What does a person who has repented and entered on the good path of salvation need?

Contents 1. Living under guidance 2. Living according to rules 3. The hard and sad way 4. Zeal for salvation 1. Living under guidance Just as a newborn child cannot live without a mother who cares for him, cherishes him, nurtures him, so a newborn in the spirit and a convert essentially needs a nurturer and nurturing, a leader and guidance for the first time. The need for a father-leader is self-evident. Anyone who begins to seek salvation must not take on this matter himself or work out his own salvation according to his own understanding and desire; but from the very first time you need to give yourself over to someone for science in this. He has entered on a new path, completely unknown to him: let him use the right guidance, and not stop at his own guesses. At first he walks as if in a fog, or in some gloomy forest, and among nets; let him give his hand to the one who can take him out of there and place him “on his broad nose” (Ps. 30:9). He is sick: how can one decide to treat oneself in spiritual illnesses, the subtlest ones, when not only ordinary patients, but even doctors themselves do not treat their bodies? We can only learn what we are naturally born to do without learning; We usually learn arts and crafts - for example, writing, drawing, singing, etc. But the work of salvation is the art of arts and the science of sciences: how can one do this without a teacher? Whoever acts in this way, at the very beginning of the path of salvation, admits the most destructive disposition in himself, namely: arrogance and self-confidence. True, “one... is our Teacher the Lord” (Matthew 23:8), and “the Spirit of God always helps us in our weaknesses” (Rom. 8:26), and “His anointing teaches us all things” (1 John 2:27); but the one who has begun is not at all capable of such internal direct Divine guidance. There are times when it is inevitable to remain with him alone - and the Lord does not trust the one who trusts. But cases of this kind should already be classified as extraordinary, miraculous. To expect miracles in the ordinary course of things means to tempt God, the Lord, having appeared to the Apostle Paul, first sent him to Ananias (Acts 9:6), and then He Himself directly taught him (Gal. 1:12), and this Apostle, already taught by God, entered the field of preaching. to the advice of the other Apostles: “Let it not be in vain,” he says, “flow or flow” (Gal. 2:2). The Lord can also educate through Angels, as it was in our times in the American possessions; in ancient times, it often happened that instruction, food, and communion were brought by Angels, as can be seen from the story of Saint Paphnutius about the four youths. But all this is the essence of the path to salvation, extraordinary guidance and upbringing, which is both ungodly and dangerous to expect, for the reason that our enemy can take the form of a bright angel (2 Cor. 11:14). Therefore, one must adhere to the humblest part and submit to man for the sake of God, as to God. This path is justified by the experiences of all the saints who have shone like lights in the Christian firmament. The greatest saints of God have always used advice and guidance. Anthony the Great, Macarius of Egypt, Pachomius, Hilarion, Euthymius, Savva and the whole beginning of the work of their salvation believed in submitting themselves to their spiritual father and learned asceticism under his instruction. But they soon matured and improved without deviation or dangerous stumbling. On the contrary, the other path, personal in its own mind and heart, has always been considered a lost and disastrous path. How many striking experiences there were that the ascetic, as soon as he deviated from the leadership, immediately fell into delusion, was entangled by Satan and perished! Saint John Cassian tells about Iron, an old man who spent fifty years in fasting, labor, vigils and prayer and surprised everyone with his severity; but then, precisely because he thought of remaining with his own mind and will, he mistook Satan for an Angel and, at his instigation, threw himself into an empty well at night in the hope that he would be taken in the arms of the Angels, and crashed so that on the third day, after being pulled out of the well, he died (Conversation 2, Chapter 5). He also mentions the other two, who, of their own will and thought, rushed into the desert, expecting that the Lord would saturate them there (Conversation 2, Chapter 6). One of them, exhausted, saved himself by taking food from the wild; and the other died, remaining here of his own free will. The same Cassian speaks of someone who received revelations from the demon, saw the light in his cell and was taught to sacrifice his son, which, however, did not come true (Conversation 2, Chapter 7); and also about a most active worker, whom the demon seduced into Judaism through dreams (Conversation 2, chapter 8). A similar story is offered in the Prologue on the ninth day of January: a young ascetic willingly settled in a mountain cave, received revelations from a demon and believed him that he would be taken to heaven - and would have died if grace had not preserved him and inspired him, although not with true disposition, to reveal this to the abbot. So, no one is more unhappy, no one is closer to destruction, who does not have a guide for himself on the path of God, especially who has barely fallen behind a bad way of life. Saint Dorotheos depicted this at length and edifyingly in his word on this subject, which we can advise every aspirant to have with him and read often (see Teaching 6). Saint Peter of Damascus, in his first book - in the Philokalia, examines all people of all times, infinitely diverse in age, build, rank and condition, and finds among all of them, despite the difference to the contrary, those who are saved and those who perish. “Thinking about this,” he says, “I was distressed in soul and in bewilderment to the point of exhaustion asked: what is the reason for this and what is the beginning of our salvation or destruction?” He worked on this for a long time, searching with his mind for a simple solution, and this is the reasoning he found among the holy fathers: “The beginning of all good and all evil is the mind given to man, and according to the mind, the will. The beginning of salvation: let man leave his own desires and understandings and create God’s desires and understandings. Before the law, in the law and in grace, many are found saved, because they preferred the mind of God and His will over their own understandings and desires; and again, in all those times, many were found lost, because they preferred their own desires and understandings over God’s. The will of God (in particular cases) cannot be known otherwise than through reasoning, and reasoning is not one’s own, but confirmed by questioning those who have the gift of reasoning and experience. Only in this way will we find out what kind of activities God wants us to undergo. If not, we cannot be saved in any way. Without this, even what we consider good does not happen for good, either because it is untimely, or because it is not necessary.” Also, St. John Cassian, having proved that everything must be done with reasoning, in order to know what is true and from God reasoning and what false and feigned, devilish reasoning, says on behalf of Abba Moses: “True reasoning does not come otherwise, if not from true humility, when not only what we want to do, but also what we think, we reveal to our fathers, and in nothing of our own thoughts We believe, but in everything we will follow the words of the elders, considering one thing good that they recognize as such. Such action not only enables a person to walk unharmed on the right path, but also keeps him safe from all the snares of the devil. For it is impossible for one who governs his life through the judgment and advice of those who have succeeded to fall from the deception of demons; since he, by this very action of announcing and revealing evil thoughts to the fathers, weakens them and makes them weaker. Like a snake, brought from a dark hole into the light, it strives to escape and hide; so evil thoughts, being revealed through confession and telling the fathers about them, run away from a person” (Conversation 2, chapter 10). So great is the need and so innumerable the benefit of exposing yourself to the guidance of others; however, not indiscriminately and to whom it suits. “Many of the elders,” as Saint Cassian says there, “instead of benefit, they cause harm, instead of consolation, they cause despair to those who ask, and this is justified by example.” Saint Peter of Damascus says about himself that he himself suffered harm many times from those whom he asked. Why does he write: “Not everyone who is old in years is already capable of leadership; but whoever has entered dispassion and received the gift of reasoning.” It is good not to hide your thoughts from your fathers; however, they should not be told to everyone who happens to be, but to spiritual elders who have the gift of reasoning, wisdom, and not those who have turned gray in years alone. Many, looking at one age of old age, revealed their thoughts and, instead of healing, due to the lack of skill of those who listened to them, fell into despair. Not everyone can lead, and this is not only due to their own lack of success and immaturity, but often due to the speed of maturity. Many, due to great simplicity and great heat of jealousy, very quickly pass through the first degrees and do not experience much. The inexperienced cannot help those who are tempted. Moreover, reasoning is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, of which there are many, and not all are given to everyone, but “to everyone as God wills” (1 Cor. 12:11). “The senses are trained... in the judgment of good... and evil” (Heb. 5:14) are characteristic of everyone who is purified, but only those who see can analyze all kinds of cases, decide the ordinary and the extraordinary, and what can be allowed and what should be rejected. In general, such lamps are formed by God and put to work by God. Look in the lives: the man of God strives in the labors of community life, goes into solitude, lives hidden from everyone; Finally, it is said about him: the Lord revealed the light. The fit cannot hide; they begin to gather around him, and a crowded monastery is built: so with Anthony the Great, Savva the Sanctified, Anthony of Kiev-Pechersk, Sergius of Radonezh; so before, so now. From this it is clear that a true leader can only be one who has conquered the passions, and through dispassion has become a vessel of the Holy Spirit, who teaches everything, or one who has passed the first degree and through the internal cross and crucifixion has perceived God, or is perceived by Him, and is acted and led by Him. Only such a person can be called an experienced, unpretentious, skillful, reliable leader. Saint John Climacus compares him with Moses, in terms of boldness before God, and with the Angel, in terms of purity and perfection in the spirit. “Wanting to get out and escape from Egypt and from Pharaoh, truly we also need a certain Moses, an intercessor to God and according to God, who, standing in the midst of action and speculation, would raise his hands to God for us, so that those guided by him, having crossed the sea of ​​sin, that is, the passions, would put Amalek to flight. Those who are in delusion are those who, placing their trust in themselves, imagine that they do not need a guide. Those who left Egypt had Moses as their guide, and those who escaped from Sodom had an Angel. And some of them are similar to those who heal spiritual passions under the care of skilled doctors, such as those who came from Egypt; others are like those who want to be stripped of the uncleanness of a calamitous matter: that is why they need an Angel to assist them, or at least, I will say this, someone equal to the angel: for, due to the rottenness of the wounds, we need both a doctor and a wound healer” (v. 1). What kind of leader a leader should be can be seen more fully in the same Saint John Climacus in his instructions to his abbot. There he is called a doctor, a helmsman, a teacher, having a book written in his heart and not taught from man, dispassionate, living in God, and so on. Apparently, that is, that he must be from those who have touched the last degrees of perfection. Basil the Great speaks about it this way: “With much care and understanding, try to find for the leader of your residence a man who is not charming, who is well able to instruct those who go to God, who is flourishing in virtues, who in his deeds has evidence of his love for God, who understands the Divine Scriptures, who is a little caring, who does not love money, who is not covetous, who is silent, who loves God, who loves poverty, without anger, without memory of malice, much edification for those who come close to him, not vain, not proud, unaffectionate, not fickle, not preferring anything to God” (Vol. 5. pp. 49–50). These are the perfections of a true father! Without this, he will not be able, with all his zeal, to lead to the salvation of the souls who have entrusted themselves to him. The path leading to God can be learned from books, from the examples and teachings of the holy fathers and shown to others: but the leader must not only indicate, but also lead, and not only lead, but, as it were, carry on himself. He must be a strong intercessor in prayer before God and drive away invisible enemies; and for this he must have the boldness and strength of faith, which attacks without blunder all the power of the enemy: this is given or acquired at the second degree, that is, by those who are perfect. Saint John the Climacus appears in a dream and awakens a disciple on whom the mountain was ready to fall. Saint Barsanuphius had many experiences that his disciples, for the sake of his prayers, were delivered from the torment of passions and the oppression of demons. To lead, you need to see all the crossroads, know them experimentally and know how they deviate; and for this it is necessary to stand at a certain height, from which one could survey all the paths, and all those walking, and those among them who have entrusted themselves. With his word, as with his hand, he will instruct him how to walk straight, without deviation, quickly, among all the crossroads without wandering. Not purified of passions, everyone stands on the same level, whether one is a scientist or an unscientist, whether one has read the science of asceticism or not. The people who make up the crowd do not see where and how to go, but only push each other and walk as they walk, now here, now here, waiting to see if they will come across the right path to go out into the open space; meanwhile, as if by a voice that is outside the crowd, you can immediately go out. It's all about conquering the passions: he who has not conquered the passions cannot give a reliable rule for their conquest, because he himself is passionate and judges passionately. Then, a leader who is smart, but has not experienced it himself, will never lead far, no matter how much he desires. Both he and the person being led will talk, reason about the ways of God, and all huddle in one place. Moreover, he must have some natural power over the student’s soul, so that it unquestioningly, silently, submits to him, is like a follower. You cannot have the strength of the spirit without conquering the passions and receiving the Spirit of God. And without this, the word will always be powerless, fruitless, because it cannot give birth to that which it does not contain within itself, as the Monk Macarius the Great teaches. A true leader and a faithful mentor should be of such perfection! But he who entrusts himself to him, when the Lord deigns to find one, is subject to great and strict obligations. The essence of leadership and its power lie in the covenant between the spiritual father and the disciple, established before the face of God, in which the father takes upon himself the salvation of the disciple’s soul, and the disciple surrenders himself completely to him. This covenant is a significant difference between leadership and meetings and questioning. The instruction given in the latter does not bind, but in that every word is a law: there the questioner still has freedom to reason and consider, but here any consideration is inappropriate and disastrous. The student betrays himself completely. “You,” says Saint Basil the Great, “give yourself to him completely abolished, that is, so that you no longer have anything of your own or for your share, and everything belongs to the father; otherwise this remnant of the ancient leaven will spoil what is newly put into you, and all such mixture will be tasteless, displeasing to God, disgusting.” Saint John of the Climacus gives an example of how one said to his mentor: “just as iron is given to a forger, so I, most reverend father, have surrendered myself to you” (sl. 4, 23). Like a painter’s blank canvas or a sculptor’s good substance, such is the student in the hands of his father. He took the yoke of Christ upon himself in determination to please Him; and now, as Saint Climacus says, “he strives to lay it from his own neck on someone else’s” (Ibid., paragraph 5). He is like someone who “on top of the water, supported by alien hands, intends to swim across the sea.” That is why he calls life under the guidance of voluntary death, a coffin, a sleepy journey, and safe navigation. The student is, as it were, not an actor, but a doer. This is from the student's perspective. For his part, the father gives decisive assurance of the salvation of his soul by himself, takes upon himself his sins and the answer before the terrible judgment of God. Saint Barsanuphius expresses this in many places and very often. For example, to one who asked: “Give me your word, my lord, that you answer God about me, and there will be no harm to me,” he answered: “I lay down my sweet soul for you, death will only separate you and me” (Ans. 57); to another: “Understand what I am writing and hide it from yourself: I will make you hear the heavenly, sovereign, Divine joy, you will be the heir of my gifts” (Ans. 10); to another: “I take half of your sins,” and when he aggravated the request: “I take it all, for the sake of obedience” (Ans. 163, 164). What does he even promise? “If you keep my commandment, rather than God’s, I confess that I am responsible for you on that day, on which God will judge the secrets of men” (Ans. 58). And in another place he prays: “Master, either bring my children with me into Thy Kingdom, or blot me out from Thy book” (Ans. 110). But such a great promise is given under the condition of the student’s decisive, willing, unquestioning fulfillment of all the commandments of his father, from the heart, as God’s, so that as soon as deviation is allowed, the covenant is broken and the promise loses its binding force. The father undertakes, as it were, to carry the disciple’s soul to heaven, but under the condition that this seeker also strains and works. The Lord helps such a seeker by faith, and he, trusting in God, who wants to save everyone, has no doubt that everything will be for him, both in word and in deed, for salvation. Actually, he becomes a mediator between him and God, an honest, faithful, safe mediator: what is said will be done. So he says to one: “let my words be written in your heart, tie them on your hands, so that they may be before your eyes...”, and further: “show them through deeds” (Ans. 11). To another he says: “I pray, day and night I strive for your soul, but you also work hard, move forward, otherwise everything is fruitless. Seek salt, and I will salt you” (Ans. 24:70). And again: “If you violate any of this, I am innocent; you will see and answer on the terrible day” (Ans. 57). As a result of this, an inextricable, cordial, spiritual union is formed between them, according to which the father in the son and the son in the father remain co-dissolved in spirit; and this is not only for the time of upbringing, but for all eternity. Saint Barsanuphius writes to one mourner: “Seeing the sorrow and rebellion of the temptation that befell you, I became more ill than ever; especially remembering that the Apostle says: “whoever faints and does not faint” (2 Cor. 11:29)” (Ans. 57). To another he said: “I am always with you; when you go to serve the community, my heart goes with you in every possible way, as it pleases God” (Ans. 27). Or: “by the grace of Christ the Son of God, I am not separated from you, but with your love I am ever present in the spirit” (Ans. 55). Again: “Brother, as to my own soul I say: for the Lord has bound your soul to mine, saying: Do not depart from him” (Ans. 159). And the true disciple is depicted by Saint John Climacus as follows: “a soul, attached to its shepherd by Christ’s love and faith, will not leave him even to the shedding of blood, especially when it was once healed from its wounds through him. She remembers the words of the one who said: “neither angels, nor principalities, nor powers... lower than any... another creature can separate us from the love of Christ” (Rom. 8:38-39). If someone has it tied in this way, woven and attached, then this person will spend his life in vain, acting hypocritically and feignedly before his father” (f. 4, paragraph 28). In this heartfelt union lies all the power and essence of the covenant. Through him, all the strength of the father is poured onto the weak student. Therefore, the enemy tries in every possible way to upset him and, with secret suggestions and even ghosts, inspires either distrust, suspicion, or a desire to move on to another, as there are examples of this in Saint Barsanuphius (Ans. 159, etc.). Because of such importance, this heartfelt union should be the first subject of the student’s prayer: “open mentally to God your faith and unfeigned love for your superior, and God will secretly tell him about your love for him, and will make him equally favorable and friendly to you” (Fl. 4, p. 45). Such a union, however, is a great spiritual sacrament performed by God Himself. Not every true father is for every student and not every true student is for every father. The Lord points out and leads the seeker with full faith and devotion to the one who can, by His power, lead him to salvation; and the true worthy father is advised in spirit to accept and bear the burden of this particular weakling. So at Saint Barsanuphius, John appeared and then did not come for a long time. When Abba Seril thought that he would no longer come, Saint Barsanuphius said: “He remains with us in body and in spirit, and will not be separated from now on and forever” (Ans. 5); and even before he said: “Two years ago the Lord told me that he would come” (Ans. 1). One of the disciples told him: “The Lord has sent you to me as a refuge and haven” (Ans. 159); to another he said: “We believe that the Lord brought you here: do not waste grace in vain” (Ans. 163). From here it is revealed by itself: what kind of student should be in relation to his father. Everything related here naturally follows from the spirit in which the disciple betrays himself to his father, and the union that is combined between them. The student must have complete and undoubted faith in his father - faith that he knows the path of God, can lead him to perfection along it and will bring him to perfection, that he is strong with God, and God through him will show him the straight and unforgettable path; therefore, accept all his instructions as completely true, decisively saving and pleasing to God. This faith must be bright, pure and not overshadowed by even a faint cloud of doubt; for its weakening is a weakening of the heartfelt union, and the weakening of the heartfelt union perverts the whole matter and makes it fruitless. Therefore, one must preserve this faith like the apple of one’s eye. “As much as faith blooms in the heart,” says Saint Climacus, “so much does the body succeed in its service; and as soon as someone stumbles over the stone of faith, there is no doubt that he will fall; for it is true that “everything that is not by faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23). Those who obey in simplicity of heart, if through curiosity about the abbot’s commands they do not inflict demonic tricks on themselves, then they will complete their path well in the Lord” (verse 4, paragraph 7, 9). Therefore, the fathers themselves first of all made sure of the faith of those whom they accepted under their leadership, and if they noticed its absence, they did not accept it. So Saint Barsanuphius did not accept one under his leadership when he noticed unbelief in him; and when it crept, through demonic delusion, into the recipient, he hastened to heal him (Ans. 161). “Those who have taken care of our salvation in the Lord,” says Climacus, “we must believe without any curiosity, even if it seems to us that they are establishing something contrary to our salvation. Then our trust in them, as in the crucible of humility, is tempted. For this is a sign of true trust, when someone, although he sees something somewhat contrary to his aspirations, nevertheless, since the authorities establish it, believes them undoubtedly” (page 4, paragraph 104). You must honor your father in every possible way, have an honest, bright face; not only in word and feeling, even in thought, not to have anything darkening it or diminishing this light. “If,” says Climacus, “we wish with all humility to bend our neck under the yoke of the Lord and unhypocritically entrust our salvation to another, then before we enter the monastery, we must, if we have any insight and intelligence, reason and test about our helmsman - we must tempt him, so as not to fall into our hands, I will say this, instead of a helmsman for a simple oarsman, instead of a doctor for a sick person, instead of an immaculate on the sensualist, instead of a pier in the abyss, and not prepare for shipwreck for ourselves. Having entered the field of piety and rejection of the world, we should no longer judge with all severity about our good hero, although in him, as in a person, perhaps we will see some unimportant errors. Otherwise, with such a strict test regarding the affairs of our abbot, we will not receive any benefit from leaving the world. Those who wish to forever maintain undoubted trust in their mentors need to keep their good deeds indelibly and unforgettably in their hearts, so that with the memory of them they can stop the mouths of demons when they begin to war in us to distrust them. If your thought compels you to condemn or blaspheme your mentor, then jump away from this, as if from fornication, and do not at all give this serpent any hope, no place, no entrance, below any attack - but on the contrary, exclaim to him: oh, charming one! “It was not I who accepted judgment over my boss, but he was appointed judge over me!” (sl. 4, p. 6–7). This honor and unshakable reverence grows from faith and is confirmed by it: just as, on the contrary, it now weakens as soon as faith weakens, and vice versa. That is why the enemy especially directs his arrows at these two points. Often he even builds ghosts to darken the honor of the father, in order to drive the disciple away from him, as Elisha, the disciple of Abba Isaiah, suffered. That is why, when in Ladder the monk asks John Savvait, who advised him to surrender to his father: “What if this father, through his negligence, sins in something?” - then the elder said to this: “Even if you saw him committing sin, do not leave him, but say to yourself: “Friend, why did you come here?” then you will see how all exaltation in you will immediately disappear” (page 4, paragraph 112). In everything one should rely on the father or stand in the confidence that the satisfaction of every need will be corrected by the father’s prayer, every evil will be averted, every good will be given. “Stay with me,” Saint Barsanuphius often says, “I will take you out and soon bring you into peace and introduce you to God”; or like this: “You will be my heir, you will be worthy of my gifts,” or: “You will lie together in the same shrine.” All this is contained in faith, in that faith that the Lord, who seeks the salvation of all, will save him through his father and will do everything for him according to his faith. The disciple hopes that the Lord, in His goodness, for the sake of the father’s prayers, will have mercy, forgive sins, and will not deprive him of spiritual blessings. That is why he runs to his father with everything like a son, in the undoubted expectation that he will receive satisfaction - and he receives it. Saint Barsanuphius’s disciples often say: “Say the word, and it will be so.” “You are our refuge.” When he fell ill, they cried out: “Where should we go?” The natural consequence of faith, honor and hope should be to rest under the guidance of the father as under a safe shelter. By devotion to him, he suppresses all concern for himself, all care and fear. “He,” it is written by Saint Barsanuphius, “speaks from the heart to the father: I believe that the Lord will save my soul through you; Do with me whatever the Lord inspires you. I am no longer I” (Ans. 57). “If someone,” says Climacus, “in good conscience has forever given himself up to his father, such a person is not afraid of his death as if he were sleeping, knowing for sure that, upon leaving this life, not from him, but from his abbot, they will demand an answer” (f. 4, l. 50). Therefore, he considers the matter of his salvation as decided. “Don’t forget,” says Climacus, “in your life this great ascetic, who, although for 18 years with his bodily ears, did not hear this word from his mentor: save yourself; however, every day with my spiritual hearing I felt from God not the word “save yourself,” which means only the desire of the speaker and that unknown, but the speech: “this one is saved,” which signifies the exact definition and certainty of a thing” (Ibid., paragraph 106). This is how the Lord Himself reassures the disciple decisively. The only thing left on his side is: willing, diligent, lively action, according to the instructions and determination of his mentor - his father. For tranquility does not mean inactivity, but only the suppression of any concern about it and its fruits or success. The student must always be ready, in cheerful tension, and not in laziness. Saint John Climacus depicts him standing on unconnected legs, of which he stretches out one foot to serve, and holds the other motionless during prayer (f. 4, paragraph 2); he calls obedience a “sleepy journey” (Ibid., paragraph 3): a journey based on labors and successes, and sleepy because all this is not built by him. Saint Barsanuphius often addresses those asking for his help with the following speech: “strive, move, sweat over what I said” (Ans. 61). “I am approaching,” he says, “for you, to the Lord, but if you do not approach in the same way, then the shame is great” (Ans. 70). The spiritual father undertakes to save the student, but as if through his own efforts; wants to be a doer - but in him, to be his soul. And the student is reassured only in gratifying trustworthiness and certainty regarding his fate; but he himself is still in sweats and labors. Acting on the mania of the father-mentor obliges the following three actions: a) Do not formulate anything with your mind and heart, neither regarding the past, nor regarding the present, nor regarding the future: or not trust yourself, your mind and heart in anything. Not knowing what it is, not even wanting to know and being afraid to think that it is this way without the father’s instructions. Do not decide for yourself: this and that is good or bad, whether in yourself or in others, but as your father says. Do not plot or determine anything, even one minute in advance, because it depends on the father. Thus, this “non-action” is the decisive silence of any voluntary movement of forces within, emptiness, idleness from everything. It requires that nothing be determined by the mind, not tasted by the heart, not cultivated by the will; think, desire, taste, when and as you are told; and without that, stand in an empty, expectant state. This, according to Saint Climacus, is “an incurious life” (sl. 4, p. 3), or “distrust of oneself in all good deeds, even until the end of life” (Ibid., p. 5). This drowns out one’s own feeling, one’s own taste in things. It is good that according to the father it is good; It’s bad that it’s bad for him, even if it seems good to you. In this state, the abolished one stands in front of the mentor, ready to accept the investment. b) But, despite all the desire and tension, it is absolutely impossible to put yourself in a silent position. Thoughts, determinations, judgments, plans, wishes, fears, lusts will be born; this and that will constantly be sharpened from within. Regarding all this, there is one law: reveal everything to your mentor: both good and bad. This will always cleanse the inside. The mentor will have a reason to judge the student's condition; there will be no waste of time; all kinds of mental and heartfelt deviations will be eliminated; under the guidance of a mentor, you will gain experience in sorting out the thoughts of first your own, and then everyone else’s. That is why the holy fathers attribute to this revelation extraordinary power in the matter of salvation, even if it was not before the father-leader. With it, you can avoid any danger of getting lost or falling by meeting cautionary advice. Basil the Great commands: “Every one of his subordinates, if he wants to show praiseworthy success and acquire the skill of living unswervingly according to the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ, must not keep a single movement of his soul secret, but must reveal the secrets of his heart to those who have been entrusted with compassionate and merciful care for the weak brethren. In this way, what is praiseworthy is approved, and what is not praiseworthy is awarded the appropriate healing; and through such a feat, little by little we will grow in the perfection of life” (Space rights. 26). At the same time, one should not exclude oneself, as the same holy father teaches, from opening one’s thoughts and conferring on the fact that a calm conscience will not be overlooked. “And in bodily illnesses,” he says, “it happens that the weak do not feel them, but believe the doctor’s observation more than their own insensibility: so it is in mental illnesses. You tell another, and he will determine whether you are healthy or sick, and what kind of weakness you have. This is what the Apostles did. When the Lord said: “Only one of you will betray Me,” then everyone, one after another, asked: “Is it not I?” (Matthew 26, 21–22, Mark. 14, 18–19)" (Cr. 301). Saint Barsanuphius says: “Let no one hide his thoughts. He who hides his thoughts, the evil spirits rejoice in him, seeing the opportunity to destroy his soul” (Ans. 583). “He who hides his thoughts remains unhealed; for they are healed only by frequently asking the spiritual fathers about them” (Ans. 317). “He who does not hide any serpent in his bosom shows true faith; but he who hides still outside the path of his salvation wanders,” says Saint Climacus (verse 4, paragraph 46). Such a rule to reveal everything great puts fear on the soul not only to do, but also to say something and think something bad, reminiscent of the judgment that is about to take place from the father-mentor - it also puts fear on demons, for in this case in no way can they hide their machinations (Ibid., paragraph 53). That is why they try to deviate from this and, fearing exposure, flee from the one who reveals himself in everything, they hate and cannot tolerate even the voice of frankness, as Saint Dorotheus teaches (fn. 5th). And what a relief to the soul from this! For three years he languished alone under the weight of lack of frankness (Prologue of May 6), and then, when he overcame himself, then a dark cloud came out of him - a sign that lack of frankness is a satanic work. Otherwise, how will the father use us when he does not know what is in us; and general instructions can also be found in books. That is why Saint Climacus teaches that just as the first time one must reveal everything to one’s father, tell one’s whole life, so in all subsequent times one must not deny one’s spiritual father, the helper of one’s salvation, but confess with humility, as if to God (f. 4, paragraph 10, 63, 66). “In one monastery,” writes Saint Climacus, “I saw a small book on the inn’s belt and, having asked what it was for, I learned that in it he wrote down everything that he thought throughout the day and retold all these thoughts to his shepherd. And not only him, but also many other monks from that monastery I saw doing this. This charter was established by the great father of that monastery, as I heard later” (Ibid., paragraph 39). “A good steward regularly counts the day’s profit or expense every evening. But how will he know this if he does not write everything down in the account book every hour?” (Ibid., paragraph 115). c) But the most important task of a student is sincere, unthinking, from faith and a pure heart, unquestioning obedience to his teacher and father in everything, down to the smallest iota. The student must be like an automaton, without his own soul, which is replaced by the soul of his father. Apprenticeship, according to Saint Climacus, “is the complete rejection of one’s own soul, demonstrated in all precision through bodily actions, the mortification of bodily members in a living mind, inexperienced movement, the rejection of one’s own reasoning, even if one was rich in it, the grave of the will. The disciple is blessed and the living dead” (verse 4, paragraphs 3, 4). One must obey in simplicity, without thinking or examining whether the behavior is good or bad, difficult or easy - constantly, patiently, steadily, without any guile or doubt of thoughts (Ibid., paragraph 5, 9). You must keep yourself in such a mood that, no matter what is done, it is done not because you came up with it or wanted it, but because it was so ordered. Anything you need, ask and do it; They don’t tell you, even if it’s difficult, but be patient. And if you don’t have orders and things to do, it’s better to sit, but don’t do it yourself, in your own way. Everything from itself and in its own way is the ruin of the spirit - the same as taking poison. Surrendered yourself to your father, and let him create from you and in you what he knows. Otherwise it will turn out: one is a creator, and the other is a destroyer. The latter makes both his own work and the work of others in vain, and the work of salvation turns into idleness. “Whoever obeys one day, and another time fulfills his will,” says Climacus, “is like someone who puts medicine into the eye at one time, and lime at another” (Ibid., paragraph 60). Seek obedience, do the will of another and be carefree. “Blessed is he who has completely mortified his will, and entrusted all the care of himself to his mentor according to God: he will stand at the right hand of the Crucified Savior” (Ibid., paragraph 44). Of the three labors: fasting, purity and obedience, the first brings one halfway to God, the second leads to the entrance, and the last brings one before the very face of the Lord (Lestvich. ff. 4, p. 108). What peace and tranquility he has in his soul! He is not at all embarrassed, is what he is doing good, what others will say, what will it serve, is it pleasing to God? Even when, of two novices, the will of the mentor seems to be inconsistent, one fulfills it without hesitation, and the other does not, at his own discretion, the first receives benefit, and the latter harms himself (from the Prologue). Therefore, the general rule of all saints is: whoever lives by himself lives fruitlessly. Even if he does well, his conscience cannot be at peace even in this case. He must have constant indecision, vagueness; and most importantly, the mood of self-will remains the same. Do everything with advice. Without advice is like without a fence. If this is unsafe, then what can we say about outright disobedience and contradiction! This is downright demonic. There is still hope of correction if someone contradicts an equal or inferior: but whoever goes against the mentor, there is nothing to say about that. He who has abandoned obedience surrenders to his own will; and from his own will - and the malice of his enemies: and he perishes. He who obeys in everything soon reaches the measure of childhood or the most perfect simplicity, as Saint Climacus depicts (Ibid., paragraph 121). By resolute obedience some have destroyed all internal warfare with passions forever; others have acquired complete insensitivity and painlessness to insults; others reached the highest degree of kindness and unconstrained simplicity - they appeared as babies, having nothing cunning, both in speech and in actions (Ibid., paragraphs 20, 21). An example of this is simple Paul. Basil the Great considers this obedience to be the primary virtue (Moveable Rights, ch. 19, 22). He teaches it by the example of those learning some art, who, to the smallest degree, carry out what is indicated with all precision, - he sets as an example the silent submission of Abraham, when he was commanded to leave Chaldea, and then sacrifice his son, - by contrast, the example of the Apostle Peter, who, after great praise, for one contradiction, as if benevolent, heard: “Follow me, Satan!” (Matt. 16, 22–23, Mark 8, 32–33). He also refers to this very subject the passages of Scripture: “obey your teachers” (Heb. 13:17), “while He listens to you, He listens to Me” (Luke 10:16). The whole set of legal relations to one’s father consists in not having one’s own will, one’s own understanding, one’s own taste: everything must be his father’s, according to his instructions, measured and established by him down to the slightest movement. The state of a person acting according to this rule, that is, under guidance, under command, not in his own way, is a state of obedience, exalted with great praise by the Holy Climacus, and by all the holy fathers in general. The path of obedience, or complete renunciation of one’s mind and will, and all control of oneself, through surrendering oneself to a reliable and God-given leader - the father, is a short and short path, as it is called by Saint Climacus (f. 4, paragraph 5). Those who enter it in the true spirit soon ascend to perfection and safely overcome all deviations, wanderings and delays. And this is both due to the mood of the student himself and to the effect of his father on him. The student has nothing of his own. Like the Apostles, who said to their Divine Teacher: “Behold... forsaken all” (Matthew 19:27) - and he says and feels: “I am not mine, because neither thoughts, nor desires, nor words, nor deeds should be mine. Even if it was good, it is no longer good for me, since I do it according to my own will and understanding.” With this disposition and action, he constantly hits the very head of the serpent nesting in our heart - selfhood, the main property of which is to do everything in our own way and to please ourselves. And since all passions rest on the self, then, as the self extinguishes, the passions also subside; the soul brightens, approaches purity and dispassion. The fact that nothing self-made and self-initiated is allowed to emerge from the heart, all self-activity is marred; by the fact that everything illegitimate is revealed, it is exhausted, deprived of food, through the eruption of its offspring by the fact that everything is not done in its own way, it is wounded to the very heart. Not to do it your own way, even in this case, is saving, if someone, without a father, entrusts himself to another, not even a wise one, for the sole purpose of living in renunciation of his mind and will. И успех бывает высокий и быстрый. Akaki, with the holy Climacus, lived with a wayward old man and suffered beatings and false accusations; but for the sake of patience and obedience, he accepted the crown of martyrdom, as it was revealed from above (f. 4, l. 110). And John Savvait advises one of the three who came to him: “Choose yourself a mentor, stricter and more severe than whom there would not be in the human race” (Ibid., l. 211). It can be seen that the steeper the renunciation of oneself, one’s will and one’s feelings, the more salutary it is. Потому-то так была вожделенна святым жизнь под чужою волею. They grieve and are embarrassed when they remain on their own, because they feel that they have entered an unknown path. Так прекращается и заграждается исток самостного и греховного извнутрь. Но этим же отражается приток всякого возбуждения их и совне. Whatever the world or Satan inspires, no consent is given to it, neither the mind nor the heart is attached to it, but, on the contrary, it is transmitted to the father by revelation, and is thereby cast out and disgraced. A hidden thought is an adulterous thought; but a true novice does not commit adultery in this way. He is dead, has turned into nothing, does not rely either on himself or on his deeds, and through this he becomes a spacious container and a ready companion of grace. This is the benefit of discipleship from the disposition of the disciple's spirit. It can be rewarded even without a wise, experienced father: but what the experienced father further delivers through his action on the student’s spirit or assistance to him and true guidance cannot be replaced by anything. As a beholder, he immediately sees the student’s entire state, his mood, his main pain; and how an experienced one knows what and how to use to heal him. Any disease, precisely recognized and correctly treated with a healing medicine against it, soon succumbs. Saint Barsanuphius noticed anger and irritability in his disciple John and began to act directly against it in both word and deed (Ans. 10). Isidore, a person of princely dignity, ardent, ferocious and cruel, was ordered by his father, to whom he devoted himself, to stand at the gate and ask everyone: “pray for me, I am possessed by an evil spirit,” and he soon achieved the deepest humility and contrition (Fl. 4, p. 23). The person himself often cannot see his own weakness, and perishes in complacency. That is why it is wise if he comes to the seer and says: “Look, what is in me?” The beholder will begin to act and drive out his infirmity from him. Thus, Saint Barsanuphius brought to the consciousness of one silent man, drowning in self-delusion, that he stood in arrogance and conceit, and led him to repentance, without which he would have died in his disastrous thoughts (Ans. 68, etc.). Only an enlightened and seeing father will reveal what is in us - only he will lead and lead to healing, because he acts unerringly. He who acts for salvation moves forward towards perfection; but not everything is useful to everyone: what benefits one person is harmful to another, or at least can stop him, just as a long dress hinders him while walking. Who will say: do this, but don’t touch this, explaining at the same time how true and saving this is for us? An experienced mind, seeing the entire structure of our education in the spirit, from its first inception to perfection, and seeing what is going towards it and what will go. Only the true father, and only he alone, can do all this. What a person himself can’t think of, what he’s never ready to decide on! You never know what there is that is only specious and not salutary! Without warnings and instructions, he can become exhausted, waste his strength to no avail, or create unnecessary growths that, like sores, will disfigure his inner person. Is it good to delve into Scripture and explore its mysteries? It’s good, especially when you have the ability, preparation, and thirst for it. Meanwhile, Saint Damascus was forbidden to write or think anything. Dositheos suffers punishment and reproach for asking questions about various passages of Scripture. Later it turned out that this was saving for both. He who has sufficiently pacified the passions will well hasten to silence in order to be with God: but sometimes even an hour of anticipatory action does not lead to good. Saint Barsanuphius said to more than one: “Be patient a little longer... I’ll tell you... and it will be good”; so it was. Water is boiled, but for one task once, and for another - twice or more - and so it is here. Sometimes an indifferent thing can make a lot of noise. In general, the evenness of education, the haste of the march towards perfection without deviations, wanderings and any stops belongs exclusively to life under the guidance of the father, and, moreover, the one who sees. Without this, confusion, stagnation, and growths are inevitable. Finally, it happens that those who are zealous at first subside, weaken and become lethargic and lifeless, and often even fall. Why? From lack of exercise, experience of labor or movement of the spirit living within. When a person assigns to himself the rules of doing, then while the work of learning occupies him, he burns in spirit; but then, when he gets completely comfortable with it, both because this matter is done, and because the spirit has grown and requires great things, everything that happened before no longer excites him: he easily, without tension, does it as usual. Who will provide him with something to exercise his strength? Who will put wood under the fire of jealousy? It is necessary to be an inventor of things and, moreover, an experienced one; or even a stone can be placed instead of wood. This is how it happens: the father-guide constantly keeps the student in some friction under more and more difficult classes, and thereby preserves the spirit. So at Climacus, one abbot used different methods for this: he called one from the table and ordered him to stand without lunch; sent another out of the church; to the third, when he worshiped, he ordered him to lie on the ground while he read the whole rule and so on. And then, when Climacus asked him: why is he doing this? “Then,” answered the abbot, “to give them a crown and set an example for others, but more so that the spirit does not weaken.” But you might think that this is unfair and could cause harm. “No,” the abbot noted, “whoever is united by love with my spirit, nothing will separate him” (cl. 4, paragraph 23, etc.). That is, all the fruitfulness of such work is determined by the initial covenant and union of the heart. But the father’s assistance is especially needed during the transition from an active life to a contemplative one. The spirit matures, and when the passions are truly purified, it naturally soars. In this soaring without a leader, he most often falls into the evil hands of enemies of the air, falls into delusion and either dies or stagnates in it. That is why all fathers are resolutely commanded not to touch this treasure without an experienced father, one who knows and has himself walked the path to it. There is just one experience here - a pointer. And it’s impossible to understand what’s there, even though it’s written in clear words. The self-made worker struggles without fruition, and often to his own detriment. Under guidance, he soon understands with faith, enters the inner sanctuary and sees in spirit. These are the benefits of living under experienced guidance, without any reward! True, the Lord is merciful: “whoever seeks and trusts... His mercy will overtake him” (Ps. 31:10). But He also leaves us to a more ordinary path. Man himself always confuses. And what he could do in a day, he does for a year, does and redoes. Maybe he does so, but since he is not sure of that, he begins and redoes it again. Both time and labor are wasted. But what is especially special is that it is rare who will avoid conceit without novitiate. “The novice,” says Climacus, “does not see his deeds, because he does not do them on his own, but even if he works miracles, he attributes everything to his father and his prayers; on the contrary, he who is alone inevitably stands in the thought that he does good deeds on his own, and falls into doubt” (page 4, paragraph 54). This is by experience. How much work was needed to bring him to the consciousness that he was in self-righteousness! And God gave that, finally, he said: “I am damned” (Rom. 7:24) (Rep. 160, etc.) What a tender character is formed in one who lives under guidance! First, humility is formed in him, from humility - dispassion, silence of spirit and the light of God; further – simplicity, kindness, childhood; this is “the measure of the age... of Christ” (Eph. 4:13), as Saint Climacus depicts. This is leadership in its essence, this is what it requires of the leader, this is what it obliges the led to, and this is what it promises great fruits. All this constitutes the distinctive attributes of leadership and certainly exists and must exist wherever true leadership exists and is established. Being thus unique in itself, it appears in real life in more than one form. The first, the most extensive and most general and ubiquitous, is the shepherding of the church; the second is the monastic abbot, and the third is the patronymic, or eldership. That shepherding has precisely such properties is evident from the fact that the flock is entrusted or entrusted to the shepherd for shepherding, that is, education; she listens to the voice of the shepherd, follows him and is only where he indicates. The shepherd lays down his life for the sheep; he is the guardian to whom it is said: “I will require their souls at your hand” (Ezek. 33:6). The mutual union and relationship between the shepherd and the flock is expressed by the Apostle in the following place: “Obey your guide... for they watch over your souls, so that the word will be rewarded” (Heb. 13:17). Apparently from this, giving oneself to the shepherd of the flock and the shepherd’s responsibility for their souls. In others In places, the flock is depicted as a field, silently presenting itself before the cultivator, and the shepherd as a worker (1 Cor. 3:9). Hence the commandment: “Be present in season and without season” (2 Tim. 4:2). So it was in the beginning, so it is and should be until now. The Lord Jesus Christ raises twelve Apostles; The Apostles, after the descent of the Holy Spirit, form the Church, in which the heart and soul are one, under their leadership and orders. And then, after scattering across the face of the earth to preach, wherever they sowed the seeds of faith, everywhere they left mentors and leaders - shepherds, and obliged the faithful to resolute obedience to them, and they themselves were made responsible for their souls. Shepherding is revealed in precisely this power in the Apostolic Epistles; in the same way it remained understood in the Church. Therefore, in his letter to the Ephesians, Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer exhorted to remain in submission to the bishop and presbyter for sanctification, in order to sing harmoniously, like harmoniously tuned strings. The Lord of the House sends him to rule his house; look upon him as the Lord. This is how it was done afterwards. The bishop and elders are not mute witnesses to the salvation of others and not just unfounded preachers of the path of the saved, but active agents who cultivate the flock like a field. For this reason, subsequently, by the general court of the Church, certain rights were acquired by them, in order to have in their hands the opportunity to save others, as if admiringly from fire. That the monastic abbot is of the same nature is obvious. This is the essential structure of the monastic way of life and pleasing God. Anyone who enters the brotherhood is accepted on the condition that he will not have his own will and his own mind, but will live in unquestioning obedience and under the guidance of the superior father. When they come to the monastery, they say: I want to save my soul. The superior is also a person who can rule for salvation; With this condition, he is elected by the brethren, and with this they surrender to him. Eldership consists of when those seeking salvation surrender themselves not to the abbot, but to another most experienced person in the monastery or outside it. For the most part, in fact, he is now replaced by confessors, and in other monasteries - elders, to whom it is blessed to reveal thoughts and into whom the entire monastery is divided. The covenant with each other here is invisible, conscientious, but, nevertheless, strong and fruitful. For hermits and hermits, this is the only way of leadership, as we see from history. Everything that is written in Fatherland books about obedience comes to him. The strength of its action, by the way, depends on the fact that, without being public and official, it evokes greater frankness and sincerity. Therefore, now, if there is leadership, then it manifests itself in this form. Now the question - where and how to find a leader - is resolved by itself. Take the one whom God has sent and trust him, as Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer teaches. The types of leadership shown embrace the entire Christian life. Consequently, whoever is awakened, he always already has a leader above him. He who has awakened in civil and social life should follow the leadership of the shepherd; whoever is in the monastery should entrust himself to the abbot, or to whomever he indicates. “He who is called to eat in this calling, let him abide in that” (1 Cor. 7:20) and uses the offered guidance, without willfully running from one place and herd to another, with arrogance, contempt, much less leaving himself, arrogantly, a unique path to perfection. This is very dangerous, and it is one of the wiles of Satan that, having repented, a person, in a sense of the need for a leader, wants to run away from his lawful, without examining, without looking around, without examining. Being in sin, he did not think about salvation; he judged everyone in the same way, putting them on a level with himself. Now, having repented and turned to God, one, as it seems to him, thinks that the others all remained where he was before, that is, in darkness, in sin, and he himself arose, rose, entered the light of God. Whereas, in fact, he may have entered for the first time the field in which others have long been active and acquired art, although outwardly they moved in ordinary life, along with him. Here the trick of Satan is obvious - to leave him without guidance, alone to himself, the consequence of which is inevitable fall and delusion, or moving from place to place, which only frustrates and does not create. After this, the one who has repented or embraced zeal for the salvation of his soul can only renew the union or covenant with the father, which is given from God, for the organization of life in the person of a shepherd, or rector, or confessor. Before, he had not thought about it and, nevertheless, was under it, but outwardly, according to routine; Now let him restore faith in its true meaning and, by faith, unite with it heartily, that is, let him come and say: “Save, I trust, I will address every need, every embarrassment,” and only then do so. On the part of those persons, the obligation is always unchanged; none of them can or should refuse this. You shouldn’t refer to impossibility either: you stand in such a line because you want, but stick to your purpose. And before the Church, and before the court of God, and before the court of men, this is his business. He is responsible for every soul, especially for one that is ready to surrender to him and does. At the same time, the only thing that can truly determine is whether to stay with such a father forever. The inability to lead will now be revealed, and a conscientious priest or confessor will immediately admit: “I cannot take this upon myself.” After this, although there will be a change, it will be done legally, and most importantly, with advice. The incapable can point out the able, and this matter will be arranged according to God, and not willfully, not at random. It should be so. But, meanwhile, there is no doubt that very often those persons bear only the names of their rank, and not the power of it; often a shepherd - “there is a thief... who crawls elsewhere” (John 10:1) or a wolf in sheep’s clothing; often the abbot is a simple shipbuilder instead of a helmsman, and the elder is an old man only in terms of gray hair. And this happens either obvious to everyone, or very invisible, deeply hidden under a plausible appearance. Therefore, there is always a danger of falling instead of a true leader to a false one and then suffering instead of benefit - harm, instead of salvation - death. An inexperienced helmsman ruins the ship. “I suffered a lot,” said Peter of Damascus, “harm from those to whom I resorted.” “Many of the elders,” says Cassian, “instead of nourishing them, plunged those who turned to them into despair,” and gives examples of this. Such complaints can be heard and encountered at any time. One word: “live as you live,” or: “what a lot to plan,” will greatly extinguish all zeal, therefore, they will again turn the poor man, who has just come to his senses, into the same thing. The question arises: what should a person do in this case, who is aware of the need for guidance and the extreme danger of remaining without it, who also knows the obligation to turn to this and that, and yet, not without reason, may fear that he will suffer harm, that he will not be pushed back into the same abyss? On the other hand, often - and even often - those who stand in the line of leaders are fully aware of their importance, the full force of the obligation and the greatness of the responsibility that lies on them, they have zeal, they burn with zeal to be what they should be, and meanwhile, due to their spiritual age, they see that they are still far from being able to accurately, as they should, lead others. Due to inexperience and ignorance of the path by which others should be led, they may rightly fear that they would destroy others out of zeal for their salvation, and, instead of guiding them, they might mislead them. The question is: what should he do in this case? How to lead, recognizing yourself as incapable of doing that, not achieving that measure? Очевидно, что тот и другой вопрос прямо касается настоящего порядка вещей. It is impossible without leadership. Но, в истинном виде, оно очень возвышенно и оскудевает в настоящее время. Спрашивается: как быть именно нам? Куда обратиться, – и ищущему руководства, и нареченному быть руководителем? As for the first question, the wise rule of the holy fathers can be applied to it: do everything with anticipation, in devotion to God. One should not shirk, as was previously seen, from the appointed leaders; but you can not give in to them completely, immediately, but wait for God’s special dispensation in this case, a special wave, a heartfelt inclination, meanwhile, consisting in devotion to the will of God, in a prayerful, painful cry to Him, so that He Himself will show us the way. So, fearing deception, cry out in sickness to God, so that He may tell you the way, where you will go, completely surrendering, in strong hope, to His providential care - and the Lord will never leave. A priest or rector is sometimes not useful to anyone, but for others he is the only one useful. He himself changes with him, where wisdom comes from - and salvation is arranged from the Lord even where it is not expected. All the strength here lies in decisive devotion to the will of God, who wants everyone to be saved. Saint Dorotheus solves this question in exactly this way. “If,” he says, “someone does not have a person from whom he could ask for advice, then what should he do in that case? If someone truly, with all his heart, seeks the will of God, then God will never leave him, but will guide him in every way according to His will. If someone does not sincerely seek the will of God, then at least he goes to the Prophet, and God will inspire the Prophet himself to answer him according to the desire of his corrupted heart, as the Scripture says: “and if a prophet is deceived... he speaks a word, and the Lord has deceived that prophet” (Ezek. 14:9)” (verse 4, paragraph 6). So says Climacus. But even then, when you clearly see that the betrothed is not useful to you, does not resolve doubts, does not give advice, does not create at all due to inexperience or inattention - do not rush to leave him or change him. For who will you change it to? Около тебя все так же безвестны, как и этот, а этого Бог дал. Он Богом тебе указан, ибо все наше от Бога; and the other - what do we care! But what can we do here? Need. Given by God: do not resist, do not judge, do not neglect. Expect something different from God. The Lord will not forsake, but will give if necessary. This must be accepted as law in order to avoid arbitrariness, inattention to God’s Providence, and the danger of being confused by the enemy. But here’s another thing: from time to time the darkness will begin to thin out, the structure of life will become more and more exposed, the vision of fears and deviations will become clearer, needs, perplexities, and doubts will multiply. All this requires clarification, admonition, and pacification of the spirit. The appointed mentor does not decide, does not inspire confidence, and does not encourage frankness. What to do in this case? Some advise, while remaining under this guide regarding the general order, - in private cases that actually concern us, to do everything with reasoning - reasoning will determine what is useful and what is harmful - and they cite the words of the Apostle to this: “hold all that is good when tempted” (1 Thessalonians 5:21), and especially the general opinion of all the holy fathers that the highest of all virtues is the virtue of reasoning. But this opinion of the holy fathers should not be taken without the restrictions that they believe. Moreover, the holy fathers affirm that reasoning is a gift acquired through long labor, humility and diligent prayer. Whoever has acquired this gift, keep it and use it for the benefit of yourself and others. Anyone who has not accepted, should not dare to formulate his own understanding, or words, or deeds under any circumstances. His job is to question the skilled and experienced. В отношении к начавшему должно положить такое правило: все твори с рассуждением; но все твое рассуждение должно состоять в одном правиле: ничего не творить по своему рассуждению, а обо всем спрашивать: хорошо ли то, и идет ли то, и идет ли к тебе; ибо не все всем хорошо, но, как указывает Петр Дамаскин , время, начало, состояние, возраст, сила, здравие, воспитание и прочее делают многое в этом различие. Why do you need to know that you will solve all this as it should, without getting lost? Рассуждение должно поставить целью, нужно искать его, а для того и опытно упражняться в нем, но не самим собою, а по тому, как рассуждают другие, надо обучаться рассуждению. Итак, рассуждение хорошо и велико, упражняйся в нем, но никогда ему не доверяй, пока опытом и советами других не укрепишься в нем. Others say: listen to the Divine Scripture and the teachings of your fathers, and you will learn everything. There is no doubt that reading is among the primary means of education of the Christian spirit, and as much light is needed for the body as for the eyes, for the world. Saint Nil of Sorsky teaches: “Nowadays there is only one guide – Divine and Fatherly Scripture.” Elder Paisius taught and acted in the same way (His Life, pp. 39, 287). And for sure: the spectators of the path of the saved one became impoverished, but, according to God’s vision, they left us descriptions of this path. Придерживайся их. Moved by the Holy Spirit, they wrote laws of care and guidance on the path of salvation. “If it is not possible to find a mentor,” says Elder Seraphim, “who can lead to a speculative life, then in this case we must be guided by the Holy Scripture, for the Lord Himself commands us to learn from the Holy Scripture, saying: try...” We must also carefully read the fatherly writings and try, as much as possible, to the best of our ability to carry out what they teach, and thus, little by little, ascend to perfection. But again: what, to whom and how to read? And then: what from what you read and learned should you take as a rule and what should you not take? Who will tell the unskilled and inexperienced? The rule in itself is good, but not for me; it will come to me, but not now. How many are dying precisely because they want to take upon themselves everything they read! There are, they say, people of such a build that, no matter what disease they hear about, they immediately transfer it to themselves and begin to get sick. The same can be true for readings that are not guided by the council. So, read, delve into, research, enrich yourself with spiritual wisdom, but what exactly to do yourself, what to set as a rule, do not decide for yourself; otherwise, do everything with advice, and not according to your own understanding. I read it - go and ask how it is, does it suit you and how can you fulfill it? But the question arises: who should I ask? The betrothed is silent, he has lost trust - you are afraid to open up to him. Remaining indecisive is dangerous: it is stagnation, empty procrastination. What to do? There is only one thing: do everything with advice, with expectation. Never decide on anything suddenly, whether you decided something yourself or read something; but wait until it is established, and in the meantime seek advice and solutions. At every time and in every place you can find people practicing piety, zealous, seeking the Lord and always more or less experienced. You must enter into brotherly communication and cordial communication with them, and then confide all bewilderment and doubt to them. One, two, three, they will sort it out somehow, one by one, or all together, and decide. Do as they decide, and you will not act according to your will and reason. Everything done in surrendering oneself to God, not according to one’s own understanding, is pleasing to God and saving. Therefore, when the betrothed does not decide, and the Lord has not yet indicated another to whom to surrender, wise people advise doing this: if there is something doubtful and we have no one to decide, cry to God about your need and go to one or another, reverent and respected, and be sure that God, who watches over everything and contains everything, will not leave you without a true decision, will not let you into delusion, as long as the need is painful and your hope is strong. This applies to special cases, but in general we can remain with this law, because our whole life is made up of special cases. And in this way a special life will be created, according to the advice. This is a new, mostly appropriate for the present, image of leadership. Man, in surrendering himself to God, is admonished by the Divine and Fatherly Scriptures, uses his own reasoning, but does not decide anything himself, but does everything with advice and questioning. Here the leader is God and Scripture, the renunciation of will and reason in the council, and the initial force is God’s devotion, with a painful, fearful cry for deliverance from delusion, delusion and mistakes. Such a life is simple and humble; But for the humble the Lord reveals secrets, and does not put to shame the one who trusts. “The baby will teach you to say what you need,” says Saint Dorotheos, “and if you don’t believe, then the Prophet will not use it.” When, on the contrary, someone asks and already wishes and expects a definite solution in advance, then this is already a charming rule of action. In this case, it is better not to ask. When you ask, let the scales of the heart stand level, not tilting either on the right side or on the side, and the Lord will guide you. The path of true Christian life is unknown and you cannot follow it at your own discretion. God's guidance is hidden: walk as if in darkness, but do not take your hand away from the hand of God. From the life of Elder Paisius it is clear that he was formed precisely in this way. He met many advisers and, on the advice of everyone, gave up his life, and although he did not have one nurturer, which caused himself, as he himself admits, great harm, he was formed in one spirit and matured completely into a husband. His initial beginning, throughout his life, was a painful fall to God. It instructed him and united his spirit despite all its diversity. Taught by the experiences of a lifetime, he finally reached the level of law and the beginning of leadership. Having clarified all the need for a leader, depicting what he should be like, remembering with tears that now there is nowhere to find such a person, he concludes: “From here, brother, we now have an extreme need to learn from the Divine and Fatherly Scripture with much sorrow and with many tears day and night, and with like-minded zealots, elder fathers consulting, to be instructed in the commandments God, and the works of the saints of our fathers. And so, by the mercy of Christ and our compulsion, we can receive salvation” (p. 40). This is what all fathers advise; This is what Saint Nil of Sorus advised and did. “Before, the spiritual fathers instructed everyone; in these difficult times, I cry and sob a lot, worthy of such an impoverished zealot. God Himself and the Divine teaching of the venerable father are the teacher and mentor” (p. 286). So this is now the best, most reliable way of guidance or education in the Christian life! Life in devotion to the will of God, according to the Divine and Fatherly Scriptures, with the advice and questioning of like-minded people. By the grace of God, it can and should be successful, for it contains all the conditions for improvement, cutting off one’s will and understanding. But, obviously, it is far below personal, active leadership and education. There is no one who sees everything, but only those who seem to be guessing; there is no one who acts decisively, but those who move with timidity. It is impossible to heal and heal so decisively and quickly, and successfully maintain the spirit of jealousy, and so safely enter into contemplation. That is why there are so few successful and accomplished people today. Правда, они суть Божии: но кого Бог совершит, того не станет держать под спудом. It only needs to be added that this method is much more fruitful if someone acquires one adviser and, uniting heartily, lives with him in mutual revelation and admonition, or spiritual friendship. One sees and knows the other, and thus can advise more quickly and reliably. Писание в богопреданности – свет для них. Being mutually wise, they mutually guide each other in devoting themselves to God and the Lord, Who promised to be among the two gathered in His name (Matthew 18:20). At the same time, however, one must not be separated from what has been named by God, but every mutual decision and determination is good if one can trust it and carry it out with his permission. A mutual love union will give strength, and resorting to a spiritual father will give God’s blessing. This kind of consultation, or mutual guidance, again, if given, for God gives a friend, is very fruitful. Remember the two monks who lived during the time of Macarius the Great, in mutual union and mutual guidance and strengthening - to what a measure of perfection they reached! Elder Paisius tells about himself that from the very beginning he diligently sought a nourisher with painful prayer to God, wandered here and there: here and in Moldova, and Wallachia, and on Mount Athos - he did not find everything. I only found, he says, by turning to reading the writings of my fathers, that I lost a lot because at first I lived without active leadership. How did he end up? “Having not found,” he says, “where to obey, I decided to live my life along the royal path, with one unanimous and like-minded brother, instead of my father; Have God as your mentor, and the teaching of the saints as your father, and obey one another and serve” (p. 289), without, however, separating from your spiritual father, as he says elsewhere. “This path,” he says, “is blessed by all fathers.” He was a monk, and such a rule is more suitable for monastic life. But it is not impossible in public life, and, as far as one can see, based on the current course of affairs and our state, it should be recognized as the only true one. Those who are unanimously zealous, instructed by the scriptures of the fathers in the tradition of God, peacefully and comfortably remaining in the same order, walk the straight path to Christian prosperity. This includes the great praise of friendship sung by Sirach, which is only fully applicable here. “A faithful friend - strong blood... he who fears God will find him” (Sir. 6, 14–16). So, regarding leadership, we can lay down the following rules: “Be afraid to remain without any leadership; seek it as the first good. For the first time, walk in a certain order of piety, under a named father. When the Lord indicates by obvious, great, experienced benefit from him that this is your nourisher, surrender to him. The opposite will be said - desire something else: but seek it with fear, patience, waiting, waiting for God's instructions or meeting whom God will send, remaining in the same order of pious life and under the same father, in non-separation from him. Meanwhile, enter into a frank alliance with like-minded people and, with their advice, walk in God under your spiritual father, trusting. If you meet one like-minded person, join him sincerely, without leaving others, and live with him soul to soul, for the Lord’s sake, for salvation. Only the main thing is to maintain resolute devotion to God, with a painful cry for deliverance from delusion, and never follow your mind and will in anything, and whatever you do, do it with advice, and God will arrange the way, invisibly, invisibly, intangibly, unknown to you.” At the same time, one also naturally recalls a special way of guiding oneself and educating oneself through interview or questioning not one, but many ascetics - fathers known in their time, in their own place, or in others. So the Monk Anthony the Great walked among them all and assimilated the virtues of them all. So Saint Basil the Great flowed around Egypt, Palestine, Syria, asking and consulting with the holy fathers at that time, and thus formed himself, and compiled a system of ascetic life, which he implemented in his monasteries and flock, which we are still guided by. Saint Cassian the Roman compiled a whole book of conferences from this; Sophronius and John did the same, compiling their Limonar. The Monk Nil of Sorsky walked around the East, learned and taught others the monastic life. This method of teaching and guidance can still be used today. But, obviously, it must be undertaken by a man strong in faith, already accomplished, especially called, burning with love for spiritual wisdom, with a strong mind, and in those places where an active life is expected: otherwise, who knows what might happen? И опять, из действительно подвижничествующих сколько есть разнодействующих? And not to be tempted by this diversity, to see the unity of the spirit hidden beneath it, what a strong soul is required for this! Это подвиг странничества с целью умудриться духовно. Робкий не решится на него: но и другой всякий нелегко придет к этой мысли. And whoever comes and matures in it, let him act with surrender of himself to God, resolving himself for all kinds of hardships - and God will arrange His path for good. Such kind of wanderers are needed in their time in order to learn the types of real asceticism, to see in what state it is now and then, in relation to the present state of Christianity, to its external life, to definitely clarify and establish the rules of asceticism, which are currently applicable whenever possible. Although the essence of asceticism is one and unchanging, its appearance can be varied. The same is the solution to the second question: how can one lead others if he realizes that he himself has not yet reached the level of a true, reliable leader? According to the Divine and Fatherly Scriptures - in devotion to God. The mentioned elder Paisius says: “In ancient times, many from the holy fathers, from the enlightenment of the grace of God, the disciples taught their disciples and did not read books. В нынешняя же времена отнюдь не повелевают святые отцы от себе кому поучати, но от Святого Писания и от учения преподобных отец» (стр. 287). Взывание к Богу о вразумлении ради спасения душ, Им Самим ему вверенных, не может оставаться неуслышанным: призови, и услышу ( Пс. 90, 15 ). This most of all can go to the leader standing in his place. И то еще – из таковых большая часть стоят уже выше других тем, что имеют в своих руках более способов, более видели и слышали, прикасались хоть к образованию и опытности духовной. Теперь, возникши к ревности о спасении своем и других (о нерадящих нечего говорить), он вступил в должный путь и лучше других может видеть и взад и вперед. Пусть предметы сбивчивы еще и нераздельны, он имеет Писание, описывающее их – углубится, рассудит и, может быть, узнает. В то же время пусть поставит и себя на чреду руководимых, и с большим усердием взыщет совета одного или многих; и, таким образом, сам преуспевая более и более, вместе с собою будет влечь и вести и всех приходящих чрез него к Богу. When, realizing his weakness, he inspires those led that there is now only one path of salvation - reading and listening to the Divine and Fatherly Scriptures, and inclines them towards this, then in this way a union of people will be formed, delving into the Scriptures to discover the saved path and mutual guidance under the appointed head and mentor. This is the ultimate definition of life-saving, safe guidance at this time. He was guided by Saint Nile of Sora, who says: “I do not fulfill, but indicate the Scriptures. Кто хочет жить со мною: вот ему правило, – исполни; no, move away” (p. 39). The same is true in the life of Elder Paisius (pp. 286–287); it is clarified in detail both by himself and by Elder Michael, who was contemporary to him. And the holy monk Dorotheos, compiling a guide to asceticism, instead of a preface, placed a convincing instruction on diligent reading and obedience to the Divine and Fatherly Scriptures, instilling that this is the only reliable and safe way of salvation. In this way, the first inevitable need of the repentant will be satisfied, namely: guidance, nurturing. His other essential need is the rules of life, determination of how to do what. We have already partially seen the need for these rules. We must not forget that it is not such that it is only better than others, but is essentially necessary. Rules are the safest fence for a life-saving life. Without rules, it is impossible to maintain constancy of zeal, firmness of intention and acquire strength of will. Ревнующий дух как сила держится и крепится упражнением; при недостатке же его неизбежно слабеет и истощается сам в себе. When rules are laid down, then if they are properly placed, there is always something for pious pursuit, there is something that reminds of the new life and occupies attention with it. The transition from task to task is a continuing friction of the spirit, one, in one tone, according to one drawing. This constantly ignites the fire of jealousy. А не будь правил, будут промежутки, затишья, остановки, уклонения; и жизнь не единична, и напряжение расслаблено, и ревность должна хладеть. That is why Saint Isaac the Syrian says (fol. 85, p. 534) that darkness of the mind, confusion within, disintegration and all disorder in life depend on the fact that it is not assigned a certain rank or order. В противном случае все будет зависить от присутствия духа; но можно ли положиться на него? Он есть перемежающееся дыхание ветра. Хочется, – все делается быстро; нападет разленение, – и малого не сделаешь. Когда же положено правило, хоти не хоти, а делай, и будешь непрестанно делать. Правила нужны для развития и образования сил. A new life has begun; всем силам, следовательно, должно дать соответственное направление. But they are all alien to it, they are differently tuned, and therefore it is necessary to determine exactly how to act with them in the new spirit, just as everyone shows a rookie warrior every small movement until he gets used to it. Без правил не будет ровности образования и развития. Что сухая палка при молодых растениях, то правила при благочестивых занятиях. When there is a measure for everything and they follow not the inclination of the heart, but the established rule, they will not deal with one thing more and another less, but how much and how is legalized. That is why there will be no success in one part more than in another, but everything, proportionate to one another, will be harmonious according to one drawing, to the extent of the destined perfection. And in general, what happens without rules and a plan or drawing? They are building a house, drawing up a drawing; they start a war, write a plan; They dress up the court and give them a program. Every business has its own rule, measure, weight, number. What do the regulations mean - military, educational, judicial and others? Rule, order, blueprint for action. Without this, no kind of active life can take place or be organized: they are imprinted with the characteristic features of a certain circle of activity. The same is true in the ascetic life of a Christian. If it has its own character, then it must also have its own rank. That is why there is always a special need for them. Anyone who is committed to business now requires instruction on how and what to do. Without rules, he gropes, as if in darkness, with indecision, with fear. He walks with them cheerfully, without hesitation, trusting. Because what do those seeking salvation do? They always ask: what should I do, what and how to do? All stories about fatherly traditions consist of them. Entire patericons are composed of such questions and answers - sometimes about fasting, sometimes about vigil, sometimes about prayer. It is necessary, however, to draw up the rules themselves according to the rules. Regarding this, it should be noted: 1) Whoever has a leader, draws down the rules himself. The student is a humble, unreflective performer. Whoever is deprived of this blessing should delve into the writings of his fathers and the experiences of their lives with all caution; and what is found there, in consultation with someone, can be adopted into the rules of doing. 2) When determining them, one must use great prudence and strict reasoning, so that instead of benefit one does not cause harm, instead of creation there is ruin: not everything is for everyone. Age, strength, past life, upbringing, life circumstances, level of ability, character, etc. - all this should be taken into account and rules should be set accordingly. A scientist and a warrior, a trader and a servant cannot act alone. 3) Должно, впрочем, помнить, что эти правила, при всем разнообразии внешнем, всею своею совокупностью должны выразить дух жизни и подвижничества в том или другом роде. Например, правила телесного делания – разны: но в существе их должно быть одно – нежелание плоти, ее стеснение. It is not the external that is valuable, but the internal – the spirit with which everything is done. 4) Закон, которого должно держаться в применении правил, есть мерность, всесторонняя соразмерность с силами лица. This is the common praise from all of them: there is no price for moderate work. Надобно учредить так, чтобы в них не было места ни послаблению, ни излишней строгости. The latter exhausts without use and exhausts; but the first one makes one lazy and extinguishes the jealous spirit. The moderate rule contains the spirit in appropriate combustion. 5) Another law naturally follows from this law: namely, gradualism. The spirit matures through exercise, becomes stronger and requires the most difficult tasks: in proportion to this, the measure of the rules must increase. Fasting, prayer, and labor gradually rise from strength to strength. It must gradually elevate the rules in them. Standing on one thing is almost the same as retreating back; this is the most extreme danger. 6) Therefore, it is obvious that the best leader in creating rules is experience. Try it, and whatever you find useful, stick with it. This is how one learns by experience the measure of food, prayer, and so on. And it should not be decided definitively until experience establishes what is best for something: it is safer. There will be no theoretical arrogance and inconsistency with real life, and therefore no need to deviate from the rules - which is very harmful. 7) You just need to apply sincerity and conscientiousness to this, keeping in mind the goal - labor for salvation and pleasing God, without any indulgence to self-pity. It must be firmly in mind that everything that is advantageous is delightful. A true assessment of the rule of the useful is some of its difficulty. It sobers, strengthens and keeps you in good spirits; and as soon as preferential treatment appears, run from such a rule as from an ulcer. 8) It should also not be overlooked that the rules must embrace the whole of life, in all its volume, in all manifestations: body, soul, spirit, external activity, internal family activity, civil activity, personal and social activity. The whole person must be surrounded by rules. Only under this condition will there be the required evenness of development and the appropriate spirit of the rules, or tone. 9) Now it goes without saying in what mutual subordination all the rules should stand. Namely: the bodily must be subordinated to the spiritual, the spiritual to the spiritual, the external to all this. These rules should be level and mutually beneficial. If a rule of one department interferes with another, one must immediately suspect that it is not in its proper form, that is, it must either be canceled or changed. And indeed, whoever rises to the contemplation of the entire system can rarely make mistakes in choosing a rule and determining the measure for it. Just as for a skilled architect or painter, the measure of one part often serves as an indication for constructing the entire plan of a house or a human figure, so it is in these rules. He who builds does not allow anything to deviate from the general plan and style. This is the whole art of the rule-maker. The goal of everything is the spirit, which must be in God. 10) The totality of all these kinds of rules will constitute the rules of asceticism. Since asceticism corresponds to the types of real Christian life, and Christian life comes in two forms - social and monastic, then there must be a special general rule and a special monastic one - and here again - one cenobitic, and the other hermitic. 11) Action according to these rules is asceticism, which involves exertion of strength and labor; the skill in them is an ascetic virtue. From this it is clear that there is no Christian life that is not ascetic, not toiling, not sweating. He who refuses heroic deeds retreats from life. Это навыкновение – цель, в нем ограда, обезопасение жизни. Ascetic virtues are a solid, indestructible wall of a truly Christian life. They say: “the rule is for a while.” No, labor is in the rules for a while, but the rules never cease. Only over time will they turn into juice and blood and will be fulfilled willingly, kindly, which at first happens with coercion. This is why we must value ascetic virtues! Никогда не кидай в небрежении стяжанного. Хоть малое что береги: оно приведет к большему. Укрепился в чем-либо, – вот уж и безопасен с одной стороны. In order for the rules drawn in the manner shown to lead to the desired good and be able to withstand their purpose, for this purpose one must behave in relation to them in the following way: 1) When the entire plan of action is outlined and the entire set of rules is determined, turn to God with a strong cry, may He give a blessing for their constant, useful, and pleasing fulfillment. Reject all arrogance, conceit, and dreamy advance appropriation of the perfection that will come through them. Approach with timidity, fear, apprehension - you would not be disgraced by retreat and violation. 2) Make a covenant with your heart - not to deviate from the established rule, despite any labors and sacrifices. Therefore, after that, do not allow even the thought of leaving this or changing that: let it stand as it is. 3) For this purpose, accept them with faith that they are pleasing to God, and therefore, as the law of conscience, as the will of God, specifically required of you, and, thus, consider violation of the rules a crime. It is better not to determine than to retreat after having determined. Through this, an unstable character is formed, always ready to do this and that. 4) Therefore, fight temptations that are against the rules. The first time the enemy especially fights through them. And since there is little to be done in one thing, he hopes that he will be able to do something else. The holy fathers laid down their lives for them. Resistance in them is a reflection of the enemy, victory. And it has already been proven by experience that no rule can be established without a struggle, as long as it is truly useful. A rule without struggle is useless, flattering, false. 3. The path is hard and sad Having imposed rules on himself, the ascetic places upon himself a good and saving, but difficult, yoke. These are bonds on his self, very tangible while it is still alive and strong; these are indicators of right activity, difficult at first, due to inexperience and unfamiliarity. Walking on them, he is constantly tired and performs them with illness. Because of this, the path he begins to follow is always and everywhere narrow and regrettable. Tightness, need, and sorrow constitute an inevitable part of the path of the saved; this is the first thing that anyone who enters it encounters, what he should expect, what he should prepare for. This kind of tightness and difficulty is inevitable by the very nature of Christian life and asceticism in it. We must live in the cutting off of our will and reason, in the struggle and destruction of passions, or in constant self-mortification and self-crucifixion. Fighting passion is the same as tearing living flesh from living flesh, taking out the deepest and jagged splinter. You have to keep everything you want for yourself, apparently deprive yourself of a lot, become exhausted, and get sick. On the other hand, becoming accustomed to a good life or a new life requires constant tension, internal and external. Not a single true good is given for nothing, but is acquired through sweat, tears, and toil. Ascetic virtues: fasting, vigil, prayer and other works are painful before skill, and very often after. But we are not yet ordered to dwell on them: they are the means to moral dispositions. There is even more labor in planting these latter; but they are also means to life in God. Life in God requires labor and achievement just as much as this divine treasure is more sublime than bodily work. Thus, both here and here - work, sweat, illness. After all, we tear away evil, and beloved evil, it hurts; we plant goodness, unloved goodness - it hurts again. “Turn to God,” says St. Macarius the Great, “in order to perceive the former glory. But know that through much labor and the sweat of your brow you will receive this wealth. Before (in paradise) he received without difficulty, but without difficulty he lost; Now it’s not given that way. Anyone who wants to be saved, let him strive as hard as he can to purify himself. Then, for the sake of the violence that we commit to ourselves, the Lord will have mercy” (verses 4, 10). “You need to do violence to yourself and force yourself to do every good thing, although your heart doesn’t want it” (p. 1, 13, 14). “Great feat and secretive and invisible labor are required to explore thoughts, to train weak spiritual feelings, to distinguish between good and evil, to strengthen and awaken weakened spiritual members to God. We must constantly have this same secret feat and labor inside our hearts during every fulfillment of the commandments, until we come to perfection, where everything will be easy” (cl. 2, 13, 14). Internal achievement and labor are always accompanied by external sorrows. “You are not of the world,” says the Lord, “I have chosen and separated you from it; For this reason the world hates you” (John 15:19). “You will be in a world of sorrow” (John 16:33). And exactly: “many sorrows for the righteous” (Ps. 33:20). Whoever you are, strong or powerless, just begin to act according to God, now there is anger, sorrow and need, when you act according to a clear conscience, without pleasing people, keeping in mind only the glory of God. That is why all the saints, especially Isaac the Syrian, set sorrows as distinctive signs of both the truly virtuous and the true virtue. Even so: if you do true good, expect sorrow. And here the enemy is not asleep. He warms and complicates our inner life, and makes our outer one difficult and surrounded with obstacles. And besides, you yourself, sometimes with ghosts, sometimes with apparitions, sometimes especially with some terrifying inspirations and attacks within, like the wind blowing through you, or like a fiery arrow burning through you, say the saints. Thus, as soon as someone steps on the right path, there is enmity against him from all sides, both from within and from without, both visible and invisible. He is a lamb among wolves. So he is told at the beginning: “many tribulations are for the righteous” (Ps. 33:20), “through many tribulations it is fitting... to enter into the Kingdom” (Acts 14:22), “there will be tribulation, for this we lie down” (1 Thess. 3:3), “enter through the narrow gate” (Matthew 7:13), (Matthew 6:24 ; Ин. 15, 20 ; 1Пет. 4, 12–13 , Сир. 2, 1 ; Мф. 5, 10 ; Иак. 1, 12 ; 2Кор. 4, 8, 17 ; 1Пет. 4, 1 ; Апок. 7, 14 ; Мф. 7, 13–14 и др.). Все мы во тьме и сени mortal, in the hands of enemies, evil and cunning; the outcome cannot be easy. And those who seek external freedom endure a lot of labor and sweat; so much hesitation and defeat, fear and fear! Perhaps someone will ask: what about the Lord? And the fact that He deliberately arranges such a sorrowful path, either in order to associate us with His sorrows, or in order to hide us from ourselves in this joyless state. “He cannot show His love to those who seek Him,” says Saint Isaac the Syrian, “except by exposing them to sorrow.” That is why this is even an undoubted sign of God’s favor, a sign that He turned His eye, chose the one who begins to suffer for the sake of righteousness, for the sake of His name. Such a person enters, as it were, into cleaning, like gold into a crucible. The suffering of others, those for whom everything is preferential, are “adulterers”, according to the Apostle (Heb. 12:8). Labor, tears, sorrows are the best cleaning, like a beating for linen. That is why, from the beginning of the world until now, the Apostle reviews the righteous, and sees every one of them suffering, sickly, and weary. Patriarchs suffer; Prophets suffer; The Lord is a hero of heroism above all others; The apostles too; further – martyrs, ascetics and all the saints, as John the Theologian sees in Revelation. “Where did you come from? ...from great sorrow” (Rev. 7:13–14); They are the ones, as they say, who did not spare their souls. That is why he who begins to work for the Lord must prepare his soul for temptation. Expect not peace, not sweets, not benefits, but toil, bitterness, deprivation, and not only wait, but seek. One must know firmly that whoever creates virtues, but without labor, stands in exploits, but gracefully, without painful compulsions, is on a charming path. Something is wrong here. It is impossible to stand peacefully between people in truth. The worldly spirit is a carnivorous kite - it immediately attacks. That's why you have to be ready for anything... The Holy Fathers define this readiness very simply and in few words. Namely: go as if to death, and place such a covenant in your heart that you are the promise of death, which is constantly being prepared for you, without knowing how or from where. Only he, they say, will stand unshakable who follows the path of true Christian life with such dispositions. For as soon as he dies with the feeling and covenant of his heart, whatever he encounters will be weaker than what he expects, that is, weaker than death. To this they apply the Savior’s parable about the king calculating his army at the onset of war (Luke 14:31–33), and about the owner beginning to build a house (Matthew 7:24–27, Luke 6:47–49). Count on, they say, the sorrows that await you, and die in thought and feeling, because only death will amount to a sufficient amount, such as must be expected on the path of Christ. “He cannot be My disciple...,” says the Lord, “who... does not hate... his own soul” (Luke 14:26). To be ready as if to die is mostly fully clarified and often repeated by Saint Isaac the Syrian. “Whatever comes your way,” he says, “say you’re dead and you’ll feel better; peace and tranquility are the things most hated by God.” This is needed not only by those who have renounced the world; Those living in the world need such a disposition even more. All this brings down the true zealots of piety; false - easy. To such a covenant with your heart you must also add firm and undoubted trust in God Almighty, you must hold the faith that, despite all the darkness of the path, you are God’s, not rejected, not despised, but cherished by Him; that He is with you, holding you at the same time as they are tormenting you from all sides. Imagine yourself being held by the hand of God, like a dirty piece of cloth that is being crushed to cleanse. Keep the faith that whatever the temptation, internal or external, you can do it, because the Lord will not allow you to be tempted more than you can. He leads and educates wisely. Remember also that His help is near, that it is immediately ready as soon as you call, and that only with such help can you overcome and not fall; and therefore attribute every victory to Him. What is transferred without an appeal to God, and not referred to Him after the transfer, is displeasing to Him and fruitless, for it always leaves arrogance and memory of oneself. However, one should not be plunged into sorrow: courageous arrogance is repugnant to God, and is always punished. Stand ready for anything, even death, but expect this in firm trust in God and surrender to Him. Where and how it leads, let it lead as it pleases. Do not cross, do not desire this and that, neither benefits nor sorrows. Let him lead; walk with an open face, expecting everything sorrowful, in hope and surrender to God. Without such a disposition, you cannot take a step on the true path. All those who return back return precisely from failure to prepare themselves for heroism and struggle, or from arrogance. Your heat may help, but not for long. It cools down naturally, and the person is left with nothing to do with it. From this it is clear that he who enters the path of Christian life, still weak, sick, unsettled, must already possess great strength and strength; otherwise he will fall under the weight of sorrows and deeds prepared for him. The force that makes him bearable and all his labors fruitful is jealousy, zeal, diligence, concern for pleasing God and the salvation of the soul. Just as one who seeks the right treasure does not look at difficulties, is not delayed, and is not frightened by obstacles, so a Christian, when he has zeal and searching, will overcome everything and walk all paths comfortably. Seeking brings everything; The Lord gave him a special promise: “seek and you will find” (Matthew 7:7). Quest is the vital spirit, with the extinguishing of which life freezes. This is the fire brought by the Savior to earth; it is His light and belly. The steamboat stops when the steam is released: and the one flowing after Christ falls, or rolls back when it cools down. This is what you should stock up on when entering into doing the commandments and purifying the passions! Without this, it is impossible to begin this work in the true spirit; and even if someone starts, he will work without fruit, sluggishly, gradually. This is idleness. There are many people who go through labors and labors, but without fruit: the fruit comes from the spirit, but the spirit of God is in zeal. He goes into passionate and unclean nature, through feats akin to him and us, or rules of life, and there he establishes healing, heals and performs. Consequently, asceticism, doing, is a conductor of grace; and the path, or the thread that leads, is the spirit of jealousy. That is why all the fathers especially insist that this spirit not be extinguished. Saint Isaac the Syrian calls him a barking dog and commands him to constantly irritate him. Saint Cassian considers the one who has lost this spirit to be the one to whom the Lord said: “Imam vomit you” (Rev. 3:16) because he is neither warm nor cold, sluggish, does and does not do, or does this and does not do that. Macarius the Great says: seek and understand; this is the beginning; Enter through this door. You just seek, and the Lord will not forget His... He who has diligence already communicates with God. Saint Barsanuphius almost constantly repeats the advice to kindle within oneself the fire brought by the Lord. And with Climacus, jealousy, that is, the fire that consumes pride, has a good, reliable and safe foundation. That is why he commands us to hasten to restore it when it happens to be destroyed in some way. Others think that it is better to replace jealousy with firmness of will or will, fearing rashness from jealousy: but firmness of will is dangerous; it is close to calculating reason, cold indifference and selfish action. In the world she goes; in the Christian life it is dangerous. Jealousy is also dangerous if left alone; but whoever protected her with obedience or renunciation of his will and reason and bound her with rules has nothing to fear - just be jealous. Jealousy, however, presupposes speed of action, but not rashness and thoughtlessness. It means: go, don’t hesitate, don’t stand still, drive with zeal, but drive along the indicated and definite path, under supervision. The whole structure of this zeal can be expressed like this: “seek in hope, without determination, and without ceasing.” This is the thought of Saint Macarius the Great, which he repeats almost incessantly. It is obvious that the lack of something included here either spoils jealousy or weakens it (for example, lines 4–18, 27, 28). There is a lot of work ahead, a lot of dangers: go, there will be fruit. The farmer works in sweat and eats bread: it is the same with you. You will soon pass the sorrows, enter into peace and enjoy both here internally and there. You are a warrior; look at the crown and do not be afraid of death. Soon there will be signs of purity, the beginning of fertilizing the heart. The more decisively, the sooner, the better and the more saving. Drive, do, work, but do not determine the fruit. Fruit is a gift from God for the sake of labor; and to give a gift is in the will of the Giver. Therefore, whatever you do, do not say: “I have achieved” or “I will achieve,” but “if I achieve.” The shipbuilder swims three quarters of the way, but still hasn’t swam, and cannot say whether he will make it. So do you: never consider yourself an achiever, but only a seeker. Do not believe in the diminishment of passions, do not rely on the strength of your virtues. Everything can die at once. Не назад смотри, а вперед. Everything you have has been given by the Lord; It is in His power to take it back. Therefore, nothing should be considered true, but only cry: “Lord, save me! In the image of fate, save me!” Therefore, never say to yourself: “Well, now I’ve had enough, I’ve worked hard, I can rest.” Such concessions and easing are the first enemy. The thought seems to be small and weak, but it is the most insidious traitor; he opens the gates to enemies. Whoever stands against him will fall. It was noticed by the Holy Fathers, and it is constantly instilled in every beginner: look, don’t say: “enough is enough, you can relax,” but say: “Why are you here?” or: “Why aren’t you doing anything?” Или, обращаясь к Богу, молись, чтобы Он помог тебе положить начало спасения, – и непрестанно начинай. Begin continually, and exert yourself; но о льготах и думать не думай, а так и сложи в сердце своем, что тяготу и труд тебе несть по самую смерть, что впереди не облегчение, а все преутруждение. Вот истинное строение духа ревнующего, безопасное, прочное, не дающее ни ослабы, ни необузданной горячности, ни самонадеянности, ни самомнения! You might be interested in: