Исцеление души.

It comes not from knowing the truths of God, but from doing them. Theoretical knowledge without doing God's commandments does not bring any benefit. You know, beloved, that if the passionate part of the soul is not healed, is not renewed, is not sanctified in secret, is not bound by the life of the Spirit, then the soul will not acquire health and will not be freed from what it encounters in creation that saddens it. And this healing can be accomplished by grace, as it was with the blessed Apostles; because by faith they were perfected in the love of Christ. And sometimes it happens that the soul acquires health legally. For whoever, by doing the commandments and the difficult deeds of true life, has overcome passions, let him know that he has legally acquired mental health, and has been milked (of the commandments) from the flesh of this world, and has been cut off from him by the custom of his former impressions (sinful), and has been reborn, as originally, in the spiritual, and by grace has been seen in the realm of the Spirit, in the thoughts of the inner man, and has accepted it into a new, uncomplicated world. When the mind is renewed and the heart is sanctified, then all thoughts arising in it (in the heart) are aroused in accordance with the nature of the world into which it enters. First, the desire for the Divine is awakened in him, and he longs for communication with angels and the revelation of the secrets of spiritual (given by the Spirit) knowledge; and his mind senses the spiritual knowledge of creatures, and the contemplation of the mysteries of the Holy Trinity, as well as the mysteries of the economy venerated for our sake, shines in him, and then completely enters into unity with the knowledge of the hope of the future. So, from what I have written to you, understand your condition. If the soul, when confined in the region of passions, could truly love God, it would not have much need to ask and inquire about the mysteries of the spiritual world. But it is clear that learning and knowledge (knowledge of the mysteries of the spiritual world) in the presence of passions does not bring any benefit, and is not sufficient to open the door closed in the face of purity. If passions are taken away from the soul, then the mind is enlightened and settled in the pure place of nature, and has no need for questions, because it clearly sees the benefits found in its place. For just as your external senses, not as a result of learning and questions, sense the natures and things in contact with them, but each sense naturally, and not with the help of questions, senses the thing it encounters (because there is no teaching mediating between the sensed and the sensed (between feelings and objects): no matter how much you talk to the blind about the glory of the sun and the moon, about the host of stars, about the brilliance of precious stones - he accepts, and judges, and imagines the beauty that they have, only according to name, knowledge and reasoning are far from the sweetness delivered by the vision itself: so, in a similar way, imagine spiritual contemplation. For the mind, peering into the hidden secrets of the Spirit, if it is in its natural health, fully contemplates the glory of Christ, and does not question and does not study, but enjoys the mysteries of the new world, above its free will, in proportion to the ardor of faith and hope in Christ, as blessed Paul wrote: “even... we see that we also hope... We wait patiently” (Rom. 8:24, 25). (Word 55, pp. 259–261). Cross. The way of God is the daily cross. The way of God is a daily cross. No one ascended to heaven living a cool life (with indulgence). As for the cool path, we know where it ends. God is not pleased that those who have devoted themselves to Him with all their hearts should be careless. His concern should be about the truth. And from this it is known that he is under God’s Providence, when God constantly sends him sorrows. Providence never allows those living in temptation to fall into the hands of demons, especially if they kiss the feet of the brethren, cover up and conceal their guilt, as if they were their own. Whoever wants to have no worries in this world (to live without striving for the truth) and desires this, but also wants to practice virtue, is not on its path. For the righteous not only strive in good deeds of their own free will, but also involuntarily endure strong struggles with temptations, as a test of their patience. A soul that has the fear of God in itself is not afraid of anything that harms it physically, because it trusts in God from now on and forever and ever. AMEN. (Word 35, pp. 151–153). The Great Anthony, standing one day in prayer, saw someone’s soul being lifted up with great honor, and blessed the one worthy of such glory; the blessed one was Ammun from Nitria, and the mountain on which Saint Anthony lived was thirteen days' journey from Nitria. Love for God is naturally ardent, and when it attacks someone (burns up in someone) beyond measure, it makes that soul enthusiastic. Therefore, the heart of one who has felt this love cannot contain and bear it, but, according to the quality of the love that has found it, an extraordinary change is seen in it. And here are the tangible signs of this love: a person’s face becomes rosy and joyful, and his body warms up. Fear and shame recede from him, and he becomes, as it were, ecstatic. The power that gathers the mind together flees from him, and he appears as if amazed. He considers terrible death to be a joy; the contemplation of his mind does not allow any suppression (cessation) in thinking about heavenly things. And in absence, not visible to anyone, he talks as if he were present. His knowledge and vision naturally pass away, and he does not sense in a sensual way the movement excited in him by objects; because, although he does something, he does not feel it at all, since his mind floats in contemplation, and his thought always seems to be talking with someone else. Love for neighbors is a sign of spiritual perfection. The sign of those who have achieved perfection is this: if they are handed over to be burned ten times a day for their love for people, they are not satisfied with this, as Moses said to God: “If Thou hast forgiven them their sin, forgive it: and if not, blot me out of Thy book, Thou hast written it in the book” (Ex. 32:32); and as blessed Paul says: “I prayed that I might be excommunicated from Christ according to my brethren,” and so on (Rom. 9:3); and again: “Today I rejoice in sorrow for you Gentiles” (Colossians 1:24). And the other Apostles, for their love for human life, accepted death in all its forms. The end of all this together is God and the Lord. Out of love for creation, He gave His Son up to death on the cross. “For God so loved the world, as He gave His only begotten Son to eat” for it to die (John 3:16), not because He could not redeem us in any other way, but He taught us thereby His abounding love; and by the death of His Only Begotten Son He brought us closer to Himself. And if He had something more precious, He would have given it to us in order to thereby acquire our race for Himself. And, out of His great love, He did not deign to restrict our freedom, although He was strong to do this, but He deigned that through the love of our own hearts we would draw closer to Him. And Christ Himself, out of His love for us, was obedient to His Father in joyfully accepting reproach and sorrow upon Himself, as Scripture says: “For the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross, being careless about the shame” (Heb. 12:2). That is why the Lord, on the night on which he was betrayed, said: “This is My body, which is given for the world” to life (Luke 22:19); and: “This is My blood... which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28); and also says: “For them I sanctify Myself” (John 17:19). This is how all the saints achieve this perfection when they become perfect and become like God through the outpouring of their love and love for mankind to everyone. And the saints strive for this sign - to become like God by perfection in love for their neighbor. This is what our fathers and monks did, when for the sake of this perfection they always accepted into themselves the likeness filled with the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. No one can ascend to the level of this love unless he secretly feels his hope (future life). And those who love this world cannot acquire love for people. When someone acquires love, he puts on God Himself. And the one who has acquired God must not only not agree to acquire anything else with Him, but also put off his body. But if anyone puts on love for the world in this world and in this life, he will not put on God until he leaves this. For God Himself testified to this, saying: “Unless someone... leaves everything and hates... his life, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). One must not only leave it, but also hate it. And if someone cannot be a disciple of the Lord, then how will the Lord dwell in him? (Word 48, pp. 207–209). To the extent that love for the flesh prevails in you, to such an extent you cannot be bold and fearless in the face of the many confrontations surrounding what you love (Ascetic Instructions). Every thing is beautiful in measure. Without measure, even what is considered beautiful turns into harm. Mercy and silence of a monk. QUESTION. Why did our Lord, in order to make us like the greatness of the Heavenly Father, ordain mercy for us, but monks prefer silence to mercy? ANSWER: Here is the answer. It is good that from the Gospel you presented an example and a sample of research about this great life - silence. We stand against mercy (that is, monks, preferring silence to mercy, become, as it were, opponents of the latter), but we do not try to turn it into nothing, as something unnecessary. The Lord, in order to make us like the Heavenly Father, appointed us mercy, because it brings those who do it closer to God. And we, monks, do not honor silence without mercy, but try, as much as possible, to remove ourselves from care and rebellion. It is not that we want to resist necessity when it occurs (that is, we do not refuse to show mercy in case of real need), but we take care of silence in order to remain in the mind of God, by which we can most of all restore purity to ourselves after confusion and draw closer to God. If, when for a certain time there is a necessary need for us, the brethren should not neglect it. Therefore, let us constantly force ourselves to be inwardly merciful to every rational nature at all times. For this is how the teaching of the Lord instills in us, and this is the difference between our silence, and not (it happens) as it should. And we must not only preserve this inner mercy of ours, but when the very circumstances of affairs and need call upon us, we must not neglect to prove our love (for our neighbor) openly, and especially if those who are silent have not determined themselves to be completely silent - not even to meet with anyone, but follow the rule of those who assign silence for themselves for one or seven weeks. For such people, even during the time prescribed by the rule, do not restrain themselves from acts of mercy towards their neighbors, unless they are extremely cruel, harsh and inhuman and maintain silence hypocritically and for show. For we know that without love for one’s neighbor the mind cannot be enlightened by Divine conversation and love. And what wise monk today, having food and clothing and seeing his neighbor hungry and naked, will not give him what he has, but will save some of it? Or again: who, seeing that a person of one flesh with him is languishing in illness, is in poverty from exhaustion and has a need for charity, out of love for silence, would prefer the rule of seclusion to love for his neighbor? When there is nothing like this (if there are no such cases), let us keep in our minds love and mercy for the brethren. For only in the case when things are close (when similar cases are near us). God requires us to fulfill and show love in reality. Therefore, it is clear that if we have nothing for ourselves, we are not allowed to plunge ourselves into care and rebellion for the sake of the poor; and if we have anything, it is required of us. Also, if, according to the type of life we ​​have adopted, we move away from cohabitation with people and from seeing them, then we should not leave our cell and place of monastic and hermitic stay and devote ourselves to wandering around the world, visiting the sick and spending time in such matters. For it is clear that in such cases there is a transition from higher to lower. If someone lives in the company of many and is close to people in the place where he is with them, and through the labors of others finds peace in times of health or illness, then he himself is obliged to do the same, and not to put on a false appearance of his silence, so that he himself fully demands peace from others, but as soon as he sees in cramped circumstances the son of his flesh, bearing the same image as himself, or better yet, sees the defeated and suffering Christ, he must move away and hide from him. Everyone like that is merciless. (Word 55, pp. 247–249). Mercy and justice in one soul are the same as a person who worships God and idols in the same house. Mercy is the opposite of justice. Justice is an equalization of the exact measure: because it gives everyone what they deserve, and when rewarding, it does not allow inclination to one side or partiality. But mercy is sadness aroused by grace, and compassionately bows down to everyone: whoever is worthy of evil is not repaid (with evil), and whoever is worthy of good is filled with it (in abundance). And if in one there is a part of justice, then in the other there is a part of malice 5. Just as hay and fire cannot stand to be in the same house, so justice and mercy cannot be in the same soul. Just as a grain of sand cannot maintain balance with a large weight of gold, so the demands of God’s justice do not maintain balance in comparison with God’s mercy. Like a handful of sand thrown into the great sea, the same is the fall of all flesh in comparison with Providence and God's mercy. And just as a source of abundant water is not blocked by a handful of dust, so the mercy of the Creator is not overcome by the vices of creatures. (Word 89, pp. 419–420). Gracious. Who can be called merciful. One of the saints said about this: “The merciful is blind if he is not just; I understand that I must give to another from what I have obtained through my own efforts and labors, and not from what I have obtained through lies, untruths, and tricks.” And he also said in another place: “If you want to sow among the poor, then sow from your own. And if you intend to sow from someone else’s, then know: these are the most bitter tares.” And I add that if the merciful is not above his justice (in the Syriac text: “And I say that the merciful even then is not truly merciful if he has not yet risen above simple justice”), then he is not merciful, i.e. the merciful not only gives people alms from his own, but also joyfully endures injustice from others and shows mercy to them. And when justice triumphs through alms, then he is crowned not with the lawful crowns of the righteous, but with the gospel crowns of the perfect. For to give to the poor from your property, to clothe the naked, to love your neighbor as yourself, not to offend, not to lie - this was also proclaimed by the old law; the perfection of the gospel economy commands this: “Thou shalt not take thy money from him that taketh it, and give to everyone who asks” (Luke 6:30). And one must joyfully endure not only the unrighteous taking of some thing and other external things, but also lay down one’s very soul for one’s brother. This one is merciful, and not the one who only shows mercy to his brother with alms! But he is also merciful who hears or sees something that saddens his brother and has compassion in his heart, and likewise he who, having been strangled by his brother, does not have such shamelessness as to respond and sadden his heart. (Word 56, pp. 278–279). Alms. Should monks give alms? Once a certain brother was reproached for not giving alms; and he boldly and proudly answered the one who reproached him: “Monks are not required to give alms.” But the one who reproached him objected: “The monk who is not required to give alms is visible and visible. For it is not given to him who, with an open face, can say to Christ, as it is written: “Behold, we have forsaken all things, and followed Thee into death” (Matthew 19:27), i.e. who has nothing on earth, does not deal with bodily things, does not think about anything visible, does not care about any acquisition, but even if someone gives him something, he takes only what he needs, and what is beyond his needs, he puts it at nothing and lives just like a bird. Such a person is not obliged to give alms. For how can he give to another what he himself is free from? But whoever is busy with the affairs of life, works with his own hands and takes from others, is all the more obligated to give alms. And if he neglects to give alms, then this lack of mercy is opposition to the Lord’s commandment. For if someone does not approach God in secret (by hidden deeds) and does not know how to serve Him in spirit, but does not care about the obvious deeds that are possible for him, then what other hope will he have of acquiring life for himself? This is meaningless." Prayer. What you need to ask the Lord in prayer so that what you ask is acceptable to God. Do not be foolish in your petitions, lest you offend God through your foolishness. Be wise in your prayers so that you may receive glory. Ask the worthy one from the Giver without envy, so that you may receive honor from Him for your wise desire. Solomon asked himself for wisdom, and since he asked the wise one from the great King, he accepted the kingdom of the earth with wisdom. Elisha asked in full measure for the grace of the Spirit that the teacher had, and his request did not remain unfulfilled. For whoever covets something unimportant from the king degrades his honor. Israel asked for little things, and the wrath of God came upon them. He abandoned to marvel at the terrible miracles of God in the works of God, and sought to satisfy the lusts of his belly. But “I am still in their mouth, and the wrath of God is upon her” (Ps. 77:30, 31). Bring your petitions to God in accordance with His glory, so that your dignity will be magnified before Him and He will rejoice over you. If someone asks the king for a little manure, he will not only dishonor himself by the unimportance of his request, as he has shown great foolishness, but he will also insult the king with his request. This is what the one who asks God for earthly blessings does in his prayers. For behold, the Angels and Archangels - these nobles of the King, during your prayer, look at you with what petition you turn to their Lord; and they are amazed and rejoice when they see that you, earthly, have left your flesh and are asking for heavenly things; and on the contrary, they are upset, looking at the one who has left heavenly things and asks for his own pus. Do not ask God for what He Himself gives us without asking according to His providence, and gives not only to His own and beloved, but also to those who are strangers to the knowledge of Him. For it is said: do not be like the pagans, saying too much in your prayers (Matthew 6:7). This is bodily, and this is what the pagans are looking for, said the Lord. You don’t worry about what you eat or what you drink, or what you put on. For your Father knows that you need this (Matthew 6:25, 32). The son no longer asks his father for bread, but seeks the greatest and highest things in his father’s house. For out of the weakness of the human mind alone, the Lord commanded to ask for bread every day. But look at what is commanded to those who are perfect in knowledge and sound in soul. They are told: do not worry about food or clothing; because if God cares about dumb animals, about birds and about inanimate creatures, then how much more will he care about us: “Seek more the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Why is the Lord sometimes slow to hear prayer? If you ask God for something and He is slow to hear you quickly, do not be sad, because you are no wiser than God. This happens to you either because you are unworthy to receive what you ask for; or because the ways of your heart are not consistent, but contrary to your petitions; or because you have not yet come sufficiently to receive the gift you ask. For we should not touch upon great measures ahead of time, so that the gift of God, from the speed of accepting it, does not become useless; because what is easily obtained is soon lost; However, acquired with heart disease, it is stored with caution. Prayer must be consistent with life. Your prayer should also be consistent with your life. For it is impossible for one who is attached to earthly things to desire heavenly things, and for one who is occupied with worldly things there is no opportunity to ask for the Divine; because the desire of each person is shown by his deeds; What he shows his zeal for, he strives for in prayer. He who desires great things is not busy with unimportant things. Participation in prayer of our body. Any prayer in which the body did not tire and the heart did not grieve is counted as one with the premature fruit of the womb, because such prayer does not have a soul in it. Just as all the power of the laws and commandments that God has given to people, according to the word of the Fathers, has its limit in purity of heart, so all kinds and types of prayer that people pray to God have their limit in pure prayer. For sighs, genuflections, heartfelt petitions, the sweetest cries, and all types of prayer, as I said, have a limit of pure prayer, and only have the opportunity to reach out to it. And from the purity of prayer to the inner, as soon as the thought has crossed this limit, it will no longer have prayer, movement, crying, power, freedom, petition, lust, or pleasure in anything hoped for in this life or in the next century. And therefore, after pure prayer, there is no other prayer. It is only to this limit that every prayerful movement and all types of prayer bring the mind to the power of freedom. That is why there is feat in prayer. And beyond this limit there will be amazement, and not prayer; because all prayer ceases, but a certain contemplation sets in, and the mind does not pray through prayer. Any prayer of any kind performed is performed through movements; but as soon as the mind enters into spiritual movements, there is no prayer there. Prayer is another thing, and contemplation in prayer is another, although prayer and contemplation borrow their origin from each other. Prayer is sowing, and contemplation is the gathering of handles, during which the reaper is amazed by the unspeakable vision of how, from the small and bare grains he sown, such beautiful fields suddenly grew before him. And he, in his own doing (in ancient and Slavic translations, instead of the words “in his doing,” reads “in his vision”) remains without any movement; because every prayer performed is a supplication that contains either petition, or thanksgiving, or praise. Few achieve pure prayer. Just as out of many thousands there is hardly one who has fulfilled the commandments and everything legal with a small deficiency and has achieved spiritual purity, so out of a thousand is there only one who, with great caution, can achieve pure prayer, break this limit and receive this sacrament; because many could not be worthy of pure prayer; Very rare people have been honored, but those who have achieved that sacrament, which is already behind this prayer, are barely, by the grace of God, found from generation to generation. What is prayer in content? What determines the purity and impurity of prayer. Prayer is supplication and care for something and a desire for something, such as: deliverance from present or future temptations or the desire for the inheritance of the Fathers; Prayer is how a person obtains help from God. Prayer movements are limited to these movements. And the purity and impurity of prayer depend on the following: as soon as the mind is preparing to make one of the movements we have mentioned, some extraneous thought or worry about something is mixed in with it, then this prayer is not called pure; because he did not offer the mind on the altar of the Lord from clean animals, i.e. on the heart is this spiritual altar of God. QUESTION. What is spiritual prayer, and how can an ascetic become worthy of it? ANSWER. Spiritual movements for strict purity and purity become partakers of the activity of the Holy Spirit. And one out of many thousands of people is granted it, because this is the secret of the future state and life. For he ascends, and the nature remains inactive, without any movement or remembrance of what is here. The soul does not pray through prayer, but through feeling it senses the spiritual things of this age, surpassing human understanding, the understanding of which is possible only by the power of the Holy Spirit. And this is mental contemplation, but not movement and not the seeking of prayer, although it borrowed its origin from prayer. For through this, some of these people have already achieved the perfection of purity. And there is no hour in which their inner movement is not in prayer, as we said above. And when the Holy Spirit comes, he always finds them in prayer; and from this prayer lifts them to contemplation, which is called spiritual vision. For they do not need the form of prolonged prayer, nor the standing and rite of prolonged service. For them it is enough to remember God, and they are immediately captivated by His love. However, they do not completely neglect standing in prayer, when they give honor to prayer, and, in addition to unceasing prayer, stand on their feet at the appointed hours. For we see Saint Anthony standing at the ninth hour of prayer and feeling the elevation of his mind. And another of the Fathers, standing in prayer with his hands raised, went into rapture for four days. And many others, during such prayer, were captivated by a strong remembrance of God and great love for Him and came into admiration. A person is worthy of it when, by keeping the commandments of the Lord, which resist sin, he is freed from sin both internally and externally. Whoever loves these commandments and uses them according to order, it will become necessary for him to free himself from many human affairs, i.e. to be stripped of the body and to be outside of it, so to speak, not by nature, but by necessity. Whoever leads life in the image of the Lawmaker and is guided by His commandments, it is impossible for sin to remain in him. Therefore, the Lord promised in the Gospel to the one who kept the commandments to create an abode with him (John 14:23). (Word 21, pp. 104–105). What is necessary to feel the effect of grace in prayer. Do you want to enjoy poetry during your service and accept the feeling of the words of the Spirit spoken by you? Put completely aside the number of verses, do not take into account the knowledge of the measure in the verses, say them like a prayer, leave the usual reading and understand what I am saying to you and what is said on the basis of experience, as if in the book of one of the men guided by God: let your mind deepen in the study of the words of the Spirit until your soul is awakened by wonder at the economy to their great understandings and through this is moved to praise or useful sorrow. And if there is anything in prayer, internalize it for yourself; and when your mind is established in this, then confusion will give way and go away. For in slavish work (in reading only what is required) there is no peace of mind, and in the freedom of children there is no rebellious confusion; Confusion usually takes away the taste from meaning and understanding, and plunders thoughts like a leech sucking life out of bodies with the blood of their members. And confusion, if possible, would be decently called the chariot of the devil, because Satan always has the custom, like a rider, to sit on the mind, take with him a bunch of passions, with them enter the unfortunate soul and plunge it into confusion. But understand this also wisely: when versifying your psalmody, do not seem to be borrowing words from another, so as not to think that you are constantly multiplying the work of teaching, and not to become completely distant from the tenderness and joy gleaned from the verses; but, as if on your own behalf, pronounce the words of your petition with tenderness and reasonable understanding, as one who truly understands his matter. (Word 30, pp. 136–137). We must also know, beloved, that every conversation carried out in secret (internally), every concern of a good mind about God, every meditation on the spiritual is established by prayer and is called the name of prayer, and under this name is brought together, whether you mean various readings, or the voice of the mouth in praise to God, or caring sorrow for the Lord, or bodily bowing, or psalmody in poetry, or everything else from which the entire teaching of pure prayer is made up, from which the love of God is born; because love comes from prayer, and prayer comes from being a hermit. And he was also asked: “What is prayer?” - and said: “Freedom and abolition of the mind from everything here, a heart that has completely turned its gaze to the lust of what is hoped for in the future. But whoever is far from this sows mixed seed in his field and is like one who yokes an ox and a donkey together” (Deut. 22:10). Because in the next century they do not bring prayers to God asking for anything. In this homeland of freedom, our nature does not accept change and deviation on pain of resistance, because everything is perfect. Therefore, I commanded (to strive in prayer) not only for the sake of prayer and preserving oneself (from obvious change), but also because of the subtlety and incomprehensibility of what always meets us and is not comprehended by the knowledge of our mind in those states in which we often find ourselves involuntarily at all times. For, although our thoughts are very firm and attached to good, His Providence has repeatedly left us at the limit of temptations and plunged us into them, as Blessed Paul said: “Because of the abundance of revelations, let me not be arrogant, since the evildoer of the flesh, the angel Satan, plays dirty tricks on me. And for this I prayed to the Lord three times, that He would depart from Me: and I said: My grace is sufficient for you: for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:7-9). (Word 47, pp. 201–202). Standing before God in prayer with humility and complete devotion to the Providence of God. When you stand before God in prayer, in your thoughts become like an ant, like a reptile on the ground, like a leech and like a babbling child. Do not say anything from knowledge before God, but draw closer to Him with your childish thoughts, and walk before Him, so that you may be worthy of that paternal Providence that fathers have for their children, babies. It is said: “The Lord protect the infants” (Ps. 114.5). The baby approaches the snake, takes it by the neck, and it does not harm him. A baby walks naked all winter, when others are clothed and covered, and the cold enters all his members, but he sits naked on a day of cold, winter cold and frost and does not get sick. For the body of its simplicity is covered with another invisible garment by this hidden Providence, which guards its tender members so that no harm comes near them. Do you now believe that there is some hidden Providence, by which a tender body, inclined by its tenderness and weak constitution to immediately accept any harm, is protected among those that resist it and is not overcome? It is said: “The Lord protect the little ones” (Ps. 114:5), and not only those little in body, but also those wise in the world who abandon their knowledge, rely on this all-sufficient Wisdom, by their will become like infants, and then learn this wisdom, which is not felt from the works of learning. And the God-wise Paul beautifully said: “Whoever thinks he is wise in this world, let him be so that he will be wise” (1 Cor. 3:18). However, ask God to give you the measure of faith. And if you feel the pleasure of it in your soul, then it is not difficult to tell me that there is nothing to turn you away from Christ. And it is not difficult for you every hour to be taken into captivity far from earthly things and to hide from this weak world and from the memories of what is in the world. Pray for this without laziness, ask for this with fervor, beg for this with great zeal until you receive it. (Word 49, pp. 214–215). Devout exercises during prayer and spiritual relaxation. Do not call the duration of prayer idle, low-flown, collected and long, because you left the psalms. But more than exercises in poetry, love bowing in prayer. Prayer, when he gives you his hand, replaces God’s service. And when during the service itself you are given the gift of tears, do not call the enjoyment of them idleness in prayer; because the grace of tears is the fullness of prayer. While your mind is distracted, read instead of praying. But, as has been said, not all writing is useful. Love silence much more than action. If possible, prefer reading to standing. For reading is the source of pure prayer. Do not indulge in negligence under any circumstances; sober up from the soaring of your mind. For psalmody is the root of life. However, know also that physical deeds are much more useful than poetry, performed with the soaring of the mind. And mental sadness (about one’s sins and shortcomings) surpasses physical labor. During times of negligence, be sober and arouse jealousy in yourself little by little; because it greatly awakens the heart and warms the thoughts of the soul. Against lust, in times of negligence, irritability helps nature, for it stops the coldness of the soul. Negligence usually comes to us for these reasons: either from the burden of the belly, or from a multitude of affairs. (Word 40, pp. 167–168). Monk. It is harmful for a monk to see and hear worldly things. That it is harmful for a monk to see the worldly, you yourself know it. And look what a change occurs in the mind of someone who has been silent with himself for a long time, when he suddenly falls into it again, and sees and hears what is unusual for him. If someone who is in ascetic labor and is still fighting with his opponent is harmed by meeting with monks when they are not close to his dispensation, then consider into what well will we fall (having come into the world), having acquired knowledge through especially long experience? Oh, if only we could get rid of the sting of our enemy! Therefore, do not ask me to do this unnecessarily. Let us not be deceived by those who claim that there is no harm for us from hearing and seeing something, for we are supposed to be the same in our thoughts both in the desert, and in the world, and in the cell, and outside it, and we do not change in our meekness, and do not accept bad change, and when meeting with persons and things we do not feel the anxiety of passions. Those who say this, even if they accept wounds, do not know this; but we have not yet achieved this mental health; for we have stinking ulcers on us, and they will boil with worms if there is no care for them for even one day, and they will remain unbandaged, not covered with a plaster and tied with bandages. (Word 24, pp. 116–117). QUESTION. What is peace? How do we recognize him, and how does he harm his lovers? ANSWER. The world is a harlot, who attracts those who look at her with lust for beauty into love for herself. And whoever, at least partially, has prevailed in love for the world, whoever is entangled in it, cannot get out of its hands until the world takes his life. And when the world strips a person of everything and carries him out of his house on the day of death, then the person will know that the world is truly a flatterer and a deceiver. When someone strives to come out of the darkness of this world, while he is still hidden in it, he will not be able to see his ways. And thus, the world holds within itself not only its disciples and children and those who are bound by it, but also those who are not covetous, and ascetics, and those who broke its bonds and one day became higher than it. Behold, in various ways he begins to entrap them in his deeds, throws them under his feet and tramples them underfoot. When you hear about moving away from the world, about abandoning the world, about purity from everything in the world, then you first need to understand and find out, using not common people’s concepts, but purely rational ones, what the very name world means, what differences this name is made up of, and you will be able to find out about your soul, how far it is from the world, and what is mixed in with it from the world. The word PEACE is a collective name that embraces the so-called passions. If a person has not first learned what the world is, then he will not achieve knowledge by what members he is far from the world and by what means he is connected with it. There are many who have renounced the world in two or three members and have refused to communicate with the world, and have thought of themselves that they have become alien to the world in their lives; because they did not understand and did not consider wisely that with only two members they died to the world, but their other members in the body live in the world. However, they were not able to recognize their passions in themselves; and since they did not recognize them, they did not care about their healing. According to speculative research, the composition of the collective name, which embraces individual passions, is also called the world. When we want to name passions in general, we call them the world, and when we want to distinguish them by the difference in their names, we call them passions. Passions are parts of the continuity of the world; and where passions cease, there the world began in its continuity. And the passions are the following: commitment to wealth, to collecting things; bodily pleasure, from which comes the passion of carnal lust; the desire for honor from which envy flows; desire to be in charge; arrogance at the splendor of power; desire to dress up and be liked; the search for human glory, which is the cause of rancor; fear for the body. Where these passions stop flowing, there the world died; and to the extent that some of these parts are missing there, to that extent the world remains outside, not acting with those parts of its composition, just as someone said about the saints that, while they were still alive, they became dead, because, while living in the flesh, they did not live according to the flesh. And look at which of these parts you live; then you will know in what parts you live and in what parts you died to the world. When you know what the world is, then from the difference of all this you will understand both how you are connected with the world and how you have renounced it. And I will say briefly: the world is carnal living and the wisdom of the flesh. By the very fact that a person has redeemed himself from this, it is known that he has come from the world. And alienation from the world is recognized by these two signs: by the most excellent life and by the difference in the concepts of the mind itself. From this, finally, concepts about things arise in your thought, in which your thought wanders with its concepts. From them you will understand the measure of your life: whether your nature desires anything without violence, whether there are any indestructible vegetations in you, or some that are produced only by chance; whether the mind has come to the consciousness of completely incorporeal concepts, or whether it moves entirely in the material, and this material is passionate. For the seals of materialization of deeds, under which the mind involuntarily appears in everything it does, are virtues. In them, without weakness, he borrows for himself the reason for ardor and concentration of thoughts with a good purpose, to work physically, to exercise this ardor, if only this is done without passion. And see if the mind does not faint when it encounters these seals of secret thoughts, due to a better ardor for God, which usually cuts off vain remembrances 6 . Courageous and fearful. Don’t be discouraged when it comes to what life will bring you, and don’t be too lazy to die for it, because cowardice is a sign of despondency, and neglect (of what should be) is the mother of both. A fearful person makes it known that he suffers from two ailments, i.e. love of body and lack of faith. And love of the body is a sign of unbelief, but whoever neglects this proves to himself that he believes in God with all his soul and looks forward to the future (of course, probably the bliss of the future life). (Word 75, pp. 380–381). Thoughts about death at the beginning of a good deed. When you want to begin God’s work, first make a will, as a person who can no longer live in this world, as one who has prepared for death and despairs of this life, as one who has reached the time of his death. And really keep this in mind, so that the hope of extending your present life does not prevent you from struggling and winning, because the hope of extending this life weakens the mind. Therefore, do not be too clever (that is, live not only by your mind, but also by faith) to the point of excess, but give faith a place in your mind; keep in your memory many future days and inscrutable centuries after death and judgment, and may relaxation never come upon you, according to the words of the Wise One, that a thousand years of the present age are not equal to one day in the age of the righteous (Ps. 89.5). Begin every good deed with courage, and do not approach such deeds with double-mindedness; Do not waver in your heart in trusting in God, lest your labor become useless and your service become burdensome. On the contrary, believe in your heart that the Lord is merciful and gives grace to those who seek Him, as a rewarder, not according to our work, not according to the zeal and faith of our souls. For he says: “As you believed, so be it for you” (Matthew 8:13). Hope. The hope of a sinner is sinful. But a person whose heart is completely buried in earthly things, who always eats dust with the serpent, never cares about what is pleasing to God, but is tired and weakened by everything bodily, does not commit a single virtue, due to constant relations with people and distraction in pleasures, and presents any excuses for this (finds some excuses for excuses) - such a person has truly, due to this laziness and idleness, fallen away from the good. And when we are hampered by poverty in something or death and depressed by the fruits of our iniquities, then perhaps he will say: “I will put my trust in God, and he will make me careless, and give me relief.” Until this hour, you, fool, did not remember God, but you offended Him with the lasciviousness of your deeds, and the name of God for your sake, as it is written, was blasphemed by the pagans (Rom. 2.24); and now do you dare to say with open lips: “I will place my trust in Him, He will help me and take care of me!” To the shame of such, God spoke well through the Prophet: “They seek Me day by day, and desire to understand My ways, as men who have done righteousness, and have not forsaken the judgment of their God, ask... from Me righteous judgment” (Is. 58:2). Among these is this madman, who did not even approach God with his thoughts, but as soon as he became surrounded by sorrows, he raised his hands to Him with hope. Such a person would have to be burned on fire many times in order to enlighten him in every possible way; because he did not do anything that would make him worthy to have trust in God. On the contrary, for his cruel deeds and for his negligence about what is due, he is worthy of punishment; and God, being long-suffering, by His mercy alone endures him. Therefore, let him not deceive himself, let him not forget what his life is like, and let him not say that he hopes in God: for he will be punished, because he does not have a single act of faith. Let him not direct his steps into idleness and let him not say: “I believe that God will give me what I need,” as one who spends his life in the works of God, or let him not recklessly plunge into the well, never having God in his thoughts. Otherwise, after falling away (from good), he will say: “I will put my trust in God, He will deliver me.” Don't flatter yourself, crazy one; Hope in God is preceded by work for God and sweat shed in doing it. If you believe in God, then you do well. But this faith also requires works, and hope in God comes from suffering for virtue. Do you believe that God provides for His creatures and is omnipotent? May your faith be accompanied by appropriate action, and then God will hear you. Do not try to hold back the wind with your handful, i.e. faith without works. (Word 67, pp. 348–349). A person who has no concern at all about perishable things, but wholly, day and night, entrusts himself to the Lord, does not care about anything worldly, due to his great zeal for virtues, uses all his time for the pursuit of the Divine and therefore neglects preparing food and clothing for himself, preparing a place to live for the body and everything else - such a person has excellent and reasonable hope in the Lord: because the Lord will prepare for him what is necessary. And this is the truly true and wisest hope. And it is right for such a person to hope in God, because he has become His servant and is diligent in His work, and does not indulge in negligence, for any reason. Such a person is worthy that God should show His care in him in a special way; because he kept the commandment of God, which says: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33); “And do not please the flesh through lust” (Rom. 13:14). For, with such your (mental) dispensation, the world, like some slave, will prepare everything for us, without a doubt it will obey us as rulers, and will not resist our words and our will. Such a person, so as not to interrupt his unceasing presence before God, does not indulge in worries about the necessary needs of the body, and, out of the fear of God, does not care about anything else, except for this one thing, so that he can be free from all such concerns, small and great, with the goal of pleasure and soaring (absent-mindedness) of the mind; and yet miraculously receives it without caring or working about it. (Word 67, pp. 347–348). Mistrust. To yourself during a time of peace of mind. If, before entering the city of humility, you notice in yourself that you have calmed down from the rebellion of passions, then do not trust yourself: for the enemy is preparing some kind of snare for you; on the contrary, after peace, expect great anxiety and great rebellion. If you do not go through all the abodes of virtues, then you will not find peace from your labor and you will not have rest from the enemy’s machinations until you reach the abode of holy humility. In temptations, do not trust yourself. Don't believe yourself that you are strong until you are tempted and find yourself unchangeable. So test yourself in everything. Non-covetousness and attachment to worldly things. The benefits of non-covetousness and the harm of attachment to worldly things. While a person remains in non-covetousness, the thought of leaving life constantly comes to his mind; and he always puts his thoughts on life after the resurrection, at all times prepares himself there in every possible way and acquires patience against all honor and bodily peace sown in his thoughts (resisting the suggestions of ambition and self-complacency), and the thought of neglecting the world constantly ripples in his mind; and he dares with his mind, and acquires a strong heart at all times in order to face every danger and every fear that causes death; He is not even afraid of death, because every hour he fixes his gaze on it, as if it is approaching, and awaits it; His care, with all undoubted hope, is placed in God. And if he encounters sorrows, then he seems confident and knows for sure that the sorrows will bring him a crown; and endures them with all joy, accepts them with joy and joy. For he knows that God Himself, for useful reasons, intends them for him in His implicit providence about things unknown to us. If, through the action and cunning of this sage for any evil, he happens to acquire something transitory for any reason, then at that very hour love for the body begins to awaken in his soul; he thinks about a long life; Every hour thoughts of carnal peace arise and come into force in him, the physical overpowers him, and he seeks within himself whether it is impossible for him, in any way, to have in himself everything that constitutes this peace for him, and he emerges from this freedom, which does not submit to any thought of fear; hence, in any case, he dwells on thoughts that lead to fear, and invents reasons for fear, because this firmness of heart, which he acquired when in his non-covetousness he was above the world, and with which he was enriched in his soul, was taken away from him, since he became the heir of this world according to what he acquired. He is subject to fear according to the law and economy determined by God. To serve what our members are prepared for, we are enslaved to it and, according to the word of the Apostle, we are guilty of working with all fear (Rom. 6:16; Heb. 2:15). (Word 51, pp. 225–226). Moral instructions. A heart filled with sadness about weakness and powerlessness in obvious, physical affairs replaces all bodily affairs. Physical deeds without the sadness of the mind are the same as an inanimate body. He who grieves at heart and gives freedom to his feelings is like a sick person who suffers physically, but whose mouth is open to any food harmful to him. He who grieves at heart and gives freedom to his feelings is like a man who, having an only-begotten son, little by little kills him with his own hands. Sorrow of mind is a precious gift from God. He who endures it as he should is like a man who carries a shrine in his members. A person who has given free rein to his tongue to speak about people, both good and bad, is unworthy of this grace. Repentance and relationships with people are the same as a broken barrel. Ambition and strangulation together are the same as a sword dipped in honey. Chastity and conversation with a woman are the same as a lioness and a sheep in the same house. Deeds without mercy before God are the same as a man who kills his son before his father. He who is weak in soul and corrects his friends is like a man whose eyes are blind and shows another the way (Matthew 15:14). Seduction. Seduction and reproach from demons of some ascetics. Someone named Malpa, who came from Edessa, at one time invented the heresy of the Euchites, while he lived a high life and endured the most difficult labors and sorrows. For they say that, as a disciple of blessed Julian, called Sheba, he went with him for a short time to Sinai and Egypt and saw the great Fathers of that time, saw blessed Anthony, heard from him the mysterious words spoken by him about purity and the salvation of souls, heard subtle questions about the passions, in which Anthony explained that the mind, after its purification, has contemplations of the mysteries of the Spirit and that the soul can, by grace, to be worthy of dispassion when, by doing the commandments, he is stripped of old passions and comes to the health of his primitive nature. And when Malpa, in the flower of his youth, listened to these words, he ignited like fire, came to his city, when the passion of love for glory was kindled in him, and chose a hermitage for himself, and devoted himself to works and severe sorrows and unceasing prayers. And when the passion of exorbitant love of fame flared up in him, i.e. hope to reach that height (i.e. contemplation of mysteries), which he heard about, since he had not learned the art of confronting the enemies of truth, did not understand the intrigues, deceptions and tricks of the adversary, with which he draws the strong and strong into destruction, he hoped only for deeds, for sorrow, for non-covetousness, for asceticism, for abstinence, without acquiring self-abasement, humility, heartfelt contrition - these insurmountable weapons in resistance the evil one, not remembering the Scripture, which says: when you have done the works, keep the commandments, endure tribulations, consider yourselves unprofitable servants (Luke. 17:10), - and was only kindled by a high self-conceit based on the accomplishments of his life, and burned with a desire for the heights that he had heard about - then after a long time, when the devil saw that he had no work of humility, but only desired contemplation in order to feel the mysteries about which he had heard, he appeared to him in immeasurable light, saying: “I am the Comforter, and was sent to to you from the Father, in order to make you worthy to see the contemplation that you desire for your deeds, to give you dispassion and for the future to rest you from deeds.” In return for this, the evil one demanded worship from this unfortunate man. And this fool, because he did not feel the scolding of the evil one, immediately accepted him with joy, and bowed to him, and immediately became under his power. And the enemy, instead of Divine contemplation, filled him with demonic dreams, made him stop working for the truth, puffed him up and mocked him with the vain hope of dispassion, saying to him: “Now you have no need for deeds, for the suffering of the body, in the fight against passions and lusts,” and made him the heretical leader of the Euchites. When they multiplied and their vile and wrong teaching was revealed, they were expelled by the then bishop. And someone else, named Asina, in the same city of Edessa, having composed many trills (spiritual hymns), which are sung to this day, led a high life and recklessly bound himself to the most difficult deeds until he became famous (in the hope of becoming famous). The devil seduced him, took him out of his cell and placed him on the top of a mountain called Storium, made an agreement with him, showed him an image of chariots and horses and said to him: “God sent me to take you to heaven, like Elijah.” And as soon as he fell into the deception of his infant mind and climbed onto the chariot, this whole dream was destroyed, he fell from a great height, fell from there to the ground and died a death worthy of both laughter and crying. It was not in vain that I said this here, but so that we may know reproach from demons who thirst for the destruction of the saints, and not lust not during the heights of mental life (mental visions), but otherwise we will be ridiculed by our crafty adversary: ​​for even now I see that young men, filled with passions, fearlessly talk nonsense and teach about the secrets of dispassion. (Word 55, pp. 272–274). Images coming from the world and images of the inner man. So, we must wait and remain alone and with simplicity in our inner man, where there are no imprints of thoughts or views on anything complex: because the mind, what it looks at, receives images. When he looks at the world, then, in accordance with the modification of the images through which he rushes, he receives from them in the same number images and similarities, which, according to their multitude and the difference in their changes, arouse thoughts in him, and when thoughts are aroused, they are imprinted on the mind. If the mind penetrates with its gaze into the inner man, where there is nothing that could serve as a change in images, and where the complex is not separated from another complex by the otherness of the image, but everything is one Christ, then it is clear that the mind then accepts simple contemplation, without which nothing else sweetens the soul’s throat and causes the soul to acquire boldness during prayer; because this is the food of the soul's nature. And when the mind becomes in the area of ​​knowledge of the truth, then it has no need for questions. For just as the bodily eye does not first inquire and then look at the sun, so the spiritual eye does not first enter into inquiry and then contemplate the knowledge of the Spirit. Thus, that mysterious contemplation that you desire, saint, is revealed to the mind after acquiring mental health. To desire to understand such mysteries through research and questioning is foolishness of the soul. For blessed Paul was not guided by science or any other material method (of knowledge) when he said that he saw and heard mysteries and “unutterable verbs, which it is impossible for a man to speak” (2 Cor. 12:4), but he was caught up in rapture into the spiritual realm and saw the revelation of mysteries. So, you, saint, if you love purity, cut off from everyone the love that is poured out (apparently manifested) on everyone, and, having entered the vineyard of your heart, work in it, destroy passions in your soul, try not to know human evil. Purity looks at God, shines and blossoms in the soul not as a result of questions, but as a result of ignorance of the evil of any person. If you want your heart to become a repository of the secrets of the new world, then first enrich yourself with bodily deeds, fasting, vigil, service, asceticism, patience, laying down your thoughts, and so on. Attach your mind to reading the Scriptures and delving into them; write the commandments before your eyes and pay off the debt of passions when you are defeated and when you win. And through constant conversation, prayer and supplication, and deepening in prayer, eradicate in your heart every image and every likeness that you have previously perceived. Accustom your mind to always delve into the mysteries of the Savior’s economy, and leave asking yourself for knowledge (understanding of the mysteries of the spiritual world) and contemplation, which, in their place and in their time, are above expressing them in words (which cannot be expressed in words), continue doing the commandments and labors in acquiring purity: and ask yourself from the Lord in prayer, kindled by fire for everything, sadness (which He put in the hearts of the Apostles, Martyrs and Fathers), may it sink into your heart, and may you be honored with intelligent living. The beginning, middle and end of this life is the following: cutting off everything (removal from everything) by unity in Christ. If you desire to contemplate the mysteries, cultivate the commandments within yourself by deed itself, and not by mere desire to know them. Spiritual contemplation acts in the area of ​​purity within us (Paisius added after this: “where Christ lives, the Director of our life”). And you first strive to understand how you should enter the realm of the mysteries of the Spirit, and then begin. What is experience? Experience does not consist in the fact that a person only approaches certain things and looks at them without accepting knowledge about them, but in the fact that, after handling them for a long time, he actually experiences their benefits and harm. For often a thing outwardly seems harmful, but its entire internal content turns out to be full of benefit. Understand the same about the opposite of this, i.e. Often a thing seems to have benefit, but is internally full of harm. Therefore, many people suffer losses from seemingly profitable things. And from these (people - of course, probably those people who, as said above, will only come up and look at things) the testimony of knowledge is untrue. Therefore, use an advisor who knows how to patiently discuss what requires reasoning. Therefore, not everyone who gives advice is worthy of trust, but only those who have previously managed their freedom well and are not afraid of condemnation and slander. (Word 73, pp. 386–387). The basis of all good things is self-discipline, abstinence and contemplation of God. The foundation of all that is good, the return of the soul from captivity to the enemy, the path leading to light and life - all this is contained in these two ways: to gather oneself together and always fast, i.e. It is wise and prudent to set for yourself the rule of abstinence, continuous stay in one place, constant abstinence (from deeds that disturb the mind) and contemplation of God. Hence the submission of feelings, hence the sobriety of the mind, hence the taming of the fierce passions aroused in the body; hence the meekness of thoughts; hence the bright movements of thought; hence the diligence towards acts of virtue; hence the high and subtle understandings; hence the tears that know no measure, flowing at all times, and the memory of death; hence pure chastity, completely far from any dream that tempts thought; hence the sharpness of vision and the sharpness of understanding what is far away; hence the deep, mysterious understandings that the mind comprehends with the help of Divine words, and the internal movements occurring in the soul, and the discrimination and reasoning of spirits - from holy Powers and true visions, from vain dreams. Hence that fear in the ways and paths, which in the sea of ​​thought cuts off laziness and negligence, that flame of jealousy, which tramples all danger and overcomes all fear; that ardor that neglects all lust and blots it out in the mind, and along with everything else, brings into oblivion all remembrance of what is transitory; in short, from here comes the freedom of a true person, spiritual joy and resurrection with Christ in the kingdom. If anyone neglects these two methods, then let him know that he will not only lose everything that has been said before, but he will also shake the very foundation of all virtues by neglecting these two virtues. And just as they, if someone holds and abides in them, are the beginning and head of Divine work in the soul, the door and path to Christ, so if someone retreats and moves away from them, he will come to these two opposite vices, I mean - bodily wandering and dishonest gluttony. This is the essence of the beginning of the opposite of what was said above, and they give place to passions in the soul. The consequences of wandering thoughts. And the first principle of one reason (i.e. wandering) first of all releases submissive feelings from the bonds of self-collection. What happens next from this? Inappropriate and unexpected adventures, close to falls; rebellion of strong waves (temptations); a fierce ignition excited by the sight of the eyes, taking possession of the body and imprisoning it in fetters; comfortable crawling in thoughts; uncontrollable thoughts leading to fall; lukewarmness (neither hotness nor coldness) in the desire for the things of God, and a gradual weakening of the distinction of silence (in relation to its superiority), and a complete abandonment of the rule of one’s life; Due to the fact that it constantly appears to a person in involuntary and diverse visions and is encountered when moving from country to country, from place to place, there is a renewal of forgotten vices and learning of others that he did not know before. And the passions, which, by the grace of God, had already been mortified in the soul and destroyed by the oblivion of the memories stored in the mind, again begin to move and force the soul to do them. This is what (if we don’t talk or go into details about everything else) is revealed due to this first reason, i.e. wandering of the body and impatience in enduring the calamities of silence. What happens as a consequence of another cause, i.e. if we have started the business of pigs? What kind of business is this for pigs, if not to allow the belly to know no bounds and to constantly fill it, and not have the specified time to satisfy bodily needs, as is typical for rational people? And what comes next from this? Hence - heaviness in the head, great burden in the body and relaxation in the muscles, and from this - the need to leave the service of God, because laziness comes to perform throwings (waist bows), and carelessness about the usual bows, darkness and coldness of thought; a mind grown dull (coarse) and incapable of prudence from confusion and great darkening of thoughts, thick and impenetrable darkness spread throughout the entire soul, strong despondency in every Godly work, as well as when reading, because a person does not taste the sweetness of God’s words, great idleness from necessary deeds (i.e. due to their abandonment), an uncontrollable mind, wandering throughout the earth, a large accumulation of juices in all members, at night, unclean dreams of nasty ghosts and inappropriate images, filled with lust, which penetrates the soul and in the soul itself impurely fulfills its desires. And the bed of this accursed man, and his clothes, and even his whole body are desecrated by many shameful impurities, which flow from him as if from a source, and this happens to him not only at night, but also during the day, because the body always exudes impurities and defiles the thought, so for this reason a person turns away from chastity. For the sweetness of excitement is felt throughout his whole body with a constant and unbearable fermentation. And he has seductive thoughts that depict beauty before him and at all times irritate him and excite his mind to combine with them. And a person, without any hesitation, combines with these thoughts, thinking about them and lusting after them, due to the darkening of his mind. And this is the very thing that the Prophet said: this is the reward for sister Sodom, who luxuriously ate bread to the full, etc. (Ezek. 16.49). And about this it was said by one of the great sages that if someone richly nourishes his body with pleasures, he will subject his soul to battle; and if one day he comes to his senses and takes the trouble to force himself in order to master himself, then he will not be able to do this due to the strong irritation of bodily movements and because the irritations and excitements are strong and compulsory, which captivate the soul with their lusts. Do you see the subtlety of these godless (i.e. demons) in this? And he also says: bodily pleasure, due to the softness and tenderness of youth, causes passions to soon be acquired by the soul, and death surrounds it, and thus a person falls under the judgment of God. The hermit's rite of life is prayer, not alms. One of the saints said: “The order of your life is not to satisfy the hungry and for your cell to become a host for strangers. This is the work of the laity: it is more appropriate for them, as a wonderful thing, and not for hermits, free from visible worries and keeping their minds in prayer. Cleansing the soul. Signs of internal cleansing from passions. QUESTION. What are the exact indications and close signs by which a person feels that he has begun to see in himself the fruit hidden in his soul? ANSWER. When someone is worthy of the grace of many tears, shed without compulsion, because tears are placed in the mind as a kind of limit between the physical and the spiritual, between a passionate state and purity. Until a person accepts this gift, his work is still accomplished in the outer man only, and he has not yet at all felt the effectiveness of the secrets of the spiritual man. For when a person begins to leave the physical body of the present age and finds himself crossing this limit of what is in nature, then he soon reaches this grace of tears. And these tears begin from the first abode of hidden life and raise a person to the perfection of God’s love. And the further (in this life) he succeeds, the more he is enriched by this grace, until, from a prolonged outpouring of tears, he begins to drink them both in his food and in his drink. And this is a clear sign that the mind has come out of this world and felt this spiritual world. But to the extent that a person approaches this world with his mind, to the same extent these tears diminish. And when the mind is completely in this world, then it is completely deprived of these tears. And this is a sign that a person is buried in passions. The first thought about spiritual life, or the first action. Why does the devil resist them? The first thought, which, according to God’s love for mankind, sinks into a person and guides the soul to life, is the thought that sinks into the heart about the outcome of this nature. This thought naturally follows contempt for the world; and with this every good movement begins in a person, leading him to life. And, as it were, what kind of foundation is laid in man by the Divine power accompanying him when he desires to manifest life in him. And if a person does not extinguish this thought that we have said in himself with worldly connections and vanity, but grows it in silence, and remains in it with contemplation, and engages in it, then it will lead a person to deep contemplation, which no one is able to depict in words. Satan greatly hates this thought, and with all his might he attacks in order to destroy it in man and, if it were possible, he would give him the kingdom of the whole world, just to erase such a thought from a person’s mind with entertainment, and if he could, as has been said, he would do it willingly. For this flatterer knows that if this thought abides in a person, then his mind no longer stands on this land of deception and his intrigues do not approach the person. Let us understand this not about that first thought, which by its reminder awakens the memory of death in us, but about the completeness of this matter, when it implants in a person the inseparable memory of death and when, by constant thinking about it, a person is put into a state of incessant surprise. For the first thought (i.e., the first thought about death) is something bodily, and this last one is spiritual contemplation and wondrous grace. This contemplation is clothed in bright thoughts. And whoever has it is no longer curious about this world and is not attached to his body. Sadness about sins and creeping. We will not grieve when we slip in something, but when we become stagnant in something, because creep often happens to the perfect, and stagnation in it is complete deadness. The sadness that we feel at our attempts is imputed to us by grace instead of pure work. Whoever, in the hope of repentance, crawls a second time, walks deceitfully with God; death unexpectedly attacks him, and he does not reach the time in which he hoped to fulfill the deeds of virtue. Everyone who gave free rein to their feelings also gave free rein to their hearts. QUESTION. What is the perfection of the many fruits of the Spirit? ANSWER. It is when someone is completely worthy of God’s love. QUESTION. And how does a person know that he has achieved it? ANSWER. When the remembrance of God is aroused in the mind by it, then his heart is immediately aroused by love for God, and his eyes are abundantly filled with tears. For love usually brings tears to the memory of loved ones. And he who abides in the love of God never lacks tears, because he never lacks that which nourishes in him the remembrance of God; why even in his sleep he talks with God. For love usually produces something like this, and it is the perfection of people in this life. The danger of achievement in the midst of everyday affairs. Truly stubborn, difficult and inconvenient is the feat that we accomplish in the midst of everyday affairs. No matter how much a person can become invincible and strong, however, as soon as that which serves as the reason for the battle of battles and exploits approaches him, fear does not leave him and threatens him with a quick fall, even more than during obvious warfare with the devil. Therefore, as long as a person does not move away from what causes his heart to be confused, the enemy always has the opportunity to attack him. And if he dozes off a little, the enemy will easily destroy him. For when the soul is overwhelmed by harmful encounters with the world, these very encounters become sharp pricks for it; and she is, as it were, naturally conquered when she meets them. And therefore, our ancient Fathers, who walked these paths, knowing that our mind will not at all times be able and able to stand steadily in one place and guard its guard, but at other times cannot even see what harms it, they reasoned wisely, and, as a weapon, they put on non-covetousness, which, as it is written, is free from all struggles (so that in this way, with his poverty, a person could get rid of many falls), and went into the desert, where there are no everyday activities that serve as the cause of passions, so that when they (the fathers) become exhausted, they will not encounter reasons for falls, I mean irritation, desire, rancor, glory, but so that all this and the rest will be made easy by the desert. For they strengthened and protected themselves with it, like an insurmountable pillar. And then each of them could accomplish his feat in silence, where feelings in the encounter with something harmful did not find help for themselves to assist our opponent. It is better for us to die in achievement than to live in failure. (Word 50, pp. 223–224). One day I went to the cell of a certain holy brother, and due to my weakness, I lay down in one place with him, so that he would follow me for God’s sake, because I had no one there that I knew. And I saw how this brother gets up at night ahead of time and has the custom of coming to rule before the brethren. He spoke poetry for quite some time, and suddenly, for the entire time this continued with him, he abandoned the rule, fell on his face, and hit his head into the ground a hundred or more times with the fervor that grace kindled in his heart. After this, he stood up, kissed the Lord’s cross, bowed again and kissed the same cross, and again threw himself on his face. And he observed this custom all his life, so that it is impossible for me to describe the number of his many genuflections. And who would be able to count the bows this brother made every night? Twenty times with fear and ardor, with love dissolved in reverence, he kissed the cross and again began poetry, and sometimes from the great ignition of thoughts that inflamed him with their ardor, when he was unable to bear the kindling of that flame, overcome by joy, he exclaimed, because he could not restrain himself. Therefore, I marveled greatly at the grace of this brother, and his feat, and his sobriety in the work of God. In the morning, after the first hour, when he sat down to read, he became like a captive man, and during each chapter he read, he more than once fell on his face and in many verses raised his hands to heaven and praised God. He was forty years old. He ate food in very small quantities and very dry. And since beyond measure and force he did frequent coercion to his body, he seemed like a shadow, which is why pity aroused in me the exhaustion of his face, so emaciated from much lack of eating that there were not even two fingers in it. And I often said to him: “Have mercy on yourself, brother, in your deeds, and this good life that you have acquired; do not confuse or break this, similar to a spiritual chain, of your life, and from the desire to add a little more labor, do not diminish or completely stop the flow of your path. Eat in moderation so as not to lose the opportunity to eat; Do not stretch your legs beyond your strength, lest you become completely incapable of work.” He was merciful, very modest, and showed mercy with complacency. Pure in his innate qualities, ready for consolation, wise according to God, he was loved by everyone for his purity and complacency. With the brethren, when they needed him, he often worked for three or four days, and only in the evening did he go to his cell, because he was skilled in all kinds of service. When he acquired something, although he needed it, out of his great respect for great and small, he could not tell (the one asking) that he did not have it. And even when he worked with the brethren, he mostly did it out of respect and forced himself, not finding pleasure in leaving the cell. Such was the life and treatment (with others) of this truly wonderful brother. To our God be glory forever! AMEN. Cognition. How is it useful for a person to know his weakness? Blessed is the man who recognizes his weakness, because this knowledge becomes for him the foundation, root and beginning of every good improvement. As soon as someone recognizes, and really feels, his weakness, then he raises his soul from the relaxation that darkens this knowledge, and becomes rich in caution. But no one can feel his weakness unless even a small temptation is allowed upon him, something that tires either the body or the soul. Then, comparing his weakness with God’s help, he immediately recognizes its (God’s help) greatness. And also, when he considers the many measures he has taken, caution, abstinence, protection and protection of his soul, in which he hoped to find confidence for it, and does not find it - even his heart, from fear and trembling, does not have silence, then let him understand and know then that this fear of his heart reveals and shows the indispensable need for him of some other helper. For the heart, with fear, striking it and fighting inside it (the heart), testifies and makes it known about the lack of something; and this proves that it cannot live with hope, because, as it is said, God’s help saves. But he who knows that he needs God’s help makes many prayers. And to the extent that he multiplies them, the heart is humbled. For everyone who prays and asks cannot help but humble himself. “But God will not despise a contrite and humble heart” (Ps. 50:19). Therefore, the heart, until it humbles itself, cannot stop soaring; humility gathers it together. And as soon as a person humbles himself, mercy immediately surrounds him. And then the heart feels Divine help, because it acquires a certain power of hope awakening in it. When a person feels that Divine help will help him, then his heart is immediately filled with faith. (Word 61, pp. 333–334). What is repentance? Leaving the former (sinful life) and sorrow (repentance) for it. At another time he was again asked: “What is repentance?” - and said: “A contrite and humble heart.” The briefly expressed thought of this chapter is the following: hourly we must know that in these twenty-four hours of the day and night we have a need for repentance. The meaning of the word repentance, as we learned from the actual properties of things, is this: it is, with prayer filled with contrition, an unrelenting petition approaching God to leave the past and a prayer to preserve the future. Therefore, our Lord indicated the support of our weakness in prayer, saying: wake up, “watch and pray, so that you do not fall into misfortune” (Matthew 26:41). Pray and be not lazy, “watching and praying” at all times (Luke 21:36; Col. 4:2). Ask and you will receive: seek and you will find; press, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives it, and everyone who seeks finds it, and it will be opened to the one who asks” (Matthew 7:7-8). He especially confirmed His word, and moved us to greater diligence, with the parable of a friend who came to his friend at midnight and asked him for bread; The Lord says: “Amen, I say to you: even if he does not give it to him, he is not his friend; but because of his lack of mind, he will give it to him and demand it” (Luke 11:8). And you pray and do not be careless. What an unspeakable encouragement to boldness! The Giver encourages us to ask Him to give us His Divine gifts. And although He Himself, as He knows, organizes everything that is beneficial for us, yet these words of His are filled with great power to arouse boldness and hope in us. Since the Lord knows that before death He will not take away from us the opportunity to deviate, that this change is very close to us, namely the transition from virtue to vice, that man and his nature conveniently accept the opposite, he commanded us to be careful and strive in constant prayer. If there were a land of authentication in this world, then as soon as a person reached it, his nature would then become higher than need, and his work would be higher than fear, and God would not have commanded us to strive in prayer, doing this by His providence. Peace. The desire for peace relaxes a person. You know that the hope of peace at all times has made people forget what is great, good and virtue. But even those who live in this world for the body cannot fully achieve the fulfillment of their desires if they do not decide in their minds to endure sorrow. And since experience testifies to this, there is no need to convince of this with words, because in every generation before us, and even to this day, not from anything else, but from this very thing (the lack of love for peace), people are exhausted and not only do not gain victory, but are even deprived of the best. Therefore, let us say briefly that if a person neglects the Kingdom of Heaven, it is for no other reason than the desire for a small local consolation. And this is not the only thing that happens to him, but often strong blows and terrible temptations are prepared for every person who follows his own will, and his thoughts go towards this, because lust rules him. Who doesn’t know that birds also approach the net with peace in mind? In comparison with the name of birds, isn’t our knowledge of what is hidden or hidden by circumstances, place or something else, perhaps more meager, in which the devil initially catches us with the promise of peace and thoughts about it. But, having in mind that the speech should flow as desired, I deviated from the goal that I suggested in my word at the beginning, namely, that at all times we should set in our thoughts the goal of sorrow in every matter with which we want to begin the path to the Lord, and carefully affirm the end of the journey at this beginning. How often does a person, when he wants to start something for the Lord’s sake, ask: “Is there peace in this? Is it possible to conveniently walk this path without difficulty? Or perhaps there are sorrows on it that cause languor to the body? This is how everywhere, through thick and thin, we strive for imaginary peace by all means. What are you saying, man? You want to enter heaven, accept the kingdom there, communication with God, peace in the bliss there, communication with angels, immortal life, and you ask: isn’t this path difficult? Strange thing! Those who desire what is in this transitory age swim over the terrible waves of the sea, dare to travel along arduous paths - and do not at all say that there is labor or sadness in what they want to do. And in every place we ask about peace. But if at all times we imagine in our minds the path of the cross, then let us think about what kind of sorrow is not easier than this path? And is anyone yet convinced that no one has ever won victory in battle, no one has even received a perishable crown, no one has achieved the fulfillment of his desire, even if it was praiseworthy, no one has served in any way in the affairs of God and has not succeeded in any of the praiseworthy virtues, if he did not first neglect the labors of sorrows and did not reject from himself the thought that encourages peace, from which negligence is born, despondency, laziness and fear, and from them - relaxation in everything. When the mind becomes jealous of virtue, then the external senses, such as sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, do not yield to victory over such difficulties that are alien to them, extraordinary, and beyond the limits of their natural powers. And if at any time natural irritability shows its activity, then bodily life is neglected more than skills (swept away rubbish). For when the heart becomes jealous in spirit, the body does not grieve over sorrows, does not become afraid and does not shrink from fear, but the mind, like adamant, with its firmness resists all temptations. Let us also become zealous with spiritual zeal for the will of Jesus, and all negligence, which gives rise to despondency in our thoughts, will be driven away from us; because jealousy gives birth to courage, mental strength and bodily prudence. What kind of power is there in demons when the soul stirs up its natural strong jealousy against them? And also zeal is called a product of jealousy. And when she puts her power into action, she gives the soul an insurmountable strength. And the very crowns of confession, which ascetics and martyrs receive for their patience, are acquired by these two deeds - jealousy and zeal, which are generated by the power of natural irritability: they do not feel suffering in the fierce sorrow of torment. May God give us such zeal to please Him! AMEN. (Word 49, pp. 221–223). Beginning and signs of mental confusion. The beginning of darkening of the mind (when a sign of it begins to reveal itself in the soul) is first of all seen in laziness towards God’s service and prayer. For, if the soul does not first fall away from this, there is no other way to spiritual deception; when it is deprived of God's help, it conveniently falls into the hands of its opponents. And also, as soon as the soul becomes careless about deeds of virtue, it will certainly be carried away into the opposite. For the transition from any side is already the beginning of the opposite side. Doing good is caring for the spiritual, and not for the vain. Continually reveal your weakness before God and you will not be tempted by strangers, as soon as you are left alone without your Intercessor. When a certain evil thought is sown in you, either from among those that come from afar, or from among those pre-occupied (previous impressions) by you first and often appears in your mind, then recognize it as true that it is hiding a net for you. But you wake up and become sober in time. And if the thought is from the right side and good, then know that God wants to give you a certain way of life, and therefore this thought, beyond the usual, is aroused in you. If your thought is darkened and you doubt it and cannot clearly comprehend whether it is your own or a thief, a helper or a slanderer hiding under a good guise, then arm yourself with diligent and immediate prayer against it with much vigil, day and night. Don’t tear him away from you and don’t agree with him; but with diligence and fervor, make a prayer for him and do not be silent, calling on the Lord. He will show you where this thought comes from. The movement of thoughts in a person occurs for four reasons: firstly, from natural carnal lust; secondly, from the sensory representation of worldly objects, which a person hears about and which he sees; thirdly, from pre-occupied concepts (previous impressions) and from the spiritual inclination that a person has in his mind; fourthly, from the attack of demons who fight with us, involving us in all passions, for the reasons mentioned above. Therefore, a person, even before death, while he is in the life of this flesh, cannot help but have thoughts and battles. For, judge for yourself, is it possible that before a person’s departure from the world, and before death, any one of these four causes became inactive? Or is it possible for the body not to covet necessities and not be forced to desire anything worldly? If it is inappropriate to imagine something like this, because nature has a need for such things, then it already means that passions act in everyone who wears a body, whether he wants it or not. Therefore, every person, as someone who carries a body, needs to protect himself not from one passion that is clearly and incessantly active in him, and not from two, but from many passions. Those who have conquered the passions within themselves through virtues, although they are disturbed by thoughts and the attack of these four causes, nevertheless do not yield to victory over themselves, because they have strength and their mind is delighted with good and Divine remembrances. Evil thoughts. To defeat them, it is necessary not to contradict them, but to cut them off with a prayer to God. If someone does not contradict the thoughts secretly planted in us by the enemy, but through prayer to God cuts off conversation with them, then this serves as a sign that his mind has acquired wisdom by grace, that his true knowledge has freed him from many matters, and that by finding the short path that he has achieved, he has stopped long-term soaring on a long path, because not at all times we have the strength to so contradict everything that opposes us. thoughts to stop them; On the contrary, we often get an ulcer from them, which remains unhealed for a long time. For you go out to teach those (demons) who are already six thousand years old. And this (i.e., the experience of the tempting demons and your daring refutation of evil thoughts) serves as a weapon for them with which they will be able to defeat you, despite all your wisdom and all your prudence. But when you defeat them, then the impurity of thoughts will defile your mind, and the stench of their stench will remain in your sense of smell for a long time. Having used the first method (i.e., by prayer to God, cutting off conversation with thoughts), you will be free from all this and from fear, because there is no other help except God. Techniques for constant attention to your thoughts. One elder wrote various sayings and thoughts on the walls of his cell, and when they asked him: “What does this mean?” - answered: “These are thoughts of righteousness that come to me from the Angel who is with me, and natural righteous thoughts arising in me; I write them down at the time of their appearance, so that, when I am darkened, I can deal with them and they will save me from delusion.” Another elder was pleased with his thoughts that instead of a transitory world he was granted undying hope, and the elder answered them: “While I am still on the way, it is in vain to praise me: I have not yet completed the journey.” God's permission. Without God's permission, no one can harm us. If when you find yourself worthy of a hermitage, which in the kingdom of freedom has light burdens, then the thought of fear does not force you, according to its custom, to change your thoughts in a variety of ways and engage in them. But be more sure that your Guardian is with you, and may your wisdom assure you in all accuracy that, together with all creatures, you too are under one Master, Who with a single wave sets everything in motion, and shakes, and tames, and accelerates. Not a single slave can harm any of the slaves like him without the permission of the Provider and Manager of all. And you immediately rise up and dare. If freedom is given to others, it is not in every matter. For neither demons, nor destructive beasts, nor vicious people can fulfill their will for harm and destruction, unless the will of the Ruler allows this and does not give this place to a certain extent. He doesn’t even allow freedom to put everything into action. And if it were not for that, no flesh would survive. The Lord does not allow the power of demons and people to approach His creation and fulfill its will on it. Therefore, always say to your soul: “I have a Guardian who protects me, and not a single creature can appear before me, unless commanded from above.” Be sure that they will not dare to appear before your eyes and force you to listen with your ears to their threats. For if it were allowed from above from the Most Heavenly, then there would be no need for word or words, but their will would be followed by deeds. Say also to yourself: “If it is the will of my Lord that the evil ones should prevail over His creation, then I accept this without being upset, like one who does not want the will of his Lord to remain unfulfilled.” And thus in your temptations you will be filled with joy, as one who has known and clearly felt that the Master’s beck is nourishing you and controlling you. Finally, establish your heart in trust in the Lord, “and do not fear from the fear of the night, from the arrow that flies in the days.” God's visitation and abandonment. If the Lord visits you in the physical without your labor, when you strive to care for your soul, then, through the trick of the murderer-devil, then the thought arises in you that the reason for all this providence, without a doubt, is in yourself (by your merit). And then, along with this thought, God’s providence for you ceases, and at that very hour very many temptations rush at you: either from the abandonment of you by the Provider, or from the resumption of illnesses and ailments that arise in your body. God stops His care not just because a thought arises, but because the mind stops on this thought. For God does not punish or judge a person for an involuntary movement, even if we temporarily agree with the thought. If at that very hour we pierce (reject) passion within ourselves and contrition appears in us, then the Lord will not punish us for such negligence; He punishes for negligence, to which the mind really indulges in such a way that it looks at it insensitively and recognizes it as something proper and useful, and does not consider it a dangerous concern for itself. Whoever loves conversation with this couple throughout his entire life becomes a friend of chastity. Just as the beginning of all evil is the repose of the belly and relaxation of oneself with sleep, which kindles lust, so the holy path of God and the foundation of all virtues is fasting, vigil, vigilance in the service of God. Fasting is the guardianship of all virtue, the beginning of achievement, the crown of abstinence, the beauty of virginity and holiness, the lordship of chastity, the beginning of the Christian path, the mother of prayer, the source of chastity and reason, the teacher of silence, the predecessor of all good deeds. Just as healthy eyes are characterized by a desire for light, so a fast observed with prudence is characterized by a desire for prayer. As soon as someone begins to fast, from that time on he desires with his mind to come into conversation with God. For a fasting body does not tolerate sleeping in bed the whole night. When the seal of fasting is placed on a person’s lips, then his thoughts are filled with tenderness, his heart exudes prayer, and shameful thoughts are far from him, he is the enemy of lusts and vain conversations. No one has ever seen a prudent faster become a slave to evil lust. Fasting with prudence is a vast abode for all good things. And whoever neglects fasting brings everything that is good into disarray, because fasting was a commandment initially given to our nature as a warning against eating food, and the beginning of our creation fell by violating fasting. But what was the first humiliation, from that the ascetics begin to succeed in the fear of God, as soon as they begin to keep the law of God. The Savior began with this when he appeared to the world on the Jordan. For after baptism, the Spirit led Him into the desert, and He fasted there for forty days and forty nights. Likewise, all those who follow the Savior on this basis affirm the beginning of their feat, because fasting is a weapon prepared by God. And if anyone neglects him, will he not be reproached for it? If the Lawgiver himself fasts, how can anyone who keeps the law not fast? That is why, before fasting, the human race did not know victory, and the devil never experienced his defeat from our nature; but from this weapon he was exhausted at the very beginning. Our Lord was the leader and firstborn of this victory, in order to place the first victorious crown on the head of our nature. And as soon as the devil sees this weapon on one of the people, this enemy and tormentor immediately comes into fear, immediately thinks and remembers his defeat by the Savior in the desert, and his strength is crushed, and the sight of the weapon given to us by our Leader burns him. Fasting reminds the one who has acquired it the commandments of the Spirit. He is the mediator of the old law and the grace given to us by Christ. He who is negligent about fasting is also weakened in other exploits, negligent, weak, thereby showing the beginning and a bad sign of relaxation of his soul, and gives the one who fights with him an opportunity for victory, since he goes out naked and unarmed to the feat, and therefore it is obvious that he will come out of the fight without victory, because his members have not been clothed in the warmth of greed in fasting. This is the post. Whoever abides in it has an unshakable mind and is ready to meet and repel all fierce passions. Premature activity during mental illness is harmful. Many performed powers (in the Syriac text: "miracles"), raised the dead, labored in converting the lost, and performed great miracles; by their hands many were brought to the knowledge of God, and after all this they themselves, who had revived others, fell into vile and vile passions, killed (spiritually) themselves, and for many they became a temptation when their deeds became obvious, because they were still in mental illness and did not care about the health of their souls, but set out into the sea of this world to heal the souls of others, while they themselves were weak, and lost for the souls their hope in God (i.e. hope for salvation) in the manner indicated above (in the Syriac text: “by the passions mentioned above”). For the weakness of their feelings was not able to meet and endure the flames of things that usually enrage the ferocity of passions, for they also needed protection, namely, not to see women at all, not to indulge in peace (in the Syriac text: “the enjoyment of life”), not to acquire silver and other things, not to rule over others and not to be superior to anyone. Getting closer to God with your intention and God's gift. All these benefits are born in a person from the knowledge of his own weakness. For, out of a great desire for God’s help, he approaches God, remaining in prayer. And to the extent that he approaches God with his intention, to the same extent God approaches him with His gifts, and will not take away grace from him for his great humility, because he, like a widow before the judge, relentlessly cries out to protect him from his rival. Therefore, the generously loving God withholds gifts of grace from him, so that this serves as a reason for a person to draw closer to God and so that for the sake of his needs, a person constantly remains before the One who pours out what serves for the benefit. And God fulfills some of his requests very quickly, namely those without which no one can be saved, while others are slow to fulfill. And in other circumstances it reflects from him and dispels the scorching power of the enemy (the severity of the battle of the enemy), and in others he allows him to fall into temptation, so that this test, as I have already said, serves as a reason for him to draw closer to God and so that he learns and has experience in temptations. And here is the word of Scripture: The Lord forsook many nations, did not destroy them, and did not deliver them into the hands of Joshua the son of Nun, in order that the children of Israel might be taught by them, and that the tribes of the children of Israel would heed their lessons and learn warfare (Judges 3:1-2). For a righteous man who has not recognized his weakness, his deeds are like a razor’s edge, and he is not at all far from falling and from the corrupting lion, I mean the demon of pride. And he who does not know his weakness lacks humility; and whoever lacks it has not reached perfection; and those who have not reached it are always in fear, because its city is not established on iron pillars and on copper thresholds, i.e. on humility. Fear habits more than enemies. He who feeds a habit (bad) is the same as a person who gives food to fire, because the measure of the strength of both (i.e. habit and fire) depends on the amount of substance. If a habit demands something one day and its demand is not fulfilled, then another time you will find it weak; and if once you fulfill her will, then the second time you will find that she attacks you with much greater force. (Word 89, pp. 421–422). A sign of truly seeing the things of God. Whatever you intend to delve into, let the following be a sign of entry into you. When grace begins to open your eyes to the sensation of seeing objects in their reality (i.e., the true appearance of objects, as stated in the Syriac text), then your eyes will immediately begin to shed tears in streams, so that your cheeks will be washed more than once with a multitude of them. And then the battle of feelings subsides and hides inside you. If anyone teaches you anything contrary to this, do not believe him. Apart from tears, do not look for another more obvious sign in the body. When the mind rises above creatures, then tears and all excitement and sensation cease for the body. (Word 56, pp. 283–284). Signs of cooling of spiritual life. When negligence begins to creep into your soul like a thief, and in darkness it returns, and the house (of your spiritual dispensation) is close to being filled with darkness, then the following signs appear: you secretly feel within yourself that you are exhausted in your faith, you are superior in the visible (you abound in visible things), your trust (in God’s providence) is diminished, you suffer losses in those close to you, and your whole soul is filled with reproach in your mouth and in your heart against every person, and against every thing, and against everything you encounter with your thoughts and feelings, and against the Most High Himself, and you are afraid of bodily harm, for which reason cowardice takes possession of you every hour, and at times your soul is excited by such fear that you are frightened and run from your shadow; because by unbelief you have eclipsed faith (by faith we mean not the basis of the common confession, but this mental power, which with the light of the mind strengthens the heart and with the testimony of conscience arouses in the soul great hope in God, so that it does not worry about itself, but carelessly casts its care in everything on God). When you stretch forward, you will find the following clear signs close to your soul: you are strengthened in everything by hope and enriched by prayer, your mind never lacks what serves for (spiritual) benefit, no matter what you encounter, you feel the weakness of human nature, and each such case protects you from pride. On the other hand, the shortcomings of your neighbor become unworthy of attention in your eyes, and with such a desire (of bliss) you desire to leave the body with which you would remain in the next century. About every sorrowful adventure for us, which encounters you openly and secretly, with all caution, far from conceit, you find that in justice and judgment all this has come closer to you. And for everything you will bring confession (praise, glorification) and thanksgiving. These are the signs of those who are sober, cautious, who remain in silence and who want to achieve strictness of life. The weakened have no need for these subtle signs of the downfall that threatens them, because they are far from the hidden virtues. When one of them begins to penetrate your soul, understand at that hour which side you have begun to lean towards: for you will soon find out what kind of community you are. May God give us true knowledge! AMEN. God's providence for the righteous. The Lord does not, at every time when He is close to His saints, to help them, unnecessarily, clearly show His power in some deed or sensory sign, so that the help provided to them does not become useless and does not lead to any harm. And he does this, providing for the saints and wanting to show them that he does not stop His secret care for them even for an hour, but in every matter he allows them, to the best of their ability, to show their feat and work in prayer. If the work overcomes them with difficulty, when they are exhausted and are unable to complete the work, because their nature is insufficient for it, He Himself does it according to the greatness of His power; and as He Himself knows, they receive proper help, and as much as possible, He strengthens them in secret until they are strengthened against their sorrow. For it does so that by the knowledge (of the meaning of sorrows) that is given to them, their manifold sorrows are resolved, and with the understanding of it they are encouraged to doxology, which is useful in both cases. If the matter requires discovery (the obvious help of God), then for the sake of need he does this too; and His ways are the most wise, sufficient in poverty and need, and not any random ones. You cannot tempt the Lord without need, ask Him for miracles or signs. This leads to destruction. He who unnecessarily dares to do this or prays to God and desires to have miracles and powers in his hands is tempted in his mind by the scolding demon and turns out to be boastful and weak in his conscience. For in sorrow we must ask for God’s help. It is dangerous to tempt God unnecessarily. And whoever desires this is not truly righteous. And what the Lord created with good will is found among many saints. But whoever wants and desires this according to his own will without need, falls, losing his guard, and crawls in the knowledge of the truth. For if the one who asks is heard in this, as he dared to ask God for it, then the evil one finds a place in him and leads him to even more of what he asked. But the true righteous not only do not desire this, but also refuse when it is given to them; and not only in front of people, but also secretly for themselves, they do not want this. For one of the Holy Fathers, for his purity, by grace, received the gift of foreknowledge of those coming to him and prayed to God (and other saints prayed with him, asked for this by the elder) so that this gift would be taken from him. If some of them accepted gifts, they accepted them out of need (for the benefit of others) or out of their simplicity; and others were encouraged to accept God’s call, and, of course, not without special reasons. When blessed Saint Ammun went to greet Saint Anthony the Great and got lost on the way, look what he then said to God (“I pray to You, Lord my God, do not destroy Your creation!”), and also what God did to him. (And a human hand appeared to him, hanging from heaven, showing him the way. See Venerable Tale of the Ascetics). Remember also about Abba Macarius and the others. True righteous people always think to themselves that they are unworthy of God. And that they are truly righteous, this can be seen from the fact that they recognize themselves as damned and unworthy of God’s care, and confess this secretly and openly, and are wise to this by the Holy Spirit, so as not to be left without the care and labor appropriate to them while they are in this life. God kept a time of rest for them in the next century. And those who have the living Lord within themselves for this very reason do not want to be at peace and free from sorrows, although from time to time they are given consolation in the spiritual. Devotees of piety are obliged to remain in constant labor. It is not virtue that a person, when he achieves it (consolation), should not have care and labor in it; but here is the habitation of the Spirit - to constantly force oneself to work, although there is a way to do the work in peace, because such is the will of the Spirit: in whom He dwells - not to accustom those to laziness. On the contrary, the Spirit encourages them not to seek rest, but to devote themselves more to work and the greatest sorrows. Through temptations the Spirit strengthens them and causes them to draw closer to wisdom. This is the will of the Spirit, that His beloved should remain in labor. It is not the Spirit of God that lives in those who are at rest, but the spirit of the devil, as one of those who love God said: “I swore that I was dying every day.” This is what distinguishes the sons of God from others, that they live in sorrows, while the world rejoices in pleasure and peace. For God did not deign that His beloved should rest while they were in the body, but rather He wanted them, while in the world, to remain in sorrow, in hardship, in labor, in poverty, in nakedness, in loneliness, need, illness, humiliation, in insults, in contrition of heart, in a weary body, in renunciation of relatives, in sad thoughts, to have a different appearance, than all creation, a place of residence unlike an ordinary human one, a monastic dwelling, which is silent, not visible to human eyes, and does not contain anything that makes a person happy here. Monks cry, but the world laughs. They sigh and the world rejoices. They fast, and the world enjoys luxury. They work during the day, and at night they indulge in exploits in cramped conditions and labor. Some of them are in voluntary sorrow; others are in labor, struggling with their passions; some are persecuted by people, while others suffer from passions, from demons and from other things. And some were expelled, others were put to death, others “were lost in sheaths” (Heb. 11:37), and so on. And the word of the Lord was fulfilled on them: “In the world you will have sorrow,” but in Me you will rejoice (John 16:33). The Lord knows that it is impossible for those living in bodily peace to abide in His love, and therefore Christ our Savior, whose love overcomes bodily death, forbade them peace and enjoyment thereof. May He show us the strength of His love! God's providence is revealed in help. If you once entrusted yourself to the Lord, who is all-sufficient to protect you and look after you, and if you follow in His footsteps, then do not worry about anything like that again, but tell your soul: “For me, every work is sufficient for Him to whom I once committed my soul. I'm not here; He knows it." Then you will actually see the miracles of God: you will see how at all times God is close to deliver those who fear Him, and how His Providence surrounds them, although invisible. But because this Guardian (Providence) who is with you is invisible with your bodily eyes, you should not doubt Him, as if He does not exist; for He often reveals Himself to the eyes of the body, so that you may have boldness. The mystery of God's Providence. As soon as a person rejects all visible help and human hope, and with faith and a pure heart follows in the footsteps of God, grace will immediately follow him and reveal its power to him in various help. First he reveals the providence about him, so that in this he can most of all feel the power of God's providence about him. And by understanding the obvious (through the knowledge of industry in the obvious) he will be confident in the hidden, as is characteristic of the infancy of his thoughts and his life. For how else can the things he needs be prepared for him, when he did not care about them? Many blows approaching him, often full of dangers, pass by when a person did not even think about them, while grace imperceptibly and very miraculously reflects this from him and protects him, like a bird feeding its children, which spreads its wings over them so that no harm comes near them. Grace allows him to see with his own eyes how close his death was to him and how he remained unharmed. This is how he teaches him about the unseen, revealing to him the intricacy of thoughts and thoughts that are difficult and incomprehensible. And a person can easily find the understanding of them, the mutual connection between them and the charm (seduction, lies) of them and to which of these thoughts a person is attached, how they are born one from the other and destroy the soul. And grace puts to shame before his eyes all the malice of the demons and the abode of their thoughts, and puts into him the mind to discern the future; in his simplicity, a hidden light shines in order to fully feel the power of thoughts in subtle thoughts, and, as if with a finger, shows him what he would have suffered if he had not known this. And then the thought is born in him that every thing, small and great, he should ask for himself in prayer from his Creator. When Divine grace confirms his thoughts so that in all this he trusts in God, then little by little he begins to enter into temptation. And grace allows temptations to be sent to him, corresponding to his measure, in order for a person to bear their burden. And in these temptations, help is tangibly approaching him, so that he does not fear until he gradually learns and acquires wisdom, and in trusting in God begins to despise his enemies. For it is impossible for a person to gain wisdom in spiritual battles, to know his Provider, to feel his God and to be intimately established in faith in Him except by the strength of the test he has passed. God's providence is revealed in temptations. Having become this way, raise your unceasing eye to God, because the protection and Providence of God embraces all people, but it is invisible, except for those who have cleansed themselves from sin and always think about God, and, moreover, about Him alone. Mostly, the Providence of God is revealed to them when, for the sake of God, they enter into great temptation. For then they feel the Providence of God, as if seeing it with their bodily eyes, in accordance with the measure and cause of the temptation that befalls each of them, and this (a special revelation of Providence) is in order to arouse these ascetics to courage, as was the case with James, Joshua, the three Youths, Peter and other saints, to whom he (the Providence of God) appeared in some human form, encouraging and confirming them in godliness. If you say that this was given from God to the saints by special providence and they, according to their dignity, were made worthy of such visions, then let the holy martyrs be your models of courage, who, often many together, and sometimes alone, in many and different places, fought for Christ and, by the power that came upon them, courageously endured in their mortal bodies planing with iron and all kinds of torment, unbearable for nature. For the holy angels clearly appeared to them, so that everyone would understand how on those who for the sake of God endure every temptation and every sorrow in every possible way, God’s Providence abundantly reveals itself to demonstrate their valor and to shame their enemies. For as much as the saints took courage at such visions, their opponents were irritated and driven into a frenzy by their patience. Gossip. How to behave in front of them. When someone begins to argue with his brother in front of you, make your face sad. As soon as you do this, you will find yourself protected before God and before him. Sadness for sick people, good, evil and suffering. On that day on which you grieve for someone suffering from some illness, for a good or evil person, suffering physically or mentally, consider yourself a martyr and look at yourself as someone who suffered for Christ and was deemed worthy to become a confessor. For remember that Christ died for sinners, not for the righteous. Look how great this thing is - to grieve for evil people and do good to sinners more than the righteous! The Apostle remembers this as a matter worthy of wonder (Rom. 5:6-8). QUESTION. Who deserves to be called intelligent? ANSWER. The one who truly understood that there is a limit to this life. He can put a limit to his sins. For what knowledge, or what understanding, is greater than this - for a person to manage to emerge from this life in uncorruption, without having a single part defiled by the stench of lust, and no defilement in the soul left by the sweetness of lust. For if a person refines his thoughts in order to penetrate into the secrets of all natures, and is enriched by inventions and observations in all knowledge, but his soul is defiled by sinful defilement and he has not acquired evidence of the hope of his soul, but nevertheless thinks that he has safely entered the harbor of hope, then there is no more unreasonable person in the world than him, because his deeds, in his continuous striving for peace, have brought him only to worldly hope. Paradise is the love of God, in which is the enjoyment of all blessings, - where blessed Paul was fed with supernatural food and, as soon as he ate from the tree of life there, he exclaimed, saying: “Whose eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor breathed into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9). Adam was removed from this tree by the advice of the devil. The tree of life is the love of God from which Adam fell away; and from then on joy no longer greeted him, but he worked and labored in the land of thorns. Those deprived of the love of God, even if they walk in righteousness, eat that bread of sweat in their deeds, which the first-created was commanded to eat after he fell away (from the love of God). Until we find love, our work is on the ground of thorns; and although our sowing is the sowing of righteousness, we both sow and reap among thorns and are wounded by them every hour and, no matter what we do to justify ourselves (no matter how many deeds of righteousness we do), we live in the sweat of our brow. And when we find love, then we will begin to eat the bread of heaven and strengthen our strength without work and labor. The heavenly bread is Christ, who came down “from heaven and gave life to the world” (John. 6:33), and this is angel food. He who has found love tastes Christ every day and hour and thereby becomes immortal; for it is said: “Whoever eats of this bread... which I will give” will never see death forever (John 6:51, 58). Blessed is he who eats of the bread of love, which is Jesus. And that he who tastes love tastes Christ, who is God above all, John testifies to this, saying: “There is a God of love” (1 John 4:8, 16). So, he who lives in love reaps life from God and in this still world, in what is felt here, smells that air of resurrection. The righteous will enjoy this air after the resurrection. Love is the kingdom; The Lord mysteriously promised the Apostles about her that they would taste her in His kingdom. For what is said: “Let you eat and drink at the table of My kingdom” (Luke 22:30), what else does it mean if not love? Love is enough to nourish a person instead of food and drink. This is “wine that gladdens the heart of man” (Ps. 103:15). Blessed is he who drinks of this wine! The intemperate drank it and were ashamed; sinners have drunk and forgotten the ways of stumbling; the drunkards drank and became fasters; the rich drank and desired poverty; the poor drank and became rich in hope; the sick drank and became strong; the ignorant drank and became wise. Just as it is impossible to cross a large sea without a ship and a boat, so no one can achieve love without fear. We can cross the stinking sea between us and the spiritual paradise only on the boat of repentance, on which there are oarsmen of fear. But if these rowers of fear do not rule the ship of repentance, on which we sail across the sea of ​​this world to God, then we will drown in this stinking sea. Repentance is a ship, and fear is its helmsman, but love is the Divine pier. Therefore, fear takes us onto the ship of repentance, transports us across the stinking sea of ​​life and guides us to the Divine pier, which is love. All who labor and are burdened with repentance come to this haven. And when we achieve love, then we have reached God, and our path is complete, and we have come to the island of the other world, where the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are. (Word 83, pp. 397–399). Relaxation and laziness. How to stimulate yourself to be more diligent during a time of relaxation and laziness. During your defeat, relaxation and laziness, bound and kept by the enemy in painful languor and in the grave work of sin, you imagined in your heart the previous time of your diligence, how you cared about everything even to the smallest extent, which feat showed, how you jealously resisted those who wanted to hinder your progress. Above all, think about the sighs with which you suffered over the small shortcomings that appeared in you from your negligence, and about how in all these cases you received a victorious crown. For with all such memories, your soul is awakened, as it were, from the depths, clothed in the flame of jealousy, as if rising from the dead from its drowning, elevated, and by ardent confrontation with the devil and sin returns to its primitive order. Jealousy is the main engine of virtue. Whoever has good desires cannot be prevented from fulfilling them by opposition, unless the evil one finds a place for a bad pretext in those who want good. This happens for the following reason. Every thought of good desire, at the beginning of its movement, will be followed by a certain jealousy, its ardor likened to fiery coals; and it usually protects this thought, and does not allow any resistance, obstacle or barrier to come close to it, because this jealousy acquires great strength and unspeakable power to protect the soul at every hour from relaxation or from fear, when all kinds of constraining circumstances are directed at it. And just as that first thought is the power of holy desire, naturally implanted in the nature of the soul, so this jealousy is a thought driven by irritability in the soul by force, given to us by God for our benefit, to observe the natural limit, to express the concept of our freedom by fulfilling the natural desire found in the soul. This (this thought) is a virtue, without which no good is produced, and it is called zeal, because from time to time it moves, excites, inflames and strengthens a person - to neglect the flesh in sorrows and in the terrible temptations that confront him, to constantly betray his soul to death and to enter into battle with rebellious force for the sake of accomplishing the work that the soul strongly desired. For someone clothed in Christ called this zeal in his words a dog and the guardian of the law of God, that is, virtue, because virtue is called the law of God. This power of jealousy is strengthened in two ways, awakened and ignited in the keeping of the house, and also in two ways it is brought to exhaustion, drowsiness and laziness. Namely: awakening and ignition occurs when a certain fear occurs to a person, causing him to fear for the good that he has acquired or intends to acquire, so that it is not stolen, that is, destroyed by some incident or consequence of it. And this is awakened in man by Divine providence; I mean fear in all worthy workers of virtue, abiding in the soul for its awakening and jealousy, so that it does not indulge in slumber. When this fear is aroused in nature, then jealousy, which we call a dog, flares up day and night like a blazing furnace and awakens nature. And, like the Cherubim, he awakens and hourly listens to what is around him, and, as the one mentioned above (convicted in Christ) says, if a bird passes near him, he begins to move and barks with the fastest and unspeakable swiftness. And when this fear is about the body, then it becomes satanic, because a person has wavered in his faith in the Providence of God and has forgotten how God cares and provides for those who strive for the sake of virtue, hourly watching over them, about which the Holy Spirit speaks through the mouth of the Prophet: “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,” etc. (Ps. 33:16); and again: “the power of the Lord is of those who fear Him” (Ps. 24:14). And the Lord Himself, as if on His own behalf, said to those who feared Him: “No evil will come to you, and no wound will come near your body” (Ps. 90:10). But when there is fear about the soul because of what happens to virtue and what follows it, and precisely the fear that it will not be stolen and for some reason will not suffer damage, then this thought is divine, good care, sorrow and languor occur according to God's providence. And there is another way, that is, the strength and ignition of the dog are revealed when the desire for virtue increases most in the soul. For to the extent that lust grows in the soul, to the same extent this dog, that is, natural zeal for virtue, is inflamed. The first reason for cooling him (this dog) is when lust itself decreases and ceases in the soul. And the second reason is when some thought of confidence and courage enters the soul and takes hold in it, and a person begins to hope, think and hold on to the thought that there is no reason for him to be afraid of being harmed by some force; and therefore he lays down the weapon of jealousy and becomes like a house without guards; the dog falls asleep and leaves the guards for a long time. Quite a few mental homes are robbed by this thought. And this happens when the purity of this illumination with holy knowledge fades in the soul. Why is she darkened? Of course, because some subtle thought of pride secretly entered the soul and nested there; or the person began to indulge more in the care of the transitory or the frequent seductive communication with the world for him. Or does this happen from the womb - this master for everything bad. Every time an ascetic enters into communication with the world, his soul immediately becomes exhausted. The same thing happens when he comes into contact with many who involuntarily crush his soul with vanity. In short, the mind of a fleeing ascetic, when he enters into communion with the world, is likened to a helmsman who calmly sails on the sea and suddenly falls into the midst of reefs and is wrecked. A jealous person never achieves peace of mind, and one who is alien to peace is alien to joy. For if peace of mind is called perfect health, and jealousy is contrary to peace, then, consequently, the one in whom there is evil jealousy suffers from a serious illness. Apparently you, a man, reveal your jealousy against other people’s illnesses, but in reality you have deprived your soul of health. Therefore, work harder to improve the health of your soul. If you want to heal the weak, then know that the sick have more need to care for them than to reproach them. But you don’t help others, and you plunge yourself into a serious, painful illness. Jealousy in people is recognized not as one of the types of wisdom, but as one of the mental illnesses, and precisely - it is limited in the way of thinking and great ignorance. About any matter, if you do it without reflection and research, know that it is vain, although decent; because God imputes righteousness according to prudence, and not according to foolish actions Self-correction, or sobriety about the order of subtle prudence. Always be attentive to yourself, beloved; and among your incessant affairs, consider the sorrows you encounter, and the desolation of your location, and the subtlety of your mind along with the coarseness of your knowledge, and the long duration of your silence along with many healings, i.e. temptations brought by the true Doctor to the health of that inner man, and at other times by demons, sometimes by illnesses and bodily labors, and sometimes by fearful thoughts of your soul, terrible memories of what will happen in the end (at death and after death), sometimes by instilling and obliging the grace of heartfelt warmth and sweet tears, and spiritual joy, and everything else, I will say this without multiplying words. Do you really notice in all this that your ulcer has begun to heal and close, i.e. have passions begun to wear out? Make a sign, and constantly enter into yourself, and see: what passions, according to your observation, have become exhausted before you, which of them have disappeared and completely retreated from you, and which of them have begun to fall silent as a result of your mental health, and not as a result of the removal of what troubled you, and which ones have you learned to overcome with your mind, and not by depriving yourself of what serves as the reason for them? Also pay attention to whether you really see that in the midst of the festering of your ulcer, living flesh began to grow, i.e. spiritual peace. Which passions gradually and which rapidly compel, and at what intervals? Are these passions physical, or mental, or complex and mixed? And are they awakened in memory by darkness, like the weak, or do they rise up against the soul with strength? And, moreover, in an authoritative or Tat (stealth) way? And how does the king of the senses, the mind, pay attention to them? And when they strain their strength and enter into battle, does he fight with them and render them powerless with his strength, or does he not even look at them and treat them as nothing? And which of the former ones were erased (after the struggle), and which were formed again? Passions are aroused either by some images, or by a feeling without images and by memory without passionate movements and thoughts, and then they do not produce irritation. From all this one can also determine the degree of structure of the soul. The first (i.e. passions) have not come into being, because the soul still has to struggle, although it reveals its strength against them, and the second have reached the dispensation about which Scripture spoke, saying: “David sat in his house, and God gave him rest from all his enemies around” (2 Sam. 7:1). Understand this not about passion alone, but together with natural passions, desire and irritability, and passion the love of fame, which depicts and mentally imagines faces and excites to lust and desire, and also about the passion of love of money, when the soul enters into communication with it secretly and, although it does not agree to enter into the act itself, it imagines in the mind images of objects to which the love of money is directed when collecting wealth, and makes the soul think about them and produces in it a desire - to possess them along with others. Not all passions fight by attacking thoughts. For there are passions that show only sorrow to the soul: negligence, despondency, sadness do not attack with the attack of thoughts and pleasure, but only impose heaviness on the soul. The strength of the soul is tested in victory over passions that wage war by attacking thoughts. And a person must have a subtle understanding of all this and know the signs, so that, with every step he takes, he is aware of where he has reached and in what country his soul began to walk: whether in the land of Canaan or beyond the Jordan. But pay attention to this too. Is the knowledge of the spiritual light sufficient to discern this, or does it discern this in darkness, or is it completely devoid of such an ability? Do you really find that the rational part of the soul has begun to purify itself? Does the floating of thoughts in the mind occur during the hour of prayer? What passion troubles the mind as it approaches prayer? Do you feel within yourself that the power of silence has enveloped your soul with meekness, silence and peace, which is born in an unusual way in the mind? Does the mind constantly admire, without the participation of the will, the concepts of the incorporeal, the explanation of which is not allowed to enter into the senses? Does joy suddenly flare up in you, with its incomparable pleasure making your tongue fall silent? Does a certain sweetness constantly flow from the heart and attract the mind completely? Does at times imperceptibly enter into the whole body a certain delight and joy, which the carnal language cannot express until all earthly things are considered dust and vanity? For this first pleasure flowing from the heart, sometimes at the hour of prayer, sometimes during reading, and sometimes also as a result of incessant teaching and prolonged meditation, warms the mind; and this last thing most often happens without all this, and many times during the sharing, and also often at night, when you are between sleep and awakening, as if sleeping and not sleeping, awake and not awake. But when a person finds this pleasure, beating throughout his whole body, then he thinks at that hour that the kingdom of heaven is nothing other than this. See also, has the soul acquired the power that consumes sensory recollections with the power of hope that takes possession of the heart and strengthens inner feelings with an inexplicable conviction of certainty? And the heart, without care that it is not captivated by earthly things, is it awakened by unceasing conversation (with God) and continuous heartfelt work performed with our Savior? Try to gain understanding in the difference between His voice and conversation when you hear. The opportunity to quickly taste this brings continuous silence to the soul through its incessant and constant activity. For, due to the negligence of those who receive, and upon acquisition, these (grace-filled actions) are again lost, and for a long time they are not acquired again. And will anyone, relying on the testimony of his conscience, dare to say about this the same thing as blessed Paul said: “I have learned that neither death, nor life, ... neither the present nor the future, nor anything else can separate me from the love of Christ” (Rom. 8:38-39), i.e. will they not be separated by either physical or mental sorrows, nor hunger, nor persecution, nor nakedness, nor loneliness, nor seclusion, nor misfortune, nor the sword, nor the angels and forces of Satan with their evil tricks, nor the (temporary) glory that is abolished by their attack on man, nor slander, nor reproaches, nor suppression, inflicted without reason and in vain? If you have not begun to see in your soul, brother, that all this is in some way abundant or impoverished, then your labors, and sorrows, and all your silence are a useless burden on yourself. And if miracles are performed by your hands and they raise the dead, this cannot be compared with this, and immediately move your soul, and with tears beg the One who saves everyone to take away the veil from the door of your heart and destroy the darkness of the storm of passions on the inner firmament, so that you will be worthy to see the ray of that day (i.e. from the radiance of the unsetting Sun - Christ), so that you will not be like a dead man, eternally abiding in obscuration. Constant vigil along with reading and frequent bows, performed successively by someone, will not slow down the diligent in giving these blessings. And whoever found them, found them precisely by these means. Those who want to find them again have the need to remain in silence, and at the same time in doing what we have said, and, moreover, not to attach their thoughts to anything other than their soul, not even to a single person, but to practice the internal practice of virtue. But also regarding the deeds themselves - only in some of them do we find a partly true feeling close to us, which confirms us in relation to other things. He who remains in silence and has experienced the goodness of God by experience does not need much assurance; on the contrary, his soul does not suffer at all from unbelief, like those who waver in the truth; because the evidence of his mind is enough for him to reassure himself more than countless words that are not justified by experience. To our God be glory and splendor forever! AMEN. Conceit. How to deal with it? Keep yourself from conceit during good changes in you. Diligently reveal your weakness and ignorance regarding the subtlety of this conceit to the Lord in prayer, so as not to be abandoned and not to be tempted in anything shameful, because fornication follows pride, and deception follows conceit. Conceit increases temptations. As soon as grace sees that a certain conceit has begun to appear in a person’s thoughts and he has begun to think highly of himself, that hour allows temptations to intensify and become stronger against him, until he recognizes his weakness, resorts to God and cleaves to Him with humility. Thus a man comes to the measure of a man, perfect in faith and trust in the Son of God, and is elevated to love. For the wonderful love of God for a person is known when he finds himself in circumstances that destroy his hope. This is where God shows His power in saving him. For man will never know the power of God in peace and freedom; and nowhere did God tangibly demonstrate His effectiveness except in the land of silence and in the desert, in places devoid of conversations and confusion, which are common among those living with people. QUESTION. What does it mean to deny yourself? ANSWER. Just as someone who is preparing to ascend to the cross has one thought about death in his mind and thus ascends to the cross, just as a person who does not think that he will again have a part in the life of this century, so does he who wants to fulfill what has been said. For the cross is the will, ready for any sorrow. And the Lord, when he wanted to teach why this is so, said: whoever wants to live in this world will destroy himself for the true life; and whoever destroys himself here, “for my sake,” will find himself there (Matthew 10:39), i.e. He will find himself by walking the path of the cross and planting his feet on it. If anyone cares about this life again, then he has deprived himself of the hope for which he went out into trouble. For this care does not allow him to approach sorrow for the sake of God, and by the very fact that he indulges in this care, it gradually carries him away and takes him away from the midst of the achievement of a truly divine and blessed life, and this thought grows in him until it defeats him. And whoever in his own mind destroys his soul for My sake, out of love for Me, will be preserved blameless and unharmed into eternal life. This means what was said: “Whoever loses his soul for My sake will find it.” Therefore, here you yourself prepare your soul for complete destruction for this life. And if you destroy yourself for this life, then the Lord will say to you, who thinks like this: “I will give you eternal life, as I promised you” (John 10:28). If you remain in this life, then here by my very deed I will show you My promise and confirmation of future blessings. And then you will find eternal life when you neglect this life. And when you set out for the feat so prepared, then it will be done in your eyes everything that is considered sad and sorrowful is worthy of your contempt. For when the mind is prepared in this way, then there is no struggle or sorrow for it during mortal danger. Therefore, one must know for sure that if a person does not hate his life in the world, because of the desire for the future and blessed life, then he cannot fully endure all kinds of sorrows and sorrows that befall him every hour. Self-motivation for achievements. What reminders did you use to excite yourself to do St. devotees? One of the brethren wrote this and always kept it before him, reminded himself of it and said: “You have lived out your life unwisely, a disgraced man and worthy of all evil; Beware, however, in this day that remains from your days, which passed in vain without good deeds and were enriched by evil deeds. Do not ask about the world, nor about life in it, nor about the monks, nor about their deeds, nor about how they live, nor about how great their work is, without worrying about anything like that. You mysteriously departed from the world and are considered as if dead in Christ; Live no more in the world and in the things in the world, so that rest may precede you and you may be alive in Christ. Be prepared and arm yourself with patience against all reproach, all insult, ridicule and reproach from everyone. And accept all this with joy, as truly worthy of it; endure with thanksgiving all labor and all sorrow and all misfortune from the demons whose will you carried out; courageously endure every need, and what happens naturally, and all sorrows. In trusting in God, endure deprivation of what is necessary for the body and soon turns into pus. Desire to accept all this in hope of God, without expecting deliverance or anyone else’s consolation from anywhere else. “Cast your sorrow upon the Lord” (Ps. 54:23), and in all your temptations condemn yourself as guilty of all this. Do not be tempted by anything and do not reproach anyone who insults you; because you also ate from the forbidden tree, and you acquired different passions. Accept sorrows with joy, let them shake you a little; but later you will enjoy it. Woe to you and your stinking glory! For you left your soul, which was filled with all sin, as uncondemned, but you condemned others in word and thought. Enough, enough for you, this decent food for pigs, which you still eat. What do you have in common with people, you nasty one, and you are not ashamed to remain in their company, spending your life so unreasonably? If you pay attention to this and preserve all this, perhaps you will be saved with the assistance of God. Otherwise, you will go to a dark country and to the village of demons, whose will you carried out with a shameless face. I have testified to you about all this. If God righteously moves people against you to repay you for the insults and reproaches that you held in your thoughts and uttered against them (in the Greek test it says: “against Him.” The translation “against them” is taken from Paisius) throughout your life, then the whole world should be occupied with you. So, stop from now on, and endure the retribution coming your way.” The brother reminded himself of all this every day, so that when temptations or sorrow come to him, he would be able to endure it with gratitude and benefit for himself. Oh, if only we could endure the disasters that befall us with gratitude and benefit from them, by the grace of God, the lover of mankind! To him be glory and power forever! AMEN. Humble yourself and you will see the glory of God in yourself. For where humility grows, there God’s glory flows. If you try to remain in obvious humiliation, then God will make sure that you are glorified by all people; If you have humility in your heart, then in your heart God will show you His glory. Be convenient in your greatness, and not great in your smallness. Try to be neglectful and you will be filled with God’s part. Do not strive to be honored, being internally filled with ulcers (sinful). Disdain honor to become venerable; and do not love honor, lest you be dishonored. He who pursues honor runs away from him. And whoever runs away from honor, it overtakes him from behind, and becomes a herald of his humility for all people. If you despise yourself so as not to be honored, then God will proclaim about you. If you suffer reproach for the truth, then God will command all His creatures to praise you, and they will open the door of the glory of your Creator before you, and they will praise you, because in you you really have His image and likeness. Who has seen a man shining with virtues, who appears to people to be insignificant, bright in life, wise in knowledge and humble in spirit? Blessed is he who humbles himself in everything, for he will be exalted. For whoever humbles and humbles himself in everything for God’s sake is glorified by God. Whoever hungers and thirsts for His sake, God will intoxicate him with His blessings. He who endures nakedness for the sake of God is clothed by Him with the robe of incorruptibility and glory. He who becomes poor for God's sake is comforted by His true riches. Humble yourself for the sake of God, and without your knowledge your glory will increase. Throughout your life, recognize yourself as a sinner, so that you may be righteous throughout your entire life. Be ignorant in your wisdom, and do not appear wise while being ignorant. If humility elevates a simple and unlearned person, then what honor, think, will it bring to the great and respectable? (Word 57, pp. 304–305). It is dangerous, for the sake of voluntary humiliation, to allow actions that bring temptation to others. It is more pleasing to God to endure the dishonor sent according to the Will of God. Another time I again went to one old, beautiful and virtuous old man. He loved me very much and, although ignorant in words, was enlightened by knowledge and deep in heart and said that grace inspired him; He did not often leave his cell, except for holy services; was inattentive to himself and lived in silence. I once told him: “Father, the thought came to me to go to the church porch on Sunday, sit there, and eat early in the morning, so that everyone coming in and going out, seeing me, would humiliate me.” To this the elder answered me like this: “It is written that anyone who causes offense to the laity will not see the light. But you are not known to anyone in this side, they don’t know your life, they will say that the monks eat in the morning; especially (this should not be done because the brethren...) but the brethren here are beginners and weak in their thoughts; many of them, having faith in you and benefiting from you, will soon suffer harm as soon as they see that you have done this. The Ancient Fathers did this because of the many miracles they performed and because of the honor shown to them and the glorification of their name, and they did this in order to subject themselves to dishonor, to hide the glory of their life and to remove from themselves the reasons for pride. What makes you act like this? Don’t you know that every life has its order and its time? You do not have such an excellent life and such a name, but you live like other brethren. You will not benefit yourself, but you will harm others. Moreover, such action is not useful for everyone, but only for those who are perfect and great, because in this (i.e. in such action) there is a resolution of feelings (freedom to use feelings trained in goodness). For those who have only reached the middle and those who are new to the beginning, it is harmful, because they need greater caution and subjugation of the senses. The elders have already lived through the time of caution and benefit from whatever they want. For inexperienced merchants in large transactions cause great losses to themselves, but in unimportant transactions they quickly move forward with success. And again, as I said, every task has its order, and every kind of life has a certain time. Whoever begins ahead of time, beyond his measure, gains nothing, but only aggravates his own harm. If this is what you desire, joyfully endure the dishonor that befalls you by God’s will, and not by your will, and do not be embarrassed, do not hate the one who dishonors you.” Scripture. Reading the Holy Scriptures and Contemplating God. QUESTION. Since some, due to the weakness of the body, are not able to cry incessantly, what should they do to protect their mind so that passions do not rebel against it when it is not busy with anything? ANSWER. Passions cannot rise up in the soul and confuse the ascetic if, in his hermitage, far from any distraction, his heart is not occupied with the things of life, unless he is lazy and negligent in his duty. And mainly, if he exercises himself in the study of the Divine Scriptures, then, while searching for their meaning, he remains in no way disturbed by passions. For, with the understanding of the Divine Scriptures growing and taking root in him, vain thoughts flee from him, and his mind cannot lag behind the desire to read the Scriptures or reflect on what he has read, and he does not pay little attention to present life due to the very great pleasure of his occupation, rising above this (i.e. above the vain thoughts of this life) in deep desert silence. Therefore, he forgets himself and his nature and becomes as if a person who has gone into a frenzy, does not remember this age at all, is mainly occupied with the thought of the greatness of God and, immersing himself in this with his mind, says: “Glory to His Divinity!” and again: “Glory to His miracles! All His works are wondrous and extraordinary! To what height did He raise my wretchedness; What have you vouchsafed me to learn, what thoughts to dare, how to delight my soul!” Turning his thoughts to these miracles and always amazed by them, he remains in constant rapture and, as it were, already tastes life after the resurrection, because silence greatly contributes to this grace. For his mind finds the opportunity to remain in itself with the peace that it acquired in silence. And at the same time, he is stimulated to remember what is in accordance with the order of his life. For, mentally imagining the glory of the future age and the good things, according to the hope, prepared for the righteous who abid in this spiritual life and in God, and this new restoration, does not contain either in thought or in memory what is in this world. And when he is intoxicated with this, he is again transported from there by contemplation to this age, in which he still lives, and in amazement says: “Oh, the depth of the riches, wisdom,” knowledge, meaning, rationality and economy of the unsearchable God, “for His judgment has not been tried, and His ways have not been tried” (Rom. 11:33)! For, when He prepared another such a wonderful age to introduce into it all rational beings and preserve them in endless life, what was the reason for Him to create this first world, expand it and enrich it so much with the fullness and multitude of species and natures and give place in it the causes of many passions and what feeds them and what opposes them? And why did he first place us in this world, plant in us the love of a long life in it and suddenly abduct us from it by death, keep us for a considerable time in insensibility and immobility, destroy our image, pour out our dissolution (scatter the body), mix it with the earth, allow our composition to collapse, decay and disappear and so that nothing at all remains of human nature, and then, at the time determined by the venerable in His wisdom, when He desires, will He raise us up in another image, which is only known to Him, and bring us into another state? Not only do we, humans, hope for this, but also the holy angels themselves, who have no need in this world, and, due to the extraordinary nature of their nature, have achieved little less than perfection, await our rise from corruption, when our race will rise from the dust and its corruption will be renewed. For for our sake the entry is denied to them, and they are waiting for the one-time opening of the door of the new age. And this creation (angels) rests with us from the weight of the body that burdens us, as the Apostle says: “For the creation itself longs for the revelation of the sons of God, that it may be freed from the work of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Rom. 8:19, 21), after the complete destruction of this age in its entire structure and after the restoration of our nature to its original state.” And from here he already ascends in his mind to what preceded the creation of the world, when there was no creation, no heaven, no earth, no angels, nothing that was brought into being, and to how God, by His sole good pleasure, suddenly brought everything from non-existence into existence, and every thing appeared before Him in perfection. And again he descends with his mind to all God’s creatures, pays attention to the wonder of God’s creatures and to the wisdom of His works, reasoning with himself in amazement; “What a miracle! How much His economy and providence exceed all understanding, how much His wondrous power is stronger than all His creations! How did He bring this creation - this innumerable multitude of different things - into existence from non-existence? And how will he ruin it again, destroying this wonderful arrangement, this beauty of nature, this orderly flow of creatures, hours and time, this combination of night and day, annual changes, these various flowers growing from the earth, these beautiful city buildings and the embellished palaces in them, this rapid movement of people, this existence, burdened with labor from their entry into the world until their very departure? And how suddenly this wonderful order will cease, and another age will come, and the memory of this first creation will not enter anyone’s heart at all, and there will be another modification, other thoughts, other concerns! And human nature will also not remember at all about this world and about its first way of life, because the human mind will cling to the contemplation of this state and the minds of people will not have the leisure to return again to warfare with flesh and blood. For with the destruction of this age the future age will immediately begin. And every person will then say the following: Oh, mother, forgotten by her children, whom she gave birth to, raised and made wise, and who in the blink of an eye were gathered into someone else’s womb and became the true children of the barren woman who never gave birth! “The barren ones rejoice” (Isa. 54:1) for the children whom the earth has given birth to you.” And then, as if in a frenzy, he reflects and says: “How long will this age last? And when will the future age begin? How much longer will these churches sleep in this form, and their bodies be mixed with dust? What will this life be like? In what form will this nature arise and be composed? How will he pass into a new creation? And when he reflects on this and the like, he comes into delight, amazement and silent silence, and he rises at this hour, and kneels, and with abundant tears sends thanks and praise to the One Wise God, always glorified in His all-wise deeds. So, blessed is he who is worthy of this! Blessed is he who has such a thought day and night! Blessed is he who meditates on this and the like all the days of his life! And if a person, at the beginning of his silence, does not feel the power of such contemplations, due to the soaring of his mind, and cannot yet ascend to the powers (to the greatness) of the above-mentioned miracles of God, then let him not become despondent and let him not leave the silence of his silent life! For even the farmer, when he sows, does not immediately see the ear of grain with the sowing of the seed; but sowing is followed by despondency, labor, exhaustion of his own members, the removal of comrades, separation from loved ones. And when he endures this, another time comes, in which the worker delights and jumps and rejoices and is glad. What time is it? When he tastes the (spiritual) bread obtained by his own sweat, his meditation will be kept in silence. For great and endless sweetness arouses in the heart and brings the mind into indescribable wonder - silence and this, said above, patient meditation in silence. And blessed is he who patiently abides in it, because this rich spring opened before him, and he drank from it, and enjoyed it, and will not stop drinking from it always, at all times, at every hour of the day and night, until the end and the last limit of his entire temporary life. Why is reading Holy Scripture so necessary? Until a person accepts the Comforter, he needs the Divine Scriptures so that the remembrance of good will be imprinted in his thoughts and the aspiration for good will be renewed in him by constant reading, and will protect his soul from the subtlety of sinful ways: because he has not yet acquired the power of the Spirit, which removes the delusion that steals soul-helping remembrances and brings him closer to coldness through distraction of the mind. But when the power of the Spirit descends into the spiritual force operating in a person, then instead of the law of the Scriptures, the commandments of the Spirit take root in the heart, and then one learns secretly from the Spirit and has no need for the aid of sensory substance. For while the heart learns from substance, error and forgetfulness immediately follow the teaching, but when the teaching is taught by the Spirit, then remembrance remains unharmed (1 John 2:27). QUESTION. If someone has achieved purity of heart, what is its sign? And when does a person know that his heart has achieved purity? ANSWER. When someone sees all people as good, and no one seems unclean and defiled to him, then he is truly pure in heart. For how can the apostolic word be fulfilled, according to which everyone should equally from a sincere heart “do great things for themselves” (Phil. 2:3), if a person does not achieve what is said, that the good eye will not see evil (Hab. 1:13)? QUESTION. What is purity and where is its limit? ANSWER. Purity is oblivion of the ways of leading through nature, borrowed from nature in the world 7 . And in order to free yourself from them and become outside of them, this is the limit: for a person to come to the original simplicity and original gentleness of his nature, and become like a baby, only without infantile shortcomings. QUESTION. Can anyone ascend to this degree? ANSWER. Yes. For, behold, others came to this measure, just as Abba Sisoes came to this measure, so that he asked the disciple: “Have I eaten or not?” And another one of the Fathers came to such simplicity and almost infantile innocence that he completely forgot everything here, so that he would have eaten before Communion if his disciples had not prevented him from doing so; and how his disciples brought the baby to Communion. So, to the world he was a baby, but to God he was a perfect soul. “And what is a merciful heart?” - and said: “A person’s heart is kindled about all creation, about people, about birds, about animals, about demons and about every creature. When remembering them and looking at them, a person’s eyes shed tears from the great and strong pity that envelops the heart. And because of his great patience his heart is diminished, and it cannot bear to hear or see any harm or small sorrow suffered by the creature. And therefore, for the dumb, and for the enemies of the truth, and for those who harm him, every hour he offers prayer with tears, so that they may be preserved and purified, and also for the nature of the reptiles, he prays with great pity, which is immeasurably aroused in his heart due to the likeness in everything to God.” Sorrows The meaning of tribulations in the matter of salvation. QUESTION. What harm is there in the procession to God if someone, due to temptation, deviates from good deeds? ANSWER. It is impossible to approach God without sorrow; without it, human righteousness does not remain unchanged. And if a person abandons deeds that increase righteousness, then he also abandons deeds that protect it. And he becomes like an unguarded treasure and a fighter from whom his weapons were taken away when the regiments of his enemies surrounded him, and a ship that does not have its rigging, and a garden from which the source of water is diverted. Sorrow is higher than all prayer. More precious than any prayer and sacrifice before the Lord are sorrows for Him and for His sake, and more than all fragrances is the smell of their sweat. Consider any virtue performed without bodily labor as a thoughtless miscarriage. The offering of the righteous is the tears of their eyes, and the sacrifice pleasing to God is their sighs during the vigil. The righteous, oppressed by the weight of their bodies, will call to the Lord, and with pain they will send up prayers to God, and in response to the cry of their voices, the holy Orders will come to their aid - to encourage and console them with hope, because the holy angels, approaching the holy men, are accomplices of their sufferings and sorrows. Preparedness for sorrows in simplicity of heart and without fear. Blessed are those who, for the love of God, have girded their loins for the sea of ​​sorrows with simplicity and an inquisitive disposition and do not turn their backs 8 . They are soon saved to the harbor of the kingdom, rest in the villages of those who have labored well, are comforted from their misery and filled with the joy of their hope. Those who set out on the obstinate (difficult, hard) path with hope do not go back and do not stop to enter into research about this. But when they cross the sea, then, looking at the difficulty of the path, they give thanks to God for delivering them from cramped conditions, rapids and such roughness on the way, while they did not even know it. And of those who think a lot, want to be very wise, indulge in delays and fearful thoughts, prepare themselves and want to provide for harmful causes, the majority find themselves always sitting at the door of their house. The lazy one, sent on a journey, will say: “a lion is in the paths, but in the ways are robbers” (Proverbs 22:14), like those who said: “I saw the sons of giants there... and ran before them like fools” (Numbers 13:34). These are those who, at the time of their death, find themselves still on the road: they always want to be wise, but do not at all want to make a beginning. But an ignoramus, setting off on a voyage, swims across with the first ardor, without taking the slightest care of the body and without reasoning with himself whether or not there will be any success from this work. Take heed to yourself, so that your excess of wisdom does not become a drag on your soul and a snare before your face; on the contrary, having placed your trust in God, courageously begin a path full of blood, so that you do not always find yourself poor and deprived of God’s knowledge. Fearful, “a dish does not sow wind” (Eccl. 11:4). It is better to die for God than to live in shame and laziness. Sorrow for God's sake is better than a great deed done without sorrow. A little sorrow for the sake of God is better than a great deed done without sorrow, because voluntary sorrow gives proof of faith through love, and a work of rest is the result of satiety of consciousness (in the Syriac text: “and a deed done in peace comes from a satiated mood” (i.e., from spiritual boredom). Therefore, the saints, out of the love of Christ, showed themselves to be skilled in sorrows, and not in peace, because what is done without labor is the truth of worldly people, who they give alms from the external, but do not acquire anything in themselves (in the Syriac text: “... who try to justify themselves through their (property?), but themselves do not strive for perfection”). There are burning tears, and there are fattening tears. Therefore, all those tears that come from the essence of the heart from contrition for sins dry up and burn the body, and often the most powerful thing in the soul, during the outpouring of tears, feels harm from them. And first, a person, under compulsion, enters this stage of tears, and with them the door is opened for him to enter the second stage, better than the first; and this is the land of joy in which man receives mercy. These are tears shed out of prudence: they both embellish and fatten the body, and flow naturally by themselves; and not only, as has been said, do they make the human body fat, but also the appearance of the person changes. For it is said: “The heart that rejoices, the face blossoms; but I am in sorrow and lament” (Proverbs 15:13). Tears are a sign of God's mercy. Tears during prayer are a sign of God’s mercy, which the soul has received in its repentance, a sign that the prayer has been accepted and has begun to enter the field of purity with tears. For, if thoughts about the transitory are not taken away from people and they do not reject worldly hope from themselves, and disdain for the world is not aroused in them, and they do not begin to prepare a good farewell for their departure, and thoughts about what will happen there do not begin to arise in their souls, then the eyes cannot shed tears, because tears are the result of unalloyed and low-flown reflection, many, frequent and steadily abiding thoughts, remembrance of something subtle (spiritual) happening in the mind, and with this remembrance bringing the heart into sadness. This is why the tears multiply and become more intense. The word is from activity and the word is from wisdom. There is another word that is effective, and another that is beautiful. And without knowledge of things, wisdom knows how to decorate its words, speak the truth without knowing it, and talk about virtue, although the person himself has not experienced its practice. But the word from activity is a treasury of hope, and wisdom not justified by activity is a guarantee of shame. That an artist who paints water on the walls and cannot quench his thirst with that water, and that a person who sees beautiful dreams is the same as a word not justified by activity. Whoever speaks about virtue that he himself has experienced in practice also conveys this to the one who listens to him, just as someone gives to another the money earned by their labor. And whoever, out of his own acquisition, sows teaching into the ears of those who listen to him, he opens his mouth with boldness, speaking to his spiritual children, as the aged Jacob said to the chaste Joseph: “I will give you one portion above your brethren, which I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow” (Gen. 48:22). QUESTION. How does a person know that he has achieved humility? ANSWER. From the fact that he finds it disgusting to please the world with his communication with him or his word; and in his eyes the glory of this world is hateful. Humility and doing nothing makes many sins forgivable. On the contrary, without humility, deeds are useless, and they even prepare a lot of bad things for us. By humility, as I said, make your iniquities forgivable. What salt is to all food, humility is to all virtue; it can break the strength of many sins. So, one must grieve for it (i.e., the acquisition of humility) incessantly in thought with humility and with sadness in reasoning. And if we acquire it, it will make us sons of God, and present us to God without good deeds, because without humility all our deeds, all virtues and all deeds are in vain. “What is humility?” - and said: “Severe, voluntarily accepted death for everything.” And he was also asked: “How can a person acquire humility?” - and said: “By unceasing remembrance of sins, by hope approaching death, by poor attire, by preferring at all times the last place and in any case willingly accepting the most recent and humiliated deeds, by not being disobedient, by maintaining constant silence, by not liking going to meetings, by wishing to remain unknown and not counting (putting oneself at nothing), not having any business at all.” at his own disposal (of course his own will, not subordinate to the will of another, for example, a spiritual father), to hate conversations with many people, not to love profits and, above all, to elevate his thoughts from any censure and accusation of any person and from competition, not to be the kind of person whose hands would be on everyone and on whom everyone would have hands (see Gen. 16:12), but alone in solitude to mind his own business and not take care of anything. in the world except yourself. In short: a wandering life (avoidance from the world), poverty and solitude - this is what gives birth to humility and purifies the heart.” Humility and the humble-wise. QUESTION. What are the benefits of humility? ANSWER. Just as conceit is a waste of the soul in its daydreaming, which leads it to soar and does not prevent it from soaring in the clouds of its thoughts, so that it whirls throughout creation, so humility gathers the soul into silence, and it concentrates in itself. Just as the soul is unknowable and invisible with bodily eyes, so the humble person is not known among people. And just as the soul inside the body is hidden from sight and from communication with all people, so a truly humble person, due to his separation from everyone and due to deprivation (arbitrary) in everything, not only does not want to be seen and known by people, but even this is his will - if possible, from himself, plunge into himself, enter into silence and dwell in it, completely leaving all his previous thoughts and feelings, to become something, as if non-existent in creation, who have not yet come into existence, completely unknown even to their very soul. And while such a person is hidden, enclosed in himself and separated from the world, he remains entirely in his Master. The humble man never stops (does not find pleasure) to look at meetings, crowds, excitement, noise, revelry, troubles and pleasure, the consequence of which is intemperance; does not get involved in speeches, conversations, cliques and dispersion of feelings, but prefers to be separated from everyone in silence, secluded and separated from all creation, taking care of himself in a silent country. In everything, belittlement, non-covetousness, need, poverty are desirable for him. What he wants is not to have a lot for himself and to be in constant business, but to remain free at all times, not to have worries, not to be indignant at what is here, so that his thoughts do not come from outside him. For he is sure that if he gets involved in many things, he will not be able to remain without confusion of thoughts, because with many things there is a lot of worries and a collection of complex thoughts. And man, in the world of his thoughts, ceases to be above all earthly concerns, with the exception of small, most necessary needs, and loses his thought, which is preoccupied only with its best thoughts. If his needs do not cease to keep him from his best thoughts, then he reaches a state in which he suffers and does harm - and from that time on, the door to passions is opened, the silence of prudence is removed, humility flees, and the door of peace is closed. For all this, the humble person constantly protects himself from many things and then finds himself at all times in silence, in peace, in peace, in meekness, in reverence. In a humble person there is never fussiness, haste, confusion, hot and light thoughts, but at all times he remains at peace. If the sky were to cling to the earth, the humble would not be horrified. Not every silent person is humble, but every humble person is silent. He who is unhumblely wise is not humbled; but you will find many humiliated and unhumble-wise. This means what was said by the meek and humble Lord: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). The humble person remains at peace at all times, because there is nothing to move his mind or terrify him. Just as no one can frighten a mountain, so his mind is unafraid. And, if I may put it this way (and perhaps it is not inappropriate to say it), the humble man is “not of this world” (John 8:23); because even in sorrows it is not horrified and does not change, and in joy it is not surprised and does not expand. But all his joy and true joy are in his Master. Humility is followed by meekness and self-collection, i.e. chastity of feelings, proportionality of voice, taciturnity, neglect of oneself, poor clothes, non-arrogant gait, lowering of the eyes, superiority in mercy, quick outpouring of tears, a solitary soul, a contrite heart, immobility to irritation, unsquandered feelings, smallness of property, belittling in every need, enduring everything, patience, fearlessness, hardness of heart that comes from hating temporary life, patience in temptations, weighty and not light thoughts, extinguishing thoughts, keeping the secrets of chastity, modesty, reverence, and above all this, incessant silence and the constant accusation of ignorance. The humble man never encounters such a need that would lead him to confusion or embarrassment. The humble man sometimes, being alone, is ashamed of himself. I am amazed that a truly humble person does not dare to pray to God when he begins to pray, or to consider himself worthy of prayer, or to ask for anything else, and does not know what to pray for; but he is only silent with all his thoughts, awaiting one mercy and the will that will come for him from the Face of the venerable Majesty, when he bows his face to the ground, and the inner vision of his heart is lifted up to the exalted gates of the Holy of Holies, where He whose habitation is darkness, Who dulls the eyes of the Seraphim, Whose virtue prompts the legions to stand in their ranks, Who is in all ranks they are poured out in silence. And he only dares to speak and pray like this: “according to Your will, Lord, be it with me!” We will say the same about ourselves. AMEN. What is humility in itself? Humility is a certain mysterious power, which, after completing the entire divine life, perfect saints will receive. And not otherwise than only to those who are perfect in virtue, this power is given by the power of grace, since they can receive by nature by the definition of God: because this virtue contains everything. Therefore, not every person, no matter who he is, can be considered humble in wisdom, but only those who have been worthy of this rank we have spoken of. Who is truly humble? Not everyone who is by nature modest and silent, or prudent, or meek, has already reached the degree of humility. But the truly humble-wise is the one who has in his secret something worthy of pride, but is not proud and in his thoughts regards it as dust. And the one who humbles himself when remembering his falls and misdeeds and remembers them until his heart is contrite and his mind, when remembering them, descends from the heights of proud thoughts - although this is commendable - we will not call him humble, because he still has a proud thought in him, and he has not acquired humility, but only manages to bring it closer to himself. And although, as I said, this is commendable, humility does not yet belong to him; He only desires humility, but he has no humility. The one who is completely humble is the one who does not need to invent ways of being humble with his wisdom, but in all this, completely and naturally, has humility without labor; and although he has accepted into himself a certain great gift that exceeds all creation and nature, he looks at himself as a sinner, at a person who means nothing and is despicable in his own eyes; and although he entered into the secrets of all spiritual beings and became completely perfect in the wisdom of all creation, he recognizes himself as meaningless. And this one, not subtly, but without coercion, is like that in his heart. Is it possible for a person to become like this, and by nature to change himself like this, or not? So, do not doubt that the power of the sacraments received by a person accomplishes this in him, in every virtue, without his labors. This is the power that the blessed Apostles received in the form of fire. It was for her that the Savior commanded them “not to depart from Jerusalem” until they receive strength from above (Acts 1:4). This Jerusalem is virtue, strength is humility, and power from above is the Comforter, i.e. Spirit of consolation. This is what is said about Him in the Divine Scripture, that mysteries are revealed to the humble. It is this Spirit of revelation, which reveals mysteries, that the humble of wisdom are privileged to receive within themselves. This is why it is said by some saints that humility perfects the soul with Divine contemplations. So, let a person not dare to think in his soul that he himself came to the measure of humility, and for the sake of one thought of tenderness that arose in him at some time, or for the small tears that flowed from him, or for one good quality that he has by nature or which he mastered with effort - he acquired that which constitutes the fullness of all secrets, that serves as the repository of all virtues, and all this, I say, I acquired it through small deeds, and not through this gift. On the contrary, if a person has conquered all opposing spirits, and there is not a single deed of any virtue left that he has not clearly accomplished and acquired, if he has defeated and conquered all the strongholds of his opponents and after that he has felt in himself in spirit that he has accepted this gift when, according to the words of the Apostle, “the Spirit obeys the spirit” (Rom. 8:16), then this is the perfection of humility. Blessed is he who has acquired it, for he kisses and embraces the bosom of Jesus every hour. A way to acquire humility. If a person asks: “What should I do? How to purchase? What is the way to become worthy to accept humility? So I force myself, and as soon as I think that I have acquired it, I see that thoughts contrary to it are circulating in my mind, and therefore I now fall into despair.” To this questioner the following answer will be given: “It is sufficient for the disciple” to become like his teacher, and for the servant to become like his master (Matthew 10:25). Look how He who commanded it and bestows this gift acquired humility, and imitate it, and you will find it. He said: “The prince of this world is coming, and in Me he will find nothing” (John 14:30). Do you see how, with the perfection of all virtues, one can acquire humility? Let us be jealous of Him who gave the commandment. He says: “foxes have plagues, and birds of the air have nests: but the Son of man has no place to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20). But He says this, Who of all who are perfect, sanctified, and made complete in every generation has glory, together with the Father. who sent Him, and with the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto ages of ages. AMEN. (Word 53, pp. 237–238). A sign of true humility. He who is truly humble, when offended, does not become indignant and does not say anything in his own defense about what he was offended about, but accepts slander as the truth, and does not try to assure people that he has been slandered, but asks for forgiveness. For others voluntarily brought upon themselves the name of prodigals, without being such; others endured the name of adulterers, being far from adultery, and testified with tears that they bore the fruit of sin, which they did not do, and with tears they asked those who offended them for forgiveness for the iniquity that they did not commit, when their soul was crowned with all purity and innocence. Others, so as not to glorify them for the excellent rules of life that they observed in secret, were presented in the image of holy fools, having been dissolved in Divine salt and unshakable in their silence, so that at the height of their perfection the holy angels had heralds of their virtues. You think about yourself that you have humility. But others accused themselves, and you, accused by others, cannot stand this and consider yourself humble. If you want to know whether you are humble, then test yourself in what has been said: do you not become confused when you are offended? Therefore, the Lord leaves the saints reasons for humility and contrition of heart in fervent prayer, so that those who love Him will draw closer to Him through humility. And he often frightens them with the passions of nature and the inclinations of shameful and unclean thoughts, and often with reproaches, insults and reproaches from people; sometimes - illnesses and bodily ailments; and at other times - through poverty and scarcity of necessities, then through the torment of strong fear, abandonment, the obvious abuse of the devil, which usually frightens them, then through various terrible incidents. And all this happens in order to give them reasons for humility, and so that they do not fall into the sleep of negligence, either because of the illnesses in which the ascetic is, or for the sake of future fear. Therefore temptations are necessarily useful to people. But I do not say this in the sense that a person should voluntarily relax himself with shameful thoughts, so that remembering them would serve as a reason for him to humility, and as if he should try to fall into other temptations; but in the sense that he should be sober in doing good at all times, guard his soul and think that he is a creature, and therefore easily subject to change. For every creature requires God’s power to protect itself, and anyone who demands protection from another reveals thereby natural weakness. And whoever has recognized his weakness must, of necessity, humble himself in order to receive what he needs from the One who is able to give it. And if he had known and seen his weakness from the beginning, he would not have been negligent. And if he had not been careless, he would not have fallen into sleep, and in order to awaken, he would not have been handed over to those who insulted him. So, one who walks the path of God must thank God for everything that happens to him, reproach and shower his soul with reproaches and know that the Provider allowed this to happen only because of his own negligence, in order to awaken his mind, or because he became proud. And therefore, let him not be embarrassed, let him not give up the field and feat, and let him not stop reproaching himself - so that no greater evil befalls him; because there is no unrighteousness with God, who exudes righteousness. Humility through fear and love. There is humility from the fear of God, and there is humility out of love for God: some are humble out of fear of God, others out of joy. And the one who is humble through the fear of God is accompanied at all times by modesty in all members, the orderliness of feelings and a contrite heart, and the one who is humble through joy is accompanied by great simplicity, a growing and uncontrollable heart. Temptation about spiritual residence. QUESTION. If a person does something for the sake of spiritual purity, and others, without understanding, are seduced by his spiritual life, then should he withdraw from his Divine life because of the temptation, or should he do what is useful for his intention, although it is tempting for those looking at him? ANSWER. Let us also say about this that if someone, according to the rules that he received from the Fathers who came before him, does something that serves to purify his mind, and has assumed this goal in himself - the achievement of purity, and others, who do not know, are tempted by his intention, then it is not he who is responsible, but those who are tempted. He does not abstain, or fast, or live in strict seclusion, and does what is useful for his purpose, so that others will be tempted, but in order to purify his mind. And those who are tempted blame him for ignorance of the purpose of his life and sin against the truth, because, being in negligence, they were unable to comprehend the spiritual purpose that he assumed for himself, i.e. the purity of your soul. Blessed Paul wrote about them, saying: “the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Cor. 1:18). What now? Since the word of the cross was imputed to foolishness by these, who did not feel the power of the word, should Paul have been silent and not preached? But even to this day, the teaching of the cross serves as a stumbling block and temptation for Jews and Greeks; Is it really for this reason that we should remain silent about the truth, so that they will not be tempted? But Paul not only did not remain silent, but even cried out loudly, saying: “Let me not boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14). This praise of the cross was expressed to the saints not in order to seduce others, but because the preached power of the Cross is great. Therefore, you, saint, carry out your life in accordance with the purpose that you have proposed for yourself before God, for which your conscience is not condemned, and test your life according to the Divine Scriptures and according to the commandments that you received from the Holy Fathers (whether it agrees with them). And if you are not accused (convicted otherwise) by them, then do not be afraid of what others have been tempted by. For no person can equally inform everyone (about himself) or please everyone and (at the same time) in his secretness work for God (do what is pleasing to God). QUESTION. Are bodily passions naturally or accidentally attributed to the body? And are the spiritual passions that belong to the soul, due to its connection with the body, naturally or in an improper sense attributed to it? ANSWER. No one dares to say about bodily passions that they are taken in an improper sense. And about spiritual passions, since it is soon recognized and recognized by everyone that purity is natural to the soul, we must boldly say that passions are in no way natural to the soul; because illness comes later than health. And it is impossible for one and the same nature to be both good and evil. Therefore, one thing necessarily precedes the other, but naturally that by which the other is preceded; because about everything accidental it is said that it is not from nature, but originated from without; and everything that is accidental and emergent is followed by change, but nature does not change or change. Every passion that serves good purposes is given by God. And bodily passions are invested in the body for its benefit and growth; such are the passions of the soul. But when the body, by deprivation of what is characteristic of it, is forced to stand outside its well-being and follow the soul, then it becomes weak and suffers harm. When the soul, leaving what belongs to it, follows the body, then it too suffers harm, according to the word of the divine Apostle, who says: “the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: but these are opposed to one another” (Gal. 5:17). (That is, “the flesh desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit desires what is contrary to the flesh; they oppose each other”). Therefore, let no one blaspheme God, as if He put passions and sin into our nature. God has invested in each of the natures that which serves for its growth. But when one nature comes into agreement with another, then it is found not in what is its own, but in the opposite of that. And if passions were natural in the soul, then why would the soul suffer harm from them? What is natural does not harm him. QUESTION. Why do bodily passions, which restore and strengthen the body, harm the soul if they are not characteristic of it? 9 And why does virtue oppress the body, but increase the soul? ANSWER. Don't you notice how what is outside nature harms it? For every nature is filled with joy when it approaches what is proper to it. But do you want to know what is characteristic of each of these natures? Note: what helps nature is inherent to it, and what harms is alien and came from outside. So, since it is known that the passions of the body and soul are one opposite to the other, then everything that in any way helps the body and gives it rest is characteristic of it 10. But when the soul has become friends with this, it cannot be said that it is natural to it; for what is characteristic of the nature of the soul is death for the body. However, in an improper sense, what was said above is attributed to the soul; and the soul, due to the weakness of the body, while it carries it on itself, cannot free itself from it; because she naturally entered into communication with what was sorrowful for the body due to the unity that, by incomprehensible Wisdom, was established between the movement of the soul and the movement of the body. But although they are in such mutual communication, movement is still different from movement, and will from will, and also body from spirit. However, nature does not change; on the contrary, each of the natures, although it deviates extremely, either into sin or into virtue, is nevertheless set in motion by its own will. And when the soul rises above the care of the body, then the whole spirit blossoms entirely in its movements, and rushes through the sky in the incomprehensible. However, even in this state it does not prevent the body from remembering what is characteristic of it. And also, if the body finds itself in sins, spiritual thoughts do not cease to flow into the mind. QUESTION. What are passions? ANSWER. The attacks that are produced by the things of this world, prompting the body to satisfy its unnecessary needs, and these attacks do not stop as long as this world stands. But a person who has been honored with Divine grace, has tasted and felt something higher than this (higher than the pleasure of the things of this world), does not allow these temptations to enter his heart; because in their place another, better, lust has established itself in him, and neither these very battles nor what they generate come close to his heart, but they remain ineffective not because there are no longer passionate battles, but because the heart that receives them is dead to them and lives by something else; not because a person has ceased to preserve reasoning and his deeds, but because there is no anxiety in his mind from anything: for his consciousness is saturated, having enjoyed something else (better). A heart that has received a sense of the spiritual and a clear contemplation of the future age is in the same way in its consciousness towards the remembrance of passions as a person who has been sated with expensive food, to another food, dissimilar from the one offered to him, i.e. does not pay attention to it at all, does not desire it, and, moreover, abhors it and turns away from it, not only because it is vile and disgusting in itself, but also because the person was satisfied with the first, best food on which he ate, not like the one who squandered his share and then coveted the people, since he had already squandered the father’s wealth that he had in advance (Luke. 15.13–16). And besides, the one who is entrusted with the treasure does not sleep. If we keep the law of sobriety and the work of reasoning with knowledge of what the fruit is (eternal life), then the struggle with the battles of the passions will not come any closer to the mind. What prevents them from entering the heart is not struggle, but the saturation of consciousness and the knowledge with which the heart is filled, and the desire to contemplate the miracles found in the soul. This is what prevented the attacks from approaching the heart: not because, as I said, the heart has withdrawn from the storage and deeds and reasoning that protect the knowledge of truth and the light of the soul, but because the mind, for the reasons stated above, has no struggle. For the food of the poor is vile to the rich, and likewise the food of the sick is vile to the healthy; wealth and health come from sobriety and care. While a person lives, he needs sobriety, guardianship and vigilance in order to preserve his treasure. If he leaves the limit assigned to him (i.e. sobriety and guardianship), he will become sick and will be robbed. You should not work until you see the fruit; but we must strive until the very end. For often a ripe fruit is suddenly killed by hail. Whoever interferes in everyday affairs and indulges in conversations, it is still impossible to be sure that his health will remain in him. When you pray, say this prayer: “Grant me, O Lord, to truly be dead for conversations with this world.” And know that you have combined all the petitions in this; try to fulfill this task in yourself. For if prayer is followed by action, then you truly stand in the freedom of Christ. And mortification of oneself for the world consists not only in removing a person from communication in conversation with what is in the world, but also in not lusting after worldly goods in the conversation of one’s mind. If we train ourselves to think well, we will be ashamed of passions as soon as we encounter them. And those who have experienced it themselves know this. But we will also be ashamed of approaching passions due to the reasons that cause them. When, out of love for God, you wish to accomplish some deed, set death as the limit of your desire; and thus, in fact, you will be worthy to ascend to the level of martyrdom in the struggle with every passion and will not suffer any harm from what meets you within this limit, if you endure to the end and do not relax. The thinking of a weak mind makes the power of patience weak; and a strong mind even imparts strength to the one who follows his thoughts, which nature does not have. Grant me, Lord, to hate my life for the sake of life in You! Removal from the causes that give rise to passion. QUESTION. Is it good to distance yourself from everything that irritates passions? And such an escape, when the soul avoids battles and chooses peace for itself, is it recognized as a victory or defeat of the soul? ANSWER. Let's answer this briefly. A monk must in every possible way avoid everything that irritates evil passions in him, especially cutting off in himself the causes of passions and what triggers and from which even the smallest passions increase. If the time comes to resist passions and fight them, when snares are set for us in spiritual contemplation (when we are subtly tempted by spiritual vision), then we will do this not jokingly, but skillfully. And a person should always turn his thoughts away from passions to natural good, which the Creator put into nature, although the devil perverted the truth with evil temptation. And if it is proper to say so, then he should flee not only from the bothersomeness of passions, but also from his feelings and immerse himself in his inner man and remain there in solitude, constantly working in the vineyard of his heart, until he brings his deeds into agreement with the monastic name given to him in his secrecy and openly. And it may be that by this stay close to the inner man we will come into perfect union with the knowledge of our hope, Christ living in us. For when our mind remains there (in internal activity) in solitude and as a hermit, then it is no longer the mind that wages war with the passions, but grace; unless even the passions themselves come into action in him. (However, the passions themselves do not move in him so strongly that they can motivate him to fulfill them in practice). The better to ward off passions. It is better to turn away passions by remembering virtues than by resistance, because passions, when they emerge from their domain and are raised up for battle, imprint their images and likenesses on the mind. This warfare acquires great power over the mind, greatly disturbing and confusing thoughts. And if you act according to the first rule we said, then there will be no trace of passions in the mind after driving them away. Contemplation is true and false. If the vision of the mind is not purified by doing the commandments, by the deeds of silent living, if the mind does not acquire the perfection of the light of love, if it does not advance through the age of Christ’s renewal, if through the improvement of knowledge it does not approach spiritual natures to the degree at which it seeks angelic spiritual life, then it will not be possible to become a true spectator of Divine contemplation. Nevertheless, those similarities of the spiritual that the mind thinks to form for itself are called a ghost, and not reality. And this, that the mind sees one thing instead of the other, comes from the fact that it has not been purified. For the nature of truth remains always unchanged and never changes into likeness; The reason for dreaming these images is weakness, and not purity of mind. This also happened with external philosophers, because they considered spiritual that which they did not accept the true teaching from God. From the accumulation and movement of their thinking power, from the understanding of their thoughts, they concluded in their conceit that they are something; and at the same time they reasoned about how they exist (that is, how they came into being), so that the discovery of their origin and the change in likeness would be made for them by both. And they talked about this in inappropriate conceit, they divided the One God in polytheism, they spoke and agreed among themselves in the vainness of their thoughts, and they called this dream of the madness of their thoughts the speculation of natures. Therefore, true contemplation of the sensual and supersensible natures, and the Holy Trinity Itself, comes in the revelation of Christ. Christ taught it and showed it to people, when initially in His Hypostasis He renewed human nature, returned and gave it the first freedom and paved the way for us to ascend to the truth through His life-giving commandments. And nature is only then capable of becoming a spectator of true, and not dreamy, contemplation, when a person initially, through suffering, work and sorrow, puts off the old passionate person, just as a newborn baby takes off the clothes taken out of his mother’s womb. Then the mind is able to be reborn spiritually, to be seen in the world of the Spirit and to accept the contemplation of its fatherland. Therefore, now the contemplation of creatures, although it is sweet, is only a shadow of knowledge. And the sweetness of it (this contemplation) is no different from dreams in sleep. Therefore, the contemplation of the new world by the spirit of revelation, with which the mind is spiritually delighted, is an action of grace, and not a shadow of knowledge; and its sweetness is inseparable from that which the Apostle described, saying: “whom eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has the heart of man sighed, what God has prepared for those who love Him,” but “God has revealed it to the saints by His Spirit: for the Spirit tests all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:9-10). And this contemplation becomes the food of the mind until it strengthens and comes to the state of accepting a higher contemplation than the first contemplation; because one contemplation transmits a person to another contemplation until the mind is brought into the region of perfect love. For love is the container of the spiritual, and is established in the purity of the soul. When the mind becomes in the area of ​​love, then grace acts, the mind accepts spiritual contemplation and becomes a spectator of the unseen. In two ways, as I said, the gift of revelations of mental contemplation is given: sometimes it is given by grace, for the fervor of faith; and sometimes - for doing the commandments and for purity. By grace, like the blessed Apostles, who, not by doing the commandments, purified their minds and were granted the revelation of contemplation, but by the fervor of faith; because in simplicity they believed in Christ and, without hesitation, followed Him with a burning heart. And when Christ completed His venerable economy, He sent them the Comforter Spirit, cleansed and perfected their minds, effectively killed the old, passionate man within them and effectively revived in them a new, spiritual man, and they received the feeling of both. So blessed Paul was renewed mysteriously and then accepted the contemplation of the revelation of the mysteries; but even at the same time he did not rely on it. Although he effectively received grace and gift, he spent the entire time of his life in order to, if possible, repay the grace that he was honored with when the Lord talked with him, as with His own, on the way and sent him to Damascus. It is not written that Jesus spoke with him explicitly, but it is written that Ananias said to him: “Brother Saul, our Lord Jesus Christ will appear on the way, ... sending me to you, so that your eyes may open and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17). Contemplation. To whom is it given? It is absolutely true, beloved, that if God had granted people this true contemplation for a short time, then there would be no succession (of the human race) in this world. This contemplation serves as a bond that nature cannot resist, and for the one who receives constant reflection on this into his soul, it is the grace of God, which is stronger than all individual deeds and which is given to those who are in the middle degree, in the rightness of their hearts, desiring repentance. It is given precisely to those about whom God knows that it is truly appropriate for them to move away from this world to a better life according to His good will, which He found in them. This grace grows and remains in them in their hermitage and solitary church. Let us ask for this contemplation in prayers; for his sake we will perform long vigils, and with tears we will beg the Lord to grant him to us as a grace incomparable to anything, and we will no longer be exhausted in the labors of this world. This is the beginning of the thoughts of life, bringing about the fullness of truth in a person! The essence of things of the future century and their secret. Scripture has not explained to us what the things of the future age are. But it simply taught us how we can get the feeling of enjoying them here, before the natural change and departure from this world 11 . Although Scripture, in order to arouse us to desire future blessings, depicted them under the names of things desired and glorious, pleasant and precious, when it says: “Eye has not seen and ear has not heard” (1 Cor. 2:9) and so on, but by this it announced to us that future blessings are incomprehensible and have no resemblance to the blessings here. Intelligent contemplation of the order of heavenly beings and vision, before the coming of Christ in the flesh, were not so accessible to them to penetrate into these mysteries. But when the Word became incarnate, a door was opened for them in JESUS, as the Apostle says. And if we had become immaculate and pure, then I reason (and this is indeed the case) that our human thoughts, without the mediation of heavenly beings, could not approach revelations and knowledge that lead to that eternal contemplation, which truly is the revelation of mysteries, because our mind lacks such power as the heavenly beings have, which receive revelations and contemplation directly from Eternal. For they also receive in image, and not without covering; like them, our mind accepts (visions and revelations). For each rank receives through transmission from another rank, observing strict order and distinction in communication from the first rank to the second, until the secret passes in this way to all ranks. But many of the mysteries stop at the first rank and do not extend to other ranks, because, except for this first rank, all the others cannot contain the greatness of the mystery. And some of the secrets, proceeding from the first rank, are revealed to the second rank, and they are preserved in silence, but other ranks have not comprehended them; and some mysteries reach the third and fourth order. And also in revelations seen by holy angels, there are increases and decreases. And if this happens with them, then how much more can we accept such secrets without their mediation? On the contrary, what happens from them is that in the minds of saints there is a feeling of the revelation of some secret. And just as quickly God allowed revelation to be transmitted from a higher rank and then a lower one to another rank, then just as quickly God’s wave allowed something to reach human nature, it reaches people who are worthy of everything. For through the heavenly ranks the saints receive the light of contemplation even to the glorious Ever-present - this unstudied mystery, but they themselves receive from each other, because they are “ministrations of the soul... sent” to those who are ready to become heirs of life (Heb. 1:14). But in the next century such an order will be abolished, because not one will then receive the revelation of the glory of God from another, to the glorification and joy of his soul, but to each, according to the measure of his valor, what immediately follows him will be given by the Master according to his dignity, and not from another, as here, he will receive the gift. For there is neither one who teaches nor one who is taught, who does not need someone else to fill his lack. There is one Giver, who directly gives to those who are able to receive, and from Him those who find heavenly joy receive. There the ranks of teachers and students will cease, and the speed of desire of everyone will strive towards the One. The mystery of saving work. In six days, God put the entire composition of this world in order, arranged the elements, gave their ever-moving movement an arrangement for service, and they will not stop flowing until their ruin. It was by their power, that is, by the power of the primeval elements, that He formed our bodies. But he did not give rest to the elements in their movement, nor to our bodies, which came from the elements, rest from doing. He set a limit for rest from work until our bodies follow their first affinity, and this is permission from this life. So he said to Adam: “By the sweat of your brow, eat your bread.” And how long will this last? “Until you return to the land from which you were taken, and which will grow for you thorns and thistles” (Gen. 3:18–19). These are the secrets of doing this life while you live! But from that night on which the Lord shed sweat, He exchanged the sweat that brought forth thorns and thistles for sweat shed in prayer and together in doing righteousness. For five thousand and five hundred too many years God left Adam to work on earth, because until then “the way had not been revealed to the saints,” as the divine Apostle says (Eph. 3:5; Heb. 9:8). In the last days he came and commanded freedom to replace one sweat with another, and allowed not a rest from everything, but a change of everything; because for the duration of our suffering on earth, He showed us His love for mankind. Therefore, if we stop shedding sweat on the earth, then of necessity we will reap thorns. For abandoning prayer itself is the act of calving the earth, which naturally grows thorns (i.e., through the cessation of prayer, the earth of our heart becomes coarser). Indeed, passions are thorns and grow in us from being sown into the body (Gal. 6:8). While we carry the image of Adam, we must also carry Adam’s passions within us. For it is impossible for the earth not to grow the vegetation inherent in its nature. The origin of her nature is the earth of our bodies, as God’s testimony says: “the earth from which you were taken” (Gen. 3:19). That land produces thorns, and this intelligent land produces passions. If the Lord was an image for us in everything, in the sacrament, in all the various actions of His economy, and even until the ninth hour the heel did not cease from work and labor (and this is the secret of our work throughout our entire lives), and on Saturday he rested in the tomb, then where are those who claim that there is still a Sabbath in life, i.e. rest from passions? It is high for us to talk about Sunday. Our Saturday is the day of burial. There our nature truly sabbaths. Every day, while the earth stands, we must pluck thorns out of it. Over the course of our work alone, these thorns become scarce, because the earth is not completely cleared of them. And if this is so, and with temporary laziness, or with a little negligence, thorns multiply and cover the face of the earth, suppress what you have sown, and turn your labor into nothing, then every day we must cleanse the earth, because the cessation of cleansing increases the multitude of thorns, from which may we be cleansed by the grace of the Consubstantial and Only Begotten Son of God! Glory to Him with the beginningless Father and the life-giving Spirit forever! AMEN. For a person, during his prayerful request, to be confirmed in his trust in God is the best part of the grace of faith. The firmness of faith in God is not the same as sound (Orthodox) confession, although it is the mother of faith; on the contrary, the soul sees the truth of God through the power of life. When in the holy scriptures you find faith combined with works, then do not take the reasoning about it as a reasoning about the right confession, because faith, leading to certainty in hope, is never achieved by people who are not baptized (those who have not been clothed in Christ - Gal. 3:27; who have not received the Spirit - John 3:5) or whose minds are corrupted to the truth. For the certainty of faith in people who are high in soul is revealed to the extent that their morals conform their lives to the commandments of the Lord. Bodily movement. What causes it? Movement in the lower members of the body, which occurs without intensified thoughts of senseless voluptuousness, which is excited with inflammation and involuntarily drags the soul into disaster, is, without a doubt, a consequence of the satiety of the belly. If the belly observes, perhaps, moderation in food, but the members involuntarily, in any way, begin to move, then know that the source of passion is in the body itself. And in this struggle, consider for yourself a strong and insurmountable weapon - to move away from the sight of women, because the enemy cannot produce in us what nature is able to do with its strength. For do not think that nature forgets what was naturally sown into it by God for the birth of children and for the testing of those who are in this feat. But moving away from objects of desire mortifies lust in the members, produces oblivion about it and destroys it. Thoughts about objects that are distant are different, they come only in thoughts and produce a slight and barely perceptible movement. The thoughts that, by the vision of an object, plunge the mind into self-forgetfulness, excite passions by the proximity (of the object), feed lust in a person, like oil fuels the burning of a lamp, ignite a passion that is already dead and extinguished, and disturb the abyss of the body with the movement of the ship of thought. That natural movement that lives in us strictly for the sake of childbearing, without the addition of anything from the outside, cannot confuse our will and distract it from purity and disturb chastity, because God did not give nature the power to overcome the good will rushing towards Him. But when someone is excited either by irritability or lust, then it is not a natural force that forces him to go beyond the limits of nature and step out of his duties, but what we add to nature at our own discretion. Whatever God created, He created everything beautifully and proportionately. And as long as the measure of natural proportionality is correctly preserved in us, natural movements cannot force us to deviate from the path (of chastity); on the contrary, only decorous movements are aroused in the body, which only let us know that there is a natural passion in us, but do not provoke passion and confusion, thereby preventing the flow of chastity, and do not darken the mind with irritability and do not lead from a peaceful state to an angry state. If we sometimes get carried away by the sensual (from which irritability usually takes on an unnatural desire) and indulge in either eating or drinking in excess of measure, or getting close to women and looking at them, or talking about them, which ignites and quickly spreads the fire of lust in the body, then we change our natural meekness into ferocity, or because of the abundance of moisture in the body, or because visions of different things. Sometimes there is a movement in the members due to God’s permission for our conceit, and it is no longer the same as the one indicated above. For we call those battles free, and in them the path of common nature is visible. We know about this battle, which happens as a result of being allowed to do so because of our conceit, that when we have been attentive to ourselves for a long time and have worked, even considering ourselves to be somewhat successful, we are allowed to endure this battle in order to learn humility. Other battles, which are beyond our strength without this reason, come from our laziness. For nature, when through gluttony it accepts into itself some addition to the sensual, no longer agrees to maintain the order that was established at its creation. Whoever voluntarily rejected sorrows (asceticism) and the endless stay in the cell is forced to love sins. For without sorrows we cannot free ourselves from the deceptions of wisdom. To the extent that these labors increase, the battles decrease, because sorrows and troubles kill voluptuousness in passions, and peace nourishes and increases them. So, I clearly understood that God and His angels rejoice when we are in need, and the devil and his workers rejoice when we are at rest. If the commandments of God are carried out in sorrows and hardships, and we have despised them, then it already means that we manage to neglect the commandments Himself because of the passions born from our peace, and we bring into inaction the cause of virtue, i.e. tightness and sorrow, and, as we acquire peace for ourselves, we give place to passions in ourselves, because in an oppressed body thoughts cannot indulge in vain soaring. When someone endures labors and sorrows with joy, then he can greatly curb his thoughts, because these thoughts are rendered inactive by labor. When a person remembers his previous sins and punishes himself (with free sorrows), then God takes care to put him to rest. God rejoices that for deviating from the path of God he himself imposed punishment on himself, which serves as a sign of repentance. And the more he puts pressure on his soul, the more his honor is increased by God. Any joy, the cause of which is not virtue, immediately arouses lustful movements in the one who has acquired it. Understand that we said this about all passionate, and not about natural, lust. To our God be glory forever and ever! AMEN. Bodily doing. Who is it useful and who is not? The same elder was once asked by some brother: “What should I do? Often I have some thing that I need, either because of weakness, or because of business, or for some other reason, and without this thing I cannot live in silence, but I see that someone has a need for it, and, overcome by pity, I give him this thing, and often I do this because I am asked by someone. For both love and the commandment force me to do this, and I yield what I myself need. And then the need for this thing makes me fall into anxiety and confusion of thoughts; and this distracts my mind from caring about silence, sometimes I am even forced to leave silence and go in search of the same thing. If I have the patience not to leave silence, then I find myself in great sorrow and confusion of thoughts. Therefore, I don’t know what to choose: either to calm my brother, do something that dispels me and ends my silence, or despise the request and remain in silence?” To this the elder replied: “If alms, or love, or mercy, or anything considered to be done for God, interferes with your silence, turns your eye to the world, plunges you into worry, darkens your remembrance of God, interrupts your prayers, produces confusion and confusion in your thoughts, causes you to stop engaging in divine reading, leave this weapon that relieves you from soaring.” mind, weaken your caution, bring about that, having been previously bound, you begin to walk freely, and, having entered into solitude, you return to the society of people, they awaken buried passions in you, allow the abstinence of your feelings, they resurrect for the world you, who died to the world, from angelic work, about which your only concern is, they degrade you, and place you on the side of the laity - then let such truth perish! For fulfilling the duty of love, which brings bodily peace, is the work of worldly people, and even if they are monks, then they are insufficient, do not remain in silence, or those whose silence is combined with unanimous community, who constantly enter and leave. For such people this is a wonderful thing and worthy of surprise. And for those who have truly chosen for themselves an asceticism from the world with both body and mind, in order to establish their thoughts in solitary prayer, in mortification to everything that passes, to the sight of worldly things and to the remembrance of them, it is not appropriate for such to serve Christ by doing anything bodily and by the truth of obvious works (in order to be justified by them), but, according to the word of the Apostle, by mortifying their pleasures, “even on earth” (Col. 3:5), one must offer to Christ a pure and immaculate sacrifice of thoughts, as the first fruit of cultivating oneself, and bodily sorrow in enduring dangers, for the sake of future hope. For the life of a monk is equal to that of an angel. And it is not proper for us, having abandoned heavenly work, to hold on to worldly things.” Bodily living according to God refers to bodily deeds that are performed to cleanse the flesh through virtuous activity through obvious deeds by which a person is cleansed from carnal impurity. It is dangerous in spiritual work. Be careful that your body does not become too weak, and this causes negligence to grow stronger against you, and the taste for doing it to do so does not cool in your soul. Everyone should weigh his life, as it were, on a scale. At a time when you are full, beware of giving yourself freedom even in small things. Body. Fear for the body. How is he defeated? Fear for the body can be so strong in people that as a result they often remain unable to do anything honorable and honorable. But when fear for the body is followed by fear for the soul, then the fear of the body faints before the fear of the soul, like wax from the power of the fire that burns it. Patience of ancient pagan philosophers. Let's look at the godless, so-called philosophers. One of them made it a law in his thoughts to remain silent for several years. The Roman Emperor, surprised by this rumor, wanted to put it to the test. Therefore, he ordered him to be brought to him, and when he saw that he was resolutely silent when asked any question and did not answer, he became angry with him and ordered him to be put to death for not respecting the throne and the crown of his glory. But the philosopher was not afraid, but, on the contrary, kept his law and silently prepared for death. The emperor gave the order to the executioners: “If he is afraid of the sword and breaks his law, put him to death, and if he resists his will, return him to me alive.” So, when he approached the appointed place, and those who received the order, inflicting insults, forced him to break their law and not be subject to death, then he reasoned: “It is better for me to die in one hour and preserve my will, for the sake of which I have struggled for so long, than to be overcome by the fear of death, to scold my wisdom and be reproached for timidity in the face of extremes encountered.” And without embarrassment he prostrated himself to be beheaded by the sword. This was reported to the emperor; the emperor was surprised and released him with honor. Others have completely trampled natural lust; others easily endured slander; others endured severe illnesses without sorrow; and others showed their patience in tribulations and great disasters. Patience and cowardice. Medicine and cowardice. Every difficult circumstance and every sorrow, if there is no patience with it, leads to greater torment, because patience in a person averts disasters, and cowardice is the mother of torment. Patience is the mother of consolation and a certain strength, usually generated by the breadth of the heart. It is difficult for a person to find this strength in his sorrows without the Divine gift, acquired by the persistence of prayer and the outpouring of tears. Whenever it pleases God to subject a person to great sorrows, he allows him to fall into the hands of cowardice. And it gives rise to a force of despondency that overcomes him, in which he feels the depression of the soul, and this is a taste of Gehenna; This induces a spirit of frenzy in a person, from which thousands of temptations emanate: embarrassment, irritation, blasphemy, complaints about fate, wrong thoughts, relocation from one country to another, etc. If you ask: what is the reason for all this? - then I will say: your negligence, for you yourself did not bother to seek healing from this. There is only one cure for all this; with the help of only this, a person finds quick consolation in his soul. What kind of medicine is this? - Humility of heart. Without it, no one will be able to destroy the barrier (fortress) of these evils; rather, he will find that disasters have overcome him. Don't be angry with me because I'm telling you the truth. You have not sought humility with all your soul. But if you want, enter its region, and you will see that it will free you from your evil. For in proportion to your humility you are given patience in your troubles, and in proportion to your patience the severity of your sorrows is lightened and you receive consolation; as your consolation increases, your love for God increases; and as your love increases, your joy in the Holy Spirit increases. Our generous Father, when He deigns to alleviate their temptations, does not take away their temptations, but gives them patience in temptations. And they accept all these blessings with the hand of their patience for the perfection of their souls. Let us look, beloved, into our souls during prayer: is there contemplation in us when reading verses containing teaching and prayer? It is a consequence of true silence. And while we are in darkness, let us not be embarrassed, especially if the reason for this is not ours. Attribute this (darkening) to the Providence of God, acting for reasons known to God alone. For at other times our soul languishes and is as if among the waves - and whether a person reads the Scripture, or performs a service, and in any work he undertakes, he accepts darkness after darkness. Such a person moves away (from a peaceful dispensation), and is often not allowed to even approach it; and he does not believe at all that he will get a change (for the better), and that there will be a change (again) in the world. This hour is filled with despair and fear; hope in God and the consolation of faith in Him completely leave the soul; and she is completely filled with doubt and fear. Those who have endured temptation in this wave of this hour know from experience what change will follow when it ends. But God does not leave the soul in this state for the whole day, because it would lose Christian hope; on the contrary, it will soon create an “excess” (1 Cor. 10:13). If the alarming state of this darkness continues longer, then soon expect a change in life from its environment (i.e. death). And I will offer you, man, and give advice: if you do not have the strength to control yourself and fall on your face in prayer, then cover your head with your mantle and sleep until this hour of darkness passes for you, but do not leave your church. Those who wish to lead an intelligent life and in their journey seek the consolation of faith are especially exposed to this temptation. Therefore, this hour torments and tires them most of all with doubts of the mind; This follows with the force of blasphemy, and sometimes doubt about the resurrection comes to a person, and something else that we should not even talk about. We have learned all this many times through experience, and to the consolation of many we have described this struggle. Those who are engaged in bodily affairs are completely free from these temptations. A different kind of despondency comes to them, it is known to everyone, and in its effect it is different from these and similar temptations. Health and healing (of the sufferer) are exuded by silence. This is a consolation for him! In communication with others, he never accepts the light of consolation, and this despondency is not cured by human conversations, but is lulled to sleep for a while, and after that it rises up against the person with greater force. And he needs an enlightened person who has experience in this, who would enlighten him and strengthen him in any case in time of need, but not always. Blessed is the one who endures this without leaving the door (of the cell). For after this, as the Fathers say, he will achieve great peace and strength. However, this struggle does not end in one hour or soon, and grace does not suddenly come in fullness and settle in the soul, but gradually, and from it the first (i.e., consolation) is born: temptation for a time and consolation for a time; and in this state man remains until his departure. And in order to become completely alien to this and be completely comforted, let us not even hope for this here. For God has deigned that our life here should be arranged this way, and that those who walk this path should remain in this (i.e., sometimes in temptation, sometimes in consolation). Repose of the saints with Divine fire. QUESTION. Why is hope so sweet (to saints), and its life and deeds are easy, and its deeds are quickly accomplished in the soul? ANSWER. Because a natural desire awakens in the souls of saints, and gives them to drink from this cup, and intoxicates them with its (spiritual) beauty. Therefore, they no longer feel labor, but become insensitive to sorrows and throughout their procession they think that their procession is taking place through the air, and that they are not walking in human feet; because they do not see the difficulty of the path, there are no hills and streams before them, “and the sharp ones will be smooth for them,” and so on. (Isa. 40:4), and because their attention is hourly drawn to the bosom of their Father, and hope itself, as if with a finger, at every moment, points out to them the distant and invisible, as if they were looking at it speculatively with the hidden eye of faith, and because with the desire of the distant, as if by fire, all parts of the soul are kindled, and what is absent is imputed to them as present. The whole extent of their thoughts stretches there, and they always hasten to reach there; and when they approach the accomplishment of any virtue, they do not work partially on it alone, but suddenly and completely perform it in all parts, because these giants do not make their procession in a royal way, like all the others, but choose short paths for themselves, along which others clearly quickly come to the monastery. Hope itself kindles them, as it were, with fire, and they cannot give themselves rest in the rapid and incessant flow, accomplished with joy. What happens to them is what was said by the blessed Jeremiah, for he says: “I will not remember His name, but I will say to someone in His name: and it was in my heart like a burning fire,” and piercing into my bones (Jer. 20:9). This is how remembrance of God acts in their hearts, intoxicated by the hope of God’s promises. Brief paths of virtues are universal virtues, because they (universal virtues) do not have a large distance between many paths of life from one path to another: they do not wait for place or time, do not allow waste, but immediately get down to business and do it. What is self-improvement? The depth of humility, i.e. abandonment of everything visible and invisible (visible, i.e. everything sensory, and invisible, i.e. mental) and care about it. Successful prayer requires solitude. If you intend to devote your soul to the work of prayer, which purifies the mind, and to stay awake at night in order to acquire a bright mind, then move away from the sight of the world, stop talking with people and do not want to accept friends into your cell, as is customary, even under the pretext of benefit (in the Syriac text: “even with pious purposes”), except those of the same kind, like-minded with you and your co-workers; Beware of disruption of spiritual conversation (i.e., conversation with God), which is usually aroused involuntarily, after cutting off and detachment and complete cessation of external conversation. Pair alms with your prayer, and your soul will see the light of truth. For to the extent that the heart ceases to be disturbed by external objects, to the same extent the mind can, through the understanding of thoughts (either directly inspired by God to man, or contained in Holy Scripture) reach the comprehension of Divine deeds and amazement (by them). For the soul usually quickly replaces (human meetings with conversations with God and the words of God) one conversation with another if we try to show little diligence. And in order to replace one interview with another, engage in reading the Scriptures, which opens the way for you to the subtlety of contemplation, and the lives of the saints, although at first you will not feel the sweetness due to the darkening closeness of things. And when you begin to pray and practice your rules, then instead of thinking about what you have seen and heard in the world, you will find in yourself thinking about the Divine Scriptures that you have read, and by this reflection the memory of worldly things will be brought into oblivion, and thus the mind will come to purity. This is what is written to mean that the soul receives help from reading when it begins to pray, and is also enlightened by prayer through reading. And reading, again, instead of external embarrassment, provides food for different types of prayer, and therefore by reading the soul is enlightened in order to always pray without laziness and without embarrassment. Philosophers. Should you seek advice from a philosopher? Do not try to take advice from a person who does not lead the same lifestyle as you, although he is very wise. It is better to entrust your thought to an unlearned person who has experienced the matter experimentally, than to a learned philosopher who argues based on his research without having experienced it in practice. Boasting. For boasting, God allows changes. Never boast in your speech about your deeds, lest you be put to shame. In everything that a person boasts about, God allows him to change, so that he can be humbled and learn humility. Therefore, you must leave everything to God’s foreknowledge and not believe that there is anything unchangeable in this life. Do not dare to tempt your mind with obscene thoughts or the sight of persons leading you into temptation, even when you think that you will not be overcome by this, because even the wise were darkened in this way and fell into foolishness. Do not hide the flame in your bosom, without strong sorrows of your flesh. (Proverbs 6:27): ("Can anyone take fire into his bosom so that his clothes do not burn?"). Bad behavior. Attitude towards different people of bad behavior. It is better to live with animals than with people of bad behavior. It is better to be with kites (birds of prey that feed on corpses) than with a covetous and insatiable person. It is better to be a friend to a murderer (in the hope of his correction) than to a lover of controversy. It is better to talk with a pig than with a glutton, because a pig's trough is better than gluttonous lips. Live better with lepers than with proud people. Let them persecute you, don’t persecute you; let them crucify you, do not crucify; let them offend, do not offend; let them slander you, do not slander you; be meek and not zealous in evil (Ps. 36:1,7,8). Self-justification is not a matter of Christian living; there is not even a hint of this in the teachings of Christ. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep (Rom. 12:15); for this is a sign of purity. Be sick with the sick; shed tears with sinners; Rejoice with those who repent. Be friendly with all people; and remain alone in your thoughts. Take part in the suffering of everyone, but with your body be far from everyone. Do not reprove or vilify anyone, even those who are extremely bad in your life. Spread your garment over the sinner and cover him. If you cannot take upon yourself his sins and bear punishment and shame for him, then at least be patient and do not shame him. Know, brother, that this is why we need not to leave the doors of our cells, so as not to know the evil deeds of men; and then, in the purity of your mind, you will see holy and good people in everyone. Do not hate the sinner, because we are all guilty; and if you rebel against him for God’s sake, then weep for him. And why do you hate him? Hate his sins - and pray for him, in order to become like Christ, Who had no indignation at sinners, but prayed for them. Don't you see how He wept for Jerusalem (Luke 19:41)? And the devil laughs at us in many ways - why hate someone who, like us, is ridiculed by the devil who laughs at us? And why do you, man, hate a sinner? Is it because he does not have righteousness like you? But where is your truth when you don’t have love? Why didn't you cry for him? But you drive him away. Others, out of ignorance, are aroused to anger, considering themselves capable of judging the affairs of sinners. They say about the Kingdom of Heaven that it is spiritual contemplation. And it is not acquired by the works of thoughts, but can be tasted by grace. And until a person purifies himself, he does not have sufficient strength to hear about it, because no one can acquire it by studying it. If you, child, achieve purity of heart, produced by faith in silence from people, and forget the knowledge of this world, so that you do not even feel it, then spiritual knowledge will suddenly appear before you, without searching for it. Build a pillar, they say, and pour oil on it, and you will find treasure in your bosom. If you are entangled in a network of spiritual knowledge, then it is not inappropriate for me to say that it is more convenient for you to free yourself from iron bonds than from this network; and you will always be close to the snares of delusion, and you will never understand how to have boldness before the Lord and trust in Him; at every hour you will walk on the edge of a sword, and in no way will you be able to be without sorrow. In a feeling of weakness and in simplicity, pray that you may live well before God and be without care. For as the shadow follows the body, so mercy follows humility. Therefore, if you want to live by this, then do not give your hand to weak thoughts. If all harm, all malice and all dangers surround and frighten you, do not worry about it and do not care about it. Kingdom of God. Signs of approaching and moving away from it. When on your path you find unchanging peace, then be afraid, because you are far from the straight path trodden by the suffering feet of the saints. For while you are still on the way to the city of the kingdom, let the following be a sign of your approach to the city of God: strong temptations encounter you, and the more you approach and succeed, the more the temptations that come upon you multiply. Therefore, as soon as you feel various and strong temptations in your soul on your way, know that at this time your soul has actually secretly entered another, higher level, and grace has been multiplied by it in the state in which it is placed, because, in accordance with the greatness of grace, to the same extent God leads the soul into the sorrow of temptation, and does not lead it into worldly temptations, which happen to others to curb vice and obvious deeds; Also do not understand bodily disturbances by temptations, but temptations that are appropriate for monks in their silence and which we will examine later. The purpose of sorrows sent to a person. Like those who are handed over to the hands of judges to be punished for an atrocity, if, as soon as they approach torture, they humble themselves and immediately admit their unrighteousness, the punishment is reduced, and soon after minor sorrows they are released; if some criminals are stubborn and do not confess, then they subject them to new tortures, and although in the end, after many tortures, when their body is covered with wounds and they confess involuntarily, they do not receive any benefit from it, so do we, when for our sins, carelessly committed by us, mercy (God’s for our benefit) delivers us into the hands of the righteous Judge of all and commands us to be stretched out under the rod temptations, in order to ease our punishment there, if, as soon as the rod of the Judge approaches us, we humble ourselves, remember our iniquities and bring them to confession before the Avenger (before God), then, after short-term temptations, we will soon be delivered; and if we become hardened in our sorrows and do not confess that we are guilty of them and deserve to endure even more than these (sorrows), but we begin to blame people, and sometimes demons, at other times God’s truth, and assert that we do not deserve such deeds, and we will think and say this, and will not think that God knows better than ourselves and knows us, that His judgments are throughout the whole earth, and without His command a person is not punished, - then everything that happens to us will cause us constant sadness, our sorrows will increase, and one after another they will, like a rope, bind us until we know ourselves, humble ourselves and feel our iniquities (for without feeling them, it is impossible for us to achieve correction); and finally, tormented by many sorrows, we will bring confession without benefit to ourselves, when usually there is no longer any consolation. But this - to feel our sins - is God’s gift that enters our thoughts when God sees that we are tired of manifold temptations, so that, despite all our misfortunes and sorrows, we would not depart from this world without receiving any benefit. And the fact that we do not understand temptations is not due to difficulty (to understand them), but because of foolishness. Often others, being in similar circumstances, depart from this world guilty and not confessing their sins, but denying them and blaming (others or God); the merciful God waited to see if they would somehow humble themselves in order to forgive them and create deliverance for them; and would not only deliver them from temptations, but would also forgive them their sins, being appeased by a small heartfelt confession. 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 that we accept internally, and every resting place, forms in us shameful likenesses and ugly signs; and they are born, come out, become visible in the hidden region of our mind, and irritate us to secret communication with shameful deeds. He who desires honor for himself cannot lack reasons for sorrow. There is no person who, with a change in circumstances, would not feel in his mind a change in attitude towards the task at hand. If lust, as they say, is a product of feelings, then let those who assert about themselves that they maintain peace of mind even during entertainment be silent. The order of the essences of angels, demons and humans. Every intelligible essence is hidden for the essence that is lower than it; they are hidden from one another not by nature, but by the movements of virtues; and I say this about holy powers, about spiritual ranks and about demons. The first ones are hidden from the middle ones, and the middle ones from the third ones, both by nature, and by place, and by movements. The essences of each rank, both for themselves, and one for another in the same rank, whether they are visible or invisible, are hidden by knowledge, and from the essences of the lower rank - by nature; because the vision of incorporeal beings is not outside of them, as with corporeal beings, but to see each other means that both the virtues and the measure of movements are within the movements of the beings visible to them. Therefore, if they are worthy in an equal share, then, although they are distant from each other, they do not see each other dreamily, but in an undeceitful vision, in true nature, except for the Cause of all things. Which, as one venerable, is above sowing diversity. Demons, although extremely unclean, are not hidden from each other in their ranks, but do not see the two ranks (i.e. angelic and spiritual), which are higher than them, because spiritual vision is the light of movement, and it itself serves as both a mirror and an eye for them. And as soon as the movements become darkened, the beings do not see the higher ranks. In their own rank they see each other, since they are richer than the spiritual ranks. And this takes place in the reasoning of demons. Souls, while they are defiled and darkened, cannot see either each other or themselves, but if they are cleansed and return to the ancient state in which they were created, then they clearly see these three orders, i.e. their lower rank, their highest rank, and each other. And not because they will change into a bodily form, they will then see angels or demons, or each other; on the contrary, they will see in nature itself and in the spiritual order. And if you say that it is impossible for a demon or an angel to be visible unless they change and take on a visible image, then this will mean that it is not the soul that sees, but the body. But in that case, what is the need for purification? For behold, demons, as well as angels, appear to unclean people from time to time; however, when they see, they see with their bodily eyes, and there is no need for purification here. But this is not what happens to a soul that has achieved purity; on the contrary, she sees spiritually, with a natural eye, that is, insightful, or reasonable. And do not be surprised that souls see one another, even while in the body. For I present clear evidence that testifies to the truth - I mean Blessed Athanasius the Great, who in his essay on Anthony the Great says: The Great Anthony, standing one day in prayer, saw someone’s soul lifted up with great honor, and blessed him who was worthy of such glory; the blessed one was Ammun from Nitria, and the mountain on which Saint Anthony lived was thirteen days' journey from Nitria. This example of the three orders mentioned above has already proven that spiritual natures see one another, although they are distant from one another, and that distance and bodily feelings do not prevent them from seeing each other. Likewise, souls, when they achieve purity, see not physically, but spiritually; because bodily vision occurs openly, and sees what is before the eyes, but distant vision requires a lot of vision. The heavenly ranks (spirits) in existence are innumerable - many, and are named by difference and rank. For why are they called Principalities, Powers, Powers? They are called dominions, perhaps, as distinguished by honor. And they are smaller in number than those subordinate to them, as Saint Dionysius, Bishop of Athens said, but they are greater in power and knowledge, and are very divided in the greatness of their ranks. For they extend from rank to rank until they reach the unity of that which is greater and mightier than all – the Head and foundation of all creation. I do not call the Creator the head, but the One who stands at the head of the miracles of God’s works. For many are below the providence of the wisdom of God, theirs and our Creator, and as many below as those who are under them are below themselves. I call them lower, I mean height and baseness not in place, but in the power of knowledge, in accordance with the measure that is acquired in comparison with the subsequent, greater or lesser, knowledge. For the Divine Scripture called all these spiritual entities by nine spiritual names, and divided them into three degrees; and divides the first into great, high and most holy Thrones, many-eyed Cherubim and six-winged Seraphim; the second degree - for Dominance, Strength and Authority, and the third - for the Beginnings, Archangels and Angels. These ranks are interpreted from the Hebrew: Seraphim - warming and burning; Cherubim - abundant in knowledge and wisdom; Thrones are God’s support and God’s peace; and these ranks are named by these names according to their actions. The Thrones are called as venerable. Dominions - as having power over every kingdom, Principalities - as organizing the ether, Powers - as ruling over nations and over every person, Powers - as strong in strength and terrible in their vision, Seraphim - as sanctifying, Cherubim - as bearers, Archangels - as vigilant guards, Angels - as sent. On the first day nine spiritual natures were created in silence, and one nature in words; and this is light. On the second day the firmament was created. On the third day God caused the gathering of waters and the vegetation of grains; in the fourth - separation of light; in the fifth - birds, reptiles and fish; in the sixth - animals and humans. The structure of the whole world is longitude and latitude; beginning - east; end - west; right side - north; left - south. God set the whole earth as a bed; the highest heaven is like skin and vault and cube; the second heaven is like a wheel adjoined to the first heaven, and that which is adjoined to heaven and earth; the ocean is like a belt surrounding heaven and earth, and inside it are high mountains that reach to the sky, and behind the mountains the Sun so that it passes there throughout the whole night, and among these mountains there is a great sea, which occupies about three-quarters of the entire land. What is purity? Briefly put: a heart that has mercy on all created nature. QUESTION. What is purity of mind? ANSWER. A pure mind is not one who does not know evil (for such a person will be bestial), not one who is by nature in an infantile state, not one who assumes the appearance of purity. But purity of mind is enlightenment by the Divine, through active exercise in virtues. And we do not dare say that anyone should acquire this without being tempted by thoughts, because otherwise he would be an unendowed body. For we do not dare to say that our nature will not be fought and harmed until death. I call temptation of thoughts not only to obey them, but to begin the fight against them. Purity of mind and purity of heart. QUESTION. What is the difference between purity of mind and purity of heart? ANSWER. One is purity of mind, and another is purity of heart. For the mind is one of the spiritual feelings, and the heart embraces and holds in its power the inner feelings. It is the root, and if the root is holy, then the branches are holy, i.e. if the heart is brought to purity, then it is clear that all feelings are purified. If the mind applies diligence to reading the Divine Scriptures or labors a little in fasting, in vigils, in silence, then it will forget its previous way of thinking and achieve purity as soon as it moves away from bad life; however, it will not have constant purity; because as soon as it is cleansed, just as quickly it becomes defiled. The heart achieves purity through many sorrows, deprivations, removal from communication with everything that is worldly in the world, and self-mortification for all this. If it has achieved purity, then its purity is not defiled by anything small, it is not afraid of great, obvious battles, I mean terrible battles; because it has acquired a strong stomach, which can quickly digest any food that is indigestible in weak people. For doctors say that all meat food is indigestible, but it imparts much strength to healthy bodies when a strong stomach accepts it. Thus, any purity acquired quickly, in a short time and with little difficulty, is soon lost and desecrated. Purity, achieved through many sorrows and acquired over a long period of time, is not afraid of any attack that does not exceed the measure in any part of the soul, because God strengthens the soul. Glory to him forever and ever! AMEN. Purity of mind. How it is preserved and how it is violated. Chaste and collected feelings create peace in the soul and do not allow it to enter (get carried away) into the testing of things. And when the soul does not accept the sensations of things, then victory is achieved without struggle. If a person is careless and allows attacks (thoughts) to have access to him, then he is forced to endure the battle. The original purity, which can be very simple and even, is also indignant. For due to this negligence, the majority of people, or the whole world, leave their natural and pure state. Therefore, those who live in the world, in close ties with worldly people, cannot purify their minds, for the reason that they have known a lot of evil. Few are able to return to the original purity of mind. Therefore, every person should always carefully guard his feelings and mind from battles. For much is required of sobriety, vigilance, and forethought. Great simplicity is beautiful. Generosity. Generous donation. If you give something to someone in need, let the cheerfulness of your face precede your giving, and comfort his sorrow with a kind word. When you do this, then your gaiety in his mind overcomes your giving, i.e. (it) is higher than satisfying the needs of the body. Alms must be given generously. If you have anything extra beyond your daily needs, give it to the poor and go boldly to offer your prayers, i.e. talk with God like a son with his father. Nothing can bring the heart closer to God than almsgiving, and nothing produces such silence in the mind as arbitrary poverty. It is better for many to call you ignorant for your simplicity, than for you to be called wise and perfect in mind for glory (in the Syriac text: “for your frugality”). If someone, sitting on a horse, stretches out his hand to you to accept alms, do not refuse him, because at this time he is, without a doubt, poor, like one of the beggars. When you give, give with generosity, with kindness on your face, and provide him with more than he asked for. For it is said: send your piece on the face of the poor, and in a short time you will find recompense (Eccl. 11:1). (In our text: “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.”) Do not separate the rich from the poor, and do not try to discern the worthy from the unworthy; May all people be equal to you for good deeds. For in this way you can also attract the unworthy to goodness, because the soul through bodily (good deeds) is soon drawn into the fear of God. And the Lord shared meals with tax collectors and harlots and did not separate those unworthy from Himself, so that in this way he would draw everyone into the fear of God and so that through the physical they would come closer to the spiritual. Therefore, through goodness and honor, make all people equal, whether someone is a Jew, or an infidel, or a murderer, especially since he is your brother, of the same nature with you, and has not wandered from the truth without knowledge. If a person does not neglect honors and dishonor and, for the sake of silence, endures reproach, abuse, harm, even beatings, does not become a laughing stock and those who see him do not consider him a holy fool and a fool, then he will not be able to remain in the good intention of silence. The appearance of angels to ascetics. Is it necessary to say something about ascetics who are alien to this world and about hermits? They turned the desert into a city and turned it into a village and an abode of angels. According to the improvement of their lives, angels always came to them and, as servants of the one Lord, sometimes in company, stayed with those who all the days of their lives loved the desert and, out of love for God, had their dwellings in the mountains, dens and abysses of the earth. And since they, having left the earthly, loved the heavenly and became imitators of the angels, the holy angels themselves, in justice, did not hide their appearance from them for this and fulfilled their every desire, from time to time they appeared to them, teaching them how they should live, and sometimes they explained what they were perplexed about; sometimes the saints themselves asked them what needed to be done. Sometimes their bodies, exhausted from not eating, were given supernatural strength by the touch of a hand or words and strengthened them; sometimes they brought them food, bread and even vegetables or some other food to eat with bread; and to some of them the time was announced, and to others the manner of their repose. And is it necessary to list the many things that prove the love of the holy angels for us and their every possible care for the righteous? They looked after us like older brothers look after babies. This was said so that everyone could understand that “the Lord is near to all who call on Him... in truth” (Ps. 144:18), and to see what His providence is for those who have dedicated themselves to please Him and follow Him with all their hearts. At first glance, it may seem strange to think that there is a part of malice in justice; but this idea is correct: you just need to understand it correctly. Let's take this case. A man was engaged in murder, robbery, theft for many years and then fell into some kind of misfortune. Anyone who does not pity this criminal, but subjects him to proper punishment, will be just, but will not be merciful. Thus, one who wants to be just cannot be merciful. Therefore, Rev. Isaac says that mercy is the opposite of justice. And if justice is opposite to mercy, then it means that there is unmercifulness in it, that is, malice. This does not mean, of course, that justice is a vice; no, it is a virtue and one of the properties of God; but this only means that it is lower than mercy, because, as James says (2:13), “mercy exalts itself above judgment.” (From the note of Nikifor Theotokis). In the Syriac text, this entire passage (after the words “moves in the material”) reads like this: “This material direction of it is a passionate state, or an imprint of external activity. For the mind involuntarily also imagines those things through which it performs virtues, and by them is to a large extent stimulated to worry and to collect thoughts. For, even if the goal is directed towards good, the mind can still, due to lack of exercise, be active in the direction of the body, although not in a passionate way and until the secret influence of mental images prepares for it sorrow due to a stronger flame thanks to God, which usually cuts off vain memories. Rev. Isaac distinguishes here between the type of knowledge of beings by nature and the type of knowledge of beings through nature. The first is not contrary to purity, but the second must be forgotten in order to achieve purity. The type of knowledge of beings through nature is the knowledge of things not simply by nature, but with the use of thoughts resulting from the use of things not by nature, but by passion. Thus, the representation in thoughts of gold, as a creation of God, is knowledge of what exists by nature; and the presentation of gold with selfish lust is knowledge of existence through nature. Those. do not flee. In the Syriac text: “...who simply and without thinking, out of ardent love for God, commit themselves to the sea of ​​afflictions and do not turn back.” According to the Syriac text, the meaning is this: “Why does satisfying the passions of the body give it growth and strength, while satisfying the passions of the soul harms it, although they supposedly should be characteristic of it?” The words “peculiar to him” are not in the Greek edition; they were supplemented from an ancient Slavic manuscript. In the Syriac text this passage reads as follows (after the word “opposite”): “everything that gives benefit and joy to the body should be considered as alien to the nature of the soul and imposed on it only by borrowing, if it acquires it for itself: for what belongs to the nature of the soul is deadly to the body.” According to the Syriac text, the thought is different: “but it simply taught us that here, without changing our nature and changing place, we cannot receive feelings of bliss from them.” You might be interested in: