Четверг

(Phil. 1, 20–27; Luke 6, 12–19) “And he spent the whole night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12). Here is the foundation and beginning of Christian all-night vigils. The fervor of prayer drives away sleep, and the admiration of the spirit does not allow one to notice the passage of time. Real prayer books do not even notice this; It seems to them as if they had just begun to pray, and yet the day had already appeared. But until someone reaches such perfection, the work of vigil must be raised. It was carried and carried by solitaries; the hostels carried it and carry it; it was carried and carried by reverent and God-fearing laymen. But even though vigil is difficult, its fruit remains direct and everlasting in the soul—peace of the soul and tenderness, with relaxation and exhaustion of the body. A very valuable fortune for those who are zealous for advancement in the spirit! Because of where the vigils are held (on Athos), they don’t want to leave them. Everyone realizes how difficult it is, but no one wants to abolish this rite for the sake of the benefit that the soul receives from vigils. Sleep most of all soothes and nourishes the flesh; vigil is what humbles her most of all. He who has had enough sleep is heavy on spiritual matters and cold towards them; the vigilant is as swift as a chamois and burning in spirit. If the flesh must be taught goodness as if it were a slave, then nothing can be more successful in this than frequent vigil. Here she fully experiences the power of the spirit over herself and learns to submit to it, and the spirit acquires the skill of ruling over her. You might be interested in: