АНГЕЛЫ

1. Angels always bring a sacrifice of praise to God, and we offer a sacrifice of contrition. And during the day, instead of fingering the rosary, try to be smart before God, the Jesus Prayer. Just as Angels are always before the face of God, so we must try. They offer a sacrifice of praise, and we offer a sacrifice of contrition (1, p. 73) 13 . 2. The words you heard in your soul are spoken by the Guardian Angel The words you heard in your soul are spoken by the Guardian Angel (3, p. 210). 3. Live communication with Angels and saints I have already written to you that internal suggestions come from the Guardian Angel and the saints of God, to whom you pray or pay homage. It always happens that just as our heartfelt prayers are immediately heard by the saints, so their word to us immediately responds in our soul, as happens on telegraphs. The communication between our world and the heavenly one is always alive. Take care to always maintain a holy mood and always be in living communion with the saints of God. They see us - and either rejoice when our hearts are in good order, or they are sad and mourn when things are bad (3, p. 218). 4. Have an appeal to your holy Guardian Angel, and he will admonish you in any case Your Guardian Angel, watching over you, reminds you through your conscience of fervent prayer and the wrath of your invisible enemy. Have an appeal to your holy Guardian Angel, and he will admonish you in any case (3, p. 245). So what kind of exploits you have there!.. The Lord is near, protecting us all. The enemy is cunning, but the Angel of God is stronger than him: he will wave his sword, and all the webs of the enemy will scatter like dust swept by the wind - (4, pp. 55–56). 6. Inner revelations through the Guardian Angel Abide with the Lord. I recently learned from a nun who sometimes hears a calming voice inside her: “don’t forget the Lord” or “don’t defile your heart with empty speeches and thoughts.” This is what the Guardian Angel is telling her. And for others, this is said by their own conscience and their fear of God (4, p. 94). What is the point of what you heard in your heart and mind, who can figure it out? Since this had a good effect for you, then it must be done by the Angel of God. Everyone has a Guardian Angel, and so do you. He speaks with his tongue to the soul, which is the same as him. The trace of speech is imprinted on the mind and heart. Something similar happens to everyone who pays attention to himself. But in general, such actions must be taken with great caution and distrust. God forbid you take the wrong step. It happens that the enemy points out something that seems right; but he wants to lead astray, deviating from the right side 14. We must pay attention and not believe everything indiscriminately (4, pp. 202–203). 7. The visible appearance of an Angel is lower than the invisible guiding suggestion St. Gregory of Nyssa, brother of St. Basil the Great, how he rebelled against female travelers! Gregory Dvoeslov, whose Presanctified Liturgy we have, did the same. And of the ascetics, how many were not favorable to this?! And you are all yours. Sit in a monastery and in a cell - this is the greatest feat. Go around the holy places in your mind, as you do, and worship the Lord intelligently, who has shown in them the signs of His favor towards us. This is better than bodily worship. And everything intelligent, heartfelt, spiritual is incomparably higher than the visible. Even the visible appearance of an Angel is lower than the angelic invisible guiding suggestion. Confirm yourself in sitting in your cell and not leaving the monastery. This is the real science of monasticism. Prayer, reading and handicrafts in the cell and obedience in the church, and that’s it. How simple and uncomplicated! What don’t you pick up on the road? Why haven’t you seen and heard enough? (4, p. 209). 8. About the recordings of the Angel's suggestions You mentioned... The angel suggests what and how. Get a notebook and write it down. These are heavenly treasures. And then you yourself will read it comfortingly and edifyingly, and others would read it afterwards not without benefit. When a hundred have gathered, you can give it to the editor - and get reprints... And God will go through God’s world (6, p. 138). Was the fallen angel free? Of course. In Scripture, where it speaks of Angels, it is spoken everywhere in such a way that one cannot help but see that the one speaking about them recognizes them as free. It is also said that God did not spare the angels who sinned. If he did not spare him, he arbitrarily declared them sinners. They are also called the disobedient. Consequently, they had the freedom to submit. Angels who have observed their rank are free to fall, but they will not want to do so because of the abundance of blessings they have tasted from their obedience to the will of God. The fallen are called those who did not observe their rank, those who did not submit. Consequently, the definite will of God and a definite indication of deeds were clearly told to them, just like Adam in paradise. And what it is is not visible anywhere (7, p. 110). 10. About the means of communication of the soul with Angels and the spiritual world Just keep in mind that the soul has the thinnest shell and that this shell is the same for our soul, as for all spirits. From this it is not difficult for you to draw the conclusion that that universal subtlest element from which these shells and in which all spirits soar is a mediator for the mutual communication of our souls and the spirits of those. Now take a break from this idea and turn your attention to the usual affairs between us. You now live in Moscow, sit within the walls of your apartment, surrounded on all sides by buildings and, wherever you turn your eyes, you meet obstacles everywhere: many objects block the keenness and farsightedness of your eyes. But if you were to rise above Moscow on some kind of balloon, you would unhinderedly see not only all of it, but also its surroundings. If you climbed even higher, you would see what is around you. Strengthen your vision and take you higher and higher, you can see St. Petersburg, Paris, London, etc. All this is because your vision has become sharper and there are no obstacles to seeing (9, p. 49). Go now again to the saints of God. The element we are talking about passes everywhere and does not encounter any hindrance anywhere. A ray of sun passes through the glass, and that element passes through the glass, and through the walls, and through the earth, and through everything. But just as it passes through everything, so those who hover in it can pass through everything when necessary (as the Savior went into the upper room where the apostles were, with the door closed 15). They live in a certain place; but when they are commanded or allowed, they are immediately transported wherever needed by that element and not only do not encounter any obstacles, but do not even see them. When necessary, they are transferred; and when there is no such need, staying in their place, they see in all directions, what is where and what is going on where. And when their eyes turn to the earth, that is, to us sinners, they clearly see us too... only not this rough body of ours, which they have nothing to do with, but they see our soul itself, as it is, not directly, but through the shell of the soul, akin to their shell and the element in which they live, for the state of the soul is truly reflected in its shell (9, pp. 49-50). Now, please imagine: two people are sitting and talking, while the soul of each is configured in its own way. Each of them does not see what is in the other’s soul because of the rough curtain of the body behind which the soul hides; and Angels and saints, if they turn their gaze to them, will see their soul as it is and what is in it, for what it is and what is reflected in its shell. If it contains holy thoughts and feelings, its shell is light, and with each holy feeling it is light in a special way. And if her thoughts and feelings are not entirely pure, then her shell is not bright and from each unclean feeling it is darkened in its own way, appearing sometimes like fog, sometimes like the darkness of the night. If you ascended to Heaven and perceived angelic vision, having, of course, taken away this body, then, looking at the earth, you would see, instead of a diverse mass of people, certain shadows: light, half-light, foggy, gloomy; Moreover, it is not surprising that those dressed in light would seem gloomy to you if their soul is bad, and those dressed in rags would seem bright if their soul is pure. And this is how the celestials see us; and, judging by how they see us, they rejoice or mourn for us (9, pp. 50–51). 11. Vision of Angels healing an old man Someone lived somewhere far away in the desert. His insides began to hurt: his lungs, or his heart, or his liver, or all together. Pain - even if you die. Having nowhere to expect human help, I resorted to God with all-powerful prayer. The Lord heard. One night, falling asleep, he sees such a vision. Two Angels came with knives, cut it open, took out the diseased parts, cleaned them, washed them and lubricated them with something. Then they put everything in its place, sprinkled it with something, and everything grew together, as if there were no cuts. Having woken up, the old man stood up completely healthy, as if he had never been sick, brand new, like a young man in the prime of his life (9, p. 90). 12. Simplicity and humility - two krills, communicating speed I remember that only one ancient elder wrote down... just not what you have... but thoughts that were especially sharply imprinted on the soul. He wrote them down with charcoal on the walls of the cell and read them. This, he said, was what the Angel inspired me with. You could do this too, but I think it is difficult to distinguish what is written on your own from what is suggested. And it’s better not to do this either: the simpler life, the better. Simplicity and humility are two krills that convey speed (5, p. 28). Links to sources of the works of St. Theophan - Appendix 1. For obscure words and expressions, see Dictionary – Book II, Appendix 2. ...when the doors were locked (John 20:26). (Italics are ours. – Ed.) You might be interested in: