Послание 11. К Анастасию, епископу Кносийскому 17

What happened to you, Holy Father, and why do you still insist, after the first and second refusal, to receive useful edification from me, ignorant and devoted to passions? I, lower in rank and darkened in life (not regarding the duties of the episcopate - alas, this is my inability - but regarding the monastic and abbot state), have more needs to be enlightened by you. How can I, properly leading the flock entrusted to me, unworthy, earn the mercy of God on the day of my terrible answer? But you did this, of course, out of high humility, for it is indecent for me to suspect that your bishop wanted to test my ignorance. But I really fear for my own rank, sacred head, and I am truly perplexed regarding the management of souls - how to lead the small verbal boat entrusted to me from the multi-rebellious and stormy spiritual sea to the pier of salvation. For this requires both a pure life and sufficient knowledge so that, steering as if with two rudders, I can vigilantly and skillfully preserve both myself and those who follow me, unflooded by the waters of sin. This is my excuse, poor fellow. But since it is not safe to completely disobey the command of your holiness, although it is beyond my strength, and on the other hand, I received a command from my own father, then, obeying both, I express to you, Most Holy Father, the following as a reminder. The ship of your perfection is much larger and more excellent than my boat (I mean the height of the episcopal rank in comparison with the dignity of the abbot), and especially since you have been honored to command over a large number of people, perhaps not voluntarily submitting, not unanimous, not of the same gender and rank: over men and women, hermits and cenobitic monks, superiors and subordinates, married and celibate, slaves and free, orphans and widows, rich and poor, masters and servants, debtors and creditors, living luxuriously and exhausted by hunger, having great wealth and having no shelter, wearing fine clothes and dressing in rags. This and even more than this does not appear in our lives, but your life is full. Moreover, all your people are not organized by one decree, and you do not know all their faces and names, and not everyone’s way of life is known to you, but everyone leads their lives very differently. For some, perhaps, cultivate the land, others sail the seas, others are engaged in cattle breeding, others do nothing, and others are engaged in fishing, and it would take a long time to talk about the visible activities of each. With all this, what, how much work is needed? I think inexpressible. What should be the work, struggle, feat, tension, care, care, exhaustion of the body, sorrow of the soul, fatigue of the mind? Just as the steward of a ship during a great storm and sea turmoil remains fully awake and attentive, not letting his eyes sleep, because he will be exposed to considerable danger from a small lack of experience and attention, so the ruler of souls must know the matter of leadership even more carefully and accurately, so as not to be drowned in the abyss of destruction. Therefore, Most Holy One, I will say, as the great Apostle cried: “Who is faint, with whom I am not faint? Who is tempted, for whom would I not be enflamed” (2 Cor. 11:29)? And again: “To the Jews I was as a Jew, to those who were under the law as one under the law, to those who were outside the law as one outside the law—not being outside the law, but under the law of Christ. I have become all things to all, that I may save at least some” (1 Cor. 9:20–22). These, according to him, are the laws and rules of the episcopacy, as our divine Fathers themselves testify. However, you yourself, reading and understanding the teachings of the saints and having in your hands the God-transmitted sayings, why do you demand something like this from me, poor one? I think that the bishop is the boss and is subject to responsibility for all the actions of his subordinates: he is an unceasing evangelist, preaching the commandments of God, a vigilant eye, watching the paths of each of those led by him, the image of Christ, looking at which those who follow him organize their lives in the Gospel, an always shining lamp, visible to those who struggle in the darkness of ignorance and sin, the word of teaching, giving the thirsty a saving drink, the highest manager who will have to give an account for everyone’s life during retribution. Therefore, nothing is in such closeness and love to God and is not worthy of such a reward as this primacy, for Christ Himself said to the Supreme Apostle: “If you love Me, Peter, more than anyone else, “feed My sheep” ((see John 21:15-16). And there is nothing more dangerous and destructive than wearing this dignity unworthily. But you yourself, the most excellent of fathers (I know this well), like the “good shepherd,” always lay down “your life for the sheep” (John 10:11) and are ready to face danger for each of them, you are not afraid of human threats, you do not hide the word of truth in the face of your opponents, you obey the will of one King. You reprove without any embarrassment, punish with compassion, reconcile those who disagree, prudently separate the “bad from the holy”, the healthy from the sick, so that they do not pass on their illness to their neighbors, convert the “deluded”, raise the “weak”, bandage the “wounded” (Ezek. 22:26, ​​34:4). Truly, you have so much to do! Supervision of abbots, sorting out those living in their cells, ordination of presbyters and deacons, monitoring the lives of all of them, intercession for widows, patronage of orphans, protection of the burdened, intercession for the offended and, in addition, maintaining one’s dignity. For, when nothing harms or hinders piety, then we must obey all superiors and authorities, and always, if possible, show friendliness to everyone through a generous and hospitable reception and donation. Let it not be said about your blessedness that, on the contrary, applies to bad shepherds - to those who shepherd the flock for vile profit, who consider this rank a means for a comfortable life, for carnal pleasures, for satisfying lusts, for collecting temporary wealth, for acquiring tithes of land, a crowd of slaves and a lot of livestock, and therefore reach the height of leadership by human, and not divine means, in order to exalt themselves before their subordinates and proudly sit in front of the more respectable ones. people. I will not talk about those who, like attorneys, litigate about perishable things, and do not defend the dogmas of piety, or, what is much worse, about those who take away and appropriate what belongs to their subjects and thus acquire power and wealth. By oppressing the poor, to whom they should rather lend a helping hand, to whom can they be likened? Or Peter and John and their followers, who, as the Scripture says, did not have “silver and gold,” but the grace of the Divine Spirit (Acts 3:6)? Or Simon the Magus, Judas the traitor, and the money-loving Gehazi, and the rest of the rich of this age? I am talking about those who care only about the present, how good it would be for them here, please the flesh, cling to gold with their hearts, who, perhaps, give money in interest or supply it to the poor with interest, own to satisfy their own desires and biasedly supply the unworthy or relatives, who, perhaps, reduce all their worries to sowing and reaping a lot, planting and collecting a lot of fruit, adding and multiplying working cattle or herds, like some farmers, choosing the time and taking advantage of the needs of others to sell and buy both, spending their lives like industrialists and merchants, and not as bishops and priests should inspire souls, free them from the world, raise them to God and save the entire flock from sinful death, and arrange what is necessary for real life, as secondary, through stewards and overseers. But woe to me, because I listed this as my own fault, out of my own passions I depicted what others do not have. You, most honorable father, being pure from all this, with your holy prayers drive away the spiritual wolves from your courtyard sealed by Christ. I know well that you do this and lead your flock into the pastures of virtues, feeding and fattening them with the food of your sweetest teaching and the water of your pure faith, and you constantly offer favorable sacrifices in your verbal and sacred services to God. I ask and beg: protect me with your prayers, the most unfortunate and sinful, and forgive me if I somehow aroused laughter in you due to my ignorance. However, I did not begin this of my own free will, but prompted by your sacred and spiritual love, or better yet, by command, saying something not for your benefit, but as proof, I repeat, of my sincere obedience to you. Be healthy in the Lord, Holy Father, praying for us, one in all sinners. This refers to Knossos, a city on the island of Crete. You might be interested in: