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1. Following the Lord is a yoke. Resist yourself for the bad and force yourself for the good You take up work “not always out of desire, but more out of compulsion.” This is the law - to resist yourself in the bad and force yourself to do the good. This is what the Lord’s words mean, that the Kingdom of God is in need and women in need delight it 174. Because of this, following the Lord is a yoke. If everything were done according to desire, what kind of yoke would there be in this? – In the end, however, it comes that everything is done willingly and easily (1, p. 216). 2. Indulgences and concessions to your desires increase the period of cleansing from passions You think: in order to destroy the evil caused by 47 years of debauchery, you need to work just as hard in the good order of life... No, this is not at all true. Everything stained by disgust from him and merciless opposition to him is cleansed, with faith, hope and love for the Lord. There are these dispositions in such strength that in an instant everything is cleaned out. So it was with the thief on the cross. Today you will be with Me in Paradise 175, the Lord promised him. And nothing unclean will enter heaven. For others, however, this cleansing takes a long time - most of all from self-indulgence and concessions to one’s desires (1, pp. 220–221). 3. The feat must be permanent You put fasting in all fasts. Wonderful. May God grant you to do this properly. Be careful not to listen to the enemy, who will begin to dissuade you, present evil reasons... it is important to stand your ground against the enemy’s whispers. The ancient fathers always had a rule - to have some kind of business that required labor in order to exercise their strength and do struggle experiments (1, pp. 225–226). 4. In the matter of salvation, the main thing is not works, but the disposition of the heart The work of salvation requires not the main thing, but the disposition of the heart. When the heart is filled with good dispositions, then godly activities stand without deeds. Watch your heart and do not allow anything unclean, anything wrong, or anything unloving to enter there. In other churches, wherever you look, candles are burning: so, when the heart harbors good dispositions, it is full of brightly burning candles, visible from Heaven, and attracting Divine favor (1, p. 258). 5. About the need for external feat - hard work It is impossible to remain without activities or deeds performed by the body. You just need to turn them to the glory of God. The mental side is busy with reading, the heart with sympathy for what is being read and prayer... and the active side with what? Leave her alone - there will be emptiness, desolation and relaxation of the first two. The Egyptians never stopped handicrafts, even when someone came, they talked, talked, but did not stop working... Labor is a great thing. When chemistry gets in the way, quit it. Take something else. Why don't you start translating some good books? There are many good books in French, German and English. They would translate it and publish it. I have a library of apologists in French, and much more can be found (2, p. 98). 6. Spiritual endeavors require continuous and intense work The greatest danger from tireless efforts is the suppression of religious feelings. You seem to be experiencing this. And it’s a shame: it’s very possible to become completely cold, as you fear. But this is not due to the nature of everyday affairs, but because of our oversight, due to which we allow ourselves to get bogged down with thoughts, feelings, desires, and worries in only everyday things. But this may not happen. Begin everything with prayer, continue with hope, end with thanksgiving. Every deed will be shrouded in the Divine robe, and will not knock God out of the soul... Then, moving from deed to deed, at the transition, drive out everything worldly from the soul and be with God with attention and feeling, or repeat some verse from the psalms. The stalling of prayer is a very sad thing... Whenever you feel it, do not ignore it. Take a book about prayer and read in depth. Little by little, the ascent to God in prayer will come to life. Remember to take care of this and pray to the Lord so that He does not deprive you of the consolations of prayer. Nothing in human affairs is achieved without labor. Spiritual endeavors require the most intense labor, and continuous labor at that (2, p. 128). 7. Bodily labor humbles and fills gaps Physical labor humbles, fills gaps, and does not allow thoughts to wander. Replacing it with bows is good - this is the best work. But is this always possible? The Egyptian elders sat at work from morning to evening, in mental prayer and contemplation of God. The prayer rule was celebrated at night. And St. Isaac the Syrian does not favor work: he turns it away, he says, from God. This is true when the work is sophisticated, but the simple work is nothing (2, p. 147). 8. Active and contemplative life Active and contemplative life proceeds this way: they are established in deeds and doings and develop contemplation in themselves. But activity does not stop even after this, it only gives way to contemplation. In your situation, it seems to be both. And let him go. When you have settled the children, then give full rein to contemplation. Contemplation is higher, for it is the forerunner of future bliss, and we live here in order to prepare for the future life (2, p. 147). Sleep a lot and eat a lot. How can one measure this much? Not for hours and weight, but so that food does not burden you and sleep does not relax you. Yes, not to have an addiction to them, but not to please the flesh, but to satisfy its needs... The flesh, this slave, must be beaten with something, at least a little, but beaten all the time (2, pp. 147-148). 10. The body must be kept in line at all times, like a soldier on parade. The body must be constantly kept in line, like a soldier on parade, not allowing oneself to loosen the limbs, not only when walking and sitting, but also when standing and lying down (2, p. 176). 11. Do things as if the eye of God were watching how things are done Everyone who comes or everyone you meet must be accepted as a messenger of God. Let the first question be within yourself: what does the Lord want me to do in this or for this person? Accept everyone as the image of God, with respect and desire to do good to him (2, pp. 176–177). God gave you tears. This is good. But temporary tears are not everything. There needs to be permanent ones. There are tears in the heart that are better than those flowing from the eyes. The flowing eyes feed the worm of vanity, but those from the heart are known to the One God. In public it is better to hold back tears, remaining with heartfelt contrition (2, p. 177). 13. Without moderation in sleep and food there will be no spiritual life (comparison with an electric machine) “I sleep a lot, eat a lot.” Sybaritism comes out, Mohammedanism. Have you seen an electric car? Near the wheel she has a copper cylinder, into which electricity passes from the wheel through friction and accumulates in it in such a force that it can kill if touched carelessly. But if you put a chain from this cylinder into the ground, then there will be no electricity in it and the sign, because at the same time it enters the cylinder, it goes into the chain and goes into the ground. This is exactly the situation you are in with your sleep and food. Whatever spiritual things you manage to collect, everything that dissipates through them leaves, and you are empty. No, the body must be constrained by little sleep and little food and overexertion. Which of our fathers had success without constraint of the flesh? I think I wrote to you that you need to keep your body in line... like a soldier in front. This is what I am saying now. While you are resting the body, do not expect anything good (2, pp. 181–182). 14. On abstaining from offensive feelings and speech when meeting others We need more humility. Speeches or outbursts of words that are upsetting to others, are they not from the nobility? The consciousness of lordship is pride, a thing very displeasing to God and the most harmful in moral life. Delve into and pull out this root of sorrow, if it turns out to be a vegetative one (2, p. 204). When eating, reduce your nutrition a little; and also to take something away from sleep. How it is - see for yourself. There is no need to bind yourself, but to act freely, sometimes this way, sometimes that way, keeping one thing in mind - not to please the flesh and not to be self-pleasing in anything. And you can also sleep or stay awake reasonably, having one measure - not to fall asleep soundly (2, p. 177). 16. Strict deeds without the spirit of life for the moral system bring disorder and destruction No one puts patches of unbleached cloth on old clothes... no one pours new wine into old wineskins... What does the Savior want to show with this comparison? With these comparisons, the Lord showed that strict exploits without the spirit of true life... do not bring benefit to the moral system, but disorder and destruction. The repentant is given grace, which forms in him the determination to please the Lord without sparing his life. Whoever has such determination will benefit from all his exploits... And whoever doesn’t, when he sometimes takes up, for example, a strict fast, he pulls and pulls and gives up... And his life after this is even worse (2, p. 227). 17. The main goal of Christian exploits is cleansing the heart from passions The main goal of the entire life of Christians... all labors and exploits, and where these exploits should therefore be directed... is precisely the cleansing of the heart from passions... Whoever’s heart is purified will not be detained in ordeals... Save yourself (3, p. 131)! 18. How long can you hide your affairs in spiritual life? If you can, hide your affairs in spiritual life as much as possible and do not reveal them in your eyes, in conversations, or in other relationships, but act simply... just avoid empty chatter (3, p. 156). 19. Answers to questions about drinking wine and oil Eat everything offered at the meal, without hesitation, but with abstinence and effort. Our oil is five times weaker than oriental wood oil. On the contrary, the wine prescribed in the Charter is grape wine - weak. Our vodka is ten times stronger (3, p. 181). 20. About the fight against drowsiness What happens to you in a dream is a natural thing, and there is nothing sinful here. Regretting this, of course, is not a bad thing. But what will you do?! Try, when they read to you, not to sit down, but to walk. Maybe sleep won't take you away. If it is difficult to walk due to previous fatigue, then it is better to sit up straight and then sleep. Sleep a little, and then force me to read. I allow you to sleep for two hours or more after services or early. And then listen to the reading. If this is also inconvenient, then there is nothing left to do but fight with strength. If you fall asleep, scold yourself and that’s all. It seems that you have already approached old age (3, p. 187188). When they read to you, perhaps it is better for you not to sit still, but to sit and walk around a little. The dream will dissipate (3, p. 190). 21. Overcoming sleep is a gift of God Overcoming sleep is a gift from God. If it were necessary for you to be delivered from this illness, the Lord would have taken away your sleep long ago. Doesn't it take away? That's right, because it's not good for you. However, not so that you sleep, but so that you have something to fight with. This is for you to exercise your moral strength (3, p. 190). All excesses do not lead to good. Before the enemy has time to make you indulge yourself in anything, then he instills immeasurable severity and then forces you to do the same. You cannot do without food and sleep. Having become exhausted to the point of impotence, it is necessary to do the necessary things, it is necessary to return to food and sleep. And this is where the enemy takes his toll, introducing both eating and sleeping a lot (3, p. 209). Kindly choose a measured rule in food and drink, as all the saints did. Let you have a brew, an egg, a piece of caviar and other things that are easier. Nothing for the sake of carnality, but only for health and never eat enough: satiety among monks is the same as satiety among the laity (3, p. 209). 23. Measures against absent-mindedness In order not to be distracted, you came up with the idea of refreshing your mortal memory with the striking of the clock; do not forget to restore your zeal and attention to the Lord every hour. This is good work (3, p. 212)! 24. Rest when physically tired Exhaustion does not come from laziness. I think this can be seen. Then give yourself a little rest. See for yourself where to insert it. Where is more convenient? After the all-night vigil, you can sit for a while, because if you lie down, you will lie down. You can drink tea, but do not turn it into a law, but accept it at your own discretion, so that in this matter the flesh, but the discretion of your conscience, is not the mistress. After mass you can also rest... and again in the same spirit (3, p. 219). 25. Small actions that are condemned by conscience should not be allowed You wrote that you allow some minor actions, for which your conscience later denounces you. This must be prevented as much as we can. Peace of conscience is the first condition for a peaceful relationship with God, and these latter constitute the conditions for spiritual success in the inner life. To conquer your desires, knowing that it is better to refuse them than to obey them, is a sacrifice pleasing to God, for which He will reward with inner consolation. And to lower these cases to victory over oneself means to place pleasing God below self-pleasing. When the enemy tells you ahead: “Make this and that order,” do not listen to him, but, having driven him away with hostility towards him and his lessons, continue your prayer without interruption (3, p. 231). 26. Approval for the good celebration of Pentecost It’s already halfway through Lent. How has the merciful Lord blessed you to manage fasting, both physical and mental? That's right, it's going well for you. Don't weaken. Having strengthened yourself under the influence of the Adoration of the Cross last week, you will live to Holy Week without weakening; and there the Passionate One, painting before you the picturesque passions of Christ, will dispose you to the suffering of Christ and inspire you to do things that at other times do not even occur to you. May the Lord make you wise in every possible way in the work of achieving salvation (3, pp. 239–240). 27. About the fight against negligence You write about yourself: “My heart is cold, I am careless and faulty in everything.” May the Lord warm you! He is fire and, approaching the heart, warms and flames it. Run to the Lord and warm yourself with prayer! Bows are good. Apparent negligence... Therefore it happens that the memory of God fades away. Learn to do all things as directly commanded by God, and to do them for God and before God. There will be no place for negligence, and also no malfunction (4, p. 29). 28. About the dangers of idleness and the fight against it The solitude that awaits you is a great beneficial state. From the first days, try to establish an order of affairs and activities, directed towards one thing and so firmly adjacent to one another, so that there is not even a minute of idle time left. Idle time in a conspiracy with all the spirits against the poor soul... they will swoop in with the spirit and begin to tug at the soul: one offering one thing, the other offering another... still caring about one thing, as if to tear attention away from God and turn it first to something empty, and then to something not entirely good (4, pp. 37-38). 29. About the works of self-correction It’s a good thing you’ve decided to do: accustom yourself to monastic life through experiences of selflessness and renunciation of your will... God bless you! But don’t be afraid of failures and don’t be embarrassed by them... Will you miss?! Scold yourself and try not to miss next time. You'll miss again... and do the same again. You'll get to the point where you won't miss. You can renounce your will at every step... This is an internal matter. Decide not to act according to the demands of the body... to please it, and not out of need... and you will find experiences of renouncing your will at every moment... Just again, do not be embarrassed by failures... Let them exist... just do not put off the constant intention to go against the body in both big and small (4, pp. 69–70). 30. Every victory gives us a crown The main thing is not to allow sympathy, much less permission or complacency... Sympathy breaks out involuntarily, you need to fight it off... and replace it with disgust. Do not stop seeing the evil enemy in these uprisings - and provoke anger against them. Don’t give up, but keep fighting... Anyone caught in the water dangles with both arms and legs and thus prevents himself from plunging into the water. The Lord be your help! No one can cope with this without fighting. And one should have expected... But it can pass if you courageously arm yourself. For every victory over this gives a crown. Since it is unprofitable for the enemy to deliver the crowns, he withdraws and does not attack. Only natural movements will remain, but they are then sluggish and powerless and are soon stopped by harsh treatment of the body. Save yourself (4, p. 97)! 31. About constancy in feat Good, good! Fight... But never take off your weapons of war. Always be on guard like a warrior, constantly looking around, out of fear that the enemy might sneak in and deceive you in some way. It seems that I have already written to you more than once about how to meet enemy attacks. As soon as you notice something suitable that is unkind, immediately strike it with hostility, hatred and anger. This is the same as throwing it in the chest of an attacker. Then cry out to the Lord, to the Mother of God and the Guardian Angel for help. And don't stop screaming until it's over. And it will pass. Suddenly it never goes away, but after a while. And the whole point of inner life is this: to notice the enemy, give it to him in the chest and cry out to the Lord (4, pp. 97–98). 32. Crowns prepare temptations for good warriors Take heart! It is no sin that the enemy attacks and fights, and there is no sin in the fact that these attacks shake the soul and confuse. Both are the work of the enemy’s malice and are directed at his head. He is preparing crowns for you. Every time you repel an attack and win a victory, as a courageous warrior, you are not condemned by the Lord, but are awarded the St. George ribbon (4, pp. 100–101). 33. Passions are mortified through the mortification of the flesh. It’s summer... you can sometimes drink milk and even broth, eggs too... go outside the city, because there is no clean air in the city. There is always an admixture in it... The ancient elders wrote that they treated the body harshly, not meaning to kill it, but to kill passions through the mortification of the flesh (4, p. 154). 34. About being too strict with the body It seemed to me that, having established a routine for your cell activities and established a rule about food and sleep, you were so happy with it: nothing could be better, tea, nothing could happen. But be careful lest you ascend straight to heaven and look down on all others wandering the earth, weighed down with food and sleep and restless in vain affairs. At the very least, excessive strictness towards the body always leads to such dreams. You have 4 hours of sleep - and so little food. The body can't stand it. And it will always take its toll. And he will force you to sleep for whole days until he gets enough sleep, and he will force you to eat until he is satisfied. This has happened more than once. And you will have to break your rule, i.e. back away in shame. And if this does not happen, it is not surprising that your health will be upset. Isn’t it better therefore not to take it too steeply? And what else could it be? Visionary work will open up. The enemy will come in the form of a bright angel, and you don’t know what he can do to you. This is the path you have put yourself on! By exhausting your body you have exposed yourself to the enemy, but you have no one at hand with whom to talk. How long until trouble?! It would be great if there was such a need for such severity! There is none. You must first inflame your insides with love for the Lord, and then external exploits will take place on their own. So agree to soften your severity a little (4, pp. 163–164). Take 6 or 7 hours of sleep per day and prepare whatever brew you want every day, but on Sundays and holidays you can add more. At noon, eat the brew and in the evening, if necessary, bread and water. How to rearrange your other activities as a result, things will show. It's a good thing that you don't drink tea. It's a stupid habit. Please correct this part of your charter and do not contradict it (4, p. 164). If you agree to eat the brew at noon, then after this it is a very good time to sleep for half an hour or an hour. Saint Tikhon did the same. Then, after praying for half an hour, do your needlework until Vespers. Staying up at midnight is very detrimental to your health. Sleep better during this time, i.e. at midnight and the preceding and subsequent hours, namely 11, 12, 1, 2. If you add 10 and 3, then this will be enough to satisfy the requirements of bodily natural economy, especially if you add half an hour or an hour after lunch. We are called not to kill the body, but only not to create pleasures for the flesh in lust 176 (see Rom. 13:14). The law is reasonable maintenance of the body without concessions (4, p. 165). 35. The feat must be secret All kinds of feats must be carried out in such a way that no one in the monastery knows about them. As soon as they find out what it’s about, it’s really bad. Don’t think that concealment (so as not to be seen or known) is not strictly necessary. No: strictly. The feat they are talking about is empty, not worth a penny (4, p. 167). One fasting elder lived near the village. They began to praise him. He went around the village and ate. Another elder, when they praised one of those who lived near the village and did not enter it, said: “I would sometimes purposely walk through the village so that there would not be this empty rumor.” This is how they tried to hide everything from others. So you also need everyone to see that you, like everyone else, have nothing special. We have to hide everything. Manage it. And in speech, and in gait, and in techniques, everything should be as usual for everyone (4, p. 173). 36. External labors and exploits are only means to achieve the goal. The main thing is in feelings and dispositions External labors and exploits are means: they are valuable only if they lead to the goal and are required by it. And don’t stop thinking about them, no matter what they mean. The main thing is in feelings and dispositions. Pay all your attention to them if you have already established yourself in the external order of life (4, p. 169). 37. External feats - the scaffolding in the middle of which a building is being built You must walk your path with fear and trembling. Focus your attention least of all on external achievements. Although they are necessary, they are essentially scaffolding. A building is built in their midst, but they are not a building. The building is in the heart. Pay all your attention to the affairs of the heart (4, p. 172). 38. A cunning trick of the enemy - to weaken the feat How did you think that you had calmed down and the enemy wouldn’t bother you so much? Get that thought out of your head. It is from an enemy who wants to relax your attention (4, p. 179). 39. The need for gradual improvement in bodily feats My rule is to have moderation in everything. Especially in bodily exploits, moderation is needed so that the flesh can endure it. The Holy Fathers were very strict regarding the body, or, as they said, they lived a cruel life. But they got to this point gradually. They started out not too strictly, but then they treated themselves more and more strictly. Remember how Saint Abba Dorotheos dealt with St. Dositheus. We must live by this rule. And the holy fathers also had wisdom - not to invent strictness, but to take it upon themselves for any occasion, more according to the needs of inner life. So should you (4, p. 187). This work is... humility and attention, and within the heart a painful falling towards God - relentless, in every deed and word, in movement and sitting, at home and in church. May the Lord make you wise (4, p. 190)! Keep the prayer rule as it is, just be careful not to turn it into a mechanism. The form is empty, what is there? You have to put your soul into it. And don’t forget thoughts of God, reading, and physical labor. And you shouldn’t forget anything. There is a hard way. We must pay attention, be sober and stay awake. Help you, Lord, in everything (4, p. 202). I will grieve your sorrow for your brother. May God rest his soul. He died due to work at work. God bless! There is a martyrdom part to it. For such a death, thank the Lord (4, p. 209). 42. The danger of taking a crooked path For God's sake, look inside yourself and take care to maintain the order there. The external one is needed, but it is a stand. I am afraid, very afraid, that you will stop at external order. You will freeze in it, and everything will go upside down. So, please, direct all your attention to this point, so that the enemy will not disgrace you by pushing you onto crooked roads (4, p. 215). 43. Only with constant struggle can one expect God’s visit Organize fasting for yourself more often with all its accessories: stopping everyday affairs or, in extreme cases, fasting, deeds of charity, going to church, home prayers, pious reflections, reading and conversations, especially mental prayer. But even the intermediate time between fasts must be spent in such a way as not to deviate too far from the rules observed during fasting. Only with such constancy of self-compulsion can one expect a visit from God, according to the beginning often repeated by St. Macarius: “God will see that you earnestly desire and force yourself to do it, and He will give it” (10, p. 110, footnote 1). 44. About labor and self-coercion Help you, Lord, to be greatly strengthened by His spirit, and you need to take care of this, even if you are ill, if you are not collected within yourself, and when you are sick, you must fall to the Lord. This cannot be obtained on your own, but it is not given without labor either. From there and from here - it is necessary, it is necessary. First, God created light, and then gathered it into luminaries. So it is with us. There is goodness, but it is scattered or spilled. We need to bring everything together. And it seems that the soul is asking for this... but it won’t guess. And most importantly, there is self-pity. Lord, have mercy on us! Without work and self-compulsion we will not succeed in anything. Even just a little bit, you have to force yourself, even if just by a hair's breadth. When there is zeal and zeal, everything will go well. But true jealousy is merciless towards itself. Is there more to it and is the foundation good? The foundation is this: a deep sense of sinfulness and irresponsibility before God. All hope then is the Savior; and hence the incessant: Lord, have mercy (11, p. 3)! 45. Consistency in achievement is a necessary condition in spiritual life Please remember that for those who have not begun the order of spiritual life, internal ruin and failure to walk on it is not shocking. But whoever started and quits, it is very harmful for him. Grain that is not frozen in the frost does not die: the power of life is stored in it; but the frozen flower, the seed of life that has opened, dies or is damaged by the frost. So it is here. For those who have already begun to experience life, it is very harmful to quit. Notice this. After each throw of force, the forces will become weaker and weaker, finally completely relaxed, and only one name will remain, the external order of life without an internal correspondence to it. God, deliver you from this... Deliver you, Lord, from being frivolous with spiritual things. Have you started? - Don't quit! At least a little, but everything is needed. And this is what the words of Abba Dorotheus, written by you, mean. They mean internal ruin. And the Savior’s parable means the same thing... in an unclean house there is one demon... and seven demons return to a house that has been cleansed but abandoned due to negligence. The same conclusion that you have is incorrect, because by doing something good, we are not doing a favor to God, but we are fulfilling our duty (11, p. 41). 46. External feat and attention Whoever does only external feats and does not pay attention to himself will fall into selfishness. He makes a few bows, sits and dreams: well, now we’ve worked hard. You see, they borrowed God. Or he doesn’t eat his fill - and thinks: so are all the saints, that is... even if you write on the holy calendar... and so on. External feats are essential, but stopping at them alone is a disaster! Have you come across the expression “deed and reason” among the holy fathers, in which they combine all the work on the salvation of the soul? This is the same as saying: feat and attention (11, p. 56). 47. A narrow path leads to the Kingdom of Heaven Nobody likes a tight path. Will oppression come from without? Murmur. But we don’t want to oppress ourselves. We are looking for freedom. How much the Lord suffered, and what remained unsuffering in Him, and what was not betrayed for our sake, was completely exhausted - love is uncontrollable... that’s fitting. This is the precision of conformity with the will of the Trinitarian Deity. And the commandment given to us by deed. To everything we must say: this is how it should be... It is said: deny yourself 177, and so it befits. It is said: Fear God 178 - this is how it should be. It is said: our life is hidden with Christ in God 179 - and so it befits. It is said: gird up your thoughts (see 1 Pet. 1:13), be sober, watch (see 1 Pet. 5:8) - this is how it should be. And most importantly, what is appropriate? Just get down to business, and nothing will happen in fits and starts. When they dam a pond, how do they do it? Suddenly they rush to block the passage. And if you put a clod of earth and leave it, the water will carry it away. Put the lump again and leave it - again the water will spread it away. And so the work continues without end, but we still can’t build a pond (11, pp. 60–61). Apply this to the soul. The current of thoughts, like a river, quickly flows from the head and heart. Suddenly you need to clamp the passages - and not let go. But if you hold it a little and let it go, it won’t do any good. This is the same as building and destroying. Remember that, it seems, I already wrote to you: that as soon as you notice something that ruins your good undertaking, do not allow yourself to succumb to it. This is the law. For God's sake, overcome yourself in many ways. Avoid talking a lot, hearing jokes and laughing: they are the greatest evil. You see this for yourself. Is it possible to laugh and talk idle words before the face of the Lord? You forgot that you were before Him, and everything went wrong. To prostrate yourself at the feet of the Lord is the most essential thing. Keep this good feeling or deed of your soul. I believe that for this reason the Lord will not leave you to be blown by every wind of thoughts and will release from Himself the power within you - and there will be a current of thoughts. And then the light will be seen. It will become clear, as on the Holy Resurrection of Christ. For this is the resurrection of the soul or the germ of this resurrection (11, pp. 60–61). Patience is needed everywhere. For without him, what will we do? Every little thing requires it. But the most merciful Lord also gives blessings to patient and constantly conscientious work, but turns His eyes away from laziness and negligence. The tension of strength, even small, produced for the glory of God, is fruitful; at least he believes traces of skill, and skill in good is a great thing. I will convey to you, as it were, the words of the Lord from the Cross. He says: “I exhaust Myself so much, and you sleep.” May bitter jealousy take us too (11, p. 61). 48. About the fight against laziness towards spiritual things Your laziness is contagious. So I was too lazy for a whole month to write you an answer. And we should have praised you long ago if anything turns out to be worthy of praise. The first lines, however, do not have to be decorated with praise for you. You write: “I pray poorly, I study psalms lazily, I’ve almost given up completely.” Well! Progress!! Nothing to say! - However, this can have unkind consequences: negligence about the affairs of God can turn into a habit and then forgive, piety. We need to prevent this. ...You wake up in the morning... so either don’t pray at all, or pray on a feather-grass crutch... This is very bad. Pray not a lot, but as you should, according to the entire order of prayer. If you are three minutes late to arrive where you are in a hurry, it’s not much! - So set aside three minutes to pray in the morning. And in this case, there is no need for you to undertake to read prayers from a prayer book or from memory... pray with your thoughts and your words. – Place yourself in the presence of God... God is near - and in you; but you may be far from Him in thought and feeling: draw closer to Him with both... - Thank Him for preserving you during sleep and allowing you to see the light of God again and live longer... for many go to bed but do not get up. - Ask Him for blessings and help for the affairs of the day - showing you good deeds and turning you away from evil ones... – Call on the Mother of God, the Guardian Angel, your saint and all the saints... – Pray for your mother, brother, relatives and everyone you know... remember the departed... and then, having surrendered yourself to the will of God, go about your business... trying in every possible way not to forget that you are walking before the face of God... Do all this with a thoughtful thought and a non-flying feeling... And it will be real prayer... and your conscience will never reproach you for not praying or praying poorly. And that's enough... You have to force yourself. This is what the Lord said, assuring that only those who force themselves delight in the Kingdom of God. Do you want the Kingdom... force yourself, i.e. overcome yourself and forcefully pull yourself into the Kingdom of God (6, pp. 39–41). So take it as a law: as soon as laziness attacks the spiritual, restore the feeling of good from it and go over to its side by will, decisive, merciless towards yourself, in the conviction that otherwise you will not get into the Kingdom. A small struggle is required, but everyone is capable of it, and you are more than many... So don’t be so kind as to wag: the spirit is vigorous, the flesh is weak... Give up the flesh and go to the vigorous spirit... And everything will go well (6, p. 43). 49. Climbing from step to step You are wrong in wanting to have everything at once. This is the same as wanting to step straight from the first step on the stairs to the top... It is inevitable to move from step to step and go step by step. That is why the main character of life is patience, the patience of doing the work and overcoming difficulties (6, p. 69). 50. What to do if you fall As soon as you see a wrong thought, feeling or word, repent immediately. It's good the way you do it. Add to this an observation of how the fall proceeds, and from this inspection learn a lesson on how to overcome yourself in such encounters. Experiences in abstinence will give you experience in self-control, and falls will be less and less frequent. God will help (8, p. 10). 51. About the dangers of eating and sleeping a lot for spiritual life “I sleep a lot, eat a lot.” - Sybaritism is emerging, Mohammedanism... While you are resting the body, do not expect anything good. Execution of oneself by will is required, but this, what you want, will not be of any use. What St. Meletius said to Simeon the Stylite when he, still young, chained himself to a stone? - The same goes for you. It doesn’t hurt, however, to have a rougher rosary in your hands, and as soon as the body desires indulgence - either to eat, or to sleep, or to lounge on armchairs and a sofa - treat it with such rosary on the shoulders until it sobers up (8, pp. 202-203). 52. How to recover from enemy blows and spiritual cooling A very sad situation has happened to you. But the whip is not torment, but forward science. This happened from the conceit that we were high enough, not like those non-Veglas. That's enough! Conceit went along with vanity. Together they gave birth to laziness. Laziness says: what do we need? We can give ourselves permission... and the freedom began... And then the enemy sent a book... and made a lot of noise about it... This entire path is written down for you. “Laziness has overcome me, so I don’t want to look at anything.” If you have reached the clouds above, then what is the need to force yourself? “Vanity, whether to serve the camp, pray or read teachings, overcomes.” How can you and I not be vain? We know the smart prayer... And well, walk along. Either you and I lounged on the sofa like a spiritual millionaire (laziness), then from the bell tower we began to look at everyone like small fry worth a penny (vanity with pride). And then, as soon as the enemy appeared, we went into the bushes... or even worse: nah, take it, and didn’t lift a finger. And now please see what a spiritual hero and rich man you are! Then the Lord allowed this cooling so that you could tangibly see how insignificant your strength and your firmness in good are. You call it misfortune. It's true: it's like breaking a wall. When the enemy breaks through a wall somewhere protecting a city, then, even though the townspeople repair it, the place cannot be considered strong, because the repair is only stuck to the wall and is not deeply connected to it. The hole is sealed. But this fresh seal is fragile. The enemy stands on the side and looks out. As soon as he sees such an oversight, he will again shy away from his bombs. This is your position. But let him shy away. You can make all his attempts fruitless. The hole in the wall, so that it does not fall off again, is propped up from behind with abutments, and more soldiers are rushed to that place. The enemy then, seeing this, does not at all attempt to break through the wall here again, but retreats to another place. So you need to do the same. Supports need to be made: this is an increase in the constraint of the flesh by deprivation of sleep, food, labor, especially any kind of derogatory work (throwing snow and the like). And catching up with the soldiers means getting more good, sobering thoughts into your head and sorting them out with your attention. The command over all this must be entrusted to zeal for salvation with devotion to God, from Whom is all saving power, with the determination not to succumb to such a whim anymore, even to die. Please be sure to arrange this. Pray to the Lord not to deprive you of your former mercy and help. And he will not deprive (8, pp. 203–205). 53. In the fight against the enemy one should not lay down arms The spirit of blasphemy and doubt lurks, but do not think that it will leave you so soon. Accustomed to finding access to you, he will keep approaching you, to see if he can somehow confuse you even more. Everyone experiences this. That’s why they write that in the fight against the enemy you should never lay down your arms and always be ready to confront him. The elders write that when temptation comes, one must fight it off from the heart with hostility towards it and then, or at the same time, turn to the Lord in prayer. Hostility is the same as punching an enemy in the chest. This is a powerful and unpleasant remedy for the enemy. We must prepare for it in a peaceful state. We must truly arouse in ourselves hatred against the enemy and his creatures (8, p. 220). No matter how strong the excitement, the entire decision of the matter belongs to the person acting, and everyone is aware of the moment when he says inside: this and that must be done. This is the essence of freedom. And no force can wrest this from the soul (8, p. 221). The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it away (Matthew 11:12). ...today you will be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23:43). ...do not turn concerns about the flesh into lusts. (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23) your life is hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3) You might be interested in: