Глава VIII. Письма

General characteristics of correspondence A special type of literary works by Rev. Feofan is represented by his correspondence, which was enormous. Letters flew from all over Russia to the Vyshenskaya Hermitage. Often the mail delivered them before 20–40. At present, ten books of collected letters are already in print, eight of which were most recently published by the Athos Panteleimon Monastery. But this is far from a complete collection of correspondence. It is reliably known that only one landowner family in Tambov had a thousand letters from the saint. This truly extraordinary amount of correspondence, on the one hand, is explained by the mass of people who sought the moral guidance of the Most Reverend. Feofan, the multitude and variety of their spiritual needs, and on the other hand, the nature of the attitude of the leader himself to this matter. The Eminence loved and attached great importance to his correspondence. Neither great scientific works, nor prayerful and other ascetic deeds obscured from him the needs and sorrows of a sinful soul. He found it necessary and possible to devote several hours every day to correspondence from the time that was so dear to him. The saint’s heartfelt attention and delicacy towards his correspondents is remarkable. He recognized it as his duty to respond to any letter, no matter how small and insignificant in content, because he considered refusal offensive to the writer. He never refused advice to anyone, and if sometimes he was slow in answering, it was only because others were in an even worse situation and needed more immediate help, and he always apologized for the delay. In this regard, the following fact is very characteristic. The mass of pilgrims who visited the Vyshenskaya hermitage, especially among common women, learned that the Most Reverend. Feofan does not refuse anyone his answers; she began to send letters and short notes to him in large numbers, sometimes on the most insignificant, even petty issues. Not being familiar with the spiritual life of the correspondents, the saint came into great difficulty in his answers and at the beginning had the intention of remaining silent; but the thought of the possibility of offending the writers with a refusal stopped him. In one of his letters, he remarks on this matter: “Not knowing them (mantises), you find it difficult what to answer them, and you write, for the most part, general thoughts... Sometimes they write business, and sometimes wasteland. I wanted not to answer, but then I changed my mind, because whatever it is, the answer is still given. Refusal is always offensive" 121. The content of the letters is extremely varied, but their main tone is moralizing. They, like the books, contain answers to the same great question throughout the life of the Most Reverend. Feofan - a question about the ways to salvation. Only books provide guidance on general subjects and needs that are equally necessary for everyone, while correspondence provides answers to special cases, to particular, personal spiritual needs, doubts and misunderstandings. But this main theme is significantly modified in its development in relation to the greater diversity of the writers themselves and their spiritual needs. Letters were received from a very diverse circle of people: according to their rank and social status - from fellow archpastors and high-ranking secular dignitaries with the titles of princes and counts to a peasant in a village and a novice in a monastery; according to the degree of education - from men of science and higher education to a barely literate correspondent; in terms of their moral state - from a serious sinner, repentant and struggling with passions, to a hermit and schema-monk, who extinguished not only passions, but also interest in earthly life itself, etc. With such a composition of correspondents, spiritual needs were naturally extremely diverse and in relation to the latter it was necessary to give answers. There was correspondence with a writer and public figure on important issues of public life, with a scientist about scientific subjects, with a teacher and teacher in pedagogy, with a monk about monastic orders, with a secular person seeking spiritual guidance, the question of how to organize a Christian life among the usual worldly vanity was discussed, etc. Without taking upon ourselves the task of a detailed presentation of the entire correspondence, which is a complex subject that requires a whole independent study, we believe that it is enough to indicate the most important items of correspondence in order to give an idea of ​​its enormity and significance. The most lively, largest in quantity and most important in content was the correspondence with the Most Reverend. Feofan with the famous writer on church issues N.V. Elagin. The latter stood close to the highest spheres of the spiritual department and at the same time was related to the literary and social movement of the capital. From him, Rev. Feofan received information about outstanding phenomena in the civil and church life of our fatherland and through him could exert his influence in necessary cases in the desired direction. This correspondence, which takes up an entire book (150 letters), touches on so many important issues that one must truly be surprised how the saint, with his intense literary works and ascetic deeds, could conduct such extensive correspondence with one person. The most significant number of letters are devoted to depicting the sad moral and religious state of Russian society in the second half of the 19th century, especially striking manifestations of which were reflected in the form of highly developed anti-church sects - Lord Redstock, Pashkov, L. Tolstoy, Stunda, etc. The letters describe the essential content of each of them, provide the most important guidelines for denunciation, and note the extent of their distribution. From this point of view, the correspondence represents a very important historical monument. In it, the future historian will find a vivid picture of the most important movements in the moral and religious life and thought of Russian society of that time, especially among its educated class. The second place in number is occupied by letters directed against the translation of the Bible into Russian from the Hebrew original instead of the Greek, where the reader who is not familiar with the issue will encounter a detailed and thorough presentation of the arguments against the translation. Further, there follows correspondence in defense of monasticism, against the then attacks (in the 70s) on it, against the project of a new church legal procedure, which wanted to subordinate spiritual matters to the secular court, about the need for a better translation of liturgical books in order to facilitate their understanding, etc. There are several correspondences regarding our last Turkish war, which the saint greatly sympathized with and recognized the conclusion of which in the form of the Berlin Congress as extremely unfair and humiliating for Russia. There are also many letters addressing questions regarding some important individual and particular subjects, such as the following: 1) Explanation of the dogma of St. Trinity regarding the misinterpretation of it by German theological writers, and in passing the general question of how an Orthodox theologian can use Protestant learned works is also authoritatively explained. 2) Where does evil come from in the world? 3) Christian psychology program. 4) A look at the European question in Russia, the main idea of ​​which is that the Jews, with their terrible exploitation, provide solid reasons for the popular masses to become bitter against them 122. In correspondence with one scientific natural scientist and chemist who was looking for spiritual life, Rev. Feofan reveals in detail and convincingly proves the complete inconsistency of some materialistic views on the world, notes the impossibility from their point of view of explaining a whole vast area of ​​moral phenomena, and with a thorough solution to the issue, he develops his own, the above-mentioned philosophical theory about the origin of nature and its most important elements and forces. A teacher of church history in a theological seminary is given instructions on the formulation and teaching of this subject, and a warning is made not to get carried away with new fashionable historical theories and the main views of the famous German historian Neander are described in detail. The worldview of the latter, according to Rev. Theophan, is essentially incorrect and unorthodox in the sense that he denies the apostolic tradition as the beginning and source of Christian teaching, and deduces the origin of all dogmas and the very symbol of faith as the result of the literary and life struggle of various social parties of Christian peoples of the first centuries of our era 123. The letters about monasticism set out in detail the rules of monastic life and, in particular, give instructions about prayer, bowing, behavior in church, the size of the cell rule, mutual revelation of thoughts and confession, reading spiritual books, eldership, etc. On issues of monastic life, the saint had to write a lot at the request and needs of people interested in it by their very position: he gives instructions to the abbot of the monastery on how to rule the monastery, to the confessor - about confession and moral guidance of their spiritual children, to the novice - about the proper completion of the obediences assigned to him, etc. A significant majority of the total number of letters were addressed to secular people who were interested in spiritual issues and found it difficult to arrange their lives in a Christian way amid ordinary everyday situations, as well as those who were looking for advice and consolation in difficult moments of life. Here the saint gave instructions both regarding the general order of life and specific phenomena, which can be judged to some extent by the following table of contents of letters to only one family: 1) How to combine everyday affairs with serving God, 2) Imitation of monastic orders at home, 3) On maintaining a clean conscience, 4) On raising children, 5) On teaching the Law of God to minors, 6) Advice on the use of sick seizures, 7) Instruction about a son who is not given science, etc. 124 Letter that Orthodox icon veneration is not idolatry Finally, there were many special, exceptional occasions, emergency cases, when people who experienced some important, critical moments required immediate spiritual help and guidance. Thus, one young woman, who converted from sectarianism to Orthodoxy, could not get used to the new moral situation for a long time. Much here was so unusual for her and unlike her previous life that her still fragile conscience was deeply confused and worried; she suffered greatly, hesitated and was ready to return to the old path. First of all, the new convert could not sufficiently understand the Orthodox teaching on the prayerful invocation of saints, which, in her opinion, was close to the terrible sin of idolatry. With her new, acute spiritual need, the woman rushed to the Vyshensky ascetic and then only calmed down when she received the following answer: “You are embarrassed by the way you write - praying to the saints, and you are afraid of being condemned for idolatry. No, our prayer to the saints and their honoring has nothing idolatrous. It would be idolatry if we considered them gods; but we honor them as servants of God and intercessors for us before God. An inner feeling should tell you that you do not consider them God, and do not consider them the first reason for the benefits you ask for, but only an instrument for giving them. Invoking the saint, we say: “Holy One of God, pray for us; ask the Lord to give us this and that.” Take into account this: we who live here on earth, children of the church, ask each other to pray for us... Everyone does this. And no one thinks that there is anything idolatrous here. You write to me: “pray about this and that.” Are you afraid of being guilty of idolatry? I think that there was no one else in the world who thought so. How do you get the idea in your head that when the saints were here on earth, it was safe to ask them for prayer, but when they moved there - to the Kingdom of Heaven, it became impossible? Our departed fathers and brothers, despite this departure, remain in the Church of God, just like we who remained here... Our mutual relations, as members of the church, remain the same, in force... so we pray to them, as we prayed before.” “The essence of idolatry is that creatures appropriate divine properties, and for this reason they are honored... we do not attribute any divine properties to the saints of God... but we honor them as the most perfect of people, who have reached the measure of the age of the fulfillment of Christ... and through this have come closer to God, more sincerely than others. Go inside yourself and consider; whether you consider the saints to be gods... the feeling should tell you this. If it turns out that you consider them to be so, then stop counting, and if you don’t count, there is no need to embarrass yourself with thoughts - so as not to end up as idolaters” 125. Correspondence of Rev. Feofana is a remarkable literary phenomenon both in content and form. The depth and constant seriousness of the subject of speech, combined with the artistic simplicity of external expression, characteristic of his other works, also distinguish the correspondence. Once you start reading the latest one, you won’t soon tear yourself away from the inspiring pages. The letters undoubtedly had a very important meaning for those who received them and were a true guide to moral life, and in difficult moments they were a great joy and spiritual consolation for many sorrowful souls. The saint sensitively discerned the spiritual needs of the writer and spared no effort, thoroughly and cordially explaining all questions and perplexities. He somehow especially knew how to get into the position of a correspondent, and from the very first the closest, purely family, internal spiritual connection was established between them, in which vital needs were expressed with complete sincerity and frankness. The leader attached great importance to the latter and persistently encouraged her. “You promise to be honest. Good! he writes to a young correspondent seeking spiritual life. Frankness is the first thing in correspondence: otherwise there was no point in starting it. And always write from your shoulder - everything that is on your soul, and especially express more fully the questions that stir in your head and begin to persistently demand a solution. Then decisions will be made, just as a thirsty land accepts water.” “You made me so happy with your answer! And I was at a loss to guess what it would be like! Here's what! Grandma was a little sick. Well, grandma is a victorious word. There is no warmer place for granddaughters than grandmothers. There are no persons more precious to grandmothers than good granddaughters. And we must thank God for this. And you console your grandmother more often and listen more carefully to what she says. The elders have wisdom acquired through the experiences and labors of life. And they often accidentally, in simple phrases, express such wise lessons that you won’t find even if you look for them in books” 126. In our Orthodox fatherland there were many persons of various ranks and status, for whom the letters of the Most Reverend. Theophanes were the only and irreplaceable moral guide, without advice from the author of which they did not undertake a single important matter. There were even cases when, under the influence of his correspondence and other writings, people left our sinful world and went on to the harsh feats of monasticism 127. The significance of the saint’s leadership was especially pronounced after his death, when those led were left to their own strengths in organizing Christian life. In this regard, the letter of a certain venerable lawyer, given below in our final chapter, is remarkable. Rev. did a lot. Feofan for the general spiritual good of life. But he was especially indispensable as an adviser and comforter in moments of her difficult trials. One fact alone is very characteristic in this regard, that whoever at least once turned to an ascetic with his moral need, never left the mentor and recommended him to others. One experienced and experienced teacher, himself the head and director of an entire educational institution, who repeatedly turned to the saint with his everyday sorrows, writes: “At this time (after the loss of children), exhausted by everyday grief and bewilderment, I - weak - rushed with my deeply sorrowful worry, which I cannot forget, to strong people - people of the faith of Christ, and, firstly, to Saint Theophan. Saint Theophan at that time was already outside the world, in seclusion; but he knew well the fierce sorrow of everyday life and was not slow in answering me with holy words of consolation...” “The sorrows of life and then by the will of God did not leave me, and I always turned to Bishop Theophan for consolation. This was the need of my tormented soul. The saint's letters to me are of great educational interest to every suffering and burdened Christian. I bring them with love to the late, loving archpastor, who consoled me with the power of the holy faith in the days of my great grief, and I will be glad with all my heart if the saint’s words prove to be of teaching and benefit to more than just me.”128 Letters: about the eternity of torment of sinners Of the entire mass of epistolary literature, Rev. Theophan we present here only a few letters on subjects that have general guiding significance and are the most developed - namely, about the eternity of torment of sinners, about the need for every Christian to be in a living union with the Church, about the meaning of church ritual and about the freedom of human will. We attach one letter on the issue of spiritual consolation for a former rich man who unexpectedly lost his entire fortune, as an example of how the saint knew how to come to the aid of a person in the most difficult moments of his life. 1) One of the many correspondents of Rev. Theophan, who was perplexed about the Christian teaching about the eternity of torment of sinners, turned to him for clarification of this important subject, and the saint writes a whole detailed treatise in which he clarifies to the questioner not only the general meaning and significance of the dogma, but also resolves particular perplexities, for example, regarding his reconciliation and agreement with the goodness of God. The essential content of this wonderful letter is as follows: “Your bewilderment is such, how is it possible for future torment to be eternal?! No way. This is contrary to the goodness of God." “First of all, ask your childhood faith if it knows that God has ordained it this way. - And if she doesn’t know, enlighten her by showing her direct Divine definitions about this. The Lord, in clear words that do not allow any interpretation, says: these go into eternal torment. This is said by the Lord, who for our sake and for our salvation became incarnate, suffered, died, rose again, ascended into heaven and sat at the right hand of the Father, so that there too I might intercede for the salvation of each and every one. If He, to whom our salvation became so much, says so, and Who desires nothing so much as for everyone to be saved; It is true that this cannot be otherwise. We have the original New Testament writings. There it stands: these go into eternal torment. Behind no matter how many translations of the New Testament there are, it all says: these go into eternal torment. And no translators had any reason or thought of translating these terrible words in any other way: into eternal torment. Therefore, there can be no doubt that the Lord said exactly this. There is nothing to be interpreted here, the words are clear without interpretation. They tried to give the word “eternal” a crooked interpretation, not by believers, but by non-believers, as if eternal here meant relative eternity: for a long, long time, but not without end; so long that this duration will seem like an eternity, but still there will be an end. That this interpretation is crooked is revealed by another word standing right there: in the eternal belly. The stomach is eternal and the rumors are endless. This is how we must understand eternal torment. Both sayings stand in the same conditions. What is obvious about one cannot be denied about the other. If the stomach is endless, then the torment is endless.” “You stand for the goodness and mercy of God. But your speech would make sense if the eternity of torment were determined by people, ruthless and inexorable rigorists. Then it would be reasonable to object to them: your position cannot be accepted; because it is contrary to the goodness of God. But when such a determination was made by the Lord Himself, the all-good and all-merciful; then is it appropriate to say to Him, as it were, to His face: This cannot be, this is contrary to Your goodness? Did He cease to be good when He said this? Of course not. And if he did not cease to be good, then there is no doubt that such a definition is completely in accordance with His goodness. For God never does or says anything that would be contrary to His properties. For children's faith, this explanation is completely sufficient. And I rely on it more than on any other explanations, which I advise you too.” “Say: the Lord prayed on the cross for the crucifiers; Is it possible for Him to execute any of the sinners with eternal torment? “The Lord prayed and His prayer immediately bore fruit. The robber repented and, having believed in the Lord, opened the entrance to heaven for himself. The centurion confessed the Lord as the Son of God, and, having been sanctified by faith, is among the saints. It is true that all those who left Golgotha, beating themselves, did not lose the good part. Likewise, everyone who, having sinned before God, turns to Him in tears of repentance, always receives forgiveness, and the door of heaven is not locked against them. If all people guilty of sins did this, they would all enter heaven; and hell would remain occupied only by the spirits of evil - bitter and unrepentant. You rely on merciful forgiveness. But forgiveness is not unconditional: repent and you will receive forgiveness. How can you forgive someone who is unrepentant?” “The merciful Lord is ready to forgive everyone, just repent and resort to His mercy. If the demons had repented, they too would have been pardoned. But since they have become ossified in stubborn resistance to God, there is no mercy for them. The same is true in relation to people. It is impossible to pardon those who stubbornly resist God. I think you know that there are such people. That many of these go to the next world as God-fighters and God-haters, and I believe you cannot deny this. What awaits them there? You can see that! Just as they didn’t want to know God, God will tell them: we don’t know you; go away. And when such a decision comes from God, who will cancel it? This is eternal rejection - the seal of hell! All that remains is to build hope that there will be repentance beyond the grave! Oh, when would this be possible?! What a relief for us sinners! The Lord is so merciful that if you repent, even if it is beyond the grave, He will certainly forgive. But it is our grief that there is nothing to base such hopes on. The law of life is such that as soon as someone plants the seed of repentance here, even with his last breath, he will not perish. This seed will grow and bear fruit - eternal salvation. And if someone here does not plant the seed of repentance and moves there with the spirit of unrepentant persistence in sins, then there he will remain forever with the same spirit, and the fruit from him will be reaped forever according to his kind - God’s eternal rejection” 129. On the necessity for a person to belong to and have a living union with the Church for salvation 2) We have already seen that Rev. Theophan, who from his seclusion closely followed all the outstanding phenomena of Russian social life, responded with a number of letters regarding the appearance of the heresy of the famous Pashkov, in which, along with denouncing false teaching as a branch of Protestantism, he gave a strong apology for Orthodoxy, and in particular detail revealed the frank teaching about the economy of our salvation through the incarnation of the Son of God. When presenting this dogma, the writer dwells at length on the development of the idea of ​​the need for a Christian to have a living union with the Church and the meaning of church ritual. The essence of his teaching on the first question is presented in the following terms. Every Christian must necessarily and invariably belong to and have a living union with the Church because in it alone there exist all the necessary means for salvation, and without communion with it there is no hope or possibility of obtaining salvation. The latter is composed of two essentially necessary elements - spiritual treasures given to us by the redemptive merits of the Savior and what we ourselves must do for our salvation. The first includes the truths of the Gospel teaching and the grace-filled gifts of St. The sacraments - both are kept secretly only in the depths of the Church. Our own labors and deeds of virtue belong to the second, and the latter can have a correct course only under the guidance of the Church. Having completed the work of saving fallen humanity, our Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, and He left the spiritual benefits acquired for us on earth, in the Holy Church, and does not give them outside of it. First of all, the Lord taught His divine teaching to St. to the apostles, and the latter passed it on to all believers. From here the Church became the faithful guardian of Divine wisdom, the pillar and affirmation of Christian truth. She is a treasury not only of truth, but also of grace. With His atoning blood sacrifice, the Savior opened the way for the Holy One to descend to us. The Spirit, with all His grace-filled powers, without which our salvation is impossible. But the Holy Spirit descended directly only on the apostles; after them, His grace is communicated to believers no other way than through the sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ Himself and entrusted to be kept and performed only in the Church. After accepting the gifts of grace, a Christian is faced with hard and life-long work of external good deeds and internal cleansing of his nature from bad inclinations and passions, and the installation of good thoughts, feelings and dispositions in their place. These acts of virtue, apparently, should be left to the freedom of every one who is saved. But this is only apparently. Experience testifies that a person in his present damaged state has darkened and distorted the original pure requirements of his internal moral law and can no longer do without external, third-party guidance. This is where the Church comes to his aid with its many and varied sanctifying means. She, like a child-loving mother, established a whole series of ranks, institutions and orders, truly and expediently aimed at achieving the salvation of every believer. Thus, the Church has prescribed holy fasts for everyone, one-day and multi-day fasts, with the goal of pacifying our flesh and quenching its lusts. Various works of mercy with the establishment of various kinds of charitable institutions - almshouses, hospitals, hospices, etc. exist to cultivate in us good dispositions and feelings of love for our neighbor. Finally, the continuous following of divine services in church and home richly nourishes the highest, prayerful manifestations of the human spirit and invariably raises the worthy to the final goal of Christian life - communion with God. All this is essential in the matter of salvation and all this can only be found in the Church. “Whoever wants to be saved must be in a living union with the true Church of Christ. Why? “Because the Lord was pleased to combine in her alone everything necessary for salvation.” “No one is saved alone. The Lord, of all believers, was pleased to unite a single body and Himself became its Head. Everyone is saved only in the Church, that is, in a living union with the entire host of believers, through the Church and with the Lord Himself as its Head. The Lord called His Church a vine tree, in which He Himself is the vine or tree trunk, and all believers are branches on the vine; therefore, the Church is a single indivisible whole, livingly united with the Lord both in itself and in all parts. Just as a branch, having fallen from a tree, dries up and ceases to live, so does anyone who in any way separates himself from the Church of God, and through this from the Lord, cease to live. St. Paul represents even more clearly this living union of believers with the Church and the Lord, calling the Church the body of the Lord. We are all believers - the body of Christ, and Christ the Lord is the Head of this body. Just as in the body each member lives not his own life, but a life common to the whole body, and if separated from the body, dies and decays, so each believer does not live separately, but lives a life common to the whole Church, and if separated from it, he freezes spiritually and perishes (John 15; 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4). Thus, until now, all true believers believe in union with the Church by the law of life leading to salvation. The Church is our mother. And the word is true: to whom the Church is not a mother, God is not a Father.” “In the matter of salvation, it is necessary to distinguish two sides: what the Lord did for the sake of our salvation—namely, the goods acquired by the Lord through the incarnate economy for our salvation; and what we must do on our part to receive salvation is our labor in achieving salvation. From both, through their combination in the person being saved, the work of salvation will be accomplished. We can say to everyone: take care to be worthy of receiving the treasures of salvation acquired by the Lord - appropriate them for yourself and use them as you should, and you will be saved. But this twofold thing can and should be done only in the Holy Spirit. Orthodox Church. It contains grace-filled treasures for salvation, and the practice of everything that is required of you for your own salvation, with guidance in that, both by word and example.” “Hearing: take care to be worthy of receiving the grace-filled treasures of salvation, you can involuntarily come to the question: where can I get them? Where to come into contact with them and how to taste them? They are all in the Lord, and the Lord, having acquired them, ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father. How to reach Him? And who is strong for that? To this I will tell you: you can’t reach it, and no one is strong enough to do it; but don't be horrified by it. The Lord ascended to heaven, and left the blessings He had acquired for us on earth, entrusting them to His holy Church.” "St. The Orthodox Church is a treasury of the blessings of salvation. Whatever you need for salvation, you will find it all in her, and only in her. Apart from this, the Lord Himself does not give these benefits. This is how He Himself deigned to arrange it. Having become the Head of the Church, He acts for our salvation in no other way than through this body. And do not seek any other access to His treasures of salvation. He's gone." “The Lord Savior, like hypostatic Wisdom, brought in Himself to earth, from the mysteries of the Trinitarian Deity, all saving wisdom. But he did not keep it hidden in himself, but first taught it to the apostles, commanding them to teach it to all believers from all languages. The apostles handed it over to the entire congregation of believers, commanding their successors to guard it. And the Church became a pillar and affirmation of the truth, which, having established itself in it, abides in it and will abide until the end of the age. Do you want to know this wisdom? Go to the Orthodox Church, the faithful guardian of everything handed down by the apostles, and learn from her.” “Besides truth, there was grace as the Lord (John 1:17). Having become incarnate for the sake of our salvation, He offered Himself as a sacrifice to redeem us, and thereby opened the way for the descent of the Holy Spirit with His grace-filled powers to us. Hence the two most essential benefits of the incarnate economy for our salvation, justification and sanctification. And the Lord left them on earth and entrusted them to His Church.” “In the Church of God there stands the continually offered sacrifice of the body and blood of the Lord, according to His commandment, and in the power in which it was pleasing to the Lord to establish this institution. This sacrifice is offered at a certain time; but as with the movement of the sun, this hour moves across the earth from east to west with intervals that are barely or not at all noticeable; then it is self-evident that this sacrifice is offered on earth at every moment, or rather, it stands continuously. The Lord intercedes for us in heaven before the face of God and the Father. But there's no blood there. He deigns to mysteriously bleed His blood into St. His Church, as the head of it, in the sacrament of body and blood. Do this, He commanded, in remembrance of me. This, that is, the body broken and the blood shed for the remission of sins. Thus, the cover of justification and intercession is spread out and stands over the Church, attracting and transmitting to us all sorts of mercies of God. Do you want to be a partaker of these mercies? Visit this sacrifice as often as you can and maintain communion with it, if not by eating it, then by contrition and weeping.” The blood sacrifice opened the way for the descent of the Holy Spirit to us, from which all the powers of grace, including life and piety. Without these forces it is impossible for us to achieve salvation. Therefore, it is necessary for everyone to acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit descended directly only on the apostles; after them, the grace of the Holy Spirit is communicated to believers no other way than through special means, or sacraments, at the direction of the Lord by the Holy Spirit through the apostles. And these sacraments are entrusted to St. Orthodox Church and the essence of it is one. And the Church became a treasury not only of truth, but also of grace. Do you feel the need for grace? Go to the Orthodox Church, begin the sacraments, and you will receive all the grace you seek. Are you looking for revival? Seek him in St. Orthodox Church. She, and only she, will give birth to you with water and the Spirit in the sacrament of St. baptism. Are you looking for the gift of the Holy Spirit? Seek him in St. Orthodox Church. She, and only she, teaches it to you in the sacrament of confirmation. Have you sinned? Do you repent and seek healing of spiritual wounds and resolution of the bonds of conscience? Go to St. Orthodox Church. She, and only she, in the person of her shepherds, who has received the power to knit and decide, will absolve you from your sins and heal the wounds of your soul with healing duties. Do you have a need and are you looking for the most sincere communication with the Lord? Go to St. Orthodox Church. She, and only she, having given you to taste the body and blood of the Lord from His sacrifice, always offered by her, will ensure that you will be in the Lord and the Lord in you, according to His false promise. Are you looking to lay a fertile foundation for your family? Go to St. Orthodox Church. She will provide you with this benefit, sealing your marriage union with grace in the sacrament of marriage. Are you sick in body and looking for healing? Contact the Holy Church. She will provide you with this benefit even with the remission of sins, through the sacrament of consecration of oil.” “So many blessed treasures have been entrusted to St. Churches! First the apostles, and then their successors, who themselves receive special grace for this through the sacrament of the priesthood, in the Church of God, were appointed as their guardians and distributors. The sacrament of the priesthood is the pinnacle of the grace-filled sacraments: for without it, all other sacraments would remain ineffective, and the Church would turn into a graceless one.” “So the hypostatic Wisdom of God, having created for itself the house of St. The Church has established seven pillars (branches) in it, and she richly nourishes and drinks all those who come to her, at her call, with her varied grace. Seven sources of grace. But two of them flow inseparably throughout the life of the person being saved. These are the sacraments - repentance and holy communion, giving the grace of justification and the grace of sanctification, grace that flows into saving life. They develop, root, and elevate in the human spirit everything that is necessary for salvation. And the more often one uses them, the more successfully a spiritual, saving life matures. And without this, it will soon become clogged, wither and stall.” “The second half of the work of salvation is our own labor in completing it. It would seem that it should be completely left to the freedom of everyone. Granted, true, but not completely. The Holy Church attracts here with its influence and power. By this I mean not only instructions and encouragement, but certain orders and works, the fulfillment of which is the doing of what is required of us to do for the sake of salvation. St. carries out famous labors for salvation. The Church treats the believers as a duty, without restricting their freedom to self-willed undertakings and deeds of the same kind, but on the contrary, encouraging them and giving guidance in relation to them by word and examples. The Church itself imposes certain labors for salvation, both because it wants everyone to be as one in achieving salvation, and because, considering those labors necessary in the matter of salvation, it does not rely on the free willingness of everyone to do them due to the weaknesses of our self-indulgence; and he gives his guidance in other free affairs and undertakings of this kind because, due to inability, other work and work can be done in such a way that instead of benefit there will be harm to the cause of salvation.” “Whoever has decided to work out his own salvation and has received grace for this, must, through the action of his blessed spirit, cleanse his soul and body from passions and reconfigure them for all good, in order to make a church worthy of God, who has promised to dwell in the believers and walk in them.” “It is necessary to cleanse the soul and body and reconfigure it with the power of a blessed spirit. What is needed for this? Feats are needed - for the body, for the body, for the soul, for the spirit: for it also needs to be revived and strengthened, so that it constantly feels like it has the power to act powerfully on the soul and body.” “Bodily exploits are needed because the body serves as the seat of passions. If you do not humble your flesh, you will not have success in overcoming passions. Therefore, it is necessary to overwork the flesh with deprivations of food, sleep, rest and all pleasures of the senses. But the servant of passions and the passionate lover is the soul. Therefore, even more than the body, it must be taken into hand and worked. Passionate thoughts and desires arise in it and lead to passionate deeds, because the passions themselves live in it. The job of the person being saved is to drive away these passionate movements, and in their place to restore and install good thoughts, feelings and dispositions. This action, and everything else that is done for this purpose, constitutes the subject of spiritual exploits. Finally, the exploits of the spirit are prayer and contemplation of God, and everything that is undertaken for this as an auxiliary means.” “The Savior pointed out these deeds in the conversation on the mount, when he gave instructions on how to fast, give alms and pray. All physical deeds are combined here under fasting, mental deeds under almsgiving, and spiritual ones under prayer. For those who work for their salvation, things really work out this way: they spend their lives in prayer, good deeds and fasting abstinence. And to these matters St. The Church, obliging believers to work in achieving salvation, adjusts some of its laws, orders and institutions.” “As a field for bodily exploits, St. fasts - one-day fasts on Wednesday and Friday of each week, and on some other days of the year, and multi-day fasts - four large fasts.” “As a field for spiritual deeds, in addition to the same posts, various charitable institutions are identified in it: hospitals, almshouses, orphanages, hospices.” “As a field for spiritual exploits, there is a continuous succession of church prayers, with edifying readings and conversations on them - prayers that embrace the whole life of a person, in its various directions and positions.” “All these establishments of St. Churches - prayers, fasts, acts of charity occupy and oblige the entire body of the Church, as one person (in a small form - this is a parish). But this does not restrict the freedom of everyone, in addition to these general works, to choose and maintain their own private ones - their fasts, their prayers, their good deeds. But St. The Church, as a mother who cares for those who are being saved, extends her care to this part of the works of believers, commanding them to begin with the advice and instructions of their spiritual fathers, and offering examples for imitation in the previously living fathers and brothers, who are remembered every day.” “Completing all such labors according to the instructions and guidance of the Church constitutes the field of general Christian asceticism. But in the Church of God there are special institutions in which asceticism in prayer, fasting and service to everyone, forgetting oneself, is the exclusive goal. Based on the fundamental needs of the spirit and the most essential Christian aspirations, this world-denying ascetic life, being carried out as it should, soon raises its favorites to the highest degrees of Christian perfection and enriches them, and through them Christianity, with knowledge of spiritual things that are inaccessible under other orders of life” 130. Protestants, and after them the Pashkovites, reproach the Orthodox Church for having materialized Christianity, for example, in divine services it has given too much importance to external rituals along with and even sometimes to the detriment of the spiritual element, and on the other hand, it has introduced too many rituals, many of which are completely unnecessary and superfluous. Rev. Feofan analyzes in detail and gives a deeply thorough answer to these seemingly strong objections regarding church life and church order. Christianity, he says, is highly spiritual, for it is gracious, but not invisible. And true Christians are highly spiritual, for they are blessed, but not incorporeal. Why, with all their spirituality, they cannot help but act bodily not only in relation to people, but also to God. Hence, the presence of external ritual is absolutely necessary in Christian life, and its essence is not at all in visible images, but in the inner mood of the believer’s heart and a series of prayer sequences. External, visible actions and the position of those performing rituals and participating in them are only a situation, inevitable because we ourselves are spatial and temporal and all our affairs and activities are certainly carried out in a certain place and at a certain time. So, for example, a parishioner asks the clergy to perform some kind of service in church or at home. The clergy dresses, performs the service, reads prayers, sings, censes, etc. Believers light candles, make the sign of the cross, bow, and kneel. What is the essence of the matter here? On the one hand, in a series of the most spiritual, touching prayers and chants of the church service, and on the other hand, in the spirit of faith with which the Christian invited the clergy, and the clergy performed the liturgical rite. The same must be said about all other external rites and church institutions. Thus, the essence of a fruitful and saving fast is not in the refusal of food and bodily abstinence alone, but in the spirit of repentant humility and contrition, in renunciation of the self-indulgence of the flesh. The true meaning and significance of alms is not at all in dinners for the poor or donations in prisons, almshouses, on church porches, but in the inner mood of the benefactor, in his sincere and heartfelt love for his neighbor, in his ardent desire to alleviate, to the best of his ability and means, the bitter fate of the suffering and burdened, according to the example and commandment of the Savior and for the glory of His holy name. As for the Protestant reproaches of our Church for many rituals, the Most Reverend. Theophanes notes that their abundance is quite natural and legitimate, since we have a lot of spiritual needs. The Church, with its liturgical rites and other institutions, embraces the whole person and all his needs. She accepts a Christian into her arms immediately after birth, accompanies him throughout the entire course of life and, finally, escorts him to the afterlife, and has carefully established sanctifying rituals and prayers not only for the most important moments of life common to all people, but also for many of its private phenomena, compiling a whole series of liturgical sequences for every need. The Church generously offers the believer everything he needs, which feeds his spirit and grows his spiritual life. Now she draws us to church for prayer, now she invites us to the sacraments, now she suggests fasting, now she points out the place and image of charity. Just as our body grows and lives, taking juices from different types of material food, so the spirit feeds and lives, going through many church ranks and extracting for itself the spiritual elements hidden in them. Just as bodily breathing refreshes and revitalizes the body, so walking in church orders supports and revitalizes the entire composition of our moral nature. “I start with the first reproach,” writes the Reverend. Feofan in denouncing the Protestant teaching about Orthodox rituals - as if in our country Christianity has been materialized, fleshed out, embodied. This, they (Protestants) say, looking at our church orders, or our church life, visibly and physically manifested and performed. With you, they say, it’s all just rituals and rituals, and nothing more. He performed the ritual and is at peace, whether the soul took part in it or not.” “Let us tell them: Christianity is highly spiritual, for it is grace-filled, but not invisible. And true Christians are highly spiritual, for they are certainly blessed, but not incorporeal. Why, with all their spirituality - the highest, they cannot help but act bodily not only in relation to people, but also in relation to God, in the most spiritual movements of their hearts. It follows from this that, looking at what is visible, how Christian life is expressed in the Church and Christians, it is unfair to limit everything in them to this one appearance. Isn’t it fairer, on the contrary, to discern the invisible and spiritual under this visible, just as in a word we tangibly encounter a hidden thought? “Some may be confused by the word rite in this matter. Let us explain the meaning of this word. Let’s take the liturgical part, because church life is most expressed in it, or is most visible in it, covering or completely covering up other parts - deeds and good deeds (fasting and almsgiving). What is each sacred service? A series of prayers read, sung and mentally offered to God. This is the essence of priesthood. But since we are enclosed in space and time, any such service requires its own time, its place and order, its own setting, ritual, which is inevitably a series of prayers, although it does not constitute the essence of the service. A priest in a certain place, at a certain time, in a certain order, as it should be in the Church, performs his priestly service, and he, the clergy, and the Christians present keep themselves in a certain position. All this is a ritual. But the essence of the matter is not in this external thing, but in a series of prayers performed at this time. This all comes about because we are spatial and temporal, and whatever we do, we do it in our own time, in our own place and in a certain order. And whoever began to believe that this is the essence of the matter would make a big mistake. Let's take a simple matter - writing a letter. Here you need a pen, you need ink, you need paper; You need to adapt your position to writing. But all this is an external environment - such that without it you cannot write a letter; but even when it is there, one cannot say that the letter is being written or will be written. A letter is formed in the mind and heart. When it is then expressed on paper in the usual manner, writing will be completed and a letter will appear. What arose in the soul caused a corresponding action in the body, and the finished deed appeared. Such is the case with all sacred services and prayers. The need and desire to ascend to God with petition or thanksgiving is awakened in the spirit. This causes a certain prayerful action in the body, which, once completed, reveals the work of prayer, or perfect prayer, in which the internal and spiritual are combined with the external and physical. Looking at someone writing a letter, you don’t think that the whole point of writing is in the external position of the writer and in the order of his actions. Don’t think and don’t say the same things about prayer and serving God, apparently performed with the body. Here's an example. The old woman asks the priest to serve a memorial service at the grave of her son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter. The priest puts on the stole and goes to the grave; the cleric carries a censer and a candle. Look from a distance, what's going on there at the grave? The priest reads and censes, the cleric sings, the old woman bows on her knees. Then they read, sang, censed and went back. The work of remembrance is completed. But what is the essence of the matter here? In the spirit of faith that prompted the old woman to invite the priest to perform a church commemoration, in the same or stronger spirit of faith with which the priest began, continued and finished a series of prescribed prayers. And what else is there? Everything else is a ritual, a situation, inevitable under the conditions of our current existence, not accidental, however, but corresponding both to the meaning of this service and to the mood of those performing and participating in it. It combines internal and external, spiritual and physical. And whoever would focus on the external alone, without going to the internal, and would establish the entire essence of this service in the external, without thinking about the internal, he would reveal gross ignorance of the matter.” “These are all our church prayer rituals. They all combine the most spiritual prayers, and whoever performs them or participates in their performance should be said to be walking in the spirit, expressing this through a number of external actions. Therefore, it cannot be said that in our church life Christianity is embodied, embodied, and we are only external Christians.” “We have too many rituals,” your apostates say, continues the Reverend. Feofan; we have covered ourselves with them so that behind them we cannot see any spirituality in us. And others, perhaps, add: and all this without any need or benefit.” "Many? Let it be a lot. Well? Should I be annoyed and saddened by this? In which house there is a lot of everything, they groan because of it? The Church is the house of God. If there is a lot of everything in it, according to the economy that is carried out in it, that is, according to the arrangement of the salvation of its children, and glory to God! When you see a house full of everyone, the spirit rejoices; and when in any house the yard is empty and everywhere is like a ball, what a joyless feeling this leaves.” “We have a lot of churchliness because there are many of us, and we have many needs. Our guardian mother, the Church, is guided by her Head, and has prepared everything that is useful, preserves it, and generously provides for us, her children, at the appropriate time and in due measure. Should I list everything? But here’s the general thing!” “If you need instructions, go to church, listen and watch. And through the ear and through the eye all kinds of lessons will flow into you. Listen, apostle, to the Gospel, to the prophets, and learn; listen to the hymns and be admonished; look at the sacred rites, and be lifted up, delving into their meaning and meaning; you see images, remember the glorious deeds of those depicted and strive to imitate them, if they are persons, or glorify God, marvelous in mercy and truth, if they are events. In the church, even the illiterate become no less than the literate, holders of God’s mysteries of salvation, if they listen. You are forced by a sense of duty to make a sacrifice to God, your Creator, Provider and Savior, go to church. Here a bloodless sacrifice is offered to God every day—the body and blood of the Lord, the only sacrifice worthy of God, powerful to propitiate Him. But join this sacrifice yourself with a contrite and humble heart, and bring a tear to the altar of the Lord, so that together with the bloodless sacrifice it will rise before the face of God and, reminding Him of you, bring down His favor and blessing upon you.” “Do you want to learn how to pray and receive guidance in it? ABOUT! This is what the Holy Church is richest in most of all. She will give you ready-made prayers and teach you to ascend to God in prayer in your own words. Everything in it is prayer, and everyone will find there prayers of every kind and for every occasion. The need for prayer during conversion, like a spark, sinks into the heart, through the action of grace, mysteriously returned and restored. This spark is kindled into a flame by the breath of the air of the church during participation in church prayer sessions. Listen to the prayers read and sung in church - strain and compose your own prayers when you are invited to do so (by litanies), and your prayer will soon begin to move, become tense, strengthen and begin to flow from your heart, like a stream from an inexhaustible spring.” “Do you need to humble your flesh, your closest enemy, your most unrelenting and flattering enemy? Here is a guide and guide for you, post by post. Se – middle; Before you know it, Friday has arrived; Several weeks will pass, a big fast will begin, followed by another alternation of daytime fasts; and there again another big post. It's like this all year round. Know how to use this, and you will have humble flesh, and in it, instead of harm, the most beneficial helper. If you have fallen and have a need to clear your conscience, these same fasts give you both a strong motivation and favorable time to do so. Pray, confess, take Holy Communion. Christ’s Mysteries, and, having thus established a firm foot again on the proper path, flow through them cheerfully.” “Do you have any private need? Whatever it may be, you will find beneficial satisfaction in the church. Whether your thoughts are troubling you, your spirits are chilling, your grief is weighing you down, you are getting ready to go on a journey, or you are starting at home, for all this and much more you will find in the church an intercessory prayer, a sacred rite of consecration, and indicative guidance.” “On the sources of grace, St. sacraments, I don’t say; I’m not talking about constant guidance in spiritual life and models for it. You yourself know that St. is rich in this. The Church, and only the Orthodox Church." “Do you see now that we cannot help but have many things? We have many needs that are not suppressed, but require their entire life, from the minute of birth to death. The Holy Church embraces the whole person and throughout life with its churchliness; she takes him into her arms immediately after birth, accompanies him throughout the course of his life and sends him to the next world. And how beneficial it is! The world surrounds us with its charms and the spirits of evil with their intrigues. The Holy Church, completely surrounding us with its churchliness and completely covering us with it, repels the spirit of the world from us and reflects the arrows of the spirits of malice. And it turns out that he who walks according to all the rules of churchliness is as if clothed in impenetrable armor, or as if hidden under powerful wings, or as if hidden in an indestructible fortress. That these are not empty words is known to those who spend their days in humble submission to everything churchly, sanctified and enlivened by sincere faith. Ask who wants them, and you will see how great a benefit this is. And what are those who are alienated from everything churchly? Sometimes naked in the cold, sometimes unarmed among enemies, sometimes bloodless, naked and hungry, with no place to lay his head.” “So thank God that there is a lot of everything in the Church. And there is nothing to be burdened by this; and there is no need to be burdened. For judging by how everyone needs to participate in church rites, we can say that there is very little for everyone. To pray according to the rules of the Church, morning and evening, before the table and after the table, before starting a task and at the end of it, that’s all on another day. On some days, in addition, it is necessary to go to church, either just to pray in public with everyone, or to correct some private need. Is this too much? In some years there is no need in a family for which the Church should be invited, but in others there is only one. So, everyone loses a little bit of churchliness. The Church maintains and watches for a lot just in case, always being ready with its help.” “In the Church of God nothing is started without need. Whatever was established by her was established to satisfy spiritual needs, needs not invented, but living, caused by life. Moreover, what was established was established by the good will of the Lord, the Head of the Church, in His spirit, and in accordance with the promises. Without the Lord nothing entered the Church, neither great nor small; for she truly is His living body, living through Him. In some respects, one can only distinguish between the degrees of necessity and importance of the contents of the Church: necessary, useful, comforting, since there are needs of the same kinds. In our ordinary everyday homes, something else is such that without it a house is not a home, it is essential; other things exist and are maintained as useful; others serve only to decorate the house or to the pleasure of the living; otherwise it is instituted and taken care of in case of emergency. And the Church is a house, God’s house, and everything necessary, in its own way, should be in it. And there is. There is in it what is essential, without which the Church is not the Church (priesthood, sacraments, services, fasts, charitable institutions), there is something that is accepted and held as saving and beneficial for the soul - (icons), there is something that consoles and delights her children - (singing). What kind of owner would throw things out of the house just because a house is still a house without them? For those who live in the house need pleasant things, and without that which serves only to decorate it, life is boring, and useful things become necessary when useful things are required from them. Likewise, what exists in the Church should not be touched with the impudent hand of arbitrariness, but everything should be accepted in the quality in which it was established and maintained. Everything in it is edifying and nourishes the spirit of believers who have eyes and know how to see” 131. Orthodox view of the holidays In connection with the solution of the same issue about church rituals, Rev. Theophan examines the incorrect Protestant teaching about Christian holidays and, for our edification, gives the following explanation of the necessity and importance of them: “Holidays were established to remember the benefits of God and to give thanks for them to the All-Merciful God. You can remember these blessings and give thanks for them every day, as St. The Church in its daily services. But God’s blessings are so great that it is impossible to embrace them all at once with all their might; Without fully recognizing them, one cannot fully experience their beneficial properties; Without experiencing the benefits, it is impossible to receive the gratitude corresponding to them. Therefore, despite the constant remembrance of these benefits, St. The Church appoints a special day for the remembrance of each of them - the one on which it was revealed to us, as far as this can be determined. On this day, all the thoughts of the faithful turn to one remembered good deed, in order to understand it more fully, feel it and gratefully glorify it. Here comes the holiday. It follows from this that just as it is obligatory to thank God most perfectly for His benefits to us, it is equally obligatory to have holidays; further, “if an ungrateful person does not honor God, then he who does not celebrate holidays does not honor either.” “In addition, holidays, like the entire liturgical rite of our St. Churches have educational value. They revive and deepen faith, giving rise to clarity and greater understanding of dogmas. As the season progresses, the holidays, advancing one after another, present first one dogma or another to Christian attention and reflection. Church hymns present it beautifully, readings from scripture in church define it by the word of God, pastoral teachings explain it and apply it to life, based on life experiences. And all this is added up to the soul of the celebrant. Thus, the dogmatic training of the believer goes on all year round.” “They also cultivate a spirit of piety and a life of faith. For, tearing attention away from everyday things and turning attention to the spiritual, they kindle heavenly feelings in the soul or allow it to taste and feed on heavenly blessings. For someone burdened with the things of life, who nevertheless desires the things of heaven, this is the same as emerging from a stuffy room into the refreshing, clean air. This generally happens from the impression that one presence in a church, whose appearance represents heaven, leaves in the soul, especially the excitement of prayerful ascents to God and a reverent mood through the service itself. Whoever properly celebrates the holiday in church according to the church's rules will hardly deviate that day and beyond into doing anything unpleasing. But other holidays sometimes cast their light far ahead. During all this time, his feelings, warmed up that day, do not go away - and continue to keep a beneficial mood in his soul.” “And without holidays, today is everyday life, tomorrow is everyday life, and the day after tomorrow too, and so on without end. What can we expect from such an order, other than the grounding of all thoughts and feelings? Idle people, who have everything in abundance without labor, can still read and pray, but workers and laborers do not have this opportunity. And the consequence of lack of holidays must certainly be the impoverishment of the pious spirit. In addition, a working person needs to rest in order to gather strength, and without a holiday it is a shame to allow this. “Thus, holidaylessness suppresses the spirit and exhausts the bodily strength” 132. The doctrine of free will and the relationship of God's predestination to freedom 3) In the resulting Rev. Feofan's letters more than once encountered attacks on the freedom of the human spirit and even a complete denial of it. Many correspondents were especially confused by the question of the relationship of freedom to omniscience and God's predestination. In his answers to the letters, the saint outlined in detail his teaching on this important subject. He is an ardent champion of human freedom, recognizes it as the most essential property of our moral nature and so high and valuable that, in his opinion, the Lord Himself does not interfere or constrain it. Those who deny freedom deprive man of his most important advantage. These are usually people who are either weak-willed or completely indifferent and careless about spiritual life, who want to hide behind the denial of freedom and justify their moral carelessness and licentiousness, placing the blame on others and circumstances. The teachings of the saint are illustrated by a number of examples and evidence from ordinary, everyday life, as well as from biblical and church history, especially from the era of persecution, when Christian freedom shone brightly throughout the world in the person of martyrs and confessors, despite the terrible efforts made by the persecutors and truly inhumane means to suppress it. Rev. Theophanes, in particular, solves the question of the relationship of free will to omniscience and God's predestination. Having made a preliminary remark that God’s determinations about the fate of people are His hidden advice, completely incomprehensible to us, and reproaching modern humanity, weak in faith, for the fact that it persistently strives everywhere and to subject everything to the destructive analysis of its limited but arrogant mind, demanding tangible evidence even for the secrets of the kingdom of God, the saint dwells in detail on the analysis of objections to the coexistence of freedom and predestination. Those who object usually recognize God’s predestination as the cause of one or another type and level of spiritual life of the predetermined person; they say that it constrains and even destroys the will and therefore makes people morally insane. Rev. Feofan finds this position false, develops in detail and authoritatively proves a completely contrary idea. According to his conviction, predestination is not the basis and cause, but a direct conclusion and natural consequence from the entire life of the predetermined. A person is destined in advance to a certain moral state because this will be his life, and not another, which God knows and foresees from eternity. There should be no talk of violating, let alone destroying, freedom here. “You are attacking freedom,” the Right Reverend writes to one correspondent, overwhelmed by religious doubts, “as if everything is built in such a way that you want it or not, but do it. – You just have to take a closer look at your affairs, even in one day, or in half a day, and you will see that we do everything ourselves, and we do it because we want to. Who brought you to Vysha? – Who brought you tied up, or did you decide and come? What you call compulsion is an impulse without which free deeds cannot be done. But the urge is not a need to do, but a proposal to do something. The matter is proposed, the soul discusses whether to do it, and decides whether to do it or not. No one can force this decision from the soul. She decides for herself. Divine power does not enter here and does not bind the soul with any wave of freedom.” “The ancestors have fallen. Why? They found that it was better not to fulfill the commandments and broke them. The serpent suggested. Eve reasoned and found that what he was offering was not bad, and according to her intelligence, she decided to pick the fruit and taste it. No one forced this decision.” “The spirits also fell, of course, as a result of reasoning and a personal decision that it was better not to listen to God, but to live according to one’s own understanding. They thought so and fell away from God. No one forced this decision.” “This is how every soul acts. There can be many motives, the most powerful and compelling ones, but the decision always depends on the will of the soul. She can decide in defiance of all compulsory impulses. Take the martyrs. The instruments of torment are presented, a peaceful life is promised, sometimes the mother and father stand at the side and persuade them to throw some incense into the brazier in front of the idol; sometimes, in addition to this, the wife is young and beloved and also has a child. How many compulsions! And the martyr decides completely contrary to them. Isn't he free? “Man is always free. Freedom is given to him along with self-awareness, and together with it constitutes the essence of the spirit and the norm of humanity. Extinguish self-awareness and freedom, you extinguish the spirit, and a person will become not a person. In asserting that a person has the freedom to move up and down the degrees of his life, I do not assert with this that it is equally easy and convenient for him to move, whether he goes from top to bottom, or from bottom to top, or that these movements can be performed in him as quickly and often as transitions from one room to another, which happen several times a day. I only want to say by this that a person who is self-aware and free is the culprit of his inner state, and that if he, having found himself in a state that cannot be approved, remains in it, then he himself is to blame for this and is responsible before God and people” 133. “Having realized, therefore, that a free decision is always from us, you must assume that the omniscience of God does not have a determining influence on it. Yes, this issue was resolved long ago, and very satisfactorily. Precisely, God foresees, because He sees your free decisions. These decisions constitute the subject of omniscience, and they constitute it in the form in which they are, namely, as free decisions. Not everything that God foresees is what God determines. Theologians distinguish in God between determination and permission. What God determines happens as He determines, and what He allows may not happen as it happens, although God foresees it happening.” “Such is the fall of the ancestors and spirits. They fell freely, although God foresaw it. On God's part, everything has been done so that we do not fall. It was clearly said to the ancestors: do not eat. And the consequences are indicated. Something similar must be assumed among fallen spirits.” “They didn’t listen, who’s to blame? Why did God allow it? Because otherwise freedom had to be taken away or free creatures destroyed in the world. But without this, the world would be much lower than it is now. And God allowed him to fall, creating an image of rebellion from the fall. We are moving toward rebellion by fighting opposition. This is the law! And all who follow it are crowned with success.” “We don’t know what the spirits have. But since their freedom is free, then until the court’s decision, their uprising is possible, just as the fall of the forces of light is possible. Whether it will be or not is not for us to decide. But the possibility of this cannot be rejected” 134. “You ask,” says another letter, “how is it that those who were provided for believed?.. therefore, those who did not believe were not provided for. Why are they to blame? Your bewilderment stems from the idea that they believe because they were provided for, while others do not believe because they were not provided for. The thought is incorrect: for the opposite happens: provision comes from believing, and failure to provide from disbelief. God sees in advance the life of a person as a whole... and decides for this to be among the believers and saved, and for this not to be... The definition of God is a conclusion from the whole life of a person; life itself flows both according to the inclinations of will, and according to the influence of Divine Providence on it, both inside and outside... God does everything to enlighten man. If, after all the care for him, he sees him not wanting to improve, then he leaves him, as if saying: well, there’s nothing to do, stay. God does not want the sinner to die; but he does not force the will, and only does everything to incline the will towards good. He foresees all such things about everyone, and as He foresees, so He determines. In the same way, it is decided how God closes his ears so that they do not hear, and also how he hardens... God uses everything to bring a person to reason: one thing does not humble him, he does another for him; another is unsuccessful, the third uses... so on until the end. He who submits is saved; and whoever does not obey, from the first admonition to the last, becomes more and more hardened, finally becoming worthless and incorrigible. This is the result that is meant by the words: God has closed your ears, or hardened... This image of God’s definition is this: I have nothing more to do for you so that you can hear - you will not hear anything anymore, remain as if deaf... The same goes for hardening.” “Make it a rule for yourself - in such perplexities, remind your mind that the predestination of God, whether regarding each individual individually, or regarding entire nations, are the hidden advice of God, completely incomprehensible to us. In that which is incomprehensible, one must immediately force one’s mind to bow under the yoke of faith, or to flee under the shelter of faith. Now I will restrain myself from questioning each other. Everything needs to be brought to a clear understanding. And they don’t want to listen to anything... take it out and put it down. How is God one and threefold? How did God the Son become incarnate, being infinite? How is the Mother of God ever-virgin? How are bread and wine the body and blood of the Lord?.. The Apostle says: the great mystery of piety is God appearing in the flesh. Why come here with your wisdom? Likewise, in everything we must humbly submit to the definitions of faith that came from the mouth of God, although this is incomprehensible to the mind. What is the worship of the mind to God? In the humble acceptance of His words, as the truest. If someone told you: put your shoulder against the house and push it down the hill. Would you do this? Of course not, knowing that this is impossible. And if they did, wouldn’t those who see this have the right to think that your head is not right... This is the verdict that everyone who tries to unravel the mysteries of God, which God Himself said are incomprehensible, deserves. Now we walk by faith and not by sight. There is no sin in trying to bring the mysteries of God closer to our understanding, with submission to faith; but blessed are those who believe without seeing” 135. Consolation of a rich man who has lost his fortune 4) In conclusion, we present a letter on the following matter. One former rich man writes to Rev. Theophan that he had lost all his property, that he and his family were left without bread, that he was grumbling against God and was ready to commit suicide. And from Above, a lengthy message was not slow to follow, full of spiritual wisdom and deep worldly experience, with a heartfelt desire to console and alleviate the grief of the writer, to explain the meaning of his material and moral situation. “There was, you say, a fortune, but now there is nothing, not even our daily bread. Who can say that this is not sad? Extremely sad. But remember Job - be encouraged. You, of course, didn’t lose as much as he did. It is all the easier for you to understand what he said and felt: The Lord is given, the Lord is taken away. As the Lord willed, so it was. In relation to property, we are the Lord’s steward, and He is the owner. He assigns one to one, another to another, and changes assignees as he finds best. You were assigned to a few things, but now you are dismissed. Be patient a little. Maybe the Lord of everything will assign you to something else. Job lost everything, and he himself became good for nothing, but still did not lose heart. You’re still on your feet and healthy, but you’re confused and give up. It’s easy, you might say, to say: be patient, but how can you be patient?! You need to eat, but there is nothing. You will die of hunger. Well, you're adding to your troubles a little. When there is general hunger, then of course they die of hunger, but when everything around is in abundance, how can one die of hunger? Ask. No one will refuse a piece of bread or anything else that you cannot live without. Ashamed? What to do? Humble yourself when the Lord has humbled you. By humility you will incline others to even greater compassion. And somehow you’ll get settled. And there the Lord will send the best. You say that you would be ready to go into services. And great. Go, don't be ashamed. And if the wife can do the same, even better. There is no low position. One thing is low - to be faulty and untrue in something. Both the water carrier and the woodcutter are respectable, and are truly respected when they work properly. The Lord never leaves, but only gives different positions and states and changes them for others. If the Lord had left you, you would no longer be in the world. I won’t even talk about how it would be better to commit suicide. The absurdity of this is self-evident. Of course you believe in a future life. Think about it! You will arbitrarily take your own life in a healthy mind, and commit a mortal sin, with which you will pass on to another life without repenting: for when is there to repent? That's why you'll be condemned to hell. What kind of improvement will this be? You will kill yourself in order to escape from trouble, and for that you will find yourself in immeasurably greater trouble, eternal, unchanging. While you are in poverty here, you can have hope in the next world that you will receive a better fate; and in the next world there will be no such hope. You go to hell, that's where you'll stay. This is how the enemy instills in you the amendment to your bitter situation. “And if you endure complacently, then perhaps you will get better here, and you will meet mercy in the next world.” So be patient and be patient, remembering the word of the Lord that he who endures to the end will be saved.” 136 "Collected Letters", vol. 8, p. 129. Correspondence with Elagin was published in issue 7. "Collections of Letters". "Collected Letters", vol. 8, p. 184. "Collected Letters", vol. 8. "Collection of Letters". Vol. 3, p. 127. "What is spiritual life." Page 4. Letter from the director of the Tambov Teachers' Institute I. Dubasov. "Tambov Diocesan Gazette". 1897, No. 43. Rev. Feofan. “Letters to various persons on various subjects of faith and life,” pp. 3, 22. Letters to a person in St. Petersburg regarding the appearance of a new teacher of faith there. Page 116–122. "What is spiritual life." Page 45–46. "Collection of letters", vol. 8, pp. 213–215. "Collection of Letters". Publication of “Soulful Reading”. Page 64–66. "Letters to various persons." Page 288–295.