Глава I. Наставления Святых отцов о том, как достигать совершенства в христианском житии

1. Someone asked Abba Anthony: what should I observe in order to please God? The elder answered him: keep what I command you: wherever you go, always have God before your eyes; whatever you do, have evidence of it from the Holy Scriptures; and in whatever place you settle, do not change it quickly. Follow these three rules and you will be saved. 2. Abba Pamvo asked Abba Anthony: what should I do? The elder answered him: do not believe in your righteousness, do not regret the past and renunciation of the world, and be restrained in your tongue and belly. 3. Abba Anthony said: the ancient fathers went into the desert; were healed and became doctors; then, returning from there, they healed others. And we, as soon as we leave the world, want to heal others before healing ourselves. Therefore, the disease is again poisoned in us and there are the last... a handful of the first (Matthew 12:45); and we hear from the Lord: physician, first heal yourself (Luke 4:23). 4. Abba Andrew said: the following three virtues befit a monk: wandering - feeling like a stranger to everyone and everything, poverty and silence with patience. 5. Abba Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, said: Some of you often say: where is the persecution now to bring about martyrdom? But suffer in conscience, die to sin, kill the souls that exist on earth, and you will become a martyr by choice. They opposed kings and rulers; You also have an adversary, the devil - the prince of sin, and the rulers - demons. To those sometimes the altar and the sacrifice and the abomination of idolatry were offered. There is now an altar and a sacrifice and a vile idol, mental in the soul: the altar is an insatiable belly, the sacrifice is sensual pleasures, the idol is the spirit of lust. He who is enslaved to fornication and given over to sensual pleasures has rejected Christ and worshiped the idol, for he has in himself the idol of Aphrodite - the foul lust of the flesh. Also, enslaved to anger and rage and not stopping the madness of this passion, he rejected Christ and has within himself the god Ares 2, who is the idol of rage. The other is a lover of money and a sensualist, who closes his womb for his brother and is unmerciful to his neighbor, has rejected Christ and serves idols, for he has Hermas 3 as an idol and serves the creature more than the Creator, for the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim. 6:10). So if you abstain and save yourself from violent passions, then you will trample on idols, reject idolatry and become a martyr, having confessed a good confession. 6. Abba Vissarion said: when you happen to be in peace and not have battle, then humble yourself, so that the evil alien joy - self-satisfaction - does not surpass you, so that we do not dream about ourselves and are not given over to battle, for God often does not allow us to be devoted to it for the sake of our weaknesses - lest we perish. 7. A brother who lived with other brothers asked Abba Vissarion: what should I do? The elder answered: be silent and do not measure yourself (maybe - do not measure yourself with them, that is, do not equal yourself to them, or do not notice what your measure is, or do not measure your labors). 8. Abba Benjamin, dying, said to his (spiritual) children: this is what you do and you will be able to be saved: always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in everything (Thess. 5:16–18). 9. Someone asked Abba Viar: what should I do to be saved? And he answered him: go and make your belly small and your handicraft small, do not worry in your cell, and you will be saved. 10. Abba Gregory said: God requires the following three virtues from every person who has received baptism: right faith - from the soul, truth - from the tongue, and chastity - from the body. 11. Abba Dioscorus said: if we put on our heavenly attire, we will not appear naked. If we do not find ourselves wearing such a robe, then what should we do, brothers? For we too have heard this voice saying: Cast him into outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 22:13). It’s a shame for us, who have been wearing the schema for so long, to find ourselves without the wedding garment in our hour of need! Oh, what repentance will strike us then! What shame will cover us in the face of our fathers and brothers when they see how we will be tormented by the angels of execution! What sorrow will surround Abba Anthony, and Abba Ammun of Nitria, and Abba Paul of Photius, and Abba Ammun of Arabia of Egypt, and Abba Mius of Thebaid, and Abba Macarius of Alexandria, and Abba Paphnutius the Sidonian, and Abba Ursarius of Fichuia, and Abba Ammonius of Heneuritus, and all the righteous at the time when they will be take us into the kingdom of heaven, and cast us out into utter darkness. 12. Blessed Epiphanius said: if Melchizedek, the image of Christ, blessed Abraham, the root of the Jews, then much more will the Truth Himself - Christ - bless and sanctify all who believe in Him. 13. He also said that it is necessary to acquire Christian books as soon as one has wealth, for the mere sight of these books, in itself, makes us lazier to sin and makes us more zealous for righteousness. 14. He said again: reading the scriptures gives great firmness not to sin. 15. He also said: ignorance of the scriptures is a great rapids and a deep abyss. 16. He also said: not knowing any of the divine laws is a great betrayal of salvation. 17. He said: the sins of the righteous are near the lips, that is, on the outskirts of the body, and the sins of the wicked are from the whole body, that is, the whole body is full of sin. This is why David sings: Lord, set a guard over my mouth, and a door of protection over my mouth (Ps. 140:3), and again: I will keep my ways, so that I will not sin with my tongue (Ps. 39:2). 18. He said: God gives away the real amount of debt to sinners if they repent, like the harlot and the tax collector, and from the righteous he also demands interest. This means what He said to the Apostles: unless your righteousness comes out more than the scribe and the Pharisee, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20). 19. Abba Euprepius said: knowing that God is true to Himself and strong, believe in Him and you will partake of His blessings. If you are faint-hearted, then you do not believe. We all believe that God is strong; We also believe that for Him all things are possible; but you also believe in Him in your deeds, that is, He works signs in you. 20. The brother asked the same old man: how does the fear of God come into the soul? And the elder answered: when a person acquires humility and non-covetousness, then the fear of God comes to him. 21. He said: let fear, humility, poverty of food and crying always remain with you. 22. The same Abba Euprepius (even at the beginning of his asceticism) came to a certain elder and said to him: Abba! tell me how to be saved. The elder said: if you want to be saved, then wherever you go, do not preemptively speak until you are asked. Touched by this word, Abba Euprepius bowed to the elder and said: “I have truly read a lot of books, but I have not yet known such a useful rule.” And he departed, having received great benefit. 23. Mother Eugenia said: we must pray fervently and remain with Jesus alone, for everyone who abides with Jesus is rich, even if physically poor. He who prefers the earthly to the spiritual will lose both; whoever seeks heavenly and earthly blessings will certainly be rewarded. 24. Abba Irenaeus said to the brethren: let us strive and stand firm when we are in battle, for we are the warriors of Christ, the King of Heaven. Just as the wars of the king of the earth have a copper helmet, so our army has its own helmet - good virtues. Those have chain-linked armor, and we have spiritual armor, forged by faith. Those have a shield, we have hope in God. Those have a spear, we have prayer. Those have a sword, we have God. They shed blood in battle, but we will bring willfulness. Our Heavenly King allowed the demons to fight against us so that we would not forget His good deeds, for in a state of rest many people often do not pray at all, or, although they pray, but, wandering in thought during prayer, they are the same as those who do not pray - talking with God with their lips, but in their hearts they talk with the world. How will they be heard? When we are in sorrow, then we pray soberly; and often, without singing with our lips, we pray with our hearts, sending up the word of our hearts to God and conversing with Him through lamentations. So, brothers, let us also imitate the wars of the mortal king and fight with zeal; Moreover, let us imitate the three youths of Babylon, trample the furnace of passions with purity, quench the coals of temptation with prayer and shame the mental Nebuchadnezzar - the devil; Let us present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God and, as a fat burnt offering, let us offer Him pious wisdom. 25. Abba Zenon, a disciple of blessed Silouan, said: do not settle in a glorious place, do not live with a person who has a great name; and never rely on building a cell for yourself. 26. Abba Macarius asked Abba Zechariah: tell me, what does it mean to be a monk? He says to him: Are you asking me, father? Abba Macarius answered: I believe in you, my son Zacharias, for there is one who compels me to ask you. Zechariah tells him: for me, father, he is a real monk who forces himself to do everything. 27. They said about Abba Isaiah that one day, taking a cane, he went to the threshing floor and turned to the owner of the land: give me wheat. He asked him: did you reap, Abba? He answered: no. Then the owner of the land says to him: How do you want to get wheat without reaping? The elder said: does not the one who does not reap receive a reward? “No,” answered the farmer, and the Abba walked away. The brothers who saw this bowed to him and asked him to explain to them why he did this. The elder said: I did this as an example that if someone does not work, he will not receive a reward from God. 28. Abba Isaiah, a presbyter, said: one of the fathers said that a person should most of all try to acquire faith in God, unceasing striving for God with all desires, gentleness, non-retribution of evil for evil, malice, humility, purity, mercy, love for everyone, humility, meekness, generosity, patience, holy desire for God, often with heart disease and with true love, the prayer of God not to look back, attention to everything that comes upon him, disbelief in his good deeds or service, the constant invocation of God's help in everything that he is exposed to, that comes upon him every day. 29. The brother asked Abba Isaiah for words of edification, and the elder said to him: if you want to follow our Lord Jesus, keep His word; if you want your old man to be crucified with Him, until your death you must cut off from yourself those who bring you down from the cross; You must also prepare yourself to endure all humiliation, to calm the hearts of those who do evil to you, to humble yourself before those who want to rule over you, to have silence of the lips and not to condemn anyone in your heart. 30. He also said: bodily labor, poverty, wandering, courage and silence give rise to humility; humility removes many sins. He who does not keep this, his renunciation of the world is in vain. 31. He said again: hate everything in the world, including bodily peace, for this has made you an enemy of God. Just as a person who has an enemy fights with him, so we must fight with the body so as not to put it to rest. 32. The brother asked Abba Isaiah what the word of the Gospel prayer means: hallowed be thy name (Matthew 6:9), and he answered him: this is characteristic of the perfect, for in us, overcome by passions, it is impossible to sanctify the name of God. 33. Abba Isaiah told us: one day, when I was sitting with Abba Macarius, seven brothers from Alexandria came to him and, tempting him, asked: tell us, father, how to be saved? I took a roll of paper, sat aside and wrote down everything that came out of his mouth. The elder sighed and, opening his enlightened lips, said: Oh, brothers! Each of you knows how to be saved, but it’s a shame that we have no desire to be saved. They told him: we really want to be saved, but evil thoughts do not leave us. So what should we do? The elder said: if you are monks, then why do you communicate with lay people or approach places where there are lay people? Those who, having renounced the world and put on the image of an angel, live among the laity, deceive themselves and lead astray: all their labor is in vain, for what will they gain from the laity except carnal consolation? And where there is carnal consolation, the fear of God cannot dwell there, especially in a monk. Why is a monk called a monk? Because he alone talks with the one God day and night. But a monk who sometimes spends a day, and usually two, among the laity, then, because it is impossible to live without bodily needs, sells his handicrafts and buys what he needs, and then, returning, sincerely repents and regrets those two days spent in the city to sell his handicrafts, will not receive any benefit (from his monasticism); These are the virtues that a monk living among the laity acquires. As soon as he enters monasticism, at first he is usually abstinent, fasting and humble, until it becomes known and the fame of him passes that such and such a monk is truly a servant of God. Satan immediately inspires the laity to bring him all kinds of needs: wine, oil, money and all sorts of things, saying: Holy! Holy! Hearing “holy,” the humble monk becomes puffed up and, as usual with vanity, begins to go and sit with them: he eats, drinks and is consoled; when he begins to sing psalms, he raises his voice, and the laity begin to speak about him with praise, that such and such a monk sings psalms and performs vigils. Because of this, his vanity overcomes him even more, he becomes even more arrogant and towering; humility completely departs from him, and if anyone says an unkind word to him, he responds with even worse ones. Further, since he sees the laity day and night, the devil offends him with the beauty of their wives and children, and he is in great confusion and in great danger, for our Lord Jesus Christ said in the Gospel: everyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28). Let us not count this word as anything, hearing what the Lord still says: heaven and earth will pass by, but My words will not pass by (Matthew 24:35). Then the worries of life come to such a monk and he begins to think about the bodily needs for the year, collecting them, doubling them and, finally, begins to collect gold and silver, with which the demons cast him down to the very root of the love of money. After this, if someone brings him anything small, he rejects it, saying: I do not accept this, because I do not take anything; If someone brings gold, or silver, or a robe, or anything else suitable for him, he immediately accepts the gift with joy and, having served a meal, eats with the one who brought it. And the poor man, or better yet, Christ, is pushing at the door from outside, and no one heeds, no one hears. Our Lord Jesus Christ said to such people: “It is easier for me to pass through the ears of a needle than to bring a rich man into the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24). But maybe he will say that he is not rich or that, being rich, he does not need anything and does not bother anyone, for what he has, he gets from handicraft and from what God sends, but he himself does not offend anyone. Tell me, fathers: Do the angels in heaven care about the collection of gold and silver or about the glory of God? Why did we, brothers, accept this image? To collect wealth and perishable matter or to be like Angels? Or don’t you know that the angelic rank that fell from heaven is replenished from monks? Why, brothers, having renounced the world, do we again in negligence turn away from the path of humility? Or don’t you know that wine, wives, gold, carnal rest and wandering among the laity remove us from God? For the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim. 6:10). As far as heaven is from earth, so far is a money-loving monk from the glory of God. And, truly, there is no evil greater than the evil to which a money-loving monk is subjected. A monk who loves worldly conversations requires many prayers from the holy fathers. Or we don’t hear what Blessed John says: do not love the world, neither those who are in the world; if anyone loves the world, the Father’s love is not in him (1 John 2:15). Equally, the Apostle James says: whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God (James 4:4). Let us flee, brothers, from the world, just as someone flees from the serpent. Whoever is wounded by the serpent is barely healed. Likewise, if we want to be monks, let us run away from the world. It is better, my brothers, to have one battle than many and without number. Tell me, where did our fathers acquire virtues - in the world or in the desert? How do we want to acquire virtue while living in the world? If we don’t hunger, if we don’t thirst, if we don’t suffer the cold, if we don’t live with animals and don’t die in the body, how will we live in the soul? How do we want to inherit the kingdom of heaven while living among the laity? And how can we even lift our eyes to him, whirling in vanity? Doesn’t a warrior who, having fled from war, indulge in the purchases of life, lose his dignity? Much less, if we only eat and drink while living with the laity, will we not lose the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven? May the devil not inspire you with evil thoughts to say: I collect in order to also earn a reward through alms! For whoever does not want to give alms from a coin will not give even from a thousand denarii. No, my brothers! This is the work of the laity. God does not want us monks to have gold or silver, robes and other things. The Lord commanded, saying: look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them (Matthew 6:26). A monk who has gold, silver and other things does not believe that God can nourish him; but if He cannot give us our daily bread, then He cannot give us His kingdom. This is what I know for sure: if I have what I need and someone else, especially a layman, brings me something on his own, then this happens through the action of the devil. If I don’t have it and I pray once and twice, then, like Daniel once did in the lion’s den, God will send me, knowing that I am in need. And if I not only do not need anything, but also have gold, silver and other things, but do not want to spend on maintaining myself, but expect another to bring me what I need, then I am an accomplice of Judas Iscariot, who, having abandoned the grace given to him, rushed to the lust of the love of money. Knowing this, the blessed Apostle called the love of money not only the root of all evil, but also idolatry (Eph. 5:5). So, you see into what evil this disease carries a monk, even plunging him into idolatry, for the lover of money departs from the glory of God and worships a carved human idol, that is, gold. O love of money! You are removing the monk from the glory of God! O love of money, bitter and deplorable! You are excommunicating a monk from the rank of angel! O love of money, root of all evil! You plunge a monk into greater and greater worries until you reach the point where he leaves the glory of heaven and cleaves to the ruler of the darkness of this age (Eph. 6:12)! O love of money, round dance of all evil! You sharpen the monk's tongue into abuse, quarrels and troubles until you bring him to trial, like the laity! Woe to the monk who gives free access to the demon of the love of money! Woe to the money-loving monk who forsook the commandment of the Savior, who said: do not acquire gold or silver (Matthew 10:9). The devil often instills in him the following thought: get up and keep a vigil, and tomorrow call the brethren and institute a meal of love. Then the demon goes to the invited brothers and inspires them: take your supplies with you. Such a monk often consoles himself: I do not break my rules: I fulfill the third, sixth, and ninth hours, not knowing that not everyone who says to Me: Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21). And how will gold, silver and other things harm me? Not knowing that where there is gold, silver and things, there is free access for demons and destruction of soul and body. How will contrition enter into a money-loving monk when, having abandoned the will of the One who created him and Called him to eternal life, he honors and kisses gold? How will contrition enter such a person? However, the devil often arouses tears and sighs in him and makes him beat his chest, saying, “Behold, God has given you gold and silver and contrition at the same time,” so that the thought would not ever come to cast out the root of the love of money. O my beloved brothers! How do we, monks, have gold and silver, robes and all sorts of things, never ceasing to collect more and more, and yet the poor, especially Christ, is weak and greedy, suffers from thirst and cold, and we do not want to do anything for Him?! What justification will we, brethren, present to the Lord Christ, that, having renounced the world, we seek it again, agonize under the schema and make this angelic image everyday, turning it into a fishery for the sake of gold, from which we either do not give to those in need at all, or, if we give, then in front of others in order to be praised? No, my beloved brothers! Let's escape from the world. We need to be saved in the desert, but we truly cannot be saved among the laity. For the Lord says that unless anyone renounces the world and the things in the world, and also his soul, and takes up his cross and follows Me, he is not worthy of Me (Matthew 10:38, 39; 6:24; Mark 8:34, 35; Luke 9:23, 24; 14:26, 27). As I live, says the Lord (Isa. 49:18), come out from among them and separate yourself (2 Cor. 6:17). Look, my beloved brethren, how useful it is to communicate with everyday people - it is useful both for them and for us, for their whole conversation is about trades, gatherings, wives, children, livestock. Doesn’t such a conversation remove thoughts from God? If one conversation with them removes the thought from God, then what harm should there be from eating and drinking with them? I am not saying this because they are unclean - let it not be so. But they eat twice a day of all kinds of food and meat, but we abstain from meat and various foods and always eat once a day. If they see that we eat enough, they immediately condemn us, saying: “Look, the monks eat to the full,” not realizing that we too are covered with flesh just like them. Again, if they see us abstaining from food, they also condemn us, calling us people-pleasers. Also, if they see that we eat with unwise hands or that we are dressed untidy, they say: “that’s ignorance.” And again, if they see that we are eating with our washing hands, they say: “So the monks clean themselves.” And thus they destroy themselves because of us, but we turn out to be participants and the culprits of their destruction. As we run, let us run from their tables and seek their reproach rather than their praise, for it is not their praise that brings crowns. What good does it benefit me if I please men and anger the Lord my God? The Apostle Paul says: even if he had pleased men, he would never have been a servant of Christ (Gal. 1:10). Do we not pray before the face of the Lord, saying: Jesus our God, deliver us and save us from their reproach and their praise? Let us not do anything to please them. For just as their praise cannot lead us into the kingdom of heaven, so any reproach from them cannot conclude eternal life for us. Let us know, my beloved and blessed brethren, that we will give an account of every idle word to the Lord our God. 34. The brother came to Abba Elijah, the silent man, in the cinnamonium of the cave of Abba Sava and asked him: Abba, tell me a word of edification. The elder answered him: in the days of our fathers, the following three virtues were loved: non-covetousness, meekness and abstinence; Nowadays, covetousness, gluttony and anger reign in the monks. Keep what you want. 35. They said about Abba Theodore of Fermi that he surpassed many in the following three virtues: non-covetousness, asceticism and running around people. 36. Mother Theodora asked Pope Theophilus about one saying of the Apostle, namely, what it means: time redeeming (Eph. 5:16). And he answered her: these words indicate profit. Precisely: do you have a time of reproach ahead of you? Buy this time of reproach with humility and long-suffering and take this profit for yourself. Is there a time of dishonor coming? Buy it with kindness and turn this time into profit for yourself. Thus, if we want, everything that is contrary will be to our benefit. 37. Again Mother Theodora said: Enter through the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13), for just as trees, unless they are exposed to frost and rain, cannot bear fruit, so this age in relation to us is winter, and unless we are tested by many sorrows and temptations, we cannot become heirs of the kingdom of heaven. 38. She again said that the teacher should be a stranger to covetousness, not involved in vanity and far from pride; He should not be a plaything of flattery, nor be blinded by gifts, nor enslaved by the belly, nor carried away by anger, but should be generous, friendly, humble with all his might, reasonable, tolerant, caring and soul-loving. 39. Abba John Kolov said: I want a person to gradually taste all the virtues. And so, every day, getting up in the morning, lay the beginning of every virtue and commandment of God, the greatest patience with fear and long-suffering, the love of God with all readiness of soul and body and with much humility, patience of sorrows and guarding of the heart and one prayer and supplication with groaning, purity of the tongue and guarding of the eyes; so as not to get angry when they dishonor; to be at peace with everyone, not to repay evil for evil, not to watch the failures of others and to be lower than every creature; renunciation of all things and everything carnal, to the acceptance of the Cross, spiritual poverty, fasting, repentance and crying, to spiritual warfare, reasoning, purity of the soul, to silent handicraft, night vigils, hunger and thirst, hunger, nakedness, labor. Close your coffin as if you had already died, so as to keep in mind that your death is close to you every hour. 40. Abba John said: just as one cannot remain children all one’s life and not grow in experience and knowledge with the increase of years, so in monastic life everyone, with the passage of time, must ascend more and more to the heights of virtues. 41. Abba Cassian told about a certain Abba John the Cinematographer, an elder of high life, that when he ended and went to God with joy and desire, his brethren surrounded him and asked him to leave them, instead of an inheritance, some short but saving word, through whose guidance they could achieve perfection in Christ. And he, sighing, said to them: I never did my own will and never taught anyone anything that I had not done myself first. 42. Blessed John Chrysostom said: when sitting down to read God’s Scripture and other holy books, first call on God, so that He will open the eyes of your heart not only to an accurate understanding of what is written, but also to the fulfillment of it, so that the knowledge of life and teaching does not turn into condemnation for us. 43. Abba John of Cilician, abbot of Vanora, said to the brethren: children! Just as we have fled from the world, so let us flee from the lusts of the flesh. 44. Again he said: let us imitate our fathers - with what deprivation and with what silence they lived here! 45. He also said: children! Let us not desecrate this place, which our fathers cleansed of demons. 46. ​​He also said: this place is the place of ascetics, and not of traders. 47. One day we ascended from Gethsemane to Mount Eleon to the monastery of Abba Abraham. In this monastery there was an abbot, Abba John of Cilician. We once asked him: how can anyone acquire virtue? And the elder told us in response: whoever wants to acquire virtue cannot acquire it except by hating the evil that is opposite to it. So, if you want to always have crying, hate laughter; if you want to have humility, hate pride; if you want to be abstinent, hate satiety; if you want to be chaste, hate voluptuousness; If you want to be non-covetous, hate the love of money. He who wants to live in the desert hates cities because of the temptations in them; those who want to have silence hate frequent visits; whoever wants to be a stranger to everyone hates ostentation; he who wants to refrain from anger hates dealings with many; those who want to be unforgiving hate slander; whoever wants to be undistracted stays in solitude; whoever wants to bridle his tongue, let him block his ears so as not to hear too much; whoever wishes to always have the fear of God should hate bodily rest and love sorrow and oppression. 48. The brother asked Abba Joseph: when persecution happens, where is it better to flee - to the desert or to cities and villages? The elder told him: if you hear that there are Orthodox Christians somewhere, go there, closer to them. 49. He said: do not have friendship with the boy at all and do not live with him; if you can live alone in your cell, then that’s good; Grow your own vegetables instead of going to someone to ask. 50. The brother asked him: I want to live with someone on this condition: I would be silent alone in my cell and earn what I need for maintenance through handicrafts, and he would take care of me. The elder said to him: our fathers did not want this. 51. They talked about Abba Isaac: when he ended, the elders came to him and asked: what should we do after you, father? He answered: Have you seen how I walked before your face? If you also follow the commandments of the Lord and keep them, then He will send His grace and preserve this place; if you do not preserve it, you will not remain in this place. For we too, when our fathers died, were sad, but, keeping the commandments of the Lord and their testaments, we stood as if they themselves were with us. Do the same and you will be saved. 52. The brother asked Abba Hierax: tell me the word, how to be saved? The elder tells him: sit in your cell: if you are hungry, eat, if you are thirsty, drink, just don’t slander anyone, and you will be saved. 53. Abba Isidore said: life without glory is usually more beneficial than glory without life. For life edifies even silently, but glory without life, despite all the shouts, serves only as a burden. If glory and life are united, then they constitute the beauty of all wisdom. 54. He said: Treasure virtue; don't worry about happiness. Virtue is an immortal treasure, but happiness soon disappears. 55. Abba Hierax also said: many people strive for virtue, but are slow to follow the path leading to it. Others don’t even think about what virtue is. Therefore, some must be persuaded to abandon their laziness, and others must be taught that virtue truly is virtue. 56. He said: evil has removed people from God and divided them among themselves, therefore one must flee from evil in every possible way and strive for virtue, which leads to God and unites one with another. The goal of virtue and chastity is simplicity with wisdom. 57. Abba Joseph of Thebes said: the following three things are honest in the face of the Lord: first, when new temptations are presented to someone who is sick and he accepts them with thanksgiving; second - when someone does all his deeds in such a way that they are pure before the face of God and have nothing human; the third is when someone lives in perfect obedience to the spiritual father and renounces all his own desires. This last one has one more crown. I would choose illness. 58. Abba Macarius said: do not spend the night in the cell of a brother who has a bad reputation. 59. The brother asked Abba Macarius the Great about how to achieve perfection, and the elder said in response: if a person does not acquire great humility in the heart and body and not measure himself in any matter, but put himself in humility below every creature, and also not at all condemn anyone except himself alone, endure reproach, tear away all anger from the heart and force himself to be long-suffering, quiet, brotherly loving, chaste, self-controlled, as it is said: the kingdom of heaven is in need, and the needy delight it (Matthew 11:12); also the right to look with your eyes, guard your tongue and turn your ears away from all vain and soul-sucking hearing; maintain purity of heart before God and integrity of body; To have death before your eyes every day, to extinguish anger and malice, to reject material and carnal lusts, to turn away from the devil and all his works and firmly unite yourself with God the All-King and all His commandments, to pray unceasingly and at all times, in every thing, in every deed to be established in God, then cannot be perfect. 60. Abba Mark said: the law of freedom teaches all truth, and although many read it, few understand it regarding the fulfillment of the commandments. Do not seek perfection in human virtues, for there is nothing perfect in them. The perfection of it (the law) is hidden in the cross of Christ. 61. The brother came to the Skete to Abba Moses and asked him for guidance. The elder said to him: go and shut yourself up in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything. 62. Abba Moses said: whoever has Jesus near him and constantly talks with Him does well, not bringing a person into his cell. 63. Again he said: it is impossible to acquire Jesus except through labor, humility and unceasing prayer. 64. Abba Matoi said: three elders came to Abba Paphnutius, whose name was Kephalos, and asked him for guidance. The elder asked them: what do you want me to tell you - spiritual or carnal? They answered: spiritual. Then the elder said to them: go, love sorrow: sorrow rather than consolation, dishonor rather than glory, and giving rather than receiving. 65. The brother asked the elder: what good deed should I do in order to live through it (be saved)? And the elder said: God alone knows what is good. But I heard that one of the fathers asked Abba Nesteroi (Nisferai) the Great, a friend of Abba Anthony, about this, and he answered: aren’t all things equal? Scripture says that Abraham was hospitable, and God was with him. Elijah loved silence, and God was with him. David was humble in wisdom, and God was with him. So, whatever you see your soul disposed towards God, do it and guard your heart. 66. Abba Nilus said: a slave who does not care about the affairs of his master must be ready to be subjected to blows. 67. Abba Pimen spoke about Abba Nesteroy: like the copper serpent given to Moses to heal the people, so this old man, having every virtue, healed everyone in silence. When Abba Pimen asked Abba Nesteroi where he acquired such virtue that, no matter what and when sorrow happened to him in the monastery, he did not say anything and did not complain. He replied: forgive me, Abba. At the very beginning, when I entered this monastery, I said to my thoughts: you and the donkey are one and the same. Just as a donkey, when beaten, does not speak and, when scolded, does not answer anything, so be you, as the psalm says: the cattle would be with you, and I would go out with you (Ps. 72:22, 23). 68. The Sinai Fathers told about Abba Orestes that one Sunday he came to church in his robe inside out and stood like that between the others. Some of the officials came up and said to him: why, father, did you enter the church in your clothes inside out? The strangers will laugh at us. The elder replied: you have corrupted Sinai, and no one makes any comments to you, but I dressed inside out, and this is unpleasant for you. Correct what you have corrupted, and I will correct what I have overturned. 69. Abba Pimen said that three virtues: prudence, attention to oneself and prudence are the guides of the soul. 70. The brother asked Abba Pimen: how should a person live? The elder says to him: let's look at Daniel: there was no other accusation against him except that he served the Lord his God. 71. Again he said: poverty, sickness, sorrow, self-oppression and fasting - these are the working tools of a monk. For the Scripture also says: if these three men be in the midst of it (the earth), Noah and Daniel and Job... as I live, says the Lord Adonai... they will be saved in their righteousness (Ezek. 14:14, 20). Noah portrays non-covetousness, Job – pain, Daniel – prudence. So, if any person has these three virtues, then the Lord dwells in him. 72. He also said: if a monk conquers two things, he can be free from the world. Brother asked: which ones? Carnivory and vanity,” answered the elder. 73. The brother asked Abba Pimen: tell me a word of edification. The elder said: Our fathers began every work by crying. The brother said: tell me another word. The elder answered: as much as you can, work on handicrafts in order to do alms from them, for it is written: through alms and faith sins are cleansed (Proverbs 15:27). The brother asked: what is faith? The elder said in response: to believe means to live in humility and give alms. 74. He also said: if your heart does not want to believe someone, do not listen to him with your heart. 75. The brother asked Abba Pimen: what should I do with my useless friendships? The elder answered: is there a person who, approaching death, would still think about the friendships of this world? Don't get close to them or touch them, and they will move away from you on their own. 76. He said again: when a person intends to build a house, he collects a large amount of money in order to be able to build it, and prepares various kinds of materials. Likewise, we will take little by little from all the virtues. 77. He said: David wrote to Joab: start a war, and you will take possession of the city and destroy it (2 Sam. 11:25). 78. He said: Joab said: Take courage and you will be sons of strength and let us fight for the people of God (2 Sam. 10:12). This is us. 79. Abba Pimen said: if you see visions and hear voices, do not tell your neighbor about it, for this is a turn of battle (on your side). 80. Again he said: run for the first time; in the second, run, and in the third, be a sword (about fighting thoughts). 81. Abba Pimen said to Abba Isaac: cast off some of your righteousness and in a few days you will gain peace. 82. Abba Vitimius asked Abba Pimen: if someone has displeasure against me and I repent to him, but he does not reconcile due to lack of sincerity, what should I do? The elder said: take the other two brothers with you and repent to him; if he is not reconciled again, take five others; If even now he does not reconcile, take a priest; if in this way he does not reconcile and does not believe your sincerity, then finally pray unabashedly to God, so that He Himself will add faith to him - and be at peace. 83. The brother, leaving for the marketplace, asked Abba Pimen: what do you advise me to do? The elder told him: be a friend of the one who forces you and calmly sell your things. 84. He said: do not entrust your conscience to a person whom your heart does not lie to trust. 85. He also said: this is the rule of life God gave the Israelites: to abstain from what is unnatural, that is, anger, rage, envy, hatred, slandering a brother and other things characteristic of the old man. 86. He also said: use all possible efforts to ensure that you do no harm to anyone, and keep your heart pure in relation to every person. 87. The head of the country came to Abba Palladius, wanting to see him, for he had heard a lot about his deeds, and, taking a shorthand writer, ordered him: I will go to the Abba, but you write down everything that he tells me with all accuracy. Entering, the ruler said to the elder: pray for me, Abba, for I have many sins. The elder answered: Jesus Christ alone is sinless. The boss asked: Do we have to give an account to God about every sin, Abba? The elder answered: it is written: He will reward everyone according to his deeds (Rom. 2:6). The visitor asked to explain this word, and the elder replied: it explains itself; However, listen in more detail. Have you insulted your neighbor? You'll take it for granted. Did he steal something from his inferiors, beat the poor and show partiality in court, or did he dishonor, slander, slander, slander, plot against other people’s marriages, break an oath, transgress the boundaries of his fathers, enter into the property of orphans, offend widows, prefer real sweetness to promised blessings? You will receive a worthy reward for everything, for as a man sows, that will he also reap (Gal. 6:7). In the same way, even if you have done something good, you will receive multiple rewards for it, for it is said: He will reward someone according to his deeds. Remember this reward throughout your life and you will avoid many sins. The boss asked: what should I do, Abba? The elder answered: think about eternal, endless and unchanging blessings, about where there is no night and no sleep - this image of death; where there are no food and drink - these servants of our weakness; and there are no sorrows, no illnesses, no healing, no courts, no trades, no wealth - this is the beginning of evil, the subject of wars and the root of enmity; where is the land of the living - not those who died in sin, but living true life in Christ Jesus. Then the chief sighed and said: Truly, Abba, it is as you said. And having received great edification, he went home, thanking God. 88. They told about Abba Pamvo that when he ended, at the very hour of the exodus, he said to the upcoming holy men: since I came to this deserted place and, having built myself a cell, settled in it, I don’t remember that I ate any other bread except what I got with my own hands, I didn’t repent of anything even until this hour, and I go to God as if I had not yet begun to worship God. This is how Abba Pamvo differed from many! Again, when they asked him about any word of Scripture or about spiritual objects, he did not answer immediately, but said that he did not know this, and for a month or more he did not give an answer. 89. Abba Pambo said: if you have a heart, you can be saved. 90. They said about the fathers - Abba Pambo, Abba Bessarion, Abba Isaiah and Abba Paisia ​​- that they were very strong. One day they were talking with Abba Afre, and the presbyter of Mount Nitria asked them how the brethren should behave? They said: in great asceticism and keeping your conscience from your neighbor. 91. The brother asked Abba Pamvo: why do evil spirits prevent me from doing good to my neighbor? The elder answered him: don’t say that, because by doing this you are calling God a liar, but rather say: I don’t want to do good deeds. For before God said: Behold, I give you power to tread on the serpent, and on the scorpion, and on all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). 92. Abba Pambo sent his disciple to the city of Alexandria to sell handicrafts. During his sixteen-day stay in the city, as this student himself told us, he sold needlework in the church narfika, in the Church of St. Mark, saw the continuation of the services of the Orthodox Church and memorized the troparia. When he returned, the elder asked him: I see, my son, that you are confused. Did any temptation happen to you in the city? The brother answered: truly, Abba, we spend our days in this desert in negligence, for we sing neither canons nor troparia. When I was in Alexandria, I saw the church rites singing there, and I began to grieve greatly, why don’t we sing canons and troparions? The elder said to him: alas for us, my son, that the days are approaching in which the monks will leave solid food, spoken by the Holy Spirit, and choose to follow with songs and voices. What contrition, what tears will be born from the troparia? What contrition is there for a monk when he stands in a church or cell and raises his voice like an ox? For when we stand before God, we must stand with great contrition, and not with daydreaming and distraction. The monks did not go out into this desert in order to stand before God with their voices, sing to the beat of songs and combine tunes, wave their arms and shuffle their feet. We must offer prayers to God in great fear and trembling, with tears and sighs, in a reverent, contrite and quietly humble voice. I assure you, my son, that the days will come when Christians will spoil the books of the holy Apostles and God-inspired prophets, blot out the sacred writings and write troparia, and in imitation of the Hellenic, their mind will be poured out in Hellenic troparia and speeches. That is why our fathers ordered that calligraphers located in this desert should not write the lives and words of the fathers on parchment, but on paper, for the coming generation will clean out the real lives of the holy fathers and write them according to their will. Then the brother asked him: so, what? Will the morals and traditions of Christians really change and there will be no priests in the church? The elder replied: in those times the love of many will dry up and there will be considerable sorrow: attacks of languages, movements of peoples, instability in kings, disorder in the authorities, luxury in the priests, negligence in the monks; the abbots will be careless about the salvation of themselves and their flocks; everyone will be hasty at meals and lazy at prayers, quick to slander and skillful in condemning; then they will neither imitate the lives and words of the elders, nor even listen about them, talking idlely that if they had been around in their days, they would have labored like them. Bishops in those days will be ashamed of the faces of the strong, judge by gifts, will not defend the poor in court, will offend widows and oppress the orphans, and unbelief, debauchery, hatred, enmity, envy, litigation, theft, frenzy, drunkenness, fornication, adultery, murder, theft will enter the people. The brother said: so, what should be done in those times and years? The elder answered: in those days he will save his soul, save himself, and he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 93. Abba Pitirion, a student of Abba Anthony, said that whoever wants to cast out demons must first overcome the passions, for whatever passion someone overcomes, that passion also casts out the demon. “So he enters,” said his demon, following his anger; if you tame your anger, then his demon will be cast out. The same is true for every passion. 94. Abba Sisoes said: be self-deprecating, turn your will around, don’t be overly concerned, and you will have peace. 95. He said: there are people who spend their days in negligence and seek salvation in word and thought only, but do not care about it in deed; they read the lives of the saints, but do not imitate their humility and non-covetousness, prayer and vigil, abstinence and silence, sleeping on the ground and kneeling. And they lie to the life of the fathers, saying that it is impossible to endure all this, for they do not think that where God dwells through the grace of divine baptism and the fulfillment of the commandments, there are things greater than nature. 96. They said about Abba Thomas that at his death he said to his children: do not live with heretics, do not communicate with the authorities, let your hands not be stretched out to gather, but rather to distribute. 97. The elder said: draw your sword (that is, fight, do not give in). The brother answered: passions do not allow me. Then the elder said: Didn’t the Lord command: call on Me in the day of your sorrow, and wear you out, and glorify Me (Ps. 49:15). So, call on Him, and He will deliver you from every temptation. 98. The elders said that the kukuli is a sign of kindness, the analav is a sign of the cross, and the belt is a sign of courage. So, let us live according to our attire, doing everything with zeal, so that it does not turn out that we are wearing an image that is alien to us. 99. The brother asked the elder: how can anyone fight for the Lord’s sake? The elder answered him: in one monastery there was a boy who was given to the good elder to watch him and teach him the fear of God. The elder told him this: when someone curses you, bless him; when you sit down to a meal, eat what is tasteless and leave what is tasty; When you have to choose clothes for you, leave the good ones and take the bad ones. The boy says to him: I am a bull, why are you advising me to do this? The elder replied: for this reason I advise you to do this, may you be strong for the Lord’s sake, and may the Lord make you wise for this. So the elder showed us who and what deeds do things for the Lord’s sake. 100. The elder said: let's stand on the stone! And let the river rush, do not be afraid, and let it not overthrow you, but sing in silence: he who trusts in the Lord is like Mount Zion: he will not move for the living age in Jerusalem (Ps. 125:1). 101. Again he said: Christ was born for you, O man! The Son of God came for your salvation; was a man, being God; I was a reader when in the synagogue, taking a book, I read: The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me: for the sake of My anointing (Luke 4:18); was a subdeacon when, having created a scourge from the ropes, he drove out all the sheep and oxen from the church... all those who sold and bought in it... and so on (John 2:15; Matt. 21:12); was a deacon when, having girded himself with lantern, he washed the feet of his disciples, commanding them to wash the feet of the brethren (John 13:4, 5); was a presbyter when, sitting among the elders, he taught the people (Luke 2:46, 47); was a bishop when he took bread, and blessed it, and gave it to his disciples (Matthew 26:26); He was beaten with whips - for your sake, but you cannot bear even one reproach - for His sake; was buried and resurrected as God, and did everything for us to save us. So, let us be sober, watchful, remain in prayer and do what is pleasing to Him. 102. This is what one elder said about evil thoughts: I beg you, brothers, just as we have fallen behind evil deeds, so we will also fall behind memories. 103. The elder said: if there is a sorrowful word between you and another and this one denies, saying: I did not say such a word, do not argue with him, otherwise he will turn around and say: yes, he did, so what? 104. The elder said: do not approve of every word and do not agree with every word. Believe slowly, truth quickly. 105. One of the elders said: at first, meeting with each other, we talked about saving objects, forming ourselves as if a spiritual choir, and ascended to heaven; Now, coming together, we turn to gossip and cast each other down into the mud. 106. One of the elders said: if our inner man is sober, then he is strong to guard the outer one; if not, then as much as we can, we will guard our tongue. 107. He said: it is necessary to have spiritual works, since this is what we came for: for it is great work to teach with our lips when we do not do works with our bodies. 108. The elder said: it is written - beware of the second and third sin, but I will not turn away from the fourth. The first three sins are: remembering something bad, agreeing to it with your thoughts and uttering it with your tongue, and the fourth is committing a deed. The wrath of God will not turn away from this latter. 109. The elder said: the devil usually attacks the weak side of a monk in the hope that the habit, strengthened by longevity, receives the strength of nature, especially among those who are rather careless. Do not give yourself fatty food, especially when you are healthy, and do not eat anything that causes lust; When you taste what God sends to you, thank Him every hour. We sought temporary benefits for the sake of monasticism and, however, have not yet become monks. Take courage, brother, so as not to wear someone else’s image and keep the seal of Christ, that is, humility. 110. The elders said that a monk must fight the demon of despondency and cowardice until his death, especially during church meetings. When, with the help of God, you succeed in this, then beware of the thought of self-satisfaction and unreasonable self-exaltation and say to this thought: unless the Lord builds a house, those who build it labor in vain (Ps. 126:1), but I am nothing more than earth and ashes (Gen. 18:27). Remember that the Lord resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Prov. 3:34). 111. The elder said: whether you are sleeping or awake, or whatever you are doing, let God be before your eyes, then the enemy will not be able to frighten you in any way. For if your mind remains in God, then the power of God will also abide in you. 112. The elder said: a monk should not be eager to listen to stories about others and judge, and should not be tempted. 113. The brother asked the elder: tell me how to be saved? And the elder answered: let us try to work little by little and we will be saved. 114. The elders said: God requires Christians to submit to the Holy Scriptures, to practice what they read and to believe in the superiors and spiritual fathers. 115. The brother asked the elder: what should I do with the thoughts that surround me and draw me out of my cell under the pretext of going to the elders? The elder told him: if you see that your thoughts want to take you out of your cell because of oppression of the flesh, then make yourself a little consolation in your cell and you won’t want to leave. If, for the sake of spiritual edification, the desire to go somewhere comes, then test your thoughts and go out. I heard about one old man that when his thoughts inspired him to go to someone, he got up, took his mantle and went out; then, having walked around the cell, he returned and consoled himself, like a wanderer. By doing this, he calmed down. 116. The elders said that children, even more than wives, are the devil’s snare for monks. 117. They also said: where there is wine and children, Satan is not needed there. 118. One zealous brother, living alone in his cell, hearing about the virtues of the saints, was inflamed with a desire to imitate them and began to think about how to succeed in them without much labor and feat. He went and revealed this to one great old man. The elder told him: if you want success, then go and be like a child receiving lessons from a teacher. Just as a child learns one lesson after another, so do you: give yourself a lesson for this year - to fight with your belly, and fight until you learn not to satiate it; then work to defeat vanity until you hate it as an enemy; when you achieve this, strive to give up everything material and entrust God with the care of yourself. Then go for it; for if a person succeeds in these three virtues, then he will meet Jesus with joy when He comes. 119. One of the elders said: if you do not hate first, you cannot love: you will hate sin and do righteousness, as it is written: turn away from evil and do good (Ps. 33:15). However, the main thing that is required in this is good will. Adam, being in paradise, transgressed the commandment, and Job, sitting on a dunghill, remained abstinent. God requires from man only good will and that he always fear Him. 120. One tempted brother came to the elder and revealed to him the temptations he was enduring. To this the elder said: do not be frightened by the temptations that befall you, for the enemies, as soon as they see that the soul ascends more and more and cleaves to God, become fierce, consumed by envy; but it is impossible that during temptations God and His Angels should not be present to you, just do not forget to call on Him with all humility. So, when something like this happens to you, think about the power of our Helper, about our weakness and the ferocity of our enemy, and you will receive God’s help. 121. The elder said: just as a hotelier does not have the power to bring a stranger into a house without receiving permission from the owner of the house, so the enemy will not enter unless he is accepted. 122. He said: when you pray, say this: how much I gain You, Lord, You weigh; I am brutish and worthless. You brought me into this saving rank, save me. I am Thy servant, and the son of Thy handmaid (Ps. 116:7), Lord! save me as you wish! 123. The elder said: it is impossible to acquire Jesus except through labor, humility and unceasing prayer. 124. One of the fathers said that a monk, when with the brethren, should always look down to the ground and not at all look at the face of a person, especially a young one; when he is alone, he must constantly see grief, for demons are afraid and are greatly offended, when we see grief - to God. 125. The elder said: God still tolerates the sins of the world, but does not tolerate the sins of the desert. Know, my brother, that one who has withdrawn from the world is not tortured in the same way as a layman, for he has many pretexts for justification, but what can we present to justify ourselves? Truly, terrible fire and the greatest torment await those who, having known the will of God, despise it and follow their own. Such people, living in pleasure and enjoying the vain and temporary, often say: I collect money and various things for bodily needs, just to provide for my life. It’s good: this word contains part of the truth, if they definitely care only about what is necessary, but having said that I care only about what is necessary for the body, one should no longer get carried away when money or good food is brought to the monk, but calmly limit oneself only to what is needed for the body. Meanwhile, they not only accept money and things, but also look for others and, having tasted such dishes, desire even better ones. Either work and don’t accept money, or, if you do, then don’t work, so as not to become a fuss; but we want both. So we have shown you what is the cause of passions, for which someone who appears to be a monk is judged more strictly than the laity; for, while many of the laity live honestly, this one does not show mercy to his brother, but lives luxuriously and makes the house of God a house of purchase, or better yet, a tavern shop. Moreover, we will say in part about what draws us into vanity, so that, knowing, we can avoid and thereby be saved. Many of us imagine that just by putting on the schema, by saying, “Lord, Lord,” and by hearing, “Monk, monk,” that’s what this title consists of. Truly, my brothers, if we do not pay attention to ourselves, we will end up falling into a ditch even worse than the laity, so that we will no longer be able to cry out to God. So, true fear and humility are needed. Many of our brethren, who seem humble and behave like monks, seek to fulfill their will, but do not submit to the will of God and, caught up in their own desires, in vain worries, entertainment and cares, they waste the time given to them for repentance, which after a little they will strongly desire and seek, but will not find. 126. The elder said: try carefully not to sin, so as not to offend God who dwells with you and drive Him out of your soul. 127. The elder said: let us be sober, watchful and remain in prayer, so that we may be saved by doing what is pleasing to God. A warrior, having entered into battle, cares only about his soul, as well as a trapper - let us imitate them. Whoever lives according to God, God also lives with him: I will dwell in them, and I will walk with them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people (2 Cor. 6:16). 128. A brother living in Kellia came to one of the fathers and told him his thought, namely the thought of sorrow. The elder said to him: you have cast down a great weapon - the fear of God - and taken for yourself a reed staff - evil thoughts. It is better to take fire for yourself, which is the fear of God, and when the enemy approaches you, it will burn from this fire like a reed, for the evil one is not strong against the one who has the fear of God. 129. The elder said: do not teach ahead of time, otherwise throughout your life you will be reduced to reason. 130. The brother asked the elder: Father! tell me, what should I do to fulfill the will of God? The elder said: if you want, my son, to fulfill the will of God, refrain from all untruth, covetousness, love of money, do not repay evil for evil, oath for oath, slander for slander, blow for blow. Remember what the Lord said: judge not, lest ye be judged (Matthew 7:1); release, and they will release you (Luke 6:37) and show mercy, that you may receive mercy (Matthew 5:7). Knowing for sure that the eyes of the Lord are darker than the brightest sun, despising all the ways of man (Sir. 23:27, 28), so that nothing is hidden from Him: neither thoughts, nor thoughts, nor any secrets of the heart, and that must inevitably appear before the judgment seat of Christ - let each one accept it according to his deeds - let us work for Him with fear and trembling and with with all reverence, as He Himself commanded and as the Apostles taught, so that we should be sober in prayer and remain in fasting and supplication, asking the all-seeing God not to lead us into temptation (Luke 11:4). 131. He said that he who teaches others salvation must first taste the fruit of the teaching, for he who is not yet chaste, how can he make another chaste? And the one who is squeezed by the love of money and persecuted by his demon, how can he teach others to give alms? Also, whoever is busy only with giving and taking, buying and selling, fussing and wasting his days and years in earthly cares, how can he teach others the doctrine of future blessings? For if the teacher himself, having left the heavenly, indulges in the temporary and transitory, it is obvious that those who look at him and are taught by him will learn to despise the eternal, yet pay attention only to real life. To such a one God says: How many things have you spoken of My justifications, and have you accepted My covenant with your lips? But you hated punishment, and you rejected My words back (Ps. 49:16,17). And again: woe, by them My name is blasphemed among the nations (Isa. 52:5; Rom. 2:24). Teaching is a good thing if the one who teaches does what he teaches, so that, while teaching, he does and silently admonishes, for blessed is not the one who teaches, but whoever does and teaches (Matthew 5:19). 132. The brother asked the elder: how is it that the laity - people of everyday life - do not fall, do not say: “we have sinned” - and do not excommunicate themselves from communion, while they despise fasting, neglect prayer, run away from vigils, are seduced by everyone, do everything according to their lusts, devour each other in giving and receiving (in transactions) and spend most of the day in worship and oaths? We, monks, despite all the fact that we strictly fast, keep vigils, sleep on bare ground and are content with dry eating, cry and say with tears: we are lost, we have lost our kingdom, we are guilty of hell? The elder sighed and said: You say well, brother, that the laity do not fall, for, having once fallen through a disastrous and disastrous fall, they cannot rise and have no place to fall from. And what does the devil care about fighting against those who always lie down and never get up? The monks sometimes win, sometimes they are defeated; sometimes they fall, sometimes they rise; sometimes they hurt, sometimes they are vulnerable; sometimes they are attacked and fall, sometimes they resist the devil; The laity, due to great foolishness, remain in the first fall and, not realizing that they have fallen, do not care at all about rising from such a fall. Know, my son, that not only you and I, who seem to be monks and are far removed from monastic life, have a need for constant crying and tears, but also the great fathers, that is, ascetics and hermits, need tears. Listen to me wisely and understand: lies from the devil (John 8:44), said the Lord; to look at a wife, and He counted it for fornication to lust after her (Matthew 5:28); He compared anger at one's neighbor to murder (1 John 3:15) and declared that we would give an account of every idle word (Matthew 12:36). Who is this and where can you find a person who would not be involved in lies, and would be innocent of lust from sight, and would never be angry with his neighbor in vain, and would be innocent of idle speech, so that he would not have the need for repentance? Know, my son, that someone who has not completely exalted himself to the cross in humility and self-abasement, and has not given himself up to be trampled upon by everyone, to unjustification and to follow all this, to endure all this for the sake of God with thanksgiving and joy and not at all to seek anything human, that is, neither glory, nor honor, nor praise and nor consolation in food, drink and clothing, cannot be a true Christian. 133. The elder said: try to learn by experience the good life and do not be afraid of this as if it is impossible. 134. The elder said: if you have renounced your relatives for the sake of God, then, sitting in your cell, do not allow yourself to have carnal regret about your father, mother, brother, or about the tender disposition of your sons and daughters, or about the love of your wife, for you have left all this for the sake of God. Remember better about the hour of death, when none of them can help you. 135. The elder said: just as a wrestler acts in a duel, so a monk should act in the fight against thoughts - stretching out his hands crosswise to the sky and calling on God for help. The fighter stands naked on the battlefield, anointed with oil and taught by his patron how to fight. The opponent comes from the opposite side, throwing up sand or dust, so that in this way it is more convenient to grab the enemy. Apply all this to yourself, monk! The Patron is God, who gives us victory; the fighters are us; the opponent is our enemy; sand - the things of this world. Do you see the enemy's cunning? So, remain matterless and you will win, for when the mind is heavy with matter, it does not accept immaterial words. 136. The elder said: there was one very rich farmer, who, wanting to win over his sons to farming, said to them: children, do you see how rich I have become? You will be rich too if you listen to me. They asked him: we beg you, father, tell us how to do this? Then, in order to ward them off from laziness, he answered them using the following trick: there is one day in the year, and if anyone works on this day, he will certainly get rich, but which one, I have forgotten from old age. So, do not leave a single day without work, so as not to miss this blessed one and not make the work of a whole year in vain. Likewise, if we work unceasingly, we will find the path of the belly. 137. The brother asked the elder: why is it that when I go to work, I don’t take care of my soul? The elder said to him: because you do not want to fulfill the words of Scripture, which says: I will bless the Lord at all times, I will bring His praise into my mouth (Ps. 33:2). So, whether you are in your cell or outside it, or whether you go anywhere, do not cease to bless God not only in word, but also in deed and thought, glorify your Master. For the Divinity is not described by place, but, being everywhere, embraces everything with His Divine power. 138. One brother said: I asked the elder what I should do with my negligence, and the elder answered: if you do not eradicate this small grass, that is, negligence, then a big straw will grow from it. 139. The elder said: when you tell someone instructions on how to live, then speak to the listener with contrition and tears. Moreover, if you want to save others, do not speak in words that are alien to salvation or alien, so that you do not remain fruitless until your death. 140. The elder said: wherever you go, pay attention to yourself constantly, for it is written: Herod’s dwelling leads them (Ps. 103:17), that is, wherever the monk goes, there is his dwelling. So, everywhere try to fulfill your rule and hours and evening prayers, and also do not neglect your thoughts and always have sorrow before your eyes. Nevertheless, this cannot be carried out without difficulty. 141. Again he said: be like a camel - bear your sins and, as if tied, follow the one who knows the path of God. 142. One of the elders said: we fall into greater evil because we neglect the lesser. Pay attention to this word: someone will laugh, for example, untimely, another will condemn him; he, having forgotten all fear, will say: it’s nothing, for what does it mean to laugh? From this, finally, blasphemy is born, and hence - bad deeds and lawlessness. Thus, through what seems small, the evil one leads into greater sin, and from greater sin it is not far from despair; despair is ungodly and destructive. It is not sin that destroys so much as despair, for the one who repents corrects his sin, and the one who despairs perishes. Great sin is despair. So, let's not neglect the little things. The enemy cunningly instills it in us and does not openly begin to fight, for the fight would be easy and victory would be easy, especially if we stay awake. It is really easy for us, since God has given us all the armor. Wanting us not to neglect little things, listen to what He commands: whoever speaks to his brother... a freak, is guilty of fiery hell (Matthew 5:22); He who looks with lustful eyes is the same as a fornicator (Matt. 5:28); He condemns those who laugh to grief (Luke 6:25) and threatens to answer for every idle word (Matthew 12:36). That is why Job purified the thoughts of his children with sacrifices (Job 1:5). Knowing this, we will stand firmly against excuses and will never fall. 143. One of the saints said: it is impossible for a person to taste the sweetness of God while he still finds sweetness in the sweets of this world; also, when someone tastes the sweetness of God, he will hate all the blessings of this age, as it is declared in the Gospel: no one can work for two masters (Matthew 6:24). And while we desire connections with people and consolation for the body, we still cannot achieve the taste of God’s sweetness. But here’s what I say: if anyone currently sits in his cell, remains in the feat of silence and prayer, and does his work from the heart, he can be saved. 144. The elder said: do not serve the meal ahead of time when you are alone; do not speak before you are asked, and when asked, speak what is right with reason. 145. The elder said: you see that the devil dealt the first blow to Job through his property and, seeing that he did not depart from God, struck another - on his body. But even in this way, this courageous fighter did not sin with the word of his mouth, for he had the blessings of God within and always, tasting them, remained in them. 146. Blessed Zosimus, having first created the sign of the cross on his lips, said this: such grace was bestowed by the incarnate Word - God on those who believed and believe in Him, that even now we can believe and begin from this day, if we wish, for with the firm determination of the will, with the assistance of grace, the whole world can be imputed to anyone who wishes. Then he took the nail he came across and added: who would quarrel or argue, or bear a grudge, or be offended because of this nail, except perhaps the one who has really completely lost his mind? The man of God, prosperous and perfected, will he not attribute the whole world to this nail, even though he possesses the whole world? For it harms, I say, not just to have, but to have with passion. Who doesn't know that the body is more honest than anything we have? But if, according to the demands of the times, we are commanded to despise the body itself, is it not much more so what is outside it? And just as one should not throw away property unnecessarily, just as it happened, so one should not throw oneself to death, for this is characteristic only of someone who has completely lost his mind; but we must wait for the time, so that when it comes we will be ready. Remember that brother who had vegetables! Has he sat down? Didn't you work? Didn’t you plant and fertilize? He did not pull them out of the ground himself and did not throw them, but he had them as if he had not. He did not fuss or worry when the elder who came to him, wanting to test him, began to destroy them; he did not even come out to him, but hid and, when only the root remained, he said to him: if you want, father, leave this and we will make a treat out of it. Then this saint realized that before him was a true servant of God, and not a slave of vegetables, and said to him: The Spirit of God rested on you, my brother. If he had had vegetables with an addiction, it would have immediately shown through grief and embarrassment, but he showed that he had them, as if he did not have them. Demons, added Saint Zosimus, notice this, and if they see that someone is impartial to things, that he is not embarrassed and does not grieve over losses, then they will know from the fact that he walks on earth, but does not have earthly wisdom in himself. 147. He said: it is bad to be irritated and angry. What is more convenient than what we hear from the holy and active teacher Abba Ammon, who said: watch yourself carefully so that you remain silent if in any matter someone insults you, and not even make a sound until your heart is tamed by unceasing prayer, and then beg your brother. He who loves the true and straight path, in the hour of confusion, strongly reproaches and denounces himself and says: Why are you embarrassed, why are you angry, my soul, like one enraged? By this you show that you are sick, because if you weren’t sick, you wouldn’t suffer. Why, leaving yourself to reproach yourself, do you reproach your brother, who showed you your illness in deed and truth? Know the commandments of Christ, who reproached no one who did not rebuke, nor did he forgot the suffering (1 Pet. 2:23). Haven’t you heard what He says and shows by His deeds: I put My cloaks on wounds and My cheeks on blows, but I did not turn My face away from the cold of spitting (Isa. 50:6)? And you, poor thing, for one sorrowful word and dishonor, you weave countless thoughts and slander yourself like demons. What can a demon do to such a soul more than what it does to itself? See the cross of Christ and think every day about the passions that He endured for our sake, but we ourselves do not endure a single insult! Indeed, we have deviated from the right path. 148. He also said: let someone live the 4 years of Methuselah, but if he does not walk the straight path that all the saints walked, the path, I say, of dishonor of insults and courageous patience, then he will not have time at all, but will waste the years of his life in vain. And he added: when I was with blessed Dionysia, one brother asked her for something as a blessing, and she gave him what and as much as she could. But since he was not given as much as he asked for, he began to insult her and speak absurd things about her and me. She was offended and wanted to harm him. Noticing this, I said to her: what are you doing? By doing this you slander yourself and destroy all the virtue of your soul. For what you endure is worthy of what Christ endured for you. I know, lady, that you have scattered money like rubbish, but if you do not seek meekness, then you are like a blacksmith who strikes a piece of iron but does not make a vessel. Listen to what Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer says: “seek meekness, by which all the power of the prince of this age is destroyed.” The sign of rejection of the world is not to be alarmed. It happens that someone, having left great treasures, becomes addicted to the needle, and this addiction causes him embarrassment; then the needle takes the place of treasure for him. So another person becomes a slave of a needle, or a cupola, or a mantle, or a book, and is no longer a servant of God. One of the wise said well: as many passions in the soul as there are masters. And the Apostle says: for if anyone is overcome, this is why he works (2 Pet. 2:19). She listened to me with attention and finally said: May you find God, Whom your heart seeks. 149. The blessed one also said: the soul desires to be saved, but, addicted to vain things and caring about them, it runs around with labors, although, truly, it is not the commandments that are difficult, but evil desires. We have a habit, fearing to drown in the sea or get caught by robbers, to despise everything and value nothing, but we are not willing to lose any of our property, although we know that after a little time we will die. But if, in the event of danger, in order to live a little, we despise everything and consider it happiness, if, having lost everything, we ourselves are saved from robbers or from death at sea (and the one who went berserk not long before, even for an ovol 5, without regret, gives up everything just to preserve temporary life), then why don’t we also think about eternal life? Why is our fear of God not so strong as our fear of the sea, as one of the saints said? To confirm this, he told the following incident: I heard that once a rich merchant named Kavidarius sailed on a ship with his children to trade in precious stones and margaritas, of which he had a lot with him. On the ship he fell in love with a boy who served him, caressed him and gave him something to eat from what he himself had eaten. One day this youth heard how the shipmen, having agreed among themselves, decided to throw Kavidarius into the sea in order to take possession of his precious stones, and he was saddened. With a gloomy look, he came to the merchant to carry out his business as usual. Noticing such gloominess, the merchant asked him: why are you so gloomy now? The youth did not dare to tell the truth and answered: nothing. But he begged him to definitely say: what’s wrong with him? Then the boy began to weep and said: “The shipmen have planned this and that against you.” Then the merchant called his children and said to them: whatever I command you, do it without laziness, and he ordered them to bring boxes of jewelry. Then, spreading out the canvas, he laid everything out of the boxes and said: is this our life? For the sake of these things, I am in danger of being thrown into the sea, struggling with the waves and dying in a few minutes, taking nothing with me from this world. Throw it all into the sea, he told the children. They immediately threw everything into the sea. Then the shipbuilders were amazed, and their evil intent was ruined. Do you see what prudence the merchant showed? How suddenly, in order to preserve this little life, he became a philosopher - both in word and in deed? And he acted justly, for he reasoned that if he died, what would be the benefit to him from these stones? But we do not want to endure even the slightest harm for the sake of Christ’s commandment! If you should already grieve, then about the death of the one who caused the harm, and not about the harm itself, for he - the unjust one - deprives himself of the kingdom of heaven, for the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9), and for you - the unjust one - it gives life: rejoice and be glad, says the Lord, for your reward is many in heaven (Matthew 5:12 ). We, having abandoned the sorrow of the death of Christ’s member, sit and weave thoughts about corruptible, insignificant, pernicious and worthless things. Verily, we are worthy of every punishment. God united us like members of a single body with a single head - Christ our God, as the Apostle says: but all who are of one body, being many, are one body (1 Cor. 12:12). The head of all is Christ (Eph. 1:22). Therefore, when a brother insults you, it is the same as a suffering hand or a sore eye causing pain to another member. After all, we do not cut off hands and do not gouge out eyes, considering the removal of each of these members to be a great harm, but on the contrary, we place on them the most honorable seal of Christ - the cross, and we ask the saints to pray, and we offer our diligent prayers to God, at the same time preparing colluria 6 and plasters in order to heal the sore member. And just as we pray for an eye or a hand, so that they become healthy and no longer cause us pain, so pray for your brother; but we, seeing that the members of Christ suffer such harm, not only do not grieve for them, but also persecute them. This is truly characteristic of those who do not have a merciful heart. 150. He also said: he who has acquired a merciful heart, love and compassion first brings joy and benefit to himself, and then to his neighbor; and vice versa - anger hurts and hurts the one who has it. And although it seems that he is harming his neighbor regarding property, honor, or even the body itself, in reality he is depriving himself of his belly. And he added the following saying: what does not harm the soul does not harm a person. 151. The blessed one also said: someone said to me: Abba! There are too many commandments, and the mind becomes darkened when you begin to consider what you keep and what you don’t keep. I answered him: don’t let this bother you. Believe that if you are impartial to things, you will conveniently fulfill every virtue. Without quarreling over them, you will not be vindictive; But what work is it to pray for enemies? Is it the same as digging the ground? So, walk the path of patience, endure the damage to your property, give thanks when they dishonor you, and you will become a disciple of the Apostles, who rejoice as you go... because for the name of the Lord Jesus you were deemed worthy to receive dishonor (Acts 5:41). And they, being pure and holy, bore dishonor for the name of Christ; we must be dishonored for our sins. We are already dishonored, even if no one has dishonored us, and cursed, for curses are those who turn away from Your commandments (Ps. 119:21). Dishonor for the name of Christ does not belong to everyone, not to everyone, but only to the holy and pure, as I said; It is up to people like us to confess that we are being dishonored righteously for our bad deeds. Unhappy is the soul that, knowing its unclean deeds, for which it worthily endures what it endures, sits and in the delusion of its conscience weaves thoughts, saying: he told me this and that, dishonored me and reviled me. For what happens to artists, the same happens to the soul. Just like there, the chief master, having taught the art to a student, leaves him to work on his own and no longer has the need to sit with him, but only from time to time looks after him so that he does not get lazy or spoil things, likewise the demons, if they notice that the soul easily accepts evil thoughts and listens to them, betray it to this satanic art and no longer have the need to always be with it, knowing that it is enough to slander itself against itself, they only come from time to time to see if it has not been careless she. 152. Again he said: what is easier than to love everyone and be loved by everyone? What consolation do Christ’s commandments lack? But the will does not strive for them, for if it did, then everything would be easy for it by the grace of God. A small inclination of our will, as I have often said, attracts God to help. And Blessed Anthony says: virtue requires only our desire. And again: we do not need to travel to gain the kingdom of heaven, nor to cross the sea to acquire virtue. What sweet peace does the meek and humble taste? Truly, the meek will inherit the earth, and will enjoy the abundance of the world (Ps. 37:11). 153. The blessed one also said: we once walked, I and one brother, with the laity along the Naples road and came to the place where there was a customs house. The laity, who knew the custom, gave the fee, and the brother who was with me began to contradict and say: do you dare demand a fee from the monks? Hearing this, I said to him: what are you doing, brother? Whether this or not, you say nothing more to him than: “Honor me as a saint.” It would be a different matter if he himself, seeing your good will and humility, was ashamed and said: forgive me. So, you are not acting like a disciple of the Meek and Humble. Give (what is due) and pass in peace. 154. He also said: another time, when I was in the Holy City, one of the lovers of Christ comes and says to me: a little trouble has happened between me and my brother, and he does not want to be reconciled with me; Appease and talk to him. I gladly agreed and, calling his brother, told him what could incline him to love and peace. He seemed convinced, but then suddenly told me: no, I can’t reconcile, because I swore by the cross. Then, smiling, I told him: your oath has such a meaning - I swear by Your honorable cross, Lord, that I will not keep Your commandments, but will do the will of Your enemy - the devil. Let it be known to you that not only are we not obliged to stand by our word - to do some kind of evil, but we must also repent and lament the fact that we decided to act as the God-bearing Basil spoke about this: if Herod had come to his senses and had not fulfilled his oath, he would not have committed the great sin of beheading the Forerunner of Christ. Finally, I presented to him the story of the Holy Gospel about how the Lord wanted to wash the feet of the Apostle Peter, but he contradicted. 155. The blessed one spoke again: they asked me how one should curb anger, and I answered in response: the beginning of curbing anger is not to speak while confusion continues. So Abba Moses, when they humiliated him with the words: “Why does this Ethiopian come to our meeting?” - He said: “Although I was embarrassed, I did not speak.” However, not only was he not embarrassed, but he also reproached himself, saying to himself: “black man! Well done to you! Not being a man, why do you go to a meeting of people?” But we, standing at a very low level and due to great negligence have not achieved what is characteristic of beginners, think that the commandments are high and difficult to fulfill. To be embarrassed and not speak is not characteristic of perfect people, but of beginners; not to be embarrassed at all, according to the word of the holy prophet - prepared and not embarrassed (Ps. 119:60) - is a truly great virtue. But we do not even seek to make a beginning, and we do not show the very desire for this, in order to thereby attract the grace of God to help us; or if we apparently show a desire, but it is imperfect and unsteady, unworthy of receiving any benefit from God. The same thing happens to us as with sowing and reaping: we put in the labor of will and accept the gift of grace. Like a farmer, if God blesses his work, then, having sowed a little, he receives a lot, as it is told about Isaac: Isaac sowed in that land, and having acquired a hundredfold fruit of barley that summer: the Lord bless him (Gen. 26:12). Thus, if God blesses the work of our will, we will begin to do everything without labor, naturally, with sweetness, and receive benefit from everything. Prayer with self-compulsion and patience gives birth to light, pure and sweet prayer. And that one - with self-compulsion - is a matter of will, and this one - with sweetness - is a matter of grace. We see the same thing in relation to all arts: when someone takes up any art with the firm intention of learning it, at first he works with difficulty, does not work out well and often spoils it. However, if the student does not lose spirit, but gets down to business again, and although he messes up again, he does not give up, showing the teacher his good desire, then gradually, having learned through patient work with the assistance of God, he will begin to do everything with pleasure and ease, thereby providing himself with food. If the student does not have enough spirit and patience and leaves this work, he will not learn anything. So it is in spiritual matters: he who decides to do virtue should not think that he can immediately succeed in it, for this is impossible, but must use effort; and although he doesn’t do it correctly at first, let him not leave it just because he suddenly couldn’t do it as it should, but let him use the effort again, like someone who wants to learn art. When in this way he works patiently, without losing spirit, God will look upon the work of his will and give him the strength to do everything without coercion. This is what the words of Abba Moses mean: the strength of those who want to acquire virtues lies in not being faint-hearted if they fall, but again making the same efforts. 156. He also said that every virtue requires work, time and our diligent desire, and most of all, the assistance of God is required, for if God does not cooperate with our zeal, our work will be in vain, just like the work of a farmer who cultivates and sows his land, if God does not rain on his seed. God’s assistance requires our prayers and supplications, for only through them we attract God’s help for our intercession. If we neglect prayer, then how will God look upon our work? Also, when we pray, but pray lazily and absent-mindedly, or quickly become burdened with prayer, we will not be honored to receive anything, as I always tell you, since God looks at our zeal and, judging by it, gives gifts. Was not Abba Moses formerly the chief of thieves? Didn’t he commit a multitude of crimes, so that he had to hide from his master because of his evil character? And yet, because he set to work zealously and with very warm zeal, we all know to what extent he has achieved, if he is numbered among the chosen servants of God, as the writer of his life says about this. But we, although we show the warmth of zeal when renouncing the world, over time - through our negligence - we lose it, becoming addicted to things that are cooling, empty and worthless in place of love for God and neighbor, and we appropriate deeds to ourselves as if we had done them ourselves, and not received them from God. For He says: What then did you bear, what did you receive? Even if you accepted the ecu, what are you bragging about as if it’s not accepted? (1 Cor. 4:7). 157. He also said: Jesus is not poor and is not powerless to give us such blessings as He enriched the holy patriarchs, if He saw that we benefit from what He has given us. since He sees that we, due to our disorder, are more harmed by the small and few gifts He has given, therefore He does not entrust us with large ones, so that we do not perish completely, for He is a lover of mankind. If He saw that we benefit from a little, would He not be able to give us much, as I said before? God, being good, has given us the opportunity to benefit from everything, but through addiction and abuse we destroy the gifts of God and take them away from ourselves and thus harm ourselves with the very benefits given to us. 158. Also often said (the blessed one): no one can harm a faithful soul, on the contrary, everything that it suffers turns to its benefit. And the worker suffers, but in order to receive a reward after labor, and the unfaithful is fruitlessly tormented by his unbelief. The faithful, remaining faithful, both in his labor and in the hope of receiving a reward for his patience, has great consolation, but the unfaithful, not having the confidence to receive anything from the Lord, what consolation will he have? He sits and smolders in his thoughts, having encountered some small insult, and rants to himself: he told me so, I’ll tell him this way - he holds a grudge and plots things that he cannot at all carry out. Is it possible that they can do everything that people plot? No. But only what God allows them, He is the only one who knows the destinies. Often another person plots to do evil to another, but does not succeed, because God does not allow this - thus only human thoughts are tempted. How many people intended to harm the holy patriarchs? But since God did not allow it, no one could harm them, as it is written: do not let a man offend them, and kings reprove them: do not touch My anointed, and do not act deceitfully against My prophets (Ps. 104:14,15). When God is pleased to show the abundance of His power, then He will move the very hearts of the unmerciful to mercy, as it is written about Daniel: and the God of Daniel became merciful and generous before the elder of the eunuchs (Dan. 1:9). Blessed is the soul that, through true thirst for God, has prepared itself to receive His gifts. He does not leave such a soul in anything, but protects it in everything, even in that which, out of ignorance, it does not ask Him for. The wise man said well: the wise man is covered by God (Wis. 5:16). How many times did Saul attempt to kill blessed David? What did you do? No matter how you managed it? But since David was covered by the Lord, not only did every plan of Saul remain in vain, but he himself was often delivered into the hands of the saint, who, however, spared him, not having a bitter and vengeful malice. 159. He also said: they asked me how one can achieve not to get angry when others humiliate and slander, and I answered: whoever considers himself worthless does not resent humiliation, as Abba Pimen said: if you humiliate yourself, you will have peace. 160. He also said: one brother, from among those who lived with me and received the schema from me, whom I tried to teach every virtue and to whom, for the sake of his weakness, I sometimes tolerated, since he was of a gentle build, one day says to me: My Abba! I love you very much. I answered him: I have never met a person who would love me the way I love him. Now you say that you love me, and I believe, but if any trouble happens to you, you will not remain like that. For me, no matter what I have to suffer from you, nothing can turn me away from loving you. A little time passed, and he (I don’t know what happened to him) began to say a lot to me, even shameful words, and I heard it all. Then I said to myself: this is the cauterizer of Jesus and was sent to heal my vain soul - then the custom arose to treat diseases by cauterization. Through such people, with sobriety and attention, we can regain what we lose through those who please us; he is my true benefactor. So I remembered him as a doctor and benefactor, and to those who informed me about his speeches, I said: he knows only my obvious vices, and not all of them, but only a certain part, while those that are hidden are innumerable. After some time, he meets me in Caesarea, comes up and, as usual, hugs and kisses me, and I him, as if nothing had happened between us. After such slander, without a doubt, he hugged me like that, for I did not show any suspicion, not the slightest trace of insult, although I heard everything. Then he fell at my feet and, hugging them, said to me: forgive me, my father, for the sake of the Lord, that I said a lot of bad things about you. I kissed him and said tenderly: does your love for God remember how you once said that you loved me very much? I replied that I had never found anyone who loved me the way I love him, and that you would not remain the same if any trouble happened to you - nothing could stop me from loving you? Let your heart be convinced of this: nothing was hidden from me from what you said, but where and to whom - I heard everything and never said that it was not so, and no one could persuade me to say anything bad about you; on the contrary, I argued that everything that was said was true and that you were saying this out of love, wanting to attract me to you. I also never forgot to remember you in my prayers. I will show you an even truer sign of love: my eye once became very sick; Remembering you, I made the sign of the honorable cross and said: Lord Jesus Christ! Heal me for the sake of his prayers, and immediately I was healed. That's what he told his brother! 161. The blessed one often said: we people do not know how to make ourselves loved and respected, but we have lost our minds. If someone suffers a little with his brother when he is angry or grieves because of him (him), then the brother, soon coming to his senses and learning how he suffered, will lay down his very soul for him. At the same time, the blessed one remembered this incident: one brother had a very meek Abba, whom the whole country revered as an angel of God for his great virtue and the miracles that he performed. One day, due to the action of the enemy, this brother approached the elder and began to slander him extremely in front of everyone. The elder stood and just looked at his lips, then said: The grace of God is in your mouth, my brother! He became even more furious and said: I know, you fool, you are saying this in order to appear meek. But the elder said to this: truly, my brother, what you say is fair. Someone later asked him: Aren’t you embarrassed, Elder of God? He answered: no, for he felt in his soul that it was, as it were, covered by Christ. And in truth, we must thank and honor such people: those who are passionate should be considered doctors who heal the wounds of their soul, and those who are dispassionate should be considered benefactors who bring them the kingdom of heaven. 162. The blessed one said again: when I was in the Tire monastery, before I left there, one virtuous elder came to us, and we began to read memorable stories about the holy elders, for the blessed one loved to read them and almost breathed in them, which is why he gathered from them the fruit of all virtue. So we came to the story of the old man, to whom the robbers came and said: We have decided to take everything from your cell. To which the elder replied: take everything that seems to you, children. They took everything and left, leaving one bag. Having discovered the bag, the elder took it and chased after them, shouting: children! Take what you forgot in our cell. Then, surprised by the elder’s kindness, they returned everything to him, and, repenting, said to each other: truly, this is a man of God. When we read about this, the elder told me: you know, Abba, this legend brought me a lot of benefit. I tell him: how, father? He answered: during my stay in the places adjacent to the Jordan, one day I read about this, was surprised at the elder and said: Lord! Encourage me to follow in the footsteps of those whose image You have vouchsafed me to accept. This feeling of competition never left me; and now, two days later, robbers attack me. When they knocked on the door, I recognized it was them, and said to myself: thanks be to God! Now it's time to show the fruit of competition. Having opened the door, I received them kindly and, lighting a lamp, began to show them things, saying: don’t fuss, I won’t hide anything from you. They asked: do you have any gold? Yes! “I said, “there are three coins,” and I opened the vessel in front of them. So they took them and left in peace. I, the blessed one says with a smile, asked him: did they return like those who came to that old man? “God forbid,” he answered quickly, “I really wanted them to return!” This is what they delivered to the elder,” the blessed one concluded his story, his competitiveness and readiness for anything, for he not only did not grieve, but also rejoiced that he was honored with such a benefit. 163. In a previous conversation, the blessed one said, I told you that if we tolerate our angry brother a little, we will gain his soul. Now I’ll tell you one story about this, which I heard from Blessed Sergius, Abbot of Pediada. This is what he told me: once we were walking with a holy elder and lost our way. Not knowing where to go, we ended up in the village and trampled some greenery. Noticing this, the farmer who happened to be there at work then began to strongly scold us, saying with anger: you are monks! Are you afraid of God? If you had the fear of God in your eyes, you would not have done this. At that moment the holy elder said to us: for the sake of the Lord, do not say anything, - and he answered with meekness: you speak the truth, child: if we had the fear of God, we would not have done this. He continued to scold us with anger. And the elder said again: you say the truth, that if we were monks, we would not have done this, but for the sake of the Lord, forgive us, we have sinned. Then, in amazement, the farmer threw himself at the feet of the old man and said: forgive me for God’s sake and take me with you. This is what, with the help of God, the blessed one said, the meekness and kindness of this saint could do - save the soul created in the image of God, which is desired by God more than the darkness of the worlds with their riches. 164. Once,” said Blessed Zosimus, “when I was with Abba Sergius, he asked me to read something from Scripture. I began to read the parables and, when I came to the words: in a multitude of wood a fire kindles, but where there is no wrath, battle is silent (Prov. 26:20), I asked him: what does this saying mean, father? He answered me: just as wood is the cause of a fire, and if you don’t add enough of it, the fire goes out, so the passions have their reasons, and if someone cuts off these reasons, the passions do not act. Namely: the causes of fornication, as Abba Moses said, are eating and drinking to the point of satiety, sleeping in contentment, idleness, fun, idle talk and panache. If someone cuts off all this, then the passion of fornication will be powerless. Also, the reasons for anger, as he said, are to give and take, to do one’s will, to love to teach and to consider oneself reasonable. If anyone cuts this off, then the passion of anger will have no power in him. This is also what the words of Abba Sisoes mean, which he said when his brother asked him: why do passions not depart from me? Their vessels, that is, their causes, said Abba, are inside you: give them their pledge, and they will go away. A man of two wrath, in whom the swearing never ceases, is the one who is not content with the first irritation, but inflames himself to a second wrath. Namely: if someone, inflamed with anger, immediately comes to his senses and condemns himself, even if he repents before the brother with whom he was angry, he is not called two-wrath. The abuse in him ceases, since he has condemned himself and restored peace with his brother. In this there is no place for abuse, as I said before. But whoever, having become angry, does not strive to come to his senses, but irritates himself more and more with anger and repents not of being angry, but of not saying more than he said in his irritation, is called two-wrathful. The abuse in him does not cease, for after anger, rancor, enmity and malice take him into their power. But may the Lord Jesus Christ deliver us from some of those and grant us some of the meek and humble. 165. The blessed one often said: great sobriety and considerable wisdom are needed against the tricks of the devil. For it happens that he irritates others over nothing; it happens that he presents a blessed excuse so that it seems to him that he is justifiably angry. But all this is completely unusual for someone who truly desires to walk the path of the saints, as Saint Macarius says: it is not in the nature of monks to be angry and it is not in their nature to offend their neighbor. At the same time, the blessed one told us the following: once I ordered some books to be written by a skilled scribe. After finishing the writing, he sends to tell me: I have finished the books, come as much as you like and take them. One brother, having heard about this, came on my behalf to this scribe and, having given a certain fee, took the books. Meanwhile, I, without knowing it, sent our brother with a letter and payment to take them. The scribe, realizing from what had happened that he had been ridiculed, was greatly indignant and said: I will certainly go and take revenge on him for two reasons: both because he laughed at me, and because he took what was not his. Having heard about this, I sent to tell him: you know, my brother, we acquire books in order to learn from them love, humility, meekness; If the acquisition of books at the very beginning leads to quarrels, then I do not want to have them, so as not to quarrel, for it is not fitting for the servant of the Lord to become quarrelsome (2 Tim. 2:24). Thus, by giving up books, I ensured that my brother was not finally overcome by anger. 166. One day, sitting with us and talking about soul-saving things, the blessed one began to quote the sayings of the holy elders and, reaching the saying of Abba Pimen, that he who condemns himself finds peace everywhere, and to the words of the Abba of Mount Nitria, spoken in response to the question, what did he gain most of all on this path, namely: to always blame and reproach himself (and the questioner added: and there is no other paths other than this), the blessed one said what power the words of the saints have, for whatever they said, they spoke from experience and truth, as the divine Anthony teaches! That is why their words are powerful, because they were spoken by doers, and as one of the wise said: let your life confirm your words. At the same time, he told us the following incident: during my short stay in the monastery of Abba Gerasim, I once sat with my beloved brother, talking about spiritual subjects. I remembered these words of Abba Pimen and that other elder. The brother said to me at this: I learned experimentally the truth of these words and tasted the peace brought by their fulfillment. There was once a deacon in this Lavra, with whom I lived in sincere friendship. I don’t know why, but he became suspicious of me in one matter, was offended by it and began to look at me gloomily. Noticing this gloominess, I asked him to explain the reason to me, and he said: you did such and such a thing. Completely unaware of this in myself, I began to assure him of my innocence, but he told me: forgive me - I’m not sure. Retiring to my cell, I began to test my heart - had I ever done such a thing? – and didn’t find it. Then, when I saw him take the chalice and hand it over, I swore on it that I had not done that, but even then he was not convinced. Then, having come to my senses, I remembered these words of the holy fathers and, in full faith of their truth, turned my thoughts to myself and said: this deacon, sincere to me, loves me and, driven by this love, revealed to me what his heart has for me, so that I would be sober and beware of doing that in the future. But you poor soul! Why do you say that you didn’t do such a thing? A thousand evil deeds have been committed by you, and you have forgotten about them. Where is what you did yesterday or in ten days? Do you remember that? So, haven’t you done this too, just like what you did and forgot? Thus, I decided in my heart that I had truly done this, but as I forgot about the former, I also forgot this. Then I began to thank God and the deacon that through him the Lord had made me worthy to recognize my sin and repent of it. Then, I went to confess these thoughts to the deacon and thank him. But as soon as I knocked on the door, he opened the door and was the first to bow and say: forgive me, I have been mocked by the demons by suspecting you, for God has truly assured me that you are innocent, and he did not allow me to convince him any more, saying: there is no longer any need for this. After this, the blessed one continued: this is how sincere humility disposed the heart of this brother, that not only was he not tempted by the deacon and was not offended: firstly, because he suspected him, and secondly, that, being certified by him, he did not accept the certification, but also attributed the sin to himself and, moreover, thanked him! Then he added: Do you see what this virtue does? To what degrees of prosperity does she elevate those who love her! For if he wanted, he would have had thousands of reasons through the deacon to become a demon; but as he aspired to virtue, he not only was not offended by him, but also thanked him - so virtue embraced his heart. So, if we first plant the seeds of meekness and humility in our hearts, then there will be no room for the enemy to sow evil seeds in it. For he only fills us with his evil when he finds us empty - not having any good thoughts, or, moreover, irritating ourselves with malice and thereby giving him a reason for this. On the contrary, with virtue, when the Lord sees that the soul thirsts for salvation and cultivates good seeds within itself, then for the sake of its good disposition, He fills it with His gifts. 167. Once (the blessed one) remembered an old man who was being robbed by a brother who lived next door to him and who, knowing this, never denounced him, but worked even more, saying: “Perhaps a brother has a need?” And, marveling at the mercy of the saints, he related the following incident: during my stay in Pediada, this is what one of the abbots told me: near our cinnamon there lived one old man of a very good soul. In the absence of the elder, the brother next to him, tempted, unlocked his cell, and entering, took his things and books. When the elder returned and, having opened his cell, did not find his things, he came to that brother to tell him about what had happened. Entering him, he saw his things in the middle of the cell, for his brother did not have time to hide them. Not wanting to expose him and shame him, the elder pretended to grab his stomach, and, leaving, stayed in the yard for quite some time, as if out of necessity, while his brother tidied up his things. After this, returning, the elder began to talk to him about something else and did not denounce his brother. A few days later, the elders’ things were found out - they took that brother and put him in custody, while the elder did not know about it. Hearing that his brother was in prison, he came to me and asked me,” the abbot continued the story, “for a few eggs and clean bread, as if for those who came to him, he went to the prison to console his brother. As soon as the prisoner saw the elder, he fell at his feet and confessed to the theft, but the elder consoled him, saying: let your heart be convinced, my son, that I did not come here for this, for I did not know at all that you were here for me; Having heard that you were here, he was saddened and came to console you; Look, eggs and clean bread. Now calm down, I will do everything to get you out of prison. This good old man did this, begging some influential persons whom he knew for the sake of his virtue. 168. He also told about the same old man that one day he went to the market to buy clothes for himself. When he bought and gave away one piece of gold, he still had to pay a few coins. The elder took the clothes and put them under him, but while he was counting out the change onto the tablet, someone came up and began to pull the clothes out from under him. Feeling this and having an extremely merciful heart, the elder began to rise little by little, as if bending over for change, until he pulled out his clothes and left. The elder did not rebuke him. What were his clothes worth, said the blessed one, or the things he lost? But the location is great. For he showed that, having them, he was as if he had nothing in his soul: he did not pay attention when they were kidnapped, and remained unchanged - he did not grieve and was not irritated, for, as I always tell you, it is not harmful to have, but to have with passion. This one, even if he had the whole world, would remain as if he had nothing, for by what he did he showed himself free from everything. Methuselah, the son of Enoch, lived 969 years (Gen. 5:21–27). 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