S. Devyatova. "Elders and Ascetics of the 20th-21st Centuries. Biographies, Memories of Contemporaries, Teachings, Feats and Miracles, Prayers."
Archimandrite Sergius (Shevich) (1903 – 1987).
The practice of the Jesus Prayer requires the guidance of an experienced spiritual father... "For someone who prays a lot, there is a great risk of falling into delusion," said Elder Sergius. The spiritual father to whom one should turn should not be a fellow practitioner (and certainly not an adherent of prayer "techniques"), but one who has navigated all the pitfalls and has been granted the gift of discernment from God. He can thereby reliably determine which prayerful states are emotional and which are spiritual, which are from God and which are from the evil one...
The slightest pride combined with prayer leads to deviations and even mental disorders. In this regard, Elder Sergius used to repeat that the practice of prayer is incompatible with passions, and that anyone who prays while, for example, in a state of pride or impurity, is running toward their own catastrophe...
No comments:
Post a Comment