Поучение 33. О том, что павшие должны восставать, и полезное повествование о том, как святый старец подверг епитимии и связал (своего ученика).

My fathers, brothers and children! So, I must teach you, my children, and speak my humble and useless word to you, children of God, who in truth daily with illness perform the field of obedience; I must console you with advice, excite you with instructions and make you more daring and courageous through mysterious narratives, especially those who are diligent among you and not lazy, but who joyfully turn their ears to accept what I want to talk about. We, children, are in a battle, and in a great and fierce battle; for the Apostle says: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, and against the powers, and against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). Just as a military leader, at a time when armies want to fight, with stories about ancient heroes arouses courage in the soldiers and encourages them to engage in battle with enemies and to victory: so I, accursed one, excite you, the warriors of the Lord. And not just for one day or two should I, and is required of me, do this, but always. I especially desire, although I cannot, to arouse you and make you zealous and courageous against the attacks of demonic armies and against the manifold passions of dishonor. Your labor is not small, my Christ-loving brothers, and the sweat of your spiritual exploits is not small, as the word shows; on the contrary, your work is very great, warlike, suffering, ascetic, supernatural, toilsome, wonderful, sweaty, and most peaceful. For you always endure the cutting off of your will, like the shedding of blood, the blows of reproaches, like mortal wounds, and changes in obedience, like feats of war. And none of you has the power to transgress what is prescribed by the charter, but you all fight, suffer and grieve, drawn and surrounded in all ascetic labor by hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness, glory and dishonor, and other things that the Apostle boasted about. (2 Cor. 6:8, 11:27). But rejoice, my children, and be glad, without looking at what is visible, “for what is visible is temporary, but what is invisible is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18); “And your life is hidden in Christ... When Christ appears, your life, at the Second Coming, then you also... appear” (Colossians 3:3, 4), and you will rejoice forever, and the Master of Asceticism will reward you for your deeds performed in the flesh with eternal and priceless blessings. So, be patient a little longer, be patient, my lords and masters, for the love of God. And how the Lord loved us and gave Himself up to condemnation to death, the death of the cross; so we will give ourselves up to death for Him, offering this as thanksgiving to the man-loving Master, who has deigned us, for the sake of His name, to renounce our parents, relatives, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, peers, the fatherland that nurtured and raised us, cities, marketplaces, spectacles, amusements, sight of worldly objects, customs, laughter, entertainment, villages, roads, affairs, activities, carnal friendship, and everything in this world, no matter who we are, city dwellers or villagers. For now we are all one in Christ Jesus, and I have begotten you spiritually. What reward will we bring for this to God who strengthened us? What if not to destroy through laziness and insensibility what you have acquired, and not to despise what you have done, and not to be at all afraid of what lies ahead in the future; but if blood needs to be shed, then we will do this too with joy and thanksgiving. So I, my children, my honor and glory, my adornment and praise, try to give you advice, instruct you and protect you regarding matters of piety. There is one story. Oh, that through him you may be strengthened, my children, and may show even more thoroughness and courage from now to eternity! We sent some brethren to one miracle worker, the abbot of the local monasteries, in order to learn from him about the cursed and lost Thalassia, where he had gone. Hear this, for it can bring you great benefit, confirm you and strengthen you, as something admirable and worthy of telling. This accursed man went to the elder of Sikeot and asked him for forgiveness and permission for his insoluble penance. And since the elder told him that neither he nor anyone else could forgive him, as soon as I am humble; then he, remaining with him, with great insolence bothered him and said: if he does not allow me, will I really remain excommunicated forever? Then the elder told him the following story, as he told the brethren who came there. Listen, child, he said, what I heard from my father. This is true, for he heard about it from the mouth of the one to whom it happened. Recently there was a certain elder, who labored in one place, who had a very reverent disciple. Since the animals that they had for the needs of the monastery caused harm to the neighboring fields, and the villagers scolded the elder for this, the elder was angry with the student and gave him a commandment that he should not eat bread until he stopped and returned the animals back, and made the necessary fence so that they would no longer go to the fields. But when the brother went to fulfill what he was commanded, the elder died. Returning and finding him dead, the disciple was very sad. He cried, regretted and grieved for a long time, firstly, because he had lost his father, and that his light had gone out, and that he had suffered the same true orphanhood as orphanhood in the flesh; and secondly, because the penance remained on him - not to eat bread. When the elder was buried, the student explained the matter to whomever it should be, and asked for medicine and permission to do penance. However, no one was found who would heal the ulcer and free the bound man; for each one denied and sent him to the elder. So, since none of those present there could resolve it, then, on the advice of a larger number of people, he leaves from there, comes to Constantinople and goes to the Patriarch - the Patriarch was then Saint Herman - explains to him the reason for coming, and asks for help from him, as from such a person who was the head of the Church; however, even here he does not receive permission and healing. What then? A council gathers, a novice appears on Wednesday, and his guilt is examined. But even after all this, there followed some amazing, glorious and truly incomprehensible, with such a bishop and confessor, decision. Neither he nor the assembled council despised the penance of the elder, who bound him and suddenly died, although the elder did not want his disciple to remain under penance. But since he, bound on earth, was also bound in heaven, they left him with unresolved penance, and did not dare to free him bound by one man, who perhaps did not even have the degree of priesthood, but was only the abbot of his student, although there were bishops and even the head of the church. Thus this brother remained until death without eating bread. Hearing this, I felt like a cursed person, praised and pleased the true bishop and wise novice, and feared the fatherly commandments, seeing them such immutability and steadfastness. Fear and you, children, marvel at this, and keep what is commanded to you until death in your honest souls; for it is the fear and firm protection of the five-suffering 37 obedience and obedience of yours in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom belongs glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. St. Gregory of Sinai in chapters 120 and 121 sets out five degrees of obedience: 1 rejection of one’s own will, 2 obedience to elders, 3 obedience to the commandments of God, 4 humility before everyone, 5 love for everyone. Also, blessed Callistus and Ignatius, in chapter 15, set out five properties of obedience with some modification: 1 complete faith in the leader and mentor, 2 truth - to be true to him in word and deed, 3 not to fulfill your will in anything, but try to cut it off in everything, 4 not to contradict or argue at all, since contradiction and contentiousness come from reasoning with unbelief and arrogance, 5 perfect and pure confession of sins and secrets of the heart. (Both in the 2nd part of the Philokalia). You might be interested in: