Orthodox Life
Sayings of the Optina elders about diseases and treatment.
"The Sick Musician" 1859. M.P.Klodt
“Body illness serves to heal the soul; we cannot boast without having it. Glory and thanksgiving to the Lord, who heals us with tart guidance!”
Venerable Macarius of Optina
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While going through your letter again, I noticed in it your cowardice about your illnesses.
You write that the Lord does not visit you with illnesses out of love, but punishes you for sins, and if you knew that it was out of love, you would better endure it. How is it possible that God does not visit you out of love? What if the punishment itself comes from the love of God? Read in the Epistle to the Hebrews in the 12th chapter: For the Lord loves him and punishes him, and beats every son whom he accepts
.”
Venerable Macarius of Optina
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“It doesn’t matter that you’re sick, it’s cleansing for sinful people; Just as rust from fire cleanses iron, so illness heals the soul..."
Rev. Anatoly (Zertsalov)
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“Illnesses and unpleasant incidents are sent to us for the benefit of our soul, and, above all, for our humility and so that we lead our lives more prudently and judiciously...”
Reverend Ambrose
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“We must thank God for illness, for it cleanses sins.”
Venerable Joseph of Optina
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“Glory to God that you have been honored to be a partaker of the Most Pure Mysteries of Christ, and do not be faint-hearted about the fact that you did not fast. Yes, you, suffering in body, endure the greater feat of fasting.”
Venerable Macarius of Optina
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“So the cause of our mental and physical illnesses is our sins. Similarly, medicine is the same: a suffering person must carefully examine himself, remember all the sins he has committed since the age of seven, and especially recognize the sin that is the cause of the illness. Then he must sincerely confess all these sins before the priest, reconcile with his neighbors, abandon all anger against them and set a firm intention and begin not to turn to old sins again, and, finally, with contrition, begin to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ.”
Venerable Hilarion of Optina
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“If there is no illness or any infirmity at all, then unction is not necessary, because during unction they pray for healing, they pray for physical and mental health. Physical health is not and is not always given to everyone, for the Lord knows what is healthier for us. And spiritual things are always served.”
Venerable Nikon of Optina
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“...Are you sick again? So you don't remember my medicine. I told you: constantly say the Jesus Prayer, and you will be healthy. After all, I didn’t give you this advice out of the blue, but after experiencing it well in practice. It is true that being sick is good for a young person. But it is even better for a healthy person to serve God in body and spirit.”
Rev. Anatoly (Zertsalov)
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“The Jesus Prayer is also asked of the sick,” write the Holy Fathers.”
Venerable Joseph of Optina
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“We shouldn’t grieve over someone’s health, the Lord knows better than us who benefits from what: health or illness, our duty is to pray. The Lord said: “Pray for one another, that you may be healed.”
Venerable Joseph of Optina
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“You ask me, a sinner, whether in ordinary illnesses I should always expect miraculous healing by prayerfully resorting to God’s help, and whether it is not a sin to use simple means. There is no sin in this; because everything is from the Lord God, both the remedies and the doctors themselves. And the sin does not consist in the fact that a person resorts to medical aids; but if the patient places all hope for recovery in one doctor and medical remedies, forgetting that everything depends on the All-Good and Almighty God, Who is One, who wants them, lives or dies.”
Venerable Ambrose of Optina
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“The Lord created doctors and medicines. You can’t refuse treatment.”
Venerable Nikon of Optina
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“In your last letter, you directly said that you are afraid of breast cancer. And every disease is serious, even more so than the disease of cancer; but there is nothing to do, one must submit to this. God knows better than we do which disease is suitable for the purification of passions and sins. It is not in vain that St. Ephraim writes: pain is more painful than illness, but the passing of vain illnesses is illness.
You yourself know that this illness mostly comes from an anxious state of mind...”
Venerable Ambrose of Optina
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“Your wife’s illness may have been your own fault: either you did not honor holidays in marital relations, or did not observe marital fidelity, for which you are punished by your wife’s illness, since it is pleasant for a husband to always have a healthy wife. If you try to sincerely correct your life and sincerely accept the truth of the Orthodox confession, then the Lord is strong to restore health to your wife, if only it will be useful to both of you, the All-merciful Lord always arranges only what is useful, soul-saving and salutary.”
Venerable Ambrose of Optina
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“You sit more, where should you stand? In illness this is not required.”
Venerable Ambrose of Optina
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“If you are sick, do not go to the temple of God. - What to do? After all, everyone sees and knows that you do not go home due to illness, and no one punishes you for it. And the Lord does not seek from a person feats beyond his strength. So don’t be embarrassed.”
Venerable Joseph of Optina
About lustful thoughts. Soulful instructions of the Optina elders
If you obey the thoughts that draw you into the world and bring you pleasure from carnal pleasures, then what is crazier than that? Be sure that you will not receive consolation for a short time, but you will always find torment and torment of conscience; when you resist, then with the help of God the enemy will run away from you (St. Macarius).When you happen to fall through the accumulation and captivity of thoughts into mental darkness and captivity, then, without becoming rigid, fall to the Lord with repentance, humility and contrition of heart, and do not give in to despair, which is still worse than passion itself. Look for guilt, where did this come from that you suffered so much? And the guilt is: pride, opinion about oneself, humiliation and condemnation of others, sweet eating, excessive rest, association with the opposite sex, and try to get away as much as possible from all of this, and even more so try to humble yourself, for, according to the word of the Holy Climacus: where there is a fall , tamo was preceded by pride (Degree 23). Do not become rigid in revelation, and this leads to humility, exposing yourself to others; Do you remember when you hid that you were hurt? (Venerable Macarius).
But do you want to know about the lustful movement? If it simply moves, without our will, but from nature, this is not victory. But one must not enjoy it, but despise oneself, ask for help from God and find guilt in oneself; for, besides nature, this warfare is allowed for exaltation, for condemnation, for excessive rest and permission (for food). St. has all this in detail. Isaac the Syrian in the 77th Word (Venerable Macarius).
You won’t die from thoughts that you don’t love and at least try to get rid of. Just repent and humble yourself. And God will forgive you. And the fact that the enemy pictures worldly life and marriage for you is his usual thing. Both in ancient and modern times, fornication and imaginary worldly peace are the very first weapons of the devil against monks. But when you get carried away by them and then repent, God will not make you sin (Venerable Anatoly).
...Do not betray your autocracy to first-thought excuses, which, when added to them, kindle sweetness in the body (St. Macarius).
The remedies for lustful thoughts are: humility, self-reproach, abstinence, and most of all - love for your neighbors - for the weak, infirm, sick, sisters captive to passions (Venerable Anatoly).
The most severe battles of thought: fornication, despondency. We must humble ourselves. Humility attracts God's help. The corrupting effect of lustful thoughts from enjoying them - the grace of God recedes for a long time, which can be attracted again only by sincere repentance and abstinence from these thoughts (Venerable Nikon).
...Passionate waves and “storms” overwhelm your soul through thoughts and sleepy dreams, and in them you find yourself guilty of negligence, laziness and other things. It is fair that you give guilt, but in all these attempts of yours, always bring repentance to God with a contrite heart and constant self-reproach, and God will not allow the enemy to dominate your heart, only you yourself, as much as possible, resist passionate thoughts, do not allow them to reach your heart, but resort to God through prayer and awareness of your weakness. “It’s good not to have any conversations about passionate matters, except for the revelation of your “spiritual” mother, which would be very useful for you, but I see that because of them you will stiffen in front of her with shame, and this is a form of pride (Rev. A lion).
...You mention that sometimes you are overcome by lustful thoughts and the love of money; not having such thoughts at all is characteristic only of angelic nature, and not of human nature. For us, if and when something happens and we crawl, we immediately run with repentance, and reproach ourselves to the Heavenly Doctor; The humane Lord not only forgives our countless sins, but also accepts those who truly repent as sons; for this reason, He, who came to earth, began to call sinners first, so that none of us would despair of our salvation (Venerable Leo).
Humble yourself before those younger than you, live a temperate life, do not eat to the point of satiety, for this multiplies your thoughts. If you hold yourself very boldly and freely, then you will not escape the fierce carnal struggle (St. Joseph).
One should not understand passionate and sinful thoughts, but use the spiritual sword against them. I’m telling you and V., but thinking about passionate thoughts and analyzing them only strengthens them. May the Lord protect everyone from addiction. You need to confess your thoughts with heartfelt contrition, with awareness of your sinfulness, with repentance, and you also need to listen to confession with prayer, then there will be no harm. And there is no need to make unnecessary conversations or detailed explanations (Venerable Joseph).
This means that the evil one is deceiving you and flattering you. When under the pressure of prodigal thoughts, place bows according to your strength. And without war, not a single soul entered heaven. The winners get married (Venerable Anatoly).
Use the spiritual sword against unclean thoughts—the name of God. Repentance must be brought to the Lord; One should not hide it from one’s spiritual father. The declared scabs will soon be healed (St. Joseph).
“Sinful thoughts and the fight against them”
History of Optina Pustyn
In a picturesque place in the Kaluga region, four kilometers from the city of Kozelsk, at the edge of a pine forest, there is a monastery. It is separated from the bustle of the world by the calm waters of the Zhizdra River. Archaeological excavations indicate that life existed in this area back in 1213. The true date of the appearance of the monastery is unknown. In ancient books of 1629 this territory was first mentioned as Makaryevskaya Optina Pustyn.
There are three versions of the origin of the monastery. Each is based on certain meager information obtained from ancient books or legends that have reached contemporaries.
Version one
Prince Vladimir the Brave led the Russian army that defended the Principality of Moscow from the Horde and Lithuanian invaders in the eighties of the 12th century. Born on the fortieth day after the death of his father, Vladimir from childhood was reverent about God's providence for the events of his own life. In his mature years, he had respect for the monks and their way of life. Having finished his military exploits, he founded a monastery on the banks of the Zhizdra River. There is an opinion that the monastery was built by the prince’s heirs, obeying his dying wish.
Version two
In the seventies of the XIV century, in the place where the shrine is now located, there was a path connecting local residents with the Kozel Principality. The road went through a forest in which robbers lived. The most cruel of them was a robber named Opta.
Towards the end of his life, he heard the voice of God, commanding him to correct the atrocities committed. The robber repented of his sinful life. He built a monastery near the site of previous crimes. He lived as a hermit and prayed to God for forgiveness of sins. Later he took monasticism and the monastic name Macarius. Other repentant sinners began to move into his monastery in the hope of God’s mercy. Since then, the name of the monastery has stuck - Makaryevskaya Optina Pustyn.
Version three
During the reign of Boris Godunov - the nineties of the 15th century, the empty area near Kozelsk was given royal permission to monks and nuns who wanted to live separately from the worldly people. The hermits built a monastery, dividing it into two parts - male and female halves. In former times, monks and nuns living in one place were called optinas. This is how the name Optina Pustyn appeared.
Whatever the true origin of the haven of the acquirers of God's grace, one thing remains unchanged - the life of the Optina elders teaches people spirituality, piety, compassion, and life in harmony with the will of God. The instructions of the holy fathers are still relevant today.
Who are the Optina Elders?
Spiritual life is not an easy process. Other people believe that it is enough to keep God’s commandments for the soul to remain in goodness. But these instructions can be honored in different ways. It is one thing to consciously limit oneself in desires, passions, and temptations; it is another thing to feel in the limitations the joy of life, a great gift from above, the opportunity to get closer to the Savior.
The Laws of Truth do not lie in violent influence on the individual, but in the internal need for Truth. Such spiritual rules were revealed to ordinary people by the Optina elders. Each of them was the spiritual leader of hundreds of lay people who sought advice, help, and support.
The life of the Optina elders is a clear example of the superiority of spirituality over physical needs. The life of the monks was simple, the food was monotonous. Prayer, work, helping others were the only needs of the inhabitants of the monastery.
The heyday of Optina monasticism came in the thirties of the 18th century. During this period, the mentor of the monastery was Hieroschemamonk Anthony. Under the leadership of the elders were monks - novices and young monks who lived in the monastery. The laity was received by abbot Moses, elders Leo, Macarius, and Ambrose.
The reverend fathers conducted not only a personal reception. Many who needed advice and guidance could not come to the desert. Sacks of letters arrived in Optina. And each one did not go unnoticed. How the monks managed to penetrate into every destiny and find the right word for a person - only God knows. For the elders there were no trifles. They understood that everything in life has a price and consequences.
Elder Leo
Elder Lev Optina demonstrated a striking example of monastic feat and service to others with his own life.
The decision to devote himself to God had been ripening in his heart since his youth. Born on October 24, 1768 into a poor family, from a young age Lev Nagolkin worked as a worker for a merchant in the city of Bolkhov, Oryol province. Seeing Leo’s diligence, efficiency, and virtuous life, the owner invited him to marry his daughter. Having other life plans, the future elder refused the lucrative offer.
Having left his native place, the young man went in search of life for the benefit of serving the Creator, being confident that “all circumstances are for the good of those who love God.”
Lev entered Optina Pustyn at the age of 28. Service with the merchant did the young man good - he knew well both the life of the nobility and the life of the common people, studied the territory of almost all of Russia, and understood military and naval service.
The knowledge was useful to Father Leo as a spiritual mentor. Since people in different parts of Russia needed his help, he had to change many monasteries. Wherever he lived, he was known everywhere as a humble servant of God, who showed extraordinary philanthropy towards his neighbors.
His failing health at the end of his seventh decade forced him to stop traveling. The elder returned to Optina Pustyn. There he was found by a graduate of the Tambov Theological Seminary, Alexander Grenkov, the future Ambrose of Optinsky.
Elder Ambrose
Sasha Grenkov was born on November 23, 1812 into a large family of sexton Mikhail and his wife Marfa, who lived in the village of Bolshaya Lipovitsa, Tambov province. The couple had eight children - four sons and four daughters. Sasha became the sixth child. Before his birth, Mikhail's father, being the priest of the village, received many guests. Since there was a crowd of people in the house and in front of it, Martha was transferred to the bathhouse. Sasha was born there.
Subsequently, Elder Ambrose joked: “Just as I was born in public, so I still live in public.” Being a lively, smart, cheerful boy, Sasha was brought up in a God-loving environment. He learned to read from the psalter, and on holidays he sang in the choir with his father.
Having successfully graduated from theological seminary, Alexander did not enter the academy. He did not become a priest either. An inner sense of a special calling prevented him from “fitting in” to a certain position. The young man taught at the Lipetsk Theological School and gave private lessons. His cheerful disposition, wit, and kindness aroused the sincere love of his friends and colleagues for Alexander.
At the age of 24, the young man was overtaken by a serious illness. Then he decided: “If I recover, I will become a monk.” The illness subsided, but Alexander put off fulfilling his vow, although he remembered it every hour. One day, secluded from a noisy company, he stood on the bank of a stream, and suddenly in the murmur of the waters he heard: “Praise God, love God.”
Alexander did not have a strong will, so he asked the local elder Hilarion for advice. He recommended the young man to go to Optina Pustyn. But it was difficult to decide to break with the world. The incident dispelled doubts. Once, while visiting, Alexander made those present laugh with his witty stories. When everyone left, the young man did not feel remorse, as had happened before in similar situations. His entire imagination was occupied by his vow to God. The young man spent the whole night in prayer.
The next morning, secretly from everyone, he fled to Optina. He did not even obtain permission from the diocesan leadership, which was necessary in those days for graduates of theological seminaries. It was October 1839.
At the monastery the young man was met by Elder Lev Optinsky. He sincerely fell in love with the novice Sasha, settled the formalities with his superiors, and until the end of his days he was Alexander’s spiritual mentor.
In 1842, Elder Leo died. A year later, the monk Alexander was tonsured a monk and named Ambrose.
Having poor health, Father Ambrose rarely left the monastery. In the last years of his life, at his personal request, he moved to a cell near the border of the monastery. There he spent his days in prayer and received visitors as best he could. Elder Ambrose of Optina was distinguished by his foresight combined with prudence. His instructions were passed on from generation to generation. And today the sayings of the holy fathers are relevant.
What you need to know about reading a prayer
People who decide to turn to the Lord if their life turns out to be difficult and sad get a chance to improve the situation. You may note that the beginning of the day becomes the ideal time for the path of life to be illuminated by Divine Light and begin to be filled with grace. After troubles try to burst into life again, the Lord will be able to hear the desperate cry of the soul and immediately lend a helping hand.
The daily prayer, which came to us from the Optina elders, includes two versions, and the morning and evening variations turn out to be effective. There is an opportunity to receive heavenly protection, combining confidence in a happy future, real support and sincere support from higher powers. Every person who entrusts himself to the Lord can note favorable changes in his lifestyle and learn to see the positive sides almost always.
To achieve lasting results, it is advisable to recite the text daily. You can write a prayer on a small piece of paper and then carry it with you. Even if your morning does not fit into a standard schedule and you cannot pray, take a moment before the start of your work or school day to say unique words and guarantee protection from a sad mood, rash and hasty actions. You will gain wisdom and the ability to be focused, regardless of the circumstances.
