Письмо XXXIII. Тому же

Since, according to the words of the great conqueror of temptations Job, “man’s life is a temptation” (Job 7:1), “and the world, as the Lord said, lies in evil” (1 John 5:19), and “many sorrows [366] among the righteous” (Ps. 33:20), as the great David says, we must, according to the fair judgment of God, be subject to temptations, and fight either with people, or with demons (Eph. 6:12), according to the word of the holy Apostle, then let us ask God to give us perseverance and strength to break out of the mire of passions and stand on an unshakable rock - I’m talking about dispassion by grace in Christ - so that the tempting life, and the evil world, and people with demons, that is, a passionate life and the temptation of sensual pleasure, and carnal passions, and passionate movements of the soul, and the temptations that involuntarily follow them - this is all called “sorrows”. So let us persevere for the sake of salvation, for “he who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13). May the peace of Christ be with you. Amen. You might be interested in: