544. Дар слез надо усердно просить у Господа, всячески утесняя тело. Проси на все помощи Божией и сама не ленись нудить себя

I received your letter and Lyubov Artemyeva’s letter in the same envelope, and therefore I am answering in the same envelope. Perform your morning and evening prayers with attention, and there you will see what sins you should repent of in these prayers, which the saints were not deprived of. But they sincerely confessed them to the Lord every day in their morning and evening prayers. Ask the Lord to give you a contrite and humble heart, then there will be tears. The Holy Fathers command us to earnestly ask for this gift from the Lord and, on our part, to oppress the body in every possible way by abstinence of the tongue, abstinence of the belly, abstinence in clothing and rest, and so on. Ask for God’s help in everything and don’t be lazy, force yourself to receive humility, silence, patience, etc. Invoking the peace and blessing of God, I remain with sincere goodwill. You might be interested in: