Advice from the holy fathers and elders. Practical advice from the Athonite elder Ephraim regarding everyday life

Page 1 of 14

One elder said: “There are many good and pious priests, but one in a thousand can correctly guide a person’s spiritual life - this is a special gift of God.”

The author of the advice and instructions collected here is Father Valentin (Mordasov). He devoted all his free time from divine services to the flock. As if to an inexhaustible source, people who were suffering and seeking spiritual admonition or simply life advice were drawn to him.

1. Does our salvation depend on external circumstances?

Our salvation does not depend on anything external: what matters is not whether someone is noble or not, rich or poor, but whether he is virtuous, whether he believes, whether he cares about spiritual success and whether he loves God (St. Clement of Alexandria).

2. How to live to be saved?

Every deed of piety and Christian love: reading holy books, good thoughts, useful conversations, holy obedience, thanksgiving in temptations and sorrows, forgiveness of offenses - bear the stamp of prayer and are fragrant before God. Still, you need to force yourself, test yourself in everything and block the paths of pampering, then hard work and piety will turn into a habit (Elder John of the Trinity).

3. What are God's greatest gifts?

Repentance and Communion are the greatest of all the gifts of God. Some of the sacred books can also be included here (St. Barsanuphius the Great).

4. What should a spiritual person beware of?

An ascetic of virtue must in every possible way avoid thoughts that please his mind and heart. Satan is very inventive in his atrocities: when he cannot distract people known for piety from their precious life and behavior and persuade them to do what he pleases, he tries to defeat them in another way. He praises them as people who have achieved perfection, then glorifies them as saints, pleases them as having already become friends of God and having reached the extreme of all virtue. And thus, having generated in them the passion of pride, it incites them into enmity against God and, finally, uproots them, like some plant. Therefore, as I said, we must remove ourselves from thoughts that please us in our minds and hearts (St. Cyril of Alexandria).

5. What is the most important thing for a Christian?

The most important thing is to learn the true faith (St. Ambrose of Milan).

6. How to get a righteous mindset?

The beginning of a righteous way of thinking is listening and reading the Word of God and [the works of] the holy fathers (St. Ephraim the Syrian).

7. What should we know?

We should all know the will of God and which deeds are virtues and which are sins. And whoever does not do this sins before God. And it turns out that whoever keeps himself in darkness and illiteracy sins twice: both in that he does not know the will of God, and in that he does not use the means to know it and deliberately “keeps himself in the dark” (St. Theophan the Recluse).

8. How to strengthen yourself in the Church?

The guidance of the spiritual father, constant communication with him; frequent resort to the sacraments, careful preparation for them, attendance at divine services, home prayer, daily reading of the Gospel, reading books of religious content, observance of holidays and fasts of the church year, friendship and communication with believers and church people.

9. Does God always send people to me?

No, sometimes it is not God, but the devil who sends them to us.

10. How to learn spiritual life?

Living in solitude, I test the Divine Scriptures, according to the commandment of the Lord, and their interpretation, as well as the apostolic traditions, lives and teachings of the holy fathers, and I listen to them; and what, according to my understanding, is for the pleasure of God and the benefit of my soul, I copy and study for myself: in this is my life and breath. I advise you to do the same. I give this advice for the good of the soul, offering what I consider useful for myself (Venerable Nilus of Sorsky).

In order for reading the Scriptures to be useful, you must: first, before reading, call on the grace of the Holy Spirit to help you; secondly, read slowly, repeating several times what is not clear to you; thirdly, do not worry about reading a lot; fourthly, beware of reading miscellaneous books.

12. Is it possible to learn spiritual life without studying in a theological school?

Although the ascetic Jerome did not study in theological schools, he educated himself through spiritual reading and conversations with spiritual elders and experienced religious people.

13. What religions are considered false?

All religions existing in the world, except the true, united Orthodox, are false and do not save a person. False religion is a mockery of people. After death, it will be revealed immediately how solid that on which someone based his hope will be... What a terrifying and tearing state will be the one who then sees that he has been deceived (St. Theophan the Recluse).

14. Why is it important to surround yourself with edification in your home and everywhere you go?

Because every object in the world and every impression from an object evokes in a person certain thoughts, feelings and desires, this or that activity, consistent with these impressions. That is why you need to surround yourself in such a way that everything edifies you. Even if something does not produce bad thoughts and feelings, it distracts from the main thing - the salvation of the soul and the desire for God... For example, a Christian’s room used to edify everyone. On the walls were nailed sheets of paper of various sizes with prayers and sayings from the Holy Scriptures; many icons, a picture of the Last Judgment, photographs of elders, confessors, schema-monks, ascetics, monasteries and temples.

15. How to be guided in spiritual life in our time?

For recent times, the later holy fathers offer more guidance from the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the fathers, without rejecting very careful advice with modern fathers and brethren, while carefully maintaining the spirit of humility and repentance in thoughts and feelings. This is the work given by God to our time; and we are obliged to reverently use the gift of God given to us for salvation (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov).

16. In what cases are external labors useless?

There is no benefit from all external labors if through them we fail to achieve inner kindness.

Do not neglect the psalms, because they drive away evil spirits from the soul and infuse the Holy Spirit into it.

18. How should the life of a Christian be governed?

The life of a Christian should be governed by conscience and reason, that is, by reasoning with the advice of experienced people. The devil succeeds there, where people trust their own minds, their own reasoning and do not ask their confessor for advice.

19. How should the days of fasting be spent?

During fasting, we must deviate from the bustle of the world in order to think about our sins, cry before God and prepare a sincere confession that cleanses us of sins. The days of fasting should be devoted to fasting, visiting the temple of God, reading the Word of God and to works of mercy: visiting the sick, mournful and poor in order to help them.

20. What does God require from man?

From all Scripture I see that God’s demand from man is concentrated in the following: that he humble himself before his neighbors in everything, that he cut off his sinful desires, that he constantly beg God for mercy and that He give him a helping hand (St. Simeon the New Theologian).

21. What does it mean to “withdraw from the world”?

To withdraw from the world means to leave morals, customs, rules, habits, demands that are completely contrary to the Spirit of Christ.

22. How do you know if you are addicted to something?

Sometimes a person has a sinful addiction to a thing, for example: he admires it, gets angry with others, starts an argument, and when he is deprived of it, he grieves over it.

23. For what reason do you sometimes have blasphemous thoughts against God, the Mother of God, holy icons, and the Holy Mysteries?

Let us stop judging and condemning our neighbor - and we will not be afraid of blasphemous thoughts. No one should think that he is guilty of blasphemous thoughts if he does not want them and does not agree with them, and should attribute them to demons. Try not to pay any attention to them (Venerable John Climacus).

24. By what deeds is God's favor acquired?

There are five deeds through which God's favor is gained. The first is pure prayer, the second is reading the Psalter, the third is reading the Divine Scriptures, the fourth is recollection with contrition of one’s sins, death and the Last Judgment, the fifth is handicraft (monk Evagrius).

25. What is the benefit of the Jesus Prayer?

The prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me,” constantly performed in the heart, dries up fornication, tames rage, drives away anger, takes away sadness, removes insolence, destroys despondency, drives away laziness, enlightens the mind, gives birth to tenderness, and brings tears.

26. For what reason should one leave one’s place of residence?

The elders said: The ancient fathers did not quickly move from their place of residence; if they moved, then for the following three reasons: firstly, if someone was angry with them in vain, and they could not reconcile him to themselves with all their efforts for reconciliation; secondly, if they were glorified by many; thirdly, if one of them had the misfortune of falling into fornication. For these three reasons they left their place of residence.

More parents need to honor priests. “Do you know,” asks St. John Chrysostom, “who the priest is?” And he answers: “Angel of the Lord.” And therefore, he says, one should honor shepherds more than parents, for they are the servants of Christ on earth, and whoever honors them honors Christ.

28. What are the sins against the Holy Spirit?

Firstly, excessive hope in God's mercy; secondly, despair in one’s salvation; thirdly, obvious opposition to the established truth and rejection of the Orthodox faith; fourthly, envy regarding the spiritual benefits that neighbors receive from God; fifthly, remaining in sins and stagnant in malice; sixthly, negligence about repentance until the end of this life.

29. Who should you not have friendship with?

Do not make friends and do not have an alliance with the enemies of Christ’s Church, with heretics, with schismatics, with those who do not observe the fasts of saints. One must run from those people who do not fear and do not honor God (St. Seraphim of Sarov).

30. How is faith strengthened?

Listen to the Word of God, sermons and teachings, read the Word of God, [the works of] the holy fathers and elder books, search and inquire, talk and communicate with believers, rich in faith; pray, cry out to God for faith, live by faith, confess more often and partake of the Holy Mysteries (St. Theophan the Recluse).

31. How to treat your neighbor?

Always imagine your neighbor in your place, and yourself in your neighbor's place.

32. What is important in spiritual life?

Try to have a spiritual father throughout your life, reveal every sin and thought to him, use his advice and instructions. “Salvation,” says the Wise One, “is in much advice, and a man without advice is his own enemy.”

33. What pleases God most?

Nothing pleases God so much as suffering or bodily deprivation for His sake; and nothing attracts His love for mankind more than through tears.

34. How to deal with passions?

A Christian should try to do the opposite of passion, for example: passion forces you to argue, but you force yourself to remain silent; passion compels you to overeat, but you don’t allow yourself to fill up, etc.

35. What saving thought should you have?

If a person does not affirm in his thoughts that he has been dead and buried for three years, he cannot correct his virtues.

36. How to look at celebrating holidays?

The Lord says in the Bible: “My soul hates your holidays,” that is, when religious holidays are celebrated in drunkenness, revelry, overeating, etc. In general, on holidays (not celebrated spiritually) this is wasted. what was collected during the days of labor.

37. How to avoid temptations?

1. Do not look at what people do, no matter what they are, but listen and heed what the Word of God teaches.

2. Imitate the life of the Savior and His saints.

3. Turn your ears and eyes away from indecent things, for through them, like doors, all evil enters the heart.

4. Stay more at home (who has no temptations) and solitude.

38. How to teach a child the fear of God?

1. Teach the child to bow to the ground before the Holy Cross and icons, to kiss them.

2. Bring (or bring) the child to the temple of God more often.

3. With his hand, place candles in front of the images, give remembrance, give alms, put a coin in a mug.

4. Frequently receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

5. Give prosphora and holy water before meals.

6. Teach prayers.

7. Bring under the blessing of a priest.

8. Accustom to singing and reading at home.

9. In the presence of a child, conduct pious conversations about God and the salvation of the soul.

10. Accustom him to share delicacies, even his own piece of bread, with brothers, sisters and strangers.

39. How to skillfully punish children?

Children should not be subjected to reprimands or punishments in temperament with the use of rude words, so that such methods do not lead children to think that they are being punished only because their parents are in a restless spirit.

40. How to teach children about the divine?

Children should be taught the Gospel with affection, in the form of stories, sowing the Word of God in their hearts.

41. What drives away the Spirit of God?

Know that the Spirit of God is not driven away by anything more than empty conversations.

42. What is important in works?

What is the use of our labors - fasting, reading the Holy Scriptures, etc. - if we have not learned to humble ourselves, forgive offenses, love our enemies, pray for those who offend?!

43. How to use time to save the soul?

Time is a precious gift of God, for which an account will be required at the Last Judgment. The saving use of time is when a person spends time, firstly, in prayer, in conversation with God; secondly, in reading the Word of God; thirdly, in visiting the temple of God; fourthly, in pious conversations; fifthly, in thinking about the life of Jesus Christ, about death, about the Last Judgment, about eternal torment and eternal bliss; sixthly, in doing good deeds and labors. A soul-destroying way to spend time is in empty conversations and activities, in games (cards, checkers, chess, lotto) and other amusements, in drunkenness, in reading empty books, in overeating, partying and sinful pleasures, especially in spectacles.

44. How to deal with sinful thoughts?

Against all sinful thoughts, the most powerful weapon is prayer, especially the Jesus Prayer. However, there are other methods of fighting. Against thoughts of vanity and conceit - remembering the decomposition of your body; against pride - remember that pride alone eats up all good deeds; against rancor - pray for the enemy; against condemnation - reproach yourself for pride, remembering your sins, pray that the Lord will correct the one who has fallen into sin and have mercy; against blasphemous thoughts - do not pay attention to blasphemy and attribute it to demons, confess (in general) in confession, read a prayer to the one against whom the blasphemy is spoken; against vain thoughts - read the Holy Scriptures and reflect on God and the divine; against prodigal thoughts - remember the Last Judgment, eternal torment.

45. Which elders and spiritual fathers should you ask for advice?

A great saving task is to ask the elders for advice, but at the same time, Saint Anthony the Great advised to make sure of the elder’s right-mindedness and experience, and then trust his word and unquestioningly accept his advice. The sign by which this can be recognized is the agreement of his words with the Word of God, interpreted by the holy fathers.

46. ​​What does it mean to be “spiritually negligent”?

Archbishop Arseny responds to this: “This means praying lazily, being inattentive to your heart, not crying over sins, not resisting bad thoughts and feelings.”

47. What is attention, alertness and sobriety?

He who is confined in the heart is collected, and he who is collected is in the heart. Around consciousness, the heart must gather with all its strength: mind, will, and feeling. The gathering of the mind in the heart is attention, the gathering of the will is courage, the gathering of feelings is sobriety. Attention, vigilance, sobriety - three internal activities by which self-assembly is accomplished and inward abiding acts. Whoever has them, and moreover, all of them, is within [himself] (St. Theophan the Recluse). Composure makes it possible to see thoughts, desires, passions, and feelings in the heart.

It is good to listen and read the divine, better - mutual conversation, and even better - the word of the most experienced. The most fruitful is the Word of God, and behind it are the writings of the fathers and the lives of the saints. The Lives of the Saints are best for beginners; fatherly scriptures - for average ones; The Word of God is for the perfect. Before reading, remove the soul from everything; turn to God in prayer. Follow what you read with your attention and put it in your heart. Whatever doesn’t reach your heart, stay there until it does. You should read very slowly. Stop reading when the soul no longer wants to feed on reading - that means it’s full. If a place strikes your soul, stand there and do not read further. The best time for the Word of God is morning; lives of saints - after lunch; Holy Fathers - shortly before bedtime. There are texts of Holy Scripture that warm the spirit, act on the heart and evoke tenderness and tears. Therefore, such places must be written out and stored in case of need, to excite the spirit.

49. Which is better: spending money on a temple or tolerating theft?

It is equally good to spend your money on decorating churches and suffer a loss, thanking (for everything) the Provider of salvation - God.

50. What tears are saving?

Only tears from grief, from resentment - these are not useful, but for the fact that I am lazy, offended, and do not have true love for God - these tears are useful, and we must pray for them, so that the Lord will give them.

51. What two vices are especially harmful to the soul?

All sorts of vices are evil and harmful to the soul, but more fierce and destructive are self-justification and love of argument; Therefore, the devil forces people to contradict in self-justification, for he knows that if they endure and do not justify themselves, then they will be justified by God (Archim. Theophan of Novoezersk).

52. What is the best thing for peace of mind?

Having experienced a lot in life, I have not found anything better for the peace and tranquility of my soul than eating in moderation, staying in one place and diligently studying God’s Word (Hieroshim. Stephen).

53. What pleases God?

God is pleased by treating people kindly, calming the angry, interceding the offended, turning his eyes away from bad objects, resisting bad thoughts, forcing himself to pray (Archim. Theophan of Novoezersk).

54. What are these “gravediggers of youth”?

The seven gravediggers of youth: unbelief in God, drunkenness, debauchery, anger, disrespect for parents, bad partnership and idleness (idleness).

55. When does prayer become a sin?

There is no greater sin than to pray to God without fear, attention and reverence; pray with the tongue, and conduct a conversation with the demons with the mind (St. Theophan the Recluse).

56. How to strengthen your love for Christ?

What strengthens and strengthens our love for Christ most is our heartfelt reflection on the sufferings of Christ. For this purpose, it is good to choose one of the sufferings of Christ every day in the morning, thinking carefully and remembering it more often throughout the day. From this we will always receive the gift of patience, meekness and love for Christ.

57. What do worldly people want from us?

People who live in the spirit of a corrupt age and are unbelievers want us to surrender to their will instead of the will of God, and want to distract us from the Kingdom of God.

58. How to deal with extraneous thoughts?

During prayer and spiritual reasoning, beware of accepting any extraneous thoughts; say to your thoughts with prohibition: “In the name of God, I forbid you!” - and thought will certainly listen. The Jesus Prayer and the sign of the cross will conveniently drive away all the power of the enemy (Archim. Theophan of Novoezersk).

59. What are the obstacles in prayer?

There are many obstacles in prayer: sleep, despondency, heaviness of the body, whirling thoughts, impatience, relaxation, rebellion of demons.

60. People are often advised to eat more. How to react to such advice?

Do not listen to the advice of self-indulgent people who have made themselves slaves of the womb and carnal passions. In general, fear evil advice more than enemies (St. Ephraim the Syrian).

61. Explain the action of Adam’s nature.

The Christian must resist Adam's sinful nature. Saint Ephraim the Syrian in his teaching says: “Adam’s nature - I don’t want to learn, but I’m happy to teach; I don’t want to obey, but I love to subjugate; I don’t want to work, but I want to bother others; I don’t want to show honor, but I want to be honored; I don’t want to be reproached I endure, but I love to reproach; I don’t want to be humiliated, but I love to be humiliated. I am wise to give advice, and not to carry it out myself; I say what should be done, and what should not be said - "That's what I do. If a brother sins, I rebuke him with pleasure, but if I sin myself, I do not accept reproof with pleasure."

62. Why should one avoid communication with worldly people?

There is no need to deal with those who are careless about the fear of God, because they say nothing useful, do nothing for the Lord, do not talk about virtue, reverence, or purity. Their speeches are a mortal snare; their advice is the abyss of hell; their community is spiritual destruction (St. Ephraim the Syrian).

63. How should you greet people?

Let us not wait to be greeted first and then return the greeting. This is a sign of an arrogant and reckless mind. On the contrary, we will always be the first to greet both friend and enemy.

64. What should one mainly pay attention to during asceticism?

Draw your attention least of all to external feats (for example: fasting, bowing, lying on hard ground, etc.). Although they are necessary, they are help. A building is built in their midst, but they are not the building.

Building in the heart. Pay attention to the affairs of the heart (that is, so as not to be irritated, not to be offended, not to judge, to forgive, to reject bad thoughts and sinful desires, etc.).

65. What to do if there is no manager?

N. is telling the truth that today there are no real leaders. However, one should not remain with Scripture and fatherly lessons alone. Questioning is necessary! Elder Paisios decided this: two or three like-minded people will form an alliance, and question each other, leading a life of mutual obedience, with the fear of God and prayer (St. Theophan the Recluse).

66. What kind of alms are there?

A Christian can provide alms and help not only financially, but also with his knowledge, labor, advice and others (St. Theophan the Recluse).

67. Which is better to ask the elders: one or many?

You should never ask different leaders about the same matter and not ask the same thing again, because the very first answer comes from the Lord, and the second - from the reasoning of man in the elder... Every questioner takes upon himself a sign of humility, and in this way imitates Christ .

68. What is God-thinking?

Thought of God is the holding in thought of any truth: the incarnation, death on the cross, resurrection, omnipresence and others - without any direction of thought (St. Theophan the Recluse).

69. Which leaders should be questioned?

Saint Peter of Damascus says about himself: “I received a lot of harm from inexperienced advisers.” Therefore, it is very good to ask about everything, but to experienced ones; and those who are inexperienced are dangerous because they lack judgment.

70. How to represent God? In heaven, in yourself, or something else?

No way. Acquire the skill of standing in the conviction that God is everywhere and, therefore, in you, and sees all your hidden things; and in this conviction, hold yourself reverently before the invisible God, without any of His imagination. But pray that God Himself will teach you this (St. Theophan the Recluse).

71. What is the main sacrifice to God?

The main sacrifice to God is a broken spirit. God will not despise a contrite and humble heart.

72. What do you need to know about conversations?

Conversations require great concern: in what spirit and direction should you speak, at what time and what exactly, and for what purpose... He who loves to talk must remember all this, but the silent one has already accomplished and fulfilled it (St. Demetrius of Rostov).

73. What is piety?

By piety we must understand strict Orthodoxy, combined with strict life according to the commandments of God.

74. What sins are considered mortal?

Mortal sins are heresy, schism, blasphemy, apostasy, witchcraft, despair, suicide, prodigal sin, drunkenness, sacrilege, murder, robbery, theft and any cruel inhuman offense. The mortal sin of an Orthodox Christian, not healed by proper repentance, subjects the sinner to eternal torment (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov).

75. What should you do and what should you not do on Sunday?

Saint Cosmas taught Christians: on Sundays not to trade, not to go to the market, not to do work, and also not to go for berries, mushrooms, hunt, or fish, but to go to church and listen to the holy service and God’s Word there.

76. How should the Holy Scriptures be interpreted?

Do not dare to interpret the Gospel and other books of Holy Scripture yourself. The Holy Spirit interpreted it through the holy fathers... And the Word of God comes, the word of salvation for its daring interpreters, by the will of death, with a two-edged sword, with which they will stab themselves into eternal destruction (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov).

77. What is the most powerful remedy against sin?

Not a single feat drives out sin so, with such convenience and power, as daily confession to the elder (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov).

78. What must be preserved in order to be protected from sin?

The mind is from bad, evil and empty thoughts; gaze - from worldly delights. The heart is from evil desires and exaltation. Hearing comes from vain and ridiculous conversations, and most of all from slandering one's neighbor. Language is from condemnation and murmuring. Stomach - from voluptuousness and from excessive wine drinking. All of yourself - from idleness.

79. Should you be frank with everyone?

You cannot be completely frank in front of everyone and about everything, you cannot tell everyone about everything, and other things must be kept silent and hidden.

80. What is generosity?

Generosity is when, among the misfortunes that befall us, we are not embarrassed, we do not lose heart, we endure them without despondency, grumbling, with devotion to the will of God.

81. What excites passions?

Worldly poetry, music and singing only excite passions (Bishop Peter).

82. How to acquire kindness?

If a person does not notice the vices of his neighbor, then with the help of God good-heartedness is born in him, with which God is pleased (Abba Dorotheus).

83. What is “self-deepening” (withdrawal into oneself)?

Self-absorption is the main virtue necessary in order not to be entertained by the influence of the world, to block its ability to arouse passions - this is renunciation of the world (St. Isaac the Syrian).

84. What is important in work?

When you work, look at the spirit with which the work is done (with grumbling or anger, discontent, idle talk, with bad thoughts or with prayer and contemplation of God, etc.).

85. What kind of prayer does the evil spirit not like?

The devil, seeing how someone succeeds perfectly in the commandments of Christ through smart work, uses all his efforts to destroy all books about the Jesus Prayer and, through worthless people, interrupt the practice of smart work (St. Theophan the Recluse).

86. How to behave with your neighbors?

Greet with pleasantness, answer with a bright face, be favorable to everyone, be accessible, do not indulge in praise of yourself, do not force others to talk about you, do not accept indecent words, hide your advantages as much as possible, and blame yourself for sins and do not wait for reproof from others. Do not be heavy in reprimands, do not reprove quickly, and not with a passionate movement, do not condemn for unimportant things, as if you yourself were a strict righteous person. Make as much effort not to be glorified by people as others try to be glorified (St. Basil the Great).

87. What bliss awaits pious people in the future life?

If someone embraces in a word and unites into one all the happiness of people from the time of their existence, he will find that this does not equal the slightest part of the blessings of the future life (St. Basil the Great).

88. How to serve the soul of another?

Serve not the body, but also the soul of another: enlighten, give advice, point out a good book, comfort, strengthen (St. Theophan the Recluse).

89. What is the most important thing for a Christian?

This is a concern for the salvation of others. A Christian contributes to salvation by prayer for salvation, the creation of salvation: both in word, and with gaze, and with deeds, so as not to tempt, to instruct, to admonish, to strengthen, especially by disseminating the Divine Scriptures (St. Theophan the Recluse).

90. What are the disadvantages of a Christian marrying an unbeliever?

The ancient teacher Tertullian, calculating the disadvantages of the marriage of a Christian person with a pagan, said: “Where is the memory of God? Where is the calling of Christ? Where is the nourishment of faith by reading Scripture? Where is the intoxication of the spirit? Where is the glorification of God?”

91. What should you not have in your home?

It helps a lot for the ascetic not to have anything in his room that evokes ungodly thoughts and feelings, for then he is not in danger of double warfare: internal and external (St. Nilus of Sinai).

92. In case of need, can you shorten your prayer rule?

In case of great need, you can shorten your rule, namely: in order to serve your neighbor for the sake of God (Elder Nazarius of Valaam).

93. What is more important: pleasing God or studying at school or college?

Our main business is pleasing God, and scientificity is an additional quality, an accident, suitable only for the duration of real life. And therefore it should not take up all the attention and absorb all the care. There is nothing more poisonous and destructive for the spirit of Christian life than this scientific approach and exclusive concern for it (St. Theophan the Recluse).

94. Why are we not afraid of future torment?

That is why we are not afraid of the eternal torment of hell, because we do not think about it, do not delve into its essence with our minds, do not try to achieve this through labor, although we often hear and read about eternal torment.

95. How do we steal time from ourselves?

Do not rob yourself of the time given to you to save your soul. We steal time by doing nothing, idle talk, curiosity, idle daydreaming, and much sleep. Imagine how much good we would do if we did not waste our time uselessly.

96. What is the unity of a spiritual father with his child?

Everything that happens between the elder and his spiritual children must be a secret, equal to confession, otherwise the enemy will disrupt their spiritual unity in the Lord.

97. What is "peace"?

The word "world" means people who are hostile to everything divine and religious; hence the word “world”, “worldly” means everything sinful, inflicted on us by the enemy of salvation: sins, vices, passions.

98. Official affairs - vain or not?

The works of the service are not vanity - they are God's works. Just always do them for God, and not for anything else. Likewise, in your family life you have a duty... Fulfilling it is not vanity. Just do such things with the consciousness that you are doing the will of God. Vanity - deeds to satisfy passions, as well as unnecessary and useless (St. Theophan the Recluse).

99. How does a meeting affect a person?

Even a short rapprochement with another person leaves an imprint, that is, you will either receive benefit or harm to the soul.

100. What brings us closer to God?

We are brought closer to God by sorrow, cramped conditions, illness, and labor, if we endure them wisely. Do not grumble against them and do not be afraid of them.

Today Seraphim of Sarov is one of the most revered Orthodox saints, and his wisdom is relevant to this day. So, the wise thoughts of the Great Elder Seraphim of Sarov:

About God

God is a fire that warms and ignites hearts and bellies. So, if we feel coldness in our hearts, which is from the devil, for the devil is cold, then we will call on the Lord, and He will come and warm our hearts with perfect love not only for Him, but also for our neighbor. And from the face of warmth the coldness of a good-hater will be driven away.

The fathers wrote when they were asked: seek the Lord, but do not test where he lives.

Where there is God, there is no evil. Everything that comes from God is peaceful and beneficial and leads a person to humility and self-condemnation.

About hope

If a person has no concern at all for himself for the sake of love for God and acts of virtue, knowing that God cares for him, such hope is true and wise. But if a person himself cares about his affairs and turns to God in prayer only when inevitable troubles already befall him, and in his own strength he does not see the means to avert them and begins to hope for God’s help, such hope is vain and false. True hope seeks the one Kingdom of God and is confident that everything earthly, necessary for temporary life, will undoubtedly be given. The heart cannot have peace until it gains this hope. She will pacify him and fill him with joy.

About the soul

A person's body is like a lit candle. The candle must burn out and the man must die. But the soul is immortal, therefore our care should be more about the soul than about the body.

About maintaining spiritual peace

One must try by all means to maintain peace of mind and not be indignant at insults from others; For this purpose, one must try in every possible way to restrain anger and, through attention, keep the mind and heart from indecent movements. Such an exercise can bring silence to the human heart and make it an abode for God Himself.

To maintain peace of mind, one must also avoid judging others in every possible way. Through non-judgment and silence, spiritual peace is preserved: when a person is in such a dispensation, he receives Divine revelations.

To preserve mental peace, you need to enter into yourself more often and ask: where am I? At the same time, one must ensure that the bodily senses, especially vision, serve the inner man and do not entertain the soul with sensory objects: for grace-filled gifts are received only by those who have internal activity and watch over their souls.

On recognizing the actions of the heart

When a person receives something divine, his heart rejoices; and when it is diabolical, he is embarrassed.

The Christian heart, having accepted something divine, does not require anything else from the side of conviction as to whether it is truly from the Lord; but by this very action he is convinced that it is heavenly: for he feels spiritual fruits in himself: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, mercy, faith, meekness, self-control.

About repentance

Throughout our lives, through our sins, we offend the majesty of God, and therefore we must always humble ourselves before Him, asking for forgiveness of our debts.

Repentance for sin, by the way, consists in not doing it again. Just as there is a cure for every illness, so there is repentance for every sin. Therefore, undoubtedly, approach repentance, and it will intercede for you before God.

About prayer

Those who truly decide to serve the Lord God must practice the memory of God and unceasing prayer to Jesus Christ, saying with their minds: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

By such an exercise, while protecting oneself from distraction and maintaining peace of conscience, one can draw closer to God and unite with Him. For, according to St. Isaac the Syrian, except for unceasing prayer, we cannot get closer to God.

In church it is useful to stand in prayer with your eyes closed in inner attention; open your eyes only when you become discouraged, or sleep weighs you down and tempts you to doze off; then one should turn one’s eyes to the image and to the candle burning in front of it.

When the mind and heart are united in prayer and the thoughts of the soul are not scattered, then the heart is warmed with spiritual warmth, in which the light of Christ shines, filling the entire inner person with peace and joy.

About tears

All the saints and monks who renounced the world wept throughout their lives in the hope of eternal consolation, according to the assurance of the Savior of the world: blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

When we cry in prayer and laughter immediately intervenes, then this is from the devil’s cunning. It is difficult to comprehend our enemy's secret and subtle actions.

Whoever has tears of tenderness flowing, his heart is illuminated by the rays of the Sun of Truth - Christ God.

About self-attention

A person should pay attention to the beginning and end of his life, but he should be indifferent to the middle, where happiness or misfortune happens. In order to maintain attention, you need to withdraw into yourself, according to the Lord’s verb: kiss no one on the way (Luke 10:4), that is, do not speak without the need, unless someone runs after you in order to hear something useful from you.

About renunciation of the world

You cannot renounce the world and come to a state of spiritual contemplation while remaining in the world. For until the passions subside, it is impossible to acquire peace of mind. But passions cannot be quelled as long as we are surrounded by objects that excite passions. To achieve perfect dispassion and achieve perfect silence of the soul, you need to strive a lot in spiritual reflection and prayer. But how is it possible to completely and calmly immerse yourself in the contemplation of God and learn from His law and ascend with all your soul to Him in fiery prayer, remaining amid the incessant noise of the passions at war in the world? The world lies in evil.

About active and speculative life

A person consists of body and soul, and therefore his path of life must consist of bodily and mental actions - of action and contemplation.

The path of active life consists of: fasting, abstinence, vigil, kneeling, prayer and other bodily feats, which make up a narrow and sorrowful path, which, according to the word of God, leads to the eternal life.

The path of contemplative life consists in raising the mind to the Lord God, in heartfelt attention, mental prayer and contemplation through such exercises of spiritual things.

Anyone who wants to experience spiritual life must begin from the active life, and then come to the contemplative life: for without an active life it is impossible to come to the contemplative life.

An active life serves to cleanse us from sinful passions and raises us to the level of active perfection; and thereby paves the way for us to a contemplative life. One must approach the speculative life with fear and trembling, with contrition of heart and humility, with many tests of the Holy Scriptures and, if one can find it, under the guidance of some skilled elder, and not with insolence and self-indulgence. If it is not possible to find a mentor who can guide us to a contemplative life, then in this case we must be guided by the Holy Scripture, for the Lord Himself commands us to learn from the Holy Scripture, saying: try the Scriptures, as if you think you have eternal life in them.

About solitude and silence

When we remain in silence, then the enemy, the devil, does not have time to reach the hidden person of the heart: this must be understood about silence in the mind.

If it is not always possible to remain in solitude and silence, living in a monastery and performing the obediences assigned by the abbot; then, although some of the time remaining from obedience should be devoted to solitude and silence, and for this little time the Lord God will not leave to send down His rich mercy on you.

Staying in a cell in silence, exercise, prayer and teaching day and night the law of God makes a person pious.

From solitude and silence tenderness and meekness are born; the action of this latter in the human heart can be likened to the still waters of Siloam, which flows without noise or sound, as the prophet Isaiah says about it: the flowing waters of Siloam.

A monk will not stay long in one place if he does not first love silence and abstinence. For silence teaches silence and constant prayer, and abstinence makes thoughts unentertainable. Finally, a peaceful state awaits those who acquire this.

About the post

Fasting consists not only of eating rarely, but of eating little; and not in eating once, but in not eating much. The fasting person is unreasonable who waits for a certain hour, and at the hour of the meal, he completely indulges in insatiable eating, both in body and mind. In discussing food, one must also be careful not to distinguish between food that is tasty and tasteless. This thing, characteristic of animals, is not worthy of praise in a reasonable person. We refuse pleasant food in order to pacify the warring members of the flesh and give freedom to the actions of the spirit.

True fasting consists not only in exhaustion of the flesh, but also in giving that part of the bread that you yourself would like to eat to the hungry.

The holy people did not suddenly begin strict fasting, but gradually and little by little they became able to be content with the merest food. Rev. Dorotheus, accustoming his disciple Dositheus to fasting, gradually took him away from the table little by little, so that from four pounds the measure of his daily food was finally reduced to eight lots of bread.

Despite all this, the holy fasters, to the surprise of others, did not know relaxation, but were always cheerful, strong and ready for action. Illnesses between them were rare, and their lives were extremely long.

About sadness

When the evil spirit of sadness takes possession of the soul, then, filling it with grief and unpleasantness, it does not allow it to pray with due diligence, prevents it from reading the Scriptures with due attention, deprives it of meekness and complacency in dealing with its brothers and gives rise to aversion from any conversation. For a soul filled with sadness, becoming as if mad and frenzied, cannot calmly either accept good advice or meekly answer the questions asked.

A sad monk does not move his mind towards contemplation and can never perform pure prayer.

He who conquered passions also conquered sadness. And he who is overcome by passions will not escape the shackles of sadness. Just as a sick person is visible by his complexion, so one who has passion is revealed by his sadness.

About boredom and despondency

Boredom is inseparable from the spirit of sadness. She, according to the fathers, attacks the monk around noon and produces such terrible anxiety in him that both his place of residence and the brothers living with him become intolerable to him, and when reading, a kind of disgust is aroused, and frequent yawning and strong greed. Once the belly is full, the demon of boredom instills in the monk thoughts of leaving his cell and talking to someone, imagining that the only way to get rid of boredom is by constantly talking with others. And the monk, overcome by boredom, is like deserted brushwood, which either stops a little, then again rushes with the wind. He is like a waterless cloud driven by the wind.

This demon, if he cannot remove the monk from his cell, then begins to entertain his mind during prayer and reading. This, his thought tells him, is not right, and this is not here, it needs to be put in order, and this does everything in order to make the mind idle and fruitless.

This disease is cured by prayer, abstinence from idle talk, feasible handicraft, reading the word of God and patience; because it is born from cowardice and idleness and idle talk.

It is difficult for someone starting monastic life to avoid it, because it is the first to attack him. Therefore, first of all, one must beware of it through strict and unquestioning fulfillment of all duties assigned to the novice. When your studies come into real order, then boredom will not find a place in your heart. Only those who are not doing well are bored. So, obedience is the best medicine against this dangerous disease.

About despair

Just as the Lord cares about our salvation, so the murderer, the devil, tries to bring a person into despair.

Despair is born either from the consciousness of many sins, despair of conscience and unbearable sadness, when the soul, covered with many ulcers, plunges into the depths of despair from their unbearable pain, or from pride and arrogance, when someone considers himself undeserving of the sin into which he has fallen. The first kind of despair draws a person into all kinds of vices indiscriminately, and with the second kind of despair a person still clings to his feat, which is not consistent with reason. The first is cured by abstinence and good hope, and the second by humility and non-judgment of one's neighbor.

A high and strong soul does not despair in the face of misfortunes, no matter what. Judas the traitor was cowardly and inexperienced in warfare, and therefore the enemy, seeing his despair, attacked him and forced him to hang himself; but Peter, a solid stone, when he fell into great sin, as skilled in battle, did not despair and did not lose spirit, but shed bitter tears from a warm heart, and the enemy, seeing them, like fire burning in his eyes, ran far away from him with a painful scream.

About diseases

The body is the slave of the soul, the soul is the queen, and therefore this is the mercy of the Lord when the body is exhausted by illness; for from this passions weaken, and a person comes to his senses; and physical illness itself is sometimes born from passions.

Take away sin and there will be no disease; for they are in us from sin, as St. Basil the Great (The Word that God is not the cause of evil): where do illnesses come from? Where did the bodily injuries come from? The Lord created the body, not the disease; soul, not sin. What is most useful and necessary? Connection with God and communication with Him through love. By losing this love, we fall away from Him, and by falling away we are exposed to various and varied ailments.

Whoever endures an illness with patience and gratitude is credited with it instead of a feat or even more.

One elder, suffering from a water disease, said to the brothers who came to him with a desire to treat him: fathers, pray that my inner man will not be subjected to a similar disease; and as for the real illness, I ask God that He does not suddenly free me from it, for while our outer man decays, the inner man is renewed.

About duties and love for neighbors

One must treat one's neighbors kindly, without even any kind of insult.

When we turn away from a person or insult him, then it is as if a stone rests on our hearts.

You should try to cheer up the spirit of a confused or despondent person with a word of love.

In relation to our neighbors, we must be, both in word and in thought, pure and equal to everyone; otherwise we will make our life useless.

We must love our neighbor no less than ourselves, according to the commandment of the Lord: love your neighbor as you love yourself.

About not judging your neighbor

Why do we condemn our brothers? Because we do not try to know ourselves. He who is busy knowing himself has no time to notice others. Judge yourself and stop judging others.

We must consider ourselves the most sinful of all and forgive our neighbor every bad deed, and hate only the devil who deceived him. It happens that it seems to us that another is doing something bad, but in fact, according to the good intention of the person doing it, it is good. Moreover, the door of repentance is open to everyone, and it is unknown who will enter it first—you, the one condemning, or the one being condemned by you.

Condemn a bad deed, but do not condemn the doer himself. If you judge your neighbor, teaches Rev. Antiochus, then together with him you are condemned in the same way that you condemn him. It is not for us to judge or condemn, but for the one God and the Great Judge, who leads our hearts and the innermost passions of our nature.

About forgiveness of grievances

God commanded us to enmity only against the serpent, that is, against the one who initially deceived man and expelled him from paradise - against the murderer-devil. We are commanded to be hostile also against the Midianites, that is, against the unclean spirits of fornication and adultery, who sow unclean and nasty thoughts in the heart.

About patience and humility

We must always endure everything, no matter what happens, for God’s sake, with gratitude. Our life is one minute compared to eternity.

About alms

One must be merciful to the wretched and strange; The great lamps and fathers of the Church cared a lot about this.

In relation to this virtue, we must try by all means to fulfill the following commandment of God: Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father is merciful.

The most common aphorisms

¤ A horse will never drink bad water.

¤ Make the bed where the cat lays down.

¤ Eat the fruit that the worm touched.

¤ Feel free to take mushrooms that midges land on.

¤ Plant a tree where the mole digs.

¤ Build a house on the spot where the snake warms itself.

¤ Dig a well where birds nest in the heat.

¤ Go to bed and get up with the chickens - you will have the golden grain of the day.

¤ Eat more greens - you will have strong legs and a hardy heart, like a beast.

¤ Swim more often - you will feel on land like a fish in water.

¤ Look at the sky more often, and not at your feet - and your thoughts will be clear and light.

¤ Be silent more than you speak - and silence will settle in your soul, and your spirit will be peaceful and calm.

Found a mistake? Select it and press left Ctrl+Enter.

“He who has conquered his tongue and belly is already on the right path... You cannot be saved without sorrows... The man who does not see his sins and thinks a lot about himself is daring. All who are proud and conceited in heart are vile in the sight of the Lord.”
Archimandrite Gabriel (Urgebadze)

“In everyday life, it is important not to let yourself be oppressed by thoughts about material things, not to tremble over them, but to maintain a certain indifference towards them. Possessing this quality, we will be able not only to be more free spiritually, but also to conduct all our affairs more easily..."
Archimandrite Sergius (Shevich)

Athonite Elder Tikhon, before giving advice, he prayed, called on the Holy Spirit to come and enlighten him, so that his advice would be useful to the one who asks. He said: “The Lord left us the Holy Spirit so that we could be enlightened. He is our only leader. Therefore, our Church always begins its service with the invocation of the Holy Spirit: “Heavenly King, Comforter, Soul of Truth.”

Venerable Silouan of Athos:“Oh, man, learn Christ’s humility, and the Lord will give you to taste the sweetness of prayer...
Pray simply like a child, and the Lord will hear your prayer, for our Lord is such a Merciful Father that we cannot understand or imagine it, and only the Holy Spirit reveals to us His great love.”

Athonite Elder Porfiry:“There are no difficulties that have no solution in Christ. Surrender to Christ and He will find a solution for you.
Don't be afraid of difficulties. Love them, thank God for them. They have some purpose for your soul.
Gently and non-violently place yourself in the hands of God, and He will come and bestow grace on your soul.”

Athonite Elder Kirik:“Do not first begin any work, apparently the smallest and most insignificant, until you call on God to help you put it into action. The Lord said: “Without Me you cannot do anything,” i.e. lower to say, lower to think. In other words: without Me you have no right to do any good deed! And for this reason, one must call on God’s gracious help either in words or mentally: “Lord bless, Lord help!” with the assurance that without God’s help we cannot do anything useful or saving..."

Athonite Elder Joseph the Hesychast:“...Have moderation and reasoning in everything.”

Elder Jerome of Aegina:“Don’t seek comfort from people. And when you receive a little consolation from someone, expect double sorrow. Seek consolation and help from God alone.”

Saint Nicholas of Japan:“Mental life is made up of daily, hourly, every minute thoughts, feelings, desires; all this - like small drops, merging, form a stream, rivers, sea - make up integral lives. And just as a river or lake is light or cloudy because the drops in them are light or cloudy, so life is joyful or sad, clean or dirty because such are the every-minute and daily thoughts and feelings. Such will be the endless future - happy or painful, glorious or shameful - what are our everyday thoughts and feelings that gave this or that appearance, character, property to our soul. It is extremely important to protect yourself every day, every minute from all pollution.”

Hieromartyr Seraphim (Zvezdinsky):“Those who are sick, do not lose heart, for you are saved by illness; you who are poor, do not grumble, for through poverty you gain imperishable wealth; you who mourn, do not despair, for consolation awaits you from the Spirit who Comforts you.
Do not be angry, do not complain at each other, do not be angry, do not scold, do not be angry, but be angry only at sins, at the demon that leads to sin: be angry at heretics, do not make peace with them, but among yourself, faithful in peace, in love , live in harmony. Those who have, help the have-nots, the rich, give more, the poor, be merciful according to your strength...”

Reverend Confessor George, Danilovsky Wonderworker:“Our life is not about playing with cute toys, but about giving as much light and warmth to the people around us. And light and warmth are love for God and neighbors...
From a young age you need to lead your life correctly, but by old age you can’t turn back time. One wise man was asked: “What is most valuable?” “Time,” answered the sage, “because with time you can buy everything, but you can buy time itself for nothing...
Take care of your precious, golden time, hurry to gain peace of mind.”

Venerable Lavrentiy of Chernigov:“You need to have peace in your soul. Salvation is difficult, but wise. At this time, you need to be wise, and you will be saved... Happy are those who are written in the “Book of Life”.
In order to be recorded in the “Book of Life”, you need to read the prayer of John Chrysostom “Lord, do not deprive me of Your heavenly blessings”..., talk with the Lord with your mind. Anyone who has an attraction to the church is written in the “Book of Life.”
If you need to leave the Liturgy, then leave after the “Our Father... And if you have already left with the Communion of the Body and Blood, then stand with fear and pray in place, because the Lord himself is present here with the Archangels and Angels. And if you can, shed at least a small tear about your unworthiness.”

Elder Zechariah:“Take care of your conscience, it is the voice of God - the voice of the Guardian Angel. Learn how to take care of your conscience from the elder Father Ambrose of Optina. He acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom without grace is madness.
Remember the words of Father Ambrose: “Where it’s simple, there are a hundred angels, but where it’s sophisticated, there’s not a single one.” Achieve the simplicity that only perfect humility gives. Achieve in humility love simple, perfect, embracing prayer for everyone, everyone...
He is wise who has acquired the Holy Spirit, trying to fulfill all the commandments of Christ. And if he is wise, then he is humble.
Achieve the simplicity that only perfect humility gives. This cannot be explained in words; it can only be learned through experience. And in God and for God one can live only in humility and simplicity. Achieve in humility love simple, holy, perfect, embracing prayer for everyone. And with mercy towards the weak, the sick, the incomprehensible, the unfortunate, those mired in sins, imitate your heavenly patrons - the saints. Try to acquire heavenly joy so that you can rejoice with the angel at the repentance of every lost person.”

Venerable Simeon (Zhelnin):“All sciences and knowledge are nothing without the science of salvation... You must know that the path of salvation is the path of the Cross... In the matter of salvation, the most important role is played by the Holy Scripture and the writings of the Holy Fathers - this is the best guide to salvation... After reading the holy books, a significant role is also played for the salvation of the soul repentance plays. Apart from repentance, there is no other way to salvation. Nowadays people are saved only through sorrow and repentance. Without repentance there is no forgiveness, there is no correction... Repentance is a ladder leading to heaven... The burden of our sins is removed by repentance and confession.
Salvation also lies in the fight against our passions... Those who are busy knowing themselves, their shortcomings, sins, passions, have no time to notice others. Remembering our own sins, we will never think about strangers... The one who judges harms three: himself, the one listening to him and the one he is talking about... Let us better notice virtues in others, and find sins in ourselves...
Getting to know yourself is the most difficult and most useful knowledge... Knowing yourself, your sinfulness is the beginning of salvation... In order to accustom ourselves not to condemn anyone, we need to immediately pray for the sinner, so that the Lord will correct him, we need to sigh for our neighbor, so that at the same time breathe about yourself. Do not judge your neighbor: you know his sin, but his repentance is unknown. In order not to judge, you must run from those who judge and keep your ears open. Let’s take one rule for ourselves: don’t believe those who judge; and another thing: never speak ill of those who are absent. Do not think evil about anyone, otherwise you yourself will become evil, for a good person thinks good, and an evil person thinks evil. Let us remember the old folk sayings: “Whatever you condemn someone for, you yourself will be guilty of it”; “Know yourself - and it will be with you.” The short way to salvation is not to judge. This is the way - without fasting, without vigil and labor.
Not every deed is pleasing to God, but only what is done correctly with reasoning... For example, you can fast, but with grumbling about the fast, or about the food, or about the food preparer; You can fast, but condemn those who do not fast, fast and be vain about fasting, run around your neighbor with your tongue. You can endure illness or sorrow, but grumble against God or people, complain about your lot... Such “good deeds” are displeasing to the Lord, since they are done without prudence...”

Archimandrite Afinogen (Agapov):“You live more simply, like a little child. The Lord is so loving that you cannot even imagine. Even though we are sinners, still go to the Lord and ask for forgiveness. Just don’t be discouraged - be like a child. Even though he broke the most expensive vessel, he still goes to his father crying, and the father, seeing his child crying, forgets that expensive vessel. He takes this child in his arms, kisses it, presses it to himself and himself persuades his child so that it does not cry. So is the Lord, although it happens that we commit mortal sins, He still waits for us when we come to Him with repentance...
Without God - not to the threshold. If all your affairs are going well, smoothly, it means that the Lord has blessed them, and any planned work is being done, and if there are any obstacles in anything, then it is true that it is against God’s will; It’s better not to mess around - nothing will work out anyway, but submit to the will of God...
Whoever gives you a hat, and you thank him - that’s alms for you...
Live, don’t worry, don’t be afraid of anyone. If someone scolds you, be silent; and if you walk by when someone scolds or condemns someone, don’t listen.”

Venerable Sebastian of Karaganda:“A golden mean is needed in everything and moderation. But in relation to serving God and one’s salvation, constancy is needed. It’s the main thing, not haste, not excessiveness... If you drive more quietly, you’ll get further.”

Schema-abbot Savva (Ostapenko): “It is possible and even commendable to use lots in perplexed cases. Before this, you need to bow three times with the Jesus Prayer and read “To the Heavenly King”, three times “Our Father”, three times “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary” and “I Believe”. You just need to have living faith and trust in God.”
Schema-abbot Savva advised believers to read the following prayer daily at home: “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and His suffering for the human race, depart, enemy of the human race, from this house for 24 hours. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".

Elder Schema-Archimandrite Theophilus (Rossokha):“To live as a Christian, stick to the Orthodox Church. Live a Christian life. Once a month you need to take communion, drink Epiphany water at home and part of the holy prosphora in the morning.
The Gospel says: “Your faith has saved you,” that is, the first Christians had great faith. The Lord reminded them to have a living faith and high Christian piety. So they tried to live for real. The Lord blessed them for their labors and exploits. They strongly confessed Christ, believed in Him and often gave their lives - like the holy healer Panteleimon, St. George the Victorious (Diocletian's first minister), the Great Martyr Barbara, the Great Martyr Paraskeva, the Great Martyr Catherine and others... These are the lights of the first Christian people! Imitate them, read them, follow them.
We must cultivate in ourselves the spirit of meekness, humility, kindness, long-suffering and moderation in all our actions. And in order to have such a disposition of spirit, we must remember the general weakness of man, the general tendency to sin, especially our great weaknesses and sins, as well as the endless mercy of God towards us, which has forgiven and forgives us many and serious sins. our repentance and supplication.
The Lord said: “I want mercy, not sacrifice.” He, the much-merciful One, also wants from us mercy, mercy, kindness and patience towards our neighbors. He is always ready to help us in every good deed. If you have an evil heart, ask in repentance that He soften your heart, make you meek and long-suffering, and it will be so.”

Rev. Alexy (Soloviev):“Never make any promises. As soon as you give it, the enemy will immediately begin to interfere. For example, regarding eating meat. Don’t make a vow, or else don’t eat for the rest of your life.
Alms can be given not only for peace, but also for health, for this brings great benefit to the soul.”

Glinsky Elder Schema-Archimandrite Andronik (Lukash):“Do nothing of your own free will, feel the presence of God in every place, and therefore do everything as before God, and not before people.
Malice does not destroy evil, but if someone does evil to you, do good to him, so that with a good deed you can destroy evil.
If you want to receive the Kingdom of Heaven, hate all earthly possessions... Evil lust perverts the heart and changes the mind. Keep him away from you, so that the Holy Spirit does not grieve you.”

Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev): “We must do everything within our power. All the energy is spent on the body, but only a few sleepy minutes are left for the soul. Is this possible? We must remember the words of the Savior: Seek first the kingdom of God... and so on. This commandment is like “thou shalt not kill,” “thou shalt not commit fornication,” etc. Violation of this commandment often harms the soul more than an accidental fall. It imperceptibly cools the soul, keeps it insensible, and often leads to spiritual death... We must at least once a day for a few minutes put ourselves on trial before the Lord, as if we had died and on the fortieth day we stand before the Lord and wait for the saying about us, where the Lord will send us. Having presented ourselves mentally before the Lord in anticipation of judgment, we will cry and beg God’s mercy for mercy on us, for the release of our huge unpaid debt. I advise everyone to take this into constant practice until death. It’s better in the evening, or at any time, to concentrate with all your soul and beg the Lord to forgive us and have mercy; even better several times a day. This is the commandment of God and the Holy Fathers, take at least a little care of your soul. Everything passes, death is behind us, and we don’t think at all about what we will appear in court with and what the Righteous Judge, who knows and remembers our every movement - the most subtle - of soul and body from youth to death, will pronounce about us. How will we respond?
That is why the Holy Fathers cried here and begged the Lord for forgiveness, so as not to cry at the Judgment and in eternity. If they needed to cry, then why do we, the damned, consider ourselves good and live so carelessly and think only about everyday things. Forgive me, teaching and doing nothing...
“To him who loves the Lord, all things hasten to salvation,” and from the Lord man’s feet are straightened. No one saved himself, but we all have one Savior. A person can only desire salvation, but he cannot save himself. One must desire salvation, having recognized oneself as perishing, unfit for the kingdom of God, and this desire for salvation must be shown to the Lord by prayer to Him and the feasible fulfillment of His will, and constant repentance ... "

Archbishop Gabriel (Ogorodnikov): “You should always thank God. What we have, we don’t value, but when we lose it, we cry. Don’t forget to thank the Lord for everything: for waking up, for sending food, for seeing the beauty of the earth, for living through the day, for everything good, for His patience, for sending trials...”

Archimandrite Tavrion (Batozsky):“Each one serve God in the place where you are called. If you are a priest, shepherd the flock diligently, like a good shepherd, laying down your soul for the sheep; if you are a monk - be an example of all moral qualities, an earthly angel - a heavenly person, and if you are a family member... - dear families, you are the basis of life, you are a small church.”

Hieromonk Daniel (Fomin):“Pray when you have feelings and health, do not put off prayer until the last minute of life until the last hour. It’s good to pray during the day, but night prayer is incomparable..."

Glinsky Elder Schema-Archimandrite John (Maslov):“Fight sin - know your business... Humiliation is good...
You always need to blame yourself... There should be no attachment to anyone or anything, only to God... We must strive for God, seek the Divine, and become attached to a person... We must always remember the goal - salvation. This is the work of a lifetime... You have to take small steps, like a blind man. He lost his way - he knocks around with a stick, he can’t find it, suddenly he finds it - and again joyfully moves forward. The stick for us is prayer... Nothing comes quickly. And during life it may, and in the end it will not be given, but after death the virtues will surround you and lift you up.”

Elder Theodore (Sokolov):“Just as a bee collects honey from flowers, so a person must learn good things from every person... The Lord gave good talents to each person, and from these Lord’s talents you must take as much as you can, as much as circumstances allow. And throw away the bad, both your own and someone else’s: try to eradicate your own evil, and immediately discard someone else’s bad. And you should never gloat. The Lord has hidden many things from us; Much of our own is closed. Many great sinners became great righteous people when they realized their sins and repented. And many former righteous people died because of pride and conceit. Everyone must believe and firmly know that no one with his own strength and reason and good deeds can be saved without God. And we are all saved by a great sacrifice. This sacrifice is the Son of God, who suffered for us and shed His most pure blood for us.”

Venerable Barnabas (Elder of Radonezh):“The consciousness that you are not moving forward spiritually will serve as self-reproach... Whatever happens to you, never blame anyone but yourself. Thank God for all your troubles and adversities. If you believe in God’s providence and trust Him, you will find great peace.”

Archimandrite Sergius (Shevich): “...In everyday life, it is important not to let yourself be oppressed by thoughts about material things, not to tremble over them, but to maintain a certain indifference towards them. Possessing this quality, we will be able not only to be more free spiritually, but also to conduct all our affairs more easily...
The best way to prepare the future is to live the present as best as possible... We need to live in the present... We should first of all be concerned with what we are in the present, with the state in which we can presently appear before Christ.”

Elder Nikolai (Guryanov):“What has been sent down is all from the Lord for healing, for correction. When they tell lies about you, thank them and ask for forgiveness. Only then will there be a reward when you are not to blame, but you are scolded..."

Elder Stefan (Ignatenko):“We must fight against pride. Pray to God, asking for His help, and God will help you get rid of all passions... Don’t lose heart and don’t be discouraged. Pray to God with faith and complete trust in His mercy. For God, everything is possible, but we, for our part, should not think that we are worthy of special care from God. This is where pride lies. But God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Be attentive to yourself. All the trials that befall us, illnesses and sorrows, are not without a reason. But if you endure everything without complaint, then the Lord will not leave you without rewards. If not here on earth, then in every possible way in heaven.
Let us humble ourselves under the strong hand of God and completely surrender ourselves to the will of God and find peace of mind.”

Archimandrite Gabriel (Urgebadze):“If you don’t fall, you won’t know repentance. If you are slandered, if good is returned with evil, do not keep evil in your heart. Forgive and rejoice, because thanks to this you have moved several steps closer to God... He who humbles himself will rise... Realize your weakness... Conscience is a particle of God in your heart.
Don't worry about the flesh, think about the salvation of the soul. He who has conquered his tongue and belly is already on the right path... Without sorrows you will not be saved... The man who does not see his sins and thinks a lot about himself is daring. All those who are proud and conceited in heart are vile in the sight of the Lord.
Other people's sins are none of your business. You sit and cry about your sins... Breaking a promise is a great sin... You must have one fear - the fear of committing a sin.
Without knowing the spiritual state of your neighbor, do not give advice. Your advice could ruin him."

Schema-abbot Jerome (Verendyakin):“Those who get up (to pray) at three o’clock in the morning receive gold, those who get up at five receive silver, and those who rise at six o’clock receive bronze.
If you are married, what is the most important thing in marriage? Keep fasts. And if not, then live in purity and no lustful thoughts. Don't judge. Pray a lot. Loving God...Love covers a multitude of sins.”
To the spiritual daughter’s question: “Should I get married or not?” Schema-abbot Jerome answered like this: “Seek salvation. When a ship sinks at sea, sailors think about salvation, not about repairing the cabin. If marriage is salvation for you, then get married and don’t hesitate. And if this is a cabin on a sinking ship, then this is death. Seek salvation, and there the Lord will manage everything.”
Elder Archimandrite Hippolytus (Khalin), in difficult situations, often advised his spiritual children: “Pray to St. Nicholas, and everything will work out.”
When people turned to Elder Leonty with complaints about everyday quarrels, he said: “Don’t take everything to heart, look past it.”

Balabanovsky Elder Ambrose:“Don’t forget God, and God will not forget you.”

Abbess Arsenia (Sebryakova):“You must put your neighbor in the place where you yourself stand, which means you must first leave the place where you stand... Everywhere the self has seized everything for itself, does not want to give up anything to its neighbor, and how can the soul love a neighbor when it feels that it has him takes everything away, having the same rights to everything as she does... You must take everything away from yourself in order to give everything up to your neighbor, and then, together with your neighbor, the soul will find the Lord...
You need to bear fruits worthy of repentance, you need to work where you sinned, get up where you fell, correct what you have ruined, save what you have lost through your own negligence, your own passions. Salvation is possible in every place and in every matter..."

Mother Arsenia said that, according to the advice of the holy fathers, one should not make any decision during times of mental confusion.

Blessed Matrona of Moscow:“By the power of the Life-giving Cross, save yourself and protect yourself. The enemy is advancing - we must definitely pray. Sudden death happens without prayer. The enemy is on the left shoulder, and the Angel is on the right. Cross yourself more often: the cross is the same lock as on the door... If the old, the sick say something offensive to you, do not listen to them, but help them...”

Schema-nun Gabriel: “...Beware of seeking gratitude. Never seek gratitude, but be grateful no matter how much someone receives. If you realize this, then you will have a great blessing from God... Because when God intends to help a person, for example, you, then He will send someone. This someone is random. Those. God sent him on occasion... Who am I, this random... The experience of my life has taught me that no one can help anyone with his problems until God's time comes. Then a solution will be given. Not as we want, but as He wants. This decision often hurts us, but as the years pass we will understand His wisdom.”

Schema-nun Antonia:“You just have to eat food with the cross. When the time comes, everything will be poisoned. But if you cross with faith, you will live. And another person drinks or eats the same thing without crossing himself and will die.
Shut your mouth better, seven locks, as the holy fathers say, know your business: say the Jesus Prayer, how much good it brings in life. Silence is an angel's prayer. It cannot be compared with our human prayer... If we condemn our neighbor for some sin, it means that he still lives in us... When the soul is pure, it will never condemn. Because “judge not, lest ye be judged” (Matthew 7:1).”

Moscow Elder Olga:“Food is a gift of God’s Love, a sacrifice of nature, and everyone should eat it with great reverence and prayer.”

Blessed Elder Catherine of Pukhtitsa She advised me to live simply and not judge others. She said that pride is the absorber of all virtues, and the reason for condemnation is an inattentive spiritual life. The blessed old woman called on everyone to fight pride and humble themselves.

Blessed Elder Schema-Nun Makaria (Artemyeva):“Fast, pray, this is salvation...”

Based on materials: pravoslavie.by/page_book/sovety-starcev

In this article you will find advice from the Optina elders for Christians living in the world. For convenience, we have structured them point by point.

• Try to pay more attention to yourself, and not to analyze the deeds, actions and appeals of others to you, but if you do not see love in them, then this is because you yourself do not have love in yourself.
• Where there is humility, there is simplicity, and this branch of God does not experience the destinies of God.
• God does not despise prayers, but sometimes He does not fulfill their desires solely in order to arrange everything better according to His Divine intention. What would happen if God, the Omniscient, completely fulfilled our desires? I think, although I do not claim, that all earthly creatures perished.
• Those who live without attention to themselves will never receive a visit from grace.
• When you don’t have peace of mind, know that you don’t have humility in yourself. The Lord revealed this in the following words, which at the same time show where to look for peace. He said: Learn from Me that I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:29).

• If you ever show mercy to anyone, you will receive mercy for that.
• If you suffer with the sufferer (not much, it seems) - you are counted among the martyrs.
• If you forgive the offender, and for this not only will all your sins be forgiven, but you will become a daughter of the Heavenly Father.
• If you pray from your heart for salvation, even if it’s a little, you will be saved.
• If you reproach yourself, accuse and condemn yourself before God for the sins you feel in your conscience, then you will be justified.
• If you confess your sins before God, for this you will be forgiven and rewarded.
• If you grieve over your sins, or are touched, or shed a tear, or sigh, your sighing will not be hidden from Him: “It is not hidden from Him,” says St. Simeon, - a tear drop, there is a certain part below the drop.” And St. Chrysostom says: “If you complain about your sins, He will accept your salvation as guilt.”
• Check yourself every day: what did you sow for the next century, wheat or thorns? Having tested yourself, be prepared to do better the next day and spend your whole life in this way. If the present day was spent poorly, so that you did not offer a decent prayer to God, nor were you contrite in heart even once, nor humbled in thought, nor gave alms or alms to anyone, nor forgave the guilty, nor endured an insult, but on the contrary, did not abstain from anger, did not abstain in words, food, drink, or immersed your mind in unclean thoughts, having considered all this according to your conscience, judge yourself and trust yourself the next day to be more attentive in good and more careful in evil.

• To your question, what does a happy life consist of, in splendor, fame and wealth, or in a quiet, peaceful, family life, I will say that I agree with the latter, and will also add: a life lived with an impeccable conscience and humility brings world. peace and true happiness. But wealth, honor, glory and high dignity are often the cause of many sins, and this happiness is unreliable.
• People for the most part desire and seek prosperity in this life, and try to avoid sorrow. And it seems that this is very good and pleasant, but constant prosperity and happiness harms a person. He falls into various passions and sins and angers the Lord, and those who go through a sorrowful life come closer to the Lord and more easily receive salvation, which is why the Lord called the joyful life a long path: the wide gate and the wide path lead to destruction and many are those who walk through it(Matthew 7:13), and called the sorrowful life: the narrow path and the strait gate lead into the eternal belly, and there are few of them who find it(Matt. 7:14). So, out of His love for us, the Lord, foreseeing possible benefit for those who are worthy of it, leads many from the long path, and places them on a narrow and regrettable path, so that through the patience of illnesses and sorrows they can arrange their salvation and grant them eternal life.
• ...You want not only to be good and have nothing bad, but also to see yourself as such. Desire is commendable, but to see one’s good qualities is already food for self-love. Yes, even if we did everything we did, we should all consider ourselves to be perfect slaves, but we, even though we are faulty in everything, do not think of ourselves as such, and therefore we are embarrassed, instead of reconciling ourselves. That is why God does not give us strength to fulfill, so that we would not be exalted, but would humble ourselves and acquire the guarantee of humility. And when we have it, then our virtues will be strong and it will not allow us to ascend.
• We, weak-minded people, thinking of arranging our condition, become sad, fuss, deprive ourselves of peace, and fulfill the abandonment of the duty of faith behind vanities, in order to leave a good estate for our children. But do we know whether it will benefit them? Don’t we see children left with wealth, but wealth is of no help to a stupid son - and it only served as a reason for them to have bad morals. We must strive to leave our children a good example of our lives and raise them in the fear of God and in His commandments; this is their main wealth. When will we look the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, then what is here and everything we need will be added to us(Matt. 6:33). You will say: this cannot be done; Today the world demands not this, but something else! Fine; but did you give birth to children only for the light, and not for the hereafter? Comfort yourself with the word of God: If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before you(John 15, 18), and carnal wisdom - enmity against God: 6o does not submit to the law of God, lower than he can(Rom. 8:7). Do not want your children to be from the glorious people of the world, but to have good people, obedient children, and when God arranges it, good spouses, gentle parents, caring for those under their control, loving towards everyone and lenient towards their enemies.
• ...You have a desire to bring yourself closer to God and receive salvation. This is the entire duty of every Christian, but this is accomplished through the fulfillment of God’s commandments, which all consist of love for God and neighbor and extend to the falling in love of enemies. Read the Gospel, there you will find the way, the truth and life, preserve the Orthodox faith and the statutes of the Holy Church, study in the writings of church pastors and teachers and adapt your life to their teachings. But prayer rules alone cannot bring us any benefit... I advise you to try as much as possible to pay your attention to deeds of love for your neighbors: in relation to your mother, wife and children, taking care of raising them in the Orthodox faith and good morality, to the people subordinate to you and to everyone neighbors. St. Apostle Paul, counting different types of virtues and feats of self-sacrifice, says: “Even if I do this and that, I am not an imam of love, there is no benefit to me.”

• Many painters depict Christ in icons, but few catch the resemblance. Thus, Christians are animated images of Christ, and whoever is meek, humble in heart and obedient is the one most like Christ.
• One must beware of murmuring against God and fear it as if it were death, for the Lord is God. according to His great mercy. He patiently endures all our sins, but His mercy cannot bear our grumbling.
• Do not impose any vows or rules on yourself without the approval of your spiritual father, with whose advice one bow will bring you more benefit than a thousand self-made bows.
• The Pharisee prayed and fasted more than we do, but without humility all his work was nothing, and therefore be most jealous of the publican’s humility, which is usually born from obedience and is sufficient for you.
• In any grief: in sickness, in poverty, in cramped conditions, in bewilderment, and in all troubles - it is better to think and talk less with oneself, and more often with prayer, albeit short, turn to Christ God and to His Most Pure Mother , through which the spirit of bitter despondency will flee, and the heart will be filled with hope in God and joy.
• Meekness and humility of heart are virtues without which it is impossible not only to explore the Kingdom of Heaven, but also to be happy on earth or to feel peace of mind within oneself.
• Let us learn to mentally reproach and condemn ourselves for everything, and not others, for the more humble, the more profitable; God loves the humble and pours out His grace on them.
• Whatever grief befalls you, whatever trouble happens to you, say: “I will endure this for Jesus Christ!” Just say this and it will be easier for you. For the name of Jesus Christ is powerful. With him, all troubles subside, demons disappear. Your annoyance will also subside, your cowardice will also calm down when you repeat His sweetest name. Lord, let me see my sins; Lord, give me patience, generosity and meekness.

• Do not be ashamed to bare your scabs to your spiritual mentor and be ready to accept shame and shame from him for your sins, so that through him you can avoid eternal shame..
• The church is for us the earthly heaven, where God Himself is invisibly present and watches over those who are present, therefore in the church one should stand in order, with great reverence. Let us love the Church and be zealous for her; She is our joy and consolation in sorrows and joys.
• To encourage the mourners, the elder often said: If the Lord is for us, who is for us?(Rom. 8:31).
• Every task must be started by invoking the name of God for help.
• The elder often spoke about maintaining conscience, about carefully observing one’s thoughts, actions and words, and about repenting for them.
• He taught to bear the weaknesses and shortcomings of his subordinates complacently. “Make comments,” the elder instructed, “without giving food to your own pride, considering whether you yourself could bear what you demand from another.”
• If you feel like anger has taken over you. remain silent and do not say anything until your heart is calmed by unceasing prayer and self-reproach.
• It is more beneficial for the soul to recognize oneself as guilty of everything and the last of all, than to resort to self-justification, which comes from pride, and God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
• The elder often cited the apostle’s saying: “True love is not irritated, does not think evil, and never falls away.”

• If we abandon our desires and understandings and strive to fulfill the desires and understandings of God, then we will be saved in every place and in every state. And if we adhere to our desires and understandings, then no place, no state will help us. Even in paradise, Eve transgressed the commandment of God, and for the unfortunate Judas, life under the Savior himself did not bring any benefit. Everywhere patience and compulsion to a pious life are needed, as we read in the Holy Gospel.
• ... In vain we will accuse that those who live with us and those around us interfere and hinder our salvation or spiritual perfection ... our mental and spiritual unsatisfactoriness comes from ourselves, from our lack of art and from an incorrectly formed opinion, which we do not want to part with. And it is this that brings upon us confusion, doubt, and various bewilderments; and all this torments us and burdens us, and leads us to a desolate state. It would be good if we could understand the simple patristic word: If we reconcile ourselves, then we will find peace in every place, without bypassing with our minds many other places where the same, if not worse, may happen to us.
• The main means to salvation is to endure many different sorrows, whichever is suitable for whom, according to what was said in the “Acts of the Apostles”: “Through many sorrows it is fitting for us to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven”...
• Anyone who wants to be saved must remember and not forget the apostolic commandment: “bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the Law of Christ.” There are many other commandments, but not a single one has such an addition, that is, “so fulfill the Law of Christ.” This commandment is of great importance, and before others we must take care of its fulfillment.
• ...Many wish for a good spiritual life in the simplest form, but only a few and rare actually fulfill their good wishes - namely those who firmly adhere to the words of the Holy Scriptures, that “through many tribulations it is fitting for us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven,” and, calling God's help, they try to meekly endure the sorrows and illnesses and various inconveniences that befall them, always keeping in mind the words of the Lord Himself: “If you want to be taken into your stomach, keep the commandments.”
• And the main commandments of the Lord: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, lest you be condemned; release and it will be forgiven to you.” In addition, those who wish to be saved should always keep in mind the words of St. Peter of Damascus, that creation is accomplished between fear and hope.
• The work of our salvation requires, in every place, wherever a person lives, the fulfillment of God’s commandments and submission to the will of God. This is the only way to gain peace of mind, and nothing else, as it is said in the psalms: “There is peace for many who love Your law, and there is no temptation for them.” And you are still looking for inner peace and peace of mind from external circumstances. Everything seems to you that you live in the wrong place, that you have settled with the wrong people, that you yourself have made the wrong decisions, and that others seem to have acted in the wrong way. The Holy Scripture says: “His dominion is in every place,” that is, God’s, and that for God the salvation of one Christian soul is more valuable than all the things of the whole world.
• The Lord is ready to help a person acquire humility, as in all good things, but it is necessary for the person himself to take care of himself. Said by St. Fathers: “Give blood and receive spirit.” This means - work until blood is shed and you will receive a spiritual gift. And you are looking for spiritual gifts and asking, but you are sorry to shed blood, that is, you want everything so that no one touches you, does not bother you. Is it possible to acquire humility in a quiet life? After all, humility consists in when a person sees himself as the worst of all, not only people, but also dumb animals and even the spirits of evil themselves. And so, when people disturb you, you see that you cannot tolerate this and are angry with people, then you will inevitably consider yourself bad... If at the same time you regret your badness and reproach yourself for the malfunction, and sincerely repent of this before God and the spiritual father, then you are already on the path of humility... And if no one touched you, and you remained alone, how could you recognize your thinness? How could you see your vices?.. If they try to humiliate you, it means they want to humble you; and you yourself ask God for humility. Why then grieve for people?
• To the question: “How to pay attention to yourself, where to start?”, the following answer followed: “You must first write down: how you go to church, how you stand, how you look, how proud you are, how vain you are, how angry you are, etc.”
• Anyone who has a bad heart should not despair, because with God's help a person can correct his heart. You just need to carefully monitor yourself and not miss the opportunity to be useful to your neighbors, often open up to the elder and give alms within your power. This, of course, cannot be done suddenly, but the Lord endures for a long time. He only ends a person’s life when he sees him ready for the transition to eternity or when he sees no hope for his correction.
• Teaching that in spiritual life one cannot neglect even unimportant circumstances, the elder sometimes said: “Moscow burned down from a penny candle.”
• Regarding judging and noticing other people’s sins and shortcomings, the priest said: “You need to pay attention to your inner life so as not to notice what is happening around you. Then you won’t judge.”
• Pointing out that a person has nothing to be proud of, the elder added: “And why should a person really be proud here? The ragged, plucked man asks for alms: have mercy, have mercy! But whether mercy will come, who knows.”
• When pride attacks, tell yourself: “There’s a weirdo walking around.”
• They asked the priest: “So-and-so doesn’t die for a long time, she always imagines cats and so on. Why is that?" Answer: “Every sin, no matter how small, must be written down as soon as you remember it, and then repented. That’s why some people don’t die for a long time, because some unrepentant sin is holding them back, but as soon as they repent, they are relieved... You definitely need to write down your sins as soon as you remember, otherwise we put it off: it’s a small sin, then it’s a shame to say it, or I’ll say it later, but we’ll come to repent and there’s nothing to do say".
• Three rings cling to each other: hatred from anger, anger from pride.
• “Why do people sin?” - the elder sometimes asked a question and answered it himself: “Or because they don’t know what to do and what to avoid; or, if they know, they forget; if they don’t forget, then they become lazy and despondent... These are three giants - despondency or laziness, oblivion and ignorance - from which the entire human race is bound by insoluble ties. And then comes negligence with all its host of evil passions. That is why we pray to the Queen of Heaven: “My Most Holy Lady Theotokos, with Your holy and all-powerful prayers, drive away from me, Your humble and accursed servant, despondency, oblivion, foolishness, negligence and all the nasty, evil and blasphemous thoughts.”
• Don’t be like a bothersome fly, which sometimes flies around uselessly, and sometimes bites, and annoys both of them; and be like the wise bee, which in the spring diligently began its work and by autumn finished the honeycomb, which is as good as correctly written notes. One is sweet, and the other is pleasant.
• When they wrote to the elder that it was hard in the world, he replied: “That is why it (the earth) is called the vale of tears; but some people cry, and others jump, but the latter will not feel well.”
• To the question: “What does it mean to live according to your heart?”, the priest answered: “Do not interfere in other people’s affairs and see all the good in others.”
• Father said: “We must live on earth as a wheel turns, only just one point touches the ground, and the rest constantly strives upward; but we, as soon as we lie down on the ground, cannot get up.”
• To the question: “How to live?”, the priest answered: “To live is not to bother, not to judge anyone, not to annoy anyone, and my respect to everyone.”
• We need to live unhypocritically and behave exemplarily, then our cause will be true, otherwise it will turn out badly.
• You need to force yourself, albeit against your will, to do some good to your enemies; and most importantly, do not take revenge on them and be careful not to somehow offend them with the appearance of contempt and humiliation.
• So that people would not remain careless and would not place their hope in outside prayerful help, the elder repeated the usual folk saying: “God help me, and the man himself does not lie.” And he added: “Remember, the twelve apostles asked the Savior for a Canaanite wife, but He did not hear them; and she began to ask and begged.”
• Father taught that salvation has three degrees. Said by St. John Chrysostom:

a) do not sin,
b) having sinned. repent,
c) whoever repents poorly must endure the sorrows that come.

• Once we started talking about sorrows, one of them said: “Better illness than sorrow.” Father answered: “No. in sorrows, you will pray to God and they will go away, but you cannot fight off the disease with a stick.”
• When the blues set in, don’t forget to reproach yourself: remember how guilty you are before the Lord and before yourself, and realize that you are unworthy of anything better, and you will immediately feel relief. It is said: “Many are the sorrows of the righteous,” and “Many are the wounds of sinners.” Such is our life here - all sorrows and sorrows; and it is through them that the Kingdom of Heaven is achieved. When you are restless, repeat more often: “Seek peace and get married.”
• After communion, one must ask the Lord to preserve the gift with dignity and that the Lord will give help not to return back, that is, to previous sins.
• When the priest was asked: “Why do you sometimes feel consolation after communion, and sometimes coldness?”, he answered: “He who seeks consolation from communion experiences coldness, but whoever considers himself unworthy, grace remains with him.”
• Humility is about giving in to others and considering yourself inferior to everyone else. It will be much more peaceful.
• “It’s always better to give in,” said the priest, “if you insist fairly, it’s the same as a ruble of banknotes, and if you give in, it’s a ruble in silver.”
• To the question “How to acquire the fear of God?”, the priest answered: “You must always have God before you. I will foresee the Lord before me.”
• When people annoy you, never ask “why” or “why.” This is not found anywhere in Scripture. It says on the contrary: “they will hit you on your right cheek, turn your left also,” and this is what it means: if they beat you for telling the truth, then do not complain and turn your left, that is, remember your wrong deeds and you will see that you are worthy of punishment. At the same time, the priest added: “I have endured the Lord, and have heeded me.”
• “Father! teach me patience.” - said one sister. “Learn,” the elder answered, “and start with patience when you find and encounter troubles.” “I can’t understand how you can not be indignant at insults and injustices.” The elder’s answer: “Be fair yourself and do not offend anyone.”
• Father used to say: “Moses endured, Elisha endured, Elijah endured, and I will endure.”
• The elder often cited a proverb: “If you run from a wolf, you will attack a bear.” There is only one thing left to do - be patient and wait, paying attention to yourself and not judging others, and praying to the Lord and the Queen of Heaven, may He arrange for you what is beneficial, as They please.

WITH advice of St. Anatoly (Zertsalov)

• It’s obvious that you are trying and want to be saved, but you just don’t know how, you don’t understand spiritual life. The whole secret here is to endure what God sends. And you will not see how you enter heaven.
• Consider yourself worse than everyone else, and you will be better than everyone else.
• ...Your patience should not be unreasonable, that is, joyless, but patience with reason - that the Lord looks into all your deeds, into your very soul, as we look into the face of a loved one... He sees and tests: what kind of person will you find yourself in sorrows? If you endure, you will be His beloved. And if you do not endure and grumble, but repent, you will still be His beloved.
• Every prayer to God is profitable. And what exactly - we don’t know about it. He is the One righteous Judge, and we can recognize lies as truth. Pray and believe.
• ...I’ll tell you a secret, I’m telling you the best way to find humility. This is what it is: every pain that pricks a proud heart, be patient. And wait day and night for mercy from the All-Merciful Savior. Those who wait so much will certainly receive it.
• Learn to be meek and silent, and you will be loved by everyone. And open feelings are the same as open gates: both the dog and the cat run there... and they shit.
• We are obliged to love everyone but to be loved, we do not dare demand.

• Sorrow is our path, we will go on until we reach our assigned fatherland of eternity, but only grief is that we care little about eternity and do not tolerate even the slightest reproach in a word. We ourselves increase our sorrows when we begin to grumble.
• He who has conquered passions and acquired spiritual intelligence has access to everyone’s heart without external education.
• An imposed rule is always difficult, but doing it with humility is even more difficult.
• What is acquired through labor is useful.
• If you see a mistake in your neighbor that you would like to correct, if it disturbs your peace of mind and irritates you, then you also sin and, therefore, you will not correct the mistake with an error - it is corrected with meekness.
• A person's conscience is like an alarm clock. If the alarm clock rang, and knowing that you need to go to obedience, you get up right away, then you will always hear it afterwards, and if you don’t get up immediately for several days in a row, saying: “I’ll lie down a little more,” then eventually you will wake up from its ringing you will not.
• What is easy for the body is not good for the soul, and what is good for the soul is difficult for the body.
• You ask: “What can I do to consider myself as nothing?” Thoughts of arrogance come, and it is impossible for them not to come. But they must be countered with thoughts of humility. As you do, remembering your sins and various shortcomings. Continue to do so and always remember that our entire earthly life must be spent in the fight against evil. In addition to considering your shortcomings, you can also be humble in this way: “I have nothing good... My body is not mine, it was created by God in my mother’s womb. The soul was given to me from the Lord. Therefore, all mental and physical abilities are gifts of God. And my property is only my countless sins, with which I have daily angered and anger the Merciful Lord. What should I be vain and proud of after this? Nothing.” And with such reflections, prayerfully ask for mercy from the Lord. In all sinful endeavors there is only one cure - sincere repentance and humility.
• There are many who cry, but not for what is needed, many who mourn, but not for sins, many who seem to be humble, but not truly. The example of the Lord Jesus Christ shows us with what meekness and patience we must endure human errors.

• There are different paths to salvation. The Lord saves some in the monastery, others in the world. Saint Nicholas of Myra went into the desert to labor there in fasting and prayer, but the Lord ordered him to go into the world. “This is not the field in which you will bear fruit for Me,” said the Savior. Saints Taisia, Mary of Egypt, and Evdokia also did not live in monasteries. You can be saved everywhere, just don’t leave the Savior. Cling to the robe of Christ - and Christ will not leave you.
• A sure sign of the death of the soul is avoidance of church services. A person who grows cold towards God first of all begins to avoid going to church, first tries to come to the service later, and then completely stops visiting the temple of God.
• Those who seek Christ find Him, according to the true gospel word: “Press and it will be opened to you, seek and you will find,” “In the house of My Father are many mansions.”
• And note that here the Lord speaks not only about heavenly, but also earthly abodes, and not only about internal, but also about external.
• The Lord puts each soul in such a position, surrounds it with such an environment that is most conducive to its prosperity. This is the outer abode, but the inner abode that the Lord prepares for those who love and seek Him fills the soul with peace and joy.
• Do not read godless books, remain faithful to Christ. If asked about faith, answer boldly. “You seem to go to church often?” - “Yes, because I find satisfaction in it.” - “Do you really want to be a saint?” - “Everyone wants this, but it does not depend on us, but on the Lord.” This way you will repel the enemy.
• You cannot learn to fulfill God’s commandments without labor, and this labor is threefold - prayer, fasting and sobriety.
• I hear complaints that we are now going through difficult times, that complete freedom has now been given to all heretical and godless teachings, that the Church is being attacked from all sides by enemies and it is becoming scary for it, that these muddy waves of unbelief and heresies will overcome it. I always answer: “Don't worry! Don't be afraid for the Church! She will not perish: the gates of hell will not prevail against her until the Last Judgment. Don’t be afraid for her, but you need to be afraid for yourself, and it’s true that our time is very difficult. From what? Yes, because now it is especially easy to fall away from Christ, and then - destruction.”
• Something dark and terrible is coming into the world... A person remains, as it were, defenseless, he is so possessed by this evil force, and he does not realize what he is doing... Suicide is even suggested... Why is this happening? Because they don’t take up arms - they don’t have the name of Jesus and the sign of the cross with them.
• Life is bliss... Life will become bliss for us when we learn to fulfill the commandments of Christ and love Christ. Then we will live joyfully, joyfully endure the sorrows that come our way, and ahead of us the Sun of Truth, the Lord, will shine with indescribable light... All the Gospel commandments begin with the words: Blessed - blessed are the meek, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the peacemakers... From this it follows as a truth that fulfilling the commandments brings people the highest happiness.
• Our whole life is the great mystery of God. All circumstances of life, no matter how insignificant they may seem, are of great importance. We will fully understand the meaning of real life in the next century. How carefully we need to treat it, but we turn over our lives like a book - sheet by sheet, without realizing what is written there. There is no chance in life, everything happens according to the will of the Creator.
• In order to become like God, we must fulfill His holy commandments, and if we look at it, it turns out that we have not truly fulfilled a single one. Let's go through them all, and it turns out that we barely touched on that commandment, another, perhaps, we also just began to fulfill a little, and, for example, we did not even begin to the commandment about love for enemies. What remains for us sinners to do? How to escape? The only way is through humility. “Lord, I am a sinner in everything, I have nothing good, I only hope for Your boundless mercy.” We are absolute bankrupts before the Lord, but He will not reject us for humility. And indeed, it is better, having sins, to consider oneself great sinners, than, having some good deeds, to be proud of them, considering oneself righteous. The Gospel depicts two such examples in the person of the Pharisee and the tax collector.
• We live in terrible times. People who profess Jesus Christ and attend the temple of God are subjected to ridicule and condemnation. These ridicule will turn into open persecution, and do not think that this will happen in a thousand years, no, it will come soon. I won't live to see it, but some of you will see it. And torture and torment will begin again, but good for those who remain faithful to Christ God.

• God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble, and the grace of God is everything... There you have the greatest wisdom. So, humble yourself and say to yourself: “Although I am a grain of sand on the earth, the Lord also cares about me, and may God’s will be done to me.” Now, if you say this not only with your mind, but also with your heart, and really boldly, as befits a true Christian, you rely on the Lord, with the firm intention of meekly submitting to the will of God, whatever it may be, then the clouds will dissipate before you, and the sun will come out and will illuminate you and warm you, and you will know true joy from the Lord, and everything will seem clear and transparent to you, and you will stop tormenting, and your soul will feel at ease.”
• So you are asking the fastest way to humility. Of course, first of all, we must recognize ourselves as the weakest worm, unable to do anything good without the gift of the Holy Spirit from our Lord Jesus Christ, given through the prayer of ours and our neighbors and by His mercy...
• They say the temple is boring. Boring because they don't understand the service! Need to study! He's boring because they don't care about him. So he seems not one of us, but a stranger. At least they brought flowers or greenery for decoration, if they took part in the efforts of decorating the temple - it wouldn’t be boring.
• Live simply, according to your conscience, always remember that the Lord sees, and don’t pay attention to the rest!

Prophecy about the fate of Russia

There will be a storm, and the Russian ship will be destroyed. Yes, it will happen, but people also save themselves on chips and debris. Not everyone, not everyone will perish... God will not forsake those who trust in Him. We must pray, we must all repent and pray fervently... And there will be calm (after the storm)... a great miracle of God will be revealed, yes. And all the chips and fragments, by the will of God and His power, will gather and unite, and the ship will be recreated in its beauty and will go on its course, intended by God. So it will be, a miracle revealed to everyone.

• Job's position is a law for every person. While he is rich, noble, and prosperous. God doesn't respond. When a person is in the pit, rejected by everyone, then God appears and Himself talks with the person, and the person only listens and cries out: “Lord, have mercy!” Only the degree of humiliation is different.
• The main thing is to beware of judgment from loved ones. Whenever condemnation comes to mind, immediately pay attention: “Lord, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother.”
• He spoke about the high gradualism of the spiritual path, that “everything requires compulsion. Now, if dinner is served, and you want to eat and smell a delicious smell, the spoon itself will not bring you the food. You need to force yourself to get up, come over, take a spoon and then eat. And nothing is done right away - waiting and patience are required everywhere.”
• Man is given life so that it serves him, not he, that is, man should not become a slave to his circumstances, should not sacrifice his inner to the outer. In serving life, a person loses proportionality, works without prudence and comes into very sad bewilderment; he doesn’t even know why he lives. This is a very harmful bewilderment and often happens: a person, like a horse, is lucky and lucky, and suddenly such ... spontaneous punctuation comes over him.”
• He asks which way to go to God. Walk the path of humility! By humbly bearing the difficult circumstances of life, by humble patience with illnesses sent by the Lord; humble hope that you will not be abandoned by the Lord, the Quick Helper and loving Heavenly Father; a humble prayer for help from above, for driving away despondency and feelings of hopelessness, with which the enemy of salvation tries to lead to despair, disastrous for a person, depriving him of grace and removing God’s mercy from him.
• The meaning of Christian life, according to the words of the holy Apostle Paul, who wrote to the Corinthians: “... glorify God both in your bodies and in your souls, which are God’s.” So, having inscribed these holy words in our souls and hearts, we should take care that our disposition and actions in life serve the glory of God and the edification of our neighbors.

• Let the prayer rule be small, but fulfilled constantly and carefully...
• Let us take as an example a saint suitable for our situation, and we will rely on his example. All the saints suffered because they followed the path of the Savior, Who suffered: was persecuted, mocked, slandered and crucified. And all who follow Him inevitably suffer. “You will be in a world of sorrow.” And everyone who wants to live piously will be persecuted. “When you begin to work for the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation.” In order to endure suffering more easily, one must have strong faith, ardent love for the Lord, not become attached to anything earthly, and completely surrender to the will of God.
• Those who blaspheme must be looked at as sick people from whom we demand that they not cough or spit...
• If it is not possible to fulfill the vow of obedience, there is no one to obey, one must be willing to do everything according to the will of God. There are two types of obedience: external and internal.
• With external obedience, complete obedience is required, the execution of every task without reasoning. Inner obedience refers to the inner, spiritual life and requires the guidance of a spiritual father. But the advice of a spiritual father should be verified by the Holy Scriptures... True obedience, which brings great benefit to the soul, is when, for obedience, you do something that does not agree with your desire, despite yourself. Then the Lord Himself takes you in His arms...
• The Lord created doctors and medicine. You can't refuse treatment.
• When you are weak and tired, you can sit in church: “Son, give Me your heart.” “It is better to think about God while sitting than to think about your feet while standing,” said St. Philaret of Moscow.
• There is no need to give vent to your feelings. We must force ourselves to be friendly with those we don’t like.
• You shouldn't believe omens. There are no signs. The Lord controls us by His Providence, and I do not depend on any bird or day, or anything else. Whoever believes in prejudices has a heavy heart, and whoever considers himself dependent on the Providence of God, on the contrary, has a joyful soul.
• The “Jesus Prayer” will replace the sign of the cross if for some reason it cannot be placed.
• You cannot work on holidays unless absolutely necessary. The holiday should be cherished and honored. This day should be dedicated to God: be in church, pray at home and read the Holy Scriptures and the works of St. fathers, do good deeds.
• We must love every person, seeing in him the image of God, despite his vices. You can’t push people away from you with coldness.
• What is better: to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ rarely or often? - it’s hard to say. Zacchaeus joyfully accepted the dear Guest - the Lord - into his home, and did well. But the centurion, out of humility, realizing his own unworthiness, did not dare to accept, and also did well. Their actions, although opposite, have the same motivation. And they appeared before the Lord as equally worthy. The point is to adequately prepare yourself for the great Sacrament.
• When they asked St. Seraphim why at present there are no such ascetics as there were before, he answered: “Because there is no determination to undergo great feats, but the grace is the same; Christ is the same forever.”
• Persecution and oppression are good for us, for they strengthen our faith.
• We must consider everything bad, including the passions that fight us, not as our own, but as from the enemy - the devil. It is very important. Only then can you overcome passion when you don’t consider it yours...
• If you want to get rid of sadness, do not attach your heart to anything or anyone. Sadness comes from attachment to visible things.
• There has never been, is not and never will be a carefree place on earth. A sad place can only be in the heart when the Lord is in it.
• The Lord helps us in sorrows and temptations. He does not free us from them, but gives us the strength to easily endure them, not even to notice them.
• Silence prepares the soul for prayer. Silence, how beneficial it is to the soul!
• We Orthodox Christians should not support heresy. Even if we had to suffer, we would not betray Orthodoxy.
• You should not seek human truth. Seek only God's truth.
• The spiritual father, like a pillar, only shows the way, but you have to go yourself. If the spiritual father points, and his disciple himself does not move, then he will not go anywhere, but will rot near this pillar.
• When the priest, blessing, says the prayer: “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” then a mystery is accomplished: the grace of the Holy Spirit descends on the person being blessed. And when any person, even just with his lips, utters a renunciation of God, grace departs from him, all his concepts change, he becomes completely different.
• Before asking the Lord for forgiveness, you must forgive yourself... This is what it says in the “Lord’s Prayer.”
• Silence is good for the soul. When we speak, then it is difficult to resist. from idle talk and condemnation. But there is bad silence, it is when someone is angry and therefore remains silent.
• Always remember the law of spiritual life: if you are embarrassed by any shortcoming of another person and condemn him, later you will suffer the same fate and you will suffer from the same shortcoming.
• Do not apply your hearts to the vanity of this world. Especially during prayer, leave all thoughts about worldly things. After prayer, at home or in church, in order to maintain a prayerful, tender mood, silence is necessary. Sometimes even a simple, insignificant word can disrupt and frighten away tenderness from our soul.
• Self-justification closes spiritual eyes, and then a person sees something other than what actually exists.
• If you say something bad about your brother or sister, even if it is true, then you will inflict an incurable wound on your soul. You can convey the mistakes of another only if the only intention in your heart is the benefit of the soul of the sinner.
• Patience is uninterrupted complacency.
• Your salvation and your destruction are in your neighbor. Your salvation depends on how you treat your neighbor. Do not forget to see the image of God in your neighbor.
• Do every task, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you, carefully, as if before the face of God. Remember that the Lord sees everything.