Father Nikon answers questions

How can we understand where we are if we are really progressing

or we are stagnant and not making progress,

how can we win ourselves to the right pace of spiritual advancement

because many times we do our spiritual life not for God but

to feel some inner rest and self-satisfaction.

We understand that we have progressed spiritually

when our love for others has increased more.

We have progressed spiritually when this love we feel for others

is shown in action. We show her. Then we know we have made spiritual

progress. But at the same time and when doing what we do we feel

that everything we do is done by

God's grace and not that it is our own achievement. Where we have progressed

spiritually when we have increased our humility. The more

humble we become, the more spiritually advanced we are.

When we do acts of virtue, when we work on

virtues, give alms, say something to others

and feel that we really have virtues, this

shows that we have not progressed spiritually at all.

Because people who are virtuous and know it, who have virtues and

know it, are very hard and sharp to

others, while the humble always feels himself worse than others.

The virtuous is demanding of others.

The humble man who has love for others is

demanding of himself. So when we want to know how far

we have advanced in virtue, we will look to see if we confess often, if

we think well of others, the best for others.

When we hear of cases like the priest who threw away his robes or someone

else who has some other accident, we pray more for

him. If we pray more, if

we show our love more, if we prevent someone from criticizing

someone else we love both the one who criticizes and

the one who is criticized, then yes we have progressed in virtue. and in the

spiritual life. Otherwise

the virtues become dangerous. Even the devil has virtues. And the

devil angel is, but a black angel. And the devil fasts, the

devil virgins, and the devil vigils.

No matter how many virtues we acquire, we will

never acquire the virtues that the devil had. one he has not and destroys all his

other virtues. He has no humility. And all virtues are wasted

and become dangerous. That is why Saint Isaac

Syros speaks of virtues that become snakes in the hands of the one who has them.

That is precisely why many times the good God withdraws his grace from someone virtuous

and allows him to fall, to sin in order to be humbled.

And this humiliation will save him. Not his virtues which he acquired with the

grace and help of God. This is exactly why St. John

says in a scale, "We were after hunger or victory with pride." I'd rather fall

with humiliation than achieve virtue with pride.

In this, someone said, the sinner differs from the Saint. In which In that

both are sinners. Only the Saint knows. While the sinner does not

know it. And because the saint knows he is

a sinner, he is humble. The sinner who does not know that he is

a sinner is proud and thereby will perish. Not out of pride.

We will not perish because we sin. We will perish because we do not repent.

And repentance shows humility. That is precisely why we will pursue these two

with all our might. Humility and practical love. to

others the love shown in action.

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