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Essays on the Main/On Faith (selection of citations from “Legend of Rada and Alexey”: Conversation with the Elder Nicholas)

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On Faith
(selection of citations from “Legend of
Rada and Alexey”: Conversation with the Elder Nicholas)

Faith is a great power! This power grows out from the mind — into the soul.

Who has strong faith — it’s easy for such man to live! It is — as a small leaf on a tree branch feels the same as the whole tree!

Faith is the power that holds this leaf together with the twig and the tree itself. And if faith is weak, then this man is like a leaf which was separated from a branch and is driven by wind: to one disastrous place it will be brought, then to another…

Our monastic happiness is simple: we must always live by the soul — with the Lord! The soul joins with God — through deep faith and pure love!

And God’s Love is the wonderful Power that feeds the soul and as if knits with the Creator!

The human body is like a leaf on that Tree of God.

Time is given to this little leaf-body to blossom, turn green, turn yellow, and perish… And the soul — remains inseparable from God, if it has become filled with love for the Lord during its life, if it has grown fast to God! And if the soul has not grown fast to the Lord — then it, as well as the body, is perishable like a fallen leaf may perish…

It needs to abase pride in oneself, to eradicate vices, not to sin due to weakness of will, not to give way to one’s own wrong desires, yet to learn the heart love, to apprehend the Will of God!

And it befits to live so — that everything is only for God! And the rest — He will rule!

Joyful is such a life with God, when by His Will you live!

Joy happens when God is in your spiritual heart! It’s already more than just faith…

When God’s Love overfills the soul, then you are not separated from God: He is with you and you are with Him! And your life — belongs to Him completely!

Let everything be with us — according to His Will! And nothing is sad at that time, everything is joyful, if you understand that everything comes from Him! And it is inappropriate for us to resist His Will!

You — feel by the heart! You know already — how! So — you will always feel the Truth of God with your heart even when your understanding cannot be able to!

Faith and love for God allow one to not fear death of the body. And — to pass worthily all tests falling out in life. And to do the good that is in your powers, but that, which you are not able to change, — to not have sorrow.

Life is of great value! This is the truth!

And often a worldly man thinks that nothing is beyond the life of the body… But a spiritual person knows the reason to give bodily life for the sake of saving the soul. And many people did it!

There is a special state of the human soul, in which faith is so strong and deep, in which faith and love have so transformed the soul — that one does not fear for oneself anymore.

To transcend the conventional dogmas and experience the Living God — that’s the most important in the faith indestructible! It is only possible to feel — in the heart spiritual! Then the soul will not doubt that God exists and that God is Love, as Jesus taught!

And then you can stop ‘being afraid for yourself’: fretting for the life of your body.

You can stop being afraid for what people will think and talk about you… — be it fame, shame, condemnation of the crowd… Those, in whom pride is strong, are afraid of shame and reproach! Words of praise — are pleasant to our pride! And reproaches — cause it pain…

All this is feared for one who has one’s own main thoughts and concerns — about oneself! But the soul, strengthened by faith and love for God, is no longer afraid of it!

There is a belief with which a person becomes so full-blown to God, so much accepts to oneself God’s Will that he or she is not concerned anymore for oneself!

Faith that results from fear — makes man a mindless slave, blind instrument of those who instill this fear!

But faith that grows out of love for God — brings a person closer to the Lord!

Faith is easily broken if there is no love for God and no depth of understanding!

And the Essence of indestructible faith — this is God Himself! With such faith — nothing is scary!

Comments of Vladimir Antonov:

1. In order to cultivate such a faith, one must have the true knowledge of God and a sufficient experience of direct communication with Him.

But how many “believers” exist, who do not even have an understanding about which way to see, looking for God!...

2. Ethical purity is the first and main sign of someone who is really capable of approaching the Creator, having the right faith.

But how often do we meet those, who proclaim themselves as spiritual teachers, but are able to steal, deceive, have a vicious self-conceit, developed up to parody, become the creatures of hell by the rudeness of themselves-souls...