Bad habits

[arcmode]

The advice of staretz Makary (spiritual father of Ivan Kireyevsky) on the failure to break bad habits:

'And so, your good intentions have been frustrated by forces entirely outside your control. In the hard days to come, keep constantly in mind that God knows well how firm was your resolution, how keen your eagerness to act; and he may record your intention as having the value of an accomplished fact. He is particularly likely to do so if your humility remains quick, if it does not wither under the winds of adversity.'

In other words, the failure to achieve something good (such as abandoning a bad habit) can be of spiritual value if it increases the sinners humility.

From - 'A man is his faith'

[Maria]

And with the increase in humility, faith, hope, and love, a person will be able to overcome his bad habit.

However, sometimes a bad habit like alcoholism, which involves a physical addiction, requires a lifelong struggle. I have previously mentioned Orthodox Priests who have struggled with alcoholism until the day they died, but they never lost hope, remained humble, and showed great charity in their lives. Confessing this addiction and humbly seeking help are the first steps toward recovery.

The advice of staretz Makary (spiritual father of Ivan Kireyevsky) on the failure to break bad habits:

'And so, your good intentions have been frustrated by forces entirely outside your control. In the hard days to come, keep constantly in mind that God knows well how firm was your resolution, how keen your eagerness to act; and he may record your intention as having the value of an accomplished fact. He is particularly likely to do so if your humility remains quick, if it does not wither under the winds of adversity.'

In other words, the failure to achieve something good (such as abandoning a bad habit) can be of spiritual value if it increases the sinners humility.

From - 'A man is his faith'

[Barbara]

Thank you both for shedding some light on this tragic and unfathomable subject.

I REALLY have a problem understanding WHY people can't give up these things !
I was a child when my mother said "Chocolate will make your skin bad when you become a teenager".
I promptly made sure that no chocolate ingredient would get near me !
I picked out even carob from the healthy desserts popular later, in the 80s or so.
Carob was suspect as it was somehow related to chocolate, I figured.

So why can't people give that stuff up, I have always wrestled with lack of understanding of this.

I went out this morning and swept up the cigarettes left in the gutter by workmen, wondering why ALL these
contractors seem addicted to smoking. They could not work more than an hour it seems like, before taking
"a smoking break". UGH !

I just felt I had to get rid of all the unpleasant remnant of the devil-induced and -reinforced habit from even
NEAR my property !

I believe it's devils behind all this. But the mechanics of addiction are still mysterious from the spiritual viewpoint.

I appreciate the words of Elder Makary - of Optina, of course, right, if it was Ivan Kireyevsky as I recall -
He was SUCH a GREAT Elder ! Often overlooked amongst the famous later ones such as the wonderful
Elders Amvrosy and Joseph. ALL were great. I appreciate Elder Makary for a few things even related to
this Feast of the Cross today !

[Lydia]

I recall reading a story about two monks on Mount Athos. One was a great Elder, revered for his asceticism and piety. The other, a monk who struggled with drunkeness.
When they both had died, and their relics unearthed, the Elder was in a corrupted state, the other monk, incorrupt.

An old monk explained to the confused monks that the Elder, although seeming to be holy, spent all his time judging his brothers, complaining about all their faults, etc.

The other monk, when he was a boy, was hidden by his parents in the fields to keep him from being abducted by the Turks. His parents gave him an intoxicating herb to eat so that he would remain still and quiet.
Although he tried all his life to overcome the need for intoxication, he could never break free. The old monk explained that this caused him so much sorrow that he never spoke or even thought a bad thing about another man. Thus, the Elder was condemned and the "drunkard" found favor with God because of his humility.

[Matthew]

Thank you Lydia for that lovely illustration from the monks of Athos.

[Maria]

I recall reading a story about two monks on Mount Athos. One was a great Elder, revered for his asceticism and piety. The other, a monk who struggled with drunkeness.
When they both had died, and their relics unearthed, the Elder was in a corrupted state, the other monk, incorrupt.

An old monk explained to the confused monks that the Elder, although seeming to be holy, spent all his time judging his brothers, complaining about all their faults, etc.

The other monk, when he was a boy, was hidden by his parents in the fields to keep him from being abducted by the Turks. His parents gave him an intoxicating herb to eat so that he would remain still and quiet.
Although he tried all his life to overcome the need for intoxication, he could never break free. The old monk explained that this caused him so much sorrow that he never spoke or even thought a bad thing about another man. Thus, the Elder was condemned and the "drunkard" found favor with God because of his humility.

Thank you for posting this story.

MOD NOTE: Lydia, so that we may be in compliance with copyright laws, do you happen know the source?

[Lydia]

I'm sorry, I don't know the source. I read it a long time ago and it stuck with me.