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You are here: Home / Quotes / A peaceful heart comes from perfect devotion to God’s will – St Anthony of Optina

A peaceful heart comes from perfect devotion to God’s will – St Anthony of Optina

17 July 2016 By Andrew Leave a Comment

St Anthony of Optina

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A peaceful heart is acquired from perfect devotion to the will of God, without which we have nothing. And if your husband is really not good, ask yourself in all good conscience before God: “Do I, a sinner, deserve a good and kind husband?” And your conscience without fail will say that you certainly do not deserve a good husband; and then in humility of heart, in submission to God’s will, you will love him with all your heart and will find much good which up until then you hadn’t seen. To break the marital union through insufficient depth of consideration or experience may be easy under present worldly wisdom, but what kind of answer will you give at the Last Judgement of God? For God himself unites men and women in marital union, and therefore judge for yourself which is better: patience or impatience!

Душевное спокойствие приобретается от совершенной преданности себя воле Божией, без которой ничтоже с нами бысть, еже бысть. И если бы муж ваш действительно был нехорош, то спросите себя по совести пред Богом: «да стою ли я, грешная, хорошего и доброго мужа?» И совесть ваша непременно скажет, что ты совершенно хорошего не стоишь, и тогда во смирении сердца, с покорностью воле Божией будете от души любить его и находить много хорошего, чего доселе не видали. Расторгнуть же брачный союз по легкомыслию и неопытности своей хотя и нетрудно в нынешние мудрые времена, но каково будет отвечать на Страшном Суде Божием? Ибо Сам Бог брачным союзом сочетает человека, а посему судите сами, что лучше — терпение или нетерпение!

— /Душеполезные поучения преподобных Оптинских старцев/ 2, vol.2, pp. 263—264

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