About the Temptations During the Jesus Prayer

Letters of St. Ambrose of Optina. Letter 373.

Saint Ambrose of Optina

The enemy confuses you with various perplexities. The Holy Fathers advise not to be afraid, when calling the name of God, especially since you started this work not on your own, but with the blessing. And do not assign special significance to things you do not understand, not rejecting and not accepting them, as the venerable Mark the Ascetic advised to spiritual babes, such as the fact that you saw Christ crucified inside the heart, and the Savior sitting in prison in red clothes, and some strange light. Leave this, and everything similar to this to the will of God, telling yourself: "Only God knows what is good and salutary." Read all places about delusion in the Philokalia and beware of the indicated signs of delusion. Leave the rest to the will of God. You write that when you pray, you look at the heart. The Holy Fathers advise, during prayer, to look inside the heart, and not from above, and not from the side, and especially if the attention of the mind descends below the heart, then lusts of the flesh arise. You write that on the feast of St. John the Evangelist you was exhausted, left the church and went to the cell and, lying on your bed, saw a running enemy, in all its disgrace. Henceforth, if you are exhausted in the church, sit or lie down, but do not leave. In general, know as you yourself read in the books of the Holy Fathers that the enemy does not rebel against anything as much as against the prayer of Jesus. Therefore, as you have begun to keep the Jesus prayer, then do not leave it, but continue, trusting in the mercy and help of God. The Lord and the Queen of Heaven are strong to save us from the evils and troubles inflicted by spiritual enemies.

You also write that some of your sisters refer to the Athos elders. But you do not know them, and they do not know you. Therefore, such a referral cannot be convenient. In addition, in your letter it was said that you had three days of strong excitement of the flesh... Probably, you judged someone, or you were subjected to it for humility and trial.

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An Ordinary Person Cannot Bear True Visions from God

Question to Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov in the Radonezh radio studio. October 29, 2006.

Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov

Question.

The servant of God Sergius asks: In the life of the elder Paisios of Mount Athos there are examples of how the enemy can lead a person into delusion with false visions. The elder, of course, coped with it. But how can we, Orthodox Christians, avoid falling into this delusion? May the Lord save you.

Archpriest Dimitry answers.

There is nothing easier. All visions must be rejected. And that’s all. Because you and I are not elders, we are not of Mount Athos, we are not the men of fervent prayer, we are not saints, we are ordinary sinful people. Therefore, all visions to us - if any - come from the evil. Very simple. And there is no need to philosophize here somehow for a long time. Because a person is blessed with some kind of spiritual vision only in one case - when he can bear it. That’s it. However, an ordinary average person immediately becomes arrogant. Therefore, from God, who knows everything, there can be no such visions that put a person into such terrible conditions.
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About Self-justification as a Cause of Delusion

Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev). "How to live today. Letters on the spiritual life".

Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev)

* * *

1949

Peace to you, worthy mother Mary!

I have received your letter. You recognize yourself wrong in many ways. I am glad about that. A person who stubbornly justifies himself and blames others is on the wrong track: he will either fail to make any success in spiritual life, or he will inevitably fall into the nets of delusion. Our salvation is not in feats, but in the consciousness, deep, sincere, heartfelt consciousness of our sinfulness, corruption, powerlessness to improve ourselves. This consciousness will result in contrition, crying and some humility, etc.

If there is no such consciousness, and moreover (God save us!), there is self-justification – then all the attempts will be in vain and even arrogance and pride will arise. So, in small and big things, in everyday and spiritual affairs, with yourself and in relations with other people, try to put yourself in the lowest place (according to the Gospel: do not sit in the highest place) - and then you will receive peace for your soul and everything described above, and with them or through them, you will get salvation.

My regards and blessings of God to you, Katya and to everyone you know.

Forgive me for offending you and the rest. Ours give their regards to you. God will forgive you for everything, and I forgive you.

* * *

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From the Lack of Sobriety and Repentance, New Converts Fall into Delusion

Question on Soyuz TV channel on December 8, 2013.

Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov answers, the host is Archpriest Alexander Berezovsky.

Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov and Archpriest Alexander Berezovsky

Question: In the writings of the holy fathers and in your sermons, sobriety is often mentioned as an extremely desirable condition for success in the Christian life. Define this term as applied to modern laity, if possible, with examples.

Archpriest Dimitry answers:

Sobriety is a derivative of discernment. Besides, sobriety can be considered as a certain step. Discernment is a very high virtue, which many Holy Fathers put even higher than love, because everyone can achieve love, while discernment can not be achieved by everyone. But the first stage of reasoning is sobriety, and every Christian must somehow succeed in this. Because, unfortunately, very often, especially in the beginning of the Christian life, a person falls into some kind of euphoria. It is simply explained. Because, firstly, a person discovers a new world, and this always happens. He experiences a certain fascination - quite legitimate - since he plunges into the two-thousand-year-old tradition. He begins to meaningfully read the Holy Scriptures, because for a person far from tradition, this is generally a closed book. Thirdly, he immediately encounters new, one might say, objects: a church, a priest, vestments, a choir, and icons. And to research everything, dozens of books are needed. He begins to plunge into it, and, of course, he becomes overwhelmed. Many people, when facing churchliness like that, even stop reading secular books - everything seems tasteless. And one more aspect. This is a contact with the church world, and yet there is also the grace-filled life. And the grace of God affects not only our spirit, but also the soul and body. Man is also transformed externally - he is radiant, dozens of miracles happen every day in his life, and he almost flies. And he still does not know how to fly. And much of what he perceives as the direct action of the grace of God is not really this - it is a spiritual perception of his real contact with the grace-filled life. That is, indirectly. Therefore, there is always a danger to take one thing for another. 

How to Get Rid of Delusion?

Question from a viewer of the Soyuz TV channel.

“Received a call from Voronezh: “Your Grace, how to get rid of delusion? Is it possible to get rid of it? And what is needed to be done for this? ”

Archbishop Vikenty (Morar')

The questions are answered by Vikenty, the Archbishop of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturye.

“It is better not to fall into delusion than to get rid of it. Of course, getting rid of delusion is very difficult. This is a serious spiritual illness. And we know that some ascetics in monasteries, who fell into a state of delusion were engaged in prayer and abstinence, strict fasting. They fell into delusion, and to get themselves out of this state, they needed a very big work of prayer of the whole monastery, of all the monastery dwellers, so that the Lord would help to get out of the delusion. Therefore, the holy fathers warn us that we should be attentive to ourselves, so as not to get into this serious spiritual illness. What is delusion? This is flattery, a deception of the highest degree - when we are deceived by our consciousness or demonic obsessions that we are on the right path, that we are going the right way of life and leading the right spiritual life. Therefore, we need to always be self-critical, always acknowledge and see our mistakes. There are words of some holy fathers that we should see, notice our sins, like sand on the seashore. Now, when we recognize ourselves as sinners and see our sins, we constantly notice - this is a sign that we are on the right path, not deluded. And when we do not notice this, but only praise ourselves that we are great ascetics, do the right things and do everything right, that’s pride. And pride is the cause of all our spiritual illnesses; and the most terrible disease is deceit, a grand deceit, which brings us to the spiritual death. Therefore, one must be very careful in one’s spiritual life so as not to fall into enemy nets.”

April 2009

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About the Rites of Renunciation of Sectarianism and Occult

Monk John (Adlivankin) and Hegumen Ephraim (Vinogradov). "Pastoral care of the people coming from sects and the occult. The canonical practice of accession and renunciation rites as an instrument of spiritual struggle. The strategies of demonic forces".

Video of talk (in Russian): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTkL8bQSmm4

Monk John: To continue the conversation that took place on February 22 in the Monastery of Optina and dealt with the problems of pastoral care, the practice of accession rites, the problems of the boundary of the Church and the contemporary attitude towards modern children of the Church fallen away from the Church, we asked the famous contemporary writer to participate in our conversation. He is well-known to Orthodox audience as a confessor, it is father Ephraim (Vinogradov) known to the Orthodox public and readers as Hegumen N.

Thank you, farther, that you agreed to take part in this conversation. It seems to us extremely relevant. Those questions that have arisen in this conversation on the part of the clergy, on the part of the Optina brotherhood, and on the part of the priests, require more detailed study and clarification. Therefore, in today's talk, we will be able to give some answers to emerging questions.

Father Ephraim, this is a rather difficult topic: the pastoral care of people who come from sects, or damaged by sects and the occult. The topic, in general, is not so new in the Church, but nowadays, it becomes extremely relevant. You are well-acquainted with the work of the pastoral care center, you are familiar with the materials, documents, we closely cooperate in discussing some problems, developing solutions, and I know that recently you have been often using the canonical approach of accession and renunciation rites for people who for one reason or another were harmed or even fell away from the Church. Undoubtedly, in the vast experience of your pastoral work ... How long have you been a priest, how much have you been doing spiritual work?

Hegumen Ephraim: Well, almost 30 years.

Monk John: Well, in 30 years, probably, many things have come before your eyes. How do you feel about this approach? I know that you, too, have received the blessing to perform the accession rite with regard to people who have fallen away from the Church. It is such a difficult act; it needs a special blessing of the archbishop, the bishop. And, probably, you see from your experience that it gives really positive results. People who for many years for one reason or another could not be healed, did not come to senses and had completely obvious, and sometimes some hidden diseases that can be seen by the confessor, in general, after such an approach, after the implementation of such a practice, they obviously came to their senses. It is true, isn’t it?