When a person starts to justify himself, he starts to overanalyze. He begins to think something to himself, he gets confused about nothing, because he does not know where the beginning or where the end is. Simplicity is when a person seeks what is most important. Seek the Kingdom of Heaven and everything else will follow. When a person does not lose ground in a certain situation, the context of what happened is very important. However, when a person begins to look in the gray area, in certain shadows, begins to randomly wonder, to create something that is not there, all this disbelief, all the weight is difficult to bear.
Protodeacon Oleg Tarasevich
Here we have God and the desire to do God’s will. If we cannot do it now, we ask for God’s help. For example, we have a goal to build certain things in the monastery, but we have no money. Yet I say: “We will do it!” “How?” “Somehow.” It is a real struggle. You have to believe even a little. Just without knowing how. But I know that if God has blessed this effort, He will help.
Let's say we had an argument. For what? Why? Because someone lost their temper. Realising that you are a weak person, apologize…
God will not challenge us beyond our ability to handle it. If God gives us a challenge, then He will also give us strength and wisdom, God will give us everything. We just have to trust God to the end. Simplicity must be built upon our faith in God.
God Himself tells us to be like children. Therefore, we try to be like children. Sometimes we try to be like children when we don’t have to be like children. There are times when we have to make serious decisions, but we want to run away from responsibility. That would be more of a sinful simplicity. This is wickedness. You get tired of all the complexity, all the drama, all the worry.
Parishioners of St. Elisabeth Convent in Minsk
For example, a person may have a lustful passion but does not recognize it as such. This is a disease and requires healing. A person must repent. Instead, a person creates a colorful description, and you cannot understand what this person’s intention is. People can’t stand each other’s weaknesses and the culprit is selfishness. This is where it gets more complex and confusing. That is why when a person comes to a priest - people come to me sometimes - it is important to understand what is most important, what is the essence? I tell them: “Don’t tell me all this, tell me what you want! Do you want money? Do you want a job? All this is not necessary.” A person can talk for an hour and finally tell the real reason why he came.
Archpriest Andrei Lemeshonok with parishioners
It is important to identify yourself; there should be no empty words, empty thoughts to have a certain wholeness. Simplicity is wholeness. It’s an image. When you don’t have this image, then everything seems surreal, somehow abstract. You will not understand what it is, look at it in one way, turn it around, but in reality we will not understand what it is. There is an image and that’s it! Sin is sin. “Today I’m not ready to fight it - I like it.” Then say so. “I’m not ready.”
I really wish people would appreciate and value the love that God gave them. I would also like people to have peace. Then everything will become simple.
