On the cares of life

Worldly cares, like mist, obscure the mental horizon of the soul and darken the eyes of the heart. Therefore, learn not to worry about anything, but to cast all your sorrow and care on the Lord. Do not worry when you have to spend to help those in need: this will serve to new and greater mercies of the Lord to you.

Cleansing of conscience, confession

Why does not the sinful soul receive forgiveness of sins before it has deeply felt all their folly and perniciousness? Because, as a sinner, she recognized them as pleasant and plausible, so, repenting of them, she must recognize them as pernicious and false. Just as the desire for sin is born in the heart, so the liberation from it must be accompanied by pain in the heart.

True repentance is aided by consciousness, memory, imagination, feeling, and will. As we sin with all the strength of our souls, so we must repent with all our souls. Repentance only in words, without the intention of correction and without a feeling of contrition, is called hypocritical. From a negligent life, the consciousness of sins is eclipsed – it is necessary to clarify it; the feeling is blunted – it must be awakened; The will is weakened – it must be forced. It is said: "The kingdom of heaven is taken by force" (Matt. 11:12). Therefore, confession should be heartfelt, deep and complete.

Comparing confession with surgery, they say: you will endure a difficult and painful operation, but you will become healthy. This means that at confession you must openly reveal all your shameful deeds to your confessor, although it will hurt, shame, and humiliate you. Otherwise, the wound will remain unhealed, it will ache and undermine mental health, and the infection will spread to other healthy members. A priest is a spiritual doctor. Show him your wounds without shame, frankly, with childlike trust: after all, your spiritual father is your spiritual father. He is given to love his spiritual children, and the love of Christ is higher than carnal love.

Moderation, abstinence