СКОРБИ

1. God has all children. All difficult accidents and conditions are sent to us for good God leaves no one. He has all the children. No stepchildren. And difficult accidents and conditions - everything is directed to our good. If we could see this, there would be no burden in anything (1, p. 30). 2. Consolation in sorrow - in the promises of faith What is bitter is bitter... There is nothing to say about this... And again I will tell you: grieve in moderation. Walk through the promises of our bright faith with your heart, and how many contemplations will you draw from it to console your sorrow (1, p. 78)?! You have focused your attention entirely on the sad side of the matter... and you do not see God’s care for you?! But it really exists... Can’t you touch it?! That's what she is. Not tangible in the present... but visible later. Resurrect faith... and consolation will flow from there like a river (1, p. 78). 3. Troubles are hammers to cleanse the heart. Contributing Sorrows to the Cause of Salvation After reading what you said, I couldn’t resist saying: what a wonderful environment you have! I mean, in relation to the matter of salvation. And here's my solution. Not only surrender everything into the hands of the Lord, but also be complacent, rejoice, and give thanks. It’s true, there is something to knock out of you, and now the Lord has sent so many hammers at you, which are hitting you from all sides. Do not disturb them with your anger, resistance, discontent. Give them freedom, let them, without being constrained by anything, do the work of God over you and in you, to which the Lord has assigned you for your salvation. The Lord loves you and has taken you into his hands to push out everything worthless from you. As a washerwoman crumples, rubs and beats her linen to make it white, so the Lord rubs, crumples and beats you to make you white and to prepare you for the inheritance of His Kingdom, where nothing unclean will enter. So look at your position, and establish yourself in it, and pray to the Lord that He will confirm and deepen such a view in you (1, p. 116). Joyfully accept every trouble as a medicine offered by the Lord Himself. Look at those around you as instruments of God for your good, and behind them always see the hand of God benefiting you. And for everything you say: “Glory to You, Lord!” But try to make sure that it is not only in the language and in thought, but also in feeling. Pray that the Lord will allow you to feel this way. 1) expect trouble every minute and, when it comes, greet it as an expected guest; 2) when something happens that is contrary to your will, ready to upset and irritate, quickly run your attention to your heart and, as much as you can, strain not to allow those feelings to be reborn, strain and pray. If you don’t allow those feelings to arise, everything will end, because everything comes from feelings; if it arises, even a small one, decide, if possible, not to say or do anything until those feelings have been driven out; if it is impossible not to speak and not to do, try to speak and do not according to those feelings, but according to the commandment, as God commands - meekly and quietly, as if nothing had happened; 3) throw any expectation of an end to this order out of your head, and set yourself up for trouble for the rest of your life. Don't forget! This is very important. If this does not happen, patience cannot be established; 4) apply to all these hammers: keep a loving gaze, a loving tone of speech, a loving address and, most importantly, avoid in every possible way reminding them of their injustices. Act as if there was nothing from them... Ask the Lord for everything with complete submission to Him. Learn to preserve the memory of God without waste (1, pp. 117–118). 4. Enduring tribulations is equivalent to martyrdom. I believe that you have chosen the best path to submit to violence and endure. Complacency without complaint will make you a participant in martyrdom. There is considerable consolation in this (1, p. 135). 5. By losing dear faces, the Lord wanted to cut you off from everyone By losing dear faces, the Lord wanted to cut you off from everyone... You understood this not falsely. The Lord did and does this with many (1, p. 143). 6. God’s love for us is revealed in the difficult circumstances of life. Usually we don’t like the narrow path... Give us breadth and space. Doesn't the Lord hear these cries? He hears, but does not want to change the structure of our life, because it would not be good for us. Our situation is so arranged that only cramped conditions keep us in the present order... As soon as we enter the wideness, we blur and perish. So cramped conditions reign on earth as the best situation for us. The apostolic mind sees in general, in cramped conditions and in special cramped cases, the fatherly love of God for us, and judges those in cramped conditions as sons close to God (1, p. 214). 7. You need to acquire the ability to find a way to avoid eternal, endless sorrows in small earthly sorrows What to do when we live on earth, which is doomed to always be in mourning and a place that bears mourning (2, p. 3). 8. The Lord is the Father of joy May the Lord comfort you! The Lord is the Father of joy. And since He is everywhere, then everywhere, therefore, consolation is ready from Him. It's up to the receivers, not the Giver. True, in order to accept, one must learn from Him. But He is ready to tell everyone this too. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted. The child keeps crying until he finds his mother's breasts. As soon as he finds it, he will immediately shut up. Let us, Lord, find - and be silent (2, p. 10)! 9. Sorrows are sent from God for our good You have a lot of sorrows. I regret that this is the case. But there is nothing to help this except patience and trust in the mercy of God. Everything is from God: both pleasant and unpleasant. We must give thanks for everything. For even unpleasant things are sent for good: for purification, for humility, for strengthening good character and trust in God. There is no need to grumble. Endure this time, brighter days will come. Rejoice (3, p. 12). 10. God remembers with sorrows You have grief after grief... Do you know what this means? That God remembered you. It's weird to think like that, but it's true. And he remembered it not in anger, but in mercy. You see only hardships and losses, but the mercy hidden under this and in this is not visible. Please manage to see this, be comforted and thank God with all your heart (3, p. 107). 11. About humbly enduring sorrows I will grieve you in your sorrows. It seems that you have tried everything, and all your burdens remain with you. May the Lord grant you complacent patience if he does not deign to eliminate what is unpleasant to you. since He is always good to everyone, we must conclude that, without removing from you what burdens you, He finds that it is saving for you and for your daughter and son-in-law. Therefore, you must humbly submit to the will of God and endure, and when patience is lacking, ask the Lord to send him and strengthen you. There is no need to tell you that the purpose of our life is not to live happily on earth, but to ensure that, whether we are happy or unhappy, we should prepare ourselves with dignity to receive eternal bliss in another life. Try to treat your situation in this way, so as not to step out of the circle of God’s intentions, with which He arranges the life of everyone on earth (3, pp. 112–113). There are more sorrows on earth than joys. God sends this and that, either to awaken from moral lull, or to put an end to wrongs and sins, or for their repentant cleansing, or to increase obedience to God, who arranges everything, to give a reason to show courage and patience for the glory of God and other high virtues. Any of these intentions of God is applicable to you. Pay attention to yourself and, having decided not to deviate from what God has judged, rest in the will of God, always wise and good (3, p. 113). 12. Patience of sorrows - a chariot to Heaven Sorrows do not leave you. Does God arrange this for nothing? For what? Because he loves you... He loves you and cleans you, so that you are clean and shine like a diamond in the sun. And the path to the Kingdom is right for you, for the chariot on which one reaches there is patience. How can you endure when there are no sorrows? So they are sent (4, p. 9). 13. Through sorrows the Lord paves the way to His Kingdom The Savior decrees that through many sorrows one must enter into the Kingdom of God. And if you please keep in mind, when sorrows occur, that it is the Lord who is paving the way for you into His Kingdom, or even more, taking you by the hand and leading you. Therefore, do not rest your feet and do not shout, but endure sorrows complacently and with gratitude (4, p. 30). 14. About peace from sorrows Try to find immediate peace in yourself, and keep yourself not alone, but with God. Strength will come from Him, making it possible to put up with the present state of affairs (4, p. 42). So you too partake of the common human destiny - to eat your bread by the sweat of your brow. This is God's penance! Do it in God’s way, as the Lord has assigned you a task and in such a way that the Lord likes it, and it will be good, because in this case your work will not alienate your thoughts from the Lord, but, on the contrary, will turn and attract you to Him. Help you, Lord, to arrange it this way. Forgetting the Lord is the most dangerous thing. With this, idle thinking is inseparable... and in the midst of idle thinking, bad thinking always creeps in (4, p. 81). 16. The goals of Providence are to induce tests The gracious Lord is still teaching you patience. What doesn't stop the lessons is because there is something missing in your patience. When this missing thing is eliminated, then the end will indicate. But, it is true, no one’s patience reaches its final limit, otherwise the Lord would not have said: “He who endures to the end.” That your friends and acquaintances go to the Lord, this may be done for reasons on their part, and not on yours. With yours, we can only assume that the Lord takes away human support from you, so that you finally have one support left - the Lord himself. He wants to raise you to the state or height of the hermits. Wherever you turn, there is nowhere to expect help, which is why their constant prayer was: “God, come to my help” (7, p. 237). 17. Temptations from injustice and lies from strangers Again?! Injustice, lies! This must be from somewhere outside. But no matter where they are, I tell you: do not only take courage and be strong, but also rejoice. This means your spiritual work is going well. The Lord leads you to purification, and the enemy meets a strong rival in you. Stand your ground firmly. There is nothing to be embarrassed by injustices and lies. Whoever inflicts them is judged by God, and whoever inflicts them should endure them complacently and thank God. Don’t forget that there is another life in which everything here will respond, either in praise or in reproach. Will you endure injustice? There will be praise. Can't you bear it? Reproach. There you won’t say: but it’s unfair. Whether it is fair or not is not your business, they will say, to judge. Why didn't you endure it?! Injustices do not occur from God, but they are allowed by God - for the benefit of those on whom they are allowed. Truly for the good! This is not a simple phrase, but a real deal. I give you the example of martyrs. How were they not tyrannized? What about the Lord? He was right there, apparently appeared to them, consoled them, eased their suffering, but still left them in torment - to endure until the end, in order to be crowned with a complete crown. So every untruth and every vain prepares the crown. But the one on whom they fall must endure them. This need has now hit you too. And if you please, endure it complacently, no matter what you have. This is what God wants from you for your own good. You say: it’s scary to give yourself up to falsehoods for a whole century. Of course it's scary. Then it is said to the one who follows the Lord: “Take courage and let your heart be strong!” There is a cross ahead. It turns out that there is nothing left to do but give yourself over to sorrows, deprivations and vain lies. In this surrender, I tell you, is the beginning of the true path. Will you give yourself to this? The very minute you give, follow the Lord. Please discuss all this and decide in God’s way. All success comes from the proper solution of this point (9, pp. 272–273). And you rushed out of your parents’ house, and you didn’t even know where, feeling as if there was some kind of constraint on their part. It is the duty of parents to watch over you; They watch, I think, like the apple of their eye. If this goes against your wishes in some other way, you must submit. It is unfair to see in them only a desire to stand on their own, but it is more natural to see here a desire to protect you and protect you from everything. And this is the fruit of love. With confidence in this, sweeten the bitterness of submission if it is felt in you due to your rebellion. With this submission you must repay what you receive in the family. Food, clothing, shelter - although this is not a small thing, it is not the main thing. The main thing is to protect yourself from external troubles. Eagle wings cover you. The eagle's beak and its claws are ready to defeat anyone who tries to cause you insult or trouble. This benefit is irreplaceable. As soon as the eagle covering you is no longer there, they will peck you. Now no one has an attack, but then everyone will attack. You cannot imagine how great the horror of defenselessness is, because you have not experienced it. And God forbid you test him. Is there protection? Take care of it or don't break out from under it. From under it, you also need to go back under protection - either within the walls of the monastery, or in the community of sisters of mercy. And to enter the fight alone - no, no, no. They'll peck you and you won't find a place. What does it mean that your impulse for freedom is expressed so strongly? This is a bad impulse. Your path has already been determined. Where should we go? Have you determined what you want, so desiring freedom for yourself? There is nothing to seek for inner freedom, for it already exists, since it is an integral part of the spirit. Nobody can take her away. It turns out that you want external freedom. But please consider to what extent is such freedom permissible and achievable? Wherever you go, everywhere you will be surrounded by the same freedoms as yours, equal to your freedom. Whatever we decide to do, we must always compare our actions with the actions of other people and limit ourselves by them and, therefore, restrict our freedom. Every step is a suppression of freedom, and, moreover, a legal one, against which one cannot object, according to one’s own consciousness. If this is so, then the impulse for freedom is chasing a rainbow, and even worse - the desire to grab a ghost. So in general, with you it makes a thousand times more sense. If you please, tame your impulses. Let children listen to their parents and with their advice, let them arrange their affairs and their lives, obeying them willingly. Here's the law of freedom! What are you making a wish for? I’ll rush there, I’ll rush here, and no one dares say. A true emancipator! Look, aren't you sick of pride? All emancipated women are proud. To rush somewhere - what's so tricky? We constantly see those who are trying, but we don’t see any of them happy. What is the point in such impulses? Nothing, just fanfare... “Move aside! I want it so much! Who is my decree? And these orderless ones strive without looking back and without looking at their feet, until they plummet into the abyss from which there is no way out. Please take this into account when you have impulses: I will do this, I will decide on that (9, pp. 273–275). 18. On enduring sorrows in a Christian way It doesn’t hurt to grieve, we are human beings; but one should not grieve to the point of exhaustion. This sorrow will not help, but quiet prayerful hope attracts the mercy of God. After all, you can’t snatch anything from God’s hands by force... but with tears, everything is possible. Give it, Lord, give it, Lord! You need to pester!.. But there is no right... it’s all mercy! There are fences set by God that no one can break. We must hit them with intense prayer. The Lord, having compassion, will accept them... and then the joy of salvation!.. But let there be soft, contrite and humble hope. There are no rights to the mercy of God (11, p. 29). 19. About the narrow and sad path in this life Yes, this is what we also constantly say: “After the fall, although man was expelled from paradise, the ability to enjoy and the ways to enjoy it were left to him: flowers - the delight of smell, fruits - of taste, the starry sky and water - of sight, the singing of birds - of hearing; Further, for these reasons, man invented music. And everything in nature speaks of the goodness of the Creator! But there are people who, contrary to His good will, all want to hamper Him and put obstacles in everything. They violate nature and represent God by something other than what He is!” So this is where it went! And I, having written to you last time about the fact that lay people should not abandon the rigors of monasticism if they want to be real Christians, I thought that I had already convinced everyone and resolved all the confusion. What a confusion of concepts here! Why, you have become a dead end, as if the truth is on their side! They would tell them: “Well, go for a walk, friends! Open wide all the gates of joy and pleasure! And rejoice at the feast of life... No one will push you aside and no one will put any obstacles in your way! Live as you want. They only tell you by the word of the Lord that there are two ways that the sons of men walk: the narrow way and the wide way, and that the first leads to belly, and the last leads to destruction. Wouldn’t you like to read for yourself how it is said about this in the Gospel: Enter through the narrow gate, says the Lord, as you lead into destruction through a wide gate and a broad way, and many are those who enter through it; What a narrow gate and a strait path you lead into the belly, and there are few of them who find it! 190 (Matthew 7:13,14) If you want to listen, listen, but if you don’t want to, do as you wish... After all, this is not a human invention, but a commandment of the Lord. And how! Strive to get through the narrow gate, says the Lord another time, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter, but will not be able to 191 (Luke 13:24). Strive... i.e. hurry, as if in a race, arguing with others for this narrow path and narrow gate, achieving it in defiance of others, beating it off from others: let me in, let me in! As if fearing that these doors would also close... And why this is so is not our business to speculate! So the Lord commanded, that’s all!.. And what kind of Lord?! One who, for our salvation, Himself walked ahead of us along this narrow path and, after all-round suffering, from the Cross gave up His spirit to the Lord, saying to the crucified thief: today you will be with Me in Paradise 192. After all, He is our Savior!.. And everyone who wants to be saved must follow Him... But it is impossible to follow Him otherwise than with the cross: whoever wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and come after Me 193 (Mark 8:34). And so all those who desired salvation flowed after Him along a narrow and sorrowful path: the apostles, martyrs, saints, saints and all the saved who now inhabit the city of God, heavenly Jerusalem. Well, what can we do? It is true that it is impossible to be saved otherwise, when among the saved there is not a single one who would reach the place of eternal rest without a narrow path. Isn't it better to submit to this necessity, even though it is not so sweet? It’s worse to suffer forever. Let those who want salvation force themselves somehow, without making excuses. It’s difficult, but what can you do? Then, after all, such a life is called a feat, as the apostle says about himself: you have fought a good fight. And those who don’t want to, as they want... Just let them know that various constraints are not a human invention, but a commandment of God.” It would be possible to add some explanation as to why this or that constraint is necessary... why, for example, fasting, solitude, prayerful work, etc. are needed. But I leave this... Those who follow the path of salvation know how necessary this and that other thing is, but don’t even tell those moving away from it! As for the misinterpretations you described, well, I already wrote to you about it. In paradise, of course, there were many objects that could give pleasure to a person, but these constituted an external, extraneous embellishment of heavenly life, and not a person’s goal. The goal was different: to remain in communion with God through the free fulfillment of God's will. If heaven remained forever the dwelling place of man, then all people would certainly enjoy outwardly, but no one would even think about it or have any concern about it: it would be an inevitable shadow of a life pleasing to God. So you see, even in heaven they would not talk and bother about pleasures; but among us, having lost paradise, they want to make pleasure the main goal of life. After all, if pleasures could legitimately be the lot of fallen humanity, the Lord would not have expelled the fallen ancestors from paradise. And when he expelled him, he showed that a comfortable life does not suit the fallen. After all, the fall changed the whole order! A short period of real life, full of sorrows and troubles, has been added to a person’s life, with the goal of admonishing, correcting and purifying a person, in order to make him worthy to enjoy forever in another, eternal paradise. The true life of a person is beyond the grave, or rather, after the resurrection, and real life is only the threshold or preparation for it. The Lord placed various external sorrows and troubles into its order, and prescribed various restrictive rules for it as measures of purification. They whittled the martyrs with iron claws and thus prepared them for heaven. This is an image of a person’s real life, in which everyone prepares for blissful eternity through purifying tightness, as if by planing! From here this is what follows: let a person understand well and apply to his heart the thought of how short the present life is and how much fruit there is from its cramped and narrow lives for the endless future life, and he will not only not shun them, on the contrary, he will ask for them and covet them as if it were some good. This is what everyone does who properly understands the meaning of real life (11, pp. 120–122). From the fact that even after expulsion from paradise some pleasant objects were left behind that can be enjoyed, it does not follow that no constraint is appropriate in the order of real life. To explain this, I remembered the words of our dear mentor Y.K. Amphitheater. It happened to me to walk with him through the grove. I asked, as if in passing: “Why are there such irregularities between objects of nature and aerial phenomena, and unpleasant irregularities. Here’s a nice color, and on the side there’s nettle or dope... and in the sky it’s sometimes light, sometimes cloudy?” - “What an eccentric you are! - he answered. – These irregularities are a great thing in the economy of God’s providence for our salvation. The merciful God tells you this: the sweat should never be wiped off from your face, exhausted and tired, but I sometimes allow you to taste the joy of life, I allow your eyes to be enlightened, your forehead to be open and a smile to appear on your lips, so that you do not lose hope and do not fall into despair; The earth should only grow thorns and thistles for you, but sometimes I command the earth to give you everything abundantly for pleasure, so that you do not lose confidence that there is still an opportunity to regain lost bliss; There should be only storms with thunder and lightning in the air above your head and around you, but you often see the clear sun with the pleasant coolness of the morning and the delightful silence of the evening, so that you remember that Heaven is not completely closed for you, that My arms are extended to you and I am ready to receive you into the heavenly abodes.” So that’s why some pleasant things in nature are left outside of heaven, and not so that from these grains they can create a merry feast for the rest of their lives or from these fragments they can build a church of happiness on earth! But our comforters and pleasure-makers understand it all differently. In their opinion, any constraint and any obstacle to pleasure is violence to human nature and is contrary to the will of God. I said at the beginning that it is not contrary to the will of God, for the Lord commanded us to walk the narrow path (11, pp. 122–123). When man fell, he not only became inferior to his purpose, but also accepted into himself some principles alien to his nature, as if the seeds of any emanating evil. Therefore, in fallen man it is necessary to distinguish between what is characteristic of his nature and what is not characteristic of it, although it also exists in man. All restrictive rules and measures prescribed and arranged by the Lord are directed exclusively against these alien evil seeds, in order to suppress them, drown them out, and thereby give freedom to true human nature. Thus, constraint is not a force of nature, but a beneficial aid to it. They are the same as an operation to cut off a harmful member or a plaster that draws out harmful matter. Our nature is in captivity. The Lord, through the oppression of those who captivated him, wants to free her, but we shout: don’t touch, don’t oppress! - and thus, instead of standing up for ourselves, we slander ourselves. Comforters - after all, pathetic people are lost! It’s not that no consolation is appropriate in life; let us accept everything with thanksgiving from the hand of the Lord; but the fact is that one should not chase after them, much less make them the main goal of life and even less rebel against any embarrassing prescription, and not even know that it is prescribed by the Lord Himself. In the latter, in addition to a lack of understanding of the matter, even God-fighting is visible. This is where it's gone, that's it! And they all think easily. Yes, now nothing yet. What will happen in the next world?! There will be crowding there and, against one’s will, bitter and joyless crowding, because it’s useless! Lord, have mercy and save us (11, pp. 123–124)! 20. Instruction on patience in vain The blessed ones were expelled for the sake of truth, for they are the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when they revile you and condemn you and say all sorts of evil things about you lying, for my sake. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is abundant in heaven 194 (Matthew 5:10-12). If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you. If we were faster from the world, the world would love its own. As if you are not from the world, but I chose you from the world, for this reason the world hates you. Remember the word that I told you: you are not a slave of your master. If you cast me out, you will also be cast out 195 (John 15, 18 et seq.). You will be in a world of sorrow, but take heart, for I have overcome the world 196 (John 16:33). Do not be surprised at the reluctance in you, as temptation comes to you, as if something alien to you happens. But as long as you partake of Christ’s passion, rejoice, for even at the revelation of His glory you who rejoice will rejoice 197 (1 Pet. 4:12 et seq.). Because the Lord loves him, he punishes him: he beats every son who accepts him. If you endure punishment, as if God were found to you as a son 198 (Heb. 12:6-7)... Add more similar passages... and re-read them... They will cleanse the eye of your heart and teach you how to look at sorrows, oppressions, and reproaches. Establish yourself in the conviction that everything is from God... down to the smallest cases... and accept everything as personally imposed on you by Him. And be complacent and grateful. For all things work for your good, whether visible or invisible. Do you know how iron products are hardened? Having finished everything perfectly, turn it on white... and into cold water. This is exactly what is happening to you now... All this is not news to you and is already being practiced by you... Tightness comes from God... we endure and give thanks... But if there are ways at hand to eliminate them, this is from God, and there is no sin in using them and freeing ourselves from under tightness (6, pp. 162–164). “Doesn’t oppression drive J. into a monastery?” - Don't think. This is nothing more than to confuse the enemy’s tricks... And you turn everything into a demonstration of patience and complacency... And most of all, avoid feelings of dislike towards the culprit... Pray for her... May the Lord soften her heart and diminish her hostile attitude towards you (6, p. 165). 21. Is it possible to run away from the cross and temptations? You are in a monastery. Good! And it occurred to me that it is better for you not to move from your place for the reason that this means running from the cross. But then it came to mind that the main thing for you is not to run away from St. Tikhon, since his monastery is there. Therefore, when you go there, you do not leave it. I suggested that it was better to move away from evil. In addition, the Lord has allowed: run to another city. And now I’m more determined to move on... You can’t run away from temptations anywhere: they follow on your heels (6, p. 181). 22. Sorrows are God’s medicines It’s hard to endure everything, no matter what happens to endure, but the heaviness is felt only in times of vain or misfortune. Afterwards everything smooths out. What you now endure will also be smoothed out. Be inspired. Everything will pass. Meanwhile, strengthen your faith that everything is from the Lord. It’s not just a major disaster, but every meeting is from Him. And He has one thing in mind – our salvation. Accept everything as life-giving medicine, although bitter, but useful. When the Lord strikes, isn’t it righteous to think that there must be a reason? So, look at what is there, why they beat you, and correct it. Sorrows are sent to the righteous to test them, and to us, rather, as punishment and as a call to repentance. If you believe that the Lord is a doctor and a doctor who will not waste medicine, then when what is wrong is turned away not in deeds, but in feelings and thoughts, then sorrows will cease (8, pp. 9-10). 23. Sorrow and joy alternate in life This is what earthly life is designed for, so that the sorrowful in it will tear you away from inappropriate attachments, and the comforting will nourish hope for the desired better. So they alternate almost every day (8, p. 28). 24. Life's sorrows - God's penance Bear with complacency the troubles and everything that you have to experience in grief, and the merciful Lord will count it in the penance that everyone should bear for their sins according to the order of the Church (8, p. 40). 25. Spontaneous sadness Again and again crying and lamenting! Will there ever be an end?! I have already said everything that can serve to console you. Now, if you please, manage to resolve your grief yourself as best you can. There is a human weakness, due to which others arbitrarily irritate themselves. Sadness has a certain pleasant side, at least in that it represents variety in the once established, unchangeable life. So go ahead and tease yourself. Fortunately, there is something. Well, if you please, practice this if you want (8, pp. 40–41). 26. Sorrows are God's medicines You have all the regrets and regrets! These are God’s saving medicines and evidence of God’s attention to you. Be grateful. Give thanks to the Lord and be healed, or do not interfere with the healing effect of these medicines by any kind of grumbling (8, pp. 72–73). 27. How to pray for relief from grief Pray about your husband’s dislike, may the Lord tame him. That you cried and he laughed... hard, of course. But take a lesson from here in advance: hide these treasures - tears, without showing them to anyone, imitating St. David, who wet his bed with his tears at night. And pray for the children. The Lord is able to correct them. It’s better not to tell them, as you see, if they have become like that. Unless you notice their willingness to listen (8, p. 81). Say: “Glory to God for everything!” Glory to God that he sends us something to endure, for this is the same as providing an opportunity to deserve the Kingdom of God, which is promised to those who endure and who are content with patience. To endure - endure, but also add complacency... This is from God, and this is from you; and you will have a point of contact with the Lord (8, p. 81). 29. Peace of mind drives away external sorrows When your soul feels good, external bad things go away as if they never happened. Trust in the Lord and always ask for His intercession, and you will get away with everything easily (8, p. 83). Enter in at the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many go in through it; for narrow is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few find it. ...strive to enter through the strait gate, for I tell you, many will seek to enter and will not be able to. today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43). If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven. If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before you... If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you too. In the world you will have tribulation; but take heart: I have overcome the world. Do not shy away from the fiery temptation sent to you to test it as a strange adventure for you, but as you participate in Christ’s suffering, rejoice, and at the revelation of His glory you will rejoice and triumph. The Lord punishes whomever he loves; he beats every son whom he receives. If you suffer punishment, then God treats you as sons. You might be interested in: