How is the health of Marisha and Katya? Let them not unreasonably overtire themselves with work. This is sin. Work should always correspond to one’s capabilities and strength. They should not spend all their strength on bodily work and leave a few sleepy minutes for the soul. Can such behavior be correct? One should remember the words of the Savior: first of all seek the Kingdom of God. This is a commandment among others, like “do not kill,” do not commit adultery,” etc. Breaking this commandment is often more harmful than an accidental transgression. It imperceptibly makes the soul grow cold and lose sensitivity often bringing it to a spiritual death (let the dead bury their dead!) This renders our soul inert, without spirituality, without the ardency in fulfilling the commandments, becoming neither hot nor cold, whom the Lord threatens “to bring forth out of His mouth.” We should, at least once every day for a few minutes to bring ourselves to stand the trial of the judgement of the Lord, imagining as if were dead and were standing before the Lord on the fortieth day afterwards awaiting His command where to go. Standing in our thought before the Lord awaiting His judgement let us weep and, appealing to God’s mercy, beg Him to forgive our enormous unpayable debt. I advise you to make it a daily practice until death. It is good, better in the evening, but if possible at any time of the day and even much better – several times a day- to concentrate wholeheartedly on a prayer to the Lord begging Him to be merciful and grant us His forgiveness. Do take some possible care about your soul. This is a testament for us from God and from the Holy Fathers. All things pass, our death is close by, but we do not think about what we will submit for the judgement and do not care what verdict will be pronounced for us by the All-Righteous Judge, Who knows and remembers every move of our soul and body from our youth to our death, soft and subtle as some of them might be. What will be our answers?
That is why Holy Fathers would here deplore and beseech forgiveness of the Lord, so as to avoid weeping at the Last Judgement and in the eternity. If they needed to deplore their doings, so much should we, the damnedest. Why do we think that we are good when we live carelessly, thinking exclusively about worldly things? God, forgive me for teaching other people when doing nothing in this regard myself.
The point is that we read about and know what should be done, but do nothing, as if waiting for somebody to act on our behalf. We risk repeating the fate of the barren fig tree. Cursed will be everyone who does the work of the Lord with negligence. And how do we work for our salvation? How do we pray, how do we observe the commandments of God, how do we repent? “A pole-axe is there at the roots of the tree.”
Forgive me and please continue to pray for me and yourself. Remember me to all and may God’s blessing be with you. Write to me.
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