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   Title: My Life in Christ, or Moments of Spiritual Serenity and
   Contemplation, of Reverent Feeling, of Earnest Self-Amendment, and of
   Peace in God
   Creator(s): Sergieff, Archpriest John Iliytch (1829-1909)
   Print Basis: Cassell and Company, Ltd; London, Paris & Melbourne, 1897,
   reprint by Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, NY
   Rights: Public Domain
   CCEL Subjects: All;
   LC Call no: BV4839.R8 S42 1897
   LC Subjects:

   Practical theology

   Practical religion. The Christian life

   Works of meditation and devotion
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MY LIFE IN CHRIST

or

Moments of Spiritual Serenity and Contemplation,
of Reverent Feeling, of Earnest Self-Amendment,
and of Peace in God:

EXTRACTS FROM THE DIARY OF

ST. JOHN OF KRONSTADT

(ARCHPRIEST JOHN ILIYTCH SERGIEFF)

Translated, with the Author's sanction, from the Fourth and
Supplemented Edition

BY

E. E. GOULAEFF,

ST. PETERSBURG

   NOTE.

   I do not precede my book by any introduction: let it speak for itself.
   Everything contained in it is but a gracious enlightenment which was
   bestowed upon my soul by the all-enlightening Holy Ghost during moments
   of deep self-concentration and of self-examination, especially during
   prayer. When I had time, I noted down the edifying thoughts and
   feelings that came to me, and from these notes, continued for many
   years, this book has now been compiled; the contents are very varied,
   as will be seen by the readers. Let them judge of them for themselves.

   "He that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of
   no man." (1 Corinthians ii. 15.)

   THE ARCHPRIEST, JOHN SERGIEFF.
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                               My Life in Christ

  Part I

   "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and
   Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent."--St. John xvii. 3.

   Thou, O God, hast opened wide to me Thy truth and Thy verity. By
   instructing me in the sciences, Thou hast opened to me all the riches
   of faith, of nature, and of human understanding; I have learned Thy
   word--the Word of God--"piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul
   and spirit." [1] I have studied the laws regulating the mind of man,
   its love of wisdom, the formation and the beauty of speech; I have
   penetrated in part into the mysteries of Nature, into her laws, into
   the abyss of the creation of worlds and their revolution; I know the
   population of the terrestrial globe; I have acquainted myself with its
   different peoples, with the celebrated persons, and their works, who
   have passed in turn through this world; I have in part studied the
   great science of self-knowledge and of how to draw nigh to Thee; in a
   word, I have become cognisant of many, many things--"for more things
   are shewed unto thee than men understand," [2] and hereafter I shall
   yet learn much. I have many books of very varied contents; I have read
   and re-read them, but still I am not yet satisfied. My spirit still
   thirsts for further knowledge and my heart is unsatisfied; it hungers,
   and from all the knowledge thus acquired by the intellect, it cannot
   gain full happiness. When will it be satisfied? It will be satisfied,
   when "I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied,
   when I awake, with Thy likeness." [3] Until then I shall hunger.
   "Whosoever drinketh of this water (of worldly wisdom) shall thirst
   again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall
   never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a
   well of water springing up into everlasting life," [4] said the Lord.

   How is it that the saints see us and our needs and hear our prayers?
   Let us make the following comparison: Suppose that you were
   transplanted to the sun and were united to it. The sun lights the whole
   earth with its rays, it lights every particle of the earth. In these
   rays you also see the earth, but you are so small in proportion to the
   sun, that you would form, so to say, but one ray, and there are an
   infinite number of such rays. By its identity with the sun this ray
   takes an intimate part in lighting the whole world through the sun. So
   also the saintly soul, having become united to God, as to its spiritual
   sun, sees, through the medium of its spiritual sun, which lights the
   whole universe, all men and the needs of those that pray.

   Have you learned to see God and represent Him to yourself--as the
   omnipresent Wisdom, as the living, acting Word, as the vivifying Holy
   Spirit? The Holy Scripture is the domain of Wisdom, Word and Spirit, of
   God in the Trinity: in it He clearly manifests Himself: "The Words that
   I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life," [5] said the
   Lord. The writings of the Holy Fathers are again the expression of the
   Mind, Word and Spirit of the Holy Trinity, in which the spirit of the
   higher class (spiritually speaking) of mankind has largely
   participated; the writings of ordinary worldly men are the expression
   of the fallen spirit of men, with all their sinful attachments, habits
   and passions. In the Holy Scriptures we see God face to face, and
   ourselves as we are. Man, know thy self through them, and walk always
   as in the presence of God.

   As you are aware, man, in his words, does not die; he is immortal in
   them, and they will speak after his death. I shall die, but shall speak
   even after my death. How many immortal words are in use amongst the
   living, which were left by those who have died long ago, and which
   sometimes still live in the mouths of a whole people! How powerful is
   the word even of an ordinary man! Still more so is the Word of God: it
   will live throughout all ages, and will always be living and acting.

   As God is the creative, living and life-giving Wisdom, therefore those
   greatly sin who, by the thoughts of their spirit, turn aside from the
   Wisdom of the Trinity and occupy themselves with material, perishable
   things, thus materialising their spirit itself. Especially do those sin
   who, during Divine Service in church or during their prayers at home,
   entirely turn aside in their thoughts from God and allow their minds to
   wander in different places outside the church. By doing so they greatly
   offend God, upon Whom on such occasions our minds should be fixed.

   To what end do fasting and penitence lead? For what purpose is this
   trouble taken? They lead to the cleansing of the soul from sins, to
   peace of heart, to union with God; they fill us with devotion and
   sonship, and give us boldness before God. There are, indeed, very
   important reasons for fasting and for confession from the whole heart.
   There shall be an inestimable reward given for conscientious labour.
   Have many of us the feeling of sonlike love to God? Dare many of us,
   without condemnation and with boldness call upon the Father in Heaven
   and say: "Our Father!".... Is there not, on the contrary, no such
   sonlike voice to be heard in our hearts, which are deadened by the
   vanities of this world and attachments to its objects and pleasures? Is
   not our Heavenly Father far from our hearts? Is it not rather an
   avenging God that we should represent to ourselves, we who have
   withdrawn ourselves from Him into a far-away land? Yes, by our sins all
   of us are worthy of His righteous anger and punishment, and it is
   wonderful how long-suffering and forbearing He is to us--that He does
   not strike us like the barren fig trees. Let us hasten to propitiate
   Him by repentance and tears. Let us enter into ourselves; let us
   consider our unclean hearts in all strictness, and when we see what a
   multitude of impurities are keeping them from the reach of Divine
   grace, we shall ourselves acknowledge that we are spiritually dead.

   The loving Lord is here: how can I let even a shadow of evil enter into
   my heart? Let all evil completely die within me; let my heart be
   anointed with the sweet fragrance of goodness as with a balsam. Let
   God's love conquer thee, thou evil Satan, instigating us, who are evil
   by nature, to evil. Evil is most hurtful both to the mind and to the
   body. It burns, it crushes, and it tortures. No one bound by evil shall
   dare to approach the throne of the God of love.

   When praying, we must absolutely subject our heart to our will, and
   turn it towards God. It must be neither cold, crafty, untruthful, nor
   double-minded, otherwise what will be the use of our prayers, of our
   preparation for the Sacrament? It is good for us to hear God's voice of
   anger: "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and
   honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." [6]

   So do not let us stand in church in a state of spiritual prostration,
   but let the spirit of each one of us on such occasions burn in its
   working towards God. Even men do not much value the services which we
   render to them coldly, out of habit. And God requires our hearts. "My
   son, give Me thine heart." [7] Because the heart is the principal part
   of the man--his life. More than this, the heart is the man himself.
   Thus he who does not pray or does not serve God with his heart, does
   not pray at all, because in that case his body only prays, and the body
   without the mind is nothing more than earth. Remember, that when
   standing in prayer, you stand before God Himself, who has the wisdom of
   all. Therefore, your prayer ought to be, so to say, all spirit, all
   understanding.

   The saints of God live even after their death. Thus, I often hear in
   church the Mother of God singing her wonderful, heart-penetrating song
   which she said in the house of her cousin Elizabeth, after the
   Annunciation of the Archangel. At times, I hear the song of Moses; the
   song of Zacharias--the father of the Forerunner; that of Hannah, the
   mother of the prophet Samuel; that of the three children; and that of
   Miriam. And how many holy singers of the New Testament delight until
   now the ear of the whole Church of God! And the Divine service
   itself--the sacraments, the rites? Whose spirit is there, moving and
   touching our hearts? That of God and of His saints. Here is a proof for
   you of the immortality of men's souls. How is it that all these men
   have died, and yet are governing our lives after their death--they are
   dead and they still speak, instruct and touch us?

   As the breath is necessary for the body, and as without breathing men
   cannot live, so likewise the soul cannot truly live without the breath
   of God's Spirit. As air is necessary for the body, so is the Holy Ghost
   for the soul. Air has some likeness to the Holy Ghost. As "the wind
   bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst
   not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that
   is born of the Spirit." [8]

   When you are threatened with temptation to sin, then represent to
   yourself vividly that sin is exceedingly displeasing to God, Who hates
   iniquity. "Thou hatest all workers of iniquity." [9]

   And in order to understand this better, imagine a father, righteous and
   severe, who loves his family, and is trying by every means to make his
   children well-principled and upright, in order to reward them
   afterwards for their good behaviour by the great riches he has
   laboriously laid up for them, and, who nevertheless sees, to his grief,
   that the children, disregarding their father's love, do not love him,
   do not pay attention to the inheritance so lovingly prepared for them
   by their father, but live disorderly, and rush impetuously to
   destruction. Mark, that "sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth
   death," [10] because it kills the soul, because it makes us the slaves
   of the Devil--the destroyer of men; and the more we work for sin, the
   more difficult will be our return, and the more sure will be our ruin.
   Dread, therefore, every sin with the whole heart.

   When your heart inclines to evil, and the evil one begins to undermine
   your heart, so that it is completely removed from the rock of faith,
   then say to yourself inwardly: "I know of my spiritual poverty, my own
   nothingness without faith. I am so weak, that it is only by Christ's
   name that I live and obtain peace, that I rejoice and my heart expands,
   whilst without Him I am spiritually dead, I am troubled, and my heart
   is oppressed; without the Lord's Cross I should have been long since
   the victim of the most cruel distress and despair. Only Christ keeps me
   alive: and the Cross is my peace and my consolation."

   We are all able to think, because an unlimited Wisdom (Thought) exists,
   just as we are able to breathe because unlimited air-spaces exist. This
   is the reason why bright ideas upon any subject are called
   inspirations. Our thoughts are constantly flowing conditionally with
   the existence of the unlimited Spirit of Wisdom (Thought). This is why
   the Apostle says: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any
   thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God." [11]

   This is also why the Saviour Himself says:--"Take no thought how or
   what ye shall speak, for it shall be given you in that hour what ye
   shall speak." [12] Thus you see that the thought and even the word
   itself (the inspiration) come to us from without. This, of course, in a
   state of grace and in cases of need. But even in our ordinary state all
   our bright thoughts come from our Guardian Angel and from God's Spirit:
   whilst, on the contrary, impure, dark thoughts proceed from our corrupt
   nature and from the Devil, ever lying in wait for us. How then, should
   the Christian behave? "God Himself worketh in us." [13] In general,
   throughout the world we see the Kingdom of thought in the structure of
   the whole visible world, as also in particular in the earth, in the
   rotation and the life of the terrestrial globe; in the distribution of
   the elements--light, air, water, earth, fire (concealed), whilst other
   elements are diffused in all animals--in birds, fishes, reptiles,
   beasts, and men--in their wise and ingenious construction, in their
   faculties, nature and habits; in plants, in their construction,
   nourishment, etc.; in a word, we see everywhere the kingdom of thought,
   even down to the lifeless stone and sand.

   Priests of God! learn how to turn the bed of sorrow of the Christian
   sufferer into one of joy by the consolation of faith; learn how to make
   him, instead of--in his opinion--the most unfortunate, the happiest of
   men; assure him that having been "a little chastised he shall be
   greatly rewarded afterwards," [14] and you will be the friends of
   mankind, angels of consolation, instruments or ministers of the Holy
   Spirit, the Comforter.

   If the fervour of faith in the heart is not sometimes stirred up, then
   in time, through negligence, faith may become entirely extinguished in
   us; and Christianity with its Sacraments may entirely die for us. The
   enemy takes pains to attain this end, and tries to extinguish faith in
   our hearts and to bury in oblivion all the truths of Christianity. That
   is why we see men who, being Christians, are only such in name, while
   by their actions they are quite heathen.

   Do not think that our faith is not vivifying to us--pastors--that we
   serve God hypocritically. No; we before all, and more than all, avail
   ourselves of God's mercies, and we know by experience what the Lord
   Himself is to us, His Sacraments, His most pure Mother, and His Saints.
   For instance, in partaking of the life-giving mysteries of the Blood
   and Body of the Saviour, we often, often experience in ourselves their
   vivifying effect, the heavenly gifts of peace and joy in the Holy
   Ghost; we know that the gracious gaze of a king does not rejoice the
   heart of the least of his subjects as the merciful gaze of our heavenly
   Master, as His mysteries rejoice our hearts. And we should have been
   most unthankful to the Lord, and our hearts would indeed have been
   hardened, had we not tried to make known the glory of God's Life-giving
   Mysteries unto His beloved, had we not extolled His wonders,
   accomplished in our hearts during each celebration of the Divine
   Liturgy. We also experience the effect of the invincible,
   incomprehensible, divine power of the Lord's glorious and life-giving
   Cross, and by its power we drive away from our hearts evil passions,
   despondency, pusillanimity, fear, and other snares of the Devil. The
   Cross is our friend and benefactor. I say this sincerely, with full
   belief in the truth and power of these words.

   You wish to comprehend the incomprehensible; but can you understand how
   the inward sorrows with which your heart is overwhelmed overtake you,
   and can you find, except in the Lord, the means to drive them away?
   Learn at first, with your heart, how to free yourself from sorrows, how
   to ensure peace in your heart, and then, if necessary, philosophise on
   the incomprehensible, for "if ye then be not able to do that thing
   which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?" [15]

   Think oftener: Whose wisdom appears in the construction of your body?
   Who has ordered the laws of your thoughts, so that until now these laws
   are followed by all men? Who has engraved in the hearts of all men the
   law of conscience, so that until now it rewards the good and punishes
   the evil in all men? The Almighty, All-wise, and most gracious God! Thy
   hand is constantly upon me, a sinner, and there is no moment when Thy
   mercy leaves me. Grant me, then, always to kiss, with living faith, Thy
   gracious hand. Why should I go far to seek for the traces of Thy
   mercies, of Thy wisdom, and Thy omnipotence? O! how clearly these
   traces are visible to me! I, I myself am a miracle of God's goodness,
   wisdom and omnipotence. I myself--on a small scale--am a whole world;
   my soul is the representative of the invisible world; my body--of the
   invisible one.

   Brethren! what is the purpose of our earthly life? It is, that, after
   our trial by earthly affliction and misfortunes, and after our gradual
   advancement in virtue, by means of the divine gifts, given to us in the
   sacraments, we may rest, after our death, in the Lord, the peace of our
   souls. That is why we sing of the dead: "Grant rest, O Lord, to the
   soul of Thy departed servant." We wish him to rest in peace, as the
   limit of all wishes, and pray to God for this. Is it not, then, unwise
   to grieve much for the departed? "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and
   are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," [16] says the Lord. Thus
   our departed ones, who have fallen asleep in a Christian death, come to
   this voice of God and obtain rest. What is there, then, to grieve for?

   Those who are trying to lead a spiritual life have to carry on a most
   skilful and difficult warfare, through their thoughts, every moment of
   their life--that is, a spiritual warfare; it is necessary that our
   whole soul should be every moment a clear eye, able to watch and notice
   the thoughts entering our heart from the evil one and repel them; the
   hearts of such men should be always burning with faith, humility and
   love; otherwise the subtlety of the Devil finds an easy access to them,
   followed by a diminution of faith, or entire unbelief, and then by
   every possible evil, which it will be difficult to wash away even by
   tears. Do not, therefore, allow your heart to be cold, especially
   during prayer, and avoid in every way cold indifference. Very often it
   happens that prayer is on the lips, but in the heart cunning,
   incredulity or unbelief, so that by the lips the man seems near to God,
   whilst in his heart he is far from Him. And, during our prayers, the
   evil one makes use of every means to chill our hearts and fill them
   with deceit in a most imperceptible manner to us. Pray and fortify
   yourself, fortify your heart.

   If you wish to ask of God in prayer any blessing for yourself, then
   before praying prepare yourself for undoubting and firm faith, and take
   in good time means against doubt and unbelief. For it will go ill with
   you if during the prayer itself your heart wavers in its faith and does
   not stand firm in it; then do not even expect to obtain of the Lord
   what you have prayed for doubtingly, for in so doing you have offended
   the Lord, and God does not bestow His gifts upon a reviler. "And all
   things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall
   receive," [17] said the Lord. This means, that if you doubt and do not
   believe, you shall not receive. "If ye have faith and doubt not," said
   He also, "ye shall have power to move mountains." [18] Therefore, if
   you doubt and do not believe, you shall not have power to do so. "Let
   him ask in faith, nothing wavering, for he that wavereth is like a wave
   of the sea driven with the wind and tossed," says the Apostle James;
   "for let not that man think he shall receive anything of the Lord. A
   double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." [19] The heart that
   doubts that God can grant what it asks for is punished for this doubt:
   it is painfully oppressed and contracted by doubt. Do not anger
   Almighty God even by a shade of doubt--especially you, who have already
   experienced many and many times, the omnipotence of God. Doubt is a
   blasphemy against God, an insolent lie of the heart or of the lying
   spirit that nestles in the heart, against the spirit of truth. Fear it
   as you would fear a venomous serpent, or no--what I would rather say,
   is, despise it, do not take the slightest heed of it. Remember that
   God, during your prayer, is waiting for your affirmative answer to the
   question which He is inwardly asking you: "Believe ye that I am able to
   do this?" To which question you must from the depth of your heart
   reply, "Yea, Lord." [20] Let the following considerations also help you
   in your doubt or unbelief: I ask of God, firstly, that which already
   exists, and nothing merely imaginary not a fanciful good, and
   everything that exists receives its being from God: because "without
   Him was not anything made that was made," [21] and therefore, nothing
   that happens can happen without Him, and everything has either received
   its being from Him, or happens by His will or His permission, by means
   of powers and faculties given by Him to His creatures--and in
   everything that exists or is still happening, God is an all-powerful
   Master. Besides this, "He calleth those things which be not as though
   they were." [22] Therefore, had I even asked for that which does not
   exist, He could give it to me by creating it. Secondly, I ask of God
   what is possible, because what is impossible for us is possible for
   God; and there cannot be any difficulty even in this respect, because
   God can do for me even that which is impossible in my own opinion. It
   is our misfortune that our faith is hindered by the short-sightedness
   of our reason--that spider, that catches the truth in the web of its
   judgments, its arguments and analogies. Faith embraces and sees
   suddenly, whilst reason arrives at the truth by circuitous ways; faith
   is the means of communication between one spirit and another, whilst
   reason is the means of communication between the spiritually sensual
   and the spiritually sensual and even simply material: the first is the
   spirit and the latter the flesh.

   All the blessings of the soul, that is, all that constitutes the true
   life, the peace and the joy of the soul, come from God! This I have
   proved by experience. My heart tells me so. Thou, O Holy Ghost, art a
   treasury of blessings!

   Having Christ in your heart, fear that you may lose Him, and with Him
   the peace of your heart; it is hard to begin again; efforts to attach
   oneself afresh to Him after falling away will be very grievous, and
   will cost bitter tears to many. Cling to Christ with all your might,
   gain Him, and do not lose boldness in approaching Him.

   You gaze upon the icon of the Saviour and see that He looks at you from
   it with brightest eyes; this look is the image of how He actually looks
   upon you with His eyes, that are brighter than the sun, and sees all
   your thoughts, hears all your heartfelt distress and sighs. The image
   is an image, and represents in lines and signs that which cannot be
   delineated, cannot be given in signs, and can be comprehended by faith
   alone. Believe, then, that the Saviour always protects you and sees
   each one of you--with all your thoughts, sorrows and sighing, in all
   your circumstances, as upon the palm of the hand. "Behold, I have
   graven thee upon the palms of My hands; thy walls are continually
   before Me," [23] says the Lord God. How much consolation and life are
   contained in these gracious words of the Almighty and Provident God!
   Therefore pray before the icon of the Saviour as before Himself. The
   Lover of men is present in it by His grace, and with the eyes depicted
   in it really looks at you: "The eyes of the Lord are in every place,"
   [24] while with His ears as represented on the icon, He hears you. But
   remember that His eyes are the eyes of God, and His ears are the ears
   of the omnipresent God.

   In the well-intentioned works of men, esteem the light of Christ--"the
   true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" [25]
   --and read them with love, thanking the Light-giving Christ, Who so
   richly bestows His light upon those who are zealous for the glory of
   His name.

   Wherever I am, as soon as I raise the eyes of my heart in my affliction
   to God, the Lover of men immediately answers my faith and prayer, and
   the sorrow immediately departs. He is at every time and every hour near
   me, only I do not see it, but I feel it vividly in my heart. Sorrow is
   the death of the heart, and it is a falling away from God. The
   expansion, the peace of heart through lively faith in Him, prove more
   clearly than the day, that God is constantly present near me, and that
   He dwells within me. What intercessor or angel can set us free from our
   sins or sorrows? None, but God alone. This is from experience.

   Let us measure the worth of our prayers by human measure or by the
   quality of our relation to other men. How do we behave to other people?
   Sometimes we express our requests, praises and gratitude to them
   coldly, heartlessly, out of duty or simply out of politeness, and it is
   the same when we do anything for them; whilst at other times we do so
   with warmth, heartily, and lovingly, often only feigning, often really
   sincerely. We are similarly unequal with God. But this should not be.
   We must always, from our whole hearts, sing and express to God our
   praises, our gratitude and our requests; every work must be done before
   Him with the whole heart. He must be loved and trusted with the whole
   heart.

   Faith in God's existence is closely connected with faith in the
   existence of our own souls, as a part of the spiritual world. God's
   existence is as evident to the pious mind as its own being, because
   every thought, good or bad, every desire, every intention, word or act
   of such a mind is followed by a corresponding change in the state of
   the heart, peace or trouble, joy or grief, and this is the result of
   the action upon it of the God of spirits and bodies, Who is reflected
   in the pious mind as the sun is reflected in a drop of water; the purer
   the drop is, the better, the clearer will be the reflection; the more
   turbid the drop, the dimmer will be the reflection; so that in the
   soul's state of extreme impurity or darkness, the reflection entirely
   ceases and the soul is left in a state of spiritual darkness, in a
   state of insensibility. In this state the man having eyes, sees not,
   and having ears, hears not. Again, in relation to our souls, God may be
   likened to the outer air in relation to the mercury of the
   thermometer--with this difference, that the expansion and rest, rise
   and fall of the mercury proceed from the change in the state of the
   atmosphere; whilst, in the first case, God remains unchangeable,
   everlasting and eternally good and just. Whilst the soul, changeable in
   its relation to God, suffers changes in itself, thus it unavoidably
   expands and obtains peace of heart when it draws nearer to God by faith
   and good works, and unavoidably contracts, becomes restless and
   wearied, when it withdraws itself from God by unlawful acts, want of
   faith, and unbelief in God's Truth.

   The evil spirit tries to scatter prayer as if it were a sand-heap,
   tries to turn the words into dry sand, without coherency or
   moisture--that is to say, without fervour of heart. Thus prayer may
   become either a house built on sand or a house built on a rock. Those
   build on sand who pray without faith, absently, coldly; such prayer is
   scattered of itself, and does not bring any profit to him who prays;
   those build on a rock who, during the whole time of their prayer, have
   their eyes fixed upon God, and pray to Him as to a living person,
   conversing face to face with them.

   Edifying words, the writings of the Holy Fathers, prayers, and
   especially the words of the Word Himself, the Second Person of the Holy
   Trinity, are indeed living water; water runs, and the words flow like
   water; water refreshes and gives life to the body, and edifying words
   animate the soul, filling it with peace and joy, or with compunction
   and contrition for sin.

   Our hope of obtaining that which we ask for during prayer is founded
   upon faith in God's mercy and bountifulness, for He is the God of mercy
   and bountifulness, and the Lover of men; therefore at that time it is
   useful to remind ourselves of former innumerable experiences of mercy
   and grace bestowed upon men (in Holy Writ and in the lives of the
   Saints) and upon ourselves. Besides this, in order that prayer may be
   effectual it is also necessary that those who pray should have already
   obtained that which they formerly asked for, and firmly believe this
   with their whole heart. We often receive through prayer that which we
   have asked for, especially when we pray for that which relates to the
   salvation of our soul; it is necessary to ascribe this directly to God
   and His grace, and not to chance. How can there possibly be any chance
   in the Kingdom of the Almighty God? Nothing can really happen without
   His will, as "without Him was not anything made that hath been made."
   [26]

   Many do not pray because it seems to them that they did not receive any
   gift from God when they prayed before, or because they consider praying
   unnecessary; they say that God knows everything without our asking, and
   forget that it is said: "Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and
   ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." [27] Our
   requests (prayers) are necessary expressly to strengthen our faith,
   through which alone can we be saved. "By grace are we saved through
   faith." [28] "O woman, great is thy faith." [29] For this reason the
   Lord made the woman pray earnestly, in order to awaken her faith and to
   strengthen it. Such men do not see that they have no faith--the
   Christian's most precious inheritance, which is as necessary as life
   itself--that they "make Him a liar" [30] by their unbelief, and that
   they are the children of the Devil, unworthy of any of God's mercies;
   that they are going to destruction. It is also necessary that our
   hearts should burn during prayer with a desire for spiritual blessings,
   with love to God, and that we should vividly represent to ourselves His
   extreme mercy to mankind, and His readiness to hear all our prayers
   with fatherly love. "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good
   gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father, which is in
   heaven, give good things to them that ask him?" [31]

   God, being the eternal Truth, does not suffer in us even a moment of
   doubt in the truth. God, as the eternal Mercy, "will have all men to be
   saved, and to come into the knowledge of the truth." [32] And we, the
   children of the merciful God, also must wish with our whole hearts that
   all men, and even our enemies, should be saved, and must care for this.

   Watch your heart during all your life--examine it, listen to it, and
   see what prevents its union with the most blessed Lord. Let this be for
   you the science of all sciences, and with God's help you will easily
   observe what estranges you from God, and what draws you towards Him and
   unites you to Him. It is the evil spirit more than anything that stands
   between our hearts and God; he estranges God from us by various
   passions, or by the desires of the flesh, by the desires of the eyes,
   and by worldly pride.

   Why should it be wonderful if God Himself, the Creator of all things
   visible and invisible, transforms, transubstantiates bread and wine
   into His own most pure Body and His own most pure Blood? In these--in
   the bread and wine--the Son of God does not become again incarnate, for
   He was already once incarnate, and this is sufficient unto endless
   ages; but he is incarnate in the very same flesh in which he was before
   incarnate, in the same manner as He multiplied the five loaves and fed
   with these five loaves several thousands of people. There are a great
   many mysteries in nature which my mind cannot grasp, although they have
   concrete forms, yet they exist, with their mysteries. So also, in this
   Sacrament of the life-giving Body and Blood, it is a mystery for me,
   how the bread and wine are made into the Body and Blood of the Lord
   Himself--but the mystery of the Body and Blood really exists, although
   it is incomprehensible to me. My Creator (I am only His clay, for God
   formed me of flesh and blood and endued me with a spirit), as the Most
   Wise, the infinitely Almighty God, has innumerable mysteries: I myself
   am a mystery, as the work of His hands. For my soul there is the Spirit
   of the Lord, and for my soul and body there are His Body and Blood.

   In the same way as the soul carries its body, so God carries the whole
   universe, all the worlds, being Himself more vast than they are; the
   soul fills the whole body, and the "Spirit of the Lord filleth the
   world;" [33] only the soul is limited by the body, though not
   completely, as it may be borne everywhere; and the Spirit of the Lord
   is not limited by the universe, and is not contained in the world, as
   the soul is in the Body.

   Christ being led into the heart by faith, dwells in it with peace and
   joy. It is not without reason that it is said of God, "He is Holy, and
   rests in the saints." [34]

   Do not forget yourself in looking upon the beauty of the human face,
   but look upon the soul; do not look upon the man's garment (the body
   being his temporary garment), but look upon him who is clothed in it.
   Do not admire the magnificence of the mansion, but look upon the
   dweller who lives in it and what he is--otherwise, you will offend the
   image of God in the man, will dishonour the King by worshipping His
   servant and not rendering unto Him even the least of the honour due to
   Him. Also--do not look upon the beauty of the printing of a book, but
   look upon the spirit of the book; otherwise you will depreciate the
   spirit and exalt the flesh; for the letters are the flesh, and the
   contents of the book the spirit. Do not be allured by the melodious
   sounds of an instrument or of a voice, but by their effect upon the
   soul, or by the words of the song, consider what their spirit is: if
   the sounds produce upon your soul tranquil, chaste, holy feelings, then
   listen to them and feed your soul with them; whilst, if they give rise
   in your soul to passions, then leave off listening to them, and throw
   aside both the flesh and the spirit of the music.

   The inner man, amidst worldly vanity, amidst the darkness of his flesh,
   is not so bound by the temptations of the evil one, and looks out more
   freely early in the morning, just after waking up, like a fish, which
   sometimes throws itself up playfully on the surface of the water. All
   the remaining time he is enveloped in almost impenetrable darkness, his
   eyes are covered by a bandage, which conceals from him the true state
   of things spiritual and physical. Take advantage of these morning
   hours, which are the hours of a new life, or of a life renewed by
   temporary sleep. They show us in part that state in which we shall be
   when we shall rise up renewed on that great and universal morning of
   the nightless day of resurrection, or when we shall rid ourselves of
   this mortal body.

   Even during prayer, man is for the greater part not the son of freedom,
   but the slave of necessity and duty. Look at any man you like, even at
   a priest. Do many of them pray with a free expanded heart, with living
   faith and love?

   During prayer there sometimes occur moments of deadly darkness and
   spiritual anguish arising from unbelief of the heart (for unbelief is
   darkness). Do not let your heart fail you at such moments, but remember
   that if the divine light has been sent off in you, it always shines in
   all its splendour and greatness in God Himself, in God's Church, in
   heaven and on earth, and in the material world in which "His eternal
   power and Godhead are visible." [35] Do not think that truth has
   failed, because truth is God Himself, and everything that exists has
   its foundation and reason in Him. Only your own weak, sinful and
   darkened heart can fail in the truth, for it cannot always bear the
   strength of the light of truth, and is not always capable of containing
   its purity, but only it is being or has been purified from its sins, as
   the first cause of spiritual darkness. The proof of this you may find
   in yourself. When the light of faith or God's truth dwells in your
   heart, only then is it tranquil, firm, strong, and living; but when
   this is cut off, then your heart becomes uneasy, weak as a reed shaken
   by the wind, and lifeless. Do not pay any attention to this darkness of
   Satan. Drive it away from your heart by making the sign of the
   life-giving Cross!

   Do not spare yourself, but pray earnestly, even if you have been
   toiling all day. Do not be negligent in holy prayer; say it to God unto
   the end from your whole heart, for it is a duty you owe to God. Having
   put your hand to the plough, do not look back. [36]

   If you allow yourself to pray carelessly, and not from your heart, you
   will not fall asleep (if you pray at night) until you have wiped out by
   tears your sin before God. This is not so with everybody, however, but
   only with the more perfect. Take care, then, not to put your flesh
   before God, and disdain, for His sake, bodily repose. If you have made
   a rule to read so many prayers (whether they be long or short, fulfil
   the reading of all of them well), read the prayers with all
   conscientiousness, and do not do God's work with your heart divided in
   two, so that only one half belongs to Him and the remaining half to
   your own flesh. God is a jealous God, and will not suffer your
   duplicity, your self-pity. He will deliver you up to the Devil, and the
   Devil will not let your heart rest for your neglect of God, Who is the
   true peace of your heart, and Who will always do that which is for your
   own good, so as to keep your heart near Him; for every insincere prayer
   removes your heart from God and sets it in opposition to you yourself,
   whilst every earnest prayer draws your heart nearer to God and makes it
   perpetually godly. Thus, be assured, if you hurry over your prayers, to
   give rest to your body, you will lose both spiritual and bodily rest.
   Oh! by what labour, sweat, and tears is the approach of our heart to
   God gained! Is it possible that we should again make our very prayers
   (when careless) the means of our estrangement from God, and that God
   should not be jealous of this? For He pities us and our former labours,
   and He desires that we should again unfailingly turn to Him with our
   whole hearts. He wishes that we should always belong to Him.

   Without God (without His omnipresence) there cannot be any single
   motion of my thought or heart: if there is an action, there must be a
   reason; if there is a consequence, there must be an origin. This is why
   the Apostle says: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves" (capable)
   "to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God."
   [37] God Himself lives, and that is why my soul also lives.

   If my life were prolonged only for a few moments--let us say ten--and
   five of these ten were moments of peace and quietness, and the
   remaining five moments of pain and torments, even then I ought
   undoubtedly to say, "Surely the Giver of Life is with me, and He will
   provide for me"; likewise, I undoubtedly ought to say, "There is a
   being in the world Who has the power of death, because the five
   unfavourable moments must proceed from the being that works against
   God, for the same cause cannot produce opposite actions. And in me,
   sinner as I am, at least seventy parts of my spiritual life belong to
   God, and only thirty parts to the Devil. How is it possible for me,
   then, not to see my Benefactor constantly before me, and how can I
   possibly waver mentally in my lively faith in Him?"

   Time passes without stopping, and my body, even during my lifetime,
   constantly changes and passes on, and the whole world as is seen in its
   motion, also passes on, as though it were hurrying to its appointed
   end, like a machine set in motion. Where, then, is constancy? Constancy
   is that which moves and directs all this to its purpose. The first
   Cause of all that is complex and created is constant, being Itself not
   complex, and therefore not passing, but eternal. The souls of angels
   and men, created after the image of the first Cause, are also constant.
   Everything else is like a soap bubble. I do not lower creation by these
   words, but only thus speak of it in comparison with the Creator and
   beatified souls.

   Value by its properties that greatest miracle of Jesus Christ, the Son
   of the living God, as manifested in the communion, with faith, of His
   divine mysteries. What is the miracle? The peace-giving and life-giving
   effect upon your heart, slain by sin, which is so apparent after the
   uneasiness of heart and the spiritual deadness that often precedes
   communion. Never consider it from habit as anything ordinary or
   unimportant: by such thoughts and such a disposition of heart you will
   incur the wrath of God, and you will not enjoy peace nor feel renewed
   life after communion. By the most lively and heartfelt gratitude for
   the holy life-giving Sacrament you will obtain life from the Lord and
   your faith will increase more and more. Fear and uneasiness proceed
   from unbelief. Consider their arising during communion as a true sign,
   that by unbelief you are removing yourself from the Life contained in
   the Cup and do not pay attention to them. O faith! faith! thou thyself
   art a miracle to us! It is thou that savest us! "Thy faith hath made
   thee whole." [38] And after lively faith in God's truth we always go
   from God in peace; whilst, on the contrary, after unbelief, always
   without peace. Ah! Satan often enters into us after we have unworthily
   communicated of the Divine Mysteries, and in every way tries to instil
   his lie into our hearts--that is, unbelief, for unbelief is the same
   thing as a lie. The destroyer of men now, as of old, tries in every way
   to destroy men by his lying, and by various thoughts and desires, and
   having stolen into the heart in the form of unbelief or any passion, he
   manifests himself in a manner worthy of him, mostly by impatience and
   malice, and you see that he is in you; but you will not often at once
   rid yourself of him, because he usually takes care to close every
   outlet in your heart by unbelief, obduracy, and others of his brood.
   "Thy labour is in vain, thou fallen angel, I am the servant of my Lord
   Jesus Christ. Thou that exaltest thyself in thine arrogance, lowerest
   thyself by thus violently struggling with me, weak as I am." Say thus
   mentally to the evil spirit, as he lays his heavy load on your heart
   and compels you to evil of various kinds. These words will be like
   fiery scourges to the proud spirit, and he, shamed by your firmness and
   spiritual wisdom, will flee from you. You at once will perceive, feel,
   and wonder at the marvellous change in you; the heavy, soul-destroying
   load in your heart will no longer be there; you will feel so relieved,
   and will be convinced by your feelings that there are spirits of evil
   hovering around us and constantly seeking our destruction, poisoning
   our hearts with the poison of dark and evil thoughts, and endeavouring
   to destroy our love to mankind and fellowship with them.

   As all my misfortunes arise in my invisible mind and my invisible
   heart, therefore I require the invisible Saviour, Who directs our
   hearts. O my strength, Jesus, Son of God! O Light of my mind! the
   peace, the joy of my heart--glory to Thee! Glory to Thee, Deliverer
   from my invisible enemies, that fight against my mind and my heart,
   slaying me in the very source of my life, in my most sensitive part!

   Keep a strict watch against every appearance of pride: it appears
   imperceptibly, particularly in time of vexation and irritability
   against others for quite unimportant causes.

   The miraculous effect of the life-giving Cross upon our souls, tortured
   by the poison of evil, proves to us most undoubtedly and clearly: (1)
   That we have indeed a soul, a spiritual being; (2) That there are evil
   spirits, harming our souls; (3) That God exists and our Lord Jesus
   Christ, and that He is always with us through His Divinity; and (4)
   That He has indeed accomplished our salvation by His sufferings and
   death on the Cross, and has destroyed the power of the Devil by means
   of the Cross. How many proofs of the advantage of our faith there are
   in the wonderful action upon us of the life-giving Cross alone! Glory
   be to the Christian faith!

   Men who are leading a spiritual life see by the eyes of their heart how
   the Devil lays his snares, how the angels guide us, and how the Lord,
   in His Sovereign power, allows the temptations, and how He comforts.

   The only means by which you can spend the day in perfect holiness,
   peace, and without sin, is the most sincere, fervent prayer as soon as
   you rise from sleep in the morning. It will bring Christ into your
   heart, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, and will thus strengthen and
   fortify your soul against any evil; but still it will be necessary for
   you carefully to guard your heart.

   Sometimes in the affliction of your soul you wish to die. It is easy to
   die, and does not take long; but are you prepared for death? Remember
   that after death the judgment of your whole life will follow.^l [39]
   You are not prepared for death, and if it were to come to you, you
   would shudder all over. Therefore do not waste words in vain. Do not
   say: "It is better for me to die," but say rather, "How can I prepare
   for death in a Christian manner?" By means of faith, by means of good
   works, and by bravely bearing the miseries and sorrows that happen to
   you, so as to be able to meet death fearlessly, peacefully, and without
   shame, not as a rigorous law of nature, but as a fatherly call of the
   eternal, heavenly, holy, and blessed Father unto the everlasting
   Kingdom. Remember the old man who, being weary of his heavy burden,
   called for death. When it came he did not wish to die, and preferred to
   go on carrying his heavy burden.

   With the mental eyes of my heart, I see how I mentally breathe Christ
   in my heart, how He enters into it, and suddenly tranquillises and
   rejoices it. O, do not leave me to dwell alone, without Thyself, the
   life-giver, my breath, my joy! It is hard for me to be left without
   Thee.

   Is it possible to pray rapidly without injuring the effect of the
   prayer? It is possible to those who have learned to pray inwardly with
   a pure heart. During prayer it is necessary that your heart should
   sincerely desire that which you ask for, should feel the truth of what
   you are saying, and this comes naturally to a pure heart. That is why
   it is capable of praying even rapidly, and at the same time agreeably,
   to God, as the rapidity in this case does not injure the truth
   (sincerity) of the prayer. But for those who have not attained the
   capability of praying sincerely it is necessary to pray slowly, waiting
   for a corresponding echo in the heart to each word of the prayer. And
   this is not always soon given to men unaccustomed to prayerful
   contemplation. Therefore, for such men, it must be laid down as an
   absolute rule to pronounce the words of the prayer slowly, and with
   pauses. Wait until every word gives back its corresponding echo in your
   heart.

   Sometimes in his heart a man draws near to God, sometimes he goes far
   from God, and therefore he experiences either peace and joy, or fear,
   disturbance, and oppression. The one is life, the other spiritual
   death. We draw near to God mostly in time of affliction, from which no
   one can save us but God, to Whom we then turn with our whole heart, and
   thus approach Him sincerely; whilst we go far from God in times of ease
   and abundance of earthly blessings, which make the old carnal man proud
   of himself, and--especially when he thirsts for riches, glory and
   distinction, and has attained all these--he loses faith from his heart
   and forgets God, his Judge and Recompenser, forgets the immortality of
   his soul, and his duty to love God with all his heart and his neighbour
   as himself.

   As an ill-natured man, coming with a request to one who is kind, gentle
   and meek, for the greater success of his request tries to resemble him,
   so the Christian, approaching God with a prayer to Him, or to His most
   pure Mother, or to the angels and saints, in order to insure the
   success of his prayer, ought to try to resemble as far as possible the
   Lord Himself, or His most-pure Mother, or the angels and saints. In
   this lies the secret of drawing near to God, and of His speedily
   hearing our prayers.

   The Holy Trinity sees and hears me; this is the most life-giving
   assurance for my heart, penetrating it with peace and joy. The benign
   Mother of God, the Word also sees me, and hears my prayers, and my
   sighing towards Her, and this is another comforting assurance,
   constantly realised. Thus will I walk, with the feeling of God's
   omnipresence and omniscience.

   The most striking proof that there is a devil in the world is that men
   do not feel, or feel very little (though some endeavour to do so), the
   mercies that God has bestowed upon them in the creation, guidance and
   redemption: the Devil is a powerful antagonist to everything good and
   righteous.

   The problem of our life is union with God, and sin completely prevents
   this; therefore flee from sin as from a terrible enemy, as from the
   destroyer of the soul, because to be without God is death and not life.
   Let us therefore understand our destination; let us always remember
   that our common Master calls us to union with Himself.

   It is especially necessary for Christians to have a pure heart, so that
   they may be able to see God with the eyes of the heart, as He is, with
   His love to us and with all His perfections, as well as to be able to
   contemplate the beauty of the angels, all the glory of the Holy Virgin,
   the beauty of Her soul and Her greatness, as the Mother of God, and the
   beauty of the souls of God's saints, and their love to us; we must see
   them as they are in themselves, we must contemplate the truths of the
   Christian faith, with all its sacraments, and feel their greatness; we
   must see the state of our own souls, and especially our sins. An impure
   heart--that is, a heart occupied with earthly passions--feeds itself on
   the carnal desires of the eyes and worldly pride; it cannot see any of
   the things we have indicated.

   Prayer is the lifting up of the mind and heart to God. [40] From this
   it is evident that it is quite impossible for anyone to pray whose mind
   and heart are attached to anything carnal--for instance, to money or to
   honours--or who has in his heart passions such as hatred or envy for
   others, because passions usually contract the heart, in the same way as
   God expands it and gives it true freedom.

   It is incomprehensible how Jesus Christ is united with the sign of the
   Cross, and gives it the wonderful power of driving away passions,
   demons, and to calm the troubled soul. It is likewise incomprehensible
   how the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ is united with the bread and
   wine, transforming them into His own Flesh and Blood, and manifestly
   cleansing our soul from sins, bringing into it heavenly peace and
   tranquillity and making it good, gentle, humble, and full of hearty
   faith and hope. This is partly explained by the fact that the Almighty,
   creating spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ is everywhere, and that
   everywhere He "calleth those things which be not as though they were";
   [41] and therefore much more can He make what exists other from what it
   was. And in order that the unbelieving heart should not think that both
   the sign of the Cross and the name of Christ act miraculously by
   themselves, apart from and independently of Christ Himself, this same
   Cross and name of Christ do not perform any miracles, until I see Jesus
   Christ with the eyes of my heart, or by faith, and until I believe with
   my whole heart all that which He has accomplished for our salvation.

   "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." [42]

   So it is, Master: Thou art with us throughout all days; we are not a
   single day without Thee, and we cannot live without Thy presence near
   us! Thou art with us especially in the Sacrament of Thy Body and Blood.
   O, how truly and essentially art Thou present in the Holy Mysteries!
   Thou our Lord in every liturgy takest upon Thyself a vile body similar
   to ours in every respect save that of sin, and feedest us with Thy
   life-giving flesh. Through the Sacrament Thou art wholly with us, and
   Thy Flesh is united to our flesh, whilst Thy Spirit is united to our
   soul; and we feel this life-giving, most peaceful, most sweet union, we
   feel that by joining ourselves to Thee in the Holy Eucharist we become
   one spirit with Thee as it is said: "He that is joined unto the Lord is
   one spirit." [43] We become like Thee, good, meek and lowly, as Thou
   hast said of Thyself: "I am meek and lowly in heart." [44] True it is
   that often our evil and blind flesh, or the prince of this world, who
   dwells in our simple flesh, whispers to us that the Sacrament contains
   only bread and wine, and not the very Body and Blood of our Lord
   Himself, and sends sight, taste and feeling as his crafty witnesses to
   this. But we do not allow ourselves to listen to these calumnies and
   reason thus. To Thee, Lord, everything is possible: Thou createst the
   flesh of men, animals, fishes, birds, reptiles, of all creatures, Is it
   possible that for Thyself, Thou, "Who art everywhere, and fillest
   everything," wilt not create flesh? Not only this, Thou changest a dead
   substance into a living one--as, for instance, Moses' rod into the
   serpent--and there is nothing impossible for Thee. Canst Thou not,
   therefore, create flesh for Thyself out of bread and wine, which are so
   near to our flesh, being used for our food and drink, and thus being
   converted into our own flesh and blood? Thou dost not test our faith
   more than it can bear, for Thou dost not transubstantiate a lump of
   earth into Thy most-pure Body, but white bread, soft, clean, pleasant
   to the taste; and Thou dost not create Thy Blood from water, but from
   wine, called in Holy Scripture the blood of the grape, [45]
   corresponding in colour to that of blood, agreeable to the taste, and
   rejoicing the heart of man. Thou knowest our infirmity, the weakness of
   our faith, and therefore Thou condescendest to employ in the Sacrament
   of Thy Body and Blood the substances most suitable to them. Let us,
   therefore, firmly believe that under the form of bread and wine we
   communicate of the true Body and of the true Blood of our Lord; that in
   the mystery of the Holy Communion, Jesus Christ Himself will dwell with
   us "alway, even unto the end of the world." [46]

   Our soul is, so to say, a reflection of God's countenance, and the
   brighter this reflection is, the clearer and calmer is the soul; and
   the less bright this reflection is, the darker, the more disturbed is
   the soul. And as our soul is our heart it is necessary that every truth
   of God should be reflected in it through feeling, through gratitude,
   and that there should be no reflection in it of any lie. Feel God's
   love in the most pure mysteries, feel the truth of all prayers. Our
   heart is a mirror; as the objects of the outer world are reflected in
   an ordinary mirror, so ought the truth to be reflected with all
   exactitude in our hearts.

   It is good, very good indeed, to be virtuous; the virtuous man is at
   peace himself, is pleasing to God and agreeable to other people. The
   virtuous man involuntarily attracts everyone's attention. Why is it so?
   Because fragrance involuntarily attracts attention and makes everyone
   wish to breathe it. Look upon the very appearance of the virtuous man,
   upon his countenance. What sort of a countenance is it? It is the face
   of an angel. Meekness and humility overspread it, and involuntarily
   captivate everyone by their beauty. Pay attention to his speech; from
   it there comes still greater fragrance: here you are as if face to face
   with his soul, and are enraptured with his sweet converse.

   Love calms and agreeably expands the heart and it, whilst hatred
   painfully contracts and disturbs it. Those who hate others torture and
   tyrannise over themselves; therefore they are the most foolish of the
   foolish ones.

   When you see your body wasted through sickness, do not murmur against
   God, but say: "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be
   the name of the Lord." [47]

   You are accustomed to look upon your body as upon your own inalienable
   property, but that is quite wrong, because your body is God's edifice.

   What a great personage a priest is! He is in constant converse with
   God, and God constantly replies to his speech, as whatever the
   ceremonies of the Church may be, whatever his prayers, he is speaking
   to God, and whatever the ceremonies of the Church may be and whatever
   his prayers, the Lord answers him. How, under these circumstances, when
   assaulted by passions, can the priest forget that such passions are
   base, impure, especially for him, and that it is impossible to let them
   enter into his heart, which Jesus Christ alone ought to fill entirely?
   A priest is an angel and not a man; everything worldly ought to be left
   far away behind him. O Lord, "let thy priests be clothed with
   righteousness" [48] ; let them always remember the greatness of their
   calling and do not let them be entangled in the nets of the world and
   the Devil; let them be saved from "the cares of this world, the
   deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering into
   their hearts." [49]

   There are innumerable and various ways by means of which the Devil
   enters into our soul and removes it from God, pressing upon it with all
   his being, dark, hateful, and destroying. Whatever the motion of
   passion may be, he finds a way, and does not neglect the least
   opportunity of entering the soul. Likewise there are innumerable and
   various ways for the Holy Ghost to enter it: the way of sincere faith,
   of true humility, of love to God and to our neighbour, and so on. But,
   to our misfortune, the destroyer of men from time immemorial makes
   every effort to obstruct, by all possible means, all these ways for the
   Holy Ghost to enter the soul. The most usual way to God for us sinners,
   who have strayed from Him into a far-away land, is the way of painful
   suffering and bitter tears. Both the Holy Scriptures and actual
   experience testify that, in order to draw near to God, it is necessary
   for the sinner to suffer, weep, shed tears, and to amend his deceitful
   heart: "Draw nigh to God .... be afflicted, and mourn, and weep." [50]
   Tears have power to cleanse the wickedness of our heart, and sufferings
   and affliction are necessary, because through suffering the sinful
   expansion of the heart is salutarily contracted, and when the heart is
   thus contracted, tears more easily flow.

   When the Devil is in our heart, then we feel an unusual, overwhelming
   load and fire in the breast and in the heart. The soul contracts
   extremely and darkens, everything irritates it, it feels an aversion to
   every good work; the words and acts of other persons in reference to
   ourselves we interpret falsely and see in them ill-will and designs
   against our honour, and therefore we feel a deep, deadly hatred towards
   them; we are infuriated and long for vengeance. "By their fruits ye
   shall know them." [51] There are days when the spirit of evil disturbs
   me.

   Men have fallen into unbelief because they have either completely lost
   the spirit of prayer, or never had it at all, nor have it now--in
   short, because they do not pray. The prince of this world has full
   scope for action in the hearts of such men; he becomes their master.
   They have not asked and do not ask God's grace in prayer (for God's
   gifts are only given to those who ask and seek), and thus their hearts,
   corrupt by nature, become dried up without the vivifying dew of the
   Holy Ghost, and at last from their extreme dryness they take fire, and
   blaze with the infernal flame of unbelief and various passions, and the
   Devil only knows how to inflame the passions that keep up this terrible
   fire, and triumphs at the sight of the ruin of the unfortunate souls
   that were redeemed by the blood of Him who has trampled the power of
   Satan under foot.

   A morning prayer. O, God! Creator and Master of the World! Mercifully
   protect Thy creature, adorned with Thy Godly image, in these morning
   hours: Let Thine eyes, millions and millions of times brighter than the
   rays of the sun, vivify and enlighten my soul, darkened and slain by
   sin. Deliver me from despondency and slothfulness, grant me joy and
   vigour of soul, so that with a glad heart I may praise Thy mercy, Thy
   holiness, Thy boundless greatness, and Thy infinite perfections, at
   every hour and in every place. For Thou, Lord, art my Creator and the
   Master of my life, and to Thee Thy reasonable creatures every hour
   ascribe glory and praise, both now and for ever and to ages of ages.
   Amen.

   From the time when man, by his own will, fell away from God, he, like
   an animal that was once domestic, but afterwards grew wild in a thick
   forest, reluctantly looks back upon the place of his former abode,
   preferring the darkness of the forest--that is, of this world--to the
   light of the former place--that is, of God's paradise. It is difficult
   for him to unite himself to God, and when so united, he often falls
   away again from Him. It is difficult for him to sincerely believe in
   God, and in all that He has opened to him, and he does not constantly
   strive to preserve in his heart the Heavenly gift of faith.

   If God does not leave a blade of grass, a flower, or a small leaf of a
   tree without His good providence, will He leave us? O, let every man be
   convinced with his whole heart that God is true to Himself in His
   providence for even the least of His creatures. Let him understand that
   the Creator invisibly dwells in all His creatures. In the words of our
   Saviour, God clothes the grass of the field, feeds the fowls of the
   air. [52]

   In how many ways does not God rejoice us, His creatures, even by
   flowers? Like a tender mother, in His eternal power and wisdom, He
   every summer creates for us, out of nothing, these most beautiful
   plants. Let us enjoy them, not forgetting to glorify the goodness of
   the Creator, our heavenly Father; let us on our part, too, reply to His
   love by loving hearts.

   He that does not believe in the God Who saves us in difficult
   circumstances, but is faint-hearted; he that does not wish to render
   glory to God, that represents Him as not vigilant, but sleeping, not
   all-powerful and not merciful, thinks falsely of the God of truth, and
   thus sins grievously. Especially inexcusable are faint-heartedness and
   unbelief in the man who has already been deemed worthy of often
   receiving marvellous help from God the Saviour. O, how great a sinner I
   am!

   The invisible, all-pervading God often and sensibly touches my
   invisible soul, which, from this touch, enjoys wonderful rest and
   heavenly joy. It is not the eyes which give me tidings of my God
   (ordinary feelings are destined for the lower objects of creation), not
   the hearing by means of words or sounds of the voice that carries to me
   the message of the Incomprehensible, but the soul itself becomes, so to
   say, dissolved in God.

   When you are disturbed and depressed by the wickedness of men, remember
   how boundlessly you are beloved by the Almighty and All-righteous God,
   Who suffers the evil until the time comes, and then will justly punish
   it. You cannot master yourself, your tongue, or one single member of
   your body. Judge by this what He must be, Who governs the whole world,
   Who keeps it in such wonderful order, Who governs the whole of mankind,
   evil, perverted as we are, ever ready as we are to destroy each other,
   and yet meanwhile more prosperous than needy under His sovereignty. How
   almighty and wise must He be to govern such heterogeneous multitudes!
   Trust in Him entirely.

   When the matter relates to God's Mysteries, do not inwardly ask: how
   can this be? You do not know how God created the whole world from
   nothing; you cannot and may not know here either how God mysteriously
   works. God's mystery must remain a mystery for you, because you are not
   God, and cannot know all that is known to the eternally Wise, Almighty
   God. You are the work of His hands: His most insignificant creature.
   Remember that there was a time when there was nothing and that
   afterwards all that now exists was created out of nothing by the Word
   of God. "Without Him was not anything made that was made." [53]

   You who pray, give God your heart, that loving true heart, with which
   you love your children, your father and mother, your benefactors and
   friends, and in which you feel the sweetness of pure unfeigned love.

   Sometimes during a long-continued prayer only a few minutes are really
   pleasing to God and constitute true prayer and true service to God. The
   chief thing in prayer is the nearness of the heart to God, as proved by
   the sweetness of God's presence in the soul.

   "Let it be as I will, and not as thou wilt." Such is the mighty voice
   of God, which our soul ever hears when it has fallen into sin and
   desires to emerge from a state of spiritual, sinful affliction. "Let it
   be as I will: either repent from the depths of your heart in proportion
   to the sin, and return to the road that leads to life, shown by Me;
   either bear the punishment, corresponding to the sin and determined by
   My justice, or your sin will torment you as a deviation from My laws."
   And only then will our soul enjoy peace when we truly repent from the
   depths of our heart in proportion to the sin, or bear the punishment
   due from God. O! Almighty and most just power of our God, invisibly
   governing our invisible souls, all glory to Thee, glory to Thee, God
   our Saviour! Thy will be done in us!

   How easily and speedily the Lord can save us!--instantaneously,
   unexpectedly, imperceptibly. Often during the day I have been a great
   sinner, and at night, after prayer, I have gone to rest, justified and
   whiter than snow by the grace of the Holy Ghost, with the deepest peace
   and joy in my heart! How easy it will be for the Lord to save us too in
   the evening of our life, at the decline of our days! O! save, save,
   save me, most gracious Lord; receive me in Thy heavenly Kingdom!
   Everything is possible to Thee." To his own master he standeth or
   falleth. Yes, he shall be holden up: for the Lord is able to make him
   stand." [54]

   That which is especially important and constitutes the life of the
   being the Creator has placed and concealed far away in the very depths
   within that being; we see this everywhere. Thus in the man the soul is
   in the very midst of his being--in the heart; and therefore the soul is
   often called the heart and the heart the soul. "Therefore is my spirit
   overwhelmed within me, my heart within me is desolate." [55]

   "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within
   me." [56]

   Our God is "merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in
   mercy." [57]

   He is not a God of torments and punishments. Our torments are the fruit
   of our sins and the work of the incorporeal fallen spirits. Therefore
   if you suffer grievously, only blame your sins and the Devil, but
   chiefly yourself, because the Devil would not do you any harm if he did
   not find anything in you that he could fasten on to.

   "I the Lord thy God am a jealous God." [58]

   "My glory will I not give to another." [59] These words of the God of
   glory are fulfilled every time when in my heart I ascribe the glory of
   my God's works, accomplished in me by the Holy Gifts, to anything or
   anybody else and do not ascribe them with my whole heart to Him. He
   instantly becomes jealous of the glory of His righteous,
   ever-miraculous, vivifying Mysteries, and in His justice punishes my
   soul with His Fatherly rod! O then my soul clearly hears the voice of
   its God: "My glory will I not give to another. As you do not ascribe to
   Me the glory due to Me, so evident to you in my Mysteries, I strike you
   inwardly with the rod of My truth so that you may thus know and
   heartily believe that I never will give My glory to another. I cleanse
   your sins and make your soul whiter than snow by My blood; I visit your
   soul with peace and joy; I warm and cherish you as a mother cherishes
   her child, and I instil within you My meekness and humility; I pour
   love into your heart; I completely transform and change you--to your
   own wonder into a new man--and to whom else shall I give the glory of
   My works? I am eternally unchangeable. 'God is not a man, that He
   should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent.'" [60]

   The invisible God acts upon my soul as if He were visible, as if He
   were present here before me, knowing all my thoughts and feelings;
   every inward slothfulness, stubbornness, or other passion is always
   accompanied by a corresponding punishment. In general, if my inward
   disposition is unworthy of God, of His holiness, then I suffer
   punishment for it in my heart, a devouring fire; and if it is a worthy
   one, then I am joyful and at peace.

   No, whatever you may say, a man is sometimes too irritable and too evil
   to be so of himself, but he becomes so through the most zealous
   endeavours of the Devil. Only watch yourself or others at the time of
   irritation and wickedness, when you yourself or anyone else would wish
   to destroy the person who is inimical to you, really or in your
   imagination; compare this state with that which follows it (sometimes
   soon afterwards by the action of your Guardian Angel, tranquillity,
   meekness and kindness, either in yourself or in anyone whom you watch)
   with the former opposite condition, and you will say to yourself: "No,
   this seems quite a different man from him, who, not long ago, was so
   full of evil and rage; this man is the one' out of whom the devils were
   departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus [meek and humble], clothed and
   in his right mind.' [61] In him there is not even a shadow of the
   former wickedness and the former foolishness!" Some deny the existence
   of evil spirits; but such phenomena in the human life clearly prove
   their existence. If every phenomenon has its corresponding reason, and
   if the tree is to be judged by its fruits, then who will not see in the
   madly-infuriated man the presence of the evil spirit, who cannot show
   himself otherwise than in a manner worthy of him? Who will not see the
   chief of all evil in the outpouring of anger? Besides this, a man
   subjected to irritability and breathing malice clearly feels the
   presence of a hostile evil power in his breast; it produces in the soul
   quite the reverse of that which has been said by the Saviour of His own
   presence: "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." [62] By the
   presence of the former spirit one feels ill at ease and oppressed, both
   in body and soul.

   You hear in church oftener than anything the voices of the priests,
   deacons, readers, and singers praying God to have mercy upon us. What
   does this signify? It signifies that all of us who are in God's Temple
   are deserving, by our sins, of God's punishment, and that before
   everything--on our coming into the church--we must remember that we are
   sinners, and have come to the Lord of Heaven and Earth, to our Creator
   and Benefactor, Whom we have daily and hourly angered by our
   iniquities, to ask for mercy, each one for himself, and also, in
   accordance with Christian love, for others. The prayers asking for
   mercy are called in the Russian orthodox Church "great," "small," and
   "redoubled." As there is not a single superfluous word in the church
   service, it is especially necessary at the time of the singing of the
   redoubled litany to pray to God most fervently, from the very depths of
   a most contrite heart, as we are reminded at the very beginning of the
   litany by the words: "Let us say with our whole souls and with our
   whole understanding." At this time we must lay aside even the slightest
   coldness, the slightest inattention of heart, and, burning with the
   spirit of humility, becoming all attention, offer up to the Creator our
   most fervent prayers to have mercy upon us sinners. But what do we see
   at the time of the exclamations of the priest and the singing by the
   singers of the great and redoubled litany? For the greater part, the
   usual inattention and indifference on the part of those praying.

   As after having unworthily communicated, so also after having prayed
   unworthily and coldly, our soul feels equally ill at ease. This means
   that God does not enter our heart, being offended at its unbelief and
   coldness, and allows the evil spirit to nestle in our hearts, in order
   to make us feel the difference between His own presence and its yoke.

   A terrible truth. Impenitent sinners after their death lose every
   possibility of changing for good, and therefore remain unalterably
   given up to everlasting torments (for sin cannot but torment). How is
   this proved? It is plainly proved by the actual state of some sinners
   and by the nature of sin itself--to keep the man its prisoner and to
   close every outlet to him. Who does not know how difficult it is,
   without God's special grace, for a sinner to turn from the way of sin
   that is so dear to him into the path of virtue? How deeply sin takes
   root in the heart of the sinner, and in all his being! how it gives the
   sinner its own way of looking at things, by means of which he sees them
   quite differently to what they are in reality, and shows him everything
   in a kind of alluring light! It is for this reason that we see that
   sinners very often do not even think of their conversion, and do not
   consider themselves to be great sinners, because their eyes are blinded
   by their self-love and pride. And if they do consider themselves
   sinners, then they give themselves up to the most terrible despair,
   which overwhelms their mind with thick darkness and greatly hardens
   their heart. But for the grace of God, what sinner would have returned
   to God? For it is the nature of sin to darken our souls, to bind us
   hand and foot. But the time and place for the action of grace is here
   alone: after death there remain only the prayers of the Church, and
   these prayers can be efficacious for penitent sinners alone--that is,
   only for those who have developed in their souls the capability of
   receiving God's mercy or of benefiting by the prayers of the
   Church--that is, the light of the good works which they have taken with
   them out of this life. Impenitent sinners are undoubtedly sons of
   perdition. What does my experience tell me when I am the prisoner of
   sin? I am tormented sometimes the whole day, and cannot turn to God
   with my whole heart, because sin hardens my heart, making God's mercy
   inaccessible to me. I burn in the fire, and willingly remain in it,
   because sin has bound my powers, and I--like one inwardly chained--am
   unable to turn to God until He, seeing my helplessness, my humility,
   and my tears, takes pity on me and bestows His grace upon me. It is not
   without reason that a man given over to sin is spoken of as "delivered
   into chains of darkness." [63]

   Your spiritual life is clearly divided into two states, differing
   acutely one from the other: into a state of peace, joy, expansion of
   heart, and into a state of suffering, fear and contraction of heart.
   The causes of the first state are the actions of your soul when in
   conformity with the Creator's laws; and the cause of the second state,
   the transgression of His holy laws. I always can and do notice the
   beginning of one or the other state; I have the consciousness of the
   one and the other state. Therefore it always happens that by doing away
   with the reasons from which the state of suffering and contraction of
   heart have proceeded, the consequences--that is, the suffering and the
   contraction of the soul--are also done away with.

   "Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except
   ye be reprobates." [64] Truly, Christ dwells in me. Meanwhile, I have
   until now been a reprobate; I did not think and was not firmly
   convinced that the Lord is in me. It is He, the All-Holy, that is so
   sensitive in me to the slightest impurity of heart; it is He Who
   incites me to drive away from my soul the very germ of sin in the
   heart. But, alas! Satan is also there, ready to devour me at every
   step, and contest me from God.

   When you are struck by other people's suffering, and the contraction of
   their souls, so that you are induced to pray for them with a pitying
   and contrite heart, pray to God to have mercy upon them and to forgive
   them their sins, as you would pray for the forgiveness of your own
   sins--that is, implore God with tears to pardon them; likewise pray for
   the salvation of others as you would pray for your own salvation. If
   you attain to this and make it a habit, you will receive from God an
   abundance of spiritual gifts, the gifts of the Holy Ghost, Who loves
   the soul that cares for the salvation of others, because He Himself,
   the most Holy Spirit, wishes to save us all in every possible way, if
   only we do not oppose Him, and do not harden our hearts." The Spirit
   Itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
   uttered." [65]

   We often hear from others, or sometimes read in the works of others,
   what God has placed in our mind and heart, what we ourselves have
   cherished--that is, we often meet our favourite thoughts in others, and
   it seems to us as though they had been taken away from us, as though
   they had been new ones and formed our own exclusive property.
   Presumptuous thoughts! What? Is there not only one God, the Lord of all
   intellects? Is not His Spirit in all who seek for truth? Have we not
   one sole Enlightener, "which lighteth every man that cometh into the
   world." [66]

   Glory to the one God, Glory to Him Who loves all and bountifully
   bestows upon all His spiritual and bodily gifts! Glory to Him who is no
   respecter of persons and Who reveals the mysteries of His love,
   omnipotence and wisdom unto babes! [67]

   God's saints are near to believing hearts and, like the truest and
   kindest of friends, are ready in a moment to help the faithful and
   pious who call upon them with faith and love. We have for the most part
   to send, and have sometimes to wait long for earthly helpers, whilst we
   have not to send for nor wait long for spiritual helpers: the faith of
   Him who prays can place them close to his very heart in a moment, and
   he will as speedily receive through faith full spiritual help. In
   saying this, I speak by experience; by this I mean the frequent
   deliverance from affliction of heart through the intercession and
   patronage of the saints, and especially through the intercession of Our
   Lady, the Holy Virgin Mary. Probably some would say that this is the
   action of simple and firm faith, and a determined assurance in our
   deliverance from affliction, and not the intercession of the saints for
   us before God. No, it is not so. How can this be proved? It can be
   proved by the fact that if I do not call upon the saints known to me in
   hearty prayer, without making any distinction, if I do not see them
   with my spiritual vision, then I shall obtain no help, however great
   assurance I may have felt of being saved without their help. I
   recognise, I feel clearly, that I receive help through the names of
   those saints upon whom I have called, because of my lively faith in
   them. This happens just as everything happens in the usual order of
   earthly things. First, I see my helpers by means of earnest faith;
   then, seeing them, I pray to them also with my whole heart, invisibly
   but intelligibly to myself; after this, having received invisible help
   in quite an imperceptible manner, but sensibly to my soul, I
   simultaneously receive a strong conviction that this help has been
   obtained from them, just as a sick man, cured by a doctor, is convinced
   that he has been cured precisely by that doctor, and not by anyone
   else; that his illness has passed away not by itself, but through the
   help of this particular doctor. All this comes to pass so simply that
   it is only necessary to have eyes in order to see.

   I am a man--and the grace, the truth and the righteousness of God are
   continually working within me. It is God Who at one time cherishes and
   comforts me, and at another punishes and afflicts me with sorrows for
   any inward motion of the soul adverse to Him. But the earth is full of
   men like me. Therefore, in them also God manifests His mercy, truth and
   righteousness, as in myself. "He worketh all in all." [68]

   Let no one think that sin is something unimportant--no, sin is a
   terrible evil, that destroys the soul, both now and in the future life.
   The sinner in the future life will be bound hand and foot (meaning the
   soul) and cast into outer darkness. As the Saviour said: "Bind him hand
   and foot and cast him into outer darkness;" [69] that is, he entirely
   loses the freedom of his spiritual powers, which, being created for
   free activity, suffer through this a kind of overwhelming inactivity
   for every good work: in his soul the sinner recognises his powers and
   at the same time he feels that these powers are bound by unbreakable
   chains--"he shall be holden with the cords of his sin." [70] To this
   must be added the terrible torment arising from the very sins
   themselves, from the consciousness of our own foolishness during the
   earthly life, and from the image of the angry Creator. Even in this
   present life sin binds and destroys the soul. What God-fearing man does
   not know what sorrow and oppression strike his soul, what torturing,
   burning fire rages in his breast when he has sinned? But besides
   binding and destroying the soul as it does temporarily, sin also
   destroys it eternally if we do not repent here of our sins and our
   iniquities from our whole heart. Here is also a proof by experience
   that sin destroys the soul temporarily and eternally. If it happens to
   any God-fearing person to go to sleep without having repented of the
   sin, or the sins, he has committed during the day, and which have
   tormented his soul, these torments will accompany him the whole night,
   until he has heartily repented of his sin, and washed his heart with
   tears (this is also from experience). The torments of sin will wake him
   up from sweet sleep, because his soul will be oppressed, bound a
   prisoner by sin. Now, suppose that the man who has gone to sleep in any
   sin and is tormented by it, is overtaken during the night by death: is
   it not clear that his soul will go into the other life in torment, and
   that as after death there is no place for repentance, he will be
   tormented there according to the measure of his sins? The Holy
   Scriptures also testify to this. [71]

   Watch yourselves--your passions especially--in your home life, where
   they appear freely, like moles in a safe place. Outside our own home,
   some of our passions are usually screened by other more decorous
   passions, whilst at home there is no possibility of driving away these
   black moles that undermine the integrity of our soul.

   For the soul of the pious, God-fearing man there is an invisible
   spiritual intercourse with God. Like a father or a stern teacher, the
   Lord at one time approves, at another condemns our thoughts, desires
   and intentions; at one time He says that this is good, and that bad. He
   rewards us for the good and punishes us for the evil; and all this is
   at once evident to the soul.

   Begin to fulfil the commandments relating to small things, and you will
   come to fulfil the commandments relating to great things: small things
   everywhere lead to great ones. Begin by fulfilling the commandment of
   fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, or the tenth commandment relating to
   evil thoughts and desires, and you will eventually learn to fulfil all
   the commandments. "He that is faithful in that which is least is
   faithful also in much." [72]

   A man that only dreams of this perishable life and does not think of
   the eternal, heavenly life! Consider--what is your transitory life? It
   is a constant laying in of fuel (meaning food) in order that the fire
   of our life may continue to burn and should not grow feeble, in order
   that our house (meaning the body) should keep warm, and that the
   continually changing life of our body should be restored by means of
   the nourishing parts of the organs of other living creatures, who are
   deprived of life in order to keep up the life of our body. Indeed, what
   an insignificant cobweb your life is, man! You are obliged twice daily
   to strengthen the interior of your body by means of supports to keep it
   sound (that is, you are obliged to fortify yourself twice every day by
   food and drink), and every night, daily, you must lock up your soul in
   your body, shutting up all the sensations of the body, like the
   shutters of a house, in order that the soul may not live outside the
   body, but within it, giving it warmth and life. What a cobweb your life
   is, and how easy it is to tear it asunder! Be humble and reverent
   before the Life eternal!

   Truth is the foundation of everything that has been created. Let truth
   be also the foundation of all your works (both inward and outward), and
   especially the foundation of your prayers. Let all your life, all your
   works, all your thoughts, and all your desires be founded upon truth.

   Take the trouble to spend only one single day according to God's
   commandments, and you will see yourself, you will feel by your own
   heart, how good it is to fulfil God's will (and God's will in relation
   to us is our life, our eternal blessedness). Love God with all your
   heart at least as much as you love your father, your mother, and your
   benefactors; value with all your strength His love and His benefits to
   you (go over them mentally in your heart, think how He gave you
   existence and with it all good things, how endlessly long He bears with
   your sins, how endlessly He forgives you them; for the sake of your
   hearty repentance, by virtue of the suffering and death upon the Cross
   of His only-begotten Son, what blessedness He has promised you in
   eternity, if you are faithful to Him); enumerate besides His mercies,
   which are endlessly great and manifold. Furthermore, love every man as
   yourself--that is, do not wish him anything that you would not wish for
   yourself; think, feel for him just as you would think and feel for your
   own self; do not wish to see in him anything that you do not wish to
   see in yourself; do not let your memory keep in it any evil caused to
   you by others, in the same way as you would wish that the evil done by
   yourself should be forgotten by others; do not intentionally imagine
   either in yourself or in another anything guilty or impure; believe
   others to be as well-intentioned as yourself, in general, if you do not
   see clearly that they are evilly disposed; do unto them as you would to
   yourself, or even do not do unto them as you would not do unto
   yourself, and then you will see what you will obtain in your
   heart--what peace, what blessedness! You will be in paradise before
   reaching it--that is, before the paradise in heaven you will be in the
   paradise on earth. "The kingdom of God is within you," [73] says the
   Lord. "He that dwelleth in love," teaches the Apostle, "dwelleth in God
   and God in him." [74]

   "Worship God in spirit and in truth." In truth, for instance, when you
   say, "Hallowed be Thy Name." Do you really desire that God's name
   should be hallowed by the good works of others and by your own? When
   you say, "Thy Kingdom come," do you indeed desire the coming of God's
   Kingdom? Do you wish to be the abode of the Spirit of God, and not the
   abode of sin? Would you not more willingly live in sin? When you say,
   "Thy will be done," do you not rather seek your own will than that of
   God? Ay, it is so! When you say, "Give us this day our daily bread," do
   you not say otherwise in your heart, "I do not need to ask this of
   Thee--I have enough without asking; let the poor ask for this"? Or
   else, do we not greedily seek for more, and are not satisfied with the
   little, or with that which God has given us? We do not thank God for
   what we have as we ought to. In the prayer: "And forgive us our
   trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us," do you not
   think in yourself: "God knows that I am not such a great sinner. It
   seems to me that I do not live any worse than others, and there is no
   need for me to ask that my trespasses or sins should be forgiven"? Or
   else when you thus pray is there not any displeasure or anger in your
   heart against anyone?--for if so, you lie shamelessly to God in your
   prayer. You say, "And lead us not into temptation," but do you not
   yourself rush impetuously into every sin, without even being tempted?
   You say, "Deliver us from evil," but do you not live in friendship with
   the Devil or with evil of every kind, of which the Devil is chief?
   Beware, then, that your tongue is not in discordance with your heart;
   see that you do not lie to God in your prayer. Always keep this in view
   when you say the Lord's Prayer, as well as when you say other prayers.
   Watch whether your heart agrees with, everything that your tongue
   pronounces.

   The purer the heart is, the larger it is, and the more able it is to
   find room within it for a greater number of beloved ones; whilst the
   more sinful it is, the more contracted it becomes, and the less number
   of beloved can it find room for, because it is limited by self-love,
   and that love is a false one; we love ourselves in objects unworthy of
   the immortal soul--in silver and gold, in adultery, in drunkenness, and
   such like.

   If God communicates an invincible, incomprehensible Divine power to the
   Life-giving Cross, then why should it be wonderful that He communicates
   a similar incomprehensible power, in order to regenerate our nature, to
   the most pure, terrible and Life-giving Sacrament of His Body and
   Blood? O, how great art Thou, Lord! and how wonderful are Thy works!
   How endless is Thy omnipotence! Whatever is touched by Thy power and
   Thy grace becomes life-giving.

   If you wish to correct anyone from his faults, do not think of
   correcting him solely by your own means: you would only do harm by your
   own passions, for instance, by pride and by the irritability arising
   from it; "but cast thy burden upon the Lord," [75] and pray to God "Who
   trieth the hearts and reins," [76] with all your heart, that He Himself
   may enlighten the mind and heart of that man. If He sees that your
   prayer breathes love, and that it really comes from the depth of your
   heart, He will infallibly fulfil the desire of your heart, and you
   yourself will soon tell, seeing the change that has taken place in him
   for whom you have prayed, that it is the work of "the right hand of
   God, the most High." [77]

   Who is it that so wisely, delicately and beautifully arranges and
   transforms the ugly--that is, the sightless, formless substance of the
   earth into flowers? Who gives them their wonderful forms? Creator,
   grant that we may salute in the flowers Thy wisdom, Thy goodness. Thine
   omnipotence.

   Our inward disposition, even when unexpressed by outward signs,
   strongly affects the inward disposition of others. This very often
   happens, though it is not everyone that notices it. Supposing that I am
   angry, or that I have unkind thoughts of another; he feels it, and
   begins likewise to have unkind thoughts about me. There is a certain
   communication between our souls, besides our bodily senses. As regards
   the action of our soul upon others through the senses, it would seem
   that one soul can act wonderfully upon another man through the sense of
   sight, even when he is at a distance from us, but as long as he is
   accessible to our sight, and is alone at the time when we direct our
   gaze upon him. Thus by the eye we can place another man in an awkward
   position, and confuse him. It has happened to me more than once to look
   fixedly out of the window of my house at the people passing by, and
   they, as if drawn by some power to the very window from which I was
   looking, looked round at the window, seeking to find a human face in
   it; whilst others became confused, suddenly quickened their pace, and
   set themselves to rights, readjusting their neckerchiefs, hats, etc.;
   there is some kind of mystery in this.

   Observe the difference between the presence of the life-giving spirit
   and the presence of the spirit that deadens and destroys your soul.
   When there are good thoughts in your soul you feel happy and at ease;
   when peace and joy are in your heart, then the spirit of good, the Holy
   Ghost, is within you; whilst when evil thoughts or evil motions of the
   heart arise within you, you feel ill at ease and oppressed; when you
   are inwardly troubled, then the spirit of evil, the crafty spirit, is
   within you. When the spirit of evil is in us, then, together with
   oppression of heart and disturbance, we generally feel a difficulty in
   drawing near to God in our heart, because the evil spirit binds our
   soul, and will not let it raise itself to God. The evil spirit is a
   spirit of doubt, unbelief--of passions, oppression, grief and
   disturbance; whilst the spirit of good is one of undoubting faith, of
   virtue, of spiritual freedom and breadth--a spirit of peace and joy.
   Know by these tokens when the Spirit of God is within you, and when the
   spirit of evil, and, as often as possible, raise your grateful heart to
   the most Holy Spirit that gives you life and light, and flee with all
   your power from doubt, unbelief, and the passions through which the
   evil serpent, the thief and destroyer of our souls, creeps in.

   Sometimes in the lives of pious Christians there are hours when God
   seems to have entirely abandoned them--hours of the power of darkness;
   and then the man from the depths of his heart cries unto God: "Why hast
   Thou turned Thy face from me, Thou everlasting Light? For a strange
   darkness has covered me, the darkness of the accursed evil Satan, and
   has obscured all my soul. It is very grievous for the soul to be in his
   torturing darkness, which gives a presentiment of the torments and
   darkness of hell. Turn me, O Saviour, to the light of Thy commandments
   and make straight my spiritual way, I fervently pray Thee."

   If you do not yourself experience the action of the wiles of the evil
   spirit, you will not know, and will not appreciate and value as you
   ought, the benefits bestowed upon you by the Holy Spirit: not knowing
   the spirit that destroys, you will not know the Spirit that gives life.
   Only by means of direct contrasts of good and evil, of life and death,
   can we clearly know the one and the other: if you are not subjected to
   distresses and dangers of bodily or spiritual death, you will not truly
   know the Saviour, the Life-Giver, who delivers us from these distresses
   and from spiritual death. Jesus Christ is the consolation, the joy, the
   life, the peace and the breadth of our hearts! Glory to God, the Most
   Wise and Most Gracious, that He allows the spirit of evil and death to
   tempt and torment us! Otherwise we should not have sufficiently
   appreciated and valued the comfort of grace, the comfort of the Holy
   Ghost the Comforter, the Life-Giving!

   The Lord God, as Life itself and the superabundance of Life,
   everlastingly the same, as has been said by St. Gregory the Theologian,
   moves and remains in the Three Persons--that is, God is the Father, the
   Son, and the Holy Ghost. You ask how there can be Three Persons in God.
   I answer: I do not understand how; but I know that it must be so and
   cannot be otherwise. You further ask: why is the Third Person in God
   called the Spirit, and why is He a separate Person, when, without this,
   God is a Spirit? I answer: God's Spirit is called Spirit in relation to
   His creatures. God breathed through the Third Person of the Trinity,
   the Holy Ghost, and there appeared at His call an innumerable multitude
   of spirits. "All the host of them by the breathing of His mouth." [78]

   He breathed through His Spirit into the human structure, "and man
   became a living soul;" [79] and from this breath men were born and will
   yet be born until the end of the world, according to the commandment:
   "Be fruitful and multiply." [80] If by His Holy Spirit God has created
   such separate individual creatures, then how can the Holy Ghost be
   other than a separate Person or an individual creating Being Himself?
   "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof,
   but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is
   everyone that is born of the Spirit." [81] You see that the Holy Ghost
   is called the Spirit as one of the Persons of the Holy Trinity. If
   there are innumerable multitudes of created individual spirits, then
   why should God Himself remain without a spirit, as without One of the
   Persons of the Trinity, separate and independent? Is not the Son the
   Wisdom of the Father, personal and living, indispensable to God? Look
   upon yourself. You are a creature; and even in you there is such wisdom
   that many wonder at it; sometimes you even create wonderful things, and
   you are extolled as the creator of these things. And yet this is only
   you, an insignificant, infirm creature. Then consider how can there not
   be a personal Wisdom in God?--how can God be a Creator without His own
   Living, Independent Wisdom? Look upon everything in the world, how wise
   everything is!--how in the smallest things you may notice the amazing
   wisdom and the wonderful work of the All-Wise thought with its
   marvellous accuracy and irreproachable neatness! How can God be without
   a Personal Wisdom? Consider, how can God, Who has created a multitude
   of reasonable, individual, wise, living creatures, not engender for
   Himself a Personal Wisdom? Is it possible? Is it reasonable? Is it in
   accordance with all the other perfections of the Creator? Thus in God
   there must be a Personal Wisdom, or the Personal Word of the Father, as
   well as the Life-giving Holy Ghost, Who proceedeth from the Father and
   Who resteth in the Son. In you there is breath, material and
   impersonal, while in God, as the Life Itself, there is a Personal
   Spirit, not diffusible, but single and giving life to everything.

   The unnatural mastery of the flesh over the spirit is expressed,
   amongst other things, by the fact that the spirit is as though buried
   within the flesh, and is bound by it. This is especially visible when
   the matter relates to God's service; then the man mostly draws near to
   God with his lips only--that is, with his flesh, falsely, and not with
   his heart, not with his spirit, and thus does not worship Him truly.
   Indeed, we often so live as though we had no spirit in us, and the
   highest degree of human depravity is manifested by the fact that the
   spirit is completely stifled and the man becomes as though he were
   flesh alone. "My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he
   also is flesh." [82]

   Look more closely into the matter of men's reverence for God; you will
   see how in this respect the flesh endeavours to dominate over the
   spirit. In the saints we see the dominance of the spirit over the
   flesh, because they live by the spirit and see the spirit throughout
   the whole world, the Wisdom, the Omnipotence, and Goodness of God; they
   see in every phenomenon, in every work, the impress of the spirit. In
   sensual men the dominance of the flesh over the spirit is shown by
   their only seeing that which represents itself to their senses; in
   fact, as the saying is, they do not see beyond their nose. The carnal,
   sensual man looks at the world and sees it like an unreasoning animal:
   he does not marvel at the Wisdom, the everlasting Power and the
   Goodness of the Creator, as shown in it; when he reads a holy book, he
   sees in it only the letters; when he prays he says the prayers
   mechanically, without penetrating into their spirit: he does not know
   the art of worshipping in spirit and in truth. The flesh predominates
   also in men's education. (Look, are pupils in the schools taught that
   which concerns the Christian more than anything--Prayer? Are they
   taught to see God?) The flesh will prevail in the world until the end
   of ages. "When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the
   earth?" [83] And unbelief is the work of the flesh, as it was in the
   beginning of the world.

   It is pleasing to God when a man begins to notice His action in the
   heart, because He is the Light and the Truth, whilst the Devil
   especially fears this, being himself darkness and falsehood; and the
   darkness cannot come to the light for fear its doings shall be
   revealed. The Devil is powerful only through darkness, deceit, and
   falsehood; reveal his falsehood, place it before the light, and all
   will disappear. He induces men into every passion through deceit, and
   thus he lulls them to sleep and prevents their seeing things in their
   true light. The Devil's covering lies over many things.

   Why does not the sinful soul obtain remission of its sins before it
   feels all their foolishness, all their destructiveness, and all their
   falsity from the whole heart? Because the heart is our soul; as it
   committed the sins, finding them at the time pleasant and plausible,
   therefore it must now repent of them and recognise them as leading to
   destruction and entirely wrong. This repentance is accomplished
   painfully in the heart, as the desire to sin is also usually in the
   heart.

   Do not be disturbed when malice rages within you and strives to
   discharge itself in words of bitterness, but command it to be silent
   and to die within you. Otherwise, being accustomed to see your
   obedience and to flow from your lips, it will master you. As water
   standing behind an earth dam, and finding an aperture, washes it wider
   and wider and filters through it, if we do not strengthen the dam, or
   strengthen it insufficiently, at last, with growing weakness on our
   part and with repeated efforts, the water gets through with greater and
   greater force, so that at last it becomes very difficult, and even
   impossible to stop it; so also with malice hidden in the heart of man:
   if we let it pierce through once, twice, and thrice, it will pour out
   more and more powerfully, and may at last break through and overflow
   your dam. Learn that in the soul there are waters of evil; as has been
   said by the Psalmist: "The waters are come in unto my soul." [84]

   When you have sinned against God, and your sins torment, burn you, then
   seek quickly the only Sacrifice for sins, eternal and living, and lay
   your sins before the face of that Sacrifice. Do not think you can
   obtain salvation by your own means.

   The Lord might have made the whole world, heaven and earth, into His
   own body; or instead of creating the world, He might have created for
   Himself a temple for His body; and it is only on your account that He
   deigned to create to Himself a Body similar to your own, in order to
   save you, and having created the world from nothing, He has also
   created out of a small part of it His Body to give life to you, leaving
   the world to remain as He created it. O goodness and mercy of God! "We
   are members of His Body" [85] through the communion of His life-giving
   Mysteries!

   The world, as the work of the living, Most Wise God, is full of life.
   There are life and wisdom in everything, and we find everywhere the
   expression of thought in the whole, as also in every separate part.
   This is the true Book, from which, though not so clearly as from
   revelation, we may learn the knowledge of God. Before the world was,
   there was only the living infinite God. When the world was called into
   being from its non-existence, God, of course, did not become finite;
   all the fulness of life and of infinity have remained in Him. But this
   fulness of life and infinity are also expressed in creatures, living
   and organic, which are innumerable, and which are all endued with life.

   The world, and especially the man, are finite. The world is only a
   point of rest for corporeal creatures, in order that they should not
   disappear into infinity.

   The Holy Scriptures speak more truly and more clearly of the world than
   the world itself or the arrangement of the earthly strata; the
   scriptures of nature within it, being dead and voiceless, cannot
   express anything definite. "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations
   of the earth?" [86] Were you with God when He created the universe?
   "Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being His counseller,
   hath taught Him?" [87] And yet you geologists boast that you have
   understood the mind of the Lord, in the arrangement of strata, and
   maintained it in spite of Holy Writ! You believe more in the dead
   letters of the earthly strata, in the soulless earth, than in the
   Divinely-inspired words of the great prophet Moses, who saw God.

   You do not understand how the saints in Heaven can hear us when we pray
   to them. But how do the rays of the sun bend down from Heaven to us,
   lighting everything throughout the earth? The saints in the spiritual
   world are like the rays of the sun in the material world. God is the
   eternal, life-giving Sun, and the saints are the rays of this wise Sun.
   As the eyes of the Lord are constantly looking upon the earth and upon
   terrestrial beings, so also the eyes of the saints cannot but turn
   towards the same direction as the provident gaze of the Lord of all
   creatures towards where their treasures (their bodies, their works, the
   holy places, and the persons devoted to them) are to be found. "For
   where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." [88]

   You know how quickly, how far, and how clearly the heart can see
   (especially the objects of the spiritual world); you notice this in all
   the sciences, especially in the spiritual ones, where a great deal is
   adopted by faith only (the vision of the heart). The heart is the eye
   of the human being. The purer it is, the quicker, farther, and clearer
   it can see. But with God's saints this spiritual eye is refined, even
   during their lifetime, to the highest degree of purity possible for
   man, and after their death, when they have become united to God,
   through God's grace it becomes still clearer and wider in the limits of
   its vision. Therefore the saints see very clearly, widely, and far:
   they see our spiritual wants; they see and hear all those who call upon
   them with their whole hearts--that is, those whose mental eyes are
   fixed straight upon them, and are not darkened or dimmed when so fixed
   by unbelief and doubt; in other words, when the eyes of the heart of
   those who pray, so to say, meet the eyes of those they call upon. This
   is a mysterious vision. He who is experienced will understand what is
   meant. Therefore, how easy it is to communicate with the saints! It is
   only necessary to purify the eye of the heart, to fix it firmly upon a
   saint known to you, to pray to him for what you want, and you will
   obtain it. And what is God in reference to sight? He is all sight, all
   light, and all knowledge. He everlastingly fills both Heaven and earth,
   and sees everything in every place. "The eyes of the Lord are in every
   place, beholding the evil and the good." [89]

   A hearty belief in the spiritual world, especially in the
   all-enlightening and all-life-giving Sun, rejoices and vivifies the
   soul that possesses a pure conscience. Faith ought to reach the eye of
   the heart; this means that the soul ought to stand as though it were
   higher than anything sensual, higher than anything carnal, higher than
   its dark nature, and ought to penetrate with as pure a vision of the
   heart as possible into the spiritual world. Here it will be happy, for
   here is its true life, its peace and its joy. This is from experience.

   Imagination and representation are the vision of the heart, or of the
   soul, creating or reproducing a certain object; therefore this vision
   is rapid, instantaneous, and bears a spiritual character. It is a
   photograph made by the soul of a certain object. The mind is an artist,
   taking a photograph from it.

   If the Lord were not long-suffering, if He were not the Lover of men,
   would He have borne with our great offences? would He have been
   incarnate? would He have suffered and died for you? would He have given
   you His most pure Body and Blood, upon which even the angels look with
   fear and trembling? would He have saved you from sin and spiritual
   death so many innumerable times? Had it been otherwise He would have
   said: "Be tormented, if you are so evil by nature; I will not deliver
   you again after having delivered you so often before." But now, during
   all our life-time He bears with our innumerable offences, and still
   waits for our conversion. Glorify, then, His love and long-suffering.
   Picture to yourself what it would have been without Him, without Him to
   save? Horror and trembling fill the soul at the idea of it. But
   impenitent sinners will indeed be overtaken at the last by God's wrath
   "in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God."
   [90]

   When you are about to pray to Our Lady the Holy Virgin, be firmly
   assured, before praying, that you will not depart from Her without
   having received mercy. To think thus and to have confidence in Her is
   meet and right. She is, the All-merciful Mother of the All-merciful
   God, the Word, and Her mercies, incalculably great and innumerable,
   have been declared from all ages by all Christian Churches; She is,
   indeed, an abyss of mercies and bounties, as is said of Her in the
   canon of Odigitry. [91] Therefore to pray to Her without such assurance
   would be foolish and audacious, for doubt would offend Her goodness,
   just as God's goodness is offended when people pray to Him without
   hoping to receive what they pray for. How do people hurry for alms to
   any great and rich man whose kindness is well known, and has been
   proved on many occasions? Generally with the most perfect assurance and
   hope of receiving from Him that which they desire. Likewise, in praying
   we must neither doubt nor be faint-hearted.

   As a mother teaches her child to walk, so also God teaches us to have a
   living faith in Him. A mother will make the child stand, and leave it
   for a while by itself, then she will tell it to come to her. The child
   cries without its mother; it wants to go to her, but is afraid to
   attempt to move its feet; it tries to walk, makes a step, and falls
   down. God teaches the Christian faith in Him in a like manner (faith
   being the spiritual way); our faith is as weak, as elementary as the
   child beginning to walk. The Lord leaves the man without His help and
   gives him up to the Devil, or to various distresses and afflictions,
   and afterwards, when he is in extreme need of help of being delivered
   from them (for we are not ready to go to Him until we are in need of
   salvation), He bids us look on Him (we must absolutely look upon Him)
   and come to Him for that help. The Christian endeavours to do so; he
   opens the eyes of his heart (just as the child moves its feet) and
   tries to see the Lord by means of them, but his heart, not being taught
   how to see God, is afraid of its own boldness, and stumbles and falls.
   The enemy and inborn sinful corruptions close the newly-opened eyes of
   his heart and cut him off from God, so that he cannot approach Him,
   though God is near, ready to take him into His arms; only God must be
   approached with faith, and an effort must be made to see Him fully with
   the spiritual eyes of faith. Then He will Himself stretch out His
   helping hand, will take the man into His arms and drive away the
   enemies. Then the Christian feels that he has fallen into the arms of
   the Saviour Himself. Glory be to Thy goodness and wisdom, Lord! Thus
   during the efforts of the Devil against us, and in every affliction, we
   must see clearly with the eyes of the heart, as if He stood before us,
   the Saviour, the Lover of men; and look upon Him with boldness as upon
   our inexhaustible treasury of goodness and mercies, and pray to Him
   with all our hearts, that He may give us a portion of this
   inexhaustible fountain of blessings and of spiritual help; and we shall
   immediately obtain what we are praying for. The chief thing is faith,
   or the spiritual vision of the Lord and the hope of receiving
   everything from Him, as the Most-merciful, the Most-true. This is the
   truth! This is from experience! By these means God also teaches us to
   acknowledge our extreme moral infirmity without Him, to be contrite in
   heart, and constantly in a prayerful frame of mind!

   The Christian has no reason to have in his heart any ill-feeling
   whatever against anyone--such ill-feeling, like every other evil, is
   the work of the Devil; the Christian must only have love in his heart;
   and as love cannot think of evil, he cannot have any ill-feeling
   against others. For instance, I must not think that anyone else is evil
   or proud without having positive reasons to think so, or I must not
   think that it will make him proud if I show him respect, or that if I
   forgive him he will again offend me and will mock at me. We must not
   let evil in any form nestle in our heart; but evil generally appears in
   too many forms.

   The peace and plenteousness of life in the heart after communion is the
   greatest, the most inestimable gift of our Lord Jesus Christ,
   surpassing all the gifts relating to the body which are received at the
   same time. Without peace of the soul--when the heart is straitened and
   tormented--the man cannot avail himself of any blessings, either
   material or spiritual; at that time the delights that come from the
   feeling of truth, goodness, and beauty do not exist for him, because
   the very centre of his life--the heart, or the inner man himself--is
   crushed and slain.

   Unite your soul to God by means of hearty faith and you will be able to
   accomplish everything. Do powerful, invisible, ever-watchful enemies
   wage war against you? You will conquer them. Are these enemies visible,
   outward? You will conquer them also. Do passions rend you? You will
   overcome them. Are you crushed with sorrows? You will get over them.
   Have you fallen into despondency? You will obtain courage. With faith
   you will be able to conquer everything, and even the Kingdom of Heaven
   will be yours. Faith is the greatest blessing of the earthly life; it
   unites the man to God, and makes him strong and victorious through Him.
   "He that is joined unto the Lord is one Spirit." [92]

   God in His goodness has granted to us, undeserving as we are, to see
   the sun and its light, and allows us to enjoy it. He will grant to us
   also to enjoy His own inaccessible light. Let the light of the sun be a
   pledge to us of this, but especially the tranquil light of the holy
   glory of the Heavenly Father, His only Son, given to us, and the spirit
   of love bestowed upon our hearts.

   What do I see when I look upon God's world? I see everywhere the
   extraordinary breadth, the sportiveness of life; in the animal kingdom,
   amongst quadrupeds, reptiles, insects, birds, and fishes. Now, it may
   be asked, why should there be this narrowness and sorrowful way of life
   for man, especially for the man who is zealous and pious? God has
   everywhere plenteously diffused life, abundance, and gladness, and all
   creatures, with the exception of men, glorify the Creator by their
   abundance, their life, and sportive joy. Why, then, is there this
   discordance between me and the general life? Am I not the creature of
   the same Creator? The solution of this question is simple. Our life is
   poisoned, either through our own fault by sin, or by the incorporeal
   enemy, and especially and chiefly by him in regard to those who have
   given themselves up to a life of piety. The life of the man--of the
   true Christian--is in the future, in after ages; there every joy and
   full blessedness will be opened to him. But here he is only an exile,
   and is under punishment; here sometimes the whole of nature takes up
   arms against man for his sins, not to speak of the enemy from time
   immemorial, who "as a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may
   devour." [93]

   Therefore I am not disturbed by the fact that there are joy and
   abundance everywhere throughout the world, while in myself alone there
   is often no gladness, so that I look morosely upon the gladness and
   freedom of God's creatures. I have within me an executioner for my
   sins--he is ever with me, and strikes me. But there will be joys for me
   also, only not here, but in the other world.

   Looking upon God's world, I see everywhere God's extraordinary
   bountifulness in the gifts of nature: the surface of the earth is like
   the richest table, prepared with abundance and variety by the most
   loving and generous of hosts. The depths of the waters also serve to
   feed the man. What shall be said of the animals, quadrupeds, and birds?
   And what bountifulness is manifested in providing food and clothes for
   man! The Lord's mercies are innumerable. Look at all the earth supplies
   in summer and in autumn! Every Christian, especially the priest, ought
   to imitate God's bountifulness. Let your table be open to everybody,
   like the table of the Lord. The avaricious is God's enemy.

   The tree firmly fixed in the earth by its roots grows and brings forth
   fruit. The soul of a man firmly fixed in God by faith and love, as by
   spiritual roots, also lives, grows spiritually, and brings forth the
   fruits of virtue pleasing to God, through which the soul lives now and
   shall live in the future world. The tree, when uprooted from the
   ground, ceases to live by the life which it received from the heart
   through the roots. Similarly, the soul of the man which has lost faith
   and love to God and does not dwell in God, in Whom alone it can live,
   spiritually dies. What the earth is to the plants God is to the soul.

   In order not to be in daily bondage to the passions and the Devil, you
   must set yourself an object to aim at, have this object constantly in
   view, and endeavour to attain it, conquering all obstacles by the name
   of the Lord. What is this object? The Kingdom of God, the Divine palace
   of glory, prepared for believers from the creation of the world. But as
   this object can only be attained by certain means, it also is necessary
   to have such means at one's disposal. And what are these means? Faith,
   hope, and love, especially the last. Believe, hope, and love,
   especially love, disregarding all obstacles; love God above everything
   and your neighbour as yourself. If you have not sufficient strength to
   preserve in your heart these inestimable treasures, fall down oftener
   at the feet of the God of Love. "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek,
   and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" [94] --for
   He Who has promised is true. Walking, sitting, lying down, conversing,
   or working, at every time, pray with your whole heart that faith and
   love may be given to you. You have not yet asked for them as you should
   ask--fervently and instantly, with the firm purpose of obtaining them.
   Say now, "I will begin to do so henceforth."

   When on your way to God you meet obstacles raised up by the Devil:
   doubt and unbelief of heart, also a thorough ill-feeling, sometimes
   towards persons worthy of absolute respect and love, as well as other
   passions. Do not be disturbed by them, but know that it is but the
   smoke of the enemy, which will be dispersed at a sign from our Lord
   Jesus Christ.

   What should be our chief care in the education of the young? We must
   chiefly endeavour that the eyes of their understanding should be
   enlightened. [95] Do you not notice that our heart acts first in our
   life and in nearly all our knowledge? The heart sees certain truths
   (ideas) before the mind knows them. When knowledge is acquired, it
   happens thus: the heart sees at once, indivisibly, instantaneously;
   afterwards this single action of the sight of the heart is transmitted
   to the intellect and subdivided in the intellect into parts or
   sections, preceding and subsequent; the sight of the heart is analysed
   in the intellect. The idea belongs to the heart and not to the
   intellect; that is, to the inner man, and not to the outer one.
   Therefore, to have the eyes of their understanding enlightened [96] is
   a very important matter in acquiring all knowledge, but especially in
   that of the truths of faith and of the laws of morality.

   The future life is the perfect purity of the heart, which is now only
   gradually purified, and which is at present more often shut and
   darkened by sin and by the Devil's breathing into it, and only at
   times, under the influence of God's grace, brightens and sees God,
   being united to Him most truly during prayer and in the Sacrament of
   the Holy Communion.

   How should we keep the festivals? We must celebrate in them either the
   event (with a view of investigating the greatness of the event, its
   object, and the fruits it brought to those who believe) or the person;
   as, for instance, our Lord, the Mother of God, the angels and saints
   (with the view of investigating the relation of that person to God and
   to mankind and his beneficial influence upon God's Church in general).
   It is necessary to investigate the history of the event or of the
   person whose festival we solemnise, to approach it or him with, our
   whole heart, to absorb them, so to say, into ourselves; otherwise the
   festival will be incomplete, and not pleasing to God. The festivals
   ought to influence our life, to vivify and kindle our faith in future
   blessings, and maintain in us a pious and gentle disposition. Yet they
   are mostly spent in sin and folly and met with unbelieving, cold
   hearts, often wholly unprepared to feel the great mercies which God has
   vouchsafed to us through the particular event or person whose festival
   is celebrated.

   It may happen that there is much wickedness in your soul. But let it be
   known to God alone, Who knows everything that is secret and concealed,
   and do not show all your uncleanness to others; do not corrupt them by
   the breath of the wickedness concealed within you. Tell God your grief,
   that your soul is full of wickedness, and that your life is near to
   hell, but to other people show a bright and pleasant countenance. What
   have they to do with your madness? Or declare your soul's sickness to
   your confessor or to a true friend, so that they may teach you, guide
   you, and restrain you.

   Gazing upon heaven, contemplate in its heights the Lord Jesus, for it
   was from there that He appeared to the pro-martyr Stephen and to Saul,
   and pray to Him to save you. These appearances of His do not show that
   He only then opened the heavens and looked down upon these saints
   through the heavens thus opened, but they show that He is always
   looking down from the heavens upon us all and sees our actions, words,
   thoughts, and intentions, as you must have been convinced on many
   occasions from your own experience when you lifted up your eyes to the
   heavens and received miraculous and great help from Him; it only means
   that, in the above-mentioned cases, He revealed Himself and manifested
   Himself in the heavens.

   To sin is both detrimental and foolish; for the sinner despises himself
   and either turns away from human society or seeks the society of others
   like him, because his inner condition and the worm gnawing at his heart
   make any respectable society oppressive to him, as it does not
   correspond with the character of his own life. The sinner feels
   straitened in God's wide world, because the world is the work of the
   Most Holy and Righteous God; and the sinner who does not obey God's
   laws, the laws of love and peace, is an outcast from God's creation,
   for whom there is no place in the world. The reason why he feels so
   straitened is that he is pursued by God, by his own conscience, and by
   all creation.

   Who is it that suffers through doubting, unbelieving, blasphemous
   thoughts: the object of which the man doubts, in which he does not
   believe and which he blasphemes, or the man himself, who doubts, does
   not believe, and blasphemes? The latter. He grows afraid with that fear
   of which the Psalmist speaks: "There were they brought in great fear
   even where no fear was." [97] He is tortured by his doubt, unbelief,
   and blasphemy; whilst the object of his agony remains firm, immovable,
   and has evidently the better of him, because it makes him change his
   mind for the sake of his own tranquillity, and does not allow him to
   grow quite calm until he has repented of his former false opinions and
   has accepted more favourable and truer ones. Therefore it is foolish to
   waver and be disturbed, and still more so to become fainthearted and
   fall into despondency, when during prayer, or at any other time,
   doubting, unbelieving, blasphemous thoughts occur to you. They are all
   only enticements of Satan.

   Malice, or any other passion that has taken root in your heart, has a
   tendency--in accordance with the infallible law of evil--to discharge
   itself outwardly. This is why it is usually said of an evil or angry
   man that he has vented his anger upon another person or upon another
   object. It is the worst of evil that it does not remain in the heart,
   but tries to diffuse itself outwardly. From this it is already evident
   that the author of evil is great himself, and has a wide domain over
   which he reigns. "The whole world lieth in wickedness." [98] Like a
   vapour or gases that have accumulated in a great quantity in a shut-up
   place strive to rush out, so also the passions, like the breathing of
   the spirit of evil, having filled the heart, strive to rush out of one
   man to pour themselves into others, and corrupt, by their ill-odour,
   the souls of others.

   God has granted us existence--the greatest gift of His goodness, and
   after we had fallen away from Him, from life into death, He gave us for
   our regeneration, to bring us back to life, His Son. How small in
   proportion are all the other gifts which we ask of Him in prayer, and
   how easy it is for Him to give them to us at the first word of true
   faith, if they are really necessary for us! Therefore it is perfectly
   unpardonable in us if we still doubt that we shall obtain what we ask
   of God in prayer. The Lord said plainly: "Ask, and it shall be given
   you." [99]

   Here in this world of vanities, in this adulterous and sinful world,
   our souls and bodies are continually and often imperceptibly corrupted
   "by moth and rust, and thieves [mental ones] break through and steal"
   [100] the treasures of the soul, that is: "righteousness, and peace,
   and joy in the Holy Ghost." [101] What is, then, the true remedy
   against the continual, sinful corruption of these mental thieves? The
   prayer of repentance and of faith. It revives and vivifies our souls,
   corrupted by seductive carnal desires, and drives away the mental
   thieves; it is a scourge for them, whilst for us it is the source of
   power, life, and salvation. Glory to God for this! Prayer protects and
   delivers us from sin. It is good for us to live with the prayer of
   faith in our hearts, for during prayer we live with the Lord, Who has
   promised all good things to those who ask Him: "Ask, and it shall be
   given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened. For
   every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to
   him that knocketh it shall be opened." [102] Glory to Thee, Lord, for
   Thy most true words. Lord! grant to all those who ask of Thee, through
   my unworthy means, the various blessings, the petitions of their
   hearts. Amen--so be it!

   If you wish that God should speedily give you hearty faith in prayer,
   strive with all your heart to speak and to do everything in regard to
   other people sincerely, and never be deceitful in your dealings with
   them. If you are straightforward and truthful with others, then God
   will give you straightforwardness and sincere faith also in reference
   to Himself. Him who is not straightforward in his dealings with other
   men God does not accept easily when he prays, making him feel that he
   is insincere with other men, and therefore cannot be perfectly sincere
   with God.

   Man subjected to passions, what is it that you want? Life, you say.
   About what do you busy yourself? Life. But are you leading the true
   life? Both reason and experience oblige you to say that you are not.
   Then what constitutes your life? Reason and experience again tell me
   faith, hope, and love. The life of the soul is God. A living faith in
   Him and love to other men like unto myself--these are the peace and
   breadth of my heart; for without them I am the martyr of sin, the
   slave, the prisoner of passions, and my life is spent in affliction and
   constraint.

   Even here I rest in Christ and with Christ; how, then, can I do
   otherwise than believe that eternal rest in Him awaits me after death,
   and after the struggle against earthly enemies? Here without Christ I
   feel oppressed and in pain; how can I do otherwise than believe that it
   will be still more grievous to be without Christ there, when He will
   finally cast me away from before His face! Thus the present state of
   our souls foreshadows the future. The future will be a continuation of
   the present inward condition, only in a modified form as to its degree:
   for the righteous it will be turned into the fulness of eternal glory;
   for sinners, into the fulness of everlasting torment.

   "It is good for me to draw near to God," [103] said David, who had
   tasted the sweetness of prayer and praising God. Other men confirm
   this, and I a sinner also. Observe, even here on earth, to draw near to
   God is a good and blessed thing (while we are yet in the sinful flesh,
   which has much that is agreeable and disagreeable in itself).
   Therefore, what blessedness it will be to be united to God there, in
   heaven! And the blessedness of union with God here on earth is a
   specimen and pledge of the blessedness of union with God after death,
   in eternity. You see, then, how good, merciful, and true the Creator
   is! In order to assure you of the future blessedness proceeding from
   union with Him, He allows you to experience the beginning of this
   blessedness here on earth when you approach Him sincerely. Yes; even
   here my invisible soul rests in the invisible God; therefore it will
   still more perfectly rest in Him when it is separated from the body.

   The spirit is powerful, mighty, and therefore it easily bears a heavy
   substance; whilst the flesh is inert, feeble, and is therefore easily
   overwhelmed by its own natural substance. This is why God by the word
   of His power upholds all things. [104] Similarly the spirit of a man
   blessed with grace, by God's help, easily conquers his own flesh, and
   even the flesh of others (as we see in the saints), easily masters
   during prayer the meaning of the words, filling them with his spirit;
   whilst the carnal man is in constant subjection to his flesh, is
   oppressed by the words of the prayer, which he is unable to endue with
   the spirit, being flesh himself, or is unable to penetrate into its
   pure, holy spirit with his own impure, carnal spirit.

   Man is constantly perishing through sin, and therefore he requires a
   constant daily Saviour. This Saviour is Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
   only call upon Him inwardly with living, clear-seeing faith in your
   salvation, and He will save you. Thus has He miraculously saved me an
   innumerable number of times; this salvation was as manifest as, for
   instance, the visit of any deliverer to a prison from which he frees
   the prisoner. It is necessary for a priest to experience himself the
   power of faith, the sweetness of prayer, and the remission of sins, and
   also to experience cases when prayer is unsuccessful, as well as
   spiritual afflictions, and the consolations of grace; so that in his
   prayer to God for the faithful he may say thus, "Give unto them the
   same blessings as those which Thou always givest to my unworthy self;"
   and so that he may be able to pray about everything from his own
   experience.

   "He is near to his heart" is said of two persons of unequal rank, one
   of whom protects the other. And the one who has been honoured by the
   protection of the higher person, and by being near to his heart, knows
   this, and is reciprocally near him in his own heart. It is thus between
   God and those who serve Him with a pure heart: God is always near to
   their heart, and they are near God's heart. It should also be the same
   during the prayer of every Christian: when praying we must absolutely
   be near to God in our heart. All that is good and sincere in our
   intercourse with our fellow-men should be transferred to God.

   Remember that you are always walking in the presence of the sweetest
   Lord Jesus. Say to yourself oftener: "I wish so to live that my life
   may gladden my Beloved, crucified for my sake on the Cross. Above all,
   I will take for the companion and friend of my life my Holy Beloved,
   Who instils everything into my heart, making me thirst for the
   salvation of all, rejoicing with those who rejoice, and weeping with
   those who weep." This will especially comfort my Comforter, Christ.

   Parents and teachers! Beware and be most careful not to let your
   children be capricious; otherwise they will soon forget to value your
   love; their hearts will be corrupted with wickedness; they will soon
   lose holy, true, glowing love from their hearts, and, on reaching
   maturity, they will complain bitterly that in their youth you spoilt
   them too much and encouraged them in their caprices. Capriciousness is
   the germ of the corruption of the heart, the rust of the heart, the
   moth of love, the seed of evil, and an abomination to the Lord.

   In the Church especially is accomplished the mystery of the cleansing
   from sins. Reverence, therefore, the place where your soul is cleansed
   from all impurities, where you are reconciled to God, where you receive
   the true life of the spirit. How many times the Lord has here granted
   me the cleansing from my sins, without which I could not have enjoyed
   God's gifts--the greatest of life's gifts, the gifts of peace and joy,
   and earthly blessings besides! Glory to Thee, Jesus Christ, the Son of
   God. "He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but
   also for the sins of the whole world." [105]

   Nothing is more changeable than matter; it changes into millions of
   forms, by natural means according to the laws of the Creator: not to
   speak of the wonderful changes, for instance, of fire into dew, of
   water into blood, of water into wine, of the rod into the serpent; even
   man sometimes changes matter into a thousand different forms. What can
   therefore be said of God, Who has created everything? The nature of
   matter is its changeableness. God does not act thus, and does not
   desire to act thus with a reasonable spirit: the nature of the spirit
   is its unchangeableness. But to strive to become perfect in good works
   is the act of a reasonable created spirit. It is the triumph of the
   spirit over matter that the spirit changes it into thousands of forms.
   Notice, for instance, how this spirit changes matter in the vegetable
   kingdom, how endlessly varying are the forms of plants, all growing out
   of the same soil, with the help of the same light of the sun, the same
   air, and the same water. And the bodies of animals, how varied they
   are! Thus the nature of matter is changeableness; upon this condition
   the world was created in all its variety. Glory to the only eternally,
   unchangeable God, the All-powerful Creator! Had matter been
   unchangeable, then God would not have been All-powerful. Glory to the
   spiritual nature! May it ever conquer the material nature! Ask God to
   give you unchangeableness in all that is good.

   Why is it that we always remember the offences of men, are angry and
   bear malice against the offenders, whilst the most wicked, the most
   hurtful and continual offences of the Devil we very soon forget, even
   though we have been thus offended by him a thousand times a day, while
   we bear in remembrance the offences of men sometimes for longer than a
   day? This is the enticement of the Devil! He knows how to deceive us
   cleverly: whilst offending us himself, he ever screens himself behind
   our own self-love, as though wishing to gratify us in the beginning by
   means of the development of a certain passion, though afterwards he
   always destroys, and bitterness comes to us from him for our foolish,
   unreasonable self-love. The offences of other people against us he
   always magnifies a hundredfold, representing them in a false light; and
   here again he screens himself behind our own self-love, as though he
   were jealous of our welfare, which other people are seeking to destroy
   by their offences.

   Two forces, in direct opposition to each other, influence us: one good,
   the other evil; one life-giving and the other deadly. As both are
   spiritual forces, both are invisible. The good power, through my free
   and sincere prayer, always drives away the evil power, which is strong
   only through the evil concealed within me. In order not to be subjected
   to the continual harassments of the evil spirit, we must constantly
   have in our hearts this prayer to Jesus Christ: "Jesus, Son of God,
   have mercy upon me!" Against the invisible one (the Devil) the
   Invisible God, against the mighty the Mightier.

   If men--weak, short-lived, mortal creatures--do so many great and
   wonderful acts by means of the powers and capabilities they are blessed
   with; if sometimes many millions of people obey the single word of one
   man, then what cannot the great Author of all human life do--what will
   not obey His word? Remember the words of the centurion: "I also," said
   he, "am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers: and I say
   unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to
   my servant, Do this, and he doeth it." [106] Further- more, if many
   animals are also gifted with skill to do various wonderful things which
   cannot even be done by a man--the animals which we trample under foot,
   which are insignificant and weak--then what is there that cannot be
   done by the Creator of everything and everybody, Who has bountifully
   endued all with all skill, all capabilities and powers? If the soulless
   grass, "which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven," [107] is
   formed by His word into such delicate and beautiful shapes; if every
   substance we see is obedient to His word, and changes into
   incommensurably endless variety at His sign (by means of the five
   elements only); who then, seeing all this, will require greater pledges
   of His omnipotence? Wonderful are Thy works, O Lord, at each step and
   at every moment of life! Heaven and earth are full of the glory of Thy
   wisdom, of the glory of Thy mercy, and the glory of Thy omnipotence!
   Thou art not only Thyself the most wise Creator, and constantly
   manifestest Thyself as such, but Thou also givest the capacity of
   creating to Thy creatures, so that they create at Thy word, through the
   powers which Thou hast given them, wonderful and useful things. O, in
   what splendour Thou hast arrayed Thyself! How we have abased ourselves
   and our nature of sin!--but how dear and great we are in the sight of
   God! For our sakes He did not spare His own Son, but clothed Him with
   our flesh, gave Him our nature, for our salvation. He has prepared for
   us, from the creation of the world, an everlasting kingdom, and our
   conversion rejoices good angels. And yet what do we do? We do not even
   wish to know this, and abase ourselves lower and lower; we slay our
   souls by various vices and earthly passions. It is sad, inexpressibly
   sad, to look upon man--a creature created according to God's image--and
   sad especially to look upon the Christian, found worthy of such a high
   calling, so much esteemed and so loaded with benefits by God.

   Forced prayer develops hypocrisy, renders a man incapable of any
   occupation requiring meditation and makes him slothful in everything,
   even in fulfilling his duties. This should persuade all who pray in
   this manner to correct their mode of praying. We must pray gladly, with
   energy, from the whole heart. Do not pray to God only when you are
   obliged to, either in sorrow or in need, for "God loveth a cheerful
   giver." [108]

   In all the temples of the bodies of pious Christians--which are not
   made with human hands--there is a mental light, the soul, and that
   light is derived from God the Wise Sun, Who is visible in the world in
   the same way as the soul is in the body.

   I notice how God, the mental Sun, enters and shines in my soul, for
   then I feel happy, warm, and bright; but when He goes away He leaves
   the soul in darkness and suffering. As in material nature the darkness
   is caused by the departure or setting of the sun, so likewise in the
   spiritual nature the darkness is caused by the departure of the mental
   Sun from the soul, and by its being covered with the darkness of the
   accursed one. As in material nature there is always some remainder of
   light after sunset, by reason of the incomparable size of the sun, so
   also in the soul there is some remainder of light, even after the
   departure of the mental Sun, by reason of His omnipresence and by
   reason of the comparative weakness of the prince of darkness, who,
   without God's permission, is unable to completely darken the soul. But
   we must beware also, as the Lord has said, "lest darkness come upon us"
   [109] completely.

   When you are granted recovery from any illness, render thanks to God in
   the following short form of praise:--Glory to Thee, Lord, Jesus Christ,
   the only begotten Son of the everlasting Father, Who alone art able to
   heal all manner of sickness and disease in men, that Thou hast had
   mercy upon me, a sinner, and hast delivered me from my sickness, not
   allowing it to develop and slay me according to my sins. Grant to me,
   from this time forth, Master, strength to firmly fulfil Thy will, to
   the salvation of my accursed soul, and to Thy glory, and that of Thy
   everlasting Father, and of Thy consubstantial Spirit, both now and for
   ever, and to ages of ages. Amen.

   What is a pure heart? It is meek, humble, guileless, simple, trusting,
   true, unsuspicious, gentle, good, not covetous, not envious, not
   adulterous.

   My soul! remember thy heavenly dignity and do not be disturbed by
   corruptible, worthless things. Honour also in other people their
   heavenly dignity, and do not dare offend or hate them for any
   perishable cause; love with all thy might that which is spiritual and
   heavenly, and despise that which is material, earthly. Remember the
   words of thy Saviour: "Give us this day our daily bread"--only this
   day's. The highest Christian wisdom lies concealed in these words.
   Remember also that the Lord Himself showed during His life an example
   of carelessness in regard to means of subsistence, and was contented
   with voluntary offerings only: "My meat is to do the will of Him that
   sent Me, and to finish His work." [110]

   You hate your enemy? You are foolish. Why? Because if your enemy
   persecutes you, you also inwardly persecute yourself; for say, is it
   not persecution, and the most cruel persecution, to torture yourself by
   your hatred towards your enemy? Love your enemy, and you will be wise.
   O, if only you knew what a triumph, what blessedness it is to love your
   enemy, and to do good to him! So did the Son of God, so did God in the
   Holy Trinity, triumph, and still triumphs, through His love, over the
   ungrateful and evil-natured human race; so also did God's saints
   triumph over their enemies, by loving them and doing good to them.

   "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. . . . . If when we were
   enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more,
   being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." [111]

   Do not be despondent when fighting against the incorporeal enemy, but
   even in the midst of your afflictions and oppression praise the Lord,
   Who has found you worthy to suffer for Him, by struggling against the
   subtilty of the serpent, and to be wounded for Him at every hour; for
   had you not lived piously, and endeavoured to become united to God, the
   enemy would not have attacked and tormented you.

   Glory to Thee, Saviour, Almighty Power! Glory to Thee, Saviour,
   Omnipresent Power! Glory to Thee, Fount of mercies! Glory to Thee,
   ever-open Hearing, ever ready to hear my prayers, accursed as I am, in
   order to have mercy upon me, and to save me from my sins! Glory to
   Thee, to Thy brightest Eyes, looking lovingly upon me and penetrating
   into all my secrets! Glory to Thee, Glory to Thee, Glory to Thee,
   sweetest Jesus, my Saviour!

   Hearty faith is indispensable for man, because the light of our
   intellect is very limited, and cannot contain much mental light, while
   the Lord our God is Infinite Light, and the world is an abyss of His
   omnipotence and wisdom, whilst in us there is only, so to say, a drop
   of His power and wisdom, because only so much, and not more, can be
   contained of them in our perishable flesh.

   The earth is hard and inert, though it revolves very fast round the
   sun; water is liquid and rapid, therefore people say a current is
   rapid; air is still more liquid, more rare- fied and more rapid, and
   therefore it moves very quickly, as, for instance, in the case of
   winds; light is still more ethereal, more rapid, and in one second it
   travels over incredibly great distances. If light is so ethereal and
   traverses immense spaces in the shortest possible time, then what must
   the created spirit be, and how ethereal and rapid must it be! Finally,
   what must the uncreated Spirit be--the Lord Himself! How immeasurable
   must He be! If light in one second moves with such awful rapidity, then
   how rapidly must the uncreated Light--the Source of all Light and of
   everything created--move in intelligent created spirits! Finally, how
   must the Light which created everything embrace all His creatures, all
   the multitudes of worlds! Glory to Thee, the Light immaterial and
   uncreated, "which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." [112]

   Most men not only bear Satan's burden willingly in their hearts, but
   they become so accustomed to it that they often do not feel it, and
   even imperceptibly increase it. Sometimes, however, the evil enemy
   increases his burden tenfold, and then they become terribly despondent
   and fainthearted, they murmur and blaspheme God's name. The usual means
   that men of our time take to drive away their anguish
   are--entertainments, cards, dancing, and theatres. But such means
   afterwards increase still more the anguish and weariness of their
   hearts. If, happily, they turn to God, then the burden is removed from
   their heart, and they clearly see that previously the heaviest burden
   was lying on their heart, though frequently they did not feel it. O,
   how many men there are who have "forsaken [God] the Fountain of living
   waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no
   [living] water"! [113] Men have very many such broken cisterns--nearly
   everybody has his own. The broken cisterns are our hearts, our
   passions.

   When you see faults and passions in your neighbour, pray for him; pray
   for everybody, even for your enemy. If you see that your brother is
   proud and stubborn, and behaves proudly either to you or others, pray
   for him, that God may enlighten his mind and warm his heart with the
   fire of His grace, and say: "Lord, teach meekness and humility to Thy
   servant, who has fallen into Satan's pride, and drive from his heart
   the darkness and burden of the evil one's pride." If you see a wrathful
   brother, pray thus: "Lord, make this servant of Thine good through Thy
   grace." If a mercenary and greedy one, pray thus: "Lord, Thou Who art
   our incorruptible Treasury and inexhaustible Riches, grant that this
   servant of Thine, created according to Thy image, may recognise the
   deceitfulness of riches, and that, like all earthly things, they are
   vain, fleeting, delusive. For the days of men are like grass, or like
   the spider's web, and Thou alone art our riches, peace, and joy. "If
   you see an envious man, pray Thus: "Lord, enlighten the mind and the
   heart of this Thy servant, that he may recognise the great,
   innumerable, and unsearchable gifts which he has received through Thy
   boundless generosity; for in the blindness of his passion he has
   forgotten Thee and Thy rich gifts, and although enriched with Thy
   benefits, yet he reckons himself poor, and looks enviously upon the
   blessings which Thou, O our unspeakable Benefactor, hast bestowed upon
   each one of Thy servants, even against their own will, but in
   accordance with Thy purpose. Take away, Most Gracious Master, the
   Devil's veil from the eyes of the heart of Thy servant; grant him
   contrition of heart, tears of repentance and gratitude, so that the
   enemy who has ensnared him alive in his toils may not rejoice over him
   and may not wrest him from Thy hands. "If you see a drunken man, say in
   your heart: "Lord, look mercifully upon Thy servant, allured by the
   flattery of the belly and by carnal merriment; make him understand the
   sweetness of temperance and fasting, and of the fruit of the spirit
   arising therefrom." When you see a man passionately fond of eating, and
   finding all his happiness in this, say: "Lord, Thou art our sweetest
   Food, that never perishes, but leads us unto life eternal! Purify Thy
   servant from the filthiness of gluttony, so carnal and so far from Thy
   Spirit, and grant that he may know the sweetness of Thy Life-giving,
   spiritual food, which is Thy Flesh and Blood, and Thy holy, living, and
   acting word. "In this or in a similar manner pray for all who sin, and
   do not dare to despise anyone for his sin, nor be vindictive, as
   through this you would only aggravate the wounds of those who sin; but
   rather correct them by means of such advice, threats, and punishments
   as may tend to stop or restrain the evil within the limits of
   moderation.

   From the action in our heart of two antagonistic forces, one of which
   firmly resists the other, and forcibly and cunningly invades our heart,
   always slaying it, whilst the other is chastely offended at every
   impurity and quietly withdraws itself from the slightest impurity, and
   when it works in us, appeases, rejoices, vivifies and delights our
   heart--that is, from the two individual antagonistic forces, it is easy
   to be convinced that both undoubtedly exist: the Devil as the constant
   destroyer of men, and Christ as the constant Life-giver and Saviour.
   One is darkness and death; the other, Light and Life. Therefore you who
   love God, if you sometimes notice in your mind and heart extreme
   darkness, affliction, and grief, contraction and unbelief, as a force
   strongly opposing faith in God, then know that the power inimical to
   Christ--the Devil--is within you. This is the dark and destroying
   power, which, having stolen into your heart through any sin, often
   prevents your calling upon Christ and the saints, hiding them from you
   behind the mist of unbelief. Wherefore? In order to torment us, because
   faith saves us from his snares. But it is just this which proves the
   existence of the opposing Sovereign power of God the Christ which the
   Devil keeps us from by the abomination of unbelief, and which can alone
   vanquish, by means of our faith, the evil force and keep it "in
   everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."
   [114] Therefore it is necessary to make every effort to call upon
   Christ the Saviour with perfect faith. It is indispensable for every
   Christian to acquire the habit of turning quickly to God in prayer
   about everything: "in everything by prayer and supplication with
   thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." [115] " In
   everything give thanks," [116] joining your thanksgivings to praises,
   after the example of the angels, exclaiming, Alleluia!

   The greatest gift of God, which we mostly need and which we very often
   obtain from God, through our prayers, is peace or rest of heart. As the
   Lord Himself says: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy
   laden, and I will give you rest." [117] Therefore, having obtained this
   rest, rejoice, and consider yourself as rich and possessing all things.

   Let everybody remember constantly that he is God's--soul and body--and
   that he depends on God for all his spiritual and bodily wants every
   moment of his life; and therefore let him turn to God every time that
   he feels a want of anything (either for the soul or for the body):
   when, for instance, he is oppressed in body or soul--that is, when he
   is stricken by sorrows (spiritual sickness) or by passions (bodily
   sickness); also when he is threatened by the inconstancy of the
   elements (of fire, water, air, storm); likewise when he is about to
   undertake anything. Let him then remember the Author of all things, Who
   created everything from nothing, and Who has bestowed various powers
   upon His creatures, so that they may accomplish many and various works.

   Every good thought presupposes the existence within us of a good and
   higher origin, instructing our soul in holiness. This is evident,
   because it seems as if everything good were somehow hidden in us, and
   that we endeavour in vain to introduce into our heart that which was
   its former inheritance. How true are the words of the Apostle: "What
   hast thou that thou didst not receive [every good thought, all natural
   gifts]? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou
   hadst not received it?" [118]

   We notice in ourselves the struggle between faith and unbelief, between
   the good power and the evil one; and in the world, between the spirit
   of the Church and the spirit of the world. There, through the spirit,
   you will distinguish two clearly antagonistic sides: the side of light
   and the side of darkness; of good and evil; the spirit of the Church
   and of religion, and the spirit of worldliness and unbelief. Do you
   know why it is so? It is owing to the struggle of two antagonistic
   forces: of the power of God and the power of the Devil. The Lord works
   in the sons who are obedient to Him, and the Devil in the sons of
   disobedience (" the spirit that now worketh in the children of
   disobedience" [119] ). And I, too, often feel within me the struggle of
   the same two antagonistic forces. When I stand up to pray, the evil
   force sometimes painfully oppresses and weighs down my heart, so that
   it cannot raise itself to God.

   The surer and stronger are the means that unite us to God (prayer and
   repentance), the more destructive are the actions brought to bear
   against them by God's opponent and ours, who makes use of every means
   to attain this end: our body, so inclined to laziness; the weakness of
   our soul, its attachment to earthly goods and cares; doubt, so near to
   everyone; incredulity, unbelief; impure, evil, and blasphemous
   thoughts; the oppression of the heart, the darkening of the mind--all
   these are brought to bear against the inattentive, through the action
   of the enemy, in order to put a stumbling-block in the way of their
   prayer, on the ladder that leads us up to God. This is the reason why
   so few pray sincerely and heartily; this is the reason why Christians
   so very seldom prepare themselves for Holy Communion--so seldom confess
   and receive the Sacrament.

   Our strength, our soul, is invisible; the soul of animals is also
   invisible; in plants also, their strength, their life, is invisible;
   the whole material world exists and is moved by an invisible power (by
   the laws of nature). In the higher regions there are the heavenly
   powers, pure and free from everything material. Everything heavenly and
   earthly, the highest and the lowest, lead up to a single Almighty
   Power, which has produced every power in heaven and on earth. Thus, let
   every power praise the Only One Power in Three Persons--the Father, the
   Son, and the Holy Ghost. And let all earth-born creatures praise It,
   especially through the all-binding power of love, everywhere diffusing
   life and blessedness.

   For a long time I did not clearly understand how necessary it is that
   our soul should be strengthened by the Holy Ghost. But now the Most
   Gracious Lord has granted to me to know how indispensable this is. Yes,
   it is necessary every moment of our life, just as breathing is; it is
   necessary during prayer and throughout the whole of our life. Unless He
   strengthens our soul, it is constantly inclined to every sin, and,
   therefore, to spiritual death; it becomes enfeebled, loses all power,
   through the evil that enters into the heart, and incapable of any good.
   Without the strengthening of the Holy Ghost, one feels how the heart is
   undermined by various evils, and is ready to sink every moment into
   their abyss. Then it is that our heart must stand firm as upon a rock.
   And this rock is--the Holy Ghost. He strengthens our powers; and when a
   man prays, He strengthens his heart by faith and by the hope of
   receiving that which he prays for. He inflames the soul with love to
   God; He fills the soul with bright, good thoughts, strengthening the
   mind and heart. If the man has any work to accomplish, He strengthens
   his heart by the conviction of the importance and the necessity of his
   labour, and by an invincible patience which overcomes all difficulties.
   He inspires in the man, in his intercourse with people of various
   positions and both sexes, a respect for the human person, who is made
   after God's image--whoever it may be--and is redeemed by the Blood of
   Christ the Lord; and makes him disregard the sometimes very unsightly
   outer appearance of another man's body and dress, as well as his
   roughness of speech and manners. It is the Holy Ghost who unites us all
   through love, as the children of the same Heavenly Father, and in Jesus
   Christ teaches us to pray: "Our Father which art in Heaven . . ."

   Imagine that you see the inaccessible Light from which the light of the
   sun, the moon, and the stars proceeded; that you see the infinite Love
   which sent into the world its only-begotten Son to save the world [120]
   from eternal torment; that you see the Primeval Beauty from which are
   derived all the variety and beauty existing in the world--the variety
   and beauty of plants, stones, shells, fishes, birds, beasts, and all
   human beauty! Imagine that you see the Creator of heaven and earth,
   loving, resplendent with the inaccessible light of His perfections.
   What will you then feel? And the Christian faith prepares us all for
   this vision. Observe the plants: in them are evident (1) the wonderful
   Wisdom, appearing in every part of the plant; (2) the Life-giving
   Power, strengthening and maintaining every part of the plant in its
   proper condition; and (3) the Omnipotence, by which the Eternal Wisdom
   changes the aspect of formless matter so easily, making it answer His
   everlasting intentions and purposes. "But Thou, Lord, art most high for
   evermore." [121] "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me." [122]

   In the same manner as objects situated at a great distance off on the
   earth, though they may be large, are quite invisible from afar if the
   sun is not reflected in them, whilst even small ones are visible a long
   way off if the sun is reflected in them, so it is also amongst men:
   those in whom the Eternal Sun of Righteousness, God, is not reflected
   in His perfections, are only noticeable when quite near by a very few;
   but if the Sun of Righteousness is reflected in them, then they are
   seen by all from a very great distance, they are glorified by all; they
   are people of all places and of all times (the saints); some of them
   shine like the sun, others like the moon, and others like the stars.

   Gazing upon God's creatures and seeing their infinite variety, I see
   myself exalted above all their multitudes by the likeness and image of
   God, by the understanding and by freedom, by the capability of being
   able to examine all of them by means of my intellect, and to wonder at
   the wisdom and graciousness of the Creator as manifested in them. O,
   how I ought to reverence my Creator! O, how I ought to honour the
   authors of my being--my father and my mother! They have given me
   existence for a time--for a time and for eternity; they have led me, in
   accordance with the will of God, Who created me in my mother's womb,
   into the magnificent palace of the world, so that in due time the
   Creator may admit me into the palace of heaven.

   The state or any society is a body. As in the body God has put all the
   members together, and each one separately in their proper places, so
   likewise is the social body. God has set each one in his proper place,
   the deeds of each one being the reason of his occupying this or that
   particular place.

   Everyone sees that light is shed upon the earth from heaven, because
   the sun, the moon, and the stars light us from the heavenly circle.
   This shows that the uncreated wise Light, the Lord our God, dwells
   pre-eminently in the heavens; and from Him every light descends upon
   us, both material and spiritual--the light of the intellect and of the
   heart. "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh
   into the world." [123] "God is love." [124] All thoughts, feelings,
   every disposition of the heart tending to destroy love and create
   enmity, proceed from the Devil. Let this be engraven in your heart, and
   hold fast in every way to love. "Follow after charity." [125] Bear in
   mind: that which is in opposition to the old carnal, sinful man, that
   do; go all your life against his will. This is the object of your life,
   and also your glory in Jesus Christ. "They that are Christ's have
   crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." [126] Stablish in
   your heart the following truth: one thing alone is worthy of all our
   hatred--that is, sin or vice; and towards men nourish exclusively love.
   The royal law is plain: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
   [127]

   When, during prayer, your heart is overwhelmed with despondency and
   melancholy, be sure that these proceed from the Devil endeavouring by
   every means to hinder you in your prayer. Be firm, take courage, and by
   the remembrance of God drive away the deadly feeling. Observe: if no in
   your thoughts, then in your heart, the enemy often endeavours to
   blaspheme the name of Almighty God. What constitutes blasphemy of the
   heart against God? Doubt, unbelief, despondency, impatience under God's
   chastisements, murmuring, and all the passions. By unbelief in God's
   truth and mercy, the enemy utters blasphemy against the truth, mercy,
   and omnipotence of God; by despondency, he blasphemes God's goodness;
   in general, by the outburst of human passions, he blasphemes God's
   all-merciful providence and truth.

   Establish in your mind and heart this truth: that the invisible plays
   the first part in the whole world, in every being; and that when the
   invisible leaves a certain being, the latter loses life and is
   destroyed: so that the visible in beings, without the invisible, forms
   but a mass of earth. I and all men live through an invisible first
   cause--God.

   Men are enveloped in the darkness of ignorance of God, of themselves,
   and of the enemies of their salvation, who can therefore easily rob the
   mental house of our soul--its mental wealth.

   When it is said to the inner man: "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise
   from the dead," [128] the real sleep of the soul, very like the
   ordinary bodily sleep, is meant. Also, when it is said: "My heart,
   awake; why sleepest thou?" the real sleep of the heart is meant, and it
   is not said merely allegorically. When the body sleeps, it is weakened
   in every part and becomes insensible; so likewise the soul, sleeping
   the sleep of sin, becomes weakened in its powers, and insensible to
   everything that concerns faith, hope, and love. Tell it, for instance,
   that the Son of God came down upon earth for it and became man to save
   it from everlasting death; speak to it of His saving teaching, His
   miracles, His sufferings and death upon the Cross, His Resurrection,
   Ascension, and His second coming. The soul cannot understand or contain
   all this; it is unable to feel God's benefits, but is asleep, perfectly
   asleep, to faith, hope, and love. It does not fear the righteous Judge,
   future torments, the worm that never rests, the unquenchable fire. It
   sleeps--it neither hears, nor sees, nor feels. It is remarkable that
   bodily sleep begins with the heart; first of all the heart falls
   asleep, and afterwards the body. The sleeper's eyes are closed and do
   not see, neither do his ears hear; and it is the same with the soul
   that sleeps the sleep of sin. But the soul ought always to see through
   the eyes of the heart, even during sleep, as it is written: "I sleep,
   but my soul waketh." [129]

   You cannot have failed to notice that all our strength lies in the
   heart. When the heart is light, the whole man feels at ease and happy;
   whilst when the heart is heavy, he feels wretched. But this relief you
   can only find in faith, and therefore especially in the Church, as the
   place where faith predominates; here God touches your hearts through
   His cleansing grace, and gives you His easy yoke to bear. This is a
   great mystery, which is worth everyone's knowing. When the heart is
   light, the man is ready to run and leap. This is why David "danced when
   he played before the ark." [130]

   When you are slandered, and therefore grow disturbed and sick at heart,
   it shows that pride is in you, and that it must be wounded and driven
   out by outward dishonour. Therefore do not be irritated by derision,
   and do not bear malice against those who hate you and slander you, but
   love them as your physicians, whom God has sent you to instruct you and
   to teach you humility, and pray to God for them. "Love your enemies,
   bless them that curse you." [131] Say to yourself, "It is not me that
   they slander, but my evil passions; not me that they strike, but that
   viper which nestles in my heart, and smarts when anybody speaks ill of
   it. I will comfort myself with the thought that, perhaps, these good
   people will drive it from my heart by their caustic words, and my heart
   will then cease to ache. "Therefore, thank God for outward dishonour:
   those who endure dishonour here will not be subjected to it in the next
   world." She hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins."
   [132] "Lord, Thou wilt ordain peace for us: for Thou also hast wrought
   all our works for us." [133]

   When you pray that your sins may be forgiven, strengthen yourself
   always by faith, and trust in God's mercy, Who is ever ready to forgive
   our sins after sincere prayer, and fear lest despair should fall on
   your heart--that despair which declares itself by deep despondency and
   forced tears. What are your sins in comparison to God's mercy, whatever
   they be, if only you truly repent of them? But it often happens that
   when a man prays, he does not, in his heart, inwardly hope that his
   sins will be forgiven, counting them as though they were above God's
   mercy. Therefore, he certainly will not obtain forgiveness, even should
   he shed fountains of involuntary tears; and with a sorrowful,
   straitened heart he will depart from the Gracious God: which is only
   what he deserves. "Believe that ye receive them," says the Lord, "and
   ye shall have them." [134] Not to be sure of receiving what you ask God
   for, is a blasphemy against God.

   When there is unbelief in anything true and sacred, the mind is
   generally darkened, the unbelieving heart is oppressed with fear;
   whilst when there is sincere faith, it experiences joy, tranquillity,
   breadth or expansion of life within it, so that the mind becomes bright
   and far-seeing. Is it not evident that truth triumphs over the heart's
   madness? Is not the deceitfulness of the heart manifest? Yes; the
   sufferings of the heart at the time of its unbelief in anything true
   and sacred are a sign of the truth of that in which it does not
   believe. The heart itself dies when it subjects the truth to doubt and
   attempts to destroy that which cannot be destroyed; whilst the
   expansion of the heart when it sincerely believes is also a true sign
   of the truth of that in which it believes, because the object in which
   we believe communicates life to our heart, and renews and strengthens
   this life. Our heart, corrupted by sin, is but a poor receptacle of
   life, for sin is death and not life, and the fulness of life is outside
   us. But as this spiritual life is invisible, and is communicated to us
   according to our faith in the invisible personal life in God, therefore
   it is our lively sincere faith in God that brings life into our heart.
   Without faith, the heart must naturally feel oppression and sorrow, as
   the result of the curtailing and diminution of life. But, besides
   faith, there must also be an accord of our spiritual activity with the
   object of our faith, for man is a moral being.

   "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is
   life and peace." [135] Who will not agree with these words of the
   Apostle? The carnal mind is indeed death. Draw nigh, you who are
   mercenary, covetous, envious, selfish, proud, ambitious, and let us
   look upon you, upon your actions and your life! Disclose to us, if you
   will, the thoughts of your heart! We shall be convinced by you--a
   living example--that the carnal mind is death. You do not live the true
   life; you are spiritually dead; you that have freedom are inwardly
   bound; you that have intelligence are as the foolish, because "the
   light that is in thee is darkness." [136] You have received from God a
   heart capable of delighting in everything that is true, holy, good, and
   beautiful; but by the carnal mind you have stifled in it all noble
   feelings, all noble impulses; you have become a corpse; "ye have no
   life in you." [137] But "to be spiritually minded is life and peace."
   Let any Christian man, leading the life of faith, destroying the
   passions within him, and thinking "whatsoever things are true,
   whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever
   things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of
   good report; if there be any virtue and if there be any praise," [138]
   come to us, and tell us what he feels in his soul from the mind of the
   Spirit. He will say, "I feel in my heart continual peace and joy in the
   Holy Ghost," [139] my heart expands, I feel an abundance of life. I
   mock at everything carnal; I wonder how it can have such a great power
   over the hearts of carnal men, and I give myself up to the continual
   contemplation of the heavenly, spiritual, invisible blessings prepared
   for those who love God."

   Alas! many are led astray by the gift of freedom, given by God to men,
   and by the possibility of being good and evil; and after having fallen
   into sin, men are more easily inclined to evil than to good. They blame
   the Creator, and say: "Why did God create us thus, and why did He not
   create us so that we could not fall and do evil?" Whilst others ascribe
   the corruption of man by sin to the imperfection of nature, setting
   aside God in their thoughts, and considering the whole world, with all
   its phenomena and objects, as something impersonal, not independent,
   not a free creation, of which they themselves are parts. This is what
   estrangement from the Church does! Into what ignorance have you
   sophists fallen! Meanwhile our children know clearly, exactly, and
   surely that which you do not know. You blame the Creator; but is He to
   blame if you yourself, through inattention to His voice, through your
   own evil nature and ingratitude, have abused the greatest gift of His
   goodness, great wisdom, and omnipotence--I mean the gift of freedom,
   which is an imprescriptible feature of God's image? Should He not be
   acknowledged the more merciful for having granted this gift to men,
   unshaken by the ingratitude of those who receive it, so that His
   goodness might shine upon all brighter than the sun? And has He not
   indeed proved His boundless love and infinite wisdom in bestowing upon
   us the gift of freedom, when, after our having fallen into sin, after
   our estrangement from Him, and our spiritual ruin, He sent into the
   world His only begotten Son "in an image made like to corruptible man,"
   [140] and gave Him to suffer and die for us? Who, after this, will
   blame the Creator for having given us freedom? "Let God be true, but
   every man a liar." [141] Work out your own salvation, each one of you;
   struggle, vanquish, but do not think yourself most wise; do not accuse
   the Creator of being unmerciful and unwise; do not blaspheme the
   all-merciful God. Raise yourself through love; ascend higher and
   higher, step by step, to spiritual perfection, which it is impossible
   to obtain without freedom. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
   Father which is in heaven is perfect." [142]

   In our body, during all our lifetime, a war goes on between the
   principles of life and death, of good and evil, of sickness and health.
   The principles of death, being for a long time conquered by the
   principles of life (vitality), at last overpower the principles of
   life, because our body, being elementary and sinful, does not in itself
   contain any principles of life, but borrows them from the soul, which,
   through sin, also bears in itself many of the principles of death, and
   is too weak to be able to resist the principles of mortality existing
   in the soul itself. Besides this, the inner man is renewed at the
   expense of the corruption of his outward parts. The vigilant,
   ever-active spirit, by the exertion of this very activity, finally
   destroys the weak frail body. Besides this, hereditary bodily diseases
   in course of time increase more and more, and also destroy the bodily
   organism. Thus the life of man on earth is a gradual daily dying. And
   our passions? How much of our health they too bear away! And
   intemperance, excesses in eating, drinking, sleeping, and pleasures?
   How all these impair the health! Therefore, if our body is continually
   wasted, and visibly approaches its end, let us despise it as transient,
   and care with all our strength for the immortal soul. The body is a
   faithless, fleeting friend.

   We possess a true barometer which shows the rise and fall of our
   spiritual life--that is, our heart. It may also be called a compass, by
   means of which we are guided in our voyage over the sea of this life.
   It shows us whither we are going--to the spiritual east, to Christ; or
   to the spiritual west, the dark power that has the power of death--the
   Devil. Only watch this compass attentively; it will not deceive, and
   will show you the true way. "If our heart condemn us not, then have we
   confidence toward God" [143] --that is, we are drawing nigh to the
   east.

   That which a man loves, to which he turns, that he will find. If he
   loves earthly things, he will find earthly things, and these earthly
   things will abide in his heart, will communicate their earthliness to
   him and will find him; if he loves heavenly things, he will find
   heavenly things, and they will abide in his heart and give him life. We
   must not set our hearts upon anything earthly, for the spirit of evil
   is incorporated in all earthly things when we use them immoderately and
   in excess, this spirit having become earthly by excessive opposition to
   God.

   When God is present in all a man's thoughts, desires, intentions,
   words, and works, then it means that the kingdom of God has come to
   him; then he sees God in everything--in the world of thought, in the
   world of action, and in the material world; then the omnipresence of
   God is most clearly revealed to him, and a genuine fear of God dwells
   in his heart: he seeks every moment to please God, and fears every
   moment lest he may sin against God, present at his right hand. "Thy
   kingdom come!"

   Examine yourself oftener; where the eyes of your heart are looking. Are
   they turned towards God and the life to come, towards the most
   peaceful, blessed, resplendent, heavenly, holy powers dwelling in
   heaven? Or are they turned towards the world, towards earthly
   blessings; to food, drink, dress, abode, to sinful vain men and their
   occupations? O that the eyes of our heart were always fixed upon God!
   But it is only in need or misfortune that we turn our eyes to the Lord,
   whilst in the time of prosperity our eyes are turned towards the world
   and its vain works. But what, you would ask, will this looking to God
   bring me? It will bring the deepest peace and tranquillity to your
   heart, light to your mind, holy zeal to your will, and deliverance from
   the snares of the enemy. "Mine eyes are ever looking unto the Lord,"
   said David, and gave the reason for it: "For He shall pluck my feet out
   of the net." [144] "For He shall speak peace unto His people and to his
   saints, that they turn not again." [145]

   When you doubt in the truth of any person or any event described in
   Holy Scripture, then remember that "all Scripture is given by
   inspiration of God," [146] as the Apostle says, and is therefore true,
   and does not contain any imaginary persons, fables, and tales, although
   it includes parables which everyone can see are not true narratives,
   but are written in figurative language. The whole of the Word of God is
   single, entire, indivisible truth; and if you admit that any narrative,
   sentence, or word is untrue, then you sin against the truth of the
   whole of Holy Scripture and its primordial Truth, which is God Himself.
   "I am the truth," [147] said the Lord; "Thy word is truth," [148] said
   Jesus Christ to God the Father. Thus, consider the whole of the Holy
   Scripture as truth; everything that is said in it has either taken
   place or takes place.

   Do not give way to the dark evil inclinations in your heart against
   your neighbour, but conquer them and uproot them by the power of faith,
   by the light of a sound mind, and you will become kind and gentle. "I
   have walked innocently." [149] Such inclinations frequently arise in
   the depths of the heart. He who has not learned to subdue them will be
   often gloomy, melancholy, a burden to himself and to others. When they
   come to you, force yourself to be cordially disposed; to mirth and
   innocent jests; and the evil inclinations will be dispersed like smoke.
   This is from experience.

   It is a strange phenomenon in our nature, perverted by sin, to hate
   those to whom we do good, and to make them pay for our benefits by
   disliking them! Oh, how narrow and poor in love and grace is our heart!
   How selfish it is! The enemy may well mock at us; he wishes to destroy
   the fruits of our good works. But the more good you do to others, the
   more you must love them, knowing that those who receive your benefits
   serve as a pledge to you of your receiving forgiveness from God.

   In asking anything of the Lord, or of His Most-pure Mother, or of the
   Angels and Saints, it is needful to have such faith as the centurion of
   Capernaum had. [150] He believed that in the same manner as his
   soldiers obeyed him and fulfilled his words, so much more, at the
   Almighty Word of the All-merciful God, his request would be fulfilled.
   If creatures with their limited powers fulfilled that which He asked
   them to do, then will not the Master Himself through His Almighty power
   fulfil the requests of His servants who turn to Him with faith and
   hope? Will not the Most-pure Mother of God, the Angels and Saints, His
   true servants mighty through grace and in intercession with God, also
   fulfil our requests offered with faith, hope, and love? They will
   indeed; and I believe, with the centurion, that if I pray as I ought,
   and for what I ought, to any Saint: Grant me this, he will grant it to
   me; Come to my help, he will come; Do this, and he will do it. This is
   the simple, firm faith that we must have!

   Every lying thought bears in itself a proof of its falsehood. This
   proof is its deadly effect upon the heart; "for to be carnally minded
   is death." [151] Likewise every true thought contains in itself a proof
   of its truth. This proof is its vivifying effect upon the heart; "but
   to be spiritually minded is life and peace," [152] says the Apostle.

   "Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul: that the thoughts of
   many hearts may be revealed." [153] It was thus with the Mother of the
   Lord in the full sense of the words; it is also thus with other good
   and God-fearing persons, and their souls also are pierced with a sword
   in order that the thoughts of the hearts of those who come in contact
   with them may be disclosed; that is, sometimes God places them in such
   relations with other people in whose souls much hidden evil lies
   concealed, that they involuntarily speak out from the abundance of the
   evil within them, and it flows from their lips like a foul stream or
   like a whole river. Then they begin to do deeds unworthy of the name of
   man, and it is only after this that others learn what these persons
   were inwardly who were previously considered wise, learned, and
   estimable (the scribes and pharisees--both of old and of the present
   time).

   "Thy kingdom come;" that is, the kingdom of life, for at present the
   kingdom of death continues for the greater part under the dominion of
   him who has the power of death--the Devil. How can the kingdom of God
   come to a man during his present life? Through hearty repentance.
   "Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.", [154] Let the
   impious man then give up his godless opinions, the mercenary his love
   of money, the deceiver his deceitfulness, the drunkard his drinking,
   the glutton his gluttony, the dissolute his dissipation, the proud his
   pride, the vain his vanity, the envious, the insatiable, his envy and
   his insatiableness, the impatient and murmurer his impatience and
   murmuring, and let everyone learn to do the acts of Christian love, and
   especially "to bear the infirmities of the weak." [155]

   Outward prayer is often performed at the expense of inward prayer, and
   inward at the expense of outward; that is, when I pray with my lips or
   read, then many words do not penetrate into the heart, I become double
   minded and hypocritical; with my lips I say one thing, whilst in my
   heart I feel another. The lips speak truth, whilst the disposition of
   the heart does not agree with the words of the prayer. But if I pray
   inwardly, heartily, then, without paying attention to the pronunciation
   of the words, I concentrate it upon their contents, their power,
   gradually accustoming my heart to the truth, and thus entering into the
   same disposition of spirit in which the words of the prayer were
   written. In this way I accustom myself, little by little, to pray in
   spirit and truth in accordance with the words of the Eternal Truth:
   "They that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." [156]
   When a man prays outwardly aloud, then he cannot always follow all the
   movements of his heart, which are so rapid that he is necessarily
   obliged to pay attention to the pronunciation of the words, and to
   their outward form. Thus the prayers of many of the clergy who read
   rapidly become quite untrue: with their lips they seem to pray; in
   appearance they are pious, but their hearts are asleep, and do not know
   what their lips say. This proceeds from the fact that they hurry, and
   do not meditate in their hearts upon what they are saying. We must pray
   for them, as they pray for us; we must pray that their words may
   penetrate into their hearts and breathe warmth into them. They pray for
   us in the words of holy persons, and we must pray for them also.

   We sin in thought, word, and deed. In order to become pure images of
   the Most Holy Trinity, we must strive that our thoughts, words, and
   deeds may be holy. Thought corresponds, in God, to the Father, the word
   to the Son, and the deed to the all accomplishing Holy Ghost. The sins
   of thought are not an unimportant matter for the Christian, because all
   that is pleasing to God in us is comprised, according to Saint Macarius
   of Egypt, in thoughts, for the thoughts are the beginning from which
   words and deeds proceed: words, because they either benefit those who
   hear them or are corrupt and tempt others, perverting their hearts and
   thoughts; and deeds, still more, because examples act more powerfully
   than anything upon people, inciting them to imitate them.

   Your Lord is love: love Him and in Him all men, as His children in
   Christ. Your Lord is a fire: do not let your heart be cold, but burn
   with faith and love. Your Lord is light: do not walk in darkness and do
   not do anything in darkness of mind, without reasoning or
   understanding, or without faith. Your Lord is a God of mercy and
   bountifulness: be also a source of mercy and bountifulness to your
   neighbours. If you will be such, you will find salvation yourself with
   everlasting glory.

   He who says prayers hurriedly, without hearty understanding and
   feeling, being conquered by his slothful, sleepy flesh, does not serve
   God, but serves his own flesh, his self-love, and reviles God by his
   inattention and the indifference of his heart to prayer: "God is a
   spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in
   truth" [157] --not hypocritically. However slothful and weak your flesh
   may be, however inclined to sleep you may be, conquer yourself; do not
   spare yourself for God; renounce yourself; let your gift to God be
   perfect; give God your heart.

   "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth His
   handy-work. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth
   knowledge." [158] This silent but evident declaration of the heavens of
   their creation by the Almighty has reached even us, and there is no
   language or dialect in which this declaration is not understood. And
   now, since the time of the Incarnation of the Son of God, all the glory
   of God, the glory of His love towards mankind, as well as the glory of
   creation, is declared unto us by the Gospel and the Holy Church; by the
   voices of the preachers of the Gospel; by those who celebrate the
   Sacraments and prayers; that is, the priests, readers, and singers; by
   the sound of bells, not excluding also the preaching of the heavens
   with their luminaries. But the preaching of the living voice is more
   lively, more intelligible and striking. The glory of the Lord is
   declared by all the earth, and by all earthly beings.

   In all your works, either at home or at the place of your service, do
   not forget that all your strength, your light and your success are in
   Christ and His Cross; therefore, do not fail to call upon the Lord
   before beginning any work, saying: Jesus, help me! Jesus, enlighten me!
   Thus your heart will be supported and warmed by lively faith and hope
   in Christ, for His is the power and glory unto ages of ages.

   Take care; do not forget, Christian; never lose hearty faith in Him Who
   is your invisible Life, your Peace, your Light, your Strength, your
   Breath; that is, in Jesus Christ. Do not believe your heart when it
   becomes gross, darkened, unbelieving, and cold from plenteousness of
   food and drink, from worldly distractions, or finally when you live by
   the intellect, and not by the heart; that is, when you exercise the
   intellect and neglect the heart, or, when you enlarge and adorn the
   net, leaving the fisherman himself in poverty and need; for the heart,
   comparatively speaking, is the hunter or fisherman whilst the intellect
   is the fisherman's net.

   In times of rest, ease, and gratification of the flesh, the latter
   revives with all its passions and inclinations, whilst in times of
   oppression, vexation, and weariness, it is subdued with all its
   passions; this is why, in His wisdom and mercy, the Heavenly Father
   subjects our soul and body to grievous afflictions and sicknesses, and
   this is why we must not only patiently endure these afflictions and
   sicknesses, but must rejoice in them, even more than in a state of
   spiritual calm, ease, and bodily health, for the spiritual condition of
   the man who is not subjected to spiritual afflictions or bodily
   sicknesses must undoubtedly be bad, especially during an abundance of
   earthly blessings; his heart imperceptibly generates all kinds of sins
   and passions, and exposes him to spiritual death.

   Remember that the Lord is in every Christian. When your neighbour comes
   to you, always have great respect for him, because the Lord is in him,
   and often expresses his will through him. "It is God which worketh in
   you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." [159] Therefore, do
   not grudge anything to your brother, but do unto him as unto the Lord;
   especially as you do not know in whom the Lord will come and visit you;
   be impartial to all, be kind to all, sincere and hospitable. Remember
   that sometimes God speaks even through unbelievers, or disposes their
   hearts towards us, as it happened in Egypt when the Lord gave Joseph
   favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. [160]

   My heart finds its peace in the highest, in spiritual things and not in
   earthly and material ones. Grant, Lord, that I may ever meditate on the
   highest, and entirely renounce earthly wisdom. My trust is in Thy
   goodness! "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh
   my help." [161]

   As the word of the man reveals what is in his mind and heart (reveals
   the mind--unseen, dominating, and creating), and as the breath proceeds
   from the man through the word, revealing the mind or the thought, so,
   somewhat similarly, the Word of God reveals to us the Father--that
   great all-creating Mind--and, through the Word, the Holy Ghost, the
   life-giving Spirit, Which is the power of the Highest, eternally
   proceeds from the Father and is revealed to men. "The power of the
   Highest shall overshadow Thee." [162] Now the words of the Saviour are
   comprehensible: "No man knoweth the Son but the Father; neither knoweth
   any man the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will
   reveal Him." [163] That is, only the Son reveals the Father unto men,
   as our word reveals our thought hidden in the soul. Such is the
   closeness of the union between the Father and the Son! And every Person
   has Its particular dominion and Its own, so to say, work. And,
   therefore, the Lord said to his disciples: "If I go not away, the
   Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart I will send Him unto
   you." [164] Glory to Thee, Son of God, Who hath revealed unto us the
   Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity--the Father, the Son, and the Holy
   Ghost! Thy Word is truth; we live by all and each separate word of
   Thine. They are our sweetness, peace, and life; especially the words
   concerning the Comforter.

   Strengthen yourself by the undoubting invocation of the Holy Ghost the
   Comforter. He is well known to you. You so often invoke Him upon the
   Holy Gifts, and He, at your prayer, unfailingly and continually
   transubstantiates them, and you yourself partake again and again of the
   fruits of His divine acts.

   You must preserve with the greatest care in your frail vessel, in your
   heart, the treasure of the Spirit, "the rivers of living water in your
   belly"; [165] you must watch your heart, must be kind, and refrain from
   irritability and movements of self-love, from attachments to earthly
   things, and from impure risings of the flesh; otherwise, the priceless
   treasure of the Spirit will immediately leave you, peace and joy will
   vanish from your heart together with that feeling of the extraordinary,
   angelic, spiritual lightness of the soul, soaring free; the rivers of
   living water, which only until then flowed and abundantly supplied the
   furrows of the soul, will also vanish, the soul will be filled with a
   strange fire, cruelly burning it within, depriving it of peace and joy,
   filling it with affliction and oppression, and inciting it to
   irritability and blasphemy. So manifest, so sharply defined is the
   change within us of the kingdom of God into the kingdom of the enemy,
   the kingdom of life into the kingdom of death! The Christian sees this
   with his inward eyes, and marvels at the truth and holiness of God;
   marvels also at the watchfulness of the enemy, who ever, "as a roaring
   lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour." [166]

   God the Father is--life, God the Son is--life, God the Holy Ghost
   is--life: The Holy Trinity is--life. Life is in the name of the Father,
   the Son, and the Holy Ghost; if you deny in your heart the Father, you
   deny the life of your heart; if you deny the Son, you deny your life;
   if you deny the Holy Ghost, you also deny your life. So that your doubt
   will bring spiritual death into your heart, sorrow and painful
   oppression, whilst God will remain the God of life in three Persons; if
   you cast away doubt from your heart, and acknowledge with your whole
   heart all the Three Persons as your God, as your life, then life will
   again enter into your heart.

   Whilst reading or listening to sacred works, honour heartily in those
   who wrote them the image of God the Word, or God the Word Himself,
   speaking through them. Remember always, whilst reading books of
   spiritual or worldly contents, that man is God's image and that this
   image of God is in the thought, word, and spirit through which he
   speaks. Accustom yourself always to look upon every man with deep
   respect, as upon the image of God, but especially when he speaks, and
   above all when he speaks of God. Oh, how divine he is then! From being
   accustomed to men, from being acquainted with them, with their everyday
   life, from being accustomed to the gift of speech in ourselves and in
   others, we set little value upon this gift, we even sometimes despise
   it in others; and thus the devil, through our self-love and
   inattention, blasphemes the image of God in men. We must by every means
   humble our hearts and subdue our proud intellect, lest we should be
   like the contemporaries of the prophets, who looked on them only as
   sweet-voiced singers, and nothing more; they did not wish to fulfil
   their commands, they even despised, persecuted, beat, and killed them;
   lest we should be like those, by whom "no prophet is accepted in his
   own country." [167] However insignificant and unimportant the man may
   be, honour in him the image of God, especially when he speaks with
   love, and, above all, when he speaks of and does the works of love.

   Let us suppose that you have written a book about the Holy Trinity, and
   have printed a thousand copies of it, or, perhaps, as many as you
   liked. And in all these copies of your book there is not only the same
   spirit, but also the same words, and they all have the same form. It is
   thus with the offering of the Body of Christ. It is offered throughout
   the universe in an innumerable multitude of churches. The same Trinity
   acts on all Christian altars; in every lamb [168] there is the one same
   Christ and His Spirit, as the contents are in the book. Everywhere the
   offering has the one same form, and thus this most holy mystery is like
   a single great sacred book of the Lord's love to mankind, prepared in
   innumerable quantities throughout the universe under the one same form
   and with the one same spirit living in it, in Whom love abounds, and
   Who took upon Himself the sins of the world--that is, the Spirit of
   Christ. Here is another similarity. There are multitudes of individual
   human beings upon the earth; they all have the same bodily shape, the
   same soul, with similar, though not identical, capabilities; and all
   these beings have one name--that of man. All men are similar to each
   other, and have sprung from the same origin, primarily from God the
   Father, the Son, and His Spirit, and afterwards from one pair. This is
   why, amongst other things, God's law commands us to love everyone as
   ourself, because of the identity of our nature. Thus, you see many
   persons, and they are one by the identity of the nature of their soul
   and body. Likewise the Lord, in His life-giving Mysteries--wherever
   they are offered--is eternally the sole, indivisible, Creator, "and
   hath made of one blood all nations of men." [169] Through His one
   Spirit, living in the Holy Sacrament of the Body and Blood, celebrated
   in all the churches of the world, He wishes to unite us to Himself--we
   who have fallen from union with Him through sin and obedience to the
   Devil--and to cut off and cleanse that which in all of us prevents
   union with Him and with each other," that they all may be one; as Thou,
   Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us."
   [170] Such is the object of the mystery of the Communion.

   Why is it wonderful that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood
   of Christ, and that Christ rests in them as the soul rests in the body?
   Why is it wonderful when the Devil nestles in a tiny germ (in the
   heart) of the infant, and grows stronger with the growth of the body,
   so that afterwards the infant is born with the Devil already concealed
   and nestling in its heart? O, what infinite goodness and wisdom the
   Lord has shown by giving us the most pure Mysteries of His Body and
   Blood, and by the fact that they are received by Christians into their
   very hearts--that is, there where the Devil nestles, having the power
   of sin and "the power of death" [171] --as a perfect antidote to bestow
   upon us life and holiness, and to drive away sin and death! Just as
   undoubtedly as the Devil and every sin often nestles in our hearts, so
   undoubtedly does Christ, the life-giver, our sanctification, dwell in
   our hearts. Our Lord is mightier than the Devil. If the Devil still
   lives and works in our hearts through our attachments to earthly
   things, then how shall not Christ enter into our heart, through faith
   and repentance, when it was created to be the temple of God? How shall
   not Christ enter into our heart precisely in His Blood and Flesh,
   corresponding with our spirituality and our fleshliness? Also, if the
   Devil can give life and speech to the image of the beast, [172] then
   cannot Christ dwell in the bread and wine, transforming them, and
   completely assimilating them to Himself as His Flesh and Blood?

   A burning-glass only sets fire to wood, paper, or any other combustible
   material when we place it in such a position that the rays of the sun,
   concentrated in the focus of the glass, being all concentrated upon one
   point of the object, will act upon it through their entire combined
   power, and thus direct on the object, as it were, the whole sun on a
   small scale. It is thus also during prayer, when our souls are warmed,
   vivified, and inflamed by the wise sun--God, when through our
   intellect, acting like the burning-glass, we direct upon our heart, as
   the spiritual point of our being, the mental Sun, and when it acts upon
   the heart with all its singleness and power. Likewise in regard to the
   Mother of God, the angels, and the saints. Fix upon your heart their
   images as they are, with all their power and sanctity; let your heart
   receive enlightenment from them with all possible fulness and power,
   and become inflamed by the abundance of their love as by the action of
   fire--their holiness, purity, goodness, and strength will be
   communicated to your heart; it will itself be cleansed, itself be
   strengthened in faith and love; and the more resolutely, the more
   constantly, your heart is turned towards God and His saints the more it
   will be enlightened, purified, and vivified.

   If you invoke any saint doubting that he is near you and hears you, and
   your heart is oppressed and contracted, conquer yourself, or, rather,
   overcome, with the help of the Lord Jesus Christ, the calumniator (the
   Devil) nestling in your heart; call upon the saint with the hearty
   assurance that he is near you in the Holy Ghost and hears your prayer,
   and you will at once feel relieved. Oppression and weariness of heart
   during prayer proceed from want of sincerity, from the deceitfulness
   and craftiness of our heart, in the same manner as when, during
   ordinary conversation with other people, we feel inwardly ill at ease
   if we do not speak to them from the heart, but untruthfully,
   insincerely. "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks." [173] Be
   true in heart always and everywhere, and you will always and everywhere
   have peace, but especially be true in your converse with God and the
   saints, "because the spirit is truth." [174]

   When praying, we must pronounce each word from the heart with the same
   power that is contained in each one of them, just as medicines are
   usually taken with a curative power corresponding to each of them, and
   bestowed upon them by the Creator. If we leave out the power or the
   essence of the medicine then it will not take effect, but will only set
   our teeth on edge; likewise, if during prayer we pronounce the words,
   disregarding their power, without feeling in our heart their truth, we
   shall not derive any benefit from the prayer, because true, fruitful
   prayer must be in spirit and in truth. The words of the prayer
   correspond to the component parts and the different ingredients of the
   medicine, each of them having its own power and forming together a
   curative dose for the body. In the same way as chemists preserve the
   power of the aromatic medicinal ingredients, keeping them firmly
   stoppered in glass or other vessels, so we must firmly preserve the
   power of each word in our heart as in a vessel, and not pronounce it
   otherwise than with a power corresponding to it.

   When praying, we must represent to ourselves the whole of creation as
   nothing before God, and God alone as everything, containing everything
   as a drop of water, existing, moving in everything, and vivifying
   everything.

   Prayer is a golden link connecting the Christian man, the wanderer and
   the stranger upon earth, with the spiritual world of which he is a
   member, and, above all, with God the Source of life. The soul came
   forth from God, and to God may it ever ascend through prayer. There is
   great benefit from prayer to those who pray: it gives rest to the soul
   and the body; it gives rest not only to the soul of him who prays ("I
   will give you rest'') [175] but also to the souls of our departed
   forefathers, to our fathers and brothers. See how important prayer is!

   As smoke from burning wood ascends in the air, so also the soul ascends
   from the body given over to the burning of corruption.

   Conscience in men is nothing else but the voice of the omnipresent God
   moving in the hearts of men, as He Who alone Is and has created
   everything, the Lord, knows all as Himself--all the thoughts, desires,
   intentions, words, and works of men, present, past, and future. However
   far in front I may let my thoughts, my imagination run, He is there
   before me and I ever inevitably finish my course in Him, ever having
   Him as the witness of my ways. "His eyes are open upon all the ways of
   the sons of men." [176] "Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit, or whither
   shall I flee from Thy presence?" [177]

   Here before us is a living man. His eyes are fixed upon us, his ears
   are open to hear; his soul and body are before us, but we see the body
   and not the soul: we do not see his thoughts, his desires, his
   intentions, although there is not an instant during which his soul does
   not think and live in a corresponding manner. So also before us, around
   us, and within us is visible nature, all God's beautiful world; in it
   we see everywhere life, harmoninous order, action, but we do not see
   the Author of life and order, we do not see the Great Architect
   Himself, although meanwhile he is present at every moment in every
   place, as the soul in the body, though He is not limited by it; there
   is not a fraction of a moment during which He, as the All-perfect,
   Most-wise, All-merciful, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Almighty Spirit, does
   not think, does not shower benefits and wisdom upon His creatures.
   There is not a fraction of a moment during which He does not apply His
   wisdom and omnipotence, for God is a Self-acting Being, infinitely
   productive. Thus you look upon the world, but look upon it and observe
   everywhere in it its Author--God, everywhere present in it, filling
   everything, moving in everything, and ordering everything.

   The conscience of every man is a ray of light from the one
   all-enlightening spiritual Sun--God. Through the conscience God rules
   over all, as a righteous and Almighty King. And how mighty is His
   empire through the conscience! Nobody is strong enough to completely
   silence its voice! It speaks impartially to all and to each, as the
   voice of God Himself! Through the conscience we are all as one man
   before God. This is why it seems as if the Ten Commandments referred to
   one man:--"I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have no other gods . . .
   .; thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image; thou shalt not take
   the name of the Lord thy God in vain . . . . Remember the Sabbath Day .
   . . . Honour thy father and thy mother; thou shalt not kill; thou shalt
   not commit adultery; thou shall not steal; thou shalt not bear false
   witness; thou shalt not covet;" [178] or, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy
   God with all thy heart" . . . . and "thy neighbour as thyself," [179]
   because "he" is exactly the same as "I."

   "Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
   [180] This is a great commandment! It is absolutely necessary to fulfil
   it. "To keep the unity of the Spirit." This the Son of God ever
   desired, and still desires. For this He prayed, and still prays, to His
   Father. "Holy Father! keep through Thine own name," prayed the Lord for
   His disciples, "those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one as
   We are. . . . Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which
   shall believe on Me through their word: that they all may be one; that
   the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me." [181] You see,
   therefore, that our unity through the Spirit, through life, loudly
   proves also the Divinity of the Founder of our faith, the Lord Jesus
   Christ. He, who wishes to unite all, to make all as one soul, and does
   so, came forth from the One God, Who created all things, Who has united
   all things under Him, and Who wishes to raise even those who have
   separated themselves from union by disobedience, to union with Him
   through faith and obedience. The teachers who have not come from God,
   who were not called of Him, not sent by Him ("I have not sent these
   prophets, yet they ran" [182] ; "No man taketh this honour unto
   himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron" [183] ), usually
   bring into the company of men disunion, diversity of opinion, and thus
   clearly prove that they are not of God. Such was Luther, such are other
   teachers of dissent, such are all heretics. They have divided the one
   Church of God, have cut into parts the indivisible, the united
   plurality, united under the one Head of the Church--Christ, animated by
   the one Spirit of God, and have thus proved that they were instruments
   of the Devil, who strives in every way to divide, scatter, and disperse
   the Lord's sheep. "The wolf catcheth them and scattereth the sheep."
   [184] Glory to the Christian Orthodox faith! Its true fruit ever was,
   and is, the unity of the faithful between themselves through love and
   the community of spiritual and material blessings. The farther
   Christians remove themselves from the spirit of their faith, the more
   they become divided by self-love; the more they are absorbed in
   themselves, the lesser community they have in spiritual and material
   blessings--especially of material ones with those in want--love becomes
   exhausted in them, and mankind more distressed. True Christianity
   brings felicity even upon earth, for it looks upon Christians as one
   great body, whose members are honourable and dishonourable, not by
   birth, but by their calling and deeds, strong and weak, rich and poor,
   and the Spirit of God intercedes in the souls of the rich or strong on
   behalf of the poor and needy--through the community of spiritual and
   material blessings. "The multitude of them that believed were of one
   heart and of one soul." [185] (It is to the honour of Russia that, in
   the time of the famine, she rendered unanimous succour to those
   suffering from the bad harvest.)

   Dislike, enmity, or hatred should be unknown amongst Christians even by
   name. How can dislike exist amongst Christians? Everywhere you see
   love, everywhere you breathe the fragrance of love. Our God is the God
   of love. His kingdom is the kingdom of love. From love to us He did not
   spare His only-begotten Son, but delivered Him up to die for our sakes,
   "to be the propitiation for our sins." [186] In your home you see love
   in those around, for they are sealed in baptism and chrism with the
   cross of love, and wear the cross; they also partake with you in church
   of the "supper of love." [187] In church there are everywhere symbols
   of love: crosses, the sign of the cross, the saints who were pleasing
   to God by their love to Him and to their neighbour, and Incarnate Love
   Itself. In heaven and upon earth everywhere there is love. It rests and
   rejoices the heart, like God, whilst enmity kills the soul and the
   body. And you must show love, always and everywhere. How can you not
   love when everywhere you hear love preached, when only the destroyer of
   mankind, the devil, is eternal enmity!

   "He that spared not His own Son . . . how shall He not with Him also
   freely give us all things." [188] The essential, the greatest is given;
   everything else that we ask or pray for is infinitely less than the Son
   of God. We may therefore ask God for everything trustfully in the name
   of Jesus Christ, every blessing or gift that we can think of, for
   "Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father
   may be glorified in the Son." [189] Do you pray for the forgiveness of
   the sins or for the repose of the souls of the departed? "He is the
   propitiation for the sins of the whole world." [190] "The Blood of
   Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." [191] He can forgive
   even the departed every sin committed by them in word, deed, or
   thought. "He is the resurrection, the life and the repose of His
   departed servants". . . Would you ask anything of Him for the living
   and for yourself? "Ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."
   [192]

   As the number of stars in heaven is known to the Lord, so the number of
   the angels of heaven and the number of their thoughts are known to Him;
   as the number of the grains of the sand of the sea, and of the
   creatures of the whole earth, with their organs and component parts,
   both great and infinitely small, are known to Him; as the number of
   atoms of all elements, small unto infinite infinity, is known to Him,
   so the number of the whole human race, which was, which is, and which
   shall be, is known to Him, as well as the number of all the thoughts of
   those who were, who are, and who will be, and the number of movements
   of their hearts, of their words and deeds. As in material nature
   nothing is concealed from Him, not the smallest atom is lost--for how
   can that which was created by God be destroyed without Him, without His
   will--so likewise in spiritual nature, not a single thought, not a
   single idea, not a single movement of the heart, desire or deed are
   lost for Him--all are counted up in their treasuries in their right
   number and measure; that is, in the quantity, degree, and power that
   they really were, excepting the evil thoughts, desires, words, and acts
   confessed or expiated by amendment of life. The number of all the atoms
   of the earth and of the atoms of earthly creatures, as well as the
   number of thoughts and movements of the human spirit, are in this
   respect completely parallel. Indeed, if that which is created,
   subordinate, and dead is not destroyed of itself, then how can that be
   destroyed which has itself received from God the capability of
   creating, and which is dominating, living? I mean thought, clothing
   itself in words, and the very author of thought, the soul. And thus, as
   this is impossible, prepare yourselves, mortals, to answer at the
   judgment for all your thoughts, desires, words, for all your deeds,
   good and evil, which await you there, and which were sent there
   beforehand by you from earth--the good and the evil, unconfessed or not
   expiated by opposite thoughts, desires and deeds. For all these God
   will bring you to judgment. Most Merciful Lord! "Enter not into
   judgment with Thy servants." [193] "If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark
   iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" [194]

   As the greatest luminary is reflected in infinitely small earthly
   bodies, in their innumerable multitudes, and man's image is reflected
   in the small pupils of the eyes, so the spiritual Sun, Christ, is
   represented in small beings, in men, in their infinite multitudes, also
   in the smallest particles of His Body and Blood, because the
   First--Life Eternal--is most simple and individual. As the sun, being
   reflected in a multitude of great and small bodies, lights the whole
   world, covering it all; so it is with the Lord.

   The one same wind, but in an innumerable multitude of places, creates
   diverse powers: so the one same Spirit of God, but in innumerable
   assemblies of angels, manifests His power and strength, and in all holy
   men "bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof."
   [195]

   "The Lord keeps" not only "all the bones," [196] but also the images of
   the saints, not allowing them to perish through corruption, through
   carelessness and neglect, but miraculously recovering them, as we know
   from descriptions of the appearances of thaumaturgical icons,
   especially of that of the most pure Mother of God--our Lady. So dear to
   God is the image of man, especially that of a holy man, as a vessel of
   grace. Through such images He works miracles and bestows invisible
   powers of healing and consolation.

   "God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things." [197] .
   Through our spiritual vision we see and know the smallest movements of
   the heart, all our thoughts, desires and intentions in general, almost
   everything that is in our soul. But God is greater than our heart. He
   is within us and around us and everywhere, in every place, as the
   Single, All-seeing, Spiritual Eye, of which our own spiritual vision is
   but a small specimen, and, therefore, He knows all that is in us a
   thousand times better and more clearly than we ourselves; at the same
   time he knows everything that is in every man, in every angel, and in
   all the heavenly powers, in every animate and inanimate creature; sees
   as upon the palm of His hand all that is within us and every creature,
   being inherent in each one of them, and maintaining each one of them in
   its existence and functions, as the All-Provident Creator.

   As in Jesus Christ "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily,"
   [198] so likewise in the life-giving Sacrament of His Body and Blood.
   In the small human body dwelleth all the fulness of the infinite,
   uncontainable Godhead, and in the small lamb, or bread, in each
   smallest particle, dwelleth all divine fulness. Glory to Thy
   Omnipotence and Goodness, O Lord!

   As the sun, though it is itself always in the heavens, but by its rays,
   as if by innumerable hands, reaches the earth and its entire surface,
   and communicates itself to all organic bodies, entering into them (the
   sun enters into bodies by its rays), warming them, giving them life and
   growth through its warmth, passing through transparent ones, or
   reflecting in them by its whole circle (there are as many images of the
   sun as there are transparent bodies), and warming the opaque, solid,
   and inorganic bodies--so the spiritual Sun, God, although Himself
   pre-eminently in the heavens, but by His Life-giving Spirit, as though
   by His rays, communicates Himself to all reasonable creatures, angels
   and men, penetrating into their spiritual being, sanctifying them,
   giving them life, strength, and growth, in the same manner as the rays
   of the sun penetrate into organic and vegetable bodies, giving them
   life and growth. As the sun, though it is itself in the heavens, lights
   the whole earth, communicating life to every creature and thing,
   however insignificant, so likewise the Lord, by the Light of the
   Trinity, enlightens all men, for He is the true Light, "which lighteth
   every man that cometh into the world." [199]

   All you who draw near to serve God in prayer, learn to be like Him,
   meek, humble, and true of heart; do not let there be any deceitfulness
   or duplicity nor coldness in your soul. Strive to have His Spirit, for
   "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." [200]
   The Lord seeks in us that which is like and akin to Himself, on to
   which His grace may be grafted. Remember that not a single word is lost
   during prayer, if you say it from your heart; God hears each word, and
   weighs it in a balance. Sometimes it seems to us that our words only
   strike the air in vain, and sound as the voice of one crying in the
   wilderness. No, no; it is not so! We must remember that God understands
   us when we pray, that is, our words, just as those who pray perfectly
   understand the words themselves, for man is God's image. The Lord
   responds to every desire of the heart, expressed in words or
   unexpressed.

   In communicating with undoubting faith of the Life-giving Sacrament, I
   am instructed in a sensible manner of the Omnipresence of Christ. In
   what manner? Because in every particle of the Body and in each drop of
   the Blood I receive Christ wholly, and thus, through my spiritual
   vision, I see that He is at the same time wholly in all the particles
   and drops, whatever their number may be unto infinity. Exactly in the
   same manner, the Lord is wholly in every temple; and as orthodox
   temples are to be found upon the whole earth, so the Lord is present
   upon the whole earth, not only through His Godhead, but both in His
   Body and Soul; everywhere, wholly and indivisibly, communicating
   Himself to believers, and bringing forth sweet fruits in them: the
   purifying of sins, the sanctification of Christian souls and bodies,
   righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, uniting all to
   Himself, to the Father and the Holy Ghost. "We also know that through
   fervent prayer He enters into the souls of believers with the Father
   and the Holy Ghost. Being inherent in the whole material world, and
   vivifying the whole of it together, and each part of it separately, the
   Lord is still more inherent in men, and especially in Christians, and
   lives in them: "Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in
   you, except ye be reprobates?" [201] "Know ye not that your body is the
   temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you?" [202]

   The human race is one great tree of God, spreading and growing over the
   whole earth, and covering the whole earth with its branches. To the
   original rotten root--fallen Adam--God in His great wisdom and mercy
   has grafted a new living root--the Lord Jesus Christ--from whom
   Christians derive their origin, as a shoot from the whole tree. In
   trees there is organic earthly life; in the Christian race the life of
   Christ, heavenly, spiritual; and we must look upon the spiritual
   capabilities and powers of true Christians as upon the powers of Jesus
   Christ Himself. "We have the mind of Christ," [203] said the Apostle of
   true Christians; we must also look upon good works as upon the fruits
   of the grace of Christ. Christians leading an un-Christianlike life are
   the dry branches on the shoots coming from the root--Christ; and "every
   branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away . . . and cast them
   into the fire." [204] Heathens are the unregenerate, inanimate shoot
   coming from the rotten root--Adam. By faith they also may be grafted on
   to the living, healthy shoot, to the body of the Church--that is, to
   the Body of Christ.

   Whose are the leaves of the tree? They are God's. Whose are the good
   thoughts in you? They are God's. Whose is the capacity in the trees to
   grow and form their tissues, and to produce and develop leaves and
   fruit? It is God's--that is, given by God. Whose is your capacity of
   thought and word? It is God's. Do the trees wrongfully use the powers
   given to them by God? No. Do men wrongfully use the capacities and
   powers bestowed upon them by God? They do. They misuse them through
   their intellect, received from God for the purpose of knowing God and
   His truths; they misuse them through their heart, created for the
   purpose of loving God and their neighbours, of experiencing the
   blessedness of communion with God; and they misuse them through free
   will, given to them for the purpose of endless improvement in virtue.

   God works in our body, in its natural function, supporting it, feeding
   it, and rearing it. He also acts in the grass, or in the trees, or in
   the animals, clothing the grass, [205] rearing the tree and adorning it
   with leaves and fruit, feeding the animals and rearing their bodies. Of
   ourselves, we cannot do or create anything in our body, not one jot, as
   it is said, "Thou canst not make one hair white or black." [206] God is
   equally in the infinitely great and in the infinitely small, not being
   limited either by the one or the other, but is wholly present in
   everything, being indivisible and above all.

   Could the leaves exist without the tree, and could the tree itself
   exist without earth, air, water, and warmth? Likewise no soul can exist
   without God, without His Son, without His Spirit. God is my being, my
   breath, my light, my strength, my drink, my food. He carries me as a
   mother carries her infant in her arms. More than this. Carrying me, my
   soul and body, He dwells in me, and is united to me.

   When praying to God, remember that God is Three Persons; and as He is a
   Person and Persons, He possesses in infinity all those perfections
   which we can imagine in any most perfect man, by the grace of God--as,
   for instance, in the most pure Virgin Mary, in Saint Nicholas the
   Wonder-Worker, in Saint John Chrysostom, in the apostles, prophets.
   Filled with the Spirit of God, man is God's image and the likeness of
   God. From a perfect image, we can partly judge what the Prototype is
   like. All that is best, that attracts our spiritual gaze and the
   inclinations of our heart in man, is from God, from His Son, and from
   His Spirit. For instance, Saint Nicholas was, and still is,
   compassionate and merciful to men, by the grace of God. He always was,
   and still is, ready to hear those who call upon him sincerely, through
   the same merciful heart which he had during his lifetime, and which he
   still possesses, by the grace of God. Now, is not the Lord Himself
   compassionate and merciful, and much more compassionate and merciful?
   Infinitely more, as He Himself is infinitely greater than Saint
   Nicholas. Or let us take the Apostle Paul. What bowels of compassion
   there were in the apostle! Writing of the servant of Philemon, he said
   to his master: "Therefore receive him: that is, mine own bowels." [207]
   How much love is contained in these words! And what love all his
   epistles breathe! "Our heart is enlarged," wrote he to the Corinthians.
   "Ye are not straitened in us." [208] He has also described in one of
   his epistles in what Divine love consists. In reading this description,
   one feels that the apostle himself had indeed fulfilled all that he
   wrote concerning love. But whence came this love in the apostle who had
   previously persecuted and grieved Christ, and who, entering the houses
   of His disciples, dragged out men and women, bound them, and shut up
   many mercilessly in prison? [209] From the Lord, the Source of love. He
   alone is eternal, boundless Love, embracing all creatures.

   As the Holy Trinity, our God is One Being, although Three Persons, so,
   likewise, we ourselves must be one. As our God is indivisible, we also
   must be indivisible, as though we were one man, one mind, one will, one
   heart, one goodness, without the smallest admixture of malice--in a
   word, one pure love, as God is Love. "That they may be one, even as We
   are One." [210]

   All men, as well as the angels of God, are the breath of God. This is
   why the angels are called spirits--or, which is the same, the breath of
   God--whilst the spirits of men are called souls, because they proceeded
   from the Divine breath, and breathe through God. In the first Antiphon
   it is said: "Every soul is quickened by the Holy Ghost, and by His
   purity is elevated." But all other creatures are also called breath--"
   Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord" [211] --because they
   also proceed from the Spirit of God, although they are not endued with
   reason and freedom. Therefore we must care for every creature, and
   neither beat nor overwork it. Blessed is the man who is merciful to his
   beast.

   God is a Spirit, an incomplex Being. And in what manner does the Spirit
   manifest itself? By thought, word, and deed. Therefore God, as an
   incomplex Being, is not composed of a series or of a multitude of
   thoughts, or of a multitude of words or creations, but He is wholly, in
   one incomplex thought, God--the Trinity, or, in one in-complex
   word--the Trinity, or in three Persons, united together in one. But He
   is also wholly in everything that exists, penetrating and filling
   everything with Himself. For instance, when you say a prayer, He is in
   every word of it, and like a Holy Fire, penetrates each word--everyone
   may experience this for himself if he will pray sincerely, fervently,
   with faith and love. But, especially, He is wholly in the names
   belonging to Him: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, or the Holy
   Trinity, or the Lord, the Lord God, the Lord God of Sabbaoth, the Lord
   Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Holy Spirit, the Heavenly King, the
   Comforter, the Spirit of Truth . . . and in His other names. The Angels
   and the Saints are also near to us in their names, as their names and
   our faith in them are near to our hearts; for they are nothing else but
   the breath of God, and are "one spirit with the Lord." [212]

   Do the saints, whom we call upon, pray for us? They certainly pray for
   us. If I, a sinful man, a cold-hearted, sometimes wicked and
   malevolently disposed man, praying for others who have instructed or
   have not instructed me to pray for them and do not doubt, do not weary
   of saying their names during prayer, although sometimes not heartily,
   then will not God's saints--those lamps and torches, burning in God and
   before God, full of love to their earthly brethren--pray for me and for
   us when we call upon them with faith, hope, and love, according to our
   strength? They, our speedy helpers, pray also for our souls, as our
   Divinely-enlightened mother, the Holy Church, assures us. Pray,
   therefore, undoubtingly to God's saints, asking their intercession
   before God on your behalf. They hear you in the Holy Ghost; only pray
   in the Holy Ghost, from your soul for when you thus sincerely pray,
   then the Holy Ghost breathes in you, Who is the Spirit of truth and
   sincerity, and is our truth and sincerity. The one same Holy Ghost is
   in us and in the saints. The saints are holy through the Holy Ghost,
   Who sanctifies them and eternally dwells in them.

   Lord! Thou, Whose love to us infinitely surpasses the love of every
   father, of every mother, of the tenderest wife, have mercy upon us!

   Holy Virgin, our Lady! Thou, Whose love to Christians surpasses the
   love of every earthly mother, of every wife, hear our prayers and save
   us! May we constantly remember Thee! May we always pray fervently to
   Thee! May we ever undoubtingly and unfailingly take refuge beneath Thy
   holy protection!

   We pray to the all-merciful and most pure Mother of God--and She prays
   for us. We glorify Her--She Who is above all glory--and She prepares
   eternal glory for us. We often say to Her: "Rejoice," and She asks Her
   Son and God: "My beloved Son, give them everlasting joy in return for
   greeting Me with joy."

   Believe as undoubtingly that God sees you, as you believe that your
   father, or anyone else standing face to face with you, sees you, only
   with this difference, that the Heavenly Father sees everything that is
   in you, entirely what you are, and all creatures, the angels, the
   saints, us sinners, the animals--sees everything at once in the same
   way as the sun lights everything at once, besides which "The eyes of
   the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun." [213] A lively
   sense of God's presence is a source of peace and joy for the soul.
   Doubt in His presence produces distress, affliction, and oppression.
   Heartfelt prayer is the source of peace of heart, whilst insincere,
   superficial, inattentive prayer wounds the heart.

   Jesus Christ, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, is an unfathomable
   abyss of love to men. In this abyss of mercy plenteousness of mercy for
   all will be found, only turn to God with faith, hope, and hearty
   contrition for your iniquities and your offences against the Lord, our
   Master and Benefactor.

   God is nearer to us than any man at every time. He is nearer to me than
   my raiment, nearer than the air or light, nearer than my wife, father,
   mother, daughter, son, or friend. I live in Him, soul and body. I
   breathe in Him, think in Him, feel, consider, intend, speak, undertake,
   work in Him. "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being." [214]
   " For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good
   pleasure." [215] Therefore we must always see God before us at our
   right hand, we must be strong, and in order not to sin we must so place
   ourselves that nothing could thrust God from our thoughts and hearts,
   that nothing could hide Him from us--no undue partiality for food,
   drink, money, dress, house and its furniture, nor for any person--that
   no worldly distractions and pastimes could deprive us of our
   Most-sweet, Most-beloved Lord, but that we may every hour and every
   minute belong to Him, and perpetually be with Him, as He Himself is
   perpetually with us, as He constantly cares for us and guards us. But
   when I sin, or when I have any undue partiality for anything, then He
   is far from me, not in respect to space, for He at all times fills
   everything, but in respect to my own spiritual withdrawal from Him, to
   my own indifference towards Him, in respect to His actually depriving
   me of His grace and His presence in my heart, for then His enemy, the
   Devil, dwells in me.

   As in a sea, lake, or river every particle of water is united to other
   particles and is surrounded by them, or as in the air every particle of
   it is surrounded by other particles and is united to them, so all of us
   earth-born creatures are surrounded by God on all sides, whilst those
   of us who are pure, or being purified, are united to Him and are
   everywhere with Him. All of us earth-born creatures--like water, like
   air, like a tree with many branches--form one whole, though often
   broken, by the envy of the enemy, by selfishness, irritability,
   animosity, disputes, pride, heresy and dissent, envy, avarice,
   unsociability, and other passions. On the other side, the Devil and his
   angels also form amongst themselves another whole, like dark,
   malignant, poisonous water or fiery, suffocating, deadly air. They
   surround us and endeavour to break into our souls when we are off our
   guard, or under the domination of various passions, in order to darken,
   disturb, oppress, inflame, and in every way torment us. Thus, for
   instance, you may sometimes chance to be walking in the pure
   sweet-scented air, when suddenly a foul odour from a cesspool strikes
   your sense of smell in an unpleasant manner, and you wish to pass
   quickly by this place, so as to breathe the wholesome air again: the
   stink of the Devil is like unto this. The Lord Himself likens the dark
   devilish hordes to air and water. He says: "The rain descended, and the
   floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house" (that is,
   upon the man, upon the human soul); "and it fell not, for it was
   founded upon a rock." [216]

   We are in the habit of saying: "Had I not looked, I should not have
   been tempted;" "Had I not heard, my heart would not have ached;" "Had I
   not tasted, I should not have desired." You see how many temptations
   arise from our own sight, hearing, and taste. How many have suffered
   and still suffer because their hearts were not firm in their good
   inclinations, because they imprudently looked with impure eyes, because
   they heard with ears unaccustomed to discern between good and evil,
   because they greedily tasted! The senses of the sin-loving, greedy
   flesh, unrestrained by reason and by God's commandments, have drawn
   them into various worldly passions, have darkened their minds and
   hearts, deprived them of peace of heart, and taken away their
   free-will, making them the slaves of these senses. Thus you see how
   necessary it is to look, listen, taste, smell, and feel prudently; or,
   rather, how necessary it is to guard your heart so that through your
   outward senses, as through a window, no sin may steal in, and that the
   author himself of sin--the Devil--may not darken and wound that
   heavenly fledgeling, our soul, with his poisonous and deathly arrows.

   The soul receives the Lord into it in the Life-giving Sacrament by the
   thought of faith and by the heart's acknowledgment that the Lord
   Himself is truly present in the sacrament, whilst our body receives the
   Lord through the mouth and belly. When the soul receives the Lord with
   firm faith, then the Lord fills in a single moment both the soul, as an
   incomplex being, and the whole of the body with all its joints--because
   the soul fills the entire body, and because of the all-filling property
   of the Godhead.

   In the Christian life, temptations and tests or trials of our spiritual
   condition are necessary; and as our life, like the furniture of a
   house, becomes covered with various stains, it is necessary to cleanse
   it. As for testing objects made, for instance, of silver, instruments
   are required, so likewise for testing the state of the soul, men are
   required, like for like, who, willingly or unwillingly, intentionally
   or quite unthinkingly, show us by their conduct in relation to us, in a
   manner apparent both to ourselves and others, whether we are obedient
   to God's commands, declared to us in the Gospel, or not--whether we
   live according to the spirit, mortifying in ourselves the desires of
   the flesh, or according to the flesh, being obedient slaves to the will
   of the flesh and to carnal thoughts and passions; so that we,
   recognising that we are not living in accordance with the will of God,
   not in accordance with the commandments of our Sweetest Saviour, but in
   accordance with our own sinful and blind will, may speedily amend and
   zealously follow the commandments of the Divine Gospel.

   Our body lives by means of those elements of which it is itself formed,
   constantly absorbing into itself air, water, and other organic bodies;
   our soul lives by means of the Divine Spirit, from Which it has its
   origin, and constantly absorbs into itself, for supporting its life,
   the life of God the Trinity, through the light of the intellect,
   through good inclinations and desires of the heart and will, and
   constancy in goodness. As the body, when it is not nourished by the
   elements natural to it, cannot live, and dies, so our soul, when not
   nourished by prayer or good thoughts, feelings, and works, also dies.
   As in our bodily nature the nourishment and growth of the body are
   satisfactorily accomplished for a time, but if accidentally, through
   food or drink or breathing, any poison or contagion enters the body,
   then suffering is at once occasioned, and even death, should not help
   be given in time; so in our spiritual nature everything goes on
   satisfactorily for a time, but if it is corrupted by the Devil, then it
   suffers grievously, becoming as if benumbed, and it requires the speedy
   help of the heavenly Physician, the God of spirits, which can only be
   received through the prayer of faith. (The artifices of the Devil in
   the soul of a man correspond to the action of poison upon the bodily
   nature; with the difference that the poison of material nature seldom
   enters into our body, while the artifices of the Devil are always with
   and about us.) As, for the nourishment and support of the life of our
   body, the means by which it lives are ever at hand, namely, light, air,
   water, and food--of which air, as the most necessary element for life,
   constantly surrounds us, and water also is always easily to be found,
   as well as vegetable and animal food--so also the forces for supporting
   the life of our soul are always ready in abundance--its spiritual food,
   drink, and raiment--in God the Trinity. Being wholly in every place,
   like air, or like mental light, the Lord is ready at every moment of
   our life--according to our faith, and on account of the constantly
   prayerful disposition of our soul--to support our spiritual forces by
   His all-active grace; to be the uninterrupted light of our mind and
   heart; the air by which our soul breathes; the food by which it is
   nourished and strengthened; the life-giving warmth by which it is
   warmed; and the garment with which it not only covers its sinful
   nakedness, but with which it also adorns itself as with royal
   purple--that is, the garment of Christ's justification. Man, every
   moment of his existence, is between two mediums--material and
   spiritual--from which he receives everything. The one supports his
   bodily, the other his spiritual nature; the one is visible nature, the
   other the Infinite Personal Spirit of God, Which, being wholly
   everywhere, is above all, and, containing everything, is Itself not
   limited by anything. Every man of himself is so insignificant and
   helpless that he receives everything necessary to support his
   existence, not from himself, but from without; he himself is nothing.
   And as his body is supported by air, food, and drink, so his soul is
   supported by prayer, by reading God's Word, and by the communion of the
   Holy Mysteries. On the other hand, as in the kingdom of the most
   merciful and Almighty God there is also a place for fallen evil
   spirits, and as their place of abode is the very air and earth
   inhabited by men, and as man from the very beginning was allured by
   them to evil, as they were always, still are, and will be together with
   the human race until the end of the world, they form, so to say, a
   medium by which we are surrounded, and in which we live. We, who are
   free, and at the same time fallen beings--although we were
   re-established by the Son of God, and have become free through this
   grace, by faith, love to God, and by good works--ought, by continual
   prayer to God, to guard ourselves from the antagonistic forces fighting
   against our soul, wishing to make us their prisoners, and similar to
   them in spirit. We must be watchful to the utmost so as not to become
   like unto the sub-celestial spirits of evil by our spirit and acts,
   lest they should become the breathing of our soul instead of God--lest
   the evil constituting their nature should become our evil. We must also
   ever bear in mind that greater is He that is in us than he that is in
   the world, [217] and that the Lord keeps them too in His full power,
   and only permits them--as much as His goodness, mercy, and omnipotence
   allow--to act in the world, to teach and correct men. But there are men
   who have the Devil for their garment, food and drink, in the same
   manner as true Christians clothe themselves in Christ, and feed upon
   His Body and Blood. Throughout the world everything is double--one
   against the other; the spirit and the flesh, good and evil. Satan has
   his agents and helpers to spread his dominion amongst men; God has the
   angels, whom He gives to every Christian to guard him and guide him
   into Christ's blessed kingdom.

   Those who do not believe in God's omnipresence in their thoughts and
   hearts depreciate the power of God, do not ascribe to Him even that
   property which air possesses, for air is everywhere. Is not the Creator
   of the air everywhere? Unbelief in God's omnipresence--or, in general,
   any sin--serves itself as a strong proof that He is everywhere present.
   Thus at the time of unbelief my heart is straitened, experiences a kind
   of burning sensation; it is weary and tormented; my mind is darkened,
   and I am in a state of desolation. But when I believe, with lively
   faith, that God is everywhere, present in every place, and therefore
   that He is ever with me and within me, my heart expands; it is free,
   light, alive, and my mind is clear--I am in a joyful state. Thus the
   very thing which slays me serves as the most striking proof of the
   existence of that in which I was doubting. Unbelief torments me,
   because it is a calumny of my own heart or of the evil spirit against
   God, Who is my life. The mental denial by my free soul of life itself
   is naturally and rightly its death. Again, God is a thinking Being, and
   my soul is also a thinking being derived from the first thought;
   therefore my intercourse with God takes place through thought, through
   faith of the heart, which is nothing else but a lively and clear
   thought that God is in every place. When I have no such thought it
   signifies that I have the opposite negative one; when the principle
   that unites my soul to God is cut off, then there is no true life for
   me, and there only remains the phantom of an outward, false, animal
   life.

   The degrees of beatitude and torment in the next world will be
   different. This is proved by the present state of the souls of
   different people or of the same man at different times under different
   conditions. The more simple, the better and more sociable the man is,
   the more blessed he inwardly is; the more deceitful, evil, and selfish
   he is, the more unhappy; the firmer his faith and the stronger his love
   are, the more blessed he is; the weaker his faith and love are, the
   weaker, the worse he feels. Thus those who have little or no faith,
   those who hate their fellow-creatures, are the most unhappy of men. By
   this we can understand what future torments will be.

   Love every man in spite of his falling into sin. Never mind the sins,
   but remember that the foundation of the man is the same--the image of
   God. Other people's weaknesses strike us: they are malicious, proud,
   envious, avaricious, covetous, greedy; but you too are not without
   evil--perhaps even there is more in you than in others. At least in
   respect to sins men are equal. It is said: "For all have sinned and
   come short of the glory of God." [218] All are guilty before God, and
   we all equally require His mercy. Therefore, besides loving each other,
   we must bear with each other and pardon--"forgive them that trespass
   against us"--in order that our heavenly Father may "forgive us our
   trespasses." Thus, with all your soul honour and love in every man the
   image of God, not regarding his sins, for God alone is Holy and without
   sin; and see how He loves us, how much He has created and still creates
   for us, punishing us mercifully and forgiving us bounteously and
   graciously. Honour the man also, in spite of his sins, for he can
   always amend.

   Some men of progress look upon the Church as their enemy. But is there
   anyone more full of love, more desirous of our welfare, and wiser in
   his love to men (after God Himself) than the Church? Everything that is
   most conformable to our nature and most necessary for its good, all
   this is contained in the Church, as in a treasury, as the words of life
   are contained in the Gospel. The Church is the true mother of all those
   who rightly believe in Christ, the truest friend of Christians. She
   sympathises and answers to all the essential requirements of the soul
   and body of the Christian by active relief, or by affording help
   through the power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, in Whom every
   soul lives.

   Concerning praise. The soul involuntarily longs to praise when we gaze
   upon the starry sky; but still more when, in looking upon the sky and
   the stars, we represent to ourselves God's providence towards men, how
   infinitely He loves men, cares for their eternal beatitude, not having
   even spared His only-begotten Son for our salvation and our repose in
   the Heavenly Kingdom! It is impossible not to praise God when you
   remember that you were created from nothing, that you were predestined
   from the foundation of the world for eternal blessedness, quite without
   cause, not in accordance with your merits--when you remember what grace
   God has bestowed upon you for your salvation during all your life-time,
   what an innumerable multitude of sins are forgiven you, and this not
   once or twice but an incalculable number of times, what a multitude of
   natural gifts are bestowed upon you, beginning with health down to the
   current of air, down to the drop of water. We are involuntarily incited
   to praise when we see with wonder the infinite variety of things
   created on the earth, in the animal kingdom, in the vegetable kingdom,
   and in the mineral kingdom. What wise order in all, both in great and
   small! We involuntarily praise and exclaim: "O Lord! how manifold are
   Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them all: Glory to Thee, Lord, Who
   hath created everything!" [219]

   If the Church has composed and transmitted for general use prayers and
   psalms to God the Trinity and to His saints, then this signifies that
   God hears our prayers and is always near those who pray. But people
   mostly pray as if there were no God with them, or as if He did not heed
   their prayers. Let us ascribe to the Lord at least the same amount of
   attention that good parents show to the requests of their children, at
   least that provident and attentive love which good parents have for
   their children. So the Lord Himself teaches: "If ye then," says He,
   "being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much
   more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them that
   ask Him?" [220] Thus our requests or prayers will also be fulfilled if
   we pray with our whole heart. This is true. This is from daily
   experience.

   When malice against anyone is roused in your heart, then believe with
   your whole heart that it is the work of the Devil working in your
   heart: hate him and his brood, and malice will leave you. (Do not
   acknowledge it as anything of your own, and do not sympathise with it.)
   This is from experience. Unfortunately, the Devil shelters himself
   behind us, and conceals himself, whilst we are blind, and, thinking we
   are doing everything of ourselves, begin to stand up for the Devil's
   works as if they were our own, as if for something just, although every
   idea of there being any justice in our passion is entirely false,
   impious, and hurtful. Guide yourself by the same rule also in regard to
   others. When you see that anybody bears malice against you, do not
   consider his malice as his own doing; no, he is only the passive
   instrument of the evil one; he has not yet recognised his flattery and
   is deceived by him. Pray to God that the enemy may leave him and that
   the Lord may enlighten the eyes of his heart, darkened by the
   poisonous, noxious breathing of the spirit of evil. We must pray
   fervently for all those subjected to passions, for the enemy works
   within them.

   Passions are contagious owing to our spiritual organisation; for
   instance, malice, even when not yet expressed in words--not expressed
   by acts, but still concealed in the heart, and reflected slightly in
   the face and eyes--is already transmitted to the soul of the man
   against whom I bear malice, and is also perceptible to others; if I am
   disturbed by passion my disturbance communicates itself to the heart of
   another, like a kind of spiritual overflow of an impure current from
   one spiritual receptacle into another. If you eradicate in yourself
   your passion against your brother, you eradicate the same passion in
   him too; when you are pacified he will also become pacified. What a
   close connection there is between souls! How true are the words of the
   Apostle: "For we are members one of another [221] ; we, being many, are
   one bread and one body [222] ; and hath made of one blood all nations
   of men." [223] Therefore the Lord's commandment requires that: "Thou
   shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." [224] It is upon the mutual
   feeling or understanding of our souls that the efficacy or inefficacy
   of the words of a preacher is founded; if the preacher does not speak
   from his heart, but hypocritically, the listeners, by their inward
   instinct, understand the discordance of the preacher's words with his
   heart, with his life, and they have not the power which they might have
   had if the preacher had spoken to them sincerely, and especially if he
   had himself in reality fulfilled his words. Indeed, between human souls
   there is too close a connection and communication. This is why good,
   pious, sincere dispositions, and especially good works, are
   communicated to the souls of others.

   As the man consists of a soul and body, so, correspondingly, there are
   double means for supporting his life--spiritual and bodily ones. Those
   for supporting the bodily life are air, food, drink, light and warmth,
   and those for supporting the spiritual life, prayer (like air), reading
   the word of God, the life-giving Sacrament, and pious meditations.

   You know by experience that neither walls nor the place where you live
   form any obstacles to the flight of thought; it can in a moment be
   borne from the house to beyond the clouds, or from one part of the
   world to another, from one kingdom unto another, from one town to
   another; but your soul, that thinking, reasoning element, is the image
   of God--a small image of the Infinite Spirit, God. If your thought is
   not restricted by four walls, and is not limited by space and time,
   then what can restrict the Lord, Who has created all things? Can He be
   restricted by walls--can He be limited by space and time, however
   infinite according to us they may be? O, His dominion is in every
   place! His eyes see all and everything. He sees, as upon the palms of
   His hands, even those who hide themselves in secret places, among the
   mountains, or in inaccessible castles. This is why the Lord sometimes
   hides His face from you and leaves you in the anguish of spiritual
   darkness, so that you may always remember by whose light your soul
   lives--that is, by the light of God--and that if God turns His face
   from you and takes His Holy Spirit from your heart, then you will be
   truly left in the darkness of hell, in infernal torments, and thus you
   will indeed, although only in part, understand what the future hell
   will be.

   Believe steadfastly and always remember that you have a dual nature,
   that there are two men in you, the one carnal, diseased by passions,
   old, of the Devil, seeking carnal things and setting his life upon
   them; you must mortify the old man within you and not satisfy him in
   anything, not bend to his sinful, persistent, sickly lamentations;
   whilst the other man in you is spiritual, new, healthy, of Christ,
   everywhere seeking Christ, living by Christ (instead of by worldly
   desires), and finding peace and life in Christ, wishing for nothing in
   this world but Christ, and counting earthly blessings but dung, in
   order to win Christ. [225] As we must despise in every way the
   requirements of the former man because their fulfillment destroys the
   soul, so we must fulfil in every way the requirements of the latter
   because they lead to true and eternal life. Let every Christian learn
   this, and labour to actually fulfil what he thus learns.

   Do not be despondent when the clouds of hell, one darker than the
   other, descend upon your soul; when infernal malice, envy, doubt,
   obstinacy, and other passions, rise up in your soul; know surely that
   the gathering of these dark clouds upon your mental horizon is
   inevitable; but they are not always there and will not remain long;
   they are like the appearance of dark clouds on the sky in nature--they
   pass over and disappear, after which the mental atmosphere of the soul
   is cleared up again. In nature there must be clouds on the sky, and the
   darkening of the light of day; but these clouds are not constant, they
   soon pass away, and then the light of the sun shines again with renewed
   power.

   What a wonderful creation is man! Look! that which was created from
   earth contains the breath of God--personal, independent, free--the
   image of God Himself. How much wisdom and beauty there are in the
   construction of man's bodily tabernacle, how much wisdom and love--in a
   word, how much likeness to God is shown in the life itself of the man
   who has dominion over the earth; as it is said: "Let us make man in our
   image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion . . . over all
   the earth." [226] But in order that you should not grow proud, see what
   happens to you, man, when that which is according to God's image in you
   goes forth from your body as from its temple! You will be as though you
   had never been, you will disappear from this world; the temple of your
   spirit will lose all its goodness and beauty, it will become earth, and
   return unto the ground, from out of which it was taken, [227]
   completely mingling with it as a part of it. What a wonderful creation
   of God is man! God has wonderfully placed in the dust His image, the
   immortal spirit. But marvel, Christian, still more at the wisdom,
   omnipotence and mercy of the Creator: He changes and transforms the
   bread and wine into His most-pure Body and into His most pure Blood,
   and takes up His abode in them Himself, by His most pure and
   Life-giving Spirit, so that His Body and Blood are together Spirit and
   Life. And wherefore is this? In order to cleanse you, a sinner, from
   your sins, to sanctify you and to unite you, thus sanctified to
   Himself, and thus united to give you blessedness and immortality. "O
   the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" [228]

   Have you seen how respectfully, humbly, and orderly subordinates of all
   classes and all stations behave in relation to their chiefs, and thus,
   in their mutual intercourse, fulfil their duty of subordination? Have
   you not seen with what veneration and strict etiquette those that
   surround a king behave? And all these are only examples of the
   behaviour of creatures in relation to the Creator; and it is in this
   right behaviour in respect to the Creator, in their obedience to His
   laws, that their welfare and the object of their life consist.

   Sometimes a man seems to pray fervently, but yet his prayer does not
   bring into his heart the fruits of peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Why
   is this? It is because in praying the appointed prayers he has not
   sincerely repented of those sins which he has committed during the day,
   by which he has defiled his heart, the temple of Christ, and by which
   he has angered the Lord. But had he remembered them, had he repented of
   them in all sincerity, and judged himself impartially, "the peace of
   God, which passeth all understanding," [229] would immediately have
   entered into his heart. In the prayers of the Orthodox Church there is
   an enumeration of sins, but not of all; and often the very sins by
   which we have bound ourselves are not mentioned; therefore, we must
   absolutely enumerate them ourselves during our prayer, clearly
   recognising their gravity with a feeling of humility and heartfelt
   contrition. This is why, in the evening prayers at the enumeration of
   sins, it is said: "I have done wrong either in this or in that"--that
   is, it is left to our own will to make mention of these or those sins.

   Our faith and Church is like a most honoured, holy, godly, firm,
   venerable woman, who never grows old, and in whom ever dwells a young,
   living spirit, giving life to her true children. As we always behave
   with great respect to old people, honouring their grey hair and
   wisdom--the fruits of experience--and highly value each of their words,
   and apply them to our own life, so ought we especially to honour the
   Church, venerate her holiness, antiquity, her unshaken firmness, her
   divinely enlightened wisdom and spiritual experience, her soul-saving
   commandments and ordinances, her divine services, sacraments and rites.
   How can we do otherwise than respect her, even if only for having saved
   in her bosom an innumerable multitude of people, transplanting them
   into the abode of eternal peace and joy, not forgetting them even after
   their death, but remembering them until now upon earth, eternally
   praising and glorifying their virtues as her true children? Where will
   you find a more grateful friend, a more tender mother? And therefore,
   may Christians attach themselves wholly and with all their hearts to
   the Church of Christ, that they may be firmly established unto the end
   of their temporal life! May they all be zealous of the fulfilment of
   all her commandments and ordinances, and may they obtain in her eternal
   salvation through Christ Jesus our Lord!

   In accordance with God's most wise order in this world, one thing
   precedes another, and one is changed into another: dishonour and
   honour, poverty and wealth, health and sickness. Before bestowing
   wealth upon anyone, God often tries him by extreme poverty, depriving,
   on the other hand, the rich of everything; before honour, by dishonour;
   and those raised to honour, by humiliation, so that we may learn to
   value God's gifts, and not be proud in our prosperity, knowing that it
   is the gift of the Master, undeserved by us.

   It is necessary to rouse the heart to pray, otherwise it will become
   quite dry. The attributes of prayer must be: love of God, sincerity,
   and simplicity. We must pray in spirit, because God is a spirit, and
   not flesh; with truth, and not falsely, because God is the truth. The
   same may be said in regard to prayers to the saints. Do not call upon
   them only with the lips--for they have neither lips nor voice, nothing
   corporeal--but with your heart or soul burning within you. Then they
   will hear you; for everything seeks that which is akin to it. Yes; not
   flesh and blood will inherit the kingdom of God, but the pure spirit
   burning with love to God.

   "Quench not the spirit," [230] says the Word of God. Let every
   Christian, especially every priest and instructor of children, remember
   this. We who are priests must especially burn with the spirit in our
   high service to God and mankind. How much we might have done for God,
   for men, and for ourselves, if we had applied ourselves to our work
   with faith and love, zealously, warmly, energetically! And how little,
   dry, fruitless, will be our service if we do our work indolently,
   slothfully, coldly, without any zeal and energy! We shall have much to
   answer for before God, both for ourselves and for those intrusted to
   our care.

   Watch yourself when a poor man, needing help, asks it of you. The enemy
   will endeavour at that time to chill your heart, and fill it with
   indifference, and even scorn, towards him that is in want. Overcome in
   yourself these un-Christian and inhuman dispositions; incite your heart
   to compassionate love towards this man like unto you in all respects,
   to this member of Christ and your own--"for we are members one of
   another" [231] --to this temple of the Holy Ghost, in order that Christ
   the Lord may love and help you too; and, whatever the needy may ask of
   you, fulfil his request according to your power. "Give to him that
   asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou
   away." [232]

   Pronounce the words of the prayer with heartfelt firmness. When praying
   in the evening, do not forget to confess in prayer to the Holy Ghost
   with all sincerity and contrition, those sins into which you have
   fallen during the past day. A few moments of fervent repentance, and
   you will be cleansed by the Holy Ghost from every impurity; you will be
   whiter than snow, and tears, purifying the heart will flow from your
   eyes; you will be covered with the garment of Christ's righteousness
   and united to Him, together with the Father and the Holy Ghost.

   Spiritual poverty consists in esteeming oneself as though not existing,
   and God alone as existing; in honouring His words above everything in
   the world, and in not sparing anything to fulfil them, even one's own
   life; in considering God's Will in everything, both for ourselves and
   others, entirely renouncing our own will. The man who is poor in spirit
   desires and says with his whole heart: "Hallowed be Thy name, Thy
   kingdom come, Thy Will be done in earth as it is in heaven." It is as
   though he himself disappears; everywhere and in everything he wishes to
   see God--in himself and in others. "Let everything be Thine, not mine.
   "He wishes to contemplate God's holiness in himself and in all--His
   kingdom, also His Will; also to see Him alone entirely filling the
   human heart, as it should be, because He alone is All-merciful and
   All-perfect, All-creating; whilst the enemy--the Devil and his
   instruments, and those who oppose God--are thieves in the kingdom of
   God, and adversaries of God. To him who is poor in spirit the whole
   world is as nothing. Everywhere he sees God alone giving life to
   everything, and ruling everything; for him there is no place without
   God, no moment without God; everywhere and at every minute he is with
   God, and as though with Him alone. He who is poor in spirit does not
   dare and does not think of trying to comprehend the incomprehensible,
   to discover God's mysteries, to philosophise on the highest; he
   believes in the single word of the Lord, the Life-giver, knowing that
   every word of His is truth, spirit, and eternal life; and in the words
   of His Church, ever instructed in all truth by the Holy Ghost, he
   believes as a child believes his father or mother, not requiring
   proofs, but perfectly relying upon them. He who is poor in spirit
   considers himself the very last and the most sinful of all, reckons
   himself worthy of being trampled under foot by everyone.

   How vividly God's Saints represented God to themselves!--the Saints who
   through the Holy Ghost compiled prayers for their own and our guidance.
   In what fear and trembling they stood before God in prayer, but also
   with what love and hope! Every word of their prayers says: "God is with
   us; and God within us hears each of our words, sees every thought,
   every wish, every tear."

   Sometimes we stand praying in church or at home, in a state of
   spiritual and bodily prostration; then powerless, cold, unfruitful is
   our soul, like some heathen, unfruitful temple; but as soon as we make
   an effort, and force our heart to sincere prayer to God, turn our
   thoughts and heart towards Him with living faith, our soul immediately
   becomes vivified, warm, and fruitful. What sudden tranquillity, what
   lightness, what emotion, what inward holy fire, what tears for our
   sins, what a sincere feeling of sorrow that by them we have displeased
   the Most-merciful Master; what light in the heart and mind, what an
   abundant stream of living water is diffused in the heart, flowing
   freely from the tongue, or from the pen and pencil, if we are writing,
   upon the paper! The wilderness of the soul blossoms like a lily at the
   coming of the Lord into the heart. O, why do we not turn our hearts
   oftener towards the Lord? How much peace and comfort ever lie concealed
   in Him for us! "Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up
   for them that fear Thee!" [233]

   How artful and watchful a bird is! It does not let itself be caught in
   God's wide world, but when it sees anybody approaching and wishing to
   seize it, it immediately flies up from the earth and thus saves itself
   from the fowlers. So, also, the Christian must be wise and watchful in
   order that the incorporeal fowler may not catch his soul. Our soul is
   like a heavenly bird; the Devil, a wicked fowler, seeking to devour
   souls. As the bird, flying up to heaven, thus saves itself from the
   fowler, so likewise we, when we see the enemy--the Devil--striving to
   catch our soul by means of earthly things, must immediately forsake
   these things with all our heart, and must not for a moment attach
   ourselves to them, but must fly up in our thoughts to Jesus Christ, our
   Saviour, and thus we shall easily be delivered "from the snare of the
   fowler." [234]

   The way to succeed in any good work. When you are praying at home, at
   evening, or at morning prayer, or in the church during Divine service,
   be solicitous in your heart to accomplish this particular good work,
   and heartily desire to fulfil it to the glory of God. The Lord and His
   Most-pure Mother will unfailingly teach you, will instil in your heart
   some bright idea how to accomplish it. If you wish to write a discourse
   or a sermon, and do not know what to write about, if there is no living
   water in your heart, you have only to be solicitous of this during your
   prayer. The Lord and His Most-pure Mother will unfailingly and clearly
   show you the subject for your sermon and its parts, and your mind and
   heart will be enlightened by a clear knowledge of all sides of the
   subject.

   Thank God every day with your whole heart for having given to you life
   according to His image and likeness--an intelligently free and immortal
   life. Especially thank God for having restored and guided you again
   unto life eternal after you had fallen into eternal death, and for
   having done so not simply by the action of His omnipotence, for this
   would not have been in conformity to His justice, but by having given
   for our redemption His only begotten Son, Who suffered and died for us.
   Thank Him also for again daily bestowing life upon you, who have fallen
   an innumerable multitude of times, by your own free will, through sins,
   from life into death, and that He does so as soon as you only say from
   your whole heart: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before
   Thee!" [235] Thank Him also for often delivering you from sickness, you
   who imprudently throw yourself into danger and sickness, the precursors
   of bodily death, for correcting your faults, and for not depriving you
   of earthly life, knowing that it is dear to you, and that you are not
   yet ready for the future, eternal life. Thank Him for all your means of
   existence, for all the joys and sorrows of life; for everything is from
   Him, the All-merciful Father; everything comes from the First Origin of
   Life, Who has apportioned and lent life to all.

   That man is of a noble and elevated spirit who mercifully and
   generously scatters his gifts upon all, and rejoices when he has an
   opportunity of doing good and giving pleasure to everybody without
   thinking of being rewarded for it. That man is of a noble and elevated
   spirit who never grows conceited and haughty towards those who frequent
   him and avail themselves of his bounties, does not neglect them in any
   respect, does not underrate them in any degree in his thoughts, but
   esteems them as he esteemed them at their first meeting with him, or
   much higher than at that time. As it is, it often happens that we grow
   conceited and proud towards those who have become ours, and, having
   become accustomed to them, speedily grow tired of them, and reckon them
   as nothing: we often place a man lower than a beloved animal or a
   beloved object.

   It is sometimes well during prayer to say a few words of our own,
   breathing fervent faith and love to the Lord. Yes, let us not always
   converse with God in the words of others, not always remain children in
   faith and hope; we must also show our own mind, indite a good matter
   from our own heart also. [236] Moreover, we grow too much accustomed to
   the words of others and grow cold in prayer. And how pleasing to the
   Lord this lisping of our own is, coming directly from a believing,
   loving, and thankful heart. It is impossible to explain this: it is
   only needful to say that when you are praying to God with your own
   words the soul trembles with joy, it becomes wholly inflamed, vivified,
   and beatified. You will utter few words, but you will experience such
   blessedness as you would not have obtained from saying the longest and
   most touching prayers of others, pronounced out of habit and
   insincerely.

   When you ask anything of the Lord, immediately contemplate His merciful
   and generous Right Hand, bestowing upon you His gifts, for it is His
   Right Hand that has given, and still gives, from God's abundance,
   everything to all, and consider as foolishness any doubt whether you
   will or will not obtain that which you ask for - a foolishness similar
   to that of which the Psalmist said, "The fool hath said in his heart:
   there is no God." [237] Thus, in asking any good and generous man for
   help, we represent to ourselves beforehand his outstretched hand; for
   earthly benefactors, after the example of their All-merciful Father,
   are merciful and generous, and give us that which we ask them for
   immediately after our request, as it is said: "What man is there of
   you, whom if his son shall ask bread, will he give him a stone? or if
   he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know
   how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your
   Father, Which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask Him?"
   [238]

   When you experience oppressive waywardness of heart and unbelief in
   respect to any object of faith, then know that the enemy is in your
   heart, and that he mocks at your ignorance, your weakness, and your
   inconstancy in faith. Sincerely condemn at once your foolishness, your
   blindness, your sinful inconstancy in faith, and your ingratitude to
   God, for the former light of your heart and former benefits, received
   by you through faith in that object (for instance, in the relics of the
   saints) which your heart in its sinful obstinacy now denies, or in
   which it does not now believe as it formerly believed, and the Master
   will have mercy upon you; your anguish will cease, and you will be at
   rest. O, the enemy wishes that even in matters of faith everything
   should be in accordance with his falsehood!

   The new man (regenerate) finds pleasure in obedience, whilst the old
   man wishes to resist and obey. Therefore, O Lord, Thy Will be done. I
   accept, as an expression of Thy Will, all that is required of me by the
   authorities set over me, all that others do to me (patience), all that
   happens to me, for nothing happens without Thee. Thou art in
   everything, throughout all and everything.

   God is a spiritual Being from Whom everything has received its
   existence, and without Whom nothing can be imagined; in Whom everything
   has its origin, continuation, life, and preservation; Who is infinitely
   greater than any time and space; Who never had either beginning nor
   ending; before Whom everything is as though it did not exist, Who is
   wholly everywhere; Who is not restricted either by any space or any
   atom, nor mountain, nor heavenly body, nor sea, nor air, nor fire, nor
   earth; Who Himself eternally fills all space, and Who Himself by His
   Power keeps in existence everything that exists, Who is in every place,
   in every unimaginable point of space, and Himself unlimitedly contains
   every space--in a word, God is that Which Is, that is to say, as it
   were, alone existing, the One Who Is.

   If, during service, your brother does anything irregularly, or somewhat
   negligently, do not become irritated, either inwardly or outwardly with
   him, but be generously indulgent to his fault, remembering that during
   your life you yourself commit many, many faults, that you yourself are
   a man with all infirmities, that God is long-suffering and most
   merciful, and that he forgives you and all of us our iniquities an
   innumerable multitude of times. Remember the words of the Lord's
   Prayer: "And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that
   trespass against us." These words should always remind us that we
   ourselves at all times are great trespassers, great sinners before God,
   and that, remembering this, we should be humble in the depths of our
   hearts, and not be very severe to the faults of our brethren, weak like
   ourselves; that as we do not judge ourselves severely, we must not
   judge others severely, for our brethren are--our members, like
   ourselves. Irritability of temper proceeds from want of self-knowledge,
   from pride, and also from the fact that we do not consider the great
   corruption of our nature, and know but little the meek and humble
   Jesus.

   God tries the various sinful attachments of our hearts in different
   ways: one, the miserly, He tries by the loss of his money or his
   property, or a part of it, allowing thieves to steal, or brigands to
   rob him; another by fire, or inundation; another by useless expenditure
   through unsuccessful business affairs; another by illness and expenses
   for medicines and doctors connected with the illness; another by the
   loss of wife, sister, or friend; another by dishonour. He tries all in
   different ways, in order to disclose to each the weak diseased parts of
   his heart, and to teach each one to correct himself. In many a sword
   shall pierce through their own soul that the thoughts of their hearts
   may be revealed. [239] Therefore, whatever loss may have occurred to
   your property, believe that it is the will of God, and say: "The Lord
   gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
   [240]

   Why does a man sometimes suddenly get into such a frenzy that he
   becomes violently angered, speaks quickly, abruptly and incoherently,
   wrings his hands, tears his hair, or in his passion strikes others,
   foolishly breaks everything that falls into his hands, and behaves like
   a madman, or like one infuriated? Evidently because in his heart the
   subcelestial spirits of evil are working, instigating men to every
   wickedness, and breathing evil and destruction upon all and everything.
   Why are there both suicides of all kinds, as well as murderers of
   others? From the working of the immemorial suicide and murderer--the
   Devil--in the hearts of suicides and murderers. This is why Christ, the
   Saviour, and the Christian religion command everyone to have that
   meekness and humility which do not allow the spirits of evil and pride,
   seeking the death of all and each one, to work in the hearts of true
   Christians. The Lord says: "Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in
   heart." [241] The wrath of man is a terrible unnatural phenomenon in a
   man; it is often aroused in the heart by the most unimportant
   causes--mostly through the self-love or pride concealed in our heart.
   We must remember that "The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness
   of God. "James i. 20.

   For him who truly believes in God, all material earthly things and all
   visible worlds, as it were, vanish; he cannot imagine a point of space
   without God; everywhere he contemplates the One Infinite Being--God. He
   represents to himself that with every breath of air he breathes God;
   for him the Lord is everywhere and in everything, and creatures as
   though they did not exist, while he himself willingly vanishes mentally
   in order to give place also in himself to the one God, Who alone is,
   and Who works within him in everything.

   Sometimes, just when we begin to delight in the Lord, the enemy soon
   after, either himself or through men, brings the greatest sorrow upon
   us. Such is the lot of those who are labouring in this life for the
   Lord. For instance, you have just received peace and joy in the cup of
   the Lord, and sometimes immediately after the service a fiery
   temptation assails you, and with it the affliction connected with it;
   even at the very Cup the enemy sets his snares for you and disturbs you
   by various thoughts, against which you must fight, or else, knowing
   that you have wished for a long, long time to find rest in God, the
   enemy will not allow it. As long as the passions still work in us, as
   long as the old man lives and is not dead within us, until then much
   sorrow must befall us from various temptations in life and from the
   struggles between the old man and the new.

   Great encouragement, consolation and hope are afforded to those who
   pray by the following reassuring words of the Lord: "Ask, and it shall
   be given you . . . ." and further, "What man is there of you, whom if
   his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?" [242] If anyone asks me
   anything, and I, though evil and corrupt by nature, listen to his
   requests, his words moving my heart to compassion and help, and my hand
   to giving, then will not my words, my most sincere prayer, move the
   Fount of mercies, the Lover of mankind, to have mercy upon me and help
   me, I, who am a sinner, but still His creature, and the work of His
   hands? If earthly fathers are merciful, will not the Heavenly Father be
   still more merciful? If I am merciful, will not God, the source of all
   mercy, be still more merciful? "If ye then, being evil, know how to
   give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father
   which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" [243] Let
   your faith and hope in God be strengthened by the earthly relations of
   fathers to their children. For all of us are the children of the Father
   which is in heaven, Who is in truth the one Father of all creatures.

   When you feel that there is no peace in your heart, through an undue
   partiality towards anything earthly and worldly, and that, besides
   this, the heart breathes irritability and malice, be immediately on
   your guard, and do not let your heart be filled with the devilish fire.
   Pray fervently, and strengthen by the power of God your passionate,
   impatient heart. Be firmly assured that the evil is kindled in your
   heart by the enemy; he chiefly assaults the heart through a full
   stomach. This is from experience.

   When you go to visit any of your relations or friends, do not go to
   their house in order to eat and drink well, but go there in order to
   take part in friendly and sincere conversation with them, to refresh
   your soul from worldly vanities by friendly and loving intercourse, to
   be mutually comforted by your common faith. For "I seek not yours, but
   you," [244] says the Apostle.

   Charity, it is said, "rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the
   truth." [245] It often happens to us to see the unrighteous sinful
   doings of men, or to hear of them, and we have a sinful habit of
   rejoicing at such doings, and of shamelessly expressing our joy by
   foolish laughter. This is wrong, unchristian, uncharitable and impious.
   It shows that we have not Christian love for our neighbour in our
   hearts: for charity "rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the
   truth." [246] Let us, therefore, cease doing this, so that we may not
   be condemned with the workers of iniquity.

   Do not breathe malice, vengeance, and murder even towards animals, lest
   your own soul should be given up to death by the spiritual enemy
   breathing wickedness in you even towards dumb animals, and lest you
   should become accustomed to breathe malice and vengeance against men
   also. Remember, that animals are called to life by God's mercy that
   they may enjoy their existence as much as they can during their short
   life. "The Lord is good to all." [247] Do not beat them, if they are
   unreasonable, or if they play tricks, or if any of your property is
   damaged by them. "Blessed is the man who is merciful to his beast."

   When holy peace reigns in my soul, then surely the King of Peace dwells
   within me, the Lord Jesus Christ, with the Father, and the Holy Ghost,
   and then especially I ought to be full of feelings of gratitude to the
   Lord of Peace, and endeavour with all my strength to preserve this
   peace within me by means of fervent prayer and by abstaining from every
   sin, both inward and outward.

   The Comforter, the Holy Ghost, who fills the whole universe, passes
   through all believing, meek, humble, good, and simple human souls,
   dwelling in them, vivifying and strengthening them. He becomes one
   spirit with them and everything to them--light, strength, peace, joy,
   success in their undertakings, especially in a pious life, and
   everything good--"going through all understanding, pure and most subtil
   spirits." [248] "We have been all made to drink into one Spirit." [249]
   All pious people are filled with the Spirit of God similarly as a
   sponge is filled with water.

   When you walk in a forest, garden, or meadow, and see the young shoots
   of the plants, the fruits on the trees, and the variety of the flowers
   of the field, learn a lesson from God's plants--namely, the lesson that
   every tree each summer unfailingly puts forth at least one shoot of
   considerable size, and unfailingly grows in height and dimensions. It
   seems as though every tree endeavours each year to advance by the
   strength that God has given it; therefore, say to yourself, "I, too,
   must each day, each year, absolutely grow higher and higher morally,
   better and better, more and more perfect; must advance on the road to
   the Kingdom of Heaven, or to the Father which is in Heaven, through the
   strength of our Lord Jesus Christ and His Spirit dwelling and working
   within me. As the field is adorned by a multitude of flowers, so should
   the field of my own soul be adorned by all the flowers of virtue; as
   the trees bring forth flowers and afterwards fruit, so must my soul
   bring forth the fruits of faith and good works."

   Do not passionately care for your flesh; do not cherish it; do not
   gratify it; and do not strengthen it against the spirit. Otherwise,
   when it is necessary to labour in spirit--for instance, to pray or
   write a spiritually moral work--you will find that the flesh has
   overpowered the spirit and has bound it hand and foot. The flesh
   overthrows all the impulses of the spirit, and will not let it rise and
   come to its full power. The spirit will then be the slave of the flesh.

   Our love for God or for our neighbour will especially show itself, and
   its purity, strength, and constancy will be revealed when there is a
   contrary power (of the Devil) struggling and acting like fire in our
   hearts, and endeavouring to implant aversion, antagonism, contempt,
   hatred, and enmity in our hearts. Love is strengthened within us when
   the opposing forces endeavour, so to say, to uproot it, whilst we
   struggle in every way against these opposing forces, and by our
   struggle with the enemy purify, raise, and strengthen our love. It is
   in reward for this constant battle out of love for God and our
   neighbour, for this firmness, for this fiery, stubborn, constant,
   invisible war against the sub-celestial spirits of evil, that God
   weaves the shining heavenly crowns for the wrestlers of love for God
   and their neighbour. In this respect holy ascetics, known as the Holy
   Fathers, are worthy of thousands of crowns. They, out of love for God,
   forsook the world and all that is in the world; they went away into
   desert, uninhabited places, and there, shut up in their cells, they
   spent all their life in thinking of God, in prayer, in renouncing their
   own will, in fasting, watching, labouring, and in doing great deeds for
   the love of God, enduring during their whole life the assaults of the
   opposing forces, endeavouring by every means to shake their faith and
   trust in God, and especially their love for Him. To fight, for the love
   of God, against our own flesh and the Devil--that crafty, mighty, and
   evil enemy--not for some hours, days, and months, but for many years,
   sometimes sixty or seventy--is not this worthy of crowns? And what, in
   comparison with these ascetics, or Holy Fathers, are men living in the
   world, falling so often into sin even without being assaulted, and
   defeated by their own flesh without even being attacked? What in
   comparison to holy ascetics are worldly men, living in accordance with
   their own will, in luxury, in the pleasures of every kind, gorgeously
   apparalled and living delicately, [250] given over to pride, ambition,
   envy, hatred, avarice, irritability, wrath, revenge, amusements,
   fornication, drunkenness--to all possible vices, although not all in
   the same person? They are caught alive, without any resistance, in the
   power of the Devil, and therefore he does not attack them, but leaves
   them long entangled in his nets in the peace and self-forgetfulness
   that precede death.

   Remember the words of the Scripture: "Be not overcome of evil, but
   overcome evil with good." [251] People offend you, irritate you,
   breathe contempt and malice against you; do not repay them in the same
   way, but be gentle, meek, and kind, respectful and loving towards those
   very persons who behave unworthily to you. If you are agitated
   yourself, and speak excitedly, rudely, contemptuously--that is,
   unlovingly--then you will be vanquished yourself, and those who offend
   you will have the right to say, "Physician, heal thyself," [252] or
   "Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but
   considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? . . . First cast out
   the beam out of thine own eye." [253] Do not wonder, then, if the
   affronts of those who offend you are often repeated, for they will
   notice your weakness and will irritate you intentionally. "Be not
   overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." [254] Show the one who
   offends you that he has not offended you, but himself; pity him
   heartily for being so easily overcome by his passions--for being
   spiritually sick; and the more rude and irritated he is, the more
   hatred he nourishes towards you, the more meekness and love you must
   show him. Then you will surely conquer him. Good is always stronger
   than evil, and therefore always conquers. Remember also that we are all
   weak, are very easily overcome by passions, and therefore be meek and
   indulgent to those who sin against you, knowing that you yourself often
   suffer from the same infirmity as your brother. Forgive those who
   trespass against you, so that God may forgive your trespasses,
   incomparably greater than the trespasses of others against you. Be
   always calm, lofty in spirit, unsuspicious, firm, simple, and
   kind-hearted, and you will always triumph over your enemies. "He that
   reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame. Reprove not a scorner,
   lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee." [255]

   Sometimes the enemy uses his wiles against us in such a manner that
   when we see any sin or vice in our brother, or in society, he strikes
   our heart with indifference and coldness and reluctance, or rather with
   shameful cowardice, to say a firm, accusatory word against the
   iniquity, to break the horn of the sinner. Christ, my King! give me
   apostolic zeal and the fire of the Holy Ghost in my heart, so that I
   may ever boldly rise up against insolent vice, especially against the
   vice that corrupts many; and may I not spare anyone, both for the sake
   of their own salvation and that of the rest of Thy people, in order
   that they should not be seduced, seeing the overflow of vice, and that
   they should not themselves fall! "Whoso shall offend one of these
   little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a
   millstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the
   depth of the sea," [256] "For the Son of Man is come to save that which
   was lost." [257]

   When the foolish thought of counting up any of your good works enters
   into your head, immediately correct your fault and rather count up your
   sins, your continual and innumerable offences against the All-merciful
   and Righteous Master, and you will find that their number is as the
   sand of the sea, whilst your virtues in comparison with them are as
   nothing.

   When your heart is struck by avarice, say to yourself: "My life is
   Christ, the Beloved of all. He is my inexhaustible wealth, my
   inexhaustible food, my inexhaustible drink. Our blind flesh dreams of
   finding life in food and in money, and bears ill-will against those who
   deprive it of these material means of life. But be firmly persuaded
   that your life is not money and food, but mutual love for the sake of
   love for God. Remember that God is Love, uniting all things animated by
   the laws of love, and bringing forth life from the union of love.

   When praying, keep to the rule that it is better to say five words from
   the depth of your heart than ten thousand words with your tongue only.
   When you observe that your heart is cold and prays unwillingly, stop
   praying and warm your heart by vividly representing to yourself either
   your own wickedness, your spiritual poverty, misery, and blindness, or
   the great benefits which God bestows every moment upon you and all
   mankind, especially upon Christians, and then pray slowly and
   fervently. If you have not time to say all the prayers, it does not
   matter, and you will receive incomparably greater benefit from praying
   fervently and not hurriedly than if you had said all your prayers
   hurriedly and without feeling: "I had rather speak five words with my
   understanding than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue." [258] But
   it would, of course, have been very well had we been able to say these
   ten thousand words in prayer with due understanding and feeling. The
   Lord does not forsake those who labour for Him and who stand long
   before Him; for with what measure they mete, He will measure to them
   again, and He will reward them for the abundance of the sincere words
   of their prayer by sending into their souls a corresponding abundance
   of spiritual light, warmth, peace, and joy. It is well to pray long and
   continually; but "All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom
   it is given." [259] It is better for those who are not capable of long
   prayers to say short prayers, but with a fervent spirit.

   In the perpetual miracle of the transubstantiation of the bread and
   wine into the true Body and Blood of Christ united with His Divinity
   and soul, I see the miracle of the perpetual quickening of man by the
   divine breathing, and of his creation into a living soul. It is
   written: "And man became a living soul," [260] but upon the Holy Altar
   the bread and wine, after their transubstantiation become not only a
   living soul, but a quickening spirit. [261] And this is all
   accomplished before my eyes; and I experience it both with my soul and
   my body, feeling it vividly. My God! How terrible are the mysteries
   which Thou createst! Of what unspeakable Mysteries hast Thou made me
   the witness and partaker! Glory to Thee, my Creator! Glory to Thee,
   Creator of the Body and Blood of Christ!

   Even the saints of God were at times seized with diabolical despair and
   despondency. What, therefore, can we sinners expect? O, the enemy often
   wounds us by the wrath, humiliation, and cruel despondency of the
   heart! We must continually turn to God and be every moment with Him, in
   order that we may not be besieged with the wrath and despondency of the
   enemy. There are other means besides of escaping from them--the broad
   way of the world; only if you give yourself up to worldly pleasures,
   despondency will leave you for a time, at least while the pleasures
   last. But afterwards you will be captivated by these pleasures; they
   will become a necessity to you, and you will find comfort and joy in
   them, and in them alone; but may God preserve every Christian from
   finding his only way of escape from the despondency of the Devil
   through such means! It is better to walk in the narrow path, to
   patiently bear despondency, and to seek frequent help and deliverance
   from the Lord Jesus Christ, Who always rejoices those labouring for
   their salvation for His sake, than to enter on the broad and smooth way
   of the world and purchase there, by means of the pleasures of the
   flesh, freedom from the spirit of despondency. By means of this spirit
   of despondency the enemy has driven many from the narrow path of
   salvation on to the broad, smooth path which leads to destruction.

   You are praying, your prayer is successfully accomplished, and you have
   inward proof that the Lord hears it and deigns to receive it
   favourably; your thoughts are at peace, you feel lightness and
   sweetness in your heart; but at the end of your prayer, through some
   slight infirmity of your heart and thoughts, a heavy burden falls on
   your heart, a weakening fire, and you feel an extreme difficulty in
   praying, and even an aversion to it, instead of the former lightness
   and inclination to prayer. Do not despair, friend; these are only the
   snares of the enemy, who loves to mock at us, especially at the end of
   our pious employment, so that we may fall into despondency and consider
   all our previous labours in the holy work lost. Learn from this in
   future not to extinguish your spirit even for a moment during your
   prayer; pray in spirit and truth, unremittingly, and not flattering the
   Lord during prayer by one single word--that is, not pronouncing a
   single word feignedly, hypocritically; let your prayer be only the
   expression of truth, the mouthpiece of the Holy Ghost, and do not let
   it serve by a single word the enemy's lie, nor be in any way the organ
   of the Devil. And to release your soul from his heavy load and to
   extinguish his fire, pray fervently to God, heartily confessing your
   fault before Him--your hypocrisy during prayer--and you will obtain
   relief and peace. Do not hurry; say and do everything calmly. You will
   succeed. It is the enemy who hurries and disturbs us, for there is no
   sense in confused hurry.

   "Our Father! Thy kingdom come." The Lord reigns everywhere, in the
   whole visible world (being in every place) and in all the angelic
   hosts. He also reigns by his infinite Power and Truth over the spirits
   of evil, and over evil and unrighteous men. Some of them He has bound
   in everlasting chains of darkness for judgment at the great day, and
   others he punishes in various ways in this life, and will punish in the
   future life with inextinguishable fire. But He, the Truth, does not
   reign in demons and in unrighteous men by His truth, because falsehood
   is in them; He does not reign in them by His love, because malice is in
   them; He does not reign in the unrighteous by faith, neither by hope,
   but He reigns in them by the strict fulfilment of His laws. "Why call
   ye Me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" [262] "Keep My
   commandments." [263] He reigns in every action of my body and soul,
   even in the smallest (for instance, in speech), for my body obeys His
   laws in feeding, repose, sleep, growth, and walking, and both thought
   and word are formed and move in accordance with His laws; but He does
   not always reign in my heart, in the inclinations of my heart and in my
   free-will. I frequently incline to evil and do evil, instead of the
   good offered to me. I often oppose Him and His laws. I am often
   incredulous, unbelieving, selfish, proud; I often despise others, envy
   others, am avaricious, covetous, sensual, gratifying my sinful flesh in
   every way; ambitious, impatient, irritable, slothful, doing few or no
   good works at all, and if any, more from a concurrence of favourable
   circumstances than from the free inclination and tendency of my heart;
   do not pity those who suffer, as members of the one body of the
   Church--in a word, the Lord does not always reign in me by thoughts,
   feelings, and acts of faith, hope, and love.

   We must pray that we may be constantly and firmly assured in our hearts
   that everything we have--both of soul and body, in prosperity and
   adversity, and all our possessions as well as all the circumstances of
   our life--come from God, from His Power, and not from nature, or
   chance, or from ourselves. If you cease praying to God, you will soon
   forget your Benefactor, Creator, and Lord, and in forgetting Him you
   will fall into every evil. Therefore, you see that prayer always brings
   you real benefit.

   Both the spiritual and bodily powers of a man increase and become
   perfected and strengthened by their exercise. By exercising your hand
   in writing, sewing or knitting, you will accustom it to such work; by
   frequently exercising yourself in composition you will learn to write
   easily and well; by exercising yourself in doing good works or in
   conquering your passions and temptations, you will in time learn to do
   good works easily and with delight; and with the help of God's
   all-active grace you will easily learn to conquer your passions. But if
   you cease writing, sewing, knitting, or if you only do so seldom, you
   will write, sew, and knit badly. If you do not exercise yourself in
   composition, or do so very seldom, if you live in the material cares of
   life only, it will probably become difficult for you to connect a few
   words together, especially upon spiritual subjects: the work set you
   will seem to you like an Egyptian labour, if you cease praying, or pray
   seldom; prayer will be oppressive to you. If you do not fight against
   your passions, or only do so seldom and feebly, you will find it very
   difficult to fight against them, you will often be conquered by them;
   they will give you no rest, and your life will be poisoned by them, if
   you do not learn how to conquer these evil, inward enemies, that settle
   in your heart. Therefore labour and activity are indispensable for all.
   Life without activity is not life, but something monstrous--a sort of
   phantom of life. This is why it is the duty of every man to fight
   continually and persistently against the slothfulness of the flesh. God
   preserve every Christian from indulging it! "They that are Christ's
   have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." [264] "Unto
   everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but
   from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath."
   [265]

   A man who is wrathful with us is a sick man; we must apply a plaster to
   his heart--love; we must treat him kindly, speak to him gently,
   lovingly. And if there is not deeply-rooted malice against us within
   him, but only a temporary fit of anger, you will see how his heart, or
   his malice, will melt away through your kindness and love--how good
   will conquer evil. A Christian must always be kind, gracious, and wise
   in order to conquer evil by good.

   If anyone has offended you, do not bear malice, and when he who has
   offended you looks kindly upon you and turns to speak to you, do not
   let your heart incline to evil, but talk pleasantly and good-humouredly
   to him, as if nothing had happened between you; learn to conquer evil
   by good, malice by kindness, meekness, and humility. Do not say in your
   heart to him who has offended you: "What! he speaks to me, after having
   offended me, counting his offence against me as nothing! I do not
   consider him worthy of speaking to me; I reject, despise him; let him
   learn what it is to offend me." Do not be proud and bear malice. Do not
   say thus, lest the Lord be angered by your hard-heartedness.

   All the material world is as nothing before God; only spiritual
   beings--that is, angels and men--are something. Only those creatures
   have a lasting existence who are near to God, and have His image and
   likeness; the remainder pass away like shadows--"Heaven and earth shall
   pass away, but My words shall not pass away." [266]

   We must always remember that the Devil is continually trying to choke
   our soul with the dust of hell, of which there is already too much
   within us, and which is small and various; and thus, whether your heart
   be obscured by animosity, or impatience, or irritability, or by
   grudging your material possessions to your brother or yourself--that
   is, avarice- -or by love of gain, or love of money, or by the
   quarrelsome and offensive words of others, or by despondency and
   despair, or by envy, doubt, or incredulity, or by open unbelief, or by
   vanity, or by slothfulness in prayer or in any good work, and in
   general in the performance of your duty, say to yourself with firm
   assurance: "This is the dust of the Devil; this is the darkness of
   hell." By faith and hope in the Lord, by continual watchfulness over
   yourself, you will be able, with God's help, to escape from this dust
   and darkness. "He that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that
   wicked one toucheth him not." [267]

   All my happiness and unhappiness are contained in the thoughts and
   inclinations of my heart. If the thoughts and inclinations of my heart
   are in accord with God's truth or with the will of my God, then I am at
   rest, filled with divine light, joy, and blessedness; if not, I am
   uneasy, filled with spiritual, soul-corrupting darkness, heaviness, and
   despondency. If I completely change the false, impious thoughts and
   inclinations of my heart into true ones, pleasing to God, then I again
   obtain rest and blessedness.

   My neighbour is a being with equal rights as myself, a man, like me
   also made after the image of God; and as he is the same as I am I must
   love him as I love myself. "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,"
   [268] --therefore I must watch over him as over my own flesh and blood,
   behave lovingly, gently, and kindly to him, forgiving him his thoughts
   as I should willingly forgive myself my own, as I long for forgiveness
   or indulgence from others towards my own weaknesses--that is, that
   other people should not even notice them, as though they did not exist,
   or that they should notice them gently, kindly, pleasantly, and
   benevolently.

   In order to communicate of the life-giving Sacrament with undoubting
   faith and to vanquish all the wiles, all the calumnies of the enemy,
   represent to yourself that that which is received by you from the Cup
   is "He Which is"--that is, alone existing. If the disposition of your
   thoughts and of heart is such, then by receiving the Holy Mysteries you
   will obtain peace, joy, and new life, and will recognise in your heart
   that the Lord truly and essentially dwells within you, and you in the
   Lord. This is from experience.

   In praying to Our Lady, you call Her an abyss of mercies and bounties.
   Try yourself to be like Her, as far as lies in your power, in mercy and
   bountifulness in regard to those who have need of your mercy and
   bounties. Do not be angry with them, do not despise them, but love them
   the more they require your help. Consider their position clearly and
   soberly according to the teaching of the Gospel, often putting yourself
   in their place--and our Lady will multiply Her mercies upon you.

   Your words are unequal: some vivify, and others slay your soul, or,
   perhaps, that of your neighbour. Therefore, it is said: "Let your
   speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt." [269] "Let no corrupt
   communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the
   use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." [270]

   The incorporeal enemy enters the heart of man through satiety and
   drunkenness--this can be felt by anyone who is observant. This is the
   reason why, with the growth of drunkenness, the inclination to
   drunkenness increases so terribly (because the power of the enemy over
   the man increases)--this is why you notice in drunkards a power
   involuntarily drawing them to satisfy their passion or their inward
   craving for wine. The enemy is in the hearts of these unhappy people.
   How can the demon of drunkenness be driven out? By prayer and fasting.
   The enemy enters the hearts of men because they have given themselves
   up to a carnal mode of life--to gluttony, and because they do not pray.
   It is, therefore, natural that he can be driven out from them by
   opposite means--that is, by prayer and fasting.

   What would it have been if God's preventive grace had not been bestowed
   upon us; if it did not unexpectedly, suddenly embrace all our being
   after we have sinned, and incline our hearts to repentance and tears?
   What if it had been left to us to obtain it by our own efforts only?
   How accursed would we men then have been! Few, very few, could have
   been delivered from the burden of their sins, for our nature is
   slothful in exerting itself to effort, especially in the spiritual
   life; and without help, without powerful facility and the delights of
   spiritual labours, it would have abandoned them, and would have thrown
   aside the work of its salvation. But now God, the Most Wise and
   Merciful Father, sometimes lightens and sweetens our spiritual burden,
   sometimes makes it heavier for our trial, to teach us patience, and to
   weaken our crafty, destructive flesh, wisely changing the one by the
   other; and the work of our salvation, thank God, is thus always made
   possible--not too difficult, and very often pleasant to us.

   How inexpressibly sad it is to see that on the Lord's festivals the
   enemy collects his tax--and an exceedingly great one it is--from
   Christians! And the greater the festival the heavier the tax that
   Christians pay the enemy; for what do we see on the festivals? Perfect
   idleness, unbridled passions, brawls, profligacy, thefts, amusements.
   My God! What gratification of the flesh! What zealous service to the
   Devil! Are these people really Christians, redeemed by the precious
   Blood of the Son of God? Are we living in Christian times and not in
   Pagan ones? Are these men communicants of the life-giving Sacrament?
   Are these the same people who frequent God's temple and pray to the
   Lord together with us? If they are, then for what purpose do they go to
   church? Evidently only from habit, and not from any attachment of a
   thankful heart to Christ the Saviour. Evidently they have not prayed to
   God; they have not drawn near to Him with their heart, but only with
   their lips--if they have done so at all--and thus have not entered into
   the spirit of the festival; in general, they do not understand the
   nature and the object of Christian festivals, and do not participate in
   them as children participate in the family festivals of their parents.
   How wicked are the children of that loving, good, and holy Mother, the
   Church! The Mother is holy--the children are sinful; the Mother is
   spiritual--the children are carnal; the Mother is heavenly--the
   children are earthly; the Mother desires to give her children eternal,
   spiritual blessings, instead of corruptible and transitory ones; and
   the children reject them and choose for themselves earthly, sinful,
   passing pleasures. However, besides drunkards and men given over to
   various vices on festivals, we meet oftener still people who have not
   been to church (and do not even know that it is a festival, because
   they have never thought about it). For such people there is only one
   festival--the festival of the flesh. Ah! how long will it be before we
   priests rise up against all the disorders that take place on the Lord's
   festivals? Which of God's priests will have the zeal of Elias,
   Phinehas, Isaiah, or Jeremiah, in order to rise up in the power of the
   Holy Ghost against all these disorders on the Lord's festivals in the
   new Israel, in order to use all their powers, all their life for the
   glory of God--to uproot such laxity of morals amongst Christians? Lord!
   When shall we duly keep holy Thy festivals? When shall we comfort our
   holy Mother the Church by obedience to her ordinances? When shall we be
   imbued with her spirit? How long shall we begin the celebration of the
   great saving events of the Orthodox faith with the spirit and end them
   with the flesh? How long shall the enemy mock at the members of Christ,
   which Christians are? How long shall men of other faiths and religions
   point at us and say: "Look, these are the Christians who call
   themselves Orthodox. Look how they live! What sort of faith can they
   have in their hearts? What knowledge of their religion can they have?
   What kind of priests must they have? How badly they must teach the
   people religion! How little can they explain to them the meaning of the
   festivals, their object, and the purpose for which they were
   instituted! How little can they teach them to live according to the
   faith! My God! What a reproach to our Orthodox faith and to us pastors!
   And yet, perhaps, is not what they say of us pastors just? It is a
   great deal our fault that Christians do not spend the festivals as they
   ought. We do not unmask them, do not forbid them; we do not implore
   them with all forbearance and instruction to spend the festivals, and
   in general to live in a more Christian-like manner. We do not speak
   strongly enough against idleness, drunkenness, profligacy; we do not
   thunder in God's Church, in God's words, against these vices, which
   have taken such a terrible hold of Christians. We do not always exclude
   from the Holy Cup, as an example to others, those persons who are known
   for their drunkenness and adultery, and we thus allow these contagious
   and abominable vices to spread further and further; or at confession we
   impose too light penances upon those who deserve the severe punishment
   of the Church, and we do not watch as we should the fulfilment of even
   those penances which we lay upon them. Then, Righteous God! neither the
   pastors nor the flock can justify themselves before Thee. "They are all
   gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is
   none that doeth good, no, not one." [271] What will it come to at last
   with the existing disorder of our life? Iniquity spreads over the
   earth; the kingdom of the enemy grows wider. Thy Kingdom diminishes;
   there are but few of Thy chosen in whose hearts Thou resteth. Many are
   the slaves of the Devil, in whose hearts the destroyer from time
   immemorial dwells like a thief. What wilt Thou do unto us, Lord? The
   blood of Thy testament cries out from the earth, but the voice of Thy
   Gospel does not penetrate into the hearts of Christians. Thy
   commandments are neglected, the Church's ordinances are trampled under
   foot. What wilt Thou do unto us, O Lord? Lord! send zealous workers
   into Thy vineyard, who "seek not their own," [272] but who seek Thee,
   Christ. Give them the zeal of the prophets, the power and wisdom of the
   Apostles, so that they may day and night unwearyingly labour in the
   fields of the hearts of men.

   It is said that we soon grow weary of praying. Wherefore? Because we do
   not vividly represent to ourselves the Lord, Who is at our right hand.
   [273] Look upon Him unceasingly with the eyes of your heart, and then,
   even if you stand praying all night, you will not grow weary. What do I
   say--all night? You will be able to stand thus praying two and three
   nights without growing weary. Remember the Stylites. They stood for
   many years in a prayerful disposition of soul on pillars or columns,
   and mastered their flesh, which was the same as yours, and which was
   also inclined to slothfulness. And you feel oppressed by a few hours'
   public prayers, even by one hour's prayers.

   "Charity thinketh no evil." [274] To think evil is the work of the
   Devil: it is the Devil in the man who makes him think evil. Therefore,
   do not have any ill-feeling in your heart against your friend, and do
   not think evil, lest you become united to the Devil. "Overcome evil
   with good" [275] --that is, the evil which you see or suspect. Your
   spiritual wisdom and your exploit of Christian love consist in this.

   "Our Father which art in heaven!" What an elevating, touching,
   soul-stirring spectacle it is when these words are pronounced from the
   depths of the soul, truthfully, with one heart and mouth, either by a
   numerous congregation in church, or in the family circle, or in an
   assembly of school children, or in a company of soldiers! What an
   elevating spectacle it is when one sees that these words are realised
   in the people's very lives, when all of them have a feeling of
   brotherly love towards each other, and live peaceably, the younger
   obeying the elder, the less wise the wiser, rendering each other their
   due, esteeming each other, "in honour preferring one another." [276]
   What a truly heavenly sight it is when, before sitting down to table,
   the numerous and various members of a family with one heart and mouth
   say: "Our Father," acknowledging the one Heavenly Father as the
   All-Holy King, desiring the fulfilment of His will alone upon earth,
   recognising Him alone as the Nourisher of all! What an elevating sight
   it is when the master of the household ascribes the blessings of food
   and drink, not to himself, but to God, esteeming His gifts as common to
   all; when he makes himself equal with all the others, as though he
   himself were being regaled, and not regaling others! But what a
   striking and comforting spectacle it would be if the whole earth, all
   peoples, "with one heart and mouth," were to exclaim: "Our Father which
   art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name"--in us all! "Thy Kingdom come"--as
   it was in the beginning, before the Fall. "Thy Will be done"--Thy
   merciful and perfect Will, as it is in heaven--eternally so on the
   earth, and may no self-will reign! "Give us this day our daily bread,
   and forgive us our trespasses," and so on. What would it be if all had
   such a mode of thought and desire! But some day this will be, for the
   time will come when all those living upon the earth shall be one fold
   and have one Shepherd. [277]

   The minds of the angels cannot grasp and cannot sufficiently marvel at
   the wisdom, mercy, and omnipotence which the Lord has manifested to us
   in His Incarnation from the Most Holy Virgin Mary. "All angelic nature
   wonders at this great act of Thine Incarnation, beholding the
   unapproachable God in approachable man." [278] Glory to Thy mercy!
   Glory to Thy bountifulness! Glory to Thy wisdom! Glory to Thy power!
   Through His Incarnation the Lord has clearly taught us all the
   mysteries of faith, which were not known, or but little known, in the
   Old Testament. Through His Incarnation we, accursed sinners, have been
   deemed worthy of the Communion of His Most Pure Body and Blood, and are
   thus united to Him in the closest manner; we dwell in Him and He in us.
   Through His Incarnation the Most Holy Virgin has become our
   All-Powerful Intercessor and our protection from sins, disasters, and
   misfortunes, praying for us day and night, our Queen and Lady, Whose
   power no visible and invisible enemies can withstand, and our very
   Mother by grace, in accordance with the words of Christ on the Cross to
   His disciple St. John: "Behold thy Mother!"--and to Her: "Behold Thy
   son!" [279] Glory to Thy bountifulness, Lord!

   How we debase our God-like immortal soul by attaching ourselves to the
   perishable, tarnishable, fleeting glitter of gold and silver, and by
   averting our gaze from the higher eternal, all-rejoicing light, or by
   attaching ourselves to corruptible sweetness that soon passes away, and
   is harmful and weakening both to soul and body, and turning away our
   gaze from the eternal, spiritual sweetness; from the sweetness of the
   intuition of God, or to vain earthly glory, turning away our eyes from
   the glory of the higher heavenly calling: from the glory of God's
   children, the heirs of the eternal Kingdom of God. O, earthly vanity!
   O, attachment to worldly things! Look upwards, Christian!

   The greatest good of this present and of the future life is God,
   eternally living, all-perfect, all-good. He who has acquired this good,
   who has it in his soul, is the happiest of men. Everything else
   earthly, worldly, and regarded as good is vanity and emptiness. That
   which is around me or upon me does not constitute myself; even my
   flesh, with which I am clothed, and of which I consist, as a portion of
   my earthly being, does not constitute my real self.

   What is signifed by the words: "whose praise is not of men, but of
   God"? [280] To whom is this praise due? To him who inwardly, in his
   heart, works for God, who does everything conscientiously, and does not
   care for the opinion of men or for human glory. But we seek the praise
   of men, and not that of God, Who is the God of glory. We seek earthly
   rewards, crosses and decorations, etc.

   Why did the Holy Cross appear in the heavens to the Emperor
   Constantine? In order to show that our Lord Himself, also all the
   Apostles and all the army of martyrs, entered into glory through the
   Cross; that the Cross is invincible victory; that as the Devil was
   vanquished by means of the Cross, so likewise all the enemies of the
   Cross of Christ or of Christians will be vanquished by the Cross; also
   that the Devil acts through the persecutors of the Christians, and must
   be conquered by means of the Cross; and that the persecuted Christians
   are members of Christ, soldiers of Christ, who are always under the
   protection of Christ the Lord and His Cross.

   " Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more." [281] Experience proves
   that sins and passions destroy the health of the soul and the body,
   whilst victory over the passions affords heavenly tranquillity and
   health both to the soul and the body. Conquer the many-headed hydra of
   sin--and you will be made whole. Preserve tranquillity of spirit; do
   not be disturbed, do not be irritated by any opposition, offences,
   negligences, injustices--and then you will always enjoy spiritual and
   bodily health. Emotions, disturbance, and the fire of various passions
   produce in us a multitude of maladies both of mind and body.

   In order to rule others, we must first learn to rule ourselves; in
   order to teach others, we must acquire knowledge ourselves. If I do not
   know how to control myself, if there is not in me the spirit of
   self-command, the spirit of meekness, holiness, love and righteousness,
   then I am a bad director. If I am the sport of every kind of passion,
   it is better for me not to undertake to rule others, so as not to do
   greater harm than good, both to myself and to them.

   The Lord is life in my death, strength in my weakness, light in my
   darkness, joy in my sorrow, boldness in my faintheartedness,
   tranquillity in my agitation, obedience in my prayer, glory in my
   dishonour, and deliverance from my dishonour. Wonderfully, mightily,
   and quickly does He protect and save me in my misfortunes and
   distresses, and from the seductions of the passions. When I call upon
   Him to save me, the invisible enemies flee from me, after the evil they
   have wrought within me, and I sensibly recognise the saving right hand
   of my God, my Saviour, upon me. Glory and thanks to the Shepherd and
   Visitor of my soul!

   When you stand praying, burdened with many sins and overpowered with
   despair, begin to pray with hope, with a fervent spirit, and remind
   yourself that "the Spirit Itself maketh intercession for us with
   groanings which cannot be uttered!" [282] When you remember with faith
   this action of the Spirit of God within us, then tears of emotion will
   flow from your eyes, you will feel in your soul peace, sweetness,
   justification, "and enjoy in the Holy Ghost," [283] and you will cry in
   your heart, "Abba, Father!''

   Gods omnipresence is in space and thought--that is, God is everywhere,
   both in respect to space and in respect to thought; wheresoever I may
   go, either in the body or in thought, everywhere I meet God, and
   everywhere God meets me.

   When praying, we must believe in the power of the words of the prayer,
   in such a manner as not to separate the words from the deeds they
   express; we must believe that the deeds follow the words, as the shadow
   follows the body, for the word and the deed of the Lord are
   indivisible, "for He commanded and they were created." [284] And you
   must likewise believe that that which you say in the prayer, for which
   you have asked, will be done. You have praised God, and God has
   received your praise. You have thanked God, and God has received your
   thanks as a spiritual fragrance. It is our misfortune that we have
   little faith, and separate the word from the deed, as the body from the
   soul, as the form from the contents, as the shadow from the body--that
   during prayer, as in life, we are "sensual, having not the Spirit,"
   [285] and therefore our prayers are fruitless.

   "Mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually," [286] is said of
   the Temple; there, that is, chiefly in the hearts of those assisting
   and praying in the Temple, for the Most High does not dwell in temples
   made with hands. How comforting it is to read these words of the wise
   King Solomon! The eyes of the Master in God's temple are turned upon
   each of us, His heart is turned to each of us! Is it possible to
   require greater nearness? The Master's very heart is turned to me.
   Sometimes you stand face to face with another man and converse with
   him, but his heart is not turned towards you, and is occupied with
   something else; whilst here God's heart is wholly turned to you, with
   all its love, all its mercy, and according to your faith. He is ready
   to pour all His bounties upon you.

   When we call upon the Saints in prayer, if we pronounce their names
   from the heart, it already means that we bring them near our heart
   itself. Therefore ask their prayers and intercession undoubtingly for
   yourself. They will hear you, and will speedily lay your prayers before
   the Lord, in the twinkling of an eye, for He is omnipresent and
   omniscient. When the Oblation you call in prayer upon the Lord Jesus
   Christ, or upon His Most pure Mother and the Saints, or when you
   commemorate the living or the departed, then the portion taken from the
   Bread, that has been offered, represents, and as if replaces by itself
   the Lord, or His Most-pure Mother, or some particular Saint, or many
   Saints conjointly; also the living or the departed commemorated, while
   the name thought of represents and replaces by itself the soul of the
   being invoked or commemorated. Thus, in a small form, on our lips and
   in our hearts, the beings of the higher and lower worlds are reflected,
   and all this through faith, by the Holy Ghost, who alone is being
   everywhere and filling everything. [287]

   When praying, I firmly believe (1) that God alone is and fills
   everything, and that He is therefore at my right hand; (2) that I am
   His image; (3) that He is an abyss of mercy, the Source of every mercy,
   and that He Himself has authorised me to pray to Him.

   The Lord fills all creation, which before Him is "as a drop of the
   morning dew that falleth down upon the earth," as "a little grain of
   the balance," [288] keeping it down to the smallest blade of grass and
   grain of dust in His Right Hand, and not being limited either by the
   greatness or smallness of things created: exists in infinity, entirely
   filling it, as a vacuum; for He is the only Being which exists, and
   therefore calls Himself "I Am that I Am" [289] --that is, I am that
   Which is.

   However small matter may be, but as long as it only exists, the Lord,
   Who fills everything and upholds everything, must also exist; for how
   can it be possible that any matter should exist, and not the Lord, Who
   has created everything? It is absurd. Without Him not a single grain of
   dust can have its being if it is left to itself, if it is deprived of
   God's presence and omnipotence. "Without Him was not anything made that
   was made." [290]

   That our union with God in the future world will come to pass, and that
   it will be for us the source of light, peace, joy, and beatitude, this
   we partly recognise by experience even in the present life. During
   prayer, when our soul is wholly turned towards God, and is united to
   Him, we feel happy, calm, easy, and joyful, like children resting on
   their mother's breast; or, I would rather say, we experience a
   sensation of inexpressible well-being. "It is good for us to be here."
   [291] Therefore struggle unremittingly to obtain future everlasting
   bliss, the beginning of which you know by experience even in the
   present life; but bear in mind that these beginnings are only earthly,
   imperfect, which we see now only "in part, as through a glass darkly."
   [292] How will it be with us then, when we shall indeed be most truly
   united to God, when the images and shadows shall pass away, and the
   kingdom of truth and vision will come! O! we must labour unceasingly
   all our life, until death, for future blessedness, for our future union
   with God.

   You see how bright the sun and the stars are. "Then shall the righteous
   shine forth as the sun" [293] from the inner immaterial light of God.
   Whenever the angels appear upon earth, they are almost always
   surrounded by light. Aspire to that enlightenment. Throw aside the
   works of darkness. We can raise our nature to communion with the Divine
   Nature; and God is the Light uncreated, surpassing every light that has
   been created.

   Man! when I look upon you--upon your earthly feelings, upon your
   flesh--when I remember the day of your birth, and the days that
   followed of your childhood and growth, up till now, and when I
   afterwards transport my thoughts to the day of your death, and after
   that to the eternity, which is destined to you from the foundation of
   the world, then I do not know at what most to marvel--at your
   nothingness, or at the omnipotence and goodness of the Creator who has
   mercifully given you life, and will eventually clothe your corruptible
   and mortal body with immortality. My wonderment increases when I see
   that the Lord God, the Eternal King, gives you His Own Flesh and Blood,
   to partake of "in the same manner as, in the days of His Flesh," "He
   also Himself likewise took part of our flesh and blood," [294] in order
   to give you eternal life.

   The dead live. "God is not a God of the dead, but of the living; for
   all live unto Him." [295] The soul invisibly hovers round the body, and
   the places where it liked to dwell. If it died in sins, then it cannot
   help to free itself from their bonds, and is in great need of the
   prayers of the living, especially of those of the Church, the most holy
   Bride of Christ. Therefore let us pray earnestly for the dead. It is of
   great benefit to them; of more benefit than to the living.

   When God looks mercifully upon earth-born creatures through the eyes of
   nature, through the eyes of bright, healthful weather, everyone feels
   bright and joyful. When there is a healthful breeze, there is wholesome
   air in all bodies and souls; but when a cold, damp, strong wind blows,
   then everyone feels oppressed in soul and body. Many earth-born
   creatures groan from maladies; many give themselves up to despondency
   and melancholy. So powerful and irresistible is the influence of nature
   upon mankind. And it is remarkable that those who are less bound by
   carnal desires and sweetnesses; who are less given up to gluttony; who
   are more moderate in eating and drinking, to them nature is more kindly
   disposed, and does not oppress them--at least, not nearly so much as
   those who are the slaves of their nature and their flesh. O! how clear
   it is that our life is in the Lord, and not in sensual things; how
   clear it is that the Lord is in everything "which worketh all in all."
   [296] In the air He is our breath; in food the satisfying of our
   hunger; in drink the quenching of our thirst; in clothing our raiment;
   in the dwelling our protection, warmth, and tranquillity; in sleep our
   rest; in pure, instructive, chaste, and edifying conversation our
   speech; in mutual love, our love. Lord, Master, our Creator and
   Benefactor, grant that we may always remember Thee at every moment of
   our life; that by Thee "we live and move and have our being;" [297] .
   that we have life, breath, and everything from Thee. But let us also
   remember that if in all that has been enumerated we pervert God's laws,
   He becomes our grievous punishment. He will become our punishment even
   in the air, in food and drink; He will no longer be the satisfying of
   our hunger and the quenching of our thirst, but either our aversion
   from them or a sickness, as happens when, it is said, that food does no
   good to some person; in clothing or in the dwelling, our weakness and
   distress of mind; in sleep not rest, but uneasiness and fear; in
   speech, constraint; in wrongful love, the fiery torments. The sources
   of punishment usually appear in our sinful inclinations themselves.
   "Wherewithal a man sinneth, by the same also shall he be punished."
   [298]

   The truth and saving properties of our holy faith are clearly revealed
   by the fact that not a single Sacrament, not a single faithful prayer
   are left fruitless in us, but they bring and manifest their power from
   heaven upon our souls and bodies, cleansing our sins, and giving peace
   to our souls in accordance with the words of our Saviour: "Come unto
   Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest;"
   [299] and delivering us from spiritual afflictions and bodily
   sicknesses! No, we never pray in vain to the Lord, or to the most holy
   Virgin, or to the angels and saints, but we receive all that we ask
   them for, and that tends to our salvation. Powers of healing and
   multifarious help constantly come to us from heaven. Our Lord is a Lord
   of manifold powers manifested upon us, and our God is the God of mercy
   and salvation. In like manner the ever-Virgin Mother of the incarnate
   God-the-Word, imitating the love to mankind of her Son and God, prays
   for us, and continually manifests her powers to believers. Feeling the
   continual all-saving powers revealed to us by the Mother of God, we
   call upon her: "At no time will we unworthy ones be silent, God-bearing
   One, to tell of thy mighty acts; for hadst thou not prayerfully
   interceded for us, who would have delivered us out of so many dangers?"
   ...Or: " Show us thy power, as thou hast ever done. ..." And we turn to
   Her in every affliction, need, and misfortune. The same applies to the
   angels and saints; when we call upon them they hear us, and by the
   grace of God afford us help.

   The carnal man does not understand the spiritual blessedness that
   proceeds from prayer and virtue, and cannot comprehend even in a small
   degree what the blessedness in the next world will be. He does not know
   anything higher than earthly carnal happiness, and considers future
   blessings as imaginary visions. But the spiritual man knows by
   experience the blessedness of the virtuous soul, and foretastes future
   blessedness in his heart.

   The more a man leads the spiritual life, the more he becomes
   spiritualised: he begins to see God in everything; the manifestation of
   His power and might in everything; he sees himself always and
   everywhere abiding in God, and depending from God even in the smallest
   matters. But the more a man leads the carnal mode of life, the more
   carnal he becomes: he does not see God in anything, not even in the
   most wonderful manifestations of His divine powers--he sees flesh and
   matter in everything, and nowhere, nor at any time, is God before his
   eyes. [300]

   The Lord called Himself and is the "good Shepherd." [301] If you
   believe in His guidance, then you will understand by your heart that as
   a zealous shepherd when feeding his flock does not allow the sheep to
   disperse, but gathers them together, so also the Lord pastures our
   souls, not allowing them to wander in falsehood and sins, but gathering
   them on the path of virtue, and not allowing the mental wolf to steal
   and scatter them.

   As the Devil is incomplex in his being, and in an instant by a single
   thought can wholly attach himself to us and enter into our heart,
   therefore we must likewise repulse him in an instant by a single
   powerful word from our heart, containing all the force of truth as a
   complete antidote against the falsehood of the enemy. This is what the
   Lord signified when He said: "Be ye therefore wise as serpents;" [302]
   that is, as this spiritual serpent is rapid, sure, falling upon us with
   infernal wisdom and planning when it is easiest for him to attack and
   overthrow us; looking out which are our weakest sides and habits, and
   then for the greater part striking surely. But at the same time, the
   Lord said: " Be harmless as doves;" that is, simple and guileless.
   Borrow from the serpent his wisdom only, but let your heart remain
   simple, pure, and uncorrupt. Be meek and humble as I am; do not give
   yourself up to wrath and irritability, for "The wrath of man worketh
   not the righteousness of God;" [303] keep yourself pure from all
   filthiness of the flesh and the spirit.

   Our soul, as a spiritual, active being, cannot remain idle; it either
   does good or evil, one of the two; either wheat grows in it or tares.
   But as every good comes from God, and as the means of obtaining every
   good from God is prayer, those who pray fervently, sincerely, from the
   depths of their hearts, obtain from the Lord grace to do good, and,
   before all, the grace of faith; whilst, those who do not pray,
   naturally remain without these spiritual gifts, voluntarily depriving
   themselves of them by their own negligence and spiritual coldness; and
   as the wheat of good thoughts, inclinations, intentions, and works
   grows in the hearts of those who labour and pray fervently to the Lord,
   so in the hearts of those who do not pray, the tares of every evil
   grow, smothering the small amount of good that has remained in them
   from the grace of baptism, chrism, and subsequent penitence and
   communion. Therefore, we must most carefully look after the field of
   our heart, lest the tares of evil, slothfulness, luxuriousness,
   self-indulgence, unbelief, avarice, envy, hatred, and others, should
   grow within it; we must daily weed the field of our heart--at least, at
   morning and evening prayers, and refresh it by salutary sighs, as by
   healthful winds, and water it with abundant tears, as by early and late
   rain. Besides this, we must by every means implant in the field of our
   heart the seeds of the virtues, faith, hope in God, and love for God
   and our neighbour, fertilise it by prayer, patience, good works, and
   not for a single hour remain in complete idleness and inactivity, for
   in times of idleness and inactivity the enemy zealously sows his tares.
   "While men slept, the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and
   went his way." [304] We must also remember that it is impossible to do
   good works without efforts. Since our voluntary falling into sin the
   kingdom of God cannot be taken otherwise than by "violence, and the
   violent take it by force." [305] Why is it that only the narrow way and
   narrow gate lead to life? Who makes the way of the chosen narrow? The
   world oppresses the chosen, the devil oppresses them, the flesh
   oppresses them; it is these that make our way to the kingdom of heaven
   narrow.

   The Lord has brought my soul and body from nonentity into existence--so
   almighty is He! How can I possibly not believe in His omnipotence? What
   can I consider impossible to Him, I who myself was brought from
   nonentity into existence? What has God higher and more precious in the
   world than me--man? Am I not, before all, the greatest miracle of His
   omnipotence? I am received by God himself, into union with Him, I who
   am a little lower than the angels; I who, being united to Him through
   faith and purity of life, can myself work the miracles of God's
   omnipotence, for instance: I raise the dead like Elias and the
   Apostles. If the spirits of angels and the souls of men are brought by
   Him from nonentity into existence, then what animate or inanimate body
   could He not create? Further, if God Himself has become human flesh and
   soul without ceasing to be God, if He has done that which would be
   impossible for us to do, then, after this, what can be impossible to
   Him? What is more infinite than this wonder? Thus has our God indeed
   shown and shows His omnipotence.

   If the bodiless angels can take upon themselves a body, not a
   visionary, but a real one, having received the capability of doing this
   from God, then with what ease can the Lord Himself create a body for
   Himself. It may even be said that the creative power is natural to
   every animate being, by the gift of God the Spirit, the Creator of
   everything. Shall not, therefore, the Lord Himself who has given such
   laws to nature, with instantaneous facility, at a single sign,
   transform at His will, any substance into a body? Do not all bodies
   consist of formless inanimate matter? What unbelieving person will,
   after this, doubt the possibility of the transformation, for instance,
   of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, during the
   Divine liturgy? This is but an ordinary act of the God of wonders,
   after the fact of His having created flesh for Himself from the Holy
   Ghost and the Virgin Mary.

   What can be firmer, more unchangeable and mightier than the word? By
   the word the world was created and exists; "upholding all things by the
   word of His power;" [306] and yet we sinners treat words so lightly, so
   negligently. For what do we show less respect than for the word? What
   is more changeable in us than the word? O, how accursed are we men! How
   inattentive we are to such precious things! We do not remember that by
   means of the word proceeding from a believing and loving heart, we may
   perform life-giving miracles for our own souls and for the souls of
   others; for instance, in prayer at Divine service; in sermons, at the
   celebration of the Sacrament! Christian! value every word; be attentive
   to every word; be firm in the word; trust in every word of God, and of
   the saints, as in the words of life. Remember that the word is the
   beginning of life.

   We must also have the deepest respect for the word, because in one
   single word dwells the omnipresent one indivisible Lord who fills
   everything. Therefore it is said: "Thou shalt not take the name of the
   Lord thy God in vain," [307] for in one name, the Lord Himself, is
   contained the invisible Being, the everlastingly worshipped Unity.

   When the Lord strikes you with sore affliction or sickness, or
   misfortune, then be assured that He will also truly send you
   consolation, and will afterwards bestow upon you the grace of peace,
   strength, and joy corresponding to your previous sufferings. For "the
   Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
   He will not always chide, neither will He keep his anger for ever. He
   hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our
   iniquities." [308]

   Looking upon the Saviour's cross, contemplate Love, crucified upon it
   for our salvation; and think, for what blessedness He has saved us, and
   from what torments He has redeemed us! He has snatched us from the jaws
   of the beast and has brought us to the Father! O love! O redemption! O
   terrors of everlasting torments! O indescribable, endless blessedness!

   In saying "our Father" we should believe and remember that the Heavenly
   Father never forgets, and never will forget us, for, even, what good
   earthly father forgets and does not care for his children? "Yet will I
   not forget thee," [309] says the Lord. "For your Heavenly Father
   knoweth that ye have need of all these things." [310] Take these words
   to your heart. Remember that the Heavenly Father continually surrounds
   you with love and care, and is not called your Father without reason.
   Father is not an empty name without meaning and power, but a name full
   of meaning and power.

   When you are saying your prayers--and especially if you have a rule of
   prayer according to a book--do not hurry from one word to another
   without feeling its truth, without laying it to your heart, but always
   strive to feel with your heart the truth of that which you say. Your
   heart will oppose this--sometimes by slothfulness and stony
   insensibility to that which you are saying, sometimes by doubt and
   unbelief, by a kind of inward fire and oppression, sometimes by
   distraction and deviation of the mind to earthly objects and cares,
   sometimes by the remembrance of the offences of your neighbour, and by
   a feeling of revenge and hatred towards him, sometimes by the
   representation of worldly pleasures, or the representation of pleasure
   derived from reading novels and, in general, worldly books. Do not be
   self-loving; conquer your heart, and offer it to God as an acceptable
   sacrifice: "My son, give Me thine heart," [311] and your prayer will
   unite you to God and all heaven, and you will be filled with the
   Spirit, and the fruits of the Spirit: righteousness, peace, joy, love,
   meekness, long-suffering, and hearty compunction. You want to finish
   your rule of prayer quickly, in order to give rest to your weary body?
   Pray fervently, and you will sleep the most peaceful, quiet, and
   healthy sleep. Do not hurry, then, nor say your prayers anyhow; by
   half-an-hour's prayer you will gain three whole hours of the soundest
   sleep. Are you hurrying to get to the place of your service or your
   work? Get up earlier; do not sleep so long; and pray fervently--you
   will thus obtain tranquillity, energy, and success in your work for the
   whole day. Is your heart impatient to go to vain, worldly matters?
   Master it; let its treasure be not earthly vanity, but God; teach your
   ears to attach itself through prayer to God, and not to worldly vanity
   so that you may not be covered with shame in the day of sickness, and
   in the hour of death, like him who was rich in worldly vanity and poor
   in faith, hope, and love. If you do not pray as I have said, then you
   will neither prosper in life, nor in faith, nor in spiritual
   understanding.

   The Lord Jesus Christ had not where to lay His head during His earthly
   life, [312] yet He had in Himself His own life and the life of all,
   [313] whilst rich men build themselves magnificent palaces and live in
   them; but, alas, with such brilliant surroundings they have not true
   life in their hearts, they cannot even enjoy their vanity; they feel
   dull and oppressed in their beautiful palaces, so that many rich men
   and high dignitaries would willingly exchange their palaces for the
   poor man's cottage if they could only acquire his peace of heart.

   In order to be perfectly pleasing to God, we must also for His sake be
   perfectly indifferent to our flesh; for instance, when, during prayer,
   notwithstanding our slothfulness and strong inclination to sleep, we
   force ourselves not to yield to it, then we are indifferent to our
   flesh. The martyrs and ascetics had this perfect indifference for their
   flesh.

   At the end of your morning and evening prayers in your home, call upon
   the Saints: Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Prelates, Martyrs,
   Confessors, Holy Fathers, the Ascetics, the Unmercenary, so that seeing
   in them the realisation of every virtue, you may yourself become the
   imitator of every virtue. Learn from the Patriarchs childlike faith and
   obedience to the Lord; from the Prophets and Apostles, the zeal for
   God's glory and for the salvation of the souls of men; from the
   Prelates, zeal to preach God's word, and in general to assist through
   the Scriptures, to the possible glorification of God's name, to the
   strengthening of faith, hope, and love amongst Christians; from the
   Martyrs and Confessors, firmness for the faith and piety before
   unbelieving and godless people; from the Ascetics, to crucify your own
   flesh, with its passions and desires, to pray and think piously; and
   from the Unmercenary, not to love gain, and to give gratuitous help to
   the needy.

   Do not neglect to uproot from the hearts of children the tares of sins,
   impure, evil, and blasphemous thoughts, sinful habits, inclinations,
   and passions; the enemy and the sinful flesh do not spare even
   children; the seeds of all sins are to be found in the children too;
   show them all the danger of sin on the path of life; do not hide sins
   from them lest through ignorance and want of comprehension they should
   be confirmed in sinful habits and attachments, which grow stronger and
   stronger and bring forth corresponding fruits when the children grow
   up.

   The carnal man's entire life and occupations have a carnal tendency and
   carnal aim; his prayer is carnal, his learning and his teaching of
   others are carnal, his writings are carnal; at every step, in nearly
   every word, the carnal life appears. The carnal life manifests itself
   especially in everything relating to the man's appetites: here is the
   very seat of the carnal man. In proportion as the man by God's grace
   lays aside the carnal life, he begins to trample his carnal appetites
   under foot--he alters his food, ceases to live for insatiable appetite;
   gradually in his heart, faith, hope, and love begin to reign. Instead
   of eating, drinking, dress, riches, God, the soul, eternal life,
   eternal torment, occupy his thoughts and imagination. Instead of the
   love of money, of food, drink, dress, the luxury of his house and
   surroundings, love for God, for men, a longing to dwell with the Angels
   and Saints; instead of food and drink, hunger and thirst, and the
   diligent reading and listening to the Word of God and Divine service.
   Previously his enemies were those who hindered his outward well-being,
   now he bears privations with equanimity; previously he slept much and
   found pleasure in sleep, now he sleeps little and intentionally
   deprives himself of sweet sleep; previously he gratified the flesh in
   every way, now he mortifies it so that it may not rebel against the
   spirit.

   When you see that anyone, through the efforts of the Devil, is wholly
   possessed with one single vain, earthly subject (idee fixe), deeply
   grieves about it, constantly speaks of it, and thereby vexes you, do
   not become irritated about it, but be firmly assured that it is a
   spiritual malady coming from the enemy; be gentle and kind to the sick
   man, and immediately turn with calm, serene faith to God in. prayer,
   and say the following to the holy Icon not made with human hands: "To
   Thy most pure Icon we bow down, O Good One, praying for forgiveness of
   our sins, Christ our God; for of Thine own will Thou didst condescend
   to ascend the Cross in flesh, and thereby to deliver Thy creatures from
   the yoke of the enemy. Therefore, we thankfully cry unto Thee: Thou,
   Our Saviour, hast filled all things with joy, Thou Who earnest to save
   the world." [314]

   Consider thyself also: the enemy sometimes tempts your patience too;
   his triumph is double if he succeeds in irritating you too: understand
   his wiles, and mock at them. When he exerts his violence against a
   person who is especially near to your heart, then your heart aches to
   hear his foolish words expressing the attachment of his heart to
   earthly things. Do not be depressed, do not despair, do not grieve, do
   not give way to anger, "considering thyself, lest thou also be
   tempted." [315] Call upon the Saviour: "Saviour, save us!" Do not be
   false to Him in any spiritual affliction, nor in any violence of the
   Devil and the passions. Remember that He Himself said: " Call upon Me
   in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me."
   [316] The infinite power of the Lord is ever ready to come to our help;
   it is pleasing to the Lord of power and mercy to manifest His saving
   power in us, and to save us from our visible and invisible enemies. The
   more trivial the cause of the sorrow of the man's soul is, the more
   pitiable and deserving of compassion he is, for then we clearly see
   that the cause of it is--the Devil.

   It is never so difficult to say from the heart, "Thy Will be done,
   Father," as when we are in sore affliction or grievous sickness, and
   especially when we are subjected to the injustice of men, or the
   assaults and wiles of the enemy. It is also difficult to say from the
   heart "Thy Will be done" when we ourselves were the cause of some
   misfortune, for then we think that it is not God's Will, but our own
   will, that has placed us in such a position, although nothing can
   happen without the Will of God. In general, it is difficult to
   sincerely believe that it is the Will of God that we should suffer,
   when the heart knows both by faith and experience that God is our
   blessedness; and therefore it is difficult to say in misfortune, "Thy
   Will be done." We think, "Is it possible that this is the Will of God?
   Why does God torment us? Why are others quiet and happy? What have we
   done? Will there be an end to our torments? " And so on. But when it is
   difficult for our corrupt nature to acknowledge the Will of God over
   us, that Will of God without which nothing happens, and to humbly
   submit to it, then is the very time for us to humbly submit to this
   Will, and to offer to the Lord our most precious sacrifice--that is,
   heartfelt devotion to Him, not only in the time of ease and happiness,
   but also in suffering and misfortune; it is then that we must submit
   our vain erring wisdom to the perfect Wisdom of God, for our thoughts
   are as far from the thoughts of God "as the heavens are higher than the
   earth." [317]

   Let every man bring in sacrifice to God his Isaac, his only begotten,
   his beloved, his promised one (to whom peace and blessedness, not
   sufferings, are promised), and let him show God his faith and his
   obedience, so as to be worthy of God's gifts, which he already enjoys,
   or which he expects to enjoy.

   In order to rightly understand the words of the Lord's prayer, "Lead us
   not into temptation," we must remember that this prayer was given to
   the Apostles, who asked the Lord to teach them how to pray; that it was
   given to them before the descent of the Holy Ghost upon them, when
   Satan asked them of the Lord, that he might sift them as wheat. [318]
   At that time the Apostles were still weak, and might have fallen under
   temptation (like Peter); this is why the Saviour puts in their mouths
   the words, " Lead us not into temptation." But it is impossible to live
   without temptations of our faith, hope, and love: it is indispensable
   for the man himself that the secrets of his heart should be tested, so
   that he may himself see what he is and amend himself. Yes, temptations
   are necessary in order "that the thoughts of many hearts may be
   revealed," [319] that our firmness or weakness in faith may be
   revealed, as well as the knowledge or ignorance, the depravity or
   purity of our heart, its hope and trust in God or in earthly things;
   also whether we love ourselves and corruptible things, or God above
   all.

   When I call to mind the Son of God, Who received human nature into
   union with His Godhead, and also the lives those live who call
   themselves Christians, then I am seized with fear and pity: fear
   because I anticipate the great wrath of God upon the careless,
   ungrateful, and evil-natured; pity because I see a great multitude of
   Christians voluntarily depriving themselves of the indescribable bliss
   of the future life, and casting themselves into eternal fire--into
   eternal torments.

   Render all honour to every man, especially to the Christian, because of
   the fact that God deigned to receive human nature into the closest
   union with His Divinity, so that He became God-man. Therefore, looking
   upon any man, think, "The Lord Himself was in every respect similar to
   this man, excepting sin;" and if you know, or see, that he does not
   know this truth of the incarnation of the Son of God, and is leading an
   unworthy life, then teach and guide him. Also love every man as you
   love yourself, because he is another you, and is therefore called your
   neighbour in God's commandments: "Thou shalt not bear false witness
   against thy neighbour."

   The carnal man considers the Christian's freedom as slavery; for
   instance, attending Divine service, fasting, preparation for the
   Sacrament, confession, communion, all the Sacraments, and does not know
   that all this is a requirement of his nature, a necessity for his
   spirit.

   A proud man, at the time when other people are speaking of any other
   person's virtues, is wickedly afraid lest this person should be
   superior to him in virtues, and should eclipse him, for the proud man
   considers himself above all, and does not think it possible to find
   similar or higher virtues in others. The rivalry of others is a great
   misfortune to him.

   When you are saying a prayer for all men, and not praying from your
   heart for all men, then your soul is oppressed, for God does not favour
   such prayer; but as soon as you begin to pray for all men from your
   heart, then you will immediately feel relieved, for the Lord listens
   mercifully to such prayers.

   The Devil often seizes hold of our heart with his teeth. With what
   teeth? Incredulity, doubt, oppression, and every passion. Sometimes the
   enemy troubles us by the suspicion of the fidelity of our servants in
   relation to our property and this especially happens when our hearts
   should be occupied exclusively with thoughts of God and the
   contemplation of heavenly things. In order to deliver yourself from
   such anxieties and afflictions, which proceed from the Devil, remember
   the words of the Holy Scripture: "The Lord is at hand. Be careful for
   nothing." [320] Do not be uselessly anxious. The Lord takes care of
   your property; you are not at home, but He is there for you, for He is
   everywhere present and fills all things: He speaks in the conscience of
   your servants and the members of your household. He tries the thoughts
   of their hearts at every time and every hour; He says to them inwardly,
   " Thou shalt not steal;" and He disturbs their hearts by fear and
   apprehension when they conceive the sinful intention of stealing
   anything. He will manifest His miraculous power over them, and will not
   allow them to steal. But besides this, you must learn to regard all
   earthly things as dross, and disdain them.

   The Word is our Creator and our God. Every word of His is truth and
   deed. Such also should our own word be, for we are created after the
   image of God; likewise the word of all speaking creatures should be
   truth and deed (such was the word of good tidings of the Archangel to
   Zacharias, to the Virgin Mary); and thus it is also with the angels and
   Saints; but in the Devil, who fell away from God, only a shadow of
   thought remains, and his word is without truth, without the reality of
   the deed--a lie, a phantom; and as a truthful word, being an image of
   the God the Word, and being derived from Him, is life, so the lying
   word of the Devil, being his image, is death. Falsehood is necessarily
   death, for the death of the soul is naturally caused by that which has
   itself fallen from life into death.

   One cannot eat and drink and smoke continually. One cannot turn human
   life into constant eating, drinking, and smoking (although there are
   men who do eat, drink, and smoke almost uninterruptedly); and thus the
   spirit of evil has turned life into smoking, and made the mouth, which
   ought to be employed in thanking and praising the Lord, into a smoking
   furnace. The less and lighter the food and drink you take, the lighter
   and more refined your spirit will become.

   O ye of little faith! do not doubt in Mine omnipotence. I have created
   every soul and all flesh, and I am the God of spirits and of all flesh.
   "For the spirit shall come forth from Me, and every breath which I have
   created." [321] "I have made the earth, and created man upon it; I,
   even My hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have
   I commanded." [322] This is the exact translation of the Slavonic
   version. The English is as follows: "For the spirit should fail before
   Me, and the souls which I have made."

   " Thou shalt do no murder." Amongst others, doctors murder by their
   ignorance of the sick man's illness when they prescribe him injurious
   medicines. Those also commit murder who will not have a doctor to
   attend them or another person who is ill and requires the doctor's
   help. Those commit murder who irritate a sick man to whom any
   irritation may be fatal--for instance, a consumptive person--and thus
   hasten his death. Those commit murder who, through avarice or any other
   bad reason, delay in affording the doctor's help to a sick person, or
   in giving bread to the hungry.

   One meets with distorted hearts in some men. At the celebration of the
   sacraments they breathe unbelief and insensibility, moral impotency or
   mockery, disturbance, and diabolical fear! During the illness of those
   near to them one is also struck by their insensibility and even
   diabolical malignancy. They consider their sick brother as superfluous
   in the world, and inwardly think "There will be more room for me if he
   dies," not reflecting that every man--and they themselves--may perhaps
   die to-morrow, and not pitying the sufferer in their hearts as their
   own member.

   An irritable and foolish man adapting any object to any particular use,
   and not being capable of assisting the matter by the sagacity of his
   mind, and seeing that the object does not serve him as he would wish it
   to, often grows angry, loses his temper, throws aside and sometimes
   breaks this object, as though it were an animate, intelligent being
   intentionally resisting his wishes. It may happen that something falls
   down; it catches in something else, which tears; the object does not
   move in the manner he desired; it does not fit into its right place;
   everything seems to take up arms against him, and he is ready to weep
   from vexation. But had a master-hand taken up the matter, then
   everything would have gone right. Why so? Because then a man possessing
   intelligence, judgment, and sagacity would have set to the work with
   all his soul. To what does the observation of our ordinary worldly
   behaviour with different objects lead me? To what thoughts? I see that
   the intellect, or the intelligent human spirit, reigns everywhere over
   matter, and that without the intellect nothing can be done by
   itself--for instance, not even normal motion. Equally, without the
   intellect, nothing can adapt itself to any particular purpose, or
   attain any particular purpose, for every purpose is attained by means
   of certain determined laws, and the laws proceed from the intellect.
   Now turn to the universe. From whence comes this wonderful order in
   soulless matter and in unintelligent animals? From whence this beauty,
   this miraculous transformation of formless and lifeless matter into
   beautiful living things? From whence this adaptation to thousands of
   different purposes and such wise attainment, by simple means, of their
   purposes by things which of themselves cannot have any known purpose
   nor attain it? "Who is this invisible Sovereign over matter? Who is
   this Mind, revealing His most wonderful wisdom in matter and in various
   animate creatures? Who is this eternal Artist and Architect invisibly
   producing His art before our eyes? He Who alone is the Creator of
   all--the Lord! I contemplate Thee with the eyes of my heart in every
   minute particle of space; Thou until now with Thy Son and Thy Holy
   Spirit invisibly workest all things. I embrace Thee, present in every
   place, with my heart; I worship Thee, glorify Thee, and praise Thee!

   Those who give bread or money to the hungry regretfully, with an evil
   eye and dissatisfied heart, act in the same manner as if they were
   putting poison into their bread or their alms, though this poison is a
   spiritual, invisible one. We must give lovingly, with a respect for the
   person of our neighbour, willingly, gladly; for it is natural that love
   should rejoice when affording help to the beloved.

   God preserve you from grudging the sacrifice of your material
   possessions to the Lord Himself, to His Most-pure Mother, or to any
   other of God's Saints, thus preferring matter to the spirit. Beware
   lest your property lead to your destruction. You ought to firmly
   believe that instead of corruptible blessings, the Lord or His Saints
   will bestow incorruptible ones upon you; instead of temporal blessings,
   eternal ones; for instance: spiritual light, the forgiveness of sins,
   the gifts of living faith, of firm hope and love unfeigned, of peace
   and joy in the Holy Ghost--which are infinitely above any material
   gifts. Lavish joyfully your possessions in sacrifice to the Lord and
   His Saints. If you send money for this purpose through anyone else's
   hands, be sure that it will reach its destination; and if people
   embezzle your sacrifice to the Lord, then the Lord your God will call
   such people to account, and not a single mite will be lost, but it will
   bring you a gift--proportionate to your faith and heart's
   disposition--from the Lord, who is the God of all gifts, especially to
   those who offer Him their heart's sacrifices.

   God's Saints are represented in their inward actions as listening to
   the inward Guest, Who works within them--the Lord--venerating Him,
   smiling from inward sweetness and tenderness, and enjoying heavenly
   rest. "Ye are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls."
   [323]

   God created matter in order that it should change and be transformed in
   innumerable ways in accordance with the Creator's thought. The purpose
   of matter is to manifest diversely to creatures and in creatures His
   Omnipotence and mercy, that He may act beneficially through it upon
   animate creatures, and especially upon those who are reasonable and
   clothed with flesh.

   Worthless is the charity of the man who bestows it unwillingly, because
   material charity is not his, but God's gift, whilst only the
   disposition of the heart belongs to him. This is why many charities
   prove almost worthless, for they were bestowed unwillingly, grudgingly,
   without respect for the person of our neighbour. So also the
   hospitality of many persons proves worthless because of their
   hypocritical vain-glorious behaviour to their guests. Let us offer our
   sacrifices upon the altar of love to our neighbour, with heart-felt
   affection: "for God loveth a cheerful giver." [324]

   The enemy acts destructively upon men's hearts, amongst other ways,
   through outward nature, as upon Job--by means of winds, water, and
   fire. Houses are sometimes burnt down through the wiles of the enemy;
   houses are submerged and vessels sunk; winds blow down and destroy
   buildings; or else in wet weather, through damp and gases, the enemy
   uses his craft upon our inward parts, oppressing us with heaviness, and
   striking us with an apathetic coldness to everything true and holy. O,
   how many and diverse are the wiles of the prince of the powers of the
   air, and how difficult it is sometimes to distinguish them!

   The corrupted man continually wishes to eat and drink, to continually
   satisfy his sight, hearing, smell, and feeling; carnal men satisfy
   themselves with dainty food and drink, fine sights, music, smoking,
   magnificent edifices, and outward splendour. But the adornment of holy
   objects raises our souls to God, and is therefore not only sinless, but
   holy and edifying, as also sacred singing, the fragrance of incense,
   the magnificence and splendour of the ornaments of the temple and all
   its vessels. All these, being destined to serve to the glory of God and
   to arouse pious feelings, are not sinful, but holy. But there, in the
   world, everything ministers to the carnal, corrupted man, and estranges
   from God. The corrupt heart seeks impure carnal sensations, and
   everything there satisfies it. The corrupt mind seeks knowledge
   corresponding to its corruption, and is there satisfied. The corrupt
   imagination and memory also seek images corre- sponding to them, and
   are there satisfied. But we Christians are "new creatures," [325] or "
   a chosen generation," [326] a new people, "created in righteousness and
   true holiness" [327] after God. We must divest ourselves of the old man
   and his works, and must fight against his desires and lusts.

   When you are reading a long form of prayer aloud in the presence of a
   large concourse of people, then the enemy tries to disconcert your
   heart and to quench the words on your lips by the thought, that the
   people do not understand many words, and that it is a useless waste of
   time to read such prayers. This is evidently foolishness. For what of
   the Holy Ghost, the Instructor in all truth? Does He remain inactive,
   does He not enlighten all human hearts ? Have you not yourself
   experienced the enlightenment of your heart by the Holy Ghost ?
   Formerly you did not understand some of the words and expressions, and
   then suddenly the Holy Ghost opened your mind so that you might
   understand these hitherto incomprehensible words and expressions, and
   such a light suddenly enlightens your heart; be assured that the same
   also happens with others. Read with a steadfast heart, without any
   hurtful suspiciousness. Sow the seed--God will give the growth.

   Many and various are the obstacles upon the narrow way: you wish to
   pray--the enemy oppresses you both spiritually and physically; you feel
   it your duty to write a sermon; you are oppressed by slothfulness;
   oppression is everywhere. The smoke of hell endeavours to darken and
   straiten your soul even when the Most Holy and terrible Sacrifice lies
   before you, when you communicate of It, and also at the time of the
   celebration of all the sacraments. The greater the Holy Office, the
   more violently and furiously the enemy attacks you.

   God is goodness, He is like inexhaustible chrism; the spiritual world
   is the development of this goodness, like an ocean of fragrant chrism,
   the material world also. How can we not hope to obtain all good things
   from such goodness? The Lord in His goodness has diffused Himself into
   all creatures, like chrism, without having in any wise exhausted
   Himself.

   At the approach of the great festivals you must be especially watchful
   over yourself. The enemy endeavours beforehand to chill the heart
   towards the subject of the event celebrated, so that the Christian
   should not honour it by the heartfelt consideration of its reality. He
   acts upon us either through the atmosphere, or through the food and
   drink we have taken, or through his fiery arrows, plentifully darted at
   the heart and violently inflaming the entire man, at which time evil,
   impure and blasphemous thoughts occur to us, and we feel a hearty
   aversion to the subject of the solemnity. We must overcome the enemy by
   forcing ourselves to devout meditation and prayer.

   When during prayer the enemy suggests within you a craving for food,
   despise this material, nervous irritation, strengthen your heart more
   powerfully by prayer, inflame it by faith and love, and say to the
   tempter the following words of the Lord: "Man shall not live by bread
   alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
   [328] Prayer is my best food, fortifying and enlightening both the soul
   and the body.

   Sometimes the enemy acts through evilly-disposed persons; through proud
   ones--by humiliation and contempt; through fanatics--by unbelief,
   free-thought, and scoffing at sacred things; through cruel masters--by
   tyranny and torments; through gluttons--by the allurement of dainties,
   of over-eating and drunkenness (to which, however, our flesh inclines);
   through the profligate--by the inclination to depravity or loss of
   chastity; through thieves--by the theft of our property; he afflicts us
   also through those that hate and envy us, he deprives us of food,
   clothes, and dwellings through hard-hearted people; through all and
   everything earthly, by God's permission, he, as " the prince of this
   world," [329] as prince of the powers of the air, as " the ruler of the
   darkness of this world," [330] acts upon mankind to exasperate them and
   attract them to his side, making use of various seductions and
   oppression for this purpose. If the All-wise, All-merciful and Almighty
   Heavenly Father did not watch unwearyingly over us and turn to good the
   innumerable wiles of the tempter, if we ourselves were not watchful,
   the bodiless evil-doer would have long ago subdued the world to
   himself, and on the earth no holy seed would have remained which
   constitutes the substance thereof. [331]

   When a man is about to pray, he must humble his proud heart, must cast
   away earthly vanity from it, and must bring into it living and
   undoubting faith.

   If the carnal man is at ease and happy, the spiritual one feels
   oppressed; if the outward man flourishes, the inward one perishes. So
   opposite in us are the old, sinful, carnal man and the man renewed by
   Christ's grace; this is why the Apostle said, "Though our outward man
   perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." [332] And we often
   experience this ourselves. Therefore the true Christian ought to long
   for outward, carnal, worldly sufferings, for they strengthen his
   spirit. He must not even think of murmuring. How can he murmur at that
   which is profitable to his immortal soul, although the means by which
   this is attained are very repugnant to his carnal man? Illnesses,
   fires, robbery, poverty, misfortunes, wars, famine, often act
   beneficially upon the soul.

   As God is Life, and diseases and maladies are a deviation from life,
   therefore the touch alone of the first Source of Life cures us of them.
   This is why the Saviour, Who is the Life of all, cured and still cures
   men by His touch alone. The same may be said of the change in any
   contagious objects--at a single sign or single word of the Creator and
   Founder of everything, they become harmless (air, water, plants and
   animals).

   Fresh temptation sometimes arises with affliction and oppression--a
   hardness, numbness, and insensibility of the heart to everything true,
   good, and holy; we feel like a stone or a block, without faith, without
   the capability of praying, without hope in God's mercy, without love.
   How sad it is to feel like a stone or a log, without faith and love,
   when we were created to believe, feel, hope, and love! And we must bear
   this patiently, and pray to God to roll away the stone of insensibility
   from the doors of the tomb of our heart, that He may take away from us
   a heart of stone and give us one of flesh. But what does this hardness
   or numbness in us signify? It shows the presence in our heart of the
   Devil, who, having forcibly taken possession of our heart through our
   incredulity, thrusts out from it every good thought, not allowing it to
   rest there, and destroys all faith and every good feeling, making the
   man a burden even to himself. This really does happen to men. Let them
   learn what it signifies.

   Our various earthly service to our king and country is an image to our
   principal service to our King of Heaven, which must continue eternally.
   It is Him that we must truly serve before all, as His faithful servants
   through creation, redemption and His providence. Do the servants of the
   earthly country think of this? But we must think of it. Earthly service
   is a test, a preparatory service for the heavenly one: "Thou hast been
   faithful over a few things: I will make thee ruler over many things."
   [333]

   Do not be unsparing judges of those who labour unto God and who fall in
   life, into contradiction to themselves--that is to their piety; they
   are placed in contradiction to themselves by the Devil, their wicked
   adversary: he catches at their heart with his teeth, forcing them to do
   contrary things.

   Do not only do your work when you wish to, but do it especially then,
   when you do not wish to. Understand that this applies to every ordinary
   worldly matter, as likewise, and especially, to the work of the
   salvation of your soul--to prayer, to reading God's word and other
   salutary books, to attending Divine service, to doing good works,
   whatever they may be, to preaching God's word. Do not obey the
   slothful, deceitful, and most sinful flesh; it is eternally ready to
   rest and lead us into everlasting destruction through temporal
   tranquillity and enjoyment. "In the sweat of thy face," it is said, "
   shalt thou eat bread." [334] O miserable soul, " carefully cultivate
   the talent granted unto thee," sings the Church. [335] "The kingdom of
   heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force," [336]
   says our Lord and Saviour.

   When your heart is disturbed in spirit by any passion, and you are
   deprived of peace, and are filled with agitation, and words of
   displeasure and animosity to your neighbour fall from your tongue, do
   not linger in this condition, so destructive to you, but immediately
   bend your knees and confess your sin before the Holy Ghost, saying from
   the depths of your heart: "I have offended Thee, Holy Ghost, by the
   spirit of my passion, by the spirit of evil and disobedience to Thee;"
   and afterwards say, from your whole heart and with the feeling of the
   omnipresence of the Spirit of God, the prayer to the Holy Ghost: " O
   Heavenly King, the Comforter, Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere
   present and fillest all things, Treasury of blessings and Giver of
   life, come and make Thine abode in me and cleanse me from all impurity,
   and save, O Blessed One, my passionate and sensual soul"--and your
   heart will be filled with humility, peace, and devotion. Remember, that
   by every sin, by every attachment to anything earthly, by every
   displeasure and animosity towards your neighbour, by anything carnal,
   you offend the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of peace and love, the Spirit Who
   draws us from the earthly to heavenly things, from the visible to the
   invisible, from the corruptible to the incorruptible, from the temporal
   to the eternal, from sin to holiness, from vice to virtue. O All Holy
   Spirit, our Ruler, our Instructor, our Comforter! keep us through Thy
   power. Holiness of the Father, Spirit of our Heavenly father, implant
   in us, nurture in us, the Spirit of the Father, so that we may be His
   true children in Jesus Christ our Lord.

   When you are praying, watch over yourself so that not only your outward
   man prays, but your inward one also. Though you be sinful beyond
   measure, still pray. Do not heed the Devil's provocation, craftiness,
   and despair, but overcome and conquer his wiles. Remember the abyss of
   the Saviour's mercy and love to mankind. The Devil will represent the
   Lord's face to you as terrible and unmerciful, rejecting your prayer
   and repentance; but remember the Saviour's own words, full of every
   hope and boldness for us: "Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise
   cast out;" [337] and "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy
   laden"--with sins and iniquities, and the wiles and calumnies of the
   Devil--"and I will give you rest." [338]

   Man! the Creator's omnipotence, wisdom, and mercy, which were poured
   out upon the visible and invisible world, are ready to be bestowed, in
   all their infinity, upon you also, if you endeavour to be a true child
   of the Heavenly Father, if you fulfil His commandments to love God and
   your neighbour. Give yourself up, then, untiringly, and with all your
   might, to good works and deeds.

   Every person that does any evil, that gratifies any passion, is
   sufficiently punished by the evil he has committed, by the passion he
   serves, but chiefly by the fact that he withdraws himself from God, and
   God withdraws Himself from him: it would therefore be insane and most
   inhuman to nourish anger against such a man; it would be the same as to
   drown a sinking man, or to push into the fire a person who is already
   being devoured by the flame. To such a man, as to one in danger of
   perishing, we must show double love, and pray fervently to God for him;
   not judging him, not rejoicing at his misfortune.

   Sin, instead of any arguments which it has not on its side, acts of
   violence, by wounding, by stinging us inwardly, by pouring into us the
   burning poison of sin. Blessed is he who despises all earthly things,
   and who is wounded by the love of God, by heavenly love. But how few
   such men there are amongst the fallen sons of Adam! Who is not wounded
   and struck by the shafts of the passions, of gain and honours? And,
   vice versa, in whom are there the shafts of true love for God and his
   neighbour? The shafts of the passions and of sensual things have driven
   out the shafts of God's love, and do not leave room for them. For some
   persons these two elements are daily fighting against each other, and
   alternately thrust out each other, whilst in others there is not even a
   struggle; the earthly shafts reign wholly in some, stifling the
   heavenly ones: such, for instance, is the case with those who are
   greedy of gain, who are sensual, greedy of honours, drunkards,
   deceivers, murderers, fornicators, adulterers, etc. O, when will our
   hearts be wholly inflamed with love for the Father, the Son, and the
   Holy Ghost, for the Life-giving God the Trinity, Who has commanded us
   to keep His commandments?

   Why do we trouble and torment ourselves at not receiving some treasure
   which we had expected, or at losing it? Because that which we expected
   or which we have lost was the idol of our heart, because our heart has
   withdrawn itself from the Lord, the Source of living waters, Who Alone
   can fill and give peace to it. Let us cling to God with our whole
   heart, and no earthly loss, no non-fulfilment of the expectation of any
   earthly good--such as, for instance, money, marks of distinction, and
   others, which are outward and perishable things--will grieve us. Let us
   learn to live an inward life. Let us turn our thoughts to the highest
   blessings, to the heavenly recompense which is alone desirable, true,
   and makes those who obtain it truly happy.

   We are generally delighted at fine, bright, warm weather, and like to
   talk about it; but in the heavenly abodes of the angels and saints the
   brightness, healthfulness, and freshness are incomparably greater. Why,
   then, do we not care to speak of the inmates of those dwellings, of
   that life, of that brightness, of that blessedness? Joyful,
   life-giving, and bright is the sun, but the light of God's countenance,
   which the angels and the souls of the righteous rejoice in, is still
   more joyful, life-giving, and bright. "Make us to be numbered with Thy
   saints in glory everlasting. O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine
   heritage: govern them, and lift them up for ever." [339]

   Fervent, tearful prayer not only cleanses from sins, but also cures
   bodily infirmities and maladies; it renews the whole of a man's being,
   and makes him, so to say, born again (I speak from experience). O what
   a priceless gift prayer is! Glory to Thee, the Only-Begotten Son of
   God, Who hast obtained for us through Thy mediation the endless pardon
   of our sins! Glory to the All-Holy Spirit, Who "maketh intercession for
   us with groanings which cannot be uttered" [340] --who gives us ardent
   prayer with groanings and tears, Who warms our cold souls and gives
   contrition and sorrow for sins, cleansing, sanctifying, pacifying,
   strengthening, and renewing us! Glory to Thee, Holy Trinity, Which has
   no beginning, Life-giving, eternally glorified by all reasonable
   creatures!

   It is impossible to bestow more upon you than God has bestowed upon
   you, for He has given you Himself, or His flesh and blood, united with
   His Godhead; He has made you His child, [341] when you were the child
   of wrath [342] and accursed; He has given you everything necessary, and
   outward blessings in abundance, and if He has not given you more
   outward blessings it is because they would have been harmful for you,
   for your soul and body. If, even now. you are often much harmed by
   these outward blessings, by attaching yourself to them, and suffer
   misfortunes and injuries from the passions, by falling away from the
   love of God and your neighbour and the aspiration for higher things and
   descending to the lower ones, then what would it have been if you had
   still more of these blessings? You would have sunk into sensuality.

   Through the prayer of faith we can obtain from the All-merciful and
   All-bestowing God all spiritual and indispensable earthly blessings
   besides, if only the prayer is fervent and the desire to obtain these
   blessings sincere. And what prayers the Church puts into our mouths!
   Such, that by means of them we can easily incline the Lord to be
   merciful to us and to bestow upon us every good gift. The enemy,
   knowing God's goodness and the power of prayer, endeavours by every
   means to deter us from it, or during the prayer tries to distract our
   minds, to hinder us by various passions and attachments to earthly
   things, or by hurry, disturbance, etc.

   When the heart is occupied with worldly things, especially superfluous
   ones, it forsakes the Lord--the Source of life and peace--and is
   therefore deprived of life and tranquillity, of light and strength; but
   when it repents of its care for vain things, and wholly turns from
   corruptible things to the incorruptible God, then the fountain of
   living water again begins to flow into it, and peace, tranquillity,
   light, strength, and boldness before God and man once more dwell within
   it. We must live wisely.

   You do not want to pray for the man whom you hate and despise; but you
   must do so against your wish, and have recourse to the great Physician,
   because you yourself are spiritually sick of the malady of malice and
   pride; your enemy or the one whom you despise is also sick; pray that
   the meek Lord may teach you meekness and patience, that He may teach
   and strengthen you to love your enemies, and not only your
   well-wishers; that He may teach you to pray sincerely for the
   evilly-disposed as well as for the well-disposed.

   Someone, when, during prayer, he became languid and feeble in mind and
   body, and longed to sleep, roused himself by the following inward
   question: With Whom art thou conversing, my soul? And after this, by
   vividly representing the Lord before him, he began to pray with great
   feeling and tears; his blunted attention was sharpened, his mind and
   heart were enlightened, and he himself wholly revived. This shows what
   it is to represent the Lord God vividly to ourselves, and to walk in
   His presence! If--he went on to say--my soul, thou darest not converse
   languidly and carelessly with men above thyself in station, in order
   not to offend them, then how darest thou converse languidly and
   carelessly with the Lord?

   Lord, how shall I glorify Thee? How shall I praise Thee for Thy power,
   for the miracles of healing by means of Thy Holy Mysteries, manifested
   upon me and many of Thy servants, to whom I, an unworthy one, have
   administered these Thy holy, heavenly, life-giving Mysteries after the
   sacrament of penitence. They confess before me Thy power, Thy goodness,
   loudly proclaiming to all that Thou hast stretched out Thy
   wonderworking hand over them and raised them up from the bed of
   sickness, from their death-bed, when no one expected that they would
   live; and then, after the communion of Thy life-giving Body and Blood,
   they soon revived, were healed, and felt upon them at the very same
   hour and day Thy life-giving Hand. And I, Lord, the witness of Thy
   deeds, have not hitherto praised Thee in the hearing of all for the
   strengthening of the faith of Thy servants, and even do not know how
   and when to praise Thee, for every day I am occupied with some kind of
   work. Create Thyself a name, Lord, as Thou hast done; glorify Thyself,
   Thy name, Thy Mysteries.

   Deny yourself sensual delights in the hope that, instead of them, you
   will obtain higher spiritual, heavenly delights. Do good to all in the
   hope that, in accordance with God's justice, "with what measure ye
   mete, it shall be measured to you again"; [343] that the good you have
   done to your neighbour shall be sooner or later returned into your
   bosom, just as the evil you have done him shall sooner or later be
   returned into your bosom. Remember that we are one body. "We being many
   are one bread." [344] Remember that God is just to the highest degree,
   to an iota.

   Where would there be opportunities for struggling for great deeds if we
   were not occasioned injury by our neighbours, if they did not offend
   us? Where would there be opportunities for patiently bearing offences,
   for meekness and humility? You see, then, that we must be tried by many
   and various evils in order to prove our virtue and be eventually
   crowned.

   Do not be irritated either with those who sin or those who offend; do
   not have a passion for noticing every sin in your neighbour, and for
   judging him, as we are in the habit of doing. Everyone shall give an
   answer to God for himself. Everyone has a conscience; everyone hears
   God's Word, and knows God's Will either from books or from conversation
   with other people. Especially do not look with evil intention upon the
   sins of your elders, which do not regard you; "to his own master he
   standeth or falleth." [345] Correct your own sins, amend your own
   heart.

   Why does the Lord allow there to be poor? For your good, so that you
   may be cleansed from your sins and expiate them, "for alms doth deliver
   from death, and shall purge away all sin" [346] ; so that you may win
   suppliants who will pray for you in the persons of those upon whom you
   bestow your charity, so that the Lord may be merciful to you. " Blessed
   are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." [347]

   Why does the Lord allow people to be poor? For the same reason, amongst
   others, that He does not make you righteous all at once according to
   your wish. God might have made all men well off, even rich; but then a
   great forgetfulness of God would have arisen, and pride, envy, etc.,
   would have increased. And you would have thought too highly of yourself
   had the Lord made you soon righteous. But as sin humbles you, showing
   you your great infirmity, impurity, and constant need of God and His
   grace, so likewise the poor man is humbled by poverty and his need of
   other people. If the poor were to be enriched, many of them would
   forget God and their benefactors, would ruin their souls in the luxury
   of this world. So destructive are riches, and so do they blind the
   spiritual vision! They make the heart gross and ungrateful!

   Thoughts in the street, during a walk, at the sight of the rising moon.
   I gratify you in everything, says the Lord: I have created you after
   Mine own image and likeness; I have made the sun, the moon, and the
   stars shine for you; I have created the earth with all its fruits for
   you; I have diffused the air for you to breathe; I have given you fire
   to light and warm you, and to cook your food; I have given you various
   kinds of sweet food and drink; I have taught you how to make many and
   various tissues for your clothing, and have given you materials for
   this purpose; I have given you gold, silver, copper, and other metals
   in the bosom of the earth, for money and other objects; I have gathered
   you together in well-organised communities; I have given you a
   sovereign after Mine own heart, Mine anointed, My likeness upon earth;
   lastly, I have given you Mine only Begotten Son--have given Him to die
   for you; have given Him, by His own will, to you for food and drink. I
   have founded the Church upon earth under His supremacy; what have you
   done and what are you doing for Me? How do you recompense Me for all My
   goodness? By forgetting Me, by ingratitude towards Me, by denying Me,
   by despising My laws! "O faithless and perverse generation, how long
   shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? [348]

   Thy name, Lord, is Almighty, because Thou holdest not only heaven and
   earth, but also all mankind, the life of every man, the hearts of all
   in Thy Hand; and not only the life of every man, but also of every
   beast, bird, fish, insect, worm, reptile, and of every infusoria
   invisible to the eye. Glory to Thine infinite Omnipotence, Lord! Glory
   to Thine All-merciful, Most-wise, and All-powerful Providence! Lord of
   heaven and earth! Almighty Sovereign! Thou likewise holdest in Thy Hand
   all hell, with Satan and his innumerable hordes; and it is only by Thy
   permission, for our instruction and punishment, that Satan and his
   angels can lay their snares for us. As soon as we pray to Thee our
   Saviour, as soon as we unfeignedly repent before Thee of our sins,
   Thou, having taught us, sendest away our enemies from us, saying: " You
   have done enough evil to My servants; they belong to Me again." Thus,
   Lord, if Thine unceasing benefits and mercies to us do not teach us,
   what remains to be done? It only remains for Thee to teach us by
   chastisement, by bitterness, by oppression, by fire, and by our own
   wickedness--we sensual men, who love space, freedom, vain carnal
   freshness; who are slothful, negligent, and evil by nature.

   The world is in a state of slumber, of sinful sleep. It sleeps. God
   rouses it by wars, by deadly epidemics, fires, destructive storms,
   earthquakes, inundations, bad harvests.

   "We sing the angelic hymn to Thee, O Mighty One! Holy, holy, holy art
   Thou, O God! Through the Mother of God have mercy upon us." [349] You
   thus praise God together with the angels. [350] You are one assembly,
   one church, one family of God's with them by the grace of our Lord
   Jesus Christ. Therefore you ought also to live like the angels, in
   constant watchfulness over yourself and the souls of the spiritual
   children entrusted to your care. You must unceasingly praise and thank
   the Lord; you must be always striving after holiness; you must live in
   abstinence and fasting, in all humble-mindedness, obedience, and
   patience. May it be thus with you, by the Lord's grace!

   What shall I bring to Thee, Lord, for all Thy mercies which Thou
   continually bestowest so bountifully upon me? My faith alone, for I
   have no works that shall justify me; I have done no good thing before
   Thee. But even my faith is also Thy gift. Receive Thine own of Thine
   own offered Thee, for everything is Thine, and we are all Thine. Thou
   art our most perfect Prototype. "Of Thine unspeakable glory I an image
   am, and though I bear offences' scars, compassionate Thy creature,
   Lord, and cleanse me in Thy tenderness, and the desired Fatherland give
   Thou to me, a citizen of Paradise me making once again." [351] Take
   from us carnal passions, " so that we, trampling upon all carnal lusts,
   may follow a spiritual manner of life, both thinking and doing always
   such things as shall well please Thee." [352]

   Lord! as it is natural to the Prototype to attach, to assimilate to
   Itself Its images, to abide and to live in them, so, likewise, it ought
   to be natural to those who are created after Thine image to yearn with
   all their love, with all their ardour, after their Prototype, and to
   attach themselves to It. But our greedy, sensual flesh, gross and
   inert, withdraws us from Thee. Fasting and abstinence are necessary for
   us whilst we crave after sensual gratifications. Strengthen us in
   abstinence.

   When Christ is in our heart, we are contented with everything: what has
   been discomfort to us becomes the greatest comfort, what was bitter to
   us becomes sweet, poverty becomes wealth, our hunger is satisfied, and
   our sorrow turns into joy! But when Christ is not in the heart, then
   the man is not contented with anything, he does not find happiness in
   anything: neither in health nor in comfort, nor in ranks and honours,
   nor in amusements, nor in rich palaces, nor in a luxuriously served
   table covered with all kinds of viands and drinks, nor in rich
   attire--in nothing. Ah! how necessary for the man is Christ, the
   Life-giver and Saviour of our souls! How necessary it is for Christ's
   sake--in order that He should dwell within us--for us to hunger and
   thirst, to sleep less, to dress more simply, and to bear everything
   with a quiet, peaceful, patient, meek spirit. The wicked fowler of our
   souls--the Devil, seeks at every moment to ensnare our souls; trying
   how he can wound us by some sin, by some passion; how he can implant
   some sinful habit or passion more firmly within us, so as to make the
   salvation of our soul as difficult as possible, so as to produce in us
   a coldness towards God, towards holy things, towards the Church,
   towards eternity, and towards mankind.

   The Lord has created me, has brought me from nonentity into being, and
   after I had fallen, has restored me through His sufferings and death;
   He has cleansed me, a sinner, has made me His son by adoption; He has
   promised me the inheritance of eternal bliss; He has enlightened me
   through the light of His Gospel; He punishes and forgives me like a
   father; He lights me with the sun; He gives me daily food and drink;
   and above all He gives me His sweetest and life-giving food--His Body
   and Blood; He has diffused air for me to breathe, and above all He has
   poured upon me His Holy Spirit. He clothes me in beauteous garments;
   above all, He inwardly clothes me with Himself, as it is said: "For as
   many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ."
   [353] He gives me rest in a spacious and clean dwelling, and promises
   me an eternal, resplendent abode in the heavens; He endows me with
   health: above all, He gives me spiritual health in abundance, through
   prayer and especially through the Holy Sacraments and other means. What
   shall I render to Him for all this? What can I do for Him in return? I
   cannot do anything, except to be faithful to Him with all my might,
   through fulfilling His Commandments and by offering a firm and
   unchanging resistance to sin and the Devil.

   If it were not for Thy salvation, Lord, if it were not for Thy
   beneficence, we should have burned in the furnace of our own passions,
   Satan would have finally corrupted and tormented us, and we should not
   have found any comfort or joy in life. "If the Lord were not with us,
   we none could have withstood the enemy's attacks " "For they that
   overcome are thereby exalted." [354]

   But now we are comforted by Thy mercy, by Thy grace, which Thou hast
   won for us by Thy sufferings, by Thy Blood, by Thy death for us. Glory
   to Thee for this, Lover of men! But how will it be with those
   Christians who do not wish to know Thee, Thy Commandments, Thy
   teaching? Woe unto them!

   What would it be, my Lord and God, Jesus Christ, if the light of Thy
   Godhead were to shine forth from Thy most pure Mysteries, when they
   rest upon the Holy Altar, or on the holy disk during the Liturgy, or in
   the tabernacle, or in the pyx, when the priest carries them upon his
   breast going to or coming from a sick person? Before such a light, all
   those who saw it would prostrate themselves to earth in fear, for even
   the angels cover their faces from fear of Thine inaccessible glory! But
   meanwhile, how indifferently some people behave towards these most
   heavenly Mysteries! How carelessly some persons celebrate the terrible
   service of the Holy Mysteries!

   I must always remember my relation to God, on one side, as that of a
   creature to the Creator, as that of a work of art to the Artist, of a
   potter's vessel to the Potter; on the other side, as that of an image
   to its Prototype, that of a child to its Father, of one saved to the
   Saviour, of one loaded with benefits to the Benefactor, of one who is
   under the law to the Law-Giver, of one who has entered into the
   Testament to the Giver of the Testament, of one who is betrothed to the
   Bridegroom, or of a bride to the Bridegroom, of a member, of a citizen
   of the great city to its Chief, of one looking for the ages to come to
   the Father of those ages, of an accused to the Judge.

   In everything and at every time strive to please God and think of the
   salvation of your soul from sin and from the Devil, and of its adoption
   by God. On rising from your bed, make the sign of the Cross and say: "
   In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost," and also: "
   Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin and teach me to do
   Thy Will." [355] While washing, either at home or at the baths, say: "
   Purge me with hyssop, Lord, and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall
   be whiter than snow." [356] When putting on your linen, think of the
   cleanliness of the heart, and ask the Lord for a clean heart: "Create
   in me a clean heart, O God!" [357] If you have made new clothes and are
   putting them on, think of the renewal of the spirit and say: "Renew a
   right spirit within me" [358] ; laying aside old clothes, and
   disdaining them, think with still greater disdain of laying aside the
   old man, the sinful, passionate, carnal man; tasting the sweetness of
   bread, think of the true Bread, which gives eternal life to the
   soul--the Body and Blood of Christ--and hunger after this bread--that
   is long to communicate of it oftener; drinking water, tea, sweet-tasted
   mead or any other drink, think of the true drink that quenches the
   thirst of the soul inflamed by passions--of the most-pure and
   life-giving Blood of the Saviour; resting during the day, think of the
   eternal rest, prepared for those who wrestle and struggle against sin,
   against the subcelestial spirits of evil, against human injustice or
   rudeness and ignorance; lying down to sleep at night, think of the
   sleep of death, which sooner or later will unfailingly come to all of
   us, of that dark, eternal, terrible night, into which all impenitent
   sinners will be cast; meeting the day, think of the nightless day,
   eternal, most bright--brighter than the sunniest earthly day--the day
   of the kingdom of Heaven, at which all those will rejoice who have
   striven to please God, or who have repented before God from their whole
   life during this temporary life; when you are going anywhere, think of
   the righteousness of spiritually walking before God and say: "Order my
   steps in Thy word and let not any iniquity have dominion over me;"
   [359] when doing anything, strive to do it with the thought of God, the
   Creator, who has made everything by His infinite wisdom, grace, and
   omnipotence, and has created you after His image and likeness; when you
   receive or have any money or treasure, think, that our inexhaustible
   Treasury, from which we derive all the treasures of our soul and body,
   the ever-flowing Source of every blessing is--God, thank Him with all
   your soul and do not shut up your treasures within yourself, lest you
   shut the entrance of your heart to the priceless and living
   treasure--God, but distribute part of your property amongst those who
   are in want to the needy, to your poor brethren, who are left in this
   life so that you may prove upon them your love, your gratitude to God
   and be rewarded for this by God in eternity; when you see the white
   glitter of silver, do not be allured by it, but think that your soul
   should be white and should shine with Christ's virtues; when you see
   the glitter of gold, do not be allured by it, but remember that your
   soul ought to be purified as gold is, by fire, and that the Lord
   desires to make you yourself shine like the sun, in the eternal, bright
   kingdom of His Father, that you will see the Sun of Righteousness--God,
   the Trinity, the Most-Holy Virgin, the Mother of God, and all the
   heavenly powers and Saints, filled with ineffable light and shining
   with the light poured upon them.

   Lord! what shall I bring Thee? How shall I thank Thee for Thy continual
   great mercies to me and the rest of Thy people? For I am at every
   moment vivified by Thy Holy Spirit. Each moment I breathe the air Thou
   hast diffused--the soft, pleasant, healthful, strengthening air--I am
   lighted by Thy life-giving and joyful light, both spiritual and
   material; I am nourished and my thirst is quenched by the sweetest
   life-giving spiritual food and drink, by the Sacrament of Thy Body and
   Blood, and with the sweetness of material food and drink besides. Thou
   clothest me with the brightest, most splendid royal garment--with
   Thyself--according to the Scripture--"As many of you as have been
   baptised into Christ have put on Christ" [360] --and with earthly
   garments also. Thou cleansest me from my transgressions, healing and
   cleansing me also from my evil, sinful passions. Thou takest away my
   spiritual corruption, through the power of Thy immeasurable holiness,
   wisdom, and might. Thou fillest me with Thy Holy Spirit, the Spirit of
   holiness and grace. Thou givest righteousness, peace and joy,
   expansion, power, boldness, courage, and strength to my soul. Thou
   bestowest precious health upon my body. Thou teachest "my hands to war
   and my fingers to fight" [361] against the invisible enemies of my
   salvation and blessedness; against the enemies of holiness and of the
   power of Thy glory; against the subcelestial spirits of evil. Thou
   crownest me with success in my works accomplished in Thy name. For all
   this I thank, glorify, and bless Thy most gracious, fatherly, almighty
   power, God, our Saviour, our Benefactor. May the rest of Thy people
   know Thee as Thou hast revealed Thyself unto me, Lover of men. May they
   know Thee, Thy grace, Thy providence, Thy wisdom and power, and glorify
   Thee, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, now and ever, and to ages of
   ages. Amen.

   "The unspeakable bliss of them that behold the infinite goodness of Thy
   countenance." [362] Earthly bliss all passes away by itself, and also
   through vicissitudes of human life; whilst joys of heavenly bliss will
   never end--will be infinite. Is it not worth while, therefore, to
   despise all the enjoyments of this transitory world, and of this still
   more fleeting life, in order to strive with the whole heart after
   spiritual and unchangeable joys.

   It is madness for a Christian to be envious. In Christ we have all
   received infinitely great blessings; are all made godly; are all made
   inheritors of the unspeakable and eternal blessings of the kingdom of
   heaven. And we are also promised a sufficiency of earthly blessings,
   upon the condition of seeking the righteousness of God and the Kingdom
   of God. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and
   all these things shall be added unto you." [363] We are commended to be
   contented with what we have, and not to be covetous. "Let your
   conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things
   as ye have." And it is added, "For He" (the Lord) "hath said, 'I will
   never leave thee, nor forsake thee.'" [364] Is it not, therefore,
   madness, after this, to envy your neighbour anything--for instance, his
   honours, his wealth, his luxurious table, beautiful clothing, his fine
   house, etc.? Is not all this mere dross in comparison to that which has
   been given us in the image and likeness of God, according to which we
   were created, in our redemption by the Son of God from our sins, from
   the curse and from death, in the bestowal upon us again of the blessing
   of our Heavenly Father, and in the eternal heavenly joys united with
   it? Therefore let us strive to acquire mutual love, goodwill, and
   contentedness with what we have; friendship, hospitality, love for the
   poor, for the stranger, "and to attain to the summit of virtues,"
   humility, meekness, gentleness, and holiness. Let us respect the image
   of God in each other, the members of Christ, our God, His Body, God's
   sons by adoption, the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, the dwellers
   with, and companions of, the angels in praising God. "That they may be
   one," [365] as our God, worshipped in the Holy Trinity, is Himself one,
   and has created our hearts "as one" for unity--that is, simple, single.

   All present things are but a shadow of the future. The present light is
   a shadow of the future ineffable light. Earthly bliss is a faint shadow
   of future unspeakable, eternal bliss; fire a faint shadow of the fire
   of Gehenna, which will burn sinners unto ages of ages; pure earthly joy
   a shadow of unspeakable future joys; the magnificent royal palaces a
   faint shadow of the resplendent mansions of Paradise prepared for those
   who love God and fulfil His commandments. The glorious attire of the
   sons and daughters of men cannot be compared with that glorious garment
   with which the elect shall be clothed, for they will put on Christ.
   "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of the
   Father," [366] according to the Saviour's sure promise.

   As a child is indifferent to whatever clothes are put on it, so also
   the Christian, an infant in Christ, should be indifferent to the
   variety, richness, and beauty of his earthly garments, considering
   Christ, our God, his best and incorruptible garment; for an attachment
   to expensive, fine clothes is peculiar to the children of this world
   and to the heathen, as the Lord says, "For after all these
   things"--that is, food and fine raiment --"do the Gentiles seek" [367]
   ; for dress is the idol of the children of this world. O, how vain and
   frivolous are we, we who are called to communion with God, to whom is
   promised the inheritance of incorruptible and eternal blessings! How
   obscure is our understanding of corruptible and incorruptible
   blessings! How unwise we are in valuing worthless things and not
   prizing incorruptible blessings: our immortal soul, peace, joy,
   boldness before God, holiness, obedience, patience in general--all the
   qualities of a true Christian. "For as many of you as have been
   baptised into Christ have put on Christ." [368] Therefore we must value
   spiritual blessings and valour, and despise material things as
   corruptible and worthless.

   The sin of inattention is one to which we are, in a great degree
   subjected; we must not disregard it, but must repent of it; we give
   ourselves up to inattention, not only at home, but also in church.
   "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift
   you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not."
   [369] The causes of inattention are--the Devil, and our manifold
   attachment to worldly, earthly things; its reason is--want of faith;
   the means to overcome it--fervent prayer.

   There is no happiness for me on earth save the Lord Jesus Christ, with
   His Father and the Holy Ghost. He is my sole blessedness upon earth.
   After God, there is nothing on earth dearer to me (as it should be,
   than the human soul--it is dearer than anything else. Man is a precious
   being. God Himself came down from heaven upon earth for his salvation.
   To man He gives for food and drink His most pure Body and Blood (all
   Himself), only that he may become blessed, that he may not be lost. AH
   the fruits of the earth, the treasures of all the three kingdoms of the
   earth, He has given into the dominion for the use and pleasure of man.
   By all these immeasurable bounties the Lord has shown, and still shows,
   that He infinitely loves mankind, and every man separately. Let us,
   too, imitate God's love and bountifulness; let us be, as far as
   possible, merciful and bountiful, as our Heavenly Father is merciful.
   [370]

   Wherever I look with my spiritual vision, whether within me or upon me,
   or outside of me--everywhere, I see powerful reasons for thanking and
   praising the Lord. Especially when I look only within myself: then I
   see the strongest reason for doing so. The whole strength of my heart,
   all my spiritual light, comes from God; all my bodily strength,
   everything that serves to maintain my bodily life, comes from God.
   Everywhere I see the glory the sole glory, of my God, and see nothing
   in myself of which I could boast as of my own. Glory to Him Who gives
   me strength! Glory to Him Who works through me, and within me. As I
   have nothing of my own, and have everything from God, down to the
   smallest good inclination of my heart, down to every holy and bright
   thought, whilst without God I am nothing--worse than this, I am all
   evil; therefore I have the strongest reasons to have recourse to God in
   prayer for everything. I have especially powerful reasons to thank God
   for His most pure and life-giving Sacrament--His Body and Blood; it is
   everything to me. I fervently praise the Lord Jesus Christ, our God,
   for His unspeakable love to us mortals, revealed in the Holy Sacrament.

   What an immeasurably great honour it is to mankind that they can open
   their lips before God; that they can converse with Him, and are able to
   make request to Him of their needs; to thank Him for His benefits, to
   praise His unspeakable magnificence, and to be assured that this
   sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise is agreeable to God; that our
   highest spiritual requests to Him relating to the salvation of our
   souls are always fulfilled! How immeasurably high is man exalted in
   this respect above all other sentient and animate creatures! No other
   creature has received such honour from God, though they, too, have
   tongues, expressing the needs of their nature; for it is said that
   young ravens call upon Him [371] . Let us, therefore, make use of this
   great honour, in order to be worthy of a still higher honour from the
   Lord--of the heavenly calling. There, in heaven, shall be our full
   glory; whilst here its beginning only is revealed to true Christians.

   On account of our corporeity and spirituality, the Lord unites His
   grace, even Himself, to everything visible and material, and works
   through everything: thus He transforms bread and wine into His own Body
   and Blood, or into His visible tabernacle. He changes the temple into
   His own house; upon the altar in the temple He invisibly sits,
   enthroned as a king; upon the cross He manifests Himself, as though in
   the same body in which He was crucified, and works miracles by means of
   the cross, showing His life-giving power through it. He is everywhere
   throughout the universe, as in a temple, and, at the same time being
   wholly everywhere, is not limited by any space, being always above
   every space and time. You marvel that He can unite His own self, or His
   power and His saving grace, to matter. Marvel, first of all, how He has
   united in man His Godly image with matter, with earth and dust; how
   this dust can think, speak, and diffuse around itself the fragrance of
   goodness, righteousness, truth, and love, and can accomplish in the
   common life so many wonderful, truly wonderful, deeds. Marvel also at
   how many various kinds of speechless souls are enclosed in the dust,
   gifted with some kind of sense, with a thirst after life and joy, with
   a feeling of self-protection, a capacity for finding themselves food,
   for constructing what is necessary for their safety, and for bringing
   their children into the world, and understanding how to defend
   themselves cleverly. Marvel how nearly all inanimate bodies are united
   with invisible, intangible powers, which sometimes move their enormous
   masses (as with the heavenly bodies), sometimes turn them into
   beautiful, and always identical, unchangeable forms (as in plants).
   Marvel that so many different powers are created by God; for all powers
   are derived from the one Single Power, and the Almighty Himself works
   through every power. Truly, everything appertaining to God the Creator,
   as to the God of wonders, is wonderful; likewise in faith--everything
   is wonderful, though invisible, but true and real! "The pure in heart
   shall see God." [372] God is an all-seeing Eye, a spiritual Sun,
   standing above the world, penetrating with His spiritual eyes into the
   thoughts and hearts of men, enlightening every creature. Our soul is an
   eye from the Eye, sight from the Sight, light from the Light. But now,
   since our fall into sin, our eye, our soul, is diseased through sins.
   Take the cataract off your eye, and you will see the spiritual Sun, the
   everlasting Eye, ten thousand times brighter than the material sun.

   How often it happens in life that a man has one thing in his heart and
   another upon his lips, and wears two faces at one and the same time! It
   is thus also during prayer, before God Himself, Who knows the secrets
   of the heart; a man also frequently wears two faces, saying one thing
   and having another in his heart and thoughts. If, which happens still
   oftener, when saying a prayer, although he understands it and thinks
   about it, he does not sympathise in his heart with that which he is
   saying--being dead, and thus throwing the words to the air--then he
   deceives himself if he believes that he can please God by such a
   prayer. This is strange, sinful duplicity! It is a bitter fruit and
   evidence of our fall into sin. It seems habitual to our heart to lie in
   prayer and in our intercourse with other men. The heart is a pillar of
   falsehood. "All men are liars." [373] The Christian must make use of
   every means in order to eradicate every falsehood from his heart, and
   to implant pure truth within it. We must begin with prayer, as with a
   matter in which truth is indispensable before everything, in accordance
   with the Lord's own words: "Worship Him in spirit and in truth." [374]
   Speak the truth from your heart. [375] When we have learnt to speak the
   truth from our heart during prayer, we shall not allow ourselves to lie
   in our everyday life: sincere, true prayer, having cleansed our heart
   from falsehood, will protect it against falsehood in our relations with
   other men in worldly matters. How can we teach ourselves to speak the
   truth from our heart during prayer? We must bring every word of the
   prayer down to our heart, lay it to heart, feel its truth in our heart,
   be convinced of all our need of that for which we ask God in prayer, or
   of the need of hearty gratitude for His great and innumerable benefits
   to us, and of most heartfelt praise for His great, most wise works in
   His creation.

   Everything that constitutes me man (the soul), lives solely by God, and
   only in union with Him, whilst when the soul separates itself from God,
   then it experiences extreme distress. But the life of my soul consists
   in the peace of my spiritual powers, and this peace proceeds
   exclusively from God. There is, it is true, carnal peace also, but it
   is a delusive one --the forerunner of spiritual storm--of which the
   Lord says: "When they shall say (to men), Peace and safety, then
   suddenly destruction cometh upon them " [376] ; but spiritual peace,
   which proceeds from the Spirit of God differs, as heaven from earth,
   from such carnal peace. It is heavenly blissgiving. "Peace I give you,"
   often said the Lord to His disciples, giving them His peace, and the
   Apostles also gave "peace to believers," and wished them God's peace as
   the highest blessing, because God's peace constitutes the life of our
   soul, and witnesses to the union of our soul with God. The absence of
   peace in the soul--disturbance, by which all the passionate conditions
   of our soul are distinguished--is spiritual death and the sign of the
   action of the enemy of our salvation in our hearts.

   Faith is the key of God's treasury. She dwells in simple, kind, loving
   hearts. "All things are possible to him that believeth." [377] Faith is
   a spiritual mouth, the more freely it opens the greater the stream by
   which the Divine springs enter into it; let this mouth freely open, as
   your bodily one does; do not let your lips be compressed by doubt and
   unbelief: if you compress them by doubt and unbelief, the treasury of
   God's blessings will be closed to you. The more openly, the more
   heartily you believe in God's omnipotence, the more bountifully will
   God's heart be opened to you. "What things soever ye desire, when ye
   pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them." [378]

   All men are the breath and the creation of the One God--from God they
   have come forth, and to God, as to their origin, they will return:
   "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit
   shall return unto God who gave it." [379] "That by these ye might be
   partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is
   in the world through lust." [380] As the breath of the One God, and as
   having proceeded from one man, men ought, naturally, to live in mutual
   love, mutually caring for one another, and ought not to be divided from
   each other by selfishness, pride, malice, envy, avarice, or
   unsociability of character, "that they may be one." [381] Look at the
   ants, how friendly they are; look at the bees, how friendly they are;
   look at the flights of pigeons, daws, rooks, crows, geese, ducks,
   swans, sparrows, how friendly they all are; look at a flock of sheep,
   and in general at any horned cattle, how friendly they all are. Think
   of the innumerable shoals of some sorts of fishes in the seas and
   rivers, which always like to move in shoals, how friendly they are.
   Think also how zealously they all take care of each other, help each
   other, love each other--and be shamed by the dumb creatures, you who do
   not live in love with others and flee from the obligation of bearing
   one another's burdens. [382]

   God is long-suffering and merciful to you: this you experience many
   times every day. Be long-suffering and merciful to your brethren, also
   fulfilling the words of the Apostle, who thus speaks of charity before
   everything: "Charity suffereth long, and is kind." [383] You desire
   that the Lord should rejoice you by His love, rejoice on your part the
   hearts of others by your tender love and kindness.

   God is love, a most-gracious, all-wise and omnipotent Being. Therefore,
   those who pray must believe that the Lord will give all things needful,
   bountifully, as He is loving, and bountiful wisely, as He is All-wise;
   and as He is omnipotent, there and then, when we do not expect.

   During Divine service, during the celebration of all the sacraments and
   prayers, be trustful, as a child in relation to his parents. Remember
   what great Fathers of the Church, what inspired luminaries, enlightened
   by the Holy Ghost, are guiding you! Be simple, trustful, undoubting as
   a child in godly matters. Cast all your care upon the Lord, and be
   entirely free from sorrow. "Take no thought how or what ye shall speak,
   for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it
   is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father, which speaketh in
   you." [384] The Lord has long ago freed us from this care, this sorrow,
   having taught our God-fearing Fathers by His Spirit, what to say and
   how to pray to the Lord at Divine service, at the celebration of the
   sacraments and upon various other occasions and circumstances of human
   life, requiring prayer to bring down a blessing from above. It ought to
   be easy for us to pray. Only the enemy troubles us. But what matters
   his troubling if our heart is firmly established in the Lord! It is
   only a misfortune if we do not rest in God; if there is no firm faith
   in us, if we have bound ourselves by worldly attachments, if our
   intellect is proud and presumptuous, then, even in the most holy, most
   pure matter of service, at the celebration and communion of the Holy
   Mysteries, the enemy will greatly hinder us.

   Be as kind, meek, humble, and simple as possible in your intercourse
   with all, considering yourself not hypocritically inferior to all in
   respect to your spiritual condition; that is, more sinful and weaker
   than all. Say to yourself, "Of all sinners I am the first." From pride
   proceeds self-sufficiency, coldness, and insincerity in our behaviour
   to our inferiors, or to those from whom we do not expect to obtain any
   advantage.

   How quick we are to evil and how slow to good! Now I desire to do good
   to my enemy, and to really show him kindness, but before I succeed in
   becoming kind in my heart, I am already evil, a fiery arrow of evil
   already inwardly burns one; I wish to be patient, but before I have
   strengthened my heart in patience, I become irritable, impatient; I
   wish to be humble, but Satan's pride has already found ample room in my
   heart; I wish to be gracious, meanwhile, when it is necessary to show
   graciousness, I show myself rough; I wish to be unmercenary and
   generous, but cupidity and avarice, upon the least occasion, like
   hungry and roaring lions, require to be fed; I wish to be simple,
   trustful, but cunning and doubt already gnaw at my heart; I wish to be
   grave, concentrated, and reverent in my service to the Almighty, but
   light-mindedness and inattention of the heart prevent my becoming so; I
   wish to detach myself from earthly things, to be abstinent in food and
   drink, but when I see pleasant food and drink and sit down to table, I,
   like a slave, am taken a willing captive by my belly, I easily allow
   myself to eat and drink more than my nature requires, greediness and
   intemperance again prevent and get the better of my desire to be
   indifferent to food and drink, thus I am like that impotent man who lay
   for thirty-eight years upon his bed, and came many times to the pool of
   Bethesda, which made whole whosoever first stepped in after the
   troubling of the water by an Angel, "but always another stepped down
   before him." [385] And when I, having become impotent through my sins,
   make an effort and come to myself, with the intention of immersing
   myself in God and of changing for the better, another steppeth into my
   heart before me, sin and the Devil forestal me in my own house, in my
   own pool of Bethesda, and do not allow me to reach the Source of living
   waters, the Lord--do not allow me to immerse myself in the cleansing
   pool of faith, humility, heart-felt contrition and tears. Who will heal
   me then? Jesus Christ alone. When He sees my sincere and firm desire to
   be healed of my spiritual infirmity, when He hears my fervent prayer,
   then He will say to me: " Take up thy bed and walk," [386] and I shall
   rise from the bed of spiritual infirmity and walk; that is, by His
   grace I shall easily vanquish all my passions and fulfil every virtue.

   During prayer, intentional, deliberate, extreme humility is
   indispensable. We must remember, who speaks and what he says, this is
   especially necessary during the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father ..."
   Humility destroys all the snares of the enemy. Ah! how much secret
   pride there is in us. This, we say, I know; this I do not need; this is
   not for me; this is superfluous; in that I am not a sinner. How much
   sophistry of our own!

   When you pray, say in your heart, against the various thoughts and
   provocations that come from the enemy: " The Lord is everything to me."
   Likewise, during all your life, when passions attack you, and during
   every oppression of the enemy, and during sickness, afflictions,
   misfortunes, and disasters, say: "The Lord is everything to me; I
   myself can do nothing--cannot bear anything, cannot surmount, conquer
   anything--He is my strength."

   Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this
   adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be
   ashamed." [387] O contemptible shame! O devilish shame! O stink of
   Satan's ascending from the well of the abyss! How many are diseased
   with it? How many do not recognise its enticement and become enslaved
   by it, to the ruin of their souls? Look at worldly writers, journalists
   --writers of feuilletons. They write, write, write. ... of what will
   they not write during their literary career? But of God, of our
   Saviour, Jesus Christ, of the Church, of Divine service, of the
   Christian festivals, of the resurrection of our body, of the judgment,
   of the life beyond the grave--they do not even make mention. They say
   it is not their province, not their business. We are of the world, we
   speak of worldly matters, and therefore the world listens to us; but if
   we were to speak of God, perhaps nobody would read what we write. Thus
   worldly literature is completely foreign to the spirit of Christianity,
   it even seems to be ashamed of the spirit of Christ.

   The Devil cunningly induces us--instead of irritating us against
   himself--to notice our neighbours' sins, to make us spiteful and angry
   with others, and to awaken our contempt towards them, thus keeping us
   in enmity with our neighbours, and with the Lord God Himself.
   Therefore, we must despise the sins, the faults themselves, and not our
   brother who commits them at the Devil's instigation, through infirmity
   and habit; we must pity him, and gently and lovingly instruct him, as
   one who forgets himself, or who is sick, as a prisoner and the slave of
   his sin. But our animosity, our anger towards the sinner only increases
   his sickness, oblivion, and spiritual bondage, instead of lessening
   them; besides this, it makes us ourselves like madmen, or sick men, the
   prisoners of our own passions, and of the Devil, who is the author of
   them.

   Every sin proceeds from the spirit of evil; he who sins is the slave of
   sin, is tortured by sin; therefore, do not be too severe, but be gentle
   with him who sins, knowing our common infirmity. Pity the sinner, as
   one who is sick, or who has lost his way, and is walking in darkness,
   or as one who is bound with iron fetters, as one whose mind is
   deranged; for all these qualities may be attributed to a sinner, or to
   one who is under the dominion of some passion. It is necessary to watch
   over such a man in every way, so that the fire of sin should not burn
   him, should not darken him, should not bind him, should not plunge him
   into sickness, should not destroy him. [388]

   We are accustomed to the works of God, and therefore value them but
   little; we do not, for instance, value even man as we ought to--that
   greatest work and miracle of God's omnipotence and grace. Look upon
   every man, whether he is one of your household, or a stranger to you,
   as upon something perpetually new in God's world, as upon the greatest
   miracle of God's omnipotence and grace, and do not let the fact of your
   being accustomed to him serve as a reason for you to neglect him.
   Esteem and love him, as your own self, constantly, and unchangeably.

   Sometimes in nature a warm, healthful wind blows, pleasantly and
   lightly, permeating and coming in contact with the body, and the sky is
   serene; whilst at other times a cold wind blows, one feels, somehow,
   distressed and feverish, the wind pierces to the very bones and affects
   the body unpleasantly, the earth and sky are darkened; or else
   sometimes the state of the atmosphere is warm and warmth-giving, and at
   other times cold, benumbing. It is likewise in the spiritual life:
   sometimes our soul is surrounded and penetrated by a light, pleasant,
   warmth-giving, vivifying breath, we feel ourselves happy and tranquil;
   whilst at others our heart is touched by a heavy, deathly breath,
   accompanied by complete spiritual darkness. The first state proceeds
   from the Spirit of God, the second from the Devil. It is necessary to
   accustom ourselves to everything: as in the first case, not to grow
   self-conceited, so in the last, not to fall into despondency, into
   despair, but to fervently have recourse to God.

   If men had not been created according to the image of God, the Lord
   would not have been incarnate of the most holy Virgin. O how our nature
   is raised, both in its creation and in its redemption! Through the
   incarnation of the Son of God from the most holy Virgin Mary, God has
   most truly united Himself with men. "O Thou, by Thy glorious
   birth-giving hast united God-the-Word with men, and linked our apostate
   nature with heavenly things." [389] Glory to Thee, Who art meetly
   praised by every reasonable creature, for Thou hast obtained from God
   such grace and purity that Thou wert able, through favour of God the
   Father, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, to give flesh to the Son of
   God! Make us also worthy, O Lord, to attain purity of spirit and body
   through the communion of the Divine Mysteries of the Body and Blood of
   Thy Son.

   Through His incarnation the Lord has entered into the closest relation
   with man. It is marvellous! God Himself is united in one person with
   man. God became flesh--"the Word was made flesh." [390] God Himself
   partook of our carnal food and drink, was laid in a manger, lived in a
   house. He Who cannot be contained by the heavens walked upon the earth,
   upon the waters, upon the air. 'He went up," it is said, "toward
   heaven." [391] He was nailed to the tree, "He Who hangeth the earth
   upon nothing by His command." [392] The whole earth, the waters, and
   the air--all are sanctified by the incarnate Son of God; therefore the
   earth is dear to Him--this temporary abode of men, this inn of the
   human race, this place of His habitation amongst men. But especially
   dear to Him are men themselves, whose souls and bodies He has received
   into unity with His own Person, and especially with true Christians. He
   is in them, and they in Him.

   What is above all desirable for man? The avoidance of sin, the
   remission and forgiveness of sins and the attainment of holiness.
   Wherefore? Because sins, such as, for instance, pride, evil behaviour
   towards our neighbours, wicked suspiciousness, covetousness, avarice,
   envy, etc., separate us from God, the Source of life, withdraw us from
   fellowship with other men, and plunge us into spiritual death; whilst
   gentle, humble, and kind behaviour to all, even to our enemies,
   simplicity, disinterestedness, contentedness with little and with the
   indispensable, generosity to everyone, goodwill and all other virtuous
   qualities, unite us to God, the Source of life, and to other men by
   endearing us to them. Grant then, Lord, that we may entirely flee from
   sin; that we may accustom ourselves to every virtue, through Thy grace.
   Yea, Master, Lord, without Thee we, " being evil," [393] can do no good
   thing.

   We must not be exasperated, angry, and proud, as is habitual to our
   corrupt nature, against those who are angry, envious, or proud towards
   us, but we must pity them as overcome by the flames of hell, and by
   spiritual death; we must pray to God for them from the depths of our
   hearts, that the Lord may take away the darkness from their souls and
   enlighten their hearts by the light of His grace. We are darkened by
   our own passions, and do not see the foolishness, the monstrousness of
   them, and of our conduct; but when the Lord enlightens us by the light
   of His grace, then we, awaking as from a sleep, clearly perceive the
   monstrousness, the foolishness of our thoughts, feelings, words, and
   actions; our heart, which was hardened until then, softens; the evil
   passes away and is replaced by mercy, kindness, and indulgence.
   Therefore, in accordance with our Saviour's words, we must also love
   our enemies: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to
   them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
   persecute you," [394] for they, our brethren are also blind, have also
   gone astray.

   This present life is a life of exile: "The Lord God," it is said, "sent
   him forth from the garden of Eden;" [395] and we, all of us, must
   earnestly strive to regain our country through repentance and works
   meet for repentance. Lord, "the desired fatherland give Thou to me, a
   citizen of Paradise me making once again." [396] The present life is
   the narrow way, the way of afflictions, privations, and maladies. The
   narrower the way, the more convincing, the surer it is, that we are
   going the right, true way; the wider, the more certain it is that we
   are nigh to destruction. The present life is a daily, cruel, most
   bitter struggle against the enemies of our salvation, especially
   against the invisible, sub-celestial spirits of evil, who do not leave
   us in peace for a single day, but constantly make use of their craft
   and subtlety against us, kindling various passions within us, and
   wounding us in the most acute manner by their shafts. Remember,
   therefore, that an incessant war is waged against us; that there is not
   time to rest, to enjoy, and amuse ourselves in this life, which is
   given us for our preparation for the future one; neither when we are
   tried by misfortunes; nor even then, when it seems to us we are
   perfectly easy and happy, as, for instance, when we give ourselves to
   pleasure at theatres or soirée's, when we display ourselves in festive
   attire and ornaments, when we give ourselves up to the pleasures of the
   table, when we turn round in the gay dance, drive in fine equipages,
   etc. Amidst all your worldly pleasures, man, the greatest misfortune
   hangs over you. You are a sinner; you are God's enemy; you are in great
   danger of losing eternal life, especially if you live negligently, if
   you do not do works meet for repentance. The wrath of God hangs over
   you, especially if you do not appease the God Whom you have offended by
   your prayers, penitence, and amendment. Thus, this is no time for you
   for pleasures, but rather for tears; your pleasures should be rare, and
   principally such as are afforded you by faith - in spiritual festivals.

   God is an almighty power over all material worlds. More than that, He
   is a most wonderful, most merciful, and most just power over the
   spiritual world - that is, the world of angels and men. In His hands
   are all spirits, their peace and blessedness, as well as the anguish
   and torments of evil spirits and evil men.

   As we sometimes blaspheme the Divinity by the impure, dark, and evil
   state of our soul - blaspheme the Father, the Word, and the Most Holy
   Ghost, the Comforter - so, on the contrary, some men, through the
   benign disposition of their souls, are capable of comforting all by
   their words, thus glorifying the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost
   the Comforter, " Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may
   be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort
   wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." [397]

   The Almighty Lord. His omnipotence embraces all creatures, the highest
   and the lowest, intellectual and sentient, angels and men, heaven and
   all that is therein, the earth and everything upon it, the sea and
   everything within it. His omnipotence absolutely embraces everything in
   general and every part of creation. Thus it embraces the heart of man
   and his thoughts; therefore it is said, "the king's heart is in the
   hand of the Lord." [398] This is also why the Apostle says, "Not that
   we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but
   our sufficiency is of God." [399] If God's grace leaves my heart and my
   mind I become as the dust carried away by the wind, without any moral
   stability, with an inclination to every possible evil; both my mind and
   my heart become empty, trivial, dark, and powerless.

   The Virgin Mary is the most merciful sovereign of all the sons and
   daughters of men, as the Daughter of God the Father, Who is love; the
   Mother of God the Word, of our love; the chosen bride of the Holy
   Ghost, Who is love consubstantial with the Father and the Word. How can
   we do otherwise than have recourse to such a sovereign and expect to
   receive all spiritual blessings from Her?

   Firmly purpose in your soul to hate every sin of thought, word, and
   deed, and when you are tempted to sin resist it valiantly and with a
   feeling of hatred for it; only beware lest your hatred should turn
   against the person of your brother who gave occasion for the sin. Hate
   the sin with all your heart, but pity your brother; instruct him, and
   pray for him to the Almighty, Who sees all of us and tries our hearts
   and innermost parts. "Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving
   against sin." [400] It is impossible not to often fall into sin unless
   you have a hatred of it implanted in your heart. Self-love must be
   eradicated. Every sin comes from the love of self. Sin always appears,
   or feigns to be, to wish us well, promising us plenteous- ness and
   ease. "The tree was good for food, and it was pleasant to the eyes, and
   a tree to be desired to make one wise." [401] This is how sin always
   appears to us.

   If guardian angels did not preserve us from the snares of evil demons,
   O how often we should have fallen from one sin into another; how devils
   would have tormented us--they who delight in tormenting men--which
   indeed happens when the Lord allows the guardian angels to withdraw
   themselves from us for a time, and devils lay snares for us. Yes, the
   angels of peace, our true guides, the guardians of our souls and
   bodies, are ever with us if we do not voluntarily drive them away from
   us by the abomination of sensuality, pride, doubt, and unbelief. We
   somehow feel that they cover us with the wings of their immaterial
   glory, only we do not see them. Our good thoughts, inclinations, words,
   and deeds, all proceed from them.

   The enemy often wounds our souls by his malice and burns us. This wound
   spreads like a gangrene in the heart if we do not stop it in time by
   the sincere prayer of faith. And God wounds our souls by His love, but
   this wound is light, sweet, not burning, but warming and vivifying.

   Concerning penitence. Penitence should be sincere, perfectly free, and
   not in any way forced by any particular time and habit, or by the
   person before whom the sinner confesses. Otherwise it would not be true
   penitence. It is said: " Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at
   hand." [402] Is at hand--that is, it has come by itself. It is not
   necessary to seek for it long--it seeks us, our free inclination; that
   is, you yourself must repent with heartfelt contrition. "They were
   baptized of him " (is said of those baptized of John) "confessing their
   sins" [403] ; that is, they themselves acknowledged their sins. And as
   our prayer consists principally of penitence and asking forgiveness of
   our sins, it must absolutely be always sincere and perfectly free, not
   against our will, not forced out of us by habit and custom. Such also
   should be our prayer when it is one of thanksgiving and praise.
   Gratitude supposes the soul of the man benefited to be full of free,
   lively feeling flowing freely from the mouth, " for out of the
   abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." [404] Praise, too, supposes
   an ecstasy of wonder in the man who contemplates the infinite goodness,
   wisdom, and omnipotence of God in the moral and material world, and
   therefore it ought also to be a perfectly free and intelligent action.
   In general, prayer should be a free and perfectly conscious outpouring
   of the man's heart before God, "I have poured out my soul before the
   Lord." [405] In order to purify and stimulate our prayer, the Lord
   allows the Devil to painfully inflame our inward parts, so that we,
   feeling a strange fire within us, and suffering from it, may endeavour
   to bring into our heart by means of humble prayer the fire of God, the
   fire of the Holy Ghost giving life to our hearts.

   The Lord allows the enemy to tempt us in order to prove us, in order to
   strengthen our spiritual powers in our struggle against the enemy, and
   so that we ourselves may see more clearly towards what our heart
   inclines, whether it inclines to patience, hope, and love and in
   general to virtue, or to irritability, incredulity, murmuring,
   blasphemy, malice, and despair. Therefore we must not be despondent,
   but must good-humouredly and patiently bear spiritual darkness that
   descends upon our soul, the fire that weakens and inclines us to
   impatience and malice, the affliction and oppression, knowing that all
   these are indispensable in the order of our spiritual life, that by
   these the Lord is proving us. Do not let us blaspheme against the true
   way--the way of holy faith and virtue, and do not let us prefer the
   evil way. We are free, and must strengthen ourselves by every means and
   with all our power in faith and virtue, unto the laying down of our
   life [406] for the way of truth; and how can this be if we have no
   temptations?

   The Devil strikes the hearts of priests with slothfulness, dryness, and
   barrenness, in order that they should not preach the truths of the
   Gospel to God's people, should not tell them the entire Will of God.
   During prayer he also works upon the heart, and strikes it with
   insensibility, so that the prayer should not be sincere, but only said
   out of habit; he does not let the heart contemplate during prayer the
   greatness of all God's perfections, the greatness, of the Mother of
   God, that of the Angels, and of God's Saints. The Devil is like a
   wicked, sharp-pointed needle, which, at every time and everywhere, gets
   into the eyes of your heart, dimming and eclipsing them; he is the
   poisonous dust which always flies about our spiritual atmosphere and
   settles corrosively upon our hearts, eating them up and piercing them.
   He acts in the same manner upon some teachers of religion, striking
   their hearts with dryness and oppression, in order that they may not
   teach God's truths sympathetically to the young branches of Christ's
   vine, nor water them with the life-giving streams of the Gospel.

   Here is a society of men of the world: they go on talking and talking,
   for the greater part amusing themselves with trifles, and there is no
   mention of God--the common Father of all--of His love for us, of the
   future life, of recompense; why is it so? Because they are ashamed to
   speak of God. But what is still more surprising is that even persons
   deeming themselves pious, themselves luminaries, seldom speak of God,
   of Christ the Saviour, of the preciousness of time, of abstinence, of
   the resurrection from the dead, of judgment, of future bliss and
   everlasting torments, either in their family circle or amongst men of
   the world, but often spend their time in futile conversations, games,
   and occupations! This is, again, because they are ashamed to converse
   upon such subjects, being afraid to weary others, or fearing that they
   themselves may not be able to converse heartily upon spiritual
   subjects. O, adulterous and sinful world! Woe unto thee at the day of
   judgment by the universal and impartial Judge. "He came unto His own,
   and His own received Him not." [407] Yes, the Lord and Creator of all
   is not received by us! He is not received into our houses, nor into our
   conversations; or, else, when a man reads a religious book or prayers
   aloud, why does he sometimes do so as if against his will, reluctantly,
   his tongue hesitating? His mouth speaketh not out of the abundance of
   the heart, but out of straitness and emptiness it can scarcely speak at
   all. Why is this so? It proceeds from the neglect of reading books and
   of prayer, and from false shame sown in the heart by the Devil. What
   miserable creatures we men are! We are ashamed of that which ought to
   be regarded as the highest honour. O, ungrateful and evil-natured
   creatures! What torments do we not deserve for such conduct.

   When the enemy does not succeed in hindering the Christian upon the
   path of salvation by means of afflictions, oppression, poverty and
   various other privations, maladies, misfortunes, then he rushes to the
   other extreme: he fights against him by his own health, tranquillity,
   softness, the weakness of his heart, the insensibility of his soul to
   spiritual blessings, or by the opulence of his outer life. O, how
   dangerous is this last condition! It is more dangerous than the first
   state--the state of affliction, oppression, of sickness, etc. In such a
   state we easily forget God; we cease to feel His mercies; we slumber
   and spiritually sleep. "While the Bridegroom tarried, they all
   slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made: Behold, the
   Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him." [408] But in affliction we
   involuntarily turn to God to be saved; we constantly feel that God is
   the God of our salvation--"the God Who saves"--that He is our life, our
   breath, our light, our strength. Thus, it is better for the Christian
   to live in some or other kind of affliction.

   Prayer is--spiritual breathing; when we pray we breathe in the Holy
   Ghost; "praying in the Holy Ghost." [409] Thus, all church prayers
   are--the breathing of the Holy Ghost; as it were spiritual air and also
   light, spiritual fire, spiritual food and spiritual raiment.

   Holy Ghost, all we Christians are--Thy breath, Thy birth after baptism;
   by Thy first creative breathing into the person of the first man, we,
   all races of the earth, are--Thy breath, Thy birth! Have mercy upon us,
   raise us up, Holy Ghost! Drive away from us by Thy breathing the stench
   of our sins and passions, and uproot all our sinful inclinations!

   During prayer always firmly believe and remember that every thought and
   word of yours may, undoubtedly, become deeds. "For with God nothing
   shall be impossible." [410] "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one
   spirit." [411] This signifies that even your words shall not be without
   power. "All things are possible to him that believeth." [412] Take heed
   of your words; the word is precious. " Every idle word that men shall
   speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment" [413]

   The Word is the expression of the truth; the truth itself, being and
   deed. The Word precedes every being, every thing, as the cause of their
   being--past, present, or future. " I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning
   and the ending, saith the Lord, Which is, and Which was, and Which is
   to come, the Almighty." [414] Thus speaks the creative Word of the
   Father. In Him--in the Word--is the cause of all creatures--present,
   past, and future.

   Why do we honour the cross with such reverence that we make mention of
   its power in our prayers after asking for the intercession of the
   Mother of God and the heavenly Powers, before asking for that of the
   Saints, and sometimes even before asking for that of the heavenly
   Powers? Because, after the Saviour's sufferings, the cross became the
   sign of the Son of man, that is, the cross signifies the Lord Himself,
   incarnate and suffering for our salvation. On the cross Christ offered
   Himself as a sacrifice to God the Father for our sins on the cross, and
   by it, He has saved us from the works of the enemy; and this is why we
   honour it with such great reverence. And therefore it will always be a
   great power for believers, delivering them from every evil, and
   especially from the evil action of invisible enemies.

   As light, air, and water are found together and mutually penetrate each
   other and, at the same time, do not intermingle, each of them remaining
   what it was before; the light--remaining light, the air--air, and the
   water--water, each entirely preserving its own particular properties,
   but the substance forming one matter, so also, in a somewhat similar
   manner, the Persons of the Most Divine Trinity are always found
   together, and are not separated from each other. The Father is in the
   Son, and the Son in the Father, whilst the Holy Ghost proceedeth from
   the Father and resteth in the Son. But at the same time each Person has
   Its own particular properties: God the Father is not begotten, not
   created, does not proceed; the Son is begotten; the Holy Ghost proceeds
   from the Father, whilst the substance of the three Persons is one, a
   Divine, incomplex substance. This similarity is based upon the words of
   our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who calls Himself the Light of the
   world, and thus speaks of the Holy Ghost, comparing It in Its actions
   to the element water: " He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath
   said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this
   spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive."
   [415] He also compared the Holy Ghost to the air or wind: "The wind
   bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst
   not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth: so is every one that is
   born of the Spirit." [416] The Holy Church sings of the Holy Ghost: "To
   the Holy Ghost belongs every all-saving cause: on whomsoever He,
   through worthiness doth breathe, He quickly taketh him from earthly
   things." [417]

   It is the same to the Lord to give flesh to any creature He likes,
   either to an animal or a plant, as it would be to me to make a garment
   or clothing and put it on myself: " Thou hast clothed me with skin and
   flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews." [418] And what an
   infinite multitude and variety of material the Lord has, out of which
   He, the Creator, creates various clothing, of various shapes for His
   creatures (animals, birds, fishes, reptiles, insects)! And us He will
   eventually clothe with light, like unto of the sun in his kingdom! "
   Upon thy right hand did stand the queen in a vesture of gold." [419]
   "Then shall the righteous shine forth, as the sun in the kingdom of
   their Father." [420] And now we are clothed with the earth, water, air,
   warmth--such is our present clothing. And how wisely and conveniently
   all these elements are made and brought into union in our being! It is
   not heavy, and it is comely. O, Most-wise and Almighty Artist!
   Life-giving Artist! How beautiful, suitable, and animate is everything
   that Thou hast created! At Thy Will even the dust is animate, the dust
   moves!

   The chief thing in prayer for which we must care above all is--lively,
   clear-sighted faith in the Lord: represent Him vividly before yourself
   and within you--then ask of Jesus Christ in the Holy Ghost whatever you
   desire and you will obtain it. Ask simply, without the slightest
   doubt--then your God will be everything to you, accomplishing in an
   instant great and wonderful acts, as the sign of cross, accomplishes
   great wonders. Ask for both spiritual and material blessings not only
   for yourself, but for all believers, for the whole body of the Church,
   not separating yourself from other believers, but in spiritual union
   with them, as a member of the one great body of the Church of Christ,
   and loving all, as your brethren or children in Christ, as the case may
   be. The heavenly Father will fill you with the great peace and
   boldness.

   When praying, pay steadfast attention to the words of the prayer,
   feeling them in your heart. Do not withdraw your mind from them to any
   other thoughts. When praying during Divine service, during the
   celebration of the Sacraments and the singing of the prayers and hymns
   upon various occasions, lay surely to your heart the words themselves
   of the church prayers, believing, that not a single word is placed
   there in vain, that every one of them has its power, that in each word
   dwells the Holy Trinity the Lord Himself, "Who is everywhere present
   and fills all things": think thus:--I myself am nothing, the Lord does
   everything. Also think: when I speak--God the Word, speaks in me. I
   need be careful for nothing." Casting all your care," it is said, "upon
   Him, for He careth for you." [421]

   When you read a worldly magazine or newspaper, it is light and
   agreeable reading, you easily believe in everything in it. But if you
   take up a religious publication or book to read, especially one
   relating to church matters, or sometimes when you begin reading
   prayers--you feel a weight upon your heart, you are tormented by doubt
   and unbelief, and experience a sort of darkness and aversion. Many
   acknowledge this. From what does it proceed? Of course, not from the
   nature of the books themselves, but from the nature of the readers,
   from the nature of their hearts, and--chiefly--from the Devil, the
   enemy of mankind, the enemy of everything holy: "he taketh away the
   word out of their hearts." [422] When we read worldly books, we do not
   touch him, and he does not touch us. But as soon as we take up
   religious books, as soon as we begin to think of our amendment and
   salvation, then we go against him, we irritate and torment him, and
   therefore he attacks us and torments us on his side. What can we do? We
   must not throw aside the good work, the reading or prayers that are
   profitable to our souls, but we must patiently endure, and in patience
   save our souls. "In your patience possess ye your souls," [423] says
   the Lord. The same applies to theatres and churches, to the stage and
   Divine service. Many people find it pleasant to go to the theatre, and
   oppressive and dull to go to church. Wherefore? Because in the theatre
   everything is well suited to please the sensual man, and when we are
   there we do not provoke the Devil, but please him, and he, on his side,
   affords us pleasure, and does not touch us. Make merry, my friends,
   thinks he--laugh, only do not remember God. Whilst in the church
   everything is adapted to arouse faith and the fear of God, pious
   feelings, the feeling of our sinfulness and corruption; and the Devil
   sows in our hearts doubt, weariness, despondency, evil, impure and
   blasphemous thoughts--so that the man is not glad in himself, and
   cannot stand for even an hour, and he gets away as quickly as possible.
   The theatre and the church--are opposite contrasts. The one is the
   temple of the world, and the other the temple of God; the one is the
   temple of the Devil, and the other--the temple of the Lord.

   When you are asked to pray that someone may be saved from bodily death,
   for instance, from drowning, from death through any sickness, from
   fire, or from any other disaster, commend the faith of those who ask
   you to do so, and say in yourself: Blessed be your faith, according to
   your faith may the Lord fulfil my unworthy, feeble prayer, and may He
   increase my faith.

   You easily forgive yourself, if you have sinned against God, or against
   men; accordingly easily forgive other people too. Love your neighbour
   as yourself, forgive him much. "How oft shall my brother sin against
   me, and I forgive him? till seven times? I say not unto thee, Until
   seven times: but, Until seventy times seven," [424] said the Lord. By
   this love is known. Even this is little for love to do: love loves its
   enemies, does good to them which hate it, blesses them that curse it,
   and prays for them which despitefully use it. [425]

   The Lord, unto Whom all hearts are open, knowing our avarice and
   trivial, covetous calculation in those cases, when we have to show
   hospitality and kindness to people, from whom we do not expect to
   receive the equivalent,--has promised to remunerate us in the day of
   judgment, not only for having given food to the hungry, drink to the
   thirsty, for having visited the sick and those in prison, but He has
   promised a reward even for a cup of cold water, given to a Christian or
   to an unbeliever in His name. "Whosoever shall give to drink unto one
   of these little ones a cup of cold water only, .... verily I say unto
   you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." [426] O, the
   loving-kindness, and mercy of Christ! Who, after this, will not be
   ashamed of the hardness of his heart, and his shameful avarice!

   The Devil, as a spirit, as an incomplex being, can hinder and wound the
   soul by a single instantaneous movement of the thought of wickedness,
   of doubt, blasphemy, impatience, irritation, malice, by an
   instantaneous movement of any attachment of the heart to anything
   earthly, by a movement of intuitive sight, adultery and other
   passions--he can fan the spark of sin, with the cunning and malice
   peculiar to him, into a flame, raging with infernal strength within the
   man. We must stand fast and strengthen ourselves by every means in
   God's truth, rejecting the lies, illusions, and malice of the Devil, at
   their very beginning. In such cases, the man should be all
   watchfulness, all eyes, hard as adamant, invincible in every part, firm
   and invulnerable. O, Glory, glory to Thy victory, Lord! Thus may I
   conquer, by the power of Thy might, the invisible and visible enemies,
   all the days of my life, until my last breath. Amen. O, simplicity of
   faith, do not leave me.

   Do not have any partiality, not only either for food and drink, for
   dress, for a spacious and richly decorated dwelling, for the luxurious
   furniture of your house, but not even for your health, do not even have
   the least partiality for your life, give up all your life to the Will
   of the Lord, saying: "for, to me to live--is Christ and to die--is
   gain." [427] "He that hateth his life in this world, shall keep it unto
   life eternal." [428] Attachment to the temporary life, to one's own
   health, leads to many deviations from God's Commandments, to the
   indulgence of the flesh, to breaking the fasts, to evading the
   conscientious fulfilment of the duties connected with our service, to
   despondency, impatience, irritability. Never sleep before saying
   evening-prayers, lest your heart should become gross from ill-timed
   sleep, and lest the enemy should hinder it by a stony insensibility
   during prayer. "Be sober, be vigilant." [429] "Watch and pray, that ye
   enter not into temptation." [430] "Watch therefore, for ye know neither
   the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh." [431] "Watch ye
   therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at
   even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning: lest
   coming suddenly He find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say
   unto all, Watch." [432]

   Pray, my brethren, to the Mother of God when the storm of enmity and
   malice bursts forth in your house. She, Who is all-merciful and
   all-powerful, can easily pacify the hearts of men. Peace and love
   proceed from the one God, as from their Source, and Our Lady--in God,
   as the Mother of Christ the Peace, is zealous, and prays for the peace
   of the whole world, and above all--of all Christians. She has the
   all-merciful power of driving away from us at Her sign the
   sub-celestial spirits of evil--those ever-vigilant and ardent sowers of
   enmity and malice amongst men, whilst to all who have recourse with
   faith and love to Her powerful protection, She soon speedily gives both
   peace and love. Be zealous yourselves also in preserving faith and love
   in your hearts; for if you do not care for this, then you will be
   unworthy of the intercession for you--of the Mother of God; be also
   most fervent and most reverent worshippers of the Mother of the
   Almighty Lord; for it is truly meet to bless Her--the ever-blessed; the
   entirely spotless Mother of our God, the highest of all creatures, the
   Mediatrix for the whole race of mankind. Strive to train yourself in
   the spirit of humility, for She Herself was more humble than any
   mortal, and only looks lovingly upon the humble." He hath regarded the
   low estate of His handmaiden" (said She to Elisabeth), of "God, Her
   Saviour." [433]

   Do not let the Devil sow enmity and malice in your heart against your
   neighbour; do not let these feelings nestle in any way in your heart;
   otherwise your malice, even if not expressed in words, but shown only
   in your glance, may infect through sight the soul of your brother also
   (for nothing is so infectious as malice, it easily infects especially
   those who have in their hearts an abundance of unslumbering malice),
   and fans the spark of evil in them into a whole flame. Be watchful:
   "with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." [434]
   "For, nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither
   anything hid, that shall not be known and come abroad." [435]

   Cultivate the Christian art of doing good, of heartily blessing those
   who curse you, by which you will please your Lord Christ, Who said:
   "Bless them that curse you. Love your enemies" sincerely, not regarding
   their enmity--but respecting in them the image of God, according to
   which they are created, and seeing in them your own self. "Do good to
   them which hate you," as the Son of the heavenly Father, Who is kind
   even "unto the unthankful and to the evil," believing that you will
   overcome evil with good, because good is always more powerful than
   evil. " Pray for them which despitefully use you," so that through your
   prayer you may save them also, by God's grace, from the evil malice and
   the snares of the Devil, and save yourself too from misfortune. "Give
   to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods
   ask them not again," [436] for everything comes from God, and, should
   the Lord will, He can take everything away from you. Remember, that you
   yourself have come naked out of your mother's womb, and naked shall you
   return thither, [437] and shall not take anything away with you. If you
   will thus live, you will gain for yourself the priceless treasure of
   peace and love, and shall live long on the earth: for "the
   meek-spirited," it is said, "shall possess the earth: and shall be
   refreshed in the multitude of peace." [438]

   I look to Thee alone, Lord, with my spiritual vision. I believe in Thee
   undoubtingly. Thou Thyself knowest how and what to give me. Thou
   art--the treasury of every blessing, Thou art--mercy, wisdom, and
   omnipotence abundantly flowing upon all creatures. Thus I also look to
   Thee, O Holy Virgin. " Intercede for and have mercy upon me Thyself!"

   Do not grow despondent and enfeebled in spirit, seeing the constant
   struggle within you of evil against good, but like a good and valiant
   soldier of Jesus Christ, our great Founder, struggle courageously
   against evil, looking at the crown, prepared by the Lord for all who
   conquer evil in this world and in their flesh." To him that overcometh,
   will I grant to sit with Me in My Throne." [439]

   In order not to remember the malice of your neighbour against you, but
   to pardon him with all your soul, remember, that you, yourself, are not
   free from malice, as well as from all other passions. Recognise your
   neighbour's infirmities and passions as your own: "forgiving one
   another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." [440] O, how
   sinful I am, how loathsome I am by my sins in the eyes of God, of men,
   and even in mine own! Who can be more loathsome to me than myself?
   Truly nobody; in comparison to me all are righteous. I must be
   unmercifully angry with myself, and must consider it a special
   happiness to forgive my neighbour's trespasses and offences against me,
   an unworthy one, so that the long-suffering, bountiful, and merciful
   Lord may forgive me even some of my trespasses. I must remember, that
   it is only by this that I can become deserving of the Lord's mercy to
   me, otherwise I ought long to have ceased to live.

   O, how full of misery, of difficulties, and how grievous is this
   earthly life! From morning till night, daily, we must carry on a
   grievous warfare against the carnal passions, fighting against our
   soul, against "principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
   the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
   places," [441] whose craft and subtlety are immeasurably evil,
   infernally artful, indefatigable! O, Sweetest Saviour, Thou Who calleth
   unto Thyself all those who labour and are heavy-laden--to give them
   rest! Thou seest: our heart and bosom are wasted from this daily
   struggle and affliction, we are unnerved, weakened, we walk like
   shadows. Our evil enemies continually vex our souls, and endeavour by
   every means to draw us into the abyss of despair. Stretch forth,
   Master, Thy mighty right hand, and deliver us from the snares of the
   dragon of olden time, the murderer of men. "If any man will come after
   Me, said the Lord, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily
   and follow Me." [442] But who is the daily cause of our cross, our
   afflictions and distresses? The old carnal man, and the Devil with his
   continual snares.

   To look unto the Lord during the struggle against any passion, or after
   having committed any sin and repented of it, gives peace to our
   doubting hearts, and a wonderful brightness to our countenance." Thou
   hast put gladness in my heart; Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy
   countenance upon us." [443] O, how bright does our countenance become
   when we look upon the God of our hearts by the exertion of our faith,
   with our spiritual vision! Truly, then the Lord Himself is with us, as
   He said: "Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee."
   [444] "I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour
   him." [445] O, Thou most-bountiful and long-suffering God, Thou Who art
   ready to pardon unto seventy times seven the sins and transgressions of
   all those who heartily repent and ask Thy forgiveness--have mercy upon
   us, who every hour offend many times against Thee. Amen.

   What infinite nothingness our food and drink represent on the one side,
   and what infinite grandeur the man himself who is fed by them
   represents on the other side! Is it not the greatest insanity for man,
   for his image of God, for this partaker of the divine nature, for whom
   God may be all--"God may be all in all" [446] --to grudge food, drink,
   clothing, dwelling, and anything else earthly! Let the dust be
   dust--but let the immortal image of the immortal God be always exalted
   and preferred before everything earthly, corruptible and transitory!
   Therefore, do not let us be sparing of anything for our neighbour! O,
   what a great honour it is--to feed, to clothe, to give rest to the
   image of God! Most-gracious and Most-bountiful God! fill our hearts
   with mercy and bountifulness!

   God's saints had "the eyes of their understanding enlightened," [447]
   and with these eyes they clearly saw the wants of our sin-corrupted
   nature; clearly saw for what we should pray, for what we should ask,
   for what we should give thanks, how we should praise the Lord, and they
   left us the most perfect examples of prayers of various kinds. O, how
   beautiful these prayers are! Sometimes we do not feel and do not know
   their value, whilst we well know the value of food and drink, of
   fashionable attire, of well-furnished rooms, of theatres, of music, of
   worldly literature, especially of novels, that fluent, empty mass of
   words --and, alas! we trample under feet the precious pearls of prayer;
   and whilst everything worldly finds a welcome, wide shelter in the
   hearts of most people, prayer --alas! --does not find even a narrow
   corner in them, cannot get into them. And when it begs us to let it in,
   it is thrust out like a mendicant, like the man who had not a wedding
   garment.

   Rejoice at every opportunity of showing kindness to your neighbour as a
   true Christian who strives to store up as many good works as possible,
   especially the treasures of love. Do not rejoice when others show you
   kindness and love --consider yourself unworthy of it; but rejoice when
   an occasion presents itself for you to show love. Show love simply,
   without any deviation into cunning thoughts, without any trivial,
   worldly, covetous calculations, remembering that love is God Himself.
   Remember that He sees all your ways, sees all the thoughts and
   movements of your heart.

   Do not let pass any opportunity for praying for any man, either at his
   request or at the request of his relatives, friends, of those who
   esteem him, or of his acquaintances. The Lord looks favourably upon the
   prayer of our love, and upon our boldness before him. Besides this,
   prayer for others is very beneficial to the man himself who prays for
   others; it purifies the heart, strengthens faith and hope in God, and
   enkindles our love for God and our neighbour. When praying, say thus:"
   Lord, it is possible for Thee to do this or that to this servant of
   Thine; do this for him, for Thy name is the Merciful Lover of Men and
   the Almighty." "If ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
   [not only] unto your children [but also to strangers], how much more
   shall your Father which is in heaven give all possible good things to
   them that ask Him!" [448]

   Glory to Thee, Lord, our Father, most wise prover of my love for Thee
   and my neighbour! Do not leave me without the temptations which are
   necessary and beneficial in accordance with Thy wisdom and truth, not
   for a single day of my life. May they confirm, strengthen, and increase
   my love for Thee and my neighbour, and may I not appear poor and empty
   before Thy face at the day of Thy judgment!

   If I, a weak man, when I wish to do anything within the limits of my
   capability am able to do it (for instance, if I wish to write a book, I
   write it; if I wish to cure an illness, I cure it; if I wish to make
   anything, I make it--for instance, if I want to build a house or a
   church, I build such a house or church; or if I say to another man,
   "Come," and he comes; "Go," and he goes; "Do this" and he does it) then
   cannot God, the Almighty, do everything that He may desire? "As for our
   God, He is in heaven; He hath done whatsoever pleased Him." [449] If
   sometimes a man only says two words, that something shall be, and it
   really comes to pass--though, perhaps, not at once, but after a certain
   time--then will not everything be done at once that is commanded by the
   word of the Creator? Will not everything that He desires be done at
   once at a single word from Him? "For He spake the word, and they were
   made; He commanded, and they were created." [450] We are not creators
   of men, yet they do so much at our word; we are not creators of things,
   yet, in accordance with our wishes and acts, they take thousands of
   shapes and serve for our innumerable requirements and pleasures. We do
   not create matter, but we create both great and small objects from
   matter. Cannot, therefore, the Creator, Who is everywhere present, and
   fills all things, at Whose word all things came from non-existence into
   being, by Whose thought, by Whose will, and by Whose word all the
   infinite varieties of things were created and exist, create anything He
   desires? If a human physician can sometimes bring back to life a
   half-dead person by means of the knowledge of his profession, and
   skilful, well-directed action upon the cause of the illness, cannot,
   therefore, the Creator of physicians and of the science of healing
   cure, at His single wish and word, every illness? Cannot the Creator
   even raise the dead at His single word? Let us render glory to Him, we
   of little faith, and let us say to Him from our hearts: "All things are
   possible unto Thee, Lord, and nothing is impossible to Thee. Amen."

   O Thou Almighty Sovereign, to Whose single sign all things, the whole
   visible and invisible world, are obedient, grant that I may unceasingly
   glorify Thee by the simplicity of my faith in Thine infinite power.
   Give me the faith that will not be ashamed, firm hope, and unfeigned
   love for Thee and my neighbour.

   " He [God] is before all things, and by Him all things consist." [451]
   A great, immeasurable meaning is contained in these words. They explain
   the name of " I Am that I Am," by which name the Lord named Himself to
   Moses. For "I Am" signifies Him Who exists before all things, and by
   Whom all things exist. These words show the infinite omnipotence and
   grace and the immeasurable wisdom of the Lord our God. "Great is our
   Lord, and great is His power, and His wisdom is infinite." [452]

   If, being in an assemblage of men, you call a person known to you, and
   he comes to you; if you ask one or many men subservient to you to do
   anything for you within the limit of his or their capability, and they
   fulfil your request, satisfying it according to your desire, and even
   beyond your desire, then be assured that, likewise, in God's Church, in
   that great house of God divided into two halves --the heavenly and the
   earthly--any of the members of the Church in Heaven whom you call upon
   will come to your spiritual help conformably to his grace and the
   abundance of his love. Ask him to do anything for you that you please,
   especially anything relating to the Kingdom and righteousness of God,
   and he will do it through his close association with God, the Source of
   grace and power. God's saints also hear you --as, for instance, the
   whole congregation hears you when you pray or speak the Word--for they
   are in the Holy Ghost, and the Spirit is everywhere present, and tills
   all things.

   Our self-love and pride manifest themselves especially in impatience
   and irritability when some of us cannot bear the slightest
   unpleasantness intentionally, or even unintentionally, caused us by
   others; or obstacles lawfully or unlawfully, intentionally or
   unintentionally, opposed to us by men, or caused by the objects
   surrounding us. Our self-love and pride would like everything to be as
   we wish, that we should be surrounded by every honour and comfort of
   this temporal life; would like all men, and even--how far is pride
   carried!--all nature itself, to speedily and silently obey a sign from
   us; whilst, alas! we ourselves are very slow to faith and to every good
   work--slow to please the one Master of all. Christian! you must
   absolutely be humble, meek, and long-suffering, remembering that you
   are clay, dust, nothingness; that you are impure; that everything good
   that you have is from God; that your life, your breath and everything
   you possess are God's gifts; that for your sins of disobedience and
   intemperance you ought now to redeem your future blessedness in
   Paradise by the long-suffering which is indispensable in this world of
   imperfections and innumerable transgressions of the fallen men living
   together with us, and forming the numerous members of the one
   sin-sullied human race." Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil
   the law of Christ." [453] He who is impatient and irritable does not
   know himself and the human race, and is unworthy of the name of
   Christian. In saying this, I pronounce judgment against myself, for I
   am the first of those who are afflicted with impatience and
   irritability.

   Our life is children's play, only not innocent, but sinful, because,
   with a strong mind, and with the knowledge of the purpose of our life,
   we neglect this purpose and occupy ourselves with frivolous,
   purposeless matters. And thus our life is childish, unpardonable play.
   We amuse ourselves with food and drink, gratifying ourselves by them,
   instead of only using them for the necessary nourishment of our body
   and the support of our bodily life. We amuse ourselves with dress,
   instead of only decently covering our body and protecting it from the
   injurious action of the elements. We amuse ourselves with silver and
   gold, admiring them in treasuries, or using them for objects of luxury
   and pleasure, instead of using them only for our real needs, and
   sharing our superfluity with those in want. We amuse ourselves with our
   houses and the variety of furniture in them, decorating them richly and
   exquisitely, instead of merely having a secure and decent roof to
   protect us from the injurious action of the elements, and things
   necessary and suitable for domestic use. We amuse ourselves with our
   mental gifts, with our intellect, imagination, using them only to serve
   sin and the vanity of this world--that is, only to serve earthly and
   corruptible things--instead of using them before all and above all to
   serve God, to learn to know Him, the all-wise Creator of every
   creature, for prayer, supplication, petitions, thanksgiving and praise
   to Him, and to show mutual love and respect, and only partly to serve
   this world, which will some day entirely pass away. We amuse ourselves
   with our knowledge of worldly vanity, and to acquire this knowledge we
   waste most precious time, which was given to us for our preparation for
   eternity. We frequently amuse ourselves with our affairs and business,
   with our duties, fulfilling them heedlessly, carelessly, and
   wrongfully, and using them for our own covetous, earthly purposes. We
   amuse ourselves with beautiful human faces, or the fair, weaker sex,
   and often use them for the sport of our passions. We amuse ourselves
   with time, which ought to be wisely utilised for redeeming eternity,
   and not for games and various pleasures. Finally, we amuse ourselves
   with our own selves, making idols out of ourselves, before which we bow
   down, and before which we expect others to bow down. Who can
   sufficiently describe and deplore our accursedness, our great, enormous
   vanity, the great misery into which we voluntarily throw ourselves?
   What answer shall we give to our immortal King, Christ our God, Who
   shall come again in the glory of His Father to judge both the quick and
   the dead, to declare the secret thoughts of all hearts, and receive
   from us our answer for every word and deed. O, woe, woe, woe to us who
   bear the name of Christ, but have none of the spirit of Christ in us;
   who bear the name of Christ, but do not follow the teaching of the
   Gospel! Woe to us who "neglect so great salvation"! [454] Woe to us who
   love the present fleeting, deceptive life, and neglect the inheritance
   of the life that follows after the death of our corruptible body beyond
   this carnal veil!

   One of the infirmities of the human spirit is its slowness to faith and
   its slothfulness in acquiring a knowledge of the truth, especially of
   the truths of faith and piety. What do youths, and even grown-up and
   elder people, study most inertly and slothfully? The truths of faith
   and piety. This is proved by innumerable experiences.

   In order that men should esteem and love each other, should not be
   proud, should not be arrogant to each other, the most wise Lord has
   given to different men different natural and beneficial advantages, so
   that they may have need of each other. In this manner each one of us
   must involuntarily acknowledge this or that infirmity and humble
   himself before God and men.

   Lord, Thou Thyself hast said by Thy most pure lips: "Be ye therefore
   perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." [455] I
   long to be perfect. Be Thou therefore every perfection for me, for Thou
   hast also said: "For without Me ye can do nothing." [456]

   All prayers assume the great poverty and misery of our fallen nature;
   they also assume that the Lord is the ever flowing source of every
   perfection, every blessing; that He is our inexhaustible treasury.
   Truly, we must have poverty of spirit during prayer and at all times. "
   Blessed are the poor in spirit." [457]

   Consider how great is man: "God dwelleth in him, and he in God;" [458]
   so that in a pious Christian it is as though not a man but Christ
   Himself lives. "Nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in
   me;" [459] because the whole soul becomes Christ's, as iron in a
   furnace itself becomes fiery like a burning coal: it is all fire, all
   light, all warmth.

   Preserve a meek and peaceable disposition towards your brother, even
   when he cunningly or artfully, or somehow unintentionally deprives you
   of all you possess. Show then that you love God's image in him more
   than anything earthly and perishable, that your "charity never
   faileth." [460] "Of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again."
   [461] "And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat,
   let him have thy cloak also." [462] Do not let the enemy shame you for
   laying your hopes upon such earthly dust as money and food, more than
   upon God, but shame him himself by your firm trust in God and in His
   Holy Word. For "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
   that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." [463] Mark; "by every word."
   For every word of the Lord Creator can support your life, just as every
   word can create and transform thousands of creatures. "For He spake and
   it was done; He commanded and it stood fast." [464] Thus at His word He
   brought from non-existence into being the myriads of the immortal
   heavenly hosts, and having sanctified them by the Holy Ghost,
   strengthens and supports them in their being. Do not foolishly lower
   the dignity of your immortal spirit by vainly trusting in earthly dust.
   Say, "My trust is in God," or "The Father is my trust, the Son is my
   refuge, the Holy Ghost is my protection. O, Holy Trinity, glory to
   Thee!" [465] And yet how many of us become irritated and lose their
   temper when they are deprived, not of their last coin, but only of some
   small part of by no means their last property! How much agitation,
   anger, bile, bitter reproaches, murmuring, sometimes even curses!
   Righteous God! can this dross called money, or this food and drink
   produce such storms in our Christian souls, in us who know the words of
   our sweetest Saviour? "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat
   or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body what ye shall put on.
   Behold the birds of the air, they sow not, neither do they reap, nor
   gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. But seek ye
   first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things
   shall be added unto you." [466] Or: " A man's life consisteth not in
   the abundance of the things which he possesseth." [467] My God! to what
   have we come? In what are we better than heathens in our mode of life?
   Where is our faith, our trust in God, our love for our neighbour? O,
   pride of Satan! O, what shame is ours! Heavenly Father! Thou who
   knowest what things we have need of, and givest them to us before we
   ask Thee, [468] have mercy upon us unfaithful, ungrateful, and
   evil-natured ones. Lord, we hear Thy merciful words: " I will never
   leave thee nor forsake thee;" [469] but being daily tempted by earthly
   blessings, we do not heed them, and transgress Thy will.

   Do not fear bodily privations, but fear spiritual privations. Do not
   fear, do not be faint-hearted, do not be irritated when you are
   deprived of money, food, drink, enjoyments, clothes, dwelling, even of
   your body itself; but fear when the enemy deprives your soul of faith,
   of trust, and love for God and your neighbour; when he sows hatred,
   enmity, attachment to earthly things, pride, and other sins in your
   heart. " Fear not them [men] which, will kill the body, but are not
   able to kill the soul." [470]

   "But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end," [471] is said
   of the unchangeableness of God. O, if you, men, were always the
   same--to-day, to-morrow, the day after to-morrow and so on--and if you
   did not change in a thousand ways like a kaleidoscope! O, if you too
   were always equally peaceful, kind, simple, amiable, patient,
   industrious, benevolent, and generous! But you can be such if by hearty
   faith and love you unite yourself to the Unchangeable. "For I am the
   Lord, I change not." [472] "I preserve My servants from falling into
   evil, for I am the source of mercy, benefiting those who serve Me
   worthily." [473]

   Peace is the integrity and health of the soul; to lose peace is to lose
   spiritual health.

   Reverence with all the powers of your soul all the sacraments, and say
   to yourself in respect to every sacrament before the celebration or the
   communion of it: " This is God's mystery. I myself am only the unworthy
   witness or partaker of it." Otherwise, our proud intellect even wishes
   to search out God's mystery, and, if unable to penetrate it, rejects it
   as not coming under the small measure of our intellect.

   If a single word of an earthly king causes great deeds to come to pass
   in his kingdom--he speaks and the work begins and is accomplished--then
   will not the word of the Lord of all material and spiritual, visible
   and invisible creatures, accomplish everything He desires? Shall He
   speak and it not be created? Shall he speak and it not be done? O,
   Almighty Power, able to accomplish everything in one single moment, do
   not leave us on account of our sins, and above all on account of our
   incredulity and despair, to be tormented by our own infirmities, lest
   we be destroyed like earthen vessels. Grant that we may believe with
   all our hearts in Thine Almighty Power; that we may not doubt in the
   fulfilment of our every right request.

   All visible nature, all its parts, great and small, down to the very
   smallest, at every instant remind us that everything has proceeded from
   the Lord, and exists and moves by Him--that everything is or comes into
   being through Him, and at each moment obeys Him.

   O, how low has our nature fallen through our passion for eating! O,
   thrice accursed Satan, who has precipitated us, and still precipitates
   us, through food, into thousands of evils! O, food and drink, that so
   powerfully tempt us! How long shall we be allured by you and place our
   life in you? When shall we engrave deeply upon our hearts the Saviour's
   words: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
   proceedeth out of the mouth of God," [474] and bring these words into
   our life and actions? How long will our greediness, self-indulgence,
   surfeiting, and drunkenness continue? How long will our abominable
   avarice and love of money continue? How long will our pride, animosity
   and malice against our neighbour, through money, dress, houses, food,
   and drink last? Thousands of Satan's deceits, by means of food, dress,
   and money, disclose themselves to our spiritual vision, and yet we
   still continue to be allured by his enticements as though by something
   real, useful to us, whilst in fact we are caring for neither more nor
   less than destructive illusions, and for that which is most pernicious
   both spiritually and bodily to our own selves. Do not believe,
   brethren, in the enemy's enticements, not for one single moment, when
   the matter concerns food and drink, however plausible they may
   apparently be. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness;
   and all these things shall be added unto you." [475] "I spake not to
   you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the
   Pharisees and Sadducees, which is hypocrisy," [476] in matters of faith
   and piety. Pay the utmost attention to faith and piety. "Labour not for
   the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto
   everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you." [477] Give
   away even the last that you have, if there is need of it, remembering
   the words of the Saviour: "If any man will sue thee at the law and take
   away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also" [478] --that is, give away
   the last that you have.

   "After their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having
   itching ears." [479] Is not this what men of the world, and even many
   of the clergy are now doing? Do they not choose for themselves teachers
   that flatter their hearing? They do not learn of the one Teacher -
   Christ, from His Gospel and His Church; but they learn of worldly
   journalists, novelists, poets, actors, and exclaim: " Ah, how
   interesting all this is--how instructive it all is! " and say, if not
   in words, then by their deeds: "We have no need of either the Gospel or
   the Church, with its services, its sacraments, and preaching of God's
   Word. We have such good, such most moral teachers." Lord Jesus! To what
   have we come! They have cast Thy words behind them. [480]

   Do not be despondent and do not fall into despair when you feel within
   your soul the deadly breath and ferment of malice and evil, impatience
   and blasphemy, or any weakness from impure thoughts; but fight against
   them unremittingly and endure valiantly, calling with all your heart
   upon the Lord Jesus--the Conqueror of hell. Humble yourself deeply,
   deeply, acknowledging yourself from the depths of your soul as the
   first of sinners, unworthy of human fellowship, and the Lord, seeing
   your humility and your struggle, will help you. Call also to your help
   the speedy Mediatrix, the Most Holy Virgin, the Mother of God, saying:
   " Heal, most pure Lady, the many painful wounds of my soul, and strike
   the enemies constantly fighting against me." [481]

   If you truly call God your Father, then trust in Him as in the one
   Father, most merciful, Almighty, most wise, unchangeable in His love
   and in His perfections. Trust in Him in respect to the blessings of
   this temporal life, but especially in respect to granting you future
   blessings in Christ Jesus. Engrave deeply on your heart the words: "God
   is my Father. Our Father, which art in heaven." But as through the love
   of the heavenly Father for you, you yourself have become the child of
   God, as having come forth from Him, as possessing reason and free will,
   you ought, on your part, to use all your efforts to attain the blessed
   and eternal heavenly inheritance; you ought to know and always remember
   that you are a fallen being. And as you fell possessing reason and
   freedom--fell by your own will--then by that same reason, which is
   enlightened by the light of the word of God and the divine light of the
   Holy Ghost, by that same free will, strengthened by the grace of the
   Holy Ghost in Christ Jesus, rise up from your fall and go forward
   without stopping towards the heavenly, endless life, despising all
   earthly things as perishable and quickly passing away, and especially
   not attaching yourself to silver and gold, to food and drink, through
   which such a depth of evil has fallen upon all the human race.

   Thank our most speedy Mediatrix, our Lady, the Mother of our Lord, the
   most pure, most good Virgin Mary, for saving us through our fervent
   prayers from the harassments and oppression of the Devil. Look up to
   Her, with the eyes of your heart, in the Holy Ghost, who is everywhere
   present, fills everything, and who is incomplex. Look up at Her as
   being close to your very heart, and call upon Her: "Most speedy Lady
   Mediatrix, Mary, Mother of God, save me from the enemy--the disturber."
   And immediately, in an instant, She will save you according to the
   faith of your heart, according to your soul's trust in Her; and the
   oppression, the fire, and heavy despondency will fall aside and leave
   you. It is only necessary to represent to yourself and firmly believe
   that the Holy Ghost is everywhere, in every place; that He is an
   incomplex Being, that in Him all heaven is near us, as upon the
   >palm of the hand, with all its angels and saints, so that we have
   only to call upon the Lord, or upon the Virgin Mother of God, or any
   saint from the depth of the heart, with clear-sighted faith, with
   heartfelt repentance for the sins by which we are bound by the enemy or
   by which we have bound voluntarily ourselves--and our salvation will
   immediately shine forth. Marvellous is the saving power of our Lady; it
   flows into the heart like a healing balsam, or like fragrant,
   life-giving air, or like calming water. Only look on Her with the eyes
   of your heart, trusting in Her mercy and help. But this, too, is
   difficult--to look on Her with heartfelt, clear-sighted faith--just as
   it is difficult to look on the Lord Jesus Christ or the saints; for the
   enemy endeavours by every means to stand like a hard, high, dark wall
   between our souls and the Lord, or the Mother of God, the angels and
   saints. The accursed one does not allow the eye of the heart to see the
   Lord or His saints; he darkens our heart in every way; he scatters
   faith, oppressing, burning, and darkening us inwardly. We must look
   upon all such actions as illusions and falsehood, and break through
   this imaginary wall to the Lord, or to His Holy Mother, or His saints.
   As soon as you break through this wall, you will immediately be saved.
   " Thy faith hath made thee whole." [482]

   Say inwardly, from your whole heart: " The Lord is everything to me; I
   myself am nothing; I am powerless, I am infirm." " For without Me ye
   can do nothing," [483] says the Lord Himself, for it might be added: "
   I am everything to you." Be heartily convinced of this every moment of
   your life, and have recourse to the Lord absolutely in everything,
   trusting to obtain from Him everything necessary for your salvation,
   and even for this temporal life besides.

   If the Holy Virgin, the Mother of God, through Her union with God, and
   through Her unprecedented service to the Lord of all, most speedily
   becomes everything to all those who ask with faith and love for Her
   intercession, delivering them from every evil, and bestowing upon them
   everything which leads to their salvation, in accordance with their
   prayer, then will not the Lord Himself do still more? Only do not be
   unbelieving; do not be cold to Him in your soul and insensible as a
   stone, but stir up within you your faith, your gratitude for God's
   benefits, the sincere recognition of your sins, and your great love for
   your Saviour, together with the Father and the Holy Ghost, Who loves
   you with an immeasurable love.

   When praying to the Lord, to the Mother of God, or to the saints,
   always remember that the Lord will give you according to your heart. He
   will "grant thee according to thine own heart." [484] Whatever the
   heart is, such will be the gift. If you pray with faith, sincerely,
   with all your heart, not hypocritically, then a gift will be given you
   by the Lord in accordance with your faith, in accordance with the
   degree of the fervour of your heart. And, on the contrary, the colder
   your heart is, the more incredulous and hypocritical it is, the more
   useless will be your prayer; not only this, the more it will anger the
   Lord, Who is a Spirit, and seeks to be worshipped in spirit and in
   truth. [485] Therefore, whether you call upon the Lord Himself, or His
   Mother, or the angels, or saints, call upon them with all your heart;
   whether you pray for anyone living or departed, pray for them with your
   whole heart, pronouncing their names with heartfelt fervour; whether
   you pray that any spiritual blessing may be granted you or anyone else,
   that you or anyone near to you may be delivered from any misfortune, or
   from sins, passions, or bad habits, pray for this with your whole
   heart, desiring for yourself or others with your whole heart the
   blessings you pray for, being firmly resolved to forsake, or desiring
   others to free themselves from sins, passions and sinful habits, and
   the Lord will grant you the gift according to your heart. "Ask what ye
   will, and it shall be done unto you." [486] You see, therefore, that it
   is absolutely necessary to wish and long for that which you ask; for
   then only you will obtain it. "Pray one for another that ye may be
   healed." [487]

   Be kindly disposed in heart, word, and deed, ready at every time to
   serve others without the slightest vexation or irritability,
   remembering the words of the Saviour: "Whosoever will be chief among
   you, let him be your servant." [488]

   Firmly believe that the Lord is at all times everything to you. During
   prayer He is the power and the fulfilment in the Holy Ghost of each of
   your words. During pious conversation He is your living water, the
   ardent flow of your words at all times--He is everything to you. Be
   free from care in the presence of your Lord. He has enclosed you with
   Himself upon all sides. He penetrates you wholly and knows all your
   thoughts, all your needs and inclinations, and if you live in Him with
   faith and love, then no evil shall befall you. "The Lord is at hand; be
   careful for nothing." [489]

   God, Who alone is, Who is omnipresent, incomplex, can create or
   transform everything in a single instant, as it was with the wonders of
   Egypt. The Almighty can do all things.

   3">Through masterful, or rather through mercenary pride and
   incomprehensible wickedness, we often do not deign to speak to those
   whom we feed and support, often behaving inimically to them, instead of
   rather humbling ourselves before them as their servants, in accordance
   with the words of the Lord. "Whosoever will be chief among you, let him
   be your servant," [490] so as to redouble our recompense of the Lord by
   sincerely and unfeignedly serving Him in the person of the least of His
   brethren. O, meek and humble-hearted Creator, Giver of Life, Redeemer,
   our Nourisher, and Preserver--Lord Jesus! teach us love, meekness, and
   humility through Thy Holy Spirit, and strengthen us in those virtues
   which are most pleasing to Thee, so that Thy rich gifts may not make
   our hearts proud, so that we may not deem that it is we ourselves who
   feed, provide, and support anyone. Thou art the universal Nourisher.
   Thou feedest, providest, supportest, and preservest all; under the
   wings of Thy mercy, bounty, and loving kindness all are provided for
   and are given rest--not under ours, for we ourselves have need of being
   covered with the shadow of Thy wings at every moment of our life. Our
   eyes are fixed upon Thee, our God, as "the eyes of servants look unto
   the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of
   her mistress: even so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until He
   have mercy upon us." [491] Amen.

   Be firmly convinced that every word, especially those pronounced during
   prayer, is realisable, remembering that the author of the word is God
   the Word, that our God Himself, worshipped in the Holy Trinity, is
   expressed by the three words or names: The Father, the Word, and the
   Holy Ghost; that each word has a corresponding being, or that every
   word can become being and deed. Therefore reverence the word and value
   it. Remember that the Son of God, as the Personal Word of God, is
   always united with the Father and the Holy Ghost, in the same manner.
   as the Father, as the Supreme Wisdom, participates, by His
   omnipresence, His creative Word, and the Holy Ghost the Accomplisher in
   the words of Holy Scripture, or in the prayers or in the writings of
   the most wise Fathers. This is why no word is vain, but has or should
   have power in itself. Woe to those who speak idly, for they will have
   to answer for their idle speaking! "For with God nothing shall be
   impossible." [492] Power and accomplishment are, in general, the
   properties of the word. Such should it also be in the mouths of men.

   The Holy Ghost accomplishes all wonders and miracles. By the same
   Spirit power is given to one, and to another works of power. You have
   only to speak with faith, and need have no anxiety as to the fulfilment
   of the word; the Holy Ghost will care for this.

   Believe firmly that you always think, feel, speak, move, and act in
   God--so to say, in His bosom: "Dwelleth in Me and I in him." [493] He
   has enclosed you upon all sides; He penetrates and knows you. "Thou
   hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine hand upon me," [494]
   says the holy prophet and king David. The Mother of God, all the holy
   angels and all the saints are also in God. What is, therefore, nearer,
   who can, therefore, be more closely associated with believing
   Christians than the angels and saints? Therefore, call upon God
   Himself, the Lord of everything, as well as upon His saints, with
   faith, hope and love, asking them to intercede before God for you; ask
   the angels and saints to pray to God for you as you would ask living
   persons anything for yourself--standing face to face with them, firmly
   believing that they too stand face to face with your heart.

   Always think that you are accursed, poor, needy, blind and naked
   without God, that God is everything to you: He is your righteousness,
   your sanctification, your riches, your raiment, your life, your
   breath--everything.

   The Body and the Blood of Christ are pre-eminently body and blood,
   because in each smallest particle of the Body and the Blood rests the
   entire Christ-God, filling every part. It is not so in the human body.
   In the Body and the Blood of Christ every particle, every drop is
   Christ entire, ever indivisible, One and the Same.

   What is mercy? Mercy is to love our enemies, to bless those who curse
   us, to do good to those who hate us, who do us harm, who drive us away,
   to defend those who are persecuted, and so on.

   God is the most easily approachable and most communicative of Beings in
   His bounties to all His creatures, especially to reasonable beings. If
   air and light, owing to their rarity, move and communicate themselves
   easily to everything that is capable of absorbing or receiving them,
   then shall not the Lord of all things, the Omnipresent Spirit,
   All-merciful, Infinite, Almighty, move and communicate Himself
   infinitely more easily than these inanimate, unintelligent material
   created things? O! how quickly the Lord helps all those who believe in
   Him and seek Him! "The wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest
   the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it
   goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit." [495] If human
   nature is communicative, then how much more so is God's nature? If a
   father and a mother give what is needful to their children, they being
   men, evil by nature, "then how much more shall your Father, Which is in
   heaven, give good things to them that ask Him!" [496] "To do good and
   to communicate forget not." [497]

   If Christ is in you through the frequent communion of the Holy
   Sacrament, then be yourself wholly like unto Christ: meek, humble,
   long-suffering, full of love, without attachment to earthly things,
   meditating upon heavenly ones, obedient, reasonable. Have His spirit
   unfailingly within you. Do not be proud, impatient, partial to earthly
   things, avaricious, and covetous.

   See God clearly with your spiritual vision, and when thus contemplating
   Him, ask of Him anything you wish, in the name of Jesus Christ, and it
   shall be given to you. In one single moment God will be everything to
   you, for He is an incomplex Being, above any time and space; and in the
   moments of your true faith, of your heartfelt union with Him, He will
   accomplish everything for you that is necessary for your own salvation,
   or for that of your neighbour, and you yourself will at that time be a
   participant of the divinity, through most sincere union with Him: "I
   have said ye are gods." [498] At such a time there is no interval
   between God and you, there will be no interval, either, between your
   word and the realisation of it: as soon as you speak it will be
   realised, just as God Himself "spake, and it was done; He commanded,
   and it stood fast." [499] This is equally true both in regard to the
   sacraments, as in general in regard to spiritual prayer. Besides this,
   in the sacraments everything is accomplished for the sake of the grace
   of the priesthood with which the priest is invested, for the sake of
   the great High Priest Himself --Christ, Whose image the priest bears
   upon himself. Therefore, although some priests are even unworthy of
   their office, though they may have weaknesses, though they may be
   suspicious, incredulous, or distrustful, nevertheless God's Mystery is
   speedily accomplished, in the twinkling of an eye.

   God the Father--acting in our mind and heart through His Personal Word
   (expressed in our word by the Holy Ghost, resting in the Personal
   Word), and through our word of faith, trust, meekness, and love
   proceeding from our lips--accomplishes in an instant, once for all, the
   wonderful acts predetermined since the creation of the world, of our
   regeneration, sanctification, strengthening, spiritual, nourishment,
   and healing in Christ; although the preparatory rites for these actions
   are very prolonged, for God is an incomplex, Almighty Being. For
   instance, the change of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of
   Christ is accomplished immediately after the utterance of the words:
   "Make this bread the precious Body of Thy Christ, and that which is in
   this cup the precious Blood of Thy Christ, changing them by Thy Holy
   Ghost." After these last words, and after the blessing, with the sign
   of the cross with the hand, the bread and wine are instantaneously
   changed into the Body and Blood of Christ, but not before; for the
   divine Omnipotence awaits the word of the priest co-operating with It.
   "For we are labourers together with God." [500] The blessing at this
   time, by the sign of the cross in the name of the Lord, signifies that
   the mystery is accomplished by the Holy Ghost in the name of Jesus
   Christ, and for the sake of Jesus Christ, at His intercession, by the
   favour of God the Father.

   During the celebration of divine service and the sacraments the servant
   of God should be firmly convinced that whatever he thinks and says will
   be accomplished. It is so easy for the Lord to fulfil our requests, to
   create or to change anything in accordance with our words. Let this
   conviction be as easy and natural to you as your breathing the air, as
   seeing with your eyesight, as hearing with your ears. You have a
   thousand times experienced upon yourself that this is really so; you
   have yourself experienced that there is no interval of time between the
   words: "Spake, and it was done; commanded, and it stood fast;" [501]
   that they are true in all their power. Absorb this conviction into
   yourself with your food and drink--with your breathing.

   The Liturgy is the supper, the table of God's love to mankind. Around
   the Lamb of God upon the holy disc all are at this time assembled--the
   living and the dead, saints and sinners, the Church triumphant and the
   Church militant.

   There is nothing impossible unto those who believe; lively and unshaken
   faith can accomplish great miracles in the twinkling of an eye.
   Besides, even without our sincere and firm faith, miracles are
   accomplished, such as the miracles of the sacraments; for God's Mystery
   is always accomplished, even though we were incredulous or unbelieving
   at the time of its celebration. "Shall their unbelief make the faith of
   God without effect? [502] Our wickedness shall not overpower the
   unspeakable goodness and mercy of God; our dulness shall not overpower
   God's wisdom, nor our infirmity God's omnipotence.

   The Church is the eternal truth, because she is united with the truth,
   with Christ, and is animated by the spirit of truth: "I am with you
   alway, even unto the end of the world." [503] "His Body . . . which is
   the Church," [504] says the Apostle.

   You who are full of iniquities must thirst to suffer every iniquity
   from other people, so that "the judgment of God according to truth"
   [505] may be manifested upon you in your present life. "With what
   measure ye mete," to your Lord and your neighbour," it shall be
   measured to you again." [506] Bear always in mind the example of that
   most righteous man, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who, being righteous,
   yet suffered every iniquity from men, was lifted up upon the cross, and
   died the most shameful death.

   Do not be faint-hearted, and do not despair when men hate you for
   revealing their ways, but rejoice the more, remembering the words of
   the Saviour: " Blessed are ye when men shall hate you." [507]

   Man builds himself a house, and lives in it; the animal a lair, and
   lives in it; the bird a nest, and hatches its young ones; the bee a
   hive with honeycomb, and lives in it, preparing honey for itself; the
   spider weaves a web, and, living in it, catches food for itself by
   means of it. Was it not, therefore, fitting that the Creator should
   build Himself a house not made with hands--His Body--as He built it in
   the womb of the Virgin Mother, as He even now creates temples for His
   Body in the life-giving mysteries--the Creator, Who has built and
   continues to build bodily houses for all sentient or
   sentiently-spiritual creatures?

   The priesthood, or in general holy men, are sacred reservoirs, from
   which the beneficial water is communicated to other believers. "Out of
   his belly shall flow rivers of living water." [508]

   How pure and spiritual should be the lips of priests, who so often
   pronounce the most holy name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
   Ghost! How still more spiritual and pure should be their hearts to
   contain and feel in themselves the sweetness of this most precious,
   glorious, and justly-worshipped name! O, how far a priest should
   withdraw himself from carnal delights, so as not to become flesh, in
   which the spirit of God cannot dwell! What carnal delights can there be
   for a priest, when he must absolutely delight in the Lord alone, so
   that He may grant him the petitions of his heart? What carnal delights
   can there be for a priest when he has so many spiritual children
   disclosing to him their various spiritual or bodily infirmities, with
   which he must heartily sympathise, concerning which he must give
   sincere and wholesome advice; when he must each day wrestle in prayer
   for them with his whole heart and with tears before the Lord, that the
   mental wolf may not fall upon them and ravish them, that God may grant
   that they may prosper in life and faith, and in spiritual wisdom? What
   carnal delights can there be for a priest when he must often perform
   the services in the church and stand before the altar of the Lord; when
   he has so often to celebrate the divine and most-wonderful Liturgy, and
   to be the celebrant and partaker of the heavenly, immortal, and
   life-giving Mysteries; when, in general, he has so often to celebrate
   sacraments and prayers? The heart that loves carnal delights is
   unfaithful to the Lord. "Ye cannot serve God and Mammon." [509]

   "Ye shall know them by their fruits." [510] By the most sweet, most
   blessed, and life-giving fruits of the Liturgy--the most pure Mysteries
   of the Body and Blood of the Lord--you will recognise that it is from
   God, the inspiration of the divine Spirit, and that this most holy,
   life-giving Spirit breathes in all its prayers and sacred rites. What a
   wonderful living tree is this divine Liturgy! What leaves it has! What
   fruits it bears! Not only the fruits, but even "The leaves of the tree
   are for the healing of the nations." [511] For who has not received
   great spiritual benefit, peace, and blessedness into his soul from only
   devoutly assisting at the divine Liturgy! And that which brings forth
   good fruits must be in itself good; such is the law of creation.

   One of the most powerful wiles of the Devil is to weaken the heart
   through slothfulness, and with it all the spiritual and bodily powers.
   At such times faith, hope, and love are dried up in the heart; we
   become faithless, despondent, insensible towards God and men: the salt
   has lost its savour.

   Only feel sincerely the need of that for which you pray and believe
   that every good and perfect gift comes from God and not from men--not
   by chance, not through circumstances nor fate; that God sees and hears
   all your needs, every movement of your heart and of your thoughts; that
   He is all-good, Almighty, most wise, and that He can easily accomplish
   in an instant, by a single movement of His thought, through the Son in
   His Holy Spirit, everything that you need--and you will obtain
   everything. For although many things are impossible with men, they are
   not so with God: "For with God all things are possible." [512]

   Trust in prayer consists in uttering the petitions, thanksgivings, and
   praise with faith in the presence of God, and of His hearing them; and
   with the fear of God, not doubting, nor being in the least uneasy as to
   their acceptance and fulfilment, but in absolute assurance that God has
   heard them and accepted them upon His heavenly and mental Altar; and
   that, in accordance with the desire of our Mother the Church (if we
   pray in the name of the Church), as well as of our own heart, He will
   give us, as the all-good Almighty and most wise, all that we ask, and
   more abundantly than we ask or mean. But the heart that has a
   partiality for food and drink, that is greedy for these, and is
   weakened by them, has not such trust; neither the heart in which hatred
   and animosity are concealed, nor that is bound by avarice,
   covetousness, and envy, until it puts away its infirmities and amends
   itself.

   In signing ourselves with the sign of the cross, with the three fingers
   we lay the upper end of the cross upon the forehead as an emblem of God
   the Father, Who is the uncreated Wisdom; the lower end of the cross
   upon the bosom as an emblem of the Son Who was begotten of the Father
   before all worlds, and which is in the bosom of the Father; and the
   transverse part upon the shoulders as an emblem of the Holy Ghost,
   Which is the arm or the power of God, or the band of the Lord, as has
   been said: "To whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed;" [513] or:
   "The hand of the Lord was there upon me;" [514] that is, the Holy
   Ghost. There is, besides, an image of the Holy Trinity in man himself.
   The thinking mind is the image of God the Father; the heart, in which
   wisdom dwells and expresses itself, is the image of God the Son, the
   Personal wisdom of God; the lips, through which that which is in the
   thoughts and in the heart proceeds, are the image of the Holy Ghost. "
   He breathed on them, and said unto them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. . .
   ." [515] When "Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,
   fornications . . . blasphemies. . . ." [516] then it is the evil spirit
   nestling in man's heart which comes forth; but when "A good man out of
   the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good,"
   [517] then that is the image of the Holy Ghost proceeding from the
   Father through the Son. How great, therefore, is man! It has not been
   said in vain: "I have said ye are gods, and ye are all children of the
   most Highest." [518] "If He called them gods unto whom the word of God
   came, and the scripture cannot be broken [that is, if it has been said,
   then it must be true, immutable], say ye of Him Whom the Father hath
   sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest, because I said, I
   am the Son of God." [519] O, the dignity! O, the greatness of man! Do
   not look upon any man, especially upon a Christian, otherwise than as
   upon the son of God, and receive him as the son of God, converse with
   him, behave with him as with the son of God, by the grace of our Lord
   Jesus Christ.

   A certain person who was sick unto death from inflammation of the
   bowels for nine days, without having obtained the slightest relief from
   medical aid, as soon as he had communicated of the Holy Sacrament, upon
   the morning of the ninth day, regained his health, and rose from his
   bed of sickness in the evening of the same day. He received the Holy
   Communion with firm faith. I prayed to the Lord to cure him. "Lord,"
   said I, "heal Thy servant of his sickness. He is worthy, therefore
   grant him this. He loves Thy priests, and sends them his gifts." I also
   prayed for him in church before the altar of the Lord, at the Liturgy,
   during the prayer: "Thou Who hast given us grace at this time, with one
   accord to make our common supplication unto Thee," and before the most
   Holy Mysteries themselves. I prayed in the following words: "Lord, our
   life! It is as easy for Thee to cure every malady as it is for me to
   think of healing. It is as easy for Thee to raise every man from the
   dead as it is for me to think of the possibility of the resurrection
   from the dead. Cure, then, Thy servant Basil of his cruel malady, and
   do not let him die; do not let his wife and children be given up to
   weeping." And the Lord graciously heard, and had mercy upon him,
   although he was within a hair's-breadth of death. Glory to Thine
   omnipotence and mercy, that Thou, Lord, hast vouchsafed to hear me!

   The heart can change several times in one moment--to good or evil, to
   faith or unbelief, to simplicity or cunning, to love or hatred, to
   benevolence or envy, to generosity or avarice, to chastity or
   fornication. O, what inconstancy! O, how many dangers! O, how sober and
   watchful we must be!

   Do not rejoice when your countenance is bright from pleasant food and
   drink, because then the inward face of your soul is hideous and deadly,
   and at that time the words of the Saviour Christ are applicable to you:
   "For ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which, indeed, appear
   beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones" [520]
   --that is, of hypocrisy and iniquity.

   How many times already, O Master, Lord Jesus, hast Thou renewed my
   nature, heedlessly corrupted by my sins! There is no measure and number
   to this. How many times hast Thou saved me from the furnace burning
   within me, from the furnace of many and diverse passions, from the
   abyss of despondency and despair! How many times hast Thou renewed my
   depraved heart, when only I have called upon Thy Name with faith! How
   many times hast Thou accomplished this through the life-giving Holy
   Sacrament! O Lord! in truth there is no number and measure of Thy
   mercies unto me, a sinner. What shall I offer to Thee, or what can I
   render unto Thee for Thine innumerable benefits to me, Jesus, my life
   and my lightness? May I be prudent in my ways, according to Thy grace;
   for " blessed are those that are undefiled in the way," [521] as Thou
   hast said, through the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of our forefather,
   David. I will endeavour to be faithful unto Thee, to be humble, meek,
   not irritable, gentle, forbearing, industrious, merciful, generous, not
   covetous, obedient.

   Alms-giving is good and salutary when to it is united the amendment of
   the heart from pride, malice, envy, slothfulness, indolence, gluttony,
   fornication, falsehood, deceitfulness, and other sins. But if the man
   is not careful to amend his heart, trusting only to his alms, then he
   will obtain but little benefit from them, for he builds with one hand
   and destroys with the other.

   The children Paul and Olga, by the infinite mercy of the Lord, in
   accordance with mine unworthy prayer, have been cured of the spirit of
   infirmity by which they were attacked. In the case of the child Paul,
   his malady passed away through sleep, and the child Olga became quiet
   in spirit, and her little face grew bright instead of dark and
   troubled. Nine times I went to pray with bold trust, hoping my trust
   might not be shamed; that to him that knocketh it would be opened; that
   even on account of my importunity, God would fulfil my requests; that
   if the unjust judge at last satisfied the woman who troubled him, then
   still more the Judge of all, the most righteous Judge, would satisfy my
   sinful prayer for the innocent children; that He would consider my
   labour, my intercession, my prayerful words, my kneeling, my boldness,
   my trust in Him. And the Lord did so; He did not cover me, a sinner,
   with shame. I came for the tenth time to their home, and the children
   were well. I gave thanks unto the Lord and to our most speedy
   Mediatrix.

   "That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee,
   that they also may be one in us." [522] What separates us from God and
   each other? Money, food, and drink--this dust, this dross, this
   corruption. Why? Because we have not living Christian trust and faith
   in God. We do not know, or we forget, that man's true life is love for
   God and his neighbour. Setting our life upon dust and trusting in it,
   we do not render to the Heavenly Father the glory that is due to Him,
   by putting our whole trust in Him, by casting all our care upon Him, as
   His faithful children in Christ should do. "If then I be a Father,
   where is Mine honour? [523] Where is your trust in Me ? Where is your
   love for Me? Where is your detachment from earthly, corrupt things, and
   your hearty desire for the heavenly, spiritual, and eternal ones?

   While I live, then the flesh is mine own, because my spirit lives in
   it; but when I die, the flesh is no longer mine, but belongs to God and
   to the earth: "The earth is the Lord's and all that therein is." [524]
   "For dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return." [525] "Whoso
   eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood." [526] These words also signify
   that I myself wholly dwell in these two forms of the Communion--in the
   flesh and blood; that they are mine by their close association with me,
   as the flesh and blood of the man, with the soul of the man dwelling in
   them; for the soul penetrates all the body and all the blood.

   How many times death entered into my heart, communicating its beginning
   to the body also an innumerable number of times! And yet the Lord
   delivered me from this state of death, was merciful to me with
   unspeakable mercy, and gave me new life. O, how full of gratitude to
   the Lord my heart should be! "If the Lord had not helped me, it had not
   failed, but my soul had been put to silence." [527]

   Our flesh becomes depressed and downcast when it is subjected to any
   infirmities; whilst when it is in good health and enjoys carnal
   pleasures, then it rejoices, leaps, and gets beyond itself. We must pay
   no attention to the delusive feelings of the flesh, and, in general,
   must disdain every carnal amusement and delight; we must bear with
   equanimity the afflictions and maladies of the flesh, take courage and
   set our trust upon God.

   Why is impatience in some small, unimportant matter, one single
   movement of the heart towards impatience, already a sin and is
   immediately inwardly punished? Likewise, why is every momentary
   movement of the heart towards sin considered as a sin and immediately
   punished? Because impatience in a small matter is an earnest of
   impatience in great and important matters; for the soul of man is
   incomplex, and one single inclination of the heart towards sin is
   already a sin. And therefore, as every small, unimportant sin leads to
   great ones, it is always punished at its very beginning and must be
   crushed. "Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee
   ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." [528] And
   how great are these many things! "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
   neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath
   prepared for them that love Him." [529]

   When praying, endeavour by every means to feel in your heart the truth
   and the power of the words of the prayer; feed yourself upon them as
   upon an imperishable food; water your heart with them as with a dew;
   and warm yourself by them as by means of a beneficial fire.

   The Lord is everything to me: He is the strength of my heart and the
   light of my intellect. He inclines my heart to everything good; He
   strengthens it; He also gives me good thoughts; He is my rest and my
   joy; He is my faith, hope and love; He is my food and drink, my
   raiment, my dwelling place. .As a mother is everything to her
   infant--its mind, will, sight, hearing, taste, smelling and feeling, as
   well as its food and drink, its clothing, hands and feet--so, likewise,
   the Lord is everything to me, when I yield myself wholly unto Him. But,
   alas! when I fall away from the Lord, then the Devil enters into me,
   and if I did not turn my heart's gaze towards the Lord, did I not,
   amidst the enemy's oppression, call upon the Lord for help, then the
   Devil would have been, as he sometimes is, very evil to me: malice,
   despondency, perfect feebleness towards everything good, despair,
   hatred, envy, avarice, blasphemous, wicked and impure thoughts,
   contempt for everything--in short, he would have been, and sometimes
   is, my intellect, my will, sight, hearing, taste, smell, feeling, my
   hands and feet. Therefore, put your trust in the Lord. He is that which
   is, infinite in holiness, omnipotence, grace, mercy, bountifulness, and
   wisdom.

   When your flesh suffers through maladies, remember that it is the
   greatest enemy of your salvation that suffers, that is weakened by
   these sufferings, and bear them bravely in the name of the Lord Jesus
   Christ, Who for our sakes endured the cross and suffered death; also,
   remember that all our maladies are God's punishment for sins; they
   cleanse us, they reconcile us with God and lead us back to His love.
   Grant us "Thy peace," it is said, "and Thy love, as Thou hast granted
   us all things." Remember, that during your illness the Lord Himself is
   with you ("I am with him in trouble") [530] ; that it has proceeded
   from a sign of the Master, punishing us as a father. You who believe in
   the time of your welfare, see that you do not fall away from God in the
   time of misfortune, but, like the martyrs, be constant in faith, hope,
   and love.

   God is an incomplex, most perfect Being; that is, the purest holiness,
   the purest good and truth; and in order to be in union with God, in
   order to be one spirit with Him (for we are from Him), we must acquire,
   through His grace, the most perfect simplicity of goodness, holiness,
   and love. All the saints who are in heaven were cleansed by the blood
   of the Son of God, through the Holy Ghost, and have not a shadow of sin
   in them. It was for this that they struggled in this life, that they
   mortified their flesh in order to cleanse themselves "from all
   filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of
   God," [531] in order to become eternally united with that most glorious
   Being; it is for this reason also that the Holy Church with all her
   institutions now exists upon earth, the hierarchy, the Divine services,
   the sacraments, the rites; fasts were likewise appointed in order to
   cleanse and sanctify the children of God, in order to unite them with
   that most blessed Being, glorified in the Holy Trinity: the Father, the
   Son, and the Holy Ghost.

   You ask the Lord that you may love Him with a love, strong as death, or
   until death. Suppose, now, that the Lord sends you a terrible inward
   disease that may bring you nigh unto death itself. Do not, then, murmur
   against the Lord, but bear it bravely, thanking the Lord for His
   fatherly visitation, and this will show that what you call your love
   for God is strong as death. And during the most violent fits or spasms
   of your illness trust in God, that He has the power to save you, not
   only from suffering, but even from death itself, should it please Him
   to do so. Do not spare, do not cherish your perishable body, but give
   it up willingly and wholly to the Lord, as Abraham gave his son Isaac
   as an holocaust, to the will of the Lord Who punishes you--not losing
   faith in God's goodness, not growing despondent, not foolishly accusing
   God of injustice for so severely chastising you--and you will thus
   offer a great sacrifice unto God, like Abraham or like the martyrs.

   Let that which tranquillises my thoughts and my heart be committed to
   writing as a memorial to me of the constant peace of my heart amidst
   the cares and vanities of life. What is it? It is the Christian saying,
   full of living trust and wonderful soothing power: "The Lord is
   everything to me." This is the priceless treasure! This is the precious
   jewel, possessing which we can be calm in every condition, rich in
   poverty, generous and kind to other people in the time of our wealth,
   and not losing hope even after having sinned. "The Lord is everything
   to me." He is my faith, my trust, my love, my strength, my power, my
   peace, my joy, my riches, my food, my drink, my raiment, my life, in a
   word, mine all. Thus, man, the Lord is everything to you; and you must
   be everything to the Lord. And, as all your treasure is contained in
   your heart and in your will, and God requires from you your heart,
   having said: " My son, give Me thine heart," [532] therefore, in order
   to fulfil God's gracious and perfect will, renounce your own corrupt,
   passionate, seductive, will; do not know your own will, know only God's
   will. "Not my will, but Thy will be done."

   There is absolutely nothing for a Christian to be proud of in
   accomplishing works of righteousness, for he is saved, and is being
   constantly saved, from every evil through faith alone, in the same
   manner as he accomplishes works of righteousness also by the same
   faith. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that (faith
   itself) not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest
   any man should boast." [533] So that no one can be proud of anything.

   It is only when we pray fervently, only then that we feel calm, warm,
   at ease, and bright in soul, because then we are with God and in God;
   but as soon as we cease thus praying, then temptations and various
   troubles begin. O, most blessed time of prayer!

   Love for God begins to manifest itself and act in us when we begin to
   love our neighbour as ourselves, and not to spare either ourselves or
   anything belonging to us for him, as the image of God; when we
   endeavour to serve him for his salvation in everything that we can;
   when, for the sake of pleasing God, we refuse to gratify our appetites,
   our carnal vision, our carnal wisdom, which is not subjected to the
   wisdom of God. "For he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen,
   how can he love God, Whom he hath not seen?" [534] "They that are
   Christ's have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts."
   [535]

   Ask the Lord for whatever you desire. God the Father has but to desire
   to accomplish your request. The Son, the Creator, and the Holy Ghost,
   the Accomplisher, being always with Him and in Him, as He Himself is in
   Them, are always ready to accomplish the desire of the Almighty and
   All-good Father; for They Themselves are one with Him in goodness and
   omnipotence.

   You ought not to keep God's gifts to yourself, but should diffuse them
   upon others. Nature herself is an example to you; the sun does not keep
   the light to itself, but diffuses it upon the earth and moon. Pastors
   especially ought not to keep their--or, rather, God's--light to
   themselves, but should abundantly diffuse the light of their
   intelligence and knowledge upon others.

   With what are our hearts occupied? God, "Who trieth the very hearts and
   reins," [536] sees what each one of us has in his heart, to what it is
   attached during the greater part of life; and if the Lord had given us
   the capability of seeing all the depths of the human heart, then our
   eyes would have turned away with horror from the mass of impurities
   within: adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies,
   pride, and others. What abomination we should have beheld: the
   abomination of ingratitude to God, of forgetfulness of God, of
   unbelief, of little faith, of manifold attachments to earthly things,
   often the most absurd ones, of carelessness for heavenly things, of our
   own lot after death, of inattention and neglect of the Church, of her
   services, rites, and institutions, of contempt for the clergy, the
   representatives of religion and the Church, and every other
   abomination!

   It is impossible to represent and to think of the cross without love.
   Where the cross is, there is love; in the church you see crosses
   everywhere and upon everything, in order that everything should remind
   you that you are in the temple of the God of love, in the temple of
   love itself, crucified for us.

   People say that if you feel no inclination to pray, it is better not to
   pray; but this is crafty, carnal sophistry. If you only pray when you
   are inclined to, you will completely cease praying; this is what the
   flesh desires. "The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence." [537] You
   will not be able to work out your salvation without forcing yourself.

   In educating, it is extremely dangerous to only develop the
   understanding and intellect, and not pay attention to the heart. We
   must, above all pay attention to the heart, for the heart is life, but
   life corrupted by sin. It is necessary to purify this source of life,
   to kindle in it the pure flame of life, so that it should burn and not
   be extinguished; and should direct all the thoughts, desires, and
   tendencies of the man through all his life. Society is corrupted
   precisely through the want of Christian education. It is time that
   Christians should understand the Lord, should understand what He
   requires of us; namely, a pure heart. "Blessed are the pure in heart."
   [538] Listen to His sweetest voice in the Gospel. The true life of our
   heart is Christ ("Christ liveth in me" [539] ). Let all of you learn
   wisdom of the Apostle. This should be our common problem: to bring
   Christ to dwell in our hearts through faith.

   These hands, that like to take gifts, shall be folded upon the breast
   and shall take no more; these feet, that like to walk for evil, and
   that do not like to stand in prayer, shall be stretched out for ever,
   and shall not go anywhere more; these eyes, that look enviously upon
   the prosperity of their neighbour, shall close, their fire shall be
   dimmed for ever, and nothing shall charm them again; the hearing, so
   often open to listen with pleasure to evil speaking and calumny, shall
   be deadened, and no thunders even will be audible to it. It shall only
   hear the trumpet raising the dead, when our incorruptible body shall
   rise, either "unto the resurrection of life or unto the resurrection of
   damnation." [540] What, then, will live in us, even after our death,
   and what should be the object of all our care during our present life?
   That which we now call the heart, that is, the inward man, our soul; it
   should be the object of our solicitude. Cleanse your heart during all
   your life, so that it, or your soul, may be capable of seeing God
   afterwards; only care for your body and its requirements as much as is
   necessary for maintaining its health, power, and decency. It will all
   die; the earth will bear it all away. Strive, therefore, to perfect
   within you that which loves and hates, that which is calm or disturbed,
   which rejoices or grieves--that is, your heart or your inward man,
   which thinks and reasons through your intellect.

   Men throughout all their earthly life see everything but Christ, the
   life-giver; this is why they have no spiritual life, this is why they
   are given to every passion: unbelief, want of faith, covetousness,
   envy, hatred, ambition, the pleasures of eating and drinking. It is
   only at the close of their life that they seek Christ through the Holy
   Communion, and even this out of crying necessity and as a custom usual
   amongst others. O Christ, our God, our Life and Resurrection! How low
   have we fallen in our vanity, how blind have we become! But how would
   it have been with us had we always sought Thee, had we always had Thee
   in our hearts? The tongue cannot express the bliss which those
   experience who have Thee in their hearts! Unto them Thou art
   strengthening food, inexhaustible drink, shining raiment, the sun, "the
   peace which passeth all understanding," [541] unutterable joy, and
   everything. Possessing Thee, all earthly things become dust and
   corruption.

   "It is the Spirit that quickeneth." [542] It is to the Spirit of the
   Lord in creatures that their animation belongs, since the time of their
   creation, and to the Son of God their creation, the bringing of them
   into existence from non-existence. This is also how the Body and the
   Blood of Christ are transubstantiated by the Holy Ghost from the bread
   and wine, in the same manner as a body was created by the Holy Ghost in
   the womb of the Most-pure Virgin from Her blood. The Holy Ghost creates
   us in the womb of our mother; it is to the Spirit of God that we owe
   our spiritual blessings.

   The kingdom of life and the kingdom of death go side by side. I say go,
   because they are spiritual. The Chief of the first--that is, of the
   kingdom of life--is Jesus Christ, and those who are with Christ are
   undoubtedly in the kingdom of life; the chief of the second--that is,
   of the kingdom of death--is the prince of the powers of the air -- the
   Devil, with the spirits of evil subject to him, of which there are so
   many that their number far exceeds the number of all men dwelling upon
   earth. These children of death, the subjects of the prince of the air,
   are in constant stubborn warfare with the children of life--that is,
   with faithful Christians--and strive by every crafty means to win them
   over to their side, through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the
   eyes, and the pride of life, because sin and crime are their elements,
   and through sins, if we do not repent of them, we pass over to their
   side; whilst those to whom sins form as though an every-day
   requirement, who drink in iniquity like water, are not disturbed by the
   spirits of evil, because they already belong to them as long as they
   live carelessly in regard to their souls. But as soon as they turn to
   God, acknowledging their sins, both voluntary and involuntary, the war
   bursts forth, and the hordes of Satan rise up and carry on an unceasing
   fight. You see by this how necessary it is to seek Christ, as the Chief
   of the kingdom of life, and the Conqueror of hell and death.

   Every affliction and oppression arises either from want of faith or
   from some passion concealing itself within the man, or from some other
   impurity visible to the Almighty, and shows that the Devil is in the
   heart, and that Christ is not in the heart. Christ is the peace, the
   freedom, and the ineffable light of the soul.

   The air, the blowing of the wind, the breathing of creatures in the
   material world correspond to the spirits in the spiritual world, and to
   the uncreated, all life-giving Spirit of God itself. This is why the
   Spirit manifested itself as "a rushing mighty wind," [543] this is why
   also the Saviour compares "the breathing of the Spirit in the souls of
   those who are born of the Spirit," [544] to the blowing of wind. In the
   material world there are many things that correspond to those of the
   spiritual world, because the material world is also the creation of the
   Spirit; and cannot the creating Spirit in part show His image and His
   affinity in the creatures created by Him? Man is only the highest
   possible image of God amongst creatures, partakers of matter and purely
   material.

   Kissing with the lips corresponds to kissing with the soul; and when we
   kiss holy things, we ought to kiss them with the soul and heart as well
   as the lips.

   The Lord rules wonderfully and mightily over material worlds by means
   of His wisdom, by means of His word. As the particles of the body of an
   animal, of a tree, of grass, of stone are held together by cohesion, so
   all the worlds are held together by the powers and laws laid in them.
   As the soul carries the body and gives life to it, so also God carries
   the world, giving life to it through His Holy Spirit; it is not without
   reason that a man is called a little world.

   What an insignificant cobweb the world must be to God! What an
   insignificant cobweb is my body! And yet all is wisdom in every point
   of matter, and all stands only by wisdom, by the eternal laws of
   wisdom. O, wisdom, wisdom! We all owe our being to thee, to thy
   merciful Author! My death, my decomposition or destruction, clearly
   proves what an insignificant cobweb thou hast in me.

   Glory to Thee, life-giving Father, life-giving Son, and life-giving
   Holy Ghost, incomplex Being--God; ever saving us from the spiritual
   death caused to our soul by passions. Glory to Thee, Lord, in three
   persons, who enlightenest the dark face of our soul and body, and
   bestowest upon us Thy peace, which exceeds every earthly and physical
   good, and surpasses all understanding.

   Pray without ceasing, calling upon the name of the life-giving Trinity
   in order that your soul should not be suddenly overwhelmed by any
   passion, pride, or envy, or malice and hatred, or avarice, or
   covetousness, or gluttony, or anger and irritability, or harsh judgment
   or scorn, or falsehood and calumny, or any such passion; for we walk
   amongst snares every hour, every minute of our life. Let the eyes of
   your heart be on guard every hour, every minute. Let your heart be
   watchful, not only during the day, but also during the night, in
   accordance with, the Scripture. " I sleep, but my heart waketh." [545]

   We must love our neighbour still more when he sins against God, or
   against ourselves, because then he is sick, because then he is in
   spiritual misfortune, in danger; then, especially, we must have
   compassion upon him, pray for him, and apply to his heart a healing
   plaster--a word of kindness, instruction, reproval, consolation,
   forgiveness, love. "Forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's
   sake hath forgiven you." [546] All sins and passions, quarrels and
   disputes, are truly spiritual diseases; that is how we must look upon
   them. Or, all passions are a fire of the soul, a great fire, raging
   inwardly; a fire proceeding from the abyss of hell. It must be
   extinguished by the water of love, which is strong enough to extinguish
   every infernal flame of malice and of other passions. But woe and
   misfortune to us, to our self-love, if we increase this flame by a
   fresh infernal flame, by our own malice and irritability, and thus make
   ourselves the assistants of the spirits of evil, ever endeavouring to
   inflame the souls of men by means of many and various passions. If we
   do so, we ourselves shall deserve the fire of Gehenna; and if we do not
   repent, and do not become in future wise unto good and simple unto
   evil, then we shall be condemned, together with the Devil and his
   angels, to torments in the lake of fire. Therefore, do not let us be
   overcome of evil, but let us overcome evil with good. How accursed are
   we men! How is it that we have not yet learned to consider every sin as
   a great misfortune for our soul, and not to pity, heartily, sincerely,
   lovingly, those who fall into such a misfortune. Why do we not flee
   from it as from poison, as from a serpent? Why do we linger in it? Why
   have we no pity upon ourselves, too, when we are subjected to any sin?
   Why do we not weep before the Lord, who created us?

   The Lord allows us to be tossed by various passions in this life in
   order that we may hate these passions with all our heart, that we may
   look upon everything earthly as nothing, however precious and pleasant
   it may appear, and that we may long with all our hearts for God alone,
   the source of tranquillity and life, may cling to Him alone, may value
   Him before everything, His holy will, His peace and joy.

   You feel straitened upon earth from all sides. Everything betrays you;
   your relations, friends, acquaintances, riches, the pleasures of the
   senses, your own body; all the elements--earth, water, fire, air,
   light--play you false. Cling, therefore, to God alone, "with Whom is no
   variableness, neither shadow of turning," [547] Who alone is Love.

   It is remarkable that some irritable people, after an agony of violent
   and prolonged anger, and after having experienced all its torments,
   become, as they say, silky, meek, and peaceable. The same applies to
   the other passions. The Lord Himself has pointed out that their
   punishment lies in themselves--in their extreme agony. Pride, envy,
   hatred, avarice, covetousness--all are thus punished. Each passion is
   its own tormentor, and at the same time the executioner of each man
   possessed with it.

   "Follow peace with all men, and holiness; without which no man shall
   see the Lord." [548] Do not break peace for the sake of anything
   perishable and transitory, for the sake of your sinful self-love. Love
   peace above everything--as the Lord Himself. Let nothing be dearer than
   peace and mutual love. Let us love peace--peace, peace!

   The human soul is a free power, for it can become either a power for
   good or evil, according to the direction which you yourself give it.
   Lord, Almighty Power! strengthen mine infirm soul in every virtue!
   Stablish my heart, weak for everything good, upon the immovable rock of
   Thy commandments! Lord, I daily recognise, through experience, that
   without Thee I myself am nothing; that without Thee I can do no good;
   without Thee evil in its various forms is alone within me: without Thee
   I am the son of perdition. O unspeakably Good One, fill my heart with
   Thy goodness! But above all, I pray Thee, grant that I may love Thee
   with all my heart and my neighbour as myself. Grant that I may be
   neither malicious, proud, presumptuous, nor disobedient, but grant that
   I may be gentle, humble, tenderly respectful, and obedient. Amen.

   O, how carefully do the Devil and the world sow their tares in Christ's
   cornfield, which is the Church of God. Instead of the Word of God, the
   word of the world, the word of vanity, is sown. Instead of the temple
   of God, the world has invented its own temples--the temples of the
   world's vanities--theatres, circuses, assemblies. Instead of holy
   icons, which worldly people do not accept, in the world there are
   painted and photographic portraits, illustrations, and various other
   pictures. Instead of God and the Saints, the world honours unto
   adoration its own celebrities--writers, actors, singers, painters, who
   command general confidence and respect up to reverence. Poor
   Christians! they have completely fallen away from Christ! Instead of
   spiritual raiment, every attention is paid in the world to perishable
   clothing, to fashionable dresses, and various exquisite ornaments, both
   splendid and costly.

   In sickness and, in general, during bodily infirmity, as well as in
   affliction, a man cannot in the beginning burn with faith and love for
   God, because in affliction and sickness the heart aches, whilst faith
   and love require a sound heart, a calm heart. This is why we must not
   very much grieve if during sickness and affliction we cannot believe in
   God, love Him, and pray to Him fervently as we ought to. Everything has
   its proper time. There may be an unfavourable time even for praying.

   Behave to your neighbour with a perfect heart--that is, truthfully and
   with the same love as you would have for your own self, so that your
   neighbour, on his part, may love you in return; and even if he does not
   love you, he will at least respect in you your virtue, will honour it,
   and will himself emulate it.

   Would a beggar, who is fed upon crumbs from his master's table, be
   proud of being fed upon his crumbs? What is there for him to be proud
   of? Of his poverty? The beggar is myself, the master is the Lord; the
   crumbs from His table are all beneficial and natural gifts.

   What is the sign that a Christian man is near to Christ? The man who is
   near to Christ often turns with faith and love to Christ; often
   pronounces His sweetest name; often calls upon Him for help; often
   turns his eyes, thoughts, and heart towards Him. Christ the Lord
   naturally reveals Himself upon his lips and in his glance, because
   without Christ he is powerless, joyless. The man who is far from Christ
   seldom, very seldom, turns his thoughts toward Christ, and even then
   not with hearty faith and love, but only through some necessity, and as
   to a person who is little known to him, who does not rejoice him, does
   not delight his heart, and who has no attraction for him. This is why
   we see that those who are near to Christ do not let Christ out of their
   thoughts and heart; they live in Him; He is their breath, food, drink,
   dwelling--everything. Through the sweetness of His name and His
   beneficial touch they, so to say, cleave to Him with their whole being:
   "My soul hangeth upon Thee." [549] And in this cleaving they find
   unspeakable bliss, which the world does not know. Such are the signs by
   which it may be recognised who has found Christ and who has not yet
   found Him. Those who have not found Christ live in this life without
   hearty faith; they think and care more about worldly things--how to
   enjoy themselves, how to eat and drink pleasurably, how to dress
   exquisitely, how to satisfy their carnal desires, how to kill time,
   with which they do not know what to do, though time seeks them and, not
   finding them, quickly flies away before their eyes. Day flies away
   after day, night after night, month after month, year after year,
   until, finally, the last terrible hour strikes, and they hear a voice:
   "Stop, the course is finished; your time has been lost; your sins and
   iniquities have preceded you; they will fall upon you with all their
   power, and will crush you with their weight eternally."

   What does to seek distraction mean? It means to wish to somehow fill
   the sickly emptiness of the soul, which was created for activity, and
   which cannot bear to be idle.

   Let all knowledge relating to religion or faith be as though always new
   to you, that is, having the same importance, holiness, and interest.

   The Lord is the perfect Owner and Master of all creatures; and we know
   that His commands and His will are obeyed by all creatures: by the
   angels and by men having understanding hearts; by heaven, earth, and
   all that is in them, even by hell and all that is therein. He commands
   the angels, and they hasten to fulfil His will; He commands them to be
   guardians of new-born men, and they guard them during all their life,
   not transgressing His commands in anything. He commands the heavens,
   and they either give forth rain and dew, or snow and hail, or keep them
   back; He commands the winds, the waters, and they obey Him; He commands
   the fire, and it obeys Him; He commands the sun, and it is obscured or
   shines upon everything under it, warming and lighting it; He commands
   the earth, and it germinates various kinds of plants; He commands it to
   cease growing, and the growth ceases; He commanded the waters to flow
   unrestrainably upon the earth, and they did so, as in the time of the
   universal deluge; He commands the winds, and they blow, they rage
   furiously, and sometimes become destructive, as a punishment for our
   sins; He commanded the sea-whale to devour the prophet Jonah, and it
   was ready to seize him; He commanded the fishes to fill His disciples'
   nets, and the fishes rushed into the nets, rushed to obey the Creator's
   commands; He commands the dead to rise, to live again, and death flees
   from the man and life again appears in him; He commands the disease to
   leave a sick man, and the disease departs, and the sick man rises up
   healthy and sound; He commands the demons, and they obey incontestably.
   Great is the name of the Lord, praised be the name of the Lord, most
   glorious is the name of the Lord! He can change at His pleasure the
   objects created by Him; for instance, water into blood, water into
   wine, a rod into a living serpent; or, again, a rod into a living tree,
   a man into a pillar, as in the case of Lot's wife; a serpent into gold,
   and, again, gold into a serpent, as the Lord did at the prayer of St.
   Spiridon of Trimiphunt. [550] But the Lord's power and sovereignty are
   especially manifested when He converts a sinful man into a holy chosen
   vessel after he had terribly fallen; when He restores, raises, and
   renews the depraved; when He gives life to the man who was dead in soul
   and body, and leads into eternal life him who had fallen into eternal
   death This is indeed the miracle of miracles; this reveals the infinite
   mercy, wisdom, and omnipotence of the Lord in relation to His
   creatures; or, above all, that He Himself, the Lord of all creatures,
   the infinite, the uncontainable, was pleased and was able to become man
   for our salvation, and that "the Word, by whom all things were made,
   was made flesh, and dwelt among us," [551] living with men and being
   like unto man in everything, except sin. "The heavens were in awe, and
   the ends of the earth were astonished, that God appeared as man in the
   flesh." [552] He conversed with men, loaded us with benefits, worked
   innumerable miracles, suffered (O, wonder!), died (O, awful wonder!),
   and rose again, raising with Himself us also, who were dead in Adam! I
   glorify Thy most merciful, holy, almighty, and most wise power, Lord!
   Show upon me, also, Lord, Thy wonderful power, and, by ways known unto
   Thee, save me, Thine unworthy servant, disregarding my trespasses,
   voluntary and involuntary, committed in knowledge or ignorance, guiding
   me ever in Thy way, and strengthening me upon this way by Thy grace,
   and through me the others for whom Thou hast placed me as a light,
   shepherd, teacher, and priest.

   When you partake of the immortal food and drink, the Body and Blood of
   the Lord, raise your grateful heart to the Lord and say: I thank Thee,
   Lord, Bread of Life and source of immortality, for giving unto us Thy
   Body and Blood for our food and drink, so that we, cleansed and
   sanctified here by them, may enter into Thine eternal kingdom--may
   eternally delight in the contemplation of Thy countenance and Thy
   blessed life! Do not suffer me, Lord, to care only for bodily food and
   drink; do not suffer me, Lord, to become attached to them, but grant
   that I may cleave to Thee alone. When you partake of perishable sweet
   things, thank the Lord, saying: I thank Thee, sweetness eternal,
   incomparable, infinitely surpassing all earthly sweetness, which are
   carnal and gross. Thou art the sweetness imperishable, life-giving,
   holy, tranquil, light, most peaceful, most joyful, inexhaustible; I
   thank Thee also for granting me these perishable sweet things to
   partake of and enjoy, so that through them I may learn, although only
   in part, how sweet Thou art, Thou who art all sweetness, and how
   greatly Thou art to be desired. Enlightened by the material light, say:
   Glory to Thee, light that never sets, most sweet, and giving joy to
   everything, for this perishable but beautiful light, for lighting us by
   this image of Thine inaccessible Divine light, so that from this
   material light our thoughts may unceasingly pass to Thee, the eternal
   Light that never sets, and may aspire to attain through purity of life
   to the most blessed contemplation of Thyself. When you breathe the air
   with your lungs, that vivifying and refreshing element, constantly
   necessary for the support of our perishable life, again raise yourself
   in thought to the life-giving Lord, the Holy Ghost, with the Father and
   the Son, by whom we live, move, and exist, thanking Him for
   uninterrupted breath, and know, that as the body cannot live without
   air, so your soul cannot for an instant lead the true life without the
   Holy Ghost, and by pure and temperate living strive constantly to be in
   communion with God Himself, for without Him the soul dies. Thus from
   every created thing or being raise yourself continually to the Creator;
   thank Him for everything, and do not cling to any creature, do not
   serve any creature more than the Creator Himself, for service or
   slavery to creatures and attachment to earthly things is idolatry.

   Bring your heart in sacrifice to God, give it wholly to the Almighty,
   renounce yourself, and all sinful inclinations: malice, hatred, pride,
   disobedience, and self-will, envy, malevolence, malignancy, avarice,
   covetousness, gluttony, fornication, uncleanness, stealing, deceit,
   fulness, slothfulness, and others; and continually force yourself to be
   kind when others exasperate and offend you, to pray for your enemies,
   for meekness, humility, gentleness, truer benevolence, generosity,
   disinterestedness, abstinence, chastity, alms-giving, truth and
   righteousness, industry, obedience, and others. It is difficult to
   conquer the passions, which become as though our natural members
   ("Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth" [553] ), but
   by being continually watchful over yourself, by constant fervent prayer
   and abstinence, with the help of God you will be able to conquer and
   eradicate them. "For where two or three are gathered together in My
   name, there am I in the midst of them." [554] I reverence even two or
   three praying together, for in accordance with the Lord's promise He
   Himself is in the midst of them. I reverence still more a numerous
   congregation. Collective prayer is speedily fulfilled, and bears much
   fruit when it is united, unanimous ("gathered together in My name").
   The assiduous prayer of the Church for the Apostle Peter immediately
   ascended before the throne of the Lord, and the Lord sent his angel to
   miraculously deliver Peter from the prison, whom Herod wished to
   destroy. The unanimous prayer of the Apostles Paul and Silas brought
   down upon them wonderful heavenly help from the Holy Ghost. [555]

   What darkness, what madness, what infirmity, and what a terrible deadly
   power is sin! Gazing upon faces because they are beautiful, we inwardly
   commit adultery; or we hate a man because his character does not agree
   with ours, because he has different passions to ours, because he has
   not the same disposition of spirit as ours, which is often not sinless,
   but passionate and vicious. Is the beauty of a face a reason to commit
   adultery--to sin? Should it not rather be a reason for praising the
   Creator, Who hath created man so beautifully? Is the fact of a man's
   character or temper not agreeing with ours, of his not showing much
   indulgence to our pride and in general to our passions, of his not
   having the same disposition of spirit as ours, a reason for us to hate
   him? Has not everybody his own freewill, his own character,
   temperament, habits, passions, and ways? Ought we not to be indulgent
   to everyone, to respect everyone's personal freedom, which even the
   Lord Himself does not violate?

   It is unpleasant for a proud man when it is required of him to be
   humble to others; for an envious man when it is required of him to wish
   his enemies well; for a vindictive one when forgiveness and
   reconciliation are required of him; for one who loves money to be
   reminded of paying his debts; for a glutton when he is reminded of
   fasting and of the salvation of his soul. But they should conquer their
   feelings, their passions, and joyfully fulfil that which is required of
   them, or which is required by the Gospel: otherwise, by giving
   themselves up unrepentingly, irremediably to their passions, they will
   be eternally lost.

   Glory to the power of Thy grace, Lord! Nothing, no effort of sin, can
   resist it in those who call upon it with faith. Thus, when subjected to
   the violence of the enemy of everything good--the Devil--and tempted by
   passions, I made the sign of the cross upon myself, saying inwardly, "
   Nothing can resist the power of Thy grace," and the violence ceased,
   the trouble and oppression passed away, and were replaced by
   tranquillity and peace. Glory to Thy power, Lord!

   "I am only the witness that I may bear witness before Him of all thou
   tellest me." [556] The priests will be witnesses before the Saviour on
   the terrible day of judgment concerning sinners, whether they repented
   or did not repent of these or those sins, and they who were penitent
   will be forgiven. But why is it necessary for God to have witnesses
   when He Himself knows everything? As has been said: "He needed not that
   any should testify of man, for He knew what was in man." [557] For God
   they are not necessary, but they are necessary for us. It will be
   pleasant for us to see how the priests will bear witness concerning us,
   before the angels and men, that we repented of our sins, condemned
   ourselves, expressed our loathing for sin, took the firm resolution not
   to sin. Remember the Saviour's words to the Apostles: "Ye shall be
   brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony against
   them;" [558] or, "His Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all
   the world for a witness unto all nations." [559]

   Grant me, Lord, grace to renounce myself, this devil that I have become
   by inheritance from Adam. Lord Jesus, the New Adam, change me; make a
   new man of me; let me be clothed in Thee.

   "Every valley" and dale "shall be filled, and every mountain and hill
   shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight . . . and
   all flesh shall see the salvation of God." [560] The valley and dale
   are humble hearts. The mountain and hill shall be brought low--that is,
   proud men who think highly of themselves, and despise the lowly and
   humble. So it is: the Lord unceasingly acts through the spirit of
   righteousness and mercy in the hearts of men, humbling the proud by
   various worldly circumstances--by maladies, losses, humiliations from
   other people, and exalting the humble.

   Flatterers are our greatest enemies. They blind our eyes, do not let us
   see our many defects, and thus hinder us upon the way to perfection,
   especially if we ourselves are self-loving and not far-seeing. This is
   why we must always stop those who natter us, or avoid them. Woe unto
   him who is surrounded by flatterers! Happy is he who is surrounded by
   simple-hearted people who do not hide the truth, although it may be
   unpleasant! For instance, when they detect his weaknesses, faults,
   passions, and mistakes.

   He that is joined to God unfailingly, and as if naturally, loves his
   neighbour, because his neighbour is the image of God. And if he is a
   Christian, then he is also a child of God, a member of Christ, the
   God-man, and his own member besides. "For we are members one of
   another." [561] "We are members of His Body, of His Flesh, and of His
   Bones." [562] But he who loves God is indifferent to everything
   earthly--to food, drink, dainties, to earthly beauty, dress, fame. For
   he cannot serve two masters, for his heart is joined to the Lord; he is
   absorbed by Him, by his love for Him, and in the Lord everything
   earthly seems to vanish for him. Every worldly charm, even his own old
   sinful, passionate heart vanishes, and becomes united to God in one
   spirit. "He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit," [563] because
   he becomes enlightened in God, and sees the true value of all things
   earthly and heavenly, sees especially the vanity, the uselessness of
   everything earthly; the truth, the immeasurable superiority, and the
   eternity of spiritual blessings. He finds in God the cleansing from
   sins, and the holiness, peace, lightness, true freedom, and joy in the
   Holy Ghost which are natural to our spirit, but which we have lost. He
   also finds in God his natural spiritual food and drink, spiritual
   sweetness, spiritual raiment, shining, adorned, and white as snow, and
   unspeakable beauty, which will eternally enrapture him, inaccessible
   light which shall eternally light him, and an abode corresponding to
   his soul in like manner as he himself will be the abode of the Holy
   Trinity.

   Lord! let my heart cling to Thee alone, and do not let it cling to
   anything earthly; for in earthly attachments there is sorrow,
   oppression, and torment. Let nothing earthly be dear to my heart, but
   grant that I may value Thee, the one Lord, above all, as well as
   everything heavenly, and the soul created after Thine image, immortal,
   reasonable, speaking, free, the breath of Thy mouth. Let nothing
   earthly--money, food, dress, rank, signs of distinction, etc.--become
   the idol of my heart. We must accustom ourselves to the simplest, least
   dainty of food, in order that the heart should not be allured by it,
   and even that in moderation, only for imparting strength.

   The Lord was crucified for us on the cross. This is the reason why it,
   as well as the sign of the cross, has such power. This is why it is
   life-giving. This is why even in the Old Testament its symbol had such
   great power. The pole upon which the serpent was set cured those who
   were bitten by serpents; the cross, traced by Moses's rod, separated
   the waters; Moses's hands uplifted in prayer, and forming the cross,
   conquered Amalek, and so on.

   As quickly as the pleasure of eating and drinking passes away in those
   sitting at table dining, for instance, so quickly shall pass, and
   passes away the present life, with all its pleasures, joys, sorrows,
   and sickness. It is like morning dew, vanishing at the appearance of
   the sun. Therefore the Christian, who is called to a heavenly country,
   who is only a stranger and a sojourner upon earth, ought not attach his
   heart to anything earthly, but should cling to God alone, the Source of
   life, our resurrection, and the Life eternal.

   We must not look with wonderment and malice upon the various sins,
   weaknesses and passions of humanity, because they form the old
   enticement, the infirmity of all mankind, and men themselves, by their
   own strength, cannot anyhow free themselves from them, and therefore a
   Saviour of men was necessary, not an intercessor, not an angel, but the
   Lord Himself incarnate. May He save me wholly! This is why we should
   despise human passions, even when directed against us; for instance:
   envy, malice, pride, avarice, extortion--and must not be exasperated
   with those who are subjected to them, but must behave gently to them,
   and act upon them by words, persuasion, and secret prayer, as did the
   Lord and His Saints in relation to their enemies. This is what the
   worldly wisdom of a Christian consists in.

   Strive by every means constantly to rejoice the Heavenly Father by your
   life; that is, by your meekness, humility, gentleness, obedience,
   abstinence, right judgment, love of peace, patience, mercy, sincere
   friendship with worthy people, kindness to everybody, cordial
   hospitality, universal benevolence, accuracy in business, simplicity of
   heart and character, and by the purity of all your thoughts. Teach and
   strengthen us, O God, to live in accordance with Thy Will, for Thou art
   our Father, and we are Thy children, in Jesus Christ our Lord.

   Everyone must bear in mind that every man possesses, besides his animal
   nature, a spiritual nature also; that as the animal nature has its
   requirements, the spiritual one has its own requirements too. The
   requirements of the animal nature are: drink, food, sleep, breath,
   light, clothing, warmth; whilst those of the spiritual nature are
   meditation, feeling, speaking, communion with God through prayer,
   Divine service, the sacraments, instruction in the Word of God, and
   fellowship with our neighbour through mutual conversation, charitable
   help, mutual instruction and teaching. We must also bear in mind that
   our animal nature is temporal, transitory, perishable, whilst the
   spiritual one is eternal, not transitory and indestructible; that we
   must despise the flesh as perishable, and care for the soul, which is
   immortal, for its salvation, its enlightenment, its cleansing from
   sins, passions, and vices for its adornment with such virtues as
   meekness, humility, gentleness, courage, patience, submission, and
   obedience to God and men, purity and abstinence. Grant wisdom, O Lord,
   to every man that he may ever bear this in mind!

   O Lord! let not Thy gifts, both spiritual and material, lie idle in us
   and for us; grant that they may be exercised salutarily and usefully.
   Fulfil this in all. May the number of Thy talents be increased by the
   personal activity of each one of us.

   Look upon a spiteful, proud, presumptuous man as you would upon the
   wind, and do not be offended at his malice, pride, and presumption, but
   be calm in yourself. The enemy purposely irritates you, kindling the
   fire of the human passions, or arousing in your heart various
   suspicions of an evil nature and imaginary fancies.

   Do not pay attention to the words of an arrogant man, but rather to
   their power. It often happens that words that appear harsh at first
   sight, do not proceed from any harshness of the heart, but only from
   habit. How would it be if everyone paid strict critical attention to
   our words, without Christian love, indulgent, sheltering, kindly, and
   patient? We must have died long ago.

   Ought a holy and chosen flock, that is, orthodox Christians, to live,
   as we live? Are we walking by faith, are we living soberly in
   expectation of the second coming of Christ and of the terrible day of
   judgment? Do we tremble at the thought of everlasting torments? Do we
   thirst for eternal bliss? Do we not cling to this transitory life. "But
   ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation!" [564]
   Keep a strict watch over yourselves. Much will be required of you. Is
   this how those should live, who hope for the resurrection and the
   future life? Is this how those should live, who have received warning
   and sure testimony--from the true and veritable Head of their faith--of
   the truth and certitude of future torments?

   How insignificant is the earth and earthly life in comparison with
   heaven, with Christ's eternal kingdom! And yet we attach ourselves so
   much to the earthly things, and are so careless of the salvation of the
   soul, of eternal life!

   Luxuries, money are worse than ordinary dust and dirt, because they
   sully the soul; ordinary dust only sullies the body, clothing, or room.
   O, how necessary it is to despise luxuries, money, and dress besides!

   Our life is incomplex: because our life is Jesus Christ, the Son of
   God, the most incomplex eternal Being, having no beginning. "God hath
   given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." [565] Why,
   then, do we seek life in men, in enjoyments, in money, in honours, in
   dress, etc.? There is no life for the heart in these things, but only
   affliction, straitness, and spiritual death. Why do we forsake the
   Fountain of living waters--the Lord, and hew out "cisterns, broken
   cisterns that can hold no water"? [566] Why do we toss about, and
   trouble about trifles ? Why are we so greedy after enjoyments, money,
   honours, dress, and various other things? All these are dead,
   perishable, transitory. The Devil, who has the power of death, is also
   incomplex, and catches us in his snares, wounding us unto death; this
   is why we must be on our guard, and not attach ourselves to anything,
   so that we may not be hurt by him.

   Avoid such a mode of life as tends to living for carnal motives and
   desires only; that is, only to sleeping, eating, dressing, walking,
   then again, to eating, drinking, and walking. Such a mode of life at
   last completely kills a man's spiritual life, making him quite earthly,
   and a creature of the earth; whilst the Christian, even during his life
   on earth, ought to be heavenly. "For the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
   [567] "Our Father, which art in heaven!" We ought to read the Word of
   God more frequently, pray more often at home and in church, and in
   every place, of course more inwardly than outwardly; to meditate more
   often on God, the creation, the calling and predestination of man; on
   God's providence, the redemption, God's unspeakable love to mankind,
   the lives and glorious deeds of the Saints, who pleased God by their
   manifold virtues, and on other subjects; also to fast, to examine our
   conscience, to repent sincerely and deeply of our sins, and so on!

   God's Wisdom, Mercy, and Omnipotence may be observed above all in the
   fact that the Lord places each one of us in such a position, that if we
   wish we can bring to God the fruits of good works, and save ourselves
   and others, and that out of the greatest sinners He makes righteous
   men, obeying His grace, which leads to salvation, and wonderfully saves
   us from all misfortunes, rescuing us even from destruction itself.

   You wish others to speedily correct themselves of their faults, but do
   you speedily correct yourself; do you not suffer from the same, as
   others? Is it not through you, through your not correcting yourself,
   that others linger in their sins and passions?

   Do everything in opposition to that which the enemy suggests to you: he
   suggests to you to hate those who offend you-- you must love them;
   bless those who curse you, and do not torment those who take away your
   property, but give it away willingly; when you want to laugh--weep when
   you feel despondent--endeavour to be glad ; when you feel
   envious--rejoice at the prosperity of others; when you are inclined to
   contradiction and disobedience--immediately submit and agree; when
   impure thoughts occur to you--be zealous of the purity of your heart,
   represent to yourself the high destiny of the Christian, made godly in
   Christ Jesus, and remember that our members are--the members of Christ;
   when you feel proud--humble yourself; when spiteful--be specially kind;
   when irritable--preserve calmness; when avaricious--be generous; when
   distracted-- immediately close your feelings to all outward things, and
   meditate on the "one thing needful" ; when you feel doubt, little
   faith, unbelief--then especially call firm faith to your help, remind
   yourself of the examples of faith, or of believers in the Old and New
   Testaments, as well as the miracles accomplished by faith, and so on.
   Do thus, and do not succumb to the enemy: for all passions,
   partialities, and fancies are of his imagination.

   You will spend the festival well, to the glory of God and the salvation
   of your soul, if you refrain from such passions as: malice, pride,
   cupidity, envy, avarice, intemperance, slothfulness, inattention,
   carelessness in pleasing God, and neglect of your soul; and if you
   practise the virtues opposite to these sins, and other good works. You
   will be devoting the festival not to God, but to Satan, if you are
   allured on such a day by your passions and vices. You will spend Sunday
   well (the day of Resurrection), if with your soul you will rise from
   the dead to God, forsaking unrighteous acts, if you are regenerate and
   renewed by grace. But you will spend the day ill, fruitlessly, if you
   do not rid your heart of your malice, cupidity, or your attachment to
   earthly things, and if your soul is not inflamed by heavenly love, by
   the love of God, by the love of the heavenly country, and of the life
   that never grows old, which is prefigured by Sunday, the day of
   Resurrection--the day of the Sun of righteousness.

   Beggars every day pursue you: this means that--God's mercy continually
   pursues you. " Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."
   [568] And who will flee from God's mercy?

   God's Saints value more than any of us the great act of the redemption
   of mankind by God, the descent of the Son of God from heaven, His
   teaching, likewise His sufferings, death, burial, resurrection, and
   Ascension into heaven; for they spent all their lives in working out
   their own and others' salvation, sincerely, firmly, infallibly, with
   their whole hearts; for the sake of their own and others' salvation,
   they renounced themselves, fasted, prayed, watched, wrestled, laboured
   in deed and word with their intellect and pen. But we do not understand
   how to value such great acts; we are cold, distracted, heedless, and
   are more occupied with the visible world and of its goods, which are
   but smoke.

   I commit my whole life and everything, by which a man lives, my
   spiritual and bodily requirements, unto Christ my God, the Provider,
   the Ruler, and the Saviour: for, everything is in His hands. As for me,
   I have only to zealously fulfill His commandments.

   Do not suffer, Lord, that even for an instant I may do the will of
   Thine and mine enemy--the Devil, but grant that I may continually do
   Thy Will, alone the Will of my God and my King: Thou alone, my true
   King by Whom all kings reign, grant that I may ever obey Thee,
   reverence Thee truly and firmly. "O come let us worship, and fall down
   and kneel before the Lord our Maker; serve the Lord in fear and rejoice
   unto Him with reverence." [569]

   How must we look upon the gifts of intellect, feeling and freedom? With
   the intellect we must learn to know God in the works of His creation,
   revelation, providence, and in the destinies of men; with the heart we
   must feel God's love, His most heavenly peace, the sweetness of His
   love, we must love our neighbour, sympathise with him in joy and in
   sorrow, in health and in sickness, in poverty and in wealth, in
   distinction and in low estate (humiliation); we must use freedom, as a
   means, as an instrument for doing as much good as possible, and for
   perfecting ourselves in every virtue, so as to render unto God fruits a
   hundredfold.

   All the Saints in heaven and all true Christians upon earth are "one
   body and one spirit," [570] this is why the prayer of believers is
   heard so easily and speedily and truly in heaven, and why there is so
   much hopefulness in calling upon the Saints; but in order that our
   prayers should be always easily and speedily heard by the Saints, we
   must have the same spirit as them, the spirit of faith and of love for
   God and our neighbour, the spirit of meekness, humility, abstinence,
   purity and chastity, brave, valiant, thirsting after righteousness, the
   spirit of compassion, heavenly and not earthly.

   Consider yourself worse and more infirm than all others in spiritual
   respects, and despise, hate yourself for your sins,--this is pious and
   right--and be indulgent to others, respect and love them in spite of
   their sins, for God's sake, Who commanded us to respect and love all
   men, and also because they are created after His image--although they
   bear the wounds of sin, and because they are members of Jesus Christ.

   The Lord sometimes suddenly sends bountiful material gifts, such, for
   instance, as: money in payment for some very easy work, and thus
   rewards you for the expenditure you have incurred in affording help to
   your neighbour; in general He freely bestows upon us the bountiful
   gifts of His mercy, in order that we should not grudge His gifts to
   those whom He sends to us, or whom He allows to take our property,
   which He has given us in order that we should not be at enmity amongst
   ourselves, but should live in love and harmony; should our neighbour
   rob us of our property, even then we ought not to be disquieted, but
   should bear it meekly, trusting to God to punish for the offence. You
   know, that the Lord Himself meekly allowed even His garments to be
   taken from Him, and His body to be tortured upon the cross--for your
   sake, to teach you meekness and gentleness in all misfortunes and
   offences.

   God is good and all-goodness, and you, His image, must also be good. He
   is bountiful to all, and you too must be generous, and avoid avarice
   and grudging your neighbour anything material, perishable, as the
   greatest calamity and foolishness.

   "Who or what are our idols?" They are--some persons, and after these
   our transitory life; our mortal body full of passions and the things
   relating to it: food and drink, dress, ornaments, distinctions, money,
   house furniture, etc. When the tempter attacks you through attachments
   to visible things by trust in visible things, bread, money and so on,
   then steadfastly lift up the eyes of your heart towards the invisible
   and eternal: first to the invisible and eternal God--the Source of our
   life; secondly towards the invisible life that has no ending, towards
   the eternal bliss of the righteous after this transitory life. When he
   inspires you to seek life in corruptible things, you must strive after
   life in the incorruptible; when he attracts your eyes to the human
   body, disregarding its immortal soul, you must turn your mental gaze
   still more steadfastly upon the soul of the man, created after God's
   image and likeness, redeemed by the suffering and death of the Son of
   God upon the cross, made to inherit eternal blessings, affiliated by
   God, the temple of the Holy-Ghost, and the Bride of the Holy-Ghost.
   Avoid duplicity, that is, do not let your heart be divided between
   attachment to God and attachment to earthly things, "Ye cannot serve
   God and mammon"; [571] cling to God alone, put your trust in Him alone;
   for the Devil, by inciting us to duplicity, seeks himself to gain
   possession of our heart, which, is single and indivisible. And
   remember, that to attach yourself to God is always good, blessed,
   whilst to attach yourself to the world and its blessings is evil,
   painful, sorrowful, oppressive: for " attachment" to the world is a
   delusion of the Devil, and is his spirit.

   The end of everything on earth--of my body, of enjoyments, of dress, of
   all treasures is--destruction, corruption and disappearance, but the
   spirit lives for ever. May my soul remember this, and not grieve at the
   loss of anything temporal, perishable, but be zealous about eternal,
   imperishable matters: concerning God, concerning the fulfilment of His
   commandments, the unity of love, a peaceful condition, patience,
   temperance, chastity, self-denial, the heart's indifference to all
   earthly beauties and enjoyments, not greedy of gain (only striving to
   gain the Lord Himself), seeking the one thing needful; endeavouring not
   to imitate the crafty, and not to envy those that work iniquity. Let
   others take away your dross--do not mind this and do not be exasperated
   at it.

   The Lord has made us His Own (O, highest honour and dignity!) whilst
   through our sins, we alienate ourselves from our Master, Who has given
   us birth by water and the Spirit. The Lord has most truly joined
   Himself to us by His Flesh and Blood, [572] which are united with His
   soul and Divinity--whilst we, through our sins and vices, join
   ourselves in the closest manner to God's enemy and our own.

   When praying with people, we sometimes have to pierce through with our
   prayer as if it were the hardest wall--human souls, hardened and
   petrified by earthly passions--to penetrate the Egyptian darkness, the
   darkness of passions and worldly attachments. This is why it is
   sometimes difficult to pray. The simpler the people one prays with the
   easier it is.

   If God had not been incarnate upon earth, if He had not made us godly,
   if He had not taught us in His Own person how to live, what to hope for
   and expect, if He had not pointed out to us another perfect and eternal
   life, if He had not suffered and died and risen from the dead--then we
   should still have had some reason to live, as we all now live--that is
   to mostly lead a carnal, earthly life. But, now, we ought to meditate
   upon higher things, and count all earthly things but dung, [573] for,
   everything earthly is nothing, in comparison with heavenly things.
   Meanwhile, the Devil, the father of lies, in spite of the Saviour's
   teaching and His spirit, teaches us to attach ourselves to earthly
   goods, and forcibly nails our sensual heart to them. The heart
   naturally seeks happiness--and the Devil gives a false direction to
   this tendency, and allures it by earthly happiness, that is--by riches,
   honours, splendour of dress, furniture, silver, equipages, gardens and
   various amusements.

   Give yourself up entirely to God's providence, to the Lord's Will, and
   do not grieve at losing anything material, nor in general at the loss
   of visible things; do not rejoice at gain, but let your only and
   constant joy be to win the Lord Himself. Trust entirely in Him: He
   knows how to lead you safely through this present life, and to bring
   you to Himself--into His eternal Kingdom. From want of trust in God's
   providence many and great afflictions proceed: despondency, murmurings,
   envy, avarice, love of money or the passion for amassing money and
   property in general, so that it may last for many years, in order to
   eat, drink, sleep and enjoy; from want of trust in God's providence
   proceed in particular afflictions such as arise, for instance: from
   some loss of income through our own oversight, from the loss of
   objects, specially valuable and necessary, as well as immoderate joy at
   recovering some objects, or at receiving some large income or gain, or
   some profitable place or employment. We, as Christians, as "fellow
   citizens with the Saints and of the household of God," [574] ought to
   commit all our life, together with all its sorrows, sicknesses, griefs,
   joys, scarcities and abundance unto Christ our God.

   "He hath shewed strength with His arm: He hath scattered the proud in
   the imagination of their hearts. He hath shewed strength with His arm"
   means that the Lord, through His incarnation, reigned over the enemies
   of our salvation, and, having conquered them by His power, and made His
   Mother Sovereign Queen of heaven and earth, "He hath scattered the
   proud in the imagination of their hearts," that is, the Devil and the
   powers assisting him, the spirits of evil, He conquered them on the
   cross, scattering their hordes." He hath put down the mighty from their
   seats," that is, the fallen angel, Satan, who reigned over mankind; and
   "exalted them of low degree," that is, the Mother of God, and all
   humble Christians. "He hath filled the hungry with good things," for
   instance: that same Most-pure, gracious Lady and other Saints--and" the
   rich He hath sent empty away," [575] that is: the demons who would have
   richly filled the abysses of hell with prisoners--the human souls,
   which were brought to the light of Christ's Kingdom by the Saviour,
   when He descended into hell.

   We only call the Lord, God, but in reality we have our own gods,
   because we do not do the Will of God, but the will and thoughts of our
   flesh, the will of our heart, of our passions; our gods are--our flesh,
   pleasures, money, dress, etc.

   What vanities, what foolish fancies often occupy most of us, even in
   sight of the highest, the most important objects of faith, in sight of
   the greatest holiness. For instance, when a man stands before the icons
   of the Lord, of the Mother of God, of an Angel, of an Archangel, of one
   or a whole assembly of Saints, at home or in the temple, and,
   sometimes, instead of prayer, instead of laying aside, at this time, in
   this place, all worldly cares, he casts up his accounts and reckonings,
   goes over his expenses and receipts, rejoices at the gain, and grieves
   at the loss of profits, or the failure of some undertaking (without, of
   course, a single thought of spiritual profit or loss), or else he
   thinks evil of his neighbour, exaggerating his weakness, his passions,
   suspecting him, envying him, judging him, or if it is in church, he
   looks at the faces of those, standing near him, also how they are
   dressed, who is nice looking, and who not, or making plans what he
   shall do, in what pleasure or vanity he will spend the day, and so on.
   And this often happens at the time when the greatest, the most heavenly
   Sacrament of the Eucharist, that is, of the most-pure Body and Blood of
   our Lord, is being celebrated; when we ought to be wholly in God,
   wholly occupied in meditations on the mystery accomplished for our
   sakes, of the redemption from sin, from the eternal curse and death;
   and on the mystery of our being made godly in the Lord Jesus Christ.
   How low we have fallen, how earthly-minded we have become, and from
   what does it all proceed? From inattention, and the neglect of our
   salvation, from attachment to temporal things, from weakness of faith,
   or unbelief in eternity.

   How is it that all nature, and everything in nature, is so wisely
   arranged, and moves in such wonderful order? It is because the Creator
   Himself directs and governs it. How is it that in the nature of
   man--the crown of creation--there is so much disorder? Why are there so
   many irregularities and deformities in his life? Because he took upon
   himself to direct and govern himself, against the Will and Wisdom of
   his Creator. Sinful man! give yourself up wholly, all your life unto
   the Lord your God, and all your life will move in wise, beautiful,
   stately, and life-giving order, and will all become beautiful as the
   lives of God's Saints, who gave themselves up entirely to Christ their
   God, and whom the Church daily offers to us, as an example to imitate.

   Value highly, and always preserve Christian meekness and kindness,
   mutual peace and love, crushing by every possible means the impulses of
   self-love, malice, irritability, and disturbance. Do not be disturbed
   and angered, when anybody tells you a falsehood to your face, or claims
   any unjust pretension, or speaks offensively, or boldly detects any of
   your weaknesses or passions, the wrongfulness of which, through your
   self-love, you did not suspect. Always first coolly reflect over what
   your opponent says to you, as well as over your own words and conduct,
   and, if, upon an entirely impartial consideration of your words and
   actions, you find them just, then let your conscience be at rest, and
   do not heed the words of your adversary, either remaining silent before
   him, or showing him his error quietly, gently, in all kindness of
   heart; but should you find yourself guilty of that, which your
   adversary detects in you, then, putting aside self-love and pride, ask
   pardon for your fault, and endeavour to correct yourself in future. We
   are often angry with straightforward, frank people for openly
   disclosing our iniquities. We ought to value such people, and forgive
   them, if by their bold speaking they break down our self-love. They
   are, in a moral sense, the surgeons who cut off, with a sharp word, the
   rottenness of the heart, and through arousing our self-love, they
   awaken, in the soul deadened by sin, a consciousness of sin and a vital
   reaction.

   "The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by
   force." [576] If we do daily strive to conquer the passions, which
   fight against us, and to gain the Kingdom of God in our heart, then the
   passions will tyrannically, forcibly take possession of us, will invade
   our soul like robbers; our attachments to earthly things will increase
   in proportion as our faith in heavenly blessings and love for them
   grows weaker and weaker; our love for God and our neighbour--will also
   grow weaker and weaker; we shall enjoy rest of conscience and peace of
   heart more and more seldom. We must struggle in the matter of the
   salvation of the soul, which is more precious than anything in the
   world; we must count everything earthly as dross, or as a phantom, a
   vision, and everything heavenly, above all, the Lord Himself--as truth
   itself, eternal, most-blessed, and unchangeable.

   We all love life, are anxious, and strive for a happy life, and yet our
   life is corrupted by passions. Wherefore? Because we do not seek life
   where we should.

   To the young, and to all grown up people. Remember, that the moral law
   of God continually acts in the world, in accordance with which, every
   good is inwardly rewarded, whilst every evil is punished. Evil is
   accompanied by affliction and straitness of heart, and good--by peace,
   joy, and expansion of the heart. This law is unchangeable: for it is
   the law of the unchangeable, all-holy, righteous, most-wise, and
   eternal God. Those who do good, or who fulfil this moral or Gospel law
   (which is also a moral law, only the most perfect) shall be infallibly
   rewarded by eternal life, while its transgressors, and those who have
   not repented of its transgression shall be punished by eternal torment.

   God is that Which Is (Existing). In Him, all the Saints, all reasonable
   and free beings are--one. "As Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee,
   that they also may be one in Us." [577] I, myself, am--nothing: God is
   everything in me, God is in all, and God is everything to all--"Our
   Father, Which art in heaven!"

   When you call in prayer upon the Lord God in Three Persons, remember
   that you are calling upon the unoriginate Father of all creatures,
   angels, and men; that all the heavenly Powers are in wonderment at you
   as you call upon Him, and look lovingly upon you that you are able to
   call with faith, love, and becoming reverence upon our and their common
   Father, the Almighty, Creator and Lord, Whom they love boundlessly,
   Whom they reverence deeply. O, what great happiness and blessedness,
   what an honour, how sublime a thing it is to be able to call upon the
   eternal Father! Value continually and unchangeably this highest
   happiness, this blessedness which the infinite mercy of God has
   reserved to you, and do not forget it during the time of your prayer.
   God hears you, God's saints and angels hear you. (February 26th, 1864.)
   I shed tears while writing these lines.

   "Christ is all and in all" [578] (in the holy angels, in holy men, and
   in Christians living, or endeavouring to live holily upon earth), "and
   gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church, which is His
   body." [579] Thus, the Church--God's saints, the Mother of God, the
   angels, the prelates, the martyrs, the holy fathers, the righteous, and
   all holy persons--are the Saviour's body, and He Himself is -- their
   Head. Our Lady, the Mother of God, is -- the Sovereign of mental
   edification -- that is, Our Lady and all the Saints are -- one spirit
   with the Lord: so pure and holy are they, and they have the same
   relation to Him, or the same union with Him, as the members of a body
   to the head, and there is one spirit in them, the Spirit of God; as the
   soul is in one body, so is the one God and Father in them. And we -- as
   the members of the earthly Church are also-- one body.

   Our Lady, the Mother of God, is the most beautifully adorned temple of
   the Holy Trinity. She is, after God, the treasury of all blessings, of
   purity, holiness, of all true wisdom, the source of spiritual power and
   constancy.

   We are -- one body of love. Food, drink, money, dress, houses, all
   earthly attributes are -- nothing, whilst man is -- everything; nothing
   is so precious as man. Man, by his soul, is immortal, whilst everything
   material is perishable and ephemeral; everything material is like dust.
   Everything is God's, nothing is ours. Man! esteem the dignity of man,
   as the image of God and in the time of his need, do not grudge him any
   material help.

   Everything, except true love, is an illusion. If a friend behaves
   coldly, rudely, spitefully, insolently to you, say -- this is an
   illusion of the enemy, if a feeling of enmity, arising from your
   friend's coldness and insolence, disturbs you, say: -- this is an
   illusion of mine; but the truth is, that I love my friend, in spite of
   everything, and I do not wish to see evil in him, which is an illusion
   of the demon, and which is in me also; I will be indulgent to his
   faults, for they are in me also; we have -- the same sinful nature. You
   say that your friend has sins and great defects? So have you. -- You
   say, that you do not love him because of such and such sins and
   defects. Then do not love yourself either, because you have the same
   sins and defects as he has. But remember, that the Lamb of God took
   upon Himself the sins of the whole world. "Who art thou that judgest
   another man's servant" for his sins, defects, and vices? Everyone " to
   his own master standeth or falleth." [580] But, in accordance with
   Christian love, you must be indulgent in every possible way to the
   faults of your neighbour, you must cure him of his wickedness, of his
   spiritual infirmity (for every coldness, every passion is an infirmity)
   by love, kindness, meekness, humility, as you yourself would wish to
   receive from others, when you suffer from a similar infirmity. For who
   is not subject to infirmity? Whom does the most evil enemy spare? Lord!
   destroy all the snares of the enemy in us.

   Remember what man is. He is the image of God, a child of God, a
   Christian, an inheritor of the Kingdom, a member of Christ. We must
   therefore esteem every man, although he may bear in his soul the wounds
   of sins. The wounds -- are wounds; they are made by the Devil and sin,
   but still the image is the image of God. We must pity him for his
   wounds, grieve, pray for him as for ourselves: for we are all -- one
   body. "And hath made of one blood all nations." [581] "We are all
   partakers of that one bread." [582] Do not pay attention to diabolical
   disturbances, separations, and animosities. Repeat: everything is --
   one. Say: we are -- one.

   Count all worldly delights as -- dross and corruption; do not love
   anything earthly, do not grudge anything earthly to any man, and do not
   nourish any animosity against him through such things. Love aspires to
   rejoice the beloved and is sparing of nothing.

   Lord, grant that I may see my transgressions, that I may not despise
   sinners, like unto myself, and may not nourish any ill-feeling in my
   heart against them for their sins, that I may despise myself as I
   deserve, as the greatest of sinners, and that I may ever feel an
   implacable hatred of myself -- of mine own carnal man: "If any
   man.....hate not.....his own life he cannot be My disciple," [583] says
   the Lord.

   God is the Creator and Ruler of the whole world and everything in it is
   -- His work, the fruit of His power and Wisdom.

   There is no need to ask anyone whether we ought to spread or propagate
   the Glory of God, either by writing, or by word, or by good works. This
   we are obliged to do according to our power and possibility. We must
   make use of our talents. If you think much about such a simple matter,
   then, perhaps, the Devil may suggest to you such foolishness as that
   you need only be inwardly active.

   The principal characteristic of this present, temporal life is
   temptation.

   What is sweeter than love? And yet there is not much love in us!
   Wherefore? We love our flesh exceedingly, and with it everything
   carnal, material and earthly! Let us, therefore, despise the flesh and
   walk by the spirit, mortifying the works of the flesh by the spirit.

   Avarice occasions a waste of love, and inspires hatred against those
   who deprive or rob us of our property; whilst hearty generosity arouses
   love for those, to whom we are liberal; forced generosity, however,
   also produces dislike. Avarice proceeds from--the Devil, generosity
   from--God. He is the Father of bounties. Every attachment to material
   things proceeds from--the Devil; neglect, contempt of material things
   and indifference to them, for the love of God--from God. Amen.

   "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." [584] Thus the Lord's
   commandments are easy and light. Whilst the Devil's yoke is evil, and
   his burden heavy. But what do we see? We transgress the Lord's
   commandments and fulfil those of the Devil. How accursed are we!

   Always remember that your neighbour, whoever he may be, if he is a
   Christian, is a member of Christ, though he may be a sick one, but then
   you yourself are also sick, and you must always receive him with
   respect and love, converse with him heartily, entertain him, and not
   grudge him anything: neither food, drink, clothes, books, nor money, if
   he has need of them. The Lord will reward you for him. We are all His
   children, and He is--everything to us. We are all sinners, and "the
   wages of sin are--misfortunes, troubles, sorrow and sickness,
   and--"death." [585] In order to be saved from sin, we must pray; and in
   order to pray, we must have faith and hope. Thus for us sinners,
   prayer, faith and hope, are most necessary. Prayer ought not to cease
   coming from the mental, and even from the outward lips of a sinner.

   During prayer at home and at church against the craftiness of the
   Devil, and the distraction of your thoughts, remind yourself of the
   simplicity of truth, and say to yourself: " simply," I believe in
   everything that I ask in the simplicity of my heart, and ask for
   everything simply; whilst all mine enemy's--craftiness, blasphemies,
   abomination, and illusions--I renounce. Let the origin, and the
   foundation, and the source of all your thoughts, words, and works be
   humility, the consciousness of your own nothingness, and the fulness of
   the Godhead Which hath created and filleth everything, and "worketh all
   in all." [586] He who is infected by pride is inclined to show contempt
   for everything, even for holy and Divine objects: pride mentally
   destroys or defiles every good thought, word, act, every creation of
   God. It is the deadly breathing of Satan.

   What hinders you from fulfilling Christ's commandments The flesh and
   the world: that is, pleasant food and drink, which men like, in which
   they delight both in thought and in fact, which make the heart gross
   and hard--a partiality for elegant dress and adornment, or for
   distinctions and rewards; if the dress or adornments are made of very
   beautiful coloured and delicate materials, then care and anxiety arise
   how to avoid staining or soiling them, or getting them dusty or wet,
   whilst care and anxiety how to please God in thought, word, and deed
   vanish and the heart lives for dress and adornment, and becomes
   entirely engrossed in these things, ceasing to care about God and being
   united to Him; if such is the case with a priest, then he neglects
   praying for his people, and becomes not soul-loving, but money-loving
   and ambitious, seeking not the men themselves, but that which
   appertains to them, that is, money, food, drink, their favour, their
   good opinion and good word, and flattering them. Therefore fight
   against every worldly enticement, against every material enticement
   that hinders you from fulfilling Christ's commandments, love God with
   all your heart, and care with all your strength for the salvation of
   your own soul, and the souls of others, be soul-loving. Remember, that
   the world, which rose from nothing, is indeed nothingness, and will
   return to nothing, for heaven and earth shall pass away, but the human
   soul, the breath of God, the image of the immortal King is itself
   immortal. Remember all this, and renounce attachments to all earthly
   things. Besides looking upon corruptible creatures and created things
   turn your eyes constantly to the Creator, Who is in every creature, and
   Who constantly looks upon you, constantly proving your heart and your
   thoughts. Do not cling with your heart to anything, and do not make it
   the god of your heart; the sole God of our heart must be the Lord-God,
   Who created it: for our heart is His breath. Do not cleave with your
   whole heart unto any person, that is to any flesh, for the sole God of
   our heart must be the Lord-God, and to Him only must we cleave. For
   attachment to material things, or to flesh, is a lie, an enticement of
   Satan and the will of the Devil. Amen.

   By attaching ourselves to mere nothingness, to transitory things, what
   do we lose?--of what blessings do we deprive ourselves and are
   deprived? The Lord has told thee, my soul, that the whole visible world
   in comparison to thee is nothing. Therefore, count it as nothing, and
   see for what purpose the Creator has created thee and what He wishes to
   make thee. Remember how the Son of God came down upon earth; how He
   walked upon earth, announcing the good tidings of heavenly truth; His
   voluntary poverty; His miracles and prophecies: His last supper; His
   shame; His sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven;
   and aim and aspire to heavenly bliss.

   True love willingly bears privations, troubles, and labours; endures
   offences, humiliations, defects, sins, and injustices, if they do not
   harm others; bears patiently and meekly with the baseness and malice of
   others, leaving judgment to the all-seeing God, the righteous Judge,
   and praying that He may teach those who are darkened by senseless
   passions.

   During prayer, and when reading God's Word, we must reverence every
   thought, every word, as the Spirit of God Himself, the Spirit of Truth.
   We must extirpate doubt and contempt for the Word as a poison of the
   spirit of falsehood; and as doubt and contempt are the fruits of
   self-conceit and pride, we must eradicate pride, and be like infants,
   lisping in their simplicity before God--like infants, who know and say
   only that which their parents have taught them, and who do not hear or
   know any suggestions different to those of their parents, and do not
   even wish to listen to or know them. For the Holy Ghost taught the Holy
   Fathers, like simple-hearted and gentle children, how to pray; to thank
   and praise God by means of those prayers which the Church puts into our
   mouths. Remember that all of us are the children of the Heavenly
   Father, and in the simplicity of your soul look upon all as upon the
   children of the Eternal Father, holy, most good, omnipresent,
   omniscient, Almighty, most wise, righteous, unchangeable, providing for
   all and protecting all under the wings of His goodness; and live in
   love with all, conquering every evil in men by good.

   What a high dignity, honour, and happiness it is to pray for men, for
   this precious possession and inheritance of God! With what gladness,
   boldness, zeal, and love we must pray to God, the Father of mankind,
   for His people, redeemed unto Him by the blood of His Son! " These were
   redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the
   Lamb." [587] Hear, O priests of God! To you it often happens to
   converse with God by means of a set form of prayer. Do not let your
   tongue speak falsely, your lips saying one thing and having another in
   your heart, or saying and not feeling what you say. If you are praying
   for anyone, do not let there be any diabolical craftiness and duplicity
   in you, but pray to the Almighty God, " Who trieth the very hearts and
   reins," [588] with your heart as well as your lips. And in order that
   you may always pray sincerely to the Lord God, despise everything
   earthly; be without partiality for all the goods and delights of this
   seductive, corrupt, and fleeting world--food, drink, pleasures, money,
   dress, and various ornaments and distinctions, the comfort of your
   temporary abode--consider all this as dross, corruption, and water; be
   temperate; love God with all your heart, un-dividedly --not only
   superficially or anyhow--love him with all your mind and all your
   strength, and not slightly, so that nothing could tear you away from
   the love of God: neither sorrow, nor oppression, nor persecutions and
   misfortunes, nor death, nor life, nor anything else; and love your
   neighbour as your own self, magnanimously bearing with his faults,
   infirmities, errors, the outbreak of his passions. Remember it is a
   great matter to converse with God, Who continually sees us, continually
   hears us, trying our hearts and reins. Do not let your heart lie; do
   not let it be cold towards God and your neighbour during the time of
   prayer for your neighbour. Remember God shall judge you for everything,
   for every idle or insincere word. And meanwhile the enemy from time
   immemorial, the father of lies, the Devil, does not slumber, and
   endeavours to harden by every means your passionate heart and to make
   it insensible, false, and crafty; endeavours to drive away from your
   heart faith and hope in God, together with love for Him and love and
   sympathy for your neighbour, and to occupy you solely with worldly,
   temporal interests. Watch, watch yourself, the thoughts of your heart,
   O priest of God, and do not bind yourself by worldly, carnal desires
   and pleasures. Let your happiness be the one God and the human soul; be
   soul-loving, and not money-loving or sensual. Lord, accomplish all this
   Thyself, for without Thee we can do nothing. [589] So be it! So be it!

   The most merciful and bountiful Lord is everything to all and to me, a
   miserable sinner, and I have nothing of mine own (the renunciation of
   every possession). I ought to reverently thank God for everything--for
   the currents of air, light, water, for every mouthful of food, for
   clothes. Everything, even our bodies themselves, are indeed only earth
   and water. Amen.

   We are all one, and must love one another as ourselves. The selfish
   grudging of anything to another, and the vexation at giving, the
   impulse to grudge, proceed from the Devil. Every attachment to earthly
   things is an enticement of the Devil and of our own self-love.

   What does the holy Church instil in us by putting in our mouths, both
   during prayer at home and in church, prayers addressed, not by a single
   person, but by all? She instils in us constant, mutual love, in order
   that we should always and in everything, during prayer and during
   worldly intercourse, love one another as our own selves--in order that
   we, imitating God in three Persons, constituting the highest Unity,
   should ourselves be one formed of many. " That they all may be one, as
   Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in
   Us." [590]

   Common prayer on the part of all teaches us also to share earthly needs
   with others, so that in life also we may have everything in common and
   as one-- that is, that mutual love should be evident in everything, and
   that each one should use his capacities for the good of others, not
   hiding his talent in the ground--that he should not be selfish and
   idle. If you are wise, give advice to the foolish. If you are educated,
   teach the ignorant. If you are strong, help the weak; if rich, help the
   poor.

   When you are praying alone, and your spirit is dejected, and you are
   wearied and oppressed by your loneliness, remember then, as always,
   that God the Trinity looks upon you with eyes brighter than the sun;
   also all the angels, your own Guardian Angel, and all the saints of
   God. Truly they do; for they are all one in God, and where God is,
   there are they also. Where the sun is, thither also are directed all
   its rays. Try to understand what this means. Always pray with a fervent
   heart; and to attain to this, never eat and drink excessively. Remember
   with Whom you are conversing. Men very often forget with Whom they are
   conversing during prayer, Who are the witnesses of their prayer. They
   forget that they are conversing with the Vigilant and the All-seeing
   God; that all the Heavenly Powers and the saints of God are listening
   to their converse.

   If enemies surround you, and you are in spiritual distress, call
   immediately upon our Most Holy Lady. She is Queen in order that she may
   reign, by Her sovereign power, over the powers that oppose us, and may
   mightily succour us, for we are Her inheritance.

   We are all one, and there is one Lord for all--for the angels, for the
   saints, for all material worlds, and for each smallest part of them.
   "Behold the fowls of the air. . . . Consider the lilies of the field.
   ... If God so clothe the grass of the field . . . shall He not much
   more clothe you, O ye of little faith? ... [591]

   Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness" (mutual love),
   "and all these things shall be added unto you" [592] (from God). This
   is the most indispensable truth for you. Follow it! Set your hope in
   everything upon God. "Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for
   you." [593] Indeed, how is it possible to live as we live, as though
   there were no God caring for us? We think to order everything
   ourselves. We think to provide for ourselves, setting aside the thought
   of God, Who careth for us all.

   Do not merely not care for pleasures and fine things, but do not even
   care for your own sinful flesh; for by the slightest attachment to all
   these things you anger God. "While we look not at the things which are
   seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are
   seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
   [594] You see, therefore, that you are not to pay attention to visible
   things -- let them be as though they did not exist; but you must pay
   attention to invisible things; for the former are temporal, and the
   latter eternal. Besides this, if you seek the invisible, then God will
   provide the visible for you, as He has done until now.

   What greatness it is for a Christian, and above all for a Christian
   priest, that he becomes one with Christ and God the Saviour through the
   Holy Sacrament!

   When communicating of the Holy Mysteries yourself, O priest, say in
   your heart: " Come unto me, Life-Giver, to rescue me from the jaws of
   the serpent of hell, to cleanse me from the impurity of passions, to
   appease my troubled heart, to give life to my deadened soul, to rejoice
   my sorrowful and despondent spirit. Come to feed me, starving from
   sinful hunger; to clothe me, naked of every virtue; to strengthen me,
   the infirm; to honour me, the dishonoured; to exalt me, the base; to
   ennoble me, the despised; to enlighten my darkened soul. Thou bestowest
   every blessing upon me. I thank thee, O Most Merciful One!"

   Our heart is like the darkened earth; the Gospel is like the sun,
   enlightening and giving life to our hearts. May the true sun of Thy
   righteousness shine in our hearts, O Lord!

   When I look more closely upon some of the poor, and talk with them,
   then I see how meek, lovable, humble, simple-hearted, truly kind, poor
   in body, but rich in spirit they are. They make me--I who am rough,
   proud, evil, scornful, irritable, crafty, cold towards God and men,
   envious and avaricious ashamed of myself. These are the true friends of
   God. And the enemy, being aware of their spiritual treasures, awakens
   in his servants--that is, in proud, rich men--contempt and ill-feeling
   towards them, and would like to wipe them off the face of the earth, as
   if they had no right to live and walk upon it. O, friends of my God, my
   poor brethren! It is you who are the truly rich in spirit, whilst I am
   the real beggar, accursed and poor! You are worthy of sincere respect
   from us, who possess the blessings of this world in abundance, but who
   are poor and needy in virtues: abstinence, meekness, humility, kindness
   sincerity, fervour, and warmth towards God and our neighbour. Lord!
   teach me to despise outward things, to turn my mental vision inwardly,
   and to value inward, and despise outward things. Grant that I may
   observe this in my relations towards the rich and powerful of this
   world!

   A miser values things, and does not value the man who requires these
   things; he is sparing of the things and unsparing to the man, though
   the man is a priceless being. He does not grudge himself anything; but
   he grudges giving to others; he loves himself, and does not love
   others. But in general everything is dross and water. The inexhaustible
   Lord is everything to all. He has subdued the whole world like dust and
   hay under the feet of man.

   " Charity suffereth long" [595] --that is, it does not immediately
   punish the one who sins, but patiently endures his lapses, teaching and
   correcting him; whilst the nature of malice is to immediately strike an
   antagonist, or to make him unhappy, pushing him to extremes. It is
   amazing how evil and impatient we are! If our brother has sinned, we
   are not sorry that he sins, we do not weep from brotherly love at his
   wilful insanity, at his passion; but we bear malice against him, we
   despise him for his sins; whilst meanwhile, perhaps we ourselves are,
   or were, guilty of the same, and were indulgently forgiven our sins,
   and, only thanks to the indulgence of our superiors, have at last
   somehow corrected ourselves of these failings, passions, and. vices,
   and become good for anything. If we happen to be even now guilty of the
   same sins, only not so gravely as our erring brother, it signifies that
   we too are answerable for them. How, then, can we be otherwise than
   indulgent to our erring brethren? Thus, in punishing others for sins
   and crimes, we must also remember our own weaknesses, our vices and
   passions, past and present, and punish our subordinates lovingly,
   pityingly, and patiently, and not angrily, not pitilessly, impatiently,
   hastily. " In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God
   peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the
   truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the
   Devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." [596] It was not
   without reason that the Apostle placed long-suffering and mercy as the
   first signs of our love for our neighbour: " Charity suffereth long,
   and is kind" [597] : for every man is infirm, weak, rash, easily
   inclined to every sin, but at the same time he may also easily think
   better of it, rise up, and repent under favourable conditions; and
   therefore it is necessary to be patient to his infirmities and sins, as
   we ourselves would wish others to be indulgent to our infirmities, and,
   seeing them, be as though they did not see them and did not notice
   them. But in those cases, however, where the sin acts injuriously upon
   others, or when it is connected with the omission of the duties of our
   calling, or when it attains great dimensions, then an immediate
   strictness is necessary for restraining or putting a stop to it, or for
   removing the injurious person from the midst of well-intentioned
   people. " Put away from among yourselves that wicked person." [598]

   God did not spare for our sakes even His Only Begotten Son. How, then,
   after this can we grudge anything to our neighbour: either food, drink,
   clothing, or money for his various needs? The Lord gives much to some
   and little to others in order that we may provide for each other. The
   Lord has so ordered that if we willingly share the bountiful gifts of
   His mercy with others, then they serve to benefit our souls and bodies,
   by opening our hearts to the love of our neighbour, whilst our
   moderation in using them serves to benefit our body, which does not
   become satiated and overloaded by them. But if we use these gifts
   selfishly, avariciously, and greedily, for ourselves only, and grudge
   them to others, then they become injurious to our soul and body -
   injurious to the soul, because greediness and avarice close the heart
   to the love of God and our neighbour, and make us repulsive,
   self-lovers, increasing all our passions; and injurious to the body,
   because greediness produces satiety in us, and prematurely impairs our
   health.

   We ought to confess our sins more frequently, in order to strike and
   scourge the sins by the open avowal of them, and in order to feel a
   greater loathing for them. Think, man, into what misery audacious sin
   has cast you, and what has been done for your salvation by our Master,
   Christ, the Son of God; remember His Incarnation, His voluntary
   self-extinction, His intercourse with men, His words, His miracles, how
   He was mocked, reviled, spat upon, scourged, buffeted, and, lastly,
   remember His most shameful crucifixion upon the cross, His death and
   burial, and His resurrection from the dead. Think what he bore to save
   us from everlasting torments, and what he requires from you in return:
   that you should give yourself up wholly to Him; that you should live,
   not for yourself, but for him, fulfilling His commandments. Shun,
   therefore, everything that draws you into sin: the lust of the flesh,
   the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; crucify your flesh, with
   its passions and lusts; save your soul by patience; love God, and your
   neighbour as yourself.

   What has the Lord of our life done for us insignificant, ungrateful,
   and evil-natured creatures? He came down from heaven, He assumed our
   flesh, worked many and various miracles; He suffered, shed all His
   blood, died, descended into hell, bound Satan, destroyed hell, freed
   the prisoners bound in hell, and brought them up to heaven. He rose
   from the dead in order to raise us also with Him. Let us fulfil His
   last will and testament; let us love one another; let us be diligent in
   fulfilling His other commandments, and let us cease offending Him by
   our self-will and resistance. Lord, help us!

   We ought to be one spirit with the Lord - the spirit of holiness, the
   spirit of love, of goodness, meekness, long-suffering, mercy. He that
   has not this spirit in him is not of God. Thus I ought to be love,
   solely love, counting all as one "That they all may be one." [599] May
   it be so! Lord, help me!

   How will it be with us in the future life, when everything that has
   gratified us in this world: riches, honours, food and drink, dress,
   beautifully furnished dwellings, and all attractive objects---how will
   it be, I say, when all these things leave us---when they will all seem
   to us a dream, and when works of faith and virtue, of abstinence,
   purity, meekness, humility, mercy, patience, obedience, and others will
   be required of us?

   We ought to have the most lively spiritual union with the heavenly
   inhabitants, with all the saints, apostles, prophets, martyrs,
   prelates, venerable and righteous men, as they are all members of one
   single body, the Church of Christ, to which we sinners also belong, and
   the living Head of which is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This is why
   we call upon them in prayer, converse with them, thank and praise them.
   It is urgently necessary for all Christians to be in union with them if
   they desire to make Christian progress; for the saints are our friends,
   our guides to salvation, who pray and intercede for us.

   Trample the flesh under foot---that is, its passions. Put it and
   everything carnal on a level with the dirt, and do not care for it.
   Lord, Thine is the power; help us! When we count everything carnal and
   sinful as nothing, then the Lord will be everything to us. The Lord
   shall then reign in our hearts, upon the ruins of our earthly
   attachments.

   Through our attachment to the flesh, its lusts, or through excessive
   estimation of the flesh and of everything carnal, the Devil reigns in
   our hearts, fulfilling his impious will, driving God's kingdom from our
   hearts, and destroying the work of Jesus Christ, our elevation into
   heaven. This is true! "Despise the flesh, for it passeth away." [600]
   But in the present time men of this world set all value upon the flesh
   and carnal things, and none on the spirit and spiritual things, such as
   faith and virtue.

   The Lord does not dwell in the heart in which reign greediness and
   attachment to earthly blessings, to earthly pleasures, money, etc. This
   is daily proved by experience. In such a heart dwell cruelty, pride,
   presumption, scornfulness, malice, vengeance, envy, avarice, vanity,
   and boastfulness; theft, deceitfulness, hypocrisy, and dissimulation;
   craftiness, flattery, cringing, fornication, profane speaking,
   violence, treachery, and perjury.

   We are all one through unanimity and love, and through spiritual
   regeneration, and the heavenly Father is everything to all of us. "Our
   Father, Which art in heaven." We are one brotherhood, with one spirit.
   "Now, if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of His."
   [601] Let us understand this. We are the Church of Christ, of which the
   Head is Christ Himself, Who is meek and humble, inexhaustible in His
   mercies to us, if only we live in mutual love. We are the flock; He is
   the Shepherd. We are the members; He is the Head. How can the members
   be proud of anything, when they receive everything from the Head?

   If we are in lively, active union with the members of Christ here, if
   we love them in deed and in truth, then God's saints will be in lively,
   active union with us, and whatever we ask them they will obtain for us
   from Christ our God, for Whose sake they sacrificed all that was dear
   to them.

   Do we who have received life from God, the Life of all, bring to Him as
   an offering our life, the fruits of our life, as did our forefathers,
   the prophets, apostles, martyrs, prelates, venerable and righteous men,
   and all the saints? Do we even think of this daily? Do we not only live
   for ourselves? Do we live in accordance with the commandments and
   ordinances of the Life-Giver? If not, what prevents our doing so! The
   love of ourselves, self-love. Let us offer our self-love as a sacrifice
   of love to the Lord, for what are we of ourselves? Sin, corruption.

   You are daily asked for alms, and you ought daily to give willingly,
   without anger, harshness, and murmuring. You do not give your own, but
   you give that which belongs to God, to God's children, who bear the
   cross, and have scarcely where to lay their heads. You are only a
   steward of God's property; you are the daily servant of the least of
   Christ's brethren; and therefore you must fulfil your duty meekly,
   humbly, and unwearyingly. You will thus be serving Christ, the Judge
   and Recompenser---a great honour, a high dignity! Do good work with
   gladness. Money comes to you easily, without great labour; and you
   should distribute it easily, without thinking much about it. Your
   labours are generously rewarded; be generous to others. They are not
   rewarded in accordance with their merit; do not give to others in
   accordance with their merits, but for their need's sake.

   As a passionate man is one spirit with the Devil---and this I and many
   others feel and experience---so a virtuous man is and remains one
   spirit with the Lord, and this he feels and experiences, saying: "I
   live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" [602] ; or, as it has been
   said by the Lord himself: "He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My
   blood dwelleth in me, and I in him" [603] ; or, again, as the Apostle
   said: " Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you?"
   [604] Thus God's saints are one spirit with the Lord; likewise all
   those who live piously upon earth. This is a great mystery and a great
   honour for earthborn creatures. But, also, what shame and destruction
   it is to the sophistical and disobedient! They are one spirit with the
   Devil, from whom, Christ our God, deliver us all!

   If the truth of something has been revealed in the Word of God, has
   been investigated and explained to us by the Divinely enlightened mind
   of the saints, whom God has glorified, and has been recognised by the
   heart in its light and life-giving effect, then it is a great sin and
   diabolical pride of the intellect and heart to doubt it and to be
   perplexed about it.

   I myself am every moment a debtor to the Lord, both spiritually and
   bodily: spiritually through my sins, and bodily through freely
   receiving His material gifts: food, drink, money, clothing, air,
   warmth, light, and in general the various comforts of life. How, then,
   can it be otherwise than a happiness to me to forgive the debts of my
   neighbour, both spiritual and material, when the Lord forgives me the
   innumerable multitude of my own debts? How can I do otherwise than
   freely give the gifts that belong to the Lord when the Lord freely
   bestows upon me innumerable spiritual and material blessings---the
   light of the intellect and heart, peace and joy to the heart, a variety
   of knowledge, and everything else, down to the currents of air? It
   would be monstrous to do otherwise. We are all one body and members one
   of another, and are absolutely mutually indebted for something; as in
   the social body it is impossible to avoid others being indebted to us,
   or our being indebted to others. And it is impossible for us not to
   forgive each others debts; as in the body some members naturally often
   live at the expense of the others---for instance, the stomach at the
   expense of the head, or of the hands and feet---so it is also amongst
   men. But the chief thing is to remember that we receive everything
   freely from God, that we are indebted to Him infinitely much, and that
   He lovingly forgives us our trespasses, on condition that we forgive
   them that trespass against us. Let us, therefore, willingly and
   heartily forgive our neighbours their trespasses against us; let us
   daily offer this sacrifice unto God and live in love. Let us renounce
   self-will and the tumult of passions, and entirely submit to the will
   of God. We are the image of God, and " God is love." [605] Let us,
   therefore, live in love; let us strive for love with all our might.
   Lord help us! But let us count everything earthly---food, dress,
   money---as dross, and do not let us anger God through this dross, by
   bearing ill-will or enmity against each other. Is it possible that we
   should sell our Lord for food, for money? One thing only: either God or
   the flesh. We cannot acknowledge two gods, we cannot serve two. The
   flesh dictates its own laws to us entirely opposite to the laws of God:
   gluttony, intemperance, trust in food, drink, money, avarice, or
   grudging God's gifts to our neighbour; ill will to our neighbour,
   through food, drink, money; contempt for him through the same
   hard-heartedness towards his misfortunes, and so on. What must we do,
   then, in order not to serve God hypocritically? We must crucify the
   flesh, with its passions and lusts, counting it as nothing, and
   everything that it values much, that it loves---pleasures, dress,
   money, houses, carriages---likewise as nothing, as dross, corruption,
   earth, as indeed they really are; but count love as the most precious
   thing in life, sacrificing everything to it, submitting everything to
   it, and neglecting everything for it.

   Everyone must know and believe that there is a spiritual, deadly
   serpent, called the Devil, or Satan, condemned by the Creator to
   everlasting torments, that can lead away into everlasting torment those
   who do not believe, are unrighteous and impenitent. Everyone must know
   and believe that the Saviour was sent from God into the world in order
   to save men from the deadly shafts of this serpent---that is, from sin
   and everlasting death; and that this Saviour bestows upon all His
   saving, healing remedies against the bites of this serpent: faith,
   penitence, and the Holy Mysteries of His Body and Blood.

   There are many drops of rain, but all proceed from a single cloud;
   there are many rays of the sun, but all proceed from one sun; there are
   many leaves on a tree, but all are produced by a single tree; there are
   many grains of sand upon the earth, but they are all from the one same
   earth. There are also many men, but they all of them derive their
   origin from the one same Adam, and before all, from God.

   For what purpose does the Lord add day after day, year after year, to
   our existence ] In order that we may gradually put away, cast aside,
   evil from our souls, each one his own, and acquire blessed simplicity;
   in order that we may become, for instance, gentle as lambs, simple as
   infants; in order that we may learn not to have the least attachment to
   earthly things, but like loving, simple children, may cling with all
   our hearts to God alone, and love Him with, all our hearts, all our
   souls, all our strength, and all our thoughts, and our neighbour as
   ourselves. Let us hasten; therefore, to pray to the Lord, fervently and
   tearfully, to grant us simplicity of heart, and let us strive by every
   means to cast out the evil from our souls-- for instance, evil
   suspiciousness, malevolence, malignity, malice, pride, arrogance,
   boastfulness, scornfulness, impatience, despondency, despair,
   irascibility and irritability, tearfulness and faintheartedness, envy,
   avarice, gluttony, and satiety; fornication, mental and of the heart,
   and actual fornication; the love of money, and in general the passion
   for acquisition; slothful-ness, disobedience, and all the dark horde of
   sins. Lord, without Thee we can do nothing! Bless us Thyself in this
   work, and give us the victory over our enemies and our passions. So be
   it!

   Let us put away from us our spiritual short-sightedness, and let us
   cease concentrating all our attention upon temporal, earthly things;
   let us foresee with our mental vision the future, everlasting life, and
   rise in our hearts to our heavenly country. Indeed, it is wonderful
   short-sightedness for the immortal soul only to look upon the present,
   visible things, generally relating to the senses, and flattering our
   carnal nature, and not contemplate the life of the world to come--the
   blessings which "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered
   into the heart of man," but which the Most Merciful and the Most Wise "
   God hath prepared for them that love Him." [606] Of what do we not
   deprive ourselves through this voluntary short-sightedness! Like flies
   we adhere to earthly sweets, and do not wish to rise up, to tear
   ourselves away from them. Blessed is he who despises the joys of this
   world; there shall be no end to his bliss.

   As in the earthly life there are poor and rich, so also in the
   spiritual life", in the spiritual order, there are also poor and rich.
   As the poor ask charity of the rich and well-to-do, and cannot live
   without their help, so also in the spiritual order the poor must have
   recourse to the spiritually rich. We are the spiritually poor, whilst
   the saints, or those who shine even in this present life by their faith
   and piety, are the spiritually rich. It is to them that we needy ones
   must have recourse. We must beg for their prayers that they may help us
   to become simple as infants; that they may teach us spiritual wisdom,
   how to conquer sins, how to love God and our neighbour. And therefore
   pray for me, saints of God--prophets, apostles, martyrs, prelates,
   venerable and righteous men--that I may become like unto you!

   When you pray to the Lord, represent to yourself vividly to whom you
   are praying. You are praying to the unoriginated, endless King of all
   creatures, to the All-holy, All-merciful, Almighty, Most-wise,
   Omnipreseat, All-righteous God, Whom millions of millions of angels of
   various orders revere, Whom the armies of martyrs, the companies of
   prophets and apostles, the assemblies of prelates, venerable and
   righteous men praise. When you pray to the Holy Virgin, Our Lady, also
   represent to yourself Her unprecedented holiness, Her greatness, mercy,
   wisdom, Her helpfulness to all, and the humble worship rendered unto
   Her by the assemblies of angels and men.

   We must constantly bear in remembrance and strive to live in accordance
   with the mystery of our redemption by Christ, His sufferings, His death
   on the cross, and His resurrection and ascension, and His second
   coming; we must honour above all the holiness of the Mother of God as
   the living ark and temple of the Godhead, and ask Her, after the Lord
   Himself, for cleansing and holiness, and steadfastness in faith and
   love.

   Avoid flattery, audacity, and taking the law into your own hands. Our
   soul has a passion for doing this when others do something differently
   to what we would like them to, or do not do what we would like them to.
   Bear with this; think how it would be if others revenged themselves
   upon you immediately after you had done something not in accordance
   with their will, or after you had not fulfilled that which you might
   and ought to have done. " As ye would that men should do to you, do ye
   also to them likewise;" [607] or keep to the rule: "We forgive them
   that trespass against us." Man is duty personified. We must here
   remember that our heart is extremely capricious, evil, and foolish.
   Sometimes we take a violent dislike to a person without any cause or
   reason, and nourish malice in our heart against him, and are ready to
   offend him without any cause. We must despise the natural and unjust
   malice of the heart, and pray to God to drive away from our heart this
   stench of the abyss of hell. Let us remember what we were commanded: "
   These things I command you that ye love one another." [608]

   The life of the heart is love, whilst malice and enmity against our
   brother are its death. The Lord keeps us on the earth in order that
   love for God and our neighbour may wholly penetrate our heart. This is
   what He expects from us all. This is, indeed, the purpose of the
   world's standing.

   My daily greatest misfortune is my sins, wounding and gnawing at my
   heart. But against this misfortune there is also a daily greatest
   Deliverer and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He daily benefits me, invisibly,
   bountifully. Poor sinners! Learn to know this Saviour as I know Him, by
   His grace, by His gifts.

   You are angry with your neighbour, your brother, and say of him: " He
   is such and such--a miser, malicious, proud," or that he has done this
   and that, and so on. What is that to you? He sins against God, and not
   against you. God is his Judge, not you: unto God he shall answer for
   himself, not to you. Know yourself, how sinful you are yourself, what a
   beam you have in your own eye; how difficult it is for you to master
   and get the better of your own sins; how afflicted you yourself are by
   them; how they have ensnared you--how you wish for indulgence from
   others towards your own infirmities. And your brother is a man like
   you; therefore you must be indulgent to him as to a sinful man, similar
   in everything to yourself, as infirm as you; love him, then, as
   yourself, listening to the Lord saying: "These things I command you,
   that ye love one another" [609] ; and as you pray for yourself, that
   the Lord may help you to root out your own cruel and incurable
   passions, so pray also for your brother, that the Lord may free him
   from the flattery and corruption of his passions, from their darkness
   and oppression. We must remember that we are one sinful body, more or
   less infected in our members by the breathing of the " common
   enemy--the Devil"; and that of ourselves, without God's grace, we are
   powerless to free ourselves from this deadly and darkening breathing:
   only the Holy Ghost by His breathing can drive away this demoniacal
   darkness of the passions, through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ's
   sufferings upon the cross. We must therefore humbly pray to the Lord,
   in the spirit of brotherly love, for all our brethren and for all
   people, that they may escape from the darkness of the passions and
   their great attractiveness, in which they delight, not knowing their
   destructiveness; for instance: the rich man rejoices in his wealth; the
   ambitious one--in his distinctions; the glutton--in his food, drink,
   and dainties; the malicious--in his malice; the envious--in the
   sufferings of the victim of his envy; and so on.

   As the Lord hears every word of the prayer, " God, have mercy upon me,"
   and fulfils every word (this is from experience), if only we speak from
   the depths of our heart; so, likewise, He hears and fulfils all the
   words of other prayers, even our own particular sincere prayers. O,
   Lord, Who so graciously heareth us, glory to Thee! " Ask, and it shall
   be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened
   unto you; for "every one that asketh receiveth" [610] Only pray in the
   simplicity of your heart, and without doubting.

   By striking our bodily structure with sickness, the Lord crushes the
   old, sinful, carnal man, in order to give strength to the new man, whom
   we have weakened by the works of the flesh: gluttony, slothfulness,
   amusements, and manifold sinful attachments and passions. "For when I
   am weak, then am I strong." [611] Therefore, we must accept every
   malady with gratitude.

   God's Saints are great through their spiritual disposition, through
   their faith, their firm trust in God, and their burning love to God,
   for Whose sake they despised all earthly things. O, how null we are,
   compared to them; how unlike unto them! They are great by their great
   deeds of abstinence, vigilance, fasting, unceasing prayers, their
   diligence in studying the Word of God, and in pious meditation. O, how
   unlike we are to them! How deeply we must venerate them! With what
   reverence we must ask for their prayers for us! But in no case must we
   regard them lightly, irreverently, remembering their godliness and
   their union with the Godhead.

   I thank Thee, my Lord, my Master, and my Judge, for teaching me how to
   pray simply to Thee, for hearing my calling upon Thee, for saving me
   from my sins and sorrows, and for rightly directing my ways. I called
   upon Thee (in the sin of my wickedness) in the words of the church
   prayer: " O, Lord, our God, Who grantest forgiveness unto men through
   repentance ....." And as soon as I finished this prayer, peace and
   lightness established themselves in my soul (29th June, 1864).

   Do not listen to the calumnies of the enemy against your neighbour, his
   abominations, his various wickednesses, and his pride. Look upon
   everybody simply, respectfully, as upon the image of God; and do not
   think any evil of him without reason.

   When you are praying either inwardly only, or both inwardly and
   outwardly, be firmly convinced that the Lord is there, by you and
   within you, and hears every word, even if only said to yourself, even
   when you only pray mentally; speak from your whole heart, sincerely,
   judge yourself likewise sincerely, without in the least justifying
   yourself; have faith that the Lord will have mercy upon you--and you
   will not remain unforgiven. This is true. It is taken from experience.

   You are angry with your neighbour, you despise him, do not like to
   speak peaceably and lovingly to him, because there is something harsh,
   abrupt, careless, unpleasant to you in his character, in his speech, in
   his manners--because he is more conscious of his dignity than perhaps
   is necessary; or because he may be somewhat proud and disrespectful;
   but you yourself, your neighbour's physician and teacher, are more
   guilty than him. "Physician, heal thyself." [612] Teacher, teach
   yourself. Your own malice is the bitterest of all evils. Is it then
   possible to correct malice by means of evil? Having a beam in your own
   eye, can you pull out the mote from the eye of another? Evil and faults
   are corrected by good, by love, kindness, meekness, humility, and
   patience. Acknowledge yourself as the greatest of sinners, of those who
   appear to you to be sinners, or are sinners in reality; consider
   yourself worse and lower than all; wrest out every pride and malice
   against your neighbour, all impatience and fury, and only then try to
   cure others. Until then cover the sins of others with your indulgent
   love. What would life be if everyone were to notice all their
   neighbour's iniquities? Eternal animosity and discord; for who is
   without sin? And, therefore, we are commanded to forgive all those who
   trespass against us; for if the Lord will be extreme to mark our
   iniquities, who of us may abide before His justice? [613] "For if ye
   forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive
   you." [614] We stand before the altar of love in the presence of
   Incarnate Love Itself, but we have no love to each other. How strange
   it is! And we do not even care about this. But love will not come of
   itself without our zeal, efforts and activity.

   Lover of men, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, I thank Thee from all my
   heart, for having heard my prayer to love my neighbour and despise
   earthly things, and for having poured into my heart peaceful,
   reasonable and sweet love. Strengthen these in me, O God, through the
   prayers of Our Most Pure Lady, Thy Mother, and may I be Thy child, O
   Lord, and Her truest child. 26 July, 1864. 11 o'clock, evening.

   O, how beautiful, how precious a creature is man! O, what a most
   graceful and splendid palm-tree is man! O, man is the best of God's
   creatures! O, most honourable of God's creatures, that ought, as the
   image of God, as the justly-revered temple of God Himself, to be
   inviolable to anything impure! May all impure, evil, blasphemous
   thoughts, as well as all doubting thoughts, flee from us. We are--the
   children of God; we are--holy in Christ; let us keep, let us preserve
   our hearts in holiness, so that the hand of the impure and evil spirits
   may not in any way touch us, the living arks of God, our thoughts and
   hearts! Word of God and God Thyself, Who wast incarnate for our sakes,
   preserve us in Thy holiness! Our Most Holy Head! Deliver not our hearts
   and bodies to the impure Satan, let him not sully them by evil
   thoughts, but ever dwell with us and keep us pure and spotless. Grant,
   Lord, that as members of Thy Body, we may ever have living union with
   Thee, our Most Divine Head--union in the thoughts of our hearts, in our
   prayers, and in our deeds. The falling away of our hearts from Thee
   is--darkness and death, sorrow and straitness, shame, humiliation and
   the spiritual abomination, whilst with Thee we find--light, life,
   peace, joy, wide-ness of heart, boldness, greatness and holiness.

   You know that eternal life in God is promised you, that you must earn
   it by obedience to God and His Church during this transitory life, by
   patience in sickness, sorrows, misfortunes and various privations--and
   yet you do not wish to obey the Creator, you live in carelessness and
   neglect of your souls, in neglect of virtue, in continual sin! What can
   you expect after this, ungrateful, evil-natured, and disobedient
   creatures? My soul, think and direct all your earthly life to the glory
   of God and the good of your neighbour. Do not gratify flesh and blood,
   but seek to please your Lord; for flesh and--blood are--perishable like
   all earthly things.

   >Why be suspicious, where there should be no suspicion? For
   instance, during reading and listening to the Word of God, or during
   the reading and singing in church, during the prayers, etc. God is
   truth, and that is enough; the Church is " the pillar and ground of
   truth"; [615] The Devil is--falsehood itself, the calumniator, the
   adversary--that is enough. Know the one God and His truth; shun the
   Devil and his lies, illusions and follies.

   The demons tremble at the sight and even at the sign of the life-giving
   cross, because the Son of God was nailed to the wood of the cross and
   sanctified it by His sufferings upon it; how much more do the demons
   tremble before Our Lady, the Mother of God, and even at Her Most Holy
   name? Our Lady is like the brightest star: she is all radiant with the
   Light--in God, she is like a glowing ember in a large fire,
   all-luminous and full of fire. As it is easy to think that He, God, is
   Light and Holiness, so it is that She, too, is eternal light and
   eternal holiness. Amen.

   Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever "; [616] as
   likewise God's truth--everything that is read in the Gospel, the Holy
   Scriptures, the Church prayers, the Canons, the Acathistos, the
   Psalms--is the one same eternal truth; it is the same now, as when you
   first found it, or when you prayed with a fervent heart, and felt its
   full verity, its sweetness, peace and life-giving effect. You change
   and place yourself in various relations to it, but the truth itself
   remains for ever the same--the eternal enlightening, warning and
   life-giving sun.

   How long will it be before the Holy Mysteries of which we partake
   remind us that, "we, who are many, are one body"; [617] and how long
   will there be no mutual hearty union between us, as members of the
   single body of Christ? How long shall we make our own laws of life be
   inimical to each Other, envy each other, torment, grieve, fret, judge
   and abuse each other? When will the Spirit of Christ abide in us, the
   spirit of meekness, humility, kindness, love unfeigned, self-denial,
   patience, chastity, abstinence, simplicity and sincerity, contempt for
   earthly things and entire aspiration after heavenly ones? Lord Jesus
   Christ! enlighten our spiritual vision and "let Thy loving Spirit lead
   us all into the land of righteousness." [618] Give us Thy Spirit!

   The Lord is everything to us all, for we cannot do anything of
   ourselves, for ourselves. He is the Giver of all powers, all blessings
   and of everything necessary for our welfare. Let us cast all our
   sorrows, cares and anxiety upon the Lord.

   During prayer, be like a lisping infant, mingling your spirit in one
   with the spirit of the prayer you are pronouncing. Count yourself as
   nothing and accept the prayer as a great gift of God. Renounce your own
   carnal wisdom and do not listen to it, for carnal "knowledge puffeth
   up," [619] it doubts, imagines, blasphemes. If, during prayer or at any
   other time, the enemy hinders your soul by any kind of blasphemy or
   abominations, do not become despondent in consequence of them, but say
   firmly in your heart: It was for the cleansing from these and like sins
   that our Lord Jesus Christ came upon earth; it was to heal these and
   other like infirmities of spirit that the Most Merciful came to help
   us; and if you say these words with faith, your heart will be
   immediately at rest: for the Lord will cleanse your heart. In general,
   you must not fall into despondency through any sin or evil imagination,
   but trust in the Saviour. O, boundless Mercy and Compassion of God! O,
   most great service of the God-Man to us sinners! And even until now He
   serves us in His love for men, cleansing and saving us. And therefore
   let the dominion of the enemy be covered with shame!

   By praising your pious neighbour--you praise God; by doing good to your
   neighbour--you do good to yourself, for we are-- one body; by doing
   good to your neighbour--you make God your debtor, for your neighbour is
   the image of God, and God--is everything in all. By doing good to a
   Christian--you make Christ, the Son of God, your debtor, for Christians
   are His body, His members. By lending to a Christian--you lend to the
   Holy Ghost, for Christians are the temples of the Holy Ghost. " Know ye
   not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth
   in you?" [620]

   God created man after His own image and likeness--this is an infinitely
   great gift; but man, a reasonably free creature, became ungrateful to
   His Creator, offended Him by his perfidy and faithlessness, by his
   pride; he wished to become equal to his Creator and went against Him.
   Every sin is a war against God. But, O infinite gift of God's love to
   men! When we had fallen so low by having sinned against the Creator,
   when we had fallen from life into death, by turning away from God, our
   Life; when we had corrupted ourselves by sins, and when everlasting
   death threatened us--God sent upon earth the Redeemer of the World, His
   own Only-begotten Son, in flesh like unto ours, to suffer for our
   offences and thus cleanse us from sins, through repentance and faith in
   Him, and bring us again to His Father, from Whom we had fallen away.
   Let us value this, God's greatest benefit to us, and let us not
   "neglect so great salvation!" [621] Let us constantly remember our
   sinful corruption, and the means of grace offered by the Church for our
   regeneration. " Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
   creature." [622] Are we new or the same as of old, with the same sins
   as before?

   The Mother of God is one flesh and blood, and one spirit with the
   Saviour, as His Mother. So infinitely great was Her merit by the grace
   of God that she became the Mother of God Himself, giving Him most pure
   and most sacred flesh, nourishing Him with Her milk, carrying Him in
   Her arms, clothing Him, caring in every way for Him in His infancy,
   kissing Him over and over again, and caressing Him. O Lord, who can
   describe the greatness of the God-bearing Virgin? " Every tongue is in
   doubt how to worthily praise Thee, even the angelic mind itself wonders
   how to hymn Thee, Mother of God....." [623] We must call upon Her with
   one thought and simple impulse of the heart..... She is one with God,
   like the Saints.

   Know and remember, that the matter of your salvation is always near to
   the heart of Our Lady, the Mother of God, for it was for this that the
   Son of God, by the favour of the Father, and the co-operation of the
   Holy Ghost, chose Her out of all generations and was incarnate of Her
   in order to save the human race from sin, the curse and the eternal
   death, or everlasting torments. As the matter of our salvation is near
   to the Saviour, so likewise it is near to Her. Turn to Her with full
   faith, trust, and love.

   Christ, the Son of God, the Most Holy God, "is not ashamed to call us
   sinners brethren;" [624] therefore do not at least be ashamed to call
   brothers and sisters poor, obscure, simple people, whether they be your
   relatives according to the flesh or not, do not be proud in your
   intercourse with them, do not despise them, for we are all actually
   brothers in Christ--we were all born of water and the Spirit in the
   baptismal font and became children of God; we are all called
   Christians, we are all nourished with the Body and Blood of the Son of
   God, the Saviour of the world, the sacraments of the Church are
   celebrated over all of us, we all pray the Lord's prayer: " Our
   Father....." and all of us equally call God our Father. We do not know
   any other relationship besides the spiritual, the highest, the eternal
   relationship, which was given to us by the Lord of our life, the
   Creator, and the Regenerator of our nature, Jesus Christ, for this
   relationship is alone true, holy, lasting, whilst earthly relationship
   is untrue, changeable, inconstant, transitory, corruptible as our flesh
   and blood are corruptible. And therefore be simple in your intercourse
   with your fellow-men, as an equal with equals, and do not exalt
   yourself above anyone, but, on the contrary, humble yourself. "For
   every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth
   himself shall be exalted." [625] Do not say: I am educated and he or
   she--is not, he or she--is a simple uneducated peasant; the gift of God
   is given to you, an unworthy one: do not turn it into an occasion for
   pride, but into an occasion for humility, for "unto whomsoever much is
   given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed
   much, of him they will ask the more." [626] Do not say: I am of noble
   birth, and he is of low birth--earthly nobility, without the nobility
   of faith and virtue, is--an idle name. What is there in my nobility,
   when I am as much a sinner as others, or perhaps even worse? And we
   must love our neighbour, not in our way, but in God's way, that is, not
   according to our will, but in accordance with the Will of God. Our will
   is only to love those who love us, and to despise, hate, and persecute
   our enemies or those who are displeasing to us from some reason or
   other. But God desires that we should love these still more, because
   they are sick; so that we ourselves, being also sick with self-love,
   scorn and malice, should cure ourselves by love and humility, applying
   this same all-healing plaster also to the wounds of their hearts. In
   curing the spiritual maladies of others, we must not in any case be
   arrogant nor bear malice, nor become angry and get out of temper, nor
   think of our own advantage instead of our neighbour's, and serve our
   own self-love and, in general, our own passions. "Charity is not
   provoked" by the thoughtless or arrogant behaviour of its neighbour,
   "but suffereth long, and is kind. . . .Vaunteth not itself, is not
   puffed up. . . . . thinketh no evil," [627] does not take account of
   every word and screens everything. Yes, this is right: for what you
   screen by indulgence, often easily passes away of itself. And therefore
   he who strives to cure others, must himself be in good health, so that
   he may not be told: "Physician, heal thyself." [628] If the man, whom
   you strive to heal, notices that you yourself are evil, angry, and do
   not love him, then he will inwardly despise and hate you, and you will
   not produce any effect upon him by anything, for evil is not amended by
   evil, but by good. "Overcome evil with good," [629] first root out in
   yourself that which you wish to root out in others.

   Worldly cares obscure the mental horizon of our soul; like mist, they
   darken the spiritual vision and bind the soul. But be careful for
   nothing, and cast all your sorrows and anxieties upon the Lord, in
   accordance with the Spirit-bearing teaching of the apostle. Do not
   grudge any expenses incurred for others; these are a pledge of new and
   greater bounties from the Lord to you.

   Some seem to be praying to the Lord, but are in reality serving the
   Devil, who nestles in their hearts, because they pray only with their
   lips, whilst their hearts are cold, do not feel, and do not desire that
   which the lips ask and say, and are "far from" [630] the Lord.
   Likewise, there are many communicants who communicate of the Body and
   Blood of Christ insincerely, not with great love, but only with their
   mouths and bellies, with little faith, coldly, with hearts attached to
   food, drink and money, or inclined to pride, malice, envy,
   slothfulness, and far from Him Who is all love, holiness, perfection,
   great wisdom, and unspeakable goodness. It is needful for such persons
   to go deeper into themselves, to repent more deeply, and think
   profoundly of what prayer is, and what Holy Communion is. Coldness of
   heart towards God, towards prayer, proceeds from the Devil, he is the
   coldness of hell; but let us, as children Of God, love the Lord with
   burning love. Grant us this, our Lord, for without Thee "we can do
   nothing." [631] For Thou art--everything to us, whilst we ourselves
   are--nothing. Thou hast brought us from nonentity into being, and hast
   provided us with everything.

   To repent--means to feel in our hearts the falsehood, the madness, the
   guilt of our sins, it means--to acknowledge that we have offended, by
   them, our Creator, our Lord, our Father and Benefactor, Who is
   infinitely holy, and infinitely abhors sin, it means, to desire, with
   the whole soul, to amend and to expiate our sins.

   Remind the Christian who has sinned voluntarily or involuntarily, more
   frequently of his dignity, that he has been made godly, and that our
   nature is placed upon the throne with God the Father, the Son, and the
   Holy Ghost. Tell the Jew, Mahometan, or heathen--at a fitting
   occasion--of what they deprive themselves by lingering in unbelief,
   tell them how our nature has been raised, ennobled, filled with grace
   by the Son of God; exhort Christians to give up sinning for the sake of
   this nobility of their nature and draw unbelievers to the faith of
   Christ.

   "The great Litany." In accordance with it, we are all--one. In the
   litany are enumerated all the members of the Church--the body of
   Christ--first the earthly members, and then the heavenly ones. Such is
   the character of all the Divine services of the Russian Orthodox
   Church: of the vespers, matins, Liturgy. With what a spirit, with what
   elevation of the thoughts, with what love, must the priest pray to God
   "in behalf of all, and for all." [632]

   Throughout the prayers and hymns of the Church moves the Spirit of
   Truth. Everything contradictory and blasphemous that comes into the
   head, from without, proceeds from the Devil, the father of lies, the
   calumniator; the prayers and psalms are the breathing of the Holy
   Ghost.

   He who prays to the Lord, to the Mother of God, to the Angels and
   Saints, must first of all endeavour to amend his heart, and his life,
   and afterwards to imitate Them, as it is written: " Be ye therefore
   merciful, as your Father also is merciful." [633] "Be ye holy; for I am
   holy." [634] Those who pray to the Mother of God must imitate Her
   humility, Her unimaginable purity, submission to the Will of God (for
   instance, when you see injustice), and Her patience; those who pray to
   the Angels must think of the higher life, and strive for spirituality,
   gradually laying aside all fleshliness and carnal passions, striving
   also after ardent love for God, and their neighbour; let those who pray
   to the Saints imitate them in their love for God, and their contempt of
   the world or its vain blessings, their prayers, abstinence,
   disinterestedness, patience in sickness, sorrows, and misfortunes,
   their love for their neighbour. Otherwise, the prayers will be as
   useless as beating the air.

   He who prays must hunger after, must ardently desire those
   blessings--especially the spiritual ones--the forgiveness of sins, the
   cleansing, the sanctification, the strengthening in virtue, for which
   he prays, otherwise, it will be a useless waste of words. The same
   applies to thanking and praising the Lord; hunger and thirst to
   constantly thank and praise the Lord, for everything comes from Him,
   everything is the gift of His goodness and mercy.

   The Lord--is my being; the Lord--is my deliverance from everlasting
   death; the Lord--is my eternal life; the Lord--is my cleansing and
   deliverance from a multitude of iniquities, and my sanctification. The
   Lord is--strength in my weakness, space in my straitness, trust in my
   faint-heartedness and despondency; the Lord--is a life-giving fire in
   my coldness; the Lord--is light in my darkness, peace in my
   disturbance; the Lord--is the intercessor in my temptations; He is my
   thinking, my desire, my activity; He is--the light of my soul and body,
   food, drink, and raiment, my shield, my weapons. The Lord is everything
   to me. My soul, love and thank the Lord constantly! "Praise the Lord, O
   my soul; and all that is within me praise His Holy Name. Praise the
   Lord, O my soul: and forget not all His benefits; Who forgiveth all thy
   sin; and healeth all thine infirmities; Who saveth thy life from
   destruction; and crowneth thee with mercy and lovingkindness; Who
   satisfieth thy mouth with good things." [635]

   "All ye are brethren." [636] "Love one another." [637] The Church is
   like a great, holy family of God, in which God Himself is--the Father;
   the Most Holy Virgin, the Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ--our Mother;
   the Angels and Saints--elder brothers; and all of us--younger brothers,
   born of the same mother and begotten of the Church in the baptismal
   font by the Holy Ghost. The younger brothers are naturally obliged to
   respect the elder, are naturally subordinate to them, and, being not
   yet perfect, ask the elder ones to pray to God for them, as they are
   God's friends, whose intercession is favourably received by the Lord.
   The children of the Heavenly Father have the prayer previously given to
   them by His Son: " Our Father. . . . "

   Lord! Thou camest to save us through faith in Thee; behold, I truly
   believe that Thou art my Saviour--save me! Thou camest to renew my
   nature, corrupted by sin--renew me, I who have corrupted myself by
   passions and carnal desires, renew me, both spiritually and bodily, so
   that I may be pure in heart and strong in body to the glory of Thy
   Name. Thou camest to deliver us from the works of the enemy--deliver me
   from the works of the most evil, impure, and abominable enemy, warring
   in my members and inclining me, drawing me forcibly to sin. Thou camest
   to enlighten us--enlighten my heart, darkened by passions. Thou camest
   to gather together that which was scattered--gather together my
   thoughts, scattered by the enemy. Thou camest to strengthen us in our
   weakness, and said: "For My strength is made perfect in weakness"; and
   Thine apostle says: "Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my
   infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me"; [638] behold I
   am most infirm, and without Thee can do no good thing; without Thee I
   cannot think or feel anything good, cannot wish or speak, or do
   anything good. I am positively powerless for any good without Thee;
   bestow Thy grace upon me, give me light and strength to think and feel
   good that which is, and to easily speak and do that which shall please
   Thee. Behold, I commit all my life unto Thee, Christ my God, my
   Saviour, my Regenerator, cleanse, sanctify, and save me." Make me a
   clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." [639] Help me:
   for without Thee my destruction is near and speedy at every hour.

   By their malice towards us, by their craftiness against us, and by
   their various offences against us, men are worthy of our special pity
   and love, as those who are sick and perishing, and who have become the
   tools of our most wicked enemy--the Devil, who teaches us every evil,
   and who seeks, through beings like unto ourselves, to bring some
   affliction and misfortune upon us. But these afflictions and
   misfortunes are very, very advantageous to us, for they reveal to us
   the wounds of our heart, which we had not seen nor felt before.

   When some inward disturbance or weakness of the heart prevents your
   pronouncing the words of the prayers during Divine service, then
   consider such disturbance and weakness as an illusion of the enemy, of
   the demon; throw aside the despondency, the faint-heartedness, and
   timidity, and speak concerning the name of the Lord without hurrying,
   calmly and intentionally louder; you will thus overcome your
   disturbance and weakness, and will obtain courage and strength.
   Everything is possible unto those who believe and trust. We must
   struggle and conquer.

   Love your neighbour as yourself; for, by loving your neighbour you love
   yourself, whilst by hating your neighbour, you before all do harm to
   yourself, you before all hate your own soul. You know this by
   experience. O, most wise, creative, and life-giving laws of the Lord!
   How good it is to fulfil them, although the flattery of sin makes their
   fulfilment difficult. How blessed is the Lord's yoke for the soul, and
   how light His burden, that is, His commands.

   If you have Christian love for your neighbour, then all heaven will
   love you; if you have union of spirit with your fellow-creatures, then
   you shall have union with God and all the dwellers of heaven; if you
   are merciful to your neighbour, then God and all the Angels and Saints
   will be merciful to you; if you pray for others, then all heaven will
   intercede for you. The Lord our God is holy, be so yourself also.

   You earth-born creatures, who have not purity, triumph in the fact that
   the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, has
   entirely and superabundantly attained the purity of soul and body
   unattainable to you; triumph in this, and pray to Her, that She may
   teach you and your children to pass your lives in purity in this
   corrupt world, so full of temptations. It is because of Her purity,
   humility, and virtues, and because She was found worthy of becoming the
   Mother of God the Word, that, when offering the bloodless sacrifice, we
   offer gratitude to the Heavenly Father, and say: "Especially to the
   Most Holy .... Glorious Lady, the Mother of God . . . ." [640] --that
   is, we offer to Thee our verbal service, glory, and thanksgiving.

   How corrupt I am become through sin! Anything bad, evil, impure
   immediately enters into my thoughts and is felt in my heart, whilst
   anything good, right, pure, holy--is often only thought and spoken of,
   and not felt. Woe unto me! for as yet evil is nearer to my heart than
   good. Besides this, we are at once ready to do evil as soon as it is
   thought of or felt, and we do it quickly and easily if we have no fear
   of God, whilst "how to perform that which is good I find not" [641] the
   power within me, and the intended good work is often put off
   indefinitely.

   Pray for others as you would pray for yourself, for we are one, as the
   children of the Heavenly Father.

   The chief conditions in supplicatory prayer are--faith in God; a
   sincere, firm desire for those blessings for which we ask, and a
   disinclination or aversion for those sins of which we repent. But it
   often happens that we desire with the tongue and thought while the
   heart remains insensible, or it is as though our tongue had an aversion
   to the sins and not our heart, and we continue to linger in the same
   sins from which we daily pray to be delivered. And the prophecy of
   Isaiah " This people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips
   do honour Me, but have removed their heart from Me" [642] --is
   fulfilled in us.

   When your heart is touched by thoughts of fornication, or impurity,
   evil, or blasphemy, or when thoughts of malice, envy, avarice,
   covetousness, gluttony, darken, wound, and oppress you, then say to
   yourself, with firm, heartfelt conviction, that all this is an
   imagination of the Devil, and all such ideas and thoughts shall
   immediately vanish. Blessed is he that " speaketh the truth from his
   heart." [643] Tortured will be he who imagines or thinks of evil and
   sin in his heart! "Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that
   doeth evil." [644] Despise the carnal delight of sin, for it is a
   provocation of the perishable flesh. When a thought of doubt in the
   truth comes to you, say, that this thought is an illusion, whilst the
   truth remains--eternal truth.

   What am I? Upon the one side sin, an abyss of sin, all opposition to my
   God, the Creator and Worker of everything, deserving of every
   condemnation and torment; upon the other, entire poverty in every
   virtue and infirmity for every virtue. So deeply have I fallen and
   become corrupt and impotent. Without my Saviour I can do nothing in
   accordance with His Word and in accordance with mine own innumerable
   experiences. He has created me, soul and body; He has reared me; He has
   educated my faculties; He still continues to accomplish everything that
   is good within me if I do anything good, whilst I of myself am only
   evil. But, my Creator and my Redeemer, Thou hast created me; I am Thy
   creature, Thy servant. Direct me and fulfil Thy will through me. Grant
   me Thy grace, that I may entirely subdue my will to Thy will, for I
   cannot do this without Thy grace. Thou, my Shepherd, pasture me. Thou,
   my Saviour, save me. Thou, my light, enlighten me. Thou, my strength,
   strengthen me.

   What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, and what
   communion hath light with darkness?" [645] Not the slightest. " The
   thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord," [646] and the
   Lord withdraws Himself from the heart in which such thoughts nestle.
   This we feel in our own selves. And therefore, in order that the Lord
   may unite Himself with anybody, it is necessary that that man should be
   perfectly free from the impurity of sin and be adorned with virtues, or
   that he should believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, Who took upon Himself
   the sins of the whole world; that he should acknowledge his sins,
   should sincerely condemn them, considering them foolish, and that he
   should ask with all his heart to be forgiven them, firmly intending not
   to sin again in future. It was in this manner that all the saints were
   united with the Lord and became holy. How holy therefore must be our
   Lady, the Mother of God, with Whom God the Word Himself, the Light
   everlasting, was most truly united: " the true light, Which lighteneth
   every man that cometh into the world," [647] whom "the Holy Ghost came
   upon," and whom "the power of the Most High overshadowed"! [648] How
   holy and most holy must be our Lady, the Mother of the Lord, Who became
   the temple of God, not made with hands, and was entirely penetrated, in
   all Her thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds, by the Holy Ghost, and
   from Whose blood the Creator Himself made flesh for Himself? Truly She
   is most holy, firm, steadfast, immovable, unchangeable throughout all
   eternity in Her most high, divine holiness, for the all-perfect God,
   Who humanly became Her Son, made Her all-perfect by reason of Her most
   great humility, Her love of purity and the source of purity, God; Her
   entire renunciation of the world, and Her attachment with all Her
   thoughts to the heavenly kingdom, and especially by reason of the fact
   that She became His Mother, carried Him in Her womb, and afterwards in
   Her most-pure arms, nourished with Her most-pure milk, Him Who feeds
   all creatures, cared for Him, caressed Him, suffered and sorrowed for
   Him, shed tears for Him, lived Her whole life for Him, for Him alone
   was wholly absorbed in His Spirit and was one heart, one soul with Him,
   one holiness with Him! O highest unity of love and holiness of the
   most-pure Virgin Mary and Her Divine Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
   Wonderful, too, are God's saints by their entire love for the Lord, by
   the streams of blood and sweat they shed out of love for the Lord.

   O infinitely great Benefactor, my Saviour! When I represent to myself
   the infinite corruption of my nature by manifold sins and passions, my
   spirit is despondent and downcast, but as soon as I remember Thee, that
   Thou earnest to renew my nature, corrupted by sin, and to bestow upon
   my dishonour, upon my shame, the nobility of the angels, and even a
   still higher nobility than that of the angels, the nobility of the Son
   of God Himself, through faith in Thee, through regeneration by water
   and the Spirit, and through the communion of Thy Holy Sacrament, then
   my spirit instantaneously rises up from its despondency, shakes off the
   infamy of the passions, and is wholly filled with gratitude to Thee.
   Glory to Thee, O infinite Mercy and Power, Son of God!

   Do not, therefore, grow despondent, sinners like unto me, but only
   believe in the Son of God. Sinners, esteem one another, and do not
   despise any sinner, for we are all sinners, and the Son of God came to
   save, to cleanse, and to raise all up to heaven.

   "We forgive them that trespass against us." This means not to feel
   against our neighbour who has been guilty towards us (intentionally,
   obstinately, or unintentionally) any vexation, enmity, or malice, but
   to forgive him his fault in all simplicity of heart, vividly
   representing to ourselves our own infirmities and falling into sin, and
   maintaining towards our guilty neighbour the same love and the same
   feelings of kindness which we felt towards him before his fault. What
   would it be if the Lord were to notice our iniquities as we do the
   faults of our neighbour? Who could withstand? But as the Lord is
   long-suffering and merciful, be also long-suffering and merciful (not
   strictly exacting, but compassionate). "Charity suffereth long, and is
   kind." [649] Do not reckon the faults of your neighbour, consider them
   as though they were not; as nothing! We are one body, and his body is a
   sinful one. What is more common and easier to us than sins? We breathe
   them like air. But the Lord, the Head of the body of the Church, is the
   cleansing of them. Leave everything to the Head, Who worketh all things
   in all; and hold fast to love alone, for it is the only infallible
   thing in our life (pure love). Do not serve the Devil by the spirit of
   enmity, malice, hatred; do not increase evil by evil, and do not spread
   the kingdom of the enemy in the kingdom of Christ." Overcome evil with
   good." [650] For you cannot conquer evil with evil, just as you cannot
   put out fire by fire, but only by water. Malice is always an
   imagination of the Devil. Love is always God's truth and God's child.

   Attachment to earthly and carnal things to the oblivion of God, of the
   soul, proceeds from the Devil, who, through attachments to earthly
   things, makes our heart carnal, earthly, a shameful vessel of passions,
   whilst it ought to be meditating upon heavenly things, to be spiritual
   and the temple of the Holy Ghost. " Ye cannot serve God and mammon;"
   [651] you cannot serve God and riches, God and the flesh, God and the
   world, God and earthly delights; therefore, you must rule your flesh
   and your heart, for this is the science of sciences, the art of arts. I
   am sometimes flesh, and sometimes spirit. O inconstancy! O ingratitude!
   O slothfulness! O long-suffering of God! But how long shall I change
   like the moon, or like a kaleidoscope? Lord, stablish me on the rock of
   Thy commandments!

   The crucified flesh reconciles itself with the spirit and with God;
   whilst the flesh that is cherished, that is abundantly and daintily
   fed, fights hard against the spirit and against God, and becomes wholly
   an abomination of sin. It does not want to pray, and, in general,
   rebels against God by blasphemy, for instance, and estranges itself
   from God. This is from experience. Therefore, "they that are Christ's
   have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." [652]

   Christ "came upon earth in order to raise us up to heaven." [653] Do we
   aspire to the realisation of the object of our beloved Saviour's coming
   upon earth? Do we meditate upon heavenly things? Do we long for the
   heavenly kingdom? Let us ask ourselves these questions, and answer them
   more frequently. Do we sufficiently value the Saviour's teaching and
   preaching, His sufferings and death? Do we not trample upon His whole
   edifice by clinging to earthly instead of heavenly things ? Yea, Lord.

   Thou alone knowest the cares, labours, and sweat of Thy saints, in
   order to purify themselves to please Thee, the Father of all. Thou
   alone knowest Thy saints. Teach us to imitate them in our lives, so
   that we too may be in union with all through love.

   Why do the children of this world often scoff at that which is truth,
   light, sweetness, our life--I mean at the Divine service of the Church,
   the Church-reading and singing, or at Thy saints glorified by Thee?
   "These speak evil of those things which they know not." [654] "Father,
   forgive them, for they know not what they do," [655] and enlighten
   them!

   Love does not reflect. Love is simple. Love never mistakes. Likewise
   believe and trust without reflection, for faith and trust are also
   simple; or better: God, in whom we believe and in whom we trust, is an
   incomplex Being, as He is also simply love. Amen.

   Why do we read the Acathistos to Jesus Christ and to the Mother of God?
   In order that we may enter into the spirit of the Lord and that of His
   most-pure Mother; in order that we may recognise the greatness of the
   gift, which was revealed in Christ's incarnation and our redemption,
   and in bestowing upon us His Body and Blood in the Holy Sacrament, and
   in order that we may worthily receive this gift.

   The Lord is so holy, so simple in His holiness, that one single evil or
   impure thought deprives us of Him, of the sweet and most sweet, of the
   pure and most pure peace and light, of our souls. Hence it follows that
   the saints are all light; they are all one fragrance, like the light of
   the sun, like the purest air. Lord, grant this simple holiness to me
   also!

   The Lord, before His incarnation, let mankind experience all the
   bitterness of sin, all their powerlessness to eradicate it; and when
   all longed for a Deliverer, then He appeared, the most wise,
   all-powerful Physician and Helper. When men hungered and thirsted after
   righteousness, as it grew weaker, then the everlasting righteousness
   came.

   For all the many and various snares of the enemy, there is but one
   name--the Devil. My soul, be persuaded of this and do not be
   fainthearted, do not despond in the misfortunes occasioned by the enemy
   and in the storms wrought by the enemy.

   "Thine is the power;" [656] that is, Thou holdest all and everything in
   Thy power and under Thine authority, even the spirits of evil. "Thine
   is the kingdom." Thou art King over all, even over the spirits of evil.
   "Thine is the strength." Thou maintainest all through Thy strength, and
   "Thine is the glory," for Thou hast created everything for Thy glory.

   As God is everything good to us, so the Devil is every evil, every
   abomination of sin. A simple heart, taught by God, knows how to unite
   itself to God, and how to avoid every connection with the Devil.

   It is sometimes necessary to ask a person who prays for himself, or for
   others, the following question in order to rouse his slumbering heart
   and conscience: "Are you in need of that for which you are apparently
   asking, and do you really desire to obtain it ? Do you sincerely
   desire, for instance, amendment and holiness of life for yourself and
   others?"

   There is only one God of my heart, my Lord and my God, and He is
   everything to me, as He is also everything to the whole world, visible
   and invisible, which was created by Him from nothing. Therefore, I
   ought not to cling to anything but to my God; I ought to part from
   everything that I have without regret, as from the dust which we
   trample under feet, and ought only to have in my heart love for God,
   and my brethren who are received in Christ into union with the Divine
   nature. "Ye might be partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped the
   corruption that is in the world through lust." [657] "Now are we the
   sons of God." [658] Whilst malice is the child of the Devil, may it
   never, neither pride, nor self-exaltation, and envy, touch our heart,
   even for a single moment!

   It is a remarkable phenomenon in nature that, if you put a plant into a
   large, wide pot or tub, it grows very much at the roots; they thicken,
   they give out many ramifications, but the tree itself does not grow
   much in height, and only yields few and small leaves and flowers. But
   if it is planted in a small pot, then the roots are small, but the
   plant itself grows rapidly in height and yields beautiful leaves and
   flowers (if it is the nature of the plant to produce flowers). Is it
   not the same with man? When he lives in full liberty, in abundance and
   prosperity, then he grows in body and does not grow in spirit, does not
   bring forth fruits--good works; whilst when he lives in straightness,
   in poverty, sickness, misfortune, and afflictions, in a word, when his
   animal nature is crushed, then he grows spiritually, bears flowers of
   virtue, ripens and brings forth rich fruits. This is why the path of
   those who love God is a narrow one.

   We all, without distinction of our different stations in life, rich and
   poor, high and low, educated and uneducated, are one body, and must
   love one another, as we love ourselves. " We, being many, are . . . one
   body." [659] "Love one another," [660] commanded the Lord. We must
   crucify, despise our self-loving, proud, scornful, evil, darkened,
   deadened, rebellious, passionate heart, which violently opposes our
   acting in accordance with these words in our everyday life; in our
   worldly relations with our neighbor we must also renounce our
   self-will, and follow the Will of God in everything.

   Our heart, full of passions, loves enjoyment and tranquillity, cannot
   endure bitterness and afflictions, and does not like anyone to disturb
   us in any way; for instance, by a request to do something for him. But
   the Lord commanded us to renounce the sinful rest of the flesh, and to
   be the servants of all, and Himself showed us an example, for He knew
   no rest upon earth during His service for our salvation. The Apostles
   were also an example of this, especially the Apostle Paul.

   Our heart often sleeps during prayer; the outer man prays, but not the
   inner one. We often only flatter with our tongue during prayer.

   Having put on Christ by faith and by the Communion of the Holy
   Sacrament, I become firm and steadfast as a rock. Christ is the fulness
   of all blessings to me, and, above all, most sweet life, and the peace
   "which passeth all understanding." [661]

   When the flesh flourishes, the soul fades; when the flesh has full
   liberty, the soul is straitened; when the flesh is satiated, the soul
   hungers; when the flesh is adorned, the soul is deformed; when the
   flesh overflows with laughter, the soul is surrounded by misfortune;
   when the flesh is in the light, the soul is in darkness--in the
   darkness of hell.

   Modern, false education estranges from the true Light "which lighteth
   every man that cometh into the world," [662] and does not approach It.
   But without Christ all education is vanity.

   Our old man, with the old works of the Devil, is constantly present
   with us, and acts mortally within us. This is why we occupy ourselves
   in the pulpit with this old man and his works, in order that all who
   hear us may learn to know themselves and the enticement of the
   passions, and, with the help of God's grace, may slay the old man
   within them; while we do not occupy ourselves with the news of this
   world, as it does not concern us. Thus we teach all to know God, to
   love Him with the whole heart, and to love their neighbor as
   themselves. And as self-love is incompatible with love for God and our
   neighbor, we teach men, in accordance with the precepts of the Saviour,
   to renounce themselves, and to crucify the flesh, with its passions and
   lusts. This is an old discourse, but yet it may be a new one, according
   to how it is turned, whether the preacher directs it against the human
   passions and lusts of the present day, or speaks in general, without
   special indication, of the necessity of crucifying the old man.

   Blasphemy against holiness, or thoughts of carnal impurity, proceed
   from the Devil. When this stink from the abyss of hell disturbs and
   suffocates you, only be convinced, only believe sincerely, that it is
   the work of the Devil, and this abomination will leave you. May the
   Lord enlighten and strengthen us!

   The history of the choosing and the rejection of the Hebrews shows the
   truth, that God shall exalt and honour those who are faithful to Him,
   and shall abase and reject the ungrateful. It also shows the truth that
   He is faithful in His promises and threats.

   He Who has adorned the heavens with stars, could He not still more
   beautifully adorn His mental Heaven, the most pure Virgin, His Mother?
   He Who has adorned the earth with various and many-coloured flowers,
   and poured fragrance upon it, could He not adorn His earthly Mother
   with all the various flowers of virtues, making Her fragrant with all
   spiritual perfumes? Truly He could. And our Lady has become "Heaven and
   the Temple of the Godhead, adorned with all beauties, and more fragrant
   than all earthly perfumes. O, if God in His mercy, through the prayers
   of His most pure Mother, would adorn me, disfigured by sin; if He would
   make me, the unclean, fragrant! For with God nothing shall be
   impossible. [663] "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as
   white as snow." [664]

   Adam became so proud that he wished to become God and died for his
   pride; the Son of God humbled Himself unto death, and gave life to the
   fallen. O abyss of humility! Adam and Eve lost themselves through
   gluttony, the Lord fasted and died for them, in order to give them
   life. They were disobedient, Christ fulfilled obedience.

   "Having seen the wonderful birth of Christ, let us shun this vain world
   and set our minds upon godly things. God came down from heaven in order
   to raise us up to heaven," [665] whilst the Devil and the flesh drag us
   down to earth. Christ calls and draws us to the life eternal, whilst
   the Devil allures us by the temporal life, and attaches us to temporal
   things, concealing the eternal in darkness, or making men disbelieve in
   eternal life. Observe his snares, and do not be allured by the earthly
   life.

   Man, in his present state, is wholly permeated with pride, wickedness,
   unbelief, doubt, incredulity, disobedience, heedlessness, malice,
   fornication, envy, covetousness, avarice, slothfulness, sometimes
   cowardice, despondency, theft, falsehood, and blasphemy. What a great
   labour lies before every Christian man to cleanse himself from all the
   impurity and corruption of the passions!

   The Devil generally enters into us through one single lying
   imagination, or through a single false thought and sinful desire of the
   flesh, and afterwards he works in us and disturbs us, so incomplex is
   he. Cannot, therefore, the Lord of all spirits enter into us through
   one single thought and through true and holy love, and abide with us,
   and be everything to us? And therefore pray undoubtingly; that is
   simply, in the simplicity of your heart, without a doubt: it ought to
   be as easy to pray as to think.

   Leave all human injustices to the Lord, for God is the Judge, but as to
   yourself, be diligent in loving everybody with a pure heart, and
   remember that you yourself are a great sinner and in need of God's
   mercy. But in order to deserve God's mercy, we must forgive others in
   every way. So be it! So be it! The Lord is everything to all: He is the
   Judge as well as the generous Giver of gifts, and mercy and the
   cleansing from sins, and the light, the peace, the joy and the strength
   of the heart.

   Grant, Lord, that I may ever love each of my neighbours as myself, and
   not be angry with them for any cause, and not serve the Devil in this
   way. Grant that I may crucify my self-love, pride, covetousness,
   incredulity, and other passions. Let mutual love be our name; grant
   that we may believe and trust that the Lord is everything to us all;
   that we may not be careful nor anxious for anything; that Thou, our
   God, may truly be the sole God of our heart and nothing besides Thee.
   Let there be union of love between us as there ought to be, and let
   everything that divides us from each other, and prevents us from loving
   one another, be despised by us, like the dust trampled under foot. So
   be it! So be it! If God has given us Himself, if He abides in us and we
   in Him, according to His own true words, then what will He not give me,
   what will He spare for me, of what will He deprive me, how can He
   forsake me? "The Lord is my shepherd: therefore can I lack nothing."
   [666] "Shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" [667] And
   therefore, my soul, be perfectly at rest and know nothing but love.
   "These things I command you, that ye love one another." [668]
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1] Hebrews iv. 12.

   [2] Sirach iii. 23.

   [3] Psalm xvii. 15.

   [4] St. John iv. 13 and 14.

   [5] St. John vi. 63.

   [6] St. Matthew xv. 8.

   [7] Proverbs xxiii. 26.

   [8] St. John iii. 8.

   [9] Psalm v. 5.

   [10] James i. 15, and others.

   [11] 2 Corinthians iii. 5.

   [12] St. Matthew x. 19.

   [13] Philippians ii. 13.

   [14] Wisdom iii. 5.

   [15] St. Luke xii. 26.

   [16] St. Matthew xi. 28.

   [17] St. Matthew xxi. 22.

   [18] St. Matthew xxi. 3.

   [19] James i. 6-8.

   [20] St. Matthew ix. 28.

   [21] St. John i. 3.

   [22] Romans iv. 17.

   [23] Isaiah xlix. 16.

   [24] Proverbs xv. 3.

   [25] St. John i. 9

   [26] St. John i. 3.

   [27] St. Matthew vii. 7.

   [28] Ephesians ii. 8.

   [29] St. Matthew xv. 28.

   [30] 1 John i. 10.

   [31] St. Matthew vii. 11.

   [32] 1 Timothy ii. 4

   [33] Wisdom i. 7.

   [34] Exclamation taken from the Vespers.

   [35] Romans i. 20.

   [36] St. Luke ix. 62.

   [37] 2 Corinthians iii. 5.

   [38] St. Mark v. 34.

   [39] Hebrews ix. 27

   [40] From Philaret's Catechism.

   [41] Romans iv. 17.

   [42] St. Matthew xxviii. 20.

   [43] 1 Corinthians vi. 17.

   [44] St. Matthew xi. 29

   [45] Sirach xxxix. 26.

   [46] St. Matthew xxviii. 20.

   [47] Job i. 21.

   [48] Psalm cxxxii. 9.

   [49] St. Mark iv. 19.

   [50] James iv. 8 and 9.

   [51] St. Matthew vii. 20.

   [52] St, Matthew vi. 26-30.

   [53] St. John i. 3.

   [54] Rom. xiv. 4.

   [55] Psalm cxliii. 4.

   [56] Psalm li. 10.

   [57] Psalm ciii. 8.

   [58] Exodus xx. 5.

   [59] Isaiah xlii. 8.

   [60] Numbers xxiii. 19.

   [61] St. Luke viii. 35.

   [62] St. Matthew xi. 30.

   [63] 2 Peter ii. 4.

   [64] 2 Corinthians xiii. 5, 13.

   [65] Romans viii. 26.

   [66] St. John i. 9.

   [67] St. Luke x. 21.

   [68] Corinthians xii. 6.

   [69] St. Matthew xxii. 13.

   [70] Proverbs v. 22.

   [71] St. Matthew xxv. 46.

   [72] St. Luke xvi. 10.

   [73] St. Luke xvii. 21.

   [74] 1 John iv. 16.

   [75] Psalm lv. 22.

   [76] Psalm vii. 9.

   [77] Psalm lxxvii. 10.

   [78] Psalm xxxiii. 6.

   [79] Genesis ii. 3.

   [80] Genesis i. 28.

   [81] St. John iii. 8.

   [82] Genesis vi. 3.

   [83] St. Luke xviii. 8.

   [84] Psalm lxix. 1.

   [85] Ephesians v. 30.

   [86] Job xxxviii. 4.

   [87] Isaiah xl. xiii.

   [88] St. Matthew vi. 21.

   [89] Proverbs xi. 3.

   [90] Romans ii. 5.

   [91] The Canon-Song v. 1.

   [92] 1 Corinthians vi. 17.

   [93] 1 Peter v. 8.

   [94] St. Matthew vii. 7, 8.

   [95] Ephesians i. 18.

   [96] Ephesians i. 18

   [97] Psalm xiv. 5.

   [98] 1 John v. 19.

   [99] St. Matthew vii. 7.

   [100] St. Matthew vi. 19.

   [101] Romans xiv. 17.

   [102] St. Matthew vii. 7, 8.

   [103] Psalm lxxiii. 28.

   [104] Hebrews i. 3.

   [105] 1 John ii. 2.

   [106] St. Luke vii. 8.

   [107] St. Matthew vi. 30.

   [108] 2 Corinthians ix. 7.

   [109] St. John xii. 35.

   [110] St. John iv. 34.

   [111] Romans v. 8, 10.

   [112] St. John i. 9.

   [113] Jeremiah ii. 13.

   [114] Jude i. 6.

   [115] Philippians iv. 6.

   [116] 1 Thessalonians v. 18.

   [117] St. Matthew xi. 28.

   [118] 1 Corinthians iv. 7.

   [119] 1 Ephesians ii. 2.

   [120] St. John iii. l6, 17.

   [121] 1Psalm xcii. 8.

   [122] Psalm cxxxix. 6.

   [123] St. John i. 9.

   [124] 1 John iv. 16.

   [125] 1 Corinthians xiv. 1.

   [126] Galatians v. 24.

   [127] St. Matthew xxii. 39.

   [128] Ephesians v. 14.

   [129] The Song of Solomon v. 2.

   [130] 1 Chronicles xiii. 8; 2 Samuel vi. 14.

   [131] St. Matthew v. 44.

   [132] Isaiah xl. 2.

   [133] Isaiah xxvi. 12.

   [134] St. Mark xi. 24.

   [135] Romans viii. 6.

   [136] St. Matthew vi. 23.

   [137] St. John vi. 53.

   [138] Philippians iv. 8.

   [139] Romans xiv. 17.

   [140] Romans i. 23.

   [141] Romans iii. 4.

   [142] St. Matthew v. 48.

   [143] 1 John iii. 21.

   [144] Psalm xxv. 14

   [145] Psalm lxxxv. 8.

   [146] 2 Timothy iii. 16

   [147] St. John xiv. 6

   [148] St. John xvii. 17.

   [149] Psalm xxv. 1.

   [150] t. Luke vii. 6 and following verses.

   [151] Romans viii. 6.

   [152] Ibid.

   [153] St. Luke ii. 35.

   [154] St. Matthew iii. 2.

   [155] Romans xv. 1.

   [156] St. John iv. 24.

   [157] St. John iv. 24.

   [158] Psalm xix. 1, 2.

   [159] Philippians ii. 13.

   [160] Genesis xxxix. 21.

   [161] Psalm cxxi. 1

   [162] St. Luke i. 35.

   [163] St. Matthew xi. 27

   [164] St. John xvi. 7.

   [165] St. John vii. 38.

   [166] Peter v. 8.

   [167] St. Luke iv. 24.

   [168] The bread prepared for Sacrament is called "The Lamb" in the
   Orthodox Eastern Church (Isaiah liii. 7).

   [169] Acts xvii. 26.

   [170] St. John xvii. 21.

   [171] Hebrews ii. 14.

   [172] Revelations xiii. 15.

   [173] Acts xxvi. 14.

   [174] 1 John v. 7.

   [175] St. Matt. xi. 28.

   [176] Jeremiah xxxii. 19.

   [177] Psalm cxxxix. 7.

   [178] Exodus xx. 1-17.

   [179] St. Mark xii. 30, 31.

   [180] Ephesians iv. 3.

   [181] St. John xvii. 11, 20, 21.

   [182] Jeremiah xxiii. 21

   [183] Hebrews v. 4.

   [184] St. John x. 12.

   [185] Acts iv. 32.

   [186] 1 John iv. 9

   [187] The Lord's Supper is thus called in the Russian Church.

   [188] Romans viii. 32.

   [189] St. John xiv. 13.

   [190] 1 John ii. 2.

   [191] 1 John i. 7.

   [192] St. John xv. 7.

   [193] Psalm cxliii. 2.

   [194] Psalm cxxx. 3.

   [195] St. John iii. 8.

   [196] Psalm xxxiv. 20.

   [197] 1 John iii. 20

   [198] Colossians ii. 9.

   [199] St. John i. 9.

   [200] Romans viii. 9.

   [201] 2 Corinthians xvi. 5.

   [202] 1 Corinthians vi. 19.

   [203] 1 Corinthians ii. 16.

   [204] St. John xv. 2, 6.

   [205] St. Luke xii. 28

   [206] St. Matthew v. 36.

   [207] Philemon i. 12.

   [208] 2 Corinthians vi. 11, 12.

   [209] Acts. ix. 1, 2; xxii. 5; xxvi. 10,11.

   [210] St. John xvii. 22.

   [211] Psalm cl. 6.

   [212] Corinthians vi. 17.

   [213] Sirach xxiii. 19.

   [214] Acts xvii. 28.

   [215] Philippians ii. 13.

   [216] St. Matthew vii. 25

   [217] 1 John iv. 4

   [218] Romans iii. 23.

   [219] Psalm civ. 24.

   [220] St. Matthew vii. 11.

   [221] Ephesians iv. 25.

   [222] 1 Corinthians x. 17

   [223] Acts xvii. 26.

   [224] St. Matthew xxii. 39.

   [225] Philippians iii. 8.

   [226] Genesis i. 26.

   [227] Genesis iii. 19.

   [228] Romans xi. 33.

   [229] Philippians iv. 7.

   [230] 1 Thessalonians v. 19.

   [231] Ephesians iv. 25

   [232] St. Matthew v. 42.

   [233] Psalm xxxi. 19.

   [234] 2 Psalm xci. 3.

   [235] St. Luke xv. 18.

   [236] Psalm xliv. 1.

   [237] Psalm xiv. 1.

   [238] St. Matthew vii. 9-11.

   [239] St. Luke ii. 35.

   [240] Job i. 32.

   [241] St. Matthew xi. 29.

   [242] St. Matthew vii. 7, 9.

   [243] St. Matthew vii. 11.

   [244] 2 Corinthians xii. 14.

   [245] 1 Corinthians xiii. 6.

   [246] 1 Corinthians xiii. 6.

   [247] Psalm cxlv. 9.

   [248] Wisdom of Solomon vii. 23.

   [249] 1 Corinthians xii. 13.

   [250] St. Luke vii. 25.

   [251] Romans xii. 21.

   [252] St. Luke iv. 23.

   [253] St. Matthew vii. 3, 5.

   [254] Romans xii. 21.

   [255] Proverbs ix. 7, 8.

   [256] St. Matthew xviii. 6.

   [257] St. Matthew xviii. 11.

   [258] 11 Corinthians xiv. 19.

   [259] St. Matthew xix. 11, 12.

   [260] Genesis ii. 7.

   [261] 1 Corinthians, xv. 45.

   [262] St. Luke vi. 46.

   [263] 2 St. John xiv. 15.

   [264] Galatians v. 24.

   [265] St. Matthew xxv. 29.

   [266] St. Matthew xxiv. 35.

   [267] 1 John v. 18

   [268] St. Matthew xxii. 39

   [269] Colossians iv. 6.

   [270] Ephesians vi. 29.

   [271] Romans iii. 12.

   [272] 1 Corinthians xiii. 5.

   [273] Psalm xvi. 8.

   [274] 1 Corinthians xiii. 5.

   [275] Romans xii. 21.

   [276] Romans xii. 10.

   [277] St. John x. 16.

   [278] Acathistos Condakion ix.

   [279] St. John xix. 26, 27.

   [280] Romans ii. 29.

   [281] St. John v. 14.

   [282] Romans viii. 26.

   [283] Romans xiv. 17.

   [284] Psalm cxlviii. 5.

   [285] Jude i. 19.

   [286] 1 Kings Lc. 3.

   [287] The English reader who is unacquainted with the liturgies of the
   Orthodox Church can refer to the translations of Neale, Richardson,
   Robertson, and others.

   [288] Wisdom of Solomon xi. 22.

   [289] Exodus iii. 14.

   [290] St. John i. 3.

   [291] St. Luke ix. 33.

   [292] 1 Corinthians xiii. 12.

   [293] St. Matthew xiii. 43.

   [294] Hebrews v. 7; ii. 14.

   [295] St. Luke xx. 38.

   [296] 1 Corinthians xii. 6.

   [297] Acts xvii. 28.

   [298] Wisdom xi. 16.

   [299] St. Matthew xi. 28.

   [300] Psalm xxxvi.

   [301] St. John x. 11.

   [302] St. Matthew x. 16.

   [303] James i. 20.

   [304] St. Matthew xiii. 25.

   [305] St. Matthew xi. 12.

   [306] Hebrews i. 3.

   [307] Exodus xx. 7.

   [308] Psalm ciii. 8-10.

   [309] Isaiah xlix. 15.

   [310] St. Matthew vi. 32.

   [311] Proverbs xxiii. 26.

   [312] St. Matthew viii. 20.

   [313] St. John iii. 36; v. 26; xi. 25; xiv. 6.

   [314] The Vera Icon, which, according to Greek tradition, Jesus sent
   with an autograph letter, to Abgarus of Edessa.

   [315] Galatians vi. 1.

   [316] Psalm 1. 15.

   [317] Isaiah lv. 8, 9.

   [318] St. Luke xxii. 31.

   [319] St. Luke ii. 35.

   [320] Philippians iv. 5, 6.

   [321] Isaiah lvii. 16.

   [322] Isaiah xlv. 12.

   [323] 1 Peter ii. 25.

   [324] 2 Corinthians ix. 7.

   [325] 2 Corinthians v. 17.

   [326] 1 Peter ii. 9.

   [327] Ephesians iv. 24.

   [328] St. Matthew iv. 4.

   [329] St. John xvi. 11.

   [330] Ephesians vi. 12.

   [331] Isaiah vi. 13.

   [332] 2 Corinthians iv. 16.

   [333] St. Matthew xxv. 21.

   [334] Genesis iii. 19.

   [335] Condakiou at Matins on Holy Tuesday.

   [336] St. Matthew xi.12.

   [337] St. John vi. 37.

   [338] St. Matthew xi. 28.

   [339] From the Te Deum Laudamus

   [340] Romans viii. 26.

   [341] Romans viii. 16.

   [342] Ephesians ii. 3.

   [343] St. Matthew vii. 2.

   [344] 1 Corinthians x. 17.

   [345] Romans xiv. 4.

   [346] Tobit xii. 9; Sirach iii. 30.

   [347] St. Matthew v. 7.

   [348] St. Matthew xvii. 17

   [349] From the Troparia to the Holy Trinity in the Morning Prayers.

   [350] Speaking of a Priest.

   [351] Troparion from the Burial Service.

   [352] From the Prayer said by the Priest during the Liturgy before the
   Gospel.

   [353] Galatians iii. 27.

   [354] Antiphon of the Sixth Tone.

   [355] From the Great Doxology at Matins.

   [356] Psalm li. 7.

   [357] Psalm li. 10.

   [358] 4 Ibid.

   [359] Psalm cxix. 133.

   [360] Galatians iii. 27.

   [361] Psalm cxliv. L

   [362] From the Russian Orthodox Church Morning Prayer: Prayer of St.
   Basil the Great

   [363] St. Matthew vi. 33.

   [364] Hebrews xiii. 5.

   [365] St. John xvii. 22.

   [366] St. Matthew xiii. 43.

   [367] St. Matthew vi. 32.

   [368] Galatians iii. 27.

   [369] St. Luke xxii. 31.

   [370] St. Luke vi. 36.

   [371] Psalm cxlvii. 9.

   [372] St. Matthew v. 8.

   [373] Psalm cxvi. 10.

   [374] St. John iv. 24.

   [375] Psalm xv. 2.

   [376] 1 Thessalonians v. 3.

   [377] St. Mark ix. 23.

   [378] St. Mark xi. 24.

   [379] Ecclesiastes xii. 7.

   [380] 2 Peter i. 4.

   [381] St. John xvii. 22.

   [382] Galatians vi, 2.

   [383] 1 Corinthians xiii. 4.

   [384] St. Matthew x. 19, 20.

   [385] St. John v. 7.

   [386] St. John v. 8.

   [387] St. Mark viii. 38.

   [388] St. Mark viii. 38.

   [389] Prayer to the Most Holy Mother of God at Vespers.

   [390] St. John i. 14.

   [391] Acts i. 10.

   [392] Canon of the Fifth Tone.

   [393] St. Matthew xii. 34.

   [394] 1 St. Matthew v. 44.

   [395] Genesis iii. 23.

   [396] Troparion for the Burial Service.

   [397] 2 Corinthians i. 4.

   [398] Proverbs xxi. 1.

   [399] Corinthians iii. 5.

   [400] Hebrews xii. 4.

   [401] Genesis iii. 6.

   [402] St. Matthew iv. 7.

   [403] St. Matthew iii. 6.

   [404] St. Matthew xii. 34.

   [405] Prayer of Hannah, the mother of Samuel (1 Samuel i. 15).

   [406] St. John xv. 13

   [407] St. John i. 11.

   [408] St. Matthew xxv. 5, 6.

   [409] Jude i. 20.

   [410] St. Luke i. 37.

   [411] 1 Corinthians vi. 17.

   [412] St. Mark ix. 23.

   [413] St. Matthew xii. 36.

   [414] Revelation i. 8.

   [415] St. John vii. 38, 39.

   [416] St. John iii. 8.

   [417] From the Burial Service of a Priest.

   [418] Job x. 11.

   [419] Psalm xlv. 9.

   [420] St. Matthew xiii. 43.

   [421] 1 Peter v. 7

   [422] St. Luke viii. 12.

   [423] St. Luke xxi. 19.

   [424] St. Matthew xviii. 21, 22.

   [425] St. Luke vi. 27, 28.

   [426] St. Matthew x. 42.

   [427] Philippians i. 21.

   [428] St. John xii. 25.

   [429] 1 Peter v. 8.

   [430] St. Matthew xxv. 13.

   [431] St. Matthew xxv. 13.

   [432] St. Mark xiii. 35, 37.

   [433] St. Luke i. 47, 48.

   [434] St. Matthew vii. 2.

   [435] St. Luke viii. 17.

   [436] St. Luke vi. 27, 35, 28, 30.

   [437] Job i. 21.

   [438] Psalm xxxvii. 11; St. Matthew v. 5.

   [439] Revelation iii. 21.

   [440] Ephesians iv. 32.

   [441] Ephesians vi. 12.

   [442] St. Luke ix. 22.

   [443] Psalm iv. 6, 7.

   [444] Psalm 1. 15.

   [445] Psalm xci. 15.

   [446] 1 Corinthians xv. 28.

   [447] Ephesians i. 18.

   [448] St. Matthew vii. 11.

   [449] Psalm cxv. 3.

   [450] Psalm cxlviii. 5.

   [451] Colossians i. 17.

   [452] Psalm cxivii. 5.

   [453] Galatians vi. 2.

   [454] Hebrews ii. 3.

   [455] St. Matthew v. 48.

   [456] 2 St John xv. 5.

   [457] St. Matthew v. 3.

   [458] 1 John iv. 15.

   [459] Galatians ii. 20.

   [460] Corinthians xiii. 8.

   [461] St. Luke vi. 30.

   [462] St. Matthew v. 40.

   [463] St. Matthew iv. 4.

   [464] Psalm xxxii 9.

   [465] Prayer of St. Johannices, from the Evening Prayers of the Russian
   Church.

   [466] St. Matthew vi. 25, 26, 33.

   [467] St. Luke xii. 15.

   [468] St. Matthew vi. 8.

   [469] Hebrews xiii. 5.

   [470] St. Matthew x. 28.

   [471] Psalm cii. 27.

   [472] Malachi iii. 6.

   [473] Canon of the Archangel

   [474] St. Matthew iv. 4.

   [475] St. Matthew vi. 33.

   [476] St. Matthew xvi. 11; St. Luke xii. 1.

   [477] St. John vi. 27.

   [478] St. Matthew v. 40.

   [479] 2 Timothy iv. 3.

   [480] Psalms 1. 17.

   [481] Canon to the Guardian Angel.

   [482] St. Matthew ix. 22.

   [483] St. John xv. 5.

   [484] Psalm xx. 4.

   [485] St. John iv. 23, 24.

   [486] St. John xv. 7.

   [487] James v. 16.

   [488] St. Matthew xx. 26.

   [489] Philippians iv. 6.

   [490] St. Matthew xx. 26.

   [491] Psalm cxxiii. 2.

   [492] St. Luke i. 37.

   [493] St. John vi. 56.

   [494] Psalm cxxxix. 5.

   [495] St. John iii. 8.

   [496] St. Matthew vii. 11.

   [497] Hebrews xiii. 16.

   [498] Psalm lxxxii. 5.

   [499] Psalm xxxiii. 9; cxlviii. 6.

   [500] 1 Corinthians iii. 9.

   [501] Psalm xxxiii. 9.

   [502] Romans iii. 3.

   [503] St. Matthew xxviii. 20.

   [504] Colossians i. 24.

   [505] Romans ii. 3.

   [506] St. Matthew vii. 2.

   [507] St. Luke vi. 22.

   [508] St. John vii. 38.

   [509] St. Matthew vi. 24.

   [510] St. Matthew vii. 16.

   [511] Revelation xxii. 2.

   [512] St. Mark x. 27.

   [513] St. John xii. 38; Isaiah liii. 1.

   [514] Ezekiel iii. 22.

   [515] St. John xx. 22.

   [516] St. Matthew xv. 19.

   [517] St. Luke vi. 45.

   [518] Psalm lxxii. 6.

   [519] St. John x. 35, 36

   [520] St. Matthew xxiii. 27, 28.

   [521] Psalm cxix. 1; xviii. 21; and others.

   [522] St. John xvii. 21.

   [523] Malachi i. 6.

   [524] Psalm xxiv. 1.

   [525] Genesis iii. 9.

   [526] St. John vi. 54.

   [527] Psalm xciv. 17.

   [528] St. Matthew xxv. 21.

   [529] 1 Corinthians ii. 9.

   [530] Psalm xci. 15.

   [531] 2 Corinthians vii. 1.

   [532] Proverbs xxiii. 26.

   [533] Ephesians ii. 8, 9.

   [534] St. John iv. 20.

   [535] Galatians v. 24.

   [536] Psalm vii. 10.

   [537] St. Matthew xi 12.

   [538] St. Matthew v. 8.

   [539] Galatians ii. 20.

   [540] St. John v. 9.

   [541] Philippians iv. 7.

   [542] St. John vi. 63.

   [543] Acts ii. 2.

   [544] St. John iii. 8.

   [545] Solomon's Song v. 2.Ephesians iv. 32.

   [546] Ephesians iv. 32.

   [547] James i. 17.

   [548] Hebrews xii. 14.

   [549] Psalm lxiii. 9.

   [550] St. Spiridon was born at Cyprus and, although of humble origin,
   was unanimously chosen Bishop of Trimiphunt on account of the holiness
   of his life. He was gifted with the power of working miracles, and was
   amongst the Bishops who took part in the first Ecumenical Council of
   Nicea, convoked to refute the heresy of Arius. He died in 348.
   (See"Lives of the Saints.")

   [551] St. John i. 14.

   [552] Canon of the Eighth Tone, Hymn 9.

   [553] Colossians iii. 5.

   [554] St. Matthew xviii. 20.

   [555] Acts xii. 5-11; xvi. 24-6.

   [556] From the Office of Confession, the words of the confessor to his
   spiritual child. From the Office of Confession, the words of the
   confessor to his spiritual child.

   [557] St. John ii. 25.

   [558] St. Mark xiii. 9.

   [559] St. Matthew xxiv. 14.

   [560] St. Luke iii. 5, 6.

   [561] Ephesians iv. 25.

   [562] Ephesians v. 30.

   [563] 1 Corinthians vi. 17.

   [564] 1 Peter ii. 9.

   [565] 1 John v. 11.

   [566] Jeremiah ii. 13.

   [567] St. Matthew ii. 2.

   [568] St. Matthew v. 7.

   [569] Psalm xcv. 6; ii. 11.

   [570] Ephesians iv. 4.

   [571] St. Matthew vi. 24.

   [572] Hebrews ii. 14.

   [573] Philippians iii. 8.

   [574] Ephesians ii. 19.

   [575] St. Luke i. 51-54.

   [576] St. Matthew xi. 12.

   [577] St. John xvii. 21.

   [578] Colossians iii. 11.

   [579] Ephesians i. 22,23.

   [580] Romans xiv. 4.

   [581] Act xvii. 26

   [582] 1 Corinthians x. 17.

   [583] St. Luke xiv. 26

   [584] St. Matthew xi.

   [585] Romans vi.

   [586] 1 Corinthians xii. 6.

   [587] Revelation xiv. 4

   [588] Psalm vii. 10.

   [589] St. John xv. 5.

   [590] St. John xvii. 21.

   [591] St. Matthew vi. 26, 28.

   [592] St. Matthew vi. 30, 33

   [593] 1 Peter v. 7.

   [594] 2 Corinthians iv. 18.

   [595] 1 Corinthians xiii. 4.

   [596] 2 Timothy ii. 25, 26.

   [597] 1 Corinthians xiii. 4

   [598] 1 Corinthians v. 13.

   [599] St. John xvii. 21.

   [600] Troparian to a Saint, a reverend holy Father.

   [601] Romans viii. 9.

   [602] Galatians ii. 20.

   [603] St. John vi. 56.

   [604] 2 Corinthians xiii. 5.

   [605] 1 John iv. 8, 16.

   [606] 1 Corinthians ii. 9.

   [607] St. Luke vi. 31.

   [608] St. John xv. 17.

   [609] St. John xv. 17.

   [610] St. Matthew vii. 8.

   [611] 2 Corinthians xii. 10.

   [612] St. Luke iv. 23.

   [613] Psalm cxxx. 3.

   [614] St. Matthew vi. 14.

   [615] 1 Timothy iii. 15.

   [616] Hebrews xiii. 8.

   [617] 1 Corinthians x. 17.

   [618] Psalm cxliii. 10.

   [619] 1 Corinthians viii. 1.

   [620] 1 Corinthians iii. 16.

   [621] Hebrews ii. 3.

   [622] 2 Corinthians v. 17.

   [623] Hirmos from the Canon at Christmas.

   [624] Hebrews ii. 11.

   [625] St. Luke xviii. 14.

   [626] St. Luke xii. 48

   [627] 1 Corinthians xiii. 4-5.

   [628] St. Luke iv. 23

   [629] Romans xii. 21.

   [630] Isaiah xxix. 13.

   [631] St. John xv. 5.

   [632] Prayer at the Liturgy during the Oblation.

   [633] 2 St. Luke vi. 30.

   [634] 1 Peter i. 16.

   [635] Psalm ciii. 1-5.

   [636] Matthew xxiii. 8

   [637] St. John xv. 17.

   [638] 2 Corinthians xii. 9.

   [639] Psalm li. 10.

   [640] From the liturgy.

   [641] Romans vii. 18.

   [642] Isaiah xxix. 13.

   [643] Psalm xv. 2, 3.

   [644] Romans ii. 9.

   [645] 2 Corinthians vi. 14.

   [646] Proverbs xv. 26.

   [647] St. John i. 8.

   [648] St. Luke i. 35.

   [649] 1 Corinthian xiii. 4.

   [650] Romans xii. 21.

   [651] St. Matthew vi. 24.

   [652] Galatians v. 24.

   [653] Acathistos to the Sweetest Lord Jesus.

   [654] Jude i. 10.

   [655] St. Luke xxiii. 34.

   [656] The Russian Orthodox Church Service-Book.

   [657] 2 Peter i. 4.

   [658] 1 John iii. 2.

   [659] 1 Corinthians x. 17.

   [660] St. John xv. 17.

   [661] Philippians iv. 7.

   [662] St. John i. 9.

   [663] St. Luke i. 37.

   [664] Isaiah i. 18.

   [665] From the Acathistos to the Sweetest Lord Jesus.

   [666] Psalm xxiii. 1

   [667] Romans viii. 32.

   [668] St. John xv. 17.
     __________________________________________________________________

  Part II

   "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and
   Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent."--St. John xvii. 3.

   "MAY the living water of the Holy Ghost fill my heart, and may rivers
   of living water flow from my heart to the glory of God, and for the
   salvation of God's people."

   To the Glory of the Holy Trinity. Amen.

   Lord! I am--a miracle of Thy goodness, wisdom, and omnipotence,
   inasmuch as I was brought by Thee from non-existence into existence;
   inasmuch as I am preserved until now by Thee in this existence;
   inasmuch as by the mercy, bounties, and love to mankind of Thine Only
   begotten Son, I shall inherit eternal life, provided I am faithful unto
   Thee; inasmuch as by the mysterious act of Thine, offering Thyself
   through Thy Son as a sacrifice, I am restored from the terrible fall, I
   am redeemed from eternal destruction, I glorify Thy goodness, Thine
   infinite power, Thy wisdom! But complete the miracle of Thy goodness,
   omnipotence, and wisdom upon me, a miserable sinner, and by ways known
   to Thee, save me, Thine unworthy servant, and lead me into Thine
   eternal kingdom, make me worthy of the life that never grows old, of
   the day that has no evening.

   My heart ought to cling to God alone. "It is good for me to hold me
   fast by God "; [669] but--what blindness and perversion! it clings to
   earthly delights: to food, drink, carnal pleasures; to money, to this
   dross, to dress, to this corruption, to perishable colours, to
   patterns, to fashions, that charm the eyes, to luxuriously furnished
   rooms, etc. How strange it is! I, a Christian, a heavenly man, am
   occupied with everything earthly, and care but little for heavenly
   things. I am transplanted in Christ into heaven, but meanwhile I cling
   with all my heart to earth, and apparently would never desire to be in
   heaven, but would prefer to always remain on earth, although earthly
   things, notwithstanding their delights, oppress and torment me;
   although I see that everything earthly is uncertain, corruptible, and
   soon passes away; although I know and feel that nothing earthly can
   satisfy my spirit, can appease and rejoice my heart, which is
   constantly disturbed and grieved by earthly vanity. How long,
   therefore, shall I, a heavenly man, remain earthly? How long shall I,
   the child of God, be flesh, notwithstanding that I was born in holy
   baptism, "not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will
   of man, but of God" [670] How long will it be before I turn wholly to
   God? Lord! draw my heart to Thee by Thy Holy Spirit. Lord! turn my
   heart away from earthly vanities. Lord! without Thee I can do nothing.

   We love everything brilliant on earth: gold, silver, precious stones,
   crystal, bright clothing--why then do we not love the future glory to
   which the Lord calls us? Why do we not aspire to shine like the sun?
   "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of
   their Father." [671] It is because we have perverted the nature of our
   soul by sin, and have attached ourselves to earth instead of to heaven,
   to corruptible things instead of to incorruptible ones; because we love
   earthly, transitory, perishable, and seductive splendour. But why is
   there such a love for everything bright in us ? Because our soul was
   created for heavenly light, and was originally all light, all radiance;
   thus light is inborn in it, the feeling and desire for light are inborn
   in it. Direct this aspiration to seeking for heavenly light!

   When you see a beautiful girl or woman or a handsome youth, immediately
   lift up your thoughts to the supreme, most holy Beauty, the Author of
   every earthly and heavenly beauty, that is, to God; glorify Him for
   having created such beauty out of mere earth; marvel at the beauty of
   God's image in man, which shines forth even in our perverted state;
   imagine what our image will be when we shall shine forth in the kingdom
   of our Father, if we become worthy of it; picture to yourself what must
   be the beauty of God's saints, of the holy angels, of the Mother of God
   Herself, adorned with the Divine glory; imagine the unspeakable
   goodness of God's countenance, which we shall behold, and do not be
   allured by earthly beauty, by flesh and blood. Carnal desire is sweet,
   but it is sinful, corruptive, and repugnant to God. Do not attach
   yourself with your heart to any girlish or female beauty, but to the
   Lord God alone, Who has created every beauty for His own sake, and say:
   "It is good for me to hold me fast by God," [672] to God alone, and not
   to fleeting carnal beauty.

   The despondency that we fall into through failure in any work,
   especially in priestly matters, which we do for others, and the sense
   of shame proceed from our bodiless enemy, who ever seeks, like a
   roaring lion, to devour us, and who forces us into every failure, into
   every sin. Therefore, in order to be unerring in such matters, we must
   previously prepare ourselves by intelligent study, combined with
   abstinence and prayer; we must strive after perfection in everything,
   and not give place to the Devil. If failure occurs, do not let us be
   overwhelmed with despondency, but, acknowledging before God our sin and
   infirmity, let us humble ourselves before Him, throwing aside our
   self-love, and without shame confess our sin, our carelessness,
   slothfulness, or weakness, and cast our sin into the abyss of God's
   mercy, asking for His grace and help for the good and successful
   accomplishment of our work in future.

   In prayer and in every work of your life avoid suspiciousness, doubt,
   and diabolical imaginations. Let your spiritual eye be single, in order
   that the whole body of your prayer, of your works, and of your life may
   be light.

   During general prayer let your whole heart be in God, and do not on any
   account let it cling for a single moment to anything earthly; have also
   an ardent love for human souls, love for the sake of God, and be
   zealous for their salvation; pray for them as for those who are in
   great misery, for it is said: "All we who are subjected to the
   enticements of the evil one are in misery."

   When hungry, do not throw yourself upon food--else you will overload
   your heart and body. Eat slowly, without avidity, with reflection to
   the glory of God, remembering the God Who feeds us, and above all His
   incorruptible food, His Body and Blood, that out of love He has given
   Himself to us in food and drink, remembering also the holy word of the
   Gospel.

   Everything that disturbs us, and as though undermines the heart in its
   foundation and oppresses it, proceeds from the Devil, for he himself is
   eternal disturbance and oppression. The Lord is the peace and rest of
   the heart. "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
   will give you rest." [673] "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give
   unto you." [674] How many passions there are, how much disturbance and
   oppression; how many attachments, how many sharp arrows penetrating the
   heart, and how much darkness! The greater part of a man's life is spent
   in spiritual darkness.

   Should thoughts of self-praise, of self-satisfaction, occur to you,
   say: "I myself am nothing; all that is good in me is accomplished by
   the grace of God." "What hast thou that thou didst not receive?" [675]
   "Without Me ye can do nothing." [676] Should the thought of despising
   any of your neighbours, or of your family occur to you, say: "The
   entire man is the beautiful work of God's hands; everything in him is
   very well ordered." For "it was very good." [677]

   What is your obligation as a communicant of the Holy Mysteries? "You
   must seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the
   right hand of God;" [678] and not think of earthly things, for "Christ
   came upon earth in order to raise us up to heaven." [679] "In My
   Father's house are many mansions...... I go to prepare a place for
   you." [680] "Our conversation is in heaven." [681] "Blessed are the
   poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." [682] "Except
   your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and
   Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." [683]
   "Suffer little children to come unto Me .... for of such is the kingdom
   of God." [684] Do you see what the final purpose is for which Christ
   came upon earth, for which He gives us His divine Mysteries-- His Body
   and Blood? This purpose is--to give us the kingdom of heaven. Let us
   aspire to gain it.

   Pride is of the demon; malice is of the same demon; envy of the same
   demon; the abomination of fornication is of the same demon; enforced
   blasphemy, of the same demon; enforced doubt in the truth, of the same
   demon; despondency, of the same demon; the passions are various, but
   the same Satan acts in all of them; the passions are various, but they
   are, all together--the barking of the same Satan, only in different
   tunes; and the man, when subjected to them, is one and the same spirit
   with Satan. When you are subjected to the malicious and furious
   violence of the passions, and to the harassments of the Devil, during
   the fulfilment of various works for God, accept these sufferings as
   sufferings for the name of Christ, and rejoice in your sufferings,
   thanking God; for the Devil is preparing for you, without knowing it
   himself, the most shining crowns from the Lord! Amen. We must
   absolutely resist the Devil.

   Do not be vexed with those who show pride, or malice, effeminacy, and
   impatience in their intercourse with you or others, but, remembering
   that you yourself are subject to the same and greater sins and
   passions, pray for them and be meek with them. "If a man be overtaken
   in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit
   of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye
   one another's burdens [if anybody has offended you, and it is hard for
   you, bear this], and so fulfil the law of Christ." [685]

   Do you pay sufficient attention to the state of your soul? whether it
   is in good health, and, seeing that it lives, is its life vigorous?
   And, if its present temporal life is happy, then is its eternal life,
   its eternal happiness, ensured by anything -- for instance, by faith --
   is there in your soul a lively faith in God, in the Saviour, in the
   Church,--by good works, meekness, humility, gentleness, love of truth
   and honesty, abstinence, chastity, mercy, patience, obedience,
   industry, and others? If the reverse is the case, then all your labour
   is in vain. The soul, perhaps, does many things worthy of wonder, but
   it will be itself lost. " For what is a man profited, if he shall gain
   the whole world, and lose his own soul?" [686]

   A day is the symbol of the transitoriness of earthly life: it begins
   with the morning, then comes the day itself, followed by the evening,
   and, with the coming of the night, the whole day has passed away. So,
   likewise, life passes away. First, childhood, like the early morning j
   then, adolescence and manhood, like the full day and noon; and then
   old-age, like evening, if God grants it; and afterwards inevitable
   death.

   Wherever a man goes, he always comes back home afterwards. So it is
   with the Christian, whoever he may be, whether he is a person of
   distinction or a simple one, rich or poor, learned or ignorant;
   wherever he may be, whatever station he may occupy in society, whatever
   he does, he must remember that he is not at home, but on a voyage, on
   the way, and that he must return home--to his father, mother, to his
   elder brothers and sisters; and that this home is heaven, his
   father--God; his mother--the Most-pure Mother of the Lord; his elder
   brothers and sisters--the angels and saints of God; and he must also
   remember that all his earthly duties and works are artificial, whilst
   his real duties are the salvation of his soul, the fulfilment of
   Christ's commandments, the cleansing of his heart.

   How can we love God with all our heart, with all our soul and all our
   strength, and with all our thoughts? With all our heart
   means--undividedly, not dividing ourselves between the love of God and
   love of the world, or in general of creatures. If, for instance, you
   pray, pray with an undivided heart, not allowing your attention to be
   distracted by vain thoughts, by earthly attachments; be wholly in God,
   in His love, with all your soul--that is, do not only love Him with
   part of your soul, not only with your mind, without your heart and will
   sharing in this love--with all your strength, not with half your
   strength or slightly. When you have to fulfil any commandment, fulfil
   it most zealously, unto sweat and blood, unto laying down your life for
   it, if necessary, but not slothfully, indolently or unwillingly.

   How varying is this world! Here is merriment, music-- there are
   prayers, hymns, lamentations for the dead; here are riches, luxury,
   splendour--there naked poverty, need of everything, even of decent and
   sufficiently warm clothing, overcrowding, disgusting dirt and damp;
   here is blooming health, superfluity of strength--there maladies,
   decrepitude, exhaustion; here are enlightenment, much knowledge--there
   ignorance, darkness; or here worldly education is united with spiritual
   enlightenment and piety, and in this union there is beautiful and
   pleasant harmony and spiritual beauty, while there worldly education is
   accompanied with unbelief immorality, spiritual deformity, want of
   harmony and dissonance, harrowing the soul; here is success in all
   undertakings--there failure; here everything is easily obtained (money,
   position in society, honours, distinctions), whilst there a man strives
   with all his might and obtains nothing, or only by enormous efforts
   obtains even a little. Who shall solve this apparent contradiction? God
   alone. We can only conjecture.

   He who is insolent towards men is insolent towards God, as many of us
   are. Respect in man the grand, inestimable image of God and be
   forbearing towards the faults and errors of fallen man, so that God may
   be forbearing towards your own, because the enemy of God and of
   mankind, being unable to vent his malice upon God, endeavours to vent
   it upon his image--man, as well as all his impurities, his darkness,
   pride, envy, etc. Respect, therefore, man and save him; watch yourself
   also, do not become irritable nor malicious, do not envy, do not
   offend, do not lie, do not commit adultery, do not steal, and so on.

   Our soul is simple as thought, and rapid as thought or lightning. In an
   instant it can be wounded by sin and become attached to corruptible
   things; in an instant it can fall away from the love of God and its
   neighbour through a single unrighteous thought, through a single
   passionate desire, through a single malevolent thought, and, therefore,
   we must constantly watch our heart, lest it should incline to words or
   thoughts of evil, and must ever strive to preserve it in God's
   simplicity and purity, and in the love of God and its neighbour.

   The best moments on earth are those during which we meditate upon
   heavenly things in general, when we recognise or defend the truth, that
   heavenly dweller and denizen. Only then do we truly live. Therefore,
   the essential interests of the soul require that we should oftener rise
   above the earth, upwards to heaven, where is our true life, our true
   country, which shall have no end.

   Looking upon the many various diversions of men, upon their exclusive
   care for the flesh, one thinks: "Have these men a soul? And if they
   have, then why do they not care for it, why do they not think of its
   salvation?--for it is given up to innumerable sins which constitute its
   death, and eternal death. Are there indeed eternal torments and eternal
   bliss ? And if these exist, then why do men strive so little, or do not
   strive at all, to escape eternal torment and to inherit eternal bliss?"
   This is what astonishes me. And, also, why do not men fear the terrible
   hour of death ? For we cannot live on earth for ever. Some time our
   turn will come, and we shall be told: "Return ye, sons of men, unto the
   earth from which you were created." O, how heedless we are, how great
   is our pride, how manifold our passions, our attachments to the earth!
   Sinners, do you think that God has no means by which He can punish you
   ? O, there are means, there are! There is the fiery gehenna, the lake
   of fire, the terrible Tartarus, at which even Satan himself trembles,
   the worm that never dies, and the gnashing of teeth. But why do I
   discourse of this only to you? I ought to say the same to myself, to
   myself also, for I am the greatest of the sinners, for whom the
   torments of hell were prepared, but from which Christ, in Whom is all
   my hope, has saved me. But you, my brethren, have you all faith in
   Christ, in His Gospel? Where is your evangelical life? Who of you reads
   the Gospel, even daily, that greatest gift of God, and law of life ? "
   They are all gone out of the way, they are together become
   unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." [687]

   Both learned and unlearned young men seldom go to church, and in
   general do not attend to their spiritual education, looking upon it as
   unnecessary and giving themselves up to worldly vanity. Attention must
   be paid to this. It is the fruit of pride, of want of spiritual
   development. They consider attendance at church and Divine service as
   the business of the common people and women, forgetting that, in the
   temple, Angels officiate with trembling, together with men, and regard
   this as their highest bliss.

   Does not coldness towards public worship, towards Divine service,
   proceed from the fact that some do not understand it, and that others,
   although they have studied the science of Divine service, have been
   taught it drily, without any examples, only according to the
   understanding? whilst Divine service, being the high contemplation of
   the mind, is at the same time, and pre-eminently, the peace, sweetness
   and blessedness of the heart.

   A priest, as the physician of souls, ought himself to be free from
   spiritual infirmities (that is, from the passions), in order to be able
   to cure others; as a pastor, he ought to be pastured himself on the
   grassy pasture land of the Gospel and the writings of the Holy Fathers,
   in order to know where to pasture his sheep; he ought to be skilful in
   struggling against the mental wolves, in order to know how to drive
   them away from Christ's flock; he ought to be skilful and mighty in
   prayer and abstinence; he ought not to be bound by worldly desires and
   delights, especially by covetousness, self-love, pride, ambition. In
   short, he ought to be a light himself, in order to enlighten others; to
   be himself the spiritual salt, in order to preserve others from
   spiritual corruption; and ought himself to be free from the corruption
   of the passions. If the reverse is the case, every spiritually sick
   person may say: "Physician, heal thyself " [688] first, and then I will
   Jet you heal me. "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine
   own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of
   thy brother's eye." [689]

   The heart is refined, spiritual, and heavenly by nature-- guard it; do
   not overburden it, do not make it earthly, be temperate to the utmost
   in food and drink, and in general in bodily pleasures. The heart
   is--the temple of God. "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall
   God destroy." [690]

   Be a Christian in heart--that is, be always sincere in prayer, in your
   intercourse with your neighbour, ever believing, trusting, meek,
   gentle, wishing well to everybody, just, not covetous, compassionate,
   merciful, abstinent, chaste, patient, obedient, courageous.

   O, how dearly our Lord Jesus Christ valued our soul and its salvation
   by coming down upon earth, by taking upon Himself our soul and body, by
   His awful sufferings, and by dying for us! And how do I value my soul
   and its eternal salvation? O, I do not know how to value it, and have
   not until now learned how to answer the love of my Saviour, having
   attached myself wholly to the earth, having given myself up wholly to
   slothfulness and various passions. How can the love of God, the kingdom
   of heaven, be in you when in your heart reigns earthly
   love--sensuality, cupidity, and pride? It is impossible, until you have
   "crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts;" [691] "for no man
   can serve two masters;" [692] and "whosoever will be a friend of the
   world is the enemy of God." [693] "Love not," it is said, " the world,
   neither the things that are in the world. . . . For all that is in the
   world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride
   of life, is not of the Father. . . . And the world passeth away, and
   the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."
   [694]

   Our Lord God is pleased with us for our importunate request for His
   mercies, seeing in our importunity our faith and love to Him; whilst we
   sinners are angry with the poor, who daily and importunately ask alms
   of us--even with poor children, whose confidence in men is especially
   great, and whose belief in the goodness of other's is boundless,
   because they themselves are simple, good, and meek. Being covetous,
   sensual, and proud, we often look contemptuously upon them, cry out at
   them--the meek lambs--get out of temper, not wishing to understand that
   hunger, want of clothes, boots, urgent demand for the rent of their
   miserable lodgings, force them to beg importunately of us. Is it not
   they that cry unto the Lord against us in the words of the prophet
   David: "Our soul is filled with the scornful reproof of the wealthy,
   and with the despitefulness of the proud"? [695] And certainly, sooner
   or later, the voice of their complaint shall reach heaven. It has,
   perhaps, long ago reached the ears of the Lord God of Sabbaoth, and
   will move Him to wrath against us and to righteous vengeance.

   Until now I have not become impoverished by being merciful to others,
   and shall not become impoverished to the last, for "Jesus Christ is the
   same yesterday and to-day." [696] It is not said without reason: "He
   that giveth to the poor shall not lack." Indeed, up till now the Lord
   has only increased my temporal blessings, and has not taken them away.
   I praise the bountifulness of the Lord, His rich Providence.

   Thou art the representative of faith and of the Church, O priest; thou
   art the representative of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; therefore,
   thou must be an example of meekness, purity, valour, firmness,
   patience, of elevation of spirit. Thou art doing God's work, and must
   not lose courage before anybody; thou must not flatter anyone, nor be
   servile, and must consider thy work as higher than all human affairs.

   He who is accustomed to give account of his life at confession here
   will not fear to give an answer at the terrible judgment-seat of
   Christ. It is for this purpose that the mild tribunal of penitence was
   here instituted, in order that we, being cleansed and amended through
   penitence here below, may give an answer without shame at the terrible
   judgment-seat of Christ. This is the first motive for sincere
   confession, and, moreover, it must absolutely be made every year. The
   longer we remain without confessing, the worse it is for us, the more
   entangled we become in the bonds of sin, and therefore the more
   difficult it is to give an account. The second motive is tranquillity:
   the more sincere has been our confession, the more tranquil will the
   soul be afterwards. Sins are--secret serpents, gnawing at the heart of
   a man and all his being; they do not let him rest, they continually
   suck his heart; sins are--prickly thorns, constantly goring the soul;
   sins are-- spiritual darkness. Those who repent must bring forth the
   fruits of repentance.

   Consciousness, memory, imagination, feeling, and will are helps to
   penitence. As we sin with all the powers of our soul, so penitence must
   be from our whole soul. Penitence in words only, without the intention
   of amendment and without the feeling of contrition, may be called
   hypocritical. Should the consciousness of sins be obscured, it must be
   cleared up; should the feeling be smothered and dulled, it must be
   roused; should the will become blunt and too weak for amendment, it
   must be forced; "the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the
   violent take it by force." [697] Confession must be sincere, deep, and
   full.

   Ah, my brethren! shall we not all soon vanish from the face of the
   earth, and be as though we had not existed? Where are, then, our works
   of love ? Where is the fulfilment of the Creator's commandments? Where
   is the spirit of Christ in us? Where is gentleness, where is humility,
   where is love for souls, where is detachment from temporal things?
   Where is zeal for spiritual blessings? How vain and most foolish we
   are! We have distorted the image of our souls, distorted our life,
   perverted it, turned it upside down. Instead of pleasing Christ, we
   please the Devil.

   This tranquil, beautiful heaven, studded with stars, will some day
   present the most terrible spectacle before the second coming of the
   Lord. O sinners, be taught daily by the spectacle of the heavens while
   there is yet time to learn. "The sun shall be darkened, and the moon
   shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven." [698]

   There is, my brethren, a true, real life, and there is a false,
   imaginary life. To live in order to eat, drink, dress, walk; to enrich
   ourselves in general, to live for earthly pleasures or cares, as well
   as to spend time in intriguing and underhand dealings; to think
   ourselves competent judges of everything and everybody is--the
   imaginary life; whilst to live in order to please God and serve our
   neighbours, to pray for the salvation of their souls and to help them
   in the work of their salvation in every way, is to lead the true life.
   The first life is continual spiritual death, the second--the
   uninterrupted life of the spirit.

   The Lord said of His Church: "I will build My Church, and the gates of
   hell shall not prevail against it." [699] This is said of the pastors
   of the Church, or the Church hierarchy, and of all true believers, as
   well as of all the sacraments, all the dogmas and commandments of the
   Holy Orthodox Faith, and of all the offices of the sacraments; for
   instance, the Liturgy, Holy Orders, Matrimony, Baptism, Chrism, Holy
   Oil, which have been established unto all the ages, and have already
   been in existence unchanged during many centuries. See how firm is the
   Church, founded by the Lord! Remember these words of the Lord, and do
   not waver in the slightest degree when celebrating any of the
   sacraments. Be firm as adamant.

   I love to pray in God's temple, especially within the holy altar,
   before the Holy Table or the Prothesis, for by God's grace I become
   wonderfully changed in the temple. During the prayer of repentance and
   devotion the thorns, the bonds of the passions, fall from my soul, and
   I feel so light; all the spell, all the enticement of the passions
   vanish, and I seem to die to the world, and the world, with all its
   blessings, dies for ma I live in God and for God, for God alone. I am
   wholly penetrated by Him, and am one spirit with Him. I become like a
   child soothed on its mother's knee. Then my heart is full of most
   heavenly, sweet peace. My soul is enlightened by the light of heaven.
   At such times we see everything clearly; we look upon everything
   rightly; we feel friendship and love towards everyone, even towards our
   enemies, readily excusing and forgiving everyone. O, how blessed is the
   soul when it is with God! Truly the Church is earthly paradise.

   What is most terrible to man? Death? Yes, death. None of us can
   imagine, without terror, how he will have to die and breathe his last
   sigh. And how parents grieve when their beloved children die, when they
   lie breathless before their eyes! But, brethren, do not fear, and do
   not grieve beyond measure. By His death Jesus Christ our Saviour has
   conquered our death, and by His resurrection He has laid the foundation
   for our resurrection, and every week, every Sunday, we solemnise in the
   risen Christ our common future resurrection from the dead, and begin
   beforehand the life eternal, to which our present temporal life is but
   a short, narrow, and most sorrowful way. For a true Christian death is
   merely like a sleep until the day of resurrection, or like birth into a
   new life. And thus in solemnising every week the resurrection of Christ
   and our own resurrection from the dead, let us learn to continually die
   to sin, and to rise with our souls from dead works, to enrich ourselves
   with virtues, and not sorrow inconsolably for the dead. Let us learn to
   meet death without dread, as the decree of the Heavenly Father, which,
   through the resurrection of Christ from the dead, has lost its terror.

   Sin is foolish and destructive. For instance, a drunkard, from the
   excessive use of spirituous liquors, becomes ill, and indulges in
   various dissipations and shameful acts, which he himself is ashamed to
   think Of and remember afterwards. And yet he continues to give himself
   up to drink. A glutton, after excessive eating, feels a heaviness, his
   capabilities become obscured, his tongue is bound, and he himself sees
   that he has become like an animal or bestial in nature, because he
   often breathes malice and spite against those who live with him, or who
   daily ask alms of him. He is subjected to oppression and affliction; he
   is deprived of peace and tranquillity; he becomes incapable of
   meditating upon heavenly things, or of being a true Christian, of
   living for the highest purpose of existence. And yet he continues to be
   greedy after dainties and eating. An adulterer sees that through
   adultery he defiles and dishonours his nature, his soul and body,
   subjects them to maladies, perverts the order of life established by
   the Creator, exposes himself to shame; and yet he continues to commit
   adultery. A miser sees that his riches are a burden to him, sees that
   they deprive him of his spiritual freedom and make him their slave;
   that they turn him away from God and the love of his neighbour, draw
   him away from the true life, and bring death into his soul, depriving
   him of spiritual and bodily rest; that they lay heavy anxieties upon
   him; but yet he continues to accumulate greater riches and to add to
   his load, until, exhausted by cares, he falls ill and dies, having lost
   his soul through the accumulation of riches. And so it is with every
   sin--pride, malice, envy, and others.

   We must kill in ourselves earthly love, love (the passion) for earthly,
   carnal beauty, for pleasures, for gain, for our own flesh, for honour,
   and quicken in ourselves love for heaven, our true country: for the
   soul, the heavenly denizen: for virtue. We must hate everything that
   the flesh loves, and love that which it despises, which it fears (for
   instance: meditation upon death, upon judgment); we must also love
   poverty, the sick and suffering.

   Let others mock at you, oppose you, when you are under the influence of
   any passion; do not be in the least offended with those who mock at or
   oppose you, for they do you good; crucify your self-love and
   acknowledge the wrong, the error of your heart. But have the deepest
   pity for those who mock at words and works of faith and piety, of
   righteousness; for those who oppose the good which you are doing, or
   which you wish to instil into others. God preserve you from getting
   exasperated with them, for they are deserving of pity and tears. Glory
   to Thee, Lord, my Saviour, for having delivered me at my prayer from
   the tyranny of the passions!

   When you are in the temple, remember that you are in the living
   presence of the Lord God, that you stand before His face, before His
   eyes, in the living presence of the Mother of God, of the holy angels,
   and of the first-born of the Church-- that is, our forefathers, the
   prophets, Apostles, hierarchs, martyrs, reverend Fathers, the
   righteous, and all the saints. Always have the remembrance and
   consciousness of this when you are in the temple, and stand with
   devotion, taking part willingly and with all your heart in the Divine
   service.

   I am morally nothing without the Lord. I have really not one true
   thought or good feeling, and can do no good works; without Him I cannot
   drive away from me any sinful thought, any passionate feeling such as
   malice, envy, fornication, pride, etc. The Lord is the accomplishment
   of everything good that I think, feel, and do. O, how boundlessly wide
   is the Lord's grace acting in me! The Lord is everything to me, and so
   clearly, so constantly. Mine--is only my sinfulness; mine--are only
   mine infirmities. O, how we ought to love our Lord, Who was pleased to
   call us into existence from non-existence, to honour us by His image
   and likeness, to establish us in a paradise of delights, to subdue all
   the earth unto us, and Who --when we did not keep His commandments, but
   were allured by the enticement of the Devil, and immeasurably offended
   our Creator by our ingratitude, and assimilated unto ourselves all the
   qualities of the tempter (pride, malice, envy, ingratitude) and all his
   evil arts, which he taught us as his prisoners--did not reject us for
   ever, but deigned to redeem us from sin, from the curse and death into
   which we had fallen through sin, and Himself appeared upon earth,
   having taken our nature upon Him; He Himself became my Teacher, my
   Healer, my Worker of miracles, my Saviour; He Himself bore the
   punishment for us, died for us in order that we should not be eternally
   lost. He rose from the dead, in order to raise us too after death. He
   ascended into heaven, in order that we, too, should ascend, we who had
   fallen so low through sin; and He became everything to us--food, drink,
   light, purification, sanctification, health--and the power that
   protects, saves, preserves, and has mercy upon us.

   I myself am nothing, but by the grace of the priesthood, by bestowing
   upon others the Divine Body and Blood, I become the second or third
   means of healing sicknesses. Through me the grace of the Spirit gives
   new life to infants and grown persons; administers in the sacrament of
   the Eucharist the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, uniting believers
   with the Godhead; through me it looses or binds the sins of men, opens
   or closes heaven, gives salutary counsels, rules, etc. O, how venerable
   is the office of priest! Do you see, brethren, how many benefits the
   Creator and Saviour pours upon you through priests?

   It very often happens that the mist of the spirit of malice surrounds
   our heart, and does not allow us to speak peaceably with our
   neighbours, who have once or several times offended us, or expressed
   any ill-will towards us. We must pray fervently to the Lord, that He
   Himself would disperse this mist of malice, and fill our heart with
   mercy and love, even towards our enemies, for they, in the blindness of
   the passions --of pride, envy, covetousness, malice--do not themselves
   know what they do, as the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ knew not
   what they did when they persecuted Him all His life and at last put Him
   to a shameful death. We must remember that the Christian religion
   consists in loving our enemies: "For if ye love them which love you,
   what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?" [700]

   "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these
   things shall be added unto you." [701] How are we to seek first the
   kingdom of God? In the following manner: let us suppose that you wish
   to walk, or drive, or else go in a boat somewhere on any worldly,
   temporal business; before doing so, first pray to the Lord that He may
   correct the ways of your heart, and then also your present bodily way,
   or that He may direct the way of your life in accordance with His
   commandments; desire this with all your heart, and often renew your
   prayer concerning this. The Lord, seeing your sincere desire and
   endeavour to walk in accordance with His commandments, will, by
   degrees, correct all your ways. Further, for instance, if you wish to
   get pure air into your room, or if you go for a walk in the fresh air,
   think of the pure and of the unclean heart. Many of us like to have
   pure air in the rooms (and this is an excellent habit), or are fond of
   walking in the fresh air, but they do not even think of the necessity
   of the purity of the spirit or heart (of, so to say, spiritual air, the
   breath of life); and, living in the fresh air, they allow themselves to
   indulge in impure thoughts, impure movements of the heart, and even
   impurity of language, and most impure carnal actions. Again, when
   seeking material light, remember the spiritual light which is
   indispensable for the soul, and without which it remains in the
   darkness of the passions, in the darkness of spiritual death. "I am
   come a light into the world," says the Lord, "that whosoever believeth
   on Me, should not abide in darkness." [702] If you see the fury and
   hear the howling of the tempest, or read of shipwrecks, think of the
   storm of human passions causing daily groans and disturbance in the
   hearts of men, wrecking the spiritual ship of the soul or the ship of
   human society; and pray fervently to the Lord that He may subdue the
   tempest of sins, as He once subdued the tempest at sea by His word, and
   that He may root out our passions from our hearts, and re-establish in
   them unceasing tranquillity. If you experience a feeling of hunger or
   thirst, and wish to eat and drink, think of the hunger or thirst of the
   soul (it thirsts after righteousness, for justification, Christ, for
   sanctification), which, if you do not satisfy, your soul may die from
   hunger, crushed by the passions, weakened and exhausted; and in
   satisfying your bodily hunger, do not forget to appease, above all and
   before all, your spiritual hunger, by conversing with God, by
   heart-felt repentance for your sins, by reading the story and precepts
   of the Gospel, and especially by the communion of the Divine Mysteries
   of the Body and Blood of Christ. If you are fond of dressing elegantly,
   or when you put on your clothes, think of the incorruptible garment of
   righteousness, in which our souls should be arrayed, or of Jesus Christ
   Who is our spiritual raiment, as it is said: "For as many of you as
   have been baptised into Christ, have put on Christ." [703] A passion
   for dress often entirely thrusts out from the heart the very thought of
   the incorruptible raiment of the soul, and turns the whole life into
   vain care about elegance in dress. If you are a scholar, a student in
   any educational establishment, or an official in some ministry, an
   officer in any of the branches of the military service, or a
   technologist, a painter, a sculptor, a manufacturer, a
   mechanic--remember that the first science for each one of you is to be
   a true Christian, to believe sincerely in the Holy Trinity, to converse
   daily with God in prayer, to take part in the Divine service, to
   observe the rules and regulations of the Church, and to bear in your
   heart, before your work, during your work, and after your work, the
   name of Jesus, for He is our light, our strength, our holiness, and our
   help.

   It is a wonderful thing that, however much we trouble about our health,
   however much care we take of ourselves, whatever wholesome and pleasant
   food we eat, whatever wholesome drinks we drink, however much we walk
   in the fresh air, still, notwithstanding all this, in the end we are
   subjected to maladies and corruption; whilst the saints, who despised
   their flesh, and mortified it by continual abstinence and fasting, by
   lying on the bare earth, by watchfulness, labours, unceasing prayer,
   have made both their souls and bodies immortal. Our well-fed bodies
   decay and emit an offensive odour after death, whilst theirs remained
   fragrant and flourishing in life as well as after death. It is a
   wonderful thing: we, by building up, destroy our body; whilst they, by
   destroying, built up theirs; they, by only caring for the fragrance of
   their souls before God, obtained the fragrance of their bodies also.
   Brethren! understand the problem, the purpose of your life. We must
   mortify our body with its many passions, or our carnal passions,
   through abstinence, labour, prayer, and not animate it and its passions
   through dainties, satiety, and slothfulness.

   It is well in every respect to give to the poor, besides obtaining
   mercy on the terrible day of judgment. Even here, while on earth, those
   who give alms often obtain great mercies from their neighbours, and
   that which others only obtain for large sums of money is given to them
   freely. Indeed, will not the Lover of mankind, the most-righteous and
   the most-bountiful heavenly Father, Whose children are compassionated
   by the merciful, reward them here also, in order to encourage them to
   still greater works of mercy, or to the continuance of their previous
   works of mercy, as well as to the amendment of the unmerciful, who mock
   at the merciful? He will reward them both worthily and righteously.

   How many trifling and incessant pretexts the hater of mankind offers us
   for hating our neighbour, so that we are almost constantly angry with
   others, almost constantly bearing malice against others, and living in
   accordance with his infernal all-destructive will. But do not let us
   chase his phantoms; let us put aside all enmity, and love everyone, for
   love is of God.

   Lord, Thou continually conquerest hell in me, in accordance with my
   prayer; and if I am not yet in hell, it is through Thy mercy, Conqueror
   of hell, my Lord! Glory to Thee, our Benefactor, our Saviour! How would
   it have been with us without Thee? We should truly have been like the
   beasts, and should have exterminated each other. As it is with separate
   individuals, so it is also with nations. If separate individuals and
   nations lived in accordance with Thy Gospel, then there would not be
   any enmity, dissension, wars. When shall we fully acknowledge the
   necessity for our temporal and eternal good--to live in accordance with
   the Gospel? But now how few there are who even read the Gospel!

   Lord! I confess to Thee that neither in the country nor in the forest
   are to be found life, and health, and vigour of the spiritual and
   material powers, but with Thee in the temple, and, above all, during
   the Liturgy and in Thy Holy Life-giving Mysteries! O, greatest
   blessedness of the Holy Mysteries! O, Life-giving Mysteries! O, Divine
   Mysteries, that are love unspeakable! O, Divine Mysteries, that are the
   Lord God's constant and wonderful Providence for saving and sanctifying
   us! O, Divine Mysteries, that are the prefiguration of eternal life!

   Our Lady, Most-holy Mother of God! I prayed to Thee, before the
   Liturgy, that Thou wouldst grant me grace to celebrate it with much
   power, to the glory of God, for the salvation of the world and mine
   own! Thou hast ordered all things well. I thank Thee, all-gracious
   Helper, Thou Who hearest us speedily, Thou Who dost not let our trust
   in Thee be shamed!

   How many benefits has my faith in Christ brought me until now! Without
   speaking of innumerable other benefits, I will mention the following
   ones:--How many disturbances of the soul and passions it has driven
   away and appeased in me! how many evil inclinations of the heart it has
   corrected! how many times I was cleansed from my sins and my soul saved
   from spiritual death! And how near is our Lord unto him who believes!
   He is like the air, like the breath of our mouth, like the breathing of
   our heart, of our soul.

   Lord, I thank Thee from all my heart for the blessed moving of Thy Holy
   Ghost during Divine service, both public and private, for the cleansing
   from sins, for peace, for devotion and tears, for fatherly consolation,
   for boldness, for power.

   As a priest, pray above all for the cleansing from sins, for the
   enlightenment and renewal of God's people, and for your own renewal;
   for although you often drink the Blood of the New Testament and eat the
   life-giving Flesh of the Lamb of God, which can speedily regenerate and
   renew you, nevertheless, owing to your negligence, you are not yet
   regenerate nor renewed, being given up in the depths of your heart to
   the same passions that were in you before. Offer, then, unto God ardent
   prayer for your own renewal and that of His people. This is the most
   pleasing sacrifice to God. Offer your prayer with faith, firm trust,
   and love unfeigned: for to Him Who came to make a new garment out of
   the old one, and to pour new wine into old bottles, prayer for renewal
   is like fragrant incense, and concurs with the Lord's purpose of the
   regeneration of the human race, decayed by sin.

   Unmurmuring obedience is very profitable to the soul; this we see from
   the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who for His obedience was
   exalted, according to His human nature, above all dominations,
   principalities, and authorities, as well as from the examples of all
   God's saints, who for their obedience to the Son of God and His Gospel
   were deemed worthy of incorruptible heavenly crowns and eternal life
   with God and His holy angels. Besides this, obedience is also
   abundantly profitable to the body: for what the slothful lose is
   acquired by the laborious and zealous, who are obedient. Therefore
   obedience is profitable both to the soul and to the body; and even if
   it is not always profitable to the body, then it is absolutely so to
   the soul. And thus let everyone be obedient in that which is good, but
   not in evil.

   To be humble means to consider ourselves deserving, for our sins, of
   every humiliation, injury, persecution, and even blows; and to be meek
   means to patiently endure injustice, abuse, etc., and to pray for our
   enemies.

   The poignant sorrow with which you unintentionally pierce another's
   heart shall return to your own heart according to the strict law of
   requital: " With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you
   again." [704] If you do not desire sorrow for yourself, do not occasion
   it to others.

   If people labour so long for worldly vanity, and often make us wait in
   vain for them to finish, then should not we, God's servants, labour for
   the Lord God slowly, pausing with understanding, with feeling, with
   great reverence and zeal, reading the prayers distinctly, separately?
   Better let people wait for us than we for them. Lord, let it be thus at
   every celebration of Divine service, of the Sacraments. Give all this
   Thyself: for without Thee we can do nothing. [705]

   A true Christian never forgets that in this world he is the prisoner of
   the Devil, and he continually sighs for the spiritual freedom given by
   the Son of God to all those who believe in Him and strive to free
   themselves from the bondage of sins; a true Christian lives watchfully,
   using all earthly things in moderation; he does not spend his time in
   idle talk or idle amusements; he is not extortionate, does not envy,
   prays constantly, and repents of his sins.

   People say that it is not a matter of importance if you eat meat during
   Lent, for Lent does not consist in food; that it is not a matter of
   importance if you wear costly, fine clothes, frequent theatres, evening
   parties, masquerades; if you provide yourself with expensive plate,
   china, furniture, costly equipages, spirited horses; if you amass and
   hoard money, etc. But what is it that turns away our heart from God,
   the Source of life; through what do we lose eternal life? Is it not
   through gluttony, through expensive dress, like the rich man in the
   Gospel! Is it not through theatres and masquerades? What is it that
   makes us hard-hearted to the poor, and even to our own relatives? Is it
   not our attachment to carnal pleasures in general, to our belly, to
   dress, plate, furniture, carriages, money, etc.? Can a man serve God
   and mammon; [706] be a friend of God and a friend of the world, work
   for Christ and for the Devil ? It is impossible. Through what did Adam
   and Eve lose Paradise, through what did they fall into sin and death?
   Was it not through food alone? Let us consider well what makes us
   careless about the salvation of our soul, which cost the Son of God so
   dear; what makes us add one sin to another; what makes us fall
   continually into opposition against God, into a life of vanity. Is it
   not attachment to earthly things, and especially to earthly delights?
   What makes our heart gross ? What makes us become flesh, and not
   spirit, perverting our moral nature? Is it not attachment to food and
   drink and other earthly goods ? How after this can it be said that to
   eat meat during Lent is unimportant? To say so is nothing but pride,
   sophism, disobedience, want of submission to God, and estrangement from
   Him.

   From what deep sores, from what mortal wounds, from what deathly
   breathing of sin, did the heavenly Physician, our Lord Jesus Christ,
   come to save us ? Who can fully understand this? Nobody. Only in part,
   from our own experience, some of us see the depths of the abyss into
   which we have fallen through sin--all our powerlessness for good, all
   the power and abyss of the evil or sin nestling in our hearts. But even
   to see this is granted unto us by the grace of God, enlightening our
   darkened hearts. A man does not see this by his natural understanding,
   and therefore he cannot see and feel the necessity of amendment, and
   have strength for such amendment and renewal.

   I thank the Lord, Who is mighty in His mercy and merciful in His might,
   for speedy and great forgiveness, for the healing of deep, spiritual
   wounds caused by sin. What long, continued prayer at home could not do
   was accomplished by only touching the life-giving, glorious, and
   terrible altar of God in the Temple of the holy and glorious leaders of
   the Apostles--Peter and Paul; the wounds of the heart, the disturbance,
   affliction, and oppression suddenly vanished, as if a great mountain
   had fallen from my heart, and I was at peace; my heart expanded and
   grew light and daring. Wonderful are Thy works, Lord! Wonderful art
   Thou Thyself, sitting on the throne of Thy glory in Christian temples.
   Lord, most righteous Judge, most merciful and Almighty Saviour! glory
   to Thine invincible goodness, glory to Thine immeasurable power, King
   of all ages.

   Brethren! amongst the beings created by God, there are the temporal,
   transitory ones, such as all unintelligent, animate and inanimate
   creatures, organic and inorganic, as well as the world itself, which
   will pass away; "for the fashion of this world passeth away." [707] And
   there are eternal beings, which are not transitory, such as the angels
   and the souls of men, the demons themselves with Satan. For man, the
   earthly life, life in the body, serves only as a preparation for
   eternal life, which will begin after the death of the body. Therefore
   we must avail ourselves without delay of the present life as a
   preparation for the other life; and as we chiefly work during week-days
   for the earthly life, we must work on Sundays and other holidays wholly
   for the Lord God, devoting them to attendance at Divine service, to
   reading the Word of God, to pious meditation, to edifying
   conversations, good works, and especially to works of mercy. Those sin
   grievously who neglect the matter of their spiritual education for
   eternal life in the world above. How can we forget our final
   destination? How is it possible to be so ungrateful to the Creator, Who
   created us after His own image and likeness, incorruptible, and for
   union with Himself; Who redeemed us by His cross, and opened to us the
   gates of the kingdom of heaven? How can many of us become "like the
   beasts that perish"? [708] "Let us lift up our hearts!" [709]

   The body, being only the temporal garment of the soul, is perishable,
   and does not constitute the true life of the man. The true life is the
   spiritual life. If you rend, if you destroy the man's garment, still he
   himself remains alive; so also after the slaying, after the death, the
   corruption of the body, the soul remains alive. Let us then chiefly
   care for the soul, for its salvation!

   O, holy temple, how good, how sweet it is to pray in thee! For where
   can there be ardent prayer if not within thy walls, before the throne
   of God, and before the face of Him Who sitteth upon it? Truly the soul
   melts from prayerful emotion, and tears flow down the cheeks like
   water. It is sweet to pray for all.

   I marvel at the greatness and life-giving properties of the Holy
   Sacrament. An old woman who was spitting blood, and who had lost all
   strength, being unable to eat anything, after the Communion of the Holy
   Sacrament, which I administered to her, began to recover on the same
   day from her illness. A young girl who was almost dying, after the
   Communion of the Holy Sacrament began to recover on the same day from
   her illness; began to eat, drink, and speak; whilst before this she was
   almost in a state of unconsciousness, violently tossed about, and could
   neither eat nor drink anything. Glory to Thy life-giving and terrible
   Mysteries, O Lord!

   Be true to God always and in everything. If you say the prayer "Our
   Father . . ." pronounce each word sincerely, with reverence, fixing
   your mind and heart upon God alone, not paying attention to anything or
   anybody around you. If you say any other prayer, say it also with all
   your soul, not with your heart divided, not paying undue attention to
   anything or anybody. The enemy of our salvation especially strives to
   draw our heart and mind away from God when we are about to serve Him,
   and endeavours to adulterously attach our heart to something
   irrelevant. Be always, every moment, with God, especially when you pray
   to Him. At this time be especially true and constant to Him. If you are
   inconstant, you will fall away from life, and will cast yourself into
   sorrow and straitness.

   Do not hasten to eat and drink, but rather hasten to perform God's
   service; and when performing God's service, do not think of food and
   drink. Think well before Whom you stand, with Whom you are conversing,
   to Whom you are singing praises; be wholly in God, belong wholly to Him
   alone, pray with all your heart, sing with all your heart, serve for
   your neighbour as you would serve for yourself, gladly, heartily, not
   with a divided heart and thoughts. Lord! help us; for without Thee we
   can do nothing. [710]

   When the heart is pure, then the whole man is pure; when the heart is
   unclean, the whole man is unclean: "For out of the heart proceed evil
   thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
   blasphemies . . ." [711] But the saints all acquired pure hearts by
   fasting, vigilance, prayer, pious meditation, by reading the Word of
   God, martyrdom, labour, and sweat; and the Holy Ghost abode in them,
   cleansed them from every impurity, and sanctified them by eternal
   sanctification. Strive also, above all, for the cleansing of your
   heart. "Make me a clean heart, O God." [712]

   Do not value God's Sacraments at the price of gold and silver. That
   which you have freely received, be also ready to freely give. Leave the
   reward for your labour to the free-will of those who receive the
   Sacraments, and labour for those who give, or can only afford to give
   you, the smallest remuneration for your spiritual labour, as willingly
   as for those who offer you a large remuneration. During God's work do
   not think of silver; do not offend the Holy Ghost, and do not sell
   God's gifts, lest your silver be the cause of your own destruction. Ah,
   indeed some really do sell, and others buy, or think of buying, the
   gifts of the Holy Ghost for silver, like Simon the sorcerer.

   Food and drink must only be used for strengthening our powers, and not
   as dainties, and we must not eat when nature does not require it. Many
   of us (and I myself the first), if we do not repent and correct
   ourselves, will be condemned for having eaten and drunk unseasonably,
   and thus for having lived, having understanding, like the brutes that
   have no understanding, and for having darkened our foolish hearts. You
   have amused yourselves with food and drink, and have often eaten and
   drunk when there was no need for you to eat and drink: "Woe unto you
   that are full! for ye shall hunger." [713] "Ye have lived in pleasure
   on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts as in a
   day of slaughter." [714]

   You must pay most strict and active attention to this your daily action
   of eating and drinking, for from food and drink, from their quality and
   quantity, your spiritual, social, and family activity very greatly
   depends: " Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be
   overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness." [715] Tea and coffee also
   pertain to drunkenness if indulged in unseasonably and to excess. O,
   woe unto us who are full now, and frequently look neglectfully upon
   God's gifts.

   Through our flesh, and in general through our materiality, the Devil
   acts injuriously upon us. Thus, through wine, tea, coffee, through
   dainties, through money, dress, etc., he inflames our passions.
   Therefore we must guard against drinking much wine, tea, or coffee, and
   against eating dainties, especially without other substantial, solid,
   and wholesome food. These dainties must only be used after everything,
   and in the most moderate quantity.

   "Behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as
   wheat." [716] It is he who so greatly distracts our thoughts in the
   temple during Divine service and at home during prayer; it is he who
   draws away our thoughts from God, from our souls and the souls of
   others, from heavenly and eternal things; it is he who occupies us with
   earthly trifles or with earthly vanity, with earthly nothingness, with
   earthly allurements, with food, drink, dress, houses, etc. We must pray
   for each other, that our faith should not fail, as the Saviour prayed
   for Peter.

   By feeding largely, one becomes a carnal man, having no spirit, or
   soulless flesh; while by fasting, one attracts the Holy Ghost and
   becomes spiritual. When cotton is not wetted with water it is light,
   and if in a small quantity flies up in the air; but if it is wetted, it
   becomes heavy and at once falls to the ground. It is the same with the
   soul. O, how important it is to preserve it by fasting!

   Is unwilling outward prayer profitable? No, it is repugnant to God. The
   same applies to study. Unwilling, literal study is not profitable. As
   the man who prays unwillingly only runs over the words, often without
   understanding their power, without feeling them, and his heart is not
   enlightened, not warmed, not vivified by them, so it is also with the
   unwilling pupil. It is necessary, when teaching, to accustom the pupils
   to study willingly, and to teach them to think about what they say.

   By what name are you called according to the faith? By the name of
   Christian. What does it mean? It means that I am a member of the body
   of Christ, which is the Church of Christ, that I am a servant of
   Christ. To what does the name of Christian oblige you ? It obliges me
   to always have Christ in my thoughts and heart, always to have His
   spirit, throughout all my life, imitating His life, fulfilling His holy
   commandments, and to "seek those things which are above, where Christ
   sitteth on the right hand of God." [717]

   What is holiness? Freedom from every sin and the fulness of every
   virtue. This freedom from sin and this virtuous life are only attained
   by a few zealous persons, and that not suddenly, but gradually, by
   prolonged and manifold sorrows, sicknesses, and labours, by fasting,
   vigilance, prayer, and that not by their own strength, but by the grace
   of Christ. Only Our Lady, the Mother of God, was sanctified from Her
   early childhood, from Her mother's womb, and afterwards the Lord
   sanctified Her in the Holy of Holies with the most perfect
   sanctification through Her unceasing prayer, the reading of the Word of
   God and meditations upon it, through the teaching of the pure, heavenly
   and bodiless powers, and especially through Her own inward
   illumination. Holiness corresponds in nature to the light of the sun
   and to the whiteness of snow, whilst sin to darkness, want of light,
   and filth or rust.

   When you look upon the icon of the Mother of God, with Her Eternal
   Infant, marvel how most truly the Godhead was united with human nature,
   glorify the goodness and omnipotence of God, and, recognising your own
   dignity as man, live worthily of the high calling to which you are
   called in Christ --that is, the calling of a child of God and an heir
   to eternal bliss.

   Why does the Lord give to man the prolongation of his days upon the
   earth? In order that a man should have time to repent and to cleanse
   himself from his sins and passions, and that truth and love should
   entirely penetrate his heart, by means of the teaching of his feelings
   in relation to good and evil.

   What is the human soul? It is the one same soul or the one same breath
   of God, which God breathed into Adam, and which until now is diffused
   from Adam upon the entire human race. Therefore all men are as though
   one man, or one great tree of mankind. From this comes the most natural
   commandment, founded upon the unity of our nature: "Thou shalt love the
   Lord thy God [your Prototype, your Father] with all thy heart, and with
   all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. Thou
   shalt love thy neighbour [for who can be nearer to me than the man like
   unto me, of the same blood as me?] as thyself." [718] To fulfil these
   two commandments is a natural necessity.

   Receive everyone who comes to you, especially with a spiritual purpose,
   with a kind and cheerful aspect, although he or she may be a beggar,
   and humble yourself inwardly before everybody, counting yourself lower
   than he or she, for you are placed by Christ Himself to be the servant
   of all, and all are His members, although like you they bear the wounds
   of sin. We must not doubt in the truth of the Gospel and of the
   Church-readings. Everything that is in the Gospel and in the Church is
   the breathing of the Spirit of truth, "the silver, which from the earth
   is tried, and purified seven times in the fire," [719] life, peace and
   spiritual sweetness. Woe unto him who doubts: the lying spirit shall
   darken, oppress, and plunge him into despondency and affliction. This
   is from experience.

   It is pleasing to the Lord, as to a most loving Father, when we pray
   for others--His children; and as parents, at the request of their good
   and well-principled children, forgive their wicked, capricious, and
   evil-natured ones, so also the heavenly Father, at the prayer of those
   " that are His," [720] or at the prayer for the people of His priests,
   invested with His grace, has mercy even upon the unworthy, as He had
   mercy upon and forgave the rebellious and murmuring Hebrew people in
   the desert at Moses' prayer. But what an ardent prayer that was!

   To the glory of the most holy name of our Master the Lord Jesus Christ
   and that of Our Lady, the Mother of God, I have experienced a thousand
   times in my heart, that, after the Communion of the Holy Sacrament or
   after fervent prayer at home --ordinary prayer or prayer in consequence
   of some sin, passion, and sorrow and straitness--the Lord, at the
   prayers of Our Lady, or Our Lady Herself, by the Lord's grace bestowed
   upon me, as though it were a new spiritual nature, pure, good, great,
   bright, wise, beneficent, instead of impure, despondent, languid,
   fainthearted, dark, dull, and evil. Many times was I thus changed, with
   a marvellous great change, to mine own wonder and often to that of
   others. Glory to Thy power, Lord! Glory to Thy mercy, Lord! Glory to
   Thy bounties, Lord, which Thou hast manifested upon me a sinner!

   Our life is love--yes, love. And where there is love, there is God; and
   where God is, there is every good. " Seek ye first the kingdom of God
   and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."
   [721] And therefore joyfully feed and delight all, joyfully gratify all
   and trust in the heavenly Father for everything, in the Father of
   bounties, and the God of every consolation. Offer that which is dear to
   you as a sacrifice of love for your neighbour. Bring your Isaac, your
   heart, with its many passions, as a sacrifice to God, stab it of your
   own free will, crucify the flesh with its passions and lusts. As you
   have received everything from God, be ready to give back everything to
   God, so that, having been faithful in small things you may afterwards
   be made ruler over many things. "Thou hast been faithful over a few
   things, I will make thee ruler over many things." [722] Look upon all
   passions as upon illusions, as I have found out a thousand times. Amen.

   O, how wise ought the Christian to be during his life! He should be
   like the many-eyed cherubim--all eyes, all intellect, and incessant
   reflection, excepting in cases where absolute unreflecting faith is
   required.

   Christian! remember and always bear in your thoughts and heart the
   great words of the Lord's Prayer: " Our Father Which art in heaven
   [remember, who is our Father!--God is our Father, our love; who are we?
   we are the children of God, and brothers amongst ourselves; in what
   love ought the children of such a Father to live amongst themselves ? "
   If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham " [723]
   ; what works, then, ought we to do?] Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom
   come. Thy will be done. Give us this day our daily bread [our bread,
   common to all and not for oneself alone: self-love must be banished
   from the hearts of God's children; we are one]. And forgive us our
   trespasses [you wish that God should forgive your trespasses, therefore
   look upon it as customary to forgive the sins of those who trespass
   against you, knowing that love is long-suffering and compassionate].
   Lead us not into temptation [and you, yourself, must not give way to
   temptation: "He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; and He that
   keepeth thee will not sleep. The Lord is thy defence upon thy right
   hand." [724] ], but deliver us from evil [do not willingly give
   yourself up to evil and the Lord will not give you up to it]: for Thine
   is the kingdom [acknowledge the one King, God, and serve Him alone],
   the power [trust in His almighty power] and the glory [be zealous for
   His glory with all your might and during all your life], for ever [He
   is the eternal King, whilst Satan's kingdom shall soon pass away, being
   rapacious and false]. Amen." This is all true. Remember this prayer
   above all, and repeat it oftener in your mind, thinking over the
   meaning of each word, of each expression, and each petition in it.

   Brothers and sisters! you were born again (after you were born of your
   parents) by water and the Spirit, you then became the children of
   God--say, do you live worthily of this high calling? Do you live as the
   children of God ought to live? Is it evident from your behaviour and
   actions that your " conversation is in heaven "? [725] Is it evident
   that you await your Lord again from heaven, as He promised us in His
   holy Word? Do you despise earthly things, and do you aspire with your
   whole heart after heavenly things? Do you not love this adulterous and
   sinful world? "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not
   in him." [726] "The friendship of the world is enmity with God." [727]
   "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of
   the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father." [728] This
   world has crucified and crucifies until now the Son of God, brothers
   and sisters! Watch over yourselves, do you live in accordance with the
   Gospel! Do you not live contrarily to it? Read oftener the first
   chapters of the Gospel according to St. Matthew.

   >Save us, Thy race, Our Lady! Save us, we who are of one blood with
   Thee! Save us, Mother of Life and Mother of us all, although we are not
   worthy to call Thee our Mother! Cleanse, sanctify, strengthen and save
   us through Thy prayers!

   For what purpose do I require property? In order to have means of
   subsistence for myself, my family and my relatives, and in order to
   help the poor, and not for the purpose of hoarding it. Measure
   bountifully, so that God may measure bountifully to you in accordance
   with your gift. Besides, all our property or all our means of existence
   are God's and not ours, and God is the Master of life. He cares for the
   support of our life, through ourselves or through others, or directly.
   " Let us commend ourselves and each other, and all our life to Christ
   our God." [729] We say we must live, and our life is God, therefore God
   gives and will give all our means of existence.

   In many worldly magazines and newspapers, the number of which has so
   greatly increased, there breathes an earthly spirit, frequently
   impious, whilst the Christian, in his hope, is a citizen not only of
   the earth, but also of heaven, and, therefore, he ought also to
   meditate upon heavenly things. The heathen writings of antiquity were,
   it would seem, often better and purer (Cicero, for instance), higher in
   their foundation and motive, than some writings of Christian peoples.
   The Personal Word of the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, is continually
   and greatly offended by Christian people, who are gifted with speech,
   and ought to be Godlike, both in their speech and writings, whilst now
   their words are often wasted in vain and even to tempt the Christian,
   who is turned aside by worldly writings from reading the Word of God
   and the writings of the Holy Fathers. The editors and publishers of
   worldly magazines and newspapers ensnare and entice the flock of Christ
   by the increase of flattering words. O Word of God! What answer shall
   we give at Thy terrible Judgment?

   Where do we now find in houses the reading of the divinely-inspired
   Psalter, which instils such great faith in God, such strong trust in
   God in misfortunes, sicknesses and sorrows, and such ardent love for
   God? Where is the reading of the divinely-inspired Psalms, which was
   the favourite reading of our forefathers, not only of the common
   people, but also of nobles and princes'? Such reading is not to be
   found nowadays; and owing to this in many persons there is no faith, no
   trust in God, and no love for God and their neighbour, but unbelief,
   despair, and hatred. There is no ardent prayer, no purity of morals, no
   spirit of contrition for sins and of devotion, no righteousness, peace
   and joy in the Holy Ghost. The greater number of Christians are
   penetrated by the spirit of the world, by the spirit of magazines,
   newspapers, and in general of worldly writers, who themselves, in their
   turn, are penetrated by a heathen and not a Christian spirit, by the
   spirit of the denial of the Divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures,
   by the spirit of self-exaltation, of the exaltation of their own proud
   and presumptuous intellect, and by the spirit of worldly vanity.

   Everything that the Church puts into our mouths and hearing is truth,
   the breathing or teaching of the Holy Ghost. Reverence every thought,
   every word of the Church. Remember that the domain of thought and word
   belongs to God as well as the whole visible and invisible world. You
   have nothing of your own, not even any thought or word. Everything is
   our Father's, everything is God's. Mingle with the common order of
   things, as gold melts into various forms, or as nature forms one
   harmonious whole. Do not lead a self-loving, separate life.

   The breaking up of the ice in the seas and rivers is an image of the
   dissolution of our soul from the body. When the waters are freed from
   ice they come face to face with the air, which begins to move them, and
   with the sun, which begins to bathe in them; so likewise pure souls,
   being freed from their bodies, come face to face with Christ, are
   refreshed by Him, and are made resplendent by Him. The waters, while
   they are covered with ice, are as though imprisoned in chains, have no
   immediate contact with the air and the light of the sun; so likewise
   our souls, while they live in their bodily covering, have no immediate
   communication with God and His saints, but only by means of their
   covering in part, indirectly, and only when this bodily covering falls
   off shall we see our Lord face to face, as the waters, when they are
   freed from the ice, are directly exposed to the sun, and come into
   direct contact with the air.

   Our heart is incomplex, single, and therefore cannot "serve two
   masters: God and mammon" [730] --that is, riches. This means that it is
   impossible to serve God truly and at the same time to be attached to
   earthly things, for all such things relate to mammon. Besides, it is
   unworthy of a man to serve riches, for they are earth and dust. All
   earthly things, if our heart attaches itself to them, make it gross and
   earthly, turn us away from God, from the Mother of God, and all the
   saints, from everything spiritual, heavenly, and eternal, and from love
   for our neighbour, and bind us to that which is earthly, perishable,
   and temporal. To complete that which has been said, it must be added
   that the spirit of attachment to earthly things, of sparing and
   grudging earthly things, is the spirit of the Devil, and the Devil
   himself dwells in the man through his attachment to earthly things. He
   often enters into our heart as an insolent conqueror, through some
   momentary attachment to earthly things, not immediately renounced,
   darkening, crushing, and deadening our soul, and making it incapable of
   any work for God, infecting it with pride, blasphemy, murmuring,
   contempt for holy things and its neighbour, opposition, despondency,
   despair, and malice.

   It was for our sakes that the Lord was incarnate, suffered, was
   crucified, died, and rose from the dead. It was for our sakes also that
   He adorned His Mother, the Most Pure Virgin Mary, with all virtues, and
   endued Her with all Divine powers, so that She, the most merciful and
   the most perfect, should be, after Himself, everything to us. And
   therefore let not God's grace, with which Our Lady is filled, be
   fruitless for us. Let us all come with boldness and trust to the
   Virgin's wonderful, ever-helpful, and most pure protection. If sins
   trouble us, let us pray to Her, that She may cleanse us with the hyssop
   of Her prayers from every impurity of the flesh and of the spirit.

   From what do blasphemy and contempt of the spiritual Word proceed? From
   the pride of our heart; from the presumption and satiety of our
   intellect.

   You constantly notice that God does not tolerate the slightest
   momentary impurity in you, and that peace and God Himself leave you
   immediately after the admittance of any impure thought into your heart.
   And you become the abode of the Devil if you do not immediately
   renounce the sin. So that at every sinful thought, and still more at
   every sinful word and deed, we must say, " This is the Devil." Whilst
   at every holy and good thought, word, and deed, we should say, " This
   is God"; or, " This comes from God." Imagine, therefore, now what a
   resplendently-adorned, pure, and immovable Palace of the Almighty must
   have been the most-holy soul and the most-pure body of the Mother of
   God, in Whose womb God the Word came to dwell, and abode in Her by His
   Godhead with His most pure Soul and Body! Imagine what eternal,
   infinite, unchangeable holiness She is! Imagine of what reverence and
   glorification She is worthy! Imagine what we are: " A reed shaken with
   [the Devil's] wind." [731] The Devil breathes his blasphemy into our
   hearts, and we are immediately shaken with it. We are disturbed,
   depressed, when we ought to despise all his blasphemies, or not pay any
   attention to them, looking upon them as an illusion.

   As in God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are undivided, so
   also in prayer and in our life the thought, the word, and the deed
   ought to be undivided. If you ask anything of God, believe that it will
   be done in accordance with your request, as God pleases. If you read
   the Word of God, believe that everything that is spoken of in it was,
   is, and shall be; or was done, is being done, and shall be done.
   Believe thus, speak thus, read thus, and pray thus. Great is the Word;
   great is the thinking, speaking, and acting soul, the image and
   likeness of the Almighty Trinity. Man, know yourself! Know what you
   are, and conduct yourself in accordance with your dignity.

   Merciful Lady, ever manifest and show Thy power upon me, and upon Thy
   people who are God-fearing and virtuous, by delivering us, in
   accordance with our prayer, from impure, crafty, and blasphemous
   thoughts, from all our sins and passions, and from the snares of the
   Devil, for Thou art the merciful Mother of God.

   Pray to Our Lady the Mother of God, to the angels, and to all the
   saints, as you would pray to the Holy Ghost Himself; or rather, as you
   would pray to the Holy Trinity, Who sanctifies them and rests in them.
   "That they may be one in Us." [732] "For Thou art holy, our God, and
   restest in the saints." [733] Amen.

   We all live in a kind of seductive darkness of the heart and intellect,
   but the Lord Jesus Christ is our enlightenment. The saints always see
   us by the grace of God, because they are in God, and God is in them.
   They are one spirit with the Lord [734] , and the Lord sees everything,
   hears everything. Therefore when, for instance, in church you look upon
   the images of God's saints, believe that they see you, and, above all,
   that they see your heart.

   By whatever passions enemies may attack you, endure it without falling
   into despondency, without anger, meekly and humbly, and do not allow
   any movement of impatience, malice, murmuring, and blasphemy to arise
   in your heart.

   Every creature witnesses to the infinite mercy and righteousness of the
   Creator, even Satan himself and his angels by their shameful existence
   and most malicious snares against men prove the immeasurable mercy and
   righteousness of the Creator; for who were originally Satan and his
   angels? What lights, what treasuries of blessings, and of what were
   they deprived by their entirely voluntary ungratefulness, pride,
   malice, and envy, against the Lord ? Did they not fall quite
   deliberately, intentionally, with the purpose of eternally waging war
   against the Creator and His creatures, reasonable beings endowed with
   speech? Judging by Satan's malicious actions in the world, by their
   number and power, we can guess how powerful a spirit was Satan, the
   fallen angel. Judging by his great darkness and his manifold
   enticements in men scattered throughout the whole world (" Which
   deceiveth the whole world" [735] ), we can guess how bright and full of
   truth he originally was. " Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God:
   every precious stone was thy covering." [736] Judging by the most evil,
   carnal, and impure desires suggested by him, we may conclude how
   amiable and perfect he was in the time of his goodness, received by him
   from the Creator! Judging by his craftiness and wicked wiles, we may
   guess how wise he was, and how much good he might have done, of how
   much service he might have been to his Creator in His providence for
   the inferior spirits or men. From this enormous colossus of evil,
   Satan, we may judge, what a great, good, beautiful, most bright,
   powerful, wise creature Satan previously was. How many gifts of the
   Creator's goodness were comprised in him, and of how much was he
   deprived by his wicked and intentional madness! By his malice in men,
   judge how good he previously was; by his envy, judge of his previous
   goodwill; by the boundless avidity and avarice he excites in men, judge
   of his previous generosity; by his pride, of the greatness he received
   from God; by the despondency, weariness, and sometimes unbearable
   anguish he inspires in men, judge of his former blessedness. For he was
   previously as good as he is now evil! He offers an eternal lesson for
   humility and obedience to all the heavenly angels, and to all
   well-intentioned men; for however perfect the angels are, and however
   wise, and, in general, however perfect men may be in some things, they
   have received everything from the goodness of the Creator alone, and
   not from themselves, and must thank the Creator for everything, and
   pray to Him for everything with undoubting faith in His goodness and
   omnipotence with the hope of receiving everything from Him. The evil
   spirits fell through pride and malice: there is a lesson for all men in
   this; that is, to humble themselves before their Creator, to consider
   themselves as nothing, to ascribe everything to the Creator, and to
   live solely by the Creator and by fulfilling His will. And --how
   wonderful are Thy works, Lord!--that which Satan was not able and did
   not desire to attain, with all his wisdom, was attained by the Virgin
   from a perishable but spiritually immortal race; the most holy Virgin
   Mary attained unexampled humility, attained the highest holiness.
   "Hail, Thou that art highly favoured: the Lord is with Thee." [737] "
   For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden." [738] Likewise,
   all of us being of ourselves mere littleness, must constantly and
   deeply humble ourselves before the Creator, having recourse in
   everything to His mercy.

   You cannot conquer any passion, any sin without gracious help;
   therefore, always ask the help of Christ, your Saviour. It was for this
   that He came into the world, for this that He suffered, died, and rose
   from the dead, in order to help us in everything, to save us from sin,
   and from the violence of the passions, to cleanse us from our sins, to
   bestow upon us power in Holy Ghost to do good works, to enlighten us,
   to strengthen us, to give us peace. You ask how you can save yourself
   when sin stands at every step, and you sin at every moment? There is a
   simple answer to this: at every step, at every moment, call upon the
   Saviour, remember the Saviour, and you will save yourself and others.

   Avail yourself of My gifts, not separately as self-lovers, but as My
   children, who should have everything in common; not grudging, but
   freely offering unto others the fruits of the work of My hands,
   remembering that I give them freely to you in accordance with My
   fatherly goodness and man-loving bountifulness. So it is in a family.
   When a father, mother or brother brings presents, he bestows them upon
   all his children, or a brother upon his brothers; and if the children,
   the brothers and sisters, live in mutual love, then they do not feel
   happy or satisfied if their father or brother passes over one of them,
   or has not given one of them the same as he has given to others. And
   why it this? Because through their mutual love they feel as one body,
   because they are all like one--like a single person. So should each one
   of you behave. And I know how to reward you for the love which is so
   pleasing to Me. If I am bountiful even to those who do not fulfil My
   commandments--"The ground of a certain rich man brought forth
   plentifully" [739] --then shall I not be bountiful to My true children,
   for whom I have duly predestined all of My bounties? Truly, I will! "I
   will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on
   whom I have compassion." [740]

   " If you fall, rise and you shall be saved." You are a sinner, you
   continually fall, learn also how to rise; be careful to acquire this
   wisdom. This is what the wisdom consists in: learning by heart the
   psalm, " Have mercy upon me, O God, after Thy great goodness," inspired
   by the Holy Ghost to the king and prophet David, and say it with
   sincere faith and trust, with a contrite and humble heart. After your
   sincere repentance, expressed in the words of King David, the
   forgiveness of your sins shall immediately shine upon you from the
   Lord, and your spiritual powers will be at peace. The most important
   thing in life is to be zealous for mutual love, and not to judge
   anyone. Everybody shall answer for himself to God, and you must look to
   yourself. Beware of malice.

   Orthodox Christians are like a family, the children of Jesus Christ,
   and in a good family the mother is always held in high respect (the
   Mother of God), likewise the elder brothers enjoy the respect and
   esteem of the younger ones, and these latter imitate the former.
   Lutherans and Anglicans! Why is it not so with you? Why is not the
   Mother of God duly reverenced and solemnly honoured and worshipped by
   you too ? Why do you not solemnly honour and worship the holy angels
   and God's saints? Why do you not wish to imitate them? Or is it that
   you honour God alone, and worship Him only? But you should remember
   that the Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ, the holy angels, and the
   saints are pure images of God--friends of God, as Abraham is called the
   friend of God. How can you, then, not worship the living images of God,
   the children and friends of God?

   The world is a house. The Builder and the Master of this house is the
   Creator, and the Father of the Christian people living in it is God.
   The Mother in this house is the most holy Mother of the Lord. Always
   walk in the presence of your Father, in love and obedience to Him;
   likewise in the presence of our common Mother, the most holy Mother of
   the Lord, in holy love, reverence, and obedience to Her. In your bodily
   and spiritual needs, in your sorrows, misfortunes, and sicknesses, turn
   to Her with faith, hope, and love. Be holy, as the Lord God your
   Creator and Father is holy; as Our Lady, the Mother of God, and your
   Mother, too, in accordance with the Saviour's words, "Woman, behold Thy
   Son; ... behold Thy Mother." [741] In order that we should not doubt
   our right to call the most exalted Mother of the Most High God, the
   most holy, most pure, most blessed, glorious Lady, our Mother, Her
   Eternal, Divine Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, has solved our doubt by
   directly allowing us, or those of us who are zealous after holiness, to
   call Her our Mother. " Behold thy Mother." For, in the person of St.
   John the Divine, this is also said to us Christians. Yes; She is indeed
   our most tender, most provident, and all holy Mother, guiding us, Her
   children, to holiness.

   You see very clearly that it is extremely difficult, and without God's
   grace and your own fervent prayer and abstinence, impossible, for you
   to change for the better. You feel within yourself the action of a
   multitude of passions: of pride, malice, envy, greediness, the love of
   money, despondency, slothfulness, fornication, impatience, and
   disobedience; and yet you remain in them, are often bound by them,
   whilst the long-suffering Lord bears with you, awaiting your return and
   amendment; and still bestows upon you all the gifts of His mercy. Be
   then indulgent, patient, and loving to those who live with you, and who
   also suffer from many passions; conquer every evil by good, and, above
   all, pray to God for them, that He may correct them--that He may turn
   their hearts to Himself, the source of holiness. Do not help the Devil
   to spread his kingdom. Hallow the name of your Heavenly Father by your
   actions; help Him to spread His Kingdom on earth. " For we are
   labourers together with God." [742] Be zealous of the fulfilment of His
   will on earth, as it is in heaven. Forgive them that trespass against
   you with joy, as a good son rejoices when he has a chance of fulfilling
   the will of his beloved father.

   What pleasure and joy you feel when you find some necessary and
   valuable object which was lost! You are ready to leap with joy. Picture
   to yourself how pleasing to the Heavenly Father is the sight of His
   lost child, the sinner who is found; the sight of His lost sheep
   brought to life again; the sight of His lost and found piece of
   silver--that is, of the living image of God--man. It is impossible to
   describe this joy. The joy of the Heavenly Father over His lost and
   found prodigal son is so great that the whole loving and kind heaven is
   moved to joy. " Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth."
   [743] My lost brothers and sisters! return from the way of destruction
   to the Heavenly Father. " Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at
   hand." [744]

   Everyone should know and remember the singleness of his soul, which is
   the breath of God. God is single, and the soul is single. And as the
   soul is single, it cannot love two opposite objects--God and anything
   worldly, man and anything material, very pleasing to our carnal man. In
   order to love God with all our heart we must absolutely count
   everything earthly as dross, and not be allured by anything; in order
   to love our neighbour as ourselves we must disdain money, must not be
   allured by any dainties, dress, distinctions, rank, praises, or human
   opinion. We must especially guard the singleness of the soul during
   public worship and prayer at home; during the reading of the Word of
   God and the writings of the Holy Fathers; and, in general, during every
   important matter. "No man can serve two masters." [745]

   A Christian ought to love God, and his neighbour, the image of God, so
   fervidly and deeply that he may always be able to say: "Who shall
   separate us from the love of Christ [and of our neighbour]? Shall
   tribulation, or distress or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or
   peril, or sword," [746] or money, or the sweetness of food and drink,
   or a luxurious dwelling, or cares about dress, or various worldly
   pleasures ? But I count all these earthly things as dross, and worldly
   pleasures as a dream. I ascribe the faults of my neighbours to the
   corruption of nature, to the action or wiles of evil spirits, to
   insufficient or bad education, to the unfavourable conditions of life,
   to the natures of parents and tutors. Knowing my own sinfulness, my own
   malice, avidity, impurity, my own infirmity, I cannot hate men like
   unto myself, having the same weakness and vices; for I should love my
   neighbour as myself, and I love myself, although I know myself to be
   guilty of innumerable sins; lastly, I ought to love them because we are
   all one body.

   Bear in mind that for cleansing your heart from sins you will obtain an
   infinite reward--you will see God, your most gracious Creator, your
   Providence. The work of cleansing the heart is difficult, because it is
   connected with great privations and afflictions; and, therefore, the
   reward is great. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see
   God." [747]

   People say that God is merciful; that He will have mercy upon us.
   Certainly, God is infinitely merciful. But if He is infinitely merciful
   and bountiful to us, then why do we voluntarily offend Him by our
   iniquities'! The more He loads us with benefits, the more we ought to
   love Him, to be grateful to Him, and obedient to His holy commandments
   or orders. But where is this love, this gratitude, this obedience?

   A malicious, proud man is ready to see only malice and pride in others,
   and is glad when any of his acquaintances, especially those who live
   happily and richly, but are not dear to his soul, are badly spoken of
   by others; and the worse they are spoken of the more he rejoices that
   others are bad, while he himself is perfection in comparison to them;
   and he is ready to perceive only evil in them, and to compare them to
   demons. O, malice! O, pride! O, want of love! No, you must seek, even
   in the malicious man, something good, and rejoice at this good, and
   speak joyfully of his good qualities. There is nobody in whom there is
   not some good; cover the evil that is in him with good, and pray to God
   for him, that God may "make the evil be good in His benevolence." [748]
   Do not be an abyss of evil yourself.

   Christian! remember that Christ, the Founder of your faith, was
   crucified on the cross, and left you the cross. Why, then, do you live
   in luxury, in spaciousness, in indulgence, in idleness! He suffered
   dishonour, and commanded you not to shun dishonour for His name; but
   you seek honour. Gaze more often upon the Crucified and learn your
   duties. "And they that are Christ's have crucified their flesh with the
   affections and lusts." [749]

   "There shall not a hair of your head perish;" [750] that is, not a
   single holy thought of your intellect shall be lost, not only for God,
   but also for men. For we see that the holy thoughts and feelings of
   God's saints have been preserved to us in their entirety, having been
   written on parchment.

   In Whom is the cause of everything visible and invisible? In God. And
   God is invisible. Therefore, reverence the invisible God. Yearn after
   the invisible God. God is an eternal, All Holy, Most Gracious,
   Omniscient, Almighty, All Righteous, Omnipresent, Unchangeable, All
   Satisfied, Most Blessed Spirit. And you are the image of God.
   Therefore, be spiritual, despising the flesh, which is only your
   temporal home; be holy, kind, wise, just, watchful, and courageous,
   unchangeable in good, and satisfied with everything.

   He who has built himself a house, he, by every right, ought to live in
   it. We are the houses of our Creator; He has created us for Himself,
   for He "has done all things for His own sake;" and it is He Who should
   dwell in us, and not the Devil--this murderer, thief, ravisher, this
   deceiver. " Come and make Thine abode in us." [751] "We will come unto
   him, and make our abode with him." [752] "Know ye not that ye are the
   temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" [753]

   Reverence every word, every thought of the Word of God, of the writings
   of the Holy Fathers, and, amongst them, the various prayers and hymns
   which we hear in church or which we read at home, because they are all
   the breathing and words of the Holy Ghost. It is, so to say, the " Holy
   Ghost Himself," Who " maketh intercession" for us, and through us, "
   with groanings which cannot be uttered." [754]

   The great litany daily said in the Orthodox Church is the most wise
   litany, the litany of love; in it both living Christians and the saints
   are represented as fellow members of the Body of Jesus Christ. It
   finishes most beautifully with the following exclamation: "
   Commemorating our most holy, most pure, most blessed, glorious Lady,
   the Mother of God and Ever Virgin Mary, together with all the saints,
   let us commend ourselves and one another and all our life to Christ our
   God." The redoubled and supplicatory litanies are also beautiful. We
   have grown accustomed to them, but let us imagine that we hear them for
   the first time: let us put ourselves in the position of foreigners.

   When praying to God, we must always represent to our- selves His
   infinite greatness, His worship by thousands of thousands and millions
   of millions of the angels of Heaven and the saints; also His
   omnipresence and omniscience, His infinite mercy, righteousness and
   holiness. When in prayer you call the most holy Virgin Mother of God,
   most holy, most pure, most spotless, most blessed--represent to
   yourself that Her very being is holiness eternal, immovable,
   unchangeable, unimaginable, "impenetrable, even to angelic eyes." [755]
   Think the same of all the angels and saints--that is, that their being
   is holiness and goodness, by the grace of Jesus Christ. Always consider
   as a great happiness for you to be able to converse in prayer with the
   Lord, or with His most pure Mother, or with the angels and saints, and
   pray to them with joy and trembling reverence, remembering with Whom
   you are conversing, you an impure and insignificant worm.

   "For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory," not ours. We
   ourselves should like to reign with our passions--that is, to order
   everything as we like, to trust to our own power, and not to Thine, to
   seek our own glory, and not Thine; but this is the Devil's wish in us.
   We ought to submit everything to Thy will, seek in all matters Thy
   power, and do everything for Thy glory. "Do all to the glory of God."
   [756]

   By the Cross, as well as by the sign of the Cross, the Lord Jesus
   Christ is ever with us, living and life-giving, and ever acts by means
   of various powers for our salvation, through our faith in Him, our God
   and Saviour. Glory for this to our Lord, who is ever present with us!
   "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." [757]

   Communicants of the Divine Mysteries! know how most truly you become
   united to the Lord if you communicate worthily. What boldness you have
   towards the Lord and towards the Mother of God! What purity you ought
   to have! what meekness, humility, gentleness! what detachment from
   everything earthly! what a burning desire for heavenly, most pure,
   eternal joys!

   In making the sign of the cross, believe and constantly remember that
   your sins are nailed to the cross. When you fall into sin, immediately
   judge yourself sincerely, and make the sign of the cross over yourself,
   saying: "Lord, Thou Who nailest our sins to the cross, nail also my
   present sin to Thy cross, and ' have mercy upon me after Thy great
   goodness;'" [758] and you will be cleansed from your sin. Amen.

   All possible sins and passions are ready to break into the soul, and
   strive to do so at every moment. But fight against them valiantly and
   vigilantly unto your last breath, looking upon them as dreams of your
   imagination, as illusions of the spirits of evil.

   Be so sure of the Lord's nearness to you that you may feel when praying
   to God that you touch Him not only with your thought and heart, but
   also with your mouth and tongue. " The word is nigh thee, even in thy
   mouth, and in thy heart;" [759] that is God.

   Let the following conviction be inherent in your heart: all we men are
   one (brethren), and God, the Most merciful, Almighty, Inexhaustible
   Source of all things, is everything to us all. But in all of us the
   Devil also can and does act, the enemy of mankind, whose wickedness,
   worked in men, must be conquered by good, patience, meekness,
   indulgence.

   Do not confound man--that image of God--with the wickedness that is in
   him, because the wickedness is only accidental, his misfortune,
   sickness, an illusion of the Devil; but his being--the image of
   God--still remains in him.

   If you sin in any way before God (and we sin every day greatly),
   immediately say in your heart, with faith in the Lord, who hears the
   sobs of your heart, with the humble acknowledgment and feeling of your
   sins, the Psalm: " Have mercy upon me, O God, after Thy great
   goodness;" and say the whole Psalm heartily. If it does not take effect
   the first time, try again, only say it still more heartily, still more
   feelingly, and then salvation and peace of soul shall speedily shine
   upon you from the Lord. Thus be always contrite; this is the true
   proved remedy against sins. If still you do not obtain relief, blame
   yourself. It shows that you have prayed without contrition, without
   humility of heart, without a strong desire to obtain forgiveness of
   sins from God; it shows that you are not deeply grieved at your sin.

   If I have sinned, the Lord is my cleansing; if I am despondent or
   gloomy after sin, from the offences of the enemy, the Lord does away
   with my despondency and revives my boldness. The Lord is everything to
   me. O Lord, Which truly is (Which is--that is, Who exists), glory to
   Thee!

   The Holy Ghost, like air, fills everything and penetrates everything: "
   Who art everywhere present and fillest all things." [760] Those who
   pray fervently attract the Holy Ghost to them, and pray through the
   Holy Ghost.

   " For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I
   in the midst of them." [761] Why is the Lord's presence pre-eminently
   promised to two or three? Because there, where two or three are
   gathered in the name of Christ, is the Church, the union of faith and
   love; there is mutual love. " By this shall all men know that ye are My
   disciples, if ye have love one to another." [762]

   The Spirit of truth--that is, of everything true that is thought
   of--all true thoughts, are the breathing of the Holy Ghost. Truth is as
   simple, easy, and life-giving for man as thought, as breath.

   Believe and trust that as it is easy for you to breathe the air and
   live by it, or to eat and drink, so it is easy and even still easier
   for your faith to receive all spiritual gifts from the Lord. Prayer is
   the breathing of the soul; prayer is our spiritual food and drink.

   To you, a pastor of men, the Lord has given to see how cruel the mental
   wolf is, in order, among other reasons, that you should strenuously
   endeavour to save both yourself from his claws and jaws and also the
   flock intrusted to you by God. Begin, therefore, from now to teach them
   with especial power, in the like manner as the Lord Himself taught, and
   show them how unceasingly this wolf hunts them, and through what he
   catches them: how he flatters their sensuality so that they may sin
   more easily and willingly; how many do not understand his flattery, how
   many serve him willingly--for instance, by gluttony, drunkenness,
   fornication, and adultery; covetousness, pride, vanity, malice, envy,
   scoffing at sacred things, slothfulness, bad language, idle speaking,
   mocking, a passion for dress, for dancing, a passion for theatres,
   cards, etc.

   Everyone busies himself about elegant and clean clothing for the body,
   everyone tries to dress with taste and elegance, but who thinks of the
   incorruptible raiment, which is all defiled with sins, and in which we
   all shall have to appear before God the Judge? Who washes it with tears
   of repentance, with works of mercy, adorns it by fasting, prayer,
   watchfulness, and pious meditation?

   "Make us glad according to the days wherein Thou hast afflicted us, and
   the years wherein we have seen evil." [763] The merciful Lord, having
   punished us, forgives us afterwards by His temporal and eternal mercy.
   Sometimes a sick person suffers a long while from his malady, as from a
   wicked tyrant; but during this malady his soul is purified like gold;
   he obtains the freedom of God's children, and is deemed worthy of
   eternal peace and blessedness.

   Without trial, even common iron appears to be steel; tin appears to be
   silver, or an alloy of silver appears to be real silver; bronze appears
   to be gold, gold mixed with earth pure gold, and common glass a
   diamond. Only testing proves the real worth of these materials. So it
   is also with men. By their appearance many seem meek and humble,
   merciful, kind, simple, chaste, believing, etc., but trial often proves
   that they are evil, proud, bard-hearted, impure, avaricious, greedy,
   envious, rancorous, lazy, etc. Men are tried through privations and
   losses, sorrows, sicknesses, dishonour; and those who stand the trial
   are fit for the kingdom of God; whilst those who do not stand the trial
   are unfit, because a great admixture of evil remains in them.

   Live as members of one body, as children of God, in love and harmony,
   in peace and tranquillity, esteeming one another, being indulgent to
   one another, as the Lord is indulgent to us. Do not be proud, do not
   envy, do not bear ill-will; subdue all carnal desires; preserve
   chastity; abstain from every superfluity; do not be slothful in prayer;
   begin every worldly work or undertaking with a short prayer; begin and
   end the day with fervent prayer to God, to our heavenly Lady, and to
   your Guardian Angel; pray for all as for yourself; wish well to all as
   to yourself, and do not wish or do evil to anyone.

   When you see men fall into various sins against yourself, against the
   Lord, against their neighbours, and against themselves, do not be angry
   with them-- for there is much anger and malice in the world without
   your anger--but pity them from all your soul and excuse them when they
   offend against you, saying to yourself: " Father! forgive them," for
   sin perplexes them; " they know not what they do." [764]

   Everything earthly, material, when the heart clings to it, is
   disturbance* affliction, straitness, and death to our soul; and by
   itself and in itself our body itself is corruption, dust, and smoke.
   The only requirements of our soul are righteousness, holiness, truth,
   love, mercy, meekness, kindness, peace, spiritual freedom, or the grace
   of God in the heart. These treasures give life to our whole being, and
   are eternal. Let us strive with all our might to acquire them, and,
   having acquired them, to preserve, increase, and strengthen them in
   ourselves; for through our sinfulness every good soon evaporates.

   O Lord! ever give me a meek heart, a bright, straightforward, and kind
   look. Grant it, Lord! Glory to Thee for the change accomplished in me
   by Thy right hand. I thank Thee for having taken away from me the
   burning thorns of my passions, my straitness, my shame, and mine
   infirmities, and for having bestowed upon me peace, tranquillity,
   freedom, power, and boldness. Strengthen, then, in me that which Thou
   hast accomplished in me. Glory to the power of faith, to the power of
   prayer; for everything that I ask of Thee believing in prayer I receive
   in accordance with Thy word. [765] I thank Thee for raising me from the
   dead so many times, [766] and for destroying the kingdom of death and
   sin within me.

   A Christian ought to meditate upon things above, upon heaven, where
   Christ is, and not to cling to the corruptible blessings of the world:
   this is the concern of the heathen. But meanwhile we attach ourselves
   passionately to all earthly pleasures and things. We have perverted our
   life by withdrawing ourselves from the example set us by the Lord, the
   apostles, martyrs, reverend fathers, the unmercenary, and all the
   saints. They were not of this world, but we are of this world; we lead
   a life according to our own conception, but not a Christian life. Envy,
   pride, condemnation of others, enmity, hatred, malice, iniquities,
   carnal impurity, are not banished from our hearts, but are firmly and
   widely implanted in them.

   Do not for one moment fulfil your own will, but fulfil the will of God,
   which is love for all, even for our enemies, and our holiness; whilst
   our will is sin of various kinds: self-love (and not the love of God),
   malice, hatred, pride, envy, sensuality, gluttony, drunkenness, theft,
   covetousness, fornication, craftiness, slothful-ness, hardness of
   heart, and insensibility to our neighbours' sufferings, rejoicing in
   their misfortunes; rancour, murmuring, blasphemy, scoffing at sacred
   things.

   Great are the following words: " Grant us with one heart and one mouth
   to glorify and celebrate Thy glorious and majestic name, Father, Son,
   and Holy Ghost." [767] O, that it were ever so, and that our hearts
   were not apart, not even from those of other men, but even from our own
   selves!

   If I despise, hate anybody, it signifies that I unlawfully exalt,
   unlawfully love myself--that is, my flesh. Our heart continually
   flatters us, secretly exalting ourselves and depreciating others. But
   we must constantly see our innumerable sins in order to judge
   ourselves, to weep over ourselves, as for the spiritually dead. Then we
   shall not have time to notice the faults of others, and to condemn our
   neighbours for them, or to despise them; but we shall esteem them, for
   we shall find that they are incomparably better than us in many things.

   Truly, the temple is heaven upon earth; for where the throne of God is,
   where the terrible mysteries are celebrated, where the angels serve
   together with men, where the Almighty is unceasingly glorified, there
   is truly heaven, and the heaven of heavens. And thus let us enter into
   the temple of God, and above all, into the Holy of Holies, with the
   fear of God, with a pure heart, laying aside all passions and every
   worldly care, and let us stand in it with faith and reverence, with
   understanding attention, with love and peace in our hearts, so that we
   may come away renewed, as though made heavenly j so that we may live in
   the holiness natural to heaven, not binding ourselves by worldly
   desires and pleasures.

   Fasting is a good teacher: (1) It soon makes everybody who fasts
   understand that a man requires very little food and drink, and that in
   general we are greedy and eat a great deal more than is necessary--that
   is, than our nature requires. (2) Fasting clearly shows or discloses
   all the infirmities of our soul, all its weaknesses, deficiencies,
   sins, and passions; just as when muddy, standing water is beginning to
   be cleaned it shows what reptiles and what sort of dirt it contains.
   (3) It shows us all the necessity of turning to God with the whole
   heart, and of seeking His mercy, help, and salvation. (4) Fasting shows
   all the craftiness, cunning, and malice of the bodiless spirits, whom
   we have hitherto unwittingly served, and whose cunning, now that we are
   enlightened by the light of God's grace, becomes clear, and who now
   maliciously persecute us for having left their ways.

   All natural bodies gravitate towards the centre of the earth, and all
   human souls naturally yearn after their spiritual Centre or
   Prototype--God; only sin has perverted, and still perverts this natural
   tendency. Fire and smoke gravitate towards the elements akin to them.

   Your soul seeks true life and its natural food. Food for the mind is
   truth; food for the heart is peace and blessedness; food for the will
   is normal direction or lawfulness. Go to the Church; she will give you
   all this in plenteousness; she possesses all this in superabundance;
   she is " the pillar and ground of the truth," [768] because in her is
   the Word of God, showing the origin of all things--the origin of the
   human race, the creation of man after the image and likeness of God,
   his fall, his restoration through the Saviour of men, the means of
   salvation, faith, hope and love. She affords us peace and blessedness
   through her Divine service, and especially through the sacraments. She
   calls us: " Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
   will give you rest." [769] She teaches us the true way, which our will
   ought undeviatingly to follow, and which will lead us to eternal
   life--that is, the way of God's commandments.

   The Lord has given me the greatest inalienable riches--His image and
   likeness. He has given me Himself. As it is said: " Thou, O Lord, . . .
   hast given an heritage unto those that fear Thy name! " [770] What
   earthly riches do I want after this? What honour? There is no higher
   honour than to be a Christian and a member of the body of Christ, a
   child of God in Christ. There is no one richer than the man who always
   bears Christ and His grace in his heart. " Whom have I in heaven but
   Thee ? and there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of
   Thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my
   heart, and my portion for ever." [771] And yet we are greedy, covetous,
   avaricious, proud, envious. What delusion, what foolishness! Man! be
   rich through God; everything comes to you from God.

   When you look at the candles and lamps burning in church, rise in
   thought from the material fire to the immaterial fire of the Holy
   Ghost, " for our God is a consuming fire." [772] When you see and smell
   the fragrant incense, rise in thought to the spiritual fragrance of the
   Holy Ghost, " for we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ." [773]
   Also, in contrast, think of the spiritual stench, which is sin, and
   endeavour to be filled with the fire of the Holy Ghost. Drive away
   every coldness of heart, which proceeds from the Devil, the flesh, and
   the world, and be yourself a sweet savour before God, by the fragrance
   of the virtues of meekness, gentleness, humility, obedience,
   abstinence, chastity, patience, and others. Flee from the stench of the
   passions; from malice, envy, pride, disobedience, intemperance,
   fornication, etc.

   The voice of the readings in church, the hymns, prayers, and
   supplications, is the voice of our own souls pouring forth from the
   acknowledgment and feeling of our spiritual needs and requirements; it
   is the voice of all mankind acknowledging and feeling its poverty, its
   accursedness, its sinfulness, the necessity of a Saviour, the necessity
   of gratitude and praise for the innumerable benefits and the infinite
   perfections of God. Wonderfully beautiful are these prayers and hymns;
   they are the breathing of the Holy Ghost!

   The sign of the cross as a blessing from a priest or a bishop is an
   expression of the blessing or of the favour of God to a man in Christ
   and for Christ's sake. What a joyful, significative, and precious
   ceremony this is! Blessed are all who receive such a blessing with
   faith! How attentive should the priests themselves be in bestowing
   their blessing upon the faithful! " And they shall put My name upon the
   children of Israel, and I will bless them." [774]

   Is it in vain that we say several times a day the thrice holy " Our
   Father" and other morning and evening prayers? Are we not cleansed by
   them from our sins and impurities? Are we not delivered from
   temptations, misfortunes, and unfavourable circumstances? Is it in vain
   that we sign ourselves with the sign of the cross? O, no; it
   continually acts beneficially upon us and upon those who make it with
   faith, especially when it is the blessing of a priest. Therefore let us
   continually praise the mercy and power of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who
   hears and saves us, unworthy ones, by His mercy, for His holy name's
   sake

   All the words of the Church prayers and praises are great words, but
   these words, "For Thou art the resurrection and the life, and the
   repose," which afford such great consolation to our mortal race and
   constitute the hope of the Christian, are especially great. Therefore
   they must be pronounced with special power, with special emphasis.

   O holy faith! by what words, by what hymns can I sufficiently praise
   thee for the innumerable blessings for my soul and body which thou hast
   bestowed upon me? for all the powers which thou hast accomplished and
   yet accomplishest in me? for the blessings of peace and the withdrawal
   of disturbance? for the blessings of freedom with the withdrawal of
   bitter oppression? for the blessings of spiritual light and the
   dispersal of the darkness of the passions? for the blessing of
   boldness, with the withdrawal of faint-heartedness and fear? for the
   blessing of spiritual power and spiritual greatness with the withdrawal
   of spiritual slavery and mean-spiritedness? for the blessing of
   holiness, with the withdrawal of sinful impurity? for deliverance from
   malice, envy, self-will and obstinacy, cupidity, fornication, and every
   spiritual corruption? Glory to Thee, my Lord God, my Benefactor, unto
   ages of ages! May Thou be known, Lord, in Thy faith by all Thy people
   and by all races of the earth, so that they all may glorify Thee with
   one heart and one mouth, from east to west! So be it! So be it!

   Doctors who have much practice, and receive much money from sick
   people, ought, for their soul's sake, to give alms generously, if they
   believe that they have an immortal soul. Rich priests who are
   generously rewarded for their prayers and spiritual labours ought also
   to give alms freely, so as not to be condemned with Judas the betrayer,
   who sold the Lord of Glory for pieces of silver. Merchants who make
   large profits ought absolutely to practise almsgiving, and be generous
   in adorning God's temples. Officials who receive large salaries ought
   not to consider the rich recompense given them in return for their
   labours as their exclusive property, but should remember their poorer
   brethren, so that they may obtain a reward from God and purify their
   souls. All should provide themselves with the holy oil of charity and
   good works, so that they may not appear empty-handed before the Judge
   on the day of the terrible trial; that they may not appear naked and
   bare of virtue on the day when all hearts shall be scrutinised.

   I thank my all holy, all merciful, and most wise Mother, the Church of
   God, for salutarily guiding me during this temporal life, and for
   educating me for the heavenly citizenship; I thank her for all the
   offices of prayers, for the Divine services, for the sacraments and
   rites; I thank her for the fasts so beneficial to me both in spiritual
   and bodily respects (for through them I am healthy both in spirit and
   body, calm, vigilant, and light; without the fasts I should feel
   extreme heaviness, which I indeed experienced when not fasting); I
   thank my spotless Mother the Church of God for enrapturing me with her
   heavenly services, transporting my spirit to heaven, enlightening my
   intellect with heavenly truth, showing me the way to eternal life; for
   delivering me from the violence and ignominy of the passions, and
   making my life blessed.

   The whole world--heaven and earth, and all that is in them, the sea,
   and all that is therein--is the outpouring of God's infinite mercy, of
   His wisdom and infinite power and might and goodness to the creatures
   that He has created for joy and happiness, and especially of His
   goodness to the human race. The world is the mirror of the goodness,
   mind, wisdom, and power of God; and therefore we must not cling to the
   world, but to God. " Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none
   upon earth that I desire in comparison of Thee. My flesh and my heart
   faileth; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever."
   [775]

   It is necessary for a Christian to fast, in order to clear his mind, to
   rouse and develop his feelings, and to stimulate his will to useful
   activity. These three human capabilities we darken and stifle above all
   by "surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life." [776] Through
   these we fall away from God, the Source of life, and fall into
   corruption and vanity, perverting and defiling the image of God within
   us. Surfeiting and sensuality nail us to the earth, and cut off, so to
   say, the wings of the soul. But look how high was the flight of the
   souls of the ascetics and abstinent! They soared in the heavens like
   eagles; they, the earth-born, lived by their intellect and heart in
   heaven, and heard there unspeakable words, and learned there Divine
   wisdom. And how a man lowers himself by gluttony and drunkenness! He
   perverts his nature, created after the image of God, and becomes like
   unto the beast, and even worse. O, woe unto us for our attachments, for
   our iniquitous habits! They hinder us from loving God and our
   neighbours, and from fulfilling God's commandments; they implant in us
   criminal carnal self-love, the end of which is everlasting destruction.
   Thus the drunkard does not grudge money for the sake of gratifying his
   flesh and stupefying himself, while he grudges giving a few pence to
   the poor; the smoker flings away tens and hundreds of roubles, and
   grudges pence to the poor, which might save his soul; those who love to
   dress luxuriously, or are lovers of elegant furniture or china, spend
   enormous sums upon dress, furniture, and china, and pass by beggars
   coldly and contemptuously; those who like to fare sumptuously do not
   grudge spending tens and hundreds of roubles for dinners, while they
   grudge a few coppers to the poor. It is also necessary for a Christian
   to fast, because, with the incarnation of the Son of God, human nature
   became spiritualised and made godly, and now we hasten towards the
   kingdom of God, which is " not meat and drink, but righteousness, and
   peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." [777] "Meats for the belly, and the
   belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them." [778] To eat
   and drink--that is, to care for sensual pleasures--is only natural to
   heathenism, which, not knowing spiritual, heavenly delights, sets the
   whole life in the pleasures of the belly, in much eating and drinking.
   This is why in the Gospel the Lord so often reproves this destructive
   passion. Why, therefore, shall we darken and stifle our souls and kill
   their last spiritual powers ?

   Many things are taught to the pupils of educational establishments, but
   they often do not know the one thing which is needful--God and
   themselves, nor their sins, their spiritual infirmities, their
   nothingness without God and before God. Remember the prayer of St.
   Ephraem the Syrian: " Lord! let me see my transgressions." To see our
   sins in their multitude and in all their abomination is indeed a gift
   of God bestowed in consequence of fervent prayer. The above applies
   equally to many learned, rich, and distinguished persons: they know
   much, they possess much, but they do not know and often have not the
   essential. " Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and
   hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good
   in Thy sight." [779] Wonderful are Thy works! It is evident that the
   grace of God and the blessings of this world are not the same thing,
   and our attachment to them is incompatible with the grace of God.

   Great is Thy love, O Lord: Thou hast wholly spent Thyself out of love
   for me. I gaze upon the cross and marvel at Thy love to me and to the
   world, for the cross is the evident token of Thy love to us. "Greater
   love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his
   friends." [780] Thy life-giving Mysteries, Lord, serve as a perpetual,
   glorious proof of Thy love for us sinners; for this Thy Divine Body was
   broken for me, for us all, and this Blood was poured out for me, for us
   all. Lord, I glorify the wonders accomplished by Thy Holy Mysteries
   upon Thy believers, to whom I have administered Them; I glorify the
   innumerable cures of which I was witness; I glorify Their all-saving
   action in myself. I glorify Thy mercy to me, revealed to me in Them and
   through Them, and Thy life-giving power, acting in Them. Lord! in
   return for this Thy great love, grant that I may love Thee with all my
   heart, and my neighbour as myself, grant that I may also love my
   enemies, and not only those who love me.

   Lord! teach us to live in mutual love, and strengthen this love in us
   by Thy Holy Spirit; subdue the outbursts of the passions, which hinder
   heavenly, evangelical love, and make our hearts dead to earthly
   delights. Grant, Lord, that I may ever prefer Thy grace, Thy peace, Thy
   righteousness and holiness to all earthly blessings, and that I may
   abide in it all the days of my life, unto my last breath.

   Want of spiritual education, of the development, of the softening, and
   amendment of the heart is a thousand times more culpable than want of
   mental education; for a mentally uneducated man is in darkness and is
   deserving of indulgence and pity, whilst an educated man, given up to
   the passions and vices, to malice, pride, scorn, envy, gluttony,
   surfeiting, drunkenness, covetousness, fornication, and other passions,
   with all his knowledge, and also with the knowledge of the will of God,
   is a man whose heart is hardened, and who is dead to God; for he does
   not apply the principles he has learned to practice; he does not fulfil
   the will of God, but transgresses it with even greater fearlessness and
   insolence than the uneducated. The uneducated man's simplicity of
   heart, meekness, gentleness, humility, silence, and patience are dearer
   to God than all our knowledge, all of our external polish, than all our
   studied expressions, all our feigned courtesy, than all our lengthy
   prayers, than all our artful speeches. Even sins themselves, being sins
   of ignorance, are more excusable in the uneducated. Therefore respect
   simple want of education and learn from it that which is not possessed
   by the so-styled educated--that is, simplicity, gentleness, patience,
   and other virtues. The uneducated are the babes in Christ, to whom the
   Lord sometimes reveals His mysteries.

   "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." [781] These
   are the words of Jesus Christ concerning the Apostles. This is great
   praise to them. In what does it consist? In the fact that the Apostles,
   living in the world, were strangers to it, strangers to its
   attachments, did not seek in it either glory or riches, or happiness or
   tranquillity, but were like beings of another world, the heavenly one.
   They meditated upon and cared for heavenly things and sought after
   incorruptible heavenly glory, incorruptible riches, heavenly joys and
   heavenly rest in God, and union with Him; whilst we sinners are of this
   world, because we seek the glory of this world, material riches,
   health, length of life, the enjoyment of the blessings of this world,
   earthly tranquillity, earthly joys. But all our misfortunes, passions,
   temptations, and failure in the Christian life proceed from attachment
   to the world and its goods.

   Why is it necessary to pray at home and go to church to attend Divine
   service? And why is it necessary for you to eat and drink, and walk in
   the fresh air every day, or to work every day? In order to support the
   life of the body, and strengthen it. It is also absolutely necessary to
   pray in order to support and stimulate the life of the soul, to
   strengthen the soul, which is sick with sins, to cleanse it, just as
   you employ certain kinds of food and drink to cleanse the body from
   injurious humours, or impurities. If, therefore, you do not pray, then
   you behave most unwisely, and unadvisedly, supporting, gratifying, and
   strengthening your body in every way, but leaving your soul in neglect.
   Every man is dual, for he consists of soul and body.

   It is better not to pass on the words of reproach that have been
   transmitted to us by anyone, but to keep silence concerning them, or
   transmit words of love and good-will, then our spirit will be tranquil.
   But to pass on words of animosity and envy is very hurtful; they often
   produce, in the impatient and self-loving men, to whom they refer, a
   spiritual tempest, rekindle extinct enmity, and occasion dissension. We
   must have Christian patience, and the wisdom of the serpent.

   Why is it that one evil word, one word of calumny, produces the most
   disagreeable impression upon us, agitates us to the depths of our
   souls, whilst, on the contrary, sometimes thousands of good words, for
   instance, concerning God and His works in the world, do not reach our
   hearts at all, and are lost in the air ? The Devil comes and catches
   away the word, sown in the hearts of men. It is also he, on the other
   side, who sows and grows in our hearts the seeds of evil, and does not
   miss the slightest opportunity of implanting enmity and envy for our
   neighbour in our hearts. One glance of our neighbour at us, often quite
   innocent, but appearing suspicious to us, is sufficient to give rise to
   a feeling of enmity in us towards him. And, therefore, do not let us
   take to heart any evil occasioned to us, intentionally or
   unintentionally, by our neighbour, for we know the author of it, and
   that "the whole world lieth in wickedness," [782] from its beginning,
   but let us bear every affront offered us serenely, praying for those
   who offend us, as for our benefactors, for even in their affronts we
   may often hear words of good-will towards us, although not proceeding
   from a good heart. May the Lord teach them, and not impute their
   behaviour unto us as sin to them, and let us be more careful, so as not
   to give place to the Devil.

   In this life we sin continually, and at the same time we are so
   self-loving, that we cannot endure our faults and sins to be reproved,
   especially before others; but in the future life our transgressions
   will be reproved before the whole world. Remembering this terrible
   judgment seat, let us bear reproof here humbly and gently, and let us
   correct ourselves of all our faults and sins; let us especially bear
   reproof from our superiors, and may the Lord teach them to reprove our
   faults, not maliciously, but lovingly, and in the spirit of meekness.

   Love to be reproved of sin by others, justly or unjustly here, in
   preference to being reproved at the dreadful judgment seat, before the
   whole world, before all the Angels and men. O, the unbearable fear and
   shame of Thy terrible judgment seat, Lord!

   We must pity every evil man, and not be angered with him, and not thus
   gratify Satan; we must look upon even every enemy, simply as upon God's
   creation, as upon one created after the image of God, and as upon our
   own member, and not breathe malice against him, that is, not become a
   devil, for every one who breathes malice becomes a devil himself, while
   he is angered. We must always be meek, gentle, kind-hearted, patient,
   as though we did not notice the malice of others, we must " overcome
   evil," or wicked people " with good," [783] by kindness, benefits. May
   God deliver us from evil suspiciousness, through which everything in
   our neighbour has the worst construction put upon it; his movements,
   gestures, look, voice, step, and every word.

   I thank Thee, Lord, for bestowing new life upon me each time, when,
   with tears of repentance and gratitude, I celebrate the Divine Liturgy
   and partake of Thy most pure and life-giving Mysteries. To Thy Holy
   Mysteries I owe: the prolongation of my existence until now, the purity
   of my ways, and my good report amongst Thy people. May Thy great Name
   be glorified more and more in me and in all Thy people. May they be
   called by Thy great Name, throughout the whole world; Thy kingdom come,
   the kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, in all
   our hearts, as Thou hast said: "I will dwell in them and walk in them;
   and I will be their God, and they shall be My people," [784] and may
   Thy will, Thy holy, most wise, all-good, most perfect, and most blessed
   will be done in earth, in all Thy people, and in me, a sinner, as it is
   in heaven, for our own will is erring, shortsighted, sinful,
   destructive, unloving, evil, envious, proud, slothful, luxury-loving,
   money-loving, and avaricious.

   Poor people's need is persistent in its requirements, and is,
   sometimes, even shameless, so also our passions are obstinate and
   persistent, insolent and shameless--fornication, malice for instance,
   avarice, covetousness, envy, pride, theft, heresy, dissent,
   superstition, idolatry. But let us yield to the reasonably persistent
   requests of the needy poor and suffering; it will serve to our
   salvation, to our eternal bliss. For as the poor and suffering compel
   us to compassion, so let us mutually compel ourselves to almsgiving;
   let us compel ourselves to good, works, whilst there is yet time, as
   sin compels us to that by which we continually transgress and anger
   God, and increase for ourselves the food of the fire of Gehenna, which,
   by degrees, already begins to be kindled here in our hearts, and
   foreshows to us the eternal flame, where there shall be everlasting
   lamentation and gnashing of teeth. "The kingdom of heaven suffereth
   violence, and the violent take it by force." [785] The enemy likewise
   endeavours to force into Gehenna all the imprudent, unbelieving,
   unrepentant, and those who are passionately attached to the blessings
   of this life.

   Why, after every six days, is a day of rest observed? In order that we
   may continually remember that after the labours of this present life,
   the day of eternal rest will come; for in accordance with the apostle,
   " there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." [786] And
   Sunday betokens the day of the general resurrection, after which a day
   of rest shall come for all those who have done good work in this
   present life, in Christ Jesus.

   All offerings and charity to the poor will not replace love for our
   neighbour, if there is no love in the heart; therefore, in bestowing
   charity, we must be careful that it should be bestowed lovingly, from a
   sincere heart, willingly, and not with a feeling of vexation against
   the poor. The very word charity shows that it should be an act or an
   offering of the heart, and should be bestowed with feeling or pity for
   the unfortunate condition of the poor person, and with a feeling of, or
   contrition for, our sins, to cleanse which the charity is bestowed;
   "for alms ... [according to the Scripture] shall purge away all sin."
   [787] He who bestows charity unwillingly and with vexation,
   avariciously, does not recognise his sins, has not learned to know
   himself. Charity is, first of all, a benefit to those who bestow it.

   "Be not overcome of evil [your neighbour's], but overcome evil with
   good," [788] chiefly, by prayer for those who do evil unto you. Let us
   commit ourselves and each other, and all our life, with all our
   defects, mutual offences, unto Christ our God. Let us not take
   vengeance upon anyone ourselves, not by a single thought or intention,
   but let us leave vengeance to God. "Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,
   saith the Lord." [789] We must love our enemies, it is the Devil who
   teaches and incites them to bear us enmity.

   The theatre lulls the Christian life to sleep, destroys it,
   communicating to the life of Christians the character of the life of
   heathens. "They all slumbered and slept" [790] ; this disastrous sleep
   is produced, amongst other things, also by the theatre. And what
   besides? The sciences, taught in the spirit of heathenism, worldly
   cares carried to excess, love of gain, ambition and sensuality. The
   theatre is the school of this world, and of the Prince of this
   world--that is, the Devil, but sometimes he is transformed into an
   angel of light [791] in order to more easily tempt people who are not
   far-seeing, he sometimes introduces an apparently moral play on to the
   stage, but this is done in order that everybody should proclaim and
   repeat that the theatre is a most moral institution, and that it is not
   less worth frequenting than the church, and even, perhaps more so,
   because in church everything is the same, whilst in the theatre there
   is a variety of plays, scenery, costumes and actors.

   In order to test yourself, whether you love your neighbour in
   accordance with the Gospel, pay attention to yourself at the time when
   others offend you, abuse you, mock at you, or do not render you the
   respect due to you, and which is customary in social intercourse, or
   when your subordinates err against the rules of the service, and are
   negligent. If you remain calm on such occasions, are not filled with
   the spirit of enmity, hatred, impatience--if you continue to love these
   persons as much as previously, before their offences or negligence,
   then you do love your neighbour in accordance with the Gospel; but if
   you become irritable, angry, agitated, then you do not do so. "If ye
   salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?" [792]

   As we are strangers, sojourners, and travellers to the heavenly
   kingdom, we must not burden ourselves with worldly cares, nor become
   attached to earthly blessings, riches, pleasures, honours, in order
   that these cares and attachments should not hinder us in the hour of
   death, nor make it shameful. The Christian, even here on earth, must
   accustom himself to live the heavenly life; in fasting, in
   renunciation, in prayer, love, meekness, gentleness, patience, courage,
   and mercy. How hard will the hour of death be to the man who in his
   lifetime made his idols of money, or food and drink, or earthly
   honours! In that hour none of these things shall serve him, whilst his
   heart, being strongly attached to them, does not possess the true
   treasure, which would give him life, that is, virtue. And therefore, in
   order to die more easily--and we must all die--we must not love
   anything in the world. "And having food and raiment, let us be
   therewith content." [793]

   In church I am truly as if in heaven upon earth; here I see the images
   of the Lord, of the Most Pure Mother of God, of the holy Angels; here
   is God's throne, here is the life-giving cross, here is the eternal
   Gospel, that word of God, by which all things were created; here are
   the images of the Saints; I feel myself in the visible presence of God,
   of His Mother, of the heavenly powers, and of all the Saints. This is
   truly heaven on earth: here I know that I am, and feel myself indeed a
   member of Christ and of His Church, especially during the celebration
   of the most heavenly Liturgy, and the Communion of the Holy Mysteries
   of the Body and Blood of Christ. O, how I ought to live, think, feel,
   speak, in order to worthily be in this heaven on earth! I ought to live
   worthily of the high calling to which I am called by the grace of the
   much-endowing God. How I ought to live, in what meekness, humility,
   purity, abstinence, in order to worthily name my Lady, the Most Pure
   Mother of God, my Master, the Lord of glory! Lord, make me worthy of
   such an abode! I desire to live worthily of the Christian calling, but
   I find no power in myself to attain this; sin unceasingly tempts and
   wars against my soul.

   Call undoubtingly, in the simplicity of your heart, upon the Lord God,
   also upon the Angels and the Saints, who by the grace of God and
   through their association or union with God, and the simplicity of
   their being, most speedily, with the rapidity of lightning, both hear
   and fulfil our prayers in accordance with the will of God.

   To love God with all our heart means not to have any attachments to
   anything earthly, and to surrender all our heart to the Lord God,
   fulfilling His Will in everything, and not our own; to love God with
   all the soul means always to have all our mind in Him, to stablish all
   our heart in Him, and to submit all our will to His Will in all
   circumstances of life, both joyful and sorrowful; to love God with all
   our strength means to love Him so that neither any opposing power nor
   any circumstance of life, neither tribulation nor distress, nor
   persecution, nor peril, nor the sword, nor height, nor depth, [794]
   shall be able to separate us from the love of God; to love God with all
   our understanding means always to think of God, of His mercy,
   long-suffering, holiness, wisdom, omnipotence, of His works, and to
   withdraw ourselves by every means from thoughts of vanity and from evil
   recollections. To love God means--to love righteousness with all our
   soul, and to hate iniquity, as it is said: "Thou hast loved
   righteousness and hated iniquity" [795] ; to love God means--to hate
   oneself, that is, our old carnal man: "If any man come to Me, and hate
   not his own life, he cannot be My disciple." [796] In us, in our
   thoughts, in our hearts and in our will, there is an evil power
   extraordinarily living and active, which always, every day and every
   moment, endeavours to estrange us from God, suggesting thoughts,
   desires, cares, intentions, undertakings, words and acts of vanity,
   exciting the passions and forcibly instigating us to them, namely, to
   malice, envy, covetousness, pride and ambition, vanity, slothfulness,
   disobedience, obstinacy, deceit and intemperance. To love God means--to
   fulfil His commandments: "If a man love Me, he will keep My words. He
   that loveth Me not, keepeth not My sayings." [797]

   What a wealth the Lord has of light, air, water, earth, and fire--of
   these five material elements, out of which our body is formed, and by
   which it lives! What a wealth of the products of the earth and water!
   And all these are chiefly for the use of man, the king of creatures!
   Thanks be to Thee, our Creator! Glory to Thee, our Providence and our
   Redeemer, Who hast created us after Thine own image and likeness, and
   hast deigned to take our nature upon Thyself!

   In what does the true wealth of a man consist? In his image and
   likeness to God, and not in lands, nor money; neither in various
   earthly sciences and arts, nor in property of various kinds, nor in
   many servants, nor in many clothes, nor, in general, in a multitude of
   earthly blessings, for all these are corruptible and temporal; whilst
   the soul--the image of God--is eternal, and its riches are--virtue,
   holiness, humility, gentleness, temperance in all things, faith, hope,
   and love.

   When I gaze in meditation and with faith upon the holy icons in church,
   and upon all its appurtenances, then I am lost in wonderful
   contemplation; the whole temple appears to me to be sacred history in
   action, a wonderful scripture of the works of God, accomplished in the
   human race. Here I see the history in action of our fall and of our
   restoration by God's wonderful ordering, and our elevation by the
   Lord's incarnation, our being made godly, and our exaltation into
   heaven; here I picture to myself the archangel Gabriel announcing the
   Birth of the Son of God of the Virgin; here I see the Birth itself of
   the Child God, the Virgin Mother, the manger at Bethlehem; here is the
   Circumcision; there is the Baptism; further is the meeting of the Child
   God in the temple by Simeon; there is the Transfiguration of our Lord,
   and the effusion of light on Mount Thabor; there the Entrance into
   Jerusalem of the righteous Saviour, meek King; the Lord's Supper, and
   the institution of the all-saving Sacrament of the Holy Communion;
   there are the all-saving sufferings of the Lord of glory; I see as
   though it were Golgotha itself, and the Lord crucified for the sins of
   the world; I see the descent into hell of the Conqueror of hell, and
   the deliverance of the captives of hell, His Resurrection, Ascension
   into heaven, all for the sake of mankind, and for my sake. In the
   church I am lost in Divine contemplation, and thank the Lord for having
   so greatly loved me, for having so greatly honoured and blessed me. But
   when I look within myself--in my own heart, my God, what do I see! I
   see an abyss of voluntary and involuntary sins, an abyss of
   infirmities, temptations, afflictions, oppressions, fears, snares of
   the enemy, impenetrable darkness, thousands of falls, thousands of
   destructions and deaths. Sometimes I see within myself the very hell
   itself.

   The whole power, character, and craftiness of the Devil's temptations
   to men consist in the fact that he has enticed and entices, has incited
   and incites, men to love the world and that which is in it--the vain
   wisdom of this world, riches, glory, distinctions, earthly
   delights--and to turn away from God, from the heavenly kingdom and
   bliss, to love vain earthly things, to strive to invent and acquire as
   many of them as possible, and to despise the soul and its real
   requirements, to love the flesh, its health, colour, beauty, carnal
   sensuality, and to hate the soul--that is, virtue--to forget the
   immortality of the soul, its Prototype--God, so that it should not even
   think of immortality and of the way that leads to immortality, of God,
   and of union with Him. Blessed are the Saints of God who despised the
   world and loved God, who despised the flesh and diligently cared for
   their souls, for that which is eternal. How pitiful, how accursed are
   we, who love the world and its vain blessings, who cherish the flesh
   and despise the soul!

   If some Christians cannot comprehend our Orthodox faith, its
   Sacraments, it proves that the minds and hearts of such persons are too
   impure and passionate to bear its purity and brightness, just as sick
   eyes cannot bear the light of the sun. This heavenly treasure can only
   be comprehended by the hearts of those who free their minds and
   feelings from worldly attachments.

   If all pastors or priests of God, and their flocks, prayed sincerely
   and unanimously, with one accord, by means of those prayers, which the
   Church utters aloud to us or says secretly, then what should we not
   entreat of God? What blessings should we not obtain, from what sins and
   passions, evil, misfortunes and disasters should we not be saved? These
   prayers are the most wise, expedient, most pleasing to God, the most
   powerful and capable of inclining the Lord to every mercy. May the Lord
   grant to us all to pray to Him unanimously, sincerely, powerfully,
   undistractedly!

   Those who attend the Divine service of the Orthodox Church, and study
   the science of Divine service, must bear in mind that the service here
   on earth is a preparation for all-rejoicing service to God in heaven;
   that in serving God with the body, it is still more necessary to serve
   God with the soul and with a pure heart; that in hearing the Divine
   service, they must learn to serve God as those Saints served Him, whose
   lives and works of faith, hope, and love we hear of during the Divine
   service; that God should be above all served by deed and truth, and not
   only by words and the tongue. We are called to serve God by our very
   being: we are given an upright stature in order that we may continually
   look upon God, thank and glorify Him; our understanding, heart, will,
   and all feelings are given to us for the same purpose.

   Lord! grant that T may ever pour forth my supplications to Thee for the
   whole world and for the fulfilment of the requests of the whole Church,
   with all comprehensive, unfeigned love, for by Thy grace I have to pray
   for the sins of all and for mine own. Grant, O Lord, God the Father,
   that I may contemplate Thine unspeakable love unto the world,
   manifested in giving unto us Thy beloved, Only-begotten Son. Grant, O
   God, Son of God, that I may contemplate Thine exhaustion in the world
   and on the cross for the sake of our salvation; grant, O God, the Holy
   Ghost, that I may contemplate Thy grace, abundantly outpoured and still
   being outpoured upon the world, for the sake of the merits of the Lord
   Jesus Christ, and so often filling even my sinful heart; O Holy
   Trinity, grant that I may continually glorify Thee with my heart and
   mouth, and above all by my deeds!

   Those who reject fasting forget from what the falling into sin of the
   first men proceeded (from intemperance), and what means against sin and
   temptation were indicated to us by the Saviour, when He Himself was
   tempted in the desert (He fasted forty days and nights); they do not
   know, or do not wish to know, that a man most frequently falls away
   from God through intemperance, as was the case with the inhabitants of
   Sodom and Gomorrah, and with Noah's contemporaries--for intemperance is
   the cause of every sin in men; those who reject fasting take away from
   themselves and from others the arms against their flesh, with its
   manifold passions, and against the Devil, both of which are especially
   powerful against us through our intemperance; therefore they are not
   soldiers of Christ, for they throw down their arms and give themselves
   up willingly as prisoners to their sensual and sin-loving flesh;
   lastly, they are blind and do not see the connection between the causes
   and the consequences of acts.

   We should never forget that we are fallen, impure, corrupt creatures,
   guilty before the God of righteousness, and that we ought always to
   humble ourselves deeply before Him and before one another. This is
   instilled into us by the daily prayers of the Church, such as: God, be
   merciful to me a sinner . . . . O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God . . . .
   O Heavenly King .... Holy God .... Most Holy Trinity .... Our Father
   .... the morning and evening prayers, and nearly all the prayers.
   Accordingly, let all young people who are learning know and remember
   that they come from a sinful root, and are themselves subjected to
   every kind of sin, and lay this knowledge as a foundation for all other
   knowledge, and, knowing much, let them not pride themselves upon this,
   but strive above all for the cleansing of their soul and body.

   Love your earthly country and the Father of this country, for it has
   educated you, enlightened you, distinguished and honoured you, and has
   provided yon with everything; but especially love the heavenly country,
   the Father of the future life; that country is incomparably more to be
   honoured and dearer than this one, for it is holy and righteous,
   immovable, infinite, incorruptible, beautiful, blessed; because it has
   given and gives you incomparably greater advantages and blessings than
   this earthly one; because the Father of that country is not a mean
   mortal man, but the Eternal God, Who has created everything; it has
   given you the name of a child of God, of an inheritor of God, and a
   joint-heir with Christ; because the heavenly Father will make you a
   partaker of all the blessings of His kingdom, which "eye hath not seen,
   nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man." [798] That
   country has been gained for you by the priceless blood of the Son of
   God. But in order to be a member of it, respect and love its laws, as
   you are obliged to respect, and do respect, the laws of your earthly
   country, for otherwise you cannot become a citizen of so sublime a
   country; love also that spiritually-educating school (the Church),
   which makes us into members and citizens of that country.

   The bodiless enemy fights vigorously against us during Divine service,
   because at this time, by God's grace, through our intermedium,
   regeneration of our souls is accomplished; therefore, do not let be us
   be depressed by the calumnies of the Devil, but let us take courage and
   be strong, looking with our spiritual eyes upon Christ, the Founder of
   all great deeds, invisibly standing before us, and mysteriously
   accomplishing the regeneration of our souls.

   God's Saints are--beautiful, incorruptible, fragrant flowers. Do not
   touch these flowers with lips defiled by sins--that is, pray to them
   with a pure heart and pure lips, not carelessly, not with distracted
   thoughts, but with reverence, and without haste. They are speaking
   heavens; they led a heavenly, wonderful life on earth, doing great
   deeds, they lived in great love, in deep humility, gentleness,
   patience, self-denial, loving God above all things.

   In the Church are all our sweetest hopes and expectations, our peace,
   our joy, together with cleansing and sanctification. It is there that
   the truth of the future resurrection, of the victory over death, is so
   often announced. Who that loves life would not love the Church with all
   his heart! Everything that is best, most exalted, most precious, holy
   and wise, is found in the Church. In the Church--is the ideal of
   mankind; the Church is--heaven upon earth.

   In the Church we are freed from worldly enchantment, and from the
   intoxication of worldly passions and desires; we become enlightened,
   sanctified, cleansed in our souls; we draw near to God, we are united
   with God (" Who, by Thy glorious Childbirth, hast united God the Word
   with men"). [799] How worthily reverenced and loved should the temple
   of God be! How God's Saints loved it!

   We ought not to grieve or become irritated at anything because, by
   frequent vexation and irritability, we form the morally and physically
   very injurious habit of irritability, whilst by bearing opposition with
   equanimity we form the good and useful habit of enduring everything
   calmly and patiently. Many occasions for vexation may arise in this
   life through our innumerable mutual imperfections, and if we were to
   become irritated upon every such occasion, our life could not last more
   than a few months. Besides, matters cannot be set right by vexation and
   irritation, but, on the contrary, only become worse. Therefore, it is
   better to be always calm, even always full of love and respect for
   morally sick humanity, or to speak more particularly in regard to our
   friends, relatives, and subordinates. For man is not an angel, and,
   besides, our life is so constituted that we sin daily, and almost
   involuntarily, even though we do not wish: " For the good that I would,
   I do not; but the evil, which I would not, that I do." [800] And the
   Lord taught us to look indulgently upon the frequent negligences and
   falls of men, having said: "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
   debtors." [801] "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to
   you, do ye even so to them." [802] And who of us does not wish that
   others should behave indulgently and patiently to him in his needs,
   stumblings and falls, negligences and omissions ? This is why the
   apostle also teaches us long-suffering and indulgence: " Charity," says
   the Apostle Paul, " suffereth long, and is kind .... is not easily
   provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, beareth all
   things .... and never faileth." [803]

   Free-thinkers and atheists say that religion, the Church, the Divine
   service, the sacraments and rites, were invented by men in order to
   keep people in fear and submission, and to maintain morality, and,
   perhaps, also in order to collect revenues from them. This is how God's
   mercy and His wonderful ordering for our salvation, the very
   incarnation, sufferings and death of the Son of God for our sakes, are
   blasphemed by the ignorant and free-thinkers who have lost the fear of
   God. But look upon their life; how do they live, and do they live long?
   Having lost their strength and health in dissipation and drunkenness,
   they become prematurely aged, decrepit, dull, fall ill and die.

   Christian love prefers rather to endure all the outward discomforts of
   life, narrowness, want of fresh air, losses, than to allow impatience,
   vexation, irritation, anger, murmuring, through these outward and
   similar discomforts, against those who inconvenience us by living at
   our expense and at the expense of our tranquillity, either through need
   or out of caprice. Love endures everything and bears everything to its
   own detriment, to the detriment of its own material and bodily life:
   for where love is, there is God's grace and every good thing, there is
   tranquillity, there is sufficiency. A Christian suffers everything so
   long as he is not deprived of God's grace, which is the greatest
   blessing to him.

   What spiritual storms, hurricanes, fearful, fiery, sudden whirlwinds
   often occur in the life of man, in the life of those who endeavour to
   lead a Christian life, and to serve God by prayer, interceding for
   themselves and others before His unspeakable mercy! It is only by God's
   mercy that the bark in which our soul travels over life's sea towards
   the eternity awaiting it, is not entirely wrecked and lost!

   A priest ought to endeavour by every means to maintain within himself
   courage, boldness, daring, in spite of the bodiless enemy, who
   continually sows in him his illusive fear, his foolish dread; otherwise
   he cannot be a reprover of human vices, nor a true celebrant of the
   sacraments. Daring is a great gift of God and a great treasure of the
   soul! Courage or boldness plays an important part in earthly warfare,
   for it simply works wonders; but in the spiritual warfare it does far
   more.

   The source of every true joy, of all true tranquillity and peace of
   conscience, of cleansing, of spiritual and bodily healing, the source
   of spiritual power and boldness, flows in the temple, whilst theatres
   and various worldly distractions and consolations can never replace
   that which a true Christian receives in the temple, where God Himself
   comforts the souls of believers and those whose hearts are turned to
   Him, as a mother comforts her child. It is from the temple, too, that
   our departed ones receive consolation and solace, with the cleansing
   from their sins and forgiveness. How ardently we should love the
   temple, how we should adorn it! And so do all those who recognise its
   value; and the Church prays for them, saying: Let us pray for them
   that, with faith, piety, and fear of God, enter in; and further: Let us
   pray for them that bring forth fruit and do good deeds in this holy and
   all-venerable temple; or, Hallow those that love the beauty of Thine
   house. Glorify them in return by Thy Divine might.

   The world is immeasurably great, there are incalculably many beings
   inhabiting it, but what order there is in all its course, in all the
   life of the world (of nature)! Immeasurably great is the world of
   celestial spirits, of Angels, but what order there is in the angelic
   world, what strict fulfilment of the will of God! Great is the human
   world, too, but how much disorder, self-will, how many deformities and
   misfortunes proceeding from these there are in it, misfortunes of
   maladies, of deaths of various kinds--of wars, famine, inundations,
   fires, disasters through storms and bad weather, disasters through
   drunkenness, gluttony, covetousness, falsehood, perjury, suicide,
   murder! They are innumerable! Woe unto us! But how will it be
   there--beyond the grave, in eternity?

   Man is a wonderful, grand, most wise, artistic production of the most
   perfect Artist, God; he was not originally defiled, but incorruptible
   and pure; only sin, that monstrous breed of the spirit of darkness,
   that foul, foolish, and evil power, made him defiled, sickly, impure,
   and corruptible, both in spirit and body, in accordance with his double
   nature. However, the most wise and almighty, the all-merciful Artist
   did not allow His and our enemy to entirely destroy His beautiful and
   grand creation, and made Himself a body like unto ours, and borrowed a
   soul in the womb of His Most Pure Virgin-Mother; by His incarnation,
   His teaching, miracles, sufferings, death and resurrection, by His
   wonderful and most wise orderings, He again restores to the work of His
   hands its former and even greater beauty and glory; He again bestows
   upon it incorruptibility, holiness, and wonderful Divine beauty, and
   raises it to the highest bliss, making human nature godly, and setting
   it with Himself on the throne of the Godhead. Glory be to Thee, most
   merciful, the most wise and almighty Artist!

   O, my invisible Benefactor, by Whom I unceasingly live! Thou who
   hearest me, Thou Who fulfillest for my good all my heart's desires,
   Thou Who savest me from my sins, from the malice of my invisible
   enemies, Thou Who mercifully orderest my destiny, my enlightenment, my
   succour, my glory, my power, my strengthening, when shall I see Thee?
   When shall I see my Benefactor and Creator face to face ? And thou,
   mine enemy, thou Devil, who continually fillest my soul with sin, thou
   who art crafty, flattering, evil, who continually slayest me,
   darkening, weakening me, covering my face with shame and dishonour,
   when shall I entirely free myself from thee, through the grace,
   bounties, and love to mankind of my Lord Jesus Christ ? When will every
   possibility of pouring the poison of thy malice into my heart be taken
   from thee?

   "What do I need?" I need nothing upon earth besides the indispensable.
   What do I need? I need the Lord, I need His grace, His kingdom within
   me. On earth, in this place of my journeying, of my temporary
   instruction, I have nothing of mine own; everything is God's, and
   everything is transitory, is destined for my temporary use; my
   abundance is--the inheritance of my poorer brethren. What do I need? I
   need true, Christian, living, active love? I need a loving heart,
   compassionate towards my neighbours; I need joy at their welfare and
   abundance, sorrow for their sorrows and sickness, for their sins,
   infirmities, disorders, deficiencies, misfortunes, poverty; I need warm
   and sincere sympathy for them in all the circumstances of their lives,
   to rejoice with those who rejoice, and to weep with those who weep. It
   is time that we ceased to give place to our self-love, to egoism, to
   live only for ourselves, to draw everything to ourselves only-- riches
   and pleasures and worldly honours. We ought not to live, but to die; we
   ought not to rejoice, but to suffer, we who bear within ourselves the
   poison of self-love--for self-love is a poison continually poured into
   our heart by the Devil. O, may I exclaim with the Psalmist: " Whom have
   I in heaven but Thee ? and there is none upon earth that I desire in
   comparison of Thee. My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the
   strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." [804] Lord, Thou
   knowest my heart and all its movements, and of the writing of these
   lines--grant me that which I ask of Thee! With me this is impossible,
   but " with Thee all things are possible." [805] Grant me the true life,
   disperse the darkness of the passions, destroy their power by Thy
   power!

   What is the relation between the word and the deed? The word of God
   called the visible and invisible world from non-existence into
   existence; the word in the mouth of God-- the word was deed. Therefore
   the word and the deed ought to be inseparable from each other, as the
   soul and body are inseparable in their being. He who faithfully and
   continually fulfils the word of Christ, with Whom the word is the deed,
   can even now accomplish great and wonderful deeds, and everything obeys
   His word: the demons obey Him, maladies are cured, and human morality
   is taught.

   The cross is in Christ, and Christ is on the cross; the cross is the
   image of the crucified Christ, the Son of God, and therefore the sign
   of the cross and even its shadow are terrible unto the demons, as the
   sign of Christ Himself, as the shadow of Him, crucified. Therefore it
   is very important to sanctify the water by immersing the cross in it;
   through this it becomes healing, and drives away demons.

   A Christian is--the vessel of God, the temple of God, the house of God.
   O, how worthy of honour is the true Christian, how zealously he ought
   to shun every sin, and how greatly Christians ought to respect one
   another!

   The most abominable enemy endeavours to destroy love by love itself:
   love for God and our neighbour--by love for the world, for its fleeting
   blessings and its corrupt, impious habits, by carnal love, by the love
   of riches, of honours, of pleasure, of various amusements. Therefore
   let us extinguish every love for this world in ourselves, and let us
   kindle in ourselves, by self-denial, love for God and our neighbour.
   Every beauty in this world (personal beauty) is only a faint,
   insignificant shadow of the uncreated beauty, of the unspeakable
   goodness of God's face; every earthly enjoyment is nothing in
   comparison to future delights. I pray, Lord, that the faith of Christ
   may penetrate into the depths of my heart, that Christ's Gospel may
   penetrate all my thoughts, feelings, words, and deeds, into all my
   bones and my brains, and not me only, but all men, as the universal
   truth, the highest wisdom, and the life eternal. " And this is life
   eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus
   Christ, Whom Thou hast sent." [806]

   How fragrant are the bones of the Saints! What a wonderful perfume the
   relics of God's Saints emit! What a great blessing it is to gain the
   sweet-smelling grace of the Holy Ghost and the life eternal! Why do we
   run after corruption? Why have we loved the stink of sins, of poisonous
   passions?

   Lord in our prayers to Thee, we ask the intercession of the Saints,
   these spiritual sweet scents, that fragrance of Thy perfumes! Accept
   their prayers for us, fragrant with love and purity, and save us from
   the evil odour of sins, for our hearts are unclean and our mouths
   impure, and we are unworthy of most sweet converse with Thee.
   Everything in us is--earthly, corrupt, impure, and evil, whilst they,
   Thy Saints, are the purest fragrance; and, above all, Thy Most Pure
   Mother, Thy living, light-bearing abode, She is purer than all the
   brightness of the sun, more fragrant than all perfumes, for heaven and
   earth are full of the fragrance of Her holiness and of Her Divine
   virtues.

   Pronounce the Name of God with the deepest reverence, remembering, that
   everything was brought by God from non-existence into existence, and
   that everything which exists is maintained in good order solely by His
   mercy, omnipotence, and wisdom. Pronounce with the deepest reverence
   the Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, " by Whom all things were
   made, and all things are governed; Who, until now, upholds all things
   by the word of His power"; [807] Who produces times and seasons --
   summer, autumn, winter, and spring; Who brings forth all the fruits of
   the earth, peoples the earth with men and animals, the air with birds,
   the sea, the lakes, and rivers with fishes; Who multiplies the human
   race and provides it with all blessings--saves it from sins and evil
   spirits, and prepares an abode for those who love Him in the Kingdom of
   Heaven; Who, until now, makes the luminaries light the earth or
   moderate the darkness of the night; Who diffuses such vivifying air for
   all living creatures to breathe; Who has given such wonderful
   properties to fire, that it warms, burns, and lights; Who created the
   earth, capable of easily revolving round such an immense planet as the
   sun, as well as on its own axis; capable of generating innumerable
   sorts of plants; water, capable of being turned into an innumerable
   variety of juices in an innumerable multitude of fruits, trees, shrubs,
   and grasses. "Our God doeth wondrous things." [808] He is all-good and
   almighty, most wise, the God of mercy, bounties, and love to men.
   "There is none like unto Thee, O Lord!" [809] Reverently pronounce also
   the Name of the Most Pure Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the
   Ever-Virgin Mary, Who gave birth to Him for our salvation; through Her,
   by the Lord's grace, we were found worthy of innumerable blessings: of
   the forgiveness of sins, of sanctification, of enlightenment, of
   renewal, deliverance from eternal death, of elevation to heaven, of
   becoming the sons of God, of being made godly, and of inheriting life
   eternal. Reverently pronounce the names of Christ's Apostles, who were
   His eye-witnesses and His servants, who carried His Divine teachings
   throughout all the world, who implanted and spread throughout the earth
   the saving faith and Church of Christ -- faith in renewal and
   salvation; also the names of the martyrs, who were born by their blood
   into eternal life, of the venerable Fathers, who, by the mortification
   of their flesh, mortified in themselves the sins and passions, and
   attained blessed renewal and eternal life; also the names of the
   un-mercenary, who, by their disinterestedness, obtained for themselves
   the priceless treasures of the spirit and of eternal life; and the
   names of all the Saints.

   This very flesh which we cherish, rest, gratify, and adorn so much,
   is--the enemy of our soul, a very crafty and dangerous enemy; it
   continually resists the love of God, the will of God, the commandments
   of God, and longs to fulfil its own will, and nearly always succeeds in
   doing so; unless the Lord God, in His merciful and wise providence for
   our salvation, opposes a powerful obstacle to this. We must ever
   crucify this flesh with its passions and lusts, and not cherish it; we
   must mortify it by fasting, by watchfulness, prayer, work; and exercise
   the soul by reading the Word of God, by pious meditation and prayer.

   I feel bright, warm, and tranquil, when I turn with my whole soul to
   the mental sun, the Sun of righteousness, to Christ my God. Then the
   ice of my heart melts, all its darkness, impurity, and corruption,
   vanish; spiritual death flees, heavenly life reigns in its stead, and
   nothing earthly occupies me any longer.

   "Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience." [810] The
   holy, Divine, most heavenly Christian faith requires a pure heart in
   order that it may act beneficially upon man's whole being, for it
   cannot dwell and produce beneficial changes in an impure heart if the
   man does not correct himself of his vices. This is also why, in
   Christianity, many are called, but few are chosen. Many call themselves
   Christians, but few are really such; few bring forth the fruits of the
   Kingdom of God; this is why, even amongst Christians, there are so many
   atheists, free-thinkers; so many who are superstitious, covetous,
   sensualists, fornicators, drunkards, thieves, and so on. It is not the
   fault of the religion that some Christians are such, but it is those
   who bear the Name of the Christ that are guilty in their carelessness
   for their religion and its rules, in their impurity and attachment to
   earthly things, owing to which they cannot find room in their impure
   hearts for the purest heavenly treasure--the faith of Christ-- and are
   lost at the very source of salvation. Woe unto us, ungrateful,
   evil-natured, sophistical, vain, sensual, and slothful creatures! Lord,
   what shall we do? Conquer us by Thy mercy, by Thy love, by Thy great
   wisdom; destroy the subtility of our flesh, vanquish our malice by the
   power of Thy goodness!

   Every man on earth is sick with the fever of sin, with the blindness of
   sin, is overcome by the fury of sin; and as sins mostly consist in
   malice and pride, it is necessary to treat everyone who suffers from
   the malady of sin with kindness and love. This is an important truth,
   which we often forget. We often, very often, act in opposition to this
   truth; we add malice to malice by our anger, we oppose pride to pride.
   Thus, evil grows within us and does not decrease; it is not cured, but
   rather spreads. Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon mankind!

   It was through the eating of the forbidden fruit in Paradise that
   mankind acquired the cruel sickness of the soul, attachment to this
   transitory life, to earthly blessings and pleasures, that most
   destructive division of the heart between God and the world, between
   good and evil. And as earthly blessings cannot satisfy the soul,
   created for delighting in spiritual, eternal, infinite blessings, and
   they are not equally distributed amongst all--so that through passion
   or blind attachment some gain possession of very many of them, whilst
   others have very few, and some even, none at all--therefore, from this
   proceeds eternal sin, enmity and death for possession; hence the envy
   and ill-feeling between separate individuals and nations, hence wars
   and bloodshed, hence the luxury of some and the extreme poverty of
   others, the surfeiting of some and hunger of others, the seeking for
   conspicuous, advantageous places by some and the oppression of others,
   hence thefts, extortion, and every kind of evil. This is what the
   eating of the forbidden fruit has done; it has occasioned so much evil
   that it is impossible to escape from it. And if the Son of God had not
   been incarnated, and had not suffered and died for our salvation, then
   all mankind would have remained in endless, inconsolable, and
   unimaginable woe; for all would have been lost in their sins, and
   everlasting wailing and gnashing of teeth in hell, without any hope of
   salvation, would have been their lot, to which everlasting torments
   impenitent sinners are even now doomed.

   Being occupied with vanity and vain pleasures, you have neither the
   time nor the desire to penetrate into the spirit of the Christian
   religion, of the Christian Divine Service, and to know the rules of the
   Church, the purpose of the festivals of the Orthodox Church, of the
   fasts, and, in particular, the signification of every week of the great
   Lent, or of the historical reminiscences connected with each week. You
   sometimes know by heart a play that is given at a theatre, of how many
   acts or scenes it consists, what are its contents in general and in
   particular; yet you do not know the essence of the sacraments, although
   they give eternal life, and the unspeakable blessings of that life to
   those who receive them worthily. You do not know the essence of the
   Divine Service of the holy Orthodox Church--your Mother, who nourishes,
   warms, purifies, sanctifies, and strengthens you upon her holy,
   maternal bosom. You do not know the nature and signification of the
   Evening and Morning Services, nor the Liturgy, the usual psalm-singing,
   the readings and rites of the Church. Some people justify play-acting,
   and call it instructive and moral, or harmless, or at least a lesser
   evil in comparison with drunkenness and profligacy; and with this
   object they endeavour to organise theatrical performances everywhere.
   It is wonderful that Christians have not found any better way of
   spending their precious time than the theatre, which both by its origin
   and meaning preserves, even up to now, a heathenish, idolatrous
   character; a character of vanity, frivolity--a character showing in
   itself, in general, the fullest reflection of all the passions and
   deformities of this world: of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the
   eyes, and of the pride of life; and only seldom, very seldom,
   represents the valour of the sons of their country, and even then, of
   course, of an earthly country, and not of the heavenly one. Everything
   heavenly, holy, bearing the stamp of Christianity, is foreign to the
   theatre; and if it does sometimes appear on the stage, then it is made
   the subject of ridicule. The very name of God, terrible to every
   creature, is only pronounced there heedlessly, with derision and
   scoffingly; the sacred calling--for instance, the monastic calling, the
   angelic calling--is turned into ridicule; the respect for authorities,
   for parents, and the clergy is prejudiced when any reprehensible
   actions of such persons are publicly turned into ridicule, and this
   before the whole of society, before thoughtless young people, even
   before children, to whom the names of their parents and superiors ought
   to be sacred. One disrespectful or unbecoming word concerning their
   elders is sometimes sufficient to prejudice the respect due to them.
   Have Christians become so thoughtless that they can find no better
   means of spending their precious time than in the theatres, for which
   they leave even the God's temple, the Divine Service? And the precious
   festival time, given by God for instruction in the Holy Scriptures, in
   salutary reflections, and in virtuous actions, they fritter away in
   laughter and stupid applause in the theatres. No; say what you like,
   theatres are an ungodly institution. Only penetrate into their spirit
   and you will agree that they are schools of incredulity, mockery, of
   the insolent ridicule of everything, and that they are depravity. Woe
   unto that society in which there are many theatres, and which loves to
   frequent them! Occasionally, it is true, the theatre is the lesser evil
   for those who love evil. Lend an ear to popular opinion, to the opinion
   of those who have visited the theatre many times; they do not hesitate
   to say that theatres lead to depravity. Only the blind, "In whom the
   god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,"
   [811] say that a theatre is moral. No; Christians ought to
   perseveringly study their religion; they ought to read the Gospel more
   frequently, to study the Divine Service, to fulfil the commandments and
   the rules of the Church; to read the writings of the Holy Fathers,
   religious publications, in order to become imbued with the spirit of
   Christianity, and to live in a Christian manner. Such should be your
   occupations and recreations.

   O how bitter were my sins to Thee, Christ, my God and my Saviour, when
   Thou wast buffeted, scourged, spit upon; when Thy head was pierced with
   thorns and Thou wast nailed to the cross for my sake; when Thou hungest
   on the cross, in unspeakable torments, to save me from the most bitter,
   unspeakable torments of hell! But I ought to call to mind more
   frequently this Thy self-exhaustion, these Thy sufferings, in order not
   to commit sin, and to zealously fulfil all virtue in order to love Thee
   with all my heart, to fulfil Thy saving commandments. Meanwhile, I
   often forget this awful sacrifice, offered for me by the Only Begotten,
   unoriginate, co-eternal Son of the Heavenly Father. Grant unto me then,
   Lord, a pure heart and unchangeable repentance, leading to salvation;
   grant that I may find favour in Thy sight during the remainder of my
   life!

   "Have you often culled upon Me sincerely in prayer?" says God to the
   sinner. "Have you often thanked Me with a sincere heart for Mine
   innumerable benefits, surpassing every imagination? Have you often
   offered Me the sincere sacrifice of praise in order that T might again
   and again pour upon you My mercies? But what shall 1 do with your
   depravity, with your corruption, with your perverted mind and heart,
   with your will, hourly inclined to evil and vice!*" "Whom the Lord
   loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth." [812]
   "Thus, do not be cast down, you who are reproved, chastened by Me, but
   endure." "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but
   grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
   righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." [813]

   The celebration of the Divine Liturgy requires an elevated soul, or a
   man with an elevated soul, not bound by any worldly passions, desires,
   and attachments to earthly delights; whose heart is wholly embraced by
   the flame of the Holy Ghost, by ardent love for God and mankind, for
   every human soul, and, above all, for the Christian soul, so that with
   a sincere heart he may ever rise to God in prayer: "I am come to send
   fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?" [814]
   This fire was sent down from heaven upon the Apostles in the form of
   tongues of fire. This fire is also necessary for us, for our frozen
   hearts, in order to warm, soften, to melt them again and again, to
   continually cleanse them, in order to enlighten and renew them. Where
   is there to be found such a worthy priest who, like the Seraphim, would
   burn before the Lord with love, praise, and gratitude for His marvels
   of mercy and wisdom manifested unto us and within us? I am the greatest
   of sinners in unworthily celebrating this most heavenly Sacrament, for
   I have ever an impure heart, bound by desires and attachments to
   earthly delights. Lord, Thou seest the depths of our hearts; but "Thou
   shalt purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; Thou shalt wash me and
   I shall be whiter than snow." [815] "It is not wonderful if Thou hast
   mercy upon the pure; and it is not a great thing if Thou savest the
   righteous, but show the wonders of Thy mercy upon me, a sinner! " [816]

   Lord! I thank Thee with my whole heart for having saved me an
   innumerable multitude of times from the shamefulness, violence, and
   cruelty of the passions, and for having quenched in me the fiery arrows
   of the evil one, and for having guarded my soul with peace, refreshing
   it with the dew of Thy grace. Glory to Thee, most merciful and
   Almighty, that by Thy grace I still remain whole and unharmed, in spite
   of the innumerable wiles of the invisible and most evil enemies
   endeavouring to devour me! I believe and know that Thou, Lord, wilt
   deliver and save me from all their snares and calumnies by ways known
   unto Thee, and wilt grant Thy heavenly kingdom to me, and not to me
   only, but to all those who live piously and are subjected to the
   calumnies of the spirits of evil; for to Thee it appertains to be
   merciful and to save those who desire to be saved, and even those who
   do not desire to be saved. ''Save me," it is said, "whether I wish or
   do not wish to be saved." [817]

   "Let us pray to the Lord for the salvation of our souls." [818] He who
   sincerely watches over himself continually notices that our soul is
   destroyed by various sins, sleeps the deadly sleep of sin, is
   continually taken captive by the Devil, is bound by the strong fetters
   of the passions; he notices this and sighs, and prays fervently to the
   Lord for the salvation of the souls redeemed by the precious blood of
   Christ. Thus our souls are daily destroyed by malice, envy, harsh
   judgment, covetousness, love of pleasure, gluttony and drunkenness,
   fornication, slothful-ness and negligence, despondency and murmuring
   ignorance, impure language, idle speaking, frivolity, free-thought,
   rebellion, insolence, self-will, and other passions. We pray for "the
   peace from above, for there is no rest [peace] in our bones because of
   our sins." [819]

   By means of its Divine service, the Orthodox Church educates us for
   heavenly citizenship, by teaching us every virtue, exemplified by the
   lives of the Mother of God, and of all the Saints, by purifying,
   sanctifying, and making us godly through the sacraments, and by giving
   "unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness." [820]
   Therefore, it is urgently necessary for us to frequent intelligently,
   reverently, and willingly the Divine services especially on the
   festivals, and to take part in the sacraments of penitence and Holy
   Communion. But those who withdraw themselves from the Church and the
   Divine services become the victims of their passions and are lost.

   With what maternal, or rather Divine love the Church as though daily
   carries us in her arms, unceasingly raising to the Lord prayers for us
   all--in the evening, at midnight, in the morning, and about mid-day.
   She teaches us, cleanses us, sanctifies us, heals and strengthens us
   through the sacraments, guides us by every means in the tenderest and
   gentlest manner to salvation and eternal life. Blessed are those
   priests and ministers who understand this love and this care of the
   Church for the salvation of her children, and endeavour to appropriate
   unto themselves her spirit, to live by this spirit, to breathe by this
   spirit, both within and without the Church, and to offer prayers and
   praises, and celebrate the Divine services of the Church with heartfelt
   attention and reverence, remembering that through all this they save
   both themselves and their flock!

   What a grand creature is man--what a wonderful creation of God, created
   after His own image! If even in a fallen state lie is capable of
   accomplishing the many wonderful works which he has produced and still
   produces, as we constantly see, both in history and in the present
   time, then of what might he not be capable in a state of holiness and
   perfection! But that which in him is above all deserving of attention,
   wonder, reverence, and the most heartfelt gratitude is that he may be
   likened to his Creator--God; that he is predestined to immortality, to
   eternal bliss in God, and with God; that he will some day shine forth,
   like the sun, in the kingdom of his heavenly Father. The Lord,
   foreseeing this glory of His faithful chosen ones, says: "Then [at the
   second coming] shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the
   kingdom of their Father." [821]

   During the oblation, the whole Church, in Heaven and upon earth--the
   Church of the first-born, inscribed in the heavens, and the Church
   militant, fighting against the enemies of salvation upon earth--is
   typically represented assembled around the Lamb, who took upon Himself
   the sins of the world. What a great spectacle, enrapturing and moving
   the soul! Is it possible that I too am among this assembly of saints;
   that I too am redeemed by the Lamb of God; that I too am the joint heir
   with the saints, if I remain faithful to the Lamb until death? Are not
   all my brethren too members of this heavenly holy assemblage, and joint
   heirs of the future kingdom? O, how widely my heart should expand in
   order to contain all within itself, to love all, to care for all, to
   care for the salvation of all as for mine own! This is wisdom and the
   highest wisdom. Let us be simple; let us walk in simplicity of heart
   with all. Let us remember our high calling and election, and let us
   continually aspire to the honour of God's heavenly calling through
   Christ Jesus. "We are the children of God, heirs of God, and joint
   heirs with Christ." [822]

   Do not observe the sins of others, and do not behave inimically,
   inwardly or outwardly, towards those who sin, but represent to yourself
   your own sins, and heartily repent of having committed them,
   considering yourself in reality worse than all. Pray lovingly for those
   who sin, knowing that we are all inclined to every sin.

   A true Christian behaves in this life so that it may be a preparation
   for the future one, and not only a life here below. In his actions he
   does not think what will be said of him here, but of what will be said
   there in Heaven; he represents to himself that he is always in the
   presence of God, of the angels and all the saints, and remembers that
   some day they will bear witness of his thoughts, words, and deeds.

   By my love for God and my neighbour I belong to heaven, I am heavenly;
   whilst by worldly cares, especially by worldly attachments, I belong to
   the earth, I am earthly, devilish. "Lord and Master of my life, grant
   unto me, Thy servant, the spirit of love." [823]

   Love. With love for God and your neighbour in your heart you will
   possess all things and will lack nothing; for where love is, there is
   God; and God is everything to us, and chiefly our life, peace,
   sweetness, and blessedness. It is strange and pitiable to see through
   what vain causes the Devil deprives us of love for God and our
   neighbour: through earthly dust, in the strict sense of the word--the
   countless dust which we trample under feet: through money, food, and
   drink, dress, houses, honours, through all these things which pass
   away, together with their mother, the earth, and with our own much
   cared for bodies, which are also nothing but dust.

   Remember the Love that laid down His life for men, and do not spare
   your very life itself for your brother, but unmercifully crucify your
   carnal man, who turns you away from sacrificing yourself for your
   brother.

   Greedy, covetous miser! is it money, is it bread that has given you
   life? Is it not God? Is it not His word which gave being and life to
   you and all other creatures? Does not the Son of God uphold "all things
   by the word of His power?" [824] Do money and bread, water and wine
   alone support your life? Does not man live "by every word that
   proceedeth out of the mouth of God"? [825] Are not money and bread mere
   dust? Is not bread the least of the things necessary for supporting our
   life? Everything was created and is supported by the word. The word is
   the source and preservation of life.

   The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost--God in the Trinity--is
   glorified by all His creatures, by the angelic assemblies unceasingly
   singing the Thrice Holy hymn, and by the holy Church of Christ, the
   holy apostles, martyrs, prelates, reverend fathers, the righteous, and
   all the saints--by the whole visible world, by all living Christiana,
   by the whole world. The truth of the Trinity of the Godhead surrounds
   us upon all sides, like the air that we breathe, and with which we are
   wholly penetrated. Is it possible, after this, to have any doubt in the
   Divinity of the Son, or of the Holy Ghost? How many works do we see
   accomplished in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
   Ghost? How many powers of the Holy Ghost have we experienced, and still
   experience upon ourselves? The Holy Ghost is the spiritual air of
   reasonable creatures. What ordinary air is in relation to physical
   bodies, such is the Holy Ghost to reasonable and free creatures. He
   fills, enlivens, and enlightens them, endues them with wisdom, and
   strengthens them. The Son of God is to us "the way, the truth, and the
   life;" [826] the rest-- (" I will give you rest" [827] ); the joy--(" I
   will see you again and your heart shall rejoice.") [828] We have
   experienced and experience this in ourselves. Shall we listen, after
   this, to him who would suggest the contrary ? Is it not the inward
   whispering of the evil spirit, of that dark spirit breathing falsehood,
   malice, despondency, straitness, and fire, which vanishes like smoke or
   dust at the name and before the cross of the Lord ? Shall we listen to
   this dreamer, and shall we be disturbed by his snares? Be firmly
   assured that he is the complete denial of truth. "If I should say I
   know Him [the Father] not, I shall be a liar unto you; but I know Him."
   [829] The mere fact that he always destroys the soul proves that he is
   falsehood, death, and not truth, not life. We only know of one cause of
   death--the Devil. Amen.

   If we call upon the saints with faith and love, then they will
   immediately hear us. The faith is the connecting element on our part,
   and love on theirs, as well as ours; for they are in God, and we are in
   God, Who is Love. [830]

   Why is long-continued prayer necessary? In order that by prolonged,
   fervent prayer we may warm our cold hearts, hardened in prolonged
   vanity. For it is strange to think, and still more so to require, that
   the heart, hardened in worldly vanity, could be speedily penetrated
   during prayer by the warmth of faith and the love of God. No; labour
   and labour, time and time are needed to attain this. "The Kingdom of
   Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." [831] The
   Kingdom of Heaven does not soon come into the heart when men themselves
   so assiduously flee from it. The Lord Himself expresses His will that
   our prayers should not be short, by giving us for an example the
   importunate widow who often came to the judge and troubled him with her
   requests. [832] Our Lord, our Heavenly Father knows, even before we ask
   Him, what things we have need of, [833] what we want; but we do not
   know Him as we ought, for we give ourselves up to worldly vanity,
   instead of committing ourselves into the hands of our Heavenly Father.
   Therefore in His wisdom and mercy He turns our needs into a pretext for
   our turning to Him. "Turn ye, My wandering children, even now unto Me,
   to your Father, with your whole hearts. If before you were far from Me,
   even now, at least, warm by faith and love to Me your hearts which were
   formerly cold."

   Worthy, sincere, and reverent service to the Lord in the temple,
   accompanied by lively faith, is a source of peace, joy, and blessedness
   to our souls. Thus a reverent priest celebrating the services, the *
   sacraments, and the reading of the prayers, in his very duty itself
   finds the highest delight and blessedness for himself.

   The Word of the Lord is deed, life, being. From Him Who exists comes
   existence; from the Life, life; from the Truth, truth; whilst from the
   Devil, who fell through his illusive pride, who wished to appropriate
   to himself the impossible, and who fell away from life and truth, come
   illusion, falsehood, and death from death.

   Man, they say, is free; he cannot compel himself, or ought not to force
   himself, to any religion or instruction. Lord, have mercy upon us! What
   a diabolical opinion! If they arc not forced, then what will become of
   men after this? What will become of you, the proclaimer of these
   newly-invented rules, if you do not force yourself to that which is
   good, and live as your vicious heart, your proud, short-sighted and
   blind intellect, your sinful flesh, incline you to live? Say, what will
   become of you? Do you not, then, force yourself, I do not say to good,
   but even to that which is your duty and is useful? How can one do
   without forcing oneself? How is it possible not to induce or force
   Christians, too, to fulfil the precepts of religion and piety? Is it
   not said in the Scripture that " the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth
   violence, and the violent take it by force"? [834] And, especially, how
   is it possible not to compel boys to instruction, to prayer? What will
   become of them? Will they not become idlers and good-for-nothing? Will
   they not learn every evil?

   Concerning modern works of charity. If you enjoy earthly blessings in
   full measure, and if you give to the needy, but indulge yourself still
   more, it means that you do good works without the least self-denial.
   Your works of charity are not great. But what else do we find? What are
   so-called works of charity? People arrange different entertainments
   with a charitable object--that is, they intentionally wish before all
   to serve their sinful flesh, the Devil, and only afterwards their
   neighbour and God. But this is no charity at all! Such works only bear
   the name of charity. "Let us do evil, that good may come." [835] "Woe
   unto you that are full, for ye shall hunger! Woe unto you that laugh
   now, for ye shall mourn and weep!" [836]

   When you pray to God and ask of Him various blessings --spiritual,
   heavenly, material, earthly--then, for complete assurance of obtaining
   that which you ask for, or, in general, the blessing mostly needed by
   you, in accordance with the wisdom and grace of God, have in your mind
   and heart the following words of the Saviour:--"Ask, and it shall be
   given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto
   you; for every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth,
   and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of
   you whom, if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? or if he ask
   a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to
   give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father
   Which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" [837]

   When reading certain truths, do not say: "This is not new; this I know;
   I said this myself also." All this is diabolical pride. Such a frame of
   mind savours of the following sophistry: "I know everything, good and
   evil." It almost signifies: " I am omniscient." And many people do not
   read sermons and religious books because they think that they know all
   that is written there--that all that is written there is a repetition
   of what has been known to them long ago; whilst worldly books, in
   which, indeed, there is always the one same empty worldly vanity, they
   read willingly, and sometimes several times over. O, impure flies that
   feed upon carrion!

   The Lord calls all of us to union with His divine nature, and we ought
   to carefully preserve the unity of the spirit in the union of peace, as
   members of Christ's body, as members of one another. "For we are
   members one of another." [838]

   After having worthily celebrated the service and the sacraments, always
   thank the Lord from your whole heart by a short prayer for having found
   you worthy of serving Him, of serving His most loving intentions and
   deeds with all your heart, with faith and love; for our service to our
   Lord, Creator and Redeemer, is the greatest gift and favour to us
   sinners, always bringing forth good fruit, both in those who receive
   through us sanctification and salvation from God, and also in
   ourselves, because it gives us peace, life, and joy. We must always
   thank God for having designed to make us His sinful and unworthy
   servants, His fellow-labourers. As the Apostle says: " We are labourers
   together with God; " [839] the servants and stewards of His Mysteries.
   " Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and
   stewards of the mysteries of God." [840] But meanwhile, what do many of
   us do? They celebrate the service and sacraments, the reading of the
   prayers unwillingly, indolently, negligently, hurriedly, with
   omissions, wishing to finish the holy work quicker, and hasten after
   worldly vanity. What a fearful temptation, and what a grievous sin!
   Involuntarily one remembers the terrible word of God to the neglectful
   fulfillers of His works: "Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord
   deceitfully!" [841] I said, what a fearful temptation! Yes, it is a
   fearful temptation, because, through blindness, we treat with neglect
   the words of the Holy Ghost, breathing in the prayers of the sacraments
   and services--we treat with neglect that which itself would be the
   source of the sweetest peace, of joy in the Holy Ghost, and even the
   source of our own bodily health, did we serve with true zeal and
   attention; for the words of the prayers connected with the services and
   sacraments read with faith, reverence, and the fear of God, calmly,
   with a fervent spirit, have the indubitable and wonderful property of
   vivifying, strengthening, and healing our body itself together with the
   soul. This I know from experience. It is a grievous sin, I say, because
   by celebrating the sacraments carelessly we, through this, mock at the
   Lord's holy things. What must we do, therefore, in order to celebrate
   the sacraments and services worthily, attentively, with a fervent
   spirit ? We must always have living faith that our God--worshipped in
   the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost--is ever with
   us, is looking upon us, and at the first word of our sincere prayer for
   help is ready to help us in the holy work; for the prayer of faith,
   like breathing in relation to our body, is absolutely necessary for us
   while we live upon the earth. What breathing is to the body, the prayer
   of faith is to the soul. By remembering that the Almighty is ever with
   us, and really having Him in our thoughts, and casting away from our
   hearts all earthly thoughts, doubts, cares, and attachments, we shall
   always accomplish God's work worthily.

   Concerning hypocritical prayer. Did the Pharisees think that they
   prayed hypocritically? They did not think so; they considered
   themselves to be right in their hypocrisy itself! It had become their
   habit; it had become, so to say, their nature; and they thought they
   were serving God by their prayer. Do the Christian hypocrites of the
   present day think that they pray and live hypocritically? They do not
   think so. They pray daily perhaps long; they pray out of habit with
   their lips, but not with their hearts, without hearty contrition,
   without a firm desire for amendment, and only in order to fulfil the
   established rule, and "think" that they do "God service," [842] whilst
   by their prayer they only incur the wrath of God. We all more or less
   sin in praying hypocritically, and shall be greatly censured for this.
   Humble yourself, consider yourself as the grass, which is nothing in
   comparison to the ancient oak-trees, or as a prickly thorn, which is
   nothing, which is worthless in comparison to the fragrant and delicate
   flowers; for you are indeed grass; you are indeed a prickly thorn, by
   reason of your passions.

   When you give alms to one who begs of you, and who, apparently, is not
   deserving of, does not require your charity-- owing to which your heart
   grudges him the alms given--repent of this; for the Divine holy Love
   also bestows His blessings upon us, even when we have a sufficiency of
   them already. Love for your neighbour ought to say to you, "Even
   although he has something, still it will do not harm if I add to his
   prosperity (although, to tell the truth, a few pence will not greatly
   add to or amend his fortunes). God gives to me, why then should I not
   give to the needy?" I say to the needy, for who would hold out his hand
   without need ? Had you only received gifts from God in accordance with
   your merits, you would have been a beggar yourself. God is bountiful to
   you, not in accordance with your merits, and you yourself wish that He
   should be bountiful. Why then, having plenty, do you not wish to be
   generous yourself to your brethren?

   Look upon everything in this world as upon a fleeting shadow, and do
   not cling with your heart to anything; do not consider anything in this
   world great, and do not lay your hopes upon anything earthly. Cling to
   the One imperishable, invisible, most wise God. " We look not at the
   things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the
   things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen
   are eternal." [843]

   The mode of curing spiritual sicknesses (the passions) entirely differs
   from the mode of curing of bodily sicknesses. In the latter case,
   attention must be fixed upon the malady; the tender part must be
   treated by softening means--warm water, compresses, etc. But it is not
   so in the case of spiritual sicknesses; so if you have fallen
   spiritually sick, do not pay attention to it, but strike the malady,
   crucify it; do not in any wise indulge it, do not cherish it, do not
   warm it, do quite the reverse to that which it asks you to do. If you
   feel hatred for your neighbour, crucify this passion quickly, and
   immediately begin to love your neighbour; if you have fallen into
   avarice, try to quickly become generous; if you have grown" envious,
   try to quickly become benevolent; if you have fallen into pride,
   quickly humble yourself to the ground; if you have fallen into
   covetousness, praise those who are disinterested, and endeavour to
   become like them; if you are tormented by the spirit of enmity, strive
   after peace and love; if you are overcome by gluttony, quickly strive
   to be abstinent and keep fast. The whole art of curing the diseases of
   the spirit consists in not paying attention to them, and in not in the
   least indulging them, but in immediately cutting them off.

   In reference to the fulfilment of that which you ask of God in prayer,
   believe that it is as easy, and even incomparably easier, for the Lord
   to fulfil each of your words than it is for you to pronounce the words,
   and that if there is the word, there is also the deed; for with the
   Lord there is no word without the deed; no word shall return unto Him
   void, [844] according to His word. Remember constantly during prayer
   that God is That Which Is, and that from Him everything proceeds: both
   the thought concerning anything, and the word concerning anything and
   everything--that He is all wise, almighty, and all gracious.

   How much people lose during their conversation at home for giving life
   to it through not speaking about God! How animated, how fruitful and
   varied their conversation would become through this! Rivers of saving
   words would flow out of the bellies of believers. [845] How edifying,
   how soothing such conversation would be! what true bliss it would
   afford! Whilst now that they do not speak of God in the home circle,
   but only speak of worldly vanity, the conversation soon becomes
   exhausted, people soon feel dull, and then kill the precious time in
   stupid games or dancing. The enemy of mankind has observed this
   weakness in men to occupy themselves with vain, worldly conversation,
   and, in general, to spend their time in vain amusements. He has derived
   and derives an immense advantage from this weakness; he has instituted
   theatres, circuses--the true realisation of vanity, the true derision
   of worldly vanity; and foolish persons inclined to vanity, to
   slothfulness, indolence, willingly frequent these theatres and
   circuses, not finding any better occupation which would afford
   tranquillity and pleasure to their souls. "Vanity of vanities, all is
   vanity. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty
   of man." [846]

   You are ill, and your illness is very painful; you have become
   low-spirited and despondent; you are troubled and tossed with thoughts,
   each darker than the other; your heart and your lips are ready to
   murmur, to blaspheme God! My brother! listen to my sincere advice. Bear
   your illness bravely, and do not merely not despond, but on the
   contrary, rejoice, if you can, in your illness. You would ask me what
   there is for you to rejoice at when you are racked all over with pain?
   Rejoice that the Lord has sent you this temporary chastisement in order
   to cleanse your soul from sins. " For whom the Lord loveth He
   chasteneth." [847] Rejoice in the fact that now you are not gratifying
   those passions which you would have gratified had you been in good
   health; rejoice that you are bearing the cross of sickness, and that
   therefore you are treading the narrow and sorrowful way leading to the
   kingdom of heaven. Maladies in our eyes only appear painful,
   unpleasant, and terrible. It is seldom that any one of us during the
   time of sickness represents to himself the profit which his illness
   brings to his soul; but in God's all wise and most merciful Providence,
   not a single malady remains without some profit to our soul. Sicknesses
   in the hands of Providence are the same as bitter medicines for our
   soul, curing its passions, its bad habits and inclinations. Not a
   single malady sent to us shall return void. Therefore, we must keep in
   view the utility of sicknesses, in order that we may bear them more
   easily and more calmly. "He that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased
   from sin," [848] says the Holy Scripture.

   The Lord's love is greater than a mother's love. My mother bore me in
   her womb, and by God's ordering gave me birth. Afterwards she nourished
   me, fondled me, and carried me in her arms. When I was able to walk by
   myself she left off carrying me in her arms, and still earlier she
   ceased to feed me at her breast; whilst the Lord always, so to say,
   carries me in His bosom: " He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My
   blood, dwelleth in Me," says He, "and I in him"; [849] or "So then
   because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee
   out of my mouth." [850] He always carries me in His arms: " I have
   graven thee upon the palms of My hands; thy walls are continually
   before Me," [851] "Upholding all things by the word of His power."
   [852] He is my power, my sweetness and my joy, the light of my mind and
   my heart. He constantly nourishes me with the many various products of
   the earth, as a mother nourishes her child. He is my "strong food and
   inexhaustible drink." [853] Our parents leave us and we them when we
   grow up, for it is said: " A man shall leave father and mother, and
   shall cleave to his wife," [854] either in the literal sense of the
   words, or figuratively, to Christ, which is the highest and holiest
   love, greater than that of a loving wife;> whilst the Lord, from the
   beginning of our existence until our death, does not leave us for a
   moment--" continually before Me," [855] every moment providing for us
   as a bird provides for her young ones. He is our hope even in death; He
   is our life after death; He is our consolation at His judgment. He will
   not cover us with shame even then, [856] and will lead us into the
   eternal mansions of the heavenly kingdom.

   My brothers and sisters who are preparing for Holy Communion! [857] let
   us fear hardened insensibility to our sins; let us fear the pride of
   our hearts, which says: "I do not need any forgiveness of sins; I am
   not guilty, I am not sinful "; or else: "My sins are trifling, they are
   only human ones "--as though it were necessary that they should be
   diabolical; or: " I do not feel amiss living in my sins." This is the
   pride of Satan, and it is Satan himself speaking these words in our
   hearts. Let us feel deeply, deeply, with our whole hearts, our
   innumerable iniquities; let us sigh for them from the very depths of
   our souls; let us shed tears of contrition for them, in order to
   propitiate to mercy the Master, Whom we have angered. Let us not in the
   least justify ourselves like the Pharisees, the hypocrites: " For in
   Thy sight," it is said, " shall no man living be justified;" [858] and
   we can only propitiate God to be merciful unto us by sincere repentance
   for our sins. Let us put aside indifference and coldness; let us labour
   unto the Lord with a fervent spirit. Do not let us forget that we have
   now come to propitiate the Master of our lives and our righteous Judge
   for a long period of our sinful lives. Is this, therefore, a time for
   any coldness and indifference, which are not approved of even in social
   intercourse, in our relations with our fellow-men? Ought not our soul,
   on the contrary, to be turned into a spiritual fire, and pour itself
   forth in tears of most heartfelt repentance ? O, my God, my God! our
   iniquities have literally increased beyond the number of the hairs of
   our heads, above the number of the sand of the sea, and yet we do not
   feel them, we are indifferent to them; we even do not cease to love
   them. " If Thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall
   stand?" [859] Grant, Lord, unto us all a contrite spirit and a humble
   heart, so that we may offer to Thee true penitence. Amen.

   When your faith in the Lord, either during your life and prosperity, or
   in the time of sickness and at the moment of quitting this life, grows
   weak, grows dim from worldly vanity or through illness, and from the
   terrors and darkness of death, then look with the mental eyes of your
   heart upon the companies of our forefathers, the patriarchs, prophets,
   and righteous ones--St. Simeon, who took the Lord up in his arms, Job,
   Anna the Prophetess, and others; the Apostles, prelates, venerable
   Fathers, martyrs, the disinterested, the righteous, and all the saints.
   See how, both during their earthly life and at the time of their
   departure from this life, they unceasingly looked to God and died in
   the hope of the resurrection and of the life eternal, and strive to
   imitate them. These living examples, which are so numerous, are capable
   to strengthen the wavering faith of every Christian in the Lord and in
   the future life. Those Christian communions who do not venerate the
   saints and do not call upon them in prayer lose much in piety and in
   Christian hope. They deprive themselves of the great strengthening of
   their faith by the examples of men like unto themselves.

   When your spirit is dejected during sickness, and begins to represent
   to you the terrors of death, then tranquillise and comfort your
   troubled, trembling, and sorrowful heart by the following words: "Thou,
   O Lord, in the depths of Thy wisdom and love to men, orderest
   everything and givest unto all everything that is profitable for them,"
   and believe that He will unfailingly order everything for your good,
   whether it be life, sickness, misfortune, sorrow, or death, so that you
   could not even desire better. Do not say: "It is early for me to die. I
   would have wished to live a little longer for the glory of God. for the
   advantage of my relatives and neighbours. I should have liked to look a
   little longer upon the world, to enjoy earthly blessings." Be thankful
   to God for having enjoyed up till now His blessings, favours, and
   bounties. Now submit to His will, to His call, but at the same time do
   not despair of the continuation of your earthly life.

   Through faith and love, through the prayer of faith and love, I can
   include both God and men in my heart. How deep and vast is the human
   heart! How great is man!

   A true shepherd and father of his flock will live in their grateful
   memory even after his death. They will extol him; and the less he cares
   to be extolled here on earth on account of his zealous labours for
   their salvation, the more his glory shall shine after his death: even
   when he is dead he will make them speak of him. Such is the glory of
   those who labour for the common good.

   You are a being who has fallen of your own free will, corrupted by
   sins; this ought to be the most powerful incentive for you to prayer.
   You daily receive the greatest mercies from God; this ought to be a
   powerful incentive to thank God. You daily contemplate the works of the
   omnipotence, wisdom and goodness of God; this ought also to be an
   incentive to daily praise.

   On the manifestation of the pride of Satan in men.--Pride generally
   shows itself chiefly in the fact that the man who is infected with it
   makes himself equal to all, or at any rate to many, who are his
   superiors in age, power, abilities, and cannot bear to be considered
   beneath them. If a proud man is a subordinate, he does not respect his
   chief as he ought, does not like to salute him, does not respect his
   orders, but fulfils them unwillingly, only out of fear. He makes
   himself equal to all educated people, and does not acknowledge anyone's
   superiority over himself, or only acknowledges the superiority of a
   very, very few indeed. If he is a learned or even an unlearned son, he
   does not pay due respect to his parents and benefactors, especially
   those who are simple and rough, considering them equal to or even lower
   than himself. You must take the utmost care not to compare yourself
   with others in any respect, but always to put yourself below others,
   although you may really be better or equal to others in some respects.
   Everything good in us comes from God and is not our own. " And that not
   of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should
   boast." [860] "All these worketh that One and the self-same Spirit,
   dividing to every man severally as He will." [861] And how can we be
   proud of the good that does not belong to us and equal ourselves to
   those who have been placed by God and general confidence higher than
   us? "Therefore, sit not down in the highest room, lest a more
   honourable man than thou be bidden. For everyone that exalteth himself
   shall be abased; and He that humbleth himself shall be exalted." [862]

   When we speak of the God of glory, of His will, of His law, then we
   must entirely forget our own glory and be completely absorbed in the
   contemplation of the glory of God or of His most wise, all-gracious
   will. At such times we should not think of our own imperfections, which
   the Devil puts into our mind and feeling in order to lower us in our
   own eyes and to plunge us into false shame, despondence, and despair.
   We must remember that there is no perfection in anything upon earth,
   nor in any earthly glory: " For we know in part, and we prophesy
   [preach] in part." [863] And he who is ashamed and blushes for his
   imperfection is ashamed of a phantom, appearing to him in his own
   imagination, and is proud of his imaginary perfections.

   I have seen and heard men relate maliciously and malevolently the dark
   spots in the life and activity of great and even holy men, and condemn,
   on account of such imaginary or real dark spots, the whole life of such
   men, calling them hypocrites and almost apostates. They will even
   present to you facts; only these facts are as dark and doubtful as
   their own suspicious, cunning souls, which would like to find an
   imaginary justification for their own vicious deeds in the spots, sins,
   and weaknesses of others. But such people do not justify themselves,
   but only increase their own condemnation by beholding the mote in their
   brother's eye and judging him, not considering the beam (truly a beam)
   in their own eye. [864] You say: "There are such and such sins in this
   holy father, or in that pious man." What of that? He is a man, and no
   man is sinless. " If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
   and the truth is not in us." [865] Are you yourself sinless? If not,
   then why do you cast the stone of condemnation at your brother? If I
   were to examine your life, in accordance with the Word of God, I should
   convict you by your own words of innumerable and grievous sins: of
   pride, presumption, unbelief, love of money, adultery, and of the
   misinterpretation of the Word of God and of God's commandments, of
   coldness to your faith, and of what not besides. I should perhaps find
   that the whole of your body is dark, because the eye of your heart is
   evil. O, how revolting to me is this devilish rejoicing at the sins of
   your neighbour, these infernal endeavours to prove their real or
   imaginary weaknesses! And yet people who act thus dare to say that they
   respect and strive with all their might to fulfil the commandment
   concerning love for God and their neighbour! What sort of love is it,
   when they intentionally wish to see and find dark spots even in great
   and holy persons---when they blacken the whole life of such persons for
   a single sin, and do not wish to hide their neighbour's sin, if,
   indeed, it really exists ? Have they forgotten that "charity endureth
   all things?" [866] What an amount of evil these moral worms do
   themselves and others! They prejudice the lawful respect of others for
   a renowned person, darken his light for them, hinder them from
   imitating him, and trouble their minds with thoughts of condemnation;
   and harm themselves, too, by receiving from the Devil the poison of
   judging their neighbour. Brother! "Who art thou that judgest another
   man's servant ? To his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall
   be holden up: for God is able to make him stand." [867]

   Having invoked the Holy Ghost upon the Holy gifts lying before you, and
   having sanctified them by the prayer of consecration (during the
   Liturgy), remember that heaven and earth shall pass away, but the words
   of the Lord shall not pass away; [868] and that the bread and wine have
   absolutely changed into the Body and Blood of the Lord, by the will of
   the Lord Himself and by the operation of the Holy Ghost, even if the
   officiating priest should be unworthy through any infirmity.

   Concerning forcing ourselves to all that is good.--" The kingdom of
   heaven," it is said, "suffereth violence, and the violent take it by
   force." [869] Therefore it is necessary to continually force ourselves
   to truth and goodness; when praying, we must every moment force
   ourselves to pronounce each word with power, truly from the heart. In
   case of negligence, inattention to our heart, of our not forcing
   ourselves to sincerity, the prayer will be hypocritical, false, and
   impious; we must say the words of the prayer persuasively to ourselves.
   If the words of the prayer are persuasive to our own selves, then they
   will also be persuasive to God; but without persuading yourself do not
   think to persuade God by your prayer to grant you any blessing you ask
   for. God will grant us according to our own heart: [870] the more
   sincerity, the more heartfelt fervour we have when praying, the more
   bountiful will be the gift.

   Remember, man, that you are morally and physically nothing: morally
   because you are wholly sin, passion, infirmity; physically, because
   your body is earthly dust. In order to manifest their humility before
   God in a lively and evident manner, people in the olden times, and even
   some people in the present time, express this by sprinkling ashes upon
   their heads and laying aside their gay apparel, which feeds vanity and
   pride in the immortal human spirit. Remember, therefore, man, that even
   the smallest good in you comes from God, just as the smallest current
   of air within you or which you breathe comes from the air surrounding
   you.

   Glory to the most Holy, consubstantial and life-giving Trinity! When
   the Devil oppresses me with displeasure or hatred against my neighbour
   for any worldly, carnal reason, and I feel distressed and tormented, I
   rise up, and lifting the eyes of my heart to the Holy Trinity, I say:
   "Father, Son, and most Holy Spirit, have mercy upon me," whilst I
   myself look upon the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost as
   upon the very substance of the most Holy Trinity, essentially present
   everywhere, even in a single word, and immediately I feel easy, and the
   enemy flees before the Almighty, everlastingly worshipped Name, and
   vanishes like smoke. "Glory to Thee, most Holy, consubstantial,
   life-giving, and undivided Trinity." [871] Most Holy Trinity! teach me
   how to despise all earthly things, teach me to lay my peace,
   satisfaction, and blessedness in Thee alone! And in order that I may
   not be puffed up on account of the merciful attention of the most Holy
   Trinity to me, and of the salvation granted unto me, may I remember
   that the Holy Trinity is mercifully attentive to every worm, to every
   little bird! Let me also remember that some Christians who have done
   many mighty works in the name of God will some day hear from the Lord
   the words: " Depart from Me, I know you not," [872] on account of their
   un-evangelical life. Most Holy Trinity! preserve me from pride, and
   teach me humility! Thou hearest me and savest me, mercifully and
   speedily, I may become proud through such mercy. I may turn Thine
   infinite goodness and mercy into a pretext for self-praise, as though I
   myself were worthy of such attention, as though I had done some good.
   Protect me, most Merciful Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, "under
   the cover of Thy wings," from every sin.

   When you pronounce to yourself in your heart the name of God, of the
   Lord, or that of the most Holy Trinity, or of the Lord God of Sabbaoth,
   or of the Lord Jesus Christ, then in that Name you have the Lord's
   whole being: in it is His infinite mercy, His boundless wisdom, His
   inaccessible light, omnipotence, and immutability. Approach this
   all-creative, all-keeping, and all-ruling Name in your thoughts and
   heart with the fear of God, and with faith and love. This is why God's
   commandment strictly forbids us to use God's name in vain, because His
   name is Himself, one God in three Persons, an incomplex Being,
   represented and contained in one single word, although at the same time
   He is not contained or limited either by it or by anything that exists.

   This present life is not a jest nor a plaything, although men have
   turned it into a jest and a plaything. They heedlessly play with time,
   given for preparation for eternity; they play with idle words. They
   assemble at their friends', sit and talk idly, and then begin to play
   at something. They go to theatres, and there both the performers and
   the spectators only amuse themselves. Others amuse themselves with
   their mental gifts, with human infirmities or virtues, with the
   capability of speaking or writing well. Some even amuse themselves with
   food and drink, using them in excess instead of only using them for
   satisfying the necessities of hunger and thirst. Some amuse themselves
   with their clothes, with their faces; they amuse themselves with their
   children, instead of educating them in faith, piety, and the fear of
   God. Their whole life is an amusement. But woe unto those who thus
   amuse themselves!

   O, how fearful it is to use food and drink for amusement, to eat and
   drink in excess! A full stomach makes a man lose faith and the fear of
   God, and makes him unfeeling in prayer, thanksgiving, and praise to
   God. A satiated heart turns away from the Lord, and becomes as hard and
   unfeeling as a stone. This is why the Saviour carefully warns us
   against surfeiting and drunkenness: "And so that day come upon you
   unawares," [873] because of the wrath of the Lord upon us for
   heedlessly and idly spending the time in eating and drinking.

   In proportion as a man gratifies his sensuality, he becomes carnal, and
   drives away from himself the most Holy Spirit of God, Who cannot dwell
   in those who lead a carnal life. "What communion hath light with
   darkness?" [874] Such a state, worthy of tears, is experienced by very
   many; but, alas! they do not even recognise that they have not the
   Spirit of God in them--just the same as a man blind from birth is not
   conscious of his great loss in not seeing the light. Such men have
   neither faith nor love in their hearts, nor the spirit of prayer, and
   they avoid communion with the Church. My God, how many dangers there
   are in life for me! When I gratify my flesh too much, I become my
   greatest enemy.

   Remember that the celebration of the life-giving Mysteries is the
   unchangeable assent of the life-giving Trinity, predetermined from the
   creation of the world: it cannot but be. When you are celebrating the
   Mysteries, God the Father Himself, by His Holy Ghost, changes the bread
   and wine into the Body and Blood of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus
   Christ--you are only an instrument. The Father Himself, the Son, and
   the Holy Ghost, celebrates through you the Liturgy, and consecrates the
   Holy Gifts. " Thou art He that offerest, and art offered," it is said,
   " Christ our God." [875] Remember, therefore, the immutability of God
   and the truth in all His words.

   You will only worthily perform the sacrament of penitence when you will
   be soul-loving and not gain-loving, when you will be patient and not
   irritable. O, what great love for our neighbours' souls is necessary in
   order to confess them worthily, patiently, not hurriedly, and without
   growing angry! The priest who confesses should remember that "joy shall
   be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth." [876] How zealously he
   should, therefore, strive to awaken feelings of repentance in those who
   confess to him, and who sometimes do not even know what to repent of as
   they ought! The priest should also remember how the Apostle, night and
   day, with tears warned every one of the newly-enlightened Christians.
   [877] Every thought of gain in the service of God ought to be entirely
   thrown aside, trusting to God alone, the soul-lover, for recompense.
   Question concerning the sins, and teach with firmness and sincerity,
   and not indolently or with a divided heart. A firm word will call forth
   firm repentance, will speedily pierce the heart and draw forth tears of
   emotion and heartfelt contrition; but if the priest does not question
   firmly concerning the sins, but indolently and insincerely, then his
   spiritual children also, seeing the indolence and double-minded-ness of
   their spiritual father, are not disposed to confess heartily,
   sincerely.

   Represent to yourself, as far as lies in your power, the omnipotence
   and the great splendour of the personal Word of God. He speaks, and His
   word immediately becomes manifold and multifarious existences. He says:
   " Let there be light," and there is light. He says: " Let there be a
   firmament," and He makes the firmament He says: " Let the waters under
   the heaven be gathered together unto one place .... Let there be lights
   in the firmament of the heaven .... Let the waters bring forth
   abundantly the moving creature that hath life," and so on, "and it was
   so," [878] according to His word. Thus the voice of a chief, resounding
   through the air and reaching the soldiers' hearing, moves the troops
   according to the will of the chief, placing them in various positions,
   making them perform various evolutions, and attaining through them the
   fulfilment of his various intentions and purposes. Represent to
   yourself these masses of created matter. Imagine how the enormous
   mountains rose up from the earth in accordance with the word of God;
   what the noise of the waters must have been when they gathered together
   into oceans, seas, rivers, and sources. Imagine how the air was
   diffused, how the most varied vegetation suddenly appeared at a single
   word of the all-creating God. Represent to yourself how the planets
   appeared and shone, and how they began to perform their infinite
   revolutions; how the fishes, birds, reptiles suddenly appeared, and,
   lastly, man. And all these (excepting man) were created from one and
   the same formless matter, or, to speak more precisely, from only four
   soulless, formless, inanimate elements. O, does not all this make the
   mind marvel ? "O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou
   made them all!" [879] Thus even now the Master creates everything that
   He pleases from matter: He says, and it is done. He changes the bread
   and wine into the Body and Blood of the Eucharist.

   You are a being endued with speech. Remember that you derive your
   origin from the word of the Creator of all things, and that in union
   (through faith) with the creative Word, by means of faith, you can
   yourself be a material and spiritual creator. Believe that by your
   faith in the creative word of the Father, your own word, too, shall not
   return to you vain, powerless (when, for instance, you pray to God, the
   Benefactor, in accordance with the holy Church's direction or the
   Lord's guidance), but it shall bring you the gift necessary for good
   deeds; believe that through faith in the creative Word you will not be
   unsuccessful in teaching people either in the temple during Divine
   service, or during the celebration of the sacraments in private houses;
   neither shall your teaching in schools be unsuccessful, but it shall
   rouse up the minds and hearts of those listening to you.

   Remember that the possibility of the deed is contained in the word
   itself; it is only necessary to have faith in the power of the word in
   its creative faculty. With the Lord the deed is inseparable from the
   word. Not a single word addressed to Him shall return void: " For with
   God nothing shall be impossible." [880] It ought to be the same with
   us; for we are images of the Word, and the Word is most truly united
   with us through His incarnation, making us godly and partakers of the
   Divine nature.

   By opening unto others the gates into the kingdom of heaven through
   baptism, shall we not enter in ourselves? By cleansing others through
   penitence and absolving them from their sins, shall we not obtain
   remission of our sins? By uniting others with Christ in the Sacrament
   of the Holy Communion, shall we not ourselves be most truly united with
   Him "on the nightless day of Christ's kingdom"? By bestowing upon
   others in the Sacrament of Chrism the strengthening and generative
   grace of the Holy Ghost, shall we not obtain strength and power
   ourselves from the most Holy Spirit, and shall we not ourselves grow in
   spiritual gifts'? Truly we firmly hope to receive the promised
   blessings by the grace, bountifulness, and love to men of God our
   Saviour. God grant that we may all receive them! Only do not let us
   become slothful, despondent; do not let us "make provision for the
   flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof"; [881] but let us hold "the mystery
   of the faith in a pure conscience," [882] and let us progress in love
   for God and our neighbour.

   When you doubt in the accomplishment or fulfilment of any word of
   prayer, remember that the nature of the word is accomplishment,
   realisation, and that the Holy Ghost, teaching us to pray for anything
   as we ought, [883] is Himself called the Accomplisher. It is He also
   Who accomplishes our prayer (accomplished by the Spirit). Remember that
   the word is power. "With God," it is said, "nothing shall be
   impossible." [884] The word of the Lord " shall not return unto Him
   void," [885] but, like rain or snow, it shall water the earth of our
   hearts, and shall give seed (the fulfilment) to the sower. Even of men
   people say: " His word has extraordinary power." You see, therefore,
   that the word is power, spirit, life.

   When you pronounce the powerful commanding, creative words of the Lord
   Himself, then consider their fulfilment as easy and usual a matter as
   it is easy and usual for you to breathe or to take, as easy and usual
   as it is for an infant to be formed in its mother's womb, and even
   incomparably easier.

   In order that you should have steadfast assurance during prayer, of
   receiving every spiritual blessing from the Lord, believe that by
   uniting yourself unto the Lord during your prayer you become one spirit
   with Him, [886] and that God is most gracious, almighty, and most wise.
   He is all-perfect perfection, therefore you, too, according to your
   receptivity, according to your faith and love, will become a partaker
   of His Divine perfections. In the union of your soul with God, do not
   consider anything impossible or difficult of fulfilment, "for with God
   all things are possible" [887] --not only the things which you can
   think of, or are thinking of, but also those which you cannot think of,
   or which you think of as impossible, for God is an infinite Being, and
   all His perfections are infinite.

   If you doubt of obtaining the blessings you ask of God, then remember
   at least that even you, being evil and avaricious, and not rich, not
   almighty, give to those in want who ask of you, and sometimes even
   before they ask you, when you only know of their need. "How much more
   shall your Father Which is in heaven," who is most gracious, most rich,
   most wise and almighty, " give good things to them that ask Him." [888]

   The greater the number of persons for whom one asks blessings of the
   Lord, and the higher are these blessings, the more violently the Devil
   opposes the priest praying, in order that God should not grant these
   blessings at his earnest, fervent prayers; for, "According to your
   faith," it is said, " be it unto you," [889] and "all things are
   possible to him that believeth." [890] However, where the snares of the
   Devil abound, there also the grace of God abounds.

   He who prays should remember that if God spared not even His own Only
   Begotten Son for us sinners, but gave Him for us all, then how will He
   not give us everything, every imaginable blessing? For if the infinite
   greatest blessing has been given to us, then will not lesser blessings
   be also granted unto us? Our Heavenly Father gives us every blessing in
   Christ. "His Divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain
   unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him." [891]

   During prayer, when the Devil violently tempts you, cast all your care
   upon the Lord, " for He careth for you." [892] During prayer only have
   faith in the Lord, Who is at your right hand, and all things shall be
   possible unto you.

   When you sin for the fiftieth and hundredth time in the day, and are
   seized with the most devilish despondency, and despair in God's mercy,
   say, from the depths of your soul, with Metaphrastes: "I know well, O
   Lord, that mine iniquities have gone over my head; but I also know that
   without measure is the multitude of Thy bounties, and unspeakable is
   the mercy of Thy great goodness, and no sin is there that can overcome
   Thy loving-kindness. Therefore, O most wonderful King, O Lord most
   good, do Thou show Thy mercies in me, a sinner; manifest in me the
   power of Thy goodness and the might of Thy loving-kindness, and receive
   me who turn to Thee. Accept me as Thou didst the prodigal, the thief,
   and the sinful woman. Accept me, though in word and in deed, by my evil
   passions and unreasonable imaginations, I have sinned without measure
   against Thee. But, O Lord, O Lord, rebuke me not in Thy righteous
   wrath; neither chasten me in Thy hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O
   Lord; for, though I am weak, I am also Thy creature. Thou, O Lord, hast
   established Thy fear in me, and yet I have done evil in Thy sight. O
   Lord my God, I have put my trust in Thee. If there is any hope of
   salvation for me, if Thy loving mercy can overcome the multitude of my
   transgressions, be Thou my Saviour, and, according to Thy goodness and
   mercy, loosen, remit, and forgive all wherein I have sinned; for my
   soul is full of trouble and there is no hope of salvation in me. Have
   mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy loving-kindness; deal not with
   me according to my sins: but turn, preserve, and deliver my soul from
   the evils besetting it, and from all its wicked undertakings. Save me
   for Thy mercy's sake, that where sin abounded Thy grace may much more
   abound, and I will glorify Thee always, all the days of my life. For
   Thou art the God of the penitent, and the Saviour of sinners." [893]

   Remember that if you do not speak idly during prayer, but say the words
   of the prayer with feeling, then your words shall not return to you
   void, without power (like the husk without the grain), but shall
   unfailingly bring you those same fruits which are contained in the
   word, as the fruit is enclosed in the shell. This is a most natural
   thing, as natural and common as the fruit and its shell in nature. But
   if you scatter the words to no purpose, without faith, without feeling
   their power, like the shell without the kernel, then they will return
   to you empty, in the same way as if you were to scatter the shell, the
   shell would return to you; but if you scatter seed, the full ears of
   corn will return to you; and the better, the richer are your seeds, the
   fuller shall be the ears of corn. It is the same with our prayers: the
   more sincerely, the more heartily each word is pronounced, the greater
   will be the fruit of the prayer. Each word, like a grain, shall bring
   you spiritual fruit, like a ripe ear of corn. Which of those who pray
   has not experienced this? It was not without reason that the Saviour
   compared the seed with the word, and the human heart with the ground.
   [894] The same applies to the words of the prayer. Also, who does not
   know that the rain moistens the ground and plants and waters them?
   Likewise, the word of God, and even our own word spoken with faith,
   shall not return to us without watering our own soul or the souls of
   others who are obedient and believing. This is just as natural as it is
   natural for rain to water and fructify the ground and plants, and to
   assist their growth.

   He who becomes irritated against another on account of something
   material, places a material object above his brother. But what can be
   higher than man ? Nothing on earth is higher.

   When you pray, endeavour to pray more for others than for yourself
   alone, and during prayer represent to yourself vividly all men as
   forming one body with yourself, and each separately as a member of the
   Body of Christ and your own member, "for we are members one of
   another." [895] Pray for all as you would pray for yourself, with the
   same sincerity and fervour; look upon their infirmities and sicknesses
   as your own; their spiritual ignorance, their sins and passions, as
   your own; their temptations, misfortunes, and manifold afflictions as
   your own. Such prayer will be accepted with great favour by the
   Heavenly Father, that most gracious, common Father of all, with Whom
   "there is no respect of persons," [896] "no variableness," [897] that
   boundless Love that embraces and preserves all creatures.

   It is a wonderful thing! Our soul, upon coming into contact with one
   who is unbelieving and cold towards God, feels an aversion to him, and
   the Devil endeavours to turn this just dislike and indignation into a
   feeling of malice. In order not to cherish malice, and not to serve the
   Devil by it, we must say to ourselves: "I feel a dislike and coldness
   towards my brother for his aversion and coldness to God, but I do not
   feel hatred or malice against him, for I bear with him as my own sick
   member, and I wish to cure him in meekness, instructing him that
   opposes himself, 'if God peradventure will give them [him] repentance
   to the acknowledging of the truth.' [898] If he turns to God, I shall
   turn to him, also, with heartfelt love; if he becomes compassionate
   towards others, and does not think of himself alone, of his own
   advantage and pleasures, then I, too, shall sympathise with him."
   Besides this, bear lovingly with everybody, and look more upon
   yourself, what you yourself are; are you not cold and indifferent to
   God and your neighbour yourself? If so, then there is no reason for you
   to cast a stone at your brother, when this stone should be directed
   against yourself.

   "God came upon earth in order to raise us up to heaven." [899] It would
   seem, after this, that even when living upon earth we must live as if
   in the heavenly kingdom, dwelling there in anticipation by hope. But in
   reality, for the greater part, the contrary is the case. Men cling with
   their whole being to the earth and everything earthly. Wherefore 1
   Because our common enemy, the Devil, endeavours with all his might to
   oppose the intentions of the God-man, Christ. He endeavours to do
   everything in opposition to what Christ did and does. Christ wishes to
   raise men up to heaven, and has given them all the means to attain
   this; whilst the Devil, who himself for his pride was cast down from
   heaven into the dominions of the air, wishes by every means to attach
   men to earthly,- sensual, transitory things, and, in order to attain
   this end, he employs the most powerful, most prodigious means. Christ
   taught us truth; the Devil teaches us falsehood, and strives in every
   way to contradict every truth; devising various calumnies against it.
   The Devil endeavours by every means to keep men in error, in the
   enticement of the passions, in darkness of mind and heart; in pride,
   avarice, covetousness, envy, hatred, wicked impatience and irritation;
   in evil despondence, in the abominations of fornication, adultery,
   theft, false-witness, blasphemy, negligence, slothfulness, and
   sluggishness.

   Bear in your heart continually the words "Christ is Love," and
   endeavour to love all, sacrificing for the sake of love, not only your
   possessions, but even yourself.

   The root of every evil is a self-loving heart, or self-pity,
   self-sparing; it is from self-love, or from excessive and unlawful love
   for oneself, that all the passions proceed: coldness, insensibility,
   hard-heartedness towards God and our neighbour, wicked impatience or
   irritability, hatred, envy, avarice, despondency, pride, unbelief,
   incredulity, greediness after food and drink, or gluttony; the love of
   money, vanity, slothful-ness, hypocrisy. Never pity yourself in
   anything, crucify yourself--your old man, nestling chiefly in the
   flesh--and you will strike at the root of all your passions. Bear
   patiently all that is unpleasant to your flesh; do not spare it, go
   against it, and you will become a true follower of the Christ. The
   whole wisdom of a Christian consists in his wisely going against his
   flesh in everything during his lifetime. "For I know that in me [that
   is, in my flesh] dwelleth no good thing," [900] says the Apostle.

   The heart of a perfectly healthy man becomes weakened for faith and
   love to God and his neighbour, and easily gives itself up to carnal
   desires: to slothfulness, negligence, coldness, gluttony, avarice,
   fornication, pride; whilst the heart of a sick man, or a wounded,
   oppressed, weary heart, is strengthened in faith, hope, and love, and
   is far removed from carnal passions. This is why the Heavenly Father,
   Who careth for our salvation, chastises us by various sicknesses. The
   oppression and afflictions of sickness make us turn again to God.

   To love your neighbour as yourself, to sympathise with him in his joy
   and sorrow, to feed, clothe him, if he is in need of food and clothing;
   to breathe, so to say, the same air with him--look upon all this as the
   same thing as feeding and warming yourself, and do not count these as
   virtues or as works of love to your neighbour, lest you grow proud of
   them. "For we are members one of another." [901]

   I marvel at the omnipotence and wisdom of God--how He has created out
   of the one same earth and water the many and diverse parts of my body:
   flesh, blood, skin, bones, hair, lungs, liver, veins, eyes, ears,
   everything. How He set into motion this matter, inert and motionless in
   itself, and how the regular movements of the blood, juices, and
   liquids, separation of food, etc., are now uninterruptedly accomplished
   within me. Wonderful are Thy works, O Lord, "in wisdom hast Thou made
   them all." [902] You have no words to declare the wisdom, goodness, and
   omnipotence of God the Creator and Provider-- ask them of the Word of
   God. And what a variety there is of heavenly and earthly creatures,
   animate and inanimate, created from the four elements! "Such knowledge
   is too wonderful and excellent for me, I cannot attain unto it." [903]

   I think; but for God to think and to create or change is one and the
   same thing, because He is That Which Is, an in-complex and almighty
   Being. Owing to His very incomplexity, everything is possible to Him in
   a single moment. The Lord has spoken--and this is sufficient for one to
   believe without any doubt that a certain thing is precisely what He has
   said. Doubt is impossible. The Godhead would not be Godhead, if It were
   not almighty. "As for our God, He is in heaven: He hath done whatsoever
   pleased Him." [904] He wishes, and it is. He wished that water should
   flow from the rock, and it flowed; He wished that there should be a
   world out of nothing, and it appeared. His works prove that He is
   almighty. Come and see.

   Try to turn your whole life into service to God; if you are reading
   anything at home, begin this work by a short fervent prayer that God
   may teach you and make you wise in faith and piety and in the careful
   accomplishment of your duties; never read idly, in order to pass the
   time; by thus doing you lower the word, which should serve entirely for
   our salvation, and not for idle words, nor as a means for pleasure and
   spending time agreeably. If you talk to your neighbour, speak
   reasonably, prudently, instructively, edifyingly; avoid idle speaking
   as the poison of a serpent, remembering that "every idle word that men
   shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment"
   [905] --that is, they shall hear the just sentence of the Judge. If you
   are teaching children, your own or those of others, turn this work into
   God's service, teaching them zealously, considering beforehand the best
   means of making the instruction clear, comprehensible, complete (as far
   as possible), and fruitful. Conquer by the name of the Lord and by the
   sign of the cross the snares of the enemy, who endeavours to disturb,
   darken, oppress, and weaken you. Even when you eat, drink, or do
   anything else lawful, "do all to the glory of God." [906]

   In every word is God the Word, an incomplex Being. How carefully we
   must therefore pronounce the words, with what humility, how prudently,
   in order not to anger God the Word, together with the Father and the
   Holy Ghost!

   My Master, Lord Jesus Christ! my swift, most speedy Intercessor, Who
   never lettest me be ashamed! I thank Thee from my whole heart for
   having mercifully heard me when I called unto Thee in my darkness,
   straitness, and when I was in the flames of the enemy; for having
   delivered me most speedily, mightily, and graciously from my enemies,
   and for having given unto my heart graciousness, ease, light! O, my
   Lord, in what distress I was from the snares of the enemy! how
   opportunely hast Thou shown me Thy help, and how manifestly and
   almightily hast Thou succoured me! I glorify Thy mercy, Master, speedy
   to hear us; Hope of the despairing, I glorify Thee, that Thou hast not
   let my face be ashamed, but hast mercifully delivered me from the
   darkness and ignominy of hell. How after this can I ever at any time
   despair of Thy hearing me and having mercy upon me a sinner? I shall
   always, always call upon Thy sweetest name, my Saviour; Thou, O
   incalculable Bountifulness, save me as Thou hast ever done before in
   Thy immeasurable compassion, for Thy name is Lover of men and Saviour!

   Do not believe your flesh when it grows weak and refuses to serve you
   on the pretence of not being sufficiently strengthened by food. This is
   a delusion. Overcome it; pray fervently, and you will see that the
   weakness of your body was false, imaginary, not real: you will see in
   truth that " men shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
   proceedeth out of the mouth of God." [907] Do not put your trust in
   bread.

   It is said: " Christ on earth, be lifted up." [908] This signifies that
   he who believes in Christ's coming upon earth, in His incarnation, and
   in all His loving care for our salvation, does not cling to the earth,
   but continually raises himself up to heaven in mind and heart; his will
   continually aspires upwards to God, to heavenly blessings, and is not
   allured by earthly delights, by earthly splendour, riches, and honours.
   Unfortunately, we have but little faith in Christ, and try to combine
   our love for the world with love for Christ, earthly attachments with
   love for God. These things are incompatible! "If any man will come
   after Me, let him deny himself" [909] of everything he is passionately
   attached to in the world, and let him hate his own sin-loving soul.
   (December 24th, 1869.)

   My God! how the love and sincere sympathy of our neighbour towards us
   rejoices our hearts! Who shall describe this blessedness of the heart,
   penetrated with the feeling of others' love towards me, and my love to
   others? It is indescribable! If here on earth mutual love so rejoices
   us, then with what sweetness of love shall we be filled in heaven, when
   we shall dwell with God, with the Mother of God, with the heavenly
   powers, with God's saints? Who can imagine and describe such bliss, and
   what earthly temporal things should we not sacrifice in order to obtain
   the unutterable bliss of heavenly love? God, Thy name is Love! Teach me
   true love, strong as death. I have most plenteously tasted its
   sweetness from my communion in the spirit of faith, in Thee, with Thy
   faithful servants, and have obtained plenteousness of peace and life
   through it. Strengthen, O God, that which Thou hast created in me. O,
   had it ever been thus all the days of my life! Grant that I may oftener
   be in the communion of faith and love with Thy faithful servants, with
   Thy temples, with Thy Church, with Thy members!

   My sweetest Saviour! having come down from heaven for the service of
   mankind, Thou didst not only preach the Word of Heavenly Truth in the
   temple, but Thou wentest through the towns and villages; Thou didst not
   shun anyone; Thou visitedst the houses of all, especially of those
   whose fervent repentance Thou didst foresee with Thy Divine gaze. Thus
   Thou didst not remain sitting at home, but wert in loving intercourse
   with all. Grant to us, too, to be in such loving intercourse with Thy
   people, so that we pastors should not shut ourselves up in our houses
   away from Thy sheep as if in castles or prisons, only coming out of
   them for services in the church or to officiate in the houses of
   others, only out of duty, only with prayers learned by heart. May our
   lips be freely opened to discourse with our parishioners in the spirit
   of faith and love. May our Christian love for our spiritual children be
   opened and strengthened by animated, free, and fatherly conversation
   with them. O what sweetness, what bliss Thou hast concealed, Lord, our
   boundless Love, in the spiritual converse warmed by love of a spiritual
   father with his spiritual children! And how is it possible not to
   strive upon earth with all our might after such bliss? Yet it is only a
   faint beginning, only a faint likeness of the heavenly bliss of love!
   Especially love the communion of good works, both material and
   spiritual. " To do good and to communicate forget not." [910]

   When the Devil disturbs you by unbelief in the Holy Mysteries, saying,
   "It is impossible that bread and wine should be the Body and Blood of
   Christ," say to him, "Yes, it is impossible for you and me--you are
   right--but not for God; 'for with God all things are possible.'" [911]
   With God the thought itself is deed. "Said . . . and it was so." [912]
   He speaks, and it is. Short and clear. And all the worlds stand by the
   Word of God. "Upholding all things by the word of His power." [913] Do
   not the feet wish to stand above the body and, strange to say, teach
   the Creator of all things? Is it possible to doubt in the existence of
   that of which our own experience and the visible and invisible world
   assure us? In what does the mystery of the existence of all creatures
   consist? In the Word of the Creator. " Said . . . and it was so."
   Everything proceeded from the Word, all the infinite different
   varieties of creatures from the almighty, most-wise, all-merciful Word
   of God, not from anything else. Examples are also given to you in the
   Scriptures as to how rapidly everything was created by the sovereign
   word of God: the waters were turned into blood at the voice of Moses,
   the dust of the earth into lice, a rod into a serpent; his hand was
   covered with leprosy, and then suddenly cured or restored; light was
   turned into a darkness that might be felt; Moses only stretched forth
   his hand, and in an instant the Lord changed the substance of things;
   the land of Egypt was covered with frogs when Aaron stretched forth his
   hand over the waters at Moses's bidding; again Moses took ashes in his
   hand and sprinkled it towards heaven, and men and beasts were covered
   with blains; Moses only stretched forth his rod toward heaven, and the
   Lord sent thunder and hail. [914] Come and see. How easy it is for the
   Lord to create and to change everything! Does not the same Lord act
   through us priests, and with us as well? The Lord Himself is here, the
   Lord Who was incarnate for us, and Who is the Mediator and the
   Accomplisher of all "For Thou art He that offerest and art offered, and
   receivest and art distributed." [915] The priest only says the words,
   stretches forth his hand, and the Lord changes everything.

   Remember that the intellect is the servant of the heart, which is our
   life; if it leads the heart to truth, peace, joy, and life, then it
   fulfils its destination, it is the truth; but if it leads the heart to
   doubt, disturbance, torment, despondency, darkness, then it does not
   fulfil its destination and is absolutely false ("science falsely so
   called." [916] ) If the heart feels peace, joy, ease from faith in
   anything, this is quite sufficient; it is unnecessary, then, to require
   from the reason proofs of the truth of such an object; it is
   undoubtedly true the heart asserts it by its life, for the purpose of
   all investigations is truth and life.

   In ministering the sacrament of penitence, one feels one's own most
   miserable sinfulness before God, and all the misery, ignorance, and
   sinfulness of human nature. Confession is a cross, truly a cross! O
   what a debtor before his spiritual children a priest feels himself to
   be during confession! He truly feels himself to be an insolvent debtor,
   a debtor guilty before the heavenly truth, and deserving of thousands
   of the fires of Gehenna! One sees and feels at people's deep ignorance,
   at their ignorance of the truths of religion, and of their sins, at
   their stony insensibility, that a confessor must pray for them most
   fervently, and teach them day and night, early and late! O what
   ignorance! Some do not even know the Holy Trinity; they do not know who
   Christ is; they do not know why they live upon earth! And what a
   multitude of sins! Yet meanwhile we seek enrichment, rest; we dislike
   labour, we become irritated when there are more of them than usual! We
   seek spacious abodes, rich clothing! Let us not love earthly rest, let
   us not become slothful, let us not be negligent in the performance of
   our spiritual duties, and let us not deprive ourselves of heavenly
   blessings and rest, for having tested the worldly rest in abundance
   here, what rest can we look for there?

   The most Holy Trinity is the most perfect union of three Persons in one
   Being, because it is the most perfect equality.

   He truly bestows charity who gives from his heart, and with a loving
   heart. He is truly merciful who converses with everyone heartily, and
   not only with the intellect and lips, who renders sincere, hearty
   respect to everyone, who preaches the Word of God and serves God with a
   true heart, not hypocritically--in a word, who embraces all, and
   carries all in his heart by love, despising everything material that
   may become a hindrance to love between himself and his neighbour-- such
   a one is truly merciful.

   In order to prevent our corrupt nature from being allured by the
   temporary sweetness of sin, the Lord has so ordained that the most
   agreeable sensual pleasures upon which we greedily throw ourselves are
   injurious to us, both by their nature and through our own greediness
   and intemperance; such are almost all dainty dishes, all agreeable
   drinks, all sensual pleasures. Glory to the mercy and great wisdom of
   the Heavenly Father, Who uses every means to prevent us from falling
   into sensuality or the coarse pleasures of sensuality. Who hath
   spiritual eyes to see and ears to hear all this, let him see and hear.
   [917] Thus, Christian, the very injuriousness of sensual pleasures
   which are destructive to our body shows that we are not created and do
   not live upon earth for them, but for higher, spiritual, and eternal
   pleasures. And, therefore, my soul, rejoice and find peace in God. This
   is thy perfect, harmless, true and eternal enjoyment; this thou hast
   already experienced many times; whilst all earthly pleasures are
   delusive, injurious, fleeting, and bear in their very origin the germs
   of corruption the moment we approach them. Suffering and maladies are
   proofs of this.

   Brother, you feel a deadly malice in your heart against your neighbour;
   you are tormented by evil thoughts from the offences he causes you.
   Here is a means of saving yourself from inward straitness. Represent to
   yourself the multitude of your own sins, countless in their number, and
   vividly imagine how the Master of your life bears with them in you, how
   He daily and endlessly forgives you your sins if you pray to Him
   sincerely, whilst you yourself do not wish to forgive your neighbour a
   few fits of passion excited in him by the Devil. Sigh, weep if you can,
   at your own foolishness, condemn yourself only, and not in any way your
   neighbour, and the forgiveness of the Lord will be ready for you. Your
   inward straitness will vanish like smoke, your thoughts will become
   clear, your heart will become calm, and you will again walk in freedom
   of heart. Train yourself to meekness, be as though you did not hear
   reproaches, calumny, affronts, as if they were heard by somebody quite
   different, or by your shadow. Do not allow any suspiciousness. "I have
   walked innocently." [918] "While the ungodly is in my sight I held my
   tongue and spake nothing: I kept silence." [919] "I became even as a
   man that heareth not: and in whose mouth are no reproofs." [920]

   Christ is the Bread of life, therefore let us lay aside our care about
   other bread. The God Who gives us the Body and Blood of His Son for our
   food and drink will likewise give us natural bread. He Who clothes our
   soul in Christ will likewise give us material clothing. He Who deigns
   to dwell in us will not deprive us of a perishable dwelling.

   To doubt in the Divinity of the Holy Ghost means to doubt in our own
   life, for the Holy Ghost gives life, and spiritually feeds all--serves
   as a spiritual sun, as air, food, and drink to our souls; it means to
   reject prayer, for we pray through the Holy Ghost; to reject truth and
   holiness, for the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of truth and of all
   holiness; to reject every spiritual consolation and comfort in sorrows
   and sicknesses, for the Holy Ghost is the true and only Comforter,
   together with the Father and the Son; to reject faith, for faith is
   given by the Holy Ghost; to reject hope and love, for hope and love are
   likewise bestowed upon our hearts by the Holy Ghost: " The love of God
   is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us"
   [921] ; to reject spiritual and bodily power, for the Holy Ghost is the
   Spirit of power and strength; to reject wisdom and understanding, the
   fear of God, our own breathing, for He is the breathing, the air of the
   soul; in a word, it means to doom ourselves to moral nothingness and
   destruction. Do not pay attention to doubts in the truth, for they are
   the breathing of the evil spirit, of the spirit of falsehood--the
   destroyer; " Ye shall know them by their fruits." [922] Doubt in the
   truth is always destructive to the soul. Every truth is the breathing
   of the Holy Ghost: the Word of God, the writings of the Holy Fathers
   and of the teachers of the Church, the words and works of every pious
   person who loves the truth.

   Love for God and our neighbour, in our present corrupt state is
   impossible without self-sacrifice; he who wishes to fulfil the
   commandment concerning love for God and his neighbour, ought to devote
   himself in good time to great deeds and privations for the sake of
   those that he loves. (Amen.) " Hereby perceive we the love of God,
   because He (the Christ) laid down His life for us." [923] "Greater love
   hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
   [924]

   God is eternally watchful; and therefore we must always pray to Him
   with a watchful and sober mind and heart: "Be ye therefore sober and
   watch unto prayer," [925] it is said, and drive away any
   self-forgetfulness and slothfulness from ourselves. Do not let your
   prayer evaporate and only dry words remain from it, but let it breathe
   with the warmth of the Spirit, like moist hot bread, just taken out of
   the oven.

   Many people pray hypocritically, and their hypocritical prayer becomes
   a habit with them; they do not even observe themselves, and do not wish
   to observe, that they pray hypocritically, and not in spirit and truth,
   so that if anybody were to accuse them of praying hypocritically, they
   would be angry with those who dared to say, in their opinion, such an
   absurdity. Men do not suddenly become hypocritical, but gradually. At
   first, perhaps, they prayed with their whole hearts, but
   afterwards--for always to pray with the whole heart is a difficult
   work, to which we must force ourselves, and " the kingdom of heaven "
   (it is said) "suffereth violence" [926] -- they begin to pray more with
   their lips superficially, not from the depths of the soul, which is
   much easier, and finally at the increased assaults of the flesh and
   Devil, they only pray with their lips, without the power of the words
   of the prayer reaching the heart. There are very many people who pray
   thus. The Lord said of them: " This people draweth nigh unto Me with
   their mouth and honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far
   from Me." [927] What is said concerning prayer equally applies to the
   communion of the Holy, immortal, and life-giving Mysteries. At first, a
   man communicates with lively faith, with a feeling of love and
   devotion, but afterwards, at the continual opposition of the flesh and
   the Devil to the truth of God, he lets them get the victory over him
   and communicates hypocritically, not of the Body and Blood, but in
   accordance with the thoughts of his heart, of bread and wine. The
   essence of the Mysteries, "the spirit and life," [928] as the Saviour
   said, " hath no place" [929] in him; he is thus inwardly robbed by
   Satan. May God preserve us all from such communion, from such blasphemy
   against the Lord! It is the same also with the sacrament of penitence.

   Confession is a school of self-denial for a priest. How many occasions
   there are in it for impatience, irritation, slothfulness, negligence,
   inattention! It is truly the touchstone of the priest's love for his
   parishioners. A priest ought not on any account to live in softness and
   ease, and especially must not indulge himself with sleep and pleasant
   food and drinks, otherwise the Devil will strike his heart with some
   passion or other, and will cast him into straitness and prostration. It
   is necessary to crucify, absolutely to crucify, the flesh. Confession
   for a priest is a labour of love for his spiritual children; it must be
   without respect of persons, long-suffering, compassionate; for charity
   vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, seeketh not its own (its
   tranquillity or gain), is not easily provoked, rejoiceth not in
   iniquity, or does not connive at iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth,
   covereth all things, endureth all things, never faileth. [930] Then it
   is evident--then the priest himself sees and his spiritual children
   see, whether he is a shepherd or an hireling, a father or a stranger to
   his children, whether he seeks his own or Christ Jesus. My God, how
   difficult it is to confess people properly! How grievously one sins
   before God by not confessing them properly! How weak the word grows!
   How many hindrances the enemy puts in our way! How obstructed the
   source of the word becomes in the heart! How the tongue and intellect
   fail! O, how much preparation is required for confession! How one must
   pray for the successful accomplishment of this great work! And what
   ignorance one meets with in the spiritual children! It is necessary to
   be with them day and night, calmly, gently, and most patiently teaching
   each one of them. What a cross confession is for a priest, being
   conscious of the ignorance of those who confess to him, of their
   coldness, of their sinfulness of every kind, and having at the same
   time the consciousness of his own sinfulness, of his own infirmity,
   languidness, the inertness of his heart to sympathy, and to zeal for
   the glory of God and the salvation of his neighbour, as for his own.
   And how many crosses the Devil lays upon one during confession! He
   turns the work of love, the work of the discourse of a father with his
   children, into the work of an hireling with slaves, unwillingly
   reckoning with them.

   The Lord Jesus Christ, together with His Father and the Holy Ghost, is
   everywhere. The angels and saints are one spirit with the Lord. But if,
   by the action of the evil spirit, you have lost for a time hearty faith
   in the Holy Ghost, then during that time there is neither Son nor
   Father for you, for faith is given by the Holy Ghost, by the Spirit of
   Truth--that is, the Spirit of Christ, Who said of Himself: "l am the
   truth;" [931] or by the Spirit of the Father: "The Spirit of your
   Father, Which speaketh in you;" [932] or by the Spirit of the Son: "God
   hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts." [933]

   Concerning the Word. In the word there is an image of the most Holy
   Trinity, for in the word there is both thought, and word, and spirit.
   When praying truly with the whole heart, we feel that we are praying by
   the Holy Ghost: the words are penetrated by such hearty warmth, whilst
   sometimes we feel that we are praying not by the Holy Ghost, but by the
   spirit of falsehood: the lips say one thing, and the heart feels
   another, sometimes quite the contrary; for instance, we say the words
   with doubt, in the spirit of impatience, of resentment against someone,
   or in the spirit of pride, of self-exaltation, not acknowledging
   ourselves to be that which we really are.

   Concerning Malice. If you are angry with your brother on account of his
   sins, even supposing they are offensive ones, then recollect that you
   yourself are also not without sins which are also offensive, although
   they may perhaps be of a different sort. You yourself desire that your
   shameful sins should be covered by the indulgence, by the
   all-sheltering love of your neighbours; recollect how thankful you
   would be to them, how lovingly you would embrace them for their
   all-enduring love; how this indulgence would lighten your already
   grievous sorrow for your sins, and would strengthen your weakness in
   your struggle against them, would strengthen your spirit by trust in
   God's mercy! But that which you would desire for yourself in such cases
   you must also desire for and unto your brother: he is your member and a
   member of Christ's. "Thou shalt love thy neighbour," it is said, "as
   thyself." [934] When judging your neighbour in the malice of your heart
   for his sins, always remember that you yourself are not without sin.
   "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but
   considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye! Thou hypocrite
   "--truly a hypocrite--"first cast out the beam out of thine own eye:
   and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy
   brother's eye." [935] Besides, your brother " standeth or falleth to
   his own Master," [936] and not to you. And if your brother has sinned
   against you, then you must certainly forgive him his offence against
   you, or his transgressions against you. You yourself are daily greatly
   in need of your own sins being forgiven you by the Heavenly Father, and
   you pray: "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." [937] And
   if you wish your sins to be forgiven you, you must forgive your
   brother's sins against you. " For if ye forgive men their trespasses,
   your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men
   their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
   [938]

   Our soul is single, because it cannot at the same time love both God
   and, for instance, money, food, drink; or both its neighbour and at the
   same time money, food, and drink. Therefore it is said: " No man can
   serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other;
   or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve
   God and mammon." [939] This is why the Psalmist says by the Holy Ghost:
   "If riches increase, set not your heart upon them." [940] Thus,
   Christian, be afraid, each one of you, of setting your heart upon
   money, food, drink, dress, luxurious rooms, books, or profane music; do
   not love, do not indulge the flesh by anything; either by pleasures,
   fine views, dainty food, and drink, or by sleep, idleness, and
   slothfulness, by shameful deeds, games, idle travelling, or frivolous
   books and sights. Love the one God with all your heart, all your soul,
   all your strength, and all your thoughts, and your neighbour as
   yourself, and be indifferent to everything else in the world. Do not
   attach yourself to or be greedy after anything. Strive after singleness
   in everything, in order to be loved by the incomplex Being God. Drive
   away all craftiness, doubt, incredulity, and duplicity from your soul.

   God is Life; He gave being and life to everything. He is That Which Is
   and Almighty, for everything proceeds from Him, and everything is
   supported by Him; let us therefore know Him Who alone Is. The Devil is
   death, because he voluntarily turned away from God the Life, and as God
   is That Which Is, so the Devil, by reason of his having completely
   fallen away from That Which Is, is the cause of that which is not, of
   imagination, enticement, for he cannot truly bring anything into being
   by the word; thus he is falsehood, as God is truth.

   What air is to animal, bodies and vegetation the Holy Ghost is to
   spiritual beings, to angels and men. This is why the Lord said: " The
   Spirit bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof"
   (the breathing), "but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it
   goeth." [941] Believe, therefore, that your soul breathes by the Holy
   Ghost; know your Benefactor, your Life, reverence Him daily and honour
   Him by love and good works. Avoid the deadly breathing of the Devil, of
   the sins and passions, and especially enmity, discord, pride, and
   unbelief. Say to yourself oftener: My soul breathes by the Holy Ghost,
   may I ever glorify the Holy Ghost, together with the Father and the
   Son!

   We must always remember that man is the breathing of God's mouth and
   the image of God--of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
   Ghost--whilst the sins and infirmities in him are accidental, coming
   from without, foul stains which can easily be cleansed by grace. " Thou
   shalt purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; Thou shalt wash me,
   and I shall be whiter than snow." [942] We must remember that "God so
   loved the world," though it is adulterous and sinful, " that He gave
   His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not
   perish, but have everlasting life." [943] And we must love with God (as
   God does) every man as ourselves. We love ourselves though we are great
   sinners; we must also love others, though they may be sinful too, for
   there is no one without sin.

   False thoughts in the matter of faith immediately reveal themselves;
   they kill the life of the heart, which is a sign that they proceed from
   a liar, a visionary, having the power of death --the Devil. True
   thoughts show their truth by deeds; they give life to the heart, a sign
   that they proceed from the life-giving Spirit of God, the Life itself,
   Who proceedeth from the Life--theFather--and resteth in the Life--the
   Son. "By their fruits ye shall know them." [944] Do not, therefore, be
   disturbed, and do not linger in trouble and doubt when deadly thoughts
   come crowding into your head and oppress your heart and your soul; they
   are false, they proceed from the Devil, the destroyer of men. Drive
   them away, and do not ask wherefrom they come, these uninvited guests:
   by their fruits you shall instantly know them. Do not enter into
   controversy with them, it will lead you into a labyrinth from which you
   will not be able to extricate yourself, in which you will become
   entangled and exhausted.

   I love to gaze upon the image of the risen Life-giver with the banner
   in His hand, with that symbol of victory over death and Him who has the
   power of death: " O death, where is Thy sting? O grave, where is thy
   victory?" [945] What a glorious Victor! What a cruel, most wicked enemy
   He has conquered! An enemy who gloried in his victories during
   thousands of years! "To Thee, Conqueror of death, we cry: Hosanna in
   the highest! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord." [946]
   "We glorify Thee, Life-giving Christ, Who descended into hell for our
   sakes, and didst raise all with Thyself." [947] "In rising from the
   tomb, Christ, Thou didst raise all the race of Adam with Thyself."
   [948]

   "Every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof
   in the day of judgment" [949] From this you see that an answer and a
   punishment awaits you for every idle word, and not only for scandalous,
   shameful ones. It is because that with our Lord, the All-creating Word,
   there is not, and cannot be, any idle words: " The word of the Lord
   shall not return unto him void " [950] --" for with God nothing shall
   be impossible." [951] And as we are created after God's image,
   therefore our words too ought not to be pronounced idly, in vain,
   unmeaningly, but every word of ours ought to have spiritual, edifying
   power. " Let your speech be alway with grace." [952] Therefore, be most
   watchful not to speak idly, unmeaningly, either in prayer or in
   conversation.

   How can you worthily, with faith and love, receive the Body of Christ
   when you despise His members or have not compassion upon them? All
   Christians are members of Christ, and especially the poor. Love His
   members, have compassion upon them, and the Master will plentifully
   bestow His rich mercy upon you. And can any mercy be greater than that
   which our Saviour bestows upon us in the communion of His most pure
   body and of His most pure blood?

   The words "For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever
   and ever," signify Thou alone art everywhere and eternally reignest,
   Almighty and glorious King; or, the kingdom is the Father, the power
   the Spirit, and the glory the Son, for it is said, "I have glorified
   Thee on the earth." [953]

   Do not be dead at heart, do not let your heart incline to slothfulness,
   to spiritual sleep, and to hardened unfeelingness; otherwise woe to
   you, when its disposition is such during God's service, which requires
   labour both of heart and mind. Uproot from your heart, by every means,
   both bodily and spiritual pride, which resists the Holy Ghost; it lies
   imperceptibly hidden in your heart, and clearly shows itself in your
   intercourse with your fellow-men, or during prayer.

   From the essence of the thinking spirit is born the word, inherent to
   it, which discloses the thought, and is equal to it. From the thought,
   and with the thought, proceeds the spirit, resting in the word and
   communicating in the word to those who listen; this spirit is fully
   equal to the thought and to the word, and is inherent to them. For
   instance, in the words "I love," one sees both the loving origin and
   the words born from it, and one feels a kind of pleasant breathing of
   love.

   I render thanks to the Lord my God, to the God of my salvation! During
   Passion Week the enemy hindered me just before the time of confession
   by striking my heart with strait-ness, disturbance, and evil
   despondency. But I prayed with my whole heart, and with undoubting
   faith to Him, to the God of my salvation, and said: "O God, most
   merciful Father! Thou spakest through Thine Only begotten Son, our Lord
   Christ, saying: 'Ask, and it shall be given you.... for every one that
   asketh receiveth.... or what man is there of you whom, if his son ask
   bread, will he give him a stone. . . . how much more shall your Father,
   Which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask Him.' [954]
   Embracing by faith these Thy words in my heart, I call upon Thee: Give
   unto me now Thy Holy Spirit that my heart may be strengthened in
   performing the work of confession in the wise remission or binding of
   the consciences of men, in patience and benignity, in kindly and
   edifying behaviour with my spiritual children." And what happened ? O
   God of mercy! I went through the whole time of confession exceedingly
   well; I was calm, kind, edifying, and did not experience any oppression
   or uneasy hurry. I glorify the merciful right hand of the most gracious
   Heavenly Father. Thus it is ever necessary to strengthen oneself by
   heartfelt prayer to the Heavenly Father before every spiritual work, as
   our Lord Jesus Christ Himself prayed before His manifestation to
   mankind before the choosing of the apostles before His sufferings.

   Do not be offended if anyone speaks or behaves insincerely to you, for
   do you yourself always speak and behave sincerely with others ? Are you
   not often hypocritical ? Do you always converse sincerely, not
   hypocritically, with God in prayer! Do not your lips often pronounce
   words of truth, while your heart lies ? Do you walk before God in
   sincerity, in simplicity ? If you yourself are not right before God and
   men, if you are often false, hypocritical, then do not be angry if
   others behave insincerely, hypocritically towards you. "Wherewithal a
   man sinneth, by the same also shall he be punished." [955] Be indulgent
   to others in that in which you yourself sin.

   Believe firmly that the wickedness of the Devil in you and your own
   wickedness will never conquer the unspeakable, infinite mercy of God.
   Great is the wickedness of the Devil in you, but the mercy of God is
   infinitely greater. Therefore, in times of doubt, incredulity,
   blasphemy, malice, envy, avarice, covetous-ness, involuntary hypocrisy,
   entreat the Lord with hope, and be sure that His infinite goodness will
   incline Him to have mercy upon you, if you turn from your wickedness.

   Be charitable to the poor, willingly, without suspiciousness, doubt,
   and minute investigation, remembering that in the person of the poor
   you do good to Christ Himself, as it is written: "Inasmuch as ye have
   done it unto one of the least of these, My brethren, ye have done it
   unto Me." [956] Know that your charity is always nothing in comparison
   with man, that child of God; know that your alms are but earth and
   dust; know that any material charity must absolutely be accompanied by
   spiritual charity: kind, brotherly, open-hearted, loving behaviour
   towards your neighbour; do not let him notice that you are doing him a
   favour, do not appear proud. " He that giveth," it is said, "let him do
   it with simplicity.... he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness." [957]
   See, then, that you do not take away the value from your material
   charity through not showing spiritual charity. Know that on the day of
   judgment the Master will test your good works too. Remember that both
   heaven and earth are given to man, for to him "is reserved in heaven an
   inheritance incorruptible;" [958] for man, God the Father did not spare
   His Only Begotten Son, but delivered Him unto death. The Devil hinders
   us in our good works through our subtilty.

   The words of a prayer are like. rain or snow if they are pronounced
   with faith and feeling: each of them contains its power and its fruit.
   The rain-drops or snowflakes falling in a continuous stream, or in
   isolated flakes water the ground, and it germinates and brings forth
   fruit. Likewise, the words of a prayer--this spiritual rain--each
   separately, water the soul, it germinates and brings forth the fruits
   of the virtues co-operating with the Holy Ghost, especially if there is
   a rain of tears besides.

   Human charity is suspicious: it fears lest it may somehow give to a
   person who already has something, or lest it may give too much. But the
   Lord's charity is not like this: " The Lord is good to all, and His
   tender mercies are over all His works." [959] "Unto everyone that
   hath," says the Lord, "shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but
   from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath."
   [960]

   Do not indulge your slothful flesh during prayer; do not hurry. The
   flesh, growing weary and oppressed by the holy work, hastens to finish
   praying, in order to rest or to occupy itself with worldly or carnal
   matters.

   Let simplicity accompany you everywhere. Be especially simple in your
   faith, hope, and love, for God is an incomplex Being, the
   eternally-worshipped Unity, and our soul is also simple. The flesh
   hinders the simplicity of our soul when we gratify it--for instance,
   when we eat daintily, and, in general, when we eat and drink pleasantly
   and much, when we smoke, and in general do what pleases it, for then it
   preponderates over the spirit.

   How sharply are distinguished in us, on one side, the good spirit, the
   spirit of peace, of tranquillity, joy, light, the life-giving spirit;
   and, on the other side, the evil spirit, the spirit of strait-ness,
   weariness, despondency, darkness, the spirit that destroys our soul.
   The first is the Spirit of God, by which we live, spiritually breathe,
   move, and exist; the second is the evil spirit, Satan.

   The God of Love is unchangeable, and we ought to be unchangeable and
   constant in our love. " Charity never faileth," [961] whilst dislike,
   hatred, or indifference and neglect proceed from the Devil.

   Every word of the Master is spiritual or material being, because He is
   That Which Is and the Creator. The Master, the Lord God, is almighty,
   because He is an infinite Spirit, unlimited power and wisdom j and
   every thought of His immediately is or may be in accordance with His
   will, deed, life.

   Unfortunate is he who immoderately loves the comforts of life, and has
   surrounded himself with all possible comforts. He will shun every
   discomfort; he will become effeminate and unaccustomed to patience;
   whilst the life of the Christian is all discomfort, narrow, rough way,
   a cross, requiring discomfort and great patience. And therefore,
   Christian wrestler, do not seek for all comforts in your dwelling and
   surroundings; do not love the comforts of this world, but love Christ,
   the cross-bearer. Endure discomfort, accustom yourself to discomforts:
   "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content,"
   [962] says the Apostle. Unfortunate is he who loves adornment and seeks
   the adornment of his body; he will not strive as he ought for the
   adornment of his soul by faith, love, meekness, humility,
   righteousness, patience. Especially unfortunate is he who seeks to be
   adorned with honours; he will make a shameful idol of himself, like
   Nebuchadnezzar; will become proud in his demeanour towards those who
   have not such honours, and will exact reverence " not with costly
   array." [963] Even we men, like women, seek after adornment and adorn
   ourselves like idols, while we think but little of inward beauty, and
   even entirely forget the inward temple, or the tabernacle, of our soul.
   Unfortunate is he who loves haste: he will meet with a multitude of
   obstacles, with thousands of unpleasantnesses and inward straitness,
   through his haste, and will have many occasions for irritation.
   Unfortunate is he who is passionately fond of eating and drinking,
   cares for surfeiting and enjoyments: he will indeed find, when he
   begins to labour for the Lord, that food and drink, if we set our heart
   upon them, are a heavy burden for the body, affliction and destruction
   for the spirit, and that man can be really satisfied with very, very
   little and simple food.

   The human soul is single, like the spirit; therefore it ought also to
   be single in love; that is, it ought to love God as its Author, from
   Whom it came forth, and man as itself--like unto like; it ought not to
   attach itself for an instant in any way to the things of this world,
   for these are not akin to it, and it is because of their not being of
   the same nature as our soul that the soul feels itself so ill at ease
   when it cleaves to them.

   Every word of Holy Writ, every word of the Divine liturgy, of the
   morning and evening services, every word of the Sacramental prayers and
   of the other prayers, has in itself the power corresponding to it and
   contained in it, like the sign of the honourable and life-giving cross.
   Such grace is present in every word of the Church, on account of the
   Personal Incarnate Word of God, Who is the Head of the Church, dwelling
   in the Church. Besides this, every truly good word has in itself the
   power corresponding to it, owing to the all-filling simple Word of God.
   With what attention and reverence, with what faith, must we therefore
   pronounce each word! For the Word is the Creator Himself, God, and
   through the Word all things were brought into existence from
   non-existence.

   The Holy Mysteries are called the Divine gifts, because they are given
   to us by the Lord quite freely, for nothing, undeservedly on our part.
   Instead of punishing us for our daily numberless transgressions and
   giving us over to spiritual death, the Lord, in the Holy Mysteries,
   grants us forgiveness and cleansing from our sins, sanctification,
   peace of our spiritual powers, healing and health of soul and body, and
   every blessing solely in accordance with our faith. If, then, the Lord
   daily gives us Himself, His Divine Mysteries, to partake of, ought we
   not therefore absolutely to give freely, for nothing, perishable goods
   such as money, food, drink, clothes, to those who ask us for them? And
   how can we be angered with those who eat our bread for nothing when we
   ourselves partake freely of the priceless and immortal food of the Body
   and Blood of the Lord? "Of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not
   again." [964]

   You live in God's house--in this beautiful world--and enjoy all the
   gifts of God's goodness and bountifulness freely given through nature.
   You live in God's house -- in the Church, or in the company of the
   saved, and you enjoy all the gifts of grace for your salvation; also
   freely therefore you trust unhesitatingly and freely do good to your
   brethren, as far as lies in your power. Do good even to those who are
   unthankful and evil, that you may be the child of the Highest. [965]
   Receive all willingly in your house, knowing that you yourself live
   freely in the house of God, in the universe, and in the spiritual house
   of God--the Church, which prepares you for the life eternal. Give
   joyfully, and let others partake freely at your table, remembering that
   you, too, freely daily partake at the Lord's table of His most pure
   Body and Blood (16th April, 1862).

   You say: "What can I do with my heart? It sets itself in opposition to
   everything true and holy; it becomes weakened by unbelief there where
   strong faith is required; it fails when faithfulness unto death is
   necessary; it does not tremble, and is even ready to mock when it
   should tremble and fear. What can I do! What shall I do," you say, "
   with my heart?" Recognise firmly, once for ail as an irrevocable truth,
   that your heart is falsehood and a pillar of falsehood. "All men are
   liars," [966] whilst everything that is in the Church, beginning with
   the Word of God down to the shortest prayer, is truth; that "the
   Church" of God "is the pillar and ground of the truth," [967] for it is
   founded upon the corner-stone--Christ, Who is the Truth, and is
   animated and eternally guided by the Holy Ghost, Who is the Spirit of
   truth.

   The Church is the sure way to the life eternal; walk in it
   undeviatingly, hold fast to it, and you will gain the kingdom of
   heaven; but if you turn aside at the crossways of your own sophistry
   and unbelief, then you have only yourself to blame, you will go astray
   and be lost. "I am the way, the truth, and the life." [968]

   There is no doubt that in the hearts of many people the presence of the
   Devil manifests itself by a kind of spiritual languor, prostration, and
   slothfulness for every good and useful work, especially for works of
   faith and piety requiring attention and soberness of heart, and for
   spiritual work in general. Thus he strikes the heart with languor and
   the intellect with dulness during prayer, with coldness and indolence
   when it is necessary for us to do good--for instance, to have
   compassion upon those who suffer, to help those who are in need, to
   comfort those who are in sorrow, to teach the ignorant, to guide the
   erring and vicious into the way of truth. We must constantly watch our
   heart, drive away from it the mists of slothfulness and hardened
   unfeelingness, and see that it should always burn with faith and love
   for God and our neighbour, and ever be ready for every kind of labour
   and self-sacrifice for the glory of God and the salvation of our
   neighbour. "Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit: serving the
   Lord." [969] The Devil also manifests his presence in our hearts by
   unusually violent irritation. We sometimes become so sick with our own
   self-love that we cannot even endure the slightest contradiction, any
   spiritual or material obstacles; cannot bear a single, rough, harsh
   word. But then is the very time for endurance when the waters of malice
   and impatience reach the depths of our souls. "In your patience possess
   ye your souls." [970] "The rain descended, and the floods came . . .
   upon that house." [971] What will become of it? What will become of the
   man himself when the Devil lets in upon him the floods of his
   temptations and blows upon him with the wind of his snares? If the
   Christian stands firmly upon the rock, Christ, then he will not fall;
   but if he stands upon the sand of his own sophistry and passions, then
   great will be his fall. [972]

   Am I not everything to you, My worm, adorned with Mine image? To what,
   then, do you cleave ? In what else do you trust? Do not leave Me, the
   Source of living water (of life); I am the very Life. Our Life--the
   Lord--is single. If He is in the heart, it is enough. He alone supports
   our life. Therefore it is said: " Man shall not live by bread alone,
   but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." [973]

   Do not be slothful in praying fervently for others at their request, or
   of yourself, and together with them; you will thus obtain a recompense
   from God--the grace of God in your heart, which shall rejoice you and
   strengthen you in faith and love for God and your neighbour. These
   words are true; they are taken from experience. In general, we do not
   pray very willingly for others, but more out of obligation and habit,
   and without our heart fully participating in the prayer; we must force
   ourselves to pray from the whole heart, with great faith, with great
   boldness, in order that we may obtain great and rich mercy from the
   bountiful and greatly-endowing God! " Let him ask," it is said, " in
   faith, nothing wavering: for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea
   driven with the wind and tossed." [974] It pleases the Lord, the common
   Father of all, when we pray for each other willingly with faith and
   love, for He is Love, ready to forgive all for their mutual love. The
   Holy Ghost said: "Pray one for another, that ye may be healed.'' [975]
   You see how pleasing to God, and how efficacious, is the prayer of one
   for another.

   When you are praying to God, then do not represent to yourself His
   nearness otherwise than that you breathe every moment in Him, that you
   are enlightened, sanctified, rest, are comforted, and strengthened by
   Him--that, in a word, you live in Him, in accordance with the
   Scripture: " For in Him we live, and move, and have our being: He
   giveth to all life, and breath, and all things." [976] "God [the Word]
   is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thine heart . . . that if thou
   shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
   heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
   [977]

   A Christian ought to pray for all Christians, as for himself, that God
   may prosper them in life, in faith, and in spiritual wisdom, and may
   free them from sins and passions. Why? In accordance with Christian
   love, which sees in all Christians, its own members and members of God
   the Christ, the common Saviour of all, desires for them the same as for
   itself, and strives by every means to do unto them as unto itself.

   We have icons in our houses, and venerate them, in order to show,
   amongst other things, that the eyes of God and of all the heavenly
   dwellers are constantly fixed upon us, and see not only all our acts,
   but also our words, thoughts and desires.

   I thank my mother Church, for having shown me in the litanies what to
   pray for--"For we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the
   Spirit Itself maketh intercession for us," in the litanies, " with
   groanings which cannot be uttered." [978] Glory to the grace of the
   Holy Ghost, the Comforter! I believe, that in accordance with the
   Saviour's promise, He will dwell with us for ever, and will guide us
   into all truth, and will not allow those to err who seek God's truth
   zealously and humbly. Why do we begin our prayers by the prayer to the
   Heavenly King--the Spirit of truth? Because He is the Teacher and the
   Giver of prayer, because He dwells with us for ever, and works in the
   world. We thank Thee, Lord Jesus, that for Thy sake the Holy Ghost also
   came down from heaven into the world!

   Christ is our hope, our cleansing and sanctification, our resurrection,
   life and repose. He alone-is what we all need, and, therefore, the
   Church constantly pronounces these words aloud so that we may hear them
   during the requiems or funeral services, and during the other Church
   services, for we are inclined to forget the only thing we need; the
   passions draw away after them our intellect, memory and imagination,
   our heart and will. With death all will be taken from us, all earthly
   goods: riches, honours, the beauty of the body, beauty of raiment,
   spacious dwellings, all the sweetness of food and drink, but the virtue
   of the soul, that incorruptible raiment, shall remain with us
   eternally; and Christ--our eternal riches, our life and true beauty,
   true glory and honour, our incorruptible raiment-- will eternally
   remain with us.

   In order that a Christian should lead a Christian life, and that the
   life of the spirit should not be completely extinguished in him, both
   private prayer and public prayer are necessary for him; it is also
   indispensable that he should attend Divine service in the temple with
   faith, understanding and zeal, just as it is indispensable to pour oil
   into a lamp, in order that it should burn and not go out; but as
   sincere, fervent prayer is connected with abstinence, therefore, in
   order to maintain the Christian life within ourselves--that is, the
   ardour of faith, hope, and love--abstinence and fasting are necessary.
   Nothing so soon extinguishes the spirit of faith within us as
   intemperance, indulgence, distraction and an irregular life. My spirit
   is quenched, I die spiritually when I do not celebrate service in the
   temple for a whole week, and my spirit becomes inflamed, I live again,
   in soul and heart, when I officiate, forcing myself to prayer, not
   formally, but really, spiritually, sincerely, ardently. But how many
   bodiless enemies I then have to struggle against! How many wiles and
   calumnies of theirs I have to overcome! The theatre likewise
   extinguishes faith and the Christian life, teaching distraction,
   cunning (or knowledge of the world), a fondness for laughter and
   joking; it trains clever children of this world, but not children of
   light. The theatre is the opponent of the Christian life; it is the
   offspring of the spirit of this world, and not of the Spirit of God.
   True children of the Church do not visit it.

   Nothing in the world is more important than the salvation of human
   souls, and there is no subject more worthy of unceasing and perpetual
   remembrance than the redemption of the world by the Son of God from
   sin, the curse and eternal death. The Holy Church has engraved in her
   Divine services, by means of eternally indelible letters, by images and
   rites, the whole ordering of our salvation, in order that men--so
   inclined to forget God, and the salvation of their souls, and all that
   God has done for their salvation, eternal joy and bliss--should
   constantly have, so to say, before their eyes, and as though within
   their reach, all God's great, most wise and good deeds concerning them,
   and that they may continually be urged to repentance, amendment, and
   salvation, and shun the vanities of this corrupt and fleeting world.
   "The world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the
   will of God abideth for ever." [979]

   Watch yourself continually, in order that the spiritual life and
   spiritual wisdom should not be dried up within you. Meditate oftener
   upon what you read, or sing, or hear in church, or sometimes at home.
   Live as the saints lived: by their prayers, wisdom, and virtues; in
   meekness, humility, and gentleness, not sparing yourself, but
   renouncing yourself, your rest, ease and enjoyment, for the love of God
   and your neighbour, in patience, courage and struggle--have their
   faith, hope and love. " Let your loins be girded about, and your lights
   burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when
   he will return from the wedding." [980]

   If you read worldly magazines and newspapers, and derive some profit
   from them, as a citizen, a Christian, and a member of a family, then
   you ought still more and still oftener to read the Gospel and the
   writings of the Holy Fathers; for it would be sinful for a Christian,
   who reads worldly writings, not to read divinely-inspired ones. If you
   follow the events of the outer world, do not lose sight of your inner
   world, your own soul besides: it is nearer and dearer to you. Only to
   read worldly magazines and newspapers means only to live with one side
   of the soul, and not with the whole soul; or only to live by the flesh,
   and not by the spirit. Everything worldly will come to an end with the
   world itself. And "the world passeth away, and the lust thereof [all
   its devices]; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."
   [981]

   Attachment to outward things immediately causes coldness towards God
   and the work of our salvation; coldness towards our neighbour, or
   hatred and envy towards him, if it depends upon him to give us certain
   things and he does not give them to us, or if we are obliged to give
   them to him against our will. Therefore, it is well to be perfectly
   indifferent to outward things, in order not to have any occasion for
   enmity towards our neighbour, which is a great sin. Be above all
   attachments to this perishable, vain, fleeting world; live by your
   heart in heaven, and love the incorruptible blessings prepared for
   those who love God and their neighbour.

   A priest, like an angel of the Almighty Lord, ought to be above all
   passions and spiritual disturbances, above all worldly or vain
   attachments and fears, occasioned by demons; he ought to be entirely in
   God, to love and fear Him alone. The fear of man means that he does not
   yet entirely cleave to God.

   Do not forget yourself in looking upon the bodily face-- look more
   attentively with your inward vision upon the face of your soul, what
   aspect it wears: is it not disfigured by the passions? and if so,
   destroy this disfigurement by prayer and tearful repentance. Do not
   forget yourself in looking upon beautiful raiment: it is corruption;
   but consider the incorruptible raiment of your soul, in what state it
   is: is it not hideous and impure, owing to frequent transgressions,
   both secret and evident; and strive to clothe your soul in the
   imperishable beauty of meekness, humility, chastity and purity, mercy
   and righteousness.

   "I believe in one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church." Do you believe
   that all Orthodox Christians are members of one and the same body, and
   that therefore we must all "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
   peace," [982] must care for one another, help one another? Do you
   believe that the saints are likewise members of the one body of
   Christ--that is, of the Church, and are our brethren, interceding for
   us before God in heaven? Do you respect every Christian, as a member of
   Christ, as His brother according to human nature? Do you love
   everybody, as yourself, as your own flesh and blood? Do you generously
   forgive offences ? Do you help others in need, if you yourself have
   means ? Do you teach the ignorant ? Do you turn the sinner from the
   error of his ways? Do you comfort those who are in affliction? Faith in
   the Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church inspires, obliges you to do
   all this; and for all this you are promised a great reward from the
   Head of the Church--our Lord Jesus Christ.

   Through our attachment to perishable things, by thoughts and cares
   about them, we lose sight of objects of the greatest importance, of the
   objects really natural to our souls, constituting their true and
   eternal element; we hew out for ourselves " cisterns, broken cisterns,
   that can hold no water," and forsake "the Fountain of living waters";
   [983] we do not turn spiritual, holy, heavenly and life-giving thoughts
   into our life, into our blood, and continue to live by worldly,
   earthly, passionate thoughts and aspirations, which only oppress,
   torment, and slay us. O, if we could ever reason, as the Gospel teaches
   us, as the holy Church teaches us in her Divine services, prayers, at
   the celebration of the sacraments and other offices, as the Holy
   Fathers did in their writings! Then even upon earth we should all
   become citizens of heaven, speaking heavens.

   The Divine Liturgy is truly a heavenly service upon earth, during which
   God Himself, in a particular, immediate, and most close manner, is
   present and dwells with men, being Himself the invisible Celebrant of
   the service, offering and being offered. There is nothing upon earth
   holier, higher, grander, more solemn, more life-giving than the
   Liturgy. The temple, at this particular time, becomes an earthly
   heaven; those who officiate represent Christ Himself, the Angels, the
   Cherubim, Seraphim and Apostles. The Liturgy is the continually
   repeated solemnisation of God's love to mankind, and of His
   all-powerful mediation for the salvation of the whole world, and of
   every member separately: the marriage of the Lamb--the marriage of the
   King's Son, in which the bride of the Son of God is--every faithful
   soul; and the Giver of the bride--the Holy Ghost. With what prepared,
   pure, elevated souls it is therefore necessary to assist at the
   Liturgy, in order not to be amongst the number of those who, having no
   wedding garment, but a garment defiled by passions, were bound hand and
   foot, and cast out from the marriage feast into utter darkness. Whilst
   now, unfortunately, many do not even consider it necessary to assist at
   the Liturgy at all; others only go out of habit, and go away in the
   same state of mind as they came, without elevated thoughts, without a
   contrite heart, with an unrepentant soul, without the determination to
   amend. Some stand in church irreverently, inattentively, without any
   concentration of mind, without any previous self-preparation at home by
   means of meditation and abstinence; and many manage to drink and eat
   more than they should before service. When the Lord descended upon
   Mount Sinai the Hebrew people were ordered to previously prepare and
   cleanse themselves. In the Divine service we have not a lesser event
   than God's descent upon Mount Sinai, but a greater one: here before us
   is the very face of God the Lawgiver. When the Lord appeared to Moses
   upon Mount Horeb in the bush, he was ordered to put off his shoes from
   his feet; but here is a greater manifestation of God than upon Horeb;
   there was only the prototype, here is the Typifier Himself. O, how we
   cling to earthly things! We do not even wish to devote one hour
   exclusively to God! Even during the Divine, most heavenly Liturgy we
   allow ourselves to think and dream of earthly things, and fill our
   souls with images and desires for earthly things,
   sometimes--alas!--even with impure images; when we ought to be praying
   ardently, to be assiduously meditating upon this great mystery, to be
   repenting of our sins, longing and praying to be cleansed, sanctified,
   enlightened, renewed, and strengthened in the Christian life, and in
   the fulfilment of Christ's commandments; when we ought to be praying
   for the living and dead; for the Liturgy is a sacrifice of
   propitiation, thanksgiving, praise, and prayer. Great is the Liturgy!
   In it remembrance is made, not of the life of any great man, but that
   of God Incarnate, Who suffered and died for us, Who rose again,
   ascended into heaven, and Who shall come again to judge the whole
   world!

   What is the false gratitude to God? Gratitude is false when, having
   received bountiful, undeserved spiritual and material gifts from God,
   people thank God for them with their tongue, and use them only for
   their own advantage, not sharing them with their neighbours; when they
   obtain them and conceal them in their treasuries, chests, libraries;
   thus depriving many of their brethren of spiritual enlightenment,
   instruction, and consolation; or of food, drink, clothing, dwelling; or
   of being cured of their maladies; or of the means of moving from one
   place to another for the purpose of acquiring means of subsistence.
   Such gratitude is false and impious. It means thanking God with the
   tongue, and meanwhile showing extreme ingratitude and ill-nature in
   deed. But how many such grateful--or, rather, ungrateful--men there
   are!

   Our corrupt nature is inclined to speedily forget every thing holy and
   salutary, because sins and passions continually cloud and darken our
   heads and hearts, occupy them, and dominate in them, thrusting out
   remembrances, thoughts, and feelings about holy events and God's great
   benefits to up. Therefore the holy Church, faithful guardian of her
   Lord's commandments, of all His teaching and works, eternally grateful
   for His unspeakable benefits, has instituted the solemn commemorative
   celebration, in the daily, as well as in the Sunday and festival
   services, with picturesque, impressive, emblematical rites, of all the
   saving events of the life and acts of our Lord Jesus Christ, all the
   orderings of His salvation in the Old and in the New Testament, as well
   as the creation itself by Him of the visible and invisible world; and
   not only the events of His own all-saving, most wonderful life, but
   also those from the life of His Most Pure Mother, Who so gloriously
   served to the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God; from the
   life of His Forerunner, and the lives of the Apostles, Prophets,
   Hierarchs, Martyrs, venerable Fathers, disinterested, righteous
   persons, and of all the Saints, who pleased and served God in every
   way; of these innumerable witnesses of the Lord, and of the truth and
   saving properties of His Divine religion, and all His Divine teaching,
   who have inherited the life everlasting in accordance with His promise.
   This is useful and necessary for the strengthening of our faith, hope
   and love, for the spiritual education of all Christian mankind; for
   constantly teaching them the dogmas of faith and various virtues, such
   as faithfulness, courage, patience, meekness, kindness, humility,
   disinterestedness, abstinence, purity, chastity, and other virtues; for
   the lives of the Lord and of His Most Pure Mother, as well as those of
   the Saints, present examples of all the virtues, by fulfilling which a
   man can become well-pleasing to God, and save his own soul and the
   souls of his brethren.

   The science of sciences is to conquer the sin dwelling in us, or the
   passions acting in us. For instance, it is great wisdom not to be angry
   with anyone, nor at anything; not to think evil of anyone, not even if
   someone has done us harm, but to excuse him in every way; it is wisdom
   to despise gain, luxuries, but to love disinterestedness, and
   simplicity of food and drink, combined with constant moderation; it is
   wisdom not to flatter anyone, but to speak the truth fearlessly to
   everybody; it is wisdom not to be charmed by beauty of person, but to
   respect in all, whether they be handsome or ugly, the beauty of the
   image of God, which is equally in all; it is wisdom to love your
   enemies and not to take vengeance upon them either by word, thought, or
   deed; it is wisdom not to amass wealth for ourselves, but to give it to
   the poor, in order to gain for ourselves "a treasure in the heavens
   that faileth not." [984] Alas! we have studied nearly all the sciences,
   but have not learnt the science of avoiding sins, and often show
   ourselves entirely ignorant of this moral science. And thus it follows
   that the truly wise, the truly learned, were the holy, true disciples
   of the true Teacher, Christ; whilst all of us, so-called learned men,
   are ignorant; and the more learned we are, the worse is our ignorance,
   because we do not know and do not do the one thing needful, but only
   serve our self-love, love of fame, sensuality and covetousness.

   How indifferent a priest should be to earthly things, in order that
   when celebrating such services, such high and most heavenly sacraments,
   he may not be ensnared by the enemy, but may always burn with pure love
   for God and his fellow men, who are lost through sins and are saved by
   the grace of Christ in the Holy Ghost! But how greatly we are wont to
   sin! How strong are our earthly attachments! Even when celebrating the
   sacraments, we sometimes, through being accustomed to them, do not
   completely lay aside worldly cares and attachments, and therefore the
   enemy disturbs, darkens and perverts our mind, binds our heart, and
   takes us prisoners. And deservedly! Do not dream. A priest should be an
   angel by the elevation of his thoughts, by the purity of his soul and
   body, by the ardour of his love for God, the Creator of all things, and
   the Saviour, and for men, his brethren.

   To love God with all your heart means--to love with all your soul
   meekness, humility, purity and chastity, wisdom, truth, mercy,
   obedience, for the sake of God, and never to act contrarily to these
   virtues; that is, not to become proud, irritated, angry against anyone;
   not to commit adultery even in the heart; not to violate chastity,
   either by look, thought, or gesture; to avoid every inconsiderate,
   needless word and deed; to shun every iniquity; to hate avarice and
   covetousness; to flee from self-will and disobedience.

   The passions spur us on like cruel drivers, daily urging us, through
   our love for earthly things, to act in opposition to the Lord and to
   our own true welfare, and to do that which is pleasing to the
   flatterer, Satan.

   I thank Thee, my joy, Lord of glory, for having taken my image, through
   the incarnation of the Most Pure Virgin, and for having thus honoured,
   raised, and made mankind godly. I thank Thee for raising me from
   corruption unto incorruption; for cleansing my impurities; for healing
   my infirmities and sicknesses; for turning my sorrow into joy, the
   straitness of sin into the wideness of Thy justification: for through
   faith and heartfelt penitence Thou drivest away the darkness of the
   passions, and bestowest Thy spiritual light. Thou takest away
   disturbance, and sendest down peace from above. Thou takest away
   faintheartedness, and bestowest courage and daring. Glory to Thy mercy!

   I gaze upon the icons in the temple--upon Thy holy icon, my Lord, upon
   that of Thy Most Pure Mother, those of the holy Angels and Archangels,
   and upon the faces of the saints, adorned, resplendent with gold and
   silver--and think to myself how Thou hast honoured and adorned our
   nature, Creator and Provider of all! Thy saints shine with Thy light,
   they are sanctified by Thy grace, having conquered sin and washed away
   the sinful impurities of body and spirit ; they are glorious with Thy
   glory, they are incorruptible through Thine incorruptibility. Glory to
   Thee for having so honoured, enlightened, and raised our nature! Here
   are Thine Apostles and Hierarchs, living images of Thee, the Highest,
   Who passed through the heavens, Envoy of the Father, Hierarch and Chief
   of Shepherds; Thy goodness, Thy wisdom, Thy might, spiritual beauty,
   power, and holiness shine in them. Here are Thy martyrs, who by Thy
   strength overcame terrible temptations and endured fearful tortures;
   they have washed the garments of their souls white in Thy blood. Here
   are Thy venerable ones, who by fasting, vigilance, and prayer obtained
   Thy wonderful gifts, the gifts of healing, of discernment; Thy might
   strengthened them to stand above sin and all the snares of the Devil;
   Thy likeness shines forth in them like the sun.

   In the temple, in its arrangements and parts, in the icons, in the
   Divine service, with the reading of the Holy Scriptures, the singing,
   the rites, the entire Old Testament, New Testament, and Church history,
   the whole Divine ordering of the salvation of mankind is emblematically
   traced, as upon a chart, in figures and in general outlines. Grand is
   the spectacle of the Divine service of our Orthodox Church for those
   who understand it, who penetrate into its essence, its spirit, its
   signification, its sense!

   Sensualist! upon what will you set your love after your death, when you
   will no longer have any carnal delights, and their place is filled by
   the bitterness of entire deprivation? Upon what will your imperishable
   soul be fed 1 Carnal delights will no longer be compatible with it.
   Covetous man! upon what will you set your heart's love when with your
   death the possession and enjoyment of your money and various treasures
   cease? Your soul, a spiritual being, will not then require these
   treasures; they would be repugnant to it, like poison, like the rust
   and rottenness which corrupted it during its lifetime, estranging it
   from God and depriving it of the incorruptible treasure--God. Proud,
   ambitious man! you who seek distinctions and honours, and love them
   above everything in the world! upon what will you set your love when
   death divests you of all your distinctions and shows you in all your
   nakedness and deformity? What will then be the food and life of the
   imperishable spirit that has withdrawn itself from God for the sake of
   the vain honours of this world, making a god of itself, like the
   worshippers of idols ] So vain is the man subjected to passions that he
   does not understand what he does, what deprivations he prepares for
   himself, what torment for his foolish passions, that after having been
   honoured by the likeness of God, by the name of a child of God, of a
   friend of God, of an heir of the heavenly kingdom, of a joint heir with
   Christ, by his foolishness "he may be compared unto the beasts that
   perish," [985] in greediness, in his sensual fury, in malice, in envy!
   Therefore fear to cleave with your whole soul to anything earthly.

   Imagery or symbols are a necessity of human nature in our present
   spiritually sensual condition; they explain by the vision many things
   belonging to the spiritual world which we could not know without images
   and symbols. It was for this reason that the Divine Teacher, the
   Personal Wisdom Who created all things, the Son of God, our Lord Jesus
   Christ, often taught men by means of images or parables; it is for this
   reason also that in our Orthodox temples it is the custom to represent
   many things to the gaze of the Christian by imagery: for instance, to
   represent the Lord Himself, the Most Pure Mother of God, the Angels and
   saints, on icons, in order that we may conform our lives, all our
   thoughts, words, and deeds, to the image of the thoughts, words, and
   deeds of the Lord and His saints; hence also the frequent making of the
   sign of the cross, the use of incense, the burning of candles and
   lamps, the processions in and out of the altar; hence the
   genuflections, the bowing of the head and the falling down upon the
   race (for we have fallen deeply through sin). All these remind us of
   various spiritual things and conditions. Imagery greatly influences the
   human soul, its creative or active capacity. Thus it is said that if
   during the time preceding the birth of her child a mother often looks
   upon the face or portrait of her beloved husband, then the child is
   born very like his father, or if she often looks upon the portrait of a
   beautiful child she gives birth to a beautiful infant; thus, if a
   Christian often gazes with love and reverence upon the image of our
   Lord Jesus Christ, or of His Most Pure Mother and His saints, his soul
   will receive the spiritual features of the face lovingly looked upon
   (meekness, humility, mercy, and abstinence). O, if we oftener
   contemplated the images, and especially the life of the Lord and of His
   saints, how we should change, and rise from strength to strength! Thus,
   the fragrance of incense in church or in our houses reminds us by
   analogy of the fragrance of virtue, and by contrast of the evil odour
   of sins, and teaches those who are attentive to inward feelings to
   avoid the stench of the passions, of intemperance, fornication, malice,
   envy, pride, despair and other passions, and to adorn themselves with
   every Christian virtue; the incense reminds us of the Apostle's words:
   "For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ in them that are saved,
   and in them that perish: to the one we are the savour of death unto
   death, and to the other the savour of life unto life." [986] In a like
   manner the candles or lamps burning in church remind us of the
   spiritual light and fire; for instance, of the Lord's words: "I am come
   a Light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me should not abide
   in darkness;" [987] or "I am come to send tire on the earth; and what
   will I, if it be already kindled?" [988] or "Let your loins be girded
   about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that
   wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he
   cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately;" [989] or "Let
   your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and
   glorify your Father Which is in heaven." [990] And the objects
   themselves by their very nature teach us concerning the spiritual
   objects and things corresponding to light and fire; for instance, that
   our hearts should always be burning with love for God and our
   neighbour, that we should not let the passions or the fire of Gehenna
   be kindled within us, and that by the example of a virtuous life we
   should light others, as a candle lights us in our worldly doings.

   It is natural for us to have images of Christ, of His Most Pure Mother,
   of the Angels and saints. Firstly, because it is a requirement of our
   nature: we always wish to have before us an image of the Beloved, an
   image of our Benefactor, in order that in gazing upon it we may oftener
   remember Him and His benefactions (worship Him), the same as we do with
   living persons, especially with those whom we love and respect.
   Secondly, we are created after the image and likeness of God, therefore
   it is natural for us to wish to have always before our eyes our own
   Prototype, our First Origin, the Lord God, in those images, in which He
   was pleased to manifest Himself to men, in order that we should oftener
   remember Him, His constant presence with us, His providence; in order
   to express our reverence, gratitude, and love to Him in visible signs
   or ceremonies; for we are corporal, and on account of our corporality
   we need material representations, material ceremonies. It was certainly
   because of this that the Lord Himself appeared to His saints--for
   instance, to Abraham, in the form of three strangers, under the tree
   upon the plains of Mamre; to Isaiah in the form of a great King,
   sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; to the prophet Daniel in the
   form of the Ancient of Days and in the form of the Son of Man, brought
   near before Him. Had not the visible image of the invisible God been
   necessary, He certainly would not have appeared in a visible manner;
   would not have appeared upon earth in our flesh; would not have taken
   the form of a servant. And David says: "Seek His face evermore." [991]
   For this reason also we make, keep in our houses, and venerate,
   pictures of the Most Pure Mother of God, of the Angels and saints,
   because they are living images and likenesses of God, and, looking upon
   them, we remember more vividly their great deeds, virtues, their
   benefactions to us, their ardent love to God, and we ourselves thus
   become inspired to imitate them in their constant vigilance over
   themselves, in cleansing ourselves from every impurity of body and
   spirit, and we glorify their exploits, thus making them our
   intercessors and protectors before God, for God deigns to accept the
   intercession of His friends and faithful servants on behalf of those
   for whom they intercede before Him. As we are not bodiless spirits, but
   beings, covered with flesh, having material contours and a material
   image, it is natural that we should seek images of invisible beings;
   and it was indeed in condescension to our infirmity that the Lord gave
   the Angels power to take our form upon themselves and appear to us
   (when He pleases) in our image, as, for instance, when the Archangel
   appeared to Joshua, the son of Nun, to David, to Manoah and Hannah, to
   Zacharias, to the Most Pure Virgin Mary, and to other saints of the Old
   and New Testaments. Do we not ourselves prove in our daily life the
   requirement of our nature, its longing to have representations of the
   persons whom we love, when we express the desire to have their
   portraits and have our own portraits done, hang them up on the walls,
   or place them in albums, in order to look at them often, and to enjoy
   contemplating the respected and beloved faces? And this natural, right,
   and pious veneration of the holy icons many Lutherans and Anglicans
   regard as something unnatural, repugnant to God, as idolatry and
   heresy; they have not icons either in their houses or even in their
   temples, and consider it a sin to have and worship them. Through this
   they lose much in faith and piety, for by breaking the visible
   connection with the saints they likewise destroy the invisible one,
   whilst in reality, as the Church is heavenly and earthly, it forms one
   body. They have broken in the same way their connection with the
   departed, because they do not pray for them and do not offer sacrifices
   for their souls, sacrifices which are well-pleasing to the merciful
   God; and thus prove their unbelief in the power of the prayers of the
   Church for the departed. What kind of a Church is this that has
   unwisely and audaciously broken her ties with the heavenly, triumphant
   Church? has interrupted communion by means of prayers with the
   departed, and broken off communion with the Church that professes the
   faith in Christ in its primitive purity? Is it a living and holy body
   of the Church? Can a single trunk of the body, without head, without
   hands and feet, without eyes and ears, be called a living, organised
   body? And yet such a community proclaims its faith as the purified,
   true faith, and eschews the rites of our holy, spotless religion. Is
   that religion purified that has rejected the Sacrament of Orders and
   the other sacraments, excepting Baptism and Holy Communion, which last,
   however, is not valid; has rejected the veneration of the saints, of
   their relics, icons, fasting, monasticism, and prayers for the
   departed? Is this the faith of the Gospel? Is it the Church of Christ
   and the Apostolic Church? No; it is a self-made Church, constituted by
   the will of men, under the influence of human passions and pleasing
   human passions; it is " the truth in unrighteousness " [992] ; it is
   the perverted Gospel of Christ; it is the perversion or turning away of
   Christ's people " unto another Gospel," of which the Apostle said: "But
   though we or an angel from heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than
   that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." [993] It is
   not a Church, but a soul-destroying dissection of the body of Christ.
   And thus the veneration of icons is natural, righteous, pleasing to
   God, and profitable.

   The holy Angels and God's saints are our best, kindest, and truest
   brothers and friends, so often helping us in various circumstances in
   which no human beings can help us. As these brothers, who eternally
   live and load us with benefits, are invisible, whilst we, on account of
   our corporality, wish to have them before our eyes and as though always
   present with us, therefore we have images of them; and, looking upon
   these images, we represent to ourselves that they are with us, and we
   call upon them in our prayers, knowing that they have great boldness
   before God and help us in various circumstances. Thus the veneration of
   icons is most beneficial for us, corresponding with our nature and with
   common-sense, as well as with the Holy Scriptures themselves, for there
   were images of the Cherubim in Moses' tabernacle of the Old Testament.
   Icons serve as a constant reminder to us that the Lord is always with
   us ("I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" [994] ); that
   the Most Holy Mother of God is always near us as the "First-Origin of
   the spiritual renovation" [995] of the Church, as the Mother by grace
   of all true Christians. And therefore all true Christians have in their
   houses the image of the Mother of God, their Queen and Mother by grace,
   and abundantly, worthily, and rightly adorn it with silver, gold, and
   precious stones; for, after God, there is no one dearer and more
   reverenced by them than His Most Pure Mother. Both the Lord Himself and
   His Most Pure Mother continually prove to us by means of miracles, both
   inwardly and outwardly, that our true veneration of His saints, and of
   His Mother, and of His holy icons, is pleasing to Him and profitable to
   us in the highest degree.

   The Nativity of Christ.--He has come upon earth, He Who in the
   beginning created us from earth and breathed His Divine breath into us;
   He has come Who " giveth to all life, and breath, and all things" [996]
   ; He has come, He Who by a single word called all things visible and
   invisible from non-existence into existence, Who by a word called into
   being birds, fishes, quadrupeds, insects, and all creatures, existing
   under His almighty providence and care; He has come, He Whom the
   innumerable hosts of Angels continually serve with fear and joy. And in
   what humility has He come! He is born of a poor Virgin, in a cave,
   wrapped in poor swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. Riches,
   honours, glory of this world! fall down, fall down in humility, tearful
   devotion, and deep gratitude before the Saviour of men, and share your
   riches with the poor and needy. Do not pride yourselves on your
   visionary, fleeting distinctions, for true distinction can only be
   found in virtue. Glory of this world! learn here, before the manger,
   your vanity. Thus, let us all humble ourselves; let us all fall down in
   the dust before the boundless humility and exhaustion of the Sovereign
   of all, of God, Who has come to heal our infirmities, to save us from
   pride, vanity, corruption, and every sinful impurity.

   Sin, in itself, is fire; this is why we say that such or such an one is
   inflamed by anger, or by carnal love, or by envy. Thus sin bears in
   itself the condemnation of fire. What, then, will this fire be in
   sinners when through their impenitence the grace of God entirely leaves
   them ? What will this outward fire also be for sinners? For there is no
   doubt that there will be the lake of fire, the fiery furnace, or the
   Gehenna of fire, or the valley of fire. All these truly exist. And we
   in our insensibility do not fear, do not tremble; we spend our lives in
   enjoyments; we are cold towards the Church; we do not fulfil our
   Christian duties; we stagnate in our sins. Woe unto us!

   Our priestly service is to repeat over and over again the same prayers,
   although very diverse, beginning with the Lord's Prayer "Our Father,"
   as it is the duty of all men in general to fulfil the same commandments
   of the moral law; for it is not by the variety of prayers that the soul
   is strengthened, but by their repetition, and by their being brought
   into our hearts, our will or activity, and into our whole life.

   Avoid by every means occasions, causes, and words that produce enmity,
   and avail yourself of every opportunity and occasion to show holy and
   sincere love: by doing the first the inimical disposition of the soul
   will little by little be eradicated, and by the second love will be
   nourished and strengthened. Do not allow yourself for a moment to have
   any ill-feeling against anyone; always be kind to everyone, conquering
   your evil disposition by the love that endureth all things and
   conquereth all things. Avoid obstinacy, self-will, and opposing your
   neighbour; do not persist in having your own way, in order to satisfy
   your caprice, or in order to intentionally injure anyone.

   One definite commandment was given to Adam and Eve, in order that by
   fulfilling this one commandment--which was, moreover, a very easy
   one--men might acquire the habit of fulfilling the will of God, the
   fulfilment of which constitutes the whole well-being of creatures, and
   might be strengthened in the love of God. If we turn our attention to
   the contrary-- to the non-fulfilment of the will of the Creator and the
   fulfilment of our own will, in opposition to the Creator's--we observe
   that little by little a man changes for the worse and perverts his own
   high nature, created after the image and likeness of God, and becomes
   God's enemy. So important is the fulfilment of God's commandments, and
   so destructive is their non-fulfilment! By giving to the first men His
   definite commandment not to eat the fruits of the tree of knowledge of
   good and evil, the Lord God revealed Himself as the Guide of the
   newly-created reasonable creatures, of His children by adoption. Whose
   fault was it that this guidance was rejected, and that man preferred to
   be governed by his own will? Even until now, notwithstanding all the
   progress in sciences and arts, notwithstanding all the treasures of
   human wisdom, neither the man of ancient nor of modern times can
   educate himself, because he rejected even from the beginning the
   guidance of God; for, say, who but God should be our guide? And both at
   present and in the past only those men successfully completed their
   mental and moral education who trusted in God and lived in accordance
   with His commandments, or who now live in accordance with the Gospel
   and the teaching of the Church, submitting themselves to her guidance.
   This is useful for all modern teachers to remember. We have many
   sciences, but the result obtained is small; our youths have much in
   their heads, whilst in their hearts they have but little--very little,
   and often, alas! even nothing. Life, then, does not correspond with
   education and science. But "though I understand all mysteries and all
   knowledge, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." [997]

   The Church, through the temple and Divine service, acts upon the entire
   man, educates him wholly; acts upon his sight, hearing, smelling,
   feeling, taste, imagination, mind, and will, by the splendour of the
   icons and of the whole temple, by the ringing of bells, by the singing
   of the choir, by the fragrance of the incense, the kissing of the
   Gospel, of the cross and the holy icons, by the prosphoras, the
   singing, and sweet sound of the readings of the Scriptures.

   Our prayer must be deep, sincere, wise, and fruitful; it must change
   our heart, direct our will to good, withdrawing us from evil.
   Superficial prayer is hypocrisy, a mocking at sacred things--vain
   prayer. "This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and
   honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me." [998]

   When praying to the Mother of God, to the angels and saints, we
   recognise them as the one mysterious body of the Church, to which we
   ourselves also belong, though we are sinful; and we believe that out of
   love they pray to God for our salvation. When praying fervently for the
   various classes of society, for persons of our earthly country, and for
   the whole world, we recognise ourselves also as one great body with all
   through the spirit of love and good-will towards all as to ourselves.
   Finally, when praying for the repose of the souls of the departed (in
   heaven, upon earth, [999] and in hell), we consider them also as
   forming one spiritual body with ourselves, and we desire peace and rest
   for them in the immortal country, acknowledging that their souls
   actually live, and that we ourselves perhaps very soon shall join them.
   This is the fruit of the faith of Christ-- the union of love with all,
   with those in heaven, upon earth, and in hell. How high is the spirit
   of the Church! O, if we could raise ourselves up to this spirit!
   Penetrate into the spirit of the Christian Divine service, into the
   spirit of the litanies, the sacraments, rites, and be imbued with it
   yourselves. Woe unto those who have withdrawn themselves from the
   Church: they will become completely possessed by the spirit of the
   world, by the spirit of evil.

   Only faithful servants of Christ give true value to the Incarnation of
   the Son of God, and to the care of God the Father and the All-Holy
   Trinity for the salvation of mankind; only they truly value the most
   pure Body and Blood of Christ, whilst men of this world live like the
   beasts that have no understanding, in worldly sorrows and in sensual
   pleasures, not valuing either the Incarnation of the Son of God or His
   most pure Mysteries. And as God's chosen ones duly value the works of
   God and the infinite love of God to this adulterous and sinful world,
   so also God Himself values them, and accomplishes wonderful deeds
   through them. The Holy Ghost, together with the Father and the Son,
   dwells in them, and out of their bellies flow rivers of living water;
   and those who know God go to them to drink of this water, as to sweet
   springs. Let us all be servants of Christ.

   The sun shines in the universe. The Mental Sun--God-- unceasingly
   shines in the souls of the chosen.

   God rests in the saints and even in their very names, in their very
   images; it is only necessary to use their images with faith, and they
   will work miracles.

   Grant unto me, Most Holy Virgin, purity of heart, simple heartfelt, and
   son-like trust, devotion and love to Thee, both now and for ever, and
   unto ages of ages. Amen

   The Liturgy is a visible representation in persons, in various objects,
   words, and acts, of the birth, life, teaching, commandments, miracles,
   and prophecies, of the sufferings, of the crucifixion, death,
   resurrection, and ascension into heaven of the Founder of our faith,
   the Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God. During the Liturgy
   He Himself invisibly assists, He Himself acts and accomplishes
   everything through the priest and deacon, who are only His instruments.

   It is as easy for a believer to attract the Holy Ghost to himself, as
   it is easy to draw air into one's self; like air, He fills everything
   and penetrates everything. "Who art everywhere present and fillest all
   things." He who prays fervently, draws the Holy Ghost into himself, and
   prays by the Holy Ghost.

   Prayer is the breathing of the soul, just as air is the natural
   breathing of the body. We breathe by the Holy Ghost. You cannot say a
   single word of prayer with the whole heart without the help of the Holy
   Ghost. When praying, you are conversing, mouth to mouth, with the Lord;
   and if the mouth of your heart is open by faith and love, then it is as
   though you breathed into yourself, from Him, the spiritual blessings
   you ask for by the Holy Ghost.

   What is our life? The burning of a candle; He Who gave it has but to
   blow--and it goes out. What is our life? The journey of a traveller; as
   soon as it reaches a certain limit, the gates are opened to him, he
   lays aside his travelling dress (the body) and his staff, and enters
   into his house. What is our life? A prolonged bloody war for the
   possession of the true country and true freedom. When the war is over,
   we shall be either conquerors or conquered; we shall be called from the
   place of combat to the place of reward, and obtain from the Recompenser
   either eternal reward, eternal glory, or eternal punishment, eternal
   shame.

   Man is a wonderful, grand creation of God, especially a holy man; he is
   a star of God; he is a splendid flower, wholly beautiful and pure, a
   sweet-smelling cedar-tree, a priceless pearl, a precious stone, a
   beautiful, fruitful tree of God's paradise. Man is truly a wonderful
   creature of God! Glory be to his Creator and Providence! Glory be to
   the Saviour of mankind, Who draws us out of the mire of the passions,
   from corruption and death, and leads us into the life eternal!

   I thank the Lord and my holy mother the Church, the spotless and
   incorruptible bride of Christ, for having shown, made even and smooth
   for me, the true path to salvation, cutting off at the (Ecumenical and
   Provincial Councils all heresies and schisms which might have served as
   great obstacles and hindrances to our salvation in God, for having
   valiantly, gloriously, and victoriously overcome all the persecutors of
   the faith, and stood in defence for me of the royal path of the holy
   truth, that leads into the life eternal. I thank her for having
   preserved all the sacraments instituted by the Lord, leading me by a
   sure path unto salvation. I thank her for having instituted for me the
   splendid Divine service--that angelic service upon earth; for yearly
   solemnising all the most important events of the earthly life of my
   Lord and of His most pure Mother; for the due and grateful remembrance
   of the unspeakable benefits of God to us, manifested in our redemption
   by the Son of God from sin, the curse and death; and for daily
   representing in the Divine Liturgy to my reverent attention all the
   earthly life of my Lord. I thank her for glorifying in the daily Divine
   service the exploits of God's saints, and for pointing them out to me
   as living examples of faith, hope, and love to God, and of the various
   ways leading to eternal life. I thank her, my holy mother, for the
   writings of the Holy Fathers and teachers of the Church, for their
   sweet and soul-saving words, left as an inheritance to us. I thank her
   for the divinely-instituted priesthood, accomplishing in Christ and by
   Christ my salvation, reconciling me with God, sanctifying, comforting,
   strengthening me, pasturing me, and leading me into the heavenly fold.

   Do not despond in the time of violent temptations, afflictions, or
   sicknesses, or at obstacles arising from the disturbance of the enemy;
   all this is the reproof and chastisement of the righteous Lord, Who
   trieth the hearts and reins, for your cleansing, arousing, and
   correction, for burning out the thorns of carnal passions. And
   therefore do not complain if you sometimes suffer greatly. Do not think
   of the suffering, but of the blessed consequences of this chastisement,
   and the health of the soul. What would you not do for the health of
   your body? Still more must you bear everything for the health and
   salvation of your soul, which has eternal life.

   Do not put your trust in money, but in God, who unwearyingly cares for
   all, and above all for His reasonable creatures endued with speech, and
   especially for those who live piously. Believe that His hand does not
   fail, above all for those who are charitable, for man cannot be more
   bountiful than God. Your own life and the lives of all those who lived
   before and were charitable serve as a proof of this. Let God alone be
   the treasure of your heart; cleave wholly to Him as one created after
   His image and likeness, and flee from earthly corruption, continually
   contaminating our souls and bodies. Hasten towards the life that does
   not pass away, towards the life that never ages; draw there all others
   too, as far as lies in your power.

   Lord! teach me to bestow charity willingly, kindly, joyfully, and to
   believe that by bestowing it I do not lose, but gain infinitely more
   than that which I give. Turn my eyes away from hard-hearted people who
   do not sympathise with the poor, who meet poverty with indifference,
   who judge, reproach, brand it with shameful names, and weaken my heart,
   so that I may not do good, so that I, too, may harden my heart against
   poverty. O, my Lord, how many such people we meet with! Lord, amend
   works of charity! Lord, grant that every charity I bestow may be
   profitable, and may not do harm! Lord, accept Thyself charity in the
   person of Thy poor. Lord, deign to help me to build a house for the
   poor in this town, concerning which I have already many times prayed to
   Thee, the All-Merciful, Almighty, Mont Wise, Wonderful! (The house, was
   since built.)

   Gazing upon the images of Christ the Saviour, of His most pure Mother,
   and of God's saints, imagine in what glory our nature is clothed by
   God's mercy, wisdom, and power, and what glory, what bliss, awaits all
   the Lord's faithful servants; forsake all irrational desires and
   worldly attachments, earthly corruption and dross; love the Lord and
   the holy law of His Gospel with all your heart, with all your soul, and
   aspire to the honour of God's heavenly calling, to the life eternal
   that never ages.

   O, if we turned our attention to the consequences of our sins or of our
   good works! How careful we should then be to shun sin, and how zealous
   in all that is good! For we should then clearly see that every sin not
   eradicated in time becomes strengthened by habit, becomes deeply rooted
   in a man's heart, and sometimes troubles, torments, and wounds him
   until death, becoming, so to say, awakened and revived in him upon
   every occasion, reminding him of the sin formerly committed, and thus
   defiling his thoughts, feelings, and conscience. Streams of tears are
   necessary to wash away the inveterate filthiness of sin. How tenacious
   and malignant it is! Whilst, on the contrary, every good action done at
   any time sincerely, disinterestedly, or having become a habit by
   repetition, rejoices our hearts and forms the joy and comfort of our
   life by the consciousness that we have not spent our life entirely in
   vain, full of sins though it is; that we are like men and not beasts;
   that we, too, are created after the image of God, and that there is a
   spark of the Divine light and love in us; that, although they are but
   few, our good works will form a counterpoise for our evil ones in the
   balance of God's incorruptible righteousness.

   I am touched by the spirit of holy love to all mankind moving
   throughout all the prayers, supplications, petitions, thanksgivings,
   psalm-singing, and readings in the Divine service of our Orthodox
   Church. O, what ought the priest to be, the organ of this Divine
   heavenly mother upon earth, who unceasingly cares with such love for
   all her children, from the sovereign down to the lowliest peasant, from
   the holy governing assembly to the lowliest of the Church clergy, and
   not only for her true children, but also for the whole world! How full
   of love for all ought the pastor to be--this child of the Church, whom
   she has invested with the grace of the priesthood, and who draws so
   near to the throne of God, as one of her faithful, as the friend of
   God, whom she has honoured, upon whom she has bestowed such great
   spiritual gifts and privileges, whom she has crowned with glory and
   honour as the bridegroom of the Church, as the servant of Christ the
   King, of God the Saviour, and as the pastor of souls! How far from him
   should be all the passions --respect of persons, self-love, sensual
   carnal love, pride, enmity, love of gain, slothfulness, despondency,
   murmuring, and other passions! He should be penetrated and filled with
   Divine love for all, and his chief care should be to stand without sin
   before the throne of God, to uplift his reverent hands for all men, and
   to save, early and late, the souls entrusted to him, redeemed by the
   priceless blood of Christ. "And who is sufficient for these things?"
   [1000] May the Lord in the multitude of His mercies grant these things
   unto us! For of ourselves we are cold, self-loving, malevolent,
   covetous, despondent, murmuring, and slothful.

   What is the meaning of the exclamation so often sung in church: "Lord,
   have mercy upon us"? It is the lament of the guilty, condemned sinner,
   imploring forgiveness of an irritated justice. We are all under the
   eternal curse and doomed to eternal fire for our innumerable sins, and
   it is only the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, interceding for us
   before the Heavenly Father, that saves us from eternal punishment. It
   is the lament of the repentant sinner, expressing his firm intention to
   amend and begin a new life, becoming for a Christian. It is the lament
   of the repentant sinner, ready to forgive others, as he himself was and
   is immeasurably forgiven by God, the Judge of his deeds.

   Passion is burning, agitated, inconsiderate, evil, impetuous, and
   therefore a man under the influence of passion--for instance, in
   anger--says a great deal that is unconsidered, untrue, imaginary, evil,
   and what he would not say when calm. And thus, knowing by experience
   that such is the nature of passion, in the first place--do not talk
   yourself when you are agitated, in malice; and in the second, pi
   ace--forgive those who are hot-tempered and irritated, when they pour
   forth abuse and reproaches, either just or unjust.

   As light and heat are inseparable from the sun, so holiness,
   instruction, love and compassion for all ought to be inseparable from
   the person of a priest; for Whose dignity does he bear?--Christ's. Of
   Whom does he so often communicate? Christ--God Himself, of His Body and
   Blood. Therefore a priest should be the same in the spiritual world, in
   the midst of his flock, as the sun is in nature: a light for all,
   life-giving warmth, the soul of all.

   The Saviour deigned to become incarnate, not only in order to save us
   when sins and passions have already overcome us, when we are entangled
   in them, but also in order to save us, at our prayer, when sins and
   passions are as yet only striving to enter into us, when they attack
   us. We must not slumber nor be disheartened when the passions attack
   us; on the contrary, this is the very time to be on the watch, to take
   courage and pray to Christ not to let us fall into sin. It is not the
   time to save a house from fire, when the fire has already spread, but
   rather when the flame has just appeared. It is the same with the soul.
   The soul is the house, and the passions the fire. "Neither give place
   to the Devil." [1001]

   Do not fear the conflict, and do not flee from it: where there is no
   struggle, there is no virtue; where there are no temptations for
   faithfulness and love, it is uncertain whether there is really any
   faithfulness and love for the Lord. Our faith, trust, and love are
   proved and revealed in adversities, that is, in difficult and grievous
   outward and inward circumstances, during sickness, sorrow, and
   privations.

   Charity is the seed. If you desire that it should bring forth good
   fruit an hundredfold, make this seed good, by bestowing your charity
   with simplicity, and from a good, merciful compassionate heart. Be
   assured that you will not lose much, or rather that you will not lose
   anything, but that you will obtain infinitely more by bestowing this
   perishable charity, provided you give it from a good heart, with faith
   in the Recompenser, and not from love of gain or any self-loving
   motives. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My
   brethren, ye have done it unto Me," [1002] your Lord.

   The thoughts of a man have the most powerful influence upon the state
   and inclinations of his heart and actions; therefore, in order that the
   heart may be pure, good, tranquil, and that the inclinations of the
   will may be also good and pious, it is necessary to cleanse our
   thoughts by means of prayer, by reading the Holy Scriptures and the
   writings of the Holy Fathers, as well as by meditations on the
   perishableness, transitoriness, and complete disappearance of earthly
   delights.

   You desire some spiritual blessing, either for yourself or someone
   else, or for all, but the Lord desires the same, long, long before you,
   and is ready to grant this blessing to you and others; only readiness
   to accept the Divine gift is required; it only requires some worthiness
   in those who are to receive it, for God is infinite mercy, infinite
   goodness, and is always ready to grant every blessing, and often
   bestows it even before we ask for it, and, in every case, "is able to
   do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." [1003]
   Therefore, it is always with hope and boldness that I ask spiritual and
   even material blessings of the Lord, when these latter are needful, and
   the Lord grants them, in accordance with His faithful promise: "Ask,
   and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall
   be opened unto you; for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that
   seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." [1004]

   After the resurrection our bodies will be spiritual, and not earthly
   ones, everything earthly will remain upon earth. Remembering what our
   future abode will be, Christians, let us, then, gradually detach
   ourselves from everything earthly. In the resurrection of the dead, men
   shall be "as the angels of God in heaven" [1005] --as spiritual as
   they! And therefore, there will be neither meat, nor drink, nor
   raiment, nor air, nor warmth-- which nourish, warm and support our
   bodies here; "but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."
   [1006] Now our earthly bodies are supported by the earth, that is, by
   earthly elements, but then all "the elements shall melt with fervent
   heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned
   up." [1007] And thus remembering these future changes in our destiny,
   in our bodies, and in our lives, " and the wonder of seeing God
   incarnate, let us shun the vain world, and set our minds upon Divine
   things: Christ came upon earth, in order to raise us up to heaven."
   [1008] The spiritual body is entirely different from the material,
   elemental one. "That God may be all in all" [1009]

   As the Lord has formed us of two elements--the spiritual and the
   material, of a reasonable soul and a material body requiring material
   support, the Devil, in spite of God and ourselves, endeavours by every
   means to take advantage of this very duality of our nature, by
   inclining us to put our trust, not in God, but in carnal things, and
   tempting us, through the flesh, to every sin: to gluttony, fornication
   and every impurity; to covetousness, envy, slothfulness, theft,
   avarice, hatred, murder Thus, for instance, he incites us, he makes us
   trust, not in God, but in money, food and drink, human ties and
   connections, ranks, honours and privileges, nobility of birth,
   intellect, education, books; he incites us to find pleasure in food,
   drink, dress, in concerts of worldly music, theatres, joking,
   idle-speaking, and in the play of words. But the true servant of God
   trusts in his Lord, always and in everything, in the common Father and
   Provider of all, Who worketh all things in all, remembering what has
   been said: "Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you."
   [1010] As soon as disturbance and violence arise in your soul,
   recognise in this the influence of Satan, and immediately set against
   him the Rock--Christ. Satan will break his teeth against that Rock, and
   shall not reach you. But also bear in mind that you must love everyone
   as yourself.

   Our Lady, the Mother of God, the Angels and all the Saints are as near
   to me when I call upon them with a pure, whole heart as my own soul,
   and hear me, as I hear myself: for we are all--one body, one spirit,
   one Church of Angels and men. The members of the Church have the same
   relation to each other as the members of the body: they serve each
   other, they help each other, support and save each other. (But is it
   thus with the Protestants?)

   In what high, holy company does the Christian find himself in the
   temple, surrounded by images of Angels and Saints! He is a member of
   that same Church to which the Saints belong. What an incitement to
   moral change and aspiration towards the life that never ages, to which
   they too aspired, and to which they actually attained.

   The Devil takes captive and conquers man in this world by excessively
   exciting his natural spiritual and bodily needs, such as: the need of
   food and drink (and as everything has to be bought with money,
   therefore of money, too), the need of clothing, the need of pleasures,
   the need of honours or fame, and of a good name. All these and other
   similar requirements of man, which God has put into the very nature of
   man, are continually perverted by the Devil, who carries them to
   extremes, sometimes quite needlessly (for instance, with eating and
   drinking), and thus ruins both soul and body, and diverts the soul from
   God through its attachment to material things, and through its falling
   into sensuality and into the passions of malice, pride, envy,
   despondency, slothfulness, gluttony, fornication, drunkenness,
   covetousness, ambition, etc. And therefore fasting, chastity,
   disinterestedness, kindness, meekness, humility, faith, hope and love,
   prayer and meditation, are necessary.

   Guard by every means your heart, or the sincerity of your heart, your
   capability of sympathising with your neighbours in their joys and
   sorrows, and avoid, as you would avoid mortal poison, any indifference
   and coldness to people's various misfortunes, sicknesses, and needs:
   for it is by sympathy, especially active sympathy, that the love and
   goodness of the Christian are revealed, and in love the whole law is
   contained, whilst, on the contrary, our selfishness, malice,
   malevolence, and envy are revealed by a want of sympathy. Thus, pray
   for all those for whom the Church orders you to pray, or, pray
   willingly for others, as you would pray for yourself, and do not relax
   in sincerity, do not lose inward respect for the person or persons for
   whom you pray; do not allow the holy fire of love to be extinguished,
   or your light darkened; do not despond at the wiles of the enemy,
   undermining your heart and striving to implant in your heart an
   aversion to all, to take away from your lips the prayer for others
   which is the best proof of evangelical love for our brethren.

   Lord! grant that Thy temple may communicate to all who enter into it
   with faith, piety and fear of God, the enlightenment of their souls,
   the cleansing from their sins, sanctification, peace, health,
   tranquillity of soul--that it may strengthen their faith, hope and
   love; that it may further the amendment of their lives, success in all
   their good beginnings and works, mutual love, pure Christian life, the
   softening of their hearts, and the cessation of self-love, hard-hearted
   ness, covetousness, greediness, envy, malice, gluttony, drunkenness,
   dissoluteness-- of these vices, which are so prejudicial to social
   life, sapping its very foundations. Grant this, grant it, Lord, to all
   those who love to frequent Thy temple, and incline those also who do
   not love it, to love it, and to amend their lives and works: for the
   time is near and the judgment is at the door for all, of every calling
   and position, of either sex and every age, and a work of infinite
   importance stands before all--to give an answer at the terrible
   Judgment of Christ.

   How and when are we to care for the imperishable raiment of the soul:
   meekness, righteousness, chastity, patience, mercy, when all our cares,
   attention, and means are directed to perishable raiment and the
   adornment of our body? We cannot serve two masters: for the soul is
   simple and single. How and when are we to care for the spiritual riches
   of good works, when we are only greedy after perishable riches and
   strive to amass it with all our might and means, when our heart clings
   to money, to the world, and not to God? How and when are we to care for
   the incorruptible spiritual food and for the blessed drink--for prayer,
   the reading of God's word, the writings and lives of the Holy Fathers,
   the Communion of the Body and Blood of the Lord, when we hardly let
   food and drink out of our mouths, and this stupefying lit-up poisonous
   smoke which many consider so pleasant? How can our soul rejoice in the
   Holy Ghost, when we are continually occupied by earthly, vain pastimes
   and pleasures? O, ruinous service to corruption, drawing us away from
   the life incorruptible, true and eternal!

   When we pray, then the holiest, highest subjects are strangely
   intermingled in our thoughts with earthly, worldly, trifling subjects.
   For instance, God and some object we love, such as money, dress, a hat,
   or some dainty dish, some sweet drink, or else some outward
   distinction, such as a cross, an order, a ribbon, etc. So heedless, so
   given over to the passions, and distracted are we! This ought to be
   natural only to the heathen, who do not know the true God and His Son
   Jesus Christ, with the Holy Ghost, and not to Christians, whose
   treasure is not upon earth, but in heaven. Where, then, is the living
   water in our heart, springing forth in life-giving streams in hearts
   wholly devoted to God? It is not there, because it is thrust out of our
   hearts by worldly vanities and other passions. "Ye cannot serve God and
   mammon," [1011] says the Truth.

   There is a close relation between the image and its Prototype--between
   a pious man and God; between the members and the Head; between the
   flock and the Shepherd; between the Vine and the branches. If we always
   believed and remembered this truth, O! in what accord, in what love and
   purity, we should live; how compassionate we should be to one another,
   how indulgent, how forgiving, knowing that we ourselves, before all,
   are in need of both God's and man's indulgence and mercy, as being most
   infirm in spirit and body.

   The meaning of grace. What is grace? It is the blessed power of God,
   given to the man who believes and who was baptised in the Name of Jesus
   Christ, or in that of the Holy Trinity--the power that cleanses,
   sanctifies, enlightens, that helps in doing good and withdraws from
   evil, that comforts and gives courage in misfortunes, sorrows and
   sicknesses, that is a pledge of receiving the everlasting blessings,
   prepared by God in heaven for His chosen ones. Has a proud, selfish,
   malicious, envious person become meek, humble, and self-denying for the
   sake of the glory of God and the good of his neighbour, benevolent
   towards all, indulgent, yielding, without connivance-- he has become so
   by the power of grace. Has an unbeliever become a believing and zealous
   fulfiller of the precepts of religion--he has become so by the power of
   grace. Has a money-loving, covetous, unjust man, hard-hearted to the
   poor, changed in the depths of his soul, and become unmercenary, just,
   generous, compassionate--he owes it to the power of the grace of
   Christ. Has a glutton, a great eater and drinker, become abstinent,
   temperate, not through illness or any consciousness of the harmfulness
   of intemperance to the body, but from the consciousness of a moral,
   higher purpose--he has become so by the power of grace. Has anyone that
   was previously full of hatred, rancour and revenge suddenly become
   benevolent, loving even his enemies, his ill-wishers and revilers, not
   remembering any offences--he has become so by the regenerating,
   changing, and renewing power of grace. Has anyone that was formerly
   cold towards God, towards the temple, the Divine service, to prayer,
   and in general to the Sacraments of religion, which cleanse and
   strengthen our souls and bodies, suddenly changed in his soul, and
   become fervent towards God, to Divine service and prayer, reverent
   towards the Sacraments--he has become so by the action of the saving
   grace of God. From this it is evident that many live without grace, not
   recognising its importance and indispensability, and do not seek it,
   although the word of the Lord says: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God
   and His righteousness." [1012] Many live in plenty and ease, enjoy
   blooming health, eat with pleasure, drink, walk, amuse themselves,
   write or work in the various branches of human activity, but they have
   not the grace of God in their hearts, that priceless treasure of the
   Christian, without which no one can be a true Christian and an
   inheritor of the kingdom of heaven.

   Amongst Christians both the sciences and literature have now become
   almost wholly worldly. The Gospel and religion are neglected, the lives
   of the saints are scoffed at, in general there is everywhere a kind of
   feverish, worldly activity, whilst no one thinks of pleasing God and of
   the salvation of his soul. What a pitiable condition!

   Our modern idolatry in Christianity consists in self-love, ambition,
   worldly pleasures, gluttony and love of gain, adultery. It is this that
   has completely turned away our eyes and hearts from God and the
   heavenly country, and has nailed us to the earth. It is this that has
   uprooted brotherly love, and has set us against one another. Woe! woe!
   unto us!

   How do we receive the highest mystery of Divine love to us --the
   mystery of the Christian faith? With our mind, heart and life; with our
   free will? Are all the three powers of our souls penetrated by holy
   faith, as were the souls of the saints? . . . . The kingdom of heaven
   "is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal
   [the three powers of the soul] till the whole was leavened." [1013] We
   receive worldly, transitory, sinful things (sensuality, covetousness,
   and ambition), with all the powers of our souls and bodies, but not
   heavenly and eternal things.

   The Lord God has, so to say, shared His eternal life with us: we are
   all made godly by His most pure Body and Blood, united to the Divinity.
   "I have said ye are gods: and ye are all the children of the most
   Highest" [1014] (Our Father, Which art in heaven). Ought not we also,
   in accordance with His will, to share that which serves to the support
   of our souls and bodies, our mind, our knowledge, our material
   property, with our neighbours, for did not He Himself promise us, not a
   diminution, but an increase of the talents entrusted to us and returned
   by us? "With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."
   [1015] If God has received us into communion with the Divinity, into
   the communion of His Body and Blood, then we, likewise, ought to have
   all things in common, without, however, encouraging idleness and
   slothfulness--that is, the rich should help the poor, bestowing as much
   charity as possible; they should receive strangers, visit the sick,
   comfort the afflicted, instruct the ignorant, teach the erring, forgive
   offences, remembering that we are all Christ's. And Christ shall
   recompense for all and for everything. "For I was an hungred, and ye
   gave Me meat." [1016] And so on.

   The cross and the sign of the cross are the power of God; this is why
   the Lord is always present in them. Similarly the icons of the Lord, of
   the Mother of God, of the holy angels and saints, may also possess the
   power of God for believers, and may accomplish miracles upon them. Why?
   Because, by the grace of God, the Lord, the Holy Virgin, the angels or
   saints, are present in them--that is, they are always as near us, and
   even nearer, than these images. Truly so. Experience very often
   confirms this.

   What do theatres bring into the hearts of men? The spirit of this
   world, the spirit of idleness, of idle speaking, of joking, of cunning,
   and wickedness, of pride, presumption--they do not bring any moral good
   to anyone. The authors of the pieces and the actors only give people
   what they have in themselves, their own spirit, neither more nor less.
   And do the actors think of public morality? Have they any intention of
   correcting people's morals? None whatever.

   Always consider it a great happiness to converse in prayer with the
   Lord, or with our most pure Lady the Mother of God, or with the angels
   and saints, and always pray to them with trembling reverence,
   remembering with Whom you are conversing, you, an impure, insignificant
   worm.

   Why has our sincere prayer for each other such great power over others?
   Because of the fact that by cleaving to God during prayer I become one
   spirit with Him, and unite with myself, by faith and love, those for
   whom I pray, for the Holy Ghost acting in me also acts at the same time
   in them, for He accomplishes all things. "We, being many, are one
   bread, and one body." [1017] "There is one Body and one Spirit" [1018]

   The spiritual tranquillity and blessedness which we sometimes
   experience in God's temple during the harmonious singing and the
   distinct reading of the reader, or of the officiating clergy, is a
   foretaste of that infinite bliss which those will experience who will
   eternally contemplate the unspeakable goodness of God's countenance. We
   must be zealous about harmonious singing and distinct reading. By
   calling upon the names of God's saints in prayer, we move them to pray
   for us.

   When entering the temple of God to pray, we should know and remember
   that we are the children of the Heavenly Father, and have come into His
   house; therefore we must stand there with son-like feelings of sincere
   love and gratitude in fervent prayer. Our spirit should cry, "Abba,
   Father! " [1019]

   How good Thou art, Lord, and how near art Thou to us --so near that we
   may always converse with Thee, be comforted by Thee, breathe through
   Thee, be enlightened by Thee, find peace in Thee, obtain spiritual
   breadth in Thee Lord! teach me simplicity of love for Thee and my
   neighbour, so that I may ever be with Thee, that I may ever find peace
   in Thee. Lord! grant that I may not for a single moment have fellowship
   with the most abominable, most evil enemy the Devil, neither by malice,
   nor pride, nor envy, nor avarice, nor by love of gain, nor gluttony,
   nor impure thoughts, nor blasphemy, nor despondency, nor falsehood, nor
   by anything sinful. Grant that I may ever be wholly Thine!

   My infinite Blessedness, Lord Jesus Christ, of what blessings hast Thou
   not made me a partaker during my temporal existence! I thank Thee, my
   Mercy, my Blessedness. But if earthly blessings are so numerous, so
   various, so sweet--then what must heavenly, spiritual blessings be:
   they are more truly infinite, numberless, unimaginably sweet. Do not
   deprive me, then, most merciful and most gracious Lord, of these Thy
   heavenly blessings, too, which Thou hast prepared for those who love
   Thee. Do not deprive others of them either! Grant that they may all
   know Thee, Lord, our Blessedness! For Thou art our Blessedness
   everywhere, upon earth, too, for every blessing is Thy work! And
   besides this, grant, Lord, that I may also submissively bear the
   afflictions of this life: they are necessary for my passionate flesh,
   for my old man. Lover of men! teach the rest of Thy people also to bear
   them submissively, and grant that they may learn the need of them.
   "Patient in tribulation." [1020] "In the world ye shall have
   tribulation." [1021]

   When you ask for life, faith, and spiritual understanding for others,
   do you ask sincerely, not hypocritically, only with your tongue? Do you
   desire from all your soul that they should progress in these? Are you
   yourself progressing in the same? Do not you yourself remain in the
   bondage of the passions? Beware, the Master sees everything with His
   clearest eyes; it is necessary to pray to Him with understanding, in
   the simplicity of your heart, with a fervent spirit.

   When owing to sickness, proceeding from various causes, you feel unwell
   and indisposed, and when in this condition your prayer is cold, heavy,
   filled with despondency and even despair, do not be disheartened or
   despairing, for the Lord knows your sick and painful condition.
   Struggle against your infirmity, pray as much as you have strength to,
   and the Lord will not despise the infirmity of your flesh and spirit.

   When you feel yourself to be an impious, impure, wicked, blasphemous
   sinner, and, therefore, do not feel worthy to draw near to Our Lady and
   pray to Her, then is the very time to pray fervently to Her, just
   because you feel yourself such a sinner; do not lie in the mire of sin,
   but come to Our Lady, stand before Her image in the hope that She
   Herself is there present, show Her without shame your sinful sores,
   have a loathing for them, and ask Her to cleanse you from this
   spiritual leprosy, and you shall not be shamed. The all-merciful One
   will not despise you, the most pure and the most speedy Helper will
   cleanse you, as the Lord Himself cleansed the ten lepers.

   Where shall I find the Christian who by his actions teaches others to
   despise the flesh, as soon passing away, and to care for the immortal
   soul? Where shall I find a man of such an elevated spirit? It is hard
   to find such a one on earth, though certainly there are some such, but
   in the "Church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven," in the
   heavenly Church, there are as many such men as there are stars in
   heaven. By renouncing themselves, the old corrupt, lost man, the broken
   vessel that cannot contain any water, they have taken up their crosses
   and followed Christ, they have given up their whole lives to Him,
   despising the flesh and the world as transitory. They heard the voice
   saying, "What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and
   lose his own soul?" [1022] and they knew that the flesh and the world
   shall pass away and shall be no more; that our soul is priceless,
   because, being an image of God, it is immortal, and that, therefore,
   the whole world is worth nothing in comparison with the soul, that it
   is transitory, for "Heaven and earth shall pass away," [1023] according
   to the word of the Saviour. Besides, at every step, with our own eyes,
   we become convinced of the transitoriness of the world: everything in
   the world moves and revolves, and all the elements are in motion, the
   seasons of the year change--whilst with men, some are born, some die,
   some marry, others lose their wives, some build themselves houses,
   whilst others are deprived of their dwellings and property; some towns
   extend and are embellished, whilst others are destroyed by fire and
   reduced to ashes. Everything upon earth passes away, and this shows
   that the earth itself shall some day also pass away. If everything in
   the house takes fire, then the house itself will be burnt. "The heavens
   and the earth are . . . reserved unto fire. Whereby the world that then
   was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and the
   earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto
   fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." [1024]
   Where, then, shall I find true Christians, who despise everything
   earthly as transitory, and strive with all their might to please God
   their eternal Father, and to save their souls? Where shall I find a man
   of such lofty spirit that, like some king or god, he would despise
   everything earthly for God's sake, and would bravely subdue to this
   reason or to the law of God all worldly passions and attachments? Who
   would be zealous with God's zeal for the salvation of his brethren, and
   would care for their enlightenment, cleansing, and strengthening in
   faith and virtue ? Lord! raise such lights on the candelabrum of this
   world, on the candelabrum of Thy Church, that they may preach Thy
   glory, that they may be zealous of Thy glory and of the salvation of
   Thy people! Lord, all things are possible unto Thee! Lord, how long
   shall the vanity of this world move? How long shall we turn away from
   Thee, our Creator and Saviour? Lord, let all things concerning us be
   ordered according to Thy will!

   When a strange, proud, evil spirit disturbs you before or during the
   reading of the prayers to the Lord God, or to the Mother of God, then
   represent vividly to yourself that all those present in the temple are
   the children of the heavenly, almighty, unoriginate, infinite, most
   merciful Father, and that the Lord is their Father, and pray to Him
   boldly, peacefully, joyfully, freely, before the face of all men,
   fearing neither mockery nor contempt, nor the malice of the children of
   this world. Do not be crafty nor ashamed before the face of man; do not
   doubt, but pray sincerely to the Heavenly Father; especially say the
   Lord's Prayer, reverently, peacefully, not hurriedly: in general, read
   all the prayers quietly, evenly, with reverence, knowing before Whom
   you are saying them.

   How many Christians there are who say, "I believe in God," without in
   reality believing! How many mouths are dumb when in the company of men
   it is necessary to defend the glory of God and of His saints, which is
   blasphemed by the children of this world! Some remain silent when it is
   necessary to support the conversation concerning God, or to put a stop
   to any disrespect or insolence. Many say, "I believe in God"; but
   should any misfortune or temptation arise, they grow fainthearted and
   despondent. Sometimes they begin to murmur. And what becomes of all
   their faith? This should be the very time to show submission to the
   will of God, and to say, "Let it be as the Lord wills." "Blessed be the
   name of the Lord." [1025] Otherwise it is evident that they only
   believe in God in the time of happiness, and renounce Him in the time
   of misfortune.

   Bear the sufferings and painful smarts of the operation so that you may
   regain your health afterwards (this is said in reference to
   confession). It means that at confession you must declare all your
   shameful deeds to your confessor, without concealment, though to do so
   may be painful, shameful, ignominious, and humiliating. Otherwise the
   wound will remain unhealed, will ache and be painful, will undermine
   your spiritual health, and remain as a leaven for other spiritual
   infirmities, or sinful habits and passions. A priest is a spiritual
   physician. Show him your wounds, without being ashamed, sincerely,
   openly, with son-like trust and confidence; for the confessor is your
   spiritual father, who should love you more than your own father and
   mother; for Christ's love is higher than any carnal, natural love. He
   must give an answer to God for you. Why has our life become so impure,
   so full of passions and sinful habits? Because a great many conceal
   their spiritual wounds and sores, owing to which they ache and become
   inflamed; and it is impossible to apply any remedy to them.

   Let heaven and earth, created by the Lord, and existing, acting, and
   moving through Him, teach me--I, who am one spirit with the Lord! What
   is there for me to grieve at, when I am, and can ever be, one spirit
   with the Lord? I will cast all my care upon Him. Heaven and earth exist
   for thousands of years through the Lord, through His power and laws,
   though they are soulless, inert, inactive, and powerless matter. And
   the grass, the flowers of the field, the birds, fishes, etc. How all
   these teach us to entirely trust in God's providence!

   Do not despise any man, however poor he may be; but behave with full
   respect and kindness to every well-intentioned man, especially to the
   poor, as to our members worthy of compassion--or, rather, to members of
   Christ--otherwise you will cruelly wound your soul. O, how easy it
   would appear to be to live in simplicity and love, and yet how
   difficult it is for our corrupt hearts to live in love! At every step
   there is a pretext for enmity against our brother.

   Lord! I am Thy vessel: fill me with the gifts of Thy Holy Spirit.
   Without Thee I am void of every blessing--or, rather, full of every
   sin. Lord! I am Thy ship: nil me with the cargo of good works. Lord! I
   am Thy ark: fill me, not with the allurement of love of money and
   pleasures, but with love for Thee and Thy living image, man.

   Man! how high has your nature been raised in the person of Jesus
   Christ, the God-man ? It has been raised to the throne of the Godhead.
   To what height has your nature been raised in the person of the Mother
   of God ? Higher than the Cherubim and Seraphim. For whom was this done?
   For you, in order that you, being freed from the corruption of the
   lusts of the flesh, might become a partaker of the Divine nature. And
   how do you answer these intentions, this most merciful providence of
   your Lord ? All the Divine powers for life and godliness have been
   given you, and how do you avail yourself of them ? Are you not careless
   of them ? Do you not cling wholly to the earth, like a snail? Our soul
   is simple, as the image and likeness of God; therefore, when it is
   well-regulated and is living in accordance with the will of God, then
   it is peaceful, easy, and joyous; whilst, on the contrary, when it
   consents to sin, commits sin, or is forced into sin by the Enemy, then
   it becomes disturbed, darkened, and heavy. Thus, always do the will of
   God, and you will be simple and quiet; but if you sin you will have no
   peace. Do not yield to the Enemy; he brings anguish, straitness,
   darkness, and fire into the soul. " Put away the evil of your doings."
   [1026]

   As it is natural, sweet, and easy to breathe the air, so it ought to be
   natural, sweet, and easy to breathe by the Holy Ghost, Which is the
   breath of our soul. As it is natural, easy, and pleasant to love
   ourselves, so it ought to be natural, easy, and pleasant to love all
   men, for we are all one--one creation of the one God, images and
   likenesses of the same God; we have the same breath, the same soul, the
   same appearance.

   All sorrows, sicknesses, torments, deprivations, are allowed by God in
   order to drive out the enticement of sin, and to implant true virtue in
   the heart, that we may learn by experience the falsehood, insolence,
   tyranny, and deadliness of sin, and may be inspired with a loathing for
   it; also that we may learn by experience the truth of meekness, wisdom,
   of gently ruling the hearts of men, and of the life-giving properties
   of virtue. Therefore, I will bear all afflictions courageously, with
   gratitude to the Lord, the Physician of our souls, our Most-loving
   Saviour.

   The Lord is everywhere and in all things; the Lord carries and keeps
   everything; and therefore He is called Almighty. I ought to be free
   from care. We are called into being out of nothingness by the
   omnipotence of God, and as we are nothing of ourselves, we cannot do
   anything by our own strength; without God we cannot even support
   ourselves in life, because God is everything to us: our life, our
   strength, our light, our air, our spiritual meat and drink, our
   raiment, our all. It is He also Who has created and gives us everything
   for our material body: light, air, warmth, food, drink, clothing, and
   dwelling. Blessed are the poor in spirit, who ever acknowledge their
   own nothingness--and the omnipotence of God; blessed are those who are
   free from care in this life; blessed are the simple-hearted; blessed
   are those who commend themselves in all things into the hands of God.
   "Let us commend ourselves, and each other, and all our life to Christ
   our God."! [1027] Only be always with God and everything shall be given
   unto you, everything shall be added unto you. "Seek ye first the
   Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; (in yourself and in others) and
   all these things shall be added unto you." [1028] Only let God be in
   your hearts, ever be inseparably united to Him, and all earthly things
   shall be added unto you. Only do not set your heart upon anything
   worldly, for your part is--God, the God of your heart. God is
   inexhaustible riches, an everflowing source; where God is, there is
   every blessing. Those who love God are followed by all blessings, as
   the shadow follows the body.

   How can I be cold to my neighbour when the Lord commanded me to love
   him as myself, or as He Himself has loved us? But we often become cold
   to our neighbour because we attach ourselves to earthly delights, and
   are self-loving. And, therefore, let us renounce earthly delights,
   self-love, and intemperance, so that we may please our Lord.

   Were it not for the Lord and Our Lady, were it not for the guardian
   angels and the saints, the Devil and his agents would have stopped the
   mouths of us all, and would not have let us praise the Name of the
   Lord; it would certainly have been so, for even now they endeavour to
   do so, and, sometimes, to a certain extent, succeed. Who is it that
   hinders priests during their service? The Devil.

   We must never forget that we are all one body, and that we should
   stimulate each other to love and good works; we pastors should
   especially remember and do this. Yes, we should remember that if our
   own souls are serene, if we stand firm in faith and piety ourselves,
   then our flock, too, will be firmer, more serene, and of purer life; if
   the head is bright and clear, the members are also bright and clear;
   but if our souls are darkened by manifold passions, the darker, too,
   will become the body of the Church, our flock, because there is a close
   connection between the head and the members, between the pastor and his
   flock. This is why the Lord said: "Let your light so shine before men
   that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Which is in
   heaven." [1029] "If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness,
   how great is that darkness!" [1030] And, therefore, do not think that
   your flock do not feel the effects of your gluttony, your love of
   money; they do so, in the first place, through your negligence of their
   souls, for what care of souls can he have who himself cares about
   money? None. Yes, if the light darkens in the pastor himself it darkens
   also in his Hock, through his close spiritual connection with it, like
   the head with the members. If you stand firm in spiritual virtues, they
   are also firm; if you are fervent in prayer and pray fervently for
   them, they feel this too; if you are spiritually strengthened yourself,
   they too are strengthened; if you grow weak, they too become weak.
   Lord, have mercy upon me!

   Our body consists of earthly elements: light, heat, air, water, and
   earth; it will be dissolved into these same elements after its death.
   The light and heat will be united to light and heat, the air to air,
   the water to water, the earth to earth. We are formed and dissolved
   again. Glory to Thy creative power, Lord! Let us know and remember our
   earthliness, the shortness of our time, and reverence the Creator. We
   are all the work of His hands, "the sheep of His pasture" [1031]

   Our life is an uninterrupted stream of God's unspeakable mercies;
   therefore, it should be continual thankfulness and praise to God the
   Creator and Benefactor; our love for God and our neighbour, God's image
   and our fellow-member should especially be constant. By loving our
   neighbour we love God; by respecting every man, we respect the image of
   God and ourselves; for our brother is another fifth, tenth, hundredth,
   thousandth, millionth repetition of ourselves. There are many leaves on
   a tree, but all are one tree; they live the same life, have the same
   origin, the same appearance, the same beginning, and the same end.

   If you doubt whether any particular icon of the Mother of God before
   which you pray has been sanctified or not, know that Our Lady, the
   Prototype of this image, was already sanctified nineteen hundred years
   ago, even in the bosom of Her parents, Joakim and Anna, afterwards at
   Her birth, and in the temple of Jerusalem, and finally by the
   indescribable Incarnation of God the Word of Her; She is ever holy and
   eternally, immovably, unchangeably, most holy; She is in every place,
   and present in every icon of Hers; by the delineation of Her face and
   name alone, and of the face and name of the Saviour, the material
   object is already sanctified by the delineation of Her face and name.
   Gaze, then, upon every icon in simplicity of heart, for any doubt
   proceeds from the Devil in order to divert you from heartfelt prayer.
   Say to him: the whole earth is holy; the power of my Lord, and of His
   most pure Mother--the Queen of the whole world--is in every place; I
   gaze upon Her, the most pure One, with my spiritual eyes, and I do not
   worship a board: Her representation is only made to help my infirmity.

   The wonder-working icons of the Mother of God, and of other saints,
   teach us to look upon every icon as upon the saint himself or herself
   to whom we pray as living persons conversing with us, for they are as
   near, and still nearer to us than the icons, if only we pray to them
   with faith and sincerity. It is the same with the life-giving cross.
   Where the cross is, or the sign of the cross, there is Christ Himself,
   His power and His salvation only make the sign of the cross or worship
   the cross with faith.

   When you pray to God by means of prayers that you know, to which you
   have grown accustomed, say in your heart: Lord! Thou art ever the same.
   My heart changes and grows cold to the words of the prayer, but yet
   their power remains the same, Thou, too, art eternally The Same.

   When you pray to God---you converse with Him face to face; therefore,
   converse with Him as with a king, face to face; likewise, converse with
   the heavenly Queen, and the angels and saints as though face to face,
   and do not, on any account, at that time, allow your heart to be
   occupied by and attached to anything irrelevant, for say: Would you,
   when speaking with a king or queen, be occupied at that time with
   anything irrelevant or unimportant; would you, for instance, at such a
   time, look out of the window and watch the passers-by, or would you
   look at the objects in the room, and so on? Would not this be the
   greatest offence to the royal majesty? How dare we, then, do so, and
   much worse when we converse with the Lord?

   Afflictions are a great teacher; afflictions show us our weaknesses,
   passions, and the need of repentance; afflictions cleanse the soul,
   they make it sober, as from drunkenness, they bring down grace into the
   soul, they soften the heart, they inspire us with a loathing for sin,
   and strengthen us in faith, hope, and virtue.

   The material objects to which we attach ourselves in our hearts, which
   we passionately desire or grudge others, kill the soul by withdrawing
   it from God, the Source of life. The heart ought to be always in God,
   Who is the inexhaustible Source of spiritual and material life: for who
   is the author of the existence of all creatures, and of organic,
   vegetable and animal life, of the existence, order and life of all
   worlds, both great and small ? The Lord God. We must look upon
   everything material as dross, as unimportant, as nothingness, as
   transitory, destructible, corruptible, and evanescent, and pay
   attention to the invisible, single, immortal soul which cannot be
   destroyed: "To despise the flesh, for it passeth away, and to take care
   for the soul, the thing immortal." [1032] Prove this by your deeds;
   fast, gladly bestow charity upon the poor, entertain guests heartily;
   do not grudge anything to those who belong to your household, zealously
   read the Word of God, pray, repent, lament your sins, strive with all
   your might after holiness, meekness, humility, patience, and obedience.

   How do we maintain connection with the spiritual world, with the
   heavenly Church ? By calling upon them in prayer; by keeping the
   festivals instituted in their honour; and by the Church services. For
   the Church is one, under one Head-- Christ How do we maintain
   connection with the departed? By means of prayers for them, especially
   when united with the offering of the bloodless sacrifice. How do we
   maintain union with living Christians and with all men? Again, by means
   of prayers for them all in God's temple and even at home. Thus we
   maintain connection with those in heaven, upon earth, and in hades.
   Great is the Christian faith!

   In the actual world there appears on one side an infinity of material
   things, of animate and inanimate material creatures; on the other side,
   an infinite world of thought and feeling, or of the sinful foolishness
   and unfeelingness, or of sinful and passionate thought and feeling. But
   all materiality is nothing, whilst one single gracious thought in a
   man, one single feeling of holy love, is infinitely more precious than
   all materiality.

   As soon as you have told the Lord your sins with a contrite heart, they
   melt away: as soon as you have sighed and sorrowed for your sins, they
   are no more. "Tell thine iniquities, that thou mayest be justified." As
   they came, so they go away. They are an illusion. As soon as you have
   recognised that they are an illusion, an absurdity, a madness; as soon
   as you have formed the resolution to do righteously in the future, God
   cleanses you of them, through His minister and the Holy Mysteries.

   Christ, as the Life-giver, as the All-perfect God, as the Creator, as
   the Provider, Guardian, and Saviour, is wholly sufficient for me, for
   the fulness of my life, and no material things are needful for my
   immaterial heart; they are only needful for the perishable and
   transitory body, but by the grace of God, and thanks to His bounties,
   even the body has what is daily and habitually necessary for it. The
   lusts and whims of the flesh, of the old man, are innumerable, but they
   are illusions, vanity, phantoms, nothing; they are darkness, giddiness,
   and the shipwreck of the soul. My peace and my life are in God alone.

   What a close connection there is between the Church in heaven and the
   Church upon earth! What love the Church has! See: she unceasingly
   remembers, calls upon in prayer, and glorifies the Church in heaven for
   the great deeds accomplished on earth for God's sake; she unceasingly
   prays for the Church upon earth, and intercedes for the departed, in
   the hope of the resurrection, of the life eternal, and of union with
   God and the Saints. Her love is immense, grand, divine! Let us enter
   into the spirit of this love of our Mother, the orthodox Church, and
   let us be penetrated with the spirit of this love. Let us look upon all
   our brethren as our own members, upon ourselves and them as members of
   the one body of the Church, and let us love them actively, as
   ourselves; then we ourselves shall be living members of the Church in
   heaven, and she will be our active and speedy helper and intercessor.

   As long as we lead a carnal life and do not heartily draw near to God,
   so long will the demons hide themselves within us, concealing
   themselves under the form of various passions: greediness after food
   and drink, adulterous passion, pride, and arrogant free thought
   concerning religion, concerning the Church, and the dogmas of faith,
   malice, envy, avarice, covetousness, so that we live in accordance with
   their will; but as soon as we begin to truly serve the Lord, and thus
   provoke and strike home at the demons of our passions nestling in us,
   then they take up arms against us with all their infernal malice, with
   all their fiery inflammability and manifold violent, burning
   attachments to earthly things, until we drive them out of us by fervent
   prayer or by the Communion of the Holy Sacrament. Thus, it sometimes
   happens that those who are possessed with evil spirits remain tranquil
   until they are brought near something holy, but as soon as they
   approach it they are overtaken by an extraordinary power, by a
   repulsion for the holy thing, by blasphemy, by spitting at the holy
   thing, by piercing screams. This is the explanation of the fact why
   those possessed with evil spirits scream in church during Divine
   service or when they approach the relics of saints; it is because the
   demons are met by the blessed power, which is hateful to them and
   stronger than them, which burns, oppresses, strikes them righteously,
   and drives them out of their beloved dwellings.

   Every Christian house in itself represents an infinitely large
   house--the universe, heaven and earth, in which the Lord dwells. It is
   for this reason that one sees in every Christian house representations
   of the Saviour and of the Mother of God, listening to the prayers of
   those who live in the house and who call upon Them.

   Man! recognise your spiritual misfortune, and steadfastly, continually
   pray to the Saviour of men, that He may save you from it. Do not say to
   yourself, " I am not in danger; I am not in misery; I do not require to
   pray much and often to be saved from a misfortune which I do not even
   understand and know." This is the very misfortune, that you, being in
   the greatest misery, do not know your misfortune; this misfortune is
   your sins.

   If it falls to you to have to bear great misfortunes, sorrows, and
   sicknesses, do not grow faint-hearted or despondent; do not murmur; do
   not desire death for yourself; and do not speak audaciously before the
   all-seeing God--as, for instance: "O, what a cruel affliction! " "O,
   what an unbearable misfortune; let me rather die!" or "I would rather
   kill myself!" God save you from such faint-heartedness, murmuring, and
   audacity! But endure all this courageously, as having been sent to you
   from God for your sins; repeat with the wise malefactor, " We receive
   the due reward of our deeds," [1033] and contemplate with your mental
   eyes the Saviour suffering on the cross.

   Beware, lest the floods of inward sorrows and afflictions should draw
   you away from the Lord Jesus Christ, for the enemy endeavours by every
   means to turn us aside from the Lord: both by the enticement of
   pleasures and by the weight of misfortunes, like Job, and especially by
   inward distresses and afflictions. Endure everything, thanking God, for
   '' all things work together for good to them that love God." [1034]
   Remember that you yourself daily confess in prayer to God that, by your
   sins, by which you continually anger the Lord and His Most-pure Mother
   and all the heavenly Powers and your holy Guardian Angel, you are not
   worthy of His love and compassion, but deserve every condemnation and
   punishment, and thus the Lord only shows His justice upon you as well
   as His love by visiting you with sorrows and distresses, humiliation
   and shame, in order to cleanse your heart, to soften and refine it, to
   humble it and make it His worthy temple. " For whom the Lord loveth He
   chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. Now, no
   chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous;
   nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceful fruit of righteousness
   unto them which are exercised thereby." [1035]

   The sin, to which you do not consent, is not "imputed" to you, as, for
   instance: involuntary distraction during prayer, impure and blasphemous
   thoughts, involuntary malice, against which we zealously struggle,
   avarice, which we resist--all such are attacks of the spirit of evil.
   Our duty is to endure, to pray, to humble ourselves, and to love.

   O, sweetest name, holiest name, almighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
   My victory, Lord, glory to Thee! Lord, we are Thy members, we are one
   body, Thou art our Head! Lord, grant that all passions, all demons may
   flee from us! Lord, bestow upon us the grace of never failing love!
   Lord, grant that we may show respect and love to each other, as to
   Thyself, for we are made godly by Thee.

   What blessings Thy chosen ones will enjoy in heaven with Thee, O Lord!
   How wearisome to the heart are all earthly delights! How destructive to
   the heart is even a momentary attachment to anything earthly! And what
   peace, what freedom, what width, what light, what joy is to be found in
   Thee!

   Glory to the never failing power of Thy cross, O Lord! When the enemy
   oppresses me by sinful thoughts and feelings, and I, having no freedom
   in my heart, make the sign of the cross several times with faith, then
   my sin suddenly passes away from me, the straitness vanishes, and I
   obtain freedom. Glory to Thee, Lord! Lord, let nothing, nothing carnal,
   material, turn me away from Thee! Let me always be with Thee! How good
   it is to be with Thee!

   O Lord! Deprive me not of Thy heavenly gifts, for Thou art the Lord and
   canst do so if Thou wiliest; O Lord, save me from eternal torments, for
   Thou art the Lord and canst also easily do so if Thou wiliest; O Lord,
   be it in mind, or thought, in word or deed that I have sinned, forgive
   me, seeing the infirmity of my soul. Thus, Lord, Thou canst do all
   things for me, repentant and asking Thy blessings. And Thou, Queen of
   all the angels and men, all-merciful and all-succouring as the terrible
   Sovereign, the disperse? and flame of all resisting powers, who canst
   so easily destroy, with the speed of lightning, all the manifold snares
   of the evil spirits,--save us from every sin and strengthen us by Thy
   power in every virtue; make us conformable to Thy Hon and our God, and
   to Thyself, Most holy Virgin, Mother of our Lord, for we bear the name
   of Christ, Thy Son, as His members. Let not our name of "Christians" be
   an empty sound, void of power; but may we all be imitators of Christ,
   the "Author ... of our faith," [1036] and of Thee, the "First Origin of
   spiritual renovation." [1037] May we all be as "lively stones, . . .
   built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
   sacrifices acceptable to God." [1038] O Sovereign Lady!--may we not
   call Thee by that name in vain: manifest upon us, now and for ever, Thy
   holy, living, active sovereignty. Do so, for the all-merciful Mother of
   the all-merciful King; Thou canst do all that is good; drive away the
   darkness from our hearts, repel the arrows of the evil spirits,
   cunningly directed against us. Let the peace of Thy Son, Thy peace
   reign in our hearts, so that all may joyfully exclaim: Who, after the
   Lord, is like unto Our Lady, our all-merciful, all-succouring, and most
   speedy Mediatrix? Therefore, Thou art highly exalted, our Lady;
   therefore, an unspeakable abundance of grace is given unto Thee,
   unutterable boldness and power before the throne of God, and the gift
   of almighty prayer; therefore, Thou art adorned with ineffable holiness
   and purity; therefore, the Lord has given unto Thee unprecedented
   power, in order that Thou mightest guard, defend, intercede for,
   cleanse, and save us, the inheritance of Thy Son and God and Thine own.
   Save us, then, O Most-pure, the Most-merciful, Most-wise and the
   Most-helpful! Thou art the Mother of our Saviour, Who, of all names,
   was above all pleased to be called the Saviour, and Whose very name is
   Jesus, or Saviour. To us, journeying through this life, it is natural
   to fall, for we are clothed with the flesh, with its manifold passions;
   are surrounded by the subcelestial evil spirits, tempting us to sin,
   and we live in an adulterous and sinful world, tempting us to sin;
   whilst Thou art above every sin, Thou art the brightest Sun, Thou art
   Most-pure, Most-merciful, and speedy to succour; it is natural to Thee
   to cleanse us, defiled by sins, as a mother cleanses her children, if
   we call upon Thee humbly for help; it is natural for Thee to raise us,
   who continually fall, to intercede for us, to guard and save us, who
   are subjected to the calumnies of the evil spirits, and to direct us
   into the path leading to salvation.

   "I am the vine," says the Lord, "ye are the branches," [1039] that is
   the one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Therefore, as the Lord is
   holy, so also the Church is holy; as the Lord "is the way, the truth,
   and the life," [1040] so also is the Church, because the Church is one
   and the same with the Lord, "His body, of His flesh, and of His bones,"
   [1041] or His "branches," rooted in Him-- the living vine, and
   nourished by Him and growing in Him. Never represent the Church apart
   from the Lord Jesus Christ, from the father and the Holy Ghost.

   When the enemy strikes your heart with doubt in any word of the Saviour
   and wounds you, say to yourself inwardly: every word of my God Jesus
   Christ is life to me, and the poison of doubt shall be cast out from
   your heart, and your soul will be tranquil and at ease. When you are
   troubled by doubt in any word or sentence, action, or rite of the
   Church, again inwardly say to the enemy the words of the Saviour
   concerning the Church: "When He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will
   guide you" (that is the Church, implanted and spread by the apostles,
   and especially the pastors and teachers) "into all truth;" [1042] and
   steadfastly believe that according to the Saviour's promise the Holy
   Ghost shall eternally dwell in her and guide "her into all truth." This
   signifies that everything in her is truthful and salutary; and,
   therefore, the Church is called "the pillar and ground of the truth."
   [1043] In the church books, in the words of the Holy Fathers and
   teachers of the Church, everywhere breathes the Spirit of Christ, the
   Spirit of truth, love, and salvation.

   Prayer is the constant feeling of our own spiritual poverty and
   infirmity, the contemplation in ourselves, in others, and in nature of
   the works of the great wisdom, mercy, and almighty power of God; prayer
   is--a continually grateful frame of mind.

   Sometimes people call prayer that which is not prayer at all; for
   instance: a man goes to church, stands there for a time, looks at the
   icons or at other people, their faces and dress, and says that he has
   prayed to God; or else he stands before an icon at home, bows his head,
   says some words he has learnt by heart, without understanding and
   without feeling, and says that he has prayed, although with his
   thoughts and heart he has not prayed at all, but was elsewhere with
   other people and things, and not with God.

   "Prayer is the lifting up of the mind and heart to God," [1044] the
   contemplation of God, the daring converse of the creature with the
   Creator, the soul reverently standing before Him, as before the King
   and the Life Itself, giving life to all; the oblivion of everything
   that surrounds us, the food of the soul; its air and light, its
   life-giving warmth, its cleansing from sin; the easy yoke of Christ,
   His light burden. Prayer is the constant feeling (the recognition) of
   our infirmity or spiritual poverty, the sanctification of the soul, the
   foretaste of future blessedness, angelic bliss, the heavenly rain,
   refreshing, watering, and fertilising the ground of the soul, the power
   and strength of the soul and body, the purifying and freshening of the
   mental air, the enlightenment of the countenance, the joy of the
   spirit, the golden link, uniting the creature to the Creator, courage
   and valour in all the afflictions and temptations of life, the lamp of
   life, success in all undertakings, dignity equal with the angels, the
   strengthening of faith, hope and love. Prayer is intercourse with the
   holy angels and saints, who pleased God since the beginning of the
   world. Prayer is the amendment of life, the mother of heartfelt
   contrition and tears; a powerful motive for works of mercy; security of
   life; the destruction of the fear of death; the disdain of earthly
   treasures; the desire for heavenly blessings; the expectation of the
   universal Judge, of the common resurrection and of the life of the
   world to come; a strenuous effort to save ourselves from eternal
   torments; unceasing seeking for mercy (forgiveness) of the Sovereign;
   walking before God; the blissful vanishing of self before the
   all-creating and all-filling Creator; the living water of the soul.
   Prayer is holding all men in our hearts through love; the descent of
   heaven into the soul; the abiding of the Most-holy Trinity in the soul,
   in accordance with that which has been said: "We will come unto him and
   make Our abode with him." [1045]

   As your thought is near to you, as your faith is near to you, so near
   is God to you, and the more lively and steadfast is your thought about
   God, the more lively your faith, and the recognition of your infirmity
   and nothingness, and the feeling of your need of God, the nearer will
   God be to you. Or, as air is near to your body, so near is God to you.
   For God is, so to say, the mental air, by means of which breathe all
   the angels, the souls of the saints and of living men, especially of
   pious ones. You cannot live for a single moment without God, and you
   actually live each moment in Him: "For in Him we live, and move and
   have our being." [1046]

   Your doubt in the presence of God in any place, and at any time, and
   the trouble of the soul arising from it, prove that we cannot be in any
   place without God, and that we live every moment and in every place by
   Him alone; doubt only confirms in a negative manner the truth of God's
   omnipresence, and the impossibility for us, as well as for any
   creature, to be anywhere without Him. And, indeed, wherever you are, if
   you doubt in the presence of God, and feel straitness and fire in your
   heart, do not succumb to doubt; consider it as an enticement, an
   illusion of the Devil, and you will immediately feel at rest. We must
   always remember that God, like our soul, is a spiritual Being, and
   that, by our thoughts and hearts, we either draw near to God, and
   become one spirit with Him, or withdraw ourselves from Him, and become
   one spirit with the Devil and his assisting power.

   Let every Christian understand the devilish flattery that lies in
   everything worldly and perishable, and turns us away, under various
   plausible pretexts, from loving our neighbour as ourselves.

   Icons are a requirement of our nature. Can our nature do without an
   image? Can we recall to mind an absent person without representing or
   imagining him to ourselves] Has not God Himself given us the capacity
   of representation and imagination] Icons are the Church's answer to a
   crying necessity of our nature.

   You who pray! let the name of the Lord, or that of the Mother of God,
   or that of an angel, or of a saint, be unto you in the place of the
   Lord Himself, the Mother of God Herself, of the angel or saint himself;
   let the nearness of your word to your heart be the pledge and testimony
   of the nearness to your heart of the Lord Himself, of the Most Pure
   Virgin, of the angel or saint. The name of the Lord is the Lord
   Himself; the Spirit is everywhere present, and filleth all things; the
   name of the Mother of God is the Mother of God Herself; and the name of
   an angel is an angel, or the name of a saint a saint. How can this be?
   Do you not understand ? It is thus:--Suppose, for instance, that your
   name is John Hitch. If you are called by these names, then you would
   acknowledge yourself wholly in them, and would answer to them, meaning
   that you agree, that your name is you, yourself, together with your
   soul and body;-- it is likewise with the saints: when you call upon
   their names, you call upon them themselves. But, you would say, they
   have no body. What does that signify? The body is only the material
   covering of the soul, its house,--whilst the man himself, the essence
   of the man, is his soul. When people call you by your name, it is not
   your body that replies, but your soul, by means of a bodily organ. And
   thus the name of God and that of a saint are--God Himself and His
   saint. But as God is the Most-incomplex and omnipresent Spirit, and all
   the saints rest in God, therefore our intercourse with all the saints
   by the prayer of faith is a very easy matter--easier than intercourse
   with the persons who live with us, as, to communicate with men, we are
   sometimes in want of a corresponding language, or we hesitate how to
   express ourselves, lest we should be blamed for our speech; whilst
   there even the simple, artless voice of a believing, loving heart is
   heard, there even the language of the dumb is understood, there the
   soul and its conditions and desires are seen even without words.

   Icons in churches and houses are necessary, amongst other reasons,
   because they remind us of the immortality of the saints; "that they
   live unto Him," [1047] as the Lord said that in God they see, hear, and
   help us.

   What is the name of our God? Love, Mercy, Compassion, Bountifulness.
   When you pray, contemplate with the eyes of your heart Love and Mercy
   standing before you,--the Lover of men listening to you.

   When you pray to the heavenly Powers, do not represent them to yourself
   as very terrible, inaccessible, or unmerciful: no, they are the
   gentlest, humblest, most loving, accessible, friendly beings, ever
   ready to hear, and very near to those who call upon them in prayer with
   faith and love. Their attribute is love of union with all Christians,
   through the prayer of faith. Also, when you pray to the heavenly
   Powers, despise everything earthly as perishable, and love with all
   your heart the heavenly, spiritual life, and aspire to it. It is most
   pleasing to them to see our sincere love of wisdom, our desire to
   become their fellow-citizens, which we are indeed called to be by the
   grace of Jesus Christ and the Most-Divine Trinity.

   Shall I forget Thee, Lord, the invisible, incomprehensible Lord, ever
   filling my heart with life, light, peace, joy, power, and endurance,
   Thou Who art every good in my life, and Who alone constitutest my life!
   O! do not let me forget Thee!

   Lord! Thy name is Love: do not cast me away, erring as I am! Thy name
   is Power: strengthen me, who so often grow weak and fall! Thy name is
   Light: enlighten my soul, darkened by earthly passions! Thy name is
   Peace: appease my troubled soul! Thy name is Mercy: do not cease to
   forgive me!

   I sometimes pray in church for God's people thus: Here, Lord, many of
   these who are standing in Thy temple, stand before Thee with their
   souls idle, like empty vessels, and "know not what to pray for as they
   ought;" fill Thou their hearts now at this favourable time for them, in
   this day of salvation, by the grace of Thine All-holy Spirit, and give
   them to me at my prayer, to my love, filled with the knowledge of Thy
   goodness, and with heartfelt contrition and devotion, as full vessels;
   give to them Thy Holy Ghost, that "Maketh intercession for us with
   groanings which cannot be uttered." [1048] I myself, their pastor, am
   sinful and impure above all men, but do not consider my sins, Lord,
   despise them according to Thy great mercy, and hear my prayer at this
   hour, for the sake of the grace of the priesthood resting on me and
   dwelling in me. Grant, Lord, that this grace may not be idle in me, but
   that it may ever burn in me with faith, hope, love, and son-like
   boldness in prayer for Thy people!

   Lord, accept my tearful prayer for my spiritual children, and for all
   orthodox Christians who seek to please Thee, and receive it as my care
   for their salvation, as my pastoral care! Be to them Thyself, in
   accordance with my prayer, both the voice and the trumpet, awakening
   them from their sinful sleep, the eye watching over their hearts, the
   hand guiding them on their journey to the heavenly country, and raising
   up those who fall through incredulity, faint-heartedness, and
   despondency; be to them the motherly love--in which I myself am so
   deficient-- tenderly caring for their true welfare; " be all things to
   all, that some may be saved." [1049] For Thou art, in truth, the one
   Pastor, invisibly and secretly pasturing the souls of men. Thou art the
   one, true, and most wise Teacher, speaking in the very hearts of Thy
   people. Thou art the one true Lover of Thy creatures and children by
   grace; Thou art an abyss of wisdom and omnipotence; Thou alone art
   ever-vigilant and unwearying, and teachest us Thy ways, even during our
   sleep. Be then Thyself, Lord, instead of me, the Pastor and Teacher of
   Thy sheep, which Thou hast intrusted to me; lead them Thyself to grassy
   pasture lands; guard them Thyself from spiritual and carnal wolves;
   guide Thou their feet into the way of truth, righteousness, and peace.
   Be unto them instead of me, light, eyes, mouth, hands, and wisdom; but,
   above all, be unto them the love in which I, a sinner, am so wanting!

   God is an abyss of all blessings, of omniscience, great wisdom,
   omnipotence, grace, mercy, righteousness, and unchangeableness in good,
   but "He that is joined unto the Lord," through the prayer of faith and
   the works of love, " is one spirit" [1050] with the Lord, and therefore
   he is filled, according to the measure of his faith and love, with
   wisdom and spiritual power; he receives from Him, as from the true
   Goodness, everything leading to salvation, and himself becomes merciful
   and compassionate to others, and is filled with spiritual wisdom,
   firmness, and the unchangeableness in faith and virtue. Thus, as God is
   the ever-flowing Source, we have only to be united to Him by lively
   faith and love unfeigned in order to be filled by Him with every
   spiritual blessing. Such union is possible always, and in every place,
   if only our hearts are ever with Him, and not with the Devil and the
   vanity of this world. This is why amongst righteous men we often find
   seers and prophets working miracles of Divine omnipotence, love and
   mercy, steadfast, unchangeable in virtue unto the laying down of their
   lives for the faith, out of love to God, and filled with the spiritual
   wisdom of the saints, " for the Lord their God is holy." [1051]

   If your heart and thoughts are in accordance with the (Ecumenical
   creed, and with God's commandments, you will then unfailingly have
   close union and affinity with God, because God is a spiritual,
   thinking, personal Being; but if your heart and thoughts consciously
   differ in any respect with the universal belief and commandments of
   God, or the words of the Gospel, then your union with God is broken,
   and your heart enters into a destructive alliance with the enemy of
   truth and life, the Devil. As the air of a room that has no
   communication with the outer air becomes exhausted and filled with a
   multitude of foreign germs injurious to health, and loses its vital
   qualities, so, likewise, the soul, by withdrawing itself from God,
   through any intentional doubt, unbelief, and iniquity, loses its vital
   quality, and only lives a physical, lower order of life. As in order to
   refresh the air, in order to fill it with vital germs, it is necessary
   to introduce outer air into the room, so, likewise, into the soul--this
   kind of air contained within our body--it is necessary to introduce, by
   means of faith and love, the life-giving breathing or blowing of the
   Divine Spirit; and then it will each time become quickened, and will
   receive fresh powers for faith and love. "Every soul is quickened by
   the Holy Ghost," [1052] sings the Holy Church. For what is man but a
   vessel filled with the breathing of God--or with a soul, after the
   image and likeness of God? It is therefore necessary to change the air
   contained in this vessel, the more so because it is vitiated in us even
   from nature from the very first causes of sin, and becomes further
   corrupted by our passions and lusts, and is often contaminated by the
   poisonous breathing of the Devil.

   As the air of a room is identical with the outer air, and proceeds from
   it, as it necessarily supposes the existence of the outer air, diffused
   everywhere, so likewise, our soul--the breathing of God--supposes the
   existence of the everywhere-present and all-filling Spirit of God. Such
   is the parallel between the material and spiritual chambers.

   Know, once for all, that in the Church, in all her services, sacraments
   and prayers, breathes the spirit of holiness, the spirit of peace, the
   spirit of life and salvation; and that all these properties belong to
   the Holy Ghost alone. Holy thoughts, or words of life and truth, can be
   easily distinguished from thoughts and words of falsehood and death;
   the latter are anguish, disturbance, spiritual death. " For to be
   carnally-minded is death; but to be spiritually-minded is life and
   peace." [1053]

   As God is a thinking Being, it is extremely easy to lose Him from the
   heart; and it is equally easy to regain Him in the heart by means of
   steadfast repentance.

   It is a wonderful thing! When the heart is united, by means of lively
   faith, with the origin of life, the Holy Ghost, then it is calm, it
   expands, and thought is free and bright, the tongue likewise is free
   and fluent; but as soon as a man mentally grudges his brother anything
   material, such as food or money, when he remembers any brother who
   seeks and needs food, then his heart is immediately struck with
   spiritual apoplexy, it becomes bound, oppressed; the mind also becomes
   bound in consequence of the affection of the heart--the source of
   thought --and is darkened; the tongue also; the circulation of the
   blood increases and flows to the head, and the whole man falls into a
   troublous, abnormal state. Thus our neglect of our brother's spiritual
   condition is deservedly punished; thus our attachment to material
   things is deservedly punished! Glory to Thy righteousness, O Lord!

   The Almighty power of God, existing and acting throughout the world, is
   concentrated similarly as the beams of the sun are concentrated in a
   focus or glass--in the holy icons. The concentration of the power of
   God is particularly present in the reasonable image of the Divinity,
   man, especially in his heart, filled with faith, hope, and love, as in
   a focus; in the heart is reflected, by Its light, the Sun of
   righteousness, the Holy Trinity, our God, with the abundance of His
   gifts, warming and enlightening each one's soul according to the
   measure of each one's faith.

   You may sometimes have seen how the human face is reflected in a broken
   mirror in a multitude of separate images, according to the number of
   pieces in which the mirror was broken, or in every bubble of water, or
   in every drop of dew, and in the pupil of the human eye. If this is
   possible and is a common phenomenon in nature, then why should not we
   Christians allow numerous representations of one and the same face--say
   of the Lord, or of His most pure Mother, or of a saint, and see in each
   image the Lord Himself, or His most pure Mother, or the saint, as we
   see in a mirror or in pictures numerous reflections of one and the same
   face, and reverence them with all the respect due to them? Does not
   Nature herself teach us, in some degree, to imitate from her that which
   serves to our piety?

   During our prayer to God, to the most pure Mother of God, to the Angels
   and Saints, we suppose them to be standing before us and listening to
   us, as is usually the case during the conversation of two or several
   persons standing face to face to each other. And it is so in reality.
   The Lord's countenance is ever before us, likewise Our Lady, with the
   Angels and Saints, are, in the Lord God. always face to face with us if
   only our hearts are turned to them. Our Lady, all the Angels and
   Saints, are as though in one house, one family--Our Lady as the Mother
   of all--the holy Angels and Saints as our elder and younger brethren.
   As in the family of a good father, all the children are ever with him,
   all love one another and care for each other; so also the Angels and
   Saints of the Heavenly Father are ever before His face, love one
   another and care for each other, the strong for the weak, the perfect
   for the imperfect.

   If you pray to the Lord, or to Our Lady, or to the Angels and Saints
   from your whole heart, then you speak to the very heart of the Lord, of
   Our Lady, of the Angel or Saint, for we are all in the one heart of
   God, in the Holy Ghost, and all the Saints are in the heart of
   God--"Dwelleth in Me and I in Him." [1054]

   When praying, believe firmly that the Lord is present in every word of
   the prayer, and that He is the fulfilment of whatever you ask, of every
   one of your petitions, both for yourself and for everybody else.

   The enemy daily and violently persecutes my faith, hope and love. Thou
   art persecuted, my faith! Thou art persecuted, my hope! Thou art
   persecuted, my love! Endure, faith; endure, hope; endure, love! Take
   courage, faith; take courage, hope; take courage, love! God is your
   Defender! Do not grow weak, faith; do not grow weak, hope; do not grow
   weak, love!

   Reverence in every way images of living men, in order that you may duly
   reverence the image of God. For the image of the Lord Jesus Christ is
   the human image. He who does not respect the human image will not
   respect the image of God!

   Am I not everything to you--I am the Father, the Son, and the Holy
   Ghost--your God, your life, your peace, your joy, and your blessedness?
   Your riches, your meat, and drink, your raiment, your all? To what,
   then, do you cling? Is it not to dust? What is that you grudge Me in
   the person of your neighbour? Is it not dust? Do you grudge it to Me,
   Who has created all things, Who can turn earth and stones into bread,
   and can bring forth water from a rock? Be always with Me and in Me, and
   you shall be always at peace and joyful. Has your trust in Me ever been
   in vain? Have I not always given you tranquillity and new life?

   If you share your prosperity with your neighbour, if you have it in
   common with him, then all God's blessings will be in common with you.
   "Ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. All Mine are
   Thine, and Thine are Mine." [1055]

   When you forbid the Devil in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, then
   His name, the sweetest to us, and the most terrible and grievous to the
   demons, itself creates power, like a two-edged sword. Equally, if you
   ask anything of the Heavenly Father, or do anything in the name of our
   Lord Jesus Christ, then the heavenly Father, for the sake of the name
   of His beloved Son, shall give you all things in the Holy Ghost, in the
   sacraments, if you fulfil His commandments, and will in no wise
   consider your unworthiness; for wherever the name of God is made use of
   with faith, there it creates powers: for the very name of God is power.

   Some persons ask: What is the use of mentioning the names of the
   departed or living in prayer for them? God, being omniscient Himself,
   knows their names and the needs of each one. But those who speak thus
   forget, or do not know, the importance of prayer, do not know the
   importance of every word said from the whole heart; they forget that
   the justice and mercy of God are moved by our heartfelt prayer, which
   the Lord, in His goodness, imputes to the merit of the living or the
   departed themselves, as to the members of the one body of the Church.
   They do not know that also the "Church of the first-born, which are
   written in heaven," [1056] in her love, continually prays to God for
   us, and expressly mentions before God the names of those who pray for
   them--equal for equal. We make mention of their names, and they of
   ours. Whilst he who does not lovingly remember his brethren in prayer,
   will not himself be remembered, and does not deserve to be mentioned.
   Even one word of faith and love means much in prayer. "The effectual
   fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." [1057]

   When we pray for the living and for the departed, and mention them by
   name, we must pronounce these names lovingly, and from the whole heart,
   as though we carried in our souls the persons whose names we mention,
   "even as a nurse cherisheth her children," [1058] "remembering that
   they are our members, and members of the Lord's body." [1059] It is not
   right to stand before God and merely run over their names with the
   tongue without the heart's participation and love. We must remember
   that God sees into the heart; that the persons for whom we pray also
   require from us brotherly love and sympathy as a Christian duty. There
   is a great difference between the apathetic repetition of names and
   their hearty remembrance: the one is as far from the other as heaven
   from earth. But, above all, the name of the Lord Himself, that of His
   most pure Mother, and those of the holy angels and saints, must always
   be pronounced from a pure heart with burning faith and love; in
   general, the words of the prayer must not be merely run over with the
   tongue as if we were turning over the leaves of a book or counting
   money, the water must flow like a stream of living water from its
   source--they should be the sincere voice of the heart, not a strange,
   borrowed garment.

   Have the same attention and respect for the Word as you have for the
   living man, and firmly believe that "the word of God is quick and
   powerful" as a living being, as an angel, and that, by reason of its
   spiritual fineness, it is " piercing even to the dividing asunder of
   soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of
   the thoughts and intents of the heart." [1060] The word of God is God
   Himself; and therefore when you speak, believe that you have to do with
   living, and not with dead beings, with active, and not with inert and
   powerless ones. Know that you should pronounce every word with faith
   and assurance. The words are living pearls. "Neither cast ye your
   pearls before swine." [1061]

   During prayer, it is necessary, in the first place, that the object of
   the prayer should be definitely expressed, or at least, that there
   should be a clear sense of it and desire for it in the heart; in the
   second place, it is necessary that this desire should be expressed with
   feeling and lively trust in the mercy of the Lord or in that of the
   Mother of God; in the third place, there must be a firm intention not
   to sin in future, and to fulfil God's will in everything. "Thou art
   made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." [1062]

   When you pray for anything, either to the Lord or to the most pure
   Mother of God, or to the angels and saints, asking their intercession
   before God for yourself or for others, then consider the words,
   expressing your petitions, your needs, as the very things, the very
   matter, for which you ask the Lord, and believe that you have already a
   sure pledge of receiving the objects of your prayer, in the very words
   by which these objects are designated. For instance: when you pray for
   health for yourself or for someone else, look upon the word health as
   the very thing itself, as the very deed; believe that you already have
   it by the mercy and omnipotence of God, for the word itself, the name,
   may in an instant become deed with the Lord, and you will unfailingly
   receive that which you ask for in return for your unshaken faith. "Ask,
   and it shall be given you." [1063] "What things soever you desire when
   ye pray, believe that ye receive them; and ye shall have them." [1064]

   Do not pay attention to the darkness, fire, and distress proceeding
   from the enemy during prayer, and steadfastly trust with all your heart
   in the very words of the prayer, being assured that the treasures of
   the Holy Ghost are concealed in them -- that is, truth, light,
   life-giving fire, forgiveness of sins, expansion, peace and joy of the
   heart, and blessedness.

   The great names: the Most Holy Trinity, or the Father, the Son and the
   Holy Ghost, called upon with lively, hearty faith and reverence, or
   thought of in the soul, are God Himself, and bring into our soul God
   Himself in Three Persons. But of God, "and through Him, and to Him, are
   all things" [1065] : therefore, if you are united to God the Trinity by
   lively faith and virtue, especially by meekness, humility, and mercy,
   ask of Him whatever you desire, whatever the Holy Ghost teaches you to
   ask, and it shall be given unto you, either quickly, in a moment, in an
   hour, or after some time, according to the judgment of God's great
   wisdom. " Desire of Me, and I shall give thee." [1066] Everything that
   you ask for is certainly less, infinitely less, than the Giver Himself,
   as it derives its existence from Him. And, as the Giver Himself is an
   infinite, incomplex Being, and can in some manner be comprised in one
   single thought of ours, in one single word, then believe that one
   single word of yours, one single petition concerning the fulfilment of
   anything, can at a sign from the Lord immediately become a thing or a
   deed. " He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast."
   [1067] Remember the wonders that Moses worked, remember how that man of
   God was a god to Pharaoh, and how instantaneously at his word, or at a
   movement of his hand, or of his staff, everything either changed or
   appeared. O great God, most glorified God, God of wonders, God of
   unspeakable mercy, bountifulness, and love to man, glory to Thee
   always, both now and for ever, and unto ages of ages! Amen.

   Spiritual pride manifests itself by the fact that a proud man dares to
   make himself a judge of religion and of the Church, and says: " I do
   not believe in this, and I do not acknowledge this; this I find
   superfluous, that unnecessary, and this strange or absurd." Spiritual
   pride also manifests itself in boastfulness, in the proud man's
   pretended knowledge of everything, whilst in reality he knows very
   little or his spiritual eyes are entirely blind. "That is not worth
   reading," he says; " it is all well known; these sermons are not worth
   reading; they contain the one same thing which I already know.'' Human
   pride also manifests itself to a great extent when an ordinary mortal
   dares to compare himself with God's saints, and does not see their
   great and wonderful perfections acquired by their own exploits, with
   the assistance of the grace of God; perfections which God Himself has
   crowned and glorified in them. Such a man says: " Why should I
   reverence them, and especially why should I pray to them; they are men
   like me; I pray to God alone?" And he does not consider that God
   Himself commanded us to ask the prayers of the righteous for ourselves.
   " For him will I accept." [1068]

   Spiritual pride also manifests itself by insensibility to our sins, by
   the Pharisee's self-justification and self-praise, by insensibility to
   God's mercies, by ingratitude to God for all that is good, by not
   feeling the need of praising God's greatness. All those who do not pray
   to the Almighty God, "to the God of all spirits and of all flesh,"
   [1069] to their Life, do not pray by the reason of their secret pride.

   If, when praying to the Mother of God you do not find due reverence for
   Her in your heart, and feel evil and blasphemous thoughts, then say the
   following words of praise worthily applied to Her: " Thou, our Lady,
   art all light, all holiness, all mercy, all wisdom; Thou, as the Mother
   of the Almighty, canst do all things; Thou art ever one and the same,
   all-perfect as the Mother of the all-perfect King of Glory!"

   Unbelief betrays itself by the fact that it has nothing in common with
   truth; an unbelieving heart is restless, anxious, weak, inconsistent,
   whilst a believing one is, on the contrary, tranquil, blissful, great,
   and firm.

   When you pray to the Lord, or to our Lady, or to the angels and saints,
   do not ascribe any difficulty to the Lord, to our Lady, to the angels
   and saints, in fulfilling your petitions, or the petitions of other
   believers, but believe that it is as easy and simple for the Lord to
   give any blessing to His people, and equally so by the prayers of His
   most pure Mother and of the angels and saints as it is for you to think
   of it. Besides this, as God is ever-flowing, infinite goodness, he
   desires and ever seeks to impart His goodness to His creatures, if only
   they turn to Him with faith, hope, and love, like children to their
   father, recognising their sinfulness, poverty, need, blindness, and
   infirmity without Him.

   When you pray to the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost--to the one
   God in the Trinity--do not seek Him outside yourself, but contemplate
   Him within, as dwelling in you, entirely penetrating and knowing you.
   "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
   dwelleth in you?" [1070] "And I will walk among you, and will be your
   God." [1071] "I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be
   their God, and will be a Father unto you." [1072] "O Lord, Thou hast
   searched me out and known me," [1073] says David.

   When during prayer you doubt in the possibility of the fulfilment of
   any of your petitions, then remember that to God it is " possible" to
   give you " all things," excepting direct evil, which is only proper to
   the Devil--that the word itself, or your petition itself concerning
   anything, is already a sure guarantee on your part that its fulfilment
   is possible: for if you can only think of something, either possible or
   impossible to yourself, then this "something" is absolutely possible to
   the Lord, to Whom the thought is already deed, if He pleases to fulfil
   it; even for yourself the blessing already exists in the word, and only
   does not exist in the deed; but in order to fulfil a petition, God has
   the Son, the Creator, and the Holy Ghost the Accomplisher. To the
   possibility of accomplishing all things, add His infinite mercy, by
   which He is the ever-flowing source of being, as well as of all the
   gifts of being; He is the God of gifts, the God of mercy and bounties.
   " Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and
   it shall be opened unto you." [1074] Add to this God's great wisdom, by
   which, in bestowing gifts upon us, He chooses that which is best for
   us, and which corresponds to our spiritual and bodily state. On your
   part is required only firm, undoubting assurance in the possibility of
   the Lord's fulfilment of your petition, and also that your prayer
   should absolutely be good, for good, and not for anything evil. "Your
   Father, which is in heaven," it is said, " shall give good things to
   them that ask Him." [1075]

   When praying to God, we must have such firm, unshaken faith that doubt
   in anything would be difficult and even impossible, and therefore we
   must have inscribed in our hearts the words: " With God all things are
   possible "; [1076] we must also have the lively assurance that God
   fulfils everything; that His Being is love and mercy; that His business
   and, as though, His nature is to create, to give, to forgive, to be
   bountiful, to fulfil our requests. " And all things, whatsoever ye
   shall ask in prayer believing, ye shall receive." [1077] Also, we must
   carefully watch our heart, that it should not lie, that every word
   should come out of its depths: "Out of the depths have I cried unto
   Thee, O Lord! " [1078] that is, we must be most careful of the truth of
   the prayer, of that sincerity, which makes all the words of the prayer
   composed by others our own words, and which esteems every word as true.

   Be zealous after love: all things shall pass away, but love shall
   eternally remain, as God Himself, who is Love.

   Life is a great experimental science. Nothing is more difficult than to
   pass through this science, this narrow way, and these narrow gates. And
   those who have not learned, either through their mother's teaching or
   at school, to have faith in God and the fear of God, and to lead a
   pious life--those will find it especially difficult to study in the
   school of life. Often he who was found clever and learned in the school
   of sciences, who was greatly esteemed for his abilities, shows himself
   to be ignorant in the school of life; and, not only this, sometimes
   useless for any- thing, either for family life, either by reason of his
   intractable character or his ungovernable heart, or for social
   activity. He is in distress, and not unfrequently suffers shipwreck in
   life, like a vessel loaded with a heavy cargo, and allowed to put to
   sea during a storm without rudder, sails, and rigging.

   Remember, being endowed with speech, that everything was created by the
   Word and exists by Him, and have undoubting faith that creation or
   change through the word of your mouth, by the power of God, is the most
   ordinary matter; have, therefore, the highest respect for the word, and
   do not use it in vain, above all do not use it as an instrument of
   falsehood--the Lord will condemn those who speak falsely. O my God, the
   world of spirits and the material world are created and exist by the
   Word of God, who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, is an incomplex
   Being, a Spirit, a Oneness, worshipped in the Holy Trinity.

   When asking various blessings of God, believe that God is all to all;
   if you ask health of Him, believe that He is your health; if you ask
   faith, that He is your faith; if you ask love, that He is your love; if
   you ask peace and joy, that He is your peace and joy; if you ask for
   help against visible and invisible enemies, that He is your
   all-powerful help; whatever blessing you would ask of Him, believe that
   He is this very blessing, as well as every blessing, and if He finds
   that this blessing will be profitable to you, He will be this blessing
   for you. "God shall be all in all." [1079]

   The word in the mouths of some is spirit and life, whilst in the mouths
   of others it is a dead letter (for instance, during prayer and
   preaching). " The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they
   are life." [1080] Such should actually be our words too, for we are
   images of God the Word.

   As the body breathes by means of air, so the soul breathes by means of
   God's mercies. If a father and mother look upon it as an ordinary,
   natural, and necessary matter, to daily give their children bread or
   fish--this our most common food --and do not give them a stone instead
   of bread, or a serpent instead of fish, though they are evil by
   nature--then, how much more, how infinitely more bountiful is our
   Heavenly Father, Who is true Goodness--how much more shall " He give
   good things to them that ask Him"? [1081] As there is a most abundant
   quantity of waters upon the earth, all come and freely draw of them and
   drink of them, so the Lord is like a deep spiritual ocean of living
   waters: let each one come and draw the spiritual blessings by means of
   true, firm, and unashamed faith. Only stretch out this spiritual vessel
   and you shall unfailingly and abundantly receive of the Water of Life,
   the forgiveness of sins, and peace of conscience. But fear doubt, it
   will deprive you of the means of obtaining every mercy of God.

   If you have not firm, unashamed faith in the most Merciful and Almighty
   God, do not hasten to pray to Him to grant you any blessing, otherwise
   the Devil will strike and wound you with incredulity or unbelief in the
   possibility of the fulfilment of your prayer, and you will go away from
   before the face of God ashamed, despondent, and gloomy. Do not be
   heedless, but first sit down, count in accordance with the Lord's words
   your spiritual estate, or measure your faith, " whether you have
   sufficient to finish it," lest the demons, seeing your want of
   calculation, begin to mock at you, saying: "This man began to build and
   was not able to finish." [1082] Thus, before prayer, reckon the degree
   of your faith, and, having found it sufficient, lively, firm, and
   unashamed, "come boldly unto the throne of grace that you may obtain
   mercy and find grace to help in time of need." [1083]

   As in the material world God benefits us through the sun lighting and
   warming us and the earth with all its fulness, through air, water,
   plants, and animals; so also, in the spiritual world, the Lord directly
   benefits us, enlightening our minds and hearts, interceding for us,
   saving, forgiving, and protecting us by His grace (here also through
   His ministers); He benefits us still more through the medium of His
   servants the angels, called ministering spirits, through the medium of
   His saints, and especially through the medium of the most exalted of
   all creatures, His most pure Mother, through the patriarchs, the
   prophets, the apostles, hierarchs, martyrs, venerable and righteous
   men, and all the saints. These holy beings are the servants of God for
   our salvation. "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to
   minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" [1084] They are the
   resplendent mental rays of the Eternal Sun of righteousness, God. How
   then shall we not call upon them to help and intercede for us, these
   blessed beings who have received from the Lord Himself grace, to serve
   for our salvation? How shall we not render them due reverence and
   gratitude? Would it be in conformity with the laws of even human social
   life and propriety?

   Lutherans say: "Why should we ask the prayers of the saints for
   ourselves? We pray to God Himself." But they contradict themselves, for
   why do they ask a pastor to pray for them? They might as well pray
   without a pastor if everyone has an equal access to God and we have no
   need of any sanctified suppliants. What blindness! They say that by
   praying to the saints we worship idols. This is untrue. We do not pray
   to any saint as we pray to God, we only ask his prayers for ourselves.
   Is there a shadow of idolatry in this? In the same manner as we ask
   God's living ministers and suppliants to pray to Him for us, so
   likewise we ask the heavenly suppliants, who, from their love to God,
   have great boldness before Him; besides this, very many of them, even
   when they lived here on earth, were already suppliants and intercessors
   before God for the world; there, in heaven, this activity of theirs is
   only continued, has attained greater dimensions, and is especially
   powerful, because it is no longer hindered by the heavy and inert
   flesh. All the saints, though they have finished their earthly course,
   yet live: "For He is not a God of the dead, but of the living; for all
   live unto Him." [1085]

   "Hail, Thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with Thee!" [1086]
   Thus does the holy Church invoke the most holy Virgin, the Mother of
   God. But the Lord is also with every pious soul that believes in Him.
   The Lord's abiding with the Virgin Mary before she conceived the
   Saviour is not a particularity proper to the most pure Virgin alone.
   The Lord is with every believing soul: "The Lord is with thee." These
   words may be said to everyone who keeps the Lord's commandments. And
   the Lord is near unto all, only men themselves are far from Him by
   their hearts, by their thoughts, their intentions, and the inclinations
   of their hearts, as well as by their words and deeds, which are
   contrary to the law of God. " Lo, I am with you alway," says our Lord,
   Who was born of the most holy Virgin, " even unto the end of the
   world"; [1087] that is, with every one of us, at every time, throughout
   all generations, all ages, upon the whole space of the earth, unto the
   end of the world.

   I am in God, with God, before God, under God. He is my life. For my
   bodily life He has diffused air and water; He provides food; while for
   my soul He Himself " is everywhere present and filleth all things"; He
   Himself is air, and meat, and drink. I continually stand, and walk, and
   sit, and sleep, and eat, and wherever I may be I am always and in every
   place in God. The first is an image of the second. In order to breathe
   it is necessary to keep the mouth and nostrils open; for the life of
   the spirit prayer is necessary. In order that the prayer should be
   sincere, should wholly embrace the soul and be concentrated, it is
   necessary to watch the heart, to gather together or fix the mind and
   heart upon God alone; to entirely renounce every falsehood,
   double-mindedness, and all earthly attachments.

   The greatest continual error of our heart against which we ought
   unceasingly to struggle during our whole lifetime--at night, in the
   morning, and during the day--is the secret thought that we can be
   anywhere and at any time without God and outside Him even for a single
   moment. We must unceasingly strengthen our heart in God, from Whom it
   continually mentally turns away; and great progress in the Christian
   life would be attained by him who could sincerely exclaim with Hannah,
   the mother of Samuel, " My heart is strengthened [rejoiceth] in the
   Lord; mine horn is exalted in the Lord; my mouth is enlarged over mine
   enemies; because I rejoice in Thy salvation." [1088]

   It is necessary to remember that God is the living God, giving life to
   all; that the Mother of the Lord also lives; that the angels and saints
   likewise live, and that they hear us in God.

   "Praying in the Holy Ghost." [1089] The Holy Ghost is air to the soul,
   and Christ is life-giving food. They are inseparable, the Spirit and
   the Son. As air and food are equally necessary and inseparable from
   each other, so likewise the Holy Ghost and the Son are inseparable in
   Themselves and in Their actions in us; whilst God the Father acts
   primarily and beneficently through the Son and the Holy Ghost, as their
   Origin and Cause.

   Those who touched the Saviour's garment were made whole. Why is it that
   those who employ holy water with faith are even now healed? Because the
   Cross, immersed in water, with the prayer of faith, is as though the
   life-giving Lord Himself. As the Saviour's garments were penetrated
   with His life, so also the water, in which the life-giving Cross is
   immersed, is itself penetrated with life, and thus becomes healing.

   Nothing is nearer to us than God. He is the God of hearts, of the very
   hearts, and the heart, in its turn, is nearer than anything to us. It
   is the whole man, " the hidden man of the heart," [1090] as the Apostle
   says.

   I was on my way to matins. The sun was in the east, and was reflected
   in a lantern hanging on a post. The reflection was so full and bright
   that it was impossible to look at it, as it is impossible to look at
   the sun itself. I thought to myself, "If the material-created sun is
   reflected with such a fulness of radiance in the transparent glass,
   then is not the mental, uncreated Sun, God, reflected in the human
   heart pure from sin (proceeding from its dark origin)? Is He not
   resplendently reflected in His saints, who, for the sake of union with
   Him, out of love for Him, cleansed themselves, or cleanse themselves,
   here 'from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness
   in the fear of God'?" [1091] Yes, He is resplendently reflected in the
   souls of His chosen ones, and these pure souls, these images of God,
   like the transparent glass, shine forth like gold in the sun, like
   diamonds of the purest water, but they shine for God and the angels,
   not revealing their brightness to men, although at times, by God's
   ordering, they do shine even for them, by the light of their faith,
   their virtues, when necessary, similar to a candle put on a candlestick
   in a room, and lighting the room with all those who are in it. [1092]
   Also, if the created sun is reflected in the glass of a lantern, then
   is not the uncreated mental Sun wholly and essentially reflected in His
   most pure Flesh and Blood on the altar of the Lord by the action of the
   life-giving Holy Ghost? Yes, It is reflected with all Its light and all
   Its love, so that "he that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood
   dwelleth in Me and I in him." [1093] The body and blood are most wholly
   Christ Himself.

   In prayer there are petitions in opposition to our proud flesh, which
   ascribes everything to itself; thanksgiving in opposition to the
   insensibility of our flesh to God's innumerable benefits; praise in
   opposition to the carnal man, seeking praise for himself alone.

   Prayer is the proof of my reasonable personality, of my likeness to
   God, the pledge of my future godliness and blessedness. I was created
   from nothing, I am nothing before God, as having nothing of my own;
   but, by the mercy of God, I am a being endued with reason, with a
   heart, with free will, and by my reason and freedom I can, by turning
   with my heart to Him, continually increase in myself His infinite
   kingdom, increase more and more His gifts in me, draw from Him, as from
   an ever-flowing, inexhaustible source, every blessing, both spiritual
   and material, especially spiritual ones. Prayer instils in me that I am
   the image of God, that by the humble and thankful disposition of my
   soul before God, and by my free will, I infinitely increase in myself
   the spiritual gifts of God, that I can thus infinitely improve myself
   and can increase to infinity my likeness to God, my heavenly
   blessedness to which I am predestined. O! prayer is the sign of the
   great dignity with which the Creator has honoured me. But at the same
   time it reminds me of my nothingness (I am of nothing, and have nothing
   of my own; therefore, I ask God for everything) and of my most high
   dignity (I am an image of God; I am made godly; I may be called the
   friend of God, like Abraham, the father of believers, if only I believe
   undoubtingly in the existence, mercy, and omnipotence of my God, and
   strive to become like unto Him during this life by works of love and
   mercy).

   Constant fervent prayer brings us the most sincere and firm conviction
   of the immortality of our soul, and of the bliss of the future
   immaterial world; for we derive all the delights of prayer from the God
   the Spirit. We borrow all the power of prayer from Him, and also by His
   grace from the Mother of God (it is She who saves our souls from
   misfortunes, who gives us peace, joy, and new life), and from the
   angels and saints.

   "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
   dwelleth in you?" [1094] " If the Spirit of Him that raised up Christ
   from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead
   shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in
   you." [1095] Brethren, be attentive to and reverence the Holy Ghost,
   ever dwelling in you, and remember that the mystery and wonder of your
   resurrection from the dead shall be accomplished by the same Spirit who
   now dwelleth in you by the grace and gift of Christ, through baptism by
   water and the Spirit, through repentance, and especially through the
   communion of His life-giving Mysteries.

   God is Truth, and my prayer should be truth as well as life; God is
   Light, and my prayer should be offered in the light of the mind and the
   heart; God is Fire, and my prayer as well as life should be ardent; God
   is perfectly free, and my prayer should be the free outpouring of the
   heart. What riches there are in the human spirit! I have only to think
   of God, only to desire a hearty union with God, and He is immediately
   with me; neither the walls of a house, nor the bars of a prison, nor
   mountains, nor gulfs shall hinder this union. God is immediately with
   me, likewise the angels and saints; with God they are all before my
   eyes, close to my heart, as the nearest of friends, as those who are
   akin to me. O the riches of the human spirit!

   The Spirit is so simple that it passes through every spiritual and
   material being; through all reasonable beings and through all creatures
   not endued with reason, through the heavenly bodies, the earth and all
   its organic and inorganic bodies, and is not in the least limited by
   them, being always higher than them and quickening them as the Spirit
   of God, or it easily passes through every kind of matter without
   quickening it, such as mountains, stones, walls of buildings, as if
   there was no matter whatever there. God is such, as though there were
   no other spiritual or material being at all; and therefore I can always
   truly say that I am always with God, or as though there were only God
   and myself. " Thou art with me," [1096] says the psalmsinger. "I am
   with thee," [1097] says the Lord to the Apostle Paul.

   When praying fervently, either standing or sitting, or lying down or
   walking, and being sometimes suddenly visited by the Spirit of God and
   hearing His voice, we notice that He penetrates into the soul, not
   through the mouth, not through the nose, neither through the ears
   (although the Saviour bestowed the Spirit through the word and
   breathing, and although "faith cometh by hearing" [1098] ), but
   straight through the body into the heart, in the same manner as the
   Lord passed through the walls of the house when He came to the Apostles
   after the Resurrection, and acts suddenly, like electricity, and more
   rapidly than any electric current; then we feel unusually light,
   because we are suddenly freed from our burden of sins, the spirit of
   contrition for sins, the spirit of devotion, peace, and joy visits us.
   Remember how the angel appeared in the shut-up prison in order to
   deliver the Apostle Peter; the doors were shut, the keepers standing
   before the doors, but the angel suddenly came upon him, and at the same
   moment a light shined in the prison. [1099] Thus the Spirit of God
   suddenly visits the chamber of our soul, the body, and the light shines
   in it.

   How do the saints hear us? They hear us as being one in the Holy Ghost
   with us--" that they also may be one in us," [1100] as members of the
   one Church of God, having for her head the one Christ, and animated by
   the one Spirit of God. The saints see and hear us in the Holy Ghost in
   the same manner as we see and hear with our bodily eyes and ears by
   means of light and air; but our bodily sight and hearing are very
   imperfect in comparison to spiritual sight and hearing. At a great
   distance we cannot see many objects and cannot hear many sounds, but
   spiritual sight and hearing are perfect; not a single movement of the
   heart, not a single thought, not a single word, intention, or desire
   escapes them, because the Spirit of God--in Whom the saints dwell, see,
   and hear us--is all-perfect, omniscient, all-seeing, and all-hearing,
   for He is omnipresent.

   The power of prayer is sufficient, for instance, to open and shut
   heaven, to turn fire into dew. Whose prayer is specially powerful ] The
   prayer of the Mother of God (" by Thy holy and all-powerful
   supplications ") and that of the saints in heaven; on earth the prayers
   of God's priests, as of those placed by God Himself at His very throne,
   to pray for themselves and for His people, " for Himself and for the
   errors of the people"; [1101] and the prayers of venerable men, of
   hermits, "for him will I accept." [1102] Christians are slothful in
   prayer, from this arise want of faith, hope, and love, sins and
   iniquities, spiritual and bodily misfortunes.

   Priest of God! believe with your whole heart, believe always in the
   grace given to you from God, to pray for God's people. Let not this
   gift of God be in vain in you, for by it you can save many souls. The
   Lord speedily hears your heartfelt prayer for His people, and is easily
   inclined to have mercy upon them, as He had at Moses', Aaron's,
   Samuel's, and the Apostles' prayers. Avail yourself of every
   opportunity for prayer-- in church, when you celebrate Divine service
   or a sacrament, in private houses, at the ministering of the
   sacraments, during prayers and thanksgivings; everywhere and at all
   times think of the salvation of God's people, and you shall also obtain
   great grace of God for yourself.

   Be always as convinced that you live every moment by the life-giving
   Trinity as that you are lighted by the material light, are fed by meat
   and drink, and breathe by means of air--by these three things united in
   one for you.

   The substance of the world is as nothing; [1103] everywhere and in all
   things is the life-giving Spirit of God higher than anything. When you
   pray to God, represent to yourself that matter is as though
   non-existent, and that all creatures are as though non-existent; but
   that God alone is omnipresent and one, having no determined place and
   limits, and tilling, embracing, creating, and keeping all things. If
   you yourself are free from attachments to material things, and give
   yourself to prayer and fasting, then even in you the spirit will as
   though swallow up the flesh, and you will become spiritual and will
   contemplate God the Spirit everywhere in nature; whilst, on the
   contrary, those who are attached to earthly things, especially to food
   and drink, to money, become " sensual, having not the Spirit." [1104]
   And in everything they only see the flesh, not contemplating the
   spirit, and even rejecting the spiritual side of things.

   Where there is the constructing material, there the Constructor must
   absolutely be supposed, because matter, not having in itself either
   sense or power, cannot organise itself, cannot grow and bring forth
   fruits: it is evident that at every moment it must be governed by an
   infinite Mind, by an All-powerful Hand.

   As the material sun is reflected with its whole circle and with all its
   radiance in the innumerable transparent objects upon earth, so likewise
   the spiritual Sun, God, is pleased to reflect Himself in innumerable
   beings, both in heaven and upon earth--there in the angels, here in
   men; and as the light even of the material sun is not restricted by
   dense though transparent bodies, but, passing through them unimpeded,
   shines even in the rooms of a house closed upon all sides to the
   outside air, or in transparent objects turned towards it, so likewise
   the spiritual light is not restricted for spiritual beings by any
   material obstacles, neither by the walls of a house, nor by the dark
   walls and vaults of prisons, nor by huge mountains, in the caverns of
   which the servants of God were concealed, nor in the abysses of the
   earth. He penetrates everything, and shines forth everywhere in every
   soul capable of receiving the light of the heavenly truth into itself.
   "Paul and Silas prayed in their prison and sang praises unto God, and
   the Lord heard their prayer." [1105]

   When we pray, then the ears of the Lord are inclined to our prayer. He
   is then, as in general He always is, as near to us as the icon, before
   which we stand, and even much nearer: He is close to our very heart.
   His presence near us is as manifest as the visible icon, and therefore
   the icon is only a visible representation of how near the Lord is to
   us, how He looks upon us and hears us. And God's saints, in the Holy
   Ghost, are also as near to us as the Holy Ghost is near to us, Who is
   everywhere present and filleth all things, "Whose temple we are,"
   [1106] and in the Holy Ghost they see and hear us in the same way as we
   see and hear people speaking to us. For the Holy Ghost is the medium,
   by which we see and hear even ordinary things.

   You have seen that on the icons of the saints, the Lord Jesus Christ is
   represented above, with the imperial globe in one hand and with the
   other extended in blessing. This is taken from reality. From heaven the
   Lord ever watches over those who combat for His sake upon earth, He
   helps them actively, as the almighty King, in their struggle with the
   enemies of salvation, blesses His wrestlers with "peace and joy in the
   Holy Ghost," [1107] and bestows the crown of life upon them after they
   have finished their earthly exploits. Thus, Christians, all of you
   strengthen yourselves in faith and hope, looking unto Jesus, '' the
   author and finisher of our faith," [1108] Who ever watches over you and
   sees all your acts from the heavenly heights, as He looked down upon
   the proto-martyr, Stephen, opening unto him heaven and His glory; as He
   looked upon Saul, afterwards Paul, and also revealed Himself to him in
   the heavens, enlightening him with His light, and calling him with His
   voice. [1109]

   The object of our life is union with God: in this life by faith, hope
   and love, and in the future one by all-perfect love. But see how the
   enemy and we ourselves here distort this object. We unite ourselves in
   our hearts with various things, in accordance with the diversity of our
   passionate attachments. Sometimes, O horror! our love is fixed upon
   silver, upon food, drink, dress, dwelling, furniture, upon men like
   unto ourselves, until we forget God. Sometimes we are proud, we envy,
   hate, lie, and then we unite ourselves directly with the Devil himself,
   who is malice, falsehood, pride, envy personified--and how we thus
   insult our Master, Who created us after His image and likeness; how we
   distort this divinely drawn image, drawn from God Himself! But we think
   of this too little, are too ignorant of that which is the most
   essential matter to us--our union with God.

   He who knows the constancy and malice of the bodiless spirits against
   himself, will not greatly despond, although they may use every means to
   plunge his heart into despondency, he will not grow irritated at
   everything, knowing that they (the enemies) strive in every way to
   incite us to irritation, to make us malicious, envious, to attach us to
   money and material gain. But there is one condition necessary for this,
   we must watch over ourselves, for the enemy not unfrequently disguises
   himself under the form of our self-love and ambition, and, as though he
   defends our welfare, whilst in reality he is absolutely destroying us.
   Christian hope! how many are deprived of thee through the snares of
   invincible enemies! How many fall into despair and take away their own
   lives! Think of those who of their own free will have laid hands on
   themselves by hanging, by drowning themselves, or in other ways; also
   drunkards and others.

   The Lord spoke the word of promise, and His word shall be fulfilled. He
   speaks, and shall it not be? The Lord points to the laws of nature, to
   their constancy and firmness, as a proof of the faithfulness of His
   promises.

   You have felt in your heart during prayer, or during the reading of the
   Word of God and other holy books (and sometimes even during the reading
   of worldly ones of well-intentioned contents, in which, for instance,
   some event representing the action of God's Providence upon men is
   described), or during edifying conversation, "a still small voice," as
   though a current of electricity was passing through your body. It is
   the Lord visiting you. "A still small voice" [1110] --and the Lord is
   in it.

   When you pray to Our Lady, or to any Saint, steadfastly represent to
   yourself that you are a member of the Church, in which Our Lady is--the
   chief stone of the edifice, "the First Origin of spiritual renovation,"
   [1111] and know that you are closely, inwardly united with all the
   heavenly dwellers, as one of the stones of the edifice, though not a
   firm, strong one. Thus, by understanding yourself, you will understand
   why prayers so easily reach the Saints; for we are all under one Head
   --Christ, [1112] and are all animated by the same Spirit of God.

   The Lord is--the Cause and constant Support (power) of my organic
   bodily life, through the action of the lungs, the stomach, the heart,
   the veins and muscles; and of my spiritually organic life, through the
   mind and thought, through the enlightenment of my heart by His Light.

   Wonderful is the power of faith! Only the lively thought of God--only
   heartfelt faith in Him--is required, and He is with me; only hearty
   repentance for sins, with faith in Him, is required, and--He is with
   me; one good thought, and--He is with me; a pious feeling, and--He is
   with me. But the Devil enters into me through impure, evil, blasphemous
   thoughts, through doubt, fear, pride, irritability, malice, avarice,
   envy; therefore his power over me entirely depends upon myself; if only
   I keep watch over myself, and continually preserve in my mind the name
   of the Lord Jesus Christ, with faith and love, he will be powerless to
   do me any harm.

   Strive to do everything in opposition to that which the bodiless enemy
   wishes you to do. He incites you to pride, to self-glorification, and
   to judging your brother -- you must humble yourself to the ground and
   ashes, judge yourself as severely as possible, and praise your brother
   in your heart. Should your brother, through the action of the enemy,
   behave proudly and maliciously to you--you must behave humbly and
   lovingly to him. If the enemy incites you to avarice--be generous with
   goodwill. Act thus in all similar circumstances, and you will obtain
   great grace from God, and will see this yourself with your spiritual
   eyes. If you have not inward strength to do so, the enemy being, as you
   say, very powerful, then ask it in prayer, at every time and every
   hour, of the Almighty, and He will help you.

   According to the measure of the " spirit and truth" with which you
   begin to pray before the holy icon, for instance, of the Saviour, in
   the same measure the Spirit of Him Who is represented upon the icon is
   attracted to the icon. So that if your faith, in the presence of the
   Person, represented upon the icon, attains such a height that you see
   that Person living before you, then by grace He is actually there. The
   wonder-working images which speak, from which flow tears, blood, etc.,
   are examples of this, and this is why such images all look
   extraordinarily living and expressive. What can be impossible to God,
   Who is able to give life to stone and form man out of it? He can
   miraculously accomplish the same with a painted image. "All things are
   possible to him that believeth"; [1113] and the Highest miraculously
   comes down from heaven to him that believeth. He is similarly united
   with, and works miracles by, the sign of the life-giving cross.

   What is man, if he is not the image of God, enshrined in earth, because
   the human body is nothing but--earth? Therefore do not wonder at God
   appearing in material images, and even speaking by the mouth of an
   image, for " with God all things are possible." [1114] When it was
   required, He even spoke with a human voice by the mouth of an ass.
   [1115]

   So living and true, is sometimes said of a portrait, that only speech
   is wanting; if man is capable, by his art, of giving life to a canvas,
   or a board, or paper--then what can be impossible to God? Why cannot He
   breathe life into an image, and give it the capability of speaking, if
   it pleases Him? Only speech is wanting--you have done everything,
   artist, on your part; now let the Lord complete your work, and He will
   make the image speak.

   There is a spiritual world: there is a communion of souls with those at
   a distance, and with the departed; they see and hear us, and here is an
   evident proof of this: a woman, whose husband was ill and was lying in
   a room--at a distance of some four hundred miles from her, and who
   afterwards died--saw one evening the people who came to him, what he
   was doing, and heard the words that he spoke. Do not the Saints see us
   in the same manner ? Do not they hear our prayers in the same manner?

   In looking upon the faces of others, I see my own face, for we are all
   as one, created by God, from one single man, from the same blood, and
   all equally after the image of God--and therefore we must look upon all
   purely, unsuspiciously, not inimically, not cunningly, not
   avariciously, but with pure godly love. Also, when looking upon icons,
   upon the faces of the Saints, the image of the Mother of God, and that
   of the God-Man Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, I see myself in them,
   for they are also men, and through His incarnation and humanisation,
   Jesus Christ, our God, has wholly clothed Himself in me, having thus
   honoured mankind with an immeasurable honour, driving away the stench
   of sin from those who believe and are baptised in Him, and making them
   fragrant with the holiness of the Holy Ghost dwelling in them through
   faith, baptism, and the Communion of His Divine Body and Blood. Thus
   see yourself in others, that others may see themselves in you, love all
   as yourself; also see yourself and mankind in Christ, in His Most Pure
   Mother, and in the images of the Saints, and assimilate yourself to God
   and the saints by imitating their holiness--that they, too, may see
   themselves in you, in proportion as you become like unto God and them
   by virtue, and that they may recognise in you their member when you
   appear at the universal judgment, and may receive you into their midst
   as one of themselves.

   I ought to rejoice in the fact that it very often happens to me to
   carry in my mind and heart, and to pronounce with my lips, the name of
   God, the name of Our Lady, the Mother of our God, those of the holy
   Angels and Saints, either of them, all by name during the year, or of
   the special ones daily mentioned in the church prayers, or in the
   office of the blessing of the water. For the name of God, as well as
   the name of the Mother of God; our all-powerful Mediatrix, remembered
   sincerely, from the whole heart, sanctifies, quickens, and comforts;
   and the Saints our intercessors before God, pray for us, when we call
   upon them in prayer, and enlighten us by their manifold virtues. It is
   good to have union with God and the heavenly dwellers.

   By means of prayer we obtain remission of our sins. "I forgive thee all
   that debt, because thou desiredst Me." [1116] Experience proves the
   same.

   " He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I
   in him." [1117] This we feel, and experience confirms it. Most blessed,
   most full of life is the man who communicates of the Holy Mysteries
   with faith and heartfelt repentance for his sins. This we truly feel,
   and the contrast is also manifest. If we approach the Holy Cup without
   sincere repentance for sin, and with doubt, then Satan enters into us,
   and dwells in us, destroying our soul, and this, too, is most
   perceptible.

   "All things are near to God," says the Russian proverb. Truly
   everything is near: all spiritual and sentient creatures, the Angels,
   the souls of the departed, all living men, all animals, all material
   worlds. The Spirit of God passes through all things, a reasoning, pure,
   most refined Spirit, dwelling in every believing, pious soul. " The
   wild beasts of the field are in My sight," [1118] says He. " I am with
   you alway, even unto the end of the world." [1119] As an infinite
   Spirit, to God nothing is far away, but all things are before Him, as
   upon the palm of the hand. He is wholly everywhere, and all things are
   in Him. All things live and exist by Him.

   God and the created spirits, and the souls of the departed, as well as
   those of the living, are--thinking beings, and thought is rapid, and in
   some sort omnipresent. Think of them with your whole heart, and they
   will be present with you--God always and necessarily so, and others by
   the gift and power of God. " When I am in heaviness, I will think upon
   God." [1120] Why? Because He is with you and in you.

   When our heart is enveloped in the darkness of Satan, the darkness of
   the passions, then it denies God, although it ought, in that case, to
   deny its very light; it has become darkened, and therefore its
   spiritual eyes are closed and do not see God, but this does not mean
   that there is no God. " The fool hath said in his heart: There is no
   God." [1121] Truly a fool.

   To the name of Jesus Christ, or to the sincere thought of Jesus Christ,
   is united great power, able to drive away the passions and give peace
   to the heart. The same may be applied to the name of the holy Angels
   and Saints, beginning with the Mother of God, down to the holy and
   righteous men and "Urodivoi" [1122] for Christ's sake. Only call upon
   their names sincerely, and by the grace of God they, too, will help
   you.

   The icons of the Saviour in every orthodox house show His omnipresence,
   His sovereignty in every place, whilst the images of the Saints--the
   presence with us or the nearness to us of the Saints, by the grace of
   God, as members of the one body of the Church, united under the one
   Head--Christ.

   " As Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one
   in Us." [1123] This is the reason why we must pray to the Saints: they
   are in God, and God is in them; [1124] and this is why they hear us,
   that is, owing to their being in the omnipresent God. " For holy art
   Thou, O our God, and Thou restest in the Saints." [1125]

   For the sake of our faith alone, the spiritual mountains-- that is, the
   heights and burdens of sins--are removed. This is why, when Christians
   release themselves from the burden of their sins by repentance and
   confession, they sometimes say, "Thank God, a mountain has fallen off
   my shoulders!"

   During prayer a sincere seeking after amendment is indispensable.

   As by means of the electric telegraph we speedily communicate with
   persons who are far away from us, so, likewise, by means of lively
   faith, as though through the telegraph wires, we speedily communicate
   with God, with the Angels and Saints. As we entirely trust to the speed
   of the electric current, and to its reaching its destination, so,
   likewise, we should completely trust to the speed of the prayer of
   faith and to its reaching its destination. Send your petition to God
   and the Saints by means of the telegraph of faith, and you will
   speedily obtain an answer. The answering signs of a telegraph are
   simple, but the experienced read them; the actions upon the heart of
   the God of all spirits, of all flesh and of the Saints, are likewise
   simple, but the experienced understand them.

   O wonderful proof of the omnipresence of God! For instance, your heart
   is wounded by an attachment, even a momentary one, to silver, let us
   suppose, and it begins to ache; but as soon as you say to God from your
   whole heart, " Thou art my only treasure, Thou art my silver and gold,
   and food and raiment," you will immediately feel relieved.

   There are many people who pray in such a manner that they seem to
   worship God in vain. There are also some persons who pray, and they are
   so slothful and evil that when they feel an influx of impure and evil
   thoughts in their heart and head, they immediately leave off praying
   and flee from the church or from before the icon in their home.

   If you wish to pray with a life-giving prayer, first of all strengthen
   your heart in the Lord. "My heart is strengthened (rejoiceth) in the
   Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord." [1126]

   From the time since the first man sinned, men became so darkened by sin
   in the very centre of their being (in their hearts), that they very
   often have not any consciousness and feeling of the omnipresence of
   God, and think that four walls and a ceiling can conceal them from Him,
   Who fills all things, Who sees even those who hide themselves in secret
   places. " Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see
   him ? Do not I fill heaven and earth?" [1127] "I was naked, and I hid
   myself." [1128] But it did not avail!

   My soul is in God, as a fish in water or a bird in the air, surrounded
   by Him upon all sides, at every time; it lives in Him, it moves in Him,
   it rests in Him, and finds freedom in Him.

   My thought, either bright or dark; my conscience, either accusing or
   excusing; [1129] my heart, either tranquil and joyful, or sorrowful and
   oppressed; the organisation of my body, the organisation of the worlds
   and of the earth, which we inhabit, with all that is in it and around
   it, incessantly testify to the continual presence in me, with me, and
   everywhere, of mine and your Creator. May the dark and foolish thought
   that I am forsaken by my God, that He is not ever with me--ever flee
   far away from me!

   May my soul always remember that God the Word, together with the Father
   and the Holy Ghost, at every moment upholdeth all the worlds " by the
   word of His power;" [1130] and amongst them my small world, too--the
   soul and body, and that He, at every moment, knows not only the number
   of the hairs of my head, but also the number and quality of my thoughts
   and the movements of my heart, for everything exists, and is
   accomplished before His clearest eyes.

   May my soul understand that as everything proceeded from God and exists
   in God, therefore the Lord God in the most perfect manner knows at
   every moment of the existence and of the nature of every being, and
   that He supports its existence, at every moment, by the laws of nature
   given by Him. If we, ourselves, having written a book, know all about
   its disposition and contents, about all the ideas to be found in it, so
   that when other people explain us the idea, and especially the plan of
   our book, we say that it is our plan, our idea; then why should we take
   from the Lord His omniscience of all worlds, of all creatures, of all
   things contained in the world, with all their qualities and conditions?
   Are they not, so to say, the book of God? And thus, my soul, reverence
   thy Creator every moment of thy life, and know that at every moment He
   knows thee wholly, that He supports and gives thee life and everything
   necessary for thy existence and welfare. "How could anything have
   endured if it had not been Thy will?" [1131]

   Men are ashamed to acknowledge that they do not believe in their high
   calling and destiny, in the fact of their being the priceless image of
   God, most dear to God, for whom has been prepared and promised
   infinitely great bliss in heaven--in union with God.

   As a poor man does not believe that he may in future become a rich and
   very distinguished person, so many Christians do not believe that they
   shall possess a wealth of future blessings, -and shall freely be made
   to " sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." [1132] We may
   well wonder how, without any special merits on our part, we can expect
   such high honour and glory, such riches. We are self-loving, covetous,
   avaricious, and therefore we are unable to understand how such infinite
   love, such a wise and disinterested Father can exist; it is as though
   we still cannot believe that " God so loved the world that He gave His
   only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
   but have everlasting life." [1133]

   Men are perplexed, and, to tell the truth, many do not believe in the
   honour which is promised to the righteous in the future life, because
   Satan has lowered mankind in its own eyes. But this honour shall truly
   be, and we should hope to attain it; for man is the image of God, and
   it is for this that the Son of God was incarnate, in order to
   re-establish his image. This idea is developed in Holy Scripture.

   If at any time you doubt in God, or in the dogma of the most Holy
   Trinity, remember the short doxology, "Glory to the Father, and to the
   Son, and to the Holy Ghost, both now and ever, and to ages of ages,"
   and think what little importance you yourself have in comparison with
   the men of all ages, of whom there were an infinite number of great and
   divinely bright intellects, and who all heartily, unanimously ascribed
   glory to the one God in three persons.

   As our Creator and God is one, therefore He brings together and unites
   all things, and, for a believing soul, there is nothing far away that
   He cannot bring near by means of faith. Do you wish to converse
   with---not to speak of God, Who is everywhere, but with the high and
   heavenly powers, principalities, archangels and angels? You can do so.
   In accordance with your prayer they will instruct, enlighten,
   strengthen you in your faith. Or do you wish to converse with the
   departed Saints? You can do so. They will be with you at your first
   heartfelt call-- especially the most Holy Virgin, Mother of God, our
   most speedy Mediatrix. " We unceasingly glorify Thee, O Christ, Who
   hast indescribably joined the earthly to the heavenly, and hast
   established one Church for the angels and men." [1134] Christ is the
   head both of angels and men. With such a Head, what then cannot be near
   to us? And how near to us must the Head Himself be in order to hear us!
   Experience convinces us that He hears us, as the saints also hear us.

   The Lord has full respect for nature, which He has created, and for her
   laws, as the production of His own infinite, most perfect wisdom; this
   is why He usually accomplishes His will through the medium of nature
   and her laws; for instance, when He punishes men or blesses them.
   Therefore, do not require miracles of Him without extreme necessity.

   The Lord especially highly esteems the works of His hands, gifted with
   reason and free will, that is, the angels and saints, and works through
   them for our sanctification and salvation. Therefore do not say: I
   always have recourse straight to God alone with my needs, with my
   prayer. It is sometimes also necessary for you to have recourse to the
   saints as His instruments and organs. God Himself does not wish that
   these holy temples of His grace, of His Divine Spirit, should remain
   inactive in the work of our salvation.

   Like young birds under the wing of the hen, so the whole universe, all
   the assemblies of angels, all men, all senseless animals, all material
   worlds, are under the Lord's wing. He enlightens all and
   everything--some with mental light, and others with material light. He
   warms all--some with spiritual warmth and others with material warmth;
   and as the hen hears the cries and the sighs of the young birds under
   it, so the Lord hears even our secret sighs, our prayers, our praises,
   and sees all our needs. "My trust shall be under the covering of Thy
   wings." [1135]

   It is good for me to pray for men when I partake worthily, that is
   consciously, of the Holy Communion: then the Father and the Son, and
   the Holy Ghost, my God, is within me, and I feel great boldness before
   Him. Then the King is within me, as in His abode: I may ask what I
   will. " We will come unto Him, and make our abode with Him." [1136] "Ye
   shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." [1137]

   During prayer it is necessary to have such faith, that there should not
   even for a single moment be any secret doubt, or any secret thought in
   the heart, that God does not hear us, and it is necessary, furthermore,
   that our soul should represent God before itself during the whole time
   of our prayer and converse with Him, as with a King.

   If we sinners pray and make supplications to the Lord for ourselves and
   others; if, when living upon earth, the saints pray for others and ask
   God for what is needful for them, then much more will they do so when
   they are transplanted to eternity and are face to face with God. By
   virtue of the great mediatory sacrifice of the Son of God, the prayers
   of the saints, especially those of His most pure Mother, possess, by
   the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the power of mediation. This is the
   Lord's recompense for the merits of the saints.

   The foundation of prayer is the yearning of the image towards its
   prototype, as of like to like. During prayer, have the thought that you
   [1138] are a steward of the most precious prayerful inheritance of the
   Church, that you are an impure, unworthy steward, and that your work
   consists in reverently opening your heart and watering it with these
   pure streams of the words of prayer, but not in reasoning about them at
   your own free will.

   It is remarkable: to-day I felt a doubt--of course suggested by the
   evil one--on the subject of the turn of a phrase in a prayer, namely:
   "Thou, Who alone hast power to forgive sins by the prayers of Thy most
   holy Mother and of all the saints," [1139] and I was covered with shame
   in my reasoning: the enemy struck me, hindered me, disturbed me during
   public prayer. But in what respect was my thought false? I thought
   thus: how God has power to forgive sins by the prayers of His most pure
   Mother and those of the saints, and not independently of Himself? Of
   course He has the power without the prayers of others. He alone has the
   power, but in order to honour the exalted virtues of the saints, and
   especially those of His Mother, the saints, who are His friends, who
   pleased Him with all their might during their earthly life--He accepts
   their prayerful intercession for us, unworthy ones, for us who must
   often stop their mouths on account of our great and frequent
   transgressions. Remember Moses, who interceded for the Hebrew people
   and obtained life for them from God whom they had angered. Some may say
   that God might have spared His people even without Moses' prayers; but,
   then, God would have been, so to say, unjust in bestowing life upon
   those who were not worthy of life, after He Himself had decreed that
   they should die; but when Moses--a righteous, meek, and humble
   man--began to intercede for them, then the most just God was appeased
   at the sight of the righteous man, at his love for God and his people,
   and for the sake of Moses' merits, the Lord forgave the unworthy, that
   is, the unrighteous, for the sake of the righteous. So likewise now, at
   the prayers of His most pure Mother, He forgives us, who, of ourselves,
   through our great and frequent sins and iniquities, are unworthy of His
   mercy. "Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me, yet my mind could not
   be toward this people," [1140] said the Lord to Jeremiah of the Jews.
   From this it is evident that the Lord accepts the intercession of the
   saints for the evil-doers when the sins of these last do not exceed the
   measure of God's forbearance.

   The Lord knowing the infirmity of our nature, darkened and weighed down
   by sin, and rising with difficulty to God through faith, has pleased to
   condescend to us unto the likeness of our being, unto taking upon
   Himself the form of a servant [1141] in human flesh; such is His love.
   But as it was impossible for Him to eternally remain in the human body
   on earth, whilst it was necessary in accordance with the plans of God's
   ordering to ascend up with it into heaven, therefore for the infirmity
   of all future generations of men and in remembrance of His eternal love
   for them, of His sufferings and death, He changes, by the Holy Ghost,
   ordinary bread into His own Body and ordinary wine into His own Blood,
   and by His Spirit dwells wholly in this bread and wine; so that under
   the form of bread and wine, Christ the Life-giver, the Lord Himself, is
   wholly there. O unspeakable love, truly divine! The Lord has wholly
   used His infinitely great wisdom, His infinite power, for our
   salvation! Our infirmity is thus made, not only to see the Lord by
   means of faith, but even to taste Him with our tongue, and especially
   with our heart and with our whole soul. Glory to the Lord for having so
   loved us!

   God grant that even after death our brotherly union with our departed
   relatives, and those whom we knew in this life, may not be broken off,
   that our love may not be extinguished, but may burn with a bright
   flame, and that constant true remembrance of those at rest may ever
   remain with us until our death. "With what measure ye mete, it shall be
   measured to you." [1142]

   In receiving the Holy Sacrament be as undoubtingly sure that you
   communicate of the Body and Blood of Christ, as you are sure that every
   moment you breathe air. Say to yourself, "As surely as I constantly
   breathe the air, so surely do I now receive into myself, together with
   the air, my Lord Jesus Christ Himself, my breathing, my life, my joy,
   my salvation. He is my breath, before air, at every moment of my life;
   He is my word, before any other word; He is my thought, before any
   other thought; He is my light, before any other light; He is my meat
   and drink, before any other meat and drink; He is my raiment, before
   any other raiment; He is my fragrance, before any other fragrance; He
   is my sweetness, before any other sweetness; He is my father and
   mother, before any other father and mother; before the earth, He is the
   firmest ground, that nothing can ever shake and that bears me. As we,
   earthly creatures, forget that at all times we breathe, live, move, and
   exist in Him and have "hewed out cisterns, broken cisterns," [1143] for
   ourselves, He has opened unto us, in His Holy Mysteries, in His Blood,
   the source of living water, flowing into life eternal, and gives
   Himself to us as food and drink, in order "that we might live through
   Him." [1144]

   As the evil spirits are always near to us, and act upon us very rapidly
   and easily, so near to us and even incomparably nearer are the Lord
   God, the Most-pure Mother of God, the holy angels, and God's saints,
   and they act upon us still more rapidly and easily; for the evil
   spirits can only act upon us by God's permission, whilst the Lord God
   acts independently with the most entire freedom, and as being "
   everywhere present and filling all things," the Most-pure Mother of
   God, the holy angels and saints act upon us, as being one with Him
   through His grace.

   "Thou, O Lord . . . hast given an heritage unto those that fear Thy
   name." [1145] God has given Himself as an heritage, a possession to
   those who fear Him. What a great gift!

   Prayer is founded upon faith. I believe that there is a God, before
   whom I lay my prayer; that there is an Almighty, holding all creatures
   in the palm of His hand, and giving various kinds of voices to His
   creatures, for inward intercourse amongst themselves, but not needing
   any voice Himself. I trust that my prayer will reach Him, or, to speak
   more exactly, will go direct from my heart to His ears. Similarly, the
   correspondence of a son with his father or mother, or between brothers
   and sisters, or that of a father with his children, or between friends
   at a distance from each other, is also founded on faith. They are sure
   when writing letters that the persons to whom they write are alive;
   they trust that their written conversation will reach them, will
   produce certain impressions, ideas, and feelings, corresponding to
   those expressed in the letter, and that they will answer the letter in
   accordance with its contents. As in life we are guided in many things
   by faith and hope, so much more in relation to the spiritual world
   should we "walk by faith, not by sight." [1146]

   When in any place--either in a house, or on a vessel at sea, or under
   the open sky--you doubt in the presence of God, then present to your
   heart the following proofs of the sure presence of God in that place:
   God keeps all things in His power, amongst them myself, with my soul
   and body, and every hard substance, and every liquid and transparent
   substance; thus He also keeps the very air in which I stand and by
   which I breathe, keeps every particle of it, and therefore He is called
   the Upholder of all things, for He holds in the palm of His hand all
   creatures, down to the very smallest. How then is it possible that He
   should not be anywhere, in any place? How is it possible that the
   "Truth of things," the Origin of their being, should not be anywhere?
   If you say these words to yourself inwardly, your heart struck by doubt
   shall immediately revive and be at rest, which also serves as the
   strongest proof of the omnipresence of God, especially in our souls.
   Glory to Thee, all-powerful King, for not having left me in the
   darkness of hell, but for continually sending me Thy light in my
   darkness! "Thou also shalt light my candle; the Lord my God shall make
   my darkness to be light." [1147]

   Whether you are praying or sitting, or walking or lying down, or
   thinking, or rejoicing or sorrowing, whether you are well or ill, at
   home or out, on land or at sea, be continually and fully assured that
   God sees you clearly, most clearly--in all perfection, with all your
   thoughts, desires, works; in every condition, at every moment of your
   existence. That He hears more perfectly than the finest hearing, all
   your inward movements, all your words, though He Himself has neither
   sight nor hearing, these separate and complex, and, therefore,
   imperfect organs of recognition (though they are perfect for us), being
   Himself all the sight in His Being, wherefore the Greeks called Him
   ?_?, and all hearing, or, to speak more exactly, all light and vision.

   Remember constantly that the light of your soul, of your thoughts, and
   of your heart, comes from Jesus Christ. He is the "Light of the eye" of
   our heart--not like the light that comes from the sun, that appears and
   disappears, and does not penetrate through an opaque substance, but
   leaves many things in darkness, and cannot enlighten one single soul in
   the darkness of sin, but He is the " true Light, which lighteth every
   man" (that is, the principal part of his being, the soul) "that cometh
   into the world." [1148] Yes, the light of Christ enlightens all, even
   the heathens. " A light to lighten the Gentiles." [1149] It shines even
   in the darkness of sin, but sinful human darkness, or, rather, the men
   living in the darkness of sin, do not understand It, "comprehend It
   not;" [1150] they do not guess that the light which is in their souls
   is from Christ, and think that it is their own natural light; that they
   themselves, by means of their natural intellect, their own sagacity and
   judgment, have attained to a certain truth, have accomplished certain
   work; they do not think that it is only by " the light of Christ that
   they see every light," [1151] the light of every noble science, of
   every noble art, and of every thing.

   We have within us a spiritual eye, with which we see a million times
   more than we are able to by means of our bodily sight, which is merely
   an instrument of our spiritual eye; a conductor through which the soul
   either thinks or recognises all things visible. What are the objects of
   contemplation for this spiritual eye? The phenomena of the spiritual
   world. Besides the visible world, there is God, an infinite Spirit, an
   infinite Mind, Who has created and creates all things in the material
   world, which is the realisation of His thoughts (ideas), and there is a
   spiritual world, angelic, innumerable, living in constant contemplation
   of the Godhead and of all the works of His omnipotence and great
   wisdom. Our spiritual eye relates above all to the Lord, and in this
   case its functions are called contemplation and meditation on God; this
   contemplation and meditation on God can extend unto infinity, as God
   Himself is infinite, and have the property of cleansing the soul from
   sin, of perfecting it, and bringing it nearer and nearer to God, the
   Source of our light, or of our thought and life. After this we
   contemplate the angelic orders according to the measure of God's
   revelation, and their spiritual, light-bearing nature, their spiritual
   goodness, their love for God, for each other, and for mankind, their
   guarding actions in relation to our earth, to its elements, to human
   communities, to holy and other places, and especially to every
   Christian. Besides this, the spiritual eye turns within to the man
   himself, and then its function is called self-examination,
   self-knowledge, self-introspection, spiritual watchfulness over our own
   thoughts and desires.

   As the Spirit of God dwells in a multitude of Christians, and wholly in
   all, together with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, and at the same
   time is wholly everywhere--in heaven and on earth--so likewise Jesus
   Christ is in every particle of His Body and Blood, wholly in all
   Christian churches, and at the same time He is wholly everywhere, in
   heaven and on earth; as God, He is omnipresent, and there is no place
   where He is not wholly present. I take one particle of the Eucharist,
   He is wholly there; I take another, He is wholly there; a third, and so
   on, but in all of them there is the one and same Christ.

   The mental denial of any of the three unoriginate Lights is equally
   death to the soul; in this manner God truly shows us that each of the
   three Persons of the Godhead is our life, "the life and lives." [1152]
   We easily recognise the enemy by the denial of the Persons of the
   Godhead, by the burning of his falsehood in our heart, by the darkness
   and oppression arising from this in our soul.

   As by the light of the sun we see the air, earth, water, and everything
   found in them, so by the light of the mental sun in our heart we see
   the world of spirits, the angels and God's saints, the Mother of God,
   the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, hierarchs, venerable men,
   and all the saints. We see them with our spiritual sight (by faith) in
   the same manner as with our bodily eyesight we see the objects of the
   material world. Thus a simple, pure heart sees, for instance, the
   Mother of God with the inward eyes in the same manner as the natural
   sight sees Her image or any other visible object.

   The sign of Lord's mercy or of that of His most pure Mother to us,
   after or during prayer, is peace of heart, especially after the action
   of some passion, whose property is the absence of spiritual peace. By
   this peace of heart and a kind of holy tenderness of heart we can also
   easily recognise that our prayer has been heard, and that the grace
   asked in it has been granted to us. The success of the prayer is also
   recognised by the spiritual power, which we inwardly obtain for the
   fulfilment of the duties of our calling, and by the inward light
   manifestly entering into our soul.

   The whole world is but a cobweb in comparison to the Christian human
   soul; nothing in it is constant and sure; we cannot lean trustingly
   upon anything; everything breaks. We must not cleave to anything with
   our heart except to the one God, Who has spread out this cobweb, and
   who supports it and gives it life. To whatever you attach yourself,
   except of God, everything wounds and oppresses the heart, whilst entire
   attachment to Him alone is life-giving.

   In what does the life of a Christian consist? In having nothing in the
   heart but Christ, or, if possessing earthly blessings, in not in the
   least attaching himself to them, but in clinging with the whole heart
   to Christ.

   Though God knows all our needs, prayer is necessary for the cleansing
   and enlightenment of our soul. It is well to stand in the sunshine: it
   is warm and light; likewise, when standing in prayer before God, our
   spiritual Sun, we are warmed and enlightened.

   It is necessary to wash ourselves from the dirt, and prayer is washing
   ourselves from spiritual filth, that is from sins, especially tearful
   prayer.

   You do not receive from God what you ask Him, because you do not put
   aside the abomination of idolatry: the service of your belly. You pray
   to the true God, but you serve the god belly. "No man can serve two
   masters." [1153] Cease to serve the idol, the belly, and then trust to
   receive from God that which you ask Him. Else you pray to the true God
   and serve a false God. Ask Him if He can give you what you ask. Or you
   serve the demon of extortion, and therefore the true God, Whom you
   neglect and forsake, does not fulfil your prayers. Or else you serve
   the idol of pride and vanity, and this idol takes possession of your
   heart as other idols do, and therefore the Lord does not listen to the
   prayers of an idolatrous heart. " They have forsaken Me, the fountain
   of living water, and hewn them out cisterns, broken cisterns" [1154] ;
   well, then, drink out of these cisterns--dead, dark water. "Dark water
   and thick cloud." [1155]

   Instead of the tree of life, there is the Bread of Life; instead of the
   fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, there is the same
   life-giving Bread of Life. Then it was said: "Neither shall ye touch
   it, lest ye die." [1156] Now it is said: "If any man eat of this Bread,
   he shall live for ever." [1157] Then Eve and Adam believed the
   deceiver, and died. Now, on the contrary, we believe in the words of
   the Lord: " This is My Body . . . this is My Blood," [1158] and receive
   new life. We rise by the same means through which we fell; we fell
   through unbelief in God, through disobedience, we rise through the
   obedience of faith. Then we were in league with the Devil against God,
   and in union with him, the Her to our destruction. Now we are joined
   with our whole heart to the Truth Itself--to God the Saviour, uniting
   ourselves to Him with our truthful heart, for our life, peace, and joy.
   "O fearful mystery! O loving-kindness of God! How is that I, being but
   dust, partake of the Divine Body and Blood, and am made incorruptible!"
   [1159]

   You imagine that you pray, but you have long ago left off praying. What
   you call prayer are only vain sounds, without meaning to your heart.
   You say the words, but your heart does not feel them; you are deceiving
   God and yourself. When you pray, you must unfailingly watch over your
   heart and attend to the words of the prayers, you must feel their truth
   and power.

   Now we stand up and fall (in faith and virtue), but we hope for a time
   and condition when we shall no longer be able to fall, when we shall
   reach such a state of perfect safety from falling, as the angels have
   attained to, who are now inaccessible to evil, and when we shall become
   strengthened in holiness. In the meantime fight against sin, and hope
   that the time will at last come of perfect victory over sin and over
   death, which is its offspring. "The last enemy that shall be destroyed
   is death." [1160]

   " Now even a just man falleth seven times," [1161] and, falling, sighs
   and says: "O wretched man than I am! who shall deliver me from the body
   of this death? With the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with
   the flesh the law of sin;" but the time shall come "when the law of
   sin, which is in our members shall be destroyed," [1162] and the law of
   God alone shall dwell in our hearts.

   Now we seek lasting bliss, and do not find it; the pleasures which we
   invent are not lasting, they are false, vain, and of short duration;
   but if the Christian walks worthy of his vocation, [1163] then he shall
   obtain as an inheritance a bliss which is true and lasting, and which
   shall completely satisfy the requirements of his soul.

   When we hear anything bad said of anyone, then, inwardly comparing him
   with ourselves, we say in our heart: "I am not such; I am perfection in
   comparison to him," and thinking thus of ourselves and inwardly judging
   others, we are delighted at our superiority over others. This is the
   pride of Satan; this is the stench of the carnal, sinful man. May such
   thoughts flee from the soul! Let us consider ourselves as the worst of
   all men! Let us sigh when we hear anything bad said of anyone, and say
   to ourselves: " We are worse, a hundred times more sinful, than this
   man," and let us pray from our whole soul for the convicted brother.

   What an honour it is to my nature that in the small chamber
   constituting my dwelling-place, or in my heart, I am able to converse
   with Him Who upholds heaven and earth in His right hand, Whom the
   powers of heaven serve in fear, with Him Who is infinite love!

   Owing to our corporality, the Lord, so to say, binds His presence and
   Himself to materiality, to some visible sign--for instance, in the
   Sacrament of the Eucharist He Himself wholly takes up His abode in the
   Body and Blood; in that of penitence, He acts through the visible
   person of the priest; in that of baptism, through water; in that of
   chrism, through the anointing with chrism; in that of orders, through
   the bishop; in matrimony, through the priest and the crowns He Himself
   crowns the bride and bridegroom; in the sacrament of unction with oil,
   through the oil; He unites His presence to the temple, to the icons, to
   the cross, to the sign of the cross, to His name, consisting of
   separate sounds, to the holy water, to the consecrated bread, wheat,
   and wine; but the time will come when His Body and Blood, as well as
   all other visible signs, shall be no longer required for us, for we
   shall then " more truly communicate of Him on the nightless day of His
   kingdom," [1164] whilst now only through material things--that is,
   through images and signs.

   If I pray to God with hearty, lively, and perfect faith, then I am not
   only near Him, as a son living in the same house is to his father, but
   I am also near to all the heavenly powers, to all the saints, reigning
   in heaven; and they are no farther away from me than the icons before
   which I pray. Therefore it is an excellent custom with us to have in
   our houses icons of the Lord, of His most pure Mother, of the
   archangels, guardian angels, and of the saints, and to pray before
   them: their nearness to our bodily sight betokens their still greater
   nearness to our spiritual sight, armed with undoubting faith. Nearness:
   "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that
   repenteth," [1165] just as in the parental house brothers rejoice when
   one of them, who had offended against his father, repents of the
   offence he has caused his father by his behaviour.

   It is proper to the one eternal Almighty God, Who has life in Himself,
   not to have hope, but for us, the creatures of a day, who have received
   life, and all the gifts pertaining to life, from God--for us, the
   guilty creatures before the Author of our life, who have not fulfilled
   and do not keep the commandments of life --for us, the creatures who
   have rebelled against our Creator and Lord, only hope is left for our
   lot, and this only by the mercy of the Lord Himself, Who has devised
   hope as a means of restoring life to us, who have fallen from life
   eternal into eternal death. We all know that we carry spiritual death
   in our hearts, which gradually prepares our bodily death. Meanwhile our
   hearts, which were created for the life eternal, though they have
   tasted death, but not being completely struck by it, yearn after life
   and bliss. It is this lost bliss that has been restored to us by the
   Son of God, Jesus Christ, and that is ready to be opened unto those who
   believe in Him even at the last time. This hope that we shall obtain,
   in Christ's name, the promised bliss, is the Christian hope. During the
   whole continuation of our earthly life, for the sake of His Son, Who
   was incarnate for us and took upon Himself all the sins of the world,
   God cares for our salvation, leads us to it, as though by the hand, by
   means of His Holy Spirit, who is the pledge of our inheritance of
   future blessings, through the Divine services, through sermons, through
   the Word of God and the sacraments, through our conscience, and through
   trying our inward parts; and finally He will lead us to the inheritance
   of the promised blessings.

   To trust in God means to confide to Him our life, our fate, all our
   future, and to wait with confidence for the fulfilment of His promises.
   Hope proceeds from faith, as the plant from the seed, or the stream
   from the source. We believe that the Lord is good and merciful, that He
   loves us as a Father, and therefore that He desires every good and true
   happiness for us. He is most wise and omniscient, and consequently He
   knows better than we ourselves what is really needful and useful for
   us. He is almighty; and thus He is always able to bestow upon us that
   which He pleases, to fulfil that which He has promised. He is holy and
   righteous, and therefore all His words are truth. His promises are
   unchangeable. The highest proof of God's love to man is shown in the
   fact that He did not spare His Only begotten Son, but delivered Him for
   our sakes unto sufferings and death. Having strengthened our soul by
   the thought of the boundless mercy, wisdom, omnipotence, and holiness
   of our Creator and Provider, we can pass through the course of our
   earthly life without fear and without disturbance, like a child in its
   mother's arms, like a ship with trusty anchors. And therefore "Blessed
   is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is."
   [1166] "The Lord is my deliverer, in Whom I will trust." [1167] "I will
   not be afraid for ten thousand of the people." [1168] However, while
   having trust, we must not ourselves be careless and idle. The essence
   of Christian hope is a lively, active, and constant aspiration after
   the Highest Blessing and the Source of all blessings, God, with an
   insatiable longing to come near or to Him and to receive from Him and
   in Him the kingdom of heaven, prepared before the creation of the
   world. " Like as the hart desireth the water-brooks, so longeth my soul
   after Thee, O God. My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living
   God. When shall I come to appear before the presence of God?" [1169]

   We are invited to join the company of the cherubim, seraphim, thrones,
   dominations, angels, and archangels--to take the places of the proud,
   fallen spirits. These grew proud and said within themselves to God: How
   wilt Thou repair our loss, which is unbearable, and felt by Thee, as
   the Most Wise, Who dost not suffer any want nor any discordance in Thy
   world? And the Lord, in answer to this, and to the humiliation of the
   Devil, was pleased to create man out of the earth, and to fill the loss
   in the angelic world, occasioned by the fall of the proud spirits, by
   earthly beings; and this infinite shame forms the infinitely great
   punishment of the proud spirits, and therefore they make use of all
   their infernal powers for the destruction of man. In order to show His
   great love, and for the greater shame of the Devil, the Lord took upon
   Himself the earthly body of man, in order to rescue him from the power
   of the Devil.

   When you are very young, or leading the life of the sinful world, then
   you only know by name both Christ the Saviour, and the enemy of God and
   mankind, the most evil Satan, and you think that Christ is very far
   away from you in heaven, and that there is a Devil somewhere, but not
   in any way near and around you, and though you hear that he is evil,
   you think his wickedness does not concern you; but when you grow older
   and enter upon the devout life, when you serve God with a pure
   conscience, then you will experience in your heart the difference
   between the easy yoke of the Saviour and the heavy burden of Satan, who
   pitilessly injures us.

   The Devil takes an enormous part in the sins of men: this is why, in
   the prayers before confession, sinners are indulgently judged for their
   sins before the Lord as "tempted of the Devil." Therefore, let no one
   consider himself cast away, even if he is a great sinner: your sins are
   greatly the fault of the Devil. Remember immediately Jesus Christ, and
   turn to Him for forgiveness of your sins; He is "the Lamb of God, Which
   taketh away the sin of the world" [1170] ; He is the Lamb of God in
   order to take upon Himself and cleanse us of our sins.

   Between God and myself, between my neighbour and myself, there often
   stands a dark, evil power. I know this by experience, surely,
   logically.

   By very small means the Devil attains important results. Christian!
   strengthen yourself, and believe in Christ with your whole heart; you
   will be the sure prey of the Devil if you are heedless and slothful.
   The Devil employs every means to prevent your believing heartily in
   Christ. And woe unto you if you lose faith!

   Endeavour to attain to a child-like simplicity in your relations to men
   and in your prayer to God. Simplicity is man's highest good and
   dignity. God Himself is perfectly simple, for He perfectly spiritual
   and perfectly good. And do not let your soul be divided between good
   and evil.

   The love of our Divine Saviour, Jesus Christ, of God the Father, and of
   the Holy Ghost to us is so great, so immeasurable, that, in comparison
   to it all human dislike, enmity and hatred against us become
   insignificant, and seem to vanish entirely. It is because of this
   boundlessness of God's love to us and the insignificance of human
   enmity that the Saviour commanded us all to love our enemies, bless
   them that curse us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them
   which despitefully use and persecute us. [1171] We are in the love of
   God; does it greatly matter to us if men are not well disposed towards
   us? What can they do against us when God has so loved us?

   In the temple of God the simple, believing souls are as in the house of
   the Heavenly Father: they feel so free, so happy and light. Here true
   Christians have a foretaste of the future kingdom, prepared for them
   from the foundation of the world, [1172] of future freedom from every
   sin and from death, of future peace and blessedness. When do they
   especially have a foretaste of this? When they turn sincerely with all
   their soul to God, praying fervently to God, taking the firm resolution
   to devote their lives to God, and when doing deeds of virtue outside
   the temple.

   Christian hope is our hope for life in the Christ. We were created for
   life, but have fallen away from life into spiritual and bodily death,
   and, but for Christ, we should have been lost for ever, though we could
   not in any case have been altogether destroyed. God is true to Himself.
   Having created Godlike, eternal spirits, He is true to His eternity in
   them, and to destroy them altogether would be to renounce His eternity;
   whilst, on the other hand, He cannot receive fallen, sinful, uncleansed
   beings into union with Himself, otherwise He would have been obliged to
   disown His holiness and His immutability. Therefore, may the firm love
   of God the Father unto us be for ever glorified; for the redemption and
   cleansing of us sinners, He did not spare His Only begotten Son, Who
   gave Himself up to death for us, not only that He might sanctify and
   cleanse us from every impurity, but also that He might present us to
   Himself a glorious Church "not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such
   thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish." [1173] "Because
   I live ye shall live also." [1174] This is in Whom and upon what all
   our hope is founded. Because I live, says the Lord, ye shall live also,
   that is, shall pass from death unto life. The whole Gospel confirms our
   hope in life. (The resurrection of Lazarus, the conversation with
   Martha and Mary, the words of the Saviour on the occasion of the
   institution of the Eucharist, in the Gospel of St. John.)

   Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and came forth from the tomb, through
   the closed doors, and without injuring its seal. Likewise He was born
   of the most pure Virgin, "leaving the portals of Her virginity unbroken
   by His birth." [1175] Thus also He enters into the souls of believers,
   through their bodies, passing through them invisibly, always freely.
   Thus also He enters into the houses of all, and no walls or locks can
   restrain Him Who is infinite and unlimited.

   In the future life our bliss will be increased by wonder-- to suddenly
   see the saints and beautiful angels of the Lord, their numberless
   myriads, their symmetrical ranks, their hierarchical order by the
   wonder of seeing all the saints, all the good and simple men of God of
   all ages: the prophets, apostles, and all others, and above all by the
   contemplation of God Himself in inaccessible light; by our own inward
   enlightenment and most perfect beatitude, undarkened by any sin, fear,
   care, or sorrow.

   Christian hope is our hope of union with God in the future life. Even
   in our present Christian state everything corresponds and is directed
   towards such union, both material and spiritual blessings: the grace of
   God in the Church, the Divine service, the sacraments, our conscience,
   our inward trial and cleansing by God, prayers, the fruits of prayers,
   the afflictions that cleanse our hearts, and the sicknesses. "Let him
   take up his cross." [1176] Our present union in fervent prayer and in
   the sacrament of the Holy Communion prepares us for future heavenly
   union; the gift of the Holy Ghost in the hearts of Christians assures
   them of this. Owing to the same reason, every other union of the heart,
   except union with God and for His sake, is strictly forbidden us.
   Therefore we must "abstain from fleshly lusts " [1177] and every sin.

   By reverencing the angels, we ally ourselves with the life-giving
   conviction that there exists another world of reasonable beings,
   perfectly pure, simple, and bodiless, and that therefore the existence
   of our soul after death is not only possible, but real and actual. And
   by reverencing the saints, we again accustom ourselves to the thought
   that there is life for us after death, that virtue and holiness are
   rewarded after death, and therefore, if we live virtuously, we too
   shall be rewarded; that evil is punished, as we see in the Gospel story
   of the rich man and Lazarus, and that therefore we too shall be
   punished for the evil which we do here. In general the veneration of
   the angels and saints does not show any polytheism, but is entirely in
   accordance with our nature, and tends to actual spiritual profit.

   In the matter of God's providence for men, and in accordance with the
   requirements of reason, there must be mediators between men and God
   from the spiritual world (as men occupy the medium between the
   spiritual and material worlds), who may guide us to the heavenly
   kingdom--namely, the angels. There is an astonishing gradation and
   order with the Lord in all His works. Everywhere in His kingdom the
   lower are guided by the higher; hence the necessity of guardian-angels
   for Christians redeemed by the blood of the Lord. Besides this, the
   angels themselves are full of love for us, and rejoice over the
   conversion of one sinner; but love is active, and the Lord has given
   perfect freedom to their noble and useful activity, as we see from the
   Holy Scripture. Guardian-angels are indispensable for men, owing to the
   craftiness of the evil spirits. Men themselves do not see them, for men
   are very infirm in the spiritual life. Therefore, besides the grace of
   God, we require a person, or persons, full of this grace, wise, firm by
   their nature: and such are the angels. Besides this, after man departs
   this life, there must be witnesses of his deeds against the demons.

   From our own experience of lively, heart-felt prayer, we may know that
   the saints are received into the closest union with God. Also, by our
   own experience we know that during our communion with God, by means of
   the prayer of faith, our mind is enlightened in an extraordinary
   manner, and acquires the widest scale of action. At this time it sees
   that which it does not see in its ordinary state. From this, it follows
   that the saints, being in union with God, being also pure, detached
   from the body, have the most clear, far-seeing mind. They hear our
   fervent prayers; and if these prayers are pleasing to God and
   profitable to us, they will unfailingly fulfil them.

   The presence of a guardian-angel near every true Christian is
   indispensable, because the bodies of Christians, according to the
   witness of the Word of God, are temples of the Holy Ghost, and
   Christians themselves are members of the Body of Christ, sanctified by
   His sufferings on the cross and His death, and sealed by His
   sacraments, in which the grace of the Holy Ghost is communicated to
   them; especially so because they partake of the very Blood and Body of
   Christ in the sacrament of Holy Communion. The dignity of the Christian
   man, as a member of Christ and a temple of the Holy Ghost, absolutely
   requires the presence near him of a guardian-angel, like an elder
   brother and friend, who guides him to the common Master in the kingdom
   of light and bliss. If there is "joy in heaven in the presence of the
   angels of God over one sinner that repenteth," [1178] we may judge by
   this what a powerful part the angels of the Lord take in our salvation.

   Remember that during prayer the Lord perfectly corresponds to us, as
   our personal Prototype, and answers to each of our words, to every
   movement of our heart.

   By reverencing icons--firstly, I reverence in them God, Who has
   begotten before all worlds the Son, His living Image, Who gave material
   being to the infinite thought of God the Father, by creating the worlds
   and all creatures that were in the thought of God, and man, created
   after the image and likeness of God; secondly, I honour in them the
   image of God incarnate; thirdly, I honour in them myself, my own image
   of the immortal god-like man, called to be a partaker of the Divine
   nature, to union with the Lord, to be the temple of the Holy Ghost.
   Also, I am involuntarily incited to venerate icons because I see
   manifested in them the power of God, saving the faithful and punishing
   unbelievers, in the same way as I see and feel this same power in the
   sign of the Lord's cross, which is called life-giving by reason of its
   miraculous power. For all these reasons, icons replace for me the
   persons themselves whose names they bear. The images of the saints upon
   our icons represent to us the nearness in the spirit of God's saints,
   who all live in God and are always near to us in the Holy Ghost,
   through our hearty faith and prayer to them. For what can be far away
   for the Spirit of God, Who is everywhere present and filleth all
   things, "going through all understanding [gifted with understanding]
   pure and most subtil spirits?" [1179] "There is joy in the presence of
   the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." [1180] This means
   that the disposition of our souls lies open, not only to God, but also
   to the angels. " Standing before Thee and before Thy terrible and holy
   angels, I bring before Thee my evil and wicked doings, and confess them
   and reveal them." [1181]

   You who pray! "Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye
   weary my God also?" [1182] Is it not enough for you to see weakness in
   men? Do you wish to see weakness in God Himself, and secretly think
   that God cannot fulfil your petition? Many things are difficult and
   many quite impossible to men; but how can you consider anything
   difficult for God? Indeed, can anything be difficult or impossible to
   Him? All things are possible and easy to Him. " For with God all things
   are possible." [1183] Thus, when you pray, be firmly convinced that for
   the Lord everything is easy, that He can do everything in a moment. Do
   not ascribe to God your own impotency to do anything, or to help
   yourself or your neighbour in any way. For you as a weak, insignificant
   creature nearly everything is difficult; you have experienced this a
   thousand times upon yourself and others; but "is it a small thing for
   you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?"--that is, is it not
   enough for you to ascribe difficulty and weakness to men, but must you
   ascribe similar difficulties to the Lord also--the Lord Himself, Who
   has created everything by the thought and word 1 Remember that for Him
   nothing is difficult. Ask Him boldly for everything; hope to receive
   everything from Him. " And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in
   prayer, believing, ye shall receive." [1184]

   The holy angels and other heavenly powers are full of pure, holy life,
   of unbroken peace, of unchangeable vigour, of eternal courage and
   strength, of indescribable beauty, light, and wisdom, of the purest
   love for God and men, of mutual friendship, of Divine light and
   enlightenment: such are also our holy guardian-angel. What a wonderful
   nature the angels have! But Christians who become worthy of attaining
   to the future life and to the resurrection from the dead will be equal
   to the angels, according to the word of the Lord Himself. Let us, then,
   zealously strive after that endless, unchangeable, undisturbed life.

   Christian! thou art to be united to the angels, archangels--all the
   heavenly powers. Imitate the angels; despise earthly things; love that
   which is heavenly, eternal, spiritual; shun worldly passions; do not
   serve the belly, the demon of covetousness; be gentle, meek, calm as an
   angel, pure as an angel, simple and holy as an angel.

   Contemplate in man his Divine origin, the soul, which is created after
   the image and likeness of God; and for the sake of this origin always
   respect and love man with your whole heart, unfeignedly.

   It is quite an ordinary matter for the word to become incarnate We
   speak by means of separate sounds: what else is this but an incarnation
   of the word? We inscribe words upon paper: is not this again an
   incarnation of the word?

   What is faith? Sureness of spiritual truth, of That Which Is, or of
   God; of the existence of the spiritual world with all its properties,
   similarly as we are sure of the existence of the material world with
   all its appurtenances. To believe means to be as sure of the reality of
   the spiritual world with all its properties and appurtenances as we are
   of the existence of the material world with all its objects and their
   properties. For instance, I am undoubtingly sure that God is eternal,
   all-good, all-wise, and almighty; and I do not for a moment think that
   He is not eternal, not all-good, not all-wise, not almighty. This
   signifies that I believe firmly and undoubtingly. I believe further
   that the Lord, being Mercy Itself, shall give everything that we ask
   Him, and I do not in the least doubt in this: this means that I
   believe.

   The name of God is God Himself. Therefore it is said: "Thou shalt not
   take the name of the Lord thy God in vain;" [1185] or "the name of the
   God of Jacob defend thee;" [1186] or, again, "Bring my soul out of
   prison, that I may give thanks unto Thy name." [1187] As the Lord is
   the most incomplex Being, the most incomplex Spirit, He is wholly
   contained in one word, in one thought, being at the same time wholly
   everywhere--in all creatures. This is why, if you only call upon the
   name of the Lord, you call upon the Lord Himself, the Saviour of those
   who believe, and you shall be saved. "Whosoever shall call on the name
   of the Lord shall be saved." [1188] "Call upon Me [My Name] in the time
   of trouble: so will I hear thee, and thou shalt praise Me." [1189]

   The whole man, consisting of the soul and body, is called by a single
   name or word--for instance, John--in the token of the fact that man is
   brought into existence by the Word of God, which is incomplex. Besides
   this, the name signifies that our soul is likewise an incomplex being.
   Under one name is concealed such a wealth and depth of the human
   spirit, such a multitude of divisible parts of matter. This is truly
   the image and likeness of God, and at the same time a small world in
   itself.

   The soul of the man is in the man's name; for instance, the soul of
   John is in. the name of "John.'' Thus, at the appellation my soul
   recognises itself in the name, and answers to it. Thus, in the name of
   Jesus Christ dwells Christ Himself, wholly, His Soul and Body, united
   to the Godhead.

   God is an infinite Spirit. In what does this infinity consist? In the
   infinity of being life and wisdom, mercy and love, omnipotence,
   righteousness, and holiness, in His omnipresence in all thinking,
   spiritual, and dumb creatures, as well as in material creation. God is
   everywhere, and in all things, above all, not contained by any
   creature; and not one single thought, however rapid and bold it may be,
   can in any way exceed Him, but it ever moves in Him only.

   The Hebrews ate the flesh of the sacrificed animals; this was an image
   of our spiritual food. Now we eat, not the bodies of sacrificed
   animals, but the Most-pure Body and Blood of the Lord, throughout the
   whole earth. Therefore he who often communicates of the Holy Sacrament
   of the Body and Blood of Christ should not require to eat any animal
   food. Why should I require any animal flesh when I partake of the
   Most-pure Body and the Most-pure Blood--these life-giving Mysteries of
   my God ? Do they not contain sufficient life, peace, joy, spiritual and
   bodily strength for me? Can I not be satisfied with only vegetable and
   fish food, which is much lighter for me?

   What is there wonderful in the Lord's offering you His Body and Blood
   as food and drink? He Who gave you as food the flesh of the animals He
   created, has finally given you Himself as food and drink. He who fed
   you at your mother's breasts now feeds you with His own Body and Blood,
   in order that in the same manner as with your mother's milk--you
   absorbed it into yourself in your infancy certain of your mother's
   qualities--her spirit--so you may absorb into yourself, together with
   the Body and Blood of Christ the Saviour, His spirit and life. Or as
   previously in your infancy you were fed by your mother and lived by
   her--by her milk--so now, having grown up and become a sinful man, you
   are fed with the Blood of your Life-giver, in order that through this
   you may live and spiritually grow into a man of God, a holy man. In
   short, that as you were then your mother's son, so now you may become
   God's child, brought up and fed with His Body and Blood, and, above
   all, with His Spirit (for His Body and Blood are spirit and life [1190]
   ); and that you should become an heir of the heavenly kingdom, for
   which reason you were created, and for which you live.

   Children! remember that Jesus Christ so loves you that He calls you
   several times every year to His Divine and Life-giving table, at which
   He gives you, as food, His own Divine, Most-pure Body; and, as drink,
   His Divine, Most-pure, Life-giving Blood, in order that you should live
   not only here temporarily, but also in heaven eternally, endlessly: and
   therefore be very, very thankful to your Creator and Saviour for His
   immeasurable love to you, to your parents, to your brothers and
   sisters, and to all men.

   Christian hope is our hope in Christ and in the eternal bliss promised
   us by Christ. He is the limit of our desires: "He shall save His people
   from their sins." [1191] Many Christians say: "I should like to go to
   Paradise, but my sins will not let me;" but those who speak thus have
   no idea of Christian hope: they look upon sins as a kind of
   indestructible wall. No; I say that our Saviour, Jesus Christ, has
   destroyed this very wall by His cross and death, and has opened God's
   Paradise to all those who repent. Let us stand firmly in this, in order
   to teach how to trust in Christ, for not every hope is the Christian,
   true, and saving hope. We will point out the properties of Christian
   hope, its soundness, firmness, and fulness, as well as the signs by
   which we may know whether we have Christian hope in us; we will point
   out that Christian hope breathes by means of prayer as by air, is
   maintained and strengthened by means of the Life-giving Mysteries, by
   the reading and hearing of the Word of God, and of the writings of the
   Holy Fathers, and by the good works of each of us. Here we will mention
   that as the Christian is a free and reasonable being, created after the
   image and likeness of God, but having fallen (of his own will) or
   withdrawn himself from God by his iniquities, therefore he himself must
   draw near to His Prototype by means of faith, hope, and love. Let us
   advise every Christian to consider carefully what specially constitutes
   the God-like, immortal man in him; let us beseech him to turn his
   attention to his heart, to listen to its requirements, which very often
   disclose themselves to the man's consciousness, and to satisfy such
   requirements without delay. Our heart requires faith in God and union
   with Him, in Whom it finds peace and blessedness; but it is also
   tempted by the action of the spirit of darkness and inborn corruption,
   by all the earthly goods, which do not constitute its peace, life, and
   blessedness, but only sorrow and anguish. To unite this heart to Christ
   by means of faith and hope--this is our last wish for you in our
   present sermon on the subject of Christian hope; to break off your
   trust in earthly blessings, in men, honours, riches, sensual
   pleasures--this is our sole desire. We sink in sins, and often despond,
   despair, and perish from their multitude. To turn the attention of all
   to our Hope--to Christ the Saviour--in all sins, in all sorrows, in all
   the changes of life, both in happiness and in misfortune; to show that
   He is the God of those who repent, and the Saviour of those who
   sin--this is our desire. To show that in Christ is our life, our
   blessedness, our light, our riches, our meat and drink, our all; and to
   teach all to strive after Him during all their life, as the limit of
   all our desires--this is what we wish above all things. Jesus is the
   ever-living Source. I would desire to so lead you that each one of you
   should with all his heart call Jesus his Jesus, his Saviour. God grant
   that it may not fall to us to exclaim: "Lord, who hath believed our
   report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?" [1192]

   The Lord is Truth: everything that He has said is pure truth, and does
   not admit of even a shadow of doubt. Thus, there is the hope that God
   shall come again to judge the quick and the dead, that there shall be a
   life of the world to come, the bliss of the righteous and the torments
   of sinners.

   Christian hope may be thus characterised: pray and hope, struggle and
   hope, strive to enter in at the strait gate. [1193] "Continue in
   prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." [1194]

   He who comes to the Holy Cup with any passion in his heart, the same is
   a Judas, and comes to kiss the Son of Man flatteringly.

   Prayer hopes to receive all things. Thrice-radiant Love, have mercy
   upon me!

   I do not know how any sensible man can possibly doubt in any
   divinely-revealed truth, revealed by Jesus Christ, certified by the
   Apostles, sealed by the blood of the innumerable throng of martyrs,
   preached by the prelates and venerable men of the Church and by all the
   Saints, and giving life to the heart. And yet there are unfortunate
   persons who waver, actually waver, being shaken by some inward
   insinuations heavy as a stone, gnawing as a viper, destructive as the
   Devil; they are deceived by some unknown, invisible flatterer, some
   pitiless murderer. What is the reason of this? Why am I myself at times
   so irrational, foolish, abnormal, and, in addition to all this, gloomy
   and despondent besides? O, I know why: "Ye shall know them by their
   fruits." [1195] By these terrible conditions of my soul I can ascertain
   the cause; by the traces of the murderer I find the murderer. This is
   mine enemy's doing--the Devil. The murderer! it is he who kills my soul
   by doubt and unbelief; it is he who torments me. But I myself am also
   unwise in allowing myself to listen to the insinuations of the liar,
   the murderer, the adversary of God and men. When you observe in
   yourself any mental antagonism against God, any doubt in the Trinity of
   the Persons of the Godhead and their mutual relations, and so
   on--believe that the enemy of God and men has entered into you. You
   have long believed in the Holy Consubstantial, Life-giving, and
   Undivided Trinity; you have long enjoyed Its mercies, Its life, Its
   peace, and all blessings, and therefore stand by It until death against
   the common enemy.

   Faith gives rest and joy; unbelief, troubles and wounds.

   When praying, do everything with understanding. When you pour oil into
   the lamp burning before an icon, represent to yourself that the
   Life-giver every day, every hour, every minute supports your life by
   His Spirit, and, as daily by means of sleep in bodily respects, through
   prayer and the Word of God in spiritual respects, pours into you the
   sacred oil of life, by means of which your soul and body burn. When you
   place a candle before an icon, remember that your life is like a
   burning candle, that it will burn out and be extinguished, or that some
   other reasons, such as the passions, surfeiting, wine and other
   pleasures, make it burn faster than it should.

   The means for confirming and strengthening Christian hope in us
   are--prayer, especially frequent sincere prayer, the confession of our
   sins, the frequent reading of the Word of God, and, above all, the
   frequent communion of the Holy Life-giving Mysteries of the Body and
   Blood of Christ.

   Our guides in Christian hope are--the Lord Himself, His Most-pure
   Mother, all the saints, prophets, Apostles, martyrs, prelates, and
   venerable persons; they all turned to God with the hope of salvation,
   and not one of them was ashamed; all were saved. "Hope maketh not
   ashamed," [1196] says the Scripture, and it did not make them ashamed.

   The expression of Christian hope, in relation to earthly life, is--the
   forgiveness of the sins in which we live all our life. "And if any man
   sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
   and He is the propitiation for our sins." [1197] In relation to the
   heavenly life: "we shall see Him as He is," [1198] . . . . "Shine forth
   as the sun." [1199] . . . . "Where I am, there shall also My servant
   be.....I go to prepare a place for you." [1200] . . . . "For our
   conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour,
   the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be
   fashioned like unto His glorious Body." [1201]

   Here is another subject for hope. The passions assault your heart,
   their attack is violent, it is difficult to withstand them, not to
   succumb to them; but have hope in Christ, and you shall conquer them.
   Say: "From my youth up many passions have afflicted me; but Thou, my
   Saviour, Thyself deliver me and save me." [1202]

   The misfortunes of Christians arise from their not having Christian
   hope. A man feels the oppression of sin in his heart the weariness and
   anguish of sin: if he has not Christian hope in his heart, what does he
   do? He has recourse to artificial means to drive away the oppression
   and weariness, to culpable distractions, and not to Christ, Whose "yoke
   is easy" for our heart and Whose "burden is light," [1203] not to
   prayer, not to repentance for his sins, not to the Word of God, which
   "is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, comfort." [1204] So it
   happens in most cases. Hence the necessity for worldly people to have
   theatres and a multitude of other amusements. Some have recourse to
   suicide. The experience of obtaining that which we pray for greatly
   strengthens Christian hope in our heart. And he who is attentive to
   himself will easily observe this experience.

   He who prays should hope to move the Lord to forgive him all his sins:
   "I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst Me"; [1205] "for
   there is no sin that can overcome God's loving kindness." [1206] "The
   Blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin." [1207] "If
   any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
   righteous." [1208]

   Hope presupposes the expectation of some kind of blessing which we do
   not possess. " But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with
   patience wait for it." [1209] But as our greatest blessing is
   sinlessness, and we do not possess this blessing, but daily suffer from
   the sins that can eternally ruin us, therefore Christian hope ought to
   be turned to Christ as to the Deliverer from sins and our Saviour.

   As we receive everything necessary for our physical life from earth,
   fire, and water, so also we receive everything necessary for our
   spiritual life--all bright, good, and saving thoughts and dispositions
   of the heart--from God, though we do not notice this because of the
   invisibility of the thoughts and movements of the heart. "The wind
   bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof . . . . so
   is everyone that is born of the Spirit." [1210] "Not that we are
   sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our
   sufficiency is of God." [1211]

   When you receive the Holy Life-giving Mysteries, steadfastly represent
   to yourself Christ Himself under the form of the bread and wine; make
   upon them the mental inscription "Jesus Christ," and with this mental
   inscription (whilst the sentient one already exists) send in thought
   into the depths of your heart, and there lay and mentally preserve the
   Life-giving Guest. If thus, with such faith, you receive the Holy
   Mysteries, you will see that they will bring forth in you the deepest
   peace of your spiritual powers, and you will feel most wonderfully
   happy and light The Lord loads us with benefits according to the
   measure of our faith; the Body and Blood show themselves to be
   life-giving, burning embers in the believer's heart, according to the
   measure of his heart's preparedness. The Church is heaven; the altar,
   the throne of life, from which God descends in the holy and most pure
   Mysteries to feed and give life to believers. "Great and marvellous are
   Thy works, Lord God Almighty!" [1212] Thou preparest us beforehand for
   the contemplation of the throne, and of Him Who sitteth upon it, by
   seeing the earthly throne in the Church, and by the contemplation, with
   the eyes of faith, of Him Who sitteth upon it.

   When you ask God for spiritual gifts--for instance, for wisdom, faith,
   hope and love, meekness and humility--then remember that you are the
   image and likeness of God, that your soul is as though an impression of
   the Godhead, and that all the riches of the soul are contained in God
   as in a treasury ("Treasury of blessings"), from which we can draw
   every spiritual blessing by means of the prayer of faith and patience,
   and by cleansing ourselves from every impurity. Say to the Lord: "My
   limited spirit came forth from Thine unlimited, most perfect Spirit;
   here am I, my Master, poor in wisdom and understanding, or in faith,
   hope and love, meekness and humility: look upon the desire of my heart,
   and grant unto me Thy great wisdom, ' Faith unashamed, sure hope and
   love unfeigned.'" [1213]

   The obedience of her children to the Church should begin with perfect
   trust in her prayers, sacraments and rites, and end in the active
   fulfilment of her laws and regulations.

   With your spiritual eyes, you clearly see how the Lord keeps you in
   obedience to Him through the laws of conscience.

   Those who go to attend the Divine service after having eaten much,
   voluntarily lay upon themselves an unnecessary and injurious burden,
   and deaden their hearts beforehand to prayer, obstructing the access of
   holy thoughts and feelings to it. We must be most careful not to eat
   before Divine service. We must remember that "The kingdom of God is not
   meat and drink," [1214] that is, that God cannot reign in the heart
   that is overburdened with surfeiting and drunkenness.

   The Lord is so near to each one, especially to the Christian who leads
   a holy life, that his heart and body are the temple of the Holy Ghost.
   "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
   you." [1215] Therefore, how easy it is to pray in every place! The word
   of the prayer, or God, to Whom you pray, "is nigh thee, even in thy
   mouth, and in thy heart." [1216]

   Sin closes the spiritual eyes; the thief thinks that God does not see;
   the fornicator, giving himself up to impurity, thinks that God does not
   see him; the covetous, the greedy, the drunkard, think that they can
   hide themselves and their sinful passions. But God sees and judges. "I
   was naked, and I hid myself" [1217] --so by his actions, says every
   sinner, hiding himself from the omnipresent God.

   The Lord's Divine and life-giving Mysteries are an evident proof that
   He sees all things and is always with us. In them He allows us to touch
   Him, to thrust our spiritual hands into His side, and to put our
   fingers into the print of the nails. [1218]

   As often as I prayed with faith, the Lord always heard me and fulfilled
   my prayers.

   For the greater part we live in doubt, unbelief, and incredulity.
   "Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? have ye your
   heart yet hardened?" [1219] We must be careful not to let our hearts
   wax gross.

   Man is the image of God--a living image of the living God; in the soul
   of man, especially of a believing and virtuous one, the light of the
   Godhead, of Its perfection is reflected. "Be ye holy, for I am holy."
   [1220]

   The soul of the first man came from God, likewise, all the souls of the
   men that followed; all men are the breathing of His Divine Spirit, all
   ought to be His children, all as one. "As Thou, Father, art in me, and
   I in Thee," prayed the Saviour to the heavenly Father, "that they also
   may be one in us." [1221] See how high our origin and destination are!
   Through Jesus Christ we ought to be one with God, and where He is,
   there we ought also to be. " Where I am, there shall also my servant
   be." [1222] As our souls are from God, He, of course, is very near to
   us, as near as parents are to their children. As parents know their
   children, much more does the Lord know His people, His children, by
   grace in Christ. "I know My sheep." [1223]

   In ordinary human knowledge, we learn some subject once thoroughly, and
   often know it well during the whole of our lifetime without our
   knowledge of it becoming obscured. But in the matter of religion and
   faith this is not so; we think that once we have learnt, felt, and
   touched it, the subject will always remain clear, tangible, and beloved
   of our soul; but it is not so: it will a thousand times become obscured
   to us, removed from us, and will as though vanish for us, so that at
   times we feel quite indifferent to the object by which we used to live
   and breathe, and it will sometimes be necessary to clear the way to it
   for ourselves by sighs and tears, in order to see it clearly again, to
   grasp and embrace it with our heart. This is caused by sin.

   The word, even in our mouths, shows itself to be creative, forming
   separate sounds; with the word the living spirit comes forth from the
   man, not separated from the thought and word. You see, therefore, that
   the word, by its nature, is creative, even in us. Why, then, should we
   be incredulous and distrustful of the creative power of the word, for
   instance, in prayer, that this power--this verbal service--shall
   unfailingly bring down the mercy of the Lord upon us. Thus the word
   continually creates itself flesh--separate sounds and writings, for are
   not our books the flesh, in which the word is clothed? But we have
   grown so accustomed to this, that it does not appear to us worthy of
   special attention. Not only the nature of the Godhead, but also, by His
   gift, the nature of created animated creatures is creative under God's
   direction: "Be fruitful, and multiply." [1224] The souls of living
   creatures grow bodies for themselves, under God's direction. Thus men,
   by the power given to them from God, are fruitful, and multiply upon
   the earth; thus men and animals create for themselves everything
   necessary for their lives, especially men--these most inventive beings
   who amaze by their infinite creative genius in all kinds of arts. As
   the Word, the Creator Himself, is omnipresent, so His creations are
   everywhere spread, though not in infinity, and He creates everywhere,
   and, if necessary, changes.

   God is such an incomplex Being, that He is quicker than lightning,
   quicker than thought, and imperceptibly visits our soul. This is why
   the Lord says: "The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation: for
   behold, the Kingdom of God is within you." [1225] "Is within you," that
   is, it is impossible even to distinguish the moment of the coming of
   the Kingdom of God into our soul: as soon as we have cast out sin from
   our heart, the Kingdom of God is in it, and we do not observe when and
   how this is accomplished; the moment of perfect rejection of sin from
   the heart is the moment of God's perfect reign within us. Also, the
   life-giving Mysteries, in accordance with the measure of our faith,
   instantaneously cleanse, sanctify, and adorn the chamber of the soul.
   Likewise, the Devil and the evil spirits, as incomplex beings--though
   far from perfect in their incomplexity, and very limited--act upon the
   soul rapidly, instantaneously, as rapidly as lightning or thought. A
   momentary feeling of attachment to earthly things, or a momentary
   inclination of the heart to sin, a momentary doubt in the truth, and
   Satan penetrates into the heart, producing in a moment some violent
   passion in it, and afterwards, according to the measure of our sympathy
   with such a passion, he takes possession of us and drags us where he
   pleases as prisoners, bound hand and foot. If we resist him, then, by
   darkening our mind and heart, he strives to destroy our efforts after
   hearty faith and pious thoughts and feelings. In order to vanquish and
   drive him from your heart, you must bring into your heart perfect faith
   in the Lord Jesus Christ, and remember that the enemy is working in
   you, that your thoughts, or the inclinations of your heart and will,
   are sinful, ungodly. Then firmly cast these thoughts out of your heart;
   break away, so to say, with all your heart and strength from the
   fetters of sin, as Samson did when bound with cords, and by the power
   of Jesus Christ and the grace of the Holy Ghost, you shall tear asunder
   the bonds of hell like a thread.

   When praying, we must remember that we are members one of another, and
   therefore that we must pray for all, as the prayer "Our Father ..."
   teaches us. The Apostles and all the saints are examples of this. If we
   remember this, and pray for others, then the holy angels will also pray
   for us, as members of the one Kingdom of Christ, of the one Church, of
   one body. "With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you
   again." [1226]

   The Lord is my life, my breath, my strength, my light, peace and joy,
   my food and drink; what shall I bring to such a Benefactor, or what
   shall I render unto Him? I will render unto Him, with His help,
   obedience to His Will, the fulfilment of His commandments. "If ye love
   Me," says He Himself, "keep My commandments." [1227] I will endeavour
   to please Him by seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and
   by counting earthly blessings as naught in comparison to heavenly ones;
   I will not let my heart cleave to anything earthly. O, Lord! grant me
   strength to accomplish this. Strengthen me Thyself by Thy right hand.
   My Strength, do not forsake me! Grant that I may put my trust in Thee
   alone, my Nourisher--in Thee, Who hast never forsaken me!

   Life is the vivifying power. Therefore God, as the first source of
   life, and the cause of life, is infinite Power, vivifying all. This is
   also why the angels are called the heavenly powers: the human soul is
   also power. The angels and men are powers vivified by the first Life,
   borne, guided, and strengthened by the first Power in their reasonable
   and free service to the first Life. Death is the destructive power. The
   first power of this kind that appeared in the kingdom of the living
   God, Who created all things for life, was in the person of the Devil,
   and from him it passed to men and other earthly creatures, " for the
   creature was made subject to the bondage of corruption, by reason of
   Him Who hath subjected the same." [1228] That is, man, who subjected
   himself to the first destructive power, the Devil. As the Devil is a
   mental power, therefore, he acts by the power of his infernal mind upon
   our minds, originally perverted by his breathing, and separates us from
   God the Life by doubt and mistrust in God, the Power that is almighty
   and unchangeable in its attributes; he separates us from God Who is
   Love by the spirit of enmity, malice, and envy; he separates us from
   God the Spirit by strongly attaching our heart to earthly blessings. We
   observe that in the sinful, unnatural attachments of our heart there is
   a power working that is destructive to our soul--as, for instance, in
   malice, doubt, and all sins, in despondency, despair, and in resistance
   to God's commandments. On the other hand, the Lord God reveals Himself
   in our soul chiefly as the power of love: "The love strong as death,"
   [1229] as the power of all virtues, overcoming all obstacles set
   against the soul by the powers of hell.

   During prayer, before the icons or without them, it is necessary to
   always have full hope of receiving that which we ask for--for instance,
   deliverance from afflictions, spiritual sickness, and sins, because we
   have already a thousand times experienced that we do clearly obtain
   mercy from the Lord or Our Lady; and therefore, not to hope to obtain
   that which we ask in prayer, or to doubt in the fact of our prayers
   being heard, would be the greatest foolishness and blindness.

   If anyone would ask you why you pray to soulless icons, what profit you
   derive from them, say that we derive incomparably greater profit from
   our icons than we do from the kindest and most benevolent living
   persons; say that blessed power and help to our souls always comes to
   us from icons, saving us from sins, sorrows, and sicknesses; especially
   from the icons of the Saviour and of the Mother of God; that one single
   look with faith upon them, as upon the living and those who are near to
   us, saves us from cruel sorrows, passions, and spiritual darkness; that
   if touching the Saviour's garment, and the garments and li and
   kerchiefs of the Apostles could restore health to the sick, much more
   are the images of the Saviour and of the Mother of God powerful to heal
   believers of every affliction, in accordance with their faith in the
   Lord and in His Mother.

   My soul can imagine millions of images, for instance, of the One same
   Mother of God, and my hand can delineate as many images of Her as I
   please, and they will all be worthy of reverence, as She Herself is.
   Thus the supernatural and life-giving Unity has devised, created
   through Its creative Word, and sanctified through the Holy Ghost, the
   innumerable multitudes of Its reasonable images--the heavenly powers.
   Thus, likewise, the Father has devised and the Son, Himself the living
   image of the Father, has created, and sanctified by the Holy Ghost, His
   own sentient and reasonable image--man, and from him alone, to our
   continual wonder, until now, creatively forms such images, which are
   all living, beautiful, godlike, lasting, and eternal. Likewise,
   whatever quantity of icons I may paint, all of them are true and worthy
   of reverence to me, and I will undoubtedly reverence them if only they
   correspond to God's real, holy images (icons). What prevents our having
   as many holy images, for instance, of the Saviour Christ as there are
   separate Christian persons? Every image of the Saviour is His image,
   most worthy of reverence, shining in the soul of every true Christian.

   It is an excellent custom with Christians, and one pleasing to God, to
   have an icon of the Saviour and to pray to Him before it. This is a
   crying necessity of our soul. The Lord Himself, with the love which is
   proper to Him, desires to be formed in us, as the Apostle says: "My
   little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be
   formed in you" [1230] ; or "that Christ may dwell in your hearts by
   faith." [1231] But how can I form Christ in my heart if I do not first
   represent Him sensibly before my eyes? Thus we have images of the
   Saviour, of the Mother of God, and others. The love of Christians for
   them, desiring to always carry their images in their thoughts and
   hearts, as well as our nature, which is both carnal and spiritual, has
   called forth the necessity of representing Them on painted icons,
   placing them in the most honoured places of the house, as in our hearts
   or the chambers of our soul, and of reverencing them by bowing to them,
   first spiritually, and then bodily. And how in accordance with God's
   intention our veneration of icons is! Heaven itself replies to us from
   the icons, as the Lord in olden times replied from the mercy-seat in
   the Hebrew tabernacle; many of them shine by miracles.

   "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." [1232] This means that the
   Lord continually stands at the doors of our heart, closed or being
   closed to Him by sins or various passions. "Behold, I stand." You pray,
   and He stands at your very heart, and is attentive to every movement
   and feeling of your heart.

   Lord! grant me a simple, kind, open, believing, loving, and generous
   heart, worthy of being Thy dwelling-place, O Most Gracious!

   When speaking with any man we are sure that he hears us,
   notwithstanding the distance separating us, which is sometimes
   considerable; we are sure of this, because we receive corresponding
   replies from him, and our words produce the same ideas and inclinations
   in his heart as in our own. Or when we speak in a numerous assembly, we
   are sure that the whole assembly hears us at the same time, and that if
   our words proceed from the heart, they also fall into the hearts of
   those who hear us, and bring forth good thoughts and inclinations in
   them. Similarly, when conversing in prayer with God or with the saints,
   we should be sure, without the slightest doubt, that our words, if
   pronounced from the whole heart, are heard (not to speak of God, Who is
   everywhere present, and knows all things, and our very hearts
   themselves) not only as our words would be heard by living persons, but
   even much more easily on account of the incomplexity of the spiritual
   world; and the answers to our prayers will also be given with greater
   ease and be wiser and more useful than those of earthly persons to our
   requests, owing to the same incomplexity and Divine enlightenment of
   the heavenly dwellers. This must be counted as truth, requiring no
   proofs, as the most ordinary matter. As in the first case, everyone is
   sure by experience of being heard by other men, so it is likewise in
   this last case.

   God and the saints hear us during our prayer as men hear each other
   when talking among themselves, or as people standing in church hear the
   preacher, or soldiers the voice of their commander, with the difference
   that God and the saints hear our prayers incomparably better and more
   perfectly, because when we hear the words of an ordinary man we do not
   know what is in his heart and thoughts, and it may happen that a
   person, says one thing whilst he has quite another in his heart.

   But with God and the saints it is not so; they see all that is in our
   thoughts and in our heart--God Himself by His omniscience, and the
   saints by the grace of the Holy Ghost, in Whom they eternally rest.
   They see whether our words really correspond to the feeling of our
   heart, and if so, and the heart itself on its part is a believing,
   contrite, and humble one, burning with love and zeal (for " we
   earnestly have recourse to Thee "), as well as with a desire to obtain
   what we ask for, then they are favourably inclined to accept our prayer
   and give us what we desire. God and the saints wish that during our
   prayer we should represent them to ourselves as living, present with
   us; that we should see them with our spiritual eyes. God is living. "
   For He is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto
   Him." [1233]

   We see everywhere upon the earth the Artist-Spirit rejoicing His
   creatures with the fulness of joy, and revealing His infinite wisdom in
   the works of His hands. We see everywhere the Life-giving Spirit
   forming, like an artist or a potter, multifarious inanimate and animate
   vessels. Especially we see Him in holy men, as in His own grand and
   beautiful temples. But in the unbelieving and impious we see at almost
   every step the works of the evil spirit--all passions, disturbances,
   enmity, and opposition.

   God is the being and life of everything that exists. This is why He is
   called That Which Is, as though the sole being, the first uncreated
   being, or as the Head from Whom every being comes. This is why the
   Apostle says of Him: "For in Him we live and move and have our being."
   [1234] We live in God, we move by His power, we exist by His Will,
   command, and omnipotence.

   You do not understand how the Lord takes up His abode in the Holy,
   life-giving Mysteries. It is a mystery, like the mystery how the
   immortal and life giving Spirit takes up His abode in your body,
   adorning and strengthening it. The Lord is an incomplex Being, entirely
   distinct from matter, as incomplex as a thought or momentary movement
   of our heart or spirit. It is also a mystery, similar to the mystery of
   how He dwells entirely in your heart without the medium of any matter,
   but only through one lively thought of Him, through lively faith in Him
   or obedience to His Word. By His most perfect incomplexity He is
   necessarily wholly everywhere--"Who art everywhere present and fillest
   all things:" [1235] "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" [1236] --and He
   cannot be divided, though dividing Himself amongst all, and
   communicating Himself truly and actually in various gifts, being
   Himself One and Indivisible, continually creating an infinite and
   diverse multitude of creatures, being wholly present in every creature,
   down to the last and smallest infusoria.

   The whole air can be penetrated by the sunlight, is transparent, and is
   wholly, so to say, dissolved in the light, though this last, on account
   of its rarity, can always leave it. Light also penetrates and is
   dissolved in spring water, crystal, and glass. A multitude of bodies,
   capable of reflecting and refracting the rays of light, are suffused
   with, or shine by, the light of the sun or the light of fire, and
   receive its warmth into themselves. On garments embroidered with gold
   and silver every sparkle shines separately by the light of the sun.
   Likewise, the chosen human race or the souls of the righteous are
   penetrated by the mental Light--God, and shine forth in His light,
   being dissolved in Him. Thus, also, each particle of the life-giving
   Mysteries, becoming the Body and Blood of the Lord Himself, is all
   light, brightness, warmth, life; not a single, smallest particle
   remains unchanged into the light and life of the Godhead.

   Observe how the Lord is always with you in every place, in His image
   and likeness, which are in yourself. You think by the Father, you speak
   by the Word, and you act in the Holy Ghost. What air and light are to
   the body, the same is the thought, or God the Father, to the soul; what
   food is to the body, the same is the Word to the soul; what breath and
   warmth are to the body, the same is the Holy Ghost to the soul.

   Have you seen how the bees follow their queen-bee, or how the ants
   follow their king-ant? Thus should reasonable beings, endued with
   speech, follow God. Or do you not know that the minor planets follow
   the larger, and revolve around it? Thus should reasonable beings endued
   with speech follow the God of all. The family is a little image of the
   innumerable family of the powers moving around God and in God. An
   empire or a king and his subjects are larger images of the heavenly
   powers moving around the Almighty, the King of Glory.

   As, during a conversation between men, the air, which is everywhere and
   fills all things, serves as a medium between the word of one and the
   word of another, and the words of one reach the hearing of another
   through the air, and it would be impossible to speak and hear without
   air--so in spiritual respects the Holy Ghost, "Who is everywhere
   present and filleth all things," [1237] is a similar medium in our
   communion with the bodiless ones. We do not thoroughly understand how,
   by means of air, our words are heard by others, sometimes at a great
   distance, yet we know that they are heard; likewise, we do not
   understand how the holy angels and saints hear, in the Holy Ghost, the
   wail of our hearts; yet we know that it is heard. As in the first case
   we may be assured of our words having been heard by others from the
   answers, so in the latter we are similarly assured by the answers we
   receive. In the first case we see the person with whom we speak with
   our bodily eyes, and in the latter we see the person with whom we
   converse with our spiritual eyes. An image is presented to the bodily
   eye and to the spiritual eye--an invisible person or spirit. For
   corporal beings there is distance, whilst for the Holy Ghost it does
   not exist.

   Represent the Angel of God to yourself as the image of the human
   soul--that is, think that an angel is like your own soul. This is why
   angels appear in human form, because they have a nature similar to that
   of the human soul, only sinless, holy, and higher.

   How speedily God hears the prayer of two or three praying together with
   the whole heart! "For where two or three are gathered together in my
   name, there am I in the midst of them," [1238] says the Lord Himself.

   Our Lord Jesus Christ's purpose for us is to drive away from our hearts
   falsehood (flattery), pride, and diabolical malice, and to implant in
   the place of these His truth, love, meekness, and humility.

   If we were to represent the Lord's image upon every line of space, even
   then we should not be doing more than enough, because the Lord is
   actually and wholly present in every smallest and largest space. If we
   were to imagine and foresee the Lord everywhere, nothing more would be
   left to desire, we should only be doing justly; for God is ever at our
   right hand wherever we may be.

   The Holy Ghost is called the "Comforter," [1239] in accordance with His
   nature, which is peace, joy, and infinite blessedness, and also on
   account of His action upon the souls of believers, whom He comforts
   like a mother in their virtues, in their sufferings, sorrows, and
   sicknesses, and in their great deeds for the faith. He is also called
   the Comforter in contrast to the evil spirit of despondency that often
   attacks our souls. Every phenomenon has its cause. Thus having done any
   good action, you rejoice and find consolation in your soul. Wherefore?
   Because the Holy Ghost is in you, "Who is everywhere present and
   filleth all things, the Treasury of blessings," [1240] Who comforts us.
   On the contrary, if you have done anything wrong, or even sometimes
   when you have not done anything wrong, you feel a deadly despondency in
   your soul. Wherefore! Because you have allowed the evil spirit of
   despondency to take possession of you. For instance, you begin to pray
   and you are overcome with despondency, whilst before you began to pray
   you did not feel it; or else you begin to read some book of a spiritual
   character-- for instance, the Holy Scripture--and you are also
   overpowered with despondency, slothfulness, doubt, incredulity, and
   unbelief. Wherefore? Because you are tempted by the evil spirits of
   despondency, doubt, and unbelief, who are using their craftiness
   against you. Or you are in church, attending Divine service; but you
   feel dull, heavy, and slothful--despondency has fallen upon you. Again
   wherefore? Because the evil spirits of sloth-fulness and despondency
   are using their craftiness against you. Or, again, you begin to write a
   religious work--a sermon, for instance--and you feel darkness and
   coldness in your heart, whilst your body is overcome with weakness.
   Wherefore? Because the invisible enemies are warring against you.
   Therefore the Holy Ghost is absolutely necessary to us all in all our
   good works. He is our power, strength, light, peace, and comfort.

   A visible proof of the omnipresence and of the providence of God is
   presented to us by vegetation. Where is it not to be found upon the
   terrestrial globe ? It covers the plains, it climbs up the inaccessible
   heights of rocky mountains, it grows in the deserts, spreads its roots
   in the waters and amongst the waters, upon desert islands. And who is
   it that gives it growth and adorns it with beautiful varieties of
   shapes, colours, and flowers? The Lord God. " God so clothes it." But
   if God so carefully clothes the grass, then shall He forsake and forget
   man, even for a minute? "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the
   field, which to-day is and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall He
   not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" [1241] If God at every
   instant vivifies the grass, and His life does not forsake it, then
   shall He cease to give life to me ? No; if He clothes and gives life to
   the grass, then in me He dwells continually, as in His temple, if I do
   not voluntarily drive Him away by my sins. "Know ye not that ye are the
   temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" [1242] In
   reference to the temple, we may remark that the Apostle calls a
   Christian the temple, because the Spirit of God dwells in him. This
   signifies that God dwells continually in Christian temples. Hence the
   holiness of the temple; hence the reverence due to it. And the action
   of God dwelling in the temple is very perceptible upon the hearts of
   those who turn to Him in prayer.

   "He shall call upon Me, and I will hear him." [1243] O words most full
   of love! O words breathing lively trust into him who prays!

   Up till now you have not learned to love your neighbour. You answer
   men's dislike towards you by dislike on your part. But do the contrary;
   answer others' dislike by heartfelt goodwill and love; the more dislike
   you see towards you, the more you should love. Dislike is a malady, and
   a sick person should be more pitied, should be shown greater care and
   greater love, exactly because he is ill. Do you not know that the
   bodiless enemy uses his craftiness against all, infects all with the
   poison of his hatred? And you, too, are not exempt from his craftiness.
   Do not serve him, then, the spirit of enmity, but serve the God of love
   with the utmost zeal. Remember that God the Word died for your
   brethren.

   As the rivers flow into the sea, so the souls of men should flow
   towards God.

   The spiritual and bodily lives go apart, do not accord. This is why we
   sometimes feel very well bodily, but not in spirit. You begin to pray,
   and you find that your heart has become gross, ''Thou art waxen fat,
   thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness: then he forsook
   God" [1244] --and it is difficult for you to pray, though you may be
   bodily well and strong. As soon as you cease praying, you will again
   feel easy. But this is sinful ease.

   "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." [1245]
   Know what those who pray in the temple are thinking of. They think of
   that to which their hearts are attached.

   If our heart doubts in the life-giving Spirit, then there will be no
   life in us, but sorrow and straitness, and deservedly: for life comes
   from the lite-giving Spirit. The affliction resulting from such doubt
   is a sure sign that this doubt is a lie, and proceeds from the Devil,
   the murderer.

   Up till now I have lived in God (I have thought, felt, and been fed by
   Him); and in future I shall also live in Him. I put aside all restless
   cares, and trust in my hope, in my breath--in Christ.

   He that believes in Christ as he should do does not allow himself to
   doubt even for a moment in the truth of that which the Lord has said in
   His holy Gospel, in that which is taught by His pure bride, the Church.
   It is necessary to acquire such steadfastness of heart in faith that it
   should not in the least, not for one single moment, be shaken of our
   free-will, by duplicity, by an inclination towards the opposite side,
   in order that a Christian should not be like a "wave of the sea, driven
   with the wind, and tossed." [1246] Our faith in Christ is "yea, and in
   Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." [1247]

   Remember that by believing heartily and steadfastly in Christ we are
   saved unto the life eternal. Remember, that the holy Church has not
   allowed a single one of her true followers to perish, but, by the grace
   of God, has saved them all. The works of the Saviour and those of the
   Church upon believers speak for themselves. The action of doubt and
   unbelief in a man's soul, killing his soul and body, also speaks for
   itself.

   As the Spirit of God is a terrible power, the fear and torment of
   demons, therefore the demons, with all their infernal wiles, resist the
   Spirit of God and blaspheme Him. As the Spirit of God is a saving
   spirit, a spirit of union, love, and peace, therefore by every means
   they oppose the union, love, and salvation of mankind. It was through
   them that the separation of the Churches into the Eastern and Western
   arose. Observe: this separation arose from the dogma concerning the
   Holy Ghost. By their efforts, again, arose the further separation of
   the Roman West, Lutherism, Calvinism and Anglicanism; through them
   arose dissent in our Orthodox Church. (By the way ought not needful and
   beneficial reforms to be introduced into the Church, on account of
   dissenters? It is necessary to do so; otherwise we shall be mocked at
   by the demons. Is it possible that we shall allow ourselves to be
   overcome by their evil? Let not this happen. And therefore the Bible
   ought to be translated into the Russian language. Otherwise, how many
   millions are deprived of its riches by reason of its being written in
   the old Slavonic language, not understood by many! [1248] ) Besides
   this, the demons endeavour by every means to uproot, and have partly
   succeeded in doing so, faith in the Gospel and in Christ's Church from
   the hearts of Christians--which is also blasphemy against the Holy
   Ghost. They also endeavour by every means to plunge Christians into
   carnal works and carnal impurity, in order that the Spirit of God
   should not dwell in men, as was the case with mankind before the
   Deluge. And, indeed, do we not see that men are given over to
   coveteousness, gluttony, drunkenness and profligacy to an enormous
   degree? What is this corruption that has fallen upon us? O! it will go
   ill with us, and perhaps very soon. The spirits of evil also attack the
   Holy Spirit in the thoughts and hearts of separate individuals, shaking
   their faith in Him. Woe unto us! Let us not blaspheme the life-giving
   Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit of unspeakable love, "Who maketh
   intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" [1249] ;
   let us ever remember, during all our life-time, to worship and praise
   Him as we worship the Father and the Son, with an undivided and equal
   honour. Let us also honour the universal symbol of faith--this saving
   guide in the faith for believers, of all times and places. Let us not
   offend, even by a single thought of doubt, the Spirit of God, dwelling
   in us and vivifying us--this fulness of God, infinitely loving us, as
   the Father and the Son.

   "We have been all made to drink into one Spirit." [1250] From this you
   see that the Spirit of. God surrounds us upon all sides, like water or
   air. "The Spirit of the Lord filleth the world." [1251] Faith is given
   unto us by the Spirit of God: "to another faith by the same Spirit,"
   [1252] says the apostle. "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts
   by the Holy Ghost," [1253] says the same apostle.

   How good it is to conquer the passions! After the victory one feels
   such lightness of heart, such peace and greatness of spirit!

   "Is not the life more than meat?" [1254] Ah! immeasurably more,
   infinitely more. In our soul shines the image of the invisible God, of
   the Creator of all. I ought not to grudge not merely anything material,
   but not even my soul, my life, for the material or bodily, and
   especially spiritual profit of my brother. By lovingly serving my
   brother I serve God Himself. O! I feel in my heart this great and
   sublime truth: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of
   these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." [1255] Wherefore? Because,
   in the first place, every man is an image of God; and secondly, because
   Jesus Christ is God and man together, and is the Head of the Body-- His
   Church. "We are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones,"
   [1256] that is, we are members of Christ.

   Do not believe your flesh when it threatens to you with weakness during
   prayer; it lies. As soon as you begin to pray you will find that the
   flesh will become your obedient slave. Your prayer will vivify it also.
   Always remember that the flesh is lying.

   He who believes in the Saviour, and feeds upon His Body and Blood, has
   life eternal in himself; and this is the reason why every sin occasions
   painful suffering and disturbance of heart. But those who have not life
   eternal in them drink iniquity like water, and do not suffer, because
   life eternal is not in their hearts.

   Glory to the Spirit of God, descending from the Father to give life to
   every creature, and filling the whole universe. Glory to Him, giving
   life to angels and men and to every creature. Glory to Him, our Power,
   our Holiness. Glory to Him, co-eternal with the Father and the Son!

   My carnal nature requires images. Therefore we rightly and justly make
   images and reverence them. What else is man himself but a living image
   of the living God? The Son of God Himself is a uniform impress of the
   Father, showing us the Father in Himself. If we ourselves are images of
   God, formed of a soul and body, then why should we not reverence God's
   saints in their images made with hands? The inscription of the name
   upon the image means much to the believer. This name is as though it
   replaces the soul of the person represented on the image. Call upon the
   name of the saint with your whole soul; he will hear you, and will
   manifest his miraculous power in the image. The name of the Saviour,
   called upon with faith, works wonders. It drives away the demons,
   quenches the fire of the passions, heals sicknesses. The names of the
   saints, called upon with faith, by the grace of God also work wonders.
   And what is there astonishing in this? They are all in the Spirit of
   God, and the life-giving Spirit of God is everywhere present and fills
   all things. The saints all work wonders by the Holy Ghost, because the
   one Spirit of God is the Spirit of wonders.

   Man is a small world. As the soul is in the body, so God is in the
   world. When the soul leaves the body it immediately crumbles to pieces.
   Likewise, when the Spirit of God leaves the world it will immediately
   crumble to pieces. The soul is throughout the body, but especially in
   the heart, and God is throughout the world, but especially in heaven
   and in temples. And therefore recognise at every step the presence of
   God.

   Glory to Thee, all-holy, life-giving "Spirit, proceeding from the
   Father and ever resting in the Son," [1257] undivided from the Father
   and the Son! Glory to Thee, Son of God, Who castest out devils by the
   Spirit of God [1258] and orderest our salvation, sanctifying, teaching,
   and strengthening us by the same Spirit! Glory to Thee, Father, ever
   condescending to us in the Son by the Holy Ghost! Trinity in undivided
   unity, have mercy upon us!

   Children, being the images of their father and mother, are near to
   their hearts; but still nearer are men--and especially Christians--the
   images of God, to the heart of God. The outward and often inward
   resemblance of children to their parents reminds us of our inward
   resemblance to God.

   Every place is the place of God's presence and sovereignty. Hence it is
   undoubtedly true that the Lord looks upon us with the eyes of the holy
   icons as with His own, and can speak to us by the mouths of the holy
   icons as by His own. Also, owing to the fact that the Lord is in every
   place, His cross, His name work miracles. His icons show themselves to
   be wonder-working, and are in every case places of His gracious
   presence.

   My thought freely penetrates edifices and their walls, mountains, seas,
   heaven, and earth. By his thought man is the likeness of the Godhead,
   Which is an infinite and omnipresent Spirit. Does not God penetrate and
   fill all things, as the Creator of all?

   Prayer breathes hope, and a prayer without hope is a sinful prayer.

   Has each one of us a guardian angel? He has, and must have. The nature
   of a spirit is extraordinarily active, and cannot remain inactive; we
   see this in our soul. The nature of a good spirit necessarily seeks
   activity and the widening of the circle of this activity, and the
   spreading of the kingdom of truth and good; as, on the contrary, the
   nature of an evil spirit also seeks an activity corresponding to it,
   and the spreading of the kingdom of falsehood and of every evil. We
   feel in ourselves that the demons endeavour by every means to spread
   the kingdom of evil, and the Scripture, too, bears witness of this:
   "The Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may
   devour." [1259] How, then, shall we not admit, in accordance with,
   common sense, that the angels act everywhere throughout the world,
   striving to spread the kingdom of good and seeking the salvation of
   mankind? O, how true are the words that "joy shall be in heaven over
   one sinner that repenteth," [1260] and that as there is a devil near
   every man, so likewise there is an angel near every man! As we clearly
   feel the presence of the one, so we also feel the presence of the
   other, although, through self-love, we are in the habit of ascribing
   all good thoughts, feelings, dispositions, and intentions to ourselves
   and not to our guardian angel. Would the number of guardian angels be
   sufficient for every person to have a guardian angel? Abundantly
   sufficient. When the apostle Peter threw himself with a sword upon the
   high priest's servant, in order to protect His Master and Lord, then
   the Lord said unto Him: "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My
   Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of
   angels?" [1261] This signifies that the Lord ever has abundantly
   sufficient angels to protect every man (Elisha, Jacob), and, above all,
   to protect the incarnate Son of God. We also know that an angel of God
   appeared to the Saviour in the garden of Gethsemane to strengthen Him:
   "Angels came and ministered unto Him," [1262] after the forty days'
   fast and the temptation in the wilderness. The Infant Saviour's
   guardian angel appeared to Joseph in sleep and ordered his movements.

   Holy Spirit, living, personal, ruling, living bond of the Father and
   the Son, have mercy upon me!

   Holy Spirit, giving life to and uniting all creation, and, above all,
   to reasonable creatures--power of all creation, have mercy upon me!

   When praying, a man must lay aside every worldly care and only care for
   the salvation of his soul.

   We must trust in God in all temptations, in all desolate conditions of
   the soul. The Lord will deliver.

   What a unity of being there is in the three Persons of the Godhead! The
   Son does not do anything without the Spirit, nor the Spirit without the
   Father, nor the Father without the Spirit and the Son, but All act
   conjointly. It is not thus with man. Sometimes he works by the mind
   without the heart's participation, owing to which his deeds are often
   soulless. This discord is the consequence of sin. The three strangers:
   Abraham, two fulfilled the will of the third.

   I think how all-perfect the Godhead is--what an infinite fulness of
   life there is in It! God the Father begat from Himself the creative
   Word and sends down the creative Spirit, and they supremely fulfil the
   will of the Father, as a man's hands fulfil that which the head thinks
   and the heart desires. Wonderful art Thou, our God, creating all things
   by Thy personal Word, and accomplishing all things by Thy personal
   Spirit! What a fulness of life! Both the Son and the Spirit are equal
   to the Father--the Cause; both the Son and the Spirit are equally
   almighty, as the Father and the Son are one mercy and love, one will,
   one power, one Godhead and kingdom! What fulness of life! Both the Son
   is the Creator and the Spirit is the Creator. " Thy hands" (the Son and
   the Spirit) " have made me and fashioned me." [1263] What unity!
   Neither does the Son do anything without the Spirit, nor the Spirit
   without the Son, but together They accomplish the will of the Father,
   the Three forming one Being. Therefore, wherever you find the Son
   acting, there also the Spirit infallibly acts with the Son, also the
   Father, from Whom and to Whom They rise. " I glorify the might of the
   Father and the Son, and hymn the power of the Holy Ghost, the
   undivided, uncreated Godhead, the Consubstantial Trinity, reigning unto
   ages of ages." [1264]

   Lord our Saviour, Thy Divine greatness consists in the fact that the
   life of every creature is in Thee, as in the hypostatic Life, " that
   all men should honour Thee, even as they honour the Father." [1265] Thy
   greatness, life-giving Holy Ghost, consists in the fact that Thou
   sanctifiest, strengthenest all, and livest together with the Father and
   the Son, that all men shall honour Thee, even as they honour the Father
   and the Son. Thy greatness, Holy Ghost, lies also in the fact that the
   only-begotten Son of God, being consubstantial with Thee, created
   powers and wonders by Thee, and, likewise through Thee, sanctifies,
   strengthens, and guides us to His Father. " Through Him we both have
   access by one Spirit unto the Father." [1266]

   "The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men."
   [1267] He who denies the personal being of the Holy Ghost--especially
   he who was himself many times a receiver of the Holy Ghost--blasphemes
   against Him; and unless he amends, he shall not be forgiven either in
   this world or in the next. Life-giving Holy Ghost, Spirit of grace,
   have mercy upon us!

   Those who pray little are weak in heart, and thus, when they wish to
   pray, their hearts become enfeebled, also their hands, body, and
   thoughts, and it is difficult for them to pray. It is necessary to
   overcome oneself, to strive to pray with the whole heart, for it is a
   good and happy thing to pray with the whole heart.

   Trust in the intercession of the Mother of God, of the angels and
   saints, is a form of Christian hope. They are powerful in intercession
   for us, both by the grace of Christ and their own virtues. We do not
   pray to Them in vain; through their intercession we trust to obtain
   mercy, the forgiveness of sins, and salvation, as well as temporal
   blessings--such, for instance, as health, the salubrity of the air,
   deliverance from misfortunes and sorrows. By praying in the Spirit and
   by the Holy Spirit to the Saviour, to the Father, to the angels and all
   the saints, our prayer will become ardent, and tears will stream from
   our eyes-- sweet and happy tears. Glory to the Holy Ghost the
   Comforter! And what a comfort He is to the soul!

   The Saviour and the Comforter, two Persons of the Godhead: the One ever
   saves from sins, and the Other comforts him who is saved. Their very
   names are taken from Their deeds, and are always actually justified. He
   comforts! The Holy Ghost comforts the believing soul, as a mother
   comforts her child.

   God sovereignly changes, by the Holy Ghost, ordinary bread and wine
   into the life-giving Body and Blood of His Son. From this we clearly
   see that He is also the Author and Nourisher of our bodily life, and
   that our bodily life is less important than the spiritual one; because
   the ordinary bread and wine, nourishing and strengthening our bodily
   nature, are changed into a better bread--the bread of spiritual life,
   and the wine into spiritual drink.

   The Spirit of God is everywhere. Travel mentally throughout the whole
   world, everywhere you will see His deeds. By Him men are endued with a
   higher life. He also gives life to animals, birds, fishes, plants.
   Everywhere the Body and Blood of the Saviour equally work miracles;
   everywhere the sacraments have power, and their power is the Holy
   Ghost.

   Concerning honouring and invoking the saints in prayer (on the day of
   St. Nicholas). What is it founded upon? They are in God; they are rich
   in spiritual gifts; they are in the land of the living, and in the land
   of abundance; whilst we are in the land of death and of spiritual
   hunger. God has taken them unto Himself to preserve our life. " God did
   send me before you to preserve life," [1268] said Joseph to his
   brethren. Abraham--Noah. The rich man in hell begged Abraham to send
   Lazarus. Noah, the deliverer from the deluge. "Blessed is he whose race
   is in Sion, and who hath kinsmen in Jerusalem." [1269]

   I rejoice and delight in the infinite perfection of the Godhead; I
   rejoice and delight that the Godhead is in three Persons, and that each
   Person is self-hypostatic, and is all-perfect God-- One in Three; that
   the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, and the Holy Ghost is
   almighty; that the Father is omnipresent, likewise the Son, and
   likewise the Holy Ghost; that the Father is life, the Son is life, and
   the Holy Ghost is life; that the Father is love, the Son is love, and
   the Holy Ghost is love. I rejoice in God the Father, I rejoice in God
   the Son, and I rejoice in God the Holy Ghost--in one Godhead, the one
   nature and power, the one Saviour, God, Who loves us. I rejoice that to
   each of the three Persons of the Godhead, as God, special ruling
   actions are proper: to the Father, thought and benevolence; to the Son,
   the realisation of the Father's thought and benevolence; and to the
   Holy Ghost, accomplishment and quickening.

   The Devil sometimes acts in the mind as a troublesome questioner
   concerning the incomprehensible, as an audacious infringer upon the
   unapproachable mysteries of the three Persons of the Godhead and their
   mutual relations. It is necessary to think reverently and most
   cautiously concerning the Trinity of the Godhead.

   Prayer refreshes and enlivens the soul, like outer air refreshes the
   body. When praying we feel braver and brighter, similarly as we feel
   physically and spiritually braver and fresher while walking in the
   fresh air.

   "All things that the Father hath are mine." [1270] All things that the
   Spirit hath are also His, excepting the proceeding from the father.
   Speak equally of the Father and the Son, only separating Their Personal
   nature. By reason of Their consubstantiality, there is a community of
   nature.

   Learn to pray; force yourself to prayer. In the beginning it will be
   difficult; but afterwards the more you force yourself, the easier it
   will be for you to pray. But in the beginning it is always necessary to
   force oneself.

   "O most holy Bishop, Father Nicholas, pray to God for us!" What is the
   reason that we ask the prayers of the Saints for ourselves? Do they
   really pray for us? and is their prayer effective? God Himself plainly
   declared His will to some persons not having nearness to Him, chiefly
   to sinful men, that they should ask God's people to pray for them. For
   instance, Abimelech, who took Abraham's wife, was commanded to ask
   Abraham to pray for him; Job prayed for his friends, in accordance with
   the evident revelation of God's will; Moses, Samuel, Elijah, and all
   the prophets prayed; the Lord Himself, in accordance with His human
   nature, prayed to the Heavenly Father for Peter and for all the
   disciples. The Saints are worthy of being intercessors for us before
   God, by their virtues, by their merits, and as those who pleased Him.
   If earthly justice requires that a certain man nearer to God (for
   instance, a priest) should pray to God for others, then why should it
   not be the same in heaven? All the Saints live in God and for us; in
   God they see our needs, they sympathise with us, they are ready, in
   accordance with our prayers, to help us. Why in accordance with our
   prayers, and not otherwise? In order to strengthen us in faith and
   prayerfulness. Besides, why do even living men wish that others who
   need their help should ask them for it ?

   As the Devil wounds the soul in an instant by presenting some unlawful
   desire or some unrighteous idea to the heart, so God and His guardian
   angel vivify the soul by an instantaneous flow of holy desires and
   thoughts. We must be attentive and grateful to the Lord for His
   spiritual gifts of light.

   What does the daily invocation of the Saints signify--of different ones
   each day, during the whole year and during our whole lifetime? It
   signifies that God's Saints, as our brethren, only perfect, live and
   are near us; that they hear us and are ever ready to help us, by the
   grace of God. We live together with them--in the one house of the
   Heavenly Father--only on its different halves. We live on the earthly,
   they on the heavenly half; but we both have a means of communication
   with each other: for us the prayer of faith and love, for them their
   spiritual nature, always ready for active help, owing to the love with
   which their souls are permeated.

   "Faith is given to man by the Holy Ghost; therefore no man can say that
   Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost." [1271] The Holy Ghost was
   revealed to us by Jesus Christ, Who was conceived and born by the Holy
   Ghost, Who grew and was strengthened by the Holy Ghost, Who cast out
   devils by the Holy Ghost, and Who rose from the dead by the Holy Ghost.
   The apostles, martyrs, the venerable men and prelates, preached
   concerning the Holy Ghost, and very many of them sealed their teaching
   concerning the Holy Trinity with their blood.

   I myself am all infirmity, misery. God is my strength. This conviction
   is my highest wisdom, making me blessed.

   When Christians come to church to pray to God, then it would seem that
   they have not one God, but many gods and many idols (and thus they sin
   against the first and second commandments). Some have themselves for
   idols of self-love: "Where their treasure is, there will their heart be
   also." [1272]

   As you borrow your breath from the air and emit it into the air
   again--so that you are always surrounded by air, and it penetrates
   you--so also your soul comes from God and will return again to God, so
   that you are always in God, and are surrounded on all sides and
   inwardly filled with Him as with air. This is the meaning of the words
   " filled with the Spirit." [1273]

   As you breathe every minute by means of air, so every minute you are
   mentally either with God or with the Devil, according to your inward
   disposition. What air is to the body, the spirit of God is to the soul.
   As you breathe from the air the elements required to nourish your body,
   so likewise you breathe into yourself from the Spirit of God good
   inclinations and thoughts.

   When I read the Gospel, then it is not I that speak, but the Lord
   Himself; He Himself is in these words. For He is the Spirit, the
   Wisdom, or the infinite personal Thought; it is He Himself Who is in
   these wonderful thoughts and words of the Gospel. Only the word is
   ours, human; or, rather, even the word is also His; whilst the thought,
   its essence, truth, is the Lord Himself. I see the same, for instance,
   in the image of the Saviour or His cross. Again, He Himself is
   there--my omnipresent Lord is in them, in this image or in that cross,
   as in the word of the Gospel. His image on the icon or on the cross is
   only an outward appearance, whilst the essence is He Himself
   --manifesting Himself everywhere, in everything and through everything,
   and especially through the images and signs upon which His
   justly-worshipped Name is inscribed or His representation is drawn. So
   also He is in the priest's blessing by the sign of the cross, in which
   He Himself appears, and as though Himself blesses. Hence the importance
   of a priest's blessing. And even our customary making of the sign of
   the cross has also God's power, if only we make it with faith. Thus
   everywhere we may find and feel the Lord.

   "If he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a
   day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him."
   [1274] As the Searcher of hearts, the Lord knows that men are liable to
   very frequently trespass, and that, having fallen, they often rise up
   again; therefore He has given us the commandment to frequently forgive
   trespasses, and He Himself is the first to fulfil His holy word. As
   soon as you say from your whole heart, "I repent," you will be
   immediately forgiven.

   The whole Gospel is the gospel of the kingdom to which Christians are
   predestined, and forms as though one single promise (all the parables,
   all the prophecies and miracles); the epistles of the Apostles reveal
   in greater detail the promises of Christian hope.

   "Thy kingdom come"--that is, Thy perfect reign in our hearts!

   By my body I am merely earth and ashes, whilst my soul lives and finds
   its rest in God alone. He is both the clearness of my thought and the
   strength of my heart; I myself am nothing.

   The saints fulfilled the word of the Lord; the Lord fulfils their word;
   they worked for Him--He does so for them. The Lord Himself said: " With
   what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." [1275] This
   is why the Lord speedily fulfils the prayers of the Saints for us.

   When praying, we must truly sorrow for our sins, and truly repent of
   them. When enumerating the sins specified in the prayers, we must say
   them feeling them in our heart as if they were our own. Also we must
   have an ardent desire not to sin in future by the same sins.

   Having the intention of speaking concerning Christian hope, I should
   reveal to you the promises given by God to us, and the wiles and snares
   in which the enemy entangles Christians, in order to divert their gaze
   and trust from priceless hope; they are--the flattery of riches, of
   earthly pleasures, and of honours. In speaking of Christian hope I
   should reveal to you the treasury of the blessings promised to us in
   Christ, to show you the incomprehensible, infinite mercy and the
   innumerable bounties of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
   Ghost; of the Father--our trust; of the Son--our refuge; of the Holy
   Ghost-- our protection. My God! the infinity of blessings promised to
   Christians presents itself to my gaze, and at the fame time the
   infinite carelessness of Christians towards these promised blessings,
   their little faith, and, finally, their unbelief and coldness,
   trampling under foot the Blood of the Testament and neglecting the
   mystery of salvation. But may the Lord give me a mouth and wisdom,
   [1276] that I may speak with fiery tongues, that with His help I may
   light the fire of trust in hearts that are cold! Book of the immutable
   Covenants! tell us of God's promises to the righteous and to the
   sinful.

   Concerning hope in God after having committed sins, whatever they may
   be--that is, hope of being reconciled to Him after we have given way to
   anger, or have fallen into despondency, anguish of heart; or have
   sinned through the passions. It would seem that the hope of the sinner
   in the forgiveness of his sins and in salvation is nowhere so clearly
   and powerfully expressed as in the prayers before Holy Communion, in
   the canons to the Sweetest Lord Jesus, to the Mother of God, to the
   Guardian Angel, and in the canons to the Saints of the day.

   Hope also requires a life corresponding to the hope. Those who hope
   must not live "as others who have no hope." [1277] "Having therefore
   these promises ... let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the
   flesh and spirit." [1278] "Be ready always to give an answer to every
   man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you" [1279] --this
   is what I ask of God.

   "Where I am, there shall also My servant be " [1280] --"with Me in My
   Throne;" [1281] "shall be caught up together with them in the clouds
   ... so shall we ever be with the Lord" [1282] --such is our hope!

   Take away from each one the visible thing which he loves above all; ask
   or take away money from the covetous, dainty food from the glutton, his
   prerogatives from the ambitious and proud man, call him by an evil
   name, and you will see what constitutes the hope of each one, what
   treasure, what passion is his! O, what shameful passions one sometimes
   meets with! Sometimes a man attaches himself with an impure love to a
   person of the opposite sex, breathes by it--so to say, feeds on it. O
   shameful hope! O unclean heart, withdrawn from the Lord! O man, setting
   his carnal, weak trust in an insignificant creature like unto himself,
   I will show you Whom you must love! You who burden your hearts by
   surfeiting and drunkenness, I will show you Who ought to fill your
   hearts! Money-lover, I will show you of Whom you ought to buy silver
   tried in the fire! You who seek after pleasures and honours, seek the
   honour of the heavenly calling. You who love fine raiment, buy of Him "
   white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed with righteousness." [1283]
   Despair, despondency, and presumption are sins against hope.

   The punishment for sin, and the peace of the conscience after repenting
   of it, visibly prove that there is one Judge, the Life-giver and our
   God, Who can save or destroy us, Who has given us life and the laws of
   life, and chastises us for their violation, and that He is
   unchangeable.

   The holy prophet David calls the soul an eye ("Mine eye is consumed
   because of my grief" [1284] ), hearing, a tongue, a hand, a foot or
   steps ("Thou shalt make me hear of joy and gladness; that the bones
   which Thou hast broken may rejoice .... my tongue shall sing of Thy
   righteousness." [1285] "He will not suffer thy foot to be moved" [1286]
   ). The eye of the soul is not closed even at night.

   Take me captive, Lord, in the sweet captivity of Thy Holy Ghost, so
   that my words may flow "as the rivers in the south" [1287] to Thy glory
   and to the salvation of Thy people! Grant me this sweet and powerful
   inward impulse to set down upon parchment the fulness of spiritual
   visions and feelings! Let "my tongue [be] the pen of a ready writer"
   [1288] --of the All-Holy Spirit!

   A deep feeling of spiritual poverty, a lamentation at the existence of
   evil, a thirst after salvation, are to be found in every
   straightforward and humble soul.

   The ringing of bells is a call to converse with God, of children with
   their Father--a call to appear before Him.

   What do we love most in the world? Life and health. Who is our life and
   health? Jesus Christ. Therefore, if you wish to live, and to eternally
   live and be blessed, believe in Jesus Christ, and please Him by living
   in accordance with His Gospel.

   Love is God. If you love God, God dwelleth in you, and you in God.
   [1289] Malice is the Devil. The instant you begin to feel malice
   against your neighbour, the Devil is in you, entering into you like a
   needle, and endeavouring to become a mountain within you, so greatly
   does he spread, and so heavy is he! And therefore continually love God
   and your neighbour. Do not admit malice into your heart, even for a
   single moment j consider it as an illusion of the Devil. Amen.

   "Charity suffereth long, and is kind;" [1290] whilst malice is
   impatient, quick to anger, and exacting. Malice is quick to punish,
   whilst love is quick to indulgence and forgiveness. Charity looks at
   its own defects, and is reluctant to notice them in others; whilst
   malice is sharp-sighted to notice the smallest defects of others, and
   is blind to its own great defects. We see the mote in our brother's
   eye, and not the beam in our own; this happens often, and most often,
   notwithstanding God's inward teaching.

   Fear malice as you fear the fire; do not admit it into your heart, even
   upon any plausible pretence, and still less by reason of anything
   disagreeable to you; malice is always an evil, a child of hell.
   Sometimes malice enters the heart under the pretence of zeal for the
   glory of God or the good of our neighbour. Do not believe in your zeal
   in this case; it is false and unwise; rather be zealous that there
   should not be any malice in you. God is glorified by nothing so much as
   by the" charity that beareth all things," and is dishonoured and
   offended by nothing so much as by malice, under whatever fair
   appearance it may hide itself. It was under the mask of caring for the
   poor that Judas, hiding his malice against his Lord, sold Him for
   thirty pieces of silver. Remember that the enemy unwearyingly seeks
   your destruction, and attacks you at the time when you least expect it.
   His malice is infinite. Do not bind yourself by self-love and
   sensuality, lest they take you an easy prisoner.

   God is inexhaustible in his gifts to men. During already 7403 years
   [1291] He abundantly feeds all creatures. Everywhere we see plenty and
   joy; only the greedy rich lay their hands on and keep in their
   treasuries too many of God's gifts, which might plentifully nourish
   hundreds and thousands of poor. Man! believe firmly in God's
   inexhaustibility in His gifts, and willingly "deal thy bread to the
   hungry;" [1292] the more you give, the more shall God send you. Such is
   God's law: "with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you
   again." [1293]

   Learn always to remember and to pronounce the name of God with great
   faith, reverence, love, and a grateful heart. Never pronounce it
   heedlessly.

   Speak and do everything right undoubtingly, boldly, firmly, and
   decidedly. Avoid doubts, timidity, languor, and indecision. "For God
   hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love." [1294]
   Our Lord is the Lord of powers.

   Breathe by faith (by certitude in God's truth), by trust in God, and by
   love for God and your neighbour. And how can you help yourself in this?
   By unbelief in the durability of everything earthly; by not putting
   your trust in earthly blessings, such as food, drink, money, riches,
   and earthly ties; by not caring for, by being indifferent to everything
   earthly and perishable. Do not let your heart cling to anything, do not
   attach yourself to anything. "Set your affection on things above, not
   on things on the earth." [1295]

   God is love, and I am an image of God; therefore I ought to be all
   love. God is the most perfect good, free from the least shadow of evil;
   I am an image of God; therefore I ought also to be perfectly good,
   without even a shadow of evil. If the enemy will tempt you by food or
   drink, say to him, "My food and drink are the Body and Blood of my
   Lord; they cannot be taken from me. As long as I am a priest, I can
   communicate of them every week and for the greater part several times a
   week. Besides this, if I seek in myself the kingdom of God, by putting
   my trust in Him, my Lord, then everything earthly that is needful for
   me shall be added to me, in accordance with the Scripture." "Seek ye
   first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things
   shall be added unto you." [1296] My God is faithful. Inculcate these
   words into your heart deeply, by meditation.

   Do not let yourself be angered by anything; conquer everything by
   love--all caprices and offences, all kinds of family unpleasantnesses.
   Know nothing but love. Always sincerely blame yourself, acknowledge
   yourself as the cause of any unpleasantness. Say, "It is my fault; I am
   the sinner." remember, that as you are infirm, so also is your
   neighbour, and one infirmity is annulled by the other; therefore it is
   useless to blame the infirm and sinful, if they acknowledge their
   infirmity. We must blame the Devil, who is so powerful in evil.

   The heavenly Father so greatly cares for me, for my life, my salvation,
   that He did not spare even His only-begotten Son, but sent Him into the
   world to suffer and die, and feeds me with His Body and Blood. Is it
   possible, then, that He should not care for me in less important
   things, and should deprive me and mine of sufficient means of
   subsistence? This has not happened until now, and shall not be. "Seek
   ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these
   things shall be added unto you." [1297] "The very hairs of your head
   are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore." [1298]

   My life is the infinite Lord, Which Is, the Almighty; I am wholly
   absorbed in this life. " Who is above all, and through all, and in you
   all." [1299] I am ever before the face of God; I am ever in God, and He
   in me. Shall I put my trust in food, drink, or money, or in any man?
   Should I not then be blind? In truth, God is my hope. He is everything
   to me.

   We must strive to remember oftener the words of the Saviour, "Except ye
   be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into
   the kingdom of Heaven" [1300] and the words of the Apostle. "As newborn
   babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby "
   [1301] (by it) to salvation (not flattering, not deceitful, unfeigned,
   true).

   Be especially meek and patient in sickness and in other various
   unfavourable circumstances; for, spoiled by health, plenty, happiness,
   and peace, we are then particularly apt to become irritable. Happy are
   those of us who do not passionately attach themselves to anything, for
   they are not bound by avarice.

   When praying, always remember that you are conversing with God, the
   Father of bounties and of every consolation, unchangeable, never
   wearied by our requests; with the Father Who is ever infinitely
   merciful, wise, all-powerful; for Whom, by His infinite mercy, wisdom,
   and omnipotence, it is as easy always to fulfil your requests as it is
   for you to think of them, to desire them; as easy as it is for you to
   pronounce the words of these requests, and even infinitely easier.
   Remember this, and never despond during prayer.

   "My servant Job shall pray for you; Abraham shall pray for thee . . .
   Moses. . . Samuel . . . Elijah." [1302] The prayers of the Saints for
   us are pleasing unto the Lord, as coming from His faithful servants.
   The Devil continually lies against God in our hearts, especially in
   respect to God's omnipresence, saying, "God hath forgotten: He hideth
   away His face;" also, in respect to His justice, "God careth not for
   it;" [1303] also even, in respect to His existence, "There is no God."
   [1304]

   God desires us that we should continually turn to Him in prayer, in
   order to draw to Himself His children, who have become hardened by sin
   and have withdrawn themselves from Him, in order to cleanse us and
   enfold us in the embrace of His love, in order to show us that He
   always has some blessing for us. Thus also do good parents act towards
   their evil-natured children.

   When you hear that God speaks, then represent to yourself His word as
   deed, either already accomplished, or being accomplished, or about to
   be accomplished.

   Prayer is the living water, by means of which the soul quenches its
   thirst. When you pray, represent to yourself as though God alone were
   before you, God in three Persons, and besides Him no one else.
   Represent to yourself that God is in the world as the soul is in the
   body, though He is infinitely higher than the world, and is not limited
   by it. Your body is small, and it is wholly penetrated by your small
   soul; the world is large, but God is infinitely great, and fills
   everything throughout the whole of creation--"Who is everywhere
   present, and filleth all things." [1305]

   What is the meaning of the appearance of the three strangers to
   Abraham? It means that the Lord, in three Persons, as though
   continually, travels over the earth, and watches over everything that
   is done on it; and that He Himself comes to those of His servants who
   are watchful and attentive to themselves and their salvation, and who
   seek Him, staying with them and conversing with them as with His
   friends ("We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him" [1306] );
   whilst He sends fire upon the ungodly, as He did upon Sodom and
   Gomorrah.

   The Lord is so merciful that He never disdains our prayer, but
   mercifully accepts it and corrects its imperfection, provided only that
   we turn to Him sincerely and do not entirely forget Him.

   We preachers have only to assist the action of God upon the hearts of
   men, to seize their inclination for repentance and to strengthen it.

   The word of God is the same as God Himself; therefore undoubtingly
   believe every word of the Lord. The word of God is deed, and your own
   word should be deed; therefore, also, during prayer our words ought to
   be deed and truth, and not falsehood, hypocrisy, and flattery. Apply
   this to your whole life.

   Great is the dignity of man as the image of God. Why is a man who
   possesses lively faith capable of working all kinds of miracles, and of
   being in some respects a god for nature? Because he is the image of
   God; because, through faith, he is one spirit with the Lord. Why did
   God send His Son to be the Saviour of the world, and deliver Him unto
   death for the sins of men? Because men are the image of God. Why are
   such unspeakable promises and blessings given unto men, that "eye hath
   not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man,
   the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" [1307] All
   because they are the image of God. What respect we ought to have for
   men! What hope Christians ought to have! Friends of my God! "Set your
   affection on things above" [1308] !

   "The Lord turned and looked upon Peter . . . and Peter went out, and
   wept bitterly." [1309] And even now, when the Lord looks upon us we
   weep bitterly over our sins. Yes, our tears during prayer mean that the
   Lord has looked upon us with His gaze, that gives life to everything
   and trieth the hearts and reins. Ah! the soul is sometimes entangled
   and ensnared by sins, like a bird in the net! We do not sometimes see
   any outlet from our sins, and they torment us; the heart sometimes
   feels terribly anxious and sorrowful on account of them; but "Jesus
   looks upon us, and streams of tears flow from our eyes, and with the
   tears all the tissue of evil in our soul vanishes; we weep and rejoice
   that such mercy has been suddenly and unexpectedly sent to us; what
   warmth we then feel in our heart, and what lightness, as though we
   could fly up to the Lord God Himself! I thank the Lord with all my
   heart for freely forgiving all my sin! [1310]

   Jesus Christ, when distributing food, first looked up to heaven, gave
   thanks, blessed it, and only afterwards broke the bread and distributed
   it. The Apostle Paul did the same on board ship. So ought we also to
   thank God for our food and drink, as well as for all material
   blessings, but especially for all spiritual ones.

   The Holy Ghost is the Treasury of all blessings or of spiritual riches.
   Look, with what wonderful riches the souls in which the Holy Ghost
   dwelt were endowed, with what light of knowledge, with what fragrance
   of virtues! The soul of a righteous man is a most rich spiritual
   treasury; such were, for instance, the souls of the Apostles Paul,
   Peter, John; of the prelates St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great,
   St. Gregory the Theologian. "A good man out of the good treasure of his
   heart bringeth forth that which is good." [1311] This is where the true
   treasure is. It is not what the world values.

   If you wish to contemplate Christian hope in all its grandeur, read the
   Church prayers, follow closely the Christian Divine services,
   especially the Sunday and festival ones. There you will find the
   infinite riches of blessings promised to believers.

   The spiritual man is absorbed both with mind and heart in the
   contemplation of God, and finds in Him a treasure of knowledge and
   wisdom, of " righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost," [1312]
   whilst the carnal man is engrossed in the adulterous and sinful world,
   or in material nature, not seeing God in it, and seeking in it food for
   his earthly, short-sighted intellect, for his self-love and pride. But
   "Blessed are the pure in heart." [1313] Cleanse your heart, and hope
   for union with God in the life everlasting.

   When praying, strive, above all things, after fervour of spirit, after
   fervent, sincere repentence for your sins.--Ananias, Azarias, and
   Mishael, the prophet Daniel (before the appearance of the Archangel),
   the wise thief.

   A priest is the servant of God, invested with His authority and power
   (in the sacrament of penitence); the blessing of the priest is the
   power of the Cross.

   With sincere Christians prayer is continual, because we continually
   sin; gratitude is perpetual, because every day, every moment we receive
   fresh mercies from God, besides the old mercies which are numberless.
   Praise is also perpetual, because we perpetually see the glory of our
   God's works in ourselves and in the world, especially the glory of His
   infinite love to us.

   The Lord is with us in the most sorrowful, inconsolable moments ("I am
   with him in trouble" [1314] ), whilst we think that it is not so, that
   God has forsaken us. O, what unspeakable power our God has over our
   hearts! Even our mothers cannot entirely draw our hearts to their love,
   but the Lord draws them to Him by means of the Holy Mysteries and
   prayer.

   There is a hope of reward for good deeds: "Great is your reward in
   heaven. [1315] . . . Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due
   season we shall reap. [1316] . . . Henceforth there is laid up for me a
   crown of righteousness. [1317] . . . Let Thy merciful kindness, O Lord,
   be upon us; like as we do put our trust in Thee." [1318]

   Respect yourself as the image of God; remember that this image is a
   spiritual one, and be zealous after the fulfilment of God's
   commandments, which re-establish God's likeness in you. Be most careful
   not to break the least of God's commandments; such a violation would
   destroy your likeness to God, and would bring you near to the likeness
   of the Devil. The more you transgress God's commandments, the more you
   will grow like unto the Devil.

   Learn to subdue your heart, to stifle your passions, by the power of
   the name of the Lord, and by your own will, at the time when you
   chiefly suffer from the outburst of self-love, when you feel ready to
   strike everyone and break everything.

   I have a Teacher, Who gives me life; every word of His is the word of
   life, and is, therefore, truth. I believe Him in everything, and all
   that is contrary to His word--either in my thoughts and heart, or in
   what I hear from other people--I do not believe, and look upon as
   falsehood and death to my soul.

   The most holy Spirit, by the grace of the Father, gives life to the
   entire and earthly creation.

   We see that everything material perishes, beginning with food and
   clothing; we also notice that sins corrupt both the soul and body. This
   ought to revive in us the hope of the incorruptible and unchangeable.
   You who feed yourself on dainties; you who are vain of dress, houses,
   riches--what are you doing ? You are playing with soap-bubbles.

   Everything that breathes, breathes by air and cannot live without air;
   similarly all reasonable free creatures live by the Holy Ghost, as
   though by air, and cannot live without Him. "Every soul is quickened by
   the Holy Ghost." [1319] Recognise that the Holy Ghost stands in the
   same relation to your soul as air stands in relation to your body.

   During the night our soul is free from worldly vanities, and therefore
   the spiritual world can act upon it more freely, and it-is free to
   receive spiritual impressions; so that if the man is a righteous one,
   his thoughts and the inclinations of his heart are the thoughts and
   inclinations of the Lord Himself, or of the Angels and Saints; whilst
   if he is an unrepentant sinner, they are the thoughts and inclinations
   of the Devil himself.

   The wonder-working image of the Saviour is the Lord Himself depicted
   upon it. I weep bitterly, and as though involuntarily, by the grace
   abundantly poured upon me from it; I shed streams of tears, which
   cleanse my soul from sins, and bring peace and joy into my heart.

   The Devil is in the habit of attacking us when we are in straitened
   circumstances.

   If any thought is life to the heart, then it is truth; if, on the
   contrary, it is anguish and death to the heart, then it is a lie. Our
   Lord is peace and life, and He dwells in our hearts by peace and life.

   Ought not the Christian who looks for eternal peace and joy in heaven
   to courageously and joyfully bear all sorrows, labour, sicknesses and
   injustices, all sufferings, all unpleasantnesses? In truth he ought.
   Otherwise, what would be the meaning of future rest and peace? What
   peace and rest shall there be for him who has already had peace and
   rest here, without enduring anything? Where would God's justice be? "
   We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." [1320]

   The character of our earthly life is constant expectation of God's call
   from this life to the other. We are not our own; we are the servants of
   God, as the Church so rightly calls us; and servants ought to hourly
   await their Lord's call. He will knock, and you must go; "that they may
   open unto him immediately." [1321] But meanwhile how do we live! We
   have entirely forgotten that we are the servants of God; we think that
   we belong to ourselves, and order our lives not in accordance with
   God's commandments, but in accordance with our own will; we live as we
   like. And it is owing to this that our life is full of numberless sins.
   Look upon human life, and you will see that it is full of "vanity of
   vanities; all is vanity:" [1322] fashions, theatres, card-playing,
   dancing parties, masquerades, luxurious furniture, pictures, and so on.
   Everything for ourselves and nothing for our neighbour; he may go
   naked, or die from hunger and cold.

   Contempt for creation touches the Creator; therefore do not dare to
   speak the following words or any similar to them, "I dislike that man's
   face, though he may, perhaps, be a good man;" for this is diabolical
   hatred of God's creature and odiousness. Remember that every man is an
   image of God, and that all his glory is within him, in his heart. Man
   looks upon the face, whilst God looks upon the heart.

   Call to remembrance oftener that the evil lies in yourself and not in
   other people. By such a conviction, which is a perfectly true one, you
   will protect yourself from many sins and passions. Our greatest
   misfortune lies in the fact that we ascribe our own evil to another.

   God's saints are great merchants, who have enriched themselves with all
   spiritual treasures, with all virtues: meekness, humility, abstinence,
   patience, great faith, hope, and love. This is why we ask their holy
   prayers, as poor men of rich, that they may help us in our spiritual
   poverty; that they may teach us how to pray and to progress in all
   Christian virtues; that they, having boldness before God, may pray for
   the remission of our past sins and protect us from fresh ones. We go to
   earthly merchants in their shops to buy their merchandise: shall we not
   have recourse to the heavenly merchants with fervent prayer, as though
   with silver and gold? Shall we not purchase of them their intercession
   for us before God for the forgiveness of sins and the bestowal of
   various Christian virtues? It seems very natural to do so.

   Why should we thank God and good, charitable persons for everything ?
   Chiefly for our own profit, in order that the feelings of our soul
   should be more tender and finer; to cultivate the feeling of our
   dependence in all things from God and good men, and of grateful love
   towards them, as well as the feeling of our own nothingness without God
   and of our own impotency to live without the help of kind people.

   When reprimanding your subordinates for their faults, care fully
   restrain yourself from anger, irritation, and disturbance, and be
   gentle, full of love, dignified and quiet. If the subordinate you have
   to correct takes offence, gently observe to him that you have no
   intention of offending and irritating him, that you sincerely wish him
   well, and that he should be orderly in his work, and that it is not him
   that you are annoyed with, but the disorder that he occasions. Do not
   offend his pride and dignity by exalting yourself in his eyes and
   lowering him. If you have this weakness (pride) yourself, better leave
   the correction of another and first cure yourself: "First cast out the
   beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out
   the mote out of thy brother's eye." [1323] In the opposite case you
   will only irritate your brother, and not do him any moral good. Be
   gentle and indulgent to others when you hear of their faults,
   remembering that you, too, have similar or greater faults. You reprove
   another, for instance, for drunkenness; but if you drink yourself, or
   even if you do not drink, but indulge yourself with dainties, are given
   to gluttony, surfeiting, then you sin as much as he does. Correct
   yourself of your gluttony, and then you will be able to speak strongly
   against drunkenness in others. You accuse another of negligence in his
   service, but perhaps you yourself are also negligent. " Physician, heal
   thyself." [1324]

   Do not bear malice in your heart against anyone on account of anything;
   do not despise anyone for any reason. " Have fervent charity among
   yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins." [1325]

   If you meet with inattention or even disdain from strangers, do not be
   hurt or take offence at it, but say to yourself: "I am worthy of this.
   Glory to Thee, my Lord, that Thou hast granted unto me, an unworthy
   one, to receive dishonour from men like unto myself!" On your part
   always show love to all, especially to your relations, sincerely,
   zealously, heartily, loudly; not coldly and languidly, hypocritically,
   reluctantly, as if in a whisper.

   Do not eat to satiety, do not sleep to excess; labour zealously, pray
   with your whole heart; be entirely obedient to your parents and
   superiors; wish everyone well, be satisfied with all, and you will be
   satisfied with yourself, healthy and happy.

   The life of a Christian should be continual watchfulness over
   himself--that is, over his heart, because the invisible enemies are
   ready to devour us at every moment; every moment they boil with rage
   against us.

   You who during this present life so avoid sufferings for your body and
   sorrows for your soul; you who so cherish your flesh and make happy
   your soul--why do you not strive to avoid the eternal fire that is a
   thousand times more terrible than the earthly element of fire? Why do
   you not strive to avoid eternal sorrows? Poor creatures, turn and be
   converted. Truly, that fire will be unbearable.

   Is it only for the adornment of your dwelling, as a beautiful piece of
   furniture, as an ornament, that you hang up richly-painted icons in
   your house, without turning to them with the hearty faith, love, and
   reverence due to holy things? Ask your heart if it is so. Icons in
   houses or in the temple are not intended for show, but for prayer
   before them, for reverence, for instruction. The images of the saints
   ought to be our home and Church teachers. Read their lives, and engrave
   them upon your heart, and endeavour to bring your life into conformity
   with theirs.

   "Thou shalt love Thy neighbour as thyself." [1326] We ought to have all
   things in common. As the sun, the air, fire, water and earth are common
   to us all, so ought also (in part) food and drink, money, books, and
   (in general) all the Lord's gifts to be shared in common; for they are
   given in common to all, and yet are easily divisible for distribution
   amongst many. For we have nothing of our own, but everything belongs to
   God. And it is not just for the rich to keep their superfluity in their
   treasuries when there are so many poor people in need of the means of
   existence, of necessary clothing and dwellings. However, it is just
   that the laborious should enjoy abundance, and that the idle should
   endure poverty and misery. Therefore, if we know that some are poor
   only through their own idleness and laziness, with such we are not
   obliged to share the abundance earned by our labour. "If any would not
   work," says the Apostle Paul, "neither should he eat." [1327] But the
   crying poverty arising from old age, exhaustion, from sickness, from
   fruitless and badly-paid labour, from really difficult conditions of
   life, from a numerous family, from bad harvests, we must always hasten
   to help, especially those of us who are rich. We must be guided by the
   history of the times of the Apostles, by the example of the early
   Church.

   With the words in your heart "All things are possible to him that
   believeth," [1328] strive after everything good and praiseworthy.
   Whatever good work you have the intention of doing, always have faith.
   Preserve by every means simplicity of heart, simplicity of faith, hope
   and love, of meekness, humility and gentleness. Every good comes from
   God, and God is every good for us. This is the simplicity of faith,
   hope, and love.

   We ought to lay down our lives for the Lord and our neighbour, and not
   spare them; but meanwhile we grudge even food, drink, clothing,
   dwelling, money, books, and other things --this earthly dross. Our
   crafty and evil flesh seeks after the smallest pretext for self-love,
   greediness, and even grasping.

   What a beautiful, tranquillising, and safe thing it is to forgive the
   sins of those who trespass against us or offend us! As soon as we
   forgive we feel at peace. You were offended? What of it? It is right
   that your old carnal man should be afflicted--he who is self-loving,
   proud, irritable, envious, lazy, avaricious, and who so greatly offends
   God. It is well that it should be measured to him, even a little, as he
   measures unto God.

   It is not the sun that shines, it is the Lord Who shines, by His
   incomparable goodness, His unspeakable light. If He has given so much
   light to the sun, then certainly He Himself has infinitely more; if He
   has given so much light to the sun, then in the life to come He will
   certainly give incomparably more light to the righteous, and this sun
   is nothing in comparison to the reasonable human soul. Thus, if the
   material, created light shines so dazzlingly, then how will the
   primary, true, uncreated Light--God Himself--shine? There is an analogy
   between the material world (beginning with the sun, down to the
   smallest blade of grass) and the spiritual world.

   When your brother sins against you in any way--for instance, if he
   speaks ill of you, or transmits with an evil intention your words in a
   perverted form to another, or calumniates you--do not be angered
   against him, but seek to find in him those good qualities which
   undoubtedly exist in every man, and dwell lovingly on them, despising
   his evil calumnies concerning you as dross, not worth attention, as an
   illusion of the Devil. The gold-diggers do not pay attention to the
   quantity of sand and dirt in the gold-dust, but only look for the
   grains of gold; and though they are but few, they value this small
   quantity, and wash it out of heaps of * useless sand. God acts in a
   like manner with us, cleansing us with great and long forbearance.

   "He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin," is said of
   Christ, "that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." [1329]
   Will you be ashamed after this to acknowledge any of your sins,
   whatever they may be, or to take upon yourself the blame for sin which
   you have not committed? If the Son of God Himself was made guilty of
   sin, though He was sinless, then you, too, must accept blame for all
   sins with meekness and love (for you are really sinful of all sins),
   and accept blame humbly and submissively, even for those sins of which
   you are not guilty.

   Be bold, resolute in every good work, be especially generous in words
   of kindness, tenderness, sympathy, and still more so in works of
   compassion and mutual help. Consider despondency, despair in any good
   work, as an illusion. Say: " I can do all things through Christ Which
   strengtheneth me," [1330] though indeed I am the greatest of sinners. "
   All things are possible to him that believeth." [1331]

   It is necessary that the following words should be indelibly engraved
   upon our hearts, " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," [1332]
   and that these words should guide our heart upon meeting ?with anyone,
   at any time, whether he comes to us or we go to him; whether we have to
   do some work for him, or to give him anything, or simply to converse
   with him. Thus bear in your heart the words "love him as thyself," and
   carry on a perpetual mental war for the observance of these living
   words of our Lord. Force yourself to mutual love; intentionally trouble
   and disturb the worm of self-love and evil concealed within you;
   crucify it, and conquer it " by the power of the might" [1333] of our
   Lord Jesus Christ.

   When you pray for the repose of the soul of the departed, force
   yourself to pray with your whole heart, remembering that to do so is
   your essential duty, mid not only that of a priest or ecclesiastic.
   Represent to yourself how necessary repose is to the departed one, and
   how greatly he (or she) needs the prayers for him (or her) of the
   living, being a member of the one body of the Church; how the demons
   are contesting his (or her) soul from the angels, and how it trembles,
   not knowing what its eternal destiny will be. Our prayer of faith and
   love for the departed means much in the Lord's sight. Represent to
   yourself, further, how necessary rest is for you when you are bound by
   the fetters of sin, and how fervently, with what sincerity, ardour, and
   power you then pray to the Lord and to the Most-pure Mother of the
   Lord, and how you rejoice and triumph when, after your fervent prayer,
   you obtain the remission of your sins and peace of heart. Apply all
   this to the soul of the departed. His (or her) soul also needs
   prayer--your prayer now--because it cannot pray fruitfully any longer
   itself; the soul of the departed also requires the rest which you can
   implore for it by means of your ardent prayer, joined to works of
   charity for the benefit of that soul, and especially by the offering of
   the bloodless sacrifice on its behalf.

   Drunkards, adulterers, gluttons, thieves, disturbers, idlers,
   card-players, theatre-goers, dancers, idle speakers, scoffers! tell me:
   for what purpose was it that the Son of God came down from heaven,
   preached the Gospel of the kingdom, worked innumerable miracles,
   suffered on the cross, died and rose from the dead, and sent the
   Apostles into the world to preach the kingdom? Tell me, for what
   purpose was all this done? Was it that you should satiate yourself, get
   drunk, commit adultery, thieve, bear false witness, spend your time in
   idleness, in idle speaking, card-playing, in theatres, dancing, and
   gossip ? O, how dearly will you pay for your unevangelical life if you
   do not repent and amend!

   God's priests ought to be especially skilful in the art of overcoming
   evil with good, for they rest in the law of God and are acquainted with
   numberless examples of the goodness of God's saints--of Abraham, Isaac,
   Jacob, Noah, David, Moses, Samuel, and especially of the God-man, Jesus
   Christ Himself, Who is our purest image; the Apostles Peter, Paul,
   James, John, and others; the proto-martyr and first deacon Stephen, and
   others; besides which, they are often strengthened in the Sacrament of
   Holy Communion by the very Source of goodness, our Lord Jesus
   Christ--and teach others how "to overcome evil with good." [1334] From
   a priest, if he has not learned to be meek, humble, and kind, and to
   overcome evil with good, a stricter account will be required than from
   a layman; for the priest is raised up to heaven by God's sacraments,
   and has received great powers for piety. If, under these circumstances,
   he does not live piously, he dooms himself to eternal fire through his
   impenitence, negligence, and incorrigibleness. My Lord, forgive me my
   sins, and teach me to do Thy will. Priests ought not to be
   over-indulgent to sins and passions where it is necessary to uproot
   passions and bad habits. They must act boldly and firmly, without
   fearing the malice of others, and entirely despising it; although even
   on such occasions their actions should bear the character of gentleness
   and love, and of a sincere desire for their brother's amendment. If
   nothing takes effect upon him, then they must not heed his anger and
   ill-humour, but do their duty with firmness, without being disturbed by
   outbursts of malice. Peace is evil with sinners who put a bad
   construction upon every kind observation, every request, who only wish
   to see an aggression of malice in everything. Not being able to see the
   light themselves, they think others are blind too; being evil
   themselves, they do not wish to see any good in others.

   When anyone, out of kindness, praises you to others, and they transmit
   these praises to you, do not consider them as a just tribute of esteem
   really due to you, but ascribe them solely to the kindness of heart of
   the person who thus spoke of you, and pray to God for him, that God may
   strengthen him in his kindness of heart and in every virtue; but
   acknowledge yourself to be the greatest of sinners, not out of
   humility, but truthfully, actually, knowing as you do your evil deeds.

   May the infinite love and mercy of the Lord triumph, in consequence of
   our sincere recognition and confession of our sins; and may the sinful
   flattery of the Devil, teaching us to conceal our sins and not to
   acknowledge them, be covered with shame! May all the snares and bonds
   of the Devil be torn asunder by our repentance, like a cobweb! The
   Devil seeks that we should conceal our sins, and thus give ourselves up
   to them in secret still more and more easily; but let us even here
   destroy his snares and wiles; let us confess our sins, in order that we
   ourselves and all others may see to what abomination we are giving
   ourselves up or have given ourselves up, and that thus, by recognising
   this abomination, we may more easily amend. " Tell," it is said, " all
   thine iniquities," and do not be silent about them, "that thou mayest
   be justified."

   Say: "I have nothing of my own; all is God's." "Your own " is an
   illusion of your sinful flesh. "All things are common." Such ought to
   be the words of the regenerate man. "Neither said any of them that
   aught of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all
   things common." [1335] My Lord! it belongs to Thee to give me this
   also.

   Brethren! prepare yourselves for union with God. Give up earthly
   vanity. Apply yourselves to the great work of self-purification and
   self-improvement. Love to progress in faith and virtue, and not to
   progress in the things of this world. Even here on earth we prepare
   ourselves to see there in eternity the Maker of every visible and
   invisible creature, the Beauty of all.

   To my pupils. You are my children, for I have begotten you through the
   Gospel in Jesus Christ, my spiritual blood, for my teaching flows in
   your veins. I have given and give you to drink of the milk of the Word,
   as a mother from her breast. You are my children, and therefore you are
   ever in my heart, and I pray for you. You are my children because you
   are my spiritual children. You are my children because, as a priest, I
   am truly a father, and you yourselves call me father. " My children!"
   This word is very displeasing to the Devil, -who is the cause of
   dislike, malice, and hypocrisy; but I, God helping me, will not even
   for a moment obey him, and will not call you otherwise than my
   children; for you are my children by faith, by the Church of God, and
   by the instruction and fatherly guidance you receive from me. One can
   only truly call others' children " my children" by the Holy Spirit, by
   the Spirit of truth and love.

   When you are expecting powerful temptations from the enemy, arm
   yourself with all the armour of God, with faith, hope, and love. Keep
   in your heart the words " All things are possible to him that
   believeth," [1336] and "abound in hope, through the power of the Holy
   Ghost." [1337] Say: " I do not doubt in, and do not despair of,
   anything good, although you, mine enemy, endeavour to sow both doubt
   and despair in me in regard to everything good, and especially in
   regard to the highest good, love. The God of Love Himself is with me,
   the God Whose children we all are. 1, unworthy as I am, bear the image
   of this very Father." "Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me."
   [1338]

   To those who do not read the Gospel. Are you pure, holy, and perfect
   without reading the Gospel, and is it not needful for you to look in
   this mirror? Or is it that your soul is so deformed that you are afraid
   of seeing your deformity? "They looked unto Him, and were lightened:
   and their faces were not ashamed." [1339]

   Do not be anxious about money; if you really need it, then God will
   send it to you, as He did the manna or quails to the Israelites. "The
   earth is the Lord's, and all that therein is: the compass of the world,
   and they that dwell therein." [1340] First seek the kingdom of God, the
   salvation of men, their strengthening in faith, the amendment of their
   lives; strengthen yourself in faith, cleanse your heart,
   conscientiously fulfil your calling, carefully perform your duties, and
   everything else, such as money, food, clothing, etc., shall be added to
   you.

   O Holy Trinity, our God! incomplex Being, Who hath created our soul
   also after Thine image, grant that we may have life and peace in Thee!
   O Holy Trinity, our Nourisher and Hope! grant that we may ever put our
   trust in Thee alone, and ever find life and peace in Thee alone! Thou
   carriest us all, like a mother, in Thine arms, and feedest us all from
   Thy hands, like the most tender mother! Thou never forgettest us, and
   wilt never forget us, for Thou Thyself hast said: "Can a woman forget
   her sucking child? . . . . yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget
   thee;" [1341] that is, "I will not cease to feed, preserve, protect,
   deliver, and save thee." Also Thou Thyself hast said: "I will never
   leave thee nor forsake thee." [1342] Why, then, are we anxious about
   our food ? Why are we so greedy ] Why do we surfeit and delight
   ourselves with dainties? Why do we grudge to share with our neighbour?
   O impiety! O blindness! O filthy self-love! O want of love for God and
   our neighbour! For God dwells in the person of our neighbour, and
   therefore we grudge His own gifts to God Himself. Remember how
   generously the spirit-bearing Prophet Elisha rewarded the Shunamite
   woman who received him in her house and entertained him in the
   simplicity of her heart! He implored God to give her a son, and
   afterwards, when this son died, he raised him from the dead.

   Vain is our life--that is, vainly and for nothing, uselessly, to no
   purpose are the days of our lives, lost for eternity; we only care
   about earthly, worldly things, and think but little of eternity. We do
   not represent to ourselves the future terrible judgment, future
   torment, and future endless bliss. We all live in a kind of spiritual
   mist; the flesh and passions have overpowered us, whilst the spirit is
   oppressed, crushed, stifled. But "behold! the Bridegroom" of our souls
   "cometh in the middle of the night, and blessed is that servant whom He
   shall find watchful; but unworthy is he whom He shall find cast down "
   by worldly cares. "Beware then, my soul, lest thou be weighed down by
   sleep, lest thou be given over to death, and be shut out from the
   kingdom; but arise, and cry: 'Holy, holy, holy, art Thou, O God!
   Through the Mother of God have mercy upon us'" [1343]

   Believe that the prayer even of one friend of God, especially a priest
   of God, who lives a holy life, can work wonders upon a considerable
   part of nature, as the prayers of the prophets Moses, Elijah, and
   others. Therefore, live in a manner pleasing to God, especially you who
   are priests of God; be holy, pure, meek, humble, merciful, temperate,
   laborious, patient, and your prayer shall always penetrate the heavens,
   and shall be heard and fulfilled. Always pray with your whole heart,
   and, above all, with a pure heart. " There was given unto the angel
   much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints
   upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the
   incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before
   God out of the angel's hand." [1344] And to you also this incense is
   given. The censer with the incense ought always to remind you of
   this--that is, of how easily your prayer for yourself, and "for the
   errors of the people" [1345] and their iniquities, ascends to God and
   is accepted by Him.

   You glorify God by your words, but you do not glorify Him by your
   deeds. Glorify God above all by your deeds, by temperance,
   laboriousness, love, mercy, humility, and patience. Do not doubt in any
   truth: " O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt ?" [1346]
   Woe unto us for our doubt and presumption!

   The sacrament of unction with holy oil is spiritual honey, life-giving
   drink. What a wealth of hope! What prayers! It is an abstract of the
   whole Gospel.

   How little men really require, and how abundantly the Lord bestows His
   gifts upon us in order that we may supply our brethren with food and
   drink! We only give away a ladleful from the river, and even this is
   God's and not ours. And yet we are avaricious, stingy; we grudge every
   penny, and grow anxious, as though we were threatened with the loss of
   our life itself. O, how wanting Christians are! O, vain, blind trust in
   food and drink! O, wiles of the flesh! O, want of Christian simplicity!

   "He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood dwelleth in Me and I in
   him." [1347] As an infant carried in its mother's bosom lives wholly by
   her, so also the Christian communicating of the Body and Blood of
   Christ dwells in Christ, like an infant in its mother's bosom, and
   lives wholly by Christ. " As I live by the Father, so he that eateth
   Me, even he shall live by Me." [1348] In what, then, do you trust
   besides your Christ, communicant of God's Mysteries, and especially you
   who are a priest? To what do you cleave ? In what do you seek your
   life? Is it in money, which made Judas hang himself ? Is it in food and
   drink? But your incorruptible food is the Body of Christ, of which you
   so often partake. "Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none on
   earth that I desire in comparison of Thee . . . God is the strength of
   my heart, and my portion for ever." [1349]

   The malice of the enemy. The more piously a man lives, the more the
   Devil forces men to anger against him, as was the case with Saul
   against the pious David. The more holy a person is, the more such an
   one is blasphemed, as, for instance, the Holy Virgin, Who is more
   honourable than the cherubim, and incomparably more glorious than the
   seraphim. The Devil incites us to exalt ourselves before simple-hearted
   persons, and to despise the simplicity of their faith and the very
   objects of their faith and reverent worship.

   The Word of God says, "Be not drunk with wine "; [1350] whilst you
   builders of public-houses say, " Get drunk with wine," and have built
   thousands of public-houses to tempt your brethren. And yet you go to
   church and pray in your homes. "They flatter with their tongues.
   Destroy Thou them, O God; let them perish through their own
   imaginations; cast them out in the multitude of their ungodliness; for
   they have rebelled against Thee." [1351]

   The Lord is everything good for me and in me; I myself am a moral
   nothingness and chiefly evil, as my Lord says: "Without Me ye can do
   nothing." [1352] This the Lord says even to every saint. But if the
   Lord is every good for me and in me, then He is the same also in
   relation to the saints, for they are also men like unto me. For
   instance, the saints pray for us by the grace bestowed upon them by God
   (Revelation v. 8; viii. 3, 4). Had the Lord not given them grace to
   pray for us, they could not have done so.

   Undoubting faith, undoubting hope, undoubting love. Implant these words
   in your heart, and show them in your life.

   In this world be one with others in mutual love and service; then not
   only the angels and saints will be one with you, but even God Himself,
   here, and still more there in the future world, when God shall "be all
   in all." [1353] Strive, man, by every means to attain to such union,
   avoiding any spiritual separation through self-love, pride, envy,
   covetousness, doubt, and little faith--that they "all may be one, as
   Thou, Father, art in Me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in
   Us." [1354] Union is God; separation is the Devil. The separation of
   the Churches was the work of the Devil; heresies, dissent, are the work
   of the Devil.

   If you greedily eat and drink much, then you will be flesh; whilst if
   you fast and pray, then you will be spirit. "Be not drunk with wine,
   wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit." [1355] Fast and
   pray, and you shall accomplish great things. The satiated man is
   incapable of great works. Have simplicity of faith, and you shall
   accomplish great things; " for all things are possible to him that
   believeth." [1356] Be watchful and zealous, and you shall do great
   things.

   If "joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth," [1357] then
   what a joyful time for God's good angels our great Lent must be, and
   particularly the days of penitence and communion-- the Fridays and
   Saturdays! And how greatly priests contribute to this their joy by
   carefully, paternally confessing their spiritual children! But, on the
   other hand, there is no more grievous time for the demons than the
   season of Lent; and therefore they rage more furiously and attack
   priests, who help God's people to sincerely repent of their sins, with
   special cruelty, and are especially powerful, both in church and at
   home, in chilling the hearts of the pious Christians who are zealous in
   prayer, fasting, and penitence. What pious priest and layman does not
   know of the demoniacal fury attacking them even during the very
   performance of the sacrament of penitence? The least negligence on the
   part of the confessing priest, the smallest unrighteous movement of the
   heart, and the devils enter into the heart of the priest with all their
   demoniacal ferocity, and torment him for a long, long while, if he does
   not immediately drive out these uninvited guests by the most fervent
   prayer of repentance and lively faith.

   Moses' fast was for the intemperance of the Israelites. The sufferings
   of the saints were for our effeminacy; their fasts and privations for
   our intemperance and luxury; their fervent prayers are for us who are
   so slothful in prayer. The fast of our Lord Jesus Christ was for our
   intemperance. His hands were stretched out on the cross for our hands
   stretched out towards the forbidden tree and to everything forbidden by
   the commandments of God. Our prayers are imputed to others for the
   justification of those for whom we pray, also our exploits and virtues
   on behalf of others, as, for instance, our prayers for the departed and
   living and our alms to the poor. Thus the prayers and tears of the
   mother of Augustine for her son saved Augustine.

   At confession do not spare yourself, do not hurry, do not grow agitated
   and angry with your spiritual children who come to you. Say to
   yourself: "It is my pleasure to confess my spiritual children in
   detail; they are the sheep of my Lord. I thus offer the most pleasing
   sacrifice to my Lord, Who laid down His own life for us, and afford
   great profit to my spiritual children themselves, as well as to myself,
   by willingly fulfilling my important duty, and thus obtain peace of
   conscience."

   Why did not the Almighty create the world at once, but in six days? In
   order to teach man, by deeds, to perform his work gradually, not
   hurriedly, but with consideration. If you pray, pray without hurrying;
   if you read the Gospel or, in general, any religious or worldly books,
   do not read them hurriedly, but read with consideration and with a true
   view of the matter. If you are learning a lesson, do not hurry to
   finish it quickly, but penetrate into the subject deeply and consider
   it well. If you are doing any other work, do it without hurrying, with
   consideration, quietly. Even the world was not created instantaneously,
   but in six days. The Lord shows us an example in everything; let us
   follow in His steps.

   The characteristics of the men of the second half of the present
   nineteenth century are:--self-worship, self-government (autonomy),
   materialism in life, and spiritual scepticism (incredulity).

   I promised you the angelic life, Abraham's bosom, to shine forth like
   the sun, but you have set at nought My promises, the words of My mouth,
   in which there was never any falsehood.

   Why is it that "Every idle word that men shall speak they shall give
   account thereof in the day of judgment"? [1358] Because every idle word
   brings harm both to the soul of the man who speaks idly and to those
   who listen to such idle speaking; for it withdraws them from God the
   Word, Who is incomplex. This is why, during Lent, we ask the Lord that
   our hearing may not be tempted by idle speaking: "Give me not the
   spirit of vain speaking." [1359]

   Bear with humble submission to the will of God every sorrow, every
   sickness and infirmity, every labour, every offence and disappointment,
   saying: "Thy Will be done," [1360] knowing that God's mercy orders
   everything for your good, and that the Lord can easily change every
   disappointment into happiness and joy.

   Health and the belly, these are the two idols--especially with men of
   the present age, of whom I myself, a great sinner, am one--for which we
   live, and which we continually serve, even to the neglect of the duties
   of our Christian calling--for instance, to the neglect of the reading
   of the Word of God, which is sweeter than honey and honey-comb; to the
   neglect of prayer, that sweetest converse with God, and of the
   preaching of the Word of God. To walk a great deal for health, and to
   incite the appetite, to eat with appetite --such are the objects of the
   desires and aspirations of many of us. But through our frequent walks,
   through our fondness for food and drink, we shall find that one thing
   has been neglected, and another irrevocably missed, whilst others have
   not even entered into our minds; for can the time after a good dinner
   or supper be really a good time for any serious work! Even if we would
   like to occupy ourselves with work, the belly, full of food and drink,
   draws us away from it, and constrains us to rest, so that we begin to
   slumber over our work. What sort of work can it be? Indeed, there is
   nothing left, if it is after dinner, but to lie down and rest, and if
   it is after supper, after having prayed somehow or other (for a
   satiated man cannot even pray as he should), to go to bed and
   sleep--the miserable consequence of an overloaded stomach--until the
   next morning. And in the morning there is another sacrifice to your
   belly ready in the shape of a dainty breakfast. You get up, pray, of
   course not with your whole heart--since with our whole heart we can
   only eat and drink, walk, read novels, go to theatres, dance at evening
   parties, dress elegantly--and thus you pray, out of habit, carelessly,
   to save appearances, only as a form, without the essence of the prayer,
   without lively faith, without power, without any fervour in your
   petitions, praises, and thanks to the Lord God for His uncountable
   mercies, and then you hurry again to food and drink. At last, when you
   have eaten and drunk so much that now, scarcely able to move, you are
   ready to begin work, if it really is work, and not rather inactivity
   --such, for instance, as trading with some worldly vanities,
   accompanied by an abundance of swearing, lying, and cheating. In such
   or a similar way, with many and many of us, our present life passes
   away, and our days consume in vanity, [1361] whilst we care little for
   that which is the most important matter on earth--the salvation of our
   soul. Thus our life is spent mainly in the worship of two brittle
   idols--health and the belly--and then dress; so much so that many, by
   worshipping fashion, sacrifice even their health and food, thus going
   to the other extreme. Furthermore, people worship money, this great
   god, the Jupiter of our age; for the sake of this idol many sacrifice
   their health, spending sleepless nights for its sake, swearing falsely
   for it, violating the laws of friendship for it, becoming cold to their
   relatives through it, all with the one purpose of accumulating as much
   money as they possibly can. There are money-lovers who, if it were
   possible, would turn everything into money, and would live by it, like
   Judas Iscariot, who wished to turn into money even the precious
   ointment with which the pious woman who loved her Lord with her whole
   soul anointed His feet, and then wiped them with her hair. Christian!
   it is not for your health, belly, dress, and money that you must care;
   you must strive after love for God and your neighbour, for these are
   God's two greatest commandments. " He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in
   God and God in him." [1362]

   "All things are possible to him that believeth," because he who
   believes is one spirit with the Lord. If everything is possible to the
   believer who lives on earth, though he is°not quite perfect, then still
   more is it so to him who dwells in heaven in close union with God, and
   who is most perfect. To the saints God is everything, so that the
   saints are truly gods. "I [God Himself, Whose word is truth] have said:
   Ye are gods." [1363]

   Watch every movement of your heart; consider whether it is pleasing to
   the Holy Trinity, or if it is not, on the contrary, the will of your
   old passionate man.

   The work of the Lord's hands--the visible and invisible
   world--testifies to the existence of the Lord of His wisdom mercy,
   omnipotence. This is why we often hear sung in church the words: "O,
   all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord." [1364] How, then, can
   some deny the Lord, not seeing Him in His works?

   Believe and always steadfastly remember that in whatever place you
   appear with the Lord's cross--either at a thanksgiving service or upon
   any other occasion--it always sanctifies the air and all who touch it.

   Believe also that during the time of all prayers, thanksgivings, church
   services, and above all during the Liturgy, the Lord most speedily
   bestows His blessings in accordance with your prayer, or that of other
   priests, upon all those who pray sincerely, and pardons them by His
   Divine Royal mercy. If ye then "being evil know how to give good things
   unto your children, how much more shall your Father, which is in
   Heaven, give good things to them that ask Him." [1365]

   The priests praying on earth for men are the sign and testimony of the
   heavenly Church praying for us in Heaven, and of the Mediator Christ
   God Himself. The Saints are kinder than we think, and more speedily
   than we think they come to our help, in accordance with our prayer.

   Unwillingly, faint-heartedly, with murmurings and blasphemy against the
   Lord, we bear the cruel afflictions of our heart, not seeing the profit
   which should be derived from patiently and submissively bearing them.
   We do not wish to see that our heart has waxed gross and has become
   infected by various passions; that it is proud, adulterous, malicious,
   and cunning, and cleaves to earthly things; and that it cannot be
   cleansed and made humble, and become good and submissive to God
   otherwise than by cruel fiery afflictions and great oppression.

   Strengthen me, my God; fortify me, my God; help me, my God! "Save now,
   I beseech Thee, O Lord; O Lord, I beseech Thee, send now prosperity."
   [1366]

   You care for the opinion of men, for human glory; set yourself actively
   to heal this infirmity of your heart. Think and be anxious only for the
   glory of God. Consider human dishonour as nothing. When you ought to
   honour a poor or uneducated and rough father, or mother, or relation,
   or friend, or acquaintance before distinguished and educated men of
   this world, or to defend any truth in an assembly that scoffs at it,
   then have in view God alone and His commandments, also your parents, or
   the relation, friend, or acquaintance, and God's truth, and be
   steadfast in your respect for them, without cowardice and shame,
   without being in the least shamed by those present or by your
   questioners.

   Concerning trust in God's providence. " Can a woman" (a mother) "
   forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the
   son of her womb ? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee,"
   [1367] says the Lord. And who could be more tender and careful than a
   mother of her children? What woman will forget to feed the children of
   her womb ? But let us even admit that mothers who forsake their
   children may be found; "But I," says the Lord, "am not like such carnal
   mothers, and will not forget nor forsake you." What trust, what hope,
   the Lord Himself inspires in us by these words, in His Providence con-
   tinually caring for us and never forsaking any one of us! You are
   sometimes anxious about what you shall eat and drink, and how you shall
   be clothed; you greatly afflict your heart if you part grudgingly,
   sorrowfully with your money, when it is necessary to give to another,
   although you have plenty left, and you thus show that you put your
   trust and hope in earthly dross. But why are you anxious? Why do you
   cling to dross? Cling to the heavenly Father; He will not forget you,
   and will not forsake you. Let the dross forsake you; you will only feel
   easier without it; for the more money you have, the greater the
   quantity of this dross that adheres to your heart, the more will your
   heart which is not earthly be afflicted. There is a saying amongst men
   that money is no hindrance, however much of it we may have. This is
   untrue. It greatly hinders our soul from rising upwards, or from
   meditating upon our heavenly country, and the more we have of it the
   more it drags our soul down to earth, inciting us to occupy ourselves
   with various earthly devices, such as buildings, rich furniture in our
   houses, rich clothes, luxurious viands and drinks, and thus depriving
   our soul of holy zeal and precious time, during which it ought to be
   earning future bliss for itself.

   The human soul dwells in its body as in a small world. As in olden
   time, for the iniquities spread over the earth, the Lord, from the
   midst of the world itself, sent punishment upon men, and the waters,
   which previously stood in their appointed places, came out from them
   and flooded the whole earth, so, likewise, for the punishment of each
   individual man for his sins, He sends punishment from within the man
   himself, commanding the streams of blood or water (haemorrhage, dropsy)
   to rush out from their appointed places and to flood the little world
   of the human body. The Master's punishment is ready for us at every
   moment; our own body and soul conceal in themselves a multitude of
   chastisements for those who transgress the commandments of God, the
   Creator and Judge of all. Thus God punishes us for our sins through
   ourselves; to chastisements of this kind afflictions and sicknesses
   also belong. " Wherewithal a man sinneth, by the same also shall he be
   punished." [1368]

   When you pray to the Lord, look with your spiritual eyes into yourself,
   into your soul. The Lord is there, in your thoughts, and in the right
   movements of your heart, as He is also outside you and in every place.
   "The Word" (the Lord) " is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy
   heart" [1369] --that is, not in Heaven only, nor in the deep.

   Idle talk, or amusement with trifles in the society of guests, deprives
   the heart of faith, of the fear of God, and of love for God. Guests are
   a scourge for a pious heart. Of course, it is understood that I refer
   to guests who only occupy themselves with trifles. Serious,
   religiously-minded guests are very different.

   Satiety drives away faith and the fear of God from the heart. A
   satiated man does not feel the presence of God in his heart; heartfelt,
   fervent prayer is far from him.

   You have built yourself a house, or renovated your rooms, with the view
   of living more comfortably and spaciously, cleaner, lighter, and more
   cheerfully; you have become rich, or at any rate, well-to-do; all the
   surroundings of your life are beautiful, and fill your soul with joy.
   It would seem that it only remains for you to live in peace and
   rejoice. But no; as soon as you begin to enjoy the fruits of your
   earthly cares, a hitherto unforeseen source of sorrow reveals itself in
   your soul, and this sorrow strikes you powerfully, suddenly depriving
   you of your peace of heart and of the comfort you so longed for. You
   cease to be interested in anything; nothing seems to exist for you--you
   feel overburdened by grievous sorrow and deadly anguish. What does this
   mean? What malicious, envious power falls upon us as soon as we begin
   to live for our own gratification? Why does our soul begin to grieve
   and be afflicted at the very time when, in our opinion, it should
   rejoice? Listen to me, disciple of Christ. You thought to live upon
   earth in peace and pleasure, when the earthly path must be a most
   sorrowful and narrow one; you thought to find tranquillity and pleasure
   in corruptible things and not in Christ, Who alone is the rest and
   eternal blessedness of our souls; and the Lord--not wishing that we
   should live here in peace and plenty, and thus forget the one thing
   needful, the salvation of our soul and our heavenly country, but
   desiring that we should seek our rest and blessedness in Him
   alone--allows the Devil, God's enemy and yours, to tempt you, to strike
   your soul with sorrow and affliction at the time when all your
   surroundings invite you to joy, comfort, and rest. You thus learn by
   experience that every earthly enjoyment means vanity and vexation of
   spirit, and that without God, in spite of all comforts tending to an
   outwardly happy life, we are but poor, miserable creatures; that to
   have Christ in our hearts is to possess a rich, beautiful, bright
   dwelling-place, every adornment, peace, and comfort; and thus bear your
   sorrow patiently, and steadfastly learn, with your whole heart, the
   lesson which the Lord teaches you through your affliction. Do not grow
   faint-hearted and do not despair in God's mercy. " A little affliction
   and then joy shall shine again. For the Lord is most merciful, and
   remembers that we are dust, that the days of a man are as grass, that
   he only flourishes like the flower of the field, which when the wind
   goeth over it is gone." [1370] "And the Lord will not suffer us to be
   tempted above that we are able, but with the temptation will give us
   abundance of power, so that we may be able to bear it." [1371]

   Believe heartily that everything that is touched by the life-giving
   Spirit of God, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped
   and glorified, can be quickened and spiritualised (for instance, He can
   spiritualise earth, wheat, bread, wood, and stone). Thus He creates
   from the bread and wine the most pure Body and most pure Blood of our
   Lord Jesus Christ, ever existing with the Father and the Holy Ghost. As
   the Spirit is single, not complex, all-perfect, He, like thought,
   enters into a man, or into anything He pleases, in an instant, and even
   more rapidly. And there is no thing or atom too small for Him: for Him
   both the infinitely great and the infinitely small in creation, are
   equally null.

   During the life of the Christian there are hours of inconsolable sorrow
   and sickness, when it seems that the Lord has completely abandoned and
   forsaken him, for there is not the least feeling of God's presence in
   the soul. Such hours are the hours of the temptation of the faith,
   hope, love, and patience of the Christian. "But better times shall soon
   come for him, and He shall send Jesus Christ, Which before was preached
   unto you." [1372] Soon the Lord will again rejoice him, so let him not
   fall under temptation.

   On great festivals our envious enemy, the Devil, offends, afflicts, and
   casts us into extreme despondency, either by means of some bodily
   sickness, vexation and oppression of the spirit, or by means of his
   spiritual fiery arrows, or by striking us with extreme insensibility
   and coldness. It will soon become clear to you that the enemy was using
   his craft against you, and that the cause of your affliction and
   sickness was not a natural, gloomy state of mind.

   The more the outward prosperity of a pious man increases the more
   furiously Satan rages against him, and fights against him by
   temptations (wiles), as he did against Job. Therefore, you who love
   God, when the prosperity of your house increases you must expect to
   meet with violent attacks from Satan; he will fall upon one or the
   other member of your family and torment him.

   During prayer, do not allow the flesh and the enemy, acting through it,
   to conquer you; speak the truth from your heart, and use no deceit in
   your tongue. [1373] Think and feel what you say in the prayer, and do
   not let there be honey on your tongue and ice in your heart. Once you
   are conquered by the enemy, you will have to defend yourself and your
   freedom against him, as a piece of ground already conquered by the
   enemy, and your heart will withdraw itself from the Lord. Do not
   neglect anything in the spiritual life; do not consider anything
   unimportant, unworthy of great attention: it is through little sins
   that the Devil leads us to great ones. Above all, endeavour to be
   always truthful in your heart. When it is most difficult to fight
   against the flesh, then is the time to show your firmness, then is the
   time not to grow weak in the conflict, but to fight like a good soldier
   of Christ.

   When you feel in your heart that the Lord "makes as though He would go
   further" from your heart, from your thoughts, then constrain Him, the
   Merciful One, saying sincerely: "Abide with me: for it is toward
   evening and the day" of my spiritual life "is far spent; and He shall
   come in to tarry with thee" [1374] ; for He is merciful, and lets
   Himself be constrained.

   Do not sit down to table with a spirit disturbed by any passion, lest
   the enemy turn your food and drink to your harm, and not to your
   health; for he uses his craft through everything, and ever seeks to
   injure man. Always sit down to table in peace, thanking the Lord, and
   the food and drink will be for your good and health, because the
   blessing of God will rest both on the food and on you yourself.

   "Whosoever will save his life shall lose it " [1375] --that is,
   whosoever wishes to save his old, carnal, sinful man, shall lose his
   life: for the true life consists in crucifying and mortifying the old
   man, together with his deeds, and putting on "the new man, which is
   renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him." [1376]
   Without the mortification of the old, carnal man, there is no true life
   or eternal blessedness. The more complete and more poignant the
   mortification of the old man is, the more perfect will his renovation
   and regeneration be, the higher his cleansing, the more perfect his
   life, and the greater his bliss in the future world. Mortify yourself,
   and you shall obtain new life. Ah! I myself feel that when I am in
   perfect health, and do not keep under my body by labours, I die in
   spirit, the kingdom of God is no longer in me, and my flesh and the
   Devil overpower me.

   Do not ascribe weakness to the omnipotent power of the Lord's cross,
   and still less to the holy, life-giving Mysteries of the Body and Blood
   of our Lord Jesus Christ because of the weakness of your own heart in
   faith. They are ever the one same life-giving Power; for they are
   Christ Himself, the eternal Power, That creates everything, That keeps
   everything and vivifies everything. The cross is likewise always
   omnipotent by the power of Him Who was crucified upon it, is always
   life-giving for the sake of the Life That hung upon it.

   Let all carnal sweetness be as bitterness to you; carnal loss, as gain;
   that which is precious, as cheap; that which is wholesome and
   nourishing, as unwholesome and not nourishing, because it can easily be
   unwholesome and harmful to your soul. Let your only sweetness be
   Christ, your one hope He That created all things from nothing.

   O that we might all land happily on the shores of the heavenly country!

   "They straightway left their nets and followed Him." [1377] The
   Apostles did not grudge leaving their nets for the Lord's sake,
   although they were perhaps their only property, and precious to them
   because they lived by them; and we, likewise, for the Lord's sake,
   ought to leave everything that hinders our following Him--that is, all
   the many and various nets in which the enemy entangles us in this life.
   But it is but little only to leave these nets; we must follow Christ,
   as the Apostles left all and followed Him. And he Who wishes to follow
   Christ and to come there where He went must deny himself and take up
   his cross, [1378] like Christ and the Apostles, and follow after Him,
   Christ our God, in accordance with His commandments, not sparing
   himself in great deeds for the glory of God and the salvation of his
   soul. Applying this Gospel story about leaving the nets to ourselves,
   we involuntarily represent to ourselves everything earthly, beginning
   with our body and ending with the last thing that occupies as a net
   that can easily be torn.

   It is impossible not to wonder at the simple-heartedness and
   indifference to earthly blessings of the Galilean fishermen, and at
   their absolute obedience to the voice of the Lord. A few words of the
   Saviour were enough; they left their nets, their sole wealth, their
   greatest treasure, and followed Him, without reasoning why and
   wherefore they went. What simplicity of heart! What detachment from
   earthly blessings! What childlike obedience! How easy is the access of
   the word of the Divine Messiah to simple hearts! It is spoken--and
   done! There are many such simple people living in labour and low
   estate, but there are no such men amongst the rich. What do we see in
   one of them when the Lord told him to sell his possessions and follow
   Him? He followed not the Lord, but his riches. " He went away," it is
   said, " sorrowful." [1379]

   It is well to place candles before the icons. But it is still better if
   you bring as a sacrifice to God the lire of your love for Him and your
   neighbour. It is well that the one should be accompanied by the other.
   But if you place candles before the icons and have no love for God and
   your neighbour in your heart, if you are avaricious, if you do not live
   in peace with others--then your sacrifice to God is in vain.

   Do not be disturbed at the malice of others, but always triumph over it
   by the elevation of your spirit; let it bend and fall down before you
   in the dust, and not you before it. Any evil is in itself a fall;
   whilst virtue, though it may be mocked at, always stands upon an
   eminence--provided it does not fall itself through being conquered by
   evil.

   When there is any unpleasant or unhealthy odour in the air we endeavour
   to get away from this unhealthy part, or to somehow destroy the
   unhealthy elements which have entered into the pure air. Similarly when
   you feel in your heart anything disturbing or oppressing it, endeavour
   to immediately drive away the injurious element disturbing your
   soul--the passions, for instance--knowing that it comes from the abyss
   of hell. There is a great analogy between the bodily and spiritual
   lives, and the wise Christian possesses as cultivated and refined
   spiritual feelings as the carnal man bodily ones. Besides, it is absurd
   to cultivate bodily feelings in every way, and to leave spiritual ones
   neglected. The spiritual feelings or organs are concentrated in the
   heart. It is necessary to refine and cleanse it by every means, in
   order that it should turn away from the least evil odour of sins and
   passions, and instantly banish them from itself.

   Do not be afraid of human talk and mockery about yourself. This is
   diabolical fear; think of what the Lord God says of you, what the
   angels and saints say of you.

   In your relations and intercourse with men, keep in your heart the word
   "love," and, being attentive to it, converse with all with hearty love
   and goodwill. Never let this precious word out of your heart in your
   intercourse with men; it powerfully assists the strengthening of your
   heart in love. Of course it is necessary to bear this word in your
   heart not separately, not by itself, but together with hearty faith in
   the Lord Jesus Christ.

   You, sinner, who have fallen into the depths of evil, when you
   represent to yourself the multitude of your sins and fall into despair
   and hardness of heart, remember that the heavenly Father sent His only
   begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, into the world for your salvation
   from sins and from eternal condemnation for them. Turn then with faith
   to this Mediator before God for men, imploring Him from the depths of
   your soul to wash away by His all-cleansing Blood, shed for us on the
   cross, your iniquities too; turn zealously to repentance, confessing
   your sins before His priest as before Himself, that you may be
   justified, after which, if the minister of the sacrament of penitence
   finds you prepared and fit, draw nigh to the holy cup and you shall be
   cleansed of your sins: peace shall flow into your soul like a river,
   and you shall be the son of the heavenly Father, "who was dead and is
   alive again, and was lost and is found." [1380]

   Do not be irritated with him who bears malice against you and often
   wounds you by finding fault with yon, but be compassionate to him, love
   him, saying: It is not he or she that is so full of malice against me,
   but it is the Devil who rages against me through them, and they
   themselves, poor creatures, are only tempted by him. As soon as this
   temptation ceases they will be kind again. We are all often worthy of
   pity as the tools of the bodiless enemy. We must pity mankind, so
   violently persecuted by the enemy.

   There is sometimes such hardened unfeelingness in the soul that you do
   not perceive and do not feel your sins. You do not fear either death or
   the Judge, or the terrible judgment-seat; you do not care a jot, as the
   saying is, about anything spiritual. O cunning, proud, evil flesh! It
   is not without reason that even the saints complain: " I am overcome by
   the slumber of sloth, and the sleep of sin oppresses my heart. Avail
   thyself, my soul, of the time for repentance; shake off the heavy sleep
   of sloth, and hasten to watch." Sometimes your soul is filled with such
   terrible slothfulness and hardened unfeelingness that you completely
   despair of being able to drive away this slothfulness and
   unfeelingness. It seems as if bodily sickness would be preferable to
   such spiritual slothfulness.

   "Thy will be done." For instance, when you wish and by every means
   endeavour to be well and healthy, and yet remain ill, then say: "Thy
   will be done." When you undertake something and your undertaking does
   not succeed, say: " Thy will be done." When you do good to others, and
   they repay you by evil, say: "Thy will be done." Or when you would like
   to sleep and are overtaken by sleeplessness, say: " Thy will be done."
   In general, do not become irritated when anything is not done in
   accordance with your will, but learn to submit in everything to the
   Will of the Heavenly Father. You would like not to experience any
   temptations, and yet the enemy daily harasses you by them; provokes and
   annoys you by every means. Do not become irritated and angered, but
   say: "Thy will be done."

   Everything, the merest trifles, even the smoke of a candle blowing on
   him, irritates and angers the impatient man, because he is very
   self-loving, and cares much for the welfare and comfort of his carnal
   man, which he ought oftener to crucify in different ways. When the soul
   is sullied by sins and passions, seeing this, he does not see; knowing
   it, he does not know; feeling it, he as though does not feel; but, as
   soon as the face of the same man is sullied by smoke, however little,
   he at once notices it, and begins to pity himself, though there is
   nothing for him to trouble about, for the smoke does not strike, does
   not sting, does not vex, but only blows in the face like a light
   breeze.

   If you wish to live long on the earth, do not hurry to live in a carnal
   manner, to satiate yourself, to get drunk, to smoke, to commit
   fornication, to live in luxury, to indulge yourself. The carnal way of
   life constitutes death, and therefore, in the Holy Scripture, our flesh
   is called mortal, or, " the old man, which is corrupt according to the
   deceitful lusts." [1381] If you wish to live long, live through the
   spirit; for life consists in the spirit: "If ye through the spirit do
   mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live," [1382] both here on
   earth and there in heaven. Observe temperance and simplicity in food
   and drink; preserve chastity; do not foolishly squander the balsam of
   your life; do not seek after riches, after luxury; strive to be
   contented with little; keep peace with all, and do not envy
   anyone--respect and love all; and, above all, strive ever to bear
   Christ in your heart, and you shall live in peace and felicity for many
   years.

   My brothers and sisters who are zealous after piety! it may happen to
   you to hear, perhaps not seldom, and mostly from the members of your
   household, that you are a disagreeable, intolerable person. You will
   meet with serious dislike, enmity, on account of your piety, although
   those who are inimical to you would not acknowledge that their enmity
   is directed against you on account of your piety. Do not be disturbed
   at this, do not fall into despair; because the Devil can in reality
   exaggerate to an enormous extent some of your infirmities, from which
   you, being human, are not exempt; but remember the words of the
   Saviour: "A man's foes shall be they of his own household." [1383]
   Correct yourself of your faults and hold fast to piety. Commit your
   conscience, your life, and deeds unto God, Who knows our hearts.
   However, look upon yourself impartially. Are you not indeed difficult
   in your character, especially to those of your household? Perhaps you
   are morose, unkind, unsociable, taciturn. Expand your heart for
   sociability and kindness, though not to over-indulgence and connivance;
   be gentle, not provoking, calm in reproof. "Let all your things be done
   with charity," [1384] said the Apostle. Be patient; do not find fault
   for everything. Bear some things, passing them by in silence and appear
   not to see them. " Charity beareth all things . . . endureth all
   things." [1385] Sometimes through an impatient reproof enmity arises
   because the reproof was not made in the spirit of meekness and love,
   but in the spirit of self-loving pretension to the submission of
   others.

   Sometimes younger people, or those of equal station, or older ones,
   teach you by means of hints which you cannot endure, and you are vexed
   with your teachers. We must endure and listen with love to everything
   useful coming from anyone, whoever he may be. Our self-love conceals
   our faults from us, but they are more visible to others. This is why
   they remark them to us. Remember, that " we are members one of
   another," [1386] and are thus even obliged to mutually correct each
   other. If you do not bear being instructed by others, and are vexed
   with those who teach you, it means that you are proud, and this shows
   that the fault of which others hint that you should correct yourself is
   really in you.

   As God is an all-righteous Spirit, therefore His laws and commandments
   are the same as He Himself, for His right- eousness is expressed in
   them. It is because of this that the Lord says: "If a man love Me, he
   will keep My words" (My commandments). "He that loveth Me not keepeth
   not My sayings. If ye love Me, keep My commandments." [1387]

   Pray for the departed as though your own soul were in hell, in the
   flame, and as though you yourself were in torment; feel their torments
   with your whole heart and pray most fervently, most ardently that they
   may rest in peace in the place of light and green pastures, in the
   place of refreshing.

   Call upon the saints with faith unshamed and love unfeigned if you wish
   them to hear you and fulfil your prayer. Remember that like seeks after
   like. The saints have themselves pleased God by their faith and love,
   and wish to see the same in you. To faith and love add also the
   reverence due to them.

   A self-loving man spares himself for the good of others. He even
   grudges his throat for the instruction of others, if he is a teacher or
   a priest. He grudges his whole heart, because he, so to say, serves his
   neighbour only with half his heart, and sometimes even quite without
   any heart. He grudges his physical powers, too; he is as frightened as
   a hare, and, being afraid of falling ill from work, prefers to take
   rest.

   Faith in God, as in Him Who exists, is the source of life for the soul.
   How can we represent Him Who exists to ourselves? Count everything
   visible and invisible as nothing, and represent to yourself that the
   Lord alone is.

   In order to petition the king or any other illustrious personage, or
   anyone else, it is necessary to reach him, to see him, and to stand
   before him face to face. But here on earth persons are often at a
   distance, places are at a distance; sometimes it is necessary to pass
   many persons to go a long way. But in order to reach the heavenly King
   or the heavenly Queen, the Mother of God, or the angels and saints, it
   is only necessary to pass by and put aside a mass of unbelief; to
   vacate the soul of the passions; to take as companions lively faith,
   zeal and love--and then we shall reach and can boldly pray to the Lord,
   or to the most pure Mother of God, or to the angels and saints.

   No mental work can be accomplished without some preconceived plan,
   after the likeness of the All-creating Lord, Who first conceived the
   world and its plan, and afterwards created the universe through His
   Son, and accomplished it by the Holy Ghost. It would be presumptuous to
   write a work without a certain plan. "For which of you, intending to
   build a tower, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost, whether he
   have sufficient to finish it?" [1388] It is necessary to see beforehand
   with the eyes of the understanding the whole of the work, with all its
   principal ideas. To do the reverse would be to go by an unknown road
   with our eyes voluntarily bound.

   Pray to the Lord for the repose of the souls of your departed
   forefathers, fathers and brothers, daily in the morning and in the
   evening, in order that the remembrance of death may live in you, and
   that hope in the future life, after death, may not be extinguished in
   you, and that your spirit may be daily humbled by the thought of the
   transitoriness of your life.

   Also daily invoke the glorified saints, that they may enlighten your
   way by their prayers, and that they may intercede for the forgiveness
   of your sins; and that you yourself may remember that after death there
   is eternal glorification and bliss for good deeds, and eternal
   condemnation for evil ones.

   Sometimes during prayer you feel a kind of estrangement from God, and
   despair. Do not be carried away by such a feeling; it proceeds from the
   Devil. Say in your heart: "I despair not of salvation, reprobate as I
   am; and emboldened by Thine immeasurable compassion, I come unto Thee.
   If there is any hope of salvation for me, if Thy loving mercy can
   overcome the multitude of my transgressions, be Thou my Saviour."
   [1389]

   When during oral prayer the Devil gnaws at your words by a multitude of
   most subtle thoughts, say: "The power of the Saviour is in every word
   and in every sound."

   "Hast thou not known, . . . believest thou not that I am in the Father,
   and the Father in me?" [1390] Do you not know that during prayer the
   Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are in you and you in Them?

   When, during the reading of the canons and Acathistos to the Saviour,
   to the Mother of God, and to the Guardian Angel, or during the reading
   of other prayers, the Devil whispers to your heart: "This is untrue,
   untrue this is--strained, forced," and thus robs your heart of the
   power (the truth) of the words of prayer, then be " like a deaf man . .
   . that heareth not; a fool, that he may be wise." [1391] Do not for a
   moment agree in your heart with the falsehood of the enemy, or reason
   with his infernal reasoning, but believe firmly in the truth of all the
   Church prayers and hymns of praise in all their fulness, knowing that
   they are the words of the Holy Ghost, proclaiming through the mouth of
   holy men the praises due to the Saviour, to the Mother of God, and to
   the saints. Bear in mind also our infirmities and ungodliness. Remember
   that " the Church of the living God is the pillar and ground of the
   truth." [1392]

   Every priest is an apostle in his village or parish, and ought to go
   about to the different houses preaching the Kingdom of God, instructing
   the ignorant, awakening the careless, who are living in the passions
   and carnal desires, to a Christian life; encouraging and stimulating,
   by the hope of future recompense, those who are pious and sober-minded;
   strengthening and comforting the discontented. This ought specially to
   be the object of processions with the cross on festivals. Sometimes we
   priests allow ourselves to eat and drink when going about with the
   cross. This should not be. We must preach with the cross in our hand
   that " Christ came upon earth in order to raise us up to heaven" [1393]
   ; that it is not right to attach ourselves to anything earthly; and
   that we must value time in order to win eternity; to cleanse our hearts
   from every impurity, and to do as many good works as possible: "My meat
   is to do the will of Him That sent Me, and to finish His work." [1394]

   What means the heavy sleep of slothfulness and hardened unfeelingness
   of heart during prayer, or during the preparation of some sermon, or
   during the teaching of religion? It means that the grace of God is
   leaving us, by God's wise and good intention, in order to strengthen
   our hearts for our own free spiritual exertions. Sometimes grace
   carries us like children or guides and supports us as though by the
   hand. Then it is twice as easy for us to do works of virtue; whilst
   sometimes it leaves us alone to our weakness, in order that we should
   not become slothful, but should labour, and by our labour become worthy
   of the gift of grace. At such times we ought, as free beings, to
   spontaneously show our amendment and zeal to God. It would be foolish
   to murmur against God for depriving us of His grace; for when the Lord
   pleases He takes away His grace from us, fallen and unworthy creatures.
   At such times we must learn patience and bless the Lord: "The Lord gave
   [His grace], and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the
   Lord." [1395]

   During times of slothfulness and hardness of heart, men, sometimes
   through their faintheartedness and impatience, become too familiar with
   God, and allow themselves various eccentricities in their voice and
   movements signifying impatience, dissatisfaction, murmuring, and even
   insolence towards God. Guard against this by every means, and endeavour
   to overcome your slothfulness. You must conquer the enemy and your
   passions.

   If you wish to be humble, consider yourself worthy of all malice and
   hatred on the part of others, and of every calumny. Do not grow
   irritated, and do not nourish malice against those who bear malice
   against you, slander you, or falsely blame you. Say: "Holy Father, Thy
   will be done! "Remember the words of the Lord: " The servant is not
   greater than his Lord; if the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me
   before it hated you." [1396] If the world hated Him, the
   Most-righteous, the Most-merciful, then why should it be wonderful if
   other people hate you, a sinful and evil man?

   When you ask the Lord to enlighten your mind and warm your heart so
   that you may write a sermon, or a letter to your parents, relations, or
   friends, and the Lord does not seem to hear you, and you remain in
   darkness and coldness, do not grow fainthearted, do not despond, do not
   be indignant, do not murmur at the Lord's inattention to you; for the
   Lord only tests your patience, your faith and hope, your devotion to
   Him, the Almighty. Remember that it is easy for Him to instantaneously
   illuminate and enlighten you, and in a few minutes you will be able to
   write an excellent sermon or a letter, ardent with warm feeling, full
   of light and elevated thoughts.

   "We would have come unto you once and again, but Satan hindered us."
   [1397] From this we see that it is Satan who sometimes hinders our
   seeing each other or writing to our relations, friends, or
   acquaintances. How infirm is man of himself! How limited he is! It is
   not only God Who does not allow him to do what he wishes, but even
   Satan forbids him.

   Indulgence of the flesh, hardened unfeelingness to everything
   spiritual, sacred, is the oppression of the enemy, although the carnal
   man does not consider it to be oppression, because he favours it; but
   those who desire to live a spiritual life look upon it as oppression,
   because it does not admit God into their hearts, does not allow the
   grace of God to be poured into the heart, quickening and enlightening
   it, because such oppression makes the soul unfruitful for deeds of
   faith, hope, and love. At such times we become somehow carnal, as
   though having no spirit. O, how manifold are the various persecutions
   of the enemy! How truly we should grieve from the depths of our hearts
   at this hardened unfeelingness; how we should lament before the Lord:
   it will thus pass away, and the heart will be warmed and softened, and
   become capable of spiritual contemplation and holy feelings.

   When you pray either aloud or to your yourself for others-- for
   instance, for the members of your household or for strangers, even
   though they may not have asked you to do so--pray for them with the
   same ardour and zeal as you would pray for yourself. Remember the
   commandment of the law: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
   [1398] Observe this rule upon all occasions--that is, love your
   neighbour as yourself. Do not try to deal cunningly with the Lord,
   "that triest the reins and the heart," [1399] lest He should despise
   your prayer as vain and lying.

   Love does not suffer self-justification, does not exalt itself, is not
   puffed up.

   When we read any prayers for the first time, or read them seldom, then,
   on account of their novelty, we read them willingly, with deep feeling,
   but afterwards the more often we repeat them, the less we care for
   them; they cease to interest us, and it is with difficulty that we
   constrain ourselves to read them with the previous feeling. In
   reference to prayer, the following are the measures to be taken against
   this:--We must represent to ourselves that we are for the first time
   saying these beautiful prayers to which we have grown accustomed, but
   which so deeply interested us when we first read them; we must think
   with our whole heart over every word of the prayer, and value every
   word. This phenomenon in our soul is the consequence of original
   sin--the consequence of our original instability in the truth. And
   until now we cannot be firmly stablished in the truth: as soon as we
   stand we begin to. waver again. As this often happens in regard to
   prayer, so it does also in regard to faith, to our friendship with
   other men, to our love for God and our neighbour, and in general to
   virtue: everywhere we show ourselves unstable in truth.

   Also it sometimes happens during prayer that our heart becomes
   impiously ashamed before men of the words of the prayer or of the Lord
   God Himself, and we pronounce the words of the prayer listlessly, not
   from the whole heart. We must vanquish this ungodly, man-pleasing,
   diabolical shame and fear, and say the prayers from our whole soul
   loudly, in all simplicity of heart, representing God alone before us,
   and counting all else as not existing. " Whosoever therefore shall be
   ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation;
   of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when He cometh in the glory
   of His Father with the holy angels." [1400] If you consider anything
   visible to be important and great except the Lord God, and neglect Him,
   Who alone exists, Who alone is great, then you are most impiously
   arrogant. Reckon everything as nothing in comparison to the Lord, and
   cling to Him alone.

   Man is dear to the Lord, the whole world is obedient to him. The Son of
   God Himself came down from heaven on earth to save him from everlasting
   torments, to reconcile him with God. All fruits, the various flesh of
   animals, were given to him for food, and various drinks were given to
   him to please his taste--but not to excite his passions, not for his
   only enjoyment, for the Christian has great, spiritual, Divine
   enjoyments. Carnal delights must be always made subject to these higher
   ones; they must be restrained or completely suppressed when they hinder
   spiritual delights. This signifies that it is not to afflict man that
   food and drink are temporarily forbidden him by the Church, not to
   limit his freedom, as worldly people say, but it is done in order to
   afford him true, lasting, and eternal delights; therefore meat or flesh
   food, and wine and spirits, are forbidden (during Lent), specially by
   reason of the fact that man is very dear to God, and in order that his
   heart should cling to God alone, and not to anything perishable,
   unworthy of him. But man, perverted by sins, easily attaches himself to
   earthly pleasures, forgetting that his true enjoyment, his true life,
   is the eternal God, and not the pleasant excitation of the flesh.

   The heart's attention and its understanding are gradually deadened in
   those who do not pray fervently, not from their whole heart; who,
   seeing, do not see, and, hearing, do not understand, [1401] the words
   of the prayer. "For a pretence, they make long prayers," and, poor
   creatures, do not think that for increasing the number of their words
   they "shall receive greater damnation." [1402]

   Do you not mock at the faults of your neighbour; do you not despise
   him; do you not nourish hatred against him on account of them? "Charity
   beareth all things." Remember this, and bear with the faults and
   iniquities of your brother, that God may bear with yours. Have patience
   with the infirm members, for we are all one body in the Lord.

   Live with your heart the words of the Saviour's prayer to His Father:
   "As Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one
   in Us," [1403] and strive by every means to become united to God
   yourself, and to unite others to Him. Maintain by every means mutual,
   pious union, not sparing either yourself or anything belonging to you,
   for the sake of maintaining the union of love. For God is our almighty
   Life-giver, and the all-merciful Giver of all things. He will support
   our life in our labours for our neighbour's benefit, if necessary, and
   will give us everything needful, if we spend our property for the sake
   of maintaining mutual love.

   As Christ dwells wholly in every smallest particle of the Body and
   Blood, so also He dwells wholly in every good thought and word.

   If you truly wish to be humble, then long for every offence and
   persecution, as a hungry man longs for food; for by the justice of God
   you are worthy of this.

   If you wish to be truly humble, then consider yourself lower than all,
   worthy of being trampled on by all; for you yourself daily, hourly
   trample upon the law of the Lord, and therefore upon the Lord Himself.

   When your heart is struck by the enemy nestling within you, and causing
   in you disturbance, straitness, and depression of spirit, do not then
   preach a sermon, lest, instead of profit, it should give rise to
   temptation; lest, instead of spiritual nourishment, it should cause
   spiritual dizziness and sickness. Neither administer any reproofs at
   such times: these would only irritate, and not correct. In general,
   when the enemy nestles in your soul, it is better to be more silent; we
   are then unworthy of the word, which is the gift of the Hypostatic
   Word. First drive out the enemy, bring peace to dwell in your heart,
   and then speak.

   The one incomplex Spirit in the three Persons, the one single Wisdom in
   the three Persons, brought everything into existence from
   non-existence. The one single Wisdom in the three Persons--God!

   Some believe that their whole welfare and their exactitude before God
   consists in the reading of all the appointed prayers, without paying
   attention to the preparedness of their hearts for prayer to God, nor to
   their inward amendment. Many, for instance, thus read the prayers
   appointed before Holy Communion; whilst at this time we should, above
   all, look to the amendment and preparedness of the heart to receive the
   Holy Sacrament. If your heart is right in your bosom; if, by God's
   mercy, it is ready to meet the Bridegroom, then, thank God, it is well
   with you, even although you have not succeeded in reading all the
   appointed prayers. " For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in
   power." [1404] Obedience to our mother, the Church, in everything is
   right; and if it is possible for one "to receive" prolonged prayer, let
   him pray long. But "all men cannot receive this saying." [1405] If long
   prayer is not compatible with fervour of spirit, then it is better to
   say a short but fervent prayer. Remember that the one word of the
   publican, said from a fervent heart, justified him. God does not look
   at the multitude of words, but upon the disposition of the heart. The
   chief thing is lively faith and fervent repentance for sins.

   Severe frosts and sudden violent thaws visibly show, upon a small
   scale, that the Lord has made everything, the whole universe, and that
   He can destroy everything when it pleases Him to do so. The covering of
   the rivers, lakes, and seas with ice, and their breaking up, shows the
   same; also the blossoming of the flowers, the growth of earthly plants
   in the spring and summer, and their destruction in the autumn; also the
   birth and death of man. The Lord has created us. It is His also to
   destroy us.

   The prayer of a priest for men has great power with God, if only the
   priest calls upon the Lord with his whole heart, with faith and love.
   God grant that there may be more priests who would pray to God with an
   ardent spirit, for who should pray to the Lord for His sheep with such
   power, if not the priest, who has received grace and authority to do so
   from God Himself?

   When you pray with tears and love for the Lord's sheep, and your
   thoughts praise you to yourself, then say to them: It is not I who
   prayed for God's people, but the "Spirit itself" within me "maketh
   intercession" for them "with groanings which cannot be uttered" [1406]
   : and the Spirit bound me, too, at that time, in the sweet bonds of His
   love and of heartfelt devotion. That this is true is evident from the
   fact, that the sweetness of prayer and love can very soon forsake me.

   The truth of Christ's Mysteries is vouched for by Christ Himself. The
   truth is further proved by the visible and invisible worlds, created
   and upheld in their existence by Him, by the cleansing from sins, and
   by the peace and joy of heart that we experience after communion.

   "Charity is not easily provoked," whilst you are often provoked. Mind,
   the enemy at this time uses his craft against you, for during anger
   faith in God is extinguished, and boldness before God is lost.

   The images of worldly vanity, upon which we have looked with entire
   pleasure and hearty sympathy, effeminate, weaken, and disturb the soul;
   they deprive us of purity of heart and of boldness before God;
   therefore it is well not to frequent theatres, not to attend worldly,
   gay, and splendid assemblies, not to see those who are turning round in
   whirling dances, not to look at worldly sights representing the
   multifarious vanities of this world. It is good to constantly hold fast
   by God alone; [1407] in the world there are so many enticements that
   the eye is not satisfied with seeing.

   "Hallowed be Thy name!" This is our first desire and our first
   petition, that the name of God should be hallowed in us and through us.
   Let us remember that we are created after the image and likeness of the
   Lord God, after the likeness of His holiness; but alas, we sinned, we
   lost holiness, and are now born in sins and iniquities; we live in sins
   and iniquities like "bastards, and not sons." [1408] What other care
   should then now occupy us in our fallen state but the care to become
   like unto the Heavenly Father, our Prototype ? The Lord Himself
   requires this of us; "Be ye holy, for I am holy." [1409] This ought to
   be our first desire and the purpose of our whole life. The second
   petition is the explanation of the first.

   Our heart daily dies spiritually. Only ardent, tearful prayer quickens
   it, and makes it begin to breathe again. If we do not daily pray with
   sufficient spiritual fervour, we may easily and speedily die
   spiritually.

   Sometimes during prayer the intellect becomes puffed up and the words
   of the prayer do not find a place in it on account of its carnality and
   falsehood; but still the words of the prayer are spirit and truth, the
   molten silver, proceeding from the soul, burning with faith and love,
   "which from the earth is tried and purified seven times in the, fire."
   "The ungodly walk around them," [1410] not going into the depths of
   their meaning.

   The insensibility of the heart during prayer to the truth of the words
   of the prayer, proceeds from the heart's unbelief and insensibility, of
   its sinfulness, and these, in their turn, emanate from a secret feeling
   of pride. In accordance with the measure of his feelings during prayer
   a man recognises whether he is proud or humble; the more feeling the
   more ardent the prayer is, the more humble he is; whilst the more
   unfeeling and cold it is, the prouder he is.

   "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point,
   he is guilty of all." [1411] This is so both in moral and dogmatical
   respects. He who teaches all the truths soundly, but transgresses
   against any one of them, he shall be found guilty of all, or against
   the one Truth, indivisible in Its being; that is, against the Lord
   Jesus Christ, Who said: "I am the Truth." [1412] Wherefore? Because God
   is an incomplex, though an infinite Being. Even a single wicked thought
   is "an abomination to the Lord." [1413] He who transgresses against the
   truth of dogmas, transgresses against Him Who said of Himself: "I am
   the Truth."

   Never despair in God's mercy by whatever sins you may have been bound
   by the temptation of the Devil, but pray with your whole heart, with
   the hope of forgiveness; knock at the door of God's mercy and it shall
   be opened unto you. I, a simple priest, am an example for you: however
   I may sometimes sin by the action of the Devil, for instance, by enmity
   towards a brother, whatever the cause may be, even though it may be a
   right cause, and I myself become thoroughly disturbed and set my
   brother against me, and unworthily celebrate the Holy Sacrament, not
   from wilful neglect, but by being myself unprepared, and by the action
   of the Devil; yet, after repentance, the Lord forgives all, and
   everything, especially after the worthy communion of the Holy
   Sacrament: I become white as snow, or as a wave of the sea, by the
   blood of Christ; the most heavenly peace dwells in my heart; it becomes
   light, so light, and I feel beatified. Then, indeed, I forget all
   troubles, anxieties, and the oppression of the enemy, I become entirely
   renewed, and as though risen from the dead. Do not then despair,
   brethren, whatever sins you may have committed, only repent find
   confess them with a contrite heart and humble spirit. Glory, O Lord, to
   Thy mercy! Glory, O Lord, to Thy long-suffering and forbearance!

   "Love one another with a pure heart fervently." [1414] Remember these
   words of the apostle, and act in accordance with them. Forgive them
   that trespass against you, knowing that as the enemy disturbs you and
   sometimes sets you at enmity against others, so he also disturbs and
   sets them against you. Love and pity your enemies, as those who have
   gone astray. "Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but
   contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye
   should inherit a blessing." [1415]

   Be moderate in all religious works, for moderation, even in virtue,
   correspondingly to your powers, according to circumstances of time,
   place, and preceding labour, is prudent and wise. It is well, for
   instance, to pray with a pure heart, but as soon as there is no
   correspondence between the prayer and your powers (energy), with the
   various circumstances of place and time, with your preceding labours,
   then it ceases to be a virtue. Therefore the apostle Peter says, "Add
   to virtue knowledge" (that is, do not be carried away by the heart
   only); " and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience."
   [1416]

   " He that gathereth not with Me scattereth." [1417] It is necessary to
   advance in the spiritual life, and ascend higher and higher; to
   increase more and more the stores of our good works. If we remain
   stationary at one point of moral perfection, upon one step of the
   Christian ascent, it is equal to our going back; if we do not gather,
   it is equal to scattering.

   Do not grudge burning a wax taper before the icon of the Lord during
   prayer; remember that you burn it before the inaccessible Light and
   before Him Who enlightens you with His light. Your candle is as though
   a burnt offering to the Lord; let it be a gift to God from your whole
   heart; let it remind you that you yourself should also be a burning and
   shining light. "He was," it is said of John the Forerunner, "a burning
   and a shining light." [1418]

   The Lord, with all His infinity, is at the same time such an incomplex
   Being, that He is wholly in the single name of the Holy Trinity, or in
   the name of the Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ.

   Who of mortals is worthy of the Lord? He, to whom everything, except
   the Creator, is nothing, to whom the Creator is everything. O man! let
   not your heart cleave to anything but the Creator. Cling to Him in the
   simplicity of your heart. Let neither food, nor dress, nor any human
   creature, nor riches, nor the comforts of this life, nor the glory of
   this world, nor anything worldly tempt you.

   I bring to the Lord, to Our Lady, or to an Angel or Saint, material
   light, in order that the Lord may bestow the light of grace, spiritual
   light, upon me through their prayers, that He may lead me out from the
   darkness of sin into the light of the knowledge of God and virtue; I
   bring material fire that the fire of the grace of the Holy Ghost may be
   kindled in my heart, and that it may extinguish the fire of the
   passions in my miserable heart; I bring a light with the desire that I
   may become a light myself, burning and shining to all that are in the
   temple. These are the reasons why I place candles before the icons;
   such are my thoughts when I put candles in the candlesticks. I
   acknowledge that I place these candles before the icons with the hope
   of receiving spiritual blessings from those holy and all-holy persons
   who are represented upon them; I acknowledge this spiritual love of
   gain. But it is the law of reciprocity to expect a gift for a gift.
   "With what measure ye mete," it is said, " it shall be measured to you
   again." [1419] I am an infirm, carnal, sinful man--they are welcome to
   all I have; not being always able to bring to my Lord, to His most pure
   Mother, to an Angel of God, or to a Saint, a heart burning with faith
   and love, I bring, at least, as a carnal, material man, a material gift
   as a gift to heaven, a lighted candle. May the Lord look down from
   heaven upon this little gift of my zeal, and may He give me more in
   return. He alone is rich, and enriches all, whilst I am poor and needy;
   He is surrounded with inaccessible light, I am in darkness; I am of
   little faith, may He grant me the gift of faith; I am poor in love, may
   He enrich my heart with this priceless heavenly treasure; I am
   powerless for all good, may He give me the power. On my part there is
   the desire for heavenly blessings, and there is a material pledge of
   this; may the all-endowing Lord grant to me, by the prayers of His most
   pure Mother and those of the Angels and Saints," all things that I ask
   that are profitable unto salvation."

   When anyone blames the imperfections and faults of your works, humbly
   acknowledge the justice of such censure, and say: "Yes, it is true, I
   am sinful, most sinful, I do not do my work with due care and
   willingness. Pray for me brother "--(saying thus to him who blames
   you)--"that the Lord may teach and help me, by His grace, to fulfil the
   duties of my calling and the work of serving others with due care and
   willingness." Should anyone find fault with your abilities, say: "I do
   not give myself such and not other abilities, they are the gift of God;
   therefore to find fault with my abilities is the same as to find fault
   with the Creator, Who gave them." When your own relations blame you and
   expose your weaknesses in the hearing of others, say to them: "I am
   truly such as you describe me; but it is no advantage to you that I am
   really such, nor that you should defame me and mock at me: to mock at
   the infirmity or weakness of your brother is foolish and inhuman; it is
   better to hide such an infirmity, because my infirmity is your
   infirmity, my shame is your shame; for I am your member, and you, too,
   are not without infirmity; let us, therefore, pray that the Lord may
   heal our infirmities, for all of us are infected with the leprosy of
   iniquity." "Charity," it is said, "endureth all things," [1420] and
   does not put weaknesses to shame.

   Great are our negligence and slothfulness in prayer: we are always
   inclined to pray, and often do pray; anyhow, in order to finish
   quickly, we hurry, we skip, and do not look into the depths of our
   hearts. Therefore our prayer is like the wind: it makes a noise, passes
   away, and that is all.

   When the darkness of the accursed one covers you--doubt, despondency,
   despair, disturbance--then only call with your whole heart upon the
   sweetest name of Jesus Christ, and in Him you shall find all--light,
   strengthening, trust, comfort, and peace; in Him you shall find the
   greatest mercy, goodness and bountifulness; all these mercies you will
   find contained in His name alone, as though in a rich treasury.

   I have received and receive everything from the Lord; how, then, shall
   I not turn to Him alone, with my prayer for everything that I need? How
   shall I not hope to receive everything from Him alone? I have received
   from Him life and all things. He alone can give me everything that is
   necessary to me for my temporal and eternal welfare. It is, so to say,
   His business to give me everything necessary: such is His merciful and
   bountiful nature.

   Believe and hope to promptly obtain from the Lord everything good for
   raising up your neighbour, or all things profitable, "unto salvation."
   Do not hesitate, and do not doubt even for a single moment, in the
   possibility of receiving what you pray for.

   "With God all things are possible, and all things are possible to him
   that believeth; and hope maketh not ashamed." [1421] It is only the
   unbelief, the mistrust of our heart, that makes us ashamed.

   "And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with
   tears, Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief." [1422] What grief! He
   is straitened on every side: he sorrows for his son, but he has no
   faith in his heart: it is impossible for him not to weep. And thus he
   says with tears: " Lord, I believe, help Thou mine unbelief!" It is the
   same with us: when misfortune threatens us, and there is not the faith
   in our heart to avert the misfortune, then how shall we not weep over
   our double misfortune! And yet many have a heart of stone and do not
   feel the necessity of faith for their deliverance from misfortune.

   "And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved; for he had great
   possessions." [1423] We, too, often become sad and weak in heart and
   body at a single word, asking a sacrifice of us for the sake of the
   heavenly kingdom, although we were brave enough before.

   Why is the Creed sung before the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts?
   Why does the priest also say the Creed to himself inside the altar at
   the same time? In order that those present should believe and remember
   that the Holy Trinity takes part in the act of the transubstantiation
   of the Holy Gifts, and that the mystery of the Eucharist is the work of
   the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; in order
   also that the priest himself may celebrate the Holy Sacrament without
   condemnation and with undoubting faith in the mercy and omnipotence of
   the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and afterwards, at the proper
   time, communicate of it; for at this time especially great faith is
   required of the priest, as then, above all, the enemy uses all his
   efforts to strike his mind and heart with coldness and unbelief, or to
   disturb him by doubt.

   It is the wonder of wonders that my Lord and Creator was pleased to
   create anew and change my nature corrupted by sins, in the same way as
   He changes the bread and wine into His Body and Blood; in the same way
   as He changed the fire into dew.

   Whomsoever you wish to pray to, before praying, first ask in your heart
   that you may be made worthy of offering Him your heartfelt prayer,
   praise, or thanksgiving, for we can only pray by the strengthening of
   the Holy Ghost, and by the strengthening of those saints, through whose
   intercession we wish to pray to the Saviour. Raise to Him before your
   prayer or praise a heartfelt voice, that He may grant you the grace of
   sincere prayer, that He may lay His easy yoke and His light burden on
   your heart, that they may destroy the diabolical pride and resistance
   of your mind and heart. If you wish to pray to Our Lady, call upon Her
   that She may make you worthy of offering Her your prayer, praise, or
   thanksgiving from the whole heart, unfeignedly. If you wish to pray to
   an angel, ask the Lord to make you deserving of worthily offering him
   your prayer, or of hymning the grace, brightness, and goodness of his
   nature; if to a saint, invoke the Holy Ghost, by Whose holiness the
   saints are sanctified, that you may worthily call upon him or ascribe
   praises and thanksgivings to him; for we all can only pray worthily and
   vivifyingly through the strengthening of the life-giving Holy Ghost.
   God's saints are the pure breathings of the Holy Ghost. "The wind (the
   Spirit) bloweth where it listeth." [1424] (That is, He breathes in any
   soul He pleases.) The Holy Virgin was superabundantly sanctified and
   purified by the Holy Ghost. The angels, too, are sanctified by the Holy
   Ghost, and live and breathe by Him, as we live by the flesh and breathe
   by means of air. Prayers, in their true aspect, are nothing else but
   the breathing of the Holy Ghost. "The Spirit Itself," it is said,
   "maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."
   [1425]

   In the present time learned men have erected, and are erecting, an
   enormous idol, and command all to worship it, worshipping it themselves
   also. This idol is the literature of denial, the impure spirit moving
   us, the proud, impious, unbelieving intellect. The Devil is cunning, O
   how cunning! He has invented even in Christianity a refined idolatry,
   corresponding with the direction and spirit of the age and with the
   degree of its mental development. What an evil, crafty being! How he
   perverts poor humanity that has withdrawn itself from hearty faith in
   Christ! How powerfully he draws men into hell by means of ropes woven
   by the men themselves! My God! my God! He destroys us by means of our
   own intellect, which ought to lead us to the eternal, living God! With
   our own ladles he draws for us the deadly water of worldly, elementary,
   and vain wisdom, and gives us and other men to drink of it, instead of
   the living water of the Word of God! And we drink and drink of it,
   without suspecting that it is the water of death.

   Remember that to God man is a great, precious being, but that this
   great creature, after having fallen into sin, became an infirm
   creature, subject to thousands of weaknesses. Love him, honour him, but
   at the same time bear with his infirmities, weaknesses, passions, and
   actions. "Thou shalt love thy neighbour"--one sinner the other
   sinner--"as thyself." [1426] "Bear the infirmities of the weak, and so
   fulfil the law of Christ." [1427] Great are these words: ponder them
   deeply. They have the same meaning as the words of the Lord's Prayer:
   "We forgive them that trespass against us."

   Great and worthy of honour is the body of the Holy Church, Whose Head
   is Jesus Christ Himself. Remember that in this great and worthily
   honoured body you are an infirm, worthless member, and that you receive
   everything from the Head of the body of the Church, Christ, and are
   animated by His Spirit. Remember that in the Church there are millions
   of powerful members, who have received great and manifold spiritual
   gifts from the Holy Ghost, each in accordance with his special merit
   and receptivity. Respect every Christian as a member of the Church of
   Christ and the temple of the Holy Ghost; do not in your pride consider
   anyone as ignorant of the truths of the faith, deprived of the gifts of
   the Spirit: "For Christ is all, and in all," [1428] and the Lord
   inwardly reveals Himself to all, enlightens all, according to the
   measure of the receptivity of each one, and apportions His gifts to
   all, without respect of persons. And therefore, say to yourself: "I am
   a small member of the great and worthily honoured body of the Church, I
   must regard all the other members with love and respect, as dear and
   beloved members of my Christ."

   When we are reproached for anything by others, it should not irritate
   us nor make us despondent, but it should humble us, being morally
   worthless, and should make us turn to God with the fervent prayer that
   He may heal our infirmities and by His grace supply us with that which
   is wanting in us. To grow irritated, especially when we are reproached
   with weaknesses, really existing in us, would be only adding one malady
   to another, one passion to another; it would mean that we are sick with
   the voluntary blindness of self-love, which does not wish to see its
   own dark side, and leads to voluntary destruction. To despond is also
   most foolish, for by the help of God's grace the Christian can always
   change for the better if he wishes; and it is for this purpose that the
   Lord sends us accusers, in order that they may open our spiritual eyes,
   and that we may see the deformity of our deeds, and seeing, correct
   ourselves, but not for the purpose of casting us into despondency.
   Despondency is itself a sin and the work of the Devil. Reproof ought to
   produce in us the "godly sorrow, which worketh repentance to
   salvation," [1429] and not the sorrow of self-love.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [669] Psalm lxxiii. 28.

   [670] St. John i. 13.

   [671] St. Matthew xiii. 43.

   [672] Psalm lxxiii. 28.

   [673] St. Matthew xi. 28.

   [674] St. John xiv. 27.

   [675] 1 Corinthians iv. 7.

   [676] St. John xv. 5.

   [677] Genesis i. 31.

   [678] Colossians iii. 1, 2.

   [679] From the Acathistos to the Sweetest Lord Jesus.

   [680] St. John xiv. 2.

   [681] Philippians iii. 20.

   [682] St. Matthew v. 3.

   [683] St. Matthew v. 20.

   [684] St. Luke xviii. 16.

   [685] Galatians vi. 1, 2.

   [686] St. Matthew xvi. 26.

   [687] Romans iii. 12. Compare Psalm xiv. 3.

   [688] St. Luke iv. 23.

   [689] St. Matthew vii. 5.

   [690] 1 Corinthians iii. 17.

   [691] Galatians v. 24.

   [692] St. Matthew vi. 24.

   [693] James iv. 4.

   [694] 1 John ii. 15-17.

   [695] Psalm cxxiii. 4.

   [696] Hebrews xiii. 8.

   [697] St. Matthew xi. 12.

   [698] St. Matthew xxiv. 29.

   [699] St. Matthew xvi. 18.

   [700] St. Matthew v. 46.

   [701] St. Matthew vi. 33.

   [702] St. John xii. 46.

   [703] Galatians iii. 27.

   [704] St. Matthew vii. 2.

   [705] St. John xv. 5.

   [706] St. Matthew vi. 24.

   [707] 1 Corinthians vii. 31.

   [708] Psalm xlix. 13, 21.

   [709] Exclamation at the Liturgy.

   [710] St. John xv. 5.

   [711] St. Matthew xv. 19.

   [712] Psalm li. 10.

   [713] St. Luke vi. 25.

   [714] James v. 5.

   [715] St. Luke xxi. 34.

   [716] St. Luke xxii. 31.

   [717] Colossians iii. 1, 2.

   [718] St. Mark xii. 30, 31.

   [719] Psalm xii. 7.

   [720] 2 Timothy ii. 19.

   [721] St. Matthew vi. 33.

   [722] St. Matthew xxv. 23.

   [723] St. John viii. 39

   [724] Psalm cxxi. 3, 5.

   [725] Philippians iii. 20.

   [726] 1 John ii. 15.

   [727] James iv. 4.

   [728] 1 John ii. 16.

   [729] From the Litany of the Orthodox Church.

   [730] St. Matthew vi. 24.

   [731] St. Matthew xi. 7.

   [732] St. John xvii. 21.

   [733] Exclamation from Vespers.

   [734] 1 Corinthians vi. 17.

   [735] Revelation xii. 9.

   [736] Ezekiel xxviii. 13.

   [737] St. Luke i. 28.

   [738] St. Luke i. 48.

   [739] St. Luke xii. 16.

   [740] Romans ix. 15; Exodus xxxiii. 19.

   [741] St. John xix. 26, 27.

   [742] 1 Corinthians iii. 9.

   [743] St. Luke xv. 7.

   [744] St. Matthew iii. 2.

   [745] St. Matthew vi. 24.

   [746] Romans viii. 35.

   [747] St. Matthew v. 8.

   [748] From the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great.

   [749] Galatians v. 24.

   [750] St. Luke xxi. 18.

   [751] From the Prayer to the Holy Ghost.

   [752] St. John xiv. 23.

   [753] 1 Corinthians iii. 16.

   [754] Romans viii. 26.

   [755] From the Acathistos to the Mother of God.

   [756] 1 Corinthians x. 31.

   [757] St. Matthew xxviii. 20.

   [758] Psalm li. 3.

   [759] Romans x. 8.

   [760] Prayer to the Holy Ghost.

   [761] St. Matthew xviii. 20.

   [762] St. John xiii. 35.

   [763] Psalm xc. 15.

   [764] St. Luke xxiii. 34.

   [765] St. Mark xi. 24.

   [766] 2 Corinthians i. 9.

   [767] Exclamation from the Liturgy.

   [768] 1 Timothy iii. 15.

   [769] Matthew xi. 28.

   [770] Prokeimenon at Vespers; Psalm lxi. 5.

   [771] Psalm lxxiii. 25, 20.

   [772] Hebrews xii. 29.

   [773] 2 Corinthians ii. 15.

   [774] Numbers vi. 27.

   [775] Psalm lxxiii. 25, 26.

   [776] St. Luke xxi. 34.

   [777] Romans xiv. 17.

   [778] 1 Corinthians vi. 13.

   [779] St. Matthew xi. 25, 26

   [780] St. John xv. 13.

   [781] St. John xvii. 16.

   [782] St. John v. 19.

   [783] Romans xii. 21.

   [784] 2 Corinthians vi. 16, 18: Leviticus xxvi. 12; Jeremiah iii. 19.

   [785] St. Matthew xi. 12.

   [786] Hebrews iv. 9.

   [787] Tobit xii. 9.

   [788] Romans xii. 21.

   [789] Romans xii. 19; Deuteronomy xxxii. 35.

   [790] St. Matthew xxv. 5.

   [791] 2 Corinthians xi. 14.

   [792] St. Matthew v. 47; St. Luke vi. 32.

   [793] 1 Timothy vi. 8.

   [794] Romans viii. 35, 38, 39.

   [795] Psalm lxv. 8.

   [796] St. Luke xiv. 26; St. Matthew xvi. 24.

   [797] St. John xiv. 23, 24.

   [798] 1 Corinthians ii. 9.

   [799] Prayer to the Holy Mother of God at Compline.

   [800] Romans vii. 19.

   [801] St. Matthew vi. 12.>

   [802] St. Matthew vii. 12.

   [803] 1 Corinthians xiii. 4-8.

   [804] Psalm lxiii. 24, 25.

   [805] St. Mark x. 27.

   [806] St. John xvii. 3.

   [807] Hebrews i. 3.

   [808] Psalms lxxii. 18, lxxvi. 15.

   [809] Psalm xxxvi. 8.

   [810] 1 Timothy iii. 9.

   [811] 2 Corinthians iv. 4.

   [812] Hebrews xii. 6.

   [813] Hebrews xii. 11.

   [814] St. Luke xii. 49.

   [815] Psalm li. 7.

   [816] Evening Prayer of St. John Damascene.

   [817] Evening Prayer of St. John Damascene.

   [818] From the Liturgy.

   [819] Psalm xxxviii. 3.

   [820] 2 Peter i. 3.

   [821] St. Matthew xiii. 43.

   [822] Romans viii. 16, 17.

   [823] Prayer of St. Ephraem the Syrian.

   [824] Hebrews i. 3.

   [825] St. Matthew iv. 4.

   [826] St. John xiv. 6.

   [827] St. Matthew xi. 28.

   [828] St. John xvi. 22.

   [829] St. John viii. 55.

   [830] 1 John iv. 16.

   [831] St. Matthew xi. 12.

   [832] St. Luke xviii. 2-6.

   [833] St. Matthew vi. 8.

   [834] St. Matthew xi. 12.

   [835] Romans iii. 8.

   [836] St. Luke vi. 25.

   [837] St. Matthew vii. 7-11

   [838] Ephesians iv. 25.

   [839] 1 Corinthians iii. 9.

   [840] 1 Corinthians iv. 1.

   [841] Jeremiah xlviii. 10.

   [842] St. John xvi. ii.

   [843] 2 Corinthians iv. 18.

   [844] Isaiah lv. 11.

   [845] St. John vii. 38.

   [846] Ecclesiastes i. 2; xii. 13.

   [847] Hebrews xii. 6.

   [848] 1 Peter iv. 1.

   [849] St. John vi. 56.

   [850] Revelation iii. 16.

   [851] Isaiah xlix. 16.

   [852] Hebrews i. 3.

   [853] Acathistos to the Sweetest Lord Jesus.

   [854] St. Matthew xix. 5.

   [855] Isaiah xlix. 16.

   [856] Acathistos to the Sweetest Lord Jesus.

   [857] It is the custom of the Orthodox Church for her members to set
   aside a week, generally during one of the Lents, for preparation to
   receive the Holy Communion, during which time they fast, attend the
   daily services of the Church, and abstain from worldly matters as far
   as possible.

   [858] Psalm cxliii. 2.

   [859] Psalm cxxx. 3.

   [860] Ephesians ii. 8, 9.

   [861] 1 Corinthians xii. 4, 11.

   [862] St. Luke xiv. 8; xviii. 14.

   [863] 1 Corinthians xiii. 9.

   [864] St. Matthew vii. 3.

   [865] 1 John i. 8.

   [866] 1 Corinthians xiii. 7.

   [867] Romans xiv. 4.

   [868] St. Matthew xxiv. 35.

   [869] St. Matthew xi. 12.

   [870] Psalm xx. 4.

   [871] Exclamation at the beginning of Matins.

   [872] St. Matthew vii. 23; xxv. 12.

   [873] St. Luke xxi. 34.

   [874] 2 Corinthians vi. 14.

   [875] Prayer of the Priest at the Liturgy during the Cherubic Hymn.

   [876] St. Luke xv. 7, 10.

   [877] Acts xx. 31.

   [878] Genesis i. 3-20.

   [879] Psalm civ. 24.

   [880] St. Luke i. 37.

   [881] Romans xiii. 14.

   [882] 1 Timothy iii. 9.

   [883] Romans viii. 20.

   [884] St. Luke i. 37.

   [885] Isaiah lv. 11.

   [886] 1 Corinthians vi. 17.

   [887] St. Mark x. 27.

   [888] St. Matthew viii. 11.

   [889] St. Matthew iv. 29.

   [890] St. Mark ix. 23.

   [891] 2 Peter i. 3.

   [892] 1 Peter v. 7.

   [893] Fourth Prayer before Communion: composed by St. Simeon the
   Metaphraste.

   [894] St. Matthew xiii. 5.

   [895] Ephesians iv. 25.

   [896] Romans ii. 11.

   [897] James i. 17.

   [898] 2 Timothy ii. 25.

   [899] From the Aoathistos to the Sweetest Lord Jesus.

   [900] Romans vii. 18.

   [901] Ephesians iv. 25.

   [902] Psalm civ. 24.

   [903] Psalm cxxxix. 5.

   [904] Psalm cxv. 3.

   [905] St. Matthew xii. 30.

   [906] 1 Corinthians x. 31.

   [907] St. Matthew iv. 4.

   [908] First Hirmoi on Christinas Day.

   [909] St. Matthew xvi. 24.

   [910] Hebrews xiii. 16.

   [911] St. Mark x. 27.

   [912] Genesis i. 9.

   [913] Hebrews i. 3.

   [914] Exodus iv., vii.-x.

   [915] Prom the Prayer of the Priest at the Liturgy during Cherubic
   Hymn.

   [916] 1 Timothy vi. 20.

   [917] St. Matthew xiii. 9.

   [918] Psalm xxvi. 1.

   [919] Psalm xxxix. 2, 3.

   [920] Psalm xxxviii. 14.

   [921] Romans v. 5.

   [922] St. Matthew vii. 16.

   [923] 1 John iii. 16.

   [924] St. John xv. 13.

   [925] 1 Peter iv. 7.

   [926] St. Matthew xi. 12.

   [927] St. Matthew xv. 8; Isaiah xxix. 13.

   [928] St. John vi. 63.

   [929] St. John viii. 37.

   [930] 1 Corinthians xiii. 4-8.

   [931] St. John xiv. 6.

   [932] St. Matthew x. 20.

   [933] Galatians iv. 6.

   [934] St. Mark xii. 31.

   [935] St. Matthew vii. 3-5.

   [936] Romans xiv. 4.

   [937] St. Matthew vi. 12.

   [938] St. Matthew vi. 14, 15.

   [939] St. Matthew vi. 24.

   [940] Psalm lxii. 10.

   [941] St. John iii. 8.

   [942] Psalm li. 7.

   [943] St. John iii. 16.

   [944] St. Matthew vii. 20.

   [945] 1 Corinthians xv. 55.

   [946] Troparia at Matins on Palm Sunday.

   [947] Glorification at Matins on St. Thomas Sunday.

   [948] Canon at Easter.

   [949] St. Matthew xii. 36.

   [950] Isaiah lv. 11.

   [951] St. Luke i. 37.

   [952] Colossians iv. 6.

   [953] St. John xvii. 4.

   [954] St. Matthew vii. 7-11.

   [955] Wisdom xi. 16.

   [956] St. Matthew xxv. 40.

   [957] Romans xii. 8.

   [958] 1 Peter i. 4.

   [959] Psalm cxlv. 9.

   [960] St. Matthew xxv. 29.

   [961] 1 Corinthians xiii. 8.

   [962] Philippians iv. 11.

   [963] 1 Timothy ii. 9.

   [964] St. Luke vi. 30.

   [965] St. Luke vi. 35.

   [966] Psalm cxvi. 10.

   [967] 1 Timothy iii. 15.

   [968] St. John xiv. 6

   [969] Romans xii. 11.

   [970] St. Luke xxi. 19.

   [971] St. Matthew vii. 27.

   [972] St. Matthew vii. 24-27.

   [973] St. Matthew iv. 4.

   [974] James i. 6.

   [975] James v. 10.

   [976] Acts xvii. 25, 28.

   [977] Romans x. 8, 9.

   [978] Romans viii. 26.

   [979] 1 John ii. 17.

   [980] St. Luke xii. 35, 36.

   [981] 1 John ii. 17.

   [982] Ephesians iv. 3.

   [983] Jeremiah ii. 13.

   [984] St. Luke xii. 33.

   [985] Psalm xlix. 12.

   [986] 2 Corinthians ii. 15, 16.

   [987] St. John xii. 46.

   [988] St. Luke xii. 49.

   [989] St. Luke xii. 35, 36.

   [990] St. Matthew v. 16.

   [991] Psalm cv. 4.

   [992] Romans i. 18.

   [993] Galatians i. 6, 8.

   [994] St. Matthew xxviii. 20.

   [995] From the Acathistos to the Most Holy Mother of God.

   [996] Acts xvii. 25.

   [997] 1 Corinthians xiii. 2, 3.

   [998] St. Matthew xv. 8.

   [999] The Orthodox Church holds that the souls of the departed are in
   an intermediate state during forty days after death.

   [1000] 2 Corinthians ii. 16.

   [1001] Ephesians iv. 27.

   [1002] St. Matthew xxv. 40.

   [1003] Ephesians iii. 20.

   [1004] St. Matthew vii. 7, 8.

   [1005] St. Matthew xxii. 30.

   [1006] Romans xiv. 17.

   [1007] 2 Peter iii. 10.

   [1008] Acathistos to the Sweetest Lord Jesus.

   [1009] 1 Corinthians xv. 28.

   [1010] 1 Peter v. 7.

   [1011] St. Matthew vi. 24.

   [1012] St. Matthew vi. 33.

   [1013] St. Luke xiii. 21.

   [1014] Psalm lxxxii. 6.

   [1015] St. Matthew vii. 2.

   [1016] St. Matthew xxv. 35.

   [1017] 1 Corinthians x. 17.

   [1018] Ephesians iv. 4.

   [1019] Romans viii. 15.

   [1020] Romans xii. 12.

   [1021] St. John xvi. 33.

   [1022] St. Matthew xvi. 26.

   [1023] St. Mark xiii. 31.

   [1024] 2 Peter iii. 7.

   [1025] Job i. 21.

   [1026] Isaiah i. 16.

   [1027] From the Liturgy of St. Chrysostom.

   [1028] St. Matthew vi. 33

   [1029] St. Matthew v. 16.

   [1030] St. Matthew vi. 23.

   [1031] Psalm c. 2.

   [1032] Troparion to a Venerable Man.

   [1033] St. Luke xxiii. 41.

   [1034] Romans viii. 28.

   [1035] Hebrews xii. 6, 11.

   [1036] Hebrews xii. 2.

   [1037] Acathistos to the Most Holy Mother of God.

   [1038] 1 Peter ii. 5.

   [1039] St. John xv. 5.

   [1040] St. John xiv. 6.

   [1041] Ephesians v. 30.

   [1042] St. John xvi. 13. Compare xiv. 10.

   [1043] 1 Timothy iii. 15.

   [1044] From Philaret's Catechism.

   [1045] St. John xiv. 23.

   [1046] Acts xvii. 28.

   [1047] St. Luke xx. 38.

   [1048] Romans viii. 26.

   [1049] 1 Corinthians ix. 22.

   [1050] 1 Corinthians vi. 17.

   [1051] Psalm xcix. 9.

   [1052] From the Antiphon at Matins.

   [1053] Romans viii. 6.

   [1054] St. John vi. 56.

   [1055] St. John xv. 17; xvii. 10.

   [1056] Hebrews xii. 23.

   [1057] James v. 10.

   [1058] 1 Thessalonians ii. 7.

   [1059] Ephesians iv. 25; v. 30.

   [1060] Hebrews iv. 12.

   [1061] St. Matthew vii. 6.

   [1062] St. John v. 14.

   [1063] St. Matthew vii. 7.

   [1064] St. Mark xi. 24.

   [1065] Romans xi. 36.

   [1066] Psalm ii. 8.

   [1067] Psalm xxxiii. 9.

   [1068] Job xlii. 8.

   [1069] Prayer from the Office for the Burial of the Dead.

   [1070] 1 Corinthians iii. 16.

   [1071] Leviticus xxvi. 12.

   [1072] 2 Corinthians vi. 16, 18.

   [1073] Psalm cxxxix. 1.

   [1074] St. Matthew vii. 7.

   [1075] St. Matthew vii. 11.

   [1076] St. Mark x. 27.

   [1077] St. Matthew xxi. 22; St. Mark xi. 24.

   [1078] Psalm cxxx. 1.

   [1079] 1 Corinthians xv. 28.

   [1080] St. John vi. 63.

   [1081] St. Matthew vii. 11.

   [1082] St. Luke xiv. 28-30.

   [1083] Hebrews iv. 16.

   [1084] Hebrews i. 14.

   [1085] St. Luke xx. 38.

   [1086] St. Luke i. 28.

   [1087] Matthew xxviii. 20.

   [1088] 1 Samuel ii. 1 (according to Russian version "strengthened" or
   "stablished")

   [1089] Jude i. 20.

   [1090] 1 Peter iii. 4.

   [1091] 2 Corinthians vii. 1.

   [1092] St. Matthew v. 15.

   [1093] St. John vi. 50.

   [1094] 1 Corinthians iii. 10.

   [1095] Romans viii. 11.

   [1096] Psalm xxiii. 4.

   [1097] Acts xviii. 10.

   [1098] Romans x. 17.

   [1099] Acts xii. 7.

   [1100] St. John xvii. 21.

   [1101] Hebrews ix. 7.

   [1102] Job xlii. 8.

   [1103] Psalm xxxix. 6.

   [1104] Jude i. 19.

   [1105] Acts xvi. 25, 26.

   [1106] Hebrews iii. 6; 1 Corinthians iii. 16; vi. 19.

   [1107] Romans xiv. 17.

   [1108] Hebrews xii. 2.

   [1109] Acts vii. 55, 56; ix. 3, 4.

   [1110] 1 Kings xix. 12.

   [1111] Acathistos to the Most Holy Mother of God.

   [1112] Ephesians i. 22.

   [1113] St. Mark ix. 23.

   [1114] St. Mark x. 27.

   [1115] Numbers xxii. 28.

   [1116] St. Matthew xviii. 32.

   [1117] St. John vi. 56.

   [1118] Psalm 1. 11.

   [1119] St. Matthew xxviii. 20.

   [1120] Psalm lxxvii. 3.

   [1121] Psalm xiv. 1.

   [1122] The "Urodivoi" were men and women whose religious enthusiasm
   reached such a height that they lived an entirely spiritual life and
   paid no heed to outward things; they left all for Christ's sake,
   endured the greatest privations, and sought humiliation and dishonour.
   The outward condition was so entirely lost sight of that they sometimes
   appeared rough, ignorant, and even foolish--"they were fools for
   Christ's sake "--but in reality these outward attributes only concealed
   the height of their religious enthusiasm, and therefore they constantly
   and deeply influenced those amongst whom they lived. The Orthodox
   Church honours some of the"Urodivoi" as saints. "Urodivoi" sometimes
   even now appear in Russia, and always exercise a great influence upon
   the people.--Translator's Note.

   [1123] St. John xvii. 21.

   [1124] St. John iii. 24.

   [1125] Exclamation at Vespers.

   [1126] 1 Samuel ii. 1.

   [1127] Jeremiah xxiii. 24.

   [1128] Genesis iii. 10.

   [1129] Romans ii. 15.

   [1130] Hebrews i. 3.

   [1131] Wisdom xi. 25.

   [1132] Ephesians ii. 6.

   [1133] St. John iii. 16.

   [1134] Canon to the Archangel.

   [1135] A prayer at the evening service of the Russian Orthodox Church.
   Also Psalm lxi. 4.

   [1136] St. John xiv. 23.

   [1137] St. John xv. 7.

   [1138] Speaking of a priest.

   [1139] Prayer for a woman on the first day after childbirth.

   [1140] Jeremiah xv. 1.

   [1141] Philippians ii. 7.

   [1142] St. Mark iv. 24; St. Matthew vii. 2.

   [1143] Jeremiah ii. 13.

   [1144] 1 John iv. 9.

   [1145] Psalm lxi. 5.

   [1146] 2 Corinthians v. 7.

   [1147] Psalm xviii. 28.

   [1148] St. John i. 9.

   [1149] St. Luke ii. 32.

   [1150] St. John i. 5.

   [1151] Psalm xxxvi. 9.

   [1152] Canon of St. Andrew of Crete.

   [1153] St. Matthew vi. 24.

   [1154] Jeremiah ii. 13.

   [1155] Psalm xviii. 11.

   [1156] Genesis iii. 3.

   [1157] St. John vi. 51-58.

   [1158] St. Matthew xxvi. 26, 28; St. Mark xiv. 22, 24.

   [1159] Canon before Holy Communion.

   [1160] 1 Corinthians xv. 26.

   [1161] Proverbs xxiv. 16.

   [1162] Romans vi. 6; vii. 23-25.

   [1163] Ephesians iv. 1.

   [1164] From the Easter Canon.

   [1165] St. Luke xv. 7,10.

   [1166] Jeremiah xvii. 7; Psalm ii. 12; Proverbs xvi. 20.

   [1167] Psalm xviii. 1.

   [1168] Psalm iii. 6.

   [1169] Psalm xlii. 2, 3.

   [1170] St. John i. 29.

   [1171] St. Matthew v. 44.

   [1172] St. Matthew xxv. 34.

   [1173] Ephesians v. 27.

   [1174] St. John xiv. 19.

   [1175] From the Easter Canon.

   [1176] St. Matthew xvi. 24; St. Mark viii. 34.

   [1177] 1 Peter ii. 11.

   [1178] St. Luke xv. 7, 10.

   [1179] Wisdom vii. 23.

   [1180] St. Luke xv. 7, 10.

   [1181] Fourth Prayer of St. Simeon the Metaphraste before Holy
   Communion.

   [1182] Isaiah vii, 13.

   [1183] St. Mark x. 27.

   [1184] St. Matthew xxi. 22.

   [1185] Exodus xx. 7; Deuteronomy v. 11.

   [1186] Psalm xx. 2.

   [1187] Psalm cxlii. 7.

   [1188] Acts ii. 21.

   [1189] Psalm 1. 15.

   [1190] St. John vi. 63.

   [1191] St. Matthew i. 21.

   [1192] St. John xii. 38; Isaiah liii. 1

   [1193] St. Matthew vii. 13.

   [1194] Colossians iv. 2.

   [1195] St. Matthew vii. 10.

   [1196] Romans v. 5.

   [1197] 1 John ii. 1, 2.

   [1198] 1 John iii. 2.

   [1199] St. Matthew xiii. 43.

   [1200] St. John xii. 26; xiv. 2.

   [1201] Philippians iii. 20, 21.

   [1202] First Antiphon, from the Liturgy.

   [1203] St. Matthew xi. 30.

   [1204] 2 Timothy iii. 10; Romans xv. 4.

   [1205] St. Matthew xviii. 32.

   [1206] Fourth Prayer of St. Simeon the Metaphrast before Communion.

   [1207] 1 John i. 7.

   [1208] 1 John ii. 1.

   [1209] Romans viii. 25.

   [1210] St. John iii. 8.

   [1211] 2 Corinthians iii. 5.

   [1212] Revelation xv. 3.

   [1213] Eighth Prayer of the Priest at Matins.

   [1214] Romans xiv. 17.

   [1215] 1 Corinthians vi. 19.

   [1216] Romans x. 8.

   [1217] Genesis iii. 10.

   [1218] St. John xx. 25.

   [1219] St. Mark viii. 17, 18.

   [1220] 1 Peter i. 16i; Leviticus xix. 2.

   [1221] St. John xvii. 21.

   [1222] St. John xii. 20.

   [1223] St. John x. 14.

   [1224] Genesis i. 28.

   [1225] St. Luke xvii. 20, 21.

   [1226] St. Matthew vii. 2.

   [1227] St. John xiv. 15.

   [1228] Romans viii. 20.

   [1229] The Song of Solomon viii. 6.

   [1230] Galatians iv. 19.

   [1231] Ephesians iii. 17.

   [1232] Revelation iii. 20.

   [1233] St. Luke xx. 38.

   [1234] Acts xvii. 28.

   [1235] Prayer to the Holy Ghost.

   [1236] Jeremiah xxiii. 24.

   [1237] Prayer to the Holy Ghost.

   [1238] St. Matthew xviii. 20.

   [1239] St. John xiv. 20.

   [1240] Prayer to the Holy Ghost.

   [1241] St. Matthew vi. 30; St. Luke xii. 28.

   [1242] 1 Corinthians iii. 16.

   [1243] Psalm xci. 15.

   [1244] Deuteronomy xxxii. 15.

   [1245] St. Matthew vi. 21.

   [1246] St. James i. 6.

   [1247] 2 Corinthians i. 19, 20.

   [1248] This was written before the Russian translation of the Holy
   Scriptures was published by the Holy Synod.

   [1249] Romans viii. 26.

   [1250] 1 Corinthians xli. 13.

   [1251] Wisdom i. 7.

   [1252] 1 Corinthians xii. 9.

   [1253] Romans v. 5.

   [1254] St. Matthew vi. 25.

   [1255] St. Matthew xxv. 40.

   [1256] Ephesians v. 30.

   [1257] Stichera on Trinity Sunday.

   [1258] St. Matthew xii. 28; St. Luke xi. 20.

   [1259] 1 Peter v. 8.

   [1260] St. Luke xv. 7.

   [1261] St. Matthew xxvi. 53.

   [1262]

   [1263] Psalm cxix. 73.

   [1264] Stichera on Sundays.

   [1265] St. John v. 23.

   [1266] Ephesians ii. 18.

   [1267] St. Matthew xii. 31.

   [1268] Genesis xlv. 5.

   [1269] Isaiah xxxi. 9. (The text is thus rendered in the Slavonic
   version.)

   [1270] t. John xvi. 15.

   [1271] 1 Corinthians xii. 3.

   [1272] St. Matthew vi. 21; St. Luke xii. 34.

   [1273] Ephesians v. 18.

   [1274] St. Luke xvii. 4; St. Matthew xviii. 21, 22.

   [1275] St. Matthew vii. 2.

   [1276] St. Luke xxi. 15.

   [1277] 1 Thessalonians iv. 13.

   [1278] 2 Corinthians vii. 1.

   [1279] 1 Peter iii. 15.

   [1280] St. John xii. 26.

   [1281] Revelation iii. 12.

   [1282] 1 Thessalonians iv. 17.

   [1283] Revelation iii. 18; Psalm cxxxii. 9.

   [1284] Psalm vi. 7.

   [1285] Psalm li. 8, 14.

   [1286] Psalm cxxi. 3.

   [1287] Psalm cxxvi. 4.

   [1288] Psalm xlv. 1.

   [1289] 1 John iv. 10.

   [1290] 1 Corinthians xiii. 4.

   [1291] Written in the year 1863.

   [1292] Isaiah lviii. 7.

   [1293] St. Matthew vii. 2.

   [1294] 2 Timothy i. 7; Romans vii. 15.

   [1295] Colossians iii. 2.

   [1296] St. Matthew vi. 33.

   [1297] St. Matthew vi. 33.

   [1298] St. Matthew x. 30, 31.

   [1299] Ephesians iv. 6.

   [1300] St. Matthew xviii. 3, 4.

   [1301] 1 Peter ii. 2.

   [1302] Job xlii. 8; Genesis xx. 7,17; Jeremiah xv. 1; 1 Kings xviii.
   36; Psalm xcix. 6.

   [1303] Psalm x. 11, 14.

   [1304] Psalm xiv. 1.

   [1305] Prayer to the Holy Ghost.

   [1306] St. John xiv. 23.

   [1307] 1 Corinthians ii. 9.

   [1308] Colossians iii. 2.

   [1309] St. Luke xxii. 61, 62.

   [1310] Psalm ciii. 3.

   [1311] St. Luke vi. 45.

   [1312] Romans xiv. 17.

   [1313] St. Matthew v. 8.

   [1314] Psalm xci. 15.

   [1315] St. Matthew v. 12.

   [1316] Galatians vi. 9.

   [1317] 2 Timothy iv. 8.

   [1318] Psalm xxxiii. 22.

   [1319] Antiphon at Matins.

   [1320] Acts xiv. 22.

   [1321] St. Luke xii. 36.

   [1322] Ecclesiastes i. 2.

   [1323] St. Matthew vii. 5.

   [1324] Luke iv. 23.

   [1325] 1 Peter iv. 8.

   [1326] St. Mark xii. 31.

   [1327] 2 Thessalonians iii. 10.

   [1328] St. Mark ix. 23.

   [1329] 2 Corinthians v. 21.

   [1330] Philippians iv. 13.

   [1331] St. Mark ix. 23.

   [1332] St. Mark xii. 31.

   [1333] Ephesians vi. 10.

   [1334] Romans xii. 21.

   [1335] Acts iv. 32.

   [1336] St. Mark ix. 23.

   [1337] Romans xv. 13.

   [1338] St. John xvii. 6, 9.

   [1339] Psalm xxxiv. 5.

   [1340] Psalm xxiv. 1.

   [1341] Isaiah xlix. 15.

   [1342] Hebrews xiii. 5.

   [1343] Troparion at Matins in Passion Week.

   [1344] Revelation viii. 3, 4.

   [1345] Hebrews ix. 7.

   [1346] St. Matthew xiv. 31.

   [1347] St. John vi. 56.

   [1348] St. John vi. 57.

   [1349] Psalm lxxiii. 25, 26.

   [1350] Ephesians v. 18.

   [1351] Psalm v. 10.

   [1352] St. John xv. 5.

   [1353] 1 Corinthians xv. 28.

   [1354] St. John xvii. 21.

   [1355] Ephesians v. 18; 1 Thessalonians v. 6-8.

   [1356] St. Mark ix. 23.

   [1357] St. Luke xv. 7, 10.

   [1358] St. Matthew xii. 30.

   [1359] Prayer of St. Ephraem the Syrian.

   [1360] St. Matthew vi. 10; St. Luke xi. 2.

   [1361] Psalm lxxviii. 33.

   [1362] 1 John iv. 16.

   [1363] Psalm lxxxii 6.

   [1364] Song of the Three Holy Children (Daniel iii. 35).

   [1365] St. Matthew vii. 11.

   [1366] Psalm cxviii. 25.

   [1367] Isaiah xlix. 15.

   [1368] Wisdom xi. 10.

   [1369] Romans x. 8.

   [1370] Psalm ciii. 14, 15.

   [1371] 1 Corinthians x. 13.

   [1372] Acts iii. 20.

   [1373] Psalm xv. 2, 3.

   [1374] St. Luke xxiv. 28, 29.

   [1375] St. Matthew xvi. 25.

   [1376] Colossians iii. 9, 10.

   [1377] St. Matthew iv. 20.

   [1378] St. Matthew xvi. 24; St. Mark viii. 34; St. Luke ix. 23.

   [1379] St. Matthew xix. 22.

   [1380] St. Luke xv. 24, 32.

   [1381] Ephesians iv. 22.

   [1382] Romans viii. 13.

   [1383] St. Matthew x. 36.

   [1384] 1 Corinthians xvi. 14.

   [1385] 1 Corinthians xiii. 7.

   [1386] Ephesians iv. 25.

   [1387] St. John xiv. 15, 23, 24.

   [1388] St. Luke xiv. 28; St. Matthew vii. 24.

   [1389] First and Fourth Prayers before Holy Communion.

   [1390] St. John xiv. 9, 10.

   [1391] Psalm xxxviii. 14; 1 Corinthians iii. 18.

   [1392] 1 Timothy iii. 15.

   [1393] Acathistos to the Sweetest Lord Jesus viii.

   [1394] St. John iv. 34.

   [1395] Job i. 21.

   [1396] St. John xiii. 16; xv. 18.

   [1397] 1 Thessalonians ii. 18.

   [1398] St. Matthew xix. 19; xxii. 39; Leviticus xix. 18.

   [1399] Jeremiah xi. 20; Revelation ii. 23; Psalm vii. 10.

   [1400] St. Mark viii. 38.

   [1401] St. Luke viii. 10.

   [1402] St. Mark xii. 40.

   [1403] St. John xvii. 21.

   [1404] 1 Corinthians iv. 20.

   [1405] St. Matthew xix. 11.

   [1406] Romans viii. 26.

   [1407] Psalm lxxiii. 27.

   [1408] Hebrews xii. 8.

   [1409] 1 Peter i. 10; Leviticus xix. 2.

   [1410] Psalm xii. 7, 9. The last verse is given according to the
   Slavonic version.

   [1411] James ii. 10.

   [1412] St. John xiv. 6.

   [1413] Proverbs xv. 2.

   [1414] 1 Peter i. 22.

   [1415] 1 Peter iii. 9.

   [1416] 2 Peter i. 5, 6.

   [1417] St. Luke xi. 23.

   [1418] St. John v. 35.

   [1419] St. Matthew vii. 2

   [1420] 1 Corinthians xiii. 7.

   [1421] St. Matthew xix. 26; St. Mark ix. 23; x. 27; Romans v. 5.

   [1422] St. Mark ix. 24.

   [1423] St. Mark x. 22.

   [1424] St. John iii. 8.

   [1425] Romans viii. 26.

   [1426] St. Matthew xix. 19.

   [1427] Romans xv. 1; Galatians vi. 2.

   [1428] Colossians iii. 11.

   [1429] 2 Corinthians vii. 10.
     __________________________________________________________________

                                    Indexes
     __________________________________________________________________

Index of Pages of the Print Edition

   [1]i  [2]ii  [3]iii  [4]iv  [5]v  [6]1  [7]2  [8]5  [9]11  [10]12
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            This document is from the Christian Classics Ethereal
               Library at Calvin College, http://www.ccel.org,
                   generated on demand from ThML source.

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