247. Meeting the Birthday — Remembrance of God's Mercy and His Long-Suffering for Us

Today's feast day of the Holy Great Martyr George has reminded me that in past years I sometimes wrote letters to you on that day, and therefore even now a desire to write has been aroused in me. But the Holy Great Martyr is on horseback, and I am on foot, to congratulate you on this feast, and on what is coming on this feast, that is, on your birthday; but I don't know if I'll be in time. In the meantime, I fervently wish you to greet your holy birthday with a joyful and reverent heart before God; for the continuation of life, in spite of the illnesses, sorrows and many sorrows that befall us, is the continuation of God's mercy to man, for which he must thank the Lord God from the depths of his soul! Of course, there are such clever men in the world who are burdened by life and wish themselves a speedy death, but we will not imitate them in this. They, not knowing well, do not know what they wish for themselves, and what they ask for? It behooves them to say Christ's word: "I do not ask for anything!" The Lord God graciously listens to the prayer that His humble servants pronounce to Him: "Fruitlessness in vain, my souls that are so pained, have patience with Christ, and do not sow me, like that cursed fig tree!"

Seeing from your letter that from the day of the Bright Resurrection of Christ, your soul became light and joyful, I rejoiced heartily and thanked the Risen Christ, Who illumined you with His light! And when despondency, impatience, murmuring at everything, despair and anguish come upon you, like a dark cloud, then my heart is filled with sorrow for you; It is especially sad for me to read that you, due to a lack of humility and Mother Abbess, sometimes reproach her, about which, as St. Climacus remarked, the demons rejoice; and therefore grant you, O Lord, attentiveness, not to make them laugh like this again!

April 23, 1858

248. A damp cell is not the main calamity

The New Passion-Bearer of Christ! Save thyself in the Lord!

First of all, I congratulate you on the coming New Year, which may be a favorable summer for you, and may the Lord grant peace to your heart, health to your body, and salvation to your soul; and spiritual consolation to alleviate sorrows. I wish you all this with all my heart.

From my long silence before you, do not think that I have forgotten about you. I remember her, and I always ask the Lord to be with you in sorrow, and to be your Comforter. And the fact that I have not answered your letter for a long time, she has accumulated so many things from illness that I do not have to bring them to an end; That's why I almost don't write to anyone.

I offer my heartfelt condolences for your sufferings in the discourse of your damp cell. There are iron stoves for sale in Moscow, buy one at my expense, and drain the dampness of the cell with it. However, there are not always disasters from dampness; for we see people living in dry and bright chambers, sick and sorrowful, just as the ancient St. David, dwelling in the royal palaces, prayed to the Lord, saying: "Save me, O God, for thou hast brought water to my soul; which means that when he was king, he had so many sorrows, as if he were plunging into them in the depths of the sea. Here I am, this abbot, living in bright, warm and spacious cells, but I have almost twice as much grief as opposed to yours; And it seems that he would have gone over to a dark and damp underground, if only to gain freedom from the abbot's tormenting chains. But we must drink the cup of suffering that the Lord has granted us. And therefore, mother, if you endure, your lot will be with the saints...

Forgive me, and be peaceful, for God's sake, and take the assurance that even in your silence your much-sinful Hegumen Anthony will always remember you.

January 9, 1844

249. Congratulation of a spiritual child on the Day of the Angel

Behold, thanks be to the Lord God, Who is good to us, the day of your nameday is also at hand; wherefore I consider it a pleasant duty to offer you the most earnest congratulations on it, sincerely wishing that the Lord God bless your New Year and preserve your dearest health in prosperity and peace of mind until old age and old age; and finally, with hope in His salvation, grant you, O God, to be worthy of a Christian end, shameless and peaceful, and through your many illnesses and labors to receive eternal repose with the saints in the Heavenly Kingdom, which with all my soul I pray to you. O God, be merciful and bless us.

For a long time I have not had the pleasure of hearing about your life; and therefore I do not know whether you are healthy and good-natured, or whether you are faint-hearted and faint-hearted under the burden of your cross like me. However, I fervently wish that this letter would find you in complete peace of mind and in joy in the Lord. For we are not all discouraged, but rather let us trust in God, Who, through your many illnesses and spiritual sufferings, is able to ease your burden and console your heart with the joy of salvation. Therefore let us lift up our eyes to the mountains, from whence will come help! As for me, I am indeed suffering, and I am sick in soul and body; but no one hearkens to me like you, for which my heart is so painful. God! Give us patience, generosity and meekness.