Instructions written for monastics (collection 1854)

Contents I. About the one who turned from this vanity to Christ and began to repent II. Answer to the one who asked for advice, where it is more convenient for him to live for salvation III. Instructions to those who go to the Monastery, what they should observe IV. Exhortation to monastics for patience and prayer V. Instruction on what a monastic should do in his cell and in solitude; and at the same time about the benefits of solitude VI. Rules of Christian Monastic Life § 1 § 2 § 3 § 4 § 5 § 6 § 7 § 8 § 9 VII. Monastic Instruction VIII. Advice to one Monk, seduced by schismatics and freethinkers, in the discussion of faith about the resurrection of the dead IX. An admonition to one monk who intends to move to the Moscow Monasteries, not to leave his place and, moreover, to learn to be patient X. An admonition to someone who has entered monasticism to be patient and not to repent XI. Consolation for a Monk who suffers slander XII. Consolation to the Monk, dishonor to the sufferer XIII. My advice and instruction for a certain brother § 1 § 2 § 3 § 4 § 5 XIV. Comfort for a mourning brother, and an exhortation in sorrow to resort to God XV. Advice and advice to a certain monastic out of despondency I. About the one who turned from this vain world to Christ and began to repent As a sinner, having moved by the grace of God, begins to repent, he meets various temptations: Child! Whenever you begin to work for the Lord God, prepare your soul for temptation (Sir. 2:1). A person begins to approach Christ, and Satan follows suit by marrying him and distracting him from Christ; Christ will begin to work, and the enemy will hinder him and lay out various snares. First: Despair of God's mercy and God's justice fills him with despair. The sinner needs to fight against this and be strengthened in the hope of God’s mercy, remembering the comforting word: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. (1 Tim. 1:15). Second: Tempts with various evil thoughts and contrary to the law of God. A sinner must strive against all those thoughts and not deign to them. This is what the whole Christian feat consists of. Third: Among other evil thoughts, the enemy introduces blasphemous thoughts, various doubts and unbelief. We must fight against all this and repel it all with the sword of the word of God and prayer. Fourth: Although everyone, especially those living celibately, is always bored with lustful thoughts. It is necessary to stand against them, and as soon as they arise, immediately stop them, calling on the All-Powerful Helper Jesus Christ for help, and although the evil thought goes away, the enemy, like a dog, returns to its catch. For this reason, one must always expect it, and stand on guard like a warrior. To this end, it is beneficial to always be at work, pray often, eat and drink little, and sleep little. Nothing quenches this lust more than a humble tear coming from a contrite heart. Take heed of this. Fifth: The enemy seduces with the love of the world and temptations and distracts from the path of sorrow. It’s good to be respected in the world, to be in glory, honor, wealth, to have fun, to know people, to be driven around in carriages, to visit and receive guests, and so on. This advice of his is apparently sweet, as if pleasing to the flesh, but inside it is bitter and soul-destroying. Beware of them, turn away from the world, as from Sodom and Gomorrah, so that you do not burn. Hear the word of Christ: No one laid his hand on his head, and in vain turned back, he is ruled in the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). Answer within yourself this way: let what you offer me be good for those who seek it, but for me, the incomparably better one is Christ and His Holy Yoke. He will comfort and amuse me incomparably more than the whole world. Here I want to be with Him, and there I will be with Him. Sixth: When the enemy does not succeed through his evil advice and does not seduce a person from the good path, then he looks for another mediation: he brings melancholy, despondency, sadness, and so on. You need to overcome everything and strengthen yourself. Seventh: When a person stands firm in his proposal, the enemy will begin to harass him through evil people; and then where will things come from; then various misfortunes will attack him. All this of the evil enemy is diligence and cunning; and this is what is written: All who want to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Tim. 3:12). Then everyone renounces and hates him; and it happens that even former friends will turn into enemies. But it is good and comforting to us that whom the world hates, God loves. But the Lord loves him and punishes him; he beats every son, and accepts him. (Heb. 12:6). A Christian, when we hate to eat from the world, we love to eat from God, says Saint Ignatius the Hieromartyr, Decemvria on the 20th. For this reason, it is necessary to overcome every misfortune and attack with patience. Eighth: Hence it happens that many begin, but not many finish, to live piously. They still don’t want to endure temptations and walk the sorrowful path; and so they are seduced from him. But Christ says to those who have begun to live piously: Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life (Apoc. 2:10). Ninth: From here we see how a Christian needs constant diligence, sighing and prayer, so as not to stray from the true path, but to remain faithful to the end. Tenth: The constant memory of death is beneficial because it is unexpected and delights people in various ways. Memory of the terrible judgment of Christ, of eternal torment, of the kingdom of heaven. The memory of these and correct reasoning will not allow you to stray from the path. Remember these often, and reason: temporary prosperity and ill-being will pass; but what happens after death will not pass away. Everything worldly will remain here, and the body itself will be buried in the ground; but one soul will depart for this age, and with the soul virtue or sin will not depart. Woe to the soul when he departs with sin! For whatever he leaves with, he will appear with at the judgment of Christ. Remember this, and you will purify yourself with repentance, tears and sighing, so that you do not appear before the Lord your God with sins. First ten: It is better to endure everything here, no matter what happens, than to endure it in the next century. For here, whatever misfortune and suffering there may be, it is light and short; and there it is difficult, unbearable and eternal. Everything that is temporary in comparison with the eternal is like nothing. There is suffering without consolation. Here we suffer, and with the hope of deliverance we cool off; there is suffering and torment with despair, for without end. Here, severe and unbearable suffering will end in death, for death puts an end to everything; there a person will suffer and die, but will never die, will suffer, but will never be tortured. Remember this, and you will be strengthened in patience. Second Ten: It is better to be comforted and have fun forever than temporarily. For what is temporary passes away, but what is eternal always abides, and like a river flows ceaselessly. Where are those who lived in the gaiety of this world? They are gone, and their fun is over. But those who endured for the sake of piety are comforted in the bosom of Abraham, and their memory endures for generations. So after vain and short-lived joy, eternal sorrow and grief follows; through short and pious suffering for the sake of the sorrow endured, eternal consolation and joy comes. A pious soul, as soon as it leaves the body, as if from a prison, immediately sees the purest and clearest light, and in the light sees light, and begins a new favorable joy, a joyful, calm, peaceful, serene, glorious, eternal and most blissful life, and forgets everything that has happened to it in the world. Then she sees and receives all the promises of God that she heard about in God’s Holy Word. I wish this, both for myself, for you, and for everyone. II. An answer to someone who asked for advice on where it would be more convenient for him to live for salvation. You demand an answer from me about something from which an unknown end will follow. I, considering human weakness and demonic intrigues, which evil often puts in the guise of good, like poison under honey, cannot give you advice in unknown things, so that something nasty doesn’t happen to you later, and for this reason I wouldn’t feel sad. It is better to foresee everything in advance and remain silent than to speak, advise and then repent. It’s dangerous for you to be in your parents’ house for a well-known reason. And in any Monastery, wherever you are, it is safe for a person who fears God, seeks salvation, always thinks about eternal torment and the future life, and listens to himself in silence. And I know that it is better for those who want to escape from their parents and relatives. I can only suggest to you that you will be quite bored in the Monastery when you go far away. Therefore, you need to endure and overcome yourself. But you can’t escape Satan and evil people, no matter where you are. Like a shadow to a body during the sunshine, so persecution and hatred of evil people will follow the one who seeks God. It seems to me that it is better to surrender to the will of God and be in some kind of Monastery, just so as not to be in my parents’ house; and firmly establish yourself in that Monastery, although it will be boring; and in boredom, console yourself with the fact that death will stop everything; the eternal sweetness, joy and glory of the ascetic will soon be received; pray to God often, ask for help from Him, work, and not let the slightest time pass without doing something; and so the boredom will pass. May the Lord rule your life! Save yourself and remember me, a sinner. III. Instructions for those who go to the Monastery, what they should observe You went to the Monastery of your own free will. Live, God is your helper, brother! You ran away from your relatives and from the world; renounce the world that lives in our hearts, that is, vanity, pride, laziness, condemnation, contempt, indignation, etc. and you will be blessed. This is help for this. First: Always separate your thoughts from this world; that is: that everything here, both sweet and bitter, will end, and death will come, which unexpectedly comes and delights people. Where are our ancestors now? In their places. And we will follow them. Next will be the Judgment of Christ, from which some (the righteous) will go to eternal life, and others (sinners) will go to eternal torment. Think about this often, especially at night. Then it’s a quiet time, and convenient for reflection. Second: Diligent and frequent prayer. Pray often, and force yourself to pray when there is no desire and zeal. Without prayer, a person will not be able to accomplish anything. Third: When boredom and melancholy sets in, then especially remember what is written in paragraph 1, and fall to the ground, and pray and sigh to the Lord. This is a temptation. So Satan wants to turn you back to the world. Look, be strong and do not give in, and say this: “Even though I die here, I will not leave.” And truly it is better to die than to return to the first. No one can lay his hand on his forehead and turn back in vain; he is ruled in the Kingdom of Heaven, says Christ (Luke 9:62). And blessed is not the one who began, but the one who finished. Reason and remember what I write. Fourth: There are evil thoughts to those who begin to seek the Lord. If something happens to you, or maybe even now it happens, look, immediately burst out like a spark from your hand; they come from the devil by God's permission, to our punishment, or temptation; and pray diligently to God to help you win; and they will depart in time; and when they leave, wait again. There is always a change in spiritual affairs, sometimes clearly, sometimes vaguely, as in the air; and expect God's mercy without a doubt. Fifth: When you are despised or persecuted by people who hate the truth, endure generously, and remain silent, and look to Christ, who endured everything for our sake. With patience gain your souls, says Christ (Luke 21:19). Look, souls are gained by patience, not by laziness. And where there is patience, there is disaster. There is no patience without adversity. And through many tribulations it is fitting for us to enter the Kingdom of God, says the Apostle (Acts 14:22). Sixth: Between work and prayer, read useful books, and especially the Gospel and the Apostle, and reason, because reading without reasoning is of no use. Seventh: Read my previous letters and others, and pray for me, a sinner. I humbly ask for this. IV. Exhortation to monastics for patience and prayer Your Reverence, Brothers in Christ! By the grace of Christ you have entered the narrow path; stand on it and be strong, and walk along it, and you will achieve what you desire. Thus you will comprehend, says the Apostle (1 Cor. 9:24). You entered the Monastery to seek salvation, look in it, and do not lose it. You will be blessed when you find it; the most damned, when you lose. Christ our Lord says to those who are being saved: You will be in a world of sorrow (John 16:33). Do not run away from sorrows when they happen to you. Do not look for sorrows, but endure those that happen, and you will be blessed. Through many sorrows it is fitting for us to enter the Kingdom of God, says the Apostle (Acts 14:22). Do you want and strive to be saved and to receive the Kingdom of God: Many sorrows will overwhelm you. But you will be blessed when you endure them to the end. He who endures to the end will be saved, says the Lord (Matthew 10:22). The Holy Apostle John heard a voice from heaven about the saved, of whom he saw a great multitude in heaven, testifying as follows: These are the ones who came from the great tribulation and so on. (Apoc. 7:14). Be strong, be strong, and endure to the end, beloved, and you will come to this place. I believe in seeing good things on the land of the living. Be patient with the Lord, be of good courage, and let your heart be strong, and be patient with the Lord, exhorts the Holy Spirit. (Ps. 27:13–14). Be sober, be vigilant, the devil is your adversary, like a roaring lion that goes about seeking someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). You cannot resist this adversary with anything other than constant prayer. Always pray, and he will resist him. Do with your hands and pray; so your mind and heart will be occupied, and there will be no room or place for the devil, and the devil will run away. Turn your mind and heart to heaven and eternity; and you will not be caught by the devil. The higher a bird flies, the safer it is, and when it descends to the ground, it is either caught or shot. So is the person, and so on. Save yourself in Christ, and pray for me, the unworthy. V. Instruction on what a monastic should do in his cell and in solitude; and at the same time about the benefits of solitude If you live in your cell, do this: having risen from sleep, thank God and pray. Having come from the Church, read something from the book for the benefit of your soul; then get down to needlework and do it. Having finished, get up and pray; After praying, read something from a book. And so do everything according to changes, that is: now pray, now read, now do handicrafts. But in handicrafts and reading, raise your mind to Christ and pray to Him to have mercy on you and help you. When you do everything according to changes, then you will be more willing and zealous for everything, reading, prayer. Changeability bo makes hunting and diligence. So people move from place to place and walk; Likewise, variable food is more pleasant to people than one supplied. Change your business too, and you will be more willing to get down to business. When despondency, boredom and melancholy confuse you greatly, then leave your cell and walk around wherever possible, and as you walk sigh to Christ, may He help you. Remember death, the judgment of Christ and eternity often. This remembrance, like a scourge, will drive away all despondency, boredom and melancholy. Everything that is temporary is brief and will soon pass. What happens after death endures forever. The day passes, and with the day everything, that is: sadness and joy passes; and so all life passes away. And he comes closer and closer to death. And whatever death finds a person in, with that he will appear in the next age. Blessed is he who watches and awaits the hour of death! Save yourself in Christ, and remember the weak me in your prayers: Remember us, Lord, in Your Kingdom. Do this prayer more often to Christ the Son of God, who sits at the right hand of God the Father in the glory of the Father. Here, sigh for me, a sinner. May the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior have mercy on us all, and grant us portions of His chosen ones. Amen. P.P. Be careful when visiting, lest you scatter among people what you gather in solitude. It rarely happens that a person returns to his cell the same way he left his cell among the people. The desert and solitude gathers good, but the temptations of the world scatter. There is no better place for a person to repent than in solitude. Here a person collects all his past life in his mind, and looking at it, he sighs for Christ and asks for mercy from Him. A person sins nothing more than with the tongue, but in solitude he runs away from this sin. Our eyes and ears are like doors through which temptations reach the heart and strike it. He runs away from solitude, but he won’t accept temptation either. Young people, especially those living without marriage, whose blood is boiling, should maintain solitude, so as not to give or receive temptation. Please listen to this and consider what I am writing. We read in the Histories that the pillars fell from the flesh; what can the canes expect? The desert and solitude, with the help of God, preserve from this. Some Saint heard a voice: Run away from people and be saved. May this voice ring for us too. However, when running away from people, we must run away not for the sake of man, but for the sake of sin. We should hate sin, not people; and we must love them, and not hate them, but pray for them. Our need for ourselves, and for our neighbors, love convinces us to pray. VI. Rules of Christian monastic life It is known, know that no matter where you live, you will not escape the temptation of Satan, who either through evil thoughts, or through evil people, his servants, tempts, worries, embitters and persecutes those who come to Christ and want to work diligently for Him. And it happens that those who were once our friends will become distant to us, our enemies; and our most blooded and half-blooded ones, such as father, mother, brothers, sisters, and other relatives, if they live in the world, will persecute us. Read about this (Matthew 10:34, 35, 36; and Luke 12:51, 52, 53). We read almost countless examples of this in Church History, and now we see an abundance of this disaster. Everyone recognizes this in himself, and sees it in others like himself. The evil world hates Christ and persecutes His servants. All who want to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Tim. 2:12). Which all temptation must be overcome by labor, patience, struggle and prayer. Know for sure that when you repel insult with insult, and repel slander with slander, that is, repay evil for evil, then you will give way to the devil; for he wants us to repay evil for evil; and then God will not stand for us. For God says: Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord (Rom. 12:19). Then we ourselves do what befits God alone. And when we give in to people who have offended us, forgive, remain silent, and even pray for them, and repay them good for evil, then there will be no place for the devil. We will then not yield, but stand against him and resist him. For the devil does not want us to do good to people. This is the Christian victory, which defeats not the flesh and blood of people like themselves, but the spirit of evil. And this is what the Apostle James wrote: Obey God, but resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7). God commands us to do good, and endure insults, and not repay evil for evil; the devil nasty advises. When we do good and endure, then we obey God, and we resist the devil, who teaches evil and leads us away from patience. And so defeated by patience, like a dog hit with a stick, he will run away from us. Then God will stand for us and drive him away from us. Saint Chrysostom speaks about this: one must defeat the devil with patience. Do you want to not give in and resist the devil? Give in to people and do not resist them, and do not repay evil for evil. Above all, overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:20, 21). This is a glorious victory, more glorious than winning over many thousands of people; Christ from Heaven looks favorably on this feat and victory; about this Angels rejoice; this people please; all the Scriptures are praised, and throughout all generations they proclaim. Oh Jesus! death and hell to the winner! Help us the poor and weak! Thou art our Helper and our Savior, do not become obdurate; Lord help us! This glorious victory will be followed by the most glorious, most magnificent, and eternal triumph in Heaven (Apoc. 7:9 to the end of the chapter). Then all present misfortune will turn into bliss, all reproach and reproach into glory, all sadness and sorrow into joy, all tears and sorrow into consolation, all labors and deeds into eternal peace. Then we will forget all the troubles and misfortunes and receive good things that the eye cannot see, the ear cannot hear, and so on. (1 Cor. 2:9). Then the congregation of the Lord will be converted, and will come to Zion with joy, and everlasting joy will be upon their heads; over their heads, for I will receive praise and joy, and joy; I will flee sickness, sorrow and sighing (Isa. 35:10). Then those who work for the Lord will eat, they will drink, they will rejoice, they will be glad with gladness of heart (Isa. 65:13-14). Just as a mother consoles someone, so I will console you, and in Jerusalem you will be consoled. And you will see, and your heart will rejoice, says the Lord (Isa. 66:13–14). About the longed-for and joy-filled day when we receive this from the hand of our Heavenly Father! Remember us, Lord, in the favor of Your people! visit us with Thy salvation, to see Thy chosen ones in the goodness, to rejoice in the joy of Thy tongue, to glory in Thy inheritance (Ps. 106:4-5). Farewell to glory, honor, wealth, nobility, joy, luxury and all the treasures of this world! Stay to your lovers! Strive my spirit to the heavenly Jerusalem, to the house of the Heavenly Father, where there are many abodes (John 14:2). There is our glory, honor, wealth, nobility, joy, joy, joy and true and eternal triumph. Let us rise to the mountains of our souls; come there, help comes from there. Oh Jesus! Son of the living God, my Redeemer and Savior! Turn away my eyes from seeing vanity (Ps. 119:37). Take this into your mind and reason, and your heart will warm up, and you will forget all your sadness. Don’t make friends with anyone until you know for sure whether the person you want to know is truly a good person and not a hypocrite, so that later you will repent and regret, but it’s too late. Many wolves walk in sheep's clothing. From their fruits, says the Lord, you will know them (Matthew 7:16). Many speak quietly, smoothly and softly; many are silent, many fast a lot and read a lot of prayers and so on (which is not bad in itself and is commendable). But inside they are evil, bitter and rotten, like apples, red on the outside, but rotten and worm-eaten on the inside. Know for sure that when there is no piety inside, then there is no piety in the thing itself, and external visible piety without internal is hypocrisy and deception. However, do not despise anyone, do not disdain anyone, but love and honor everyone in a Christian way; and don't judge anyone. You don’t know what a person has inside. Have all respect and obedience towards the Superior. Be careful not to offend him in any way, either by word or deed. When someone reproaches you for something, answer with silence and a bow and an admission of guilt. This will not take away your honor from you; It’s better to always admit yourself guilty than to justify yourself. God will only justify those who recognize themselves as sinners, but leaves those with their righteousness who justify themselves. For, if we admit ourselves guilty and sinful, then God by His grace will justify us in Christ Jesus. Although it happens that we are not guilty before people, we are always guilty before God. It’s better to always and everywhere admit yourself guilty. Such humble recognition makes a person dear to God and people. When you want to live like a monastery, forget nobility, but think that you are united from vile people. (Although this is necessary for all Christians, but even more so for those living in the Monastery, whom both the attire and the place should humble). Thus, pride and pomp will be destroyed and in its place humility will enter your heart, a virtue favorable to God and people. The nobility of this century is only an empty title and name. All people are equal by nature, poor and damned, and sinners. No one is born an official, so death makes everyone equal. It is impossible to know where your grandfathers and great-grandfathers are now, and their slaves lie in the ground after death; we will all return to the ground equally. What if a sinful soul lived in a noble body? Then the best servant of his master will be with that Master who does not accept the face of man, but judges by deeds, and not by faces. To survive in the Monastery, you need to work, read useful books and pray. You need these three things, but I advise you to do them alternately, that is: now read, now do, now pray, so that the slightest time never passes in idleness, unless the conversation is about soul-beneficial things, such as: about the Kingdom of God, about the Saving Incarnation of the Son of God, and so on. Then the conversation itself will stimulate prayer and thanksgiving to God. By doing this, you will avoid laziness and idleness, and a person, insensitively living a virtuous life, will succeed with God’s help, which is what I wish both for myself and for you. Although every Christian, especially in a solitary monastery, finds boredom, despondency, sadness and melancholy. For this reason, in this case, one must turn to the discussion of eternity, the Kingdom of Heaven, eternal torment, etc. This reasoning drives away all despondency and vanity. In the same way you must pray, sigh and sing spiritual songs, and in this way you will overcome sadness and boredom. It is better to endure everything here that is temporary, and there to have fun forever, than to walk here temporarily in peace, and there to suffer forever. Think about it! When you succumb to despondency and boredom, then greater despondency will rise upon you and will drive you out of the Monastery with shame. And when you stand against him and win in the prescribed manner, then victory will always be followed by joy, consolation and great spiritual strength; and those who strive always experience alternately sadness and joy. As it happens under heaven, sometimes it’s gloomy, sometimes stormy, sometimes stormy; So it happens in our soul, sometimes sadness, sometimes temptation, like a storm, sometimes consolation and joy, like a pleasant bucket, and just as after bad weather we get a pleasant bucket, so after temptation and sadness we get sweet consolation. Here, according to my promise, I wrote to you according to my strength, how to live in the Monastery. In other matters, read my previously sent instructions. You can tell this to the rest of your brethren for the benefit. Finally, I ask everyone who likes these points to pray for me, a sinner, who wrote these points. And whoever doesn’t like it, let him do as he wants. No one can bind the human will and shut the mouth. VII. Monastic Instruction They enter the Monastery to save themselves, and not to lose their salvation, to work, and not to lie down. Hear this, beloved Monk! You have everything ready, food, clothing, home, etc. You don’t pay rent or capitation. What else can you do but care about the salvation of yourself and your neighbor, and pray to God, both for yourself and for everyone? Twice you promised Christ to work in faith and righteousness, at baptism and tonsure. Where are your vows now? show me. Your very robe and your vows will be placed before you at the terrible Judgment of Christ, when you live differently and act as you promised. You are lying to God, not to people. This is difficult and scary, as you can see. Heed this, beloved, and always remember your vows, and act and live according to them, so that you are not condemned as a liar at this court. And in order for you to act according to your vows and live holyly, which your vows require, pay attention to the following points, and act and live according to them. First. God is in every place, and sees our every deed and thought and hears the word, and writes it in his book, and will reward us according to our deeds at the general Judgment. Heed this and place God before you, who is everywhere present, and honor Him with faith and truth and a good conscience, and be extremely careful in His sight to do and speak and talk idlely, lest you anger Him and fall to His righteous Judgment. In front of an honest person and earthly power, you are ashamed and afraid of doing anything obscene and bad; How much more should one be ashamed and afraid to do something before God, before whom the whole world is like nothing? Second. Show the abbot all obedience. Third. When he lives holy, follow him as your father; when he lives differently, do what he lawfully commands, but do not do according to his deeds, as Christ said (Matthew 23:3). Just be extremely careful not to judge him and slander him, but pray that God will correct him. This is a Christian matter. Fourth. It is very dangerous and tempting for a monk to leave the Monastery, and even more so to go to villages and towns. For this reason, unless absolutely necessary, do not leave the Monastery and do not enter secular houses. Otherwise, you won’t come back the same way you left. People fall not only with their bodies, but also with their hearts and minds and eyes. It is better to fall with your feet than with your heart, mind and eyes. Take heed of this. Fifth. Just know the Church and your cell, and do not go to other cells unless absolutely necessary, so that you do not fall into the sin of idle talk, slander and condemnation. There is no better way than to stick to your cell. You won’t receive me in your cell, nor will you give me any temptation. She will teach you everything when you live in her with the fear of God. In solitude and silence, and not in the people and rumors, good and heavenly thoughts will be born. Remember that you are a Monk; Be a monk not only in attire, but also in thing and deed, that is: solitary. Monk bo Greek name, and means solitary. Sixth. While standing in Church, stand with attention and remember that you are standing before God and praying to Him. For this reason, do not look around, but direct your mind and heart directly to God, so that your prayer will be heard. Listen to the prayers and verses you read. Seventh. While in Church during prayer, be extremely careful not to talk about earthly things. This place, and especially the Holy Altar, is a holy place. A holy place must be holy and revered. Beware of speaking in this place unless absolutely necessary. You go to this place to pray to God, and not to talk. Eighth. Do not be idle, for idleness teaches all evil. Always be engaged in good works, that is: either read books, or pray, or be in the thought of God, or do some manual work. The enemy approaches no one more easily than one who lives in idleness. Here his house is swept and decorated. Beware of idleness, lest you fall into all evil. Ninth. Pray to God briefly, but often and diligently. Don’t just pray for yourself, but for all Christians. This is the title of Monastic. A monk without prayer is like a warrior in battle without weapons. The enemy always attacks Monks. Therefore, we should not slumber, but resist him and stand against him with vigil and prayer, according to the admonition of Christ: Watch and pray, so that you do not fall into misfortune (Matthew 26:41). Tenth. It is very dangerous for a Monk to hang out and know his wives. For this reason, a monk should not allow his wives into his cell unnecessarily, and even more so, allow them to spend the night in his cell. This is very dangerous, and also tempting. Beware, Monk, what you have collected with much effort, in one minute you will lose it and ruin yourself. Pillars and miracle workers fall, as we see in the Stories; what can the broken reeds expect? Beware, beloved, of your wife, lest you be burned. Eva always has her own character; always seduces. First ten. Remember often death, the terrible Judgment of Christ, Gehenna, and the Kingdom of Heaven. And even more so, turn your thoughts to these points when you are tempted by lust for sin; turn and ask the Lord for help. Without that, our diligence is not very strong. The memory of these points will not allow you to sin. The memory of Gehenna, says Saint Chrysostom, will not allow one to fall into Gehenna. Second ten. When any evil thought comes across, then immediately drive it away and call on the Lord for help, saying: Lord, help me! Kill the evil child, lest he grow and become strong and kill you. Strive to always be a winner, not a loser. Be a good fighter and defender, not a subject. May the Lord help you. Third ten. Be careful not to talk about people, and especially about authorities and high officials, lest you fall into the sin of condemnation and slander. Fourteen. Beware of experiencing other people's vices and sins. This leads a person to condemnation and slander. Look at yourself and know yourself, that is: your passions and sins, and cleanse them with repentance and prayer; This test is useful for a Monk, as for every Christian. Fifteen. Be extremely careful not to offend and reproach your brother, that is, another Monk and every person. You are such and such a person, you are a rogue, this and so on. This is a grave sin. Remember that you yourself are a sinner, just like him; or maybe he is better than you. Besides, you don’t know what the morning will do to him or you. It happens that a good person is corrupted, and an evil person is corrected. Everyone falls when God does not strengthen him. We cannot stand without God's help. Sixteen. If someone offends you, do not hold anger against him, but forgive him immediately, and pray to God for him, and God will forgive him; and although your heart does not want this, bow to it, and convince it, and pray to the Lord that He will help you conquer yourself and put to death the carnal wisdom. This is difficult, but it is required of a Christian; and even more so from the Monk. You must forgive your neighbor when you yourself want to receive forgiveness from God. Leave it, and it will be left for you. If you don’t leave, then it won’t be left for you either. This is scary, but true. For the Holy Gospel teaches this: If you forgive a person their sins, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. If you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive you your sins (Matthew 6:14-15)... Other things are missing. Due to his extreme weakness, the Right Reverend was unable to finish this instruction. VIII. Advice to one Monk, who was seduced by schismatics and freethinkers, in discussing the faith about the resurrection of the dead I hear that you live among people, like iron between a hammer and an anvil; and schismatics and atheists surround you, and so, running away from the lions, you were caught between asps and basilisks. Woe, woe, woe to those who live on earth and want to save their souls, for Satan, like a lion, walks roaring, seeking to devour someone (1 Pet. 5:8), and whom he has already devoured, through them he wants and tries to devour those who are not consumed. Beware of this lion and those who are swallowed up from him. Consider what I am writing. 1. Raskolnikov, beware of fire, and have no communication with them. At least they fasted for a week, and always prayed, and showed other things; run from them. 2. The Resurrection of the dead, the Judgment of Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven, and the eternal torment that is to come, believe as you see yourself and other people. So this is true, just as it is true that yesterday was, and today is. Because God has declared this to us in the Holy Scriptures. 3. About the resurrection of the dead, read these passages: 1 Cor. Whole chapter 15, 1 Sol. 4:13 to the end of the chapter, Matt. 22:23–33; and Mk. 12, Lk. 20, In. 5:25, 28–29. And in other places. 4. About the judgment of Christ: Matt. 15:5. About the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal torment, in the same place Matt. 25. These go into eternal torment, but the righteous women go into eternal belly, and this is written about in many other places in Scripture. 6. Know for sure that these who do not believe in the Resurrection of Christ, the Judgment of Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal torment are obvious atheists; and even though they caress you and flatter you, run away from them, lest you perish with them; and there is a sign that such people, no matter how they may seem to themselves, have a bestial life. 7. I advise you, living among such beasts, if you cannot avoid them, to stick to your cell alone, and go to only one Mass, and read Matins and Vespers at home; Yes, be dumb and deaf. Then you will hear our Savior Himself teaching you within you more often. 8. So tenacious, you will inevitably have a lot of bitterness; but endure everything, and endure, that you may be saved. IX. An admonition to one monk intending to move to the Moscow Monasteries not to leave his place and, moreover, to learn patience Although I don’t know and haven’t seen you, I have heard who you are and where you are from, and how you came to rank. Good start! ABOUT! If only the end were good, without which the beginning is nothing! It is not the beginning and the middle, but the end that boasts, and completes the whole work, and according to the word of Christ: Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life (Apoc. 2:10). I heard that you are bored by the hatred and bitterness of those living with you, and you want to move away from that place and go to one of the Moscow monasteries. When people truly hate you and embitter you, then this is a wiles of the devil, which arouses human hatred and embitterment against a pious soul in order to overthrow it and turn it away from the good path. But poor people, who hate and embitter a pious soul, do not themselves know what they are doing. For it happens that later they repent and regret it. Place the blame for your misfortune on this spiritual enemy of ours, and forgive people and pray for them. Do not yield to your adversary and stand in your former place, like a brave warrior stands against his adversary and does not give him room. Stand still, and do not yield to him, lest he rejoice over you. Know for sure that wherever you are, everywhere he will bother you through people, and through himself. You will live in silence and have good peace when you endure everything that happens to you from yourself and from people with silence and without complaining. For a pious soul living in this world, there is a foreign side everywhere; Everywhere there is anxiety as he goes to his Heavenly Fatherland. There she will rest sweetly for her labors and feats; and, moreover, forever, and not temporarily. But even here in this world, if you want to have some kind of peace, you cannot find it anywhere, if you cannot have patience. Give yourself over to patience, and you will have peace within yourself, although you will be disturbed a lot from the outside. Let people call you whatever they want; let them say what they want about you; Look in the mirror of your conscience and be comforted by that testimony, and look at the future glory that is prepared for those who endure. Everything temporary will pass, although it will be very bitter and lasting, but eternal glory and bliss will never pass. Look at Christ: what did He not endure for us? Look at these Saints: haven’t they all followed Christ with faith and patience? What should we show up before them with when we don’t want to endure it here? What difference will we show that we are Christians when we do not want to bear the Cross and follow Christ with patience? Are we going to show that we live in monasteries and wear black dresses? We must be careful that the same thing does not expose us there. Monastic life and black dress are humility and repentance. And when we do not want to follow Christ for the sake of our humbleness, then where are our vows with which at baptism we promised to work for Christ! Where are the vows that were repeated during tonsure, and promised to have humility, obedience, patience, meekness, and so on? Does a monk last as long as he takes tonsure? Do the black robe and vows make one a Monk, and not the actual work? No no. All Christians are required to walk the narrow and straitened path; but more so from the Monk and from the Nuns. Who convinced us to enter a monastery and wear a black dress, to endure cramped conditions and sorrow? We ourselves chose it. Why should we run away from what we ourselves have chosen? All faulty Christians will be unrequited at the Last Judgment of Christ; but especially Monks and Nuns who do not keep their vows. Remember all this, beloved, and from the Monastery in which you are, do not leave it, but endure everything, so that you will receive the crown of life. There is no crown without victory, victory without feat, feat without battle, battle without enemies. One must therefore fight, strive and win with patience in order to be crowned with the hero Jesus Christ. Just as you began to be a warrior of Christ, so remain to the end; then Christ will recognize you as His warrior, and will give you the crown of life, and you will be blessed forever. Christian victory consists of nothing other than courageous patience through sorrows and adversities. There is no more glorious victory than conquering your own anger. If you have a blessed reason to leave this Monastery, then do not go to Moscow monasteries, but go to some Monastery there and live. I just assure you that the demon will bother you everywhere. May the Lord protect us from him. X. Advice to those who have entered monasticism to be patient and not to repent I heard your complaint, about your worries; To which, in my poor understanding, I offer you advice: 1. Those who turn to God always face many temptations, which is written about in Scripture like this: Child! As soon as you begin to work for the Lord God, prepare your soul for temptation. Guide your heart, and be patient and do not be hasty during guidance, etc. (Sir. 2:1–2). And many places in Holy Scripture testify to the same thing. We must therefore endure and arm ourselves with prayer against them, and thus overcome them. Satan does not sleep, but is always awake for our destruction, according to the teaching of the Apostle: Be sober, be vigilant, the devil is your adversary, like a roaring lion he walks, seeking someone to devour; resist him, stand firm in faith, etc. (1 Pet. 5:8–9). The Apostle James says: Blessed is the man who, having endured temptation, having been unskilled, receives the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12). Be patient and expect mercy from God and a crown in the next century. 2. When your thoughts rush to your former life and vanity, beware of that. This is Satan's wiles; He wants to seduce you, entangle you in vanity, and thus destroy you. Listen to the Holy Scripture about this: No one has laid his hand on his forehead, and in vain he will be ruled in the Kingdom of God, says Christ (Luke 9:62). And Peter the Apostle says: It is better for them, that is, those who return to a lawless life, not to know the path of righteousness, than for those who have known to turn back from the Holy Commandment handed down to them. When a true parable happened to them: a dog returned to his vomit, and a pig washed himself in a pot (2 Pet. 2:21–22). And in Psalm 124 it is written: Those who turn aside into corruption, the Lord will lead them away with the workers of iniquity (Ps. 124:5). And Christ again says: What good is it for a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul? (Matthew 16:26). Everything will remain here, peace, wealth, glory, honor, luxury, carnal sweetness, jewelry, dresses, houses, attire, horses, carriages, dishes, carnal food, satiety, everything will pass away; death will come and take us naked and send us into that light. Woe to us when he delights those deceived by vanity, those burdened with sins, and the naked with virtues! How will one appear at the Judgment of Christ? There will be incessant shame and disgrace; the whole world will see our nakedness; The saints of God will not recognize us if we do not imitate them here; The Holy Angels abhor us because they were called Christians, but were not Christians, that is, they did not have a Christian life; Christ will say: I knew you better (Matthew 7:23). You did not know Me, and you did not keep My commandments, and you did not follow Me in humility, love, meekness, and patience in the world, tenacious; and I don’t know you now. ABOUT! God, do not allow this voice to be heard; let us endure a little, that we may be comforted forever; soon, soon it will all be over! He’ll come and won’t stiffen up! Soon there will be a change; those who endure eternal consolation, and those who are consoled here with the sweets and joys and lusts of this world, suffer eternal sorrow, oppression and melancholy. Save yourself! May the Lord strengthen you and have mercy on me, a sinner. Amen. Your well wisher and servant XI. Consolation for a Monk Suffering Slander You endure severe slander, as I hear. Accept my consolation according to my strength. First: Without God nothing happens to us; Therefore, the tongue that speaks slander against us is by God’s permission. Be patient with what God sends. God hears slander, and your conscience knows. Second: Take comfort in this, that you are suffering falsely. A clear conscience is a great consolation. It is better to take comfort from a single conscience; although he denigrates the whole world, rather than be convicted out of conscience, although the whole world praises him. I choose this for myself: let everyone blaspheme me, as long as my conscience praises me. This faithful witness cannot lie; what he sees, he says; and what he does not see, he is silent, and stands alone against thousands of slanderers, and fights for us, and defends, and consoles, and in due time stops the slanderers’ mouths; and then their shame will be covered. Third: You have many comrades in this calamity: the Saints of God have endured much slander; and now many such people are found who endure the same thing. You are not the only one who suffers this: many have passed this way and smoothed it over for us, and they call us to follow the same path. Let us follow them, so that together we may glorify Jesus Christ, who redeemed us. Oh Jesus! draw us, weak and despondent, after You and Your Saints! Fourth: Judge and consider your conscience, have you not hurt anyone with your tongue? Once upon a time it was, slander is slander and is punished; and therefore endure with gratitude that sin is punished here, and there the sinner will be pardoned. If we are judged by the Lord, we are punished, so that we will not be condemned with the world, says the Apostle (1 Cor. 11:32). Punish us, Lord, here, and have mercy there! Fifth: You see how God, by His mercy, turns to us for good what Satan and evil people plan for us for evil! Be calm and comforted now, and forget all the vanity. Sixth: learn from this not to believe the slander of others who slander others. Just as you hear slander about yourself in vain, so those about whom bad rumors are spread often hear in vain, not knowing behind themselves what they are being slandered about. Give thanks for this with the Prophet: It is good for me, for you have humbled me (Ps. 119:71). Read the points sent from me; and there you will find what I write. Save yourself, and remember me, a sinner. XII. Consolation to the Monk, dishonor to the one who suffers The double punishment of God, eternal and temporary; eternal punishment is prepared for the wicked, lawless and unrepentant sinners. They cannot avoid this, no matter how much they caress themselves. He will rain down on sinners a net, a fire and a bogey, and a stormy spirit, part of their cup (Ps. 10:6). Temporary punishment is suffered by pious people, those who fear God and strive to preserve the commandments of God; and this punishment of God is Fatherly, merciful, and comes from love. So it is written: The Lord loves him, punishes him, beats every son he accepts, and so on. (Heb. 12:6). Thus, the Lord who loves mankind kindly punishes His faithful servants, so that He may have mercy on them there, according to the words of the Apostle: If we are judged by the Lord, we are punished, lest we be condemned with the world (1 Cor. 11:32). Like the Father, He beats and corrects His children, so that He may give them the inheritance of eternal life. And the most pious people are not without sin. In the revelation of John it is written about the elect of God, whom he saw standing before the Throne of God: These are they who came out of great tribulation (Apoc. 7:14). And in the Acts of the Apostles it is written: Through much tribulation it is necessary to enter into the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). And in other places. You see that there is a sorrowful path to eternal life. Forbear everything here, no matter what happens, but you will not endure it there, but may you receive eternal life with those who have endured all sorrow and punishment here, and with them you will cool down, and be comforted, and glorified in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the Proverbs of Solomon it is written like this: Humiliation must come to glory (cf. Proverbs 15:33). That is, before the glory that will be in the next century, those who live piously will suffer in this world humiliation, reproach, ridicule, reproach, reproach, slander. No matter how much a pious soul here in this world endures reproach, reproach, slander, humiliation, slander, and other slander, only in the next century will it be glorified. Therefore, endure all reproach, reproach, slander and abuse with all meekness and silence, do not take revenge either in deed or in word on your slanderers and scolders, but rather pray for them, following the example of Christ; and thus you will follow Christ, who was mocked by the world, humiliated, and dishonored, who was the reproach of men and the humiliation of people, and with Him you will be glorified in His Kingdom. Then your temporary dishonor will be turned into your eternal honor, your temporary dishonor into eternal glory, humiliation into praise, and all sorrow and slander into eternal consolation and joy. Believe this and be strong, be patient with the Lord, take courage and let your heart be strong, and be patient with the Lord, the Holy Spirit exhorts every suffering soul. XIII. My advice and instruction for a certain brother Remember often the Judgment of God, death, hell, and the Kingdom of Heaven. For by such remembrance a person is taken away from sins, and the vanity of this world comes into oblivion. Remember often, especially at night, about the suffering of Christ, that He suffered and died for our sins. Thus, love for the suffering Christ will be kindled, and this love will keep you from sins. Take great care of purity and chastity, and take note of these mediations. First: Eat and drink little, but love fasting. Second: Never be idle, but always do something. Third: Always remember that you walk with God, and He looks at you everywhere, and inspects your deeds, words and thoughts. How dare you sin and defile yourself before God? Beware, not only in deed, but also in thought, of sinning. You do not dare to sin before your father and matter, how will you sin before the all-seeing God? Fourth: Whenever a bad thought comes, immediately drive it away from you and pray: Lord Jesus Christ! help me, a sinner! Fifth: Pray often and ask Christ: Lord! give me humility, chastity and other virtues! Without prayer and God's help, we cannot have chastity and other virtues. Sixth: Keep your eyes away from looking at red faces, and your ears from evil songs, and do not be enticed by such. Seventh: While standing in Church, do not look around, but look at the ground and towards the Holy Altar, and raise your mind to God. Don’t say anything about people, because this leads to vice, which is a grave sin. How the Gospel and the Apostle are read, and the teaching in the Church, or elsewhere, listen diligently, and reason about what is being read; and strive to fulfill this deed. Hearing without performance is of no use; and pray to God that He Himself will teach you to do His will: Lord! teach me to do Your will! XIV. Comfort for a mourning brother, and an exhortation to resort to God in sorrows I received a letter from you, from which I learned the sadness and grief of your soul; what to do? Life in this world cannot exist without it. The air is sometimes gloomy, sometimes clear, sometimes stormy, sometimes quiet; It’s the same at sea, sometimes silence, sometimes waves; so in us there is no change; sometimes we rejoice, sometimes we grieve, sometimes we fear, sometimes we hope; Such is the life of this world. This constant change teaches us how we should support ourselves in happiness and unhappiness, joy and sorrow. Joy has come, sadness should also be expected; we fall into sadness; then expect fun. But blessed is he who can steer the ship of his soul during storms and bad weather! We must be diligent about this, but diligence without Divine help is not strong. For this reason, it is necessary to ask God, the Ruler of all. God is our refuge and strength, our helper in the sorrows of those who have found us great. Thus, faith encourages itself during sorrowful situations, and protects itself, like a shield, by trusting in the Most High from the fiery arrows of the enemy. He is the hope of all the ends of the earth, and of those who are in the far seas; He is the same for me, poor man, and for you; the eyes of all trust in Him, and in my mournful sorrows I lift up my eyes to Him. He is a helper and protector to everyone, including me and you. He does not look at the face, but at our heart and faith. Just as the sun enlightens and comforts all those who look at it with its brightest image, so the eternal and unsetting Sun, to all who look at it with faith, is enlightenment and consolation. About this the Prophet says: My eyes are lifted up to You, who live in Heaven: Behold, like the eyes of a servant in the hand of his masters, like the eyes of a slave in the hand of her mistress: so our eyes are towards the Lord our God until we are gracious (Ps. 122:1-2). Committing myself and you to God's mercy, I remain XV. Advice and advice to a certain monastic out of despondency From your letter I see that despondency has come over you. Fierce is this passion, with which Christians who want to be saved must struggle a lot. She takes especially those people who have bread and everything else ready: and especially those who live in solitude. I advise you to do the following: 1. Convince yourself and force yourself to pray and do every good deed, even though you don’t want to. Just as people drive a lazy horse with a whip and convince him to go and run, so we must convince ourselves to do everything we do, and especially to pray. Such work and diligence, the Lord seeing, will give desire and zeal. He does the hunting, and seems to be drawn to prayer and every good deed and habit. Get used to it and get used to it, and the habit itself will attract you to prayer and all good things. 2. Diligence brings variability, that is: when you do both things variably. Do this too, then pray, then do something with your hands, then read a book, then talk about your soul and eternal salvation and so on; that is: pray and read a book, and do handicrafts and pray again, and do other things, and so on. And when despondency sets in strongly, get out of the room and walk around, and as you walk around talk about Christ and other things, and while reasoning, raise your mind to God and pray. This is how despondency will be born. 3. The memory of death that comes unexpectedly, the memory of the Judgment of Christ, and the memory of eternal torment and eternal bliss drives away despondency. Talk about them. 4. Pray and sigh to the Lord, so that He Himself will give you zeal and desire, for without Him we are incapable of doing anything. When you act on these points, believe me that little by little you will have the desire and zeal. God requires work and feat from us: and he promised to help those who work: work hard, may the Lord help you. He helps those who work, not those who lie down and doze. Satan is watching for our destruction. We shouldn’t slumber either; but to stand and fight against such a fierce enemy is prayer and reading books and every good deed; so that when he comes to us he will not find a place for himself. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7). The devil does not approach anyone more conveniently than a person living in idleness and laziness. Here his house is swept and decorated. Consider this and beware, and pray for me, a sinner.