СМЕРТНАЯ ПАМЯТЬ

1. Death must always be expected while remaining at your post We need to expect death every minute and prepare for it every minute, and not alienate it from ourselves for years. Getting up, say: “This is my last day, I won’t see another.” When you go to bed, say again: “I’ll lie down and not get up, and I won’t see the light of God.” It’s like that every day. And you will not be horrified by death. Why go to the monastery? You have to die at your post. Your post is in the family. This is where you die. Handle your affairs properly - that’s all (2, pp. 79–80)! 2. Illness directly leads to mortal memory Illness directly leads to the memory of death, but you can still manage to instill the memory of death into the thought (2, p. 81). 3. Fear of death must be dissolved by hope The fear of death is a saving fear, but for you this saving power is destroyed by the absence of the hope of salvation. Hope in the Lord the Savior, without destroying the fear of death, destroys its murderous morbidity, dissolving its sobering effect on the soul, devotion to the will of God. Think more often about death and everything that accompanies it and what will follow it, and, borrowing lessons from everything, nourish your heartfelt devotion to the will of God. At the same time, try in every possible way so that during your affairs you always do things according to the commandments... consciously dedicated to God. From this you will feel that you are God’s servant and God’s own... Just as God never leaves his own... then from here will be born the confidence that He will not leave you either (3, p. 29). Yes, yes... Time flies... And you won’t notice how death will come. There you showed me the signs of death in me... Although of very dubious significance, all, however, having placed myself in a state of doomed to death, which could soon come and choke, I felt how bitter it was to be in such a state... And only the undoubted hope in the mercy of God can sweeten it... Since the great and indescribable mercy of God is the Cross of the Lord. In him is all our hope (3, p. 65). Teach yourself to think and expect that death is about to happen. Attach such a thought to something. One old man accustomed himself to such thinking by constantly looking at the door, expecting that this very minute it would open and death would appear... And thus he always maintained in himself the fear of God and a careful look after himself (4, pp. 142-143). 6. Coffins and pictures for the memory of a mortal You can have a coffin, or you can establish yourself in mortal memory without it. And it's better. If you make a coffin, arrange it so that others cannot see it. Your soul will be calmer and you will be closer to business. If they find out, they will start blowing the trumpet. What's the point of this? Then it is better to throw it or burn it. Take out pictures of the death of the sinner and the righteous, as I said, and nail them before your eyes: it will be more convenient and more impressionable. Would you consider replacing the coffin with this (4, p. 187)? Disease! What to do? Be patient and thank God, saying to yourself: “This illness is a sin for the sake of my great and countless. The Lord takes away my strength in order to at least calm me down. He doesn't know how to fix me. Both mercy and sorrowful visits - everything has been re-experienced, and everything is not for the future. The hour of death is approaching, and when it comes, what should my curse do? Lord, my God! Have mercy on Your weak creation!” In an illness, even if it is mild, all death will come to mind in order to let the soul experience in action how true the word of the All-Wise is: Remember your last, and you will never sin 199 (Sir. 7:39). I already reminded you that it’s good to get pictures - the death of a sinner and the death of a righteous man, add the Last Judgment and ordeal and nail all this somewhere right in front of your eyes, so that they meet more often and remind you of the outcome. What a wise and incessantly verbose sermon from them! May only the Lord open the ears of the heart to listen to what is being said in it (4, pp. 200–201)! It’s good to remember about death. A saving thought that imparts sobriety. It cuts off unnecessary ideas and teaches and supports tears (4, p. 232). 8. A means of establishing itself in the memory of a mortal You are about to set off on a journey of no return. And he is closer to me. Just look, you'll fall down. Cholera is around us. But you can die without it. And if you can, you need to prepare. And you always need to prepare, and not only prepare, but also be completely ready. But our great misfortune is that living things tell fortunes, and living things drive away the memory of impending death. And you forget that death is behind you. That’s why some people made and placed the coffin before our eyes, but I think you can get used to it. Others were forced to ask themselves whether they would order the coffin to be completed or the grave to be dug. One elder had the custom of often looking outside the door to see if the Angel of Death was coming. All this shows that, no matter how certain it is that we will die, the memory of death must be managed to instill and root in the soul. Take care of this saving thought so that it does not go away. In the morning, as soon as you wake up, turn your thoughts to the last minute and to what immediately follows it - God’s decision. Stand in this mindset and walk like this all day. Look what your soul promises: enter into joy, or: bound, cast into darkness 200 (Matthew 25:21; 22:13). There must still be some foreknowledge of what will happen then. But it’s better to cry out: “Spare Your creation, Master!” (4, pp. 219–220). 9. Constant remembrance of God and death Add to the remembrance of God the memory of death and eternity - blissful or bitter. These two remembrances will turn you away from everything bad, even in your thoughts, and direct you to everything good, not for show, but sincerely. It is in vain to think that mortal memory poisons life. It does not poison, but teaches you to be careful and abstain from everything that poisons life. If we remembered more about death, there would be less disorder in life, both private and general (9, p. 118). 10. Mortal memory gives rise to the fear of God Disorder inside is always from disordered thoughts. Keep them on a leash, and in order to be in time for this... guard the memory of God and the memory of death. God is everywhere and sees everything... and sees everything inside of you. Go with this thought in your heart and observe the movements that happen there, and accept some, reject others... Death, too, should always be seen standing behind your shoulders, for who has power in life?.. Another minute - and the spirit is gone. Keep this in mind. From these two memories, the fear of God comes to life... And where it is, there the guards inside are the strongest, and everything stands in order, like soldiers on review. Do this. Only negligence about salvation can discourage one from this (6, pp. 80–81). ...remember your end, and you will never sin. ...enter into joy... having tied his hands and feet, take him and throw him into outer darkness. You might be interested in: