Parting words for those who have turned from this vain world to Christ and have begun to repent

In the essay “Parting words to those who have turned from this vain world to Christ and begun to repent” (12 chapters) by St. Tikhon of Zadonsky describes the numerous temptations that a repentant sinner inevitably faces and gives practical instructions on how to overcome them. First, the saint points out the very nature of spiritual trials, referring to Holy Scripture: “Child, if you begin to serve the Lord God, prepare your soul for temptation” (Sir. 2:1). Next, he names the types of temptations emanating from the enemy of the human race: despair in God’s mercy; evil, blasphemous and lustful thoughts; seduction by the love of the world and its temptations; melancholy, despondency and sadness caused by the enemy when other temptations fail; adversity through evil people and persecution. For each type of temptation, the saint gives ways to combat them. The author emphasizes that many begin the path of piety, but few complete it because of their unwillingness to endure temptation. In order not to stray from the path of repentance, you must: - constant effort, sighing and prayer; - memory of death, the Last Judgment, eternal torment and the Kingdom of Heaven; - reasoning about the temporality of earthly goods and the eternity of future reward. In the final part, Saint Tikhon compares short-term earthly suffering with the eternal torment of sinners and the eternal bliss of the righteous. He convinces that it is better to endure everything here than to suffer in the next century, for temporary suffering is easy and short in comparison with eternal. When a sinner, moved by the grace of God, begins to repent, he is met with various temptations: “Son, if you begin to serve the Lord God, prepare your soul for temptation” (Sir. 2:1). A person begins to approach Christ, and Satan chases him after him and distracts him from Christ. He begins to serve Christ, and the enemy hinders him and lays out various snares. 1) Makes him despair of God’s mercy and God’s justice. The sinner needs to fight against this and be strengthened in the hope of God’s mercy, remembering the comforting word: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). 2) Tempts with various evil and contrary to the law of God thoughts. A sinner must strive against all these thoughts and not deign to them. For this is the whole Christian feat. 3) Among other evil thoughts, the enemy puts in blasphemous thoughts, various doubts and unbelief. We must fight against all this and repel it all with the sword of the word of God and prayer. 4) Although he always bothers everyone, but especially those living celibately, with lustful thoughts. We must stand against them, and as soon as they arise, immediately stop them, calling on the All-Powerful Helper Jesus Christ for help, and although the evil thought goes away, the enemy, like a dog to its prey, returns again. Therefore, one must always expect him and, like a warrior, stand on guard. For this, it is useful to always be in labor, pray often, eat and drink little and sleep little. Nothing quenches this lust more than a tear coming from a humble and contrite heart. Take heed to this. 5) The enemy seduces with the love of the world and temptations, and distracts from the quick path. It’s good to be respected in the world, to be in glory, honor, wealth, to be cheerful, to know people, to be driven around in carriages, to visit and receive guests, and so on. These pieces of advice are apparently sweet, pleasing to the flesh, but inside they are bitter and soul-destroying. Beware of them, turn away from the world, as from Sodom and Gomorrah, so as not to be burned. Listen to Christ’s word: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). Answer within yourself this way: let what you offer me be good for those who seek it, but for me, Christ and His holy yoke are incomparably better. He will comfort and amuse me incomparably more than the whole world. Here I want to be with Him, and there I will be with Him. 6) When the enemy does not succeed through his evil advice and does not seduce a person from the good path, he looks for another means for this, induces melancholy, despondency, sadness, etc. We need to overcome all this and strengthen ourselves. 7) When a person stands firm in his conviction, the enemy will begin to bother him through evil people, and then where will anything come from? Then various misfortunes will attack him. All this is the evil enemy’s efforts and tricks, and this is what is written: “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). Then everyone renounces him and hates him, and it happens that those who were previously friends themselves turn into enemies. But it is good and comforting to us that whom the world hates, God loves. “For the Lord punishes whomever he loves; he beats every son whom he receives” (Heb. 12:6; Proverbs 3:11–12). “Christian, when we are hated by the world, we are loved by God,” says Saint Ignatius the Hieromartyr (December 20th). Therefore, every misfortune and attack must be overcome with patience. 8) Hence it happens that many begin, but few finish, “living piously,” because they do not want to endure temptations and walk the sorrowful path, and so they are led astray from it. But Christ says to those who have begun to live piously: “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). 9) From here we see how a Christian needs constant effort, sighing and prayer, so as not to stray from the true path, but to remain faithful to the end. 10) For this purpose, the constant memory of death, the fact that it delights people unexpectedly and in various ways, the memory of the Last Judgment of Christ, eternal torment, and the kingdom of heaven is useful. The memory of this and correct reasoning will not allow you to stray from the path. Remember this often and reason: temporary prosperity and ill-being will pass, but what will happen after death will not pass away. Everything worldly will remain here, and the body itself will be buried in the ground, but one soul will depart into this age, and with the soul virtue or sin is inseparable. Woe to the soul if it goes away with sin! For whatever he leaves with, he will appear with at the Judgment of Christ. Remember this, you will purify yourself with repentance, tears and sighing, so that you do not appear before the Lord your God with sins. 11) It is better to endure everything here, no matter what happens, than to endure it in the next century. For here, whatever misfortune and suffering there may be, it is light and short, but there it is severe, unbearable and eternal. For everything temporary in comparison with the eternal is like nothing. There is suffering without consolation. Here we suffer and languish in the hope of deliverance, but there there is suffering and torment with despair, for there is no end. Here, severe and unbearable suffering will end in death, for death puts an end to everything, and there a person will suffer and die, but will never die, will suffer, but will never be tortured. Remember this, and you will be strengthened in patience. 12) It is better to be comforted and happy forever than temporarily. For what is temporary passes away, but what is eternal always abides and, like a river, flows ceaselessly. Where are those who lived in the gaiety of this world? They are gone, and their fun is over. But those who endured for the sake of piety are comforted in the bosom of Abraham, and their memory endures for generations. Thus, after vain and brief joy comes eternal sorrow and sorrow, and after short and pious joy for the sake of the sorrow endured, comes eternal consolation and joy. A pious soul, as soon as it leaves the body, as if from a prison, immediately sees the purest and clearest light, and “sees light in the light” (Ps. 25:10), and begins a new, favorable joy, a joyful, calm, peaceful, serene, glorious, eternal and most blissful life, and forgets everything that has happened to it in the world. Then she sees and receives all the promises of God that she heard about in God’s holy word. I wish this for myself, for you and for everyone.