Слово 43. О разных предметах и о том, какая нужда в каждом из них

The spiritual feeling is of such a quality that it absorbs contemplative power, like the apple of the body’s eyes, which have sensual light within it. Mental contemplation is natural vision connected with the natural state; and it is called natural light. Holy power is the gift of the sun to prudence, placed between light and the contemplation of nature, which is something in between, contemplated by the prudent in the light. Passions are like a solid essence; they occupy the middle between light and contemplation and prevent one from distinguishing the diversity of things during contemplation. Purity is the lightness of the mental air, the depths of which inspire our inner nature. If the mind is unhealthy in its nature, then knowledge in it is ineffective; just like the bodily sense, when damaged for some reason, loses sight. If the mind is healthy, but there is no knowledge in it, then without it the mind does not discern spiritual things, just as an eye, healthy in its entirety, is often weak in relation to sensory vision. And if in all this what is characteristic of what is preserved, but grace is not close, then in the matter of discernment all this will remain ineffective, as in the hours of the night, since there is no sun then, the eyes are unable to discern objects. And when everything (i.e., both the eye and vision) is healthy and perfect in itself, and acts well, and sees those things that were not distinguished or do not differ, then what was said is fulfilled: “in Your light we will see light” (Ps. 35:10). If the grace of the mental Sun is close, excites desire, encourages and makes one awake, but there is no purity in the mind, then it is like empty air, which is opaque 251 from the density of clouds and dark substances, conveniently ascending to the sunlight, which delights us with the sweetness of its vision. Since vision is weak in discernment, nature is weak in activity. The soul is prevented from feeling the sweetness of the second Sun shining over everything by the physical body superimposed on it, which covers the insights of truth, so that they do not reach us. So, with compulsion we seek out all this that we have said, both because it is difficult to find all this in one person as a whole, without deficiency and reproach, and because many cannot achieve perfection in any spiritual knowledge. This deficiency occurs for the following reasons: due to the insufficiency of the mind, due to the disorder of the will, due to a position that does not correspond to the goal, due to the impoverishment of purity, due to the lack of a teacher and leader, due to the withholding of grace (it is said: “It is not worthwhile for a stingy man to eat wealth” and the possession of great things. - Sir. 14:3), due to obstacles from circumstances, from place and morals. Truth is the sensation of God, which a person tastes in himself through the sensation of the feelings of the spiritual mind. Love is the fruit of prayer; and from his contemplation he raises the mind to her insatiable lust, when the mind remains in prayer without despondency, and a person with his mind, only in silent thoughts, prays ardently and with ardor. Prayer is the mortification of thoughts of lust of carnal life. For he who prays diligently is to the world what he who dies; and to remain patiently in prayer means for a person to deny himself. Therefore, in the selflessness of the soul, the love of God is found. Just as from the seed of the sweat of fasting the ear of chastity grows, so from satiety - debauchery, and from satiety - uncleanness. With a hungry and humble belly, shameful thoughts cannot penetrate into the soul. Every food we consume adds moisture and becomes a natural strength within us. And when the instrumental members, due to the tension of the whole body that has taken place in them, become full, and at the same time you happen to see something bodily, or something is involuntarily aroused in the heart along with a thought, then from the thought something pleasant suddenly begins to move and spreads throughout the whole body. Although the mind of a chaste and immaculate person is strong in its thoughts, yet by this sensation that occurs in the members, his mind is immediately indignant, and, as if from some high place, he descends from the place on which he stands; and the holiness of his thoughts wavers, and his bright chastity is desecrated by the rebellion of passions that entered the heart when the members were inflamed. Then half of his strength is exhausted, which is why it can be said that he forgets the first goal of his hope, and, before he enters into the struggle, without struggle he finds himself a captive, without the effort of his enemies he becomes subject to the lust of the weak flesh. The will of a good person is forced to do all this by a strong desire for constant satiation. Even though he remained firmly in the haven of chastity, satiety inclines him to indulge in what he would never want to allow into his heart. And as soon as one thought falls asleep, it is surrounded by a gathering of thoughts containing empty and shameful dreams, and this pure bed makes it a den of fornication and a disgrace of visions. When, in the rapture of his thoughts, he joins in conversation with them, he will defile his venerable members even without the approach of his wife. What sea is agitated and boils so much from a storm, as the mind is troubled, subjected to the force of the waves, from the satiation of the belly stirred up on it by the sea of ​​its flesh? How your beauty and chastity are illuminated by reclining on the bare ground, by the labor of hunger, which robs you of sleep, due to the suffering of the flesh, which, when abstaining from food, between the ribs and the belly becomes like a deep ditch! Every food we take in, and every resting place, forms in us shameful likenesses and ugly ghosts; and they are born, come out, become visible in the hidden region of our mind and irritate us to secret communication with shameful deeds. But the emptiness of our belly and our thoughts makes us a deserted country, not disturbed by thoughts and silent from all rebellious thoughts. The belly, filled with satiety, is the region of ghosts; and satiety makes him the four gates for absurd dreams, although we will be alone in the desert. For they say that satiety desires many things. When you are honored with Divine grace and spiritual dispassion, then understand that it is not due to the non-appearance of ugly thoughts in you or the non-excitation of carnal thoughts (it is impossible for anyone to live without them), nor due to thoughts that are conveniently overcome by you (because, of course, the thought is not defiled or disturbed by them, no matter how extremely lofty it may be), but due to thoughts of better mental activity, the mind is not left in the need to carry on with them abuse and destroy them; but, as soon as a thought penetrates, the mind rapaciously admires the approach to them by some force, outside the will, which, by skill and grace, holds the leaven inside the heart, which is the abode of the mind. Another is the mind of an ascetic; and the other is the rank of the priesthood. The mind, which by heavenly grace has died to the world, has simple thoughts about only a few objects, without struggle or achievement. Perfection, associated with flesh and blood, reigns supreme over the thoughts arising from flesh and blood, but does not bring them and other thoughts inherent in nature to complete inaction. While a person’s life-giving thought still beats with elemental life, the foundation of his mind on every movement and inclination borrows change from the four moistures. To our God be glory forever and ever! Amen. In the ancient Serbian translation it reads: “who is not illuminated,” although the Greek text says without negation. You might be interested in: