Раздел второй. Письма 81–160

Today I received your letters dated December 2nd, describing both your sorrows and the consolations that came to you over the course of four days. Who is without sorrow? Through many sorrows we must enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22), the saints teach us. Apostles. And again: the Lord loves him, punishes him, beats every son, accepts him, and further (Heb. 12, 6, 7, 8). Punishments and sorrows are unpleasant for the time being, but later they bear the fruits of righteousness. In our sorrows, we rather resort to God, and He Himself, through the Prophet, calls us: call on Me in the day of your sorrow, and wear you out, and glorify Me (Ps. 49:15). The plant grows and blossoms among the thorns, and salvation occurs in sorrows, and spiritual consolations come through them. Because of the multitude of my illnesses, Thy consolations have made my soul glad,” cries the saint. David (Ps. 93:19). Thank you also to the merciful Lord, who has mercy on you, who visits you with sorrows and who comforts you with the manna of your spiritual mind. Regarding your charity to the poor: do not be offended by reproaches for this, everyone has their own mind and view of things, you do not have a community, but everyone eats their own piece. Just do it not for vanity and for show, but purely out of love for your neighbor, it would be good to do it in secret, but what can you do when it is not hidden, maybe the enemy is rebelling against this in order to turn you away from this doing, but you don’t look at it and don’t look for gratitude from anyone, and there isn’t any, but on the contrary, they rebel against you, and you continue. What spiritual reason is there here: seeing those in need around you, you can’t give even 10 kopecks, but give more to other monasteries? I don't understand. It is sad to see the painful state of M.M., may the Lord make it easier for you, surrender to the will of God. He knows what is good for your soul. When our outer man decays, then our inner man is renewed (2 Cor. 4:16). I approve of M.A. that you do the cooking yourself: this is not a vice, but try to reproach yourself for the thoughts that come up during prayer. Thank God that E... was sobered up from the blues that came over her, what to do, we are all susceptible to various mental ailments by allowance. St. Maximus's interpretation of the Lord's Prayer, although dark, can be understood when read more carefully several times. You complain about grief, but what can you do? The Lord sends it, accept it with thanksgiving and do not be faint-hearted. Oh! Woe to our family, today who is without sorrow? But God arranges it that way. Why did you so warmly accept my leaving my superiors? Thank God that the father archimandrite deigned to do this with love, and I am still the same as I was, but the responsibility lies with someone else, then he also has care. Your sorrows are sorrowful for me too, I don’t know what consolation to give you! Read holy books, St. Mark of the ascetic head, etc., the heart will all be aroused to courage and patience, and the Lord Himself will pour out the balm of consolation on it. I wish you to greet the approaching feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ joyfully, praising and singing in your hearts to the Lord (Eph. 5:19), with the solemn singing of the virgin faces, praising and thanking the Lord with the angelic song: Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace (Luke 2:14). May this peace be with you always! I congratulate you on this great holiday. We don’t have anything special, everything is the same, I won’t boast about my health and I won’t complain, it’s neither this nor that, but in my spiritual structure I am poor and wretched (Ps. 85:1)! I have nothing to boast about except my weaknesses, which come from laziness, and I don’t have humility, but I offer others the opportunity to gain it. E... thank you that she has come to the true mind and is trying to serve you, in this way she achieves salvation for herself: what we do for our neighbors, the Lord takes upon Himself. If M.T. is with you, then I send her my blessing to live peacefully with you. Be peaceful and healthy! I'm staying sinful and... Macarius. December 21st, 1853. I see that sorrows constantly visit you. Of course, from this we can conclude that you are not forgotten by God, and He visits you with the rod of fatherly love, and when His will is done, He will send abundance and grant consolation. You write that you are consoled by my letters, but this consolation should serve as a preparation for the sorrows that lie ahead, God willing. You read that “the way of God is the cross every day” and that “from this we know that man is, as we provide to eat from God, whenever he sends him sorrow,” etc. (St. Isaac f. 35). This should support and inspire you, but the Lord is merciful, He sends according to strength, and seeing your weakness, He will give you freedom and console you with both destinies. December 24, half past eleven in the evening. They are announcing the annunciation for the all-night vigil, now let's go. Lord, bless and glorify Thee, our Lord, who was born for our salvation! I congratulate you on this great holiday: may the Lord give you spiritual consolation and enable you to spend these holy days in peace and tranquility. Your domestic internecine sorrows are the effect of your passions, by which your neck is erased, you recognize your weakness and humble yourself, and sorrows found from outside are sent to test you. The human heart is deep (Ps. 63:7) and changeable for worse and better, and the enemy’s warfare is ever-present, irreconcilable, and the weapon against it is humility, not imams. The enemy, jealous of your good disposition to live peacefully, raises a fight against you with your own passions for insignificant things and leads to embarrassment, and when you each prefer the will of your neighbor to your own will and consider yourself to be the last, then even when fighting you can more easily reproach yourself. Thank God, I still see that you are trying, with God’s help, to overthrow the rising confusions, otherwise it would be difficult for you in the face of external sorrows, not having peace among yourself. May the Lord enlighten you and strengthen you in all your undertakings. What happened to N... temptation will serve her in the future with caution not to trust her own reason and not to submit to her own will, but it is known that whoever lives according to his own will finds it easier, although it is useless, and when he seeks advice, he arouses the enemy to envy (St. Barsanuphius, Rep. 157). May the Lord save M.G. that she is forced to reassure you, God grant that her zeal, tempted by the external fire of those who are unkind, will be strengthened towards you in the love of the Lord for the sake of and in the hope of repaying His mercy, and, bearing each other’s burdens, thus work out your salvation. December 31st, supper. God bless! The year has ended, and, as the poets say, it has sunk into eternity, and we still remain until the will of God extends our life and the time given to us for repentance. Help us, Lord, to make a good start at the beginning of the year. Peace be with you! January 1st. First of all, I congratulate you on the upcoming New Year, may the Lord bless you for the new summer and straighten your path along the paths of His holy commandments. May peace, harmony and love be established between you, in you and with everyone, and may your health and life be strengthened for the glory of His most holy name. We met this day, thank God, peacefully and in normal health. January 4th. From your letters I see that God sends you sorrows, and teaches you, and completes the poverty of your spiritual work; God sends you at the appropriate time the word of the teachings of St. fathers for strengthening and consolation in sorrows. When you reproach yourself for not bearing generously and not having the guarantee of love, according to the commandment of God, then you will also be able to bear sorrow, according to the word of St. Isaac (51). May the Lord strengthen you and give you consolation. Thank God that you celebrated the holiday of the Nativity of Christ spiritually, albeit sadly due to private circumstances. It can be seen that when we do not force ourselves into voluntary sorrows and hardships, then involuntary ones are sent from Providence. Give thanks for everything! It is in vain that you despair of life, I am not yet ready to die, and this is not in our will, but when it pleases God to put a limit to my journey on earth, be calm. I did not expect from you, M.M., such slander as you slander me: where did you get such insulting and false slander to be made against me? Consider me a life-giving source, draining I don’t know what it is, and the last remaining pillar of monasticism. Oh, woe to me, a sinner! On the contrary, not only is it not a pillar, but the weakest blade of grass, dried up from the sinful heat, and not a life-giving spring, but a sinful swamp, exuding stinking water. I see this in myself truly, and I should not say and think falsely: I know my iniquities, and I will take away my sin before me (Ps. 50:5). Whenever I look at the past and the present, there is only sinful sleepiness and negligence. No, human judgment is wrong, but God's judgment is true. If you see anything in my letters, then it is not mine, but according to your faith, admonition is given by God. I heartily grieved about the illness that unexpectedly happened to you, M.M., only reasoning that this is the will of God, sending you such a visit, of course, for your inherent spiritual benefit, I calm down and advise you not to lose heart, indulging in hopeless grief. Remember that the Lord loves him, punishes him, beats every son, but accepts him (Heb. 12:6). And if there were no sorrows and illnesses, then passions of all kinds would torment us more strongly and lead us into sinful captivity. And so let us thank the Lord, who arranged for our salvation through His goodness. As one church teacher put it, we should consider ourselves “happy that Jesus Christ has compassion with us and in us (in our sorrows”). Glory to God, who dissolves your sorrows with spiritual consolation in the remembrance of the good deeds done by the Lord for our salvation, incarnation from the Most Pure Virgin Mary and acceptance from St. John's baptism. Wonderful stichera and irmos! Their meaning passed through and touched your hearts. The Word of God is powerful; it pierces sharper than fire and sword (Heb. 4:12), and in us there is the Word, that is why we are called verbal, and when this word is pure from the passions, then the Word of God teaches the sacraments. However, remember that “the sacraments are revealed to the humble,” and do not think that you received consolation according to your merit, but through the mercy of our humane God. Because of my many illnesses, Your consolation has made my soul glad (Ps. 93:19), - sings St. prophet, and the Lord has given you consolation in your illnesses and sorrows, glory to His mercy! January 19th, morning. I congratulate you on your birthday, it’s true, and you congratulate me in absentia, although we are distant in body, but we are together in spirit. Peace be with you! About the book of St. Barsanuphia wrote to N.P. Golubinsky: “I visited the Bishop, explained to him about the translation, and he allowed the censor to review it for printing. And the book of St. Isaac the Syrian was delayed on the occasion of the holidays, but N.P. is working forcibly, and the 17th sheet has already been typed, this will be more than half. Help her, Lord, in this matter, and in all matters and sorrows, consolation has come. May the Lord bless you and give you peace, health and peace of mind. Asking for God's blessing on all of you and those living with you, I remain the desire for your salvation. E., when she humbles herself, then she will be prudent, but this alphabet is not difficult, and not for her alone. January 20, 1854. I don’t know when I’ll send these lines to you, but in the short time I have, I want to talk with you, M.M. and M.A. Time flies on wings quickly, and now three days of the cheese week have passed, and just look, the fast will come, and it’s better than the cheese fast, for everyone in general: when you abstain from brushing, feelings subside and are pacified, and the soul comes to its rank and thinks about what it has done, and The Church, our mother, summons her children with a languid ringing and reminds them of repentance and other things. You received my letter dated February 9th, and although it disturbed you, you will bear it out of compassion for me, and perhaps my burden will be eased by diminishing the letters. The well-known indignation against you continues, but there is no need to lose heart about this, but to be complacent and reproach yourself that you are worthy not only of these, but also of great sorrows (St. Isaac 20 f.). February 21st, morning. Today is forgiven day, St. The Church urges its children to forgive each other for what they have sinned - insults or condemnations, etc., affirming with the word of God: if a person forgives their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Unless a person forgives their sins, your Father will not forgive you your sins (Matthew 6:14,15). With this matter, I begin a conversation with you, beloved children of M.A. and M.M. in the Lord. We must test ourselves, is there anything in our hearts against our neighbor, and unworldliness in the feeling thereof? Having remembered the multitude and majesty of our sins before God, let us prostrate ourselves before Him with repentance and contrition of heart, ask for forgiveness of our sins and forgive our neighbors who have offended us, and we ourselves, who have been offended, ask for Christian forgiveness. With such preparation, let us enter the field of Holy Lent, and we will be worthy to be partakers of the Life-giving and Most Pure Mysteries, the Body and Blood of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ. Evening. Farewell, may the Lord forgive you all. Lord, bless us to begin Holy Lent! 22 Feb I congratulate you on the upcoming fast, I wish you to see it off with reverence, and may the Lord strengthen you. May peace be with you! May the Lord bless you for a good deed. 24 Feb Having read your letter dated February 17, now received, and having found a convenient time, I am writing these lines to you. I thank you for graciously accepting my proposal to stop the correspondence, sacrificing my peace of mind, but I, a sinner, find that I cannot fulfill my proposal: there are people to whom it is impossible to refuse an answer, for I cannot proclaim this sermon about myself to everyone, and therefore I write to you, although not always. The confusion that happened between you occurred, I believe, because at the beginning of your seventh year of marriage you made a firm intention to live peacefully and bear each other’s infirmities, remembering your previous misdeeds. But since our intention and desire cannot be firm without testing, and, perhaps, it was also arrogant, then you were allowed to fall to the knowledge of your weakness, to humility and to affirmation forward. March 7, 1854. Today is the day of my tonsure in 1815, but what have I done at 39 years old! I don’t know what to say! But be the will of God, and may His ineffable mercy cover us. March 8. Today M. N. went to her monastery in the morning in the field of her spiritual achievement, may God’s peace and blessing accompany her. I am now reading the letters of St. John Chrysostom to Deaconess Olympias - amazingly strong convictions for enduring sorrows and illnesses. He places sorrows above virtues, and illnesses even above sorrows, and their patience is more difficult than sorrows, he advises to be treated and not to indulge in sadness (she was very upset about him), for sorrows are the cause of illnesses. He advises her to read his works about the fact that whoever does not harm himself, no one else can harm him, it will be a sufficient medicine for her when she wants it. And if she is stubborn and does not take care of herself, then he will not send letters to her when she does not intend to draw benefit from them to calm herself. For sorrows and illnesses, crowns are given brighter than for virtues, and whoever is sinful, their sins are cleansed with them. Do you need this book? And she's good! I laughed at your cowardice, M.M., that you were offended by the matter, why they sent such an insignificant one. Are we even worth it? Diligence is valued not by cost, but by disposition, and what do you need smart robes for? In my opinion, a simple mukhoyar is much better and more decent, and the heart will be more humble, and will serve to imitate others, and seeing a good cassock on you, others also rush to have the same one, where can they get them? It is in vain that we read our fathers’ books, teaching us how to observe badness in clothing; if we had accepted their teaching, we would not have been offended because we did not send expensive material, and this could have tempted them into thinking that we would wear expensive dresses. Glory to the merciful Lord, who gives you consolation like food for little chicks calling on Him (Ps. 146:9), but do not consider yourself worthy of it, but accept God’s mercy for your weakness and humble yourself more. And when temptation and invasion follows after these sweet sensations, do not be embarrassed and do not lose heart, and in external respect, seeing yourself surprised, thank God, and reproach yourself, and in everything you must try to have a painful heart, no matter what our corrections, “sorrow of thought is a gift of good from God,” in the 89th homily of St. Read Isaac about this, why we are deprived of it, and try to correct your doings. We had various rumors about the vision. Nicholas, and must be true. And by this the spirit is revived and zeal for faith and hope for the mercy and help of God are aroused; cheerfulness of spirit is somehow visible in everyone. And in domestic and internal war we must be cheerful, and our weapons sharpened with humility and self-reproach, humble ourselves before each other and bear hardships. May the Lord forgive you for our attempts. Peace be with you. Hieromonk Macarius. March 10, 1654. March 12. Now, although there is nothing special to write, I will jot down a few words on paper. 39 years ago I, a sinner, today was worthy to be ordained as a hierodeacon and I will give some kind of answer for my unworthiness, I don’t know. Only the mercy of God can greatly consume the hatred of my sins, through the intercession and intercession of our Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. On March 9th we started making a catalog for the book of St. John Climacus, help, Lord, to accomplish this work for the glory of God and for the benefit of those who want and seek salvation. Today the weather is clear, but yesterday and this morning it was snowing, but it’s warm outside, we have a lot of sick people in the monastery, my letters are multiplying and lying unanswered. My health is changeable: sometimes I weaken, sometimes I get better again, thank God for everything! Peace be with you! March 15. Yesterday evening I wiped myself with wine and vinegar, now I feel healthy, but that’s all nothing, I should care more about my spiritual well-being, how to come to terms with and see my spiritual poverty, but I haven’t achieved this yet, although I repeatedly suggest to you that you should be the last of all, and now it doesn’t hurt to remind you of this. ABOUT! Whenever we would internalize this thought that we are worse than everyone else, then our deeds would go better, because no matter what good we do, it would be adorned and covered with humility, and we would all consider ourselves inextricable slaves according to the commandment (Luke 17:10) and according to the word of St. John of the Climacus (v. 25, div. 5.), even the wealth of gifts that we receive from God is unworthy of existence, and would be considered an increase in torment for ourselves. This is the height of humility and what kind of reassurance does it give to our defeated wisdom? The Lord Himself commands us to learn this from Him in order to find peace for our souls (Matthew 11:29). What are we doing? Is this how we do it? Having done little good, and having sinned and sinned a lot, we leave behind ourselves, and vigilantly see the mistakes of others, and strictly judge them, and forget the science of humility... But the merciful Lord still awaits our conversion and correction and even mercifully visits you with His gracious spiritual consolations, and so as not to be exalted, he allows you to suffer from passions, and by accepting by-catch and movements to rage and lust, so that in humility about them they do not ascend about the consolations that occur. Frequent fires among you show you your bad dispensation, but with the help of God and your self-reproach, by which the thorns are plucked from the ground of your heart, your field will be cleared and bear fruit. Which one? With work and humility, this will be the case. But until you reconcile yourself, then this cannot happen, so that no one shows us our structure, our field will completely die out. March 17. Yesterday I did not write to you, it was not possible, but now I have received your letter of March 10 and I hasten to write these lines while the matter is fresh in my memory. I rejoice in your peace and thank God, but I grieve for both you and myself about your misfortunes and dysfunctional life. We must make a start towards correction, and with small or great corrections, try to address the painful feeling or sadness of the thought of our sins and inclinations and humble our thinking. Let's look at ourselves, are we worthy of this gift from God, as in 89 ff. writes St. Isaac, which you recently read. I sincerely regret your painful situation, M.M., but I see in this the providence of our merciful God, who visits you with these spiritual treatments. Also, when you feel heaviness and gloom in your soul, accept this as a healing plaster and become more humble. The grace of God knows when to send you consolation, but it is not always useful for us to have it. Go to the city of humility, then you will consider everything for your good. You will find a lot of strengthening and consolation in fatherly books, read. Why are you rebelling against me! I wrote you a blessing for your construction a long time ago, and more than once. How often do you want to have my letters when others do not? Previously, you were not content with my short letters, but now you crave a line, but what do I mean? And what about my letters? Without God's help and consolation from Him, a stale letter. March 18. The weather is clear, in the morning it was 7 degrees cold, and now it has risen high and will melt a lot, but as the common people say, this night the fast was broken, and in our opinion the end of the fast was accomplished, but how did we do it? Or rather, how did I do it? With laziness and carelessness, what to do, where to go? Let us strive for the task before us, even though we are weak and ill-tempered, but if we humble ourselves, then it would be good. March 28. Today we received the last leaf of St. Isaac, the catalog remains, yesterday we saw a new comet to the north-west. side, not far from the moon, tail up. Take a look too. Today I am honored to be a communicant of the Most Pure Mysteries of Christ. Peace and blessings to you all! March 21. How is your health? Lord, help us to pass through painlessly and harmlessly and observe ourselves in spiritual order, and from present and past infirmities to acquire the wealth of humility, which can nourish and calm us even with the scarcity of good deeds. In... it seems on March 25th she was 5 years old or 4, I don’t remember something, yes, it’s time for her to learn in spiritual warfare to recognize her weakness and humble herself. And most importantly, to thank the Lord, who has vouchsafed us this honor - the calling to His light burden and good yoke. Glory to His many bounties and long-suffering towards us sinners. You, M.M., complain about your sadness and languor. How is it that you, when you sometimes, and often, receive spiritual consolations from God’s mercy, do not accept their deprivation with thanksgiving? You know that it is not useful to always have consolations, you can fall into vanity and pride, you must even in a sorrowful dispensation see God’s love for us and yourself show love for Him in sorrows with humility, patience and gratitude. If we accept good things from the Lord, will we not endure the evil ones, says Job (2:10)? Read from St. John of Carpathia ch. 70 and 71, at St. Isaac the Syrian in verse 78: “When you find the world unchanged, then fear” and so on. March 24. Today I received our letter dated 5 p.m. You write that sorrows will befall you, but there are also consolations, thank God! You know that every good deed is either preceded or followed by temptation. Without temptations you will not learn patience, courage, or humility. You yourself know that people can only do to us what God allows for your benefit and for the knowledge of his dispensation. As you were told, the rumors about the phenomenon are not founded, and only God knows what will happen, and when He is for us, then who is for us?! We must pray to God and correct our lives, but not lose heart. You can regret and grieve that human blood is shed, but all this is according to the judgments of God. March 25. I congratulate you on this great and all-joyful feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. “The day of our salvation is the main thing, and the sacrament has been revealed since the ages,” the Church sings in the troparion. And we learn that it appeared on the humble Virgin: look upon the humility of Your servant. Behold the servant of the Lord, wake me according to your command (Luke 1:48, 38). How much should we, sinners, humble ourselves for our salvation, when the Most Pure, Most Honest Virgin of the Cherubs humbled itself in such a way? Read in the addition to the Works of St. the words of the Fathers of the Most Reverend Philaret, in the 4th volume - 211 pages, and in the 6th - 185 pages on this subject, you will find spiritual benefit. But what do we mean and how can we even think about such an inimitable height of humility of the Most Pure and Most Blessed Virgin Mary the Mother of God? Let us not retreat, calling upon Her for help “so that we may be saved.” She is a merciful Intercessor to Her Son and our God for the salvation of our souls. March 29. Of course, you have no doubt, M.M. and M.A., that your sorrows also respond to me through complicity, but I do not have the strength to give you help, although I sincerely wish it. But you must be undoubtedly sure that God, who loves you and wants to save you, has incomparably more pity on you and can deliver you from all your sorrows, but apparently, because of His love for you, He finds that you need to go through the fire of sorrows to cleanse the passionate thorns. And if there were no sorrows, then the thorns would take deeper roots into the soil of your heart, and it would be more difficult to remove them. Read from St. Abba Dorotheus about the patience of sorrows, he strengthens us very well in them, and St. Chrysostom helps you a lot and strengthens you to bear sorrows and give thanks. I received your letter dated March 20th and yesterday and was grieved quite a bit, seeing your sorrows, but God is rich in mercy, He is able to comfort you and, truly, bestowed it on the feast of His Most Pure Mother of the Annunciation. May His St. the will is upon us. March 30. Today is the day of our great teacher, the saint of God John Climacus, in memory of whom and your parent, M.M., name John, and we have now served a memorial service for him, the Kingdom of Heaven to him! March 31st. Just as we often change in our structure, so does the weather. Just now it was clear, and then it changed, clouds with heavy snow appear, and it clears up again, so pure calm happens to us, and then confusion and darkness, this is known to us from experience. At 11 o'clock, to my surprise, I received two letters from you - from the 24th and 27th, for which I am very glad that I heard from you on Saturday. What I wrote above, that is, about our dispensation, I am not surprised at it, and we must be courageous in facing the darkness of the spirit, expect change, accepting this spiritual cross with submission to the will of God. You see your poverty in spiritual activity, and are provided with all material blessings, then you must also suffer some kind of mental or physical sorrow, and if this had not happened, what would have happened to you? Yes, this is no small sorrow for you without your cell, I feel sorry for you and poor T. both for her labors and for the reproach from the unreasonable, but for us it is all dark, but, apparently, God arranges this for the benefit of all of you, Lord and Queen of Heaven, comfort you! April 2. Now the mass has ended, the stichera have been sung, having completed the soul-saving service of forty days, and let us pray to the resurrection of Lazarus, that the Lord will resurrect our souls, not just for four days, but for many years in the tomb of sympathy. All things are possible to Him. Today I feel somewhat weak, I have no taste, but I am walking and not lying down. God bless! I ask for God's blessing on you and wish you peace, health and salvation. The sinful hieromonk Macarius. 1854. May He pour grace-filled, spiritual gifts of joy and spiritual joy into your hearts and thus enable you to celebrate these sacred days in peace and tranquility among yourself and with everyone. April 5, morning. The Holy Church, in a languid chanting, calls us to good deeds: “Behold the Bridegroom comes at midnight,” and whom she considers blessed and whom unworthy, and warns us not to remain outside the kingdom. Let's take heed of this. And again, seeing the palace decorated, and himself naked in the wedding robe, he calls on God to enlighten the robe of our soul and save us. All this is touching and touching, but we must be diligent and vigilant about ourselves. In the three-hymn he teaches that we should have humility, imitating Christ the Lord, and moreover, whoever is most graceful in us, let him be the last of all. This is how necessary this virtue is; without it, others will not help. Try to do this, sisters, not by humbling yourself verbally, but by inwardly guaranteeing it within yourself. April 7. Today we finished the Lenten service, we begin another touching for sensitive hearts - the remembrance of the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, who loved us sinners. Can we give worthy thanks for His merciful condescension towards us? I think that you too have now listened to the stichera sung at Vespers, and you are faithfully preparing for tomorrow, may the Lord vouchsafe you to be partakers of the Last Supper of Christ. April 8. Congratulations on this great Thursday. At Matins, the troparion touchingly recalled the humility of our Lord Jesus Christ, washing the feet of His disciples, and how they were enlightened; on the contrary, Judas, sick with the love of money, became darkened and prostrated himself to the tradition of the righteous Judge. Oh, if only we were worthy to somewhat imitate the humility of Christ, which He Himself commanded us to learn from Him, then we would calm down. April 10. I congratulate you on the eve of the great feast of the Resurrection of Christ, I wish you to meet and celebrate it joyfully. May the Lord strengthen you in the service of this great week of wondrous and great memories, ours for the sake of the salvation of the past, and the joyful day of resurrection will be bright to triumph. Thank the Lord for visiting you with consolation, but descend into the depths of humility, considering ourselves unworthy; if we were humble, we would never be deprived of them, and when there is no temptation, then it is not surprising to fall into pride, and as we move away from sorrows and do not bear temptations, we are unworthy to accept consolation, according to the word of St. Isaac the Syrian. In your life and feat on the path of salvation, you should have a guarantee of peace and love, and I hope that you have it, but the enemy, jealous of this, tries to create discord between you with insignificant things: “I said the wrong word, looked the wrong way, did not pay attention to me!” - and in this way your spiritual structure is outraged, but you, descending through self-reproach into the depths of humility, subvert it, each considering yourself guilty when you were offended, and precede each other in reconciliation, thereby overthrowing the enemy’s machinations. You have many spiritual books, you read them and know what you should do. Beware of thinking that you live better than others, but consider yourself worse than everyone else. May the Lord give us true reason, from which humility is born. You don’t need to deal with lint, but with prayers for Orthodox soldiers: there is someone to do it, ladies and gentlemen will do quite a lot. On the very day of this bright holiday, I greet you: Thank God, we met and spent half the day safely. Our service was solemn, with 20 deacons serving, but I was not in the service. Mass departed at 10 o'clock and 10 minutes, and after the meal we rested a little. The Lord gives everyone consolation as they do, and even more so, humility. Now St. Chrysostom calls on everyone to enjoy the feast of faith, setting out the fruits of the resurrection of Christ. Glory to His many merciful considerations for us. The ships are not officially confirmed, but something was certain, and K. was declared in a state of siege, but all of our people do not lose heart, we call on the Lord for help, and if He is for us, then who is for us? The only misfortune is that we anger Him with our sins, for which we are punished by the rod of His Fatherly love, we are punished, so that we are not condemned with the world (1 Cor. 11:32). April 13. Today the Lord has pleased us with great consolation; we have received three copies of the book of St. Isaac the Syrian, completely intertwined. I.V. and N.I. made every effort to finish it by Easter; it was almost impossible to do it. April 15. Today I received your letter. I heartily regretted for you that at such a time both of your cells were sick, but as you accept this visit from the hand of God with thanksgiving and with the words: “God’s will be done,” then He will help you, ease the severity of your sorrow and send consolation, He is rich in mercy. April 17. Thank God, we spent the holidays calmly and peacefully, how are you spending this time, how did your patients get relief? May the Lord help you to begin the construction of the cell and finish it safely. I ask God’s blessing for all of you, I wish for your health and salvation sinful and... Poppy. 1854. April 18. We spent the holiday, the new week, thank God, peacefully and calmly, and in particular I don’t have anything to say about myself, only it is very noticeable that I am not moving forward a single step, or, better said, I am enduring poverty in acquiring humility, and meanwhile I teach others this. April 10. Yesterday evening I received your letter dated the 10th, I sincerely regretted that you were in grief over the illness of your cellmates. But I see that God, loving you, visits you during the days of His suffering, which He endured for our sake, and we must endure sorrow for our sins, and even if there were no sins, out of love for God and our neighbor we must have compassion for our neighbors and endure sorrow. And isn’t it a miracle that, despite your poor health, you are on your feet and do housework, look after the sick and go to work? Thank the Lord, He is able to comfort you, and even more so on the bright holiday of His Resurrection, I hope to hear from you on Wednesday what will happen next. Thank God that your elders received my letters with zeal. Of course, the Lord announced to them that I myself have a zealous disposition towards them, but that I do not write, the reason for this is known - my weakness and the multiplication of letters. April 21. I congratulate you, M.A., on your angel’s day, and you, M.M., on your birthday. Peace be with you! I sincerely wish this for you. These days, I imagine that you were in great turmoil, a cell was being destroyed, and there was a bulkhead to another cell, somehow your sick and who helped you? Our weather is cloudy, occasionally the sun shines, however, all nature comes to life, and the feathered singers rejoice joyfully, the cranes fly in herds; Yesterday we put out the bees, and they happily flew out into the air; the dahlias are already large, the cucumbers have spread their branches across the greenhouse, but I don’t see any more, only when I walk along the path and look on both sides; The green young pines and fir trees occupy me, giving me hope that in time there will be a forest, although we won’t wait, our successors will see it. Thank God, time is going well, the weather is fine, spring is laying a green carpet background on the earth and will begin to decorate it with various colors. Having read your letters, I rejoiced at your joyful celebration of the holiday and grieved for your embarrassment and for the sick, through whom it is not easy for you. I wish you all a peaceful dispensation and ask for God’s blessing on all of you. I remain multigr. And. Poppy. I wish your cellmates to get well. April 25. I received your letter dated 17:00 today, you write that sorrows visit you, but you know how necessary they are on our path, and when, how, and which ones to send, the manager is God, you knew and will require them for us, and our strength. And to take away sorrows, the silt of passions will arise in our hearts, and the actions of sinful monsters will occur; Until we humble ourselves, we demand the fire of sorrows, so that the thorns of passions may burn and uproot from the earth of our hearts. How can we look at our life, what have we deprived ourselves of and what have we suffered? We live in all the abundance and joy of the body, there is not a hair’s breadth of humility, then how can there not be sorrows? St. Peter of Damascus writes that “true reason is the product of sorrows, and from it humility is born.” You, instead of judging those who insult you and, in your opinion, act wrongly, turn your thoughts to your own dispensation and see how far you are still from fulfilling God’s commandments about love. April 27. The weather is beautiful, spring is beautiful, dressing the trees in their splendid beauty, and the singers are singing, praising the Creator and singing about their freedom. And we, passionate ones, how can we sing the song of the Lord in a foreign land full of thorns and thistles? Even though we sing, we can say: “I sing them without understanding” (Ps. 100:2). Glory to God's patience! April 28. Now I haven’t received your mail, but the Oryol mail has arrived. V.V. encloses a letter from His Eminence Smaragd, received by him on April 18, writes that he will soon come to Oy, to his flock, mentions me, a sinner, that he tried there to reward me with a pectoral cross. Oh woe to me, a sinner, my name is higher than my deeds, you too have pity on me, I am already poor in humility, but will this contribute to my humility? We must humble ourselves, wearing the sign of salvation around our necks. Thank the Lord, not only did I not write, but I didn’t even think about looking or asking. May 3. Thank God, you have begun building your cell, may the Lord help and bless you with a peaceful and calm life. It is good that M.I. blessed her in peace, but that there are judgments and gossip from others, this is nothing to look at, it is impossible not to be tempted, but you be courageous, nothing is accomplished without temptation, and the Lord will help you correct your affairs. And try to abolish the quarrels that happen among yourselves, for these are the machinations of the enemy, exposing your structures, and if you lay the stone of humility at the foundation, you will not move; We read, write and talk a lot about this, but you also need to plant it in your feeling, so that you will find peace according to the word of the Lord. May 5. It was sad for me to read about the grief and confusion of the monastery sisters that happened to you. Of course, this happened by God’s permission to your skill, humility and henceforth to caution. Glory to God, He allowed temptation to be, but also preserved and comforted you with His mercy. M.A. said about this, she received both cells very indifferently, she only regrets your fear and confusion, it’s your fault that they flooded late. So much for your experience in friendship from K...! What to do, be careful, but apparently you need to read 20 words. St. Isaac and others in alphabetical order, and 51. Although sorrows are hard to bear, they are the banner of God’s love for us. God will help you, just be peaceful among yourself and do not reproach others for insulting you, because they are the instruments of God: without good deeds and without sorrows, how can you be saved? And the Lord also sends consolations in times of sorrow, for it is written and sung that through the multitude of my illnesses, Your consolations have made my soul glad (Ps. 93:19). St. Isaac writes to the 78th word, on page 430: “Because the soul is dissatisfied with great temptations, it is dissatisfied with great gifts.” St. Peter of Damascus writes: “Humility is a product of reason, and reason is a product of temptation.” Yes, you yourself, bookish people, can find more to strengthen yours, but I only wrote to you a small part of what I remembered, and rightly so, I did nothing. O.I. is going to leave these days, with him I am sending you to your new cells a carved image of the Most Holy Trinity, may the Holy Life-Giving Trinity send down His grace and blessing on your cell and on you, as the Lord visited Abraham in his booth, and will give you in your cells to give birth to the fruit of love and humility, and may your faith be established all the days of your life in the providence of God, who cares for you and the one who works out your salvation. May 7. The morning is beautiful and the air is blessed: the heavens see the glory of God, but the firmament proclaims His handiwork (Ps. 18:2). Birds sing and glorify their Creator, and when an unreasonable creature brings praise to God, how much more should we glorify, praise and glorify our Creator and Redeemer, who bears our infirmities, endures our sins and provides for us in everything, clothes, gives food to the hungry and preserves us from harmful evil! But we are often ungrateful and careless about this. After reading several questions and answers from St. Barsanuphius, I noticed one decent and useful for you - the 700th, I advise you to read it and have it for your instruction and edification in the bonfires that happen between you over words and movements. The holy elder, reproaching them, did not leave himself without reproach; what am I? And how much more should I reproach myself? Be peaceful and healthy. I ask God's blessing on you. I remain a sinful priest. Poppy. May 8, 1854. May 9. Today is the feast of St. Nicholas of Christ. I congratulate you, M.M. and M.A., on this holiday and on the former ceremonial laying of the foundation of your cells, may the Lord bless and help you complete the construction of it, and live peacefully and calmly, and receive salvation for your souls. Today I received your letter dated May 1st and I see that the beginning is going well and favorably from the boss and sisters. Thank God, I was happy too. May the Mother of God protect you (Peace be upon you!). She deigned to visit your cell with Her most pure icon at the beginning of the building, may She extend Her mercy throughout your life, delivering you from troubles and temptations. Yesterday there was quite heavy rain, it wet the ground and gave life to the plants, and today the weather is cloudy, but, however, useful. His Eminence S. expressed himself very graciously about me in a letter to V.V.: “I tried here so that your father, and our friend and brother in Christ, Fr. Macarius was given a pectoral cross.” How can you not marvel at the humility of your Master? But how can I not be afraid that, knowing my unworthiness and badness, I accept honor beyond my measure and dignity? It seems that I told you that O.A. presented me to the cross and persuaded me not to give up my positions, so as not to interfere with this presentation, but I did not abandon my intention and was fired. After some time, I informed O.A. that the idea of ​​me had gone to St. Synod, and there the intercessor appeared. Be the will of God, and may He grant me, so that His cross and most pure sufferings may be imagined in my heart, filled with passions, and may He drive them away from me. May 10. The day passed, it was bright, and cloudy, and warm, very beneficial for plants, a cloud came in, it looked like rain, thank God, there was nothing special, everything was fine. May 11. Yesterday there was rain and a big thunderstorm, and especially the lightning shone majestically, the earth was saturated with moisture, and now the air is well-dissolved, early in the morning it was pleasant to hear the babbling of birds and the singing of nightingales, and all this stuck together in one wonderful harmony to glorify the Creator of the universe. When this age is so beautiful, what can we say about the future, which the eye has not seen, the ear has not heard, and the heart has not sighed, what God has prepared for those who love Him (Cor. 2:9)? Let us ask ourselves: do we live in such a way as to deserve this bliss? And are we looking for it diligently? The answer is no! So what should we do? The hour when death will come to each of us is unknown, there is only one hope - repentance with humility, but do we even have that? Everyone knows about this, but even these require God’s mercy, which is immeasurable, limitless and ineffable. This is our hope, and His love for us sinners, and so we will plunge the abyss of our sins into the abyss of His mercy. Just remember that we are sinners, which is why we will be humble and not judge our brothers, and by not judging, we will not be condemned ourselves. May the Lord give you true intelligence and strength. Asking for peace and God's blessing on you, I remain a wisher for your health and salvation May 12. It is very unfortunate that L. did not have peace at home and did not find a lasting refuge in the monastery. We cannot help her, but everything is possible from God, let her pray to Him and the Mother of God, may he arrange a path of salvation for her. Your exhaustion, and even more so yours, M.M., comes from the bustle and hustle and bustle around the construction site, there is no time to find peace in your cell, but everything draws you to the construction site, and what kind of peace is there? Only fatigue. May 13. You complain about victory with the furious part, yes, this is a thorn, the growth of fierce pride. You must take care to destroy the root, and the branches of rage, anger and other passions will fall away by themselves. Woe to me, a sinner, I only write to you, talk about this, read and study about humility, but I have no acquisition of it. “The sun is preceded by light, and the forerunner of humility is meekness,” writes St. John Climacus in the 24th century. “The meek are blessed by the Lord, as heirs of the earth” (blessedness) (Matthew 5:5). “In meek hearts the Lord rests, but a rebellious soul does the opposite” (verse 7). “A meek soul is the throne of simplicity, but an angry mind is the worker of wickedness” (verse 9). “The Lord will guide the meek in judgment, and teach the meek in His way” (Ps. 24:9), and there is much praise for meekness, and reproofs for anger, and we, knowing this, are carried away by the opposite, leaving what is useful, reading about humility, we are moved, and we seem to want to acquire it, and if there is little otherwise, we become inflamed and forget about humility, we blame the brethren, and not yourself. The Lord Himself sends us an opportunity so that through them our weakness will be healed, and we, leaving God, gnaw at the stone, according to the word of Abba Dorotheus. It's time for us, sisters, to come to our senses and be guardians of our hearts, and I should start first among us. Knowing and not doing, we are subject to greater punishment. Pray for me, and begin to bear each other’s burdens, recognizing your own weakness. Read the words of St. John Climacus about pride, about meekness, about humility, about vanity, these will move us to action. May 16. I received a letter dated the 8th, today. I take my heartfelt participation in your sorrows, and, of course, you are confident in my desire for a speedy liberation from them, but I have neither reason nor strength for this, and I don’t even know whether a sorrowless life will benefit you? But the Lord, who loves us and wants to save you, measures your strength and knows how much sorrow we need to send and for how long. Needed from St. ap. Paul exclaimed: “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and understanding of God! Who understands the mind of the Lord, or who is His adviser?” (Rom. 11, 33.) Read from St. Macarius in the 7th word of Ch. 13 and further until 18 and at St. Abba Dorotheus: “...about enduring temptation, there is much that serves to strengthen and console oneself in sorrows. Still, not without God’s permission, may the Lord have mercy on you!” How weak you are, M. M., you are still physically weak, but at least you can be healthy mentally, you need to take care of this. I already wrote to you about furniture, I didn’t praise you, what should I write more? It's done. Humble yourself and reproach yourself. Peace be with you! I ask for God's blessing on you, I remain May 20. I congratulate you on this real holiday of the Ascension of the Lord. May He grant us not to cling in mind and heart to earthly passions, but to ascend to higher and better, incorruptible blessings and seek them with a painful and humble heart, count ourselves dust and ashes and the worst of all, then the Lord will come to us ignorant ones to save us. Peace be with you! In the troubles that happen to you, be courageous and accept sorrows with humility, God Himself will instruct you that you need to speak before the kings and rulers, which is what happened: after the storm there was soon silence. About strengthening you in your illness, M.M., you have a lot of saints. fathers of teaching, which I have shown to you. When you submit to the will of God, He is able to strengthen you. We planted dahlias on the 18th, and now a variety of tulips, gillyflowers and small margaritas are blooming. All this is God’s creation, given for the service of man and for consolation. Glory to His mercy and all-wise providence for us in everything! After mass, K. arrived with her family. During Little Vespers I was with them, I was very distracted, but what should I do? K... cries, and it’s a pity for him, poor thing, but we don’t know God’s view of him, everything is working out for the better, if he’s not glorious on earth, then maybe he’ll be closer to God. May 26. I congratulate you on the holiday of the descent of the Holy Spirit, may He grant you to be filled with spiritual gifts and receive eternal salvation, living peacefully and calmly in your new cell. Today I saw off K... with her family and received your letter dated May 19 and Fr. I. dated 18th. On the way he met with an adventure, but it is difficult to do without them, thanks be to the Lord for keeping him safe with those accompanying him. Thank you for accepting him and calming him down through your kind zeal. Today his journey is 20 days old, but I think he hasn’t reached Kyiv yet, good luck to him! It is a pity that the image of the Holy Trinity was delivered to you incorrectly, but it is convenient to correct it. May the Lord bless you and your life with peace and tranquility, harmony and love in the Lord. God grant that N. will serve you diligently and faithfully, and that you sometimes bear with her weaknesses. I will write to... so that S..., when they wish, will let her come to us, and for this we need God’s help in her education, may the Lord enlighten you in this matter - to teach her what is proper, and most of all, faith, fear of God and piety. You, M.M., are all unwell, the body is pitiful, but the soul is more precious, even if our outer man is decaying, but the inner man is being renewed (2 Cor. 4., 16), may this strengthen you in the sufferings of the flesh. Keep peace among yourselves. What's so tricky about N. abuse comes with the beauty of the world! The enemy does not sleep, but strives to fight those who want to work for the Lord, but she does not have a weapon - humility, and has not yet learned how great and pleasing to God chastity is and what reward there is for struggle. In the word about the reasoning of St. John of the Climacus, read chapter 156 and tell her that he who is not harmed by adversaries will not receive a crown. She, foolish, imagines only the pleasures of worldly, family life, and does not think about the sorrows that await her in marriage. After all, even birds with a desire for pleasure fall into nets and traps, seduced by the bait. And before my eyes there are hundreds of examples of how a sad life is spent in marriage, and the more female sex suffers. Yes, our neighbors not only do not have an enviable fate, but also endure a very sorrowful one. I already wrote briefly about N. that her sorrows were great, but I saw N. with my own eyes, and when I saw it only for an hour it was sorrowful, but what is it like to endure it always and joylessly? N. and the owner, and the lawyer, and everyone is on her neck from carelessness. Be healthy and peaceful. Now, I think, the cell occupies you and nourishes us with the hope of peace in it. Yes, hope is a great blessing given to us by God, we live by it and future blessings, but by the grace of God. June 1st. You write that you have sorrows for the construction from the sisters and for other battles, but you are quite familiar with our path, that through many sorrows it is fitting for us to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22), and St. The God-inspired fathers themselves walked a narrow and regrettable path, and they left us teachings about this, I will not repeat which ones, you yourself know quite well, and I advise you to read them more often for your strengthening, blame yourself and not others, although it seems that you are right, but there will always be some kind of passionate admixture or an unpeaceful feeling that will appear to those persons, and this is already guilt. Pray for those who offend us (Matthew 5:44) and feel sorry for them. You were shocked by the news and regretted the construction you had begun, but where will you go from your sorrows? We will carry ourselves everywhere, and the enemy will not leave us without temptation, now by one or the other; but they serve us for learning, for experience and for the knowledge of our weaknesses, and therefore for humility, as St. writes. Peter of Damascus: “Humility is born from reason, and reason from temptations and sorrows,” and God sends them according to your needs and dispensation. Thank God that you have strength in each other, and keep this gift; others need it and complain that there is no person. Try to destroy the fire in yourself against each other, this is the network of the enemy, in order to sow unworldliness through indignation, and by resorting to the sure means of humility, trample on the enemy, and the peace of God will be with you. You are tempted by N. ingratitude, and grieve over this, read from Nicephorus of Astrakhan in the interpretation of the Gospel that those who are ungrateful, and who require gratitude, sin even more, expect reward from God, and these are types, and also imperfect virtue, according to the word of God: do good, not expecting reward (Luke 6:34, 35). What we do to our neighbors, God takes upon Himself (Matthew 25:40). That's how big it is! Just now I brought M.N., and in the living room there are all visitors and passers-by, and I can’t sit in my cell or do anything, what should I do, don’t live according to your own will, but as God commands! I could leave everyone, but I’m afraid whether my conscience will be at peace. The weather here is good, today, although cloudy, it is warm, well-dissolved moisture, the plants are growing with summer plants: now there are few apples, but there are a lot of blows, there are cherries and plums. Thank God for everything! What shall we render to the Lord for all that he has rendered to us (Ps. 115:3)? You yourself are aware of your lazy life and peace in everything, and therefore, although you will be aroused by sorrows, you will be purified to some extent by patience. June 6th. Conducted St. Pentecost and finished the service according to the Colored Triodion, rest and consolation in food was enough, it was necessary to take up spiritual deeds of strength, in fasting and abstinence and the rule of prayer with bows. Help us, Lord, in everything, and moreover, may we humble our wisdom and recognize our weaknesses, and not condemn our brothers, but let us repent of our voluntary and involuntary sins. Glory to God, who preserves you and gives you spiritual consolation, and the good greeting from the boss has encouraged you, just do not forget that everything changes and passes: the evening will be mourning, and the morning will be joy, and vice versa: you turned away your face, and you were confused (Ps. 29: 6, 7). And our whole life passes in change, like St. Isaac writes in word 40, but I think you yourself learned this truth through skill. I am very glad that you are consoled by the image of the Holy Trinity, may the trinity of virtues be united in you: faith, hope and love. We have rains with thunder, and the sun is shining again, the weather is favorable. Jasmines are in full bloom, and dahlias are blooming, how can we try to decorate our sultry heliport with the flowers of virtues, fragrant with humility? June 9. You, M.M., keep getting sick, I feel sorry for you, but what can I do? God, who loves you, knows more than us what is good for you. It is quite well known that illness of the body purifies the soul. You write - you complain about the torment of passions, but with your health and your lively character, you would have suffered more. Yes, now weakness is more important, and then the passion of love of glory would develop and many others would develop. Honor those passages from your fathers where they strengthen you in illness, and thank the Lord for His mercy towards you. Beware of disturbing your peace for insignificant things, I would like each of you to precede by cutting off your desires, according to the word of St. Peter of Damascus on the 14th and 15th leaves, read and do, laborers enjoy the fruit. Today we are with Fr. A.M. completed the alphabetical index to the book of St. John Climacus, our correction, written. We worked on it for exactly three months in large chunks. Thank God that you met the day of the descent of the Holy Spirit with spiritual consolation. This is the mercy of God, given to us out of His love, but we must not lose heart even when there is burden, languor and darkness. All this is allowed for our spiritual prosperity, so that we learn patience and humility. June 14. May God grant that your construction ends soon, and that in your new cells you find peace and tranquility after many past troubles, turmoil and upheavals, but you know that peace cannot be lasting without humility, and is also dangerous for inaction and failure to fight against passions, for they have not yet been defeated, and although they fall silent for a while, without having a chance to act, you should not delude yourself that you have found wealth - imaginary peace, and stay safe, St. Macarius writes a lot about seven. June 21. I remembered early today that today is your birthday, M.A., and I congratulate both of you on M.M., yesterday I wrote to you and M.E. about receiving your letter dated 12 o’clock, there was nothing special in your letter, then I didn’t write much, and even now there is nothing in the meager storehouse of my mind to tell you, except to remind you of the often repeated matter about preparing yourself with humble wisdom, to consider yourself worse than the sister of each of you, then the leaven of rage and indignation and fire between you will gradually decrease, and holy love will find shelter in your hearts and, coupled with humility, will calm you down. Yes, it is necessary to have the thought of everyone that they are better than us in everything; the Lord commanded us to learn meekness and humility from Himself, as well as love (Matthew 11:29), that you love one another, as you have loved, and that you love yourself (John 13:34), and even more commanded us to love not only those who love us, but also our enemies themselves (Matthew 5:44); Luke 6:32). I ask God's blessing on you. Many-sinful priest. Macarius. 1854. I am very sorry for both of you that by your arrangement you cause grief to each other, and do not strive for patience and expulsion from the heart of the furious part; humble yourself, then there will be peace, which is what I fervently wish for you. In... I send my blessing for her peaceful and calm residence in her cell. I remain a wisher for your salvation and health the many-sinful Hieromonk Macarius. I’m weak after the journey, I’m writing with effort. 1854 I received your letter dated June 26 on July 4th. It’s a pity that your construction continues so slowly, it’s clear that your patience is being tested, but God willing, calm down, now, perhaps, you have already moved to your new cell. Congratulations to you, may God grant you to live peacefully and calmly and improve the salvation of your souls. Congratulations to V. on her housewarming, may God grant her to live and please Him with a humble life: humility consumes all passions. I didn’t write to you ahead of time, and now it’s difficult on the postal day, I’m in a hurry to write. Be peaceful and calm, and I wish you health as well. Many sinners and... Poppy. June 6, 1854. July 7. Peace to you, M.M. and A.! Now I have received your letter dated June 30th, I see everything sorrowful in it, I participate in it with heartfelt condolences, but I cannot help, however, thank the Lord that you have an understanding of sorrows and are strengthened by faith through the teachings of St. fathers, that they are arranged by God's providence for our testing or punishment. And it is impossible “that this time should not be bitter, in which we are drunk with the poison of temptation,” and we mean, “that we stand on the path walked by the saints,” just be careful to blame others, so as not to multiply and aggravate your sorrows. You yourself know quite well about all this, but I just reminded you of St. Isaac's words. And in the gloom of your soul, when God gives up, do not lose heart, but expect a change for the better, and when the Lord visits you to feel heartfelt consolation, then everything sorrowful is forgotten, and truly you must believe that the unworthy passions of the present time will appear in us for the desired glory (Rom. 8:18). The prejudice that new cells must be renovated with the dead is completely absurd and false. Whoever dies, dies in both old and new cells, but you can count in yours or in ours how many no one has died in new cells. And if someone happened to die in a new cell, it was not because it was necessary to renovate the new cell, but because it was necessary to die, in our monastery we have all new cells, but no one died in the new cells, and having lived enough, they passed into eternity, only these two examples are enough for you, and there are many of them everywhere, be calm on this side. Now I believe that you have gone to your cell, and you will celebrate the feast of the Mother of God of Kazan icon in your cell. May the Merciful Intercessor keep you under Her roof and give you peace and tranquility, and strengthen your health for the glory of God to please Him. July 12. Yesterday I received your letter dated July 3rd, and now from Fr. I. and, having read them, I sincerely rejoice that you were consoled by his visit. I don’t write to you much and I will only say that in your cohabitation you should act as St. Basil writes in the superscript on the Nile of Sorsky Avenue, and not as the dove, pike and crayfish, who hired out to pull the cart together. July 16. Congratulations on Angel's Day, M.M., be healthy, peaceful and calm. And, truly, you will celebrate this day in your new cell, then accept our deepest congratulations on your housewarming, may this cell be a means for you to acquire spiritual salvation, cleansing your inner cells from the thorns of passions and the whiteness of darkness, covering the mental Sun of truth from us. I received your letter dated July 7th, thank you for congratulating me on the royal mercy, pray that this will not be a condemnation for me. The past few days we have had heavy thunderstorms and rain. Yesterday, a church in Berezovaya burned down due to lightning during the day. In B., a merchant we know, S.F., had a 14-year-old daughter who burned to death, but not from a thunderstorm, but was reading a book at night and the cinder burnt out, and she fell asleep; waking up, she saw her dress and shirt burning, she screamed, they came, but they could not extinguish it, while she was burned, she died in a day and a half with feelings and acceptance of the Holy Mysteries. What a great sorrow for parents! Her painful death will bring her into the Kingdom of Heaven. July 17. I can’t write you anything special, thank God, my health is normal, the weather has become good, peace be with you. I ask for you and V. the peace and blessing of God, I remain the wisher for your health and salvation. Much-sinful I. Mak. 1854. July 20. That’s right, you, M. M. A., and M. M., are now in your cell, and I congratulate you on your housewarming, may your hearts and souls be renewed from the decay of passions to the fulfillment of God’s commandments. I received your letter dated 10 o’clock, although it is sad to see your tendency towards indignation and unworldliness, I am not surprised at this, because you are in a feat and a struggle of passions. I just beg you, when you are indignant, keep in mind the instructions of St. Abba Dorotheus “On active passions, resisting passions and eradicating passions”; and in order not to dwell on the first degree of this passion, remembering what great harm there is “under hell”, also in the case of Zosima, when someone grieves not because he was offended, but because he was offended: demons are afraid of such a dispensation. And when someone inspires the word of a brother and weaves darkness of thoughts, then what harm comes from this? With your self-reproach and asceticism, I hope that the Lord will give you His help and your passions will weaken. You know that the motivation of this passion comes from pride, and the opposite of it is humility, about which you must strive in every possible way and pluck out the thorns and thistles of pride from the soil of our hearts. There is nothing strange about the fact that the enemy came up with the idea that I was proud, and confused me with it, which proves that he is not yours, but someone else’s, but they wrote to me carefully to expose my badness, that I am definitely proud. If I were not proud, I would have the opposite of pride - humility, but I have great poverty in it, and perhaps that is why you and my other imaginary students are proud, because my word does not come from activity, but from reading, and serves as a canopy of cold, and not a repository of hope. And I can’t justify this at all, sorry. However, I will not say this as an excuse, but so that you do not suffer some stumbling block, having become cast in the mire of passions, pitying others, I say to them: do not walk this way, lest you fall into the same mire, and when they are saved, then perhaps the Lord will save me for their sake (St. John Climacus). July 21, morning. Yesterday I could not finish writing all the material, but wanted to explain that our salvation is greatly facilitated by a good will, with which we strive comfortably and on passion, and we trample on pride, for the Lord Himself, looking at it, helps us, according to the words of St. Zosima: “A warm good will in one hour can bring virtue to God, but it cannot bring laziness in fifty years.” And again what Rev. Akakios was not prevented from acquiring salvation by the obstinacy of his elder; how many, on the contrary, do we see who had holy mentors and fell away from the path of salvation? Without even mentioning the Holy of Holies and those who fell away from Him. I am writing all this not for my own justification, but for your creation, in order to look at things correctly and acquire reasoning, and where does it come from, ask St. John Climacus, at the end of v. 25. At 10 o'clock I received your letter dated July 14th, I believe this is the very time when you were honored to receive the all-honorable image of the Queen of Heavenly Mother of God in your cells, and bring a prayer to the Lord God and the Mother of God for the consecration of your home, blessing and granting you peace and silence, at this very time I, a sinner, together with you, prayed to the Lord and His Most Pure Mother to grant you peaceful, calm and harmonious residence and bless your home. He also prayed to the holy Baptist of the Lord, John, and to the desert inhabitants: Simeon the Fool for Fool and John, His faster, just as they acquired salvation, so they will pray for you to obtain it, today is the day of their memory. God bless you! For all the sorrowful things that happened to you during construction, may the Lord comfort you with imperishable spiritual consolation. 7th hour Soon to the all-night vigil. I congratulate you on the eve of the day of the angel M. Magd., may the Lord vouchsafe you to celebrate this day in peace. July 22. This morning I congratulated you in absentia on your birthday and was at mass. July 24. There is nothing special, peace be with you! And I’m in a hustle, I need to send mail, but there’s interference from all sides, although there are few letters, and thank you, the brethren write, but still we still haven’t gotten off, but it was already worthy (in the monastery). I ask for God's blessing on you and, wishing for salvation and health, I remain great sinner. Macarius. 1854. July 27. Today is postal day, but I don’t send letters to you, M.A. and M.’s mother. I received your letter dated the 17th, and, of course, it was painful for me to read your confusion, which comes from your bad or weak dispensation, this is definitely the machination of the enemy, inciting you and crushing your necks with your own passions, leading to heart disease. O dear humility! Where are you hiding from us? Or do we ourselves run away from you and drive you away? And what bliss, whoever unites with it, we hear and read about this, and even the Lord Himself assures us that peace is achieved through him (Matthew 11:29), but we don’t seem to believe, because we don’t want to acquire It. Saint John Climacus speaks of three degrees of humility: “climb to the top of it, or so that it lifts us onto its shoulders, or at least let us not fall away from its embrace” (word 25, v. 64). And without it it is impossible to receive anything from the gifts. Thank God that, although your confusion did not last long, you, each conscious of guilt, were at peace. Don't you see the mystery and power of humility here? How in a short time it freed you from the shackles of the enemy with which he had bound your hearts, and how weak they were before the power of humility, although still imperfect, but only this time humbled. Remembering what you have endured, be vigilant and do not allow the spiritual thieves to rob your spiritual well-being; may the Lord help you in this matter. Tomorrow I look forward to your letter about moving to a new cell, may God grant that I may remain peacefully and calmly and please the Lord with a humble dispensation and harmonious living. Today we have a funeral: F.T. died last year, and now his wife too, went to remember her husband and stayed with him until the coming of Christ. Be peaceful and healthy, I remain the wisher for your salvation August 1st. I have now received your letters. Thank God that you have moved to your new cell, and I congratulate you again on this. May God bless you for a peaceful life. The outbursts and embarrassments that often occur between you come from the lack of preparation and disposition of each of you to precede your sister in cutting off your will and reason in front of each other, but instead each seeks to form your own reason and will and, without doing this, you are seditious and embarrassed, working with the passions of pride to console the enemy, until, finally, having come to your senses, reproach yourself and ask for forgiveness, and if you cared about love and humility, then the enemy could not have time to attack you with his suggestions. For outbursts of passion with N. N. you will not give an answer, although it is painful to look at it, but it is not subject to greater judgment: each of us gives a word about ourselves to God (Rom. 14:12), “about the vanity of someone else’s illness, he shows love, but rejoice shows a sign of hatred.” I congratulate you on the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God: may God grant you to celebrate this holiday in peace and health, and may the Master visit you at this time, may he in peace give your monastery an archpastoral blessing. I was heartily glad that peace was established among you; it is time for you to learn the art of this spiritual warfare and always remember your weakness, humble yourself and receive God’s help. I remain a wisher for your health and salvation sinful and... M. 1854. October 22. Today is the feast of the Kazan Mother of God Icon, and I, M.A. and M.M., greet you in absentia and mentally. I believe that you are now in Orel with the hospitable V.V., and if the Lord helps, when not on Sunday by night, then on Monday you will reach your God-saved monastery, in the shelter you have built, your little secluded cell, giving the outer man external peace, and the inner one - spiritual salvation, acquired by deeds and labors, and even more so by humility, love and agreement with each other: brother helps from brother, like the city is hard and high (Proverbs 18:19), may the Lord help you to find peace of mind and salvation with bodily peace. October 27. I received your letter from O. dated October 22. Thank the Lord that your journey is going well, and that at the crossroads you found peace with V.V. and the cordiality of him and his family eased the difficulty of your journey. And we, sitting still, think that the weather is good, then the path is good, but in reality it’s different, but now you’re already in place and in the troubles of the fair. October 30. I feel better today, thank God! The mail was received, but did not bring anything special, only that Fr. F. the skete accepted the schema and was named F. That’s what I should think about! But there are many obstacles, we need to destroy them, may the will of the Lord be upon us. November 1st. Glory to God that you arrived safely at your God-saved monastery and were comforted by your cell and the warm welcome of your mothers and sisters, may the Lord bless your life to please Him, building up in yourself and in your neighbors with humility, patience and love, which only consists of your will, do with good will in the garden of your hearts, our land is not yet cultivated, there is a lot thorns and thistles, pluck them out at any time with the help of the omnipotent God and strengthen each other: not seeking your own, but seeking your neighbor to build (1 Cor. 10:24; Rom. 15:2). V.V. writes that O.K. died on October 27, it’s a pity for her young woman and her remaining husband and mother, who are crying for her, but what about our wisdom of the grave? God is the God of the dead and the living, and to Him we all are alive: she only moved to eternal life in her youth; she could not have sinned so much if she had lived longer! God's mercy is near her! November 2. It’s already two weeks since you left us, and it’s the 9th day in your monastery. Time flows insensitively, and we do not see how it flies, measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days and so on, and every second brings us closer to eternity. We, knowing this, are not very concerned about how to appear and give an account to the impartial Judge. Sensuality darkens our mind, all our care and thought is about bringing peace to the body, but we care little about the soul, we do not eradicate passions and do not even resist them, and as a result we are deprived of peace and peace of mind. We must humble ourselves and ask for God’s help, but with us humility is only in books, in writing and in the tongue, and if you suffer any humiliation or sorrow from someone, you will become angry and raise your head. We need to come to our senses and get down to business, especially for me, a sinner, who talks about this, but does nothing good. How you spend your time upon arrival, you won’t find out soon, tomorrow if I receive your letter, it will only be dated October 27th. Be peaceful and calm. Asking for God's blessing on you, I remain a wisher for your health and salvation the sinful hieromonk Macarius. 1854. November 3. Yesterday I sent you a letter, and today, as I expected, I received yours dated October 27. Thank God that you are beginning to live peacefully, calmly and comfortingly in your cell. God consoles you for the fact that you yourself labored during the construction of it, and the very fact that you were at the construction and worked gives you pleasure. God bless! But not by us, Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory (Ps. 113:9). One must learn from previous experiences how to treat sisters with caution and ask for God's help in order to avoid worldly politics, and have the spiritual art of being wise like serpents and whole like doves (Matthew 10:16). I am very glad that your cell is decorated with the icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God and that a lamp is built in front of it, but when would our hearts burn so much with the fire of love for God and for His Most Pure Mother, our intercessor and intercessor of our salvation? You write that you wanted to ask that the icon of the Queen of Heaven of Kazan be honored with a visit to your cell, which, I think, has already been fulfilled, and I am very glad that she, our Intercessor, has vouchsafed you this grace and with her visit has sanctified your new residence, and may her blessing and intercession be upon you. November 7. I am very sorry for you, M.M., that you are still ill, and this is due to our human weakness, participating out of love for the Lord, and when we look at the providence of God and spiritually judge, we find that the Lord loves you more than anyone else, and by creation, and redemption, and calling into this life, He visits out of love and illnesses that He will accept instead of doing, and through them He will deliver from what could undergo, once healthy. Truly, when we pay attention to our life, we will see how far it is from the path that our holy fathers and mothers walked, and they left us an image in the description of their lives and teachings. We are all looking for a joyful path, but are running away from the narrow and sorrowful - how can we not thank the Lord when He brings about our salvation through involuntary sorrows or illnesses. Thank the Lord for His love for us sinners, and bring, as much as possible, love and humility, which can replace our lack of living, and intercede for us before God for mercy according to His great mercy, and not according to our deeds. Now I have received a letter from M. N., he writes about his arrangement in the cell, how he treated the abbess and sisters, and the bishop visited her, ordered me to write to me so that I would visit his diocese, would be in O. in their monastery and in S... “... yes, write that I myself want to see him, and if he does not want to ask himself, then I will write and ask their bishop to dismiss him.” Well, how to do this? Do you know how much work I will have to do on this journey? You can’t leave without visiting the benefactors, but what is my health? Although I don’t lie down, I sometimes walk, but meanwhile I get weaker, sometimes very weak, although it goes away soon. This is one impossibility, another - you need to ask the bishop, but for what? He knows that I’m not well and that I’m going to hang out, so he’ll say: “He can go back to his duties,” which is what he already told me about when I was with him. No matter how pleased it was for you and me to have me with you, but consider everything that has been written and judge whether it would be prudent to risk your health and cause trouble for our ruler? It's true you don't want this. November 8. Congratulations on the holiday of St. Archangel Archangel Michael and other disembodied heavenly powers, and our Guardian Angels, today we had a service, and as a result of the damp weather I felt very weak, although I was not sick, I not only sat during the service, but sometimes lay down, and when I arrived in my cell until lunch, I lay down, I just got up, I need to sign and write something, well, how can I think about the road with such poor health? Be careful how to deal with S..., may the Lord instruct you, so that you are neither too strict nor weak, but observe the middle. You teach her fables, this is not bad, only here virtue is praised, and vice is denounced, that’s all, but you need to offer something stronger - the fear of God, for it is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7), and with the fear of God everyone turns away from evil (Proverbs 15:27). It is necessary to instill in us that God sees not only our deeds and words, but even our thoughts, and rewards for virtue and punishes for vice; this teaching is found in many Christian teachings for children. The catechism does not interfere with teaching her and monitoring her morality. Scripture says: “A person has a tendency to think evil from his youth (i.e., after the fall of man), and the habit of virtues makes this easier, since the habit of evil also resists the virtues, and therefore it is necessary to destroy evil and plant virtue: turn away from evil and do good (Ps. 33:15). November 9. Now the chest spasms have seized and continue for about half an hour, it seems, without any reason, God willing! And painlessness does not benefit us, but it will pass. Oh S... I’ll say the word again. It is necessary for her to notice her vices and humble herself through it, and repent of them. I don’t condemn fables at all, but she will only see other people’s vices and ridicule them, while freeing herself from them, and thus get carried away into vanity. One church teacher wrote well about this, someday I’ll write it down for you. Be peaceful, calm, agree with each other, healthy mentally and physically, which is what I earnestly wish for you. November 10. Just before evening I received your letter and found out what was happening to you on November 3rd. The fright from the fire that shocked you, of course, had a greater impact on you, M.M., who was sick and despondent from it. It is sad to hear and see the soreness of his flesh in your neighbor, but it is incomparably more difficult for you to endure illness! We know this, respect and sympathize with the sympathy of love for our neighbor and the affinity of our nature. But how much God, who loves you incomparably more and wants to save you, cares about you incomparably more. He, loving you, sends illnesses so that by using these illnesses you can get rid of future illnesses. The passions of the present time are unworthy, for the glory that desires to appear in us, writes St. Apostle (Rom. 8:18). And being sure that God loves you and out of love allows you to melt away with the sickness of your flesh, then through your love for Him, strengthen yourself in patience with thanksgiving and do not be faint-hearted! You know from the paternal writings that the patience of involuntary illnesses exceeds ascetic work, and besides, reason: God knows why he allowed you to suffer from illness, without them you could have fallen into many different passions and damaged your soul. Writes St. Gregory the Theologian: “One must accept with love every visit from God, whether it is pleasant or sorrowful, and know that there is a reason for everything, even if it is hidden in the depths of God’s wisdom” (T.S.O. V, p. 38). November 11. Today is the memory of the great saint, confessor and sufferer Theodore the Studite, who left us an inestimable treasure - a book of his teachings. Let us appeal to him, that he may pray to the Lord for us, that according to His teaching he may be worthy, as much as possible, according to our strength, to correct our lives, and be worthy to inherit a part in the Kingdom of Heaven. Yesterday, to the extent of my feeble-mindedness, M. M. offered a word to strengthen her in her illness, now I extend my word to both of you, M. A. and M. M., in preserving peace and harmony for each other, which the enemy of our salvation is trying to violate with insignificant opinions on both sides: it seems to one that she is not participating in her illness, and the other, not finding this guilt in herself, is embarrassed by the sick one. And this is the machination of the enemy; humility and love can destroy it. One, although she has a desire to participate, and even participates, but due to her inability and awkwardness she cannot help instead of justifying herself, and for this she can blame herself and humble herself, while the other can be confident in this that her sister has participation and love, but due to her inability she cannot fulfill it with deeds, and thank her, rejecting her if the thought of grumbling comes, and thank God that He makes up for it through others, and cover the sister’s shortcomings with love and humility. You have learned this many times from experience, that no matter what passionate storm or excitement of the heart happens, self-reproach, humility and awareness of each other calms down and turns into nothing. Also, your other disturbing thoughts, as explained in the letter, go away to my badness, but you must not rely on yourself, that I have lost the abundance of God’s gifts, and I will never achieve peace from my passions. But remember what follows: You turned away Your face and were confused (Ps. 29:8). You need to have fear and trepidation, for “fear sins and you will get rid of them,” as St. Isaac, and whoever trusts in himself will “fall with a mighty fall.” May the Lord protect you from all the snares and snares of the enemy. I am very glad that N. now has shelter, may God grant her to settle down peacefully and fight the good fight in passion and acquire salvation. The action of God's providence is incomprehensible to us; who expected such a quick opportunity - to cleanse the cell? And poor M.N. wanders, but God is able to console and save her through the action of His all-wise providence, unknown to us. It’s amazing how a fire destroyed a stone structure, but didn’t touch the wooden one? The Ruler of the ship of the world knows all this wisely, and we must reverently submit ourselves before the majesty of His glory and providence. November 13. Today we had an all-night vigil for St. John Chrysostom. Here is the fast in the yard, I greet you with congratulations on it. It would be very good if it were possible for all of you in the first week to prepare for the communion of St. Mystery, may the Lord strengthen you all in your spiritual deeds. I ask for God's blessing and peace on you, and I remain a wisher for your health and salvation November 14. Thank you to the Lord and Mother of God that She, the Queen of Heaven, has vouchsafed you to receive Her most venerable icon into Her new cell and to receive prayer from you. May She be an intercessor for your salvation. I am very glad that you have been awarded this gift, I congratulate you earnestly on this. Today I received your letter dated the 6th, when our merciful Mother was still overshadowing you with Her most honorable icon. May her mercy be with you always. God bless you for praying about my thinness. Today in our skete they consecrated a cross and placed it in our skete cemetery, cast iron, on a pedestal, the most pure flesh enlivened with paint, and a lamp was lit in front of it. I don’t remember if you saw this cross, it seems to have been brought with you, we are consoled that the image of our Redeemer and the sign of His cross overshadows our departed brothers and those resting in this place, this hope of our salvation, of course, brings them joy, the names of all who rest here are written on the pedestal. May their souls rest in the Kingdom of Heaven, O Lord. I cannot find words to console you, M.M., in your illness. One consolation is the hope of future bliss and the mercy of God, from Whom illnesses come to you. In past letters I wrote quite for your strengthening and consolation. November 17. I received quite a few letters from you on the 10th: I grieved over your poor dispensation, sick and serve, both became proud, although they were reconciled, but justification on both sides does not yet give perfect peace. I won’t judge much, I leave it to you to judge yourself, throwing off the vile veil of pride and looking at humility and love, you will see who is right and who is wrong. But it seems to me that whoever truly puts himself at fault will receive an acquittal. I hope that this judgment was completed by you at the same time, and that you were already at peace. I am not surprised that you fall in this battle, you do not have the weapon of humility, but your very fall should humble you, remember whose disciples we are? Who said: if you love one another, you are my disciples (John 13:35)? You received consolation from a visit to you by the image of the Mother of God, but the enemy was jealous and brought a storm of temptations upon you, and even during M.M.’s illness, I sincerely regret you. May the Lord rest the soul of the deceased sister E. in the Kingdom of Heaven, that’s how unknown our end is! Watch and pray, you don’t know at what time the thief will come (Luke 12:39). But I, a sinner, am not ready for this path and I don’t know how I will appear and appear before the impartial Judge. His mercy alone for sinners does not allow us to lose heart, but gives us hope that through the message of destinies He is able to arrange our salvation, not even though the sinner should die, but rather he should be converted and live (1 Tim. 2:4). But we must remember the hour of death, to which the Wise One encourages: remember death and never sin (Sir. 7:29). November 19. It’s been exactly a month since you left us, and the time is not as eventful as it was, I wrote about it. You, on the contrary, have had more incidents: we are restless, hesitant, confused, and everything flows like a river, and carries away everything that has happened, as if it never happened; history and private stories leave very little as a memory of the past. This day ends the 66th year of my life, and tomorrow the 67th year will begin, but what does this have to do with eternity! Less than a drop in the ocean, but what kind of eternity there will be, we must now think about this and ask our merciful Creator and Redeemer, may he be merciful to us on the day of judgment and grant us the right to stand on the right hand, but somehow we think badly about this, as if there will be no eternity, and so we spend our lives, we break the commandments and do not have true repentance. Lord, have mercy! November 20. Glory to God, our brothers and I, a sinner, have been honored to be partakers of the most pure Mysteries of Christ. How about you? If you are worthy, then congratulations to you too. Peace be with you! I remain a wisher for your health and salvation the sinful hieromonk Macarius. 1854 November 22. I was pleased to read that after your storm there was silence, it is impossible to always be in the same dispensation, but one must expect battle, either external or internal, just do not bring guilt with arrogance and vanity, but humbly acquire wisdom, then the arrows of the enemy will be crushed. Your conversation with N.N. although he was correct, he who is in battle cannot judge fairly, and especially when there is still no self-reproach, what is easy for one, is painful for another. Of course, moving to another place without blessed guilt will not bring any benefit, but will only change one curse for another, and maybe even meet the same one. I do not advise you to enter into such matters and stubbornly keep your word. Chapter 109 at the beginning of the continuation of the word about prudent reasoning (St. John. Flattery) I received your letter dated November 17th. Glory to God, who preserves you, although he visits M.M. with illnesses, but the all-wise providence of God, unknown to us, arranges our salvation. I read with regret about M. X., deprived of two main senses, hearing and sight, but which of us can comprehend the depth of God’s destinies? Perhaps this will serve her to humility, just so that her faith does not become scarce. She can read some prayers from memory and thereby strengthen and console herself, God help her! November 27. I congratulate you on the feast of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Sign, her most venerable icons. We had a service, thank God, it ended well. You, M.A., on this day left your parents’ house to seek salvation, and for 10 years you have been wandering the path of salvation. Go both of you in peace, bear the good yoke of the Lord and His light burden. December 1st. I thank you for your sincere diligence towards me and congratulations on my angel’s day and all those who signed up, but it hurts me to hear your frequent embarrassment among each other. How many times have I written to you how this disease can be cured, and you yourself have very, very many healing methods in your spiritual library, and cases should serve you to recognize your infirmities and heal. Now I find it unnecessary to write about this, but I will say this: if any of you is embarrassed by the enemy with envy about the preference of another, then here you should show love, remembering the teaching of St. Apostle: if one ud is glorified, all uds rejoice with him (1 Cor. 12:26). When our neighbor is glorified, then we should rejoice that the nature akin to us is glorified, and vice versa, when our neighbor suffers, then we too will have compassion with him. Our benefit and harm are hidden in our neighbor. The Lord said: whatever you have done to one of these least of my brothers, you have done to me (Matthew 25:40). He takes upon Himself what we do to our neighbor - good or evil; envy, in addition, harms itself more, so you must resort to love and humility, so that passions do not take over you instead of destroying them. Woe to us sinners, filled with passions. If you remembered the instruction of the teacher. Zosima, that “when you are insulted, you should not grieve that you are insulted, but that you were insulted,” and if you tried to do this, then the enemy would not have the place to crush you like that. It's time for us to get down to business - to humble ourselves. Just reading without doing anything will not teach us to constantly reproach ourselves. I wrote to you and am writing now: whoever truly accuses himself more will be right and will acquire the guarantee of humility. You know that “where the fall happened, pride preceded it.” This must have happened to you too. After Z.’s reconciliation, it’s true that the thought of pride appeared with satisfaction, or they demeaned its structure, then they themselves were allowed to suffer. May the Lord have mercy on you and give you peace! December 8th. I read your letters dated November 27 and December 1 and was quite saddened by the actions and strength of your passions, and even more so by M. M.’s constant illness, which these cases do not alleviate. It is impossible to praise both of you for the action of passions, but it seems that due to illness it is necessary to make allowance, remember both elders - Aphra and Ore (East monastic, pp. 33, 42), how they showed obedience to each other, and the story of Eulogius and the crippled (Lavsaik, p. 82). You see how the enemy mocks you, takes away from the sight of your movements the stories that shake your structure to its foundations. And, of course, because they remembered a lot about themselves, and reproached others, where there is no humility, everything is gloomy and dark. What light will shine when we humble ourselves and peace settles in our hearts? You need to value it, but for you it is somehow fragile, it appears a little and then becomes dark again. Through many experiences you must learn that all passion is abolished by self-reproach and humility. I have written to you more than once, whichever of you considers himself more guilty is truly right, and peace will soon be restored, but when both are right, then peace is far away, and you can’t even give a hint about love. Oh woe to us sinners! I beg you, for the Lord’s sake, keep peace among yourselves like the apple of your eye. How shall we repay the Lord for everyone, even as He repays us? We cannot count all His blessings that He has done and continues to do with us even to this day; we live in complete contentment, we have no physical feats or self-sacrifice, but at least we forced ourselves a little to restrain ourselves from passions, seeing our lack of correction, to humble ourselves before each other and to cover each other’s weaknesses with love. Your peace has comforted me somewhat, God grant that it does not change, but lasts forever. You ask each other not to ardently accept words or appearances, but to sacrifice your neighbor’s weakness with love. God is loving, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him (1 John 4:16). What good is better than this? And who wouldn’t want to remain in such a dispensation forever? But we, the poor, love our passions, respect them, and what reward do we receive from them? Torment of conscience and torment of spirit, from which may the Lord deliver you! Every day I have many feathered guests, a shelf is attached to the window, and with a shower of different grains, all sorts of birds fly in: titmice, sparrows, fireweeds, jays and others, and each one feeds in its own way, natural science in nature, and one can see creative power and wisdom. December 11. Thank God everything is fine, there is nothing special, be peaceful, healthy and calm. I remain the desire for your salvation sinful and... Macarius. 1854. December 12. I am very sorry for you, M.M., that you were suddenly seized so painfully, although it is painful and pitiful, but, of course, glory to God, who visits us with these arrows, tiring the body and prompting the soul to repentance and purification, and in this we see a lot of His fatherly mercy towards us - visiting and strengthening. And if there had not yet been a visit, then what would have happened with our lazy life? The passions would aggravate their power over us, you wrote before that you are afraid of death at this time, this matter is not in our will, when and how our soul should put off this mortal garment, but we must not become impoverished in faith and trust in the goodness of God, but hope will not be put to shame. In the “Spiritual Meadow” in chapter 56 it is written that one stylite was struck by lightning and died, in our opinion, what a bitter death his death was, and God revealed to another stylite that his soul departed with joy. We also need to ask God not to deprive us of heavenly blessings, and to believe in His ineffable mercy and the merits of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and He is able to give a peaceful death. Our peace is comforting to me, God grant that it always be with you. December 15. At lunchtime I received your letter dated December 8th, what should we do, we can’t boast about anything except our weaknesses, mental and physical! But it is clear that the power of God is made perfect even in weaknesses (2 Cor. 12:9), let us not be faint-hearted, but let us cast all our care on the supreme help of our merciful God. In your temptations, God’s love for you and His care for you appear more; do not become discouraged and do not lose heart. It’s a pity for poor M.N. that she hesitates with little faith: what we do for our neighbor, God takes upon Himself (Matthew 25:40) and really cannot reward and provide for her? At least, as she thinks, she will lose her health, but do we really live in a barbaric land? On the contrary, we, seeing our neighbor exhausted, participate in him, and even more so when we still had some merit from him. This is nothing to her, like a temptation through envy from the enemy. If she submits to the thoughts that confuse her and they prevail over her, then what benefit will she receive for herself? And, God knows, will your conscience be at peace? December 20. We have a look at N. N.’s situation is very difficult, and she writes that she likens herself to pulling a loaded barge and exhausted under this burden, and if it weren’t for this, with her ardent heart and mind, who knows what would have happened? O the depth of the riches and wisdom and understanding of God, incomprehensible to us, and who will be His adviser (Rom. 11:34)? December 22. Your intention towards a harmonious life is commendable and pleasant, but it should not be in words alone, but in deeds, and this requires love, humility and the help of God. Otherwise, the first nasty incident showed you your powerlessness and teaches you not to rely on yourself. I have written to you a lot about this subject, and the holy fathers have even more to admonish you, but the tactics of spiritual warfare are shown in practice. Strive, you will still receive crowns here with tranquility and peace in your conscience. December 25th. I congratulate you all on the very day of the Nativity of Christ, we met it safely, I wish you to celebrate these holy days peacefully. days. I remain the desire for your salvation December 26. Beloved sisters in Christ M. M. and M. A., yesterday I sent a letter to you and congratulated you on the holiday, and today I received your letter dated the 18th and I confess that I was very touched by your painful situation, M. M., although I recognize and see the great mercy of God over you, but humanity suffers: and if one person suffers, then all people suffer with him (1 Cor. 12:25), it is painful to hear about your suffering, but it is encouraging that the diseases here are preparing for you eternal and never-ending joy there. And how great it is, St. The Apostle writes: the passions of this present time are unworthy, for the glory that desires to be revealed in us (Rom. 8:18). Then, with this hope, endure the burden of bodily illness. You write that you feel sorry for yourself, but who will feel sorry for you more than God? It is out of His love that He visits you with illness; a corruptible person decays, but the spirit is renewed (2 Cor. 1:16), you do not see this, and even more so you see yourself agitated by passions, and this is to your humility. But if the body had been healed and fattened, then there would not have been such troubles. I see that you seem to be horrified by death, but this transition to eternity is necessary for us, and when it will happen, who knows? Maybe you will live for many more years, and if in the plans of God’s destinies you are destined to soon move into eternity, you should not lose heart and become despondent. To God, whether we live or die, we are all the Lord's (Rom. 14:8). You must take courage and not be afraid, but be affirmed by faith and hope in the mercy of our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who wants to save us all, then your salvation will be arranged: thank Him that He has vouchsafed you the calling to this spiritual life and has not allowed you to be enveloped in worldly delights and pleasures, and from them the sins that can result. The world entangles its lovers and blinds them from even seeing this, but you have escaped all this, like a bird from the net of those who catch (Ps. 123:7). Accept this consolation in your sorrowful and painful situation; the Lord is able to bring joy to your soul through the multitude of your illnesses (Ps. 93:19) and will forgive you all your sins, and I, a sinner, forgive. Be peaceful and calm. And you, M.A., as in the past, upset M. with your dispensation. M., so now try to calm her down and reproach yourself, of course, she is not grieving for you, only the present time of embarrassment was sorrowful, and after that it was as if nothing had happened. December 30th. I wrote to you as much as I found in the meager repository of my mind for your consolation and strengthening, may the grace of God fertilize this small seed thrown on the ground of your heart and give you the fruit of humility, patience, hope and consolation. December 31st. Thank God, we are ending the year and preparing to enter a new one. Let us pray to the Lord to give us reason, strength and strength to fulfill His Holy will and, having recognized our weakness, to humble ourselves in everything. I ask for God's peace and blessing on you. January 1st. Happy New Year to you. I wish you all the best and health, mental and physical, peace, harmony and tranquility. All our brothers who know you congratulate you on the New Year and wish you all the best. I can’t write anymore, there are a lot of letters. Peace be with you! The sinful hieromonk Macarius. At first, with your letter you made me happy about your peace and tranquility, and in the end there was a bonfire against everything that you promised to endure from each other and try not to offend, but what can you do, your spiritual bones are crushed, and your enemies revile you, you will never be crushed by my bones, you will defeat me (Ps. 41:11), but I hope that with self-awareness and self-reproach the machinations of the enemy will be abolished and his arrows will be crushed by an invincible weapon for him - humility. Jokes are indecent in our rank, we must not do this in advance and pray to God with repentance, I know my iniquities and I will take away my sin before me. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb, and so on. (Ps. 50, 5, 12). When we remember our sins, we will not fall into new ones. I suppose it was late yesterday or early today, M.M. and M.A., your dear guests, mother and auntie, visited you, so you were overjoyed at having a pleasant meeting with them! And what are you receiving in your cozy cell, and it’s true that today they will be at mass and try to form a solemn choir of singing. Of course, they will like everything in your monastery, since they have never seen the way of life in nunneries. Thank God that we were peaceful during the coming new year, and also ended it in peace. And what happened and happened in the past, you need to remember about that only in order to regret your poor dispensation, humble yourself and beware of resorting to the same things in the future. When you have a humble deposit in your hearts, remembering your own badness, you will find God’s help in your deeds. When you forget and move away from humble wisdom, the enemy will find a place in your hearts and stir up passions, and from them confusion and anxiety, but peace is found in humility. You yourself have experienced this many times: if you reproach yourself during embarrassment, you will soon be at peace, but when we torture your neighbors and blame them for being insulted by them, then the embarrassment multiplies. You, M.M., say that your offended pride tormented you all day, who is to blame for this? After all, God sent a man to touch this string so that you would know its harm and try to destroy it. The worldly seem to boast about their pride and do not consider it a vice, but something praiseworthy, saying: “My pride is insulted.” Are you really of this opinion? I don’t think so, but I think there must be a consciousness that it tormented you, and not people are to blame. Taking offensive words is akin to heart disease, according to St. John Climacus, who was in the struggle of passions, but with the silence of the mouth and self-reproach should abolish this disease. May the Lord help you in your exploits against passions to gain victory over them. If you remember that every word from each other that touches and shakes the depths of your heart is a reproof sent from God to self-knowledge and correction, and add humility and love to this, then instead of a guarantee of unworldliness, you will feel gratitude to each other, for it is not with the intention, but with the vision of God that osten is sent. 4 Now I congratulate you, M.M., on your approaching birthday, may the Lord grant you, with the beginning of the new year of your life, to lay the foundation for success in spiritual life and deeds of piety. I end the letter by wishing you peace, health and salvation and signing my name. I.M. January 18, 1855. January 31st. The events of your three days do not contain anything special, except that through your fires you see your poor dispensation and the alienation of love and humility. Although the enemy is running out of weapons to the end (Ps. 9:7), he does not cease to fight us, for we ourselves give him a reason for our pride, leaving a strong weapon - humility, which destroys all the machinations of the enemy. Oh! What to do? We must learn through experience how to resist in battle. Remember the words of Abba Dorotheus “about active passions, resisting passions and eradicating passions” and do this with self-reproach. I congratulate you on the approach of St. fast, strengthen yourself now, the path is far to Mount Horeb - fourty days and forty nights, and may the Lord vouchsafe us to pass through the journey of the fortnight until the bright holiday of Easter in repentance, abstinence, prayer, love and humility. February 6. This is already the threshold of St. Lent, raw food week, today at the meal we read the announcement of St. Theodore the Studite about fasting and obedience, that is, the rejection of one’s will and reason, as he pleases the true novice, crowns him with the crown of martyrdom. When you look at your life, you will see feats that are alien to fasting, vigil, prayer and other things, but don’t ask for such obedience. I look at your sociable life among each other; you could gain great benefit if you humbled yourself in front of each other and cut off your will according to the traditions of your fathers. I also see that God has sent you an illness, M.M., accept it with gratitude and patience, and you, M.A., serve to the best of your ability and be compassionate, it will bring you both great benefit. Yes, you have great sorrow: M.R.’s illness, I’m sorry for D., she has a lot of work alone, may the Lord strengthen her. But you, apparently, need to bear it and be patient: what we do to our neighbor, we do to ourselves, and especially to God. They are seducing you..., do not be surprised at this: when we already read and write the fatherly writings, and partially understand the teachings, what is good in us? The very vision of others is already a stain. And when we take into account our idle talk, wanderings of the mind, negligence about prayer, etc., then where should we look and judge others? If you had the opportunity and strength to correct these shortcomings, then so be it, but when you have neither one nor the other, then let us pay attention to ourselves and take care of the healing of our ulcers. N... writes that he feels nervous disorder, gloomy thoughts, etc., all this seems to come from an imaginary happy life. You must continually thank the Lord for His unspeakable mercy towards you, your calling to monastic life, but also try to live up to this in your deeds. I’ll talk a little more with you about your S., M.M.; Yes, she did not experience sorrows, happiness smiled on her, so to speak, but it is impossible to go through life without sorrows, although they are tasteless and heavy, but the gain from them is great, and therefore it is clear that God is providing for her, sending sorrows, according to the word of St. Isaac the Syrian, and for them while it is dark, what fruits sorrow brings, may the Lord strengthen them and enlighten them. February 7. Holy fasting! God bless! Matins was late, and after it, having rested, I congratulate you on the upcoming St. Pentecostal, help, Lord, to humbly and reverently strive a good deed, with humble prayer to beg Him for mercy, to cleanse the heart and mind from passions and to plant good seeds of virtues, like St. Ephraim depicted in his short prayer: “Lord, Master of my life, the spirit of idleness,” etc., “do not give me,” “the spirit of chastity,” etc., “grant to me, Thy servant.” And in conclusion, he asks to see his sins and not condemn his brother. Wonderful prayer! Evening. So the day has passed, as if the first step on the ladder of prayer of abstinence and repentance, strive, sisters, to ascend this ladder of salvation with humility, pray for me, a sinner! February 8. Thank the Lord, and you met the next day of fasting safely, how did you enter this field, and what is more painful? May the Lord strengthen you and make the Lenten meal more enjoyable than the abundant cheese week. I ask God’s blessing for all of you and remain the wisher for your health and salvation With considerable sorrow I read your letter dated 2 o’clock about M. M.’s illness that befell her. If we put the reason for it as an insult from others, then this too happened by God’s permission to test us, and therefore, in general, we must leave the illness sent to the will of God and gratefully accept it with patience, without blaming anyone. Your judgments, O Lord, are many in the deep (Ps. 35:7). And who understands the mind of the Lord (Rom. 11:34)! He alone knows why he allows this to happen. Cast your sorrow upon the Lord and rest (Ps. 54:23), but meanwhile you must be careful, and as you yourself, M.M., express: “God ordered them to curse us.” There is no need to so ardently accept empty words that are worthless; in their words there is a simple joke, and if they say irony, then can we stop anyone? And generous acceptance lies within us, but you have already been prepared by the previous words of N.N., but, of course, you cannot justify this either, and especially when you read the 31st chapter of St. Simeon and 3osimas, that “when someone grieves not because he was offended, but because he was offended, then the demons are afraid of this.” I’m afraid to write a lot about this, lest I irritate the wound further, but I ask you both to have peace and love between each other, repelling enemy suggestions with humility and self-reproach; we need this for peace of mind more than food to strengthen the body. What else can I tell you about myself? I suggest to you about humility, but I myself am extremely poor in it, which is why, apparently, my word does not bring you any benefit, if not to leave the storehouse of hope, and the saint calls the inaction word “a canopy of cold.” Isaac. But you, having abandoned my bad word, take from the rich sources the teachings of St. fathers, given to us from their deeds: moreover, from the very Word of all blessings of the Giver, who said: learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:29). February 14. Thank God, we have entered the second week of the Holy Week. fasting, help, Lord, to continue further and achieve the bright holiday of the Resurrection of Christ in spiritual joy. Yesterday I received your letter dated the 5th, and I was quite upset, seeing from it that I was in delusion. I believed that the battles and embarrassments that occur between you are the battles of the enemy, serving to train you in spiritual life, to acquire humility and love, and I thought that over time, through the feat of self-reproach and humility, the passions in you will exhaust and peace will be established between you, but, to my regret, I see my seduction, for until now not only is this much-desired fruit of love and humility not visible, but also more daily arising battles against each other, and although they seem to stop for a while, they reappear in the strongest forms. Is it really possible to continue your life like this, not paying attention to this and not making a start for correction? You, M.A., yourself are aware of the effect of delusion in yourself, that you are embarrassed about everything, this is really so. According to St. Isaac the Syrian (155 pp.), “the chariot of the devil should be called confusion, which Satan, in his likeness, has brought into the habit of ever giving everything to the mind, and taking with it a collection of passions and entering the accursed soul, and drowning it in confusion.” Being embarrassed about every case and in every thing, you should know that you do not have confirmation in humble wisdom, but there are those who are guilty of every confusion, as St. Abba Dorotheos: “If we seek with fear that we do not reproach ourselves, from there all this contrition comes from the imams, from there we never find peace, which we cannot have peace, even if we reproach ourselves”? Perhaps even if he goes, as Abba Pimen said: “Whoever reproaches himself, if something happens to him, either vanity, or dishonor, or any kind of sorrow, having preceded it, he is worthy of having dirty tricks on himself, and is no longer embarrassed. Is there anything that can be more carefree?” This is the direct path for us. It also leads to humility. Not seeing your correction, but especially your mistakes and attempts, you should not be embarrassed, but, having reproached yourself, humble yourself. If you did this, then the enemy would not have the power to shake you with embarrassment. You are accustomed to seeing your corrections, and if you ever suffer something from M.M., you consider it good and, as it were, martyrdom, and this is why the leaven of pride has sunk into your heart, depriving you of peace and tranquility. St. Peter of Damascus writes (on page 18) that “it is appropriate to have patience in all those who happen, even if God allows, to the knowledge and trial and removal of our weakness: and less than daring, less than despair, if anything good or evil happens to him.” Further, after correcting good living: “And then the mind begins to see its own sins, like the sand of the sea. And this is the beginning of the enlightenment of the soul and a sign of its health. And in short, sometimes the soul is contrite and humble and truly counts itself least of all.” So, we need to look for ways to free ourselves from such a dispensation and not go further into the depths of delusion; I know people like this who have completely lost their peace of mind through their self-thinking and do not stop at anything, but only succumb to confusion. With God's help, try to do as you wrote above, according to the teachings of St. fathers, and in order to expose the enemy’s treachery, whenever you are confused about anything, say M., and by general reasoning destroy the confusion. And you, M.M., do not take her words as an insult, and together, helping each other and bearing infirmities, you will be like a city, strong and protected. I have offered you so many means of pacification, but still no fruit is visible! Make a start at least from the present time and follow the path of life. It seems that there is no success because you think highly about your life and that you are walking correctly, you have obedience to my badness, and that is why there are no fruits, for from obedience humility is born, but where is it? Oh, if even a little of its fragrance came from you, then your enemies would not dare to curse you so boldly! Read in the message of Mark the ascetic to Nicholas the monk on page 45, reverse. and above this, somewhat, how we must cast ourselves on the cross through humble wisdom, without which we cannot be called a Christian. I don’t praise you either, M.M., but I won’t reproach you because of your illness, but you yourself complement it with self-reproach, and strengthen both of these with love and humility. February 15. Yesterday I didn’t have time to write more, but I need to add more. How embarrassment harms, read about the means to defeat it in the 2nd book of Peter Damascene, in the 5th word about the fallen monk, how he defeated the enemy who defeated him, drove away the thoughts that embarrassed him with courage, also in the 7th word of St. Isaac the Syrian, on page 37: “And let him cease from warfare” and further. Now, when in the most important endeavors courage frees you from embarrassment, then even more so in petty actions it will free you from self-reproach. This brings peace, although something may not happen, but it is healed by repentance and humility, but cowardice in empty things causes confusion and deprives one of peace. Let me also remind you that if we go through all the good deeds, but do not have a sick heart, then they bring us little benefit. Elder Paisius gives many fatherly teachings about this on page 56. I should receive your letter dated February 9 tomorrow, and I don’t know what is written, but it seems that what is written in this letter of mine is the answer for tomorrow too. All our people bow to you and together with me wish you health and salvation. Many sinners I. Macarius. 1855. On the 16th I received your letter dated the 9th, which also offended me a lot. ABOUT! May God grant that this embarrassment will cease forever with the reconciliation you have made; to my consolation, I also received your letter dated the 12th, from which I see that nothing particularly unpleasant happened to you, and you were honored to be partakers of the Most Pure Mysteries of Christ. Your world went on, God bless you! I know that you are in a struggle, and a strong war, no less than the Sevastopol one, but there are weapons: copper, iron, steel, lead, cast iron, gunpowder, fire, cunning and human strength, and we have weapons of a different kind: faith, trust in God, self-reproach, humility, patience, prayer, and all-encompassing love. Leaving these weapons, we fall into the hands of the opposing forces, and they crush our spiritual bones, cast us down and languish in the bonds of embarrassment and resentment, and here are the tormentors: envy, zeal, reproach of what is good, and the whole evil council of passions torments without mercy. We must not abandon saving weapons and use them to overthrow those who resist, learning to fight in practice. You are both guilty, and you yourself see this by the destruction from passion of the anger and resentment that lurks in you and the thoughts of reproach against your neighbor weaving in us, but in the action of passion all this is dark and gloomy and, reproaching each other, you get nothing but disgust and anger. Why is it that during times of peace you feel completely different and love by nature? But if you tried to fulfill what you read and write, then you would impute the dust and ashes of being, and each would consider herself worse than the other, all the insults and troubles supposedly inflicted would be sacrificed by love and humility. You yourself know for sure that, according to the word of St. Simeon the New Theologian in Chapter 31, when offended and humiliated by someone, if the heart only hurts, then it is already a sign that it is carrying around the ancient serpent in its depths, you know not only from writing, but also from experience, that it is weak that creates it and that gives the strength to pour more poison into the heart. To this and Mark of the Ascetic 209 ch. It is fitting that others also have many similar potions that heal spiritual passions; use them not only by knowledge, but also by action. I know that you have the will for salvation and are trying to seek it: but then the enemy rises up against you with his army and aims at the most important point - to break the peace between you, and everything else is at hand for them. And you add insult to injury by your opinion about yourself that you live better than others, and you judge many. I ask and pray you, be more humble, then you will be more peaceful, because you have all the blessings of life that not many others have, thank the Lord and, without the feats of fasting, vigil and other monastic acts, humble yourself, acquire love and receive the mercy of God. What should I tell you about those who are at enmity with you? Look for reasons not outside, but inside yourself - have you shown guilt? Which is likely, for you and those sisters have repeatedly poured out the feelings of your hearts of vision and condemnation, you have sowed tares, they also come up, and you should not at all reproach those who are plotting our intrigues, they are only the instruments of God, acting in order for you to recognize your weakness and lack or complete impoverishment in love, contrary to the commandment of God about loving your enemies, pray for them, and the Lord is able to turn their hearts to love you, but they can only do what God allows. And if you, having an offensive from the outside and inside, i.e. If you are not at peace in your cell and within yourself, then you are making your life even more burdensome. Your superstitious remarks about those dying in new cells, that is, renovating them, are sinful, ridiculous and incorrect: consider how many cells you have built again and now have, but do not die in them. God, what nonsense! You are ashamed to believe this, if one or two died in the new cells, then it extends to everything. This is the grossest superstition. For whom death is destined, this is the will of God, and not a new cell; so no one should die in the old cells, but in order for anyone to die, it is necessary to build new cells. What nonsense! February 24. Recently I read the manifesto of the new Sovereign Alexander II. It was impossible to read about the death of Emperor Nicholas I without tears. And in such a great era for Russia! Lord preserve our Orthodox faith and St. Rus' from the invasion of foreigners, and from their evil intent - to humble Russia. Let us pray to the Lord to help our new emperor and Christ-loving army! The hour of death is near, but we are not ready to stand before the judgment of God! So people are dying, and many noble persons passed away in a short time, and above all, the father of the great family of the whole of Russia, our Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich, reverently went to the Lord, having fulfilled the duty of a Christian, confession and communion of the Most Pure Mysteries of Christ, remained in full memory until his death, gave instructions to the heir and family, then asked the heir for a cross with a crucifix, reverently kissed him several times and, saying: “Be Thy will, the Lord! - died. In the face of great sorrow and the deprivation of a father of his fatherland, it is comforting to hear about his Christian death, which gives hope that he will be rewarded with bliss in eternity. What the Holy Church and all of us pray to the Lord for, may he rest his soul in the Kingdom of Heaven! March 1st. The beginning of the new church year is 1855, in Russia - summer 5. When you want to find out what month the 1st day is, then add 5 to the known dates of each month, and start counting from Sunday. For example, March 5, add the summer 5 to them, it will be 10, counting from Sunday, it is the 10th day, Tuesday is the first day. April 1, add the summer 5 to it, it will be 6, count from Sunday, the 6th day is Friday the 1st. May 3, and 5=8, counting from Sunday the 8th day, Sunday the 1st. June 6 and 5 = 11, counting from Sunday the 11th day, Wednesday the 1st of June, and so on. July - 1. August - 4. September - 7. October - 2, November - 5. December - 7. January - 3. February - 6. So, from the beginning of March, adding the summer day of each year to the designated dates of each month, you can find out the first days of the month in every year, and on what day the 1st day occurs, on the same 8, 15, 22 and 29. Here is the smallest piece of a manual calendar that I only know. I ask for you and your cellmates the peace and blessing of God, I remain the wisher for your health and salvation the sinful hieromonk Macarius. 1855. March 7. It was 40 years ago that I was honored to be clothed with the monastic image on this 7th, but what did I do? I have done nothing good, I have acquired something lower than humility, how and with what will I appear before the court of God?! My only hope is in the ineffable mercy of the Lord, who came to save sinners. He is able to have mercy on me, a sinner and a daring one, and, according to the message of fate, arrange my salvation. You too, M.A. and M.M., pray for my misery. March 10. You are all visited by sorrows and illnesses, but it is clear that this is necessary: ​​those who seek salvation and do not achieve it through deeds. The most merciful Lord fills your lack with illnesses and sorrows. If you are wrongly insulted, then you know that our unrighteousness makes God’s righteousness in us (Rom. 3:5). The external sorrows you described, M.M., from... are not so difficult for me as the attacks that happen between you against each other. It’s time for you to come to your senses and take up the strongest weapon that can crush all the machinations and networks of the enemy - humility. We only read and write about him, but it comes to the point as if we had never heard of him. This is our darkness, we cannot bear voluntary sorrows well, but deliver us, God, from involuntary ones, who can humble us even involuntarily. In case, who was with you, M.M., talk to..., I look at him as sent from God to test your patience. You seem to believe that without God’s permission nothing can happen to us, but even in this case, God commanded her to slap you, but you did not accept it with humility, but you yourself snapped it and did not want to be a participant in the crown of thorns for an offensive word without a prior reason from you. Of course, this is your weakness and pride. In my madness, I never cease to teach you, or even more so, to remind you of what you yourself know quite well. Касательно ваших скорбей прочтите у св. Isaac in the 35th word on 178 pages, so as not to shy away from sorrows, but to consider them as grace sent from God, and “otherwise it is impossible for one who wants to be with him to be favored by God, except to bring temptations upon him for the truth.” Don’t you want to create a special path for yourself and walk in it without suffering? Путь Божий крест есть повседневен. But from this it is also known that from “God we provide for (man) to always send him sorrow.” Sl. 36, pp. 176 and 37 seq. All. One cannot help but feel sorrow, p. 179 - “there are none like them in time”..., and in word 51, p. 257 - “those who, at the sight of the rod of temptations, humble themselves, will soon receive an abundance from them.” And when during sorrow we do not blame ourselves, but others, then even more sorrows are multiplied and burdened on those. I reminded you of this because I see you burdened by sorrowful invasions, so that you might strengthen yourself with it, but perhaps these sorrows have now passed, or upon receipt of this letter you will be found outside of them, which I earnestly wish for you because of your weakness. I’m not at all surprised that M.N. sees himself in such a good dispensation. If she had read her father’s books, then, of course, she would have recognized her shortcomings and infirmities, but you may be more surprised that you read and write, but in reality you do not understand and do not humble yourself, which is why our sorrows are aggravated. God allowed M.T. to cheer for her, you follow her with great difficulty and compassion, but you also think about this, that you are doing good, and for this you are allowed to be tempted by reproach and annoyance. I will end my letter by reminding you of the words of our Savior: if you have love among yourself, everyone understands this, as My disciples are by nature (John 13:35), but when there is no love, whose disciples are they? May the Lord give you a sense of true reason, not only in words, but deeply rooted in the heart... Humility and love affirm and strengthen. I remain a wisher for your health and salvation sinful and... M. March 15, 1855. God, lovingly, visits you with sorrows, to care for the sick, but also gives you strength and experience in cell affairs, in order to appreciate the labors of those who serve you. Thank God for everything! March 19. We celebrate the Resurrection of Lazarus: may the Lord resurrect our souls, killed by sin! Get ready tomorrow to gather with the branches of our Savior and Lord, coming to Jerusalem to freely suffer for our sake, may He grant us all feelings of love and gratitude for His condescension and goodness. March 23. Now is Wednesday, the Lenten service has ended, the Gospel has been read and the presanctified have ended, the sinful flesh is exhausted, but what does this mean against the suffering of our Savior, which we now remember: what we will repay to the Lord, for all that he has repaid us. All our hope of salvation depends on the merits of our Savior. Where is our love for Him? Let us humble ourselves, and for this we will not lose His mercy. Be healthy and calm, I wish you to celebrate this bright holiday with heartfelt joy and spiritual joy. Greetings to all of you: “Christ is risen!” I.M. March 26, 1855. Our Lord Jesus Christ, after His resurrection, appeared to the women, greeted them with the word: “Rejoice!” Then, appearing to the disciples, he said to them: “Peace be with you!” And so many centuries have passed, we, believers, still proclaim this joy and the peace given to us in a deeply significant greeting to each other: Christ is risen! And I, beloved sisters in Christ, greet you with this greeting on this very day in absentia, and the symbol of our common joy - the golden egg - was given to you for delivery by E. A. Let us pray to the Lord that we may be worthy of this joy and enjoy the peace given to us by the Lord. Thank God, we celebrated this holiday peacefully and calmly. The celebration is excellent and comforting to the spirit. March 31st. I see that you are visited by sorrows, and you are overcome by them, how can you be saved? With all the contentment and carelessness, there will still be no sorrows - then the misfortune is obvious, and in this visitation of sorrows to you, God’s mercy is seen towards you. Read from St. Barsanuphius the Great answers to brother Andrew all: otherwise, even from 209 to the end of them, you will find much to reinforce you. Who is without sorrow? I receive letters from many people, but most of them are sorrowful, and all arranged by God’s permission, but by His wise all-encompassing providence and loving care for us for our salvation. If it weren’t for sorrows and illnesses that visited us, where would we be? M.A. was sick and had many different sorrows, but to what end did the Lord bring her?! Oh, wonderful are Your deeds, O Lord, You have done everything with wisdom! Who is the understanding of the Lord, or who is His adviser? So, do not be discouraged and do not lose heart, but moreover, according to the word of St. Apostle, have all joy, whenever you fall into various temptations: seeing how your faith is tested makes you persevere (Jas. 1, 2, 3), and thank God for this, that you are partly not on the long path, but although you involuntarily walk the narrow and regrettable path that leads to the eternal belly. April 4. You write that you were honored to be partakers of the Most Pure Mysteries of Christ on Maundy Thursday, and had spiritual consolation both from this great gift and from the service of this week. I rejoice in this from the bottom of my heart and thank God, who visits you with these spiritual consolations, but after His glance, reproach was sent, so that you do not become exalted. You may have considered yourself humble - and that’s nothing, but the word stung and showed that there really is pride. You should thank God for this, that he sends you peace and invasion to the knowledge of your weakness, but even that is not good, when all people say good things to you. Everyone has their own way of looking at things. Try not to harbor hostility against those who insult and speak falsely, but from this learn patience. If you happen to hire a mass according to M.P., does it really matter if you serve together with a mass according to M.A.? Is it only A. who is remembered at the proskomedia? Perhaps not one, but a hundred names will be remembered, and this is the main part of the repose service, and the litany is only added to that service, at which two names can be remembered or two litanies can be made for each separately, and not hire a third mass. You know that without proskomedia, one litany does not have such power. So, be calm about this, give as much money as you need for masses for 40 days, and commemorate at one together. Thank the Lord that you spent a peaceful and prosperous bright week, although there were some meetings and small shocks, but they were passing by. You cannot be without the sorrows that you have had; you also need to understand your structure, and in your free time, from the excitement of passions on both sides, talk about the benefits. Passions and demons fight us incessantly, now with one thing or another, is it any wonder N.... to be fought by the passion of love of glory, when we, in turn, do not resist its by-catch, but are often vulnerable, and, moreover, knowing from the fatherly writings that this is harmful and sinful, but the power of passion takes over, and it is also alien to this knowledge. Refer everything to God, when He wants to calm you down, then her heart will also be disposed towards you with true love for the Lord, and even more so when you do not urgently demand this from her, but consider yourself unworthy of anyone serving you. A small book, “The Life of Elder Daniel,” who died in Siberia on April 15, 1843, was recently published, and it is very edifying for you. V. and Z. my unworthy blessing to you all, and I remain the wisher for your health and salvation sinful I. Macarius. April 12, 1855. Thank the Lord that you are peaceful and as healthy as possible. I’m very glad that your flower garden accepts our plants, but what does that mean? Everything is perishable and brings comfort and pleasure to the senses, and if we were rich in spiritual flowers that could bear fruit over time, this would be a more important matter, but the trouble is that I myself feel the poverty in them and would be glad to share, but I have nothing, which I give and send to you, then I take, or, better said, I steal from the rich vaginas of the great saints who pleased God, St. our fathers and teachers, but I have nothing, I talk about humility, but I myself am poor in it. April 18. The weather is harsh, rain, wind and cold, so you have to resort to both a fur coat and fuel. But the beneficial air and clear weather are not always beneficial; worms and other insects infest the plants, harming the good fruits. This is what happens in our spiritual dispensation: a visitation of grace, peace, silence and tranquility from the oppression of passions, if they remain with us for a long time and constantly, then it is dangerous that we can become arrogant and lose our intercession and will not be skillful in the struggle of passions, and we will move away from the sorrowful path. Therefore, God tempts you to resist the knowledge of our weakness, to patience and humility. I wrote this so simply, but I gave you guilt and reminded myself to test the fatherly writings on this subject and strengthen myself in such cases. April 19. Today is exactly six months since you left us, time is not visible as it flies, and brings us closer to eternity. Lord, have mercy according to Your mercy and do not enter into judgment with Your servants (Ps. 142:2). If you see iniquity, then who will stand (Ps. 129:3)? April 20. “Give water to my thirsty soul, thirsty for the holiday, thirsting for piety” (Troparia Prepol). Today we celebrated this holiday and prayed to the Lord for this, and whenever we reach out not only with our lips, but also with our hearts and deeds, then, of course, we will receive help. In our monastery we have a carpet of the most pleasant, tender, easy-to-see greenery spread out, and soon nature, by the command of God, will decorate it with multi-colored patterns, and there are already some; gillyflowers and hyacinths bloom in the ground, and daisies and yellow daffodils, but not fragrant ones, and let all this be for the glory of God. The heavens tell the glory of God, but the firmament proclaims His handiwork (Ps. 18:2), and how St. praises the Lord. king and prophet David in Psalm 148 and three youths in the cave of Babylon, from all creation composing a song of praise to God, which is sung on Great Saturday at vespers in proverbs with choruses: Sing to the Lord, and exalt Him forever (Dan. 3, 57, 88). April 21. Day of your angel, M.A., Queen Alexandra, I congratulate both of you and M.M. on this day. May peace, harmony and love settle in your hearts, which pleases God. Today the weather is clear and warm, we have somewhere to walk, but I have no desire for walks. Today for the first time, having served a prayer service with the blessing of water, we released our cows into the field after a long confinement in barns, and they feel comfort in this, and with everyone else they praise the Lord, “who gives food to every creature” (Ps. 135:25). Praise the Lord, beasts and all livestock, reptiles and birds (Ps. 148:10). And we, a rational creature, do we offer a sacrifice of praise to the One who created us and who has done good to us physically and spiritually? N. N. strives, and meanwhile, sorrows pester her, she bears a big cross, but, apparently, this is the will of God, wanting her to be saved, and without this, who knows what would have happened? We should all study these lessons, in every place there are clashes with our neighbors and trials for us, although it seems to us that we are suffering innocently, but the reasons are hidden in the destinies of God, incomprehensible to us, and if we test it well, we will find them in ourselves: reproach yourself, always have peace. May the Lord enlighten your hearts to the knowledge of the truth and give you strength and strength to fulfill the will of God and endure sorrow, whatever the Lord sends to save your souls. Our weather is good, the gardens are blooming, the grass is growing, fish are being caught, nightingales are singing, and all kinds of other birds are singing spring with their songs and tones, you don’t have this, but God is able to give you a different kind of consolation - not external, but spiritual, and especially when you strive to cleanse your hearts from the passions that darken them and endure the sorrows sent by God’s providence to be taken away. our weakness and humility. You write about the fear and anxiety that happened due to the fire behind Moritz. What to do, Thy rulers and judges, O Lord (Ps. 119, 137)! God grant that we recognize this, and that the words of the psalmist do not apply to us: your destinies will be taken away from before him (Ps. 9.26). But Your judgments, O Lord, are many in the deep (Ps. 35:7), and who is the understanding of the Lord, or who is His adviser (Rom. 11:34)? The present time is especially sorrowful for those living in the world: war, crop failure, trade losses, various hardships and from floods, necessary donations for the needs of defending the fatherland and faith, all this strikes the heart with grief and involuntarily destroys luxury - the destroyer of souls, and perhaps freethinking will come to its senses. Here is the abyss of God’s destinies, and Your judgments are right, Lord! And who can confess them? We must humbly revere the all-wise and all-encompassing providence of God, pray to His goodness for mercy and submit to His will. April 30. I hasten to finish the post and wish you all to live peacefully and calmly and be saved. Multigr. And. Poppy. 1855. Yesterday I received your letter dated April 23, nothing special is visible from it, except for the usual sorrowful visits to test and correct our dispensation, which are allowed, because through the multitude of my illnesses and Thy consolation made my soul glad (Ps. 33.19). This also happens to you, and if there were no sorrows, there would be no need for consolation. The grace of God knows how much it takes for a vessel of words to be tempted in the furnace by the fire of sorrows, so that it will be fit for use. May His will be done on us! Write about events that shock you and pass, thank God! But it is not because of your imaginary virtue that sorrows are allowed, but because you stand on the path leading to eternal life, and it is narrow and regrettable. If there were no sorrows, you could deviate into the obstinate path and would lose the benefit that comes from being shocked by sorrows. Thank God, we celebrated St. Pentecost, and St. fast, we need to remind ourselves of the words that encourage us to spend the Lenten time of fasting: “we fast, brothers, mentally and physically.” And let us humble ourselves in our weakness. I wish you and V... to be peaceful and healthy and successful in salvation. I remain multigr. hieromon. Macarius. May 23, 1855. Thank God that you arrived safely at your monastery, although you encountered expensive trouble, but without bad consequences. You were afraid of fear, even without fear, and what happened was contrary to our expectations. Thank God that they were received cordially, and in the future, whatever happens, the will of the Lord be done! “If there were no temptations, no one would have been saved,” says Abba Evagrius, and the other fathers too, that it is not through temptations that we come to the mind of truth, but St. Peter of Damascus says that “humility is a product of reason, and reason is a product of temptation.” So, one should not be afraid of temptations and not dare to take them; one should philosophize about the past with self-reproach for the transfer. I mention from the fatherly teachings that temptations are necessary for us, what benefits they bring, and if you delve into the fatherly writings yourself, you will find more. In your letter dated September 14, I see that many shocks happened to you in that short time, and especially from my letter, all this will serve you well, you will not have such troubles, but rather pay attention to your weaknesses and strive for passion. You grieve for loneliness, and our very title, monasticism, means solitude. You are not completely secluded, there are four of you in the cell, and soon your young like-minded ascetics Z... and V will arrive... It seems to me that it would be good to look at everyone and see in them the good side of those who are being saved, and not with a reproachful opinion, but consider yourself the last of all, then there would be peace and joy in your souls, escaping the vision and hearing of other people's infirmities, more than an acquirer of love and humility. Thank God, you have enough to do, the church is near you, just keep peace among yourself, humility will comfort you. I feel sorry for you that you, M.M., in addition to bodily suffering, are in languor of spirit and because of this you are depressed. Who does it depend on? Doesn't God arrange this? He allows this spiritual cross to test you and perfect your love for Him, and He knows the measure of your strength; Of course, the loving Father, who wants us to be saved, will not send us higher. From the fact that He visits you with sorrows, know the majesty of His love for you. For the Lord loves him, punishes him, and beats every son whom he accepts (Heb. 12:6). But He also sends spiritual consolations from time to time, when His goodness sees this as necessary for you. Because of my many illnesses, your consolations have made my soul glad (Ps. 93:19). Yes, it is necessary to think that you live in all external abundance and contentment, it is dangerous, so that they do not tell us: You have received Your goodness in Your belly (Luke 16:25), and sorrows make up for this lack. The depth of the wealth, wisdom, and mind of God is incomprehensible to us. Let us place all the hope of our salvation in Him, surrendering to His holy will. I received your letter dated September 21st, it is a heartfelt pity that you, M.M., are still ill, and even more painfully, that you are faint-hearted, fearing death, God grant that you may live for many years, but if it is His will to call us from the present to the future life, then only may He give us a Christian death, unashamed, peaceful, with the parting words of the most pure Mysteries of Christ, then how can this one compare? life with her eternal, blissful, without end? We, letting go of our fathers and mothers, departing with a blessed death, tenderly dissolve sorrow with the joy of the hope of a future life. Reasoning this way, you will be complacent in continuing your life and will not lose heart. If the thought comes that we are sinners, then we trust in the mercy of our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who suffered and shed His most pure blood for sinners, and interceded with the heavenly Father, the loving One who does not want death for sinners, awaiting their conversion. So, be calm. I remain a wisher for your health and salvation great sinner. Macarius. Peace be with you! October 7, 1855. Having received your letters, thank God that He preserves and strengthens you in your weaknesses, that you are at peace with each other, this is most precious to you, remembering what a burden sedition and unpeacefulness brought us, beware of irritation, even if it seems like a blessed guilt. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you (John 14:27), - said the Lord, we must keep this gift of God. Your indignation comes from pride, and who is its teacher? You know it yourself. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the teacher of humility. This brings peace, and this brings confusion, do not change the worst for the better. Thanking God for your contentment, have humility that you accept gifts and cannot worthily repay and, not having physical poverty, be poor in spirit and receive God’s mercy. I rejoiced at your consolation, which you received through the mercy of the Queen of Heavenly Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, who deigned to visit your cell with Her most honorable icon and splendid service, may the Lord send His blessing upon you, and may the protection and intercession of the Mother of God remain upon you all the days of your life. Thank the Lord and His Most Pure Mother for their indescribable mercies towards you, and your gratitude will then be true when you try to fulfill St. His commandments, keep peace and love among yourself and with everyone. Remember how great St. Macarius of Egypt, but did not achieve the measure of two worldly wives, although this was arranged for his humility, but the virtue of the wives was not hidden for the benefit of many. And you keep peace, do not allow the enemy to disturb the depths of your heart, and this is shown from your letters, in the place of your feat, confusion begins again, with self-reproach and humility crush the arrows of the enemy. That you chopped cabbage is good, the work is useful and saving, see my humility and my work and forgive all my sins (Ps. 26:18). Yes, and you will know how others work incomparably more than this, and please them, humbling yourself for your weakness. Asking for God's peace and blessing upon you, I remain a wisher for your health and salvation multigr. Hier. Poppy. October 12, 1855. October 27. Now you have a fair, and the whole monastery is on the move: preparing, purchasing, whatever anyone needs. And you have spiritual trading every day, in which you can wisely receive great spiritual benefits when you strive with self-reproach and humility, each considering yourself the last of the other, and not wanting to make up your own word. Remember how St. writes about this. John Climacus? He says that “such a person suffers from a devilish disease.” But you have the medicine ready, learn from the Lord Himself according to His holy commandment: learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:29). Here is peace, and there is confusion and anxiety, which is more valuable? You trade good for bad. And how to gain meekness and humility, according to the Savior, St. instructs. John Climacus in his three words, and other saints. the fathers who corrected things through deeds pass on their experience to us. By doing insignificant good, how can we be justified before God? Let us bring Him a humble conscience and show love to one another, for love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter. 4:8) and, coupled with humility, eradicates passions. How will we show that we are disciples of Christ? If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are My disciples, the Lord Jesus Christ teaches us (John 13:35). November 1st. This is already the tenth month of this year! How quickly time flies! The past is like a dream, but endless eternity! But we somehow think little about it: our brothers and sisters are moving there one after another, someday it will be our turn, we must come to our senses and make a good beginning from the present, and regret the past and bring repentance; when we remember our sins and are sick because we have angered God, then we do not crawl further into sins. St. David the Prophet prayed to the Lord to cleanse him from sin and wash him from his iniquity, since I know my iniquity and my sin is taken away before me (Ps. 50:5), then shouldn’t we always have our sins in memory? so that you may have a contrite and humble heart, (and this) God will not despise (Ps. 50:19). We sin daily and even hourly and do not feel it. Let us pray to the Lord that He will give us “this gift - the sadness of the thought of our sins” (89 words of St. Isaac the Syrian). I received your letter dated October 26, you, M. M., are still weak, do not be discouraged and do not be faint-hearted about this, God loves you and is pleased that through the labor of an illness of your body you will receive the salvation of your soul. And if your body were healthy and fat, you would have torment from passions, more severe than illnesses, and even with spiritual futility. So, in times of illness, turn to the Lord with thanksgiving, and God is able to send you spiritual consolation, alleviating the illness of the body. And since those who are sick and those who serve accept the same bribe, then you, M.A., take part in the sick one, forbearing with her weakness, and going after her according to your strength, you will receive an equal bribe. I received your letter from November 5th, thank God, who preserves you in a peaceful dispensation among yourself, although sometimes the depths of the heart are outraged by the outburst of passions, but where there is good will to preserve peace and love, there God’s help is sent. You learn from the scriptures of your fathers and know how to act in this struggle. “When the heart is troubled, guard your lips,” writes St. John Climacus, and add self-reproach to this, otherwise you can remain silent with your lips and grumble with your heart. How could we not humble ourselves, looking at our spiritual poverty, while having provision for everything and consolation in our bodily needs? Your illnesses, M.M., make up for your shortcomings, just accept them with gratitude and do not be faint-hearted. I sincerely regret you, but, of course, God, who loves you and wants to save you, sends you illnesses as needed for your salvation. He can, could, and free you from illnesses, but according to His will He does not do this, but gives you strength to endure them. If there were no physical illnesses, then mental illnesses would have crushed you even more until the wrath of the Lord. Said St. prophet: it is good for me, for you have humbled me (Ps. 119:71). May the Lord grant you speedy healing. November 19. Today the 67th year of my existence ends, and tomorrow the 68th year begins. The sun has completed its circle above me 67 times, and how many more will pass, only God knows, but we need to think about how and with what to appear in the next century. There is no excuse from works; only the mercy of God and the intercession of the Mother of God gives hope. Pray for me, who wishes you health and salvation. The sinful hieromonk Macarius. 1855. November 30. It’s been exactly two years since I was fired from my superiors and from the position of confessor, and I didn’t gain anything during that time, everything was the same. Why did you decide to make me look younger? I was born in 1788 November 20th, and I am exactly 67, not 66 years old. You are ordering me to live for ten more children, but is this really in our will? And ten years will pass, we will not see, and if God’s will is to die first, we must not grieve about this, we still must die and leave the dust of dust, but the soul is always alive. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Matthew 22:32), for to Him we all live (Luke 20:38). Whether we live or die, we are the Lord's (Rom. 11:8). Only grant, Lord, to pass from here in repentance, faith and hope of eternal life, for this let us all pray. The Lord gave M. M. consolation according to His goodness and mercy: for the multitude of my illnesses, your consolations made my soul glad (Ps. 93:19). Such consolations are either preceded or followed by rebellion, and this is the reason for our passionate dispensation, our passions are the door that closes this spiritual joy before us. Как мы можем войти в брачный чертог в скверных ризах? Но не стараемся очищать их. You (and I even more) do not try to pluck out these thorns and plant love and humility. One will be embarrassed by an empty word and will not pay attention to the fact that the confusion did not come from the word, but from her dispensation, she will not reproach herself, and the ulcer will remain in her. If you begin to explain yourself, it will also be seen not with humility; the other, instead of covering her sister’s weakness with love and humility, she herself gets irritated, and you are both “in active passions.” А надобно бы опомниться и приняться за дело спасения не шутя. You are free from everything, you have books and an understanding, you need to be moved to work, the hour is unknown when they will say: behold, the Bridegroom is coming (Matthew 25:6), and what will happen if oil is not found in our vessels? We will now try to prepare it, and then there will be no time, if the lamps go out, there will be nowhere to buy it. Now is the time favorable. Behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2)! We make it until the day is over (John 9:4). You, M.A., do not leave your infirmities without explanation, only humbly and consciously, and if you leave them like that, they will remain unhealed, and new ones will be added to them, then it will be more difficult to throw off the burden. I’m very sorry for poor N..., what a trial she had through her cell room! What to do, he will learn patience and art, because sorrow makes patience, and patience is art (Rom. 5:4), and when he humbles himself, he will calm down. You, M.M., write that when you were at Vespers, you felt a feeling of self-reproach, and from it peace and consolation (chap. 90, Mark inc.) This is our natural dispensation, and when we reproach each other, then this is already a supernatural dispensation, we must strive on both sides for the healing of it, and for this remedy - the same Mark ch. 209. I know that the enemy’s attack on those seeking salvation is great, but if we have a weapon - humility, then he will not stand, and without it, victory is on his side. Watch out! May the charm of the enemy not befall you, but may the Lord protect you and send His guardian Angel to instruct and protect you from the slander of the enemy. We buy until the day is gone, but we gain nothing by night (Luke 19:13; John 9:4). May the Lord bless you and help you maintain your good dispensation! I congratulate you on the eve of this joyful holiday and wish for your health and salvation. the sinful hieromonk Macarius. December 24, 1855. December 25th. Thanks be to the Lord. We celebrated Christmas Day safely, the solemn service and remembrance of the greatness of God and His ineffable mercy towards human fallen nature is touching and comforting to the Christian heart. Who will confess His mercy and generosity, revealed in the redemption of the human race! “The God of peace, the Father of generosity, the great counsel of Your Angel, you have sent us peace.” This is how the church expresses itself in the 5th Irmos, and all the hymns and troparia of the canon express the greatness and love of God for us. If our hearts and feelings were not darkened by passions, then how vividly and clearly would all this be expressed or reflected in our souls? But we, sinners, or I (I don’t know about others) read and sing the letter, but I cannot feel its spirit. That is why we need to cleanse our hearts from passions. We see from the writings of the fathers how the saints felt the actions of grace, we understand with our minds, but we do not feel them. Passions are a cover that lies on our hearts, preventing us from seeing the Sun of Truth clearly. Let us pray to the Lord in humility, and where there is humility, there the Word of God will shine. That’s how much I wrote to you, M.M. and M.A., and still haven’t congratulated you on the holiday. I congratulated you in absentia both at Matins and at Mass, now it is evening, and I am free to write these lines, I congratulate you, V. and Z., on this great holiday, I sincerely wish that you peacefully and joyfully spend these sacred days of the holiday. December 27. The third day of the holiday has arrived, time flows quickly and you don’t see how days, months and years pass and strive towards eternity! What have we prepared for it? How will we show up? Only hope is in God’s mercy and His love for us sinners. December 31st. Today is the last day of the year, and tomorrow the new year will begin. I congratulate you all on the eve of it and on its arrival. May the Lord send His peace and blessing upon you, and reward you with spiritual gifts and give you good hope for salvation, and this is what we need most, only this we can be worthy of when we acquire true humility. I remain a wisher for your health and salvation the sinful hieromonk Macarius. 1855 January 1st. I congratulate you, M.M. and M.A., on this first day of the new year on entering into it. The past 1855 has sunk into eternity and is no longer returned, but our deeds, whoever has done what, will remain with us and will go into eternity, good or otherwise, and everyone will be rewarded according to his deeds, even with the body (2 Cor. 5:10), and therefore we will try each of you to the best of our ability to fulfill the will of God, with His omnipotent help, in what way have you transgressed His will and have sinned, let us bring repentance in the hope of His love for mankind, and the mercy and merits of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ, without which our good deeds are insignificant. Let us strive above all to love our neighbor, for in his love lies the love of God, and to acquire humility, which strengthens all good deeds. Here's my wretched congratulations to you on the very first day of the new year. Peace be with you! January 9. I received your letter dated December 31st, I see your consciousness and desire to make a start towards bearing each other’s weaknesses, I rejoiced at this, only that your intention was not arrogant, but humble, conscious of your weakness and resorting to God’s help! Given our good disposition, there must certainly be a temptation by opposing actions; whether this is truly true, you know enough about all this from St. active fathers, and for you it is a living theory, then you need to force yourself little by little to cut off passion, and not by acting on it, then in the first case they weaken, and in the second they intensify, look at yourself, what state are you in - in the first or in the second? He who has understanding, let him understand what he should do. January 13th. Exactly, on the 11th I received your letter dated January 4th. I see that when you receive my letters, you do not find anger in me towards you, and I did not have it, but out of grief I expressed myself at you, perhaps rudely and harshly. You are not insulting me, but you are angering God with your disorder. When I see you in good health, then I rejoice and write to you differently, and when the opposite is present - sorrow, confusion and unworldliness - then the pen will involuntarily express the feelings of a sorrowful heart, not from anger, but from the desire to raise you up and remove you from the enemy’s snares. If you don’t write, then you need to remain silent, leave it - do as you want. If I did not have love for you about the Lord, I would not have written to you like this. January 18. I am currently in quarantine, I feel weak and have lost my appetite. Glory to God for everything, and I do not grieve in the least, but it is necessary to at least be a little sick, the damned flesh abounds in all comforts, while others suffer shortcomings, needs and sorrows, but the Kingdom of Heaven is acquired through many sorrows (Acts 14:22). January 26. I congratulate you, M.M., on your birthday, and you, M.A., with your newborn, are 29 years old, and the 30th year has come, and the thirtieth degree in the Ladder of John is love. Grant, Lord, for you and for us to ascend to this level and be established on it, on it God is established, for God is loving and, being in love, you abide in God, and God abide in him (1 John 4:16). Oh, if only we could acquire this treasure, not only in words, but also in deeds - love strengthened by humility! “The sacred duality is love and humility, the former lifts up, and the latter supports the ascended and does not allow them to fall,” writes St. John Climacus, let us enter into ourselves more often, recognize our weaknesses, reproach ourselves and humble ourselves, and at the same time cover each other’s weaknesses with love. When you, M.M., were 20 years old, on this day I, a sinner, blessed you with the icon: “The Savior took the lost sheep on the frame to bring it to the Father.” And now 9 years have passed since He called you from the delusion and delusion of worldly life and leads you on a saving path, let us give thanks to Him and strive to follow the humble path, for we are far from standing on that suffering path that the saints walked. the ascetic fathers and mothers who imitated them, and we, who are unable to live sharply and dynamically, will humble ourselves, and the Lord will save us; it is a great good thing that humility can save us even in addition to deeds, and deeds without it are useless, according to the word of St. Isaac (46). January 28. Today is the day of remembrance of our revered father Ephraim the Syrian, the gracious monastic mentor and tender preacher of repentance, who was honored with great gifts; through his prayers may the Lord grant us the end of our lives with repentance and find the mercy of the Lord on this day. Asking for all of you God's peace and blessing, I remain a wisher for your health and salvation many-sinner Jer. Macarius. 1856. January 29. Today I received your letter dated January 21, thank you for your prayer and zeal for my thinness on the day of my Angel. I heartily mourn your painful situation. M.M., how much you suffer, poor thing! But it is not without the providence of God that this is allowed, caring for the salvation of your soul; it only hurts me that you write so desperately, considering yourself worthy of eternal torment, saying: “And here I am severely punished,” and you do not hope to get rid of it there. The Lord came to save sinners, shed His priceless blood for us sinners, and gave us the hope of salvation, repentance and His great mercy. When you receive spiritual consolations, you don’t know how to thank God, and when, on the contrary, you encounter sorrow, you lose heart. Here too, thank the Lord, who heals your spiritual ulcers with astringent remedies, so that in the future you will receive His mercy, the feeling of humility has a different structure. Again I turn to you, M.M., about your sinfulness, do not lose heart so much, but in the humility and mercy of God, seek consolation; God looks upon the humble (Ps. 112:6) and helps in correction. Read from Peter of Damascus in two places “about repentance” and about “not yet despairing” (Good. Part III. according to the 1840 edition, pp. 64 and 58), and in the superscript on Nil Sora, towards the end of it, p. 47: “Those divine powers” ​​and so on. until the end. “Heavenly grace reaches everyone, but not in equal measure.” “The Lord wants to save everyone, but not to consecrate them,” and so on. You are tired of illness and grieving, I believe this, it is painful and sorrowful, but what can you do, who can resist the will of God? He is good and, of course, will work for your good. February 3. I congratulate you, M.M., on your Angel’s day and you, M.A., on your dear birthday girl, most of all I wish you health and peace among yourself. The Lord, who has given us this lofty and sweet peace, will help you, by destroying all the intrigues and instigations of the enemy that violate your peace, to acquire it and establish it firmly and unshakably on love and humility. I will go to late mass, then we will congratulate you in absentia, and although we are far from you, we have communication in spirit and thought, both prayerful and conversational, this is the dignity of the human soul, which, having been in one place, with mind and thought can go around everywhere that it knows, and this is part of “man created in the image of God.” This time, accept my zealous disposition towards you and desire for salvation according to God. I have been sick for the past two days and have not left my cell, but now it’s better; I received your letter dated January 28 on February 5. Although you do not stand on a high path, you have the will and diligence for salvation, you are covered with books, you are ready to teach someone yourself, but the enemy, envying your albeit small life and fearing not to allow you to succeed, vehemently attacks us and, finding the unarmedness of love and humility, throws us down with insignificant things. Neither prayer, nor fasting, nor almsgiving, nor reading - nothing helps without love, like St. The Apostle wrote, counting many kinds of exploits and virtues: I am not an imam of love, I am nothing, but like a ringing brass or a clanging cymbal (1 Cor. 13:2,1). In your letter of February 1st you don’t write anything special, only that it’s nice that things are now peaceful between you. A completely different life - peaceful versus confused. This is why the Lord’s coming was to give us peace, but we destroy it with our passions, acting against nature, and we know that we must strive against them, but on occasion everything is to the side, and the mind is darkened, and the strength of the enemy is exhausted, disturbing the enemy, and God’s help does not act for our pride and exaltation. Why did we leave the world if not to cleanse our hearts of passions and enter with purity into the mystery of this world? Now we read the ink and the letter, and then we will see its spirit in the Scriptures and we are or can be above the world, as we see many saints who achieved such dispensations in various degrees. Let us not, brothers and sisters, waste the time given to us in acquiring eternal bliss, as long as we are carried away by passions? I’m no longer talking about bodily needs and weaknesses in service, this is bodily weakness, although it should humble us, but about the spiritual passions of pride, vanity, from which rage, malice, envy, confusion, disorder and destruction of all order and good dispensation are born. This is what this devilish disease is like! How much do we have against this medicine? But alas, we leave the tuna and do not apply it in time to our wounds. I am sincerely sorry that... I was exposed to mental illness and is now being treated with strong medicine... You are grieving, but do not be cold, do not be faint-hearted, come to consider your infirmities, and flow into humility. How much does St. teach us? Isaac the Syrian knows enough about the benefits that come from temptations, but to excite yourself and strengthen yourself, I advise you to read in his words 5, 34, 35, 36, 37, 49, 57, etc., and whenever you want - according to the alphabetical instructions. Do not be horrified by sorrows - this is the path of salvation, God sends them and strengthens them in them, we do not carry out voluntary labors, but God draws us to Himself involuntarily. Read in Classes from 126 words to the end. You write about your unworldliness that it “comes over you like a wave,” and this is where you need to beware, beware, protect yourself with the fear of God and humility and be attracted to love. I’m very sorry for you, M.M., that you suffered greatly, try to force yourself as much as possible to patience and gratitude and submission to the will of God. This involuntary cross was sent to you from the humane Lord, so that the soul may be cleansed by the tart wounds of the disease of the flesh and will enjoy bliss forever. Who knows how long we will live? Yes, I hear feedback from many that in these troubled times, those who have departed from here to eternity are considered blessed, and even more so in faith, in repentance and in hope of the merits of our Savior and His ineffable mercy, then we should not be afraid of death, as if it destroys our existence. No, by death we are only stripped of the clay and enter the spiritual sphere, the region of the spirit, which St. proclaims to us. Scripture (John 14:2,3). And you, M. A., during your irritability, try to destroy yourself and remember the peaceful dispensation, how sweet and pleasant it is for everyone, as a gift from God, and thus calm the sick one: in case of her weaknesses, do not multiply her illness physically and your own - spiritual, we are all weak and we need each other, and what we do for our neighbor, God takes upon himself. Be healthy, peaceful and calm, meet the fast with reverence, and see off with soul-saving care. I remain the sinful hieromonk Macarius. February 25, 1856. Today is a forgiven day, I ask you to forgive me, M.A. and M.M., for my faults before you, and I forgive you for everything that you are guilty of before me. The saving week of the first Lent is coming, thank God, otherwise “permission for everything” is already tired, as St. writes. Dimitri. What a wonderful sermon he has for today, he offers a good meal and spiritual drink, but have they forgotten the salt? He says, but he also found salt. February 27. I congratulate us on the beginning of Lent, today we got up for Matins at 5 o’clock, thank God, it’s easy, food is not on our minds, not like the past days paid tribute to cheese week according to custom, and not according to the proper and established rule. I wish you to fight a good fight, “fast spiritually and physically, with an enjoyable fast, pleasing to God,” close the doors of your cell from people, the door of your tongue from speaking, and the door of your heart from evil spirits. I can’t tell you anything special, but in spiritual matters I am poor, you yourself are rich in the books of the fathers, feed your souls, but fear the famine about which it is written: after the famine on the earth, not the famine of bread, but the famine of hearing the word of the Lord (Amos. 8:11). But it seems that this does not concern you when you are diligent in choosing the good part of Mary, preferring Marfina. Asking for God's blessing on all of you, I remain a wisher for your health and salvation the sinful hieromonk Macarius. March 3, 1856. You, M.M., are embarrassed when you remember death, look at St. Isaac the Syrian in the 38th word, what difference does the fear of death make, and in general, mortal memory is useful, it helps us refrain from sins. This path is necessary for all of us, no matter how long we live here, but the soul still needs to be separated from the body for a while, so that later it can unite forever. This is a mystery incomprehensible to us; let us surrender ourselves to the will of God, we will repent and regret your sins, and He is able to have mercy and forgive our sins. March 25. “The day of our salvation is the main thing” (troparion of the Annunciation), on which I congratulate you, the mothers of M. and A., and I wish that the saving memory of this great sacrament of the Annunciation about the incarnation of God our Word for the sake of salvation, brings in your hearts the fruit of thanksgiving and the consciousness of your own badness and teaches you to humble yourself. How not to be surprised at the high humility of the Most Pure and Blessed Virgin Mary, She alone was found worthy to serve such a great sacrament - the redemption of all mankind, and had so much humility that, having heard the gospel of the incarnation of the Son of God from Her, she said: behold the handmaid of the Lord (Luke 1:38), but already called the Mother of God the Word (31:35). March 26. Yesterday at 4 o'clock the sad family of B. arrived, and they brought G., they will bury us. The deceased woman lies, her face depicts calmness and trust in God’s mercy towards her. She was 19 years old, in the very bloom of her youth she passed into the future, not knowing the seductions of the vain world, God foresaw the best about her. Eternal memory to her! You will probably regret it and remember it in your prayers to the Lord. Now, having heard the slander, you were offended, everything will pass, do not be sad about this, it is dangerous, according to the word of God: woe is it when all men tell you good things. After reading the 20th word of St. Isaac the Syrian, take advantage. Thank God that your family consoled you with a letter and a change in life for the better, yes, they are worldly, they live well, but what can we say about ourselves? How we live! Time flows like water, and everything is carried away into eternity, and we are in slumber, like immortals. March 31st. Yesterday we celebrated the day of our great mentor St. John Climacus. ABOUT! Whenever we honor him, no matter how little, by fulfilling his instructions and gaining victory over passions, ascending the ladder of virtues, at the top of it we find love, and love is God. This is where the Ladder leads him. April 5. The time is approaching to meet Christ with fronds and branches, but I don’t have them - love and humility, what should I do? I involuntarily need to humble myself and present to the Lord a contrite, painful and humble heart about my infertility. April 7. Remembering the great event, the miracle performed by our Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the righteous Lazarus, we glorify our Creator about the general resurrection who assured us, and we prepare to meet Him coming to the city of Jerusalem, on the foal of a donkey, to suffer for us with His will and to redeem us from the oath and sinful death, but what can we bring to Him? Only a humble feeling of love and gratitude, but we cannot do this on our own, but let us pray to Him, that He will command us to roll away the stone of bitterness from our hearts, and resurrect our souls that have died by sins, and free us from the bonds of sin. God! Everything is possible for You, everything is possible! “Lord, if I were here, my brother would not have died,” Mary said to Jesus (John 11:21, 32), and we, if we had the memory of Jesus with us, would not die in sin, let us make a beginning, with the help of God, to fulfill His commandments. April 10. I think you will receive this letter on the days of the luminous and bright Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, with which I greet you with a joyful Christian exclamation: “Christ is Risen!” - and I sincerely congratulate you on it, V..., Z... and M. T. May the Lord grant you to celebrate this holiday with heartfelt joy, spiritual consolation, and try to have peace and harmony among yourself, otherwise your letters are not pleasing me, you yourself know quite well where the harm comes from, and I do not want to darken the holiday with sorrowful and tart memories, but I only ask and beg you, sanctify the holiday with peace and harmony, remember what the Lord endured for the sake of suffering, but we do not want to bear the words, how can we say: “The day of Resurrection and we will be enlightened by triumph and we will forgive all those who hate us with the resurrection and thus cry: Christ is risen!” and so on. Honor Christ with peace, and He will reward you with spiritual consolation. You describe a pitiful situation... but the Lord is merciful and able to arrange for the best, pray to God, He has many means, He punishes and has mercy, humbles and exalts. M. N. does not need to undergo unction, she recently received unction, if several years had passed, then it would be a different matter, just that once would be enough, and it is dear that one often communicates with Christ through the reception of St. His Secret, may God grant her eternal good. April 11. So the Lenten service with bows ended today, will anyone live to see the next one? However, we always need to have a contrite spirit, a contrite and humble heart (Ps. 50:19) and ask God to grant us to “see our own sins and not condemn our neighbors.” Tomorrow is the remembrance of the Last Supper of the Lord, and, surely, you are preparing to receive St. The Mysteries of Christ, Lord help and strengthen you in this saving feat of indulgence, and even more so, M. M., due to the weakness of your health, you require special help from God, and most of all I wish you that your peace is not disturbed by insignificant things and words, take care to watch your hearts and cleanse them from passionate movements with the fear of God, prayer and humility. You have now probably confessed and received permission, may the Lord forgive you in everything and allow you to begin the great sacrament. April 13. Today I didn’t sleep again all night, and it was very tiring, after about two hours of matins I calmed down a little in a very light sleep, thank God for everything. What suffering did our Lord Jesus Christ endure? And we are burdened with small burdens. And if we endure sorrow or illness with thanksgiving, then by this we ourselves participate in the passion of Christ. I wish you all to peacefully and joyfully celebrate the holiday of the Resurrection of Christ and remain many And. M. April 14, 1856. April 15. I congratulate you, venerable sisters in the Lord, mother A. and mother M., on the upcoming joyful holiday of the Resurrection of Christ, I congratulated you at Matins. Peace to us! For us, Matins started at 4 o’clock, now it’s 7 o’clock, they announce mass. April 16. Yesterday I received your two letters dated April 7 and April 11. I sincerely regretted you, who were left orphaned by the late Fr. Joachim, the simplicity of his character and experience in dealing with spiritual children brought spiritual peace to all of you. There is nothing to regret about him; the Lord called him to eternal rest and reward him for his labors. Will the Lord send you someone to take his place? April 21. Today is the day of Angel M.A., and I again congratulate both of you on your birthday, may the Lord fill your hearts with spiritual joy and joy. Yesterday I felt weak and had a slight fever. So the holiday has passed, God will vouchsafe someone to wait for the next Easter, and our Easter is Christ, it is good with Him everywhere and always, whoever is worthy to love Him by fulfilling the commandments. April 25. Thank God that you celebrated the holiday cheerfully, but, unfortunately, by the end, instead of salt (love), you littered with some kind of rubbish of indignation. It’s wonderful that both are right, but there is no peace! The Lord blesses the upright in heart (Ps. 124:4), but your uprightness is all crooked, how long will it be like this? Be peaceful, healthy and calm. I ask for God's blessing on you and remain waiting for you, wishing for your health and salvation many-sinner Jer. Macarius. April 28, 1856. July 31st. With the help of God, I believe that you, M.M. and M.A., will now come to your God-saved monastery and to your peaceful cell, may peace and harmony remain between you, all that is most necessary for your peace and salvation, and may the Lord abolish all the intrigues and snares of the enemy, with which he disturbed your peace, disturbing your peace with insignificant things, inciting you to the action of passions. I humbly pray to the Lord, may He protect you in everything and calm you down, remember how dear the world is to you, who gave it to us? When the Lord went to our free passion for the sake of salvation, He said: peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you (John 14:27)! So, everything that is contrary to the world and revolts us is from the opposite, and we must abolish it through humility. August 1st. Today I received your letter from Orel, M.M. and M.A., dated July 29, I sincerely regretted that you had such a harsh time on your journey, how difficult was it for you, M.M., who was ill, to endure such a difficult journey? May the Lord remember your love and upon your arrival give peace to your body and souls, may your physical illness heal your mental ulcers. Believe in the Lord that He carefully allowed you to go through a painful life, so that through this He would arrange your salvation; undoubtedly, He could give you health, but His fate is unknown to us, and He does all this by loving you. Read from Abba Dorotheos about the patience of sorrows, how he opens the soul to relate everything to the providence and will of God. And you, M.A., being healthy, try to bear the infirmities of the sick and not allow yourself to become embarrassed, which can further upset your health, a lot has been said about this, we need to move to action, we have St. Fathers' writings are like life-giving plasters for our spiritual ulcers, and we should use them in decent cases, “not act on passions,” but resist them, according to the word of St. Abba Dorotheus. I suppose you arrived home yesterday and are now resting, but I don’t hope to receive letters from you soon, perhaps next Wednesday. August 5th. I congratulate you on the eve of the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ, “may your everlasting light shine upon us sinners” (troparion of the Transfiguration). many-sinner Jer. Macarius, 1856. In the evening, having received letters from your Sevskys who had arrived, I only managed to read one of yours and, quite tired during the day, I thought that I would soon fall asleep, but, on the contrary, an hour passed, another, no sleep, I began to read all the letters received, and now it was already an hour after midnight. August 7th. I decided to write these lines to you to tell you that I received your letter and was comforted, that although you traveled along a difficult road, you traveled safely, found consolation in your monastery, a warm welcome and silence in your cell. Peace be with you! May the Lord help you maintain peace among yourself according to your good will, and where there is will, there will be God’s help, although the enemy will not cease to raise a storm of your passions, but this is a temptation to your will, then cry out to the Lord. God! We are saved, we are perishing (Matthew 8:25); And you yourself will use the efforts of self-reproach and humility and you will see the storm tamed, and the silence of greatness will settle in your hearts. The cell will teach you everything, you will not see or know what is happening in the monastery, and you will avoid the judgment of others. May the Lord protect your monastery from all the snares and arrows of the enemy. Today you are tonsured, God grant that it may be a salvation for those who receive it. August 12. Having received your letter, I was comforted by seeing your good intention and will to maintain peace and harmony among yourself, which you can only fulfill with the help of God, and not arrogantly. With every good will for good, one must expect temptation from an opposing force that hates it. You know this well enough and you know what is needed to repel it and overcome it: knowledge of your weakness, self-reproach, humility and crying out to God. Humility crushes all the machinations of the enemy and snares. But when the sea of ​​heart is disturbed, the meaning is darkened, and we do not see our harm, then we must humbly cry out to the Lord, who can save our ship from sinking. May the most merciful Lord send down the dew of His grace on the seeds of your good will and efforts and grant them to bear the fruit of peace and harmony, and then love, for without it, as you yourself know, nothing pleases God: neither fasting, nor labor, nor the distribution of property, nor even martyrdom, but all like ringing brass, and like a clanging cymbal (1 Cor. 13, 1, 2 ). Merciful God, direct your path according to Your holy will! I congratulate you on the eve of the feast of the immortal Dormition of the Most Holy and Blessed Virgin Mary, our Intercessor and Intercessor of our salvation, may She, the Queen of Heaven, vouchsafe you to celebrate this holiday with a feeling of heartfelt spiritual consolation. I don’t have anything special to tell you, just peace, health and tranquility. Multigr. Hier. Makar. August 18, 1856. August 19. Today I received two letters from you, M.M. and M.A., dated August 8th and 11th. Glory to God that you have been worthy of communion with the holy mysteries of Christ, may this be for the health of your soul and body and for strengthening you in the feat of spiritual warfare. Here you have three sisters clothed in a monastic image, may God grant them to preserve its lordship in humility and love for God and their neighbor. I cannot hide from you that my heart is again struck with sorrow about your poor dispensation, or even more so about the strong storm rising against you, depriving you of peace and tranquility. Ten days have not passed, and the fighting has gradually increased, I did not even hope that the new measure - hiding thoughts from each other - could bring peace, although you suppress, as you write, the thoughts that arise, but they are not destroyed, but are a guarantee and lead to some kind of hatred against each other, perhaps the enemy’s abuse has intensified at the present time of your preparation for the sacrament, in order to sadden you more. But Lord! Raise up Your strength and come to save us (Ps. 79:3), seeing our weakness, crush the snares, snares and arrows of the enemy. I wrote to each of you especially as I found it necessary, God willing, that my words will be of benefit to you. He sees that I am writing to you out of a true desire for peace, tranquility and salvation. August 22. Isn't this wonderful? Sometimes I receive your letters after two weeks, but now I received them after 4 days, two suddenly, on the 15th and 18th, there was a test, and here there was consolation. In the first letters, dated the 8th and the 11th, it was very sad to see your confusion and languor, and I wrote to you that it was especially to the heart of each, thanking the Lord that through explaining to each other you received peace from your confusion, you have a remedy and should use it in case of need. Oh, that the Lord would grant you true reason, both in this and in all your affairs! But reason is a product of humility, seek this, ask God for this to grant you to see each of your own badness and look not for your own, but for your neighbor. God bless! Thank God, He did not allow the enemy to completely mock you, but abolished his intrigues, I saw how you both were sick and suffered under the weight of the torment inflicted by the enemy, and how each tried in her heart to destroy herself, God looked at this and sent His all-powerful help, keep this gift of God - peace and harmony among yourself; and during your illness, M. M., you really need this, and you, M.A., have pity on both her and yourself. I sincerely feel sorry for you, M.M., that you suffered greatly, and homeopathy did not help. You write that you have no faith in her, and neither do I myself; Of course, with the supervision of a knowledgeable physician, if one thing does not help, he can give another, and most of all God’s help is needed. So, let us devote ourselves more to His fatherly love, which provides for our salvation through this temporary suffering. He prepares for us eternal peace and bliss. May His will be done on us. August 24. I’m always in a hustle and bustle, and there are so many letters that my head can’t contain it; both in the mail and out of hand, I don’t know what to do, I don’t have time to read books. Tomorrow I’m thinking of going to B... and returning home soon for Fr.’s name day. arch. 28th; We are also waiting for the Sarov abbot, Fr. They had not seen Isaiah, their brother, for 38 years. I don’t know what else to write to you, I felt a little weak, and b. Il. he fell ill and became very weak, it’s a pity for him, poor thing - he caught a cold. August 25. Today he feels better, but the Holy Mysteries were communicated to him. I remind you again: with your efforts to preserve peace, the enemy will not be idle, but will use all intrigues to indignation, and you will take invincible weapons against him - self-reproach, humility and prayer. The Lord, despise the humble, will crush all his wiles and powers with His almighty power. Asking for God's blessing on you, I remain a wisher for your health and salvation, the sinful hieromonk Macarius. Which word is more good for you? 1856. Having received your letters, M.A. and M.M., sent on August 29th from the 22nd, then I could not talk with you, I often weaken from rumors, and there are many letters, looking at them, I grieve that I cannot satisfy all the demands, I am no longer exhausted and am no good for anything. Feeling sorry for M.A.’s relatives, I remember the diligence and diligence of their parents, how to provide greater education and place them among the glorious ones of the earth, and I told them the opposite and wrote to educate them in the spirit of Orthodoxy and humility, and not only for the world, but also for the future life, but in this they could not agree with me. Everything is possible from God, He is able to give them true reason and arrange salvation. There are many diamonds and expensive stones in the world that shine with virtue and humility. But we need to look into the depths of our hearts, and we will see how meager we are and deprived of this treasure - humility! You please me for imaginary alms, is there anything mine? Mine should be poverty, humility, love, and so on, befitting our rank, but I feel poverty and deprivation in everything. Thank God that you are peaceful with each other, I united you to live and for the common peace I offered life, which Elder Basil writes in the superface on the Nile of Sorsky, as a means to peaceful living. Help, Lord, save and have mercy, peace is most precious to us, it was left to us and given by the Lord Himself, but it cannot be combined with passions, we must fight and tear them out. What a pity for poor old woman M. X., a contemporary of my entry into the monastery. God’s wonderful visit to her blindness and deafness, her great external deeds were, but I don’t know about the internal ones, then, apparently, it is necessary, at the end of the days of her life, to endure temptation and the scorching fire of the arrogance of passions, and this is God’s special vision for her crowning and so that she receives a great reward in the Kingdom of Heaven, may the Lord strengthen her with His mercy, convey to her my compassion for her and blessing. I received your letters, M.M., yours dated 25, and yours, M.A., dated 22 from Ploshchansk, one of you labored at home, and the other in absence. God grant that your deeds be for the glory of God and the salvation of your neighbors and yourself, this is what our feat should be, and the enemy, who hates good, encourages everything to the opposite action, instead of love - to hatred, to envy, to enmity, to resentment, to self-reflection and other things that violate love, peace and tranquility, and with all this we anger God, who loves us and wants us to be saved and in our minds true to come. But He is long-suffering to us, has mercy on you and turns to Himself, pouring wine and oil on our sinful ulcers, sending sorrows, illnesses, and sometimes consoles us, we all know this and must remember: let us put a guard at the door of our hearts - the fear of God, take an invincible weapon - humility and prayer, and drive away the opposing enemies who approach us, the holy fathers teach us all this and more than this, as cleanse your heart from passions, how to instill virtues, and all this consists in fulfilling the commandments of God. What is a commandment? Love! But it does not consist in words, but in deeds: do not do evil things that perish, but do evil things that abid in eternal life (John 6:27). I don’t know what you did there, M.A., but you, M.M., described your studies and exercises, you ask about sometimes leaving or omitting church or cell rules, I leave this to your general will and reasoning, but I don’t advise you, M.M., to get too involved in your work, so as not to damage your health. And for omission of the rules, bring repentance and, when fulfilling them, humble yourself, and do not rise up, for God hears the prayers of the humble and their supplications (Ps. 101:18). September 4. Today we had a liturgy on the occasion of the remembrance of I.N., and today there was the death of the late Fr. John - 7 years have passed, time flows by the minute and years and centuries accumulate, only there is infinity! Eternity! And it is fitting for all of us to appear there (2 Cor. 5:10). September 8. “The Nativity of the most pure and immaculate Virgin Mary is a joy to proclaim to the whole universe” (troparion), and I, beloved sisters in Christ, congratulate you with this joy. ABOUT! May we be worthy to rejoice in this joy! The most pure and immaculate Virgin Mary was also humble, and therefore the Lord looked upon Her humility according to her words: Behold, for from now on all generations will bless Me (Luke 1:38), and we, sinners, and especially I, the most sinful man above all, are worthy to bless Her, even if from a vile heart and from my unclean tongue, but She, Blessing Mother, she does not reject us, but accepts and has mercy, begs her merciful Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, for long-suffering with us and for the forgiveness of our sins. O most merciful Mother! Appear before us at the terrible hour of our death, and at the terrible judgment of Christ, be the intercessor of our salvation. Having risen from sleep, having brought thanks to the Lord and His Most Pure Mother for preserving me and rising from sleep, I begin to write. The brothers went to the early one, and I will be at the later one. Today we have a majestic picture, a very rare event: our Fr. The archimandrite serves as a cathedral with three pairs, and in them his two brothers, abbots Isaiah and Anthony with him, priest for the first time with both, and perhaps for the last. 5 We longed with love to see this venerable old man Isaiah, and he consoled us with this and arrived on September 5th. I will continue the matter I started earlier. The Mother of God was humble, and the Lord looks upon the humble, we sinners cannot imitate her virtues in anything, for She was sinless and became the highest of the heavens and the purest of the lordships of the sun, the most honorable Cherub and the most glorious without comparison Seraphim, honored to be the Mother of the Creator and our God, and the salvation of the human race. We cannot imitate the height of her god-created humility, but, seeing so much of her holiness, who humbled herself, shouldn’t we, seeing our sinfulness and impurity, humble our proud wisdom? Moreover, the Lord Himself, humble and meek, gave us a commandment, so that from Him we could learn these virtues for our own peace (Matthew 11:29). Let's take a look at ourselves (especially since I, a sinner, must take care of myself), is there even a trace of humility in us? And do we strive to acquire it? We have it in our books, in writing, in the tongue, but it has not sunk into our hearts, and the slightest attack of a word, a glance, and, above all, a deed from a neighbor - we flare up with rage and inflate it with thoughts of reprimand against our neighbors, and we sword the poisonous arrows of words, and we remain, confused and embarrassed, not only for hours, but also for days, and what St. writes about such. Дорофей, ужасно сказать: «Под адом суть дóндеже действуют страсти!» Where is holy humility?! And it would help us. Пишу о сем, вам и себе напоминаю: нынче развернул книгу св. Hesychia, I read several chapters and what suited my situation, I will share them with you. Chapter 52: “Let us be awakened to the contemplation of our sins and the life of our past, so that by the remembrance of our sins we are crushed and humbled, so that we have unceasing help from Jesus Christ our God in the invisible battle, having been deprived of the help of Jesus by pride, or vanity, or self-love, we have lost the purity of our hearts, through which a person knows God.” Chapter 63 “The thing of humility, since it is highly creative by nature and is God-loving and consumes almost all of us the evils that are hated by God, further encourages us to acquire it, and that the devil is called unclean, therefore: I will reject this good thing, humility, and love pride,” and so on. Chapter 64 “The essence is many actions of the mind that can earn us the good gift of humility, if we are not negligent about our salvation: that is, the recollection of sins in words and deeds and thoughts and many other things that serve to humility, collected by vision” and further. I started writing just wanting to congratulate you on the holiday, and I never thought of writing so much, I don’t know how the thought itself merged into the pen. Through the prayers of the Mother of God, may the Lord grant both us and you the opportunity to see the trail of humility and follow it. Today is your patronal holiday. Congratulations. I.M. September 8, 1856. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace (Luke 2:14). Today we remember a joyful event today - the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ and the voice of the angels that proclaimed peace to us. I congratulate you on this coveted holiday of peace throughout the universe. May this peace be among you, and may it never be separated from you, and where there is peace, there is God: God is with us, understand Gentiles, and submit, for God is with us (Isa. 8:9)! Dark forces that violate our peace, move away from us, for God is with us! Here is my most zealous greeting, congratulations and good wishes for you on the day of the Nativity of Christ. With all my soul and with all my heart I wish you to calm down a little, and even more so, reading the book of Abba Dorotheus, it puts in the heart the action of self-reproach, humility and love, and you need to think about this, what the Lord said: if you have love among yourself, then everyone will know that you are My disciples (John 13:35). And again: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another, just as you have loved, and you also love yourselves (John 13:34). And again: this is my commandment, that you love one another (John 15:12), and again: this commandment I command you, that you love one another (John 15:17). That’s how many commandments there are in the evangelist alone, and the entire Gospel breathes the love of Christ and the commandment about it. Whose students are we? Christ's. But He said: then everyone will know how My disciples are, if you have love among yourself. What can we say about this? Who instills in us something contrary to the will of God? Clearly the devil. It's scary to say that we follow his suggestions. Oh may the most merciful Lord deliver us from this! You know that the devil labors under the influence of our passions, instilling nasty thoughts into each other, suspicions and reproaches, and this is what ruins love and harmony. Notice in your constant and daily actions when your hearts are indignant at each other, what you do and undertake. Are you trying to tame the storm with humility and self-reproach? You don’t have this - you don’t have conscious forgiveness, which brings peace and burns the enemy, but justification, zeal and strife, and all this amuses the enemy and gives him the strength to pour poison into our hearts and devour your works (Chapter 31 of St. Simeon), and 24 and 30 are about the harm of contradiction that it produces. Mark of the Ascetic, chapter 90, is about the unnatural, and therefore sinful, dispensation we are in, and chapter 209, how to overthrow rebellious enmity. You came out of the world, moreover, you were called by God Himself, who loved you, to seek salvation in the monastery. He gave you an abundant experience of His Word and the divinely inspired teachings of your fathers, partially opened your mind in them, and ensured your external residence. Why do we repay the Lord for everyone who has rewarded and will reward us! Shouldn't we love Him with all our soul, with all our heart and with all our thoughts and our neighbor as ourselves? And love for God lies in love for neighbors (1 John 19:20). But we see a great depletion of it in ourselves, and what answer will we give about this? You need to take care of this, force yourself, for women in need delight the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 11:12), and even more so, not having other virtues befitting your rank, you must force yourself to love your neighbor, and not only those who love and respect us and do what is pleasing to us, for the pagans do the same thing (Matthew 5, 47), but even more so, those who do the opposite to us, force ourselves to love. But you don’t have this compulsion; on the contrary, every nasty word and action becomes an arrow in everyone’s heart, and why is this? From the action of passions. Passion, if it lies, does not act, but when an opportunity arises, seeing it, when we try to resist, then in time it will be destroyed. But you don’t have any effort about this. You are well aware of the teachings of the fathers, when a passion stirs up in us from the actions of a neighbor or words, then it was not he who put it in us: it was lying there, it had a deposit, and our neighbor showed it to us by the sight of God - let us be healed, then we must thank our neighbor even more, that for his sake we have the opportunity for wisdom about the healing of passion, and also a means of obtaining remission of our sins by forgiveness to our neighbor, if we have definitely been offended by him, but with consciousness and self-reproach, we will not see his sins before us. Read more often “about reproaching yourself and not your neighbor” from St. Abba Dorotheus. I have presented to you means with the help of God, which, with your efforts, can give you peace over time. Pray to the Lord, may He arrange something beneficial for you, and I am and will desire your health and salvation sinful and... Macarius. December 28, 1856. January 1st. Having come from mass, I greet you with congratulations on the New Year with the desire: may your hearts be renewed by the grace of God for the best, for a harmonious and peaceful life among themselves, on which your salvation depends, and I pray to the Lord for this. I am very glad about the arrival of M.A. for the holiday, which proclaims peace to us, may there be peace among you, I sincerely wish that your life is based on a solid foundation - on humility. If you want to be disciples of Christ, then learn from Him love and humility, He commanded: “If you love one another, then you will be My disciples” (1 John 13:35), “learn from Me that I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). What is purer than this teaching, what is holier and more gracious - to be disciples of Christ? Based on these, whose disciples are we? It's scary to think about! If you have not gained love for tormenting your passions, then at least, seeing your poverty, resort to a strong stronghold - humility. When you have self-reproach and each considers herself to be the lowest and worst sister, then I bring great joy to you: the peace of God will be with you, and I will keep silent about otherwise. What are we looking for, what do we want? Of course, salvation, the kingdom of God, but how is it acquired? You are quite aware. How long is our age? Who told us that we will live to see tomorrow? In these poor times, many are expecting great upheavals and, perhaps, those preceding a worldwide fiery flood, then it is even more necessary for us to draw closer together with love and humility, so that the word of God is not fulfilled on us: the love of many will dry up (Matthew 24:12). Think about this better and don’t each look for “one’s own, but not your neighbor’s” for creation. Today A.S. was with me, she kept crying about her late brother. In modern times, one should not only regret, but should rejoice when someone leaves young, not infected with the current harmful opinions of unbelief, lack of faith, and self-belief. One zealous observer writes to me that in America some kind of society has formed under the name of Mormons, a special Christianity, polygamy is allowed, they are distinguished by their hard work, a whole province has gathered, up to half a million. It was as if an Angel gave their leader a new Bible, or golden book, containing every mixture of Christian dogmas and deviations from the truth. In Germany, a semi-Christianity is clearly preached, similar to ancient Arianism, it’s scary to say: the Divinity and miracles of our Savior Lord Jesus Christ are not recognized, and this false teaching is spread by the Lutheran pastors themselves - through printed books it creeps in everywhere. In Europe now the majority of educated youth believe in nothing but their own minds. The Pope is trying to bring everyone to Catholicism, and one of our princes and Jesuit Gagarin published a brochure “Can Russia Be Catholic?” - this is the disaster our church and every believer, and especially the younger generation, are in! But the idol of our time - unheard of luxury - makes everyone desire and seek wealth. Railways, telegraphs, worldwide merchants, nobility ridiculed. What does all this lead to? God knows! Nowadays words have become fashionable: antediluvian, universal. Antediluvian..., 6th World Exhibition. What are these words leading to? Let him who understands understand! The Parisian Archbishop Sibourg was stabbed to death by priests in a church, and he was a zealous preacher of the crusades of the Western Union against Russia, and that he was not political, but religious. How can our Catholic Poles stand up for our religion? Sibur is already in the newspapers. Do you see what our time is like? Shouldn't we draw closer to each other with love and humility? May the hour of death not befall us unprepared, and the worst of it is the darkened blindness spreading throughout the universe! How can we not thank the Lord for deigning to separate you from the world and remain in the Orthodox faith? When you frequently encounter people who oppose their wisdom, how long will it take for your mind to waver and get carried away by their opinions? Which often happens to many. So, let us thank the Lord with our hearts and lips, and with good deeds - peace, love and humility. Asking for God's blessing on you, I remain a wisher for your health and salvation. The sinful hieromonk Macarius. January 11, 1857. Having come from mass, I want to talk with you, beloved sisters in Christ. First of all, I congratulate us on our most venerable birthday boy, Fr. Abbot Anthony and then I congratulate you, M.M., on your approaching birthday, may the Lord give you mental and physical health, and peace between us, and arrange your salvation. You will be 40 years old, a perfect age, may the Lord enlighten your mind into the knowledge of spiritual truth and allow your heart to be cleansed from passions, so that you will see the Lord according to His false promise: blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Matthew 5:8). And I congratulate you, M.A., on your newborn sister, may the peace of God (and no other) be with you. March 26th. I thank you for your zeal for my evil, that on the day of my Angel you prayed for me and had a meal, I do not doubt your love for me in the Lord, may the Lord create for you. You write, M.M., that when you read the lives of your fathers and see their corrections, you despair of salvation, but if you cannot live like this, let us humble ourselves and accept love; these last will be first (Mark 10:31). Remember that humility alone saves, but other virtues without humility will bring us nothing, and even more so without love, as St. Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 13, 3, 4). And I see in you that each carries a justification within herself and sees the other’s dispensation in the opposite way, each is confident in her own truth, what kind of world will there be here? In your last letter it appears that you are peaceful and calm, then I sincerely rejoice and thank God for this. But according to repeated experiments, disturbances can occur, and until they are conveyed to someone, a soul may undergo a feat and be drowned. February 8th. This morning I arrived at this monastery, 23 years have become equal, how time is fleeting, and I have not seen how these 23 years have passed, and only God knows how much time remains to live. Only “Lord grant a Christian death that is not shameful, peaceful, and a good answer at the terrible judgment of Christ,” this is what we need to be concerned about most of all. There's eternity! You should receive this letter on Friday or Saturday on farewell days, then I ask you to forgive me for the sake of the Lord in all my insults to you, and I, a sinner, forgive you in everything. Who knows who God tells to celebrate Easter here. Oh, when would the Lord have vouchsafed to appear purified by repentance and humility and receive His ineffable mercy! His love for the human race brought Him down from the height of the glory of the Divine to a slave image. “Oh, humility! You are the robe of the Divine,” as St. Isaac the Syrian, and we, sinners, should humble ourselves, but there is no humility. I can’t boast about my health, but it’s all nothing, the trouble is that there is no humility, no love, no patience, even to begin with the beginning of St. fasting, crying out to the Lord, “grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother,” and I wish you the same correction. I commend myself and you to the Lord God, His ineffable mercy and the intercession of the Mother of God, I remain the desire for your health and salvation the sinful hieromonk Macarius. February 16th, 1857. February 18. Holy Lent Now we got up for matins at 5 o’clock, left at 8 o’clock at 11½, left at 1¾, thank God, although we were weak, but, strengthened by God’s help, we spent the day well, how did you meet the fast? Both in terms of health and mental well-being? I wanted to write more in greetings of the post, but my head is completely empty, and my passionate heart cannot regurgitate good words, read your father’s books yourself and learn how to resist passions. These villains of ours fight us until the end of our lives, whether it’s one or the other, but woe to us when we rely on ourselves and think that we ourselves can resist them, and we despise the reason for acquiring humility. I am writing this to you, but I am exposing myself, I am pleasing humility, but I am not acquiring it, I want to give to others what I myself do not have, woe to me, a sinner. February 27. Thank God that you, having become at peace, met the holy fast, and already on the third day you write to me about its continuation, although it is difficult for the body, it is comforting for the spirit: God grant that your peace continues constantly, based on self-reproach, humility and love, and not seeking one’s own, but also one’s neighbor for creation. But I don’t think that the enemy will leave you alone: ​​he will raise insignificant cases to self-justification and contempt of one another, and you listen to the teaching of St. Apostle Peter: All of you who obey one another, acquire humility of mind: God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. And further: be sober, be vigilant, your adversary the devil, roaring like a lion, walks around looking for whom you will devour, but you are steadfast in your faith to resist him! (1 Peter 5, 4, 8). Do you see how much caution we need against this warrior? And he overthrows the proud, because they have no help from God, who opposes them, but the humble by the grace of God overthrow the machinations of the enemy, and destroy the arrows and snares. Thank God that you are peaceful among yourself, this is best, most pleasant and salutary, but when the abyss of the heart is disturbed, all things appear in a different form, the enemy rejoices at this and is outraged on both sides. We, having known where there is peace, there is God, and where there is confusion and enmity, there is resistance, we allow ourselves to accept his excuses that are not pleasing to God. It is time for many to learn from training and experience; self-reproach and humility are reliable teachers. I’m finishing my mail, but I have nothing good to say, except that grief will overwhelm my poor soul. I hardly slept today, and not easily. I'm not enough of a sinner! Apparently, this must be the case, I teach people to endure sorrows, I must first bear them myself: God’s will be upon us! Everything passes and changes: the evening will be mourning, and the morning will be joy (Ps. 29:6), and just think: I have stopped in my abundance, I cannot move, I have turned away His face (God) and I have been confused (Ps. 7:8). Sorrows involuntarily humble us when we ourselves do not humble ourselves, and the prophet David recognized the need for them: it is good for me, for you have humbled me, so that I may learn through your justification (Ps. 119:71), and first do not even humble myself, I have sinned (Ps. 119:67). March 8. Yesterday I didn’t have time to talk with you, there was mass in the monastery, the celebration of the Help of the Mother of God and the day of my tonsure - 42 years old, I was honored to be at mass, after lunch we arrived..,.., and I stayed at the hotel until almost 7 o’clock. May the Lord rest in peace in the Kingdom of Heaven, sister M.A., who has left you! Today we must not cry, but rejoice for those who depart into eternity with repentance, in faith and the hope of a future life. God knows what awaits us here. March 9th. I congratulate you on the Lenten feast of the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste. Mass has passed, and I, a sinner, have been honored to be in it, even though I am unworthy due to the multitude of my sins, both past and present, but the most merciful Lord tolerates my iniquities, awaits repentance, and who knows how much longer I will live? Suitable for me St. Peter of Damascus begins the 24th word: there are many temptations, but no patience. What will I teach others? I wish you peace and health and remain I received your letter on Sunday. The confusion that happened between you is not new, but the action of underlying passions, what to do? It’s good that it’s passed, God forbid that not a trace remains of this incident. God forbid that they went to pray for me, the indecent one, who acquired a joyful spiritual feeling from prayer and from reading, which was later tempted by the fire of sorrow, this is usually: “When you pray as you should, expect something that is not appropriate.” 89th word of St. Isaac the Syrian is very good, here are some of his flowers: “The heart is filled with sadness about weakness and powerlessness, even about obvious bodily deeds, taking the place of all bodily deeds. Sorrow “of thought is an honest gift from God; man, who has cut off his tongue against men, is not worthy of this grace, on the day that you open your mouth and speak against anyone, not grieving yourself, being dead to God, and being vanity in all your deeds.” By the purity of our thoughts we can see everyone as holy and good. When we see them as bad, it comes from our dispensation. We really need heart disease, about which Elder Paisius cites the testimony of many saints in his lives, a lot of good things are written about this in the teachings of the fathers, when we read with faith and humility, looking out for ourselves and not others, and we are content with just simple reading, which is why the soul is both hungry and cold. Your embarrassments come between you and pass, what should you do? If only we don’t sink into our hearts with resentment, and this is when we don’t reproach ourselves, but carry an excuse and despise others. However, the whole point is that I, a great sinner, unworthily took upon myself the title of caretaker, and without myself having the guarantee of humility, can I entrust it to you? No matter how much I speak and write, when I myself am poor, can I enrich others? You see, the fruit of my sinful feeding, you grieve in vain for me, grieve because I, having been deceived, take up the care of others, and just as I am barren, I do not see fruit in others, it is dangerous that I will give an answer for this: doctor, heal yourself (Luke 4:23). This word comes to me. This does not apply to some of you, but I also see others who relate to me and are called disciples of an unworthy teacher who cannot enlighten them with spiritual intelligence: I myself am blind in my eyes, how can I show the way to others? Even if a blind man leads a blind man (Matthew 15:14), will anyone, enlightened by the grace of God, find the true path? So the fast is over, the other half is coming, and have I succeeded? Nothing! As days of night, so sorrows replace one another, you grieved over the loss of time to buy firewood, and this matter was corrected, then the illness of A... offends you, but the Lord is able to console you in this and grant her healing. And for you everything goes on as usual: illness and relief, weakness and strengthening, sorrows, and when we resign ourselves to them and see our own badness, then change, and everything replaces one another, and meanwhile we are approaching the end, then everything here will remain, but eternity will come, having no end, and somewhere we will find ourselves? Lord, have mercy! Today we have received good news, the Lord has rewarded us with the gift of a staff of monastics - twelve people, and twenty-four with novices. This is a great mercy to our monastery, now 24 people of taxable status will be added to the refuge and will not be subject to a new audit. What shall we repay to the Lord for all who He repays us? I will take the cup of salvation, and I will call on the name of the Lord (Ps. 115:4). We must care about our salvation and bring praise to God, so that He will help us fulfill His will. I congratulate you on the current feast of the praise of the Mother of God and on the upcoming Annunciation of Her, our main salvation, may She console your hearts with spiritual joy, and even more so when you cleanse them of passions and with purity of thought contemplate the mystery of the incarnation of the Savior. On pure hearts, Grace itself writes its own laws. Asking for God's blessing on all of you, I remain a wisher for your health and salvation! Macarius. March 23, 1857. I congratulate you, beloved sisters in Christ, on this all-joyful holiday - the beginning of our salvation - the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. Her great humility and purity elevated her to a high degree - to be the Mother of the incarnate Word of God, for the salvation of the whole world. The Most Holy of Holies had such humility! And we, sinners, do not humble ourselves in the least despite all our shortcomings. We now had a solemn and consoling service; we left mass at one o’clock in the afternoon. God bless! My health, thank God, is good, only at times sleep leaves me and because of this I feel strong exhaustion, languor and weakness, due to my sins I am not worthy of it. M. N. is healthy, but grieves over her sorrowful life, we are all debtors, we need to pay here so that they don’t collect it there. I have now received your letter. Since the 16th there was a storm and strong excitement, but with the help of God and the prohibition, the storm became silent and the excitement ceased, but how long will the silence last? Who knows. Of course, there is indignation for the sake of my sins; if the word of nourishment had come from pure lips and from one’s own good deeds, then, surely, it would have been different. I wrote to you about my thinness, and you are offended at me for this, and it’s all my fault, forgive me! Many are my wounds, a sinner (Ps. 31:10). And what other answer will I give at the Last Judgment of Christ about the evil things I have done? Read what is appropriate to my denunciation in the Works of St. fathers. T. XVI, part 5, p. 292, top two verses. March 30. I congratulate you on this holiday of the resurrection of Lazarus and tomorrow’s week, and at the same time I congratulate you on the upcoming highly solemn and all-joyful holiday of the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May God grant you to meet and celebrate it peacefully, with a calm feeling of gratitude and with heartfelt spiritual consolation and joy. April 2. Having written to you, I congratulated you on the approaching holiday, now I congratulate you again, and since you will receive this letter on the days of Easter, I greet all of you and your loved ones with a joyful exclamation: “Christ is Risen!” May He please you too and enable you to hear inwardly: Rejoice (Matthew 28:9), as the women who came to His life-giving tomb heard from Him and did not find Him in it, but saw Him risen and heard this joyful voice. Yesterday I received two of your letters, thank God that I see peace remaining between you. Oh! Let us take care of this peace, left to us and given by the Lord Himself: peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you (John 14:27)! He is eternal! Oh, so that in eternity he may not be separated from us! Today is the day of the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, we remember them and should, with a feeling of gratitude, fall with our prayers to the Lord. God's love for fallen man gave up to death His beloved Son, who took our flesh from the most pure and blessed Virgin Mary. The entire universal Orthodox Church is filled with reverence on these holy days. Glory to His bounties! Glory to His mercy! Yesterday, many were honored to be partakers of His Mystery Supper, and our brethren were honored with this great gift and mercy of God. What shall we render to the Lord for all that He has given us? He does not require hard and difficult things from us, but commanded us to love one another. His dying covenant was fulfilled by this Divine conversation, and in this love love for God is fulfilled, and its reward is eternal bliss! Who doesn't want this! But meanwhile we are far from it. What does the opposite action of love lead to? Everyone knows. May the Lord grant us to fulfill His holy will, let us ask for His all-powerful help. Now I congratulate you, M.A., on your angel’s day, which will be on Friday during the holy week, and you, M.M., on the birthday girl. May God bless you! I feel great weakness and exhaustion, and the mail is great, at least I’ll tell you a little and greet you again on the holiday: “Christ is risen!” I wish you all to joyfully exclaim: “Christ is risen!” On Palm Sunday Fr. N. was promoted to archimandrite. God grant that this will serve him for salvation, and not for ambition. I remain the sinful I. Macarius. April 6, 1857. April 7. On this most joyful day, I greet you with a joyful exclamation: “Christ is risen!” During Matins, I greeted you and handed over the golden egg to G.A. to be delivered to you. God bless! We celebrated this bright holiday peacefully and calmly, and there was nothing special. The weather in the morning was harsh, cold, and it was snowing, and in the afternoon it cleared up, the sun cleared, and it became warm, God grant that the ever-present light may shine in our hearts, but this can happen when we purify our feelings, and then “we will see the resurrection of Christ shining” (canon), and when our mental and physical feelings are darkened, we do not see anything spiritual, but only outwardly we celebrate. April 8th. After the mass there was a prayer of thanks for the granting of statehood to us, they drank tea with me, and Fr. Anthony dined and also the Oryol learned hieromonk V., he stayed with us throughout Holy Week and Holy Week. And yesterday I forgot to write to you: after the meal I was in the living room and went around and congratulated everyone. How did you celebrate this joyful holiday? April 12th. Having come from mass, I hasten to congratulate you, beloved sisters in Christ, M.A. and M.M., the first on the day of the angel, and the second on the birthday girl. I wish you all the good and good, and more than peace, harmony and salvation; from the excess of the first, the second will also result, that is, salvation. If you love one another, you will be my disciples, said the Lord (John 13:33). Yesterday I received your letter dated April 3, seeing from it that you still have peace between you, I rejoiced at this and sincerely wished that it would continue forever, and even more so on this bright holiday there would be purely joyful peace. Where there is self-reproach and humility, there all forces of resistance are destroyed, and peace is affirmed. Help you, Lord, to tame the agitating storm of passions with self-reproach and humility, attract the gaze of the Savior to yourself. Who will I look at? only against him who is meek and silent and trembles at My words, says the Lord through the Prophet (Isa. 66:2). April 19th. Beautiful morning! And in general, since the new week, the weather has been beautiful and beneficial, the grass begins to cover the ground with its pleasant carpet, the trees have begun to move, have shown their fruitful caps, bees are flying, collecting sweet juices from trees and herbs wherever they can find them, the birds are singing, praising the Creator, people in the fields and gardens are cutting the reins of the earth, throwing seeds with the hope of reaping fruits for the continuation of life. And for us, in the words of this week’s canon: “Today is spring for souls, Christ has risen from the grave, just as the sun has risen on three days. The Queen of Times, most clearly bestowing her gift, colors the chosen people, the church, constantly singing to the risen Christ.” We also need to be renewed from the decay of passions to the acquisition of virtues, and more than love and humility; with them and other virtues, plants will flourish and bear fruit. K. write and rejoice about the proposal made by M., a Catholic, but I am not happy about it, and if it happens without him joining our church, then I will greatly grieve, I wrote to them that there is no my blessing. They are so indifferent to their religion, they write that “there is little difference,” and they do not understand what can happen from differences in faith both in marriage and in raising children. One thing is that they approach the cup of Christ with different thoughts, and many other dogmas are already separating their union of friendship and like-mindedness. And that he would later convert is doubtful; on the contrary, they have an idea in the West and in all of them to Catholicize all of Russia, and many are already starting to do this. And from the nation, princes Gagarin and Golitsyn, who accepted their faith, write brochures and send them to Russia, read in this year’s “Christian Reading” in the January and April books of Muravyov the article “To those who have fallen away from the Orthodox faith” and about the book of their missionary, Prince Golitsyn. What hope for a happy fate is there? Will cold indifference to faith alone bring false and imaginary peace? I don't want this. Asking for God's blessing on all of you, I remain a wisher for your health and salvation and. Macarius. April 27, 1857. If the Lord blesses N.N. to be your boss, then see how wisely He prepares her with sorrows, and if without them she took the reins of government, she might become proud, but if she were tempted by sorrows, she will be more humble, because sorrows humble. Joseph was not previously a great man, but his nose was humbled in chains, and his soul passed through iron (Ps. 104:18), and then all Egypt slavished before him. Apparently, God’s providence acts both there and everywhere, leading us through sorrows to salvation. When the church was persecuted by pagan tormentors, then all Christians had peace and love among themselves, the persecution subsided a little, and heresies and discord opened up between believers. Look at yourself, when you are in grief, there is peace between you. I do not want you to be in sorrow, but I offer this truth and wish that both in sorrow and in joy you will be peaceful and agree with each other. If your will is good, God will send you his help. I reported your sorrows to my brothers, and together we grieved over such a disorder in your monastery and, looking at ourselves, we pleased you, who are currently suffering. May the most merciful Lord have mercy on you, and may the Mother of God intercede for your monastery. We humbly pray, and you pray, for your Master, being sick about your monastery, sent you her most pure icon, as a guarantee of her intercession and protection for you, and this is a sign of her mercy towards you; just as the image depicting the sign of the Most Holy Theotokos protected the great Novgorod, which had no help from strong enemies, so may the Queen of Heaven protect your monastery from invisible enemies who have taken up arms and are trying to plunder the flock of Christ and kill not the bodies, but the verbal souls. Lord, have mercy on all of you. You, M.A., find in yourself the guilt of the sin of self-love and cannot hate it, and it is in all of us, the main guilt of sins, everything comes from it: pride, and vanity, and anger, and lust, and love of money, and envy, and so on, but in general we call pride the guilt of all sins. “Where the fall followed, pride preceded it,” writes St. Climacus. Thus, it is necessary to attack both pride and self-love, like the serpent and the scorpion (Luke 10:19), with constant self-reproach, seeing one’s own badness, preferring one’s neighbors, accepting annoyances and reproaches, albeit with illness, distrust of one’s reason, rejection of one’s will, and so on. For all this you need to have a feat, and God will help. September 17. Today there are many birthday girls, relatives and friends, I congratulate you on them. We have enough nuns, and I’m still not free, I don’t have the opportunity to sit in a cell for even a single day. Our dahlias have completely faded after another snow, and we have already taken them out, but the other flowers are still showing off and blooming; so our life, no matter how long it may be, but against eternity, like grass, the morning will flourish, but at supper it will fall away and wither (Ps. 89:6), his spirit will depart, on that day all his thoughts will perish (Ps. 145:4), “every one born on earth is troubled in vain” (sedalen zaup. canon), but passions fight us, and those who had no fear God, we are conquered by them, and for this reason we endure sorrow if we do not bring uniform repentance and the labors of it, and even more so when we do not humble ourselves. Forgive me, I wrote to you something that I myself do not have - humility, although you will already acquire it and pray for me, a sinner. I. Macarius. September 20th, 1857. It is very sad to know nothing about you until now, beloved children of Christ: somehow you got to K. and I., did the fast ride harm your health, M. M.? In your note from P., it was not very pleasant to see that there were expensive contractions on the pushes, and there is still a lot of work on the railway. Tomorrow we expect a letter from you from K., but if we arrived at 2 or 4 o’clock on Friday in M., won’t we receive it from there? What I would really like to know about you. Both with you and after I was very tired, the arrival was enough, but I was on time everywhere. After your departure, N. N. M. arrived the same day, was honored to be a communicant of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, and left yesterday afternoon. Today we had a celebration in the monastery: the joining of our Orthodox Church from the Lutherans K.P.G. with the name Peter, this is the steward N.P.K., their priest Fr. A., and I was the recipient. I can’t tell you anything special yet, I feel better compared to those days, only now there’s a big post office, and now it’s already half past 11, and I’m still only writing the first letter to you, and my assistant is helping, writing some letters. I congratulate you on the upcoming holiday of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, may He grant you to meet you in good health and give you heartfelt consolation and spiritual joy. I congratulate the most respected A.I. and S.I. on the holiday, I wish them and their children to celebrate this holiday peacefully and calmly with heartfelt joy. December 22nd. Today we were very happy to receive your letters, beloved children in the Lord, thank God that you arrived quickly and safely to M., and He strengthened your, M. M., frail health. Now you must be on the road to P., and the frost is great, strengthen you, Lord, and help you arrive safely and be consoled by a joyful meeting with your family, we will wait for quick and pleasant news from there. God bless your journey. I was pleased to read your letters, that you are peaceful among yourself, and I thank God for this, I ask you to continue this in the future. Our brothers thank you for the memory of them and mutually bow to you and greet you on holiday. December 23rd. Today we have a deep frost - 23 degrees, and now you must, with God's help, be in P., with your loved ones. If you write soon, then maybe we’ll get it on Thursday, the 26th. Yesterday evening and this morning I feel somewhat weak, but, God willing, it will pass, a lot of letters have accumulated. December 24th. I congratulate you on the eve of the holiday, I imagine that you are now with your family and will celebrate this holiday with extreme joy. December 26th. We celebrated the holiday, thank God, safely and calmly, we remembered you, how you celebrate there, and, of course, there was an all-night vigil and mass in the corps church. I was heartily glad that you arrived safely, in such great cold and such a fast ride, thank God that without damaging your poor health, M. M., it was so pleasant to read and seem to see your joyful meeting and meeting with your family, which I expected and thought would be so. May God grant that your kindred friendship and love will remain forever between you, and that you, M.M., will see more people the same age as your youth. But with all the pleasure and affection of your relatives, thank God that you are not carried away by the pleasures of the world, but remember your calling to spiritual life, the consolation of which, when God visits someone and deigns to taste the slightest particle or just a small dawn of that light, he considers it incomparable with all the joys and treasures of the whole world, may the Lord strengthen you in your field, whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light (Matthew 11, 30), however, when we ourselves do not make it the opposite. You understand this, for whom and why it is cramped and unfortunate. Staying there for a month is very enough, seeing each other, talking about what you need, and spending time in a friendly family circle is very enough. We need to remember that cheese week is very vain and word-of-mouth in the world, and the first week of holy fasting should be devoted to spiritual studies, although the noises in the world fall silent with the onset of Monday, but you all cannot combine your duties with the customs of the world, with all their piety. You know the instructions of St. fathers! “A monk is outside his cell like a fish outside of water,” the futility of both is known to you, and do not rely on yourself at all, but remember St. John of Damascus church rite, 8th tone antiphon: “Let my heart be covered with the fear of Thy humble mind, lest it be exalted from Thee, O All-Bountiful One.” I think you have already heard about the death of the Most Blessed Metropolitan of Kyiv Philaret. December 21st. On that very day it was given to Moscow to know about this, but we have not yet received news from Kyiv about this event. It is a pity that the church has lost such a hierarch, but apparently the time has come for him to rest from his labors and receive a reward for them, through his prayers may the Lord have mercy on us! The Most Honorable A.I. and S.I. I congratulate you on the upcoming new year, may the Lord bless them and all their children in the new year, and help them in all their affairs, I sincerely thank the most venerable A.I. for writing to me, but it’s my fault that I don’t particularly write to him, my strength is bad, I write by force. I remain a wisher for your health and salvation, asking for God's blessing on you. January 2nd. Yesterday I did not write to you, beloved children of the Lord, but I mentally congratulated you on the coming new year, and today I greet you and all your relatives in writing, having celebrated this new year, I wish to spend it in the pleasure of God, in health and prosperity, in the search for the kingdom of God and the righteousness of His guilty and external prosperity. I was sick for some reason and didn’t go out yesterday, but now I feel better. I received 23 letters yesterday and today, it took me a while to read them, but I don’t know what to think about the answers. I also received your most pleasant writings, I was glad that we celebrated the holiday healthy and calmly, thank God that your relatives also look pleasantly at our rank and understand the way of our life, not forced, but voluntary, not breathing gloom and boredom, but enjoying freedom and consolation in the Lord; As each dispensation progresses, if there are any temptations, then worldly ones are even more susceptible to them, but we, remembering the words of the psalmist: “Because of the multitude of my illnesses, Your consolations have made my soul glad,” we accept them complacently and humbly. With all your mutual pleasure and consolation from love, everyone should remember and learn from Psalm 136, I don’t repeat its meaning, but you know it yourself. Soon, soon, we will sing it, may the Lord give each of us a sense of its reason. In the last letter I wrote to us: “Let your heart not be lifted up,” and now I also repeat: watch for thoughts of exaltation, either from praise, or from the spiritual mind and understanding of things, or from the spiritual consolation with which the Lord visited someone, for these (thoughts) are so subtle that many are inconveniently understood, humility alone can only distinguish and catch them, you know this quite well. Don’t boast about anything and don’t rely on yourself, don’t be abandoned and don’t fall into darkness, remember the monastic wealth - humility! It will greatly protect you from all the snares and snares of the enemy. You write, M.M., that your sister cousin N.N. is thinking about joining our path, God grant that there be His true calling for her, of course, for the world it will seem strange, but from God everything is possible - and to call her, to enlighten her and strengthen her; Just beware of making your advice forced, but leave it to the will of God and her own free will. January 10th. Yesterday I received your letter, beloved children in the Lord, seeing your grief over your talkative and vain spending of time, and I regret and grieve for you. It’s nice to meet close relatives, but prolonged fuss is tiring and inconsistent with our rank, and I’ll also say – even dangerous. Although you write, M.M., arrogantly, that the worldly, vain life cannot seduce you in comparison with ours, but could there not be some deviation in an unskilled mind? Before us is a living lesson from Fr. I., M.M. and I often grieve about this. I didn’t want to write to you about this, so as not to bring sorrow and not to disturb the family and related pleasures you enjoyed there, but fear prevailed, and I decided to write these lines as a warning to you, and especially to you, M. M. The love of relatives, the desire to see you and praiseworthy comments from everyone and everyone about you are flattering, but at the same time, conceit, vanity, self-esteem can creep into you - bitter fruits You know them, having darkened the mind, where will passions lead? St. Isaac writes in the first word: “As soon as a person is found who can endure honor, (to accept honors without being damaged by pride) he (perhaps) is not found at all.” St. Elijah Ekdik chapter 39: “Reproach for crying out, but praise makes a weakened soul and becomes more inert toward the good.” You know that I am writing this to you out of love for you, and not to offend you, a warning, perhaps, will save you from the snares of the enemy. In past letters I wrote about not being exalted in praise and remembering the wealth of a monk - humility, and now I have shown my fear more clearly, but I ask you, for the Lord’s sake, do not be offended by me for this, but accept truly out of love the desire to be preserved from harm, for which, even though I am unworthy, I pray to the Lord. I sincerely rejoice over the kindness of your uncle N.N., but I sincerely wish that it would be illuminated by the light of Orthodoxy, you wanted to talk to him about this, but I did not advise you, but now I give advice, when the opportunity arises, try to throw a seed on good soil and fulfill the desire to see him in Orthodoxy and resort to the intercession of the Queen of Heaven. She will enlighten the eyes of his heart, I ask you to tell him from me my zealous respect and desire for true good. This is how my time is wasted, yesterday I didn’t even write two letters all day, and my entire desk is covered with letters. If it weren’t for A.I.’s help, I would have been in unpaid debt, but today I felt a little unwell, yesterday I caught a cold. To the most respected N.N. and N.N. I express my zealous respect and, asking for them, their children and for you, God’s blessing, I remain a wisher for your health and salvation sinful and... Macarius. January 11, 1858. Yesterday I sent a letter to you, beloved children in the Lord, and now I’m starting to write to you again. I received your letter dated the 7th today, thank you for carefully informing about yourself, I rejoice that you are protected by God in the midst of a noisy secular conversation, maintaining peace among yourself, which is dearer than anything else. Having peace with our neighbors and among ourselves, we can achieve peace within ourselves. Your considerable feat, the journey to the Lavra and to the Resurrection Monastery, and there visiting relatives and friends and household rumors - all this, without habit, tires you to death, for secular people this is nothing: they seem to have become close to it and it is easy for them, however, to become close to them in their bodily feelings, and the soul is smooth and, as it were, lulled to sleep. You know the words of Isaac the Syrian: “What fattens the body harms the soul,” and vice versa: “What is useful for the soul is intolerable for the body.” We visited our relatives and friends, consoled them and consoled ourselves, thank God, and it’s time to go home. God bless you for accepting my warnings with love, and I also wrote on the 7th, but I’m afraid it won’t be worse than Demyan’s fish soup. Thank God that you, M.M., caught the thought of covetousness. Yes, according to St. Climacus, this passion is the daughter of unbelief, whoever possesses it will not soon be freed from it, and where there is faith in God’s providence and His care for us, there it does not have such power, and therefore we must always reproach ourselves for everything and ask for God’s help. Repeating the reading of your letters, I see that you, M.M., are often carried away by your opinion of yourself, and of your pseudo-spiritual mind, and the desire for praise for this, although you reproach yourself for this, but your own reproach is easier than accepting it from others (Demyan’s ear again). I can say that from the trial I learned that in whatever or whom I boast, then through it I suffered strong temptations, but still have not learned, and have not achieved, and have not acquired the riches of monastic humility! It seems that the Holy Scripture instills in us enough how harmful conceit, exaltation and great praise are: I said, in my abundance, I do not move: I turned away Your face and was confused (Ps. 29: 7), and again: let those who say good things, good things turn back and be ashamed (Ps. 39: 15), and there is much more in the Holy. Scriptures of instructive words that keep you from exalting yourself. May the Lord enlighten you to true spiritual understanding and illuminate it with humility. You compare your childhood with your present situation. This can be said: this is the betrayal of the right hand of the Most High (Ps. 76:11), and you recognize His mercy towards you, but beware of reproach, I tell both of you, for it slips through your mind. They praise you that you can bring benefit there with your presence, may your ears be blocked from these seductive words, may God grant you to return to your abode soon. The bird flies to its nest and creates eggs, and the monk hurries to his cell and creates spiritual fruit. You write about P., M.A., that he has a new obstacle to retirement, in this he must see the special providence of God, calling him to serve the fatherland, He will save him from exaltation, I wrote to him a lot about this. May the Lord bless you and keep you in peace and health and return you safely to us. I remain the desire for your salvation. I. Macarius. January 16, 1858. Last post I wrote to you, beloved children of the Lord, from Belev, and now I am writing from Bolkhov, where I have been for the fourth day. Glory to God, strengthened by His help in all possible strength. I congratulate you, you, M.M., on your birthday, and you, M.A., on your newborn sister, may the Lord renew her life, and yours in general, with personal heartfelt order and grant you mental and physical health and send down His blessing. I believe that you will still receive this letter in St. Petersburg, and I will no longer write to you there, I expect your safe return by the end of the cheese week. Oh S... I haven’t heard anything from anyone here. I was in the local community twice in the service and with them, everyone willingly accepted my thinness, everyone wanted to be saved, and there was a lot of harvest, but few laborers. The Lord is able to save them! I don’t know anything about our monastery, since the 16th, since my departure, I haven’t heard anything, I wrote to them from here, but they didn’t think of writing, maybe there was nothing to write, and they thought that they wouldn’t find me here. In B... I find out, there are frequent rumors there. January 24th. Yesterday I returned from Bolkhov, I received many letters, including from you, beloved sisters in the Lord, two letters. Glory to God that you, preserved by God’s grace, are at peace and well, in the whirlwind of rumors and vanity of battle you are not disturbed, this is how it should be. I know that you are bored with the rumors, but you involuntarily obey the vanity, it’s time, it’s time to go to your cell, there you have seen quite a few rarities and heard enough news, have taken a closer look at the customs, God grant that this does not bother you with memories in the cell, and moreover, the affection and love of your relatives will not soon leave your memory. Having entrusted you to the protection of God and the intercession of the Mother of God, I remain the wisher for your health and salvation Hier. Macarius. January 24, 1858. February 16. And now I have a letter from you, M.A. and M.M., dated April 9, and I sincerely regretted you, M.M., that you are so often sick and have suffered from a cruel illness. I think this happened due to compulsion at work, because there was no other reason, but what to do! Apparently, it is God’s will for you to be patient. He is powerful to strengthen you. February 17, morning. Yesterday I didn’t have time to write to you anymore, we were at the all-night vigil, and now at half past six the brethren went to the early mass, and I will be at the late mass. I just got up and received the news that yesterday at 11 o’clock at the end of the vigil K.V. died a blessed death. Yesterday I was with her during Vespers, and at the beginning of the All-Night Vigil Fr. P. told her the Holy Mysteries, lay very calmly and cheerfully, awaiting her departure, was in memory until her death, crossed herself and wiped the sweat from her face, spoke, but very quietly and weakly, little could be made out. The merciful Lord granted her such a blissful death! They unctioned with oil, communicated the Holy Mysteries many times, and she accepted with great joy, even the last time. The kingdom of heaven and eternal memory to her! The funeral will be on the 19th. God brought her to live in the monastery for several months and die in our monastery; in her illness she was not faint-hearted and did not complain, but only wanted permission. May God grant everyone such a peaceful and calm death. I sincerely rejoice that you are at peace with each other, God grant that it always be established between you. And pathetic poor N. and P.! One is already drinking the cup of mortal sorrows, the fruit of her disastrous passion; strengthen her, Lord, to endure to the end and receive joy in the future life. Here one cannot expect her to be delivered, but ... such blindness is very sad, that’s what one’s will brings! Lord, save them and have mercy! M. feels sorry for the poor woman, that she is in deep sorrow, and about... and about her property, rely on a person! There is sorrow everywhere, everyone in turn, so that we are not forgotten in prosperity. God is marvelous in His deeds and His destinies are incomprehensible to us! February 18. I can’t tell you anything special, and I have nothing to boast about except my mental and physical weaknesses. Lord, have mercy! March 7. It’s 43 years today since I was honored with the monastic image. Glory to the long-suffering of the Lord, how much I angered Him at this time and did not keep my vows! And now the west of the days of my life is approaching, whether I will be able to pass the rest of the time in repentance, we do not know: but I pray to His mercy and love for mankind, that he will have mercy on me, the accursed, and may the Mother of God, our intercessor, intercede for me. May my guardian angel, the Forerunner of the Lord John, the Apostles, prophets, martyrs, our reverend fathers and mothers, saints, teachers of the church and all the saints pray for me, a sinner, all the time of my life in laziness and negligence and in passions. Pray also, mothers and sisters, for me, a sinner and wretched one, that the Lord will give me a feeling of repentance and humility. March 10. Thank God that you, beloved children in the Lord, M.M. and A. with M., have reached your beloved abode and settled in your cozy cells, which you were deprived of for so long. Your joy was like a baby who has been deprived of his mother’s embrace for a long time, and who, having found his mother, rejoices. May the Lord vouchsafe you to begin spiritual work with your mind, with patience, humility and love, and help you to see your own badness, weakness and uncorrection. It’s also nice to hear that the sisters received you with love and cordiality, and yet you, M.M., are still getting sick. God is visiting you, apparently, this is so necessary for your salvation, pray in the Lord, remember: the sufferings of the martyrs, the exploits of the saints - will they be comparable to our illnesses? And at the same time, believe that the sick person receives a reward from God, as it was openly for the saints. And if there were no illness, then passions would torment no less, and even with wounding of the soul and conscience. May the Lord strengthen you and all those who serve and participate in your illness; those who are ill and those who serve will accept the same reward. If you receive any consolations, then, of course, afterwards you experience the opposite embarrassment from the rebellion of your passions for learning, experience and humility. Stay self-reproachful, N.N. grieves more for her daughter that she will not be in the world, but I rejoice in this, that she will find good things there! Asking for God's blessing on you, I remain a wisher for your health and salvation the sinful hieromonk Macarius. 1858. March 17. You will receive this letter, beloved sisters M.M. and M.A. in the Lord, on the days of Holy Easter, and I greet you with a joyful exclamation: “Christ is risen!” - Moreover, I congratulate you on this longed-for joyful holiday of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, may our risen Savior comfort you with spiritual consolation and heartfelt joy. I received your letter yesterday, March 8th. I sincerely regret that you, M.M., again withstood a paroxysm, may the most merciful Lord, who knows what cauterization to give each of us to heal our spiritual ulcers, strengthen you. He could completely free you from illness, but, apparently, he is looking for the fruit of patience from you, instead of other works, due to the lack of them, or for freedom from passions. Surrender to His holy will. May God grant that you have peace among yourself, in which external sorrows will not only be sensitive, but also in those, when God sends, He will be able to strengthen you. Reproaching yourself by writing repeatedly will help you keep the peace. You, M.A., write something about yourself, that all of it comes with self-reproach, and from it there should be a guarantee of humility, a destroyer of passions. Don’t believe in dreams and don’t be embarrassed about them, now I can’t write much, I don’t have the strength, and I have a lot of letters. On Saturday I sent 21 envelopes to the post office, and yesterday I received about 30 letters. March 19. Now we have finished the Lenten service and bows, and began the stichera for the Last Supper of the Lord. His unspeakable love has been shown to us in abundance, but how do we repay? Lord, have mercy! I received your letter dated the 12th today, you, M.M., are still sick, what to do! I wrote to you, I spoke, and you yourself read and understand that this is being sent to you for salvation, beware of cowardice, we must grieve for everyone, “and we will forgive all those who hate us through the resurrection.” I reported about. F. about your misfortune, the destruction of the dahlia, he encourages, consoles, promises, you can deliver, but with whom? Don't know. Thank God that it is peaceful and calm in your cell, but do not boast about this, but remember that great praise is allowed to fall, and when you are driven by self-reproach in any case to the contrary, which is difficult to avoid, also the warfare of the enemy, destroyed only by humility. March 20, 4 o'clock. In our skete mass began at 2 o’clock, I think in yours it was earlier, congratulations to you, M. M., Mel. and who else communicated with you. We had lunch and rested, but in the monastery they are just starting to celebrate the meal. Our brethren were partakers, and I, a sinner, was honored with this immortal Last Supper. On the very first day, I greet you, M.M. and M.A., on this great and joyful holiday. Christ is Risen! Peace be with you! Thank God, we were greeted safely with hymns to the risen Christ. At 12 o'clock the bell rang for matins, the fifth quarter left, it was time to rest. There were many gentlemen visitors in the church. And it is remarkable that there were 12 little ones, ranging from nixa to three-year-old babies, who all stayed until the end of Matins, rejoicing with their pure hearts. The Lord did not forbid them to come to Him: “Do not scold them: for such is the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:16); “Unless you are like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). We must imitate their simplicity, gentleness and purity. I congratulated you in the church, gave an egg to N.N., and another to M.M. for Mel. and S... and gold for you. 7 o’clock: they announce mass, but it’s probably long gone for you. March 25. I congratulate you on this great feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos on the incarnation of the Son of God. “The day of our salvation is the main thing, and the sacrament has been revealed from time immemorial.” For two days I was upset, I didn’t sleep last night, but, thank God, it’s better now. March 27. Today we saw off P.G., he stayed with us for two days and came for the Annunciation. I received your letter, beloved sisters in Christ, dated the 19th of March yesterday, I see what has happened in you, one has illness and confusion, and the other has insensibility and indifference. In both, having no middle ground, cannot be approved. How not to regret and not have compassion and have indifference? And even be deeply afraid, and lose heart, and not hope for God’s help? Both are unpraiseworthy, the first is petrification and insolence, and the second is cowardice. Now you must place all your trust in God, and meanwhile, each of you must watch the movements of your heart and feed good thoughts in his pasture, and drive away the evil, obstinate, angry, proud, carnal ones with self-reproach, humility and prayer, and the God of peace and love will be with you. Thank God that you are still in peace and harmony, but be careful: where there is wealth, there is wealth, so that it is not stolen from you by those who are asleep. How did you spend the last days of Holy Week and celebrate the bright holiday? I got sick a little on the 25th, thank God, now I don’t feel anything, I’m usually healthy. This is how many new nuns you have invested for the holiday; now there is a great regiment of spiritual troops. March 28. Yesterday and now I received 25 letters, it’s difficult not only to answer, but also to read, but what can we do, without God’s help we won’t have time! To all of you, M.M., S.T. and P., I send my unworthy blessing and ask for God’s blessing on you and on them, I remain the desirer of your health and salvation, many-sinful priest. Macarius. Again, you will say, “he doesn’t even send us a blessing,” but the whole letter is nothing other than a blessing. Good is the word. Peace be with you! Now mass has passed, the Easter service has ended, who will God honor to celebrate next year? The royal gates will be closed, but the gates to the Heavenly Kingdom are opened by the cross of our Savior to all who believe and keep His commandments. Open, O Lord, to us also the doors of Thy mercy, let us enter into Thy palace; we have no wedding garments, but clothe us with Thy mercy and enlighten the eyes of our hearts, so that we may see Thy eternal light, through the grace, generosity and love of mankind of the Lord our God, in the Trinity of the glorified Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen! I.M. March 29, 1858. March 30. Today we were all in the monastery at the service, and after mass I received Kyiv mail, including your letter dated March 22, on the eve of the holiday. Thank God that you, M.M., and your sisters were honored to be partakers of the most pure mysteries of Christ, and you were both in a calm spirit, and then the enemy laughed and disturbed your dispensation, and were somewhat unpeaceful, but glory to God, who gave you help and overthrew his machinations. Be vigilant over yourself and diminish passions by self-reproach, looking at your weaknesses. What is the use of unworldliness - and what peace is there in the world? After all, it was given to us by your Lord Jesus Christ Himself. March 31st. I have only one song, letters and letters, and I don’t have much time, I’ll write in the morning, and in the afternoon I’ll be weak, I’m no good, and then I’ll go to the living room, then the brethren, and there’s no time to read. Although you'll die of hunger. April 1, morning. Yesterday I was relaxed all day, the weather was heavy, and again I received a lot of letters, and I confess that such a huge correspondence is becoming a burden to me, maybe I am making a mistake in this, on the other hand, I am afraid that this will not be a condemnation for me: I preach to others, I myself remain inconsolable, and am I not deluded by the fact that I am pleased for the letters, and thereby become proud? April 3. Our weather is fickle, then the sun shines, then the snow turns to water, and again it is clear, this is what happens in our dispensation: in the evening there is mourning, and in the morning there is joy (Ps. 29:6), there are temptations even after intercession, as St. writes. Macarius, in the 46th word of St. Isaac the Syrian. I wrote to you, and yesterday I received your letter dated March 26th. Thank God that you celebrated the bright holiday peacefully and calmly, the Queen of Heaven, the Mother of God, visited you in her honest way, and you received great consolation from this. April 5, morning. We have spent the week of Easter, we will extend further, tomorrow is the week of the myrrh-bearers who sought Christ. This time St. Demetrius preached a very good sermon and sought Christ in all classes, but where did he find Him? Read it for yourself. I remain a wisher for your health and salvation April 7. On March 29th, you, M.M. and M.A., write that you did not receive my letters, but I carefully write all kinds of mail to you. Pray to the Lord that His holy will be done on you, and as you write about your cell life, entering your heart, experience its passionate movements, and destroy the passionate deposit nesting in it with self-awareness, self-reproach, confession, prayer. You did well to talk to each other openly about your weaknesses, each asking for forgiveness for yourself in them. Everything that is revealed is light (Eph. 5:13), and everything that is not revealed is darkness. “Like a serpent brought up into the light from a dark hole, it strives to flee from a person!” writes St. Cassian. Just be careful, but not as it happened before: when explaining, prick each other, and not blame yourself; with this latter, there will no longer be an excuse or recollection of former embarrassments, but calm and a peaceful dispensation will appear. You know all this, but I just remind you: give wine to the wise, and he will be the wisest (Proverbs 9:9). April 13. Today, before lunch, I received your letter dated the 5th, thanking the Lord that there is peace between you, although sometimes the enemy sows the tares of indignation, but with your efforts and self-reproach, with the help of God, his tares and deceits perish: where there is humility, the enemy will achieve nothing. April 22. What kind of temptation is there with me - the other night there is no sleep, the same during the day, and it’s very languid, my sin is worthy for this reason, I teach people patience, you yourself need to endure and humble yourself, I don’t carry out any feats and labors, then, apparently, this must be endured. April 24. To your question about witchcraft, I answer that the enemy does not have the power to act on the right of the living and those who do the will of the Lord, when he no longer dared to lead a whole legion into the swine herd, but asked permission for this from our Lord Jesus Christ, who expelled that legion from man, then after that, what will he do to a person when the Lord does not allow it either as a punishment for sins, or as a test of faith? April 26. I am finishing my letter to you, asking for God’s blessing on all of you. I remain a wisher for your health and salvation great sinner. Macarius. 1858. April 28. Yesterday, among twenty-one letters, I received from you, M.M. and M.A., a letter dated April 19th. The sad feeling expressed in them touched my rough heart, but, looking at the fact that we are all under the providence of God, I surrendered to His fatherly protection. You, M.M., say that you love nature terribly in the spring when it revives, who doesn’t love it? And who enjoys it more than farmers? Its pleasantness makes their hard work easier, the grass turns green, the flowers bloom, the trees prepare their cones, promising fruit for pleasure, the numerous chorus of birds with their babbling replaces the artificial musical orchestra, but that dead sound emits, and this living voice praises the Creator. Now, near our monastery, the nightingales sing beautifully and comfort us. When is visible nature so beautiful that we can talk about invisible, spiritual, not temporary, but having no end? This is St. Paul saw and heard in admiration, but could not convey to us, but simply said that he saw: neither eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has the heart of man conceived the things that God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9). One godly church teacher exclaimed: “Oh heaven! We cannot comprehend you with our minds, but we can acquire you.” This is where our desire and aspiration should be. April 29. After three days of inclement weather, now clear and good weather has arrived, and at night there was a slight frost, the plants will come to life, we have a beautiful green carpet spread across our monastery, and the trees are getting ready to bloom, only God forbid they will be preserved from frost, and the buds are strong, beautiful greenery in the field makes the farmer happy. Glory and thanksgiving to the Lord! Oh, when our hearts would bear spiritual fruit, and even more so befitting our calling, and would look for that bead for which we left the world: “Be like the Kingdom of God to a merchant looking for good beads,” and so on. (Matthew 13:45). Is this what we are looking for? ABOUT! Woe to our age and our meager monasticism! You are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), said the Lord, but if this light is darkened, then how much more is the darkness (Matthew 6:23)? What will happen? What kind of sedition, rebellion, quarrels, acquisitions and other temptations we have, the world, seeing this, is not only seduced, but also pleases itself, of course, there is no need to despair and regret leaving the world. God is able to save by inducing involuntary sorrows, as it was said to Pachomius the Great, that God is able to extract from the pit and save through sorrows, and as John of Carpathia pleases the monks more than the laity, however, there is no need to be daring and indulge in carelessness. May 3. The weather is cloudy and there will be little rain. The poor bee disappears, no matter how much you feed it, but it would be better if it found everything itself, but it can’t fly out. I feel sorry for her, but what can we do, all this, apparently, is for our sins. I look at myself and at the past time of my life, I see that I have done nothing good for myself, and a lot of sins have accumulated, I should complain, grieve and cry about the wrath of the Lord, but instead I indulge in teaching others, I write and speak, without having done this myself, but the Lord commanded: first do, and then teach (Acts 1:1). And the Apostle writes: do not have too much teaching (James 3:1). And these words also befit me: “But God said to the sinner: “Will you tell all my justifications, and accept My covenant with your lips (Ps. 49:16)?” What should I do? There is little time left, the hour of death is unknown, and I am careless. Pray for me, the worst, so that the rest of my life may end in peace and repentance and I will be honored with a Christian death of my life that is painless, peaceful, and not shameful, and I will be honored with a good answer at the terrible judgment of Christ. We all need to be constantly concerned about this: but our passions darken our meaning and lead us to empty dreams, which instead of joy cause sorrow and instead of benefit - spiritual harm. Whoever of us has anything from such people, let him strive from now on to begin to correct himself with self-reproach and the help of God. many-sinner Jer. Macarius. 1858 May 12. I congratulate you, beloved mothers A. and M. in the Lord, on the two-day feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, I wish you, together with M. M., T., S. and P., to celebrate it reverently, peacefully, calmly. May the grace of the Holy Spirit descend upon you in spiritual gifts, especially in humble wisdom, and not by seeking the lofty, but by descending into the depths of humility. May 13. The morning is beautiful, the gardens are in full bloom, but what can I say about the soulful helicopter city? All let down in negligence, and overgrown with thorns and thistles, and watered with stinking water from the ditch of vanity and human praise, what to do? And the end is unknown. From your letters I see that embarrassment often happens between you, which, although it stops, is dangerous, so that some spark in your hearts does not sink from it and smolders until a future meeting. The enemy is happy to find some occasions for indignation, but you know what weapon can abolish his intrigues - self-reproach and humility. Do not leave them, and the peace of God will be with you. How many disasters have you experienced in the past? Deliver, God, from such cases. May 17. Now the mass has passed, the celebration of the feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the great feast of whom God will vouchsafe in eternity to glorify and worship the one God in the Trinity, glorified and worshiped, the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Today they sang instead of the sacrament: “Come, people, let us worship the Trinitarian Divinity.” Wonderful stichera of the wise King Job. ABOUT! May God grant to all of us, believers, to be worthy of this bliss. That's right, and now you are writing to me. Half past nine. Peace be with you! I remain a wisher for your health and salvation May 20. I received your letter dated the 14th and I can’t answer all the questions now. Congratulations to M.S. on the purchase of a cell, may the Lord comfort her that by the mercy of God she will receive a church not made with hands, eternal in heaven (2 Cor. 5:1). May 25. Just now I read your letters dated May 17th, in which most of the matter is about my visit to you. I will definitely tell you that if you write about this again, you will not receive an answer. This is not your love for me, but selfishness. Forgive me for God's sake that I found myself forced to write these lines to you. You will receive this letter soon. We've all had rain. May 26. Another day the weather is wonderful, there is paradise in the garden, and there is beneficial aromatic air in the forest. I remain a wisher for your health and salvation. M. 1858. May 29. Word of mouth, word of mouth, daily word of mouth. When will I come to my senses? When will I get rid of the darkness and enter into myself? Don't know! Have pity on me and pray that I get rid of the seduction of myself and others, all I know is that I’m hustling and talking, and every day I go to the living room so many times, with no outcome in sight. Some leave, others come, but I, a sinner, have been everywhere. Woe, and that’s all! The soul is empty without food, there is little time to read, and what kind of reading is there in confusion? So what should I do? We must be patient, but who knows when they will call you to eternity? Summer, weakness, everything brings me closer to that, but I don’t care. Lord, have mercy and save according to your ineffable mercy! Yesterday I received your letter dated May 21st, that’s right, and you received my letters dated the 21st and 26th, I wrote with sorrow to you for asking me to come to you, which is impossible for me to do. But in the last letter you agree and leave me to the cold, and I remain peaceful. May 30. Our book is being printed, 13 sheets have already been printed, one sheet remains. Then, when we receive it, we will share it with you, and you will pay us by doing according to the power of what this saint teaches you. Father, here will be our great reward from you! You will probably say that you are asking a lot. What to do, I want this bribe! For this purpose, we offer all possible work in this matter. And the little salvation for the sake of our neighbors, when someone is worthy of this, we will also receive forgiveness of our sins, for I have done nothing good, I am a sinner! May 31st. Your brothers have received the Holy Mysteries of Christ, our weather is grey, the sky is cloudy in the morning, but the sun is also peeking through, and so is our dispensation for learning. I entrust you to the protection of God and, wishing peace, health and salvation, I remain sinful and... M. 1858. June 4. Just now I read your letters, beloved sisters M.M. and M.A. in Christ, sent on May 28, and, having some free time, I am writing these lines to you. I congratulate both of you on your relatives receiving ranks, one with an officer - a nephew, and the other with a general - a brother. I know how dear the first rank of officer is, later the general rank does not seem as important as the first officer rank, God grant that they serve them to benefit the fatherland, and through fulfilling these commandments of God they will receive a good part in the eternal fatherland. Our job is to remember our calling, to thank the Lord for deigning to call us to ourselves, to study in the books of our fathers, to be forced to work by strength, and to see not our correction, but our shortcomings and weaknesses, from which we stock up on humility. St. Peter of Damascus writes about the seven works: “But having completed them, we begin to see our sins like the sand of the sea.” And he calls this “the beginning of the enlightenment of the soul and a sign of its health.” And remember the obscurity of the hour of death. Blessed are those who have departed from you - wanderer E. and Nat., sister T. Wonderful news! Perhaps as an example to others, to imitate a virtuous and humble life. She may have had something worthy of praise, but, recognizing herself as a sinner, she received justification, just as the publican left the church justified more than the Pharisee, who boasted of his virtues. About two weeks ago I felt pain in my heel. It hurts to step on, I don’t know what kind of pain this is, but behind all this I have a cold from you and from M.M.. Yesterday, after praying to God, I went to Fr. archimandrite, showed him I.’s letter and left it to his will, as he says - that’s what I will follow, he made some denials - “and here there is a need”, I did not contradict him, he said: “I’ll think about it”! Well, I, on my part, have taken a step, all that remains is to wait for God’s will for this or that, and I cannot resist His will. We are waiting for our Lord. June 6. We met our Lord peacefully and calmly. I received our letter dated May 31st. June 8. I’ll finish the letter now, but maybe I won’t have time to write it, I’m afraid I might miss the opportunity. I wish you all peace, health and salvation, and I entrust you to the protection of God, I remain the great sinner Jer. Poppy. 1858 June 16. Yesterday I received your letter dated June 7, I congratulate you, M.M., and M.T. on your acceptance of the most pure Mysteries of Christ, may they be for the health of the body and the salvation of the soul. We abound in flowers, but dare we boast about a spiritual heliport? It is overgrown with thorns of passions, and they are poorly expelled, and sometimes their effect is hidden until guilt is revealed. It is good for us, for the Lord humbles us (Ps. 119:71). ABOUT! When would you completely resign yourself to being worse than everyone else and under all creation? Then there would be nowhere to fall, humility would no longer fall and be preserved from all the snares and snares of the enemy. Lord, save and help us to walk this path! June 17. As soon as I got up, I started writing letters, but I had no time to read them, and I don’t know how long it will be like this. Woe to me, a sinner! Pray for me, sisters, that my name is higher than my deeds, so that such human opinion will not condemn me, they go to some kind of saint, ask about matters about which I have no idea, seek healing for bodily illnesses, what should I do? They ask to join a monastery, others ask whether to get married or go to a monastery? This is the rumor and fuss about the empty rumors flying about me, a sinner. When will I come in memory of my sins and the memory of the terrible judgment? What answer will I give? It’s a beautiful morning today, flowers are shining before our eyes. Glory to our all-wise Creator, who has adorned this age and prepared the future for those who love Him and keep His commandments, so that no eye can see, no ear can hear, and no breath can enter the heart of man (1 Cor. 2:9). Grant, O Lord, by Thy mercy that all who believe in God the Father, and in His Only Begotten Son, our Redeemer Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Spirit, the life-giving Lord, who proceeds from the Father, and in the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, may be worthy to receive this bliss! June 18. I don’t see anything special from your letter, except that there were embarrassments between you, and after an explanation they stopped. God grant that there be no deposit of past indignation left in the heart. You are reading the book of St. Peter of Damascus and you are comforted by it, but what a treasure of spiritual and ascetic teachings it contains, it is impossible to express! Both in it and in many fatherly teachings we see that one cannot come to the knowledge of one’s weaknesses and humility unless one allows one to be tempted by mental and physical weaknesses. Delve into your actions and you will see that in cases that outraged you there was not a trace of humility, but all one excuse. May the Lord help you to trample on the latter and acquire the former. Oh! Woe to me, I myself am poor in this and teach people! You mention how difficult it is for those in charge. Yes, I understand this, in the words of one saint, these are the essence of “golden bonds,” and although they are golden, they are still bonds. A society cannot be without a boss; only those whom God chooses have sorrows with the message of consolation and assistance in their deeds, and if anyone dares to ascend as St. writes. Nikita Stifat 2 hundred. in chapter 58, it is also there what calamities befall them. I wish you peace, health and salvation and, asking for God’s blessing on you, I remain a sinner and... M. 1858. June 23. My letter made you happy about my intention to be with you, but still I don’t know how to fulfill this within my power. I wrote to you that, perhaps, after the Dormition, but now I am upset - my mind fluctuates here and there. If I decide, then maybe I’ll go soon, but if not, I don’t know when. F.A. says that you need to be here too, everyone is coming, but it’s like they need me, they can do without me. June 29. Well, here I am on the way to S., and if the Lord pleases us and we are alive, I will see you this week, beloved mothers M. and A. in Christ and others. I am now staying with the kind hosts K.V. and A.M.G. July 1st. Orel, morning, on the evening of June 30 I left Bolkhov, spent the night on the road, and in the morning in Orel I stopped at I.M., my health, thank God, is good, only after the rumor I was exhausted. Peace be with you! I remain a wisher for your health and salvation the sinful hieromonk Macarius. July 2, 1858. July 29. I sent my last letter to you, sisters M.M. and A. from Belev on July 26, and that same day in the evening I arrived at my monastery. O. Archimandrite and the brethren received me with love, save them, Lord! August 3rd. I have now received your letter dated the 26th and am in a hurry to respond somehow. Thank God that you are peaceful and healthy, this is very dear to me, of course you believe this. I am very glad that you have begun to lay out your cell with bricks, it will be warm for your body, and may the grace of God warm your heart and soul, just overlay them with humility, for God looks upon the humble (Ps. 112:6). August 7. Yesterday we spent the day safely, there were quite a lot of pilgrims, and I received your letter dated July 30, today there was a lot of people from morning until lunch. You are all visited by infirmities, either physical or mental, so let us humble ourselves and find the mercy of God; and inaction in the struggle is useless; tear out the passionate roots from your hearts and plant a virtuous path. And the Lord sends illnesses to test and to humility: having endured, you have suffered, O Lord, and listened to me, and heard my prayer (Ps. 39:2), and it is good for me, for you have humbled me (Ps. 119:71). We will find in the Scriptures many solutions to our perplexities and consolations in mental and physical sorrows. August 11. I received your letter dated August 2, I see that you are protected by the grace of God, you are at peace, thank God! But you don’t have peace of mind because of your construction, what to do! This must be endured in the hope of peace. While you were writing to me, you were preparing for St. communion and were exhausted in strength, but, having been rewarded with this gift, they brought thanks to the most merciful Lord. August 12. I need to finish my mail quickly in the morning; Yesterday and every day I spend in rumors, that’s what my life is like! Is there any benefit to anyone and to me? Don't know. Asking for God's blessing on all of you, O. Isaiah rested in the Lord in 1858, no longer seeing them. The word is not spelled out in the original. You might be interested in: