When severe trials fall, anxiety and unrest cover, people ask for help from God or from the sages in order to get advice, recommendations for solving their problems. And then there is a need to find a person who can guide you on the right path and help you understand yourself and your own troubles. A spiritual mentor often becomes such a person, who helps to open up the soul, repent and make a decision to change your life.
Why is spiritual guidance needed?
Without a leader, a person cannot live a life of holiness. You can find a teacher in a church, where you need to come and pray to the Lord to send a confessor who will console, advise and direct thoughts in a charitable direction. The role of a spiritual mentor is great. He, communicating with his child, conveys what the spirit of God conveys to him, instills peace and harmony in the soul.
As a rule, a spiritual mentor is a person with greatlife and religious experience, and he has the obedience to guide the religious life of others. The confessor plays a huge role in the life of a layman and a clergyman, and he is necessary in order to listen to his advice, live piously and reach the Kingdom of Heaven. The history of the church has several options for mentoring. But the main ones are:
- priest service in the parish, where he is the spiritual healer of all parishioners;
- eldership, it was it that became widespread in Russia.
Elders are healers of souls
Emerging in Byzantium, it has firmly entered Russian culture and occupied one of the most significant places. The elders took a vow of obedience and by their words and deeds were called to expose sins and console people who were entangled in their own doubts. With saving conversations and instructions, they healed souls, brought peace and tranquility to them.
Russian eldership takes its origins from the Monk Paisius Velichkovsky and reaches its development thanks to the monks of the Optina Hermitage. Monasteries with their spiritual mentors have been the center of pilgrimage for the Orthodox people for a long time. Eldership had its own peculiarity, where strict asceticism alternated with active exits into the world. These outlets were expressed in contact with the people and in the service of the world as a spiritual helper, mentor and adviser.
Achieving simplicity through humility
Engaging in the religious education of their students, the elders taught wisdom, contributed to the moralgrowth and improvement. During the earthly life of their spiritual disciple, they coordinated and directed the deeds and actions of the child. The connection between the teacher and the student was very strong, because it was built on a trusting and respectful relationship, humility and love. Father Zakhary instructed to guard one's conscience and strive for simplicity, which can only be achieved through humility.
The elders came for advice when there were doubts and difficult situations arose. Consolations and help were expected from the confessor. The uniqueness of the elders in Orthodoxy lay in the unshakable faith and spiritual strength of the elders and in the subtle work that they carried out in the soul of their disciple. Influencing the human psyche, they delicately and accurately guide a person on the path of gaining love for the Lord.
Search for a mentor
Great grace for a believer is to find a clergyman who will be responsible to the Almighty for his student, will pray for him, control the growth of spirituality, guide his actions and instruct him in worldly life, and also guide him on the path of virtue, which leads to eternal life.
For a believer, the way of solving problems is different from the way that unbelieving laymen choose. People who are far from religion, as a rule, try to solve their troubles that have arisen, relying on the help and advice of their acquaintances and, basically, people who are far from religion. And often the problem is not resolved, but only worsened. This is because all the complexities are concentrated within us,away from God. And as a result, under the accumulation of sins, spiritual harmony fails.
A churched person with the appearance of unforeseen situations should go to his confessor for advice. At the same time, the believer understands that when asking what to do, he is waiting for an answer to his question from the Lord. Seeing his humility, God through the priest gives the right advice and blesses. A Christian will never doubt that it is necessary to follow what the confessor says. He is sure that it is the Almighty who sends him his support. Only if you transfer your heart and soul to the obedience of a confessor, God's grace will settle in a person.
The Church does not set limits and provides an opportunity for a good Christian to choose a confessor himself. How to find a spiritual mentor? It’s good if it is a clergyman from the temple, where you often come to pray. But everything is individual, and sometimes it is not easy to meet a confessor with whom a trusting and cordial relationship would be established.
Mentor's Task
Spiritual mentorship seeks to improve the personality and the manifestation of the image of God in it, to educate the spiritual principle in a person. An Orthodox Christian should definitely read and be imbued with the instructions of the holy fathers. They say:
- spiritual thoughts of any Orthodox should be led by a priest, whose help must be addressed both in confession and in teaching;
- try to communicate with the confessor throughout your life, revealing your sins and ungodlythoughts;
- following the teachings of your spiritual father, you will certainly gain the Kingdom of Heaven;
- if you entrust your heart to a confessor, then God's grace will settle in your soul.
How to choose a spiritual father?
How to choose a spiritual mentor? You don't have to look for ways. There is no need to make special efforts when starting the search for a spiritual mentor. This will tell the heart. Understanding whether this is your person or not will come by itself if:
- priest's advice has a beneficial effect and heals the soul;
- you are comforted and supported;
- experience joy and peace when talking with him;
- feel and believe in the power of his prayer and mutual goodwill.
How to start searching for a spiritual father
For God to tell you how to find a spiritual mentor, you need to pray a lot and passionately. Starting the search, you need to take a closer look at the parish in which the priest conducts services. A good priest in the temple always has a benevolent atmosphere. It is worth talking with the parishioners, to find out their opinion about the pastor.
Don't go to distant lands wondering where to find your spirit guide. He may be near and closer than you think. You don't have to tell anyone about your mentor when you meet him. Religious life is private and there is no need to expose it to the public.
Come often to the church you like. Open up to the priest at confession and pray for him, and then God will reveal his will through him. When communication with a clergyman takes place in confidence, then it is worth following the advice of the priest and, having received parting words, fulfill it. There is no need to come with one question or problem to many priests, hoping for a change in admonition.
No need to rush and call the first priest you meet your confessor. When visiting church, confess and ask the priest for advice about your pain. And then it is possible to meet a confessor close to you.
When communicating with parishioners, find out where to find your confessor, and which priest enjoys authority and respect from the flock.
You need to start reading religious literature from simple and understandable texts. Spiritual books will help you to correctly determine the goals and priorities in life.
Does a person need a spiritual mentor
In any field of activity or in sports, a novice specialist, athlete or student always has a mentor. He helps to master the profession, shares experience, advice. The mentorship of a clergyman is aimed at achieving a student's strength of spirit, religious self-awareness and the fulfillment of divine commandments.
The relationship between a child and a confessor is not measured by the amount of time spent together. Sometimes a few sentences are enough to calm the soul and resolve issues. It is important to follow all the advice given by the confessor.
In worldly life, it is important for families following the laws of God to confess to one confessor. It happens that emerging internal family problems can be solved together.
How to seek advice fromconfessor?
For a churched person, it is desirable to keep a record of their sins and then confess them to the confessor as often as possible. It is believed that salvation is in a multitude of councils. Therefore, it is useful for the soul to seek answers to questions from several priests. But it is better to open thoughts and sinful thoughts only to your spiritual father.
Some believers do not know that when going to the shepherd, you need to read the prayer: “Lord! Give me mercy and inspire the spiritual father to give me an answer according to your will. Entrusting yourself to a spiritual father is the best way to get on the path of correction. The devil will not be able to intervene where everything secret and sinful has been revealed to the confessor. It is important to obey your leader, because through him you obey God.
Spiritual Master
A confessor is like a teacher who reveals the true meaning of many things and the truth to his wards. A teacher, a spiritual mentor must expand the inner potential of the individual, influence him, make the spiritual world of the pupil consonant with his own.
Mentoring is also the confessor's prayers for sending him wisdom in teaching his students. This is his appeal to God in insoluble situations, a request for support from the Heavenly Intercessor in moments of doubt and helplessness. The spiritual father is responsible before Jesus Christ for the children entrusted to him.
Spiritual guides of a person
On our way there are many people who call and countthemselves as spiritual guides. Often they have their own teachings, schools, or they call themselves followers of famous spiritual figures. Such mentors have students, like-minded people and admirers who support their views and beliefs.
Besides, each person has his own invisible spiritual helpers. These include angels who protect and protect throughout life. If you manage to learn to understand them, then life will become much easier and simpler. Coming into the world with a born baby, the angels leave it after death.
A believer who strives to follow God's commandments with a clear conscience and thoughts does not lose heart before adversity. They only strengthen beliefs and perfect his soul. Going to his confessor, he realizes that he is asking for advice not from a person, but from the Lord, who through the priest gives the necessary advice and blesses. The parting words of the spiritual father, carried out strictly, will lead to help from God. For the purpose of human existence on earth is to purify one's heart and feel the nearness of God.
