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May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 9

Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)

Live for God

Dear C.!

God bless you to finish the education you have started; artists are not only needed in the theatre. But the Lord will determine this in the future. For now, study and make progress, study with love and output, study as an obedience. Do not torment yourself with distracting thoughts.

The main thing is to live for God, for His sake, and do everything to the glory of God. Remember that everywhere and always the most important thing for us is to be Christians in our lives.

May God give you wisdom!

The Lord is one everywhere

Dear in the Lord N. N.!

The Kingdom of God within us ripens irrespective of where we live. The Lord is One everywhere: in Orel, and in Diveyevo. We live in such times that you will also find in Diveyevo things which will confuse and upset you. So, live at home with P., in the God-preserved town of Orel. Do not get too caught up with trains: once a year is fine, but no more. You should work on your soul and not wait until something grows in it that you yourself did not sow.

May God give you wisdom!

God’s blessing is not on your moving. Your longing to move is dictated by spiritual voluptuousness.

Absurd thoughts

E. E.!

I am just flabbergasted to hear and read what you have written. You should first at least acquaint yourself with the Orthodox catechism, and take a better look at yourself; I am sure that you will come to the only correct conclusion: you yourself need to learn to live as a Christian.

Just look at what absurd thoughts visit your head. You have a wife blessed by God, even a sick child in her arms, and yet you talk about monasticism. Without any awareness of the essence of Christianity, you play with thoughts about priesthood.

Well, why shouldn’t you become a pianist, a surgeon, or an artist? Your answer: you would need to study. But in your opinion study is not necessary in order to teach others the science of sciences: spiritual life? So think about yourself a little deeper.

Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)

3/9/2007

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 8

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 8
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 8

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 8
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
Thank God that you are with the Church, and you are carrying your heavy cross, albeit with murmuring. The enemy is watching your good intentions, but you are not entirely plundered, I can assure you of that. Your repentance and ceaseless struggle is accounted to you as deeds done for God’s sake. This is your life’s cross.

The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin

The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin

The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin

The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin
A year has passed since the repose of Russia’s righteous elder, Archimandrite John Krestiankin of the Pskov-Caves Monastery. But his memory has far from faded; to the contrary, it is spreading far beyond the Russian borders, his writings being translated into other languages. Pravoslavie.ru (English edition) is therefore pleased to present each week day excerpts from the forthcoming book May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin (published by Sretensky Monastery and St. Xenia Skete). May our readers find in them answers to perplexities, sober instruction, and deep Christian wisdom, coming from a true elder and confessor of the Faith.

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 10

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 10
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 10

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 10
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
Your question about enclosing yourself in a monastery falls away immediately. One should join a monastery not because his family has broken up, but because his heart is burning with the desire to be saved by a hard way, and to serve God undividedly. Seeing as you have not excluded the thought of starting another family, you obviously do not have this desire.

See also

Paschal Homily by Archimandrite John Krestiankin, 1993

Paschal Homily by Archimandrite John Krestiankin, 1993
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)

Paschal Homily by Archimandrite John Krestiankin, 1993

Paschal Homily by Archimandrite John Krestiankin, 1993
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
Now all things are filled with light: heaven, and earth, and the nether regions… Christ is Risen! Children of God! I greet you from an abundance of unearthly joy, scorching with the power of these divine words: Christ is Risen! The holy fire of this saving good news, flashing out once again in a bright flame from the Lord’s Holy Sepulcher, has poured across the world.

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 10

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 10
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 10

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 10
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
Your question about enclosing yourself in a monastery falls away immediately. One should join a monastery not because his family has broken up, but because his heart is burning with the desire to be saved by a hard way, and to serve God undividedly. Seeing as you have not excluded the thought of starting another family, you obviously do not have this desire.

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. On the Work of a Pastor

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. On the Work of a Pastor
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. On the Work of a Pastor

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. On the Work of a Pastor
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
The path to humility is long and extremely painful, especially in these pride-engulfed times. What tact and love, and again patience, does the spiritual father need in order to finally see the fruit of his life’s efforts ripen in his spiritual children, in order not to let the spiritual child fall faint in expectation and hope?