No one can achieve peace and tranquility of mind except by fighting temptations

Abba Isaac says that when a person humbles himself in his soul, he is enveloped in the grace of God.

Do you desire peace of mind and heart and cannot find it? But the Lord Himself tells us where and how to seek this peace, which is always a great reward and a great gift from Him to those who follow Him: Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:29).


But no one can reach peace and peace of mind except by struggling with temptations and patiently enduring afflictions. Moreover, the Lord did the same thing before He died on the cross. He was mocked, slandered, humiliated, tormented. With great care, He built a model of life for us. He created an image of His life on earth that, through struggle, we must all follow.


Read the ascetic words of Abba Isaac. From here you will learn how necessary temptations are and that they are permitted in order to strengthen us in the war against evil and to gain spiritual experience. In the fragments that I have recommended to you, Abba Isaac deals mainly with the temptations of the spirit, but what he says there can also be useful for the temptations of the body.


Just as warriors win medals and distinctions when they repeatedly show that they are brave and have a spirit of sacrifice, so we, as spiritual warriors, will win the fruits of our efforts, after a heroic war, which will last for many years. The fiercest fight will be against pride, in all its forms and manifestations – anger, vainglory, malice, envy… When we subdue these, we gain the best reward we could receive: peace of soul.


From Saint Macarius of Optina

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