51. Beware of signing contracts that bind them, especially if there are any benefits and lures on the fishing line. This can involve you in an organization that will limit and force your freedom and free will, and in effect you will turn out to be a god-fighter and an ungodly person, than which there is nothing more dangerous and destructive.
52. For important and responsible matters, ask for a written order.
53. Don’t have illusions and don’t enjoy mirages. Many of those who seem to you to be well-off, if you look more carefully into their lives, you will find that they have entangled themselves in such nets that they will never be able to get out of them, and will perish as they are here. on earth as well as in eternity. For example, ask yourself the question: “Why do many who seem to be prosperous smoke, drink and serve the vices that enslave them?”
54. Be absolutely humble in front of everyone. Being low to the ground, there is nowhere to push you to smash your head. If you don’t stick your nose out, you won’t be hit by a deadly bullet. Earthly life is a forest.
55. It is better not to talk about the things that excite the passions.
56. The human soul is an impregnable fortress. God has entrusted the keys to it to us. We are the ones who, by our obedience to demons, are handing these keys into the hands of the wicked to destroy us.
57. Those whom you judge and accuse, you take upon yourself their guilt.
58. The most profitable investment, the most profitable deposit is virtue and charity.
59. God favors nothing so much as the removal of pride clinging to the soul. However your relations and circumstances may change towards you, your soul must remain in the same unaltered simple and virtuous disposition and condition.
60. It is better to sit at an empty table than at a table with harmful and poisonous dishes.
61. Strive with all your might for virtue, but hope more in the Lord than in your good works.
62. What you suffer for only gets a price if you don’t pollute it with your powerless words and self-promotion.
63. Imps are afraid of order.
64. Often the external unity of people leads to deep internal disunity.
65. If you do not get rid of your loose behavior with people, you will fail in all your affairs and you will never be prosperous.
66. The carnal man will betray you even if you warn him.
67. When the devil cannot fail you in matters of faith, he incites you to condemnation, fornication, anger, to trap you in moral sin.
68. Hard and gentle! Meek and firm!
69. Authority is connected with dignified Christian humility. The right view is to do everything in your power in the direction of your aspirations. Only then pray, expecting everything from God’s mercy.
70. The question is not whether you are right or wrong. It all comes down to opportunity. If you do not have the opportunity now, postpone the battle or your intention until you gather strength and means, keep silent and wait for the time.
71. Trust no one and do not reveal your heart.
72. For nothing in the world do not slander, slander and judge even in relation to your greatest enemies. Do not ally yourself with the powerful and the rich. Don’t testify, especially in divorce cases.
73. You should always be a man! But is it manly to judge, debauchery and chatter hot-not-boiling?!
74. For every good thing the devil has made a false duplicate, which you must be able to recognize.
75. Do not be like a horse that any man and rabies can eat. Be serious, firm and steady.
76. No attempt to stop the decaying process in the Church. This is pointless and dangerous today! Use God’s commandments and avoid talking about religion and politics. The power is in silence, prayer, self-absorption in one’s own heart cell. Be invisible like a beetle under a leaf. Guard your conscience, by no means flaunting it or discrediting it in front of anyone. Don’t be direct and specific, or probe the subtleties in front of people. If you do not observe this, then they will force you to change your faith.
77. Remember your sins and you will be convinced that you are always worthy of punishment.
78. Anger does not arise from disease, but from pride. In order not to give in to irritability and anger, you should not rush. Be very careful about yourself not to offend anyone with the appearance of contempt.
79. If you accept people in the name of God, then everyone will be kind to you.
80. Work hard in your affairs and you will drive away laziness, despondency and boredom, and if you pray patiently, you will be delivered from many evils.
81. When a gloomy mood attacks you, do not forget to rebuke yourself, remembering how guilty you are before God. Realize that you are not worthy of anything better and you will immediately get relief from dark, unpleasant thoughts. If you feel restless, repeat often: “Seek peace.”
82. Self-justification is a great sin. You keep sinning, then keep repenting. Thus, in the end, if death finds you in remorse, you will be saved. Do you regret it? Then with alms straighten your life and cleanse yourself from your sins.
83. When you are at enmity against someone, you offend God, and please the devil – an enemy.
84. There are no trifles in the world. Everything in the world has its price and consequences.
85. Failure to follow the advice of the wise leads to misfortune.
86. True repentance does not require days and years, but often, as with the thief on the cross, only a moment.
87. Great good and evil always begin from the small and the imperceptible.
88. Do not forget that the robber was a robber for thirty years and, having repented, entered Paradise, and Judas was with the Lord all his life, but in the end he betrayed Him.
89. If they praise you, do not say anything, relax your head and eyes and be silent, or else indicate the reason – God’s gift.
90. Do good only for God and do not pay any attention to the choir’s ingratitude. Expect reward only from the Lord. If you expect any thanks here on earth, you labor in vain and suffer privations in vain. Man is by nature ungrateful.
91. Our attention must be directed to our inner life so that we do not notice what is happening around us. Then we will not judge. Let us not be too bitter about the injustices here and treat them indifferently. Justice does not live on our land. We await a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells. Don’t be bitter if people don’t value you and are unfair. You work for God, not for people. Show mercy to others, but be strict with yourself. You will not be responsible for others, so watch not them, but yourself, because you will only be responsible for yourself.
92. It is better to anticipate and be silent than to speak and then regret.
93. He who thinks he has virtue loses it.
94. Do not pray or do alms so that you are seen! This is Christ’s command.
95. He is wise who sees the good in everyone and the bad in himself; the stupid sees the bad in everyone, and considers himself the most worthy.
96. When you wake up, say: “Glory be to You, God!” and do not remember your dreams.
97. When you work, say to yourself: “Lord, have mercy!”.
98. Do not speak in church, such a habit brings sorrows.
99. When you pray diligently, beware – temptations will follow.
100. After confession and communion, ask God to protect you from returning to your former sins. If you want to do something that you shouldn’t, remember that you will have to confess it and God may not forgive you, precisely because you persist, knowing that it is not good, but you do it.
101. If you do not believe in signs and dreams and the like, they will not come true.
102. With people, especially those who are not of your sex, you should not treat freely, so as not to serve as a temptation.
103. The beam you have in your eyes when you judge others is pride – you must first of all remove it from yourself. The proud is healed by God with inner sorrows, and the humble endures everything that comes from people, telling himself that he is worthy of it. Be respectful to everyone, but not flattering. Bow and go quickly. Look to the earth, for there you will go. Humility requires yielding to others by submitting to the younger and considering yourself the worst. He who gives in gains more. Humble yourself and all your works will start. If someone is angry with you, ask them why. If someone is angry with you, please them. Keep quiet in front of everyone and everyone will love you.
104. When you are angry with someone, it is better to joke. Don’t be rude. When asked for advice, it’s best to say, “I don’t know what to say.” Laugh a little. Laughter casts out the fear of God.
105. If blasphemous thoughts about God and holy things assail you, or you condemn, reproach yourself in pride, and pay no attention to your thoughts.
106. In order to keep the fear of God in yourself, fulfill His commands, asking Him to help you in this.
107. You must not be a people pleaser. You better keep quiet. Silence is superior to people-pleasing.
108. Do not tell where what is being done and do not pass on other people’s affairs.
109. God loves works.
110. While we are on earth, we cannot be without sorrows anywhere.
111. Always adhere to the rule: where you do not foresee success, do not begin to act there.
112. Life for God – this is our earthly vocation.
113. On earth we need no attachments, neither to wealth, nor to fame, nor to fame, nor to pleasures. Everything is temporary and after the narrow and dark grave, they will not follow us.
114. In order for your prayers to be heard, first pray for your enemies, so that God will help you, despite the fact that you have become His enemy with your sins. Secondly, stretch out your hands to those in need and according to your strength, satisfy them, because only in this way you will be able to reach the height of the merciful God. Third, don’t forget to ask God to strengthen your faith. After that, it is necessary to be humble, so that God’s blessings can flow to this lowland.
115. In your attitude towards people and especially towards your friends, always keep in mind a thought that is contained in the oldest book of the Bible, dedicated to the long-suffering Job: “He who condemns his friend to a spoil, his children’s eyes run out.” In connection with this thought St. John Chrysostom noted that God is not offended by anything as much as by the offense we inflict on our friends. And you always be kind to your friends, even when, as people, they have sinned against you in some way.
116. Your successes will be so much greater, the clearer the image of the virtues you draw in your heart.
117. Do you have a competition coming up or another decisive and important moment in your life? Before that, it is necessary to concentrate – this is done with silence and prayer. Go into seclusion and in this way instill in your soul a gracious power that alone can bestow lasting victory.
118. Almost always, when we are in good physical and mental condition, breakdowns happen. It is because we forget ourselves. We drop the position of caution and restraint. Successes are most easily lost the moment they are won. The ancient ascetics taught us to adhere to a moderate but constant diet and behavior. Be very careful exactly when you feel the best because of some success of yours. The fruits of your many efforts can be lost in a moment of carelessness.
119. Christ demands that we be like children. The child feels confident holding his father’s hand. He has no doubt that the good father will give him whatever he wants. When we pray to God, we should have that same childlike, living faith in our Heavenly Father. This is one of the conditions for our prayers to be heard. It is a gift from God, and therefore before you pray for any need, first of all, ask God to deliver you from disbelief and strengthen your faith.
120. I have observed you that during the singing you get moved and shed tears. This is a very clear proof of the touch of Divine power and grace to your heart. However, be careful not to fool yourself (self-seduce, seduce yourself). In general, feelings are something impermanent and we shouldn’t trust them too much. But especially for spiritual singing, it is known that many of the saints received strong faith thanks to it. And you are doing well to listen to our wonderful church choir.
Note: The soul-beneficial teachings of Archbishop Seraphim Sobolev were recorded by his spiritual child, Nikola Mutafchiev, and were published in the book “The Sofia Wonderworker Seraphim for the Secrets of Victory”, Sofia, 2003.
About the author: Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev) of Boguchar is one of the most prominent clergymen of our time. Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church, whose episcopal ministry is almost entirely in Bulgaria. He was solemnly glorified as a newly canonized saint – Unfathomable joy overwhelmed the souls of thousands of Christians who filled the patriarchal cathedral “St. Alexander Nevsky”, to become part of this significant spiritual celebration ¬ the glorification of St. Seraphim, Archbishop Bogucharski, Sofia Miracle Worker, which took place on February 26, 2016.
Photo: Miraculous Icon of Ever-Virgin Mother of God. Batchkovo monastery – Bulgaria / Ikoni Mahnevi, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057324623799
