694. Не всегда скоромная пища приносит пользу больным монахам. Покойный Батюшка о. Амвросий не разрешал Великим постом вкушать рыбу. Нельзя разрешать мужчинам входить в келлии монахинь

Your Reverence, most honorable in the Lord Mother Abbess Leonida! I received your letter dated February 19th. You ask me, a sinner, whether sick sisters, as prescribed by the doctor, should eat fast food. – Those who wish, let them eat with repentance, and those who do not wish, should not be forced, for we see from experience that modest food does not always benefit sick monks. You yourself wrote that some sisters feel sick from the meager food. What will be the benefit of taking this food in this case? One must eat the food that nature asks for. You also write about yourself that you are unwell and your sisters are pestering you to allow you to eat fish during Lent. – My opinion is this: for now, stick to the advice of our late Father Fr. Ambrose: “eat potatoes with faith.” At the same time, it would be good for you to communicate the Holy Mysteries of Christ more often through this post, at least every week. Due to illness, you can only fast for one day, for example, Friday, and report back on Saturday. The late Father Fr. Ambrose, no matter how ill he was, did not allow fish during Lent. Another example. Fr. lived with us in Optina in retirement. Archimandrite Yuvenaly (now Archbishop of Vilna). He once had to celebrate Lent sick. In bewilderment, he said: “What will I eat now?” And yet he still didn’t allow me to fish. However, I will add to this: look at your bodily strength; if they noticeably weaken from day to day, in this case you can somewhat adhere to the doctor’s advice, with repentance and self-reproach. In extreme cases, Father Fr. Ambrose used to repeat the popular proverb: “Beat the sieve, if the sieve doesn’t fit.” We must try to carry out the decree of the Holy Synod exactly and not at all allow men (even if they were fathers) to go to the cells of nuns. Otherwise, you will sin before God, before your superiors and before your conscience. After all, this rule seems inconvenient to some only the first time, but then they will get used to it and begin to follow it without burden. Asking for you and your entire monastery for peace and God's blessing, I remain with sincere goodwill. You might be interested in: