Message to the fathers remaining in Dragomirna

Another message after moving to the Sekul Monastery, to the fathers who remained in Dragomirna 1 Brothers and fathers and my spiritual children, I know that voluptuousness, love not according to God, effeminacy and especially self-love, like other passions, always overcome us and change us so much and give us a different appearance that we begin to look down at the earth, become “flesh and blood” (see 1 Cor. 15:50) and from this we are completely alienated from the good God, and therefore it has always been in my mind thoughts to write, at least briefly and in the simplest words, a small teaching to encourage you to fulfill the commandments of God and preserve the commandments of the holy fathers, and also in order to advise you in the Lord how you should walk the field of holy obedience and remain in it, performing deeds of piety. And until now I could not write, being burdened both by my physical weakness and by many other responsibilities and concerns that always lie before me. But now, with all the infirmity and weakness that I have, receiving great help from your holy prayers, I read three or four times here in the assembly to the fathers, who in the name of the Lord gathered under the yoke of holy and divine obedience, something from the words of our holy father Abba Dorotheos, explaining to the fathers in detail the teachings of the saint, which speak about humility and, I will say briefly, about doing every commandment of God and about how to perform deeds of piety. And the souls of many brothers were resurrected, for they all immediately began to follow in practice the teachings of the saint, or, more truly, the Holy and Life-giving Spirit. Therefore, now I have considerable joy in my soul on the occasion of this, for which I glorify the most merciful God every hour with tears. It is also true that, due to the duty I have, I did not shy away from writing to you, my dear brothers and children, these simple and small instructive words, since I have a duty both to the 2 brothers who are here and to teach you and with God’s advice to encourage you to every good deed. For although we are separated so much that we live in these two holy monasteries, our cathedral is one and all of it is connected by the same bonds of love for God, as if we all lived together inseparably. I also learned about your life, especially about some of the brothers - I’m not talking about all of them - that they are easily inclined to violate the commandments, which the holy fathers command to observe and fulfill with all attention, so that good reverence is preserved among us: they walk with all sorts of debauchery from cell to cell, spending time in vain conversations and laughter. And not only this, but they also go out openly to the gates of the holy monastery and sit idly without the fear of God, and from idleness some of these, having become irreverent, reached the point of complete inattention and insensibility, becoming obstinate, disobedient, quick-tempered, angry, disobedient, disobedient, murmuring, ungrateful and lazy in every good work of God. For what else can idleness teach, if only not all evil, as the Holy Fathers testify. Therefore, my dear fathers and brothers and children, with the pain of my heart I beg you: be sober, all those who have fallen into such sins, and, with the help of God, make the beginning of correction, spitting on every habit and evil, cursed disposition, and make your members, as the Apostle says, slaves of justice in holiness (see Rom. 6:19). Accept Divine understanding (cf. 1 Cor. 2:16). “Turn away from evil and do good” (see Ps. 33:15). Love the world and cultivate it. Flee from the corrupt advice that our enemy, the devil, pours out through the unsteady and frivolous, as he once poured out in paradise through the serpent on Eve, our foremother. For many, including some of our brothers, listening to corrupt advice and following their own will and opinion, not only did not succeed in any virtue and living according to the will of God, but also fell away from the common fraternal life, renounced their vows, which they made when taking tonsure before God and the holy angels, and now they do everything according to their will to ignite the eternal fire. May the Holy God, through your prayers, give them the knowledge of justice and correction. However, you yourself have known what darkness and burden appears in the soul from contempt and non-observance of the holy commandments and the Divine Gospel, advice and decisions left by the holy fathers through enlightenment from the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I, the unworthy one, advise and command in the Lord: from now onwards, lay the beginning of correction and in particular, with the help of God, destroy from your midst idle talk, which secretly kills your souls, as well as going from cell to cell unnecessarily, and if the need arises for one to go to another, then let this also be with the knowledge and blessing of the confessor. Be meek and humble towards everyone, following the meekness and humility of Christ, Who, during all His sufferings, which He voluntarily endured for our salvation, was not angry, did not contradict those who dishonored and reviled Him, but also prayed to His Heavenly Father for them, so that He would forgive them these sins. Be submissive, quick to obey, unquestioning, and besides all this, acquire humility in your hearts, with which you can extinguish all the fiery arrows of the devil (see Eph. 6:16), who, like a lion, walks around, roaring and looking around for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). Always confess all your thoughts to your confessor, for through pure confession all the advice of the enemy will fall apart. And do not like to sit in your cells for even one hour without handicraft and idly, since idleness, as I have already said, teaches a monk all kinds of evil. Be occupied with the work of your hands, and with all the public works which you are commanded to do. And maintain the order and rule of the Holy Church, especially since you also have a warm church there. Those who know how to read and write should read with attention the books of the Holy Fathers, since thanks to books a person’s mind is enlightened, and he acquires zeal to fulfill the commandments of the Holy Gospel, for without doing the commandments of God, it is impossible to be saved by naked Christian faith alone. After all, as the apostle says, faith without good works is dead (see James 2:20), and works without faith are also dead (cf. 1 Pet. 1:9; Rom. 1:17; 3:28). Therefore, combine both, that is, faith and doing the commandments of God, so that that prophetic voice, saying: “This people is close to Me with their lips, but far in heart” (see Isa. 29:13; Matt. 15:8; Mark 7:6). And in another place it is also said: “There are some who bless God with their lips, but deny God with their deeds” (see Titus 1:16). Therefore, be sober, children, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers of darkness (see Eph. 6:12). May God, who rests on the cherubim in the highest, seeing your feat and zeal, strengthen you with His grace to fulfill His holy commandments and to perform every good deed. In particular, I am writing to you that everyone should keep inviolably the following commandments every day (for this is what I commanded all the brothers here): everyone should bring a tub or at least a bowl of water to the kitchen and help at least a little with washing the dishes, and help with anything else that is needed. The same is true in the bakery - let him sift one or two sifters of flour and help knead the dough (whoever is stronger in body), because the brothers assigned to those obediences should have relief. Also, every brother should clean the chimney of his stove every week, and let no one put wood or chips on the stove or between the stove and the wall, so that all worries about a fire will disappear. In the monastery, everyone should walk with reverence, keeping their hands folded at their waists. No one should visit each other’s cells unnecessarily, and if necessary, the visit should be with the knowledge and blessing of the confessor, as I have already said. Likewise, there will be no gatherings, whether at the gates or in any other place, and especially with idle talk. I have also prescribed penance for those who do not observe and fulfill these commandments: they should not drink wine. And since those who are here 3 have learned to do and observe this with great attention, I beg you also, my honest and most kind children - since here and there, without distinction, everything is one council - that you too there observe and fulfill this with all zeal and diligence. No matter how great and difficult these commandments may be, if you only show your will, all of you, except the sick and old, will be able to fulfill them, so that both there and here there will be the same order everywhere. Also the church brothers 4 - and they should try to follow all this, since they too can find time, especially after the church service; and let everyone know that if anyone, due to laziness or neglect, does not observe this, then I gave a firm, special command to the stewards who were appointed there in my place, not to give wine to any of them. With all this, I still beg you with tears, my dear children and brothers, that each of you persevere in your service with courage, in every good deed, so that your bodily deeds may be united with your other virtues. Because in the place where this is and is fulfilled, there God rests, there the light shines, there the world appears, there Satan has no place for himself, passions run far away from there. And where there is no care about this, everything is the opposite: instead of good there is evil, instead of light there is darkness, instead of Christ there is the devil. Therefore, be vigilant, you, my child, confessor Narcissus, stay awake, examine the hearts of the brothers through confession and instruct them in every good deed, so that they, along with everyone else, receive a reward from the hero of God. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ always be with you, my most honorable brothers. Amen. Written by the Monk Paisius after he moved with part of the brethren from the Dragomirna Monastery to Sekul Translation of the message from Church Slavonic. language is based on a book that is being prepared for publication by the Heritage of the Orthodox East Foundation: Paisius (Velichkovsky), St. Polemical works, teachings, letters / comp. P. B. Zhgun, M. A. Zhgun; under general ed. O. A. Rodionova. [M., 2007.] That is, in the Sekul Monastery. That is, the brothers of the Sekul Monastery. That is, clergy and brothers who bear obedience in the church during divine services.