Letter to a Person who has Strayed into the Nets of the Enemy’s Deception

St Macarius of Optina Letters. Letters to laity. Letter 445

St. Macarius of Optina

Highly esteemed in the Lord N.N.,

I have received your letter, which was sent in March of this year, and I am astonished, indeed, that not knowing me at all you should choose to describe to me your strange experiences, and ask my advice about all your doubts. I, knowing myself being both physically and spiritually weak, should prefer to refuse to talk about things so difficult and high for me. I was going to refuse to answer your questions; but considering your faith with which you seek advice and feeling sorry about your condition in the past and in the present, which you described, I dared to write you (after having taken counsel with our fathers since God is known to have placed the right word of guidance even in the mouth of dumb beasts). I will try to give you some relevant passages of the teaching of the Holy Fathers, and will try to represent actions of the enemy’s deception in order to warn you not to follow it although it may falsely look like the truth. 

By the way, you yourself once had mentioned your suspicions of having strayed into the enemy’s nets. In the light of knowledge of the Holy Fathers you would see that more clear and embrace this truth, then, leaving the lies, follow cautiously the doctrine of the Holy Fathers. Here are some passages I have prepared for you.

The spiritual deception, according to Gregory of Sinai (Philokalia, part 132; in the Russian Philokalia Vol.5, P.233) has two reasons from the men’s side: pride and sinful life, for this reasons a man is made a laughing stock for spiritual enemies. God permits this temptation in order that man should come to his senses, do penance and change his ways if he wants.

A Warning to Those Wishing to Practice Noetic (Mental) Prayer

Venerable elder Macarius of Optina. "A warning to those reading spiritual books of the holy fathers and wishing to practice the noetic Jesus prayer".

St. Macarius of Optina.

This “Warning” was compiled about a century and a half ago by the venerable Optina Elder Macarius (Ivanov). It is addressed to those who wish to practice the noetic Jesus Prayer, but who do not have expert mentors and guides.

However, the creation of the elder Macarius can be equally addressed to all Christians - as advice not to look for high spiritual gifts and conditions in themselves, but to humbly walk by the way of the fulfillment of Christ's commandments, relying on God's will in everything. Citing the testimonies of the great ascetic fathers, the elder convinces: an untimely desire for a "high", "contemplative" life is fraught with delusion, and often not only mental, but also physical death.

At the same time, the venerable Macarius, who himself had experienced the path of noetic prayer, in no way seeks to avert contemporary monks and pious laymen from salvation and the prayer in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ commanded by the holy fathers. He only asserts: the measure for a novice is an oral prayer, not accompanied by any “artistic means”, information about which is contained in patristic works.

A contemporary of the elder Macarius - Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) writes very clearly about this in his instructions about Jesus prayer: “Novices should keep the most reverent attention while practicing the Jesus prayer, concentrate the mind on the words of the prayer. (...) Here is my command to you (the novice): do not seek the place of the heart. Do not try in vain to explain to yourself what is meant by the place of the heart; the experience will explain it satisfactorily (in due time). If God wants to give you this knowledge, He will give it when the due time comes. Practice exclusively the prayer of repentance with all diligence; try to perform penance by the prayer” [1].

The venerable Macarius also explains what mental order it is necessary to have while practicing the Jesus prayer, what should be the active life of a Christian, and what kind of spiritual fruits should be aspired by the one praying in the name of Christ. We believe that the “Warning” of the Optina elder will be useful to modern Christians who strive to lead a spiritual life, will help to avoid various schemes of the enemy of the human race and not become a victim of delusion or incorrect “opinion” about themselves.

Warning against the Delusion

Letters of St. Macarius of Optina. Volume VI. Letter 109.

St. Macarius of Optina

...We find it worth to offer a remark for consideration for you, mother: the honorable A. has come to your convent with a very good disposition and desire to “seek Jesus,” that is, to attain His love. This her expression often reached us. This thing is very good and virtuous, but it needs to have a solid foundation, for love is tempted by the enemy. Due to her ardor and purity of soul, she will soon see comforting and sweet feelings in herself - this will give hope to her in finding Jesus and His love. But this feeling is very dangerous and close to delusion: not yet having a struggle with passions, not knowing own weakness and not yet getting humbled, comforting feelings are not reliable. Although they come, but in order to be careful to get them and not to be under the delusion with them, but to consider herself unworthy of that... Thus, we suggest that you take care to warn her if she has any sweet feelings so that she does not rely on them and does not consider them to be great; they will leave her soon. Otherwise, being under the delusion and having accepted them at the wrong time, she will soon lose them; and when there is already time, he will not receive them, like a careless and stupid farmer who, when he saw growth, would consider it a fruit and pick it: he will never receive the fruit in this case. Many people suffered, going this way, and went astray; instead of humility, having too high opinion of themselves, they attained arrogance... Remind her that the love of God is tempted by the enemy: various passions will arise, and it is necessary to struggle with them, and whoever has humility and wisdom, will have relief in the struggle; but he who has a sense of grandeur about himself, or who reassures himself of comforting feelings, faces a tougher struggle, so that, learning his weakness, he would humble himself. But for them defeat is unbearable and leads to cowardice: and this is a sign of their pride. One must be afraid of the delusion, which is diverse: either, having seduced with imaginary holiness, it will blind one’s spiritual eyes, or, by a flash of joyful and comforting actions, having lost them, it will fall into various passions; and when you lead her in a moderate and constant way, engaging with her attentively, then something good can be developed out of her over time ... and she should reveal all her words, deeds, thoughts and actions to you, for whatsoever doth make manifest is light, and everything hidden is darkness (Eph. 5, 13) 

http://oprelesti.ru/index.php/how-to-avoid-or-get-rid-of-spiritual-delusion/798-warning-against-the-delusion

The Kingdom of God Cometh not with Observation

Letters of St. Macarius of Optina.

St. Macarius of Optina

I repeat you about the prayer that the very thought to have the action of grace from the warmth is already delusion: the kingdom of God cometh not with observation (Luke 17, 20). Prepare your heart by fullfillment of the commandments of God, cleansing it from passions, and descend into the deepest humility, learning and seeing your weakness; and when you have the guarantee of humility in your heart, it will be already safe from the delusion of the enemy and the grace of God itself will write its own laws in it. The Saints, who had grace in themselves, considered themselves as not having reached it, and this very humility kept them safe; and who thought to have grace was driven by pride and was deluded…

http://oprelesti.ru/index.php/kinds-of-spiritual-delusion/147-expectation-of-gifts-from-god/659-the-kingdom-of-god-cometh-not-with-observation