Orthodox Tradition

 At the heart of the Orthodox Tradition there is a teaching that

many have heard about. But few have understood it.

You do not find it in modern discussions, but once you hear it, you do not

Forget it. The Holy Fathers spoke about them with

seriousness, fear of God, and purity of heart. They called them the toll booths of the air.

They are in the spiritual passage of the human soul after death.

It is not a metaphor, nor a myth.

The story of Theodora of Russia is apocalyptic. It is known mainly through

the life of Saint Basil the Younger, where Saint Basil's disciple,

Gregory asks to know about the fate of Theodora's soul after

her death and she tells him in every detail of her journey through the

toll booths of the air. When the soul leaves the body, it does not

immediately ascend to the throne of God. It is accompanied by angels but also

sworn by demons. Each toll booth is also a spiritual

Check for a specific category of sins.

The demons appear and bring before the soul its actions.

Not only the grave ones, but also the simple ones, the forgotten ones and the seemingly

insignificant ones. There are about 23 toll booths.

One toll booth controls evil speech, every slander, every word that hurts. Another one controls

arrogance, the voice raised, contempt, insulting people,

even within our own home. There is the toll booth of envy, jealousy

for the success, gifts and riches of another, but also the secret joy

for the failures of our fellow man. Then the toll booth of lies concerns not

only gross lies, but also the hypocritical ones that hid the truth. And

of course, the explosion, the anger you held in your heart,

reminds you of the person you never forgave.

The soul will also pass through the toll of pride.

He had a high-minded look; you had the feeling that you were better than

others. There is also the toll of blasphemy.

Ask yourself how many people blaspheme today and what exactly they curse

Christ, the Virgin Mary, the Saints, and the faith. Is this a coincidence or the work

of the devil? Is it a coincidence that Christians are the only ones who curse

their saints? This does not happen in any other faith.

Then you encounter the toll of chatter and nonsense. Among other things, you will be

checked for empty words, foolish conversations and meaningless songs

There is the toll of deceit and

usury that concerns every fraud and every agreement in which

You exploited your brother. The toll of negligence will tell how many times

Baremara defeated prayer and how many times she preferred sleep to divine

service on Sunday. How many times the soul was sleepy when it went to stand

before God. The toll of avarice examines

attachment to money. Not simply because you had a lot, but because you did not give.

because you did not trust God's providence.

The toll of drunkenness is not only vicious for alcoholics, but also

for anyone who missed prayer because of drink.

If you held grudges, if you did not want to forgive, if you reproduced the evil that

was done to you, the toll of resentment will remind you of it.

There is also the toll of witchcraft, which examines not only whether you have practiced witchcraft,

but also whether you have read horoscopes, consulted mediums, and carried

amulets for protection. The toll of gluttony examines not

only whether you eat too much, but also whether you eat without restraint, without fasting, or without

Thanksgiving. If you have put anything else above God,

such as your career, yourself, or your body, it will be examined by the toll

of idolatry. Next comes the toll of philaretism for

those who live for their image, who paint themselves, adorn themselves, correct the

body that the Lord gave them, and neglect the soul.

And then there are the tolls of sodomy and every depravity plus deed.

Here the demons are wild and the fathers say that many unfortunately fall

here. The toll of adultery judges all infidelity and impurity within marriage and

all marital betrayal, not only by actions but also by impure thoughts,

desires and spectacles. The toll of murder concerns even those who caused

an abortion, but also those who avoided a birth. Here the demons are furious for

justice. There is also the toll of theft, which

examines not only big thefts but also small injustices.

The tollhouse of fornication examines every indecent act and every carnal

desire that did not end with repentance and confession.

Finally, the tollhouse of Mercy will reveal if you were cruel, if you did not

Help the poor if you saw the pain and passed by.

Everything will be revealed there; in every check, the demons cry out, "Belongs to us."

And the angels cry repentant. But this is true only if you have

truly repented, if you have confessed.

The church does not teach these things to scare us, nor did it officially impose them as

dogma. It is the voice of experience, the testimony of our saints. Saint Ignatius

Bran Chaninov, Saint Macarius of Soptina, Saint Anthony, Saint

Paisios. Everyone talked about toll booths to wake us up, so that we could prepare ourselves

spiritually starting today.