Date: 2026-08-15T00:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Catechetical

Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven

Saint Innocent of Alaska

Royal Archives

2026

Copyright

The modern English translation and the cover design are © 2026 Royal Archives. All rights reserved.

The underlying source text is in the public domain.

Published by Royal Archives

First published 2026

Translated by Royal Archives

Source: Указание пути в Царствие Небесное

Cover: Aurora Borealis (1865) by Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826–1900), Wikimedia Commons / Smithsonian American Art Museum, which is in the public domain.

Edition identifier: urn:royalarchives:indication_of_the_way_into_the_kingdom_of_heaven:en:1

Introduction

The Author

The man the Church now honors as Saint Innocent, Enlightener of the Aleuts and Apostle to America, was born on 26 August 1797 in the Siberian village of Anga, in the diocese of Irkutsk, and given at his baptism the name John. His father was a church server of modest means who died when the boy was young; by the age of seven John was already reading the Epistle aloud in church, and in 1806 he was sent to the seminary at Irkutsk. There, in 1814, a rector who was reassigning the surnames of certain students gave him the name Veniaminov, in memory of the recently reposed Archbishop Benjamin (Veniamin) of Irkutsk. It was under that name—John Veniaminov—that he would become known across two continents. Ordained deacon in 1817 and priest in 1821 at the Church of the Annunciation in Irkutsk, Father John seemed destined for the ordinary rounds of a Siberian parish.

Instead, in 1823 he volunteered for the Russian mission in America, a decision that would fill the next forty-five years of his life. Together with his wife, his aged mother, and his infant son, he crossed the whole breadth of Siberia and the northern Pacific, arriving at the island of Unalaska, in the Aleutian chain, on 29 July 1824. What he did there opened one of the notable chapters in the modern history of Christian mission. Rather than oblige his flock to learn Russian, Father John set himself to learn them. He mastered the Unangan (Aleut) tongue and several of its dialects, devised an alphabet for a language that had never been written down, compiled a grammar, and rendered into it the Catechism, the Gospel of Matthew, and the daily prayers. His careful studies of the Aleut people—their speech, their customs, their island world—and later of the Tlingit of Sitka, earned him a reputation as an ethnographer and linguist of the first rank quite apart from his priestly labors.

His wife died in 1839 while he was in Russia on the business of the mission, and in 1840 Father John was tonsured a monk by Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, receiving the name Innocent in honor of Saint Innocent of Irkutsk. Almost at once he was consecrated the first bishop of a vast new diocese of Kamchatka, the Kuriles, and the Aleutian Islands, with his cathedra at Sitka; he was raised to archbishop in 1850. Still he traveled—by kayak, dogsled, and open boat—across distances few churchmen have ever had to cover, carrying the Gospel over the years to the Aleutian Islands, to the Tlingit of Sitka, to the peoples of Kamchatka and the Yakutsk region, and into the Amur country, and seeing to it that each of them might hear the services in a tongue of their own. At the beginning of 1868 he succeeded his own tonsurer, Saint Philaret, as Metropolitan of Moscow, the senior see of the Russian Church. From that height he did not forget the missions of his youth: he helped bring into being the Orthodox Missionary Society and encouraged the young Archimandrite Nicholas Kasatkin, the future Saint Nicholas of Japan. He fell asleep in the Lord on Holy Saturday, 31 March 1879, and was buried at the Trinity–Saint Sergius Lavra. In 1977 he was numbered among the saints, glorified by the Church of Russia at the request of the Orthodox Church in America.

The Work: Occasion & Purpose

Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the earliest and most fruitful years of that Aleutian ministry. Father John composed it in 1833, while still a missionary priest on Unalaska, and he wrote it first not in Russian but in Aleut—for the very people he was catechizing. This is the fact that gives the book its peculiar character. It was not written in a study for an educated public and then simplified for the mission field; it was born on the mission field, shaped from the outset to the ear and the life of newly baptized islanders who had heard the good news of Christ but needed to be shown, plainly and patiently, what now lay before them.

The title states the purpose exactly. Innocent set out to indicate the way — to point, as a guide points down a road, toward the Kingdom of Heaven and to describe how a person actually walks there. His readers were not skeptics to be argued into belief but converts to be led into a life. And so the book assumes the gospel and expounds its consequences: that human beings were made for eternal life with God, that this life was lost in Adam and restored in Christ, and that a real, walkable path now runs from the font to the Kingdom. Innocent writes as a father to children, addressing his hearers as “brethren,” anticipating their objections, meeting their weariness, and never presuming more learning than a fisherman or hunter might possess.

The little book did not stay on the islands. Carried back to Russia with its author, it was printed in Russian at Saint Petersburg around 1839–1840, and there it began a second life altogether. What had been composed as a missionary handbook for the Aleuts was received by the wider Russian Church as a small classic of the spiritual life, plain enough for a child and searching enough for a monk. Within Innocent’s own corpus—which includes his ethnographic Notes on the Islands of the Unalaska District, his Aleut translations, and his later addresses and instructions to missionaries—it stands as the distilled heart of his pastoral vision: the conviction that the whole of Christian doctrine exists to place a person on the one road that leads home.

Argument & Structure

The book unfolds with the clarity of a good sermon. A brief introduction sets the premise: nothing on earth can satisfy the human heart, which was made for God alone. Innocent presses this home with the example of Solomon, who possessed everything the world can give and still found it all vanity, and with the image of the Christian as a stranger and traveler whose true homeland lies in heaven. There is, he insists, only one way there—Jesus Christ Himself, who said “I am the way.” He then announces the fourfold plan that governs the whole.

Part One asks what blessings Christ won for us by His death. Innocent first draws the contrast between Adam’s original blessedness in Paradise and the ruin that his sin brought upon the whole race—the darkening of the soul, the hostility of the very elements, sickness, death, and bondage to the devil. Against that dark background he sets the work of Christ: by His teaching He dispelled ignorance, by His life He showed the way, by His death He paid our unpayable debt, by His resurrection He broke open the gates of hell and Paradise, by His ascension He glorified our human nature, and by the gift of the Holy Spirit He made the road passable. These blessings, Innocent stresses, are offered to every people without exception, and they call for gratitude and love in return.

Part Two portrays how Christ lived and what He suffered. Here Innocent gives a moving meditation on the humility of the Incarnate Lord—the King of heaven born in a cave, the Lawgiver circumcised, the Almighty obeying His Mother—and on the whole course of His Passion, ending with the sobering reminder of who it is that suffered: the true God, Creator and Judge.

Part Three, the longest section, defines the way itself through Christ’s own words: deny yourself, take up your cross, follow Me. Innocent explains what it means to examine the foundations of faith soundly—illustrated by his memorable parable of a vast building whose top is hidden in the clouds, which one enters by trust rather than by prideful measurement—and then distinguishes the outward crosses, borne by all people, from the inward crosses of self-knowledge and repentance, which are the true medicine of the soul. Following Christ, he shows, means imitating Him point by point in humility, obedience, love of enemies, and contentment.

Part Four turns to the help without which none of this is possible: the grace of the Holy Spirit. Innocent describes what the Spirit works in a person—faith and light, love, freedom from the world, wisdom, joy and peace, humility, and true prayer—and then lists the appointed means by which the Spirit is sought and received: purity of heart, humility, attentiveness to the voice of God, prayer, self-denial in fasting and almsgiving, the reading of Scripture, and the Mysteries of the Church, above all Holy Communion. A concluding exhortation gathers the argument into four plain conclusions and closes with practical counsels for the traveler: do not measure yourself by others, bear mockery, ignore those who would dissuade you, resist the devil, and cultivate diligence and patience.

Theological & Spiritual Significance

For all its simplicity, Indication of the Way carries a coherent and deeply traditional theology. Its governing insight is that salvation is not a doctrine to be assented to but a road to be walked, and that the road is a Person: to be saved is to follow Christ along the very path He Himself trod. This keeps the book from ever becoming abstract. Every dogma it touches—creation, the fall, redemption, the Church, the sacraments—is presented for the sake of the journey, as something a person must know in order to take the next step.

Two emphases give the work its enduring spiritual weight. The first is Innocent’s account of the cross, and especially of the inward crosses. Long before the reader reaches any triumphant note, he is led through a searching examination of his own soul, taught to expect sorrow and self-knowledge as the beginning of healing, and warned against both despair and premature confidence. Innocent handles this with a physician’s care, insisting that God never permits more than the soul can bear and that the whole painful work aims at making a person like Christ. The second is his theology of the Holy Spirit. The book refuses to leave the Christian to his own strength; it makes grace the hinge of everything, describing the Spirit’s gifts with a warmth that reads like personal testimony and grounding the reception of grace in the ordinary, appointed means of the Church’s life.

Woven through it all is a balanced vision of human freedom and divine grace—what the Eastern tradition calls synergy. Innocent repeats that Christ compels no one, that salvation and perdition alike hang upon a person’s own will, and yet that no one can take a single step without the help of the Spirit. The genius of the book is that it holds these together without strain, in language a hunter could follow. Its scriptural citations are woven into the plain register of the whole, never quoted as ornament but pressed into the service of the road. Written for a specific Orthodox mission, and unembarrassed about its Orthodox convictions, the work nonetheless speaks to the common Christian task of conversion and discipleship with a directness that has carried it far beyond the islands where it began.

Reception & Influence

Few catechetical works of the nineteenth century have traveled so widely from so remote a beginning. Having started as a text for one small island people, Indication of the Way was translated into a range of the languages of Siberia and appeared, in Russian, in more than forty editions—a measure of how quickly the wider Church recognized in it something both elementary and profound. It became, in effect, one of the standard introductions to the Christian life in Russian devotional literature, valued precisely for the plainness that its missionary origin had required. In the English-speaking world it has gone through numerous printings and has, by the reckoning of its later publishers, never been out of print since its first appearance. Part of its authority is inseparable from the life of its author: a book about walking the narrow way carries a particular force when its writer crossed frozen wastes and stormy seas for forty-five years to preach that way, and was himself received by the Church as a saint. The work endures as the most beloved and accessible expression of the vision of the Apostle to America.

The Text & This Edition

This edition presents Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven in a fresh modern English translation, rendered directly from the public-domain Russian text of the work—Saint Innocent’s own Russian recension, as preserved in the digital library of azbyka.ru—in a literary English suited to devotional reading. A word about the text’s own history is owed to the reader, for it is unusual. Innocent first wrote the book in Aleut in 1833; the Russian version from which most later editions descend, and from which the present English is made, is his own carrying-over of that original into Russian, printed at Saint Petersburg around 1839–1840. The English here therefore stands at one remove from a Russian text that itself looks back to a lost first draft in the Unangan tongue—a lineage that is itself part of the book’s witness to Innocent’s conviction that the gospel should be spoken to every people in words it can understand. This is an English-only edition; it does not set the Russian alongside the English or present itself as a parallel text.

In keeping with the conventions of this series, the author is named as the Church receives him—Saint Innocent (Veniaminov) of Alaska and Moscow, glorified in 1977—while those who carried his words into English are credited as translators and never as authors. Scripture references are given in the modern Arabic style (for example, John 14:6) for ease of use, and the wording throughout has been rendered into clear contemporary English while preserving the direct, fatherly voice that has made the book so loved. The paragraph structure and the fourfold division of the original have been kept intact, so that the reader follows exactly the road that Innocent laid out for his first hearers on Unalaska nearly two centuries ago.

Suggestions for Reading

The book rewards being read the way it was written—slowly, as counsel rather than information, and preferably a section at a time. Its four parts build upon one another, and a reader who is tempted to begin with the practical instructions of Part Three or Four will find them oddly demanding without the foundation that the first two parts lay: the sense of what the human heart was made for, and of what Christ has already done. It is worth resisting the urge to skip ahead.

A newcomer should not be dismayed by the searching passages on the inward crosses and on self-knowledge in Part Three. Innocent does not mean to crush his reader but to heal him, and he takes pains, again and again, to add that God permits no trial beyond our strength and that despair is never warranted. Read those pages together with the account of the Holy Spirit that follows, and the balance of the whole becomes clear: the road is steep, but the traveler is not left to climb it alone. Those who come to the book from outside the tradition in which it was written will still find in it a plain and bracing map of the Christian life—the same map its author spent his years commending, in whatever tongue his hearers could understand.

Introduction (1)

People were not created to live only here, on earth, like the animals, which perish at their death; but solely to live with God and in God—and to live not a hundred or a thousand years, but to live eternally. And to live with God is given to Christians alone—that is, to those who rightly believe in Jesus Christ.

Every man, whoever he may be, desires and seeks his own well-being and happiness. To wish oneself good and to seek well-being or blessedness is an inborn feeling of man, and therefore it is neither sin nor vice. But one must know that here, on earth proper, true and perfect happiness and well-being has never been found, is not found, and never will be found; for all our well-being and blessedness is found in God alone: no one, ever, without God or apart from God, will find true happiness and perfect well-being.

In this world nothing but God can fill our heart or fully satisfy our desires. A fire is not quenched with brushwood and oil, for water alone can quench it; just so, the desires of the human heart are not satisfied by the goods of this world, for the grace of God alone can slake the thirst of our longings.

Everything we desire pleases us only so long as we do not yet possess it; once we obtain it, it soon wearies us. Or, to put it another way: only that which we do not yet have seems to us good and alluring, while all the things we already possess, even the very best of them, are either not enough for us or do not hold our interest. The best example of this is King Solomon, who, as is well known, was so rich that all the household furnishings in his palaces were of pure gold; so wise that kings came to listen to him; and so renowned that his enemies trembled before him. Being enlightened and powerful beyond all his contemporaries, he could satisfy his every desire and whim, so that there was scarcely a thing in the world that he did not have or could not obtain. Yet for all that, even he could not satisfy his heart, and the desires of his heart wearied and tormented him far more than they torment an ordinary man; and at last, having tried everything in the world, he said in his writings: all in this world is vanity, and nothing can satisfy our desires.

Truly, no earthly good can satisfy our heart: on earth we are strangers, sojourners, and travelers; our home and our fatherland are there, in the heavens, in the Kingdom of Heaven, and there are no things in the world that could perfectly satisfy our desires. Let a man take possession of the whole world and of all that is in it; yet all of this will occupy him, one might say, for only a moment, and will by no means satisfy his heart: for the heart of man can be fully satisfied and filled only with the love of God; and therefore God alone can fill the soul and heart of man and slake the thirst of his longings.

And so, brethren, if you wish to live with God there, in the Kingdom of Heaven—be Orthodox Christians. If you wish well-being and happiness for yourselves—seek it in God. And if you desire that your heart be fully satisfied—turn it to God, from whom you have estranged yourselves by your sins.

But know that no one, of himself, without Jesus Christ, can return and draw near to God: for our sins, like a high wall, do not let us approach Him. And had Jesus Christ, in His mercy toward us, not come down to earth, and had He not taken upon Himself human flesh and by His death broken down the wall that bars us from God, then all men would have perished beyond recovery, and not one man could have drawn near to God or could have lived with Him. For every man is a sinner; he is born in sin from his mother’s womb, and even in the infant—though it neither knows nor does anything of the things of this life—sin is already present, like a seed.

And therefore Jesus Christ is our Redeemer, Saviour, Deliverer, and Benefactor. And now every man, if only he will, may return to God and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

But know that the way into the Kingdom of Heaven is only one; and this way is the very one along which Jesus Christ passed while He lived on earth. There is no other way, nor was there ever, nor ever will there be; for Jesus Christ said: “I am the way” John 14:6, and: if anyone would follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.

And therefore it is most necessary for every Christian—indeed, for every man—to know what this way is, how to find it, and how to walk along it. And so here I wish to speak with you about this way; and although I myself know that I cannot show it to you as I ought, yet with all my strength I shall endeavor to do so—in hope upon Jesus Christ, who can use even mud itself for healing and for a remedy.

And so, whoever comes upon this little book of mine and wishes to read it will find in it nothing more than a weak and meager account of the way into the Kingdom of Heaven. But if anyone reads it with prayer to Jesus Christ, then He, as the Almighty, can by these my words also enlighten and warm the heart of the one who reads.

My account I divide into four parts:

1) Concerning what the blessings are that Jesus Christ granted us by His death.

2) How Jesus Christ lived on earth, and what He suffered for us.

3) What this way is, along which we must walk into the Kingdom of Heaven.

4) How Jesus Christ helps us to walk along this way, and how this help may be obtained.

O Lord Jesus Christ, to Thee I cry: hear me, Thine unworthy servant! Enlighten my mind; grant me that I may truly and plainly set forth Thy way into the Kingdom of glory, which Thou in Thy mercy hast granted us! And to those who hear and read this my account, grant that they may be filled with Thy love, enlightened with Thy knowledge, and established in Thy power; and warm our hearts with Thy Spirit—that we may joyfully and zealously walk along the way which Thou hast shown us.

Part One. What Blessings Jesus Christ Granted Us by His Death

Before we speak of this, let us look at what the blessings were that Adam had in Paradise before he committed sin, and what the evil was that befell Adam after he committed sin, and with him all mankind.

The first man, having been created in the image and likeness of God, so long as he had not yet darkened the likeness of God by his self-will, was blessed by that very image and likeness of God: for as God has no end and is eternal, so too Adam was created immortal; God is all-righteous, and Adam was created sinless and righteous; God is all-blessed, and Adam was created blessed, and his blessedness could increase from day to day, more and more, throughout all eternity.

Adam dwelt in a most beautiful Paradise, or garden, planted by God Himself, where he was content with everything, was always in health and would never have known any sickness; he feared no one, and all the beasts and birds obeyed him as their king; he felt neither cold nor heat, and although he labored and worked in Paradise, he did so with pleasure and delight, and knew neither burden in his labor nor weariness in his body.

His soul and heart were filled with the knowledge and love of God; he was always at peace, joyful, and knew and saw no unpleasantness, no disquiet, no torment, and no sorrows. All his desires were pure, rightly ordered, and in harmony; his memory, reason, and all his other powers of soul were perfect; and being innocent and pure, he abode always with God and conversed with Him, and God loved him as His own beloved son. And to put it briefly: Adam was in Paradise, and in Adam was Paradise.

And so, had Adam not transgressed the commandment of his Creator, he himself would have been blessed, and all his posterity would have been blessed forever. But Adam sinned before God, he broke His law—and a most light law at that—and for this God drove him out of Paradise, because God cannot abide together with sin and with the sinner.

And on this account Adam at once lost the well-being that he had enjoyed in Paradise. His soul was darkened, his thoughts and desires were thrown into confusion, his imagination and memory began to grow dim; instead of joys and peace of soul, he beheld sorrow, griefs, vexations, poverty, the most agonizing toils, and unpleasantness of every kind; and at last a sickly old age threatened him, and after it—death. But what is most terrible of all, the devil, who takes comfort in the sufferings of man, was able to hold power over Adam.

The very elements—that is, the air, fire, and the rest—which before had served Adam as means of enjoyment, now became hostile to him: from that time Adam and all his posterity began to feel cold, heat, and the effects of the changing winds and weather. The beasts grew savage and began to look upon men as their enemies and their prey. From that time men began to feel outward and inward sicknesses, which in the course of time became more various and more cruel. Men forgot that they are brothers, and began to fall upon one another, to hate, to deceive, to torment, and to kill. And at last, after every kind of bitter toil and care, they had to die: and since they are sinners, they had to be in hell, and there to be tormented eternally and without cease.

No man, of himself, could or can restore what Adam lost. And what would have become of us, had Jesus Christ, in His mercy toward us, not redeemed us by Himself? And what then would have become of the whole human race?

God, who loves us far more than we love ourselves, in His very great mercy sent to us His Son Jesus Christ, in order to save us. And Jesus Christ became a man like unto us, save for sin.

Jesus Christ by His teaching dispersed the darkness of ignorance and of the errors of the human mind, and enlightened the world with the light of the Gospel. And now everyone, if only he will, may come to know the will of God and the way and the means to his own blessedness.

Jesus Christ by His life showed us the way into the Kingdom of Heaven, which Adam had lost, and at the same time showed how we must seek it and walk along it.

Jesus Christ by His suffering and His death redeemed us from the debts which we owed to God and which we should never have been able to pay, and made us, who had been the slaves of the devil and of sin, into children of God; and the torments which we, as transgressors of the will of God, were bound to suffer, He endured for us, and by His death delivered us from the calamities and torments to come and from eternal death.

Jesus Christ by His resurrection broke down the gates of hell and opened to us the doors of Paradise, which had been shut to all by the disobedience of Adam, and conquered and crushed the power of the devil and of death, our enemies. And therefore those who now die in faith and hope in Jesus Christ pass through death from a life vain, corruptible, and temporal into a life radiant, incorruptible, and unending; and for the conquering of the devil and the driving of him away, we have the Cross and prayer.

Jesus Christ by His ascension glorified the human race: for He ascended into heaven with the body which He will bear upon Himself forever.

And finally, by the grace and the merits of Jesus Christ we are now able to walk into the Kingdom of Heaven and receive reinforcement and help upon this way; all of us, freely and truly, may receive the Holy Spirit and be filled with Him. Without the Holy Spirit it is impossible to pass along that way along which Jesus Christ passed.

Had Jesus Christ not been on earth, no man could have entered the Kingdom of Heaven; but now all of us, and each one of us, may readily enter it—yet enter it we may by no other way than that along which Jesus Christ passed while He lived on earth.

But what the Lord has prepared for us there, in heaven—that no one can either tell or imagine: and of this we can say only that those who believe in Jesus Christ and follow His commandments will, after their death, live with the angels, the righteous, and the saints—there, in heaven—and will see God face to face; they will rejoice with a joy pure, unceasing, and eternal, knowing neither tedium, nor sorrow, nor care, nor torment, nor suffering; and at the last, at the ending of this world, they will rise again with their bodies and will reign eternally with Christ.

And all such blessings Jesus Christ grants not to any one people alone, but to all without exception: whoever only wills it may receive them; the way to it has been shown, prepared, and, so far as is possible, smoothed and made level; and beyond this, Jesus Christ is ready to help us walk along this way and, so to speak, Himself desires to lead us by the hand—and it remains for us only not to resist Him and not to be obstinate, but to give ourselves over wholly to His will: let Him Himself lead us where and how He pleases.

See, then, how Jesus Christ loves us, and how He bestows blessings upon us!

And what if Jesus Christ were now suddenly to appear visibly before us and ask us: My children! do you have love for Me for what I have done for you? do you feel in your hearts thankfulness toward Me? Which of us would not say to Him: Yea, Lord! we love Thee and we thank Thee?

But if you love Jesus Christ and count yourselves thankful to Him, then will you do what He bids you? For whoever loves another, and whoever feels himself thankful, will do everything that pleases his benefactor. Yet Jesus Christ desires of you only one thing—namely, that you follow Him into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus Christ has done everything for us: shall we then not fulfill for Him this one desire of His? Jesus Christ, in order to save us, came down from heaven to earth: shall we then, for Jesus Christ, be unwilling to suffer and to endure a little?

Blessed, yea, most blessed, is he who follows Jesus Christ all his life long; for he will assuredly be there where Jesus Christ Himself abides.

Happy too is he who takes care and strives to imitate Jesus Christ: for he will receive help from Jesus Christ. But unhappy is he who has no desire to follow Jesus Christ, excusing himself by saying that it is hard to follow Him, or that he has not the strength for it: for such a man deprives himself of the grace of God and, as it were, thrusts away the helping hand of Jesus Christ.

But woe shall be to that man who resists Jesus Christ, who is obstinate and, as it were, rises up against Him: for the portion of such a one is in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone!

Part Two. How Jesus Christ Lived on Earth, and What He Suffered for Us

Every man must fulfill the law of God. This law is contained in two commandments: the first—love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength; the second—love thy neighbor as thyself.

However much a man fulfills this, so much reward will he also receive. But there is not, never has been, and never will be a man who has fulfilled these two commandments in perfect exactness. Jesus Christ alone fulfilled them perfectly and without any deficiency whatsoever.

In this respect all the saints—even the great saints—are but as lamps; whereas Jesus Christ is as the sun in all its radiance and splendor.

And as it is impossible for a man to gaze upon the sun and to describe it, so is it impossible to describe all the good deeds of Jesus Christ; and therefore of His life and His virtues I shall tell you briefly, and only that which can be seen from the Gospel.

No man, nor even any angel, has loved God so much as Jesus Christ loved and loves Him.

Jesus Christ prayed always to God His Father, and especially often did He pray by night and in solitude.

Jesus Christ at every feast, and especially at Pascha, went up to the temple in Jerusalem, which was not near to His place of dwelling; and every sabbath He came to where people gathered for prayer and instruction.

Jesus Christ by all His deeds ever glorified the name of God, and both in secret and before men rendered praise to God.

Jesus Christ throughout His whole life truly respected, obeyed, honored, and loved His Mother and Joseph, His supposed father, and likewise respected the authorities and the elders, and paid tribute to the earthly king.

Jesus Christ with full willingness, without murmuring and in exactness, and with all zeal and love, fulfilled His ministry and His work, for which He came into the world.

Jesus Christ loved every man, wished good to every man, and did good deeds to all, and for the true blessedness of men did not spare His own life.

Jesus Christ with unspeakable meekness and love bore every kind of injury, did not complain of those who wronged Him, and was not even angry with His most open enemies, who reviled Him, mocked Him, and sought to kill Him. By a single word He could have destroyed and made an end of all His enemies and foes; but this He did not will; on the contrary, He wished them every good, did good to them, prayed for them, and pitied and wept over their perdition.

To put it briefly, Jesus Christ from His birth to His very death did not commit the least sin—neither in word, nor in deed, nor in thought—but did every good, at all times and to all men.

Now let us look at how Jesus Christ suffered for us here on earth.

Jesus Christ, being the Son of God and Himself God, took upon Himself the body and soul of a man and became a perfect man, save for sin; and being the Almighty, He took the form of a servant; being the King of heaven and earth, He was born in poverty and of a lowly mother, in a cave; He was laid in a manger; and His supposed father was a poor carpenter.

Jesus Christ, being the Supreme Lawgiver, in order to fulfill that which the law required, on the eighth day after His nativity shed His most precious blood in circumcision. And after that His Most Pure Mother brought Him into the temple and, for Him, the Redeemer of the world, paid the redemption price. Jesus Christ was yet in the cradle, and already Herod sought to kill Him, and on that account He withdrew into Egypt, a foreign land.

But do not think that Jesus Christ in His infancy could not understand what was being done and what was happening to Him. No! Although Jesus Christ is a perfect man, yet at the same time He is also perfect God; and therefore He saw and knew all that was being done to Him.

Jesus Christ, being God and the Almighty, whom the heavens and the earth and ten thousand times ten thousand of angels obey, Himself throughout His whole earthly life obeyed His Mother, who is His own creation.

Jesus Christ, who holds in His right hand all the treasures of the worlds, during His earthly life had no place on earth where to lay His head.

Jesus Christ, the King of all the universe, paid tribute to the earthly king.

Jesus Christ, whom all the angels and all creation serve, Himself served men and washed the feet of His disciples, chosen from among the most unlearned and simple of men.

Jesus Christ during the time of His preaching beheld a countless multitude of injuries of every kind from His enemies. They called Him a sinner and a transgressor of the law of Moses, and an empty man, a carpenter’s son, and a friend and companion of gluttons, winebibbers, and publicans. At one time the malice and fury of His enemies went so far that they wished to cast Him down from a mountain; at another time they wished to stone Him. His most holy teaching they called flattery and deceit. If He healed the sick or raised the dead, His enemies said and spread abroad that He did all this by the help of Satan, and instilled into the people that He Himself even had a demon within Him.

To put it briefly, Jesus Christ from His nativity to His very death suffered and beheld afflictions and unpleasantness on every side. He suffered both from men and for men. He grieved not only that men would not hearken to Him and insulted Him and would not turn back from their perdition. Jesus Christ suffered, so to speak, both visibly and invisibly: for He saw and endured not only the open injuries and insults from men, but at the same time He beheld the secret evil schemes and the intentions of His enemies—and He saw that even those very men who seemed to love Him and to hear Him with tenderness either did not believe Him or were cold toward their salvation.

From whom did Jesus Christ suffer most? From the Jewish high priests, from the scribes—that is, from the learned men—and from their rulers, who knew of and awaited the coming of the Saviour to them, yet would not receive Jesus Christ or hear Him, but on the contrary, as though He were some deceiver and transgressor of the laws, delivered Him to death. And whereas the Jewish people were ready to release Jesus from crucifixion, these men incited them rather to ask for Barabbas, a robber and a sower of sedition, and to deliver Jesus, the Holiest of all the Holy, to death. My God, to what a degree can the malice and envy of man reach! But what is most terrible of all, Jesus Christ was betrayed by one who was His disciple, who knew Him, who ate and drank with Him and saw with his own eyes His life, His miracles, and the power of His teaching; and how did he betray Him? by guile and a kiss; and for what price? for thirty pieces of silver.

For whom did Jesus Christ suffer? For all sinners, from Adam to the end of the ages. He suffered even for those very men who tormented Him, and for His enemies, who delivered Him to such torment, and for those who, having received from Him countless benefits, not only did not thank Him but even hated and persecuted Him. He suffered also for all of us, who insult Him every day by our iniquities, our spites, and our dreadful indifference to His sufferings for us—we who by our ingratitude and by our vile sins, as it were, nail Him to the cross a second time.

Jesus Christ in the last days of His earthly life wrought one of the greatest of miracles—that is, He raised Lazarus, who had already been four days in the tomb and had already begun to decay. Such a miracle, wrought in the presence of a multitude of people, moved many to believe in Jesus Christ and to acknowledge Him as one sent of God. But the Jewish high priests and scribes, instead of receiving Jesus Christ and believing in Him and assuring others that He is the true Saviour of the world, gathered together to Caiaphas, took counsel as to what to do with Jesus, and sought out accusations against Him; and at last they resolved: to deliver Jesus Christ, who raises the dead, to death.

But how Jesus Christ suffered on that last night—that is, after the Mystical Supper and until His betrayal into the hands of the soldiers—that we can in no way even imagine! His inward sufferings at that time were so terrible and so great that Jesus Christ alone was able to bear them. Here it was that He sweated a bloody sweat.

At this time His soul felt a cruel torment, a great sorrow, and a dreadful suffering; His soul was covered with shame and fear for our sins, which He had taken upon Himself—for all the sins committed by men, from Adam to that time, and for the sins of those men which would be committed until the ending of this world.

Then Jesus Christ sees that even among Christians themselves there will soon appear hypocritical disciples, like unto Judas, and that many of them will not only fail to imitate Him, but will give themselves over to vices and to foul and abominable sins; and that there will appear even many who will reject His very faith and teaching, or distort them with false interpretations, and who, instead of giving themselves over to the guidance of the wisdom of God, will desire of themselves to lead others according to their own conceits.

On the one hand, love for God His Father required that the human race be made an end of, as criminal and ungrateful; while on the other hand, love for fallen and perishing men moved Him to suffer for them and by His suffering to deliver them from eternal perdition.

Such sufferings were for Jesus Christ so heavy and so great that He said to His disciples: “My soul is exceeding sorrowful… even unto death” Matt 26:38.

After this they bind Jesus Christ, as though He were a malefactor, and lead Him to His enemies, who try Him and condemn Him to death. The Apostles, whom He especially and above all loved, forsake Him and flee. To Pilate’s question—whom shall I release, Barabbas or Christ?—His spiteful and envious enemies incite the senseless people to ask for Barabbas the robber and to crucify Jesus, the righteous and holy One. And so they deliver Him into the hands of the heathen, who torment Him, beat Him, spit upon Him, mock Him, set upon His head a crown of thorns, strip from Him His garments, and nail Him to the cross, and crucify Him between two robbers, and in a place of shame, as though He were a great malefactor and criminal. Embittered malice and envy do not spare Him even here, upon the cross; even here they laugh at Him as at a deceiver, and to slake His thirst give Him vinegar and gall to drink.

And at last Jesus Christ dies—and dies the death of the cross, that is, a death agonizing and shameful.

Do not think that Jesus Christ suffered because He could not be delivered or escape the torments. No! He of His own will gave and offered Himself up as a sacrifice; otherwise no one would have dared even to think of laying a hand upon Him: for you know that, when those sent for Him came to take Him, He asked them: whom do you seek? They answer Him: Jesus of Nazareth; He says to them: behold, it is I!—and at this single word they all fell to the ground.

This is all that we have been able to say of the sufferings of Jesus Christ, which He endured for us out of His unspeakable love for us; but in order to understand, so far as is possible, how great is His love for us and how great is His sacrifice, we must call to mind who Jesus Christ is.

Jesus Christ is the true God, the almighty Creator of all the universe, the great King of Angels and of men, the mighty Master of all creation, the dread Judge of the living and the dead—and this same Jesus Christ deigned to suffer for the human race!

Part Three. What Is the Way That Leads Into the Kingdom of Heaven

The way into the Kingdom of Heaven is Jesus Christ Himself; only he walks along this way who follows Jesus Christ. But how must one walk along it? Hear what Jesus Christ Himself says: “Whoever would follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross” Matt 16:24, and follow Me. And what it means to deny oneself, to take up one’s cross, and to follow Jesus Christ—that will be told below.

Jesus Christ said: “Whoever would follow Me.” These words mean that Jesus Christ compels and constrains no one to follow Him. He does not wish to have for His disciples bondsmen, or those who have no desire of their own, but wishes that a man should of himself, willingly and without any constraint, give his whole self over to Him; and consequently, into the Kingdom of Heaven there enter only those who themselves desire to enter. Christian! thy salvation and thy perdition depend upon thine own will. The Lord, in His unspeakable wisdom and love, has granted thee freedom to do what thou wilt, and does not wish to take from thee this most precious gift. And so, if thou wilt follow Jesus Christ—He points out to thee the way into the Kingdom of Heaven, and is even ready to help thee upon this way; if thou wilt not follow—it is thy will: no one compels thee, nor will compel thee. But take heed, beware of scorning the call of Jesus Christ and so great a mercy of His. Jesus Christ, in His great goodness, knocks long, long at the door of the heart of every man, to awaken his soul and to rouse in him the desire of salvation; but woe to him from whom He at last withdraws, and whom He casts off as a son of perdition!

And so, in order to follow Jesus Christ, one must first of all have for it one’s own desire and resolve; and in order to have the desire to follow Him, one must know whither to go, and what this way is, and what is needful for this way. But how can a man know thoroughly that which he does not wish to know, or which he has heard only in passing and superficially?

And so, before thou goest after Jesus Christ, thou must do the following.

1) Attentively examine the foundation of Christianity—that is, the very books of Holy Scripture, upon which our Orthodox faith is founded: to learn whence they came, who wrote them and when, how they were preserved and passed down to us, and why they are called divine and sacred, and so forth. But thou must examine the sacred books in simplicity of heart, without any prejudice, without inquisitiveness, without partiality, and by no means beyond the bounds of thy mind—that is, not straining to penetrate and learn that which is hidden from us by the wisdom of God. Such an examination of the faith is by no means contrary to the faith; on the contrary, it is laid upon every Christian as a bounden duty, when he comes to full age, to learn his faith more thoroughly: for whoever does not know his faith soundly grows cold and indifferent toward it, and often falls either into superstition or into unbelief. And how many Christians—or rather, how many baptized in the name of Jesus Christ—have perished and are perishing for this reason alone, that they will not and would not turn their attention to the foundation of our Orthodox faith! Without excuse at the Dread Judgment will be the one who has neglected this duty! But not all men can examine the faith in the same way; rather, each according to his abilities, his knowledge, and his enlightenment. Thus, for example, the learned man can and ought to turn his attention to the historical events that prove the origin and the consequences of the faith, to the spirit of Holy Scripture, and so forth. But the unlearned and simple man must ask and learn from the pastors and teachers of the Church, as from men who have given a promise to teach the faith, and who from their childhood have been instructed in it and devote their whole life to the study of it.

2) When thou hast learned and become convinced that our Orthodox faith is founded upon Holy Scripture, and not upon fabrications or speculations, and that Holy Scripture is indeed the true word of God, revealed to us by the Holy Spirit through the Prophets and the Apostles: then do not examine that which has not been revealed to us; believe unconditionally, without doubt and without speculation, all that Holy Scripture teaches, hearkening to no human explanations and interpretations of that which is inaccessible to the human mind. And if thou wilt do so, then thy faith will be true and right, and it will be reckoned to thee for justification and for merit.

3) And finally, strive to have and to rouse in thyself the desire to follow that which Holy Scripture teaches; but if thou hast not this desire, then fall down before this same Saviour of ours, Jesus Christ, and ask of Him this desire with fervent prayer. And much less be obstinate, when grace calls thee onto the way of salvation.

All that has been said here of the faith let us make plain by a parable. Suppose, for example, thou wert to hear that in such-and-such a place, near to thee, there stands a vast and wondrous building. Its height reaches to the very heaven; its entrance is somewhat hidden, and without direction not everyone can find it; and for further guidance there are at it a multitude of attendants, who are at the same time also physicians for the sick and the maimed, and dispensers of the food needful for the journey. The stairways for the ascent are so many that almost everyone has his own; yet all the stairways alike are narrow, cramped, and dimly lit, so that without a guide and outside help it is impossible to take even a single step, and especially at the beginning. This building was made by a most wise Architect, and precisely for this purpose: that by means of it a man might ascend to heaven and into Paradise itself.

Having heard all this, thou wouldst, without doubt, wish to be there whither this building leads. But how then wouldst thou act in this case? Of course, first of all thou must come to this building, examine it more thoroughly, ask the attendants about everything—that is, both about the building itself and its purpose, and about how and whence to enter it, and so forth; and the attendants will gladly tell thee all that is needful for this. And if thou art a learned man, then go up to the building itself, inspect it on every side: whether it is founded upon a firm foundation, and whether it is able to bear both the weight of the building itself and those who enter it. If thou art very learned, examine even the very materials of which it is made—learn, distinguish, and discern all that can be examined with the eyes, and thou mayest even employ for this the necessary instruments. And then, when thou hast seen and become convinced that this building is sound, firm, and fully able to answer to its purpose: then lay aside all further inquiry and leave at the doors all thy instruments, with which thou wert examining it—for there they will almost only hinder thee, and not help—and without any doubt enter within the building itself, and go on, not stopping and not fearing the difficulty of the ascent, which is indeed difficult, especially at the beginning. Difficult is the ascent to heaven; but in return it leads straight thither whither all men ought to strive, and to that which all ought to seek throughout their whole life. Within this building thou wilt meet both fellow travelers, with whom thou shalt go hand in hand, and physicians, if it should happen that thou fall and hurt thyself; thou wilt find also dispensers of the food needful for such a journey, and guides, and pointers of the way, and instructors, who will tell thee all that is needful, and whom thou wilt keep finding and meeting until the Master of the House and the Maker of this building Himself shall meet thee. But in order to reach the very end of the way more swiftly and more surely, the best and most reliable thing of all is to give thyself over wholly to the will of the Maker and Master of the House.

But tell me: would not that man act senselessly who, instead of examining the building at its very foundation and discerning that which is accessible to our eyes, should, out of his pride and self-reliance, or out of his stubbornness, take it into his head to examine the very top of this building, which must ordinarily be hidden in the clouds and in the very space between earth and heaven? And would he not act foolishly who, seeing on high some parts of the building and being unable, or having no means, to examine them properly, should take it into his head to reason about them, and by them to draw conclusions about the whole building, and to find defects or excesses there where, by reason of the exceeding height, the building itself can scarcely be seen? Or again, would it not be on his part senseless and even criminal if he, examining nothing and having barely entered the enclosure of the building, should suddenly begin to condemn this or that in it, and to assure others that this building is neither sound nor necessary? Or, in place of the instructions and laws of the Master of the House and Architect Himself, should set forth his own instructions and speculations? But, it seems, the most foolish of all would be the one who, having barely entered the enclosure, should lay aside all desire not only to enter this building, but even to examine it.

For the one who sincerely desires to be there whither this building leads, it is enough if he becomes convinced that it is sound and established upon an unshakable foundation, and built not by the hands of ordinary craftsmen and masters, but by the hands of the great Architect, who by His own blood laid out and cleansed the way into it, and Himself was the first to pass along it. It is enough to be convinced of this also, and all the rest—that is, why it was built thus and not otherwise, or why it stands there and not in another place, and so forth—all this is not thy concern: thy concern is only to give thyself over to the will and desire of the Master of the House, and with hope in His help and love for Him in thy heart, to go toward Him and after Him, and to go as He bids.

Let us apply this parable to Christianity. The building, built upon the earth and reaching to heaven, is our Orthodox Christian faith; the Architect and Master of the House is Jesus Christ; the attendants are the pastors and teachers of the Church, and so forth.

Now let us look at the very way along which we must follow Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ said: whoever would follow Me,

1) let him deny himself,

2) let him take up his cross,

3) let him follow Me.

And so, the first duty of a Christian—that is, of a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ—is to deny himself.

To deny oneself means: to forsake one’s evil habits; to tear out of one’s heart all that binds us to the world; to harbor in oneself no evil desires and thoughts; to quench and suppress evil thoughts, to keep away from occasions of sin; to do and to desire nothing out of self-love, but to do everything out of love for God. To deny oneself means, according to the word of the Apostle Paul, to be dead to sins and to the world, but alive unto God.

The second duty of a Christian—that is, of one who follows Jesus Christ—is to take up his cross.

By the name of the cross are understood sufferings, sorrows, and troubles. Crosses are of two kinds, outward and inward. To take up one’s cross means to accept and to bear without murmuring everything that may befall us in our life that is unpleasant, grievous, sorrowful, hard, and heavy. And therefore, whether someone wrongs thee, mocks thee, or causes thee tedium, sorrow, and vexation; or thou hast done good to someone, and he, instead of thanking thee, rises up against thee and even contrives schemes; or thou wishest to do good, but it does not succeed; or some misfortune has befallen thee—for instance, thou thyself art sick, or thy wife, or thy children, and so forth; or, for all thy activity and unsleeping labors, thou endurest want and lack; or even poverty and destitution itself weighs thee down; or, besides this, thou endurest some other unpleasantness—bear all this without malice, without murmuring, without backbiting, without complaint, that is, not counting thyself wronged and without expectation of an earthly reward for it; but bear all this with love, with joy, and with steadfastness.

To take up one’s cross means not only to bear the crosses laid upon us by others, or sent by Providence, but also to take up and to bear one’s own crosses, and even to lay crosses upon oneself and to bear them. This means that a Christian can and ought to make and fulfill various vows and promises, grievous and burdensome to our heart, but vows conformable to the word of the Lord and to His will, and not according to one’s own speculations and notions. Thus, for example, one can and ought to make and fulfill vows that are profitable for one’s neighbors, such as: to serve the sick, to help actively those who need help, to seek out occasions, with long-suffering and meekness, to further the salvation and good of men, whether by deed, or by word, or by counsel, or by prayer, and so forth.

And when thou bearest thy cross according to the word and intention of the Lord, and if at that time there should arise in thee the proud thought that thou art a man not like other men, but a man steadfast, pious, and better than thy brethren and neighbors: then, so far as is possible, root out such thoughts, for such thoughts can destroy all thy virtues.

It was said above that crosses are of two kinds, outward and inward, and here almost everything has been said only of the outward crosses. And blessed is he who knows how to bear them with discernment; for the Lord will not allow such a man to perish, but will send him the Holy Spirit, who will strengthen and instruct him and lead him further. But to become holy and to be like Jesus Christ, for this the outward crosses alone are not enough; for outward crosses without the inward ones are no more profitable than outward prayer without the inward. Outward crosses, or outward sufferings, are borne not by the disciples of Jesus Christ alone, but by each and every man—that is, there is no man in the world who does not suffer or endure from one thing or another. But whoever wishes to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ and a follower of His must of necessity bear the inward crosses also.

Inward crosses can be found at any time, and sooner than the outward ones. One need only turn one’s attention upon oneself and, in a feeling of repentance, examine one’s own soul, and then at once there will present themselves thousands of inward crosses. For example, reflect: how didst thou come into this world? for what purpose dost thou exist in this world? and dost thou live as thou oughtest to live? and so forth. Turn thy due attention to this—and thou wilt see at the first glance that thou, being a creature and the work of Almighty God, existest in this world solely for this: that by all thy deeds, by all thy life, and by thy whole being thou mightest glorify His holy and great Name; whereas thou not only dost not glorify Him, but on the contrary insultest and dishonorest Him by thy lawless life, and so forth. Then call to mind and reflect: what awaits thee on the far side of thy grave? on which side wilt thou appear at the time of the Dread Judgment of Christ, on the right or on the left? and so forth. And if thou wilt reflect in this manner, then thou wilt come, in spite of thyself, to a disquiet, and thou wilt begin to be troubled. And this will be the beginning of the inward crosses. But if thou wilt not only refrain from putting such thoughts away from thee or seeking distraction from them in worldly pleasures or in empty amusements, but wilt examine thyself yet more and more attentively, then thou wilt find yet more crosses; for example, hell, of which until then thou hadst perhaps not even thought, or hadst thought with indifference, will then present itself to thee in all its horror. Paradise, which the Lord has prepared for thee and of which until then thou hadst not thought, or hadst thought only in passing, will then vividly present itself to thee as that which it is—that is, a place of eternal and pure joys, of which thou thyself art depriving thyself by thy negligence and folly, and so forth.

And if, notwithstanding the sorrow and inward sufferings that thou wilt feel from such reflections, thou firmly resolvest to bear them, and seekest no consolation in anything worldly, but prayest the more diligently to the Lord for thy salvation, and givest thy whole self over to His will: then the Lord will begin to disclose and to show thee the state of thy soul in the form in which it truly is—in order thereby more and more to implant and to nourish in thee fear, sorrow, and grief, and thereby more and more to cleanse thee.

To see the state of our soul in all its nakedness, and especially to feel vividly our own danger, we can never do without the special mercy and help of the Lord: for the inward part of our soul is always hidden from us by our self-love, our speculation, our passions, our worldly cares, the allurements of the world, and so forth. And if it sometimes seems to us that we of ourselves see the state of our soul, then we see only the outside, and no more than what our own reason and conscience can show us.

The enemy of our soul, the devil, knowing how salutary it is for us to examine and to see the state of our soul, employs all his guiles and cunning in order not to allow a man to see his state in the form in which it is, so that he may not turn and begin to seek salvation. But when the devil sees that this guile of his does not avail, and that the man, with the help of the grace of God, begins to see himself, then the devil employs another and yet more cunning means: he strives to show the man the state of his soul all at once, and so far as possible from its most dangerous side—in order thereby to strike the man with horror and to bring him to despair. And indeed, if the Lord were always to permit the devil to employ this latter means—that is, to show us the state of our soul from its most dangerous side—then few of us would stand firm, because in very truth the state of the soul of a sinner, and especially of an unrepentant sinner, is exceedingly dangerous and terrible: and not of the sinner only—but even the very saints and righteous men, for all their righteousness, did not find tears enough to bewail their soul.

When the Lord is pleased to disclose to thee the state of thy soul, then thou wilt begin to see clearly and to feel vividly that, for all thy virtues, thy heart is corrupted and depraved, thy soul is defiled, and thou thyself art nothing other than a slave of sin and of the passions, which have wholly taken possession of thee and do not allow thee to draw near to God. Thou wilt begin also to see that there is in thee nothing truly good; and if thou hast even some few good deeds, then they are all mingled with sin, and are not the fruit of true love, but the offspring of various passions and circumstances, and so forth—and then of necessity thou wilt suffer: then fear will seize thee, and sorrow, and grief, and so forth. Fear—because thou art in danger of perishing; sorrow and grief—because thou hast so long and so stubbornly turned away thine ear from the meek voice of the Lord, who calls thee into the Kingdom of Heaven, and because thou hast so long and so fearlessly angered Him by thy iniquities, and so forth.

And in the measure that the Lord discloses to thee the state of thy soul, in thee thine inward sufferings also will increase.

This is what is called the inward crosses!

Since men do not all have the same virtues and the same sins, neither are the inward crosses the same for all. For some they are more burdensome, for others less; for some more prolonged, for others less; for some they come in one way, for others in another, and so forth. And all this depends upon the state of each one’s soul, exactly as the duration and the manner of the healing of a sickness depend upon the state of the sick man. And the physician is not to blame if he must sometimes employ strong and prolonged remedies for the healing of an inveterate and dangerous sickness, which the sick man has perhaps himself aggravated and made worse. Whoever wishes to be well will consent to bear everything.

The inward crosses are for some so burdensome that they sometimes find for themselves no consolation in anything.

All this may happen to thee also; but in whatever condition thou mayest be, and whatever sufferings of soul thou mayest feel, do not despair and do not think that the Lord has forsaken thee. No! He will always be with thee and will invisibly sustain thee even then, when it shall seem to thee that thou art at the very brink of perdition. No! He will not allow thee to be tempted more than it pleases Him to allow. Do not despair and do not fear; but with full submission and devotion to Him endure and pray. For He is our Father, and a Father most loving of His children. And if He permits a man devoted to Him to fall into temptations, then it is for no other reason than only this: that He may thereby the more intelligibly and clearly show the man his own powerlessness, infirmity, and nothingness, and teach him never to hope in himself, and that no one without God can do anything good. And if the Lord leads a man into suffering or lays crosses upon him, then it is solely for this: that He may thereby heal the soul, make him conformable to Jesus Christ, and wholly cleanse his heart, in which He desires to dwell Himself, together with the Son and His Holy Spirit.

In these sorrows of thine, however heavy they may be, seek no consolation in men, unless the Lord especially point out and send thee one of His chosen. Ordinary men—that is, those inexperienced in spiritual matters—are always poor comforters in ordinary griefs, and much more so in grief and sorrow that is for the Lord’s sake, of which they have not even any notion: in this case they can the more readily harm thee than console thee and ease thy sufferings. The Lord, the Lord is thy Helper, and Comforter, and Instructor; to Him alone have recourse, and in Him alone seek consolation and help.

Blessed, a hundredfold blessed, is that man to whom the Lord grants to bear the inward crosses: because they are the true healing of the soul, a sure and reliable means of becoming conformable to Jesus Christ, and consequently they are a special and manifest mercy of the Lord and a visible token of His care for the salvation of man. Blessed is that man also because he is in a state which, without the assistance of the grace of God, we not only cannot attain, but do not even count needful for our salvation.

If thou wilt bear thy sufferings with submission and devotion to the will of the Lord, and wilt seek consolation nowhere and in no one save the Lord, then He in His mercy will not forsake thee, nor will He leave thee without consolation; He will touch thy heart with His grace and impart to thee the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the midst of thy sufferings, and perhaps even at the very beginning of them, thou wilt feel in thy heart an inexpressible sweetness, a wondrous peace and joy such as thou hast never felt—and together with this thou wilt feel in thyself the strength and the power to pray to God with true prayer and to believe in Him with true faith: and thy heart will be kindled with pure love for God and for thy neighbor. And all this is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

And if the Lord vouchsafe thee such a gift, then by no means count it a reward for thine own labors and sorrows, and do not think that thou hast attained perfection or holiness. Such thoughts are nothing other than the prompting of pride, which has penetrated so deeply into our soul, and has grown so fast to it, that it can manifest itself even when a man has the power of working miracles.

Such consolations and touchings of the Holy Spirit are not a reward, but only a mercy of the Lord, which grants thee to taste of the blessings that God has prepared for those who love Him, so that, having tasted them, thou mayest seek them with greater zeal and diligence, and at the same time mayest be prepared and strengthened for the bearing of new sorrows and sufferings. And the love that thou wilt feel at that time is not yet that perfect state which the saints attain on earth, but only an indication of it.

The third duty of the disciple of Jesus Christ is to follow Him. To follow Jesus Christ means in all one’s deeds and actions to imitate the deeds and actions of Jesus Christ. As Jesus Christ lived and acted on earth, so exactly must we also live and act; thus, for example:

Jesus Christ always rendered thanksgiving and praise to God His Father and always prayed to Him; so exactly must we, in every condition and in all the circumstances of our life, thank God, love Him, and openly and in secret render praise and pray to Him, and always have Him in our mind and heart.

Jesus Christ honored and obeyed His Most Pure Mother, and His supposed father, and the authorities. So exactly must we hearken to and honor our parents and those who reared us, neither provoking nor insulting them by our conduct; and we must respect our authorities and every power (that acknowledges God), and must obey them and fulfill their commands without murmuring.

Jesus Christ, the King of the universe, paid tribute to the earthly king, and the Judge of the living and the dead would not arrogate to Himself the civil power of a judge or a divider Luke 12:14. So exactly must we pay the tribute of the state without any murmuring, and not take upon ourselves a power that does not belong to us—for example, the power to judge and condemn those who hold authority, and so forth.

Jesus Christ fulfilled the office He had taken upon Himself, and the work for which He was sent into the world, with willingness, zeal, and love. So exactly must we, with diligence, willingness, and without murmuring, fulfill our duties, such as God and the state lay upon us, notwithstanding that our duties may be either hard or lowly.

Jesus Christ loved every man and did every good to all. So exactly must we love our brethren and, so far as is possible, do them good, whether by deed, or by word, or by thought.

Jesus Christ gave Himself up for the salvation of men. So exactly must we, for the procuring of good for men, spare neither our labors nor our health; for the salvation and defense of our fatherland and of our Sovereign, as the Father of the fatherland, we must not spare even our very life; and for Jesus Christ, as our Redeemer and Benefactor, we must spare neither the very consolations of our soul, nor our body, nor our life, after the manner of the holy martyrs, who for Jesus Christ endured various torments and death.

Jesus Christ of His own will gave Himself up to suffering and death. So exactly must we not flee from the sufferings and griefs sent to us by God, but must likewise, with humility and devotion to God, accept and bear them.

Jesus Christ forgave His enemies all that they did to Him, and, beyond that, did them every good and prayed for their salvation; so exactly must we forgive our enemies, repay with good the evil done to us, and bless those who revile us, in full faith and hope in God, the most just and all-seeing Judge, without whose will not even a hair of our head shall perish. Having borne a wrong without complaint, without vengeance, and with love, thou wilt act as a true Christian.

Jesus Christ, the King of heaven and earth, lived in poverty and by His own labors obtained what was necessary for life: so exactly must we be diligent and unslothfully seek what is necessary for our life, and be content with our condition and not desire riches; because, according to the word of the Saviour, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus Christ, being meek and lowly of heart, never sought or desired praise from others. So exactly must we boast of nothing before others, nor seek praise from others. For example, whether thou doest good to others, whether thou givest alms, whether thou livest more piously than others, or art more sensible than many, or art in general better and more excellent than thy brethren—boast not of this, neither before men nor before thyself: because all that thou hast in thee and about thee that is good and praiseworthy, all this is not thine, but a gift of God; thine own are only thy sins and weaknesses, and all the rest is God’s.

To follow Jesus Christ means also this: to obey the word of Jesus Christ; and therefore we must hear, believe, and fulfill all that Jesus Christ said in the Gospel and through His Apostles, and do all this without speculation and in simplicity of heart. Whoever hears and attends to the word of Jesus Christ may be called His disciple; but whoever hears and fulfills His words, and that in simplicity of heart and with complete devotion, he is His true and beloved disciple,

And so, this is what it means to deny oneself, to take up one’s cross, and to follow Jesus Christ; these are the true qualities and properties of a disciple of Jesus Christ; this is the true and direct way into the Kingdom of Heaven, and this is the way along which Jesus Christ Himself passed, living on earth, and along which Christians must go! There was not, and is not, and never will be any other way besides this way.

And of course this way is not smooth, but narrow and thorny, and especially so will it seem at its beginning: but in return it leads straight and surely into Paradise, into the Kingdom of Heaven, into eternal blessedness, to God—the Source of all blessedness. Sorrowful is this way: but one may say that for every step along it there await a thousand rewards. The sufferings on this way are not eternal, and one may even say they are momentary, while the reward for them is unending and eternal, as God Himself. The sufferings will from day to day become less and lighter, while the reward from hour to hour will increase more and more, throughout all the boundless life to come.

And so, do not be afraid of this way; for the smooth and even way leads into hell, while the thorny and uneven way leads to heaven.

Many in perplexity ask: why is the way into the Kingdom of Heaven so difficult, and why must a Christian bear so many heavy crosses? To such and similar questions a Christian must always answer that so it was pleasing to God. Our God is All-wise and the Lover of mankind; He knows what He is doing with us and what to do with us. If we wish indeed to be true disciples of Jesus Christ—that is, disciples submissive, obedient, and devoted to Him—then let us commit ourselves, and one another, and our whole life unto Christ our God. Yet one may point out some few causes, visible and accessible to our mind, why the way into the Kingdom of Heaven is so difficult, and why we can in no wise avoid it, if we wish to attain salvation.

1) The Kingdom of Heaven is the very highest blessedness and the greatest glory and honor and inexhaustible riches. And therefore, if even for the obtaining of small and meager earthly riches great labors and cares are needed, how then can one obtain without labors so unspeakable a treasure?

2) The Kingdom of Heaven is a reward, and the very greatest reward: and where is a reward given for nothing and for no cause? And therefore, if for the obtaining of an earthly and temporal reward one must labor and strive, how much more for the obtaining of a heavenly and eternal reward.

3) We must bear crosses because we call ourselves, and wish to be, Christians—that is, disciples, followers, and members of Jesus Christ. As is the Teacher, Leader, and Head, such must also be His disciples, followers, and members: Jesus Christ entered into His glory through suffering—consequently, we too can enter there by no other way than the way of sufferings.

4) All men bear their crosses—all and each, more or less, suffer and endure. To bear crosses is not the lot or portion of Christians alone: no! they are borne both by the Christian and by the non-Christian, by the believer and by the unbeliever; only this is the difference between them, that to the one the crosses serve as a healing and a means to the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven, while to the other they become a punishment, a chastisement, and an execution. For the one they grow from time to time lighter, sweeter, and at last are turned into crowns of eternal glory; while for the other they grow heavier and more grievous—and at last all the crosses of the world will flow together into one most enormous infernal burden, which will weigh down upon their heads, and under which they will suffer eternally and without solace. But why such a difference? Because the one bears them with faith and devotion to God, while the other bears them with murmuring and with blasphemies.

And so thou, O Christian, must not only not flee from crosses and not murmur at them, but, on the contrary, must thank Jesus Christ that He sends them to thee, and thank Him day and night that He has vouchsafed to number thee among the cross-bearers. For if Jesus Christ had not suffered for the world, then no one of us, however he might suffer and be tormented, would ever have entered the Kingdom of Heaven. Because then we should have had to suffer as condemned and rejected transgressors of the will of God, and to suffer without hope, without consolation: but now, though we suffer, yet we suffer, or may suffer, unto salvation, unto deliverance, with hope, with consolation, and for the obtaining of a reward. O most merciful Lord! how great is Thy love for us! O Jesus Christ! great are Thy benefactions toward us! Thou turnest even the very evil of the world into a benefaction, a profit, and our salvation.

Christian! gratitude and love for Jesus Christ, thy Benefactor, alone already oblige thee to follow Him. Jesus Christ came down to earth for thee: wilt thou then, for His sake, hold anything worldly too dear? Jesus Christ for thee and on thy behalf drank the full cup of sufferings: wilt thou then, for His sake, be unwilling to swallow a single drop of bitterness?

5) Jesus Christ by His suffering and His death redeemed us, and therefore we, by right of redemption, belong to Him, and consequently we are not our own, but His; and therefore we must fulfill and do all that He bids, if we do not wish to be cast away from His face; but Jesus Christ requires of us only one thing—that we follow Him into the Kingdom of Heaven, and that for our own well-being.

6) Jesus Christ did not suffer and die in order thereby to give us license to do all that we wish. No, God forbid even to think so!

7) Finally, let us say this also: why we can in no wise avoid the narrow way that lies before us into the Kingdom of Heaven. a) Because in every man there is sin, and sin is such an ulcer as is not healed of itself—that is, without remedies; and in some men this ulcer is so deep and so dangerous that it can be healed in no other way than by cauterizing and cutting. And therefore no one can be cleansed of his sins without sufferings of soul. b) Sin is the most terrible uncleanness and abomination before the eyes of God; but nothing abominable, foul, and unclean can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever suffers from an inward sickness, or whom a cruel grief weighs down—wheresoever thou settle him, though it be in the most magnificent palaces, there too he will suffer; because his sickness and his grief are always and everywhere with him and within him. So exactly is it with the unrepentant sinner, not cleansed of his sins: wheresoever thou settle him, though it be in Paradise itself, there too he will suffer; because the cause of his sufferings—that is, sin—is in his heart. For the sinner there will everywhere be hell. On the contrary, whoever feels some joy of heart will rejoice both in palaces and in a hut, and even in a prison, because his joy is in his heart: so exactly is it with the righteous man, whose heart is filled with the consolations of the Holy Spirit—wheresoever he may be, everywhere there will be Paradise, because the Kingdom of Heaven is within us. From a living tree, however many branches thou cut off, it will not die thereby, but will again put forth new branches; and to make an end of it altogether, one must tear out of the ground its very roots. So exactly, sin is not made an end of in the heart of man by cutting off or abandoning some few vices or habits alone: and therefore whoever wishes to make an end of sin in his heart must tear out the very root of sin; but the root of sin lies deep in the heart of man and has grown fast to it, and therefore to tear it out without pain is in no wise possible. And had the Lord not sent us the great Physician—Jesus Christ—then no one, by any efforts whatsoever, could have made an end of the root of sin, and every attempt at it would have been wholly in vain.

And so, brethren, you see for yourselves that we must of necessity follow Jesus Christ, and that we can in no wise avoid the way along which Jesus Christ passed, and you see also that without suffering no one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven, because all the holy saints of God passed along this same way. Some say: how are we, sinful and weak men, to be such as the saints were! and how are we to be saved? we live in the world and have various duties, and so forth. Ah, brethren! this is not only untrue, but an insult and a blasphemy against our Creator: to excuse oneself by such causes is, as it were, to reproach one’s Creator that He knew not how to create us. No, this is an empty and blasphemous excuse, and not a cause. Look at the saints: not all of them were hermits; and they too, at the first, like us, were not sinless; they too were occupied with worldly affairs, cares, and offices, and many of them had families also. But while discharging their worldly offices and duties, they at the same time did not forget the duties of a Christian, and while living in the world, they at the same time walked along the way into the Kingdom of Heaven, and often led others along with them. So exactly may we too, if we will, be at once both good citizens, and faithful spouses, and good fathers, and good and faithful Christians. True Christianity will never and nowhere be a hindrance, but on the contrary is everywhere and for everything profitable. A true Christian is only the one who believes in Jesus Christ and imitates Him in all things; the spirit of Christianity is pure, disinterested, spiritual love—love which the Holy Spirit alone grants: men call many things love, but not all of it is Christian love.

And so, brethren, if you wish to be in the Kingdom of Heaven, then you must pass along the way along which Jesus Christ passed; otherwise you will perish beyond recovery. But here it must be said that whoever, walking along the way of Christianity, will hope only in his own strength, he will not take even a single step upon it; and had Jesus Christ, our great Benefactor, not given us help for this, then no man could have passed along this way. Even the very Apostles, when they had not this help, could not, but feared and dreaded, to follow Jesus Christ; but when they received help from Jesus Christ, then they followed Him with joy and gladness, and no difficulties or sufferings, nor even death itself, dismayed them.

But what is this help that Jesus Christ gives to those who follow Him? This help is the help of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus Christ grants us, and who is always at hand with us, and always surrounds us and draws us to Himself; and everyone who only wills it may receive Him and be filled with Him. And how the Holy Spirit helps us, and how He may be received—we shall see below.

Part Four. How Jesus Christ Helps Us Walk the Way Into the Kingdom of Heaven, and How This Help May Be Obtained

The Holy Spirit, as God, the third Person of the Holy Trinity, is just as almighty as the Father and the Son. He quickens, animates, and gives strength to creatures. He gives to animals life, to men reason, and to Christians a spiritual, higher life: that is, the Holy Spirit instructs man and helps him to walk into the Kingdom of Heaven. The Holy Spirit is given not according to merits, but freely, and out of the mercy of God is sent for the salvation of men; and the Holy Spirit helps in this way:

1) The Holy Spirit, having taken up His dwelling in a man, gives him faith and light. Without Him no one can have true, living faith. Without the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, even the very sage and learned man is, in the things of God and in His dispensation, a complete blind man. On the contrary, the Holy Spirit can to the most unlearned and simple man inwardly disclose and directly show the works of God, and can give him to feel the sweetness of the Heavenly Kingdom. The man who has the Holy Spirit within him feels in his soul an extraordinary light, until then wholly unknown to him.

2) The Holy Spirit, having taken up His dwelling in a man, produces in his heart true love. True love in the heart is, as it were, a pure warmth or heat that warms it; it is the root that produces in him all good deeds. For the man animated by true love there is nothing difficult, nothing terrible, and nothing impossible; for him no laws and commandments are hard, and all are readily fulfilled.

Faith and love, granted to man by the Holy Spirit, are such very great and powerful means that he who has them can easily, readily, with joy and consolation, walk along the way along which Jesus Christ passed.

3) Beyond this, the Holy Spirit gives a man the strength to resist the allurement of the world, so that, although he makes use of earthly goods, yet he makes use of them as a temporary visitor, not fastening his heart upon them. But the man who has not the Holy Spirit within him, for all his learning and good sense, is more or less always a slave and a worshiper of the world.

4) The Holy Spirit grants a man wisdom. This we can see especially in the holy Apostles, who before receiving the Holy Spirit were the most simple and unlearned of men; but afterward, who could withstand their wisdom and the power of their word? The Holy Spirit grants wisdom also in deeds and actions: thus, for example, the man who has the Holy Spirit within him will always find means and time for his salvation, and amid the noise of the world and in all his occupations he knows how to enter into himself—whereas to the ordinary man this seems impossible even in the very temple of God.

5) The Holy Spirit grants true joy and gladness and unshakable peace. The man who has not the Holy Spirit within him can never rejoice with true joy nor be glad with pure gladness, and cannot have a sweet peace of soul. True, he sometimes rejoices and is glad; but what kind of joy is this? momentary and impure; and his gladness is always empty and poor, after which tedium overcomes him still more. And it is true also that such a man is sometimes at rest; but this rest is not spiritual peace, but the sleep or the drowsiness of the soul. And woe will be to him who is heedless and will not rouse himself from such a sleep!

6) The Holy Spirit gives true humility. Even the most sensible man, if he has not the Holy Spirit within him, cannot properly know himself; for, as was said above, without the help of God he cannot see the inward state of his soul. If he does good to others and behaves honestly, then he thinks of himself that he is a righteous man and even perfect in comparison with others, and therefore he thinks that he is now in need of nothing… Ah, how often do men perish from a false assurance of their own honesty and rightness—that is, they perish from this, that, hoping in their own righteousness, they think nothing at all of the spirit of Christianity and of the help of the Holy Spirit, whereas they have the most extreme need of His help! And since the Holy Spirit is given only to him who asks and seeks, while such men not only do not ask and seek Him, but do not even count it needful: therefore He is not given to them—and consequently they remain in delusion and perish. But the Holy Spirit, having taken up His dwelling in the heart of a man, shows him all his inward poverty and weakness, and the corruption of his soul and heart, and his estrangement from God; and amid all his virtues and rightness shows him his sins, his laziness and his negligence concerning the salvation and good of men, his self-interest in his very virtues that seem disinterested, his gross self-love—there where he had not even suspected it. To put it briefly, the Holy Spirit shows everything in its true form. And then a man begins to be humbled with true humility, begins to lose hope in his own strength and virtues, and counts himself the worst of men. And humbling himself before Jesus Christ, who alone is Holy to the glory of God the Father, he begins truly to repent, and from that time resolves to sin no more and to live more carefully: and if he indeed has any virtues, then he sees clearly that he did and does them by no other means than the help of God, and therefore begins to hope in God alone.

7) The Holy Spirit teaches true prayer. No one, until he has received the Holy Spirit, can pray with that prayer which is truly pleasing to God. Because if anyone, not having the Holy Spirit within him, begins to pray, then his soul is scattered in various directions, from one thing to another, and he can in no way keep his thoughts upon one thing; and besides, he knows properly neither himself, nor his needs, nor how to ask and what to ask of God—nor does he even know who God is. But the man in whom the Holy Spirit dwells both knows God, and sees that He is his Father, and knows how to approach Him, and how to ask, and what to ask of Him. His thoughts in prayer are well-ordered, pure, and directed toward one object—God; and by his prayer he can indeed do everything—even move mountains from place to place.

This is a brief account of what the Holy Spirit grants to the one who has Him within him! And you see that without the help and assistance of the Holy Spirit it is impossible not only to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but even to take a step on the way to it. And therefore it is needful of necessity to seek and to ask for the Holy Spirit and to have Him within us, even as the holy Apostles had Him. But how He may be received or obtained—let us see further.

Jesus Christ said that the Holy Spirit breathes where He wills, and thou hearest His voice, but knowest not whence He comes and whither He goes. These words mean that the presence of the Holy Spirit in the heart, or His touching of our heart, can be heard, felt, and perceived, but the times and occasions when His visitation may be cannot be determined.

We see also that the holy Apostles received the Holy Spirit from Jesus Christ, and received Him more than once, and at a time not foretold to them, which they themselves did not determine or appoint, but at a time which it was pleasing to Jesus Christ. Only the solemn descent of the Holy Spirit was foretold to them, and came to pass at the appointed time and in the appointed place; but even here they received Him not for any special merits of their own, but freely, through faith and hope. And the unanimous prayer in which they continued after the Lord’s ascension until the descent of the Holy Spirit was not so much a means to the receiving of the Holy Spirit as a preparation for it. Consequently, no one can say definitely that thou wilt receive the Holy Spirit precisely at such a time and in such a manner. The Holy Spirit is a gift of God; and gifts are distributed unexpectedly and when it pleases the Giver of gifts, and He gives them to whom He wills. And therefore those greatly err who think to receive the Holy Spirit precisely in such a manner and at such a time; while those who themselves invent for this their own means not only will not receive the Holy Spirit, but take a terrible sin upon themselves.

But before we speak of how one may receive the Holy Spirit, it must be said that only the one who is a true believer can receive the Holy Spirit—that is, one who confesses the Holy Orthodox Catholic faith: confessing it rightly, without any addition or subtraction or alteration, but just as the holy Apostles handed it down to us and the Holy Fathers set it forth and confirmed it at the Ecumenical Councils. Every doubt and speculation concerning the faith is insubordination; and the insubordinate cannot be a temple or a house of the Holy Spirit. And the known and true means to the receiving of the Holy Spirit, according to the teaching of Holy Scripture and according to the experience of the great Saints, are the following:

1) Purity of heart and chastity.

2) Humility.

3) Hearkening to the voice of God.

4) Prayer.

5) Daily self-denial.

6) The reading and hearing of Holy Scripture.

7) The Mysteries of the Church, and in particular Holy Communion.

Every faithful soul will be filled with the Holy Spirit, if it is cleansed of sins, not cluttered and not shut up by self-love and pride. For the Holy Spirit always surrounds us and desires to fill us; but our evil deeds, surrounding us like a strong wall of stone, like evil guards, do not let Him reach us and drive Him away from us. Every sin can drive the Holy Spirit away from us; but especially abhorrent to Him are bodily uncleanness and spiritual pride. The Holy Spirit, as the most perfect purity, can in no way be in a man defiled by sins. And how can He be in our heart, when it is filled and cluttered with various cares, desires, and passions?

And therefore:

1) If we wish that the Holy Spirit, whom we receive at our baptism, should not withdraw from us—or if we wish to receive Him again—we must be pure in our hearts and must guard our bodies from fornication; because our heart and our body must be a temple of the Holy Spirit. And if anyone is pure in heart and undefiled in body, then the Holy Spirit will enter into him and take possession of his heart and soul, if only such a man will not hope in his good deeds and boast of them, counting himself as it were entitled to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, or to receive them as a reward due.

But if thou hast, by misfortune, defiled and corrupted thy heart and body, then strive to cleanse thyself by repentance—that is, cease to sin, and in contrition of heart repent that thou hast until now insulted God, thy loving Father; repent and begin to live with greater watchfulness: then thou too canst receive the Holy Spirit.

2) One of the most reliable means to the receiving of the Holy Spirit is humility. Though thou be a man honest, good, just, and merciful—in a word, though thou fulfill all the commandments of God—yet for all that always count thyself an unprofitable servant, and no more than an instrument of God, through which He acts. And besides, if we examine more attentively our good deeds, even the very greatest virtues, how many of them will prove to be such as deserve the name of Christian virtues? How often, for example, do we give alms or render aid to needy brethren, if not out of vainglory or self-love, like the Pharisees, then out of self-interest, like usurers—that is, with the intention of receiving from God hundreds and thousands for a kopeck given to a beggar! Of course, a good deed will always remain a good deed, and therefore continue to do and to multiply thy good deeds; every good deed may be called gold, and gold, even unrefined, has its value: it need only be put into the hands of a master—and it will receive its true value. So exactly will thy good deeds receive their value, if thou, with full trust, givest them over into the will and the hands of the Great Artificer: so then, continue to be honest, good, just, and merciful, and a faithful fulfiller of the law. But if thou wishest thy virtues to have their true value, do not boast of them and do not count them pure gold, worth the heavenly treasures. Thou art not the master, thou knowest not how to appraise it. True value to gold is given by craftsmanship, and true value to virtues is given by love—but love that is Christian, pure, disinterested—love which the Holy Spirit alone grants. All that is done not out of Christian love—that is, not by the Holy Spirit—is not true virtue. And therefore the man who has not the Holy Spirit within him, for all his virtues, is destitute and poor.

Humility is also yet another thing—that is, bear all the sorrows, griefs, and misfortunes that meet thee with patience and without murmuring, and count them a chastisement for thy sins, and say not: ah, how unhappy I am! but say: this is yet little for me, for my sins! And ask of God not so much that He deliver thee from calamities, as rather that He give thee strength to bear them.

3) The Holy Spirit may be received by attentively hearkening to the voice of God. The voice of God, which speaks clearly, distinctly, and intelligibly, can be heard everywhere and in everything—only for this one must have ears to hear. God, as thy most loving Father, from thy very birth to this day, speaks to thee daily, calls thee to Himself, warns, instructs, teaches, and admonishes thee. Thus, for example: art thou unhappy, has someone wronged thee, has one of thy kin died, or art thou thyself sick, or sorrowful, or sad without any visible cause (which happens not seldom to everyone)—in all this thou canst hear the voice of God, telling thee to come to thy senses, and instead of seeking help in men, in hope upon them, or seeking consolation in distraction and amusements, to turn in repentance to God and to seek in Him alone consolation and help. Or suppose that thou prosperest—that is, livest in abundance and plenty, all thy affairs and circumstances are in the best condition, and thou seest neither griefs nor sorrows, but even not seldom seest joys, and joys sometimes even spiritual. All this is the voice of God, telling thee to love with all thy heart the God who so benefits thee, and to thank Him according to thy strength, and that thou, making use of the goods of this world, shouldst not forget to gladden also the lesser brethren of Jesus Christ—that is, the poor—and shouldst not forget the true goods and joys of heaven, and Him who is the Source of all goods and joys. Who has not heard, and does not hear, the voice of God, speaking to us through the various things that happen to us? We hear, and hear clearly and distinctly; but few of us understand and act according to the voice of God. We, ordinarily, in our griefs and sorrows, instead of going deep into ourselves, seek distraction in vain occupations or amusements; and instead of receiving such visitations of God as a healing and using them for the benefit of our soul, we seek to be rid of them, and even sometimes murmur and lose all patience. Or, at the least, instead of seeking consolation in God, the Source of all consolation, we seek it in the world and its enjoyments. And being in prosperity and well-being, instead of loving God more and more as our Benefactor, we forget Him, and instead of using the goods that the Lord grants us for the common good and for the aid of our needy brethren, we use them on our own whims and on the satisfaction of our utterly superfluous desires. If it is a transgression of the law and a fearful thing to be inattentive and not to hearken to the voice of an earthly king, how much more sinful and fearful it is not to attend to and not to hearken to the voice of the Heavenly King! By such negligence and inattention one may come to such a pass that God, after His numerous and unceasing voices and callings, may at last cast us away from Himself, like stubborn children, and may allow us to do all that we take into our heads; and from this it may come that our mind, little by little, may be darkened to such a degree that even the most terrible and abominable sins may seem to us no more than unavoidable weaknesses of human nature. And therefore, as profitable and salutary as it is to be attentive to the voice of God, just so ruinous and terrible is it not to hearken to Him and to turn away from Him.

4) The Holy Spirit may be received by prayer. This means is the most simple and reliable, which everyone can always employ. It is known that prayer is of two kinds, outward and inward: that is, whoever prays and bows with the body, at home or in church, prays outwardly; while whoever turns to God with soul and heart and strives always to have Him in his mind, prays inwardly. Which of these prayers is better, more effectual, and more pleasing to God—every one of you knows. You know also that one may pray to God always and everywhere, in every place and even at the time when sin overcomes us; one may pray both at work and without work, on feast days and on ordinary days, standing, sitting, and lying down; this you know. But here it must be said only this: that although inward prayer is the most powerful means to the receiving of the grace of God, yet one must not abandon outward prayer either, and especially the prayer of the congregation. Many say: why should I go to church? I can pray at home too; there one will sin more than one will pray. But what do you think: is it justice or good sense that makes men speak so? Not at all! It is laziness and pride that make them speak so. Of course, by misfortune it sometimes happens indeed that, being in church, one sins: but this is not at all because I came to church, but because I came not with such a spirit as I ought, and stand in church not in order to pray, but do something else entirely. And just look at those who do not go to church for the reasons stated: well? do they pray at home? Not at all; and if some do pray, then with many of them the prayer is the prayer of the Pharisee. Because all their prayers can be expressed in the same words that the Pharisee spoke—that is, God, I thank Thee that I am not like other sinners and unrighteous men. So then, go both to the prayers of the congregation and pray at home before the holy icons, and pay no heed to any of the speculations of the would-be wise.

It was said above that the man who has not the Holy Spirit within him cannot pray with true prayer. This is a complete truth. Much labor and effort must be employed in order to know how to pray with holy prayer; not suddenly and not soon can one come to be able to raise one’s thoughts and heart to God, because it happens not only to us ordinary men, but even to many of those who have devoted their whole life to prayer, that thou wishest to turn thy thoughts to God, and they are scattered in various directions and onto various matters: thou wishest to have God in thy thoughts—and something else entirely comes to thee, and sometimes even something terrible.

True prayer has within it a sweet consolation of the heart, so that many holy fathers stood at prayer for whole days and nights, and in their sweet rapture did not notice the time and the duration of their prayer. And for them prayer was not a labor, but an enjoyment. But it is not easy to attain such a state, especially for one who from childhood gave full rein to his passions and oppressed his conscience. Yet what in the world, or what science and art or consolation, comes to us easily, swiftly, and without labor? And therefore pray, notwithstanding that in prayer thou seest, besides labors, no consolation or enjoyment—pray, and pray diligently and with all possible zeal; accustom thyself to prayer and to converse with God; thy scattered thoughts, so far as is possible, strive to gather and to hold—and little by little thou too wilt feel that it becomes easier and easier for thee, and thou wilt sometimes feel sweet consolations. And if thou wilt take care for this sincerely, then the Holy Spirit, seeing thy effort and the sincerity of thy desire, will soon show Himself to thee, and then, having entered into thee, will teach thee to pray with true prayer.

It is easiest of all to pray in the misfortunes and griefs that befall us; and therefore do not let such occasions slip, but make use of them: pour out thy grief before God in prayer.

Jesus Christ bids us pray without ceasing.

Many say: how can one pray without ceasing, living in the world? If we occupy ourselves with prayer alone, then when shall we discharge our offices and attend to our affairs? Of course, we cannot have unceasing prayer outwardly—that is, always to be standing at prayer—because we must discharge other duties also and labor. But whoever feels his inward poverty will not cease to pray even amid his occupations; whoever zealously desires to enter the Kingdom of Heaven will find occasion and time to pray both inwardly and outwardly: even amid the heaviest and most unremitting labors he will find time to say a word to God and to bow down to Him. Only he finds no time to pray who does not wish to pray.

It is said also that God will not hearken to sinners—that is, sinners will not receive from God that which they ask. And this is true: but to what kind of sinners will God not hearken? To such as entreat God but do not think of their own conversion; or who ask God to forgive them their sins, while they themselves are unwilling to forgive others anything, and on no account. Of course, to such sinners God will not hearken and will not fulfill their entreaty. And therefore thou, when thou prayest to God for the remission of thy debts, do thou also remit the debts of others and have the intention of forsaking thy sins. When thou entreatest God to be merciful to thee, be at the same time thyself also merciful to others, and then God will hearken to thee.

Some think that one may pray only from books. Of course, it is good if thou knowest how to pray and to glorify God in psalms and spiritual songs; but if thou art unlettered, then it is enough for thee to know the most important prayers, and especially the Lord’s Prayer (that is, the Our Father): because in this prayer, given to us by Jesus Christ Himself, all our needs are set forth. But when circumstances do not allow thee to pray longer, then say the ordinary prayers, such as: Lord, have mercy! or: God, help me! or: Lord, cleanse my sins! or: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

5) One of the holy fathers said: if thou wishest thy prayer to fly up to God, then give it two wings—that is, fasting and almsgiving.

Before we speak of what fasting is, let us look at why fasting was instituted. The aim and purpose of fasting are these: to subdue and to lighten the body, and thereby to make it more obedient to the soul: because a sated and gross body craves luxury and ease and disposes a man to laziness, and hinders him from thinking of God; it as it were binds and constricts the soul, and in such a case it is like a willful, spoiled, and capricious wife who rules over her husband. So then, what is fasting? Fasting may be of various kinds; for a man reared in luxury, the fast may be of one sort, and for one reared in a simple and rough condition, of another: because for the one it means nothing to take the coarsest food and be in health, or to go without food for several days, while for the other a great change in food may be very perceptible and even harmful. And therefore, for everyone in general, fasting is above all abstinence and strict moderation in the use of food. Consequently, use food in moderation, and above all strive to curb the desires of the body and by no means fulfill its whims that are not needful for the preserving of health and the continuing of life—and then thy fast will be true.

But while fasting bodily, one must at the same time fast also in soul—that is, restrain one’s tongue from evil and not speak what is wicked and needless, moderate one’s desires and root out one’s passions; thus, for example: today do not do that which has come into thy mind as unseemly or needless; tomorrow, if circumstances dispose thee to be angry with someone, restrain thyself and give no rein to thy heart and thy tongue; the day after, if there come to thee a desire to go to some merriment, and especially to such where thou mayest see or hear something evil, do not go there—and so on, and in this manner continue to overcome thyself. After that, begin to restrain and to order thy thoughts also, that they may not wander where there is no need at all: because from thoughts much evil arises. And the truth must be told, that there is nothing harder than to stop one’s thoughts and to bring them into order; but one must know that it is impossible suddenly to order and to cleanse one’s thoughts: just as it is impossible suddenly to tame and to make gentle horses that have long been at large and have not known the bridle, so it is impossible suddenly to order his thoughts also for the one who all his life gave them free rein. And besides, when thou livest as an ordinary man, occupied only with thy worldly duties, thinking little of the duties of a Christian, then it seems to thee that thy thoughts are in order and even pure; but no sooner dost thou begin to ponder and to take care for thy salvation, than they will at once begin to grow turbid, like stagnant marsh water, which ordinarily, while it is not stirred, seems even bright and clear, but the more one begins to cleanse the marsh, the more the water grows turbid. So exactly is it with the thoughts; and at last the devil himself will stir them up. But notwithstanding all this, struggle with thy thoughts, hold firm and take courage, and never despair and never think that one can in no way stop and cleanse one’s thoughts: but so far as thy strength will allow, strive and ask help of God. And the Holy Spirit, seeing thy sincere desire, will take up His dwelling in thee and will help thee.

What is almsgiving? By almsgiving we ordinarily mean offerings to the poor. But by the name of almsgiving must be understood all deeds of mercy and compassion, such as: to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to visit the sick and the one imprisoned in jail, and to help them; and likewise to give shelter to the homeless, to care for the orphan, and so forth. But in order that thy almsgiving be true, thou must do all this without boasting, not desiring praise from men for thy benefactions or thanks from the poor. But act as Jesus Christ Himself said—that is, that thy left hand should not know what thy right hand does, and then the Heavenly Father, who sees the secret, will reward thee openly.

6) The Holy Spirit may be received by the reading and hearing of Holy Scripture, as the true word of God. Holy Scripture is such a treasure for man, from which he can draw both light and life: light, which can enlighten and make wise every man, and life, which can quicken, console, and gladden every man. Holy Scripture is one of the greatest benefactions of God toward man, and such a benefaction as everyone who only wills it can make use of. But it must be said that Holy Scripture is the divine wisdom, and a wisdom so wondrous that the very simplest and most unlearned man can understand and comprehend it, and on this account many men of the simple, reading or hearing Holy Scripture, have become pious and have received the Holy Spirit; but there have been also such, even of the learned, who, reading Holy Scripture, went astray and perished: and this is because the one sort read it in simplicity of heart and without speculation and reasoning, and sought in it not learning, but grace, power, and the spirit; while the others, on the contrary, counting themselves wise and all-knowing men, sought in it not the power and the spirit of the word of God, but worldly wisdom, and instead of receiving with submission all that it was pleasing to Providence to reveal to us, they tried to penetrate and to learn what is hidden; and from this they fell either into unbelief or into schisms. No! one could sooner pour the whole sea into a small cup than a man comprehend all the wisdom of God!

And therefore, when thou readest or hearest Holy Scripture, lay aside all thy speculation, submit to the word and the will of Him who speaks to thee through Holy Scripture, and ask Jesus Christ that He Himself instruct thee, enlighten thy mind, and give thee the inclination to read Holy Scripture and to fulfill what is said in it.

There are in the world many books called profitable and soul-saving; but only those of them deserve this name which are founded upon Holy Scripture and which are in agreement with the teaching of our Orthodox Church: and therefore one may and ought to read such books, but in the choosing of them one must be careful, lest sometimes, under the guise of a soul-saving book, there fall into one’s hands such a one as may ruin thy soul.

Jesus Christ said: “He who eats My body and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him; he has in himself eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” John 6:54, 56: that is, whoever worthily partakes of the Holy Mysteries is mystically united with Jesus Christ—that is, whoever with true repentance, with a pure soul, and with the fear of God and faith receives the Body and Blood of Christ, at the same time receives the Holy Spirit, who, having entered into a man, prepares in him a place for the receiving of Jesus Christ Himself and of God the Father, and consequently he becomes a temple and a dwelling place of the living God. But whoever partakes of the Body and Blood of Christ unworthily—that is, with an impure soul, with a heart filled with malice, vengeance, and hatred—not only will not receive the Holy Spirit, but becomes like Judas the betrayer and, as it were, crucifies Jesus Christ a second time.

The Christians of the first ages, feeling the importance and the spiritual benefit of the Holy Mysteries, partook of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ every Sunday and every feast; and it was for this reason that in them there was, as it is said in the book of Acts, one heart and one soul. But, my God, what a difference between them and us! How many of us are such as have not communed for several years on end! How many are such as do not think of this at all!

And so, for God’s sake, have the desire to partake of the Holy Mysteries, and at least, even if but once a year, yet without fail each one of you must do this. The Body and Blood of Christ are, for the worthy, a true healing of all ailments and sicknesses. And which of us is perfectly well? And who would not wish to receive healing and relief? The Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are food for the way into the Kingdom of Heaven. But can one go on a far and difficult journey without food? The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ are a visible holy thing, handed down to us and left to us by Jesus Christ Himself for our sanctification. But who would not wish to be a partaker of such a Holy Thing and to be sanctified? So then, be not too slothful to approach the cup of life, of immortality, of love, and of holiness; but approach with the fear of God and faith. And whoever will not and is negligent about this does not love Jesus Christ, and he will not receive the Holy Spirit, and consequently he will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

And so, these are all the means by which we can receive the Holy Spirit—that is, purity of heart and blamelessness of life, humility, attentive hearkening to the voice of God, prayer, self-denial, the reading and hearing of the word of God, and the partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ. Of course, each of these means is effectual for the receiving of the Holy Spirit; but it is best and most reliable of all to employ them all together: then without doubt one may receive the Holy Spirit and be holy.

Here it must be said also that, if any of you be vouchsafed to receive the Holy Spirit, and if at that time any of you should somehow fall and sin, and thereby drive the Holy Spirit away from himself, then let such a one not despair and not think that he has lost everything, but let him the more quickly and the more diligently fall down before God with repentance and prayer, and the Holy Spirit will return to him again.

Conclusion

Brethren. Behold, so far as I have been able, I have shown you the way into the Kingdom of Heaven, and behold, you yourselves can now see the following:

1) No one without faith in Jesus Christ can return to God and enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

2) No one, even though he believe in Jesus Christ, but if he will not act and live as Jesus Christ lived and acted on earth, can be called a disciple of Jesus Christ, and consequently cannot live with Him in heaven.

3) No one without the help of the Holy Spirit can follow Jesus Christ.

4) Whoever wishes to receive the Holy Spirit must make use of the means to it that have been granted to us by the Lord.

And I repeat once more that the way into the Kingdom of Heaven, opened to us by Jesus Christ, is the only one, and there is not, and was not, and will not be any other way besides that which Jesus Christ has shown us. And of course this way is hard and heavy, but in return it leads straight and surely to true and eternal blessedness. Hard is the way into the Kingdom of Heaven, but not only on the way itself, but even at the beginning of it, one may meet with such consolations and enjoyments as can never be found on the way of worldly life. Hard and heavy is the way into the Kingdom of Heaven, but the help of the Lord is always ready upon it: the Lord Jesus Christ is ready to help us walk along it; He grants us the Holy Spirit also, and sends His Angels to guard us upon this way, and gives us instructors and guides, and is even Himself ready, so to speak, to take us by the hand and to sustain us. Hard is the way into the Kingdom of Heaven, and bitter are the labors upon it, but whoever has not seen and not tasted the bitter cannot know the value of the sweet. Hard is the way into the Kingdom of Heaven—but suffering here on earth, we can always pray and in prayer find consolation and reinforcement, and our prayer God will always hear; whereas when we die as non-Christians, then, even if we could pray there, God will no longer hearken to us. Hard is the way into the Kingdom of Heaven: but the sufferings and torments that are eternal are incomparably greater and heavier than earthly sufferings. The sufferings of this place, even the heaviest, in comparison with the sufferings of the hell prepared for the devil and his angels, are precisely as small as a drop in comparison with the whole sea. Hard is the way to heavenly blessedness: but is the way to earthly happiness any easier? Look how they labor and sweat who gather riches and seek earthly honor and glory, and how often we sometimes willingly and with pleasure undertake labors and cares for some empty pleasure! But what then? instead of obtaining pleasure, we only lose time, spend money, ruin our health, and destroy our soul. And therefore, if we examine ourselves more attentively, it is plain that we do not go into the Kingdom of Heaven not because the way into it is hard, but because we have not for it a zealous desire and disposition, and will not take the trouble for it. Whoever zealously desires something will always seek it, notwithstanding any labors and obstacles. Of course, there is not one among us who would not wish to be in the Kingdom of Heaven; but this wish is weak, and is only an inborn desire of well-being. And true it is, there are also among us such as even labor for the Kingdom of Heaven; but how few are such as labor with all faith and devotion to God and with right self-denial! Yet how many are there among us also of such as think that, however one lives in this world, one need only repent at the end of life, and one will be in the Kingdom of Heaven…

Ah, how terribly do those err who think so! Of course, the mercies of the Lord are great and boundless; Jesus Christ brought into Paradise even the thief, who brought repentance only at his very death. But look, was it without suffering and without sorrow that the thief entered there? No! he hung upon the cross, he had before that been judged, had been shut up in prison, and perhaps had been beaten also. True, he suffered as a malefactor and a criminal. But which of us is not a transgressor of the law of God and of the laws of men? If we do not kill men, like robbers, then how many do we kill by our word, by our hardheartedness, and by our negligence concerning their good and salvation? Of course, those same great and unspeakable mercies of the Lord may be toward us also. The Lord can reckon even our last sufferings before death to us for a cleansing, for a certain struggle on the way into the Kingdom of Heaven, and especially then, when we, like the thief, at the same time bring repentance for our sins and with faith receive the last provision for the journey. But who will assure us that, when dying, we shall suffer, and that, suffering, we shall have time to repent? How many men die a sudden death and without any suffering at all! How many die without repentance and without provision for the journey!

And so, brethren, if you do not desire for yourselves eternal perdition, then you must turn your attention to your soul, we must take thought for our future lot. We know that there, beyond the grave, one thing or the other awaits all men, and there is no middle—that is, there awaits us either the Kingdom of Heaven or hell, eternal blessedness or eternal torments. There are only two different states there, beyond the grave—and likewise there are only two ways here, on earth. One way is broad, smooth, and even, easy, and many walk along it; while the other way is narrow, thorny, and difficult. And happy, a hundredfold happy, is he who walks along the narrow way: because it leads into the Kingdom of Heaven. But how few are they who walk along this way! Brethren, if we have not walked and will not walk along the difficult way, and if we die without any cleansing and repentance, then what will become of us? To whom shall we have recourse? To the Lord? But here we will not hearken to Him, and He will not hearken to us. Now, here, He is to us a most merciful Father, but there He is a just Judge. And who will defend us from His just wrath? O brethren! It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! And so, brethren, take thought for your salvation while you still have the time that is acceptable; work and labor for your salvation while it is still day; but the night will come, and then no one can work. Go, do not put it off from day to day, and make haste into the Kingdom of Heaven while it is still possible to go; but death will come, and then it will no longer be possible to go. Go, and even if only a little, yet go into the Kingdom of Heaven: and then, even though slowly, yet you will all be nearer to it, exactly as a man going somewhere, with every step he takes, comes nearer to his goal.

Whoever wishes to follow Jesus Christ may make use also of the following counsels:

1) Do not look at other vicious men, how they live, and do not justify thyself by their example, and do not say, as many say: what is to be done! I am not the only one who lives so, and I am not the only one who does not fulfill the commandments of Christ, but almost everyone does so. But even though thou shouldst indeed know that all who live around thee, and even those very men who ought to be an example of virtue and piety, live not in a Christian manner, what profit is there to thee from this? Their perdition will not save thee. At the Dread Judgment thou wilt not be defended by the fact that thou wast not the only one who lived ill in the world. And therefore thou hast no concern with others: whether they walk along the way into the Kingdom or do not walk—thou hast no concern with this; do thou know thyself and take thought for thyself, and for those whom God has given thee to instruct. And besides, we can see a man sinning, but we can almost never see him repenting and being cleansed of his sins: and on this account we may very often be mistaken as to which of our neighbors walks along the way of Christ and which does not.

2) When thou goest along this way, then many people—and perhaps even thy very nearest and those of thy household—will mock thee: do not look at this and do not be troubled. Remember that they mocked Jesus Christ also; but He bore no enmity against them, He kept silence and prayed for them; so exactly do thou also.

3) There are many learned men who count the way into the Kingdom of Heaven, shown to us by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as not being what it ought to be, and say that even without this way one can attain the Kingdom of Heaven, and that this way is not for all, but for a few, and so forth. But if any of such men should meet with thee and seek to stop thee or to dissuade thee, then hearken not to him: and even if an Angel should come down from heaven and begin to tell thee that one need not go along the way along which Jesus Christ passed, then hearken not to him either. But neither dispute with such tempters and enemies of thine; rather pity them and pray for them.

4) When thou firmly followest Jesus Christ, then perhaps thou wilt meet also with such men as will revile thee for the sake of the word of the Lord, or slander, wrong, and despise thee: endure and bear it. Rejoice and be glad on that day when thou receivest some insult for the name of Christ, because thy reward is great in heaven.

5) When thou truly walkest along this way, then the devil himself will rise up against thee and will tempt thee with various temptations; he will instill in thee thoughts either of doubt in the very faith and in manifest truths, or even of blasphemy against holy things, and so forth. But fear him not, because the devil without God’s permission can do thee nothing, and thou hast only to pray to the Lord, and the devil will fly away from thee like an arrow.

6) It must be noted that the true Christian is not hindered by that which is counted truly profitable and just, and indeed is such. Such is, first of all, diligence in labor, which does not hinder the salvation of the soul, but even favors it. It is known that idleness is the mother of all vices; thus, for example, from what do men become drunkards? from idleness. Who becomes a thief and a robber? the idle, and so forth. And one may even affirm with certainty that whoever does nothing and occupies himself with nothing, however good he may seem, is a poor Christian and a poor citizen; and if he is not a great sinner, then it is only by a special providence of God concerning him. And therefore be diligent in labor, accustom thyself to labors; toil, work, and do all that is profitable and that is needful for thy household, and that is required by thy duty to the Sovereign and the Fatherland. If idleness is the mother of vices, then diligence in labor may be called the father of virtues. First, because whoever is diligent in labor surely has fewer sins, for the reason that he has no time not only to do evil, but even to think of evil, because he is either laboring and occupied with his duties, or occupied with his salvation and the duties of a Christian. Second, because whoever is accustomed to be diligent in labor will the more readily consent to walk along the way into the Kingdom of Heaven than one who leads an idle life; and it is easier for the diligent man to walk along the way into the Kingdom of Heaven than for the idle. So then, to be diligent in labor is profitable always and everywhere. But in order to be diligent in labor, one must train oneself and grow accustomed to labors from one’s very childhood.

7) There is yet another perfection, just as profitable as diligence in labor, to which one must train oneself and grow accustomed, one might say, even earlier than to diligence in labor. This is forbearance, or patience. Patience is always and everywhere profitable, but for the one who wishes to go into the Kingdom of Heaven, patience is the most necessary perfection: without patience one cannot take even a step on this way, because at every step one must meet with harshness, roughness, and thorns. So then, train and accustom thyself to patience, first of the body, and then of the soul also, and then it will be easier for thee to be both a hardworking member of society, and a good friend, and a good householder, and a good citizen, and a good Christian. And so, my brethren, this is all that I have been able to tell you concerning the way into the Kingdom of Heaven. I will add only this: that the man who zealously walks along the way into the Kingdom of Heaven, for every labor, for every grief, for every victory over himself and for every self-restraint, for every deed and even for every good intention and desire, will be rewarded seventy times sevenfold even yet in this life; and what awaits him there—that can neither be told nor imagined. And so, brethren, fear not and dread not to follow Jesus Christ: He is a mighty Helper; follow Him, make haste and do not delay; go, while the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven are not yet shut to you, and your Heavenly Father will still meet you afar off upon this way, will kiss you, will clothe you with the first robe, will adorn you with a ring, and will lead you into His chamber, where He Himself abides, and all the holy prophets, apostles, hierarchs, and martyrs, and all the righteous, and where you will be glad with a gladness eternal and true. But when the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven are shut to you—that is, if you die without repentance and good deeds—then, however much you may wish and however much you may strive to go there, you will not be let in. You will begin to knock at the doors and to say: “Lord, open to us! we know Thee, we are baptized in Thy name, we were called by Thy name, and we even worked miracles by it.” But Jesus Christ will say to you: “I know you not, you are not Mine; depart from Me… into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels”; “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” Matt 25:11-12, 30, 41.

Scripture Index

Every Scripture reference identified in this book, sorted in canonical Bible order. Tap a reference to jump to the verse where it appears.

Matthew

Matthew 16:24Part Three. What Is the Way That Leads Into the Kingdom of Heaven

Matthew 25:416. Conclusion

Matthew 26:38Part Two. How Jesus Christ Lived on Earth, and What He Suffered for Us

Luke

Luke 12:14Part Three. What Is the Way That Leads Into the Kingdom of Heaven

John

John 6:54Part Four. How Jesus Christ Helps Us Walk the Way Into the Kingdom of Heaven, and How This Help May Be Obtained

John 14:61. Introduction (1)

Colophon

Indication of the Way into the Kingdom of Heaven
by Saint Innocent of Alaska.

This edition was produced by
Royal Archives.

The cover features
Aurora Borealis (1865)
by Frederic Edwin Church (American, 1826–1900), Wikimedia Commons / Smithsonian American Art Museum, which is in the public domain.

The text is set in Palatino and Georgia.

The first edition of this ebook was released on
August 16, 2026.

Table of Contents

- Title Page
- Copyright
- Introduction
- Introduction (1)

- Part One. What Blessings Jesus Christ Granted Us by His Death

- Part Two. How Jesus Christ Lived on Earth, and What He Suffered for Us

- Part Three. What Is the Way That Leads Into the Kingdom of Heaven

- Part Four. How Jesus Christ Helps Us Walk the Way Into the Kingdom of Heaven, and How This Help May Be Obtained

- Conclusion
- Scripture Index
- Colophon