order to infallibly expect salvation for yourself from enduring sorrows, you need to solve and clarify this question for yourself. It is decided by the bishop. Ignatius: we must persevere in the Orthodox faith. “I have passed away and kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7) - this is an indispensable condition for receiving the heavenly crown and fulfilling the gospel commandments, without renouncing the monastic feat. Reading the lives of saints and the writings of saints. fathers, we clearly see that their work is so sublime that for us sinners, weak ones, it is incomprehensible and even sometimes seems incredible to our lack of faith. We must believe that this feat, this wondrous monastic work once existed, we must revere it and humbly admit that we do not at all have this monastic work. Not to mention the hidden spiritual activity, incomprehensible to us, the great prayerful deeds and others, we now see neither pillars, nor silent ones, nor novices, nor complete renunciation of the world, nor true repentance, nor humility, nor true love, nor the fulfillment of other virtues. Everything has weakened, become impoverished, Humbly admitting that we do not have all this work in us, we must still force ourselves to do all these works to the extent that is accessible to our weakness. We must force ourselves to every virtue, to fight against every kind of sin, without giving ourselves over to it voluntarily, either externally or internally, even if we had to endure sorrow for this struggle with sin, we must remain, although unworthy, weak, but still children, distant descendants of the great holy ascetics, carrying in our souls and hearts reverence and admiration for their great feat, as a kind of ideal, although incomprehensible to us, but attracting us to itself. If in the fight against sin and temptation we do not give up, that is, we do not give up the feasible feat, the feasible imitation of the example of the saints of God, we do not abandon it, then we will resist, according to the word of Abba Ishiron. Even if someone were to stumble, to fall unintentionally, involuntarily, he would be healed by repentance, tears, and awareness of his weakness, if he did not refuse to continue to fight with himself, with the sin that fights us. Such a one, even if he falls, will rise up and stand in his main direction, without selling himself to sin. The one who loves sin more than virtue, the pleasure of sin, who fears sorrows due to self-pity will not resist: who, due to the suggestion of hostility, not seeing the desired good fruit in himself, refuses to force himself, considering in his pride that if, they say, I am unworthy and unable to receive soon and even never what the former and others received, then there is no point in working in vain, but I don’t need some crumbs, scraps, and he will refuse, first in his soul, and then outwardly, the good path he had previously outlined, the narrow path. May the enemy the devil not deceive us! If anyone sees that he is deeply entrenched in sin, that sin has acquired great power over him, taking advantage of his oblivion and foolishness, that he has sailed far into the sea of ​​sin, that the path to return to God is long and difficult, let him not be discouraged; all that is required is a sincere desire to return to God, and He is already waiting for us. The word of the prophet is touching: “Return (to Me), sons, ... and I will heal your contrition,” says the Lord (Jer. 3:22). The Lord, as it were, asks us to return to His fatherly embrace, does not renounce us, considers us his children, how can we refuse to return to Him! Let the path be difficult and narrow, we believe, we know with our faith where it leads. So, let's be patient on this path, let's try not to stray from it - it is blessed, it is undoubtedly true. Rev. Mark the Ascetic says: “Everyone meets what is due, according to his mood; The guidance allowed is varied, but only one God knows the appropriate guidance for everyone.” “Guidance” is what the Lord allows (guides) a person to endure, in other words, sorrow. If sorrows depend on our mental state, then there is no one to grumble against. Let's humble ourselves and be patient. St. Mark advises humbly recognizing oneself as worthy of all sorrow, as due retribution for sins, and therefore to endure them (i.e., sorrows) courageously, to bring oneself into a repentant mood. The recollection of sin, picturesquely, for which the heart has not yet lost sympathy (especially in fornication), is not useful, but harmful. But confession to a confessor is necessary to cleanse oneself from the filth of sin and to obtain permission for the sin committed, and as an internal spiritual activity to acquire a repentant mood. The need for a detailed confession is proven not only by a person’s internal experiences, but also by the very rite of confession set forth in the Church Breviary. What prompted me to make such a note is that some, ashamed of the confessor, for various reasons are looking for a way not to say everything in detail at confession, speaking in general terms or in such a way that the confessor cannot clearly understand what has been done, or even completely concealing it, thinking to calm their conscience by various reasoning with themselves in their soul. Here the enemy of our salvation knows how to recall in a perverted form the words of St. fathers and even Holy Scripture, in order to prevent a person from making a saving and necessary confession of sins before a confessor in the form in which they were made. But if a person’s conscience is not lost, it does not give him peace until everything is said in detail at confession. You just shouldn’t say unnecessary details that do not explain the essence of the matter, but only paint them picturesquely. The fathers do not advise allowing yourself such painting of pictures of sin, which is not alien to the pleasure of remembering sin, especially in fornication, so that the heart, which still loves sin, does not delay and delight in sin. Bishop Theophan of Vyshensky, the recluse, gives excellent instructions about confession and, among other things, says: “In confession, repentance for a sin or sins must be brought to such an extent that the confessor definitely and accurately understands what has been done and has a correct understanding of you, what you are, so that through the twists and turns of confession you do not present yourself to the confessor as something other than what you really are. You especially shouldn’t allow yourself to shift the blame onto others, or look for excuses and justifications for yourself. Such confession does not give peace to spiritual life. The soul is revived by sincere repentance, alien to guile. A truly repentant person is ready to endure any punishment from his spiritual father and everything that the Lord allows him to suffer, sorrowful and humbling, just to receive forgiveness. The property of true repentance opens your eyes to your sinfulness and sin in general. Sorrows reveal our evil thoughts; by revealing these thoughts to ourselves, let us reconcile ourselves. Our sorrows are not similar in appearance to our guilt, but spiritually they rightly correspond to them. The delay and dissimilarity of punishment with our misdeeds lead some to disbelief in the truth of God. Thoughts are the cause of every sad event. Two ways of human communication: 1) out of malice; 2) for love. Hence the two perceptions of our neighbors. Perception obliges one to endure sorrows. Observing events in your own life and in other people, you can see the coincidence of circumstances with amazing clarity. No precautions or measures could and cannot prevent what is happening, for it is taking place according to the judgment of God. There's no one to blame. We must humble ourselves and endure. Otherwise we will sin against God. There is no one to blame: the anger is within us. Sorrows are allowed so that it will be revealed who really loves God. Without enduring sorrows, even a grateful soul is incapable of the Kingdom of God. Firm endurance of sorrows is equivalent to martyrdom. Sorrows mean nothing in comparison with spiritual benefits. If vanity and love of glory are so destructive, then we must humbly and prudently, even joyfully, accept all sorrows, reproaches and dishonor, as leading us to humility and salvation. Meanwhile, the slightest word is noticed and grief leads us to indignation and resistance to people; We don’t even like the humbling actions of our spiritual father: we don’t see, we don’t want to see that they are aimed at our spiritual benefit; we are indignant that what was said or done is not to our hearts, not according to our desire, we consider ourselves offended. O foolish ones! Oh, our affection for the world and its praise and glory! A reasonable monk and servant of God thirsts for repentance and humility, seeing spiritual benefit from them; he cries and mourns when he is not humbled, he rejoices when he is deprived of human glory. Let us also force ourselves to all humility. It is said: “I humble myself and the Lord saves me” (Ps. 114:5). Glory to Thee, my God, for the sorrow sent! Worthy according to my affairs, I accept. Remember me in Your Kingdom, and may Your holy will be done in everything. Amen. Rev. Mark the Ascetic writes in his sermon about those who think to be justified by works (chapter 167): “Whoever neglects the commandment of prayer suffers the most serious violations against the commandments, passing him one to another like a prisoner.” “Prayer should be the main feat of a monk.” But, of course, the prayer is correct. Particular attention must be paid to the correctness of prayer. Wrong prayer does not have good fruits, quite the opposite. The envy of the devil and all demons excites them to seek the destruction of people and fight against them, especially during the prayer of God's servants, for through correct prayer a person can and does receive every good. The order of fighting the enemy: 1. Specious thoughts - by paying attention to them the mind is deprived of freedom. 2. Obviously sinful thoughts - the mind, having lost freedom with the first thoughts, is conquered by the second. Hence the general rule: during prayer, reject every thought. The law of the affinity of sins with each other is the incessant warfare of the enemy, its intensification during our prayer. What thoughts and in what order are brought by enemies, firstly: insults and insults in order to shake the foundation of prayer. Thoughts about earthly glory and earthly prosperity under the guise of virtue and even something spiritual; their basis is pride. Let us recall the story of two monks who found gold in the desert. One, seeing the gold, jumped over it and ran as if from a poisonous snake. Another took it and, of necessity, leaving the already deserted, silent life, began to build churches, almshouses and the like. Of course, in his worries he lost his monastic spiritual peace and composure, for this work is a worldly matter, not a monastic one, although he did a good deed. And it was said that all these deeds and buildings were not worth that one jump that the first monk made, running away from the gold lying on the ground. Blessed is the one who has not tied himself up with anything, has not entangled himself, says the reverend. Mark the Ascetic. “Anyone who is distracted by various thoughts is not considered abstinent, even if they were useful: they are no more useful than prayers” (chapter 40, about those who think to be justified by works). Agreement with the thoughts of sin is communication with the enemy, hence the retreat of God’s power and help from us. The heaviest warfare of thoughts: 1. Fornication. 2. Dejection. We must humble ourselves. Humility attracts God's help. The corrupting effect of lustful thoughts from the pleasure of them - the grace of God recedes for a long time, which can be attracted again only by sincere repentance and abstinence from these thoughts. Since prayer should be the first thing a monk does, he needs to know what he will encounter when doing prayer in order to do this first thing with success. Depiction of the enemy's abuse and all the bishop's advice. Ignatius Brianchaninov’s “On the special opposition of fallen spirits to prayer” (vol. 5, p. 354) is the fruit of his personal blissful experience. That is why they are so faithful and edifying. This article is useful to read and re-read. And begin the prayer as indicated there. Without this, our prayer work will be in vain, useless, and mere knowledge in letter without execution in practice will only serve us in condemnation. “The letter kills” (2 Cor. 3:6). For a detailed and thorough teaching about prayer in general and the Jesus Prayer, which is included in monastic vows as an integral part of them, see volumes I and II of the works of Bishop. Ignatius. One elder said to one of his spiritual sons, a layman who was taking up monastic life: “You lived at the monastery, saw the external structure of monastic life, became acquainted with it; now it is necessary to get acquainted with the inner side, to find out its inner content,” and he gave me to read from the 1st volume, “The Conversation of an Elder with a Disciple about the Jesus Prayer.” A monk without prayer is not a monk. This is how the said elder looked at monastic life. It is necessary to preserve the fruit of prayer. He is ruined, lost very often from idle talk immediately after prayer and from daydreaming, which is the same idle talk, but only with oneself. Silence after prayer is very beneficial; it holds the prayer in the mind, the heart, and even on the lips out loud to oneself. Now that there are no monasteries, the cell rule has not lost its necessity. It is necessary to maintain a prayerful and generally monastic mood. Without prayer there is no monasticism. And monasticism for monks is their vow. The vow cannot be renounced. Not only a monk, but also a layman who is drawn to monasticism and therefore has become close, as if kindred in spirit, to monasticism, will see from experience how expensive it is to carry out the prayer rule at home. Not everyone can go to prayer often during the day. But forcing oneself to pray, even mentally, if in public, is possible for anyone. It is possible to begin and end every work and activity by raising the mind to God. A cold attitude towards the matter of prayer is not helpful. “I prayed, read what I was supposed to, and I’m free. He served his duty." Such prayer does not produce good fruits. And such prayer occurs among those who limit their appeal to God only by fulfilling a rule or going to church, without striving for prayer to fill and illuminate their whole life, all their affairs. The desired prayer mood is not immediately achieved, it takes whole years to acquire this, but it is necessary to force oneself, it is necessary to consider oneself constantly a debtor to God, both in all virtues and in prayer. We must acquire a heartfelt awareness of the need for prayer, and in order not to drive away the prayerful mood, we must protect ourselves from every irreverent word and deed, from everything that violates spiritual peace, that is not according to conscience, not according to the law of God. One elder told his disciple that while he was still in the world, he was once a guest in the evening in a high-society house. Having retired to one of the rooms of the house, he began to talk on a religious topic and touched upon discussions about death. Apparently, the conversation attracted the attention of many, and they listened to what the future elder, then almost a young man, was saying. During the conversation, one gentleman came into the room and, having listened to what was being said, said to one lady: “Why do you want to listen to these conversations about death?” Not at all embarrassed by the reproach, the lady replied: “Life lies in a conversation with ... about death!” He fell silent upon hearing this answer. And indeed, the answer was correct. The good thoughts and aspirations of the one who spoke about death led him, by the Providence of God, to the monastery for the salvation of the soul, for the preparation of the soul for eternal life. “Remember your last - and you will never sin” (Sir. 7:39). 11. About the hermit’s life and about confession and repentance Recluse and seclusion cannot be decided on spontaneously; it requires a calling from God. Mode of action on a person: 1. The Holy Spirit. 2. Demon: 1) autocratically and suddenly; 2) has no power, seeks consent. Lack of humility and recognition of one's merits is the basis for prelest. The venerable fathers blessed those who were recognized as capable of seclusion, after due preparation, for the seclusion; others were prohibited due to their state of mind. With arrogance and spiritual passions, one cannot choose a solitary life. In addition to obvious charm, the shutter can be the cause of subtle mental charm. Sometimes you have to observe that some people strive for a deserted life and silence, in the secret of their hearts, looking for a completely comfortable, serene, sorrowless life. This aspiration is reckless, not to mention unrealizable. There has not been, is not, and never will be a sorrowless life. Rev. Mark the Ascetic says: “Having rejected suffering and dishonor, do not think of bringing repentance through other virtues: vanity and the mood of the heart, alien to contrition of the spirit, know how to serve sin and deeds of righteousness” (chapter 156). This means that you need to humble yourself and surrender to the will of God, realizing your weakness, and not dream. The feat was, is and will always be a feat. Not everyone can achieve great feats; you have to start small. And whoever does not want little (patience, small sorrows), strives for more, is only deceiving himself. Some are tempted by the contents of Chapters XII and XIII of Volume 5, seeing in them a teaching as if against eldership. And some are generally opposed and prejudiced against the works of Ignatius Brianchaninov. By the way, even in Optina Hermitage the writings of Bishop Ignatius were not in favor with some elders. The reason for this is this: Bishop Ignatius wrote in general for all monasteries and monks, and wrote just when there were great elders in Optina Monastery, there was, so to speak, the heyday of eldership, which was not the case in the vast majority of monasteries. Optina Pustyn was in a special, exceptional position. Given the presence of spiritual wealth in Optina Hermitage, the works of Bishop. Ignatius could not have for its inhabitants the special, important meaning that they had for the monks of other monasteries and even lay people seeking the salvation of their souls. They (in fact, these two articles) could even harm an inexperienced new novice at Optina Hermitage, instilling in him the idea of ​​distrust of the elders, and distract him from his simple-hearted obedience to them to the detriment of his monastic success. Protecting some of their spiritual children from the possibility of such a phenomenon, the elders did not advise them to read the bishop’s works at all. Ignatius, giving them an understanding of monasticism from the spiritual side with his guidance and selection of other, mainly patristic reading. But for those who did not have a permanent elder (and this was the case in most monasteries), the works of Bishop. Ignatius were precious. They were also precious for the monks of the Optina Hermitage, who used them for their monastic edification; they did not prevent them from being obedient to their elders, and even the elders themselves pointed to them as an excellent guide to understanding the true monastic feat. Reading the works of Bishop. Ignatius, carefully and without prejudice, will clearly see that they do not go against the elders, but only point out that now true elders have become very scarce, that it is now very difficult to find an elder, and that, regardless of what kind of elder one is and whether one exists, living under the guidance of an elder has now become a rarity and for many reasons very difficult, or, as Bishop puts it. Ignatius, our time is not needed, only the assimilation of his spirit is possible.” Consequently, the unfavorable attitude of some elders towards the works of Bishop. Ignatius must be considered relative and temporary, for his writings are completely Orthodox, imbued with the spirit of the Gospel and the teaching of the saints. fathers, they deserve all attention and respect. We must remember that Bp. Ignatius, warning against reckless obedience to the elders, means moral obedience, performed in the soul for the purpose of moral, spiritual education of oneself, one's mind and heart, and not external obedience, necessary and necessary in any monastic community and even in general in all relationships between people, excluding from this only the case when something obviously sinful is ordered or advised. This is ep. Ignatius stipulated at the end of pages 76 and the beginning of 77 and on page 80 in note 3. Consequently, no reason is given here for contempt, self-indulgence, self-reflection, as it may seem during a cursory and inattentive reading. And what is moral, to surrender one’s soul and heart into complete obedience to someone is possible only under the condition of confidence in the truth of the teaching being taught, which is constantly confirmed by the personal virtuous life of the teacher, in accordance with the spirit of the Gospel and St. Fathers of the Orthodox Church - there is no need to argue. In general, about the beneficence of the senile leadership of Bishop. Ignatius speaks clearly in many places of his writings, for example, in volume 5, p. 8, paragraph 3, 63 at the end; 102, 149, 150, 338, 339, 459 (1886 ed.). Humbly considering oneself a sinner, worthy of both external and internal sorrows and struggles, one must endure everything in the hope of God’s help. If the struggle turns out to be long, so painful that there is no outcome or end in sight, then you need to know that everything on earth is temporary, that we are waiting for eternal life beyond the grave. The Lord will help, you just need to be patient and trust in God’s mercy. Bishop pointed out this very correctly. Ignatius on the necessity and persuasive properties of confession. Experience will prove this to everyone. Confess and you will see the benefit. By the way, a few words about confession. Many are looking, as if necessary, for a confessor of a high life and, not finding one, become despondent, and therefore rarely, as if reluctantly, come to confession. This is a big mistake. We must believe in the sacrament of confession itself, in its power, and not in the performer of the sacrament. It is only necessary that the confessor be Orthodox and legal. There is no need to argue that the personal qualities of a confessor mean a lot, but one must believe and know that the Lord, who acts in every sacrament by His grace, acts according to His omnipotence regardless of these qualities. It is very expensive to have a reverent confessor with whom we could consult and clarify certain issues of spiritual life and simply have a conversation in order to warm a cold heart with spiritual conversation and receive spiritual reinforcement in the sorrows that surround us - but if we cannot immediately find one, it is very unreasonable not to resort to confession at all. This is similar to someone who does not have a good broom to clean his house and does not clean it at all. There is no good broom, take what you have. If only the house was clean; or, not having good firewood, will not heat the house at all and will freeze. Others want to make every confession a spiritual conversation. Maybe this is good, and even sometimes necessary, but it is not always possible due to time and other reasons. Essentially, these are two different things. Once two young men were at confession of the same confessor, with whom they had repeated conversations before confession. In conversations, of course, they expressed different opinions, perhaps disagreeing with each other, and in general, as in any conversation, there could be unnecessary words and deviations somewhat away from the spiritual subject. After confession, these young men, in conversation with each other, touched upon how that confessor confessed them. One said: “When I allowed myself to say something during confession, as if asking for clarification or disagreeing with the confessor’s comments, he cut me off sternly and imperiously, saying: “Since you came to confession, then repent in humility; This is not the time to speculate." This made an impression on me. This was said with authority." It should be noted that there was plenty of time and it was impossible to suspect the confessor of not finding anything to say - apparently, this was his view of confession. Whoever, in the simplicity of his heart, confesses his sins with contrition and a humble feeling, with a desire to correct himself, will receive forgiveness of sins and peace of conscience through the power of God’s grace acting in the sacrament. Returning to the question of courage, I note that true holy courage is always combined with a feeling of deep humility. The humble person is always ready to endure everything, both internal and external, considering himself worthy not only of the sorrows sent, but also of even greater ones. It is impossible to upset or embarrass a humble person - he is always ready for anything, and this is what Moses Murin said when he was kicked out of the meal: “Be prepared and not be embarrassed” (Ps. 118:60). So, let us prepare our souls and hearts with humility, and it will help us in enduring all temptations. God wants men to be taught by men. The whole point is that every monk himself must enter into the feat with selflessness and must force himself with heart disease to fight the passions. If he does not strive like this, then no elders will help him. One saint of God said: “The elder prays for him (the disciple), cries, and he jumps.” What's the use? Personal achievement and personal self-motivation are necessary. Ep. Theophan the Vyshensky recluse says about the leadership (elder) that it is like a border post, on which it is written and indicated where and how to go, but you have to go yourself, otherwise you will just stand at the post, achieving nothing. Very true and precise said. It would be useful to note that the content of the above chapters - XII and XIII - applies to both those seeking guidance (disciples) and leaders (elders). Let everyone take for his edification what concerns him; the novice - how to learn and humble himself, and the leader - how to teach. Both will benefit. Some do not like the very form of presentation of the bishop's works. Ignatius, but this, simply speaking, is a matter of taste and character of a person, and in any case, this cannot be attributed to significant shortcomings. Finally we can add the following. Some cover up their reluctance to obey at all (for to obey means to renounce one’s will, and this is a disease for the heart) with the excuse that, they say, there are no elders and, therefore, no one to obey, and therefore do not accept any advice at all, that is, a rejection of the spirit of obedience, about the need to acquire which the bishop speaks. Ignatius (vol. 5, pp. 75 and 76). This is already a delusion, from which may the Lord save everyone. This, one can say in the words of Rev. Abba Dorotheus, is the cause of all moral failures in general. To such a crafty attitude towards the matter of obedience, the writings of Bishop. Ignatius is not given the slightest reason; such an attitude proves not a lack of writings, but the evil will of man, for which even the true word of God can appear “by the will of death into death,” as St. Apostle Paul. In conclusion, we can only wish that the writings of Bishop Ignatius be read carefully and bear good fruit. Repentance as the beginning of spiritual life; repentance is necessary to accept the Gospel; the property of repentance opens the sight of one’s sins; repentance leads to spiritual visions. Repentance requires renunciation of addictions and distractions. Falsely blessed calmness is self-delusion. Without repentance and crying, an attentive life does not bear any good fruit. It is necessary to pay attention to oneself; heart disease and contrition are necessary. Crying and tears are a gift from God. Although crying and tears are a gift of God’s grace, their cause is our will. The gift of crying must be preserved. It can be lost. “Even having been acquired, it can easily be lost if we indulge in absent-mindedness, entertainment, serving our passions and whims, man-pleasing, love of peace, gluttony, gossip, slander, even verbosity” - the reasons from which this gift is lost. “In an inconspicuous way, we can move from a state of tenderness to a state of insensibility.” Insensibility is scary because it does not understand itself. The need for crying, repentance and tears for cleansing from passions and for acquiring virtues. The path of repentance and awareness of one’s sinfulness is safe from demonic delusion. Seeing yourself as a saint is a sign of delusion and self-delusion. The success and joy of a monk is in the consciousness of his sinfulness, in the vision of his sins. You not only need to see your sinfulness, you also need to construct all your actions, your entire life and activity in full agreement with the consciousness and vision of your sinfulness. Seeing sins is a gift from God. You need to ask God for it. The manifestation of feelings of repentance among saints is incomprehensible to the carnal mind. “When any one mortal sin strikes a person’s soul, then all the accumulations of sins approach the person and declare their right to him. This congregation refers and relies on the spiritual law.” Terrible law! It is difficult to break free from the power of sin. It is saving to have the fear of death. Generosity and perseverance in the fight against sin are necessary, even if sin sometimes prevails. The call to repentance is the call of God. It is necessary to move away from temptations and vanity in general. The terrible act of denying Christ: 1. Renunciation of Christ is made by confession of renunciation with the lips, then certainly and immediately follows renunciation with the heart and whole being. Done 2. renunciation of Christ by living a life deliberately contrary to the will of Christ; it is being accomplished 3. despair, which is the rejection of faith in Christ. The revival of the soul is accomplished by the will of God and the power of God, but man is required to have his will in bringing repentance to God. The period of repentance required by the sinner is known to God alone. A repentant sinner, even being, as it were, forgotten by God, as it seems to him, according to the wonderful sight of God, gains spiritual benefit and comes to prosperity. Let's put aside despondency. The Lord leads us to salvation! “Nothing, nothing helps as much in obtaining healing from the ulcer caused by mortal sin as frequent confession; nothing, nothing helps so much to mortify the passion nesting in the heart as a thorough confession of all its manifestations, all its actions.” Confession is necessary in the fight against sin. Repentance is only recognized as true and valid when its consequence is the remission of mortal sin. Ep. Ignatius concluded his counsels (vol. 5, p. 366) with the doctrine of repentance. It's no coincidence. This indicates that, while living a godly life in accordance with all the requirements of the Holy Gospel (according to all its advice), we must begin and end everything with repentance, the consciousness of our sinfulness. Without this we will go astray. Rev. Mark the Ascetic very definitely and clearly says that repentance is appropriate for everyone and always, both sinners and righteous people who want salvation and are beginning a spiritual life, both average and perfect (The Word on Repentance). So, let us repent, we will achieve repentance, a humble disposition, we will cry and grieve over our sins and our sinfulness. Let us reject despondency and despair, put our hope in God’s help, begin the fight against sin, repent—the Kingdom of Heaven is promised to those who repent. Amen. Let us know that the retribution for forgiveness of offenses is greater than the retribution for any virtue. It is appropriate to rejoice that we find a favorable opportunity to receive forgiveness for our sins by forgiving our neighbor. This is the intelligence of truth. It is more abundant than any knowledge. The meaning of forgiveness of grievances: 1. The greatest retribution. “For forgiving our neighbor for his sins, let us see in ourselves the action of grace, mysteriously given to us by holy baptism; it will no longer act in us unnoticed by us, but with all obviousness, quite perceptibly” (Bishop Ignatius, vol. 5, p. 203). What wonderful fruits of forgiveness of offenses! But we don’t want this, or rather, we don’t dare out of self-pity: it’s a pity to part with the joy of vanity and sweetness. You need to forgive with much humility, placing blame on yourself - this is a necessary condition for forgiving offenses. External worship and the word alone do not reconcile, do not touch the heart, like an empty sound. Let us know that the reward for forgiveness of offenses is greater than the reward for any other virtue... One day a man came to a certain monastery for a pilgrimage. There was a fast, and in that monastery several brethren were tonsured into monasticism during the late liturgy. At the end of the divine service, when everyone had dispersed, after all the rites of tonsure and presentation of the newly tonsured elders, the newly tonsured remained in the church for up to five days, as was customary in that monastery. Suddenly that pilgrim comes up to them, asks permission to say a few words to them and immediately begins to speak. Although he spoke incoherently and even somewhat strangely, he also expressed valuable thoughts. He spoke about his sorrows and the impression that that monastery made on him, about his quest for salvation and monastic life, about the fact that the elders refused him admission into the brotherhood of that monastery, telling him almost verbatim what his elder or someone else to whom he had previously addressed told him, showing him another monastery or even a different path. This agreement between the words of the people of God, who did not know each other, who were in different places, but who said the same thing, amazed him, and he expressed his readiness to obey, although it was sad for him to leave the monastery where he hoped to find refuge for himself among the waves of the sea of ​​\u200b\u200blife. Finally he began to ask St. prayers for all newly tonsured to help themselves. At the same time, he spoke about the difficulties of living in the place where he was told to return or go, expressed fear that he would be scattered there (I don’t remember exactly), and then said: “And what it means to be scattered, anyone who has ever scattered himself can know this...” These words were spoken with deep feeling. It was obvious that a lot had been experienced and felt; it was clear that it cost him great work and great sorrow to begin to collect himself, to begin to collect the spiritual wealth of the soul, scattered along the crossroads of this world. It was clear that one memory of an absent-minded life resonated painfully in his heart. Having bowed to each of the newly tonsured, he left... Yes, a great mental disaster is a distracted life. It makes a particularly terrible impression on those who allow themselves to be absent-minded, having already begun an attentive life. A reverent Christian must lead his life with all attention to himself and sobriety. “Watch and pray, so that you do not fall into misfortune,” said the Lord (Matthew 26:41). The devil has no power; he acts as much as God allows. In the troparion it is said to the holy martyrs that they “destroy even the demons of their weak insolence.” Indeed, the impudence of demons is unimaginable and seems to have no boundaries: they try to tempt absolutely everyone. How much audacity, for example, there is in the desire to tempt and fight St. apostles: “to sow like wheat” (Luke 22:31). But their weakness is clear to every believer. They could not harm even pigs without permission (Mark 5:1-20); as the Holy Apostle definitely and clearly says, that you only need to resist the devil with firm faith - and he will take flight (James 4:7 and 1 Peter 5:8-9) May this be our comfort. Who will fight the devil according to the instructions of the Word of God and the explanation given to us by St. Fathers who have experienced this battle and defeated the enemy with the help of God can hope for victory. “The power of God is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). The Lord is waiting: where our heart will incline - remain faithful to Him or betray Him because of the temporary sweetness of sin. The holy fathers said: “cut off a thought, and you cut off everything.” It is very important to remember that by any agreement with sin, and through sin with demons, we betray the Lord, we betray Him for the abominable price of sin. Who and what are we exchanging for?! Personal disagreement with sin and the fight against it through prayer and confession are necessary. Bishop says this beautifully. Ignatius. May the Lord make us wise, without double-mindedness, to fight the enemy of our salvation and sin: without wisdom from the Lord and His help, victory is impossible; we are weak and weak without God's help, but with God's help everything is possible, as the apostle said: “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). They asked Rev. Pimen the Great: “What is faith?” The Great One answered: “Faith consists in remaining in humility and doing mercy, i.e. humble yourself before your neighbors and forgive them all insults and insults, all their sins.” 1 First, to test faith and will, it is necessary to experience languor and hardship in asceticism, and then the consolation of the Holy Spirit is granted. Gifts of grace, received with difficulty and heart disease, should be carefully guarded by the recipient. The difficulty and painfulness of the feat teaches you to appreciate and preserve the gift. Savingly - the memory of death. The mind is perplexed, considering the incomprehensible destinies of God... How comforting and at the same time humbling the content of the parable about the feast of faith! Humble: I am none other than a hungry, dirty, ragged beggar; the rags in which I am dressed barely cover my dirty, peeling body. How not to reconcile, how not to cry, seeing and feeling such a disastrous state and situation. Conscience inexorably testifies to the truth of the position in which I have been placed or have placed myself - my complete beggary testifies... Comforting: despite the fact that I am a beggar, I was admitted into that Palace where the feast of faith consoled and satisfied my rich and glorious fathers and ancestors, incomprehensibly to me. I am not worthy of their meal, I am not even allowed to sit near the table, but still I am allowed to collect from this table the remnants and crumbs of not something else, but precisely those untold spiritual dishes that the fathers ate. These crumbs can support my weak life. This is the will and mercy of my God. ... The Holy Fathers teach that it is easy to become an external monk, but to become a monk according to the disposition of the heart (God looks at the heart) is a great and difficult matter. Consequently, not everyone who lives in a monastery and wears monastic clothes can be recognized as a monk, and not everyone who lives among the world must be recognized as a worldly person. Let this be for humility and fear of salvation and for consolation for the servants of God, who, although living in the midst of the world and striving to remain undefiled by it, are, by the will of God’s fate, unable outwardly to leave the world, and now for all reverent monks who are forced to live outside monasteries that do not exist. The place and way of life is of great importance in spiritual life in the sense of convenience and inconvenience, but they do not save: the grace of God saves those who show their will. You can be saved in any place, in any honest life; it is said in the psalm: “in every place of His (i.e. God’s) dominion, bless the Lord, my soul” (Ps. 102:22). Let us thank the Lord God for all His mercies shown to us sinners. Let us give thanks that we are children of the Orthodox Church; Let us give thanks that we have been given, if not by our life, then by our mind and feeling of our hearts, to recognize to some extent the holy monastic life; Let us give thanks that we have been given, at least to some extent, to understand the futility and vanity of worldly life; Let us give thanks for the crumbs of the wonderful meal that we received. We are unworthy of the inheritance of our fathers and ancestors due to our sinfulness, but we have been shown great mercy: we have been given crumbs of that holy food that the fathers ate; the quality of the crumbs indicates the quality of what they were left from. The existence and unimaginable dignity of these crumbs, as well as the food itself, is unknown to the people of this world and those whom the conditions of life (by the unknown destinies of God) did not allow to know them. Let us give thanks for all this and much more and humble ourselves: to whom much is given, much will be required. ...we will not allow ourselves to condemn those who do not understand us and whom our corrupt heart is ready to judge at every convenient and inconvenient occasion. This judgment belongs to God, not to us. Let us humble ourselves purely from the knowledge that we personally have done nothing to deserve the mercies of God we have received. We have received mercy - what we have received obliges us to keep it. Let us be even more humble when we see our negligence in storing what we have received. To preserve and preserve what you have received, you must cherish it and revere it, otherwise you can lose it. Let us be even more humble when we see that our corrupt heart, deceived by our enemy and sin, is ready to exchange priceless treasure for insignificant, temporary, earthly and sinful pleasure. Let us pour out a prayer of repentance before the Lord for help and awareness of our complete powerlessness. By watching over ourselves and forcing ourselves, let us express our will (love for God), and the Lord will not leave us. Hieromonk Nikon (Belyaev). Testament to spiritual children. Kuibyshev, 1990 Note: Here, of course, faith is active, not dogmatic. You might be interested in: