St. Seraphim of Sarov Orthodox Church
872 N. 29th St. Boise, ID
an American parish of the Russian Orthodox Church
Humility


Hieroschemamonk Michael of New Valaam tells us: No one was ever saved without humility.  Remember, to the end your days you will fall into sins, major and minor ones – you will become angry, boast, lie, become proud, insult others, hoard for yourself. The knowledge of this should keep you humble. How can you become proud when you daily sin and hurt your neighbor? Yet for every sin there is a repentance. If you have sinned, repent; if you have sinned again, repent again; and so on until the end. Doing this you will never despair, but will gradually achieve a peaceful state. But to achieve this peaceful state you must guard your thoughts. They can be good neutral or evil. The evil ones you should never accept. If such a one comes, cut it off with the Jesus Prayer. If you start to analyze it, it will attract your attention. It will overcome you, you will agree to it, and will begin to think of how to actualize it, and there, the sin has been committed.  For this reason it is best to call out to God without ceasing, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” It is said in the epistles of the Apostle Paul: “He who confesses Christ as the Son of God and cries out to Him without ceasing will be saved.” Work as much as you can on the Jesus Prayer and gradually you will become peaceful.