Часть 2. Преподобный Антоний Оптинский. Наставления пословицами и поговорками, духовные поучения и размышления в письмах к духовным чадам

If these lessons are too many for you, then, although in strength, As much as you can, try to learn something useful for yourself. From the preface to the book “Letters of Abbot Anthony (Optinsky)” 56 “The word about. Anthony, both oral and written, was simple and soft in nature, was always dissolved with spiritual salt and was distinguished by some kind of precision and original expressiveness and strength, and often even in a simple and playful form contained high edification. Everyone felt that the teachings of Fr. Anthony, oral and written, were the fruits of many years of monastic labors, experienced knowledge of the Fatherly Scriptures, personal attentive observation of all kinds of people and monastic active life and understanding.” Just as there are bright days after bad weather, so after despondency there is joy in the soul If we take a closer look at human life in this world, we will see that it is sometimes red, sometimes black, i.e. There are red, joyful days, and there are also black, gloomy days from various everyday troubles. And this indicates not to be forgotten in joy, and not to lose heart too much in trouble. For just as there are bright days after bad weather, so after despondency there is joy in the soul. Dark thoughts like autumn clouds And that gloomy thoughts often bother you, do not be embarrassed, for gloomy thoughts are like autumn clouds, one after another they find and darken the light. But they also pass, and the sky remains clean and pleasant... So our thoughts will wander, wander around the world, and the mind will settle in its place, then it will be quiet and joyful in the soul. Do not be discouraged, but trust in God Therefore, my beloved, do not be discouraged, but trust in God, for everything will have its end. Just as after a fierce and cold winter and bitter frosts a pleasant and joyful spring comes with a red summer, so after your sorrow joyful and joyful days will come, and your humble soul will forget all the past grief for joy, and me, a sinner, will remember that I told her the truth. For some, grief is from the mind, and for others, grief is without the mind. ...My heart ached because I had no one to share my grief with. Each person has his own grief, some have grief from their minds, and others have grief from their minds. And you, I notice, are most distressed by overthinking. And therefore, rather than think and talk a lot to yourself, it would be better to say a little: do not forsake me, Lord my God, do not depart from me. Although your mind is good, two are better It’s good that you decided to take a ride with us, even if only for a short time. Perhaps the difficult current path would serve you in your favor, because according to the proverb: although one’s mind is good, two are better. Then we will talk about everything that needs to be discussed. Until then, write down for your memory what you should ask. Foma did not buy his mind, but is selling his own If during your stay with us we did not put you at ease in any way, or tempted you, etc., then for this we humbly ask for your gracious apology and forgiveness, especially I, who have many sins, are ignorant and rude, so that I myself feel both ashamed and ashamed, according to the proverb: Thomas did not buy his mind, but sells his own. If you fan the slightest spark, a flame will ensue. Whatever grief there may be, they are like the slightest spark, i.e. if you spit, you will put it out 57. And if you fan even the slightest spark, then a flame will ensue and destroy all the good order in a person, and this fanning is caused by overthinking... Every house has its own rules The master of the house is like Adam in heaven You notify that you are with E.G. remained complete masters of the ancestral house, for which thank God! For the owner of the house is like Adam in paradise. May God grant that this joy continues longer and longer. But it has been noticed that in any house where peace and love are maintained mutually, it is like a sharp knife in the devil’s throat. And therefore, through N., he is already trying to shake you thoroughly... When a husband and wife get along well, they won’t even need a treasure. Reading your messages and seeing from them about your unanimity with your dearest friend and about mutual love for each other, I heartily rejoiced and thanked the Lord God, who crowned you with this rich mercy of His, i.e. like-mindedness and love, for it is very rightly said that when a husband and wife get along well, they will not need a treasure. And in any house there will be peace and harmony, in that house God will dwell, which I sincerely wish for you with all my heart. Married life is a life blessed by God, and monastic life is a holy and angelic life, and both are a godly life. But in married life, how many people will encounter various worries and grief? Therefore, the old proverb rightly says: further than the sea there is less grief. And what can be said about monastic life is that a blessed life is not easy, but difficult. And therefore, if they say about tailors: you must first try on seven times, and cut off once, then you must first think about monastic life not seven times, but seventy times, and then decide once to forever enter the holy monastery for a monastic life. You'll regret it later, but you won't turn it back You called yourself iron, but without fire it is hard and unyielding, and therefore it is better to be gold, which is soft and light, and more expensive than iron. As much as possible, try to be humble in spirit. This is such happiness that there is no higher in the world. A humble person lives on earth as in the Kingdom of Heaven, is always cheerful and calm, and is satisfied with everything. For God's sake, beware of being capricious against your mother. Hey, it’s a sin! You will regret it later, but you won’t turn it back. Be very wary of having an unfavorable opinion about your mother. The Lord commanded to honor parents 58. Her frequent indignation is nothing more than a mental illness, similar to a physical illness, i.e. Some people endure their illness quietly and patiently, while others groan, groan, scream, and sometimes get angry and curse at everyone. And if mother had not had what she had, then you, perhaps, would not have been what you are now. Along with my congratulations, I am eagerly presenting to you the little book “Lessons in the Life of Saint and Wonderworker Tikhon of Zadonsk,” of which at least one for the glory of God, for there is a Russian proverb: live forever, live forever and learn! And therefore, you and I must do the same, i.e. study all your life. For all your kindness shown to me, upon my departure I did not have time to say either thank you or forgive me. Fools often do this too, i.e. They don’t thank the owners for bread and salt, but my ignorant act was unintentional, and therefore I hope that you will apologize and generously forgive me. I wish you to meet and celebrate the Day of your Angel with joyful and reverent hearts, for the continuation of our life is the continuation of God’s mercy to man. And therefore, birthdays and namesakes 59 should be celebrated not so much in noisy and distracted celebration, but in reverence. This is what we do in our monasteries, i.e. The day of one's Angel is honored with advance preparation for communion of the Holy Mysteries. But in secular houses - each house has its own charter, and with our charter they will call a person crazy and carry his name as evil. The Holy Mysteries of Christ not only [not only] strengthen our mental and physical strength, but also cleanse us from former sins and protect us from temptations. Old friends are like an old dress - with a new one it’s not very elegant I sincerely regret that you and A.M. are not still living. Of course, old friends are like an old dress - with a new one they are not very elegant, but we must imagine that they used to comfort us and warm us, therefore we should not despise these friends, like an old dress, so that no one despises our dilapidation. The benefit comes not from the number of words, but from the quality Our benefit comes not from the number of words, but from the quality. Sometimes a lot is said, but there is nothing to listen to. And at other times you will hear one word, and it will remain in your memory for the rest of your life. I'm with T.V. for ten years he spoke a lot, but like water in a sieve, nothing good remained in his memory except his constant indignation at everyone and everything. Ask what is unnecessary, what is unnecessary and you will hear If you sat rationally in your cell, you would not only not feel boredom, but you would also find spiritual pleasure, and with it the Kingdom of God within you. But you often find it outside yourself. For if you go to someone’s cell idle, you will meet idleness; and if you ask someone the unnecessary, then you will hear the unnecessary. Therefore, sit more in your cell, and it will teach you everything good! A soft word has more power And in terms of irritability, I advise you to protect yourself as from a mortal poison, which noticeably destroys your health, renders medical remedies ineffective and shortens your life itself. You can say the same thing without bile, because a soft word has more power. For some people, the tongue is the reed of the Holy Spirit, i.e. edifying and comforting, while for others the tongue utters words of the devil, irritable, upsetting those around them to the point of illness. Whoever is rich in what, treats with that I also regret that you don’t find much nourishment for your spirit when visiting F. What to do? Whoever is rich in what, treats with that. As it is said: a good man wears out good things from the good treasure of his heart (Luke 6:45), but another, like a parrot, grinds and does not know what. But good people listen to them with pleasure. So you, without boredom, ignore everything. Whoever trusts firmly in God, God helps him in everything Do not be discouraged, but trust in the Lord God You please me for escaping the world from the vanity of vanities. However, I, like you, am not without a cross, for every person, no matter what his life, has been given his own cross from God, which everyone must bear with childlike submission to the Heavenly Father, since [since] cowardice and impatience cannot make it easier. And when, according to St. Apostle Paul, the wife is saved for the sake of childbearing (1 Tim. 2:15), then the husband is saved. Therefore, beloved, do not be discouraged, but trust in the Lord God, Who created you for this purpose, in order to save you. I’ll tell you about myself that in my life I haven’t seen much trouble from people, not because I was good, but because of God’s mercy towards me. But instead, I spent almost my entire life in various physical illnesses, for no matter what illnesses I suffered, just as now I have been suffering severely from illness in my legs for 22 years. And no means relieve my pain, and I must endure all this until death, for this is what God pleases! Therefore, every person is given his own cross from God, which he must bear. But my cross, like a disease of the body, is lighter than yours, for you suffer mentally. He who fears God is not afraid of thieves or swindlers Do not be afraid of suspicious people, for whoever fears God is not afraid of thieves or swindlers. And to calm yourself, read the ninetieth psalm, in which the Holy Spirit says: evil will not come to you, etc. You are afraid of troubles for yourself from evil and unscrupulous people. Others are afraid of all sorts of things: frogs, mice, cockroaches, i.e. They fear everything except God. And the devil, our implacable enemy, is fiercer than V.G. and “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8), but without God’s permission he cannot do any harm to a person, and even has no power over pigs, i.e. who lives like a pig. And those who live their lives with the fear of God, the Angel of the Lord encamps around them. And so cast your sorrow upon the Lord. The devil, as is his wont, shows every thing to beginners in a distorted form, i.e. white is black, and light is darkness. Troubles not only from robbers, but also from relatives ...A person should have abuse throughout his life. It’s not so much to scold and quarrel with everyone, but to withstand troubles and attacks from everyone, for troubles come not only from robbers, but also from relatives, and from enemies and friends, and from near and far. And besides this, the irreconcilable enemy “the devil walks around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). And therefore, every person should not be without fear, lest he get caught in his teeth. I, a sinner, to calm myself from this fear, always read David’s Psalm 26. I advise you to read it, and you will not be afraid of anything. It is more profitable to endure an attack than to inflict it on others. Whoever trusts in God, God helps him in everything There is no doubt that whoever trusts in God, God helps him in everything. The other day P.K. unexpectedly visited me. and talked to me for two hours. He is a kind and pleasant person to deal with, but he has little success in his undertakings: either because he is poor in humble thoughts about himself, or God is testing his patience and faith. The fate of God is completely incomprehensible to us: why is one poor and wretched, and another thinks that I will create, as if not the imam, where can I gather fruits (Luke 12:17)! But we only know one thing: God makes man rich and makes him poor. The Lord God has much mercy for you Don’t think too much about your future fate or mine, for the Lord God has a lot of mercy for you. His wickedness prevails day by day 60, i.e. It’s enough for us to worry about the present day in order to spend it as best as possible, and not bother ourselves about the many years to come. And therefore, do not be embarrassed and do not test why things happen not what you want, but what you would never want, for God knows best what is more beneficial for us: health or ill health. Excessive sadness darkens the mind and deprives a person of sanity, but in the words of the saints there is the enlightening light of Christ! One pocket is empty and there is nothing in the other I also heartily regret your financial shortcomings and I think that you were allowed to experience this temptation because before, when you had money in abundance, you did not know the value of it, and then rubles poured out of your pocket like pennies, for nothing. And now one pocket is empty, and there is nothing in the other. And therefore, poor thing, endure grief and drink water instead of sweet honey. However, don't worry! For the Lord, rich in mercy and bounty, will not leave you without mercy. Don't value what's broken too dearly Don't worry about a broken woman 61, and, like Volkov 62, don't value broken things too dearly. For the world values ​​insignificant things and scanty shards very dearly, and puts very dear [very expensive] and priceless things for nothing, i.e. loss of time in idleness and laziness, and in carelessness about the salvation of one’s soul, to which there is nothing more precious in the world. I live like Kuzma and Demyan - without silver coins Perhaps there will be less income in the D. monastery, but there will be less expenses... By the way, I will tell you about myself that although I am an abbot, I live like Kuzma and Demyan - without silver coins, i.e. I have nothing, but I don’t feel either hunger or cold, and every day God feeds me to the full. And therefore, out of His mercy, He will not leave you unattended. One should not think about benefits and profits, because at the present time even that is a considerable profit, when God will have mercy on the loss. Having silver coins is not contrary to common sense, but just try to use them not for waste, but most of all for paying off your sinful debts, for the merciful will be shown mercy both in this life and in the next. I congratulate you not on Maslenitsa, but on the upcoming holy and soul-beneficial fast, which should be preserved also about Maslenitsa (that is, during it), according to St. Basil the Great, who certifies that fasting is beneficial at all times. But true fasting is not the abandonment 63 of shame alone 64 , but the alienation of evil and unpleasing deeds 65 . I ask you to pray for me too, so that I may be less servile to my belly and more likely to work for the Lord God. Not everything will be Maslenitsa... I bring you my congratulations on an honest or, more precisely, stupid Maslenitsa. With a cheerful and popular celebration, this does not prevent every idle lover from remembering the ancient Russian proverb: not everything will be Maslenitsa... Fasting turns bad food into sweetness... The Lord feeds you with manna, and therefore you can only live and thank God. And we, sinners, often nibble on crackers... And besides, I’ll say that even crackers, if you fast until the evening, will be like manna, for fasting turns bad food into sweetness, and bitter radish with horseradish instead of sugar happens. That's why we thank God for everything. Why do people constantly get sick and die before they reach their full age? I remember that your pious grandmother, because she was pious, prayed a lot and always kept all fasts and fasting days, rarely fell ill and lived for about [about] a hundred years. And her children, like some of her grandchildren, have not internalized her zeal for piety, especially without a twinge of conscience they break fasts, but they get sick almost constantly and die before they reach their full age. It is easier for an intemperate person to die than not to drink wine. Are you asking me about coffee, should I drink it or not? But how can we part with him if he is our dear friend! It’s more fun and peaceful with him, and when he’s not there, then on a clear day, just like on a stormy day, everything will hurt! He, coffee, is your slanderer and villain... He, as I remark 66, is poisoning your health, for you are noticeably growing weaker and weaker from year to year. But just as it is easier for an intemperate person to die than not drink wine, so it is for you and me: to part with coffee is to part with our souls. For cutting off passions is like cutting off one’s members: this requires a decisive will, and we do not have it in anything. So what should we do? Again the same thing, i.e., having prayed to God, we will drink coffee without embarrassment! Be the master and not the slave of your desires. Bad habits quickly and comfortably become part of us, but getting out of the habit is very difficult and inconvenient. Under lying stone and water is not suitable And I would be glad to go to heaven, but sins are not allowed I heartily regretted that your long-standing desire was not crowned with success. As they say: I would be glad to go to heaven, but sins are not allowed. And most of all, the reason is that when one could go and get there, but, according to the accepted habit, good intentions are postponed forward from one week to another, from one month to another. And in this way, years pass, and then, if you decide to fulfill a long-standing desire, you already encounter involuntary obstacles, which is what apparently happened to you. Of course, it would be easier with a full belly and a soft down jacket, turning over and straight to the bright paradise, but the path was laid there from the cross, for the Kingdom of God is not achieved through one or two sorrows! Lie down and rest, so as not to fall into the underworld. You write that it is very difficult to leave the house, but I heard that even water is not suitable under a lying stone. I was told about one bedridden man, that a swindler came to his house and began to take off his fur coat while he was sleepy. And he heard this, but, being lazy, did not want to look at who was dragging him, and when he woke up, he was left without a fur coat. So you too, if you don’t go out and leave the house and take a closer look at your household, then everything will be stolen from you, not only by strangers, but also by your own, the courtiers. And at the same time, for neglect you must also give an answer to God, as it is said: don’t put it wrong, don’t lead the thief into sin. It's easier to be sick in the belly than in the spirit I myself, like you, at the beginning of my arrival in the desert had the most obnoxious character, and my elder did not use anything to humble my stiff-neckedness 67 . But nothing humbled my wretchedness more than the annual cleansing of all the nasty latrines in the monastery, several times over the course of six years. And in addition to this, we were often sent with a basket along the roads to collect horse and cattle droppings to fertilize the gardens. And at the beginning, this holy obedience was not without grief and not without tears for me, but, finally, every year it became easier and easier. So, dear mother, without humility in the spirit it is impossible to be saved, and humility cannot be learned from words alone - it takes practice for someone to shake us and crush us and beat out the fire, without which it is not easy to enter the Kingdom of God, which is acquired through many sorrows. Without humility, a person is poor and can never be at peace in spirit, without which (humility) even highly gifted people are a dung heap! You suffer in spirit from a lack of humility, but I often have stomach pain from intemperance, but I think it’s easier to have stomach pain than spirit! The cure for my ailment is diet, i.e. abstinence, and on yours - the humility of Christ, and you will find peace for your restless soul. If you, my dear friend, had your heart nourished, like a kind of sponge, with the humility of Christ, then you would have no illness, no sorrow, no sighing, but constant peace and consolation, for not only do God Himself and the Angels love the humble in heart, but people also revere Him, and demons with temptation do not dare to show their nose to the humble. It's good to visit, but it's better to stay at home Regarding your question about traveling, I answer: visiting is good, but staying at home is better. I ask you to postpone your journey for a while, for the Kingdom of God must be sought not behind its fence, but inside, i.e. in your heart. I regretted both the former temptations and the spiritual sorrows with you, which, like autumn flies, worry and sometimes lead to impatience, but according to the proverb: a fly is not followed by a blow, i.e. You should not brush them off with your fist, but protect yourself every time with the holy cross and say: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, impatient! And they, i.e. Sorrows, like flies, will fly away from you. As is the pop, so is the arrival Due to the rottenness of illnesses, an experienced doctor is also needed. If anyone, relying on his own reason, thinks that he does not need a leader, he will soon go astray from the right path. That’s why you should pray to God with tears to grant you a mentor or mentor who is not lost, 68 because due to the rottenness of ailments, you need an experienced and well-skilled doctor or healer. That is why a sick person should look not so much for a plentiful and peaceful hospital, but rather for a skilled doctor. Regarding my parish, which you don’t like, I must tell you a humorous proverb: like the priest, so is the parish, or like the parish, so is the priest. And in a church, no matter what it is, as in a shrine, one should be reverent. As you believe in them (confessors), you will hear such answers from them You write that you do not find the same benefit from the Moscow fathers as you feel from the desert ones. This may be because the prophets in their own country have neither honor nor trust from their own, 69 and therefore it is not they who are to blame, but those who seek benefit without faith. There are humble people who learn something useful from every father. And also there are unhumble people who are not exactly [not only] alive, but also departed, i.e. the fathers glorified by the Holy Church are not trusted in everything. One God acts in all confessors and elders, and to the extent of your faith in them, you will hear such answers from them. Like an old horse, not in the old way In the mills the millstones are ground I sincerely regret your dental disease, but I am not at all surprised by it. For in the mills the millstones are ground. And our teeth have had a lot of work to do throughout our lives. And the main cause of the disease is, according to St. David that God breaks the teeth of sinners (Ps. 3:8). And you and I are not the least among the sinners. I regret the disease of your teeth, but I myself, like you, suffer from them. But how can they not get sick? How much work do they, the poor, have to do when chewing all kinds of food, how many blows do they get from our tongue every time when they are angry, when they talk idle, when they joke? How can they, poor things, still stay in our mouths? I’m telling you this only about my teeth, but yours hurt from scurvy. You can look at God with just one eye I’m sorry about your sister that she lost sight in one eye. And I also use one eye, but you can look at God. So you, from me, advise your sister to look to heaven with a clear eye, and with the other to look at the vanity of vanities, so as not to see it. Death is not beyond the seas, but behind everyone’s shoulders I sincerely regret both your continuous illnesses and the fact that mortality is rampant in your village. What to do? We all now live and walk in the shadow of death, for death is not far off, but is behind everyone’s shoulders. We fear for the death of one and the other, but we put off the thought of our correction in the future, when our tongue is mute. The fear of death has attacked you. But those who do not have this fear should be most afraid, for death is now not beyond the seas, but is behind everyone’s shoulders, and just in case there is trouble. Today's people are afraid of everything except God. One should be afraid not of cholera, but of grave sins, for the mortal scythe mows down a person like grass, and without cholera. And death has many weapons to defeat people even without cholera, but it does not dare touch a single person without the command of God. And in whatever place is appointed by the Lord for a person to die, then, even if he were abroad many thousands of miles, he will certainly arrive at his destination - and in due time, for God’s command is carried out exactly. Finally, it will happen that you and I will no longer exist! You ask me to pray for your imminent death, but this request of yours has left me in difficulty, for how can I ask God for something that He does not like? since [since] the continuation of life is the continuation of God’s mercy towards man, then how can we ask for its cessation? ... It is better, God grant you, to change not your stomach [life] to death, but your impatience to complacency, and goodness will come to you! Do not wish for death as a solution, for man does not know what fate awaits him beyond the grave. As for me, by the grace of God I still live and move, but I do not boast about my health, which is becoming poor for me. Therefore, I, like an old horse, do not follow the old course: and there is nothing more to expect than relocation from this life to the future. The time will come when someone will say about me: there lived an old man and he died. Therefore, I humbly ask you, dear mother, to pray for me, a sinner, to the Lord God... I'm happy! Fragments from letters to the spiritual children of Anthony of Optina I tell you the truth. I sincerely rejoice over your miraculous healing, I rejoice over your joy, I rejoice over all your good and humble exercises or imaginations more than about my own, considering all of them as if they were my own. And when you are calm and cheerful in the Lord, then there is a holiday in my soul, and when you frown and are sad, then even on a red day there is bad weather in my soul! It seems that I, poor one, would be ready to convey to you, beloved child, all my inner silence, and peace, and joy in the Lord, but I don’t know whether there will be a place for it [for them], since the priests daily proclaim peace to everyone from God, but only in humble souls does it rest! And although I myself am poor in health, I would share the latter with you, the passion-bearer of Christ, if it were possible to communicate from one to another in the same way as we pour a healing balm from one vessel to another. But this is not in our will, but in God’s, who, in the depth of His wisdom, lovingly builds everything and gives useful things to everyone. So, my beloved child, do not be upset with me because I pat you on the head with one hand for everything that is good, and with the other I pull your ear for everything that is bad. Life of the Venerable Optina Elder Anthony Reverend Anthony (in the world Alexander Putilov) was born on March 9, 1795 in the city of Tutaev (formerly the city of Romanov) of the Yaroslavl province. He felt the calling to monastic life in his early youth, which was also served by the example of his older relatives and brothers who devoted themselves to monastic life. During the invasion of the French in 1812, Alexander ended up in Moscow and suffered greatly from them. He fled to Rostov to his relatives, and from there after some time he went to the Roslavl forests, where his elder brother Timothy, the future abbot of Optina Hermitage, the Monk Moses, had been asceticizing for five years. On February 2, 1820, Alexander was clothed in an angelic form and named Anthony. Soon, fulfilling the will of Bishop Philaret (Amphiteatrov) of Kaluga, the venerable Moses and Anthony went to Optina Pustyn to found a secluded monastery at the monastery. Having cleared the forest from the area, the hermits built a small cell and built a church in the name of St. John the Baptist of the Lord, and then began to build fraternal buildings. In 1825, after the appointment of the Monk Moses as rector of Optina Pustyn, the Monk Anthony was appointed head of the monastery. During the fourteen years of his leadership, the monastery received a solid foundation both externally and spiritually; elders who were wise in monastic life and strong in spiritual exploits began to flock here. In 1839, Abbot Anthony was appointed rector of the Maloyaroslavets Nikolaevsky Monastery and for thirteen years bore this heavy burden for him. In 1853, due to illness, he was dismissed from his abbotship and returned to Optina Pustyn, where he lived in retirement for twelve years. As a great lover of silence, the Monk Anthony desired a solitary life spent in prayer, reading and contemplation of God, but his spiritual gifts attracted many visitors to him, both monks and laity. His inspired word had such irresistible power that sometimes during one conversation a person was spiritually reborn: often under his spiritual influence, people, lost in the eyes of society and in their own eyes, turned to Christian life, renounced the world and devoted the rest of their days to God. On March 9, 1865, the elder accepted the great schema. In July of the same year, he became seriously ill and from that time on he received the Holy Mysteries every day. On August 7, the monk rested peacefully in the Lord. The Church commemorates the Monk Anthony on August 7/20 - repose, and also on October 11/24 at the Cathedral of the Venerable Optina Elders. Edition of Vvedenskaya Optina Pustyn, 1869. “If you blow on a spark, it will flare up, and if you spit on it, it will go out: both come out of your mouth” (Sir.28:14). “Honor your father and your mother, that good may come to you, and that you may live long on the earth” (5th Commandment). Name day - name day; angel's day, name day (V. Dal). “…Each day has its own trouble enough” (Matthew 6:34). Skudelnitsa – here: vase (ed). Volkov was a famous antiquarian in Moscow at that time. Destruction - elimination, removal. Alienation – removal, elimination (V. Dal). Here: as I noticed. (Ed.). Cruelty - insensitivity, stubbornness, tenacity. Lost - one who has strayed from the straight and proper path (V. Dahl). “...Truly I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country” (Luke 4:24).