Письма к мирским особам

87. About arrival at the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery With this most assured opportunity, I dare to inform your honor, although in these small lines, - we, glory to the All-Merciful and Almighty Lord, who is long-suffering of our many sins, arrived safely on October 12th in St. Alexandrosvir monastery, and throughout our entire journey, by the mercy of our Creator and Redeemer, the winds were fair and the weather was windy. Thank God, I was in good health without need, I did my business, I packed and folded things during transportation. But two days after his arrival, he caught a cold and lay down for a week. And on the 24th, Fr. tonsured his hair. Archimandrite of our father Makaria Gruzinova in a mantle, this forced me to be at this procession and bring, and we brought together Father Fr. Antiochus. Without changing his name, they also gave it - Macarius. Even though I am weak, I barely walk around my cell, but you, my most venerable benefactor, I ask and beseech you to generously forgive me for what I, as a man, out of ignorance, said indecently to our rank and thus could sadden your honesty. And for your good deeds and mercy shown, refreshments and repose, which I, unworthy, have repeatedly enjoyed, am unable to repay. – May the All-merciful Lord and the Great-Gift-Giver reward your generosity for all your mercies with His ineffable mercy a hundredfold. Alexander-Svirsky Monastery. 88. We are obliged to pray in every possible way for those who harm us You deign to question my badness, in order to teach you patience, to forgive those who offend and are at enmity with you, and as our Savior Jesus Christ teaches us in the Gospel of Matthew: “I told you not to resist evil: but if someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other too. And whoever wants to sue you and take your robe, let him have the swearing too. And if anyone takes you to the same field, go with him two. And again I say to you: love your enemies, bless you who curse you, do good to those who hate you and pray to those who do evil to you for nothing and drive you out, so that you may be the sons of your Father who is in Heaven; as the sun shines on the evil and on the good, and rains on the righteous and the unjust” (Matthew 5:39–41, 44–45). So, heeding this gospel teaching, we are obliged to pray in every possible way for those who bring us harm. This is also confirmed by St. The Apostle Paul writes to the Roman Church: “Repaying no one evil for evil, providentially being kind to all people. Have peace, do not take revenge on yourself, beloved, but give room to anger. For it is written: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. If your brother is hungry, give him something to eat. When you do this, you gather coals of fire onto his head. He is overcome by evil, but with good he overcomes evil” (Rom. 12:17–21). And let us see, dearest ones, what consolation our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, gives us. And His beloved disciple St. The Apostle Paul, the enlightener of the universe, clearly teaches how we should deal with those who offend and hate us. And in addition to the daily Gospel prayer (i.e., “Our Father”) we always read: “And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:9, 12–13). Verses 14 and 15: “If our main sins are forgiven, your heavenly Father will forgive them. If you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive you your sins.” And having brought your love from the life-giving source beneficial consolation and healing to your souls, I entrust you to the protection of the Almighty Lord. May the Most Merciful Lord help you, and may he protect you, and may he protect you from all the snares of the enemy, and may he forgive you all your sins, and I, who am a great sinner, send you fatherly forgiveness and blessing. 89. “Let not the sun go down on your anger” (Eph. 4:26) “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7). “How can you hope to be nice when you don’t do it yourself, and in return you give them pokes - how many troubles have happened from one poke.” It is written: “A murderer is angry with his brother in vain” (1 John 3:15). They dragged him to the police; You will buy your honor with money - it’s a shame, brother, and a sin to do so. It is much better to make peace and say “guilty” to the one you offended, rather than to start litigation, for it is said: “Let not the sun go down on your anger” (Eph. 4:26). - Rather, make peace with the one you offended. It will be much better, and he himself will take back his request, and there will be less expense, and more honor, and there will be relief to the soul. 90. When choosing a spouse, you should honor and obey your parents I consider it necessary to give you advice, namely: your mother is preparing you for the field of a new life, wants to give you away in marriage, but, as I know, your parents can hardly make a mistake in choosing a spouse - I advise you to submit to their will according to this commandment: “Honor your father and your mother, may you be well and have long life on earth.” This commandment clearly indicates heavenly glory for receiving earthly bliss to those who honor both parents in the good deed that they are trying to bring to you. And in showing your obedience to your parents, I feed myself with the hope that you will console your parents with a well-behaved lifestyle. And so I entrust you to the Protection of God and the word of His grace, and I dare to ask for God’s blessing on you. 91. Death of children occurs for intemperance and failure to keep God’s commandments Ask me to console you with my letter in the grief that lies in the deprivation of children - sadness brings you a lot that your children do not live. Apparently, there is no blessing from God for this, it happens more because of your intemperance, and failure to keep God’s commandments, and failure to observe holy fasts, Wednesdays, and heels, and holidays. Consider, if they were conceived against conscience, then, of course, you and your children are happy, for they are now standing in the army of the Heavenly King, but you, if they were alive, would cry until your old age. Hence, if you keep your conscience clear, you abstain on holidays, on Wednesdays, and heels, and fasts, then the Lord, rich in bounties and merciful, will bless you with such children who will console you with their good life and will be your guides to the future life that I wish you to receive. 92. Try to humble yourself and be at peace, and the machinations of the enemy will not prevail over you Suffer from your negligence and vanity a loss of spiritual interest. Of course, the enemy himself creates such confusion for you. You write, you said to Natalya in this way, but she took it in a completely different sense - what does this mean if not the darkening of your minds! This caused her to become extremely embarrassed; woe to me, all this is done for the sake of my sins! Try to humble yourself and be at peace, and the machinations of the enemy will not prevail over you. 93. Peace is achieved only through humility and patience. Love of fame, love of voluptuousness and love of money are the three main passions from which we are overcome You grieve over the unrest of this world and the fact that you do not do your business with your own capital, but if you had your own, you would be dead. However, it is impossible that on this earth, full of sinful acts, it would be possible to achieve any kind of peace, according to the teachings of the Lord, only through humility and meekness, for He teaches this: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). Of course, we are still far from this; on the contrary, we are tossed about in the waves of this world, overcome by passions, and especially by the main three: love of fame, love of voluptuousness and love of money. Although it is impossible for a person living in the world not to care about business, about children and about social duties, all this enters our heart with the desire to imitate the world in everyday situations, which is why we are restless. 94. Self-righteous piety leads to frustration and illness Your illness, according to our feeble-mindedness, stems most from the vehemence in your communications with your neighbors and subordinate people. In addition, they began to pray to God beyond their strength and began reading books. Self-important piety increases the fierce part in our hearts, makes us impatient and seditious, and leads us to such consequences as you are now beginning to suffer. 95. All evil is the seed of the devil Please do not leave you, a lost sheep, who drowned your soul in sins, like in the mud of the sea. I respectfully accept your request and have a duty to write a few lines for your benefit, which you will accept and plant in the good soil of your heart and try to bring good fruit from good deeds. I feel sorry for you, I offer a reliable means of obtaining your request. I am quite aware that you have unworldliness or resentment towards your sister Vera Nikiforovna, the reasons for whose malice I also do not know - however, no matter what kind it is, all malice is the seed of the devil, and whoever has malice against his neighbor sins mortally before God, even if the guilt were not given to him, even if he were an enemy. We have the commandment of the Lord - “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and love those who do evil to attack you and drive you out” (Matthew 5:43–44). How will you justify yourself for not fulfilling this commandment? Being in anger, it is unworthy to pray to the Lord: “If you bring your gift to the altar, and you remember that your brother gave something to you, leave your gift to her, and when you are reconciled with your brother, and then offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23–24). You see that God does not accept prayers in anger. How can we read the “Our Father” prayer without condemnation? “Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12), but we do not forgive. And again the Lord adds: “When you stand praying, let go if you have anything against anyone” (Mk. 11:25); and “Your Father in heaven will forgive you your trespasses; if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father in heaven forgive you your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14–15). The Lord also showed by example how grave sin is for Him when we do not let go and do not forgive our neighbors for their sins. This parable is about a debtor to whom the Lord has forgiven his debt. According to all these most important parables, you must certainly reconcile with your sister and forgive her guilt before you, when you want your sins to be forgiven by God. Remember, your calling is a Christian, and therefore you must believe in the teachings of Christ, and try to believe it, especially this most necessary commandment about forgiveness of neighbors, for this will destroy our sinful bonds. And, while remaining in them, you are carried away even further and drown in the mire of sin, and therefore you are deprived of God’s help in doing good deeds. 96. God's providence controls us You write that the betrothed son-in-law is so ill that he is near his deathbed. The Creator Lord created everything, everything exists under His power, He kills and brings to life. I am sure that you believe this and accept the words and teachings, which are taken from the Holy Scriptures, as coming from God. The Holy Scripture shows us that God’s Providence controls us, of which I will give you one text as proof. The Lord says in the book of the prophet Isaiah in chapter 49, verse 15: “The wife of her youth will forget to eat, even if she does not have mercy on the offspring of her womb, and even if the woman forgets these things, I will not forget you.” From these words you see how the Lord cares for us. If it is useful for your betrothed son-in-law, then the Lord will give him health and raise him from the bed of illness, which is what I wish to see. For this I entrust you to the Protection of God and the word of His grace. 97. Do not be embarrassed, but be complacent and thank the Most Merciful Lord And firstly, I have the honor to congratulate you on the upcoming great holiday of the Nativity of Christ, and may the Merciful Lord grant you to meet it and see it through with all good fortune for your souls. The Greatly Gifted and Merciful Lord, from a source contaminated with rottenness and stinking, flowing with undoubted faith, has granted to many not only physical, but also spiritual healing! I ask and pray you not to be embarrassed, but to be in good spirits in every possible way, to thank the Most Merciful Lord, who has deigned you to be in our holy monastery, to personally see the order of church services. Do you not repent of the fact that you talked little with me, a feeble-minded person, about spiritual edification and accepted the sacrament of confession, through which even through the unworthy the grace of God acts and lightens our sinful burdens! As for the universal enemy - the devil, who, according to Scripture, “like a roaring lion seeks someone to devour” (Ps. 21:14; 1 Pet. 5:8) - and through the instrument of intrigues that do not understand him, he acted and instilled tares of confusion into your soul, in order to thereby deafen your feelings and cool the warmth of faith to accept spiritual edifications. May the disease turn on the head of the strangler, the devil. And may you and I trust in the Lord, and may the Most Merciful Lord enlighten you, and may He enlighten you to the knowledge of the truth, and may He pacify your soul, worried in confusion of thoughts and confusion, and may He cover you from all the snares and slander of the devil, and may He forgive you all your sins, voluntary and involuntary. 98. Make peace with your husband. Lead by example, pray often I have received your scripture, in which you ask my opinion in some of your perplexities. God bless you for your faith in me, the humble one. Are you, being double-minded and confused in your thoughts, asking whether you should write to your husband or not? To this I answer: first of all, delve well into the depths of your heart and consider yourself - what is your relationship to it: are you peaceful or not, have you given reasons for breaking your marital ties? Use all means for reconciliation - this is acceptable in the sight of God. Even if you were right, with your humility try to reconcile with him and acquire him, if not for yourself, but for God. Without delaying time, start this, and the Lord will not leave you. Correct your servants more with meekness, set an example in everything, teach them with yourself and pray for them more often, remembering that in Christ Jesus we are all brothers and members of Him. God, seeing your love and zeal, will do mercy for you with them, and then, according to their will, you will be able to bring them closer to the Lord, without whom it is difficult for you to succeed, and, perhaps, completely impossible. About other things, God will arrange what is beneficial for your soul, just undoubtedly surrender to His Holy Providence and do not give up wishing for it. 99. May the Lord help you to untie yourself from the world. We cannot arrange anything ourselves, but in everything we must rely on the will of the Lord I received the letter you sent, from which I see your decisive intention to untie yourself from the world and its affairs - may the Lord help you to do this work for the glory of God, for the salvation of your soul: you rely more on His help, and not on your mind and strength. To the sisters Varvara Borisovna and Akilina, may the Lord bless their good intentions on their journey to the Sevsky nunnery to the treasurer, may they quietly go down from the abbess and ask for guidance on how they can begin to ask the abbess for acceptance. The treasurer will assist you in everything, only secretly and aloof, but clearly he cannot, so as not to spoil the whole matter. There is no need for a letter to the treasurer, I have already asked her about you, but just say that I wrote to you about it, she will believe you. If they don’t accept and place them there, then let them go straight to Borisovka, without waiting for an answer from me, and let God arrange it there. We ourselves cannot arrange anything, but in everything we must rely on His Holy will and not sin in our trust. I entrust you to the providence and protection of God and ask for peace and God’s blessing on you. 100. God Himself will instruct how to deal with orphans You write about your sick sister, your son-in-law and nieces and ask what to do with them if God wants to call your sister to eternity? It seems very difficult for you to stay there to raise them. Now I can't tell you anything. When there is a need, God Himself will instruct you what needs to be done: He is a helper to orphans and a caretaker for them. Maybe she will get better as a consolation to them and to you. 101. To serve the Lord, try to untie yourself from the world. Whoever trusts in people or wealth, and not in God, does not receive peace and tranquility In order for you to be calmer and more comfortable to work for the Lord God, try to untie yourself from the world, part with your people, from whom you not only receive no benefit, but are also in danger of giving an answer to God for them when they sin in some way due to your oversight and inattention towards them. When you are free from them, then you will no longer need to enter into their position regarding the division. However, when enmity has settled in a family, it is better to live apart: due to their ignorance, it is difficult to pacify. We do not advise you to take the woman you are writing about with you - instead of peace, you will find anxiety for yourself. But it is better to surrender your faith and hope to the Lord; when He is pleased, He will announce who will look after you and reassure you. There are many examples of this: those who rely on people or wealth other than God do not receive peace and tranquility, but the opposite. 102. Run to the Lord with fervent prayer to resolve your doubts In your first letter, you explain more about your spiritual weaknesses with regret about them, in which may the Most Merciful Lord forgive you and grant you mental and physical health. And in the second letter you describe more related to your economic orders, asking for our blessing on some of them. - We, not finding ourselves capable of resolving such perplexities of yours, leave it to your reasoning and consideration: how the Lord will enlighten you, to Whom you should resort in necessary cases with the most fervent prayer. But the most correct thing, as you settled here and consulted, is to sell the estate and free yourself from such worries that harm your spiritual well-being. 103. What is done without blessing brings harm and embarrassment You are describing your spontaneous, unblessed response to a need that has arisen. For your free confession, may the Most Merciful Lord forgive your sin; From now on, you need to be smart: sometimes, apparently, a good deed appears, but evil done without blessing happens to harm and spiritual confusion. I wish you to be in good spirits in everything and to come from strength to strength, always to obediently adhere to the commandments of God. 104. Zeal for God is demonstrated by humility, silence, meekness and blessing. How to convince your parents to let you go to a monastery. Prayer is a means of spiritual success Of course, everyone will be distracted from the pious path of the only self-sacrifice to which the Heavenly Father calls you, and not only will they entertain you, but they will also persecute you, and, perhaps, oppress you. You are required to be patient, long-suffering and generous. So, try to prove your zeal for God not by competition, but by humility, silence, meekness and reverence. Keep your heart, devoting it to God, listen and hope, be unshakable in your will, and Almighty God will arrange the best for you. If necessary, use oil only in moderation. You are not yet a nun and have not fully entered into the monastic life, although, however, your name has already been written down among these by the God of peace and the Father of bounties. I repeat to you that it seems that you must endure temptations from your relatives, but be ready, and God will not leave you. Convince them with more favor to let you go to the monastery. Preserve and contemplate prayers more, for they are the most sacred means to obtain spiritual success, all the gifts of the Most High and the treasures of devotion to God. Reflect also on the love and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ for us, for you want to be united with Him forever and reign in the house of the Heavenly Father. In all other respects, I entrust you to Divine protection, wishing for peace and salvation. 105. Be patient and do not fall into sadness and despondency They explained to me that you had fallen into despondency and sadness. In this case, I ask and pray you, most honorable ones, to be generously patient and complacent. The Lord God, who has overthrown my old age, is strong to restore, and strengthen, and show my insignificance His mercy, through which in time he will console you, and strengthen your cowardice, and bless you with a gracious blessing, and in the same way may he forgive you, and strengthen you, and may he preserve you, and may he protect you from all the snares of the enemy, and may he forgive all your sins, voluntary and involuntary. 106. Learn to face sadness. Your neighbors are not punished for your sins. About the tonsure of a sick woman We would like to respond to your letter of January 1st with consolation and even fulfillment of your request: to come to you to provide the help that depends on us for the sick, but we cannot promise you this. “If God is pleased and we live, then we will do this,” according to the apostle (James 4:15). And now, according to our weak reasoning, it will not be contrary to the will of the Lord if you use all your strength to resist your sadness, which does not have the slightest foundation. Will the Merciful and Just Lord really execute the one who lives among you for your sins? Where does this reasoning come from? No doubt from the enemy. For the sins of David, the prophet and king, the Lord struck his people with death, but even then after notification. But which of us dares to equal the Godfather and think that he, like David, so rarely falls into sins that for his first sin it will certainly be struck not by him, but by his neighbor - he will be afflicted with the worst vanity. God's justice, if it had demanded retribution from us, the damned, like David, then what would have happened to us? Where would we hide from the Lord’s reproof? “Our Humane Savior does not execute us, but has mercy, and always comes to life with His blood when we resort to Him. Stop irritating Him with your foolishness and learn, calling on His help, to submit to His will, without which the hair of our head will not perish (Acts 27:34). Your sadness will certainly deserve punishment - and not on another of our neighbors, but on you yourself, if you continue this to console the enemy. Try to fulfill the duty of Christian love, resting the sick to the best of your strength and reason. As for her tonsure, then even this, if the will of the Lord is done, it will be done either by the hands of man or angels, invisible to our darkened eyes at the hour of the departure of the soul. The will of the sick woman is accepted by the All-Seeing Heart-Seer, and she must remember the much-sick Pimen and trust in the mercy and Wisdom of our Lord, who can fulfill her desire by means that are hidden from us, cowardly and proud, by carnal meaning. 107. Don’t complain about God and people You write that you are immersed in murmur against the Lord who created you. This, of course, is sinful - but I beg you with the love of our Savior, do not despair, but turn and resort to the Merciful Lord Jesus Christ, admit your sin with humility and ask Him for forgiveness and mercy. His compassions have not been shortened and will not be shortened until forever, but to those who repent and push, the doors of mercy are opened, i.e. your sins are forgiven to you by mercy. And that you write that you grieve for me, this is not surprising, and I am a man servile to you, but I earnestly ask and pray, be patient with what the Lord sends. “He is able to console you with all the blessings of earth, just surrender yourself resignedly to His Providence, and everything will soon change.” May the Most Merciful Lord forgive you all your sins, voluntary and involuntary, may He save you, and may He protect you from all the slander of the enemy. 108. The most merciful Lord allows everything for the benefit and edification of the soul Your well-being and diligence with goodwill and offering continues to us, insignificant, with an abundance of spiritual love, but it seems that we do not deserve your kindness and good deeds below we can ever deserve. May the All-Merciful and Greatly Gifted Lord reward your love with His ineffable mercy for all your good deeds and blessings with merciful compassion. Thanks to the All-Merciful Lord that you and your entire family are healthy and prosperous. Although Alexandra Grigorievna is physically and unwell, her spiritual feelings are being revived into a sound mind; and that is why the Holy Spirit through St. The prophet and king David said in a psalm: “Brain with bridle and bridle those who do not come near you, O Lord!” (Ps. 31:9). And St. The Apostle James in his conciliar letter writes this: “Have all joy, my brethren, when you fall into various temptations, knowing that the temptation of your faith will make you endure; but patience may be perfect and have its effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If anyone from you lacks understanding and wisdom, let him ask by faith, do not doubt anything” (James 1:2-5). And St. The Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthian church: “As much as our outer man decays, so much the inner man is renewed” (2 Cor. 4:16). We, having co-considered everything written above, must accept everything that is allowed from our Creator with thanksgiving: no matter what kind of illness, even imaginary consumption. - But the Most Merciful Lord allows everything for our benefit and for the edification of our souls. 109. Advice on the size of the cell We, unworthy ones, had the pleasure of receiving two of your favorable writings and, after reading them, we heeded their contents according to the strength of our weak understanding. In the first, although we do not know how and do not collect the necessary feelings, we thank your love for your continued good deeds, and outpouring mercies, and favorable feelings not only for the worthy reverent holy fathers and elders, who, by their exemplary life and experienced soul-edifying instructions, by their very deeds and God-loving sober behavior, deserved such respect and reverence! But even to us, obscene and unworthy, such respect and good deeds are poured out in abundance by your generosity and goodwill! But may the All-Merciful and Greatly Gifted Lord, the Guardian and Patron of the weak and weak, reward you for everything with aggravation and a hundredfold. And as for Alexandra Grigorievna, we, unworthy ones, most agree with your advice: a smaller cell is much more useful for her, and more modest, and in all parts calmer. And in a large cell they will temporarily place newly arrived sisters, some of whom often have seditious morals and characters, and will be nearby to seditiously and disturb. And for the sake of these prudent opinions, due to her infirmities and poor health, the small cell they examined with Praskovya Ivanovna was more capable and more profitable for Alexandra Grigorievna. But with what intention did the mother abbess pile such a large cell on her, we are perplexed about this, but we do not know either the monastery there, or the place, or the internal affairs and order. But, however, you can write to her together with Praskovia Ivanovna or on your own alone: ​​Alexandra Grigorievna, you are quite aware of my devotion and goodwill towards you. But at the same time, remember that I owe the union to marriage and you know how Peter Vasilyevich assumes about you, and he firmly remembers that you have a cell ready in the Tifin monastery, in which the mother abbess is eager to receive you with an embrace of her hands, and so, if you want to place yourself in that cell, which you examined with your benefactor Praskovia Ivanovna, which, according to your position business should be profitable - then I will try with pleasure, but about the big one that you write about, I don’t have the courage to dare without the consent of Pyotr Vasilyevich. Sell ​​your things in advance, because she definitely needs to send for even a small cell; and that Pyotr Vasilyevich doubts her constancy, it seems that he shouldn’t even think about it, because her weak position alone necessarily forces her to be in the monastery’s resting cell. When you write to her, advise her to adhere to moderation and modesty. I entrust you to the protection of the Almighty Provider and Trustee, and may He, according to His holy will, confirm your and her good intentions for the affirmation and salvation of your souls; but we, although sinful and unworthy, are obliged to pray and ask the Most Merciful Lord in unworthy prayer offerings, so that He may grant you a peaceful and prosperous course of life and success in fulfilling the holy and life-giving commandments, and even more so in virtuous deeds. 110. What rules should you follow when living in the world if you have decided in your heart to enter a monastery? Moderation is necessary for beginners and for those entering the monastery You, most beloved, out of your unlimited goodwill and faith, deign to ask my badness, what rules should you follow when your life continues in the world. But, O most dear one, your question is useful and praiseworthy. On my part, I am not sufficient to give an answer to this, but it is difficult and inconvenient, since I do not know all your required activities, and I understand poorly. And at the same time, it is partly clear from your letter that you, due to your jealousy and the excessive zeal burning in your hearts, yearn to confirm your intention to accept more rules, what to read and make more bows. But I, although everything is bad and indecent, but living in a monastery, you already get close to the people, I partially experienced and saw many at first flowing and crawling. “That is, they flew over, made many bows, and because of excess, they confused their feelings and, in despair, turned away, and crawled, and did not achieve their salvation - they fell in a wondrous fall and caused a temptation to many.” And I, indecent, thinking about all this and imagining with my feeble-minded reasoning, remind you of the Monks Isaac the Syrian and John Climacus and others, moved by the Holy Spirit, who wrote to us to walk the royal path (that is, to choose a moderate life for ourselves, to be content with moderate rules), but there is no value for moderate and persistent work. And the Venerable John Climacus writes in the 4th degree: “The devil puts in his novices the desire for impossible virtues, just like the silent ones he attributes the exploits of others.” Look into the thoughts of unskilled novices and you will find there an erroneous thought: you will find in them the desire for silence, the most severe fasting, but prayers distracted by various thoughts, the completely vain glory of rejection and oblivion of memory, incessant contrition for sins, the shortest lack of anger, deep silence and the most excellent chastity. When they enter into the monastic feat, having not achieved these virtues by God’s special providence, they are finally deceived in their intention and fall away from it altogether, for the enemy instills in them to seek them ahead of time, so that, satisfied with the acquisition of it, they will not receive real experience. I hope that you, in your prudence, will not refuse my weak proposal, which, relying solely on your faith and zeal, I am going to give your soul some advice and I feed myself with good faith that with diligence and hope you will go through it, then the Lord is strong and almighty to reconcile your spiritual feelings and then little by little you will succeed. I entrust your love to the protection of the Almighty Lord, and may the Most Merciful Lord enlighten you, and may He enlighten your mind in the knowledge of the truth, and may He help you, and may He protect you, and may He cover you from all the snares of the enemy, and may He forgive you all your sins; and I, a great sinner, send you fatherly forgiveness and blessing, and for the prayers of our venerable father, may the peace of God rest upon you. 111. If you want to leave the world, rely on the will of God - do not rely on your strength and your mind By your writing you inform me about the journey your wife has undertaken to the God-saved city of Kyiv to venerate St. saints, as well as to test themselves in the residence of the travelers who live in the mountain city, who want to disgrace themselves with the Heavenly Bridegroom Christ. The intention is good, may the Lord give her His help in fulfillment of her intention to devote her life to serving God, leaving the vanity of the world. This is good, but it requires God’s cooperation, help, and your diligence. Although you think about yourself that you have a firm intention to fulfill this vow, do not rely on it, but instead surrender to the will of God and ask for His help. You still do not know the enemy’s intrigues and deceptions: he tries to confuse and tempt people, which is allowed by God for our humility, so that we do not rely on our own strengths and our own reason, but in this, the latter, would obey experienced and skillful people who themselves have actively walked this path - but now my words are still unclear to you. When the Lord grants you to accept upon yourself “His light burden and His good yoke” (Matthew 11:30), then you will actually understand and know the power and benefit of my words, which comes from the rejection of your will and its submission to another, for the sake of God and the salvation of your soul. I entrust you to the protection of the Almighty Lord, and may the Merciful Lord protect you from all the snares of the enemy, and may He forgive you all your sins, and I, who am insignificant, send you fatherly forgiveness and blessing. 112. The desire to leave the world is strengthened by everyday trials You write that upon receiving my unworthy letter, you reproached and cursed yourself a lot. You seem to be destroying yourself unnecessarily and as a result you are falling into despondency and pernicious sadness, and therefore I ask you and pray that you strive with complacency, patience and hope to continue the days of your life and at the same time thank the Most Merciful Lord, that in His mercy He has granted you such comforting feelings and care for your poor souls for salvation. And with grateful feelings, the Greatly Gifted Lord is strong and omnipotent, at the end of good edification, to arrange your fate and, according to His perfect will and mercy, to arrange for your children in every possible way, only we, according to the apostolic testament, may with patience strive for the feat set before you (Heb. 12:1). And that now it seems difficult and silent to you to continue living in the world and for this reason you are so bored that, it seems, you would fly on wings to the quiet refuge you desire; but, O most dear ones, let it be known to you that this present life of yours will serve you in the future for your benefit, namely, if the Lord, in His mercy, deigns to live in monasteries, then in time there will be mental battles from the common enemy, will bring back and remember your former life and imagine it in pleasantness. And now you think carefully, taste its sorrow to satiety, then you can reflect the thoughts of the enemy, who want to confuse everyone! I entrust you to the protection of the Almighty Lord, and may He help you and forgive you all your sins. 113. Accompany omission of a rule with humility and repentance. Keeping your inner peace. Prayer rules during Lent If you happen to omit a rule due to some blessed fault, then do this with humility of spirit and repentance; but also be careful, i.e. so that this is not for the sake of laziness. When you are invited to visit, if necessary, go with the peace of God, but rather try to return to your home. Likewise, do not hesitate to go to marriage, only with greater caution: in this case, be constant in acts of meekness and self-control, without looking at or condemning the actions of others, as soon as you notice the beginning of unsightly mockery, without expecting further ones, apologizing, hurry home. Moreover, do not agree to every request for marriage, but rather avoid it, and go only to the most necessary marriages, i.e. to close relatives or to friends who are pious in the Lord. If you follow the rule in the house, then do not apply anything more than what is indicated, and when you have the strength, then at least add two kathismas of the Psalter per day for one Great Lent. But when you go to Church the first and last week, then leave all the rules, except for the Apostle and the Gospel. Regarding bows, I will tell you: just as in the first and last week they will put bows on the clock in the church, so you put those laid on the row, namely: Lord and Master of my life, etc. Except nothing. Otherwise, may the Lord enlighten you and enlighten you, to whom, entrusting you, I remain your unworthy pilgrim. 114. How to get rid of the invading thoughts, charms and deceit of demons? The devil's abuse and weapons are great against people You ask for guidance on how to get rid of the invading thoughts, charms and deceit of demons. Truly, great is the warfare of the devil: he has strong bows, flaming arrows, various nets, countless tricks and weapons, through which he seeks in every possible way to harm the human soul. If you want to completely and quickly join the army of the Heavenly King, do not be afraid of the enemy who opposes everything good, but listen to how much the examples of the Holy Scripture encourage us. Consider the warriors of the kings of the earth and draw useful conclusions from them. Earthly warriors have with them assistants who are stronger and more skillful than their enemies, and are not afraid of their enemies. If they are confident that their helpers are invincible, then forgetting all the horrors, they go bravely to the battlefield, fight courageously and do not leave the battlefield until they defeat their enemy and are crowned with laurels. But when we follow the path of virtue, God himself accompanies us and promises to confirm us in the deeds of virtue until the end of the age, “and lo, I am with you all the days until the end of the age. Amen" (Matthew 28:20). So you, without being at all afraid of the attacks of the enemy, “Take up the shield of faith, in it you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one, and receive the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:16–17). As for the money that you spent and cannot return, then make up for the offense with repentance and self-reproach, and in the future act prudently in any case. And so, condensing these lines, while wishing you peace and tranquility, I ask for God’s blessing, and wish that those who long for your salvation may remain forever. 115. Humility is the most necessary weapon. Don’t be ashamed to reveal your spiritual wounds to your mentor. I received your letter, in which you expressed a desire to stay in the Borisov Hermitage, ask for instructions on how to live. Although I do not dare to boast of correction and rely on my mind and deeds, I offer it to you, trusting in the goodness of God, which can enlighten my feeble-mindedness for your benefit according to your faith. For us, who seek salvation by fulfilling God’s commandments, the most necessary thing is humility, which attracts God’s grace to us and sanctifies all our actions, and without it, no deeds and labors can bring us the much-desired peace that the Most Merciful Creator gave us, saying to the apostles: “My peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you” (John 14:27). Bring thanks to God for everything, and even more so, remembering His great blessings and mercy towards you. And to the mother whom you choose as your mentor, do not be ashamed to open your wounds. 116. What is spiritual pride? Without obedience no one will see the Lord. It is necessary to have a spiritual mentor. You cannot follow your own desire and reason. We must go to the Lord in a humble way and beware of arrogance. Without conquering passions, you cannot receive consolation from prayer. Prosperity depends not only on prayer, but also on fulfilling God’s commandments I think you are bored that you did not receive an answer soon, but all this is not without the Providence and vision of God, to which we must humbly entrust ourselves in the work of our salvation, asking Him and expecting from Him help and intercession, so that the waves trying to sink our mental ship may calm down. From your letter I see that various fickle thoughts confuse your heart, of which you cannot thoroughly stop at any one, in order to calm down, ask for these from me, feeble-minded, for a solution to your peace of mind. Although I feel insufficient in words, much less in deeds, I sympathize with you and call upon the Most Merciful Lord for help, who is able to enlighten me and introduce you to the teachings of St. and the God-inspired Fathers, who were devoted to us and by their own actions or fulfilled the instructions appropriate to your discretion: just accept these good seeds with faith, without hesitation and with good will, asking God, that He may, with His grace, contribute to the growth of good fruits from them, which can nourish your hungry spirit, and make you worthy to rejoice in the Lord God your Savior. You received some peace of mind upon arrival from us, which, seeing that the malicious enemy armed itself against you and confuses you with various thoughts, imagining as if blessed reasons, trying with them to shake the foundation on which you, with the help of God, wanted to create an edifice of virtue and pleasing to the Lord. The second reason is that, wanting to please God, you want to quickly ascend to the heights of virtues and think this is possible from you, which clearly proves your spiritual pride (of which you are aware of yourself), that not finding active fruits of good that you could boast about, the rarest desire for good serves as food for it (pride). This reason provides a convenient opportunity for the enemy to launch a strong attack on you by God’s permission. Our Savior Lord Jesus Christ himself declared about himself: “I came down from heaven, not to do my will, but the will of the Father who sent me” (John 6:38). And although He was the Wise and the Most Perfect, He had no need for teaching, did not require guidance, but for all this, He lived in obedience to Joseph and His Mother and obeyed them. Our Savior left us this example, which we must follow. And he said to his disciples and their followers: “He who listens to you, and He listens to Me, but whoever rejects you, He rejects Me, and He who rejects Me, rejects Him who sent Me” (Luke 10:16). After Adam’s disobedience, your will tends more towards evil, our pride overcomes our good will and the sweetness of passions captivates our soul. In order to make the necessary compulsion for ourselves, it is necessary that we be wise and very prudent, untempted by passions and perfect in every virtue. The one who thinks that he himself is content to guide himself is always imperfect - so another leader is needed, and not ourselves. We should never entrust ourselves to such superiors - we need to devote our will to another leader and obey him, and not ourselves. For he is never carried away by the sweetness of our passions and does not feel the self-love that possesses our soul, has a calm mind in reasoning with us, compels us daily with attention and very moderately - and thus leads us along the path of salvation. Everyone clearly sees that obedience is what directs us to the path of perfection, from the words of Nicephorus of Astrakhan about obedience. Saint John of the Climacus writes in the 1st degree of his Ladder: “Those who have been deceived have put their trust in themselves, and have imagined that they do not need a guide.” And in the 4th degree the properties of obedience are these. Obedience is the rejection of one's own reasoning, even if one were rich in it. Obedience is the grave of will and the resurrection of humility. Obedience is distrust of oneself in all good deeds, even until the end of life. The Holy Fathers consider psalmody to be a weapon against demons, prayer as a wall, unfeigned tears as a bath, and blessed obedience was called such a virtue, without which none of those entangled in passions will see the Lord. We will not be afraid, even if we fight through confession; it is better to deal with bodily uncleanness than to fight with pride, and although we fall in battle, do not leave the place of battle: then we have much greater need for a doctor. If one who has a guide stumbles his foot against a stone, then one who walks without it will not only stumble, but may even hurt himself to death. When a doctor realizes that he is unable to heal us, then we must go to another doctor - without a doctor, very few people are healed. Who can contradict us in this reasoning of ours! Wouldn't the ship perish, even if it had a skilled helmsman, if in case of danger it did not use him to help? We, who have received the care of our salvation in the Lord, must believe without any curiosity, even if it seems to us that they are establishing something contrary to our salvation. Then our trust in them, like in the crucible of humility, is tempted. For this is a sign of true trust, when someone, seeing something contrary to his aspirations, but established by a mentor, believes undoubtedly. Those patients who, having seen the skill and benefit provided by a doctor, but not waiting for a complete cure, leaving him in contempt, resort to another, are worthy of any punishment before God. Do not run away from the hands of the one who brought you to the Lord; In your entire life you should not revere anyone as much as him. From obedience comes humility, from humility comes reasoning, from reasoning comes the gift of consideration, and from this comes insight. And Saint Abba Dorotheos, in his teaching about failure to form one’s mind in parables, says: “But there is no nourishment for them, they fall like leaves, and like a city that is not fenced in, so is a man without advice - but salvation is in many pieces of advice. You see the power of the word, brothers, you see what the Holy Scripture teaches us, confirms us, let us not follow ourselves, let us not be imams for ourselves, let us not believe that we can arrange things for ourselves: we demand help, we demand those who care for us according to God. There is nothing more accursed, nothing more destructive than those who seek to instruct us in the path of God. What does he say, they have no nourishment, they fall like leaves? The leaf is initially green, prosperous, red, but it also gradually decays and falls, and is trampled upon by carelessness. So there is a person who is not nourished by anyone: from the beginning, to have warmth for fasting, for vigil, for silence, for obedience, for other benefits; the same warmth fades away little by little and he does not have one who nourishes him, nourishes him and admonishes him, he dries up, if he is insensible, and falls, and becomes a helper for enemies, and they do with him whatever they want. About those who make known about themselves and do everything with advice, he says - there is salvation in much advice. He does not speak with much advice, as if he were to advise, but saying, as with whom he should have information, and not to remain silent, but to speak, but to inform everyone and to consult in everything, for such a known salvation is in much advice. Whenever we maintain our will and follow our justification (opinion), then, as if we were doing good things, we slander ourselves and are inferior to ourselves, as if we perish. How can we understand the will of God or seek everything, believing in ourselves and holding our own will.” For this reason, Abba Pimen says, “as if one’s own will is a wall between man and God, if justification – one’s own opinion – helps the will, man becomes corrupted. Who would blame such a belief, since man knows much more than this, which is good for this. Then he completely gives himself up to following his desire and his thoughts, and so on, just as the enemy wants to cause his fall. For this reason, the evil one hates the voices of affirmation. It is not only that very statement that the evil one hates, but below his voice he can hear him saying something about the statement, as if I were saying, I will come, rather than act, what will the questioner, if he saves, he hears, or does not save, he hears. He hates it if he only asks someone or hears something from someone who is useful, the very voice, the very hearing of such words, he hates and turns away, and I say why? Surely, as soon as his villainy is known, the weak must ask and bare words for help, and nothing hates and fears so much as to know it. If the soul is strengthened, then you will proclaim everything and hear the answer of the leader: behold, do not do, behold, behold is good, behold is not good, behold is justification, behold there is a will: you will hear, there is no time for these things, sometimes you will hear, now there is a time. The devil, whose guilt it is to harm him, does not find, no matter how much he is harmed, since he always, as if he were dead, consults and is affirmed from everywhere and is in him, if there is salvation in many councils, the evil one does not want this, but hates it, wants to do evil and, moreover, rejoices in them, because they have no nourishment, why? They fall as softly as leaves. See why the enemy hates the voice of affirmation, since he always wants our destruction; see why he loves those who form his own mind; They help the devil as much as they create slander for themselves. If we don’t know of another fall for a person, but if we believe in our hearts, they say below, a person falls, or if we die, or if someone falls, we don’t know, unless because of this you saw someone fall, respect as you follow, - there is nothing worse than following yourself.” Other fathers also write most convincingly about the same subject: His Holiness Callistus, Patriarch of Constantinople, St. Simeon the New Theologian, Theodore the Studite and other fathers, I believe that this teaching of the great God-inspired fathers is sufficient to convince you of the need and benefit of having someone instructing you on the path of salvation, and not following your own mind and will. What worries you most of all and you reproach yourself is that you are more concerned about pleasing your mentors than God, that the thought that you must confess every sin to me holds you back more than the fear of angering the Lord. These thoughts lead you to arrogance. Is it not for the fear of God that you repent of your sins before God, having as a witness His servant, to whom you entrusted the keys to solve and knit. St. John Climacus writes in the 4th degree: “The thought of confessing our sins, reflecting on it, is restrained by it, like a bridle from iniquity, for we do not confess our crimes and henceforth, as if in the darkness, we shamelessly repeat the ulcers that appear, but they will be poisoned by the worst, but this opinion is contrary to yours.” Therefore, you cleanse yourself of passions and sins, you do not lose anything, but you gain piety and peace of conscience, not thinking that you received this by itself, but through the prayers of others, but many who walked the high path fell with a great fall. Judge, is it because of my fear that you refrain from sins? I'm not a heart expert. If you hide something from me, I will not exact it from you or reprove you, and you have nothing to fear from me. From this you see that the fear of God forces you to confess your sins, and, consequently, to refrain from them, and not mine. You see yourself as prone to arrogance - as much as possible, try to reject arrogance, and having completely rejected this thought that bothers you, be peaceful and calm. No matter how painful and painful it was to be left completely alone again, not having anyone to trust with your feelings, you were ready to sacrifice this consolation. If only you had no doubt that you had fallen by the temptation of the enemy; We see that the purest service to God wants to deprive you of support for the most convenient attraction to evil. Clearly, the temptation is enemy. This opinion of yours is fair and his intention is. You can see this from the teachings of St. given above to you. father. If only he submits you to his will and reason, then under the guise of imaginary virtues he will force you to eat the bitter fruits of delusion, of which we see many examples in the lives of St. father and in church stories. It is true that out of love for God one must please Him, but love has a close union with humility, and if you do not see this latter in yourself, then do not seek love. Love elevates, but humility does not allow one to fall. Pride does not leave you, with whom the purest service to God cannot be established. Therefore, it is necessary to go to God in a humble way and beware of arrogance, because of this you lose your peace of mind and fall into the crimes that you described, that unimportant troubles annoyed you for several days. If you delve into the teaching of St. father, then you will clearly see this truth, and the teaching of the Lord - “learn from Me that I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29) - shows you the reason for your anxiety. In order to gain this treasure - humility, you must not rely on your mind and strength, as was shown to you quite above. According to those who are skilled, your enemy prevented you from writing about your embarrassment to me, imagining that I was bored by your letters, but you did well to force yourself to write. I know that at the same time you received some relief from your embarrassment. You, having tasted, by the mercy of God, the sweetness and consolation of prayer, now not finding yourself in yourself, you are embarrassed, despondent, consider yourself to be the culprit of this loss, and your negligence is the true truth. But I find here the Providence of God, which has taken away this consolation from you. Without conquering passions, is it possible to preserve this wealth without harm? And is it not given to you for your benefit, so that you do not fall into delusion? You live in the middle of the world and vanity, you cannot reconcile yourself, and humility is a storehouse. Try in any case to fulfill the commandments of Christ, and recognize your weakness, and having recognized it, humble yourself, but do not seek reward for fulfilling the commandments; It is better to consider yourself obligated to fulfill this, but unworthy of the reward. If you pacify yourself this way, you will not lose God’s mercy. When you rely on prayer alone without doing the commandments, you will not succeed in the least, as St. Macarius: “If we are not adorned with humility, simplicity and goodness, the image of prayer will not benefit us” (chapter 13). Constantly force yourself to every good deed and to all the commandments of the Lord, even if there is no sin and desire for creation in your heart, that is, force yourself to humility before all people and consider yourself worse and less than everyone. In the same way, to be merciful, benevolent, compassionate, good, as far as possible, forcing ourselves to do so, and so, now with violence and reluctantly we do it with our hearts, we will then get used to every good deed. Having presented to you the need and benefit in the present, I will now say that I do not consider myself worthy of this and capable of taking on this responsibility. I just don’t dare refuse those who come and seek benefit, not relying on my own reason, but on God, who gives the word according to the faith and needs of everyone; without faith, if someone asks, he gains no benefit. And about this I will write to you St. John Climacus in the 4th degree: “It is very necessary that those who wish to always maintain an undoubted trust in their mentors, their good deeds are indelible and unforgettable in our hearts, so that with the memory of this we stop the mouths of the demons when they begin to instill in us distrust towards them. As much as faith blooms in the heart, only as much as the body succeeds in its service, and as soon as someone stumbles over the stone of unbelief, then without a doubt he will fall. For it is true that everything that is not from faith is sin. Whenever your thought compels you to condemn or blaspheme your mentor, then jump away from this, like from fornication, and do not give this serpent any hope or space to attack below anyone, but, on the contrary, exclaim to him: “O charming one! I have never accepted judgment over a mentor, but he over me; “I am not over him, but he has been appointed as a judge over me.” St. Abba Dorotheos in the above-mentioned word teaches: “Whoever thinks that if he does not have, he asks someone what he should say, truly, if anyone truly wants to do the will of God with all his heart, God never leaves him, but He will instruct him in every way according to His will. Truly, if he corrects his heart according to the will of God, God will enlighten him a little, telling him His will, but if someone does not want the will of God with the truth, and if he goes to the prophet, the Lord will give it to the prophet in his heart to answer him against his corrupted heart.” You see that God acts in those who are asked for benefit according to the measure of faith and the will of the person asked. For this, that you were troubled by the thought of disbelief against my badness, I do not grieve you at all, and you may be at peace with this. I wrote you a letter not from my own mind, but from the teachings of the Holy Father, which you will read with attention; It seems to me that it can serve as a solution to your confusion. But so that you accept with firm conviction, it is God’s work to work in you according to your faith. He is able to enlighten your heart, and instruct you in the true path of piety, and crush the arrows fired at you, only have a good will and humble wisdom, and with an undoubting heart begin to do the commandments of the Lord. I express my respects to your entire honorable family. Asking for God's blessing on you, to whose protection I entrust you. You might be interested in: