Chapter 4
On Spiritual Guidance and Relations With Those of Other Faiths
4.2.1 May the mercy of God be with you!
4.3.1 I’ve sent you the books, but I haven’t had time to write letters. Now I’m sitting down to write, and I’ll say what’s needed in response to the course of your letter.[1]
4.4.1 Stop calling me your spiritual guide, instructor, and pastor. I don’t take on that role for anyone. But when someone asks me, I share what seems fitting to me.
4.5.1 Your plan to do something on the occasion of sending books is not suitable. I don’t publish or sell my books; rather, the publishers send me a certain number of the published books for distribution. I distribute them to whomever I think needs them. If you carry out what you find suitable for yourself, and then make a prostration for this sinful writer—that’s all you can do.
4.6.1 Have you read The Path to Salvation? Good... And read it again sometime. Everything I have written, am writing, and will write is there. These are my lectures to the students of the St. Petersburg Academy. The outline was reviewed with Fr. Archimandrite Ignatius—later a hierarch, Brianchaninov—and he approved it. This was in the years ‘46–‘47.
4.7.1 “You can’t do without a spiritual guide,” you wrote. A spiritual guide is a signpost on the road, but everyone must walk the road himself, and also watch where he’s stepping and what’s around him. The elder Paisius Velichkovsky... searched all his life for a spiritual guide and never found one. But they lived two or three together – and guided themselves by mutual counsel. Please exclude me from the list of suitable spiritual guides... And look for yourselves how to proceed, with prayer and patristic lessons.
4.8.1 The instances when your self-will erupted are not important in themselves, but what matters is the spirit with which you did what you did. You have already condemned it yourself. And that’s how it should be. Most blameworthy of all is your action with the Molokane.[2] The communion you fear is not, of course, worldly or merely friendly—it is religious: not to share in faith, in the sacraments, and in prayer. Whatever he came to you for, you should have helped him.
4.9.1 In the other two cases, you could have given him serious counsel—and without making a fuss.[3] Much can be excused by the fact that a Russian, no matter how reasonably you explain things to him, won’t listen—but threaten him and strike, and he’ll obey. But this applies more to those in authority than to private individuals. It seems to me that you’ll do well if, when you encounter those people, you speak to them kindly, as though nothing had happened. You can say: ‘I got a little heated then; please forgive me. But that doesn’t mean I approve of what you did: you did wrong’... Tell the servant: ‘As soon as I notice you’ve beaten your daughter, I’ll dismiss you. Your sin is equal to murder’... Couldn’t you find some work for the girl in your rooms – sweeping a room, wiping something down, bringing water, and similar little household tasks... She’d be under your wing. Penance... When during the practice of the Jesus Prayer the desire comes to pray in your own words... remember these struggles as well and pray with contrition, making three prostrations. Do this for several days – about ten. But it would be stronger if you confessed to a spiritual father and he assigned you something. Show some kindness even to a Molokan... and stop shunning the Molokans. There’s no need to seek their friendship, but when you happen to be together, you shouldn’t scowl at them. To act otherwise toward them is to throw yourself face-down in the mud.
4.10.1 The word to the Guardian Angel: ‘Rejoice, for... you forbid fellowship’ – meaning: in the sacraments, and in belief, and in prayers.[4] Saint Paul did not forbid the faithful to go to dinners with pagans... and to eat everything set before them, even food sacrificed to idols, commanding them to abstain from the latter only when someone says: this is food sacrificed to idols But the Molokans are far removed from pagans in matters of faith. Your aversion to them is not good. You should pity them and pray for them, and when the occasion arises, drop a word or phrase into ordinary conversation—for their instruction. I forgot to enclose some booklets for you to instruct the Molokans. I’ll send them later.
4.11.1 There is no sin in accepting as tenants people living together unmarried... But as soon as this gives rise to any scandal in your own household, you must somehow free yourself from them. Some of them are very good and pious... It’s a pity about such people: look, all these anti-marriage teachings have sprung up among us and are leading people astray... They commit fornication and don’t bat an eye.
4.12.1 ‘One must walk well... without grace this is impossible... but grace is the portion of the chosen’... That’s a twisted interpretation. No one is shut out from grace; it is given to all who come to the Lord; and the Saviour says that He came to save sinners, not the righteous... Grace is common to all, only take it... and access to it is open to all, and everyone can be saved, if they want to... The fault for not being saved lies not with grace, but with our unwillingness.
4.13.1 The practice of the Jesus Prayer is simple: stand with attention in the heart before the face of the Lord and cry out to Him: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me!’ The point is not in the words, but in faith, contrition, and surrendering yourself to the Lord. With these feelings you can stand before the Lord even without words... and that will be prayer...
4.14.1 You’ll find full instruction on prayer in general, and on the Jesus Prayer, in the book Unseen Warfare... Read it there. The fact that, having received the spirit of prayer through the action of the Jesus Prayer, you begin to pray in your own words according to the pressing needs of a contrite heart, is very good and very fruitful for spiritual edification. Please bring yourself to this every time... but don’t strain to compose a prayer in the process... rather let it pour out from the heart by itself... This last is the very best path to unceasing prayer.
4.15.1 May the Lord bless you, and all your family.
4.16.1 Be saved.[5]
4.17.1 Your well-wisher, Bishop Theophan.
4.18.1