Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica (Part 3/6)

In the third part of the video interview, Elder Tadej instructs us how to pray when we are surrounded by people and material wealth: using the Jesus Prayer.

Also, he talks about joy in the spiritual life, depression and the influence of thoughts.

English translation: Vladimir
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbnjfE_1gS1DvxZ9CHl-Fiw

Elder Tadej:
“How can we work for our salvation surrounded by people and material wealth?
We have to practice. Prayer also needs practice. If a person ceaselessly repeats a prayer, it turns into a habit… When one continuously repeats something, it becomes natural for him, like Jesus Prayer for example…

If you turn to God with all your heart, with the prayer of the mind, in due time, whether you want it or not, the prayer will run itself within you. After that you’ll feel such joy and peace which are not of this world.

Prayer runs automatically like an engine, which is running as long as person is alive. All that time, he or she feels ineffable joy. If such a man sees somebody, he feels joy. Like St. Seraphim of Sarov who used to greet all visitors with the words: ‘my joy…’, because he possessed God’s grace all the time.

A great consolation to somebody is when he sees a joyous person. When we look at someone in the street we can see on his face if he is in the good mood or not…

For example, somebody has ruined your mood… then your friend comes, talks something to you, but it doesn’t help. After that one, second friend comes, third, but nothing helps… At the end, an innocent child comes to you, hugs you and you receive consolation… because a child doesn’t discern if you are a good person or not. For a child, everybody is good… You get God’s grace from the child and depression disappears.

What is depression? Depression is a combination of thoughts. People make designs, first combination, second, third… They speculate, it’s going to be like this or like that, when in fact none of this is going to happen. They complicate and spoil their mood.

Your thoughts radiate from you and your neighbor is a mind receiver. He’s influenced by the bad thoughts you carry with you… Afterwards, he may say: ‘it would have been better if he had not come to visit me'”.

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