— Да, есть даже особая молитва "от презорства очес"[66]. "Дурной глаз" вредит другим тогда, когда человек говорит что-то с завистью.

 — Геронда, многие просят у нас ладанки от сглаза для младенцев. Можно ли такие ладанки носить?

 — Нет, нельзя. Говорите мамам, чтобы надевали на малышей крестики.

 — Геронда, а если кто-то сделает какую-нибудь прекрасную вещь, другой ее похвалит, первый примет похвалу с гордым помыслом и затем эта вещь каким-либо образом повредится, это сглаз?

 — Нет, это не сглаз. В этом случае вступают в действие духовные законы. Бог забирает от человека Свою Благодать, и поэтому происходит вред. Сглаз имеет место в редких случаях. Особенно люди, имеющие зависть со злобой, — а таких немного, — могут сглазить других. Например, завистливая женщина видит маму с очаровательным малышом и со злобой говорит: "А почему у меня нет такого ребенка? Почему Бог дал его ей?" В этом случае малыш может пострадать: будет не спать, начнет плакать, мучиться, потому что она сказала это со злобой. И если бы этот ребенок заболел и умер, то такая злобная и завистливая женщина радовалась бы. Другой, к примеру, видит чужого теленка, страстно хочет, чтобы он принадлежал ему, и животное вскоре околевает.

Однако часто сама мать виновата в том, что мучается ее ребенок. К примеру, мать видит чужого худенького малыша и говорит: "Ну и худоба! Просто кожа да кости!". Своим полюбовалась, а к чужому отнеслась свысока. Но слова, со злобой сказанные о чужом ребенке, бьют по ее собственному чаду. И чадо, не будучи виновато, страдает из-за матери. Несчастный малыш тает на глазах — в наказание матери, чтобы она осознала свою вину. Но, конечно, сам ребенок в этом случае причисляется к мученикам. Суды Божии — это бездна.

Исходящее от сердца благословение есть благословение божественное

... Well, now I will also "curse you"! Here it is: "May God fill your hearts with His goodness and His much love, to such an extent that you become fools, that your mind is already torn from the earth and henceforth dwells near Him in Heaven. So become mad from the divine madness of God's love! May God scorch your hearts with His love!" This is the "curse" to which I give you, and do not force me to repeat it, for my good "curse" comes from my heart and therefore has power. Even when I was in the sanatorium[67], I felt sorry for you. Some of you waited eight years, saying, "Let's build a monastery," but the monastery still did not exist and did not exist. Completely, poor people, they are exhausted! Then I said to you: "As soon as I am discharged from the hospital, the monastery will grow, as fast as mushrooms grow after rain. In a year you will be in the monastery!" Then, in the sanatorium, I said this from the heart, and you had a good disposition, so God did not leave you. I do not find any other explanation for this.

If you feel hurt for a person who has humility and asks you from the heart to pray, for example, to get rid of some passion that torments him, and you say to him: "Do not be afraid, you will become better," then you will give him a divine blessing. In this good wish, there is a lot of love, a lot of pain, and therefore it has power. This is pleasing to God, and He fulfills the blessing. This means that the pain that one person feels for another is already like a blessing.

Once, when I was a soldier, our commander sent me to fulfill a promise we had made to St. John the Baptist after he had helped us in the war. We made a vow to buy two large church candlesticks for one of the churches of the Holy Baptist. So I had to buy candlesticks, and at the same time escort one of our colleagues to the city of Nafpaktos[68] to be handed over to the military tribunal. I remember other officers saying to the commander: "Well, you have found an escort for him!" The unfortunate man whom I was to accompany was a native of Epirus, a musician by profession, a poor man, married, with children. He was accused of "self-shooting", that is, of inflicting bodily injury on himself in order to be sent to the rear. "Better," he reasoned, "to live with one leg than to be killed." First we went to the city of Agrinio, where he had acquaintances. "Come," he said, "let us see them." "Well," I answered, "let's go." "Let's go here, let's go there," what could I do, I had to go everywhere with him. Oh, what a toll-house! Besides, he didn't want me to turn him over to the tribunal. And I felt sorry for the poor guy myself, it hurt him very much, and I said to him: "You'll see, everything will work out for you, and you'll be the best of all! Our commander will send an explanatory note on your case, and you will be placed in some quiet place - so that you can help your children, and your life will be safe." When we finally reached Nafpaktos, we learned that a letter from the commander had already arrived at the tribunal and the case against our self-shooter had been closed. But he was threatened with execution - it was a wartime, harsh. The commander took pity on him, since he was the head of the family, and appointed him as a cook at the Recruit Distribution Center. His family moved closer to this Center, and he spent the war best of all, and since the soldiers sometimes did not come to dine in the mess hall, he had food left over and fed his children. After the war, everyone told him: "You were the best!" because we were sitting in the mountains, in the snow. What I wished for him was pleasing to God, because I said it with pain, from the heart. Therefore, God fulfilled this blessing.

I remember another similar incident – when I was in Konitsa, in the monastery of Stomion. On the eighth of September, the monastery celebrates its patronal feast day – the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. After the feast, the pilgrims left everything upside down. I began to slowly put things in order. I saw that my sister and another girl stayed to help me. This second girl had two more sisters, one older and the other younger. Both sisters had already married, and she was still unmarried. How much love she had! She stayed to help, and when we cleaned and cleaned everything up, she said: "Father, if there is other work, then we will stay and do everything that is necessary." I entered the church and said with all my heart: "Most Holy Mother of God, build her Yourself. I have nothing to give her." Yes, even if I had something, she would still not take anything. Well, so what: she returns home, and there is one of my former colleagues waiting for her - not a guy, but just gold, very good and from a good family. They got married and lived well. See how the Most Holy Mother of God rewarded her!

Chapter Six. That sin brings misfortune

 "Did you spray the trees with caterpillar poison?"

 "Sprayed, Geronda.