A person cannot always perceive as much information as he receives. Excessive information arrogates and creates the illusion of knowledge. This often happens to people who have just come to the Church: they begin to read monastic books and "become experts" in inner work. And this is achieved by practice. I give you what you need, dosed for better assimilation.

Those who are sick are not patient. It often seems to them that if they learn something else, all illnesses will pass, that recovery does not come because they do not know "that cherished thing" that is supposedly hidden from them.

18. Sometimes you scold us, but we wanted the best.

The best is the enemy of the good. There is a saying: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Desire is one thing, fulfillment is another. We need to look at everything that happens around us with spiritual eyes and think about spiritual benefit first of all. And the spiritual world, as you know, has its own laws. As the Optina Elder Fr. Nektarios said: "And the cunning enemy, the devil, under the guise of good, wants to do evil: we must understand his intrigues." /Mitre. Benjamin, "God's People," p. 108/ Vanity is often mingled with goodness.

19. Is it possible to cancel the fast due to illness?

The question is not as simple as it seems at first glance. It is often believed that illness replaces fasting, as it exhausts the body instead of it. But in practice, it does not turn out that way. A little sick in some places, and we demand a relaxation of the fast. All you can hear is:

"I have diabetes, so I can't fast.

— Does fasting interfere with the treatment of diabetes mellitus? Are you not allowed to eat vegetables and fruits?

— No, it's useful.

Whether our legs, hands, or heart hurt, we are in a hurry to break the fast. There is an example of Fr. John of Kronstadt: "... Once the doctors prescribed him to eat meat during Lent: otherwise he would face bad consequences. He refused. The doctors insisted. Then the priest said that he would ask his mother's blessing by telegraph. This spiritual eagle replied with a telegram:

"It is better to die, and not to break the fast!"

Of course, Fr. John unquestioningly obeyed his mother." /Mitre. Veniamin /Fedchenkov/, "God's People", p. 213/

Or one priest told me: "I'm sick. A blood clot blocked the veins in my leg, and it swelled. Everyone demanded that I be hospitalized and operated. Severe pain day and night. For eight days he did not eat anything, only a little holy water. The blood clot dissolved and everything went away."

Abstinence is always good for our health, and fasting is sacred to us, not a heavy duty. And you can't rush to break it because of every sore.