Once again the Lord has vouchsafed us, in this ancient holy temple, to offer a song of praise and thanksgiving to the Queen of Heaven. We glorified her: “Rejoice, you who extinguished the charms of the furnace, Rejoice, you who trampled down the charms of the power: Rejoice, you who exposed idolatry’s flattery.”. What do these words mean? Prelest comes from the word flattery, seduction, deception, that is, when a person or an evil spirit himself or through one of his servants tries to insidiously instill in a person, taking advantage of some of his mental and physical gifts, natural or imaginary, his aspirations or bodily needs. - his insidious and cunning thoughts so that a person would believe him. When this happens, and a person believes the devil, then he thinks that he himself thinks this way, and that this is really how everything is. He falls into a terrible and pitiful state of delusion. In this way, the devil deceived and seduced Eve, and then he set Cain against Abel and taught him to kill his brother.

Vladimir icon Mother of God. Sacristy

Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra

Using this insidious and cunning weapon of flattery, he destroyed not only many individuals, but also entire nations. With his devilish deception he led the human race to destruction. And he used what was in the human soul. For example, the Lord created man with a desire for his Creator, with a search for Him. Well said about this St. Augustine: “You God created us with a desire for You. Our restless heart until it calms down in you.” Or as the psalmist David sang: “As a deer longs for streams of water, so does my soul long for You, O God!”(Ps. 41:2). But the devil, insidiously taking advantage of this human desire for God, so distorted human concepts about God that, as the Apostle Paul writes, people, calling themselves wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed animals, and reptiles...(1 Rom. ch. 1, 22-24.) That is, they began to serve creatures instead of the Creator: they idolized animals, reptiles, reptiles, birds, heavenly bodies, earthly elements. What man did not idolize. Indeed, it was a terrible devilish furnace in which millions of people burned because they were going into hellish fire. It was very strong, a whole empire of delights. When the Mother of God was born from pious parents, the incarnation of the Son of God - Jesus Christ - became possible. The mystery of the Holy Trinity was revealed, that God is God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Thus, this power of delusion was destroyed, idolatry’s flattery was exposed, and the furnace was extinguished. But the devil did not rest on this, and with his insidious weapon of flattery began to approach those Christians who thirsted and strove for their salvation.

How many people we know from the history of the Church of pious people and holy lives, who, by trusting the inspiration of the devil, fell into this pitiful, terrible state of delusion. Some of them lost their minds, others even committed suicide and committed suicide.

But not only ascetic monks are tempted by the devil. For example, Saint Nikita of Novgorod was seduced by the devil. Only the elders of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra were able to pray for him. Ordinary people Those who wear flesh and live in the world are tempted by Satan in the same way. What can you do to avoid falling into this pitiful state of delusion? First of all, you should never believe or trust yourself. As the Monk Abba Isaiah says: “I don’t know of any other fall for a monk than when he believed himself.” Therefore, you should never think that the way I live is good and correct, that I am not mistaken in anything, that everyone loves me, and I am almost a saint. This is a very scary and sad state. Anyone who believes that he will never fall into delusion is acting extremely ignorantly and dangerously. The Monk Paisiy Velichkovsky says: “To consider oneself free from delusion is the greatest delusion.”

And therefore, in order not to fall into this pitiful state, and not to become a laughing stock for demons and people, you must try to take the blessing of your confessor for all your serious affairs, spiritual works, or at least advice in confession from the priest. We should try to do everything good that we do with prayer, both before starting a task and at the end of it. To sincerely believe that everything we have done is not ours, but God’s. As the psalm says well: “Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory, for the sake of Your mercy, for the sake of Your truth.”(Ps. 113:9). Look at all your mental and physical gifts and abilities as God’s gifts. The Apostle Peter writes: “ Serve one another, each with the gift that you have received, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”(1 Pet. 4, 10)

Some mines and talents are given to everyone equally, others - to everyone according to their strength. All are given from one Creator. We must try to learn to think humbly about ourselves. And when people or the devil puts some praiseworthy thoughts and words into our ears about how good, pious and so on we are, then at this time remember your sins, your failures, how many of them there were, and that we are nobody and nothing. Or read to yourself the words of the sixty-ninth psalm: “ May the abies return, ashamed, and say to us: better, better» . (Ps. 69: 3). We must, of course, ask our guardian angel, who relentlessly follows us, to teach us to think humbly about ourselves and save us from the flattery and charms of the enemy, and the Mother of God, so that she the delights of the cave extinguished, the delights of the power that has been trampled, saved us from this terrible state of delusion. Amen.

To the 90th anniversary of the birth of Archimandrite Naum (Bayborodin)

On December 19, 2017, on the day of remembrance of St. Nicholas, Archimandrite Naum (Baiborodin), who before his tonsure bore the name of the Wonderworker of Myra, would have turned 90 years old. For 60 years the priest was a resident of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, and now after his death on the eve of the Feast of the Intercession Holy Mother of God, we believe, resides in eternal abodes. For some, his prayer was a covering.

The elder is remembered by his children, disciples, fellow servants, mother abbess...

“The Jesus Prayer was his main activity”

Matthew, Bishop of Shuisky and Teikovsky:

It's hard to talk about such people... This great person. The seeds that he sowed in the all-Russian church field will still bear fruit, which we will see.

He penetrated into the past with his gaze, and into the future - like a prophet. What he said came true. Knew what every soul had gone through; could expose if a person had unrepentant sins. But I tried to guide him in such a way that in the future he could protect himself from the machinations of the enemy. Many miracles happened.

Father Naum himself was a very strict monk. It has never happened that he missed a rule without any good reason; he came to the fraternal prayer service when he was sick. Always attended the midnight office. At this time, you could take his blessing and ask him something.

He instructed the monastics, as well as the laity, in the Jesus Prayer. He himself lived by prayer and worked for the revival of intelligent work, which was being ruined in our country under the godless Soviet regime. Wrote a Ph.D. dissertation on this topic. He practiced smart work and inspired others to strive: “Before,” Father Naum was sometimes perplexed, “five hundred was the elementary work of monastics. Why aren’t we adopting it now?” He blessed everyone differently: some a hundred, some a thousand. Taught proper breathing when praying. Each one was approached individually. Prayer is a secret activity; there can be no general advice here.

About the apostles it is said: cloven tongues appeared to them, as if of fire...(Acts 2:2–3). Saint John the Baptist indicated that the Son of God would baptize Holy Spirit and fire(Luke 3:16). And how I wish the fire would already ignite!(Luke 12:49), says the Lord. This fiery breath was felt in Father Naum.

I happened to be obedient to him as a clerk. I saw that the letter had not even been opened yet, but the priest already knew its contents and the answer that should be sent to the return address indicated on the envelope. His insight was amazing, as was the depth of the short answers he gave. It never sprayed. I looked at the root. After all, you can justify everything eloquently, but the essence will go away. Father Naum always answered briefly and to the point. One or two words from him were enough to understand what to do.

Father Naum always confessed very deeply. The main thing, as it followed from his spiritual practice and from the experience of confession with him, was to achieve contrition, genuine repentance. When confession is superficial, perhaps it is necessary to pay attention to those sins that will allow a person to feel contrition. Father Naum knew how to do this. He could expose any highly intelligent scientist. Valery Yakovlevich Savrey, a professor at Moscow State University and the Moscow Theological Academy, once brought five academicians to him: a mathematician, a philologist and someone else. And Father Naum asked each one a question from his area of ​​knowledge that they were unable to answer. Thus he could convert even the most self-confident to God. A person will humble himself a little, understand the limitations of his mind, and his heart will open to the truths of the Gospel.

The elder cared about the revival of life in the monasteries according to the patristic statutes. He blessed the publication of the charter of Pachomius the Great and distributed it to us for study and development. Father published a lot of sermons and works, at least for his children. A huge number he always supplied us with patristic literature. We read all this with his blessing.

Father loved many saints very much. For example, St. Ambrose of Optina. He asked us to make a selection from his instructions - I remember, and I did this. Father Naum somehow intimately experienced the life of this saint: he absorbed this existence dissolved by grace and tried to instill in us a taste for such a life. Through the perception of Father Naum, we somehow vividly perceived the patristic experience and tried to imitate the Holy Fathers in some ways. Father called St. Ambrose of Optina a prophet of the 19th century. And Father Naum himself was for us a prophet of our times.

Father prayed for the people, and the people begged him

Archimandrite Lavrenty (Postnikov), monk of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra:

Father Naum served God and people. It's impossible to please everyone. When he spoke instructions, some accepted his words easily and joyfully, while others walked away saddened (see Matt. 19:22).

We lived next to Father Naum for almost 60 years. I have never seen anything bad in him or from him in all these years. He had his own approach to people. When we adhere to the canonical rules and do not move either to the right or to the left, our path is correct. People went to Father Naum to clarify whether they had deviated from the commanded path. If he had said something wrong, the believing people would not have followed him.

Father Naum was a hard worker. When he prayed, I don’t know. He was always in front of people, all about their needs, delving into everything. Since he was always with the people, teaching them how to live, praying for everyone, it means that the people were praying for him. And for sure, even if the priest sinned, the people begged for their elder.

“For such great elders, only the Judgment of God can determine their spiritual efficiency”

Archimandrite Zacharias (Shkurikhin), monk of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra:

We lived next to Father Naum, our cells were on the same floor. Sometimes they crossed paths at meals. He was strict. I made comments. Sometimes you say something wrong or appearance Something is wrong with you - I saw everything. But he always spoke to the point.

There is close communication between the brethren in the monastery. You can always see whether a person is praying or just like that, “the raven is counting.” Father Naum prayed. He, of course, devoted a lot of time to receiving people. But during the service he tried to concentrate, intensely delving into the words of the service. About synodics, when he was once asked why he didn’t read them, he said: “Let young people read them, so that they have fewer thoughts.”

For such great elders, only the Judgment of God can determine their spiritual efficiency. Now to care for the people in our modern world very difficult. Vladyka Theognost of Sergiev Posad, our vicar, was always very surprised how Father Naum could remember everyone: who was where in the dioceses, in which remote monasteries, in which small towns and in abandoned villages, and at the same time who had what sorrows, problems, internal temptations. I sent something to someone, passed it on through someone... I received letters, wrote replies.

I remember once some servants of God came to him - they had a lot of problems, they had nowhere to live... He immediately blessed them: “Go there. That’s right,” he calls someone over, “that’s where people are going.” The house is now empty. That’s where you’ll live.” Those deprived of shelter went there; They were immediately settled and lived there for several years. Then they are told: “That’s it, move out.” They, of course, felt sorry to leave what they had acquired over the years, but they left it all for the next residents. And somehow their life got on better. Everything through his prayer happened smoothly and naturally. It was the same for the monastics - all problems, both internal and purely everyday, were resolved with the blessing of Father Naum.

The Lord created a miracle

Hieroschemamonk Valentin (Gurevich), confessor of the Moscow Don Stavropegial monastery:

At one time, after a serious operation, I lived in the Ascension Orsha Monastery of the Tver diocese. There, not far from the monastery, there is the village of Emaus. Apparently, at one time some pious landowner gave this name to his estate. And for some reason rock bands gravitate towards this kind of place names. They like biblical names: Nazareth, Emaus, etc. And so they chose this village to hold a rock festival. Since the village is located in an open field, the sound from the amplified speakers deafened the entire area. Such a temptation was allowed. Then Mother Eupraxia (Inber), abbess of the Ascension Orshina Monastery, received a blessing from Archimandrite Naum: everyone should read the akathist to Archangel Michael. Father Naum greatly revered the Archangel - two monasteries in the elder’s homeland are now dedicated to him: a women’s monastery in his native village of Malo-Irmenka, Ordynsky district, Novosibirsk region, and a men’s monastery in the nearby village of Kozikha. It is also providential that the 40 days of Father Naum fell on the celebration of the memory of Archangel Michael and all the Ethereal Powers. Mother Abbess with all the sisters and girls from the monastery shelter, as well as me, who was then living in the monastery, we all began to read the akathist to Archangel Michael. And the Lord performed a miracle. There was silence in the monastery. It was truly a miracle, because as soon as you stepped outside the fence of the monastery, the music thundered; you take a step back into the monastery - and silence! I checked it myself several times - I went outside the fence and came in: literally a meter, but behind the low symbolic fence you couldn’t hear this roar. This is inexplicable from the point of view of the laws of physics.

Another example. The children of Father Naum actively converted their friends and colleagues to the faith. So, now a professor at the Moscow Theological Academy and Sretensky Seminary Alexey Ivanovich Sidorov was still teaching at Moscow State University at that time, where he helped the Finnish Kirsi Marita Ritoniemi, who was studying at the department of Slavic philology, get baptized. She, like him, became one of the spiritual children of Archimandrite Naum. She accepted monasticism. At one time she was the abbess of the Ascension Orshina Monastery, and then the ruling bishop, having transformed the Tver metochion of the monastery into an independent St. Catherine's Monastery, sent Mother Juliana (her name in tonsure) there as abbess. Temptations arose from time to time, and the enemy opposed the revival of the monasteries. Then Mother Juliania and Eupraxia, who was placed in her place at the Ascension Orshin Monastery, could talk together with officials, and all the sisters and girls of the orphanage sang the Trisagion in the church at that time. And everything – thank God – was sorted out.

“We were all under his prayer as if under cover”

Abbess Elena (Bogdan), abbess of Holy Resurrection convent Murom, Murom diocese of the Vladimir Metropolis:

This is a man of God. Holy life. His mother, schema-nun Sergia, was a very pious woman. They lived near Novosibirsk. Her children all died in infancy. When on St. Nicholas Day 90 years ago she gave birth to another boy - also weak - she prayed: “Lord and Mother of God, leave him to me, let him be like St. Nicholas.” Her mother's prayer was heard. The baby was christened with the name Nikolai. He, like Saint Nicholas, devoted his entire life to serving God and people - this is the most important thing.

He was an exceptional monk for our time. He labored according to the ancient monastic rules. He himself was a worker of obedience and taught us in self-denial. Obedience is paramount.

He helped us a lot with his prayer. When the monastics were tempted, the Lord allowed them to sin; Father Naum begged even those severely wounded by sin. Somehow everything was managed invisibly, souls were healed. All of us were under his prayer as if under cover - we could feel it. I think that even now the Lord will give him such a blessed state to help everyone who will resort to him.

Imitator of St. Sergius

Abbess Olympias (Baranova), abbess of the Pokrovsky Khotkovo stauropegial convent:

The kindest, the most holy - what else can I say about Father Naum?! He had his own approach to each person. Father instructed the monastics to pray tirelessly and not to forget the Jesus Prayer - this is the most important thing. And all the things of this life will be added (Matthew 6:33), he reminded us. Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.(Matt. 6:8). He himself was a very worthy monk, without exaggeration, to say - an imitator St. Sergius. Our monastery, where the relics of the parents of the Hegumen of the Russian Land rest, the priest helped and helps with prayers, and incessantly.

Father loved monks very much

Hieromonk Nikolai (Elachev), dean of the Nikolo-Shartomsky monastery of the Shuya diocese of the Ivanovo Metropolis:

Father will forever remain in our hearts. In the Nikolo-Shartomsky monastery, all the brethren were gathered by him. He rescued many of us from the very abyss of the world and set us on the path to salvation. All of us, with his blessing and his prayers, came to the monastery to serve the Lord and are now grateful to him for this.

How many of his children have already been consecrated bishops and metropolitans! How many hegumens, abbesses, good priests he presented to the flock of Christ, monks and nuns he raised for our holy Church.

The priest had his own method of converting people to monasticism. He will bless you, a man who has previously played tricks in life, to restore the temple: while you are working on the ruins, you will pass such a test! The enemy will beat you up so much that you yourself will understand what is important in life. Asceticism became an urgent necessity instead of an abstract activity. Before coming to the monastery, our brethren revived many churches in Novosibirsk, Priazovsk and other cities.

Years passed before Father Naum gave his blessing for monasticism. Only he, as an elder, knew where this or that soul was leaning. He could immediately tell someone that his path was monasticism, another after 3 years, and a third after 5 years. Each individual – when a person becomes ready for this.

Father was pleased with our obedience to God, the Gospel, and what the Lord revealed to us through the elder. And our sins upset him. It happened that if we began to act willfully, we would immediately get into trouble and return to him: “What should we do now?..” Father Naum accepted in a fatherly way and did not drive out the repentant.

He could expose your most secret sin - even sometimes somehow imperceptibly, through someone, but everything was revealed to you and you began to understand what you needed to repent of. We all have our weaknesses. But the elder knew who could bear what kind of instruction: he could give someone a thrashing in front of everyone, but not out of passion, but for admonition; and quietly brought someone to their senses in private.

Father loved the monks very much. He was all inspired when someone came to him for a blessing to become a monk. Even if just a person was going to go to the monastery to work, to live at the monastery, the elder was already rejoicing.

Father Naum always instructed: “Read the Gospel - everything is written there.” For us, he is an elder: we know that he did not speak to us on his own, but revealed the will of God.

Recorded by Olga Orlova

“Wisdom without grace is madness. You will understand this well when you try to live for God and in God. Remember the words of Father Ambrose: “Where it’s simple, there are a hundred angels, but where it’s sophisticated, there’s not a single one.”

Without prayer, a person does not live, but constantly dies, although he is not aware of it.

You have forgotten God, you do not know God, you do not see God, while believers see God much brighter than you see the sun and the sky. But they see with their hearts... O poor people who have lost their minds, who harmed you?..”
Elder Zechariah

Mother of God - The Will of God. Cutting off one’s will – Pride – Sins – Sign of the Cross – Love of God. Name of the Lord - Mercy, alms - Prayer - Spiritual Wisdom - Unbelief - Repentance - Freedom of choice. Knowledge and faith - Holy Scripture- Holy saints of God - Humility - Conscience - Vanity - Dejection. Despair - Kingdom of Heaven

Elder Zosima (in schema Zechariah) (1850-1936):
Elder Zacharias was the Lavra's confessor - not only to the monks, but also to the pilgrims. His spiritual children knew that he had special spiritual gifts. There was no need to tell him anything; he knew the whole past and future.
Before last minute, before the closure of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, the elder prayed for those who violated the commandment of God, and for the brethren expelled from the Lavra. Elder Zosima was the last to leave the Trinity Lavra. Having moved to Moscow, he lived with his spiritual children, where many people came to him. The elder’s insight cannot be described. He saw the life of every person far ahead. For some people he predicted their imminent death, but for others, like a tender, caring mother, without saying anything, he prepared them for the transition to eternity.
Mother of God
Father Zosima especially loved the Queen of Heaven. He always seemed to stand before Her.
The elder ordered his children, as their abbess, to constantly turn to Her and take Her blessing for all their deeds.
“Without the blessing of the Queen of Heaven, my children, do not start doing anything. And having finished the work, thank Her again, our quick-to-hear and helper in all good deeds.”
The elder considered it necessary to light lamps in front of the icons of the Queen of Heaven. And if someone gets sick, they must anoint them with the oil that burned before the miraculous icon of the Mother of God, and this will heal the soul and body of the sick person. The elder had two miraculous icons of the Queen of Heaven in his cell: Vladimir and Kazan. Many miracles were performed thanks to these icons, many sick people received healing.
When the elder prayerfully addressed the Queen of Heaven, he spoke to Her as if he were alive, as if he saw Her right there in his cell. And indeed, the Queen of Heaven was always with him, and the entire internal and external life of the old man passed under Her protection. And he instructed all his spiritual children to read every day, according to the number of daily hours: “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice” (the entire prayer to the end) and to ask for the blessing of the Ever-Virgin for every hour of the life of themselves and their loved ones.
The elder rejoiced if one of his spiritual children fulfilled the Rule of the Theotokos, reading “To the Virgin Mary” one hundred and fifty times a day.
“Christ is given to the soul by His Most Pure Mother. Pray to the Most Holy One fervently and you will be with Her Son. Remember these words,” said the elder.
The will of God. Cutting off your will
Elder Zechariah “Sometimes the person himself does not know what he will say. The Lord Himself speaks through his mouth. We must pray like this: “Lord, live in me yourself, speak yourself, act yourself.” And when the Lord speaks through human lips, then all the words of that person are effective, everything he says is fulfilled. And the speaker himself marvels at this. You just need to have firm faith and give both your heart and lips to the Lord. I will not speak a single word of mine without Your will, do with me what you want. This is how you need to pray. Only then you can’t philosophize. You must conduct your wisdom in such a way that you give the Lord access, so that He can do whatever He wants with you.”
Pride
Pride “Sometimes there are such troubles with people when a person, instead of humbly uniting with the Lord, falls into pride, delusion, imagination, condemnation of others, and considers himself almost a saint, and some even imagine themselves to be saints. For such people, the Lord allows, as punishment and admonishment for them, that they fall into some grave, shameful sin, from the severity of which they sometimes begin to come to their senses. How would they come to their senses? They repent and sometimes completely improve. But this does not always happen. Very often they die. God forbid anyone to be in their place.”
Sins
“Look at each day as if it were the last day of your life. Always remember that the Lord is looking at you and sees your every movement, every thought and feeling. Hate sins, as they are the greatest evil. The devil gave birth to sin. Sin plunges us into the hell of fiery suffering, tearing us away from the Lord God in the One Trinity.
One of you once told me: “If you don’t sin, you won’t repent.” My children, this thought is bad, it can lead a person to sin. As if it was good that he sinned, at least he repented. No! There is nothing worse than sin.
The devil gave birth to sin. Avoid sin, fight with the help of the Queen of Heaven against everything unclean. And the closer you are to the Lord, the more the eyes of humility will open in you and you will have the deepest and constant repentance. And, saying the Jesus Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner, you will be even closer to the Lord, and He will give you heavenly love for everyone, even your enemies.
…Once again I ask and bless you to be afraid of falling into sins. Do not crucify the Savior with them again and again. Take the blessing of the Queen of Heaven for everything, and the Lord will give you the first degree of grace: sight of your sins.”
Sign of the Cross
Sign of the Cross “Make the sign of the cross more often. Remember: the cross rises, and the spirits of the air ranks fall. “Lord, give us Your cross as a weapon against the devil.” To my regret, I saw that some simply wave their hands, without even touching their foreheads and shoulders. This is a direct mockery of the sign of the cross.
My children, this is how it should be applied, with prayer, which is an appeal to the Most Holy Trinity. We say: “In the name of the Father,” placing three fingers together, showing that the Lord is one in three persons. By placing the folded three fingers to our forehead, we sanctify our mind, lifting up in prayer to God the Father, the Almighty, Creator of angels, heaven, earth, people, Creator of everything visible and invisible. And then, touching the lower part of the chest with these same fingers, we remember all the torments of the Savior, who suffered for us, His crucifixion, our Redeemer, the only begotten Son, born of the Father, uncreated. And we sanctify our heart and all our feelings, lifting them up to the earthly life of the Savior, for our sake and for our salvation, who came down from heaven and became incarnate, and we say: “and the Son.” Then, raising our fingers to our shoulders, we say: “and the Holy Spirit.” We ask the third person of the Most Holy Trinity not to abandon us, to sanctify our will and to graciously help us: to direct all our strength, all our actions towards acquiring the Holy Spirit into our hearts.
And finally, humbly, reverently, with the fear of God and hope, and with deep love for the Most Holy Trinity, we finish this great prayer, saying: “Amen,” that is, truly, so be it.
This prayer is forever connected with the cross. Think about it.
How many times have I felt with pain that many pronounce this great prayer completely mechanically, as if it were not a prayer, but something that is customary to say before the beginning of prayer. You should never do this. It is a sin".
God's love. Name of the Lord
“We must, with holy, deep love, make the lives of other people easier, especially those who suffer. We ourselves must, by drawing closer to God through constant repentance, bring others closer to God. Our God is a God of love.
Some people who do not have God in their hearts call love something completely the opposite of love, namely: passion, egoistic attachment, infatuation, and so on. But we Christians know well that this is not love.
“There is a love God.” He prays for us like this: Father! whom You have given Me, I want them to be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory, which You have given Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world has not known You; but I have known You, and these have known that You sent Me. And I revealed to them your name and I will reveal that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them (John 17:24-26).”
Elder Zechariah said that it is necessary to glorify the name of the Lord. “The apostles and all the saints performed miracles in the name of the Lord. All the sacraments are performed by him. The name of God is the most powerful weapon against evil spirits, against all sins and passions. In the name of the Lord “demons will be cast out.” In the name of God the Lord Himself is omnipresent.”
Mercy, alms
Alms 02 “See that you do not give alms for show. Don't praise yourself like the Pharisee. But do alms daily. The day on which you did not give alms is lost for eternity; it is lost for your soul. Almsgiving helps us receive the grace of the Holy Spirit. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Alms can even extract the soul of a sinner from hell. The angel of this virtue silently stands before the Throne of the Lord and cries out to the one who has given alms.”
Prayer
“Get into the habit of not starting a single task without praying to Nicholas the Wonderworker. Whether you work in your specialty, first of all, take the blessing of the Queen of Heaven. Say the Jesus Prayer before Her face. And during the service, feel the presence of the Lord with all your heart. He sees everything, even your thoughts and feelings. Try to connect every movement, every touch of an object with prayer. Prayer gives birth to humility, and without humility there is no salvation. Having finished your work, give thanks to the Lord and the Queen of Heaven.
My children, even when you are going up or down the stairs, at each step say (inside yourself) a word from constant prayer. I don’t bless you to walk up the stairs otherwise.
Don’t rush to say your prayer – this is both healing for the soul and good for the heart: “we don’t beat the air for nothing.” Every sacred word is a great creative power. Every word of prayer brings us closer to God. We have emptied our words by tearing them away from the Lord. Even if you need to say something everyday, you must keep prayer in your heart. And whoever is not yet accustomed to holding a prayer during a conversation, let him remember that he is speaking in the presence of God and everything that he says, that he feels, everything is seen by He, our heavenly Father, being here. We must never forget the omnipresence of God. Forgetting this is a sin.
To establish constant prayer in the heart, it is required that the person praying does not say unnecessary, idle things, and also that he does not dream, does not worry thoughtlessly, does not do anything he wants, but tries to do the will of God in everything. Talk, my children, as much as possible with the Lord in your cell prayers. This cleanses the heart, strengthens the mind, and gives strength in action to fulfill the will of God.
Now, you turned to God with the gracious words of the saints, but maybe that’s all for you? No. After reading the prayers, with great attention, in the silence of thoughts and feelings, you need to stand for at least a few minutes, waiting with your heart for an answer, admonition, etc.
These few minutes will teach you a lot: first three minutes, five minutes, and then... you will see for yourself who needs how much. I ask you to do this and bless you. This will strengthen your constant prayer and renunciation of your will and give you a thirst to receive (acquire) the Holy Spirit in your heart.
Prayer is the beginning eternal life, this is the door through which we enter the Kingdom of Heaven; this is the road that leads us to the Lord and connects us with Him. Without prayer, a person does not live, but constantly dies, although he is not aware of it.
My children, try to acquire constant prayer. Firmly ask the Mother of God, who never sleeps in prayer for us, for this, as I have already repeated to you more than once.
Be courageous even when the Lord sends great trials.”
Spiritual wisdom
“Father Ambrose was a great sage; he acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom without grace is madness. You will understand this well when you try to live for God and in God. Remember the words of Father Ambrose: “Where it’s simple, there are a hundred angels, but where it’s sophisticated, there’s not a single one.”
Disbelief
The elder sometimes said to unbelieving people: “You have forgotten God, you do not know God, you do not see God, while believing people see God much brighter than you see the sun and the sky. But they see with their hearts... O poor people who have lost their minds, who harmed you? I think that those who, wearing the visible image of a Christian, have rejected his power, those who, calling themselves Christians, do not fulfill the commandments of love for their neighbor.”
Repentance
8 “Do not forget that the first commandment of the Gospel calls us to repentance: “Repent and believe in the Gospel,” these are the words of the Lord Himself (Mark 1:15).”

Freedom of choice. Knowledge and Faith
“Remember that God gave us freedom and He does not take anyone to Himself by force. You must show effort in your will in order to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit in your heart. If God had not given us freedom, He would have destroyed the path of faith and brought everyone to Himself through forced knowledge. Do not say, as some ignorant people say: “Prove to us the existence of God, and then we will believe...” Then there will be no faith if you prove it, but there will be forced knowledge and then there will be no road to salvation.
And when an act of faith is freely performed in the heart, then God gives such evidence of the truth of faith that is incomparably higher than all scientific evidence.”
“Always remember: you need to show free effort in life to acquire virtues and to communicate with God in prayer. The Lord does not take souls to Himself by force. Take care of the pearl of faith, which is the path to eternal bliss for us and those close to our hearts.”
Holy Scripture
The elder greatly revered and never stopped reading the Psalter. He read three kathismas every day, and when he was sick, he gave his blessing to read it aloud to him. I read the Gospel and the Psalter every day and said constant prayer.
Holy saints of God
The elder saw many miracles, standing obediently at the shrine of the relics of St. Sergius. I saw Father John of Kronstadt approach the shrine and say: “Reverend Father Sergius, my friend, I want to imitate you, to follow in your footsteps.” And we know that St. Sergius heeded his request.
The elder taught his spiritual children to more often turn in prayer to St. Sergius, the Wonderworker of Radonezh, whom he once saw in reality.
“My conscience testifies,” said the elder, “that St. Sergius with raised hands stands at the Throne of God and prays for everyone. Oh, if you knew the power of his prayers and love for us, then every hour you would turn to him, asking for his help, intercession and blessings for those for whom our hearts ache, for our relatives and loved ones living here on earth and who are already there, in that eternal life."
“Do not forget, my children, never the exploits of St. Sergius and St. Seraphim Sarov wonderworker, who imitated him. Both of these saints are especially associated with the mercy of the Mother of God. The Lady appeared to them in reality, strengthened them, and healed them. Let us not forget Her love for these saints, about whom the Lady said: “These are our kind.” Let us resort to their intercession as often as possible, let us carefully remember their lives. We will memorize their instructions. And the Mother of God will not abandon us and those close to us for the prayers of Her chosen ones. The saints loved God and in God they loved all people. The whole world lies in evil, but the world is not evil.”
Humility
Virgo “He is wise who has acquired the Holy Spirit, trying to fulfill all the commandments of Christ, fearing to offend the Savior by sins. And if he is wise, then he is humble. The higher a person is spiritually, the more he sees how great the Lord is, and how insignificant and helpless he, man, is, how sinful in comparison with what we should strive for.
The greatest saint John Chrysostom in his prayer before Communion says: I believe, Lord, and confess that You are truly the Christ, the Son of God, the Devil, who came into the world to save sinners, from whom I am the first.”
Conscience
“Take care of your conscience, it is the voice of God - the voice of the Guardian Angel. You cannot help but take care of your conscience, because you can lose it, it can become burned, weak, and then it will not be the voice of God. Learn how to take care of your conscience from my elder Father Ambrose of Optina, from whom I received a blessing for monasticism and instructions for my entire life. Read his biography, his letters, there you will find his discussions about conscience.”
Bustle
“Oh, Christians, we live so vainly and do not think about eternity, but we really, really need to think. Walk before the face of the Lord and remember that every good deed of yours is recorded by a guardian angel assigned to you by the Lord, and every sin is recorded by a dark force. Nothing can be done without it becoming obvious. Repent before it’s too late, humble yourself and save your soul. Read the Gospel, read these words, you must heed them. Strive for the Spirit of God to be in you, so that you may be disciples of Christ: Learn from Me that I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. We must love people in deed and truth, and not in word and tongue. We must learn to love people as ourselves, that is, show to others the same all-forgiving love and care that you show to yourself... Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself, enough for each day of its own care.”
Dejection. Despair
15 The elder taught to be especially careful of despondency: “Despondency is the threshold of hell, it kills the will, feelings and mind.
Acquire virtues that are opposite to sins. Dejection is an executioner that kills the energy necessary to receive the Holy Spirit in the heart. The despondent loses prayer and dies for exploits.
Do not lose heart under any circumstances.
Passions overcome, prayer weakens, you don’t even want to do it, all your attention is absorbed by various desires and passions. Yes, right there, as if on purpose, such internal and external troubles occur, from which a weak person falls into despondency.
This passion, despondency, deadens everything holy, everything living in a person. Rather, then crucify yourself on the cross, praying as in ancient times many of the ascetics prayed, struggling with passions. Read: May God rise again and His enemies be scattered. If anyone has it, read the canon to the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of Christ, and then crucify yourself on the cross again and beg the Comforter of our souls and bodies to have mercy on you, forgive you and enter into your soul and drive out that terrible despondency that is killing you.”
the Kingdom of heaven
“Our hearts, worse than in the torment of all types of earthly suffering, will ache for the lost good, ending up in hell forever. Be kind and careful, kids. Do not be discouraged, patiently bear your cross, casting all your sorrow on the Lord. Energetically forcing yourself to do anything good deed, walk along the narrow holy path of virtues, which will lead you to the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Based on the book: “Great Russian Elders. Lives, miracles, spiritual instructions." M.: Trifonov Pechenga Monastery, “ A new book", "Ark", 2001.