Orthodox electronic library. What courage was in the old days. That reverence is transmitted

We thank all those who, with respect for the word of the elder, read the following teachings before their publication and expressed their comments in this regard, as well as those who, with their words that the teaching of the elder is addressed to the entire fullness of the Church, inspired us to continue the work begun.

We wish that through the prayers of the blessedly reposed Elder Paisios, who, according to the testimony of many, watches over us day and night and helps us with his divine love, his words, collected in this volume, instill good concern in us, so that we would labor with piety, and evil receded, and the peace of God reigned on earth. Amen.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1999

Abbess of the Monastery of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, nun Philothea with sisters in Christ

- Geronda, why do you leave the kaliva and go to the forest?

- Where can you find silence, in the kaliva! One knocks from there, the other from here. On one slope I found a good spot. If I'm healthy, I'll set up a prayer bunker there, a radar. The place is very good, for the summer - what you need, with trees ... I can stand on my feet. If I can fulfill my monastic duties, then this is my joy, my food! Come sometime!

Introduction (from the words of the elder)

“In order to get into the Council of God, one must become a “deputy” from God, and not the organizer of warm places for oneself”

There is great excitement. Such a mess, the head of the people is confused. The people are like bees. If you hit the hive, then the bees fly out, start buzzing “wu-u-u…” and, excited, circle around the hive. Then they will take a direction depending on what wind blows. If the northern one, they will return to the hive, if the southern one, they will fly away. So it is with the people who are blown either by the “national northern”, or the “national southern”, and they, the poor, have a confused head. However, despite this ferment, I feel a certain comfort in myself, a certain confidence. The olive tree may be withered, but it will sprout new shoots. There is a part of Christians in whom God rests. There are still people of God, people of prayer, and the Good God is patient with us and will put everything in order again. These people of prayer give us hope. Do not be afraid. We, as an ethnic group, survived so many thunderstorms and did not die. So shall we be afraid of the storm that is about to break? Let's not die now! God loves us. In man there is a hidden power in case of need. There will be few hard years. Only one storm.

I tell you this not to make you afraid, but to let you know where we are. For us, this is a very favorable opportunity, a triumph - difficulties, martyrdom. Be with Christ, live according to His commandments, and pray that you will be able to fight back against difficulties. Leave passions for Divine grace to come. And if a good concern (about where we are and what we have to meet) enters into us, it will greatly help us to take the necessary measures and prepare. Let our life be more moderate. Let's live more spiritually, be more friendly, help those who have pain, help the poor with love, with pain, with kindness. Let's pray for good people to come.

God will show the way

The Good God will arrange everything in the best way, but a lot of patience and attention are needed, because often, in a hurry to unravel the tangles, people confuse them even more. God unravels with patience. What is happening now will not last long. God will take the broom! In 1830, there were many Turkish troops on the Holy Mountain, and therefore for some time not a single monk remained in the Iviron monastery. The fathers left - some with holy relics, some in order to help the uprising. Only one monk came from afar to light lamps and sweep. And inside the monastery and outside it was full of armed Turks, and this poor thing, sweeping, said: “Mother of God! What will it be? One day, praying with pain to the Mother of God, he sees the Wife approaching him, shining and shining in her face. It was the Mother of God. She takes a broom from his hand and says: “You don’t know how to sweep well, I’ll sweep it myself.” And she started sweeping, and then disappeared inside the altar. Three days later, all the Turks left! The Mother of God kicked them out. That which is not true, God will throw out, just as he throws a speck out of his eye with a tear. The devil works, but God also works and turns evil to good, so that good comes out of it. They break, for example, a tile, and God makes a beautiful mosaic out of the wreckage. Therefore, do not be upset at all, for God is above everything and everyone, Who controls everything and will put everyone on the bench to answer for what they have done, in accordance with which everyone will receive a reward from Him. Those who help good in some way will be rewarded, and those who do evil will be punished. God will eventually put everything in its place, but each of us will give an answer for what he did in these difficult years with his prayer, kindness.

Today they are trying to destroy faith and, in order for the building of faith to collapse, they are slowly taking out a pebble. However, we are all responsible for this destruction: not only those who take out stones and destroy, but also we who see how faith is destroyed and do not make efforts to strengthen it. He who pushes his neighbor to evil will give an answer to God for this. But the one who was nearby at that time will also give an answer: after all, he also saw how someone did evil to his neighbor, and did not oppose it. People easily trust a person who knows how to convince.

“People, Geronda, are like animals…

I don't complain about animals. You see, animals cannot do great harm because they have no mind, while a person who has gone far from God becomes worse than the greatest beast! He does great evil. Strong vinegar is made from sour wine. Other, artificial types of vinegar are not so strong... It is more terrible when the devil enters into an alliance with a corrupt person, then he does a double evil to others, just as the carnal thought, when it enters into an alliance with the flesh, does the flesh a greater evil. In order for the devil to cooperate with such a person, he must count on him, this person must himself prefer evil, have it in himself.

Current page: 2 (total book has 22 pages) [available reading excerpt: 15 pages]

He who has good intentions sees everything as good

When some told me that they were tempted, seeing a lot of inappropriate things in the Church, I answered them this way: “If you ask a fly if there are flowers in the vicinity, it will answer: “I don’t know about flowers. But there are a lot of cans, manure, and sewage in that ditch. And the fly will begin to list in order all the garbage heaps it has visited. And if you ask a bee: Have you seen any uncleanness here in the vicinity? – then she will answer: “Uncleanness? No, I haven't seen it anywhere. There are so many fragrant flowers here!” And the bee will begin to list you many different flowers - garden and field. You see how: the fly only knows about the garbage dumps, and the bee knows that a lily is growing nearby, and a hyacinth has blossomed a little further away.

As I understand it, some people are like a bee, while others are like a fly. Those who are like a fly look for something bad in every situation and do nothing but that. They see nothing good in anything. Those who are like bees find the good in everything. The person is damaged and thinks damaged. He treats everything with prejudice, sees everything topsy-turvy, while the one who has good thoughts - no matter what he sees, no matter what he is told - includes a good thought in his work.

Once a boy came to my kaliva - a student of the second grade of the gymnasium 11
Corresponds to the 6th grade of the Russian secondary school. - Note. per.

He knocked with an iron riveter on the gate door. Although there was a bag of unread letters waiting for me, I decided to go out and ask him what he wanted. “Well,” I say, “what do you say, well done?” “Is this,” he asks, “the kaliva of Father Paisios? I need Father Paisios." - “Kaliva,” I answer, “he, but Paisius himself is not there - he went to buy cigarettes.” - “It can be seen,” the boy answered with good intention, “father went for cigarettes, because he wanted to do someone a favor.” - “For himself,” I say, “he buys. He ran out of cigarettes, and he, like a madman, rushed after them to the store. He left me here alone, and I don't even know when he'll be back. If I see that he is gone for a long time, I will also leave.” Tears shone in the boy’s eyes, and he, again with a good intention, said: “How we tire the old man!” “Why do you need it,” I ask, “do you need it?” “I want,” he says, “to take his blessing.” “What a blessing, fool! He's in awe! Such a dissolute little man - I know him as flaky. So don't wait in vain. After all, when he returns, he will be very unhappy. And then a drunk will also show up - after all, in addition to everything, he is not averse to pawning the collar. However, no matter what I said to this boy, he treated everything with a good intention. “Well, okay,” I said then, “I’ll wait for Paisius a little more. Tell me what you want and I'll give it to him." “I have,” he answers, “there is a letter for the elder, but I will wait for him to take his blessing.”

See how! No matter what I said, he accepted everything with good intentions. I told him: “This Paisius, like a madman, rushed off for cigarettes,” and when he heard this, he began to sigh, tears appeared in his eyes. “Who knows why he followed them? he thought. “Maybe he wanted to do a good deed.” Others read so much and have no good intentions. And here - a student of the second grade of the gymnasium has such good intentions! You spoil his thought, and he makes a new one, better than the previous one, and on the basis of it comes to a better conclusion. This child has fascinated me. I saw this for the first time.

The Thoughts of a Sanctified Man and the Thoughts of an Evil Man

- Geronda, does a person who has holiness understand who is cunning and who is not?

– Yes, he understands both the evil man and the holy man. He sees the evil committed by someone, but at the same time he sees in the evildoer and his inner man. He discerns that this evil is from the tempter, that it comes into a person from outside. With his spiritual eyes, he sees his own sins as great, and the sins of others as small. He really sees them as small, and does not deceive himself. He can understand that what is committed by someone is a crime, but - in the good sense of the word - to justify the cunning of an evil person. He does not despise such people, does not consider them inferior to himself. He may even consider such people to be his best and consciously - for many reasons - tolerate the evil they commit. For example, seeing the anger of a criminal, such a person thinks that no one helped this criminal, and therefore he stooped to the point that he began to commit atrocities. And he also understands that he himself could have been in the place of this unfortunate man, if God had left him without His help. Treating evil in this way, such a person receives much grace. But with a wicked man, the opposite happens. Seeing the holiness of the righteous, he does not know his good thoughts, just as the devil himself does not know them.

He who performs subtle work on himself justifies others and does not justify himself. And the more he advances in regard to the spiritual, the more freedom he acquires and the more he loves God and people. Then he cannot understand what malice means, because he constantly has good thoughts about others; his thoughts are constantly pure, and he looks at everything spiritually, sacredly. Even the falls of neighbors benefit such a person. He uses them as a reliable brake for himself, to be careful and not crash. On the other hand, an unpurified person thinks slyly and looks slyly at everything around. With his cunning, he stains even the good, the good. Even the virtues of others do not benefit him, because, darkened by the black darkness of the man-slayer of the devil, he interprets the virtues with the help of his "Explanatory-Cunning Dictionary". He is always in disorder and constantly upsets his neighbors with his spiritual darkness. If such a person wants to be freed, he must understand that he needs to purify his soul so that spiritual enlightenment, purity of mind and heart will come to him.

- Geronda, why sometimes the same person is either crafty or kind?

- In this case, it is subject to appropriate influences and changes. Man is changeable. Evil thoughts may be from the devil, but it happens that the person himself thinks evilly. That is, often the enemy creates certain situations in order to arouse evil thoughts in people. Once, an archimandrite came to my kaliva, but I did not have time to receive him. When he came for the second time, I was seriously ill and again I could not talk to him and asked to come again. Then the archimandrite began to torment himself with thoughts that I did not want to see him, that I felt hostility towards him. He went to the monastery to which my cell was subordinate, and began to complain about me. All this happened at the behest of the evil one.

A person's thoughts are an indicator of his spiritual state

- Geronda, why do two people look at the same thing differently?

Do all eyes see equally clearly? To see clearly, purely, one must have very healthy eyes of the soul. After all, if the eyes of the soul are healthy, a person has inner purity.

– And why, Elder, does it sometimes happen that one and the same event is considered a blessing by one person, and a misfortune by another?

- Everyone interprets what is happening in accordance with his own thoughts. Any event, phenomenon can be looked at both from the good side and from the bad side. Somehow I heard about the following incident. In one area there was a monastery. Little by little, buildings began to be erected around, and gradually the monastery was squeezed by worldly houses from all sides. Vespers was served there at midnight, along with Matins. The lay people who lived around also came to worship. Once, a novice young monk, leaving for service, forgot to close the door of his cell, and a woman entered it. When the monk found out about this, he was terribly excited: “Trouble! The cell is defiled! Everything, the end, is gone! Without thinking twice, he grabs a bottle of alcohol, pours the contents onto the floor and sets it on fire! Floor Disinfection! A little more and the monastery would have burned down. He burned half of the cell, but did not burn his thought. And just it was necessary to burn it, because the evil was in the thought. If, having included a good thought in his work, a monk would say to himself that a woman entered his cell out of reverence, wishing to receive benefit, to take monastic grace as a blessing, in order to then asceticize herself at home, then a spiritual change would occur to him and he would glorify God .

The spiritual state of a person is evident from the quality of his thoughts. People judge things and events according to what they have in themselves. Having no spirituality in themselves, they draw erroneous conclusions and treat others unfairly. For example, one who at night, wishing to remain in obscurity, does alms, and he will never think badly of a passer-by met late at night on the street. And the one who spends his nights in sin, seeing a belated passerby, will say: “Into the beast, where was he worn all night?” - because he judges by his own experience. Or, for example, a person who has good thoughts, hearing a knock on the top floor at night, will rejoice: “They bow!” And the one who has no good thoughts will mutter angrily: “They danced all night long!” One, hearing melodious singing, will say: “What beautiful church hymns!” - and the other will get angry: “What else is there for the songs bawling! ..”

Do you remember what attitude the two thieves, who were crucified with Him, showed towards Christ? Both saw Christ crucified on the Cross, both felt the earth shake, both were in an equal position. But what did one think, and what did the other think? One - the one that hung on the left, blasphemed Christ and said: If You are Christ, save You and us. The other, at the right hand, confessed thus: We are worthy according to our deeds, we will perceive: Do not do a single evil12
Wed OK. 23:39-41.

One went to eternal torment, the other was saved.

Chapter two. About wicked thoughts

What thoughts are blasphemous

Geronda, I don't understand when a thought is blasphemous...

- When bad pictures come to our mind about Christ, the Mother of God, saints, about something divine and holy, or even about our spiritual father and the like, then these are blasphemous thoughts. No one needs to retell these thoughts.

“Even the confessor?”

- It is enough for the confessor to say the following: "I have blasphemous thoughts about Christ or the Holy Spirit, about the Mother of God, about the saints, or about you - my spiritual father." All these blasphemy and sins are not ours - they come from the devil. Therefore, we do not need to be upset also because of the sins of the devil. When I was a novice monk, the devil brought me blasphemous thoughts for some time - even in church. I was very upset. The devil inspired me with bad thoughts about the saints, using as source material those foul language and obscenities that I heard from others in the army. “These thoughts are from the devil,” my confessor admonished me. “Since a person is upset because of the bad thoughts about the shrine that he has, this already proves that they are not his own, but come from outside.” But I kept getting upset. When blasphemous thoughts came, I went to pray in the chapel of the Honest John the Baptist, kissed his icon, and it smelled fragrant. When bad thoughts came again, I again hurried to the Predtechensky chapel, and a fragrance emanated from the icon again. During one Divine Liturgy, I was in the chapel and prayed. When the singers sang "Holy God" Nilevs 13
Nilevs Caramados- a famous Constantinopolitan chorister of the second half of the 19th century, a composer of many church hymns and theorist of Byzantine church singing.

I began to sing softly from my seat. Suddenly, I saw how through the door leading to the porch of the main temple, a huge terrible beast with the head of a dog was rushing into the chapel. Flames erupted from its mouth and eyes. The monster turned to me and, irritated that I was singing “Holy God”, twice viciously shook its paw at me. I glanced at the monks praying next to me: maybe they also saw the beast? No, nobody noticed. Then I told my confessor what had happened. “Well, did you see who it was? the confessor told me. - He is the one. Are you calm now?"

– Geronda, does a person always understand that his thought is blasphemous?

- He understands this if he works with the head that God gave him. For example, some people ask me a question: “Geronda, how is the existence of hellish torments possible? We are grieved when we see a man sitting in prison, what can we say about those who are tormented in hell!” However, such reasoning is a blasphemy against God. These people present themselves as more righteous than He. God knows what he's doing. Remember the incident told by St. Gregory the Dialogist? One day, Bishop Fortunat cast out an unclean spirit from a demon-possessed woman. The exiled demon took the form of a beggar, returned to the city and began to accuse the bishop. "Unmerciful, cast me out!" he shouted. One person, hearing these cries, felt sorry for the “unfortunate”: “What kind of hard one pulled him to kick you out! How could he do such a thing! Come on, come to my house." The devil entered his house and soon asked: "Throw some firewood on the hearth, otherwise I will get cold." The owner put thick logs into the fire, the flame hummed merrily. And when the fire flared up properly, the devil entered the child of the owner of the house. In a fit of rage, the unfortunate man jumped into the fire and was burned. Then the owner understood whom the bishop had expelled and whom he had accepted into his house. Bishop Fortunatus knew what he was doing when he cast out an unclean spirit from a demon-possessed 14
Cm. Saint Gregory the Dialogist. Interview about the life of the Italian fathers and the immortality of the soul. M., Blagovest, 1996. S. 54.

Where do evil thoughts come from?

– Geronda, could you tell us something about kind indifference?

- Kind indifference is necessary for an overly sensitive person who is tormented by different thoughts of a Tangalashka 15
So Saint Paisios called the devil.

It would be good for such a person to become a little insensitive - in the positive sense of the word - and not delve into thoughts of a certain kind. In addition, good indifference is necessary for a person whom the devil, wanting to put out of action, has made overly sensitive in relation to some particular matter or phenomenon - although usually such a person does not suffer from excessive sensitivity. And kind indifference will help such a person for some time. However, he must be supervised by a confessor.

He needs to open his thoughts to the confessor and be under his supervision. Otherwise, he can slowly become indifferent to everything and fall into the opposite extreme - turn into a completely indifferent person.

- Geronda, why do I have blasphemous thoughts when I fall into sadness?

“Look what happens: seeing you sad, the Tangalashka takes advantage of this and slips you worldly caramel - a sinful thought. If you fall for the first time, accepting this caramel thought, then the next time it will upset you even more and you will not have the strength to resist it. Therefore, you should never be in a state of sadness - instead, it is better to do something spiritual. Spiritual occupation will help you get out of this state.

- Geronda, I am very tormented by certain thoughts ...

- They are from the evil one. Be peaceful and don't listen to them. You are an impressionable person. The devil, taking advantage of your sensitivity, instills in you the habit of paying excessive attention to certain thoughts. He “glues” your mind to them, and you suffer needlessly. For example, he can bring you bad thoughts about Mother Superior or even about me. Leave these thoughts unattended. If you treat a blasphemous thought with even a little attention, it can torment you, it can break you. You need a little kind indifference.

With blasphemous thoughts, the devil usually torments reverent and very sensitive people. He exaggerates their fall in their own eyes in order to make them mourn. The devil seeks to cast them into despair so that they commit suicide, and if he fails, he seeks at least to drive them mad and put them out of action. If the devil does not succeed in this, then it gives him pleasure to bring on them at least melancholy, despondency.

I once met a man who was constantly spitting. “He is possessed by a demon,” they told me about him. “No, no,” I answer, “possessed people don’t behave like that.” And indeed, as I reliably learned later, this poor fellow was not guilty enough to become obsessed. He grew up as an orphan and was distinguished by sensitivity, impressionability. In addition, he had a "left" mindset and a slightly morbid imagination. The devil kindled all this and began to bring him blasphemous thoughts. And when he brought them, the unfortunate man resisted, jumped up and, wanting to get rid of blasphemous thoughts, “spit out” them. And those who watched from the side thought that he was possessed by a demon. Like this: an impressionable poor fellow spits out blasphemous thoughts, and they say to him: “You are possessed by a demon!”

Often blasphemous thoughts come to a person through the envy of the devil. Especially after the all-night vigil. It happens that from fatigue you fall as if dead and cannot resist the enemy. It is then that the villainous devil brings you blasphemous thoughts. And then, wanting to confuse you or plunge you into despair, he begins to inspire: “Yes, even the devil himself will not bring such thoughts! Now you won't be saved." The devil can bring blasphemous thoughts to a person even against the Holy Spirit, and then say that this sin - blasphemy against the Holy Spirit - is not forgiven.

- Geronda, can a blasphemous thought come through our own fault?

- Yes. A person can himself give a reason for the arrival of such a thought. If blasphemous thoughts are not caused by excessive sensitivity, then they come from pride, condemnation, and the like. Therefore, if, while ascetic, you have thoughts of unbelief and blasphemy, know that your asceticism is performed with pride. Pride darkens the mind, unbelief begins, and a person is deprived of the cover of Divine grace. In addition, blasphemous thoughts overcome a person who deals with dogmatic issues without having the appropriate prerequisites for this. 16
That is, spiritual prerequisites: reverence, humility, obedience to the Church, - or external prerequisites: education, abilities, knowledge of the Greek language, etc. - Note. per.

Contempt for blasphemous thoughts

– Geronda, Abba Isaac says that we conquer passions “by humility, not by arrogance” 17
Rev. Isaac the Syrian. Moveable words. M., 1993. S. 255.

Are contempt for some passion and contempt for blasphemous thoughts not the same thing?

- Not. In the contempt of passion there is pride, self-confidence, and, worst of all, self-justification. That is, you justify yourself and "give up" your passion. It’s as if you are saying: “This passion is not mine, it has nothing to do with me” - and you do not strive to get rid of it. But we must despise blasphemous thoughts, because, as I have already said, they are not ours, but from the devil.

– And if a person pretends to others that he has some kind of passion, for example, portraying himself as a glutton, then by doing so he is mocking the devil?

- In this case, he is hypocritical with good hypocrisy, but this is not a mockery of the devil. You mock the devil when he brings you blasphemous thoughts, and you sing something church.

- Geronda, how to drive away a blasphemous thought during worship?

- Chant. "I will open my mouth..." 18
The initial words of the irmos of the 1st song of the canon to the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos.

What, you can't sing? Do not pick this thought open, treat it with contempt. A person who stands in prayer and converses with such thoughts is like a soldier who gives a report to the commander and at the same time spins a grenade.

- And if the blasphemous thought does not go away?

- If he does not leave, know that somewhere in you he has chosen a place for himself. The most effective remedy is contempt for the devil. After all, he is hiding behind blasphemous thoughts - a teacher of deceit. During the battle of blasphemous thoughts, it is better not to fight them even with the Jesus Prayer, because by saying it, we will show our anxiety and the devil, aiming at our weak spot, will bombard us with blasphemous thoughts without end. In this case, it is better to sing something church. Look, after all, even small children, wanting to show contempt to their peers, interrupt his speech with various songs like “tru-la-la”. We should do the same with regard to the devil. However, let us show our contempt for him not with worldly songs, but with sacred hymns. Church singing is not only a prayer to God, but also contempt for the devil. Thus, the evil one will get nuts from one side and the other - and he will burst.

- Geronda, being in such a state, I cannot sing. Even Holy Communion is not easy for me to approach.

- It is very dangerous! Tangalashka corners you! And sing and take communion - after all, these thoughts are not yours. Show me obedience at least in this: during the battle of thoughts, sing once “It is worthy to eat” so that the Tangalashka gets what is due to him and takes off running. Didn't I tell you about one Athonite monk? At the age of twelve he came to the Holy Mountain as an orphan. Having lost the love of his mother according to the flesh, he gave all his love to the Mother of God. He had the same feelings for her as for his own mother. If you could see with what reverence he kissed the icons! And now the enemy, having played on this love, brought him blasphemous thoughts. The unfortunate man stopped even kissing icons. His elder, learning about this, took him by the hand and forced him to venerate the faces and hands of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Savior on Their icons. Immediately after this, the devil took to flight. Of course, kissing the Mother of God and the Savior right in the face is impudent. But the elder forced the monk to do this in order to drive away the thoughts that tormented him.

Translator's Preface

Foreword

Introduction (from the words of the Elder)

God will show the way

"Cursed be the work of the Lord with negligence"

Let's help people spiritually

Part one. The responsibility of love

Indifference to God leads to indifference to everything else

Today people revolve around themselves

I see what awaits us, and therefore it hurts me

There is no excuse for ignorance

Chapter two. That the very presence of a Christian is already a confession of faith

People are trying to lull

The example speaks for itself

God is patient with us

Confronting foul language

Chapter Three "All Clean"

Let's not create temptations ourselves

How some people like to create temptations

Making sins public

Chapter Four. About acting with prudence and love

Good must be done well

Reasoning Behavior

Spiritual sincerity is distinguished by love

Whatever a man does, he must do it for the sake of God.

We need to acquire an organ of spiritual sense

Divine enlightenment is everything

Part two. About Asceticism and Reverence

The struggle for the sanctification of the soul

What Helps You to Succeed Spiritually

spiritual reading

Salvation of our soul

Chapter two. How the Devil Works

The devil gives us an anesthetic injection

The devil does everything so that a person does not receive benefit

Wing of the [human] will

Chapter three. On the Benefits of Good Communication

About spiritual relationship

Discretion in communication

Mother's love

Chapter Four. About how reverence brings God to tenderness

That reverence is transmitted

About external reverence

Reverence in everything

Of the reverence that used to be

Reverence for icons

As an offering to God, one should give the purest

Chapter five. That giving contains divine oxygen

Criterion of love

The Giver Receives Divine Joy

The money-lover collects for others

Good location is everything

Charity is of great help to the dead

"When you do this, you gather coals of fire on his head"

Part three. On Spiritual Courage

Antichrist

The earthly king of the Jews

Seal 666

New IDs

An insidious way to introduce printing

Seal equals renunciation

Prophecy Interpretations

Chapter two. That sacrifice brings joy to a person

My own peace is born from bringing peace to another

As much as we forget ourselves, so God remembers us.

Those who die heroically don't die

He who does not take himself into account accepts divine power

The whole life of a monk is a sacrifice

Chapter three. That courage is born from trust in God

What courage was in the old days

Natural fear is a brake

Death fears the one who is not afraid of death

The value of boldness is great

Discipline

God looks at the disposition of man and helps him

Chapter Four. That for a believer martyrdom is a triumph

The one who decided to die is not afraid of anything

Apostasy is washed away by martyrdom

Martyrdom and Humility

What courage did the saints have

Monk and martyrdom

Part four. Dependence on the sky

"Seek first the Kingdom of God"

Man often tries to arrange everything without God

Blessings of the miraculous Divine Providence

Entrusting yourself to divine providence

God's blessings make a hole in the heart

Chapter two. On Faith in God and Trust in Him

The power of faith

Faith is the mother of trust in God

Faith and love

"Without Me you can't do anything"

The time will come when everyone will believe

Chapter three. The fact that God helps where there is not enough human strength

God cares about everything for our good

The grace of God is attracted by humility

Help in the beginning of the spiritual struggle

Divine powers are omnipotent

good location

Part five. About spiritual weapons

Much prayer needed

Requests in prayer

Help Through Prayer

Dignity has the quality of prayer

Prayer with pain

Divine comfort

The danger of insensitivity

Alert

Chapter two. That monasteries are fortresses of the Church

Silent preaching of a monk

The Monk and the Rebirth of the World

Our Spiritual Humility Changes Others

Monasteries have a spiritual purpose

Spiritual state - spiritual fortress

Prayer, Right Living, Personal Example

Monasticism is in danger

We must leave behind a legacy

Chapter three. On the deepest meaning of life

We must recognize the good as a necessity

Let's help the world repent

Repentance contributes to the disappearance of evil

© ????? ???????????? ?????????? “???????????? ??????? ? ????????, 1999

© Orfograf Publishing House, Russian edition, 2015

* * *

Pathway to Reverend Pai? This Holy Church

Voice 5. Similar?

Divine love? o? fire received, / superior? all of God, / and the consolation of many people was thou ?, / words? Divine orders, / wonder-working prayers, / Pai? this Bogonos, / and we? do not pray incessantly // about the whole world, reverend.

Conda?to

Voice 8. Like? Ben: Chosen:

A? Angelski on earth? live, / have you been blessed with love, have taught Pai? holy leader to him, / the universe? rejoice, call thee: // rejoice, O Father of all.

Foreword

Beginning in 1980, Elder Paisios spoke to us about the coming hard times. He often repeated that perhaps we too would experience much of what is described in the Apocalypse. With his instructions, he sought to arouse good concern in us, so that we would intensify the spiritual struggle and resist the spirit of indifference, which, as the elder could see, gradually penetrates into the bowels of monasticism. With his conversations, the elder tried to help us get rid of selfishness and overcome infirmities, so that our prayer would have strength. “From infirmities,” he said, “prayer becomes weak, and then we cannot help ourselves or people. Signalers are falling into disrepair. And if signalmen do not work, then the rest of the fighters are captured by the enemy.

In the preface to volume I of the "Words" of the blessedly reposed elder, entitled "With pain and love about modern man", it is explained how the material appeared, was collected and systematized, from which the collection of "Words" of the elder Paisius Svyatogorets began to take shape. This second volume of the "Words", entitled "Spiritual Awakening", includes the words of the elder on topics related to today's reality. These words call us to constant wakefulness and prepare us for those difficult situations in which we may have to find ourselves. After all, we have already had to see what the elder often spoke about: “We will go through thunderstorms - one after another. Now we will go on like this for several years: general fermentation is everywhere.

This second volume is divided into five parts. The first part deals with the general indifference and irresponsibility that has spread in our era, and that in the current situation the duty of a conscientious Christian is to help others through self-correction, prudent behavior, confession of faith and prayer. “I do not urge you to take posters,” says the elder, “but to raise your hands to God.”

In the second part of the book, Father Paisius, without limiting the reader to a call to only one feat, kindles zeal for spiritual work, after which everyone is left with a struggle corresponding to his strength and piety, aimed at living in an earthly paradise, that is, life in Christ. The third part speaks of the short-term dictatorship of the Antichrist, which will give Christians a favorable opportunity once again, after Holy Baptism, to consciously confess Christ, go on a feat and rejoice in advance over Christ's victory over Satan. As the elder said, even the saints would envy such an opportunity: “Many of the saints would ask to live in our era in order to accomplish a feat. But it fell to us… We are unworthy – at least we admit it.” In order for us to live such a difficult time as we should, we need to develop courage and the spirit of sacrifice in ourselves. The source from which strength should be drawn to overcome any difficulties is discussed in the fourth part of this volume, dedicated to Divine Providence, faith, trust in God and the help given from Him. And, finally, in the fifth part of the book, the necessity and power of heartfelt prayer is emphasized, “even if there is a strong weapon” to trample on more and more spreading evil. The elder calls the monks to a state of full combat readiness, similar to the readiness of soldiers in wartime. He encourages the monks to continually help the world with prayer and try to preserve the true spirit of monasticism from change, to preserve the leaven for future generations. The final chapter defines the deepest meaning of life and emphasizes the need for repentance.

The measure of the elder's words and deeds is, as always, reasoning. In the following chapters, we will see that in one case Father Paisios does not interrupt his prayer, no matter how impatient pilgrims riveted at the gate of his cell, shouting: “Stop praying, elder, God will not be offended!” - and in the other - he goes out into the world, because his absence at a popular protest demonstration can be misunderstood and harm the Church. In some situation, the elder, inflamed with indignation according to God, opposes blasphemy, in another, he only silently prays for the blasphemer. Therefore, the reader should not rush to conclusions until he has carefully read the book to the end. We should be especially careful in using quotations from the elder's teachings, because taken out of context they can lead our interlocutors to erroneous conclusions. It should be borne in mind that the reason for what Father Paisios said was always some specific case or question, and the elder’s speech was addressed to a specific person, the salvation of whose soul was the ultimate goal of the speaker.

Those who knew Elder Paisios remember the tenderness that appeared in the heart from his words, no matter how strict they were at times. This happened because the task of the elder was always to heal evil, and not to stigmatize it with shame. He did not put the passion of his interlocutor in the pillory, but helped him free his soul from it. Therefore, the same words of the elder may have a different and, perhaps, not a healing effect, if they are deprived of their initial relationship with heartache and love for the interlocutor. Instead of divine comfort and a sense of security, they can instill doubt and fear in the heart, or lead to extremes. But our elder was not a man of one-sidedness or extremes; he was concerned that good be shared kindly, so that it would be beneficial. He, of course, never hesitated to speak the truth, but spoke it with reason; seeing the desecration of the sacred, he could be caught in the flames of divine indignation; he foreshadowed those terrible events that were to happen, but the manner of his behavior did not cause fear or anxiety. On the contrary, his speech conveyed to you the Paschal hope and joy, but it was the joy that follows the sacrifice, the joy that makes a person akin to Christ. If you are akin to Christ, if you participate in the sacramental life of the Church and keep His commandments, then you are no longer afraid of anything: “neither devils nor torment.” As the elder himself says in his usual bright and cheerful tone: “When you throw out your “I”, Christ rushes at you.” This is precisely the task of all spiritual life, which is why Father Paisios pays special attention to one of the dangers that lie in wait for a Christian: it is impossible to become a partaker of the life of Christ without developing the spirit of sacrifice in oneself. Without sacrifice, one can become only a formal Christian, a person without an inner life. Some of the readers may be confused by the fact that in his narratives the elder often refers to his own life, that he, it seems, easily and naturally talks about the wonderful events that he happened to experience. But it should be borne in mind that when reproducing the oral speech of the elder on paper, it is impossible to convey the difficulty with which he spoke about himself, as well as the pressure to which he was subjected for this. Sometimes it also happened that the elder spoke in fragments and with different details about one event to different sisters, and subsequently, if possible, we very timidly tried to “extract” from him information that would supplement what was missing in his narrative. Thus, during those twenty-eight years, when he spiritually nourished the monastery, Elder Paisios revealed to us (in order to help us) some of the miraculous events of his life. It was a "spiritual donation" for us. Therefore, not seeing the expected spiritual progress, he was very upset, so that sometimes he even said: "I fertilize the sand."

We thank all those who, with respect for the word of the elder, read the following teachings before their publication and expressed their comments in this regard, as well as those who, with their words that the teaching of the elder is addressed to the entire fullness of the Church, inspired us to continue the work begun.

We wish that through the prayers of the blessedly reposed Elder Paisios, who, according to the testimony of many, watches over us day and night and helps us with his divine love, his words, collected in this volume, instill good concern in us, so that we would labor with piety, and evil receded, and the peace of God reigned on earth. Amen.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1999

Abbess of the Monastery of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, nun Philothea with sisters in Christ

- Geronda, why do you leave the kaliva and go to the forest?

- Where can you find silence, in the kaliva! One knocks from there, the other from here. On one slope I found a good spot. If I'm healthy, I'll set up a prayer bunker there, a radar. The place is very good, for the summer - what you need, with trees ... I can stand on my feet. If I can fulfill my monastic duties, then this is my joy, my food! Come sometime!

Introduction (from the words of the elder)

“In order to get into the Council of God, one must become a “deputy” from God, and not the organizer of warm places for oneself”

Geronda 1
Geronda(from Greek ??? ?? - old man) - a respectful appeal to a clergyman. - Note. per.

How do you see what is happening?

– How do you look?

– What can we say, Geronda?.. You are telling us.

“The serenity that reigns worries me. Something is being prepared. We have not yet fully understood what years we are living in, nor that we are going to die. I don't know what will come out of all this, the situation is very complicated. The fate of the world depends on a few people, but God still holds the brake. We need to pray a lot and with pain for God to intervene in what is happening. Let us take it up with fervour, and begin to live spiritually. Times are very difficult. A lot of ashes, garbage, indifference have accumulated - and in order for all this to fly away, it is necessary that it blows strongly. The old people said that the time would come when people would kick. And now - the fences are being demolished, nothing is taken into account. Scary! The Babylonian pandemonium has arrived! Read the prayer of the three youths 2
See Dan. 2:21, the prayer of Azariah and the song of the three youths. (Hereinafter, all references to the Holy Scriptures according to the Slavic Bible.)

And you will see with what humility they prayed.

And in the 82nd psalm: God, who will be like You?, do not be silent? ... This is what you need, otherwise don't expect anything good. Divine intervention required.

Some European diseases appear and take on an increasingly neglected form. One head of the family, a Cypriot living in England, told me: “We are in spiritual danger. We must flee England with the whole family. You look - there the father marries his daughter, there - the mother marries her son ... Such things that it is a shame to say. And we sleep like gophers. I do not call for taking posters, but to draw our attention to the great coming danger and raise our hands to God. Let's think about how we can defend ourselves from evil. You need to hold the brake, because there is a desire to smooth everything out, to level it. Now is the time to pray the words of the prophet: Put? prince? zi them I? ko Ori? va and Zi? va, and Zeve? and Salma? on ... and? holy lich of God3
Ps. 82:12-13. See Court. 7 and 8.

There is great excitement. Such a mess, the head of the people is confused. The people are like bees. If you hit the hive, then the bees fly out, start buzzing “wu-u-u…” and, excited, circle around the hive. Then they will take a direction depending on what wind blows. If the northern one, they will return to the hive, if the southern one, they will fly away. So it is with the people who are blown either by the “national northern”, or the “national southern”, and they, the poor, have a confused head. However, despite this ferment, I feel a certain comfort in myself, a certain confidence. The olive tree may be withered, but it will sprout new shoots. There is a part of Christians in whom God rests. There are still people of God, people of prayer, and the Good God is patient with us and will put everything in order again. These people of prayer give us hope. Do not be afraid. We, as an ethnic group, survived so many thunderstorms and did not die. So shall we be afraid of the storm that is about to break? Let's not die now! God loves us. In man there is a hidden power in case of need. There will be few hard years. Only one storm.

I tell you this not to make you afraid, but to let you know where we are. For us, this is a very favorable opportunity, a triumph - difficulties, martyrdom. Be with Christ, live according to His commandments, and pray that you will be able to fight back against difficulties. Leave passions for Divine grace to come. And if a good concern (about where we are and what we have to meet) enters into us, it will greatly help us to take the necessary measures and prepare. Let our life be more moderate. Let's live more spiritually, be more friendly, help those who have pain, help the poor with love, with pain, with kindness. Let's pray for good people to come.

God will show the way

The Good God will arrange everything in the best way, but a lot of patience and attention are needed, because often, in a hurry to unravel the tangles, people confuse them even more. God unravels with patience. What is happening now will not last long. God will take the broom! In 1830, there were many Turkish troops on the Holy Mountain, and therefore for some time not a single monk remained in the Iviron monastery. The fathers left - some with holy relics, some in order to help the uprising. Only one monk came from afar to light lamps and sweep. And inside the monastery and outside it was full of armed Turks, and this poor thing, sweeping, said: “Mother of God! What will it be? One day, praying with pain to the Mother of God, he sees the Wife approaching him, shining and shining in her face. It was the Mother of God. She takes a broom from his hand and says: “You don’t know how to sweep well, I’ll sweep it myself.” And she started sweeping, and then disappeared inside the altar. Three days later, all the Turks left! The Mother of God kicked them out. That which is not true, God will throw out, just as he throws a speck out of his eye with a tear. The devil works, but God also works and turns evil to good, so that good comes out of it. They break, for example, a tile, and God makes a beautiful mosaic out of the wreckage. Therefore, do not be upset at all, for God is above everything and everyone, Who controls everything and will put everyone on the bench to answer for what they have done, in accordance with which everyone will receive a reward from Him. Those who help good in some way will be rewarded, and those who do evil will be punished. God will eventually put everything in its place, but each of us will give an answer for what he did in these difficult years with his prayer, kindness.

Today they are trying to destroy faith and, in order for the building of faith to collapse, they are slowly taking out a pebble. However, we are all responsible for this destruction: not only those who take out stones and destroy, but also we who see how faith is destroyed and do not make efforts to strengthen it. He who pushes his neighbor to evil will give an answer to God for this. But the one who was nearby at that time will also give an answer: after all, he also saw how someone did evil to his neighbor, and did not oppose it. People easily trust a person who knows how to convince.

“People, Geronda, are like animals…

I don't complain about animals. You see, animals cannot do great harm because they have no mind, while a person who has gone far from God becomes worse than the greatest beast! He does great evil. Strong vinegar is made from sour wine. Other, artificial types of vinegar are not so strong... It is more terrible when the devil enters into an alliance with a corrupt person, then he does a double evil to others, just as the carnal thought, when it enters into an alliance with the flesh, does the flesh a greater evil. In order for the devil to cooperate with such a person, he must count on him, this person must himself prefer evil, have it in himself.

Subsequently, God save us, these corrupters will deliberately create difficulties for us, embarrass other people, monasteries. They will become angry at the Church, monasticism for the fact that they interfere with their plans. The current situation can only be resisted spiritually, not worldly. The storm will intensify a little more, throw tin cans, garbage, everything unnecessary ashore, and then the situation will clear up. And you will see how in this situation some will receive a clean bribe, while others will pay their debts. It will turn out that the sufferings experienced will not be unbearable for people, although, of course, they will not say “glory to Thee, God” either.

How God loves us! If what's happening today 4
Delivered in June 1985 (Further notes of the Greek publishers are given without indication.)

And what they are now planning to do happened twenty years ago, when people had more spiritual ignorance, it would have been very difficult. Now people know that the Church has become stronger. God loves man - His creation - and will take care of what he needs, if only man himself believed and kept His commandments.

“Cursed are those who do the work of the Lord with negligence…”

In the old days, if one of the reverent monks spent time caring about the state of affairs in the world, then he should have been locked in a tower 5
The high defensive structure of the Svyatogorsk monasteries, used to protect against pirates.

Now it is the other way around: a reverent monk should be locked up in a tower if he is not interested and does not ache for the state that has prevailed in the world. Because earlier those who ruled had God in them, while now many of those who rule do not believe in Him. Now there are many who seek to destroy everything: the family, the youth, the Church. Today, to be interested in and worry about the state in which our people are is a confession, because the state is at war against the Divine law. The laws it adopts are against the law of God.

There are also people who are so indifferent that they do not recognize the Church as a divine institution, and treat their own people with arrogance, but in order to loafer themselves, they say: “The Apostle Paul says that one should not be interested in worldly things” - and remain indifferent. But the apostle Paul meant something else. Then the power was in the idolatrous peoples. Some broke with the state and believed in Christ. It was to such and such people that the apostle Paul said: “Do not worry about the affairs of this world.” 6
Wed 2 aim 2:4.

– so that they would separate themselves from the world, because the whole world was idolatrous. However, from the time Constantine the Great assumed power and defeated Christianity, a great Christian Tradition was slowly formed with churches, monasteries, art, liturgical rules, etc. And, therefore, we are responsible for preserving all this and not giving the enemies of the Church decompose this. I have even heard confessors saying: “Don’t do this!” If they had great holiness and by prayer would reach such a state that they were not interested in anything, then I would kiss their feet. But now they are indifferent, because they want to be good for everyone and live in clover.

Indifference is impermissible even for worldly, and even more so for spiritual people. An honest, spiritual person should not do anything with indifference. Cursed if you do the work of the Lord with negligence ...7
Jer. 48:10.

says the prophet Jeremiah.

Let's help people spiritually

In the old days, six people out of ten were God-fearing, two were moderate and two were indifferent, but even the latter had faith within them. Not so today. I don't know where it will go. Let's try now, as much as we can, to help people spiritually. So that - as then, during the flood, in Noah's ark, so now - some would be saved, not be crippled spiritually. You need a lot of attention and reasoning: to consider what is happening from different angles and help people. Do you think I like that people gather, or did I want to see so many people? No, but in the position we are in, unfortunate people need a little help. I did not become a priest precisely in order not to deal with the people, and in the end I mess with them even more. But God knows my disposition and gives me more than He would give me if I did what I liked. How many times have I asked the Mother of God to find me a quiet, remote place so that I can see nothing, hear nothing and pray for the whole world, but She does not hear me; and others, my trifling requests, he hears. But here, you see, and before the people come, God binds me to the bed with some kind of illness so that I can rest. He doesn't give me the sweetness that I used to feel in prayer, because I wouldn't be able to separate from her then. At that time, if someone came to Kaliva 8
Kali?va(Greek ?????? - hut) - not a large detached house where one or more monks live. There is usually no temple in the Kaliva, and the Kaliva does not have its own land. - Note. per.

I forced myself to get out of this spiritual state 9
After a tense spiritual state experienced by the Monk Paisius (he felt that he was melting from love for God and people, like a candle that is warm), he received a notice from above that he should not refuse to help people. Since that time, he gave the day to the people who visited him, and at night he prayed for the diverse problems of the world. However, when the number of pilgrims increased enormously, the monk had the idea to retire to an unknown place in order to devote all his time to prayer. Then for the second time he was informed that he should stay in his cell "Panaguda" and help people.

There, in the kaliva, I live according to the schedule of others. I read the Psalter inside, outside they knock. “Wait,” I say, “a quarter of an hour,” and they shout: “Hey, father, stop praying, God will not be offended!” Is it clear what they are up to? And okay, if I had to break away for a while, but after all, as soon as I go outside, that's it. Whatever he has done so far, he has done. At half past six, or at seven in the morning, in order to be calm, I must already finish vespers. "Light of the morning holy glory!" When you finish Matins, I'm already finishing the rosary for Vespers. Well, if I have time to eat antidoron in the morning, then no teas - I fall like a corpse. It happened that both on Easter and on Bright Week he kept the ninth hour, three days 10
Abstinence from food and water until 9 o'clock in the Byzantine style (3 in the afternoon) or for 3 days.

You can - you can not, but you must be able to. Once, I don’t know what prevented the people from coming - perhaps there was a storm at sea and the ship did not go - but no one came to Kaliva. Ah, I lived a day in Sinai, as then in the cave of St. Epistimia! 11
In 1962–1964 the elder labored on Sinai in the deserted cell of Saint Epistimia.

When there is a storm on the sea, then I have calm. When the sea is calm, I have a storm.

Orthodoxy and Modernity. Digital library

Elder Paisios of the Holy Mountain of Blessed Memory

The words. Volume II

spiritual awakening

© Translation from the Greek hieromonk Dorimedon

© Moscow. 2001

TOC \o "2-3" \n \h \z \u Translator's Preface

Foreword

Introduction (from the words of the Elder)

"In order to get into the Council of God, one must become a "deputy" from God, and not the organizer of warm places for oneself."

God will show the way

"Cursed be the work of the Lord with negligence"

Let's help people spiritually

Part one. The responsibility of love

Chapter one. Indifferent generation

Indifference to God leads to indifference to everything else

Today people revolve around themselves

We are responsible

I see what awaits us, and therefore it hurts me

There is no excuse for ignorance

Chapter two. That the very presence of a Christian is already a confession of faith

People are trying to lull

The example speaks for itself

God is patient with us

Protecting the Righteous

Confronting foul language

Chapter Three "All Clean"

Spiritual man "eat fire"

Let's not create temptations ourselves

How some people like to create temptations

Making sins public

Chapter Four. About acting with prudence and love

Work on ourselves

Good must be done well

Reasoning Behavior

Spiritual sincerity is distinguished by love

"The Letter of the Law Kills"

Whatever a man does, he must do it for the sake of God.

We need to acquire an organ of spiritual sense

Divine enlightenment is everything

Part two. About Asceticism and Reverence

Chapter one. "Good deed"

The struggle for the sanctification of the soul

What Helps You to Succeed Spiritually

spiritual reading

"True Fans..."

Salvation of our soul

Chapter two. How the Devil Works

The devil tries to put the ascetic out of action

The devil gives us an anesthetic injection

The devil does everything so that a person does not receive benefit

Wing of the [human] will

Chapter three. On the Benefits of Good Communication

fraternal relations

About spiritual relationship

Discretion in communication

Mother's love

Chapter Four. About how reverence brings God to tenderness

What is reverence

That reverence is transmitted

About external reverence

"Don't give the saint a dog"

Reverence in everything

Of the reverence that used to be

Reverence for icons

As an offering to God, one should give the purest

Chapter five. That giving contains divine oxygen

People forget about those who suffer

Criterion of love

The Giver Receives Divine Joy

The money-lover collects for others

Good location is everything

Charity is of great help to the dead

Charity "in secret"

"When you do this, you gather coals of fire on his head"

Part three. On Spiritual Courage

Chapter one. About the signs of the times

Antichrist

The earthly king of the Jews

Seal 666

New IDs

An insidious way to introduce printing

Seal equals renunciation

Prophecy Interpretations

Chapter two. That sacrifice brings joy to a person

In our era, sacrifice is a rarity.

My own peace is born from bringing peace to another

As much as we forget ourselves, so God remembers us.

Those who die heroically don't die

He who does not take himself into account accepts divine power

The whole life of a monk is a sacrifice

Chapter three. That courage is born from trust in God

There is no barbarism in courage

What courage was in the old days

Natural fear is a brake

Death fears the one who is not afraid of death

The value of boldness is great

Discipline

God looks at the disposition of man and helps him

Let's Face the Dangers Spiritually

Chapter Four. That for a believer martyrdom is a triumph

For things to get right, some will have to fall in battle.

The one who decided to die is not afraid of anything

Apostasy is washed away by martyrdom

Martyrdom and Humility

What courage did the saints have

Monk and martyrdom

Part four. Dependence on the sky

Chapter one. What God Provides for Man

"Seek first the Kingdom of God"

Man often tries to arrange everything without God

Blessings of the miraculous Divine Providence

Entrusting yourself to divine providence

God uses everything for good

God's blessings make a hole in the heart

Thank God for little and much

Chapter two. On Faith in God and Trust in Him

One must honestly believe in God

"Give Us Faith"

The power of faith

Faith is the mother of trust in God

Faith and love

"Without Me you can't do anything"

The time will come when everyone will believe

Chapter three. The fact that God helps where there is not enough human strength

God helps in what cannot be done humanly

God cares about everything for our good

"Ask and it will be given to you"

The grace of God is attracted by humility

Help in the beginning of the spiritual struggle

Divine powers are omnipotent

good location

Part five. About spiritual weapons

Chapter one. About prayer, a strong weapon

Much prayer needed

Requests in prayer

Help Through Prayer

Dignity has the quality of prayer

"And Need Him"

Prayer with pain

Divine comfort

The danger of insensitivity

Alert

Chapter two. That monasteries are fortresses of the Church

The monk has a lighthouse fixed on the rocks

Silent preaching of a monk

The Monk and the Rebirth of the World

Our Spiritual Humility Changes Others

Monasteries have a spiritual purpose

Spiritual state - spiritual fortress

Prayer, Right Living, Personal Example

Monasticism is in danger

We must leave behind a legacy

Chapter three. On the deepest meaning of life

Let's prepare for another life

We must recognize the good as a necessity

Let's help the world repent

Repentance contributes to the disappearance of evil

Translator's Preface

Blessed Elder Schemamonk Paisios the Holy Mountaineer was born in Cappadocia in 1924. He grew up in Greece. From childhood he led an ascetic life. In 1950 he became a monk, mostly asceticized on Mount Athos, as well as in the monastery of Stomion in Konitsa and on Mount Sinai. Carried exceptional ascetic feats and was generously endowed from the Lord with diverse grace-filled gifts. After the divine calling, he spiritually nourished thousands of people, was one of the most gracious and judicious Elders of the new time. He reposed in the Lord on June 29/July 12, 1994. He was buried in the convent of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, founded by him, in the village of Suroti, not far from Thessaloniki.

In 1998-2001, the first three volumes of the "Words" of Elder Paisios were published in Greek. It was decided to start translating the "Words" into Russian from volume II, since its subject matter is especially topical today. Recent disturbing events in Russia and around the world once again confirm the justice, importance and poignancy of what Elder Paisios said. We hope that this book will help Russian people to wake up from the sleep of indifference and despondency and will be a good weapon in resisting crafty efforts to plunge them back into this sinful sleep.

In the preface to Volume I, the All-Honorable Abbess Philothea tells in detail how work is being done on the publication of the "Words" of Elder Paisios. Let us briefly repeat her explanations. The elder took care of the St. John the Theologian Monastery from 1967 until his blessed death.

His spiritual fund remained in the monastery: letters to the nuns - all together and each separately, tape and shorthand recordings of general conversations with him, records of the sisters, who, with the blessing of the mother abbess, immediately after each personal conversation with the Elder wrote down its contents. This spiritual heritage was systematized and is now being published in the form of separate thematic volumes, united in the series "Words" by Elder Paisios the Holy Mountaineer. If necessary, the stock material can be supplemented with excerpts from previously published books written by Elder Paisios during his lifetime (see the list at the end of this volume).

Thus, in the Greek edition, each subsequent volume is not a continuation of the previous one, but can be considered a separate book. Therefore, the priority of the publication of the second volume in the Russian translation will not create difficulties for the reader. If God pleases, then in the near future Russian translations of I, and then III of the "Words" of Elder Paisius will be published, after which each volume of the Russian edition will fall into its place.