Various instructions to your children, monks

If a brother comes to you and reveals his thoughts to you, then do not tell them to anyone, but pray for yourself and for him, so that both of you may be free from unclean thoughts. If any brother humbly asks you to help him in his affairs, then work with him all that day. Imitate the senior monks in the monastery to receive blessings from them. Correct the mistakes of others without any condescension towards them, but correct them with the fear of God, without any partiality to the person: whoever is guilty, excommunicate him from the Church with a severe reprimand. Take care of your clothing, so that you will not be naked on the day of judgment. Do not forget the fathers of the monastery who give birth to you spiritually; try to live in such a way that they will be amazed at your glory, which you will have among the saints. Eat your bread silently and abstinently and sit modestly at the table. Don't fulfill all your wishes. Stand in righteousness before the face of God. When the bell is struck, do not be lazy to go to church immediately. While traveling, hurry to return to your monastery so that you can continue your prayers. Church affairs should be entrusted to a faithful man who fears God. If you want to add other good deeds to the good deeds that are offered to you in these instructions, then do them and constantly thank the Lord Jesus Christ, whose glory is eternal. Amen. Whoever wants to be saved should not visit his home, in which he lived before retiring into solitude; should not live in the city in which he previously sinned; He should not visit his carnal parents and relatives, for this causes harm to the soul and destroys the fruits of life. If you have dedicated yourself to God, then fulfill all His commandments and do everything that your father commands you; do not leave him without fulfilling his orders, because if you do not obey your father, then your previous sins will not be forgiven you. If you submit to him, then be sure that all your previous sins will be forgiven you. Never eat with a woman. If you are healthy, then do not take off your belt. Do not add a fourth to three measures of wine (grape), unless you end up with a severe illness. Do not break the Divine commandments to please people. Do not go to the city in which you once sinned before God. Do not give up worship, otherwise your carelessness will become dangerous and disastrous for you. Engage in reading the Scriptures: it will protect you from uncleanness. While in your cell, engage in the labor of your hands, never forget the name of the Lord Jesus, but constantly remember it in your mind, keep it in your heart, praise it with your lips and say: “My Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me; Lord Jesus Christ, send me Thy help; I praise You, my Lord Jesus Christ.” Love labors: with fasting, prayer and vigil, they will protect you from all sins, because bodily labors promote purity of the heart, and purity of the heart makes a person capable of bearing spiritual fruits. Consider yourself as nothing and weep unceasingly for your sins. Do not be angry with anyone and forgive everyone the insults they do to you. Avoid lies, otherwise they will remove the fear of God from you. Destroy all vicious thoughts in yourself, place your trust in God - and He will protect you with His right hand. Do not reveal your thoughts to everyone, otherwise you may be a temptation to your brother. Engage in the work of your hands - and you will have the fear of God. Love humility: it will atone for all your sins. Do not be stubborn and disobedient, so as not to be an instrument and vessel of all evil and sin. Always remember that you must obey your father, and the fear of God will take root in you. Do not reproach your brother, even if you see that he is violating all the commandments of God, otherwise you yourself will fall into the hands of your enemies. Do not remember the sins that you previously committed, so that they do not recur in you. Do not doubt and be sure that your sins are forgiven if you have completely surrendered yourself to God and repent of them. Do not consider yourself wise and learned, otherwise your labors will be in vain and your ship will sail without any benefit for you. Train your tongue so that it always, at every moment and in all matters, says to all your brothers and God: “Forgive me.” If you often pronounce these words from your heart, you will have humility. Do not judge anyone, lest the fear of God depart from you and lest you fall into the hands of your enemies. Do not remember the pleasures that you once indulged in, the games that you played at a time when you did not care about your salvation; don’t talk about them and don’t say: “I did this and that, I didn’t want to do that.” Memories and conversations about this can be a temptation for you. While in your cell, engage in reading Scripture, prayers to God and the labors of your hands. Do not remember those passions that you indulged in in the world, so that the desire to indulge in them again does not revive in you and so that they do not serve as a temptation for your heart. Constantly repent of your sins and do not be careless for a single minute of time. With humility and tears, ask your father to instruct you in what you do not know; don't be ashamed to humiliate yourself before him. Every day imagine that this is your last day living in this world: in this way you will protect yourself from sins. To be humble, think about all people that they are better than you, that you are more susceptible to sins than they are. Always keep your head tilted towards the ground; and when someone insults you, then say: “Lord, have mercy on me.” Constantly think about death, never talk about worldly things, never fulfill your own vicious desires. Despise the body and its pleasures: they are full of evil. Do not bother anyone by asking them to do your will. If someone falsely accuses you of something, do not be angry with him. Avoid pride and think about every person that he is better than you. Do not hide from your spiritual father the sins that you have committed. Don't try to defend yourself against accusations; Do not wish in your heart any harm to that person who, by his actions, wants to arouse anger in you against him, and warn yourself against anger. Do not speak empty words and do not listen to those who say them. To keep your heart pure, speak only about God’s good deeds to man and ask God for forgiveness of your sins. Flee from greed and disobedience, and especially avoid intemperance, because it gives rise to sensual desires that drive out the fear of God from the heart, make a person shameless, enslave him to vicious passions and remove his mind from God. Do not boast about your deeds, either in your heart or in your words, and do not say: “I did this and that; I haven’t offended anyone, I haven’t caused anyone grief.” Such words only show vanity; but whoever is infected with vanity is the dwelling place of unclean spirits. Designate one hour each day for rest and refreshment, but do not use this hour for bodily pleasure. Constantly mortify and weaken the body through labor. Bend your knees often in prayer: do not be lazy to do this, lest you die a bad death. Weaken your body so that you are like a sick person lying on a bed. Always meditate on the Divine commandments and try with all your might to fulfill God’s commandments; Do not break a single commandment of God, otherwise your soul will become a receptacle for all uncleanness. Do not reproach anyone for anything, otherwise God will not accept your prayers. Avoid laughter and all jokes. If you constantly read the Scriptures and fulfill the commandments of God, then God will always be merciful to you. A monk who forgets God in his cell and does not glorify Him is like the ruins of a house located outside the city: they serve as a place of all uncleanness, because the inhabitants of the city take there all rubbish from their homes. Before and after praying with your brothers, always pray in your cell and never forget this duty. Weep unceasingly, so that God will have mercy on you and ease all your sorrows. Despise all worldly things and move away from them, because they remove us from God. Love your work and do it. Try to acquire true humility, because it atones for all a person’s sins. He who does not do the work of the children of God angers God. I, Anthony, have given you true instructions. So, be attentive to them and hide them in your heart. Know that with these instructions I have entrusted you to the Creator. If you fulfill these, you will never have time to enjoy joy along with all the Angels. By fulfilling God's commandments you will defeat evil spirits. So, fulfill them and do not forget them. God will be your Helper, and His Angels will accompany you. Your soul will be filled with the fragrance of the saints, and your face will shine with blessed light. You will become a sacrifice pleasing to God, like all the saints. You will see the Lord with joy and gladness and hear His words: good and faithful servant: you have been faithful for a few, but I will make you ruler over many: enter into the joy of your Lord (Matthew 25:21). Praise must be offered to Him forever. Amen. A young monk in all his affairs in his cell and in judging every drop of water he wants to drink must be guided by the advice of his elders. I know that some monks fell because they thought of themselves that they had pleased God with their lives. So, if you are given an order that is in accordance with the commandments of the Lord our God, then try to fulfill it, so that the words of the apostle will be fulfilled on us: work for one another with love (Gal. 5:13). If someone commands us to do something contrary to the commandments of God, then to the one who commands us, we will say: it is fitting to obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29). Let us also remember the words of the Lord: My sheep do not follow strangers, but flee from him, because they do not know the strange voice (John 10:5). And the heavenly Paul tells us about this: if we, or an angel from heaven, bring you good news, let him be accursed (Gal. 1:8-9). The beginning of all virtues and the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Just as light, entering an earthly house, drives away darkness and illuminates the house, so the fear of the Lord, entering the heart of a person, drives away sinful darkness and illuminates a person with all the virtues and wisdom. Just as pride and arrogance cast the devil from the heights into the abyss, so humility and meekness lift a person from earth to heaven. Translated from Latin by A.S. Krasnoselsky from the publication of Galland’s “Library of the Holy Fathers”. Published by: Christian Reading. 1830. Part 37. pp. 246–256.