If we do not See Pride in Ourselves, this is a Sign that we Have it

Saint Macarius of Optina (1788-1860)

Venerable Macarius of Optina. "Edifying Teachings" (from letters).

You also write that you do not see vanity and pride in yourself and would like to know the signs of these. The very fact that you do not notice these passions in yourself is a sign that they wrap your soul, covering it with darkness and gloom, which, both in visible objects and in mental ones, equally prevent you from seeing what is present. There is clear evidence of this in the 23rd Step of the Ladder, how the wise elder taught spiritually his brother not to be proud, and he, blinded in his mind, answered: forgive me, father, I have no pride. The elder continued: yes, child, how can you prove your pride more than with these words that “I have no pride.” Darkness, according to Basil the Great, is the absence of light. And in spiritual things, in the absence of the light of humility, the darkness of pride covers the soul (I, 446, 755).

When one does not notice anything bad in oneself, isn’t he led by the spirit of pride? But the humble see their sins like the sand of the sea (V, 145, 240).

I heartily rejoice at the change in your disposition, that is, keeping away from laughter, idle talk and blasphemy; but you should control that with it, arrogance, vanity, conceit and the most fierce pride do not creep into the heart, which blind the person and do not allow “to see one’s sins” and “to have a contrite and humble heart” (III, 280, 498).

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Woman Thinking that Healing and Biolocation Come from God

Question to a priest.

Hegumen Daniel (Gridchenko)

Question: Anastasia

Hello dear Father,

I have a question that has been bothering me for a very long time: my mother believes that a person can be healed by biolocation, that besides the physical body, a person has other bodies (like the halo of saints, where one can see them), and that if there is a hole in the body, it can be "patched up" and thus heal the person. A book she reads (or rather, has read before) was written by a certain woman who was a mathematician and designed spaceships, she was a Christian, and somehow calculated it all with mathematics, as I have understood it. A pendulum is also used in this system, I don't know if I should call it a science. She used to practice it for a while, then she gave it up (thank God!). The woman who wrote the book left behind her disciples; I think there is even an institute for self-knowledge in Russia that deals with these matters. My mother believes that all this knowledge is given to us by God, and that she thanks Him for His help. I don't know what stimulated her interest, but one day her child (that is me) stopped talking as a result of a strong fright (it happened, as I now reflect at my current age, out of sheer foolishness, to be honest). When she tried everything, and nothing worked, with the help of her friends she found a man who could help her. After a while it helped and the child started talking, but she got hooked on it and became interested. She is a very religious person and believes that all this knowledge only comes from God (we go to church, but not that often, we don't go to confession, but we always ask God's forgiveness and pray and try not to do anything wrong). However, the fact that, for example, when she has inflammation of a gland of her eyelid and immediately takes out a book and reads a "prayer" to "an old man the witch doctor," should be added to this, and also her belief that old women who heal all kinds of diseases are also Christians.

Which Thoughts Should Be Confessed

Saints Barsanuphius the Great and John the Prophet. "Letters".

 

St Barsanuphius the Great (6th cent.)

LETTER 165

Question from the same brother to the same Old Man: “Should one ask the elders about all the thoughts that arise in the heart? Moreover, when one prays or chants the Psalms, should one do this with one’s voice? In addition, about memories of what one has done, heard, or spoken. Finally, should one enter into discussions with the fathers?”

Response by John.

Brother, it is not necessary to ask about all of the thoughts that may arise; for [many of] these are fleeting. One should ask about those which abide and tempt us. For a person who is insulted many times will take no notice of these insults and become carefree in regard to them; however, if someone should attack or assault that person, then the latter will accuse the culprit before the magistrate. That is how we, too, should act.

As for prayer and chanting the Psalms, it should be done not only with the intellect but also with one’s lips. For the prophet David says: “Lord, you shall open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.” (Ps 50.17) Furthermore, the Apostle reveals that the lips are required, when he speaks of “the fruit of the lips,” (Heb 13.15) and so on.

As for those things which you have seen or heard or practiced or thought, nothing else can put an end to these except humble prayer, namely, a prayer that has no will of its own at all and is accompanied by tears. Those fathers who achieved this did not do so without toil, tears, and the excision of the will. Now, entering into discussions [with the fathers] means counting yourself as being something and regarding yourself as their equal. Asking questions and trusting their answers, however, is humility and progress in the Lord. Pray for me, brother.

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How Love to Neighbor is Manifested

Saints Barsanuphius the Great and John the Prophet. "Letters".

 

St Barsanuphius the Great (6th cent.)

LETTER 339

Another brother asked the same Old Man: “It is a commandment of the Lord that we love our neighbor as ourselves (Cf. Lv 19.18; Lk 10.27) and that we be joyful and sorrowful with him as if he were one of our own members.(Cf. 1Cor 12.26) Therefore, to regard our neighbor being in poverty and yet ignore him is a transgression of love, even if we only have what we need and are unable to cover his needs. Tell me, then, father, how love is manifested in this case.”

Response by John.

Love toward one’s neighbor is manifested in many ways and not only by means of actually giving him something. Listen to some other ways. If you are traveling somewhere with your neighbor and find that your thought wants to be honored more than he, rather than rejoicing in the fact that he is honored in the same way as you, then in this respect you are not regarding him as yourself. For the Apostle said: “Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Rom 12.10) If you have something to eat and notice your thought wanting to eat alone on account of desire and not out of need, again in this respect you are not regarding him as yourself. Even when you only have enough for whatever you need, if you do not give him some of this, then in this respect you are not regarding him as yourself.

Indeed, if we wish to apply the scriptural word in this manner alone, then it will not be able to stand among us. In fact, this was not written for one person alone, but every person is called our neighbor.(Cf. Lk 10.36–37)

Therefore, how can you fulfill this commandment with respect to all people when you do not have enough to give everyone? Again, loving one’s neighbor as oneself also resembles this. If some loss occurs and you notice your thought taking pleasure at the fact that he is being harmed more than you, then again in this respect as well you are not regarding him as yourself. Or if you see him praised and do not rejoice with him, believing that you, too, have been praised with him; if you did not actually admit that your brother’s praise also extends to you — for he is your member — then you have not tried to regard him as yourself. The same applies to so many other cases. Furthermore, regarding one’s neighbor as oneself means that if you have heard something from the fathers about the way of God and your brother happens to ask you about it, then you should not retain [any attachment to] this care and benefit for the sake of envy. Rather, knowing that he is your brother, you should tell him whatever you heard according to your fear of God, without regarding yourself as a teacher; for this does not benefit you. 

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Elder Silouan about Discretion (Discernment)

Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov). "Saint Silouan, the Athonite". Part II. Works of Elder Silouan

Saint Silouan the Athonite (1866-1938)

If you see a light either within or outside yourself, do not trust it, if you have not got together with this light in your heart adoration to God and love for your neighbour; but have no fear either, just humble yourself, and this light will disappear.

If you see some vision, image, or a dream, give no trust to it, for if it is from Our Lord, then the Lord will give you understanding. The soul that does not know the savour of the Holy Spirit is unable to understand the origin of a vision. The Enemy gives some kind of sweetness mixed with vain self-satisfaction to the soul, and that is how you can understand it is a delusion.

The Fathers say that if a vision is provoked by the Enemy, the soul experiences a certain confusion. But only a humble man, who does not judge himself to be worthy of visions, experiences turmoil or fear under the action of the Enemy; but a vain man may experience neither fear nor even the least distress, for he desires to have visions and judges himself to be worthy of them, and for this reason the Enemy deceives him easily.

What is in heaven is known by the Holy Spirit, what is on earth, by intelligence; whoever tries to know God by the ways of intelligence is in delusion, for God cannot be truly known except by the Holy Spirit.

If you see demons by your spirit, humble yourself and try not to see them, but go without delay to the confessor or to the elder to which you entrusted yourself. Tell everything to your confessor and then the Lord will have compassion on you and you will escape delusion. But if you think that in the domain of the spiritual life you see further than your confessor, if in confession you stop telling him what happens to you, then by that pride you will certainly experience some delusion, by God’s will, in order to give you instruction.

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