About Filaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, my memory

Contents Introduction Chapter I. Faith and repentance as the main conditions for spiritual improvement Chapter II. Obstacles on the path of spiritual improvement and the fight against them Chapter III. The Necessity of Divine Grace in the Matter of Spiritual Improvement Chapter IV. The need for spiritual guidance in the matter of spiritual improvement Chapter V. Christian patience with sorrows and temptations Chapter VI. Humility and meekness Chapter VII. Love for God and neighbors Chapter VIII. Prayer, fasting and abstinence Chapter IX. Monasticism as a special kind of Christian life established by the Lord Chapter X. The limit of spiritual perfection of a person in the conditions of earthly life Chapter XI. The life of St. Basil the Great as an example of spiritual improvement Conclusion Bibliography Journal articles Recommended for publication by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church The book offered to the reader by the resident of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Elijah (Reizmir), is dedicated to the teaching of St. Basil the Great on spiritual improvement and shows the life of the saint as an example of spiritual improvement - the spiritual transformation of man. According to St. Basil the Great, the life of every Christian, his spiritual feat is a preparatory time for the future life, this is the beginning of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. The main means of salvation is faith in Christ, repentance, humility, prayer, love for God and neighbor. Saint Basil the Great teaches that our earthly life should be directed towards continuous ascent to God. We express the hope that thanks to this book the reader will be able to come into contact in an accessible form with the teaching of St. Basil the Great on the spiritual development of a Christian. Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 2004 The spiritual improvement of a Christian lies in cleansing the soul from sins and achieving holiness. By becoming purer, a person thereby approaches God - the source of all beauty and greatness. With the help of God's grace, climbing the ladder of virtues, he gradually restores in himself the image and likeness of God, and this constitutes the lifelong feat of a Christian. Everything connected with this feat, the feat of spiritual perfection, is reflected in the works of the great father of the Church, St. Basil, Archbishop of Cappadocia. Man ascends from a low, sinful state to a higher, god-like state. And this, according to the teachings of the holy father, is achieved through the difficult path of crying for sins, patience, meekness and humility, prayer and abstinence, through selfless Christian love. The great saint embodied all these virtues in his life, setting an example of the spiritual perfection of a Christian. Therefore, in this work, dedicated to the teaching of St. Basil the Great on spiritual improvement, we will talk about his life as an example of this feat. The author’s desire to use the saint’s works as fully as possible when revealing the topic makes it possible to better understand and assimilate Christian spiritual foundations, as well as to perceive the spirit of the theology of the great holy father of the Church. Chapter I. Faith and repentance as the main conditions for spiritual improvement For one who has fallen into sin, the first benefit is to fall and die, and then to rise and live in truth, but both are granted to us by faith in Christ. St. Basil the Great (VII, 204 1) Saint Basil the Great teaches that without faith and repentance, spiritual improvement and salvation of a person are unthinkable. The Holy Scriptures directly say: “Whoever has faith and is baptized will be saved; and those who do not have faith will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). And the first commandment given by Christ the Savior to humanity is the commandment of repentance: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is drawing near” (Matthew 4:17) (III, 305). Christ proclaims these same words to this day in His Gospel. With these same words, our Savior and Lord calls every sinner to faith, repentance and salvation, for the beginning of “salvation,” says the Holy Father, “consists in repentance” (V, 47). And “faith is characteristic of a Christian and is promoted by love (Gal. 5:6)” (III, 417). And “those who believe in the Lord must first of all repent, for those (of the believers) who do not now repent will be condemned more than those condemned before the Gospel (see: Matt. 11: 20–22)” (III, 305). The merciful Lord, loving His fallen creation - man - not wanting his destruction, but to turn... and live to be him (Ezek. 33: 11) (VI, 101), taught all the necessary means for salvation, of which repentance is the main one. Repentance is the beginning of a person’s spiritual life, which is preceded by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance is possible only for such people in whose hearts faith and love for God have not yet completely faded away. If a Christian has lost faith, then repentance is not possible for him, for only a believer can begin repentance and carry it out fruitfully (VII, 204). The saint says that “the mind, blessed by the flesh and filled with carnal wisdom, has a need for faith and right living” (VI, 39). As you can see, faith is required to be active, living, penetrating the entire soul of a person: his mind, will and feeling. It must be expressed “in right living,” and such “living” can be “edified (that is, built up. - Author.) only on faith” (II, 338), and “not a single deed can be done properly without pious faith in Christ” (II, 56). Neglect of God or disbelief in His existence is the “cause of sin” (V, 223), “for he who believes that God is present everywhere at every event, is present at every action, sees the counsels of the heart,” will not “allow into himself” not only an “evil deed,” but even a “bad thought” (II, 64). What is faith and what is characteristic of it? Saint Basil the Great teaches that “faith is undoubted consent to what is heard with confirmation of the truth of what is preached, by the grace of God” (V, 24–25). It was precisely this kind of living, active and firm faith that Abraham showed, about whom it is testified that he was not doubted by unbelief, but was made possible by faith, giving the glory of God and being known as being able to eat and do what he promised (Rom. 4: 20-21) (Mb 24-25). Faith is characterized by “undoubted confidence in the truth of inspired verbs, which is not shaken by any thought” (III, 417). Since the true good in the matter of spiritual improvement is “comprehensible to reason through faith” (I, 165), then all our undertakings should be “guided by faith in God and accompanied by good hope, so that through faith we can strengthen our spiritual strength, and with good hope we can arouse in ourselves zeal for good” (V, 385). But in the matter of spiritual improvement, no good deed can be accomplished without “help from above,” and help that comes from above, as the saint teaches, is given by faith (Ibid.). Living faith is a gift of God, and it is given to those who with all their souls will seek the truth in life and thirst for the knowledge of Christ. Faith consists in fully accepting the teaching about God revealed by God Himself. This teaching is divine, revealed by God, it surpasses human reason and therefore cannot be accepted except by heartfelt feeling and faith. “I know that God exists,” says St. Basil the Great, “but what His essence is, I put this beyond understanding. So how can I be saved? Through faith. But faith is content with the knowledge “how God is” (and not what He is) and He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Heb. 11:6)” (VI, 139). Therefore, from the words spoken by the Lord, “one should not come into hesitation and doubt, but undoubtedly accept that every word of God is true and omnipotent, even if nature assures otherwise. For this is the feat of faith (see: Matt. 14: 25–31)” (III, 313–314), the holy father teaches. Consequently, “to sweep aside anything written (in the Holy Scriptures) or introduce something” new, invented by one’s own mind, “is a clear falling away from the faith and exposing one’s pride” (V, 25). In order to inherit eternal blissful life and even in this earthly life to enjoy a foretaste of heavenly blessings, a Christian, according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, “must have firm and unshakable faith” (II, 45; III, 345). A true Christian must “without fear or shame, with boldness, confess our Lord Jesus Christ and His teaching” (III, 312). He has nothing to fear, he has “the shield of faith... the sword of the word... the armor of truth... and the helmet of salvation” (II, 310–311). He has a “holy guardian angel who encamps around those who fear the Lord” (II, 163), who “serves as a wall in front, guarding behind and on both sides, leaving nothing uncovered” (I, 255). The holy angel will never depart from all those who believe in the Lord, unless we drive him away ourselves through bad deeds, “for just as smoke drives away bees,” the saint teaches, “and doves are driven away by stench, so the angel who guards our lives is driven away by lamentable and stinking sin” (I, 254–255). The Christian knows that any temptations raised against the Church and its members mean nothing to those who have firm faith in Christ (VII, 158; IV, 22). “And by his faith” he “hath power to trample upon serpents and scorpions.” Therefore, “if you do not have firm faith,” says the holy father, “then fear not animals” or anything else, “but rather your own unbelief, through which you have made yourself susceptible to destruction from everything” (I, 148). To have such firm faith, you need to ask for it from the Giver of all good things, Jesus Christ, in the words of the holy apostles, who said to the Lord: “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). The affirmation of faith is greatly facilitated by the study of the Holy Scriptures and everything that leads to the knowledge of Christ’s teachings, and most importantly, the fulfillment of Christ’s commandments. “If someone apparently confesses the Lord and listens to His teaching, but does not obey His commandments, then he is condemned, even if by a special dispensation it was given to him to have spiritual gifts” (III, 312), “for you know,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “that the severity of life, not enlightened by faith in God, is not useful in itself, and the right faith without good deeds is not able to set us before the Lord, but that there must be both... because faith saves us, as the apostle says, being aided by love (Gal. 5:6)” (VII, 257). Without preliminary cleansing from sins, it is impossible to bear the fruit of good deeds and achieve holiness by faith (III, 308). A person is “damaged by sin” and can only be healed by repentance (IV, 7). Without repentance, without the consciousness that sins have been forgiven, it is impossible to begin a virtuous life. “It is impossible,” says the holy father, “for anyone to devote himself to a virtuous life without God’s forgiveness. Therefore, the Steward of our life wants someone who has lived in sin and then vows to rise to a healthy life to put an end to the past and, after committing sins, to make some beginning, as if being renewed in life through repentance” (II, 252). Repentance inextricably accompanies faith in Christ, and after baptism it heals those sins into which a person falls due to his weakness and leads him to salvation. “Whoever has weakness in himself (i.e., sins - Author), but also finds faith in himself, by his own faith” through repentance “is directed towards salvation” (I, 171). Christ the Savior, knowing that even after baptism people would move away from Him with their sins, established in His Church the sacrament of repentance, which is like a second baptism. In the difficult field of fighting sin, every Christian, resorting to repentance, receives not only forgiveness for his sins, but also strength to fight them. “The Steward of our life,” says the great saint, “has made with us the covenant of baptism, which has in itself the image of death and life” (III, 240). Thus the relationship between God and the Christian is one of "covenant," or free union in mutual love. If a Christian consciously and freely commits sin, then he violates his covenant with God. Having alienated himself from God, he becomes unworthy of God’s favor. The Lord dwelt in him with His grace, but now He takes away from him this gift of His love that belongs to him as a Christian. “The Holy Spirit,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “has no communion with the unworthy,” although “it coexists in some way with those who are once sealed, awaiting their salvation upon conversion” (III, 248–249). In order to restore communication with God that existed before the commission of sin, a Christian must, on the one hand, renew love for God in his heart, and on the other, gain the grace of the Holy Spirit, poured out by the love of God into the hearts of people. This is the repentant feat of a Christian. The Holy Father explains that since in many places of Holy Scripture God speaks of the human soul as His bride, “then if the soul has become a widow due to falling away from Christ... and is separated from the union with the Bridegroom... it is necessary that it be justified and learn justification through repentance” (II, 59). Returning to this blissful “previous state” is possible only “through repentance” (II, 44), through “good change” (II, 194). Although it is impossible for human nature not to sin (Eccl. 7:21), “however,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “it is possible, having sinned through rashness or infatuation with the evil one (i.e., the devil. - Author.), to immediately change, repent, and not accumulate evil for evil... to atone for your sins” (II, 193). Repentance is the recognition of one’s fall, the need for a Redeemer, and remaining in His confession. Repentance is the great gift of the all-good God to sinful humanity, which is acquired by people through faith in the Redeemer. The eternal love of God seeks every way to extract the sinner from the pit of destruction (see: John 10: 9–11). And if the sinner himself strives for Christ, then He will not refuse to intercede before the eternal Truth for his forgiveness. He is able to save to the end those who come to God through Him, always living, by interceding for them (Heb. 7:25, Rom. 8:34, 1 John 2:1-2), and “from His own person promised the fulfillment of requests for every thing” (V, 202). Consequently, the door of repentance can be opened for the sinner, the Sabbath is (and still is) left to the people of God (Heb. 4:9), and “what sins are forgiven in repentance should not be asked” (V, 202). All sin is blotted out by repentance (II, 273). “Whoever is defiled by some sin, although he currently loses his purity, is not deprived of the hope of purification through repentance in the future” (II, 231–232). Therefore, one should under no circumstances lose hope of victory over personal sin. “Let no one who spends his life in sin despair of himself,” the holy father encourages, “knowing that just as agriculture changes the quality of plants, so the soul’s care for virtue can prevail over all sorts of ailments” (I, 79). So, “do not lose hope of salvation. Bring to your mind what is written that the fallen one rises and turns away (cf. Jer. 8:4); the one who is struck is healed, the one caught by wild beasts is saved, and the one who confesses will not be rejected, because the Lord does not want the sinner to die, but to be converted... and he will live (Ezek. 33:11)” (VI, 101). On the part of the sinner, it is required to hate the previous sinful way of life, to have a sincere desire to get out of sinful darkness, and also to have faith in the all-forgiving mercy of God. “Do not remain in the depths of evil (meaning free-will indignation in sins. - Author.), - says St. Basil the Great, - do not give yourself over to a murderer. The Lord knows how to restore the broken” (VI, 105). “Blessed,” says the holy father in another place, “is he who knows his inner ulcer, can come to the Doctor and say: “Lord, have mercy on me, heal my soul, for I have sinned” (Ps. 40:5)” (I, 218). Repentance should not be postponed to the future, since present life “is the time of repentance and remission of sins” (III, 305). Now is the time favorable...now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2). “This age,” the holy father teaches, “is the age of repentance, and that of retribution; this one is doing, and that one is repaying; this one is patience, and that one is consolation” (V, 80). “Now is the time of respite, the time of long-suffering, the time of healing, the time of correction. Did you crawl? Rise up. Have you sinned? Stop it; do not stand in the way of sinners, but run away from them. When, having turned, you rise, then you will be saved, because health is acquired through labor, and salvation comes later” (VI, 101). The merciful Lord, wanting to save a sinner, often calls him to repentance through earthly disasters and punishments. “Therefore, no one bothers,” says the holy father, “to find the causes of sorrowful phenomena: why droughts... rains... thunderclaps, why hail? This is for us, who have an unrepentant heart and are not converted first, except when we experience ulcers” (II, 272), “for it is characteristic of God’s love for mankind not only to send punishments, but to foreshadow them with threats, calling those who have sinned to repentance” (II, 161). While a sinner is within the confines of earthly life, he has great opportunities to change the qualities of his soul. By growing spiritually, he can receive salvation. Our Savior Jesus Christ came to the sinful world for this purpose to grant it salvation. “While there is an opportunity, let us restore ourselves from the fall,” encourages St. Basil the Great, “and let us not despair of ourselves if we correct ourselves from bad deeds” (VI, 112–113). So, there is a way of salvation, if we wish, “salvation is possible, correction is possible. Dare, don't despair. There is no law that condemns to death without mercy, but there is grace that postpones punishment, awaiting correction” (VI, 102). Repentance is not a separate life moment. It embraces the entire life of a person and is an act of moral reconstruction of fallen human nature. Addressing Christians, the saint says: “I would like you all to live in tears and unceasing repentance” (VII, 70). Comparing the human soul with a field, which, before it should be sown with seeds, is cleared and cultivated, the holy father says: “It is necessary that it [the soul] first be thoroughly cultivated (that is, cleansed from sins by repentance. - Author.), then watered with abundant streams of heavenly waters (i.e., grace. - Author.), then it can bear fruit for both thirty and sixty (Mark 4:20)” (I, 221). “A soul burdened with many sins... firstly, must hate its former reprehensible life... Then accept as a teacher of fear the threat of eternal judgment and punishment, realize that the time of repentance is a time of tears” (V, 199-200). The sequence of the penitential feat is revealed by St. Basil the Great as follows. When entering the path of repentance, humility is necessary, the consciousness of one’s unworthiness, and on this consciousness - the altar of humility - one must sacrifice one’s heart to God, cleansed of all sinful filth. “You must first crush your arrogant heart, so that its humility becomes a sacrifice to God” (II, 312), because the Lord “is propitiated neither by the blood of animals, nor by sacrificial slaughter, but by a contrite heart, for the sacrifice to God is a broken spirit (Ps. 50:19)” (II, 37). Saint Basil the Great teaches that contrition of the heart “is the destruction of human thoughts. He who has despised the present, has given himself over to the Word of God, and has placed what is sovereign in himself above what is human and divine, will have a contrite heart and will make it a sacrifice, not despised by the Lord” (I, 265; II, 165). Such contrition is a gift from God. It is given to a person to “excite lust, so that the soul, having tasted the sweetness of such sorrow, tries to love this sorrow (about sins. – Author.), or as proof that the soul, with the most careful care, can be in constant contrition” (V, 202–203). Thus, repentance must be accompanied by contrition of heart and hot tears. “Repentance requires,” the holy father teaches, “that a person first cry out within himself and crush his heart” (II, 232). “The repentant must weep bitterly (see: Matt. 26: 75. 2 Cor. 7: 6–7)” (III, 306). And then must follow the death of sin. “Those who have taken upon themselves the image of the evil one,” says the holy father, “must kill all the offspring of their souls to exterminate their sins. And if we do not die to sin, then how will we live by righteousness? (1 Pet. 2:24)" (II, 334–335). And if we do not repent, then we will not inherit eternal life. For “the end of sin is death (cf. John 3:36. Rom. 6:20–21), and the end of the commandment of God is eternal life (John 8:51; 12:49–50. Rom. 6:22)” (III, 317–318). As the penitential feat increases, a person becomes stronger in faith, for only with the combination of faith and repentance can one achieve contemplation of the truth. “Stand firmly,” says the saint, “unshakable, immovable, rise up to Him by faith, so as to become worthy to see the spectacle of truth” (II, 182). Faith requires works consistent with it. Therefore, “if anyone, believing in Christ, does not demonstrate deeds consistent with faith, he, as one who listens to bad teachings and poorly comprehends the intent of Scripture, hews his own tomb in stone” (I, 312). Faith and repentance are inextricably linked. If without repentance the beginning of a virtuous life is unthinkable, then without faith neither the first nor the second is possible. “No work can be done without pious faith in Christ” (II, 56). The only means for the grace-filled reunion of a repentant Christian with God (and for pacification of conscience) is the holy sacrament of confession and the resolution of sins, which exists in the Church of Christ. Jesus Christ bestowed upon His apostles and their successors the Holy Spirit, who, through their mediation, raises the fallen members of the Church to their former state of innocent grace (see: John 20: 22–23. Matt. 18: 18; 16: 19). To the successors of the apostolic ministry, to whom “is entrusted the administration of the mysteries of God [i.e. e. to a bishop or presbyter], and a repentant Christian sinner must convert” (V, 329). Confession, like fire that consumes the tares, cleanses the soul of sins. “If we expose sin by confession,” says St. Basil the Great, “we will make it a dry troscot 2 worthy of being consumed by cleansing fire” (II, 273). Repentance must be accomplished not with the lips alone, not with external participation in confession alone, but in internal contrition - repentance for the sins committed, in sincere confession of them to the confessor. “To seek forgiveness for your sins, confess what you have done wrong” (I, 219). And most importantly, you need to firmly decide to leave a sinful life and live as the Gospel teaches. The repentant “must come to the same frame of mind as David was in when he said: “I have hated iniquity and become abominable” (Ps. 119:163)” (V, 198). The power of repentance, according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, should be no weaker than a sinful crime. “Is the Fall easy and tolerable? Let repentance be equal to it” (VI, 35). Elsewhere, the holy father says that the Lord will grant us sinners sevenfold remission of sins, having compassion on us for the sake of our confession and repentance, if only we sincerely bring repentance corresponding to our sins. “Let us, through repentance, offer in advance the retribution corresponding to the debt, the wrongdoings committed, and destroy our sins, so that then [on the day of Judgment] we may avoid the oppressive abundance of debts” 3. True repentance must be accompanied by a subsequent virtuous life. “For those who repent, removal from sins alone is not enough for salvation,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “but they also need fruits worthy of repentance” (III, 307). “Whoever says that he has repented of sin must not only lament what he sinned, but also bear fruits worthy of repentance” (VI, 57). The fruits of repentance are “the fruits of righteousness, opposite to sin, which the repentant must bear fruit by fulfilling what is said: “In every work it bears fruit” (Col. 1:10)” (V, 328). They consist in the fact that the penitent, in freely renouncing his former bad life, “richly sows alms, compassion, prayer, and incessant tears into the spirit.” These are the very ones about whom it is said: “He who sows with tears will reap with joy... by grasping the handle” (Ps. 125: 5-6) (II, 129). The time of earthly life passes quickly and irrevocably, like the “flow of a river.” It “calls you,” the holy father teaches, “to the mother of commandments (i.e., repentance. - Author); take care that this time of trading and buying does not go in vain for you... Give a little and get a lot. Resolve the original sin by donating food... satisfy your brother’s need and hunger” (VI, 119). Therefore, “all sins that can be repaid (i.e., not mortal sins. - Author.), for which one can repay with something several times over, are cleansed in this way" (i.e., alms. - Author.) (V, 319). It often happens in life that people remember and repent only of grave sins, while sins committed almost daily are forgotten. Sins in word, deed, thought, according to the teachings of the Holy Father, cannot be considered unimportant (II, 128). They defile a person’s soul and alienate him from God. “Do not neglect any mistake,” he says, “even if it were less than any harmful animal, but hasten to correct it through repentance, although many sin repeatedly in large and small ways and remain unrepentant. Do not be a judge of other people’s falls... but as much as you can, lighten your burden... for in repentance lies salvation, and foolishness is the death of repentance” (V, 47). And in another place the saint writes that “judgment is clear” even “on those who have sinned through ignorance (Luke 12:48)... but with proper repentance there is firm hope for remission of sin” (V, 221). Every Christian who wants to achieve significant success in spiritual improvement “and bring his life into a state according to the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “should not leave a single movement of his soul in secrecy, not let a single word pass without testing, but reveal the secrets of the heart to those who are entrusted with showing mercy... for the weak” (V, 143), “before those who are able to heal them, according to written: We who are strong must bear the weaknesses of the weak (Rom. 15:1)” (V, 295). Thus, in all sins, both serious and everyday, in word and thought, a Christian needs to repent. But since he cannot often meet with his confessor, St. Basil the Great advises for sins committed through human weakness - in word, thought and all feelings - to repent daily before God. “After the day has passed and every work, physical and spiritual, has been brought to an end, before repose, everyone’s conscience must be tested in his own heart. And if there was anything contrary to duty: either a thought about the forbidden, or an indecent word, or laziness in prayer... let the offense not be hidden, but let it be declared” before the Lord, and “so that the weakness... may be healed” (V, 69). So, “considering the work of each day,” the holy father teaches, “compare it with the work of the previous day and hasten to correction. Excel in virtue to become closer to the angels" (V, 56). Very often a person, carried away by the bustle of earthly life, completely forgets about his sins and repentance. To arouse in oneself a feeling of repentance, one needs abstinence from all passions, one needs fasting, for “repentance without fasting is ineffective” (IV, 7). It is also necessary to read the Holy Scriptures, especially the New Testament (VI, 94) and the Psalter, for all Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable (2 Tim. 3:16). It “was written for this purpose by the Holy Spirit,” the holy father teaches, “so that in it, as in a common physician of souls, all of us humans could find a cure for our own ailment” (I, 155). And reading the psalms “produces sadness, “like God.” For a psalm even compels tears from a stony heart” (I, 157). Comparing his life with the Gospel commandments, forcing himself to fulfill them, a Christian will realize how weak he is, damaged by his fall and wounded by his sins. From the sight of one’s infirmities, a desire will appear in the soul to cleanse one’s soul through repentance. But a sinner cannot rise to God by his own strength alone. “He must, on his part, do everything” necessary for sincere repentance and “cry out to God so that He will be his helper,” teaches St. Basil the Great (V, 35). The result of sincere repentance is that “those who cry over evil deeds and their evil thoughts will not descend and will not descend into the underworld, but will ascend, as if by a guide to exaltation into the higher earth, using sorrow according to God” (II, 353). Also, “sadness for God, when someone is upset because the commandment of God is neglected” (V, 280), leads the soul to a virtuous life, and a Christian, through virtue, achieves a certain degree of spiritual perfection. He “rises to the point of becoming like the Creator” (IV, 42). Likeness to the Creator brings a person closer to Him and gives rise to true bliss and unceasing joy in the Lord, that is, “rejoicing in what was accomplished according to the commandment of the Lord for the glory of God” (V, 280–281). However, “not every soul,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “is given joy from God, but if someone wept a lot about his sin with a strong cry and incessant tears and, as over the dead, wept over himself, then his crying turns into joy... The mournful garment in which he put on, mourning his sin, is torn, and the robe of joy and the robe of salvation is placed on him (see: Is. 61: 10) ...decorated with which will not be cast out from the bridal chamber” (I, 225). The saint teaches that human life is “a fickle sea, unsteady air, an elusive dream, a flowing stream, disappearing smoke, a running shadow...” (IV, 344); it is “the way” (II, 129), “because each of those born hastens towards the end” (I, 162–163). Therefore, every human traveler, deciding to sail on the stormy sea of ​​life, will certainly have to endure many storms. The sea is fraught with many troubles and dangers. And on our path stands “a rival—a force that opposes us, that pursues life, inventing every way to seduce us from the path leading to God” (II, 129). So, a Christian who has embarked on the path of spiritual improvement through faith and repentance, in order to endure all everyday storms and adversities, to repel the attacks of the “rival” that threatens to sink his spiritual ship, must know well what to avoid and how to deal with it in order to sail safely to the harbor of spiritual perfection. He must be able to “manage his life” (II, 129; IV, 191). The next chapter examines the teaching of St. Basil the Great about passions that hinder the spiritual development of a Christian and which, if not noticed and eliminated in time, can sink his spiritual ship. Chapter II. Obstacles on the path of spiritual improvement and the fight against them He who has entered into obedience to the Gospel must first of all cleanse himself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, in order through this to become acceptable to God in holy matters. St. Basil the Great (III, 308) After the Fall of man, sin became, as it were, his second nature, a nature that constantly makes its vicious demands. “Sin, drawing the soul into passionate desires,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “distorted the beauty of the image” of God in man. Man has “lost the likeness of God” and communication with true life. For “God, who created man, is true life... and whoever is outside of God, it is impossible for him to be in a blessed life” (V, 61; IV, 134). In order to achieve spiritual perfection and return to the original grace, which we lost through sin ... to restore in ourselves the image and likeness of God, according to the teachings of the Holy Father, it is necessary to cleanse ourselves of many obvious and secret sinful passions (V, 61). “For it is impossible for us to become capable of receiving Divine grace without expelling from ourselves the vicious passions that have taken possession of our souls” (I, 333). To cleanse yourself of passions, you need to know about your sinfulness, you need to see with your spiritual eye your many vices. Most people lead an absent-minded lifestyle and, while satisfying their passions every day, do not even notice it. It often happens that a person’s carnal mind not only justifies the vicious desires of the heart, but even recognizes vice as a virtue. “Virtue,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “is a certain mean and proportionality” (II, 199). Elsewhere he writes: “The definition of virtue required by God will be the following: this is the use of God’s gifts with a good conscience according to the commandment of the Lord” (V, 90), and “vice is the crafty and contrary to Christ’s commandment, the use of what has been given to us by God for a good purpose...” (V, 90), this is “the impoverishment of virtue” (V, 359). “Many are carried away into destruction along the smooth and broad path; and few enter the Kingdom of Heaven because they cannot endure the inconveniences and difficulties of a virtuous life. For vice seizes the ease of pleasure, and virtue, through the severity of prescriptions and labors, makes the life of ascetics bitter” (II, 251). Therefore, the Holy Father calls for careful attention to monitor the state of the soul, so that sinful shame does not destroy its beauty. “Adorn her, take care of her, so that with your attentiveness you prevent all uncleanness imparted to her by vice, cleanse her from all sinful shame, and decorate and enlighten her with all the beauty of virtue” (IV, 34). For “sinful passions and all unreasonable movements usually produce incessant rumors and indomitable rebellion in souls” (II, 34). They “defile the soul, created in the image of the Creator,” and “darken its beauty” (IV, 126). A Christian striving for spiritual perfection must remember that any vice, any passion, if it prevails in a person, can destroy his soul. Relaxation of one sinful skill can open the entrance to the soul to many sins and vices. The saint advises the Christian to first arm himself against the initial passions. And, having tamed one passion, you must immediately enter into a struggle with another, “when you gain the upper hand over the addiction to one pleasure,” says the saint, “then enter into the struggle against the addiction to another, and thus you will overcome in good time any inclination to pleasure” (VI, 93). All passions and vices, according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, come from pride. For “the first sin is pride” (II, 99). Therefore, just as all sins begin with pride, so “revenge begins with this” (II, 100). This vice is so harmful in the spiritual life of a Christian that it alone can deprive him of heaven and God, “because the devil,” says the Holy Father, “having become an annoyancer, proud from satiety with the blessings given to him, retreated from God” (II, 99). According to the teachings of the saint, to this day “the beginning of pride is contempt” - contempt of neighbors, exaltation. For whoever despises his neighbors, “considers some poor, others of low birth, and others ignorant, as a result of such contempt he comes to the point that he considers himself alone” higher and more reasonable than everyone else, “and contempt for him serves as the beginning of pride, and pride is the evil offspring of contempt” (II, 100). Pride is the most serious sin. “Pride is the heaviest of all human passions,” which is why “those in whom it is present are truly subject to the same condemnation as the devil” (III, 33; II, 100). Therefore, the devil, having overthrown a person with the promise of false glory, does not cease to encourage him with the same motives and invent thousands of intrigues for this (IV, 265). Such incentives to exalt pride, according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, are not only money, fame, earthly wealth, “but they (people. - Ed.), forgetting their nature, are exalted by the ranks to which they are elevated by election" (IV, 266; II, 103). Even such blessings as wisdom and prudence lead “to vain exaltation” and “are counted as nothing, since there is no wisdom, which is from God” (IV, 276). Based on the words of the holy Apostle Paul (see: Rom. 12: 16. 2 Tim. 3: 2–4), St. Basil the Great distinguishes several degrees of pride. A proud person is arrogant, majestic, and pompous. “He is highly wise who exalts himself, thinks highly of his own merits, exalts himself, like the famous Pharisee (see: Luke 18: 10-14), and does not put himself on a par with the humble; he can also be called proud, as the Corinthians were accused of being (see: 1 Cor. 5: 2). And he who is great, who does not conform to the laws, does not follow the same rule and also be wise (Phil. 3:16), but invents his own path of truth and piety” (V, 220). He does not stop at anything, but rushes above the impossible, above nature. “Therefore, the great are threatened by the fear of one day (i.e., the judgment of the Lord. - Author)... for greatness is a sin” (II, 101). And proud, according to the saint, is the one who “boasts about what he has and tries to seem superior to what he (is. - Ed.) in reality” and always seeks preference (V, 220). The pompous person is usually close to the proud, according to what has been said: he who knows nothing became proud (1 Tim. 6:4). How to get rid of this passion? In the conversation “On Humility,” the great father of the Church, citing the example of a Pharisee who “lost righteousness and destroyed his reward” through pride, teaches that humility is the best remedy against pride. “And you should never be proud of anyone, even great sinners. Humility often saves those who have committed many and great sins” (IV, 270–271). It is also necessary to believe the apostle who says: “The Lord resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). “Eliminate two thoughts in yourself,” the holy father teaches, “do not recognize yourself as worthy of anything great and do not think that any other person is much lower in dignity than you” (IV, 149). “However, you need to know,” he says, “that although someone will be afraid of the judgment pronounced for pride, he nevertheless cannot be cured of this passion unless he gives up all thoughts of preference, just as it is impossible to unlearn any language or art without completely ceasing not only to do or say something related to this art, but also to listen to those who speak and see those who do it.” And further the saint notes: “This must also be observed in the discussion of any vice” (V, 211). Among the large number of human vices, after pride, one of the most terrible is drunkenness. The saint teaches that “drunkenness is the beginning of atheism, as a clouding of the mind, by which God is usually best known.” “Drunkenness is enmity against God” (IV, 28). This is a voluntarily summoned demon that invades the soul through voluptuousness. “Drunkenness is the mother of vice, opposition to virtue, makes the courageous timid, the chaste lustful, does not know the truth, takes away prudence” (IV, 210). Excessive consumption of wine makes a person incapable of spiritual life and salvation. “Those who get drunk are worthy of weeping, because drunkards... will not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:10)” (IV, 214; II, 173). The Holy Father teaches that wine, given by God to man to alleviate weakness, becomes for the lustful a weapon of intemperance and destruction (IV, 210). “The heat produced by wine, communicating with the flesh, becomes arson for the enemy’s kindled arrows. Wine drowns reason and intellect and excites, like a swarm of bees, passions and voluptuousness” (IV, 218). Anger, irritability, self-will, fickleness, despondency, despair and other passions, according to the teachings of the saint, are the product of this terrible vice - drunkenness (IV, 211-212). It is not easy to describe in words how many evils are caused by drunkenness. Man makes himself “a dwelling place of an opposing spirit, a church of idols, instead of becoming the church of God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit” (IV, 219), for “the church of God is those in whom the Spirit of God dwells,” and “the church of idols are those who, through drunkenness, take into themselves the impurities of intemperance” (IV, 28). “A pitiful sight for Christian eyes!” - the holy father exclaims with sorrow, for, in this way, “having destroyed his soul... the drunkard upsets the very physical constitution” (IV, 212). He brings “a curse upon himself and Cain, shaking and turning all his life” (IV, 215). His strength is exhausted, untimely old age and death occur (IV, 217). Realizing the enormous harm that drunkenness brings, Saint Basil the Great with complete determination demands: “Man, do not introduce drunkenness to yourself, this harlot of all the people, this mother of shamelessness... because neither fasting nor prayer will enter a soul defiled by drunkenness” (IV, 23), nor any other virtue; “drunkenness also interferes with the healing of the soul” (IV, 74). A Christian can drink wine, but in small quantities. “The best measure for drinking wine,” the saint teaches, “is bodily need” (IV, 18). And whoever cannot limit himself to this measure, it is better not to drink wine or any other alcoholic drink at all. “For drunkenness (with wine – Ed.) produces sleep, which is the brother of death, and awakening, which is like a dream” (IV, 18). “Since it is difficult, according to the words of the Holy Father, in human nature to succeed in infallibility,” but it is always possible to come to your senses, realize the destructiveness of this vice and “rise from rapture” and repent. Then “immediately upon awakening, seek a sober and holy life (i.e., virtuous. - Author), so that, without drinking, wine, or strong drink, 4 you may become worthy to enter the Holy Place” (II, 180). The best cure for this vice, according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, is repentance, tears, prayer, reading the Holy Scriptures, fasting and almsgiving. “Let fasting cure drunkenness,” says the holy father, “let psalms be instead of shameful songs, let tears be the medicine of laughter. Instead of dancing, kneel, instead of clapping, beat your chest, and let smart clothes replace humility. And most of all, may alms redeem you from sin... Receive many unfortunates into the fellowship of prayer, so that the fabrication of vice may be forgiven you” (IV, 220). Further, Saint Basil the Great also warns against vanity, which stands next to pride and originates from it. For “he is vain who does or says anything for the sake of worldly glory alone from those who see or hear it” (V, 218). The Holy Father teaches: “We must most of all flee from vanity, which deprives us of crowns through our labors; this irresistible accuser of our salvation... this flattering robber of spiritual wealth, this pleasant enemy of our souls, this worm that undermines virtues; vanity, which with pleasure plunders our goods, smears with honey the poison of its seduction and serves a destructive cup to human minds so that they can revel in this passion without satiety, because human glory is sweet for the inexperienced” (V, 380-381). Vanity is not only the eradicator of good deeds, but also “a guide to evil deeds” (V, 382). What a vain person does not do to achieve fame: he slanders, lies about his neighbor, and becomes arrogant. The Holy Father advises to drive out this “flattering robber of spiritual wealth and the enemy of our souls” through humility and self-reproach. “Keeping in mind a sound mind and God, the teacher of a sound mind, we must follow the path that God leads. If others praise this path, one should not regard their praise as great, turning one’s gaze to the heavenly Praiser, and only rejoice for them that they have a correct judgment about good. If others blame, then one should not be ashamed of this, but feel sorry for them, as... those who are in a terrible darkness of understanding” (V, 382). In addition, in order to avoid the passion of vanity, it is necessary to have the fear of God, “undeterred concern for pleasing God” and a fiery desire for the blessings promised by the Lord (V, 210; IV, 171). An equally harmful passion, according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, is “the vice of self-love, the end of which is destruction” (V, 219). “Whoever loves himself without real love is self-loving” (V, 219). Whatever he does, he does for his own sake, even if what he does is in accordance with the commandment. “For for the sake of your own peace of mind, to neglect anything that is necessary for your brother,” says the holy father, “either in the soul or in the body, means already making the vice of self-love obvious to others” (V, 219). That is why the proud is condemned as having hidden talent. “Whoever saves any gift of God only for his own enjoyment, and does not do good deeds to others, is condemned as having hidden a talent” (V, 223). Effective means that free a person from the passion of self-love are humility (V, 211) and prayer. And only with the help of God can a person get rid of this passion, for “self-love, rooted in souls by a long-term custom, cannot be destroyed by a single person, not a single letter, or a short time”... God’s “grace” and help are necessary (IV, 278). Self-love is closely related to the passion for glory, which also has a detrimental effect on the soul of a Christian. “Love of fame and rank is a terrible intoxication,” says St. Basil the Great. – And also terrible intoxication – envy, hypocrisy and slander of one’s neighbor. The soul drunk with them forgets wisdom. For nothing leads to such unity of speculation and wisdom as this passion and every sin” (II, 204). The means to eradicate this passion is also humility, self-reproach and fear of God (IV, 171). Envy comes from vanity, pride and love of fame. “No other passion, more destructive than envy, arises in human souls,” writes the saint. – It harms strangers less, but the first and closest evil for the one who has it. Just as rust eats away iron, so envy eats away the soul in which it lives.” For “envy is grief for the well-being of one’s neighbor” (IV, 155). In the heart of a person possessed by the passion of envy, there is no love for God and neighbors, and for this reason he is incapable of spiritual growth. Envy, like a worm, wears away his soul and heart with sadness, because the envious person considers the well-being and success of his neighbor to be his misfortune (IV, 156). According to the teachings of the Holy Father, envy is the most insurmountable type of enmity. Charity makes other ill-wishers more meek. Good done to an envious and malicious person especially irritates him (IV, 158). “This is a corruption of life, a desecration of nature, enmity against what is given to us from God, resistance to God... Let us, brothers, avoid this illness,” the saint urges us, “which becomes a teacher of fighting against God, the mother of murder, a perversion of nature, a forgetfulness of kinship, a most indescribable disaster” (IV, 157). Having furious envy, the Jews put to death the Giver of life, beat the Liberator of men with whips, and condemned the Judge of the world. Thus the malice of envy extended to everything. “With this one weapon,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “from the foundation of the world until the end of the century, the destroyer of our life, the devil, who rejoices in our destruction, hurts and overthrows everyone, he himself fell from envy and overthrows us with the same passion” (IV, 160; IV, 155). The saint not only warns about the harmful consequences of envy, but also indicates how to eradicate it. He says that since it arises from pride and lack of love, then, therefore, it must be healed with what is opposite to these qualities - humility and love (IV, 163; I, 229-230). We can also get rid of envy “if we do not consider anything human to be great and extraordinary, neither what people call wealth, nor fading glory, nor bodily health, because we do not seek good for ourselves in transitory things, but we are called to partake of eternal and true blessings” (IV, 163). We must strive for virtue, which is “the highest and sufficient good... and which cannot exist in a soul that is not cleansed both from other passions, and especially from envy” (IV, 165). Saint Basil the Great in his teachings warns us against unreasonable irritability and anger. “Irritation,” he teaches, “is a kind of short-term rage” (IV, 141), “rapture of the soul; it drives her out of her mind just as much as wine” (IV, 17). The beginning of irritation is reproach - “every word spoken with a disposition to dishonor, even if the word in itself did not seem offensive” (V, 207). And then, when “all the reproaches have been shot, they move on to revenge by deed itself. For irritation provokes a quarrel, a quarrel gives birth to swearing, swearing gives birth to a fight, a fight gives birth to wounds, and from wounds often comes death” (IV, 145). A Christian needs to “escape from this intoxication,” because if at the very beginning “with a chaste mind we cut off the bitter root of irritability, then we will destroy many passions” (IV, 153). Cunning, suspicion, mistrust, malice, malicious intent and “the whole swarm of similar vices are the offspring of this sin... this mental illness; darkness of reason, alienation from God, ignorance of kinship, the beginning of wars, the fullness of disasters - this evil demon, which arises in our very souls, like some restless inhabitant, occupies our insides and blocks the entrance of the Holy Spirit" (IV, 153, 154). On the other hand, according to the teachings of the Holy Great Father, irritability can be very useful for many acts of virtue when it, “like some warrior who has laid down his arms before the leader, readily gives help where ordered and promotes reason against sin. For irritability is a mental nerve that gives the soul strength for wonderful undertakings. And if when it happens that the soul is weakened by voluptuousness, irritability, having hardened it... from weak and very pampered, makes it courageous and stern.” And “if you are not irritated against the evil one,” says the saint, “then it is impossible for you to hate him” (IV, 150). Consequently, what the Creator has given us for salvation, we must not turn into a reason for sin. In this case, irritability, brought into action “when it should and as much as it should, produces courage, patience and self-control,” contributing to the spiritual growth of a Christian, “and if it acts contrary to common sense, it turns into rage” (IV, 150). An experienced teacher, a saint of Christ, gives wise advice on how to get rid of this passion: “Eliminate two thoughts in yourself: do not recognize yourself as worthy of anything great and do not think that another person is much lower in dignity than you. In this case, the dishonor inflicted on us will never lead to irritation” (IV, 149). If irritation is “a kind of ignition and quick evaporation of passion,” then “anger is constant grief and a long-lasting desire to repay equal to the one who offended” (IV, 152), “to repay grief for grief” (II, 207). Therefore, in irritation and rage, the movement of passion is fleeting, but anger shows a more constant and prolonged filling with sorrow (II, 207). “Anger is a wild beast,” says the saint elsewhere 5. Therefore, you need to know that people sin in both states of mind, “when they either frantically and madly rush at those who have upset them, or they insidiously and maliciously lay snares for those who have offended. We must beware of both” (IV, 152). Saint Basil the Great teaches that when anger arises, it is first of all necessary to refrain from mutual accusations and to stop evil at the very beginning, “by all means destroying anger in the soul” (IV, 145). “Do not heal evil with evil,” he says, “do not try to outdo each other in disasters... Has an angry person offended you? Stop evil with silence... Do not take the enemy as your teacher, do not be jealous of what you hate. Do not be like a mirror for the angry, showing his image in yourself” (IV, 144). But the most powerful, effective means for eradicating anger, according to the teachings of the holy father, are the fear of God and humility (V, 121). When asked how you can not be angry, he answers: “If you always remain in the thought that you are in the eyes of the spectator of God and the existing Lord is near you... Also, if you do not expect obedience from others, but you yourself are ready to obey, considering everyone superior to you. For if anyone demands obedience for his own benefit, then let him know that the word of the Lord teaches that everyone should serve others” (V, 209, 252). Those who want to achieve spiritual perfection and salvation, according to the teachings of the saint, should not pay attention to the shortcomings of their neighbors and condemn them or slander them, for condemnation and slander are also among the destructive passions. Judge not, lest ye be judged (Matthew 7:1). For “if we tested ourselves, we would not be condemned” (I, 175). “I think that there are two cases,” says the holy father, “in which it is permissible to say bad things about someone, namely: when someone needs to consult with someone else who has experienced this, how to correct a sinner; and also, when there is a need to warn others who, out of ignorance, may be in association with a bad person, considering him good; whereas the apostle commands not to mix... with such (1 Cor. 5:11), so as not to put a snare, as it were, on your soul” (V, 207). And whoever, without such necessity, says something about another with the intention of divulging or denigrating is a slanderer, even if he spoke the truth (V, 207-208). Whoever slanderes his neighbor, according to the saint, is worthy of excommunication (V, 208). “For slander brings down the perfect from the heights and misleads the poor, that is, those who are poor in the knowledge of high dogmas” (VII, 107), and its creator and leader is the devil (VII, 58). To avoid this destructive sin, you must humble yourself and not have evil suspicions of anyone. Christ the Savior said: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21). Saint Basil the Great teaches that if a person is possessed by the passion of love of money, covetousness, then he will cease to love God and have hope in Him, he will not be able to be saved, for love of money “and luxury become” for him “traitors of salvation” (IV, 10). “To love silver,” he says, “as a person is obliged to love the Lord God, that is, with all his heart, with all his soul and with all his thoughts (Matthew 22:37), means not to work for God, but to work for mammon, giving to silver the measure of love that we owe to God” (II, 67). Addiction to money and things is a terrible vice, which, gradually developing, can lead its victim to renounce God. “Such is the sin of love of wealth,” says the Holy Father, “that it is included in the list of such important sins!” (II, 92). Therefore, covetousness becomes idolatry, for it brings those gifts that need to be brought to the Lord God to the earthly. The saint, comparing a covetous heart with fire, says: “Just as a lack of flammable substance extinguishes a fire, so a covetous heart and an insatiable eye stop at only one thing - not having a single neighbor at the border of their possessions” (II, 170). The love of money and other passions it generates are a very dangerous obstacle in the spiritual life of a Christian. “Just as dust, preventing our breathing, threatens our lives, so the flowers of the love of money: covetousness, untruths, lies, slander and all other offspring of this bad root are destructive to our lives and hinder the purity of the spirit” (II, 206). Every Christian, in order to protect his soul from this destructive passion, should not seek wealth and strive for it, but be content only with what is necessary for life. “Think about the present and the future,” says the holy father, “and do not lose the latter for the sake of vile self-interest... In the appearance of the Judge, you will deny yourself the reward of honors and heavenly glory, and instead of a long and blissful life, you will open unquenchable fire, Gehenna, executions and bitter centuries of torment” (IV, 122). “But if you begin to seek glory not on earth, then you will find that true and bright glory that leads you into the Kingdom of Heaven” (IV, 93). Saint Basil the Great teaches that alms delivers from this destructive vice, without which other virtues will not bring any benefit to a Christian. “I know many,” he says, “who fast, pray, sigh, show all kinds of unprofitable reverence, but do not give a single oval [money coin] to those pressed by hunger. What benefit do other virtues have for them? The Kingdom of God does not accept them” (IV, 93). When thoughts come that drag us into the love of money, the Holy Father advises us to use prudent indignation. “Take off your clothes,” he says, “go away with anger, be faithful to the Lord... Supply the poor for at least one year. Don’t sacrifice everything to lust, give something to your soul” (IV, 121). Each passion, according to the teachings of the saint, begins with sinful thoughts, and sinful thoughts arise in the soul. Knowing this, the Holy Father warns against getting carried away with them. “For evil thoughts, having begun in the soul,” he says, “but stopping in the heart, are not limited to it, but come out of the heart and, as it were, grow out of it, penetrating the flesh and appearing outward” (II, 289). The Holy Father advises not to enter into conversation with thoughts, but to reject them immediately from the moment they appear. “Do not believe the deceptive thought,” he says, “which tells you that this is not at all tempting, knowing undoubtedly that this very thing is a temptation... Believe my words, which come from a brotherly loving heart” (V, 49). “For if the first movements towards vice in the heart are not stopped, then thoughts will inevitably turn into action” (II, 184). So, a Christian must constantly struggle with evil thoughts, with effort and attentiveness of his mind, to win victory over passion (I, 201). The most reliable means in the fight against thoughts, the saint teaches, is repentance before God and the timely revelation of disturbing thoughts to your confessor. For “if with the sharp and passion-destroying word” of the confessor, “as if with some sword, it [vice] is not killed in the soul,” says the Holy Father, “and this is not done by bringing it out (after opening, confession. - Author.), then after sin in the heart he will lead a person to a greater degree of this sin, causing him to fall into sin with the body" (II, 184). Thus, a Christian in his life is forced to constantly resist emerging thoughts and passions. Because of this, according to the great saint, spiritual life is called spiritual struggle, or warfare. This feat of struggle with passions awaits every person (V, 359). The saint calls on everyone to work on cleansing their souls. “I ask you to zealously take care of your spiritual salvation,” he exhorts, “bridling all carnal passions with your mind” (VI, 264). For just as wine, taken in excess of need, usually darkens the mind, “so passion... having taken possession of the mind, makes those possessed by it deprived of the mind” (II, 179). In another place the saint compares the passions to the waves of the sea. “By staying above them,” he says, “you will be a reliable helmsman of life. And if you do not evade each of them prudently and constantly, then, like a ship without cargo, carried away by everything that happens, you will sink into the sea of ​​sin” (IV, 191). In order for the soul to be capable of spiritual improvement, “we must restrain the thought by all means, establishing sober supervision of the mind over it, so as not to allow the soul to indulge in unbridled aspirations to entrain the body” (V, 355). Consequently, good deeds and spiritual improvement must be preceded and constantly accompanied by the dominion of the spirit over the flesh. “If the soul,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “controls the desires of the body as it should, then the body is saved and the soul remains out of danger... The soul that has weakened its power over the body is worthy of reproach for negligence” (V, 359). According to the teachings of the Holy Father, weak human strength is not enough to eradicate all spiritual passions and vices. In this feat we need God's help, His grace. All that is required of us is resistance to all sins and vices and humility. For, “if we devote ourselves to purity of life, God will help us in cleansing ourselves from passions, perfecting our diligence and zeal for good” (II, 31). If we constantly remain vigilant over ourselves and, with God’s help, overcome sinful passions and vices within ourselves, then we “will return to original grace... we will restore in ourselves the image and likeness of God” (V, 61). The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, will approach us. “And He, like the sun with which a pure eye meets, will show you in Himself the image of the Invisible,” says the saint. “And in the blissful contemplation of the image you will see the indescribable beauty of the Prototype” (III, 226). Chapter III. The Necessity of Divine Grace in the Matter of Spiritual Improvement Salvation lies not in strength, not in human wisdom, but in the grace of God. St. Basil the Great (I, 248) Each person by nature is capable of choosing good or evil with his free will and resisting sin, but he himself cannot eradicate passions in himself and defeat the machinations of the devil. The main significance in the matter of man's rebirth is the grace of God, God's participation in his spiritual improvement and salvation. A Christian should seek support in the matter of spiritual growth not in his weak natural strengths, but in the gracious help of God. “Every person needs great help,” the saint teaches, “because due to the weakness that naturally resides in him, he encounters many sorrowful and difficult things. Therefore, seeking refuge from all disasters, as if retreating to a safe place... he resorts to God, recognizing only abiding in Him as peace for himself” (I, 291). Grace is given to everyone who seeks God's help and calls for it. Its divine action is constantly felt in the soul of every Christian who is being saved, either as a voice of punishment for sins committed and not purified by repentance (II, 272; I, 120), then as a voice of hope and approval in moments of fading spirit and despondency of the heart, then as a voice of joy and joy during sincere repentance (V, 280–281), when performing feats, in virtue, and in prayerful sighings of the soul. Grace, according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, is the power of God, “given from above, from the Spirit” (I, 157) and given to man so that he can know God, fulfill the commandments and receive eternal bliss. “We call every good thing that comes to us from God’s power the action of all-in-all productive grace, as the holy Apostle says, but all this acts in one and the same Spirit, dividing with power as He wills (1 Cor. 12:11)” (VI, 82). This Divine power is necessary for each of us due to the limitations of our nature. According to the teachings of the holy father, God alone is the beginning and source of all life. “God is life, and taking life is death” (IV, 134). He “is good, the first and most perfect of goods” (I, 339). Therefore, our limited nature must receive everything necessary for salvation from God. For “God is the helper and supporter of everyone who fights against the wiles of the devil.” He also “sends ministering spirits to those who require salvation” (I, 293). In the process of spiritual improvement, a Christian will face great works and deeds. Therefore, grace, as the auxiliary power of God, is necessary for the one being saved throughout his entire life. It is an act of God’s greatest love for man and His providential care for the fallen sinner. She calls, excites, completes and completes the spiritual growth of a Christian (III, 226). “Yet it does all this,” says the saint, “working through the touch of power and the will of goodness. She grazes, enlightens, nourishes, guides, heals, resurrects, brings into existence what does not exist, supports the created” (III, 220). “Come, children, listen to Me” (Ps. 33:12), and also: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden” (Matthew 11:28). This is the voice of the Father, with open arms calling those who have hitherto resisted to Himself. “Therefore,” says St. Basil the Great, “whoever, having heeded the calling, approached the commanding one, will see him who pacified everything with the cross, “whether earthly or heavenly” (I, 298). Only with Divine help can human salvation be achieved. “Eternal rest awaits those who have labored lawfully in this life, peace not rewarded according to the merit of works, but by the grace of the great-gifted God bestowed on those who trust in Him” (I, 343). “Salvation lies not in strength, not in human wisdom, but in the grace of God,” teaches the great father (I, 248). So in this regard, the words “by natural grace you have been saved” are true (Eph. 2:5). “So the farmer, not so much through his diligent cultivation, acquires the fruits of agriculture, as through the assistance of God, who increases what he cultivates” (I, 241). Grace is the special supernatural power of God, bestowed on people for the sake of the redemptive merits of Christ, which mysteriously assimilates these merits to them and brings about their spiritual revival and success in a new saving life. “In the teaching about Christ, a wealth of grace was poured out on us from God,” says the saint. “That is why, in a short time, the sermon spread throughout the entire universe, for abundant and generous grace was poured out on the preachers of the Gospel...” (I, 278). Divine grace is necessary for the rebirth of sinners, because on their own they cannot correct themselves and turn to God. “All human powers taken together are weak and powerless in comparison with true strength. That is why God has chosen the weak things of the world, that the strong things may be put to shame (1 Cor. 1:27). For the grace of God shone out most of all, acting in infants and those of small minds” (I, 242). To the question “why are we Christians,” everyone will say “by faith,” the Holy Father teaches. - How are we saved? In such a way that we are reborn, precisely by the grace given in baptism (III, 228). Divine grace calls a person to God, makes him its vessel. The Holy Spirit, imparting His grace, remains undiminished and inseparable. “He enlightens those in darkness, and therefore there is true light... He raises from the fall those who from the heights of life have slipped into sin, and therefore this is a resurrection (John 11:25)” (III, 220). He “enlightens everyone to the knowledge of God, inspires prophets, makes legislators wise, perfects priests... adorns the chaste, imparts the gift of healing, gives life to the dead... adopts strangers. It does this through rebirth” (IV, 225). The enlightening effect of grace is carried out through the Word of God with special power. “For the preaching of the Gospel,” says the holy father, “in its... sayings contains much that is convincing and attracts to salvation” (I, 278; II, 12). In a letter to one widow, he says: “Finding admonition in the divine Scriptures in order to see what is due to you, you will have no need of me or anyone else, because the Holy Spirit will give you sufficient advice and guidance for what is useful” (VII, 242). Being necessary for the beginning of spiritual life, grace remains necessary for a person’s success in virtues on the path of a new spiritual life and for establishing and protecting him at the highest degree of spiritual perfection. In one of his conversations, St. Basil the Great speaks about it this way: “Every soul is overcome by immutable dogmas, being confirmed by grace in unshakable faith in Christ” (I, 278). And in another case, he says that prayer is also necessary for the righteous, “so that his deliberate rightness and invariability of will will be corrected under the guidance of God, so that even through weakness he will never deviate from the rule of truth and so that the enemy of truth cannot corrupt him with perverse teachings” (I, 178–179). “From the creation and formation of the world, Divine powers are always sent to the saints, which correct the shortcomings of human nature” (II, 210). The grace of God is also necessary for the accomplishment of virtues (IV, 336). “In order for the soul to have beauty and the power to produce what is due, for this we need God’s grace” (I, 222). The saint teaches that in order to fulfill all the commandments, “which were given to us from God, we received strength from Him, so that it would be impossible for us to be indignant at the fact that something extraordinary is required of us, and to be exalted as if we were bringing something beyond what was given. And with these forces, acting correctly and as we should, we piously lead a virtuous life, and by frustrating their actions, we are carried away into vice” (V, 90). According to the teachings of the saint, grace is always looking for us, constantly knocking in order to enter our soul and make it a temple of the Holy Spirit. On our part, the only necessary disposition of the soul is such that it does not resist or turn away from the grace that seeks and calls us. “The Spirit dwells in each of those who receive Him as being inherent in Him alone and sufficiently pours out the full grace that those who partake enjoy, according to the measure of its own acceptability, and not according to the measure possible for the Spirit” (III, 225-226). The first condition for acquiring grace is a living, heartfelt faith in God, imbued with a deep consciousness that our natural efforts are insufficient for salvation, that this requires the assistance of Divine help. “For to everyone, according to the measure of his faith, gifts are given from God for his benefit” (III, 365). Only “you need your own measure of disposition towards faith” (II, 7). True living faith is manifested in prayer, which is an essential and necessary condition for acquiring the grace-filled gifts of redemption. “Let us pray, the Holy Father encourages us, that the Holy Spirit may remain in our souls and not leave us at any time, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” (IV, 226). “Let us pray that we too may receive for our vigilance in guarding ourselves, so that the guardian of Israel will not slumber and fall asleep (Ps. 120:4), for unless the Lord preserves the city, it will be careful in vain (Ps. 126:1)” (II, 33). In order to become capable of receiving Divine grace, according to the teachings of the saint, it is also necessary to cleanse “oneself of vicious passions” (I, 333). For “a soul that has not cast off carnal things and is burdened by them without rest, being oppressed by material burdens, is incapable of bearing fruit and therefore, not accepting help from above, remains barren. And when the soul is barren, the Holy Spirit withdraws from it, the barriers fall - the help of angels” (II, 31-32). The Holy Spirit reveals His own power in those who are pure from passions. “Just as we see the image of faces not in every substance, but only in smooth and transparent ones, so the action of the Spirit is reflected not in every soul, but only in souls that have nothing obstinate and nothing corrupt in themselves (see: Proverbs 8:8) ... the unevenness of life is not capable of receiving God’s action within itself” (II, 8). Saint Basil the Great teaches that “the assimilation of the Spirit with the soul is not a local rapprochement (for can the incorporeal be brought closer in a local way), but the elimination of passions that subsequently entered the soul, from its attachment to the body and alienated it from its affinity with God.” And whoever has cleansed himself from the “shame” of sin and “returned to natural beauty ... is the only one who can approach the Comforter” (III, 226). But to receive grace, you must also apply your own efforts to correction. For the reason that sin lives in a person, he needs to force himself to do every good deed, to make efforts to do something worthy of the Lord. Spiritual perfection is achieved through labor based on patient self-compulsion, coupled with the actions of grace. “The soul, having increased its natural benefits through its own asceticism and the assistance of the Holy Spirit,” says the Holy Father, “at the righteous Judgment of God will be rewarded with the lightness given to the saints by the grace of God” (II, 62). When asked how a person is worthy to become a partaker of the Holy Spirit, he replies: “Until we keep all the commandments of the Lord and until we are such that the Lord will testify about us: “You are not of the world” (John 15:19), until then let us not expect to be worthy of the Holy Spirit” (V, 284–285). Without virtue, without our own efforts, spiritual improvement is impossible. “For the human undertaking in the consideration of good will not be accomplished without help from above, and the highest grace will not descend on one who does not make an effort about it. On the contrary, in the practice of virtue both must be combined—both human zeal and help coming from above by faith” (V, 385; VII, 256). A Christian who has received “the first gift of God’s grace” must “carefully cultivate it,” try to increase it for the glory of God, then he will be honored with “other gifts. And whoever is not like this is deprived of his former gift, is not rewarded with the gift prepared for him, and is given over to punishment” (III, 365). To the question of what talent is and how we can increase it, St. Basil the Great answers: “I think that the parable is told about every gift of God, so that everyone, no matter what grace he receives from God, multiplies it, turning it into a benefit and for the benefit of many, because no one is deprived of a share in God’s goodness” (V, 306). Moreover, he who receives the grace of God freely must also transfer it freely to those who need it, “and not bargain with it” (III, 365; V, 307). So, “if you never doze off at the helm,” says the saint, “while you are in this life, in this impermanence of worldly affairs, then you will receive the assistance of the Spirit, who will lead you forward and carry you safely with meek and peaceful winds until you are saved into that undisturbed and quiet haven of God’s will” (IV, 191). Therefore, the feat of constant improvement is necessary, that is, the ascent from infancy to the age of a husband is complete. The end of this ascent is godlikeness, or holy communion with God, that is, eternal life. Therefore, “when the soul, having devoted itself to every act of virtue, with strong love for God, constantly retains in itself the remembrance of God imprinted in it and thus makes God as if living within itself, then from a strong desire and ineffable love for God, having become inspired by God, it becomes worthy” of the communion of the Holy Spirit and the “prophetic gift” (I, 8). And through the Holy Spirit comes “our restoration to paradise, entry into the Heavenly Kingdom, return to sonship, boldness to call God our Father, to become partakers of the grace of Christ, to be called children of light, to partake of eternal glory - in a word, to acquire the fullness of blessing both in this and in the next century, when in ourselves, as in a mirror, we reflect the grace of those blessings that are destined for us according to promises and which through faith we enjoy as already present” (III, 241). The mind of a Christian, having partaken of the grace of the Divine Spirit, “is already a seer of great visions and sees Divine goodness, however, as much as grace gives and as much as its structure can accept” (VII, 137). According to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, the grace of the Holy Spirit produces “the ascension of hearts, the guidance of the weak, the perfection of the successful. The Spirit, shining forth cleansed from all filth, makes them spiritual through communication with Himself. And just as shiny and transparent bodies, when a ray of light falls on them, they themselves become luminous and cast off a new ray, so spirit-bearing souls, being illuminated by the Spirit, themselves become spiritual and pour out grace on others. Hence - foreknowledge of the future, understanding of the sacraments, comprehension of the unseen, the distribution of gifts, heavenly residence, standing with the angels, endless joy, abiding in God, becoming like God and the extreme limit of what is desired - deification” (III, 226). But to achieve this, a Christian must live under the guidance of an experienced spiritual mentor. Chapter IV. The need for spiritual guidance in the matter of spiritual improvement Salvation lies in much advice. For the first, the truest father is the Father of all; and the second after Him is a mentor in spiritual life. St. Basil the Great (V, 396) The spiritual perfection of man is carried out with the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit, which we receive only through union with Christ, for Christ is the giver of the Spirit (III, 192). The Holy Spirit, together with the Redeemer, brings about the sanctification of man, conforming to the virtuous state of the soul. “The Son and the Holy Spirit are the source of holiness, from which every rational creature is sanctified according to its virtue” (VI, 26). Our Lord Jesus Christ in His Gospel showed us the image of perfection and the path to it. But at the same time, we must remember that a person’s mind is diligent about evil from his youth (Gen. 8:21), so that a sincere, even ardent, desire cannot immediately change it. It often happens that many people lead an absent-minded lifestyle and, sinning every day, do not even notice it. Often, a person’s carnal mind not only justifies the sinful desires of his heart, but even recognizes evil as good or vice versa. After redemption, man is given the freedom to obey God or the devil (I, 334), and in order for freedom to be discovered freely, the devil is given access to man (V, 321). Even after redemption, He tries by all means to keep man in enslavement; For this, he usually uses his weapon - lies. He tries to deceive a person, relying on his sinful nature, arouses passions and, giving them plausibility (IV, 264), inclines him to satisfy them, develops self-delusion in a person and seeks through this to bring him into greater submission to himself (IV, 268). “The enemy of truth,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “daily wages a strong and varied battle with us, as you yourself know, turning our wishes against us into arrows and always borrowing strength from us in order to harm us. Since the Lord bound a lot of his strength with insoluble laws and did not allow him to erase the human race from the earth with one desire, the envious Tat gains victory over us, taking advantage of our unreason” (IV, 276; IV, 264). In order for a Christian not to fall under the influence of the devil’s delusion and lies, so that he can take the right path of spiritual life and firmly walk along it, he must not trust himself in anything and try to live on the advice of experienced spiritual people. He needs to entrust himself to the guidance of an experienced spiritual mentor. According to the teachings of the great saint, the spiritual improvement of a Christian is impossible without experienced spiritual guidance. “In human life,” he says, “advice is very necessary and useful, because no one can satisfy himself alone in everything, but he needs helpers even more when choosing what is useful than when administering bodily needs” (II, 118; V, 335). A man without an adviser is like a ship without a helmsman, left to the mercy of gusty winds. If, when considering something unimportant, we take advisors, “then how can we not look for “wonderful advisors” when we are dealing with the soul and what is useful for the soul?” – asks the holy father (II, 118). A person cannot judge himself accurately and impartially and improve himself faithfully. After all, even the most experienced doctors do not treat their own illnesses; in spiritual illnesses, even more so, a Christian cannot be his own doctor. “The most difficult thing,” says the saint, “is to know and heal oneself, because self-love is innate to people, and everyone, out of predilection for himself, perverts the true court. But it is more convenient for someone else to know and heal us, because the passion of self-love does not hinder the one who judges others in true recognition” (V, 411). A Christian needs a spiritual leader throughout his life. Often a Christian, zealous at first, soon weakens from excessive labor or his own negligence. Today he conquers passions, and tomorrow, out of weakness, he allows passions to captivate his mind and submits to them. Today he moderately encourages his nature to virtue, and tomorrow he goes beyond the limits of moderate virtue. But after all, both in the weakening of the feat and in the excessive feat there is evil, but virtue is manifested not in excess, but in moderation (I, 180). “For virtue is some kind of middle and proportionality,” teaches the holy father, “and excess and deficiency in one direction or another protrudes from the limits of virtue, there is already immoderation and ugliness” (II, 199). The saint compares Christians with sailors. Just as sailors need winds for safe navigation, so we need a person who would guide us and safely transport us “across the salty waves of life.” “Actually, for me, as I reason, I need,” he says, “firstly, a rein for youth and then incentives in the field of piety. And this can bring such a mind that either restrains what is disorderly in me, or excites what is slow in my soul. I also need other aids to wash away the impurities that I get into out of habit. For we, as we know, have long been accustomed to the marketplace, are careless in our words and carelessly handle the ideas that the evil one puts into our minds, we succumb to ambition and do not easily give up high thoughts about ourselves. For this... a great and experienced teacher is needed. Moreover, to cleanse the eye of the soul, so that, having removed, like some pus, all the darkness produced by ignorance, I can look at the beauty of God’s glory, I consider it a task that costs a lot of work and brings significant benefits” (VI, 268-269). The Lord, through divine Scripture, points to this same path as a necessary and saving path: “Ask your father, and your elders will tell you, and they will tell you” (Deut. 32:7); “With advice, do nothing” (Sir. 32:21). The Savior Himself legitimizes this path, for He, in the person of the apostles, said to all spiritual shepherds: “Listen to you, He listens to Me” (Luke 10:16). And the holy Apostle James commands all Christians: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other, that you may be healed” (James 5:16). These words indicate that every Christian walking along the path to eternal life needs an adviser who would help him comfortably pass the difficult, thorny path of earthly life and reach the Kingdom of Heaven. But spiritual leadership acquired especially great importance among Christians, mainly among monastics in subsequent centuries, as St. Basil the Great speaks about. He asserts that spiritual council is “a sacred matter, a unity of will, a fruit of love, a proof of humility. For it is terrible arrogance to think that we have no need for anyone, but to listen only to ourselves, as the only one capable of advising the best. But we hesitate to surrender to those who teach what is needed, and we are ashamed to admit that they are more prudent than us in life” (II, 73). A necessary condition for spiritual guidance is a God-enlightened confessor who, guided by the Holy Spirit, communicates the will of God to his “spiritual child” and leads him to salvation. Come, children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord (Ps. 33:12). “This is the voice of a sincerely disposed teacher,” says St. Basil the Great, “who with fatherly charity calls for teaching, because the student is the spiritual child of the teacher” (I, 258). Such spiritual teachers for lay Christians are shepherd-priests, and for monastics - abbots of monasteries or elders. Therefore, “a great blessing is the appearance of a prudent and well-disposed adviser who makes up for the lack of prudence in those who require advice! And what is the benefit of advice, Moses proves most of all, who was taught... all the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22) and talked with God (see: Exodus 33:11). But he also accepted advice from his father-in-law Jethro to appoint commanders of thousands and hundreds... and rulers of tens... and judge the people (Ex. 18: 21-22)” (II, 73). The choice of a spiritual superior, according to the teachings of the saint, is the inalienable right of every Christian beginning his spiritual life. In one of his letters, he writes to the abbot of the monastery about someone who wants to become a monk: “One of you, whom he himself will find, should be appointed as a mentor of asceticism, so that he can perfectly guide his strong and blessed speech (i.e., teaching. - Author.) made him a fighter worthy of approval, striking and overthrowing the ruler of the darkness of this world and the spirits of evil with which we are at war, according to the word of the blessed Apostle (see: Eph. 6: 12)” (VI, 59). Elsewhere, St. Basil the Great gives detailed instructions to the Christian on what to guide him when choosing a mentor. “With great care and thoughtfulness, try to find a husband who would infallibly precede you in the way of life, who knew how to lead those who march to God well, was adorned with virtues and had evidence of his love for God” (V, 44-45). “And, firstly (which is the most important thing), he must, by the love of Christ, so succeed in humility that, even when he is silent, the example of his deeds serves as a lesson that teaches more powerfully than any word” (V, 172-173). For “from much that I have heard,” the holy father writes in a letter to Amphilochius, “the teaching about how a Christian should live does not so much require verbal instruction as a daily example” (VI, 271). Just as painters, when painting, often peer at the original, trying to accurately reproduce all the features, “so one who is zealous about becoming perfect in all parts of virtue must, in any case, peer into the lives of the saints, as if into moving statues, and what is good in them, then through imitation he should make his own” (VI, 11). The confessor must be of advanced age and of strong character, for glory... to the old are gray-haired (Proverbs 20:29). “If at a young age there is an senile way of thinking, one should not despise the gift,” the saint teaches, “but believe the one who says: “Gray hair... is the wisdom of man” (Wisdom 4:9), because it is not so much the whiteness of the hair that makes a real “old man”, but an senile way of thinking” (II, 116). Therefore, the prophet Daniel, who was very young, but had spiritual gray hair in his way of thinking, “received the gift of old age,” for “it sometimes happens that the young turn out to be worthy of greater honor than the old, who live carelessly and carelessly” (II, 117). So, the saint concludes, “when we see some man of God who is perfect and successful in everything, we will earnestly seek benefits in conversation with him” (I, 210). On the part of a Christian disciple, it is required to “find” such a confessor in order to have deep faith in his words and complete obedience to his will. “Therefore, if by the grace of God you find (and having searched, you will certainly find) a teacher of good deeds,” says the wise father, “watch yourself so that you do not do anything contrary to the will of the teacher. For everything that is done without it is a kind of theft and sacrilege, leading to death, and not to benefit, even if it seemed good to you” (V, 45-46). For “whoever, while waiting for an adviser, gives room to his own reasoning, for a long time, with difficulty and attention, attacks the trail of what is needed” (II, 73). Saint Basil the Great carefully urges Christians to entrust themselves to the spiritual guidance of experienced people. “For even good teachers,” he says, “have good lessons, but evil ones, of course, have evil ones... If you entrust yourself to a husband adorned with many virtues, you will become the heir of the good things that are in him, and you will be very blessed before God and before people” (V, 45). So, “run to the stern elders, who with sweet words anoint the young men to do praiseworthy deeds, but do no harm with their appearance” (V, 49). He goes on to warn about the harmful effects of entrusting your soul to an inexperienced mentor. “If, sparing your body, you find a teacher who is condescending to your passions, then in vain you entered into the feat” of spiritual improvement, “because you have taken for yourself a blind leader and are approaching the pit. For a blind man... even if he leads a blind man, they will both fall into a pit... It is sufficient for the disciple to be like his teacher (Matthew 15:14; 10:25). This is God’s word, and it will not err” (V, 45). So, “whoever intends to obey Christ,” says the Holy Father, “do not abandon yourself like a worthless vessel... but, having found a mentor, surrender yourself completely to him, imputing yourself into nothing and abandoning all your will, so that you may turn out to be like a pure vessel, and keep what is good in you for your praise and glory” (V, 44). And in general, every person who forces us to fulfill the commandments, especially a spiritual father, must be obeyed with the same disposition with which an infant, tormented by hunger, strives for a nurse who calls him to eat food, and with which every person who wants to save life in danger obeys the one who gives him the means of salvation (V, 267-268). “Just as God... demands the most precise obedience from His servants,” the saint teaches, “so a spiritual father among people, who conforms his orders with God’s laws, demands unquestioning obedience” (V, 393). Saint Basil the Great calls the spiritual father a man “who represents the face of the Savior, has become a mediator between God and people, and performs sacred acts before God for the salvation of those who submit to him” (V, 410). This mediation is expressed in intercession for one’s disciple before God, and intercession consists of prayer. The prayer of a spiritual father provides a Christian with forgiveness of sins and assists him in the matter of spiritual improvement, because only a “holy” person with God’s help “is able to deliver us from all sorrow, if only with a true and sincere heart we place our trust in him” (VI, 209). According to the teachings of the great father of the Church, not to obey older and spiritually experienced people and “to act according to one’s own will is contrary to sound teaching.” This exposes a person to the danger of “falling into unbelief and dissent” (V, 250; V, 146). A Christian must imitate the saints who, achieving perfection in obedience, “did not in the least contradict a single order, even one that was difficult to execute,” and learn perfect obedience (V, 415). “And the true and perfect obedience of those subordinate to the mentor,” the saint reasons, “is demonstrated in not only following his advice” to refrain from doing incongruous things, but also not to do something praiseworthy without his will” (V, 72). If, when studying some art that is useful to us in this life, we are obedient to teachers in everything, “then how much more,” says the Holy Father, “those who begin to study piety and holiness” must be obedient to their spiritual mentors (IV, 393). So, according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, the spiritual perfection and salvation of man is not only the work of a merciful God, it is also the work of man himself, of his free will. If a Christian, in the sincere disposition of his heart, obeys the Lord and fulfills His holy commandments, lives under the guidance of his spiritual mentor and obeys him, then he will be saved. “For you know,” the holy father writes to the young Christians Fist and Magnus, “that my disposition towards you and God’s assistance depend on your will; as soon as it takes the proper direction, and God will be your helper, whether you call upon Him or not, and every God-loving person will volunteer to teach you, because the zeal in people who are able to teach something useful is irresistible when the souls of the disciples are pure from all stubbornness” (VII, 256). Further, according to the teachings of the saint, the spiritual father, as a mentor and leader, is with his disciples in such a spiritual union that is created by the protection of the divine Word and the grace of the Holy Spirit. This union is purely spiritual, close, like the union of a father and his children; it is based on the disposition of spiritual children towards their mentor and father, unquestioning obedience to him and unanimity between them (V, 392). By committing himself to a spiritual leader, a Christian commits himself to God. Only with such a spiritual union can a Christian comfortably pass the thorny path of earthly life, achieve spiritual perfection and be saved. Chapter V. Christian Patience of Sorrows and Temptations He is not patient who lacks what is necessary, but he who, without lacking pleasure, suffers adversity. St. Basil the Great (IV, 260) To achieve spiritual perfection and salvation, a Christian throughout his entire earthly life must overcome many obstacles in both internal and external life. Without patience, these obstacles cannot be overcome. Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches that our life is unthinkable without sorrows. “You will be in a world of sorrow,” He says (John 16:33). These sorrows constitute the cross that every Christian must bear in his life. If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me (Luke 9:23. Mark 8:34). Taking upon oneself the cross, commanded by the Savior, according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, consists, first of all, in the readiness to endure any dangers for the name of Christ until death. “Preparedness to die for Christ, the killing of the devils even on earth (Col. 3: 5), the disposition of the spirit to face every danger with fearlessness for the name of Christ, detachment from real life - this is what it means to take up your cross” (V, 103). Basing his teaching on the Holy Scriptures, the holy father says that the path to the Kingdom of Heaven is very difficult and filled with many troubles and sorrows. “Those who believe in God and are baptized must immediately be prepared to endure temptations from their own household, even to the point of death. For whoever is not ready for this, when faced with a sudden danger, easily hesitates” (III, 370). Much sorrow will come to the righteous (Ps. 33:20). And the apostle says: “In everything there is sorrow” (2 Cor. 4:8) and “For through many tribulations it is fitting for us to enter the Kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Delivering His saints from sorrow, the Lord does not leave them without testing, but gives them patience. For if “from tribulation comes patience, from patience experience (Rom. 5: 3-4), then he who avoids tribulation deprives himself of experience... and one can become experienced only through tribulation” (I, 251). In a letter to his disciple Chilo, the saint shows how these sorrows are expressed and what a Christian experiences on his life’s path. “How many different temptations the faithful are tested: now by worldly losses, now by accusations, slander, disobedience, slander, persecution! All this and the like serve to test the faithful” (VI, 93). In the conversation “On the fact that God is not the author of evil,” he says: “God, according to a special dispensation, gives us over to sorrows, according to the measure of faith, sending each a measure of trials” (IV, 123), that is, “bodily illness, bodily wounds, lack of necessary things, dishonor, damage to property, loss of relatives... The wise and good Master sends each of these disasters to us for our own benefit. Wealth takes away from those who use it badly, and thereby crushes the instrument of their unrighteousness. Illness is sent to those for whom it is more beneficial to have bound members than to rush unhindered into sin. Death is sent to those who have reached the limit of life, which was set from the beginning in the righteous judgment of God, who from afar has foreseen what is good for each of us” (IV, 126). Every Christian living a serene life, not disturbed by any sorrows, due to the sinfulness inherent in man, can completely cleave his soul to the earth and completely forget about his heavenly Fatherland. Sorrows remind him of the impermanence of earthly well-being, and illnesses foreshadow the inevitability of the hour of death, followed by eternal bliss or eternal torment (V, 80). Just as a helmsman is identified and tested by a storm, a fighter by the field, a military leader by battle, a generous man by misfortune, so a Christian by temptation. “Sorrows expose the soul like fire exposes gold: if you are poor, do not be discouraged, for excessive despondency is the cause of sin... on the contrary, have hope in God...” (IV, 115). Tribulation is sent to test the soul, so that in difficult circumstances “worthy people will be revealed, whether they are poor or rich (meaning, rich in good deeds. - Author), because both are correctly assessed through patience” (IV, 113). Tribulation is inevitable in the life of a Christian. Farmers do not regard agricultural labor as news; swimmers are never surprised by a storm at sea; summer sweat is not a strange thing for day laborers either; so sorrows “in the present world, according to the teaching of St. Basil the Great, do not constitute something unexpected for those who have chosen a pious life” (IV, 49). The Lord sends us two types of temptations, because “either sorrows test hearts like gold in a furnace, revealing their goodness through patience, or often the very prosperity of life serves for many instead of testing. For it is equally difficult, says the saint, to preserve a soul that is not humiliated in difficult circumstances, and not to become exalted with pride in a brilliant situation” (IV, 76). According to the holy father, spiritual life consists not only in tasting its sweets and consolations, but more in complacently enduring their deprivation and other sorrows and thanking the Lord. “And indeed, for those who are well prepared, sorrows are like strengthening food and exercise in struggle, bringing the ascetic closer to paternal glory; when we reproach, we bless; those who are blasphemed - we pray, those who are weary - we give thanks, those who are sorrowful - we glory in our sorrows (cf.: 1 Cor. 4: 12-13). For it is a shame for us, says the saint, to bless in happiness, but to remain silent in sad and difficult circumstances. On the contrary, then we should be more grateful, knowing that the Lord loves him and punishes him; he beats every son whom he receives (Heb. 12:6)” (I, 247). “You should rejoice in everything,” says the great saint in another place, “no matter what you suffer, even to the point of death, for the name of the Lord and His commandments” (III, 374). Thus, patience with sorrows is an essential condition for spiritual life and human salvation. “The whole life of a righteous man is filled with sorrows; this is a narrow and sorrowful path” (I, 251). Even the Lord Himself, who committed no sin, endured many sorrows and suffering. He “endured the slander of the Jews, which constantly overshadowed the former wickedness with new excesses... in the end he took the cross for those who crucified Him” (V, 367). Therefore, all Christians must submit to the will of God and bear sorrow and suffering with patience. After all, “we take for ourselves the commandment of the Lord as the rule of life,” says St. Basil the Great, “and the previous examples of blessed men who primarily showed the heights of spirit in unfortunate circumstances... We are obliged to fulfill the service prescribed to us to the Lord and be ready to do anything for the building of the Churches and salvation, for which the Lord has prepared a reward for us, faithful and wise builders” (VII, 67). Encouraging Christians to patiently endure the sorrowful circumstances encountered in life, the Holy Father teaches to see in them the special providential actions of God in the matter of saving man and to accept them as from the hand of God. “The Lord, who determines everything by measure and weight, sends temptations that do not exceed our strength, but just as in adversity he makes the ascetics of piety visible, so he does not leave them to be tempted more than they can... suffer (1 Cor. 10:13), and waters with tears in moderation (Ps. 79:6) those who should show whether they remain grateful to God - this Lord is especially.” reveals “His love for mankind in his economy for us” (VII, 100; IV, 123). In patiently bearing his sorrows, a person must be strengthened by faith and everything that happens to him must be accepted with humility and submission to the will of God. Only in this case can sorrows bring benefit to the spiritual life of a Christian. The justice and love of God are manifested precisely in the sorrows that the Lord sends for our salvation. “In testing hearts and bellies, God demonstrates His justice. Abraham’s heart was tested to see whether he loved God with all his soul and with all his heart, and Jacob was also tested when he endured the intrigues of his brother, so that... his unflagging brotherly love would shine through” (I, 179). In sorrows, a great Christian virtue is born - patience, and the truth of our love for God is demonstrated through experience. “Save your souls through your patience,” teaches the Lord the Savior (Luke 21:19). And it is in sorrows, according to the saint, that a person’s will is tested. “God turns away His face when He abandons one subject to temptation during difficult circumstances, so that the strength of the one who struggles may be known” (I, 223). For “the very sorrows, by the will of the Lord who visits us with them, happen to the servants of God not in vain, but for the purpose of learning from the experience of true love for God who created us” (VI, 7). Sorrows endured with patience bring great benefit to the spiritual life of a Christian; they make up for the lack of our spiritual work, and the most important meaning of tribulations is that they purify human passions and sins. “For whether we bear punishment for sins, then these executions are enough to turn away the wrath of God from us; If we are called by these temptations to deeds of piety, then the righteous Lawmaker will not allow us to be tempted more than we can... suffer (1 Cor. 10:13), but for the labors we have endured he will reward us with the crown of patience and trust in Him” (VI, 247). According to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, it is sorrow that is often a punishment for sin or serves to prevent it. “Of the disasters that have befallen us, some befall them as punishment for sins, others for the correction of morality in the tempted, and others for the destruction of the hopeless, as was the case with Pharaoh” (II, 24). When a person forgets about the purpose of his life and, having abandoned the care of the soul, cares more about the external, temporary, then the Lord, visiting him with sorrows, makes him know the futility of such worries and directs him to heavenly things. “Diseases in cities and nations, dryness in the air, barrenness of the earth and disasters encountered in everyone’s life,” he says, “suppress the increase of sin. And all evil of this kind is sent from God to prevent the generation of true evils. For both bodily suffering and external disasters are designed to curb sin” (IV, 129-130). The merciful Lord, not wanting the sinner to perish, but to turn... and live to be him (Ezek. 33: 11), does not punish him for “destruction,” but admonishes him for correction, “brings this fire (i.e., sorrow. - Author) to destroy what has been cast by the fiery arrows of the devil into a soul that does not have the shield of faith. This divine fire, the saint teaches, falling into the soul, extinguishes the arrows of the evil one and becomes a purification of another fire, which kindles in us many foolish and harmful lusts (1 Tim. 6:9)” (II, 71). In sorrowful circumstances, a Christian should not lose heart and be afraid, “hesitating to trust in God, but he must be courageous, because the Lord is with him, ordering his affairs and strengthening him in all adversities, and with him the Holy Spirit, teaching him what to answer the enemy” (III, 373). The wise saint teaches that it is very important for improvement to know what to be afraid of, not to be horrified by everything, “not to be timid at any noise, being afraid of what is not scary. For the psalm condemns such people: “... there they were afraid of fear, where there was no fear” (Ps. 13: 5). Therefore, sanctify the Lord, and He will be your fear. Expect His coming, fear His judgment; terrible is He who will reward everyone according to his deeds; terrible is He who will come from heaven with the sound of a trumpet with the holy angels; terrible is He whose sentence is eternal torment” (II, 252). A Christian needs to turn his gaze to God, who, for the good of man, allows him to suffer. “One should not throw oneself into temptation ahead of time, before God’s permission,” teaches the holy father, “but on the contrary, one must pray so as not to fall into temptation” (III, 371). Together with the psalmist, we must say: “Our soul longs for the Lord, for He is our Helper and Protector” (Ps. 33:20). “This word encourages us to be patient, so that when any offender attacks us, we are not separated from the love of God that is Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:39), but labor with all our hearts, expecting help from God” (I, 243). A Christian should not avoid sorrows in his life (I, 251), because they heal the soul and encourage it to cry out to God for help; and anyone who strives to free themselves from them shows disbelief in God’s providence, for “a soul that is weak and not in the least strengthened by trust in God tends to strain itself beyond measure and fall under the weight of sorrow” (IV, 53). “So, do not run away from what you should not,” the saint encourages us, “and do not resort to whom you should not. But let you have one thing to avoid - sin, and one refuge in misfortunes - God. Do not rely on princes; do not be proud of unfaithful wealth; do not be proud of bodily strength; do not pursue the brilliance of human glory. Nothing will save it; all this is temporary, all deceptive; one refuge is God. For cursed is the man who trusts in man (Jer. 17:5) or in anything human” (I, 292, 293). Faith in the salvific nature of sorrows and the expediency of the actions of God's providence should encourage a person to patiently endure sorrowful circumstances and to seek God's help (I, 223). “Let us convince ourselves, brethren,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “in times of temptation to resort not to human hopes and not here on earth to seek help for ourselves, but to pray with tears and sighs, with diligent prayer, with intense vigil, for he receives help from sorrow who despises human help and is confirmed in the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ who is able to save us” (I, 326–327). For no temptations are afraid of the power of faith in Christ. Just as hail, or a spring stream, or some other sudden disaster easily causes harm and devastation to something tender, and when encountering hard substances, it endures rather than causes harm, “so strong temptations raised... turn out to be weak before the stronghold of faith in Christ” (VII, 158). “Therefore, if the temptation is difficult, brothers, let us endure the difficult one with firmness,” the saint encourages us to be patient, “because no one is crowned without taking blows and becoming covered with dust during the feat” (Ibid.). In relation to people who cause sorrow, the Holy Father advises Christians to always have before their spiritual gaze Christ the Savior, Who in the sufferings that lay before Him saw the will of His Heavenly Father and prayerfully regretted the people who, in their blindness, led Him to the cross (I, 239). In temptations, a Christian also “at every danger he encounters, he must remember what is said in this case in the inspired Scripture, and thus keep himself unashamed, and bring his opponents into inaction (see: Matt. 4: 1–4)” (III, 373). “Are you sick? Be well, the saint encourages us, because the Lord loves him and punishes him (Heb. 12:6). Are you poor? Rejoice, because the blessings of Lazarus await you. Do you endure dishonor for the name of Christ? You are blessed, because your dishonor will be turned into angelic glory" (I, 326). Saint Basil the Great teaches that only by patiently enduring sorrows can one achieve spiritual perfection and salvation. “Testing through temptation leads to perfection,” he writes, “if we accept the Lord’s orders for us with due patience and with all thanksgiving” (VI, 202). Moreover, the virtue of patience should accompany a Christian throughout his life, because “not just one courageous act or short-term work shows the strength of the soul, but He who searches our hearts wants us to be worthy of the crowns of righteousness after long-term and intense testing” (VI, 258; IV, 137). In a consoling letter to Vrison’s wife, the holy father writes that “if someone does not fall under the weight of sorrow, but in hope of God bears the burden of sorrow, then a great reward from God is ready for him for his patience” (VII, 267). Therefore, “I affirm that we must thank God when He gives good things, and not lose patience when He does not reward them with them” (VI, 7). True patience with sorrows (IV, 260) is for a Christian the guarantee of eternal bliss. “Works give birth to glory; The crowns bring exhaustion. “Through many sorrows it is fitting for us to enter into the Kingdom...” (Acts 14:22), I also say, the saint teaches, but these sorrows are followed by bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven, and toil for sin awaits Gehenna torment and lamentation” (IV, 204). The great virtue - patience - is the basis for one of the main Christian virtues - humility. “Just as those who prun the grapes support the strength in it through this, so that it comes out thriftily and prudently, being directed where it is needed, so the soul, bent by sorrows, is, as it were, bent and humiliated for its benefit and is brought to its characteristic care for itself, choosing the necessary and useful in deeds” (II, 164). “Sorrow inspires humility, but happiness produces arrogance” (II, 130). And in the Discourse on Psalm Sixty-First, Saint Basil the Great teaches that it is through patience that “all irritability is tamed, and after the destruction of all arrogance, humility is perfected” (I, 328). So, “when the need demands to appear in court, to appear before the ruler, to endure the attacks of the crowd, to see the terrible gaze of the executioner, to hear his stern voice, to endure the painful sight of the instruments of execution, to be tortured, to struggle to the point of death - do not lose faith in all this, having before the eyes of Christ, who endured all this for your sake, and knowing that for the sake of Christ you too must endure this. And you will win at the same time, because you follow the victorious King, Who wants you to become a participant in His victory” (V, 37). Chapter VI. Humility and meekness The knowledge of piety is the knowledge of humility and meekness. St. Basil the Great (V, 56) Humility and meekness in the life of a Christian are the basis of his spiritual development. Without humility it is impossible to even begin life in Christ and be saved. “For the prosperity of the soul,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “is prosperity in humility” (V, 55). It is in humility and meekness that the Christian spirit is contained, without which no one can be considered a true disciple of Christ (I, 249). This spirit cannot be shaken by any internal or external human conditions. After all, “humility is the law of Christian victory; whoever agrees to have less” and does not boast before anyone, “he is crowned” (VII, 29). A humble person places all the success of his spiritual growth on God. He who humbles himself... will exalt himself (Luke 18:14). The Savior spoke these words and fulfilled them Himself. He alone ascended high, and He alone descended deeply (IV, 272). In this descent and ascent, the holy Apostle Paul sees an immeasurable path, which has its beginning from the heights of heaven and the end in the depths of hell, and the return path to the heights of heaven for the fulfillment of perfections (see: 4, 8-10) (IV, 272). The conqueror of hell and death ascended to the heights, into the tabernacle not made with hands, opened by the cross, the sanctuary of the eternal glory of the Divine. He captivated captivity, brought prisoners out of hell in the blood of His covenant (Zechariah 9:11), who had long languished with a thirst for redemption, peopled heaven with followers and singers of the glory of the Ever-Bearing One, and poured out the fullness of the gifts of the Holy Spirit for distribution to men. He achieved this inexplicable glory only through suffering and humility (IV, 272). “He humbled himself, being obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross,” says the holy Apostle Paul. “In the same way God has highly exalted Him...” (Phil. 2:8-9). And St. Basil the Great teaches that it was in suffering and humility that “He went through the entire human life from birth to the end, and after such humility He finally reveals glory, glorifying with Himself those who were dishonored with Him” (IV, 273). Thus, for a Christian there is no path to heaven except that laid out by the Savior. Without descent there is no ascent, just as without humiliation there is no glorification. Before the Lord, every mountain and hill will humble itself (Isa. 40:4), because man in his heart has erected many hills of pride and dominated them (II, 104-105), exalting himself in his mind, thinking that he is perfect in everything and has no need for anything (Rev. 3:17), forgetting that strength and physical beauty, wealth and power are excellent talents without humility are all high hills, having climbed which a person does not see his actual position and the awaiting danger of his soul falling into the abyss of hell. But in order to avoid this great fall and be saved, a person needs to create in his heart the divine edifice of the Christian virtue of humility, destroying to the ground the hill of proud exaltation - the mother of all vices (II, 100). According to the teachings of the great saint, one of the greatest conditions for the salvation of a person, “the cure for illness (i.e., sin. - Author.) and the means to return to the primitive state is modesty (i.e., humility. - Author.), so as not to imagine endowing oneself with some kind of glory, but to seek glory from God. This will only correct the mistake, this will cure the illness; through this he will return to the sacred commandment that he left” (IV, 265). The word of God and grace from the Lord God come to the aid of a Christian. The Word of God so often and strongly inspires humility in a person that it cannot but be recognized as one of the most important Christian virtues. On whom does God look with the eye of His favor? Only on the meek and silent and trembling of My words (Isa. 66: 2). To whom does the Lord give His all-sanctifying and all-effective grace? Humble, because it is said: “The Lord resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Proverbs 3:34). To whom does God promise true greatness and glory? To the humble, as the holy Apostle Peter teaches: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you” (1 Pet. 5:6), and the Savior Himself says: “Whoever is exalted will humble himself, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). “This is the height of man, this is his glory and greatness,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “to know what is truly great, to cleave to it and seek glory from the Lord of glory... For this is perfect and complete praise in God, when a person is not exalted in his righteousness, but knows that he needs true righteousness and is justified by faith in Christ alone” (IV, 268). He is great before God who “humbly yields to his neighbor and, without shame, accepts accusations, even unjust ones, in order to through this give the Church of God a great benefit - peace” (VII, 101). What is the most acceptable sacrifice for God? The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a contrite and humble heart, God will not despise (Ps. 50:19). But “since contrition comes from the Lord, we must first humble our arrogant heart, so that its humility becomes a sacrifice to God” (II, 312). Who, according to the teachings of the Savior, is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? The one who humbles himself as a child, he is the one who is sick in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18:4). Especially our Savior Lord, by His example, teaches people humility, saying: “...learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). “These are fatherly and divine lessons for us! - exclaims the holy father. “Let us learn to imitate them, so that from humility of mind eternal glory may shine forth for us - this perfect and true gift of Christ” (IV, 273). That is why humility has a close, inextricable connection with the feat of improving spiritual life and success in virtues. It is the fundamental virtue of Christianity. “Humility is a treasure, the guardian of virtues,” teaches the saint (V, 385). Humility makes it possible for a person to rise higher and higher on the ladder of spiritual perfection and reach the Kingdom of Heaven. “It is impossible for those to be worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven,” teaches the holy father, “who do not imitate children in mutually showing each other equal honor” (III, 349). “Whoever wishes to receive greater glory in the Kingdom of Heaven must love humility and humiliation before others here” (III, 349). And this is understandable, because the source of all sin and vice is pride, and “humility often saves those who have committed many and great sins” (IV, 271). The greatest disasters that have troubled the universe have come from pride. Through pride, the Lucifer became the devil (II, 99). Through pride, the first man, deceived by an angel who fell into pride, fell and became mortal (IV, 134). And every descendant of Adam, mainly through pride, through sinful resistance to the will of God, falls into wickedness. Since pride is the pinnacle of evil, the root and source of all misfortune, the Savior, preparing a cure for the disease, places the first commandment as a strong and safe foundation, the commandment of humility, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for of them is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). According to the wise saint, the poor in spirit are those who voluntarily humble themselves before their inferiors and, using “spiritual humility, make themselves last of all in order to become first in the Kingdom of Heaven” (I, 266), “these are those who became poor for no other reason, but according to the teaching of the Lord” (V, 285; V, 312). On this basis, all good endeavors can be built. “For the knowledge of godliness is the knowledge of humility and meekness” (V, 56). Humility is the mark of a true Christian and the cornerstone on which all virtues are based. “Humility is the imitation of Christ,” says the holy father, “and exaltation, free-thinking and shamelessness are the imitation of the devil” (V, 56). According to the apostle’s definition, humility “consists of considering everyone better than oneself (see: Rom. 12:10)” (V, 282). “He who is alien to all arrogance and is not proud of anything human,” the saint writes in another place, “is both contrite in heart and humble in spirit” (I, 266). Knowing that without humility it is impossible to achieve spiritual perfection and salvation, Saint Basil the Great exhorts us to strive most of all to acquire this holy virtue. “And you should never be proud before anyone,” he says, “even before great sinners,” and “do not justify yourself more than another, so that, having been justified by your own verdict, you will not be condemned by the verdict of God” (IV, 271). “Be an imitator of Christ, and not of the Antichrist; God, and not the enemy of God; a lord, not a fugitive slave; merciful, not cruel; a lover of humanity, not a hater of humanity; inhabitants of the bridal chamber, and not of darkness" (V, 56). Given such exceptional importance of the virtue of humility, the question naturally arises: what needs to be done to acquire it? We also find the answer to this question in the works of the saint. He says that every person can acquire this virtue, “if, firstly, he remembers the commandment of the Lord, who said: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:19), which the Lord showed and taught in many cases and in many ways; and will also believe His promise that he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 14:11). Moreover, it will be equal in every matter and continuously to apply care to exercises in humility and to accustom oneself to them. For in this way, with constant training, one will finally be able to establish in oneself the habit of humility, as usually happens in the arts.” Further, the holy father notes: “The same method for acquiring every virtue required by the commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ” (V, 282; V, 120). According to the teachings of the great saint, humility is given to a Christian from God, if only he will try to humble himself and ask God for this gift through prayer. This is how he writes about it: “If an ascetic ascends, then he has a heavy and strong suppressor who can bring him down to hell. If he humbles himself, he will be exalted brilliantly and majestically, because God, by His own power, exalts the humble. So, Christian, wait for the One who beautifully exalts, and do not be faint-hearted for the sake of the present,” but just pray fervently (V, 413). “Let us continually pray,” the Holy Father encourages us, “so that the Face of God may shine upon us, so that we may be in a sacred state, meek and not embarrassed by anything, according to our readiness for good” (I, 223). Fulfilling God's commandments is the main means of acquiring humility (V, 282). “For whoever has combined all the legal counsel and prophetic commands in gospel meekness and does what is shown to him by the Lord, he will be saved... He who does the word and brings it to pass... belongs to the remnant to be saved” (II, 293). According to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, serving one's neighbors is especially favorable and pleasing to the Lord. “This is a wealth of virtues,” he says, “carrying in itself all the commandments of God, and, firstly, the most excellent of all virtues - humility, which brings with it a whole swarm of benefits, and then this: get hungry... and give Me food; I was thirsty and thirsty, I was strange, and sick, and in prison, and you served Me (Matthew 25: 35–36), and especially when what is required by the office is fulfilled with a humble opinion of oneself, without arrogance, anger and murmuring” (V, 54–55). The Lord considers acts of service to others to be service to Himself. “Whether you receive the strange, whether you give rest to the poor, whether you have compassion on the sick, whether you give a helping hand to those in need and misfortune,” says the Holy Father, “whether you serve the sick - Christ takes all this upon Himself” (V, 347). Fulfilling God's commandments leads a person to deep knowledge of himself. Just as our eyes look into the outer world and do not see themselves unless they meet something smooth and hard, when the gaze reflected there, as if at low tide, allows us to see what is at the bottom, “so our mind cannot contemplate itself unless it turns to the Scriptures. The light reflected there encourages each of us to self-knowledge... If we do not think about the structure of our being, then we do not know who we are and why we exist. “We treat ourselves with the greatest disdain,” says the wise saint, “not having an idea of ​​what is accessible to knowledge, not knowing that very thing that lies within us” 6 . Ignorance of oneself is a source of pride, which is so deeply, firmly and secretly rooted in a person’s soul and guides not only sinful actions, but also deeds, often even apparently good, the very thoughts, desires, heartfelt feelings of a person and, finally, his entire life. That is why the Holy Father forces us to self-examination, to self-knowledge, which leads to humility. “Test yourself to see who you are; know that your body is mortal, but your soul is immortal; that our life is twofold: one, characteristic of the flesh, fleeting, and the other, akin to the soul, does not allow a limit. Therefore, “take heed to yourself,” do not dwell on the mortal as if it were eternal, and do not despise the eternal as if it were transitory” (IV, 34). And in the “Second Discourse on Man” he says: “When thoughts come to you that are like a wormhole and trouble your heart, be imbued with memories of creation, of how you were created: “God took dust from the earth, and God molded man...” “Thus, the memory that we came from the earth will humble us and “will never allow our pride, or anger, or any other sin.” awaken" in us 7. And the more a person delves into himself, the more and more the conviction of his unworthiness, of his weakness - mental and moral - develops in him. He begins to condemn himself and humble himself as he gets to know himself and self-examine his conscience, checking his actions, words, thoughts, intentions and feelings. For nothing is “capable of humiliating (i.e., humble. - Author) us more than we are ourselves,” 8 says St. Basil the Great. Without self-reproach, without internal condemnation of oneself for sins, it is impossible to achieve humility. The Holy Father attaches special importance to self-reproach, since this technique is the surest way to gain humility and meekness. Put “in your heart,” he teaches, “that you are more dishonest and more sinful than all people, that you are a stranger and an alien... hasten to be the last of all and the slave of all. The latter will bring you honor and glory, not the former” (V,46). A person, reproaching himself, begins to lament his sins, his imperfection, and thereby rushes to God with a cry of repentance, asking for His help and mercy (II, 312). Self-reproach, like humility, should not be expressed only externally - in words and behavior, but must come from a contrite heart (II, 312). When there is no obvious reason to reproach yourself, then the wise saint recommends remembering previously committed sins. “Do not be an unjust judge of yourself, test yourself, do not flatter, and if you think that there is something good in you, do not show this alone, deliberately forgetting your failures, not boasting about the merit that you did today, but excusing yourself for the bad things you did a day ago and a long time ago. On the contrary,” he says, “when the present puffs you up, bring to mind the past, and you will get rid of stupid pomp” (IV, 272). Even if a Christian becomes accustomed to reproaching himself with words, he cannot yet be confident in the firmness and strength of such self-reproach until he acquires true humility of heart. According to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, truly “a humble person is the one who considers himself to be nothing in comparison with the splendor of God or who, through moderation, has put aside arrogant self-conceit” (II, 97). “He who is alien to all arrogance and is not proud of anything human is contrite in heart and humble in spirit” (I, 256). One of the means to understanding one’s weakness, and therefore to gaining humility, is patience in affliction. According to the teachings of the wise saint, the Lord allows man various sorrows and temptations so that he can more deeply understand his weakness and humble himself (II, 164). Without spiritual struggle, without temptations and sorrows, a Christian will not be able to come to a humble dispensation (II, 130). “After the destruction of all arrogance,” he says, “humility is perfected... And whoever has succeeded in the highest humility, hearing reproaches, recognizes himself as even more worthy of humiliation and will not be embarrassed in soul because he is dishonored with words” (I, 328-329). Nothing promotes humility more than obedience and self-sacrifice. In obedience, the cutting off of one’s will is manifested and humility is born. “For whoever gives himself free rein,” the saint teaches, “he clearly suffers from arrogance and is subject to the judgment of God, who said: “Whatever is high among men is an abomination to God” (Luke 16:15). And in general, giving yourself free rein is reprehensible” (V, 249). Therefore, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in paradise was given “in order that a commandment was needed to test our obedience” (IV, 137). But since the devil has become our “adversary” as a result of the fall to which we were brought anciently by his malice, then, “according to the Lord’s economy, we have a struggle with him so that we can overcome him by obedience and triumph over the enemy” with our humility (IV, 138). Elsewhere, the holy father says that in order to acquire humility, one must not rely on one’s own reason, but delve into the teaching of the holy fathers and the teaching of the Lord (V, 196). “The holy apostles set an example in this,” he writes, “when, with undoubted confidence in their sincere disposition towards the Lord, having heard: “Only of you will betray Me” (Matthew 26:21), they believed this word of the Lord more and changed their thoughts, saying: “Am I food, Lord?” (Matthew 26:22)" (V, 335). In a letter to the nun Theodora, the wise saint writes that perfection in humility consists in “not remembering the nobility of our ancestors, nor, if we have any advantage by nature, mental or physical, not being exalted by it, nor turning others’ opinions about ourselves into a reason for exaltation and arrogance - and this belongs to the life of the Gospel just as in abstinence - firmness, in prayer - tirelessness, with those in need - sociability, in the way of thinking - modesty, contrition of heart, and the most important thing is that in our thoughts we should never cease to remember the Terrible and inevitable judgment, to which we are all hastening, although very few remember this and care about how it will end" (VI, 302). Saint Basil the Great, urging all Christians to strive most of all for humility in their spiritual life, called upon them to imitate in their lives the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and the saints who pleased God. “Let us always protect ourselves from pride, humbling ourselves, imitating the Lord, who descended from heaven to extreme humiliation and rose back from humiliation to the appropriate height, for we find that everything in the Lord teaches humility...” and His holy apostles, “who flow around the world in poverty and nakedness... wandering, lonely, traversing land and sea, scourged, stoned, persecuted, and finally put to death.” And if we imitate them, we will achieve spiritual perfection, and “out of humility” “eternal glory” will shine for us in the Kingdom of Heaven (IV, 272). Teaching about true humility, St. Basil the Great at the same time warns us against false humility. “Of course,” he says, “it is possible for the high (i.e., the proud. - Author.) now, if he wants, to descend to the humility of the humble, and there is a danger that the humble will be brought into the exaltation of the proud. For the very thought of oneself that one has reached the heights of humility serves as a reason for exaltation, and to exalt oneself over one who, apparently, is a great sinner, is already a terrible pride, which the Pharisee allowed in himself before the publican” (II, 100-101). Therefore, from Christian true humility one must distinguish hypocritical humility, for selfish purposes, or forced by fear for safety, ostentatious humility, expressed in mere humble actions and words, in which a person can be a hypocrite and a people-pleaser. “It is true that he who walks in sin is also humble (i.e., humiliated. - Author)," the wise father teaches, "because nothing humbles as much as sin." Therefore, those who have lost the loftiness and exaltation of the soul, brought down by sin to the earth and, as it were, nailed to the ground, bend like a reptile serpent, and are no longer able to come to a completely upright position, they are humble, but not in spirit, which is why their humility is not praiseworthy” (I, 266; II, 97). According to the teachings of the great saint, a person cannot achieve humility and be saved by his own efforts. Humility, like any virtue, is achieved only with the assistance of God. “In everything good we have done,” he says, “the soul should attribute the reasons for success in the matter to the Lord, not in the least thinking that it succeeds in anything good by its own strength. For such a disposition usually produces humility in us” (V, 385–386), and true, “commendable” humility. For “putting away from vain wisdom, from exaltation, from arrogant heights, from empty conceit, returning to one’s inherent dignity is commendable humility” (II, 98). Such “commendable” and saving humility, according to the holy father, is achieved through constant hard work, tireless attention to one’s life and doing everything that leads to humility. “For the soul,” he says, “is likened to its activities: what it does is imprinted on that very thing, and from that it takes on its appearance.” “So,” the saint concludes, “let your appearance and clothing, and your gait, and your seat, and the composition of your food, and the preparation of your bed, and your house, and all household vessels be brought to the point that there is no excess in this; and let the words, the song, and the treatment of your neighbors be directed more towards modesty than towards arrogance... Be kind to your friend, meek, unmindful of anger towards the daring, philanthropic towards the humble, comfort the unfortunate, visit the sick, do not despise anyone at all, greet with pleasantness, answer with a bright face, be favorable to everyone, approachable, do not indulge praise yourself, do not force others to talk about you... cover up your advantages as much as possible, and blame yourself for sins and do not expect reproof from others... to put it briefly: strive for humility as a lover of it; love humility, and it will glorify you. In this way you will rise beautifully to true glory, to glory among the angels, to glory before God, Christ will recognize you before the angels as His disciple and will glorify you if you are an imitator of His humility” (IV, 273-275). The strengthening and deepening of the virtue of humility, according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, is facilitated by meekness. “Meekness is the greatest of the virtues,” says the holy father, “and that is why it is numbered among the beatitudes. For it is said: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5)” (I, 249). Meek people, realizing their spiritual poverty (V, 285), feeling sorrow in connection with their sinful and human perversity, patiently, calmly and courageously, without irritation, grumbling and bitterness, without angry protest and obvious opposition, endure the evil directed against them. This is why the meek will inherit the earth, the Kingdom of Heaven, because “this earth,” says the saint, “the heavenly Jerusalem, is not the prey of those who compete, but is given as an inheritance to the long-suffering and meek. And the words “let the meek hear...” (Ps. 33:3) mean the same as the words “let Christ’s disciples hear” (I, 249). It is the meek who are the true disciples of Christ. In the name of love for God and people and out of unshakable faith in God, they endure all personal insults and insults from people and calmly endure all the disasters and hardships of life, as sent by God and fully deserved. They are true fulfillers of Christ's commandments. When asked who is meek, the holy father replies: “Whoever does not change his judgment about what is required to please God is meek” (V, 280). But this is not an indifferent, not indifferent attitude towards evil and lies, no, the evil and lies operating in the world, no matter how they manifest themselves, always cause pain to the meek, cause in them deep sadness and reasonable indignation. “If, when indignation is needed,” the saint writes, “namely, because of the laziness of someone subordinate to us, then let indignation be dissolved by prudence” (V, 383). Meek people believe that evil is not overcome by new evil, that insult does not end by inflicting a retaliatory insult, and that only a calm and patient attitude toward personal insults and insults serves as an effective means of defeating evil itself. “For murderers use knives, and doctors also use them,” says the Holy Father. “But some, because they use a knife out of anger and cruelty, do completely reckless things with it, killing their own kind, while others, because they use a knife with reasoning... save the lives of those in danger.” Thus, he who knows how to be indignant with reason does great good to the one against whom he shows indignation, correcting his laziness, but he who has the passion of anger does not produce anything healthy” (V, 384). According to the wise saint, without meekness it is impossible for a Christian to achieve spiritual perfection and be saved. That is why he says that a Christian “should be filled with meekness as much as possible, because he has either received or desires to receive the Spirit of meekness, and he who receives this Spirit in himself must become like the Acceptable” (V, 383). Virtue, meekness, in its very essence, contains such a wonderful power that not only is it itself firm and unshakable, but in a quiet, easy way, its beneficial influence strengthens everything around it. “Meekness is usually followed by gentleness, because meekness is the mother of gentleness” (V, 384). The distinctive features of a gentle person, according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, are “simplicity, nobility, artlessness of character...” (IV, 182). In people who are truly humble, meek and kind, “who do not have a heavy disposition, there is no less than this kindness,” says the saint, “because goodness is the basis of meekness. Yet this mutually dissolved and combined together (i.e., humility, goodness, meekness and gentleness. - Author) produces from itself the best of virtues - love" (V, 384). Chapter VII. Love for God and neighbors Every disciple of Christ knows that everything lies in these two blessings. St. Basil the Great (VI, 40) According to the teaching of Holy Scripture, love is the highest virtue. The whole law of God is concentrated in love for God and neighbors (III, 309). Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself (Luke 10:27). “To this two commandment hang the whole law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40), proclaimed Christ the Savior. “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him,” says Saint John the Theologian (1 John 4:16). The feeling of love for God is innate in every person. If God is love, then, of course, man, who bears the image of God within himself, must live by love. Steadfastly following the teachings of the Savior and His disciples, St. Basil the Great says: “One, the most important and the first, is the commandment of the Lord, Who intelligibly said: “By this you understand that you are My disciples, if... you love one another” (John 13: 35, 34). The apostle also clearly presents the goodness of love, both in the place where he makes it known that love is the fulfillment of the law, and in the place where the advantage of love is placed above all advantages taken together” (VII, 57). Then, citing a quotation from the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians (see: 1 Cor. 13: 1-3), the holy father concludes: “And he says this not because each of the calculated advantages could be acquired without love, but because the holy apostle, as he himself said, through this turn of exaggeration, testified to the superiority of the commandment of love over all others” (VII, 58). All virtues are directly related to love, and they all receive a more perfect form in a close genetic connection with it. Thus, love is closely connected with faith and hope, creating the fundamental trinity of Christian virtues. It is the basis of all virtue in general, giving it objective value. This is its “superiority”. “However, you need to know,” the saint teaches, “that although this [love] is one virtue, yet by its power it brings into action and embraces every commandment. “For he who loves Me,” says the Lord, “will keep My commandments” (cf. John 14: 21–23). And again: “To this two commandment hang the whole law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:40)” (V, 90). Christian love begins the feat, and with it, the infinitely sublime, the path of salvation ends. Love is the reason, path, means and goal of rationally free existence. She is the real principle of ideal life and the totality of perfection (Col. 3:14). In love, all the good moods and deeds of every person find their essential expression. Therefore, virtues can confidently be called the manifestation and visibility of love, just as the Apostle John says: “We do not love in word, below the tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Not a single virtue in itself is equal to love, but there is only a path to it... the most excellent (1 Cor. 12:31). That is why the saint teaches that “the best of all virtues is love” (V, 384). Expressing praise to his friend Maxim the Philosopher in one of his letters, he says: “I recognized you from a letter... and rejoiced when I found that (you) are not lazily striving for the first and most important of blessings: I mean love for God and love for neighbor” (VI, 39–40), for “what is so beautiful and praiseworthy before God and people is perfect love, which, as we were taught by the wise Teacher, is the fulfillment of everything law (Rom. 13:10)" (VII, 127). Since the law given by God certainly requires the virtue of love, love must be manifested, firstly, towards God as the Lawgiver, and secondly, towards His law. Christ the Savior testified in His Gospel that the sign of true love for Him is the fulfillment of His commandments. “The Lord Himself taught us this,” says St. Basil the Great, “saying: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (see: John 14:23). And again: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word... He who does not love Me will not keep My words” (John 14:23–24)” (V, 90). Love is the highest and most perfect virtue (V, 89), and to acquire it requires unwavering, constant fulfillment of the Gospel commandments, decisive rejection of sin and attachment to everything temporary. It is necessary to follow the words of the prophet, who said: “I have loved Your commandments more than gold and topaz. For this reason I have been guided by all Your commandments; I have hated every way of unrighteousness” (Ps. 119: 127–128). If a Christian, on the path to God, does not abandon his love for sin, but continually looks back or even returns to sin, then he will not achieve spiritual perfection and will not gain true love for God. “Not everyone can achieve the perfection of love and know the truly Beloved [i.e. e. Lord], - says St. Basil the Great, - but only the one who has already put off the old man, which is decaying in the lusts of deceitful desires (Eph. 4:22), and has put on the new man, renewed in the mind in the image of Him who created him (Col. 3:10). And whoever loves money, is inflamed by corruptible physical beauty, prefers real glory, having exhausted the power of love for what he should not, becomes blind to the contemplation of the truly Beloved” (I, 274). Thus, to acquire the virtue of love, it is necessary to cleanse your soul from all sin and vice. Purity exists only where everything is overshadowed by the fear of God. “Where the fear of the Lord dwells, there abides all spiritual purity, because from there every vice and every ungodly act flees” (IV, 171). The beginning of a virtuous life is the desire to find love, and for this it is necessary to remove and heal all sinful ulcers of the soul - only the fear of God can do this, since it “overcomes all kinds of spiritual shortcomings” (V, 115). “Fear drives out all passionate thoughts that have settled in our souls,” writes the Holy Father in another place. “Where the fear of God is present, all stains of passion disappear from our thoughts” 9. In order for Christian love to take root in the heart, its sanctification is necessary, but “if fear does not control our life,” says the saint, “then it is impossible for sanctification to occur in the body” (I, 256). Without the fear of God, the beginning of spiritual life and growth in it is even unthinkable. Holy Scripture repeatedly speaks of the fear of God and considers it the beginning of wisdom (see: Proverbs 1: 7). The Holy Apostle Paul commands all Christians: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). Saint Basil the Great teaches that a Christian must, “as a son, love God with all his heart, all his strength, and thought, and strength, and as a servant, revere Him, fear Him and obey Him; work out your salvation with fear and trembling, be on fire in spirit, be clothed with the whole armor of the Holy Spirit” (V, 59). And it is the fear of God that contributes to the sanctification of a person, since it paralyzes all sinful movements of the flesh. “Just as the members of the body of those nailed with nails remain motionless and inactive, so those who are seized in the soul by the fear of God avoid any passionate overwhelm by sin (I, 256). For people striving for spiritual perfection, the fear of God is a good guardian of the soul, preventing any shortcoming from entering it. “For I understand myself and know,” writes St. Basil the Great in a letter to the monk Urvicius, “that... our advantages are not in gender, not in the abundance of property, not in the structure of the body, but in the primary fear of God” (VII, 209). Therefore, “whoever has mastered perfect fear and fears everything (of course, sinful things. - Author.) out of fear of God, will not sin in anything, therefore he does not despise anything (that is, he does not consider anything small from what the Lord has commanded. - Author.), and he will not suffer deprivation, because in any case fear is constantly with him" (I, 256). In the relationship of man to God, the saint distinguishes three degrees: slavery, mercenary and sonship. “Fearing punishment, we shy away from evil,” he says, “and we find ourselves in a state of slavery, or, chasing the benefits of a reward, we fulfill what is commanded for our own benefit and thus become like mercenaries, or we do this (i.e., we fulfill the commandments. - Author.) for the sake of the good itself and out of love for Him who gave us the law, rejoicing that we were worthy to serve such a glorious and good God, and in this case we are in the state of sons.” (V, 83). The fear of God is necessary at all stages of a person’s spiritual life. Но страх начальный, страх «рабский», который действует мучительно и наводит боязнь казни за грех, необходим и способствует только пробуждению грешника. Этот страх не удерживается в душе при совершенствовании человека и лишь временами находит для обуздания действующих страстей. «Поскольку страх Господень – начало чувства ( Притч. 1: 7 ), то мудрствующих земное, – говорит святитель Василий Великий, – должен вразумлять страх. И страх как предуготовитель к благочестию допускается по необходимости: последующая же за ним любовь усовершает тех, которые образовались в учении страха» (I, 237). Такой страх (т. е. начальный) свойствен несовершенным, не сынам благодати Божией, а рабам, готовящимся принять сыновство. «Боящийся стоит еще на степени раба, а усовершившийся любовью достиг уже в достоинство сына» (I, 254). Для совершенных страх Божий – не только отличительное свойство, но хранение его поставляется в обязанность: «Бойтеся Господа, вcи святии Его» ( Пс. 33:10); “Work for the Lord with fear and rejoice in Him with trembling” (Ps. 2:11), says the psalmist. The fear of God, instilled during the sanctifying action of grace, touches, that is, it is a joyful state, being, as it were, a gracious evidence of the protection of the human soul. He is born upon the emergence of love for God and remains in inextricable union with it. In the Discourse on Psalm 114, explaining the words “I have loved, for the Lord will hear the voice of my prayer,” the holy father says: “You cannot say “I have loved” to everyone, but only to one who has already been perfected, has come out of slavish fear and accepted the spirit of procreation” (I, 338–339) and “whoever has a firm and unshakable love for Christ is worthy of His friendship...” (I, 338-339) 276). In order to achieve perfection, which acquires the name of love, in order to become a “friend of God,” it is necessary to put off the old, damaged image and put on the image and likeness received by man from God. “And indeed,” the saint teaches, “the saints alone are friends of God and friends of each other, but every vicious and ignorant person is an enemy, because the benefits of friendship are incompatible with a bad disposition of the heart” (I, 275). On what is a person’s love for God based? Saint Basil the Great teaches that it is natural for a person to strive for good, “and God is good, the first and most perfect of goods” (I, 339). Man has an innate desire for truth and hatred of lawlessness. Therefore, “for us,” says the Holy Father, “if we want, it is not difficult for us to acquire love for truth and hatred for lawlessness. For for the benefit of the rational soul God has given all abilities: both the ability to love and the ability to hate, so that, governed by reason, we would love virtue and hate vices” (I, 283-284). Love for God, in its origin, is not the fruit of human efforts alone, but a gift from a good God. The Holy Father teaches that “love for God is not something acquired by teaching,” but at the creation of man, the Lord put into us a certain innate desire, “which itself contains the impulse to communicate love.” We owe this desire “carefully cultivated, prudently educated and, with the help of God’s grace, raised to perfection” (V, 89). And the holy Apostle Paul says: “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:5). Thus, the feeling of love for God is innate in the soul of every person. “Having received the commandment to love God, we also acquired the strength that was invested in us during our very original constitution” (V, 90). “For by nature we have a desire for the beautiful... in the proper sense, what is beautiful and most mercifully good, and God is good, and everything strives for the good, therefore, everything strives for God” (V, 91–92). This is why “love of God is required of us as a necessary duty; its impoverishment in the soul is the most intolerable of all evils” (V, 92). He who loves God always thinks about Him and His benefits. And this is natural, because whoever he loves is what he thinks about. “If by nature we have love and affection for benefactors,” says the saint, “and we decide to do any work in order to repay the benefits shown to us, then what word can describe God’s gifts? They are such in number that they exceed any number; so great and important that one thing is enough to oblige us to all gratitude to the Giver... God, having created man in His image and likeness, deigning to know Himself, adorning all animals with the gift of speech, giving him to enjoy the immeasurable beauties of paradise, making him a prince over everyone on earth, and after he was outwitted by the serpent, fell into sin and through sin into death... did not despise him, but first gave him the law to illuminate him and assigned angels to take care of him, sent prophets to expose vice and teach virtue, suppressed vicious aspirations with threats, aroused zeal for good deeds with promises, repeatedly on different faces for the admonition of others, previously showed the end of vice and virtue, and did not turn away from those who, despite all such benefits, remained in disobedience, because we were not abandoned by the goodness of the Master, and His love for us was not interrupted by our insensitivity to such honors, offensive to the Benefactor, but we were called back from death and revived again by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself” (V, 94). The final, surpassing any possibility of expressing in human language, the good deed on the part of God to man, was the way in which man’s salvation was realized. “The very method of doing good is even more amazing,” the great saint teaches, “for He is in the image of God, not by admiration without being equal to God; but He humbled Himself and took on the form of a servant (Phil. 2:6), accepted our ailments and suffered illnesses (Matthew 8:17. Isa. 53:4), was wounded for us, so that by His wound we would be healed (see: Isa. 53:5), he redeemed us to eat from the curse... the curse came upon us (Gal. 3:13), endured the most reviled death in order to lead us to a glorious life... granted us the dignity of the deity" (V, 94). Given such indescribable benefits of God to man, his love for God is a necessary duty, and failure to provide it is the most unforgivable ingratitude. “Great is the guilt,” says the holy father, “to be a son, to receive a physical birth and to be ungrateful to the one who gave birth, but the one who is exalted so exalted that he has become a partaker of heavenly things and yet does not remain in love for the Benefactor is worthy of unbearable hatred” (II, 20). Even animals know their benefactors and are submissive to them. Thus, “love is born of itself from the good deed of the one who feeds the ox and the donkey” (V, 288). “Therefore, if the dumb have such a habit towards those who care for them, then to what extent does rational nature require love for God?” – asks the saint (II, 21). Having shown such love for us, the Lord demands love in return from us. But we cannot demonstrate and prove our love for God in any way other than by diligently fulfilling His will, for a Christian who loves God understands that “one should not prefer one’s own will to the will of the Lord, but in every action, seek what is the will of God, and do it” (III, 321) not only in word, but also in deed. “When the preceding word is followed by deeds in accordance with it, this prepares a splendid garment for the soul, which has a completely virtuous life in both word and deed” (I, 288). And the will of God is such as to keep His commandments (see: John 15:10). And love... consists in our walking according to His commandments (2 John 1:6). “What is characteristic of love for God? - asks Saint Basil the Great and answers: “To keep His commandments, with the goal of His glory” (III, 417). One of the main laws of spiritual life is zealous pleasing to God. “I consider the desire to please God to be a good disposition, a strong, insatiable desire” (V, 263). This is the creation of holiness in the fear of God (2 Cor. 7: 1) or “whole and never-ending dedication to the Holy God with care and zeal for what is pleasing to Him” (V, 219). But how can we achieve this? Saint Basil the Great answers: “If someone hates untruth, cleanses himself from all sin, from which the soul falls into laziness and negligence about God’s justifications, and if he is undoubtedly convinced that the commandment of God is an eternal life,” then a strong desire to please God will be formed in him (V, 271). The burning of the spirit in striving towards God with the desire to please Him is love, the measure of which is “so that the soul continually strains through strength to fulfill the will of God with the goal and desire for the glory of God” (V, 288). The saint teaches that this can only be achieved through self-sacrifice. “That soul can be directed according to the will of God, which has accepted the Lord’s offer: “If anyone... comes after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24)” (V, 300). True love for God is instilled in the heart of a Christian from the fulfillment of the Gospel commandments and receives gradual development as he improves in their fulfillment. But “the commandments of God must be fulfilled not out of pleasing people or out of any other passion, but have in everything the goal of pleasing God and glorifying God” (III, 325). And it is possible to please God only by knowing and doing His will. The will of God is expressed in the commandments. “Whoever does not set the will of God as the goal for his entire life,” says the holy father, “so that in his healthy state he can prove the work of love by thoroughness in the works of the Lord... he is in danger” (V, 154). Consequently, careful fulfillment of God’s commandments is what a person’s love for God obliges him to do. He who does not fulfill the commandments of the Lord does not love God. “Not to keep the commandments of Christ means not to love God and His Christ, and a sign of love is keeping the commandments of Christ, enduring the sufferings of Christ even to the point of death” (III, 309-310). It is necessary to fulfill the commandments with diligence and without grumbling. “The commandments of the Lord must be fulfilled with a good conscience and with a good disposition before God and before people” (III, 326). Thus, to acquire love, steady, sincere and constant fulfillment of the Gospel commandments is required. This requires self-denial, a decisive rejection of sin and love for everything temporary, which can create obstacles in fulfilling the will of God. For “he cannot become a disciple of the Lord who is partial to anything real or tolerates with himself anything that even slightly distracts from God’s commandment” (III, 309). True love for God comes from the whole heart, the whole soul and the whole mind. It demands that the mind be “entirely devoted to God, that is, the sovereignty of the soul, a mind not distracted by earthly concerns” (II, 39). Love for God must embrace the entire human nature. “We must love the Lord God with all the strength we have for love... But we are not allowed to waste the power of love on anything else. For just as in a vessel filled with some kind of liquid, as much as it flows out, so much is necessarily lacking to fullness, so in the soul: as much as love is wasted on what it should not be, so much is necessarily lacking in the love of God” (II, 67-68). Saint Basil the Great calls true love for God most beautiful, praiseworthy, and he says: “Blessed are the lovers of true kindness (that is, the love of God. - Author). As if attached to her by love and igniting in themselves the heavenly and most blessed love, they forget relatives and friends, forget their home and property, do not even remember the bodily need to eat and drink, but are devoted to one and pure love” (I, 281-282). Through such a spiritual, loving life, a Christian feels and comes to know God, Who is the Primary Source of his love. True knowledge of God is possible only through fulfilling His commandments. “This is how God is understood - through hearing His commandments and through fulfilling what is heard,” the holy father teaches. - This is the knowledge of God - keeping His commandments... And I know My, they know My (John 10: 14). It is enough for you to know that the Shepherd is good, that he laid down his life for the sheep. This is the limit of knowledge of God!” (IV, 320). Knowledge arouses love, and love is perfected by fulfilling the will of God. Thus, knowledge of God, love and fulfillment of the commandments mutually complement each other. Love for God cannot and should not be closed. It tends to manifest itself in the outside world. It obliges not only the one who loves to glorify God, but also to encourage others to do the same, pointing out and explaining the reasons and grounds for the latter: “Proclaim His glory among the nations, proclaim His wonders, show the foolish people the structure of the world, so that they may be brought into love for God who created all things” (II, 304). And he who loves God always strives to ensure that the name of God is glorified among people. Therefore, he tries to decorate his life with good deeds, and, as it were, transfers the glory of such a life to God. “In your good deeds,” says the saint, “the Lord is glorified... when the mind fights with passion and with its effort and attentiveness gains the upper hand, then it triumphs in victory over passion and with its success, as if crowning God Himself...” (I, 20). “We bring glory through good deeds, when our deeds appear bright before men, and people see our deeds and glorify our Father who is in heaven (see: Matt. 5:16)” (I, 199). After love for God, Christian love must be transferred to our neighbor, to all people, for this is where its effectiveness is manifested. Love for one's neighbor is an external objective expression and proof of love for God. “The commandment of love for God,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “is the first and greatest, but the second in order and similar to the first, or better yet, serving as a complement to it and dependent on it, is the commandment of love for one’s neighbors” (V, 89; VII, 57). Consequently, “through the fulfillment of the first commandment one can succeed in the second, and through the fulfillment of the second one can again return to the first, and whoever loves the Lord, of course, loves his neighbor (see: John 14: 23). And again, he who loves his neighbor fulfills his love for God, because God transfers his mercy to Himself” (V, 96). Love for God cannot abide and multiply in the heart of a Christian without love for one’s neighbors; they are organically mutually connected and inseparable. “We must love the Lord God with all the strength that we have for love, and we must also love our neighbor, love our enemies, so that we may become perfect, imitating in goodness the Heavenly Father, Whose sun shines on evil and good (Matthew 5:45)” (II, 67). Thus, our neighbor is appointed to test our love for God. That is why God has so obliged us to love our neighbors that He does not want to be loved by us without them. Such an organic connection between love for God and love for neighbors is explained by the fact that man was created by God in His image (Gen. 1:27) and comes from the same ancestors - Adam and Eve (see: Acts 17:26). The union of love for God with love for neighbors is described with exhaustive completeness in the epistles of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. The feeling of love for others is inherent in every human soul. “Man by nature is a meek and sociable creature. It is our nature,” says the Holy Father, “to have communication with each other, need each other and love for each other” (V, 96). God Himself, having created man in His image and likeness, put the seeds of love into his nature. Love is an essential characteristic of a Christian. “What is characteristic of a Christian? - the saint asks and answers: “Love one another as Christ loved us” (III, 418). The Lord “wants us, as if with some curls, to be intertwined with our neighbors’ embraces of love and to rest in them, and, always striving for the heavenly, like curling vine branches, we try to become equal to the peaks of the highest” (I, 77). Christian life is not only life for God, it is Divine life in man, since love for each other unites and makes a person related to God. By connecting a person with God and with his neighbor, love reflects in a person the properties of divine love, unity and goodness, making a person godlike. Christian love requires that we treat our neighbors the way we want them to treat us (see: Matt. 7:12), for just as a magnet attracts iron, so our sincere love evokes and attracts the reciprocal love of our neighbors. And a characteristic sign of true Christian love is self-restraint and self-denial. Love “tends to seek not its own benefits, but the benefits of the loved one for the benefit of soul and body” (III, 417). For “whoever loves his neighbor as himself has nothing in excess of his neighbor” (IV, 90). Mutual love for neighbors and the deeds of this love: compassion, lack of anger, alms and help in everyday circumstances - all this constitutes the spiritual wealth of a Christian, having which he will inherit eternal blissful life. And whoever does not help his neighbors, does not give alms, will not be saved (IV, 93). It is charity that is an integral property of love for neighbors (V, 273). “Imitating the earth, bear fruit like it, man,” the great saint teaches, “so as not to turn out to be worse than inanimate. She grew the fruit not for her own pleasure, but for your service. And if you show the fruit of charity, you will reap it for yourself, because the benefit of good deeds returns to those who give” (IV, 79). Compassion for the poor should be manifested in good deeds; let encouraging words and affection be evidence of our love for them. “The weak in soul can be more comforted by actual alms than by exhortation to endure poverty courageously and without humiliation” (II, 308). One of the signs of active love is the desire to provide all those in need with the necessary means for life. It follows from the Lord’s commandment to love one’s neighbor. “Love,” He said, “your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Therefore, “whoever loves his neighbor as himself has nothing in excess of his neighbor” (IV, 90). For the accumulation of material goods by one person, while another, his neighbor, is deprived of the necessary things, indicates a lack of love. “The more wealth you have,” says the holy father, “the less love you have” (IV, 90). A true Christian knows that earthly blessings were given to him by God “as an aid to life, and not as a path to evil, for the redemption of the soul, and not as a reason for destruction” (IV, 101). You don't have to be wealthy to perform acts of mercy. But it is necessary to have a heart that is well-disposed towards everyone, for if there is zeal, then it is accepted depending on who has what, and not according to what he does not have (2 Cor. 8:12). Therefore, “whoever brings excess is not accepted” (IV, 104), is not revered in the true sense as a benefactor. Love is self-sacrifice, and what is given from excess does not bear signs of self-sacrifice. Charity and concern for others is evidence that a person is heading along the path of piety. “Those whom God raises to godliness, He teaches them to abstain from evil deeds and to show mercy to their neighbors” (IV, 336). True love has an inexhaustible need to compassion and rejoice at others, to pour out all the forces of kindness on loved ones and to tirelessly show them kindness in every way we can. “Love,” says the holy father, “has two remarkable properties: to grieve and suffer when a loved one suffers harm, and also to rejoice and work for his benefit. Therefore, blessed is he who weeps for those who sin, who are thereby exposed to terrible danger, and rejoices over him who does well, who, as it is written, thereby gains incomparable benefit” (V, 272). Compassion is the highest degree of love, killing oneself for others; this is an imitation of the apostles and our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. His entire earthly life was a work of merciful love, during which He took to heart every human misfortune, every human need. He went around doing good and healing everyone (Acts 10:38). Compassion for one's neighbor should be greatest when the neighbor is in danger of losing eternal life. He who loves his neighbor cannot look indifferently at his fall into sin. “We must not look indifferently,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “at those who sin, but grieve and weep for them” (III, 357). “We are obliged to have great care for those in whom the most important thing suffers harm. Whoever has fallen under the power of the devil and is being held captive by him, we must with all diligence free him from the devil and bring him to reason... into the obedience of Christ” (II, 58). It is common for a truly loving Christian to “mourn and lament over his brother’s shortcomings, but rejoice at his success. With every success of your neighbor, rejoice and glorify God, because his successes are yours, and yours are his” (V, 53). Love does not tolerate indifference towards those who sin, but with sincere compassion and patience points out the shortcomings of one’s neighbor, having the sole intention of “converting the sinner” (VI, 56). If a neighbor grieves over his sins, then it is characteristic of love to have compassion for him here too. “When you see a brother lamenting in repentance about his sins,” the saint exhorts, “cry with him and have compassion for him” (IV, 73). “Since love does not seek its own (1 Cor. 13:5), blessed is he who, seeing a suffering member, also sympathizes together, grieves and “weeps with those who mourn,” according to the word of the Apostle (cf. Rom. 12:15), who mourns many who have previously sinned and have not repented” (II, 347). According to the wise saint, the saints also cried and cried out of love for God and their neighbors. “Looking always at the Beloved and increasing in themselves the joy they drew there, they cared for the fate of slaves like them, mourning those who sinned, correcting them with tears... Blessed are those who weep and blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted and laugh (Luke 6:21. Matt. 5:4) ...for those who mourn the sins of their neighbors do not destroy thus their joy, and, on the contrary, they increase even more for their tears for their brother, receiving joy from the Lord” (IV, 50). By mourning the sins of his neighbor, a Christian receives great benefit for his soul and his salvation. “In this way,” says the holy father, “in the presence of other people’s passions, you will be able to correct your own [life], for whoever shed hot tears over the sin of his neighbor has healed himself for mourning his brother” (IV, 73). According to the teachings of the saint, the greatness of the Christian religion lies not only in the fact that it teaches one to love one’s neighbor and brother, but also in the fact that it commands one to love one’s enemies. “And the opportunity” to love enemies “was shown and testified by the Lord when he revealed the love of the Father and His own in obedience to death (Phil. 2:8) for the sake of enemies, and not for the sake of friends, as the Apostle testifies, saying: “God makes His love for us, because while we are still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8); and he exhorts us moreover, saying: “Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved us, and gave Himself an offering and sacrifice to God for us” (Eph. 5:1-2). But the Good and Just would not have prescribed this if he had not bestowed the ability to do so. And he made it clear that such an ability is embedded in us in our very nature” (V, 273). Moreover, love must be shown to those who love and hate us in equal measure. “If a brother is our benefactor,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “then we owe him love as a human being... If he is a villain to us, then in that case we are obliged to love him, not only according to the commandment, but also for the fact that he provides good deeds in the most important things” (V, 266). After all, a friend does not “provide as many benefits as enemies who bring us blessings from the Lord, who said: “Blessed are you, when... you are deprived, and reviled, and all kinds of evil are said against you lying, for my sake: rejoice and be glad, for your reward is many in heaven” (Matthew 5: 11-12)” (V, 273). The Holy Father points out that “the Apostle teaches us by his example to maintain kindness towards everyone and to repay those who act evilly with us with good: do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (V, 294). I give you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, so you also love one another (John 13:34). “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13), the Savior commands. Christ does not say that we love only the worthy - this is not enough, but that we love each other as He loved us. And He loved people like this, when they were filled with sins and offended Him, He loved... when human ingratitude and malice crucified Him, and then He loved us and prayed for His crucifiers: “Father! Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). The Savior demands the same love for each other from people. “However, love even to death,” says St. Basil the Great, “we are taught to show without any distinction both to the righteous and to the sinners (see: Rom. 5: 8. 1 Thess. 2: 7-8)” (V, 278). The highest degree of manifestation of love that is available to a person within the limits of earthly life is sacrificing one’s life in the name of well-being, in the name of saving others. Having cited the words and example of the Lord Jesus Christ (see: John 15: 12-13), the holy father then immediately adds: “And if the soul must be laid down, then it is all the more necessary in individual cases to show zeal for the benefit of everyone, not in accordance with human relations, but with the goal of pleasing God” (V, 265). Thus, love for neighbors is done for the sake of love, with the goal of pleasing God. He who does not love his brother does not love God. If we love our neighbors who are united with us by fraternal bonds, as bearers of the image of God, then God abides in us as in His church, and His love is perfect in us (1 John 4:12). Love for God and at the same time indifference and hatred towards people are incompatible. Where love becomes scarce, the devil moves in, for he is the father of lies, hatred, envy and malice. “Where love becomes scarce,” says the saint, “hatred certainly takes its place. And if, as Saint John the Theologian says, God is loving (1 John 4:8), then by all necessity hatred is the devil. Therefore, just as he who has love has God in himself, so he who hates nourishes the devil in himself” (V, 73). Saint Basil the Great teaches that love for friends should also be illuminated by spiritual reasoning. You need to love your friends in Christ, so that Christ is loved in your neighbor, and your neighbor is loved as the image of God. A Christian who loves Christ in his neighbors will have equal love for everyone. “Love for each other should be equal and general in all, just as a person naturally has love for each of his members, equally desiring health for the whole body” (V, 72). And “he who loves one preferentially over others exposes himself to the fact that he does not have perfect love for others. Therefore, the holy father teaches, “indecent quarrels and private affection must equally be expelled from society, because from a quarrel comes enmity, and from private friendship and intimacy comes suspicion and envy” (V, 73; V, 67-68). “Tender love,” says the saint, “can be called the highest degree of friendship, consisting in the ardent affection of the lover for the beloved.” Therefore, it is necessary that our love for God and our neighbors be true, “not external, but internal and fiery” (V, 301). Every Christian walking along the path of spiritual improvement must remember that such true love is a gift of the Holy Spirit. And he must strive to acquire it under the guidance of the fear of God, diligent fulfillment of God’s commandments (V, 265) and sincere prayer! “Bodily affection is produced by the eyes,” says St. Basil the Great, “but it is confirmed by long-term habit. But true love is formed by the gift of the Spirit, which unites those separated by a long distance and makes friends known to each other not by physical features, but by spiritual properties” (VI, 245). “One of the greatest blessings - love - crystallizes in us through fervent prayer and psalmody,” says the great saint in his Discourse on the first part of the first psalm (I, 156). According to his teaching, success in love for God and neighbors brings true consolation and spiritual pleasure. Chapter VIII. Prayer, fasting and abstinence Prayer is a good helper for us in this life, while we live in the flesh, and a reliable guardian on the path to the next century. St. Basil the Great (VI, 303) Fasting is likeness to angels, cohabitation with the righteous, learning to live a chaste life. St. Basil the Great (IV, 26) Man was created by God as a two-part being: from soul and body (II, 20). The body, as having a connection with the earth, returns to the earth after death, and the soul, which has its origin in God, returns to Him and remains with Him. Therefore, in this temporary life a person must diligently seek union with his Creator in order to be worthy of being with Him in the future eternal life. Everyone can unite with Him only through strong heartfelt love. In order for a person to be able to arouse in his heart true love for God, in order to unite with Him in an indissoluble union of love, it is necessary to pray, raising the mind to God; and just as wood often added to the fire increases the flame, so prayer, done often with concentration and deepening of the mind in God, arouses love for Him in the heart. For there is no greater consolation for a Christian than to feel the closeness of the Heavenly Father and talk with Him in prayer. Prayer is a person’s communication with God, based on the belief that God, as the Omniscient Spirit, not only hears our words, but also knows all our thoughts and all the feelings of the heart. “Everyone’s prayer is open before God,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “It is revealed to Him, who is by disposition, who reasonably asks for heavenly things, who just pronounces words for appearances, but his heart is far from God” (I, 212). “God knows how to recognize what is asked by the movement of the heart. Or don’t you hear that Moses, who says nothing, but prays to the Lord in his unspeakable groans, was heard by the Lord, and He said to Moses: “Why are you crying to Me?” (Ex. 14:15). God knows how to hear even righteous blood, which has no tongue, no voice penetrating the air. The manifestation of righteous deeds before the Lord is a great voice” (I, 340). Prayer in the spiritual development of a Christian is as necessary as faith. Where there is faith, there is also prayer, because it is impossible to believe and not pray. Prayer is the very soul of faith, its very life. Prayer is the basis of the spiritual life of a Christian. Therefore, a Christian must “constantly remain in prayer and vigils” (III, 362), and by this he will be able to attract Divine grace into his soul, which will help him follow the path of salvation. The wise saint attaches especially great importance to psalmody as a special type of prayer. Without reading the Psalter, according to him, the spiritual life of a Christian is unthinkable. “A psalm,” he says, “is a refuge from demons, an entry into the protection of angels, a weapon for night insurance, peace of mind from daytime labors, safety for infants, an adornment in a flourishing age, a consolation for the elderly, the most decent attire for women... For newcomers it is the beginnings of learning, for those who are prosperous it is an increase in knowledge, for the perfect it is affirmation; this is the voice of the Church... The Psalm is the occupation of angels, heavenly cohabitation, spiritual incense” (I, 156–157). In prayer, a Christian finds spiritual consolation and joy in the Lord. Prayer “encourages the righteous to feel their dignity,” says the holy father, “that they are worthy to be the slaves of such a Master and to admire their slavery to Him with indescribable joy and with leaping, as if their hearts were bursting with the delight of love for the Good... The Lord for the righteous is like a place that contains them, a place into which one who enters cannot help but be complacent and rejoice. And the righteous becomes a place for the Lord, receiving Him in himself, and the sinner gives a place to the devil in himself (see: Eph. 4:27)” (I, 228). That is why the saint advises the Christian to pray in every place and at every time. Prayer should be his main feat. All his exploits must be concentrated and combined in it. And from the very beginning on the path of spiritual improvement, it is necessary to learn the correct prayer in order to succeed in it and be saved. “Prayer,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “is a request for benefits sent by the pious to God.” But prayer must not be concluded in words alone. You should always pray, on any occasion and in your mind. “Whether you sit at the table, pray; When you eat the bread, give thanks to Him who gave. If you put on a tunic, give thanks... deepen your love for God, who has given us coverings suitable for winter and summer... Has the day passed? Give thanks to Him who gave us the sun to carry out our daily affairs and who gave us fire to illuminate the night and serve for other everyday needs. Let the night give you other incentives to pray... Pray to God unceasingly, so that your life may be unceasing and continuous prayer” (IV, 62–63). The saint writes that there is a time for everything, but any time is suitable for prayer and psalmody. Prayer should be preferred to everything (V, 345). You can also pray while doing everyday things, although it is easier to pray in silence and solitude. And Christ, preaching and healing all day, often went into deserted places in the evening and prayed. But if life has developed in such a way that solitude and silence are impossible, then we must remember the Lord and pray in the bustle of everyday life. And in this case, if a person wants, he can and should find time for prayer. “Part of the time given in return to God is not lost,” the holy father teaches, “but is rewarded by Him with great profit. For all those circumstances that contribute to the work, the Lord will prosper those who prefer the spiritual, giving in their affairs both the strength of the body, and the zeal of the soul... and success in their whole life” (I, 39). Prayer is an irreplaceable means of the most convenient unity of earthly man with the inhabitants of heaven: angels, saints and, finally, with God. The prayer performed in church is especially complete and rich in its spiritual content. The power of church prayer is clear to the heart of a Christian: if my prayer is scattered, rare, and weak, then the prayer of my brothers will fill it. Christ said: “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). Therefore, Christians ask both the saints and each other to pray for them. “We must pray,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “for each other and for the leaders of the word of truth,” and also “we must pray for our enemies” (III, 363). “Remember God,” he writes in a letter to one widow, “have the fear of God in your heart and accept everyone into the fellowship of prayers, for great help comes from those who can appease God” (VI, 303). “Communication in prayer,” states the holy father in a letter to Amphilochius, “as I know, brings great benefit” (VI, 270). The communication of prayer takes place precisely in the church. “The saint,” says the saint, “who loves God most of all, lovingly kisses all the symbols of God, saying: “My soul desires and ends in the courts of the Lord” (Ps. 84:3). He knows that it is impossible for him to flourish and begin to bear fruit otherwise than by being in the courts of the Lord” (II, 42). “He who is in the church of God does not speak evil, nor does he proclaim vanity or anything full of shame, but in His church everyone speaks glory. Here the holy angels stand and write down your words, here the Lord Himself observes the disposition of those who enter” (I, 211–212). That is why the saint pays great attention to the decorum and orderliness of church services and prayers. He says that “every creature, both silent and broadcast, both worldly and earthly, glorifies the Creator. But miserable people, having left their homes and flocked to churches in order to receive some benefit there, do not incline their ears to the words of God, and do not come to the consciousness of their nature. They do not grieve over the fact that they are possessed by sin, they do not grieve, bringing their sins to mind, they do not tremble at judgment, but with a smile, stretching out their hands to each other, they make the house of prayer a place of long conversations” (I, 212). Such a person not only does not pray himself, but also “serves as an obstacle to others, drawing his attention to himself and drowning out the teaching of the Spirit with his noise. Be careful,” the holy father warns, “instead of receiving a reward for your praise, do not leave here condemned along with those who blaspheme the name of God” (Ibid.). It should be noted that Saint Basil the Great was the first of the Church Fathers to describe in detail the time of church prayers and indicate the meaning of this or that prayer. “May your whole life be a time of prayer,” he says. – But since the intensity of psalmody and genuflection must be given rest with some breaks, then most of all we need to take into account those hours that the saints used for prayer as a model for us. Thus, the great David says: “At midnight I rose to confess to You about the destinies of Your righteousness” (Ps. 119:62). And, as we see, following him, Paul and Silas praise God in prison at midnight (see: Acts 16:25). Then the same prophet says: “Evening and morning and noon” (Ps. 54:18). But the coming of the Holy Spirit takes place at the third hour, as we know from Acts (see: Acts 2:15). The ninth hour recalls the suffering of the Lord, accomplished for our sake of life. But since David says: “By the day of seven days we praised Thee concerning the destinies of Thy righteousness” (Ps. 118: 164), and the mentioned times of prayer do not fill the septenary number of prayers, then the midday prayer should be divided into a prayer before eating food and a prayer after eating it, so that for us, at every turn of the day, this rule will serve as a model: to praise God during the septenary day” (V, 66-67). The Holy Father depicts the same thing in more detail in the thirty-seventh lengthy rule, focusing more on the meaning of prayer times (V, 160–164). “We should not neglect the times of prayer,” writes the saint, “because each of them in a special way reminds of the benefits given from God” (V, 162-163). A variety of prayers and psalmody at set hours are also useful for the reason “that by uniformity the soul is often brought into a kind of indifference and distraction, and by the change and variety of psalmody and reading at every hour its desire acquires new strength, and sobriety is renewed” (V, 64). It is only prayer that we should devote the time we have. Discussing this subject, the Holy Father points to a role model in the person of the Gospel Mary. “If you want to compete with Mary,” says the saint, “who left the service of the body and rose to the contemplation of spiritual objects, then sincerely get to work. Leave your body, abandon agriculture, food preparation and troubles, but sit at the feet of the Lord and listen to the word of the Lord, so that you may become a partaker of the mysteries of the Divine, because contemplation of the teachings of Jesus is higher than serving the body” (V, 346). Prayer is spiritual nourishment that strengthens the soul (V, 53). “Therefore, if you want to be a secret man of Christ, if you accept the gospel of Christ, then you will leave your entire worldly life and live carefree; You will forget your own body and, thus, you will be able to converse with Christ in contemplation, in order to imitate Mary and reap the heavenly glory” (V, 347). According to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, prayer has two types: the first, highest - doxology with humility, the second, lower - petition. “Therefore, when praying, do not suddenly reach out to ask... but leave yourself, part with the earth... leave every creature, visible and invisible, and begin to glorify the Creator of everything... And when you glorify Him, do not wander your mind, do not speak pagan fabulousness... but pray with fear and humility” (V, 348). A Christian should not leave a single minute without praising and thanking the Lord God (III, 361), “but at the beginning” of all affairs “turn to God” with the words “I will bless the Lord at all times” (Ps. 33:2) not only during prosperity, but also in unhappy times of life (I, 247). “First one must thank God for what is most necessary for daily bodily needs,” writes the Holy Father in another place, “and then use it” (III, 362). After doxology and thanksgiving, one can send petitions to God with fear and humility (V, 348). Prayer is first and foremost an expression of feeling. It can be devoid of words and be only a sigh to God, a drop of tears or “even a part of a drop,” as it says in the prayer of St. Simeon the New Theologian in the rule for holy communion: “Thee is not hidden, my God, my Creator, my Savior, below a drop of tears, below a drop is a certain part” 10 . Therefore, “we do not limit requests ... to words,” says St. Basil the Great, “for we do not think that God has a need for verbal reminders, but knows what is useful when we do not ask... It is necessary not to conclude prayer in words, but, on the contrary, to place more of the power of prayer in spiritual will and in virtuous deeds, continuously continued throughout life. For it is said: “Whether you eat, or drink, or do anything else, do everything for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31)” (IV, 62). Is it possible for us to eat and drink and at the same time praise the Lord? The Holy Father responds to this, “that the inner man has certain spiritual lips and through them he is nourished, receiving the Word of life, which is the bread that came down from heaven (John 6:58). About these lips the prophet says: “My mouth was opened and the spirit was drawn” (Ps. 119:131). It is these lips that the Lord advises to be widened for the abundant reception of the truth. For it is said: “Enlarge your mouth, and I will do it” (Ps. 80:11)” (I, 248). In his interpretation of the first chapter of the prophet Isaiah, explaining the words “when you stretch out your hands... I will turn away my eyes from you” (v. 15), the holy father teaches that those who pray outwardly and absentmindedly, “although they stretch out their hands and utter words,” but their prayer is not pleasing to God and is not heard by Him (II, 52), and “words of prayer are not only useful, but when pronounced” with attention and “zealous disposition” (II, 53). So, for prayer to bear a certain fruit, it is necessary to understand what the person praying is reading and to correspond his feelings to the words of the prayer. And in general, “a Christian should not be distracted or distracted by anything from the remembrance of God, His will and judgments” (VI, 54; IV, 221). In addition, in order for a prayer to be heard by God, you need to know what to ask from Him in prayer. “A person praying should not say unnecessary things when asking the Lord for something perishable and unworthy” (III, 363), but “while praying,” the saint teaches, “be careful not to ask for one thing instead of another and do not anger the Lord; Don’t ask for wealth, or human glory, or power, or anything else that is transitory, but ask for the Kingdom of God, and He will give you everything that serves the body’s needs, says the Lord Himself (see: Matt. 6:33)” (V, 347–348; II, 53). In prayers, one must ask the Lord for everything that is necessary for the salvation of the soul, and leave everything carnal without attention, since those who exist... in the flesh cannot please God (Rom. 8:8) (I, 225; I, 130). In prayer one should not ask for the fulfillment of one’s own will, but to leave everything to God, who builds what is useful (VII, 250). We must pray with the consciousness of our insignificance and cry out that “the Lord may hear us and have mercy on our weakness,” and we, taking advantage of God’s help, could say: “He turned my crying into joy for me (Ps. 29:12) (I, 225). “Whoever asks for great things,” says the saint, “and prays for heavenly things, calls out and sends up a prayer to God, which is heard” (I, 264; I, 248). The purpose of prayer is to decorate the soul with spiritual fruits, therefore only this goal should be pursued with great zeal and persistence. “If you do not ask for faith, the merits of virtue with difficulty and much patience,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “you will not receive, because you must first desire, and having desired, seek sincerely in faith and patience, using on your part everything necessary, so that your own conscience does not condemn you in anything, as if you were asking either carelessly or lazily: and then you will already receive, if it pleases God” (V, 354). In order to achieve such attentive, undistracted prayer, we need to guard our hearts so as not to lose thoughts of God, “but carry the holy thought of God with constant and pure memory, imprinted on our souls, everywhere, like an indelible seal. For in this way, the holy father teaches, we acquire love for God, which both excites us to fulfill the commandments of the Lord, and at the same time is observed by them, becoming continuous and unshakable” (V, 99). The saint teaches that absent-mindedness comes from idleness of mind. And the mind remains idle and careless from lack of faith in the presence of God (V, 206). Therefore, in order to achieve non-distraction in prayer, we must firmly believe that God is before our eyes. If the one who sees the boss in front of him and talks with him does not turn his gaze away from him, then much more will he who prays to God have a mind that does not deviate from the One who searches the heart and womb” (V, 283). Further, St. Basil the Great says: “If you persistently ask God for everything concerning your salvation, you will certainly receive it, but know that you, on your part, must do everything within your power, and cry out to God for help, so that He will be your helper” (V, 350). But in order to be heard by God during prayer, you need to concentrate and direct all your strength and attention to God. “To stand before God with fear and trembling, directing the whole mind to Him alone” (V, 350), for “those who pray outwardly, although they stretch out their hands, do not receive the eyes of God to look at their prayer” (II, 52), and such are not counted among those who glorify God. “Not everyone sings to the Lord who pronounces the words of a psalm with his lips, but everyone who sends up psalmody from a pure heart, everyone who is reverent and keeps the truth before God - all of these can sing to God” (I, 219; I, 264). The saint teaches that good thoughts are crowded out by bad thoughts in two ways: either through the soul’s own negligence, or this happens through the slander of the devil. The soul’s own dispersion must be corrected by increased exertion of the will, restoring the attention of the mind and forcing it to engage in contemplation of pious objects. And the devil’s thoughts and attacks must be repelled “with intense attention and sobriety, and especially you need to indulge in prayer and ask for help from above” (V, 386). If during the prayers themselves the enemy introduces evil dreams, we must not stop praying, “but patiently remain in prayer until the end, until God, seeing our firmness, illuminates us with the grace of the Spirit, which puts the attacker to flight, purifies and fills our mind with Divine light and gives our thoughts the strength in undisturbed silence to serve God with joy” (V, 387-388). The purpose of prayers and prayers is to acquire the skill of unceasing prayer or unceasing memory of God. And this, according to the teaching of St. Basil the Great, is the goal of Christian life. The Holy Father advises three ways to strengthen the memory of God. The first way is in the divine contemplation of God’s endless perfections (V, 355–357; V, 91), and the other way is the recollection of God’s great blessings revealed in creation, providence, and even more so in the redemption of the human race. “They are so great and important that one is enough to oblige us to all gratitude to the Giver” (V, 93). When asked why a person loses his constant remembrance of God, the saint answers: “If he does not remember the benefits of God and turns out to be unappreciative of the Benefactor” (V, 332). And “whoever heartily accepts all God’s benefits cannot help but turn his mind and heart in prayerful offerings to Him” (V, 93). The third way to strengthening the memory of God is the skill of doing everything according to the will of God, for the glory of God, before the Face of the all-seeing God. “In every task that lies ahead of us, we must set the will of the Commander as our goal and direct our thoroughness according to it... We must do every deed as if it were being done before the eyes of the Lord, and we must form every thought as if the Lord were overseeing it” (V, 99-100). Avoiding sin and striving for God’s love immeasurably elevates prayer. “The soul, moved by love for God,” says the holy father, “begins to pray more cheerfully and maturely” (VI, 11); whereas inconstancy and frequent union with sin weaken the soul and make prayer fruitless. “If no one can speak of the Lord Jesus except by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3), then how can you bring praise when you do not have a right spirit renewed in your womb?” (I, 229). So, “if someone, due to inconstancy, gives in to desires and betrays himself to his enemies, then God does not help him, because he has previously made himself alien to God through sin. Whoever wants to have help from God does not betray his duty, and God’s assistance never betrays him” (V, 351). “So,” the saint concludes, “remember God... trust in the goodness of God and expect His intercession” (VI, 303). And if we turn to God “as we should (that is, having previously freed our soul from sins - Author) and sincerely,” then He “not only will not reject us at all, but, while we are still saying the words of prayer, will say: “Here I am!” (VI, 303). A Christian who remains in true prayer achieves spiritual perfection to such an extent that he is worthy, along with the angels, to send praises to God. “The business of angels is to praise God. For the entire heavenly host it is one thing to send glory to the Creator” (I, 212). Encouraging people to do the same, St. Basil the Great says: “Let the tongue sing, let the mind seek the meaning of what is said, so that you can sing with your spirit, and sing with your mind too. God does not demand glory, but wants you to become worthy of glorification... Sow praise so that you may reap crowns, honors, and praises in the Kingdom of Heaven” (I, 212-213). If in a feat of prayer a person is placed in the ranks of angels and saints, then he must have an angel-like virtuous life and purity. Explaining the words of the prophet Isaiah, who spoke from the Person of the Lord: “Even if you increase your prayer, I will not hear” (Is. 1:15), the holy father says: “Let those who have not done anything good in life hear these words, but think to be justified by the duration of their prayers. For prayerful words are not only useful, but when spoken with diligent disposition” (II, 53). And whoever does not acquire purity through exercise in piety cannot have the necessary disposition in prayer. An evil tree cannot produce good fruits (Matthew 7:18), and words of life cannot be born in a vicious heart; and only all those “who are reverend and keep the truth before God, all such can sing to God. “Cleanse your hearts,” the saint cries, “so that you may bear fruit in the Spirit and, having become venerable, come to the state of intelligently singing to the Lord” (I, 219). Heartfelt prayer to God helps to enrich the soul with good deeds, it sanctifies and lifts a person to the angelic heights of holiness, it gives a person the best of blessings - an interview with God and the indwelling of the Lord Himself in him. “Prayer is beautiful,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “it clarifies the thought of God in the soul. And through remembrance, the thought of God planted in us is the indwelling of God Himself. Thus, we become the church of God when unceasing remembrance is not interrupted by earthly concerns and the mind is not disturbed by sudden passionate movements, but the lover of God, who avoids everything, retires into God, repelling from himself the passions that lure him to intemperance, and spends time in activities leading to virtue” (i.e. in prayer. - Author) (VI, 11-12). So, according to the teachings of the Holy Father, the whole life of a Christian should be “a time of prayer” (V, 66). After all, in a person’s life there is nothing more precious than prayer; it makes the impossible possible, the difficult - easy, the inconvenient - convenient. Prayer is as necessary for the human soul as air is for breathing or water is for a plant. A Christian is characterized by constant remembrance of God, “who died for us and rose again,” of His law and the order of life according to this law, and this is, in a broad sense, prayer (III, 418). Fulfilling the will of God throughout your entire life, “you will pray unceasingly,” says the saint, “not concluding the prayer in words, but throughout the entire course of your life, approaching God, so that your life will be continuous and unceasing prayer” (IV, 63). Therefore, “the composition of the body,” the holy father writes in another place, “in a figurative sense, is a psalter and a musical organ, tuned for hymns of praise to our God; bodily actions performed for the glory of God, when, under the control of a well-disciplined mind, we do not allow anything discordant in our movements, constitute a psalm, and what is combined with lofty contemplation and theology, that is, a song” (I, 215). Prayer is “a great good that surpasses all wishes” (V, 214); as has already been said, it is a necessary means in the improvement of man, but the power of its beneficial effect on the soul is only great when it is combined with prudent fasting and abstinence. Consequently, where fruitful prayer is sought, it is necessary to strengthen prayer with fasting, since fasting is for prayer what wings are for a bird. “Fasting,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “sends prayer to heaven, becoming for it like wings when the mountain ascends” (IV, 12). “Fasting is a good guardian of the soul, a reliable companion for the body, a weapon for valiant people, a school for ascetics” (IV, 10). Sin, starting from a person’s heart, acts in his body and, by the way, manifests itself in sensual lusts. These lusts weaken the soul of a Christian and strive to guide his life. The devil tries, mainly through the body, to turn a person away from the path of salvation. If a person does not fight the lusts of his body and does not try to overcome its burden, then in the end he will find himself powerless in the spiritual struggle. All endeavors of a Christian will be fruitless. The spark of holy inspiration will go out in him, and the Spirit of God will not find room for His action. St. Basil the Great, depicting the harmfulness of this influence of the flesh, says: “From rough food, like a thick cloud, smoky vapors come out and block the path to the insights of the Holy Spirit, illuminating the mind” (IV, 16). Every Christian needs to arrange his life in such a way that the flesh is in constant obedience to the spirit, and in this he will be helped by fasting and abstinence, since they depress the flesh and encourage the spirit. “Therefore, if you want to make your mind strong, curb the flesh by fasting,” says the holy father, “for he who gives himself over to the side of the flesh overcomes the spirit, and he who goes over to the side of the spirit enslaves the flesh. For they oppose each other” (IV, 15). “Destroying carnal fatness and materiality in the soul, try to make it spiritual,” encourages the saint (II, 44). “Let us take away its boldness from the flesh, and increase our spiritual strength, so that, with the help of fasting, having won victory over the passions, we may be crowned with the crowns of abstinence” (IV, 23). The Holy Father teaches that fasting was established by the Lord God Himself. This is “an ancient gift, not deteriorating, not aging, but constantly renewed and blooming in all its beauty... Fasting is not a new invention, but a treasure of the fathers” (IV, 6–7). Fasting is even older than the law given by the Lord. He is contemporary with humanity (IV, 7). Saint Basil the Great repeatedly explains that fasting was established by God in paradise. “Fasting is legalized in paradise; it reminds that, having placed a person in the midst of paradise, the Lord commanded him: “From the tree... you will not tear down the good and the evil” (Genesis 2:17). And this “you will not endure” is the legalization of fasting and abstinence... But the very stay in paradise is an image of fasting, not only because man, leading a life equal to the angels, succeeded in becoming like the angels by being content with little, but also because it did not occur to those who lived in paradise that it was later invented by human imagination: neither the drinking of wine, nor the slaughter of animals, nor everything that makes the human mind cloudy" (IV, 7). Through intemperance, the death of a person occurred, then the flesh prevailed over the spirit, and the person was expelled from paradise; It is unthinkable to regain the lost strength of spirit and again raise the flesh to paradise without fasting. If fasting was necessary in paradise, then it became much more necessary for a person outside paradise. “If Eve had fasted,” says the saint, “we would now have no need for this fast. For they do not require the health of a doctor, but the sick (Matthew 9:12). We are damaged by sin, we will be healed by repentance, and repentance without fasting is ineffective” (IV, 7). “Let us fast,” calls the holy father, “in order to ascend again to heaven... By fasting, be justified before God” (IV, 7). For only fasting has the power to curb the flesh, make the mind strong (IV, 23) and lead it to God, while “luxury becomes a betrayer of salvation” (IV, 10). “Satiety pleases one belly, but fasting benefits the soul. Rejoice,” says the holy father, “that the Doctor has given you medicine that destroys sin... therefore, with a bright face, flow to the gift of fasting” (IV, 5-6). Explaining that breaking fasting served to condemn the first person, St. Basil the Great then gives another example of how fasting served to justify people. “All the saints observed fasting as a paternal inheritance, passed on from father to son and received successively, so that this acquisition has been preserved to us” (IV, 9). The Old Testament righteous men of God also fasted (V, 125), and the saint of God Moses fasted before receiving the tablets of God’s law on Mount Sinai (IV, 9; IV, 26). “And as at the top of the mountain,” the saint notes, “fasting provided the law, but below the insatiability of the belly brought its fury to idolatry” (IV, 9). The great prophet of God Elijah fasted and was honored “to be a spectator of a great vision, for, having cleansed his soul with a forty-day fast, he saw the Lord in the Horeb cave, as far as it is possible for a person to see Him” (IV, 10; IV, 26). And the three youths in Babylon “in the great fire of the furnace, as if poured from gold, turned out to be inaccessible to damage from fire... The fire did not dare to touch the hair that was restored by fasting” (IV, I). And “the man of desire, Daniel, who for three weeks did not eat bread or drink water, taught the lions that came into his den to fast” (IV, 12; V, 125). So, “bring to memory the saints,” the saint concludes, “who were from the beginning of the age, of whom the whole world was not worthy... who lived in sheepskins and in goatskins, in deprivation, sorrow, embitterment (Heb. 11, 38, 37). Imitate their way of life if you want a part with them. What laid Lazarus to rest in the bowels of Abraham? Isn't it a post? And John’s life was a single fast (see: Matt. 11: 11). And Paul... fasting... elevated him to the third heaven" (IV, 14). And that the law of abstinence is necessary is clearly evident from the fact that the holy Apostle Paul classifies it among spiritual fruits (see: Gal. 5:23), “then and from the fact that the apostle attributes success in the integrity of service to abstinence when he says; “In labor, in vigils, in fasting, in purification” (2 Cor. 6: 5–6); and in another place: “In labor and struggle, in vigils in abundance, in hunger and thirst, in fasting abound” (2 Cor. 11:27); and again: “Whoever strives will abstain from all” (1 Cor. 9:25)” (V, 123). And “all saints have testimonies of their abstinence. The whole life of saints and blessed people... obliges us to it” (V, 124). Finally, Saint Basil the Great also points to the example of Christ the Savior Himself, Who fasted in order to give us all an example of how through fasting we can gain strength and overcome temptations (V, 124). “But the most important thing from what has been said is,” he says, “that our Lord strengthened by fasting the flesh He took on for us, took upon Himself the attack of the devil in it, teaching us to anoint ourselves with fasting and accustom ourselves to exploits in temptations” (IV, 15; II, 49). Fasting “repels temptations, anoints those who strive in piety; he is the companion of sobriety, the worker of chastity; He performs valiant deeds in battles, and teaches silence in times of peace; sanctifies the Nazarite, ordains the priest, for without fasting it is impossible to dare to perform sacred acts” (IV, 10). Christian fasting is an integral part of Christian life. It has the meaning of the most necessary and powerful means in the active pious life of a Christian family and society. “Fasting protects babies, chastises the young, makes the old man respectable... Fasting is the most decent attire for women, a bridle in the prime of life, a guardian of marriage, a teacher of childhood” (IV, 24). “Lent is the beauty of the city, the improvement of the marketplace, the peace of houses, the salvation of property” (IV, 18). That is why, the holy father concludes, if everyone observed true fasting, then nothing would prevent there being deep peace “in the whole universe; nations would not rebel against each other, armies would not engage in battles among themselves... and nothing would prevent one from living life in deep peace and spiritual serenity” (IV, 25). However, fasting itself cannot yet bring spiritual peace and salvation to a person if it is not consistent with the purpose for which they resort to it. The feat of fasting is performed with the aim of weakening the sinful movements of the flesh and strengthening spiritual strength. But there is no benefit from fasting, which is performed with Pharisaic hypocrisy and does not extend beyond the change of food and drink. “Abstinence from food,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “observed for show and not extending beyond the commandment “do not touch, do not taste, do not touch” (Col. 2:21), the soul of the Lord hates, but abstinence, used to enslave carnal wisdom, is loved by the Lord, because through the exhaustion of the flesh it creates sanctification. Abstaining from food in itself is not enough to make fasting commendable, but it is necessary that the behavior in other respects be consistent” (II, 46-47). “Fasting is a weapon for the defense against demons, because this... kind does not come forth except through prayer and fasting (Matt. 17:21)" (IV, 16), and therefore it would be wrong if we began to limit the benefits of fasting to abstinence from food alone, because "true fasting is elimination from evil deeds" (IV, 17). Those who have no... battle against blood and flesh, but against the rulers and authorities, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual malice (Eph. 6:12), then it is necessary to prepare for the feat by abstinence and fasting. “For oil anoints the fighter, and fasting strengthens the ascetics of piety. Therefore, as much as you take from the flesh, you will give to the soul so that it can shine with spiritual health, because it is not through bodily strength, but through the constancy of the soul and patience in sorrow that victory is achieved over invisible enemies” (IV, 21). A person is justified not by fasting in itself, but by the change that occurs in a person during fasting. Physical fasting cannot be an end in itself. This is only a means in the fight against sin. The main thing is the state of mind that a person has during fasting. “Abstinence from food curbs the lust of the belly... But even intense abstinence from food is not enough for perfection,” the holy father teaches, “if the soul does not abstain from what feeds sin” (II, 47). Abstinence should concern not only food, but should extend to all passions generated by voluptuousness, such as: pride, conceit, anger, irritability, envy, ill will, lust for power, ambition, vanity, excessive acquisitiveness. “The strict law of abstinence assigns measure to the tongue, limits to the eyes, unquestioning hearing to the ears. He who does not remain within these boundaries is intemperate and self-willed” (V, 126) Abstinence should extend to laughter itself. “So,” concludes St. Basil the Great, “abstinence is the extermination of sin, alienation from passions, mortification of the body even to the most natural sensations and desires, the beginning of spiritual life, the giver of eternal blessings, destroying in oneself the beginning of voluptuousness” (V, 127). “It is the mother of chastity, the vigilante of health and sufficiently removes obstacles to the fruition of good deeds in Christ” (V, 129). And whoever is above all passion, does not tolerate and does not allow himself any irritation produced by pleasure, but firmly and unflaggingly avoids all harmful pleasure, is a perfect ascetic, and such a person is obviously free from all sin (V, 127). According to the teachings of the Holy Father, fasting should be “prudent.” “One must certainly keep a fast and eat food in the measure characteristic of piety” (V, 256). Only true fasting is a powerful remedy against sin. For “the sin that lives in the depths of the soul is mortified in it by accepting a fast that is truly worthy of this name” (IV, 6). “Fasting is the beginning of repentance...” Therefore, “let us fast with a fast that is pleasant, pleasing to God [i.e. that is, by true fasting,” the saint encourages. “And true fasting is removal from evil, abstinence of the tongue, suppression of anger, excommunication of lusts, slander, lies, perjury - abstinence from this is true fasting” (IV, 28). It should be noted that the saint makes success in abstinence dependent on other virtues; especially from doing good to needy brothers. “Just as a benefit to the needy, made from unrighteous gains, is unpleasant to God,” he says, “so he who abstains from unrighteousness is not praiseworthy if he does not give from his property to anyone... And again, if, having acquired through righteous labors... with which the poor would feed, then this (i.e., uncharity. - Author.) will be counted to you as theft" (IV, 336, 337). The Holy Father has a reminder of a more sublime way of humbling the flesh, namely, the improvement of the soul by thinking about the highest goods. “When the soul is well-ordered,” he says, “and by thinking about blessings is elevated to its inherent greatness, then the consequence of this is the withering of bodily strength” (IV, 34), for “with the growth of the flesh, the mind sometimes becomes somewhat weaker; and conversely, with the improvement of the mind, the flesh often becomes refined” (II, 49). “When I am weak,” says the holy Apostle, “then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10), “and the abundance of bodily strength serves as an obstacle to the salvation of the soul” (I, 243). Based on this, Saint Basil the Great advises everyone to maintain fasting, both physical and spiritual, with diligence, for abstaining from food alone does not bring any benefit in the spiritual improvement of a person. “For what is the benefit if, while abstaining from food, you devour the lust of fornication with your eyes, or willingly listen with your ears to vain and devilish speech? - says the saint. - There is no benefit in abstaining from food, but not in abstaining from arrogance, arrogance, vain glory and all passion. Or what is the benefit of observing abstinence in food and not abstaining from evil and vain thoughts? (V, 395). “What is the use of fasting with the body when the soul is filled with thousands of evils” (I, 136). The Holy Father also reminds us that fasting is for man, not man for fasting. Taking food in accordance with his bodily strength, a Christian should not allow satiety, which incapacitates his spiritual strength. “Avoiding immoderation in pleasure, the goal of eating should not be pleasure,” the saint teaches, “but the need for food for life... In spiritual weaknesses, one measure of abstinence is complete alienation from everything that leads to harmful pleasure. And in the discussion of food, just as everyone has their own needs, varying according to age, occupation and state of the body, so the measure and method of consumption are different” (V, 130; V, 66). The main goal of fasting and abstinence is “to curb passions, and curbing passions is serenity and silence of the soul, and spiritual silence is the most productive source of virtues. The best continence of the womb is that which in everyone is commensurate with bodily strength” (V, 361). Prudent fasting and abstinence are not capable of inflaming lusts and making passions unbridled. “This happens as a consequence of gluttony and luxury” (V, 365). But the saint also completely condemns immoderate fasting. This kind of fasting is not worthy of the name of abstinence, “for abstinence does not consist merely in avoiding foods that do not mean anything in themselves, but in the complete renunciation of one’s own wills” (V, 252). Therefore, “one must fast moderately and provide the body with the most necessary help, but in such a way that it is not voluptuousness that guides the choice of food, but reason with all rigor in determining the need” (V, 365). Abstinence for everyone should be determined according to his bodily strength, so as not to stop at what is below the strength that a person has, and not to extend to what is above strength. And special attention must be paid to this, so that excessive abstinence, weakening bodily strength, does not make the body lazy and inactive for the most important activities. “God, when creating man, of course, did not want,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “for him to remain idle and motionless, but for him to be active... Therefore, one should not make innovations contrary to nature and the statutes of the Benefactor of nature, but, adhering to them, one must keep the body active, never weakening from exhaustion” (V, 363). And in general, a Christian must be free from “all arrogance and follow the middle and royal path, not in the least deviate in one direction or the other, not love indulgence and not render the body powerless through excess of abstinence. For if it were good to be exhausted in body and lie breathing like a dead man, then, of course, God would have made us like this in the beginning” (V, 363–364; I, 180). Prudent completion of the feat of fasting makes a person, even from the outside, close to angels in image and saints in life (VI, 26). “The fasting person,” says the holy father, “has a respectable complexion, it does not turn into shameless purple, but is adorned with chaste pallor; His gaze is meek, his gait is sedate, his face is meaningful, not disfigured by immoderate laughter; he has regularity in speech, purity in his heart” (IV, 14). Thus, based on the stated teaching of St. Basil the Great on prayer and fasting, one can see that these means have great power in the matter of spiritual improvement and salvation. Every Christian who wants to succeed in spiritual life must undergo the feat of prayer and fasting with wise determination. “We know,” says the wise saint, “that in many the intention to live in purity often prevailed as a result of intense prayer and unrelenting fasting” (V, 118). So, “keep awake, brother,” walking along the path of spiritual improvement and salvation! “If you want, you will have helpers: prayer that guards the night, fasting that guards the house, psalmody that edifies the soul. Take them into your community; let them keep vigil with you, guarding your treasures” (IV, 205). Chapter IX. Monasticism as a special kind of Christian life established by the Lord Monasticism, as a special state of Christians who differ from the clergy in the essence of their vows and from the laity in their way of life, occupies an important place and is of great importance in the composition of the Universal Church. That is why Saint Basil the Great in his works devotes great attention to monasticism, which he places very highly. The Holy Father himself experienced and studied the monastic path of life. He visited great ascetics in Alexandria, Egypt, Palestine, and Mesopotamia. Having studied the exemplary exploits of the holy fathers, taking advantage of their wise instructions, Saint Basil established cenobitic monasticism in Pontus and wrote rules for monks. Saint Basil the Great, speaking about the reason for the removal of the holy martyr Gordius into the desert, notes that this righteous man decided to imitate the prophet Elijah, “who... withdrew to Mount Horeb and lived in a cave, seeking God, until he saw what he wanted, as much as a man can see God. Such was Gordius, who fled city riots, market crowds, the arrogance of officials, courts of law, slanderers, those who sell, buy, swear, and speak falsely; foul language, sweet speech and everything else that urban crowds entail like a ship - a small boat. Purifying his ears, purifying his eyes, and above all purifying his heart, in order to come into a state of seeing God and becoming blessed, he saw in revelations, studied mysteries... having a great teacher - the Spirit of truth” (IV, 244). It follows from this that monasticism in its essence is a complete dedication of oneself to God and His will, the desire to fulfill Christian teaching in all rigor and perfection. The Holy Father teaches that the Lord points us to this saving monastic path of life in His Holy Gospel. “Having read the Gospel,” the saint writes about himself, “I saw there that the most effective means to perfection is to sell one’s property, share it with poor brothers and not care about this life at all, not to give one’s soul into any attachments to what is here” (VII, 109). According to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, the final goal and good for man is communion with God, but sin has alienated us from God and keeps us at this distance through the passions that possess us. Consequently, in order to return to communion with God, one must cut off passions by killing them. And this is asceticism (V, 61). The ascetic, or monastic, life “has one goal - the salvation of the soul” (V, 70). However, the fight against sin, or asceticism, and concern for the salvation of the soul is a common duty for every Christian, both monks and laity. “God, who cares about our salvation,” the saint teaches, “gave two kinds of direction to human life, that is, marriage and virginity, so that those who are not able to endure the feat of virginity enter into cohabitation with a wife, knowing that they will be required to give an account of chastity, holiness and likeness to those who in marriage... lived holy... In obedience to the Gospel, an account will be required from all people - whether they are monks or living in marriage... Christ, preaching the commandments of the Father, addressed his speech to those living in the world, and if it happened that the questioned one answered His disciples in private, then he testified, saying: “And what I say to you, I say to all” (Mark 13:37)” (V, 41–42). According to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, monasticism is the most convenient path to spiritual perfection and salvation. Of course, “it is possible for those living in the world to erect victorious signs,” he says, “and... for those who fought to emerge victorious” (I, 249), to achieve spiritual perfection and be saved. However, those living in the world, being bound by worldly concerns, family life and all kinds of worries, are in less favorable spiritual conditions than monastics, who have completely renounced the world and dedicated their lives to serving God. Marriage is not an obstacle to the pious life of a lay person, but to lead such a life it is necessary to put in more work, since there are more stumbling blocks along the way. “Therefore, you, who have chosen to live together with your wife, do not be careless,” the saint admonishes, “as if you have the right to surrender to the world. To improve your salvation, you need more work and caution, because you have chosen your home among the snares and powers of apostate forces, and you have before your eyes an incentive to sin... Therefore, know that you will not avoid the struggle with the apostate and you will not win victory over him without many works on guard of the Gospel dogmas” (V, 42-43). Thus, marriage does not relieve one from the duty to fight passions, overcome them and completely cleanse one’s heart of them. Moreover, it creates many obstacles on this path (VI, 8-9). The Holy Father says in detail that life according to the Gospel of Christ is successful when one moves away from worldly cares and when one completely removes oneself from entertainment. “And this requirement, “If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself” (Luke 9:23), how can anyone fulfill this while living in a crowded environment? he asks. So, we need to first deny ourselves and take up our cross, and then follow Christ. Renunciation of oneself, according to the teachings of the holy father, is “complete oblivion of the past and removal from one’s will” (V, 102). And the readiness to die for Christ, the disposition of the spirit to face any danger with fearlessness for the name of Christ, non-attachment to temporary life, means “taking up your cross,” teaches Saint Basil (V, 103). Drawing an image of ascetic life, the saint compares the ascetic with a warrior. A warrior, when in service, does not build houses, does not acquire ownership of fields, and does not interfere in various purchases to increase property. No one who has been a warrior obliges himself with the purchases of life, so that he may be pleasing to the commander (2 Tim. 2:4) (V, 35). Therefore, an ascetic monk, as a warrior of Christ, needs to acquire “a homeless, non-social, non-covetous life... [one should live] renouncing all worldly concerns” so that he is not bound by “neither the lust of his wife nor the care of children; because this is impossible for one who is at war with God” (V, 36). Thus, according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, just as for a warrior the first condition is renunciation of everything that does not relate to military affairs, so for those who wish to “enter the path of the crusader life of monks” in order to avoid many temptations of the world and achieve spiritual perfection and salvation, the same first condition is renunciation of the world. “It does not consist in being outside the world with a body, but in order to break away with the soul from attachment to the body, to have neither home, nor property, nor partnership, to be non-acquisitive, not worried about the means of life, ready to accept the divine teaching imprinted in the heart” (VI, 9), “to succeed in dispassion even for life itself and to have in ourselves the condemnation of death... let us not hope for it ( 2 Cor. 1:9)" (V, 109). “In short, this is the transmigration of the human heart into heavenly life, and what is even more important, this is the beginning of becoming like Christ. And if we do not succeed in this, then we cannot begin to live according to the Gospel of Christ” (V, 112). However, renunciation of the world should not be hasty. Anyone who wants to enter the path of monastic life must first of all test himself and first accustom himself to the patience of bodily and mental sorrows, “so that, having plunged himself into unexpected struggles, and then, not having the strength to withstand the trials encountered, again with shame and ridicule he does not rush back to what he fled from, returning to the world with the condemnation of the soul and becoming a temptation for many, giving everyone a reason to conclude that it is impossible to live in Christ” (V, 40–41). Such a one will be condemned not only for betrayal of Christ, but also for the destruction of the seduced (V, 41). In another place the saint says that he who dedicated himself to God and then “fled to another kind of life became a blasphemer, because he kidnapped himself and appropriated God’s offering for himself” (V, 119; V, 63). Therefore, “you, lover of heavenly rules, zealot of angelic life, desiring to become a comrade-in-arms with the disciples of Christ,” exhorts St. Basil the Great, “strengthen yourself to endure sorrows, courageously approach the council of monks, and at the very beginning of your renunciation be firm” and “strengthen yourself by exchanging the mortal for the immortal... When breaking ties with friends and loved ones, do not be sad, because You are united with Christ, who was crucified for you, and can you imagine such friendliness that is higher? (V, 43–44). The Holy Father advises, upon entering into monastic life, to leave all connections with relatives according to the flesh, friends and loved ones, in order to unite more easily and more closely with Christ (V, 50, 149). However, this requirement prohibits only partial love for anyone, which interferes with the free service of Christ, and not love for the Lord, which everyone is obliged to have for all their neighbors (see: John 13: 34. Matthew 25: 35–36, 40) (V, 95–96). After a thorough test, firm confidence and conviction of complete readiness and determination to leave the world and endure everything for the sake of God and eternal life, right up to death, a person seeking monastic achievements can enter a monastery. The path of monastic life is very difficult and to pass it successfully, to study the great science of this life and emerge victorious without the guidance of an experienced mentor is completely unthinkable. The Holy Father advises choosing an experienced elder for leadership in spiritual life, who would lead infallibly in the way of life and know how to lead well (V, 44–45). Encouraging those who dedicate themselves to monastic life to renounce their will, as the only true path to salvation, St. Basil the Great advises not to do anything contrary to the will of the teacher, “for everything that is done without him is a kind of theft and sacrilege, leading to death, even if your deed seems good to you” (V, 46). In order to bring his life into a state consistent with the commandments of the Lord and achieve spiritual perfection, a monk “must not leave a single movement of his soul hidden, not let a single word pass without testing, but reveal the secrets of the heart to those of the brethren who are entrusted with exercising mercy and compassionate care for the weak (i.e., the elder-confessor - Author). For in this way the praiseworthy will be confirmed, and the disapproving will not remain without proper healing, and with such mutual exercise, through gradual increments, perfection will be achieved” (V, 143). The daily revelation of thoughts is of great importance in the development of the novice. First of all, it reveals to the mentor internal ulcers that the novice himself does not notice, indicates the moral shortcomings and sinful inclinations of the student, to which the elder applies appropriate healing spiritual medicine. That is why the saint resolutely insists on not trusting himself in anything, but revealing everything to the elder, even that for which his conscience does not condemn him. Likewise, with bodily ailments, it often happens that patients do not feel them. “However, they trust the doctors’ observations more than they rely on what they themselves do not feel. So in the discussion of mental illnesses, that is, sins, although someone does not condemn himself, not recognizing sin, he must nevertheless believe those who are able to see better what is in him. The holy apostles set an example in this when, with undoubted confidence in their sincere disposition towards the Lord, having heard: “Only of you will betray Me,” they believed this word of the Lord more and changed their thoughts, saying: “Am I food, Lord?” (Matthew 26:21–22)” (V, 335–336). According to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, it is necessary to accept everyone into the monastery “who comes to the Lord and wants to take upon themselves His good yoke and the burden of the commandments, which makes our path to heaven easier” (V, 115). At the same time, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who asked the young man who came about his past life, and, having learned that he had acquired some successes, commanded him to fulfill what was still missing to perfection, and upon completion invited him to follow Him (see: Matt. 19: 20-21); It is necessary for all new entrants to “examine the previous life and to those who have already made some progress, to convey the most perfect in lessons, and for those who leave a vicious life or from a state of indifference strive for a strict life of knowledge of God, it is necessary to test what kind of character they are, whether they are not fickle and rash in judgments” (V, 115). The best way to test everyone, according to the saint, is to find out whether “they are disposed, without shame, to show all humility, so as to accept the lowest works, if the mind recognizes their performance as useful. And everyone, after every trial by people who are capable of judiciously examining such things, will be recognized as a vessel useful to the Master, prepared for every good work (2 Tim. 2:21), then let him be counted among those who have dedicated themselves to the Lord” (V, 116). The responsibility to admit into the monastery lies with the abbot of the monastery. However, he should not accept on his own without the knowledge of the entire monastic brethren (V, 245). Those who wish to enter only temporarily should also be accepted into the monastery, since it has often happened that those who entered temporarily remained in the monastery forever. But since people have different morals, then “in his reasoning it is necessary to carefully observe rigor so that the truth is revealed and suspicion of any negligence is dispelled, for in this way we will please God, and he will either receive benefit or be convicted” (V, 240). From one letter of St. Gregory the Theologian it is clear that the monasteries and monasteries established by St. Basil were called schools 11. Anyone who entered this school had to study here everything that relates to a perfect and virtuous ascetic life. “Study, monastic, a faithful person and a worker of piety,” exhorts St. Basil the Great, “learn the gospel life, enslavement of the body, a humble way of thinking, purity of thought, eradication of anger in yourself. He who is subject to punishment - add for the sake of the Lord; deprived - do not sue; hated - love; persecuted - be patient; blasphemed - pray. Be dead to sin, crucify to God. Place all your care on the Lord, so that you may have a place for yourself where there are ten thousand angels, the triumphs of the firstborn, the thrones of the apostles, the presidency of the prophets, the sceptres of patriarchs, the crowns of martyrs, the praises of the righteous” (VI, 99). In another place, the holy father gives the following instruction to a student of monastic life: “Have ears open to listen and hands ready to carry out what you hear, have silent lips and a cautious heart. Be lazy in idle talk, but be prudent and knowledgeable in the saving hearing of the divine Scriptures” (V, 47). Knowing how much sin enters the soul through hearing and how much the soul is devastated by many unnecessary conversations, the saint teaches as a warning to ascetics: “Do not open your ears to everyone who rants and do not answer every talker in conversations that are not consistent with the goal of asceticism. Be a listener to good teachings and guard your heart while thinking about them... Do not be curious... Look profitably, listen profitably, speak and answer profitably” (V, 52). The Holy Father advises not to leave your cell without extreme need and not to leave the monastery without a blessing, so that by vain conversations with worldly people you do not weaken your zeal for exploits and vigilance over your thoughts. “Although you will return to your cell [having avoided serious vices], you will no longer be the same as you left, but weakened, not disposed to any good deed” (V, 48). The novice should also not think about changing the rules according to which the life of the brotherhood proceeds, but with all his might he should strive to fulfill it (V, 46). The Holy Father gives a whole series of advice to a newcomer regarding external behavior: “Before superiors (i.e., elders. - Author) do not suddenly dare to sit down, and if they invite you, then do not sit next to them... but try to find a lower place, so that God will glorify you for your humility. If they ask you, answer in a decent and humble voice, and if they don’t ask, keep silent... If you are talking to your inferior or he asks you something, do not give him answers carelessly, despising your brother to offend God... Let a word of consolation precede your other speeches, confirming your love for your neighbor” (V, 52-53). To achieve spiritual perfection and eternal salvation, great efforts and labors are needed, for the Kingdom of Heaven “belongs to those who use compulsion, and those in need take it away (Matthew 11:12). This is the word of the Gospel, says St. Basil the Great. – It called the exhaustion of the body, which Christ’s disciples voluntarily endure in renunciation of their own desires and bodily rest, and in keeping all the commandments of Christ, coercion. Therefore, if you want to capture the Kingdom of God, use compulsion,” the holy father admonishes, “bend your neck under the yoke of Christ’s service... thin it through the work of virtues, in fasting, in vigils, in obedience, in silence, in psalmody, in prayers, in tears, in handicrafts, in enduring all sorrow inflicted on you by demons and people.” Do not slacken in your labors, “so that at the doors of the procession they do not find you naked from virtues and so that you do not remain outside the gates of the Kingdom” (V, 55). One who has taken upon himself the burden of monastic deeds should not reveal them to others. “Hide yourself from vain people,” says the saint, “and reveal yourself, most often, before God. As much as it depends on you, avoid any outing into society, avoiding a distracted heart” (V, 47). While staying in his cell, a monk must daily consider his spiritual work, hastening towards correction and success in virtues. “Stay in your cell not for days, not for months, but for many years,” encourages St. Basil the Great, “chanting your Lord day and night, imitating the cherubim. If you begin this way, you will end this way, walking the narrow path in the short time of your asceticism, by the grace of God, you will enter paradise with the shining lamp of your soul, rejoicing with Christ forever” (V, 56). When, with the assistance of the grace of God, the novice goes through the path of testing, gradually accustoming himself to the harsh feats of monastic life, and firmly decides to remain in it until death, only then can he take monastic vows. From the letters of St. Basil the Great it is clear that the vows were pronounced by the monk publicly before the abbot and brethren (IV, 58), and with these vows, the monk was probably given a new name. Thus, sending one monk to his mother with a letter, the holy father calls him Dionysius, adding that this is the former Diomede (VI, 43). In the Second Canonical Epistle to Amphilochius, the saint determines the age for virgins to take vows. “A virgin who is over sixteen or seventeen years old, has already mastered reason, has been tested for a long time and after the test has remained firm and persistently asks for acceptance,” he says, “she must be included in the number of virgins, and her vow must be confirmed” (VII, 41). The holy father allowed children in the monastery to take vows at a much early age (V, 122). Young ascetics took monastic vows in the presence of witnesses—the primates of the Church. With the same witnesses, children who were being raised there were released from the monastery, who were incapable of accepting the virgin life (V, 123). The monastic vow, according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, is “one of the sacred offerings to God” (V, 63). Therefore, the one who has made a vow must observe himself in every possible way for God, so as not to desecrate what is dedicated to God by the vow and not to fall under judgment for sacrilege (V, 63; V, 119). He who dedicated himself to God thereby took upon himself “no small feat” (VI, 301). He must lead a blameless life, in accordance with the Gospel, “to use a bridled tongue, and a trained eye, according to the intention of the Gospel, and to use his hands to please God, and to move his legs, and to use each of his members, as our Creator originally ordered” (VI, 30). The essence of monastic life consists of three vows - the vow of virginity, non-covetousness, or arbitrary poverty, and the vow of obedience. To understand the importance of these vows, one should turn to the teachings of the holy Apostle John the Theologian. In the First Conciliar Epistle, he writes: “Everything that is in the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but from this world” (1 John 2:16). Monasticism strives to overcome the lust of the flesh by the vow of virginity, by the vow of non-covetousness - the lust of the eyes, so as not to be seduced by the world, which, according to the Apostle, lies in evil (1 John 5:19), by the vow of obedience - the pride of life. The exploits of monastic life are aimed at restoring in fallen man the beauty of the image of God distorted by sin, achieving dispassion, and returning to the original grace-filled and blessed life (V, 61). Virginity serves as a method for this, says St. Basil the Great (V, 62). A truly virgin life is a life equal to the angels. It does not only consist in abstaining from childbearing, but the entire way of life, the Holy Father teaches, life itself and morals should be virginal. “It is possible,” he says, “to commit fornication with a word, to commit adultery with one’s eye, to defile one’s ears, to receive uncleanness in one’s heart, and to exceed the limits of chastity by immoderation in food and drink” (V, 62). “He is not pure who behaves unevenly in relation to chastity, but he who has subordinated the wisdom of the flesh to the Spirit” (II, 8). According to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, “chastity is a true power united with consciousness, deeply imprinted in the soul and destroying the remaining traces of shameful movements” (II, 51). A monk who has dedicated himself to God with a vow of virginity must beware of anger, envy, resentment or pride, talking at the wrong time, laziness in prayer, the desire to have something that is not yet there, and carelessness about the commandments. It is equally dangerous for him to remain in the sin that he has renounced, and to indulge in anything said, “for everything done out of passion harms spiritual purity and interferes with divine life” (V, 63). The general rule for those who have chosen an abstinent, pure life, according to the saint, should be to always remember “not to defile oneself, God’s vessel, by any passionate use” (V, 63). Most of all, a monk must refrain from dating women and drinking wine, “because wine and women will corrupt the wise (Sir. 19:2)” (V, 59). The monk also needs to “guard his heart from evil thoughts” (V, 57), driving them away with the power of fervent prayer and daily confession to the confessor, since carnal thoughts “pass through the body into the soul” (V, 343) and defile it. Having made a vow of purity to God, he no longer has “the right to return to marriage, but by all means he must fight nature and its strong aspirations, striving to maintain purity” (V, 344–345). Along with virginity, non-covetousness is of great importance in monasticism. Saint Basil the Great teaches that those striving for a high life need to take care most of all to “comply with the renunciation of property, because caring for material things produces great entertainment in the soul” (V, 70). The vow of non-covetousness extends not only to the external, but also to the internal state of the monk. He embraces “many things... First of all,” says the Holy Father, “we deny the devil and carnal passions... bodily affinities, human friendship and habits of life that oppose the precision of the Gospel salvation. And, what is even more necessary, we deny ourselves and... all attachments to the world that can hinder the goal of piety” (V, 108-109). Non-acquisitiveness begins with “alienation of external things, such as property, vain glory, habits of life, addiction to the useless” (V, 109). “Those who are overwhelmed by a strong desire to follow Christ can no longer pay attention to anything concerning this life: neither love for parents... nor human fear... not to the evil laughter of worldly people” (V, 110). A monk should not have any property. “Let everyone have a common pantry... and let everyone use what he needs from what is common. And let nothing be called someone’s property, neither clothes, nor shoes, etc., so that each such thing serves a need, and not the one who owns it” (V, 67, 71). The vow of obedience requires from the ascetic a decisive cutting off of his own will, voluntary and complete submission of himself in everything to the will of another. First of all, the monk owes perfect obedience to God as his Creator and Savior, and must, in accordance with His all-holy will, which, according to the Apostle, is... good, acceptable and perfect (Rom. 12:2), arrange his life and salvation. Saint Basil the Great teaches that the first and most ancient commandment of God was the commandment of obedience, given to our ancestors in paradise. That is why the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was in paradise, he says, “that a commandment was needed to test our obedience” (IV, 137). But since “the devil became our adversary as a result of the fall to which we were brought in ancient times by his malice, then, according to the Lord’s economy, we have a struggle with him so that we can overcome him by obedience and triumph over the enemy” (IV, 138). The image of true obedience was given to everyone in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who was obedient to His Heavenly Father even to the point of death on the cross (see: Phil. 2:8). Therefore, looking at his Divine Teacher, a monk must imitate Him and show all humility and obedience to the leader of the monastery appointed by God, according to what is written: “Listen to you, He listens to Me; and if you are swept away, Me will be swept away” (Luke 10:16). Quoting from the Epistle to the Romans, where the Apostle Paul commands all “those in authority to obey” (13: 1), the holy father says that “if the law of God required such submission from the godly to the rulers of this world... then what kind of obedience is the ascetic obliged to show to the ruler who was appointed by God and received power according to His laws?!” (V, 405). Obedience is the fulfillment of any task, no matter what is entrusted to the monk, with the cutting off of one’s own will and understanding (V, 410). In obedience, according to the saint, the whole monastic life is contained. The basis and perfection of monastic life is obedience. We can safely say that the obedient monk imitates our Lord Jesus Christ Himself (V, 366, 390). The obedient one is given instructions and does not contradict; they give a command, and he does not pervert it; they reprimand him, and he is not angry, for he knows that through this virtue he can easily achieve spiritual perfection and be saved. “Therefore, in every respect it is necessary to obey either God according to His commandment, or others for the sake of His commandment, for it is written: “Submitting one another in the passion of God” (Eph. 5:21)” (V, 196). In addition to obedience to the abbot, elder or spiritual father, ascetics must also show obedience to each other, if this obedience “is in agreement with the commandment of God or promotes it” (V, 246). If a brother commands or asks another to do something inconsistent and “contrary to the Lord’s commandment... then he who loves God should flee from such a one and abhor him” (V, 246–247). When asked how we should show obedience to each other, the holy father replies: “As slaves to a ruler, according to the commandment of the Lord: “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant... and slave of all” (Mark 10: 43–44)” (V, 247). In general, “I saw,” says St. Basil, “that all decorum and harmony between many are maintained successfully as long as everyone’s common obedience to one boss is protected, and all disagreement and discord, as well as multiple commands, is a consequence of lack of command” (V, 7). If the obedience of a monk, according to the teachings of the saint, “should extend to death” (V, 247), “then he who refuses the assigned task and covets another, firstly, violates obedience and clearly shows that he has not denied himself, and then becomes the culprit of many other evils for himself and for others” (V, 248). In all those cases “in which the mind will deviate from perfect obedience or Satan will begin to put up obstacles, weakening and cutting off zeal,” the Holy Father advises to earnestly “pray to God and ask that an abundance of good deeds be given to us, that our flesh be nailed to the fear of God, and that our mind becomes undistracted” (V, 416), and also “ask the brotherhood to pray... to God” so that we can acquire true obedience (V, 415). It consists in the fact that the monk should not only refrain from doing inappropriate things on the advice of the abbot, but should not do even the most praiseworthy things without his will. “The reward for obedience is higher than the reward for success in abstinence” (V, 72). During the time of St. Basil the Great, hermit and cenobitic monasticism was widespread. Preferring communal monasticism to hermitism, the holy father teaches that the concept of the love of Christ does not allow everyone to have their own, for it is said: “Love... does not seek his own” (1 Cor. 13: 4-5). “And a life separated from everyone has one goal - serving everyone’s own needs... Moreover, being away from everyone, it is not easy for everyone to recognize his own shortcomings, without having someone who would expose him and correct him with meekness and compassion, for woe... to one, if he falls, there is no one to raise him up (Eccl. 4:10)” (V, 104). Further, the saint teaches that the commandments of God are fulfilled by many people together more easily and conveniently. Moreover, since one cannot contain all spiritual gifts, but each receives the gift of the Spirit according to the measure of faith, then in community life each person’s own gift becomes common to those living together, and the assistance of the Spirit in one passes on to everyone together (V, 106). A lonely life is accompanied by the greatest danger of self-indulgence, “for, having no one who could appreciate his work, he will think that he has achieved perfection. And moreover, having locked up his spiritual powers forever and not giving them exercise, he does not know his shortcomings, he does not know success in business, because all opportunities for fulfilling the commandments have been taken away. Therefore,” concludes Saint Basil, “the common life of the brethren is a field of asceticism, a reliable path to success, constant exercise and teaching in the commandments of the Lord” (V, 108). The saint advises the monk to devote most of his time to prayer, praying in every place and at every time. If for every Christian prayer should be the main feat, then even more so for a monk who has completely devoted himself to God. All his exploits must be concentrated and combined in it. The monk has left the world, but at the same time he prays for the whole world. Therefore, in the monastery most of the time is devoted to prayer. And from the very moment you enter this path of life, you must learn constant and correct prayer in order to succeed in it and be saved. “A monk,” says the holy father, “must lower his gaze to the ground, and lift up his soul to grief... pray unceasingly” (V, 57). The whole life of a monk should be “a time of prayer” (V, 66). In a letter to St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Basil the Great describes how prayer is of great benefit in the spiritual development of a monk. “The exercise of piety nourishes the soul with divine reflections. Therefore, what is more blessed than this, he says, is to imitate the face of the angels on earth: at the very beginning of the day, to rush to prayer, to honor the Creator with songs and singing; then, when the sun is completely shining, having set to work and having prayer with you everywhere, season your work with chants like salt, because the consolation of songs brings carefree and joyful peace to the soul” (VI, 9-10). That is why the Holy Father so convincingly encourages the monk to always pray fervently and never abandon the prayer rule. “Let your lips,” he says, “previously invite you to every prayer, and until the last prayer be on the rule, considering it a great loss to leave prayer” (V, 53). If, eating food to strengthen his flesh, a monk remains hopelessly at the meal until he satisfies his needs, and does not leave the table unless absolutely necessary, then all the more should he “stay until the end during spiritual nourishment and strengthen his soul with prayer. For as much as the sky differs from the earth, the heavenly from the earthly, the soul differs from the body” (V, 53). Saint Basil the Great teaches that, constantly engaged in fervent, undistracted prayer, we always have in our “soul the thought of God. And through remembrance, the thought of God planted in us is the indwelling of God Himself in us... and we become the church of God” (VI, 12). The study of Holy Scripture is also closely related to prayer. “For those who enter,” writes the holy father, “it is immediately useful and necessary to memorize something from Scripture, as for everyone, in order to establish themselves in piety and in order to wean themselves from human traditions” (V, 239). This life-saving activity must continue throughout life. Sacred Scripture must be studied because it “everywhere and in everything proclaims the will of God” (V, 214). That is why those who deliberately do not want to study the will of God will be subjected to greater condemnation. “It is obvious,” says the holy father, “that the ignorance of such a person is feigned, and he is subject to inevitable judgment for sin, not on an equal basis with the ignorant, but is subject to greater condemnation” (V, 322). The main goal of studying the Holy Scriptures is “to gain wisdom in salvation and then to pass it on to others who desire it” (V, 300). Prayer also has a close and inextricable connection with fasting. Where fruitful prayer is sought, it must necessarily be accompanied by prudent fasting, since fasting sends prayer to heaven; it is for prayer what wings are for a bird (IV, 12). A monk needs to arrange his life in such a way that the flesh is in constant obedience to the spirit, and fasting and abstinence will help him with this. The rules of St. Basil the Great speak of two types of fasting: general for all brethren, established by the Church, and private, which strict monks undertake as a personal feat. The holy father says the following about the disposition with which fasting should be met and maintained: “Since the Lord says: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6), it is dangerous to do everything that tends toward godliness without lust and zeal. And therefore, just as it is not safe for a person who fasts reluctantly to do this, it is also necessary to fast during such a need, because the Apostle, among his other labors, mentioned this one as our teaching: “I have fasted many of them” (2 Cor. 11:27)” (V, 253). When fasting, you must adhere to prudent moderation. “We must alternately keep fasting and eat food in moderation... so that when it is necessary to fulfill God’s commandment through fasting, then we fast, and then, when God’s commandment requires eating that strengthens the body, then we eat food, not as gluttons, but as God’s workers” (V, 256, 365). A special fast must also be consistent with the strength of the fasting person, and it is allowed only with the permission of the abbot of the monastery (V, 255–256). In general, the holy father looks at the physical feats of fasting and abstinence as a means to acquiring other virtues. The main thing is abstinence from various passions that overwhelm a person (V, 126). “We think of defining abstinence in this way,” says the saint, “that it is not only abstinence from food, but primarily abstinence from wandering the eyes,” which is especially necessary in the spiritual development of a monk (V, 395). True prudent abstinence “serves as a reliable guardian of chastity, and does not allow the leader-mind to rush here and there” (V, 394). It makes the monk “like angels and a companion with the righteous” (IV, 26). The most important feat in the spiritual life of a monk, according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, is zeal to please God (V, 263, 219). The monk must be “burning in spirit,” that is, “with fiery zeal, insatiable lust and indolent diligence, to do the will of God out of love for Christ Jesus our Lord, according to what is written: “He will greatly delight in His commandments” (Ps. 111: 1)” (V, 308). The fruits of such zealous fulfillment of the will of God, the holy father teaches, is a sober and undistracted walk before God. At every time and in every place, a zealous monk concentrates his mind in his heart and stands before God with reverent remembrance of Him. “Continuous remembrance of God is pious, and in this the God-loving soul does not know satiety” (IV, 221). Such an inner mood is a necessary condition for any success in the spiritual life of a Christian. “The soul that maintains its mental strength in sobriety and decent actions,” says the saint, “having established itself in divine contemplations, will exercise its morality in what is right, just, decent and peaceful” (V, 355-356). A sober walk before God is the best means to overcome everything sinful and to success in everything good. It tames anger, extinguishes lust (IV, 209), drives away laziness (V, 210). Thus, achieving dispassion, the monks “renew the primitive goodness... of nature (i.e., the image of God. - Author). They exactly imitate the life of the apostles and the Lord. They compete with the lives of angels, like them in all severity... for the contemplation of the highest perfection and the clearest comprehension of virtue is an angelic treasure” (V, 390). St. Basil the Great teaches that “they (i.e., monks. - Author) clearly show to human life how many benefits the Savior’s incarnation has brought us, because human nature, torn apart and cut into thousands of parts, to the best of their ability, is again brought into unity with itself and with God. For this is the main thing in the Savior’s economy in the flesh - to bring human nature into unity with itself and with the Savior and, having destroyed the evil section, restore the primitive unity” (V, 391). So, according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, monasticism was established by God to achieve the highest spiritual perfection and salvation. To achieve this, a monk must be adorned with all the monastic virtues, namely: “complete renunciation of the world and everything worldly, complete non-acquisitiveness, complete renunciation of one’s will, strict training of the body in every good deed, tireless diligence, unceasing contemplation of God and living union with God in constant heartfelt prayer” (V, 57-60). Chapter X. The limit of human spiritual improvement in the conditions of earthly life The perfected person is elevated to angelic dignity. St. Basil the Great (I, 150) According to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, the meaning of human life is unity with God. “God is life” (IV, 134). “All this (earthly - author) is temporary, everything is deceptive,” says the holy father, “one refuge is God” (I, 292). As a result of the Fall, man “lost the likeness of God, and lost communion with life, and whoever is outside of God cannot live in a blessed life” (V, 61). A person’s direct task is “to draw closer to God throughout the entire course of life” (IV, 63), so that his entire life would be continuous and unceasing prayer. The primary benefit for the soul is “being with God and union with Him through love” (IV, 133). In this and only in this state of the soul is God’s law for human life. This is the essence of human spiritual improvement. According to the apostle, the entire economy of our salvation is as follows: “For this is the will of God, your holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Because in Christ Jesus we, as a new creation, were created... for good works (Eph. 2:10) and as not our own (1 Cor. 6:19), and having been purchased with the honest blood of the Most Pure Lamb, we have no right to live the rest of the time except according to the will of God (1 Pet. 4:2) (I, 308). According to the saint, the will of God is such that we constantly try to achieve the measure of the full stature of Christ (Eph. 4:13), which consists in being perfect, holy, just as the Heavenly Father is perfect and holy (cf. Matt. 5:48) 12. Holiness must combine all spiritual virtues so that the image of God shines through all our thoughts, inclinations and actions. “What was the first creation (that is, before the fall of Adam. - Author), - teaches the Holy Father, - such should be the subsequent restoration. A person returns to his previous state, rejecting vice, this busy life, the slavery of the soul to everyday worries; having rejected all this, he again turns to heavenly life, freed from slavery to carnal passions, to a free life in close proximity to God, to an angelic life” 13. Only “with strict care, doing things (that is, fulfilling the commandments. - Author) according to the will of God, will it be possible... to enter into unity with God” (V, 100). This is the Lord’s gift to us of being in the likeness of God. When asked how we will achieve what is in our likeness, the saint answers: “Through the Gospel.” What is Christianity? This is likeness to God to the extent possible for human nature. “If you, by the grace of God, have decided to be a Christian,” says St. Basil, “hurry to become like God... If you become an enemy of evil, forget past grievances and enmities, if you love your brothers and sympathize with them, then you will become like God. If you forgive your enemy with all your heart, you will become like God... By your kindness, patience, obedience, love and all the good deeds with which you clothe yourself in mercy, you clothe yourself in Christ and, thanks to your closeness to Him, you become close to God” 14 . Saint Basil the Great teaches that our entire earthly life should be directed towards constant spiritual improvement. This spiritual ascent is endless, it begins here on earth, and will continue in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the conditions of earthly life, a Christian must strive for righteousness, about which the Holy Father says: “The concept of righteousness is vast, and the limits of perfect righteousness are difficult to achieve” (I, 177), “for if there is something inconceivable, then true righteousness also belongs to this kind” (II, 197). “For there is an angelic righteousness that is superior to man, and if there is any power higher than the angels, then it has a superiority of righteousness corresponding to its greatness, and the righteousness of God Himself is above all reason...”, but there is a righteousness that is “intelligible to people and possible to those living in the flesh” (I, 177). “Exercise in virtue,” the holy father teaches, “is likened to a ladder, that very ladder that blessed Jacob once saw, of which one part was close to the earth and touched it, and the other extended even above the seventh heaven” (I, 161). Saint Basil the Great clearly shows that a virtuous life leads a person to the Kingdom of Heaven and that in the matter of our improvement, “measure” must be observed - the gradual movement of spiritual growth. “There are two types of growth,” the saint teaches, “one of the body, the other of the soul.” Just as the body requires “development from small to normal height... so the growth of the soul is a gradual ascent through knowledge to perfection” 15. “Do not suddenly reach for the very top of asceticism,” the saint exhorts, “lest you fall from the heights of ascetic life due to inexperience, for gradual success is better” (IV, 93). “We, raised to perfection by the exercise of piety, begin first with the rudiments of knowledge, understandable to us and commensurate with our strength, because the Master of our salvation, like the eye of a man grown in darkness, introduces us into the great light of truth after gradually accustoming us to it, because he spares our weakness” (III, 238). “Progress in virtue increases from less to greater (II, 22), therefore those entering a virtuous life must first establish their feet on the first steps and from them continually ascend higher and higher, until finally, through gradual success, they ascend to the height possible for a human being” (I, 161). “Continuously ascending higher and higher” is an essential condition for human spiritual improvement. “Let the beginning be followed by zeal for success in a good deed,” the holy father teaches, “for the most courageous ascetic Paul, wanting us not to support ourselves with previous good deeds, but to succeed more and more every day, says: “The back... forgetting, but stretching out to those before me, I pursue with zeal for the honor of the highest calling” (Phil. 3:13-14). Such is the whole of human life: it is not content with what has gone before, but is nourished not so much by the past as by the future. What good is it for a person to have yesterday’s full belly, if now, with renewed hunger, he does not find the characteristic consolation of food? Likewise, the soul does not benefit from yesterday’s good deed if the fulfillment of righteousness is abandoned on this day. For it is said: “As I find you, so I will recognize you...” Therefore, let it be known to you, brother,” the saint concludes, “that he is not perfect who began well, but he is well-skilled before God, who gives a good account of the matter” (VI, 91-92). The divine plan for man is precisely that people should achieve spiritual perfection through constant growth in spiritual life. “When we are told to “grow” (see: Gen. 1:28), teaches St. Basil the Great, “it meant the inner man and his growth in God... This is the improvement of the worldview, the strengthening of piety, the striving for the better, so that we always cling to true being, to the oblivion of what has been achieved, in order to strive for what is lacking for piety” 17. According to the holy father, a Christian must live in such a way that the past is never better than the future or the present, “for if the previous days are better than the subsequent ones, then we will be told: “You have suffered so much in vain, turning good deeds into nothing by subsequent negligence” (II, 24). The saint says that a clear example of spiritual growth was shown to us by the holy patriarch Isaac, about whom the Holy Scripture contains the following testimony: “And this man was exalted and became very great” (cf.: Gen. 26:13), for he did not retreat from his path and did not stop, having achieved little success, but constantly moved forward with large steps, ascending through the deeds of virtue: with a quick step he passed through abstinence, achieved justice, and from it rose to courage. This is how, by moving purposefully, the righteous reaches the highest point of goodness. So, “grow,” the saint exhorts, “by growing in God and perfecting yourself in the inner man” 18 . Growth in virtue must be based on the free movement of the human will. “During the initial creation, we are given the gift of being born in the image of God,” teaches St. Basil the Great, “by our own will we acquire being in the likeness of God... Having endowed us with the ability to become like God, He left us to ourselves to be workers in likeness to God, so that we would receive a reward for this work” 19. This is why a Christian must constantly strive to acquire virtues. “Virtue depends on us,” the holy father teaches, “and can be acquired through hard work” (IV, 165). And whoever “avoids working for the sake of virtue,” says the saint, “has not worked in this age and will not be alive in the future, but will begin to look at life from afar, tormented in the fire of the furnace. But whoever endured thousands of feats for the sake of virtue and tested himself in abundance in labor to acquire it, he will live to the end (i.e. forever! - Author.)” (I, 309). Only “in those who work for the sake of piety, neither deceit destroyed hopes, nor did the end weaken their exploits, because the unshakable and eternally abiding Kingdom of Heaven accepts them. Therefore, while the teaching of truth is advancing,” the Holy Father instructs, “let us not be embarrassed by false slander, let us not be intimidated by the threats of those in power, let us not be offended by the ridicule and insults of our acquaintances, and the condemnation of people... Let common reason oppose all this, calling upon us as our supporter and helper the Teacher of piety, our Lord Jesus Christ, for whom it is good to suffer and to die is gain (Phil. 1: 21)" (VI, 50). Working to acquire virtue, a Christian “through the exercise of piety becomes more and more successful” (I, 273). He experiences the value of this “highest and sufficient good” delivered by piety (IV, 165). “The understanding of piety is improved, according to the teaching of St. Basil the Great, through constant increment” (III, 198). The result of this “increment” is that a good disposition and constant zeal to please God arise in a person (V, 263, 219). “One must fulfill the Lord’s commandments with an insatiable desire, constantly hastening towards more and more,” says the saint (III, 326–327), “and thus “be renewed with love for God and grow day by day in zeal” (VII, 192). “Exercise in piety nourishes the soul with divine reflections” (VI, 9), and “[the soul] is improved by a reasonable consideration of the greatness of the glory of God, grateful reflections and constant remembrance of the good sent down to us from God” (V, 263). “The goal of our calling,” the holy father teaches, “is to become like God, as far as this is possible for human nature. Similarity is impossible without knowledge, and knowledge is acquired... through instruction and constant meditation on God” (III, 198). The knowledge of God generates, perfects and, finally, introduces man into true life. “It is impossible for the body to live without breathing, and it is impossible for the soul to exist without knowing the Creator, for ignorance of God is death for the soul” (IV, 193), and true life comes from God, “and deprivation of life is death” (IV, 134). Thinking about God does not allow sins to hide in our souls. “We will not leave time for sins,” says Saint Basil, “we will not give way to the enemy in our hearts, if through constant remembrance we infuse God into ourselves” (I, 55). In God, man is renewed, becomes young in soul, “already capable of the Heavenly Kingdom” (IV, 185). “A young man in soul,” the holy father teaches, “is one who has been brought to perfection in all parts of virtue, has a burning spirit, is filled with zeal for deeds of piety, and has the strength to do good deeds with all the effort. The Gospel calls him a predator, capable of snatching up the Kingdom of Heaven (see: Matt. 11:12)” (IV, 184; I,230). “The perfect person must be wise in the judgment of good and innocent in the judgment of evil” (IV, 182). All this is achieved only with true knowledge of God. Therefore, “every righteous person dwells in the highest (that is, he ascends with his mind to God. - Author)... and resorts to accessible sources, seeking the first principles of theology” (I, 210). Saint Basil the Great teaches that as long as a person is occupied with objects outside of God, he cannot contain within himself the knowledge of Him. “Do you not see that a word that falls among thorns,” he says, “is crushed by thorns? (see: Matthew 13:22). And thorns are carnal pleasures, wealth, fame, and worldly worries. He who seeks knowledge of God will have to stand outside of all this and, having brought the passions within himself into inactivity, perceive the knowledge of God” (I, 299). If someone goes through all the stages of a virtuous Christian life, then here on earth he will achieve dispassion (V, 61). This is the limit of spiritual improvement available to a person in earthly life. “A perfected person,” says the holy father, “is elevated to the dignity of angels” and becomes “a participant in the likeness” (I, 150, 151), a saint, for “the perfection of angels is a shrine and abiding in a shrine” (III, 244). “The goodness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” of people, “as much as they can accommodate through teaching and exercise in good deeds, brings everyone into the likeness of God when he says: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48)” (III, 52). Having achieved dispassion, a Christian through this restores the likeness of God in himself and joins true life. “Whoever has lost the likeness of God,” the saint teaches, “has also lost communion with life... So, let us return to the original grace,” he calls, “which we have lost through sin, and again we will adorn ourselves in the image of God, dispassionately becoming like the Creator. For whoever, in imitation, was able to achieve, as far as possible, the dispassion of God’s nature, he also restored the image of God in his soul. And whoever has become like God in the indicated way has, without a doubt, acquired the likeness of God’s life, constantly remaining in eternal bliss” (V, 61). Through the restoration of the image of God in oneself, man becomes the abode of the Holy Spirit. “The Spirit is truly the place of saints. And the saint is the proper place of the Spirit, represents himself in the dwelling of the Spirit with God and is called His church” (III, 277). This gives him endless bliss and joy. “The righteous man even now drinks living water (that is, he is filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit. - Author.), says the Holy Father, - and will drink more abundantly later, when he is inscribed as a citizen in the city of God (that is, in the Kingdom of Heaven. - Author.)” (I, 295). So, “rejoice in the righteousness of the Lord,” the holy father cries, “not that your household affairs are prosperous, that you enjoy bodily health, but that you have the Lord, who is so beautiful, so good, so wise. The joy of the Lord is enough for you” (I, 227). About the joy of the righteous who bear the Lord in their hearts, St. Basil the Great gives the following reasoning: “If when in your heart, as if a light had fallen, a sudden thought about God was produced and illuminated your soul, so that you loved God and despised the world and everything corporeal, then from this weak and small likeness know the full state of the righteous, who evenly and continuously grow in joy about God. So this joy comes from time to time and rarely... but in the righteous there is always divine and heavenly joy, because the Spirit undoubtedly dwells in him; the first fruit... of the spirit: love, joy, peace (Gal. 5:22). For the righteous, the Lord is like a container, whoever enters it, of all necessity, should be content and rejoice. And the righteous becomes a place for the Lord, receiving Him into themselves” (I, 227–228). Chapter XI. The life of St. Basil the Great as an example of spiritual improvement You did not breathe for many on earth, but you brought everything and gave it as a gift to Christ - soul, body, word, and hands, O Basil, the great glory of Christ, the support of the priests, the support of truth! The path of spiritual perfection of a Christian, outlined by Saint Basil the Great, is the path of life of the saint himself. It is based on the living religious experience of the great father, whose soul, in turn, absorbed all the best that was achieved by the experience of the ascetics of previous generations and his contemporaries. Therefore, the life of St. Basil the Great is inseparable from his creations and forms an organic whole with them. She can serve as a model of spiritual improvement for lay Christians, monks, scientists, theologians, preachers and pastors of the Church for all times. “Now he is in heaven... makes sacrifices for us and prays for the people... and to this day he gives... advice,” says St. Gregory the Theologian, “and for future times he left a general picture of virtue, for all Churches and souls the outline of salvation, which, looking at it as an animated law, we can arrange life” 21. With his virtuous, strictly ascetic life and exploits, Saint Basil the Great aroused the deepest amazement among his contemporaries. “Truly, Basil is the foundation of virtues,” says the Monk Ephraim the Syrian, “a book of praise, a life of miracles, walking in the flesh and walking in the spirit, a companion of the earthly, looking to the things above...” 22 At the basis of the virtuous life of St. Basil was love, having which, he “through it did not lack any of the virtues” 23. Saint Gregory the Theologian says that every person succeeds in one or more virtues, “but no one achieved perfection in everything... Basil improved so much in everything that he became, as it were, an exemplary work of nature” 24, so that even his opponents knew how to honor and respect his virtues 25. According to Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint Basil the Great was so successful in spiritual life that it is even “impossible to list the names that virtue gave him” 26. That is why Saint Gregory of Nyssa includes among all “famous saints the man of God... the great vessel of truth - Basil” 27. Just as Noah escaped the Flood and became the founder of the second world, says St. Gregory the Theologian, so “Basily escaped the flood of wickedness, made his city an ark of salvation, easily sailing through the abyss of heresies, and renewed the whole world from it... Great is Abraham, the patriarch and priest of an extraordinary sacrifice... but no less a sacrifice is Basil, who offered himself to God... I praise the ladder Jacob... and his struggle with God... But I also praise the ladder, which Vasily not only saw, but walked along it with gradual ascents in virtue... I praise the struggle in which I fought not with God, but for God, overthrowing the teachings of the heretics. I also praise his pastoral art, with which he was enriched, I praise the good many children born according to God, and the blessing with which he strengthened many.” 28 Like the great Moses, for whom “the light shone in the bush, we can also say,” testifies St. Gregory of Nyssa, “about some vision of Basil similar to this. One night, when he was praying, he saw the radiance of light in the house, this light was immaterial, illuminating the house with Divine power, not kindled by any material object” 29. With his zeal for the faith, indignation against those who rejected it, love for God, striving for what truly exists, not deviating from anything earthly, a strict way of life, concern for the future and the same attitude towards all people, regardless of their dignity or rank - “St. Basil imitated such and similar miracles to the great prophet Elijah” 30. Despite the fact that Saint John the Baptist was the greatest of those born of women (Matthew 11:11), Saint Basil the Great was in many ways an imitator of his angelic life. “Who does not know how much he did not tolerate a pampered and refined way of life,” says St. Gregory of Nyssa, “willingly choosing the harsh and difficult in everything, scorched by the sun, embraced by the cold, exercising his body in fasting and abstinence, living in cities as in deserts, not in the least harming his virtue by community with people, and making deserts cities... just as under the Baptist the desert became a city, crowded with those who flocked to it. And that he was not a stick, easily swayed by the opinions of his opponents, this proves his steadfastness in all decisions of life. At first he fell in love with non-covetousness; the decision remained unshakable. He desired to approach God with purity; his desire was a mountain, not a reed, for he never bowed to the winds of temptation. And the firmness of Basil’s love for God can only be expressed in the apostle’s own words, that neither death, nor life... neither the present, nor the future... nor any other creature could separate his heart from the love of God (Rom. 8: 38–39). Likewise, in all decisions regarding virtue, he was never like a cane... but his life in goodness was always unshakable” 31. The great saint imitated the holy Apostle Peter in zeal, in tirelessness - Paul, and in faith - both “these eminent apostles, in great voice - the sons of Zebedee, in poverty and non-excess - all the disciples (i.e. the apostles - Author). And for this, the keys of heaven are entrusted to him... And he, reclining in the bosom of Jesus, draws from here the power of words and the depth of thoughts” 32. “Such was the great Basil,” concludes St. Gregory of Nyssa, “that compared in life with each of the great saints, he was not far from them” 33. He is a true “servant of God” 34, “devoted to God from infancy, from the womb” 35. The entire life of St. Basil the Great, from his first conscious movement to his last breath, was dedicated to God 36. He was born “through the prayer of his father to God” 37 not far from Neocaesarea in 329, and was raised in a family whose natural difference “was piety” 38, which suffered for the faith of Christ during the persecution of Galerius and Maximian. Saint Basil's maternal grandfather suffered martyrdom under the Emperor Diocletian. Saint Basil the Great received his initial education from his pious grandmother Saint Macrina, a zealous admirer of Saint Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea. She had a profound influence on young Basil, raising him in strict Orthodoxy and in a reverent attitude towards St. Gregory and his teaching about the Holy Trinity. In a letter to the neo-Caesarians, the holy father testified: “What proof of my faith could be clearer than the fact that I was raised by my grandmother, a blessed wife, who is yours by birth. I am talking about the famous Macrina, from whom I learned the sayings of Blessed Gregory 39, which were preserved before her by succession of memory, and which she herself observed; and imprinted on me from an early age, forming me with the dogmas of piety” (VII, 62–63). Basil's mother, Saint Emilia, had the same degree of virtue as her mother-in-law Saint Macrina; “in everything she was guided by the will of God and especially loved a pure and immaculate way of life” 40. The saint's father, also Vasily, was an educated man - a lawyer, a good Christian and a family man, and over time he became a priest 41. He helped his pious wife in the Christian upbringing of their children, whom he taught the Holy Scriptures and various sciences (V, 5) 42. When Saint Basil, in the home school of faith and piety, “acquired enough... learning,” when his mental and moral strength became stronger, his parents sent him to study in the famous “metropolis of sciences” - Caesarea, famous for its schools, which constituted “its best property” 43. Here the acquaintance and friendship of Saint Basil the Great with Gregory the Theologian began, and here his rich mental gifts were developed. In a very short time, he succeeded so much in the sciences that “everyone was inferior to him in everything” 44, he surpassed all his comrades and even equaled his mentors in knowledge, “discovering in himself learning above age and firmness of character above learning” 45. From Caesarea, Saint Basil went to Constantinople, where he studied eloquence with the famous sophist Livanius. Then, to complete his education, he went to the then “abode of sciences” - Athens, and during the four or five years of his stay in this “golden” city, he mastered all the knowledge available to the world at that time. He was a philologist and orator, philosopher and mathematician, astronomer and lawyer, natural scientist and doctor. In a word, “he studied everything in such a way that others did not study one subject” 46. It is impossible not to note the broad view of St. Basil the Great on the importance of natural sciences for a Christian. In studying them, he not only did not see harm for the Christian, but considered it “almost necessary and beneficial for souls” (IV, 296, 298). At the same time, the saint advises not to completely “follow them wherever they lead, but, having borrowed from them everything that is useful, one must be able to do otherwise and discard it” (IV, 296). Just as “bees do not sit on all flowers equally and do not try to take away everything from those on which they land, but, having taken what is suitable for their work, they leave the rest untouched, so we, if we are chaste, having collected from these works what is characteristic of us and akin to the truth, the rest will pass by. And just as, when plucking flowers from a rose bush, we avoid thorns, so in these writings, having taken advantage of what is useful, we will beware of what is harmful” (IV, 299). Saint Basil spent the entire time of his stay in Athens in the company of his friend Gregory, with whom he became spiritually close forever. Together they attended school and church, both were distinguished by an ascetic disposition and both dreamed of a hermitic life as a monk. The close and touching friendship of these great saints serves as the best example for every Christian. “When they revealed their desires to each other,” says St. Gregory, “and their object is wisdom” 47, that is, “the desire to further reject the world from ourselves and live a common life for God, and to bring success in the word as a gift to the one wise Word 48, then we all became comrades for each other, and table-fellows, and relatives, having one goal, we constantly grew in fiery love for each other... In such a disposition... we stretched forward, having God as an accomplice and our love... We were led by equal hopes in the most enviable matter - teaching... Envy was far from us... Both of us sought not for one of us to become the first, but in some way to yield to each other... honoring the glory of a friend with his own glory" 49 . After completing his studies in Athens, Saint Basil returned to Caesarea in 359, where he was a rhetorician for some time. A broad education and rich natural talents promised him a brilliant future, but the heart of Saint Basil always belonged to the Lord Jesus Christ. At the age of about thirty, he received holy baptism from the Bishop of Caesarea, Diania, and was soon elevated by him to the rank of reader. If Saint Basil, even before receiving baptism, had the only great task - to be and be called a Christian 50, then, having washed himself in the waters of baptism, he completely “offered and gave [himself] as a gift to Christ - soul, body, word, and hands...” 51 Immediately after entering the Church, Saint Basil decided to fulfill his cherished dream - to renounce the world, take monasticism and “live.” for future hopes" 52. Constant reading of the word of God aggravated his zeal for the monastic way of life (VII, 109). Believing his salvation exclusively in monasticism, Saint Basil deeply regretted that he had spent so much time on teaching. “Having shed many tears over my pitiful life,” says the saint, “I wished that guidance would be given to me for the study of church dogmas. And first of all, the object of my care was to make some correction in the character, corrupted by long-term treatment of bad people” (VII, 108-109). Soon Saint Basil goes to Egypt, Palestine and Mesopotamia to get acquainted with the structure of the monastic communities existing there and the life of famous Christian ascetics who “chose this [monastic] path of life in order to swim with them across the fleeting wave of this life” (VII, 109). Traveling through the East opened up to him the spiritual world of hermit-ascetics, giving him a clear understanding of the sad state in which the Eastern Church was, overwhelmed by Arian unrest. Returning to his homeland, Saint Basil, strengthened in spirit, firmly decided to become a monk himself. “Wondering... and having pleased the life of these men,” he says, “who in practice show that they carry the deadness of Jesus in their bodies, I myself wished, as much as I could, to become an imitator of these men” (VII, 109). Having distributed his property to the poor, Saint Basil settled in Pontus, in a deserted place on the banks of the Iris River. He was joined by many lovers of monastic life, among whom was his brother, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and over time many imitators and disciples gathered around them. Thus, several monasteries were formed in Pontus, in which Saint Basil the Great introduced new forms and rules of monastic life, combining the features of hermit and cenobitic monasticism 53 . Saint Basil was often visited by his friend Gregory. They had to lead a very harsh life here. Their property was only the clothes that they wore, their bed was bare earth, their drink was plain water, their food was bread and salt 54 . All free time, after daytime work on cultivating the desert land, was devoted to prayer and reading the Holy Scriptures, and only a few hours were devoted to sleep. The fruit of their study of the Holy Scriptures and the writings of Origen was their common work - “Philokalia” (“Philokalia”). The hermit life of Saint Basil did not last long. The Church, overwhelmed by Arian unrest, then especially needed such comprehensively gifted workers and staunch defenders of the Nicene Symbol as St. Basil the Great showed himself to be. While still a reader of the Church of Caesarea, Saint Basil was already present at the Council of Seleucia (359) and then the Council of Constantinople (360) convened on the occasion of the Arian unrest. Returning to Caesarea, he polemicized with heretics, as can be seen from his letter, and defended the Orthodox faith not only in Constantinople, but also on its outskirts, Chalcedon and Heraclius, never betraying the truth (VII, 110–111). When the Caesarea bishop Dianius, whom Basil respected for his virtuous life (VI, 119), following the example of other bishops, signed the famous Rimini Arian Creed 55, Saint Basil broke off communication with his archpastor and retired to Nazianza to Gregory the Theologian 56. From here he sent an extensive message to Pontus, in which, explaining the reason for his departure from Caesarea, he revealed in detail the Orthodox teaching of the faith that “the Son of God is consubstantial with the Father, and not a creature, as the Arians call Him.” Basil the Great urges monastics to withdraw from communion with heretics and to preserve the purity of the Orthodox faith, handed down by the holy fathers of previous centuries. “Beware,” he writes, “of the Philistine shepherds (i.e., heretics. - Author.), lest one of them secretly block your treasures and disturb the purity of knowledge regarding the faith” (VI, 25). Zealous for the purity of the Orthodox faith, Saint Basil wrote two more teachings for the general use of Orthodox Christians: one - “On the Judgment of God”, and the other - “On Faith” (V, 5-34). In 361, Julian the Apostate became emperor, and then there was a real threat of a revival of paganism. During this terrible storm raised against the Church by the wicked ruler, Saint Basil asceticised in the desert. Julian turned his gaze to the desert dweller and demanded from him a thousand liters of gold with a threat to devastate Caesarea. “I shudder that you are dressed in purple,” wrote Saint Basil to the emperor, “that your head is decorated with a crown, which, without piety, is imputed to the king not as an honor, but as a dishonor. You know better than yesterday that I don’t like collecting wealth... I have acquired so much of it that if today I wanted to taste food another time, I wouldn’t have the money for that either... The best of the dishes that we have in abundance are herbal leaves with stale bread and sour wine” 57 . Courageously defending the Orthodox faith, Saint Basil encouraged other champions and defenders of Orthodoxy to courage, inspiring them with hope, predicting the imminent death of the apostate emperor (VI, 48–49). In the battle with the Persians on June 27, 363, Julian died. After the one-year reign of the pious Jovian, the Arian Valens became emperor. Taking advantage of the favor of the supreme power, the Arians took away churches from the Orthodox, expelled pastors, and sent especially zealous defenders of Orthodoxy into prison. And again, Saint Basil the Great, leaving his deserted solitude, came to the defense of Orthodoxy. He wrote five books against the main adherent of the Arian teaching, Eunomius (III, 5–151). How formidable this work was for heretics and comforting for the Orthodox, there is no need to say. And it brought fame to Saint Basil himself as a learned theologian and an indestructible teacher of truth 58 . Bishop Eusebius, chosen from among those catechumens to the throne of the Church of Caesarea, being powerless to enter into the struggle with the Arians, was in great need of an active and knowledgeable assistant in theology. And in these circumstances, he turned his gaze to Saint Basil. In 364, Bishop Eusebius called him from the desert to Caesarea and ordained him a presbyter 59. The bishop was not mistaken in his choice. In the person of Saint Basil, he found the most worthy helper, who possessed personal holiness, was widely educated, and shone with eloquence and theological knowledge. If Saint Basil was “a priest for Christians even before the priesthood,” then now his activity has expanded significantly and become more complex. The interests of the Church became his own interests. He conducts the most extensive correspondence about important matters of church life, not only with individual primates of the highest church authorities, but even enters into written relations with entire Churches (VI, 65–71). Saint Gregory the Theologian says that Saint Basil, as a bishop, was “everything - a good adviser, a truthful representative, an interpreter of God’s word, a mentor in affairs, a rod of old age, a support of faith, the most faithful in internal affairs, the most active in external affairs... And there was some wonderful agreement and combination of power: one ruled the people, and the other governed... There are many other proofs of Basil’s care and care of the Church" 60. He fed the poor, gave shelter to wanderers, was a leader for virgins and monks, composed prayers and decorated churches 61. From this period of Saint Basil’s presbyteral activity, it is worth mentioning one very important fact that characterizes him. In 368, Caesarea suffered terrible natural disasters. Strong thunderstorms, floods, and earthquakes plunged the people into horror. This was accompanied by a terrible famine that lasted about two years. “The city was exhausted, there was no help from anywhere, no means to alleviate the evil” 62. Taking advantage of this, many greedy grain traders raised prices. It was then that the true Christian activity of the young presbyter began. Having inherited great spiritual wealth from his pious parents: from his mother, whom St. Gregory the Theologian calls the nourisher of the poor, 63 a penchant for charity, and from his father, a rhetorician by profession, oratorical abilities, St. Basil made extensive use of both during times of disaster. He delivered his famous speech in Caesarea “In times of famine and drought” (IV, 106–122), with which he touched the hearts of the cruel rich and merchants, prompting them to open granaries for the hungry. He backed up his words with his own example. He sold the property remaining after his mother’s death and, having purchased bread, distributed it to the hungry. His charity at this time did not know the difference between the faithful and the unfaithful 64. Moreover, “the teacher [i.e. Saint Basil], says Saint Gregory of Nyssa, “falling before God, he did not allow fear to extend beyond the threat, he propitiated God with prayers and prayers, he rejected the disaster of lack of rain” 65. Thus, thanks to his complete Christian selflessness, the country was saved from famine. Among all these intense, more episcopal than presbyteral, labors, God’s providence was pleased to call Saint Basil to truly episcopal service. In June 370, the elderly Bishop of Caesarea Eusebius died in the arms of Saint Basil. The death of the archpastor, intense work in organizing church affairs, excessive worries aimed at preserving the inhabitants of Caesarea during the famine, the death of his beloved mother, Saint Emilia - all this greatly upset the already naturally weak health of Saint Basil and subjected him to severe illness (VI, 71). “Again, my illnesses have returned to me,” the saint wrote to Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata, “I am again lying on my bed in complete exhaustion of diminishing strength, and only from hour to hour am I expecting the inevitable end of my life. And the Church is in almost the same situation as my body, no good hope is visible, things are constantly trending towards the worse” (VI, 71-72). But it did not turn out as Saint Basil believed; his illness did not lead to death, but to the glory of God. Caesarea immediately after the death of Bishop Eusebius was plunged into turmoil as a result of intrigue. In this state of affairs, it was impossible to delay the election of a new bishop. Of course, the most worthy successor to Eusebius could only be Presbyter Basil, as the most capable, eloquent, and, moreover, he was practically already the bishop and benefactor of Caesarea both under Diania and under Eusebius. The appearance of Saint Basil the Great: his tall figure, pale face, sharp gaze and dignified manners - at first sight amazed everyone who saw him 66. The natural qualities of Saint Basil's character aroused respect even in his enemies and charmed his friends; he had the ability to inspire respect and complete trust from the very first words, “he knew how to thank with a smile and blame with one glance” 67. His sociable character, diplomatic tact, good knowledge of the world and people, high learning and eloquence were combined in him with a remarkable gift for organizing. And most importantly, his unwavering devotion to Nicene Orthodoxy made Saint Basil an indispensable candidate for the archbishop's throne. So, after a long difficult struggle with the Arian bishops, the best Orthodox forces of the Caesarea Church, with the assistance of a hundred-year-old elder - Bishop Gregory of Nazianza (father of St. Gregory the Theologian), elected Basil as Archbishop of Caesarea. Saint Gregory the Theologian rejoiced and triumphed in soul upon learning of the ordination of his sincere friend Basil as bishop, knowing what benefit he would bring to the Church 68 . The flock of the Caesarea Church also triumphed with him, and for the entire Orthodox world his election was truly a great triumph. The famous “father of Orthodoxy” Saint Athanasius of Alexandria, having learned about the ordination of Saint Basil as a bishop, “rose with joy...” and warmly “thanked heaven for sending to Cappadocia a bishop, such as it was desirable to have everywhere... 69 The old fighter for the Orthodox faith could now calmly leave this world: he had someone to give his lamp to” 70 . The Great Ecumenical Father hastened to send Saint Basil the most tender letter of congratulations, in which he expressed his feelings of joy and hope that filled his heart in connection with the ordination of Saint Basil 71 . Having accepted the staff of archpastor of the Church of Caesarea, Saint Basil wisely governed his flock, having “one thing in mind - the benefit of the Church and common salvation” 72 . Despite opposition and slander, Saint Basil successfully worked to streamline the life of his extensive diocese. Being himself a highly virtuous shepherd, he demanded a strict virtuous life from the clergy subordinate to him 73. He carefully and prudently selected candidates for filling spiritual positions, suppressing any opportunity for provincial bishops to appoint unworthy persons as presbyters and deacons or ordain them for money under the pretext of gifts (VI, 124–125). He preferred to appoint presbyters to the parishes, who, although they did not have secular talents, did not shine with eloquence, but were highly moral and, moreover, knew how to earn a living by their labor (VI, 127). He soon achieved that his clergy became exemplary throughout the country. As part of his clergy, he prepared a number of worthy hierarchs for other churches and was the leader of many newly installed bishops, in particular, such as St. Ambrose of Milan. Saint Basil himself lived in simplicity and poverty, investing all his funds in charity 74. Everywhere in the churches of his huge diocese, he established hospitals, almshouses (VI, 262, 270), orphanages and hospices. Built by Saint Basil around 370 in Caesarea itself, a town for the sick and poor with a beautiful church and a house for the clergy later received the name “Basiliada” 75. Doctors were invited to the hospitals, but the first doctor and even orderly was the archbishop; he himself attended to the sick and lepers, setting an example of Christian selflessness. One of Saint Basil's concerns was the improvement of church services. For this purpose, he introduced an all-night vigil with antiphonal singing of psalms, and he also created the order of the divine liturgy that bears his name. Saint Basil worked hard to streamline monastic life. The years he spent in the desert were not in vain. Personal experience of ascetic life taught him a lot. Because of this, he was a true mentor to the monks, and thanks to his leadership, monasticism in his diocese rose to a high spiritual level. “When the domestic [internal affairs of the Church] were gradually settled” 76, Saint Basil directs all his forces “towards the pacification of the Universal Church. He rereads all the depths of Scripture and the teachings of piety commits to writing, makes objections to heretics, fights and argues with them, reflects their excessive impudence" 77 . “I decided for the sake of peace not to avoid any kind of work,” St. Basil wrote to the council meeting in Tiana, “not to refuse to say or do anything humiliating, not to take into account the distance of the journey, not to be afraid of any other worries, just to be worthy of the rewards promised to the peacemakers” (VI, 193). From the extensive correspondence preserved after Saint Basil, it is clear that he vigilantly followed all the events of his time, responding to every phenomenon, eliminating dangers in a timely manner and preventing impending conflicts 78 . “I am placed in full view of everyone,” said the holy father, “like conductive stones emerging from the sea, I receive the fury of heretical waves, and they, breaking against me, do not flood what is behind me (VII, 53), for there is no doubt that although my flesh is weak, as long as I breathe, I am obliged not to omit anything to the building of the Churches of Christ” (VII, 56). “I seek true peace, which was left to us by the Lord Himself” (VI, 235). One has to be amazed at the strength of spirit and faith that was needed for such extensive activities of the saint. The holy father drew this strength from vigils, tears and other deeds hidden from human sight in the face of the all-seeing God. “As for the desire and prayers,” St. Basil testified, “to see one day the day on which everything forms one assembly... then in this zeal we will not yield primacy to anyone” (VI, 278). Relentlessly asking for prayers from his friends, he himself was constantly in prayer, in prayer he sought refuge in moments of sorrowful exhaustion of his soul, and from prayer he arose with a renewed conviction that “the strong temptations rising against the Church are weak before the stronghold of faith for Christ” (VII, 158). In moments of complete hopelessness, St. Basil the Great said that “trust in the Lord is strongest,” adding: “...for with strong faith I expect that ways will open to get out of this confusion” (VI, 263). Enduring various sorrows and suffering for the Church, the holy father grew in faith and acquired prayerful boldness, which, amid the external hopelessness in response to his petition, gave him unshakable inner confidence. “When I stopped groaning and crying,” he wrote to the clergy in Nikopol, “then, turning my gaze to the Heavenly Lord, I learned and was convinced (I want you to know this) that there would be an ambulance and the abandonment would not last until the end” (VII, 179). “I know that through your prayers the Lord will soon show us silence. Just don’t become exhausted in prayer” (VII, 178–179). Saint Basil the Great always remained a staunch defender of the Nicene Symbol in the fight against the Arians. He did not yield even when Emperor Valens sought to destroy the true faith and establish the Arian heresy. Saint Basil at this time alone raised his voice in defense of the Orthodox faith, since by that time many of the fathers of the Council of Nicea had died, and the most zealous of them, Saint Athanasius the Great. Having won over Galatia and Bethany to Arianism, Emperor Valens sent his confidant, the cruel prefect Modestus, to Cappadocia. Arriving in Caesarea, Modest summoned the archbishop and rudely invited him to accept Arianism. But Saint Basil calmly and with complete dignity answered that the will of the emperor was powerless here. To the prefect’s threats of confiscation of property, expulsion, torture and death, Saint Basil boldly replied: “If you can, threaten others, but this does not bother us at all... because property is not subject to description, who has nothing, will you demand from me this hair rags and a few books, which are all my belongings. I don’t know about exile, because I’m not connected to any place, and the place where I live now is not mine, and everything where they don’t throw me will be mine. It’s better to say, everywhere is God’s place, wherever I may be a sojourner and a stranger (cf. Ps. 38:13). And what kind of torture will they take, when I don’t even have a body, do you understand the first blow, in which you alone have power? Death is beneficial for me: it will sooner send me to God, for whom I live and work, for whom I have already died for the most part of myself and to whom I have been hastening for a long time” 79 . Struck by the answer of Saint Basil, Modest hastily reported to the emperor: “We, king, have been defeated by the abbot of this Church. This is a husband who is higher than threats, firmer than arguments, stronger than convictions” 80. Then Valens, trying once again to intimidate Basil through another prefect, Demosthenes, decided to come to Caesarea himself. He entered the church during the service. The majestic appearance of the saint performing the liturgy so struck him that he abruptly changed his intention to break his will. Cowardly by nature, the emperor was afraid that Saint Basil might, in front of all the people, reject the gifts he had brought to the church. But Saint Basil, fearless in moments of danger, was far from thinking of achieving a short-term effect in the eyes of the crowd. He accepted gifts from Valens and talked with him for a long time after the service. As a result of this conversation, Valens canceled the forced introduction of Arianism 81. After some time, the Arian bishops again turned Valens against Saint Basil and persuaded him to issue a decree expelling the saint from Caesarea. Saint Basil was preparing to leave. The enemies applauded with joy, and the Orthodox wept bitterly, losing their archpastor. At this time, the only son of the emperor became seriously ill. “The king, not finding a cure anywhere, resorted to Basil’s faith,” and when Saint Basil came to the bed of the sick, “along with his coming, the illness was alleviated...” 82 Valens canceled the decree on the expulsion of the saint and began to treat him with deep respect, even entrusted the saint with arranging the affairs of other Churches (VI, 196-200). With the death of Emperor Valens (373), the dominance of the Arians also collapsed. The Western Emperor Gratian, by decree, forbade the Arians to gather for public prayer in cities and villages, and all confessors of the Orthodox faith, who were languishing in severe suffering, were granted freedom. Saint Basil the Great rejoiced with joy at seeing the restoration of the Orthodox faith, to the defense of which he had devoted his entire life. Being a zealous fighter for Orthodoxy in the fight against the Arians, Saint Basil was the same in his preaching activities, which he directed exclusively to edify and improve his flock (I, 116). Despite his painful condition (I, 168), he preached every day and sometimes spoke in the morning and evening (I, 22, 117); it happened that he moved from one church to preach to another (I, 338). “Basily,” says the Monk Ephraim the Syrian, “was adorned with every teaching, and daily with flower-bearing words he renewed the constant adornment of souls, but, applying himself to everyone, he did not lack in variety... his word flowed like a river... useful and saving” 83. From Saint Basil, 11 discourses on the Sixth Day 84, 13 discourses on various psalms and 25 Words on various occasions have come down to us (I, 5-345). Plunging into the depths of the Scriptures 85, Saint Basil experienced all the depths of the Spirit and from there he drew what he needed to form morals, teach high speech, distract from the present and move into the future... “When I have his Sixth Day in my hands,” says St. Gregory the Theologian, “and pronounce it orally, then I talk with the Creator... When I read his other interpretations... or his moral and active words, then I am cleansed in soul and body, I become a church pleasing to God... from one person I become another, I am changed by divine change” 86. “Basily is a thunderous messenger of truth, the bright eye of Christians, illuminating with spiritual virtues... alone showed... both life equal to teaching, and teaching equal to life” 87. Saint Basil was by nature a man of action and did not like to remain idle for a minute. “He who is able to work should not eat bread in idleness,” he wrote (VI, 55). Indeed, the great father spent his entire life in constant work and care for his flock (VII, 152). He consoled some, visited and helped them during grave disasters and illnesses (VII, 261–262). To others he expressed his sincere condolences (VII, 263). Before the civil authorities, he fearlessly interceded for widows and orphans (VI, 208–211), for entire families and communities (VI, 161–170, 174–175), for regions and cities, for representatives of different classes, and even for his entire fatherland (VI, 157–163). He asked one for release from public duties (VII, 273) or, conversely, petitioned for confirmation in a public position (VI, 164; VII, 133–134). He asked for exemption from taxes or a reduction in the amount of the contribution or a deferment of the time of payment (VII, 274; VII, 242–243; VI, 78–79). He also petitioned for exemption from taxes on land owned by the Church and for the clergy (VII, 243; VI, 205–206). Exhausted by the hard labors of episcopal service, exhausted by continuous illnesses, exhausted by harsh monastic deeds, on January 1, 379, the great shepherd of the Church of Christ peacefully departed to the Lord. “He moved from earth to heaven with a high (i.e. virtuous - author) life,” says St. Gregory of Nyssa, “having made virtues a chariot by the power of the spirit” 88. The burial of Saint Basil showed how highly respected he was among the people. Not only Christians, but Jews and pagans went in droves to Caesarea to see off the great hierarch on his final journey. Despite his relatively short life, the services of St. Basil the Great to the Church are so great that it is difficult to even list them all. Saint John Chrysostom says that Saint Basil was “almost equal to the apostles,” 89 “only time gives him second place after the apostles. For if Basil had received life at the same time as Paul, then, without a doubt, he would have been written about along with Paul, as about Silvanus and Timothy” 90. Saint Gregory the Theologian calls Saint Basil “the bridle... holding the world together” 91. Indeed, he was both under the great “Father of Orthodoxy” St. Athanasius, and after him, the force that held together all Orthodox Christians. During the Arian unrest, “Basily became a support for the faithful” 92 and appeared “like a beacon for those wandering at night on the sea, directing everyone to the real path” 93. For all Orthodox pastors of the East, he was “the support of faith and the abode of the Spirit” 94. In matters of faith in Christ, the saint theologized excellently and completely, 95 proclaiming “saving dogmas to the whole universe” 96. Even Saint Gregory, whom the Church crowned with the epithet “theologian,” asked Saint Basil to teach him to theologize about the Holy Spirit 97, “for your judgment (i.e., your judgments - Author), says Saint Gregory, is truly the judgment of God” 98. Saint Basil was the first to recognize the need to supplement the Nicene Symbol with the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, which was done by the fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council in 381. The rules of St. Basil the Great concerning church deanery were accepted by the entire Church, both Eastern and Western. The liturgy he compiled was introduced into general use in the Orthodox Church. The Holy Father showed the entire Christian world the opportunity to combine the feats of monasticism with archpastoral service, and theological works with broad Christian charity. His holy life and his creations are a guiding star in the life and in the matter of spiritual improvement and salvation of every Orthodox Christian. After carefully studying the ascetic life of St. Basil the Great and his works, you involuntarily bow before the greatness of his spiritual image. Having completely devoted his life to serving the Church during the most difficult time of the Arian turmoil, in constant prayers and deeds, he raised himself in the spirit of the Christian faith. Forgetting about himself, he lived exclusively by love for Christ the Savior and his neighbors. Perfect knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, spiritual sobriety with the help of God's grace gave him the ability to deeply understand the human soul, which made him a doctor of his contemporary society and an indispensable model of spiritual improvement for Christians of all times and peoples. Considering the teaching of St. Basil the Great on spiritual perfection in general, we can say that this ascent is a gradual process of spiritual transformation of a person from the old, with his passions, into the new, created according to God, in the righteousness and holiness of the truth (Eph. 4: 22–24). Every Christian must strive for spiritual perfection throughout his entire earthly life, starting with the zealous fulfillment of God’s commandments. Carefully observing all his actions, words and thoughts, he comes to realize his deep weakness and understand the need for divine help and experienced spiritual guidance for salvation, learns humility and repentance. The main means in this saving feat is faith in Christ, a virtuous life, lived in great humility with the assistance of the grace of God. A person must always remember that his praise and hope lie in “putting to death all that is his and seeking the future life in Christ... and now living entirely by the grace and gift of God” (IV, 269). Therefore, the life of every person, according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great, is a preparatory time for the future life, and his entire earthly feat of spiritual improvement is the beginning of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven still here on earth (I, 301). Bible, in Slavic language. St. Petersburg, 1891. Athanasius the Great, St. Creations. Parts 2 and 3. Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 1903. Basil the Great, St. Creations. Parts 1–4, 6 and 7. 4th ed. Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra; Part 5. 3rd ed. Sergiev Posad, 1892. Basil the Great, St. The first conversation is about the creation of man in the image. JMP. 1972. No. 1. Basil the Great, St. The second conversation is about a person. JMP. 1972. No. 3. Gregory the Theologian, St. Creations. Parts 1–4. 3rd ed. M., 1889. 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The essence of evil according to the teachings of St. Basil the Great // Christian reading. 1907. Part 2. Advice for Christians who want to be true Christians // Christian Reading. 1823. No. 11. Spiritual honeycomb // Soulful interlocutor. 1892. Titov A. Pastoral activity of St. Basil the Great // Soulful reading. 1892. July, August. Uspensky N.D., prof. Prayers of the Eucharist to St. Basil the Great and St. John Chrysostom // Theological works. No. 2. M., 1961. All quotes from the works of St. Basil the Great are given according to their translation into Russian by the Moscow Theological Academy: Parts I-IV, VII. 4th ed. Holy Trinity-Sergius Lavra, 1900–1902. Part V. 3rd ed. Sergiev Posad, 1892. References to this publication are given in parentheses in the text. The Roman numeral in them means a part of creation, and the Arabic numeral means the page of this part. References to other publications are given in footnotes. Troskot is a wild field plant. – Ed. St. Basil the Great. The second conversation about man // Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate (hereinafter referred to as JMP). 1972. No. 3. P. 37. Siquer is an intoxicating drink made from honey and grain, i.e. not grape wine. – Ed. St. Basil the Great. The first conversation about the creation of man in the image // ZhMP. 1972. No. 1.P.38 St. Basil the Great. The first conversation is about the creation of man in the image // ZhMP.1971. No. 1. P. 30. St. Basil the Great. Second conversation about man // ZhMP. 1972. No. 3. pp. 37–38. St. Basil the Great. Second conversation about man // ZhMP. 1972. No. 3. P. 37. Orthodox prayer book. M., 1970. P. 89. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part VI. 3rd ed. M., 1889. P. 84. St. Basil the Great. Second conversation about man // ZhMP. 1972. No. 1. P. 36. St. Basil the Great. Second conversation about man // ZhMP. 1972. No. 3. P. 35. St. Basil the Great. The first conversation about the creation of man in the image // ZhMP. 1972. No. 1. P. 37–38. St. Basil the Great. Second conversation about man // ZhMP. 1972. No. 3. P. 34. That is, they did not become careless. – Ed. St. Basil the Great. The first conversation about the creation of man in the image // ZhMP. 1972. No. 1. P. 36. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 5. M., 1889. P. 317. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 4. M., 1889. pp. 111–112. Word 43. St. Ephraim the Syrian. Creations. Part 2. Sergiev Posad, 1903. pp. 309–310. St. Gregory of Nyssa. Creations. Part 8. M., 1871. P. 308. St. Gregory the Theologian. Quote op. Part 4. M., 1889. P. 94. St. Ephraim the Syrian. Quote op. P. 314. St. Gregory the Theologian. Quote op. Part 2. P. 82. St. Gregory of Nyssa. Quote op. Part 8. P. 303. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 4. M., 1889. pp. 105–106. St. Gregory of Nyssa. Creations. Part 8. M., 1871. P. 318. St. Gregory of Nyssa. Creations. Part 8. M., 1871. P. 311. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 4. M., 1889. pp. 108–109. St. Gregory of Nyssa. Quote op. Part 8. P. 321. St. Athanasius the Great. Creations. Part 3. TSL, 1903. P. 365. St. Gregory the Theologian. Quote op. P. 107. St. Gregory of Nyssa. Creations. Part 8. M., 1871. P. 324. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. M., 1889. P. 45. That is, his famous Statement of Faith, or Symbol, setting out the ancient teaching of the Church about the Holy Trinity. St. Gregory of Nyssa. Quote op. Part 8. P. 330. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 5. M., 1889. P. 315. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 4. M., 1889. P. 58. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 4. M., 1889. pp. 58–60. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 4. M., 1889. pp. 95–96. Duchesne L. History of the Ancient Church. T. II. M., 1912. P. 207. Filaret, Archbishop. Historical teaching about the Fathers of the Church. T. 2. St. Petersburg, 1859. P. 129. Agapit, archim. The life of St. Basil the Great and his archpastoral activity. St. Petersburg, 1873. P. 150. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 6. M., 1889. P. 101. St. Gregory the Theologian. Quote op. Part 4. pp. 71–72. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 4. M., 1889. pp. 72–73. Right there. Quote op. Part 6. P. 91. St. Gregory of Nyssa. Creations. Part 8. M., 1871. pp. 315–316. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 4. M., 1889. P. 109. St. Gregory of Nyssa. Creations. Part 8. M., 1871. P. 313. St. Gregory the Theologian. Quote op. Part 4. P. 98. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 6. M., 1889. pp. 127–128. St. Athanasius of Alexandria. Creations. Part 3. TSL, 1903. P. 366. Duchesne L. History of the Ancient Church. T. II. M., 1912. P. 261. St. Athanasius of Alexandria. Quote op. pp. 365–366. St. Gregory the Theologian. Quote op. Part 2. P. 113. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 4. M., 1889. P. 80. St. Ephraim the Syrian. Creations. Part 2. Sergiev Posad, 1903. P. 312. Sozomen. Church history. Book 6, ch. 34. St. Petersburg, 1851. P. 459. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 4. P. 78. The letters of St. Basil the Great constitute parts VI and VII of his works. 4th ed. TSL, 1902. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 4. M., 1889. P. 84. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 4. M., 1889. pp. 86–87. Right there. pp. 87–88. St. Ephraim the Syrian. Creations. Part 2. Sergiev Posad, 1903. P. 315. St. Ephraim the Syrian. Creations. Part 2. Sergiev Posad, 1903. pp. 310–312. The last two conversations “On the Creation of Man” were published for the first time in Russian in the ZhMP. 1972. No. 1. P. 30–38 and No. 3. P. 33–40. Until recently, some publishers attributed them to St. Basil the Great, and others to St. Gregory of Nyssa. The research of patrolologists has irrefutably proven that their true author is St. Basil the Great (JMP. 1972. No. 3. P. 76). St. Ephraim the Syrian. Quote op. P. 309. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 4. M., 1889. P. 101. Right there. Part 5. pp. 316–317. St. Gregory of Nyssa. Creations. Part 8. M., 1871. P. 316. St. John Chrysostom. Creations. T. 8. Part 2. SPbDA, 1902. P. 704. St. Gregory of Nyssa. Creations. Part 8. M., 1871. P. 298. St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. Part 5. M., 1889. P. 316. St. Ephraim the Syrian. Creations. Part 2. Sergiev Posad, 1903. P. 314. St. Gregory of Nyssa. Quote op. Part 8. P. 104. St. Ephraim the Syrian. Quote op. Part 2. P. 309. St. Gregory the Theologian. Quote op. Part 6. P. 133. St. Gregory the Theologian. Quote op. Part 2. P. 117.