Schema-archimandrite Abraham (Reidman). The good part. Conversations with the monks. 44. About delusion.
I am coming to a very serious issue, and
it is important for me that you understand me right: I mention only the
most common, I cover only theoretical issues, and you need to solve
specific cases with your mentor. What other outward signs of delusion
one can mention? Sometimes a person can even imagine about himself that
he has unceasing prayer. I recently read interesting memories of
Archimandrite Raphael about elder schema-archimandrite Seraphim
(Romantsov) from the Glinsk Hermitage. The book about ascetics of 50-60s
of XX century "In the Caucasus mounts" by monk Mercury tells about one
very young schema-nun, who had secret schema, and who was thought to
have the unceasing prayer. And it turns out that this schema-nun once
came to schema-archimandrite Seraphim, a highly experienced elder, whom I
can not mistrust. The elder gave her some instructions, none of which
she accepted, and he realized that she was in delusion and she did not
have the unceasing prayer for a single day. The one who gave her schema
was also in delusion. Fr. Seraphim said that there is such a state (this
time he meant the another monk), which to some prayerful person seems
as he has unceasing prayer, but in fact it's just a state close to
delusion, because he is accustomed to the incessant repetition of prayer
as others are accustomed to the bad language, that is, it is not a gift
of grace and only a habit. An inexperienced person who does not know
what unceasing prayer actually is, who does not even have the correct
theoretical idea of it, begins to imagine that he has it and starts
telling others. If such inexperienced Christian encounters an
experienced spiritual person and begins to tell him about his spiritual
state (this applies especially to eldresses), the latter should ask him
in detail because some seemingly insignificant trifle can show that the
person, in fact, simply does not understand what he tells us about, he
only fantasizes about his experiences. One speaks about himself out of
ignorance Heaven knows what, and believes that his state is spiritual,
and the other, on the contrary, after reading the Holy Fathers and
having no idea what they actually mean, identifies it, due to his highly
developed imagination, with his own state. He speaks with the words of
the Holy Fathers that he has read and understood in the book and not his
own experience. It turns out that he was deluded and is misleading
others, even spiritually experienced. Therefore, when dealing with
someone who talks about some of his spiritual experiences, you need to
have special attention and carefully question even about small things.
One does not know how to describe - and explains the proper spiritual
condition wrong, and the other, on the contrary, represents a delusional
or just imagined experience as something significant, because of
learned and internalized terms. We must be extremely careful not to get
lost in such subtle and at the same time vital subjects.
http://oprelesti.ru/index.php/what-is-spiritual-delusion/622-about-false-unceasing-prayer
http://oprelesti.ru/index.php/what-is-spiritual-delusion/622-about-false-unceasing-prayer
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