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.

One should not judge the fate of those who before death did not have time to confess and commune of the Holy Mysteries

Many of the simpletons, having learned that someone died before he had time to confess and take communion, begin to condemn him and say: "He lived sinfully, died without repentance and communion, it will be bad for him in the next world!" that in judging the afterlife of the dead without parting words, they can be cruelly mistaken.A young woman's husband died, who did not have time to confess or take communion before his death. The wife was at first in complete despair from this, and then, when she came to her senses a little, she went to tell her sorrow to the Monk Seraphim. The elder said to her: "Do not be crushed over this, my joy, do not think that because of this alone his soul will perish. God can only judge whom to reward or punish with what.It sometimes happens that here on earth they partake of, but with the Lord they remain uncommunicated; the other wants to take communion, but for some reason his desire will not be fulfilled, completely independent of him; in such an invisible way is vouchsafed communion through the Angel of God." In the city of Thessalonica there was a convent. One of his nuns, having once left the monastery, fell into mortal sin through the action of the devil and then did not return to the monastery, but remained in the world and led a sinful life for several years. that as soon as she came to the monastery gates, she suddenly fell down near them and died. After her death, a bishop had the following vision. He saw angels who received the soul of the dead. Next came the demons, arguing with the Angels for the soul of the newly-departed. The angels said: "She lived in the monastery for a long time and worked for God for many years, therefore she is ours," and the demons said that she went to the monastery for the last time with laziness, therefore she belonged to them. and that she died suddenly, this is not our business, but God's" (from the Prologue for July 14).Thus, those who judge the fate of the dead after death without parting words can be cruelly mistaken. And this is quite understandable. Who is the One Judge of the living and the dead? God. Thus it is said: "There is one Lawgiver and Judge" (James 4:12). And only in God's hands is the power to save or destroy us, and therefore it can very easily happen that at the very time when we were saying that he lived sinfully, he died without repentance, and that it will be bad for him in the next world. The Lord in His private judgment says to the one who is condemned by us: "I forgive thee this, and that, and the third, and I forgive all." And all this, we repeat, of course, can easily be, for only God knows all the dispositions of the human heart, and in them during the lifetime of the one we condemn may have found contrition, and holy intentions, and repentance, and tenderness, and many other things, unknown to us, good. And for this good He saith to the sinner: "I will blot out thy iniquities as a mist, and thy sins as a cloud" (Isaiah 44:22). Yes, all this can easily be, and therefore those who judge the fate of the dead beyond the grave without communion must forever abandon their judgments about them and instead turn to God with fervent prayer for their fate, that the Lord would give them weakness and peace, and that through this prayer they themselves might find mercy at the Judgment of God from eternal sins of condemnation. Amen.

Воинам, готовящимся вступить в битву

Когда вы, воины боголюбивые, готовитесь вступить в битву с врагами, тогда, конечно, воодушевляете себя любовью к Отечеству, приводите себе на память присягу, данную вами при вступлении на службу, а вместе с тем, очевидно, полагаетесь и на свою храбрость и силу. Все это так, но для того чтобы иметь несомненную надежду на то, что вы выйдете невредимыми из битвы и благополучно окончите брань с врагами, нужно иметь в душе еще и крепкую веру в Бога и прибегать к горячей молитве. И это последнее особенно важно иметь в виду, ибо примеры показывают, что вера и молитва не только спасали воинов во время битв, но даже победу над врагами им доставляли.Для подтверждения слов наших и в ваше назидание мы сегодня укажем вам на два следующих примера.Некогда посетил преподобного Серафима один военачальник, чтобы поблагодарить его за молитвы, которыми, по его убежденно, он был спасен во время войны.При свидании он рассказал святому старцу, что во время одной из битв он, оставшись с одним из полков, был в величайшей опасности, так что нельзя было ни укрепиться, ни двинуться куда-нибудь, взад или вперед – одним словом, не было никакой надежды на спасение, и что он в это время только и повторял непрестанно: "Господи, помилуй меня молитвами старца Серафима!", и затем Господь подлинно спас его и сохранил от врагов невредимым.Выслушав это, преподобный сказал военачальнику: "Великое средство ко спасению – вера и в особенности непрестанная сердечная молитва. Примером тому служит случай с пророком Моисеем. Он, ходя в полках, безмолвно молился сердцем, и Господь сказал ему: "Моисей, Моисей, что вопиеши ко Мне?" Когда же Моисей воздвигал руки свои на молитву, тогда побеждал Амалика... Вот что есть молитва: это непобедимая победа. И святой пророк Даниил говорит: "Лучше бы мне умереть, нежели оставить молитву на мгновение ока". Молитвою пророк заградил уста львов и три отрока угасили пещь огненную.Но вот еще пример победоносной силы веры и молитвы. Раз на иудеев напал Сеннахирим, царь ассирийский, с огромным войском. Царь Езекия и воины вместе с пророком Исаией стали молиться. И возопили к небу. И послал Господь Ангела, и он истребил всех храбрых и главноначальствующего и начальствующих в войске царя Ассирийского. И возвратился он со стыдом в землю свою (2 Пар. 32,20-21).Приведенные примеры, кажется, достаточны для того, чтобы ими подтвердилась истина слов наших о том, что вера и молитва, подлинно, не только спасали воинов во время битв, но даже победу над врагами им доставляли. Но этого мало, в той же истине уверяет нас и апостол Павел, говоря о ветхозаветных судьях и пророках: Верою побеждали они царства... избегали острия меча... были крепки на войне, прогоняли полки чужих (Евр. 11,33-34).Итак, несомненно, что вера и молитва имеют великую силу в бранях. А если так, то и держитесь их. Твердо веруйте, что один Господь есть Владыка жизни и смерти нашей и потому один лишь Он может избавить нас от последней и сохранить нам первую. Твердо веруйте в то, что Господь Ангелам Своим заповедает сохранять нас на всех путях наших (см.: Пс. 90,11), и наконец, в то, что Ангел Господень всегда ополчается вокруг боящихся Его и избавляет их (Пс. 33,8).А веруя так, вместе с тем и молитесь. И молитесь прежде всего о том, чтобы Господь простил вам грехи ваши, а затем уже, чтобы охранил вас Своею всемогущею силою от огня и меча, сокрушил бы силу вражию и покорил под ноги ваши всех ваших врагов. Молясь же так, утешайте себя мыслью, что молитва ваша перед битвами, как молитва скорбная, скорее дойдет до Бога и скорее будет услышана Им, как и Сам Он говорит: призови Мя в день скорби своея, и изму тя (Пс. 49,15). Молитесь же и спасены будете. Аминь.

О святых, живших в пустынях и любивших уединенное житие

Многие из святых любили уединенное житие. Одни из них скитались в горах, вертепах и пропастях земных (см.: Евр. 11,38), другие на островах морских имели свое пребывание, а третьи, как ласточки или голуби, свивающие себе гнезда около жилищ человеческих, поселялись в лесах около своих обителей, где они приняли иночество.Что это такое? По закону одиночное заключение считается одним из тяжких наказаний, иные от этого наказания даже с ума сходили. А тут люди идут в пустыню, живут в ней и уйти из нее не хотят. Неужели же и от пустыни они получали пользу? Неужели же и в пустынях они находили радость и покой? Что ответить на это?Ответ на это мы находим в житии преподобного Серафима Саровского, где приводятся следующие слова святого Василия Великого: "О, уединенное житие, дом учения небесного и Божественного разумения училище, в котором Бог есть все, чему учимся! Пустыня – рай сладости, где и благоуханные цветы любви то пламенеют огненным цветом, то блестят снеговидною чистотою, с ними же мир и тишина. Живя в низменных местах, они пребывают недвижимы от ветра. Там фимиам совершенного умерщвления не только плоти, но, что славнее, и самой воли; и кадило всегдашней молитвы, сладко сгорая, непрестанно вскипает огнем любви Божественной. Там различные цветы добродетелей, блистая различными украшениями, процветают благодатью неувядаемой красоты. О, пустыня, услаждение святых душ, рай неисчерпаемой сладости! Ты печь, в которой силу горящего пламени святые отроки остужают молитвою и горением веры угашают горящий вокруг себя пламень, в котором горят и стрелы, и оковы, но окованные не сгорают. Только узы греха разрешаются и душа возводится к пению Божественных хвалений, взывая: Расширил еси уста моя! Тебе пожру жертву хвалы".Так, поистине, и в пустынях святые получали пользу и в них находили радость и покой. Получали пользу, ибо там у них узы греха разрешались, и души их возводились к пению Божественных хвалений. Находили радость и покой, ибо там непрестанно вскипал в них огонь любви Божественной, обитали в душах их мир и тишина, и процветала благодать. Да, и пустыня для святых была раем сладости.Что же после этого? Братие, не уйти ли и нам в пустыню? Нет, не нужно, ибо не все призваны на это высокое служение Господу. Мы только исходя из всего сказанного должны додуматься до того, что пустыню для себя можем обрести и у себя в доме. Так говорит один церковный проповедник: "Всякий христианин имеет необходимую потребность для души своей в том, чтобы каждый день несколько часов посвящать на уединенную молитву и богомыслие, чтобы вовсе не рассеяться в суетах мира этого. Душа наша имеет такую же нужду в ежедневном обновлении сил своих молитвой и богомыслием, какую и тело в подкреплении себя пищей. И нет такой тяжкой работы, нет столь многосложной и важной службы, от которой бы не должно и" не можно было уделять несколько времени на питание ее этим хлебом жизни. Ибо спасение души нашей из всех дел самое важнейшее наше дело".Итак, братие, если бы вы возлюбили пустынное житие, то всегда таковое могли бы обрести и у себя дома, ибо Бог везде. А с Богом везде хорошо: и во мраке светло, и в уединении весело. Аще бо и пойду посреде сени смертныя, не убоюся зла, яко Ты со мною еси (Пс. 22,4). Аминь.

О любви ко врагам