Глава VIII. О том, что ничего не должно делать напоказ

1. Abba Anthony heard about a young monk who had performed such a miracle: when he saw the elders going to Anthony and tired on the way, he ordered wild donkeys to come and carry them until they reached Abba. The elders told Abba Anthony about this, and he said to this: it seems to me that this monk is a ship full of blessings, but I don’t know whether he will enter the pier. A year later, Abba Anthony suddenly began to cry, tear out his hair and sob. The disciples asked him: Why are you crying, Abba? The elder answered: at this very moment the great pillar of the Church fell, he said this about that young monk, and continued: but go and see what happened. When the disciples arrived, they found him sitting on the mat and mourning the sin he had committed. Seeing the elder’s disciples, he asked them: tell the Abba to beg God to give me ten days, and I hope to cleanse my sin. But not even five days passed before he died. 2. The brothers praised Abba Anthony of one monk, and when he came to the Abba, he tested him to see if he could endure dishonor; Having found that he could not bear it, he said to him: You are like a village in which what is in front is beautiful, and what is behind is plundered by robbers. 3. They said about Abba Arseny and Abba Theodore of Fermi that they hated human glory most of all. Therefore, Abba Arseny did not quickly accept anyone, and Abba Theodore, although he accepted, was like a sword to them. 4. In Skete there was an old man named Daniel who had a disciple. This disciple lived for some time with an Abba named Sergius; and when he fell asleep, Abba Daniel gave the disciple closest access to himself, loving him. On the great holiday, the elder and his disciple went to Alexandria to see the pope, for such was the custom for the abbot of Scete to visit the patriarch on that day. When they reached the city, they saw their brother on the street - naked and only girded around the loins with a rag. This brother, pretending to be a holy fool, walked around the city with other holy fools, stole something from the market and gave it to those who were with him. His name was Mark of Hippia, after the name of a copper workshop where Mark worked, receiving one hundred coins a day, and where he slept on benches. Of these hundred coins, he used twelve to buy food for himself, and distributed the rest to other holy fools. The whole city knew Mark of Hippia because of his foolishness. The elder ordered the disciple to find out where the holy fool was, and the next day, having fulfilled what was required according to the order in relation to the patriarch, according to the dispensation of God, he met Mark in Tetratil the Great, ran up, grabbed him and began to shout: men of Alexandria, help! The holy fool Mark joked and laughed. A great crowd of people gathered around them, while the disciple of the elders stood at a distance in reverent fear. Everyone told the old man: do not tolerate insults, he is a holy fool. The elder answered them: you are fools, for in the whole city I did not find a person except him. And he ordered the church clergy who came up and knew the elder to take Mark to the pope. Having come to the pope, the elder told him: now in Alexandria there is no vessel like this. The pope, believing that the elder had received assurance of this from God, threw himself at the feet of the holy fool and began to conjure him to reveal who he was. And he, as if coming to his senses, revealed to them about himself like this: I was a monk, and for fifteen years the demon of fornication possessed me; Finally, coming to my senses, I said: Mark! For fifteen years you worked for the enemy; now go and also work for Christ. I went to Pemet and stayed there in repentance for eight years. After this I said to myself: enter the city and be a holy fool for the next eight years, and now eight years of my foolishness have been completed. Those who heard this unanimously shed tears. Mark and the elder and his disciple were left to spend the night in the patriarchate, and when the day came, the elder said to the disciple: brother, call Abba Mark to me so that he can offer us a prayer for our departure to our cell. The disciple found Abba Mark already reposed in the Lord and announced this to the elder, the elder to the pope, the pope to the stratilate, and he commanded that there should be no work that day in the city; The elder sent his disciple to the Skete with instructions to knock on the beater and say to the assembled fathers: go and be blessed by the elder. And all the hermits in white robes with fronds and branches gathered, as well as the Hennates 15, and the Cellians from Mount Nitria, and the brethren from all the laurels of Alexandria, so that the body of blessed Mark, anointed with myrrh, remained unburied for five days. Then everyone who happened in the city, with branches and candles, watering the ground with tears, saw off the body of blessed Mark the Fool, glorifying and praising the man-loving God, who gives such glory to those who love Him, now and forever. 5. Once Abba Daniel, together with his disciple, went from Skete to the upper Thebaid in memory of Abba Apollos. All the fathers, numbering up to five thousand, like the ranks of angels, went out to meet his signs for seven. Having prostrated themselves on the sand, they accepted him as Christ and some spread their clothes before him, others - cuculi, shedding rivers of tears. The archimandrite came out and bowed to the elder seven times before approaching him, and, kissing each other, they sat down. Then they began to ask the elder to tell them a word of edification, for he did not suddenly agree to speak. And when they all sat down on the sand outside the cinema, since the church could not accommodate them, Abba Daniel commanded his disciple: write, if you want to be saved, be zealous for non-covetousness and silence, for the entire monastic life hangs on these two virtues. The student gave this scripture to one of the brothers, and he translated it into Egyptian, and when it was read, everyone began to cry... and they escorted the elder further, because they did not dare to tell him: share a meal with us. Having entered Ermopolis, the elder sent a disciple to knock on the gates of the monastery and announce that he was here; There was also a convent of St. Jeremiah, in which up to three hundred sisters lived. When he knocked, the gatekeeper answered him in a thin voice: save yourself! Good time for your arrival! What do you want? He asked her: call my mother abbess, for I want to talk to her. The gatekeeper replied: she never talks to anyone, but tell me what you want, and I will tell her. He asked me to tell her that a monk wanted to speak with her. After this, the viceroy of the abbess came and said to him in a thin voice: my mother sent me to ask, what do you want? The brother answered: I ask her to do the favor and allow me to spend the night here with one old man, for it is already evening, and we are afraid that the animals will eat us. She answered him: a husband never enters here, and it is better for you to be eaten by external beasts than internal ones. The brother said: Abba Daniel of the monastery is here. Hearing this, she opened the gate and ran out with her sisters, spreading their covers from the gate to the place where the elder was, and, falling at his feet, they kissed the edges of his clothes. When everyone entered the monastery, the abbess brought a basin with warm water and herbs and, placing the sisters in two rows, washed the feet of the elder and his disciple, and then, taking a cup and calling the sisters, she scooped it and poured it on their heads, after which she poured it into her own bowels and on her head. All the sisters seemed to be like silent stones, and every task they did was accomplished through the medium of a beat, and their movements were like those of an angel. Abba asked the abbess: is it because of us that our sisters are so reverent or are they always like this? She answered: your servants are always like this, sir. But pray for them. The elder asked: tell my disciple to behave the same way, for he is like a Goth - he talks constantly. Meanwhile, one of the sisters in tattered rags was lying in the middle of the courtyard, and the elder asked: who is this woman lying there? One of the sisters replied: she is drunk, and we don’t know what to do with her: expel her from the monastery - we are afraid of sin, and by remaining in the monastery, she embarrasses the sisters. The elder ordered the disciple to pour the tub on her, and when he did so, she stood up as if intoxicated. Mother said: Master! She's always like that. Then she led him into the refectory, where the evening was prepared for the sisters and asked: bless your slaves to eat before you, master. He blessed. Only she and the second sister sat with the guests. The elder was offered soaked crackers, fresh vegetables, dates and water; to his disciple - lentil brew, small bread and wine dissolved in water; the sisters were given various dishes, fish and wine in abundance, and they tasted very well. During the meal no one spoke, and when it ended, the elder asked the abbess: what did you do? We should have eaten well, but in the meantime, did you eat? She answered him: you are a monk, and I offered you the food of a monk; your disciple is a monk’s disciple, and I offered him the disciple’s food; we are beginners and have tasted the food of beginners. The elder remarked: may your love be remembered; truly this is edifying for us. When everyone went to bed, Abba Daniel said to the disciple: go and see where the drunk woman is, which was lying in the middle of the courtyard. He looked and said that it was on the corner of the granary. Then the elder asked the disciple to stay with him that night, and when all the sisters had calmed down, they went behind the granary and saw that the “drunk woman” stood up and raised her hands to the sky; her tears flowed like a river; the mouth moved; she first bowed down, then fell on her face again; when she heard one of the sisters leaving, she fell to the ground and snored - this is how she spent her days. Then the elder asked the disciple to call the abbess, and having arrived with the intervening sister, she watched all night what the drunken woman was doing, and began to cry, saying: oh, how much evil I did to her!? When the beater was struck and word spread about the “drunkard” among the sisters, she, guessing about it, hurriedly went to where the elder had spent the night, took the staff and its mark, opened the gates of the monastery and, leaving a note: forgive me if I have sinned against you in any way, went out and became invisible. As the day approached, they began to look for her, but they found only a note left by her, and there was great crying in the monastery. And the elder said: I came here for her sake, for God loves such “drunken” people. All the sisters confessed to him what they had done to her, after which the elder, having made a prayer to them, went with the disciple to his cell, glorifying and thanking God, the only one who knows how many hidden slaves He has. 6. A certain Eulogius, a disciple of Blessed John, Archbishop of Constantinople, a presbyter and a great ascetic, fasting for two days, often continuing the fast for a week and eating only bread and salt, for which he was glorified by people - this Eulogius with his disciples came to Abba Joseph in Panethos, hoping to see in him greater severity of life. The elder received him with joy and offered him everything he had as a consolation. The disciples of Eulogius said: the presbyter eats nothing but bread and salt. And Abba Joseph ate in silence. After spending three days with them, those who came did not hear Abba Joseph and his disciples sing or pray, for their work was hidden, and they left without receiving any benefit. However, according to God’s dispensation, fog arose; Eulogius and his disciples, having gotten lost, returned to the elder again and, approaching, heard them singing. After waiting for quite some time, they knocked, and they, interrupting the psalmody, received them with joy. Since there was a strong heat, Eulogius’s disciples took water into a cup and gave it to him, but sea water was mixed with the river water, and he could not drink. Then, having come to his senses, Eulogius fell at the feet of the elder and, wanting to know the way of their life, asked: what is this, Abba? Before you did not sing, but now, after our departure, you sing; also, having taken the cup, I found the water salty. The elder told him: his brother was careless, and mistakenly mixed seaweed into it. But Eulogius begged the elder, wanting to know the truth, and he answered: that small cup of wine was the cup of love, and this is the water that the brethren always drink. He taught Eulogius to discern thoughts and cut off the human from him, so that he became a builder, after which he ate everything that was offered, and learned to do it himself in secret. Now he said to the elder: truly, your work is true. 7. Abba Isaiah said: I consider great and pure victory over vanity and advancement in the knowledge of God, for he who has fallen into the hands of this evil passion of vanity is alien to the world, hardens his heart towards the saints and, to complete his evils, falls into arrogance, which is pride - the mother of all evils. But you, faithful servant of Christ, keep your work hidden and, in your heart’s illness, take care not to destroy the reward for your work through man-pleasing, for he who does it for show to people will already receive his reward, as the Lord said. 8. He said: he who loves to be glorified by people cannot be free from envy, and he who envies cannot acquire humility; the same one has betrayed his soul to his enemies, who are drawing it into many evils and destroying it. 9. Again he said: flee from vanity and be worthy of the glory of God in the next century. 10. Once a brother came to Abba Theodore of Fermi and for three days begged him to tell him a word of edification, but the elder did not answer, and the brother went away in sorrow. The student asked him: Abba! Why didn't you give your brother any instructions? He walked away sad. The elder said: truly, I did not tell him because he is a merchant and wants to be famous for the words of others. 11. Another brother asked Abba Theodore: Would you advise me, Abba, not to eat bread for several days? The elder replied: you will do well, and I did so. The brother then said to him: So, I’ll take my peas to the bakery. To this the elder remarked: if you still go to the bakery, then prepare some bread for yourself there, for what is the need for such a takeout? 12. Another brother came to him and began to talk about things that he had not yet done in practice. The elder said to him: you have not yet found the ship, you have not yet loaded things onto it, and, without starting the voyage, you have already arrived in another city. For the first time you will come to what you are now talking about only when you put it into action. 13. One of the elders told the following about Abba Theodore of Fermi: one day I came to him in the evening and found him dressed in torn leviton; his chest was bare, and his cock was moved forward. At this time one of the dignitaries came to see him. When he knocked, the elder came out to open the door and, meeting him, sat down at the door to talk to him. I took the end of the maforium and covered his shoulders, but the elder stretched out his hand and threw it off. When the dignitary left, I asked him: Abba! What did you do? This man came to you to take advantage of you, and not to be tempted. The elder answered: what are you telling me, Abba? After all, we’re not working for people yet? We did what was necessary and it was over; whoever wants to use, let him use, and whoever wants to be tempted, let him be tempted, but as I am, I meet. At the same time, he gave a commandment to his disciple: if anyone comes, wanting to see me, do not tell him anything human, but if he eats, tell him - he eats; If I’m sleeping, say he’s sleeping. 14. Once one of the leaders, having heard about Abba Moses, came to the Skete to see him; The elder, having learned about this, ran to the swamp. When he met him and asked where Abba Moses’ cell was, the elder said: What do you want from him? He's crazy. Arriving at the church, the ruler told the clergy: hearing about Abba Moses, I came to see him, but then we met an old man going to Egypt, and when asked where Abba Moses’ cell was, he told us that he was crazy. Hearing this, the clergy were saddened and asked: what kind of elder was he who said this to the saint? He said: the old man was in shabby clothes - tall and black. Then the clergy answered: this is Abba Moses, and he told you so because he met you himself. After this, the ruler left, having received great benefit. 15. One brother asked Abba Moses: if I go to live in some place, how do you advise me to behave there? The elder said: if you settle in any place, try to make a name for yourself, for example, by not going to meetings, or not eating love at the supper, or by something else - this rule will give you an empty name, and after that you will encounter considerable trouble, for people run there where they find one. The brother also asked: what should I do? And the elder answered: wherever you live, go along with everyone else; and what you see reverent people do, in whom you have faith, do that too, and you will be at peace. This is humility, to be equal to others; and people, seeing that you do not show off, will accept you equally to everyone, and no one will bother you. 16. Abba Nisferoi the Great was once walking through the desert with his brother. When they saw the dragon, they ran. The brother asked the elder: are you afraid, father? The elder replied: I’m not afraid, child, but it was better to run away, for otherwise I would not be able to escape from the spirit of vanity. 17. Once the ruler of the country wanted to see Abba Pimen, but the elder did not agree to come. Then the governor, under some pretext, seized his sister’s son as a criminal and put him in prison, saying: if the elder comes and asks for him, I will release him. The sister came to the door of the elder’s cell and cried, but he did not give her any answer. Then she began to reproach him: copper womb! Have pity on me, for he is the only one I have. The elder sent to tell her: Pimen did not give birth to children. So she left. The ruler, having heard about this, said: even with a word, I will let him go. But the elder responded like this: investigate according to the laws: if he is worthy of death, let him die; if not, do as you wish. Having received such feedback, the ruler released the prisoner. 18. Abba Pimen said: teach your heart to observe what your tongue teaches. 19. He also said: people speak like perfect people, but act like beginners. 20. He said again: train your mouth to speak what is in your heart. 21. Abba Daniel said: we once came to Abba Pimen and ate together. After this, Abba said to us: Go and rest a little, brothers. The brothers went to rest, but I stayed to talk with him alone, and, getting up, I went to his cell. Abba, as soon as he saw that I was coming to him, lay down as if he wanted to sleep: for this was the elder’s work - to do everything in secret. 22. Abba Pimen said: truly, he who seeks friendship with people departs from fellowship with God. It is not good to want to be liked by everyone, for it is said: woe if all men speak good things to you (Luke 6:26). 23. Once Abba Adelphius, Bishop of Nikopol, came to Abba Sisoya on the mountain of Abba Anthony. When the bishop and those with him intended to go back, Abba Sisoes convinced them to eat food for the journey in the morning; There was a fast then. During the meal, one of the brothers knocked, and Abba Sisoes said to the disciple: give them some gruel, for they are tired. Abba Adelphius remarked: leave this, so that they don’t say that Abba Sisoes eats in the morning. Looking at him intently, the elder commanded his brother: go and give it to them. Seeing the mush, they asked: do you have any strangers and does the old man eat with you? The brother answered: he eats. Then they began to grieve, saying: God forgive you that you allowed the old man to taste now! Don’t you know that for this he will exhaust himself for many days! Hearing about this, the bishop bowed to the elder and said: forgive me, Abba! I thought human, but you did divine. Abba Sisoes answered him: if God does not glorify a person, human glory is nothing. 24. Abba Amun of Raifa asked Abba Sisoya: when I read Scripture, my thought wants to compose beautiful words in order to have them in case of a question. The elder replied: there is no need for this, but it is better to gain both carelessness and speech from purity of mind. 25. Once a certain ruler came to see Abba Simon. Hearing about this, Abba girded himself and climbed onto the date tree to cleanse it. Those who came shouted to him: old man! Where is the hermit? He replied: There is no hermit here. Having received this answer, they left. 26. At another time, another leader came to see the elder. They first informed Abba about this, saying: Abba, get ready! One boss, hearing about you, goes to receive your blessing. Abba Simon said: okay, I’ll get ready. Having put on his kentonium, the elder took bread and cheese and, sitting down at the gate, began to eat. When the chief came with his retinue and saw this, he was humbled by it, saying: “Is this the hermit we heard about?” And they immediately left. 27. One brother came to Abba Serapion, and the elder, according to custom, offered to offer him a prayer, but he, calling himself a sinner and not worthy of even the monastic image himself, did not agree. The elder wanted to wash his feet, but he said the same words and did not accept it. The elder, having offered him food, began to eat with him and taught him, saying: if you want to benefit yourself, then sit patiently in your cell, pay attention to yourself and your handicraft, for visiting the elders will not bring you as much benefit as such sitting will bring. Hearing this, the brother was upset and changed his face so much that the elder could not hide it, and Abba Serapion said to him: hitherto you said that you were a sinner, and accused yourself, as if you were unworthy even of life, and because I lovingly reminded you of useful things, you became so angry! If you want to be humble, bravely endure what others inflict on you and do not apply idle words to yourself. Hearing this, the brother repented before the elder and left with great benefit. 28. Holy Synclitia said: just as a treasure, being open, is quickly spent, so virtue, being revealed and exposed to everyone, spoils and perishes; and just as wax melts in the face of fire, so the soul melts from praise and rejects its work. 29. She said again: just as it is incompatible to be a plant and a seed at the same time, so it is impossible for us to create heavenly fruit when worldly glory surrounds us. 30. One day Abba Tithos was sitting, and his brother was near him. Not knowing about this, Abba Tithos sighed; He didn’t notice his brother, because he was in admiration. But after putting the throwing down, Abba said: forgive me, brother! I have not yet become a monk, for I sighed in your presence. 31. It was said that one old man remained in silence in the lower reaches of Egypt, and one faithful layman waited on him. It happened that the son of a layman fell ill, and he begged the elder for a long time to come and say a prayer over his brainchild, until finally the elder went with him. However, the layman ran forward and, entering the house, called: go meet the hermit! The elder, seeing from a distance that they were coming out to meet him with lamps, and realizing what this was for, took off his clothes, threw them into the river and began to wash them, standing naked. Seeing this, his servant was ashamed and began to ask the people, saying: return, for the old man is in a frenzy. Then, approaching him, he asked: Abba! What did you do? Everyone said that the old man was possessed. And I wanted to hear this,” answered the elder. 32. Once upon a time in Kellia, on the occasion of a holiday, all the brethren ate a meal in the church. One brother said to the servant: I do not eat boiled food, but only salt. He shouted to the other brother out loud to everyone: such and such a brother does not eat boiled food, bring him salt. Then one of the elders stood up and said to the one who had eaten only salt: it would be better for you to eat meat in your cell today than to hear this voice in front of everyone. 33. One brother, a good ascetic, who did not eat bread, came to an old man. At that time, other wanderers also happened to be there, and the elder prepared some boiled food for them. When they sat down to the meal, the ascetic brother took only soaked peas and ate them. At the end of the meal, the elder took him aside and said: brother! When you come somewhere, don’t show off your life. If you always want to keep your rule, sit in your cell and don’t go out anywhere. Taught by the word of the elder, this brother never again showed himself when meeting with the brethren. 34. One of the fathers said that in Palestine, near the river near the village where the blessed Silouan was, there lived a brother who pretended to be insane, and if one of the brothers visited him, he immediately began to laugh, so that those who came, leaving him, went away. One day, three of the fathers came to Abba Silouan and, having said a prayer, asked to send someone with them to visit the brothers in their cells, adding: do me a favor, order the brother to take us to everyone. In front of them, the elder ordered his brother to take them to everyone, but in private he whispered: be careful not to take them to that madman, so that they will not be tempted. When they walked through the cells, those who came asked the one leading them: do me a favor, take us through all of them. He said: good, - however, according to the word of the elder, he still did not lead them to the cell of the madman. Upon their return, the elder asked them: Have you seen the brothers? They answered: we saw and thank you, we only grieve that not everyone had it. The elder asked the brother who was leading them: didn’t I tell you so that I could take them around? The brother replied: I did so, father. But in private he told him: only he didn’t take them to his crazy brother. As they left, the fathers repeated to the elder: We are truly grateful that we saw the brothers, but we grieve that we did not see everyone. Then the elder, having reasoned with himself what had happened, went to that foolish brother, without knocking, quietly and unexpectedly entered and found him sitting on his chair, and in front of him were two baskets - one on his right hand, the other on his left. Seeing the elder, he, as was his custom, began to laugh. But the elder said: leave it now and tell me about your sitting. He continued to laugh. To this Abba Silouan says to him: you know, except on Saturday and Sunday I do not leave my cell, but I came in the middle of the week, for God sent me to you. Frightened by this, the brother threw the throwing to the elder and said: forgive me, father; in the morning I sit down and put these pebbles in front of me and, if a good thought comes to me, I throw the pebble into the right basket, and if it’s bad, into the left. In the evening I count them, and if there are more of them on the right, I eat, but if on the left, I don’t eat. When the next morning a bad thought comes to me again, I say: look, what are you doing? You won't eat again. Hearing this, Abba Silouan was surprised and said: truly the fathers who came to me were Angels who wanted to make known the virtue of their brother; Moreover, I had great joy and spiritual joy in their presence. 35. The elder said: if you come somewhere, don’t show off your life: for example, that you don’t eat butter, or boiled fish, or fish... - just don’t allow wine if you’re afraid of abuse, and even if they reproach you for it, don’t look at it. 36. He also said: if a brother comes to you, take the weeping from your face and hide it in your heart until you let your brother go. Then put tears on your face again, and the demons will run away when they see him with you. 37. They said about the skits: if someone learned about their work, they no longer considered doing it a virtue, but as if it were a sin. 38. The elder said: man-pleasing destroys all the quality of a person and leaves him dry. 39. He said again: he who displays and reveals his good deeds is like one who sows on top of the earth: the birds of the air fly in and destroy what is sown; he who hides his life is like one who sows only one furrow, but inside the earth, and reaps very much. 40. The elder said: either, run, run away from people, or laugh at flattery and people, imagining yourself crazy. 41. One film-viarch had great fame among people and was the father of two hundred monks. Christ came to him under the guise of a poor old man and asked the goalkeeper to tell the Abba that such and such a brother had come. With great difficulty, the goalkeeper came in to tell him who had arrived, but found him talking to someone else. After standing for a while, he tried to talk about the poor man, not knowing that it was Christ, but the Abba shouted at him: “Don’t you see, I’m talking to others?” Wait. The long-suffering Lord remained at the gate, waiting for his arrival. Around the fifth (eleventh) hour, some rich man arrived, and the cinematographer hurriedly ran out to meet him. Seeing him with the rich man, rich in mercy and friend of the humble, the Lord asked and begged: I want to talk to you, Abba. But he, not paying attention to him, entered the monastery with the rich man, taking care of treating him like a stranger, and after treating him, he accompanied him to the gate and returned, burdened with worries, forgetting about the poor and kind old man. When evening came, the cinematographer did not deign to receive the blessed and true Wanderer, and He withdrew, appearing like this: tell the Abba: if you desire human glory, then for your previous work and many exploits I will send you strangers from all four directions, for you love to anoint and be anointed; But you will not taste the blessings of My kingdom. Thus the Almighty was known in the poor. Yennat people are residents of the city of Yennat. You might be interested in: