276. Если монаха постигают скорби и болезни, значит, для него находиться в этом месте большая душевная польза

I received your letter with the letter from M. Treasurers. Do not be embarrassed by your ill health and your cramped circumstances. This is the path of monastic life for everyone who desires and seeks spiritual salvation. St. John Climacus says that if a monk experiences sorrow and illness, then this is a sure sign that there is great spiritual benefit for him in this place. Therefore, our invisible enemies, through thoughts, try to oust such a person from the place he occupies. But one should by no means give in to them, but must endure whatever comes their way, constantly calling on God’s help and humbling oneself before the Lord and people, that is, considering oneself worse and more sinful than everyone else in the world. Be patient, sister, consoling yourself with the fact that for enduring sorrows the Lord has prepared eternal, unspeakable joy. Sometimes, when you are depressed in spirit, tell yourself (as our late Father Ambrose used to tell us in his time): “Moses endured, Elisha endured, Elijah endured, I will endure.” – Remember also that none of the people without sorrows has inherited eternal life. Let people reproach you and call you names one way or another. They themselves do not know what they are doing. Pray for them with this prayer: “Save, O Lord, and have mercy on Your handmaids (names), and on them for the sake of St. prayers, have mercy on me too, a sinner.” Such a prayer is soothing. Peace to you and God's blessing. You might be interested in: