I have received your letter about Fr. Vsevolod (Schpiller). The very fact that you are disturbed, witnesses to your being in the wrong. ”Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou clearly see to cast out the mote of thy brother’s eye.” There is a deep psychological dimension in this advice. If a man gets himself cleansed from sins and as a result has received a clearer vision of things, he will: 1) see things in a different light and be able to assess them correctly; 2) have love in his heart for every creature together with inconceivable feeling of compassion and desire to protect everybody from suffering, from any possible damage and detriment. (see St. Isaak the Syrian, Word 4) This is when it is possible to teach one’s neighbor and only if there is God’s will and His blessing for that; then the word will be effective and useful, will be healing and not wounding. Until we get corresponding skillfulness, we ought not to impose our teaching on others. The Righteous Father Nil Sorsky never spoke from himself, but laid out opinions of the Holy Fathers. If he did not find an answer in their writings at once, he would not say anything on this subject either until he found the opinion on it once expressed by the Holy Fathers. We, meanwhile, ignorant as we are, are always ready to harangue on a problem just because we might have heard something about it, or just because “it appeared to us to be so or such.” An intelligent listener will immediately see the inanity of our words and shame us.
We all are in a state of the “ugliest delusion,” as Venerable Simeon the New Theologian put it, which means that we are lost beings living in the darkness of the devil’s slavery. Only few are liberated by God from this situation. How can one blind person guide another? But you continue to teach everybody, no matter what. Stop doing it!
The publican did not teach, but humbly repeated saying: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” not only attending worship in the temple, but always, having the same “dispensation” of the soul – otherwise, he would not be able to pray in this way at the temple. Was he, or any other person in such state of mind, fit to teaching others? No, of course, not. Meanwhile, the publican’s disposition of the soul would be only proper for those enslaved by sin and the devil. The power of God will be effectively working if this is a state embracing the whole man. “My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2Cor.12:9). When man comes into the “publican’s” state of humbleness, God’s power will take effect empowering him to lead people out of Egypt to the Promised Land. There is no other way to get God’s power working in people. I am writing to you in this way, believing that I have the right to it as a spiritual father. Forgive me.
May the Lord keep you safe and in mind for doing good. Please accept my greetings and God’s blessing for you and all our acquaintances. My best regards to your grandfather (Fr. Vsevolod). Please remember me to him.
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