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← Letters on the Christian Life/Book 1 · Письма о христианской жизни
Chapter 68FeofanPisma.1.68

Письмо 68

The Reality of Spiritual Labor

The author defends the necessity of prayer and ascetic discipline against false claims, illustrating divine protection through a miraculous story.

Save yourselves! You already know from experience that everything N. told you N. is pure falsehood. And prostrations aren't empty, and akathists mean no small thing.1 I'll tell you about one incident. The late Theophan, the abbot of Kirillov, stopped for the night while traveling from Petersburg.2 They intended to kill him there.3 The novice noticed this and told the elder, and the elder saw signs that it was true. Even so, he lit a candle with confident trust and began to read the Akathist to the Mother of God, as was his constant rule.4 He hadn't even finished half of it when some travelers started knocking at the window—a wagon train, it seemed—calling out, "Father Archimandrite!" Let's travel together; it'll be more cheerful. Hitch up; we'll wait. They harnessed the horses in a hurry, set out, and drove on. When they had passed the line of danger, the wagon train vanished, and Fr.5 He reached his monastery in complete safety. So you see, he didn't read that akathist for nothing.

Simplicity and the Rule of Prayer

The author encourages a simple, obedient heart in following the rule of prayer, warning against the pride of intellectualizing faith.

If we start overthinking, we'll hit a dead end over every little thing; but accepting all the rules with a simple heart is what saves us. All God's saints who pleased God—how many prostrations they made, past counting, and how many prayers they said? They all persevered in the labor of prayer, and through that, they were saved. Well then—N.6 N.7 , gaping, wants to receive grace like the Quakers and Molokans, who say: The Church is in the ribs, not in the logs?8 For without this rule of prayer and ascetic struggle, a person will stand as if in the wind—or worse still, like someone naked in the frost. But walking in this rule, he is as if clothed in warm, secure clothing. You know all this. So there's no need to waver over empty talk. As for what happened, I can say nothing; take it as a sign from the Mother of God that the path you're on is true. Signs or indications of this kind aren't given to the saints, but to those who seek salvation and need to be set straight.9 You can see for yourselves that this comes at just the right time. And give thanks to the Most Pure Lady, who has stooped so far to your weakness in order to scatter your doubt.10 Think of it this way: you, weak and wavering as you are, needed to be set straight—and it was given; there's nothing here to get puffed up about.11 Let us give thanks to our Most Pure Protectress and weep that we make work for Her with our wavering—so much so that She has to do this and that for us.12

Steadfastness in Dryness

The author exhorts the reader to remain courageous and patient during times of spiritual dryness and inner anxiety.

The path you've begun isn't empty, and your work isn't without fruit. The enemy clouds everything over and muddies it. Stand firm, take courage, and hold strong!✦ Your coldness and dryness — where do they come from, and how long have they been with you? Endure it, and with patience force yourself to pray, then to read—and better yet, to weep because you have nothing and are good for nothing.13 I think your soul's anxiety comes from distraction. Gather yourself, and you'll be at peace.14 Enter in to the Lord while you sit at home.15 May the Lord grant you to bear your present situation well. Hope firmly! Mother of God, help them.16

Tools for Sobriety

The author provides additional spiritual resources to help the reader maintain a sober and focused mind in their walk with God.

P.17 S. Here at last are the remaining articles for you, from the 10th through the 15th. Pay special attention especially to the last ones, where it speaks of sobriety for prayer and, more broadly, of the mind's disposition in its turning toward God!18 I'm sending all these articles with one wish: that they may serve you at the right moment to sober your mind. .19 .20 and refresh your inner life, just as the air is freshened by the morning cool. There are still a few more little pieces like this, but I think I'll put them in the large Paterikon, either as an appendix or worked into articles with matching content.21

Read the original Russian

Спасайтесь! Вы уже по опыту знаете, что все, что говорила вам N. N. , есть чистая ложь. И поклоны – не пустое, и акафисты не мало значат. Расскажу вам один случай. Покойный Феофан, настоятель Кирилловский, едучи из Петербурга, остановился ночевать. Там собирались его уколотить.

Послушник заметил то и сказал старцу, и старец видел признаки, что так есть. Не смотря однако ж на то, благонадежно зажег он свечку и начал читать акафист Божией Матери, всегдашнее его правило. И половины не прочитал, как начали стучаться в окно какие-то проезжие – обоз будто, и кричать: отец архимандрит! поедем вместе, веселее будет. Запрягай, мы подождем. Наскоро запрягли, выехали и поехали. Когда проехали за черту опасности, обоз пропал, и о. архимандрит доехал преблагополучно до своей обители.

Так вот акафист-то не напрасно читал.

Мудрствовать станем – на всякой малости станем в тупик, а в простоте сердца принимать все правила – спасительно. Все святые Божии, Богу угодившие, как много били поклонов, – и числа им не было, и сколько молитв читали? Они все пребывали в молитвенном труде и спаслися тем. Что ж N. N. , разиня рот, хочет принять благодать, как Квакеры и Молокане, кои говорят: Церковь в ребрах, а не в бревнах? Ведь, без сего чина молитвеннаго и подвижническаго, человек как на ветре будет стоять, или, еще больше, как голый на морозе. А ходя в сем чине, он как одет в теплую и безопасную одежду.

Вы все это знаете. Стало быть, нечего колебаться пустыми речами. Касательно того, что было, не могу ничего сказать; примите это, как указание от Матери Божией, что путь, коим идете, верен. Подобные знамения или указания даются не святым, а тем, кои ищут спасения и имеют нужду во вразумлении. Сами видите, что это весьма благовременно. И возблагодарите Пречистую Владычицу, столько снисшедшую к вашей немощи, чтоб рассеять ваше сомнение. Так и думайте, что вам, немощным и колеблемым, нужно было вразумление, – оно и дано, а выситься тут не чем. Возблагодарим Пречистую Попечительницу нашу и восплачем, что делаем Ей труд своими колебаниями до того, что Ей нужно то и то делать для нас.

А путь начатый – не пустое, и дело ваше небезуспешно. Враг заволакивает все и мутит. Стойте, мужайтесь, крепитесь!

Ваша холодность и сухость – от чего и давно ли? Терпите и с терпением нудьте себя то на молитву, то на чтение, а лучше на плач, что ничего нет, и никуда негожи.

Тревога души вашей, думаю, от рассеяния. Соберетесь – успокоитесь. Ко Господу взывайте, сидя дома. Господь да дарует вам хорошо перенести настоящее ваше положение. Твердо уповайте! Помоги вам, Матерь Божия!

Р. S. Вот вам наконец и остальные статьи, от 10-й до 15-й. Обратите внимание особенно на последния, где говорится о трезвении к молитве и вообще о настроении ума в его обращении к Богу! Сопровождаю все сии статьи одним желанием, чтоб они служили вам в нужный час к отрезвлению ума. . . и освежали ваше внутреннее, как освежается воздух утреннею прохладою. Есть и еще несколько подобных статеек; но их думаю поместить в большой Отечник, в виде прибавления, или внесши под статьи соответственнаго содержания.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩1Cor.16.13;Ps.31.24 — Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Ps.31.24 — Love the LORD, all his faithful ones. The LORD preserves the faithful, but repays the one who acts in pride abundantly.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩поклоны: Orthodox prayer bows/prostrations, not mere social bows; акафисты kept as akathists (fixed hymn form).
  2. 2 ↩настоятель Кирилловский rendered as 'Kirillov abbot' (superior of the Kirillov monastery).
  3. 3 ↩уколотить is colloquial/dialectal for beat/kill to death; rendered as 'kill' from context of intended murder.
  4. 4 ↩«благонадежно» rendered as 'with confident trust' (trusting confidence rather than mere boldness).
  5. 5 ↩Source ends mid-phrase with abbreviated «о.» (отец / Fr.); title continues in s8 as «архимандрит».
  6. 6 ↩Source uses the redacted initial N.; the following sentences appear to continue the same truncated name-clause.
  7. 7 ↩Standalone redacted initial N.; likely the second half of a double-initial name continued into s6.
  8. 8 ↩«Церковь в ребрах, а не в бревнах» is a proverbial anti-formal claim: the Church is in living people (ribs/body), not in wooden buildings (logs/beams). Rendered literally to keep the folk cadence.
  9. 9 ↩вразумление: instruction that brings someone to sense—correction/admonition rather than mere information.
  10. 10 ↩Пречистую Владычицу: traditional Marian title, rendered 'Most Pure Lady' to keep honorific force without archaism.
  11. 11 ↩выситься: to exalt oneself / put oneself above others; rendered as getting 'puffed up' for natural modern force.
  12. 12 ↩Попечительницу: Protectress/Guardian; keeps Marian care-and-oversight sense. 'то и то' rendered as 'this and that' for colloquial particularity.
  13. 13 ↩«нудьте себя» rendered as 'force yourself' (compelled self-effort); «никуда негожи» as 'good for nothing' (worthless/unfit for any use).
  14. 14 ↩«Соберетесь» is spiritual recollection: gathering scattered attention/mind, not mere social gathering.
  15. 15 ↩«Ко Господу вступайте» is interior entry toward the Lord (recollected turning), not physical going out.
  16. 16 ↩«Помоги вам» is a third-person petition to the Mother of God on the addressee’s behalf; rendered as direct Marian intercession rather than a flat optative.
  17. 17 ↩Russian «Р.» is the first half of «Р. S.» (P.S.); the following sentence begins with «S.».
  18. 18 ↩«трезвение» is the ascetical term nepsis: sober watchfulness of mind, not mere abstinence from drink.
  19. 19 ↩Source is only a period; probably a sentence-split artifact between the purpose clause of s4 and the coordinating continuation in s7.
  20. 20 ↩Source is only a period; same likely segmentation artifact as the previous unit.
  21. 21 ↩«Отечник» is a Paterikon: a collected book of sayings and lives of the Fathers.

Letters on the Christian Life companion

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