Spiritual warfare. Holy Fathers on what spiritual warfare is

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<Подвижнику>sometimes he is allowed to be overcome by what he is struggling with, so that he acquires humility, and through this he recognizes his weakness and firmly avoids what is harmful to him... (Schmch. Peter of Damascus, 74, 124).

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An intelligent soul, standing unshakably in its good intention, like a horse, bridles anger and lust - these most unreasonable passions, and for the fact that it fights with them, taming and overcoming them, is crowned and honored with a stay in heaven, receiving this as a reward for sowing and works from God who created it (St. Anthony the Great, 89, 88).

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When you struggle against any passion, do not be faint-hearted, but submit yourself before God, saying with all your heart: I cannot resist this; help me, the poor one, and you will calm down (St. Abba Isaiah, 89, 299).

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If you pray to God about warfare, so that He will take it from you, and He does not hear you, do not be faint-hearted, for He knows better than you what is good for you (St. Abba Isaiah, 89, 300).

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Watch... against the spirit that brings sorrow to a person, for it has many traps until it makes you weak (St. Abba Isaiah, 89, 348).

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Non-judgment of one's neighbor is a wall (fencing) for those who fight wisely (St. Abba Isaiah, 89, 349).

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An ascetic monk, when possessed by any passion, cannot resist enemies and achieve perfection to the extent (St. Abba Isaiah, 89, 407).

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Force yourself to remain silent so that God will give you the strength to fight and strive (St. Abba Isaiah, 89, 431).

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Victory over invisible enemies is achieved not by bodily strength, but by constancy of the soul and patience in sorrows (St. Basil the Great, 8, 21).

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Let a person make every effort so that the height of his soul is not humiliated by the uprising of voluptuous desires (St. Basil the Great, 9, 363).

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There is a great battle ahead; do not neglect it, do not think that you have already achieved perfection. A lot of work and many deeds are required in order to be saved (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 30, 230).

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We do not fight with visible people, from whom, by looking around, you can bring yourself to safety. Those who fight us are invisible. Therefore, the danger is great for those who are careless, and the reward for the winners is great (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 30, 232).

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For those who love God with all their souls, fight against<диаволом>the same as nothing, and for those who love the world it is difficult and unbearable (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 30, 386).

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If you enter... into a fight, be sober, so that the enemy does not rejoice in defeating you, and so that instead of a crown you do not receive the opposite of that (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 31, 122).

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Where the enemy overthrew you, there, rising up, fight the enemy, so that your correction will be revealed before those who recognize your shortcomings (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 31, 188).

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To be still weak in the flesh does not mean to be overcome; but he is defeated who turns out to be unskillful in temptations (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 31, 201).

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Against the enemy’s suggestions, imagine the fear of Gehenna and the ferocity of torment, so that the enemy does not deceive you with his wickedness (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 31, 223).

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If the enemy inspires you with the following thought: “There is repentance, so use your will,” then tell him: “What is the need, devil, to destroy a built house and again... build it?” (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 31, 270).

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Both in the world and in the ascetic life, no one is married without a struggle, and without a struggle, no one can receive an unfading crown and eternal life, for real life is always like a race (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 32, 70–71).

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Your abuse... is not some ordinary one, not worthy of laughter; on the contrary, all the Angels and their Lord are looking at your battle, which you are waging with the enemy. So, when you become the conqueror of the enemy, God and the Angels will applaud you; and the Angels, rejoicing, will glorify God, who has given you the power to defeat the evil one. For this reason, the warfare intensifies more and more, so that you become well-skilled, and God is glorified, and people become imitators of you (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 32, 76).

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The effort of the spirit over nature is warfare, and is carried out in two ways: in the new, so that they do not enter into unity with the flesh, but in the perfect, so as to make the body itself spiritual (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 32, 254).

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Notice, my beloved, how all evil is intensified, how evil daily advances and evil advances. All this makes us expect future confusion and great sorrow that will come to all earthly borders. Because of our sins, because of our relaxation, the evil one prospers. Let us be vigilant every day, God-loving warriors; we will be victorious in the battle with the enemy, lovers of Christ; Let's study the laws of this warfare; it is carried out invisibly, and the law of this battle is the constant removal of earthly troubles from oneself. If you have death before your eyes every day, you will not sin. If you are distracted from earthly troubles, you will not take flight in battle. If you hate earthly things, neglecting the temporal, then you will be able, like a valiant warrior, to receive a victorious reward. For earthly things draw one down, and passions during battle darken the eyes of the heart; and that is why the evil one fights with us and defeats us, filled with earthly things and enslaved by addiction to earthly concerns (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 32, 374).

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It is best not to give in to passions, that is, not to be attacked by evil thoughts. If someone is shocked by them, he will immediately imprint himself with the life-giving image of the cross and the enemy will be overthrown (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 32, 404).

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Whoever enters into battle and wants to win, let him put on glorious armor - humility, like armor (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 33, 114).

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I examined the armory of the victors, delving into what kind of weapon would bring victory to those who put them on. Many weapons appeared there before my eyes, and with each of them you can win a brilliant victory. Firstly, I saw pure fasting - this sword that never becomes dull. Then I saw virginity, purity and holiness - this bow from which sharp arrows pierce the heart of the evil one. I also saw poverty, disdainfully rejecting silver and all property - this armor that does not allow the sophisticated arrows of the devil to reach the heart; I noticed there love - this shield, and peace - this solid spear, from which Satan trembles and takes flight. I saw vigil - this armor, prayer - this armor, and truthfulness - this light war chariot. But, looking at all these weapons and pondering which of them is the strongest, I saw the stronghold of humility and found that nothing is stronger than it, because no weapon can break through it, and the evil one is not able to take it by storm. That is why, leaving behind the other weapons I have counted, I wrote to you about one humility. If you want to win the battle that you are waging, then seek refuge behind the stronghold of humility, hide there and do not leave this fence, so that the predator does not take you captive; Do not rely on your own weapons, lest the evil one strike you. These are the weapons that I am sending you from the armory of the victorious, because with this they also won. Blessed is he who, armed with this, enters into battle. Our Lord Himself clothed Himself in humility and taught us humility in order to give us the means by His humility to defeat the evil one and all his power (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 33, 120-121).

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May the evil one never see us decently covered on the outside and naked on the inside! (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 33, 123).

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Adam is overcome by the charm of the evil one. As courageous fighters, stand ye, children of Adam, and avenge your father, who lost his beauty in the paradise of Eden; stretch out your hand to him, raise him up, defeat and overthrow Satan, who has seduced our race; by the power of our Lord break his head. Let us defeat all his machinations... (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 33, 281).

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Take the weapons of fasting, prayer and vigils so that you can stand and resist (cf.:) enemies... on the day when any of the lusts arise against us, which we overcome with these weapons (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 36, 198–199).

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The flesh of Christ first put on the weapon of abstinence, and then (already) began to fight<с диаволом>(St. Ephraim the Syrian, 37, 62).

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There are exactly two minds in me: one is good, it follows everything that is beautiful, and the other is worse, it follows everything that is bad. One mind goes to the light and is ready to submit to Christ; and the other - the mind of flesh and blood - is drawn into darkness and agrees to surrender into captivity to Belial. Or one enjoys earthly things, seeks what is useful for himself not in the permanent, but in the transitory, loves feasts, quarrels, burdensome satiety, the shame of dark deeds and deceptions, walks the broad path and, covered with an impenetrable darkness of unreason, amuses himself with his own destruction; and the other admires the heavenly and hoped-for as real, in God alone he places the hope of life, but here, subject to various accidents, he considers things worthless as smoke, loves poverty, labor and good cares, and follows the narrow path of life.

Seeing their struggle, the Spirit of the great God descended from above and gave help to the mind, stopping the uprising of restless flesh or pacifying the troubled waters of black passions. But even after this, the flesh has furious strength and does not stop fighting; the struggle remains indecisive. Sometimes the dust is humbled by the mind, and sometimes the mind again, against its will, follows the overpowering flesh. But although he wants one thing, namely the best, however, doing something else, precisely what he hates, he mourns the painful slavery, the delusion of the first-born father, the disastrous conviction of the mother - this mother of our insolence, the criminal lie of the reptile bloodsucker - the serpent, who amuses himself with human sins; mourns the tree, or the fruit of the tree that is harmful to man, and the harmful eating, and the gates of death, and the shameful nakedness of the members, and the even more dishonorable expulsion from the land, or from the tree of life. The sick mind laments about this. But my flesh even now directs its gaze to our ancestors and to the murderous tree; she constantly loves all kinds of sweet food, which the evil destroyer, the serpent, shows only to seduce her (St. Gregory the Theologian, 15, 305–307).

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If the soul stands firm and does not weaken in any way, then it begins to take advantage, solve the matter and gain victory over sin (St. Macarius of Egypt, 67, 21).

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The struggling soul, having sought help and protection, receives it and is granted deliverance; because struggle and feat are possible with equal strength (St. Macarius of Egypt, 67, 21).

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Among Christians, some endure strong warfare and torment from sin, and even become stronger and wiser in the battles... Others, without having yet exercised themselves, if they fall into sorrow and warfare rises up against them, they are immediately plunged into trouble and destruction (Rev. Macarius of Egypt, 67, 118–119).

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So it pleases the Lord, Since a man is still a baby, the Lord trains him in battle (St. Macarius of Egypt, 67, 200).

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The most important weapon for a fighter and ascetic is that, having entered the heart, he makes war with Satan, hates himself, renounces his soul, is angry with her, reproaches her, resists his usual wishes, argues with thoughts, fights with by yourself (St. Macarius of Egypt, 89, 218).

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Enemies never remain inactive and wage war without indulging in laziness (St. Macarius of Egypt, 89, 236).

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The measure of your feat lies in... fighting vice and not obeying it, not enjoying it in your thoughts (St. Macarius of Egypt, 89, 244).

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There is no person whom the enemy stops attacking (St. Macarius of Egypt, 89, 248).

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Others endure strong warfare and torment from sin, but they become stronger and wiser in battle, neglecting the opposing force, and there is no danger for them in this regard... (St. Macarius of Egypt, 89, 248).

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Even if warfare comes from without, Satan makes an attack, then internally you are protected<христиане>by the Lord's power, and do not worry about the attacks of Satan (St. Macarius of Egypt, 89, 265).

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If he who has taken upon himself the weapon of Christ in order to fight courageously relaxes, then he will soon give himself over to his enemies and, upon release from the body, from the darkness that now holds him, he will go into another, more terrible darkness and into destruction (St. Macarius of Egypt, 89, 270).

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Whoever, through hope in God, has gained the upper hand over many and powerful enemies, as if bringing into oblivion the works shown to them, again rises up against fighters who are even stronger and more powerful (St. Gregory of Nyssa, 19, 165).

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If you run or bypass the fight, then the mind will remain inexperienced, timid and easily taken to flight (Abba Evagrius, 89, 573).

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Those who rush towards their enemies with strong zeal tend to sometimes be struck and fall... (St. John Chrysostom, 45, 37).

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He is worthy of countless praises, glorifications and honors who curbs the raging nature and saves the boat during the most severe storm (St. John Chrysostom, 45, 114).

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We need great vigilance, since our warfare is continuous and never knows a truce (St. John Chrysostom, 48, 19).

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Let us not be afraid of battle and run away from the struggle, but we will not be careless either, because... the enemy of our salvation is constantly awake and does everything against our salvation (St. John Chrysostom, 48, 21).

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Imagining that we, clothed with a body, are forced to fight with incorporeal forces, we will protect ourselves with spiritual weapons (St. John Chrysostom, 48, 498).

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We must try in every possible way not to be caught at first, because it is easier not to fall into evil than, having fallen into it, to improve (St. John Chrysostom, 52, 472).

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What kind of enmity do the nagas have? Enmity of the soul with the body, of vice with virtue. Let's stop this hostility, let's destroy this warfare; then we will admonish others with peace and with great boldness, without reproaches of conscience. Wrath opposes meekness, covetousness opposes contempt of wealth, envy opposes benevolence. Let's stop this warfare, overthrow these enemies, set up these trophies, and establish peace in our city. After all, we have our own city and administration, citizens and many aliens. Let us drive out the aliens so that our citizens are not corrupted. Let no alien and unhealthy teaching, no carnal wisdom enter into us... Let us drive out the aliens, or, better yet, not only the aliens, but also the enemies. If we notice any thought hostile to us, but hiding behind the clothes of a citizen, we will hand it over to the boss - the mind. We have many such thoughts, hostile in essence, but hiding behind sheep's skin (St. John Chrysostom, 53, 331).

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The feats at the beginning are easier, or better yet, we will not need to fight if we do not open the doors to the enemy and do not accept the seed of vice (St. John Chrysostom, 53, 633).

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We also have an ally in the struggle - the sister of fasting, I mean prayer; whether death, temptation, or any other evil, everything is destroyed by prayer and fasting (St. John Chrysostom, 53, 911).

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This is, after all, the whole struggle of the soul, so as not to remove the mind from God, not to stop and agree with unclean thoughts, and not to pay attention to what this reprehensible ancient painter, the devil, depicts in the heart (St. John Chrysostom, 53, 964).

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After victory, courage is needed, otherwise what you managed to overthrow can rise again. If we do not stand, what we have overthrown rises (St. John Chrysostom, 55, 197).

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Of course, one should not shy away from the fight, but one should not ask for it either; then for us the victory will be more glorious, and for the devil defeat will be more humiliating (St. John Chrysostom, 56, 774–775).

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We must stand bravely if we are involved in a struggle; if we are not called, remain calm and wait for the time of struggle, in order to show both contempt for glory and courage (St. John Chrysostom, 56, 775).

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When advancing<сей>a special war and we will fight in a special way: we will turn our chants to the sky; instead of spears, let us direct psalms there; Let us offer prayers to God; Let us appease Him with unceasing tears<Божий>anger, let us break the network of evil deeds; let us destroy the stronghold of evil; let us fight with the weapons of virtue; the armor of righteousness cannot be pierced by an arrow; the shield of faith is not harmed by lightning; God does not allow the helmet of hope to be crushed: the wrath on high does not rend the robe of humility... (St. John Chrysostom, ..6. 965).

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Spiritual warfare is also fought through opposition and sidestepping. Knowing this, Paul, a leader in the cause of piety, leads the army using both methods<...>If there is a war with unbelief, it is useful to come out with a refutation. If the attack of deceit threatens, careful observation is useful in combating it. If the attack is slander, confronting the lie directly is appropriate. And if a prodigal image attacks, it is good to show your rear and turn your face in the other direction, because fornication especially acts through the eyes... (St. John Chrysostom, 56, 986).

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We win or are defeated not because of the strength of our opponents<бесов>or the weakness of helpers, but according to our will. When both of them incline to their side, the holy Angels to good, and the criminal demons to evil, our will, honored by freedom, chooses what it wants, because neither God, who honored us with freedom, forces us, nor the devil has control over us. coercive force; according to our decision, we either act well or sin... (St. John Chrysostom, 56, 1015–1016).

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Let your soul boldly trust in Christ and call upon Him; let him not fear enemies at all: for he is not at war alone, but with the Terrible King Jesus Christ, the Creator of all things, incorporeal and corporeal, visible and invisible (cf. Hesychius of Jerusalem, 90, 175).

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Whenever evil thoughts happen to multiply in us, let us cast into their midst the invocation of our Lord Jesus Christ; and we will immediately see that they will begin to dissipate like smoke in the air, as experience has taught us. When after this the mind remains alone (without disturbing thoughts), let us again take up continuous attention and invocation. We will do this every time we endure such a temptation (St. Hesychius of Jerusalem, 90, 187).

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Just as it is impossible for a naked body to go to war, or to swim across a large sea in clothes, or to live without breathing, so it is impossible, without humility and constant prayer to Christ, to learn mental and hidden warfare, and skillfully pursue and stop it (St. Hesychius of Jerusalem, 90, 187 ).

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The name Jesus, the Christ, must always rotate in the space of our hearts, just as lightning rotates in the air space before it becomes rain. Those who have spiritual experience in internal warfare know this well.

We will conduct this mental battle in this order: the first thing is attention; then, when we notice that an enemy thought has approached, we will hurl words of oath from our hearts at him with anger; The third thing to do is to pray for it, turning your heart to the call of Jesus Christ, so that this demonic ghost will immediately dissipate, so that otherwise the mind does not follow this dream, like a child seduced by some skillful magician (St. Hesychius of Jerusalem, 90, 188–189),

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It is impossible for a well-fed belly to enter into the struggle of the inner man; it is impossible for one who can be overthrown in an easier battle to fight with the strongest (St. John Cassian, 57, 56).

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This is, as it were, the most solid foundation in all battles, in order to first suppress the excitement of carnal desires. For without curbing his flesh, no one can fight lawfully. And whoever does not fight legally, without a doubt, cannot compete in the field of warfare and deserve the crown of glory and rewards for victory. And if in this battle we are defeated, exposed as slaves of carnal lust, through this presenting no signs of either freedom or strength, then, like unworthy slaves, we will be immediately expelled with shame from the field of spiritual warfare.

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For we do not deserve to enter into a more difficult battle with heavenly obscenities (evil spirits), when we could not conquer the weak flesh that resists our spirit (St. John Cassian, 57, 58).

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We have nothing to fear from an external enemy; the enemy is hidden within ourselves. We have an internal war going on every day; after winning victory in it, everything external will become weak and everything will be reconciled with the warrior of Christ and submit to him. We will not have such an enemy that we need to fear outside of us if the inner within us is defeated and subdued to the spirit (St. John Cassian, 57, 62).

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It is necessary for everyone assigned to fight to at least often overcome and defeat his opponent, and sometimes to be wounded himself (St. John Cassian, 57, 75).

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There is also warfare in our members, settled for our own benefit, as we read from the Apostle: the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: these things oppose each other, so that you do this not what you want (). By the providential order of God, it took root, as it were, into our very nature. And is it possible to regard it as anything other than a natural accessory of human nature, after the fall of the first man, if it is common to everyone without exception? Is it possible not to believe that it is in us by the will of God, for our good and not for evil, if it is innate to everyone? So, in some way, by the very providence of God this saving war was left in us, so that it would excite us and lead us to the highest perfection, so that with its cessation, on the contrary, the most dangerous peace should come (St. Abba Daniel, 57, 228).

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Being in the middle between these two aspirations, the will of our soul does not delight in sinful deeds and does not find pleasure in working for the sake of virtues, being disposed to abstain from carnal passions in such a way as to not at all endure the sorrows that are inevitable when fulfilling the demands of the spirit, desiring to achieve the physical without embitterment of the flesh. purity, without the labors of vigils to acquire purity of heart, with the peace of the flesh to abound in spiritual virtues, without any insult by slander to receive the grace of patience, to demonstrate the humility of Christ without compromising worldly honor, to follow the simplicity of piety with the pride of this age, to serve Christ with the praise and good will of men, to speak decisive truth, without encountering any insults, in general, to acquire future benefits without losing present ones. This will (if left in this state) would never lead us to true perfection; but, keeping it in a state of disgusting warmth, it would only make them like those to whom the Lord reproaches His righteous judgment in the Apocalypse: we know your deeds, as if you were neither cold nor hot, so that you were cold or hot! Because you are still warm, Imam will vomit you from My mouth (cf.:); We would have remained in this state of warmth forever if the war rising within us had not brought us out of it. For in this case, when, servile to self-indulgence, we want to make ourselves some indulgence, the flesh immediately rises up and, stinging us with the stings of sinful movements and passions, does not allow us to remain in the gratifying purity - desired and carries us away to the cooling pleasure - rejected, draws us, as it were, onto the path overgrown with thorns. On the other hand, if, inflamed by the zeal of the spirit and wanting to completely mortify the movement of the flesh, we are disposed in the exaltation of the heart to devote ourselves to exorbitant exploits in virtues, without any attention to human frailty, then the weakness of the flesh soon gives its voice and, besieging the soaring of the spirit, rejects us from such incongruous extremes. But while, therefore, both desires wage war through mutual opposition to each other, the will of our soul, which in itself would not want to either completely indulge in carnal desires or devote itself decisively to achievements in virtues, is itself confirmed on the right standard . For that mutual dispute destroys its most dangerous state (indifference) and together establishes on the scales of our being some kind of balance, in which right reasoning determines what is inherent in the flesh and spirit and neither the mind, inflamed by the zeal of the spirit at the right hand, nor the flesh, excited by the stings, is allowed to prevail. I'm full of passion. Having a beneficial effect on us every day, this battle leads us to the fourth thing we do not want, namely, to, having rejected an extensive and carefree life, acquire purity of heart with much sweat and contrition of the spirit; maintain the purity of the body by strict fasting, hunger, thirst and wakefulness, ascend into a good mood of spirit through reading, vigil, unceasing prayers and sorrows of solitude; to be strengthened in patience through the experiences of temptation, faithfully serving one’s Creator even in the midst of slander and reproach, to adhere to the truth in the face of the hostility and enmity of this world, if necessary. So the battle taking place in our being, removing us from a state of careless coldness, calls us to work and zeal for virtues, at the same time establishing a beautiful middle, in which, on the one hand, the heat of the spirit, on the other, the coldness of the flesh, establishes the arbitrariness of our will in proportionate the heat of jealousy; That is why the desire of the spirit does not allow the unbridled passions of the flesh to carry away our soul, nor does the weakness of the flesh allow the spirit to be rushed by the exorbitant desires of virtues - so that otherwise, in the first case, all kinds of vices would not take root, and in the second, exaltation would not inflict a deep wound on us with a sword pride; the correct balancing of their mutual confrontation, maintaining a reasonable measure between one and the other aspiration, teaches the warrior of Christ to always walk the royal path. This is where it comes from that when the soul, due to cooling or negligence of the will, is ready to incline to carnal lusts, it is curbed by the zeal of the spirit, which is not satisfied with earthly goods; and, on the contrary, when the spirit, in the exaltation of the heart, rushes with immeasurable ardor towards feats that exceed our strength, it is returned to its proper limits by the weakness of the flesh, and, rising above the chilled state of our will, with moderate zeal and zeal for labor, it begins to ascend along an even path to the intended perfection (St. Abba Daniel, 57, 230–232).

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From... the abuse depends... a very useful delay in the matter for us, and from this dispute a saving postponement of execution. For when, encountering an obstacle in the coarseness of the flesh, we are forced to hesitate in doing something that is not good for us to conceive in our minds, then often during this interval we come to a better mood either through repentance for evil, or through the correction of a mistake that may be revealed during a new consideration of the case during the delay (St., Abba Daniel, 57, 233).

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What benefit does warfare between flesh and spirit bring us?

Firstly, it drives away our carelessness, denounces negligence and, like the most attentive nurturer, does not allow us to deviate from the strictness of the rules of life. If, through our carelessness, we even slightly violate the measure of legal severity, it immediately stings us with the scourge of excitement, brings us to reason and returns us to due caution. Secondly, when, with the help of God's grace, strengthened in chastity and purity, we are free from carnal defilement (involuntary flow) for such a long time that we begin to think that we will no longer be disturbed even by simple excitement of the flesh, and even so in secret we lift up our hearts as if we were not carrying mortal flesh; then, through outflows (at night), although simple and calm, it humbles us and with its wounds brings us back to the idea that we are still the same people. For, while in relation to other vices, even the most important and dangerous ones, we are usually more indifferent and, after committing them, do not so easily come to contrition - in this adventure, as if some kind of mockery, our conscience is very much humbled and hurt , considering herself guilty both in this matter and in many other passionate movements ignored, clearly convinced that she became unclean from natural kindling (outflow), and before did not realize that she was even more unclean from spiritual passions; and from here, turning to the correction of committed negligence, he takes the lesson that one should never rely too much on one’s purity, that it, as a gift, is obtained solely from the grace of God, and therefore one can immediately destroy it by the slightest deviation from God. Experiences of this kind teach most of all that if we want to be consoled by constant purity, we must first, with all zeal, acquire the virtue of humility (St. Abba Daniel, 57, 234).

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For I am also a subject man; but, having soldiers under my command, I say to one: go, and he goes, and to another: come, and he comes, and to my servant: do this, and he does (cf.:). So, if we, just as courageously fighting against disturbances and vices, could subordinate them to our power and reasoning and, militantly, suppress the passions in our flesh, or subdue the fickle crowd of our thoughts to the power of reason, and drive them away from the borders with the saving sign of the cross of the Lord our hearts are the fierce regiments of opposing authorities, then for the merits of such victories we would be elevated to the rank of spiritual centurion... Having risen to the height of this dignity, we will have the power to command and the strength by which we will not be carried away by those thoughts that we do not want, but are possible to abide in those or engage in those with which we spiritually delight, and to command evil suggestions: go away, and they will go away; But we will say to the good: come, and they will come; We will also command our servant, that is, the body, that which belongs to chastity or abstinence, and it will obey without any contradiction, no longer producing in us nasty stirrings of lust, but showing all submission to the spirit (St. Abba Serenus, 57 , 283–284).

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Where the fighting never stops, it is impossible to be safe from defeat. No matter how skilled someone is in warfare, no matter how courageously he fights, no matter how often he inflicts mortal wounds on his opponents, but if he is in the midst of the battle itself, then of necessity he must sometimes endure the blows of the enemy’s sword (St. Abba Heremon, 57, 374 ).

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If you want to be not an empty warrior, then turn to spiritual warfare as soon as possible and fight even more against your outrage (St. Isidore Pelusiot, 61, 56).

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By the coming of God, struggles have been made convenient for us so that we, struggling, will win, and not so that the greatness of grace will be used as an excuse for laziness (St. Isidore Pelusiot, 61, 366-367).

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The mind, as an autocrat king, must send to the gates of the senses terrible thoughts, protected from everywhere by weapons, which would meet enemies, block their path, repel them and not first allow them entry, and then enter into a dubious battle with them, the success of which often leans toward the other side and delivers victory to the opponents. That is why the word of salvation, when other legislators punish only for the deed itself, threatens with punishment even the one who looks immodestly, so that the abuse becomes not inaccessible and insurmountable, but convenient and easy (St. Isidore Pelusiot, 61, 368).

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Constantly conquering violent bodily passions, admiring these victories, does not even feel labor in joyful admiration (St. Isidore Pelusiot, 62, 47).

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We, who clearly see into the future life with the eyes of faith, rightly neglect wars.<земные>, and victorious monuments, and proclamation, as ending along with real life; We wage that battle in which we bicker with crafty demons and carnal passions, and whoever overcomes them with vigilant skill, we call him a victorious one, even if, apparently, he departed ignominiously from this life; because local dishonor gives rise to immortal glory, and voluntary poverty brings heavenly wealth (St. Isidore Pelusiot, 62, 238).

* * *

Since God the Word deigned to become human, tamed the previously agitated human passions, made the flesh a refuge of virtue and cast the evil hordes under the feet of His disciples, and rightly established the most difficult feats, and prepared heavenly and premium rewards; then justice requires that those who are defeated blame their defeats on themselves. For if the victory that is already prepared for us does not then find those who know how to win and exerts its power in a few, then the cause of defeat is in those who do not want to acquire victory through labor (St. Isidore Pelusiot, 62, 454).

* * *

Having conquered irritability and lust once or twice, these are the most painful passions of all, do not give yourself peace and do not think that you have completely conquered and have become free from all struggle. But even after the greatest victory, stay awake and take care that the former victorious monuments do not lose their glory. For many, I do not say three times, but a thousand times, having won victory, subsequently became the prey of enemies, and after many victorious celebrations, taken into captivity, they presented a pitiful sight (St. Isidore Pelusiot, 63, 226-227).

* * *

A warrior, unless he is first trained through long-term exercise and tested in labor and battle, having demonstrated through experience that he wins victory over his enemies, is not glorified.

Moreover, from the Heavenly True King, no one is worthy to accept the heavenly gifts of the Holy Spirit unless he first exercises himself in studying the holy commandments, and thus does not accept the heavenly instrument of grace itself and does not enter into the struggle with the spirits of evil (St. Neil of Sinai, 90, 295).

* * *

Do not become cowardly, but take courage, maintaining a strong mindset, for the courageous, although wounded, will undoubtedly win, fighting and wounded (St. Neil of Sinai, 90, 333).

* * *

When we reject every arbitrary vice from thought, then we will again enter into battle with passions that have long been rooted in us (St. Mark the Ascetic, 69, 21).

* * *

Neither evil thoughts separately from their causes, nor causes separately from thoughts can be defeated by someone who fights with them. For if we reject one thing separately, then a little later through the other we will possess both (note: Mark the Ascetic, 69, 46).

* * *

He who fights his desires with obedience and prayer is a skilled fighter... (St. Mark the Ascetic, 89, 554).

* * *

The fear of God forces us to fight sin, and when we fight, the grace of God destroys them (St. Mark the Ascetic, 89, 558),

* * *

When the soul moves with anger against the passions, one must know that then it is time to remain silent, for that is the hour of war (Blessed Diadochos, 91, 15).

* * *

You will not be able to step on the asp and the basilisk and trample the lion and the serpent (cf.:), if, having begged God with long prayer, you do not receive Angels as your supporters... (St. John of Carpathus, 91, 90).

* * *

Pursue yourself, and your enemy will be driven away by your approach (St. Isaac the Syrian, 59, 17).

It is better for us to be condemned for some deeds, and not for abandoning<брани>(St. Isaac the Syrian, 59, 42).

* * *

<Человек>let him not stop fighting until death, as long as there is breath in him, and let him not give up his soul to be overcome, even during the very defeat (St. Isaac the Syrian, 59, 42).

* * *

Do not be afraid that the cruelty of the battle is continuous and prolonged; and do not be shaken by the length of the struggle... (St. Isaac the Syrian, 59, 43).

* * *

Do not weaken and do not tremble from enemy armies, do not fall into the abyss of hopelessness, if, perhaps, it happens to you for a while to creep and sin (St. Isaac the Syrian, 59, 43).

* * *

When relaxing causes are removed from a person, there is no danger for him in double warfare, internal and external (St. Isaac the Syrian, 59, 93).

* * *

Every struggle against sin and lust begins with work, vigil and fasting... (St. Isaac the Syrian, 59, 96).

* * *

Whoever at the beginning resists passion soon dominates it (St. Isaac the Syrian, 59, 292).

* * *

Before you start fighting, seek help for yourself and seek a doctor before illness (St. Isaac the Syrian, 59, 300).

* * *

From peace, domestic battles arise and disturb a person; but he has the ability to stop them. For as soon as a person leaves peace and returns to the place of business, these battles are taken away from him and removed (St. Isaac the Syrian, 59, 418).

* * *

Often vanity is at war with gluttony, and these two passions quarrel among themselves over the poor monk, as over a bought slave. Gluttony forces one to allow permission, and vanity inspires one to show one’s virtue; but a prudent monk avoids both abyss, and knows how to use a convenient time to repel one passion with another (St. John Climacus, 58, 106).

* * *

Where we suffer attack from enemies, there, without a doubt, we ourselves struggle strongly with them; and whoever does not feel this battle finds himself in friendship with his enemies (St. John Climacus, 58, 123).

* * *

Sometimes, due to weakness, one can choose to flee, so as not to die mentally (St. John Climacus, 58, 209).

* * *

A warrior of Christ must know which enemies he should drive away from afar and which ones he should allow to fight him. This struggle is sometimes the reason for our crown, but sometimes renunciation of the struggle makes us indecent (St. John Climacus, 58, 229-230).

* * *

Courageously curb anger and lust, and you will soon get rid of evil thoughts (Abba Thalassius, 91, 314).

* * *

The ruler is the one who ruled over himself and subordinated his soul and body to the mind (spirit) (Abba Thalassius, 91, 314).

* * *

Link the strengths of the soul to the virtues, and every desire of the passions will be detached from them (Abba Thalassius, 91, 317).

* * *

Enslave the body, cutting off its voluptuous desires, and you will free it from heavy slavery to them (Abba Thalassius, 91, 321).

* * *

The rational mind bridles its soul, exhausts its body and enslaves its passions (Abba Thalassius, 91, 330).

* * *

Fighting with memories of things is just as difficult as fighting with the things themselves, just as it is more convenient to sin in thought than in deed itself (St. Maximus the Confessor, 91, 186).

* * *

* * *

Curb the irritable power of the soul with love; Kill the lustful one with abstinence; open the mental one with prayer - and the light of the mind will never be darkened in you (St. Maximus the Confessor, 91, 242).

* * *

We must be not only killers of bodily passions, but also destroyers of spiritual passionate thoughts... (St. Maximus the Confessor, 91, 266).

* * *

Let us renounce, as much as we have the strength, from the pleasures of this life and from the fear of its sorrows, and we will certainly get rid of every passionate thought and from every demonic malice (St. Maximus the Confessor, 91, 272).

* * *

A mind that has learned to rationally avoid invisible fights or collisions (with invisible enemies) should neither proceed to natural reasoning nor do anything else during an attack by evil forces, but only pray, tire the body with labor... (St. Maximus the Confessor , 91, 288).

* * *

Valiantly fighting the world, and the flesh, and the rebellions emanating from them...<святые>those who were not enslaved retained in themselves the dignity of the soul (St. Maximus the Confessor, 91, 307).

* * *

No matter how many times a day you attack<похотный>thought, destroy it completely, and there will be no condemnation for us (St. Theodore the Studite, 92, 34).

* * *

If someone is attacked by a lustful thought, let him not be troubled or embarrassed; but through prayer, lamentation and outpouring of tears, let him reverse it... (St. Theodore the Studite, 92, 44).

* * *

Even if we have to die every day, we endure it with joy, trying to live above worldly wisdom (St. Theodore the Studite, 92, 38).

* * *

Let us shed blood in our deeds, and let us have nothing that would tear us away from the commandment of God... (St. Theodore the Studite, 92, 38).

* * *

The omnipotent beck of God does not allow us to burn in this fire<похоти>, if we struggle, - and we go out into the coolness of the dew of purity, glorifying God with the holy youths (St. Theodore the Studite, 92, 111).

* * *

Let us protect ourselves like some kind of trenches with Divine commandments; and we will always be safe and sound (St. Theodore the Studite, 92, 185).

* * *

Every day there is a struggle before you, although at the same time there are daily crowns (St. Theodore the Studite, 92, 219).

* * *

Dies...<в брани>not the one who once received a wound or fell under a blow... but the one who voluntarily betrays himself to his enemies for slaughter (at, Theodore the Studite, 92, 252).

* * *

This battle is taking place not because of any insignificant, ultimate and human goals, but for Divine sake and heavenly blessings (St. Theodore the Studite, 92, 259).

* * *

Everyone, whatever passion we are tormented by, must also perceive feat against that... (St. Theodore the Studite, 92, 295–296),

* * *

A humble soul, wounded by thoughts, reflects them with hatred... (St. Theodore the Studite, 92, 335).

* * *

Just as a sharp sword kindly cuts down attackers, so the soul, in the fear of God, as forged in fire and tempered in tearful water, must cut down demonic thoughts, catching them like prey (St. Theodore the Studite, 92, 518).

* * *

Let us not be afraid or horrified<демонов>. We also have a Supporter and Intercessor, the Holy Spirit and our Lord Jesus Christ... (St. Theodore the Studite, 92, 569).

* * *

When an enemy attacks or wounds us, through our inattention, shooting an arrow of lust into our hearts, let us immediately pray to him, and he will run away without hesitation... (St. Theodore the Studite, 92, 570).

* * *

While we are in the flesh, warfare is inherent in us: for there would be no virtue if there were no warfare (St. Theodore the Studite, 92, 622).

* * *

Listen to how the war that is constantly going on in us should be conducted, and do this: combine prayer with sobriety, and sobriety will strengthen prayer, and sobriety. Sobriety, constantly watching over everything inside, notices how enemies are trying to enter there, and, blocking their entrance with its strength, at the same time calls on the help of the Lord Jesus Christ to drive away these crafty warriors. At the same time, attention blocks the entrance through contradiction; and the invoked Jesus drives away demons with their dreams (St. Philotheus of Sinai, 91, 413–414).

* * *

Since the poison of evil that was previously embedded in us is abundant, it requires a lot of fire to cleanse itself, that is, tears of repentance and voluntary ascetic labors... (St. Nikita Stifat, 93, 114).

* * *

If you do not stop wandering with your thoughts outside, you cannot rebel against those who lay ambushes for you within. If you do not defeat those who fight you through visible things, then you will not put the invisible attackers to flight (Theoliptus, Metropolitan of Philadelphia, 93, 179).

* * *

What are the essence of the weapons with which this invisible warfare equips its warriors? Listen. the helmet for them is complete self-disbelief and complete lack of hope; shield and chain mail - daring faith in God and firm trust in Him; armor and breastplate - teaching in the suffering of the Lord; belt - cutting off carnal passions; shoes - humility and weakness of one’s constant recognition and feeling; spurs - patience in temptations and driving away negligence; with a sword, which they constantly hold in one hand, - prayer, both verbal and mental - heartfelt; with a three-edged spear, which they hold in the other hand, - a firm determination not to agree at all to the fighting passion, to tear it away from themselves with anger and hate it with all their hearts; the cost and food with which they are strengthened to resist enemies - frequent communion with God, both mysterious from the mysterious Sacrifice and mental; a bright and cloudless atmosphere, giving them the opportunity to see enemies from afar, - the constant exercise of the mind in the knowledge of what is right before the Lord, the constant exercise of the will in the desire for that which is pleasing to God, peace and tranquility of the heart (St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, 70, 6–7).

* * *

If you truly want to become a winner in this invisible battle and be worthy of the crown worthy of it, (you must) install in your heart the following four dispositions and spiritual activities, as if donning invisible weapons, the most reliable and all-conquering, namely: a) never in anything do not rely on yourself; b) always carry in your heart complete and all-absolute hope in the one God; c) strive unceasingly and d) always remain in prayer (St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, 70, 17).

* * *

Since all the power by which our enemies are defeated is generated in us from disbelief in ourselves and trust in God, then you, my brother, must stock up on accurate knowledge regarding this, so that, with God’s help, you can always carry and preserve such power within yourself. Know firmly and firmly that not all abilities and good qualities, whether natural or acquired; neither all the gifts... nor the knowledge of all Scripture, nor even if we have worked for God for a long time and have acquired skill in this work for Him, nor all this together will allow us to faithfully fulfill the will of God, if with every godly, good deed that is assigned us to commit, for every misfortune that we seek to avoid, for every cross that we must bear according to the will of our God, unless, I say, in all such and similar cases, some special help from God does not inspire our hearts and gives us the strength to accomplish what we need to do. , as the Lord said: without Me you cannot do anything (); so throughout our entire life, all the days and all the minutes, we must urgently keep within ourselves, unchanging, such a feeling, conviction and mood in our hearts that for no reason, for any thought, it is not permissible for us to rely and trust in ourselves (St. Nicodemus Svyatogorets, 70, 27–28).

* * *

Know... that nothing is easier and more convenient for God than to make you defeat your enemies, be they few or many, be they old and strong or be new and weak. However, He has His own time and order for everything. Why let another soul be overly burdened with sins, let it be guilty of all the crimes of the world, let it be defiled in such a way as anyone can imagine, and let it, however much it wanted and as much as it could, use every means and every feat in order to renounce sin and turn to the path of good, but could not establish herself in anything worthwhile, even the smallest, but, on the contrary, plunged even deeper into evil - let her be like that; with all this, however, she should not at all weaken in her trust in God and retreat from Him, she should not abandon either her weapons or her spiritual exploits, but she must fight and fight with herself and with her enemies with all courage and tirelessness. For knowing, know that in this invisible battle only he does not lose who does not cease to fight and trust in God, whose help never departs from those fighting in His regiments, although sometimes He allows them to receive wounds. Why fight, everyone, without giving in; because this relentless struggle is what it’s all about. God is always ready with healing for those slain by enemies, and with help in defeating them, which in due time He gives to His fighters who seek Him and have firm hope in Him; at the hour when they do not have tea, they will see how their proud enemies disappear, as it is written: the strength of Babylonia has become impoverished and the hedgehog will fight () (St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, 70, 28–29).

* * *

Every time the wordless sensual will on the one hand, and the will of God, expressed by the conscience, on the other, fight your free will and attract it to themselves, seeking to overcome it, it behooves you, if you are a sincere zealot for good, for your part to use appropriate techniques to further the will of God to achieve victory. For this:

a) as soon as you feel the movement of the lower sensual and passionate will, immediately resist them with all your might and do not at all allow your will to be inclined towards them, even if only a little - suppress them, push them away, wipe them away from yourself with a strong tension of will;

b) in order for this to be more successful and bear good fruit, hasten to kindle whole-hearted hostility towards this kind of movement, as towards your enemies, seeking to kidnap and destroy your soul - be angry with them;

c) but at the same time, do not forget to appeal to our Helper, the Lord Jesus Christ, for help, protection and strengthening of your good will: for without Him we cannot have success in anything;

d) these three internal actions, sincerely reproduced in the soul, will always give you victory over evil movements. But this is only driving away enemies. If you want to strike them in the very heart, for this now, if it is convenient, do something opposite to what the passionate movement inspired, and if possible, do it always. This last will finally completely free you from the appearance of the attacks you have experienced (St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, 70, 48–49).

* * *

To expel passion from the heart and replace it with the opposite virtue is the goal of invisible warfare (St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, 70, 50).

* * *

Stand cheerfully and, gathering your attention, fight courageously - and fight not only with the great and strong, but also with the small and light movements of each of your passions. Because small things open the way for great ones, especially when they become a habit. Experience has confirmed more than once that when someone pays little attention and care to reflecting small passionate desires from the heart, after having already overcome the great ones, then such a person is subjected to sudden and unexpected attacks from enemies, and so strong that he does not resist the struggle and falls even more. bitterer than previous falls (St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, 70, 53).

* * *

If sometimes you feel such a strong uprising of sin that it seems to you that you can no longer resist it and as if your very zealous zeal to resist it has dried up, then see, my brother, do not give up, but rise up and stand firm. This is an enemy trick - with the thought of hopelessness to resist - to undermine the very opposition and force, laying down all weapons, to surrender into the hands of the enemies. Then bring to mind this intrigue of the enemy more clearly and do not give in. For until you bend your will to passionate attraction, you are still among the victors, reflectors and destroyers of the enemy, even if even your sympathy has already gone to the side of passion. No one and nothing can force your will, or against your will, snatch victory from your hands and overthrow you, no matter how strong and fierce the battle the enemies of your salvation raise in you. God has given our free will such power that even if all the feelings inherent in man, the whole world and all the demons armed themselves against him and entered into battle with him, they cannot force him; on his side there is always the freedom to desire what they offer and demand, if he wants, and not to desire it if he does not want. But it is responsible for everything and is subject to trial. Remember this well, that no matter how relaxed you may seem to yourself, you cannot at all excuse yourself if you are inclined towards passionate attraction. Your conscience will tell you this too. Get ready to resist the more zealously, the stronger the attack, and never back down from such a decision, in any such case, proclaiming within yourself the commanding words of one of our commanders-in-chief to us: stand, take courage, strengthen yourself () (St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, 70, 54 –55).

* * *

If you want to defeat your enemies as quickly and easily as possible, it is necessary for you, brother, to wage war against all your passions constantly and courageously, especially and primarily against self-love, or unreasonable self-love in self-indulgence and self-pity, because it serves as the basis and the source of all passions, and that it cannot be tamed otherwise than by constant arbitrary self-harm and a loving meeting of sorrows, deprivations, falsehoods, oppression from the world and worldly. Losing sight of this merciless attitude towards oneself was, is and will always be the reason for the failure of our spiritual victories, their difficulty, rarity, imperfection and fragility (prior to Nicodemus the Svyatogorets, 70, 57–58).

* * *

As soon as you wake up in the morning and pray a little, saying: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the first task before you is to imprison yourself, as in some place or disgrace, in your own heart. Having established yourself here, then raise yourself to the consciousness and feeling that your enemy and that passionate attraction with which you are at that time in a struggle are already standing at your back, ready to immediately attack you, and as a result, restore your determination or win, or die, but not give in; Realize also that at your right hand, invisibly standing before you is your victorious Archangel, our Lord, with His Most Holy Mother and many holy Angels, with Archangel Michael at their head, ready to help you, and as a result, be more inspired.

Now the prince of the underworld, the devil, will rise up against you with his hordes of demons and begin to kindle a passionate desire in you, persuading you with various flattering promises for your self-indulgence to stop fighting this passion and submit to it, and assuring you that it will be better and more peaceful this way. But listen to yourself, at the same time you should hear from your right side a warning and inspiring voice, which your guardian angel, seeking all who are on your right hand, will not fail to instill in you, saying: “Now you have to fight with your passion and other enemies yours. Do not be afraid and do not be afraid, and do not run away from this fear or from the battlefield. For the Lord Jesus Himself, your Archangel, stands nearby, surrounded by disembodied commanders of thousands and hundreds and all the hosts of holy angels, ready to fight for you against your enemies, and will not allow them to overcome you and defeat you, as promised: the Lord will fight for you (). Why stand firm, force yourself not to give in and strain in every possible way to endure this test that has fallen on you, crying from the depths of your heart: do not betray me into the souls of those who are cold (Ps. 26:12). Call on your Lord, on the Lady Theotokos, to to all the Angels and saints. Help will come, and you will overcome; for it is written: I am writing to you, young men, encouraged and zealous warriors, for you have overcome the evil one (). Even though you are weak and bound by bad skills, and your enemies are strong and numerous; but a much greater one is ready you receive help from the One who created you and redeemed you, and incomparably stronger than all, God is your Defender in this battle, as it is written: The Lord is strong and mighty, the Lord is mighty in battle (), Who, moreover, has a greater desire to save you than your enemy to destroy you . So, fight and never be burdened by labor from this battle. For by this labor, by needing oneself and ruthlessly, despite the pain, tearing oneself away from vicious habits, victory is acquired and a great treasure is acquired, with which the Kingdom of Heaven is bought and for the sake of which the soul is united forever with God (St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, 70, 61–62).

* * *

In invisible warfare, we do not always and not soon become winners: victory is a gift of God, bestowed on the ascetic by God in his time, known to the only God... (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 38, 161).

* * *

The struggle against death living in the heart, carried out through prayer, under the guidance of the Word of God, is crucifixion, is the destruction of the soul for the salvation of the soul (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 38, 163).

* * *

The general rule in the fight against sinful endeavors is to reject sin at its very appearance... (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 38, 290–291).

* * *

When we resist sinful thoughts, dreams and sensations, then the very struggle with them will bring us success and enrich us with an active mind (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 38, 291).

* * *

Awareness of the damage caused to nature by original sin, and humble prayer for healing and renewal of nature by its Creator is the strongest, most effective weapon in the fight against nature (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 38, 344).

* * *

To succeed in spiritual life, it is absolutely necessary that passions arise and thus be revealed. When passions are revealed in an ascetic: then he enters into a struggle with them (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 38, 345).

* * *

The violent struggle against vicious habits is imputed by God to man as martyrdom, and the one who wins in this struggle is crowned with the crown of confessors as one who strives for the sake of the law of Christ (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 38, 381).

* * *

Every resistance offered to the demands of passion weakens it; constant resistance brings her down. Each infatuation with passion strengthens it; constant infatuation with passion enslaves the passions of the one who is carried away by it (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 38, 525).

* * *

The struggle with passions and the suffering that vegetates from this struggle<с внешними и внутренними скорбями>, incomparably more painful than all temptations from without. The languor and feat into which a Christian is elevated by an invisible, internal struggle, go back in their meaning to the feat of the martyrs (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 38, 532).

* * *

The fulfillment of these commandments, or, more correctly, the effort to fulfill the commandments, necessarily exposes the sin living in us, and arouses a fierce internal struggle, in which the spirits of evil take a strong part (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 39, 369–370).

* * *

The spirits of evil wage war against a person with such cunning that the thoughts and dreams they bring to the soul seem to be born within itself, and not from an evil spirit alien to it, acting and at the same time trying to hide (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 40, 7).

* * *

The sensual vision of spirits is part of the hermit's life; Demons fight with communal monks most invisibly, bringing them sinful thoughts, dreams, sensations, very rarely appearing sensually (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 40, 25).

* * *

Entering asceticism into the world of spirits to acquire freedom, we meet, firstly, with fallen spirits. Although we are secretly guided by... Divine grace given to us at Holy Baptism, without which the struggle with spirits and liberation from their captivity is impossible; however, at first we are surrounded by them and, being, due to the fall, in communion with them, we must forcibly for ourselves and for them be torn out of this communion (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 40, 52).

* * *

The commandment is given not only for deeds and words, but mainly for their beginnings, for thoughts, and the abuse of the enemy is directed primarily against the mind (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 40, 160).

* * *

A person must fight against the air authorities in the land of thought (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 40, 160).

* * *

Only one who keeps all the commandments without exception can resist the enemy (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 40, 162).

* * *

A person who has believed in Christ has just begun to fulfill the all-holy Gospel commandments or, what is the same thing, to do the works of a renewed nature, when suddenly his fallen nature, hitherto hidden from view, is revealed to him and enters into a stubborn struggle with the Gospel (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 41, 9).

* * *

To take up one's cross means to valiantly endure heavy invisible labor, invisible languor and martyrdom, for the sake of the Gospel, while fighting one's own passions, with the sin living inside us, with the spirits of evil, which will rise up with rage against us... when we decide to overthrow ourselves the yoke of sin and submit to the yoke of Christ (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 41, 92).

* * *

Victory over one's own sinfulness is also victory over eternal death. He who has mastered it can conveniently evade public sinful infatuation (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 41, 158).

* * *

Although sinfulness is defeated in righteous people, although eternal death is destroyed by the presence of the Holy Spirit in them; but they are not given immutability and goodness throughout their earthly wanderings: freedom in choosing good and evil is not taken away from them... Earthly life until its last hour is a field of voluntary and involuntary exploits (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 41, 159).

* * *

Those trained by internal warfare acquire knowledge of the all-holy will of God, and little by little they learn to abide in it. Knowledge of the will of God and submission to it serve as a refuge for the soul: the soul finds in this refuge peace and notification of its salvation (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 41, 187–188).

* * *

To whom the Lord wants to bestow spiritual success, he allows warfare... The winner is allowed entry to the supper of grace (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 42, 455).

* * *

You are in sorrow because in the struggle, in the struggle, because the law of Christ is spiritual, it requires crucifixion (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 42, 448).

* * *

Those people are his own to God, He gives strength to those His people who remain faithful to Him in will, while their weakness produces a violation of fidelity in deeds (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 42, 456).

* * *

Everything on earth is hostile to man and he himself is in a constant struggle with himself (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 42, 501–502).

* * *

To defeat evil, we need God's help. When this all-powerful help assists us, we win; when it moves away from us, we are defeated (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 42, 538).

* * *

From... dissolution and victory, from transitions from one to another, a person becomes more and more aware of his weakness - God is gradually exalted before him and, finally, becomes everything for him, the object of all his love, hope, faith (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov , 42, 539).

* * *

Without entering into battle with spirits and not enduring it as it should, the ascetic cannot completely break off communication with them, and therefore cannot achieve complete freedom from enslavement by them (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 43, 146).

* * *

If you do not indulge the passions, you will see their mortification. If you please them, talk with them, nourish them in yourself and enjoy them, then they will kill you (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 43, 149).

* * *

Against the intensified and frequent attack of sinful thoughts and sensations, called abuse in monastic language, there is no better weapon for the novice than confession (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 43, 149).

* * *

In order to resist the spirits of evil and defeat them with the grace of God, you need to know with subtlety who they are, you need to know with precision the way to fight them, know the conditions of victory and victory (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 43, 319).

* * *

In order to resist fallen spirits, we must see them... We, who do not see fallen spirits with our bodily eyes, need to learn to see them with our spiritual eyes (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 43, 331).

* * *

With the monks, who firmly oppose the rejected spirits in a battle invisible to sensory eyes, in due time, not otherwise than by the permission of God who benefits us, the spirits enter into an open struggle (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 43, 335).

* * *

With the correct struggle with spirits, this struggle results in abundant spiritual benefits, and the monk comes to special prosperity (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 43, 336).

* * *

Humble devotion to the will of God, consciousness and readiness to endure all the suffering that will be allowed by God, complete inattention and disbelief to all the words, actions and phenomena of fallen spirits destroy the entire meaning of their attempts. Their attempts receive the greatest significance with attention to them and with trust in demons (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 43, 335–336).

* * *

The image of the novice’s struggle with the invisible spirit, visible only to the mind in thoughts and dreams, is for the novice monk to immediately reject sinful thoughts and dreams (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 43, 337).

* * *

To repel sinful thoughts and dreams, the fathers offer two tools: 1) immediate confession of thoughts and dreams to the elder and 2) immediate appeal to God with the warmest prayer for the driving away of invisible enemies (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 43, 338).

* * *

All the fathers agree that the novice monk must reject sinful thoughts and dreams at the very beginning, without entering into debate, below into conversation with them (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 43, 338).

* * *

The machinations of the enemy turn in favor of the meticulous ascetic: constantly seeing a murderer nearby... the helpless, powerless, poor in spirit monk continually cries out with tears to the omnipotent God for help, and receives it (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 43, 355).

* * *

The hope of all those who are saved is concentrated in God: the hope of those who overcome sin by the power of God and the hope of those who are temporarily overcome by sin by God’s permission, by their own weakness (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, 43, 463–464).

* * *

When someone turns to God, then a struggle occurs: self-love and peace on the one hand, and God’s truths on the other (St. Theophan, Zatv. Vyshensky, 80, 215).

* * *

Pay attention to your heart, stand there before the Lord and do not allow anything sinful there. This is the whole point of internal warfare (St. Theophan, Zatv. Vyshensky, 81, 120).

* * *

Do not be embarrassed by failures or the disobedience of your heart, which is now quiet and will immediately flare up... Break yourself and ask the Lord to break you... (St. Theophan, Zatv. Vyshensky, 81, 160).

* * *

He who courageously struggles with passions, strictly fulfilling the commandments of the Lord, is, as he succeeds, purified in his heart, and as his heart is pure, he draws closer to the Lord, Who promised such: we will come to him and make an abode with him () (St. Theophan, Zatv. Vyshensky, 81, 165).

* * *

Whoever, as soon as he notices an unkind thought or feeling, immediately drives them away with anger, retains his innocence (St. Theophan, Zatv. Vyshensky, 82, 77).

* * *

Attention, - self-resistance, - turning to the Lord the Savior... Here is all your armor! - No enemy can stand! (St. Theophan, Zatv. Vyshensky, 82, 142).

* * *

Watch and train (yourself) not only to overcome, but also to prevent uprisings (St. Theophan, Zatv. Vyshensky, 82, 175).

* * *

As soon as you notice a movement inside that is contrary to the spirit... reject it with your heart, strike this movement with some kind of hostility - and immediately turn to the Lord in prayer, and He will help (St. Theophan, Zatv. Vyshensky, 84, 58).

* * *

always take the side of the spirit, and drive away and suppress the demands of the egoistic carnal man (St. Theophan, Zatv. Vyshensky, 84, 58).

* * *

Stand at the door of your heart, and as soon as you notice something bad breaking through or approaching, drive away mercilessly... and you will be delivered from sin (St. Theophan, Zatv. Vyshensky, 84, 86–87).

* * *

Warm up your faith in the Lord our Savior and trust in Him. Having donned these weapons, you will be inaccessible to enemies (St. Theophan, Zatv. Vyshensky, 84, 128).

Christ calls his disciples to perfection: “Be perfect as your heavenly Father.” Efforts to acquire moral purity and spiritual perfection (or, simply put, to fulfill the commandments of Christ) received the name “Invisible Warfare” or “Spiritual Warfare” in patristic literature.

Here the devil fights with God, and the battlefield is the hearts of people
F. M. Dostoevsky

What is “swearing”?

Wrestling means struggle, battle, combat. Battles in the Middle Ages took place frequently, it was a reality close to all people, and therefore the image that was used in ascetic literature was understandable to everyone. The battle was a matter of life and death. Thus, Christian authors wanted to emphasize that spiritual warfare is directly related to the very foundations of our existence.

Why invisible?

A person’s main opponents in spiritual struggle are himself and the demons who tempt him. He himself is our passions and bad inclinations, habits that we must eradicate and overcome to achieve perfection. In addition, the enemy of human salvation, the devil, if not directly, then by cunning and deceit, inclines a person to evil, tempting him with various thoughts and dreams, giving him a reason to sin. However, the last word in choosing a path remains with the person. But only God and man know how much spiritual effort needs to be made to take a step in the right direction! This internal struggle in a person’s soul is not visible to outsiders, but its consequences are directly related to the people around him and the world.

An earthly battle tempers a warrior, making him stronger and smarter in the fight against the enemy. The same can be said about spiritual struggle. When a person gains good skill in the fight against his sinful passions ( even if not manifested in the form of sins actions), he improves internally and grows spiritually. It is not without reason that one of the great ascetics and ascetics of the Orthodox Church, St. John Climacus compares this struggle with a difficult climb up the steps of the ladder of virtues.

It is necessary to properly prepare for the battle so as not to lose it. The Apostle Paul writes how to do this in his letter to the Ephesians 6:14-17:

“Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the might of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you can stand against the wiles of the devil, because our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spirits of wickedness in the heavenly places. For this purpose, take on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day and, having done everything, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girded with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; and above all, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery arrows of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”

Where to begin?

Patristic asceticism explains to us how to fulfill the words of the Apostle. To put it simply:

1. The path of the warrior of Christ, the direction and strategy of the battle are set out in the “Ladder” of St. John Climacus.
2. Tactics, combat techniques and the Battle Regulations are in the “Invisible Warfare” of St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain (translation of St. Theophan the Recluse).
3. The charter of internal service is in the “Soulful Teachings” of Abba Dorotheus.
4. To get an initial idea of ​​the image of the warrior Christ, of what he looks like, you need to read the letters of abbot Nikon “Repentance is left to us” and the letters of schema-abbot John “Letters of the Elder of Valaam”. And for people with increased intellectual requirements there is also a biography and letters of Abbess Arsenia (Srebriakova).
5. Under no circumstances should you start a battle without studying the five-volume work of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov). His works are not only a translation of asceticism into our modern language; Saint Ignatius chose from the fathers only that which was still within the power of a weakened and exhausted Christian of recent times. Without the advice of Saint Ignatius, a novice warrior will quickly and ingloriously lose the battle (that is, end up in hell), without understanding its inner essence and the way to assess his strength and means. The fathers of antiquity did not waste much on such explanations; for them, a novice is one who lives in the desert, sleeps four hours a day, eats really poorly, works by the sweat of his brow and follows prayer rules that modern ascetics have never dreamed of. But for us, a novice is one who has learned the “Our Father” and the Creed, and it is still unknown

Spiritual warfare

Truly great is the warfare of the devil: he has strong bows, flaming arrows, various nets, countless tricks and weapons, through which he seeks in every possible way to harm the human soul. But if you want to completely and quickly join the army of the Heavenly King, do not be afraid of the enemy who opposes all that is good, but listen to how much the examples of Holy Scripture encourage us. Consider the warriors, the kings of the earth, and draw a useful conclusion from this. Earthly warriors, having with them assistants who are stronger and more skillful than the enemy, are not in the least afraid of their enemies. If they are confident that their assistants are invincible, then, forgetting all the horrors, they go bravely to the battlefield, fight courageously and do not leave the battlefield until they defeat their enemy and are crowned with laurels. But when we follow the path of virtue, God Himself accompanies us, and promised to confirm us in deeds of virtue until the end of the age: “And lo, I am with you always, to the end of the age...” (Matthew 28, 20). So, without being at all afraid of the attacks of the enemy, “take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery arrows of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Eph. 6:16-17) (Venerable Leo).

I ask you and pray, stay awake with humility, be sober and take courage, and<вин удерживайся>, deviating to flesh and blood and to all sorts of voluptuous movements, and from the clouds and noisy storm of excitement that torment your mind and feelings and want to plunge your good will into the mud of voluptuousness! But even if we think something and crawl, and we see a wound in ourselves from the evil speculator, but even then we rise and run again with repentance and tenderness to the One who revives the dead, and who raises the fallen and who crowns those who suffer from such tormentors and<дарующему>freedom and gifts of reasoning against... abuse (Venerable Leo).

That brother A. has come to you again and is causing concern to all of you, I sympathize with you. But everything comes to us according to Providence, so we must turn everything to our advantage. What benefit will a warrior have without fighting? Such a person is unskilled and unfeminine. And a monk cannot, without struggle, gain souls in patience and be crowned by the hero of the hero. Do not faint in spirit and do not become discouraged in opposition, but turn to the Lord with humble prayer and believe that help will come to you. I hope that God will not leave you to be tempted beyond strength, but will create with temptation an abundance that you are able to bear (St. Moses).

Do not delve into dreams, but correct yourself by trusting in the all-powerful grace of Christ. With the proposal to preserve your external and internal feelings, everything is possible. And as soon as you notice the creep, immediately direct it back to your beginning, and overcome the custom of postponing correction until the morning with an evening examination of your conscience and cleansing it with sincere gratitude before God: those who have sinned in this and that way. In cases that occur without me, act with reason, turn to the Savior and consult with whomever you have to (St. Moses).

Don’t be angry that I haven’t decided to come to you now. It is very sensitive to me that you are under siege by wolves, but I am afraid to come close to driving them away and freeing you, because your wolves look like rabid ones. They, as you know, tormented me many times, sinking their teeth to the depths of my heart. I don't know how there is still life left in me. The spirit of hope towards God was killed many times, and now whether there is any life in me, I don’t know, because I don’t feel a certain life in myself, but I hope only with a common hope, not living, but dead. Your wolves have no skins, are very toothy and cold-free. The people here, although they are predatory, are not so impudent, they are afraid of the word of man and of the species, and the more yours are driven away, the more they attack, and especially they are so angry at the one driving them away that they cannot even show themselves to him. Is it possible to shoot arrows and bullets at them from the bushes, which I do not renounce and, perhaps, sometimes I will lose something in?<попаду>with the help of Christ. If you have faith, then let me know when in what part of the soul a wolf will appear, with a description of its species, and whether it is old or young, one or two, or a whole herd, write! I truly wish God’s salvation for you and pray to Him with all my heart to deliver you from the mouth of lions and from the horns of unicorns. It is impossible to get rid of mental wolves except for the help of Christ - driving them away requires His almighty grace, and not weak human help. To do this, you need to surrender to the feet of Jesus with extreme humility, ask Him for everything and cast all your sorrow on Him and, moreover, pray to the Mother of God and other saints with true recognition of your sins and weaknesses to correct yourself. Thus, without a doubt, the Lord will help you and rest your spirit. “Learn,” he said, “from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). This is where the Savior indicated to find peace of mind. Look, according to His direction you will surely find, because the Lord is faithful in all His words. Walk in Him and do not have to walk in darkness. Do not labor in vain in seeking for yourself consolation and peace and salvation other than humility. Everything will only cause you grief, anxiety and destruction if you do not take up the humility of Christ. Without it, the wolves will tear you to pieces. Equally, I cannot escape from them unless I consider myself the most sinful and the last of all (Venerable Moses).

Saint John of the Climacus says that thoughts that are not revealed to the spiritual father come into action (v. 26, section 21) and that, on the contrary, opened ulcers do not extend to the worst, but rather are healed. From our own experience we see that man is extremely weak and powerless in spiritual struggle without the help of God. In this fight,<как>says the Monk Mark the Ascetic, we have one helper, mysterious, hidden in us from the time of baptism - Christ, Who is invincible. He will assist us in this struggle if we not only call on Him for help, but fulfill, according to our strength, His life-giving commandments. Throw yourself into the arms of His great mercy. Also, constantly resort to our Intercessor, the Lady Ever-Virgin Mary, often singing the church song: there are no other imams of help, no other imams of hope, do You, Lady, help us, we hope in You and we boast in You, for we are Your servants, let us not be ashamed ( Rev. Ambrose).

Despise the intimidation of the enemy, as if he is able to bring you into such a misfortune that you seem to reject the Crucified Lord. All these weavings of hostility, even if allowed to him, could end in some absurd opinions and unfair rumors from a person. But remember the psalm word in advance: “be prepared and not be troubled...” (Ps. 119:60) (Venerable Ambrose).

You write that at times you become very weak, to the point of cowardice, and sometimes even to despair. Know that there are two main machinations of the enemy: to fight a Christian either with arrogance and conceit, or with cowardice and despair. Saint Ladder writes that one skilled ascetic repelled the goats of the enemy with their own weapons. When they brought him to despair, he said to himself and to his enemies: “how not so long ago you praised me and brought me into arrogance,” and through this he reflected the evil intent of the enemy. If the enemies again switched to the other side and began to praise and give reasons for arrogance and conceit, then the elder would answer: “Why, not so long ago you brought me to despair; after all, one thing contradicts the other.” And thus this ascetic, with the help of God, repelled the machinations of the enemy with their own weapons, using one against the other at the right time. Also, sometimes you have the thought of retaliating courageously against your enemies, and you ask, is this fair? The opposite of this, cowardice, shows that it is unfair. It is not our measure to rebel against evil enemies, but rather, most likely, with humility, always resort to the help and intercession of the divine, calling on the Lord Himself and His Most Pure Mother for help, as the holy Climacus advises: in the name of Jesus, repel the warriors (St. Ambrose).

Do not do it...<в>to do anything to fulfill the will of your spiritual enemies, who confuse you with all sorts of suggestions and assumptions, which you trust on the basis that it seems to you. All the mental warfare or confusion that plagues you comes from this trust in enemy suggestions, to which you attribute some meaning or credibility, or which you want to catch, instead of despising them, calling on God’s help against them. The main reason for your mental warfare is your great arrogance, which is visible in everything (Venerable Ambrose).

Those who accept evil suggestions, mixing their will with them, are robbed by mental robbers; the suggestions of these mental thieves are always disordered and inconsistent with the case, according to the word of the Gospel: “Whoever does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in elsewhere, is a thief and a robber... A thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy” (John 10: 1, 10). Saint Abba Dorotheos, explaining the machinations of the devil, writes: he is not so much unskilled in doing evil and knows that a person does not want to sin, and therefore does not instill in him any obvious sins and does not tell him: go commit fornication or go steal, but he finds In us there is only one imaginary wish or one self-justification, and thus, under the guise of good, it does harm. So, with plausible suggestions, he removed N. from the monastery and confuses you in the same way, and generally confuses you with the wishes of his will (Venerable 4 Ambrose).

You write that sometimes you are occupied with the thought of how Dennitsa turned from a luminous angel into Satan. You yourself know that from pride. But remember that you must now hold on to prayer more tightly and not get carried away by any thoughts or reasoning, even if they happen on the other side, even if apparently on the gums. Prayer with humility is an invincible weapon against the enemy, but you cannot defeat him with reasoning (Venerable Ambrose).

You write that your spiritual enemies have raised such a battle against you that they are preventing you from usually performing your inner prayer, making noise and hum around you, as if a whole round dance is dancing, which is why you ask me, poor-minded, what you should do and how to act in in that case? We must imitate the saints of God, as they acted in similar cases. We read in the life of Arseny the Great that he sometimes, rising from inner prayer, publicly prayed with raised hands: “Lord my God! Do not forsake me, for I have done nothing better before You, but help me and make me worthy to make a beginning!” This short prayer of the saint of God expresses, firstly, great humility, self-reproach, and self-abasement. Secondly, it is shown that the saint of God did not pray like that without a reason, but apparently he was fighting for a strict life with thoughts of exaltation from mental enemies who do not leave anyone alone, but fight everyone with whatever they can. Especially for us who are weak, we need to keep an eye on the thoughts of exaltation, which are the most harmful for us in spiritual warfare, as St. Mark the Ascetic explains: “If we had been diligent about humility, we would not have demanded punishment: for everything is evil and cruel, what happens to us, for our exaltation, happens. If the apostle did not become arrogant, the angel Satan was quickly allowed to play dirty tricks on him; if we are exalted, Satan himself will be allowed to trample on us, until we humble ourselves.”... According to these testimonies of the saints of God, recognizing our humility, or the lack of it, or noticing theft by exaltation, sincerely and with humility, let us repeat before the Lord the aforementioned prayer of Blessed Arseny , rebelling against it when we are disturbed by our mental enemies annoying us. If, however, this prayer does not calm us down at all, then let us imitate Blessed Arseny in another action. He sometimes seated his disciples near him, complaining about the abuse of the enemy. You can sometimes place Sister P. near you, if necessary. Let him sit next to you in prayer or standing and read some of the Gospel (Venerable Ambrose).

Are there, or are there not, any hidden infirmities in your soul, for the sake of which your enemies are still strengthening themselves and boring you to the point of exhaustion? If you cannot find anything like that, then still pray with humility to God with the psalm words: “Who understands the Fall? Cleanse me from my secrets, and spare me from strangers” to Thy servant (Ps. 18:13). All the holy fathers have a unanimous answer and advice in such cases: in every temptation, victory is humility, self-reproach and patience, of course, while asking for help from above. Pray for this to the Queen of Heaven and to all the saints of God in whom you have special faith, so that they will help you get rid of demonic delusion. First of all, consider your spiritual disposition, whether you are peaceful with everyone, whether you condemn anyone (Venerable Ambrose).

It is not commendable that you are overcome by thoughts and fall, but it is even worse that you despair. We are in a struggle, we fall and rise, and we are more courageous in battle, but there is no need to despair, but to humble ourselves and repent, although it is shameful, we must. Know why battle and victory are stronger: from opinions about oneself, from condemnation of others, from excess food and bodily rest, and also from concealment<сокрытия помыслов>from mother<духовной>... (Venerable Macarius).

Isn’t it arrogance that, having received some temporary calm from the battle, you believed that this was keeping your mind. Saint John of the Climacus says: “How far are the east from the west, so far is keeping the mind higher than keeping thoughts, and incomparably more difficult.” But you and I don’t even know how to preserve our thoughts as we should; then where will our mental preservation come from? Your calmness was not the preservation of your mind, but an obvious planting of the enemy (Venerable Ambrose).

Spiritual life

You want to make a start towards improving your life, but you don’t know how. And it seems that you and I have talked a lot about this, how one should wage spiritual warfare with the passions, and this should not be done in words, but in reality. Our passions do not give us rest, but some case will reveal them to us, then the disorder lying inside us confuses us, and when in any case you resist, do not do it out of passion, then they will become exhausted. When you are defeated, then look at yourself, reproach and humble yourself, consider yourself worse than everyone else, as if overcome by passions, do not blame any of the people, but blame yourself, and you will receive God’s help (St. Macarius).

It seems to you that you do not rely on yourself and that you recognize yourself as insignificant and so on, but, however, we advise you not to believe this, since we do not believe you, until you learn this from experience, having entered the field of spiritual life; Perhaps you will meet people whose life seems to you inconsistent with your intentions, then you should not be tempted by this; Although you are running like a greyhound, you have not yet known your weaknesses, have not yet met the various kindled arrows of the evil one and have not had the opportunity to resist them and tempt your strength, have not yet endured the reproaches, annoyances, insults and reproaches that must certainly meet you, to the test and your test, about this you, it seems, should learn from the books of the holy fathers theoretically... We write this to you, not frightening you, but preparing you and warning you against arrogance (St. Macarius).

Do not think that you can quickly learn the spiritual life; she is the art of art; Not only theory, but also practice is needed, and with this there is a lot of stumbling and rebellion. You write that you were heartbroken by my reproof, “so much so that it went to your head.” This should show you your weak dispensation, which will be corrected by self-reproach and humility. If I only pat you on the head, then what good will it do you? (Venerable Macarius).

You and I are assigned a different type of service, but not civil, but military-spiritual. “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). The Holy Apostle Paul advises Timothy: “Suffer evil, for Jesus Christ is a good soldier” (2 Tim. 2:3). Here suffering is also necessary: ​​this war is fierce - it is not the body that fights, but the soul, not with a visible person, but with invisible spirits... And with all this there must be great humility, for we fight with proud spirits, then to defeat the proud They are worth nothing, but they cannot resist the humble for an hour. Humility crushes all the snares and machinations of the enemy (St. Macarius).

In the interim there were times that were bitter, difficult and languid... you cannot do without it. In a sensual war, many are wounded and suffer illnesses, since even more so in this spiritual warfare many wounds are acceptable from the spirits of malice, and even more so when we rely on our strength and reason, then we are overcome, until we humble ourselves, having recognized our weakness... (Venerable Macarius ).

Those who want to be saved inevitably face spiritual warfare with the enemies of our souls, who fight and defeat us through our own passions, which I see in your dispensation, which you described. The envy and hatred that torment you are not newly born passions, but secretly hidden passions in your heart, and occasionally irritated and exposed (Venerable Macarius).

In battles, resist with humility, as it is written and shown to us from our father, and if you happen to fall, rise again and know that you will be tempted by them for your pride. Run to self-reproach and humility, and not from your cell. Dondezhe the monk will not be erased by various temptations and sorrows, he cannot recognize his weakness and humble himself (St. Macarius).

You write that you see your passions and mental weaknesses, which you have never seen before, and you cannot free yourself from them and leave them behind. Those who begin to go through spiritual life, then usually spiritual warfare rises up against them more strongly, and if we cannot suddenly become winners, then we should not be despondent and grieve about this, but, seeing our weaknesses, humble ourselves and bring repentance to the Lord. It is dangerous if you see your corrections or virtues, then it is a clear sign of delusion and a falling away from God. A sinner with repentance is more acceptable before Him than a righteous man with pride (St. Macarius).

As I see in you rapid changes from spiritual to carnal life, I will write something against this. You had a desire for spiritual life, but it was imaginary and vain, and therefore you took away the bitter fruits of delusion, deceived by an imaginary holy life and false, under the guise of spiritual, consolations. When the cover of delusion was removed from you and I realized what a disastrous position you were in, then a battle arose against you, with which the enemy had not bothered you in the least before, and you relied on it for your imaginary holiness, strove for both the mantle and to the shutter, and everything was vain, in order to see our imaginary holiness, but there was not even a trace of humility, without which all our good deeds are displeasing to God. In the battle that has now risen against you and is driving you into the world, do not be discouraged, but having realized that this was allowed to you for exaltation - and your current thoughts are completely opposite to the first - humble yourself, repent of your previous unreasonable and untimely jealousy, consider yourself the last of all, ask for help from God and the Most Pure Mother of God, then you will receive relief from the battle and you will know that with our own strength we cannot do anything good (Venerable Macarius).

A Christian who leads his life according to God’s commandments must be tested by various temptations: 1) because the enemy, envying our salvation, tries with all sorts of intrigues to hinder us from fulfilling the will of God, and 2) because it cannot be firm and truthful - to virtue, when it is not tested by an obstacle contrary to it and remains unshakable. Why is there always spiritual warfare in our lives? We have many passions hidden within us and cannot recognize them until one of them opens up to action. When we see ourselves defeated in something, unable to resist the scorching arrows of the enemy, then we recognize our weakness, humble ourselves and do not rely on our strength ahead, but resort to the help of the Almighty God, and our very humility protects us and attracts Him help. When we go through life in a visible and pious manner, without any vices, neither visible nor mental, and although we say and think that we are sinners, we are mistaken, and, comforted by our imaginary virtue, we are deceived and blinded by our minds, and, forgetting ourselves, we dare to judge others who are overcome by passions. For this reason, the Lord allows us to experience the ferocity of passions and to be overcome, so that we humble ourselves and truly consider ourselves sinners, having a contrite and humble heart. Someone who performs virtues and even feels some spiritual consolations, but if he does not have temptations, then the door to pride is opened for him, which alone, besides all vices, leads to spiritual destruction (St. Macarius).

Spiritual life consists not only in enjoying peace and consolation, but also in bearing the spiritual cross, that is, the withdrawal of consolation, complacently... (Venerable Macarius).

When receiving spiritual consolations, thank God and do not grieve when, when they are taken away, darkness covers your soul; The grace of God preserves the measure, so that they are not exalted in acquiring consolation, and sends tenderness and change, and not that they are abandoned completely. Be complacent, accept this for consolation, and this for humility (Venerable Macarius).

You write that good wishes are not always fulfilled. Know that the Lord does not fulfill all our good desires, but only those that serve our spiritual benefit. If we, when raising children, consider what teaching is appropriate for what age; Moreover, the Lord, the Knower of the Heart, knows what and at what time is useful to us. There is a spiritual age, which is not calculated by age, and not by beards, and not by wrinkles, and just as sometimes 15-year-olds study science together with 8-year-old children, so during spiritual training this happens even more often (Venerable Ambrose).

It is impossible to always be in the same dispensation, but one must expect warfare, either external or internal; just do not give guilt through arrogance and vanity, but humbly acquire wisdom, then the arrows of the enemy will be crushed (Venerable Macarius).

Spiritual... life consists not only in tasting its inner sweets and consolations, but moreover in complacently enduring their deprivation and other sorrows. From all of these our love for God is known when we carry them complacently; recognizing our weakness and poverty, we humble ourselves from it. Remember your first dispensation, when you enjoyed spiritual consolations; What did you gain from this? After being deprived of them, there was only emptiness, and you almost fell into despair when after them waves of passions rose up against you. You see how fragile this consolation is, which does not bring humility, but only deceives, and without experiencing the sorrowful, it puts those who have it in danger. On the contrary, the cross makes us partakers of Christ’s passion and glory, but only when it pleases Him to bestow it, and it will be useful to us (St. Macarius).

In spiritual life this always happens: either consolation precedes sorrow, or sorrow precedes it. These changes give rise to hope and humility. Only there are different sorrows, both worldly and spiritual, but it is too early for you to know about this, but accept what God sends with gratitude and indifference, do not be exalted in consoling feelings, and do not lose heart in sorrowful ones... ( Rev. Macarius).

It is dangerous for you to enter into spirituality ahead of time, that is, to talk about high things of spiritual speculation and so on, but you need to see your sins and try to overcome and eradicate passions, this is the goal of our intention, for after cleansing from passions it will reveal itself spiritual feeling, and the love of God is expressed in the fulfillment of God’s commandments: “he who loves Me will keep My commandments” (Cf.: John 14:21) - about this you must have an interview and, as it were, humble yourself, but without it everything is gloomy and dark. For God’s sake, I pray you, humble yourself in everything and have peace among yourself, then the grace of God will cover you from everything that opposes you (St. Macarius).

You say that now you don’t have the ardor that you used to have. You had ardor, but it was vain, and that’s why it cooled down. What you did then without compulsion and with ease, and now with compulsion and with difficulty, and in this you see your weakness and involuntarily humble yourself, then this is much more pleasing to God, although you do not see it. This is how our salvation is accomplished; We cannot even understand, not by the exploits and high virtues on which we think to place our hope, but by a contrite and humble heart and the consciousness of our poverty. When we arrange ourselves this way, then our virtues will be firm, strengthened by humility. Did you have zeal for exploits, for prayers, for fasting, and so on, but you didn’t think about it, that the darkness of passions was closing your heart from the Sun of Truth? It is necessary to have a struggle with passions: pride, love of glory, for from them many passions rise up against us (St. Macarius).

Spiritual life does not consist in seeing one’s corrections, but in seeing one’s sins; the former leads to pride, and the latter to humility, from which even the virtues become firm, and we do not elevate our minds about them. The enemy fights us in different ways: if he cannot draw us into vices, then he instills the idea of ​​his corrections and thereby darkens our mind and leads us away from God. Our first path is the rejection of our will and reason and disbelief in ourselves... (Venerable Macarius).

As you went through the feat of your life, you had more in mind and in action external work: fasting, rules of prayer, etc., but perhaps you paid little attention to internal work. And therefore, I believe, you do not have peace within yourself... From your external exploits you had hope and were deluded into being more trustworthy, but you were deprived of peace of mind, lacking humility (St. Macarius).

Neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem can one worship the Father. “The true worshiper will worship the Father in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). This is how our worship should be! Let us strive towards this with our minds and hearts, and believe - we will find mercy and eternal life, we are spiritual people, therefore we must endure in spirit - and this is true Christian unity, which will not be separated forever in Christ Jesus our Lord... (Rev. Anatoly ).

N.! Don’t be like a bothersome fly, which sometimes flies around uselessly, and sometimes bites and annoys both of them, but be like a wise bee, which began its work diligently in the spring and by autumn has finished its honeycomb, which is as good as it should be. stated notes. One is sweet, and the other is pleasant... (Rev. Ambrose).

Likened<твоя жизнь>a rather deep ditch, which in rainy times fills up so much that it is impossible to cross, but at other times it dries up so much that no water flows through it. The Holy Fathers boast of a life that flows like a small stream, constantly flowing and never drying up. This stream is convenient: firstly, for crossing, and secondly, it is pleasant and useful to everyone passing by, because its water is suitable for drinking, since it flows quietly, and therefore is never muddy. You have always had a noticeable desire only to fulfill the prayer rule, and to fulfill the commandments of God, called small by the Lord, you lacked the desire, zeal, compulsion, and attention, and the first without the second is never strong (Rev. Ambrose).

You write off how unpleasant the train ride was for you and how you managed to get rid of annoying conversations. And the word of the Apostle came true: “If anyone among you thinks to be wise in this age, let him be foolish in order to be wise” (Cf. 1 Cor. 3:18). It bothers you that you had to turn to this remedy in the Church of St. Sergius. But the Lord does not look at our external actions, but at our intentions, why we act one way or another, and if the intention is good, according to God, then we can be at peace. Therefore, others should not be judged in any case: we see only external actions, and the innermost motives and intentions by which these actions will be judged are known to the One Knower of the Heart, God (St. Ambrose).

In every sojourn, try to remain pleasingly, that is, in a peaceful and humble spirit, do not judge anyone and do not annoy anyone, trying so that our word, according to the apostolic commandment, is dissolved with spiritual salt (St. Ambrose).

You are now in the middle, between the world and monasticism. But the average measure is approved everywhere and in everything, and for you, due to your upbringing and poor health, it is in many ways decent; just try to live according to the Gospel commandments of the Lord and, first of all, not judge anyone about anything, so that you yourself may be unjudged (Venerable Ambrose).

And that you are not what you should be is not a wonder: you came to learn spiritual life. After all, I probably didn’t understand the simple alphabet right away, but this science is high. You won't learn it right away. And the great saints of God - Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Tikhon of Zadonsk and many, many fathers - they all did not immediately shine. Learn. Be patient and wait for God’s mercy (Venerable Anatoly).

For a modern person who does not have a Christian religious education, such a concept as “spiritual warfare” can be associated with concepts that are completely far from the truth.

The first association that may come to mind is that spiritual warfare is some kind of swearing. It is easy to mislead yourself here, since these two words are synonyms. In addition, there are many quotes and phraseological units that confirm this, but in the context of the Christian religion, this is not so. Warfare is a confrontation, a fight against what is harmful, destructive and destructive.

Someone will assume that we are talking about the need for self-improvement, say moral - this is partly true. If we say that spiritual struggle is a struggle with passions, then this is also not true, since passion is an innate instinct. Thus, what spiritual warfare is in Orthodoxy and what its goals are is a vague and poorly understood concept.

Spiritual struggle. Invisible and mental abuse

Spiritual warfare or spiritual struggle is an integral part of Orthodox asceticism and the spiritual life of monasticism, which has belonged to it for many centuries. It is learned through direct participation in it, which is a feat for an Orthodox Christian.

After all, the goal of this struggle is to achieve Christian perfection, which is drawing closer and remaining in touch with God. The tools of the struggle are Invisible and Mental warfare.

Cyprian of Carthage

Ancient Roman bishop

The longer your battle, the more brilliant the crown.

(Isaiah Pe. 63, 226–227)

Having conquered irritability and lust once or twice, these are the most painful passions of all, do not give yourself peace and do not think that you have completely conquered and have become free from all struggle. But even after the greatest victory, stay awake and take care that the former victorious monuments do not lose their glory.

For many, I do not say three times, but a thousand times, having won victory, subsequently became the prey of enemies, and after many victorious celebrations, taken into captivity, they presented a pitiful sight.

Nikodim Svyatogorets

Greek monk

If you truly want to become a winner in this invisible battle and be worthy of the crown worthy of it, (you must) install in your heart the following four dispositions and spiritual activities, as if donning invisible weapons, the most reliable and all-conquering, namely: a) never in anything do not rely on yourself; b) always carry in your heart complete and all-absolute hope in the one God; c) strive unceasingly and d) always remain in prayer.

Having gone through the above stages of struggle, a person can begin mental warfare (“Smart Doing”). These are changes in the mind, the mechanism of thinking, after which a person begins deeper fabrications that go beyond the visible and tangible.

This is possible only through abstinence, prayer, and self-restraint. Mental warfare is an indicator of a high level of human spiritual development.

Philotheus of Sinai

Reverend

Listen to how the warfare that is constantly going on in us should be conducted, and do this: combine prayer with sobriety, and sobriety will strengthen prayer, and prayer will strengthen sobriety.

Sobriety, constantly watching over everything inside, notices how enemies are trying to enter there, and, blocking their entrance with its strength, at the same time calls on the help of the Lord Jesus Christ to drive away these crafty warriors.

At the same time, attention blocks the entrance through contradiction; and the invoked Jesus drives away the demons with their dreams.

John Climacus and Nicodemus the Holy Mountain - a reflection of the spiritual struggle in literature

The process of spiritual struggle is reflected in many literary works of the holy fathers, the most complete and exhaustive of which can be called:

• “The Ladder” is a work by John Climacus.
• “Invisible Warfare” - Nicodemus of the Svyatogorets.

John Climacus - Christian theologian, born in Constantinople in 579, was well educated. In his youth he moved to Egypt, where he was tonsured a monk. After the death of his mentor, Elder Martyrius, in obedience, with whom John was about 19 years old, he chose the path of a hermit and spent 40 years of his life in the Thola desert.

at this age John Climacus was elected abbot of the Sinai monastery

At the age of 65, he was elected abbot of the Sinai Monastery, where he died 4 years later in 649.

In his work, John showed the spiritual and ascetic traditions in Egyptian monasteries, which allowed him to describe the path to the spiritual perfection of a Christian - 30 steps of virtues, by ascending which one can achieve spiritual perfection. These steps can be represented as follows:

• fight against worldly vanity (steps 1-4);
• sorrows on the way to true bliss (steps 5-7);
• fight against vices (steps 8-17);
• overcoming obstacles in ascetic life (steps 18-26);
• spiritual peace (steps 27-29);
• union of the three cardinal virtues (stage 30).

Ladder of Paradise (Byzantine icon). The path to spiritual perfection

Nicodemus the Svyatogorets is an Athonite monk and theologian, born in 1749 on the island of Naxos in Greece, an interpreter of the Canons of the Orthodox Church. He was educated in the city of Smyrna, studied ancient Greek and Latin.

Number of entries: 29

Hello. I am a believer, I am 19 years old. I go to church very rarely, no lie, I was there once last year, and not at a service, but just put candles on the icons, prayed, and asked for forgiveness. I know that it is a sin to believe in God and not go to church, but so far I am not drawn to it. I'm thinking of going there as soon as my soul so desires. But I often pray to God, thank him, and ask for forgiveness. Over the past 2 years, bad thoughts have been appearing in my head, offending God and the Mother of God. I am very much afraid of them, because I think that this is my worst sin, so I want to get rid of them. Please tell me, are there any prayers that will specifically help cope with this illness? Thank you.

Hello. For this there is the Sacrament of Repentance, but in order to benefit from it, you will have to go to church, pray, fast and repent. There have never been and never will be any other means. It is impossible to be a Christian if, at least for an hour a week, you do not tear yourself out of the whirlwind and bustle of the world and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the temple, where everything is designed to create conditions for sincere and attentive prayer, where sound teaching and grace-filled Sacraments are taught.

Priest Alexander Beloslyudov

Hello, father. My name is Andrey P., I am 18 years old. Recently, in a dream, I dreamed that I was blaspheming: I was throwing icons on the floor in the house. After that, quarrels and swearing began in the family, and I began to have business and internal problems. Please advise what should I do then, should I go to church and confess?

Andrey

Dear Andrey, in dreams we often see projections of our unresolved problems, so there is no need to be afraid of dreams; It wasn’t him that started the quarrels, it was just that the subconscious signaled an impending crisis. It’s good to start solving these problems, and if you notice that some of your sins were the cause of them, and, of course, those sins that accompanied the showdown (for example, anger, pride), they need to be confessed. God help!

Priest Sergius Osipov

Hello, thank you very much again for your site! Tell me what to do, what prayers, maybe to read, the fact is that my mother is a very angry person, she constantly slanders, and sometimes blasphemes, all people are not like her and even her own children and grandchildren are not like that. Very often she bursts out: “God will pay you all!” I tried to explain to her more than once, told her the truths of God, the Gospel - nothing helps. Sometimes it seems to me that a word thrown accidentally or intentionally only brings us harm - after all, it is my mother’s word. Thank you in advance. God bless you!

Oksana

Oksana, don’t be afraid that something bad will come to you from your mother’s words, but rather order a magpie or a church memorial for her for six months, or even a year. You need to pray for your mother, her enemy is tempting her, she needs to go to confession and communion, then she can find peace.

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Hello! Is it blasphemy against the Holy Spirit when you commit a sin, knowing in advance that you are sinning, and cannot cope with passion (adultery), you ask the Almighty for forgiveness and somehow do not feel the fear of the Lord. Is there hope for forgiveness? I can’t raise my eyes to the icon. But how can I kiss the CROSS in confession - will it not be hypocrisy on my part? Sinful, she could not stand the temptation.

Elena

Elena, it will be a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit if, God forbid, of course, you begin to live in sin, nevertheless, justifying yourself and considering sin and lies to be truth. In any case, no matter what sin has been committed, while there is still time to live, there is time for repentance, the sin can be forgiven.

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Good day! The essence of my question is this: now on many social networks I observe how social network users put the faces of saints on their avatars. My opinion is that this is unacceptable! But many people think that there is nothing wrong with this. I would like to hear the opinion of the Orthodox Church. Thank you very much.

Elena

The opinion of the Church is the determination of a church council or at least a specialized synodal department; here you can only hear a private, albeit well-founded opinion. I also believe that such things are unacceptable, because they deprive the icon of its sacred meaning.

Deacon Ilya Kokin

Good evening, father! I am tormented by thoughts, I would like to know the answer to my question, so as not to become despondent. My name is Evgeniy, I am 15 years old, I live and study in Kyiv. In March, during a literature lesson, we were asked to recite an excerpt from Taras Shevchenko’s poem “Dream,” where there are the words: “There is no Lord in heaven,” - forgive me, Lord. I knew then that God existed, I believed in Him and did not want to offend Him in any way, and when I told these lines, I mentally disagreed with them. Then he confessed and, thank God, did not do such things again. Has God forgiven me this sin, have I blasphemed the Holy Spirit through this action?

Eugene

If you repented and decided not to repeat this again, then the Lord has forgiven. But the most important thing is not to repeat it again. For the future - if you explain to the teacher before class why you don’t want to recite godless poems, I’m sure he will understand and won’t give you a bad mark for it.

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Good evening! Answer me this question, we bought an apartment from complete strangers, when they moved out, they left a plaster cross on the wall, citing the fact that it could not be moved from apartment to apartment. We moved in the tenants, and they flatly refused to let this cross hang; my husband and I didn’t need it either, so we put it in a bag and took it to the trash can. Tell me, is this a sin? And now what i can do? They all did this without thinking about their actions.

Elena

Elena, throwing away the cross is a grave sin. The cross is a symbol of our salvation, the cross is victory over death, over the devil. Christ voluntarily crucified himself on the Cross for our sake, for the sake of our salvation. You exchanged the cross for the money your tenants paid you. You did very, very badly. Repent before God in church in confession, and depending on the sincerity of your repentance and what kind of life you will lead next, God will forgive you.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Good afternoon I know that it is very important for a Christian to control his thoughts. But very often there are periods when some kind of swarming occurs in your head, like in an anthill. And it happens that bad thoughts, even blasphemous ones, just come, even reluctantly and completely unconsciously. I immediately ask for forgiveness from the Lord and think, how could I so completely unwittingly end up in a bad situation? What to do? Thank you.

Ksenia

Ksenia, what you describe is called spiritual warfare: suddenly we feel in our minds thoughts or images that come from the devil. Until we communicate with these thoughts and do not hold them in attention, there is no sin, but if we begin to develop them or somehow concentrate on them, then we are already sinning. You gradually need to learn not to pay attention to such fleeting thoughts, and they will disappear from consciousness as easily as they appear.

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

I am 27, I have been going to church for seven years now, and I have encountered the sin of blasphemy. This started for me quite recently, about 1.5 months ago, I mentally call names to a saint, Jesus Christ, the Mother of God during prayer. How to overcome this temptation? A lot has happened in 7 years, but I think this is the worst.

Sergey

Sergey, this temptation is temporary, it passes pretty soon. Confess to the priest your mental warfare, and do not pay any attention to the thoughts themselves - nothing more than dust blown past by the wind.

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Hello! Please resolve my question. About a month ago I was reading an empty sinful book, and there the main character spoke in the first person about selling his soul to the devil, and I became scared: what if I sold it with these words? I prayed to the Lord to forgive me, but I was still scared, and then I realized through one book that fear is also a sin, and that it comes from unbelief. I believed and the fear disappeared. But then I thought, what if Satan did it? The Bible says that all sins are forgiven to a person, except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The Holy Fathers interpret this sin as attributing God's works to Satan. And I’m scared again: have I really committed this terrible sin, and there is no forgiveness for me?

Shinkarenko Yura

Dear Yura, it’s a pity that you didn’t look on our website for answers to the topic of what blasphemy against the Holy Spirit really is. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit can be equated to pharisaism, that is, to living in sin with the confidence that this is not a sin, but the norm. At the same time, those “gifts” that can arise from such an incorrect spiritual life will be a manifestation of the actions of demons, and a person, while confident in his rightness, will take them for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and from this will be even more mistaken. As for the events that happened to you, I think you have nothing to worry about, except for one thing: avoid sin in the future. By sin I mean empty reading, idle thoughts, and, of course, actions. And, besides, you need to study Orthodoxy more, and the best thing would be not even to find out, but to adopt it from some good priest or layman in the process of live communication with him.

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Good day, fathers! I want to ask you for advice, my problem is my 26 year old son, who doesn’t work anywhere and doesn’t intend to, drinks for 2-3 weeks with a short break, all the metal that was in the yard has already been taken down for buying, I gave him a house , which I support myself, because we cannot live together, I have a second marriage and the relationship between my husband and son is no fault of my son. For many years I have been paying for gas and electricity, we feed him together with his grandmother, I help his son, whom he does not even want to acknowledge, no matter how much I persuade him. They treated him twice, and persuaded him, and inspired him, and on her knees asked him to come to his senses, I tried to talk about God - as a result, drunken blasphemy, I became scared for him, I pray as best I can. And the question is this: yesterday I gave money to pay for the electricity, I called - of course, nothing was paid, although I was sober, and another lie. Fathers, what should I do? Should I carry this burden to the end or stop supporting it? I am aware of my sin of under-education, but my strength is running out due to cynicism, because I am a man, and I have to work for him. Forgive me, a sinner, for grumbling, but I am alone in this trouble, and your advice is very important.

Marina

Dear Marina, Of course, stop supporting. By being overprotective, you and your grandmother only created the conditions for the development of the disease. This needs to stop. You will be supported by your husband, whose rejection of a situation where a twenty-six-year-old person is completely antisocial could lead to family conflicts. It will be more difficult with your grandmother if she does not live with you. She may not accept the need to leave her grandson without food and continue to feed him. Explain that this is direct harm to him, in fact, an offer to drink and again plunge into alcohol addiction, while others feed and clothe him. You will have to tell your son that for his benefit you cannot support him. If he wants to go to a clinic (if you offer to be “encoded” with a certain substance that causes aversion to alcohol on a physical level - know that the Church allows this) and then systematically work with a psychotherapist (you can call him a psychologist) with a complete lifelong abstinence from alcohol, then tell him that you are ready to help with this, pay for visits to the doctor. The psychotherapist will help him understand himself, find the wrong psychological attitudes that led to addiction, and “correct” them a little. With these realized problems and sins, he can already go to confession if he wants. But you can’t give him money now. Pay the doctor yourself. As he recovers, he will be able to do this on his own, but it will take a long time. He must earn money himself, be responsible for the house, for food (at the same time, have a reserve so as not to lose your house). Otherwise, the son will continue to go downhill. Only his desire to free himself from addiction can become the beginning of this liberation. By refusing to support him, you will create a situation that will make him think about it. The psychotherapist you find for your son can give you more detailed instructions. There are special classes for relatives of addicted people, search the Internet in your region. He can't do it alone. I have described the general direction for you, be sure to coordinate the details with your attending physician - and it will be very good if you consult with him in detail before announcing to your son your decision to terminate the support. God bless you all!

Priest Sergius Osipov

Hello, for 5 months now I have been tormented by thoughts that I have blasphemed the Holy Spirit. I can't repent. I just realize that I did wrong, but I can’t change. No matter how much I prayed, nothing helps, there is no feeling of forgiveness in my soul. I really want to change and be with God, but nothing is working out. I'm ready to do anything for forgiveness. What should I do? Can God forgive me if I really committed this sin, or are prayers useless? Maybe I should go to a monastery, maybe that will help?

Anna, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has already been discussed several times and at some length on our website - just read the answers to the “Blasphemy” tag on our website. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit lies in the fact that a person lives in unrepentant sins, therefore, in fact, it is not forgiven - the person feels righteous and does not repent. Everything else is not blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. And, besides, you can repent of any sin, because the Lord is infinite mercy.

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

I blasphemed the Holy Spirit, and I didn’t realize it right away; now I feel like I’m going to die, because life didn’t go at all the way the Creator wanted. But I did it with free will. And now NOTHING can be fixed. Truly, the Bible is the truth... God bless you!

Vika

Vika, you are far from the first tormented by this topic, and therefore the time has come to understand in detail what blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is and why blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven either in this century or in the future, and give as comprehensive an answer as possible. So, when and under what circumstances did the Savior pronounce His words about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? After the Pharisees essentially accused him of being possessed, telling everyone that He casts out demons and works His miracles not by the Spirit of God, but by the power of the prince of demons: “Then they brought to Him a demon-possessed man, blind and dumb; and He healed him, so that the blind and dumb the dumb man began both to speak and to see. And all the people marveled and said, “Is this not the Christ, the son of David?” And the Pharisees, hearing this, said, “He casts out demons no other way than by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons” (Matthew 12:22- 24). After this, those famous words were spoken: “...if anyone speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but if anyone speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:32 .). Here we must understand absolutely clearly that the Lord called blasphemy not when He was insulted as a Man of flesh and blood, but when He was denied precisely as God, that is, His Divinity was insulted, that is, when a person says that Christ is not God, not God's Son. It is precisely this blasphemy that will not be forgiven to a person. But in our time, it would hardly occur to any Christian to say such madness. And again, St. Athanasius the Great wrote about this: “Christ did not say: He will not be forgiven to the one who blasphemed and repented, but to the one who blasphemes, that is, the one who remains in blasphemy. For due repentance resolves all sins” (St. Athanasius the Great. “Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew"). Thus, even if such terrible blasphemy took place, but the person repented of it and no longer speaks or thinks about it, then it too will be forgiven by God! But there is one consequence from this blasphemy: namely, that you can not only deny the Divinity of Christ with words, but even deny Him with your very life spent in sins, that is, through trampling the commandments with your sins, you can actually deny the commandments and Christ Himself as God who gave them. It is in this regard that St. John Chrysostom called the shameless and persistent denial of truth blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: “Just as someone who considers the sun dark does not disparage this luminary, but presents clear evidence of his blindness, and like someone who calls honey bitter , - does not reduce its sweetness, but reveals its illness, just like the condemning works of God. .. Blasphemy does not humiliate the greatness of God... He who blasphemes inflicts wounds on himself... All torments, both present and future, are insufficient for the soul (blaspheming the Spirit)" (Treasury of Spiritual Wisdom: Extracts from the Works of the Holy Fathers, arranged in accordance with the annual circle of Gospel readings / Compiled by Archpriest M. Neigum) In other words, we blaspheme the Holy Spirit when we absolutely know that we should not sin, that this or that act is a sin, but we stubbornly continue to commit it, tempting God. St. Theophan the Recluse wrote very clearly on this topic. Asking the question exactly when, under what circumstances, people trample the truth and consider it untruth, he answers: “Then when they know the truth and do not fulfill it, when life does not correspond to the knowledge ; one thing is on their mind and conscience, sometimes in words, and the other in life and deeds, in the feelings of the heart and the mood of the will. ...This untruth increases a hundredfold when someone does something wrong at the very time when his mind and conscience disgust him and does not tell him to do it. This is what blasphemy against the Holy Spirit consists of...” (St. Theophan the Recluse. “Outline of Christian Moral Teaching.” Part 2.) So, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit consists of a conscious and persistent life in unrepentant sins, and this is precisely what we should be afraid of. Why But she is not forgiven? And precisely because a person stubbornly does not want to repent of his sin, even considering it sometimes excusable or justified. May God save us all from such a blasphemous life!

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Sorry for the stupid question. But it is very important for me. I recently went to church. A couple of times in my life there were moments when, before confession, I “allowed” myself some small sin with the thought that I would confess it tomorrow. I repent of this. I read that this is the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Does this mean that he will never forgive me?