Holy Practical Advice From the Optina Elders

LOVE OF NEIGHBOUR

"May the Lord give you the wisdom and the strength to bear one another's burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ, as well as love and peace. May the mistakes, faults and sins of the brethren be mine. "



"You must bear the spiritual infirmities of your brother gladly, and without annoyance. For when someone is physically ill, we are not only not annoyed with him, but we are exemplary in our care for him; we should also set an example in cases of spiritual illness."



"If you must correct or reprimand someone, first pray to God for him in your heart. At times you think that the brother will not accept correction, but if you pray for him first, beyond your expectations you will see that he listens to the reprimand peacefully and indeed corrects himself. "



"If you want to be spiritually tranquil, never part from someone while feeling agitated, but try in every way to forgive everyone in your soul and to make peace as much as possible, so that you will part with each other in a peaceful spirit, and in this way you will enjoy spiritual peace."

~St. Moses

FAITH

"Guard the holy faith, that priceless treasure, and with it enter the Kingdom: it is not for something trivial that we labour, but for acquiring a kingdom, and what a kingdom - a heavenly one! We want to be made its citizens. "


"There was a wealthy man who became destitute; this was difficult, but it could be overcome. There was a healthy man who became ill, and this to could be remedied, for with the poor and the sick, there is always Christ. However, if you lose your faith, it is a great tragedy. It is truly terrible for such a man, for he has no support. "

~St. Barsanuphius



"A time of trial has now come; do we have faith? A person can maintain his faith who believes fervently and sincerely, to whom God is the dearest of all. Only he who guards himself from every sin can guard his faith, according to the Gospel: Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil (John 3:19). "


"There are times when the Lord permits a person to feel as if he has been abandoned, yet He still guards and leads his soul to salvation. This allowance by God can even pertain to an entire group of the faithful. Our primary concern is to preserve the Faith of Christ. If we keep our faith, it is the hope of our salvation. One must guard his faith and avoid every sin. "

~St. Nikon



"I implore you to live piously in order that you might preserve your Orthodox faith, in order that no one and nothing, no circumstances and no kind of sorrow can turn you away from it. For this you absolutely must pray, seeking God's help to keep your faith pure."

St. Nikon



"In the Holy Gospel, the Lord Himself says: Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves (Matt. 10:16). According to commentaries, the wisdom of the serpent consists of the fact that when a serpent is attacked, it first of all protects its head; similarly, in times of misfortune and difficult circumstances, the Christian must first of all protect his faith. Secondly, the wisdom of the serpent consists of the fact that when it wants to shed its old skin, it slithers into a tight space, otherwise it will not be able to shed his skin. Likewise with the Christian, if he wishes to shed himself of the "old man", he must take the narrow path, according to the Gospel teaching. The harmlessness of the dove consists in gentleness and forgiveness of offences, vexations and similar things. "

St. Ambrose



"A woman cannot live without faith. Either she lives for a period of time without faith and then soon returns to faith in God, or she quickly begins to go to pieces. It is another matter for a man: it is possible for him to live without faith. He hardens completely and becomes a pillar of salt, and so he lives, stiff and cold. But a woman cannot live like this. "

St. Barsanuphius