Письмо 69
The Danger of Outward Distractions
Staying home and guarding the inner life protects the soul from the scattering effects of worldly pleasures.
It's good that you enjoy staying home; the more you do, the better. Outward pleasures, even the innocent ones, rarely lead to anything good; they are the first gateway to evil. They weaken the soul and draw it out of its inner enclosure.1 Afterward, a person isn't entirely themselves, as if they've been shattered. When someone falls and gets hurt by accident, people pity them; but when someone carelessly crashes to the ground and breaks every bone, people don't just withhold pity—they scold them. So why would we plot harm against ourselves?2 Was it such a great thing to eat a little apple—beautiful and pleasant?3 And afterward the Son of God had to be crucified to set the matter right.
The Incompatibility of Worldly Arts and Spiritual Life
Worldly music and arts are soulish rather than spiritual, creating a barrier to communion with the Lord.
What music are you planning to hear? Our musical pieces are mostly junk: they tickle the ear and give nothing. I'm not binding you, but it's a pity if you go, because you'll only be scattered and then pine for what you've lost.4 You'll listen to outward music, and the inward music will go out of tune for a while.5 Do not love the world, nor the things that are in the world.✦ Can you be with the Lord there? Hardly—for what fellowship is there?✦6 The world of the arts is a soulish world, and even a sensual one—not a spiritual one.✦7
The Call to True Self-Crucifixion
True spiritual consolation is found by remaining with the Lord, which requires a genuine, daily self-crucifixion.
It's hard to refuse! I believe it; but remaining with the Lord is a true self-crucifixion, not a metaphorical one.✦ When will it ever happen? Be zealous for this. For then a spring of consolation will begin to well up from the heart, and it will quench every thirst for other kinds of consolation.✦
Steadfastness Amidst Spiritual Warfare
Even when one finds peace, one must remain vigilant against the subtle influence of the deceiving spirit.
Glory to God! So, you've settled in. May the Lord help you never to be ruined.8 But God's will be done. The pestilential breath of the deceiving spirit, who is at work in the sons of disobedience, can unsettle anyone.9
The Balance of Work and Prayer
Excessive work clouds the mind and heart, leading to a neglect of essential spiritual practices.
Your laziness toward spiritual practices comes from the enthusiasm with which you've thrown yourself into work. Don't get too carried away with work, or your head will grow cloudy. And once the mind grows cloudy, the heart grows cloudy too.
Read the original Russian
Хорошо, что вы находите приятность в домоседстве; чем более, тем лучше. Внешния приятности, даже невинные, редко ведут к добру; а ко злу они – первая дверь. Они душу расслабляют, выводят из своей ограды внутренней. После них человек бывает весь не свой, как разбитый. Когда не нарочно кто упадет и расшибется, жалеют о нем; а когда кто по неосторожности грянется о земь и разобьет себе все кости, то не только не жалеют о нем, но и бранят его. Что-же за нужда нам самим на себя наветовать? Великое ли дело было сесть яблочко – красивое, приятное? А после Сыну Божию надлежало быть распяту, чтоб поправить дело.
Какую это музыку собираетесь слушать? Наши музыкальные пиесы большею частию дрянь: щекочут ухо, ничего не давая. Я не вяжу вас, но жаль, если поедете, потому что только рассеетесь и тосковать будете. Внешнюю музыку послушаете, внутренняя на время расстроится. Не любите мира, ни яже в мире. Можете вы там быть с Господом? Едва ли, ибо кое общение? Мир искусств есть душевный и даже чувственный мир, а не духовный.
Трудно отказаться! – верю; но ведь с Господом пребывание есть самораспинание истинное, а не метафорическое. Когда-то оно совершится? О сем поревнуйте. Ибо тогда из сердца начнет бить источник утешений, которыя погасят всякую жажду к утешениям иного рода.
Слава Богу! Вот и успокоились. Помоги вам, Господи, никогда не разоряться. Но воля Божия да будет. Тлетворное дыхание духа лестча, действующаго в сынах противления, хоть кого смутит.
Леность ваша к духовным занятиям происходит от увлечения, с каким взялись за работу. Не увлекайтесь слишком работою, а то в голове станет мутно. После же мутности в голове, и в сердце станет мутно.
Scripture echoes
- ↩1John.2.15 — Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
- ↩2Cor.6.14 — Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
- ↩1Cor.2.14 — But the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
- ↩Gal.2.20 — I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
- ↩John.4.14 — but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst forever; rather, the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life
Notes
- 1 ↩«Ограда внутренняя» is the soul’s guarded interior enclosure of recollection; rendered as “inner enclosure,” not a physical fence.
- 2 ↩«Наветовать» can mean to bring accusation or to scheme harm; here, in context of self-injury by carelessness, “plot harm against ourselves” is the intended sense.
- 3 ↩«Сесть» here is the older/vernacular form of «съесть» (to eat), not «сесть» (to sit).
- 4 ↩«тосковать» can mean restless longing, homesickness, or aching emptiness after dissipation; rendered as pining for what is lost to keep the spiritual cost concrete.
- 5 ↩«внутренняя» is elliptical for the soul's interior music/harmony; «расстроится» keeps the musical metaphor of being thrown out of tune.
- 6 ↩«общение» here is Pauline fellowship/communion (koinōnia), not social company; kept as 'fellowship' to preserve the scriptural force.
- 7 ↩Preserves the Pauline/ascetical triad: «душевный» (psychikos / of the natural soul), «чувственный» (of the senses), «духовный» (pneumatikos / spiritual). 'Soulish' is used to keep «душевный» distinct from both sensual and spiritual.
- 8 ↩разоряться can mean financial bankruptcy or general ruin; context of worldly agitation favors ruin in a broad practical sense (including material ruin).
- 9 ↩дух лестча preserves Church Slavonic diction for the spirit of deceit/error (лесть = flattery/deceit); rendered as 'deceiving spirit' rather than merely 'flattering spirit'.
Letters on the Christian Life companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit