“What to do when the tree is already cut?” the interlocutor asked, interested.
“Repent!” I replied, “‘Unless you repent, you will all perish,’ says the Lord. It is necessary to move away from the edge, depart from the past, sinful way of life, because if you live the same way without the tree—there will be trouble… Let’s say something more on the example of this parable about the tree. How is it that one has a chainsaw, and the other does not? There are three ways to get a chainsaw: to receive it as an inheritance, to legally earn money and buy it in a store, or to steal, to break into the store not through the door, but elsewhere. But, however you got it—you need to know how to use it, know the time, place, need… Now let’s explain the parable. Someone is born with the gift of healing (or other ‘supernatural’ abilities: telepathy, clairvoyance, reading someone else’s thoughts, seeing at a great distance—thousands of kilometers—as if it happens before your eyes, etc.), i.e., is born with a half-open window of leather (illusory) skins, in which each human hypostasis is dressed, at the first stage of its revelation (not immediately does it gain access to nature— first, the school of mastering nature—the illusory school of leather skins. Details in conclusions) into the reality of human nature, i.e., has access to the potentials (forces, energies) of human nature, already in this form of existence. There is no sin, no merit—she was born that way, received an inheritance. To earn legally—is through proper spiritual life, rooted in the Eucharist, organically transitioning from death to life and bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit—i.e., in the saint, ‘supernatural’ gifts themselves open up, and without his desire or forcing himself to receive them—it’s a natural process of sanctification, rooting in the God-man reality. Steals the one who reaches for the potentials of nature not by a righteous path, not entering through the Door (not through the Church)—but elsewhere climbs over: magic, esotericism, occultism, Satanism, etc. However you received the gift—you need to know how to use it! The Holy Fathers naturally grew to reality, and natural gifts opened up in them, abilities to heal, foresee the future, and instead of using them to do even more good—asked God to take these gifts from them, return them to a perishable form of existence, because they do not know how to use them, and to lay the foundation of repentance (e.g. St. Sisoes the Great). St. Seraphim of Sarov said that when he spoke from his own mind ( being a miracle-worker!), there were mistakes, and the consequences of mistakes are different… St. Ambrose of Optina kept a man in the monastery for three days, not giving him an answer (advice) to the question with which he came to the monastery. When the man began to hurry the venerable with the answer, Father Ambrose said that he had been praying to the Theotokos for three days to give an answer and she is silent; if she is silent, then what can I tell you (theologian, miracle-worker, simply a wise earthly man Ambrose has nothing to say?!). The Holy Fathers were afraid to even give advice when they did not know for sure, let alone do something blindly!!! Apostle Paul says that we (ourselves from ourselves) do not know what to pray for (whether for health, because the disease is acquired by sins, passions, or for endurance of diseases, because they are providential; whether to expel a demon from a person, because she herself has become his slave through sins, passions, Satanism, or let it be, because it is providential…). And the woe-ascetic, whose heart is filled with ‘love’ (passions, egoism) says he knows what to pray for!? And from where?—I will ask. Paul did not know himself, only when he was in the Holy Spirit, and you are in passions, drowning in vile desires—a slave to sin, know what is better for this person?! Argument: ‘But I love!’ Whom, or what, I will ask—to commit passions, sin?! Only he who fulfills God’s Commandments loves, and you fulfill the devil’s commandments, and say that you love?! Or, maybe, you are a saint?! All saints mourned themselves, as perishing creatures! Not someone else they saved, prayed for! St. Pimen the Great says: ‘Believe me, brothers, where Satan will be thrown, there I will be thrown!’ Zealous, correct fulfillment of Christ’s Commandments—reveals to the ascetic the hellish state in which he resides, perdition, helplessness by his own forces to help himself—not to mention help someone else—save himself!!! The one who is drowning thinks only of one thing (if he is, of course, sane!? A fool, a senseless one thinks not about his own salvation—but about meals, drinks, pleasure in various forms, about feats and the glory of a savior, doctor, teacher…)—how to save himself, survive! And he won’t help anyone while he himself is perishing, even if he very much wanted to! So you want to help someone—help yourself first—’Physician, heal thyself’. And then I myself can’t swim, but I jump into the water to save another—instead of help, relief I make it even worse—two will go under water, if someone doesn’t save us both! (We are not talking about self-sacrifice now, by the way, I’ll say: ‘If someone gives his body to be burned [drowned, torn apart, beaten even for Jesus Christ, created by Him—Arians-heretics were martyrs, they were tortured, killed,—and benefit?!—V.A.], and has not love, I am nothing and there is no benefit to me from that’).