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V.T.'s track record Tikhomirov State Councilor Vasily Timofeevich Tikhomirov, caretaker of the Meshchovsky Theological School, 39 years old (in 1901), Orthodox religion. The son of a priest of the Tula diocese, he has no estate. After completing a full course of science at the Kyiv Theological Academy with a candidate of theology degree, he entered the service as an assistant superintendent of the Efremov Theological School in 1887 on February 4. By Decree of the Governing Senate No. 9 of January 16, 1892, he was confirmed in the rank of collegiate assessor with seniority from the date of appointment to the position, i.e. from 02/04/1887. By Decree of the Holy Synod of January 7, 1893 No. 43, he was appointed to the position of caretaker of the Meshchovo Theological School in 1893 on January 7. By Decree of the Governing Senate of January 14, 1893 No. 2, he was promoted to the rank of court councilor with seniority from 02/04/1891. By decree, on the 6th day of May 1895, given to the chapter, he was most mercifully granted a Knight of the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Stanislaus, 3rd degree. By the highest order of the civil department of February 7, 1897, No. 11, he was promoted to the rank of collegiate adviser with seniority from 02/04/1895. By decree, on the 6th day of May 1898, given to the chapter, he was most mercifully granted a Knight of the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Anna, 3rd degree. By the highest order on the civil department of January 29, 1900. for No. 6, he was promoted to the rank of state councilor with seniority from 02/04/1899. He is the chairman of the commissions: for testing for the title of teacher of a parish school and for testing persons seeking the title of psalm-reader. By decree, on the 6th day of May 1904, given to the chapter, he was most mercifully granted a Knight of the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Stanislaus, 2nd degree. By decree, on the 6th day of May 1907, given to the chapter, he was most mercifully granted a Knight of the Imperial and Royal Order of St. Anna, 2nd degree. By resolution of His Eminence the Most Reverend Benjamin dated May 20, 1907, he was sent as an examiner on the Law of God to the city three-year school. Elected and approved as a member of the department of the diocesan school council for the affairs of parochial schools on March 12, 1908. By resolution of His Eminence the Most Reverend Veniamin dated April 13 and May 15, 1908, No. 6002 and 6719, he was sent as an examiner on the Law of God to the city three-year school and women's gymnasium. Also, according to the resolutions of His Eminence, the Most Reverend Veniamina was an examiner on the Law of God in the city three-year school and a girls' gymnasium on May 11 and 20, 1909. Also, according to the resolutions of his Eminence, the Most Reverend Veniamina was an examiner in the same educational institutions of the Ministry of Public Education on May 10 and 15, 1910. 12 and On May 25, 1911 and on May 10 and 20, 1912, he was an examiner at the same educational institutions. On vacation from July 13 to August 2, 1895, from August 11 to August 15, 1895, from September 15 to 21, 1896, from August 11 to 15, 1898, from January 12 to 18, 1899, from February 15 to 17, 1900, from December 27, 1902 to January 5, 1903, from December 9, 1907 to February 9, 1908; showed up on time from vacation. Reason: GAKO (State Archives of the Kaluga Region). F. 548. Op. 3. D. 170. L. 1–4 (1901); D. 178. L. 1–4 (1902), 5–8 (1904), 9–14 (1908, 1912), 15–18 (undat.). In 1913, the caretaker of the Meshchovsky Theological School V.T. Tikhomirov was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th degree (This order conferred nobility). The date of the award in the accompanying letter to the order books dated May 11, 1913, No. 5276 from the Office of the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod to the Bishop of Kaluga and Borovsky is indicated as follows: “The Emperor has most graciously deigned to grant holders of the orders on May 6 of this year, the birthday of His Imperial Majesty...” Reason: GAKO. F. 548. Op. 3. D. 154. L. 53–53v. On October 11, 1913, the caretaker of the Meshchovsky Theological School V.T. Tikhomirov petitioned Bishop Georgiy of Kaluga and Borovsky to allow him leave “from October 15 ... for 8 days to travel to Kaluga and, if necessary, to Moscow for advice with doctors about his health.” The leave was authorized by the bishop. Reason: GAKO. F. 548. Op. 3. D. 154. L. 49. In the archival fund of the Meshchovo district department of public education there is a “List of educational workers of the Meshchovo district education department for 5/XII-1922.” The list includes Vasily Timofeevich Tikhomirov, a school worker at the Meshchovo Secondary School. Reason: GAKO. F. R-1271. Op. 2. D. 10. L. 8. Anna Feodorovna Urnezhevskaya - admirer of St. Theophan teacher at Moscow University of Humanities and Economics Anna Fedorovna Urnezhevskaya was born on January 22, 1836 in the Tambov province, on the estate of her father, retired lieutenant colonel Fyodor Fedorovich Urnezhevsky 825. The estate was located twenty miles south of Tambov, in the village of Fedorovka (Urnezhevka also). Anna grew up in a large family: she had three brothers and five sisters. Apparently she was not loved by her father. For a reason that we no longer know, her father did not enter the name of his daughter Anna into the genealogical book, although he did so for the other children 826. Thus, Anna Fedorovna was not a noblewoman, although she belonged to a noble family. Unlike her brothers and sisters, Anna Fedorovna did not strive for a secular lifestyle. She never married. Her life passed alternately in the village and in a Tambov apartment. Anna Feodorovna's acquaintance with Bishop Feofan took place in August-September 1860 during his archpastoral trip to parishes that suffered from devastating fires. From this time on, many years of correspondence between the Right Reverend Bishop and his spiritual daughter began. Following the instructions of the saint, Anna Feodorovna made pilgrimage trips to the shrines of various monasteries and cities. She repeatedly visited the Assumption Vyshensky Monastery, where her spiritual mentor stayed. Once Anna Fedorovna herself tried to live in the Tambov Ascension Convent and spent about eight months in the monastery. On the advice or blessing of Bishop Feofan, she visited the monasteries of the Tambov diocese: Tregulyaev Predtechensky 827, Mother of God of the Znamensky Sukhotinsky 828, Orzhevsky 829. She also traveled repeatedly to the shrines of the Voronezh diocese. In 1871 she visited Kyiv. She visited the Holy Land several times 830. Her brothers and sisters gradually passed away, and Anna Fedorovna was left alone with her young niece Varya in her arms. In the end, she sold the deteriorating estate and settled in Tambov. For some time she lived in the Zadonsk monastery 831. The letters provide a glimpse into Anna Feodorovna's social circle. Among the mutual acquaintances of her and Bishop Feofan were Vera Alekseevna Kolobova, the sister of the Tambov police chief, Yulia Nikolaevna Kurdyumova, a Tambov landowner, and many clergy. In his first letters to his admirer, Bishop Theophan often invited her to visit the Vyshenskaya monastery. “The people above are not averse to seeing you,” 832 the saint wrote. Anna Fedorovna met with him at Vyshe approximately twice a year. Then, having become a recluse, Feofan no longer invited, but, on the contrary, dissuaded the woman, like his other visitors, from seeking a personal meeting with him. This became a real misfortune for Anna Fedorovna. On March 3, 1873, having arrived at Vysha, she showed such persistence that she almost became the reason for the termination of the retreat that had barely begun. On this day, she is given a letter from Bishop Theophan with the following words: “Don’t you see that if you are accepted, you have to accept everyone, and, moreover, turn out to be irresponsible to those who were and are being refused? Is your little failure worth it?! This post is just the beginning. But if during fasting I resist all attacks, then it will be so forever, if God wills. There is no point in talking about this. My disposition towards you is still the same, my prayer for you is still the same, the opportunity to tell you everything on paper is still the same. What's missing? One vain desire to chat? The Lord sees your tears; and will reward you more than I can give. The more you cry, the more consolation you will receive from the Lord. I don’t see any reason to despair here and even to grieve a lot. Judge and see for yourself” 833. The next day, March 4, Anna Fedorovna again asks for a meeting, and the secluded saint again does not give her consent: “The same story again! Well, what to interpret?! There is no loss from not seeing me. Write everything, and everything will be answered.” 834. This failed meeting is reflected in another letter from the saint, but to a different addressee. In the letter, the woman’s name is hidden under the Latin letters “N.N.”, but the circumstances and date of the letter suggest that we are talking about A.F. Urnezhevskaya: “For the current fast, I decided not to show myself to people and not to receive anyone to myself. Two weeks passed, at least not without attacks, but they were light. How N.N. swooped in and didn’t know what to do. I resisted by force, my persistence was on the line. Still, he resisted. For better or for worse, he stuck to his guns" 835. Anna Fedorovna asked St. Theophan to recommend her some monastic community. Blessing his admirer on this path, the saint, at her request, made inquiries with influential persons: E.D. Naryshkina 836, Princess N.B. Shakhovskaya, founder of the Moscow community of sisters of mercy “Quench My Sorrows.” In the letters of Bishop Theophan to A.F. Urnezhevskaya can read thoughts about God, and lines on simple everyday topics, and interpretations at the request of a devotee of some liturgical texts, but the main theme of his letters to Anna Feodorovna is the salvation of her soul. The saint gives her edifications in almost every letter, sometimes repeating himself and never tiring of repeating simple truths. But, apparently, the saint fell into a difficult spiritual child. Anna Fedorovna could not change her usual way of life. While agreeing with Bishop Feofan in words, Anna Fedorovna in practice did not follow all of his advice. Confused in her spiritual life, she again asked her mentor for new guidance. Worrying about his admirer and her spiritual salvation, the saint each time found new words to convince. Here are instructions, and reproaches for not following them, and gratitude for spiritual improvement. Sometimes Saint Theophan resorted to an ironic joke. But it happened that his humor turned into caustic sarcasm. Saving his admirer from spiritual death, the saint expressed his disapproval of her actions. It was as if he was making it clear how much she upset him by neglecting her instructions. But, reproaching a woman who was confused in her spiritual quest, the saint never took away her hope for correction; not once did the reprimand sound like a sentence. Every time, revealing the mistakes and inconsistency of his spiritual daughter, Bishop Theophan pointed out the path to the salvation of her soul and blessed her for spiritual improvement. A collection of letters from Bishop Theophan to a devotee allows us to take an inside look at the relationship between a spiritual shepherd and a laywoman, and shows an example of the patience and perseverance of a clergyman in the spiritual correction of those seeking this correction. Unfortunately, time has preserved for us only a small part of the extensive correspondence between Bishop Theophan and his spiritual daughter. Letters from Anna Feodorovna herself to Bishop Feofan have not survived. 53 letters from the saint to Anna Feodorovna of Urnezhevskaya, or rather their handwritten copies, sewn into notebooks, are stored in the Central Historical Archive of Moscow in a file entitled “Letters from Bishop Theophan to a admirer” 837. Another 14 letters were published in the magazine “Soulful Reading” in 1915–1917. In this magazine and in all subsequent publications, the incorrect surname of Anna Fedorovna (Unzhenskaya) is indicated. “Soulful Reading” contains information about the last years of A.F.’s life from the words of a Jerusalem monk. Urnezhevskaya 838. In this description, a completely different woman-prayer appears before us, so different from the disobedient spiritual daughter. “According to the will of the saint, Anna Feodorovna settled to live in Jerusalem, where she lived in a harsh environment, although she had the means. She went to the Holy Sepulcher every night and spent her nights on Calvary in prayer. From the Holy Sepulcher she went to Matins to the Patriarchal Church, where the liturgy ended at 6 o'clock, then attended the cathedral in the mission, where the liturgy began at 7 o'clock. In the afternoon at 2 o'clock she went to the Church of the Resurrection for Vespers. From there she came to the mission cathedral at 4 o'clock for the all-night vigil. Her death was truly Christian. She fell ill with a slight stroke in the mission cathedral on the first week of Lent, on Wednesday 1913. Often during her illness she took communion and kept remembering Saint Theophan. She died at the Palestine Society Hospital. They buried her, according to the covenant, on the Holy Mount of Olives in the Russian monastery. She herself presented the letters of the Right Reverend Theophan to monk N... in Jerusalem.” Such is the fate of a woman whose spiritual rebirth was patiently and edifyingly worked on by Saint Theophan the Recluse for many years. Below I will give excerpts from the saint’s letters; this is only a small part of the text of 67 letters 839. Read them thoroughly. These lines cannot be read quickly, just as it is impossible to read poetry fluently. Why are you all 840 yearning - shutter-shutter. This kind of shutter happens everywhere. I just don’t accept anyone, and I don’t go out myself. And everything else goes on as usual. I go for a walk on the balcony when there is no one in the yard, and if I can’t do it during the day, then at night. And I sleep freely as usual, without any embarrassment... In addition, I enjoy complete peace, I have no worries about anything. This is such a paradise that the sick person will get better, and not that the healthy person will get sick. There are three of you. If you have a desire to work for the Lord, then what is more convenient, how to arrange a saving order of life - in prayer, work, reading and serving your neighbors. Talk and come up with everything about how it should be. And it will be great. All happiness is in God. Only then is the soul at peace when it is in living union with God. And you would have heaven. You don't have long to live in this world. Today, tomorrow death. And then there is trial and punishment. If there is someone sick in the village, visit him or her and console him, and if you can, help in any way. Or start a school, especially for girls, and teach them to read, write, the Law of God, and handicrafts. In the new year, I wish you new activities, and especially a way of life that would not disturb you, but would bring you peace. You must submit to your fate. That's right, that's how God wants it. Having resigned yourself to your fate, you must conduct your affairs in such a way that they bring peace to your soul. What I wrote to you before about the order of daily activities is truly a great means to peace of mind, and if you, being now the complete mistress of your time, establish this order, watch how your soul goes to joy and peace. I see that you want work, but don’t have it. After all, you know the work?! Take some work and work on it. Give what you earn to the poor. Or work for poor churches. Yes, you can find heaps of work whenever you want. You can’t just pray and pray. And hermits don’t do that. What you need to do is pray, read and work. And arrange the time of day so that it is all filled with activities. Then there will be no boredom. Why are you all sitting at home? You can run into the city either to Tregulyaevo or to Sukhotinka. Get some fresh air and freshen up. Manage to occupy your mind, your heart, and your hands in every possible way. You write that every day you are weakening in spirit. This cannot be said to be good. But if the effect here is a simple weakening of energy from a lack of things to do, then nothing. And if at the same time one feels urges to do something that is not in accordance with the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, then there is danger. And you need to pull yourself together. Find something and do it. You never know what is possible. Take on teaching girls - five, ten, to read, write, the first handicrafts. And you will be busy from morning to evening. To give value to the work, undertake it out of love for the Lord, in order to convey concepts to the Christian woman and instill Christian feelings. Teaching is not free, but it is inexpensive. And things will work out. But there is no need to spend time on trifles; of course it’s boring, and various trifles will inevitably creep into your head. Your life is definitely similar to a monastic life. But then the question arises: what else do you need?! There is not enough food for the soul, you write. The food of the soul is thought of God and all the truth of God, good deeds, and prayer with the hope of eternal life. The first and the last are in your hands, no matter what state you are in. What remains is doing good with a good disposition. Doing good must be something that is within your power – whatever is at hand. Look around you to see what you can do and do it. What you do for the sisters is not a bad thing, and what you do for the church is no worse. <.> Give me a penny or say a kind word. These are all good little guys! If God sends you something big, you must be ready to do it. I will show you one lever that turns everything. Memory of God and memory of death. Write them on your heart and read these sacred letters continuously. See what wisdom they will teach you! Then you won’t need teachers either. These two memories will teach you everything: just listen and try to do it. I am very glad that your last visit gave you such pleasure. I wish that your mood in this regard remains with you as protection and reinforcement. And for my part, thank you for coming. It is with particular pleasure that I remember your meekness. You were a humble and devoted lamb. You write that you have completely lost your way, have become distracted, fallen behind the rules, and are busy. Bad progress! Well, you see what went wrong - take it and correct the bad. Of course it won't get better on its own. You have to put in the work and self-force. Force yourself to do anything good. You guessed it, it all started with housework. Worries distract you from prayer and other pious activities - in the thought that there is no time. Is it true that there is no time for everything? Review all your time from morning to evening - you will see how much time there is without anything to do, wasted, and conclude from this that there is no time. This is the enemy's trick. This is true. And St. The ascetics have all noticed that much care is the root of the cooling of the heart, forgetting God and oneself, scattering thoughts, deviating from the rules... and so on. Why did they advise in every possible way to tame this evil tormentor, but so be it! It’s still impossible without worries. How's that? Everything needs to have its own time. Time to pray, time to give orders around the house, housekeeping, time to eat, sleep, walk. everything has its time. Then you need to do this so that the time, for example, assigned to prayer; was in no way taken away by other activities - and when prayer began, all thoughts would be turned to prayer and would not be occupied with anything else. Then, having corrected the prayer properly, complete all other things - with a mental appeal only to God - at the beginning, at the end, and as much as possible in the continuation. That's the whole order! You need to get used to it. And in order to get used to it, you need to work hard, and in order to work hard, you need to exert tension and force yourself. Start this work and you will begin to gather yourself. Pull yourself together and everything will go well. For the root of a good mood is attention, so that, i.e. thoughts were not scattered, but constantly remembered God and themselves. And all because you became a housewife - more so... and you probably felt a little on top. That's where the confusion started. Humble yourself quickly and pray to the Lord not to give up his goodness and return you to a good mood. You complain that entertainment deprives you of peace of mind, that solitude, as before in the village, would be healing for you. You can also arrange solitude in the city. It's in your hands. Do you want it? Here's your program! Know only the church and your apartment. Do not accept anyone to your place, and do not go anywhere yourself, except to your sister, and then only when there is some need on her part. While staying at home, do some handicrafts; from which you will rest - prayer at home and reading. Besides these activities, have only one thing to do: help those in need as much as you can. There is no difficulty in getting settled like this. There may be one obstacle - not wanting to. Of course, one cannot argue with this. But then we must give up all talk about the matter of salvation. And start doing only what you want. However, everyone works out their salvation with fear and trembling. Don't let your thoughts unwind. Otherwise, by running all over the desire for indulgence, the indulgence itself will be made ... acceptable. And bold steps will be taken. God forbid. You are tired, leading a discordant life. Who is stopping you from putting it into operation?! You begin to humble yourself under the strong hand of God. And good! After all, like it or not, what God judges and what God gives in the circumstances of life cannot be changed or somehow evaded. The yoke imposed by the Lord is inevitable to bear. Everyone is looking for heaven. If you sometimes have a heavenly mood, then you just have to hold on to it, and that’s heaven! Church and apartment. And then there is prayer, reading, and handicrafts. May the Lord bless you to spend these days in joy and spiritual joy. Celebrate all Pentecost as a jubilee. And you are still whining and restless. Christians who have such bright promises should not whine, but only rejoice. I forgot that you are a woman. A woman should always write opposite, and she will do as you want. I should have written: eat, drink, sleep, have fun, don’t go to church, dance, go to theaters, balls, and so on... and so on..., then you would starve yourself, you wouldn’t leave church, you wouldn’t let yourself sleep, and everyone would work in the feat of piety. You want to go to a monastery, but you intend to live according to your own will and for your own pleasure, and so that no one dares to live otherwise than the way you want. Will you be a good nun?! Nothing to say. Rebels in monasteries - all of your kind are the essence. So what a craftswoman you are. Back in the world! Well, what to do? The point, however, is not where to live, but how to live. You can live a holy life in the world, and yet destroy your soul in a monastery. It’s certainly better to leave there when your soul is ruined. Only maybe she wasn’t going bankrupt fairly. Who will figure it out? God who sees everything. If you yourself see thinness, you need to get behind it. And there is nothing to think about. Now immediately - stop all relationships, put an end to intimacy. This is the first thing, without which all other methods will not be valid. If the onset of illness is from close mutual contact, then healing must begin by interrupting this circulation. Work hard to get inspired and do it. Of course, he doesn’t live with you, but comes sometimes. This time you can come up with reasons for going somewhere - to Tambov, or to the Sukhotin Monastery, or somewhere else. Whatever you can. You just need to put things right - both the warm speech and the tender outlook must be changed to cold speech out of sheer respect for decency; avoid being alone, face to face. There is no point in feeling sorry for yourself or him. I'm not saying how lawless and unethical this is. You realized this yourself. I offer only techniques for the beginning of your recovery. The rupture is an immediate condition. The Encourager will come. The enemy will instill in you the wrong thing: the longing of your heart and its sorrow. There will be both, of course. But not at all as strong as the enemy would suggest. Just hurt a little, and then everything will pass and smooth out. The first step is difficult, but you have to decide on it; for one should not give one’s soul to the enemy for destruction. It is good that the Lord opens his eyes. After all, the fact that you started talking about it, you say that it is not good... and you express a desire to get out of it - all these thoughts and intentions are good. The grace of God inspires. This is God's mercy to you. The goodness of God leads you to repentance. Before you didn’t see or feel all the ugliness of your steps, but now you see. God revealed. And we must take advantage of His inspiration. For if you do not obey, God’s admonition will again depart. You will be left alone with your sore - and it, now somewhat suspended, will flare up with even greater force. So do not miss this opportunity of God’s admonition and hurry to break your soul and heart. You should not feel sorry for yourself: for in the present case that is what it means to feel sorry for yourself if you do not feel sorry for yourself. The beginning is only difficult, but from there it will become easier and easier. And finally, that peace and peaceful dispensation that you previously enjoyed by the grace of God will return. Look: languor, melancholy, despair. What is all this about? Are you worse than others to suffer so much over trifles? Are you the last one to throw yourself into the mud to be trampled upon - well, drop everything. And stand firmly on the same path of resort to God. The Lord's arms are open to receive all who repent. Just mourn over any sin, turn away from it, and the Lord will immediately grant forgiveness and accept you into His former mercy. But we must hurry while there is time. Today or tomorrow is death. You have cholera there. It will suit you too... what then?! Here the Lord has all mercy ready for the repentant, but there the end of mercy. One truth will come. And who can resist the truth, especially in your position? At first, how easy was everything for you?! And then it’s tight: both languor and aching of the heart. Therefore, know that this is an enemy matter. Love is a blissful and satisfying feeling when it is true love for God. Tormenting, pinching love is the work of Satan... who wants to imitate God, but cannot, and inflames his own hellish burning in the heart. Judge by what is natural for you. And if there is something worthy of regret, if you leave it. I am writing all this to you, taking into account what you have discovered. But even if there were more, do not despair and do not hesitate. The Lord is ready to cover everything - to correct it so that not a trace remains. You just need to make up your mind - to wipe away, to be disgusted by the admitted badness and to turn away from it, saying: “As a man who has sinned, you, as a generous God, have mercy on me, seeing the weakness of my soul.” Just to kindle contrition... otherwise the Lord is merciful, everything will go in order. Instructions in prayer work May God help you to keep your soul in a good mood. You need to pray about this too... you won’t receive anything without prayer. The Lord is ready to give everything, but without prayer he will not give. Prayer prepares in the soul a vessel and repository for every gift of God. <...> After all, you can pray at home. Look at the prayer rule in the letters and take it for yourself. The warmth of spirit and liveliness of feeling must be maintained. They are evidence of the life of the soul. They will not exist, the soul will freeze. If it freezes, what should we do with it? You need to warm up your soul in the morning. As soon as you wake up, without even starting to do anything, ... you must immediately warm your soul. Quickly turn your thoughts to God and bow down. The soul will warm up, then you need to start ordinary things. This warm disposition must be maintained throughout the day. You just have to take it, otherwise the work itself will teach you everything. And the Lord will accept home prayer as church prayer, for the sake of need. It’s not out of laziness that you don’t pray in church. What to do when there is no church nearby. However, you can pray fervently at home, just as in church. Set yourself a rule for the morning and evening and stick to it. It’s better, instead of reading, to put the number of bows and prayers of Jesus and fulfill them. After all, there is already something laid out in this way, in the following psalter. Perhaps you have nowhere to get this psalter. I’ll write it out to you on a special piece of paper. And you will have: Matins, and Midnight Office, and Hours, and Vespers. Yes, if God blesses you, and you are able to keep your soul without distraction and in feeling, this prayer will surpass even the church one. Just try to have reverence and warm up a tender feeling. The time of fasting has come - and here is a wide application of prayer works. Work, but still with reason. Most of all, avoid turning your prayer into one form or custom of prayer. Every time you begin to pray, force your soul to pray, to pray, that is, with your word and your feeling and thought. And this is done every time so that reading prayer comes as an appendage, as help, and not as the main thing. Focus or direct all your work on constantly walking before God, with the thought of God, His omnipresence and omniscience. And often turn to Him from your heart. This kind of exercise finally forms an unceasing prayer, perfected in the heart and mind. Set it as a goal to achieve. Others also use a mechanical method of doing the Jesus Prayer for this purpose. You can do this too. Do this. Bring your mind out of your head into your heart, and become your attention there, and say: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” - as if pouring it straight into your heart. At the same time, slightly restrict breathing and keep everything in tension in the body. You can do this while sitting, but it is better to stand. Say the prayer slowly, as if chewing every word. You need to place your attention above the left heart - inside. Saying a prayer is usually prayerful. And even during the day everyone says it, standing with attention as well. Then your attention does not come from the heart, no matter what you do. Whether you read, go, or work, be there. That's the law! When the burning of the heart begins to show, then the inner life will begin! And that's it! What you say about the disorder in your inner life can be eliminated if you get down to business as you should. Take the trouble to instill the Jesus Prayer into your lips and heart. You know it, and of course you create it; but undertake to bring this work to perfection - to put it the way it should be. In order for this prayer to be imposed on your tongue, make it a law for yourself to repeat it incessantly - no matter what you do... get to the point where it itself is read by your tongue, whether you want it or not. You have to work hard for this. But this is only one side of the matter, and the weakest side. The main thing is to instill this prayer in the heart. The technique here is the same - repeat the Jesus Prayer, but during this repetition you also need to pay attention to the heart - there inside, above the left. Become there with attention and pronounce the words of prayer there, believing that the Lord Himself is here and hears this prayer and heeds it. Nothing more is required... You just need to determine a few moments a day... and do this prayer... sitting or standing. From this, like some kind of sore forms in the heart... warmth will come - the memory of the Lord will be established... and then thoughts will be established, and all disorder will cease, and there will be no despondency. We need to retire... and work on it. It’s not a sudden success; years pass before the deed appears. But he will still appear, for the Lord is merciful. There is no other way to peace of heart. About irritability and anger Who do you feel animosity towards? And pray about this, so that the Lord will pacify your spirit. Pray for that face. Do something good for him on purpose. In general, an irritable disposition is corrected by patience and silence. At that time, when you are angry, do not say or do anything, but retire to your room and calm down; then, with reasoning, make an order for the case that irritated you. The world didn’t fall because of any of those incidents that people were angry about? It became possible to do everything without getting angry. Let reasoning precede doing. Rarely does anyone live without mistakes, stumbles and falls. Be smart. And if you notice something wrong, correct it. Labor overcomes everything. Interpretations of prayers, psalms You ask for an interpretation. It is worthy... Everything is so clear here that there is nothing to interpret... There was a certain Nestorius Patriarch of Constantinople, who began to teach that the Most Holy Virgin Mary is not the Mother of God, but the Mother of Christ, i.e., that she gave birth to the man Christ, with whom God the Son was united. Against this heresy there was the 3rd Ecumenical Council, at which the ancient confession was established that the Most Holy Virgin gave birth to God... and is truly the Mother of God. In order to more strongly imprint this dogma in the minds of believers, songs of theotokos were written - dogmatics, in which it is sung that the God-Man was born from the Virgin Mary and that she is the Mother of God. Please now read this song with the thought that it was composed in order to glorify the Most Holy Virgin as truly the Mother of God... Everything will be clear. It is worthy - as indeed it truly is - to please, magnify, glorify the Mother of God, ever and ever eternally blessed and immaculate, most pure in body and spirit, and the Matter of our God. 101 ps<alom>, about which you ask, how is it going to your circumstances! Beggar's Prayer. This is everyone who is sorrowful, and oppressed, and in need! Up to verse 12 the feelings of the mourner are depicted. Then the thought turns to the restoration of Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. Interpreters understand that the thoughts of the psalm can be applied to anyone who grieves, to a sinful soul turning to God, to the Jewish people, who long for deliverance from the captivity of Babylon and to the creation of the Church of Christ. Interpret private places as you wish. And verse 6... because of the voice of groaning my bone came close to my flesh. The grief and sighs from it are so strong that the skin has dried to the bones from exhaustion. 13 Art. You, Lord... You are understandable in yourself. Here we turn to other encouraging thoughts. Everything flows, only God and His Word are unchanging. The Jews, who were in captivity, were comforted by this. Everything is lost, as it were said: and we are exhausted, but You, our Lord, remain forever... and Your Word will be fulfilled... the promise of the restoration of Jerusalem and the return from captivity. The sinful soul, repenting at this word, can also inspire itself with the hope that the Lord will reward and build it, ruined by sin... Pagan humanity could also turn to the Lord with hope that finally it too would be called to the knowledge of God... and all nations with kings would glorify the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 23). To generous means to overwhelm with generosity or generous gifts. Generosity comes from love, and the word “generous” can mean “to love.” In the next verse they will spare the dust - that means they love the dust. The prophet says: both the stones and the very dust of Zion - or Jerusalem - are dear to the Israelites. You have risen - having risen, i.e. having risen, awakened, paying attention, as in 19 and 20 Art. You apply everything to yourself, either to your external state, or more to your soul. Take each verse separately and, after thinking, determine what it might mean to you. If you don’t understand, ask me, I will answer. You won’t be able to interpret on your own what exactly is needed, and expressing everything and all your thoughts is superfluous. Known and understandable what to write. About “black sickness” (depression), despondency and patience I am very sorry that you are often tormented by melancholy. Apparently it's not natural; for sometimes there is melancholy, sometimes there is great joy. Pray earnestly to the Lord. He only has to say a word - and all enemies and all sorrows will scatter. Do this: as soon as this black sickness begins to approach, pray and pray. The Lord is merciful, he will drive you away. If it comes up again, pray again. Until he moves away completely and starts tossing and turning. After all, you will reach despair. You are all sad! And I would be glad to help you, but I can’t. Train your soul yourself so that it finally achieves peace. But you know that it can only be found in the Lord. I’m amazed, not understanding what you have. Your conscience is at peace. One would expect that your attitude towards God should also be peaceful. According to all laws, your soul should have peace and quiet in the Lord. And indefinite sorrows are impossible. Sorrows are possible from known causes only. <...> Occupy yourself more with thoughts about the bright promises of Christianity. After all, the fate of Christ is brighter. What do we miss? Paradise is ours, as long as there are no mortal sins and the soul does not indulge in negligence about salvation. That you don't see perfection in yourself. There is no reason to be sad. No one is suddenly perfect. Move a little and quite. <...> May the Lord bless you to be built up internally and to find peace in the Lord. And you're all whining. It's just a natural character trait. You whine and whine, but things are surely moving forward little by little. And move at least like a slow-moving vehicle. You're all whining! When will it end? You complain that you are restless because of the uncertainty of your state, but you don’t want to take on any permanent task. Who is to blame here? There are so many things in the world that you can take on for the benefit of your business and your soul. Come up with it and take it. Walk for the sick. Could there be anything more comforting?! In the past there were no establishments, but now there are so many of them. What do you write, that you are sometimes despondent, sometimes joyful - it could be nothing. A peaceful state of heart should be natural in you when there are no sins weighing on your conscience. But it is indignant at various troubles - external, and sometimes internal. But these indignations are something else from despondency. Weary, indefinite despondency is either a disease or the enemy’s work. Pray to the Lord and He will drive you away. Distinguish joy too. Pure joy is God's joy; and when there is something unclean with her, it is the enemy. And here we need to pray. Pray about everything. For everything good is from the Lord, and nothing good is from us... from us only seeking. So, when you think about your fate, do you know where the consolation comes from?!! From devotion to the will of God. Surrender yourself to the Lord, and be strong, and don’t take it back. What prevents us from holding on to one degree of devotion is the thought that we will live a long time. This is the conviction of the longevity of all our troubles... and despondency, and hobbies. If it weren’t for... why would one be depressed?.. And when to sin. That is why take a lesson from the saints of God, from their words and example, that we have no time ahead... We don’t know whether we will live to see the end of the day. There is only the present minute, and who can say whether there will be a next one. Congratulations on your apartment. But who is to blame for choosing the inconvenient one? but when they have already been elected there is nothing to do. Look at her as one that God sent you. And then endure everything that is inconvenient in it as if it were the direct will of God. When there is something to endure, it is better morally than when everything goes wrong. You have a lot to endure. Be patient with good will. This is your salvation. In submission to God’s determination, according to which your life is one way and not another. This will brighten your outlook on life, and there will be no place for the spirit of despondency. When you look at yourself and everything around you without the thought and providence of God, everything is gloomy. Restore the conviction that the entire course of your life, with all its touches, is the direct work of God, the purpose of which is the best preparation of you for a blissful eternity. Consolation in hardships and losses May the ascended Lord revive the strength of your hope. Look more closely, like the Apostles, in the footsteps of the Lord. There, sitting at the right hand of the Father, He rules over everything—he rules over you and your life. It is from him that you are deprived. Accept it as coming directly from him. He is all love. And he does not send anything else to us except something completely saving. In this faith, rest in peace and be content. This loss is worse than the first. She left the entire household on your neck. What to do, work hard. Before you were taken care of - now you take care of others. It means it's time. And do it with diligence. There is only one rule: don’t rush into anything. What you know, do it immediately, but what you don’t know, you need to ask one or another until you understand well. That's it. Yes, you need to pray so that the Lord will admonish you either Himself or send people who can instruct you in humility and surrender. The Lord will overcome everything, correct all unevenness, and block all obstacles. Your sister Sophia has died... Glory to you, Lord! May He calm her spirit. Why are you so excited!! eternal separation, eternal separation... Who says that? only pagans and nihilists. We believe that she is alive, she only took off her rough clothes and moved into another room. Tomorrow we will go to her and see you. There is no need to grieve, but to rejoice... Blessed, she left - both from illness and from this bad earthly life. What is the joy of living here? We must wish to everyone: please repent and die quickly. And sing a grateful prayer service for the fact that your sister died so well!! You definitely need to sing the funeral service. And then a memorial service. And you just started to grieve. Your sister looks at you... and shakes her head, and marvels at your intelligence. And we ourselves must prepare to go there and desire this... but in our mind we must never move away from death and be and share everything with it, and it will go well. Well, what should we do now? Having grieved, that's enough. Now calm down... and indulge in your usual pious activities. Why are you so upset about the dead? Praying for them is a good thing, but grieving is of no use. Or maybe you haven’t sung dirges about them for a long time. They missed you. And you did well that you hastened to remember them and pray for them. GATO. F. 1049. Op. 5. Units hr. 5164. L. 24. GATO. F. 181. Op. 1. Unit hr. 991 b. L. 4.; GATO. F. 161. Op. 1. Unit hr. 258. L. 977 vol. Tregulyaev Predtechensky (now Tambov St. John the Baptist Tregulyaevsky) monastery in the village. Tregulyai (Trigulai) 7 versts from Tambov on the bank of the river. Prices. See: Popovitsky E.A., Soykin P.P. Orthodox Russian monasteries. Complete illustration description of all Orthodox Russian monasteries in the Russian Empire and on Mount Athos. 1909. Mother of God-Znamensky Sukhotinsky convent in the village. Znamensky-Sukhotin (now the village of Sukhotinka) 30 versts from Tambov on the bank of the river. Naru-Tambov. Right there. Near the village Orzhevka Kirsanovsky district Tambov province. in 1864 the Bogolyubsko-Tisheninovskaya women's community was founded, in 1881 it was renamed a monastery. See: Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron. St. Petersburg : Brockhaus-Efron, 1890–1907. Nowadays Orzhevka belongs to the Umetsky district of the Tambov region. Works like the saints of our father Theophan the Recluse: collection. letters. Holy Dormition Pskov-Pechersky Monastery; Pilgrim, 1994. Vol. VI. P. 165. Letter No. 1016 dated September 29, 1887 Zadonsky Tikhonovsky Monastery (Skete of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk). CIAM. F. 2355. Op. 1. Unit hr. 264. L. 72–74. CIAM. F. 2355. Op. 1. Unit hr. 264. L. 98–99. CIAM. F. 2355. Op. 1. Unit hr. 264. L. 100–102. Works like the saints of our father Theophan the Recluse: collection. letters.. Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersk Monastery; Pilgrim, 1994. Vol. VI. P. 41. Letter No. 396 dated March 3, 1873 Emmanuil Dmitrievich Naryshkin (1813–1901) – chief chamberlain; large landowner and philanthropist, owner of the Bykova Gora estate near the Vyshensky Monastery. CIAM. F. 2355. Op. 1. Unit hr. 264. Soulful reading. 1915. Part II. May-June. P. 24. The full text of all found letters will be published in the Complete Collection of the Works of St. Theophan the Recluse.