Chapter 68
On the Remembrance of God and the Fear of God
68.2.1 The mercy of God be with you!
68.3.1 I greet you on the feast day. May the Lord fill your soul with every spiritual consolation!
68.4.1 Everything you wrote about the manner in which you strive to pray is good. Keep laboring in this way, and continue forward. Guard the remembrance of God and the remembrance of death. From them the fear of God will be in strength.[1] From fear comes attention to yourself and to all your deeds, thoughts, and feelings. From this comes a sober and reverent life. From that comes the suppression of the passions. From this comes purity. From purity comes dwelling with God—not in thought alone, but in feeling as well. Labor. Labor overcomes all things with God’s help.
68.5.1 When you perform the rule of Saint Pachomius, do this at home only; in church, the rule—that is, the service—is already underway. And you shouldn’t mix your own practice in with it.[2] In church, attend to what is being read and sung, and keep your thoughts and feelings in harmony with it. When the reading is unclear, offer your own prayer to the Lord, or simply lift your mind to Him with reverence and prostrations. Strive during every service to bring your heart to warmth, and after leaving the church, guard it.
68.6.1 You’re already doing all this. I’m only reminding you, confirming that this is indeed how it should be.
68.7.1 You’re asking about prostrations.[3] You must make prostrations. You must use them to warm the heart when it begins to grow cold.
68.8.1 Prostrations are bodily work. You must join with them thought of God and feeling toward Him.
68.9.1 The form of self-control you have when you prepare for the service is not bad. But don’t forget in this to prepare your soul above all: faith, fear of God, a contrite spirit, surrender of yourself to the Lord, and expectation of help from Him for this work... it is fitting to adorn yourself with these things.
68.10.1 You mention slothfulness. Where there is zeal for salvation and fear of God, slothfulness cannot exist: there is no place for it. Tell me, who sees that his house is on fire and then lies sprawled out on the stove?! So too, whoever has fear of God and fear of death cannot grow lazy in negligence. Drive out slothfulness by this means.
68.11.1 The Holy Church does not know those of other faiths and does not remember them, but while they live, she prays together for their conversion. Those of other faiths have their own commemorators. Let those who wish to commemorate them turn to that. Private individuals—relatives and friends—may pray for them in their own homes, doing so as an act of love, and relying on something worthy in those being commemorated.
68.12.1 May the Lord direct your path!
68.13.1 Your well-wisher.
68.14.1 .