684. Не скорбите о своем начальствовании. Если во всем искать и ожидать помощи от Бога, то Он будет управлять Вами и вашими делами

M. St. O. n. G.I.H.B.n. p.n. Your Reverence, most honorable in the Lord Mother Abbess Leonida! I received two letters from you with 5 rubles and a coupon, and at your request I am sending you four copies of the biography of Father Fr. Ambrose. Grieve over your superiors, and thoughts come to you whether you have sinned by taking on this task that is beyond your strength. – Looking at the circumstances under which you took over, we can positively say that you did not sin. And that this task is beyond your strength, then you must tell the truth that it is beyond the strength of any of the abbots. But if you cast your sorrow on the Lord in everything and from Him alone seek and expect help and admonition, then the Lord Himself will invisibly control both you and your affairs, so that you yourself will exclaim in the feeling of your heart: “Wonderful are Your works, Lord! You have done all things with wisdom and now you are doing them to me, Your sinful and unworthy servant!” After all, this is all the Lord seeks from us, so that we humble ourselves, so that we recognize our powerlessness, our insignificance, our wretchedness, our worthlessness, and turn to Him with all our hearts and diligently ask Him for help, as He Himself says through St. Prophet David: “Call Me in the day of your tribulation, and destroy you, and glorify Me.” And he also said: “My power is made perfect in weakness.” And St. The Apostle Paul said about himself: “When I am weak, then am I strong,” that is, strong through the omnipotent grace of God. When a person in the feeling of his heart, like a helpless child, calls out to the Lord: “Help, have mercy, save!” - then the Lord, by His infinite goodness, cannot help but listen to the crying voice of the calling sinner. And He Himself said as a consolation to us sinners: “The mother will quickly forget her child, but I will not forget.” So, most venerable Mother, do not let your heart be troubled, nor may your superiors frighten you, just try to live and act according to your conscience. Even if you stumble, do not lose heart, but bring repentance to the Lord with firm hope in God’s mercy. You wrote that your priest submitted a request to transfer him to another parish. - This means that he does not change with another priest and your place should remain empty. In this case, it would be good for you to go to the Metropolitan and ask him to appoint an elderly priest for you who could edify the sisters of your monastery both in word and by the example of his life, keeping silent about the morality of the priest leaving you. Asking for you and the sisters of your monastery the peace and blessing of God, I remain with sincere goodwill. You might be interested in: