Глава IV. О воздержании, под которым должно разуметь не только воздержание в пище, но вообще укрощение всех неправых движений души

1. One day the brethren went from Skete to Abba Anthony and, boarding a ship that was going to him, found in it another elder who was going there. The brothers did not know him and, sitting on the ship, talked among themselves about the sayings of the fathers, about the words of Scripture and about their handicrafts; the old man was silent. When they arrived at the pier, it turned out that this old man was also heading to Abba Anthony, who, when they came to him, said: You have found a good companion in this old man. Then he said to the elder: “You too have found good brothers, Abba.” The elder answered: they are good, but they have a yard without gates: whoever wants to, enters the stall and frees the donkey. He said this because they talked about everything that came to their lips. 2. Abba Daniel spoke about Abba Arseny that he spent his whole life in vigil and, when around the morning he had to fall asleep for the sake of nature, he said to sleep: go, evil servant. Then, sitting, I would forget myself a little and immediately wake up again. 3. Abba Arseny said: it is enough for a monk to sleep for one hour if he is an ascetic. 4. Abba Daniel also spoke about Abba Arseny: during the entire time he lived with us, we prepared for him only one box of wheat for the year, from which we ourselves ate when we came to him. 5. He said that Abba Arseny changed the water in which he soaked the palm branches no more than once a year and only added new water (for he usually wove ropes and sewed them until the sixth hour). The elders asked him: Why, Abba, don’t you change the water for the branches, for it gives off a stench? And he answered them: for the incense and ointment that I enjoyed in the world, I must endure this stench. 6. He also said: when Abba Arseny learned that fruits and vegetables of various kinds were already ripe, he asked to bring them to him, but he ate from each only once, thanking God. 7. They said about Abba Agathon that he put a stone in his mouth for three years until he learned to remain silent. 8. One day he was walking with his disciples, and one of them, finding a small green lentil pod on the way, asked the elder: Father! If you want, I'll take it? The elder looked at him with pleasure and said: did you put it there? The brother answered: no. Then the elder said to him: how do you want to take what you did not put in? 9. They told about Abba Agathon and Abba Ammun: when they sold any thing, they told the price only once, and then what they gave, they took in silence, with an air of satisfaction. And again, when they wanted to buy something, they gave the requested price in silence and took what they bought without saying anything. 10. Abba Agathon once had two disciples, each of whom lived separately as hermits. One day he asked one of them: how do you live, brother, in your cell? He answered: I fast until evening and then eat two dry loaves of bread. The elder said to him: you strive in proportion. Then he asked the other one: how are you living? He answered: I fast for two days and then eat two dry loaves of bread. The elder said to this: your feat is more difficult, and you bear a double burden. For even that is a feat if someone eats every day, but does not have enough; Some people, although they fast for two days, still eat to their full; But you, fasting for two days, do not eat your fill. 11. One day Abba Achilles came to Abba Isaiah’s cell in Skete and found him riding. He put salt and water in his dish. The elder, seeing how he hid the dish behind the basket, asked: tell me, what did you eat? He replied: forgive me, Abba! I cut branches in the heat and put a piece of bread and salt in my mouth; but my larynx was dry from the heat, and the bread would not pass, so in order to swallow it, I was forced to add water. But forgive me! Then the elder said: go and look. Isaiah eats stew in Skete. If you want to eat stew, go to Egypt. 12. One of the elders came to Abba Achilles and, seeing that he was spewing blood from his mouth, asked: what is this, father? And the elder answered: this is the word of the brother who insulted me! I struggled not to discover it and asked God to take it away from me, and that word became blood in my mouth. I spat it out and calmed down, forgetting the insult. 13. They said about Abba Ammon: being sick, he lay in bed for many years and never allowed his thoughts to look into his inner cell, so as not to see what was in it, for because of his illness there were many offerings. When his disciple John entered or left, the abba closed his eyes so as not to see what he was doing, for he knew him as a faithful monk. 14. Abba Anub said: since the name of Christ was called upon me (James 2:7), no lie has come from my mouth. 15. The brother asked Abba Abraham: if I happen to eat a lot, what is it? The elder said in response: what are you saying, brother? Do you eat so much?! Or do you think that you have come to the threshing floor? 16. Abba Benjamin said: when we returned from the harvest to Skete, they brought us alms from Alexandria - one vessel of pure oil, sealed with plaster. When the harvest time came again, the brethren brought what was left to the church. I did not open my vessel, but, having drilled it with a needle, I poured out a little oil; and it was in my heart that I had done a great thing. When this time the time came to give what was left to the church, the brethren brought their vessels plastered, and I brought them drilled, then I was ashamed of the way I committed sin. 17. Abba Benjamin, presbyter Kelly, said: we came to the monastery to one elder and wanted to give him a little oil, but he told us: that small vessel of oil that you brought three years ago lies just as you put it then. Having heard this, we marveled at the life of the elder. 18. He said: we once came to another old man, and he held us back in order to taste food. The elder gave us rare oil, but we asked him: better bring us some good oil. Hearing this, he crossed himself and said: I don’t know if there is any other oil besides this. 19. They told about Abba Dioscorus of Nakhiat that he had only barley and lentil bread, and every year he assigned himself some special rule of life, saying: this year I will not see anyone, or I will not speak, or I will not eat boiled food, or I will not eat fruits or vegetables. He did this in every activity, and when he finished one rule, he began another, fulfilling it for a whole year. 20. Saint Epiphanius once sent to Abba Hilarion to ask him to come to him, saying: come and see each other before we leave the body. When he arrived, they rejoiced at each other, and then they sat down to eat and food was brought. The bishop took part for himself and gave the other to Abba Hilarion. The elder said: forgive me, but since I accepted the schema, I have not eaten anything slaughtered. The bishop replied: since I accepted the schema, I have not allowed anyone to fall asleep, having something against me, and I myself have not fallen asleep, having something against anyone. The elder said: forgive me! Your business is bigger than mine. 21. One brother asked Abba Euprepius: how should I live? The elder answered: eat grass, wear grass and sleep on grass, that is, despise everything and make your heart as hard as iron. 22. Abba Evagrius said that one of the fathers said: a strict fasting life, combined with love, soon brings a monk into the haven of dispassion. 23. It was said about Abba Helena that he spent twenty years in Kellia and never once raised his eyes to look at the roof of the church. 24. They said about the same Abba Helena that he ate only bread and salt. When Easter came, Abba said: the brothers are now eating bread and salt, and for the sake of Easter I must do a little work: since all the days I eat sitting, now for the sake of Easter I will eat standing. 25. They told about Abba Zinon that one day, while passing through Palestine and having become tired, he sat down to eat near a fig tree. The thought told him: take yourself one fig and eat it; so what's in it? He answered the thought: the thieves will go to hell. So, test yourself here - can you bear the torment? Having risen, he stood in the heat for five days and, having fried himself as if in a frying pan, said to himself: no, you cannot bear the torment. And then I think: if you can’t, don’t steal or eat. 26. Abba Isaiah said: love silence more than speaking, for silence treasures, but speaking wastes. 27. They said that the same Abba Isaiah, calling one of the brothers, washed his feet, then put a handful of lentils in a pot and, when they began to boil, brought them. The brother said to him: Father! It hasn't boiled down yet. Abba Isaiah answered: Isn’t it enough for you that you saw the fire? And this is a great consolation. 28. Abba Isaiah said: when someone wants to repay evil for evil, then with one wave he can offend his brother’s conscience. 29. They asked Abba Isaiah: What is slander? And he answered: slander is ignorance of the glory of God and hatred of one’s neighbor. 30. They also asked: what is anger? Abba answered: anger is quarrel, lies and ignorance. 31. Abba Theodore said: You cannot sleep where there are women. 32. Abba Theodotus said: the poverty of bread exhausts the body of a monk. Another elder said that vigil makes the body more exhausted. 33. Abba John Kolov said: if the king wants to take an enemy city, then first of all he withholds water and food supplies; then the enemies, dying of hunger, submit to him. This also happens with carnal passions: if a person lives in fasting and famine, then these enemies of his soul will themselves become exhausted. 34. He said: one day, walking along the monastery road with my weaving, I met a camel driver, who with his words incited me to anger, then I, throwing my baskets, ran away. 35. He said again: Who is as strong as a lion? However, because of his belly, he too is caught in the net, and all his strength is humbled. 36. Again he said: the skete fathers, eating bread and salt, said: “Let’s not lean too heavily on bread and salt.” That is why they were strong in the work of God. 37. The brother asked Abba Isidore: why are the demons so afraid of you? The elder answered him: because since I became a monk, I have striven not to allow anger to rise to my throat. 38. About himself, Abba Isidore said that for forty years now he had felt mental sin, but he had never experienced either lust or anger. 39. Once Abba Isidore went to Abba Theophilos, Archbishop of Alexandria. When he returned to Skete, the brothers asked him: how is the city? He answered: believe me, brothers, except for one archbishop I have not seen a human face. Hearing this, the brethren were confused and asked again: why, Abba, have they turned into chaos? He said: no, not that, but the thought of looking at someone did not defeat me. Hearing this, the brethren were surprised and confirmed in their thoughts to guard their eyes from wandering. 40. Abba Isaac said: I knew a brother who, when he was reaping in the field and wanted to plant an ear of wheat, asked the owner: will you allow me to plant one ear of wheat? Hearing this, the owner was surprised and said: your field, father, and you are asking me?! That's how careful this brother was. 41. They said about Abba Isaac that he ate ashes from the censer used during the offering with his bread. 42. Abba Isaac fell ill with a serious illness and lay there for a long time. The brother prepared some gruel and put plums in it, but the elder did not want to taste it. The brother asked him to eat a little for the sake of his illness, to which the elder said: believe me, brother, I wish I could lie in this illness for thirty years. 43. One of the elders came to his friend to visit Abba Joseph with him, and asked him: tell your disciple to saddle a donkey for us. He replied: click on him and he will do whatever you want. And when asked what his name was, he said: I don’t know. The elder asked: How long has he been with you that you do not know his name? He answered: two years. Then the one who came said: if in two years you did not recognize the name of your disciple, what need do I have to recognize him for one day? 44. One day the brothers visited Abba Joseph. They sat and asked him. The elder was glad and said to them with love: today I am a king, for I reign over passions. 45. They told about Abba Isidore, the presbyter, that one day his brother came to invite him to dinner, but the elder did not agree to go, saying: Adam was seduced by food and was expelled from paradise. The brother said to him: Father, you are afraid to even leave your cell. He answered him: I am afraid, my son, that the devil walks about roaring like a lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). He also often said: whoever indulges in drinking wine will not escape the slander of thoughts. Lot, begged by his daughters to drink wine, became drunk, and through intoxication the devil easily drew him into lawlessness. 46. ​​Abba John of Cilicia, abbot of Raifa, said to the brethren: my children! Just as we fled from the world, so we will flee from the lusts of the flesh. 47. He said: let us imitate our fathers - in what severity and in what silence they lived here. 48. He also said: my children! Let us not desecrate this place, which our fathers cleansed of demons. 49. He said: this is the place of ascetics, not profiteers. 50. Abba Cassian said that Abba John, abbot of Great Cenovia, once came to Abba Paisius, who had been living for forty years in the further desert, and, having great love for him and, out of love, boldness, asked him: what special have you done, living for so long as a hermit, not disturbed by any person? He replied: since I retired, the sun has never seen me eat. And for me, those who are angry,” said Abba John. 51. He told us from the words of Abba Moses that Abba Serapion told about himself: when I was young and lived with Abba Theon, then, getting up from the table, at the suggestion of the devil, I stole a dry loaf of bread and ate it secretly from my Abba. Since I did this for quite some time, the habit prevailed over me, and I could not overcome myself. My conscience tormented me, but I was ashamed to tell the elder about it. It happened, according to the dispensation of the humane God, that some fathers came to the Abba for advice and asked him about their thoughts. The elder told them about abstinence, and also that nothing harms a monk and pleases the devil so much as hiding thoughts from spiritual fathers. When I heard about this, I thought that God had revealed to the elder about me, and, falling into contrition, I began to cry; then he took out a loaf of bread from his bosom, which he had stolen according to an evil custom, and, throwing himself on the floor, asked for forgiveness for past sins and prayers to keep me from them in the future. Then the elder said: My son! Your confession has already delivered you from this sinful captivity: having revealed your sin, you slain the demon who was destroying you with silence and which even until now you allowed to possess you, without contradicting him or denouncing him. From now on, it will no longer have a place in you, for, having opened itself, you have cast it out of your heart. The elder had not yet finished his speech when the demonic power came out of my depths like a flame and filled the house with a stench, as if from a lot of burning brimstone. Then the elder said: look - by the miracle of your liberation, which took place before us, the Lord showed us the truth of my words. 52. In the monastery of our holy father, Archimandrite Theodosius, there lived one elder named Konon, who for thirty-five years kept the following rule: he ate once a week - and only bread and water, worked incessantly and almost never left the church. 53. Abba Longinus, exhausted, once said to himself: even if you die from exhaustion, if you demand food from me ahead of time, I will not give you even your daily portion. 54. Abba Longinus said to Abba Akakios: the woman will then know what she has in her womb when her bleeding stops. So the soul will then know that it has received the Holy Spirit when the currents of passionate thoughts stop within it. As long as the soul is possessed by passions, how can it boast of its dispassion? Give the blood and receive the Spirit. 55. Abba Macarius said: if for you reproach is like praise, and poverty like abundance, then you will not die, for it is impossible for a true believer and one who strives in piety to fall into uncleanness and demonic deception. 56. They said about Abba Macarius: when he happened to be with the brethren, he set himself the following rule: if there is wine, drink for the brethren, but for one cup of wine, do not drink water for one day. Therefore, when the brethren gave the elder wine to strengthen him, he joyfully accepted it, so that he could torment himself afterwards. His disciple, who knew the matter, said to the brethren: for the sake of the Lord, do not give the Abba wine, for he will torment himself in his cell. Having learned about this, the brethren no longer served him wine. 57. Abba Macarius said: if, when reprimanding someone, you become angry, then you are feeding your passion; One should not, while saving others, destroy oneself. 58. Grapes were brought to Abba Macarius, and he wanted to taste them, but for the sake of abstinence, he sent them to his sick brother, who also wanted grapes. This one, having received it, was extremely happy, but, wanting to hide his abstinence, he sent it to another brother, as if he had no urge to eat. Having accepted it, he did the same, although he really wanted to taste it. Thus, the grapes passed among the brothers and no one tasted them. Finally, the brother who was the last to receive the grapes brought them as a special gift to Abba Macarius, who, having learned and learned everything carefully, was surprised and thanked God for such abstinence of the brothers. 59. One day Abba Macarius of the city went to cut branches. When on the first day the brethren called him to a meal, he went and ate, but when the next day they called him again, he did not go, saying to them: you need to eat, children, for you are still flesh, but now I do not want to eat. 60. Abba Mina said: one day a foreign brother came to me and asked me to take him to Abba Macarius. When we came to him, the elder said a prayer for us, and we sat down. The brother said to him: Father! For thirty years now I have not eaten meat and I still struggle with the desire for it. The elder answered: Do not say, my son, that you have not eaten meat for thirty years, but tell me this in true truth, how many days have you not condemned your brother and an idle word has not come from your mouth? Then the brother, bowing to the elder, said: Pray for me, Father, so that I can make a beginning. 61. They said about Abba Mark the ascetic that for sixty-three years he had this way of life: he fasted for a week, so that others considered him incorporeal, and, working day and night, he distributed what he earned to the poor; I myself never took anything from anyone. Hearing about him, the lovers of Christ brought him alms, but the elder said: I do not accept, for handicraft feeds both me and those who come to me for God’s sake. 62. The brother asked Abba Kef: if I happen to be somewhere and I eat three loaves of bread, isn’t that too much? The elder said: have you come to the threshing floor, brother? He asked again: if I drink three cups of wine, won’t it be too much? The elder answered: if there is no demon, there is not much, but if there is, there is a lot; Moreover, it is not common for monks who live according to God to drink wine. 63. Abba Pimen said: if Nebuzardan the Archmagir 10 had not come, then the church of the Lord would not have been burned (Compare 2 Kings 25:8–11). This means: if relief from gluttony had not come into the soul, then the mind would not have fallen in the fight against the enemy. 64. They told about Abba Pimen that once he was called to dinner when he did not feel like it; Abba wept, but he went, so as not to disobey his brother and not to sadden him. 65. Some told Abba Pimen about one monk that he did not drink wine. Abba said to this: wine is not a monastic thing at all. 66. And he said: All bodily rest is abominable to the Lord. 67. Again he said: if a person remembers the word of Scripture: for by his words he will be justified, and by his words he will be condemned (Matthew 12:37), then he will choose silence for himself better. 68. The elder said: one brother asked Abba Pambo whether it was good to praise one’s neighbor. He answered him: it is better to remain silent. 69. Abba Pimen said: just as smoke drives out bees, and then they take from them the sweet fruit of their labors, so bodily peace drives out the fear of God from the soul and destroys all its work. 70. One of the fathers spoke about Abba Pimen and his brothers: when they lived in Egypt, their mother wanted to see them and could not. Noticing that they were going to church, she met them, but when they saw her, they returned and closed the door in her face. She, crying and sobbing, shouted at the door: let me look at you, my beloved children! Abba Anub went to Abba Pimen and said: what should we do with this weeping old woman? And he, standing inside and hearing her screams and crying, asked her: why are you screaming like that, old lady? Hearing his voice, she began to scream even stronger and said with tears: I want to see you, children! What if I see you? I'm already gray. Hearing your voice, I was confused! Abba asked her: do you want to see us here or in the other world? She, in turn, asked him: if I don’t see you here, will I see you in this world? He answered her: having forced yourself not to see us here, you will see us there. And she walked away, joyfully saying: if I truly see you there, then I don’t want to see you here. 71. Abba Joseph said that Abba Pimen said: this is the word spoken in the Gospel: let him who has a robe sell it and buy a knife (Luke 22:36). That is: he who has peace, let him leave it and keep the narrow path. 72. The brother asked Abba Pimen: how should those in the hostel live? The elder answered: he who lives in cinnamon must look at everyone as one, guard his lips, and then, without worry, he will find peace. 73. Abba Pimen said: the prophet David, when he fought with a lion, took him by the throat and immediately killed him (1 Sam. 17:35); so we too, if we squeeze our throat and belly, with the help of God we will easily defeat the invisible lion. 74. He said: I cannot cut off three things completely - food, clothing and sleep, but I can cut off only partially. 75. The brother said to Abba Pimen: I eat a lot of vegetables! The elder said: this is not good for you; But eat your bread and a little vegetables, and do not go to your father’s house for your needs. 76. Abba Pimen said: the soul will not be humbled by anything unless you humble it with bread. 77. They told about Abba Pamvo, Abba Bessarion, Abba Isaiah, Abba Paisia ​​and Abba Afre that when they were talking together, the presbyter (of Mount Nitria) proudly asked them: how should the brethren live? The elders answered: in great asceticism and dangerous observance of conscience regarding one’s neighbor. 78. Avva Pior ate on the go. When someone asked him: why do you eat like that? Avva answered: I don’t want to eat food as a matter of business, but as a chapel. To another who asked about the same thing, he said: this is so that even in eating food my soul does not feel bodily pleasure. 79. They said about Abba Peter Pionite, who lived in Kellia, that he did not drink wine. When he became old, the brothers prepared some wine mixed with water and begged him to accept it. But the elder said: believe me, I consider this a seasoning. And he condemned himself even for such a solution. 80. They told about Abba Paul that he spent Lent on a small measure of lentils and a jug of water and one basket, which he wove and unwoven, being in seclusion before the holiday. 81. The brother asked Abba Palladius: Father! Tell me what should I do? For three years now I have been fasting for two days and still cannot get rid of the demon of fornication. The elder said: child! When the Lord sent the prophet Isaiah to the Israelites, he said to him: Cry mightily and show no mercy: lift up your voice like a trumpet and tell my people their sins and the house of Jacob their iniquities. They are looking for me day after day... and they want to draw closer to the Lord, saying: why did we keep quiet and did not see? Our souls were humbled, and you did not lead us away? And He answered them, saying this: in the days of your fastings you obtain your wills, and all your helpers languish: if in judgments and conflicts you fast and beat the humble with your metacarpals, do you fast to Me just as you did today, when I heard your voice cry? “I have not chosen this fasting, even today,” says the Lord, “but to humble a man’s soul: if you put on a cloak like your sickle, and put on sackcloth and ashes, then you will call fasting pleasant (Isa. 58:1-5). What are you doing, child, when you fast? The brother answered: I have been soaking the branches in the morning and working, delving into the psalms; When I finish the basket, I pray; at noon I rest a little; I got up and left the cell; then I work again until I make three baskets; when evening comes, I pray and, having made a hundred bows, lie down; then I get up to the rule again; the next day - at nine o'clock - I prepare a brew and eat to my fill. The elder said: this, child, is not fasting. For if you abstain from food, and meanwhile you slander someone, or condemn, or bear a grudge, or entertain evil thoughts, or desire something unclean in your thoughts, then your fast is of no use. It is better for you to eat five times a day and abstain from such thoughts than, without eating anything, to be filled with them. What is the benefit of abstaining from food and satisfying every other lust? Or don’t you know that everyone who fulfills his lust in thought is already full and drunk without external food? But if you want to abstain and fast so that your fast is pleasing to God, then most of all while fasting, beware of every evil word, from every word and condemnation and from hearing anything bad; cleanse your heart from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, from all resentment and filthiness; on the day on which you fast, be content with bread, water and vegetables, thanking God. Having also calculated how much you would have spent on a full meal if you had had it that day, give that price to a poor brother, or a stranger, or a widow, or an orphan, so that, having accepted it and comforting their souls, they may pray for you to the Lord; tire your body with many bows and vigils and secret teachings; sleep sitting; leave the weaving of soft baskets and take up rough matting, for if youth does not educate itself with labor and sweat, fasting and vigil, slumbering and dry eating, it cannot protect itself from the demon of fornication. That is why our fathers did not ordain that young people should sit in cells or in silent places, but ordered them to live in a monastery, to wear clothes that were not soft, but rubble and rough, and to be held by superiors in all severity, for idleness and rest, eating twice a day and sleep used to bring upon us not only the demon of fornication, but also despondency, vanity, and pride. 82. The brother asked Abba Sisoes: What should I do? I go to church, but there is often a love supper there, and they hold me back. The elder answered him: this is a difficult matter. Abraham, his disciple, asked at this: if the meeting takes place on Saturday or Sunday and the brother drinks three cups of wine, is it not too much? The elder said: if there is no Satan, then not much. 83. Abba Sisoes' disciple often said: Abba, get up, let's eat. The elder asked him: have we not eaten yet, child? He answered: no, father! And the elder said: if you haven’t eaten, bring it, and we’ll eat. 84. One day Abba Sisoes said boldly: Believe me, for thirty years now I have not prayed to God about sin, but I pray like this: Lord Jesus! Cover me from my tongue. But even still, every day I fall and sin. 85. There was an offering to the mountain of Abba Anthony. By the way, there was also a small barrel of wine. One of the elders, pouring wine into a small vessel, filled the cup and gave it to Abba Sisoya - he drank; he submitted the second one, and he accepted it too; but when he offered the third, Abba did not accept it, saying: stop, brother, or don’t you know what Satan is? 86. The brother asked Abba Sisoes of Petreya about his way of life, and the elder answered him: Daniel said: I did not eat up the desired bread (Dan. 10:3). 87. The brother asked Abba Sisoes: if our guide gets lost during a journey, should we tell him? The elder said: no. The brother asked again: should we leave him to take us here and there? The elder said: what then? Should I take a stick and beat him? I know brothers who were traveling and their guide went astray at night. There were twelve of them, and everyone knew that they were lost, but everyone struggled not to talk about it. When morning came, the guide realized that they had lost their way and said to them: forgive me, I am lost. They answered: we knew too, but were silent. Hearing about this, he said with surprise: even until death, the brethren refrain from speaking, and he glorified God. The length of the path along which they wandered was twelve miles. 88. They talked about Abba Sisoes of Thebes: when he was staying in Kalamon of Arsenoite, an old man in another monastery fell ill. When he heard about this, he grieved, for he fasted for two days and that was the day on which he did not eat. Then he said to his thoughts: what should I do? If I go, the brothers would not force me to eat; If I waited until tomorrow, the old man would not have died. But I’ll do this: I’ll go and not eat. And he went down - with fasting - having fulfilled the commandment of God and without violating the rule of his life, which he kept for the sake of God. 89. One of the elders told about Abba Sisoes of Kalamon that one day, wanting to overcome sleep, he hung himself over the rapids of Mount Petreia. But an Angel came and dismissed him, commanding him not to do this anymore and not to pass on such work to others. 90. They said about Abba Sisoes of Thebes that he did not eat bread. On the feast of Easter, the brethren, having performed the throwing, asked him to eat with them. Abba said to them: I will do one thing: either I will eat bread or some other food you have prepared. The brothers answered him: eat only the bread. And so he did. 91. Once Abba Silouan and his disciple Zacharias came to the monastery, and they were asked to eat some food for the journey. When they were returning, the disciple saw water along the way and wanted to drink, but the elder said to him: Zechariah! It's Lent now. He asked: but didn’t we eat, father? The elder replied: what we ate was a matter of love; Now we must keep our fast, child. 92. They said about Abba Serin that he worked a lot, but always ate only two dry loaves of bread. Abba Job, unanimous with him and a great ascetic himself, once came to him and said: in my cell I keep my work, and when I go out, I condescend to the brothers. Abba Serin replied: It is not great virtue if you keep your work in your cell, but even more so when you leave it. 93. Once upon a time the brethren from Skete came to mother Sarah, and she offered them a basket of fruits. While eating, the brothers left the good fruits and chose the spoiled ones. Then she said to them: truly you are wanderers (ascetics). 94. Mother Synclitia said: we who have taken this vow upon ourselves must maintain the most perfect chastity. For even among the laity, chastity is apparently observed, but with it there is always unchastity, because they sin with all other feelings: when they look immodestly and laugh indecently. 95. She said: just as poisonous animals are repelled by the sharpest of poisons, so an evil thought is driven away by fasting and prayer. 96. She said again: do not be tempted by the luxurious table of rich laymen, as if it had some advantage in its vain sweetness. They use the art of cooking, but through fasting and simple food you make their riches more pleasant. As they say: the soul, in its fullness of existence, swears at the honeycomb (Proverbs 27:7). Do not be satisfied with bread and you will not desire wine. 97. Abba Tithos said: pilgrimage consists in the fact that a person has the power to control his mouth. 98. The brother asked Abba Tithos: how can I keep my heart? The elder said: how can we preserve our hearts when our tongue and belly are open! 99. Abba Iperechius said: just as a lion is terrible for wild donkeys, so is a skilled monk for lustful thoughts. 100. He said: fasting for a monk is a curb against sin. The one who leaves the post is a furious horse. 101. He also said: whoever does not control his tongue during anger will not control his passions. 102. Again he said: it is good to eat meat and drink wine and not to be consumed by eating the flesh of the brethren. 103. He said: the serpent, having whispered to Eve, cast her out of paradise. The one who speaks against his neighbor is similar to this, for he destroys the soul of the one who hears and does not save his own. 104. The same elder said: the body of a monk, dry from fasting, like a rope, draws the soul out of the depths; fasting as a monk dries up the channels of lust. 105. He also said: a chaste monk will be honored on earth and will be crowned in heaven before the Almighty. 106. Again he said, Let not your lips utter an evil word, for grapes do not bear thorns. 107. Someone named Philorom was a very skilled monk. Having renounced the world in the days of the evil king Julian, he spoke to him with boldness, reproaching him and denouncing his madness. Julian handed him over to cruel torment, but he endured everything with thanksgiving. The demon brought upon this courageous fighter the curse of fornication and gluttony, but he cheerfully entered into the struggle with him: he put chains on himself, locked himself in a gate, abstained from various foods, even wheat bread and generally nothing boiled over a fire. He spent eighteen years in this feat of abstinence and defeated the devil. This blessed one said: for thirty-two years I did not touch any fruit. One day I was attacked by severe timidity, so that I was afraid of everything, even doing it. Then I imprisoned myself in a coffin for six years and got rid of her, overcoming this obsession and defeating the spirit that made me fearful. 108. Two brothers lived next door to each other. One of them took everything he happened to have, be it money or bread, and secretly added it to his neighbor’s things. He, not knowing this, marveled at the increase in his property, but one day he accidentally caught his neighbor doing this and said to him in displeasure: with your carnal things you stole my spiritual things, and he forgave him in no other way than by taking his word not to do this ever again. 109. In Kellia they talked about one old man who lived in seclusion and did not even go to church. One day his brother according to the flesh, who was sitting in another cell, fell ill and sent for him in order to see him before his departure. But the elder said: I cannot come, for he is my brother in the flesh. He again sent to him with the following word: come at night so that I can see you. But the elder said again: I can’t, otherwise my heart will not be pure before God. So the brother died, and they did not see each other. 110. One of the bishops went to the Skete every year to visit the fathers. One brother, having met him, invited him to his cell and, offering bread and salt, said: forgive me, sir, that I have nothing else to offer you. The bishop answered him: I wish that when I come next summer I won’t even find salt. 111. One brother said that once in the Egyptian Lavra they were sorting out some matter and everyone was talking - the elders and the younger - only one was silent. When everyone left, one of the brothers asked him: why didn’t you say anything? Forced by his brother, he replied: forgive me; I said to my thoughts: if the monster above me does not speak, do not speak. That's why I remained silent and didn't say anything. 112. Once upon a time, on Easter, the brethren dined together at the Church of the Cell and, giving one brother a cup of wine, forced him to drink. But the brother said to them: forgive me, fathers; Last year you forced me to drink wine, and then I grieved for a long time. 113. Once upon a time, an old man went to Skete; Another brother walked with him. When they had to part ways with each other, the elder said to him: Let us eat together, brother. They tasted; Then it was the morning of the beginning of the week. On Saturday, the elder, having performed Matins, came to that brother and asked him: have you been hungry, brother, since we ate together? He answered: no, because, eating food every day, I am not hungry. The elder said to him: and believe me, my son, I have not eaten since then. Hearing this, the brother was overcome with contrition and used this a lot. 114. The elder said: for twenty years I have struggled with a thought that prevents me from learning to see all people as one. 115. Once upon a time there was a holiday in Skete. One elder was given a cup of wine, but he returned it, saying: Take this death from me. Seeing this, the others who ate with him did not accept the wine. 116. One brother was hungry in the morning, but struggled with his thoughts so as not to eat, at least until the third hour. When the third hour came, he forced himself not to eat until the sixth. Then, having wet the bread, he sat down to eat, but stood up again and said to his thoughts: let’s wait until the ninth hour. When the ninth hour came, he said a prayer and saw that the demonic obsession was rising to the sky like smoke from his handicraft - at the same time his hunger subsided. 117. One student told about his Abba that for all of his twenty years he did not sleep on his side, but slept sitting on his chair, on which he worked; He ate after two days, or after four, or after five, and when this old man ate, one of his hands was stretched out in prayer. When I asked him: why are you doing this, Abba? He answered: I place the judgment of God before my eyes and cannot bear it. One day it happened that when we began the rule, I forgot myself and got lost in the words of the psalm. At the end of it, the elder said to me: when I begin the rule, I remember that it is as if a fire was kindled under me, and from that my thought cannot deviate either on my right hand or on my left. Where was your thought when we began the rule that the word of the psalm left you? Or don’t you know that you stood before the face of God and talked to God? 118. One night the elder came out and found me sleeping in the courtyard of the cell. Standing over me, he began to sob and through his tears said: where is his thought that he sleeps with such carelessness? 119. One day the firstfruits of wine were brought to Kellia to give a cup to the brethren. One brother, wanting to escape, went out onto the terrace, then onto the vault, and the vault fell. Those gathered at the noise began to reproach the fallen brother, saying: this is for you, fussy! But Abba interceded and said: leave my son, he did a good deed. The man is alive, and this vault will not be repaired as long as I live, so that the world will know that the vault in the Cells fell because of one cup of wine. 120. One elder came to visit another. He said to his disciple: prepare us some lentils, and he did. Wet the loaves for us,” and he did, but the elders talked about spiritual subjects until six o’clock the next day, forgetting about food. The elder again said to his disciple: child, prepare us some lentils. He answered him: Father, I prepared it yesterday. Then they tasted. 121. They also told about an old man who came to one of the fathers. This man cooked some lentils and said to his brother: Let’s make a small rule. And one finished the entire Psalter, and the brother read the two great prophets from memory. When morning came, the old man who came went home without remembering food. 122. Once an old man fell ill, and since he had not taken any food for many days, the old man’s disciple begged him to allow him to prepare some good food for him. Where the student was cooking, there were two vessels: one with a small amount of honey, the other with linseed oil, which had spoiled and was only suitable for a lamp. The brother made a mistake and put this oil in the elder’s food instead of honey. The elder tasted it, said nothing and continued to eat in silence. The disciple forced him to eat another cup; The elder did violence to himself - he ate the other one too. He gave him a third, but the elder did not want to accept, saying: “I can’t do it anymore, my son.” The student, in order to better position him, said: it is good, Abba! So I will eat with you. But having tasted that dish and realizing his mistake, he fell on his face, saying: Woe is me, Abba! I killed you! And you left the sin on me, because you didn’t reveal anything. But the elder said to him: do not grieve, my son! If God wanted me to taste honey, then you would have given me honey. 123. They told about one old man that, having once desired a fig, he took it and hung it before his eyes; and although he was not overcome by desire, he tormented himself, repenting, because he wanted her. 124. One brother came to the nunnery to visit his sister when she fell ill. His sister was very pious and did not want to see the man’s face, nor did she want her brother to enter the midst of wives because of her. Therefore, she ordered me to tell him: go, brother, pray for me; and by the grace of Christ I will see you in the kingdom of heaven. 125. One monk, meeting nuns on the road, turned away from his path. The abbess told him at this: if you were a perfect monk, you would not look at us as wives. 126. The brother brought fresh bread to the cell and called the elders for a meal. Having eaten two loaves of bread each, they stopped eating. The brother, knowing the work of their asceticism, bowed to them and said: for the sake of the Lord, eat now until you are satisfied. And they sat down with ten other loaves of bread. This is how much the true ascetics tasted beyond their need. 127. One old man suffered from a serious illness: he was bleeding profusely from his insides. A certain brother had dry plums; Having prepared the gruel and laid them down, the brother brought it to the elder so that he could taste it, and asked: do me a favor, taste this, maybe it will be useful to you. The elder looked at him with attention for a long time, and then said: “Truly, I would like God to leave me in this illness for another thirty years,” and the elder did not agree, even in such an illness, to taste at least a little gruel. The brother took it and went to his cell. 128. Another old man lived far away in the desert. One brother came to him and, finding him sick, washed him, prepared a brew from what he brought, and invited the elder to taste it. The elder said to him at this: truly, brother, I have already forgotten that people have such consolation. Then his brother gave him a cup of wine. Seeing the wine, the elder began to cry and said: I never expected to drink wine even before I died. 129. A certain old man took it upon himself not to drink anything at all for forty days, and if there was a strong fever, then, after rinsing the jug and filling it with water, he hung it in front of him. When one brother asked him why he was doing this, the elder answered: so that he could work harder for himself through thirst and receive a greater reward from God. 130. One brother was on the way with his mother, already an old woman. When they approached the river, which the old woman could not cross, the son, taking his mantle and wrapping his arms around it so as not to touch the mother’s body, lifted her and carried her to the other side. Afterwards the mother asked him why he wrapped his hands, and the son answered: because the wife’s body is fire; and from this touch comes the memory of other wives. That's why I did it. 131. One of the fathers said: I knew a brother in Kellia who did not allow fasting even on the week of Easter; therefore, when the church meeting ended in the evening, he ran away so as not to eat in church, and, having prepared some boiled beets, ate without bread. 132. One day the fathers came to Alexandria, having been invited by the blessed Archbishop Theophilos to say a prayer and help him destroy the idols. When they ate with him, the meat was served, and the elders ate without hesitation. The archbishop, choosing one piece and giving it to the elder sitting next to him, said: This piece is good - taste it, Abba. To which the elders replied: hitherto we ate everything like vegetables; if it is meat, then we do not eat it. 133. One brother said that he knew an old man who lived on a high mountain and did not accept anything from anyone. Having little water, he grew his own vegetables and for fifty years kept the rule - never go beyond the fence. The elder became famous for the many healings he performed on those who came to him every day, and he rested in peace, leaving five disciples in that place. 134. A very careless brother lived with one great elder, who, seeing that the elder ate once a week, said to him: Abba! Some say that great asceticism makes someone proud. The elder answered this: well, my son, if humility comes through negligence, shouldn’t we go and take wives and start eating meat and drinking wine? Alas for us, my son, how we are mocked and do not see it! We do not hear what David says: see my humility and my labor, and forgive all my sins (Ps. 24:18). He who has sinned before God must remove himself from all human love until he is convinced that God has become his friend, for human love often removes us from the love of God. 135. The elder said: if you come to someone and through prayer he invites you to sit, ask him: Father! Tell me the word of life - how to find God for us, and pray for me, for I have many sins. And just don’t say another word unless asked. 136. He said again: get used to not looking at someone else’s body with your eyes; if possible, even on your own. 137. He also said: if your soul struggles with you for various foods, constrain it also in bread, so that it asks to be satisfied with at least that. 138. Again he said: if you are still young, run from wine as from a serpent. Although you drink the cup of love, drink a little and leave it; let those who called you conjure you, and let them swear; do not heed their oaths. Satan often instructs monks to force the youngest to drink wine, because he knows that wine and wives remove us from God. 139. The elder said: it is written about Solomon that he was a lover of women, and the male sex naturally loves the female. But we force our thoughts to purity and force our nature, so as not to fall into such lust. 140. We heard about a certain brother - poor and needy - the following: if someone brought him food he needed, he did not accept it, if someone else happened to bring it first, and said this: My Lord has already fed me, and it is enough for me. 141. A disciple of one great elder told about his Abba that once at the ninth hour he became hungry and wanted to eat. Having set the meal, they began to pray and sang two psalms, then the elder began to recite psalms from memory - evening came, morning came, the ninth hour of another day came - and only then the elder stopped, for his mind was contemplating the mystery. 142. The elder said: overcome the demon of gluttony, saying to him: be patient, you will not be hungry. Eat your food as modestly as possible, and no matter how much the demon incites you, eat slowly, for he torments many so much that they would like to eat everything at once. 143. The elder said: I found more elders who lived in this desert until they were seventy years old, eating only herbs and dates. 144. The elder said: nothing brings a monk closer to God so much as good, honest and God-loving purity, which renders the Lord silent to the beauty and grace of the Lord (1 Cor. 7:35), as the Holy Spirit testified about it through His lamp - Paul. 145. The elder said: gluttony is the mother of fornication. 146. He also said: he who bridles the belly can also bridle the tongue. 147. One day they called the brethren to cleanse the weavers. Among them was one sick from asceticism, who, coughing, spewed out phlegm, some of which, without his intention, fell on one of the brothers. The thought began to torment that brother and forced him to tell him not to spit. But the brother immediately curbed his thoughts, he wanted to take and eat what was being spewed out, but then he said to himself: don’t eat, and don’t talk. 148. The elder said: the wealth of the soul is abstinence. Let us acquire it with humility, fleeing vanity - the mother of evil. 149. He said again: fasting is better than meager food. 150. He also said: let us delight in the words of the Divine and rejoice in the stories of the holy fathers, not enjoying ourselves in the belly, but having spiritual joy. 151. They said about a certain great old man who lived in the monastery of Abba Peter that he spent fifty years sitting in his cave, neither drinking wine nor eating pure bread, except bran; He received communion three times a week. 152. The fathers said that one chaste man was taken to be tortured, and they prepared the most severe torment for him, deciding to violate his chastity - such was their malice! In a certain shady garden they set up a bed and tied the saint to it, leaving his dissolute wife with him, so that both by the pleasantness of the place and by the fact that he could not avoid the attempts of the dishonest wife, he was incited from everywhere, even against his will, to commit a lawless act. But this faithful fighter, feeling the excitement of lust, bit off his tongue and spat on his rapist, causing himself terrible pain and torment, and frightening her by dousing her with a stream of blood. Thus the saint in the Lord gained victory. 153. One hermit lived in the inner desert for thirty years, having only a little food. And so he began to say to himself: I have been dying here for so long in vain. For so many years I have not tasted anything else except this little one, and I have neither seen a revelation nor performed a sign, such as the monks who came before me did; So, I will leave these places and go into the world. As soon as he thought this, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him and asked: what were you thinking about? And he spoke about his thoughts. Then the Angel said: What sign do you want more than this? Who gave you the strength to endure so many years in this place, eating only a little food? Be patient and ask God to grant you humility. Confirmed by the Angel and no longer looking for anything else, he remained in that place for the rest of his life. 154. The elder said: it is not useful for a monk to ask: how is such and such or how is someone else, for, removed from prayer by such a question, he falls into idle talk and condemnation. And there is nothing better than silence. 155. Some fathers said: there was one old man here, a Pontic by birth, named Peter, who did many great deeds. About this elder, Brother Theodore, who was later appointed Bishop of Rossa, told us the following: one day he came to me at the Holy Jordan in the Lavra of Pyrgius, where I lived at that time, and said: do me a favor, Brother Theodore, go with me to Mount Sinai, for I want to pray there. Unable to disobey the elder, I agreed. When we crossed the Jordan, the elder suggested to me: Brother Theodore! Let's make a vow to ourselves - not to eat anything until the holy Mount Sinai. I answered him: truly, father, I cannot do this. Then the elder alone made such a vow and did not put anything in his mouth until Sinai. There, having received the Holy Mysteries, he took food. From Sinai we went to Saint Menas in Alexandria; The elder again did not eat anything and only in Alexandria, also after communion of the Holy Mysteries, did he taste food. From Saint Mina we went back to the Holy City, and he also did not eat anything. Here, having received communion in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ our God, he took food. So, throughout such a long and difficult journey, the elder ate only once on Mount Sinai, once at Saint Menas and once in the Holy City. Archmagir - chief of cooks. You might be interested in: