Письмо 73
The Peace of Surrender
The author encourages the recipient to maintain inner peace and surrender to God's will amidst life's challenges.
Save yourselves! Thanks be to the Lord that your soul is at peace, and that you endured it all so well. Always keep that same peace when things go against you, surrendering to God's will, and do not stir yourself up.1 Pray that everything with you may be according to God—and that is enough.
Restraint in Times of Trouble
The author advises against acting or speaking during moments of emotional agitation to avoid the influence of self-will.
Make it a rule never to undertake anything, or even speak, when your spirit is troubled. However fair an outburst may look, and however right whatever you want to say and do at that moment may seem, still at such a time the soul cannot keep due measure, still less purity, because this state always has a mixture of self-will in it.2 May God be your helper!
Read the original Russian
Спасайтесь! Благодарение Господу, что у вас мирно на душе и что так все стерпели. Храните всегда такой покой при неудовольствиях, в преданности в волю Божию, и не шевелитесь. Молитесь, чтоб с вами все было по Богу, и довольно.
Законом положите ничего не предпринимать в тревожном состоянии духа, равно и не говорить. Как ни благовидна бывает вспышка и как ни правым кажется то, чтобы хотелось сказать и сделать в ту пору, все же в сие время душа не может соблюсти меры должной, тем более – чистоты, ибо сие состояние само по себе бывает всегда с примесью самости. Бог вам помощник!
Notes
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