Hello!
I have very little will to live. I understand that this is a sin, but I am often visited by an unwillingness to live, sometimes very strong and obsessive. I try to repent and improve. But for now, this is all repeating itself. I do not know how to do anything well, I have no friends. And now the brain works poorly and I do not cope well with my duties at work. How to get out of this?
Helena.
What is depression from the point of view of Orthodoxy? How can you get rid of this if the doctors cannot help?
Valentine.

Hello Elena and Valentine. For the reason that your questions are about the same subject, let me answer them in one article.
Depression, as psychiatry calls it, is a disease of the soul that afflicts humanity as it falls away from God. However, modern psychiatric science does not even have two centuries in its history. Meanwhile, since ancient times, the Church has performed the function of caring for the mentally ill. In patristic literature, the term "despondency" is used to denote this disease.
Recently I had to read an article by one, apparently, a little church person, who indignantly writes, they say, how is this such a terrible disease, and the Church calls it a sin? To resolve this bewilderment, let us recall that in the tradition of the Eastern Church, the consequence of any deeply rooted sin is illness (passion), therefore we do not sin at all, calling it a sin.
According to the teaching of the Fathers of the Church, despondency is the loss of that spiritual joy in God, which is nourished by the hope of His merciful providence for us.
A saddened monk (and every person - I.S.) does not know spiritual pleasure. (Venerable Nilus of Sinai). This is a painful condition in which the love of prayer is deprived of people who are engaged in the salvation of their souls, a melancholy mood penetrates into the soul, which becomes constant over time, a feeling of loneliness, abandonment by relatives, loved ones, all people in general and even God comes. Sometimes this mental illness is expressed in anger, irritability.
The Holy Fathers, listing eight destructive passions leading to spiritual death in proportion to their growing danger, ranked despondency in sixth place. The beginning of despondency is lack of faith. If it takes possession of a person, then gradually his faith in God, hope in Him and love for Him fade away, and the person comes to despair. Despondency is a kind of severe spiritual illness. Sadness and grief, if they are not rooted in a person, are not a disease. They are inevitable on our earthly path. “In the world you will have sorrow; but take heart: I have overcome the world, ”the Lord says to his disciples (John 16:33).
Why is this state - "the dull sleep of the soul" - considered sinful? Because, say the Holy Fathers, despondency is often the result of a forgotten Fall or a hidden, imperceptible other passion: envy, prodigal incitement, ambition, avarice, desire for revenge on the offender. The cause of despondency is also overwork from oppressive worries. Often discouragement comes from excessive and arbitrary exploits in especially zealous Christians.
To get rid of this sinful disease, the Church offers us, first of all, repentance, prayer and other deeds in fulfilling the Gospel commandments. The Monk Elijah Ekdik admonishes us: “Do not be discouraged, considering the difficulty of your mental illness; but using the most effective remedies against her of pre-difficult exploits, remove yourself from her, if you sincerely care about the health of your soul. " The Monk Nilus of Sinai says the same: “In every deed, determine a measure for yourself and do not leave it before you finish; also - pray rationally and intensely, and the spirit of despondency flees from you ”.
A Christian who has become impoverished in prayer and indulged in despondency must first of all try to find the cause of his oppressive passion, the sinful desire that caused it, and enter into a struggle with it. And even before that, say St. Fathers, - with what will he strike this sinful desire, the spirit of prayer, even especially fervent, will return to him for one determination to overcome evil in himself.
There is despondency due to earthly reasons - surging troubles and sorrows that do not depend on us. But there is also despondency from disbelief in the Providence of God, disobedience to it, anger, and murmurings. We must be afraid of such a state and ask God for forgiveness and help, and then the spirit of despondency will leave us, and in sorrow the consolation of God will certainly come and be accepted by the soul, surpassing all the comforts of the earth.

Despondency is a state of a person when nothing pleases him, does not give him pleasure. Also in this case, there is complete apathy and depression. Usually, such emotional experiences are reflected in health. In religious literature, this state of the human soul is described, clergymen attribute it to mortal sins. Therefore, it is considered a bad act to become discouraged. Why not dwell on the negative? Consider the topic from both a religious and psychological point of view.

Negative influence

What dangers does despondency hide for a person?

1. The main one is that longing extends to both the mental and physical condition of a person. He does not want to do anything, meet with anyone, talk, and so on.
2. As a rule, people of an egoistic nature are subject to this state, since most of their time they are busy with their person. They think about themselves, dig themselves, and so on.
3. The danger is that if you do not try to get out of this state, you can fall into complete despair.
4. One of the symptoms of discouragement is depression. This condition is considered a disease in some countries. It should be treated under the supervision of specialists.
5. Failure to get out of a state of discouragement can lead to thoughts of suicide.
6. In a depressed state, a person's thoughts can come to the conclusion that he is nothing and life has no meaning.
7. This condition leads to a decrease in working capacity. It also brings a lot of trouble to the people around. It can be difficult to communicate with someone who is in a state of despondency. Not everyone is capable of patiently treating a person with this attitude.

What are the signs that you can tell if a person is in sadness?

Despondency is a condition that can be identified by both external and internal signs. There are two main gradations. By them, you can also determine the presence of despondency. The first includes the emotional characteristics that are inherent in this state. The second includes physical manifestations.

What is the manifestation of the emotional state of a person in despondency?

1. Feelings of pity and resentment for oneself.
2. The impossibility of expecting anything good. The person who is experiencing despondency is not doing well.
3. Anxious mood.
4. Bad feelings.
5. An underestimate of oneself. A person thinks that there is no happiness in life.
6. What used to bring positive emotions does not bring any joy in a state of despondency.
7. Indifference to everything that happens appears.

What physical characteristics appear when discouraged?

1. Having trouble sleeping.
2. A person starts to eat a lot or, on the contrary, his appetite decreases.
3. Rapid fatigue appears.

Behavior change

What features of behavior are present in a person in a state of despondency?

1. Passive life position.
2. Unwillingness to communicate with family and friends.
3. Alcohol or drug abuse may begin. This is done in order to escape from reality.

Changes in thoughts

What changes in consciousness can occur in a person who is in despondency?

1. It becomes difficult to concentrate on anything.
2. A person cannot make informed decisions, he hesitates. Even after making a choice, he doubts whether he did the right thing.
3. Pessimistic attitude, there is no happiness in life.
4. Lethargy appears in thought processes.

We conquer the disease

How can you overcome discouragement? This can be done through three main practices that can help a person cope with the condition.

1. The help of a specialist, namely a psychologist. If a person is depressed, the doctor may prescribe special medications. They will help you get out of this situation.
2. Religion and belief in God help people reassess their values ​​and look at life in a different way.
3. Supporting the spirit through sports activities. It is necessary to engage in physical education and lead a healthy lifestyle.

Despondency is a state in which a person feels depressed and unnecessary. At the first manifestations, an effort should be made to get out of apathy. You can't give in to despondency, you need to force yourself to switch to other activities and stop digging yourself.

Discouragement in modern society

Unfortunately, today it is not uncommon that with all the external well-being of this or that person, he does not feel a sense of joy. There are cases when a citizen is financially secure, he has a family, he travels to expensive resorts, but nothing gives a feeling of satisfaction. Moreover, in people who have more money, despondency and depression are observed more often than those who are experiencing any material difficulties. There are also situations when a person is always dissatisfied with something. For example, it seems to him that he has a bad wife or that if he had a car, he would be happy, and so on. But in fact, it turns out that changing your place of residence, buying a car and the appearance of a new wife still do not bring satisfaction.

From the point of view of psychology, this state of a person is called depression. It is considered the most common mental disorder today. There are psychological services for people. If despondency is at the initial stage, the psychologist will help the person find a way out of his state. But it happens that psychological support can only have a temporary effect. Therefore, after a while everything returns to the person again. If we talk about religion, then despondency is considered a mortal sin. In this regard, there are certain explanations for the reasons for its appearance and how to deal with it.

Discouragement is a sin. Religious point of view

There are two types of discouragement. The first type is a state that completely absorbs a person, a decline of spirit occurs. And the second type of despondency is associated with anger and irritability. Regardless of the type, discouragement is a sin.

A person who is in this state may begin to blame other people for his misfortunes. The more he plunges into himself, the more he blames others. Also, the number of people believed to be the culprit is on the rise. A person develops anger and hatred towards all people with whom he contacts in one way or another.

It should be understood: everything that happens to us is the result of our actions. If someone finds himself in a situation that gives him discomfort, then he himself created it. In order to get out of it, you need to start acting differently.

You also need to remember that the more angry at the circumstances or an unfavorable situation, the worse it will be. And if you accept everything humbly, the situation will be resolved by itself. There is no need to drive yourself to despair. It can lead to suicidal thoughts.

External signs

A person who is depressed can be recognized by external signs. He has a sad face that expresses sadness. Also, such a person will have low shoulders. He will have low blood pressure, lethargy. If he sees another person in a good mood, this may cause him bewilderment.

Reasons for the appearance

What could be the causes of discouragement?

1. Pride. If a person painfully perceives any failures or statements in his direction, he can easily become discouraged. It hurts his self-esteem. But if a person does not take everything to heart, then he will not fall into despair. Then he calmly refers to what is happening around him.
2. Failure to satisfy desires can also lead some people into a state of discouragement. Moreover, the more a person succumbs to it, the more desires themselves lose their meaning.
3. In addition to the above reasons for despondency, there are also some that can appear in people with a strong spirit. These include the absence of grace, the cessation of any activity by a person. Boredom can set in. Also, sad incidents can cause discouragement. For example, the departure of a loved one or the loss of something. Even so, one should not indulge in sad thoughts about the injustice of the world. Death is the natural end of life, and we all lose something or someone in life.
4. Discouragement can arise from diseases that accompany a person.

What are the ways to cope with this condition?

The main cure for discouragement is faith in God and work. Even if a person does not have the strength, it is necessary to start doing something, to act. Over time, the desire to live on will come, the sadness will go away.

What is the danger of discouragement?

First of all, you should know that a person in despondency cannot realize his capabilities. This is due to the fact that he does not see what horizons life opens up to him. Since all thoughts of a person are associated with depressive experiences, he sees only negative moments in everything and is sad. A person with his attitude deprives himself of the opportunity to lead a full life and enjoy the simplest things.

How to overcome this condition?

How to overcome discouragement? The techniques will now be listed:

1. First of all, you need to understand that negative thoughts can be "remade" into positive ones. It does not matter, as a result of which the person began to think that everything is bad. Perhaps someone inspired him, or thoughts revolve around childhood experiences. Find out what causes depression and depression. To do this, you need to ask yourself: "What thoughts lead me into a state of sadness and melancholy?" The answer to this question should be written down. Next, you need to read what was written down. Then you should convince yourself that this list is limited by your perception. In fact, the world is much wider. Do not think only about the clouds in the sky, it is better to remember that there is the sun, blue sky and white air clouds. Then you need to cross out a bad thought and replace it with a good one, which is filled with positive and joy. Next, you should repeat positive statements until you believe in them. If this is difficult, you can tell yourself that this is a game, and you will imagine that you believe in these thoughts. You need to convince yourself and tune in to positive thinking.
2. You should learn to understand that if hopeless sadness comes, it is only due to your narrow perception of reality at the moment. In fact, things are not so bad. As soon as the sadness sets in, it is recommended to think that this is a temporary phenomenon, and it will soon pass. You also need to take care and take care of yourself, pamper yourself with something that can distract from the sad mood. Water procedures help very well. They can help you relax physically and distract yourself from sad thoughts. You can also take a walk in the forest, walk at a brisk pace in the fresh air.
3. Despondency, melancholy are rather bad conditions. You should not fall into them, even if it seems to you that something was wrong in the past. The past is our experience, a lesson. Positive conclusions should be drawn from it. A positive attitude about the past is necessary. It is necessary to extract from everything instructive moments. For example, about some episode in life, a person thinks that he broke or knocked him down. This conclusion is fundamentally wrong. It is necessary to change the thought-form. You should think about any incident from such positions: "it made me stronger, I gained experience, thanks to which I can overcome such situations with ease."
4. You should learn to enjoy every moment. Probably, many have heard that in old age people talk about how quickly life has passed and remember positive moments. This means that you do not need to waste yourself on depressing thoughts that lead to self-destruction. You should treat everything with joy and a smile. Then there will be no time for longing and sadness. It must be remembered that thoughts about the past or plans for the future do not allow to enjoy the present. First of all, you should relax and live in the present time. It is necessary to give oneself such an attitude: it does not matter what happened in the past and one should not be afraid of the future or live in anxious expectation of something. You need to live the present moment with a feeling of joy and gratitude, enjoy every moment.

A little conclusion

Now you know what discouragement is. As you can see, this is a bad condition. It negatively affects a person, his psychological and physical health. In our article, we have provided some good tips to help you get rid of your discouragement. Thanks to them, you will be able to cope with this condition. And remember, the best way to deal with sadness is through work. Therefore, spare no effort, work for the good of yourself and people. We wish you good luck and a positive mood.

"A hope that does not come true for a long time torments the heart"- Proverbs 13:12

Although discouragement is not particularly mentioned in the biblical lists of sins (Proverbs 6: 16-19, 1 Corinthians 6: 9-10, Galatians 5: 19-21, 2 Timothy 3: 1-5), a monk named Evagrius Ponticus (345-399 BC) AD), one of the most gifted minds of the time, based on the Scriptures compiled a list in Greek called "The Eight Sinful Passions."
This list includes: gluttony (gastrimardzhia), fornication (pornoya), greed (philargiria), arrogance (hiperfania), sadness - envy of the success of another (linden), anger (orge), boasting (kenodoxia), and despondency (akedia). Despondency is the last, as Ponticus considered him "the worst of all."

Shortly thereafter, another famous monk, John Cassian (360 - 435 AD), translated the Ponticus list into Latin - but with minor changes. The Cassian list of the Eight Sinful Passions consists of: gluttony (hum), greed (accident), pride (superbyia), despair (tristitia), anger (Ira), vanity (wingloria) and despondency (akedia). Then, almost 200 years later, Gregory Anitsius (540 - 604 AD), the pope known as "Gregory the Great" - whom the Protestant reformer John Calvin called "the last good pope" - compiled a list of sins that was different from that of Cassian and which both was called "The Seven Deadly Sins". Anicius combined pride with vanity, despair with despondency, and added envy. Lust, according to Anitsius, can be lust for power, food, drink, knowledge, money, or fame. Thus, in Russian, the list of the "seven deadly sins" sounds like this: lust, gluttony, greed, despondency, anger, envy and pride.

For centuries, the word "akedia" has usually been translated in the lists of the "Seven Deadly Sins" as idleness. But what does the word "akedia", or despondency, actually mean - is it not by chance that it occupies such a prominent place in all lists? The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church reads: "A state of impatience and inability to work or pray." According to Wikipedia, “Discouragement is a refusal to care about what follows. Apathetic lethargy. Depression without joy ... In early Christian thought, the absence of joy was seen as a voluntary refusal to enjoy the good that God created and the world that God created. "

The venerable theologian Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274 AD) believed that the Apostle Paul was referring to despondency in 2 Corinthians 7:10 (where it is called worldly sorrow). Dante Alighieri (AD 1265-1321), author of The Divine Comedy, calls discouragement "a failure to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." The seriousness of this sin is underscored by the fact that over the centuries, many authors have argued that the result of discouragement is "despair leading to suicide."

As for me, "akedia" (despondency) was not at all present in my vocabulary until I stumbled upon this rather ancient word while studying the "Seven Deadly Sins". However, as soon as I found out about it - and what it means - my heart jumped. With his help, I - and I realized this for the first time - was able to define my feelings and my spiritual state in the period 2001-2003. These were the years when I was first sent on leave (removed from leadership and influence) and then fired for my beliefs about Scripture (2 Tim 3: 16-17); regarding a biblical example of central leadership with one leader for God's people (Numbers 27: 15-18; Judges 2: 6-9); that instruction is a commandment from God for every Christian (Matthew 28:20); that the “visible church” consists only of fully committed disciples (Acts 2: 41-42); and that converting the world in our generation is God's commandment for His people (1 Tim 2: 3-4).

After I read what other people wrote about discouragement, I myself began to study the Scriptures on this topic. In my opinion, Proverbs 13:12 speaks about this most accurately: "A hope that does not come true for a long time torments the heart, and a fulfilled desire is like a tree of life." In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul teach that if a person is inattentive to “the body and blood of Jesus” during the sacrament, this can cause “people in the church” to become “weak, sick, and many die” ( 1 Cor. 11:30). Most of the students understand the state of "weakness" correctly. The "dead" are, of course, those who have ceased to be a disciple, but continue to attend church. But the term "sick" is used quite rarely and is quite consistent with despondency!

Perhaps with the help of these two passages we can understand why, over time, "despondency" was replaced by the word "indolence." When someone is physically ill, he is in a state similar to lethargy - and completely unmotivated to "get out of bed." Likewise, with "spiritual illness" - the heart can be injured so badly that a person feels that it is simply impossible to "get out of bed" to do the will of God. Laziness, in turn, is quite simple to describe: a person simply loves "doing nothing" more than working for God. Despondency and laziness may look the same - there is simply no work for God in both cases - but in fact they are very different. This - uncomplicated - replacement in The Seven Deadly Sins may be Satan's design to hide the biblical idea of ​​discouragement from our generation.

So what is the cause of this forgotten sin of despondency - “spiritual sickness”? I believe it is bitterness. In Hebrews 12, the Spirit says, "Endure (all) hardships as trials from God." We believe that God is almighty. Thus, the difficulties in our life are either made by God himself, or he allows them to happen. The Spirit says yes, "the punishment is painful," but God's purpose is "the peaceful fruit of righteousness." Thus, when difficulties come, we have a choice: either get better or get bitter! In other words, a person "gets depressed" because his life is not developing the way he expected. Your hope is "postponed"! This is why Hebrews 12:15 teaches: “Take heed lest anyone be deprived of the grace of God; so that any root of bitterness arises and does no harm, and so that many will not be defiled by it. " Many of us imagine bitterness as angry, violent and loud. However, and even in most cases, bitterness simply drives us into depression, lethargy and withdrawal ... like Cain, who “had his face down” (Genesis 4: 6).

As I studied this sin, I realized that I had to look at the life of Jesus, because he was “like us, tempted in all things except sin” (Hebrews 4:15). In the darkest hours of his life, in Gethsemane, he shares with his three closest brothers - Peter, James and John: “My soul is sorrowful to death; stay here and watch with Me ”(Matthew 26:38). After that, he fell to the ground and prayed for three hours: “My Father! if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou ”(Matthew 26:39). Luke mentions that the prayer was so intense that the face of Christ was covered with bloody sweat.

Luke continues: “Rising from prayer, He came to the disciples, and found them sleeping from sorrow and said to them: why are you sleeping? get up and pray lest you fall into temptation ”(Luke 22: 45,46). Obviously, Jesus was tempted to become discouraged, but he won through prayer and submission to God's will. However, the disciples succumbed to despondency - "they slept with sorrow." They couldn't even pray! When I look at my life, I can clearly see how I was deceived - by my sin and by Satan (Hebrews 3:12). I was a “happy Gentile” before I was baptized; A “happy” young Christian; A “very happy” father and husband - but when the trials came, my heart was not like that of Jesus, “who, instead of the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross” (Hebrews 3:12). When I faced “the opposition of those who are in sin” (and sometimes it was my own sins), I was “worn out and weak in my soul” (Hebrews 12: 3). I did not see God in all the difficulties, but I became bitter towards those people who, I believed, "hurt me and my family." Deceived by Satan and fell into the sin of despondency, I almost lost my ideals, my biblical convictions, and my salvation (John 8: 43-44). Praise the Lord that the Scriptures reveal “the truth, and the truth makes us free” (John 8:32)!

Nevertheless, sometimes in the evenings ... I still suffer from despondency, "asleep with sorrow." Interestingly, the Disney cartoon "Frozen" finally convinced me. I recently had a dream - in this dream, Elena and I were sitting on the plane and watched other passengers enter it. At some point, two “brothers” (as I thought) of those who caused “a lot of pain” for me and my family passed by in the aisle (2 Tim 4:14). When the first one passed me, I quickly got up and yelled at him with anger! When the second one approached, I was even more in sin! I didn’t say anything to him, but looked after him with contempt. In the morning I told Elena my dream and already knew that I needed to repent - bitterness again crept into my heart. And a few days later I got an email stating that the man I was watching with a contemptuous glance had a son from cancer. Elena asked me to write him a letter of condolences. She had to ask for three days! After that I cried because I realized that my heart had become "cold"! In the cartoon, love was the only remedy against the "cold heart". I realized that I needed to "crucify" my bitterness again and make a decision to forgive - especially in those moments where no one asks for it.

I am writing to help all those who are in a situation similar to mine. Through the fact that God has shown me incredible mercy and patience, I now clearly understand that He had to take away from me everything that I valued too highly.

Like Nebuchadnezzar, who “was cut off from the people and ate grass like an ox,” God humbled me in incredible ways (except for eating grass), forcing me to admit that I was nothing (Dan 4:33). Through the “burden” of being deprived of all my leadership responsibilities and most of my “friends”, I realized that I had to live only to glorify the “King of Heaven” (Dan 4:34)!
I thank God for Elena, whose ardent devotion and love guided me to God and gave me the strength to persevere to the end.

I believe that for most of our remnant - the "veteran disciples" - discouragement has become our chosen sin, because our "hope" for a majestic church that would reach all nations was "postponed indefinitely" by our own sins! How can we repent of discouragement, the most problematic of sins? First of all, you need to recognize it in your life. Then we need to surrender to God and His supreme authority and direct our efforts to understand what we need to learn, that is, what He wants from us.

I still remember quite vividly teaching with Carlos Mejia at Good Earth after he attended the opening service in Los Angeles in May 2007. At that moment, he shared that he visited and checked many churches and could not join any of them, because he could not recover from the end of our old brotherhood and from the lack of care that was there. Luke 5: 31-32 was probably the most effective passage from Scripture for him: “Jesus answered them:“ It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I came to call not the righteous to repentance, but sinners. " And here I told Carlos that to be “sick” is to be a “sinner,” and “repentance” makes us “healthy” people. In response to this, Carlos repented on the same day in despondency - in his spiritual illness - and on the very next Sunday he was restored to the Church!
But today, when Carlos shares the details of that Sunday afternoon, he simply says, "I'm back to my first love!" Moreover - today Carlos is leading the International Christian Church in the city of Santiago!

After overcoming discouragement, disappointment and apathy, Carlos and Lucy Mejia are now leading a dynamic Church in Santiago, Chile.

Rest assured, this disease is not healed by time, but by repentance! Be sure that you have repented of bitterness, forgive all those who have ever hurt you, or you yourself will not be forgiven (Matt: 18: 23-25).
And since discouragement is a complete refusal to rejoice in the goodness of God, be prepared for this sin to return and take seven other deadly demons with it, and this will continue until you fully rejoice in the Lord. “Always rejoice in the Lord, and I say again: rejoice! Let everyone see your kind attitude towards people. The Lord is already near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, with gratitude communicate your requests to God. Then the peace of God, surpassing all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, contemplate what is true, noble, just, pure, what is pleasant and delightful, what is virtuous, and what is praiseworthy - let it occupy your thoughts. Everything that you have learned from me, that you have received from me, that you have heard or that you have seen in me - do all this. And the God of peace will be with you.
I sincerely rejoice in the Lord that you again showed concern for me. Yes, you have always cared, but you just didn’t have the opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I need anything, because I have learned to be content in all circumstances.
I know what need is and what abundance is, I know what it means to be full or to endure hunger, what it means to live in abundance and what it means to live in poverty. I can do everything in the one who gives me strength. "
(Phil 4: 4-13)

I can even defeat discouragement!
And may all the glory be to our Most Merciful Father!

Z Hello, our dear visitors!

The sinful spirit of despondency, from time to time, covers (with rare exceptions) the soul of every person. Despondency, in the literal sense of the word, poisons life, throwing up sometimes dangerous suicidal thoughts ... This terrible spirit must be fought at the very beginning of its appearance.

One Orthodox woman asked the following questions:

E there is a desire to go to another world. How to get out of this state? Is it possible to grieve without being discouraged? How to get rid of discouragement?

Archimandrite Ambrose (Fontrier) answers:

"H In order for this desire to be salutary, you need to prepare your soul, because with a dirty soul you will only go to hell. We must also work here on earth in the sweat of our brow, to serve the Lord God. We need to constantly improve ourselves spiritually ... In the meantime, the state in which we are now does not correspond to the Kingdom of Heaven. Not being corrected here, we will not be corrected there, and nothing unclean enters the Kingdom of Heaven. As we are, so and we will remain there ...

If you and I have reached such perfection that we no longer have anger, irritation, resentment, or jealousy, we are in love for God and our neighbor, then there is no reason for us to flee from this world. The time of rest has already come for our soul. Such a soul does not seek to pass into that world; it is aware of its imperfection.

Sometimes it happens that a person will live a long - 90-100-year life. He’s no longer physically strong, but he still doesn’t die. This is because, perhaps, there are unrepentant sins, the soul is not ready for paradise, and the Lord desires salvation for this soul. That is why there is no death for this soul. So do not rush out of this world.

- Is it possible to grieve without being discouraged?

- Despondency is a mortal sin. Now, your relative has died, it will be natural for you to grieve about him. But one cannot go far into this state, because after a long, intense grief, despondency begins. Here, one of our mothers calls, says that she is in great grief - her sister has died. I told her: “Well, grieve a little, but you don't need to get discouraged. If it hadn't been beating - not breaking, then where would everything have gone? All people are born and die. "

My mother died in her arms. I gave her the Holy Communion, and after an hour she walked away, I was sitting next to her. Well, why would I cry? I know that she died with repentance, after the sacrament - on the contrary, we should be glad that the person suffered, was tortured here on earth. Some might think: "What a cruel heart he has!" Of course, there was grief, but I reasoned that it was better to rejoice at her good end than to cry.

- How to get rid of despondency?

- Usually, if a person does not have a prayer, he is constantly depressed. Especially among the proud, those who love to condemn their neighbor, to take it apart to pieces. You say to such a person that this should not be done, despondency will torment him, but he does not understand. He wants to be a boss, to stick his nose into every hole, to know everything, to prove to everyone that he is right. Such a person places himself high. And when he meets with a rebuff, then scandals and insults occur - the grace of God leaves, and the person falls into despondency.

Especially often in despondency is the one who is not repentant of sins - his soul is not reconciled with God. Why does a person have no peace, rest and joy? Because there is no repentance. Many will say: “ And I repent!»To repent in words, in one language is not enough. If you repented that you condemned, thought bad, then do not return to this any more, just as in the words of the Apostle Peter: "The washed pig goes to wallow in the mud again"(2 Pet. 2:22).

Do not return to this mud, and then the soul will always be calm. Let's say a neighbor came up and insulted us. Well, endure his infirmities. After all, you will not lose weight and grow old from this. Of course, it is bad for the person who for a long time has been filling himself with a high opinion of himself, and suddenly someone humbled him! He will definitely rebel, be displeased, offended. Well, this is the way of a proud man. The humble one believes that if something has been said to him, then it must be so ...

Our Christian path is not to talk bad about anyone, not to disturb anyone, to endure everyone, to bring peace and tranquility to everyone. And constantly be in prayer. And impose a penance on your evil tongue, tell him: “You've been chatting all your life - now that's enough! Get down to business - read the prayer. Do not want? I will make you! "

If despondency has just come, has just begun - open the Gospel and read until the demon leaves you. Suppose an alcoholic wanted to drink - if he understands that the demon has attacked, let him open the Gospel, read several chapters - and the demon will immediately leave. And so any passion that a person suffers from can be defeated.

We begin to read the Gospel, call on the Lord for help - immediately the demons leave. As was the case with one monk. He was praying in his cells, and at this time the demons obviously approached him, grabbed his hands and dragged him out of the cells. He put his hands on the door frames and shouted: “Lord, to what the demons have become insolent - they are already being dragged out of the cells by force! The demons disappeared instantly, and the monk again turned to God: "Lord, why aren't You helping?" And the Lord says to him: “And you are not addressing me. As soon as I applied, I immediately helped you ".

Many do not see the mercy of God. There have been different cases. Man alone kept murmuring that the Mother of God, the Lord did not help him in anything. Once an angel appeared to him and said: “Remember, when you were sailing on a boat with your friends, the boat turned over and your friend drowned, but you remained alive. Then the Mother of God saved you; She heard and heeded your mother's prayers. Now remember, when you were riding in a chaise and the horse jerked to the side - the chaise turned over. A friend was sitting with you; he was killed, but you are still alive "... And the Angel began to give so many cases that were with this man in his life. How many times he was threatened with death or trouble, and everything carried by him ... We are just blind and think that all this is accidental, and therefore ungrateful to the Lord for saving us from troubles. "