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Virginity: guarding body and soul At that time, it seemed to you that no one was even looking at you. We feed on demonic action and the most destructive pride and vanity! I ask you, unworthy one, what kind of desire is this, why did you want so many people to look at you? And what pleasure would it be if all their eyes turned and looked at you? Truly, bodily pleasure, it seems, cannot exist. But vanity and a high opinion of oneself will damage the spiritual structure to the point of excess, and will defile the mind, and invest the body in a voluptuous sensation, - it will defile all of oneself with thoughts and feelings and others who look at you and your face with lust, and those who lust with lust in thought, and, according to Christ’s words, have already committed adultery in their hearts (cf. Matthew 5:28). And so we fall into mutual sin and will be tortured purely for this at the Last Judgment for such mistakes. Be aware of this mutual danger. Let us take care of ourselves and others, young and weak, so that we do not suffer harm from looking at you. Remember that you are a virgin and you are obliged to preserve your virginity immaculately: not only your body is protected from the effects of fornication, but also your mind and heart from evil thoughts. From those voluptuous dreams there is movement in the body. But just be careful, my beloved spiritual daughter, do not accept this clear evidence of mine in the opposite direction, for I wrote and explained to you not yet so that, having heeded this, you would fall into immeasurable sadness and the most pernicious despair! - May the most merciful Lord protect you from this. I am writing this for your humility, so that you yourself would not dream or be vain that I am a real and chaste girl, but would consider yourself a mental harlot. And in this way we will curb ourselves a lot, not only from judging others, but you will also be more humble about yourself and endure the troubles that come your way with complacency! And then the most destructive opinions of self-reflection will have no place in your soul and all your feelings. What is spiritual pride? 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. You received some peace 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 you, wanting to please God, 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 recognize 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. Properties of spiritual kinship As for our long-term silence on both sides in the correspondence, for this, it seems, we should not be faint-hearted. Although we did not express our various events in detail on paper to each other in ink, and likewise we are deprived of a personal meeting due to the distance of location and are physically separated by the mercy of the Almighty, but with the spirit and wisdom of spiritual love we always feel a feeling of connection, the benefit of pleasantness and feelings of subtle desires in order to see each other, and we long to hear about each other more than our half-blooded child - these are the properties of spiritual kinship. It is necessary to open your thoughts to your spiritual father If someone is completely devoted to someone, then he must believe and reveal all his thoughts, especially to his spiritual father. St. Simeon the New Theologian in the 192nd chapter writes like this: “It is appropriate every day to confess every thought to your spiritual father and what is spoken to you from him, as from God’s lips, to accept with all knowledge and not to pronounce this to anyone else, as the father asked me this and told me these things, whether what I said was good or not, and what I must do to healing. These words of unbelief are cursed to the father and are harmful to the soul, the same thing that especially happens to beginners.” Let us understand what St. writes to us. Simeon: “Every thought, then you should also ask, although it is hidden, whether a stranger or stranger should explain, which I sometimes notice touching someone with passion or pursuing passionate looks.” “No one will come to me unless the Father draws him to me” (John 6:44) You wrote to me, the indecent one, about Tatiana Egorovna, who was suffering from mental illness, that she, poor thing, was extremely attached to me for my rude and insightful judgment about others, but let it be known to your love that such people themselves do not know why they come under the guise of receiving benefit. The universal enemy inspires them to co-reason, revise, and condemn the words and advice he offers according to their own intelligence. As it is written: that whoever is without faith, co-dissolved in simplicity, although he goes and asks about something, then the Most Merciful God blinds the gifted one with prophecy and darkens the questioner who comes, and therefore this God-Man speaks about such in his Gospel: “The garden, which the Heavenly Father did not plant, will be uprooted, and no one will come to me unless the Father draws me to Me (John 6:44).” Your love knows that many, having come to the Savior Christ, listened to His divine words, others felt the benefit and believed in him, and many said: “His word is cruel, whoever can bear it, even to those who are not like him” (John 6:60). It is necessary to have a spiritual guide After Adam’s disobedience, our will tends more toward 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. 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. And Saint Abba Dorotheos, in his teaching about failure to organize 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, 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.” 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. One who seeks salvation receives instructions according to his faith and volition 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-written word teaches: “Whoever thinks that if he does not have, he asks someone what he should say, truly, if someone truly wants to do the will of God with all his heart, God never leaves, 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 in the least, 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 for you to accept with firm conviction, it is God’s work to act in you according to your faith. He is able to enlighten your heart, and enlighten 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. Help Mother Superior in everything and not accept evil thoughts against her The enemy instills 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! Therefore, you must, to the best of your ability, help your mother in everything you can. And you don’t need to delve into it and 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 Superior 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 trust 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 with simplicity 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. And that you confess to your reckless grumbling and insult at my badness, that I, in your self-reflection, handed you over to the whole society to ridicule and that I did not reveal to you about the quality of your brother, but Avdotya explained that he would deceive you, and so on. Now why should I respond to your love against this: to write, although in my old age, some kind of false justification, and you, I am sure, due to your vain nature, will be satisfied. I personally told you enough about your brother that, although he is kind and loves you, I am afraid that the infirmities and expenses that he has might force him to break his promises and so on... And Avdotya also said the same thing during the conversation solely out of regret for you. And that you, out of your usual whim and for your own harm, increased this and were embarrassed, this action, apparently, was your complete will, and conceit was the reason for this... Truly, in your opinion, I remain like a dumb fish, but for your voluntary consciousness I am obliged to lie something in the old fashioned way, and to question your love in the form of a proverb that old women used to say (that eggs don’t teach a hen). The Lord, by our good will, is able to send ways to salvation You write that you are deprived of contemplation and soul-edifying instructions, but, O spiritual daughter, do not be faint-hearted and do not be sad about this - the All-merciful Lord is omnipotent and omnipotent to forever send us invisibly, at our good desire, methods and saving examples, and he is able to send such skillful elders to console us with them and nourish us for the good edification of our souls, but we do not let us weaken in our intention and with hope and complacency let us ask the Lord. And I am the accursed one, although in body I was separated from you for my unworthiness, but in spirit I am inseparable from you, and in these intricate lines I talk with you as if face to face. Do not accept cowardice in your heart due to the death of your confessor 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, through your faith, received resolution to their perplexities, and with this affection they corresponded with us. Because of my hard-heartedness and rude behavior, I separated you from your satisfaction and soul-edifying joy. But why has the Merciful Lord really left you? - No, but he gave you the holy and humble, memorable elder Father Athanasius, and after his death, a disciple of 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 insensitivity I propose to live a little longer 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. Receive sisters for revelation of thoughts for obedience 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. “The human soul in its depths conceals a lot of goodness. 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