The Most Suitable and Easiest Path to Salvation

A short excerpt from the Autobiography of Saint Paisius Velichkovsky.

Having absolute freedom, I occupied myself with nothing else but the reading of the sacred books, from which I became increasingly assured of my unchanging intention to become a monk.

I also fully understood that without good works—that is, without the exact keeping of the commandments of Christ—it is impossible for anyone to be saved by Orthodox faith alone.

And then I placed within my soul such a promise: with the help of the grace of God, not to judge my neighbor, even if with my own eyes I saw him sinning, knowing well that there is only one righteous and true Judge of the living and the dead, our true God, Christ, who will render to each according to his works. He who judges his neighbor appropriates for himself this divine office and becomes himself a judge of the living and the dead—what could be more terrifying than this?

I also promised not to have hatred within my soul, which, according to the testimony of the Holy Scriptures, is the greatest of all sins.

Also, from all my heart and soul, to forgive my neighbor his sins, in the hope of the forgiveness of my own by God. For he who does not forgive his neighbor his sins will not receive forgiveness of his own sins from the heavenly Father.

I therefore followed this promise of mine before God for the keeping of these commandments, even if, because of my negligence, I was not deemed worthy to fulfill it in practice. Nevertheless, with divine help, to the measure of my strength, I follow with right understanding these commandments of God, according to the teaching of the Holy Scripture, as the most suitable and easiest path to salvation; there is no other, more correct way, toward salvation.

 

Greek source: Ο Όσιος Παΐσιος Βελιτσκόφσκι, by Antonios–Aimilios Tachiaos, University Studio Press, Thessaloniki, 2009.