"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8), so Jesus Christ, Who empowered His apostles, commands them to give freely what they received freely, since they had already to some extent achieved the likeness of God. So, the conclusion follows that what the apostles of Christ received freely must also be given freely, since there is no price that would be worthy of these Gifts of the Son of God. Actually, to some extent I touched on this topic in my previous article "What is the price of that which is priceless?"
How can we interpret what is written in the Gospel? For example, the Byzantine writer and theologian Theophylact of Bulgaria said that a spirit of humility and non-covetousness is more appropriate for a teacher, and repeated that one should not take with oneself either gold, or silver, or copper in one’s belts, or a bag for the road, or two coats, or shoes, or a staff, for the worker is worthy of his food… Of course, in order to follow the Word of Christ, one must be endowed with special Power, and perhaps this is more applicable to the apostles, as well as to those who are His true followers. Thus, the priest of the Russian Orthodox Church John of Kronstadt, discussing this topic, writes that in these words the apostles saw God in the flesh, but can an ordinary person also speak like this, who, to the phrase “heal the sick,” would say: give money for medicine or advice. And how could an ordinary person resurrect from the dead, without the Gift of God, if only God has the Power to do so?! And how could a weak person, overcome by his own base passions, cast out demons if they are stronger than him? Of course, it is impossible not to agree with the words of John of Kronstadt, who asserts that if a person overcomes the spirits of darkness, then: either God is with you, or you are God himself... for: It is proper for God to manifest Himself in this way.
The Byzantine theologian Euthymius Zigaben quotes the words of the Teacher: freely have you received from Me this Gift of healing, without any effort on your part, freely impart them to people, without demanding anything from them to support your lives... Again, I will mention the great theologian John Chrysostom, who wrote that Christ says to the apostles: freely have you received, freely give, so that they do not think that the miracles they perform are the fruit of their virtues, and do not become proud. John quotes the words of the Lord: you do not give anything of your own to those who receive you; you have received these gifts not as a reward or for your efforts: this is My Grace. I will not mention all the ancient interpreters of the Holy Scriptures, since this issue was raised in the 21st century at the highest church level. So I consider it necessary to mention the words of our most holy Patriarch Alexy II, who in 2005 at a meeting of the diocesan council said: it is especially sad to see when price tags are posted in churches for the performance of certain services, sacraments of the Church... price tags should be removed even from candles... this vicious practice must be stopped.
What is the matter, hasn't the Church received the Grace of Christ for free, and shouldn't it be given away for free? Of course, in pre-revolutionary Russia it could have been different and almost all services could be performed free of charge, but now it is regarded as a donation, which means that if a person has the opportunity, he can donate as much as he can. Of course, the question arises: will the crumbling churches, the priceless frescoes crumbling without restoration, the rent or purchase of land for new cathedrals under construction and many other things survive if there is no help from the state, generous patrons or modest donations from parishioners? All this requires funds, and during the divine services and the performance of services, doesn't a respectable priest invest his labor and share grace, and part of his life energy, which, through the feat of Service to the Almighty, bit by bit, is added to his heart?
It is very easy for a layman to judge and devalue the merits of others, but to try to put yourself in the shoes of someone who is trying to pave his own path to the Upper World - there are few. The well-fed do not understand the hungry, and this proverb remains relevant to this day. Several years ago I heard a phrase from a person who for some time was a translator of my works and tried to usurp my copyright, so at the instigation of the dark forces, he wrote to me: You got all this for free, and now it all belongs to me, and you can’t prove anything! This was not only with him - some apparently got the impression that I was sprawled on feather beds, while for decades books were falling from the sky, already printed and packed in packs; and someone is already delivering them to stores, and I am rolling in clover, raking in untold riches. No, my dears! Hundreds of incarnations were dedicated to the fact that, having descended below the lowest into the Kingdom of Man, I would become one of you, and make my way through thorns to the stars. I was slandered and tortured and burned thousands of times, only because I carried within myself the Seed of Divine Love and by my example, tried to show the Path to the Light. But mainly, all my lives I, so to speak, with human hands and feet performed both visible and invisible Labor for the Glory of the Upper World, in order to be worthy of receiving the Highest Gifts when the Cosmic Terms come.
Alas, all this is so! And if there are no fires now, it does not mean that the minions of darkness have stopped their persecution. I will not list the names of those who tried to exterminate me both morally and physically in this life. God is their Judge! More than forty years ago, I continued the Path of conscious Service to the Almighty, and already in 1989 I began to make some Records, deciding to protect what is Holy for me. I turned to Philokalia, Holy Scripture, and not only studied the Lives of the Saints, but also tried to follow their example. In the nineties, out of compassion for people, I began to heal the sick: putting on a white coat, I made a joint round with doctors I knew, who left me next to those whom they could not bring out of a coma, and where official medicine was already powerless. Yes, there were doctors who believed in the existence of Forces unknown to them, as well as their carriers, and they allowed me to secretly, and of course, for free, give a chance to the dying. And God alone knows how successful I was in resurrecting those who were practically doomed to death. Of course, I concluded for myself that many of the sick, in all fairness, were punished for the evil they had done, and therefore I had to make a lot of effort to rid them of the demonic obsession. Over three years of such practice, I already realized that it was necessary to save not the flesh, but the souls of people, therefore, laying my hands on their wounds and metastases, I simply talked to them as a psychotherapist, and many shed cleansing tears... Of course, my entire flesh was shaking from the enormous loss of vital forces, which were difficult for me to restore, since I never allowed myself to rest, idly folding my hands. And therefore, already in 1989 I decided that if I were to write books, it would be the most expedient in terms of healing human ailments. For thirty-five years, I tried to place all the published books in bookstores, but the answer was: no one needs your spirituality, people prefer to read about magic and witchcraft. As I understand it, books on black magic, which poisons people's souls, are more profitable for sellers. And nevertheless, I continued to create, moving along the path of Spirituality, practically from early morning until late at night, giving birth to more and more new books in order to reach those few who are ready to accept the Gifts permeated with the Grace of the Lord of my heart. And when I gave books, I was especially happy to see those who immediately pressed them to their chests, without even having time to read them, and this gave me new strength, inspiring me for subsequent Labors.
And literally recently I heard from another person again: you got everything for free, all these books belong to everyone, and you should give everything away for free... I had a question, and first of all not to myself, but to you, my dear readers: did I really not put in my work? And I must say that initially I did not want the books to bring me any income, and in general, for anyone to know about me, and decided to write under a pseudonym. But the Lord said: this is a kind of fear that I may not be accepted as a person and as a High Spirit - if this is a Star, then it cannot be hidden! And I saw how my Star lit up and began to rise, shining brighter and brighter, it seemed to burn through me. And as for books, to my question, asked more than thirty years ago, the Lord answered: You have not only a Cosmic right, but also a human right - to partake of the Fruits grown by you, for Labor must be paid - especially yours!
And now let everyone decide for themselves, have I invested my own labor, having paid with a hundred lives, being mainly in monastic attire, so that at the Hour of the final incarnation, having received the Gifts from Above that I deserved, I could share them with you by Free Will? There is such an unwritten Law of the Brotherhood of Light: Each Co-worker of the Hierarchy of Light, having received the Gift as a Reward, thanks to His Own Deeds in the Field of God-spiritualization has the full Cosmic Right both to share it and to leave it unmanifested in the lower spheres of the Earth. The Teaching of Christ led Him to the Crucifixion, as well as many of His Followers. But He Made the Decision to Sacrifice Himself, for He could not conceal it, but again, Observing certain Higher Laws, He did not have the Right to Proclaim the entire True, profound Essence of the Teaching for those who were not ready to perceive it with an open heart. In no case do I wish to place myself on the same Step with the Highest Spirit!.. By my own will I share those Gifts that are Sacred to me, openly marking myself as a target for the poisonous arrows of those who believe that I have now received for nothing what I do not deserve. Again, why was the Teaching of the Heart, if it belongs to everyone, not given through all of them, who consider themselves more “worthy”? But let me ask a question: having decided to dedicate my life to the Service of the Lord, having left my job, having lost my only source of income, did I not pay with the health of my children, when my eldest son from the age of 16, and the youngest from the age of 12, were already unloading train cars so that I could buy a ticket for a trip to India, where I was Called by the Lord of my heart? Didn't I pay by condemning children to a half-starved existence, who for many years were forced to wear old clothes, and in winter, torn shoes, which more than once ended in pneumonia? Didn't I pay with my own health, living for months high in the mountains in unheated rooms, not having the opportunity to buy either food or medicine, when the temperature rose above forty, and nevertheless I did not stop my work for a moment, writing dozens of pages of subsequent books? By the way, in the mountains, however, as in the deserts, there was not always a roof over your head and you had to create among the raging elements. Of course, it is not a pleasant feeling when, in a snowstorm, sitting practically on an icy stone, you write, covering the notebook with yourself and, after a few letters, you have to warm the frozen pen in your mouth to continue Writing... Again, moving towards the designated point of Life or Death, where I had to perform a certain Hierarchical Labor, following unknown paths swarming with poisonous snakes around, did I not pay with serious malfunctions in the work of my heart? And who will say how seriously the nerve fibers suffered, through which the Fire of the highest intensity flowed for years; and numerous stresses, when, being in the forests, I was surrounded by herds of wild monkeys, when the leader began to unceremoniously rummage through my pockets, and at one gesture of his I could be torn to pieces in the blink of an eye? Or at that hour when rats attacked me; After all, being strong in spirit, I always remained a fragile, defenseless woman, though I firmly believed that God would not abandon me in a mortally dangerous situation? I made my way alone, having also paid with the lack of a personal life, for my last marriage ended more than forty years ago, although I did not have a strong male shoulder to rely on there either. And who will say where I suffered more: being among the wild, aggressive nature or being near some heartless people who inflicted so many unhealing wounds on my heart?
I am not even talking about the Fiery Experience, the price of which for me, as a person, is simply unimaginable, and no mortal is capable of appreciating it. Only the Lord of my Heart Can Judge by what measure it is possible to evaluate all that inhuman pain that I had to endure, as well as the Spatial Labor that was performed, associated with the acceptance and transmutation of currents of the highest frequency, which no earthling could now withstand! But to devalue it - there will be many creatures who believe that I should give everything away for nothing to those who have not invested even a grain of their labor in the field of Service to the Higher Forces. Of course, everyone who is in tune with the Gifts of the Lord of my Heart will accept it as a Gift, as a Gift - the Grace of both my soul and my spirit, which was able to overcome everything. Of course, those who have already passed away do not need funds for food, or for paying for housing or travel around the world, as well as spending precious time to write, and then prepare and publish their works, pay for translations into other languages, voice audiobooks and much more. Please, you can download as many works of these authors for free as you like, but fortunately or unfortunately, there is still life in me! And a living writer may need daily bread and much more, especially when the only stable source of income is only a meager pension! Yes, of course, it is difficult for me, and it was practically impossible to do without the voluntary donations of some of you for the publication of the Gifts, albeit received from Above, but to which a gigantic, and not only mine, human labor was applied, so that it would fall into the hands of people in the form of books ready for reading. The price paid by the author, both on the spiritual and material level, is sometimes so incomparable that the question arises: who really received these Gifts for free (for nothing) - the author or the readers? I have never demanded anything from anyone to support my life, and of course, I have already given away a lot for free, but if any of you have to at least partially pay some price for something that is priceless, please do not judge me harshly, for I, being in my eighth decade, am trying to survive as best I can with only one Goal: to bring as many Gifts as possible from the Highest Divine spheres to lay them at your feet as a Sacred Gift!
With Love, Zinovya Dushkova
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