Such a grievous battle as befell Saints Job and Anthony is seldom allowed by God. Only great souls can bear great trials, but most people are not capable of this. We bear incomparably fewer trials, according to our strength. However, even they are not easy for us to endure. When the Grace of God leaves us for a long time and the darkness of despondency finds us, then we must firmly remember that only one means can help us – to regain the Grace of God again. What are the ways to get it back?

We have several such ways, and perhaps the strongest of them is the virtue of mercy. This remedy works almost flawlessly and almost always returns Grace – even in the most severe cases. Mercy is the work of helping other suffering people, who often have an incomparably harder time than we do. In the words of St. Cyprian of Carthage, works of mercy have such great power that, like Baptism, they return to us again Grace and mercy from God. And there are many examples when this remedy literally regenerated people, raised them from the abyss of despair and literally saved them from suicide and hell.

Hieromartyr Kronid of Radonezh in his book "Trinity Flowers" tells the story of the famous Russian philanthropist Innokenty Mikhailovich Sibiryakov, who lived at the end of the XIX century. Sibiryakov was the son of the richest Irkutsk gold miners, he lost his parents early and in his youth, surrounded by bad people, he embarked on the path of vice and sin. And then one day, in the child of a dissolute life, he was attacked by an inexplicable mortal anguish, which was so strong that he decided to shoot himself. Before his death, he went to the bank to make the final dispositions about his vast fortune. When he got into the carriage, a woman who was emaciated from hunger came up to him with a child in her arms and asked for help. Sibiryakov felt sorry for her, and he gave her all his cash. However, when he got into the carriage, he thought that this money would be enough for her, perhaps, for six months, and decided to help her more - to provide for her for life. When he made this decision, suddenly something bright appeared in his heart, which had hitherto been tormented by mortal anguish—some feeling like pity, compassion, or even joy. Telling the woman to wait for him, Sibiryakov went to one of the St. Petersburg banks.

Passing by the Kazan Cathedral and remembering how he once went here with his late mother, Sibiryakov unexpectedly ordered to stop and, entering the temple, approached the miraculous Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Tears poured from his eyes, repentance came to his soul, and he suddenly realized how empty, vicious and filthy his life was before God. There, in the Kazan Cathedral, a real revolution took place with Sibiryakov. He did not go to the bank to finish his business. Thoughts of suicide disappeared without a trace. After that, his life took a completely different direction, and in the end, having renounced the world and taken monastic vows, he withdrew to the Holy Mount Athos, where he died as a schema-monk. When his bones were found three years after his death, they were a pure amber-pink color. As you know, this is considered on Athos to be a sure sign that a person has pleased God and is glorified by Him in heaven.

The incident that happened to Sibiryakov tells us that charity, perhaps more than all other virtues, attracts God's mercy to a person, returns Grace, drives away despondency and brings peace and joy to the soul. Therefore, brothers and sisters, when the evil spirit of despondency comes upon us, when it is difficult for us for a long time, let us not sit idly by, but try to do some good deed, for example, give money to the homeless, help the sick or lonely elderly, send help to prisoners, go to an Orthodox fair and donate as much as we can to monasteries, churches under construction, or orphanages. And then we will see that Grace from God will again come into our souls, which, like a bright light, will dispel the darkness of sorrow, drive away despondency and give the soul the strength to continue on the Christian path, without stopping or turning aside. Amen.

On the Basic Attributes of God

All of us Christians believe in one God, the Creator of the universe. And do we imagine who our God is, what His attributes are? What kind of God do we believe in? Alas, we do not always have a clear idea of this. Meanwhile, our faith must certainly be meaningful, and we must have at least the basic concepts of God. How can we know anything about God?

To this question, a wise man replied that God had given us two books from which we could learn about Him, the first book being the Bible and the second being the book of nature. The most important of them for acquiring knowledge about God is the Bible, because in it the Lord Himself personally reveals Himself to us. On the basis of Biblical Revelation, the Holy Fathers created a true, pure, irreproachable Christian theology. What does it say about the basic attributes of God?