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May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 12

Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)

Tonsure should be preceded by resolve

Dear in the Lord S.!

Receiving the monastic tonsure should be preceded by our resolve for it, expressed not only in the mind and heart, but by our life itself.

Therefore, do not rush to take the tonsure, but labor with firmness of will for self-crucifixion, and live monastically in the world, knowing only the institute, home, and church.

Then the Lord, seeing your desire, will arrange everything in its own time. And thoughts of marriage do not come up when there is a desire for monasticism.

Hidden in the heart

Slave of God N.!

Peace of soul comes only after a struggle with your passions. In your case, it is easier to do this not in a monastery, but at home. Therefore, live with your mother, and try to be a true Christian daughter.

The future is in God’s hands. The Lord will see what will ripen in your heart with time.

Monasticism is not only black clothing, but first and foremost what is hidden in the heart. Clothing is only external and does not always express the true essence. Live with your mother.

May God give you wisdom!

Monasticism is not just clothing

Dear M. and P.!

It is not within my power to fulfill your request. If you were to ask my advice about the thing you have decided to do, I would not advise you to do it.

Monasticism is not just clothing—it is extreme podvig of life. M. can no longer bind herself with monastic podvig due to her health condition. The Lord has given both of you a path to salvation which is brief and clear—M. to bear the burden of illness without murmuring, and you, her husband, to take care of a sick wife—also without murmuring.

Bear your podvig of married life to the end, and the Lord will determine the future when one of you has departed.

Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)

3/16/2007

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 11

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 11
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 11

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 11
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
However, let Holy Hierarch Theophan [the Recluse of Vysha] give you an answer about monasticism. I am sending you his book, Wise Counsels. Read pages 66 through 95 carefully. With respect to work—just as the Lord did not abandon us before, neither will He now. Pray to Holy Martyr Tryphon, and everything will be all right. Do not lose your equilibrium, little one.

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 Monks and Nuns. Part 1

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Monks and Nuns. Part 1
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Monks and Nuns. Part 1

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Monks and Nuns. Part 1
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
Batiushka, how is it that you do not hear God’s will for you, spoken by the head of the Church: “It means you’ll have to remain here!” It is all the more valuable having been pronounced without any judgment from one or another interested party. You correctly thought at that moment that the question was resolved. But then … then egoism and self-will began their underground work. While His Holiness [the Patriarch] repeatedly confirms what he said according to inspiration: “It’s better for you to stay here.”

See also

Fr. John (Krestiankin)

Fr. John (Krestiankin)
Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov)

Fr. John (Krestiankin)

Fr. John (Krestiankin)
Recollections of a spiritual son
Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov)
One day my spiritual father, Archimandrite John (Krestiankin) of the Pskov-Caves Monastery, called me and said: "I am going to die soon. So please do me a favour, write down what you remember and what you want to tell people about me. Because afterwards you all are going to write something anyway, and you might come up with stories as ridiculous as they did with poor Father Nikolai, who “resurrected cats” and other fables like that. So I want to check everything myself for my peace of mind.”

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 13

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 13
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 13

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople. Part 13
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
Know, that for every child that is unborn due to his mother’s will, each child to which she later gives birth for her own “joy” will take revenge upon her with sorrows, sicknesses and psychological oppression. This is a law. You cannot expect happiness in earthly life after infanticide, and as for life in eternity, well it’s terrible even to think about it. In a word - hell.

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople, part 1

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople, part 1
Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople, part 1

May God Give You Wisdom! The Letters of Fr. John Krestiankin. Letters to Laypeople, part 1
Everything will be very simple and easy if you decide to do it unto God, for God’s sake, and to the glory of God. Everything in life and in the soul will immediately come together. Do not leave your job, live on your salary from the museum, and work at home for your soul. Do not accept gifts, and do not count on getting your only profit from payment for icons.