St. John of Kronstadt
Rejoice at every opportunity of showing kindness to your neighbour as a
true Christian who strives to store up as many good works as possible,
especially the treasures of love.
Excerpts from the diary of St. John of Kronstadt on Good Works
Our
soul, as a spiritual, active being, cannot remain idle; it either does
good or evil, one of the two; either wheat grows in it or tares. But as
every good comes from God, and as the means of obtaining every good from
God is prayer, those who pray fervently, sincerely, from the depths of
their hearts, obtain from the Lord grace to do good, and, before all,
the grace of faith; whilst, those who do not pray, naturally remain
without these spiritual gifts, voluntarily depriving themselves of them
by their own negligence and spiritual coldness; and as the wheat of good
thoughts, inclinations, intentions, and works grows in the hearts of
those who labour and pray fervently to the Lord, so in the hearts of
those who do not pray, the tares of every evil grow, smothering the
small amount of good that has remained in them from the grace of
baptism, chrism, and subsequent penitence and communion.
Therefore,
we must most carefully look after the field of our heart, lest the
tares of evil, slothfulness, luxuriousness, self-indulgence, unbelief,
avarice, envy, hatred, and others, should grow within it; we must daily
weed the field of our heart — at least, at morning and evening prayers,
and refresh it by salutary sighs, as by healthful winds, and water it
with abundant tears, as by early and late rain. Besides this, we must by
every means implant in the field of our heart the seeds of the virtues,
faith, hope in God, and love for God and our neighbour, fertilise it by
prayer, patience, good works, and not for a single hour remain in
complete idleness and inactivity, for in times of idleness and
inactivity the enemy zealously sows his tares. "While men slept, the
enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way."[304] We
must also remember that it is impossible to do good works without
efforts. Since our voluntary falling into sin the kingdom of God cannot
be taken otherwise than by "violence, and the violent take it by
force."[305] Why is it that only the narrow way and narrow gate lead to
life? Who makes the way of the chosen narrow? The world oppresses the
chosen, the devil oppresses them, the flesh oppresses them; it is these
that make our way to the kingdom of heaven narrow.
There is no
need to ask anyone whether we ought to spread or propagate the Glory of
God, either by writing, or by word, or by good works. This we are
obliged to do according to our power and possibility. We must make use
of our talents. If you think much about such a simple matter, then,
perhaps, the Devil may suggest to you such foolishness as that you need
only be inwardly active.
O, if we turned our attention to the
consequences of our sins or of our good works! How careful we should
then be to shun sin, and how zealous in all that is good! For we should
then clearly see that every sin not eradicated in time becomes
strengthened by habit, becomes deeply rooted in a man's heart, and
sometimes troubles, torments, and wounds him until death, becoming, so
to say, awakened and revived in him upon every occasion, reminding him
of the sin formerly committed, and thus defiling his thoughts, feelings,
and conscience. Streams of tears are necessary to wash away the
inveterate filthiness of sin. How tenacious and malignant it is! Whilst,
on the contrary, every good action done at any time sincerely,
disinterestedly, or having become a habit by repetition, rejoices our
hearts and forms the joy and comfort of our life by the consciousness
that we have not spent our life entirely in vain, full of sins though it
is; that we are like men and not beasts; that we, too, are created
after the image of God, and that there is a spark of the Divine light
and love in us; that, although they are but few, our good works will
form a counterpoise for our evil ones in the balance of God's
incorruptible righteousness.
How and when are we to care for the
imperishable raiment of the soul: meekness, righteousness, chastity,
patience, mercy, when all our cares, attention, and means are directed
to perishable raiment and the adornment of our body? We cannot serve two
masters: for the soul is simple and single. How and when are we to care
for the spiritual riches of good works, when we are only greedy after
perishable riches and strive to amass it with all our might and means,
when our heart clings to money, to the world, and not to God? How and
when are we to care for the incorruptible spiritual food and for the
blessed drink — for prayer, the reading of God's word, the writings and
lives of the Holy Fathers, the Communion of the Body and Blood of the
Lord, when we hardly let food and drink out of our mouths, and this
stupefying lit-up poisonous smoke which many consider so pleasant? How
can our soul rejoice in the Holy Spirit, when we are continually
occupied by earthly, vain pastimes and pleasures? O, ruinous service to
corruption, drawing us away from the life incorruptible, true and
eternal!
... Therefore the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary to
us all in all our good works. He is our power, strength, light, peace,
and comfort.
... continually force yourself to be kind when
others exasperate and offend you, to pray for your enemies, for
meekness, humility, gentleness, truer benevolence, generosity,
disinterestedness, abstinence, chastity, alms-giving, truth and
righteousness, industry, obedience, and others. It is difficult to
conquer the passions, which become as though our natural members
("Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth"[553]), but by
being continually watchful over yourself, by constant fervent prayer
and abstinence, with the help of God you will be able to conquer and
eradicate them.
We must never forget that we are all one body,
and that we should stimulate each other to love and good works; we
pastors should especially remember and do this... This is why the Lord
said: "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father Which is in heaven."[1029] "If,
therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that
darkness!"[1030]
Concerning modern works of charity. If you enjoy
earthly blessings in full measure, and if you give to the needy, but
indulge yourself still more, it means that you do good works without the
least self-denial. Your works of charity are not great. But what else
do we find? What are so-called works of charity? People arrange
different entertainments with a charitable object — that is, they
intentionally wish before all to serve their sinful flesh, the Devil,
and only afterwards their neighbour and God. But this is no charity at
all! Such works only bear the name of charity. "Let us do evil, that
good may come."[835] "Woe unto you that are full, for ye shall hunger!
Woe unto you that laugh now, for ye shall mourn and weep!"[836]
Why,
after every six days, is a day of rest observed? In order that we may
continually remember that after the labours of this present life, the
day of eternal rest will come; for in accordance with the apostle,
"there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God."[786] And Sunday
betokens the day of the general resurrection, after which a day of rest
shall come for all those who have done good work in this present life,
in Christ Jesus.
You cannot conquer any passion, any sin without
gracious help; therefore, always ask the help of Christ, your Saviour.
It was for this that He came into the world, for this that He suffered,
died, and rose from the dead, in order to help us in everything, to save
us from sin, and from the violence of the passions, to cleanse us from
our sins, to bestow upon us power in Holy Spirit to do good works, to
enlighten us, to strengthen us, to give us peace. You ask how you can
save yourself when sin stands at every step, and you sin at every
moment? There is a simple answer to this: at every step, at every
moment, call upon the Saviour, remember the Saviour, and you will save
yourself and others.
I am morally nothing without the Lord. I
have really not one true thought or good feeling, and can do no good
works; without Him I cannot drive away from me any sinful thought, any
passionate feeling such as malice, envy, fornication, pride, and so
forth. The Lord is the accomplishment of everything good that I think,
feel, and do. O, how boundlessly wide is the Lord's grace acting in me!
The Lord is everything to me, and so clearly, so constantly. Mine — is
only my sinfulness; mine — are only mine infirmities. O, how we ought to
love our Lord, Who was pleased to call us into existence from
non-existence, to honour us by His image and likeness, to establish us
in a paradise of delights, to subdue all the earth unto us, and Who —
when we did not keep His commandments, but were allured by the
enticement of the Devil, and immeasurably offended our Creator by our
ingratitude, and assimilated unto ourselves all the qualities of the
tempter (pride, malice, envy, ingratitude) and all his evil arts, which
he taught us as his prisoners — did not reject us for ever, but deigned
to redeem us from sin, from the curse and death into which we had fallen
through sin, and Himself appeared upon earth, having taken our nature
upon Him; He Himself became my Teacher, my Healer, my Worker of
miracles, my Saviour; He Himself bore the punishment for us, died for us
in order that we should not be eternally lost. He rose from the dead,
in order to raise us too after death. He ascended into heaven, in order
that we, too, should ascend, we who had fallen so low through sin; and
He became everything to us — food, drink, light, purification,
sanctification, health — and the power that protects, saves, preserves,
and has mercy upon us.
Do you pay sufficient attention to the
state of your soul? whether it is in good health, and, seeing that it
lives, is its life vigorous? And, if its present temporal life is happy,
then is its eternal life, its eternal happiness, ensured by anything —
for instance, by faith — is there in your soul a lively faith in God, in
the Saviour, in the Church, — by good works, meekness, humility,
gentleness, love of truth and honesty, abstinence, chastity, mercy,
patience, obedience, industry, and others? If the reverse is the case,
then all your labour is in vain. The soul, perhaps, does many things
worthy of wonder, but it will be itself lost. "For what is a man
profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"[686]
It
is a remarkable phenomenon in nature that, if you put a plant into a
large, wide pot or tub, it grows very much at the roots; they thicken,
they give out many ramifications, but the tree itself does not grow much
in height, and only yields few and small leaves and flowers. But if it
is planted in a small pot, then the roots are small, but the plant
itself grows rapidly in height and yields beautiful leaves and flowers
(if it is the nature of the plant to produce flowers). Is it not the
same with man? When he lives in full liberty, in abundance and
prosperity, then he grows in body and does not grow in spirit, does not
bring forth fruits — good works; whilst when he lives in straightness,
in poverty, sickness, misfortune, and afflictions, in a word, when his
animal nature is crushed, then he grows spiritually, bears flowers of
virtue, ripens and brings forth rich fruits. This is why the path of
those who love God is a narrow one.
How corrupt I am become
through sin! Anything bad, evil, impure immediately enters into my
thoughts and is felt in my heart, whilst anything good, right, pure,
holy — is often only thought and spoken of, and not felt. Woe unto me!
for as yet evil is nearer to my heart than good. Besides this, we are at
once ready to do evil as soon as it is thought of or felt, and we do it
quickly and easily if we have no fear of God, whilst "how to perform
that which is good I find not"[641] the power within me, and the
intended good work is often put off indefinitely.
Our self-love
and pride would like everything to be as we wish, that we should be
surrounded by every honour and comfort of this temporal life; would like
all men, and even — how far is pride carried! — all nature itself, to
speedily and silently obey a sign from us; whilst, alas! we ourselves
are very slow to faith and to every good work — slow to please the one
Master of all. Christian! you must absolutely be humble, meek, and
long-suffering, remembering that you are clay, dust, nothingness; that
you are impure; that everything good that you have is from God; that
your life, your breath and everything you possess are God's gifts;
Man!
the Creator's omnipotence, wisdom, and mercy, which were poured out
upon the visible and invisible world, are ready to be bestowed, in all
their infinity, upon you also, if you endeavour to be a true child of
the Heavenly Father, if you fulfil His commandments to love God and your
neighbour. Give yourself up, then, untiringly, and with all your might,
to good works and deeds.
Do not only do your work when you wish
to, but do it especially then, when you do not wish to. Understand that
this applies to every ordinary worldly matter, as likewise, and
especially, to the work of the salvation of your soul — to prayer, to
reading God's word and other salutary books, to attending Divine
service, to doing good works, whatever they may be, to preaching God's
word. Do not obey the slothful, deceitful, and most sinful flesh; it is
eternally ready to rest and lead us into everlasting destruction through
temporal tranquillity and enjoyment. "In the sweat of thy face," it is
said, " shalt thou eat bread."[334] O miserable soul, "carefully
cultivate the talent granted unto thee," sings the Church. [335] "The
kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by
force,"[336] says our Lord and Saviour.
"Seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you."[701] How are we to seek first the kingdom of God? In
the following manner: let us suppose that you wish to walk, or drive, or
else go in a boat somewhere on any worldly, temporal business; before
doing so, first pray to the Lord that He may correct the ways of your
heart, and then also your present bodily way, or that He may direct the
way of your life in accordance with His commandments; desire this with
all your heart, and often renew your prayer concerning this. The Lord,
seeing your sincere desire and endeavour to walk in accordance with His
commandments, will, by degrees, correct all your ways.
The way to
succeed in any good work. When you are praying at home, at evening, or
at morning prayer, or in the church during Divine service, be solicitous
in your heart to accomplish this particular good work, and heartily
desire to fulfil it to the glory of God. The Lord and His Most-pure
Mother will unfailingly teach you, will instil in your heart some bright
idea how to accomplish it.
In all your works, either at home or
at the place of your service, do not forget that all your strength, your
light and your success are in Christ and His Cross; therefore, do not
fail to call upon the Lord before beginning any work, saying: Jesus,
help me! Jesus, enlighten me! Thus your heart will be supported and
warmed by lively faith and hope in Christ, for His is the power and
glory unto ages of ages.
If you have Christian love for your
neighbour, then all heaven will love you; if you have union of spirit
with your fellow-creatures, then you shall have union with God and all
the dwellers of heaven; if you are merciful to your neighbour, then God
and all the Angels and Saints will be merciful to you; if you pray for
others, then all heaven will intercede for you. The Lord our God is
holy, be so yourself also.
When the foolish thought of counting
up any of your good works enters into your head, immediately correct
your fault and rather count up your sins, your continual and innumerable
offences against the All-merciful and Righteous Master, and you will
find that their number is as the sand of the sea, whilst your virtues in
comparison with them are as nothing.
Whilst the soul, changeable
in its relation to God, suffers changes in itself, thus it unavoidably
expands and obtains peace of heart when it draws nearer to God by faith
and good works, and unavoidably contracts, becomes restless and wearied,
when it withdraws itself from God by unlawful acts, want of faith, and
unbelief in God's Truth.
In trees there is organic earthly life;
in the Christian race the life of Christ, heavenly, spiritual; and we
must look upon the spiritual capabilities and powers of true Christians
as upon the powers of Jesus Christ Himself. "We have the mind of
Christ,"[203] said the Apostle of true Christians; we must also look
upon good works as upon the fruits of the grace of Christ.
It is a
strange phenomenon in our nature, perverted by sin, to hate those to
whom we do good, and to make them pay for our benefits by disliking
them! Oh, how narrow and poor in love and grace is our heart! How
selfish it is! The enemy may well mock at us; he wishes to destroy the
fruits of our good works. But the more good you do to others, the more
you must love them, knowing that those who receive your benefits serve
as a pledge to you of your receiving forgiveness from God.
"Worship
God in spirit and in truth." In truth, for instance, when you say,
"Hallowed be Thy Name." Do you really desire that God's name should be
hallowed by the good works of others and by your own?
"How can I
prepare for death in a Christian manner?" By means of faith, by means of
good works, and by bravely bearing the miseries and sorrows that happen
to you, so as to be able to meet death fearlessly, peacefully, and
without shame, not as a rigorous law of nature, but as a fatherly call
of the eternal, heavenly, holy, and blessed Father unto the everlasting
Kingdom.
Deny yourself sensual delights in the hope that, instead
of them, you will obtain higher spiritual, heavenly delights. Do good
to all in the hope that, in accordance with God's justice, "with what
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again";[343] that the good
you have done to your neighbour shall be sooner or later returned into
your bosom, just as the evil you have done him shall sooner or later be
returned into your bosom. Remember that we are one body. "We being many
are one bread."[344] Remember that God is just to the highest degree, to
an iota.
When the Devil is in our heart, then we feel an
unusual, overwhelming load and fire in the breast and in the heart. The
soul contracts extremely and darkens, everything irritates it, it feels
an aversion to every good work; the words and acts of other persons in
reference to ourselves we interpret falsely and see in them ill-will and
designs against our honour, and therefore we feel a deep, deadly hatred
towards them; we are infuriated and long for vengeance. "By their
fruits ye shall know them."[51] There are days when the spirit of evil
disturbs me.
Both the spiritual and bodily powers of a man
increase and become perfected and strengthened by their exercise. By
exercising your hand in writing, sewing or knitting, you will accustom
it to such work; by frequently exercising yourself in composition you
will learn to write easily and well; by exercising yourself in doing
good works or in conquering your passions and temptations, you will in
time learn to do good works easily and with delight; and with the help
of God's all-active grace you will easily learn to conquer your
passions. But if you cease writing, sewing, knitting, or if you only do
so seldom, you will write, sew, and knit badly. If you do not exercise
yourself in composition, or do so very seldom, if you live in the
material cares of life only, it will probably become difficult for you
to connect a few words together, especially upon spiritual subjects: the
work set you will seem to you like an Egyptian labour, if you cease
praying, or pray seldom; prayer will be oppressive to you. If you do not
fight against your passions, or only do so seldom and feebly, you will
find it very difficult to fight against them, you will often be
conquered by them; they will give you no rest, and your life will be
poisoned by them, if you do not learn how to conquer these evil, inward
enemies, that settle in your heart. Therefore labour and activity are
indispensable for all. Life without activity is not life, but something
monstrous — a sort of phantom of life. This is why it is the duty of
every man to fight continually and persistently against the slothfulness
of the flesh. God preserve every Christian from indulging it! "They
that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and
lusts."[264] "Unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have
abundance; but from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that
which he hath."[265]
With the words in your heart "All things are
possible to him that believeth,"[1328] strive after everything good and
praiseworthy. Whatever good work you have the intention of doing,
always have faith. Preserve by every means simplicity of heart,
simplicity of faith, hope and love, of meekness, humility and
gentleness. Every good comes from God, and God is every good for us.
This is the simplicity of faith, hope, and love.
Be bold,
resolute in every good work, be especially generous in words of
kindness, tenderness, sympathy, and still more so in works of compassion
and mutual help. Consider despondency, despair in any good work, as an
illusion. Say: "I can do all things through Christ Which strengtheneth
me,"[1330] though indeed I am the greatest of sinners. " All things are
possible to him that believeth."[1331]
"Christ came upon earth in
order to raise us up to heaven"[1393]; that it is not right to attach
ourselves to anything earthly; and that we must value time in order to
win eternity; to cleanse our hearts from every impurity, and to do as
many good works as possible: "My meat is to do the will of Him That sent
Me, and to finish His work."[1394]
"He that gathereth not with
Me scattereth."[1417] It is necessary to advance in the spiritual life,
and ascend higher and higher; to increase more and more the stores of
our good works. If we remain stationary at one point of moral
perfection, upon one step of the Christian ascent, it is equal to our
going back; if we do not gather, it is equal to scattering.
Footnotes
[51] St. Matthew vii. 20.
[203] 1 Corinthians ii. 16.
[264] Galatians v. 24.
[265] St. Matthew xxv. 29.
[304] St. Matthew xiii. 25.
[305] St. Matthew xi. 12.
[334] Genesis iii. 19.
[335] Condakiou at Matins on Holy Tuesday.
[336] St. Matthew xi.12.
[343] St. Matthew vii. 2.
[344] 1 Corinthians x. 17.
[553] Colossians iii. 5.
[641] Romans vii. 18.
[686] St. Matthew xvi. 26.
[701] St. Matthew vi. 33.
[786] Hebrews iv. 9.
[835] Romans iii. 8.
[836] St. Luke vi. 25.
[1029] St. Matthew v. 16.
[1030] St. Matthew vi. 23.
[1328] St. Mark ix. 23.
[1330] Philippians iv. 13.
[1331] St. Mark ix. 23.
[1394] St. John iv. 34.
[1417] St. Luke xi. 23.
Excerpts
compiled from: My Life in Christ or Moments of Spiritual Serenity and
Contemplation, of Reverent Feeling, of Earnest Self-Amendment, and of
Peace in God, St. John of Kronstadt.
