Do the Orthodox “Pope” and how to choose between marriage and the convent

One of the most famous bishops, preachers and thinkers of the Serbian Church Saint Nikolai (Velimirovic) left behind about 300 letters in answer to questions from the faithful. A great connoisseur of the human soul, of the Orthodox faith and all areas of human existence explained his deepest thoughts and truth simply and clearly to every God seeker, despite his age and level of education. He is the bearer of patristic Orthodoxy, gold purified in the seven Ecumenical Councils. Answers to various questions that torment the sick person, the immediacy of speech, deep of thought and persuasive force of the author’s language and in our days, make this book the best spiritual readings of the Serbian people. (Bishop From Sabac-Walewski Lawrence)

Photo: Alexander Vasilyuk / orthphoto.net

  • St. Nicholas Serbian: what is the cause of the crisis?
  • St. Nicholas Serbian: There is nothing hidden
  • St. Nicholas Serbian about the three great things
  • St. Nicholas Serbian: a crisis is a judgment of God
  • St. Nicholas Serbian: Thoughts on good and evil

Letter 2
A person who believes in God but doesn’t pray to Him

St. Nicholas Serbian

Work and strengthen your faith. Over time, will feel the need for prayer. Yet your faith is weak and does not force you to pray.

We watched as a weak jet of water fell on the wheel of a water mill and the wheel remained stationary; but when he arrived the water wheel moved.

Faith is a spiritual force. Little faith will not prevent the mind to thinking about God and the heart in prayer to Him. Strong faith moves the mind and heart, and whole soul of man. While living in the soul of strong faith, she directs the power of his soul to God.

Are you saying that by reading the words of the Savior: “your Father knows what you need even before you ask Him”, you came to the conclusion that prayer is not needed. Of course, the Lord knows what we need but He wants us to pray to Him. Therefore, the Savior commanded: “pray without ceasing” – and taught us how to pray.

It’s easier to explain to your parents what you, the bachelor. After all, the parents know what children need, but wait until the child asks for them.

Parents know that asking softens and refines a child’s heart, making him humble, meek, obedient, merciful and grateful. See how many heavenly sparks carves a prayer of the human heart!

I read how one stranger stopped in front of the road house. There was a meeting of the workers, suddenly appeared in the house of silence: workers knelt in prayer. But one of them came out and began to walk around the house. Asked the stranger:

– What’s going on in the house?

– Pray To God. I was ashamed and I left.

The wanderer paused.

– What are you waiting for? asked a worker.

– Waiting for someone to come out and ask him about the road.

– Why don’t you ask me? I’ll show you the way.

Shook his head the stranger and replied:

– How can show the right path he who is ashamed of God and his brothers?

Think you’re prayers are not ashamed, but your faith has not matured. Take care, strengthen a baby. When will grow he will grow up, a hundred times repay you for your work.

Courageous faith will turn the inner wheel of your identity, and you’ll have a new life.

Peace to you and blessings of God.

Letter 7
Girl choosing between marriage and monasticism

Child, if fluctuating, then you know you’re more for a marriage than in a monastery. Monastic life for those who are not varies. Saint Sava did not doubt. Saints Theodore, Xenia and Euphemia, nor many others, become true ascetics of monastic life, no doubt. Because “not everyone can accommodate, but whom it is given”.

Say often sit with her mother at the fire and weighed the “pros” and “cons”. And I’ll tell you: no matter how much you weigh, is still not “for” and “against” decide, and love. Love is above all arguments. If love to Christ will not lead you into the seclusion of monastic silence, then the love of the world will keep you in the world and will lead to marriage. But in this case you shall be blessed with the blessing of Sarah and Rachel and your own mother.

The great love of God hates the world, shuns society, looking for refuge. This love has inspired thousands of souls to deviate from the wide path of the world and go into the desert to be alone with the beloved Lord. To have secret rendezvous with his Maker, Who is all – love, both in name and substance. But first of all, to qualify for this contemplation and meetings, monks and nuns take, and post, and work, and humility, and vigils, and poverty, and obedience and the other vows, only to be rewarded with this spiritual meeting with their Lord. And in this Strait path, the soul is rewarded with a meeting with Him, when freed, cleansed, and adorned. From what has freed the soul of the hermit? From all earthly ties and passions. What needs to be purified? From all so-called bodily and earthly love, from the love of the flesh, family and friends, to their village or town, the estate, the clothes, the food, to the decorations. What should be crowned the soul? Only one love for Christ, which includes all the decorations, all the pearls of the faith, all the emeralds of hope, all the gems of virtues. Uspostavljena the monk’s body is only a slight cover of this priceless heavenly treasure.

So I write to you not in order to attract you to monasticism, but, rather, to thrust thee away from him. For if in the fluctuation of the spirit removed from the world, craving for peace in you increase, and I’m afraid that will beat you. You will be the body in the monastery, and the soul in the world.

And the world reflected in the mirror of the soul, tortures stronger than in reality.

Thank the Lord that, in addition to close the monastic path, He told you a more spacious way to salvation and eternal life. Come, my child, this spacious way, which is more consistent with your inclinations. Go that route, but go with the fear of God and a complete trust to the Lord. Because I want you to know and this path can not win without God.

The blessing of the Lord be with thee!

Letter 10
The young teacher, asking if there are any true Christians

There they are, a lot of them. If they were not, have faded the bright sun. For is such a precious icon lamp has brighten the zoo?

A lot of paper it would take me to describe my meeting with true Christians, for a long time and you would have to read about them and to comfort his soul. Meantime, test yourself on this example.

Last summer we were in Macva. As we stood on the small station waiting for the train, I watched an old peasant. Her withered face glowed with a strange mysterious light, which can often be seen on the faces of spiritual people. I asked her, “what, sister?” “Whom the Lord will send me,” she said. From the further conversation we learned that every day she comes to the station and waits for whether or not some poor stranger in need of bed and a piece of bread. And when that happens, she happily takes him into her home as God-sent. We know that she reads the Scriptures, fasting, going to Church and keeps all God’s commandments. But her neighbors told us that it’s a Holy woman.

I wanted to praise her gospel hospitality, but she stopped me with the words: “are we ourselves not the rest of our lives, every day?” Tears glistened in her eyes. Gracious and sweet soul of the people! My young friend, if you will call yourself a teacher of the people, can often be confounded, but if you call yourself a student of people, never be ashamed.

Let osiae you Holy grace of God!

Letter 40
Monk Habakkuk, about sinful thoughts

Ask if sinful thoughts. You are a monk, and as you well know. Know that the Holy fathers taught that the essence of monasticism is the purification of the mind from evil thoughts. I know that the Church calls three kinds of sin: in deed, word and thought. So we pray the Father of lights about the dead, forgive their sins, if ye by the word, but in deed, and thought. That the Lord rebukes sinful thoughts, you read in the gospel: “knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?” Satan sinned nothing but thoughts of pride, for it and was cast out from the presence of God in hell.

Evil thoughts are the seed of all evil. From this seed grow sinful words, sinful desires and sinful deeds. Remember the parable of the sower: a man sowed good seed in his field, and when all were asleep, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat. The Lord sows good thoughts into the soul of each person, but if the person is not watching over my soul as over the corn field, he wasn’t sleeping. And while he sleeps, comes the enemy of God and man, evil spirit, in the soul, and sows the tares, that is, evil thoughts. From evil thoughts to evil words and deeds no further than the seed-to its root. Consequently, all organically linked. So be on guard. Often, close your eyes and, according to the word of St. Nikita Tifata, “test sailing on the mental sea thoughts”.

One of the main exercises of the monastic life – the eradication of evil thoughts has not yet developed, not grown they have not mastered the soul completely and not turned into action.

Break them to pieces on a rock. As the Psalmist writes: “Daughter Vavilona damned, the blessed, who have both rabbie your babies against a stone”. You understand the spiritual meaning of these words? Babylon – the Kingdom of the devil, and babies are evil thoughts from him. The Stone Is Christ. Blessed is he who only originated in the soul of evil will break on the Eternal Rock, Christ. If we know this, we have no choice but to fulfill these things.

Rejoice in the Lord.

Letter 48
The Orthodox student, to the question of why the Orthodox have no Pope

There, the Orthodox have with your “dad” is older than all the popes and patriarchs in the world. He was from the beginning and will be until the end of time. This is the “dad”, Who called all the apostles of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of consolation and power of God. He is the true Pope of the Church of Christ from the beginning to the end of the ages, without change or change without discussion and elections, without predecessors and successors. And the fact that the apostles recognized the Holy spirit as its Supreme Head, we do know from a document written by their hand. At the First Council of Jerusalem the apostles recorded his famous words: “seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (acts. 15, 28). Before each Cathedral they prayed for Him, he called, He of course obeyed.

Aren’t you doing this day, the archpastors of the Orthodox Church? On the eve of each Cathedral they appeal primarily to his sinless father, the Holy Spirit. With fear and trembling, call It a blessing for every business and certainly obey Him. And not only the head of the Church, but of the Orthodox Ministers, the MPs began with prayers to the Holy Spirit and then opened the collegiate Council. So did doing a high school teacher: at the beginning of the school year they go with his disciples to pray to the Holy Spirit. And sablage, omnipotent and omniscient Holy Spirit is in charge of everything, strengthens everything, it all inspires the Church, the state, and education. And governs all things, not by force as earthly dictators, but as the father, wisdom and love.

You know that the Greek word “Papa” means “father.” Therefore, in the truest historical and moral sense the Holy Spirit is our Father, our Dad.

And what if the Orthodox Church is another dad, dad? Warned us the Lord Jesus Christ against the earth, “dad”, “fathers”? Nineteen centuries ago He commanded us: “and the father does not call anyone on earth, for one is your Father Which is in heaven” (Matt. 23, 9).

Peace to You and good health from God.

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