Nikolai Nikolaevich Vorobyov (future abbot Nikon) was born on May 22, 1894 into a peasant family in the Tver province.
Need, hunger and cold were his constant companions from the first years of his studies. After primary school, he entered the Real School, revealing remarkable and versatile abilities. Already in his early youth, he showed an extraordinary desire to search for the meaning of life and truth. At school, he eagerly rushed into the study of science, naively believing that the truth was hidden in them. And blind faith in science easily replaced his faith in God. However, Nikolai soon saw that empirical sciences in general do not deal with problems of knowledge of truth, eternity, and God; The question of the meaning of human life is not only not raised in them, but it does not follow from the nature of these sciences themselves. Realizing this, already in high school he, with all the fervor of his nature, began studying the history of philosophy, in which he achieved such great knowledge that his own teachers came to him to discuss various philosophical problems.
Nikolai’s thirst for knowledge was so great that often, literally left without a piece of bread, he used his last money to buy a book that interested him, which he could read only at night. At this time, he studied German and French in order to read the necessary literature in the originals. (Subsequently, even in old age, he sometimes asked to bring him some interesting book in these languages.)
The older Nikolai became, the more acutely he felt the meaninglessness of this life. Death is the destiny of everyone, no matter how one lives. There is no point in living for yourself, because you will die anyway. Live for others? But others are the same mortal “I”, the meaning of life of which, therefore, also does not exist. Why does a person live if nothing saves him or anyone else in the world from death?
Having lost faith in both science and philosophy, he entered the Psychoneurological Institute in Petrograd, hoping there to find an answer to the question about the essence of man. But here he was even more disappointed than in the real school. After finishing his first year, he left the institute. The final spiritual crisis has arrived.
One day in the summer of 1915, when Nikolai fell into a state close to complete despair, the thought of his childhood years of faith flashed through his mind like lightning: “What if there really is a God? He must open up!” And so Nikolai, an unbeliever, exclaimed from the entire depth of his being: “Lord, if You exist, then reveal yourself to me! I am not looking for You for any earthly, selfish purposes. I only need one thing: are You there, or are you not?” And... the Lord revealed himself.
"It is impossible to convey- Father said later, - that action of grace that convinces of the existence of God with force and evidence that does not leave the slightest doubt in a person. The Lord reveals himself the way, say, the sun suddenly shines after a dark cloud: you no longer doubt whether it was the sun or someone who lit a lantern. So the Lord revealed himself to me that I fell to the ground with the words: “Lord, glory to You, I thank You! Grant me all my life to serve You! Let all the sorrows, all the suffering that exists on earth come to me - grant me to survive everything, just not to fall away from You, not to lose You!”
So at some point a radical change in worldview took place, an incredible, obvious miracle occurred. But it was a natural, logical conclusion to the young man’s sincere, with all his strength, quest.
In 1917, Nikolai entered the Moscow Theological Academy. But a year later, classes at the Academy stopped. Then in Vyshny Volochok he teaches mathematics at a high school, from where he is fired for refusing to work on the first day of Easter. After this, Nikolai moved to Moscow and got a job as a psalm-reader in the Boris and Gleb Church, from where, together with the rector Feofan (Semenyako), who was elevated to the rank of bishop, he moved to Minsk. There, on March 23/April 5 (New Style), 1931, he took monastic vows and was given the name Nikon. Here Bishop Theophan ordains him to the rank of hierodeacon and hieromonk.
In 1933, on March 23, Nikon’s father was arrested and exiled to hard labor in Siberian camps for five years. Miraculously, he said, due to the counting of working days, he was released in 1937. Returning from the camp, he got a job in Vyshny Volochyok with a doctor he knew as a general servant, where he had to undergo another course in the hard science of patience, since the doctor’s wife Alexandra Efimovna and her sister Elena Efimovna, being ardent atheists, openly mocked the faith, the rank and monasticism of Father Nikon. But it all ended with the fact that they not only rejected their belief in atheism and became sincere Christians, but one of them even took secret monastic vows.
With the opening of churches, the priest began to serve as a priest. In 1944, the Bishop of Kaluga appointed him rector of the Annunciation Church in the city of Kozelsk, where he served until 1948. Here he lived in an apartment with some nuns and led an extremely ascetic lifestyle.
In 1948, Father Nikon was sent as rector to a parish that was poor at that time - to the city of Gzhatsk (now Gagarin) in the Smolensk region. Here he was elevated to the rank of abbot.
He loved to serve. In addition to Sundays, as was the case before him, he introduced the obligatory service of the Divine Liturgy on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. He performed divine services simply, restrainedly and naturally. Father Nikon forbade anyone to stand at the altar. On all Sundays and holidays he preached religiously. When he was appointed to Gzhatsk, local authorities were warned that an active preacher was coming to them, capable of greatly influencing the people. He spoke passionately, from the bottom of his heart. His main thoughts: the need to recognize one’s fallen state and repentance, for only this leads to saving humility, which in turn gives rise to Christian love for every person. The previously deserted temple soon began to fill with believers. He was a brave and smart man. Father Nikon did not allow anyone to sing at Zaprichastny at any concerts. He forbade some Cherubic, Mercy of the World and other chants, saying that this was demonization before God, and not prayer.
Hegumen Nikon died on September 7, 1963 and was buried behind the altar of the Ascension Cemetery Church, where he served for 15 years.
It is impossible not to note that many worshipers experienced that special atmosphere of peace and inner joy, which dissolved everyone’s sincere sorrow during the funeral Liturgy and funeral service for their beloved priest.
Hegumen Nikon bequeathed to preserve the faith by universally fulfilling the commandments of Christ and repentance, to avoid vanity that devastates the soul, and to constantly be guided in your spiritual life by the priceless creations of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov).
Hegumen Nikon (in the world Nikolai Nikolaevich Vorobyov) was born in 1894 in the village of Mikshino, Bezhetsk district, Tver province into a large peasant family. From childhood, he was distinguished by seriousness, special honesty, amazing cordiality, pity for everyone and an unquenchable thirst for truth, the highest truth, a thirst for understanding the meaning of human existence.
Brought up, like most ordinary people of that time, only in external, traditional religiosity, which did not have a solid spiritual foundation and a clear understanding of the essence of Christianity, capable, at best, of instilling in a person only good morality, the future ascetic very soon lost his childhood faith.
With sincere passion, he rushed into the study of first the sciences and then philosophy, naively believing that the truth was hidden there, but he soon realized that this was not so. Later he admitted: “I realized that just as science does not give anything about God, about the future life, so philosophy will not give anything either. And the conclusion became completely clear that we must turn to religion.” His studies at the Petrograd Psycho-Neurological Institute gave him nothing but disappointment: “I saw: psychology studies not a person at all, but “skin” - the speed of processes, apperception, memory... Such nonsense that it also pushed me away.”
After a painful search, already experiencing a state of complete hopelessness, the 20-year-old young man suddenly remembered the faith of his early childhood and from the entire depth of his being, almost in despair, began to cry out: “Lord, if You exist, then reveal yourself to me! "Some earthly, selfish goals. I only need one thing: are You there, or are you not?" And the Lord mysteriously revealed himself. From that moment on, everything in Nikolai Vorobyov’s life changed radically. Years of unceasing feat and true asceticism began. In his spiritual life, he was carefully but also cautiously guided by the patristic writings, which at the same time became for him a source of genuine joy and consolation.
Being already 36 years old, after a serious test of his strength, Nikolai Nikolaevich Vorobyov took monastic vows with the name Nikon. A year later, Father Nikon first became a hierodeacon, and soon a hieromonk. In 1933, on March 23 (the day of his tonsure), he was arrested and exiled to Siberian camps for a period of five years. After his release, unable to continue his priestly service, Fr. Nikon worked for several years as a doctor’s assistant in Vyshny Volochyok.
During the Great Patriotic War, many churches were returned to the Russian Orthodox Church; the opportunity arose to return to the priesthood. In 1944, Bishop Vasily of Kaluga, Hieromonk Nikon, was appointed rector of the Annunciation Church in the city of Kozelsk, where he served until 1948. Then he was transferred to Belev, then to the city of Efremov, then to Smolensk, and finally, to a run-down parish in the city of Gzhatsk at that time, which he regarded as exile.
At first, in a new place, I had to endure incredible everyday and financial difficulties. The priest never had any money at all, since he gave it away almost immediately after receiving it. All his property, with the exception of the most necessary things, consisted of only books, mainly the writings of the holy fathers of the Orthodox Church.
In the last period of his life, the then abbot Nikon suffered many different sorrows, everyday troubles, and vanity. “But this vanity,” he said before his death, “gave me the opportunity to see: we ourselves cannot do anything good.” At this time, by his own admission, he understood and experienced a state of initial Christian humility, revealing “that we ourselves are nothing, but God’s creation, we are God’s creation only. Therefore, what should we be proud of, what should we oppose to God?”
Before his death, Abbot Nikon survived his last test - a serious illness. For more than three months before his death, he could not take any food other than milk. But at the same time he never complained, he was always calm, focused and for the most part even had a slight smile on his face. Until his death, he was in full and clear consciousness and, with the last of his strength, instructed those around him. He bequeathed to preserve the faith by fulfilling the commandments and repentance in every possible way, to adhere in every possible way to the teachings of Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov), and to especially avoid vanity, which completely devastates the soul and leads it away from God.
To the great happiness of many believers, many years of persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church have passed, and now it has taken a confident position in the hierarchy of human needs. People simply need to believe in the best, in peace, in salvation, in the Lord God.
Return of the Prodigal Son
Among the ever-growing number of parishioners, young people are increasingly found: boys and girls attend services on great Orthodox holidays with interest or simply come to the temple to pray. Decades of Soviet power have left their mark on the minds and souls of people: now not many know by heart prayers, dates of Orthodox holidays, and the writings of saints. In order for us to better understand the content of the teachings of the holy fathers, some clergy are trying to “translate” their texts into a modern way. One of these associates was Abbot Nikon Vorobyov.
short biography
The elder was born back in 1894 in the Tver province, in the small village of Mikshino. His parents were ordinary peasants, and he himself was the second son. It is interesting that Abbot Nikon (Vorobyov) had only brothers: there were six sons in the family, but it was Kolya who differed from others in his honesty, pity, and obedience. In those days, although they tried to raise all children in an atmosphere of piety and unquestioning reverence for the church, historical events dictated their “fashion.”
Having retained a special attitude towards faith in his soul, in his youth Nikolai enthusiastically began to study natural sciences and philosophy. However, the craving for religion won, and, having become disillusioned even with the Petrograd Psycho-Neurological Institute, the future associate plunged into faith. For more than one year, Nikolai searched for the path to God, but all his efforts were not in vain, and at the age of 36, the future abbot Nikon (Vorobyov) accepted In troubled times for the Orthodox Church, many clergy suffered for their faith, and our hero was no exception: he was arrested and exiled to Siberia for five years. The persecution was not as difficult as the return. Only after the end of the Great Patriotic War was he able to return to his favorite work, but in the meantime he held the position of assistant doctor in a small town. From that moment on, Abbot Nikon (Vorobiev) gradually began to become an example of asceticism.
Spiritual letters of Abbot Nikon (Vorobiev)
As a true associate, the clergyman had nothing but faith in his soul: he gave all the money, things and other material assets to people in need. His only property were numerous books, the pages of which contained the writings of the saints of the Russian Orthodox Church. The priest devoted all his free time from serving to painstaking work. Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev) wrote down his thoughts and thoughts about faith, God, and repentance. These were not just letters - they were an appeal to descendants who are still at the very beginning of their path to the Lord. In his works, the clergyman “translated” the laws of the Bible into a language understandable and accessible to modern people.
Holy message
Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev) left us many valuable works in which he addressed everyone. These are “Letters to Spiritual Children”, and “How to Live Today”, and “Repentance is Left to Us”... These and many other works were left to us “for the benefit and healing from anger, malice and bragging” - this is what abbot Nikon Vorobyov wrote. These letters became not just a statement of the laws of God, the content of the Great Scripture and reasoning about God. In his works, the associate shares his own experience of deep knowledge of religion. They help believers set priorities correctly and apply spiritual knowledge in modern life. It is no secret that every day we are surrounded by many temptations that push us to sin and corrupt our souls. The letters of Abbot Nikon (Vorobyov) are written in a simple and understandable language for every Orthodox Christian, but at the same time, the laws of God run through them as a red thread. The elder teaches not just worship before the Lord, but repentance of the soul. In his works he reflected all spheres of human life; in the books and letters of the elder, everyone will find the answer to any question of interest.
About the values of the soul
The spiritual letters of Abbot Nikon (Vorobyov) are filled with a feeling of joy for life. Despite the difficult life even for a monk, his works are imbued with love, compassion, and forgiveness. He writes that not only should one never lose heart and one must fight, but one must turn to the Lord. You should always ask God for protection and help, and you should always analyze your past experiences, trying to avoid repeating mistakes that have already been made.
Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev) advises everyone to turn to the Almighty for help at least once an hour, or even more often: then the thought of God, faith, humility and repentance will not leave our hearts for a minute, and that means the Lord will always be there. Everyone needs the help of saints: only then will human labor benefit not only himself, but also those close to him. For this the layman will be rewarded a hundredfold.
According to labor it will be rewarded
The elder has a special attitude towards work; he calls on everyone to eradicate laziness in themselves, to cultivate diligence and diligence. He writes that God fully rewards diligence and patience, but it is much better to bear not only your own, but also each other’s burdens. Only then will the law of Christ be fulfilled, and then man will not be subject to despondency, sorrow, and suffering. Only in this case will love for one’s neighbor reign in the hearts of people, and each other’s shortcomings will fade in comparison with
The books of Abbot Nikon (Vorobyov) are filled with love of life and humility. The elder writes that despondency, boredom, and indignation alienate us from the Lord. What could be worse? The Almighty tolerates everything, but human sins destroy the soul, which means they turn him away from God. Salvation is born from repentance, love, tenderness, and crying. A feeling of pity, not for yourself, but for your loved ones, can awaken meekness and patience in your hearts.
To everyone and everyone
Hegumen Nikon (Vorobyov) has more than a dozen books, and in each he shares intimate knowledge about God, faith, love, good and evil. More than 300 spiritual letters are known, and in each he emphasizes that repentance is the vital moisture for the Russian Orthodox Church. As long as a sense of humility, obedience and faith lives in people, there is no power on earth, the ability to turn the Lord away from us and him from us. The Almighty tolerates more than any layman or monk: only God knows about all our sins, bad thoughts and evil words.
Abbot Nikon calls his readers children, children of God. As long as repentance lives in our hearts, we are omnipotent against temptations and enticements. The Lord is born in ourselves, and we give birth to him in our souls.
In addition to printed publications, spiritual addresses of Abbot Nikon (Vorobyov) are published on electronic and audio media. Thus, each of us can absorb the words of the elder not only in a traditional way, but also in a more modern way. Don’t miss the opportunity to get enough of God’s power: read at least one message from the great companion of our days.
(1894-1963). Father Nikon (in the world Nikolai Nikolaevich Vorobyov) was born in Tsarist Russia. He witnessed all the tragic and great events of the 20th century: revolution, several wars, repressions, social upheavals and scientific discoveries.
The son of a peasant, smart, talented, he stood out among the six brothers for his seriousness, special honesty, meekness and kind-hearted disposition. He always wanted to get to the bottom, to find out the meaning of life, he was never a superficial person, he always looked for depth. Father Nikon retained these traits throughout his life.
He received a prediction about monasticism as a child and, having become a monk during the years of the closure of monasteries and the destruction of churches, until the end of his days he labored in the world, in the parish. Survived arrest, imprisonment, and exile in Siberian camps. He lived like an ascetic, treating himself with all severity and treating others with love. He acquired the unceasing Jesus Prayer and the gift of spiritual reasoning. His advice on spiritual life is based on personal experience and filled with the light of God's grace.
Peace in the soul and with loved ones
“Do not depart from the Lord until He forgives you and until He gives peace to your soul. A sign of forgiveness by the Lord - ".
“Keep peace within yourself, and then with your neighbors.”
“Try to live with everyone in such a way that people leave you comforted and thank the Lord for you.”
“Sin against one’s neighbor weighs very heavily on the conscience. And the Lord forgives such sins only when we ourselves are reconciled with our neighbor.”
“In my opinion, people should be treated like a doctor treats patients. We are all sick with all diseases, only some people have one disease, others have another disease.”
“There, that is, in the hospital, they don’t scold if someone gets sick with their lungs, heart, stomach, they don’t say: “Oh, you blind scoundrel, look, your eyes are sick!” Likewise, you should not scold each other for mental illness, but tolerate and feel sorry for each other. “Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ,” says the apostle.”
A spark of the true self
“People are essentially, in their depths, everything is better than in their manifestation in life.”
“We are all overwhelmed with rubbish, and yet from under it the light of the true “I” flickers.”
Enmity makes all efforts useless
“I dwelled on it for a long time because it makes all the work useless. The Lord accepts neither prayers, nor repentance, nor alms from a person who has enmity towards his neighbors.”
“No earthly truth can justify hostility. I say “earthly” because heavenly truth gives peace both internal and external. If someone you consider your enemy dies, you will suffer, because sooner or later you will feel guilty. This is usually done during prayer. If you die in enmity (let this not happen), then know that all your good deeds and all hope of salvation will perish. You will fall into the hands of those who sow enmity. The Kingdom of God is the kingdom of love and peace. Enmity cannot enter into it.”
“If we want someone to overcome himself and change his attitude towards us, then we ourselves must first completely expel hostility towards him from our hearts. Then the Lord will make his heart known.”
Don't judge anyone
“Never say bad things or ironically about anyone... Your words can be conveyed not even out of malice or hostility, but simply out of inattention or as a joke - and now, you have acquired an enemy for yourself.”
“The path to salvation is through repentance of one’s sins, and not by condemning one’s neighbors. If a person condemns his neighbors, then it means that he does not feel his sins and he has no repentance.”
“And vice versa - a sign of awareness of one’s sins and repentance for them is non-judgment of one’s neighbors. Do your work as assigned to you; don't get involved in other people's affairs; if possible, always remain silent; never transfer anything to others; like a stone in the sea, let all the words you hear drown in you; Sorry for everyone, forgive everyone both in your soul and in reality, if the opportunity arises.”
“Close your eyes to the sins of others, and if you cannot help but see, then pray for those who sin as for yourself, so that the Lord will forgive them, then you will receive mercy from the Lord.”
Offenders are our best teachers
“It is also necessary for someone to insult us, but not without any reason, but in such a way that some shortcoming is revealed, even if exaggerated. I’m not speaking from theory, but I have experienced the benefits of this more than once and I say with complete conviction that offenders are our best teachers.”
Read more good books
“I advise you again: read more good books. There are few people from whom you can get anything, and they are often busy or sick, but you can always read a book.”
Don't be afraid of anything
“Don't be afraid of anything. Instill in yourself the thought that throughout the whole world not the slightest movement occurs without the knowledge and permission of God.”
“The Lord leads, arranges circumstances in such a way that it is easiest for a person to be saved.”
“Sometimes a person is in such circumstances that he cannot be saved in a given city, in a given place. And then the Lord arranges it so that this person or this family needs to move to another place. There, believers meet, become friends and help strengthen their faith. There, perhaps, there will be a church nearby or some spiritually believing person who will help this family to be saved.”
“Here is a man suffering from drunkenness, depraved. He spends all his free time seeking pleasure in drunkenness and debauchery. The merciful Lord sees this, takes pity on his family, and pity this man. What to do with him? The Lord sends him such an illness that he no longer even thinks about vodka or debauchery. On the contrary, he begins to think about his past life, about its meaninglessness, begins to repent of his sins, confesses them and thus is saved.”
“A person, for example, cannot overcome gluttony, or drunkenness, or fornication - the Lord sends illness. A person is proud and vain - the Lord will humiliate him before everyone so that he becomes the last person in the eyes of people. If a Christian man is attached to earthly things and directs all his strength, all his desires, all his dreams towards acquiring earthly well-being by hook or by crook, theft, deception - by any means, then the Lord will take and take away everything that he It has. So, in addition to our labors in our own struggle with sin, the Lord also sends us involuntary sorrows, as help in this struggle.”
The Lord provides for the needs of those who trust Him
“Seek the Kingdom of God and its righteousness - and, according to the immutable word of the Lord Himself, a word firmer than heaven and earth, everything you need in material life will be added. Although the Lord tests His servants, He also watches over everything, spiritual and physical needs, and gives everything at the right time to those who trusted the Lord, and not their dexterity, strength, skill, etc.
“Whoever seeks to please God will not be abandoned by God, so long as we do not forsake Him.”
The only way is patience with sorrows
“There is only one single path left for our time: patience with sorrows.”
“Those who seek the Kingdom of God will not have any exploits of their own. They will be saved only by enduring sorrows and illnesses. Why won't there be feats? Because there will be no humility in people, and without humility, exploits will do more harm than good, they can even destroy a person, since they involuntarily evoke a high opinion of themselves among those who struggle and give rise to delusion.”
“Only under the guidance of very spiritually experienced people could certain feats be achieved, but now they are not there, they cannot be found. The leader now is the Lord Himself and partly books, whoever has them and can understand them. How does the Lord lead? Allows persecution, insults, illness, long old age with burdens and infirmities.”
“The sorrows necessary for a person’s salvation can be perceived more difficult or easier by a person, depending on the person’s structure. If a person accepts on faith the word of God about the necessity and inevitability of sorrows for salvation, if he recognizes his countless sins in word, deed, thought, considers himself fully deserving not only of the sorrows sent, but also much greater ones, humbles himself before God and people - then sorrows will become easier".
“If a person grumbles about sorrows and illnesses, looks for the culprit for these sorrows among people, demons, circumstances, and begins to try by all means to avoid them, then the enemy will help him in this, show him the imaginary culprits (superiors, orders, neighbors, etc. and so on), will arouse in him enmity and hatred towards them, a desire to take revenge, insult, and so on, and so on.”
“People and circumstances are only instruments of God, often not understanding what they are doing.”
“A smart and believing person uses sorrows to great success in spiritual life, but an unwise, grumbling person loses an opportunity for gain, harms himself, upsetting both body and soul.”
If you don’t want sorrows, don’t sin
“If you don’t want sorrows, don’t sin, sincerely repent of your sins and untruths, don’t do evil to your neighbors either in deed, or in word, or even in thought, visit church more often, pray, treat your loved ones and neighbors with mercy, then the Lord will have mercy on you too , and, if it is useful, then it will free you from sorrow.”
Remedies for melancholy and grief
“When you are overcome by melancholy, force yourself to say mentally: “Glory to You, God, glory to You, God!” I accept what is worthy according to my deeds. I thank You, Lord, for sending me illness to save my soul. Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee.” Say these words dozens, hundreds of times, say them with conviction, from the bottom of your heart - and after a while you will feel relief in your heart, peace and tranquility, firmness and patience. These are signs of the visitation of God’s grace.”
The best way is the middle one
“Being too upset by external difficulties is a sign of lack of faith; being too upset about internal things is a sign of pride.”
“Don't demand more from yourself than you can. Trust in God’s mercy, not in your own virtues.”
“Do not overload yourself with bodily labor. The best path is the middle one. A body that is too healthy and a body that is too weak are equally a hindrance.”
It is not deeds, but humility that inclines the Lord to mercy
“The success of spiritual life is measured not by spiritual consolations, which can also come from the evil one, but by the depth of humility.”
“It is not works, but humility that inclines the Lord to mercy.”
“The more sinful a person is, the less sin he sees in himself.and the more and more maliciously he condemns others.A true, non-false sign of the correctness of the spiritualdispensation is a deep consciousness of its corruptionand sinfulness, consciousness of one’s unworthinessthe mercies of God and the non-judgment of others.”
Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev)
…I know too well human weakness and demonic cunning. People imagine that they are very good, and they try to hide any negative quality or deed from the eyes of the people they value. But I think we are all bad. Some are slightly better, others worse, but these differences are too insignificant compared to what we should be. If you have done all that is commanded to you, say, for we are unbreakable servants. What are we like, having done nothing? And how should we judge each other?.. In my opinion, we should treat people the way a doctor treats patients. We are all sick with all diseases, only some people have one disease, others have another disease. ...When a feeling of hostility and condemnation comes, you need to tell yourself: But with this feeling, what will I be like before God? Besides that, am I perfect? And with pure prayer, drive away, fight hostility. After all, it is clear that this is the work of evil “microbes”. Everything that is from God gives peace, love, patience, etc. And from the other side there is only enmity, hostility, and so on and so forth.
"Letters to Spiritual Children"
We are left to repent
“We are all spoiled: we do, think, say the wrong things. But there is a cure for this - repentance...
Everyone is a sinner, and the holier a person is, the morehe sees sins in himself. The Lord has comecall to repentance and through repentance save sinners,that is, those who are aware of their sins,repents before the Lord and asks for forgiveness.”
Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev)
Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev) (1894-1963): Under no circumstances should you fall into despair and hopelessness, this is worse than any sin. They lead to spiritual death and sometimes to suicide. " There is no unforgivable sin except unrepentant sin". Therefore, we must ask for forgiveness from the Lord, who does not want the death of the sinner who came to save the perishing...
“If you fall - get up, you fall again - get up again, and so on until the death” of a person. These are the words of Rev. Sisoya the Great. Falls humble a person, and without humility one cannot receive any gift here. “The Lord gives grace to the humble.” As if he looked upon the humility of His servant. And we all have more than enough pride. Words cannot humble us. So the Lord allows us to fall into every shame,
“The overwhelming majority of people do not know Christianity at all and are looking not for a way of salvation, not for eternal life, but for those who would help them “do” something in order to immediately get rid of this or that sorrow.
If you don’t want sorrows, don’t sin, repent sincerely of your sins and untruths, do not do evil to your neighbors, neither in deed, nor in word, nor even in thought, visit church more often, pray, treat your loved ones and neighbors with mercy, then the Lord will have mercy on you, and, if it is useful, then will free you from sorrow.”
Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev)
From letters to spiritual children
Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev) (1894-1963):...Our path to salvation is patience with gratitude (at least without grumbling) of everything that happens.
We perceive sorrows acutely because we almost do not believe the words of the Gospel. Ready to believe anyone, more or less decent, But we don’t believe and don’t trust the Lord. This is perhaps incomprehensible to reason, but attention to oneself shows that this is exactly the case. It takes a lot of internal work to get living faith in the Lord and His words. Only with this faith does it become easy to live and endure all the hardships of life. Moreover, it is a short preparation for eternity...
God is love
God is Love, and not only has love,albeit infinitely great.Love covers everything... It coversand our sins, shortcomings, infirmities,impatience, grumbling, etc....
Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev)
"Letters to Spiritual Children"
Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev) (1894-1963):
...The vast universe was created by God - what is the power of God?! Everything in the universe as a whole and in its parts (for example, in the human body) is in wonderful harmony - what should the wisdom of God be like?! If everything is harmonious in the world created by God, then there must be harmony (i.e., correspondence) in the properties of God. And as is the power of God and the wisdom of God, such is the “heart of God,” that is, the love of God.
"Letters to Spiritual Children"
“The Holy Fathers classify unbelief as a passion,arising from the suggestions of demons tothe basis of fallen human nature…
If a person does not take action against unbelief,does not fight as he should, then he becomes guiltyin these thoughts and is punished by this very unbelief,as with all passions, one is punished if one does not fight them.”
Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev)
Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev) (1894-1963):
...I also remember a request for N. I feel very sorry for him. Sometimes I remember him fondly and wish him to be freed from the clutches of the devil. He must not look for what he has lost in philosophy and science, but through an effort of will, “believe without seeing” and build his life according to faith. Then help will come from above, drive out the enemy’s darkness and confirm the truth of Christianity with such omnipotent power and conviction that he will exclaim with all his heart: “Lord, I am ready to undergo any torment, just do not cast me away from You!” All who sought God experienced this.