О чтении святых Отцов

Conversation and the company of neighbors has a great effect on a person. A conversation and acquaintance with a scientist reveals a lot of information, with a poet - a lot of sublime thoughts and feelings, with a traveler - a lot of knowledge about countries, about the morals and customs of people. It is obvious: conversation and acquaintance with saints communicate holiness. “You will be reverent with the venerable, and with the innocent man you will be innocent, and with the chosen you will be chosen” (Ps. 17:26-27). From now on, during your short earthly life, which Scripture did not even call life, but a wandering, get to know the saints. Do you want to belong to their society in heaven, do you want to be a participant in their bliss? from now on, enter into fellowship with them. When you leave the church of the body, they will accept you as their acquaintance, as their friend (Luke 16:9). There is no closer acquaintance, no closer connection than the connection by unity of thoughts, unity of feelings, unity of purpose (1 Cor. 1:10). Where there is unanimity, there is certainly unanimity, there is certainly one goal, equal success in achieving the goal. Assimilate the thoughts and spirit of the Holy Fathers by reading their writings. The Holy Fathers achieved their goal: salvation. And you will achieve this goal in the natural course of things. As one of one mind and one accord with the Holy Fathers, you will be saved. Heaven received the Holy Fathers into its blessed bosom. By this he testified that the thoughts, feelings, and deeds of the Holy Fathers were pleasing to him. The Holy Fathers expressed their thoughts, their hearts, their way of acting in their writings. This means: what a true guide to heaven, attested by heaven itself - the writings of the Fathers. The writings of the Holy Fathers were all compiled under the inspiration or influence of the Holy Spirit. Wonderful harmony in them, wonderful anointing! Anyone who is guided by them is, without any doubt, guided by the Holy Spirit. All the waters of the earth flow into the ocean, and perhaps the ocean serves as the beginning for all the waters of the earth. The Scriptures of the Fathers are all united in the Gospel; everyone is inclined to teach us the exact fulfillment of the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ; of all of them, both the source and the end is the holy Gospel. The Holy Fathers teach how to approach the Gospel, how to read it, how to understand it correctly, what helps and what hinders understanding it. And therefore, first, spend more time reading the Holy Fathers. When they teach you to read the Gospel, then read the Gospel primarily. Do not consider reading the Gospel alone sufficient for yourself, without reading the Holy Fathers! This is a proud, dangerous thought. It is better to let the Holy Fathers lead you to the Gospel, like their beloved child, who has received preliminary upbringing and education through their writings. Many, all of them, who madly and arrogantly rejected the Holy Fathers, who approached the Gospel directly, with blind audacity, with an unclean mind and heart, fell into a disastrous error. The Gospel rejected them: it admits only the humble. Reading the scriptures of the fathers is the parent and king of all virtues. From reading the scriptures of the Fathers we learn the true understanding of the Holy Scriptures, right faith, living according to the commandments of the Gospel, the deep respect that one should have for the commandments of the Gospel, in a word, salvation and Christian perfection. The reading of the Fathers' writings, in derogation of the Spirit-bearing mentors, became the main guide for those wishing to be saved and even achieve Christian perfection 15. The books of the Holy Fathers, as one of them put it, are like a mirror: by looking at them carefully and often, the soul can see all its shortcomings. Again, these books are like a rich collection of medical remedies: in it the soul can find saving medicine for each of its ailments. Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus said: “One glance at the sacred books excites one to a pious life” 16. The reading of the Holy Fathers must be thorough, attentive and constant: our invisible enemy, who hates the voice of affirmation (Proverbs 11:15), hates it especially when this voice comes from the Holy Fathers. This voice exposes the machinations of our enemy, his deceit, reveals his networks, his way of action: and therefore the enemy arms himself against the reading of the Fathers with various proud and blasphemous thoughts, tries to plunge the ascetic into vain worries in order to distract him from saving reading, fights him with despondency, boredom, and forgetfulness. From this battle against the reading of the Holy Fathers, we must conclude how saving the weapon, so hated by the enemy, is for us. The enemy is very concerned about tearing him out of our hands. Everyone choose a reading of the Fathers that suits their lifestyle. Let the hermit read the Fathers who wrote about silence; a monk living in a dormitory - the Fathers who wrote instructions for monastic dormitories; a Christian living in the middle of the world - the Holy Fathers, who pronounced their teachings for all of Christianity in general. Everyone, no matter what your rank, draw abundant instruction from the writings of the Fathers. Reading that suits your lifestyle is a must. Otherwise, you will be filled with thoughts, although holy, but unfulfilled by deed itself, arousing fruitless activity only in the imagination and desire; works of piety, befitting your way of life, will slip out of your hands. Not only will you become a fruitless dreamer, but your thoughts, being in constant contradiction with the circle of actions, will certainly give rise to confusion in your heart, and in your behavior uncertainty, painful, harmful for you and your neighbors. If you incorrectly read the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Fathers, you can easily deviate from the path of salvation into impassable jungles and deep abysses, which is what happened to many. Amen. Rev. Nil Sorsky. Rules. You might be interested in: