211. Кто свои подвиги замечает и труды считает, тот в гордость впадает. От считающего себя безгрешным Господь молитвы не принимает. Кроткое обращение с ближним скорее достигает цели

M. St. O. n. G.I.H.B.n. p.n. Sister in the Lord M. Magdalene! I wish you God’s mercy and spiritual salvation and God’s help in your labors. I received your letter. Thank God that you recognize your shortcomings. This is the beginning of the health of the soul. I write the same to Eustolia, so that she may notice her sins and failures more than her exploits. He who notices his exploits and counts his efforts falls into pride. And whoever sees only his sins and repents of them, he receives God’s mercy, as the Lord indicated in the parable of the publican and the Pharisee. Tell her this, and let her not be discouraged that she has no more prayers or deeds. Those exploits that she thought a lot about were not exploits, but temptations from the enemy to her destruction. Let her consider herself worthless, the lowest and most sinful, let her always repent of her shortcomings and failures and humble herself before everyone, and this will be more pleasing to the Lord than all her self-inflicted exploits. The Lord gives reward not to labor, but to humility. Assign the prayer rule to her at your discretion and according to her strength, and so that she does not add anything to herself without your blessing. Accept with condescension and, listening to infirmities, reproach yourself, placing yourself worse than it, and do not become exalted in thought. Tell her also that whoever does not consider himself a sinner, the Lord does not accept prayer. May the Lord have mercy on her and heal her from mental illness. I send her a blessing and wish her salvation and peace of soul. You write that your diligence has disappeared. - Then you reproach yourself, and bring repentance to God, and consider yourself negligent, and force yourself to work according to your strength. Tell Varvara what you find necessary, only to one, and not in front of everyone, and with a meek spirit. A gentle appeal achieves its goal more quickly. May the Lord have mercy on your nephew Sergius and strengthen his health. I send my blessing to Pasha. Let him look at the burning of the spirit and zeal in prayer with humility. The Lord gives this out of His mercy, but if she is proud of it, it will be taken away from her. One should say the prayer feelings of the spiritual mother, but should not tell everyone. You can ask your relatives for what you need. Treat your cell peacefully, bear its infirmities and consider yourself more sinful than it. What is necessary must be said. Let Pasha force himself to do everything: to pray, to read, and to obey. Those in need will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Calling upon all of you peace and God's blessing, I remain with the desire for salvation. You might be interested in: