Письмо 36

Most Honorable V.N. in the Lord! Every good deed is either preceded or followed by temptation; and without this it cannot be strong. Also, faith and love for God are tempted by the opposite. You write that upon your return, troubles happened to you: your mother prevented you from entering the monastery, which made you grieve, and you were all in tears. From this, note that there is a temptation to this good enterprise of yours: are you really looking for a true, and not a false, desire to enter a monastery and disgrace yourself to Christ? When you remain constant in your intention, without deviating towards secular gaiety and distractions, then God, seeing your arbitrary desire, will tell your mother not to contradict or interfere with your intention; and you yourself will see in yourself the strength of your desire when, in the face of sorrows and temptations, you remain unshakably in it. You must imagine that, living in a monastery, it is impossible to avoid sorrows, for, according to the teaching of the holy Apostles: through many sorrows it is fitting for us to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:42), then do not deceive yourself that you can be there without sorrow; You will also find much in the teaching of our Savior about sorrows, which He, like a certain inheritance, left to His disciples: you will be in a world of sorrows (John 16:33), and having suffered Himself, He left us an image, so that we may follow His footsteps. As we said: and your faith is tempted with love by nasty things; show firmness and constancy, and pray to the Lord to arrange something useful for you, and strengthen your intention and will. You show your cowardice when you grieve over small battles and do not hope for God’s help and providence for you. As for the opinion of secular people, driven by passions (what is called the world) about our calling, and counting dishonor upon themselves when their neighbors enter the monastery, we have this teaching from the sweetest lips of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: if the world hates you, know that it hated Me before you. If you were quicker from the world, the world would love its own: for you are not from the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you (John 15:18, 19). And again, whoever is ashamed of the world, for the sake of the title of God and the works acceptable for His love, will also hear from the Lord: If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of man will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:38). The apostolic teaching also assures us that: the wisdom of the flesh is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, for it can do anything less (Rom. 8:7). True Christians should rejoice and be honored when their neighbors are awarded this title of God; who can, without the calling of God, leave the world and its pleasures (albeit temporary, vain and false) and enter into a monastery that is outwardly meager in clothing and in pleasures, but inwardly rich and cheerful, which the world cannot accept, according to the word of the Lord. Leave it to the will of God to provide for your dispensation, and you have firmness in your intention, consider this temptation sent to you from God for your great benefit. Engage in reading fatherly teachings, handicrafts; Avoid the distractions of the world and notice the movements of your heart: where it most strives. Pray to the Lord God and the Most Pure Virgin Mary to save you from the snares and snares of the enemy and strengthen your good will and expect His mercy. Entrusting you to the protection of God, and wishing you health, mental and physical, we remain your unworthy pilgrims, the great sinner I. L. and the great sinner I. M. November 5, 1838. You might be interested in: