Видения

Most of the ascetics of the Western Church, proclaimed by it to be the greatest saints, - after its falling away from the Eastern Church and after the retreat of the Holy Spirit from it - prayed and achieved visions, of course, false... These imaginary saints were in the most terrible demonic delusion. Prelest is already naturally erected on the basis of blasphemy, with which the heretics perverted the dogmatic faith. The behavior of the ascetics of Latinism, overwhelmed by delusion, was always frantic due to the extraordinary material passionate fervor. This was the state of Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit Order. His imagination was so heated and sophisticated that, as he himself asserted, he only had to want and use some tension, and hell or heaven appeared before his eyes at his request. The appearance of heaven and hell was not accomplished by one act of human imagination; the action of human imagination alone is not enough for this: the phenomenon was accomplished by the action of demons, who added their abundant action to the insufficient human action, coupled action with action, replenishing action with action on the basis of the free will of man, who had chosen and adopted a false direction. It is known that visions are granted to the true saints of God solely by the good will of God and by the action of God, and not by the will of man and not by his own effort - they are granted unexpectedly, very rarely, in cases of special need, according to the wondrous provision of God, and not as if it happened. 32 The intensified feat of those in delusion usually stands next to deep depravity. Corruption serves as an assessment of the flame that kindles the seduced. This is confirmed by both the stories of history and the testimony of the fathers. In your invisible feat, be guided by the instructions of the holy fathers of your Church: from every vision, from every voice outside and inside you, before you are renewed by the clear action of the Holy Spirit, they command you to turn away, as from a clear reason for self-delusion 33 . Keep your mind formless, drive away all dreams and opinions that approach it, with which the fall has replaced the truth. Clothed in repentance, stand with fear and reverence before the great God, who is able to cleanse your sins and renew you with His Most Holy Spirit. The coming Spirit will guide you “into all truth” (John 16:13). The feeling of crying and repentance is the only thing needed by a soul that has come to the Lord with the intention of receiving forgiveness of its sins from Him. This is the good part! If you have chosen her, then may she not be taken away from you! Do not exchange this treasure for empty, false, violent, supposedly blessed feelings, do not destroy yourself with self-flattery. Saint Isaac of Syria. Word 36. Venerable Gregory of Sinaite. About prelest, etc. Philokalia. Part 1. St. Callistus and Ignatius Xanthopoulos. Ch. 73. Philokalia. Part 2. You might be interested in: