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117. About entering a monastery. Place all your trust in the Lord God In considering your good intention to leave the noisy and hectic world and retire to a monastery, as well as regarding the contribution of money to the church, you can assume as you please - and the Lord is able to arrange for you. As for ceding the village to your daddy, I, for my part, cannot give you any advice on this. For the rest, place your trust in the Lord God and may He, in His goodness, strengthen you, and help you in every good deed, and forgive you every sin, voluntary or involuntary, and in time, in every possible way, arrange your fate for a beneficial and soul-saving end! It’s sad to hear, but it’s more sad to see and have such dislike, but I pray you - don’t cry and don’t groan from the depths of your heart. You know from the Gospel that “without the will of God, not the power of our head perishes.” (Cf. Matt. 10:29; Acts 27:34). We are all in God’s hands, like clay in the hand of a poor man: “As clay is in the hand of a poor man, so you are in My hand,” - this is what God says in Jeremiah the prophet (Jer. 18:6). Perhaps the Lord foresaw that it is more beneficial for your son to “follow the narrow path than the long path” (cf. Matt. 7:13–14), and then places his feet on it, but those who offend will not take advantage of someone else’s, if they lose more than their own. According to the Lord, there is no mercy to him who has not shown mercy, but “what measure someone measures to another, it will be measured to him also” (Matthew 7:2). May you be imitators of God's commandments. 119. What is the sacrament of repentance You know that the sacrament of repentance consists in abandoning those weaknesses by which we were overcome, and in regretting them. This is how you should act, and I have no doubt that you will not do this. The enemy begs us with some opinion, then causes confusion; do not submit to this, but trust in the goodness of God. Do not rest in thinking that you are a sinner. 120. Sorrows are allowed for sins before God Unfortunately, you have become as impatient, angry and cowardly as you yourself describe your situation. We are very sorry. We ask and pray in the future not to dare to do such things, but to pay attention to yourself, to your weaknesses, mental and physical, and to try in every possible way to endure the adventures that come your way, sorrowful and unpleasant, and to blame them for our mental and sensory attempts and sins before God, through which our sins are cleansed through patience with grace and hope. Our Savior Jesus Christ Himself, with His most pure lips, spoke in St. His Gospel: “In your patience gain (that is, teach) your souls” (Luke 21:19). May the Most Merciful Lord enlighten and enlighten your sense and mind to the knowledge of true God-wisdom and to the creation of His holy life-giving commandments, and may He forgive you all your sins, voluntary and involuntary. 121. About accepting a sister for revelation. When choosing an abbess, one should rely on the will of the archpastor. In sorrows, be complacent and ask the Lord for patience. Temptation came from a malicious enemy because she did not reveal all her thoughts We received your pleasant writing this year on January 21st and heeded the contents as much as possible - to which we respond: for your communication in letters with Mrs. Benjamin, if you are tormented to the point of temptation, do not be afraid that your correspondence to us will be published publicly from her - we leave this to your conscience and consent. We had no need to prohibit before, respecting you and your differences in morals - art will teach you best when you are dissatisfied with a decision in a letter. As for her talents on extensive issues, we ask you to judge moderately. She wants to treat you in everything and asks us to try to persuade you to accept these proposals of hers. But we don’t have the courage to do such things, not only to convince, but even to suggest. And if the Most Merciful Lord grants your heart such courage to bear her mental and physical weaknesses, we also do not have to forbid this: if the Most Merciful Lord will please both of you for the benefit and creation, then he will give her the most sincere faith to reveal her thoughts and deeds, and he will give you the spirit of courage to bear her weaknesses. But we ask you not to explain this to her, but to expect due diligence from her, and then, as God tells your heart, then use it with her. Extremely cowardly and frivolous, she needs you more for support. That you at least partially accept and console her, the Lord Himself will give you for this. Greater strength is not required, and for this reason we do not force you to accept it, so we do not attract it to your shrine so that it is surrendered, for this part there is in the hearts of the well-minded a certain sacrament that secretly informs whom to have faith and reveal their weaknesses. If this had not been given from God, our condition would have been precarious. Your expression is unpleasant, and harmful to the soul, and looks like a murmur against the Most Merciful God, let us repent of this before God - from now on let us begin not to utter such words; You, mother, remember that “to him will be given much, and much will be required, and the servant who knows the will of his Master and does not do will suffer much” (Luke 12:47–48). You should not be complacent in everything taught from the Most Merciful God; He alone knows what to give to whom. As for the choice of the abbess, when it happens beyond your expectations, then look, most revered mother, do not choose anyone, do not use your will, although you have foreseen worthyness and talents - but rely on the will of the archpastor. And if you use even the slightest amount, you will not escape temptation. We and others have seen this quite experientially: whoever chooses whom, she will be the first to drink the cup of temptation from oppression. And if, beyond your aspirations, they choose you yourself, then try in every possible way to renounce this great yoke - when they convince you under duress, then the Almighty Lord is omnipotent in helping you bear the unbearable burden. And when someone accepts even the slightest desire and delights in this lust, God’s help is not enough for him - look at the 4th part of the Philokalia of St. Nicetas Stephatus, 2nd centurion, chapter 58, which worthily shows about this - and it will be enough for you as a precaution. We advise you to continue accepting priests as before, but little by little: try to reduce, not multiply. Truly, if you were a hermit or lived uncovetously, as a real monk should, but we live, like others, simply and in abundance, then we should act in a simple way. When this was started, then suddenly communication stops - giving rise to the guilt of enmity. Also send to Mother Abbess about the establishment when you have it. But hold back from adding more. And when temptations come, then you will again begin to beware - that’s why we wrote to you above that temptation will teach you. In the sorrows sent down, be complacent; then be ready when they start. And that you are philosophizing from ignorance of your weaknesses - you, mother, remember that when you find sorrows, you must ask the Lord for patience. The most merciful Lord, seeing our weakness with you, gave inspiration, but do not think that change will not follow, but expect storm and excitement in the silence. Try to reconcile Nadezhda Yakovlevna’s sister, who is most worthy of pity, in every possible way, and especially ask Ekaterina Yakovlevna to take measures and have the courage to treat her more kindly and not teach her wine after wine. This was a temptation for poor Catherine, in our opinion, because she took Nadezhda with her to the monastery: in human terms, Nadezhda hardly had her own desire. It seems that this temptation was allowed to her so that she would know in advance and could give advice to the sisters who are striving to attract others with them. However, the Almighty Lord is strong to reason with her and enlighten her, but, mother, if possible, try to advise her so that she does not allow complete joy to the malicious enemy. We are enclosing an extract for her with a note, but just inform her that the enemy captivated her with bitterness and took such strength because she, apparently, did not open all her thoughts; apparently, her envious enemy little by little drove her to such anger at home. When she comes to her senses with the help of God, this will serve her as a temptation. May the Most Merciful Lord enlighten and enlighten your kind hearts to the knowledge of the wiles of the devil, may He perfect the course of your life to a beneficial and saving end. Most Reverend Ekaterina Yakovlevna, we wish you to rejoice in the Lord and ask you not to be discouraged and not to be surprised that this temptation was allowed through the action of an evil enemy to try and recognize our weaknesses, so that we would not philosophize and think something about ourselves, but would humble ourselves and give ourselves under the strong hand of God, and strive to confess our thoughts. Valaam Monastery, monastery. 122. About the state of health of the elder. Illness leads to repentance At this opportunity, according to my duty, I deigned, out of your love, to express my usual goodwill, wishing you the most edifying success and peace of mind. And at the same time, let us briefly inform you about our health: we, glory to the Most Merciful Lord, who is long-suffering of our many sins, are still, although in a weak and decrepit situation, but in private movement! Cholera in Kaluga began to ferociously put people to bed and kill them, and unfortunately, some of the residents turned against the police and the medical board. The Lord delivered us from resistance in the form of rebellion and bloodshed. If the disease gets worse, they will cordon it off with troops and block entry and exit! But let the will of the Lord be done in everything, and let it be as he pleases. From the Borisovskaya Hermitage they write that the Borisovskaya settlement is in a precarious situation: quite a lot of people are dying, the Borisovskaya settlement is locked - neither entry nor exit is allowed, the monastery is attacked by a cordon, the monasteries are not allowed out anywhere. Circumstances force them to remain silent and, in view of many who have fallen victim to death and painful illness, many come to a good feeling and true repentance. And especially the elders and novices who live in the monastery write to us sinners that they expect death every day and hour. 123. Force yourself to endure the suffering that occurs sensually and mentally. Carrying grievances from superiors. Despair is harmful to the soul Although you and I are deprived of the real funeral feast of obedience, the Most Merciful and Greatly Gifted Lord, in His ineffable mercy, draws you with the reins and bridle, not approaching Him, placing on you the cross to bear your illnesses patiently. Based on the advice of our unworthiness, force yourself to constantly continue to sensually and mentally endure the suffering that occurs and thank the All-Merciful Doctor of our souls and bodies. Is it possible that only a person can ever achieve eternal bliss through his single act? Through the sole merits and suffering of our dearest Lord and Redeemer, mercy and gifts are bestowed on humanity. Bear with what little you find with thanksgiving and patience, and the All-Merciful Lord will save you, and grant you eternal bliss, and make you one of all the saints. When you are already so weak and cannot indifferently endure all the insults from your superiors out of rage, then, realizing your weakness, keep silent about this and leave them to the Providence of the Almighty Lord, who will take care of them better than you and me. Take heart, and let your heart be strengthened in the grace of the Lord, and the Lord will comfort you! And that you imagine that my unworthiness, when I sit with my brothers, appears to you in the form of Christ with His disciples the apostles, and from this you come to a feeling of tears, and despair comes that you are deprived of this due to the difference in sex, then, apparently, even though this feeling should be useful, but despair refutes that this is from the Divine: a grace-filled action never leads anyone to despair, but teaches a gift tenderness, joy, long-suffering and peace of mind (cf. Gal. 5:22). 124. By God’s mercy even bitter things are transformed into sweetness. Do not accept cowardice in your heart because of the death of your confessor. Avoid idle talk. Advice on eating in moderation. Please write thanks to the All-Merciful and Greatly Gifted Lord, who gave your love the wearing of the cross, i.e. illness, because the Almighty Creator consoles you and turns you away from unworthy lips and messages. But by His mercy even bitter things are transformed into sweetness! And we, indecent ones, rejoice at your feeling, because we agree with the traditions of the saints, father. But just as the first letter consoled us with gratitude and trust in His almighty Providence, your second letter, filled with the opposite cowardice, saddened us! We are gradually surprised by your quick change of feelings. It seems that you should understand only from the events that happened to you how merciful and how unsearchable Providence was invisibly guided for your spiritual edification. I dare to remind your love that you are at the beginning of your entrance into St. The monastery, out of their foolishness, joined the eminent disciples of the great elder and, according to your faith, received permission with their bewilderment, and with this affection they corresponded with us. I, through my hardness of heart and rude behavior, have torn you away from your satisfaction and soul-edifying joy. But why has the Merciful Lord really abandoned you? - No, but he gave you the holy and humble, memorable elder Father Athanasius, and after his death the disciple Father Macarius. But also, beyond your aspirations, and me, all bad, according to your blind faith and explanations. You, who have seen such special Divine assistance from your own experience, seem to be ashamed to be cowardly: even if my death follows, although due to my insensibility I propose to live a little more and make a good beginning in my life, but for all that, although I am unworthy, I rely and must rely on the will of our Almighty Provider Jesus Christ and on the prayers of our fathers and yours. Mother Nektaria, although she is undeniably quite busy with herself and suffers from vanity, with which she is overcome, that she herself receives from whomever is useful and distributes it to others with preaching. And she, poor thing, is always left empty-handed and faint-hearted. Although she preaches the word of God to excess, and she herself is inaccessible, I only ask and pray to you to remind her of this privately as a precaution and to remove idle talk; for these holy days, do not give canons, bows and fasting, but be patient until the pre-feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, and then you can heal with bows and fasting. Refrain from snacks and food as much as possible, and try to eat moderately light and well-known foods. It seems to you that after ten days of fasting an appetite appeared - glory to the Most Merciful Lord God for all His rewards to us! 125. Don’t be cowardly, but thank God for sorrows and troubles. Consider yourself guilty of everything and pray to the Lord to grant repentance. Don't leave the church service. Avoid murmuring as a harmful poison. Cut off your will before your mother We see that even after offering it you have not yet calmed down, but you are overcome by cowardice! But let me, as a most sincere daughter, say yes, and for better understanding and understanding, ask your love: please tell me, do you really think that these permissions were allowed without God’s will? Truly, we must thank the Most Merciful Lord, who is all wise for us, the poor, who builds and heals our souls, sick with vanity and pride! For confirmation and consolation I place here St. Isaac the Syrian from the 35th word: “The daily way of God is the cross, but no one ascends to heaven weak. This is the way of the Lord.” And it ends: “Whoever has given God to himself with all his heart, God never wants to be carefree. This is the Lord who cares about the truth. But from this it is clear that God provides for us to eat whenever he sends him everlasting sorrows.” And again from the 36th word at the end: “The Lord knows that it is not powerful for those who exist in bodily peace to abide in His love.” And for this reason, forbid them from that peace and sweetness.” And from the 37th word: “Every person benefits from temptation. If temptation takes advantage of Paul (the apostle), every mouth will be stopped, and God will be guilty of this. The ascetics are tempted to give up their wealth; the weak, let them protect themselves from those who harm them; Those who are sleeping should prepare themselves for excitement; those who are far off, let them worship God; let them move in with boldness.” So, these expressions of the inspired man exhort us to complacency and courageous patience! And therefore, you are obliged not only not to be faint-hearted, but also to thank the All-Merciful God for all the necessary sorrows and troubles, and with hope to ask the Lord for patience, and to speak the words of St. Prophet David: “In tribulation I remembered you, O Lord, and in little time your punishment was given to us” (cf. Ps. 26:8–9; Is. 26:16). The reasoning comes to you that if you could deal with my unworthiness in silence and talk through the necessary things, you would solve all the confusion and calm down in everything. But, O mother and daughter, if such a means were only for your benefit, then the Most Merciful Lord, with His almighty grace, arranged this in every possible way! But he, like an omniscient, always arranges for the best and most useful with his unsearchable destinies! Although we do not praise your action, because St. Macarius the Great writes: “Whoever heals his brother with rage, then he is not healing him, but he is fulfilling his passion,” but what comes out of his mouth, we will never catch him. And with all this, let us recognize our weakness and insignificance. And what I told you to have dinner with her on holidays was for some kind of peace and so as not to suddenly give rise to an obvious breakup. This alone already proves that this advice of mine is inconsistent. Although you made a mistake in that you put Anna away on Wednesday, we are nevertheless complacent because you did not add to the lies. You should be forced to ask Anna for forgiveness a second time, but first you should pacify yourself - in this way, pray for her quietly, bow three times every morning and evening, saying: “Save, Lord, and have mercy on my benefactress. Forgive my sins with your prayers." And in addition, Anna must honor herself as guilty in everything - mentally and sensually, saying to herself: “Cursed me, I did not know how to listen to myself, I let go of my senses: speaking, seeing and hearing; and the general enemy saw my lewdness, presented to my eyes a dream about sister Pelagia, as if she was passionately communicating with a young man and so on... And then he slandered her. The old man and the old woman were embarrassed for my sins!” When she confirms this for a long time and sees herself as guilty, then the Most Merciful Lord, for fulfilling this Gospel commandment, will heal their hearts and soften them to peace, then with good faith and boldness they will boldly go to ask for forgiveness, and they will greet them with respect! I also inform you that although our troubled storm has subsided, but out of envy and the suggestion of malicious pretexts, the Reverend through Fr. The builder refused to allow Melania Ivanovna to live in a newly built cell, and was assigned to live in a common hotel. She found the same apartment in which she and Feodosia were with you. Glory to the Most Merciful Lord, who, beyond all hope, is peaceful and tranquil, in good spirits, and visits us. We advise you, mother, to pursue church services and force yourself to do them; I, unworthy, confirm her good advice, so that you can go and get things done. And keep yourself from murmuring, like a pernicious poison. And in this regard, do not give yourself over to confusion and despair. In you, inside and outside, nasty actions resumed, because they were hiding and hiding inside, and when the action of the furious part and grief with zeal came unexpectedly, then with these faults they opened up and became furious. But may we resort, according to God, to the only representative and patroness of our universal intercessor, the Most Holy Theotokos and Virgin Mary! And She, with her all-powerful prayers and intercession, will heal all our illnesses, physical and mental! Try to control yourself as much as possible against gluttony. And especially, if you want to be healed, try in every possible way before your mother to cut off your damned will in everything, and you will soon be healed from this stifling weakness. For this, thank the Most Merciful Lord, who told your mother to accept you as before, and do not hesitate to reveal all the thoughts that come from the enemy, and this will serve you for healing. If you suffer from weakness and Mother Varvara sees it as beneficial to eat bread with tea, then I deign and bless you. 126. Ask the Lord to open the eyes of your heart instead of those of your body. We receive punishment for self-will I was honored to receive your writing from St. Petersburg, and after reading it, I heeded its contents. Thank you for your remembrance and goodwill about my curse. That you, out of your unlimited zeal, deigned to expect my badness, then, apparently, for my many sins, I turned out to be unworthy to bow to the saints of God, the reverend Pechersk miracle workers, and to contemplate and converse with your shrine. But, glory to the All-merciful Lord God, who always builds the best for us, and may His name be blessed from now on and forever! And that to you, mother and sister, the All-Merciful Lord sent blindness to your bodily eyes, then for this let us be grateful to the One who created us and arranges our salvation solely for the edification of the soul, so that the Almighty Lord, in His ineffable mercy, instead of the physical ones, would open to your love the eyes of the heart, which are so necessary for us, more than any most precious treasures. - And when the Lord grants, at least one, to open one of them, then we will truly see all-outstretched snares to deceive us from the universal enemy the devil, and with the help of God’s grace we will begin to beware of them and, with humility and hope, again pray to the Almighty Lord to preserve us and instruct us in how to resist our rival, in order to take revenge on him for all his impudent insults inflicted on us. “Then you will truly feel within your heart peace of mind and love for God, as for all mankind. Then we will feel our moments of grace, and with gratitude and the outpouring of touching tears, a source will flow, touching and delighting your heart, with which your good desire for eternity will be filled with ineffable consolation. As for the pity of our worthy niece Marya, who, no matter what she sang, will reap the fruits of her disobedience and disobedience. You and I must regret and pray to the All-Merciful God, so that He, with His omnipotent right hand, will free her from sinful living, and although, according to Scripture, “they are drawn to repentance with reins and bridle” (Ps. 31:9) those who do not approach the All-Merciful Lord, our Savior and Redeemer! And even if the Lord does not create it all, we can work on it. We see, sister, from the very events and experiences, how much compassion you had on your part and used all the methods in order to calm her down and bring her to the right feeling, so that she would come at least a little into the fear of God; but, as can be seen from the consequences, all your deeds and strenuous efforts remained in vain and serve to reproach you. For our previously used will and self-reflection, this continues as punishment, but since you have now been tempted in this remarkable act, you can also provide others with advice as a precaution. However, let us not lose heart, let us fill these transgressions with repentance and tears. I am informing you about myself and my situation. I, glory to the Most Merciful Lord, long-suffering to my many sins, although in all weakness and decrepitude, am still alive and weakly moving on my legs, I continue and live a luxurious life: I drink tea after dinner before evening almost every day and I eat good food to excess. I remain with my due high veneration and brotherly love for your reverence, my most beloved sister and benefactress, humble servant and unworthy pilgrim. 127. What does it mean to “deny himself”? (Luke 14:27) In a letter to poor sister Euphrosyne, I will include from the Gospel to refute the life she began, which is incongruous with anything: “Unless anyone denies himself and takes his cross and all his possessions and relatives and follows me, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). What does it mean to “deny himself”? The saints clearly explain this - that to abandon one’s will and all one’s desires and surrender to the funeral feast of obedience - this is the fulfillment of the saving commandment. And who does she obey, although she writes that she loves to live with the spiritual, but it is not known what kind of spirit she is. If she says that I betrayed myself in everything to Father Fr. Meletia and before him I cut off all my will, to which we tell her that this is absolutely impossible: firstly, in considering the differences of our sex and, secondly, without living with him, it is impossible to open all everyday thoughts and accept appropriate and protective instructions in order to move away from these everyday tendencies; thirdly, although he is an old man of high life, he is a hermit, and differs from us in living, and therefore, due to the nature of our experience, he cannot teach us from experience, without having himself been experienced in such obedient living. In a word, it’s possible to look at his sober life, but the regulations are not suitable for us: apparently, although he is holy, he is not skillful - he can be used partially, but not completely. About this St. Isaac the Syrian writes: “Ask the ignorant who has been in trial, rather than the wise one from reading or from hearsay,” and so on. But it’s enough for us to cite our experience as proof. She writes that while living in the house for six weeks and constantly enjoying the inspired instructions of St. Elder Meletius had plenty of time to talk about many unnecessary and mediocre things, and especially about precautions in dealing with young people. But what, having used it so much, she soon forgot or was not told at all; Why did she get confused with the merchant’s daughter in Novorzhevsk? She enjoyed six weeks from Fr. Meletia with behavior about heavenly things, not with protection, how to overcome passions. 128. The enemy rises up against you for your heartfelt prayer, but do not submit! Only those who, out of pride, do not want to repent will go to hell. Don’t answer your enemies, just pray for them The temptation you described comes from the devil’s envy. In the Philokalia in the chapters of Mark the Ascetic about those who think they will be justified by works, in chapter 88 it is said: “When the devil sees that the mind has prayed from the heart, then he inflicts great evil temptations.” It’s easier to say, the enemy rebels against you for your heartfelt prayer and wants to turn you away from it, but you don’t submit to him. This temptation will pass with the mercy and help of God, only you do not present evidence against the enemy’s thoughts, because, according to the word of the Climacus, the evil enemy can, for his part, present you with many objections. Just continue to pray, trying not to listen to the enemy’s thoughts and despise them, repeating the sweetest name of our Lord Jesus Christ. St. Climacus writes: “In the name of Jesus, beat the warriors, for there is no stronger weapon either on earth or in heaven.” Do not oppose your enemies, but think to yourself that the Most Holy Son of God, during His earthly life, ate and lived with sinners, and did not refuse to dine in the house of Simon the leper, and allowed the harlot who appeared in the city to touch and kiss His Most Pure Noses. If the light of the sun, passing through unclean places, radiates to many and is not damaged, how much more will the great mercy of God greatly consume all the unclean sins of every repentant Christian soul. Only those who, out of pride, do not want to repent will go to hell. If Manasiah, who committed so many iniquities and corrupted many people, received forgiveness, then all sinners who repent will endure, especially since Manasiah, bound in iron bonds, seemed to involuntarily repent: unable to bend his bodily knees, he bowed only the knees of his heart (Compare 2 Chronicles 33). In a word, to put it briefly, do not answer your enemies, but just pray and pray, calling on the sweetest name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who came into the world to save sinners, for help and mercy. But the enemy’s stupid talk, there is nothing to do, just be patient and bear with it - through this one gains spiritual experience. Know and remember firmly. 129. Turn away from thoughts of exaltation. Replace omission of the rule with repentance and humility Unworldliness comes from contradiction and ongoing disputes. Try as much as possible to avoid them, and rather to humble yourself and reproach yourself; God will look upon this and grant you peace in your small deeds and in all your weaknesses. When you repent of them and look after yourself, you will be accepted by God better than great labors and exploits that you endured with arrogance and self-esteem. – Reject proud thoughts, remember the word of God: “If you do all that is commanded, say, for we are unworthy servants; Whatever we ought to have created, we have created” (Luke 17:10). We also transgress many things that were commanded to us; Of course, the enemy does not cease to bring thoughts of arrogance in order to defile our deeds, but we must turn away and remember that we are doing not with our own strength, but with God’s help. When we boast, we are deprived of God’s help and recognize our weakness. If you leave something out of the rules, replace it with repentance and humility. Thank God that he taught you patience; and now every case should be a lesson in learning patience, not only from external, but also from internal spirits of malice, forcing the action of passions or despair. Learn for yourself the teachings of St. fathers, but more in the active, and not the speculative, from which you have already suffered, having sought it ahead of time, which is given in due time, through work and labor and perfect humility. 130. Although under compulsion, take up the habit of reading spiritual books. God, seeing your compulsion, will send his help. In sensual warfare, like warriors, we are tempered by trials. Humility of heart heals passions You write about your weaknesses, laziness and negligence, and so on, and that it is only with compulsion that you take up the rule and read spiritual books. – Being in the field of spiritual warfare, how can one not have resistance and struggle from the enemy? This is where our faith and love for God is demonstrated or tested when we get down to business, albeit under duress. God, seeing our compulsion, will send His help. So you will do everything with peace, but then you will already know that you are doing not with your own strength, but with God’s help. When any virtue passed easily, you would attribute it to your strengths and would be captivated by your mind in arrogance, and it would bring greater harm with imaginary corrections than the current non-correction, then out of necessity you have a humble thought, not seeing anything good in yourself, but not despairing, and from this there is a part of God, and you receive forgiveness from above for you. Due to sensual warfare, although warriors are wounded, they bandage their wounds and enter into battle, and for this they receive great rewards from the Tsar. So in our mental battle, the Heavenly King looks at his soldiers and, seeing those who are fighting, although they accept the wounding, but do not retreat from the feat, he sends them his help and rewards them with spiritual gifts. One spiritual man writes about this: “When various temptations, passions, infirmities, and bewilderments overwhelm us, then we are especially affirmed in faith in the Lord and should not despair, so as not to obey your enemy, he should retreat from the feat and deviate into despair. And if this happens to you, and if Satan sees your good intentions, he has armed himself against you, just don’t lose heart, believe me, and the Lord will soon visit you with the secret consolation of His grace.” Among these is the battle that you write about, that you suffer every day, that you can still grieve about, that your former consolation was allowed to go through because of your obvious pride. The cure for this is humility of heart. St. Isaac and many other holy fathers write: “Unless a person is tired of spiritual and physical passions, he cannot gain wisdom in battles, or recognize his weakness and humility.” So, without despairing of God’s mercy, read more active books and imitate their teaching, and humble yourself in your weaknesses! May the most merciful Lord enlighten you on the right path and strengthen you on it. 131. The Lord is merciful when He sees you humble. Until you humble yourself, you will not be free from abuse. Do not despair, but cast your sins on God’s mercy We are surprised at your cowardice and feel sorry for you. Having read the chapters shown to you, you became more desperate that your life does not agree with the Holy Scriptures. You definitely need to sympathize with this, but with repentance and humble yourself, and not be cowardly and repent of why you went to the monastery. We must thank God for deigning to bring us out of darkness into light. What to do if they are faulty - do not despair, but read the Holy Fathers, albeit little by little. Seeing your own fault, you will still see yourself; and if you don’t read, you won’t despise yourself and won’t humble yourself. It would be even worse if you saw your virtues and imagined that you were pleasing to God - this would be obvious destruction. You may have been on this path before; but when you see your sins and repent of them, the Lord is merciful, when he sees you humbled by the burden of them, he will look at you, and wean away all the enemy’s machinations from you, and free you from passions. Until you humble yourself, don’t think of being free from warfare; in battle, victory and conquest happen, but God looks at our will and humility, and through this we receive help or abandonment. St. Peter of Damascus, counting the seven physical works, says: “The mind begins to see its sins like the sand of the sea; and this is the beginning of the enlightenment of the soul and a sign of its health; virtue sees its sins, but not virtues, but seeing sins, it does not despair, but is more humbled, and God’s mercy overshadows a person.” And Gregory of Sinaite writes that “unless a person is defeated and enslaved by every passion, he cannot have himself worse than everyone else. The first humility is born from virtue, and this last from the fall, but does not interfere with the mercy of God. The same St. Peter of Damascus, rising from despair, writes: “Besides, it is not fitting for us to despair, bearing as it is fitting to be. It is evil, because we have sinned, because man, why are we angry with God and unreasonable and weak in our judgment, if He who created cannot save your soul, whose parts are visible to you for the sake of the world. Even if you say, like this, even more so there are condemnations, like His condescension. Repent and the Lord will accept your repentance, like the harlot and the harlot. Even if we can’t do this, but out of habit, having sinned in them, you did not want to be in them. Through them, humility, like a publican, prevails upon you for salvation, for even without repentance you will sin and do not despair, force yourself to be worse than all creatures and do not dare to condemn or reproach any person. Even though I obey the devil in sin, but out of fear for the sake of God, I disobey the enemy, forcing him to despair, and from which there is a part of God.” Read things like this yourself and accept the consolation of your soul from this, but do not despair at all, but cast your sins on God’s mercy. 132. Leave your mind in everything. The strength of our repentance lies not in quantity, but in quality and contrition of heart. About the fight against lustful thoughts For your free consciousness in boasting, forgiveness is granted to you. What I couldn’t write about in your previous note to your love, you don’t blame me for that, don’t you remember the spirit-bearing Apostle Paul: “For this reason we wanted to come to you, as Paul, once and twice: and Satan rebukes us” (I Thess. 2:18). When, by God's permission, Satan could have forbidden such a Christ-bearer, I, the accursed one, could only think in my pre-success. You complain about the abuse and that you are often defeated, and because of this you often become despondent. Mother told you to teach 50 prostrations for each, then, although it seems to you that the penance is insignificant to satisfy, remember your title as a novice, and should not make up your mind in anything! Be content with the commandment and go through it with fear and tenderness. The strength of our repentance lies not in quantity, but in quality and contrition of heart. The Humane and Merciful Lord, in His mercy, grants us this too. Just as you and I have inclinations towards vanity and pride, and therefore we are not granted the repentance and tenderness you desire; we must complete all this with humility and consider ourselves worse than all creation, and you will be at peace. Although I am most desecrated and repentant, I trust in the mercy of God, which will not allow you to fall into the depths of pernicious despair, but with His almighty right hand will raise you up and strengthen you in the future for success and perfect salvation. And that fornication has been raised or allowed against you, then I will remind your love of this in the 4th part of the Philokalia in the Sermon on Reasoning, writes St. Cassian the Roman, words of St. Apollos to his despairing brother going into the world: “Don’t be surprised, child, despair, for I am old and gray-haired, and I’m getting really cold from these thoughts. Do not despair because of so much desire, which is healed not only by human diligence, but by God’s love for mankind.” And that you are forced to purify other sisters and accept thoughts, although this is truly not your measure, but only out of good faith, that you are forced to continue this for obedience. As Climacus explains, “you yourself are mired in the mud, warn others so that they too do not get bogged down in such mud.” Moreover, by explaining and exhorting others to a chaste life, you will be ashamed of your words and you yourself will begin to correct your sinful life. As for your imaginary peace of mind, I, indecent and foolish, cannot comprehend your feelings in subtlety and cannot agree with your lofty expressions that you, out of your blind faith, exalt my despondency. However, I return to talk about all the current creeps of complacency. Which is what you, as humans, partly doubt, in my feeble-minded opinion. You, by the goodness of our Almighty Creator and Redeemer, received your desire and were cleansed from all your previous sins through the secret of fasting and repentance! But now, although you are conquered, immediately express yourself to your mother and disgrace yourself before her shrine - she imposes on you what the Lord announced to her, and you, correcting it and contrite in heart, no longer consider yourself an imaginary girl, but almost a harlot. For the prayers of my mother and some lazy priest, the Lord is strong enough to fix everything and grant me a good end and save me! And it seems that you are quite calm in this regard. It is also true about Masha and Dunyasha, based on their good intentions, does the Most Merciful Lord really not have the strength through you, the most unworthy, to bring them to a sound sense and to edification and save them. And having written a lot of little things to your love, may the Most Merciful Lord enlighten you, may you become wise in humility, and more than these many unworthy writings, may he help, and may he preserve, and may he protect you from all the snares of the enemy, and may he forgive all your sins, and I, the unworthy one, send you my fatherly forgiveness and blessing. Through the prayers of our holy fathers and mothers, may the peace of God rest upon you. 133. Help Mother Superior in everything and not accept evil thoughts against her. The Lord arranges silent living. In a monastery one should not worry about acquiring wealth You are always disposed to thank the Most Merciful and Greatly Gifted Lord, who “rewarded you not according to your sins” (Ps. 103:10), but not according to His expressed mercy He arranged for you a way to salvation! - This feeling is approved by well-skilled fathers, because it is consistent with Divine Scripture. Likewise, to have your eyes guarded, so as not to fall into cowardice, is not refuted. The enemy puts in you evil and harmful thoughts, that your old lady is now an abbess and that there is great futility in going to the abbess’s cells - these thoughts come from an idle heart, self-indulgent imaginations and obvious pride. You apparently forgot that our mother, and especially yours, did not want to hear about being an abbess when the Merciful Lord chose her into this difficult yoke - she was chosen by God’s Providence. God is able to save her and all the sisters who listen to Him with favor and love. And you, daughter, soon forgot that those who opposed wisdom and advocated were extolled with praise; that if only they had allowed it, they would have reluctantly kicked you out of the gracious and holy monastery and even mother could not take care of you. To the extent of faith, God is able to reinforce it, enlighten it and enlighten it. And not the way you are arrogant! That’s why you should, to the best of your ability, help your mother in everything you can. And you don’t need to delve into it or be curious about what she’s doing with whom, you don’t need to delve into it and be curious, and if by chance you find out by chance, you should keep it and not tell anyone about it, likewise, if Mother Abbess herself decides to reveal something to you in the form of advice. And when you are overwhelmed by enterprises to the point of exhaustion, with God’s help, pray to the Lord to choose the right time for your mother. If you come and see that she has someone to work with, then you must ask mother, so that she deigns to inform you in her free time, and the Merciful Lord is able to inform her and heal and comfort you. You yourself see that even in times of such need (that is, when mother does not manage to take care of you), there is especially a visit from God, since you yourself explain that sometimes such feelings and joy of the heart come with trustworthiness and trust in the Lord, and then you feel significant relief in your conscience, as if you had explained yourself to mother, and especially when you cry even a little. It seems that you should not have doubts, since it is written by many saints that the Lord helps those who will and who simply seek instruction. And beyond the constant change of human help (that is, an old man or an old woman), God invisibly heals, consoles and enlightens with His grace. You also write that you were a little embarrassed that you had to cohabit with unbridled girls, but you wanted to be silent alone. If this imaginary silence were to your benefit, God would lead you to it in every possible way. And you yourself still need to learn to form morality towards humility, and, being ashamed of your words, make a good beginning and reproach and curse yourself. When the time for silent living comes, then the Lord will arrange everything in every possible way. And now first obedience, and then silence. Do not imagine that you can heal the sisters, but through their faith, through you and us, unworthy, the grace of God invisibly heals, and pacifies, and admonishes. As for your domestic endeavors, which for pride have allowed you to fall into the exhaustion of the flesh, let us humbly flow to the Most Merciful Lord, the Only One who can heal incurable ulcers and passions, as the Monk Abba Apollos told his only suffering brother that “this passion is healed not only by human diligence, but by God’s love for mankind and mercy...” You will come to your senses about the desire to acquire wealth - this is an obvious enemy’s intrigue. You must remember that you made a vow not to have money. Thank God, it seems you need to be complacent about your relatives: no matter how they live now, everything is better than the primitive one. I, the indecent one, now feel good about them and am comforted that this is how the Lord arranged it for them. It is in vain that you accept your opinion, so that they do not come to you for your bread. 134. Carnal desires are cured by repentance and moderation. For dry eating, take your mother’s blessing. To everyone according to faith is given You are offended and faint-hearted because you are overcome by carnal desires. ...But, O beloved daughter, let us not be faint-hearted, let us be embarrassed, even though we fall, and again, calling upon our father’s and mother’s prayers for help, let us rise up and make a beginning, and let us repent of ourselves, and let us recognize our comfort, selfishness and weakness, and the Almighty and Humane-loving God, at our request, with humility and hope, will not disgrace us in every possible way, but will create event and will take revenge on our all-evil rival and will rebel us and strengthen our weak forces, courageously standing against his arrows and violent slander! And moreover, according to your faith and good will, the Lord will grant you the feeling of true repentance and will provide you with a beneficial and saving end! You write that you would always like to remain in this peace, but this is not your desire; it is enough for you that you at least felt at least a small dawn of goodness and peace of mind, about which St. The great Macarius of Egypt writes that God does not allow those who are perfect in this life to remain in the vision or in the action of the grace of peace; For this reason, even if, being in a vision, they would not at all agree to sympathize with those suffering from passions and strengthen those who fall. St. Isaac the Syrian writes something similar at the end of the 79th word. And why you question my thinness and ask for my unworthy blessing so that you can eat dry food once a day in the evening, then I don’t have enough strength to judge this in absentia, not knowing the subtleties of your affairs and the relationship between the sisters. Have you noticed that such food consumption brings relief to your feelings and bodily movements; however, although I agree with this, I do not dare to deign you alone to do this, ask your mother, she knows better about you and your thoughts there, but if later you see that you will harm yourself by this (that is, be proud), then she, without relating to me, can leave this to you again. I don't know if you will find it hard not to eat enough. And as can be seen from many saints, they most advise using and hungering, and claim that it is beneficial, but they do not refute your measure. As it was said above, whatever mother gives her blessing, so I have it. And what the Lord has invisibly granted to you to know through experience is that everyone, according to the measure of faith, is given both relief of conscience and joy of the soul - this is truly so! May the Most Merciful Lord enlighten you into edifying wisdom, and may He help you, and may He forgive you all your sins, voluntary and involuntary. 135. Spiritual guidance. Live a life of obedience and denial of one's will Previously you wrote that you were more inclined in spirit to mate. Leonida, and now you write that, having examined it, you find it more useful to Mother Tabitha, in which I, on my part, agree, and Mother Abbess will be pleased with this. May the Lord bless you to spend your life in your mind with true obedience and rejection of your will, according to the teachings of the holy fathers, which I advise you to read about from St. John Climacus degree 4, at St. Abba Dorotheus “The Word, about the hedgehog does not make up your mind” and St. Simeon the New Theologian has many chapters, from which you will see the need for the guidance of others, and not your own. In the weaknesses you have acknowledged before me, may the Lord forgive you and strengthen you for good in the future. 136. Unrest is overcome by patience, self-reproach and humility I received your writing and heeded its contents. You write that you are overwhelmed by temptations and have a desire to personally see my thinness and explain your weaknesses. Unfortunately, you did not take care of the physical, then, O daughter, let your love know that the Merciful Lord, through your patience, will deign you in every possible way and will tell the heart of Mother Abbess to fulfill your prudent edifying intention and will comfort your soul. As for your anxiety - patience, self-reproach and humility, fathers, and ask for help the patronage and prayers of the Monk Moses Ugrin, John the Long-Suffering, the Kyiv wonderworkers and St. Martyr Famaida, and remember the hour of death, and for their prayers the excitement will calm down. Entrusting you to the protection of the Almighty, may the Most Merciful Lord help you, and may he protect you, and may he protect you from all the arrows of the enemy, and may he forgive all your sins, and I, who am a great sinner, send fatherly forgiveness and blessing. 137. How to heal from harmful thoughts and dreams. Help your neighbor in healing a debilitating illness. Revelation of thoughts puts to shame the enemy's illnesses I don’t know what should be said about the benefit of the suffering, whether there is some hope: if the Lord pleases, he will heal, if he does not hide, even before your shrine, lawless and harmful thoughts and dreams. Of course, it is now difficult for her to be completely guided by this serene means: the universal enemy often tries to deny revelation, like a cure, which is absolutely necessary for almost everyone. Moreover, I especially ask and pray for your love not to give up your participation in the healing of those suffering from a suffocating illness. Your participation in her healing, one might say, is impartial. What is, according to Bose, the life of her immortal soul, which without the edification of your living veneration can be truly dead? Therefore, your care is very necessary for her, for which truly the Lord God will not leave you. May the All-Wise Creator give you wisdom in favor of this and others, to Whom I entrust your love. I, insignificant, also considered it necessary to convince the suffering Elena, so that she, albeit with compulsion, would partly retell some dreams and ghosts to her sister Evdokia, in order to thereby unite them in love and thereby expose and put to shame the enemy’s intrigues. And be sure to repeat everything before your shrine. We also decided that every evening Sister Evdokia read the prayer: “May God rise again and His enemies be scattered” and all the doors, windows, and beds of St. protected with a cross. 138. The Holy Fathers commanded the novices to generally confess all their sins from their youth. We must pray for a message from a skilled confessor. Avoid grumbling at all costs We received your writing in a letter to Tabitha’s mother. Glory to the All-Merciful Lord, who has granted you health and a prosperous stay, and so that the All-Merciful and Greatly Gifted Lord, in His ineffable mercy, would deign to give your love His grace for reasoning and understanding, all the various machinations from the universal enemy the devil to deceive us and young sisters into his various networks. But in order for you to provide for guilt and protect yourself and those who follow your wise instruction, you deign to question our badness with true revelation about previous attempts, although you confessed them to your confessors, but the burden of burdens from conscience is not lightened, but you are burdened and embarrassed, i.e. are not satisfied as they should be, and it is clear that he is not as skilled a confessor as you confessed to. And therefore St. The spirit-bearing fathers set the new beginning for those who came and wished to perceive the monastic angelic image, so that from their youth they would generally confess all their sins and thereby cleanse their conscience and soul, and again lay a new foundation, i.e. having been cleansed and relieved of such a burden, one can easily accept the funeral feast of obedience. “So I, a great sinner, advise your love to ask and pray to the Most Merciful Lord and God, so that by his providence he would send you such a spirit-bearing father, to whom you could confess all your sins from youth to this age and who could instill in you the importance of them. Although we are now unable to satisfy them with penance, we can at least satisfy them with due repentance and tears, for which we will appease the Most Merciful Lord, so that he may relieve us of the burden and give us courage and strength to be able to fight against the universal enemy of the devil. When the Lord, through your faith and zeal, deigns you to be such a spirit-bearer and you do the above, then you will see inside your soul peace, and joy of heart, and tenderness, watering and comforting you with invaluable consolation. Let me tell you a story that happened in our times in 1810. In the Oryol diocese, in the Sevsky Trinity Nunnery, there was a schema-nun, Elder Xanthia, who was active and exemplary throughout the monastery and the most intelligent; she had students, of whom now one is a general’s daughter of an important and wealthy family in the Oryol Monastery, Abbess, her name is Seraphim, they say that she is an Elder of strict life. She, as I advise you, prayed and asked God, so that the Lord would send her such an old man who could solve all her perplexities. The Lord miraculously sent her our universal father, Father Theodore. Throughout his life, he left few of the monasteries in which he lived, and unless he was sent by the abbot for great need, he would go, and then he would return to his monastery with fear, but for her, God arranged it in such a way that while he was in the Beloberezh Desert, the bishop was tempted by enemy action against Father Theodore, and he asked to dismiss him. And the bishop said: “Come to Sevsk, I’ll give you the paper there.” With this intention, he came to the bishop’s house, where the confessor aggressively persuaded the others, but they did not have time. The bishop asked Father Fyodor: “What, have you been to a nunnery?” He said, "I wasn't." - “Go and comfort the old women for obedience.” And he went to the abbess, and with a great request she took him to the schema-nun, and she herself left them. They studied for 4 hours, she kept crying, then he was fired to the local area. And I, a sinner, was entrusted to her with what needed to be decided for the good, and they advised your love according to your goodwill and talent, so that, to the extent of your strength, you could receive the above-mentioned sisters, who at the beginning were reverent and had, apparently, some fear of God and humility towards obedience and obedience. But, as can be seen, she did not try and did not force herself to properly apply and exhort warmth to warmth, and through faith and hope to succeed in doing the commandments of the Lord, by which alone the soul is cleansed and revived and progresses into a perfect man, i.e. in dispassion for love! But they fell into conceit, and from this they fell into darkness and despondency. So, O most beloved, with such events and deeds that happened to your reverence, that even cowardice with insult appeared, and then to what extent they brought your soul with their controversial deeds and actions. But let your love remember what is written in the Divine Scripture: “You are strong and bear the infirmities of the weak,” and again: “Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). So, oh most venerable one, already when you felt such weaknesses in yourself, such as grumbling, and most of all cursing and saying them in your face. We, the unworthy, judging these actions of yours, consider communication harmful for both of your souls: it is harmful for you because you bind yourself - you curse her all the time, including yourself, and you also bring her into horror and despair with this oath, and for this reason the Holy Fathers are forbidden to utter in every possible way for any fault. And we ask you to henceforth begin to restrain yourself in every possible way from such a choking habit, according to the psalmist David, although you are embarrassed and do not speak, etc. “But we no longer dare to advise you to accept your sisters, and especially Mavra.” We strongly advise you that during temptations the general hater of the Christian family, and especially the monastic one, does not involve grumbling and insults, but we place all this on the Almighty Lord, who alone is omnipotent and will raise up the weak and give them an abundance of courage and the gift of sound reason against the machinations of the enemy! And He, if he proclaims it to his heart in order to accept them and assert them against those who find them, then continue with complacency and courage. And when, more than aspiration, you feel a spirit of oppression and fear in your heart, then it is better to recognize and mourn your dead and pay attention most to your salvation. - Because all that is required of us is what talents have been given to us. And so that through this compassion for the sisters we may multiply and bear fruit with due diligence, and so that for our negligence we will not be tortured during the Last Judgment. I entrust you and the sisters devoted to your love to the protection of the All-Merciful God and His all-powerful right hand, and may He direct your life according to your good intentions and His all-holy will, and may He send His grace from above upon you to guide and admonish you into the true and uncorrupted mind, and receive a beneficial and saving end. And we, insignificant ones, remain forever desiring your success and perfect salvation. 139. Do not be afraid to take upon yourself the great image of the schema. Attitude towards superiors. Let us cast sorrow upon the Lord Your excellent faith and your favorable prayers forced us, the worst, to forget our insignificance and be responsible for obedience. You deign to write that extreme sadness constantly consumes you, and you provide theological reasons: firstly, that many are convincing you that you strive to perceive the holy great angelic image, that is, the schema, but fear frightens your heart when you hear the feelings of the majesty of the dignity. If one of the prudent and experienced elders asks you and me and says: we have heard a lot, mother, that you are afraid to take upon yourself the great image of the schema, so that in the next century you will not be condemned in the reasoning of your weak strength and weak will. But tell me, please, what kind of answer should you give for the real image you perceived and the vow you made? Can you or could you perform them with your natural powers? Moreover, consider how great the difference is in the vows of monastic vows and manatorial tonsures - truly, we will find little difference. When you and I begin to answer the questions of the elders with caution and consideration, we will discover a small difference in the given vows when taking vows into the mantle versus the schematic one: just as when taking the mantle you make a vow to preserve yourself in virginity until the end of our life and to have non-covetousness - these two points are above natural, we are not able to keep them without God’s help, and everything else unless we resort to it with humility and patience to the Most Merciful Lord, and to ask and pray for His almighty help, then little can stand against the mental Amalek. So, although we are indecent, we advise: cast your entire fate to the help of the Almighty Lord, agree to the advice of the elders and other well-meaning persons to accept the soul-beneficial sacrament! You will judge that you are already somewhat elderly, and have lived in a monastery for quite some time, and there is a proverb - the voice of the people agrees with the voice of God! To be honest, M. Tabitha, with God’s help, can still try the temptation for another year or two and then decide on this sacrament. In addition to this, please read John Climacus, written by my hand according to my father’s advice in 12 chapters, and there you will see clearly, so as not to deny the Divine calling and not to excuse it with unworthiness, like your love. Please listen to what St. writes about this. Simeon of Thessalonites (from chapter 360) - on his detailed writings the whole Church is now affirmed: “Let the imperfect in this image be perfected, and let the imperfect and without the most perfect depart in secret for the completion of this image. We know about this that there are many who are careless about this, as if they were the first to touch the bahu before baptism and sin against Him. But just as someone who has not been baptized is not a Christian, someone who has not been baptized in this way will not be a monk.” And you will learn about this from the teachers of the church, and even more from Vasily and Gregory, even about the baptism of their words, now let them be about this image and repentance for you. “But a monk will not achieve life at his death, but it happens: for this gift is great, this seal is royal, the second is baptism, it cleanses from sins, gives grace, arms and signifies, takes Him away from the enemies of the church, represents Him, and makes Him a friend.” Let us understand how St. Simeon Archbishop of Thessalonites advises not to become rigid - to embrace the image of monasticism, i.e. schema, and do not put it off. And that you grieve, that you are not in good spirits, this weakness has been allowed to us, so that we may resort to firm guarding and an unstormable refuge - humility. And from such shortcomings, let us recognize our weaknesses and insignificance, and let us reproach ourselves and reproach ourselves, and let us not think about ourselves that we have already reached refuge and can arrive unstormed. One must live to the end and continue to learn how to achieve perfection, but in this world perfection will not be found - only the Most Merciful Lord is the only one who is perfect among those who work honestly with simplicity, kindness and humility, who have surrendered to His perfect will and providence, although even at death He vouchsafes perfection with His bounties! And we should not be embarrassed about the weakness of Mother Abbess and in the event of changes, order and circumstances - all this lies in the hand of the Lord, who created us and redeemed us with His precious Blood, He cares for us in every possible way and provides for us. But we, cowardly and infantile in mind, from oblivion and insensibility, lacking the necessary faith, put into ourselves thoughts of cowardice and despair, which destroy our souls. But let us, mother, cast all our sorrow on the Lord, and He will take care of us for prosperity. And St. Isaac writes in the 50th word: “If you believe that God is providing for you, you grieve and worry about the needs of your flesh. If you do not believe that God is creating providence for you, for this reason you are concerned, besides Him, about your most wretched needs, you are every man. And while you live and continue to live, cast your sorrow upon the Lord, and He will nourish you and do not be afraid of the fear that has come upon you.” Let us see from the writings of the saints and spirit-bearing men who commanded us to completely surrender ourselves to the Providence and will of Almighty God, Who, like a most loving Father, cares for us both in our spiritual and physical needs. You might be interested in: