Письмо 245

I thank you most earnestly for your congratulations on my angel’s day; I congratulate you on the three birthday girls whom the namesake saint of God M. commemorates on the 26th of January. What do you want? Besides what they went to seek - salvation for souls, for which you will also be rewarded when salvation is obtained; for the burden of all the sisters entrusted to you by the providence of God rests on you. Apparently the sisters of God, led by God’s providence, came to you. I saw them off not out of captivity, but because they repeatedly attacked me, so I didn’t know what to do with them; and therefore, it was, he gave advice to visit you alone first, and when he finds convenience, then the other one should go: but they, or A.A., were not left alone, but strongly asked to go with her sister completely. If I had seen in them even the slightest resistance and disagreement, then I would not only force them to go, but would even force them to stay, because it is difficult to follow this path without arbitrariness. Now judge, what was my will to send them to you? No, apparently God’s will was to force them to fulfill the promise they had given to God long ago; and so that, following the path of Christ and not having sorrow, this is an impossible task; for He Himself sanctified this path with the cross and commanded us to: deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him (Mark 8:34); but He is strong and strengthens us in our exhaustion, and does not allow us to completely fall. Mnogohreshny I.M. January 22, 1846. You might be interested in: