May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Monks and Nuns. Part 5

Be obedient and save yourself

Slave of God N.!

Fr. Hierodeacon is alive and well, and continues to carry his obedience on the holy hill. (This is a hill in the Pskov-Cave Monastery, located over the Holy Caves, where the reposed fathers are buried [trans.]) What do you have to be afraid of in the monastery? Be obedient to Matushka Abbess and save yourself. Render unto God what is God’s and unto Caesar what is Caesar’s. Christ went through the census from the moment He entered the world … and you worry.

Sickness is a telegram

Dear Fr. G.!

We have only one way out, the one we all know about—through the mortal gates into Eternity. Sickness is a telegram informing us not to forget about the most important thing in life. So now God’s mercy is informing you of the necessity to be stricter with yourself no matter where you may be—in the hospital, the monastery, or at the metochion. This does not mean that you should go around with a feeling of fatality. It is rather a commandment that you live vibrantly and responsibly with respect to the time. You should confess, receive Unction, take Communion, and go with God, committing yourself into God’s hands and the doctors’ hands without falling into various cogitations and human calculations. My dear, the Lord’s plans also change sometimes, but this also always depends on us. Go to your operation with the prayer, “Lord! Thou knowest all things; do with me as Thou willest. Amen!”

For us monks, it should be like this: To live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phil. 1:21). Whether I live or die, I am the Lord’s. This is the main thing for us.

We will pray for you.

Have a look

Dear V.!

Your desire is good, but do not rush to fulfill it. First come to the monastery during your vacation break as a pilgrim, without changing anything at home or work. Live in the monastery and have a look at monastery life as it really is, and not the life you read about in books. After all, everything changes—people change, and their morals. Do this several different times. The monastery will have a look at you, and you will have a look at the monastery. By age twenty-five you can then fix your choice of a path in life. Meanwhile pray, and we will pray for you. You must also have your parents’ blessing on either monasticism or family life. Therefore, pray for you family, that the Lord would give them wisdom.

God’s blessing to you!

See also
May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Monks and Nuns. Part 6 May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Monks and Nuns. Part 6
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Monks and Nuns. Part 6 May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Monks and Nuns. Part 6
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
You want to introduce a monarchical-patriotic spirit into the monastery. This would be wittingly destroying the monastic spirit, and therefore I have only one piece of advice for you — live at home and do the work God has blessed you to do for the moment: teaching.It is better to participate in something constructive bit by bit than by one broad sweep; you might even demolish it by your ignorance or misunderstanding.
May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Monks and Nuns. Part 4 May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Monks and Nuns. Part 4
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Monks and Nuns. Part 4 May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Monks and Nuns. Part 4
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
God’s blessing to you. Well, the time has come for us to live not as we want, but as God commands. This is God’s blessing for us. Just think, dear Matushka, about how just a half-step is left of our earthly trek, and now we are nearing the end. God’s mercy will cover our infirmities.
May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople, part 1 May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople, part 1
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople, part 1 May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople, part 1
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
Everything will be very simple and easy if you decide to do it unto God, for God’s sake, and to the glory of God. Everything in life and in the soul will immediately come together. Do not leave your job, live on your salary from the museum, and work at home for your soul. Do not accept gifts, and do not count on getting your only profit from payment for icons.

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