Письма к монашествующим

Letter 1. To His Eminence Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow. Refusal to be appointed censor of spiritual books and the reasons for this Your Eminence! Most Gracious Archpastor and Father! When I had the good fortune to be with you and you were pleased to ask whether I was zealous in participating in the censorship of spiritual books, the suddenness of the question did not allow me to present a satisfactory answer for Your Eminence’s consideration. I want to add these lines to it. I find the position of censor very burdensome for myself both in soul and body. On the body: I ​​must go to St. Petersburg at least once a week for general meetings with other members of the censorship committee. Very often I will have to appear for explanations and the members of the Holy Synod, in case of their ill health or absence, will have to return again. For a person living in the Capital and enjoying good health, this is convenient and easy; but for me, being a country resident with a severe nerve disorder, it is immeasurably burdensome. I pay dearly for every trip to the city; I have to lie down all day, I’ll be so weak, my bones will ache! To my liking: I decided to accept monastic life not for the purpose of earthly ambition, but rather for the purpose of tonsure; on the contrary, I had to, not without a strong spiritual struggle, abandon the ambitious views and ghosts that appeared to me in all their splendor in my worldly life. If I add to this the love of my parents, then I can say: how many valuable donations I have made in order to inherit a solitary cell, then a village in which priceless beads are hidden! Having secluded myself (more or less) in my cell for ten years and distracted my mind from the diversity and multiplicity of objects - already feeling that many memories have frozen in me - I cannot, without obvious mental distress, plunge into the sea of ​​external worries, judgments, debates, trips - into the life of a traveler. I am extremely burdened by my very stay in the Sergius Hermitage, and the only reason I do not bother asking the Sovereign Emperor to leave it is so as not to be completely ungrateful to Him - I remain silent for the time being, waiting for the finger of God to show me a time appropriate for solitude. I earnestly pray to the Lord for this. – They also deigned to ask: what am I doing? Believe me, I don't have any extra time. Not to mention how much of it is stolen from me by the weakness of my body, the cares of the monastery, and most of all, travel. I ask and convince Your Eminence: just as your gracious disposition and power of attorney inspired you with the idea of ​​entrusting me with the mentioned position, so the same gracious disposition and attention to my weaknesses, to my spiritual direction and to my most humble request, may it convince you to leave the sinful Ignatius to weep over his sins. It is enough, enough for my condemnation at the Last Judgment of Christ of my own sins and the Abbot’s yoke, unworthy to be worn. – I ask for holy prayers and forgiveness for the verbosity. Letter 2. To His Eminence Anthony, Metropolitan of Novgorod and St. Petersburg. Congratulations on Angel's Day Gracious Archpastor and Father! Although I know the humble way of thinking instilled in you by Christian feelings about the day of your Angel, although you dissolve its joy with sad memories, however, your children, the sheep of your pasture, given and handed over to you by the Chief Shepherd and the Lamb of God, must meet and spend this day in spiritual joy, sending up warm prayers to the Lord to prolong the years of your life in the longed-for health and prosperity for the prosperity of the Russian Church. And we, the unworthy monks of the monastery of St. Sergius, pray for this to the almighty and merciful Lord, we also beg His Pleasant, so that with his strong prayers for our Shepherd he will make up for the lack of our prayers. Sending such... to Heaven, we cannot help but turn to you, Most Reverend Bishop, with our most ardent congratulations, which we bring with the liveliest feelings of love, gratitude, and respect! Accept this with your usual condescension and favor from the Abbot and the brethren of the Sergius Hermitage. My sacred duty would be to personally accept congratulations in reality; but illness does not allow me to leave my rooms. Accept, Archpastor, these lines contain my heart. Entrusting myself and the monastery to the Archpastoral blessing and your prayers, with deep respect and complete devotion, I have the honor to be, etc. Letter 3. To His Eminence Metropolitan Isidore of St. Petersburg. About spiritual and physical exploits To the favorable and pious attention of Your Highness, I have the honor to present my work - a book entitled “Ascetic Experiences”. The book sets out the concepts of spiritual achievement, which I gleaned during my long-term contemplation of monasticism, both in its living representatives and in the writings of the Holy Fathers. Given the current situation of monasticism in Russia and, together, the state of society in spiritual and moral terms, a close acquaintance of both monasticism and society with the correct way of asceticism turns out to be especially necessary and useful. The respect for bodily achievement when left only to itself, the respect paid in times of simplicity, has passed away. It passed for the very natural reason that monks, engaged exclusively in physical feats, cannot give a proper account of monastic life either to themselves or to their brethren living in the middle of the world. Moreover, the practice of physical feats, to the extent that the ancient monks were engaged in them, has now become very, very weakened due to the general decline in strength and health in man. This activity no longer reproduces athletes who would arouse surprise at themselves by discovering something supernatural. Spiritual feat forms true, conscious monks, and it is this that modern education evokes, so to speak, in the field of activity. He, he alone, can introduce into monasteries and maintain strict moral order in monasteries, providing the brotherhood with precise, correct, deep concepts of Christianity, providing the brotherhood with reasonable freedom, combined with reasonable spiritual submission, forming spiritual strength and connection in the brotherhood. He, he alone, can fully equip a monk to renounce modern teachings hostile to the Church, imparting to the monk a sense of harmony between the Gospel teaching and the properties of the human soul. He introduces the monk to correct self-view and the consciousness of his fall and the need for a Redeemer that flows from this self-view. The most physical feat, brought to its normal meaning by a spiritual feat, acts in the ascetic with a special beneficence, to which he is alien when he acts alone. The favor and patronage shown by Your Eminence to monasticism, your zeal and zeal for maintaining it and raising it to the prosperity destined by church tradition, inspired me with the boldness to present to your eyes the book I compiled... Asking for your Archpastoral blessing and entrusting myself to your Hierarchal prayers, with feelings of deepest respect and complete devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence the Most Gracious Archpastor and Father, most humble novice Letter 4. Archbishop Gabriel of Kherson and Tauride. Gratitude for the memory and brief description of your life and the lives of your relatives Your Eminence! Most Gracious Archpastor! I still can’t come to my senses from your letter: I am comforted, intoxicated with consolation! I read your letter, re-read it, I rejoice, and again I am drawn to reading the letter with an insatiable desire. How! neither the distance of time, nor the change of many different circumstances, nor new alliances of friendship could weaken in you that merciful, sincere disposition that you received towards my parent and our entire family! It seems that time, which destroys, or at least greatly weakens, impressions in you, has only given them more life and strength. This is a miracle, an amazing miracle, you have shed heavenly joy into my heart! May God reward you for the feeling of heavenly sweetness that you poured into my heart with a letter breathing love! I hasten to inform you that your letter found my parent in those moments when he wanted to go back to Vologda from the Sergius Hermitage, where he came for two weeks to meet with me after a five-year separation. He read the letter, he wept from the countless, heterogeneous feelings accumulated in his heart, he asks for your Archpastoral blessing and prayers. Of the children, I am the eldest Dimitri, who has previously enjoyed your special favor, which you told Alexander Semenovich about; give him over to monasticism! The beloved Senyusha and his other brother serve in the Semenovsky regiment. The fourth brother, the second in seniority, is the one who had the good fortune to be with you in Ekaterinoslavl. Three sisters, two married, one widowed. When I entered the ranks of novices, I hurried to the Oryol diocese, abundant in monasticism, hoping to find in its Shepherd both a patron and a mentor. - I reach the Oryol borders and do not find what I was looking for; Providence was pleased by small sorrows to provide me with a little experience, so much needed in life, especially monastic life. I am 32 years old, my parents are 59; the same amount or not much more to Pavel Alekseevich Shitilov, who is expected here one of these days. Both my parent and Pavel Alekseevich Shitilov are already old men, covered with gray hair. Shitilova Elizaveta Nikolaevna, having lost her two older children, her son, the kind and gifted Alexei, who was killed in battle, and her daughter, who died suddenly, was extremely damaged in her health. Her only consolation is her only son Leonid, whom you hardly know. Here is the smallest part of my report that I present to you; I hope to add more in the future. I repeat my gratitude a hundred times for such a tender memory of you. I entrust myself to your prayers and blessings, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father, most humble novice (original signature) Letter 5. To a certain archbishop present at the Holy Synod (Iliodor of Kursk) Your Eminence, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father! I bring you my most sincere, heartfelt gratitude for your merciful, Christian participation in my circumstances! Seeing such your participation, I allow myself to bother you with these lines; according to your very participation, accept them favorably, consider what is stated in them in the light of spiritual reasoning, which the Lord has gifted you. In the decree of the Consistory, the following resolution was prescribed for me by the Most Reverend Vicar of St. Petersburg, demanding a recall from me: “The Consistory has to ask the rector of the Sergius Hermitage, Archimandrite Ignatius: if he would like to take advantage of temporary leave for treatment, and in this case, Archimandrite Ignatius in his recall has to recommend the person to whom correction can be reliably entrusted responsibilities lying on the Archimandrite until his return upon recovery.” Every business, in my opinion, has its own natural course, from which it is difficult to evade, which is facilitated by the most obstacles. You will not condemn me if I say that I see in human affairs the invisible but powerful action of God’s Providence, which, according to the teachings of the Venerable Isaac of Sirius, especially watches over those who have left the vain world to seek God, their Savior: “Your destinies will help me” (Ps. 119:175), - sang the Divinely inspired David. In the resolution of the Most Reverend Vicar, I found and continue to find instructions that I give exactly the review that I gave, a review that agrees with the petition for my dismissal, submitted not in a moment of emotional excitement, but contrived over the years and therefore having the character of firmness and thoroughness. By the fact that it seems to me to indicate a trustworthy person to manage the monastery during my absence, concerns about the well-being of the monastery and responsibility for everything that may arise are left to me. When appointing such a person, it is impossible for me to offend my Viceroy by removing him from the assignment; - it is impossible to eliminate him, because he alone could, under favorable circumstances, support the Sergius Hermitage in the form in which it is now; it is impossible to point to him based on the known relations of the Most Reverend Vicar towards him, who with his orders can bind, distort all his orders, and destroy the monastery; and lay the blame for the disorder he himself caused on the Viceroy. According to similar orders from His Eminence, I cannot remain the rector of Sergius Hermitage any longer, even if my illness did not force me to retire. Having said this, I’ll stop spreading the word! I am very glad that my illness gives me a good reason to retire and saves me from the disgusting verbosity that should consist of justifications and accusations, which is so contrary to the teaching of Christ that it torments my soul, although it has somewhat tasted the sweetness of peace flowing from keeping the commandments of the Meekest Lord Jesus Christ. The resolution of the Right Reverend Vicar preserves, in the most natural course of affairs, which however reveals a heartfelt guarantee, the general character of his behavior towards me. This is a figure, these are words from which some kind of mask is formed, which at first, superficial glance seems to be something. Take a closer look at it - you will see lifelessness, cardboard, whitewash, rouge, ill-will, ill-intention. Again I leave it to spread. “Let not my mouth speak of the deeds of men” (Ps. 16:4), let not my thought grovel in the dust of the earth, let it not wander in human considerations, dark and producing only confusion, “let it remember the wonders of God and the deeds of His mouth, as He is our God, His destinies throughout the whole earth” (Ps. 104:5, 7). I will tell Your Eminence simply and directly: my illness requires my complete removal from the Sergius Hermitage forever. Circumstances favor removal. I see the destinies of God in this, I see the hand of God benevolent to me, leading me into solitude - “let me see my sin and take care of it.” In my eyes, people are on the sidelines. The Providence of God is at work, in the right hand of which people are instruments, blind instruments, when they take pleasure in their blindness. From the sight of God's Providence, my heart maintains deep peace towards circumstances and people. And the peace of the heart is a witness to the holy Truth! When, on the day of St. Sergius, you, holy Master, were in the Sergius hermitage for sacred rites; Then, in a spiritual, sincere conversation, I told Your Eminence that I had the absolute intention of resigning from office into serene solitude. With this purpose I left the world, with this constant purpose I am completing my twentieth year in the monastery. I always desired deep solitude, I was afraid of it, recognizing myself as immature for it; I was afraid to enter into it on my own. But when it is indicated by the Providence of God, then bless me, who comes in the name of the Lord! As someone who is already leaving the abbotship of the Sergius Hermitage, I can speak with frankness about the relationship of my heart to this monastery. I’ve been spending fourteen years in it - and my heart has not attached itself to anything in it; I don't like anything about her. Only for some brothers do I have true love! It seems that as soon as I leave the Sergius Hermitage, I will forget it. I took care of her arrangement as if it were my duty; I forced myself to love the Sergius Hermitage, just as at the Engineering School I forced myself to love mathematics, to find a taste in studying its dry truths, which often turned into intricate nonsense. Standing on the south, surrounded by all the objects of varied, fierce temptation, this monastery does not at all correspond to the needs of monastic life. If only there were some kind of God-pleasing institution here and white clergy with it! I don’t like the monastery of Sergius Hermitage. And I was not in her mind: striking me with incessant colds and hemorrhoidal diseases produced by the local gusty winds and chalky water, it was as if she was constantly telling me: you are not capable of being my resident - get out! I will accept every decision of the Holy Synod with reverence and gratitude: whether they dismiss me completely, or whether they say that they will dismiss me until I recover, I am grateful for everything. One day I could put it in some order, but another time I’m not capable of such work! It was necessary to form hearts, raise new monks from young men, and replace old-timers who had become ossified in their skills with them. This takes time, it takes years, it takes moral and physical strength: they are exhausted: repeating the same work is impossible for them! A body exhausted by illness requires rest and calm; the soul, having seen enough of the vanity of everything temporary, wants to be with itself; eternity opens before her; she is preparing for the path of her fathers, she finds a need, an extreme need for this preparation; the time of the rest of my life shortened and disappeared before her. To eternity! to eternity! There are eyes, thoughts, and heart! Some people frighten me with the inconveniences that the retired life of not only abbots, but also bishops, is associated with. I answer: there is no kind of life without its sorrows; but I looked at monastic life in detail, not only from above, but also from below, spending many years as a novice. Exactly, I had to see some abbots living seemingly at rest, but on the thing itself, at rest in the full sense. Again I saw other abbots for whom leaving office and living in retirement was a means to achieving pure peace of mind and body. As an example of the latter, I can imagine Father Theophan, Archimandrite of Novoyezersk, who died in Bose and was known for his piety: I had the good fortune to see him, I had the good fortune to talk with him. In my opinion, borrowed from the teachings of the venerable Teachers of monasticism, confirmed by my own observations, a rector living in retirement, if he loves to study in the Law of God, if he chooses Mary’s part as his lot, and is careful from any participation in Marfina’s part, then he will spend his days quietly, serenely, especially in a deserted and communal monastery. I have an adviser, whose advice guides me in my behavior under current circumstances. I’m captivated by his advice, I’m carried away by it! “Blessed ones,” he says, “who girded their loins to the sea of ​​sorrows, in simplicity and in an untested manner, for the sake of love, even for God, and without letting go. These are soon saved to the haven of the Kingdom, and they rest in their villages having labored well, and they are comforted from their suffering, and they rejoice in the joy of their hope...; he who meditates with many thoughts, and who desires to be wise, and betrays himself by turning thoughts and fears, and who prepares himself, and wants to anticipate harmful guilt, many of these are found sitting at the doors of their houses. Like the sayings: “The sons of giants saw them there, and ran before them like pruses” (Numbers 13:34). These are the essence of the one who finds himself on the way at the time of his end, always wanting to be wise, but not wanting to make a beginning. The ignoramus floats with the first warmth and swims across, not taking care of the body at all... Take heed to yourself, so that the abundance of your wisdom does not lead to the creeping of your soul and a snare before your face: but trusting in God, with courage lay the beginning of a path filled with blood, so that you will not ever find the meager and naked mind of God. Be afraid and wait for the winds, so that you will not have to sow... For this reason, do not become overly wise at all, but give place to faith in your thoughts, and remember the many days, and the future and inscrutable ages that exist after death and Judgment, and weakness will not ever come to you... With courage, begin every good work, and not with double-mindedness approach him, and do not doubt in your heart about the hope of God... But believe in your heart, for the Lord is merciful, and to those who seek Him he will give grace, like a rewarder, not according to our work, but according to the zeal of our souls and faith. The verb is: “As you believed, so be it for you” (Matthew 8:13) 1. My present situation is very similar to what I was in when I left worldly life. Many judged and talked about him; but rare - with the right look at the subject. Can renunciation of the world be understood and interpreted by those who are completely captivated by the world, immersed in mind, heart, and body in the pleasures of the world? The teaching of the Fathers of the Church took me out of the world: it helped me in enduring the sorrows of the world: it calls me into solitude, so that I can peer into eternity before entering its immeasurable regions. As I read, I see in myself that having been in solitude, I will become completely incapable of any kind of external duties!... Solitude acts like a poison: it kills. You show such abundant affection for me that I consider it unnecessary to ask you for anything. Having revealed to Your Eminence my state of soul and body, I leave everything else to your consideration. You, as someone who has practical spiritual information, so alien to people of only secular education and direction, can provide me with significant help by giving my circumstances a direction that corresponds to my goals, making it easier for me to strive for them, and therefore the very achievement of them. By this you will do me a benefit that is not earthly, a benefit so worthy of the Saint of Christ, a benefit whose reward is in heaven! Asking for your holy prayers and Archpastoral blessing, with feelings of deepest respect and complete devotion, I have the honor to be and so on. Letter 6. To the Most Reverend Leonid (Krasnopevkov), Bishop of Dmitrov. About attacks on Christianity and other questions Your Eminence, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father! Let me ask for your gracious attention to the bearer of this letter, Alexei Petrovich Brianchaninov, my own nephew, the only son of my brother, the local Governor of the Province. Alexey Petrovich wishes to join Moscow University. Do not refuse him useful instructions, which young people have always needed, and now, with the increase in temptations, they need even more. My brother is the most religious person; tried to raise his son in the fear of God, and now, releasing him from his personal supervision, he entrusts him to God and God’s servants. Moscow magazines opened a war against monasticism. They call it an anachronism. We should speak frankly and say that Christianity is becoming an anachronism. Looking at modern progress, one cannot help but admit that in all its principles it contradicts Christianity and enters into a most hostile relationship with it. Rural priests see this from their own experience: the position of priests, especially well-intentioned ones, becomes the most difficult. God sees all this. May God's will be done! May God's mercy cover us. [...] Committing myself to your holy prayers, with feelings of sincere respect and devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, my humble servant Ignatius, Bishop of the Caucasus and Black Sea. Letter 7. About the Russian translation of Holy Scripture and other issues Your Eminence Vladyka, Please accept my most sincere congratulations on the upcoming All-Holy Easter, my most ardent wish for Your Eminence all true and perfect blessings and all-joyful greeting: Christ is Risen! Today I had the real pleasure of receiving your letter dated March 30, and I bring you my sincere gratitude for your most merciful concern for my poor Word. I sincerely rejoice that the Word of God will be in common use in Russian. That same day I received a letter from St. Petersburg from an acquaintance who wrote that he was sending me the newly published Gospel. God bless! It seems that the Holy Spirit, having imparted to the Apostles on the day of Pentecost the knowledge of languages, with all clarity indicated the will of God, which was that the Word of God should be available and proclaimed in all languages... In the fourth week of Lent, I was very sick with smallpox. [...] My illness was very strong; the loss of strength is extraordinary. Spent Easter week in bed; I spend most of my time on it now. I thank you very much for the news about His Eminence the Metropolitan. May the All-merciful Lord strengthen his strength at this difficult time, in which many different storms are beginning to play. [...] Committing myself to Your Holy Prayers and love for the Lord, with feelings of perfect reverence and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, my most humble novice Ignatius, Bishop of the Caucasus and Black Sea. Letter 8. Gratitude for hospitality and health status Most Reverend Vladyka, most merciful Archpastor! The gratitude that I brought to Your Eminence for the hospitality shown to me in Moscow is replenished by repeating thanksgiving. The hospitality shown to me was so full of love that it was necessarily aroused by thanksgiving every time I remembered this hospitality. May the Lord save you. Do not refuse to provide patronage to the bearer of this letter, the treasurer of the Babaevskaya community, if he has to bother you with any request. With my position, given to me by the ineffable grace of God, I am pleased and pleased. It seems that my health has begun to improve. The seizure that happened to me in Moscow, which was repeated to a very strong degree here, was a consequence of my chronic illness and treatment with water, and has not remained without consequences to this day. The tranquility and solitude in the Babaevsky monastery are invaluable. Those who need them and even need them cannot help but rejoice at such a shelter. Committing myself to Your holy prayers, with feelings of perfect reverence and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence’s most humble servant Letter 9. Regarding the troubles that arose with Fr. Epiphany, Rector of the Academy Please accept my most sincere congratulations on the upcoming holiday of holidays and my earnest wish for Your Eminence true and perfect blessings. I treasure your letter dated December 1, 1859, like a treasure. This is the treasure. It shows the most faithful relationship of the Bishop to the Rector and the Rector to the Bishop. Since the wise and experienced Saint of Moscow has established these relationships in himself and constantly maintains these relationships, I considered it my duty to adhere to them and to constantly maintain them in my relations with Arch. Epiphany. [...] I allow myself to disturb Your Eminence with a most humble request. If you received from Fr. Epiphany any complaint against me, do not refuse, for the love of the Lord, to communicate it to me first, in whatever form pleases you, so that I too can say something, and thereby take away the one-sidedness of the complaint. By this you will do both of us a true benefit: you will give me the opportunity to correct my mistake and be more prudent in the future, and Fr. Epiphany You will maintain within the decent limits of modesty necessary for a monk, from attempts to write absurdities against your Archpastor and shake the subordination necessary for him in the Diocesan Department. Committing myself to your brotherly love and asking for your holy prayers, with feelings of perfect respect and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence’s most humble servant Ignatius, Bishop of the Caucasus and the Black Sea. Letter 10. About the blindness and gullibility of people Most Gracious Archpastor! Satan always tries to destroy the order established by God, deceiving people with sophisms, and using people themselves to destroy their temporary and eternal well-being. ABOUT! As a person (judging by myself) he is blind and gullible. With great difficulty he decides to believe God, with the greatest speed, headlong, as they say, he believes Satan. From my solitude I look at the world like a ship sailing in the distance, and I am filled with the desire that it complete its voyage under the cover of God’s mercy. ABOUT! may she not betray us to the leadership of the false mind, this source of human misfortune. Committing myself to Your Hierarchal prayers and love for the Lord, with feelings of perfect reverence and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, the Most Gracious Archpastor and Father, the most humble servant. Bishop Ignatius. I offer Your Eminence my sincere gratitude for the gracious remembrance of my loved ones, who themselves will thank you. I bring you my sincere gratitude for your gracious remembrance of me and my most ardent congratulations on the upcoming holiday of the Nativity of Christ and the upcoming New Year, which I wish you to enjoy in the desired health and prosperity. God bless you for your love for monasticism. Many now complain about him, seeing or finding various shortcomings in him; but monasticism is a barometer, which, standing in a secluded room, closed on all sides, accurately shows the state of the weather outside. Old buildings must be repaired with great care and knowledge of the matter: otherwise the correction may turn into destruction. Be the will of God! Asking for your holy prayers to strengthen my mental and physical infirmities, with feelings of perfect respect and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, the Most Gracious Archpastor and Father, and humble servant of Bishop Ignatius. [...] Letter 12. The state of educated society and the clergy of that time You were not mistaken in honoring me with the notification of granting you the rank of Bishop! I sincerely rejoiced at this news and trust in the mercy of God that you will carry out the great service entrusted to you, for the glory of God, for the significant benefit of the Holy Church. You have a great responsibility: to reconcile the main classes of the fatherland, which have been separated by European teaching. Both the clergy and the nobility largely submitted to the influence of this teaching. I read with horror the January and March articles of the Kazan Orthodox Interlocutor, in which the clash of classes is expressed very clearly. The Church and the clergy have suffered, are suffering and, it seems, should suffer from European teachings, and not from any class. I saw merchants in St. Petersburg who were staying in Europe, and I marveled at the distance, the savagery that they began to show towards the Church and the clergy. I saw priestly children there, educated according to European standards: the same thing! Here I became acquainted with the white clergy much more than I was acquainted with in St. Petersburg, and I find that among them there are the kindest people, that all clergy in general can be perfectly directed, that they are very virgin, that their errors and shortcomings are more gross than deep. Your will: we need more specific education and direction. Works in this field belong to Your Eminence. You have become very closely acquainted with the clergy and the spiritual class: You understand the means by which it can be satisfied and brought closer to other classes, which is necessary for the benefit of the Church, for the benefit of society. I thank God: the local clergy shows me a special affection; but I am old, formed in the monastery and for the monastery, I cannot penetrate into the life of the clergy so that I could judge it quite thoroughly. Committing myself to your brotherly love for the Lord, to your holy prayers, with a sincere desire for all true blessings for you, with feelings of perfect respect and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence’s most humble servant Ignatius, Bishop of the Caucasus and Black Sea. Letter 13. About monasticism, spiritual achievement and the education of youth in theological schools I bring you my sincere gratitude for your concern for the “Word on Death.” My ailments often talk to me about death. This conversation is edifying! After it, the world with all its events appears in a completely different form. The eye of a wanderer looks differently than the eye of a permanent resident. I was pleased with the information contained in your letter about the Ugreshsky Monastery. God bless Father Pimen, who used and continues to use all his abilities for the Glory of God! Nowadays it is difficult to find a well-maintained monastery! In many monasteries, various buildings of considerable size are erected, which give the monastery the appearance of prosperity. But this is a deception to a superficial glance. Monasticism itself is quickly being destroyed. Spiritual achievement is almost universally rejected; the very concept of it is lost. This is not enough! in many monasteries morality is completely lost. I say this, having before my eyes the saddest sight - the Black Sea desert, a monastery with very significant funds, located in a very secluded place. There are two convents in the local diocese: morality is good in them, but physical labor and much care for material development destroy spiritual development. I sincerely wish that the reforms in theological schools achieve good results. It is very useful to remove students from theological schools, if possible, from the seductive impressions of the world and to give the education itself a stronger and more defined character, so that education affects not only the mind, but also the heart, so that the student educated in the theological school receives the decisive character of an Orthodox Christian, prepared to serve the Church with all his soul. Our pupil comes out with some vague direction: he wants to get a priestly position, if it is profitable; if, by chance, a more advantageous position in the clerk's office presents itself, he does not hesitate at all to accept it. During conversations, you always hear in the foreground the idea of ​​​​benefits. Detailed teaching of Church History is necessary so that students have an understanding of the characters of historical figures and themselves are molded according to the characters of true servants of the Church. From teaching that acts exclusively on the mind, there is a coldness towards Church work, and there is a predominantly material direction. Because of this coldness, we have almost no monastics from seminaries. They will not go to monasteries! They did not feel any inclination towards self-sacrifice or spiritual development. As a result, the monasteries are in great decline, being a haven for only illiterate jealousy. If seminary students went to monasteries, they would be in a completely different situation. Be the will of God! You can't do anything against permission. Committing myself to your holy prayers, with feelings of sincere devotion and respect, I have the honor to be Your Eminence’s most humble servant Ignatius, Bishop of the Caucasus and Black Sea. Letter 14. The state of the clergy and laity of that time Most Reverend Bishop, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father! With heartfelt joy and gratitude I read your letter dated May 25, a letter from the Bishop, and wished you from the depths of my soul with all the fullness of my desire, true and eternal blessings and gifts characteristic of true servants and disciples of Christ. Thank you also for the holy icon, which will constantly remind me of you. Do not interrupt your love for me: I wander along the path of earthly life very lonely. Nowadays it is very difficult to find a true servant of God, although outwardly no time abounded in the servants of God as our time abounds, proclaiming its positivity (1 Thessalonians 5:3). There are many who lead God and are pleasing to God according to human testimony, but it is difficult to find a God-attested God-knower and God-reader. The testimony of God is clear as the sun, but the world is blind and therefore does not see the testimony of God; not seeing the testimony of God; he replaces the testimony of God with his own testimony and thinks to be satisfied. How well our ancient Fathers of the Orthodox Church acted! Having learned human sciences, they took upon themselves the yoke of Christ and in the field of self-sacrifice, under the guidance of the Cross of Christ, they learned Divine Wisdom, and for them human learning became a humble work, which they used in the service of Divine Wisdom to teach this wisdom to their neighbors. A scribe who has learned the Kingdom of Heaven can wear out both the old and the new, subduing the old to the new and adapting it to it; and the one who has not learned, obviously, can wear out only one old thing, which is death and enmity towards God, which produces its own impression on others, even if they talk to them about God, even if it scratches the ears of the soul, arousing in it the subtlest adulterous movement of passions, recognized by many as the effect of grace. Save us, Lord! We are perishing on our own, having loved our own teachings and rejecting or having little value for the teachings sent down to us by God. Currently I am traveling through the western half of my Diocese, along the Black Sea coast, which is not as corrupt as other places. But European enlightenment has penetrated here too with its fornication, and there is nothing to say about state-owned peasants. Their officials are naked and hungry, they have completed courses at different universities, they believe in only money; From the root of evil grow all the branches of evil. What will happen? in all likelihood, those who complete their course at universities will soon become rulers and leaders of all the common people. Here are the results, expressed very modestly, of practical views on Russian soil. Committing myself again to Your Fatherly and brotherly love, asking Your Holy prayers with feelings of excellent respect and perfect devotion, I have the honor to be Your Eminence, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father, the most humble novice Ignatius, Bishop of the Caucasus and Black Sea. Taman. Letter 15. To the Right Reverend Bishop Sava. Gratitude for the sent biographies of St. Niphon and St. Andrey Please accept my sincere gratitude for your order to remove for me copies of the detailed biographies of St. Niphon and St. Andrew. These biographies are very important in relation to the doctrine of spirits; but I don’t know if I can use your mercy as I should: my strength has become incredibly exhausted, and not only can I not engage in writing, but even reading. I instructed my acquaintances in Moscow to express my gratitude to those who were engaged in the correspondence of biographies. I bring your Eminence my most sincere congratulations on the upcoming holiday of holidays, wishing you all the true blessings. Letter 16. To Bishop Theophan the Recluse. On the question of the nature of angels and advice to Bishop Theophan not to leave his pulpit without the calling of God I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for your frank letter dated May 29. I answer it with the same frankness. Upon my entry into the ascetic life and then into the monastery, although various experiences characteristic of this path happened to me, I had an indefinite concept of the soul and spirits, recognizing and calling them, according to the general superficial understanding, bodiless and immaterial; There seemed no need to enter into further examination. I entered the monastery in 1824, and began to study Scripture and the Fathers much earlier, one might say from childhood. Since 1843, independently of me, necessity has forced me to delve more deeply and accurately into the meaning of the soul and created spirits. Anthony the Great rightly said that this knowledge is extremely necessary for ascetics. Those ascetics who, in their ascetic deed, are led by the finger of God into battle with spirits, especially need it. And it has significant benefits for everyone: it is better to become acquainted with the world of spirits before death, rather than at the onset of death, as many became acquainted with to their greatest surprise and horror, contrary to the concepts borrowed from Western dreamers. Experience proves the fidelity of the teachings of the Fathers with all decisiveness. The dark and mysterious is made very clear and simple. – As for the word ether, chemistry uses this word to call matter completely different from the gases that belong to the earth, incomparably subtle, but indefinite, completely unknown to people. Its existence is recognized for the necessary reason that the space behind the earth’s atmosphere, like any space in general, cannot be alien to matter. In the proper sense, One is immaterial, unencompassed by space – God. Created spirits are incorporeal in relation to us. But their nature, like the nature of the soul, remains uncertain for us due to the impossibility of defining it. Science recognizes the impossibility of defining our body, as well as all bodies that have organic force - life. Descartes' dream of the independence of spirits from space and time is a decided absurdity. Everything that is limited necessarily depends on space. Your flock uses your edifying words and example abundantly. If God’s Providence placed you on the candlestick, why leave it without God’s calling? Maybe in due time this calling will be revealed! Perhaps all circumstances will unanimously express it! Then leave your pulpit peacefully, then go peacefully to your cell - the threshold of eternity. While staying in your cell, you will not be disturbed by the thought of cell temptations that these temptations followed the warning of the will and instructions of God. Sorry for the word of love! I entrust myself to your holy prayers. My strength and health have become extremely poor, beyond belief; but the Merciful Lord postpones the call to His Judgment, knowing my unpreparedness and giving me time for repentance. With feelings and so on. Your Eminence, Most Gracious Archpastor and Father, most humble novice Bishop Ignatius Letter 17. To Abbot Illariy, abbot of the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery. Consolation about the temptation that has befallen Most beloved in the Lord, O. Hegumen Ilarius! I received your letter dated October 2, and I heartily felt sorry for you, especially since you are drinking the cup that I would have had to drink if God’s Providence had not diverted me from the Ugresh monastery. But, you yourself know, no matter where you live on earth, you must endure temptations. Apparently, people are tempting us, but without the beck of the Provider they could not even touch us. So, in our sorrows, let us surrender ourselves to the will of our Creator and consider ourselves worthy of sorrows - and rest. Coming out of temptation does not mean changing places, but surrendering oneself to the will of God and self-rooting and from this patience. When we become very despondent from temptations and grumble about them, then the danger lies ahead, so as not to become God-fighters, said one saint. Father, as clearly armed against the allowances of God's Providence, for our great benefit and healing, allowing us to be tempted. Sorry Father! I tell you as if I were myself: for I very often grieve, because of my lusts and passions I am drawn and seduced, and having conceived the sin of murmuring and cowardice and anger, I only find peace when I surrender myself entirely to the will of God. When I forget to praise the Lord for all His good deeds and surrender myself to His all-holy will and Providence, then a storm arises again and the soul is again in danger of drowning in the waves of cowardice and fear. If you are grieving, then your path is not far from the path of the saints of God, who, walking in the midst of many sorrows and bleeding their feet, reached the Heavenly City of Jerusalem, in which the sighs of the mourners are not heard, but the voice of unceasing rejoicing is heard of the Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, who inherited it through many sorrows. Let us put aside, let us put aside, Father, the desire for timeless peace on earth, in order to receive it in time, i.e. by death. Let us prepare our hearts to accept sorrow as if from the hand of God, with thanksgiving and glorification. And be patient in your position as abbot as long as possible. In your conscience you feel that it was not you who ruined the monastery, but on the contrary, how much of your strength and skill you had to correct it. The Bishop may have found it really hard to look at the ruins of the monastery, but he, as a prudent person, can very well understand that you set up a courtyard as a source of income, and from this source you will already repair the monastery. And Moscow was not built all at once! - they say as if there is such a proverb. If you see from the thing itself that it is impossible for you to remain the Head of the Ugresh monastery, then the gates to the Sergius Hermitage are open to you and Fr. Peter, - if the Lord will tolerate my sins and I will still be Abbot of Sergius. But my better advice is to endure as long as you can, and by renovating and organizing the monastery to justify your election. I know from my little experience what it’s like to restore ruined monasteries. And here in Sergiev, from the first year, I put aside a thousand from my own mug for the monastery, and for the last two years I haven’t taken almost a mug at all, but put it into the monastery. And despite all this, everywhere you look, everything is rotten and falling. Forgive me, Dear Father, take the trouble to answer me this letter as soon as you decide. Asking for your prayers to the Saints, I have the honor to be your most humble novice. October 6, 1837 Letter 18. To the abbot of the Valaam Monastery, Abbot Damaskin. About his intention to retire and settle on Valaam and other issues Your Reverence. Most Honest Father Hegumen Damascus! In these lines I continue my conversation with you, which began in your holy monastery. Upon my arrival in St. Petersburg, I visited His Eminence Metropolitan Nikanor. Although he did not say anything definite about the premises. On my part, my intention to leave the Superiorship, which I was forced to accept by necessity, is a decisive intention. I would like to spend the rest of my days in the Valaam monastery; Only if it is impossible to fit in it, I mean Optina Pustyn. The latter represents more benefits in material terms: there the climate is much more favorable, vegetables and fruits are very strong and in greater quantity, but Valaam has the invaluable benefit of deep solitude. Moreover, dry and warm cells (since I leave my cell only on good summer days, and in spring, autumn and winter I hardly go out at all) can materially make my stay on Valaam Island a lot easier. Therefore, having left it to the Lord Himself and the One to fulfill the good wishes of his servant and to arrange my destiny according to His holy will, on my part I consider it essential for the good beginning and end of this matter to enter into a preliminary explanation, and after the explanation, an agreement with you, Father Abbot. As I personally told you, I repeat now that everything good, everything beneficial to the soul, which by the grace of God can come from this undertaking, completely depends on our unanimity in the Lord, that is, the unanimity of yours and mine. The Lord, who said to his disciples in the final moments of his earthly journey: “My peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you” (John 14:27), is able to give us his peace if we are his disciples, striving to fulfill His will, and not our own. Based on this rock of the world, which itself is established on the rock of the commandments of Christ, I have the honor to present my following considerations for your consideration. First of all, I will tell you that of all the Abbots I know, in terms of your way of thinking and your view of monasticism, as well as your natural abilities, I like you more than all the others. To this we must add that, through official relations, both you and I have been known to me for a long time. Moreover, I am convinced that you are not looking for any elevation, connected, of course, with moving to another Monastery, but remain faithful to the Valaam monastery until the Lord himself desires to prolong your days. Further: as I said above, due to my long-term illness and the habit developed in accordance with it, I leave my cell only on the best summer days, and in damp and cold weather I do not stay in it initially: therefore, living in the monastery itself would be more familiar and convenient for me. The very silence of the Skete, in which the female sex is forever prohibited from entering, perfectly corresponds to the requirements of my health and spiritual mood. The monastery is protected from the winds everywhere by trees: this would give me the opportunity to work even on summer days, which is essential due to my hemorrhoidal location; in the wind, I am not able to work, because at the slightest movement, from extreme weakness, I become covered in perspiration and suffer from a cold. Given your experience, it is clear to you that after my placement in the Skete, many will want to be placed in it. Therefore, if the Lord inspires you with the inclination to place me in the Skete, then it is necessary for you to concede my weakness and, perhaps, others similar to my weakness. Having tested myself, I became convinced that I was not able to maintain my strength with plant food alone; I became only able to lie in relaxation. And you, of course, notice that the brethren currently living in the Skete are burdened with such poor nutritional food, and most of the time they come to the monastery for lunch. What was convenient for the former strong generation has become inconvenient for the present weak generation. Since you are well aware that Saturday, fasting and other external feats and observations are established for them, then would you please consider introducing into the Valaam Skete the regulations of the Optina Skete, the solidity of which and prudent compliance with the weakness of the present generation is proven by the fact that the Optin Skete abounds in the most chosen brotherhood, which greatly contributes to the flourishing well-being of the Skete and the Monastery itself. This select brotherhood consists of several retired Superiors and several persons of the educated secular circle. Being weaker in physique than commoners, they are incapable of strong physical labor and feats, but they are more capable of spiritual feats and activities that require mental development. You know that the Holy Fathers judge the feat of another by what he had in the world and what he moved to when entering monasticism; according to this calculation, the above-mentioned persons living in the Optina Skete went to greater deprivation than those who in the monastery have, perhaps, food and clothing better than what they had in the world. You also know that the Fathers of the ancient Skete of Egypt no longer considered that feat a feat that people learned about, but abandoned this feat, imputing it as a sin 2 . This is what the Holy Fathers thought and acted, wanting to sacrifice themselves entirely to God, and not to man-pleasing and vanity. With regret, I saw that some magazines proclaimed in print the severity of fasting in the Valaam Skete, in stark contrast to the Gospel, which commands that fasting and other deeds of piety be performed in secret (Matthew 6:4), not only performed in secret, but also hidden with all possible care. St. Basil the Great and, in agreement with him, other saints. The Fathers assert that if we needed to have weakened bodies, then God would have created them as such; why do they command a measure of fasting precisely such as is necessary to curb carnal passions, which at the same time would not upset those, but would preserve them capable of fulfilling the commandments of Christ or, more simply, of obedience and feats of vigil, prayer and genuflection, which weakened bodies are completely incapable of. I offer all this, Most Beloved Father; for your reasoning, so that you may be moved to the descent of my weakness and weaknesses similar to mine. If the current brethren of the Valaam Skete, consisting solely of common people, are not able to maintain their strength exclusively with plant food, and to strengthen their strength they strive for a monastic meal, then for my emaciated physique and for the physique of people of unclear upbringing, feeding on plant food alone is completely impossible. At first, even in Optina Skete, the jealousy of its founders was directed toward a particularly strict fast; but seeing that with such severity the monastery should be left without brethren, she relented and gave a rule for food that was more accessible, but still much more strict than the rule on food laid down by the church for a schema-monk living in a monastery. However, despite this mitigation, there were few, very few hunters from the numerous brotherhood of Optina Pustyn to live in the Skete. When Elder Hieroschemamonk Leonid arrived there with several of his disciples and the Abbot handed over the Skete to him for spiritual management, then the Skete began to be inhabited, and to be inhabited mainly by people of weak constitution who sought peace in solitude. The number of brethren living there extended to 30 people. All this, i.e. the state of the Skete before the arrival of Fr. Leonidas and his condition upon the arrival of the Elder, I was an eyewitness. The elder spread his beneficial influence throughout the Monastery itself, supporting the brethren in their affection for the Abbot and strengthening them in spiritual battles. Such an abundance of nourishment doubled the number of brotherhood in the Monastery itself, and therefore increased order in it and attracted significant donations, with the help of which the Monastery was rebuilt and, moreover, provided for its own needs. That’s why I’m telling you in such detail about the Optina Skete that its flourishing condition and the improvement of the monastery itself that resulted from it are facts, and facts constitute the most reliable evidence. As for the hostel itself, that is, the Valaam Monastery itself, I find its present structure to be the first in Russia, far superior to the famous hostels of Beloberezh, Ploshchansky, Sofronievsky, even Optinsky and Sarov: because in these Monasteries, much closer to the world, monks have incomparably more means of communicating with the world, making connections with it, having their own, and thereby separating from the general body of the hostel. The community of Valaam must remain for a long time in its present form: it is necessary for stout natures, who must undergo a lot of bodily labor and bodily humility, inertly, as St. John the Prophet, a disciple of the Great Barsanuphius, puts it, to enter into spiritual, or at least spiritual work. In material terms, the brethren of the Valaam Monastery are provided with clothing and food incomparably more abundantly than the above-mentioned hostels. On Easter, the brethren there do not eat the kind of fish soup that the Valaam monks eat on an ordinary weekday, and the brethren of the Valaam hostel are also provided with clothing much more satisfactorily than the brethren of the said hostel. Having outlined before you the state of the Valaam Monastery and the Skete, as they appear to my eyes - however, the eyes of an eyewitness - I now turn to the outline of my sinful and unworthy face before these saints. Abodes. You know my weakness, my origin and the tenderness of my upbringing. For them, the acceptance of the charter that I propose to you, based on the model of the Optinus Skete, is already a great feat and crucifixion. Undertaking anything big is beyond my consideration. “Let your life not be in confusion and cutting off,” says St. Isaac of Syria in the 80th verse, “and let not you remain for the desire of a little labor and cease from all your course. Eat in moderation, as you are not always, and do not stretch your legs beyond your strength, so that you are not at all idle.” For this, would you like to draw your attention to chapter 36 of the monks Callistus and Ignatius, Good. Part 2 “on reasoning”, which they placed in a row - after the presentation of bodily exploits and the prescribed food appropriate for the silent. It should be noted that the vegetables and fruits of central Russia are incomparably stronger than those of the north, and the products of southern Russia are just as stronger than those of the middle zone; the fruits and vegetables of Constantinople and Athos, where St. Callistus and Ignatius lived, are equal in nutritional power to the fish of the northern regions and even surpass it. “A weak body,” said St. Isaac of Syria in the 85th word, “whenever you force a lot of its strength to do things, you bring darkness upon darkness into your soul and confusion even more.” Submitting all this to your discretion, I ask you to condescend to my weakness and the brethren who are unanimous with me, who cannot endure the feats of community life, and who can endure the feat of the Skit, after dissolving it with prudent moderation. Moreover, it seems that this opportunity should not be missed, that in every possible way, after a short time, the aforementioned leniency and change in the monastery of the Skete will have to be carried out, otherwise no one will live in the Skete. They have become weak, Father! Moreover, as I said above, the charter of the Optina Skete “on food” is stricter than that prescribed by the church for a schema-monk. Thus, when the consumption of fish is prescribed by law, it is supplied at the meal; It seems that for forty days a year one is allowed to eat cheese and eggs, butter and milk. Just as milk is not consumed in the Valaam hostel, so it should not be introduced into the Skete; and everything else would be useful to introduce both for the benefit of the body and for the benefit of the soul: for both St. John Climacus ate from everything permitted to the monastic rite, with the goal of avoiding the spiritual passions of vanity, self-importance, man-pleasing, secret eating, hypocrisy, deceit, lies, which often appear among ascetics in the flesh and make spiritual success absolutely impossible for them. God appears in simplicity and humility and it is impossible to combine serving Him with serving human glory. Upon arrival at my monastery, I feel as weak as I felt when I was in your holy monastery. But when I retire from office and move to the solitude of your Skete, perhaps by the special grace of God, I will be given time to repent, and I will last for several years. In this case, the Valaam Skete can be populated by monks who are close to me, just as Optin was populated when Fr. Leonida. To this letter of mine I humbly ask for your response, and in accordance with it I will take care of the further arrangement of this matter. Starting Monday I’m thinking of going to the Ladoga Monastery for three weeks. Your Reverence, Most Obedient Novice Original signed by Archimandrite Ignatius on September 25, 1855 Letter 19. An exhortation to come to terms with moving to live in Optina Most Honest Father Hegumen Varlaam! Most honorable Father Varlaam! No! I do not disdain prisoners, as you write in your letter, knowing that I, too, am in the bonds of sin. And such an arrest, i.e. sinful, is the most blasphemous - it is only about such an arrest that a monk can and should grieve and care, since his shame and his torment are eternal, unless a person breaks the bonds of sin in advance by repentance. Moreover, you are not under arrest in Optina, but among the brotherhood. The Lord, who fed you on Valaam, also feeds you here; and beloved brother Fr. Ioannikiy told me that you are not deprived of both tea and other needs, and Fr. Hegumen Moses, due to his characteristic wisdom, is not at all burdened by you. The only thing left for you is to abandon all earthly cares and prepare your soul for the exodus from the body’s church to the heavenly dwelling. Please write in your letter: I would like to know whether you were sent to Optina Pustyn temporarily or forever? I answer: the Synod Decree does not say anything about time, but it is known for certain that wherever we are on earth, whether on Valaam or Optina, there are guests everywhere, strangers everywhere, strangers everywhere, everywhere for a while. It always awaits us in eternity; there is everlasting joy or everlasting torment. The most experienced elders who are advising you very sensibly advise you to leave earthly troubles and litigations, in which when Satan sees a fallen monk, he rejoices greatly over him, as if he despised the Commandments of Christ the Savior, Who through His Apostle cries out: “For now you have no shame, for you have had litigation among yourself. Why do you eat nothing more than insults? Why are you no more deprived?” (1 Cor. 6:7). And that advice is the wisest, that you were sent to Optina by the highest authorities against your will, and therefore it is good and useful for you to break your will, and, having surrendered to the will of God, to endure your small temptation with gratitude, if only it deserves the name of temptation. Do you really think that a human hand, somehow hidden from God’s Providence, could do anything to you? God forbid from such blasphemous and wicked thoughts! For this sake, St. Peter of Damascus calls those who resist temptations against their will “God-fighters,” from which may the Lord preserve us. If any sensible person asks, from whom did the authorities get the idea to move you to Optina? Answer: from God. The most experienced elders in Russia are now cohabiting with you and can give you edifying advice and abundant consolation. Therefore, who else but the Lord Himself could place you at the source of salvation? But alas! Great is our blindness! We do not see the providence of God, and we argue with people, and we waste the precious time for repentance given to us in vain; For this reason, the world and the vegetating spiritual gifts from it are removed from our hearts. And the hour of death is near us! - An impartial court awaits us, in which our righteousness will be judged. The saints always see their work as insufficient, and, as one of them said, they consider themselves not performers, but desecrators of the most holy commandments of the Lord; For this reason, when temptation comes, they rejoice, as the insufficiency of their deeds is replenished with involuntary sorrow, and their vestments are whitened for the shameless entry into a spiritual marriage through the door of death. We have cared enough, enough about earthly things, we have lost enough time; let us use this day, the eleventh hour, to prepare for eternity; Let us change our murmuring and troublesome voices into voices of thanksgiving and praise, as through unknown destinies the Lord works out our salvation, and with small sorrows, below the name of sorrow, he humbles our neck, and for the single refraction of our blind will and submission to His all-wise Providence wants to crown us. Remembering, beloved of the Lord, Fr. Varlaam, your love and simplicity, as you stayed with us in the Sergius Hermitage, I wrote these meager lines to you as a consolation, and to myself as a reproof; I say and do not do. Please accept a small keepsake from me, which I am sending to you through Fr. Ioannicia. I ask for your holy prayers and remain forever lovingly devoted to many sinners Archimandrite Ignatius. February 11, 1840 Letter 20. To Father Fr. Macarius of Optina. On the significance of Moscow Metropolitan Philaret in the publishing activities of Optina Pustyn and other subjects Most Venerable Elder Fr. Macarius! I bring you my sincere gratitude for your remembrance of me, a sinner, and your congratulations on the great Feast of Holidays, the Resurrection of Christ, on which I equally congratulate you, wishing you and all your brothers in the Lord health and salvation. I would like to thank you for a copy of the newly published book of St. Theodore the Studite. In accordance with how you deign to write, His Eminence Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow deigned to write to me, he wishes to publish the book of the Venerable Isaac Sirsky. All monasticism owes gratitude to this archpastor for the publication of the Fatherly Books of the Optina Desert. Someone else in his place did not dare to give permission for such a publication, which is unlikely to be repeated. In due time, the books published by your monastery will be very expensive and rare. I completely agree with you that for monasticism, which lives according to the books of the Holy Fathers, an accurate translation from the originals by a person fully knowledgeable about monastic life is necessary. Such a person, without a doubt, was Elder Paisios. Russian translations do not have this advantage. I will conclude these lines with my most humble request to you for Natalia Petrovna’s permission to send us 12 copies of Theodore the Studite and Simeon the New Theologian, a total of 24 copies with the price for them. Please take the trouble to hand over the accompanying note and money to the Elder Schemamonk Leonid. Entrusting myself to your fatherly love and asking your saints. prayers with a feeling of sincere devotion and respect, I have the honor to be Your Reverence’s most humble novice Letter 21. About the printing of the works of the Holy Fathers by Optina Hermitage Your Reverence, Venerable and much-loving Elder Father Macarius! I bring you my sincere gratitude for your gracious remembrance of me, unworthy, and for the book you sent me. All Russian monasticism owes special gratitude to the Optina Monastery for the publication of many of the Works of the Holy Fathers translations of Elder Paisius, which so accurately conveyed the thoughts of the fathers. And the translation into Russian of Russian monastic writings, according to knowledge of monastic life, is much more satisfactorily accomplished by the brethren of your Abode than their translation by people alien to this life. Father Archimandrite Moses, with his prudence and patient bearing of the infirmities of his neighbor, attracted into the depths of his Monastery a chosen monastic society, which has no like in all of Russia... Please take the trouble to convey my sincere bow to Fr. Archimandrite Moses, Fr. Abbot Anthony, Fr. Juvenaly and Fr. Leo Letter 22. The desire to move to Optina Pustyn from the Sergius Monastery and other questions I ask your saints. prayers that the Merciful Lord will grant me also to escape from the jaws of the world and join your God-saved flock, if it is His Holy will. As for me, the very answer and my wretched judgment constantly convince me of the greatest benefit and even the necessity of leaving this noisy place, which, in moral terms, is like a village along the way. Everything monastic is destroyed here by dispersion, all crops are trampled by those passing by. Here the same event is actually visible as described by St. Isaac in word 75. I see their justice both on myself and on my brethren... P.S. Here, in the forests of Tikhvin district, an Elder was discovered who lived in the forest for more than 50 years, in great suffering, who suffered beatings from demons, and, as a very reverent monk told me, adorned with spiritual gifts. Letter 23. About the library of St. Fathers Christ is Risen! Your Reverence, Most Reverend and Much-loving Elder! Please accept my most ardent congratulations on the upcoming holiday and at the same time my sincere gratitude for your congratulations in your precious letter of March 30th for me, since all your letters are precious to me, and just by seeing your handwriting, before reading the letter itself, I already feel consolation in my sinful soul. I wish that mental silver is the library of St. Fathers, collected by Holland, did not lie hidden, but gave interest acceptable to God, circulating between people capable of dealing with it, I decided it was better to give this silver into the hands of a person, rather than chain it to some place where it could very easily fall under the cover - in a closet, and become food for moths and mice there, without any benefit to people. There was a time when the White Banks were replete with well-meaning monks, there were times when Pestusha abounded with them, and the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage abounded with them in its time; now the time has come for Optina; the time of color will pass as usual, and other places will flourish, also in their own time; why did I consider chaining a book to a place less reliable than entrusting it to a person? I hope that Fr. Juvenal, having used it, and having used Christianity with it, when he reaches gray hair and exhaustion, he will entrust it to a trustworthy monk, who will again keep the mental silver in circulation. Asking for your blessing and committing myself to your holy prayers, with a feeling of sincere respect and devotion, I have the honor to be your humble novice. Letter 24. To the cassock novice of the Optina Hermitage, Fr. Petru. On the dignity of the book of St. George Your most pleasant letter and with it I received a parcel with books. Thank you very much for the books. That is why I disturbed you with a humble request to deliver me several copies, because, having read the book you sent, I saw its spirituality and wished that such a soul-saving book should be known to my dear brotherhood. [...] [...] If you want to know my opinion about whether the book of letters of the Holy Recluse can receive a prize, then I tell you my opinion: it cannot, having significant spiritual dignity, and not having carnal one; for the letters were spoken by grace, without the improvement of a human word. The Word of grace cannot be known by a carnal man, who looks only at the appearance of the word, and if this external word does not have an external structure, then he swears at everything: “For he has foolishness” (1 Cor. 2:14). I ask you to accept the enclosed 50 rubles as an insignificant contribution for the new edition, instead of the Demidov Prize you desire. I ask for your Holy prayers. 7 August 1839 Letter 25. To the Athonite monk Seraphim. On the importance of a mentor in teaching mental prayer and other issues Most beloved Father Seraphim in the Lord! I sincerely thank you that on Holy Mount Athos you remembered the monks living near the noisy capital, in the monastery, which is vainly called the Desert. I learned about the sorrows that befell you partly from Fr. Archimandrite John, Inspector of the local Theological Academy. And who among those who sail through the sea of ​​life is not watered by its waves? Especially if the swimmer is an unrequited monk. When you were in St. Petersburg, I sincerely wished to see you alone: ​​because in private I hoped to talk with you about the depths of monastic life, which probably still has worthy workers on Mount Athos, despite the general weakening to which monasticism has undergone everything and everywhere. But I was not worthy of this: you were accompanied by a society of such a mood in which, according to the instructions of some great Father, you should hide the mysterious monastic treasure. You were silent, looking down, like the Israelite on the Rivers of Babylon, and the one who spoke, although he said little, later saw that he had said unnecessary and inappropriate. For this reason, although I had the happiness of seeing you face to face, I know you only from your wonderful book, and for as long as you wanted to show yourself to the entire reading public. Such an unsatisfactory rapprochement with you upset me; but I consoled myself with the thought that God’s Providence often does not allow our desires, which outwardly seem good, to be fulfilled. At the end of this long preface, I must say a self-evident truth, known to all even attentive monks: the reason for frankness about spiritual matters is trust in the instructing person, and trust in the person is inspired by accurate knowledge of the person. "God! Who are we going to? - St. Peter says to the Savior, “The words of the eternal life are imash, and we believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (John 6, 68, 69). On the contrary: “Whoever does not know the heart, do not open it,” says the great mentor of monks, the Venerable Pimen, the Egyptian Hermit. Judge for yourself: knowing you so little, what degree of trust can I have in you? So, my first illness, which I must expose to you, is my lack of faith - lack of faith not in the most intelligent prayer, no! This mysterious sky, into which only the pure in heart go to see God, is seen by the eyes of my mind, although it remains invisible to them: it is hidden from them by its wonderful, transparent, incomprehensible blueness, in which they imagine to see it. I suffer from lack of faith in you. Heal me from this illness. Such healing is possible. Many people of little faith were converted into zealous believers: the almighty truth accomplished their conversion. And don’t be offended by my confession of lack of faith in you! The Climacus says in the 4th degree: “Having bowed your neck in the Lord with reason and the word of humility, let us make our salvation known to others in the Lord; before sunrise, for, if we have any cunning and reason, we will torture and test the helmsman, and, like the river, we will tempt him: let us not attack a shipman as a helmsman, and a sick person as a doctor, and a passionate one as a dispassionate one, and attacking the abyss as a refuge, ready to find ourselves drowned.” If this is allowed and advised by the Holy Fathers for those newly entering the monastery, then all the more is it permissible and even necessary for someone who has been stagnant for a significant time in monasticism, which, unfortunately, is extremely unfruitful. An insufficient mentor is dangerous when teaching a novice good morals and the first rules of monastic life: all the more dangerous is it for those who dare to hear the teaching about the great sacrament of mental prayer, leading the Christian to a hidden, at the same time essential and completely tangible union with God. Do you, beloved father, have in mind the experienced Elder in the abodes of the Holy Mountain, on whose spiritual intelligence you could rely? I did not use the word “spiritual” here lightly, as it is used in the newest writers, but in the sense as it was used by the Holy Apostle Paul, and after him by all the ascetic writers of our Church, of whom the Venerable Gregory of Sinaite says: “For it is not possible to instruct everyone, but to those who have been given Divine discernment, according to the Apostle, the discernment of spirits, separating the worse from the best sword of words. It is natural or active or artistic for everyone to have their own reason and reasoning, and not everything spiritual” 3. Although we are extremely darkened due to our weak lifestyle, we recognize and confess that neither natural, nor active, nor artistic reasoning can raise above the rank of spiritual reason, no matter how strong and brilliant they are, even well-intentioned and pious 4 . So, do you mean the spiritual Elder? This is the question that, by your gracious permission, I present to you with my questions, I consider the initial and first of all questions. And the Holy Fathers recognize this question as such. “First of all,” they say, “choose for yourself an elder with perfect, according to the sacred secret teaching, renunciation and obedience, unfeigned and perfect, that is, trying to find a mentor and teacher without charm” 5. Almost all ascetic Orthodox teachers say the same; but most of them complain about the scarcity of true mentors. In the 15th century, when our Venerable Nil of Sorsky lived, he visited Mount Athos and found there a hotbed of clever workers, planted by the Venerable. Gregory of Sinaite: then the true teacher of mental prayer was already recognized as an important rarity, what can we say about our time? The hearts of all are attracted, as you find and of which you saw an example in our Desert, to external beauty; inner spiritual beauty, and therefore philocalia, which contains the doctrine of acquiring this beauty, remains on the sidelines. However, some monastics here in Russia engage in mental prayer, and not without success. I happened to see such people and talk with them. I happened to see - alas! - those who are seduced and seduced, led astray from the straight and true path by mental and physical passions. Although I must recognize myself as seduced, convinced of such a disastrous state by many active passions in me, with which, obviously to my conscience, I work openly with deeds and words, implicitly with thoughts and feelings; However, I recognize that the fear of falling, and even worse, spontaneously falling into great delusion, is fair. Is it common for someone who is afflicted with many diseases to fear falling into a grave illness? It is typical for someone who is mired up to his neck in a swamp to strive not to fall headlong into it! Then, having proposed to you my first question and forced by the very end of the sheet to finish the letter, I ask for your holy prayers to strengthen my many infirmities, and I will wait for your edifying lines, which you will not deprive of your most humble novice. June 10, 1851 Sergiev Pustyn. Letter 26. To Abbot Bartholomew. About your stay in Optina Pustyn Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Dearest and Most Honorable Fathers! Father Bartholomew and Father Alimpiy! We earnestly wish you joy and health in the Lord! Having arrived in Optina Pustyn, we impatiently wanted to write to you; but my illness, increased by the journey, stopped what my heart felt to do. Accepted by Fr. The builder very kindly, we remained to live in the monastery: our circumstances, monastery and skete, prompted us to do this. [...] Mikhail Vasilyevich enters the choir; - I, like a sick person, should have the refuge of my hope not in my labors, not in my merits, but in the mercy and merits of the God-man Jesus. First of all, we described our circumstances to you; for it seems to us that you are accompanying us with your participation, and we would be guilty of this expensive and lengthy participation if we had not satisfied it, at least somewhat, with a description of our circumstances. Perhaps it has already reproached us with condescension and reproached us with love for our slowness... Jesus has prepared hundredfold rewards for good deeds, and for those who do good, human praise is superfluous: and therefore, with a brief but sincere thanksgiving for your love, affection, hospitality, satisfying the demands of our heart, we leave all the compliments, these are the outfits in which dishonesty is mostly dressed - the harlot-flattery. Finally, asking for your holy prayers (especially during the service of the Holy Liturgy) and blessings, we have the honor to remain. Your unworthy novices are many sinners: Dimitry Brianchaninov and Mikhail Chikhachev. News. One monk died in the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery; he was buried next to the late famous Fr. Theodore, and on this occasion they looked at the remains of this Elder. Both the body and clothing were completely decayed, only yellow bones remained. I told about this about. Gabriel Hieromonk - Skitian, who read about this in a letter that came from Svirsk to Fr. Leonid, and, telling, to the words - yellow color, he added: like wax. Letter 27. Autobiographical information Most Reverend and Most Beloved Father Bartholomew in the Lord! I received your most pleasant letter to my great pleasure. Forgive me for my laziness, due to which I did not answer your last letter, written to me at the Lopotov Monastery. In this Vologda monastery, the location is low, the atmosphere is filled with rotten fumes: all this, together with great harm, affected my health, in the weak state of which I was overburdened with bodily labor. Last year, 1833, in the month of May, I was promoted to Abbot. Meanwhile, the Sovereign Emperor, whose pupil I was, was pleased to order that they find and notify Him where I was. At that time, by decree of the Holy Synod, I was transferred to the Moscow St. Nicholas Ugresh Monastery. The Sovereign Emperor ordered the Metropolitan to demand me to St. Petersburg and then gave me the Sergius Hermitage, where I am to this day. O. Mikhail lives with me, and holds the position of Headman on the right wing. The health of my body in this monastery has improved a little; Apparently the Lord is still giving me time to repent. Then forgive me, most venerable Father Bartholomew; I congratulate you on the upcoming holidays, ask for holy prayers and have the honor to be your most humble servant and prayer book April 17, 1834 Archimandrite Ignatius Letter 28. About Russian monasteries His Eminence Philaret believes that the pillar of our Orthodox faith is monasticism, and the pillar of monasticism is cenobitic monasteries. But the hostels of the north, where bodily labor is most praised, are lower in their improvement than the hostels of southern Russia, where during bodily labor, special attention is paid to the cleansing of the soul and its well-being with frequent confession of thoughts and heartfelt battles, frequent advice, with a skillful study of the writings of the fathers, and, finally, a lot of Divine praise. The Yuzhskaya Hermitage is one of the best communal monasteries in the Russian North, if not the best.[...] Letter 29. Description of the arrangement in the Sergius Hermitage Your Reverence! Most beloved in the Lord, Father Builder Bartholomew! Dear Father! Apparently you didn’t come on someone else’s basis! And not to feed on other people’s labors, but to contribute to your own. And when I arrived in Sergeev Pustynya, I didn’t have anywhere to lay my head, I had to stay in a stranger’s house and live in it for the first winter. Starting from the Cathedral Church, everything was nothing but ruins. And with her brothers she had to shed not only tears, but also blood. What can we do? Such is the fate of the abbot. And at first the Diocesan Administration gave me such a hard time that I myself was forbidden to leave the monastery. But what you do without sorrow is not sustainable, and what you sow but do not water with tears grows up poorly. Forgive my idle talk, father. Out of the abundance of my heart and sympathy I told you this. I express my most ardent gratitude for the icon you sent, I ask for your Holy prayers, and with the most sincere devotion, I have the honor to be Your humble novice Archimandrite Ignatius. October 14, 1837 Sergiev Pustyn Letter 30. About the punishment of Archimandrite Ignatius and humbly bearing it Most beloved Father Bartholomew in the Lord! Truly Christ is Risen! [...] I was forbidden to leave the monastery, but for a completely different reason than what you write about. This is for my acquaintance with the envoy of the King of France, which the Sovereign Emperor found indecent and worthy of punishment, and to which I was forcibly forced by the Synodal official. This last circumstance is unknown to the Emperor, and I do not find it necessary to bring it to light. [...] Finally, I cannot say anything decisive about the dislike of the Synodal Chief Prosecutor towards me. He still receives me very kindly, and he promised to come to me. The disposition of the Sovereign Emperor from the last circumstance was revealed in full force. And I can only thank the Lord God for everything that happened - to see His Divine Providence, vigilant about the salvation of my soul and raising and caring for my infancy with these small temptations. “Woe, if all men say good things to you” (Luke 6:26) - this is dangerous; and to endure a little reproach is very salutary. And therefore we try to surrender to the will of God with thanksgiving, and with the help of the Almighty we strive to correct our mistakes to the best of our ability. Asking for your holy prayers, I have the honor to forever be with my most sincere devotion to your most humble novice Archimandrite Ignatius. Letter 31. About my studies on translating the book of St. Isaiah Most Honorable Father Builder Bartholomew! I received your most pleasant letter dated November 16th, and I sincerely thank you for your brotherly and fatherly disposition towards me. I hope that the mercy of God will grant me to live up to it. This God's mercy covers both me and our monastery until now; Although from time to time I am subject to physical ailments, I am constantly in mental illness. Currently I am translating the book of St. Isaiah the hermit of Skete, and I greatly delight in the spiritually gracious sayings of this Holy Father. If the Lord pleases, I intend to publish it, because I have never seen it in the Slavic and Russian languages, but its benefits should be extraordinary. Dear father! He is contemporary with Macarius of Egypt. St. Isaac the Syrian and Abba Dorotheus refer to him; There is a reference to it in the book of the great Barsanuphius. Maybe your library has this book; in this case, please notify me and write exactly how many words or conversations it contains and under what titles. I also hope to receive the book of St. Cassian the Roman in Latin, the language in which he wrote, and if the Lord pleases, then we will begin to translate it. The building of fraternal cells in the monastery was finally rebuilt, which greatly reassured the brethren; [...] Then, wishing you good health and all the best, also asking for your holy prayers, with sincere devotion, I have the honor to be forever your most humble novice Archimandrite Ignatius. November 30 days Letter 32. About correct prophecy - insight into sins I received a sad letter from Optina about the death of Father Leonid. They wrote it about. Macarius and Ioannikios. Some worldly people received a letter from others filled with narrations of the Prophecies. We wish for ourselves and all those who seek the truth insight into our sins - the prophecy that even if we are somewhat careless or ascendant, we fall into the hands of passions and move away from God. Such insight and prophecy can bring us significant benefit. ...Asking your holy prayers with the usual brotherly love, I remain forever your most humble servant and Bogomolet Archimandrite Ignatius Letter 33. Advice to Fr. Bartholomew to come to the capital, condemnation of disobedience to the Almighty Providence and self-will Your Reverence! Most beloved Father Builder Bartholomew in the Lord! I received your letter dated February 18th. Being extremely dissatisfied with your refusal to my invitation, and especially not to my invitation, but to the invitation of His Eminence the Metropolitan through me, I begin to quarrel with you. Deign to listen with complacency and console me by correcting your mistake. Why do you boast of failure to comply with the obedience entrusted to you by the Holy Synod? This praise is vain when you do not heed the voice of the call, giving empty excuses. “He who began a good work in you, and let him bring it to completion” (Phil. 1:6), said the Apostle. And you must complete your obedience; and without a good end, a good beginning cannot bear any fruit. Has the Providence of God, which brought you to the Southern Desert, already ceased to watch over you? Do you really think so? Without assuming these thoughts of lack of faith in you, how can we explain your unsteadiness? Your double-mindedness? and you go, and you don’t go; They took the passport and didn’t move! What does it sound like? Such volatility, such inconstancy is forgivable in a beginner, but in Abba it is by no means excusable! I see! You were scared; You suspect that upon arrival you will encounter some kind of movement! Your body cried out: don’t go, I’m warm and soft here, otherwise, perhaps, they’ll put you there where I’ll suffer from the climate; Yes, and take pity on Alimpius: he was resurrected here, but in another place his previous illnesses may return to him. This is what your body advised you to do, and you obeyed it. The caresses of the body are very strong, said St. Isaac. You are in obedience to your body, and not to the Synod. How you boast, thinking that I am stupid and faint. In addition to the fact that by your lack of faith you are sinning before Providence, you are also falling into another important error. How to judge your opinion regarding His Eminence Metropolitan? This means that, being afraid to entrust yourself to him, you do not assume in him either love or spiritual reasoning! In a word, no matter how I look at your action, I find it decidedly reckless. So, get better! Putting aside all the Khokhlatsky stubbornness, and also the wisdom of evil cunning, come quickly, casting “your sorrow on the Lord, and He will nourish you.” I also advise you not to anger the Metropolitan: for now there are many vacancies for rectors, and he has only to be offered in the Synod, the Decree will immediately fly and the insolent disobedient, in his only opinion a novice, will fly from the South to the North to mourn his self-righteousness and disobedience. With this I end my abuse, which I would not like to resort to, but there is nothing to do when honor is numb. I will make peace with you on a personal date! And I scold, but still I remain Your most zealous servant and brother Letter 34. About the resumption of the Svyatogorsk Hermitage and other issues Most Reverend Father Abbot! I most earnestly congratulate you on receiving the rank of Abbot, in which may the Merciful Lord help you to serve the Holy Church with the same success with which you have served in your service until now, or even with greater success. What I didn’t write to you is because I am confident in your love for me in the Lord, and I didn’t come across any special reason to write. Then I now became extremely weak in the eyes, which I attribute to the influence of the local seaside air. As pleasant news for all monasticism, I inform you of the following: of course, you know that the Empress Catherine destroyed the Svyatogorsk Monastery, which is in the Kharkov province on the northern Donets River, which has an excellent location - the most deserted. The Empress abolished the monastery and gave this place to the famous nobleman Count Potemkin. About two years ago this estate went to his grandson, married to Princess Golitsyna. Both of them are extremely kind-hearted and committed to the holy Church, especially she; having abandoned all secular amusements, he engages in abundant almsgiving, practicing reading the Holy Fathers and prayer. Her eyes are like two never-ending sources of tears. The Lord inspired this couple to rebuild the monastery, and she, having verbally asked permission from the Sovereign, submitted a request for this to the Holy Synod, so that a communal hermitage would be established according to the rules of Sofronievsky and Glinsky. Regarding the community life in our monastery, I spoke about this to our new Metropolitan, who, although extremely disposed towards our monastery, did not express consent to this. Our place is extremely difficult; the monastery is completely cross-cutting; In the summer, the most famous St. Petersburg public moves into our neighborhood. Carefulness is involuntarily born, which leads to entertainment. And it would be nice if the inconvenience ended here! Therefore, I wish you good health and all true blessings. By the grace of God, I remain constant in my affection for you, and I ask the same from you. Committing myself to Your Holy prayers, I have the honor to forever be Your Most Obedient novice and brother! Archimandrite Ignatius October 29, 1843 Letter 35. Regarding the decree of the Synod on the dismissal of Fr. Bartholomew, advice to come to the Synod for a personal explanation and complacent enduring of sorrows Most Honest Father Abbot Bartholomew! I received your letter dated November 12th. “The destinies of God are many in the deep” (Ps. 35:7), and it is true that “whom the Lord loves, he punishes” (Prov. 3:12). I, my dear Father, look with reverence at the temptation that has befallen you and pray to God to grant you the strength to endure it in imitation of the Saints who inherited the kingdom of heaven through many sorrows. Although, apparently, sorrow befell you from a person, in essence it was allowed by God for your improvement. I am touched, looking with intelligent eyes at your sorrow and thinking to myself: “What kind of temptation will I bear if the Lord God wants to send it to me? and what temptation will the Lord send me?” - Thinking like this, I sympathize with you. I believed that you had already received the Decree on your dismissal, and therefore I wrote to you that the circumstances themselves are responsible. You cannot undo the past; but you would have done much better if you had come to St. Petersburg yourself and explained your painful condition before the Members of the Holy Synod and before Count Protasov. The members of the Holy Synod are all very kind Elders, and Count Protasov has the kindest heart: You could ask them for everything. But what to do? you can't turn back a spill. This was arranged from above, the hand of God is here, and people are only weapons. The reason for this event must be sought in God’s providence for you: it is hidden there. Without sorrows it is impossible to be crowned with the crown of the Gospel. I am fully convinced that you are in good spirits and by surrendering yourself to the will of God and thanking God, you are erasing the head of the serpent of sorrow that seeks to devour you. Thank God for everything! Glory to God, who through bitter medicine healed souls who resorted to Him, the Almighty Physician. Asking for your Holy prayers, Your unworthy novice Archimandrite Ignatius. Letter 36. Consolation in sorrow and instruction to repent before people Your Reverence, Most Honorable Father Abbot Bartholomew! [...] First of all, Thank God for all the sorrowful things that happen to us! Whoever is allowed sorrow will, therefore, be remembered by God in His Kingdom; and whoever lives without sorrow is forgotten by God. And, my Father, due to the many sins that I fall into, and the many stupidities that I do, I should in no way judge the actions of my neighbor, nor insist that it be done as I propose. Alexey Nikolaevich told me that, upon receiving the decision of the Holy Synod, you saw that you too should have acted differently than what you did. You should have come here and humbly asked for what you wanted from the Holy Synod, which, out of respect for you, would have done everything pleasant for you, agreeing the obedience entrusted to you with your needs. But what did you do? You seduced those who expected to see you for edification for themselves, for the benefit of all monasticism. I especially feel sorry for Count Protasov, who took a very active part in you: he is a secular person who has a special influence on monasticism and the entire Russian Church; he must be taken care of very much, but in this case you did not take care of him, that is, you did not take care of his very soul. “You will forgive me, my Father, that I am writing to you so directly: I am not doing this to reproach you, but so that you would deign to see the real state of affairs.” – What should you do now? My sincere advice: write a letter of apology to the Count; he is the kindest person and he will be pleased to see your monastic humility in your letter. ...Bowing to you, I have the honor to remain with my usual devotion to you, Your High Reverence, unworthy novice Archimandrite Ignatius. Letter 37. About his stay in Optina, about Elder Macarius Please accept my sincere gratitude for your gracious remembrance of me on my Angel’s Day, for your congratulations on the Holidays and the upcoming New Year. Evenly congratulating you, I wish you all true blessings, and between them the improvement of your precious health. Due to my increased illness, I rarely go to St. Petersburg. I visited the Most Reverend Nile once, but did not find him at home; he had never been to the Sergius Hermitage; I met him once at the Synodal Chief Prosecutor. [...] This spring I spent four weeks in the Optina Desert. God will save Father Macarius! The brothers and visitors live and breathe it! In terms of its external structure, the monastery became very open, the forest was cleared, and there were many visitors. The sulfur spring there brought me significant benefit. The books of Great Barsanuphius and Abba Dorotheus have been translated into Russian very successfully. God will save the working fathers and brothers for such generally useful works! Father Michael and the other brethren show their deepest respect to you and ask for your Holy prayers. Asking them about myself, with feelings of perfect respect and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be Your Reverence’s most obedient novice Letter 38. Notice of retirement and invitation to come to the Babaevsky Monastery God, by His ineffable mercy and love for mankind, gave me a quiet refuge to end my earthly wandering there in self-attention and repentance. As a result of my all-submitted letter to the Sovereign, I was dismissed from the management of the Diocese, and the Babaevsky Monastery was presented to me for management. [...] I invoke God’s blessing on you, with feelings of sincere respect and devotion, I have the honor to be Your Most Reverend Ignatius, Bishop of the Caucasus and Black Sea. Letter 39. To Anthony, Abbot of Cheremenetsky. About the infirmities of a confessor, caution when recognizing people and advice not to leave the Diocese Most Reverend Father Anthony! I had the pleasure of receiving your letter, dated August 24th. I fully sympathize with the law of the Holy Church, according to which a priest cannot receive confession without the permission of the Diocesan Bishop, according to which, therefore, Hieromonk Gabriel, without the permission of the Most Reverend Metropolitan, could not receive any of the brethren; also, if I had decided to authorize Gabriel to become a priest on my own behalf, then this, on my part, would have been impermissible and illegal self-will. For these good reasons, I went to Vladyka with the idea that some of the St. Nicholas brethren wish to have Hieromonk Gabriel as their confessor; At my presentation, a resolution followed and, on the basis of it, a consistory Decree, allowing those who wished to do what they wanted. As for the weakness of Fr. Gabriel, then you know that the weakness of a priest as a person does not at all prevent the performance of the Sacraments, which are performed because of the grace of the priesthood with which a person is endowed, and not because of his own merits, although it is pleasant to see in one person the combination of one’s own merits with the gifts of grace. Regarding Vladimir and the other brethren who are under my influence, I, somewhat taught by my 23-year-old abbot, am in no hurry to get carried away by the direction of the brethren, especially the young ones, both for good and for evil. Both directions can easily change; in order for one or the other to become stronger, it takes time and time, and therefore one must peer and peer into a person, and then form a decisive opinion about him. Especially in our age, with increasing temptations, we need to really support people: even without that, in our monasteries there are very few capable people, not to mention completely trustworthy: this is the greatest rarity in the most comfortable monasteries. Finally, regarding you yourself, I will say: the Bishop will be much more pleased if you remain in his Diocese; if you want to move, he will let you go with love. You know from the writings of the Holy Fathers that many-sapled trees, often transplanted, lose their strength from transplantation, but those sitting in the ground constantly and patiently enduring the winds send their roots deep into the ground. The one asking for your Holy prayers is unworthy Archimandrite Ignatius. August 28th Letter 40. Advice to be guided when managing the brotherhood by the second half of the book of the Great Barsanuphius Most beloved in the Lord, I congratulate you on the upcoming Holy Easter, on your elevation to the rank of Hegumen, and thank you for notifying me about you. By asking the Holy Synod to appoint you as abbot of the Black Sea Hermitage, I had in mind to provide this monastery with the kind of abbot it needed, and the dean and elder to the nearby convent. [...] The last of my assumptions has been fulfilled, and I rejoice, thank God and wish you to bring spiritual benefit to Christ’s sheep. I believe that at the present time, when managing the brotherhood, in spiritual and moral terms, it is most useful to be guided by the second half of the book of the Great Barsanuphius, starting with the answers to Abba Dorotheus. At least that's what I understand from my limited experiences. I sincerely rejoice that the toilers Augusta and Elizabeth found in you a one-wise and sympathetic associate. May God bless your spiritual union for the glory of His Holy name and for the benefit of those who long to hear the word of God, and with his guidance to save their souls from moral death, which befalls all those deprived of true help - the word of God. Asking for your holy prayers, your most humble servant Ignatius, Bishop of the Black Sea. April 18, 1861 Letter 41. On the increase of temptations and other issues Most Reverend Father Abbot Anthony! ...I sincerely rejoice that God led me to be an instrument in granting you the rank of abbot and service in a solitary place that suits your mood, the Lord will take care of the Black Sea desert. [...] [...] You understand that God has revealed to you in the field of God-established monastic feat, which will be removed from the face of the earth according to the inscrutable destinies of God, before which we must revere and remain silent. For all your time. Salvation and its various methods were a gift from God to humanity, and by no means mankind’s own invention. Present your son to God, praying for him, and in your prayer giving him to God and entrusting him to the mercy of God. With God everything is possible. In my youth and yours there were many temptations for youth, but now the temptations have multiplied to infinity, passion for them has become almost universal, and resistance to them is almost invisible; for this reason, modern youth is less subject to condemnation, and deserves more pity and leniency. The whole world, as if unanimously, rushed to meet some special person, a genius, to a magnificent, solemn meeting. This is obvious. The face will be so disguised that the masses will recognize him as the Messiah: what is marvelous if his prophets appeared in the images of the prophets of the Messiah. A path is being prepared, a mental path for the entry of the “action of flattery” (2 Thess. 2:11) into minds and hearts. I ask for your holy prayers. Do not abandon the Ladoga elders, who find joy in your love in their orphanhood and give you the full price. Your Most Reverend, most humble servant Ignatius, Bishop of the Caucasus and Black Sea. Letter 42. Notice of filing a request for dismissal for rest and the reasons that prompted this Most beloved in the Lord, Father Abbot Anthony! Thank you for your letter dated July 11. I will add the following to the news you reported. Seeing, on the one hand, that by my direction I had become disconnected from the general direction, and on the other, finding it absolutely necessary to use the rest of my earthly life on careful preparation for eternity, I submitted, on July 24th, a petition to dismiss me from the management of the Diocese and to give me the management of the St. Nicholas Babayevsky Monastery in the Kostroma Province, on the Volga; I supported my request with letters. As circumstances go, one can hope that they will not refuse. I believe that the position I have chosen is the most convenient one for the nature of our time, in which we must prefer some care to complete carelessness, which helps us to pay attention to ourselves in order to maintain independence from people of a different direction. When I sent the request, I felt a special peace and joy in my soul. Take the trouble to tell the elders about my undertaking. I ask your holy prayers and their prayers, so that the work begun will be arranged for the benefit of my soul, for the glory of God and according to the will of God. Your Most Reverend, most humble servant Ignatius, Letter 43. About the difficulties for a person living according to the teachings of St. Fathers, come to worldly prosperity and a message about receiving the desired retirement Most beloved in the Lord! Father Abbot Anthony! Thank you for your kind and intelligent letter, dated August 13th. You look at modernity exactly the same way I look at it. It is very difficult for a person who has formed his way of thinking according to the teachings of St. to attach himself to the virtues and prosperity of our time. Fathers of the Orthodox Church. On the 21st of August I received a notification from the 6th of August from the Synodal Chief Prosecutor that my desire was satisfied... By the grace of God I am given a place that is most convenient both in terms of solitude and in many other respects. I must thank God for His ineffable blessings poured out on me since my childhood. Committing myself to Your holy prayers, with feelings of perfect reverence and devotion, I have the honor to be Your Reverence’s most humble servant Letter 44. Thoughts on Napoleon (III) Most beloved in the Lord, Father Abbot Anthony! You very rightly say that my current position is the most beneficial for me. I recognize it as a gift from a merciful God, who hid me in the secret of His face from human rebellion, covering me “with blood from the quarrel of the tongue” (Ps. 30:21). The special mercies of God are poured out in the city of the enclosure. This is not clear to the world. Many thorough people talk about Napoleon (III) the way you talk. But Napoleon (III) will not change the predestinations of God’s Providence for Russia, just as Napoleon (I) did not change them. The Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church (for example, St. Andrew of Crete), in their interpretation of the Apocalypse (chapter 20), predict extraordinary civil development and power for Russia. Foreigners feel this too. Recently, one English statesman, in a meeting in which they were discussing what to do against the Russians, exclaimed: “Leave alone this people, over whom the special hand of Fate is, which, after every shock that seems capable of destroying it, becomes stronger and stronger.” After the Sevastopol disaster, which cost Russia 250 thousand people killed, its population increased to more than 6 million. These millions are placed in all the houses, while France and England must constantly evict their surplus. Our disasters must be more moral and spiritual. The enveloping salt foreshadows them and clearly reveals that the people can, and must, become an instrument of the genius of geniuses, which will finally realize the idea of ​​​​a world monarchy, the implementation of which many have already tried. The Holy Gospel depicts the Lord's view of the contemporary Jewish people with the following features: “When he saw the nations, he had mercy on them, as if they were in turmoil and rejection, like sheep not having a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). If the Jewish confessors of that time, pompous with their learning and the most distinct knowledge of the Law, the most thorough teaching of it to the people, had heard this, what would they have said? Slander, slander! they would exclaim in one voice. This is how their blindness would force them to express themselves. If Napoleon cleans out the cesspool into which all the best from the country is pulled in and thrown out abroad, and all the bad things from abroad are scattered onto the country, it won’t be a big deal! I ask for your Holy prayers, so that I may focus my vision on my dead man. May God's blessing rest upon you. Your most humble servant, Bishop Ignatius. October 26, 1861 Letter 45. About various directions in monasticism - physical and spiritual exploits Most beloved Father Abbot Anthony in the Lord! I congratulate you on the upcoming holidays and the upcoming New Year, and sincerely thank you for the participation you took in the oxbow lakes. By this same mail I am writing to the Count, without mentioning your name, and asking to give Augusta the abbot’s position with a withdrawal from the Ladoga Monastery. I wrote to Potemkina a long time ago so that she would take part in the situation of the Ladoga Monastery. But, unfortunately, my petition does not take place before the Metropolitan. I kept silent about all this in my letters to the elders, fearing the ladies’ tongue, which can easily cause harm to both themselves and their neighbors. I don’t blame either the elders or the Mother Superior. Both sides act in their own direction. I saw a clash of heterogeneous monastic trends in the Valaam monastery, where Veniamin, a man who did not drink wine, went to services and to meals without skipping, was made hegumen from the Novoyezersk monastery. These virtues had no value in front of the Valaamites, who demanded from Benjamin the monastic knowledge and erudition he lacked, who saw him as a layman, not a monk. In 1829, during the life of Elder Feofan, I came to Novoyezersk, having lived in Optina and Ploshchanskaya: the Novoyezersk monks seemed to me to be laymen, despite the excellent improvement of the monastery and the order of worship, which, however, was lower than Ploshchansky and Beloberezhsky. I asked the monks if they go to the Elder for advice and revelation of thoughts. They answered: “No one goes, with the exception of Komarovsky, but mostly Goritsky nuns and a large number of lay people turn to the Elder for advice.” I talked several times with the Elder: he directly rejected mental activity, as very convenient for the transition to delusion, and expressed very little erudition. He lived a fasted life, went to services regularly, got up an hour before matins, and read the rule in his cell; He was athletic in build and short in height. In accordance with his own direction, he led others: both the Novoezersk brotherhood and the Goritskys are alien to spiritual work, all their attention is directed to the appearance of outward behavior and physical feat. It is known that such living introduces conceit into the soul and develops spiritual passions, which the physical worker cannot even notice in himself and does not even suspect their presence. He cannot avoid conceit: he cannot help but see his plausible behavior and his exploits and outward deeds. But the publican, a sinner and not knowing anything about himself except his sins, who deserved the condemnation of men, is justified before God for the fact that from consciousness he said to himself: “God” and so on, and the Pharisee was not awarded such mercy of God. May God grant this mercy to all his servants who work for him both physically and mentally. It is only without spiritual achievement that it is impossible to approach the mind of God, said St. Isaac. All people are weak: why is it impossible for weaknesses not to manifest themselves in those who are engaged in spiritual struggle. One should not punish for these weaknesses, but the righteous constantly strive for what we already see from the Gospel. Unworthy Bishop Ignatius asking for your Holy Prayers. Letter 46. About the prayer of the three Youths in the cave of Babylon, about the “sow of tares”, about your health Most Reverend Father Abbot Anthony! For some time, I began to often turn in memory to the prayer of the Holy Three Youths in the cave of Babylon: “We have sinned, we have been lawless,” and so on. (Dan. 9:5) What an excellent confession of one’s sinfulness, both private and public, in this prayer! What a justification for God’s permission and reverence for him! What a true look at his contemporaries! Exactly: the consolation of a Christian lies in true spiritual reason, which is in close union with faith and humility, to which the carnal and spiritual reason is contrary. The destinies of God led me to be a witness to one of the woeful sowings of tares hostile to the Church. This sowing was called with the loud name of Orthodoxy, just as many other similar actions had already been clothed and covered with the magnificent names of Christian virtues. Then the sowing terrified me; I had a presentiment that the consequences would be terrible. I sincerely wish that your new place will serve as a calm haven for you, convenient for achieving salvation. The Cheremenets Monastery is poorer than the Vvedensky Monastery, but the climate in the first is much healthier than the second. I am very pleased with my shelter, but my health is extremely compromised. It’s time to leave the earthly sphere, but unmourned sins lead to the desire to remain in the vale of soul-sucking suffering and crying, in order to avoid crying and useless and eternal suffering. [...] I entrust myself to your holy prayers and love for the Lord. Invoking God’s blessing upon you, with feelings of sincere devotion and respect, I have the honor to be Your Reverence’s most humble servant, Bishop Ignatius. Letter 47. About your mood, about temptations and free will of a person Most beloved in the Lord, Father Abbot Anthony! Thank you for your letter dated July 15th. To the first lines of it, I will tell you in response that as I gradually approach my departure from the inn of the earth, I am gradually losing sympathy for the temporary arrangement of people in it, and I am striving to unite in spirit into one with all my brethren in Christ. I think that now I am closer to you than ever before. The grace of God gave me a quiet, very comfortable shelter, corresponding both to the needs of my spiritual mood and the needs of my extremely impaired health. The Babaevsky Monastery is much more secluded than both Konevets and Valaam. Silence begins to have a beneficial effect on me, distracting the eyes of the mind from seeing what is happening in the world and directing them to the contemplation of my sinfulness and the impending judgment of God. Everything that happens is accomplished under the watchful gaze of the All-Good and Almighty God, one by the will of God, the other by God’s permission. “Woe to the world from temptations,” said the Savior, “but it is fitting that temptations should come,” the Savior predicted. The allowance of temptations, as a logical consequence of people’s arbitrary use of their freedom and will, and as the punishment that automatically follows from the abuse of the will (since God has given free will to the will, and at the same time given the law on how to use it), must be contemplated with reverence, submission, confession of one’s sinfulness and justice of God. Very instructive through the prayers of the holy three Youths in the cave of Babylon, May the will of God be done! May the merciful Lord grant salvation to the weak, from whom I am the first, who have any will, albeit the weakest, to be saved. If you find out about the Church, do not refuse to inform me: I have no correspondence with anyone about this subject, and not everything and not everyone can be trusted. Maybe you yourself will someday want to visit an old friend of yours. I would be especially pleased to see you at the monastery of St. Nicholas of Babaevskaya. Asking Your St. unworthy of prayers Bishop Ignatius. Letter 48. Characteristics of monasticism in the time of Bishop Ignatius Your Reverence, Most Reverend Father Abbot! I completely share your opinion about monasteries. Their position is similar to spring snow in the last days of March and the first of April: outside the snow is like snow, and underneath it there is caustic spring water everywhere: it will eat this snow at the first auxiliary atmospheric change. An important sign of the death of monasticism is the widespread abandonment of internal work and self-satisfaction with appearances for show. Quite often, terrible immorality is masked by an actor's appearance. True monks do not live in monasteries from actor monks. For such a life, alien to inner activity, this only means of communication with God, people become obscene for God, as God declared to the antediluvian progressives. However, He gave them 120 years to repent. Committing myself to your holy prayers, with feelings of sincere devotion and respect, I have the honor to be your most humble servant, Bishop Ignatius. Letter 49. About moral difficulties in his life, opinion about monasteries, the Optina elder Macarius and the spirit of that time Your Reverence, Most Reverend Father Abbot! I bring you my sincere gratitude for your memory of me. You are 61 years old, and I am 57. It would be a short time, but I am already ending my life, because “my days have been evil,” as Patriarch Jacob put it (Gen. 47:9). My health is naturally weak; it has been crushed by the difficulties of life. The greatest difficulty was moral: in my new leadership I could not find a monk who would be a living image of the ascetic teaching of the Fathers Orthodox Church. The desire to follow this direction, because of the consciousness of its correctness, put me in a position of opposition in relation to everyone and brought me into a struggle, from which by the finger of God, the only finger of God, I was brought into Babaev’s solitude, if only brought out. even those hostile to this teaching. Regarding the monasteries, I believe that their time is over, that they have decayed morally and have already destroyed themselves. You know the Fatherly path, which consists of a spiritual feat based on a bodily feat in the mind. Again, you know Russian monasticism: point to people who undergo this feat correctly. There are none. In some monasteries there is a physical feat, and even more so for show to people. Father Macarius of Optina resolutely rejected mental work, calling it the cause of delusion, and taught only the bodily fulfillment of the commandments. St. Isaac of Syria says that physical activity without mental activity means dry breasts and barren wombs: this can be seen in the pupils of Optina Pustyn. But oh. Macarius in our time was the best mentor of monasticism, he acted according to his own concepts, with the goal of pleasing God and benefiting his neighbors, with significant selflessness. If, as you say, they decided to restore monasticism, then there are no tools for restoration, there are no monks, and the actor will do nothing. The spirit of the times is such that one should expect final blows rather than restoration. “He who saves, let him save his soul,” said the Holy Fathers. Do not regret my avoidance from public service and do not think that I could bring any benefit in it. In my spirit, I am decidedly alien to the spirit of the times, and would be a burden to others. And now they tolerate me graciously only because I am in the distance and wilderness. [...] God bless you for the love and attention you show to nun Maria Shakhova. And on it you can see how the direction, according to the teaching of the Holy Fathers, is not tolerable in our time. They do not tolerate it because they are alien to it, do not know it, have not studied it, have not studied it at all. They say that now in the bookstores of both Capitals the expenditure on spiritual books has completely stopped, or it is so small that it can be considered to have ceased. Everything that is said in Scripture must be. Committing myself to your holy prayers, with feelings of sincere devotion and respect, I have the honor to be your most humble servant P.S. Stephen, the first martyr, very accurately portrayed the illness of his contemporaries (Acts 7:51). Hatred of the Holy Spirit comes from the acceptance of an opposing spirit, which can creep in unnoticed through the action of a word inherent to oneself. Letter 50. About monasticism, smart work, outward piety, monk Nikandra Babaevsky Your Reverence, Most Reverend Father Anthony! I wrote to you about monasticism that it is living out its given term in Russia, and everywhere else. It is becoming obsolete along with Christianity. I don't expect a recovery. There is no one to restore it. For this we need spirit-bearing men, and now even those guided in part by the writings of the Fathers, explaining them with spiritual intelligence, such as Fr. Macarius of Optina, no. True, even now some heated superstitions, even from the secular world, take up the support of monasticism, not realizing that it is God’s great mystery. The attempts of such people are only ridiculous and pitiful: they expose their deep ignorance of both the destinies of God and the work of God. Such clever people and zealots will do whatever they do, all to the detriment of them. It is noticeable that the ancient serpent uses them as instruments for multiplying in monasteries worldly multi-care and sub-classical character, which decisively destroys the spirit of monasticism, filled with holy simplicity. We must submit to the very permission of God, as is beautifully stated in the prayer of the holy three Youths cast into the cave of Babylon. In modern monastic society, the correct concept of smart doing has been lost. Even the outward decorous behavior, which was introduced in Optina Pustina, Fr. Leonid and Macarius, abandoned almost everywhere. You say the truth that in my youth I did not find an old man who would satisfy me; but this can also be attributed to the fact that I did not search as I should, did not know how to search, and did not have sufficient funds to do so. The most satisfactory person I had to meet was the monk Nikandr, the prosphyr maker of the Babayevsky monastery, a gracious man. I talked with him in 1847. He achieved the highest success in mental prayer; he accomplished this feat very simply; naturally, he was not in glory among people. Previously, smart doing was very common among people who had not yet been influenced by the West. Now everything has been eradicated; the mask of piety remained; the strength is gone. Perhaps hidden somewhere, like the greatest rarity, is some remnant of the former. Without true mental work, monasticism is a body without a soul. Spring has come: summer and harvest will not be slow to come. About monasticism Fr. Nikander understood as well as I understand. He called the monasteries marinas, according to the purpose given to them by God; He said that these marinas have turned into abysses, in which many people who lived a very good life in the middle of the world are harmed and perish in souls. He advised some who questioned him to beware of entering the monastery. It is essential to know the current situation of monasteries, which may still seem to the superficial as places of salvation. At the very least, one must be extremely careful and prudent in choosing a monastery. If you decide to visit me, then bring your poems with you. I read one of them. In anticipation of this most pleasant time, I ask that you remember me in your holy prayers. With feelings of perfect respect and sincere devotion, I have the honor to be Your Reverence’s most humble servant Letter 51. Gratitude for the visit, thoughts about the human word in comparison with the Word of God, the desire to follow the goal of Gregory the Theologian Most Reverend Father Anthony! I sincerely thank you for visiting me, a sinner; This visit brought me heartfelt consolation. I am especially grateful to you for wanting to introduce me to your poems, to your wonderful talent, to which I give all its fair price. Mother Maria, after your departure, also read me some of your works. All gifts of God to man are worthy of respect. The gift of speech undoubtedly belongs to the greatest gifts. They make man like God, who has His Word. The human Word, like the Word of God, constantly abides with its father and in its father - the mind, being one with it and at the same time separating from it inseparably. The human word is known only to the mind, from which it is constantly born and thereby expresses the existence of the mind. We cannot imagine the existence of mind without words and words without mind. When the mind wants to communicate with the mind of others, it uses its word for this. The word, in order to acquire the ability to communicate, is clothed in sounds or letters. Then the immaterial word becomes, as it were, material, remaining unchanged in its essence. And the Word of God, in order to enter into communication with people and save them, became human. With a thorough look at the human word, the reason for the strict sentence of the Lord becomes clear, which determined and announced that people will give an account of every idle word. The divine purpose of the word in writers, in all teachers, and especially in shepherds is the instruction and salvation of people. What a terrible answer will be given by those who have turned the means of edification and salvation into a means of corruption and destruction! Saint Gregory the Theologian wrote in verse with a sublime, deeply pious purpose: to provide Christian youth with reading and examples in poetry, to make it unnecessary for them to study pagan poets, breathing voluptuousness and other passions, breathing blasphemy. I sincerely wish for you the goal of the Theologian, finding you capable to a certain extent of satisfying this goal, and your reward will be many, on earth and in heaven. Take upon yourself the yoke of this goal, as obligated in due time to present an account of the talent given to you to its Giver. Commit yourself to achieving this goal. Engage yourself constantly and humbly, removing all heat from yourself, with the prayer of repentance that you are engaged in: from it, draw inspiration for your writings. Then subject your writings to your own strict criticism, and, in the light of your conscience, enlightened by the prayer of repentance, mercilessly cast out from your writings everything that belongs to the spirit of the world, that is alien to the spirit of Christ. “Woe to those who laugh now!” (Luke 6:25) - These are the words of Christ! This is a definition that came from God! It is impossible to eliminate them with any word of apology. Judging yourself and examining yourself, you will see that every word spoken and written in the spirit of this world puts its stamp on the soul, which seals the assimilation of the soul to the ruler of the world. Repentance is necessary in such words, torn out by passion and ignorance. It is necessary to establish in the heart a guarantee of fidelity to Christ, and the falling away of the heart from fidelity, due to our weakness, must be immediately healed by repentance and the removal from oneself of actions inspired by unfaithfulness, done under the influence of the spirit and spirits that flatter us and together thirst for our destruction. In my imagination I am already picturing a book of your poems, chants, worthily called both sacred and graceful. ABOUT! May I see the event of my expectation. May I rejoice in him with spiritual joy! I’m not telling you anything about myself: you have seen more than I can say. And again, thank you for the work you took to visit me, calling upon you God’s blessing and asking for your holy prayers, with feelings of sincere devotion and respect, I have the honor to be Your Reverence, my most humble servant, Bishop Ignatius. Letter 52. About poems by Fr. Anthony, Pushkin’s method, the failures of the collector and other issues There is no doubt that in your poems there is a feeling that is not found in any secular writer who has written about spiritual subjects, despite the distinctness of their verse. They constantly fall into their sensual, and transform the holy spiritual into their sensual. The soul does not find satisfaction or food in them. How beautiful is the verse in Zhukovsky’s Abbadon! and how tense the feeling is! Obviously, in the soul of the writer there was neither a correct understanding of the subject being described, nor true sympathy for it. Due to the lack of truth, he composed it, and for the mind and for the heart he wrote a false dream, which could not find sympathy in the soul of a reasonable and truly educated, much less a pious reader. I really liked Pushkin’s method in relation to his works. He subjected them to the strictest criticism of his own, willingly taking advantage of the comments of other writers. Then he mercilessly erased unnecessary words and expressions from his writings, as well as words and expressions that were somewhat forced, heavy, or unnatural. From such purification and elaboration, his works received extraordinary purity of style and clarity of meaning. How easy they are to read! there is no unnecessary word in them! From what? from merciless cleaning. Having read your poems and allowed the impression of them to form within me, I find that you also need this work. “Your essays are so easy to read!” - an acquaintance told Pushkin. “Because,” answered Pushkin, “they are written and worked out with great difficulty.” I dare say that I try to adhere to this rule. My collector, an intelligent monk, about 50 years old, returned from the Caucasus and the Volga Provinces. He was received very cordially in the Caucasus, but gained little due to the impoverishment of the country due to crop failures, and even more so due to the general and rapid cooling of the people towards the Church. My friends told him: “Vladyka has only been away from us for three years, and now he wouldn’t recognize the people, so he has changed.” In Saratov, the Eminence signed a book for collection for the month. After this, the collector was accepted into only two houses, and in each they gave him 15 kopecks in silver. Meanwhile, a huge theater was being built in the city, like some kind of cathedral. The pilgrims who come here from other provinces say that the monasteries, supported by alms, are in extreme decline due to the change that has followed in the direction of the entire people. We live in an age of rapid progress. Asking for your holy prayers and calling upon you the blessing of Heaven, with feelings of sincere devotion, I have the honor to be Your Most Reverend, most humble servant Bishop Ignatius Letter 53. About your health and patriotic thoughts Most Reverend Father Anthony! I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for your letter of February 1st. Your congratulations on the improvement of my health surprised me, especially since I received such congratulations from many. Oh, if only this were true at least to some extent, and I would be given at least some cell-based activities, cell-based activities, nothing more. [...] I was also surprised that you remember my birthday. God bless you! May God's will be done to us. There is no lasting peace on earth: there is such peace in heaven. The European peoples have always envied Russia and tried to do harm to it. Naturally, they will follow the same system in the future. But the Russian God is great. We must pray to the great God to preserve the spiritual and moral strength of our people - the Orthodox faith. At least for me, given my terrible weakness, I would like to close my eyes in repentance, until the praise of God fell silent in the churches of God. I also ask for your holy prayers for me, a sinner, and for all our Orthodox people. May God's blessing rest upon you and upon the brotherhood entrusted to you. With feelings of sincere devotion and respect, I have the honor to be Your Reverence's most humble servant P.S. In St. Petersburg, my book in 2 volumes, entitled “Ascetic Experiences,” is being printed. From it was read to you a conversation between an elder and a disciple about the Jesus Prayer. Printing should end in the last days of February or the first of March. [...] Letter 54. Characteristics of that time I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for the remark you made regarding some expressions on page 649 of the first volume of Experiments. With the same sincere gratitude I will accept your further comments: I consider the book not my property, but the property of the entire Christian society, and for this reason, I recognize as a special favor the work of well-meaning and knowledgeable persons, which consists in a thorough revision of the Experiments and in communicating to me comments, which I will try to use according to my opportunity. The place you mentioned does not speak about any particular person: the theory of holy ascetics is presented, tested by practice. This theory is of extraordinary importance precisely when it is verified by experience. This is the field of active faith. Man is formed by this position: for this reason, the effect of the position is expressed throughout the entire space of Experiences. The article was written in 1847. The personalities of that time are all extinct; what happened is attributed throughout the Experiments to the arrangement of God’s Providence, and therefore does not relate to any person. The providence of God is everywhere justified, but the one subjected to tribulations is everywhere accused. I dare to think that similar things were said by many Fathers, even by the Apostle Paul in his Epistles, and in exactly the same spirit and sense. Facts remain facts. Actions justified in relation to God's Providence do not cease to have their meaning in relation to acting people, and evil cannot be called good. I lived through that era in the Sergius Desert, during which unbelief and blatant violence, calling themselves Orthodoxy, crushed our dilapidated church hierarchy, mocked and mocked everything sacred. The results of these actions are still being felt very strongly today. By the grace of God, I wish to forgive everyone everything, to no longer consider anyone guilty before me; but I wish to understand and recognize the actions of the enemies of the Church and Christ for what they are. After all, the Antichrist will call himself Christ. After all, his appearance must be recognized as a fair allowance of God; but the person himself and his actions have their own price. The situation into which the Church has been brought is clearly stated in the December book “Christian Readings”, in the article: “New publications on the schism.” Committing myself to your holy prayers and calling upon you the blessing of God, with feelings of sincere devotion and respect, I have the honor to be your most humble servant Bishop Ignatius June 18, 1865 Letter 55. About the fire in the monastery of Fr. Anthony and the decline of religiosity among the people Your Reverence, Most Reverend Father Abbot Anthony! I bring you my sincere gratitude for your memory of me. Your letter especially consoled me because very exaggerated rumors about a loss in your monastery had reached here, and I feared for your health. If only one hotel known to me burned down, then the loss is negligible. It is noticeable that a storm is moving from everywhere towards the monasteries, which, in terms of their essential significance, have come to a state no better than your burnt hotel. Religion in general is declining among the people. Nihilism penetrates into bourgeois society, from where it is not far from the peasants. A decisive indifference to the Church appeared among many peasants, and a terrible moral disorder appeared. Contractors, neighbors of the local monastery, unanimously complain about the loss of conscience among the artisans. Success in all this occurs with extraordinary speed. We live very quietly, placing our trust in the Lord, who even in the very times of the Antichrist will guide his servants and prepare for them places and means of salvation, as is testified in the Apocalypse. [...] Committing myself to your holy prayers and calling upon you the blessing of God, with feelings of sincere devotion and respect, I have the honor to be your most humble servant February 18, 1866 Bishop Ignatius. Letter 56. About the Cheremenets monastery and the spirit of that time Most beloved Father Abbot Anthony in the Lord! I bring you my sincere gratitude for your memory of me and for your good wishes. Last autumn and this winter have been very difficult for me so far; Especially the pain in the lower chest and exhaustion did not allow me to do either writing or reading. I take comfort in the news that the secluded, modest and picturesque monastery of Cheremenets is being restored under your caring and enlightened management. The spirit of the time, like a whirlwind, howls strongly and tears and breaks many things. This is predicted by the Holy Scriptures, which, in the behavior and way of thinking of the three Youths described by Daniel the Prophet, gave us instructions and an example for our way of thinking and behavior. Asking for your holy prayers and invoking God’s blessing upon you, with feelings of sincere devotion and respect, I have the honor to be Your Most Reverence’s most humble servant December 24, 1866 Bishop Ignatius. Letter 57. On imitation of the humility of the three Youths Your Reverence, Most Reverend Father Abbot Anthony! Your letter arrived on my very birthday, which marks the end of the sixth decade of my life and the beginning of the seventh. Thank you for constantly remembering me! Thank you for your congratulations! God's permission and the retreat of pagan peoples from Christianity, for the sake of their paganism, are foretold by Scripture. God wants us to live in these times: why is it appropriate to humble ourselves under the strong hand of God, and to practice humility, imitating the humility of the three Youths, whose religious position is very similar to the modern state of religion. [...] Committing myself to your prayers and invoking God’s blessing upon you, with feelings of sincere devotion and respect, I have the honor to be Your Reverence’s most humble servant Letter 58. To Archimandrite Ignatius (Vasiliev). About temptations and God's providence 1847, July 12th day Novgorod Yuriev Monastery. By the grace of God, I travel safely. [...]... In Yuryev, Father Archimandrite received me very favorably; This morning I was at early mass in the lower cave Church; Father Vladimir celebrated mass with his disciple Hierodeacon Vitaly: they are very sweet - together. Father Vladimir serves reverently - what should an elder do? Vitaly - with pleasant simplicity. After the Liturgy, Father Archimandrite sent a memorial service to the cathedral for the deceased restorer of the Yuryev Monastery. After leaving the church, I visited Father Vladimir and drank tea with him. Then he visited the Monastery library and sacristy. From the bell tower I looked at Novgorod and its surroundings. It is quiet here, the soul and body rest; but nothing resonated with poetic inspiration in me, as it did on Valaam. When I looked at Novgorod from the bell tower, when I visited churches in the Monastery, when I looked at the wealth of the sacristy, my soul was silent. [...] Today is Saturday; soon a loud and sonorous bell will ring for the all-night vigil; I’m thinking of participating in divine services this evening and tomorrow morning, and setting off on my further journey tomorrow afternoon. My companions and I feel the benefits of the journey. When I remember you and our monastery, a comforting thought comes to me: nothing can happen without the will of God. So it is with you and with the monastery, nothing can happen that God will not allow. And He allows temptations to those whom He loves, and after the temptations He grants deliverance from them. Consoled by redemption, we resort to God in prayer; and, receiving deliverance from temptation, we acquire faith in God, faith - not dead, theoretical, but living, practical. Your present position is fraught with difficulties; but these difficulties are extremely useful to you, absolutely necessary: ​​they will shape you. “A man who is unskilled is unskilled,” says Scripture; - and the one who is tempted will receive the crown of life and acquire the gift of helping those who are tempted” (James 1:12). Believe that our hair is counted by God, especially before His eyes is everything that happens to us. Sail and rule the helm of the monastery in faith in God, in patience, and in the fear of God. When someone stands high, he should look up, not down; If he looks down, he will easily become dizzy and fall. So, by faith, look up at the sky, at the Providence of God, and your head will not spin, you will not fall into confusion and despondency, which come from looking down, i.e. when, instead of prayer and faith, we delve into our own reasoning and want to solve every matter with our own reason alone. Christ is with you. I ask for your prayers and that of the entire brotherhood. Unworthy Archimandrite Ignatius. Letter 59. About the dangers of communicating with brethren who live carelessly, about the severity of the moral rules of the Sergius Hermitage My true friend, Father Ignatius! May the merciful Lord, from whom every good gift grants you to rule the monastery in the fear of God, with spiritual wisdom, quietly, peacefully and safely. On Thursday I was at the Ugreshskaya monastery, which, despite its proximity to Moscow, is visited very little by Bogomolets and is therefore very secluded. With spiritual consolation, I saw some monastics there, living an attentive life in the fear of God. They are very careful from the monastics of the city of Moscow, not despising them, but avoiding mental disorder, which no one can so quickly communicate, like a brother who lives carelessly. This was observed by Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian when they lived in Athens. St. commanded this to be observed. Apostle Paul. He tells the Corinthians: “I wrote to you in an epistle not to associate with fornicators; however, not in general with the fornicators of this world, or lovers of money, or predators, or idolaters; for otherwise you would have to come out of this world. But I wrote to you not to associate with anyone who, while calling himself a brother, is a fornicator, or a lover of money, or an idolater, or a slanderer, or a drunkard, or a predator; You shouldn’t even eat with someone like that” (1 Cor. 5:9-11). You see how a vice, when it is in a brother, is much more contagious and sticky than when it is in a stranger! This is because people allow themselves much more boldness and freedom before their brothers than before strangers, before whom they try to hide their vice. Look at human society: in it, constant experiences testify to the truth of the words of the wise, holy, God-inspired Apostle. Be guided yourself by this moral Apostolic tradition and communicate it to your brethren for their edification and protection from sin. [...] Was in the monasteries: Chudovo, Novospassky, Simonovo, Donskoy; I saw Hierodeacon Vladimir, Eustathius, and Grozny who lived with us before, and I heard that Bulin and Cherny were here, heading towards Kyiv. I will say one thing: the brethren of our Sergius Hermitage should thank God that He brought them to this monastery, in which they monitor morality quite strictly, thereby preserving young people, giving them the opportunity to acquire good morals, which constitutes the essential dignity of a monk. Of course, his voice and knowledge of notes do not make up his voice! They are good for Church services, when the soul does not disagree with the lips. This is a disagreement when the mouth pronounces and sings praises to God, but the soul blasphemes him with its wickedness... Then - Christ is with you and with all your beloved brotherhood. I bow to everyone and ask everyone for holy prayers, unworthy Letter 60. About singing in Moscow churches and other subjects My true friend, Father Ignatius! By the grace of God, I arrived safely at the Babaevsky Monastery, in which, exactly according to Utkin’s legend, the air is wonderful. [...] No matter how much I traveled, I didn’t like it anywhere. Nice, secluded - Ugreshsky Monastery; but my heart was alien to him. I like Babaevsky best; the nature is extraordinary, somehow luxurious, majestic; the air and water are healthy; but the heart is alien to him. And it feels like it belongs to Sergieva. Apparently I'll have to return to it. [...] ...You can’t imagine how disgusting Moscow singing with its figures and variations seemed to me. We need majestic, reverent simplicity and a deep pious feeling: with these two qualities our singing becomes higher than the singing of Moscow monasteries. Of the abbots, I liked Theophanes the most because of his directness and cordiality. Somehow I don’t like forced holiness... I bow to all the brothers and ask for their Holy prayers. Christ is with you! May God's blessing rest upon you. Give the attached two letters to the addresses. Your most devoted friend in the Lord, Archimandrite Ignatius. Letter 61. On the benefits for Hieromonk Ignatius of managing the monastery Father Viceroy, Hieromonk Ignatius! [...] I am sincerely glad that you are calmer; let me get better a little: this is necessary for me. Having recovered, God willing, I will be able to serve for the common good, although for a little while longer. Your current position is very useful for you, although it is associated with some troubles. Judge for yourself from your own experience what it’s like to hold a position in a painful condition; and my pain reached the point of nerve disorder, which is very dangerous. The time that you will manage the monastery will advance you both in experience and in spiritual success and will attract to you the disposition of brotherhood, which you can have by your very natural property. Thank you very much to all your acquaintances; I feel for them like family. I’m not getting to know each other soon, but by the grace of God, I’m getting to know each other firmly. [...] I sincerely bow to all the brothers. Christ is with you. Most devoted to you Letter 62. About the choir of the Sergius Hermitage Father Viceroy, Hieromonk Ignatius! ... Hieromonk Paphnutius could have been fired if we had a sufficient number of hieromonks: he is needed only for service, but for singing he is not only not useful, even harmful. Having formed its taste in the provinces, it is insufficient for our choir, in which simplicity and a deep reverent feeling should serve as the best decoration, and not figurative variations, which are in such use in Moscow and which are so inappropriate for monastic singing. ...Pray for your unworthy Superior Letter 63. Love is every good thing, about sowing the Word of God, advice to acquire the properties of the Gospel, about the difficulties of time and about your desire for solitude My true friend Father Ignatius! With unspeakable heartfelt consolation I read your letters and thank the Lord God that He, by His ineffable mercy, gave me such a sincere, kind, faithful and intelligent friend as you. Our life is short. Whatever you gain in it must be left behind when you enter eternity. There is one good thing that will go with us there: love for God and love for God’s sake for one’s neighbor. I pray to God that our love will be eternal. [...] I found in the Bethany Seminary Hieromonk Leonid (Krasnopevkov), Professor and Master, one of the naval officers, who visited me in St. Petersburg. His mother, an old woman, lives in the suburb, whom he supports with her salary. I’m walking from the Academy to the garden - an unfamiliar old woman meets me and stops me: “Oh, father, she says how grateful I am to you for my son; the direction that you gave him in St. Petersburg guides him on the path he has chosen so successfully; I am Leonid’s mother.” He came to me in the evening and, as before his confessor, he confessed his whole life with all simplicity and frankness. This incident, the stay in Borodino, on Ugresh, from the secular ones in Moscow, the Maltsevs, Nazimovs (now the General, who served as Adjutant Wing to the Heir) and finally in Babayki the arrival of one of my sisters - I was very touched and consoled. What kind of souls there are in the world! And how wonderful is the word of God! It is not for nothing that one Holy Father says that the sower sows in rows, and it is not known which grain will sprout and which plot of land will yield the most abundant harvest. [...] Now I’m starting to answer all the points in your letters. [...] God reveals to you the concept of monastic life, which is Christian perfection. It is God's gift: cultivate it. With the natural kindness of your heart, with the integrity of your mind, acquire also the kindness of the Gospel and the mind of the Gospel. May God, who gave you beautiful natural properties, also grant you those of the Gospel. Exactly as you say, you won’t find any order, no good morals, or even such spiritual knowledge as in our monastery. [...] [...] Pray for me. Now is a tricky time: wherever we’ve seen enough, evil takes over, and well-meaning people are oppressed. The Savior of the world commanded that we gain our souls with patience. I rely on the will of God. The solitude here clearly shows me that by my natural properties and by my monastic education, I would be a hermit; and my position among a crowded, capital city, among people with a political direction, is completely unnatural, violent. Prayer and the word of God are the only activities that suit me. With the help of solitude, these two activities, it seems to me, judging by my experiences, could flourish greatly and I would like to serve my neighbors with them. For other services there are enough people, with abundance; and for this purpose now, simply to say, one cannot find one. They try - and even then only a few, but it is impossible to find anyone who will definitely tell the truth of Christ! The word of Christ is coming true: in the last times, “will the Son of God find faith on earth” (Luke 18:8)! There are sciences, there are Academies, there are Candidates, Masters, Doctors of Theology (right - laughter, and that’s all); these degrees are given to people. Someone's b..... should a misfortune happen to this “Theologian” - and it turns out that he doesn’t even have faith, not only theology. I have met such people: - Doctor of Theology, but he doubts whether Christ was on earth, whether this is a fiction, whether it is not similar to a mythological reality! What light to expect from this darkness! Christ is with you. My deepest bow to all the brothers. Your most devoted friend, unworthy Arch. Ignatius. Letter 64. Practical advice from Rev. Ignatius in the management of the monastery My true friend, Father Ignatius! [...] You agreed to accept the novice Kirilovsky, as well as the official from the Guardian Council. And tell Parade Adjutant Igotin that he should not go to a monastery out of sadness, which can only be entered by vocation. Everyone, as far as I know, who entered the monastery due to some external circumstances, and not by calling, is very fragile and certainly leaves the monastery with great troubles for the monastery and for themselves. Therefore, resolutely refuse. [...] Regarding the matter with Paphnutius, be careful and patient; This is how you should behave towards wicked people. Perhaps they will do it according to your wish; but then this circumstance, as a fact, will prove that you are unreasonable in your actions. How much does it take to convince fools of something? Let Paphnutius act as he wants and be bored as he wants: because, despite all my convictions, he began to act himself, contrary to all my truly friendly and well-intentioned advice. [...] I bow to everyone, both brothers and acquaintances. Letter 65. On the meaning of suggestions and sorrows I congratulate you, my true friend, on the holiday of our God-saved monastery. [...] There is God’s mercy towards our monastery: because in it, although not as much as it should be, there are people who intend to be pleasing to God. The Lord also sends temptations: to whom sorrows are sent, that means he is a part of God; and to whom everything goes like clockwork, he is part of the devil. And when the Lord desires to take him from the devil’s part, he takes him with a message of sorrows. Sorrow is the cup of Christ on earth. Whoever is a participant in the cup of Christ on earth will also be a participant in this cup in Heaven. There she is an unceasing pleasure. Fourteen years since you and I have been sailing together on the sea of ​​life. You can't see how they passed; we won’t see how the rest of our lives will pass. Temporary life, when you look into it, is only flattering - Blaisir, as the Russians say, nothing more. Letter 66. Good wishes [...] May the Lord strengthen you: He allows His beloved to become weary, as the Fathers put it, and then little by little He shows them His spiritual gifts. I hope that the merciful Lord, seeing your and my will, will allow us to live for some time for our souls, and not for one temporary thing. Christ is with you. Letter 67. Advice to live in the present day, not in future dreams. ...I am completely consoled that your will towards spiritual life is developing. In due time God will arrange everything; the best thing is to surrender to His holy will and not think about tomorrow, when there is no special reason to think about it. Otherwise, many live in the future with their dreams and worries, and let the present slip away from their hands. I am sincerely glad that everyone spent the holiday safely, in their family circle, without any payment. So these alien patches will not come to our society! How do these mean things always end? They are pro-man-pleasing for their time, remain alien to any Divine Feeling, betray, betray, and, finally, themselves surrender to death, no matter how much they deny it. [...] [...] Christ is with you! Let us procrastinate somehow during this short earthly life - if only God would accept us into eternal shelter. Your most devoted friend, Archimandrite Ignatius. Letter 68. On the Formation of Man True friend Father Ignatius! [...] Leave it to the will of God for my arrival; I have this intention: then I will leave here when I am sure that I have recovered and become completely stronger, that I can set off on the road safely, that when I come to you I will not only lie in idleness, but also contribute to the common good. I confess that lately it has been very much on my conscience that I have not been doing enough to edify the brethren, that is, to edify them. I intend to resume this activity when the merciful Lord returns me with renewed strength. My eyes have improved so much that I can write freely with just one candle. But I’m still weak and lying down more. Although your current position is associated with some sorrows, it shapes and strengthens you. I am very glad that God, who is so merciful to you, gives you a way to form correctly, on a straight, pure path. The trouble is when a person is formed on crooked paths: throughout his life he will smear into defamation. [...] Unworthy Archimandrite Ignatius. October 23. Letter 69. Advice to endure the assigned service with patience; about the purpose of his entry into the monastery; desire to settle in a more secluded abode I will not add the word “mine” to the word “most priceless,” because we are all God’s. I don’t want to steal God’s for myself, but when the merciful Lord gives me His, “bless my soul the Lord, and all that is within me, His holy name” (Ps. 102:1). - And let God remain God’s, and I will use it as God’s... May the Lord strengthen you in bearing the difficulties that surround your present situation, that shape your mind and soul. I see a special Providence of God over you: God has loved you and is leading you to Himself. And therefore he shows you the world in all its nakedness, shows how everything in it is corruptible, everything is empty; how all his activities and troubles rob a person of time and take him away from pious activities and the eternal bliss they obtain. All this must be seen with the feeling of the soul; but you cannot read from a book until the eyes of your soul are opened. Put your trust in the Lord: in your patience gain your soul. Patience is given by faith, and faith depends on human will: because it is a natural property of our mind. Whoever wants it can immediately have it to the extent he needs. From here I didn’t write anything to you about solitude, although I very much remembered that I promised to write after settling in. [...] My thoughts on this subject are the same as in Sergieva; I have no reason to test myself, and at my age and not the time, the way of thinking has formed, but the years have passed. You can be decisive. The fact that I haven’t been bored here, one might say, not even for a minute, is not at all strange; the opposite would be strange. Having gone to the monastery not out of need, but out of my own choice and passion - having entered it not windily, but after a preliminary, detailed consideration - keeping my goal unchanged until now, I, in the natural course of things, did not get bored in the monastery, I do not get bored, and henceforth I hope to be preserved by the grace of God. That monastery is more pleasant for me, which is more consistent with the monastic goal. Here I like the solitude, simplicity, and especially the unusually dry and healthy air, which is caused by the soil of the earth, consisting of gristle and sand. A more secluded place can be found, especially one that is more closed by forest. There is a grove on one side, and on the other side there is open space for tens of miles, which is why the winds are similar to the winds of the Sergius Hermitage - strong, but soft, gentle. I told the local Bishop, just in case, to give us a monastery that is not important, but enjoys the benefits of solitude, location and climate, to which he very much agrees. [...] [...] Then Christ is with you. Entrusting you to the mercy of God and the prayers of St. Sergius. Most devoted friend Archimandrite Ignatius November 27th Letter 70. The desire to write a book like “The Imitation of Christ” in the spirit of the Eastern Church After my last letter to you, I was torn for two days: some of the veins of the sheath were freed from their deadness. Preceding the resolution of any pain is spinning... Here is a sample of a book that has been forming in my head for a long time, and now little by little it moves from ideal existence into the essential: it will be like “The Imitation of Christ” - a well-known Western book; only ours. (I include you and others for the sake of God who are of the same mind with me among the authors of the book, which is why I use the expression: “ours”). Completely in the spirit of the Eastern Church - and it comes out stronger, more mature, more thorough, with a completely special character. I would like to advance this book at least halfway while I am here in solitude. Such a thing, half done, is almost already done. [...] Christ is with you, your most devoted friend Archimandrite Ignatius. Letter 71. On the onset of illnesses [...] All my illnesses began with the fact that when I was still a cadet, I severely caught a cold in my legs and at the ends of them; from various medical benefits I felt temporary relief, but the extremities of my legs were never cured, year after year they became worse and finally brought me into a state of pain that you know as an eyewitness. Now, by the grace of God, it seems that I will be radically cured. But there is a strong upheaval in everything, some kind of overhaul, a degeneration of everything, which is why I spend most of my time in bed, in a daze, doing nothing, almost less than reading.[...] Letter 72. About the thorny path of one’s own and one’s followers Your letter and with it money 185 rubles. I received silver. Exactly, as you might guess, this is very little, judging by the demands that are born here, for my treatment, and the treatment of two patients Stefan and Sisoy. But for this too – thank God! How many people are more worthy than me, and suffer more needs than me. I often think about your means of support: I would like to improve them... If the Lord returns me safely to Sergiev, we will think about it; I would like to share the funds with you!... Exactly - the path of my life and those who want to accompany me is covered with thorns! But along this path the Lord leads His chosen ones and His favorites! The eyes of the soul cannot open, they cannot see the spiritual blessings given by Christ, if a person is not led along the path of thorns, Christ is with you. May He grant strength to both me and you. Unworthy Archimandrite Ignatius. January 22 Letter 73. Sorrow is a good sign; a warning to Chikhachev to be careful with Consistory employees; encouragement of Hieromonk Ignatius in temptations Priceless friend, good Ignatius! ...The merciful Lord, who chooses you as one of His, allows you various sorrows both from people and from bodily illnesses. This is a good sign - accept it with generosity and faith. When they shower you with curses and try to catch you in words, remember what you also did with Christ and taste the cup of cleansing with complacency. Looks like there's going to be a change. But both you and your friends need to be very careful. Misha Chikhachev needs to be careful with the Consistorskys, who only want to find out from him and nothing else. Many years and cruel responses have proven to us that we must be careful, but not frank. Dear Ignatius! You are very similar to me in your natural character - God will give you a taste of those sorrows that form and mature a person, which He gave me to taste as well. Be generous: all temptations are only scarecrows, lifeless scarecrows, terrible for only unbelievers, for those who look with only carnal eyes. Be careful, be prudent before scolders, imitate Christ’s silence - and do not be afraid of anything, the power of your head will not fall. Letter 74. About the relationship with Hieromonk Ignatius, his sorrows, a frank description of many acquaintances, the difficulties of managing the Sergius Hermitage My true friend, priceless Ignatius! God gave me, a sinner, true consolation: your soul, filled with sincere Christian disposition towards me. Because of this disposition, your soul becomes like a pure mirror, in which my feelings and my way of thinking, developed in me by monastic life, are faithfully imprinted. May the Lord who chose you raise you with His Holy Word and perfect you with His Holy Spirit. I even felt sorry that you, with many of your activities, which become twice as burdensome when you are sick, wrote me a letter on three pages: I just wanted to know about the well-being of the monastery, yours and the brotherhood; also about the main events in the monastery. On top of everything else, i.e. To the sorrows from management, to the sorrows from superiors, came to you sorrows from illnesses that change not only physical, but also mental abilities: this is my long-standing cup. It is appropriate for the soul and body to become thinner like a cobweb, to pass through the fire of sorrows and the purifying water of repentance, and to enter into spiritual peace - into the spiritual mind or the world of Christ, which is the same thing. Many of our good friends, speaking kindly about us, did us harm: because ill-intentioned people think that this is our suggestion and intrigue. All those who love us should be reminded of this with all love. However, when God wants to allow temptations into someone, they will come, arise from where it is impossible to expect them at all. [...] Regarding my return to St. Petersburg, I am guided by the only direct indication of my health, I believe that the Lord in direct behavior is a Helper; and the crafty politician is his own helper; the Lord does not come to his aid, as if he were the wisest one. I think it’s impossible for me to go before the second half of May: because I’m very unaccustomed to the air and have severe perspiration. I don’t like to punish character, and God forbid I do anything to punish a stupid character; and God grant me my wrong deed, as soon as I see its wrongness, leave it with repentance. Also, I don’t want to pay attention to what they say: let them say what they want, but I have an urgent need to think about the future life and the imminent resettlement into it, promised by my premature old age and weakness caused by long-term illnesses. I don’t have the opportunity to reach out to people and please people who are eternal on earth, or at least who consider themselves eternal. – I received notification from Countess Sheremetyeva and Count that they received my letters in good order; they write with great good nature. I feel sorry for the Countess: the Moscow people flatter her and lead her into complacency, from which I tried to ward her off; however, she feels that my words, although not sweet, are useful - and she said goodbye to me when I set off from the Sergius Lavra on my further journey to the Babayki, from the heart, with love and sincerity. [...] The Reverend Vicar is not smart and honest enough to understand the directness of your intentions and actions; judges them by his actions, always crooked, by his goals - always low, having as their object temporary benefits, only his own benefits, and the lowest level. Since he cannot comprehend the directness of your intentions, he composes in his imagination intentions for you and against these – his own intentions, or acts in accordance with his suspicions.[...] Congratulations on the great feast of the Annunciation. May the Mother of God take us under her roof! May He grant us to spend our earthly life as a life of preparation for the life to come. The Cup of Sorrows reveals a person's inner pledge: David goes into the desert, and Saul goes to the sorceress. God has brought you to know by experience what cup I drank in the Sergius Desert for fourteen years. Assuming the position of abbot of this monastery, I saw clearly, as I went to pound the waters, that my voyage would be through an abyss of intrigue; consoled me that this was not my election. I surrendered to the will of God, to which I surrender now.[...] [...] I looked at myself for a long time in the Sergius Hermitage; and you could consider yourself especially at the present time in the direct management of this monastery; also my position in it became clearer to you. I did not educate myself for such a monastery and not for this kind of life, which should consist of incessant bodily care and activities with visitors, mostly empty. The soul in such a place must necessarily become empty. [...] Intrigues, to which there are so many conveniences, shook the well-being of the monastery and its peace and will continue to shake it. The deadness of the persons elected to the metropolitans of St. Petersburg has deprived and will constantly deprive us of our own view and opinion of our boss, who, therefore, always acts at the suggestion of others, but acts with unlimited power, even if he acted completely erroneously. Dependence on numerous secondary authorities makes countless troubles inevitable. You know that the affairs of our monastery include the Metropolitan himself, and the Vicar, and two Consistories and the Metropolitan’s Secretary and other various secretaries and valets and laundresses and Aunt Sulima, and so on. and so on. What are you waiting for? – You have to be a swindler, with the ability for this, with an inclination. [...] For the above reasons, I have a decisive intention, returning to St. Petersburg, to ask that I be given a place that meets my extreme mental and physical needs. For this reason, it is most necessary to have a person, under whose patronage not only I, but also those who are disposed to me, could become a monk (and from experience I see that I cannot get along with fools and Jesuits), then I choose for this His Eminence Innocent of Kharkov, who I personally like more than others and from the information collected: he does not interfere with holiness and does not pretend to be holiness, but is more inclined than anyone else to do good, He is more and more intelligently involved in religion than anyone else, he loves true monasticism, he will understand my although sinful and completely lame ascetic direction and will want to contribute to it. These, my soul, are my thoughts regarding my situation. But for the Sergius Hermitage, you can see for yourself that I have neither physical nor mental strength - unless they make it independent. Here, my true friend, my thoughts, formed, it seems, from the very circumstances themselves, are my thoughts - and I entrust them to you alone. The fruit of our further stay in the Sergius Hermitage will be no different; “We will become completely crippled, and when they see that we are not capable of anything, they will push us out anywhere, without giving us a piece of bread and taking away all the means to get it.” Look carefully and you will see that it is so. I have the mercy of the Sovereign, but this mercy is only of the heart: and the intriguers used it as an instrument of their hatred of me. - Christ is with you. [...] Think, my friend, and pray about our common fate, so that the merciful Lord will arrange it according to His goodness. [...] Your most devoted friend, Archimandrite Ignatius. Letter 75. To a certain monk who is in sorrowful circumstances I admit that I am unworthy of the trust that you give me. When a person, during his grief, turns his eyes to someone, stretches out his hands to him with confidence, asks for help: this means that he assumes spiritual strength in him. I have no spiritual strength. I am bound by the chains of passions, I am enslaved by them, I see in myself only weakness. But having spent my entire life in suffering, I consider compassion for the suffering to be my sacred duty. It is only from this motive that I am writing to you; Only in this regard will you consider my letter worthy of your attention; accept it as a response from the soul participating in you. Alone, in grief, and insignificant participation is pleasant. Under current circumstances, human paths to helping you are blocked. This is the opinion, not only mine, but also of those who know you and remember you, with whom I considered it useful to consult. You cannot deviate either to the right or to the left: you must, of necessity, follow the narrow and regrettable path that suddenly opened before you due to the inscrutable destinies of God. This situation is not unfamiliar to me. More than once I have seen the complete impoverishment of human help: more than once I have been betrayed by the cruelty of difficult circumstances; More than once I was in the power of my enemies. And don’t think that the difficult situation will last for any short time. No! This is how the years passed; Physical health was lost, mental strength was exhausted under the weight of the sorrowful burden, and the burden of sorrow was not lightened. As soon as one sorrow passed, as soon as my situation began to become clearer for me, an unexpected, new cloud swooped in from the other side - and the new sorrow fell heavily on my soul, on a soul already exhausted and thinned like a cobweb by previous sorrows. Now I consider myself to have spent half the days of my life. The opposite shore is already visible! already intensified weakness, more frequent illnesses herald the proximity of resettlement! I don’t know what storms are still ahead of me, but I look back and feel involuntary joy in my heart. Seeing the many waves through which my soul swam, I involuntarily rejoice. Strong winds rushed towards her; many pitfalls lay in wait and spoiled her salvation - and I have not yet perished. According to human considerations, he should have died long ago. “I am sure that the incomprehensible Providence of God led me along strange and difficult paths; I am confident that He is watching over me and, as it were, holding me by the hand with His almighty right hand. I surrender to him! let him lead me wherever he wants; let him lead me, as he wishes, to a quiet refuge, “where there is no sickness, no sorrow, no sighing.” I see many who are called happy - and their lot is without price for my heart. The dead lie in marble and wooden coffins with the same insensibility: they are equally insensitive both to the magnificent monument erected by vanity and ignorance of Christianity, and to the humble wooden cross, which was erected by faith and poverty. They are equally victims of corruption. The earthly lucky ones are very similar to the dead, dead to eternity and to everything spiritual. The Gospel called them dead. Let us proclaim the glory of God in the land and society of the living! The journey to the true knowledge of God certainly requires help from sorrows: the mortification of the heart for the world through sorrows is certainly necessary, so that it can strive entirely to seek God. God, whomever He separates into His immediate service, into a vessel of spiritual gifts, sends sorrows to him 6 . As soon as he revealed himself to Paul, he already assigned him suffering and announced it. “For I will tell him how much it is fitting for him to suffer for My name” (Acts 9:16), says the Lord about the newly chosen Apostle. People who cause sorrow and sorrowful circumstances are only instruments in the almighty right hand of God. The hair of our heads is counted by God; not one of the dumb birds falls without the will of its Creator; Could temptation really come close to you without this will? - No! it came closer to you by God's permission. The watchful Eye of Providence constantly watches over you; His all-powerful right hand protects you and controls your destiny. By the permission or beck of God, sorrows have come to you, like tormentors to a martyr. – Your gold has been thrown into the crucible of temptation: it will come out purer and more valuable. People commit crimes in their blindness, but you become a partaker of the Son of God on earth and in heaven. The Son of God says to His: “The cup that I drink, you will drink” (Mark 10:39). Do not indulge in sadness, cowardice, and hopelessness! Say, Most Honest Father, to your despondent thoughts, tell your heart, pierced by sorrow: “The cup that the Father gives me, shall I not drink from it?” (John 18:11) Caiaphas does not give this cup, Judas and the Pharisees do not prepare it; the Father does everything! People who arbitrarily follow the suggestions of their hearts, acting autocratically, do not cease to be and instruments, blind instruments of Divine Providence, according to the infinite wisdom and omnipotence of this Providence. Let us leave people aside: indeed, they are strangers! Turning our gaze to God, let us cast our rising and restless thoughts at His feet, and say with reverent submission: “Thy will be done!” This is not enough! Let us kiss the Cross as a sign of Christ, guiding the disciple of Christ into the Kingdom of Heaven. The robber mentioned in the Gospel was hanged on the cross: he was hanged as a robber, and from the cross he moved to heaven as a confessor. The people stoned Stephen as a Blasphemer; and according to the judgment of God, heaven was opened to him, as to a living temple of the Holy Spirit. Saint Tikhon of Voronezh, accused of hot temper, was forced to move from the episcopal throne to the walls of a quiet monastery - the monastery, the stay in which the Holy Shepherd had the appearance of exile, inspired him to devote himself to prayer and other monastic deeds. His holy exploits brought him the incorruptible and indestructible treasure of righteousness in Christ, glory from Christ in heaven and on earth. The fate of St. Tikhon has always amazed me; his example always sent out consoling and instructive rays into my heart, when my heart was surrounded by darkness produced by the accumulating clouds of sorrows. I am convinced that monastic studies alone can firmly console a person who is in the crucible of temptation. I recommend to you the works of St. Mark of the Ascetic, found in the 1st part of the Philokalia: they provide spiritual consolation in sorrows; and for the prayer lesson - Hesychius, Philotheus and Theoliptus, placed in the 2nd part of the same book. Forgive me for allowing myself to advise you! Accept this as a sign of participation, as a sign of sincerity, drawn from my soul by compassion for you. Otherwise, I would not have entrusted to you the secrets that I hide and which must be hidden in the depths of my soul, so that the precious spiritual beads would not be trampled upon by those who love and value dearly only their swamp. I was nourished and supported by the thoughts expressed in this letter and others similar to them, drawn from the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Holy Fathers. Without support, so strong, could I have resisted the face of the sorrows that the all-good Providence allowed me, with which it cut me off from love for the world and called me into love for Himself. My sorrows, in relation to my weak strength, were considerable, not uncommon in modern times. The fact that they could not suddenly break me only intensified and continued the torment: instead of breaking me in a few days or a few hours, they broke me for many years. In these sorrows I see God’s goodness to me; I confess a gift from above, for which I must thank God more than for any earthly, imaginary happiness I see in others. And this imaginary happiness, no matter how low (it is carnal!), could be even enviable if it were durable and eternal. But it is wrong, it is instantaneous - and how they are tormented by its betrayals, by the loss of it, spoiled by it. It must certainly be destroyed, taken away by an inexorable and inevitable death: the disaster with which the pupils of imaginary, earthly happiness suddenly meet at the gates of eternity is incomparable with anything! Saint Isaac of Syria rightly said: “The world is a harlot: with its beauty it attracts those who are disposed to love it. Caught in the love of the world and entangled in it, he will not be able to escape from its hands until he loses his life. The world, when it completely exposes a person, drives him out of his home (i.e., out of his body) on the day of his death. Then a person will know that the world is a flatterer and a deceiver.” Give us your hand: let us follow Christ, each bearing his own cross, and through it we earn our salvation. 1847, Sergiev Pustyn. Letter 76. To a monk who suffered sorrows in the community, thought that they were hindering his success, and wished for deep solitude Wherever I am, whether in solitude or in human society, light and consolation pour into my soul from the Cross of Christ. Sin, which possesses my entire being, never ceases to tell me: “come down from the cross” (Matthew 27:40, Mark 15:30). Alas! I leave it, thinking to find truth outside the cross, and I fall into spiritual distress: waves of confusion consume me. Having come down from the cross, I find myself without Christ; How to help a disaster? I pray to Christ to take me to the cross again. When I pray, I myself try to be crucified, as if I had been taught by experience that those who are not crucified are not Christ’s. Faith leads to the cross; brings down from him a false mind full of unbelief. As I do myself, I advise my brothers to do the same. What else should I add? I will add: “Blessed is the man who endures temptation.” Having been tempted, he can help those who are tempted” (James 1:12). I wish that these words of the Holy Scripture come true for you. And you - be comforted! Do not be faint-hearted because you have been overcome by warfare: this leads to spiritual experience, or experience, and to humility. Peace be with you! I will also say: the common path of ascetics is to heal the weakness of feelings between people, to see the Providence of God, and to enter into mental prayer. Another, according to the special vision of God, entered differently; – we must follow a common path. Read about this the 55th word of St. Isaac to the Monk Simeon the Wonderworker. Others find that solitude is the closest means to spiritual success; and others say what leads to spiritual success is love for one’s neighbor. My heart prefers the latter; because love for one’s neighbor is everyone’s indispensable duty; and few are capable of silence. Letter 77. To a certain nun who changed her rule of prayer from more to less, but attentive, and who felt spiritual benefits from this To your blessing of the day on which you felt that the Lord showed you His special mercy, and I answer this way: Blessed is God the Father of Light, from whom “every gift is good and every gift is perfect” (James 1:17)! People who “sit in darkness and the shadow of death” (Ps. 107:10). Light arose to them, that is, Christ in His true teaching. And again, I begin to praise and thank God! Blessed be God, who has made it easier for you to transition from an arbitrary way of life to another, which is closer to the tradition of the Holy Fathers. The silent person is somehow not characterized by verbosity even in the prayer rule itself. Although all people are created in the image of God, in this respect the silent one is the most special, most accurate image of God. Look at what the Evangelist John says about God: from eternity He was content with His one Word! Over time, it will demand that you shake off the leaves even more for the fruit. It is useful to force yourself to mortal memory, even if your heart turns away from it. She is a gift from God, and our compulsion towards her is only evidence of the sincerity of our desire to have this gift. When you force yourself, you need to pray: “Lord, give me the memory of death.” This is the teaching of Macarius the Great, Isaac of Syria and other great Fathers on this subject; You will also find it in Neil Sorskago's precious book. We know about love for our neighbor from the teachings of the Fathers that it comes in two types: natural and Gospel, or about Christ. The natural one was implanted in us at our creation, and therefore it certainly exists in every person. It is damaged, like other good Properties, by the fall, or by ancestral sin; and therefore in every person it is subject to greater or lesser, short or long-term changes. Christ, who heals all our ailments in a wondrous way, also heals damaged love: He commands Himself, the Lord, to love in people. This elevates love to the highest degree of fervor, bestows upon it purity, spirituality, holiness, and the discordant, smoky flame of the flesh is extinguished by the flame of love for Christ - mixed love, composed of dreamy, non-existent pleasure and cruel, murderous torment. The feeling of spiritual love guided the pen of St. John Climacus, when he said: “Love for God extinguishes love for parents and other loved ones in the flesh; He who says that he has both loves deceives himself.” He also said in the 15th degree: “Fire is extinguished by fire, that is, carnal love by Divine love,” when we examine ourselves with attention, we will see with God’s help (such a vision requires God’s help! such a vision is a gift of God!) that we most have natural love, but we must still acquire the Gospel. I understood this very thing when I wrote to you that the Gospel of John is preceded by the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of John speaks most about the love of God, about the view of God, clear to some who are purified. Man is purified, enters into the vision of God and love for Him - the love of Christ for one's neighbor, or the love of Christ in every neighbor, and in those alien to Christianity and Christ - love for the image of God. And he who is deprived of the glory of Christianity is not deprived of the glory of humanity - he is the image of God! You treated me for the sake of God for the benefit of your soul; I, also for God’s sake, am disposed to tell you what I consider true and beneficial to the soul. Walking towards the Lord along the path of mind and heart, wanting to stand before the majesty of His unapproachable glory, face to face, do not be reasonable and knowledgeable. For Him, the infantile babbling of a soul, diminished, so to speak, from the sight of its many infirmities, is more pleasant than the eloquent ornateness of a soul pompous with conceit. The Apostle Paul said about himself: “I judge myself not to lead to anything, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). And for me it is enough if I know that I am a sinner. This knowledge will be enough for me! It, touching - like the rod of Moses to a stone - to my hardened heart, will bring out a living stream of tears. I prefer my cry before my Lord to all earthly wisdom, “and my sin is taken away from me” (Ps. 51:5)! My sin is the primary subject of my spiritual contemplation!.. In your letters to me, do not be smart, eloquent, or knowledgeable in Scripture. Be buoys! From wisdom, become violent in order to acquire true wisdom - humility, in which there is an abundance of spiritual intelligence. And I, a sinner, in answer to you will utter the naked, unflattering word of my heart, pleasing only because of its sincerity and, perhaps, truth. Having now tasted it, know that what I said was said for the sake of the Lord. I ask your holy prayers for the one who speaks and the one who does not, so that the word I pronounce will serve me for salvation, and not for condemnation, on the day of the terrible judgment of Christ - Amen. Letter 78. To the same nun who wanted to move from one monastery to another Instead of any inscription, I put an image of the Holy Cross above my letter. The cross is the most appropriate inscription above the word cross, pronounced for those passing the path of the cross. And so listen to those words that are drawn by your faith from my damned heart, immersed in prayer and hearing wondrous words spoken by grace in the mystery of the spiritual cage. These verbs nourish me, and they also nourish those who, for the sake of saving their souls, want not to despise my sinful and wretched words. Georgy Alekseevich, the Recluse of Zadonsk, was troubled for two years by thoughts of leaving the Zadonsk monastery. It seemed to him that this place was not quite secluded, that in another he would be less bothered by visitors: one day, as he was entertaining these thoughts, they told him that a certain wanderer wanted to see him, because he had something to tell him from Seraphim of Sarov. The recluse invites a wanderer, who comes to him and says: “Father Seraphim told you to tell me that it is a shame for you, Recluse, to allow demonic thoughts to bother you for such a long time. Don’t go anywhere, God wants you to live here.” Having said these words, the wanderer bowed and left. The Recluse was amazed at this revelation of his secret thoughts, and when he came to his senses, he sent his cell attendant to turn the wanderer back. The cell attendant searched in vain for the accuser in the monastery and outside the monastery - he disappeared. Who was he? Let’s not be too curious about this, but let’s note from this event what we need, namely, that the constant chilling of a thought is not yet a sign of its correctness. Oh! Where is that desired peace to which our heart is drawn, which it cannot help but yearn for and seek? It is hidden in the cross of Christ. You will look in vain for it in anything else. The devil, looking at the face of the human soul and trapping it in destruction, sees the desire, the natural desire of our heart for indestructible peace, and regarding this desire he gives advice: “move from your place of residence to another, there you will find the desired peace.” This is his advice, under the guise of which another is hidden: “come down from the cross” (Matthew 27:40, Mark 15:30). The Holy Fathers command us to endure warfare without leaving room, especially if there is no obvious reason for sin. A monk who leaves his place of residence due to spiritual warfare will never be able to acquire spiritual Fruits. Fortitude is one of the first virtues of a warrior, both earthly and spiritual. Warriors experienced in battle consider a brave attack on an enemy formation to be a sign of courage, but an incomparably greater one is to stand silently with sullen firmness under the cannonballs and grapeshot of enemy batteries, when the general plan of the military leader requires it. He can rely most on such warriors; our hero Jesus Christ most relies on such warriors and crowns them with spiritual crowns. The Holy Spirit commands us to do this: “If a strong spirit comes upon you, do not leave your place” (Eccl. 10:4). On the contrary, He reproaches the unsteady soldiers and declares the deprivation of spiritual gifts to them: “The sons of Ephraim will draw and shoot bows, returning on the day of battle... And the Lord will cast away the village of Joseph, and the tribe of Ephraim will not be chosen.” (Ps. 77, 9, 67). You too will be afraid of this; try to bear fruit, according to the word of the Lord: “with patience.” That you have noticed some shortcomings in yourself that you previously thought about more easily, with an apology and justification for them - do not be surprised by this. We strive to see our sins and wash them away with tears of repentance before that time, a terrible time, when repentance will only torment and not heal. - If o. Paphnutius is trying to lend you his books, then I advise you to first read the book of the Great Barsanuphius and, if you wish, copy it. According to your condition, this book will be more useful than Isaac the Syrian, which, God willing, you will study in due time... Peace be with you! Letter 79. To the same person: about mortal memory; repeating the advice not to change your place of residence; a look at oneself in relation to persons asking for spiritual advice; about the prayer rule; about prayer for heretics; prayer and crying - for your dead What could be more difficult than the state of a soul tormented by temptations? This is being in hell, in eternal torment. Remembering them eases the temptations here. “My enemy,” says despondency (in the Ladder), “is mortal memory.” Remember the society of demons in hell and people will seem kind to you; remember the torment in hell and temptations will become easier for you. If your thought removes the example of the recluse with the hand of humility, at least so it seems in appearance, then listen to the advice of St. John the Climacus, who says in the 4th degree of his Ladder like this: “Those who easily decide to pass from place to place are completely unskillful: for nothing makes the soul barren like impatience... By passing, you can lose the redemption with which you will be redeemed. Christ." St. Gregory of Sinai likens those who move from place to place to transplanted trees, with each transplant being in danger of dying, and certainly losing a significant part of their strength. Based on everything that I feel from your letter, and everything that I see from the Holy Fathers, I do not give you advice for passing. For the joy of your soul, I advise you to go to the Nikiforov Hermitage of the Olonets diocese to visit Elder Isaiah. His conversation will be gratifying to you, and I think that he will confirm my advice to you and tell you with frankness that your thoughts about the passage are nothing more than evil, cunning, demonic advice. To what can I compare the word that I am now pronouncing to you, for the sake of the Lord for the benefit of your soul? – I will liken you, and others who want to be saved, among whom, deluding myself, I think that I am, – to travelers walking along the road. This path has always been narrow and deplorable, but now there is an added inconvenience on it - a lack of bread. This deficiency is so great that many, having noticed several moldy pieces in my bag, ask me to share them. And I share, and whoever returns the moldy piece to me, I take it with pleasure, for I think that those who accept such vile food take it out of dire need. I ask you to consider my words as such and not to be bound by them, and if you want to be bound by them, then contact me, and the merciful Lord, according to your faith, is able to lead you to freedom, which, having felt, you will rejoice at the discovery of the treasure that is not stolen. - If you visit Fr. Isaiah; then read to him and my letters to you, as a worker who has experience, so that “in the mouth of two witnesses every word spoken about the Lord may become established before you” (2 Cor. 13:1). Regarding the rule of prayer, know that it is for you, and not you for him, but for the Lord. Why have freedom with reasoning. In case of weakness, decrease, in case of strength, add - both with moderation and caution; because we are extremely weak, and are surrounded by thieves and murderers from everywhere. When you are not in church, then read the rule prescribed by you: I approve of it, at least until the time when my damned heart, if you ask, is informed what to change. It is forbidden to pray for heretics, as if for members belonging to the Church; therefore, one should not take out particles about them, as images of participation in the Church, but one can pray for their conversion. He who has his own dead man cries for him, prays for him. Criminals imprisoned cannot accept petitions for other criminals. The Lord is Love, and desires the salvation of everyone so much that we cannot even comprehend. Let’s give this Love our salvation – and everyone’s, and on our part let’s try to do what depends on us – to cleanse ourselves. Then we will achieve this when we die to everything. - Glory to God! Letter 80. To the same nun, who resolutely wanted to move to another monastery due to intensified warfare If you find that further stay in the Old Ladoga St. Nicholas Monastery is impossible for you due to the intensified warfare until your strength is exceeded, then the Lord, for whose sake I advised you to stay and resist the warfare, bless your “exodus” and “entry” into another monastery, where you could find saving “pasture” in spiritual peace. But let your outcome be in the Lord. It will be such when you do it with humility, blaming only yourself, citing only your weakness as the reason for the outcome, and reproaching yourself for not being able to act as the Holy Fathers recognize as the best, i.e. withstand and defeat mental battles on the spot. Then your entrance into another monastery can attract the blessing of the Lord, “who does not despise the broken and humble in heart,” but “resists the proud”! O. Isaiah is currently staying with me, and I am consoled by seeing the abundant grace of God in him. – Would you consider driving to Tver? There Abbess V. is well-intentioned and has spiritual knowledge. And the climate there is better; and the climate, as the Holy Fathers noted, has a strong influence on those especially who lead a silent life. – And again – God bless you to fulfill your intention if it is accomplished with peace and humility! If you desire my sinful blessing, then I will bless you in absentia with a blessing from the Lord, from Him every gift is good. I ask for your holy prayers for me, unworthy. Letter 81. About the change of monastery and cell rule I received your letter. I see your desire to be accommodated in the Syandeb monastery. Although it seems impossible to me, it’s not enough! It seems to me that even if you get what you want, you will have to leave the Syandeb monastery: such unexpected troubles will meet you there, such care, such rumors, such anxiety! However, so that you can more reliably know the will of God, I advise you to write to His Eminence Benedict, who is definitely the kindest person. You can point to me in your letter, say that I know you, and that you are asking to hear his answer through me - did you think that you would be the mistress there, that they would ask you about every trifle, that all the worries about everything material would fall on you? Even in moments of calm and solitude, your thought will deviate from God into thinking about material things. However, I do not bind your freedom. O. Isaiah advises you the path that he himself walked, on which the Lord covered him, but which is outside the general law and on which many may stumble. - Living in the Syrnovskaya monastery will be incomparably superior to this; there the cares of everyday life will have little concern for you. If you want not to meet people, then this desire is wrong. When the Monk Dorotheos asked his elder Abba John the Prophet about this, John answered that withdrawal from meetings with people is very harmful for someone who has not achieved perfection, because it hides from him his weaknesses, revealed by people, and for this reason makes him barren. Regarding your rule, I find it necessary for you to read both the kathismas and the canons, as well as the Jesus Prayer, pronounce the words more slowly, paying great attention, so that not a single word is uttered without attention. Thus, moving from quantity to quality, you can reduce the kathisma and a few bows from the evening rule, so that the increase in quantity does not reduce the quality. Be free knowing that the rule is for the man, not the man for the rule. May the peace of God dwell in you richly! May the finger of God guide your paths according to the all-wise and all-good Divine will! Your cell attendant is my sinful blessing. Letter 82. To the same nun, who stopped her intention to move to another monastery Let us give thanks to the Merciful and Wise Provider, who stopped you from moving from the Dormition Ladoga Monastery! If you look at my letters to you, you will see that I was completely against your move; finally, seeing your adamant intention to move, wanting you to do it at least with humility, you condemned yourself. There is nothing better than the thought of crucifying yourself. For these are Christ’s! Peace be with you! Letter 83. To a certain nun on the occasion of the death of her closest relative We, who came from the midst of the world into the depths of the holy abodes, thereby prefigured our death in the flesh and life in Christ. There are sudden deaths; There are deaths due to long-term illnesses. Since the time we left the world, we have been dying daily, according to the testimony of the Holy Apostle Paul. In this death we see an indispensable condition of true life. The moment of our migration from the earth, our birth into eternity, is not as strange and alien for us as for those who live in the middle of the world, deafened by its noise, nailed to it by mind and heart, who have forgotten what death is, who do not think about eternity, which must certainly be their lot. Having learned about the death of your neighbor, do not indulge in those inconsolable sobs that the world usually indulges in, proving that its hope is only in the flesh. Your hope is in Christ! Shed tears of prayer for the deceased, turn your heart and thoughts to the One who alone can comfort you, before whom you must appear at the time appointed for you. Don't get carried away with anything earthly; the fruit of such a hobby, which is deceptive, seductive daydreaming - decay. Have peace in God, surrender with complete submission to His holy will. In this will is the fullness of Goodness and Wisdom. Let us bow to Her, let us fall at Her feet, entrusting our souls and bodies to the Lord. Amen. Letter 84. To a certain nun who wished to enter under the spiritual guidance of an elder The Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ, who forgave his son, who first said: “I am not going,” then “I went in repentance” (Matthew 21:28–31), may he also forgive you for what you ask for forgiveness. You write that after reading the book of St. Abba Dorotheus, you have seen how much you have deviated from the true path. But this happens to everyone who moves from a life of self-will to Christ-like obedience. Such according to St. John Climacus: “I was blind and saw.” - Not only do I not reject you, but I also call: “Come children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Ps. 33:12), not because I myself am content to teach anyone anything, but because my teaching is not mine, but borrowed from the Holy Fathers, whose pen was led by the Holy Spirit. – Regarding your new acquaintance with M. A, do not let the difference in characters bother you: the like-mindedness in Christ not only strongly united two monks, but in the primacy of the Church all the believing people united into one heart and soul. – You are talking about habits learned over time. To this the Climacus responds, “true monks will spit on everything!” let them all be rejected, i.e. addictions! Although this cannot be done suddenly, it can be done gradually. Beware of severity! But can we not be strict when we hear the Lord promising us: “measure with the least measure, it will be measured back to you” (Matthew 7:2). Read the book of St. Abba Dorotheus and, if your will to walk along the path of cutting off your will does not cease, but flares up even stronger, and the flame of heavenly desires embraces your soul, then deign to come in order to hear more extensively the teaching about this path, and accept some rules that, like high and solid walls, will protect your soul. - Do you want to become my daughter? I am in rapture of spirit, looking at the host of my spiritual children, whom I am not worthy to be called a father, but a slave, - I say to my soul: “Rejoice, you barren ones, you who do not give birth; tear apart and cry, you who are not sick, for there are many more empty children than those who have husbands” (Is. 54:1). Finally, by invoking God’s mercy upon you, I end these lines. Letter 85. To the same nun; doing repentance leads to crying and humility; prayer is a weapon against thoughts; readiness for grief If you attribute to my sinful heart the only joy is when I hear that my children walk in the truth; then why attribute grief for your silence, for not receiving from you words of gratitude, which belong to the One God, and let them fly to Him on the wings of prayer, on the wings of heartfelt sighs. The Truth - our Lord Jesus Christ - who stood in a humble form before Pilate, who inquired about the Truth, looked at Her, and did not know Her, just as now all the slaves of the world, seeing Her, do not see, and hearing Her, do not hear - this Heavenly Truth, having descended to earth to fallen and weak people, “whose heart from youth is set on evil”; She began her teaching with these words: repent! How long can a weak person, who constantly falls, if not in body, then in thought and heart, repent? – As long as he is subject to necessary changeability, this consequence of the fall of his forefathers, even until his last breath: for it is not visible that the Truth, which bequeathed repentance, would put another limit or ending on earth for him, other than his natural end with the end of man’s earthly life. So, do not be surprised when you see constant change in yourself, do not hope to get rid of it before death, or better yet, do not be deceived by this hope; otherwise, worries will always take you by surprise, and therefore have an incomparably stronger effect on you, even overthrow you. Marvel and worship the Truth, Which heals the constant changeability of man with the commandment of unceasing repentance. When you lie down on your bed, repent, and when you get up, repent; just as in a chain link holds on to link, so in your life let sigh follow sigh. Spend your days, months and years like this. Let your infirmities be the subject of your consideration. In the feeling of your heart, be like one thrown into prison for the rest of your life, like a leper expelled outside the camp. Then suffering will end, when life will end: the last groan will be emitted with the last breath. For a monk, consolation on earth is crying and tenderness. What's the crying? This is the action of grace given at baptism, this is the intercession of the Spirit indwelling us at holy baptism, for the sinner; That is why holy lament is unknown to those ignorant of Christ and heretics. – Do you want to feel relief from the passions fighting you? Do you want to find tenderness in your cell, without which, like a boat without an anchor, a thought, enraptured by a fierce wind, rushes along the waves of dreams and falls into the depths of despondency? Do you want to see light from the Light? Do you want to taste the love that comes from Love and leads into Love? - Take your thought and throw it at the feet of your brothers and sisters, not distinguishing the bad from the good; tell your Thought and repeat as often as possible, so that the thought gives birth to the feeling: “These are the Angels of God, and I alone am like the devil in sin and darkness”... You are destined to find relief for your soul at the feet of the brethren; The publican’s prayer has been prescribed for you, not the Jesus prayer. It is the confession of the thief, and not the shrine of John, that opens the Kingdom of Heaven for you. Let us take it from the heart and say: “Hear, daughter, and incline your ear,” and when you are adorned with repentance, then “the King of kings and Lord of lords will desire your kindness” (Ps. 45:11–12), even from repentance. You write about thoughts and want to sort them out and find out what the Apostle means by the words: “this is our struggle” (Eph. 6:12) and so on. This is neither useful nor necessary for you. It is enough for you to know that at every moment both your own passions and the spirits of wickedness can rise up against you, thirsting for the destruction of all, that you, as the weakest, must incessantly cry out to the Lord: “Have mercy on me, for I am weak!” The Lord, when, according to your hope in Him, will be your strength, and according to your activities, will be your singing, then the Lord will be your salvation. “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he will be my salvation” (Ps. 118:14). Then you will not die, but you will live by repentance and lead the works of the Lord, as He takes sinners out of hell and brings them to heaven. ABOUT! If only the Lord would grant this! Prepare for tribulation, and tribulation will be eased; refuse consolation, and it will come to the one who considers himself unworthy of it. - I ask for holy prayers for the one who speaks and the one who does not. Letter 86. To her about repentance May the Lord, who came to save sinners, of whom I am the first, and the second you, open His fatherly arms to us and receive us, as the father mentioned in the Gospel received his son who wasted his property. May the calmness of our hearts be a notification to us that the merciful Heavenly Father accepts our repentance. You did not write to me with a pen, but you wrote with your heart and mind, and in the book of St. Isaiah you saw the answers that I had written to you in advance. I say this because, having seen in part the structure of your soul, I advised you to cleave especially to reading the mentioned book - in which is imprinted a soul that has experienced many illnesses and seen many of its infirmities, a soul that has given itself over to weeping for itself, seeking consolation and refuge in the mercy of God. – Do not be embarrassed by your concerns about poor farmers, or peasants, or Christians; do the best possible good for them until the Lord takes this worry away from you - I was comforted when I saw from your letter that you are no longer as smart as you were before. And because I am writing to you so openly, you can see from this how close my heart is to you and how sincerely I wish you success in the Lord. May the peace of God richly rest upon you. Amen. Letter 87. To her: on the occasion of the death of her brother God wants me to be a messenger to you about the death of your brother, which followed on the day of Epiphany. He confessed to full memory and received the Holy Mysteries, after which, two hours later, he lost his tongue. This is all that your heart most requires to know. Today I had P.N. with his wife and T.N., having buried your brother and his brother yesterday. They asked me to take it upon myself to write you news about this event, and before they asked me about it, my heart told me that I must do this. Flow currents of tears into joy and consolation for those who remain and those who have died! Let prayer shine in tear drops, like a multi-colored rainbow in rain drops, this image, or more correctly, a symbol of peace between God and people. Let the different colors in prayer be: confession, contrition of heart, repentance, tenderness, joy. Now, as I write, it occurred to me that the word rainbow comes from joy - it is a joyful arc. Let your prayer be like this; let one end of it touch your heart, and the other the sky. Let the light of hope and hope shine in your soul, light from the Light - Christ, Who washed away our sins and redeemed us from the darkness of sin. We entrust ourselves and each other to Him. I entrust you to Him too, as His mercy rests upon you. Amen. Letter 88. On the meaning of spiritual advice; a matter of conscience in accepting it; the power of God made perfect in weakness Although you did not inform me that you were in some confusion, my heart told me this. Here is the answer of my sinful heart to your innermost thoughts: You are always the same before me, because my attitude towards you is for the sake of the Lord; Peace be with you! ...I see spiritual fruit in you, which consists in the knowledge of your weaknesses; about them St. The Apostle Paul said: “I take pleasure in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Cor. 12:9–10). It would be good for you to read the answers of Great Barsanuphius to Andrey. (You can write off this book when it is translated into Russian in our monastery, but this matter is already halfway through). Know that I do not assume to myself any power over you, but by giving you advice, I leave it to your will to carry it out or not to carry it out. In both cases, be peaceful. So it is with regard to your cell attendant: I will be completely at peace if you remove her from yourself, because in my relations with you I have the main goal - the benefit of your soul. Be guided by your conscience. After reading this letter, consider what feeling will be in your soul. If peace and tranquility flow into her, then know that what was said to you was said about the Lord; Your conscience will testify that you must fulfill what is said about the Lord, even if the fulfillment is associated with sorrow. The Holy Fathers said that virtue without sorrow is not virtue. The Lord speaks in the Gospel (Luke 8:5-15), explaining the parable of the seed that fell when sown on various soils: “And those who are on the good ground, these are those who have heard the word with a good heart and are good, and bear fruit with patience.” Having said this, the Lord added in terrible words: “Have ears to hear, let him hear.” - I also ask you to delve into yourself - and you will find that you had a secret desire to bring spiritual benefit to some sister to the best of your ability. This was arranged by the destinies of God, but not in the way that our dreams depicted, but in the way of God, so that what seemed useful to us remained fruitless, and what seemed to us harmful and weak brought abundant fruit, and the glory in the fruit belongs to the One God, and we find ourselves with only our weaknesses, in an unpayable debt to God! I invite you with me: with our understanding and heartfelt sensations, let us descend into nothingness, so that Christ may be magnified in us. – Let us kill ourselves: a dead man is without life and without action. Let us put ourselves to death so that Christ may live and act in us. Be lenient towards your soul in its weaknesses; excessive severity distracts from repentance, leads to despondency and despair. Be peaceful with your circumstances, however, making efforts to complete your management of the estate: this is required of you by the commandment of Christ, which assures you with the truth living in it that “it is impossible for God and mammon to work together” (Matthew 6:24). Peace be with you. Amen. Letter 89. To her: in response to the notification of the death of another nun So! died in the arms of your A.V. or more correctly: she finished her earthly journey and began her eternal life where there is no sadness and sighing, but endless joy! We are all such short-term guests on earth! Every now and then someone sets off on a further journey. George the Recluse very well compares our life with the stay of prisoners in prison, of which one or the other is required for trial and the final verdict. We will prepare for this trial so that the verdict will be favorable for us. The righteous will present their truths as a fat sacrifice before the throne of the Judge: and we sinners will bring there at least repentance and tears! May the Lord bless you and strengthen you to continue and complete your course to His glory. Peace be with you. Letter 90. To her: when faced with sorrows from neighbors, one should blame oneself and not another I received your letter and was heartily consoled, seeing with what directness and frankness you opened your soul to me, the unworthy; May the Lord reward you according to your faith and may your temporary residence be arranged for the benefit of eternal life! – I make sure that it is impossible for K. to live with you; The Lord did not give her that kindly mind that he gave her to her brother, who lives with me and edifies himself, me and many with his life. You let her go and be peaceful. We believe, learning to believe so much from the Holy Fathers that if the Lord, for reasons unknown to us, but known to Him alone, does not allow anyone to understand the path of obedience, he will not accept anything from people, and even if he had the holy Apostles themselves before him, he will throw stones at them. Release this girl, who owes you two hundred denarii, in peace, without any reproaches, remembering that we all owe tens of talents to the Lord, who will then forgive us our debt when we forgive our debtors. If you want to reap an abundant spiritual fruit, then humiliate yourself before your neighbor in your heart and say to yourself: “The fact that this matter did not work out is my fault due to the lack of spiritual intelligence and patience, which a neighbor acquires.” Pray for me that the Lord will grant me to blame myself as the main cause of this anxiety. I am guilty and ask you to forgive me for the sake of the Lord, for whose sake you decided to listen to my sinful word spoken about the Lord. God bless you; be peaceful and calm. Letter 91. To the same nun: about humility and self-reproach May the Lord comfort your grieving heart! While we are on the way, until we have ascended to the haven of unchangeable eternity, we must expect changes, upheavals, ordinary and unexpected sorrows in ourselves and in our circumstances. A certain venerable Father said: “For everything, glory to God, for our very weaknesses; because it is better to be a sinner and see yourself as such, than to be outwardly righteous and consider yourself to be such.” These words of the Holy Father are extremely comforting for us who are weak and sinful, for our time and tribe, who can boast only of their weaknesses. They do not give a reason to sin arbitrarily, but they console those who, with some attention to themselves, feel that their souls are in involuntary captivity of sin. Reflecting on this and seeing yourself lacking in deeds of righteousness, acquire publican humility; that heart is contrite and humble, which the Lord will not despise. Do not blame anyone for your weaknesses, not even the circumstances and entertainment in which you are placed. Blame only yourself. King David, the holy Prophet and God-seer Moses, the holy Prophet Daniel pleased God among many different activities, among all kinds of entertainment. The monks of the Egyptian hostel, described by Saint John Climacus, told him: “among the rumors, acquire a silent thought, which is glorious.” Reproach yourself, reproach your weak will, because the power of will produces great things in the weak. You will find solace in blaming yourself. Blame yourself and condemn yourself, and God will justify you and have mercy. - When Theophilus, Patriarch of Alexandria, arrived at Mount Nitria, he asked the Hegumen of the mountain, under whose leadership up to ten thousand monks were saved: “What, Father, did you find especially important on the monastic path?” “Reproach and condemn yourself continually,” answered the holy and humble Abbot. “Yes,” said the Patriarch, “there is no other means of salvation.” - And you will acquire this easy work, which can introduce humility into your soul, and with it consolation and holy peace from the Lord, in whom everyone who is burdened with them rests from the labors of his heart. I wish you peace, spiritual consolation and salvation. Letter 92. To her: from self-reproach comes contrition of the spirit. On the rewriting of fatherly writings If you see in yourself that you are only a hearer of the Word of God, and not a creator, then with your thoughts stand before this Word of God, which has to judge us on the last day, like a condemned woman, and try to gain a contrite spirit and a contrite heart, and when you can, then cry at such reflection and the Lord will have mercy on you. Do not fall into hopelessness, but if you have hope in yourself, trust in God the more firmly. If you decide what to copy for your benefit and for pious continuation in work and together in the thought of God, then write it down. We have my poor translation of Climacus in Russian. If you like, we can deliver it to you; This book does not belong to me, but to one of the brethren, who is willing to lend it to you. Copying the books of saints was the handiwork of many reverend Fathers, among other things our Rev. Neil Sorsk. Thus, it is a work certified as the work of the Pleasers of God, and cannot but be combined with abundant benefit. - Peace be with you! Letter 93. To her: sorrow is the lot of every follower of Christ I received your letter and saw from it that the path of your life runs through hardships and sorrows, as promised to all who want to follow Christ. Whoever follows Christ, like the supreme Peter and the first-called Andrew, is destined for the cross. Whoever turns to Christ like a thief, his destiny is again the Cross. In the first case, the cross is made into a crown, in the second it becomes a ladder. But no matter what our circumstances are, no matter what model we approach, it is impossible to be Christ’s without the cross, “even if,” they say when taking monastic vows, “I am always ready to be ready to endure any sorrow that the Provider allows us.” May the Lord strengthen you. Letter 94. To her: do not demand righteousness from yourself Combine mercy with your benefit. If you are embarrassed by the thought that your alms are not completely pure, but with an admixture of self-interest, then know that your loaves cannot be completely pure. Your virtues must certainly have an admixture of impurity that comes from our infirmities. One should not demand more from one’s soul, from one’s heart, than what they can give. If you demand beyond your strength, they will go bankrupt, but they can give a moderate rent until your death, being content with it. You will complete yourself to death and will not die of hunger. Letter 95. To her: about rejecting the causes of relaxation Not only regarding the body, but also regarding the soul, not everything happens the way we want, and most of it depends on the circumstances. Why, if possible, rejecting the causes of relaxation, which actually depend on us, we must remain peaceful, plunging ourselves with our infirmities into the abyss of God’s mercy. Letter 96. To her: about teaching advice and about copying the works of the Holy Fathers On the issue of the girls who have turned to you for soul-helping advice, edify them according to your strength, without giving way to heartfelt passions, and knowing that God alone is the doctor of their souls, as well as yours. Such elimination of addiction will keep you in self-mortification, in which mortal memory conveniently operates. Sorry my mistake! I did not understand that you wanted to rewrite the “Flower Garden” by the holy monk Dorotheus, but I believed that you wanted to work on the book of Abba Dorotheus, for a greater impression of it in memory. I respect this book so much that to this day I do not stop re-reading it for my edification and my brethren. Regarding the Flower Garden, I will tell you the same thing as regarding Saint Isaac: these books belong more to hermits and deep hermits. “The Flower Garden” is now being translated into Russian with the blessing of the Metropolitan by the learned hieromonk Jonah, who lives in the Valaam Monastery. That’s why I would advise you to better rewrite Isaac, and “The Flower Garden” may soon be published in Russian. Isaac has such ascetic dignity in Paisius’s translation that no other translation can replace it. However, if you decide to have the “Flower Garden” in the Slavic language, in which it was written by a holy monk, then this is a blessing. This book is rare now, and will become even rarer in the future. Letter 97. To her: about faith and sorrows Thank you for your letter that you are entering the sea of ​​monasticism on the boat of faith. With the same faith you are carried through the waves of the monastic sea: its waves are many different sorrows, allowed by God's Providence for our salvation, raised by our own weaknesses and our enemy the devil. I am very comforted by the thought that you are taking monastic vows. May the Lord bless and strengthen you! Letter 98. To her: about life in the monastery Our long residence in the monastery brings us the fruit that we begin to recognize our weaknesses and place all our hope not in ourselves, but in our Redeemer. Letter 99. To her: about the Gospel commandments May the Lord remember your love! The commandments of the Gospel are our light during our wanderings in the night of earthly life. We must look at them steadily so as not to go astray, and follow them to the path when we stray from It. I wish such a life for myself and you. January 4, 1861 Stavropol. Letter 100. To her: about sorrows, your health May the merciful Lord, who gives the way of salvation and salvation itself to those who wish to be saved, show you the appropriate path. In our time, it is left to us to be saved most by the patience of sorrows. In general, my health is very bad. I came here half dead. For all your time. There was a time when I gave most of it to my neighbors, and now another time has come - a time in which I must pay especially strict attention to myself in order to prepare through repentance for the transition from this life. St. Isaac of Syria, lyrics. 58 Patericon of Skete letter “S”, in the article about Sisoy the Great See articles about beauty, ideas and many other subjects St. Isaac the Syrian words 26, 27, 28 You might be interested in: