We are left with repentance Nikon Sparrows. Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev)_ We are left with repentance

1894 – 09/07/1963

"Don't look for high fortunes"

What does Fr. write about? Nikon? About the “first stone” at the foundation of salvation - Fr. " The deep fall of humanity is being revealed to me more and more, and hence the significance of the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. No soul can be saved from works; there is only one salvation - Christ, who saves those who believe in Him and recognize the need for a Savior, i.e. considers himself a sinner, unworthy of the kingdom of God. Jesus Christ came to call such sinners to repentance and salvation".(1)

He also reminds us that a person who sees his sins and hopes to receive forgiveness from God does not tend to condemn: “... The more sinful a person is, the less he sees sins in himself and the more and more maliciously he condemns others. A true, non-false sign of the correctness of the spiritual dispensation is a deep consciousness of one’s corruption and sinfulness, consciousness of one’s unworthiness of God’s mercies and non-judgment of others"(2)

He often writes about the indispensable forgiveness of others, without which hope for salvation would be in vain: “ Only then does the Lord not forgive us when we ourselves do not forgive others. Therefore, let us make peace with everyone so that the Lord can make peace with us. Let us forgive everyone so that the Lord will forgive us."(3).

Despondent under the weight of sorrows, Fr. Nikon encourages us with a reminder that this sacrifice is not aimless, and if we ourselves cry out to the Lord, asking to cleanse us from the “rags” of previous habits, then we should not neglect the medicine sent to us, which is not always pleasant to the taste.

All this is recognizable, known from the instructions of the elders, St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), but in those years when there was no spiritual literature, it was important to convey to people the basic principles of spiritual work “from mouth to mouth.”

Although there are also things in the letters of Abbot Nikon (Vorobiev) that seem specifically intended for us, today.

A powerful “inoculation” against self-importance is his warning that one should avoid a false sense of “rightness and entitlement”: “ Don't raise your voice to anyone. Remember the immutable word of the Lord: God opposes the proud. This means that you will not be successful in anything, nor in inner life, nor in the external. In your inner life you already see coldness, laziness, and sterility. The same will happen on the outside. You will endure shame, reproach, poverty, illness. Not a single desire or expectation of yours will be fulfilled; you will be trampled into the dirt until you reconcile yourself” (4); “Never boss anyone around. Don’t teach others if you haven’t taught yourself anything..."(5)

But perhaps the most valuable today, in conditions when we are faced with attempts to substantiate a certain “secular” understanding of spirituality, are simple and clear reminders of. Nikon about what distinguishes spirituality from culture in the broad sense. Spirituality, he reminds, is deification, i.e. acquisition of the Holy Spirit, renewal of human nature: mind, soul and even body; this is a state of supreme joy of communion with God (6).

Footnotes

1. Quote. By: Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev). We are left with repentance. Letters from Abbot Nikon (Vorobiev) to his spiritual children. Internet version: Orthodoxy and modernity. Information and analytical portal of the Saratov Russian Diocese Orthodox Church(http://lib.eparhia-saratov.ru/books/13n/nikon_v/repentance1/contents.html). Letter 21.

2 Quote. By: Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev). We are left with repentance. Letter 23.

3 Quoted By: Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev). We are left with repentance. Letter 29.

4 Quoted By: Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev). We are left with repentance. Letter 107.

5 Quoted By: Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev). We are left with repentance. Letter 120.

6 Quoted. By: Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev). We are left with repentance. Letter 260.

Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev). We are left with repentance. Letters on spiritual life. M.: Publishing house Sretensky Monastery, 2007
Letters from Abbot Nikon (Vorobiev) to his spiritual children. Sisterhood in the name of St. Ignatius of Stavropol, 2008
Internet version: Orthodoxy and modernity. Information and analytical portal of the Saratov diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church