How to find inner peace? (Saint Macarius of Optina)

Peace comes from humility and meekness

When you want to find true peace of mind, listen to the Lord, who commanded us: "Learn from Me , for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" ( Matt. 11:29 ). You see what the Lord commands us to learn most—humility and meekness, which alone can bring us peace. But this knowledge is not acquired once, or in a single day or year, but over time, through self-forcing and the help of God (V, 363, 491).

…When you humble yourself, you will receive peace and tranquility… (III, 18, 70).

Each One of Us is Potentially a Judas (A sermon given by St. Seraphim Rose during Great Lent, 1982)

Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto Him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on His head, as he sat at meat. But when His disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, "To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor." When Jesus understood it, He said unto them, "Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon Me. For ye have the poor always with you; but Me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on My body, she did it for My burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall be also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, "What will ye give me, and I will deliver Him unto you." And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

Matthew 26:6-16

Conversations on Selected Passages from the Works of Saint John Climacus (Saint Valentine Sventitsky)

 

CONVERSATION ONE

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

The Lord said to His disciples: “Enter ye through the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are there that go in through it: because narrow is the gate, and hard is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few are there that find it” ( Matthew 7:13–14 ).

When the disciples were horrified by the difficulty of the path to salvation and asked the Lord, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but not with God: for all things are possible with God” ( Mark 10:26–27 ).

I am afraid that reading St. John's Ladder will cause this fear, this confusion, "Who can climb this Ladder?" - my spiritual children will think.

“For men this is impossible, but not for God, for all things are possible for God . ”

Life of Saint John Climacus (+649)

St John Climacus is venerated by the Holy Church as one of the outstanding co-founders of monasticism.

The estimated period of his life is estimated to be between the sixth and seventh centuries. Despite the widespread veneration of this ascetic among believers, and especially among monastics, biographical details of his life have not reached us.

He is known to a wide circle of Christians, first and foremost, as the author of the authoritative and highly popular work of ascetic literature, "The Ladder of Asceticism." It would not be an exaggeration to say that this work was a reference book for many renowned ascetics.

On the Jesus Prayer (Excerpted from the book ''A Secret Teaching about Our Salvation: On the Jesus Prayer'' By St Valentine Sventitsky)

Bishop Theophan (the Recluse):

Note: The word ''mental'' refers to noetic, from nous that is the psychosomatic center of the human that receives the revelation from God.

"Performing mental prayer to the Lord Savior consists of the following: become mentally and attentively present in your heart, and, having established the conviction that the Lord is near and attentive, cry out to Him tenderly: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. And do this unceasingly—in church, at home, on the road, at work, at table, and in bed—in a word, from the moment you open your eyes until the moment you close them . "

What is mental prayer? It is the constant turning of the mind to the Lord in the heart, or the constant standing before the Lord, with or without appeals to Him, with only feelings of devotion and a contrite prostration before Him in the heart. To develop skill in this self-compulsive labor, experienced prayer warriors have chosen one prayer to the Lord and Savior and established rules for its performance, so that with its help they can develop their own personal prayer. It is simple: stand with your mind in your heart before the Lord and pray to Him: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner! This is how to do it at home before prayer, during intervals of prayer, and at the end, as well as in church, and throughout the day, so that every moment of the day is filled with prayer .

The grain of love (St Basil of Kineshma)

 

Two forces in the world

There are two categories of forces in the world: positive, creative, and negative, destructive. Destructive forces are characterized by a turbulent, spectacular nature, and therefore their effects are particularly noticeable, creating a strong impression of elemental power and irresistibility. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, storms, typhoons, and tornadoes—all these formidable natural phenomena strike the viewer's imagination with their magical force. But in reality, this impression is usually exaggerated, and when the storm passes, it almost always turns out that the results of its destructive action are not as great as one might expect from its noisy effect. Moreover, all destructive forces act briefly, and the balance of nature they disrupt is quickly restored. Alongside these destructive forces, there are positive, creative forces. They are quiet, silent, almost unnoticeable, yet irresistible in their action. All the greatest forces of nature—gravity, the power of solar heat and light, the force of organic growth, and so on—act silently, without apparent sudden effects, but continuously, relentlessly, invincibly. In clashes with destructive forces, they always prevail.

The same thing happens in the spiritual world. Here, too, the destructive forces are more turbulent and spectacular in their manifestations, and at times it seems as if they are triumphing over good. But this dominance is only temporary, and the quiet, calm forces of goodness—meekness, humility, love, patience—acting unnoticed, yet continually and faithfully, will ultimately emerge victorious in the life of this world. This is why such quiet forces are valued in Christianity as the greatest virtues, for they lead to the victory of the Christian ideal of goodness.

It is necessary for all who love the Truth to observe the signs of the times! (St Theophan of Poltava)

Honorable friend!

Have you noticed what's happening in the world right now? The ministers of all the world's nations are currently doing nothing but talking about world peace. The ministers of France and its allied powers, moreover, are insistently talking about security guarantees as the most essential condition of this "peace." One can't help but recall the words of the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Thessalonians: "The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For while they shall say, Peace and safety (!), then shall sudden destruction come upon them (that is, upon those who have no love for the truth— 2 Thessalonians 2:10 ) , as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape" ( 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 ).

All who love the truth must not only observe the signs of the times, but also draw appropriate conclusions from these observations.

Regarding church life, the Savior's words indicate to us, as one of the most astounding phenomena of the end times, that then "the stars will fall from heaven" ( Matthew 24:29 ). According to the Savior Himself, the "stars" are the angels of the Church, that is, the bishops ( Rev. 1:20 ). The religious and moral fall of the bishops is thus one of the most characteristic signs of the end times. The fall of bishops is especially terrible when they fall away from the dogmas of faith or, as the Apostle expresses it, when they want to “pervert the gospel of Christ” ( Gal. 1:7 ). The Apostle commands such people to pronounce “anathema”: “If anyone preaches a gospel other than the one we preached, let him be accursed” ( Gal. 1:9 ). And there is no need to hesitate here, he continues: “A heretic after the first and second admonition reject, knowing that such a one is perverse and sins , condemning himself” ( Titus 3:10-11 ). Otherwise, that is, for indifference to apostasy from the truth, you may be subject to God’s judgment: since “you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot , I will vomit you out of My mouth” ( Rev. 3:15-16 ).

Clouds are gathering on the global horizon. God's judgment on the nations and hypocritical Christians is approaching, beginning with the heretical and lukewarm hierarchs.

Source: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Feofan_Bystrov/pisma/#0_82

On vanity (Igumen Tikhon)

1. Grace and peace to you from the Lord Jesus Christ, and may He sanctify your hearts, so that, without caring for earthly things, you may seek first the Kingdom of Heaven.

2. I urge you, brothers, to look at this world and not be deceived by its vanity, for everything in the world is vanity. Do not set your hearts on perishable things, but rather pursue God, who is your true joy.

3. Anyone who cares about temporal things and forgets about eternal things is lost in empty vanity. Know that true satisfaction lies not in riches, pleasures, or the glory of this world, but in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Mystery of the Holy Cross (St Justin Popovich)

Saint Chrysostom proclaims: "If anyone asks me what wondrous thing Christ did, I will omit the heavens, the earth, the sea, the resurrection of many dead, and the other miracles He performed... and I will point only to the Cross, which is more glorious than all." And Saint Damascene, as if supplementing this good news, says: "Every deed and miracle of Christ is great, divine, and wondrous, but most wondrous of all is His precious Cross."

The New Testament is entirely rooted in the sacred and ineffable mystery of the Cross of Christ. All New Testament truths and all New Testament blessings are rooted in the mystery of the Cross of the God-Man, drawing from it their saving and life-giving power and their divine mystery. One thing is clear: the all-saving power of Christ's Cross extends beyond all human depths, passions, vices, sins, and infirmities; it encompasses all of man, saving, redeeming, cleansing, sanctifying, deifying, and clothing him in Christ.

With his God-purified, God-sanctified, and God-enlightened mind, completely immersed in the unfathomable depths of the God-man's mystery of the world's salvation, Saint Basil the Great proclaims: "By the Cross, Christ's economy of salvation is accomplished." And Saint Gregory Palamas, wise in Christ, distilling all the apostolic and patristic gospels into a single, all-encompassing good news, proclaims: "In the Cross of the Lord is revealed the entire economy of salvation (πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκονομίαν), accomplished during the Lord's sojourn on earth, and the entire mystery of this economy is contained within it." Hence the patristic, God-wise gospel: the Cross is the foundation of the Church, the affirmation of the universe... The Cross is the strength of the weak, the physician of the infirm. The Cross is the cleansing of lepers, the restoration of strength to the paralytic. The Cross is the bread of the hungry, the source of the thirsty. "Christ was entirely on the Cross and at the same time entirely in everything." - The most wise philosopher of the Holy Spirit, St. John of Damascus , proclaims: "The Cross of Christ has clothed us in the hypostatic Wisdom and Power of God (τὴν ἐνυπόστατον τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίαν καὶ δύναμιν)." St. Chrysostom the Evangelist proclaims: "What has not the Cross done? It taught the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, the contempt for earthly goods, the thirst for the good of the future; it made men angels; "Thanks to him, everyone and everywhere became philosophers (wise men) and capable of every virtue." "The Cross founded the Church. The Cross is the confirmation of virtues. The Cross opened paradise."

Because the wondrous Savior concentrated all His saving and life-giving power in the Cross and imbued it with His entire Person, the Cross became the sign of the Son of Man ( Matt. 24:30 ; cf. Rev. 1:7 ) both on earth and in heaven—a sign by which all earthly and heavenly beings recognize Him. Since the Lord Christ, with all His infinite Divine powers, truths, and mysteries, is entirely contained in His Cross, His Precious Cross became an invincible conqueror in all worlds, an all-conquering savior from all sins, from all death, from all demons. In the Cross there is “an ineffable providence,” an ineffable dispensation of salvation, therefore the mystery of the Cross is incomprehensible: “the incomprehensible mystery of the crucifixion (τὸ ἀκατάληπτον tò τῆς σταυρώσεως μυστήριον).”

Because of the incomprehensible and all-saving mystery of the precious cross, all the services of Holy Week, especially on Great Thursday and Great Friday, are filled with prayerful awe and thanksgiving to the crucified God-Man, the Savior. Awe and thanksgiving are imbued with rapture, which concludes each prayer with the sobbing, "Incomprehensible, O Lord!" Yes, it is truly incomprehensible to the mind, truly unfathomable, that the God-Man, through His suffering and cross, saves the world and by His death overthrows sin, death, and the devil. Yes, it is incomprehensible and unfathomable, but true and real: truly with the most convincing truth and truly with the most unwavering reality, for the God-Man's reality and truth immeasurably surpass human reason and logic. The unspeakable mystery of the salvation of the human race through the Trisagion is evident. The Cross is an integral part of this most holy mystery of salvation. It is rooted in the Trisolar God, extending through the incarnate Word to all creation. All of this is immersed in the sweetest mystery of the Divine-human Person.

All the theanthropic powers of the Precious Cross, all the all-saving power of the Cross, all the all-necessity of the Cross, all the miraculousness of the Cross, all the all-victoriousness of the Cross, are imprinted in the prayerful theology of the Church, with apostolic inspiration and patristic divine wisdom. Even a fleeting glimpse of this astonishing and magnificent paradise of ecclesiastical divine wisdom, a paradise of immortal, fragrant divine-humanity, eloquently convinces us of this.

With His Precious Cross, the Lord Christ shamed the devil and, with His Resurrection, blunted the sting of sin—and saved us from death. With the Cross, the Savior captivated hell, trampled death, and enlightened the world. "Jesus rose from the tomb, as He prophesied, and gave us eternal life and great mercy." With His Cross, the Lord opened paradise to the thief. "By the Cross... all idolatry's deception was abolished, and demonic strength was trampled." "The place of execution became paradise, for the tree of the cross was erected, and immediately the Cluster of Life grew forth"—Christ the Savior. "Let us, the faithful, sing and glorify the Savior and our Deliverer, who was crucified of His own free will, as He knew and as He willed: for He nailed the sins of men on the Cross, delivering the human race from deception, and He made Him worthy of the Kingdom." "Having endured the crucifixion by Thy own free will, and having freed mankind from incorruption, O Savior, we the faithful sing and worship Thee, for Thou hast enlightened us with the power of the Cross; and with fear we glorify Thee, O generous Lover of mankind, as the Giver of Life and Lord." - "Thou hast established the striving for death, having given birth to Him Who possesses life and death, O All-Immaculate One; pray then to Him, O mortifier of sins, to establish my soul and save me."

We pray to the crucified Lord: “Thy Cross, O Christ, though visible in substance as wood, is clothed in divine power; and, being manifested sensibly to the world, it works miracles of our salvation in our minds. We worship Thee, O Savior, and have mercy on us.” “Thou wast raised up upon the Cross, and the enemy fell; and we who had fallen were raised up, and we became inhabitants of heaven, O Christ, glorifying the power of Thy Kingdom.” “By the power of Thy Cross, O Christ, strengthen my thoughts to sing and glorify Thy saving ascension (in Serbian, “crucifixion.” – Translator’s note ). "Thy Cross, O Lord, is the life and resurrection of Thy people, and trusting in it, we sing to Thee, our Risen God: Have mercy on us." "Thy Cross, O Lord, opened paradise to the human race, and having delivered us from corruption, we sing to Thee, our God, crucified in the flesh: Have mercy on us." "Protected by the Cross, we resist the enemy, not fearing his guile or barking: for the proud was abolished and trampled upon the Tree by the power of Christ crucified." By His Cross the Lord destroyed death and opened paradise to the thief. Having descended into hell by the Cross, the Lord resurrected me with Him. "Lord, Thy Cross has given us a weapon against the devil: for he trembles and shakes, unable to bear to look upon his power: for He raises the dead, and abolishes death. For this reason, we venerate Thy burial and resurrection." "Lord... Thou hast risen and granted incorruption to our souls." "Thou didst suffer the Cross, O Impassible One, and didst accept three days' burial, that Thou mightest free us from the bondage of the enemy, and, having immortalized us, Thou mightest revive us, O Christ our God, by Thy Resurrection, O Lover of Mankind." "Thou didst ascend the Cross, O Christ our God, and save the human race." Christ, through the Cross, saves the world as God. "By Thy Cross, O Savior, paradise was opened, and condemned man entered it again, magnifying Thy goodness." “By Thy Cross, O Christ, the flock of angels and men became one, and the Church one – καì μία Ἐκκλησία, heaven and earth rejoice, O Lord, glory to Thee.”

With special divine inspiration, the Cross is glorified and exalted in the services on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, from September 13th to 21st. The prayerful thought of the Church eloquently articulates the theanthropic truths about the Cross. The first clear truth of this feast declares: the Cross is "the invincible victory of piety," conquering all demons, all temptations, all sins, all evil, all death. The Cross is "the door to paradise." By the Cross, "corrosion was destroyed and abolished, the power of death was trampled upon, and we were raised from earth to heaven." The Cross is the guide of the blind, the physician of the infirm, the resurrection of all the dead; by the Cross, immortality blossomed. The Cross accomplishes salvation and deification: those on earth were deified by the Cross, the devil was utterly crushed. With its grace, the Cross sanctifies those who kiss it, for it is the source of holiness and the cause of the deification of all. By the Cross, our minds are enlightened; embracing the glorious Cross of the Lord, we are enlightened and cast away passions. By the Cross, Christ pierced the devil to the very heart and freed everyone from the bonds of hell. The Cross of the Lord is like the sun: when we kiss it with faith, our souls are enlightened. The Cross is the source of immortality, the deliverance of the entire world. In many prayers, we address the Cross as a living being, as a kind of living face. Thus, we pray: "O Most Honorable Cross... kissing you with our hearts and lips, the faithful receive sanctity," health and eternal salvation.

The prayerful thought of the Church on the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross of the Lord, with its God-manly truth, resounds from the Church across heaven and earth: on the Cross, the Lord slew him who slew us, revived the slain, adorned them, and in His mercy granted them a dwelling in heaven. The Cross is the praise of the faithful, the confirmation of the sufferers, the savior of all the saints. Now, on the day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Cross is raised up and the demons flee; now all creation is freed from corruption, for through the Cross all gifts have shone forth for us. The Cross is "the strength and protection of the Church." Hence our prayerful ascent to heaven and into the heavens: “O Cross of Christ, hope of Christians, guide of the lost, haven of the storm-tossed, victory in battles, confirmation of the universe, physician of the sick, resurrection of the dead, have mercy on us.”

The Sign of the Son of Man ( Matthew 24 – Ed. ) = The Sign of the God-Man Christ = The Sign of the Orthodox Church – the Cross; it is depicted on everything characteristic of the God-Man, and its all-conquering power pours out upon all visible and invisible creation, protecting it from all that is mortal, from all that is evil and demonic, and enriching it with immortality, virtues, and divine-humanity. And we joyfully exclaim: "The Cross is the guardian of the entire universe, the Cross is the beauty of the Church, the Cross is the power of kings, the Cross is the confirmation of the faithful, the Cross is the glory of angels and the wound of demons."

The divine-human truth and reality are as follows: by the Cross, death was completely destroyed ("devoured"). The Cross is the ladder by which we ascend to heaven; the Cross is the perfect deliverance of fallen Adam. In the midst of the earth, God has prepared salvation: the Cross and the Resurrection. The Cross is the full armor of piety. The Cross is the champion of the righteous and the savior of the saints. Christ, as God, saves the human race through the Cross. In the Cross lies the endless resurrection of the world. The Cross of the Lord is the resurrection of the dead. The Cross is raised up, and the demons are driven out; the thief opens the gates of Eden; death is mortified—and now it is empty. – And then this prayerful cry: "Having mortified the passions of the flesh and spirit, let us strive by the Cross to ascend from the earthly to the heavenly, crucified with the Lord Christ!"

Without a doubt, the Cross and the Resurrection constitute a dual reality, a dual truth, a dual power of the Savior's accomplished Divine-human economy of salvation, the Divine-human economy of deification. And therefore, at the Sunday all-night vigil, before the Holy Liturgy, we confess and give thanks: "Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus, the only Sinless One. We worship Thy Cross, O Christ, and we sing and glorify Thy holy Resurrection: for Thou art our God; we know no other besides Thee; we call upon Thy name. Come, all ye faithful, let us worship the holy Resurrection of Christ: for behold, through the Cross joy has come to the whole world. Ever blessing the Lord, we sing His Resurrection: for having endured crucifixion, He destroyed death by death."

Again and again: “We worship Thy Cross, O Master, and we glorify Thy holy Resurrection.”

Source: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Iustin_Popovich/sobranie-tvorenij-tom4/1_4_6

Orthodox Christian teaching on the Mother of God (St John of Shanghai and St Ignatius Brianchaninov)

 

St John of Shanghai:

I. Veneration of the Mother of God during the days of Her earthly life

From Apostolic times to the present day, all who truly love Christ have paid homage to the One who gave birth to Him, raised Him, and protected Him in His childhood. If God the Father chose Her, the Holy Spirit descended upon Her, God the Son dwelt within Her, obeyed Her in His childhood, and cared for Her while hanging on the cross, then should not everyone who confesses the Holy Trinity bow down to Her?