Letters

Contents of the Letter Letter No. 1(1). To his mother from Kozelsk prison during the first arrest that followed on September 17/30, 1919. Letter No. 2(2). To mother Letter No. 1(3). M. Elizabeth Letter No. 2(4). M. Elizabeth Letter No. 3(5). M. Elizabeth Letter No. 1(6). M. Anisia Letter No. 2(7). M. Anisia Letter No. 3(8). M. Anisia and others. Letter No. 1(9). M. Afanasia Letter No. 1(10). To the maiden Antonina Letter No. 1 (11). M. Evdokia Letter No. 2(12). M. Evdokia Letter No. 3(13). M. Evdokia Letter No. 4 (14). M. Evdokia Letter No. 5(15). M. Evdokia Letter No. 1(16). M. Apollinaria Letter No. 1(17). Servant of God N. Letter No. 2 (18). Servant of God N. Letter No. 3 (19). Servant of God N. Letter No. 4 (20). Servant of God N. Letter No. 5 (21). Servant of God N. Letter No. 6(22). Servant of God N. Letter No. 7 (23). Servant of God N. Letter No. 8(24). Servant of God N. Letter No. 9(25). Servant of God N. Letter No. 10(26). Servant of God N. Letter No. 11(27). Servant of God N. Letter No. 12(28). Servant of God N. Letter No. 13(29). Servant of God N. Letter No. 14(30). Maria Notes from prison (general) Note No. 1 (31) Note No. 2 (32) Note No. 3 (33) Note No. 4 (34) Note No. 5 (35) Note No. 6 (36) Note No. 7 (37) Note No. 8 (38) Note No. 9 (39) Note No. 10 (40) Note No. 11 (41) Note No. 12 (42) Note No. 13 (43) Note No. 14 (44) Note No. 15 (45) Note No. 16 (46) Note No. 17 (47) Letter No. 18 (48) Letter No. 1 (49). O. Kirill (Zlenko) Letter No. 2 (50). To the Eminence Letter No. 3(51). ABOUT. Gerontius Letter No. 4 (52). O. Gerontius. Letter No. 5(53). O. Gerontius. Letter No. 6(54). To Father (...) Letter No. 7 (55). O. Joseph Letter No. 8(56). O. John Dobrinsky Letter No. 1 (57). To an unknown person Letter No. 2 (58). To an unknown person in Kaluga Letter No. 3 (59). Servant of God X. Letter No. 4 (60). To an unknown person Letter No. 5(61). To an unknown person Letter No. 6(62). To an unknown person Letter No. 7(63). To an unknown person Letter No. 8(64). To an unknown person Letter No. 9(65). To an unknown person Letter No. 10(66). To an unknown person Letter No. 11(67). To an unknown person Letter No. 12(68). To an unknown person Letter No. 1(69). To Irina Bobkova Letter No. 2 (70). Irina Bobkova Letter No. 1 (71). To the girl M. Letter No. 2 (72). To the girl M. Testament to the writer Letter No. 3 (73). To the girl M. Letter No. 4 (74). To the girl M. Letter No. 5 (75). To the girl M. Letter No. 6 (76). To the girl M. Letter No. 7 (77). To the girl M. Letter No. 1 (78). M. Maria Letter No. 2 (79). M. Maria Letter No. 3 (80). M. Maria Letter No. 4 (81). M. Maria Letter No. 5 (82). M. Maria Savutina Letter No. 6(83). M. Maria Letter No. 7 (84). M. Maria Letter No. 8(85). M. Maria Letter No. 9 (86). M. Maria Letter No. 10(87). M. Maria Letter No. 11(88). M. Maria Letter No. 12(89). M. Maria Letter No. 13(90). M. et al. Letter No. 14(91). Maria. Letter No. 15(92). M.Maria Letter No. 16(93). M. Maria Letter No. 17(94). M. Maria Letter No. 18(95). M. Maria Letter No. 19(96). M. Maria Letter No. 20(97). M. Mary Letter No. 21(98). M. Maria Letter No. 22(99). M. Maria Letter No. 23(100). Mary Letter No. 24(101). M. Letter No. 25(102). M. Maria and the Belevsky sisters Letter No. 26 (103). M. Maria Letter No. 27(104). M. Maria and the Belevsky sisters Letter No. 1 (105). M. Ambrosia Letter No. 2 (106). M. Ambrosia Letter No. 3 (107). M. Ambrose and others. Letter No. 4(108). M. Ambrose and others. Letter No. 5(109). M. Ambrosia Letter No. 6 (110). M. Ambrosia Letter No. 7 (111). M. Ambrosia Letter No. 8 (112). Mon. Ambrose Letter No. 9 (113). m. Ambrose Letter No. 10 (114). M. Ambrosia Letter No. 11(115). M. Ambrosia Letter No. 12 (116). M. Ambrosia Letter No. 1 (117). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 2 (118). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 3 (119). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 4 (120). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 5 (121). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 6 (122). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 7 (123). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 8 (124). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 9 (125). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 10 (126). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 11 (127). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 12 (128). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 13 (129). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 14 (130). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 15 (131). To Lydia Mezhekova (postcard) Letter No. 16 (132). To Lydia Mezhekova (postcard) Letter No. 17 (133). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 18 (134). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 19 (135). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 20 (136). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 21 (137). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 22 (138). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 23 (139). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 24 (140). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 25 (141). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 26 (142). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 27 (143). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 28 (144). To Lydia Mezhekova (telegram) Letter No. 29 (145). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 30 (146). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 31 (147). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 32 (148). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 33 (149). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 34 (150). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 35 (151). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 36 (152). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 37 (153). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 38 (154). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 39 (155). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 40 (156). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 41 (157). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 42 (158). To Lydia Mezhekova Letter No. 1(1). To his mother from Kozelsk prison during the first arrest that followed on September 17/30, 1919. I wish you peace and joy, dear mother, and send you monastic greetings. Now I am a prisoner, and I would like to say, a prisoner in Christ, for although I am a sinner, in this case I am completely innocent, as it seems to me. I am sitting in prison without any guilt being brought against me and, apparently, only because I am a monk, that I worked for the monastery. May the will of God be done, good and perfect! I bless the Lord, I place my hope and trust in the Lord, I find my delight in the Lord. On September 17, having prayed during the liturgy and after it served a prayer service for your health and my other loved ones, I returned to my cell, was arrested and sent to prison in the city of Kozelsk, where I am now. There are 4 more people of clergy with me: the same prisoners of Christ, and therefore the environment in which I find myself does not burden me. I'm even relieved. But always expecting death, I decided on my birthday to turn to you, my dear mother, with perhaps my last word and greetings. God bless you! As a priest, I invoke God’s blessing on you and pray to the Lord that He will reward you with His eternal mercies and eternal bliss for all the good that I received from you. May your parental blessing rest upon me, which I earnestly ask of you. I remember you even here in prison, I offer to God my prayer for you, although weak due to my weakness. I commend myself, and our dear abode, and you, and everyone, and everything to the Lord God, the Creator and Provider, for He cares about everyone and everything and does what is necessary and useful to us. I earnestly ask your saints. prayers for me, a sinner, for the salvation of my sinful soul: the salvation of the soul is the goal of earthly life. And what do I need more? If only I could achieve this desired goal! Therefore, I ask for prayers for my salvation. I firmly believe that it is in God’s hands, and I am calm. Tea for the life of the next century. Amen. I ask you to convey God’s blessing from me to my godmother (I ask for her holy prayers and blessings), sister, brothers and all other relatives and friends: I always prayed for all of them, may the Lord bless and save them. I ask forgiveness from everyone, and especially from you, for I acknowledge my mistakes. Sorry. The Lord be with you all. September 26/October 9, 1919 Christ is in our midst, dear mother! I earnestly wish you peace and joy in the Lord Jesus and ask for your holy prayers and parental blessings. What should I write about myself? I am alive and well, I have no special needs, I get everything I need, I work a little in writing, I am a lot busy with various affairs at the monastery or, rather, with matters relating to our common life in general, I sing in the choir and, finally, I serve, standing before the Throne of God in the holy altar. As for my inner life, both in my cell and in my soul, not everyone can know this. My cell is 5 arshins long and 3 arshins wide. 6 tops in one window. The cell is dearer to me than any magnificent houses and palaces. As for the conditions of our common life, this matter is complex and at the same time very simple: complex - for it is difficult to put on paper everything that the former monastery now represents, and everything that we experience and undertake is simple - for “Unless the Lord builds a house, they labor in vain to build,” according to the psalm word (Ps. 126, 1) 1. Yes, you need to take possible measures, suggested by common sense and consistent with the spirit of Christian and monastic life, but, taking them, success should be expected entirely from the hand of the Lord. Human pride says: we will do it, we will achieve it - and we begin to build the Tower of Babel, we demand an account from God for His actions, we want to be stewards of the universe, we dream of thrones beyond the clouds - but no one and nothing obeys it, and the powerlessness of man is clearly proven by bitter experience. Observing this experience from history and ancient, bygone days and modern ones, I come to the conclusion that the ways of God’s Providence are incomprehensible to us, we cannot understand them, and therefore it is necessary to surrender to the will of God with all humility. This is the first. Then the second: no one and nothing can harm a person if he does not harm himself; on the contrary, whoever does not shy away from sin, even a thousand saving means will not help him. Consequently, the only evil is sin: Judas fell while with the Savior, and righteous Lot was saved while living in Sodom. These and similar thoughts come to me when I study reading St. fathers and when I look mentally at my surroundings. What will happen? How will it be? When will it be? If this and that happens, where should you turn? If this and that happens, where can we find spiritual support and consolation? Oh, Lord, Lord! And a fierce bewilderment envelops the soul when you want to foresee everything with your mind, to penetrate into the mystery of the future, unknown to us, but for some reason terrible. The mind is exhausted, its plans, the means it invents - a childhood dream, a pleasant dream. A man woke up - and everything disappeared, faced with harsh reality, and all plans collapsed. Where is the hope? Hope is in God. The Lord is my hope and my refuge (Ps. 17:3)! In surrendering myself and everything to the will of God I find peace in my soul. If I surrender myself to the will of God, then God’s will will be done to me, and it is always good and perfect. If I am God’s, then the Lord will protect me and comfort me. If any temptation is sent to me for my benefit, blessed is the Lord who builds my salvation. Even with the influx of sorrows, the Lord is able to provide great and glorious consolation... This is how I think, this is how I feel, this is how I observe and this is how I believe. Do not think from this that I have experienced many sorrows and trials. No, it seems to me that I have not yet seen sorrow. If I had experiences that, from a superficial glance at them, seemed to be something regrettable, they did not cause me severe heartache, did not cause me grief, and therefore I do not dare to call them sorrows. But I do not close my eyes to what is happening and to what is to come, in order to prepare my soul for temptation 2, so that I can say in the words of the psalms: “Let us be prepared and not dismayed” (Ps. 119:60). I informed you that we had an investigation, the affairs of our Partnership were audited. This investigation is not over yet, there has not been a trial yet. When the trial will take place and how it will end, God knows. But, undoubtedly, without the will of God, nothing can happen either to me, in particular, or to us in general, and therefore I am calm. And when your soul is calm, then what else should you look for? Now I have come from the all-night vigil and am finishing this letter, which I began before the all-night vigil. Lord, what happiness! What wonderful verbs are spoken to us in the church. Peace and silence. The spirit of the shrine is palpably felt in the church. The service of God ends, everyone goes to their homes. I leave the church too. Wonderful night, light frost. The moon bathes our quiet corner with silver light. I go to the graves of the deceased elders, worship them, ask for their prayerful help, and for them I ask the Lord for eternal bliss in heaven. These graves speak a lot to our mind and heart; these cold tombstones exude warmth. Wonderful images of deceased giants of the spirit appear before the mental gaze of the mind. These days I have repeatedly remembered Father Barsanuphius 3. I remembered his words and his instructions given to me once, and perhaps more than once. He told me: “The Apostle bequeaths: “Examine yourself whether you are in the faith” (2 Cor. 13:5), and continued: “Look what the same Apostle says: “I have passed away, I have kept the faith, and now a crown is being prepared for me” (2 Tim. 4:7-8). Yes, it is a great thing to preserve and keep the faith. Therefore, I tell you: test yourself to see if you are in the faith. If you keep the faith, you can have good faith about your fate.” – When the deceased Elder told me all this (and he spoke well and with enthusiasm, as far as I remember, in the evening, in the quiet light of a lamp in his dear, cozy old man’s cell), I felt that he was saying something wondrous, lofty, spiritual. The mind and heart greedily grasped his words. I had heard this Apostolic saying before, but it did not produce such an effect on me, such an impression. It seemed to me: what’s so special about keeping the faith? I believe and believe in the Orthodox way, I have no doubts about my faith. But then I felt, I won’t say that I understood, but I felt that there was something great in this saying; which is truly great: despite all the temptations, all the experiences of life, all the temptations - to keep in your heart the fire of the holy faith unquenchable, and unquenchable even to death, for it is said: “The flow has ended,” i.e. my whole earthly life has already been lived, is over, the path that had to be taken has already been passed, I am already on the verge of earthly life, another life is already beginning behind the grave, which my faith has prepared for me, which I have observed. “I passed away, I kept the faith.” And the wondrous Elder commanded me to test myself from time to time in the truths of the Orthodox faith, so as not to deviate from them unnoticed by myself. He advised, among other things, to read the “Orthodox Catechism” 4 of Metropolitan Philaret and get acquainted with the “Confession of Faith of the Eastern Patriarchs” 5 . Now, when the foundations of the Russian Orthodox Church have been shaken, I see how precious the Elder’s instruction is. Now, it seems, the time has come to test whether we are in the faith. After all, you also need to know that faith can be maintained by someone who ardently and sincerely believes, to whom God is dearer than anything else, and this last thing can only be achieved by someone who keeps himself from all sin, who preserves his morality. Oh my God! Keep me in faith by Your grace! The idea of ​​​​the possibility of preserving the faith only with good morality is not mine, this is the teaching of both the Gospel and the Patrists. This is what it says in St. Gospel of John, ch. 3, 19–21: “Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, for they were evil because of their deeds. Everyone who does evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed, for they are evil: he does the truth, he will come to the Light, so that his deeds will be revealed, as in God: the essence is done.” Here Christ calls Himself Light. He convinces the Jews of His time to abandon the search for glory from men, in which the search for glory from the One God is impossible, in which man is incapable of faith; they only mocked... “How can you believe, accepting glory from each other, and not seeking glory from the One God?” (John 5:44). And ep. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), pointing to these words of the Gospel, says that, like other passions, the passion of vanity destroys faith in the human heart: like them, it makes the human heart incapable of faith in Christ, of confessing Christ... Therefore, I earnestly ask your holy prayers, may the Lord protect me from all evil, i.e. sin in all its forms - then no external situation can harm me. I just wanted to briefly inform you that I am healthy and alive, and more than any hope, I have become interested in writing. When I wrote, I barely had time to follow my thoughts and write down what it dictated to me. All this somehow spilled out of my pen involuntarily and is my deep conviction... May the Lord bless you all. I ask all the holy prayers, and I, to the best of my weak strength, always remember prayerfully for everyone. Sorry. The grace of our Lord and God Jesus Christ and the love of God and the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. 15/28–16/29 November 1922 Letter No. 1(3). M. Elizabeth ... St. Martinian (February 13) St. John the Long-Suffering (July 18) St. Moses Murin (August 28) St. Moses Ugrin (July 26) St. MC. Thomaida (April 13) St. MC. Virgin Justina (October 2) St. Mary of Egypt (April 1) Holy martyr Cyprian (October 2) St. martyr Boniface (December 19) Extract from the letter of Rev. Elder Macarius of Optina (Letters to the monastics. Section 2. Letter No. 190. P.: 327–328). “...Humbly run to God, cry out to Him: Lord, have mercy on me, for I am weak! Ask for help for you; Mother of God, who is the root of virginity and purity, call for help, St. Martyr Thomaida, and St. Moses Ugrin, and John the Long-Suffering, suffered many for their purity; and see God's help. God never leaves those who have a good will to preserve themselves in purity and virginity to fall into this battle; but for the feat he will also crown you with a heavenly crown... ... Do not abandon humble prayer to the Lord in all your sorrows and temptations. He accepts the prayer of the humble, and will hear their prayers (Ps. 101:18). I entrust you to His all-powerful protection and intercession of the Most Pure Virgin Mary... Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary O Mother of the Lord my Creator, You are the root of virginity and the unfading flower of purity. O Mother of God! Help me, the weak fleshly passion, and the painful being: for one is Thine, and with Thee the Son and God, I have intercession. Amen. Read this prayer every day, and especially during carnal warfare.” Sister Elizabeth! I also offer this advice from Elder Macarius 6 to you. God bless you. Letter No. 2(4). M. Elizabeth Most honest in the Lord, Sister Elizabeth! Peace to you and God's blessing. I hear that you are still grieving. Don't grieve, my child, don't grieve. Believe that the Lord is near, His help and His intercession are near. And if this help seems to be slow to come to you, then it means it is necessary and useful. Therefore, be patient and do not be discouraged, God willing, or I will be in Kozelsk, I will visit you, or we will somehow bring you here. Then we will talk in detail in person. Peace and salvation to you. Praying for you. O.P. January 16/29, 1924 Letter No. 3(5). M. Elizabeth Most honest Mother Elizabeth in the Lord! I earnestly wish you peace and joy in the Lord Jesus. I received your letter. May the Lord strengthen your strength and health, and may He comfort you all with His mercy. I sympathize with you from the bottom of my heart, I always remember in prayer and daily call upon God’s blessing: may it rest upon you and may it protect you from all evil. Don’t let Sister Elizabeth worry: God bless her. You write that you remember the kind word and instruction. God bless! That's the way it should be. May the Lord help you. The weakness of your health is disappointing, but apparently you must endure everything that the Lord sends. I am healthy all the time and do not notice any special changes in my health. The potassium iodide that M. Alexandra advises me to drink, I hope to get here and have already spoken with the doctor; he promised to give it to me. The sore leg is in its normal position and the wounds have not yet opened. I thank the Lord for His mercy. Give my greetings and God's blessing to M. Alexandra, also to M. Irina and M. Anna of Moscow. May the Lord protect them. I'm waiting for a letter from M. Anna, I wrote to her. If necessary, send me a scarf or my gray, old one, or another of the same material. Although I have a knitted or woolen scarf, I don’t like those. Thin but dense is more convenient for me. I have no need for anything else yet. We have everything we need, and in our shop we have all the products: cereals, flour, even coarse flour, sugar, etc., you can get everything for money, the prices are normal, and there is still money. God bless! To our esteemed hostess Maria Ivanovna 7 my greetings, peace and God's blessing. I always remember her in my poor prayers and thank her earnestly for everything. How is her health? May the Lord protect her. Our life in the apartment did not last long, but I loved my cozy room... I was not worthy of a quiet life, of course, due to my sinfulness, and was deprived of it. God's will be done. I kiss the hand of God that punishes me. She undoubtedly builds our spiritual salvation. I wish and ask this salvation from the Lord for myself, for you, and for everyone. I earnestly ask my spiritual fathers and all of you saints. prayers. I thank you for everything and apologize. I earnestly ask you to convey my greetings to everyone. Sorry. Kem. September 6/19, 1928 A year of our separation has already passed. Let us strengthen ourselves for the future in the hope of God’s mercy and help. May peace and salvation be with us. To the sick M. Anisia, my greetings and God’s blessing. For the sake of brevity, I am not writing separately. Do not be discouraged, my child; in sorrows, trust in God. Grief opens the entrance to the heart of God's grace. And I always pray for you according to my strength. I believe that the Lord will not leave you, although he sends you sorrow. They are our lot. Let us endure and the Lord will save us. Sorry. Congratulations on the upcoming Great Saint. Posting. Lenten time is a holy time. Although you always fast because of your poverty and illness. Now let your souls and hearts be sober in the Lord, and may the grace of tenderness and consolation of the Lord come to you. For everything, thank God. Sorry. Peace and salvation. January 27/February 9, 1923 Most honest sister Anisia in the Lord! Peace and God's blessing. I received your letter. I can’t write much, but I’ll briefly say what is required. You are a nun who has taken monastic vows and made your vows to God. You took a vow of obedience and because you did it out of obedience and with blessing, it should not bother you. Therefore, do not be embarrassed that you did not go home. Your homeland is St. monastery, for you renounced the world, and when you renounced the world and made vows to serve God, even though you were told that you should not love your relatives more than God, and that anyone who takes up the hand and in vain does not return will be led into the Kingdom of Heaven (Luke 9:62). There is no need to return to the world when there is still an opportunity for you to live like a monk. Don't worry about daddy. May the Lord strengthen you. You are God's, and work for God. Peace be with you. God's blessing to sister Daria and others. O.P. June 28/July 11, 1923 Letter No. 3(8). M. Anisia and others. May peace and salvation and God's blessing remain upon you, my child, M. Anisia, D. Evgenia, Maria and others forever. I express my sincere gratitude to you for the parcel. God bless you! The bottle didn’t break, the shoes are good, and maybe the burka will come in handy in the winter. It will be visible there. As for the sheepskin coat, I don’t know what to say. An extra thing is very burdensome, and then you will have to return the cassock. It is really heavy, but it is intact, and it would seem that everything available would be enough. From personal experience, I don’t know what is needed for the winter here. If you send a short fur coat, it should be as wide as possible so that it can be worn freely over the padded coat, and long, slightly shorter than the padded coat. I can agree to send it only because it’s easy and if it’s not very expensive. The waist is lower, the color is indifferent, and also - covered or uncovered, as long as it is warm. My health has not bothered me so far, and I thank God for His great mercies towards me, a sinner. The weather is good and very warm during the day. I sincerely thank M. Anna and Olga for the socks they sent. God bless you. God bless them. I will pray for them according to my strength. I replaced my minea with Mich. Mich. 8, so don't look for it. I lost track of him and don’t know anything about him 9 . Hello to M. Anisia. May the Lord comfort her and strengthen her mental and physical strength. I always pray for her, I sympathize with her. May the mercy of God and His will be over her and with her. Oh maiden. I pray to Evgenia. May the Lord guide her life for salvation. I am very glad that Father’s health is improving. I ask for holy prayers and blessings. Dev. My greetings to Maria, and also to her mother. If the Lord does not give her health, then that’s how it should be. God's will be done. I always pray for her. May God grant that your life will be for your benefit and salvation. Don't mourn for me. I'm not worth it. For everything, thank God. I sign you with the sign of the cross. Sorry. August 9/22, 1928 [Kem]. Letter No. 1(9). M. Afanasia I wish the most honorable nun Athanasia to rejoice in the Lord. May the grace of God strengthen you on the path that you have entered by the grace of God. The name given to you when you were tonsured was given to you in honor and memory of St. Athanasius of Egypt, whose memory is celebrated on April 12. I give you my blessing to read her life for edification. Pay attention to the fact that the word “Athanasia” means immortal, and try so that your immortal soul lives a truly immortal life, i.e. in God and for God. Such a life must begin here on earth and continue in all its beauty and bliss beyond the grave, in the future life. Prepare yourself for this life, humble yourself, be patient, rely in everything on the will of God, do all your actions according to the commandments of the Gospel, say the Jesus Prayer, guard your mouth (Ps. 140:3), avoid not only deeds, but also words and vain thoughts that plunge a person into the vanity of this world, which you have renounced. Remember this. May the Lord protect you under the shelter of His goodness. June 15/28, 1925 Kozelsk. Letter No. 1(10). Maiden Antonina God-loving maiden Antonina! May God's blessing remain upon you forever. Until now it was not possible to send your letter with a faithful person to the elder Father Nektarios 10. Therefore, having discussed your question with the fathers in Kozelsk, I am writing for now on my own behalf, because tomorrow is already December 1, and when it turns out possible, I will try to deliver you the Elder’s answer. It is our poor opinion and blessing to remain here in Russia for now, because Siberia is very far from home, from relatives, there is no one to support, no one to trust in a foreign country. Although you write reasonably that you hope for God’s mercy, the words: “I’m not afraid for myself” sound self-confidence, arrogance, and this should not be: the more humble, the firmer, the better. Always listen to your mother’s voice and opinion: a mother has some kind of instinct, and God’s law inspires obedience to parents. I wish you all the best. We will pray for you as much as we can. Peace and God's blessing to the maiden Lydia. May the Lord protect you all under the wing of his goodness. November 17/30, 1926 Kozelsk. Letter No. 1(11). M. Evdokia Most honest in the Lord, M. Evdokia! May God's blessing remain upon you forever. I congratulate you on this bright holiday and sincerely wish you peace of mind, joy and all consolation in the Lord. May the Lord keep you under His roof. Don't be discouraged and don't mourn. I am a sinful and insignificant person, and you seek consolation in God. My sinful prayer is always with you. Peace and salvation. Letter No. 2(12). M. Evdokia I received your parcel and thank you very much for your attention to me. God bless you. Thank you for your congratulations. I have already written that your concern for me is close to my heart, but in all honesty I say that I have no special needs. I will write what I need. The Lord protects me, I am healthy and alive. My bad leg is in good condition. I must thank God for His mercies. My sorrow is known to you: I grieve for you all, I grieve for my sins. May the Lord keep you all in health and prosperity. I always pray for you, you are all near and dear to me. I haven't been to Solovki yet. If I’m there, I’ll let you know, God willing, but for now there are no special changes in my life here. I was saddened when I received the news of the death of Elder Nektarios 11. I would like to know what his death was like. Give my regards to all my loved ones. Peace be upon them and God's blessing. I ask my spiritual fathers for their spiritual blessings and holy prayers. I ask for your prayers too. May the Lord God strengthen your strength, both mental and physical. I remember you, my child. Peace and salvation and God's blessing. I entrust you to the protection of the Queen of Heaven. For everything, thank God. Our weather is good, dry, the sun is warm, but the climate difference is big. There are almost no nights. The sinful Hieromonk Nikon blesses you. Letter No. 3(13). M. Evdokia I send you, my child M. Evdokia, my greetings, peace and God’s blessing. May the grace and mercy of the Lord rest upon you. Convey my greetings to M. Maria, Anna and Ekaterina who live with you. I always remember you all, bless you and pray for you to the best of my ability. Your sorrows and needs are close to my heart. Thank you for your letters. God bless you. I received everything. When I write a blessing to those near and dear to me, I do not mean anyone by choice, but all of you, for you are all near and dear to me. Your souls are precious to me, as heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven. Anyone who thinks otherwise is mistaken, and perhaps even commits a sin. If I don’t write to everyone, then I can’t write. But the Lord sees the feelings of my heart. I would like to console everyone. Your letters made me happy. Thank God for everything, and the Lord will not leave you with His mercy. M. Pelagia Sidor. May peace and God's blessing be upon her mother and grandmother. I pray for them. For everything, may the Lord forgive and enlighten her. Let them not mourn, but protect themselves. May the Lord help you all in your needs, sending you everything you need both for life and for piety. I'm healthy and everything is fine. For everything, thank God. I'm sorry. Peace and salvation. August 1/14, 1928 [Kem.] Letter No. 4(14). M. Evdokia I send you my greetings, peace and God’s blessing, my child M. Evdokia, and I wish you all the mercies of God. Thank you for the 12th congratulations and the money. God bless you. Give my greetings, peace and God's blessing to M. Catherine and Anna. May the Lord protect them under the shelter of His goodness. I heartily sympathize with you in all your experiences and mental needs. My poor prayer for you is offered to the Lord, and may He Himself be your Helper. Don't be discouraged, may the Lord save you. Convey my greetings, peace, God's blessing and congratulations to M. Elizabeth. May the Lord comfort and help her. I thank her for sending it. God bless you. Let me know that I received the boots. Very grateful. My greetings o. Gerontius, M. Ambrose and others. God bless them. Soon the day of the Angel Fr. Aifala 13. Congratulations to him. I ask for prayers. I'm healthy. For everything, thank God. Peace and salvation. Sorry. October 24/November 6, 1928 [Kem]. Letter No. 5(15). M. Evdokia I send you my greetings, my child M. Evdokia, and I call upon you peace and God’s blessing. Thank you for the translation you sent and for your congratulations on the holiday and Angel’s Day, and I mutually congratulate you on the upcoming great holiday. I remembered you, as well as others, in prayer on the day of the holiday, wishing you all all the mercies of God, health and salvation. May Christ the Lord comfort you, and may the joy of the Holy Spirit visit your sorrowful soul. If your soul seeks refuge, then let it seek in the Lord. In Him she will find it, and in everything she will give glory to God. How is your health and is your hand sore? May the Lord strengthen you. Say hello to everyone. You write that you received letters from your sisters. Peace be upon them and God's blessing. And I got it from them. I sympathize with them heartily and always pray. May the Lord comfort and enlighten them and be their support. Convey my greetings, peace and God's blessing to Maria Vasilievna and D. Maria, I always remember them in prayer. Thank you for your congratulations on my Angel’s Day. God save them. Also say my regards to everyone who asked you to write to me: m. Maria Shamordinskaya, Tatiana Lesop., Paraskeva and Daria, Anastasia the Zhivop. - I remember them all and pray for them. God bless them. I received the translation from M. Shnitko and thank you sincerely. Happy holiday to her and M. Ekaterina. May the Lord protect her under the roof of His goodness. I sincerely wish you all prosperity, health and salvation. I am healthy all the time, by the grace of God. The weather is still warm again, and I just have to thank the Lord for everything. Sorry. December 26, 1928 / January 8, 1929 Letter No. 1(16). M. Apollinarii Most honest in the Lord, M. Apollinaria, my child! Peace and salvation and God's blessing. I congratulate you on both of your Angel days and wish you all the mercies of God. I remember and pray for you. Surrender to the will of God in humility and endure everything. May the Lord forgive all your weaknesses, may the Lord strengthen you, enlighten you, and comfort you. Thank God for everything. Question: I get annoyed with people who come. Answer: This happens because of our negligence and neglect of ourselves, because we do not keep ourselves in the constant remembrance of the Lord that is necessary for us. Everyone who comes to us is a member of Christ, and we must accept him as sent by the Lord with complete attention and affection, otherwise the Lord will take away grace from you. (Elder Father Alexander of Gethsemane). Letter No. 1(17). Servant of God N. God-loving servant of God N.! I greet you on the great and bright feast of the Resurrection of Christ and earnestly wish you all the mercies of God, and especially spiritual peace and salvation. I'm sorry that I didn't write to you as I wanted, but conveyed it verbally through girl N. I always pray for you to the best of my ability. May the Lord bless you. May God's peace and blessing be with you forever. Letter No. 2(18). Servant of God N. I received your letter, my child, and am always going to answer, but life goes on in such a way that during the day I have no opportunity, and in the evening I become so weak that I am incapable of writing. I read your letter with keen interest and sincere sympathy for you, and God willing, I will answer everything in detail, for your life, your sorrows, your experiences, as my spiritual daughter, are close to me. I grieve that I cannot send you letters with your sister, but I hope that in a few days I will write, God willing, and send them. In addition, I will talk about you and with Father Nektarios, to whom I plan to go one of these days, I will ask him for St. prayers to you for comfort and strength. Do not be discouraged, my child, for God’s help is nearby. To the best of my weak strength, I always pray for you. May the Lord bless you. August 27/September 9, 1924 Letter No. 3(19). Servant of God N. May God's blessing remain upon you forever. I received your letter and parcel. God bless you. Very grateful. But really, I’m even uncomfortable, although I believe that all this is being sent to me from the bottom of my heart. The question of confession must be resolved in such a way that it is better to go to another confessor, but not to remain with unconfessed sins. You should not change your confessor without any reason, but if there is a reason that prompts you to change, then this is possible. I asked one archpastor I highly respected about this, also Father Nektary, and I remember that Elder Leo also has something about this subject 14 . Then you can completely avoid pointing out faces during confession, but point out only the sin; names don't matter here. Then, everything that has already been confessed does not need to be revealed again. All this has already been forgiven, we must believe it. And if I said that a prayer of permission needs to be read, then I give my blessing not to say why it was imposed 15, and another confessor will read the prayer without repeating the confession. Of course, if you have the desire and opportunity, I would gladly bless you to come and talk to us. Then in a personal conversation I would add a lot. In the meantime, I’m finishing, hoping to complete this letter by sending it by mail. May the Lord bless you. Peace and salvation. Letter No. 4(20). Servant of God N. May God's blessing remain with you forever. I bring you my sincere gratitude for your congratulations and sending on the day of my Angel. God bless you! May the Lord reward you for everything with His mercy. I will add to my previous letter. When I was with Father Nektary, I asked him for St. prayers and blessings. He remembers you well. When asked about continuing correspondence with a certain person, Father did not advise correspondence, but rather to pray for his salvation if the memory of him comes. When asked about fasting, Father said that he did not make it an obligation to fast every holiday, but only advised, because from the relatively frequent communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, the soul is more pacified and becomes lighter in the soul. Therefore, you did not sin against the Elder by not approaching the Holy Mysteries, but you acted unreasonably. I’ll tell you again that you can take communion more often or less often, but you need to confess more often, so that your conscience will always be clear and unsullied. Just as we always try to wash our body when it gets dirty in any way, so we must always keep our soul clean so that our conscience does not reproach us for anything. Now about your letter. Personally, my dear, I would say a lot to you, but in the letter I am condensing my thoughts. First of all, I must tell you that you completely misunderstood me. It's your fault. At first you began to think exaggeratedly about me, and then, as always happens, disappointment and cooling set in. I’ll tell you that I am an ordinary person, I don’t try to pretend to be anything, but I try to treat everyone according to my conscience, for the sake of salvation both for myself and for those who come to me. That’s how I treated you according to my conscience. I even warmed up to you, because your mental pain touched my heart. Every time I received you with love and worried about you, I prayed for you (and now I pray), I have not changed at all in my feelings and attitude towards you. I did not have the slightest contempt or disgust for you. If you opened your soul to me, your sins, as a spiritual father, then you were not mistaken: this is how it should be, and I only sympathized with you, took pity on you. According to the teachings of St. Fathers, we must hate sin (for sin was and is abominable), and love the sinner. Against these words of St. I did not sin my fathers. I showed you love, love in the Lord. But why you changed, I could not understand, and you, with your secrecy, continued to keep me in the dark about what I grieved, and then I surrendered everything to the will of God, believing that the Lord wants salvation for everyone and that he will do everything useful for us. And knowing that “woe to man, about whom all men speak well” (Luke 6:26), as it is said in the Gospel, I am even pleased when opinions about me are divided, for although this is unpleasant for pride, it is very useful for salvation. And so I will tell you sincerely that in fact, it seems to me that I have not sinned against you, but if you saw shortcomings in me, then I really deserve it: I see them myself, and perhaps much more than others, and I ask the Lord for forgiveness. Because I have shortcomings, I must not lose faith in people, and even more than that, I must not lose interest in goodness, in pleasing God. You ask me for forgiveness: I forgive with love and mutually ask for forgiveness, and may the Lord forgive us all. I wasn’t angry with you, but I didn’t think it was appropriate to push myself if you’re running away from me. Now, when you come to me again, I do not reject him who comes to me (John 6:37), and again my heart opens to you. I mourn your mistake. Why was it necessary to hide, languish, sin, grumble, despair?! I grieve for you, I sympathize with you, my baby. But may the Lord forgive you and bring you to your senses. I express my full consent to your request to have written communication with me. Write. I will answer according to my strength. In the mornings before lunch, at my request, now rarely does anyone bother me, and I think I will answer more regularly. Regarding confession, it seems that I wrote to you everything that was required, and if anything is not clear, write. If you do not have complete trust in the intended confessor, knowing him little, then wait to get closer to him, but only use confession, confessing your sins alone. What follows will show you what to do. May the Lord bless you. I'm in a hurry, so I'll finish for now. I sincerely wish you all the mercies of God. Peace and salvation to you. Letter No. 5(21). Servant of God N. Dear servant of God N., respected in the Lord! Peace to you and God's blessing. I received your letter, but I was somewhat slow in replying for some reasons. But believe, my child, that I always remember you and pray to the best of my weak strength. One of these days, if the Lord helps, I will write you a detailed answer to your letter, but now I just want to express my sympathy to you in your sorrowful experiences, for I sincerely sympathize with you deeply. May the Lord help you and comfort you; all things are possible to Him. It is said in Psalm 93: “Because of the multitude of my illnesses in my heart, Thy consolations have made my soul glad” (Ps. 93:19). Don't be discouraged. Believe that the Lord is near. I sincerely wish you all the mercies of God and greet you with the coming saints. days of fasting and holiday. Letter No. 6(22). Servant of God N. God-loving and venerable servant of God N.! Having written you a few words the other day, I hasten to write in more detail. First of all, about sin. You write that I despise you, that you understand my attitude towards you... I didn’t think of despising you, but I see that you still haven’t understood my attitude towards you. How can I assure you, my child, of my feelings and my attitude towards you? It is said that St. the fathers hated sin and loved sinners. This is what we should do too. That's what I try to do too. If I don’t answer quickly, then you yourself should understand why this happens: you have seen my life. And the fact that I cannot answer quickly is my constant sorrow. If you would like to see me in person, I am ready to receive you with love. Let the enemy depart from you, instilling false thoughts in you and throwing you into despondency! The Lord is waiting for you with Fatherly embraces, waiting for your repentance; With all-forgiving love, He speaks to you and to everyone burdened with sins: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The Lord is ready to forgive you for your sins, and with the forgiveness of sins to give His peace to your tormented heart. May your hope be inspired! You ask for my prayers as if I never pray for you. No, my child, believe my priestly word that I always offer my poor prayer to the Lord for you. Pray, too, to the best of your ability, for this is of great importance: after all, the Lord promised to fulfill requests when a joint prayer is brought to Him for something (Matthew 18:19–20). What is not said is how soon these requests will be fulfilled. Therefore, you need to pray and surrender to the will of God. Believe that God's help is near us! Don’t be discouraged when you see various weaknesses in yourself; it depends a lot on your experiences and tense nerves. Be patient with yourself. God willing, your mental and physical strength will become stronger. Do not allow yourself the slightest thought about suicide. Drive away from yourself this intrigue of the enemy. I see in you a desire for a good Christian life, and if you have this, it means your soul is alive. “My soul will live and praise You, and Your destinies will help me!” (Ps. 119, 175). Thus exclaimed St. Prophet David on behalf of everyone who believes and resorts to God. Exclaim like this in hope of God’s mercy, and the Lord will not leave you, for neither the Lord nor the Guardian Angel departed from you, but with love they guard you and protect you. You are only allowed not to feel or see this intercession for the time being, although you yourself admit that at times you still feel lightness and some kind of peace. Thank the Lord for this mercy too. Now I will answer your questions. When you feel dislike, or anger, or irritation towards someone, you need to pray for those people, regardless of whether they are guilty or not. Pray in simplicity of heart, as St. Fathers: “Save, Lord, and have mercy on Thy servant (name) and for his sake, St. prayers help me, sinner!” – such prayer calms the heart, although sometimes not immediately. You can pray if it happens in public, without any external manifestations of prayer, sitting, walking, lying down, for God looks on the heart. And when this temptation comes, then pray, without delay and without being embarrassed by the place, although, of course, it is better to retire and then pray. If you do not see any harm to your soul from communicating with your brother and his wife, then help them in their affairs and try to avoid conversations in which family members condemn each other or anyone in general. What follows will show you what to do next. For disobeying me regarding my mother, God will forgive. There is no big offense here. Regarding my words about confession without getting close to your confessor, in whom you do not have complete trust. It must be understood that one can confess sins and receive permission from any legal, Orthodox confessor, for every priest has been given the power to bind and forgive sins; and you can seek advice in everyday and spiritual matters from another person, even one who does not have the priesthood. There were and are many such cases. On Athos even now there are abbots of small monasteries (and, therefore, leaders of the entire life of the monastery) who do not have any priestly rank. I don’t want to say that I sympathize with such an attitude towards the confessor, no, I look at it as a very sad phenomenon (when, that is, you cannot talk to your confessor, but to whom, of necessity, you have to resort). The sacrament is performed, forgiveness of sins is obtained, and out of necessity one has to be content with this. Where can we get holy confessors? “Save me, Lord, for I am in poverty, the venerable one!” (Ps. 11:2). You can write to me frankly to ease your soul, although I apologize for not being able to answer quickly. Regarding the fact that you mixed up the years of your age in confession when committing one sin, do not be embarrassed. In this case it doesn't matter. In general, to ease my soul, I allow you, my child, to tell me everything, without being shy. The more frank, the better. Don't be afraid, I'm not offended or offended by you. It is not clear to you why I wrote that you did not sin by not listening to the Elder. First of all, because the Elder said so. His advice - to fast every month - did not impose on you the obligation to fulfill the advice at any cost. Advice remains advice, and violating advice is not a sin, but an understanding. It’s another matter when a covenant is given, or, be that as it may, a spiritual child is bound by his confessor or Elder. Then any violation of the covenant is already a sin that must be resolved in confession, and the covenant itself continues to bind a person’s conscience and weighs heavily on him. St. has details about this. fathers explanation. And it seems to me that I had to talk about this with girl N. Maybe she remembered, ask her, but now I can’t write about this in detail. I don’t recommend writing to a famous person. Although I feel sorry for him - I always pray for him - I cannot make any concessions. I thought about your question about your husband for a long time. I look at this matter not through the eyes of your sister, but in the light of the Gospel. I have come to this conclusion... if there is mutual love, then there is no reason to be separated. “What God has united, let no man separate” (Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:9), as it is said in St. Gospels. I give my blessing to start the external connection business. Just be sure... According to the spirit of the Gospel, the separation of spouses is only in case of violation of mutual fidelity. And if, as I notice, you have a desire to continue living together, if everything is forgiven to each other, then there are no obstacles to such a life. The infirmities of a spouse, his tricks are a very regrettable phenomenon, but one must be patient and pray to God for help. Pray earnestly to the Lord, surrender to His will. If there is anything that is not clear to you or what additional information is required, please let me know and I will try to answer. May the Lord bless you. I earnestly wish you all the mercies of God. January 22/February 4, 1925 Letter No. 7(23). Servant of God N. God-loving servant of God N. May God's blessing remain upon you forever. I received your letter, and although the girl K[lavdia-?] told me that you were going to come to us, I still decided to write you at least a few words and thank you for what you sent. God bless you! God willing, we will personally talk in more detail about your feelings and desires and experiences, and now I will just say that I always pray for you, my child, and I ask you not to lose heart from evil thoughts, for in your letter you write about some of them. Come to the Lord on a straight path, not paying any attention to them, and leave the future entirely to the Lord. The Lord wants your salvation, and this salvation is the goal of our life. Single, true goal. Whatever is not built on this goal, everything collapses, leaving bitter repentance in the human soul. And labors for the sake of salvation, although not immediately, do bring peace to the soul and peace in the lives of the blessed. I have never rejected you and do not reject you and I always pray to the best of my ability. May the Lord bless you. God's blessing to the maiden K[lavdia–?]. 1926, February 24/March 9. Letter No. 8(24). Servant of God N. May God's blessing remain upon you forever. I thank you earnestly for your congratulations. God bless you. I am answering your short letter briefly. But the point is not in words, but in the power of words and the reason that makes words written or spoken. The love of the Lord for you makes me tell you a word of edification and consolation. May evil despondency leave you, and may the peace of Christ come to you. If you sincerely love Christ, then for His sake endure every hardship of your life, maintaining a good Christian mood in your soul. Be patient with everything. Suffering is inevitable. They are asking for your righteous reward. Do not forget prayer - it is the life of the soul. Remember everything I told you and asked you to do. And now I pray for you. May the Lord God deal with you according to His mercy. I earnestly wish you, my child, peace and joy in the Lord Jesus and all prosperity. Letter No. 9(25). Servant of God N. Peace to you and God's blessing. I received your sad letter, but it’s difficult for me to answer. May the Lord comfort you. Endure everything for the Lord's sake with humility. For humility and patience you will be more valuable to me. And the Lord will send peace to your soul. Pray for everyone. This is necessary. Surrender to the will of God. May God forgive you for everything. To enlighten you all, I am sending a note 16. Read it to M. M[aria] and others, at your discretion, and I sent the same note to M. I. and M[aria]. Convey M. M. S. 17 from me peace and God’s blessing, and also to M. Evdokia. May the Lord protect you all. If the Lord willing, I hope to see you and talk in person. Sorry. I sympathize with you in everything. I remember and pray for you. [Kaluga prison, 1927] Letter No. 10(26). Servant of God N. God-loving servant of God and my child N.! May God's blessing remain upon you forever! If the Lord judges me to leave places dear to my heart and people close to me, let His holy will be done! Now I don’t have the opportunity to write much and I don’t know whether the Lord God will send me this opportunity in the future. Let the saint be in this too. the will of the Lord! I am writing to you, wanting to give you God’s blessing and forgiveness for your sins and weaknesses. May God forgive you and allow you. I have no opportunity to analyze your actions and judge in detail. I’ll write one thing: don’t justify yourself and don’t blame anyone for anything. Forgiveness is taught only to those who consider themselves guilty. Humble yourself before God and people, and the Lord will never leave you. I pray for you according to my strength. I didn’t show any sign of anything, but I saw you at the station when we were being taken here, and I saw how your lips silently whispered something. I realized that this was an expression of your inner feelings. May the Lord bless you! I always pray for my child, girl L. I feel sorry for her. May the Lord guide her life for salvation. I entrust you to the protection of the Queen of Heaven! Peace and salvation. Letter No. 11(27). Servant of God N. I greet you, my child N., on the great and joyful holiday of Easter. I call upon you peace and God’s blessing and earnestly wish you every well-being. May Christ the Lord give your soul the spiritual joy of His Resurrection and illuminate with it the path of your life, dispelling sorrow and darkness and our infirmities and external experiences. I received your letter a long time ago. It has such content that I would like to write a lot. And this desire, on the one hand, and the impossibility of writing everything in a short letter, on the other hand, held me back. But now I’m still writing. Do you doubt whether I am praying for you? Do not doubt, although know that my prayer is weak and does not look like prayer. You can write to me. It doesn't bother me. Of course, not much and not often. You shouldn't be discouraged. And in sorrowful experiences the mercy of God is hidden. The Lord builds our life in a way that is incomprehensible to us. And the loss of a father [spiritual – ed.] is providential. Believe this. Man is always man, and the word of God teaches us to rely on the Lord, and not on man. Remain in patience, humility and a sincere desire for salvation, and the grace of God will not leave you and will show you the path of salvation. I entrust this grace of God, which saves and admonishes us, to you. There is no time to write in detail about the event that happened to you. It seems to me that your conscience should not torment you (as you write) if you had a sincere attitude towards this. And I hope so. And, besides, it had to solve some other issues of life. May God help you. For everything, thank God. Don't worry about me. I am healthy and do not need anything. The Lord sends everything to me. I thank the Lord and entrust myself and everything to the will of God. Give the attached letter to your sister. I wish both you and her to celebrate the holiday in all prosperity and peace. What is your address for letters? Is it the same? Letter No. 12(28). Servant of God N. I send you greetings, peace and God’s blessing, my child N., as well as your sister and wish you all the mercies of God. I have been meaning to write to you for a long time, because I remember both of you and pray for you with all my strength. May the Lord comfort you and keep you under the shelter of His goodness. When sorrows overwhelm our souls and our hearts waver, our thoughts are confused, our only refuge is the Lord. That's what I told you, and that's what I'm telling you now. And my heartfelt sympathy for you, although unchangeable, remains, but what does it mean, as sinful, insignificant? Therefore, I entrust you to the Lord as the Almighty. May He guide your life for salvation. Give your sister and M. Evdokia and her family my greetings and God’s blessing. I received a letter from M. Evdokia. Thank you and, God willing, I will answer. For everything, thank God. Don't be discouraged. I'm healthy. How is your health? Peace and salvation. September 25/October 8, 1928 Letter No. 13(29). Servant of God N. Pious servant of God N.! May God's blessing remain upon you forever. I haven’t written to you for a long time, but not because I forgot about you. I still remember you in prayer, asking you from the Lord for health, salvation and all the well-being necessary for the life of the body and the salvation of the soul. To your letters, although they are very few in number, two or three in all the time, I could not answer you in more detail than I wrote. Now I don’t have your letters at hand, because I didn’t take care of letters at all and therefore again I can’t answer everything in detail. But your feelings and sorrowful experiences are in my memory and touch my sinful heart. Of course, given my position, I am completely powerless to help you, and only my miserable prayer and surrender of everything to the will of God consoles and pacifies me. The Lord providentially shows all the weakness of human strength and the hopes for these strengths, both for myself and for those who knew me. But know, my child, that if you keep the faith in Christ, “a storm of water will not drown you, the depth below will devour you.” Know that “according to the multitude of illnesses in your heart, the consolations of the Lord will gladden your soul” (Ps. 93:19). Know that “salvation is the Lord’s” (Ps. 3:9) and that “human salvation is in vain” (Ps. 59:13; 107:13). Turn to people for help according to your mental and physical needs, but expect success in receiving this help from the Lord. I am writing all this to you because you wrote to me about your disappointments in people, about the collapse of your hopes in communicating with people. The wrong on your part was that you did not sufficiently differentiate in your heart what you received from God and from people and, with deceived hopes, you condemned people, tempted by their weaknesses. Beware of condemnation, like fire that can burn the spiritual church. Don’t pay attention to people’s weaknesses, don’t wait for them – pay attention to yourself. And for your humility, may God’s all-powerful help and grace come to you. You wrote that you took an irreparable step. Don’t say that... May patience with sorrows and the consciousness of your unworthiness, while doing what you can, within your power and strength, make up for the lack of what you would need to do under other conditions of your life. The Lord looks at the heart. I commend you to the Lord. May He be your Helper and Protector. Do not be discouraged, “take courage, and let your heart be strong” (Ps. 26:14). I don’t write about myself, thinking that you’ll find out everything anyway. Peace and salvation. May your soul also rise again, servant of Christ Mary! From your sister, the maiden Claudia, I learned the sad story of your life. I sympathize with you from the bottom of my heart and, to the best of my ability, I pray for you, that the Lord may grant you His mercy. My child! Only with the Lord and in the Lord can you find peace of mind; your tormented soul can only find joy in the Lord, in repentance and correction of life. Sin kills a person’s soul with its poison, but the soul is resurrected from the life-giving effect of repentance. When you repent, then you will see in your own experience the truth of my words. May all despondency move far away from you. The Lord stretches out His most holy hands, ready to receive you, like every other repentant sinner, into the arms of the Father. If the Lord does not reject repentant sinners, like the publican, like the harlot, like Paul the Apostle, Rev. Mary of Egypt and many others, then even the Orthodox priest will not reject you, just repent, just say from your heart: “Forgive those who have sinned!” The Lord, the Angels, and the men of God will rejoice at your repentance. Their stagnation in sins saddens them. So, approach the Lord in humility and repentance, leave the passion for sin, taste the cup of repentance and see the goodness of God, for it is said: “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 33:9). May the Lord enlighten you. I invoke God's blessing on you. Notes from prison (general) Peace and God's blessing to all. Thank you for everything. The blanket is fine, don't need another one yet. Is it possible to send a shirt, trousers and foot wraps for Mikhail? Mich., I'll tell you. Thanks to everyone, including quart. to the hostess. The body is healthy. According to the soul - to the will of God. God bless you all. The week has begun. I will wait for the end of the case and comforting news from you. Thank you for lunch, thank you for your troubles. I return the dishes and napkin. Will we soon be dining at home among our kindred spirits? Oh, how difficult it is morally here! Be healthy and cheerful! Don't stop praying for us! I work in the hospital office, of course, whenever possible. Be sure to share everything with everyone: candy and an orange. My galoshes are on occasion, they are not urgently needed. Then you can send me my other cassock. I earnestly ask St. prayers and blessings at the beginning of classes. Gr. N. answer: God bless and protect. Please carry the items according to the list for M.M. Send me some woolen stockings; one person leaving is in need. Five pounds of plain oats. Tobacco pouch 19. Thank you for everything. God bless you. Peace and God's blessing to all. I received everything. Thank you. The Lord bless you, my dear children. I received everything. Thank you very much. I invoke God’s blessing and sympathize with you in your sorrows. We must endure humbly. The Lord is near. I pray for you. I received everything. God bless you. Mutually greetings on the holiday. God's blessing to everyone. I pray for the health of the sick L. May the Lord protect her. I'm returning the newspaper. It would be nice to keep it or write it off. Peace and salvation. Buy about half a bottle of ammonia for me and when handing it over, tell me to give it to me through our hospital, I talked to the doctor. September 18/October 1, 1927 I received everything. God bless you. May the Lord comfort you all. I pray. God's will be done. Peace and God's blessing to you all. September 25/October 8, 1927 I sincerely thank everyone for congratulating me on my Angel’s Day. God bless you! Peace and God's blessing to all. O. It’s difficult for Gerontius to give precise answers to his questions. It would be desirable for me to wait a little longer to resolve all the issues, because I think that if the Lord gives me life, I will have the opportunity to resolve them one way or another, as God wills. M.I. I thank you and ask you to leave the apartment to me for now and even make the necessary preparations for food, they will not be lost, whether you will have to use them or not. I hope that the Lord will not deprive me of a meeting with you, even if only temporarily, because I don’t know what awaits me. It can be assumed that the matter will be resolved within a month. I remember and pray for everyone. I wish everyone all the mercies of God. I ask for prayers. Sorry. Inform the landlady that by November 1, you need to submit a list of apartments; you need to put all three of us on it, like last year. My occupation: “singing and small odd jobs.” I received everything. Thank you very much. God bless you. I pray for you. May God forgive and bless you all. God's will be done. I remember you with love in the Lord. October 26/November 8, 1927 I have heard rumors about the unworldliness of my spiritual children. The enemy of the human race instills in some the idea that M. Irina and Anastasia are to blame for what happened, 20 and they, succumbing to this enemy thought, not only think so, but also tell others. As a spiritual father, I forbid speaking like that, and if you persist, I will impose penance. Let everyone know that this is the will of God, before which we must humble ourselves and revere. Thank God for everything! I believe that M. Irina and Anastasia are suffering because of me, they are not to blame, and that I deserve more for my sins. If there is non-peacefulness during the transfer of lunch, then I will submit a statement that I refuse the transfer and will eat government-issued black bread, remembering that I promised to lead a fasting life. Although I am very grateful to the workers and those participating in the program (she consoles me) and I always try to pray for them, my spiritual duty forces me to write this way. If I write or send something, then it is for everyone, everyone can receive and read, and participate in the transmission. I ask everyone to reconcile, without distinguishing who is right and who is wrong (this judgment is not given to you), and to forgive each other everything. I am at peace for myself, I am not grieving, the Lord helps me, but my heart aches for all of you, my spiritual children; my sinful prayer is daily offered to God for all of you, for your souls are dear to me, all without exception, and the pain of my heart increases from your behavior, and I expected that common grief would unite everyone with love for the Lord. I ask and beg you to come to your senses. Whoever accepts my wretched words, thank you. And whoever does not want to accept, apparently does not recognize me as his spiritual father, then let him live as he wants. If you humble yourself and tolerate our separation, you can receive great benefit, and even bliss, for it is said: “Blessed, of course, when they separate you” (Luke 6:22), and grumbling, unreasonableness, and rejection of the will of God brings harm to the soul. I heartily sympathize with all of you in your sorrow, I wish that everything will be for your benefit. May the Lord protect you from all evil. Peace and salvation and God's blessing to all. Forgive me for everything for God's sake. By the will of God, we, my children, must be separated. This is how the Lord judged. Let us obediently and humbly accept this will of God. If anyone wants the sorrow that has befallen us to benefit him, he must blame himself for it, and no one else. Everyone should think that they are suffering for their sins. Thus, he who thinks and humbly endures will receive the mercy of God. Whoever blames someone else, and therefore does not make peace with him, will thereby show his disbelief in God, and will not allow God’s mercy to reach himself. Let everyone's conscience tell him for himself whether he has sins or not. If there is, then let him only blame himself and remain silent, without judging or reproaching others. This is the spiritual law. Express your love for the Lord, and in the Lord for me, a sinner, through common love and peace among yourself. God is love, and all malice, no matter how plausible a reason it may be hidden behind, is disgusting to Him; She's disgusting to me too. I say a word of peace and love about the Lord to you all as parting, and the God of peace be with you. Once again I ask you to stop all your human guesses, and therefore erroneous, about the causes of our grief. Humble yourself before the Lord and work for your salvation, forcing yourself to fulfill all the commandments of God, keeping both soul and body from all sin. Don't forget your prayers. I will pray for everyone according to my strength. I also ask your saints. prayers. I forgive everyone and I ask for forgiveness myself. I allow all penances. May God's blessing remain upon all of you. Amen. From Father Archimandrite 21 and the Elders I sincerely ask for forgiveness, St. prayers and blessings. I earnestly ask the Bishop for holy prayers and the Archbishop’s blessing and forgiveness. Patience of sorrows and forgiveness of insults gives a person the mind of truth, according to the word of St. Stamp of the Ascetic. Let us endure everything meekly and humbly, and the Lord will enlighten us and not forsake us with His mercy. It is said: “Blessed are you when they separate you” (Luke 6:22). __________________________________________________________________________ ... May the Lord protect them under the roof of His goodness. I remember everyone in prayer according to my strength. The separation that befell us by the will of God does not prevent me from being in spiritual communion with all of you, dear to my heart. I hope that I am not forgotten by you in your prayers. In material terms, I have not yet been forgotten by you in abundance. Thank you very much. For everything - thank God. I feel God's mercy and help. May the Lord God not forsake you all with His mercy. I apologize that I cannot send any consolation no matter how much I wish. Accept the desire of my heart and forgive. I can’t write to everyone, that’s why I write to you and everyone together. To my 22 old men, peace and God's blessing. May the Lord comfort them. I ask for their prayers from the saints. I surrender to the wise and all-good will of God. This devotion to the will of God both calms and comforts. Sorry. I received everything. God bless you. Thank you very much. Peace and God's blessing to all. I congratulate everyone on the occasion of the Nativity of Christ and sincerely wish everyone all the mercies of God. I pray for everyone. I am healthy all the time; haven’t been sick for a single day; but the stone room affects my rheumatism. Thank God for everything. May the Lord comfort you. May the Lord give rest to those who have died. Sinful Hieromonk Nikon. It's very warm in the cell. God bless you. December 21/January 3, 1927/8 I received everything. God bless you. Thank you for your congratulations and mutual congratulations. Peace and God's blessing to all. May the Lord comfort you in your sorrow. I remember. I pray for you. December 25/January 7, 1927/28 Peace to all and God's blessing. By the will of God we will have to part. The stage is in about a month. We need to prepare everything for the trip. Attached is a list of things I need. If I need anything else, I will write additionally. Save your money. Don't waste it on unnecessary trips, and give me a simpler transfer. A. I don’t advise Gerontius to seek a meeting. I am calm, I grieve only for you. Thank God for everything. Send half of the ammonia like last time. Send some jelly and not too sweet 23. May the Lord protect you all. Don't be discouraged. I'm praying for you. 1. A large bag made of canvas with lines for wearing over the shoulders (needs to be sewn). 2. Wadded trousers according to checkered standards (need to be sewn). 3. Light cassock. 4. Fur cassock. 5. Light epitrachelion. 6. My thick leather boots and galoshes to go with them. 7. Felt boots. 8. Scarf. 9. Bashlyk. 10. Woolen stockings are long and not narrow. 11. Small enameled teapot (I had one). 12. A strong copper tablespoon. 13. Felt boots (I had them in my cell). 14. Two toothbrushes are strong, bone, hard (the one sent will be returned). 15. Paraman. 16. Three simple rosaries (I had a lot of them). 17. Mittens (mittens) are woolen, knitted, and separately from them, put mittens on top of them from cloth so that they are not tight. 18. A fur hat so that it’s not too tight. May God's blessing remain upon you, my children, and all those close to me forever. May the Lord God protect you all under the shelter of His mercy and goodness. I inform you about myself that I am alive and well. So far so good. I am more and more convinced that grief, in the full sense of the word, has to be recognized not by what is sorrowful in appearance, but by what we experience and experience in our souls. If your soul is peaceful and calm, then everything external is easily experienced. And I must thank the Lord God that until now peace of mind has not left me. I am sad for you, but the consciousness that everything is happening according to the will of God consoles me in this too. We are all in God's hands - both you and me. Write to me about everything that is dear to me, but briefly, no more than one piece of mail. Our rules for letters are as follows: I can receive several letters a week, but I myself can write no more than one sheet of mail every week, addressed to one person (one letter). On occasion, if I have any left, I can send you a pair or two of underwear, since I can’t expect frequent washing. And also some other raincoat, canvas, canvas or otherwise, for work and other needs in general. The one I had stayed with Boris, and it was too narrow for me. From edibles, everything you need can be bought. For everything, thank God. I remember you all and pray for you all. I apologize to everyone to whom I owe anything, either money, or things, or unfulfilled promises. Forgive me for God's sake. Letter No. 1(49) 24. O. Kirill (Zlenko) 25 Most honest in the Lord, Fr. Kirill! Peace to you and God's blessing. I have already sent you one letter, I am writing another. I didn’t receive it from anyone. Mom is apparently approaching death. Before she had moments of consciousness, but now she doesn’t. She recognized me very well on the 2nd day of my arrival. She smiled very welcomingly and, taking my hand with hers, kissed my hand. Now he can’t open his eyes and his heart weakens, his breathing is uneven. Therefore, I am thinking of living a few more days, waiting for her death. I feel kind of sad. I have never felt such a stranger in my family as I did this time. I think this happens for two reasons. Mom is the connecting link. She is not among us. This is the first. Secondly, there is no response to my mood in those around me. I don't think I've ever heard or been involved in conversations like the ones I'm hearing. The costumes of women at home, in churches, and on the street are outrageous. The children's conversations are not childish at all. Those who are close in the flesh are alien in spirit. It seems to me that I would never agree to live in a family, and I wonder why some monks or nuns ask to come to my homeland? Where? For what? O folly! And I take a closer look at Satan's cunning. At first, all this worldly stuff is disgusting, then a person gets used to it, then he begins to like it, because everything is focused on the sensuality that every person has. And a person comes to life for the worldly life that he had renounced, which brings spiritual death for the monk. Life in Kozelsk is poor, and people walk around there just as half-naked, but compared to Moscow, it is grace, and most importantly, there are people of one mind with whom you can speak frankly. May the Lord bless you all. O. To Gerontius and all my spiritual children, peace and God's blessing. Is everyone alive and well? According to my strength, I pray for everyone and ask everyone and you, St. prayers. Sorry. June 8/21, 1926 Moscow. Letter No. 2(50). Eminence 26 most merciful father and archpastor! Falling mentally at your feet, I earnestly ask for your holy prayers and archpastoral blessing. I bring you, Holy Master, my humble gratitude for your attention to my thinness and your love. I have done nothing to deserve them before you and I accept them from you as a manifestation of God’s mercy. God bless you! I humbly accept what has been sent down, as the will of God. Until now, the Lord has given me mental and physical strength to endure everything. I'm at peace. Pray that God’s mercy will not leave me in the future. Pray, Holy Master, for my spiritual children - they grieve incomparably more than I do. Forgive, for God's sake, for everything and do not forget in your prayers your unworthy novice, the sinful hieromonk Nikon. [From the link, 1929 – ?]. Letter No. 3(51). O. Gerontius 27 I earnestly wish you peace and joy in the Lord and ask your saints. prayers. I received your parcel and earnestly ask you and everyone who participated in it: our hostess Maria Ivanovna, M. Domnik, Darius, Glikeria, Natalia and others, to all of them my sincere gratitude, peace and God's blessing. I remember them all and always pray according to my strength. I see from your letters that you are worried about me, how I live, how I eat, etc. I inform you and ask you to tell everyone dear and close to me that I am still healthy and everything is fine; I receive allowances twice a month and cook my own lunch; I get two pounds of black bread a day, and I can buy white bread at the store at my own expense. I get sunflower oil, and if there’s not enough, I can always buy it, so don’t bother sending oil, the store also has butter. You can get everything for money. In a word, hitherto the basic food: bread, butter, cereals, sugar is available in sufficient quantities. Canned fish are available. It would be nice to have snapshots 28 or dried fish, but not dried, for soup; m. Irina wrote to me about this. God willing, I will answer both of her letters. There is caviar, both plain and black, and there are few other fish products. My day passes unnoticed: 8 hours, and with getting ready, 9 hours pass at my guard post; It’s good for me, I’m in the fresh air, and this activity is within my strength; I sleep 7–8 hours and 8 hours pass unnoticed during tea, lunch and other matters of our everyday life. For everything, thank God! I would like to have a canvas raincoat, waterproof in the form of a cape or mantle, sleeveless and with a hood, not short, i.e. somewhat shorter than a cassock to cover the knees; I need it in the fall when it rains, but now, in good weather, I’m content with what they sent me. Then, if necessary, send 3-4 more “Eureka” pens and several sheets of unlined paper. Thank you to M. Ambrose 29 for sending me a pillowcase and dried apples. God bless her. Don’t send me any more linen for now: extra linen weighs me down; when I need it, God willing, I’ll write. May the Lord protect you all under the shelter of His mercy. I remember you and everyone dear to me prayerfully and wish you all the best. I do not write to many due to lack of opportunity, but I remember them equally, and my heart is full of sympathy for them and their mental and physical needs. God save them. I earnestly ask you to convey to M. Chionia my gratitude for everything she has sent. May the Lord comfort and bless her. I pray for her. I also ask you to convey my greetings, peace and God’s blessing to M. Maria Savutina. I thank her for everything, I remember and pray. To the watchmen 30 and to Mary peace and God's blessing; may the Lord protect them. I received her letter. Thank you and pray. I haven't received any news from Valentina and Lydia for a long time 31 . My greetings and God's blessing to them. I always pray for them and remember them, thank you for everything. May the Lord protect them. You are all near and dear to me. Please St. prayers and forgiveness, and from my fathers and blessings. I think that you need more than I do. I still have money, and I have no needs. God bless you for your love and attention. May the Lord, the knower of the heart, look upon your hearts, your needs, and your sorrows, and may he send to everyone according to his needs. Please accept these good wishes from me as an insignificant reward for your love and care for me; I can’t do anything else now. Sorry. Sinful Hieromonk Nikon. Kem. Letter No. 4(52). O. Gerontius. I congratulate you on the great and joyful holiday of the Nativity of Christ and earnestly wish you to meet and spend the holy days of the holiday in peace and joy in the Lord. I ask you to convey my congratulations, and forgive me for the meagerness of it. Our separation humbles me, and with all my desire, I can’t say anything other than write this wretched letter. May Christ the Lord comfort you all, filling your hearts with spiritual joy. I hope that you all do not forget me, a sinner, in your prayers, and do not doubt that I keep a prayerful memory of all of you. I’m not writing to anyone separately now. I congratulate everyone with one greeting, I invoke peace and God’s blessing on everyone, I wish everyone the fulfillment of their good desires, health of soul and body, eternal salvation. As my thoughts move towards you, I want to know about your life, dear to me. After all, our separation did not destroy what connected us, i.e. our spiritual life and love for the Lord, which is more precious than anything in the world. For what kind of life can there be without spiritual life and love? About myself, again, I can only write that I live as before, that there have been no changes in my position and occupation. Life is monotonous day after day. There are almost no impressions. And despite all this, time flies very quickly. The Lord has kept me and still keeps me safe and healthy. I thank the Lord for everything. I grieve only when I reflect on the sorrow of those who grieve for me... But God's will be done. If it is possible to get a calendar like last year, then send it on occasion, but otherwise I don’t have any special needs. There is still money available. Nowadays it is no longer possible to get postcards with views, and therefore you will still have to write less. Please forgive me. Give my festive greetings to Father Fr. Isaac, Father Fr. Dositheus is 32. I ask for their holy prayers and blessings. I earnestly ask for holy prayers and blessings from the Lord. How is their health? Convey my greetings and God's blessing to our landlady Maria Ivanovna and the current occupants of our apartment. I wish them all the best. I ask for holy prayers. Winter, as the proverb goes, has gone cold; it’s been around twenty degrees for a week now, but until now it was warm all the time, there were even two thaws. So far these frosts are not burdensome, because the available clothes are enough, and then - whatever God gives. Congratulations on the holiday and the upcoming day of the angel Fr. Ioanna Zhirnova 33. Peace be upon him and God's blessing. Also for the sick M. Anisia. Congratulations to her on her two days as an Angel. O. To Tikhon the blind and the watchmen, my greetings, peace and God’s blessing. May the Lord protect them under the roof of His goodness, and in their hardships may He strengthen their strength, protecting them from all cowardice, despondency and all evil. Convey my greetings, peace and God's blessing to all the people of Kaluga, as well as to M. Evdokia Salomon and M. Maria Savutina with their household and everything else. I wish them peace and joy in the Lord and all prosperity. Also about. Jacob the Blind. Let them not doubt, I remember everyone and pray for everyone to the best of my ability, but I cannot write to everyone. I believe that God is merciful and will send down every consolation to everyone, everything that is beneficial to him and every spiritual consolation, as the Knower of the Heart and all-perfect Love. And I see more and more my weakness and spiritual poverty. I'm sorry for everything. I sincerely thank you for all your love. I have never experienced any need for your concerns anywhere (and here either). How can I give back when I am a beggar? The Lord will reward you with His mercy, comforting you, admonishing you, healing the sorrows and ailments of your souls, preparing eternal salvation, in His own way. Sorry. December 19, 1928/January 1, 1929 Letter No. 5(53). O. Gerontius. I send you my greetings, congratulate you and everyone else on this great holiday and sincerely wish you all health, salvation and all prosperity. Thank you very much for the money you sent. God bless you. The last time I received twenty rubles from you. I received it before, but somehow the tear-off coupons got lost, and I didn’t find out who I got it from. In general, I notice that money arrives accurately, but sometimes there is a delay in receipt. For the sake of you, who remember me, until now I have not had and do not have any need, and I thank God for everything. I write rarely, I apologize, but don’t think that I have forgotten you. I have always been slow in writing, and now especially when I lack time. By the grace of God, I am still healthy all the time, and everything is fine. There are no needs: neither food, nor clothing and everything else. Thinking about you all, transferring my thoughts to you, I think and am sure that you worry about me more and more and have needs that I do not have. I received the parcels in September or October, as I informed you about. I thank everyone earnestly and apologize for not being able to thank everyone. And in the sorrow that has befallen you, may the Lord comfort you: He looks at the heart and hears prayer, wherever it is performed, may God’s will be done in everything. Let me know how you live, how your health is, etc. All this is close to my heart. I still do clerical and accounting work, although I had to move from place to place. The address is the same. Our weather is warm and there is little snow. Convey my greetings, gratitude for what you sent, God’s blessing and wishes for all prosperity to the hostess Maria Ivanovna. Congratulations to her on her holiday. Also honest. O. George 34: peace and blessings of God upon him. Thank you for the translation. I always remember prayerfully. Where and how do watchmen live? May God bless and keep them. I say this to everyone and in this short word I conclude everything with which I can greet everyone. Accept this and do not judge for brevity. My greetings to my spiritual fathers, I ask St. prayers and blessings. Letter about. Rafaila received 35. Thank you very much for your memories and prayers. I remember it prayerfully. I ask your saints. prayers. Sorry. December 19/January 1, 1929 I just received a letter from the guards. Letter No. 6(54). Father (...) 36 Most honest in the Lord, Fr. (...)! I earnestly wish you peace and joy in the Lord Jesus and ask for your holy prayers. I already wrote to you that I am going to Arkhangelsk. Now I have arrived, by the grace of God, safely. We are already in the third week of living here, but I haven’t written, thinking that I haven’t settled in with the apartment yet. This situation does not make it possible to provide your address. But since I really like our temporary apartment and we can stay in it, I decided to write to you about myself. Our room is small and we live in it together with Fr. Agapit. Life here is expensive, but you can get everything, as long as you have money. For now we have no need, and the future is in God’s hands. I feel better than in my previous place 37 . The Lord has not yet taken His mercy from me. There is a desire and decision to surrender to the will of God, and not to direct your life according to your own thinking. I believe that the Lord will send exactly what is needed and useful to me. Of course, I have a desire, for example, to see you and talk with you, but if the Lord deprives me of this, then it is necessary, although it is sad for our hearts. And, comparing what was sent to me with what was sent to others, I consider myself, in all fairness, happy and have not yet experienced sorrow. Glory to God for everything, and the will of the Lord be done! The weather for our arrival here is always the most favorable, dry and warm. Again we meet kind people, in communication with whom we find both moral and everyday support. Healthy all the time. Write how you live, how the Lord protects you all. My filial greetings to my dear spiritual fathers and Lord. I ask for their holy prayers and blessings. Peace and God's blessing to all my children in the Lord. May the Lord protect you all under the shelter of His goodness. If you decide to write, then write quickly, and if the address changes, I’ll let you know, God willing. Pointing out the high cost of life, I am not asking for anything now, because for the first time I have both money and everything I need. And I was always worried when you sent it to me, because, of course, you tore me away from my crumbs. May the Lord remember your love. God bless you. I'm not worth it. After all, I didn’t feel any need during all this time and I grieved that I caused you anxiety. Forgive me, for God's sake. Address: Arkhangelsk. Zaostrovye. Der. Nizhneye Ladino, Budrin's house, N.M.B. I haven’t known anything about Fr. for a long time. Kirill. Let me know if you know where he is and how he is feeling. I'm worried about him. I'm in a hurry to finish. Whenever I have time, God willing, I’ll write more. I earnestly wish everyone every possible well-being. Letter No. 7(55). O. Joseph 38 Dear and most honorable Father in the Lord, Father Joseph! I sincerely wish you peace and joy in the Lord Jesus and ask your saints. prayers. I received your letter and thank you earnestly for your attention and memory of my thinness. As for conversations about your attitude towards me, I do not attach any importance to them. The Lord sees the heart of people, and people can always make mistakes in their judgments, and then these judgments are the fruit of simple idle talk, although I did not write to you, I have always kept a prayerful memory of you and keep it to this day, bringing you gratitude for the kind attitude that I have always seen from you. I still couldn’t answer you, because the letter was received on the eve of my departure from Arkhangelsk to Pinega, where I am now, but have not yet settled down. In Arkhangelsk I was much more comfortable than here, but the future will show everything, for I believe that the Lord is building my salvation by sending this or that. Believing in God's providence for me, I am afraid to direct my life according to my own thoughts. I observe how my own will brings sorrow and difficulties to people. May the will be good and perfect! I entrust myself, my whole life, and everyone to her—acceptance of God’s will brings peace to my heart. I thank the Lord God that in my separation from those near and dear to me, that in my wandering through the desert of this world the Lord sends me from time to time good people, like-minded, unanimous, communication with them comforted and strengthened me spiritually. Thank God for everything. I thank the Lord God for all of you that I receive news about you. Although a monk should be one with God, everything that he has lived in for so many years is still precious. I would like to see you, as well as with others dear and close to me in the Lord. But whether the Lord will grant this, I don’t know. In both cases, blessed be the name of the Lord forever. It is said: “Blessed are you when they separate you” (Luke 6:22). Please convey my sincere gratitude to M. Maria for everything. Peace be upon her and God's blessing. I don’t see any convenience yet for meeting her, but the future is in God’s hands. I believe: if God wills it, then I’ll see you. I sent her one letter. Convey my greetings, peace and God's blessing to everyone else: M. Sophia, Euphrosyne, M. Evdokia Salomon with sisters and others. May the Lord keep them all under the shelter of His goodness. I remember everyone prayerfully. To my dear spiritual fathers and Fr. G. my greetings, I ask them to St. prayers. I need them. I ask you diligently not to forget me in your prayers. I don’t know whether my current address will be permanent. If something happens, you can write this: Post. department. Pinega Arhang. [cr.]. Poste restante. To me. And it will be seen there. God willing, I’ll write again. Sorry. The village of Wonga, Pinega district. August 19/September 1, 1930 Letter No. 8(56). O. John Dobrinsky Dear Father Fr. John! I sincerely wish you peace and joy in the Lord and ask for your holy prayers. I really need them, because I am extremely weak from illness and lie without getting out of bed. Sorry that I can’t write more. Your request has been fulfilled several times. Letter No. 1(57). To an unknown person ... Glory to you, my God, for the sorrow sent! Worthy according to my affairs, I accept. Remember me in Your Kingdom. May Your holy will be done in everything! It is advisable to say this prayer one after another slowly, enclosing the mind in the words of the prayer. It is best to retire and say this prayer standing or sitting. This is wonderful medicine for a grieving soul. It helps even in moments of intense mental and physical suffering. First, if it is impossible to immediately be imbued with feelings of gratitude to God, submission to Him, humility before Him, you still need to say a prayer, at least with your lips alone. Gradually the indicated feelings will come, and with them peace will descend into the human heart. Letter No. 2(58). To an unknown person in Kaluga May God's blessing remain upon you forever. I received your letter a long time ago and now a short note with a question about your confessor. I rejoice that you want to confess, for this is already a sign of the revival of the soul. Yes, my child, do not hold sins on your conscience, but quickly cleanse your soul with repentance. Not knowing personally almost any of the Kaluga priests, except for the consistory ones, I find it difficult to give a definite answer. But I advise you, at your discretion and disposition, to choose a confessor who is undoubted in Orthodoxy and confess your sins to him, that is, turn to him only for the sacrament of confession, without getting especially close, as I wrote before. Look at confession as a sacrament where the personality of the confessor is not of paramount importance, for sins can be forgiven in confession by any Orthodox priest. Conversation, guidance, spiritual support, etc. - that's another matter. You can’t go to just anyone for this. So, my child, pull yourself together and force yourself to confession. And I, a sinner, remember and pray for you according to my strength, and I do not refuse my word according to my strength, nor my confession. God willing, I will answer all your questions. I will answer one of them now. “If you are a laywoman, live among the laity and do their deeds...” This must be understood this way: every type of Christian life has its own virtues and activities. The affairs of those with whom we have a different way of life are inaccessible to us. For example, a mother with infants cannot go to church every day for all services and pray for a long time at home. This will result not only in embarrassment, but even sin if, for example, in the absence of a mother, a child without supervision cripples himself or does pranks when he grows up. She cannot completely renounce her property for the sake of personal achievement, for she is obliged to support and feed her children. She is obliged to please God with deeds characteristic of her: enduring the hardships of family life, doing all she can to pray, doing alms, teaching and raising children, keeping fasts, going to church on holidays, staying away from grumbling, gossip, etc. Thus, by avoiding all sin, both a layman, a monk, and every Christian will be able to acquire in their souls a Christian mood and virtues that are necessary for everyone, for example, humility, patience, submission to the will of God, an unenvious heart, undoubted faith, unfeigned love, etc. For Christianity is one, and monasticism is only its highest manifestation, but not separate from it. Therefore, whoever is not obliged by his position to various affairs and duties of the world can be almost a monk in the world. And there were also high examples of Christian life without monasticism, for example, true holy fools, wanderers, hermits, etc. Read in the Life of St. Macarius of Egypt in the Slavic Menaion-Chetya, January 19, about two women who pleased the Lord God in a family setting. Save yourself, my child. May the Lord be your Helper. I wish you God's mercy. Letter No. 3(59). Servant of God H. God-loving servant of God H.! Peace to you and God's blessing. I can’t answer you otherwise, my child, although this, I myself understand, is difficult and regrettable for you. Necessity forces us to do this. One should not be embarrassed by the fact that priests have deviated into non-Orthodoxy. You are not given judgment over them, they repented, came back to the Orthodox Church, were accepted into church communion - and that’s enough. Of course, we must choose from those who are not currently suspected of turning in any way to the other side. Be calm. May the Lord give peace to your heart. Now I’ll answer some of your questions. Question 3: “What constitutes bodily work?” Vigil means wakefulness, sleeplessness, a sober state for the purpose of engaging in some spiritual activity, for example, prayer. Therefore, the all-night vigil, that is, all-night vigil, throughout the night, prayer on holidays, according to the rules, is called “all-night vigil.” Poverty in the enumeration of bodily activities of course in the sense of poverty and poverty in the entire environment of life, in food, clothing, housing, etc. Silence is non-speaking, and silence is the result of rumor - solitude, vanity, and much care. A person who is silent with his lips can dream, with his mind and heart indulge in worries and all kinds of vanity, but a silent person, even if he says some necessary word, does not cease to be silent, since his heart and life are alien to vanity and much care. “It is impossible for the mind to remain silent without bodily silence.” This means that whoever in his life does not move away from vain activities and worries cannot force his mind to be away from all vanities. For example, a person who comes to the market can hardly resist thinking about something vain when he sees this vanity. How can a merchant, or a teacher, or anyone else involved in public affairs, especially everyday life, not care, not worry, not talk about his business, and all these worries and concerns are impossible without the participation of the human mind; the mind inevitably leaves silence. Silence is the work of those who have renounced the world. Then the 5th question: “Can everyone hope for forgiveness, mercy and intercession from the Lord?” Yes, everyone. He who flows to the Lord receives mercy from the Lord. Those who don’t flow in don’t receive. The parable of the prodigal son proves everything clearly. He who doubts the mercy of God even sins. It’s another matter to consider yourself unworthy out of awareness of your unworthiness, out of the awareness of your many sins. This is good. But, considering oneself unworthy, one must still hope for God’s mercy. Before the Lord, everyone is a sinner. “There is no man who will live and not sin” (2 Chronicles 6:36; 1 Kings 8:46; Ecc. 7:20). - “No one living will be justified before You” (Ps. 142:2). And the Lord is merciful. He who trusts in the Lord will not be put to shame. “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9). Ask for God’s mercy, and the Lord will not leave you. Humble yourself, repent of your sins and consider yourself a sinner, and the Lord will give you His mercy. Letter No. 4(60). To an unknown person ... A sincere desire to serve the Lord God and surrendering oneself, everything, and everyone completely to the all-good, perfect will of God, bring the peace of God to the heart, even when experiencing various sorrows, both external and internal, spiritual. Pray to God to remove adversity from you, and together renounce your will as a sinful will, a blind will. Surrender yourself, your soul and body, your circumstances, both present and future, surrender those close to your heart, those close to you, to the will of God, the all-holy and wise 39... “Thank God, thank God! Glory to God for everything!” From these wonderful holy words, dark thoughts and burdens recede. Peace, consolation, and joy come to a person’s soul. Thy will be done, Lord! Thank God for everything. Amen. Letter No. 5(61). To an unknown person I congratulate you, my daughter, on the Great St. fasting and calling upon you peace and God’s blessing. I wrote to you in the fall, but there were no letters from you. Now I’m still writing, wanting to give you God’s blessing and congratulate you on the advent of St. Lenten time. Regarding food, you probably fast all the time, but now let your souls and hearts fast and be sober in the Lord, for true fasting is the alienation of evil deeds (as it says in one Lenten stichera) 40 . Being in a foreign land, I remember all of you and our common prayer and humble myself, surrendering everything to the will of God. Apparently, the Lord judged this way, so that we would be tested by sorrows. I am at peace, believing that the Lord is building our salvation. How do you feel? How's your health? How does the Lord protect you? If your life is still sad, do not be discouraged, my child, pray to God. Draw for yourself humble strength in prayer. I always pray for you, asking for your health, and salvation, and all prosperity. For everything, thank God. Sorry. Peace and salvation. May the Lord protect you under the shelter of His goodness from all evil. When is your Angel's day? Letter No. 6(62). To an unknown person I greet you, my child, on the great and joyful feast of the Resurrection of Christ, I call upon you peace and God’s blessing and earnestly wish you all God’s mercies, and especially on these holy days. I always remember you in prayer and make the sign of the cross in absentia. May the Lord protect you and direct the path of your life to salvation. I believe that it is hard for you, that it is sorrowful, but I believe that the Lord will not leave you if you trust in Him. Although we are sinners, we still do not know God or other gods. In your new situation, may the Lord save you. Prepare yourself to accept God's help with patience, humility and a sincere desire for salvation. I am writing hastily. Sorry. For brother S. I pray with strength. The Lord be with you forever, and His will is good with us. Letter No. 7(63). To an unknown person Congratulations on the upcoming St. During the Great Lent, I call upon you peace and God’s blessing. May the Lord protect you and console you with His mercy. Thank you very much for your holiday greetings. God bless you. By the grace of God, the holiday was spent safely. I was comforted by receiving the parcel. It contained everything essential and nothing superfluous. And just in time for the holiday. God bless you. Say hello to everyone at home. I remember everyone prayerfully. Addresses of G.Ya. Don't know. When sorrowful feelings invade, I surrender everything to the will of God. I find solace. Apparently, everyone needs to pay attention to their own salvation. God's judgment is taking place. Humble yourself and save yourself by keeping faith and prayer. May the Lord save you. I don’t have any special needs yet, and the future is in God’s hands. O.A. Hello and thanks. God bless you. Sorry. Peace and salvation. Letter No. 8(64). To an unknown person Peace and God's blessing, my child. I congratulate you on fasting and the upcoming holiday of Christ. God bless you. I received the parcel. But address it as I wrote, and not as you please. Everything is intact. Very grateful. So far I have no special needs and so far I have nothing to ask for. The main thing is that there are still crackers and butter. I graduated from Toloknoye. I answered you based on the contents of your note. Regarding your grief, I say again: do not mourn and do not rush - it will be more beneficial. Stay at home more. It is difficult to say anything definite to your questions. Pray harder than St. Nikolai. He will help. Ask the Lord to always be in His will and do His will. You can pray at home too. Go to church on holidays. May the Lord deliver you from temptation, and may He forbid him. Move away from him in every possible way and don’t agree to anything. You can work at home too. After all, someone has to do everything at home. And the future is in God's hands. It will be visible there. We must pray, as I already wrote. I always pray for you. Hello mom. Sorry. O.A. hello and thanks for the lock. God bless you. Letter No. 9(65). To an unknown person I congratulate you, my daughter, on the great holiday of the Nativity of Christ and earnestly wish you to meet and spend the holy days of the holiday in peace and joy in the Lord and all prosperity. I invoke God’s blessing on you with my prayers, I remember you and everyone at home. May the Lord protect you all, comforting you with His grace and guiding you on the path of salvation. Pay attention to your salvation, without this there can be no peace of conscience and spiritual joy, not to mention many other things. I have already answered your letter and am writing to wish you a happy holiday. I am still healthy, and the Lord protects me with His mercy. The frosts are severe. I thank the Lord that I have everything I need. I always remember in prayer those who remember me and everyone I remember. I also pray for those whom I may have forgotten, for everyone is dear to me, and I wish everyone, first of all, spiritual salvation and everything that my sinful heart can desire in the Lord. Sorry. Peace and salvation. Letter No. 10(66). To an unknown person I congratulate you, my daughter, on the great and joyful feast of the Resurrection of Christ and wish you on these holy days to be filled with the consolation of the Holy Spirit. I call upon you peace and God's blessing. I always pray for you. You write about the hardships and difficulties of life. I believe that it is difficult, but we must endure. This is God's judgment. This is the will of God. Humble yourself and be silent and don’t justify yourself in anything. You will be more peaceful. Strengthen your prayer for your neighbors. I don’t see any purpose in going anywhere. Stay home and calm down. Flee the temptation that befalls you. Pray for deliverance from him and protect yourself both externally and internally. It is difficult to answer your question in detail in a short letter. But I will say that the Lord sometimes allows a person to be abandoned, as it were, but still preserves and leads the soul to salvation. This permission of God may concern an entire community of believers. Our job is to humbly keep the faith of Christ. If faith is maintained, there is hope of salvation. Faith must be maintained, with abstinence from all sin. Pray earnestly to the Lord so that you can be with Him to the end. He will not leave you and will save you. Don't be discouraged, stay awake. May the Lord keep you under His roof. Hello family. I don’t boast about my health. The doctor determines pulmonary tuberculosis. For everything, thank God. The Lord does not deprive me of my spiritual peace, and everything I need is still there, and the future is in the hands of God. Sorry. Peace and salvation. March 20/April 2, 1931 Letter No. 11(67). To an unknown person Peace and salvation and God's blessing, my child! I already wrote you congratulations. Am I sending to the right address? You never write anything about your address, and I am at a loss. It’s good that I didn’t send the parcel, because for now I have a lot of everything, and the excess is very burdensome, so your insight about my material needs is very wrong. I never write lies and I have always taught you to speak and do the truth. And for your diligence in sending a parcel - God bless you. Very grateful. Waiting to move is one of the difficult conditions of our lives. So far I have moved from my previous village to another, but the address remains the same. I sincerely thank you and your mother for your congratulations. Peace be upon her and God's blessing. Always in my strength I pray for all of you. You write that you feel bad about yourself. I have already written to you and I am writing to you again: you must humble yourself and surrender to the will of God. I don’t bless you to come to me. I am writing this strictly. And why about. A. I need to know - it’s not clear to me, but I’m telling you. To Arkhangelsk - by rail. From Arkhangelsk to Pinega - 200 versts. In winter - on foot, because there are no horses, and in summer - by boat. Now the mudslinging begins. I live in the village of Kozlovka, 6 versts from Pinega. I receive letters and post restante parcels carefully, which is why I haven’t changed the addresses yet. So far we are not accepting parcels, and for now I don’t need anything. And it will be seen there. May the Lord protect you under the shelter of His goodness. My health is in one situation. I'm a little sick. God's will be done. Sorry. Peace and salvation. Letter No. 12(68). To an unknown person Truly Christ is Risen! Thank you, my daughter, for your congratulations on the bright holiday. I congratulate each other, call upon you peace and God’s blessing, and wish you all God’s mercies. I am glad that you received my letter. I mourned the loss of letters. You write about the difficulties of life. I believe and sympathize, but don’t be discouraged. The Lord knows what he is doing. Thank God for everything and for the fact that you meet kind people. It's very expensive. At times, I too was consoled by the promise and the kind people I met in my exile life. Thank God for everything. May the Lord strengthen your health. Take care of yourself and at the same time surrender to the will of the Lord. I don’t worry about financial assistance at all. I have everything I need. Until now the Lord has not allowed me to experience need. But my health has deteriorated. The doctor determines pulmonary tuberculosis. God's will be done. I always pray for you. May the Lord protect you under the shelter of His goodness. Trust in Him and resort to Him alone. May the Lord be with you everywhere and always. I sincerely sympathize with M. Anisia. May the Lord strengthen her in her illness. May the Lord forgive you for your weaknesses and sins. Repent. Peace and salvation. Sorry. I correspond with M. Ambrosia. But for a long time I had nothing from her. Letter No. 1(69). Irina Bobkova 41 Most honest in the Lord, Sister Irina! May God's blessing remain upon you forever. After talking with you and confessing, I thought about your situation and prayed for you. May God help you! Maybe you didn’t fully understand and remember what I told you, and therefore I think it would be useful to write to you and explain everything. I am writing to you as your spiritual father, wishing you spiritual benefit and eternal salvation. The temptation that befell you and which still does not leave you is great, but for the Lord it is possible and easy to crush all the intrigues that the enemy arranges for you. Although you did not receive tonsure into the mantle, you still had a cassock, and the following prayer is read on the robe: “I thank You, Lord our God, Who in Your many mercy has delivered Your servant from the vain worldly life and called her to this honest promise: grant her to live worthily in this angelic residence and save her from the snares of the devil, and keep her soul and body pure even to death...” And further: “Cover her lighting with clothes; Gird up her loins with chastity...” From this it is clear that the Holy Orthodox Church also looks at the ryassophore as a vow to God. Be afraid to lie to God! Now, if we add to this the fact that the monk in the robe is tempting you, then I’m scared to think what kind of judgment the Holy Church will pronounce on this! This is what is written in the law: “If a monk or nun comes into the communion of marriage, that is, gets married, it is not considered marriage, but fornication, or, better said, adultery. For this reason, until they disperse, they do not even enter the church, but let them leave according to the 6th rule of the Great Basil. If they happen to die without repentance, they should not be buried or commemorated, for they are alien to Christians.” Be horrified, soul, at these words 42!.. Does the one who seduces you not remember those tonsured words that were spoken by the abbot at St. altar: “For the angels stand invisibly, writing this confession of yours, in which you will be tortured at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And then it is added: “Be aware of evil thoughts, for the enemy will not cease to offer you the memory of your former worldly life and hatred of a virtuous life...” Consequently, this whole thing that has befallen you is the enemy’s intrigue, the enemy’s temptation. Run away from it, this temptation, like from a poisonous snake. Whoever endures such a temptation, that is, does not succumb to the thoughts of the enemy, inspiring hatred of monastic life, then it will pass. And again love for the holy, monastic, truly wonderful life will appear. Although now, one might say, there are no monasteries, the monastic vow must remain in the soul, for it was given to God, for monasticism was, is and will be. Further: if your parents, in their simplicity and humility, cannot figure out this matter, then I will give you an explanation for this, and again not from my weak mind, but as our great deceased Elders explained. They said that parents who gave their children to serve God would receive a reward equal to that of righteous Abraham, who did not hesitate to sacrifice his son Isaac to God. Truly blessed is the womb that gave birth to a monk. And your parents can also expect this reward if, having once sent you to the monastery to serve God, they now try to ensure that you continue to follow this path. Once you have entered the holy monastery, then you are now not your parents’, not your own, but God’s. God's things belong to God. And whoever steals what is God and appropriates it for himself will gravely sin the sin of sacrilege. Let your parents understand this and watch over you with prayer, parental blessing, and deed. Let your parents be afraid of sin and the loss of the reward awaiting them. Christ said in the Gospel that the soul is more valuable than the whole world. You lived in the monastery of the Queen of Heaven, in honor of Her Kazan Icon. Her akathist says that She, the Queen of Heaven, is the cover and protection of virginity, the guardian of those who are zealous for purity. Here I am, sinful and unworthy, entrusting you, as my spiritual child, to Her all-powerful protection. May the Queen of Heaven protect you, may every pretext of the enemy and the slander of evil people be reflected from you by the prayers of the Mother of God. Do not be discouraged, “take courage, and let your heart be strong” (Ps. 26:14). Submit yourself to the will of God, for whoever surrenders himself to the will of God, and the will of God is always good and perfect, over him the will of God is always done, wanting all men to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). Therefore, pray to the Lord and cry out like this: “Lord God, save me, a sinner, and may Your will be done in everything.” Believe me, such prayer will calm your heart. Then call for help the saints and saints of God, to whom the grace has been given from the Lord to help people who require help in protecting purity and chastity: “Reverend Martinian, Saint John the Long-Suffering, Saint Moses Murin, Saint Moses Ugrin, Venerable Eudokia, Venerable Mary of Egypt, St. Martyr Thomaida, St. Martyr Virgin Justina, St. Hieromartyr Cyprian, St. Martyr Boniface, “pray to God for me, a sinner, and help me with your holy prayers.” I earnestly wish you peace and joy in the Sweetest Lord Jesus, and again I invoke God’s blessing on you. Letter No. 2(70). Irina Bobkova Peace, and salvation, and God's blessing, my daughter! I received your letter. I heartily sympathize with your grief, it is understandable to me. But you cannot grieve beyond measure. We must surrender to the will of God. After all, without the will of God I would not have gotten sick. I do not hide my illness. But I don’t have any doctoral supervision, and therefore I myself don’t know what the situation is. I believe that the matter is serious, because there has been no improvement since the beginning, for two months now. Although the doctor muttered that it was not transient, he directly spoke about the seriousness of the situation - the thought of transience also comes to mind. So far, apart from weakness and slight soreness in my body, I don’t feel anything. But what worries me is that the temperature is always high, about 38°, and sometimes, in the evening, it can be 39°. Cough is rare. The sputum appears to be white. First, the doctor prescribed thiokol with Dorovsky, and then prescribed other powders. I don't feel any benefit from them and I'm not taking any yet. If you can get thiokol, then I would ask you to send me these powders. Although I don’t have much hope in medicine, I don’t reject it either. We've arrived. I'll be grateful. Regarding the fact that I fell and felt ill, this is fiction. I live with Fr. Peter and read these lines to him. He laughed. I feel in the same position, no worse and no better. But the thought of death is getting closer and closer to me. Perhaps the Lord will judge me to die. The Monk Theodore the Studite, himself a former exile, rejoices and rejoices for those dying in exile. Therefore, there is no need to be discouraged. Your dream is similar to the truth 43. In general, I don’t believe in dreams, but there are true dreams. Let us surrender him to the will of God. I have nothing against you, I was not offended by you in any way. Be calm and peaceful, and may the Lord forgive you all your infirmities. Repent. I have told you many times not to say rash words. The Lord can always free you from the hands of the devil - and He is the only One. And if at the same time there is a person, for example a spiritual father, then he does not act independently, but as much as the Lord gives him. Therefore, salvation is from the Lord, and anyone can receive it, as long as they do not become discouraged and despair. You are very prone to despondency, because you take everything to heart. This is wrong. You want to be more merciful than God. You need to sympathize with every person, especially your loved ones. And help what is in your power, and surrender everything else to the will of God... The Lord knows what he is doing. But you live for the salvation of your soul, and not at all for the salvation of others. It's good to save others. But this is often not in our power, and it is good only when your first duty is in order - to save your soul. Therefore, do not grieve for your relatives beyond measure, and for me as well. For, believe me, the Lord loves you and me more than you and I can imagine. I feel sorry for poor E. and the children. We must pray and surrender to the will of God, and then we will see. Give peace and God's blessing to both her and M. N.'s children. I always pray for them. But you shouldn't go crazy over them. This is cowardice, which is sinful. I tell you, don’t try to be more merciful than God. Humble yourself and accept the will of God. As for where I live. 6 versts from Pinega, the village of Kozlovka, on the river bank, the house of Alexandra Perlyakova. Steamboats in... pass by our house. I pray and fear for you, and I can only surrender to the will of God. And this is very difficult. May the Lord protect you from all evil in all your ways. Hello to the nanny and r.... I remember them prayerfully. For now I have everything I need, but I won’t refuse cow’s butter and grape wine, but not church wine, if it’s possible, it’s not difficult to get. If my things survived, then they were completely unnecessary, for example, a drape overcoat. It is expensive, and you can sell it as needed so as not to have difficulties with money. Sorry. May God's mercy be with you. You just need to pack the wine better, because if it breaks, it could be a nuisance. And about human sorrows and disasters it is said in St. Gospel: “Behold, do not be horrified, for it is fitting for all things to be” (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9). Our job is to keep ourselves in faith and guard ourselves from all sin, and everything else must be left entirely to the will of God. It gives peace to the heart. Amen. Everything is God's will. Just to save the soul, and the rest is all vanity. Everything is changing here. And our thoughts should be in God, in the future life. Everything on earth will pass away. May God's blessing be upon you forever. I received your letter. To the best of my ability, I bring to the Lord God my unworthy prayer for your health and salvation. The postal train leaves today, and I am in a hurry to write to you, but, unfortunately, I do not have your letter at hand, which was left in my cell, and having gone to Kozelsk yesterday, I was forced to spend the night here. I still remember the more significant questions in the letter and answer them. Currently, everyone is free, although some, for example Father Nektary, are obliged to sign a written undertaking not to leave the Kozelsky district. Father, in order to get away from the bustle that he experienced in Kozelsk, decided to go to the village of Plokhino to his spiritual son, a farmer. This happened yesterday, and so quickly that we didn’t even have time to say goodbye to Father, and I couldn’t even see him: I came, and he had already left. Nevertheless, I managed to propose your question about coming to Optina to Father through the girl Anastasia. She told me that Father did not advise coming now. And this is the state of affairs with us. Everyone was asked to leave the monastery, and most have already left. People connected with the monastery through business relations have been left for now. For example, I, as a member of the office of our partnership, until the final liquidation of its affairs and economy, and others, like me. What will happen next - God knows. They leave, for now or not yet, it is not known, about fifteen to twenty people as workers and watchmen... And while we are still in the monastery, we serve daily and sing in the choir - we are consoled. In general, we are told this: pray as much as you want, but you will not have premises in the former monastery. Go from the city, from the village - from anywhere. For now, I am entrusted with the church and the keys to it. And all church services. And the fathers who come and want to serve turn to me with their requests for service. I am invited to several parishes, both in cities and in villages, and Stenin citizens ask me not to leave the monastery church. But I think the solution to this issue will depend on the premises. If they give me even a small cell in the monastery, I will not leave it. But if they ask to leave, then maybe I’ll have to agree to come, because due to a leg problem it’s very difficult for me to walk... Just in case, I have an apartment in Kozelsk, and I don’t think about leaving anywhere yet. If necessary, you can write to me at the girl Anastasia, she will tell me. Or even directly: Kozelsk, on demand. As for the spiritual mood, we can say in a general phrase - those who left the monastery miss the monastery. That's what I hear. But, in general, there is also submission to the will of God. I personally only find peace and tranquility when I completely surrender everything - myself, my family, my friends, my brothers, and all the circumstances - to the will of God. God's will be done! And the will of God is always good and perfect, wanting all men to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4). I have no hope for people. Everything human is crumbling. “The truth of the Lord endures forever” (Ps. 116:2). Peace and silence are established in the soul and heart from devotion to the will of God. If we receive good things from the hand of the Lord, will we not endure the evil ones? It is said nowhere: “You have planned evil for me, but the Lord will do good for me too.” I believe this. I believe that the Lord will not leave us. Sorry. I hasten to finish the letter. May the Lord bless you. I earnestly wish you all God's mercies. Do not be discouraged, but place your hope in the will of the Lord. May God's blessing remain upon you forever! I received two letters from you. One with money invested and two parcels. God bless you! I thank you earnestly for remembering me on my angel’s day. Sister Irina gave me everything and arranged everything. I heartily sympathize with you, my child. May the Lord comfort you. And I, to the best of my weak strength, pray for you. I expect mercy and help from the Lord God for myself and for everyone, for human salvation is in vain (Ps. 59:13; 107:13), as it is said in the psalm. I am writing this to you in response to your request for prayers for you. Don’t be afraid to bother me with your requests and spiritual needs. As long as I am in my current position, I will be glad to help you. The only thing I grieve about is that I am spiritually insufficient, that I am not able to fully satisfy the needs of a person’s mind and heart, that I am not able to console him as I would like. I don’t know what the Lord will charge my prayer to me. But out of my duty, the duty of a spiritual father, I will pray for you. What saddened me about your letter was that you wrote it unreasonably or without thinking. Is it possible to say or write such words? To enlighten you, I am sending you the poem “Testament to the Writer.” What unreasonable words: “You’re going to die anyway!” Let this not happen to you. With heartfelt repentance, ask the Lord for forgiveness for such madness. Your soul, washed from sin in the sacrament of baptism, redeemed by the priceless blood of the Son of God, cleansed from all filth in the sacrament of repentance, is precious to the Lord God, more precious than all the blessings of the whole world. It is also precious in the eyes of the spiritual father, for he rejoices at the salvation of his spiritual children and grieves with all his heart over their foolishness or destruction. I see you're depressed. Don't be discouraged, my child! Know that the Lord is near you, that His unceasing Providence is watching over you, that your Guardian Angel protects you all days and nights. He rejoices at your good thoughts and cries when you think inappropriately, especially when you say or do something. Be patient with the Lord for the sake of the yoke of Christ. Beware of everything evil. Fight the evil you have already suffered. Do not succumb to the evil that has not yet approached you. Be patient with yourself. After all, you cannot immediately become holy or sinless. After all, perfect living is not given immediately. Perfect living, the intercession of eternal salvation, is acquired, as it is said in the rite of monastic tonsure, “through much sweat and labor” and “countless blood and deaths.” Don't be surprised by the evil you see in yourself. St. saw him in himself. The Apostle Paul exclaimed: “I see another law in my fortunes, and I am taken captive by the law of sin...” (Rom. 7:23). Let the sight of this evil humble you, not dishearten you. Let the vision of this evil force you to seek help from God and not rely on your own strength. Are you writing how to get out of this state? How can we explain this condition? I’ve already almost answered you about both, but I’m adding. It is said: “Your law is a lamp for my feet, and a light for my paths” (Ps. 119:105). Yes, there is no other lamp, no other light. This is the only true light. Study in the Word of God, read first of all St. Gospel, St. fathers, you will see the way. “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). Keep St. faith and morality. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t immediately notice a change for the better in yourself. Sometimes the Lord hesitates to send deliverance, for the sake of greater humility of a person. Acquire a mood of devotion to the will of God. Constantly repeat within yourself: Thy will be done, Lord! I regret that you could not, or rather were afraid, to write in more detail. To heal from an illness, it is necessary to detect the illness. May God help you! We are all in the same position. There are many rumors, but little sense. I completely surrender to the will of God. Write a letter, but do not write anything unnecessary in the sense of quality, not quantity. May the Lord make you wise. I don’t remember what I didn’t tell you, that is, I don’t remember what you’re talking about. Write more clearly. I gave the money to Afanasy. “Be of good courage, and let your heart be strong” (Ps. 26:14). I'll try to pray. Pray too. I sincerely wish you peace and joy in the Lord and all the mercies of God. May the Lord protect you from all troubles and evils. Be careful with your words Your whole mind is composed in words, There is creative power in the word God is the Word: He is revealed In a modest earthly image. Death cross, crown of thorns And behind Him, behind the Word too, God's sufferers walked cheerfully Be wise in your speeches, I advise the virgin Mary to take note of this covenant and fulfill it, for although we are not all writers, we will all have to give the Lord God an answer and account for our every word. 1923 October 28/November 10. May God's blessing remain on you forever! I received two letters and two parcels from you. God bless you! May the Lord reward you for your love. But, my child, do not worry about expressing your gratitude to me, as you write. I believe in the grateful feeling of your heart - and that’s enough. What I have done and am doing, I do according to the grace of the priesthood given to me. I received this grace in all respects, that is, both in material terms, for grace cannot be bought, and in moral terms, for I am truly unworthy of such a great gift, and precisely a gift. I tremble and ask the Lord to help me use this gift according to its high purpose. I pray for you, may the Lord protect you from all troubles and evils under the roof of His goodness. If you have a spiritual need, then come, God will bless you, but not for long, because you don’t need to irritate your parents. Pray to the Lord, may He pacify the hearts of your parents, and may everything be for the benefit of your soul and theirs. May the Lord protect you on your journey. I did not receive a detailed letter, so I was in no hurry to respond. If God willing, we will personally discuss all your needs. O.P. November 21/December 7, 1923 May God's blessing remain upon you forever. I received your letters and parcels. God bless you. The last one was a little late. I received it already on Bright Week. I’m not angry with you, but, of course, a spiritual father cannot be pleased when spiritual children hide something or are generally insincere. Therefore, I praise your decision to tell everything at the first meeting. May God forgive you! Now I’ll answer your two questions. Don’t go to Father Nektary yet. We received a message from there that Father had signed a contract not to accept anyone, and he was not accepting. Some who wanted to go did not go, and some, although they went, did not achieve anything. There is no point in taking on the trouble of traveling without the hope of being accepted. This is the first thing. Then the second one. I don’t find it convenient to bind myself to a promise to sing mass every day. And to the extent possible, without conditions, God will bless. But remember that this is God’s work and that God’s works must be done with reverence, as it is said: “Work for the Lord with fear, and rejoice in Him with trembling” (Ps. 2:11). Enter the church as if you were entering the house of God. And be in the church, as in the house of God, with the consciousness of the presence of God, moving away from all freedom and recklessness. May God help you! I earnestly wish you all the mercies of God. The girl first of all needs to observe modesty. Peace be with you! O.P., currently temporarily in Kozelsk. May God's blessing remain upon you forever! I bring you, my child, my heartfelt gratitude for what you sent. God bless you! May the Lord comfort you! I always pray for you according to my strength. I greet you on the coming St. days. Happy Lent and earnestly wish you all the mercies of God. And they are first of all attracted by a soul filled with humility and repentance. Keep yourself in these virtues. Without them, spiritual life is impossible, cleansing the heart from passions is impossible, and without this it is impossible to see the Lord. God's blessing to dad, mom and the whole house. May the Lord bless you all. I pray for dad. How's he doing? Peace and salvation to you. February 24/March 9, 1926 I greet you on the great and bright holiday of the Resurrection of Christ and earnestly wish you peace and joy on these holy days. God bless my child for your memory of me. I received your package with the Easter egg and received it in good condition earlier. May the Lord comfort you with His mercy. I ask you to be gentler and more humble with your family. After all, I teach you and always taught you to humble yourself. Endure everything. And be as respectful as possible with your parents. After all, it is more pleasant for me, as your spiritual father, to know and hear that my child is behaving well. Because they say that like the shepherd, like the sheep. When mom is at home, never say anything to Olya if mom doesn’t like it. You are not her boss. Better pray. And if they ask you to look after it, then you are obligated to keep an eye on it. I always pray for you. Give my Easter greetings to dad and mom. May God help them. May the Lord protect you all from all evil. Peace to you and God's blessing. I am writing hastily. Come - God bless you. Bring some clothes too. And there we will pray, and as the Lord puts it on our hearts, so we will do 44. Pray to God, my child, and surrender to the will of God. I pray to God for you and earnestly wish you health, salvation and all prosperity. May the Lord bless you! Letter No. 1(78). M. Maria 45 Most honest Sister Mary in the Lord! May God's blessing remain upon you forever. Save yourself in the Lord, pay attention to your salvation. Tear your heart away from all attachment to the affairs of this world. And if for the sake of need you have to do something worldly, but not sinful, of course, then endure it, considering it a punishment for sins. Don't annoy your parents. Humble yourself more. It is better to avoid elective positions in the home. There is no specific rule for penance. This is the job of the confessor. Therefore, the Pentecostal Penance must be performed as indicated or will be indicated by the confessor who gave this penance. Read the teachings of the priest for yourself. God bless G. Dyachenko. There will be a special message about M. Anna when she decides to go for surgery. I think it will be later, in the fall, it should be. I think it’s better to confess to Fr. Iv. Af. But I don’t know either one or the other. We need to take a closer look. I advised S. Natalia not to sing for several reasons, and now I think it’s better not to sing. But if she is offered singing as an obedience, then I cannot insist on my opinion. “Sing to our God, sing... Sing wisely” (Ps. 46:7-8) (and not madly), with all reverence, avoiding all sin that can be attached to a good deed. Give her God's blessing. Don’t pay attention to people’s ridicule about your monastic state. Just be a good nun, and the Lord will not leave you with His mercy. About the akathists later. I'm in a hurry. May the Lord bless you. My greetings and God's blessing to my mother. Congratulations to her on her Angel Day. Most honest in the Lord, M. Maria! May God's blessing remain upon you forever! I received your letters. God bless you for what you sent. God bless you to prepare to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ. May the Holy Mysteries be given to you for the healing of your soul and body. All your efforts and attention, as a nun, should be focused on the soul, on healing the soul. But one should not be careless about the body. St. the fathers said: “We are passion-killers, but not body-killers.” The body only needs to be kept in order through fasting and deeds, and most importantly, with humility, but not to cripple it. You couldn’t get sick from eating meat, and you couldn’t get sick from temporary poor nutrition in Kozelsk either. But I don’t know what is the cause of your illness. Therefore, I advise you to go to the doctor. In general, eat the food that suits you, but in sufficient quantity, and season your food with oil, eating without oil only during fasting, on certain days, and when you are preparing. Oil-freeness has a great impact on the human body. It is not for nothing that the psalm says: “My flesh has changed for the sake of oil” (Ps. 108:24). Have moderation and reasoning in this. May the Lord God bless you. Everything is fine with us so far. My vestments remained intact. At the funeral of Fr. Sergius 46 met his brother. He made a good impression on me. By the way, he suggested that I take the place of the late Fr. Sergius, but so far I have avoided it. In the elections, although everyone passed me unanimously, I evaded and nominated Fr. Gregory as a candidate. He has so far been chosen as rector, but the second priest has not yet been decided 47 . God's will be done! Tell your mother my greetings and God's blessing. Peace and salvation to you. I sincerely thank you for the akathists. God bless you! Which book for Elizabeth? We have several of them. To protect yourself from a fire, you must read a prayer before the icon of the Mother of God “The Burning Bush.” May the Lord protect you all under the shelter of His goodness. May God's blessing remain upon you forever. When your mother lets you go, I give you my blessing to come. You can stop at the gatehouse. M. Anna Galkina asked me to come with you, otherwise she might need something on the road. I bless you to come to an agreement with her. We must bear each other's burdens. Now I’m not writing anything to you because I don’t have time, but if, God willing, you come, then you’ll tell me everything. Give my greetings and God's blessing to mom and dad. In a personal conversation, ask me about reconciliation, then I will tell you, God willing, what to do. It’s completely indecent for you to cry about trifles like a nun. Be courageous and cry only for your sins. Your grief for the monastery is quite understandable, but what will you do now? Humble yourself and endure, trusting in the mercy of God. May the Lord bless you! May God's blessing remain upon you forever. Congratulations on the upcoming St. During Great Lent and earnestly I wish you to pass through the field of holy fasting in all piety and reverence. “Lent has come, the mother of chastity, the accuser of sins, the preacher of repentance, the habitation of Angels and the salvation of men...” 48. I earnestly wish you correction and salvation. But it is necessary to correct it. Remember that it is not in the nature of a nun to be angry or to anger others. That's what the saints said. fathers. You keep writing about your brawls. It's a shame. Conduct yourself as befits not a girl, but a nun, so that the name of a monk is not blasphemed for your sake. You ask for forgiveness. I must forgive. But this forgiveness will not have power if you do not fight with yourself. You can't let yourself go. What is written in the Holy Gospel? Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, pray for those who harm us, forgive everything (Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:27), keep yourself in all humility and chastity (1 Tim. 2:9-10); if you want to be a Christian and a nun, then behave as St. The Gospel and the writings of St. fathers. I prayed for my mom and dad, served a prayer service, and held a prayer service. May God help them. Don't forget to pray to St. Nicholas and St. Spiridon. I received your parcels. God bless you! Thank you very much. But he didn’t report it due to lack of time. And he himself got sick. I didn't leave the house for more than a week. May the Lord God protect you under the shelter of His goodness. I remember you prayerfully. Letter No. 5(82). M. Maria Savutina Peace and God's blessing to all my spiritual children. May God's blessing remain upon you forever! If the Lord does not bring us to see each other soon, I humbly submit to the judgment of God and ask you and everyone else to humbly accept this will of God. She is good and perfect, although due to our weakness it is regrettable for us. If you remember, I told you that the Lord can comfort a person even in the face of an influx of sorrows. And I believe that it will comfort us. Don't complain about anyone. We are God’s, and without God’s will nothing can happen to us. I sincerely thank you and everyone else for your efforts and care for me. May the Lord reward you with His mercy. And if for some reason anyone could not participate in caring for me during this time, I thank them all for their love, for the Lord looks on the heart. All my children are dear to me in the Lord. To those living with you - peace and God's blessing. May the Lord bless you all. God bless you all for everything. Peace to you and God's blessing. I heartily sympathize with you in all your sorrows. May the Lord rule everything according to His holy will. I pray for you, for your dad and mom, your aunt and her sick son. May the Lord protect you all under the shelter of His goodness. Pray too. Prayer is the first thing. Humble yourself. I am sending my message. I advise you not to get involved in giving me lunch. You can ask, but I don’t give my blessing to argue. If you humble yourself, you will be dearer to me. Give five rubles to M.S. Express your love for me by humility and obedience to me, and it will benefit you spiritually. We must learn to give up our will and humbly endure everything we don’t like. Monasticism requires this. M. Help Irina in any way you can. And when we see each other, God willing, we’ll talk in person. Peace and salvation to you. Don't talk too much. This is not useful. If you respect me, try to humble yourself first, and from the heart. Most honorable in the Lord, M. Maria, my child! Peace and salvation and God's blessing. May the Lord protect you under the shelter of His goodness. Endure everything humbly - you will find peace of mind. I remember you and pray. Peace and God's blessing to mom, dad, girls Olga and Maria. I pray for dad and all of you. S. Tell Natasha that there are no obstacles on my part, but without the blessing and offer of Mother Abbess you cannot go. It will be self-inflicted. May he receive a blessing. I wish you all the mercies of God. Peace and God's blessing to you! I am very concerned about your general unpeace 49 and I wrote a small note 50 to which I cannot add more for now. Valya will read this note to you 51. If you respect me, be obedient. I am very grateful to you for all your troubles, but the salvation of the soul is most important. Unworldliness destroys people. Remember to what extent enmity and unpeacefulness brought people, even monks, even ascetics. Whoever humbles himself will be dearer to me. May the Lord bless you. God bless you for everything, and forgive me: in your unworldliness I see a punishment for me from God. [Kaluga prison, 1927 – ?] Peace to you and God's blessing. Congratulations on the upcoming St. days of holidays 52, also your mother and everyone at home. May the Lord comfort you all with His mercy. I always remember you prayerfully. If possible, buy some chocolates or a box of cookies and send them to our hostess Maria Ivanovna for the holiday. And forgive me that I have nothing to console you with. May the Lord protect you under the shelter of His mercy. I congratulate you, dad, mom and everyone on the great holiday of the Nativity of Christ. I pray for all of you, and wish you all the mercies of God, and call for peace and God's blessing. I thank you earnestly for everything. God bless you. Trust in the Lord and learn to be patient. This is necessary in spiritual life. And don't judge others. For everything, thank God. M. Natalia peace and God's blessing. I really congratulate her. May the Lord strengthen her. I thank her. God bless you. May the Lord comfort you with His mercy. M. Paraskeva God's blessing. Thank you. God bless you. I already wrote to her. May the Lord comfort her. Peace and salvation. My child! If you have it, then send me three rubles, no more. Don't you need anything? Kirill? Send it to him. Perhaps he also needs money? Buy me a toothbrush, the hardest one, with four rows of bristles. May God's blessing remain upon you forever. If the Lord judges me to be separated from all of you, I must humbly and obediently accept this will of God. Thank God for everything! As your spiritual father, I entrust you to the protection of the Queen of Heaven and ask you to protect yourself from all sin. Remember that every sin can destroy a person. Humbly express your desires to God in prayer, but at the same time renounce your will. Don't be embarrassed. If the Lord is slow to fulfill your requests. He who sincerely loves the Lord forces himself everywhere and always to keep His commandments, for “the Kingdom of Heaven is in need” (Matthew 11:12). And if you only wait for favorable conditions for salvation, you will never begin a life pleasing to God. Do not judge or condemn anyone, but pay attention only to yourself, committing yourself, everyone, and everything to the will of God. Praying for you. May the Lord bless you, my child. May the Lord forgive you for your weaknesses and sins. Peace and salvation. To your dad, mom and aunt, peace and God's blessing. May the Lord protect them all. Peace and salvation and God's blessing. I will answer your questions briefly. Live at home for now, and you can go to Kozelsk occasionally or as needed for monastic worship and general communication. You can confess to your legal confessors, but I don’t specify the person. Who will be able to. Your virginity is with you, and you can confess as a virgin entering monasticism. I forgive you for everything, and may God forgive you. If you want to be a nun and a Christian, don’t judge anyone and forgive everyone everything, but don’t do anything bad yourself. And sometimes it turns out the other way around. Eradicate your own evil from your heart, but you don’t care about other people’s evil. Pay attention to yourself. Praying for you. May the Lord bless you. I wish you all the mercies of God. “In our humility, remember us, O Lord.” So, we need to come to terms with it. Then you will receive spiritual consolation. From distant Leningrad I send my greetings to you and other souls near and dear to me. Peace and God's blessing to you. I inform you about myself that I am alive and well, and so far the Lord has not allowed me anything particularly difficult. Until now, everything has been tolerated easily and calmly. And the future is in the hands of God. We find kind people everywhere. There are no needs yet. I grieve for those close to me and ask you all to take care of yourselves, relying only on the Lord. This is my fervent desire and prayer before the Lord. We are going to our destination. And in Moscow and here - only passing through. I thank everyone for everything and wish everyone all the best. May God's blessing remain upon you forever. I congratulate you on this bright holiday and thank you earnestly for the package. God bless you. I remember you and always pray. May the Lord protect you under the shelter of His mercy. You wrote about your sorrows and burdens. Don't be discouraged, the Lord will not leave you. Try to cut off your will and live according to the will of God. Resign yourself to the conditions of life and pay attention only to yourself, do not take the misdeeds and deeds of others to heart. Then you will be peaceful and calm. Otherwise you will not learn monastic life. May the Lord enlighten and strengthen you. Put the salvation of your soul first and do not judge anyone. The Lord will judge everyone according to their deeds. In times of despondency, run to the Lord in prayer and you will receive relief. Know that the Lord will not send you sorrows beyond your strength. To my mother and others I know - God's blessing. Peace and salvation to you. I earnestly ask you to convey my greetings and God’s blessing to M. Maria. May the Lord protect and comfort her. I received, it seems, two letters and a parcel from her. God save her! Very grateful. And I wrote one letter to her earlier. I heartily sympathize with my child and believe in the difficulties of life. But you need to know that sincerity and firmness of will are tested precisely by patience and time. Without trials, sorrows and hardships, it is impossible to sufficiently appreciate the benefits and conveniences that we have lost and that we desire, but do not have. For everything, thank God. And the actions of others should not be analyzed unless we are asked. Everyone lives as he wants, and you pay attention to yourself. May the Lord enlighten and strengthen you. I remember and pray with strength. A year of our separation has already passed. Let us strengthen ourselves for the future in the hope of God’s mercy and help. May peace and salvation be with you. May God's blessing remain upon you forever. I've been meaning to write to you for a long time, but I couldn't. I still remember that I wrote to you and thanked you for sending me the parcel. God bless you! Thank you for everything you have done for me. Give my greetings, peace and God's blessing to your sisters Anfia and Evdokia and everyone else; I remember them all prayerfully, although I don’t have the opportunity to write to everyone. May the Lord God reward you all with His mercy and generosity. I have already written about my life, and therefore I will not write the same thing. I all live in the same place and position. I am healthy all the time by the grace of God. If you remember me, then know that I do not forget you, and that, being separated from you, I grieve for you, for the Lord has not yet sent me sorrows personally: the sorrowful painful experiences were very short-lived, and you can always get used to your external situation, if it is not beyond your strength; and I can’t complain about it. Thank God for everything! May the Lord comfort you all in your sorrows, which are close to me and touch my heart: it is my sinful heart, full of sympathy for you. Tell M. Ambrosia my gratitude for the package. God bless you! You may think that I’m starving - calm down, we have as much black and white bread as you like, white for 20 and 25 kopecks per kilogram; I can buy 1 kilogram. And more than every day. Although I refused the medicine, I now think that potassium iodide would be good to take. There is as much tea soda as you want. And on the powder you need to write, sc. You will need water and soda. There is no need to send soap: we have both expensive and simple, I wrote and write. Thank you very much for everything. Your well-being and good mood are a great consolation for me. Greetings and God's blessing to the 53 Belevsky sisters. I remember them and pray. Sorry. [1928 or 1929 Link.] May God's blessing remain upon you forever. I congratulate you on your angel’s day and earnestly wish you peace and joy in the Lord and all prosperity. May the Lord keep you under the shelter of His goodness, may He comfort you with His mercy. How is your health? I sincerely thank you and everyone else for the two parcels received. God bless you. I remember you and them prayerfully, asking you all from the Lord God for mental and physical health and everything beneficial for the life of body and soul. My greetings to M. Sofia, M. Euphrosyne, I always remember them. I sympathize with you and them in their sorrows and needs, although I rarely wrote. May the grace of God enlighten you, guiding you on the path of salvation. I received a message about the death of your mother and, with my strength, I pray for the repose of her soul. Thank you very much for the money transfer. Everything that happens to us in our lives happens according to the will of God. Therefore, everything must be accepted as from the hand of the Lord with all humility. I fervently wish you all to find this precious humility through submission to the will of God. Even with all the difficulties and sorrows, it can give a person bliss. Hello everyone. Peace and salvation to you. Sorry. About the repose of R.B. I will also pray to John according to my strength. May the Lord rest his soul in the villages of the righteous. M. Anastasia peace and God's blessing. I thank her. How is her health? I pray for her. God help her. May God's blessing remain upon you forever! I congratulate you on your Angel’s day and earnestly wish you peace and joy in the Lord. May the Lord send you everything useful for the life of body and soul, admonishing and saving you. I could not immediately answer your letter, which saddened me, but I am writing to you only now, on the day of your angel. Come to your senses, my child. Who and what are you changing for? I always pray for you, although my prayer is weak. I thought about you and believe that what happened to you happened because of the condemnation of your neighbors. You constantly analyzed the actions of others, tempted by their weaknesses, but did not see your own. I wrote and told you about this. Pay attention to yourself and consider everyone better than yourself - and the Lord will help you. Write to me, what's wrong with you? Being far away, I cannot promise much, but I will try to answer as best I can. My address: Gor. Arkhangelsk, Zaostrovye, village. Lower Ladino, Burdin's house, N.M.B. Now I am assigned to live in the northern region, and for now this is my address. Maybe he will change, because sometimes there is movement from place to place. While he is alive and well, and the Lord protects from all troubles and evils. But I accept what is sent as from the hand of the Lord and believe that it was sent for my benefit. Thank God for everything. My greetings to your mother. May the Lord bless you all. Take care of yourself. I received two of your letters. But I couldn’t do anything to get my luggage, because I was leaving for Pinega. I was at Kuznechikha, and they told me that both those and other tenants had left them completely. It was as if they were taking the luggage receipt to the post office to send to Geor. Mich. It would be possible to get it if the receipt number was known. Otherwise, there is no data on which to ask for this luggage. Just in case, write to Fr. Agapit (Mikh. Mikh.) to Arkhangelsk on demand, if you know the receipt number and everything else, and he will receive it, because for now he remains there. Take care of yourself. What you told me is enough for now. Don't excuse yourself with childish simplicity. This is not childish simplicity, but negligence. Hello to mom and dad. Thank you for your trust and attention. God bless you. I call upon you and on them peace and God's blessing. May the Lord keep you under the shelter of His goodness. God willing, I'll tell you the address. O. My greetings to Agapit. I remember him prayerfully. Sorry. P.S. I reached Pinega safely. But I haven’t settled in yet. God willing, I’ll write again and tell you the address. In case of anything you can write: mail. dept. Pinega, Arkhang. okr., until required. By the way, the baggage receipt number can be found where the baggage was accepted. We need to hurry. Although I was told by one employee that luggage can be stored for more than one month. Just in case, tell me the number of the luggage receipt, although there is hardly anything I can do. Sorry. May the Lord protect and bless you. 11/24 August 1930 Wonga. Peace and God's blessing. To your request, I answered that it needs to be postponed, because I don’t yet see the possibility of fulfilling your desire, and primarily because I feel unsettled and my address may change, and it is difficult to write about various other inconveniences. We must leave this to God. If God wills this, then we will see each other and talk, but for now we will be patient. I believe that the Lord fulfills our desires for good, and therefore our desires will also be fulfilled if they bring us spiritual benefit. Considering myself a sinner, and therefore not understanding what would benefit me and what I should ask from God, I surrendered myself and all of you to the will of God and His all-good providence, and therefore I ask one thing: Lord, Thy will be done! I wish everything that the Lord sends me, whether it be sorrowful or comforting, so long as I don’t sin or cause myself spiritual harm. Heed your salvation too, my child! Keep yourself from all sin. And leave the rest to the will of God. May the Lord comfort you and save you. For everything, thank God. On occasion, if my leather boots have been preserved, then send them, which are newer; and if they haven’t been preserved, then there’s no need for any, I can still get by quite well. I also had sugar tongs, sometimes I need them. I don’t have any special needs yet and compared to many I consider myself lucky, although in general life here is meager. I am writing this letter to Belev, as you indicated the address, and I take this opportunity to convey my greetings to all the Belevsky sisters. I haven’t written to them for a long time, but not because I forgot about them, but because it’s generally difficult to write. May the Lord bless them and keep them in peace under the shelter of his goodness. I remember them in prayer and for everything they have done to me, I sincerely thank them. God bless you. May God's mercy be with them. I would like to write about. Kirill from the village Anastasia is 54, but I don’t know their address. If you see them, give them my greetings, peace and God's blessing. How does the Lord protect them? M. Sophia and M. Euphrosyne peace and God's blessing. May the Lord protect you and them from all evil. I answered your tenant’s letter; That's why I'm not writing anything now. I apologize for everything: I'm sorry. I earnestly wish you all the best. For now, it’s better to write the address: Post. dept. Pinega. Poste restante. And it will be seen there. May God's blessing remain upon you forever. I received your letter. Mich wrote about luggage. Mich., but have not received an answer yet. I understand your desire, but I have not yet received an answer. If I receive anything, God willing, I’ll write. I understand your desire, but so far I don’t see the possibility of fulfilling it for various reasons, and first of all due to my unsettled housing situation. After all, I don’t even know how long my stay here will be. Leave this matter to the Lord God. If He wills, we will see you in due time. I always remember you prayerfully. May the Lord protect and save you. My greetings, peace and God's blessing to your mother and others. I pray for them. It's good that we don't apologize for ourselves. Reproaching yourself and realizing your guilt is the beginning of correction and the path to salvation. Take care of yourself. I thank you earnestly for your willingness to send the parcel, but until I am settled, do not send much, because it is difficult to carry things from place to place. If you have the zeal, send a little something. If yours is inexpensive, then come with oils, better than lean ones. This is by the way. In general, parcels need to be better packed and sewn up, because what is sent on a long journey under repeated overloads breaks and is subject to damage. Save your money, it will come in handy. Don't waste it. But according to reasoning, it may be more profitable to buy, you know better there. And place your hope in God in everything. May the Lord direct your path to salvation. By the grace of God, I am healthy and so far have no special needs, although in general life here is meager. I surrender myself, and you, and my whole life to the will of God. In this I find peace and tranquility for my soul, and great edification. Sorry. Peace and salvation. Address: P.o. Pinega. Poste restante. 9/22 September 1930 Wonga. Most honest in the Lord, M. Maria! Peace and God's blessing. I received your letter. Thank you very much for congratulating me on my angel’s day. God bless you! If you participated in the money transfer, I also thank you. You write that you did not receive an answer to your letter from me, but I remember that I answered you. The word “branch” was written on the address. Perhaps the letter was late and you have already received it. But I’ll still write briefly. The question of a date must be postponed for now, leaving everything to the will of God, for the Lord cares about us. He fulfills our good desires. He sees our hearts and our souls. He arranges what is good for us. Therefore, arm yourself with humility and patience. God willing, we will see you then and there, when and where it pleases Him. I also wrote to you about not wasting money, making reasonable expenses. It is difficult to have a written conversation, I am aware of this. But what to do? Intensify your prayer and attention to your salvation, protecting yourself from all sin. May the grace of God help you in this, and I will not forget you in prayer. The postscript in the translation is clear to me. I don’t remember exactly what I told you, but I think now that you need to hold off on this matter for now, preparing yourself internally and fighting passions, to which your name, Mary, the Lady, obliges you. You must be a master over the passions, without yielding to them dominion over your heart, body, or soul. This is my advice: take your time. Don't look at others and don't be jealous. The Lord will judge by our deeds, not by our promises. I can’t write anything new about myself. I now live in the village. Voepala. By the grace of God I am healthy and have no special needs, and I don’t want to have unnecessary things, because it is difficult to carry them from place to place and they bring not comfort, but burden. I only need the smallest kerosene lamp, like a night light, no more than three lines, and two small padlocks. There is no need for the rest yet. If you have the opportunity, send them sometime. There is an apartment, and it’s within our means. I entrust the future entirely to God. Thank God for everything. Sorry. Peace and salvation. October 10/23, 1930 Voepala. Peace and God's blessing! I sincerely thank you for everything you sent. God bless you. Everything arrived intact. Nothing broke or deteriorated. I’m even ashamed - the fourth part would have been quite enough. To the best of my ability, I will try to pray for my deceased grandfather Mikhail. I always pray for all of you, for your health, salvation and well-being. May the Lord keep you under the shelter of His goodness. Take care of yourself. Pray, do not give in to everything that comes to your mind or heart. The Lord will help, and with His help everything is possible. I recently wrote to you, and now I’m writing after receiving the parcel. O.A. I already wrote to the previous address. I thank him for sending it. God bless you. My greetings and God's blessing to your mother. Sorry. Peace and salvation. Peace and salvation and God's blessing to you, my daughter M.! I sincerely thank you for the parcels and congratulations. God bless you! In general, I consider it almost impossible and crazy for anyone to go here, because of the difficulties and temptations that may be encountered along the way, starting from Vologda and upon arrival. It is difficult to write about this in detail. There is no need to write again about where I am, because I can’t add anything. I just don’t remember whether I wrote that I live in the house of Alexandra Perlyakova, in the village of Kozlovka. Steamboats operate, but there were rumors (maybe incorrect) that if timber rafting began, steamship traffic would stop. My heartfelt sympathy to Fr. Mikhail in his sorrowful situation. The Lord has not allowed me sorrows until now by His mercy, although at times it was difficult. But, in general, these are trifles that are not worth talking about. And my illness, of course, is regrettable, but the Lord knows best what is necessary for me - to live or die. I am inclined to think that I will not recover, as I observe my illness myself. But I don’t have doctoral supervision, so I can’t say anything definite. I sincerely thank Fr. Agapit for the red testicle. God bless you. My greetings to him. God help him. I ask for holy prayers. It is, of course, natural to mourn the fact that we will no longer see each other here on earth. But one should not mourn without measure. I am a man. And the Lord shows you that “human salvation is in vain” (Ps. 59:13; 107:13), that you cannot rely on man, that salvation is from the Lord. You have been instructed orally and in writing in faith and morals, you have books and, if you wish, you can be saved. Everything depends on your will, and the Lord is always your Helper and Protector. And how many examples were there that others almost did not leave the elders and did not succeed in anything, because they did not want to work on themselves in the fight against passions. As long as I am able, I do not refuse to write to you, although not often. I'm not tired of you. Everything must be surrendered to the will of God—including our separation. The Lord admonishes us not to cleave to earthly things, no matter how expensive they may seem. So that we strive for heavenly things, saving our souls. Thank God for everything. Do not be discouraged, my child, and keep yourself in faith and morality. And give everything earthly an earthly price. Sorry. May the Lord protect you under the shelter of His goodness. Hello mom. I will pray according to my strength for the repose of Evdokia. Letter No. 25(102). M. Maria and the Belevsky sisters Peace and salvation and God's blessing to you, my children. I have already sent you congratulations on the holiday, and now I thank you for your congratulations. God bless you. I received the parcel on the eve of the holiday. Very grateful. This is the second after the parcel with boots. Everything was received in good condition. Be calm. And my silence depends on the fact that my letters to you disappear, although yours reach me. I thank everyone you named in the letter for your congratulations and I congratulate them each other. Peace be upon them and God's blessing. Congratulations to Father Joseph and thank you for your congratulations. I earnestly ask St. prayers. About the repose of R.B. I will pray to Evdokia according to my strength. All your sorrows, spiritual orphanhood and loneliness - all this is close to my heart. I would be glad to console you, but I am powerless in my situation. One prayer is in our power. I pray with all my strength, I bless you, entrusting you entirely to the protection of the Almighty. He knows what he's doing. May He direct your life for salvation. Do not be discouraged, put your hope in the Lord. The Lord will not leave his mercy. For everything, thank God. My health is unchanged, I’m improving little by little. For now, I ask you not to send anything else, because everything is there, and the excess is very burdensome. May the Lord keep you under the shelter of His goodness. May God's will be done in everything. Sorry. [1931 Pinega. Kozlovka village.] M. Apollinaria with her concubines peace and God's blessing. May the Lord strengthen her mental and physical strength in her illness. I always pray for her and have my deepest sympathy for her. If we are powerless, may the Lord be her helper and protector. Letter No. 26(103). M. Maria Peace and salvation and God's blessing to Mother Mary. I received 25 and 30 rubles by telegraph. God bless you. Yesterday I sent a letter, but today I only inform you that I have received the money and inform you that you cannot come. And I would like to see you, but this is impossible. You will cause sorrow for both yourself and me. Sorry. We must endure what the Lord has sent us. He knows what he's doing. I wish you all the mercies of God. I sincerely thank you for the money and for your diligence towards me, but apparently this is how the Lord judges. God bless you. Letter No. 27(104). M. Maria and the Belevsky sisters May God's blessing be upon you, my children, Mary, Sophia and Euphrosyne. I received this letter and I sincerely sympathize with you in all your sorrows. Do not be discouraged, this is the will of God. Everyone bears the cross, everyone endures sorrow. Surrender yourself to God, His all-holy will, and it will be easier on your soul and heart. If there is no one to open your soul to, tell the Lord God your sorrow. He will never leave. Thank you very much for the parcel that I received on the eve of Easter. I also received money. God bless you. Convey my sincere gratitude, peace and God's blessing to M. Daria Tambovskaya and Evdokia. Please inform me about my illness. I can't please you. I do not have doctoral supervision and cannot say anything definite, but it seems to me that the disease is rapidly advancing, because I am weakening and losing all appetite. I don't think about recovery. Of course, everything is God’s will, and life and death are in God’s hands. I surrendered to the will of God. God's will be done. I wrote to you about exchanging things for food, but apparently you didn’t receive it. But now we can get eggs and butter for money. I sent a letter to O. John 55 recently upon receipt of his parcel and money. If you haven't received it, please let me know that I have received it and thank you. Convey my mutual greetings and request for St. to my grandfather. prayers for my weakness. Convey my zealous gratitude, peace and God's blessing to Maria Vasilievna. God save her. I always remember her and her children in prayer. But I didn’t receive a postal order on her behalf, maybe. sent by telegraph, then I received it, but they don’t always tell me who sent the money and I am at a loss as to who the money is from, because I don’t receive it personally at the post office, but by proxy. I wrote to M. Elizabeth of Polotsk. Peace and God's blessing to her, and also to M. Paraskeva Nikolskaya. I remember everyone with all my might and prayer. May the Lord keep you under the shelter of His goodness. Don't be cowardly. Read St. The Gospel (you can also do it in Russian if you don’t understand Slavic well) and the New Testament in general, and you will see that all this must happen, but we must endure sorrows and temptations. Let us humbly submit to the will of God. May the Lord protect you under the shelter of His mercy. Peace and salvation to you. Letter No. 1(105). M. Ambrosii 56 Most honest in the Lord, M. Ambrosia! May God's blessing remain upon you and all those who live with you forever! Being separated from my spiritual children and not knowing whether the Lord will bring me to see them, in my spirit I have not forgotten all of you and in my poor prayer I ask you all for salvation and God’s mercy. May the Lord protect you from all evil. Said in St. Gospel: “Watch and pray, so that you do not fall into misfortune” (Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38; Luke 21:36). So I ask you: stay awake, take care of yourself, don’t forget your prayers - and the Lord will protect you from everything harmful. Your compulsion to keep God’s commandments is necessary. And God's help is always with us. Peace to you, my children, and salvation. Sorry. Letter No. 2(106). M. Ambrosia I wish you peace and joy in the Lord, M. Ambrose, and I invoke God’s blessing on you, M. Anisia and others. May the Lord keep you under the shelter of His goodness. Thank you for the letter and parcel. God bless you. I'm taking the medicine. I don't notice any special changes in my health. Thank God for everything. My greetings and God's blessing Fr. Vincent and Fr. Yakov. May the Lord protect them. Also about. Karp. I remember him and pray always. I am glad that your health has improved. And may the Lord help you in the future. M. Irina - peace and God's blessing. I received the parcel in perfect order on the seventh day. God bless you. Very grateful. I asked that the photographs be cleared of debris, but anything salty does not interfere. I wrote to her last time. Have all my open letters been received? God willing, I’ll write to everyone. I remember everyone, I pray and I sincerely sympathize with everyone. Sorry. Peace and salvation. Letter No. 3(107). M. Ambrose and others. May peace and salvation and God's blessing be upon you, my child Ambrose with Mother Anisia, D. Maria, D. Evgenia and others forever! Thank you very much for your congratulations and both parcels. God bless you. Everything was received intact and on time. I don’t understand your words in the letter: “They sent you clothes that were quite suitable.” I received nothing except a raincoat, cloak, glanders and mittens. What clothes are you writing about? I agreed to send a short fur coat conditionally, but I don’t need anything else for now. Save the wool for now, I have enough socks, but too much weighs me down. I sincerely thank Mary. I pray for her. May the Lord comfort her. I didn’t write to you that any of you were bothering me, and I don’t know where you got this from. I am only worried about my spiritual weaknesses. Otherwise, the Lord still keeps me in health and well-being and does not allow me to experience sorrows. I mourn for you and entrust you to the protection of the Almighty. God's will be done. Don't mourn for me. I'm not worth it. How are Maria D. 57 and Anisia feeling? How is your health? May the Lord bless you. I pray for you. I ask for prayers and forgiveness. M. God's blessing to Paraskeva Solovyova. October 31/November 13, 1928 Letter No. 4(108). M. Ambrose and others. I send my greetings, peace and God’s blessing to you, my child Ambrose, and to those living with you. May the Lord keep you under the shelter of His goodness. In two days it's your Angel's day. Although I have already asked you to convey my congratulations, now I still congratulate you and wish you all the mercies of God. I received your letter. For everything, thank God. And may your sorrows be turned into joy. The fullness of spiritual life and bliss are in the future life, but here it is fleeting. Therefore, one should not grieve excessively for anything. And the meaning and benefit of what is experienced is learned for the most part later. Let the will of the Lord be done. My greetings and God's blessing to Brother Mikhail, also to M. Mary, Fr. John and their entire family. May the Lord protect them. The felt boots are still intact and sufficient for the winter, because the winter is still warm for the North. Everything is more than about ten degrees, then lower, then higher. And then - what God will give. Knit mittens from white wool so that they are not narrow. No need for stockings yet. My greetings and God's blessing to M. Anisia. May the Lord strengthen her strength, granting health and peace to her soul. D. Mary - peace and God's blessing. I haven't heard anything from her for a long time. May the Lord help her in her difficulties, pacifying her soul, healing her body, giving everything she needs for life and salvation, inspiring her spirit with hope. I always pray for her. I congratulate M. Anthia on Angel Day, calling upon her peace and God’s blessing. May the Lord grant her all consolation, peace of mind, health and salvation. God's blessing to M. Maria Savutina, M. Evdokia and everyone else. I would like to congratulate everyone separately, but I can’t, especially since there are no more postcards with views that I could send than simple ones. Please forgive me and accept my heartfelt desire to console you all. After all, I remember you. Peace and God's blessing to M. Evdokia Salomon. I remember it prayerfully and, God willing, I will write it again someday. I sympathize with you wholeheartedly. May the Lord strengthen her and comfort her. My greetings and God's blessing to the watchmen. Sorry. Letter No. 5(109). M. Ambrosia I earnestly wish you peace and joy in the Lord and congratulate you on the upcoming Holy Day. Peter's post. I received your letter and parcel a long time ago. God bless you. Everything was received intact, including the books. On occasion, a book of hours came, I think I had one. Here, the lighter the book, the more convenient it is. I sincerely thank M. Anisiya for the socks sent. Peace and God's blessing to her, and also to the girl Evgenia. May the Lord protect them under the shelter of His goodness. I pray for them. Regarding sending me something, I already wrote that I have no special needs, and therefore I do not ask for anything, especially since I know your needs. May the Lord remember your love. I am still at the transit point, and my address is the same. It will remain valid even if you move to another place of detention. If the address changes significantly, God willing, I will inform you, but for now I don’t know anything about the future. Thank God for everything! I'm healthy. My mental mood is still the same. I surrender to the will of God and grieve more for all of you, the souls near and dear to me, than for myself. You can get used to everything external. I hope and pray that the Lord will not send trials beyond my measure and strength, either to me or to you, but what is sent according to the judgment of God is for our sins. Therefore, I must endure everything with humility and, seeing and hearing that many experience and experience more than I do, I must thank the Lord for His mercy towards me, a sinner. I ask for holy prayers and blessings from my spiritual fathers, as well as your holy prayers. And I remember you all and, according to my strength, I pray for you. O. Give my greetings and God's blessing to Rodion. God willing, I’ll write to him. I can’t say anything special about myself yet. Everything is still unchanged. Write about your life, what’s new. I was already informed about the death of Father Nektary. Regrettably responding to our hearts, the death of loved ones teaches us to renounce the earth and direct our hearts and minds to the One God and expect help from Him. Sinful Nikon wishes you this help and calls upon God’s blessing. Letter No. 6(110). M. Ambrosia Peace and salvation and God's blessing, my child M. Ambrose, and to those who live with you. I congratulate you all on St. With Great Lent and earnestly I wish you, having spent it in a soul-saving manner, achieve the Great Bright Holiday. I received the letter and translation. God bless you. I sincerely thank M. Agrippina. I remember her and prayerfully do not forget her. May the Lord protect her. About the repose of schemanun Anastasia and R.B. I will pray to Elena with strength. My greetings to her son. I ask for holy prayers. My constant prayer is for his health and well-being. God willing, I’ll write to him too. May the Lord help him in all his affairs. I received your parcel on time and thank you very much. God bless you. Don't worry about me. I have everything I need, and even more. There is no need to send soles, nor do you need to send boots. I already wrote that everything unnecessary burdens. I sincerely thank M. Agnia. I congratulate her, I wish her spiritual success and all kinds of well-being. Peace and God's blessing to her and her family. May the Lord strengthen M. Apollinaria in her illness. I always remember her prayerfully. May God's blessing remain upon her forever. How is your health? May the Lord strengthen your strength and fulfill your good desires, directing your life for salvation. To M. Irina, Pelagia and others - peace and God's blessing. It is impossible to live without patience and condescension towards others. May the Lord enlighten and protect them. Convey my gratitude, peace and God's blessing to Elena Afanasyevna, M. Margarita, Ksenia, Valentina and Lydia, D. Maria and Evgenia. I remember them all prayerfully and entrust them to the protection of the Almighty. The rosary is good. God bless you. I am sincerely grateful for everything. About br. I pray to the Sebastians. Where we are powerless, the only remedy is prayer. The Lord builds everything and our lives beyond our understanding. May His will be done, and may we always abide in it and with Him. Sorry. I'm healthy and everything is fine. I thank and congratulate M. Evdokia. I remember her request. For everything, thank God. Letter No. 7(111). M. Ambrosia Christ is Risen! - Truly He is Risen! I congratulate you, my child, M. Ambrose, on the great and bright feast of the Resurrection of Christ. Also my greetings to M. Apollinaria, Pelagia, Irina and others who live with you. I invoke peace and God’s blessing on all of you and earnestly wish you all all the mercies of God. May the Lord comfort you and them, sending you His grace and joy in the Holy Spirit. In my sinners’ prayers I try not to forget you. How does the Lord protect you? How are you all doing? I have already written about myself that I am alive and well and that so far everything is fine. I am now doing clerical work and have moved from my previous place to another, although the address remains the same. It is suggested to write it like this: Popov Island, Karelian Republic, 2 camp ELEPHANT. To the prisoner... And from there they forward it to us. Although the distance here is several tens of miles, letters and parcels should still be somewhat delayed. I’m here for a short time yet and I don’t know how long my stay at this job will be. Therefore, do not send any parcels yet, especially since we have everything here. I am full and thank God for His mercies. I am, of course, familiar with clerical work, but I regret that I now have less free time. But let the will of God be done. From the first day of Easter the weather was warm. You can go outside without warm clothes. The holiday was celebrated in peace and consolation, both spiritual and external. I made Christ in absentia with all of you, prayerfully remembering you and thanking the Lord for everything. As far as I remember, the last letter from you was received in February, and I answered you on March 2. D. Give peace and God's blessing to Evgenia. I pray for her and her brother. How does the Lord protect her? How is M. Apollinaria, how is she feeling? I always remember her prayerfully and wish her every consolation from the Lord. May the mercy of the Lord not forsake her in her illness. And in her patience and devotion to the will of the Lord, may the visitation of the Lord come to her, manifesting itself in the peace of the soul and other grace of the Holy Spirit. I wish this for her, and for you, and for everyone. I still feel the same. The Lord did not send me sorrows during this time, does not deprive me of spiritual peace. I even think that this is due to my insensitivity, to my sin or condemnation. I can’t figure it out on my own, and I surrender to the will of God. I am ashamed that you send me, but I can’t help you with your needs and sorrows. Forgive me for God's sake. May the Lord look after your needs, and may He Himself comfort you and enlighten you, and may He grant you eternal salvation. Tell me... I haven’t had any needs yet and don’t have any. I ask for holy prayers. Sorry. Letter No. 8(112). Mon. Ambrose Peace be with you. God's blessing and salvation. Thank you very much for the parcel that I just received; it arrived completely safe. But I can’t answer in detail now, because I’m going to move to Pinega. God willing, I’ll write from there. Steamships go there relatively often. Unfortunately, Fr. Agapit remains in the city for now and will not go with me. To some extent, this is convenient for the first time, in order to send me letters and parcels that may arrive; in general, this, like any separation, is rather sad. But everything is God’s will. It is possible that he too will leave somewhere. My greetings and God's blessing to everyone. Tell others not to write to me at the old address. Sorry. P.S. I came to Pinega and live in the village of Wonga. There are fewer amenities here than in Arkhangelsk, but still nothing. The place is dry, high, on the banks of the Pinega River. God willing, I’ll write some more later. Everything sent is very expensive. God bless you. D. to my fathers and Fr. P. my heartfelt gratitude for everything, greetings and request for prayers. Address: Pinega. Archangel. lips Der. Wong, house of Maria Maksimovna Nechaeva. To me. Sorry. Hello everyone, peace and God's blessing. Tell me if anything was sent to Arkhangelsk at that time. If it was sent, I will arrange for it to be sent to me at a new address. The weather is warm and dry; several days it was even quite hot. Thank God for everything. Letter No. 9(113). m. Ambrosia I congratulate you, honorable M. Ambrose, on the upcoming Holy days of Holy and Bright Week and earnestly wish you peace and joy in the Lord and all spiritual consolation and well-being. I don’t know whether I’ll have to write to you before the Holiday, and therefore I greet you joyfully: Christ is risen! I call upon you peace and God's blessing. Thank you for your letter. May God help you. Waiting to move is one of the difficult conditions of our lives. They wanted to move me, like many others, but I stayed behind due to illness. But the disease does not make me happy. The doctor diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis. I am calm in spirit. For everything is the will of God. For now I have everything I need, and the future is in God’s hands. Thank God for everything. I'm glad you're in a good mood. Yes, the Lord admonishes us and calls us to salvation. I wish you good spirits and strength of mental and physical strength. May the Lord send you. I sincerely feel sorry for D. Maria and pray for her; D. Evgenia peace and God’s blessing, and I pray for her. The sick Anisya only has to completely surrender to the will of God, the Lord knows what he is doing, and apparently we all need to bear the cross. Write if you move somewhere. My address for now: Pinega, poste restante. I ask your holy prayers and those of your fathers. Hello to them. God willing, I’ll write again. Write too. May the Lord protect you. Forgive the sinful hieromonk Nikon. Peace and salvation. [Lent 1931 Pinega.] Letter No. 10(114). M. Ambrosia Once again I congratulate you, my child, on the Bright Holiday and call upon you peace and God’s blessing. I read your letter to M. Valentina, I don’t know whether she answered or not. But I already wrote to you that the doctor found tuberculosis, and not in the first degree, but far advanced. What worries me is that the fever of 38–39° lasts a long time, and this causes weakness and sometimes loss of appetite. I lie down more. I myself am surprised at how quickly and unexpectedly it happened for me. Now I think that those relatively mild colds, which seemed to me to have passed without a trace, were the beginning of what we are seeing now. I rarely have to go to the doctor, because I live far away (6 miles), walking is difficult and, perhaps, not useful, and there are no horses. That's why I only use medicine. There is little cough, almost no cough. I quickly get tired of any movement. I feel good. The Lord does not take this mercy from me. Everything you need is available. I live with Fr. Peter is 58, he helps me. For everything, thank God. I surrender to the will of God. Our life is in the hands of God. Letter No. 11(115). M. Ambrosia Peace and salvation and God's blessing, my child M. Ambrose. I received your letter. You are worried about my illness and want to know everything in detail. I have already written to you, but I can write to you again. The apartment is sufficient, although there may be a little dampness. The food is the usual: soup, noodles, porridge, there is vegetable oil, while there is still a little meat; I have a bottle of milk every day and have sugar. In general, I am never hungry. I'm used to eating once a day. We drink tea twice. There is no medical supervision. Here doctors don’t come to us, we have to go to the hospital for a regular appointment, very rushed and that’s all. But I, living six miles from the hospital, do not dare to go. There are no horses, and I'm waiting for an opportunity to go. I visited the doctor once and asked him to speak frankly. He said: my lungs are bad, tuberculosis. The main thing: temperature 38–39°. He prescribed thiokol and Dover's powders, as well as strophan with valerian, twenty drops each. That's it. Cough is rare. I'm getting tired soon. I don't feel any pain. The illness began suddenly. Feeling healthy, I went to dig snow near the house and felt pain in the veins of my sore leg. I still worked a little and got tired. All the veins immediately began to ache, from the stomach to the heels. (This is the first time in four years). I applied the compress and measured the temperature - 40°. It turned out to be a hemorrhage. For the next three days the temperature was almost normal. Suddenly I felt pain (colic) in my chest, a temperature of 40°, which lasted no more than a week. I lay there for quite a long time, two or more weeks. The veins stopped hurting, the hemorrhage resolved, but the wound, which opened immediately, went away only recently. There is no breathing as before, it is not so free. The apartment is calm, I live in the village of Kozlovka with about. Peter, brother of Valentina (Ustyusha). You can't buy almost anything here with money. They ask for things, especially towels, canvases, etc. I had these rags, and I wrote to have them sent to me. Then you can have dairy products. I don’t know what to write to you anymore. May the Lord help you too, and may he direct your path to salvation. I still have rags for changing, and I change them without harming myself. The last time they gave me other powders, it seems they are not there... In general, there are almost no drugs here. I surrender myself to God. I am calmer when I don’t show my will. Therefore, I don’t dare ask for anything yet, and I’m not sure that attention will be paid. In Arkhangelsk, it seems, there was a legal adviser. Just in case, if it is convenient for you, talk to him. Also, is it possible to get medicines there and send them when necessary? Let us pray to the Lord to save us and help us in troubles and needs; I don’t see any other refuge or hope. Human calculations are both vain and erroneous. When you have to endure something difficult, but you know that there is no will here, you get moral relief and peace of mind. God's will be done. May the Lord not disgrace our faith in devotion to His will. In Pinega, besides rations, it is difficult to find food, and those who do not receive parcels, of course, are in need and starve. There is no market, only barter for things. They don’t leave you in Pinega itself, they send you somewhere far away to the village. Those who can work are sent to the forest and do other work. Anyone who has a certificate of incapacity for work is not sent to work, but somewhere in the village. They try to stay further away, but it happens that they don’t settle too far away. The mail is running smoothly. The rations received by the unemployed are, of course, insufficient: 300 grams. bread per day, 600 gr. millet for a month and 2 kg. fish per month, enough salt, half a liter of kerosene in winter. The climate is the same as in Arkhangelsk, only there are often piercing winds. The people are rather unfriendly and show little sympathy. You can hardly find vegetables for barter, not even potatoes. I don't have a need yet. I don’t know where life is like, and I can’t compare. I thank the Lord for still strengthening me internally and sending me everything I need for life. Thank God for everything. God bless you for taking care of me. May the mercy of the Lord be with you forever. Sorry. I ask for the prayers of yours and our fathers. I thank them for their greetings and sympathy. The letter was delayed. The last few days the temperature has been 38–39°. I got butter for exchange and have milk. God's will be done. Or: Jerome. John (Ilya Zhirnov), former Optina novice. Died in exile. Letter No. 12(116). M. Ambrosia My dear daughter, M. Ambrosia. I received your letter dated April 14 only on April 28. I sincerely thank you for your love and care. God bless you. Of course, I would be glad to see you too. But we must not forget that we do not have our own will, and it may happen that you will be in Pinega, but you will not have the opportunity to see me, because here too there are frequent movements and assignments to different places 59 . Therefore, I think that you do not need to make your position dependent on mine. Having no examples regarding filing an application, no certificates, absolutely not knowing how to motivate my request (Kargopol is not Crimea), and almost no hope for any good results, I decide to stay put for now, surrendering to the will of God. I don’t dare call you to Pinega, realizing what difficulties you may encounter here. On the other hand, it’s as if I don’t dare to reject your desire; I don’t have any definite determination in this matter. Lord, help and enlighten me. We must pray that the Lord will show the way. I can report about myself that the disease, it seems to me, is progressing, because the temperature does not fall below 38–39°. This suggests the transience of the disease. And so I feel like I’m in the same position all the time. There is slight soreness throughout the body and chest. The temperature worries me and makes me think that death is near; Now I hardly think about recovery, considering it a pipe dream. I surrender to the will of God. I sincerely thank my fathers for their love, attention and care for me. Save them, Lord. I call upon you peace and God's blessing. May the Lord protect you under the shelter of His goodness. I pray for you with my weak prayer, but still a prayer of love in the Lord. The thought came to you to go where your fathers would go, so as not to be completely alone. But experience shows that separation comes unexpectedly. “Do not trust in princes, in the sons of men: in them there is no salvation” (Ps. 145:3). “Blessed is the God of Jacob, his Helper; his trust is in the Lord his God” (Ps. 145:5) - one hope in God is a solid foundation. Everything else is fragile, especially in our situation. You don’t know at all where it’s better, where it’s worse, and what awaits. God's will be done. Rev. Theodore the Studite, himself a former exile, rejoices and rejoices for those dying in exile. And the thought occurred to me that we, monks, who have renounced the world and are now, albeit involuntarily, leading a world-denying life. This is how the Lord judged. Our job is to keep ourselves in faith and guard ourselves from all sin, and entrust everything else to God. He who trusts in the Lord will not be put to shame. Although steamboats have begun to operate here, they are rare, and they also say that timber will soon be floated down the river, and then steamship traffic will probably stop. All this creates great difficulties in postal and in general any communication. The weather is cold, windy, cloudy. Did you receive my letter, which, although I sent it by registered mail, was sent in the middle of the mud? I'm sorry, I wish you all the best and God's help. I ask for your holy prayers and from the fathers. [1931 Pinega. Kozlovka village] Letter No. 1(117). To Lydia Mezhekova 60 God-loving girl Lydia! I received two of your letters. The second letter complements the first and even makes it easier for me to respond. To make my letter and my answers clear, I am enclosing here an extract from the book “Orthodox Confession.” Very often this book is called “The Confession of Faith of the Eastern Patriarchs.” As far as I remember, Bishop Theophan also refers to it in his message on the Living Church, pointing out that opposition to obvious truth is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. This circumstance is very important. Now I’ll start answering and go straight to the second letter. Try to fulfill the prayer rule given to you without fail; do not increase it arbitrarily; and when for some reason you have to fail to fulfill it, do not be embarrassed, but reproach yourself for your weakness. Father Ambrose said that embarrassment is not listed anywhere among the virtues 61; One should not be embarrassed, but humble oneself, recognizing one’s weakness. God will bless you to add to the prayer rule when you have the opportunity, in the morning - the hours 1, 3, 6 and figurative, and in the evening - 9 o'clock and Compline with canons, also a memorial service. I warn you against increasing the prayer rule because sometimes from an immoderate arbitrary prayer rule, done without humility, but with pride, without thinking about one’s sins and repentance for them, an incorrect mood is formed in a person’s soul and heart, which gives rise to evil fruits, not good ones, and one of the first evil fruits is exaltation of oneself, admiration of one’s prayer: “I am not like other people.” (Luke 18:11). I remember that our Elder Father Abbot Anthony 62, when asked about the prayer rule, said that throughout his entire monastic life he had many different rules, but only one remained: “God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13), i.e. humble publican's prayer, offered to God out of awareness of one's weaknesses and sinfulness. I gave your sister Valentina to rewrite one of my notes, which talks about prayer; ask her to copy it: she will not be superfluous to you in this matter. Sometimes, if you want to pray, you can read something else, for example, several chapters of the Gospel, instead of one, or an akathist to some saint, or an icon of the Mother of God, etc., without adding this to this rule every day, as a rule. For the fact that you brought sincere repentance to the Lord - thank the Lord. Man in this matter is only an instrument in the hands of God. To strengthen you in the memory of your sins, I made the attached extract from the book: “Orthodox Confession,” for this book is very important, it sets forth undeniable truths, views and concepts not of individual people who can cunningly and perversely interpret the words of the Holy Scripture, but of the entire Universal Church. Therefore, my child, do not be embarrassed by any letters or evidence; “Be of good courage, and let your heart be strong” (Ps. 26:14). And the view of acquiring true humility, the view of St. fathers, you can learn from the teachings of St. Abba Dorotheus 63: “On Humility” on pp. 43–45 according to the 1913 edition. Repentance, according to the teachings of St. fathers, opens his eyes, opens his sight to sins. Having repented of some, a person begins to see others, others, etc., and begins to consider as sins what he previously did not consider to be a sin; remembers unrepentant sins, long past, long forgotten. Therefore, I’m not surprised that you still remember. I advise you to remember everything better and not hesitate to bring repentance to confession. By the way, you write that you are tormented in conscience for your actions during the death of your mother, i.e. feeling guilty towards her. You need to pray for your mother all your life until death, but in order to calm your conscience, you also need to say this in confession, and if your conscience does not calm down, then it is good to suffer some kind of penance as determined by your confessor. Repentance is a great power! Now I will move on to the first letter. God will forgive you, my child, that you caused me concern with your actions before leaving. I was not angry and would even have kept silent about all this in my present letter, but I would like to explain to you that this was due to a lack of humility. You would have to immediately reject the proud thought of “forcible imposition” and “the fear of being a burden to people” and humbly explain everything. But, thank God for everything. I'm glad that everything became clear. I won’t write much about the first letter you received: there is no need, because everything necessary has already been explained by me; but still I’ll add something. Without condemning (God forbid!) I must tell you that distorting the meaning of Holy Scripture, for example, about the properties of love, is blasphemy. Therefore, do not be at all embarrassed by these words. Listen to your conscience, but a good conscience, not an evil one. Preserving this good conscience is very important, and the rejection of a good conscience can even cause a falling away from the faith, as St. ap. Paul in the 10th letter to Timothy ch. 1, art. 5–6 and art. 19–20. This good conscience, i.e. illuminated by the light of the teachings of the Gospel, and always have it within you when discussing or resolving all issues. If with such conscience you set out in a letter to me a story about a gentleman “ready to divorce his wife and abandon his son,” you are not guilty of anything. Here you need to keep only one more thing in mind: do not seduce him with anything, even involuntarily, for example, by simply slowing down without intent during a meeting or conversation; in a word, you need to evade him and show that you don’t want to have anything to do with him. Next. If the one who wrote to you and others reproaches you and brings accusations and lies against you, do not be embarrassed. For your sins you should suffer it humbly; I somehow had to read, but then I could not find the passage that nothing can bring so much benefit to the soul as patience in vain. God would justify! (And He justifies on condition of repentance), and what people say - who cares! Not the judgment of God, not the judgment of man. Regarding the circle, it’s difficult to say for sure. I cannot give a blessing, but be patient for now, as Father Nektary said, reproach yourself for your weakness. Maybe it will continue like this without any active work. But if the work goes directly against conscience and faith, then, of course, you have to leave. May God help you. If possible, avoid constant visits. May the Lord make you wise. “Be wise like a serpent and your goals like doves” (Matthew 10:16). Your soul is more precious than the whole world (Matthew 16:26), and I, as a spiritual father, must take care of its salvation, but I know how difficult it is to live in need, and therefore, fearing to put you in a difficult situation by deprivation of a place, I give a conditional answer. I heartily sympathize with you in your experiences and pray for you to the best of my ability. By blessing all three of you with icons of the Mother of God, I thereby entrusted everyone with the protection of the Queen of Heaven. May She be your help and protection from all the machinations of the enemy. May She be the Intercessor of the Kingdom of Heaven for you. You write that after conversations with me, Father Barsanuphius became both dear and close to you. Yes, he was a true monk, he was a prayer book. He knew how to light a fire in a person’s soul, he knew how to raise a person’s fallen spirit, and to raise a fallen spirit means to take him to a place where he has never been. This is how my late uncle once expressed himself in a letter to me. And he wrote the truth... Quite by accident, the other day a paper came to me, looking at which I immediately recognized the familiar and dear handwriting - it turned out to be a rough draft of a poem by Father Barsanuphius. Since the paper was smeared and wrinkled, I cut out what I had written. It occurred to me to send this clipping to you as a memory of the Elder, especially since the content and meaning of this sketch can be attributed to every person who deviated from the path of salvation and later repented, and is already coming to the Light, to God... I earnestly wish you all God’s mercies and all prosperity, mental peace and salvation. Sinful Hieromonk Nikon. O.P. January 31/February 13, 1924 Thank you very much for what you sent Appendix 1: From the book “Orthodox Confession of the Catholic and Apostolic Church of the East.” Moscow, Synod. typography, 1900 Question 55: What is the sixth beatitude? Answer: Blessed are those who are pure in heart, for they will see God. Question 56: What does this beatitude teach? Answer: In this blessedness chastity is praised. Therefore, whoever wants to see God must be pure, both in body and soul, and in all thoughts. For unclean thoughts defile the image of God and expel Divine grace from the soul. Question 18: What is mortal sin? Answer: A person commits a mortal sin when, driven by a disordered desire, he does some deed forbidden by the very commandment of God... Question 21: What is voluntary mortal sin? Answer: Voluntary mortal sin is one that we commit after baptism, of our own desire and intention, at a perfect age, contrary to the clear commandment of God, neglecting love for God and neighbor. Through such sin we lose the grace of God received in St. baptism and the Kingdom of Heaven, and we become captives of eternal death, as the Apostle says: “Do you not know that you are slaves in obedience to him, you are natural slaves, but you will listen to him, either sin leading to death, or obedience leading to righteousness” (Rom. 6:16). This sin is cleansed by repentance by the mercy of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, when the priest absolves the repentant of sins during confession. Question 38: What are the sins (mortal ones, of course) against the Holy Spirit? Answer: Excessive and reckless trust in the goodness of God; despair when someone has no hope of God's mercy; also a contradiction to clear and proven truth and a rejection of the Orthodox Christian faith. Question 39: What does it mean to rely too much on the goodness of God? Answer: Excessive trust is excessive reliance on God’s mercy, when someone, continuing to sin, hopes that God will not withhold His grace from him and will not punish him, and thus considers Divine justice to be nothing... Those who, with faith alone, without good deeds, hope to inherit eternal life, are also deceived. Question 40: What is despair of God's mercy? Answer: Despair is the sinner’s lack of hope for God’s mercy, when he falsely thinks that God will not forgive him for the sins he has committed, nor will he accept him into His grace for the good deeds he has committed, being preoccupied with the thought that human wickedness exceeds God’s mercy, as Cain says: “My greatest guilt, shall I be forgiven?” (Gen. 4:13). Such great blasphemy is very offensive to the mercy and goodness of God. Therefore, even if someone was burdened with the gravest sins, he should never despair of God’s unlimited love for mankind, bringing to mind the prodigal son, whom, after his repentance, his father accepted with the most joyful heart and face... Appendix 2: From the works of St. Peter of Damascus. Book I, chapter: “A necessary and very useful indication of the seven bodily works.” ... We must have patience in everything that happens to us, which God allows for learning, experience and knowledge of our weakness, and not be daring, but also not despair, no matter what happens, good or bad. Every dream and every idle word and deed must always be averted. To learn in the name of God, more than to breathe, at every time, in every place and in every matter, and to prostrate yourself before God from the soul, distracting the mind from all thoughts about the world and seeking only the fulfillment of the will of God. Sometimes the mind begins to see its sins - like the sand of the sea, and this is the beginning of the enlightenment of the soul and a sign of its health. And simply: the soul becomes contrite and the heart humble... Appendix 3: Note: As far as I remember, Elder Alexy and Fr. Abbot Herman answered this way: confession is a spiritual court. The confessor at confession is a judge. A judge cannot judge himself. Therefore, such a confession is unacceptable. I don’t remember well, it seems that the possibility of it was allowed in great extremes, for example, in the desert, where there are no other confessors, in view of the approach of death, etc., but conditionally, i.e. At the first opportunity, you need to bring repentance to another confessor. Unfortunately, this letter did not survive, but I vouch for the accuracy of the transmission of thoughts. A short list of the “seven bodily activities” 1. Silence, i.e. careless lifestyle... Psalmody, i.e. corporal prayer, performed by reading psalms and prostrations to the ground. 1. Spiritual prayer performed with the mind, removed from all thoughts. 2. Reading words from the lives of fathers. 3. Questioning the experienced about every word and undertaking. (From the works of St. Peter of Damascus). These seven works are reported for information and feasible jealousy, but not in order to rush to everything at once. It is better to talk about this in person. Appendix 4: A note written by the hand of Father Barsanuphius. Signed by Rev. Nikon: “A handwritten rough draft of a poem by Elder Schema-Archimandrite Barsanuphius, dating back to the time of his novice life in Optina Skete.” Implied: My life From the eternal truth of deceptive aspirations, rebellious deviations It was performed and carried like a sound, Or the vague groan of an ancient cymbal, The stamp of gloomy bustle lay on her, I did not know the ideal of spiritual life, And the heavenly features were alien to me Her Divine and eternal beauty. Appendix 5: Note: Elder Hieroschemamonk Macarius of Optina (1860) wrote, published in a separate booklet, “A Warning to Those Reading Spiritual Books and Those Who Want to Perform the Mental Prayer of Jesus.” The elder was an experienced practitioner of the Jesus Prayer and his warning was very valuable. Those who wish to read the present book “On the grace-filled effect of the Jesus Prayer”, it is useful to carefully read this warning, for this book is to some extent similar to the one about which the Elder writes: it contains boundless conviction for the passage of the Jesus Prayer, it is advised not to seek high spiritual gifts and consolations, which can lead to very dangerous consequences in relation to the delusions of the enemy. In this book of evidence, their Holy Scriptures and the books of the Fathers are adapted, and the dangerous side is kept silent, so that those who do not know the teaching of the Sts. Fathers, can easily get carried away by this book, from which, however, he cannot obtain a complete understanding of the Jesus Prayer and the path of prayer in general, for it does not contain a complete and comprehensive teaching about prayer, but only, as it is entitled, it tells about the grace-filled action of prayer, which grace, although true prayer-books are granted over time, but the search for and expectation of the actions of grace in prayer, according to the teaching of all St. fathers, is considered extremely harmful to the soul. The operation of grace is the gift of God; it is impossible to admire him without permission. We need to remember that “the Kingdom of God does not come with observance” (Luke 17:20). It is necessary to know that the first and main mood during prayer should not be the expectation of pleasure, but an offering to God of repentance and humility; you need to know that it is necessary to fight passions and cleanse the heart of passions; that this purity of heart is achieved by keeping the commandments of God, without which spiritual life is generally unthinkable. Humility is necessary as an unshakable foundation, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Prov. 3:34; James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5). Some, starting the Jesus Prayer, begin to think of themselves that they are already prayer books: “I am not like other men” (Luke 18:11), and instead of humility they succeed in conceit and pride. Such people need to know that it is not God who needs our prayer, but ourselves, that through humble prayer, in the consciousness of our weakness and sinfulness, for our salvation we need to ask the Lord God for forgiveness of sins, mercy and help. There are places in this book that the inexperienced can misunderstand, to their detriment, for example, on pages 54, 55, 56 we read: “Pray and think whatever you want... 2) pray and do whatever you want... 3) pray and don’t work too hard to overcome passions with your own power...” and others - according to the teachings of St. Fathers require that one who turns to prayer should lead a virtuous life in all respects, cut off his will and not allow himself to daydream and enjoy various thoughts, for if someone engages in prayer and indulges in dreams, especially those who are prodigal and unclean, then he falls into delusion and even into insanity. It’s another matter: to drive away thoughts with prayer - this is necessary, because often against desire various thoughts appear in a person’s mind, and it is necessary to drive them away with prayer, and another thing: to pray and indulge in dreams and thoughts, talking with them and enjoying them. During the prayer of St. The fathers advise concentrating your attention and your mind on the words of prayer and not thinking about anything else. The Jesus Prayer requires self-sacrifice and work; therefore, although many begin it, there are few true prayer books. God grant that this book will be of benefit to readers, but they need to know, as has already been said, that it does not contain the comprehensive teaching of the patristic Fathers about the Jesus Prayer; To obtain a proper understanding of it (this teaching), it is necessary to turn to other scriptures, and it is very useful to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the warning of Elder Macarius. Here it would be appropriate to say that the work of prayer is comprehensively described in the writings of Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov), who, both from his own experience and from the teaching of Sts. Fathers presented the teaching on prayer with particular clarity, simplicity and completeness, with all the necessary warnings and details. In general, this book contains a lot of edifying things that can serve those who are zealous about prayer for the benefit of their souls. Letter No. 2(118). To Lydia Mezhekova I greet you on the great feast of the Resurrection of Christ and earnestly wish you to meet and celebrate St. days of celebration in peace and joy in the Lord. I call upon you peace and God's blessing. I remember you prayerfully. God bless you. I’m writing to girl N., but I didn’t have time to write at the same time. I invoke peace and God's blessing. Letter No. 3(119). To Lydia Mezhekova I received your letter dated April 11 (the day of the Angel Father Barsanuphius). It aroused a lot of thoughts in me too. I could say a lot, but of necessity I have to limit my letter to a few: Thank you for your congratulations and your message. God bless you! You write about your experiences both in external life and in your soul, I sincerely sympathize with you. May God help you! It’s good that in external life, i.e. in matters of further existence, you rely on the will of God 65. Let the will of God be with you. I once promised you to read one of my letters, written by me to my dear mother. When I visited her during Lent, I found this letter from her and I am enclosing a copy of it, asking her to return it to me at the first opportunity 66. I have nothing against if you let the girl M. 67 and your sister V[alentina] read this scripture. It seems that they will also benefit from reading it; but I ask that my name not be spoken further than you. I wrote, after all, for my mother only... Although you were forced to tell the manager a lie, a lie remains a lie, especially in such an important matter, and therefore clear your conscience of this sin at the first confession. It is difficult to answer a painful question in detail. Be patient and don't be embarrassed. Tolerating wrongdoing is good for the soul, and in this case even more so, because although wrongdoing remains wrong, the reason and one’s own guilt remain the cause and guilt, although already forgiven. Do not allow either revenge or evil into your feelings and thoughts. And if a shadow may fall on you due to the talkativeness of others, endure this with humility: humility is always beneficial. Regarding various visits, leave everything to the will of God, although pray as the Savior prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, i.e. and ask, and submit to the will of God. Remember that without the will of God the power of our head will not perish. Next you write about “memories”. Yes, it's tedious, but in the order of things. It's inevitable. This is an involuntary, painful tribute to sin. If you haven’t suffered as much as you do now, that’s completely understandable. Then you were experiencing the present, and now you are experiencing the consequences of the past. This is the law of spiritual life. Be patient and don’t be discouraged. Saint Theophan the Recluse of Vyshensky writes very well about the action of repentance, that in a certain period of time repentance has a destructive force or effect, the soul of the repentant is sick, languishing, burning; but by destroying the old, the grace of God builds the new. And at St. Fathers there are indications that repentance opens sight to sins, i.e. a person begins to see in himself more and more sins that he had never seen before, and the sins themselves begin to seem heavier and heavier. Because of this, the saints cried about their sins, when they had already become saints, miracle workers; There are many examples of this in the lives of saints and their writings. There is much to be said about this subject; Entire books have been written on this subject, for without repentance there is no salvation. Attached is a small extract about lamentation for sins. My words that I had no sorrows applied to me personally, i.e. I have not been in sorrowful circumstances that oppressed me and took away my peace of mind. But I had to grieve for reasons that had nothing to do with me personally, but related to my loved ones. I can partly say, and this is the reason I have said this more than once, that with rare exceptions, all these sorrows did not crush me, did not deprive me of spiritual peace: the burning sensation of grief gradually passed. May the Lord quench the burning of your sorrow with His consolation. All the sinful cases you write about must be spoken about in confession: comparison of your sufferings with the sufferings of the Savior, about the Kazan icon of the Mother of God, about cowardice, about undue feelings of anger, revenge, and so on. For the icon, I impose a penance on you - for six months, read “The Diligent Intercessor...” three times a day with bows (three bows), which are due, i.e. belt or earthly, for example, up to Trinity with belt. To get rid of memories, read a prayer in the morning and evening, the last of the morning prayers, a prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos. Try not to miss the prayer rule either in the morning or in the evening; but if for some reason you fail, especially due to circumstances beyond your control, then do not be embarrassed, but humbly reproach yourself for your weakness, for self-reproach is an invisible ascent, and embarrassment, according to Father Ambrose, is not listed anywhere among the virtues. You ask me to write you something from Father Barsanuphius’s conversations about prayer: this is difficult for me, and primarily due to lack of time. But I will say that his teaching is a patristic teaching, in agreement with the writings of Epp. Ignatius and Feofan. Then you ask me to explain to you the meaning of the church’s petitions in the litanies for deliverance “from all sorrow, anger and need” 68 and for their aversion: “turn away all anger towards us and deliver us from your due and righteous rebuke...” 69. First of all, you wrote these petitions with errors that slightly change the meaning, namely in the underlined words: you wrote “movable” and “proper.” Movable, actually, there is no such word, and proper and due are the difference. Proper – the meaning is clear, i.e. due, deserved; and adjacent means standing nearby, coming, ready to collapse. The meaning of all requests for deliverance from sorrows lies in surrendering oneself to the will of God. A person confesses that for his sins he is worthy of punishment, worthy of sorrows, but asks to be delivered from it, being fully confident that the rejection of sorrow and the allowance of it depend entirely on the hand of the Lord, that except the Lord no one can deliver him from sorrows and misfortunes. The basis for this is humility, and humility is kind to God. I am attaching an extract from the works of Bishop. Ignatius. God knows our needs before our requests, but commands us to ask for what is necessary; proof of this is the God-given prayer “Our Father.” It is required, so to speak, to express humility, will and desire to accept the benefits given to the tuna by the Lord God, to prepare oneself, to prepare oneself to accept these benefits with gratitude; and if the bestowal of these blessings were to slow down, then prepare your soul for grateful patience, for this slowing down has the goal of bestowing upon man greater gifts. In patience you must obtain your salvation: patience is necessary; in other words, a cross is needed. Delve into the meaning and you will understand. May the Lord give you understanding about everything. During the Litany of the Catechumens, only the catechumens bow their heads. I am also enclosing an extract from the journal, without beginning or end, which I completely accidentally found in my papers, not knowing how it came to me. But the thought in this passage is profound: take it into account, and send the extract back to me. I earnestly wish you all prosperity, health and salvation. May the Lord bless you. To your sister Valentina and girl N. my greetings and God's blessing. I constantly remember you all in prayer. May the grace and peace of God be and remain upon you all. – I started writing in Kozelsk, and I’m finishing in O.P., in my dear cell. Appendix 1: From Bishop Ignatius: Pray to God to turn away from you every attack, every temptation. One should not boldly rush into the abyss of sorrows; this is prideful arrogance. But when sorrows come by themselves, do not be afraid of them, do not think that they came by chance, by coincidence. No, they were allowed by the incomprehensible Providence of God. Full of faith and the courage and generosity it engenders, sail fearlessly through the darkness and warring storm to the quiet haven of eternity: you are invisibly guided by Jesus Himself. With pious, deep meditation, study the prayer of the Lord, which He offered to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane during the difficult hours that preceded His suffering and death on the cross. With this prayer, meet and overcome all sorrow. “My Father,” the Savior prayed, “even if it is possible to eat, let this cup pass by from Me: not as I want, but as You want. Pray to God to remove adversity from you, and together renounce your will as a sinful will, a blind will; surrender yourself, your soul and body, your circumstances, both present and future, surrender those close to your heart, those close to you, to the will of God, the all-holy and wise. Amen. Appendix 2: From Bishop Ignatius: Painlessness comes from an inattentive life, from untimely exits from the cell, from untimely conversations, jokes, ridicule, idle talk and verbosity, from satiety and satiety, from addictions, from the acceptance and assimilation of vain thoughts, from arrogance and pride... Tears shed for sins are at first bitter, shed during illness and languor of the spirit, which the spirit communicates to the body. Little by little, a consolation begins to be combined with tears, consisting of a special calmness, a feeling of meekness and humility; at the same time, the tears, in proportion and in accordance with the consolation provided, themselves change, lose much of their bitterness, flow out painlessly, or with less illness. At first they are scarce and come rarely; then little by little they begin to come more often and become more plentiful. When the gift of tears is strengthened in us by God's mercy, then the internal struggle is tamed, thoughts subside, mental prayer or prayer of the spirit begins to operate in a special development, saturating and delighting the inner man. Then the veil of passions is removed from the mind, and the mysterious teaching of Christ is revealed to it. Then the tears turn from bitter to sweet. Then spiritual consolation vegetates in the heart, which has nothing like it among earthly joys, and which is known only to those who practice prayerful crying and have the gift of tears. Then the promise of the Lord comes true: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted...” (Matthew 5:4). Although crying is almost always crowned with more or less copious tears, some ascetics, as can be seen from the consolation spoken for them by the holy fathers, languish either throughout their entire ascetic endeavor, or for a considerable time under the yoke of crying, without receiving tears for consolation and cooling. May they know that the essence of repentance lies in humility and contrition of our spirit, when the spirit will cry because of humility... Appendix 3: Extract from an article published in the magazine “Pastoral Interlocutor” for 1891, Nos. 17–18: “From the diary of a village priest (A.K-ii), who in 1866, the following year, after completing a seminary course, visited Svyatogorsk, Kharkov province, and where he had to talk with a wanderer (A-ya) in simple attire, with a knapsack over his shoulders; This wanderer comes from the Tambov province, has a priestly rank of spiritual origin, and completed a full course at the Theological Seminary.” “... I began to leave the chapel, as I saw - an old man was coming towards me, in a hair shirt, belted with a leather belt, in a novice cap (this is the Svyatogorsk hermit, he is still alive and visits, when there are no people, the chapel on the chalk rock). Approaching me, he asked me: who am I and why did I come here? I answered: I came to pray to God, but my prayer was unsuccessful. I pray and pray, but I don’t get what I want. “What do you want?” - asks me. “I would like one thing - peace of mind for my soul. “I,” I say, “sinned in my youth, and now I grieve and am tormented by the thought that I am a greater sinner than there is in the world.” - “Have you repented of your sins before your confessor?” - “I repented, but repentance did not ease my soul.” - “Do you believe in God’s mercy?” - “I believe.” - “Don’t you despair of your salvation?” - “No, I hope that the Lord will forgive me, a sinner, and blot out my sins if I make amends for them with a good life.” - “Well, it means that the peace of your soul is disturbed by another sorrow, not the one that brings about salvation (2 Cor. 7:10). You do not grieve because you offended God with your sins, desecrated your soul and body and lost eternal bliss, but you grieve only because you are the most sinful in the world. But have you thought about what causes your grief? Forgive me if I reveal the reason, the source of your sorrow; It was not reproaches of conscience that crushed you and do not give you peace - although it began with them - but your pride crushed you. You are a sinner. You yourself are aware of this and are tormented - why? Because your pride is offended that you have fallen so low; you would like to be better than others; you would rejoice if others were worse, more sinful than you. “Thank God,” you would say, “that I am not like other people - adulterers.” This is how it happens with us: a person has sinned and does not repent before God, but consoles himself: “I’m not the first, there is someone even worse than me,” and he is at peace with himself. But you’ve done so many abominations that you can’t tell yourself...”. Appendix 4: Leaf from the Philokalia: About the changes that occur in the soul of every person 70: Some of the zealots of piety would like to always enjoy peace of mind. And since this does not happen to them, and at times peace and tranquility are felt in their souls, and at times storms of various indecent thoughts arise, of course, without their consent, then they come from this into great confusion and even hopelessness of their salvation. But one should not be embarrassed in such cases, for embarrassment shows their lack of understanding of spiritual life. To clarify this subject, the words of Rev. are given here. Fathers Callistus, Patriarch of Constantinople and his associate Ignatius to a certain pilgrim. They say this: “We also want you to know that those who have achieved perfection, through self-purification and enlightenment, as much as possible (for in the present imperfect age there is no perfect perfection, but even more so imperfect perfection) - even such do not always remain unchanged, both because of natural weakness, and because of the exaltation that sometimes creeps in; but sometimes they also undergo changes and encroachments as a test, and again they are honored with the greatest intercessions. For immutability and immutability are the property of the future century, and in the present century there is a time of purity, peace and consolation of the Divine, then a mixture of unclean excitement and sadness, and this is in accordance with the life and success of each, and thus the message of destinies, in order to recognize from this his weakness (for blessed is someone who is aware of his weakness, says), like St. Paul “let us not put our trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead” (2 Cor. 1:9). And St. Isaac says: “One after another, others repeatedly transgress the law, and through repentance they heal their souls, and grace accepts them; because in every rational being without number there are changes, and with every person changes occur hourly. And the prudent person has many opportunities to understand this. But the trials that befall him every day can especially make him wiser in this if he soberly watches over himself, among other things, in order to observe himself with his mind and to know what change in meekness and quietness the soul takes every day, and how from its peaceful dispensation it suddenly turns into confusion, and how it happens in great and unspeakable danger. - And this blessed Macarius, clearly out of great care and zeal for the brethren, wrote as a memory and to teach them - not to give in to despair during the change of resistance (or battles), because with those who stand in the order of purity, falls always happen, just as cooling happens with the air, and without them being in negligence and laziness, but, on the contrary, when they walk according to the order their own, falls happen to them, contrary to the goals of their aspirations” (St. Isaac, verse 46, pp. 283–284). And even lower he says: “Changes,” says St. Macarius, “they are in everyone, as in the air.” Understand this - in everyone - because the nature is one. Lest you think, he said this about the lowest and weakest, believing that the perfect are free from change and always stand steadily in one rank, without passionate thoughts, as Euchites say, he added, in everyone. How is this, Blessed Macarius? You say that just as there is cold outside and soon then heat, there is hail, and a little later there is a bucket: so it happens in our asceticism: now there is battle, then there is the intercession of grace. At other times, the soul is overwhelmed, because grace comes and fills a person’s heart with joy and peace from God, with chaste and peaceful thoughts. He points here to these thoughts of chastity, hinting that before them there were bestial and unclean ones, and as if giving advice, saying: “if these chaste and modest thoughts are followed by an attack by evil ones, let us not grieve in self-praise, but in times of joy let us expect sorrow” (Ibid., p. 283). Further he says: “Know that all the saints were in this work. While we are in this world, along with the sad, we receive in secret and abundant consolation. For every day and every hour we are required to experience our love for God, in struggle and feat against temptations. And this is what it is - we should not be sad or discouraged in our feat; and this is how our path is corrected. Anyone who wants to retreat from this, or evade it, becomes the prey of wolves. What’s amazing about this holy father is how he confirmed this thought with a short word, proved that it was full of reason, and completely removed all doubt from the mind of the reader! He says: he who turns away from this and becomes the prey of wolves does not want to walk the proper path, but set out in his mind to acquire what he seeks, walking his own path, which the feet of the fathers did not trod” (Ibid., pp. 286–287). And even lower it is said about the great importance of humility: “Humility, even without deeds, acquires forgiveness for many sins; and affairs without it, on the contrary, are useless. – What salt is to all food, humility is to all virtue, and it can crush the strength of many sins. Therefore, you need to grieve (take care) about him in your soul incessantly, with humiliation of your understanding; and if we acquire it, it will make us sons of God and introduce us to God without good works; and without him all our deeds, all virtues and all work are in vain. “He alone is enough to present us without outside help before the face of God and speak intercessively for us” (Ibid., p. 289). And again: “one of the saints said: when the thought of pride comes to you, saying: remember your virtues, you tell him: look, old man, at your fornication” (Ibid., p. 290).” Appendix 5: Letter to St. Nikon to his mother dated November 15/28–16/29, 1922. See: letter No. 2(2) of this edition. Letter No. 4(120). To Lydia Mezhekova Peace to you and God's blessing. I received your letter and am in a hurry to answer you at the first mail. Although everything that happened is very regrettable, there is no need to lose heart. “The Lord is my Helper, and I will look upon my enemies” (Ps. 117:7). I will answer your entire letter one of these days, but now I intend to answer only the first and main question. Wait for the visitor and, as briefly and calmly as possible, say that you are surprised by such questions, because she wrote and found out everything she needed, and does not intend to submit further reports about her actions. Although it is difficult, take courage and say so that it is clear that you do not want to have further relations. Do not inflict any insults on anyone with your words, speak more evasively when questioned. When asked about your confessor, say that you went to Elder Nektarios, but when and why - this need not be found out. Also tell sister Valentina what we said. We can say that, in addition to talkativeness, I had several more cases of being convinced of some facts that forced you to remain silent. May God help you. May he enlighten you and strengthen you. Today I served the liturgy and prayed especially for you, so that the Lord would help both you and me in this matter. May the Lord bless you. July 21/August 3, 1924 Letter No. 5(121). To Lydia Mezhekova Peace to you and God's blessing. I already answered your first question, although very quickly, because I didn’t want to miss the mail train. I sympathize with you, my child. May God help you. The second question is also very important. What you write about the living situation in Kaluga and Kozelsk is quite clear to me. You already started telling me about this once, but I don’t remember what conclusion we came to. I’ll tell you frankly that I was burdened by such a cramped life, mainly by the presence of people, by the lack of my own corner; Of course, other people's untidiness is also aggravating. Other circumstances, the decoration of the rooms, their spaciousness, and the like, should not attract attention so much. I am sure that if you were in a wretched house, but had the opportunity to be alone, had your own room, you would be completely satisfied with such an environment. And luxury, albeit relative, and other needs can be multiplied endlessly. It is better to avoid this, not to cling to this with your heart, so that it is free, so that nothing prevents it from belonging to the Lord, nothing distracts it from the Lord. I thought that I could find a way out of this situation by changing places in Kozelsk, but it would cost more. If you remember, I told you from the very beginning that I don’t decide this matter right away, that I give my blessing to try to live and experience it, and then we’ll see. I will say this now: do not completely break the terms of your life with your family in Kaluga, and return to Kozelsk again. You'll have to wait until autumn, and then we'll see. Personally, you can add various details to this. May the Lord enlighten you and strengthen you. Come to the Light, my child, pass by and do not count as anything all the obstacles and temptations that come from the world, the flesh and the devil. May the Lord be your Helper. The Lord always helps everyone who sincerely flows to Him: and what is impossible with men is possible with God. I would like to thank you for fulfilling the instructions regarding the archive. God bless you! If they can’t give you a reward, don’t; we'll get by like this. May the Lord help you in school matters. The question of irritability in connection with the trip to Kozelsk seems to have disappeared, but I will still say a few words. Example o. Archimandrite Moses (not Xenophon) does not fit here well. There was anger, I think, for the most part justified at the various infirmities of people, for it was the anger of the boss, the superior, at his subordinates, at their actions, and there could not be envy, whereas in the present case it is envy, and I’ll tell you: unfair. Putting aside the example of Fr. Archimandrite Moses, I could agree to wait a few days in Kaluga, as a temporary measure, which in essence I disapprove of, for there is no place for envy here. May God help you. Pray daily, morning and evening, for those for whom you have wrong feelings, so that instead of dislike, pure love for the Lord may instill in you towards them, for you must love your neighbor in the Lord, and for the Lord. And passions in our fallen nature are tenacious, we must fight them, i.e. make an effort not to give in to them; victory over them is accomplished by the power of God; our weak strength is not sufficient for this. We must humbly admit this, and through humility we must attract God’s mercy and help. And those who are not yet fully aware of this, who have not fully reconciled themselves, are often allowed to endure the violence of passions in order to reconcile themselves. Therefore, I earnestly ask you: humble yourself both before people and in the depths of your heart, so that the humility is completely sincere, unfeigned. I earnestly wish you all the mercies of God. To your sister Valentina - God's blessing. If my name is vilified by some and I am accused of something, that’s good. Remember that the Gospel says: “Woe when all men speak good” (Luke 6:26). If this praise is called grief by everyone in the Gospel, then it really is grief. May the Lord save you in the image of destinies. May the Lord protect you from all evil. July 23/August 5, 1924 Letter No. 6(122). To Lydia Mezhekova I have received two of your letters and I have the intention, with God’s help, to answer you in detail, but since the bearer of your letter is in a hurry, I will not be able to do this this time, and will write by mail. Now I’ll just say that you should neither write nor go according to the letter you received, although it is mentioned there that the request to come is made “for the sake of Christ.” There is no need to be embarrassed by this; In support of these words of mine, a lot can be said, but now I will only point out a simple story from the Lives of the Holy Reverend Fathers: one brother saw a hermit walking and ran after him, wanting to talk with him for the benefit of his soul. The hermit, seeing this, ran from him, wanting to hide. He began to shout that he was running after him for God’s sake; the one who was running away continued to run, shouting in response that he was also running away from him for God’s sake. In this story they really ran for God's sake. More about the rest next time. May the Lord protect you from all troubles and evils. I pray for you to the best of my ability. Don’t worry about me, for everything happens and can happen only by the will of God. Peace be with you. Letter No. 7(123). To Lydia Mezhekova May God's blessing remain upon you forever. Having received your last letter from you, I hasten to answer it. You should not write letters. It is best to go to the priest who asked you, or to Father Nikolai V., and say that the request of the clergy is impossible for you to fulfill, for the vestments were given to you for safekeeping; and in order for a thing to be preserved, it is necessary to keep it more or less, but in secret, which is what you have observed so far. But if Father Anthony gave away the secret, then it’s not your fault; It is inconvenient for you personally to petition for the donation of vestments, because you are the custodian, and therefore advise them to do this: at least let Father Nikolai write a letter asking for a donation and indicate in the letter that the vestments became known through Father Anthony, and when they approached you, you did not agree to give without the owner’s blessing, and even in general you are uncomfortable that the whereabouts of the vestments were revealed. But still, you expressed your readiness to give out the vestments if the owner’s blessing follows. With this you will do everything that depends on you, and your conscience should not bother you. Be calm. In addition, know that for the eternal fate of the dying person, the appearance of the burial matters little. Each will be judged according to his deeds, “what he has done with the body, either good or evil” (2 Cor. 5:10), i.e. what a person did while in his body on earth will be judged for that, and everything else is unimportant except what the saint offers. Church, i.e. prayer for the departed and good deeds in their memory. And evil deeds will not bring good. Now, my dear, I will answer the previous letters in order. I sincerely sympathize with you in your experiences. May the Lord help you and comfort you with the news of your fate. I always pray for you, especially when I receive letters from you, because I feel that without God’s help you can’t do anything, that I myself, as a weak person, am weak, and am not able to give the help that is required. And prayer has worked and continues to work miracles, especially when prayer asks for a good, saving deed; In this matter, I am driven only by the desire for your and mine salvation, eternal salvation, not temporary, fleeting. The fate of all who want to be saved is to suffer. Therefore, even if we suffer, let us rejoice, for we are working towards salvation. I received your letter, sent by hand. Don’t worry, I consider the sender of the letter to be trustworthy. Personally, I could say a lot, but in a letter I will say that he is my spiritual son, and does not think evil of me, and I do not allow him to say anything against me. The person who condemned me (and now condemns me), and with whom there was an official conversation about me, lives in Kozelsk. This can be said by assumption, but a very true one: for once in the presence of Fr. Archimandrite Fr. The dean said that I had already been designated for transfer from O.P. to Meshchevsk or Dobry - I don’t remember, but that he protected me and achieved his goal: I stayed. At the same time as me, 2 more persons from O.P. were appointed for transfer, but to other monasteries (all separately). All three of us were in the first position of a person who lived then in O.P., and now in Kozelsk, and the person who received the complaint told me that a complaint was brought against me from this person, and even according to the content of it, he personally gave me some orders, without listening to my explanations. This is not news to me. But all the past and all the present, and threats for the future should not force me to change my decisions, for they are based on the word of God, on the commandments of the Gospel and Church. I am a monk, and a monk is the fulfiller of all the commandments of God. Neither reprimands, nor threats, nor even death should force a monk to despise the commandment of God. During tonsure, we were told by the Abbot: “For the Lord Himself said: “If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself, and let him follow Me” (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23): it is (in Russian: what is or means) I am ready to be everlasting, even unto death, for all fulfillment of His commandments" (see. "Rite of tonsure"). You write that the letter killed you, and you are in despair, especially regarding me. This should not happen. One thing I will say is that we must rely on the will of God. The words of the Psalm touch me and my sinful heart: “I am Thine, save me: for I have sought Thy justification” (middle of 17th chapter. Ps. 118, 94). I tell them to the Lord when people or my thoughts threaten me in the performance of my sacred monastic duty. Be the will of the Lord. Don't be discouraged. Don’t worry about me at all, that this is the beginning of the persecution of me, for from what I have written you can see that this is not the beginning, but a continuation, and that nothing has touched me so far, because it was not the will of God. And believe that it will not touch you unless it is the will of God. And if God’s will is done, then no precautions will help or save. Be calm, you have absolutely nothing to do with this. The will of God is being done both for me and for you, our salvation is being built. Neither I nor you should harbor malice towards this person or other persons. For malice is from the enemy the devil; We should be angry with him, and we should have pity on people, and we should even pray for them according to the commandment of Christ. And I have no thoughts against you, I did not and do not consider you to be the culprit of my sorrows and persecutions, which, by the way, have not yet happened and do not exist. But the future is in God’s hands, and I myself am God’s. “The Lord is my helper, and I will look upon my enemies. The Lord is my helper: what can man do for me” (Ps. 117:7,6). You even ask me for forgiveness both for yourself and for your sister. I have nothing to forgive you for, but if you want to hear this word from me, then I say with love: May God forgive you, my child. With this word I finish the question about the letter I received and move on to others. Regarding Alexandra of Moscow, I take into account everything written, but that’s not the point here. May the Lord bless her and make her wise for the salvation of her soul. I prayed for the sick youth Vladimir to the best of my ability. May the Lord give him health and salvation. You can combine the Jesus Prayer with the prayer of the Mother of God, as the Rev. advised. Seraphim of Sarov, adding: “by the prayers of the Mother of God.” But our Elders did not advise this; there were supporters of saying the full Jesus Prayer without addition, and during the akathist to the Mother of God they allowed us to switch to the prayer to the Mother of God as in the Pentecent. I hesitate to attach the verse of the chapter in the First Epistle to the Corinthians to you in the form in which you write it in the letter. For I have told you more than once that... confession is necessary. So as not to delay the letter in the mail - I’m finishing now. About Father Nektary next time: hopefully soon. May the Lord bless you. September 23/October 6, 1924 Letter No. 8(124). To Lydia Mezhekova May peace and God's blessing be with you forever. I continue to respond to your letter and, first of all, I offer my sincere gratitude for your love for my thinness. I received your parcel for my Angel's Day. God bless you. I don’t know how I can repay you and the others involved. I pray for all of you to the best of my weak strength. May the Lord reward you all with His mercies, both temporary and eternal, and may He save your souls. I can't wish you anything better. I have consecrated another rosary for you, which I will try to send at the first opportunity, and I will give the ones you sent a different purpose. I will not go into the analysis of the words spoken to you when presenting the rosary, but I will say that I am sending you the rosary for prayer, for I want you to serve the Lord with both your mind and heart, and not serve the enemy with a single feeling. Believe me that I do not have the slightest contempt for you; my heart extends to you with sincere sympathy and love in the Lord. May the Lord enlighten you, and may the spirit of self-love depart from you, instilling in you other inappropriate thoughts and plunging you into despondency. I will pray according to my strength for your sister Valentina. May God forgive her if she, voluntarily or unwittingly, did something wrong. In any case, I don’t think she could do evil for evil’s sake. Now about Father Nektaria. I told him everything that you asked me to tell him, and did not say that you did not present a decision to him. Father told you not to write to a famous person. He said this even without my asking. I advised you in moments of difficult experiences to turn to the Lord with the prayer: “Lord, have mercy!” and thereby attract the mercy and help of God. The remnants of unpleasant memories will be gradually destroyed and it will be easier. Then we discussed the issue of changing your place of residence. In the end, Father gave his blessing to look for another place, but did not specifically indicate any place. The fact is that we received letters from Diveyevo from a certain person in whom we have trust and acquaintance through Father Barsanuphius and others, from which we can see the situation there; Please note that they need a confessor. I am sending these letters to you, maybe. You'll return it if necessary. I couldn’t keep Father quiet about them, and therefore the matter about Diveev was put aside, and we don’t know other places yet. Of course, I asked you St. prayers and blessings. Father did not forget you all, he remembers and was sympathetic. Although we spoke little about entering a monastery for lack of such things in mind. My impression is that Father would bless if a suitable place was found. You write that you would like to leave, go somewhere far away. It seems to me personally that this is pointless, because you won’t get away from yourself, but you will only move away from people who sincerely sympathize with you. I do not insist on living in Kozelsk, but I fully understand that it is very difficult to live in Kaluga, and therefore I willingly give my blessing to look for a place somewhere outside Kaluga. May God be your helper. For my part, I will listen about suitable places, but I can’t promise anything in advance. May the all-good will of the Lord be done for you. You once wrote about the structure of your life, i.e. that you feel like a stranger, out of place and only by appearance you fulfill your duties at work, without joining any circles. This is good, i.e. or rather, it is necessary at this time in your situation. You do not have peace of mind due to the circumstances of what you have experienced, experienced and expected. Do not be discouraged, but surrender yourself to the will of God. Of all that Bat. Nektariy said to me on my last visit to him, most of all I liked his words about surrendering oneself to the will of God. I don’t remember whose words he cited, but the words are: “There is nothing more disastrous for a monk than the desire (or effort) to arrange his life according to his own intellect” 71 . So, if you strive for monasticism, then surrender yourself to the will of God, pray to the Lord to direct your path to salvation. Prayer with surrender to the will of God has worked and continues to create miracles, and makes the impossible possible. Therefore, I will pray for you, as your spiritual father, and you pray, and God will send His mercy, how exactly it will help, I cannot say, for I don’t see anything in advance and I don’t know, but I believe and know that it will help. I notice despondency in you, for the sake of which you consider yourself unworthy of God’s help and forgiveness - I have told you more than once that to think so is offensive to God’s love, for “God is loving” (1 John 4:8). No sins can overcome God’s goodness and mercy if we repent of them and ask for forgiveness. No one despises you, but the Angels of God rejoice over your salvation and cry when you become discouraged and doubt the mercy of God. You also wrote that you were embarrassed by my concern for your financial situation if you were left without a position, and therefore without income. And I'm surprised at your embarrassment. All the words and examples you cited do not fit here at all. The words of Rev. are suitable for us. John Climacus: “To be amazed at the labors of these saints is a commendable thing; to be jealous of them is saving, but to suddenly want to become an imitator of their life is a reckless and impossible thing” (Sl.: 4:42). I also enclose extracts from the letters of Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov). Yes, and Father Barsanuphius told me: “We would like to leave our tummy behind the fence of the Skete, but we cannot, it still remains with us” 72, and therefore, he makes his own demands. If we were Rev. Anthony and Macarius, then we could do their deeds, but since we are not even like them, we need to recognize our weakness and humble ourselves, to carry out the feat within our power, because due to immoderation, or from difficult living conditions, some completely abandoned the feat. Let this not happen to you, my child. Let us slowly move toward salvation, making up for our lack and weakness through self-reproach, and driving away demonic despondency with hope in God’s mercy, but by no means falling into sins spontaneously. Ep. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) is also not an ordinary person, and therefore you cannot compare yourself with him in everything; but it can also be said about him that he did not get along in several monasteries due to material needs and bodily weakness, paying an involuntary tribute to human weakness in general. I don’t want to discourage you with this and plunge you into worries about material well-being and contentment, no, I just want you to follow the middle path, which was called St. royal fathers, so that you are prudently moderate in your aspirations and understand that it is possible and should take care of the body, but not “with your soul,” as it is said in the Gospel, for in the Gospel not all care is prohibited, but only that which absorbs our soul and does not allow it to be devoted to the service of God. Farming is honest work, blessed by God, but in it care goes on all the time almost a year in advance; As soon as the farmer reaps the harvest, he already sows and plows for the harvest for the next year - and this he must do, but the harvest itself must expect from the will of God, for it really depends only on God; this becomes clear to anyone who remembers rain, drought, hail, winds, worms, locusts and other circumstances depending on the providence of God. After everything that has been written and extracted, I think you will not be embarrassed and will fully understand how we should look at concerns about our bodily life. Words by Ap. Paul to Corinth. (1 Cor. 15:10): “But by the grace of God I am what I am” must be understood this way: St. ap. Paul, looking at his former life, at the fact that he was a persecutor of the Church of Christ, considers himself the least of the apostles, even a monster, but at the same time he cannot help but see the grace given to him, for which he worked more than all the apostles. And so he says: no matter what I was before, and maybe even now, as a person, I now am what the Grace of God has made of me: I am an apostle, I am a preacher and I work, but I understand that this all depends on the grace of God, which is given to me, and not on me personally; Personally, I am not worthy to be called an apostle. These words of the Apostle were repeated and repeated by many. I also dared to say them, for I am fully aware that as a person I am nothing, but as a priest I have the grace of the priesthood on me and act as this grace gives me. Now I'll go back a little. While your new place of residence has not yet been decided, I find it quite acceptable to take private lessons for the sake of earning money, but don’t bother yourself through force. Then I find it possible, in case of a change of residence, to write to the owner of some things that you are leaving Kaluga, for how long you don’t know, and therefore I decided to give the key to the things to my sister [Valentina]. Then the letter can be edited. On the issue of school, Father Nektary agreed with my opinion that you can continue school, but not make concessions in faith, and if you need to enter into a deal with your conscience, then of course you need to quit it, relying on the will and mercy of God. May the Lord bless you. I earnestly wish you all the mercies of God, peace of mind and joy in the Lord. Appendix No. 1: Letter from Bishop. Ignatius (Brianchaninova) No. 211. “... When they sweep a room, they don’t bother looking at the rubbish, but just throw it all in a heap and there it is. Do the same. Confess your sins to your confessor, and that’s all, but don’t go into examining them. The Holy Fathers forbid this to those who cannot properly examine themselves: such examination confuses them, leading to relaxation and frustration. Beware of sins, repent of those committed out of weakness and passion, not allowing yourself to become bewildered and despondent when examining them, and do not expect sinlessness from yourself.” Appendix No. 2: Works of Bishop. Ignatius (Brianchaninova). T. 1. Chalice of Christ. “... Pray to God to turn away from you every attack, every temptation. One should not boldly rush into the abyss of sorrows, and lack of food is also sorrow. This is prideful arrogance. But when sorrows come of their own accord, do not be afraid of them...” Appendix No. 3: Works of Bishop. Ignatius (Brianchaninova). T. 5. Ch. 12. About living in obedience to the elder. “...Monastic obedience in the form and character in which it took place among ancient monasticism is a high spiritual sacrament. Comprehension of him and complete imitation of him have become impossible for us: only a reverent and prudent examination of him is possible, the assimilation of his spirit is possible. Then we will enter the path of correct judgment and soul-saving prudence, when, reading the experiences and rules of the work of the ancient fathers - their obedience, equally marvelous both in the leaders and in the led - we see in modern times the general decline of Christianity, we admit that we are unable to inherit the work of the fathers in its fullness and in all its abundance. And it is God’s great mercy to us, great happiness for us, that we are given the opportunity to feed on the grains falling from the spiritual table of our fathers. These grains do not constitute the most satisfying food, but they can, although not without a feeling of need and hunger, protect against spiritual death.” Appendix No. 4: Episcopal essay. Ignatius (Brianchaninova). T. 5. Ch. 30. Sorrows are primarily the lot of monks of the last times. “... The Holy Fathers, monks of the first times of Christianity, perfect Christians, filled with the Holy Spirit, had a revelation from above about monasticism in recent times and uttered a prophecy about it, which is coming true before our eyes. All the predictions of the fathers are similar to each other and proclaim that monasticism in recent times will lead a very weak life, that it will not be provided with either the mental and physical strength, or the abundance of grace-filled gifts that were provided to the first monks, that salvation itself will be very difficult for it... ...The evil cunning of Satan and the gravity of the attacks he brings upon modern monasticism are clear before God. God will crown the newest fighters no less than the ancients, although the feat of the former is less obvious than the feat of the latter. We should not indulge in relaxation, despondency and inaction; on the contrary, let us direct all our attention and all our efforts to fulfilling the Gospel commandments.” Appendix No. 5: From a letter from Bishop. Ignatius (Brianchaninova). “... We must understand the spirit of the times and not get carried away by previous concepts and impressions, which are currently impossible to realize. The importance is in Christianity, not in monasticism; monasticism is important to the extent that it leads to perfect Christianity.” Appendix No. 6: I consecrated these rosary to St. water and they lay on the Gospel from the cell of Father Barsanuphius along with the cross consecrated on the Holy Sepulcher (brown rosary). Appendix No. 7: Letters from Diveevo. Father, most honest in the Lord, Fr. N.! I was heartily glad to receive your registered letter of August 13, although its contents were very sad. Having received your registered letter last fall, I immediately replied to you, as usual, with the case via Sh., but my answer did not reach you. Recently I wrote to you again with a case, I don’t know if you received it? It is absolutely true that in Sarov we also have new entrants. In Sarov the brethren receive 1 f. bread a day and that’s all, the rest is all from themselves, a tax for cells, some are in secular service. Our sisters who are capable of working are enrolled in the labor artel (in the handicraft artel, and have a corner and 1 pound of bread on weekdays). The rest is all on my own. We rarely accept new sisters and then only through acquaintance and patronage, nothing else. Regarding spiritual nourishment, we have the blessed servant of God Maria Ivanovna, who, with her blessing, replaced the blessed Praskovya Ivanovna for us. I have been going to her for many years, asking for her blessing on every matter, and I receive great spiritual benefit from her. And many of the Sarov brethren and of our sisters turn to her. There is no one else in our area except her. But caring for the blessed is not at all like caring for the elderly. In Sarov there are brethren of high life, but they do not age, and now they even need an experienced confessor. To your question: did we have any deviation from Orthodoxy? With great sorrow I can answer you briefly: yes, there was. In general, we are now experiencing both externally and internally an extremely difficult situation, which should soon be resolved. Visiting pilgrims, of course, do not see this, but we know very well that we are hanging by a thread, which is unanimously confirmed by the servants of God and the blessed ones who visit us. So, I, a sinner, would not at all advise you to come to us, but to wait out this year. In Sarov the situation was less acute, and there were no deviations from Orthodoxy. When reporting this information, do not mention my name. I understand well how difficult it is for you, but it’s not much easier for us than yours, therefore, always remembering you and your father... I also ask your saints. prayers. Over time I will write to you in more detail, but for now I can only tell you this little. Help, Lord, your St. the monastery will be reborn soon, pray for ours too. Write sometimes, I’m always glad to hear from you. Most honest fathers in the Lord... and father...! I haven’t written to you for a long time, although I have never forgotten you and your saint. monastery of prayer. We are still living at home, but everyone thinks that this is only for now. The monk said a lot that the wrath of God will befall us if we violate His commandments, and they have not only been violated by us for a long time, but are violated more and more every day, despite the fact that the Lord visits us with many sorrows, but we do not correct ourselves. The servants of God have repeatedly told us that the Mother of God and the Reverend are angry with us, that the monastery is still being covered for the sake of a chosen few. Our moral situation is the saddest. Please pray for us. Sarov also lives in great cramped conditions and suffering. The number of brethren there has decreased a lot, but those who remain seem to have improved a lot, and the good ones have improved even more. I was there on Peter’s Day and was inexpressibly comforted. Truly there is a whole sea of ​​grace there. The memory of the Saint on July 19 was celebrated with unusual solemnity; there were people, they say, as if for the opening of his relics. Needless to say, how angry the authorities are about this. Here is a brief summary of our life, I would like to have news about yours as well. Only recently I was able to read the “Message of the Optina Elders” regarding our heresies. Is Father Nektary alive and well? If possible, give him a bow from me asking for blessings and St. prayers for me, a sinner, and for our monastery. Is service carried out in your monastery? Are there any other brethren living there? I always pray that the Lord will help you and may St. revive you again. Optina Pustyn. Do not forget in your prayers the great sin... Letter No. 9(125). To Lydia Mezhekova I read your letter and felt sad. Your letter is saturated with despondency, and what could be worse than despondency? What plaster should I apply to you for your healing? Oh, Lord, Lord, does the enemy really want to kidnap Your sheep again? Let this not happen! Lord, “raise up Your power and come to save us” (Ps. 79:3)! - If the enemy wants to offend one of my spiritual children or my loved ones, and I see my powerlessness to help, then I flow to the Lord, “I will pour out my prayer before Him, I will declare my sorrow before Him” (Ps. 141:3). The Lord is able to guide our lives for salvation. I pray for you and commend you to the will of God. I can’t write much now, but I’ll briefly say that the monasteries you listed are no longer monasteries, because artels, communes, etc. were established in them. Some of them are few, others are many, but still they moved away from strictly monastic and monastic life. By living in them you can improve your salvation, but anyone who would like to enter them again must know that he will not meet there what would be necessary, what we met when entering the monastery when it was a monastery. The eye of the former monk sees this, but due to inexperience you cannot immediately understand and notice it. Therefore, I do not advise you to turn for advice and guidance and assistance regarding joining any monastery to whom you intended. Be patient for now; Even before your letter, I already wanted to write to someone with a request for you, although without indicating your name yet, but now I’ll hurry up with this matter, and if I receive anything, I will immediately, God willing, tell you. God bless you for sending it. Very grateful. Give my greetings and God's blessing to your sister Valentina. I pray for both her and you. Today I served and prayed for you all. May the Queen of Heaven give Her ambulance to all those who grieve and are burdened with sins, may they have both joy and consolation. May the spirit of despondency depart from you, my child! Believe me, everything that happened to you has long been forgiven by the Lord. Now beware of the present, take care of yourself and do not lose heart. All sins are washed away by the blood of the Savior, and in the abyss of His mercy all our weaknesses and sins are drowned, if only we repent. I earnestly wish you all the mercies of God. Peace and salvation to you. October 24/November 6, 1924 Letter No. 10(126). To Lydia Mezhekova I inform you that I sent your letter to Father Nektary; I haven't received any answer yet. I heartily sympathize with you, my child, and I pray to the best of my ability for your health and salvation. I ask you: for God’s sake, do not give in to despondency. I firmly believe that the Lord will not leave you with His mercy, as long as you do not refuse this mercy yourself. “Even if a mother forgot the offspring of her womb, I will not forget you” (Is. 49:15), says the Lord Almighty. Don't be discouraged, but trust in God. Regarding the trip to Moscow, you don’t write anything: where and why, and therefore it’s difficult for me to say anything definitely. However, I have an idea that it is possible to get through. God bless; just don’t take rash steps there; Before you do anything, pray and think whether it will be reasonable and pleasing to God. May the Lord bless you on this journey. Regarding confession: I cannot advise hiding ongoing or existing sin after confession; but one should not talk about the previous sin, for it has already been confessed as it should, and therefore repetition is not required; I don’t even recommend talking about the past. When confessing the present, you can not touch on the past at all, saying that in the past there is nothing hidden, everything has been confessed - and this will free you from unnecessary questions. And one should not approach the Holy Chalice with unconfessed sin; and confession itself loses its meaning when the main sin is hidden. May God help you! Remember, my child, that the Lord does not allow temptations beyond measure and our strength, therefore we must not give up; you need to courageously stand against sin, and with God’s help it will be defeated. Believe me, in my short ministry I have many examples of rising from the mire of sin. You shouldn’t die either, it’s not God’s will for this. The Lord wants your salvation. To your sister Valentina, my greetings and God’s blessing. May the Lord protect her! I will pray for your brother N. to the best of my ability. May the All-Bountiful Lord heal his ailments, both mental and physical. To Maiden N. God's blessing. My health is good so far, thank God, and then God willing. I earnestly wish you all the mercies of God. Greetings on the coming St. days of fasting and holiday. Letter No. 11(127). To Lydia Mezhekova I received your letter late, and, more than I had hoped, I delayed it due to current circumstances. If the matter has not gone away yet, I bless you to go to Father Nektary, if this is possible for you due to your means and other circumstances. But always, whenever you go to your spiritual father or Elder, you must go with prayer, as I already told you. May the Lord manage everything for the benefit of your soul and salvation. May God bless you, my child, begin life in renewal of the spirit, help you and complete you. Say the Jesus Prayer in humility of your spirit and heart. It is good that you receive consolation from this work, but firmly remember that to seek consolation and pleasure in the prayer of St. considered by his fathers to be mentally harmful. Therefore, become more attached to the feelings of humility and repentance. Then you will not get lost on your prayer path. The only favorable sacrifice to God is the Spirit, who is contrite about his sins, about his fall, about his passion. God will not despise a contrite and humble heart. St. has a lot about this too. fathers and bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninova). May God help you. I would like to thank you for sending money and gifts. God bless you. I sincerely wish you all the mercies of God. January 23/February 5, 1925 Letter No. 12(128). To Lydia Mezhekova God will bless you and keep you. I pray for you - G.I.N. Answer: Fully recognizing Soviet power, I unquestioningly submit to it in my conscience as state power, at the same time I am completely alien to any political life and any political parties; I'm completely apolitical. If they ask in more detail, then you can answer like this: how can I sympathize with something that I am completely alien to; if I am completely alien to any business or science, then I cannot be interested in or sympathize with them, for example, agriculture, hypnotism, astronomy, architecture, etc. I use works of all of the above, but I can’t bring myself to sympathize or care about them. So here I use Soviet power, because without power I cannot imagine state life, I receive from this power security and protection in my civil life, as a free citizen, for example, if there were no power, then I could always be offended with impunity, but the power does not allow this, it observes the order, etc., but being alien to any political parties, I personally do not sympathize with anyone and am not interested in them. Actually something like this. January 29/February 11, 1925 Letter No. 13(129). To Lydia Mezhekova I received your letter, read it and the attached letter from a person known to you. May God help you. Of course, no response should be given to this letter. I fully agree that the letter is made up and not sincere. I believe that everything is clear and no explanation is required. Surrender yourself and this whole matter to the will of God and be silent: God looks on the heart. I consider it blasphemous to use and call on the name of God in such cases (as is done on their part). But do not condemn them, for all judgment belongs not to us, but to God, who will reward everyone according to his deeds. Congratulations to you, my child, on your Angel’s Day. Now I have received an invitation to serve in our cathedral for Fr. archpriest (he is not feeling well) and I hope to bring to the Lord God my humble prayer for your health and salvation at St. throne. May the Lord comfort you with His mercy, may your heart rejoice with the joy of the Holy Spirit, may your good desires be fulfilled. Please accept these good wishes from me as a sincere heartfelt greeting on the day of your Angel. Now I will briefly answer your questions: The interpretation given by Rev. Abba Isaiah about the sign of forgiveness of sin - not the embarrassment of sympathy for sin, as already completely alien - must be understood in the sense of healing from sinful passions, and not individual sins, for sins are forgiven through sincere confession, although some remember them for a long time, for example, about St. There is a legend of the Apostle Peter that until the end of his life he cried when he heard a rooster crow - he was reminded of his renunciation. And we know that the Lord, appearing after His resurrection, forgave him and raised him up in his apostolic dignity: “Feed My sheep,” “feed My lambs,” “come to Me” (John 21:15–16, 19), so we read in the Holy Scripture. Gospel of John. Read this passage carefully. If God willing, we can talk about this in more detail during a personal conversation. So, do not be discouraged: there is no sin that overcomes the mercy of God. I do not and cannot bless you to give up your desire for life according to God. May the enemy who instills such destructive thoughts in you depart from you. Be strong, take heart! Consider yourself worse than everyone else, but do not retreat from God. Truly: “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth; He will do the will of those who fear Him, and He will hear their prayer, and He will save them...” (Ps. 145:18-19). Do not think that your experiences are incomprehensible to anyone. I feel and understand your grief, but I can’t do anything yet, I just say: Lord, help, save, have mercy! Lord, Thy will be done! I'm in a hurry to finish the letter so that it gets to the mail today. Once again I invoke God’s blessing on you and entrust you to the all-powerful protection of the Queen of Heaven. I remember you, my child, and pray for you. March 21–22/April 3–4, 1925 Hello and God's blessing to your sister V. Letter No. 14(130). To Lydia Mezhekova I received your letter and I hasten to answer your question about school. I advise you to stay in this, surrendering to the will of God. Pray earnestly to Saints Nicholas and Spyridon, so that through their prayers everything will work out for the benefit of your soul. I heartily sympathize with you, my child; May the Lord Himself comfort you: truly, “human salvation is in vain” (Ps. 59:13; 107:13). Although we must turn to people for mental and physical help, we must expect success in these appeals from the hand of the Lord. I pray for you and wish God's mercy. Tell me what to do with the letter that you sent me “to read”: return it to you or destroy it? I am a little weak: my leg hurts more than usual, and therefore I write with a pencil, sitting on the bed. I’m in a hurry to hand over the letter to your sister and therefore I’m finishing it for now. May the protection of the Queen of Heaven be with you and over you. Peace and salvation to you. August 24/September 6, 1925 Letter No. 15(131). To Lydia Mezhekova (postcard) Peace to you and God's blessing. Not being able to answer your letter in detail now, I hasten to write at least a few words. I told your sister everything about the table. Regarding the letter, I advise you not to answer anything for now. May the Lord help you in everything. And I pray according to my strength for you. May the Lord God bless you. August 31/September 13, 1925 Letter No. 16(132). To Lydia Mezhekova (postcard) I am sending you the promised rosary, with which I have served many times. I sympathize with you, my child, and pray for you; I sincerely thank you for the parcel and congratulations on the day of my Angel, God bless. May the Lord Almighty protect you. Letter No. 17(133). To Lydia Mezhekova I received your letter. Pray to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky. After all, they are our first helpers and prayer books; they have been given special grace to help those in trouble, even hopeless situations. They will help you too. Of course, on your part, you do what needs to be done. I already told your sister about this, i.e. what needs to be done. May the Lord God protect you under the shelter of His goodness. Thank God for everything. In the teaching read at the service: “Praise of the Mother of God” during Great Lent, it is said that it is necessary to thank the Lord for all His mercies that have been upon us, for when we give thanks for all past mercies and blessings, then, so to speak, we are preparing our soul to receive new blessings and mercies. From this it is clear that those who grumble and are ungrateful are deprived of new blessings of God. Fear this and always thank God for everything, for “the Lord has mercy, and with Him is much deliverance” (Ps. 129:7). No one can console if the Lord does not console. Therefore, if you were consoled in Kozelsk, thank God, but people have nothing to do with it: they are only conscious and mostly unconscious executors of Divine commands. I wish you peace and joy in the Lord and all prosperity. Save yourself in the Lord, my dear child! Letter No. 18(134). To Lydia Mezhekova I received your letter when I was at Father Nektary’s, but now I’m stuck on the road because of a blizzard, and taking advantage of being held captive by the bad weather, I’m writing you an answer. I don’t have your previous letter with me, and therefore I am answering only the last letter. My dear child! Why are you grieving and embarrassed? Don’t worry, but surrender to the will of God, and calm down. Have you ever noticed that during every Divine service this, so to speak, invitation is repeatedly pronounced: “Our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, having commemorated with all the saints, let us commemorate ourselves and each other, and our whole life to Christ our God” 73 . Heed this invitation of the Orthodox Church of Christ and surrender everything to the will of God. Although I am a sinner, I am still a monk, and yet God’s, I am entirely in the hands of God. You too are God’s. Your letter did not bother me, perhaps even comforted me. Remember, as it is said in St. Gospel: “Woe, when all men speak good” (Luke 6:26). This means that this grief does not befall me if some people slander and slander me. After all, about Christ, some said that He is good, and others that He is not, He flatters the nations. I am completely conscious of this phenomenon. I am sure that if the Lord allows, all sorts of bitterness, humiliation, and sorrow may befall me; and I am also sure that if the Lord does not allow it, no one will lay a finger on me. “The Lord is my Helper, what can man do to me? The Lord is my Helper, and I will look upon my enemies” (Ps. 117:6-7). The Lord's will be done! With o. N. I do not advise having further explanations. Humble yourself. There is no need to prove the truth. It will open when it is needed: either here on earth, or when everyone, according to their deeds, receives retribution from the Impartial Judge. All the words: “undeservedly,” “unfairly,” “I want to prove” are completely not monastic, and even more so, not Christian. “It is natural to be blessed when people reproach you” (Matthew 5:11), “My judgment is righteous” (John 5:30). Therefore, we must humble ourselves and submit, and pray for the offenders, so that the Lord will work with us and with them according to His mercy. God will bless you to receive communion with this fast in 2 weeks. But you don’t write who you will confess to: if the torture continues, you will worry again. It is necessary to meekly and briefly ask to stop these tortures and interrogations, for the matter of confession is a matter of conscience and freedom, and not of coercion and violence. Say that you come to confession not to denigrate your conscience, but to cleanse it, and therefore you speak the truth as before the face of God. And this ends all negotiations on this topic. All this in case he starts talking himself. Otherwise, keep quiet. In response to the request for prayers, I can only say that I have prayed and am praying according to my strength. May the Lord protect you under the roof of His goodness! While visiting Father Nektary, I asked his saint. prayers and blessings to you at your request. Now I’ll tell you one more thing. Everything that you told me in your letter is not news to me and did not make a heavy impression on me. But what you wrote, albeit in parentheses, as an introductory sentence, “about everything bitter, everything difficult that you had and still have to experience with me,” hurts me. I, not liking to prove the obvious, proved to you my love for you, wanting to calm you down, but as can be seen from your words, I did not have time in this regard - and I am sad about it. Oh Lord! How long will the enemy play with the minds and hearts of people?! Lord, You see everything! This same sad mood of yours turned out to be in the question of Nina getting married. According to my strength, I will pray for R.B. Nicholas, may the Lord turn him to the path of truth and save his soul. You can never, my child, rely on a person. This is a great and fatal mistake. Without God's determination, a person will not protect or console. Man is powerless without God's help. I wrote to you about thanking God for His great mercies and about staying away from grumbling. Now I remind you of the same thing. Thank God and you will see or understand my attitude towards you. Do not persist in your misunderstanding, but want to get rid of it; repent of your weakness, and repentance, as the bishop teaches. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), will gradually open your eyes to your sins, and you will finally see that you are to blame, and not others. I am very sad that you want to correct this. In general, you obey, and you have a desire to be saved and obey, but I cannot convince you of this. Once again I ask you to pay attention to my words and not give free rein to your feelings and thoughts that are not useful for you. Don’t be angry with me because I’m creeping you out instead of consoling you. If I didn’t wish you well, I wouldn’t say it. Whom I love, I punish 74. I earnestly wish you all the mercies of God and all prosperity. When you have the opportunity, come and pray with us. Again, I invoke God’s blessing on you and wish you peace and joy in the Sweetest Lord Jesus. Peace and salvation to you. Road to Kozelsk. Blizzard. Letter No. 19(135). To Lydia Mezhekova Peace and salvation to you. I greet you, my child, on the civil holiday, Happy New Year. May the Lord protect you under the shelter of His goodness. According to my strength, we pray for you. Letter No. 20(136). To Lydia Mezhekova I received your letter. I heartily sympathize with you in your sorrows. May the Lord comfort you. You write frankly. You need to write frankly, but you still need to think about what you are writing about. It’s good that you wrote frankly, through this you will receive healing, but there are also bad thoughts. May the Lord deliver you from them. You yourself write that you did not pay special attention to my words “about holiness.” The fact that you didn't pay attention is your mistake. You did not understand the meaning of what I said and what I forbade: this was prevented in you by envy and the blindness it gives rise to. At St. Fathers clearly say that envy gives rise to blindness, and even in the church Lenten stichera it is sung that envy does not know what is useful (I don’t remember the exact words). I forbade you and now I forbid you to say and think about me what was never in my mind or heart, namely, that a famous person is a saint. You can’t tell lies about your spiritual father. This is a great sin. I forbid you to commit this sin. But I demand and advise you to repent of envy, for all I see in my advice to you is your salvation, your benefit, mental and, as far as possible, physical. But when repenting, do not present your feelings and assumptions as truth, but repent of the fact that such and such thoughts and feelings came to you, wanting to get rid of them, and not persist in them; for you have repeatedly argued with me, attributing to me what I never had. I have repeatedly said that one should not boast about how one’s spiritual father consoled someone, so as not to arouse envy, for envy sometimes creeps into the hearts of people of high ascetic life; There are many examples of this both around and in the lives of saints. Father Barsanuphius advised me to hide this, and I obeyed him: I was silent about everything that I heard and saw from him, and my Diary was a secret to everyone until very recently. But I can’t get this from all of you. Everyone boasts to each other, envy, gets upset, forgetting that the spiritual father does not speak and do to please people, but for the salvation of the soul, that all the souls of his spiritual children are dear to him. And your darling is dear to me, as my dear spiritual child. How many times have I grieved and prayed for you. O child, my child! May the Lord teach you to understand the truth. Not understanding the truth, you fall into mistakes and have incorrect concepts about many things and phenomena. You write that you have lost faith in people. We must believe in God, and we must give people only their due, no more, no less. You can’t do without people, I told you an article from “Spiritual Meadow”, how an angel said that God wants people to be taught by people. But people are always people, and therefore we must endure the imperfections of people with complacency and humility, borrowing from them, like a wise bee, what is useful and edifying. From the word of God, from the lives of the saints, we see that displeasure, disputes, disagreements existed between the saints, even between the apostles, but this did not prevent them from being vessels of the Holy Spirit and those who flowed to them from receiving from them and through them both edification and salvation. All the more you need to endure our weaknesses, for we are sinful people, ordinary people. But through us you can receive both edification and salvation, using from us the grace of God communicated in the sacraments, and being edified by advice, if they are based on pure Orthodoxy and the word of God. Don’t complain, my child, you are not alone spiritually. It’s a sin for you to say that. The enemy is bothering you. Repent of these thoughts, reject them. Read at least several times a day a short prayer from the evening prayers: “Enlighten my eyes...”. God willing, you will not perish, but will be saved. Humble yourself, endure everything, even your weaknesses, do not leave the path of salvation, lest the enemy strengthen and defeat you. Endure everything: the enemy will not tolerate your constancy and will retreat, seeing that he cannot strengthen his strength against you... About the school. Don’t be discouraged, don’t value what people who are alien to our church spirit will say about you. “Woe, when all men speak well” (Luke 6:26). Be patient with everything. Behave as before, and when possible, ask your manager for leave. To avoid misunderstandings, you can talk to him in private so that he doesn’t let you down in any way by refusing his words. May the Lord make you wise and arrange everything for your salvation. About Nina. We must pray, and I pray according to my strength. We recognize only church marriage. Civil registration is necessary, but spiritually it is not sufficient, and so is divorce. Don't judge her. Tell her your opinion and shut up. Leave everything and everyone to the will of God. Seeing this and other temptations and iniquities, do not be horrified, according to the Gospel word. Just take measures to protect yourself from all sin and temptation. May the Lord protect you, my child. I wish you all the mercies of God. To your sister Valentina, peace and God's blessing. May the Lord enlighten and protect her. Praying for you both. Letter No. 21(137). To Lydia Mezhekova I offer you my sincere gratitude for what you sent. God bless you. May the Lord remember your love. I couldn’t write to you with the girl Claudia, because she was only in Kozelsk for a few hours. I sincerely thank you for the akathist to St. Spiridon. May this great saint of Christ help me, and you, and your brother N. and all of us, St. with your prayers. Pray to him, my child. I sent your letter with a visiting mother, and now Fr. Kirill. I will try to provide the answer additionally. I will pray for your brother. My heartfelt sympathy for you. May the Lord comfort both him and you. Surrender everything to the will of God: after all, the Lord sees everything and knows who is worthy of what and what to send or send. I will return the akathist you copied as soon as possible. Of the 75 new teachings, I have only one written down. I'm sending it. May the Lord bless you. I greet you with the upcoming Holy Lent and earnestly wish you all the mercies of God. I always pray for you. I didn’t read M. Kherubima’s letter, but she told me what she wanted to write about. Please find out better, because this question tormented me too: I don’t know what to say to their tears. I'm already inclined to end everything with this dacha. Why torment yourself so much, because this is not a church or a monastery, but just a simple farm: you can live anywhere. “The earth is the Lord’s and its fulfillment” (Ps. 23:1). Letter No. 22(138). To Lydia Mezhekova Peace to you and God's blessing. Congratulations on St. I wish you great Lent and earnestly spend St. Fasting in spiritual peace, all reverence and sobriety for the benefit of the soul. I remember you prayerfully. May the grace of God protect you. God bless you to come to us. Letter No. 23(139). To Lydia Mezhekova Due to lack of time on St. I will briefly answer your letter during Lent. I thank you very much for the rewritten teachings. God bless you! Respond to the congratulations you receive with silence. A letter without a signature is for the most part invalid, and in this case the absence of a signature certainly proves the presence of reasons for not signing. God will bless you to sell some things; but don’t sell a lot at once, because expenses are always made based on the availability of money, and therefore the money can soon be spent. The words of the Liturgy: “Holy to saints”, according to some interpretations, mean a public announcement that the holy mystery offered and performed is intended for communion with holy people: 1) saints, for previously all those who believe in Christ were called saints; 2) saints, i.e. not having at this moment any filth in the soul, no sin that has not been cleansed by repentance. I have seen this interpretation in textbooks and in St. fathers; I can’t find out more details right now. “For I reign in You” 76 - these words make sense in conjunction with the previous words: “And I will suffer for Your sake.” The Holy Apostle says: “If we suffer with Him (i.e., with Christ), we will also be glorified with Him” (Rom. 8:17). “And Christ reigns forever” (Rev. 11:15), - all who suffered for Christ to the end are partakers of the glory of Christ in His kingdom; This reign begins here on earth and continues in blissful eternity forever and ever. When sin rapes a person, a person must take all measures to protect himself from falling into sin by deed, and in no way give consent to it in his mind and heart; must try to hate sin; pray to God for help in the struggle and more often confess this sin and the very passion living in the heart of a person. Ep. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) says quite definitely that without a pure and sincere confession a person cannot overcome his passion. When sin, for whatever reason, broke through, i.e. committed by deed, then you need to consider yourself completely guilty of the fact that the sin has been committed, repent of it purely, without looking for an excuse for yourself, as it is sung: “Don’t mind the guilt of sins” (Ps. 140: 4). Experience shows that only then does a person become pacified when he admits himself completely to be guilty: and repents of his sin, without trying to reduce it in his own and other people’s eyes. And the judgment for sin belongs to God; the confessor is a mediator between God and the person who repents; when resolving a sin, he can take into account the circumstances of the sin and judge more strictly or leniently, but he is still obliged to recognize the sin as a sin, for sin is always a sin. It happens that those under exactly the same conditions act differently: one falls, the other abstains. Therefore, only the consciousness of guilt calms a person’s conscience. Delve into the meaning of the words of Psalm 31, vv. 3–5: “For they kept silent,” i.e. I did not admit to sin, - “my bones have vowed” - my thoughts and feelings have worn out... “Your hand is heavy on me” - the judgment of God... But then I admitted myself guilty, did not hide my sin, decided to confess it to God, and so what? and “Thou hast forsaken the wickedness of my heart...” Fast in this St. I bless the fast twice: during the first, during the passionate fast; however, how convenient it will be for you. If it is desirable, then I give my blessing to fast for the third time during the fast. I earnestly wish you all prosperity, peace and joy in the Lord. I told M. Abbess not to bother you with errands anymore, because it is inconvenient for you in your service and unnecessary. I sincerely thank you for fulfilling my request. Letter No. 24(140). To Lydia Mezhekova I hasten to answer your questions, albeit briefly. God bless me to give the apartment to the old man. This doesn’t bind you in any particular way, but maybe... it will be convenient. From the very beginning, you need to put yourself in a tortured relationship, not allowing any intimacy, joint teas, etc. Here is yours, and here is ours, you are at home, and we are at home. - God will bless you to avoid the festivities. If you can’t do without a note, then you can write a note; Is it possible to talk to a believing doctor so that he can give a testimony? – You can make Christ without kissing, as for example, we are monks, having said in advance that you will not kiss; and the Easter greeting must be answered with an Easter greeting, if it is not pronounced with blasphemy. I’ll answer the rest later, my dear. Congratulations on the upcoming holiday. Accept this joyful message from me: Christ is Risen! Peace and salvation to you, especially in these St. days. Letter No. 25(141). To Lydia Mezhekova I received your letter. I prayed tomorrow too, God willing, I will pray for you and well-being in your affairs. Trust in the Lord. “The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call in truth...” (Ps. 144:18). He will do the will of those who fear Him, and He will hear their prayer, and He will save them. Place these comforting words in your heart and do not lose heart. The Lord is able to comfort and save you. May God bless you to visit Sarov and pray and talk there. It's a good deed. May the Pleasant of God give you gracious help in your everyday sorrows and temptations. Praying on one's knees before Trinity Day is canceled by the Church: I cannot change the church rules, but as in everything, here too one must adhere to the spirit of the rules, and not the letter. The Apostle, for example, says: “For the sake of need, the law is changed” (Heb. 7:12), and some patristic rules allow in some cases prostrations to the ground at inappropriate times, for example, when approaching a shrine (icons, etc.), one can, they say, kneel. You should also coordinate your actions with the rules of the Church and the exceptions to them, if you have certain needs and spiritual needs. The lectern and cross, of course, are best returned as belonging. Beyond the river B. George and Jr. Let's pray to Boris. May the Lord give them mental and physical health. My child! Do not torment yourself with dull dreams and imaginations. “Do not seek those who are higher for yourself, do not test those who are stronger for yourself, but if you are commanded, remain in these” (Sir. 3:20-22). While a person lives, he is not lost, therefore you are not lost, and whoever has become corrupted or perfected does not concern you. Each one stands or falls for his Lord. Know and remember one thing: “the Lord is near” (Ps. 144:18). He has not forgotten you and will never forget you. I wish you God's mercy. Letter No. 26(142). To Lydia Mezhekova At the end of August I received your letter, filled with sorrowful feelings. May God help you. Do not give in to your weaknesses, do not voluntarily give them power over you. You should, according to the advice of ascetics, consider your feelings and thoughts as your sinful enemies, and not talk with them as with friends. I asked and strictly ordered, and proved, and used all measures, wanting to give your soul the peace of Christ, but you again trust everything in your thoughts and assumptions. Do not trust the enemy, who inspires you with suspicion, envy, and despondency. Again and again I ask you to understand the machinations of the enemy and surrender to the will of God, complacently enduring the sorrows and insults internal from the enemy. May the Lord be your helper. Before performing the prayer rule, you can, on the advice of Bishop. Ignatius, make several bows, there is no need for more than 10, but you can limit yourself to 4, as at the beginning of Pentecentenary. Do not be embarrassed by the fact that while you are studying at school or anything else, you cannot remain in constant prayer. Continuous prayer is a gift from God. This is not yet available to you due to the weakness of your mind and heart, although you must force yourself. The only correct mood during the Jesus Prayer is repentance and contrition for sins, alien to any condemnation and attention to the lives of other people. “Where should I think about the vices or virtues of others when I suffer from my own infirmities and want to get rid of them. I am a sinner demanding mercy from the Lord.” This is the initial mood and necessary for anyone who wants to lean into the Jesus Prayer. I can bless adding daily canons and akathists to Compline not as obligatory, but to the best of my ability and free time. We must also avoid that trick of the enemy, when the enemy, unnoticed by the prayer book, tries to steal the prayer with an incorrect mood, very subtly creeping into the heart, as if a person, while praying, is doing something necessary and pleasant for God. God does not need our prayers. According to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, he is “self-sufficient.” It is not God, but we who need prayer, just as a beggar needs to receive alms from a rich man, but not a rich man in the requests of a beggar, only of course, to an infinitely lesser extent, for God cannot be compared with man. With my strength I pray for you. I earnestly wish you all the well-being and mercies of God. N. my greetings and God's blessing. May the Lord protect her. Letter No. 27(143). To Lydia Mezhekova My child! May your soul be at peace! Why are we worrying in vain? Do not grieve beyond measure from your experiences: they are temporary, just like everything here is temporary. Here is another new example of the end of a person’s life - Fr. Archpriest Sergius. No more than three minutes - and death cut him down. This was on Wednesday, and on Sunday, i.e. Three days before his death, in his teaching, under the impression of the theft in the cathedral, he said: “I don’t know how to live out life. God give us patience! and with this he finished his speech. But it turned out that there were only three days left to endure. Everything temporary has fallen away, which worries everyone so much, and man is left with what he has acquired for his soul. Let this be your edification. Give everything around you a value, as if it were temporary, according to the word of the Gospel: “Behold and do not be dismayed, this is fitting for all” (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9). And pay attention to yourself, knowing that the Lord gives you (for He is just and perfect) the opportunity of salvation. Don’t be discouraged, don’t waste the gifts of God given to you, thank God for everything. Know and know for sure that everything works out for good to those who love God. And I, a sinner, always pray for you to the best of my ability. I can’t say anything about confession now, because I can’t cancel the words of the Elder, and when I am with the Elder, God willing, I will ask and clarify the question. But as a last resort, of course, you need to confess, for Father himself often says that there are times when the law is necessary for the sake of application. May the Lord guide your life for salvation. October 27/November 9, 1926 I sincerely thank you for your congratulations. God bless you. It's good that the housing issue has been resolved. For everything, thank God. Letter No. 28(144). To Lydia Mezhekova (telegram) Letter No. 29(145). To Lydia Mezhekova I don’t dare give a telegram with such information. I bless you to ask, as I said personally, for a meeting with your family. It's not a lie. ... your sister, and we are kindred in spirit. You can give a telegram about leaving without mentioning any illnesses. If this succeeds, then God will bless you to come, but know that there is no crossing to Father Nektary. We reached the river and returned back in two carts with great regret from the passengers who wanted to see Father. If you don't succeed, don't worry. Everything, God willing, will then be done to St. Easter. Everything is God's will. Tell Sofia Alexandrovna that I hope to write to her, but in the meantime I’m sending God’s blessing. I wish her all the mercies of God and apologize for delaying the money, which has now already been sent. The calendars are all gone, and he asks for three more calendars, if you have them, and you are going, then take them. We will pay the money without delay. We must pray for brother N. I will pray according to my strength. Serve a prayer service and pray like this, Rev. Anthony of Siysk (December 7), to whom the grace was given to relieve melancholy. May the Lord protect him. I wish you every prosperity, peace of mind and joy in the Lord. Letter No. 30(146). To Lydia Mezhekova It is difficult to give a definite answer to your letter. If it is more convenient for you to live in Kaluga, then you can live there too. In every place there is the rule of God, according to the word of the Psalm (Ps. 102:22). The whole point is to observe St. God's commandments. Therefore, if fulfilling them in Kaluga does not particularly displease you, then live there. For confession or any other need you can come to Kozelsk, we are ready to accept with love and do everything possible for you. It is inconvenient for me to invite you by force to us: here there must be your good, free desire. I pray for you and earnestly wish that the Lord God will calm your restless spirit, and may you direct your whole life for salvation. Your question about thoughts is very broad. Revelation of thoughts is a great help in the matter of our salvation. Therefore, if there is no one to open it, it’s one thing; if you don’t want to, then something else. It's all about the goal. But following one’s will and one’s own understanding is the first downfall for a person, especially a monk. If you want to open, but there is no strength, as it seems, then although leniency can be granted, it is still help and your own will, for the Apostle says: “I can do all things through Jesus who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). May the Lord instruct you in useful things and keep you from all evil. Letter No. 31(147). To Lydia Mezhekova Peace and God's blessing to my child, the maiden Lydia. May the Lord give health to her soul and body. I always prayerfully remember and wish all the mercies of God. May the Lord protect her under the roof of His mercy on all the paths of her life. Letter No. 32(148). To Lydia Mezhekova God-loving maiden Lydia, my child. Not knowing whether we will have to see each other or not, I am writing to you, wanting to give you peace and God’s blessing. May the Lord bless you. According to my strength, I always pray for you. You have repeatedly told me about your sorrowful experiences: maybe I didn’t know how to console you, maybe. There were other reasons for this, but I saw that your grief did not go away. In my weakness I ask for forgiveness: forgive for God's sake. But I decide to write to you my opinion, based on reading the patristic and personal experience. I have come to the conclusion that grief is nothing more than an experience of our heart when something happens against our desire, our will; so that grief does not press painfully, you must renounce your will and humble yourself before God in all respects. God desires our salvation and builds it in ways that are incomprehensible to us. Surrender to the will of God, you will find peace in your sorrowful soul and heart. I entrust you to the protection of the Queen of Heaven. Peace and salvation. May the Lord forgive you in your weaknesses. Take courage, my child. Letter No. 33(149). To Lydia Mezhekova Peace and salvation and God's blessing. Having sent you a farewell note prepared earlier, I am now still writing. My child, I believe in your sorrow. All your sorrows are close to my heart. But don't grieve beyond measure. I entrust you to the protection of the Queen of Heaven. May she protect you from all evil. Surrender to the will of God and endure everything. Remember that according to the spiritual law, forgiveness of offenses (real forgiveness) gives a person the mind of truth and great benefits. You have to humble yourself and endure. And the Lord will not leave you with His mercy. I remember you and pray for you. For everything I forgive you with love and may the Lord forgive you. Thank God for everything. Letter No. 34(150). To Lydia Mezhekova God-loving maiden Lydia, my child! Peace to you and God's blessing. I congratulate you on the great holiday of the Nativity of Christ and earnestly wish you all the mercies of God. May the Lord grant you to meet and see St. days of celebration in peace of mind and consolation in the Lord. I remember and pray for you. May the Lord strengthen His mental and physical strength, and may He keep you under the shelter of His mercy. Letter No. 35(151). To Lydia Mezhekova My children Lydia and Valentina! I send you my greetings and God’s blessing from distant Leningrad, as well as everyone else. About myself I can report that until now the Lord has not left me with His mercy: everything is endured easily and calmly, and good people are found everywhere; communication with them makes every situation easier. Everything you need is available. Therefore, do not grieve for me, and seek consolation from the Lord. Take care of yourself in every way - that will be a consolation for me. We are going to our destination, and in Moscow and Leningrad we are only passing through. Alive and healthy. The future is in God's hands. I sincerely thank you all for everything. I experience everything as the will of God. I ask you all about this, and wish you all every well-being. I can’t give any address yet. God willing, I will let you know when we will live in a certain place. On Wednesday the stage is further, as expected. Jer. N. [On the envelope: Convict. Transit. 0.XI – Kam No. 66. N.M.Belyaev]. Letter No. 36(152). To Lydia Mezhekova May God's blessing remain upon you, my child, maiden Lydia, forever. I congratulate you on the great and bright Holiday and earnestly wish you all the mercies of God. May the Lord protect you under the shelter of His goodness. I always remember you in prayer. Peace and salvation! For everything, thank God. I see in everything the providence of God, all-good, saving us. May He guide your life path for your good and protect you from all evil. Peace and God's blessing to those who saw me off. Although I don’t know them, may God’s mercy rest on them. I thank you earnestly for everything. Letter No. 37(153). To Lydia Mezhekova I greet you, my child Lydia, on the great and joyful feast of the Resurrection of Christ, I call upon you peace and God’s blessing and earnestly wish you all the mercies of God, and especially in these St. days. I always remember you in prayer and make the sign of the cross in absentia. May the Lord protect you and direct the path of your life to salvation. I believe that it is hard for you, that it is sorrowful, but I believe that the Lord will not leave you if you trust in Him. Although we are sinners, we are still God’s, and we do not know other gods. In your new situation, may the Lord save you. Prepare yourself to accept God's help with patience, humility and a sincere desire for salvation. I am writing hastily. Sorry. For brother N. I pray with strength. The Lord be with you forever, and His will is good with us. Letter No. 38(154). To Lydia Mezhekova (postcard: Solovki, Golovlenkov Tower – Popov Island) I send my greetings and earnestly wish you all prosperity and invoke God’s blessing. I heartily sympathize with you, dear, I always pray for you and remember you. Let loneliness be dissolved and eased by hope in God. I’ve been wanting to write to you for a long time, but I forgot your address, so I’m writing with the transmission, maybe. you will tell me your address and, God willing, I will write in some other way, although I cannot write often: let the feelings of the heart replace frequent communication with a letter. I write postcards: I can write more of them than closed ones. May the Lord comfort and protect you. Don't be discouraged. Peace and God's blessing to your family. Where our strength is weak, the Lord will help and support. Sorry. [On the postcard: K.P.P 77. 5th company. Letter No. 39(155). To Lydia Mezhekova May God's blessing remain upon you forever. I answered you briefly to your letter with the watchmen, but I don’t know whether you received it, for I never received any more letters from them or from you. You asked for the prayers of my poor, - do not doubt, my child, I did not forget you in prayer, although I wrote, and am now writing, that my prayer cannot even be called a prayer. I entrusted you, and now I entrust you, to the protection of the Almighty: may He heal the ailments and infirmities of your soul and body, may He strengthen you in sorrows, and may He cover you with His mercy. You wrote to me about the sorrows and difficulties of your life, and about the breakdown of your health. How does the Lord protect you now? But if it is said: “Because of the words of Your lips I have kept the paths of cruelty” (Ps. 16:4), if a whole series of sacred and patristic writings invites us to prepare our souls and hearts to endure sorrows, then do not be discouraged if you see that you too have to walk along tough paths. This is our way. Comfort yourself with what I console myself with: surrendering everything to the will of God. Believe that if you have to endure difficult things, you endure according to the will of God and God’s righteous judgment for the sake of salvation. If we have sinned, but have not departed from God, that means we are God’s. May the thought of yourself humble you with the consciousness of your sinfulness and the deservingness of righteous punishment, and may it inspire you with the hope of salvation, which is built by God’s providence for us, incomprehensible to us. The Lord is truly merciful: He has not forgotten you and will not forget you. For everything, thank God! You once wrote to me that the thought of incorrectly brought repentance bothers you. I could not answer you then, and it was not clear to me what actually bothered you, for it seemed to me that in confession everything was said by you, and therefore, it was forgiven, and all that remained was to preserve yourself and humbly endure everything that the Lord would send. This was written in detail at one time (see volume 5 of Ep. Ignatius (Brianchaninov)). May your heart be at peace... Sorry. I sincerely wish you peace and joy in the Lord Jesus and all prosperity. My greetings to those who know you. God bless them. Say hello and God's blessing from me to Natalia Alekseevna. Peace and salvation. Letter No. 40(156). To Lydia Mezhekova Congratulations to you, my daughter, on St. I wish you great Lent and I earnestly wish you to spend it in a spiritually beneficial way for salvation. I sympathize with you heartily in all your sorrows. Console yourself with the fact that sorrow is our lot. Endure with humility, courage, and do not blame anyone. The will of the Lord be done. I didn't expect such a letter. Lord save us. Pray and leave everything to the will of God, as well as who bears the responsibility. Pay attention to yourself. Without knowing everything in detail, I won’t answer in detail, but I believe that significant responsibility cannot lie with you. To pacify yourself, talk about this in confession and calm down. God looks at the intention of the heart, and I believe your intention was sincere and good. Of course, if anything can be done to benefit her, it must be done. I pray and have prayed according to my strength. Give her my greetings. I will try to pray for God’s help for you in your illness and re-examination. Submit everything to the will of God. Believe that the Lord cares for us. Just take care of yourself from all sin. Don't be discouraged. Strengthen your prayer for those who offend you and humbly endure. The Lord will not forsake those who trust in Him (Ps. 33:23). Believe this. I wrote sick twice. I received everything, as well as their letter. I always pray for the deceased and all of them (the sick). May the Lord help them and bless them. I also wrote to Anisia, even recently. My greetings to her and God's Blessing. I grieve for her (sympathizing with her in the difficulties of her illness), and in general for all of you, and only by surrendering everything to the will of God do I pacify my sinful heart. Everything earthly is transitory, just to save the soul. “I have passed away and kept the faith...” (2 Tim. 4:7). There is depth and truth in these words. You wrote the letter well, without unnecessary words. Peace and salvation and God's blessing to you. I always pray for you. Trust in the Lord, take heart. Sorry. The Lord is our helper in our troubles and sorrows. I'm expecting a change of address, I'll try to let you know. Letter No. 41(157). To Lydia Mezhekova I congratulate you, my daughter, on the great and bright holiday of the Resurrection of Christ. I call upon you peace and God's blessing. May Christ the Lord comfort you with the consolation of the Holy Spirit and cover you with His mercy. I always remember you prayerfully. How are you and your health? You wrote in a previous letter about weakness and re-examination. What are the results? May the Lord help you. Do not be discouraged by the sorrow of this life. This is our lot. This is God's judgment. I wanted to congratulate you and others, and I am writing a short letter, but with sincere feeling. Congratulate your sister from me, whom, like you, I always remember in prayer and invoke God’s blessing. Peace and salvation to her. May the Lord comfort her. Congratulate Nat for me. Alec. Peace be upon her and God's blessing. May the Lord protect her under the roof of His goodness. I remember her prayerfully too. Congratulate Evgenia Alek from me. Carp. Peace and salvation and God's blessing to her. I pray for her too. May the Lord comfort you all, enlighten you and save you. My address is still the same, although I moved to another village. My health hasn't been good lately. The doctor diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis. God's will be done. I thank the Lord that I have everything I need, and the future is in God’s hands. Sorry. Peace and salvation. Letter No. 42(158). To Lydia Mezhekova Peace and salvation and God's blessing, my child. The answer is about the return of money: there can be no agreement... Note: The letter remained unfinished... It was written on June 24/July 7, 1931, and on June 25/July 8 at 22:40. St. Nikon died. This was the last letter in his life. It is written, or rather several lines, in extremely distorted, unrecognizable handwriting, the letters are large and tilted in different directions. In letters to Rev. Nikon, most quotes from Holy Scripture are given without indicating the source of the quote, probably due to lack of time to search for them. In this edition, we considered it possible to cite all sources of quotes directly in the text, comparing and clarifying the text of quotes. We did not correct those quotations in which the Church Slavonic text was replaced in some places by Russian or the word order was slightly disrupted, preserving the peculiarities of the author's spelling, because Such quoting does not distort the meaning of the Sacred Texts. The text of Holy Scripture is given in both Church Slavonic and Russian languages. In cases where the quotation from memory differs greatly from the canonical text, we provide it in a footnote at the bottom of the page [Ed.]. “When you begin to work for the Lord God, prepare your soul for temptation...” (Sir. 2:1). St. Elder of Optina Barsanuphius (Plikhankov, 1845–1913), schema-archimandrite, colonel in the world. Spiritual father St. Nikon. He entered Optina in 1891 with the blessing of St. Ambrose. Student of St. Anatoly (Zertsalov), then turned to St. Nectaria. In 1912, he was appointed rector of the Staro-Golutvin monastery near Moscow with elevation to the rank of archimandrite, where he died. About him, see: Life of the Optina Elder Barsanuphius. Ed. Optina Pustyn, 1995. 463 p. (Reverend Elders of Optina). Long Christian Catechism of the Orthodox Catholic Eastern Church. M., 1909. Orthodox Confession of the Catholic and Apostolic Church of the East. M., 1900. St. Elder Macarius of Optina (Ivanov, 1788–1860), hieroschemamonk, head of the monastery. Disciple of Optina Elder Leo. He cared for the brethren and a large number of pilgrims. When Fr. Macarius, Optina’s book publishing activities flourished. The owner of the house in which the priest lived. Nikon and Mon. Kirill (Zlenko), after moving to Kozelsk. Mikhail Mikhailovich Taube. In the last years of the existence of Optina Pustyn (under the guise of an agricultural artel), he worked as an employee of the Optina Pustyn Museum. Arrested along with Fr. Nikon April 1/14, 1927 Immediately after the arrest, he put on a cassock. Many people did not know before that he was the monk Agapit. Until August 1930, the fathers were together, then Rev. Nikon was sent to Pinega, and Fr. Agapit was abandoned near Arkhangelsk. “Losing Sight” Fr. Agapit is explained by the fact that he was often sent on long “business trips” to logging, and Fr. Nikon was not touched due to a bad leg. St. Elder Optina Nektariy (Tikhonov, 1853–1928), hieroschemamonk, successor from the schema of Elder Barsanuphius. St. Nectarius lived for 25 years in one cell, reading spiritual books, scientific and fiction literature. In 1913 he was elected Elder. After the closure of Optina he lived in the village. Hills of the Bryansk region, having transferred their spiritual children to St. Nikon (Belyaev). About him, see: Life of the Optina Elder Nektarios. Ed. Optina Pustyn, 1996. 319 p. (Reverend Elders of Optina). Blessed death of St. Elder Nektarios of Optina came on April 29/May 12, 1928. Happy namesake day, September 28/October 11. O. Aifal (Alexander Panaev), Optina hieromonk. After the closure of the monastery, he served in the Kozelsky Assumption Cathedral. Returning to Kozelsk from exile, he was beaten by bandits who thought they would find money from him, and died a few hours later, having perceived this. martyr's crown St. Elder Leo of Optina (in schema; in monasticism - Leonid) hieroschemamonk, monastery leader (Nagolkin, 1768–1841) He was the confessor of the monastery and numerous pilgrims, especially the common people. We are obviously talking about penance. This means Note from Prison No. 12(42).F It can be assumed that the servant of God N. (see letters No. 17–29) and Mary (letter No. 78) are one and the same person. Many prisoners were deprived of the opportunity to receive parcels, so Fr. Nikon shared with them, sometimes asking his children to send something especially for them. Irina and Anastasia Bobkov were accused of arresting Fr. Nikon due to the fact that Anastasia was arrested when approaching the house at the time when Father’s house was being searched. A package with notes from Fr. was found on Anastasia. Nikon to the children. But the real reason for all the accusations was the secret jealousy and envy of the spiritual children, who thought that Fr. Nikon somehow “especially” singles out the Bobkov sisters and pays more attention to them than to others. St. svschmch. Isaac II (Bobrakov, b. 1865), the last Optina Archimandrite. Shot on December 26, 1937/January 8, 1938 in the town of Belev, Tula region. Buried in a mass grave, his relics were not found. After the closure of the monastery and the dispersal of all the brethren, about a dozen skete “old men,” completely helpless, found themselves on the street (Fr. Peter, nicknamed the Dwarf, the blind Fr. Tikhon and Fr. Jacob, etc.). O. Nikon settled them in an apartment in Kozelsk, calling this hostel an almshouse, visiting and caring for them. With this jelly St. Nikon taped up the notes. A letter from Moscow, where Fr. Nikon went to say goodbye to his dying mother. O. Kirill (Zlenko). One of the cell attendants and spiritual children of St. Barsanuphia. In Optina since I was 20 years old. While in Kaluga prison, he received help from the spiritual children of St. Nikon. In 1929, he was exiled to Turkestan, where his tuberculosis, which he contracted while still a novice in Optina, worsened. In exile, Anastasia Bobkova (later mon. Animaisa, schemamon. Anastasia 1978), sister of Irina Bobkova, selflessly looked after him. In 1928 Fr. Kirill wrote in exile about. Nikon from Kaluga prison: “... Shortly before leaving for eternity, our father and Mentor B. Barsanuphius told me: in 10 years sorrow will befall you! These words did not particularly resonate in my heart, but I put them in it then. It was 10 years since the death of the Elder, and his prediction began to come true: in 23 - he was expelled from the monastery, in 25 and 26 - my well-known visits to Kaluga. and, finally, 27 - a distant exile...” After Turkestan, he moved to Belev, Tula region, closer to Optina, from where he was also expelled and settled in the city of Kozlov (now Michurinsk), Tambov region, where on July 19/August 1, 1937 (?) he reposed in the Lord. The name of Brother Kirill is mentioned repeatedly by Fr. Nikon in his Diary (1st volume of this edition). This letter is addressed to Bishop Mikhei of Ufa and Menzelinsk (Alekseev, 02/03/1931), who had been in retirement since December 22, 1913, having settled in Optina Pustyn, and after its closure he moved to live in the city of Kozelsk. Letters No. 51–53 (54–?) are addressed to the Optina hieromonk Gerontius (Grigory Ermakov, b. 1886). He entered Optina in 1910. In the past, he was one of the cell attendants of St. Barsanuphia. After Optina closed, he sang in the choir and sometimes served in the Assumption Cathedral in Kozelsk. Later he was exiled to Kem, where he died. Small commercial lake fish, a type of smelt. Mon. Ambrose (Oberuchev). See letters to her No. 105–116 and notes to them. Some sisters settled in the guardhouse at the Assumption Cathedral in Kozelsk. Jerome. Dosifey, paramedic. After the departure of Rev. Nektaria in the village. Kholmishchi was appointed confessor of the brethren. He was arrested and exiled twice. Further fate is unknown. Jerome. John (Ilya Zhirnov), former Optina novice. Died in exile. O. Georgy - the second priest of the Assumption Cathedral in Kozelsk; or o. Georgy (Popov) – former Optinets. Shot in 1938 Hierome of Optina. Rafail (Rodion Sheichenko) - served in Sukhinichi before the monastery. After the closure of Optina - in the St. George Church in Kozelsk. Buried in the city cemetery (6/19 June 1957). It is possible that this letter is also addressed to Fr. Gerontius. Hierome of Optina. Joseph (Ivan Vasilyevich Polevoy). Died in 1932 and 1933 From the works of Bishop. Ignatius. Monday evening of the 1st week of St. Pentecostals. On the stichera stichera 1, samoglashen, ch. 3. Irina Bobkova (b. 05/11/1885), Shamorda nun. In early childhood, she was honored to receive a blessing from St. Art. Ambrose. After the monastery was closed, she left for Gomel, but when she returned, she was cared for by St. Nikona, and after his death she again lived in Gomel. Having lived to the age of 105.5 years, she died in the revived Shamordin as schema-nun Seraphima (11/03/1990), leaving behind memories of the last days of the life and burial of St. Nikon, which she witnessed when she arrived in Pinega in 1931. See: Memories of the last days of the life, death and burial of my spiritual father and leader. // Diary of the last confessor of Optina Pustyn. St. Petersburg, 1994. S.: 299–304. The Shamorda nun Irina, during her trip to her homeland in Gomel, was subjected to this temptation. The Optina monk Melchizedek demanded her consent to the marriage. Irina went to Optina to fraudulently ask for a blessing for the marriage, but Fr. Nectary, having foreseen this, impressively admonished her, and then, like his other spiritual children, handed her over to Fr. Nikon. About this, see her memoirs: Irisha's Story Irina dreamed that the Optina Elder Barsanuphius came to Fr. Nikon and began to take things out of the room. When he began to take out the bed, she said: “Father, why are you taking out the bed? After all, Fr. Nikon will have nowhere to sleep...” The elder answered her: “He is going to me, and he does not need a bed. I’ll give him my bed there.” This is the last letter addressed to the girl M. Perhaps on this trip to Kozelsk she was tonsured by Fr. Nikon in a ryassophore with the name Maria. Letters No. 78–104 are addressed to Mother Maria. At a minimum, these are two nuns. It is likely that one of them was the former girl M., who lived far from Kozelsk (see previous note), the other lived in Belev or Kozelsk. We placed the letters to both nuns in one block due to the impossibility of accurately establishing their affiliation. Prot. Sergius, rector of the Assumption Cathedral in Kozelsk, where Fr. served after the closure of Optina. Nikon. We are talking about the death of the rector of the Kozelsky Assumption Cathedral, Archpriest. Sergius and the selection of a new rector by the parish. Father George was the second priest of the Assumption Cathedral. O. Nikon and Fr. Gerontius served and sang in the choir at the invitation of Fr. Sergius after they had to leave Optina and move to the city of Kozelsk. On Monday Morning of the 1st Week of St. Pentecostals. On the stichera stichera 1, samoglashen, ch. 5. About the unworldliness that arose during the imprisonment of St. Nikon in the Kaluga prison between his children, writes Mon. Ambrose // Hieromonk Nikon (Belyaev). Diary of the last confessor of Optina Pustyn. St. Petersburg, 1994. See Note from prison No. 12(42). According to tradition, many sisters of the Belevsky convent were cared for by the Optina Elders. O Kirila (Zlenko), who was seriously ill with tuberculosis, and Anastasia Bobkova, Irina’s sister, who cared for him, lived at that time in Belev. Probably Archimandrite John (Ogloblin) of Valaam. Before and after the coup of 1917, he served in the city of Kozelsk, and then moved to Belev. Mon. Ambrose (Oberucheva A.D. 1943). Spiritual daughter Fr. Nikon. After the closure of the Shamorda monastery in Kozelsk, on her initiative, a small women’s community was gathered, which was cared for by St. Nikon. In January 1931, together with some Optina residents (Fr. Meletiy and others), she was exiled to Arkhangelsk; upon returning from exile in 1933, she lived in Sergiev Posad. During the war years she led a wandering life. She died near Sergiev Posad. For her memories, see the book: Hieromonk Nikon (Belyaev). Diary of the last confessor of Optina Pustyn. St. Petersburg, 1994. (In this edition the Diary itself was edited out by 60%). Probably Maria Semyonovna Dobromyslova (1900–1986). After the death of St. Nikona took secret monastic vows without changing her name. Author of the complete Biography of St. Nikon. During Father’s life, she lived in Kozelsk. Hierodeiac. Peter (Drachev 1888–1981). He began his asceticism in Optina, after its closure - in the Danilov Monastery, after the Pinega exile he received the schema in Pochaev (schema-hegumen Pavel). M. Ambrose at that time was in Arkhangelsk, in exile. After consulting with the Optina fathers, they decided to cast lots, leaving to the will of God the question of whether to ask M. Ambrosia to be transferred to Pinega. After praying, they said “don’t ask,” and that’s what they decided. Letters No. 117–158 are addressed to Lydia Evgenievna Mezhekova, who lived in Kaluga (mon. Anfusa, in schema – Lydia, 1896–1977); they mention her sister Valentina Evgenievna Mezhekova (1898–1966). See also: Dorotheos Abba, St. Soulful teachings and messages with the addition of his questions and answers to them from Barsanuphius the Great and John the Prophet. Ed. Optina Pustyn, 1900. P. 266. Question No. 82: “Do not say anything with embarrassment, because evil does not give birth to good...”; “Embarrassment... is a matter of foolishness and pride...” Right there. Lesson 13. On how to endure temptations. Page 150. St. Elder Anthony of Optina (Putilov, 1795–1865), schema-abbot. He began his exploits in the Roslavl forests, then, together with his brother Moses, at the invitation of the Rev. Filaret (Amphiteatrova) moved to Optina to build a monastery there, the head of which he was appointed in 1825. From 1834 to 1853. was the abbot of the Maloyaroslavets Monastery, from where he was retired to Optina. About him, see: Biography of Abbot Anthony. Ed. Optina Pustyn, 1992. 223 p. (Reverend Elders of Optina). Dorotheos Abba, St. Soulful teachings and messages with the addition of his questions and answers to them from Barsanuphius the Great and John the Prophet. Ed. Optina Pustyn, 1900. Then, i.e. if a person is in every soul-saving work, going through the “seven bodily works,” striving in patience and in everything that is stated above. Compare with the teaching of St. Abba Dorotheus on humility [Note. St. Nikon]. Read about the difference in sorrows in the letters of Father Ambrose to the monastics, vol. II, letter No. 240. [Note. St. Nikon]. It is possible that here and below the girl N. means Maria Rozhnova (M.R.), who lived in Kaluga next to the Mezhekov sisters. Maria Rozhnova is the owner of the 5th volume of the works of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), in the fields of which St. Nikon left his notes while imprisoned in a Kaluga prison. 9th Petition of the Great (Peaceful) Litany. 3rd petition of the Litia following Great Vespers. Philokalia. T. 5. Callistus the Patriarch and his associate Ignatius, Xanthopoulos. Instruction for the Silent, in a Hundred Chapters. Chapter 43: About the change that happens to every person, and about the high glory of humility. S.: 363–365. Wed: Dorotheos Abba, St. Soulful teachings... Lesson 5 is about not relying on your mind. P. 75: “I know of no other fall for a monk than when he believes his heart.” Wed: John Climacus, St. Ladder. Word 27:62: “The fall of the novice is his own will...”. See: Diary, entry dated December 6, 1908 (1st volume of this edition). The end of the Great, Small and Petitionary litanies. “The Lord loves him, he punishes him, and beats every son whom he accepts” (Heb. 12:6; Proverbs 3:12). We are talking about the teachings of the saint himself. Nikon, who recorded his children and gave them to him for verification. From the general troparion to the martyr. You might be interested in: