Athonite Elder Ephraim (in the world - Ioannis Moraitis) was born on June 24, 1928 in the city of Volos (Greece). At the age of 19, he moved forever to the Holy Mountain, becoming a novice of the holy elder Joseph the Hesychast, a man of silence and a cave dweller. Having founded 19 Orthodox monasteries in the United States of America and Canada, Elder Ephraim since 1995 withdrew into the desert for the sake of silence, praying for the whole world. A born preacher, who went through the school of smart work, a brotherly shepherd, persistently seeking the zeal of his children, Fr. Ephraim has in his arsenal all the diversity of Orthodox spirituality; his sermons and instructions, imbued with warm care, are replete with references to the Holy Scriptures, examples from the lives of ancient ascetics of the Orthodox faith, and vivid judgments of the Fathers of the Church. Today we are publishing another sermon by Father Ephraim from the forthcoming book “The Art of Salvation,” which has become the quintessence of his rich spiritual experience over almost sixty years of monastic life.

Let us also pray for our enemies, for those who slander us, who condemn us, persecute us, and harm us. This is the first thing we must do, because if we do not forgive them, then God will not forgive us.

True love for one's neighbor is revealed when a person with all his heart - and not just because it is necessary, for God commands so - prays for enemies, forgives them and loves them, because, in fact, our enemies are our benefactors. Whoever tempts us, who condemns us, creates all sorts of unpleasant situations - he, on the one hand, is an instrument of the devil, and on the other, an instrument of Jesus. The Holy Fathers say that enemies are red-hot iron with which the Lord burns out our selfishness and pride and heals us. Man acts out of malice, but we graft a wild olive into a good one and obtain a fruit useful for life. That is why the actions of our enemies are so beneficial for us!

Those who praise us - if, of course, they do it out of love - are themselves worthy of praise, since they have the love of Christ within them. However, Christ says: “If you love those who love you, what grace is that to you? Sinners and publicans do the same... I tell you - love your enemies, those who do evil to you, who persecute you, build fetters for you.” After all, God, our Heavenly Father, illuminates with the sun and irrigates with rain the unrighteous and the righteous, the evil and the good. He is the same for everyone: He gives His blessings to those of the children who love Him with all their souls, and to those who blaspheme and remain in wickedness - all without exception, so that even sinners do not appear unrequited at the Judgment. So, by praying for these people, on the one hand, we justify ourselves before God, and, on the other, we contribute to their enlightenment. After all, perhaps these people don’t even think about God, don’t pray, don’t even make the sign of the cross! Who will help them? So they absolutely need our prayer. Let us pray to God for their forgiveness and sanctification and at the same time help them themselves to come to repentance. This is a great thing!

Do you want to take revenge on your enemy? The Holy Fathers say that you need to pray for him, and your prayer will force God to intervene. God will act in accordance with His truth, and you will be justified for your love.

Let wives pray for their husbands and children, and husbands for their wives and children, and children for their parents. Thus, mutually helping each other with prayers, we will move towards spiritual growth.

Let's pray in the morning, make bows (as determined by the confessor), and if health allows, then we'll add more to them.

What is a bow? This is worship of God. We worship God, but our enemy the devil does not do this, he does not bow his head or knees. He doesn't worship God. Those who worship God are enemies of the devil, and, therefore, people of God. Therefore, bowing is of great importance. Even one additional bow is already a work of asceticism, for which there will be a reward from God. The few bows that we make are slowly accumulating with God in Heaven, and when we go to Gornyaya, we will find them there in large quantities. And this will help us give a good answer in the terrible hour of Judgment.

So, we pray in the morning out of duty, because prayer gives us light, and this light shines throughout the day, and then we each go about our own business: some to work, some to school, some on a trip. But even then we need not to abandon the memory of God, because during morning prayer we receive Grace, strength, blessing from God; An Angel stands at our right hand, and we get to work. And wherever we find ourselves, we will not leave the remembrance of God.

What does remembering God mean? This is the prayer: " Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!“With the remembrance of forgiveness, which we ask for whenever we remember God, the Lord will deign to return home calmly.

Let's be careful at work: there are a lot of people working nearby and saying all sorts of things. Sometimes they say very bad words, because they are in a passionate state and do not think about anything, only about temporary, vain things, about earthly pleasures. If the person praying is attentive, he will not follow them; he feels sorry for such people and prays that God will enlighten them, that they will be freed from such a suffocating spiritual state and come out into the clean and free air. And in the evening before going to bed, we will again kneel and offer our prayers to God. And in the middle of the day or in the evening we will open the New Testament and read at least one chapter from it. After all, Saint Chrysostom says that the devil flees from a house where there is a Gospel.

Days, years, centuries pass like a shadow and we are all approaching our end. The life of any person is a book, and every day of life is one page of it. Every book has an end, and so does human life. On the pages of this book there is both good and bad, both light and dark deeds of man are recorded. And when life ends, then this book will open before God and, based on what is written in it, the person will give an answer.

Let us pray to the best of our ability so that when we leave this life we ​​will not have large, serious sins, and if we remain, they will be small and not serious. Of course, then the prayers of the Church during the Liturgy, memorial services, alms, prayers of loved ones will be of great help to us, so that even for the smallest sins - after all, who is without sin! - receive forgiveness from God. The greatest danger to salvation is mortal sins, and there are a lot of such sins.

However, if we lead a mindful life, we are free from such sins. So a person prone to illness, if he often visits a doctor and follows his recommendations, then maintains his health. But if he neglects visits, he will harm his health. Therefore, by frequently visiting a spiritual doctor, we maintain the health of our soul, which is more valuable than the whole world. After all, the whole world is not worth one immortal soul! The world passes, but the soul never dies.

One church troparion talks about sobriety. It is read every day during the Midnight Office, especially in monasteries: “ Behold, the Bridegroom comes at midnight and blessed is the servant, he will find him vigilantly, but the unworthy one will find him again...“Blessed, it says, is the man whom the Bridegroom, when he comes, finds awake, but the unworthy one is the one whom he finds despondent and careless.

A person is kept sober by being awake. Who avoids injury? Anyone who is awake, sober, who is attentive, who watches himself and the road, therefore falls less often. Who gets injured? One who is careless on the way and therefore easily falls. And often the reason for this is negligence. Negligence in the performance of our duties leads to dangerous consequences. Negligence brings about what diligence has temporarily pushed away from us. One of the ascetics says that prayers, rosaries, bows, fasts, etc. are needed not by God, but by us, since if all this is missing, then evil enters the soul. If a person does not take the medications prescribed by his doctor, then he again opens access to the disease, but in a more severe form. By not caring about fulfilling spiritual duties, we open access to demons in our lives, allowing them to hurt us, inflict wounds and plunge us into danger. Therefore, we definitely need zeal for salvation: we cannot help but rejoice, because we do not know whether we will be alive tomorrow. We have no power over even the smallest second of time. Everything is unstable, impermanent: our life, the life of our parents, children, relatives, health, finances - everything we have is unreliable, and we can lose everything at any moment.

One thing is beyond any doubt - the coming death. She follows on our heels. Not a single person on earth can avoid the bridge over which we will cross to the opposite bank, into another life. We need to think hard about this. We seriously care about many things: about health, about money, about children, about parents and much more. We are worried and worried. But we care much less about the inevitable - about death. But death will directly lead us to God!

The Lord says: " I departed from the Father and came into the world: and again I leave the world and go to the Father". The human soul will follow the same path. It is known that in a person the soul and body are united into one hypostasis. The soul, created by God through the Son and the Holy Spirit, after death will temporarily separate from the body and go to God. After the Second Coming, the body will be resurrected, the soul will unite with it, and the whole person will appear before the Terrible Throne of Christ for Judgment.

Let us fight with all the strength of our souls in the heavenly light of the Gospel for the Kingdom of Heaven. We will fight so that in that terrible hour our<духовное>the condition was as good as possible. We do not know from our own experience what death is; anyone who knows can confirm how serious this all is. We will all go through these narrow gates and cross that heavy bridge, and we will feel the seriousness of the issue. Therefore, we need purification: our soul needs to acquire virtues, characteristic signs of sonship, kinship to the Heavenly Father. Otherwise, if they are not there, then the soul will be imprinted with the signs of the devil. As far as possible, let us cleanse ourselves, put our thoughts in order, which are the cause of our falling away from the Grace of God.

The Lord said that one inattentive thought of an unclean desire makes us guilty. Many people have lost the Kingdom of Heaven because of their thoughts. The Lord, knowing our weakness, shed light and a balm of healing on the very root of evil. And the root of evil is the five senses that feed the mind and heart. The eyes feed the imagination, and so the devil encourages the eyes of the soul to be directed to what he himself presents to them. Through this, he makes a person’s heart so unclean that Christ cannot come and dwell in it.

The Lord said in beatitudes: “ Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God". This means that an unclean heart cannot see Christ. The Lord does not manifest himself in something sensual, He manifests himself in His love, joy, silence, peace, “which surpasses all understanding.” People think that the mind consists of the absence of thoughts. This state can also be called peace. But the Holy Fathers, when they talk about the spiritual world, mean the betrothal of the Heavenly Kingdom. A Christian who has tasted this Divine world becomes, as it were, beside himself. This peace is a foretaste, to the extent of human strength, of the Kingdom of Heaven, since, according to the teaching of the Holy Fathers, both the body and soul of man enjoy peace in the Kingdom of God.

With great heartache, I urge you to fight! Do not allow what you have now received to be scattered by the wind, do not lose it, keep it deep in your heart, put it into practice in order to benefit and taste the beauty of the Kingdom of God. When you gain mental health, the measure of your joy and gratitude to God will have no limits. Finally, I would like to ask you once again to preserve within yourself the little that the Grace of God has said here: to preserve the benefits that you have received for yourself in the sacred Sacrament of Repentance, to fight to increase it for yourself and to pass it on to others. So that when God deigns to gather us together again, you will be in better<духовном>condition. The seed we have sown is bad and poor, because we ourselves are worse and more insignificant than this seed. We wish you to increase what you have received and ask you to pray that we, the poor, will be preserved mentally and physically by the Grace of the Holy Spirit and worthy of salvation for the glory of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The Troparion of the Lenten Triodion is sung at matins on the first three days of Holy Week, recalling the Savior’s Parable of the Ten Virgins (see Matt. 25:1–13).

« And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"(Phil.4:7).

Almost every person - believer or not - is familiar with the main prayer of the elders “At the beginning of the day”; they are known under the general name Optina.

This appeal to the Lord is so powerful, effective, filling with bright faith, love, hope for the best, that it works real miracles in the lives of many people, regardless of religion.

Who are they - the authors of this and other prayers that have such supernatural, divine power, which through the centuries help and heal believers and even non-believers? What other prayers of the elders exist in the Orthodox Church? This is discussed in the article.

Story

According to sources about the lives of holy people, monks, the Optina elders were at one time inhabitants of the Stavropegial Monastery, or the Vvedenskaya Optina Monastery, which is 2 kilometers from Kozelsk (Kaluga region) on the Zhizdra River.

The monastery was built in the 19th century and its shape (top view) resembles a square. There is a fence built around the perimeter, which is also quadrangular in shape, and at each corner there is a temple tower. Behind the monastery there is a monastery, which the laity have no right to enter (only for monks).

In the very central part of the monastery there is the main temple - the cathedral in the name of the Entry of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the Temple. And near it - along the cross - there are more churches: the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God (in the south), the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God (in the east), the temple in the name of Mary of Egypt (in the north).

This monastery is the oldest in the desert. It was the Optina elders who are considered its founders. Here they worked, prayed, and performed great miracles. The main ones are the gifts of healing and predicting the future.

The monastery was constantly full of believers - from different parts of Russia and other countries. Pilgrims came to this holy land to receive bodies, to hear practical advice from the elders, to calm their minds, since not a single doctor of that time was able to heal and revive as well as the Optina elders.

There were real legends about them, some considered them the Sons of God, others accused them of interacting with evil spirits.

But the elders still continued to help people, pray, work for the good of the temple and fulfill the will of God.

Temple inhabitants

These great monks were considered the main wealth of the Optina Pustyn monastery; they were revered by many for their good deeds and assistance.

Here are the main ones:

• Hieroschemamonk Leo is the founder of the temple and the Optina eldership. He was famous for his enormous love for God and his neighbors. He worked selflessly for the good of the monastery.
• Hieroschemamonk Macarius is a follower of the Monk Leo. It was from him that the writing of holy works about the asceticism of the elders and the Optina monastery began. He also led other temples.
• Schema-Archimandrite Moses is known for his humility, wisdom and enormous charitable activities towards poor wanderers. Under him, new temple structures were built.
• Schema-abbot Anthony - led the monastery, was seriously ill, had the gift of teaching. Brother of Schema-Archimandrite Moses.
• Hieroschemamonk Hilarion, a follower of Elder Macarius, had the gift of preaching, and with him many who had departed from the faith returned to the monastery.
• Hieroschemamonk Ambrose was distinguished by his holiness and sincere reverence for God through his service. It is to him that believers most often turn in prayer.

• Schema-Archimandrite Isaac, the abbot of the monastery, guarded and affirmed the spiritual covenants of the elders in the Optina Hermitage.
• Hieroschemamonk Anatoly is the head of the monastery, a strong man of prayer, a comforter and ascetic, as well as a mentor to monks and parishioners of many monasteries and churches.
• Hieroschemamonk Joseph is a follower of Ambrose, a man of prayer, a humble elder, illuminated by divine light. The Mother of God appeared to him.
• Schema-Archimandrite Barsanuphius, a perspicacious elder, a former military man, saw the hidden things in the heart of every person.
• Hieroschemamonk Anatoly is a comforter, healer, humble and loving pastor.
• Hieroschemamonk Nektarios is the last elder who was elected conciliarly. He had insight and the gift of working miracles.
• Hieromonk Nikon, a student and follower of Elder Barsanuphius, showed the gift of asceticism in the Optina Hermitage after its closure.
• Archimandrite Isaac II was the last abbot of the monastery, under whom it was finally destroyed. He endured all adversity with courage, faith and love for God and people.

Prayers of the Optina Elders

Turning to each elder in prayer - with all your heart and with all sincerity - helps to heal from mental anxieties, anger, and aggression. And also ask the Lord for your family and children.

One of the most powerful and effective prayers is “At the beginning of the day.” It is she who most of all helps to tune in to a peaceful mood in the morning, to find harmony and calm.

Thanks to the power of the text itself, as well as the absolute faith of the recipient, the internal state gradually improves, stability in stressful situations increases, sleep improves, and communication with people is harmonized.

The most important condition for reading this and other prayers of the elders is sincerity and understanding of every word spoken. The state during treatment is important to be meditative and as calm as possible.

There is a full and abbreviated prayer of the elders “At the beginning of the day.”

Full text of the prayer

The recommended time to pronounce this appeal is the beginning of the day. The prayer of the elders can also be read along with other prayers. The main thing is to have clarity of consciousness, understanding of the essence of each word, faith, and sincerity.

The prayer call should always be a moment of triumph, holiness and goodness, without memorization and monotonous muttering. If the text is not memorized (partially or completely), you can read from a sheet or pronounce some passages in your own words. It is important to do this with pure thoughts and ardent faith in the Lord and his help.

The text of the complete prayer “At the Beginning of the Day” helps to fill the heart and soul with wisdom, harmony, joy, and the right attitude for the new day and all its events and deeds.

Brief text of the prayer of the elders

Every day it is better to say the full prayer, but sometimes you can replace it with an abbreviated version. The meaning does not change, it just takes less time to read.

This version, like the full version, brings into strong resonance the heart and soul of the worshiper with heavenly purity and holiness. It has a powerful power to harmonize and tune a person to a positive perception of everything that happens in the new day.

Optina Elders

Just like in the morning, turning to the Lord through the prayer of the elders “At the end of the day” will be effective. If for some reason it is not possible to read the words, you can turn on audio or video recording.

In any case, prayer fills a person’s soul and heart with pure energy and warmth, regardless of the form of address.

Many believers note that after regularly turning to God through this prayer of the elders, their worldview and attitude towards others improved, inner peace and confidence appeared, and a positive attitude towards life was formed.

This prayer helps everyone to respond correctly to daily difficulties and unpleasant situations that arise in the life path of any person.

For better effectiveness, before reading the prayer, it is recommended to go to the temple - repent and take communion, thus tuning into silence and holiness.

It is worth saying the appeal 3 times and completely alone. It is recommended to do this in a separate room so that no one disturbs you. And the result will not take long to arrive. The main thing is faith and sincerity.

Prayer for health

Also, the prayers of the elders help to heal not only spiritually, but also physically. If health problems arise, the person himself, his relatives or children can turn to the Lord in prayer and ask for physical healing.

The elders do not have a special prayer for this, but the full text or short text of the prayer “At the beginning of the day” will do.

Prayer for children

The miraculous appeal of the Optina elders in prayer for the children - St. Ambrose.

After all, it is known that a mother’s prayer is capable of many things: to revive, to get from the bottom of the sea, and to heal.

Parents also pray for their children to guide them on the right path, especially in difficult situations. Teach how to interact correctly with elders and honor God.

Children are a great joy for parents! And the task of praying for them is goodness and happiness.

and anger

There is a prayer for forgiveness of grievances, aggression, anger, which can settle unconsciously in a person’s heart and cause pain. This contributes to the fact that both health and life can deteriorate, which is unnatural for the Almighty, who encourages everyone to live in joy, happiness, and grace.

In this appeal to the Lord, at the very beginning there is a request to drive away all negative thoughts from a person, to have mercy, and also to help keep the mind clean - both the one asking and the one who was the cause of resentment and anger. For the Name of God is great to those who love Him.

Prayer of the elders for those who committed suicide

One of the serious prayers is to turn to the Lord for those people who took their own lives of their own free will. This is considered a great sin before life and the Almighty.

To ease the soul of such a person, his living relatives can pray for him, and also give alms to the poor.

The prayer begins with the words about the Lord’s recovery of the lost soul. Next comes a request for pardon.

Summary

The prayers of the Optina elders for every day and special ones are a great spiritual heritage for modern humanity, which has such a powerful and life-giving force that one cannot wish for anything better.

They help to heal - spiritually and physically, tune in to a new day or good night, and cleanse yourself of negative feelings and thoughts. And also ask for children and loved ones.

And whatever prayer is read, it is important that it be done with love, sincerity, and faith in the Lord.

Council of the Venerable Elders of Glinsk: 13 Elders of Glinsk. Righteous Jonah, Odessa Wonderworker (1855 –1924) Prayer to Righteous Jonah of Odessa Archbishop Varlaam (Ryashentsev) (1878–1942) Spiritual advice and sayings of Archbishop Varlaam About the commandments of God About humility About prayer Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ About attitude towards neighbors About temptations About resentment and anger About diseases About spiritual life About exploits About monasticism Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) of Sourozh (1914 –2003) Liturgy Repentance About prayer About love Illness Archbishop Theophan of Poltava and Pereyaslavl (1872–1940) Archimandrite Simeon (Kholmogorov) (schema Daniil) (1874–1937) Quotes from the “Charter of the Monastery of the Mother of God” compiled by Elder Simeon (Kholmogorov) Elder Sophrony (Sakharov) (1896–1993) Memoirs of contemporaries about Elder Sophrony Archimandrite Sergius (Shevich) (1903 – 1987) The spiritual heritage of the elder About prayer About the Jesus Prayer Divine commandments Passion Patience Humility Love of God Schema-Archimandrite Daniel (Klimkov) (1893–1970) Statements by Schema-Archimandrite Daniel (Klimkov) Schema-Archimandrite Vitaly (Sidorenko) (1928–1992) Instructions of Schema-Archimandrite Vitaly Schema-Archimandrite Hilarion (Udodov) (1862–1951) Moscow elder Archpriest Vasily Nikolaevich Serebrennikov (1907–1996) Instructions from Elder Archpriest Vasily Serebryannikov Archpriest John Bukotkin (1925 – 2000) Archpriest Nikolai Golubtsov (1900–1963) Archpriest Pyotr Sukhonosov (1931–1999) Priest Vasily Borin (1917–1994) Elder John Olenevsky (1854 – 1951) Elder Hieromonk Joasaph (Sazanov) (in schema Seraphim) Hieromonk Pimen (†1967) Hieromonk Ambrose (Ivanov) (1879–1978) Schema-hierodeacon Anthony (Semyonov) (1913–1994) Monk Vladimir (Alekseev) (1878 –1927) Monk Georgy (Ponomarenko) (1935–2002) Serbian elder Thaddeus Vitovnitsky (1914–2003) Advice and sayings of Elder Thaddeus Schema Abbess of the Akatov Monastery Olympiada (Ivanova) (1871–1954) Letters from Archbishop Varlaam (Ryashentsev) to Mother Olympias Excerpts from the letters of Hieromartyr Herman (Ryashentsev) Letters from the schema-abbess of Olympias to Boris Kudinov (printed with slight abbreviations) Schema-Abbess Tamar (Marjanova) (†1936) Abbess Eupraxia (Pustovalova) (1919–2006) Abbess Rufina (1872–1937) Schema nun Antonina (Vorobyeva) Schema-nun Feodosia (1917–2007) Schema-nun Gabriela (Alexandrova) (1876–1952) Schema-nun Gabriela (Papayanni) (1897–1992) Statements, instructions Nun Seraphima (Defendova) (1880–1960) Elder Andrei Kuzmich Loginov (1874 – 1961) Ivan Danilovich - man of God Afterword Blessed Andrew of Tsaritsyn (1888–1967) Munich hermit Elder Timothy Servant of God Anastasia Servant of God Anna Trushkina (Blessed Nyura) Servant of God Sophia (1888–1964) Servant of God Akilina Ivanovna Kuligina (1870–1945)

Reading testimonies about the miraculous help of ascetics, we must not forget that they were intermediaries in the transmission of God's grace. The elders were conductors of the will of God: through them people could hear the will of God. But before becoming a conductor of the will of God, the ascetics struggled for years with their passions, tamed their flesh with fasting and prayer, were purified by sorrows and illnesses, humbly accepting everything that befell their lot.

Paraphrasing the words of Bishop Arseny (Zhadanovsky), we note that the strength of many ascetics lay in their true, living, active faith in Christ the Savior and His teaching, in full penetration of this teaching, which became their native and eternal element, true knowledge, according to the word of the Apostle, and not simple and cold knowledge only. All their grace-filled gifts came from the depth of faith. They achieved such an extraordinary gift of faith through constant vigilance over themselves, through a life attentive to themselves.

Bishop Arseny said: « By performing this or that miracle through the prayer of a righteous man, the Lord, as it were, wants to magnify and elevate the righteous man, or better yet, not himself, but his righteousness, to magnify virtue, the moral law, and thereby win people over to him.”

Recently, books and articles have appeared, the authors of which warn believers who entrust their souls to spiritually immature people - “young old men” and false old men. On the Internet using these keywords you can find sad stories about how, without the blessing of priests, people go to those who pose as elders, guided only by unverified rumors about their righteousness.

Once, when I was reading an akathist in an empty church near the shrine of the saint, one believing woman joined me. She later told me that she was on the verge of death after communicating with O a false old man. After trips to holy places and prayers of the clergy, only temporary improvement occurs.

The compiler of the book “Young Age and the Orthodox Tradition,” priest Vladimir Sokolov, notes: “Ivan Mikhailovich Kontsevich, the author of a popular book about the Optina elders, wrote about the reason for the emergence of false old age: “When true elders, one might say, are absent, people eager to find spiritual support for themselves choose some clergyman they like for some reason and say: “I treat him like an old man.” If the confessor turns out to be sober and spiritually honest, he will sharply remove such an attitude. But there are so many of them who willingly fall into the nets placed by them. For this is “acting,” as Bishop puts it. Ignatius Brianchaninov, leads the self-proclaimed elder to spiritual death. He himself is losing ground under his feet and is already walking along crooked paths, having lost everything that he collected and acquired over his entire past life.”

Ivan Mikhailovich Kontsevich writes: “Modern clergy was born from the ancient monastic eldership and is its secondary form. Thanks to the similarity of these phenomena, clergy and eldership, inexperienced priests, familiar with ascetic literature only theoretically, can always be tempted to “exceed power” - to cross the line of clergy in order to become an elder - while they have no idea what the essence of the true old age. This “young age” (to use one apt expression) brings discord into the life around us. It carries the danger of causing irreparable harm to the soul of the person being protected.”

To answer the question of how to distinguish a highly spiritual elder from an inexperienced person posing as an elder, let us turn to the statement of the holy fathers and ascetics.

St. John Climacus wrote: “A spiritual doctor is one who has acquired both body and soul, free from all illness, and no longer requires any healing from others.” The Monk Pimen the Great said: “Only a sane and dispassionate person can teach his neighbor.” The Monk Isaac the Syrian wrote: “Flee from obscene things as from obscenity itself. Get close to the righteous and through them you will get closer to God.”

Bishop Arseny writes: “A true confessor must have the following moral qualities: well-read in the Word of God and patristic works, spiritual experience, the gift of prayer, true zeal for the salvation of souls, a virtuous life. The vices that every confessor should beware of are the following: coldness or carelessness in his work, partiality, greed, conceit and self-praise, weakness or excessive severity.”

Spiritual service, according to Elder Sophrony (Sakharov), should grow out of the experience of prayer; The advice that a confessor gives should not be the fruit of his reasoning, but the result of illumination from above from the Holy Spirit: “If people who come to the priest with the hope of hearing from him clearly the will of God, instead he will give instructions emanating from his own reasoning, which can to be displeasing to God will thereby lead them onto the wrong path and cause some harm.”

I would also like to warn those who, without experienced mentors, decide to imitate the ascetics. St. Anthony the Great said: “There are people who have exhausted their bodies greatly with asceticism, and yet have gone far from God because they have not had self-examination. Physical exploits in themselves do not constitute perfection, but are only means to achieving it, to achieving spiritual virtues."

Let us also cite the statements of ascetics about the danger that awaits spiritually unprepared people who, on their own, without delving into the deep essence of the words of repentance, are only trying to master the “technique” of the Jesus Prayer.

Archimandrite Sergius (Shevich) notes: “The practice of the Jesus Prayer requires guidance from an experienced spiritual father... For someone who prays a lot, there is a great risk of falling into delusion. The spiritual father to whom one should turn should not be a fellow practitioner (and certainly not an adherent of the prayer “technique”), but one who has gone through all the riffs and has been honored to receive the gift of discernment from God and, thanks to this, can certainly determine which prayers states are emotional, and some are spiritual, some are from God, and some are from the evil one... The slightest pride in combination with prayer gives rise to deviations and even mental disorders...

This must be accompanied by an active struggle with passions and no less active cultivation of virtues; both of these actions can lead to results only in the bosom of the Church, by the power of grace given to us through the Sacraments.

According to the elder, outside the Church and without the fight against passions, this has neither meaning nor value.

This activity is incompatible, in particular, with pride, impurity and any manifestation of malice directed at one’s neighbor.”

In this regard, Elder Sergius says that the practice of prayer is incompatible with passions, and that the one who performs prayer, being, for example, in a state of pride or impurity, runs towards his own catastrophe...

Those who, by the grace of God, managed to meet true ascetics, first of all noted their unusual modesty, selflessness, great humility and love for everyone. After communicating with them, believers felt joy and found peace of mind. Led by wise mentors, people begin to understand that they were born in order to glorify and thank God for everything.

After communicating with false elders, some feel fear, depression, sometimes hopelessness, and lose faith. Others, led by proud blind men, approaching the abyss, not noticing the dangers, idolize those who lead them to destruction, imposing their will.

True elders do not impose their will. They give advice, and when they feel that a person, wanting to do his own will, is trying to insist on his own, they fall silent or meekly answer: “Do as you want.” After making mistakes, people, having become convinced of the harmful consequences of their errors, return to their confessors with repentance. Through the prayers of their confessors, they begin to grow spiritually, trusting themselves to God’s Providence, they begin to understand that it is necessary not only to pray before starting any work, but also to add at the end of the prayers: “Let it be not as I want, but as You please, Lord!”

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.”

“Praying is a very simple thing, but at the same time very difficult. You know how a child prays to his mother. It does not look for skillful words, but simply speaks and asks for help. This is how you ask God simply, without any art, and the Lord will hear your request. But at the same time be wise to remain focused on prayer.” (Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt)

“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.” (Reverend Silouan of Athos)

“Self-justification closes spiritual eyes, and then a person sees something other than what really is.

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.” (Reverend Nikon of Optina)

“You cannot overcome a single passion or a single sin without grace-filled help; always ask for help from Christ your Savior. This is why He came into the world, this is why He suffered, died and rose again, in order to help us in everything, to save us from sin and from the violence of passions, to cleanse our sins, to give us in the Holy Spirit strength to do good deeds, so that enlighten us, strengthen us, pacify us. You say: how can you be saved when there is sin at every step and you sin at every moment? The answer to this is simple: at every step, at every minute, call on the Savior, remember the Savior and you will be saved, and you will save others.” (Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt)

“Gently and non-violently place yourself in the hands of God, and He will come and bestow grace on your soul.” (Athos Elder Porfiry)

“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...” (Athos Elder Kirik (Russian Elder))

“...Have moderation and reasoning in everything.” (Athos Elder Joseph the Hesychast)

“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.” (Elder Zechariah)

“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...” (Hieromartyr Seraphim (Zvezdinsky))

“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 get time back. 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.” (Reverend Confessor George, Danilovsky Wonderworker)

advised his spiritual children: “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.”

“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.” (St. Nicholas of Japan)

“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 Repentance also plays a significant role in saving the soul. 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...

Knowing 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, in order to breathe for yourself at the same time. 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: “What you condemn someone for, you yourself will be in”; “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...” (Reverend Simeon (Zhelnin))

“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 spin 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.” (Archimandrite Afinogen (Agapov))

Schema-abbot Savva (Ostapenko) when resolving “perplexed” questions, he blessed his spiritual children to draw lots. Schema-abbot Savva said: “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".

Reverend Seraphim Vyritsky advised his spiritual children to read the prayer of St. as often as possible. Ephraim the Syrian “Lord and Master of my life...”. He said that this prayer contains the whole essence of Orthodoxy, the whole Gospel: “By reading it, we ask the Lord for help in acquiring the properties of a new person.”

“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.” (Athos Elder Porfiry)

“In everything, have moderation and reasoning...” (Athos Elder Joseph)

“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.” (Elder Jerome of Aegina)

“A golden mean is needed in everything and moderation. But in relation to serving God and one’s salvation, constancy is needed. It is the main thing, not haste, not excessiveness... If you drive more quietly, you will go further. (Reverend Sebastian of Karaganda)

“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), Great Martyr Barbara, Great Martyr Paraskeva, Great Martyr Catherine and others... These are the lights of the first Christian people! Imitate them, read them, follow them.

May God grant you success in everything, and go from strength to strength, and achieve the highest spiritual perfection.” (Elder Theophilus (Rossokha))

“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 at least 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.” (Reverend Alexy (Soloviev))

Venerable Lavrentiy of Chernigov said: “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.”

“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.” (Glinsky Elder Andronik (Lukash))

“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 await 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.

May the Lord grant us patience for our infirmities, and to bear the burdens of those around us not only without grumbling, but also with gratitude to the Lord our Savior, who suffered all sorts of insults and suffering for our sake. May the Lord give you unfeigned, true love for your neighbors and for all people...

To him who loves the Lord, everything will speed to salvation,” and from the Lord a person’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, recognizing 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...” (Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev))

“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... » (Archbishop Gabriel (Ogorodnikov))

“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 (Archimandrite Tavrion (Batozsky))

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

“Fight sin - know your business... Humiliation is good... You should always blame yourself... There should be no attachment to anyone or anything, only to God... We must strive for God, seek the Divine , what to become attached to a person.”

“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.” (Elder Theodore (Sokolov))

“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.” (Reverend Barnabas (Elder of Radonezh))

“... 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 for 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.” (Archimandrite Sergius (Shevich))

“We must cultivate in ourselves the spirit of meekness, humility, kindness, long-suffering and moderation in all actions. And in order to have such a disposition of spirit in oneself, one must remember the general weakness of man, the general tendency to sin, especially one’s great infirmities 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.” (Schiarchimandrite Theophilus (Rossokha))

“We must relieve each other when we see that a person is having a hard time; you need to approach him, take on his burden, lighten him, help in any way you can... By doing this,... living with them, you can completely renounce your self, completely forget about him. When we have this and prayer, then we will not be lost anywhere, no matter where we go and no matter who we meet.”

“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.” (Elder Stefan (Ignatenko))

“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 all. 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.” (Elder Zechariah)

“Evil does not destroy evil, but if someone does you evil, 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. Remove it from yourself so that the Holy Spirit does not grieve you.

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.” (Elder of Glinsk Schema-Archimandrite Andronik)

“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... Whoever prays to 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." (Archimandrite Gabriel (Urgebadze))

“...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.” (Schemonun Gabriel (Gerontissa Gabriel))

“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 who drinks or eats the same thing without crossing himself 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).” (Advice from Schema-nun Antonia)

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

“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.

“Those who rise (to pray) at three o’clock in the morning receive gold, those who rise at five receive silver, and those who rise at six o’clock receive bronze.” (Sche-abbot Jerome (Verendyakin))

Elder Archimandrite Ippolit (Halin) in difficult situations he often advised his spiritual children: “Pray to St. Nicholas, and everything will work out.”

“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 of Glinsk Schema-Archimandrite John (Maslov))

When to Elder Leonty When people complained about everyday quarrels, he said: “Don’t take everything to heart, look past it.”

“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 Nicholas from Zalit Island)

Pyukhtitskaya Blessed Elder Catherine 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.

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

“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 of a neighbor love when it feels that he takes everything away from her, 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 must bear fruits worthy repentance, you need to work where you sinned, get up where you fell, correct what you ruined, save what you lost through your own negligence, your own passions. Salvation is possible in every place and in every matter... (Abbess Arsenia (Sebryakov))

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

“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 old or sick people say something offensive to you, don’t listen to them, but help them...” (Blessed Matrona of Moscow)

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

“With tears, I ask and pray you, be the suns that warm those around you, if not everyone, then the family in which the Lord made you a member...

Be warmth and light for those around you; first try to warm your family with yourself, work on this, and then these works will attract you so much that for you the family circle will already be narrow, and these warm rays will over time capture more and more new people and the circle illuminated by you will gradually increase and increase; so be careful to keep your lamp burning brightly.” (Holy Righteous Alexy Mechev)

The publishing house of our monastery has published a new book - “The Life of the Hieromartyr Veniamin (Kazan), Metropolitan of Petrograd and Gdov, and those like him who suffered the Venerable Martyr Sergius (Shein), the martyrs Yuri Novitsky and John Kovsharov » .

In the new book of the famous Russian hagiographer Archimandrite Damascene (Orlovsky), the reader is offered the life of Metropolitan Veniamin (Kazan) of Petrograd - one of the first holy martyrs who did not sin with their soul or conscience during the persecution that began and gave their life for Christ and His Church .

WITH Rare and only strong bodies can go through a long life, which can move and walk without harm. cold, and hunger, and dampness, and do-lu-le-zha-nie. And according to the word of the Pre-ex-po-no-go Io-an-na Da-mas-ki-na, with a weak body, humility and bliss Yes-re-nie, isn’t that the same forest work and under-vi-gi, for which they are in-compliance.

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MEDICINE

Good doctors say that medicine is behind the times, and diseases are progressing with amazing force. More and more new diseases are appearing, and doctors absolutely do not know how to treat them.

For example, a new disease recently appeared: sand forms in the bones, the bone becomes brittle, a hole is made in it and the sand spills out. Why this happens is unknown, only the patient experiences hellish torment, and medicine is powerless to alleviate his suffering.

If a doctor is invited, then he cannot say to the patient: “I don’t understand your illness,” or “You must die.” No, he begins to heal, as God will help him!..

PEACEKEEPERS

The late sovereign Alexander III was called the Peacemaker. Great name! There was Peter the Great, Alexander the Blessed, Alexander the Liberator, but there were no peacemakers. None of his predecessors were given this name, and it was assigned to him not only in Russia, but throughout the world. And why? Yes, because he held all of Europe in his hands. Under him there was peace throughout the world. When he came to the throne, Russia was in a state of complete destruction. Everything dark rose up against her and rebelled. They told him: “What will you do? How to manage? - “Nothing, I hope in my Lord Jesus Christ.” And I was not deceived. There has never been such power, such glory as Russia achieved under him, and it is unlikely that there will ever be. He decided the destinies of all of Europe, everyone took his opinion into account, they were afraid of him.

Somehow a war was being prepared between the two powers: Germany rebelled against France, but then the question arose: how would the Russian autocrat look at this? They say: “Frown your eyebrows? Hey, that means you can’t fight,” - there was no war. Another time there was also a war, they asked again: “How will the Russian autocrat look at this?” “He moved his eyebrows,” they say. “Did your eyebrows move? Hey, we have to postpone it.” Well, here comes the world - here comes the peacemaker. And this happened more than once.

The Lord said: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for these shall be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). This is the reward that awaits - they will be called “sons of God” - and this is not a little. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God in essence, and we are by gift of grace from the Lord. So, can each of us be a peacemaker? Of course it can. Forgive the offender. Is it really easy? Let's take an example: a nun is walking, another one meets her and calls her the most offensive word. Everything was boiling for her. “I’ve been living in a monastery for 20 years, I’ve never heard anything like this,” but she remained silent. It reached Mother Abbess, she calls her and asks: “How dare she call you that?” - “Mother, don’t tell her anything, I’m worth it.” The case was dropped. Well, here comes the world, here comes the peacemaker!

And then it happens that one’s own father, or one’s own mother, or sister, or brother suddenly rises up. This is even harder, here you are relatives by blood, and they will insult you. How to carry it? Can not? Ask the Lord, go to the icon. And we try to pass by the icon, as if not to see it. Pray: “Lord, help me, I deserve it myself, it’s my fault,” reproach yourself. The Lord loves this kind of prayer - self-reproach; self-justification - the Lord does not tolerate. What to do? This is the law, you must obey.

So, I repeat, if you want to be called “sons of God,” humble yourself, forgive those who offend you, and inherit eternal life. No - the direct road to hell, from which fate deliver us, Lord. Everyone is given the right to be “sons of God”, here there is no male or female gender. Nowhere does it say that only men will be called sons of God. Each of us, with God's help, can achieve this. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

MOSES OF OPTINSKY, PREP. (PUTILOV), SCHIARCHIM.

The abbot told me about. Mark. - Once the clerk of the father of Archimandrite Moses, Fr. Evfimy (Trunov), hears that Fr. Moses, walking around his cell, laughs loudly. O. Evfimy noticed such cases more than once and later. Fr. once hinted about this. Moses, and he answers: “Now I am no longer surprised at anything in people.” It is believed that Fr. Moses reached that pinnacle of spiritual life called dispassion.

One day a peasant brought a whole cart of apples to Optina to sell, because even then there were no apples in Optina, i.e. gardens O. Moses went out to the peasant and asked:

— What kind of apples are these, and what is the price?

The little man, thinking that Fr. Moses does not understand the use of apples, he wanted to deceive him and answers:

- This is a “good peasant”, apples are the first grade.

O. Moses sees that this is an unripe Antonovka, and says:

- What, what are they called?

- Good peasant.

- Yes, but wasn’t this peasant’s name Anton?

— The peasant understood that Fr. Moses recognized the variety of apples and answered in confusion:

- Excuse me, Father, so should I go back?

- For what? Call me o. economy.

When he arrived, Fr. Moses ordered the apples to be poured into the basement, and gave the peasant the price he asked from the very beginning...

PRAYER

There are 3 parts to a person: body, soul and spirit. This can be seen from the words of the Mother of God spoken by Her in greeting the righteous Elizabeth: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and My spirit rejoices in God My Savior” (Luke 1:46-47). Here the division is very clearly visible: one is the spirit, and the other is the soul, and that the body and soul are two different parts is obvious. And notice this sequence: the soul begins to praise the Lord, and from this the spirit comes into joy and begins to rejoice. This applies to every person when he prays or praises God. Prayer begins through the forces of the soul, and the mind listens to the words of the prayer. Then the meaning of the prayer will, as it were, touch the person’s spirit, reach him, and the spirit, forced by the Divine power of prayer, will rejoice...

The Need for Prayer

One day a novice asked Father Macarius why they force them to pray a lot in the monastery? Instead of answering, Father covered his nose and mouth with his hand. He got free with difficulty.

- Why are you fighting back? - asked Fr. Macarius, - can’t you not breathe for a while?

- Father, I almost suffocated!

“You see,” Father remarked then, “prayer is the breath of the soul.” You couldn’t help but breathe for a short time, because the body requires it, otherwise it will die, and the soul also needs breathing, i.e. in prayer, otherwise she will die spiritually.

Prayer, fasting and vigil make us conquerors of the enemies of our salvation. Prayer is the hardest of these works

Prayer is difficult because... Our old man resists it, but it is also difficult because the enemy rises with all his might against the one who prays. Prayer is a taste of death for the devil, although, of course, he has already died spiritually. But prayer seems to strike him again, and therefore he resists it in every possible way. Even saints, it seems, should only be consoled by prayer, but at times it is difficult for them too. True, prayer brings with it high consolation, and not only to the righteous, but also to the sinner.

The enemy will attack strongly, inspiring despondency, despair and some kind of extraordinary fear. “There I was afraid of fear, where there was no fear” (Ps. 52:6). Sometimes a person feels completely powerless and gives up, but such sadness is illegal: you need to resist the machinations of the enemy through prayer and the sign of the cross, in which is hidden an incomprehensible power.

Psalm 90

I advise everyone to know it by heart, for it saves you from great dangers and has great power.

Prayer for a confessor

Father Theodosius came to me the other day and told me that on Holy Thursday you all served a prayer service for my health, and I remember at that time I felt especially light. I ask you, my children, remember me in your holy prayers. When you are in church, during the proskomedia, pray for me, especially in these difficult times. “Help, Lord, our spiritual father, Abbot Barsanuphius,” - I will pray for you, and then communication between us will not stop.

Behold, every day the miracle of God’s mercy occurs on me, a sinner: I am an almost 70-year-old old man, and now, thank God, I have enough strength for the day. When I got sick, I thought that I would never get up again, but I got up and they prayed for me. They prayed for me in many places, especially in convents.

This time when I was sick, I didn't think I would get up. But they began to pray for me, and I was given a reprieve. There is one blessed woman, she had a dream: as if she was approaching the Skete and saw that some wife and husband were taking me out of the Skete through the Holy Gate. “I,” he says, “ask:

-Where are you taking Father?

- To the monastery.

- Why did you bring him to the monastery from Skete? After all, they only take someone from the Skete to the monastery when they die, and the Father is needed in the Skete. Leave him alone.

- No way. - Then I begin to ask with tears:

- Yes, leave him, please...

Then the husband and wife began to consult and decided that they could leave and took them back to the Holy Gate to the Skete.” She told me this when I was still healthy, some time before my illness, and said that from this she concluded that something must happen to me...

Prayer for enemies

One of the ministers once came to one of the St. Petersburg priests, distinguished by his high life, Kolokolov, and complained:

- Father, teach me what to do? I have many enemies who hate me for no reason and slander me to the sovereign. I can lose my position through their slander, and if I leave, the sovereign may think that my enemies are right, my name will be tarnished. What should I do?

“Pray for those who rise up against you,” answered Father Kolokolov, not only pray at home, but, most importantly, in church remember and take out particles for their health.

- What is the use of this? - the minister objected.

- But you’ll see... Each particle taken out of the prosphora means the soul of a person; the particles fall into the chalice and are filled with the blood of Christ. Listen to me, write down all your enemies on a note, including Leonid, John, Vladimir...

- Yes, yes, Vladimir is especially angry at me.

- Well, give him money every day.

A week, a month passes and His Excellency again comes to Fr. Kolokolov. Bowing at his feet, he began to thank him:

“Father, just a miracle happened,” he says, “my former enemies not only no longer rebel against me, but treat me with respect and love.” Instead of the previous slander, they even extol me too much.

This is the miracle the Lord performed. And I advise you to pray for your enemies, and they will turn into friends. By prayer you will save their souls from the snares of the enemy.

The Gospel says: “pray for your enemies,” and indeed, our enemies, wanting to annoy us and do something evil, do this solely out of their dislike towards us, but for the most part with their evil they stop the even greater evil that threatened us. Therefore, they are our true benefactors, for whom we need to pray. For example, one person learned about another that he wanted to marry a good girl, wrote a false letter to this girl, in which he slandered him in every possible way, and thereby upset the party. Several years pass, and this man who wanted to get married went to a monastery to serve God. And if he got married, being tied up, he could not do this. So the question is, what did he bring to him with his slander, harm or benefit? Of course, benefit - he turned out to be a benefactor to this man.

Remember unfamous ascetics in prayers

This is a great thing. They do not need our prayers as much as we need their prayers. But if we pray for them, then they immediately repay us in kind.

Prayerful invocation of saints

You heard that I commemorated many saints. Do not think that I just called such saints as I have to. No, each of the saints I commemorated had one or another relationship to my life. For example, on a certain day some incident happens to me. I notice the saints whose memory is being celebrated, and I begin to remember them. Their names stick with me. Then I noticed that on the day of their memory I was saved by them from trouble or danger, etc. So I have accumulated so many names of saints...

Church prayer

Church prayer is important; the best thoughts and feelings come in church; True, the enemy attacks more strongly in the church, but drive him away with the sign of the cross and the Jesus Prayer. It’s good to stand in some dark corner of the church and pray to God. "Woe to our hearts!" - the priest proclaims, and our mind often wanders along the ground, thinking about indecent things. Fight it! Pray to the Lord that my poor word will bring you benefit.

Visit the temple of God more often, especially in sorrow: it is good to stand in some dark corner, pray and cry from your heart. And the Lord will comfort you, He will certainly comfort you. And you will say: Lord, I thought that there was no way out of my difficult situation, but You, Lord, helped me! The path that leads to eternal life is narrow and sad.

Prayer for others

Imagine that some young, family man was mistakenly suspected of murder and exiled to Siberia for eternal hard labor. He left behind a young wife and a young son. Of course, the wife knew that her husband was suffering innocently. This is how, let’s say, 30 years pass. The innocent sufferer sits in prison and through a narrow window he always sees in the evenings that the house of the governor-general is illuminated: there are balls, dances, games, fun... But the previous governor was replaced, a new one arrived. In appearance, nothing has changed in the governor’s house: feasts and fun are still going on. But the new governor wanted to thoroughly inspect the prison. Surrounded by his subordinates, he walks through the prisons and asks each prisoner for what crime he is here. It was the turn of this innocent sufferer. The young governor asks: “What are you for?” “For murder,” he answers, and did not make excuses. But for some reason the governor begins to peer into him more closely, asking where he is from, where he lived, if he has any relatives - and from the stories he learns that this is his father. Both rush into each other's arms.

Can you imagine their feeling? And could the governor have imagined that his father was sitting in this prison, although he saw this prison every day from his high balcony. And could the chained prisoner have imagined that in this luxurious house, where there are feasts and fun every day, his son, whom he left as a child, 5 years old, lives? Of course, the son immediately frees his father. He makes inquiries and inquiries, and it turns out that he really suffered innocently, that the killer is a completely different person. But why was this prisoner released? Because his son, when he recognized him, with his influence and strength, turned things in a completely different direction...

It can be similar to this, if a son enters a monastery, and his parents have already died, then they will find out that their son has entered St. monastery, and are glad that there is a prayer book for them. Either he takes out a prosphora for them, then he remembers them at a memorial service, then he prays, but they still receive the news, yes they do, and move on to lighter and lighter torments, for through the prayers of the Church the dead receive relief from their afterlife. What benefit would it be to his parents if he lost faith in God and died with curses on his lips?..

I remember when I was little, we had a painting in the house. It depicted the following: Peter I the Great is standing, a young man is kneeling in front of him, next to whom stands his father, sentenced to exile to Siberia for some crime. This young man asks Peter I to free his father, because he is old and will not be able to endure hard work; besides, the family needs him.

“It’s better to send me to Siberia instead of my father, for I am young, strong and free,” says the young man. Peter the Great shed tears and said:

“Free this father because he has such a son.”

That’s how my father told me about this picture and taught me to pray for him. And in general he taught me to pray: he would take me and put me with him and order me to read: “Virgin Mary,” “King of Heaven,” and something else. He taught me to read Psalm 90 and then I learned it by heart in one day... Of course, I still pray for it every day...

Prayer work is required of us, and we should not expect delight from prayer

So now you go to the all-night vigil, pray there, try to pray well, try to go in and go deeper into yourself. After all, in each of you there is a world of indescribable beauty, in which lies many pure delights, unspeakable joys. Enter within yourself and they will reveal themselves to you. However, do not expect only delight from prayer, do not be discouraged when you do not feel joy. After all, it happens like this: you stand in a church, and inside it is as if there is not a heart, but a piece of wood, and the piece of wood has not yet been planed. Well, and for that, i.e. for a piece of wood, thank God! So it was necessary. After all, another soul, having experienced high delights, can even imagine itself, but such a state of “petrified insensibility” humbles it. And in general, we cannot demand prayerful delight from God. Prayerful work is required of us, and joy is sent from God when it pleases God and is for our benefit. So, let us pray to Him and rely in everything on His holy will.

The Importance of Night Prayer

I remember when I was still in the world, having once visited the Gethsemane Skete, I was surprised why they had matins at 12 o’clock at night.

- When would you think about it? - the Abbot asked me.

- Yes, about three or four hours.

“No,” he answered, “you need to get up at 12 o’clock at night, because... a tradition has been preserved, although not written down anywhere, but in which both the Eastern and Western Churches believe, that Christ will come at midnight to judge the world. “Behold, the Bridegroom comes at midnight, and blessed is the servant whose watch will be found.” That’s why midnight prayer is so important! If you really can’t go to Matins, then at least you need to pray at home at this time.

I proposed to Elder Hieroschemamonk Anatoly the question: “Is it possible to remember the departed Christians of other faiths: Catholics and Lutherans, as well as schismatic Old Believers, in the proskomedia and in the psalter?” The elder answered this negatively. At the same time, he told me that the late Moscow Metropolitan Philaret once and only in exceptional cases allowed one hieromonk to commemorate Napoleon at the proskomedia, who appeared to this hieromonk three times in a dream vision and asked his prayers for the repose of his soul. According to the hieromonk’s description, Napoleon appeared to him as he was during his lifetime, i.e. had the same appearance. During the French invasion of Russia in 1812, Napoleon plundered this monastery.

Prayer Rule

If you wake up before the appointed hour, then without being lazy, get up and pray to your God and the holy Guardian who awakened you. Believe for sure that your Guardian motivates you to do this, therefore you should not be lazy. Pray that you do not drive him away from you, and having prayed, lie down again, saying a prayer until you fall asleep.

Performing the Jesus Prayer is very important. In Optina Hermitage, all monks are obliged to perform the Pentecentenary daily, i.e. a rule consisting of 300 prayers to Jesus, 100 to the Mother of God, 50 to the Guardian Angel and 50 to all saints. Although this rule is obligatory only for monks, it would be good if the laity followed it, if possible. It is also good to read the 90th and 50th Psalms daily; the 90th Psalm “Alive in the Help of the Most High” is useful to read three times a day: in the morning, at noon and in the evening. At noon a person is especially attacked by a prodigal demon, and this same psalm drives him away far away. The Apostle Peter says: “Be sober, be vigilant, for your adversary the devil, like a lion, roars about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). How, therefore, it is necessary to always say the Jesus Prayer, which is a strong weapon against the enemy! The Lord said: “In My name the demons will be destroyed” (Mark 16:17). This prayer reveals to man the eternal secrets of God.

Each of you goes through the Jesus Prayer with strength; It would be good to perform Pentecost at least once a week - it is important. In general, I am stingy with big rules, leaving independence in prayer. Morning and evening books must be read, if not all, then at least half. Then, every day you need to read at least one “Glory” from the Psalter. St. John Chrysostom says: “Do not dare to spend even one day without reading the Psalter.” Thanks to prayer, life can be blissful despite all failures and sorrows. Prayer cleanses the soul from sins, making it righteous before God and even holy.