How to find peace and inner peace. Three sources of mental strength

On the 40th anniversary of the death of Fr. Tavrion (Batozsky) (August 10, 1898 - August 13, 1978, Riga). Published for the first time

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

People: Amen.

Here we go again, brothers and sisters, this evening before the holiday of Sunday, the Lord has gathered us here, yes. The Lord who knows the heart knows what we came here with. He also knows what we need, he also knows in what circumstances each of us lives, and what awaits us. Therefore, the word of God, which we will hear tomorrow at the Divine Liturgy, says this: “That you were then, at that time, without Christ, alienated from the chosen society, alien to the Covenant of promise, you had no hope, you were atheists in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, having made both one and broken down the dividing wall” (Eph 2:12-14).

What does this mean?

Christ is our peace. You know very well that all people talk about peace, that everything can be done at international<встречах>. Everyone says: states and states strive to find one or another opportunity to establish, to find a basis for peace. But you see, the word of God says that “Christ is our peace, who made both one and destroyed the barrier that stood in the middle.” So, Christ is our peace! Why do we know this? And why exactly?

But you see: Christ brought this peace to us, into the being of our nature. How to live? After all, man, violating the will of God, violated the harmony of his own life, he began to have incorrect relationships within himself and with people. Why is this?

The reason for this is sin.

So, the Lord came to destroy this sin and give powerful strength to man, so that he would rise up from sin and gain highly spiritual opportunities. to gracefully succeed both in expressing and fulfilling what he is. Therefore, Christ the Savior took upon himself a great feat, and He destroyed the enmity that sowed sin among people.

This is what the Apostle Paul says: “But now in Christ Jesus you, who once were far off, have been brought near by the blood of Christ” - through the atonement of Christ. “For He is our peace, having made both one and broken down the barrier that stood in the middle.”

So, he says: “That out of the two he might create in himself one new man, building the world” (Eph 2:15). The Lord Himself created one man out of two, establishing the world with Himself. And therefore, in order for a person to find peace within himself, and there would be peace around him, he must<пережить>this great secret, he must realize within himself: who are you? You see: who are you? For you are the one whom God so beautifully created. Because how He restores you even more beautifully, and with what great means - His Divine love! He loved you as the Gospel says: that He did not regret giving His Divine Son, “so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).” This is the effect of God's grace! That's exactly the fact of love Lord of God restores, recreates a person.

Are we humans capable of feeling this love? Does He need this love? Yes, it is necessary. The Gospel sets many examples for us: people who were completely hopeless, sinful, turned to Christ, and before coming to Christ, they rightly looked at themselves. Found in ourselves intrinsic value, found the truth, found precisely the love of God in the nature of their soul. And at the same time, they really lived and felt how sinful they were, that they were rightly condemned, rightly reproached.

So, brothers and sisters, each person in his life must pay attention to his own conditions, feel: who are you? When you feel this, work on yourself, you will understand at least a little of your own nature and see your unworthiness, your responsibility, your incorrigible powerlessness. And here you will feel special need peace of Christ.

Our world is Christ! He loved us, He accomplished for us greatest feat: died on the Cross, gave us His Divine Word, surrounds us with special grace. Now: he also established the Divine Church, which saves us with its grace-filled means. And we, despite the fact that we live about two thousand years from the moment when Christ died on the Cross, we are so close to him And zki, and His Divine Love This is how he attracts us to himself.

The Lord said, going to the Cross: “Then, when I am lifted up, when I am crucified, I will draw everyone to Me” (John 12:32). These were not just words, this is the action of the Grace of God that continues to work on each of us to this day.

Let everyone ask themselves carefully: are you being saved, or is it the grace of God that is saving you? Was it by chance? You had circumstances that revealed your bad condition. After all, these circumstances made you feel how hard it is for you to live without faith. Now you feel your responsibility! How is this so? After all, you arranged your life according to your own will, and now, out of necessity, you have to be aware of everything and feel responsible. All this is a manifestation of that grace of God, about which the Lord said: “Then, when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to Me.”

And so, the grace of God attracts us. Let's not resist her! And even more so today, when we live in such special circumstances, where everyone testifies about how to live by faith, and what life without faith is like.

Where to get faith from? From the Word of God! We have an excellent opportunity to read it and understand it. So, let us draw the strength of faith from Holy Scripture, enlighten your consciousness, enlighten your conscience and be faithful disciples of Christ the Savior.

And now, in these moments of grace, together with all our brothers and sisters, let us stand and serve and, reverently fulfilling our destiny, together with our brothers and sisters, everyone who is in the world, together with them, we will glorify and praise the Lord, singing the psalm : “Praise the name of the Lord”...

Prepared by Anna Lepekhina, Alexander Kopirovsky and Maria Belyaeva

“The more the enlightened mind indulges in the thought of enjoying life and happiness, the further a person is from true contentment.”
(I. Kant)

“Everything is governed by reason, but everything lives by passion.”
(A.S. Khomyakov)

The sinner is like a dog who licks a saw and does not notice the harm he is doing to himself because he is drunk on the taste of his own blood.
(Reverend Isaac the Syrian).

“Yes, the battle with yourself is the most difficult battle. Victory of victories - Victory over yourself.”
(F. Logau)

“The beginning of turning to Christ lies in the knowledge of one’s sinfulness, one’s fall; from such a view of oneself, a person recognizes the need for a Redeemer and approaches Christ through humility, faith and repentance. He who is not aware of his sinfulness, his fall, his destruction cannot accept Christ, cannot believe in Christ, cannot be a Christian. What is Christ for someone who is both reasonable and virtuous, who is satisfied with himself, who recognizes himself as worthy of all earthly and heavenly rewards?”
(Saint Ignatius)

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick"(Matthew 9:12)

“The first sign of the health of the soul is the vision of one’s sins, countless as the sand of the sea.”
(St. Peter of Damascus)

“Try to live as God commands, and not as “everyone else lives,” because “the world lies in evil.”
St. Joseph

“To be too upset by external difficulties is a sign of lack of faith; to be too upset by internal ones is a sign of pride.”
Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev)

The following statements are used in the text:

Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov).
Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev)
A.I. Osipova.

We are now living in difficult times. Material life has developed, spiritual life is disappearing, bodily pleasures and worries consume all the time. The boundaries between good and evil disappear. Simplicity, kindness and love leave our lives.
We already calmly accept abortion, fornication, and cohabitation.

The family, which belongs to the most important social values, is now being destroyed. A marriage established by God turns into a union of two egoists according to convenience (contract), where each half pursues its own goals and desires. And where there is no love, there is no truth, no truth, no happiness, and only disguised egoism will dominate there!

We have forgotten such a simple but important truth that The spirit creates its own forms.
“Everything that we see, that is happening in the life around us, is already fruit. And the roots are in the depths of a person’s soul, and it is they that determine our entire life - both political and social, and all our problems that we face.”

The spiritual state of humanity is clearly visible in the example of modern art (since it is a mirror of the human soul).

Look at the current paintings, sculptures, books, children's cartoons, dances, listen to music. Simply terrible (with rare exceptions). And the worst thing is that many people like it. Says a lot. Masterpieces that last forever have not been created for a long time.

What is our world based on?

On three rotten pillars: voluptuousness(lust, search for pleasure), love of money(lust for wealth) and popularity(thirst for fame and power).

“For whatever is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from this world."(1 John 2:16, 17).

We must not forget what human history shows us. With the decline of morals, entire empires disappeared.

In our time, temptations and vices have multiplied to infinity! If earlier such moral and spiritual degradation affected only an individual people, and they were simply swept off the face of the earth, now, thanks to the development technical progress entire humanity is affected. Apparently, in the near future, humanity will face terrible upheavals.

Let me remind you of the words from the Gospel about the decline of humanity:

For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, slanderous, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unfriendly, unforgiving, slanderers, intemperate, cruel, not loving goodness, traitors, insolent, pompous, more lovers of pleasure than those who love God, who have a form of godliness, and denied his powers (2 Tim. 2:2-5). For when they say, “Peace and safety,” then destruction will suddenly come upon them, just as labor pain befalls one who is pregnant, and they will not escape (1 Thessalonians 5:3). The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, and then the heavens will pass away with a noise, and the elements will be destroyed with burning fire, and the earth and all the works on it will be burned up (2 Peter 2:10).

What should a person do who sees and understands this?
How to live today?

The retreat is allowed by God; do not try to stop him with your weak hand.

Stay away, protect yourself from him, and that’s enough for you.

Force yourself to fulfill the commandments of the Gospel, trying to turn them into your skill. This is the surest and most reliable guarantee of our salvation.

Get acquainted with the spirit of the time, study it in order to avoid its influence if possible.

We must decisively cut off communication and friendship with people who corrupt our soul.
The Gospel teaches us about this, and we must follow it if we want good for ourselves.

Do not judge your neighbors, leaving judgment over them to God, and then your heart will be cleansed of hypocrisy and peace will reign in it.
Pursue hypocrisy within yourself, driving it out of yourself; avoid the multitude of people infected by it, acting both intentionally and unconsciously in its spirit.

Beware of excessive comfort. He puts the soul and body into a debilitated state.
Love work, and God will soon send you peace.
Bodily labor brings purity to the heart; purity of heart is the reason that the soul bears fruit.
God imposed labor on man not for punishment and torment, but for admonition and teaching him.

Do not expect or seek praise and approval from human society!
Save yourself not in public, but in secret, only before the eyes of God.
Don't seek fame and glory!
Don't look for or expect love from people! Seek with all your might and demand from yourself love and sympathy for people.
Don’t expect or look for a painless, expansive, completely comfortable life!
This is not your destiny.

A great acquisition is to be satisfied with everything.
For we have brought nothing into the world; It’s obvious that we can’t take anything out of it. Having food and clothing, we will be content with that. Don’t forget, happy is the one who is pleased with everything that is in him, with him and around him.
But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts that plunge people into disaster and destruction.

Just as our body needs care from wind, cold, various foods and drinks, so our soul needs varied storage. Everyone probably noticed inner emptiness, fatness after an empty pastime.

Start living a mindful life. Avoid as much as possible from what our world now brings - heresies, violence, debauchery, all sorts of empty and vain things, care. Value your time. Be attentive to what you read, listen to and watch (magazines, books, radio, television, Internet, etc.).

Don't forget, if you touch dirt, it's hard not to get dirty. Reach for all that is good.
Be especially wary of and avoid books and people who carry the poison of lies.

Heresy is associated with hardening of the heart, with terrible darkness and damage to the mind - it persists in the soul infected by it - it is difficult for a person to recover from this illness!

The mind, this king in man, if he wishes to enter into the rights of his autocracy and preserve them, must first of all submit to the law of fasting. Only then will he be constantly cheerful and bright; only then can he rule over the desires of the heart and body; only with constant sobriety can he study the commandments of the Gospel and follow them. The basis of virtues is fasting.

Fasting gives a person clarity of mind, not an obese body. Through him we learn to curb it. And passions gradually begin to subside. A Russian proverb says: “A full belly is deaf to God.”
When sitting down at the table, do not overeat. Try to eat plain and healthy food. Make it a rule that Wednesday and Friday are fast days. Try to observe the fasts established by the Church. You just need to remember: fasting is for man, not man for fasting. Be reasonable. Measure your strengths. Try not to cause inconvenience by fasting to your loved ones and relatives who do not fast.

Read New Testament and the Holy Fathers. There you will find answers to your questions.

Here too there must be prudence and moderation. Know the basics Christian faith necessary, but I don’t recommend going into dogmatics and theology. This is the lot of some people. Theology developed to address various heresies and for dialogue with people of other faiths. There is little good for the soul there. We don't need to know all the subtleties. Otherwise, “woe from mind” may happen. The letter can kill faith. And lead a person “to conceit.”

I recommend starting to get acquainted with Christianity by listening to lectures by professor of the Theological Academy A.I. Osipova.. They are understandable and interesting. They can be downloaded. Now streams of dirt are pouring down on Alexei Ilyich from all sides, there is nothing surprising here. It has always been this way, because our world does not like such people.

From books: letters – Saints- Ignatiy Brianchaninov; Filaret Drozdov; Innocent of Kherson; Theophan the recluse; letters- Elder of Valaam; Nikon (Vorobyova); Ignatius Brianchaninova; Spirit, soul and body - Archbishop Luke; Philokalia selected for the laity; Soulful teachings - Abba Dorotheus; records of Priest Alexander Elchaninov; My life in Christ - John of Kronstadt; Instructions on good morality and holy life - Anthony the Great.

It's better to read books. You can purchase them in the church shop of your Temple or order them in online stores. Those who cannot read can download audio books from the website http://www.predanie.ru/audio/.
Skip what is not clear and read it later. Everything has its time.

Remember death - and you will never sin.

How will evil deeds benefit you? Don't live like an immortal. The death of a sinner is cruel (ps. 33,22).
“The destiny of all people on earth, the inevitable destiny for anyone, is death. We fear it as a fierce enemy, we bitterly mourn those abducted by it, and we spend our lives as if death did not exist at all, as if we were eternal on earth.
My coffin! why do I forget you? You are waiting for me, waiting, and I will probably be your resident: why do I forget you, and behave as if the coffin were the lot of only other people, not mine at all? (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov).

Be attentive to your thoughts and thoughts. As soon as unkind thoughts appear, do not enter into conversations with them, immediately suppress sympathy for them. This is a prelude to sin. Until they are strong and weak.

“The soul of all exercises about the Lord is attention. Without attention, all these exercises are fruitless, dead. He who wants to be saved must arrange himself in such a way that he can maintain attention to himself not only in solitude, but also in the midst of absent-mindedness, into which he is sometimes drawn against his will circumstances.

If you happen to say or do something contrary to the commandments of God, then immediately heal the sin with repentance, and, through sincere repentance, return to the path of God from which you deviated by violating the will of God.

He who pays attention to himself must abandon all daydreaming in general, no matter how tempting and plausible it may seem: all daydreaming is a wandering of the mind, outside the truth, in the land of ghosts that do not exist and cannot come true, flattering the mind and deceiving it. Consequences of daydreaming: loss of attention to oneself, absent-mindedness and hardness of heart during prayer; hence the mental disorder.

In the evening, going to sleep, which in relation to the life of that day is death, consider your actions during the past day. For one who leads an attentive life, such consideration is not difficult, because due to attention to oneself, forgetfulness is destroyed, so much human entertained. So, having remembered all your sins in deed, word, thought, feeling, bring repentance to God for them with disposition and a heartfelt guarantee of correction." (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov)

“To whom the Church is not a Mother, God is not a Father.”

Without any doubt, the most excellent in dignity of all earthly buildings is the temple, or the house of God, the church. Although God is present everywhere, in the church His presence is manifested in a special way, the most tangible and most useful for man” (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov).
During the service, do not be distracted, do not dream, do not examine, do not think about vain things. Force yourself to Prayer. Otherwise it won't do you any good.

It is imperative to be well prepared, to confess and receive communion as often as possible.
The sacrament of confession cleanses all sins committed in word, deed, or thought. Drive away embarrassment during confession. You have come to confess to the Lord, and the priest is only a witness. What's heavier? Stone ( grave sin) or a bag of sand (minor sins). Don't carry everything in your heart.

Communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ is a blessed source of preserving and strengthening our spiritual life.
Communion is a gift that connects us with God. But this is possible only with a constantly pious life or after decisive repentance of a sinful life and decisive abandonment of it.

A person trying to start living like a Christian very soon realizes that he himself cannot cope with his passions. Correction, the salvation of man, is impossible without God's help. The path to God is prayer.

“Prayer is the appeal of a fallen and repentant person to God. Prayer is the cry of a fallen and repentant person before God. Prayer is the outpouring of heartfelt desires, petitions, sighs of a fallen person killed by sin before God.

The soul of prayer is attention. Just as a body without a soul is dead, so prayer without attention is dead. A prayer pronounced without attention turns into idle talk, and the one praying is thus counted among those who take the name of God in vain.

Say the words of prayer slowly; do not allow the mind to wander everywhere, but close it in the words of prayer. This path is narrow and deplorable for a mind accustomed to wandering freely throughout the universe; but this path leads to attention. Whoever tastes the great benefit of attention will love to oppress the mind on the path leading to blissful attention.

Forbid yourself from distracted thoughts during prayer, hate daydreaming, reject worries with the power of faith, strike your heart with the fear of God, and you will comfortably learn to pay attention.

The mind, during prayer, must be kept, and with all care, formless, rejecting all images drawn in the faculty of imagination: because the mind in prayer stands before the invisible God, Who cannot be represented in any material way. If images are allowed into the mind of prayer, then they will become an impenetrable curtain, a wall between the mind and God. “Those who see nothing in their prayers see God,” said the Venerable Meletius the Confessor” (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov)

Make it a habit to start and end your day with prayer. Learning to keep your mind in prayer is very difficult. When a person is on fire or drowning, calling for help, he thinks only about his salvation. Likewise, we do not need to ask the Lord for anything vain and perishable. The Lord knows ahead of us our needs and what is useful to us and what is not. Having learned to pray correctly, pray constantly - and you will inherit salvation.

Here are two main prayers:

Jesus Prayer.

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Lord's Prayer.

Our Father who art in heaven! hallowed be Your name;
Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven;
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.

). Greek word, translated as “trying,” is a participle that excludes all passivity, all “wait and see” attitude. We need to be active. If we fight and argue in our families, if we create factions in the church, if we refuse to love and respect others, then we reject the peace of God in Jesus Christ, which He established on the cross.

The irony is that we must fight for peace. Eleanor Roosevelt said in a Voice of America radio program: “It is not enough to talk about peace - we must believe in it. It is not enough to believe in it - we must work at it.” The peace that Christ purchased for us also requires our efforts, hard work and constant self-examination.

As we study this week's lesson, we must ask ourselves, “Have I taken advantage of the peace that Christ purchased for me on the cross? How can I cooperate with the Holy Spirit bringing peace into my life every day?”

Sunday 17 January. Peace With God. (Rom. 5:1)

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).

Having peace with God is more than being comfortable in His presence. This means that we, who were once “alienated and enemies, destined for evil deeds” (Colossians 1:21), have been reconciled and restored to fellowship with God. We were once at war with God, but through His death on the cross, Jesus gave us the opportunity to end this war and become friends, not enemies, of God.

On the one hand, peace is not something that we slowly cultivate, starting from small things. On the contrary, we are reconciled to God once and for all through the cross of Christ. This is a fait accompli. However, on the other hand, we grow in peace with God. The more clearly we see and walk in God's ways, the more we accept His power to live as His sons and daughters. In this sense, peace with God is truly a fruit of the Spirit.

As we grow into maturity as children of God, we will experience more and more of the blessings and benefits of life in His Kingdom until we say, “Great peace have they that love Thy law, and there is no stumbling block to them” (Psalm 119:165).

What basic principle does Jesus teach us in these texts? Why can we find it difficult to apply this principle in our lives?

There is no doubt that Jesus takes our relationships with each other much more seriously than we do. It is not uncommon for church members to be divided by bitterness and resentment for years. Imagine how different things would be if we all followed this teaching!

“Shortly before the crucifixion, Christ bequeathed peace to His disciples. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you: not as the world gives, I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). Such a world is not given to those who adapt to this world. And Christ never achieved it at the cost of a compromise with evil. The peace that Christ left to the disciples is peace in their hearts, but not peace around them. It was fitting that peace should always dwell in the hearts of His faithful witnesses, notwithstanding all opposition and strife” (E. White, Acts of the Apostles, p. 84).

“The desire for excellence manifests a spirit which, if nurtured, will ultimately deprive the Kingdom of God of those who indulge it. The peace of Christ cannot dwell in the mind and heart of a worker who criticizes and finds fault with a colleague because he does not use the work methods he himself prefers or because he feels unappreciated. The Lord will never bless those who criticize or condemn their brothers, for this is the work of Satan” (E. White. Evangelism, p. 102).

Questions for discussion:

How can you work in your local church to help maintain peace among brothers and sisters when the inevitable tensions and disagreements arise?

Give an example of the most common situation we encounter in everyday life and which threatens our world? What biblical promises can we use when we encounter something like this?

Of course, it is always easy to talk about trusting the Lord in all circumstances and how such trust brings peace. This is true. But still, what specific practical steps can we take action to change circumstances that are not conducive to peace? In other words, how often are our worries and fears the result of decisions we make?

How can we help others overcome circumstances that prevent them from achieving peace?

How justified is our expectation of peace on this Earth, which is filled with struggle, chaos, suffering and unrest?

It seems to me that in order to get closer to happiness, you need to part with some false ideas that exist in modern world. For example, that material goods- more high salary or an expensive car - can bring happiness to life and peace of mind.

Inner comfort and emotional satisfaction are much more important than external well-being - the source of happiness is within us, not outside. This is easy to understand by thinking about own experience. Mental, emotional satisfaction reduces physical suffering: each of us knows that even pain (or hunger) subsides when a person is absorbed in love or some interesting task.

But if someone is mentally and emotionally dissatisfied, unhappy in his soul, then physical comfort will not bring any relief. When we are overcome by mental suffering - heavy thoughts or internal dissatisfaction - physical comfort simply ceases to exist. The beauty of the surroundings or clothes no longer matters: a person under stress or depression does not want to enjoy food or other things.

Harming others even mentally is the same as harming yourself

Lack of peace in the soul can poison even the most prosperous, comfortable existence. Another thing that needs to be said about peace is not just the absence of violence. Let's remember the times cold war: it was “peace,” but poisoned by the fear of a neutron bomb, a nuclear confrontation. Real world- it is something connected with the warmth of the heart, with the inability to think about harming others.

The opposition between “I” and “they” ceases to exist in the real world. To a small child It is important to separate your “I” from the world around you in order to develop correctly, but as a person - and humanity - grows up, the opposition of one’s interests and those of others is no longer beneficial to development. And here's why: the idea that “I” and “they” are separate, independent concepts shows its inconsistency in the world where we live. Modern man- is no longer a farmer who can live by eating what the land provides, making his own clothes.

If you expand your “we” to the limits of humanity, then there will be no one to resist, no one to fear and hate

Today we are all extremely dependent on our environment: public services, the media, our cars and supermarkets. That is, from other people. Harm others even mentally while doing so high degree addiction is like harming yourself. To achieve external and inner world we need external and internal “disarmament”.

What does it mean? Stop thinking in terms of “us” and “them”. Once, at one of the informal meetings in Brussels, I half-jokingly expressed the idea that the European Union needs to be expanded: first to include the whole Eastern Europe, and then invite Russia. And eventually move the headquarters from Brussels to Moscow. Then all chances for military confrontation will be exhausted and the space will be naturally demilitarized. Military factories would produce useful things - and this could be economically justified.

If you expand your “we” to the limits of humanity, then there will be no one to resist, no one to fear and hate. This means finding a world where nothing is “yours”, because it all belongs to you. Peace in the soul. And all over the world.

How to find peace and inner peace. Three sources mental strength

Where to get strength? When everything is bad, when everything is very, very bad - and the world is not nice, and life is not a success, and everyone around seems to have conspired to ruin life, and no one, no one loves... What to do? If you’ve already decided that the baby you carry under your heart needs them, should you give them?

Then it makes sense first of all look into yourself.

Feel the silver springs inside.

Gold placers.

We turn the gate. Slowly, swinging on a chain, a wooden bucket full of cold life-giving water rises from the cool depths.

We touch our lips and greedily, spilling on bare feet ice water We drink from the spring that feeds the well of the soul.

Yes, each of us, sisters, has our own reserves, sources that we can turn to in times of sorrow.

But it may not help. Maybe the well will dry up, become shallow, so that only silt and dirt will remain at the bottom.