Instructions For My Soul: To Cut Off Pride & Prepare For Death - St. Paisius Velichkovsky

A sobering call to our souls. Death awaits, wake up! This word from our holy Father Paisius calls us to chastise ourselves, repent, and endure every suffering for Him Who loves us and gave Himself for us.

0:00 Intro
0:18 A Brief Exposition of Thoughts Which Dispose To Repentance
7:57 The Battle Against Despondency, Slothfulness, and Weakness
10:13 An Instruction Moving To Contrition Which Cuts Off All Self-Exaltation and Human Pride, and Converts the Soul to Fountains of Tears

This reading is from "Little Russian Philokalia, Vol. 4: St. Paisius Velichkovsky", pp.63-71

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https://www.thephronemainitiative.org...
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https://stpaisiusmonastery.org/about-...
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https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/

“For Orthodox Christians of the 20th century there is no more important Holy Father of recent times than Blessed Paisius Velichkovsky. This is so not merely because of his holy life; not merely because, like another Saint Gregory Palamas, he defended the hesychast practice of the mental Prayer of Jesus; not only because he, through his many disciples, inspired the great monastic revival of the 19th century which flowered most notably in the holy Elders of Optina Monastery; but most of all because he redirected the attention of Orthodox Christians to the sources of Holy Orthodoxy, which are the only foundation of true Orthodox life and thought whether of the past or of the present, whether of monks or of laymen.” -Fr. Seraphim Rose, Introduction to “Blessed Paisius Velichkovsky”
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St. Paisius writes:

Now, my beloved soul, is the time of patience; now is the time to endure sorrow; now is the time to keep the commandments and fulfill the virtues; now is the time of sweet lamentation and tearful mourning. If you truly wish to be saved, my soul, be in love with sorrow and groaning, as previously you loved repose.

Remember the future endless life and the Kingdom of Heaven, the repose and unutterable joy. Stand firm, do not leave off the Prayer of Jesus. If you will recall and reflect on all this, then despondency, slothfulness and weakness will disappear, and your soul will come to life as from the dead, by the grace of Christ.

O man! Labor, strive, struggle. Before your death a herald will not come! The reward of the Saints is at hand; crowns are being prepared for the righteous; for those who labor and endure sorrows, the Kingdom of Heaven is opened; endless repose is at hand, and unutterable joy is being prepared.

Oh, oh! Woe, woe! Truly, in vain does everyone born of earth trouble himself. We all change, we all will die: kings and princes, judges and powerful ones, rich and poor, and every human being. Today he rejoices with us, takes enjoyment and adorns himself, and in the morning we weep over him and lament and mourn. Oh, man! Come to the tomb. Behold there a dead man lying. He is not glorious, not good of appearance, not beautiful. How he is swollen up and gives off a foul odor! The flesh rots and is corrupted and is devoured by worms: the bones are laid bare and the whole body crumbles to dust.
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