That the Lord is especially merciful to good children

Our word will come to you, children, and today we will tell you that the Lord especially rewards those of you in this life who are merciful.A twelve-year-old girl traveled with her mother to the Sarov hermitage in order to be worthy to see Father Seraphim and receive his blessing.Upon her arrival in Sarov, she accidentally learned about some poor exhausted well-worker, who walked past the monastery in heavy chains and was very pitiful. At the sight of this unfortunate man, she was very touched by his situation, and finding a rather valuable silver coin in her possession, she gave it to the beggar for lack of another, smaller one. When the girl and her mother came to Father Seraphim, he, who had never seen them before, immediately called the girl to him and, blessing her, said affectionately: "Well, Her mother, extremely surprised by this greeting, began to explain to the elder that the rank of general did not belong to them at all, but he, talking to them, did not cease to call the girl the general's wife. What's that supposed to mean. But later it became clear to them when the girl, compassionate to the unfortunate, having reached the age of majority, married a general. And then the prophetic words of the Elder of God were justified, who had long foreseen the future by the grace given to him by the Lord. What did Venerable Seraphim say to the girl before he called her a general? He said: "You have done well to give alms to the poor," and only then did he begin to call her the general's wife. So, as if he were saying: "Behold, you have shown compassion to the unfortunate, for this the Lord will reward you with great happiness." In view of this, in order that the Lord may reward you also, and you may imitate the said girl, and be merciful to the poor and unfortunate, then the Lord will not forsake you with His mercy. And they are not needed. It is possible to show love and compassion to your neighbor without money. For example, sit next to a sick person, bring him what he wants in time, or gently and affably talk to a person in need and sorrow, grieve with him; you will probably have enough of that. And yet even such mercy of yours to the unfortunate will never be forgotten by the Lord, and He will undoubtedly reward you for it both in this life and in the next, as He Himself promises us: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" (Matt. 5:7). Amen.

To sinners who do not care about their salvation

Sinners who do not care about their salvation, in order to stifle the voice of conscience in themselves, usually console themselves with the hope of God's mercy and impunity, saying: "God is merciful, all is fine, everything will pass," and they continue to sin. God forgives only sinners who repent and care about their correction, but to such people as the above-mentioned people. He is just and punishes them not only in the future life, but also in the present.One woman, who was in the Sarov hermitage, wished to see the great ascetic Father Seraphim out of her zeal. The elder received her with fatherly love, and along with other advice and instruction he began to tell her that she should persuade her husband to correct himself from intemperance, insolence, unjust oppression and lack of mercy towards his neighbors. Speaking his last words, he took a bunch of matches from the stove, handed them to the woman and said, "Here, take these matches and keep them."The woman, when Father Seraphim began to talk about her husband's punishment by the wrath of God, was greatly embarrassed by this, and afterwards she discussed a lot with her family and friends about Father Seraphim's simple but strange gift, but no one could explain its meaning. A terrible hour came, in which the meaning of the gift was explained and the very prediction of the wondrous elder was fulfilled.One day the sky began to be covered with clouds from everywhere, and in the evening a terrible thunderstorm gathered. All the people turned to God with a prayer, and the mentioned woman began to pray. Meanwhile, at this terrible time, her two young children were sleeping, one near the window, and the other a little farther away. Suddenly a terrible clap of thunder broke out over her house, and in an instant, following the flashing lightning, the wooden cornice was torn from the window and split into the smallest matches; Most of them pierced her husband's face and beard, and, struck by the blow, he soon died. And yet, to the great surprise of all, neither the woman's children, who slept near the window, nor she herself were in the least affected by this blow.After that, the woman involuntarily remembered the words of Father Seraphim, and only then understood the meaning of his strange, as it seemed, gift, marveling at his wondrous perspicacity. And having become convinced of this, in order not to be subjected to the righteous wrath of God in the future, let them first of all change their sinful life to a virtuous one, and after that, when they are confirmed in the latter, let them boldly hope in the mercy of God, And, undoubtedly. The Lord will forgive them and deliver them from punishment, as He Himself testifies through His prophet: If the people... turn from his evil works, I put off the evil which I thought to do to him (Jeremiah 18:8). And the same is confirmed by the book of the prophet Jonah, where it is said: "And God saw their deeds (the Ninevites) that they had turned from their evil way, and God was sorry for the calamity, which He said He would bring upon them, but did not bring it (Jonah 3:10). Amen.

What is the reason that the Lord allows evil spirits to harm us?

It is known that evil spirits try by all means to distance us from God and plunge us into destruction. It is known that they sometimes strike a person with illnesses and disasters, put obstacles in his way to doing good deeds, and, finally, they rage in human bodies, which we see in the possessed. What is the reason for this? Know that the main reason for this is our sinfulness, and it is because of it that evil spirits are often the instruments of God's wrath, and God allows them to do evil to people for their sins, so that at least through sorrows and sufferings they would come to the realization of themselves, repent of their sins and be corrected. she and her husband decided to turn to St. Seraphim for help. When they both arrived in Sarov, they found Father Seraphim in a nearby hermitage, engaged in labor. He met them very mercifully, and when they asked them to pray for the casting out of the demon, he told them the following parable: "There was in the land of Palestine a clairvoyant elder who prayed for a demoniac man, but his prayer was not heard by God; the demon did not leave the sufferer, and therefore the elder turned to the Lord for the second time with a fervent petition for the sufferer. At the same time, he prayed to the Lord to reveal the reason why the spirit of malice did not leave this man – to reveal whether his prayers were ineffective or whether some sins stopped the demon in him. God heard the prayer of this elder, and it was revealed to him that the one for whom he was praying had leprosy on his forehead, which prevented the demon from being cast out of him. and then, turning to the possessed wife, he also wrote on her forehead, but no longer her sins, but the sins of her husband. Then the husband and wife looked at each other with horror and realized that God's punishment had befallen them for their sins. A certain man was cold to all that is holy and loved to play with godless words. For this, the Righteous Lord allowed the foul spirit of blasphemy to take possession of his thoughts, and these abusive thoughts, which he could not remember without particular horror, crushed him constantly for three whole years, especially during prayer in church and most of all when he prayed to the Queen of Heaven. is our sinfulness, because of which evil spirits are often instruments of God's wrath.Why was the above-mentioned demon-possessed woman stricken with demonic possession? For her own sins and the sins of her husband. Why did the man we have just spoken of suffer from an evil spirit? For his coldness to the holy faith and for the fact that he loved to play with godless words. Thus, our sinfulness is the main cause of demonic power over us. But from the same two cases, the justice is revealed that God allows evil spirits to do evil to us, so that at least through sorrows and sufferings from demons we would come to the realization of our sins, repent of them and correct ourselves. The above-mentioned man was also horrified. In view of all that has been said, if we now know that evil spirits are allowed to do evil to us mainly for our sins, then we must be constantly attentive to ourselves – to our thoughts, intentions and deeds, we must constantly watch over ourselves and put on all those weapons that are indicated to us in the word of God against the enemies of our salvation. Be sober, be watchful, for your adversary, the devil, walketh about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). Amen.

Pious vows deliver a person from death

Some of the Christians make pious vows before God, that is, they promise to do this or that good deed. Such vows, if they are in accord with the spirit of Christian piety and are in no way harmful to our neighbors, are pleasing to God and useful to those who promise. Hearing the latter, of course, many will ask: could this ever have happened? St. Seraphim of Sarov gave some husbands and wives one commandment, like a commandment for married life, and in conclusion he added to it: "If you do not fulfill this, then you (that is, the wife) or he will soon die." Until the death of the monk, the husband and wife kept his commandment, and then they forgot and broke it several times.But after this the husband one day suddenly became ill with paralysity of all the limbs and something like a strong fever, so that two weeks after he had gone to bed, he lost his voice, his lips became dead, and he became completely hopeless. But on the very day when death was about to take its victim, in the morning the doctor who was treating him came to the sick man and told those present his dream.It seemed to him that he was going to the mentioned patient, and suddenly he came across a gray-haired old man in bast shoes and rags, who stopped him and said: "Are you going to treat him? Know that you will not cure him and he must die; but tell him to make some kind of vow before God, and then he will remain alive.'" The sick man heard this story of the doctor, and after his departure he began to reflect on what he had heard, and immediately realized that this elder was none other than Father Seraphim, and that his illness was the result of a violation of his commandment. Then he began to bitterly repent of his deed, and made a vow to God that if he remained alive he would take into his care one of his relatives, an orphan maiden. The next day he began to walk and then completely recovered.Thus, it could truly be that pious vows delivered a person even from death. The dying man made a vow to take care of the orphan – and instantly he felt relief from the illness and began to walk, and began to speak as if he were healthy, and then he recovered completely. Such is the great value of pious vows in the eyes of God, and in view of this, if the Lord puts it in the heart of any of you to make such a vow, then give it. But give, first, with prayer, that the Lord will receive it, secondly, with gratitude to God for inspiring it, thirdly, again with prayer, that the Lord will help to fulfill it, and finally, fourthly, with a firm determination to keep it. And this latter should be especially necessary for the person who makes the vow, for he who does not fulfill the vows not only does not receive a reward, but is condemned. If you have made a vow to the Lord your God, you shall fulfill it immediately, for the Lord your God will demand it from you, and sin will be upon you (Deuteronomy 23:21). Take note of this in your vows. Amen.

To the lazy

Lazy people always value their work incomparably more than industrious and honest people, and complain incomparably more about the burden of their work than the latter." What is the use, they usually say, of my labors? Here, no one works as much as I do, and what of it? I have suffered all over, I am exhausted, but I have not gained anything for myself, and I only somehow survive from day to day." See. In the life of St. Seraphim of Sarov we read: his bodily labors, according to the difference between warm and cold times, were different. In the cold season, it was necessary to heat the cell; The elder prepared firewood with his own hands, carried it to the hut and warmed it. In addition to bodily labor, in this case he voluntarily endured cold and frost, for his clothes remained the same in which he was always seen in the winter. In the summer, he cultivated the beds in his desert garden. To fertilize the land, he went to swampy places on hot days, where he collected moss and carried it to the ridges. Since he entered the lowly places without clothes, girding only his loins, the insects cruelly wounded his body, whereby it swelled, in some places turned blue and baked with blood. The elder voluntarily endured these ulcers. Every summer, fertilizing the ground with moss, Father Seraphim cultivated the beds without help, planted seeds on them, watered the ground, cleansed it of bad, unfit grass, and grew some vegetables, using them to strengthen his strength. Besides this, he carried stones on himself in a sack, saying, "I am tormenting him who torments me." Yes, there was.Labors, exercising the body, served the elder to heal pain in the legs; with the bodily exercise of his powers, he entered into a state of complacency, which was poured out in the singing of sacred songs; bodily occupations raised his spirit to the Heavenly, Eternal and Divine, and during them he meditated on the wisdom and goodness of God in the creation of the world. In every subject, in every activity, he saw their innermost relation to the spiritual life and learned.What will those who say: "No one works as much as I do," "I have suffered all, I have been exhausted, but I have gained nothing for myself" say after the above example? You see how the saints labored and under what sufferings they labored, so can their labors be compared with yours? It is clear that your works are so insignificant in comparison with theirs that it is not worth talking about them. And, therefore, you have hitherto falsely said that "no one works as much as I do." Your words are also unjust that your labors are of no use to you. It is not your labors that profit you, but your laziness, and he who labors has abundance in all things (Sir. 10:30), and he who tills the land will increase his haystack (ibid., 20:28). There is also benefit from labor for the soul. From his labors he acquired good humor, his soul was elevated to the Heavenly things, he thought about the wisdom and goodness of God in the creation of the world, and he learned in the spiritual life. And in the fourth commandment he wrote: "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work" (Exodus 20:9).And when you remember this, then every labor will be easy and pleasant for you, and your work will be contented, and murmuring and faint-heartedness will disappear, and your soul will always be pleasant and joyful. Amen.

Faith saves the sick

It is known that almost all patients talk about nothing else but their illness, and desire nothing but to get rid of it. And the well-to-do among them spare nothing for the latter. They call for doctors, spend money on them and on medicines, pray to God, give alms, repent of their sins. But, unfortunately, it should be noted that even with such efforts, it often happens that the illness persists, the spirit of the sick falls, and they are already completely despairing of their recovery. What is to be done in such a situation? What to do? There is nothing left to do but to strengthen one's faith in God, and this will be the best thing for the sick.One gentleman (N. A. Motovilov – Ed.) suffered from serious and incredible illnesses for more than three years. This man, not hoping for the help of doctors, ordered his servants to take him to the Monk Seraphim, and when he was brought, four servants brought him to the saint of God. To the latter he told him of his misfortunes, that he had tried all the methods of healing, and that now he no longer thought of salvation in anything and had no other hope of receiving healing from his ailments except by the grace of God. The monk, in turn, asked the sick man: "Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the God-Man, and in His Most-Pure Mother of God, that She is the Ever-Virgin One?" He answered: "I believe." "Do you believe," the elder continued, "that the Lord, just as before He healed instantly, with one word or by His touch, all the ailments that were upon people, so now He can just as easily and instantly heal those who still require help with His own word, and that the intercession of the Mother of God for us is omnipotent, and that through this intercession of Her the Lord Jesus Christ is now just as instantly and with one word able to heal you completely?" The sick man answered: "Verily, I believe all this, with my soul and heart, and if I had not believed, I would not have ordered myself to be brought here." At first, it was difficult for the man to stand on his feet, but then he felt some power overshadowing him from above, cheered up and walked firmly... Then the monk still said: "Do you see what a miracle the Lord has wrought with you today; believe always unquestioningly in Him, Christ our Saviour, and firmly hope in His kindness towards you, love Him with all your heart and cleave to Him with all your soul, and always firmly trust in Him and thank the Queen of Heaven for Her great mercies to you." And so, brethren, it is truly best for the sick to strengthen themselves by faith. As you can see, as soon as the sick man confessed his faith before Father Seraphim, he immediately became healthy, but this is not the only example. Read the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ, and you will see that He healed the sick only through their faith or those who prayed for them. Thus, for example, the centurion asks for the healing of a servant, humbly confessing his faith, and the Lord says to him: "As thou hast believed, let it be done unto thee" (Matt. 8:13)... And the servant recovered.By faith the Lord healed the bleeding woman, saying to her: "Daughter, thy faith hath saved thee" (Mark 5:34). Help my unbelief (Mark 9:24), and the demon was cast out, and the child became well, and the faith of the Canaanite woman, who asked for the healing of her daughter. The Lord praised her and said to her: "O woman, great is your faith: let it be done to you according to your desire." And her daughter was healed in that hour (Matt. 15:28). These examples convincingly testify to the fact that faith in illnesses truly works miracles and that the believer can do everything. And if so, then be strengthened by faith in sicknesses, and always, and according to your faith it will be done to you. Amen.

The demons are afraid of the sign of the cross and flee from it

Once St. Seraphim said: "The temptations of the devil are like a spider's web: it is only necessary to blow on it, and it is destroyed, so against the enemy of the devil it is only necessary to protect oneself with the sign of the cross, and all his snares disappear completely." Is this true?Once several men with the greatest efforts brought to the same monk a certain demon-possessed woman, who raged all the way, and then fell down and, throwing her head back, shouted: "She will burn, she will burn!" Father Seraphim left the cell and, since the woman did not want to open her mouth, forcibly poured her a few drops of holy water. Everyone saw that at the same moment a kind of smoke cloud flew out of her mouth. When the elder afterwards made the sign of the cross over her and with a blessing made a holy prayer over her, the demoniac awoke and began to pray herself and did not begin to feel her former illness. Once the Monk Anthony the Great, arguing with demons, said: "If you can do anything with me, do it, if you cannot, then why is it in vain to work? The sign of the cross and faith in God are for me an insurmountable wall."The same holy father once taught the brethren: "Sometimes the demons are not able to confuse our thoughts and tempt and frighten us with their dreams, but they all disappear at the first sign of the cross." "We cannot look at the sign of the cross, but flee from it; like fire, it scorches us and drives us far away from itself."St. Cyril of Jerusalem says: "The sign of the cross is a sign for the faithful and fear for evil spirits."All these examples confirm the words of St. Seraphim, that it is only necessary to protect oneself against the enemy-devil with the sign of the cross, and all his intrigues disappear. Therefore, as often as possible, we must reverently protect ourselves with the sign of the cross, as the salvific and most effective weapon against the inner pernicious serpent, with a fervent prayer that the Lord would help us to be its conquerors. And such prayer is extremely necessary for us, for, according to the words of the Saviour: "He was a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44).The Apostle Peter warns us, saying: "Be sober, be watchful, for your adversary the devil walketh about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). And indeed, he afflicts man with illnesses and calamities, as he once tempted Job, he inspires thoughts and desires that are contrary to God, and finally, as we have just heard, he rages in human bodies. How can we do without higher help? How can we not ask the Lord to encamp the guardian angels around us? How can we not ask Him to give us strength so that we can boldly repel the attacks of the dark forces against us? Yes, prayer for higher help is certainly extremely necessary, and therefore we will resort to it as often as possible. Amen.