Letters (translation by MDA)

This publication presents a collection of letters from St. Nile of Sinai - a great Christian ascetic and teacher of the Church. The basis of the publication was the printed edition of 1858, according to which all letters are divided into 4 sections. In total, the collection includes 997 letters, covering various aspects of spiritual life. Classification of letters by content: 1. Dogmatic - reveal the main provisions of Christian doctrine, protect the Orthodox faith from heretical errors. These letters are directed against pagans, Jews, heretics (Gnostics, Manichaeans, Arians, etc.). St. Neil proves the existence of God, teaches about the trinity of Persons of the Divine, expounds the doctrine of the Incarnation, etc. He talks about original sin, the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the dead and eternal bliss. 2. Exegetical - contain interpretations of the Holy Scriptures, reflections on Divine Providence and the spiritual meaning of biblical texts. 3. Moral and ascetic - include instructions on asceticism, the fight against passions, prayer and spiritual improvement (for both monastics and laity). Book 1 • Book 2 • Book 3 • Book 4 God, even before the next century, gave the monks such grace that they do not desire human glory, nor do they desire all the virtues that exist in the world, but they often hide and try to hide from people, voluntarily including themselves among the low and humiliated brethren. And many of the nobles and people of every rank in the world, either voluntarily or against their will, for some reason, resort to humble monks, get rid of deadly dangers, and achieve salvation, both temporary and eternal. For the providence of God prompts the mighty of the earth, willingly or unwillingly, to resort to the least of their brethren and be saved. You often force me to write to you, making requests to my humility; because I myself am not lazy about it. So, someone said before us, as if, according to an unwritten tradition, the opinion is preserved in the Church that Judea was the first to have man as its inhabitant, and the primordial Adam, after his expulsion from paradise, established himself in it, seeking consolation for his loss. Therefore, Palestine received the first dead person when the sentence was fulfilled there on Adam 1. To those who lived then, it seemed something new to see a head bone that had survived the flesh, and they, putting the skull in place, called this place the frontal bone. Probably Noah also knew the tomb of the ancestor of all people, since he also preserved his flock after the flood. For this reason, He who knew the beginning of human death endured suffering in a place called the forehead (Mark 15:22), so that where the beginning of human decay began, the life of the kingdom began there. And just as death intensified in Adam, so it weakened in the death of Christ. Why did the Prophet Isaiah say: in a rose in the place of fatness (Is. 5:1) in a rose, since the cross of the Lord is sewn up against death; and in place is fat, since after paradise he was awarded primacy over all the sunflowers. Some sins are truly serious and are considered as such. Grave ones: murder and adultery: because these are truly grave sins, and are considered grave. An oath, although a grave sin, is not considered such; That’s why we will always keep the oath, whether we took it fairly or unjustly, so that, having fallen into this sin, we will not be deprived of eternal life. By prayer and the lifting of his hands, Moses put Amalek to flight. Therefore, if you do not remember evil against your brother and pray for your neighbor who insults and upsets you; it is clear that your hands are raised to heaven, and of course you will receive help when the devil tempts you and begins to overcome you. And if you retain anger at your neighbor, you yourself attack him, blame him, slander the person; then, without a doubt, the hands of your inner man are still lowered, although, apparently, you raise your hands and raise your eyes to God; and your prayer will not be heard; For your hands, says God, are filled with the blood (Is. 1:15) of your brothers. For what is more murderous than memory malice? Therefore, let us listen to the one who says: wash yourself with repentance, and you will be cleansed from your wickedness (Is. 1:16), with the help of pure prayer. The demons are ready to disturb us at all times with insult, dishonor, and malicious intent against us; but, as the Prophet says, those who rise up against us in annoyance and a high heart will be put to shame and humiliated (Is.9:9). And for us there is prepared a crown of life, glory and incorruption, woven together by those who endure the Lord (Ps. 36:9). Do not give freedom, man, to your tongue. You should be completely ashamed of the fact that you praise the adultery and child molestation of your gods, and worship the disastrous passions of adultery, and cannot at all imagine with your mind anything that is higher than the body. In Samaria, when during the reign of Jehoram the son of Achaab, because the king of Assyria rebelled, necessities became scarce, and the head of a donkey was sold for fifty shekels, and the fourth part of a measure of pigeon pus for five shekels of silver (2 Kings 6:25), why everyone expected a disastrous death, beyond expectation there came such an abundance that a measure of wheat flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley also for a shekel (2 Kings 7:16). For the Lord destroys the councils of tongues and rulers, but the counsel of the Lord endures forever (Ps. 32:10, 11). Therefore, let us not fall into cowardice, but let us expect abundance in poverty, and peace in sorrow. And to believe only in Christ the Savior is justification, but to confess with His lips is perfect salvation (Rom. 10:9, 10). God-wise Isaiah says: let them not speak like this word, but do not give gifts (Is. 8:20). For there is nothing equivalent to the confession of the Master's name, and the blessed and holy knowledge that has been given to us. Therefore, it is fair to say at this point David’s word: what will I repay to the Lord for all that I have repaid (Ps. 116:3)? He received faith from me and rewarded me with heavenly knowledge. For holy knowledge contains thousands of blessings. Some, having set off from the piers in the summer, were shipwrecked, while others, having sailed in the winter, were comfortably saved; and how many ascetics, expecting an undoubted victory, were defeated? Those who did not hope to be second became the first crowned crowned. Therefore, let us not be careless and not give in to despair, but in every matter let us be diligent in prayer. Tell your friend that unbridled ardor is the cause of the greatest evils for people. It is said: create and transform all things, and turn into the morning the shadow of death, and darken the day into night ( Am. 5:8 ); for He changes states, times and things. Therefore, God turns the shadow of death, that is, the sinful and darkened state transforms into virtue, complacency and lightness. But it has the power to darken day into night, that is, to change what is very joyful and bright into sadness. It is said: if anyone is not circumcised on the 8th day, he will be destroyed (Gen. 17:14). However, a gentle and unreasonable baby is not punished if he is not circumcised: but the parents should have been punished even more. But God punishes if, through faith and prayer, you, man, do not cut off your anger; because the Apostle commands that malice be an infancy (1 Cor. 14:20). Therefore let us be circumcised with the sword of the Spirit, looking to the eighth day, that is, to the age to come; Let us circumcise all carnal wisdom, both word and lawless deed, so as not to perish and be alienated from among the people saved by Christ. Behold, the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, who trust in His mercy (Ps. 33:18). He who does not expect justification from works has only one hope of salvation - the generosity of God. For when he hears that God will reward someone according to his deeds (Rom. 2:6), and thinks about his sinful deeds, then he is afraid of punishment, afraid of threats, but so that sadness does not consume him, he remains trustworthy, looking at God’s generosity and love for mankind. What the Apostle said: soon, (ἐν άτομω) (1 Cor. 15:52), means the same as if someone said: in an indivisible and shortest continuation of time. You have received the Spirit, who tests the depths of God (1 Cor. 2:10), not in order to comprehend the nature of God, as Eunomius, who has lost his mind, claims, but in order to deeply and wisely glorify the Lord. For the Apostle says: I do not think that I have attained, but I persecute even if I comprehend (Phil. 3:12, 13). What does it mean: we are the mind of Christ imams (1 Cor. 2:16)? The fact that, since my sovereignty has been purified, I think purely and sublimely, and my life is bright. We received the Spirit, like the Apostle, not in order to know exactly what the nature of God is, but in order to understand for us those countless good gifts that were given to us by God, and about which we offer a word to those who learn (1 Cor. 2:12). How could all this have happened or taken place if God had not brought it about and sustained it? For, looking at the beautifully decorated harp, at its harmony and harmony, or listening to the playing of the harp, will anyone think about anything other than the one who arranged the harp and the player on the harp, and will he turn his thoughts to him, even if he did not know him personally? Thus, the creative force is obvious to us, both moving and preserving what has been created, although It is not comprehended by the mind. The tempting demons retreat, perhaps for a while, from the person who has not only defeated them, but also been defeated by them; because God, who provides for His creation, gives the vanquished a short break and rest so that he can take a breath, gather his strength and again raise his hands against his opponents. Our soul longs for the Lord, for He is our helper and protector (Ps. 33:20). This word contains an exhortation to patience, namely, so that if we are ever abandoned by anyone who offends us, we should not separate ourselves from the love of God, even in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:39), but with all our souls endure everything difficult, expecting help from God. Are you unworthy? believe that you will be saved. Are you insensitive? Don't expect to be saved. Those who are unworthy, but grateful and give thanks in every sorrow, are merciful and saved by the man-loving God, even if they even reach the depths of despair in accepting blessings. But he has no mercy on the insensitive. Who is insensitive? Is it not the one who does not want to gratefully confess that through the confession of the Lord Christ thousands of benefits and benefits have been bestowed on the world? What is said in the seventeenth psalm: put up your darkness (Ps. 17:12), means that the abysses of God’s judgments are incomprehensible, unsearchable and not understood. You asked me: why, having first washed our hands outside, then we enter the Lord’s house to pray? In the sensory, learn the mental. Just as we wash away bodily impurities with water, so we enlighten the soul with prayer. For no person is clean from sin, even if in life he could enter into competition with Moses, that great lawgiver. Therefore, every person daily has a need for prayerful cleansing; since prayer washes away every impurity that appears in us. On the basis that at the beginning of faith we were washed once by divine baptism, it is not permissible for a believer and Orthodox to be baptized a second time. And on the basis that the filth that sticks to us, due to our inattention and our negligence, always needs to be cleansed, and erased from ourselves, and every almost hour we throw away from ourselves as far as possible; we need this bath - in the consciousness of our mental and sensory, voluntary and involuntary, falls. For, I think, Job said on your behalf: even if I am washed with snow and cleansed with clean hands, you have sufficiently washed me with filth (Job 9:30, 31). Therefore, just as we eat and drink throughout our entire lives, we must continually cleanse ourselves. for it is impossible that any man should be found wholly blameless and undefiled; then believe the Prophet, who cries: wash me, and I will be whiter than snow (Ps. 50:9), and Paul, who writes: let us draw near to God with a true heart, having our minds sprinkled from an evil conscience (Heb. 10:22), and so on. Some people were allowed to be attacked by demons for a short time and soon left them, while others were commanded to be disturbed for a long time by God, the Provider, and together with our Judge, while shameless demons were allowed to approach others even until their last breath and always tempt and torment them. You wrote to me that it would be desirable for you to find out what benefits vigil brings to a person; for I see, you say, that many are eager to go on vigil, but in my opinion, staying on vigil is unnecessary; because God put sleep on Adam (Gen. 2:21), and sleep, without a doubt, I need, since God does not require my good things (Ps. 15:2). – What happened to Adam sensually in the beginning made it possible to comprehend the mystery comprehended by the mind. For the first Adam meant Adam the second, that is, our Lord Jesus Christ, who was to die a human death on the cross, so that from His holy side, pierced by a spear and bleeding out blood and water, His spiritual bride, that is, the universal Church, would be created. To say: I need to sleep, because God imposed sleep on man, as if prescribing inactivity and laziness to you by law, is something extremely bestial and not characteristic of someone gifted with a human and rational soul. And you, in such a bestial and unreasonable undertaking, what can you finally do except, lying on your bed, bleat, or moo, or bray like a donkey, when other people, during their vigils, as you said, rush to praise God, having prevailed over sleep and overthrown its arbitrary power? For, having accepted such an unreasonable intention, it is fitting for you to spend the entire time of your life in drowsiness, and to be called no longer a living person, but a buryer of the dead, who buried a dead soul in a living body to its final destruction, and no longer look at the human light, but, like a miscarriage, move from darkness to darkness; and indeed what is written will come true for you: a man, venerable in the image of God, without understanding, is likened to foolish cattle, and becomes like them (Ps. 49:13). But if you want to know the benefits of vigil, be curious to hear what the one who watered the bed with tears said every night: I preceded in hopelessness, and cried out (Ps. 119:147), confessing to You and singing songs to You, I woke up at midnight (Ps. 119:62), not prompted by anyone else, and forcibly attracted to shake off sleep, but diligently rousing myself to glorification of the Creator: because it, as I admitted, was sweeter for me than sleep, since it has great benefits, and for those who remain in vigil it becomes the wine of many eternal blessings. For firstly, by revealing to God the failures that happened to us on the previous day in deeds or words, we are relieved of grief over them, as if from a heavy burden lying on the shoulders of the soul. And with the fire of vigil we turn the wealth of the devil into ashes, burning it like thorns, because he is enriched throughout the day by our failures, which is why the all-evil one is indignant and roars at us 3 when he sees that we are spending time in vigil, and we devote ourselves to it with love and care. For we plunge him into great harm and confusion when every day we make it more obvious that he is being deprived, and does not have in his hands, the gain brought to him by our sins. And secondly, he himself, a many-headed and all-evil beast, invisibly attacking us and ready to tear to pieces or devour us, is curbed and bound by vigilant prayer, and weakens the muscles of his anger; and it helps us to be worthy of the heavenly bounty that overflows over the edges, and flows more abundantly than the sea to benefit us, grace. After this, we also become more inert in the future to fall, because vigil imprints 4 God-loving thoughts in us, produces in us an aversion from worldly vanity, and teaches us to distance ourselves from what is harmful; because the vigil for God, having caught us at night alone and free from worries caused by the crowd of people, and from trying to hold meetings and have meetings with friends, like a compassionate mother, taking advantage of this opportunity, as if in some country, not announced by any noise, but filled with silence, sobriety, silence and complete peace, pressing us to itself, it opens its treasures wisdom, worthy advice, and divine insights, and secretly fills the depths of our soul with them. And if we soberly preserve everything that has been given to us; then we are blessed and blessed. And what I say, the secret ones and the children of the beautiful vigil will experience it a thousand times, desiring to strike David’s harp with the clanking of their tongues, and in their throats, as the Prophet says, singing the praises of God (Ps. 149:6). And is not my larynx taught by reason ( Job 6:30 )? I indicate both darkness and light, illuminating with psalms and illuminating the dullness of the night, and preparing my eyes for the morning, to learn from the word of the Lord (Ps. 119:148), and adorned with the crimson of flaming thoughts, I beg wisdom from above to come to me. For when we remain in vigil, the grace of the Lord inexpressibly visits us, and indescribably appears to us and leads us to contemplation of it, accessible to us, and the assimilation of sacred minds to it, as far as is permissible, and sacredly falling to it. We are blessed a thousand times over when we preserve everything that we have acquired through vigil. If it happens that we lose a small, or even a significant, part; then the remaining reason for babies will be enough to achieve salvation. For often a bird-catcher, having caught a hundred doves in a field and joyfully locked them up, and then through carelessness losing a third or even half, with the remaining birds, satisfies his sorrow for those who hid secretly, and consoles his heart by the fact that he does not return empty-handed to his house, both now bringing part of his prey, and learning to carefully preserve what he has caught for his benefit in the future. The greatest good is vigil for those who decide to shake off sleep - this neighbor of death, and all the more so because the Master Himself remained in vigil, and assimilated it to Himself in the economy according to the flesh, as Luke also says that Jesus was common in the prayer of God (Luke 6:12), teaching us by deed to follow the footsteps of the Teacher. That is why he said: watch and pray, so that you do not fall into misfortune (Matthew 26:41). Also, Paul and Silas, not ignorant of the benefits of vigil, glorified God at midnight (Acts 16:25). And David says: I was like a special bird here (Ps. 102:8); that is, inspired, not drawn to the earth, but abiding here, and at the height of virtue. For with the prayerful cry of my tongue, instead of my hands, I embraced the invisible feet of the man-loving God, and my mortal heart became a silver or gold jewel, and again I became an altar of the Lord, a humble man; because grace has kindled the coals of knowledge in me, and offers to God a fragrant sacrifice. I see, brother, that in your inner man you are covered from head to toe with great leprosy, from which you will not be able to be cleansed unless your spirit rises in the morning to God (Is. 26:9), who enlightens us with the divine commandments, revives those killed by negligence and sends down the dew of the highest wisdom, which heals every spiritual ailment and every illness (Matt. 4:23 ); For the dew that comes from You, says Scripture, is healing (Is. 26:19). And God also says: I will be to him like dew, and he will flourish like a tree (Hosea 14:6). This dew, having now descended into your heart, inflamed by voluptuousness, and rustled with a beneficial wind and a certain spring 5 and subtle breeze, will shake your flame, as in the cave of Babylon once, and will cool and save you, making you truly wise, and convincing you not to sleep too much, but to diligently remain vigilant. Just as a living being must constantly take a breath, so one must constantly long for a beautiful vigil and remain in it, in psalms and hymns imitating the vigilance of the sweetly singing nightingale, when he sits on his eggs all night, without ceasing his sweet singing. If you do this; then the enemy will not tolerate staying with you for a long time, noticing how you crush and humiliate him, and sting him every night with the stings of vigilant prayer. It is wonderful to remain in night prayer without being entertained by anything and without being distracted by thoughts. If, due to some temptation, it happens that some shameful thoughts attack you; Do not in any way stop this wonderful activity - vigil, but continue and grow old in this activity, and you will certainly reap the fruits of wisdom at the right time. If anyone wants to indulge in luxury and get drunk in idleness, and caress his bed, pleasing sleep, and not God; then let him see what harmful and vile thoughts arise in the heart from this fatness, and then indulge in his dreams, and await his fall and death. For now I will not agree to say anything other than the truth 7, namely, that all carnal dispositions will be cast out of the kingdom. An adulterer considers every person an adulterer, and also a thief thinks that everyone is a thief; but a chaste, holy and God-loving husband argues that everyone is holy and righteous. And you, being known for a long time for a vicious life, believe that everyone is vicious and worthless, and you slander everyone every day, as if they are depraved, rude and very bad. Do not wish for your superior to be wise in words; because those who are wise in words are not necessarily pleasing to God. But seek so that you, who think about yourself that you are filled with worldly wisdom, will be completely in obedience to the simpleton; then you will be adorned with the crown of humility and not at all counterfeit subordination. Your obedience and modest way of thinking about yourself will not be harmed in the least by the great simplicity of your Abba in the word spoken orally 8 . 34. Bedside Eustathius Throughout the whole day of his life, the righteous man is stricken with sorrows, illnesses, and reproaches, and the one stricken is oppressed by many sorrows. Therefore, do not be surprised when you see a good man in various ways distressed and exhausted. The Lord loves him, punishes him, beats every son, but accepts him (Proverbs 3:12). And I was plagued, it is said, all day long, and my reproach was in the morning (Ps. 72:14) Reproof did not wait for the sun to appear in all its radiance. I convicted myself if I had fallen in anything and without witnesses, confessing and declaring my sins to everyone. The real scarcity of what is available for consumption, the impossibility of getting it easily and quickly, the uncertainty of when and how our requests will be satisfied - all this serves as an exercise in hope. For we must hope in God, who can give us blessings when we are deprived of them, or when we have them, but meagerly. Let us hope in God, brother, let us hope, although we see that we do not suddenly and easily receive what we ask for, we do not even know what else will happen to us. For it pleases God that we should always hope in Him, who has arranged everything so that those of us who first hoped would enjoy the blessings we had asked for, both temporal and eternal. Anyone who asked something from God, hoped to receive it, and received it, now learns, in thinking about the future, everything that human nature needs, to hope from God, who promises to give this too. Why, both now before the event, and many years before, He promises, and fulfills the promises, and does this many times. Thus, repeated experiences of the truth of God and for the future strengthen our hope in what is truly promised. Therefore, just as you have repeatedly received what you asked for, and have experienced through experience God’s love for mankind and condescension, and God’s generosity, so now, if you are not heard soon, strengthen yourself with good expectation, patiently and generously hope, and do not stop knocking on the door with your prayer until God deigns to rise up and give you according to the measure, or even beyond the measure, of your need; because whatever we ask or think about, God can and wants to do it all for us in abundance. John the Baptist, fearing that he, as a man, would suffer some harm, avoided cities and lived in the desert. But Jesus, God and Lord of all, entering cities, attended suppers with sinners; because He is the sun of righteousness, and the rays of the sun touch all dirt, and dry up stinking dirt, but they themselves remain clean and undefiled. But the Pharisees, being jealous, say: Why does Jesus eat with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:11)? O envious, foolish and blind of heart! You don’t know that, not in any other place, but a doctor must be near the sick. Where there are sinners, there, of course, purification is provided. For Christ came to call sinners, not the righteous, to repentance. Jesus Christ spends time with sinners according to the economy, so that sinners, having repented, may be at home with the righteous and rejoice in the kingdom of heaven. Most of the words that come out of your mouth are bold oaths; be ashamed of this. Your soul was alienated from God; Why do you challenge me to send some useful word to you, a person who is accustomed to joke about the divine as if it were something very ordinary? For how can I speak to an ear that is dead and disobedient? How can I sing the song of the Lord in foreign lands (Ps. 137:4), where, according to what is written, hedgehogs, owls and corvids nest (Is. 34:11) of wicked spirits, where onocentaurs and demons continually dance, and corvids scream? The paper prepared from cigarette and glue is called plain paper, and when it bears the royal signature, then, as you know, it is called, as it were, sacred. Understand the same about the divine sacraments. Before the utterance of the words by the priest and before the descent of the Holy Spirit, what is offered is simple bread and ordinary wine: after these terrible invocations and after the descent of the venerable, life-giving and good Spirit, reclining at the holy meal is no longer simple bread and not ordinary wine, but the body and the honest, pure blood of Christ the God of all, cleansing from all filth with great fear and love those who partake. With all your might, turn away and flee the destructive society of voluptuous young people; because through deeds and bad conversations they corrupt the souls of those who love them. The subordinate, suggesting to the brotherhood and the superior not to accept any more brothers, deserves more than ridicule, and becomes the playground of the devil. For what harm is there to you from the increase of brotherhood, and in the person of many brethren, as the Apostle said, the grace of the Holy Spirit increased in abundance (1 Tim. 1:14)? May God be all in all (1 Cor. 15:28); light for those worthy of light, and punishing fire for those worthy of eternal torment! What is acquired with difficulty is usually better retained, but what is easily acquired is very quickly rejected with contempt because it can be obtained again. Therefore, the difficulty of receiving a benefit is recognized especially as the highest and most lasting benefit. We are accustomed to strongly desire everything that we have obtained with great difficulty and struggle, to love it unflaggingly and to preserve it with all our might. Other ignorant and peace-loving people, like your poverty, carried away by passion, ask the Lord in prayer for health, wealth, that which leads to a luxurious life, and the death of people hostile to them, then, not seeing the fulfillment of such harmful petitions, they fall into unbelief and complain about God. Also, others, asking for something else and not receiving it for their own benefit (for not everything that we love is necessarily and useful; it is said: for what let us pray as we ought, we do not know (Rom. 8:26), they immediately begin to murmur, becoming upset and indignant because of the failure of prayer, and often, although in life they are worthy of all condemnation, they want God to certainly hear them But aren’t you also obliged to give thanks for the fact that you were honored to sit in the morning only before the Creator of all things, and to converse with Him in prayer? And you, dust, not only do not want to thank, but you also reproach your Creator. Now, at least, test yourself, man, and know your measure. Those who received inheritance from the great lawgiver Moses, before reaching the Jordan, were Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh. They represented those who were justified by the law. The other nine and a half tribes, who received inheritances after crossing the Jordan, serve as an image of the pagans who believed in Christ and achieved perfection by the grace of the Holy Spirit. It should be noted that before the river, that is, before Christian baptism, both knowledge and life turn out to be in some respects imperfect and infantile; because, as the Scriptures of Moses testified, there were children and wives and many livestock there (Num. 32:1 et seq.). Two and a half tribes also help the nine and a half tribes in acquiring their inheritance. For as we wage war by faith, prayers and divine deeds; For the weapons of our warfare, says the Apostle, are not carnal (2 Cor. 10:4), but spiritual and strong: so those who have previously pleased God with the help of the law fight and strive together with us with zeal and wonderful hopes. The mysterious deeds and words of Moses and the Prophets are similar to the gospel preaching, and success becomes common. That is why the Israelites said to Joshua, the son of Nun, when he was preparing to cross the Jordan with all his army: according to all who listened to Moses, we will listen to you (Joshua 1:17). Joshua represented the image of Jesus Christ, the Lord of all. Therefore, the wise Moses, seeing the future with the eyes of his soul, renamed from Absia, as he was formerly called, Jesus, so as to point to the true Jesus, the Son of God, who after baptism begins to preach the kingdom of heaven, and gives us a heavenly, immortal and eternal inheritance. Rahab is interpreted by breadth, because formerly a harlot, and now chaste, the Church, with the help of faith, expands the circle of its speculations and divine concepts. Therefore, the great Apostle writes to the Corinthians: do not be crowded together, but spread out even more, just as my heart was spread out (2 Cor. 6:11-13). 51. Aurelian (one of the noble pagans) You are moving towards eternal life along a path unworthy of the splendor of the Gospel, not bringing to your mind that in the near future there will be judgment for everything you have done in life, imposing an inevitable punishment according to the merits of each punishment. Therefore (do not be at all angry when you hear this) you must take the opposite path, choosing what is better in accordance with the law instead of what is incongruous, and not give room within yourself to the vicious desires that are still common to you. Every head is in pain, says Isaiah, and every heart is in sorrow: from the feet even to the head (Is. 1:5, 6), and in a few words: your land is desolate, strangers will devour your country before you (Is. 1: 7). And by the word: from the feet the Prophet means the subjects, and by the words: to the head of the rulers, full of every vice. Every head of disease, but also their nose, as the Prophet said elsewhere, flows into evil (Is. 59:7). Therefore, by illness, understand a vicious life, as David says about the defiled soul: illness conceived, and gave birth to iniquity (Ps. 7:15); because vice usually gives birth to lawlessness. So, since for contempt and love of evil, according to the judgment of God, sorrows and sorrows are often experienced, calling sinners to correction; then the Prophet said, therefore: every heart is sad. So the Jews are saddened by God, punished and oppressed by the hand of man. If not for the murder of Christ all of Judea was devastated by the Romans, and strangers to the Jews devour this country and gather its fruits; then the Prophet lied, who foretold this a thousand years ago (Is. 1:7). Let not the Jew deceive you, saying that he was alienated from Palestine for other sins; for it was not for other sins, but for the murder of the Lord that they suffered this incurable disaster. Previously, for idolatry and for killing the Prophets, sacrificing daughters and sons to demons, they were given over by God into captivity to foreigners, but after a few years, by God’s will, they were again returned to the land of promise. After they have dared to do this, an incorrigible thing - to lay hands on the Son of God, they are given over to complete ruin. This is already the five hundredth year, and there is no visitation from God, no help, no consolation from God, no Prophet who would give advice and support, as in Babylon Ezekiel, Daniel and others; because God, having become disgusted with them, no longer wants to talk with them. If after great joy sorrow befalls you; then expect that God, called to help, will, without a doubt, change great sorrow into joy even greater than before. As an interpreter of the mysteries of God, the spies sent to Palestine by Moses, it seems to me, serve as an image of the heavenly Angels, overseeing the whole world and looking after everything here; because none of human affairs is devoid of providence. And may this Angel convince you of this, in the form of a Macedonian man, encouraging the Apostle Paul to collaborate in the cause of saving people, when he says to him: come to Macedonia, help us (Acts 16:9). Since you read the venerable scriptures with love; then know this law, which prescribes and binds everyone, that a crown must be prepared for the roof of the mental house, that is, residence according to God. For it is not only necessary to lay the beginning of virtue, but also to crown it and bring it to the end, so as not to be condemned, like the builder mentioned in the Gospel who left the pillar unfinished (Luke 14:30). If we place a crown on the roof of a good life; then of course we will be able, following the example of the most faithful Raava (Josh. 2:6), not somewhere below, but rather in the church, to receive and entertain the Angels of Jesus, or rather, to receive the Lord of the Angels Jesus Christ Himself. The words of caresses are soft: they strike the treasures of the belly (Proverbs 26:22). Solomon calls those with a fox-like disposition and cunning deceivers caresses. Why does David say: Do not destroy me, O God, with those who speak peace with their neighbors, but evil is in their hearts (Ps. 27:3); their words fade away more than oil, and they are stinging arrows (Ps. 54:22). You were rightly surprised, wondering how sensual stones could accommodate the entire written second law (Joshua 8:32). Therefore, let us understand this in such a way that the second law mysteriously foretells the gospel of Christ, because after the law of Moses the divine gospel was written; and by stones we mean those who previously had a heart of stone, but were subsequently softened by faith and yielded to the writings of the Spirit. You are not unaware of what was said in Ezekiel: I will pluck out from you the heart of stone, and will give you a heart of flesh (Ezek. 11:19), obedient to God, so as not to indulge in error any more. Read what blessed Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthians: you have our epistle, not written on tablets of stone, but on tablets of the heart of flesh, not with ink, but with the Spirit of God (2 Cor. 3:2-3); because you demonstrate lawful work in your hearts (Rom. 2:15). The true Jesus does not need a long time to write the second law on the hearts of stones preserved by piety. For as soon as you have accepted the sermon, nothing else should be said to you except the following: I will transfer to the inner tablets the law of grace, not burdensome and longed for by the children of Israel, that is, the divine and incorporeal powers, onto stones not distorted and broken off by unbelief, but complete in soul and hearing. For it is said: if you have ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:15) with faith and with all attentiveness. 64. To the subdeacon Heraclius, engaged in the mastery of goldsmiths Like a courageous warrior, fighting for the king, if his opponents wound him with arrows, he will endure suffering and not succumb to cowardice; and when, with the care of others for him, he is cured, he turns the very scars from his wounds into boasts of his courage: so those wounded by the enemy, if they do not neglect the labors of repentance, having undoubtedly been saved, will boast on the day of judgment; because the courageous, although he will be in ulcers, will certainly win, fighting and wounded. About those who in their lives are led by the love of God and the desire for blessings, it is said that they stand near a mountain called Garizin (Joshua 8:33); about those who do good deeds not for the sake of blessing, favor and praise from God, but out of fear of threatening punishments, it is said that they are near Mount Ebal, where curses were uttered, not so that the one placed at Mount Ebal would be under an oath, but so that, having seen terrible curses, all the villages would beware of falling under them. Do not think that the Prophet Isaiah addresses the Sodomites, saying: hear the word of the Lord, you princes of Sodom (Is. 1:10). For this word refers to the princes of the Jews, who, together with their subordinates, in their deeds imitated the shameless behavior of the Sodomites. And the Prophet immediately adds: Heed the law of God, O people of horror: that I am the multitude of your sacrifices, saith the Lord (Is. 1:11). It is known that sacrifices were brought to God, not by the Sodomites and not by the Gomorrites, but by the Israelites. Inspired Scripture also personifies many inanimate things, for example: the sea speaks this and that, and the abyss speaks, is not in me (Job 28:14); and also: the heavens will tell the glory of God (Ps. 18:2); and the Lord commands the sword to be satisfied with flesh and blood, the mountains and hills are asked about the reason for their galloping (Ps. 113:6), and what is the sea, as if you ran away, and the Jordan, as if you returned back (Ps. 113:5)? And if this is so; then why do you show me what is said in Proverbs: The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways for His works (Prov. 8:22)? Solomon called the book he composed parables and dark words (Prov. 1:6). For the other is what is said in detail, hidden and accepts many understandings, and the other is clearly stated, not hidden, clear and precise. And you, due to damaged spiritual vision, turning away from the bright apostolic teaching, pay attention to dark fortune-telling. And what justification do you have for this? Therefore, I intended to resolve for you what was proposed in the parable; but, as you are firmly lulled by an unreasonable prejudice from the poison poured into you by the Arians, I restrained the movement of the pen, offering this one piece of advice, if only it is accepted - to believe now - more in the preaching evangelists and Apostles than in the Arians, who are more harmful than poisonous snakes. However, I am sure that he who speaks to dead ears will do no good. 68. To the Church Intercessor Frumentius Swimmers and helmsmen use all measures to swim across the sea and enter the pier; and you always defeat sailors by the fact that you often indulge in the worries of everyday affairs, walking through market places and judicial places, under the pretext of caring for church affairs, but in reality out of insatiable covetousness and for the sake of unfair collection. Hebron is interpreted as a spouse. Why is the place called wife? Because Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Leah were buried there together by marriage. Therefore, the God-loving Caleb did well when, with great care and labor and shedding sweat, he took possession of this monument of the illustrious patriarchs, where the Metropolitan of Enanim was (Joshua 14:15), having beaten the wicked, arrogant giants and their vicious descendants. And the whole land in which the tombs of the blessed patriarchs were located is made Caleb's lot. Don't lose heart; and you who believed in Christ, who was born of the seed of Abraham, were given a mental lot; because the God of the ever-memorable patriarchs also became your God. Why do you find it strange when you see that the most vicious and wicked person is exalted with praise, illegally glorified, and has great power among those in power? Remember what Scripture proclaims: the wicked is given to great heights (Eccl. 10:6), that is, he is allowed to exalt himself in the opinion of this world. It was not allowed without judgment, but so that, having turned out to be extremely exalted, and having fallen from there, he would suffer incurable contrition. You said: this is why many barbarians often invade Roman land because not everyone wants and tries to serve as victims to the Hellenic gods. Therefore, know with all clarity and without any cover that the raids of barbarians, and earthquakes, and fires, and all other sorrowful events occur in no other way than through the cunning of malice and stupidity of people like you, superstitious and wicked, who do not stop idolatry, but every day in the city suburbs make sacrifices to destructive demons, and, after the saving coming of Christ and the shining of light, walking in darkness, like blind men touching the walls at noon. But, oh, if only later you could know how the divine Moses ridicules the soul, which, even after the end of its time of depravity, still bleeds blood (Lev. 15:23)! For before, several days before this, you gave hope that through the preaching of Christ you would be cleansed from idolatry, but now, unfortunately, again, having changed, you are stained with the blood of vile victims to fools. Since, along with the laws of the people, you practice in the Divine Scripture, which serves as a sign of great learning, and have already become the owner of all virtues; then add to your information what you asked about. The wrists that Abraham's servant brought to Rebekah (Gen. 24:22) were signs of chastity and courage, prudence and justice. Grief is a lamentable exclamation expressing some kind of sadness and sorrow. Therefore, the Lord said through the mouth of Isaiah: woe to those who attract sins as if they are already long (Is. 5:18), which, by adding to the sins that preceded them the sins of later ones, is constantly lengthening. You ask what do the elders of Vinarsk and the elders of Zhitarsk mean to Pharaoh, who loved the chaste Joseph (Gen. 40:1)? I think that the elder of Vinar means Christians who bring the wine of faith to God; and the elder of Zhitarsk points to this host of murderers of the Lord, unfaithful Jews, from whom the head was taken away for great cruelty and foolishness. For Christ is called the head of the Church, and He is not the head of those who do not believe in Him. Therefore, those who do not believe in the divine preaching are beheaded and given over to a shameful death, and the faithful, inspired by intelligence and knowledge, soar to the most pure and saving meal, and eat the bread that came down from heaven and gives us eternal life (John 6:4). Not moved by yourself, but forced by others, you wrote to me: how can the Son be consubstantial and equal in power to the Father, who asks the Father to subject all things to Him, and after the Apostle writes, submitting to the Father, who subjected all creation to Him (1 Cor. 15:28)? What are you saying, man? If what need does Christ, when He is God, submit to God? Is He a predator, some kind of arrogant person, or an adversary of God, so that it would ever be necessary to submit to Him? Therefore, in what sense is it said that the Son Himself, after conquering His enemies, will submit all things to Him who submitted Himself? As for my sake the one sinless and blameless Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), who looses my oath by the dispensation of the incarnation, is called sin (2 Cor. 5:21), and instead of the old Adam became the new Adam; so makes human disobedience His own, as the head of everything. Therefore, while I am disobedient and rebellious by renunciation of God and passions, until then for my sake Christ is called disobedient; and when everything submits to Him, then He will fulfill the submission, bringing me, saved, to the Father. About how Christ is consubstantial in Divinity, equal in power and similar to the Father, I consider it unnecessary to write to someone who does not accept this. Why did the Lord wash the disciples’ feet only, and not any other member? Because the Savior not only washed away the uncleanness, as you thought, but also put some divine power into the apostolic heels. since it was said to the serpent: you will keep man’s heel (Gen. 3:15), that is, the whole behavior of life; That is why the disciples’ feet were washed, mysteriously meaning mental feet. Therefore I give you power to tread on the serpent and the scorpion, and on all the power of the invisible enemy (Luke 10:19). And Isaiah says: red are the feet of those who bring good news and peace (Is. 52:7). For the Apostles of Christ, just as they put an end to the war of the devil, having gone around the whole universe, so they gave peace to everyone and preached to us about the blessings of heaven. The Lord touched the feet to strengthen the earthly and weak legs, which had to go through the entire sunflower; He takes the part of the heel on which the sentence was pronounced at the beginning, so that after the great Physician has laid his hand, the poison of the mental serpent will no longer act. Therefore, the heel, which received strength from the hand of the Lord who touched it, trampled upon Satan, who had previously deceived the first-created. And thus, what was proclaimed by the prophetess Devorah in songs was fulfilled: my soul, which has received strength, will trample my enemies (Judges 5:21). And David, singing a song of victory, cried out: those who rise up against me will fall under my feet, like the clay of my paths I will wipe out my enemies (Ps. 17:39, 43). For I give you power, said the Lord, to advance, and not to be trampled and deceived by the destroyer. Do not seek, through the intercession of this person, to become the head of the region, so as not to become your subordinate, not to fall, not to be greatly humiliated, and not to perish beyond all hope. When you read the Scriptures, you become proud and magnified, puffed up with your speculations; instead of fruits, you delight in the fact that you gather only leaves, and you mock those who have no knowledge. But even actors are often able to do this. Better wish to cleanse and decorate your soul with deeds pleasing to God. For it is said: woe to the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23), who hypocritically arrogate to themselves the study of the blessed words; He speaks what is beneficial, and they do not do it (Matthew 23:3). Therefore, do first, and then teach. Righteous Noah represents the image of Christ, who says in the gospel: come to me, all of you burdened with many sins, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28) in the ark of the Church, having delivered you from worthless and cursed deeds. For when blessed Noah was born, it was said figuratively and prophetically: this one will give us rest from our deeds, and from the land which the Lord our God has cursed (Gen. 5:29). Canaan represents the unbelieving Jews; he mocked the naked Christ, beat and dishonored Him in the face of Pilate, and so on. And Shem and Japheth, as if with their fingers, point to Joseph, who wrapped the shroud around the body of the Savior and laid it in a new tomb (Matthew 27:59); they also mean Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel, and all the others who tried to honor and honorably observe the all-holy body. The sacred keeper Moses, holding a staff lying on his two hands in the likeness of Christ with outstretched arms on the cross, put Amalek to flight. Therefore, by raising our hands in prayer, we defeat Satan. If Saint Moses held the rod in an upright and inclined position; then why did he burden his hands, and it was necessary for Aaron and Hur to support his hands on both sides? It would be very useful to pray in the cruciform position as often as possible; for in this way we are blessed by God, and we ourselves also bless others. And the godly Moses, renovating the tabernacle and appointing his brother as a priest, raised his hands crosswise to the sky, and blessed the people. However, having said this, we do not at all cancel the pious and magnificent genuflection; for the Prophet Daniel at the third, sixth and ninth hours, kneeling on the ground, begged God. Daniel, like a true servant, stopped the lions' mouths with prayer in the den; His Lord, Christ, by His power, closed the throats of the gatekeepers of hell and the gloomy guards of that dark prison. For in the book of Job it is prophetically said: the gates of death are opened to You through fear: but the gates of hell, having seen You, were afraid (Job.38:17). Those who believe in Christ are called alive, and all those who do not believe are called dead. Therefore it is written: And Aaron was a hundred priest between the living and the dead (Num. 16:48). For Christ is the Lord between those who received Him and those who did not want to receive Him. John the Baptist testifies to this, saying to the people on the Jordan: He stands in the midst of you, but you do not know Him (John 1:26). To utter a word with your lips that is very harmful, idle, useless and inconsistent with spiritual edification is like feeding snakes and scorpions of evil thoughts in your heart. Would you like to know the interpretation of the names of the patriarchs? I’ll tell you these: Reuben is interpreted: the seeing son, Simeon - obedience to God; Levi - clinging, that is, clinging to God and being in unity with Him, Judah - confession, Issachar - the reward of the saints, Zebulun - night salvation, Joseph - the appendage of the Lord, Benjamin - the son of the right hand; Dan – court; Naphtali - a bowed branch, or prayer, Gad - prosperous, or successful, Asher - wealth, or bliss. Saint Jacob, changing his hands, blessed Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen.48:14). And look, what is most wonderful of all: by this change of hands, having transformed the cross of the Lord, he taught divine blessings to his grandchildren, and makes the first second, and the second first. The cross of the most philanthropic Christ made the first into second for their arrogance and pride. And the Apostle says to the Jews: it is easy for you, who came from the seed of the great Abraham, to teach the word; but, since you turn away from hearing divine verbs, and are unworthy to create for yourself an eternal life, behold, we stretch out the word into tongues (Acts 13:46), so that what was said to the Son by the Father in the book of Isaiah may be fulfilled: I have given You as a light with my tongue, so that You may be saved, even to the last of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). Look at the Jewish believers, in what number they come to the apostolic sermon, and you will understand how the first turn out to be last, in fulfillment of what was said by Moses, who prophesied to the descendants of Abraham, and said: the stranger who is above is above you, but you are below below. This one will give you back, but you don’t give him back: this will be the head, but you will be the tail (Deut. 28:43). A stranger is a people of pagans who have believed in Christ. You write to me that the monks who approach and cleave to God are Levites; and having realized this, you have made a very great acquisition. You speak very well, but act extremely poorly. For, deceiving the gullible with an honest appearance and honest speeches, and hiding your rudeness from them, you will be exposed by prudent people who will easily understand you not from what you say and what you pretend to be, but from what you do. It is said: do not be afraid from the fear of the night (Ps. 91:5), that is, from the fear of man to the demonic; because the fear of God, which gladdens the heart, is called daylight and bright. Wisdom is sung in the outcome (Proverbs 1:20). What outcomes is Solomon talking about here? Obviously, about the outcome through the mouths of the right teachers of the Church. Elijah the Tishbite, having fallen asleep under the garden, and awakening, sees at the top of his head unleavened bread and a splash of water (1 Kings 19:5-6). Therefore, who is he to find for him unleavened bread lying at the head, and at the head, as Solomon says, to have the mental eyes of the wise (Eccl. 2:14), or, as a result of pious seeking and sincere petition, spiritual bread feeding the soul, and water flowing into an eternal belly (John 4:14)? Those who try to purify their souls not only have an abundance of mental bread and mental water, but are also supplied with meat. For those who are perfect, as the Apostle says, eat solid food (Heb. 5:14); and Moses foretells the people, saying: cleanse yourself in the morning, and eat the meat (Num. 11:18), by meat he then understood the Divine body, which believers eat in the Church, and the most blessed knowledge of Christians, which exceeds all knowledge. This is also well said by the great Moses: not today, but in the morning you will eat the meat, which indicated the time after the coming of Christ God and the Lord of all. For the meat of the dyes brought upon the Jews wrath, pain in the entrails, injury, and cholera. On the contrary, we offer the most blessed flesh to all who are worthy to partake of it, bestowing strength, strength, health, complacency and eternal life. Why are you surprised if the servants of Christ, who have been worthy of God’s favor and purify themselves with the fear of God, faith and good deeds, partake of eternal and incorruptible flesh? They will even abound in divine wine, just as righteous Noah became a worker of the earth, and being a lover of goodwill, he planted grapes (Gen. 9:20). They, having overcome the flood of unbelief, drank sober wine, and became drunk, as David says: Your cup makes me drunk with power (Ps. 22:5), and having drunk, they exposed their shameless nakedness; for it is wonderful to be stripped of wickedness and foolishness. O God, my God, be aware of me, where you have forsaken me, from the person of Christ it is said in the twenty-first psalm. But Christ was not abandoned either by the Father or by His Divinity, as it seems to the Arians and Eunomians, who seem to be afraid of suffering, and therefore withdraw from the Suffering One. For who forced the Savior either to be born in the beginning or to ascend to the cross? Not against his will, but voluntarily, He ascended to the cross with great joy. For many days before he said to his disciples, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be given over to reproach and to be crucified, etc. (Matthew 20:18–19). On the contrary, He depicts our face in Himself. For, having become a man, he, of course, keeps his word for us; however, even after becoming a man, He did not cease to be God and Lord of all. And this must be noted. So, since the Lord of all, as the Apostle says, took upon Himself the form of a servant (Phil. 2:7), He portrays our face in Himself, like the intercessor, without suffering the slightest loss, and even more so, defending others, speaks for the oppressed ruler of the region: we are oppressed, exhausted, ruined, we, the most truthful of judges. Therefore Christ speaks for us: O God, my God, attend to me. Just as the Father together with the Son in the creation of all things is called the God of all, so the Father alone, according to the dispensation of the incarnation, is called the God of the Son. Therefore, as I said above, Christ portrays our face in Himself. We are formerly abandoned, but now received and saved by the sufferings of the impassive Christ. As if appropriating our foolishness and our sinfulness to Himself, He says this in the words of the psalm; because the twenty-first psalm clearly refers to Christ. This, holding on to speculation, should also be understood that Christ learns obedience, as the Apostle says, from these things he suffered (Heb. 5:8); as well as His cry, tears, and the fact that He prays and is heard, and His reverence (Heb. 5:7), He miraculously combines and represents all this for us in Himself. For, as the Word, He was neither obedient nor disobedient, because this is characteristic of those who are at hand and occupy the second place, and the first is benevolent, and the last is worthy of punishment. But, like the image of a slave, it descends upon fellow slaves and slaves, and takes on someone else’s image, carrying all of me in Himself, and with everything that belongs to me, in order to drain into Him my worst, as fire burns away wax, or as the sun scatters the earth’s vapor, and through unity with Him, I can partake of what is characteristic of Him. Therefore, by the very deed he honors obedience, and is tested in it by suffering. For disposition alone was not enough, just as it is not enough for us if we do not support it with deeds; because deed serves as proof of location. 100. Evfiy, an official under the mayor The sadness that befalls you foreshadows great joy, but at the same time it also prepares sufficient forgiveness for what you have sinned. The prophet Jeremiah says to the sin-ulcerated and leprous soul on behalf of God: Behold, I will bring healing and healing to the wound, and I will heal it, and I will show them peace and faith, and I will not remember the sins that I sinned with (Jer. 33:6, 8). What has been said: behold, I will now cause the ulcers to grow together, one must understand about the leprosy described in the book of Leviticus. But to whom God causes the ulcer to heal and heals, He shows to him peace of mind, as well as undoubted firm faith. Therefore, those in whom the ulcer has healed, as it is obvious, having completely cleansed the soul, acquire the gift of dispassion. You must force yourself to mentally love people you hate. You have plunged your thoughts into serpentine envy and the bitterness of hatred; but you have an honest tree - the cross of the Lord, with which, if you wish, you can sweeten the bitter water of your disposition. For the great Moses, having put wood into the very bitter water of Marah, immediately made it very sweet and pleasant. We don’t know, says Saint Moses, what to sacrifice to God until we go three days into the desert (Ex. 8:27). For us, by sacrifice we mean prayer, and the desert is a certain state, free from unreasonable passions, about which we affirm that there is perfection in it. Perhaps the Apostle says something similar to this. For what is said: for what we will pray, as we ought, we do not know (Rom. 8:26), takes place until we come to dispassion and a pure state. And then, without a doubt, we will not have the same prayers and concepts that we have now, disturbed by the opposing ones. The sovereignty of the saints is like some kind of tablet, or tablet, on which God writes what should be spoken to His people. Why was the Prophet Habakkuk told: write the vision on the tablet (Hab.2:2). The saint, penetrating into his mind, peering into it and turning entirely into his inner self, as if reads what is written by God in his mind, and proclaims what he has read to the people. Your letter is presented in this form: if the seed sown in the ground had not rotted, then the human body would have had the hope of resurrection. But if a grain of wheat, as well as any seed thrown into the ground, rots, and the human body turns to dust and ashes; then from what can I see that there will be a resurrection of human bodies? But I tell you this: read the beginning of the book of Genesis: and God took dust from the earth, and created man (Gen. 2:7). Therefore, how does dust from the earth differ from dust and ashes? Just as in the beginning a body was prepared from the dust of the earth, and God gave it life, and man stood on his feet; so again, at the end of the present age, by the command and power of God, human bodies will rise from dust and ashes, having received their souls, and will stand on their own feet, to the glory and praise of the Creator of all, miraculously active in everything. Just as faith in righteousness was counted to the great Abraham (Rom. 4:3), so you, who believe in the resurrection of the dead, if you only believe, this will be counted by God as great righteousness. You wrote: I will grind up a grain of wheat and make flour, and if I sow it into the ground a thousand times, it will no longer live, but on the contrary, it will not rise, and will never sprout or bear fruit. Likewise, the body, having become dust and ashes, will in no way be able to rise or come to life. “But now again, with meekness, I will bring to your memory the same thing that I wrote before, namely: how in the beginning man came from dust by the power and art of the all-wise and all-powerful Lord; so, at the end of the present age, the resurrection of the decayed body will follow from the ashes, and a man will arise, revived and animated, having cast aside the previous corruption and clothed in Divine incorruption. You said: the ashes of human bodies are scattered and scattered by the winds everywhere; what's left? But imagine what the earth is made of, what fire, air and water are made of? Without a doubt, in response to the questioner, as far as possible, having further fled from Hellenic nonsense, and rejecting the vanity of false philosophers, without a doubt, I say, you will say that the elements are brought into existence from nothing by God. Therefore, I say that, just as everything came into existence from nothing with a single wave of God’s will, so from these ashes, which, in your opinion, were lost, there will be a resurrection of human bodies. Almighty God miraculously transformed the withered, sharpened rod of Moses into an animate and reptile living creature; for the serpent was terrible, and Moses, struck by the miracle, fled from him (Ex. 4:3). And he also made the dry rod of Aaron, which had been in use for a long time, without a root, without rain, without diluting the air, by His sole will, in one night sprout beautiful leaves and the most beautiful fruit; because all things are possible to the Almighty and Almighty God. He, in due time, in the twinkling of an eye, will resurrect human bodies, blooming with their beauty, and so radiant that they will surpass the radiance of the inanimate sun with divine lightness. And may Moses, a sincere servant of the All-Perfect, convince you of this, who came down from Mount Sinai luminous, with his flesh glorified by radiance, in order to show visible the future grace that is given to people from above. The great military leader has come to us again, and in his letters he displays wax weapons, which he did not acquire on his own, but, not to his own praise, he borrowed from others. For he says: behold, O Divine Apostle, he proclaimed the humiliation of Jesus; because he writes to those Jews who believe that the Son of God Jesus always lives to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:25). But let those who inspired you to write something like this know that the most blessed and glorified economy of the Savior serves as intercession for us, and is called so by God-bearing and God-speaking men. This: to intercede and seek revenge must be understood, not as is the custom among many (for then this would be humiliating); On the contrary, this means interceding for us according to the law of mediation, just as the Spirit is said to intercede for us (Rom. 8:26). For there is one God, and one mediator for God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5). For it is said that even now, as a man, He intercedes for my salvation, because until then He is with the body that He assumed, until by the power of His incarnation He makes me God too, although He is no longer known by the flesh, but by flesh I mean the flesh and our infirmities, besides sin. Imams are Jesus' intercessor to the Father (1 John 2:1) not in the sense that He is cast down and slavishly falls for us before the Father; - away from us with this truly slavish and unworthy assumption! It is not typical for the Father to demand this and for the Son to endure it; or rightly understand this about Him as about God. But Jesus suffered as a man and commands us to endure as the Word and Counselor. This is how you should understand intercession. Remember the sayings of the Savior, Who says: All things that belong to the Father are Mine (John 16:15); and: seeing Me, the form of the Father (John 14:9.); and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16:19) because you have called Me not a slave, not a minion, or a servant, nor unsubordinate or alien to the Father’s essence, but have confessed, by the revelation of the heavenly Father, that I am the true Son of the living God. And the Evangelist also said: and for this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, because not only did they destroy the Sabbath, but they also called Himself the true Son of God, doing everything equal to God (John 5:18). You make many Orthodox Christians laugh at you by calling fables sacraments. However, every heresy, wandering outside the Church of Christ, calls its nonsense sacraments. Likewise, the Manichaeans call the books of wickedness and lawlessness sacraments and a treasure of good things: for the mystery of destruction is already being worked out (2 Thess. 2:7). Because Saint Moses covered the words of God with obscurity, so that the then, present and future times, the meaningless and foolish Jews, would not understand them, as he himself testified, saying in the great song: these people are riotous and a corrupt generation (Deut. 32:5-6); sons who do not have faith in themselves tempt and grieve the Lord; That’s why he put a veil on his own face, shining with glory, and thus talked with those who were wise and who adhered to Egyptian wisdom. Understand that the light of the Pentateuch is the face of Moses, and the obscurity of the blessed words and everything in them that is tributary or symbolic and mysterious is a veil. So, about the well from which everyone drank, Saint Moses says something tributary, and later adds: for this reason they say tributaries (Num. 21:27), and so on. If the infant Jew, like the baby called Ishmael, turns to Christ with a cry; then the veils are taken away from the eyes of the mind of the so-called Hagar, and nearby she finds the living water of the Divine Scripture, as it should be, interpreted, drinkable, transparent, and delivering from the death of unbelief. Until the Jews acquire the faith of blessed Sarah, their hearts should be given the name of the slave Hagar. The mysterious name of the well of vision will convince you that the writings of Moses require great speculation, understanding, and deep research (Gen. 16:14). When disasters befall you, do not let your good hope weaken, and do not let go of the horn of Divine hope from your hands. It is not difficult for God, if He pleases, to change the sorrowful into the bright and joyful. You say that you praise Jesus for many things, but you are very indignant for one thing, that He neglected and violated the Sabbath. But a person does not always have to be a baby; for one who has reached manhood will not tolerate being given milk to drink, and one who has delved into the teachings of philosophers will not agree to sit over an ABC book. Therefore, before the descent of heavenly Wisdom to people, the observance of the Sabbath was wonderful, but now, after the coming of Christ, it serves no purpose; because a Christian philosophizes about what is higher than days, and times, and the whole world. Do not consider it strange that in ancient times God commanded to observe the Sabbath, but now abolishes such observance. For look at the ancient and new decrees of the kings of the earth, who previously legalized doing this, but now violate the previous legalization. Imagine that the wisdom of God is a kind of mother; Now she gives the baby a nipple and says: good, good; and then later he will begin to accustom his son to solid food, smear the nipple with bile and begin to constantly repeat: this is bitter, this is bitter. You say: Moses said in Deuteronomy: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet from your brethren, like me (Deut. 18:15), and he called him a Prophet, and not God; Therefore, how can you say that Jesus is God? “As to a child, O Jew,” the wise Moses hints to you, not yet daring to show the Divinity of Christ with such clarity. Therefore, when, as a Prophet similar to Moses, you accept Him, a meek and uncovetous King and Shepherd, then Himself, the great Prophet recognized by you, will reveal to you that He is the true God, incorporeally and not in time, born before all ages from the true God. As witnesses of the Divinity and economy of Christ you have all the illustrious Prophets, who serve as interpreters of the law. Deuteronomy threatens you with no small danger if you do not believe in Christ, do not worship Him, do not listen to Him, and do not submit to Him in everything as you should. For the lawgiver says: every soul that does not listen to this Prophet will be required of the people of God (Acts 3:23). It seems to me that you are doing something inappropriate, in the midst of insults and irritability, forcing some to bear fruit for you. This will not be called fruitfulness, but violence, shame, extreme untimeliness, something more strict than social requirements, and more painful than popular penalties. But I beg you to put an end to this indecency, and it is better to spend time in prayers and in great spiritual silence; then God will raise up those truly worthy of an honorable life, who will bring you everything you need, and will ask you to accept it. For there are those worthy of bearing fruit for monks; and there are also completely unworthy, far from the will of the Lord. 127. To the official preparing reports, Clearchus I will not blame the predatory wolf, because predation is in the nature of the wolf; But to me a man is funny who, contrary to his nature, has acquired a wolfish disposition. Through the mouth of Jeremiah the Lord spoke: turn to Me, and I will not be angry with you forever (Jer. 3:12). Although your deeds are worthy of eternal wrath; but I, as a merciful one, will measure your love for mankind not with your malice, but with My great goodness. However, if I am good and philanthropic, then do not forget what you thought and did, which is bad for you. For know that you have disrespected the Lord your God, and pray to Him with tears all your life. With reins and bridles their jaws are like those of cattle, O God (Ps. 31:9), cried David, playing the harp. For, just as we tame a horse with a bridle, against his will, not out of hatred for him, but in order to force him to walk orderly, to bring his disorderly impulses into order, to turn ugly and awkward leaps into an orderly move; so God, if he sees that the soul is rushing here and there, brings it to a decent position, even if it does not want it. I know many who could not gain fame through good deeds, but rather turned out to be famous and terrible due to their bad life and extreme cunning. 131. Presbyter Serapion It is said: where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:21). For what are the activities and what are they directed towards, such is, without a doubt, the way of thinking, and that is what both the memories and the mind adhere to. Therefore, we must especially pay sober attention to the heavenly and inconspicuous treasure. It is said: the lamp of the body is the eye (Matthew 6:22). For the higher wise mind is the eye of the soul, and its vision greatly extends its light to the entire structure of things. But if, in rapture among useless worries that drag you down into the abyss of destruction, you incline your mind to this rude and pitiful thing; then will he be able to imagine what is good, or to suggest what is useful to his own thoughts? Therefore, it is necessary to come into darkness and confusion for every skill, which everywhere, as in the night, faces bewilderment and heavy warfare. The Lord said: on that day they will speak to Me about themselves as if they were known to Me; I will answer them: we do not know you (Luke 13:27); because in word you honor piety, but in deed you act badly. Demons try to block our mouths with various temptations so that we do not sing songs, praise and glorify the Creator. But we have hope, as the virgin John says, that the Lord will open, and no one will be able to shut (Rev. 3:7). 135. To the noble official Philo Finally, stop oppressing and torturing weak people; It is enough that there is God, the torturer of sins, and man, a despiser of poverty, fearlessly attacking a beggar, will not escape retribution from God. Those who cry out from the bottom of their hearts to the omniscient Lord, even if they reach extreme danger, will undoubtedly be rewarded with help from above; because the Lord listens, and, having snatched them from the midst of destruction, raises them to eternal life and joy. 137. To the younger committee Amphilochius Isn’t it like a leper who says: I indulge myself in the amusements of my youth, and then later in my old age I will grow flowers of chastity, courage and justice? For what heavenly angel promised you that you will reach old age, and you can not be afraid that you will die unhappily in lusts, pleasures and vanity; because, although age is young, life soon wears out. You asked me, what is the old man, corrupted by lusts, which the Divine Apostle advises to put aside (Eph. 4:22)? We think that the old man, although lacking substance, is nevertheless smoldering, is a kind of idol of destruction made from foul and wicked thoughts, from prohibited lawless speeches and carnal deeds, painted, or composed, or, as others would say, depicted in cloth. Virtue in old age can be called not virtue, but impotence. Therefore, in our youth, we must especially practice virtue, and in a young body show prudence befitting gray hairs. If wealth is blind, then perhaps fame and respect are blind too. Look at this noble official Konon, who, neither by deed nor by word, has never shown any benefit to anyone, did not even want to know what virtue is, and is glorified in vain, for no reason accompanied by the applause of people, mostly vile and senseless, although he is puffed up by this and is immensely exalted. 141. To the noble official Konon You unjustly enrich yourself by appropriating for yourself the glory that belongs to others. I am amazed, looking at this spectacle worthy of laughter, and seeing that amazing people are slandered, while the worthless are glorified, and this, I think, is a demonic trick. Therefore, so that you, who are glorified by many gifts, will not be punished in the future, I beg you to practice especially in acts of virtue, in order to plausibly and properly receive glory. Would you like to find out what is said by the Archbishop of Jerusalem James: or do you think that the scripture says in vain: to envy (James 4:5)? That is, not untimely, but very opportunely and with a special purpose, the Divine Scripture speaks against envy; because every holy saying against every passion, especially against destructive envy, usually places the strongest weapon on us. It is said: the Spirit whom God has indwelled in us desires (James 4:5). What does the Spirit of God desire and love above all else, except unity, like-mindedness and mutual love of brothers? But love is born of humility and reverence, and envy and bitter hatred come from contempt and arrogance. That is why it is said: The Lord resists the proud (James 4:6), rebelling against them for their madness, as against Satan, who first of all began to suffer from pride. He gives grace to the humble, that is, he exudes some spiritual gifts to those who try to humble themselves for the sake of God. Do not answer a fool, says Solomon, according to his foolishness, lest you be like him; but answer a fool according to his foolishness, lest he be wise about himself (Prov. 26:4-5). For whoever agrees with a madman and approves of him, when he says something contrary to the laws of God and calls him to sin, he responds according to the madness of the madman and becomes like him; but whoever resists the one who speaks badly, and does not agree to approve of foul language, is said to be responsible according to his madness, that is, he turns out to be valiant, crowned conqueror of his madness, having used the quiver of truth and heavenly wisdom against the madness and vain conceit of the crafty sophist. Although sin dissipates quickly like smoke, how many centuries will the deserved punishment and torment continue? If you think about this, you will be very afraid and trembling. What does it mean that the Apostle said: although we understood according to the flesh of Christ, now we understand no one (2 Cor. 5:16)? since the Lord, for the sake of our salvation, became a man, and living among people in order to show His true incarnation, not only in His visible infancy fed on milk, but also, having come to age, ate, drank, got tired, slept, was beaten, crucified, etc.; after His resurrection from the dead He was no longer subject to bodily infirmities and necessary needs; That is why the Apostle says that we no longer understand Christ as suffering, weak and mortal. For the power of His deity prevailed over everything human. And although he now remains, and will remain forever, in the holy body, which was previously crucified by Pilate, buried and raised from the dead, he is no longer subject to human infirmities; and if he has a body, then it will forever not age, not suffer, and be pure. Do not associate yourself with the unfruitful works of darkness, says the Apostle (Eph.5:11). What fruit have you had from the dues of spiritual death, of which you are now ashamed? For indeed, evil deeds and every dark deed are unfruitful. But as soon as the soul is able to sober up and come to self-awareness, it feels even more embarrassed and ashamed of the sins committed in the intoxication of vice, and finds a gleam of chastity. Do not become cowardly, but take courage, maintaining a strong mindset; for the courageous, although wounded, will undoubtedly win, fighting and wounded. Let this not happen! The divine Apostle does not say about himself: I see another law in my hearts, captivating me with the law of sin (Rom. 7:23), but he says this on behalf of those who are troubled by carnal passions, however, resisting them, and repeatedly winning, and sometimes being overcome by momentary infatuation. It is not difficult to understand that the Apostle expresses himself in relation to all humanity when he says: I sometimes live apart from the law (Rom. 7:9). He could not even breathe without the law of Moses, because from a young age he studied the law with all its rigor from Gamaliel. Therefore, he takes upon himself the persona of those who lived outside the law of Moses. Fear God in every nation, and do justice to please Him (Acts 10:35). But it is clear that he is pleasing to God and is not rejected by Him, who in due time resorts to honoring the most blessed knowledge of God; because God will not leave him to die in ignorance, but will show him the path to the truth and illuminate him with the light of knowledge, like Cornelius, about whom blessed Peter spoke the above word. That he who desires good, not only in thought and in word, but in deed itself, must work for it all his life, so that, having cultivated the fruits of manifold virtue, he may thus achieve heavenly rest and kingdom - see how Patriarch Jacob speaks about this: Issachar desired good, resting in the midst of the borders: and having seen the earth as fat, he laid down his frame for labor, and he became a man. farmer (Gen.49:14–15). And the Prophet Jeremiah says: put your heart on your shoulder (Jer. 31:21) 9, that is, having become active, put good intentions into action. If any of the ignorant sets out to denigrate the best, and begin with a lie, and always end with a lie; then tell me, will he stop at something, and will he meet the end somewhere? Perhaps you don’t know, brother, that the observed law of God usually watches over, protects and covers those who try to guard and keep it soberly. No one has ever inhaled all the air; and the mind did not contain the essence of God, and the word did not embrace it completely; but because around God, drawing into what is peculiar to God, we collect one after another, and compose something dark into a weak idea. You bring a narrow gate and a strait path into the belly, and those who find it eat few (Matthew 7:14). Therefore, if those who gain are few, then there are even fewer who have the power to enter. But they do not enter due to their own negligence. The mind is the master and the flesh is the slave. Therefore, do not serve a slave beyond measure with gluttony, lest, having forgotten her measure, she becomes arbitrary and dares to raise a weapon against the owner. Therefore, Solomon, knowing the foolishness of the body, said: sweetness does not benefit the fool, and if a slave begins to possess his master with annoyance (Prov. 19:10). If you want to be the head of a region, you will become disgraced; and if you humble yourself, you will receive mercy. For it is written: God pours out dishonor on princes, but heals the humble (Job 12:21). 159. Crispus the palace guard Others, straining their thoughts beyond what they should, with the intention that they would comprehend something greater, fell away from true knowledge and fell into false knowledge. And this is vanity, as Solomon says (Eccl. 2:15). For an honest and beautiful maiden, the best mirror is fasting; for the virgin sees God in him as much as she can, and having acquired a dispassionate way of thinking, she builds a copper laver and stands firm, unshakable and motionless (Ex. 38). You have read many times what Saint Moses writes about one excellent and wise man, that he made a copper laver, and it stood of copper from the mirrors of the fasting women, even after fasting at the door of the tabernacle of the meeting (Ex. 38). Do not be lazy every day, before you touch on any matter, enter the house of prayer and render your prayer debt to the Lord. Therefore, God, like some kind of piers in the sea, erected churches everywhere, so that, as much as possible, avoiding the saltiness and storm of everyday worries, and taking refuge in churches, we could enjoy saving silence and great joy. We will reduce excessive pleasure, immoderate joy and arrogance of the soul with the happy course of affairs with a stern look on the face and well-timed silence. We will punish the jumping of the flesh and shameful desire with the scourge of fasting and the word, we will convince you to remain silent. The human race is very easily exalted to the point of arrogance. Therefore, to curb his wisdom, many strong bits are needed. But if you search, you will find in various places of Divine Scripture much that serves to curb and pacify irrational passions. Our Lord Jesus Christ became for us everything that, apart from sin, constitutes us. For you have not committed the slightest sin (1 Peter 2:22), but you have become everything, that is, body, soul and mind. Therefore, run away from the nonsense of Manichaeans. Christ the Savior, according to the intelligible, is a man, but He is also, according to the intelligible, God, and the Son of man according to Adam and the Virgin, from whom he was born, from one, as from a forefather, from the other, as from a mother, both according to the law and not according to the law, birth. It is said: flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 15:50), that is, those who are carnal in morals will be cast out of the kingdom. But you, it is said about the faithful and spiritual, are in the flesh, but in soul (Rom. 8:9). You ask me, how is it possible for a corruptible body to be resurrected incorruptible? And I ask you: how did melting and perishable manna, being enclosed by Moses in a golden container, remain incorruptible? It is clear that this happened by God’s will and by the power of God. By this power Enoch, being mortal, was transposed (Gen. 5:24) and has been preserved immortal to this day. 171. To Chairman Telesfor Scripture indicates the commonality in the person of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, one image and the same likeness. For this is signified by what is said: Let us create man in the image and likeness (Gen. 1:26). If anyone can smell with his soul the fragrance of the Holy Spirit; then he will be revived in his composition, as one raised from the dead, and will be surprised at what state he has passed from and into what state, and will exclaim in the words of Ezekiah: You have raised up my life, and I am comforted. And you have completed all my sins for me (Is. 38:16-17), so that I can no longer imagine these idols of my falls, having finally acquired a pure heart. Sinful deeds should be called not only stinking and fruitless, but also dead. Correct exercise in virtues brings bliss in heaven, which cannot be expressed in words, comprehended with the mind, or grasped in thought. It is said: do not betray me into the souls of those who suffer me (Ps. 26:12); because the unclean passions, from which one must pray for liberation, are the souls of demons. What Jacob said: if he gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear (Gen. 28:20) is the law for monastic life. The greatest good is meekness; Having acquired it, the great Moses saw God as much as a man can see. In immaculateness and purity, imitate the wonderful Elijah, who, having become a leader in great asceticism, was the first to show us chastity and the unmarried life of equal angels, for which he was delighted with the fiery chariot. Calling wickedness the most serious disease and darkness, you do not sin against the truth. Having received a large profit, taking advantage of a fat meal and honors that are beyond your dignity, do not get too angry, but expect a revolution, and reduce your arrogance. For there is nothing as fragile, powerless, and pitiful as human happiness. How many, do you think, consider themselves blessed that they were worthy to hear the words of the God-wise John, Bishop of Constantinople? And you yourself, an ardent lover of them, consider yourself very blessed. Why do you so generously fatten your flesh, which, not yet much, will become food for worms? In order not to lose your right to the gift of fearlessness and perfect dispassion, and not to suppress yourself with sadness, you have holy Moses, who encourages you, and says in the book of Leviticus: And I will give peace in your land, and you will sleep, and there will be no one who makes you afraid; and he calls the human heart earth, which receives good and bad seeds, and fierce beasts - hostile demons, and malicious suggestions of vice. When we accept a gift from above for patience and prayer; then we will be able to put the invisible barbarians to flight; and they will tremble and fall under our feet. For one Prophet says: the very ones whom you feared before will fear you. 185. To Archdeacon Leucadius It is the custom of saints to thank God, who through them everywhere reveals the fragrance of knowledge beneficial to souls. And you, instead of fragrance, burn incense (Post. 1:42), like those women whom the Prophet Jeremiah mentions in his letter to the captives in Babylon. For what is the difference between the rumor you spread and the smoke, which is both outrageous and useful to no one? If, as you say, at the beginning of human existence a whole crowd of souls, due to sin, fell here from the heights of heaven, and they were clothed with bodies; then the great Moses should have written that God created many bodies from the earth and put fallen souls in them. But now it is not so written in Moses; Scripture tells us that God created only one man, Adam, from the earth, and breathed into him a living soul; He created from one blood, as the Apostle says, the whole tongue of man, to live on all the face of the earth (Acts 17:26). For the first man from the earth is ringed (1 Cor. 15:47), and not the first crowds of tens of thousands of people from the earth are ringed; and by one man, as it is said, and not by many people, sin comes into the world (Rom. 5:12). No one is blessed by offending God and being exiled; Adam, created from the earth, and Eve, created from his side as a helper, as those who have not yet sinned, are blessed by God to grow, multiply and dominate the whole universe (Gen. 1:28). Therefore, how can you say that Adam and his wife in heaven sinned before? Seeing Me, the form of the Father (John 14:9); that is, whoever was worthy to understand My Divinity, it is clear that he also knew the Divinity of the Father; because there is one Divinity and one glory of the Father and the Son. I and the Father are one (John 10:30). 189. Aglei, serving in the front lines Blessed Peter in his epistle says: let them receive judgment in the flesh, but live according to God with their ears (1 Pet. 4:6). They will receive judgment in the flesh, it is said to those who claim that the flesh will not rise from the dead and will not be judged. But they will live according to God in spirit, that is, souls who do not fall into error in order to assume many and different gods, will abide and live, knowing the one and forever only God. This saying is also useful among us for those who hold Aristotelian opinions, and who claim that all human souls will eventually become subtle and turn into nothing. Do you want to find out how the Lord Christ is without a mother, without a father, without a priest (Heb. 7:3)? - Without mater - what is higher than us in Him; without a father - what is ours, without a parable of kind - what is grief? For the Prophet says: who will confess His generation (Is. 53:8)? Although Matthew wrote His genealogy according to the flesh; but how the Father begat the Son before the ages, no one, neither man nor Angel, is at all able to express or know. Just as those who are in a feverish heat, because their ability to taste is damaged, honey seems bitter, so someone’s spiritual taste is damaged. And the Prophet says: woe to those who prefer bitter to sweet (Is. 5:20). 192. Grammar to Anaxagoras Receive a crown of graces on your face, said Solomon (Proverbs 1:9). For the grace with which the mental crown is combined is not one, but there are very many of these graces; and the Apostle says: May grace abound to you (1 Peter 1:2). It is advisable for you to know what the golden hryvnia that follows the crown is (Proverbs 1:9)? – This is the good yoke of the Savior Christ, placed on the neck of a soul that has believed in the truth. Good repentance, intense prayer and calling on God to help the fragrant ones make a person rotten by deeds. For the humane-loving Lord Christ also accepts unclean prayer, offered with unclean lips with great humility. And let the thief convince you of this, who cried: remember me, Lord Jesus, when you come into this kingdom; and immediately heard: today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:42, 43). Have you heard yourself say that the sinful pagan said to you: you are no different from me, although you are a Christian; because you too are a sinner. - Tell him the following parable. One owner of the house had two dogs, and one, who was mad and dared to tear the owner’s dress, he ordered to drive with sticks; and the other, who loves the master and always licks the owner’s feet with affection, he keeps with him, feeds and protects. It is not the philosopher, but some small soul, who is soon tempted; for it is said: There is much peace for those who love Your law, and there is no offense for them (Ps. 119:165). That even an unclean person can be transformed to the point of virginity, Paul shows this when he wrote to the Corinthians: I have betrothed you to one husband to present a pure virgin to Christ (2 Cor. 11:2). The righteous is signified by a large number, like the ninety-nine sheep in the parable (Matthew 18:12). And the sinner, as one who is perishing, is called either one, or, if he does not want to repent and increase in virtues, even not one. Physical birth is one, because no one is born another time. But for souls who are determined to continually strive for greater and greater sanctification, many births are possible. For a righteous man who is restored and renewed is always born; today he was born in one good deed; and if he does another good deed, he will be born again. Therefore, the word of God is generous in the birth of the righteous, speaking through the mouth of Moses: these are the generations of Noah; these generations of Jacob (Gen. 37:2); so it is said of others that they had many births. You asked me what it means: vanity of vanities (Eccl. 1:2)? By the name vain we can understand something that is not realized and has existence in the mere pronunciation of a word. The vanity of vanities, as someone else would say, is more lifeless than the dead and more inanimate than the inanimate. And although in the examples we have presented such a comparative exaggeration does not take place, this image of expression is used to clarify the excess found in what is being discussed. It says crucifying the Son of God and convicting (Heb.6:6). It is the heretics who crucify Him, who not only decide to rebaptize Him, but also dare to say that Christ will one day be crucified for demons. Every creature is brought into being by the Word and Wisdom. How can God the Word, the essential Wisdom and Creator of every creature, both comprehended by the mind and subject to the senses, be called a creature? Blessed Paul says that the Almighty God and Father lives in unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:16). And this mental and self-existent, incomprehensible and boundless light, is the venerable Son, the Word, the Lord of all. If this is so; then why do the bestial Arians, and destroyers of the flock of Christ, dare to teach you that the Only Begotten Son of God and the Word is a creature and came from nothing? 204. Candidate 10 Melissa A person, having become exhausted and, as a result of illness, having changed his skill, still wants to do harm, although he becomes incapable and powerless to bring this into action. Likewise, the soul, having deviated from the good and turned to the bad, weakens in doing good, but does not cease to strive for the disastrous. The law says: He will go in to his brother’s wife and raise up the seed (Matthew 22:24). For every person, or every human soul, having received from God a mental husband, that is, an innate law, killed and buried him with her negligence. Therefore, his brother, that is, the written law, was called by the need to enter the wife of the natural law, who had already died, and to resurrect the seed of the one who had died from great inactivity. God, turning away from the sophists, the builders of vain speeches filled with all lies and delusions, entrusted His saving and glorious preaching of piety and truth to certain monastery makers and fishermen. That judgment is pronounced on everyone according to his inclination towards evil or towards good, let them convince you of this, like Judas, who in one night alienated himself from life by betraying the Teacher, so the robber, in the blink of an eye, was adopted by life. For the iniquities of a person who did not plan a decisive apostasy from God and did not accept an evil heart full of unbelief and foolishness will not be remembered. It is said: if he turns back, he will live and not die (Ezek. 18:28). Someone else, even if he has fallen into the mouth of a beast, I mean the devil, can get rid of this through repentance, just as in Corinth he who had a desperate wife was delivered and saved from the throat of the enemy (1 Cor. 5:1), before he was consumed by much sorrow (2 Cor. 2:7) and, due to cowardly despondency and despair, was already placed in the womb of the beast. The Heavenly Doctor Himself invisibly comes to you, even though you, due to weakness and relaxation of your mind, could not go to Him. I knew some; Out of insensibility and great deceit, they did not want to accept the Doctor of souls, who approached them out of love for mankind. Paul, being a persecutor of the Church of Christ, was at first blinded by malice and unspeakable cruelty, so that later he could look to God and truth. Therefore, the Lord rightly said: I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see will be blind (John 9:39). For by this he made it clear that he would blind the eyes fixed on evil and obscene deeds, but he would open and heal the intelligent eyes with which the beauty of virtues and knowledge of God is contemplated. 212. To the lawyer Evgrammiy It is said: Moses went into darkness (Ex. 20:21); the darkness around God means nothing more than the unthinkability and unsearchability of God; because the darkness for the gaze is usually dark and impenetrable, hides what is in it, with the density and darkness of the air it blocks the gaze of those looking at it, and even the inquisitive attempts of the very thoughts to learn something about God. For it is said: clouds cover Him, and will not be seen (Job.22:14). It is your custom to often say that the devil is resourceful and cunning. On this I agree with you. But if we wish to be sober, then the devil will be wicked only for himself, and not for us; because such is the property of vice - to be harmful only to those who have it; virtue, on the contrary, can be useful not only to those who possess it, but also to their neighbors. To show you that an evil person is only evil for himself, and a good person is good for others, I will present you with evidence from Proverbs; for it is said: son, if you are evil, you will only learn evil; if you are wise, you will be wise and sincere (Proverbs 9:12). 215. To Chairman Aristotle The Son is said to be sent, not as God the Word, existing in the bosom of the Father and all-encompassing; for by Him are all things (Col. 1:16), and in Him we live, we move, and we are (Acts 17:28), but as about God the Word, who assimilates to Himself the infirmities of the body He has received. Lamentation about sins has a delightful sorrow, and its bitterness, seasoned with good and useful hope, turns out to be like honey; and therefore nourishes the soul, clarifies thoughts, fattens the heart, and makes the body flourish. And David sings beautifully: “My tears were bread to me day and night” (Ps. 41:4). It is said: Lord, as if you have crowned us with weapons of favor (Ps. 5:13). For the righteous, the same thing serves as a weapon and a crown; so that he who is armed is spiritually married. For Solomon also said: He will protect you with a crown of sweetness (Proverbs 4:9). Just as evildoers at sea never attack those sailing where there is a city, or a place where ships stop, or a pier; because it would mean exposing oneself to danger in vain; but if they capture a boat in the middle of the sea, taking advantage of the fact that there is no one to come to the rescue, they set everything in motion, use all their strength, and do not retreat first until either the swimmers are drowned, or they themselves suffer the same: so the terrible temptation of voluptuousness on those who have chosen the virgin life raises strong winds, a cruel storm, unbearable unrest, turning everything upside down in order to capsize the boat with force and swiftness. For he knows that a monk does not have the right to marry, and in a marital union to take refuge as in a pier, but he must spend his whole life fighting with demons who irritate the soul with voluptuousness. Therefore, let us not be surprised if we find ourselves struggling, and let us not weaken in the struggle; because we have a great protector - the Holy Spirit, with whose assistance we can conveniently extinguish all the devil’s kindled arrows of shameful lusts and inflammations of the flesh. Because there are four main virtues: wisdom, courage, chastity, justice; Therefore, the devil, in his defense, uses four vices, which embrace many vices. And listen to what the Prophet 3axapiah, who saw the four-horned power of Satan, says: I lifted up my eyes, and saw the four roses that scattered Judah and Israel (Zech. 1:18, 19). The great legislator Moses also writes about the four-shaped power of the devil in the book of Leviticus, when he depicts leprosy in the likeness of a four-headed hydra, turning white, turning blue, turning green and glowing (Lev. 13:19, 49). Knowing well that God is the giver of every good, you often repeat to those who talk with you the word of the patriarch Jacob: God has had mercy on me, and by me are all (Gen. 33:11); because, not by works of righteousness, but by the mercy and great goodness of God, you have acquired everything that you have; and from this many who need it receive benefit. And I praise you for doing good, deserving blessings, and speaking humbly about yourself. Just as the Lord Jesus did not do everything that He could, but performed only those miracles that pleased Him, He did not teach everything that He knew, but, proportioning the word of teaching to the weakness of our nature, He taught the one thing that we could learn. Therefore, to the disciples who were still imperfect, He said about Himself that there is no news of days (Mark 13:32). The evil demon who torments you encourages you to sober up, and even more so to run to God, to beg Him for help and protection. For whoever sees the advancing enemy runs and joins the one who has the strength to give help. Small children do this too; As soon as they see something terrible, they rush into the arms of their mother, and hanging on her dress, hold on tightly to it, although many often distract them. And when nothing disturbs them, they do not approach the mother who calls and attracts them, they do not pay attention to the mother’s call, and no matter what manages to lure them, they run away and do not even look at the meal prepared for them. By this compassionate mother I now understand God’s Providence. The soul of Joseph passed through iron, says the Psalm (Ps. 104:18), iron, as I think, covertly calling the sin to which the blameless young man was called upon by Pentefri’s wife. For sin can rightly be called iron, cutting and killing the soul. 225. To the noble official Stration We differ from the infidels in that we have different judgments about things. The pagan looks at heaven, and honors it, and marvels at it, because he considers heaven to be God. The pagan looks at the earth and waters, and worships them, serves the insensitive. This is not how we judge; Let this not happen! but we look at the sky and marvel at the Creator, for we understand that the sky is not God, but the work of God. I look at creation, and it guides me to the Creator of all creation. A pagan sees wealth and is amazed with wonder; I look at wealth and laugh at wealth with contempt. He looks at poverty and laments in a daze; I look at poverty, jump and rejoice, recognizing virtue as true wealth. Therefore, Christians look at things differently, and senseless pagans look at things differently. There is no need to rely on many meritorious deeds or to despair because of failures. The Pharisee, who relied on his good deeds, fell from the very heights of virtue, but the not desperate publican rose so much that, according to the judgment of the Most Perfect, he surpassed even the perfect Pharisee. 227. To the ruler of affairs Nikaret Just as on a rising sea, among the waves rising from everywhere, a boat sinks: so the soul, when despondency surrounds it from everywhere, soon becomes depressed if it does not find someone who would stretch out a hand to it and console it. 228. To the monks living in Cilicia Not in the least, but very much, we rejoiced when the most godly presbyter Marin told us about you, how in all accuracy you became like the Apostles, readily renouncing worldly affairs, despising both race and harmful pleasures, and entered into a difficult life, for the sake of God, abandoning yourself to all suffering and the harshest life, and with silent lips glorifying the One who called you to the highest the monastic order of the Savior and King Christ, so that you, like the divine lamp of Egypt Anthony, at your death will leave to the future generation the image of the best life. 229. To Protector Theopempt It will be useful and very beneficial for you to always have before your eyes the passing of life and to avoid the intricately woven snares of the devil. 230. To Carpion, follower of the Valentinian heresy When you, two days ago, dared to speak without blushing in front of a large crowd, and said that one of the grandsons of the Divine, called Achamoth, wished to achieve the greatness that abides in the ineffable heights of God, and is called the depth and the abyss, and having undertaken this, but not receiving success, she fell down, and sitting alone in the darkness, she cried very, very much, and from her tears came a wet essence; then one of our brothers, passing by, asked you: were all the waters, both salty and sweet, made up of the tears of Achamotha? And you, perplexed at what to say, asked for a delay, but to this day you have not dared to go out to the people, not knowing what answer to give. We, having laughed at the liar, will tell a funny lie to alleviate his difficulty. You had to answer the questioner: the bitter tears of the never-existent Achamoth, as if shed from pain and great grief, formed salty seas, and the sweat of this poor woman produced springs, rivers, wells, lakes and other sweet waters. This is what we add to your nonsense for fun. God does many things in secret for our benefit. Although the incident seems regrettable, we, as faithful and sincere servants, will not inquisitively search for the cause of what happened. For we only need to be sure of one thing, that the Provider of our souls has sent everything down for our benefit, and not to go into research, as happens, and if we don’t find out, don’t be upset and don’t be discouraged; because it is of no use to us to know this, both for the reason that we are mortal, and for the reason that we easily indulge in arrogance and arrogance. 232. To Sofian, guard at the palace If God makes non-existent things exist, and grants existence to that which has never appeared anywhere; then all the more can He restore what exists. He who does not expect to give an account of what he has done will, of course, adhere to every vice. Our Lord Jesus Christ gave bliss as an inheritance to poverty; because she alone knows how to observe the measure of human poverty, hates arrogance, reduces arrogance, humbles thoughts, shames pride, observes a person in life, and convinces him to hide it so as not to hide for salvation. 235. Sosander, chief ruler of affairs How we continually breathe in the air; So we must constantly praise and sing songs to the Lord, even though we are busy with spirits. For a wise and God-loving mind can continuously maintain remembrance of the Creator. I remembered God, says David, and rejoiced (Ps. 76:4). Therefore, if remembrance of the Lord produces joy in our souls, then let us not be lazy to take advantage of remembrance of God. It is said: praise Him with strings and organ (Ps. 150:4). Many strings, harmoniously attached and arranged one to the other, so that each takes its place according to the rules of music, are many of God's commandments and various dogmas that have no disagreement among themselves; the organ that embraces all this within itself is the Christ-loving soul of the wise. Obedience to God's command usually bestows life and immortality, while disobedience bestows death and corruption. Therefore, when Adam, having disobeyed God and tasted the forbidden, brought death upon himself, God clothed him in a robe of leather, so that he would remember and not forget his crime, as well as the mortality and corruption that he had brought upon himself; because mortal skins signify deadness and decay. Although we are in the winter of many adversities, nothing prevents us from celebrating the feast of renewal in Jerusalem, and singing to the Lord, as David says, a new song (Ps. 149:1), that is, the gospel. And by Jerusalem we now mean the soul, in which we celebrate the feast of knowledge of God and all virtue, putting off the old man and putting on the new, created in the image and likeness of the Lord. For your youth will be renewed like an eagle (Ps. 102:5). That is why it is said: there was renewal in Jerusalem, and there was no winter (John 10:22). You wanted to know the meaning of the names of Job’s three daughters (Job.42:13). When Job, by God’s behavior, was freed from the night of sorrows and difficult disasters; Then I must have seen a bright day of joy, unceasing and eternal peace and joy. That is why he named his first daughter: Day, and the second: Cassia; because cassia 11 is fragrant, and Job, instead of the stench, the terrible suffering that he patiently endured before, acquired the aroma of grace from above. The third daughter, named: Horn of Amaltheus, in Greek means: abundance of blessings. Of course, you are not unaware of the numerous benefits that the Lord, before the next century here, bestowed upon the magnanimous and long-suffering Job for his high and glorious success and the victorious triumph of great patience and courage. We must avoid man-pleasing and anger, because the law foretold them as whitening and blushing leprosy (Lev. 13:19). It is also necessary to avoid hypocrisy and low fear likening foxes, because this is blue-tinged leprosy. You must also drive away unreasonable sadness and withering envy; – this is green leprosy (Lev.13:49). If, having a sick body, you do such brutal and inhumane things; then what would you become if you received strength and strength? Therefore, the Lord, foreseeing the murders that you are ready to commit, tied your inexpressible fury in advance with the bonds and need of a multi-painful and complex infirmity. Let us earnestly pray that spiritual leprosy will be driven away from the spinning, tow and skin (Lev. 13:48), - from the spiritual spinning - that which constitutes, as it were, the veins of the Church of Christ, I mean bishops and all who enjoy the honors of the Levitical rank, from the spiritually understood tow, that is, the sanctified people governed and shepherded by them, and from the spiritual skin, that is, those who have recently come to God, catechumens, but did not put aside the deadness of the old garments of sin through rebirth in holy baptism. But to us, says the Apostle, there is one God the Father, from Him are all things, and we are with Him: and there is one Lord Jesus Christ, by Him are all things, and we by Him (1 Cor. 8:6). Where is polytheism and many beginnings here? Therefore, there is one Creator of all things, and not many gods, as you say, not many male and female. For blessed Paul said: if the verbs are many, they are many (1 Cor. 8:5), and in the word: he expressed the verbs as if they were not real gods; because the sun, moon, stars and other creatures are not gods; and only the deluded idolize them. I am a damned man: who will deliver me from the body of this death (Rom. 7:24)? The Divine Apostle does not assert that the body is death, but calls death the law of sin, existing in the bodily members, and as a result of Adam’s crime, hidden in us and dragging the soul to an unrighteous death. The Lord our Savior and Christ delights in our praiseworthy deeds, feeding on them every day and night. It is good for the Imam to eat, He said to the Apostles, but you do not know him (John 4:32) now, but you will know later, letting His disciples understand that His food is salvation, both then for the inhabitants of the Samaritan city who believed, and after this for many thousands of pagans who converted to Christianity. For Isaiah also foretells about Christ that butter and honey will be carried away (Is. 7:15), who in the beginning created Adam, and who later appeared as a child and as a man, Christ Jesus, God of heaven and earth and all that is visible. The Prophet means with butter and honey the nutritional value, sweetness, and pleasantness for the soul of the most beautiful work of Christians. If you do good deeds and imitate the meekness of Jesus; then you fed Jesus with oil and honey. But if you remain angry and do evil deeds; then it is not without reason that Jesus will say about you: He gave me gall for food, and gave me drink for my thirst (Ps. 68:22). 247. To Chairman Glykadiy You are called by name Glykadiy 12, but by your disposition you are sour and unpleasant. Did you ask me where the leather vestments for Adam came from? I, too, will ask you, where did the sky spread from nothing, developing into the most sublime? What is the radiant sun made of? Where do the moon and hosts of stars come from? What substances are the mountains carved from? Where did the great Moses get the abundance of scnips and flies in Egypt? How did a wooden rod turn into an animated and reptile serpent? Why did the legislator's hand turn white as snow? So then the Lord, only desiring that there should be leather garments, without animals, without any human art and any craftsmanship, by one will made them for Adam, as He wanted in the beginning, and heaven and everything came into being. First, not in a spiritual, but in a sensual sense, accept what Christ said: Having created from time immemorial, I created male and female, and God has joined together, let not man separate (Matthew 19:4, 6); and subsequently apply to this, as the Apostle says, the great mystery in Christ and in the Church, who are of His flesh and of His bones (Eph. 5:30, 32); because we are partakers of Christ and are united with Christ by faith, knowledge and virtues. We praise, glorify, sing songs, honor with the worship of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, one power, one Divinity, one power and one will; We glorify the consubstantial Trinity, and confess it individually and trinity - individually, in one essence and one Divinity, and trinity, in three Hypostases, or in three Persons. Ventriloquists who speak as if from the earth, and idle talkers, as Scripture says, we must flee (Lev. 19:31); because every forbidden and false word does not contain truth. Look what is said in the gospel: from the fulfillment of God we receive (John 1:16). But vain-talking heretics have no words to fulfill, but all their words do not contain truth, do not contain God’s power and wisdom. Some speak from the womb; because those who do not have the truth, and yet proclaim the truth, speak openly from the belly, serving their own belly, since God is their belly (Phil. 3:19). For the source of the words of ventriloquists does not come from the Holy Spirit, not from the sovereign in the soul, not from the heart of one who loved Christ, but from the belly it begins. A person can easily be placed on the left side from the right side, as the Apostle says: be determined to stand, and be careful that you do not fall (1 Cor. 10:12); because until the last breath the human fate is unknown, bowing here and there. And of course you saw with your own eyes that Apollinaris grew old in a chaste and honest life, was respected for his word, and for some time was persecuted by the Arians; However, such a man fell into heresy, deceived by the devil, and clearly teaches that the Son of God from above took on flesh, which has neither soul nor mind, and calls the Divinity of the Word divine animation. But all this happened through the efforts of the devil, who envies all people, as one of the wise said somewhere, that envy is always the enemy of great successes. So, through people who are glorified and arousing great surprise, she looks for any pretexts to outrage, upset, and lead to great confusion and confusion in the Church of Christ. About the spiritual Jerusalem, that is, about the Church, it is written: to her is her communion together (Ps. 122:3); because all believers, as one body, one spirit, one citizenship in morals, coming together and bound by a union of peace and love, unanimously partake of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The economy of the incarnation is called a lampstand (Luke 15:8); because God's wisdom, having lit the said lamp, found the lost coin (Luke 15:9). Everything worthy of salvation has been acquired, but what is unworthy due to unrepentance and bitterness is said to have not been acquired. For even as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved (Rom. 9:27), or what the Apostle calls the remnant according to the election of grace (Rom. 11:5), saved by faith. If everyone is saved, as you say; then why would I save everyone, so that I might save everyone (1 Cor. 9:22)? How can I irritate my flesh in order to save one from them (Rom. 11:14), and not all? Some Prophets are called bees, and their divine writings are called bees. Therefore, it is a wonderful thing to obey Solomon, who says: eat honey, son, so that the throat of the soul may be satisfied (Prov. 24:13); He calls reading and studying the words of the Spirit sweet and honeyed food. You ask what it means when it is written: Joseph, not knowing Mary, was born until he was born (Matthew 1:25)? The fact that he did not understand and did not know that Mary would become the Mother of God; after the glorious Nativity, the shepherds announced the words of the Angels that Christ the Lord was born into the world in the city of David (Luke 2:11), and: glory in the highest to God, and on earth peace and so on (Luke 2:13). 259. Memorial to Callimachus The letters of the inspired Scripture can be called a honeycomb, but the meaning hidden in the letters in a figurative sense should be called honey. Behold Az and My children (Is.8:18), cried the Savior Christ through the mouth of Isaiah. For as children the Savior taught to the saints how much they could bear and serve others; because before Christ’s perfection all saints are children. 261. To Chairman Kirill The first Eve is symbolically called life (Gen. 3:20) to signify the second Eve, that is, Holy Mary, who gave birth to the life of men, Christ the Lord of glory. For she turns out to be truly the mother of all who live according to the gospel and whose souls do not die for unbelief. Who gave the women of cloth wisdom to eat (Job 38:36)? This is how the Lord talked with Job. For the first wife had the wisdom to weave visible garments to cover our visible bodily nakedness; and the second wife, that is, the Mother of God, showed such wisdom and the art of sapping that from the wave of the Lamb born from her she clothed all believers in incorruptible clothes and delivered them from invisible nakedness; because the entire true host of Christians stands at the right hand of the heavenly King, dressed in a golden robe and adorned with thousands of types of virtues (Ps. 44:10). You wrote that if Joseph did not know the Virgin before birth, then, of course, he knew her after birth. So how did you know? It is obvious that he learned how to honor and respect the Virgin, revered by God, before birth, and who turned out to be a virgin after birth. Our Lord Christ, who at His birth opened the immaculate falsehoods, Himself after His birth sealed them with His own wisdom, power and miracles, without in the least damaging the seals of virginity. And every sane person will agree that this is God’s work. You have turned your whole mind to carnal wisdom, and you say: you have known it; and if he knew, then copulation is implied. But know, most witty one, that Joseph was not a voluptuous and lustful man, but very pious and righteous. Having heard from the Angel, who said about the birth of a virgin, that what was born in her was Holy (Matthew 1:20), and would be born and save His people, and reign forever, he was especially in awe of the face of the Lord, horrified by this amazing and wonderful mystery. Why, not as an already betrothed man, but as a most zealous servant and servant of God, having curbed his thoughts with chastity, with complete reverence, with great purity and fear of God, he served, called his wife, but who was never her, Mary. If you, in agreement with Apollinaris, say that God the Word, having received flesh from heaven, descended to earth; then what was the need for the blessed Virgin? Know therefore, O wise one, with all accuracy, that the Lord, uncreated according to Divinity, without seed or corruption, and without any defilement, created Himself according to humanity from the Virgin. And where the presence of the Holy Spirit is, there should not be any thought about any defilement. The place called Aenon (John 3:23) was beyond the Jordan. And Aenon interprets the eye of testing, that is, an inquisitive, precise and tedious examination. Therefore, those who were baptized were made the most perspicacious. And Salim is interpreted as the rising son; and Jordan in Greek means convergence. The descent is followed by the ascension of those baptized by the disciples of Christ in the name of our Savior Christ. Repentance revives those killed by the fall, for it is a sign of rebirth and the last sign of resurrection, from here already visible with the eyes. The first attack of temptation, where passions originate, is only an intelligence about our strength. For example, the eye was presented with a sight that could arouse lust; Through this, the enemy discovers how much strength you have, whether you are strong and ready, or weak and easy to catch. If the sense of voluptuousness is predisposed to vision, and the imprinted image through the eye penetrates into the interior of the mind; then the inner leader, that is, the mind, is overcome. It is said: if a man is fearful in heart, let him return to his home, and not go out to fight, and let him not make his brother’s heart afraid (Deut. 20:8). For he who is afraid at the sight of temptations and battles with demons can weaken his zeal even in those preparing for a valiant feat. I will entail for those who love to talk about empty things in vain no small evil - the sharpness of the tongue; then Saint Moses, instead of a door and a bolt, imposes silence. For this is why we were given two ears and one tongue, so that for salvation we would listen rather than speak, crying out more for good deeds and divine successes. Therefore, it is very opportune that Moses himself and the priests and Levites were sent to say to all Israel: be silent and hear to Israel the words of the Lord (Deut. 27:9). That which the foolish pagans call chance and fate has not happened, and is not, and never will be, and cannot be; Just don’t let this non-existent fate come into being, out of prejudice, following the ravings of meaningless pagans. 273. To the noble official Fallian Others, with joy and zeal, rather receive orders from the monks than give them themselves. For they know that they obey God, and they give thanks to Him, and honoring Him according to His dignity, they will be honored by God. And you burden the ascetics living near your village with heavy orders like slaves. How can I call you Christ-loving? Do not greedily seek space in life, but rather wish to find the narrow and cramped path. When you are able to remain in prayer and silence for two months, then you will only be able to comprehend a certain part with your mind, or get a small idea of ​​the painful patience and arduous life of those who dedicated themselves to the monastic rule and removal from all noise for their whole lives. The Greek sages, like rude thieves, having borrowed the most important dogmas without gratitude from Moses and the Prophets, turn this into a reason for arrogance and arrogance, admiring other people's jewelry as if it were their own. There is no need, and it does not deserve praise, to frivolously believe those who make accusations against any person, although, apparently, they are worthy of respect. For it is most useful to wait until the accused party is acquitted, and then, after hearing both sides, pronounce a lawful and fair verdict. The end of eating food beyond measure is obvious, this brings the body to a painful state, and often to illness. The prophecy says: I will sit on those clothed in strange garments (Zeph.1:8). For whoever has not acquired virtue, but is a hypocrite and assumes the appearance of being virtuous, obviously puts on someone else’s robe. And the non-Orthodox, who claim that they teach good things, are exposed by their bad dogmas, that they are alien to divine truth and righteousness; because they are dressed in someone else's clothing, like wolves in sheep's skin. Who is the brightness of glory (Heb. 1:3). The great Apostle expresses his thought by likeness to signify dispassion and the fact that this radiance is not from the Father exhausted and diminished by this, and has a self-existent existence, and not contained in anything other than. Therefore, you do not understand this about God the Word; for look what the Apostle adds after this: and the image of His hypostasis. Just as the Father is hypostatic, so the Son is hypostatic. The Son is not without beginning, because His Father is the author, but he is the author as the Father, and not as the Creator. Notice how the Radiance itself speaks about itself in the gospel: I am the light of the world (John 8:12), light from light. An image is something different, and not a prototype, but it is different not in all respects, but only in hypostasis. If you are able to understand the difficulty of the battles and patient struggle of monks with destructive demons, always persistent and unpleasant, the continuous and unremitting care for salvation, concern for this, countless spiritual anguish, grief in various temptations from opposing forces: then after this the meal of the ascetics, at times, as it seems to you, luxurious and abundant, you will become the greatest self-exhaustion, severe poverty and harsh food, comparing and contrasting it with your continuous and lustful pleasures and feasts. Therefore, do not condemn or ridicule the monks who, on certain days, approve of giving some consolation to the exhausted body by eating good dishes, with divine freedom, good boldness and good thoughts. 282. I intercede in matters of Athanasius You asked me whether the self-existent Wisdom, the Lord of all Christ, the one, complete, perfect and from the beginning lacking in nothing, as Luke writes about Him, excelled in age, wisdom and grace (Luke 2:52)? This should not be understood as if Christ borrowed the wisdom that He had within Himself from somewhere outside; because according to Divinity He is all wisdom, incomprehensible knowledge, and grace, and a treasure of inexhaustible gifts of grace - but in such a way that, with the advancement of human age with the Savior, the manifestation of Divine wisdom and grace was revealed in Him for people. Although the calf has not yet grown horns, he, of course, knows that they will grow, which is why he defends himself with his head from what apparently opposes him. So is David, although the Savior Christ has not yet come to people, as the Prophet knew where the horn of salvation would come from, that is, from the seed and family of David. That is why David himself said to the Lord Christ: because of You we will rip our enemies by the horns (Ps. 43:6), that is, through You, by Your strength and Your might, we will repel the enemies of our demons. For on our own we are not able to overcome invisible enemies. 284. To the city governor Proclus According to God's vision, you have not been given either the free gift of speech, nor the abundance and multitude of thoughts, nor rich possessions, nor physical health. For if, and deprived of all this, you trample everything with your thoughts, and with your wide-open lips and uncontrollable tongue you constantly beat the air, saying things that are of no use to anyone, satisfying only your vanity and man-pleasing and thus captivating poor women; then what would you not do if you had what you so conveniently lack? Imagining Aaron in yourself, you surprise everyone by wearing precious stones and being hung with good-sounding bells. For among the clergy subordinate to you, some, laboring in silence, call out with their lives louder than a trumpet, while others, ringing with divine words and lofty conversations louder than those bells, bring blissful sounds into the very ears of the mind. You try to fly around the whole of heaven with a thought that knows no rest, inventing thousands of pretexts, and replacing one place with another. Although now stop wandering, establish your thought, perceive a constant thought, kill inconstancy with the sword of patience, restrain disorderly aspirations, put an end to inexpressible ebullience, gather all of yourself, soul and body, to Christ. 287. To Deacon Priscillian If you claim that the sayings you propose on behalf of our Lord Jesus Christ were spoken by Solomon in Panaret (Wis.7:2); then why does the writer of this word name himself and say that he was born from pleasure and sleep? Therefore, admit that you have not achieved your goal. For the conception of the Savior in the flesh of the Virgin was not at all lustful, not vicious, not nasty, not reproachful, pure and not corrupt. Sometimes it happens that demons, to the temptation and harm of people, perform various satanic ministries separately, each in their own way; and it also happens that one demon does a lot of bad things. For just as it is possible for one person to be a farmer, and a carpenter, and a coppersmith, and a tanner, and a potter, and a painter, and so on, so it is possible for one demon to arouse irritation, and fornication, and ambition, and envy, and so on. And note that the same destructive and man-hating enemy offered Christ, who was tempted by humanity, gluttony, vanity, and love of money. A monk who, without any greater need, in his own way only through cowardice, out of impatience, and due to some human and weak thoughts, moves from place to place, thinking by wandering to reduce the number of spiritual thoughts, although he may change the place, but his heartfelt sorrow, confusion and temptation, not in the least to reduce or subtract, but to increase them even more, will give them more food, strength, methods and variety. Therefore, let us not carelessly or carelessly make our way through life. For we will certainly give an account of our deeds. You almost brought us into amazement with your fables, which you proposed, having become rich in a dream with many worlds, many aeons and the calculation of the limits and contiguities shown on one sheet; but having read what was written many years ago by different persons to refute and disgrace such teachings, do yourself the honor of remaining silent. When you show me the peace treaty between the dog and the hyena; Then I will believe what you say, that those who are insatiably enriched can be philanthropic. A wolf has never had a friendly conversation with a sheep; and also an unmerciful and insatiable thought cannot be in friendship with benevolence. You ask me why I called love for one’s fellow tribesman a dog? Because she really is a dog, often frantically tormenting all cruelty, all cunning and stubbornness, all arrogance and unsociability. Therefore, love for people is a dog worthy, not of blame, but even more of praise. If you always strive to mercilessly persecute demons and passions, then do not persecute people. You wrote, why don’t I stop pursuing? But I have repeatedly let you know that the reason for this is your cowardice and your stinginess. For you will amaze me if, even occasionally, you begin to fight and wage war against your misanthropy. It is common for strong and strong souls to go through the path of the present age with many sorrows. For the Lord uses a strong soul for this. The Ethiopian does not change his skin and the lynx of his variegated colors (Jer.13:23); but you can, if you want, get rid of your darkened disposition and wash away the stains of many-sided vice. You ask me what God says to the Prophet: I will bare your thighs against your face, and your shame will be revealed (Jer. 13:26)? The fact that at this divine and terrible judgment seat all the bad deeds that you have committed here will appear before your face, so that, looking at them and recognizing them, you will come to shame, fear and trembling. People are often called waters, for the Prophet says: behold, for there is much water, the nations are many (Is. 17:13), and: a multitude of many tongues, for the waters make a noise (Is. 17:12), and: behold, I will bring much water against you, the king of Assyria (Is. 8:7). Christ God and the Lord of all in the Gospel clearly and intelligibly calls to those burdened with all kinds of sins, proclaiming: come to Me, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). For, as He asserted, this was the reason for His descent from heaven. He has not come, He says, to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:13), and: they do not require the health of a doctor, but the sick (Matthew 9:12). And if so, then do not despair at all, but rather strengthen yourself with good hopes. 301. To Silvan, staying in the hostel If we want to completely trample on the demons; then we will show humility in everything, throwing our will far away from ourselves. And how readily we accept the fast prescribed to us by our predecessors in this kind of life; So, if those well versed in assessing matters and judging them advise us to eat or drink in order to give rest to a tired body for a while, we will obey readily and without hesitation; because eating out of obedience defeats demons more than fasting. How did some smart people send some wandering man to enter the tomb in the dark and send him to a foreign side? It is obvious that this man was carried to another place by a demon, by crafty challenge and by the force of natural things. Thus, a sorcerer often apparently turns a person into a beast, not transforming the essence of the body, but giving it a bestial appearance. Therefore, if a person is harnessed like a donkey, then he himself will carry as much as the person can, and the demon will support the rest on his shoulders. 303. To the ruler of affairs Sosthenes As I learn, you have little prudence and sense. If you conclude about the God-bearing man John, Bishop of Constantinople, that he is an angry man who loves to offend, because he strikes those who sin with his words, and strongly attacks those who suffer with rudeness and insensitivity; then you should also say about the Baptist John, because he called other people of a poisonous disposition: births of vipers (Matt. 3: 7), and the Apostle should be judged to be an offender, because he twice called the Galatians foolish ( Gal. 3: 1, 3) and the Prophets should be recognized as subject to accusation for causing offense, because rational creatures were given the names of wild female horses ( Jer. 5: 8), dogs, biting secretly, wolves, ravens, with these reproofs urging those who were stumbling to correct themselves. What can you say about God and the Provider of all, Christ, the humble One, who by His quietness and meekness surpassed all meekness, when you hear that He calls the wrongdoers violent, blind, sons of the devil, tares, dogs, pigs, and gives them other caustic names? And you yourself admit that idleness, especially for the ignorant, is the beginning of bad deeds; you also know that the Jews in the desert, since they had nothing to do, fell into idolatry. Therefore, do not disdain handicrafts; because it is useful and very sober. 305. To the city governor Feona Inconsolably grieving, crying and fasting over a deceased relative serves as an exposure of unbelief and hopelessness. Whoever believes that the one who is now buried will rise from the dead will be strengthened by hope, will thank God, will turn crying into complacency, will pray that the deceased will be worthy of eternal mercy, and will also turn to correcting his own falls. If anyone has endured the loss of a loved one with gratitude and courage; then they will call him wise and generous, and many of his previous sins will be forgiven. If a barking dog harms an irresistible giant; then the spirit of blasphemy will harm a true believer, disturbing his soul. I am afraid, says Job, lest the Lord consume me in darkness (Job 9:17), that is, I fear lest, having once deprived me of a portion of those worthy to be in the light of His glory, I would be given over to eternal darkness. Therefore, let us not carelessly or carelessly make our way through life. Heretic wolves call those who from the most evil heresy turn to Orthodoxy, and, doing well, turn to piety, fugitives and worthless people. The most humane Savior of all, Christ, as far as He was concerned, came to save all people. But we see that not everyone gives themselves over to their salvation. Therefore, let us condemn and recognize ourselves as damned for our negligence and foolishness, but let us not lay the blame on the good Lord. 311. I intercede in matters Athanasius You are like a man who says: I would like to see the rains water the whole earth, but I don’t want to be cold. How is it possible to have rain without cold? How can you say that you wish and pray to God to grant you some kind of spiritual grace without labor and sorrow? Anyone, both layman and monk, if he wishes to receive any heavenly gift, must first endure many sorrows, temptations, sorrows (which are all likened to a strong winter), and then reap the fruits of the Holy Spirit. And you sat on them like a verna (Jer. 3:2), said the Prophet, that is, having forgotten God a lot of time, and working hard, you spent in sins and, due to your falls, with unclean demons. For the crow lives for many years and is child-loving. Therefore, every sensualist and lover of peace greatly loves and cares for his children, that is, his destructive and vile deeds. I learn that it is highly desirable for you to occupy the so-called (but not in reality such) inaccessible and highest department of dioceses. Know therefore, most brilliant man, that this ridiculous and shameful glory bestowed upon you by people is small, insignificant, of few days, and in no way different from spring flowers, but the shame that follows it is great and heavy. Therefore, if you do not want to be ashamed, then do not want to be glorified by this fragile, easily destroyed and diminished glory. Instead of the father, your sons were (Ps. 44:17). For those who, according to the law of Moses, formerly served and pleased God in ancient times, found themselves second in the Church after the Apostles. And the Apostles are the sons of the Jewish synagogue; but, since they were worthy to become disciples of Christ and imitate the Teacher in everything, they proved by their lives and dignity that their fathers, who were justified in ancient times by the law, are their sons. You can understand differently the saying about which we recently had a word. Instead of your fathers, your sons were (Ps. 44:17), that is, the gift that before, with your fathers, you repeatedly asked from God, and for the most part did not receive, and was not heard, having received beyond childbearing at the last end of your old age, you rejoiced and rejoiced. For it is said: and the Lord will give you the best gift from sons and daughters (Is. 56:5). God, who created everything according to His goodness, provides for everything, looking not at the dignity of what He provides for, but at His election and bestowal of every good. Therefore He gives food to those who look to Him out of mercy and generosity. And this means what was said by the psalmist: the Lord is merciful and generous: He has given food to those who fear Him (Ps. 111:4, 5). Do not, following the example of the unreasonable, cut off the parts of the body that are used for procreation, but pray and call on the Lord, so that by invisible power your inner man will become an eunuch, and you will no longer know or distinguish between what is male and what is female. What the Apostle said: comfort yourselves, even today, is said (Heb. 3:13), and what is written in the book of Job: “It has become like this day” (Job 2:1) means a whole real age; because the whole human life is one day. And that is why Satan constantly and always asks. Therefore it is said: “It was like this day”, that is, and then something happened that happens to us now with those who are tempted by the devil. Therefore, it is wonderful not to be faint-hearted, but to strengthen our thoughts with the invocation and consolation of the Spirit, so that the enemy does not consume us because of despair. God fights with a secret hand against Amalek (Ex. 17:16), as Moses says. For the Lord invisibly avenges the devil for us, and for the sake of His name and for the sake of His own mercy, the generous and humane Lord benefits us, warms us, edifies us, arranges us well, protects us from the inside and outside, covers us, and saves us. Imitating their Master, the divine Angels love humility. Therefore, when a monk, puffed up by the height of his life, loves pride and inseparably remains in it, the Angels leave the arrogant one and stand at a distance from him, no longer wanting to help him, cover, guard and protect him, as before. The all-evil demons immediately come and, surrounding the one who has lost his blessed protection, plunge the arrogant person into fornication, or theft, or murder, or adultery, or other forbidden deeds. For of all sins, the greatest sin is pride; for her, the inventor of all evil, the devil, was cast from heaven to earth. And I said this because you asked me: why are some of those who have chosen the ascetic life soon carried away into impermissible actions and terrible falls? It is good to love what is good and to constantly hold on to it. But best of all is a modest way of thinking about yourself; and Christ, the Lord, God and Master of all, living in the flesh with men, showed us all this and commanded us to be zealous for this, saying: Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find sure rest for your souls (Matthew 11:19). 321. Ruler of affairs Hipponicus Others often pray to get rid of their body, as it encourages the soul to sin. But they should have prayed better to get rid of their bad character, passionate and foul-loving heart. Christ's hands and feet, pierced and nailed to the cross, mean the prohibition, the cessation of evil deeds and the desire for all wickedness and sin, and a firm obstacle to this. For by the power of the Lord’s cross we overcome, trample and reflect from ourselves the previously victorious sin that deceived us, and the sin that we did not reflect. The Son of God Jesus Christ did not spare Himself to spare us, and the only sinless one died for sinners. Therefore, do not despair, but hasten to salvation. Once upon a time, Jesus, the son of Joseph, symbolically, or better yet, prophetically appeared wearing abominable garments (Zech. 3:3). But the vile vestments were taken off him, and he was clothed in clean vestments. This was done so that we might know and understand that if we put on the image of the earthly, we will also put on the image of the heavenly (1 Cor. 15:49); because Christ, by His virtues, greatly overcomes human filth. Why should we pray to be saved and to be freed from long-term prejudice, and not to die in a defiled and reprehensible state? The Song of Songs says: from the head of Sanir and Aermon (Song.4:8). And Sanir is interpreted: the path of the lamp, Aermon is the offering, and by the head Solomon means our reason. Therefore, let us offer ourselves entirely as a gift to God, leisurely walking the short and distant path ahead of us, illuminating the eyes of our souls with the lamp of God’s commandments. The garments mentioned in Scripture are vile (Zechariah 3:3) - they are evil thoughts, rotten words into lawless deeds. Therefore, in the book of psalms it is said about Judas: they are clothed with an oath like a robe (Ps. 109:18), and: they who seek to harm me will be clothed in shame and shame (Ps. 70:13). But nothing shames and exposes a person to such a curse as sin. Let this prophetic word be spoken about those who have begun and failed to complete the wonderful work of virtue: before him is like a paradise of sweetness, and behind him is a field of destruction (Joel 2:3) Those who have worked hard in works of righteousness, even if sometimes they are overcome for a short time by the power of temptations; then they will not lose courage, but having risen up, they will take a firm and unshakable position, and will no longer be deceived. I will defend this city for My sake, and David for My servant’s sake, says God (2 Kings 20:6). By hail we will now mean the most faithful soul. In no case will we beg God to deliver us from His reproofs and punishments, and we will not turn away from the Father of spirits, so that for short-term carelessness and cowardice we do not lose that eternal, inalienable inheritance and unceasing joy prepared for us in heaven. Since you write to me that my writings are very pleasing and pleasing to you; then now accept Saint David, who, instead of the sorrows of this age, preaches to you unceasing joy. For he says: blessed is man, even if you punish him, O Lord (Ps. 93:12); in all the days to come we rejoiced, for the days in which we were humbled, in the days of sorrow we saw evil (Ps. 89:15); and: Fill us with the flow of Thy sweetness (Ps. 35:9), who hope for the protection of the wings of Providence. 5. To an official under the mayor of Valch Do not sow on thorns, says the prophetic word (Jer. 4:3), that is, do not entrust the words of God to people who are overzealous and voluptuous; because divine laws call depraved pleasures and cares that are useless for the soul thorns. The house of your Soul is filled from floor to roof with pus, broken shards, unclean rubbish, dead bones and earth. Therefore, you beg me to bring in and place in your spirit the royal vessels of worthy teachings, when inside it there will be no idle place at all 15. But at least from now on, sober up and take some care of yourself. For if you take even a little effort to cleanse your heart and put it away splendidly; then I, too, will readily be obedient to you, offer soul-helping words, and fill your mental home with divine jewels. I wish you to succeed, not in conceit, but in the matter of good living and knowledge of God. Sin is not imputed to the law (Rom. 5:13); because until the law existing in us, commanding us to do one thing and prohibiting us to do another, is brought into full clarity, in accordance with the concepts of good and evil that are naturally impressed in us, until then the fact that we sin is not imputed to us; for without the law sin is dead. But as soon as, after the perfection of concepts by this commandment, the law existing in us is understood, the desire for evil is immediately found in us, and sin comes to life. As to the wicked Jew, circumcision is counted as uncircumcision; so abstinence and fasting are imputed to gluttony and gluttony for such a person who fasts like the pagans, is no other than the Manichaeans, and abhors God’s good creatures. Abstinence practiced according to Christ is wonderful, very valiant and useful, but abstinence established in imitation of the pagans and Manichaeans is reprehensible and harmful. In any work that promotes piety, never give yourself rest; because, during these rests and inactions, we most likely allow something sinful and bad to happen. On the contrary, pray more often, read the Lord’s decrees with attention, turn and direct your thoughts towards doing good to those in need, to intercede for the oppressed. In this way you will conveniently avoid not only sinful deeds, but, most likely, the very attacks of sin, sinful memories, and obscene movements. I praise you for your great care for your soul, for your abstinence, for your avoidance of evil sights, for your forgetfulness of malice, and for your success in other virtues, which you have shown while living in the world. But add one more thing to all this for me, finally remove yourself from this ulcer - to have laughers with you; and now a crown has been woven for you. According to God's judgment, the Israelites who crossed the Red Sea are counted as baptism, although they were not baptized. So it pleased God to call the second-born Ephraim the first-born and prefer him to the elder Manasseh, so that we would seek the meaning of all this. The two golden olive trees of the Prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 4:3) represent those who believed in Christ, and one olive tree represents the Jews, and the other represents the pagans, who were previously like straw, but later, having received great mercy for faith and repentance, turned out to be golden in spirit. Blessed David, having punished the murderers of Ishbosheth with death, and having cut off their hands and feet, hung them by a spring over the water. And this means that by baptism performed according to Christ, the demons who enslaved us and killed our souls before our faith are reduced to powerlessness and complete inaction. After the Law of Moses, we are shown the introduction of a better hope that can bring us closer to God. So, according to the word of James, draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (James 4:8). But the Jewish people did not want to draw closer and cleave to the Lord with hope and faith; why did David say: wrath has come upon Israel: because you have not believed in God, you have put less hope in His salvation (Ps. 77:21-22). Yes, and God Himself also spoke through the mouth of Isaiah: these people love Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me (Is. 29:13). Many people of bad character, with the intention of hiding from others the sorrow that darkens their hearts, laugh loudly and imagine themselves as having fun. But you need to know that internally they are filled with great sadness, because just joy has turned away from them. Why, by delivering food and clothing to the Jews living in your house, as if not from a good heart, do you want to show by this that you are wasting your property on people who are strangers to you, who come from outside, who have no relations with you, who are wicked and empty? The Apostle Paul writes: the dead are free from sin (Rom. 6:7), not in the sense that all who die are justified; for in this case, all the wicked and lawless, after leaving this life, will be recognized as justified. On the contrary, since every person, after ceasing his evil activity, no longer commits sin, and seems to have died for evil deeds; then he is rightly called no longer a sinner, but righteous. Therefore, let us understand what is written to mean that he who has died to sin, since he no longer commits sin, is justified. The Chief of the Apostles, Peter, says that if you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed (1 Pet. 4:14); and the Lord spoke through the mouth of Isaiah: Do not be afraid of the reproach of man (Is. 51:7); Yes, and He Himself cries out in the Gospel: blessed are you when you are reviled: rejoice and be glad, for your reward is many in heaven (Matthew 5:11-12). And the Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Hebrews, highly praised those who had ardent faith in the Savior Christ. And if this is really so; then do not lose heart at all, and do not become afraid if low, godless and hateful people revile you for your good reputation, for the kindness of your morals, and for your piety that is visible to everyone. For the fornicators laugh at the chaste, and the wicked mock the pious, and the wicked mock the good, and the blind call themselves far-sighted, and the most wicked people with applause proclaim sins and the most shameful passions of dishonor, assuring that bitter is sweet. And we will even laugh at them, we will condemn them, we will cry and shed tears for the death of all those like them. You must thank God that you have no money that would require you to account for on the day of judgment. For it is said: much has been given to him; the tormenting angels ask of him much more (Luke 12:48); and the rich man, for the money given to him, will be subjected to severe punishment, strict liability, and a terrible examination of whether he disposed of what was given to him by the providence of God well or badly. Don't rely too much on old age; because even the elders fall. But always call on Christ for help, so that He may be your guardian and your unshakable fence. Your honest soul asks me what is written by the Apostle: the power of sin, the law of Moses (1 Cor. 15:56)? It is not that the divine law is the cause of falls, as some ignorant people poorly understood, and it is not that the law gives strength to sin. Let this not happen! Rather, it is characteristic of him to suppress, or destroy, sins. On the contrary, after a strong reproof of the laziness of those who do evil and upon discovering what exactly is indecent, the Apostle stops the shameless lips of the Jews, who, to the point of madness, constantly boasted of divine inscriptions, but at the same time fearlessly committed every sin, and by breaking the law they dishonored the Lawgiver. For the divine Apostle usually speaks of this and the like to those who boast and are proud of the law. Look up to God. What do you have in common with earthly things? Don’t even want to see what the world is doing, because you have withdrawn from the world and from the ways of life. Therefore, do not look at the affairs of this life, but be attentive only to yourself, and take care to do your work, as is fitting for ascetics. Be careful how you walk dangerously and how you spend your life, the divine commandment calls out daily 16 (Eph. 5:15). If you condemn turning to the worse; then avoid resorting to the worst. For it is said: no one who turns back is ruled in the kingdom of heaven (Luke 9:62). Circumcision is nothing, says the Apostle, and uncircumcision is nothing (1 Cor. 7:19); because neither one nor the other of what has been said contributes to the salvation of the soul and to divine knowledge. Therefore, what will be useful and bring success to a person? Obviously, keeping God's commandments. Just as there is a fast in the consideration of food, so there is a fast in the consideration of irritability, a fast in the consideration of covetousness, envy, boastfulness, covetousness, irascibility, drowsiness, laziness, empty curiosity, embarrassment, and the like. If you are too curious, and it pleases you to find out the deeds of those who act indecently; then you have forgotten your own heart, you do not know your cell, you have lost your way, deviating from the truth, and you are not following the path; Look to what end you will come to. How, if I do not communicate to others the grace given to me, on the day of judgment I will be subject to the responsibility that spiritual talent has buried in silence; Likewise, you will need to give an account if you do not teach the heavenly gift of knowledge entrusted to you to others who are capable of receiving it. For for your nobility of morals, for your honorable life, for your diligence, in which you compete with the most excellent of monks, who have been honored with the great grace of God, I testify that it is wonderful to see this under worldly clothing and in public service. Bringing to mind your sinless life, we glorify Christ, saying with David: since Thy village is beloved, and Thy altars are the God of hosts (Ps. 84:2)! Because virginity has truly made you villages, altars, churches, and precious utensils of God. I don’t want, you say, to abandon the father of Hellenism, although I recognize him as worthy of blame. What is this? tell me, venerable one. If your father had been some kind of chieftain of robbers, or a drunkard, or a fornicator, or a usurer, or a brawler, or a coffin digger; Wouldn’t you really want, guided by a chaste thought, to become better than the unjust and vile father of evil? 32. To the presbyter and abbot Chrysogon Your love asked me, what does it mean that Baruch said to God: You remain forever, but we are perishing forever (Bar.3:3)? since God is unchangeable and immutable always; it is clear that He is prescribed eternal abiding in His immutability. And we, as changeable ones, conveniently perish every moment, repeatedly becoming from one to another, and often passing from one thought to another. On that day of righteous judgment, the powers of heaven will move (Matthew 24:29), that is, the angelic armies, fulfilling the Lord’s command and putting aside meekness, will move to anger and put aside all evil people. Unholy, godless, evil and lawless satanic thoughts do not confuse and amaze you, do not lead your good soul, adorned with faith and protected by the cross of Christ, into despondency and relaxation. 35. To the city father Dimosthenes If you do not love the blessed and truly divine words of Scripture; then you will become like senseless and dumb animals. How, out of a desire to maintain life, we usually eat, drink, talk, listen; Likewise, we must cleave to reading the words of God with our hearts, not knowing satiety in this. What good is it for you to rule over servants, but to servile lusts like unmerciful mistresses? 38. To the noble dignitary Auxentius The Only Begotten Son and the Word of the Father is the living Word and the hypostatic Word; dispassionately from the Father He was born before all ages and times, One from the One, the only begotten, Light from Light, true God from true God, similar to His Father in everything, in strength, in essence, in goodness, in power, and in all perfection, so that He contains the Father in Himself and is contained in the Father, the Creator of everything material with the Father and with the Holy, consubstantial and venerable Spirit. The Only Begotten Son and God's Word, and after receiving the form, or body, from the holy Virgin, did not lose or become alien to His Divinity; for even after the incarnation he remained God. Invisibly He is true God, but apparently He is a true man, having a soul and a mind, and not lacking a mind and a soul, as Apollinaris cried out. Others are amused by vineyards and olive gardens, a multitude of livestock and servants, magnificent houses, gold, silver and other earthly possessions. And you, the all-praised servant of Christ, constantly see the invisible King with your mental eyes, enjoy His pleasantness, are attached to Him with an unbreakable commitment, feed your soul with hope in Him, are comforted by unfading love for Him, constantly remain in prayers and psalmody, introduce spiritual words into yourself, and cry out with the words of the Prophets: remember God and they rejoiced (Ps. 76:4); and: I will rejoice in my Lord; I will not be weary in following my Lord (Jer. 17:16). Therefore, I will rejoice in Your words, O philanthropic Master, for You have gained much wealth and gain (Ps. 119:162). Therefore, the Savior and Creator of everything answers you that no one can steal your joy and your gladness from you (John 16:22); because Mary chose the good and ever-blooming part of the divine instructions. Therefore, since My words have taken root in you, I will remember you in memory in My kingdom; and do not be afraid at all, I will always be with you, I will deliver you from all sorrow and snatch you from the hand of those who are malicious. If the tripod of the multi-broadcasting Apollo, when for the sake of the coming in the flesh of the Lord of all Christ, he was commanded to remain silent, beyond the expectations of the pagans, as he should have, became dumb, as all those living under the sun see; then why don’t you want to be ashamed or ashamed, but speak out in defense of your dumb and pitiful gods, and expose absurdities and vileness? If it would please you to listen to me; then it will be much more decent if you are now more jealous of the silence of the tripod in the oracle. Why are you grieving, restless, murmuring and complaining, complainer? Why do you show yourself to be impatient and the most cowardly, unable to courageously endure what happened to you? Remember the One who says in your advice: child, if you approach the works of the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation: guide your heart, and be patient, and do not be hasty during the time of guidance (Sir. 2:1-2). For know, without God’s judgment, nothing sorrowful befalls anyone. Therefore, take heart, and let your heart be strong, and be patient with the Lord (Ps. 26:14), so that He may have mercy on you. Why do you say that it is a small sin for which God will take revenge, and that an insult to God is caused by violating the divine commandments? If someone kills a husband or kills a baby, without a doubt, he is equally made a murderer and tried as a murderer. Therefore, how are you subjected to such a fall, for which you will not be allowed into the kingdom of heaven? Don't complain, man; because it is not characteristic of a monk to grumble, if it happened to you and a mortal to be exposed to danger, the underworld, which was ordered to you by the brotherhood. For it is said: listen to you, he listens to Me: and he who dares to reject you is swept away by Me (Luke 10:16). And the Apostle writes: do not murmur, for some of the Israelites murmured and perished from the Destroyer (1 Cor. 10:10). Therefore, if you do not want to die, then stop grumbling. Or how will you be able to raise your hands to the Lord and pray, according to the apostolic tradition, without anger and reflection (1 Tim. 2:8)? For murmuring is a product of anger. Those who, with much labor and sweat, having struggled for a long time with voluptuousness, have finally been granted the gift of dispassion, we allow to have meetings with ascetics. And those, like you, are still burdened with voluptuous passions, let such a very dangerous conversation be forbidden, so that both your own and other people’s souls do not fall into the abyss. For without an urgent and necessary need one should not even look at women, whether they be nuns or laymen. The laity, who invite us into their homes to pray for them, must respond with humility with the word of the Gospel: I am not worthy by virtue of my virtues to enter into your house (Luke 7:6, 7). But since you believe that the prayer of the monks will benefit you, let it be as if you believed (Matthew 8:13). And all the fathers and brothers who love our poverty will be asked by me to sincerely pray for the laity who have need. Now it’s best to tell you in the word of Jeremiah: people are violent and have no heart (Jer. 5:21)! You should have been ashamed of your bad deeds, vanity and idle talk, but at the same time you applaud, and are puffed up with your other insolences, and are even more amused, you exalt yourself above everyone, you praise yourself, you generously glorify yourself. But be ashamed, says the Holy Prophet on behalf of God, and take away your dishonor (Ezek. 16:52), so that you, having come to your senses, having known yourself, and having condemned your worthlessness, may acquire the opportunity to be enlightened; because the knowledge of sins is the morning of the soul, and their condemnation is the beginning of salvation. Confess your weakness to God, so that the possibility of grace may shine for you, and the Master’s will will perform a miracle that exceeds nature. 48. Alexander the monk of the grammarians Come, and let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord, says the Prophet (Is. 2:3); but did not say: Come and let us be cast into the abyss of the enemy. For indeed there is nothing so deep, low and creeping on the earth as worldly wisdom, although out of shamelessness it undertakes to soar to heights. Why does the divine Apostle say: the wisdom of this world is wisdom with God (1 Cor. 3:19). since the world was not understood by the wisdom of God, Gods shod with the wisdom of the wise (1 Cor. 1:20, 21), subjecting every nation and every language, both Greeks and barbarians, to the Apostles, who were ignorant in speech, but had infallibility in knowledge. Therefore, let each of those who begin to preach piety make every effort, following the apostolic rules, to exactly imitate the model they gave, and not in the least deviate from their impeccable tradition. Therefore, it will be most incongruous for us, who have ascended to the mountain of wisdom high in Christ, after we have despised the Hellenic charms and disgracedly rejected the pompousness of speeches, to again be carried away into the darkest abyss of frivolity and vain labor, and when we have become perfect in meaning, to again become children, like youths to set up for great things verses and footsteps that no one needed, nor the Alexandrian scholar Apollos, who gave the disciples of Christ drink (1 Cor. 3:6), nor the Roman philosopher Clement, nor the other countless philosophers and grammarians who are called second after the Apostles, so that by the size and composition of their verses they would not abolish the cross of Christ (1 Cor. 1:17), and would not deserve the reproach that, contrary to the law of God, they bring honey to the altar (Lev. 2:11); honey drips from the lips of a harlot's wife (Prov. 5:3), that is, Hellenic eloquence, which, through much convincing conversation, deceives the deceived, with the snares of the lips, as Solomon says (Prov. 7:21), binds, and from the wisdom of God, trying to draw into the very trap, unfortunately, it casts what is caught to the very bottom of hell. Therefore, do not pay attention to the measure of speech, although you have acquired a strong habit and inclination towards this, so that, having destroyed in yourself the divine traits of fishermen, which you recently wished to imprint in yourself with great love, you do not reach the extreme disgrace, and obviously become careless about your salvation out of diligence in versification, and do not turn out to be a preliminary, a model and a net for others, and precisely for those who, being unordered, low and weak in spirit, have no concern for virtue, but all the days of their lives they do this, out of damned and empty vanity from not many people who deign to give them praise, servilely and completely childishly receiving small bread, which does not feed the soul at all, but starves it to death. For from the God of strength we must seek for ourselves bread full of true glory in honor. These same people do the opposite, and think to become saturated with worldly wisdom that is not useful for anything. The honor of a harlot’s wife is the same as the honor of the only bread, filled with dishonor and great impotence. And you constantly ask yourself for the bread of the heavenly powers; for the bread of heaven, the bread of angels, is man (Ps. 77:24, 25), that is, everyone who lives by the Spirit and walks by the Spirit (Gal. 5:25), and following the church rules, has partaken of the wisdom that comes from above. Therefore such a one eats the bread of heaven and the bread of angels, and not the bread of a harlot’s wife. Many of the heretics wrote many works, but there was no benefit from them, because their classes were destroyed by the wind, as the Prophet says, and the handle did not have the power to create flour (Hos. 8:7). And if you marvel at those who write poetry; then you should also marvel at the wicked innovator Apollinaris, who put a lot of things into moderation and reworked them into verse, did not spare vain labors, spent all his time in composing foolish speeches, swollen and bloated from useless efforts over verses, swollen from thoughts, as David said, his tongue went through the earth (Ps. 73:9). Apparently, you are at odds with yourself, you speak beautifully, but act badly, you rage like dogs, you are merciless and not red-faced, you bark at everyone. But from now on, at least, correct yourself, brother, so that your deeds are not at odds with your honorable vow. To the extent that you apparently depress your body with a laborious and harsh way of life, humble your heart in the same way, count and abase yourself as nothing, so that when vanity finds access to you, you do not reap nettles instead of wheat, and so that your labors do not perish. The evil one realized by certain signs that for good deeds you were awarded a reasonable blessing, and received grace from heaven, like Jacob and all those who truly worked for God, and therefore, struck by hatred and wounded by envy, this misanthrope kindled great temptations against you, with the intention of crushing the soul that loved virtue, instilling in it evil thoughts, and urging you to take up harmful ones. affairs. And it is not at all strange what you are subjected to, valiant one. For it is written: when we had already entered the mental holy land of divine promise, then the rulers of Edomstia and the princes of Moab (Ex. 15:15), some cruel and powerful demons, were intent on holding us back and rejecting us from the blessed entry, and making us strangers to eternal joy. But you yourself, remaining unperturbed, take courage and strengthen yourself, crushing with patience and intense prayer those who wish to crush us, and constantly repeating the prophetic word: do not rejoice, O foreigners, being crushed by the yoke of those who beat us (Is. 14:29). For Christ, the philanthropic God, will be merciful to us, the evil enforcers of the mental Pharaoh together with their king will cease and be abolished, and their power will be completely crushed 18, and they will no longer send us for chaff and clay to make sin. For to the extent that we draw closer to God, the demons become more and more fierce against us. You can destroy the temptation of unbearable sadness and great despondency with abundant tears, good hopes and love for the sweetest Savior Christ. Like the not false, but beautiful and highly commendable branch of the illustrious and most valiant Abba Minukian, you rightly reveal in yourself the radiant traits of this man; for he turned out to be not only a disciple, but also an imitator of this man-loving Savior Christ, who proved in deed and word that true wisdom consists in leading one’s life in purity and always exalting one’s soul above bodily passions. I consider it an extremely unwise thing to do, leaving us to worry about the heavenly and eternal, to exhaust ourselves on earth with concern for this, and to invent thousands of pretexts for acquiring temporary and unreasonable benefits. 55. Hilarius the monk of the scholastics Finally, having stopped your wanderings, you decided to imitate this ancient man, after you met him at Echinada! For who of the right-thinking people will approve of this - walking everywhere, not knowing peace for oneself, pushing here and there without any greater and inevitable need, running from place to place, like hares changing one bed for another? Therefore, remain in the monastery hopelessly and motionlessly, practicing silence, and watch when death comes, so that, by good permission, you may rejoice forever at the feet of Christ. The beginning of the leaders of our rank, having become zealots of the Apostles, became certain luminaries shining in a dark place (2 Pet. 1:19), and non-wandering stars illuminating the impenetrably dark night of human life, in their serenity they turned out to be strongholds of piers, showing everyone the convenience of harmlessly avoiding the battle of passions. And you, having so many souls under your control, you yourself condemned virtue to exile, forced it to flee from you into the distance, with pleasure you cover your face with the darkness of guile and evil, you plunge your brothers into bad habits, into a storm and constant rebellion, you try to destroy those who should be saved. Who will save you from eternal torment? For it is terrible to fall into the hand of the living God (Heb. 10:31). Because it is not for the sake of humility, but out of vanity, that you read; then the temptation of a lustful thought does not leave you; because it is of no use to an unreasonable person to live in contentment, and to a arrogant person to always read and enjoy high speech. Knowledge puffs up too much the worldly and foolish, and does as much harm to the arrogant as wine to someone with a fever. Therefore, until the arrogance of the soul subsides, the demon must never cease to ridicule and denounce the arrogant. But if you want to see him leaving as quickly as possible; then hasten to resort to the unshakable pillar of humility, and armed with vigils, long prayers, and the singing of psalms, you will see with your own eyes the death of the enemy. There is no sin to start eating food every day at the appointed hour to partake of it in moderation. But after you have humbled yourself to the level of bodily need, you must quickly again raise your thought to heaven, without bringing with it any of the earthly concerns. Why, through great and untimely care, do you expose yourself to the danger of falling into unbelief, expecting yourself to be abandoned by God and deprived of the necessities of life? For now you have several assistants who provide relief for your great weakness, all of them the glorious dignitary Heron, who greatly respects monks from the heart, and the nephew of the most holy bishop, who is also a monastic lover, the most venerable deaconess of Christ Theodula. And if the thought occurs to you that they may die before your death; then, without a doubt, God, seeing the meekness and silence of your soul, serenity, lack of curiosity and good zeal for self-improvement, will suddenly send you people who will serve your needs; because God can even raise up from these stones those who are ready with zeal to serve those passing through monastic life. For to those who live piously, honorably and virtuously, who, even with a strong request for acceptance, will not give not only what is necessary, but also what is beyond the need? For if the Babylonians, a barbarian people, having taken Jerusalem by right of war, respected the virtue of Jeremiah, and generously rendered him every service, not only giving him what he needed for food, but even providing the vessels that are usually used when receiving guests, then will his fellow tribesmen, from childhood, not respect the virtuous life, not like barbarians who have cleared their minds to understanding? the best, and zealous for virtue? They, if for some reason they were not able to become her ascetics themselves; they honor her and marvel at her ascetics. Therefore, do not worry too much, but, according to the advice of Peter and Paul, stay awake and sober in prayer (1 Pet. 5:8, 1 Thess. 5:6), and cast all your sorrow on God (1 Pet. 5:6). For it is said: The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but let your requests be made to God in everything by prayer and supplication (Phil. 4:5-6), and He will provide for you in everything. And in another place it is written: look at the ancient generations, who when the faith of the Lord, and despised (Sir.2:10)? You have read all this, but let us remind you. Daniel in Babylon, cast into the lions' den, and suffering no harm from the lions, wasted away with hunger; but the Prophet Habakkuk, having received a command from God, and transferred from Judea to Babylon by an Angel, brings dinner into the very lion’s den; and the great Daniel says with thanks: for Thou art God, thou hast remembered me, and hast forsaken them that seek Thee (Dan. 14:38). Therefore, keep this and the like in your mind, and constantly flow your thoughts to God, and to the only God. When you are exhausted in body, do not lose heart, thinking that there will be no one to console you. For it is better to trust in the Lord than to trust in man (Ps. 117:8). Without a doubt, God will think of a way to console you, and the Source of wisdom will not lack in thinking of what is necessary for salvation. Return quickly to the monastery from which you left so badly, so that, remaining for a long time outside this fence, you do not become food for mental beasts. And if you say that in hopes of some higher virtue you left the monastery; then remember the one who said: there is a way that a man thinks is right, but his last one ends in the depths of hell (Proverbs 14:12). For Satan always ensnares those who have not experienced his wiles with something plausible. In the monastic rank one must behave carefully and soberly; because our feat is much more difficult than the feat of the fighters. There, the ascetics’ bodies are shaken, which can be easily returned to an upright position, but here their souls are subject to the fall, which, if once deposed, can hardly be restored. The great priest Moses, having erected his tent outside the camp, makes it clear that the teacher should be away from the noise of war, and not approach the restless horde, having entered into a life of peace and love of violence. If you have bowed the neck of your soul under the yoke of all-praising obedience 19; then do not be curious to find out the reasons for the orders of the abbot, but just try to do with diligence what you are ordered, although it will be difficult and difficult. For curiosity to find out the reasons for your mentor’s orders and the desire to evaluate his orders serve as an obstacle to your success. What seems plausible and solid to the unskilled may, of course, not be solid in reality itself. For the artist judges the matter of art differently, but otherwise the ignorant. For one the rule is its reduction, and for the other it is apparent probability. But the plausible does not in many ways agree with the truth, but in many ways it diverges from it, having more affinities with deception than with the truth. What benefit do you have from a wandering life, from ascetic labor and great self-exhaustion, when you again turn your heart to Egypt, almost every day you communicate with your family through letters, and a fiery love for kinship stumbles you on the path to perfection? Haven’t you heard that the Lord objected to Mary, who was looking for Him among her relatives (Luke 2:49), and how the one who loves his father or mother more than Him, he recognized as unworthy of Him (Matthew 10:37), and with these words he firmly decided to sever his family ties? If you left Harran, which is interpreted as a hole, and this means a feeling, and came out of the vale of Hebron, that is, from the humiliating deeds of sin, and from the desert in which you can get lost; then hasten, like the patriarchs, to move to Dophaim (Gen. 37:14), that is, sufficient abandonment of carnal addiction; for Dophaim is interpreted as: sufficient abandonment, to achieve which all those striving for the most blissful dispassion strive to achieve. 66. Eleutherius, regimental monk I will not accept you until you cut off your passions, since you have thousands of dates, and ulcers upon ulcers accumulate on your heart through feelings; and especially I will not accept it because you intend to move from a careless and unclean life to the virtue of Christ. Therefore, take care of yourself so that you don’t spread mental illness through careless dates. For the mind of those who have recently deviated from a vicious life is likened to a body that has begun to recover from a long-term illness, for which even the slightest pretext becomes the reason for falling back into the previous illness, as for one that has not yet established its strength. For they are weak and their spiritual strength is soon exhausted; and therefore one can be afraid that vile passion will not return, usually, when weakened, arousing a lot of harmful things. Learn from the story of Dina, Jacob’s daughter, that it is common for a truly virginal and female soul to take upon itself what exceeds its abilities and strength, and to be deceived in the assumption that it will take on the accepted task. For if the above-mentioned Dina had not rushed rashly to survey what the natives had, as already having the strength to resist anything reprehensible while enjoying what she saw, then the judging power of the soul would not have been untimely corrupted, crushed by the idea of ​​the sensual, when Dina had not yet become accustomed to a sound, firm and courageous thought. This is the church of God, says the Apostle (1 Cor. 3:16). Therefore, so that not a single unclean image creeps into your thought, spread out at the doors of your body a mass of thoughts about the future judgment, and clear your understanding from the images that enter through the senses. If, during temptations, having indulged in pleasure, you eclipse in yourself the fear of the divine judgment seat; then imagine what happened to Ahaziah, who, having fallen from a lattice window, remained seriously ill until his death. The most painful and fatal illness of all is the sinful one. As during the feats of wrestlers, the anointed one conveniently eludes their so-called fights; and if dust falls on him, he with difficulty escapes from the hands of the enemy: so here too, he who has no worries is elusive to the devil, and he who cares, turning the smoothness of a carefree mind like dust into something unsmooth, is with difficulty torn out of Satan’s hands. So by oil now understand carelessness, and by dust the manifold worries of the present age. If a frequently transplanted plant, although watered abundantly, is able to bear fruit; then you too, walking here and there, chasing shadows and winds, trying to recognize every place, and not finding peace anywhere, will be able to grow the fruit of truth. The laver made by Moses had a foundation. Therefore, the purification of an ascetic requires firmness, patience, constant stability, and an unshakable way of life. 72. Comasius, monk of the rhetoricians Why, after renouncing the world, do you so carefully collect this rubbish, this dust, this dirty heap of Hellenic books in the monastery without benefit, and even more with harm? Answer us, glorious collector of superstition and damnation. When the Lord Jesus prayed on the mountain, His face was illuminated, and His garments shone (Matthew 17:2). The same thing happens with monks who try to listen to prayer with special zeal; then the face of their soul shines, and its invisible garment shines, which many do not even know. Blessed Peter, instead of fire in the courtyard of Caiafinos (John 18:18), where he was subjected to temptation, subsequently found divine fire by the Sea of ​​Tiberias. For, being naked because of his renunciation (do not think that I am rejecting the gospel story, and mixing in something from my own mind), - so, being naked, blessed Peter girds himself with the ependite of hope in Christ (John 21:7), is thrown into the sea of ​​God’s bounties, comes to Jesus, as if by some kind of chain, drawn to Him by love. And since during the renunciation he was weary, exhausted, saddened by crying and sadness, as if he had lost the Lord; then the Master encouraged Peter with wonderful bread and wonderful fish, and in the evening the Savior spoke to him, who longed to hear the blessed voice, and calmed and consoled him for the many diseases of Peter’s heart, and thus, having pleased him, appointed him as the shepherd of the whole universe (John 21:25). I will be well pleased, says David, in the land of the living (Ps. 114:8), the land of the living, and not the dying, calling the future age: because the present human life is usually filled with many deaths, not only in changes by age, but also in the sinful falls of 20 souls. And where there is no physical or mental change, because there is no transformation in thought, no change in intention, and no circumstance disturbs the silence and serenity of thoughts, there truly is a country of the living and having fun incessantly. 76. Neadia, Olympia, Andromache, Julia, Himazius, monks who love litigation To any of the right-thinking, having learned your negligence about the divine and zeal for the godliness of the same kind of warriors as you, it is now fitting to say that the reverent warriors, through psalmody, prayers, performing their duties and vigilant stay in the church, defeated the enraged, angry, God-hating monks, who renounced the silence and service of prayers and psalms that was fitting for them, and forgot the sacred the vow and the image taken upon themselves, have left the place of their asceticism, and are shamelessly busy with other people’s affairs, constantly spend time in worldly courts, and bring there untold noise and rebellion, so that the most popular leaders laugh at you for this, and extremely condemn you. Our Lord Jesus Christ, as the Apostle says, will transform the body of our humility, as if to be conformed to the body of His glory (Phil. 3:21). For now it sometimes happens that the human body is in humiliation and dishonor, suffering from demonic attacks, and often from the laziness of the soul itself, falling into some kind of vices and defilements, sometimes it is enslaved and extremely humiliated by sin, and during the time of death and burial it drags along the earth with humiliation and dishonor, and is given over to it in great misery, as it is said: it is not eaten in honor, rises in glory (1 Cor. 15:43). But during the uprising of all people, having laid aside corruption and humiliation, our body will rise adorned with the glory and splendor of Christ the Savior, and will no longer be seduced into sin and corruption, degraded by mortality, vanity and suffering, but will remain incorruptible for endless centuries. Thou hast raised up men upon our heads (Ps. 65:12). For sometimes God allows demons to shamelessly sit inside the head, that is, in thought, and drag the soul into obscene thoughts, with which we need to fight and fight, without agreeing or entering into an alliance with them. We do not fit tightly into the love of God, says the Apostle to the Corinthians, and you are oppressed in your wombs (2 Cor. 6:12), you do not want to expand your soul with many virtues, to accept and accommodate divine insights. Therefore, what was said in Isaiah will come true for you, that in the sorrow of the enemy and in the distress of the mind, lions, adders and every opposing force (for demons are called by these and similar names) carry their wealth on donkeys and oxen (Is. 30:6). By donkeys we mean people who are lazy, voluptuous and depraved, and by camels we mean those who have fallen into pride and rancor. Therefore, demons, having burdened human souls with a wealth of evil, shameful and lawless thoughts, lead them to actions and states alien to virtue. And nothing is as heavy as sin, which is why God-bearing men liken it to lead. If we sigh to God from the depths of our hearts, He will certainly hear us and show miracles to the sons of men, turning a camel into a lamb. For it is said: this is the betrayal of the right hand of the Most High (Ps. 76:11); Yes, the inscriptions of some psalms are as follows: about those who want to change (Ps. 59), etc. Therefore, if you try to please the Savior with virtues, He will remove the burden from your mental donkey, which carried the burdens of the demons, and making you unburdened, He will place on you the apostolic garments, that is, divine instructions and dogmas, and as He once did on the donkey, sitting on your mind, and now will enter the holy city, glorified and praised by all the Angels for the salvation of the unreasonable, but who became rational, who, through the love of mankind, created, or better to say, Recreated, Changed and Renewed from negligence and error the dilapidated and arbitrarily seduced soul. Another may still be with Christ in the body, according to what the Apostle said: I live not as one, but Christ lives in me (Gal. 2:20), and much more having been put off by this flesh, as the same Apostle writes again: I have a desire to be resolved and to be with Christ (Phil. 1:23). For the soul, as inspired by God and a wonderful creation of His, is something imaginable and strives for what is imaginable. Therefore, burdened with an earthly body due to mortality, she rightly desires now to be resolved through death, and to freely, carefreely, fearlessly abide with the Master, having renounced the mortal for the immortal and immutable, so that, with the present resolution, in the resurrection, she may perceive her own body incorruptible and immortal, as revived by the Holy Spirit, and live with it in continuous joy, bliss and sinlessness. For you must be restored to a pure nature, or to a divine state, ageless, carefree, free from all care. There are other states and positions among people, so pure that one takes the place of the sun, another - the moon, a third - the star; and you see that another person was often glorified by wisdom from above more than Solomon, and later, for falling asleep, for weakening attentiveness, he was abandoned by God, putting aside reverence and fear of the All-Perfect, and falling into wickedness and great sins, so that you can say: the sun has turned aside, having fallen beyond its expectations into deeds that were not allowed! For things like this often happen; and zealous people are sometimes subsequently deprived of the protection of the Holy Spirit for negligence, and Nebuchadnezzar goes to war against them, destroys the city with satanic weapons, and blinds the king, I mean the mind, like Zedekiah, puts the youths in bonds and takes them to the allegorical Babylon, and the shrine of David and Solomon and other kings - everything that was in the treasuries of the heart with acquired with great labor and care, collected and prepared, he takes it with him, and burns the church of the Lord, and is ready to trample under unclean feet. And I hear how, lamenting this, the psalmist cries out: have mercy on me, as many demons wrestle me from on high, trampling me all day long (Ps. 55:2, 3); for thou hast set up my enemies upon my head (Ps. 65:12). And Jeremiah mourns the soul, which formerly ruled for its prosperity, but now, by the right of war, was taken into tribute (Pl. 1:1), serving the devil with sins. However, whoever has fallen into such disasters, if he does not completely neglect himself out of cowardice, but repents, turns to the Lord, and courageously resumes his former wise deeds, the Sovereign grace returns to him again, and the prophetic word will be spoken about him: I will return, and I will erect the fallen tabernacle of David and its excavated, and prosperity and divine gifts, and internal knowledge - I will restore and reward (Am.9:11), and the last glory will be greater than the first, says the Lord Almighty (Ag.2:10). I wrote this in response to what was contained in your letter. If a rich person in real life thinks that by being generous to you he fully repays gratitude to God; then he is obliged not to wait for your request, but rather to ask and beg you so that you deign to accept his gift. Why, knowing the baseness of this man’s soul, as if he were possessed, do not deign to speak to him. Clothing with hair requires, of course, a humble mindset; because to the righteous who imitate their Master, humility is most desired. But if you are arrogant, you quarrel every day, beat others, and imitate the insane; then why do you wear a hair shirt? Your clothes don't match your location. Monastic life obliges us to love truth and truth, and not hypocrisy, not pretense, not just one guise of truth and truth. It is said: add Thy mercy to those who lead Thee (Ps. 35:11); and those who err in knowledge, like you, will be subjected to the most severe torment. Therefore, pray that mercy may be magnified, and especially increased. 86. To Archimandrite Alexander Illuminating this impenetrably dark night of human life with the rays of a thousand valiant deeds of yours, how can you not be numbered among the host of heavenly Angels, who compete with those incorruptible powers, being surrounded by this corruptible, meager and mortal tabernacle of the body? 87. To Archimandrite Fronto I praise the roses of your God-loving words, although you have thrust, as someone else would say, small needles of timely denunciations, arousing and irritating in us an unquenchable and unfading love for your reverend and always bright soul. When, over time, you are able to eradicate all harmful and violent passions in yourself; then devote yourself to the contemplation of sublime concepts. If, before you overcome hostile demons, you dare to forcefully climb the mountain, contrary to God’s will; then you will not receive God’s help and assistance, and your enemies will sting you like bees. Others daily tame their hearts with labor and try to exhaust them with abstinence. And you are in danger that your flesh will be torn apart from overeating and drunkenness. Why do you become afraid, wounded by the spirit of blasphemy? Remember that blessed David, anointed with the mysterious oil, immediately found Saul and his accuser. And you are invisibly anointed, having begun to take upon yourself the venerable monastic image. I call the grace of the Holy Spirit that has descended on you as divine anointing. You see behind you a horde of mental Egyptians pursuing you, and in front of you is a sea of ​​foaming and nasty passions, but you do not bring to your mind that God protects you with an invisible hand, and repels your enemies with a high muscle, and delivers you. And you laid the bow of the Medes as my arm (Ps. 17:35), not the bow of wax, flexible, yielding to demons and passions, immediately breaking in war at the first clash with the enemy, but the bow of the Medes; for you must acquire from the Lord strong and strong weapons that can withstand and resist in many battles with opponents. Praise be to your valor as a hermit! Praise be to your victorious monuments in the field of virtue! But even more praise to your vain, hypocritical and pretended life in seclusion! For you are no different from those who are busily engaged in trading in the market place, and in the courts of justice, you are no different; you invent all kinds of troubles, you shout with anger, you gnash your teeth, from this trap of yours you scold, ridicule, slander, reproach anyone who happens, you stretch out your hands out the window, and beat the brethren, and You fill the poor cell with noise and confusion, disorder and disorder, which, although insensitive and inanimate, sighs, perhaps, for cruelty and ferocity, like in a cage of a beast imprisoned in it, or, better to say, a monk who has surpassed the beasts in ferocity. Tell me, I beg you, what have you gained by shutting yourself up in this hut? What benefit did you gain for your soul by hiding your body behind these walls? It is said: Ephraim was like unleavened bread and we do not turn to something better (Hos. 7:8). What was the use to you of occupying this hut? When did they clothe you in this venerable monastic robe? Which Abba laid a blessing hand on you? Where did you get this common, mean spirit from? Where are the unentertained prayers and carefree conversations with God? Where have you banished psalms and hymns? Where did the silent way of thinking make you run? Where did the sacred instructions of the fathers leave them? Where are the monks' co-educates, cohabitants, housemates - peace, silence, tranquility, faith? What boldness will you have on the day of retribution? It is said: let the foundations of the earth move (Ps. 82:5). And this: let the foundations of the earth move, which means: let the thoughts lurking in the depths of the heart be changed from thoughts to gums. If you want, enter the sanctuary of heavenly Jerusalem; then ascend, succeeding in virtue that has many types and in humility, the so-called ascent of blessed David, preparing in your heart (Ps. 84:6), in the deplorable place of human life. And that human life is filled with crying and crying, you can clearly see this when you see how babies cry as soon as they leave their mother’s womb, and how a poor person mourns again after death. Therefore, ascend into this sanctuary with virtue and humility, and not with failures and pride. May the Master's letters frighten you, commanding you not to enter the altar according to the degree of vice and arrogant way of thinking (Ex. 20:26), so that your shame will not be revealed when you leave. And then, as it is said, they will know where their substance is (Job 19:29). It was not only Judas who, despising the judgments of God, betrayed the Lord, but the number of traitors also includes Christians who do not fulfill the divine commandments, neglect them, behave arrogantly and follow their evil desires. Out of the fear of God, he who has accepted obedience to serve those who struggle with him, if he subsequently begins to become bitter, proud and take money for his own needs, then he has transgressed the divine laws, rejected and violated the agreements and confession of renunciation and submission, and is called a traitor; because he changed his word before. 100. Archimandrite Eustathius You carefully try to decorate a heavy bag, and diligently take care of fattening the flesh, like a bird, fattening yourself in the darkness of ignorance. What excuse will you find for yourself when the One who judges everything comes? When some of the brethren, before being completely cleansed from defilements, and not having perfected their way of life, undertake to teach others; then the demons, laughing at him, give each other a sign, saying and reasoning: he will be our prey in due time, daring to give advice contrary to the will of the Lord. Therefore, while we are still green and have not acquired a ripe grape, we do not want to give advice and teach others, so as not to become the plaything of demons. The fifty-fourth psalm reminds us of fear, trembling and the darkness of sin, and says: who will give to me a krill like a dove? and I will fly and pass over the troubles that trouble me, and I will reach God and rest with Him (Ps. 54:6, 7), resting with my humane Master. For He is the rest of those who are weary of the painful shedding of sweat in sin. That’s why he calls out: come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). Therefore, David, knowing what was said to him in the whole psalm, having opened the eyes of those who strive and oriented them not to despair, ends the psalm with good hope. If we are not lazy in carrying out spiritual work, and soberly take care of the service that the holy rule obliges us to bear; it is clear that God, who cares for us, will all the more arouse pious souls to serve us with everything that is needed for us. If we ourselves are lazy and careless about those engaged in spiritual work; then will we be worthy of being taken care of? Do not become indignant and displeased, burdened by the duration of temptations, do not be surprised at the severe and frequent attacks, plunders and persecutions of mental barbarians. For we hope that if we endure this with thanksgiving, we will gain greater salvation from our enemies and those who hate us. My ulcer is firm, says the Prophet Jeremiah, laying down his lament on our behalf; what will those who insult me ​​do against me (Jer. 15:18)? You boiled it and did not spare it (Pl.2:21). For he betrayed me to the archmagir Nebuzardan and those around him. And Habakkuk said to the Lord: Are you silent and patient, seeing that the wicked devours the righteous (Hab. 1:13)? Not only sinners, but also those who zealously try to hold on to everything good, are often abandoned so that they learn patience and firmness, and avoid pride. And as the Holy Scripture says, at a certain time they fall from the wicked, and their mental houses are devastated by the wicked (Job 12:5). And it is also said: the righteous becomes the reproach of the wicked (Job 12:4). O God, my God, be aware of me, where have you forsaken me (Ps. 21:2)? And it is also written: I thank you, Lord, for you have struck me and turned your face away from me, and after that you will have mercy on me. And again: You showed me many sorrows and evil ones, and when you turned, you gave me life, and you raised me up from the depths of the earth. Thou hast increased Thy majesty upon me, and by turning thou hast comforted me (Ps. 70:21). If the Father's mansions are many (John 14:2); then, perhaps, there are many dispensations of the Sovereigns, according to which the human race will be governed and distributed. In the medical clinic of the present century there are many sick and paralyzed; The same medicine is not suitable for everyone, and the same meal is not suitable for everyone. And the doctor prescribes for each a special method of treatment, a special way of life. This patient, he says, should enjoy honey more often, and let another wince from the bitterness of wormwood, and let another taste the not tasty hellebore. And we will treat everyone differently, as we should treat someone, that is, let this one spend his life in the pleasantness of virtues, rejoicing and prospering, and the other, often admonished by the bitterness and severity of abandonment from God and shedding tears, thereby be drawn to salvation; one - let him rejoice in the everlasting success in achieving what is consistent with his desire and intention, with success unhindered in completing the path of temporary life; and the other, with thousands of stumblings, sorrows and sorrows, will finally receive liberation and complete deliverance from evils. For I, as one who pays attention to the hidden, know what is beneficial for everyone; and each will be dealt with in accordance with what is good for the soul. Do not praise yourself, this one is skillful, but God praises him (2 Cor. 10:18). And be exalted, it is said, he will humble himself (Luke 14:11). But you, having not succeeded in any praiseworthy deed and having elevated yourself to a high pillar, want to achieve the greatest praise. Be attentive to yourself, so that you, who are now praised beyond measure by corruptible people, will unfortunately not be recognized by the imperishable God as a cursed person there beyond your expectations; because here you were not properly intoxicated with human applause. It is incongruous with anything - to stand with your body on a high pillar in full view and in glory, but be carried away with your thoughts, not even want to think about anything worthy of heaven, and these days talk only for sweetness with women. For before you zealously addressed your speech to husbands, but now for the most part you receive wives to you. So, since the scripture gives the sentence to the serpent to crawl on the earth and always eat the earth (Gen. 3:14); then be careful that you do not fulfill this sentence on yourself, crawling on the earth with your thoughts and always feeding on earthly speeches. And nothing has become more grounded on earth than creeping vanity. Whether you like it or not, you are a woman in body. Therefore, stop teaching husbands in the church; because the Apostle clearly recognized this as shameful (1 Cor. 14:35), although you will assert a thousand times that you are far from the state characteristic of wives, and after establishing a virginal way of thinking in yourself, you have become firmer than husbands. Let us not be moved from place to place, as happened indiscriminately, but stand patiently in prayer, as Saint Moses said to the Israelites: stand still, be bold, and see the help that the Lord will do for you this day (Ex. 14:13). I praise you, who surpasses the moon in the lightness of your life, and moreover, you are humble. For the most amazing thing in an earthly body is to see such a soul that leads the life of disembodied Angels. Likewise, I once heard it said in Scripture, namely: You founded the earth, and it remains. The day endures by Thy order (Ps. 119:90-91). For by day, they told me, we should understand the luminous virginity contained in mortal flesh and founded by the right hand of the Most High. But pray for me, immaculate bride of the King Christ, who through a long time, tireless labors, modesty of morals, vigils, never-drying tears and thousands of other successes acquired indescribable boldness before the invisible, most pure and holy Bridegroom. You are the world's peace; Therefore, consider every creature in yourself, and understand everything in relation to yourself. Do not look at the external, but fix your gaze on the internal, gather your whole mind into the mental cage of the soul, prepare for the Lord a church that does not have idols. When saving your soul, do not look back at the evil left behind, which you so beautifully renounced; Ascend to the mountain of dispassion, so that you will not end up with the sinful world in eternal fire (Gen. 19:17). Pray to the Lord in a similar way: open, O Master, Thy rich hand to give spiritual goodness, and every soul, like mine, which has become calloused and hardened, will be filled with goodness, and the enraged one will be tamed. For, although I was not abandoned for long because of my laziness, even after my abandonment You can again send down the Holy Spirit and renew my corrupted land, so that You may then rejoice in Your deeds when sinners disappear from the earth, that is, the demonic charms in my heart. Something similar, as we will find, is said at the end of the one hundred and third psalm. If we grieve God through negligence and negligence; then try better to please Him with diligence and good deeds. The prophecy says: the water of Nemriml will be empty and dry, and its grass will become scarce: for the grass will not be green (Is. 15:6). Nemriim is interpreted as: non-Orthodoxy. Therefore, understand that every heresy soon becomes desolate and dries up due to the teachings proposed by those who go against the word of truth. However, sin is also unorthodoxy; because others, recognizing something as unkind, strive for it. But since sin is rendered inactive by repentance, it is clear that the grass has dried up. When even the driest grass is uprooted; then the memory of the bad thing done will perish. Neither virtue nor vice are immutable and immutable; because the human race has the freedom to change. Therefore, about the brother whom you consider the most negligent and recognize as a sinner, you do not know that, perhaps, having sighed within himself and applied himself to the best, he will be saved by God. And you, often without knowing, humiliate such a brother, slander and cruelly condemn the person who is closer to salvation than you. Vice is attracted by vice, and passion is often combined with passion; because they are related to each other, and one bad thing contributes to another bad thing. The many reprehensible things we have committed, as a result of our insensitivity, often entail the worst of all evils - vanity and arrogance. And who is always adorned with all virtues; he will make himself alien to unreasonable, stupid and empty vanity and vain arrogance. 122. To Archimandrite Philoxenus He is called a true Israelite, who, through considering all creatures, manifested and unmanifested, comes to the understanding of the Creator of all things, God. It is said: everything is pure (Titus 1:15); To the unfaithful, given over to passions, sin-loving, defiled, everything seems unclean and evil, and everything attracts them to sin, whether food, drink, clothing, place, time, person; and action, and conversation, and glance, and touch, and smell, and hearing, and taste, in short, every thing, every sight, every movement forces such people to sin, causes them to commit lawlessness; how, on the contrary, everything excites the faithful, pure, reverent, and sensible to thank God and to ceaseless hymn, guides them to all truth, and teaches perfect piety. The spirit of fear sought you many times and did not find you; because you were not devoted to his teaching; and now he has found it and confuses you all nights and whole days. But do not be discouraged, and be patient in the prayer of the Lord, waiting for Him to deliver you, often watered with tears before His eyes. If you say that you can no longer live in your cell alone, overcome beyond your expectations by immeasurable demonic insurance after so much time, after your renunciation of the world, you have been solitary in the desert; then now take to you some God-loving and reverent person, and let him live with you, and pray, and sing psalms, and remain in vigil until you receive divine help and the evil demon is driven away. I am confident and firmly convinced that the demon of fear, put to flight by the holy Angel, will leave you; for the Lord will not forever leave the rod of sinful demons in the lot of righteous people (Ps. 124:3). Why did David say: having endured the Lord, who brought temptation upon me, he listened to me and heard my prayer (Ps. 39:1). Now, by the grace, power and love of Christ the Most High God, eight months have passed, and the wicked spirit has been driven away from you, and again you live fearlessly alone in your cell. In spirit, as you can see, you compete with Saul’s son Jonathan. For he, according to history, said: From the end of my rod I tasted honey, and my eyes received sight (1 Samuel 14:29). And you, having spiritually partaken of the mental honey, the sweetest honey of the words of the All-Perfect, see with your spiritual eyes what is inconceivable for many, and finally began to inquire why Jacob bowed to the top of the rod (Gen. 47:31). It is fitting for you, who are completely pure and freed from all defilement and from the arrogance of arrogance, to seek high speculation. Those who are defiled, who have not yet washed away the shame and impurity of the old man, are not allowed to touch the all-holy words at all until they are healed and purified over time; for it is said: Thou shalt not give the holy thing unto a dog, neither castest pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6). Just wish to remain silent, as the monastic order requires, and God will raise up those who serve you from trees, winds, and stones. But I see that you do not at all want to live in the desert: because you have acquired the bad habit of running around every place, every country and every village, every city and every street. When you see that an unbeliever and lover of peace boasts in the vanity of modern wisdom, and despises the inspired Scripture, because there is no eloquence in it; then know that he is Naaman the Syrian, all a leper for unbelief, until he knew the benefactor of God and the Lord of all. And Naaman was greatly amazed at the great rivers in Damascus, which could not cleanse even one leper from the leprosy that had riddled his body, but the Jordan was destroyed in the land of Israel. For we, as mental Israelites, have within ourselves the Jordanian streams of divine Scripture, which, by the mere pronunciation of the word, seem insignificant and unimportant, but by the power of the sacraments hidden in the teachings of Christ - this water flowing into eternal life, healing, cleansing, enlightening all believers, are supernatural, wonderful, glorious and exalted forever and ever. Invisible Midianites - demons present to the mind of their daughters, that is, shameful thoughts that irritate him, and strongly encourage him to lean towards a dishonorable, frantic and damned deed. And if someone happens to fall in spirit into the furnace of voluptuousness and invisibly commit internal adultery, as Zamri once did visibly under Moses, then Phinehas is needed, that is, the word of the priest, with the club of a terrible teaching killing (Num. 25:7) and destroying both the Jew... and the Midianite woman, that is, as a lustful disposition, which so irritated and passion-ignited battle. What Solomon said: the heart of a man is sensitive to the sorrow of his soul (Prov. 14:10) means that if someone comes to the feeling of what he has done badly, and brings to mind the terrible torment in this century; then with voluntary sadness and repentance he heals himself before leaving life. Whenever, says Solomon, he is having fun, he does not interfere with annoyance. For, although carnal joy and pleasure surround him in abundance, he will not creep into pride; and among the prudent people this is called annoyance. You say that the saying is not clear to you: do not bring the wicked into the pasture of the righteous (Prov. 24:15). This saying also has another interpretation, which you accept now. The pasture of all the faithful, and food, and clothing, is the Savior Christ: for in Him we were created, and we live, and we move, and we are (Acts 17:28). So, since the Sovereign body and blood of God the Word according to the economy is pasture for all Christians, and by this sacrament they are fed and given drink; then it would be inappropriate to teach the said sacrament to any wicked and treacherous person who, like Simon the Magus, pretends to show himself to be a believer, and also to offer the deepest explanation of sacred words to someone unsanctified and crafty. For it is said: do not give the holy thing to a dog, and do not cast pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6). You also asked me: how should we understand what is also written by Solomon: do not be deceived by the filling of your belly (Prov. 24:15)? Not as simple bread and wine, and not to fill the belly, lover of Christ, in church we partake of this terrible and longed-for meal; but in some small part this is taught to us by the clergy of God, and we, lifting our spiritual eyes high, partake of it for the cleansing of sins, for sanctification and salvation. But I consider it a wonderful thing, even during an ordinary meal in our homes, not to be tempted by the satiation of the belly, that is, not to exceed the limits of necessary needs. For the best measure in the consumption of food and drink is the need of the body. Why do you show me the Hellenic sages who have grown thick beards, are dressed in cloaks and are very arrogant, thinking that a rod and a beard make them venerable? The humiliated monger Paul turned Hellas and all the barbarian countries to God. And Plato, whom you extol and extol, when he arrived in Sicily for the third time with his pompous speeches and with a brilliant opinion of himself, did not overcome a single ruler, but ended his work so pitifully that he was deprived of his freedom itself. But the screen-maker, not only Sicily and Italy, but the whole universe, preached piety. 136. To Philoxenus, keeper of the national census One should not indulge in fury and be vainly arrogant in joy, nor in sorrowful circumstances should one indulge in foolishness, lose heart and drown in sadness. This is characteristic of a soul that is not courageous and pampered. And this perishable life is no different from what is presented in the spectacle. And success in business and the opposite will not be durable here. 137. To the noble dignitary Lycurgus Who won't laugh at you? Who will not reproach you for this endless diligence? Who will not mock your insane frenzy, with which, without knowing enough, you accumulate so much money, and consider yourself the owner of what, when dying, you cannot take with you, when the terrible angels, bound, drag you into the other world? And yet you are doing an enemy thing when, through inhumanity, unmercifulness, and hardness of heart, you cause the greatest harm to your wicked soul, while you please a young relative whom you consider the heir of your enormous wealth. But I foretell you something sad and extremely unpleasant: your dear heir, to whom you bequeathed in writing everything that belongs to you alive, in your right mind and in full strength, will soon die, and will receive as an inheritance no more than three cubits of a grave. And, of course, you will be amazed to see how a young man is buried before an old man of many years. But perhaps this will not amaze you, and will not seem strange to you, because you have already seen before what also happened to other nobles: with Aristophanes, with Criscentius. But, at least now, having sobered up as you should, put an end to your great insatiability, and do not cry for your heir, because he must die, but shed tears for your sin-loving soul, and take up self-correction and good deeds, before you leave the disgrace of the present age, and go where not one of the dead will find the place of justified falls, where neither friend, nor slave, nor relative, will not be able to provide protection, go help, tormented forever. I have repeatedly told you, and now I repeat, that if Apollonius of Tyana did something through sorcery, it did not contain any heavenly blessing at all, and did not bring the slightest benefit to the soul, and in the opinion of wise and pious people who thirst for heavenly blessings, incorruptible and never ending, all this is no different from the gift of a handful of barley. Therefore, do not be amazed at the works of sorcery, and do not be dismayed by this, but free yourself from fearfulness and childish thinking. 139. To Chairman Palatine You often say: how can I be saved, covered with thousands of spiritual scabs, filled with unspeakable evils, burned by my own painful conscience? Look, at least partially, with attention, man, into the inspired Scripture, and you will have no need for my advice. Look what Solomon says: sins are cleansed by alms and faith (Prov. 15:27). Look also at what the Prophet Daniel advises Nebuchadnezzar: atone for your iniquities with alms, and your sins with the generosity of the poor (Dan.4:24). Listen to Sirach, who exhorts: water burns with fire, and alms will quench the flame of sins (Sir.3:30). Almsgiving delivers from death (Tov.12:9), that is, from death, which is the consequence of a terrible and trembling condemnation, and darkness, as Tobit and Solomon think. 140. Ruler of affairs Rigin Not a simple person - Christ, the common Savior and benefactor of all, but God, who appeared in human form, and in His sinless and pure flesh for human sins, according to His own will, suffered death. How many people have caught ravens with snares and nets more than once, and the caught ravens did not know about themselves that they would become prey to the catcher and be taken? And for you, as you say, these crows foretell the future; they turn out to be forerunners and prophets of the never-before-seen, those crows who did not know at all that a snare had been set for them, and did not see their destruction! Therefore, leave the bird fortune-telling. Some were attentive to this, as worthy of such a delusion, they noticed the flight of ravens, describing in front and behind and overhead a circle and deviating to the sides, when obviously crafty demons fly with the ravens, and in order to lead a deluded person to a guess, they give the birds such a flight, and also noticed the cries of ravens. Therefore, having rejected faith in Christ the Savior, and having been exposed to inevitable dangers, although they had good hopes, and precisely according to the wonderful signs shown by the crows, after a thousand losses, losses and torments, they finally ended their lives with a bad and cursed death. The kind of unrighteousness has a cruel ending, as Scripture says (Wis.3:19). Therefore, if you want to avoid the danger of becoming the prey of demons, do not make such observations on the flight and cry of birds, on the meetings of all kinds of animals, rational or unreasonable, on the fact that they called you back and stopped you, and on all empty signs, in a word, do not observe anything except sin; because it is useful to beware of him alone and constantly move away. It is desirable for us that you also know this: with some people, who, according to Hellenic custom, observed these spiritually harmful signs, the very thing that they foresaw often happened, but not by the power and foreshadowing of pitiful ravens, or pigs, or dogs, or people, but by the judgment of God, punishing their unbelief and laughing at it. For it is said: the Lord will give you according to your heart (Ps. 19:5), and he will be with you as he expected, and will surround you with disasters, sorrows and sorrows, which you feared, having believed the evil sign, so that those who are deceived, having over time come to the knowledge of their foolishness, and having resorted to good repentance, cease vile observations, and finally surrendering their deeds to God’s providence, elevate their souls in everything. yours to God. Do not be at all afraid of the spirit of blasphemy, which often disturbs your God-loving and kind heart, but rather rebel against it, striking it with prayers, acts of kindness, protection of the oppressed, long-suffering, humility and meek treatment of your servants. For all this and the like can drive away from your soul the destroyer demon, who dares to instill in you wild and ungodly thoughts against yourself, against God, against creatures, holy and honorable sacraments. 143. Lavs, chief ruler of affairs Having no brothers, no children, who, not knowing enough, do you accumulate gold? The greater your treasure, the greater and more severe the eternal torment prepared for you. Oh, if only such wealth would in due time be transferred to the benefit of God-fearing and reverent men, according to what is written: others gathered silver without satiety, but they will not eat of it ( Job 20:18 ); and having gathered these together with great unrighteousness, they will devour the righteous (Job 5:5)! But I think this will not happen to you; because you are not worthy; On the contrary, you will see that the popular proverb is coming true for you, which says: the owners of talents are eaten by applauders. You do very well that by fasting, reclining on the bare ground, good vigil and unceasing prayer, you trample and overcome the worries of carnal pleasures, but you ascribe victory to God, who always cooperates with us in good, singing to Him: You, O Lord, rule over the power of the sea: but you calm the disturbance of its waves (Ps. 89:10). We will not accept the senseless proclamations of the reckless and mentally damaged Novatus, who dares to drive out saving repentance, and fearlessly accumulates sins under the pretext of hopelessness, as well as those who say about themselves that they are clean, but in reality turn out to be unclean, and those who follow their teachings are driven to destruction by despair; but on the contrary, we will reproach and ridicule them as philosophizing contrary to the apostolic rules. 146. To the ruler of affairs Aphrodisius Do you really think to hide from us, being a malicious and treacherous person, accustomed to plotting intrigues with many excellent and good men, and covering yourself with the guise of love of philosophy? For we know a tree by its fruit, and the wolf cannot hide in sheep's skin; for he will be easily recognized by his teeth and claws. And the Scripture says: like a hazel grouse caught in a cage, so is the heart of the proud (Sir.11:30). And everyone knows about you that you are truly proud and envious, a serpent that bites in silence, and a dog that bites without barking, although you always walk secretly, like a malicious person, the most intolerable and feigned. And those whom you are plotting have a need for God’s help, so that they too can be told in the words of the ninetieth psalm: For He will deliver us from the snare of the trap, and from the speech of rebellion (Ps. 91:3); for those whom you plot against, you silently throw into confusion. In accordance with divine knowledge, you try, O most excellent one, to do everything according to this knowledge, following its rules and laws. This is why you spend most of your God-protected wealth on monks; You just look at them with great love, you only breathe with them night and day, you think that you have no relatives or children at all, although there are many of them. And the very thing that you say when meeting with monks, as if you are their working cattle, meekly and cordially ready to serve all their needs, serves as a sign of perfect knowledge. For, of course, you know that together with the Levites, God and Moses were blessed with their cattle. Therefore, considering everything according to divine knowledge, speaking and acting with knowledge, undoubtedly you, a God-loving man, will enter the kingdom of heaven with the monks, as their good guide and servant, and with them you will inherit ineffable blessings for endless centuries. Depicting the inconstancy, instability, vagueness and unsteadiness of your heart, Sirach says: the womb of a chariot is a bell (Sir.33:5). And if you want to see the testimony of the now-named person and that you do not ever intend to keep a secret, but are ready to immediately announce and tell everyone what has been entrusted to you, then listen now to what Sirach says: he heard the sound of the word, and he was sick, as one who gives birth from the face of a baby hurts (Sir. 19:11). But most of all it serves as a sign of violence - to expose us to shame, to scold us here and there, and without any decency to reveal what our friends have entrusted to us secretly and in private. Therefore, having gotten rid of the diseases from which you suffer, finally become wise, firm and a keeper of secrets even to death, having built a strong door for your lips and an uncontrollable tongue, and the strongest barricade (Sir.28:29); and imposing on them the stamp of beautiful silence. For in this case you will be able to be illuminated by the light of divine knowledge, and Scripture will enlighten you, saying: the wisdom of a man will illuminate his face (Eccl. 8:1); and again: if you have heard the word, let it die with you: do not fear, it will not break for you (Sir.19:10) the word spoken to you in secret. The demon of fornication, like a greedy young dog, usually does not leave the one he is tempted by, although he does not do violence to him. Therefore, it is up to you, in your power and will, to either feed him with indecent activities, or to put him to flight with anger through prayers, psalmody, fasting, vigils, and reclining on the bare ground. For resist the enemy, as the great James writes, and he will flee from you (James 4:7). And you yourself will have enough strength to give everyone the proper rules to those living in your monastery. But since you mentioned food in your letter, asking for your opinion about it; I recognize that it is best, since the physical constitution varies, and some are sick and others are healthy, to establish different food, suitable for each person, and to healthy people to satisfy their needs, to offer coarse vegetables, and not to those who are too sick to console them - garden vegetables; to those who are extremely exhausted and weakened, to give a measure of meat to strengthen their strength. If, nourishing in your soul the love of God, you delight yourself in singing, according to the tradition of the Apostles, in psalms and songs and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19); then we are ready to praise you for this. Such an activity is useful and brings the singer into unity with God. For when you sing with feeling and reason, trying to keep the All-Perfect in your memory, then the soul forgets vile and destructive passions, is filled with unspeakable joy, and with love already rushes towards the Divine, rushing and intensifying to immerse itself in Him alone, and not preferring anything visible to this invisible beauty. If, being deceived by the devil, you try with shameful sweet singing to catch voluptuous brides, burdened with many sins (2 Tim. 3:6); then we are ready to resent you for this infrequent intention. For praise is not sweet in the mouth of a sinner, as one wise man exclaimed (Sir.15:9). 152. To the locum tenens Eupsychius You asked me: who is portrayed in the gospel as one who entered marriages and lacked clothing (Matthew 22:12)? Do not look outside yourself for this with your eyes, but look into your heart... For all of us Christians are called to divine marriages. Therefore, if they entered, having clothed themselves with the thoughts of avarice, or fornication, or envy, and so on, then it is clear that they dared to enter, putting on a robe that was not characteristic of a bright and clean marriage. But if, having changed this reproach-worthy disposition of the heart, let us clothe ourselves with our minds in the womb of generosity and almsgiving, kindness and pure love, meekness, humility (Col. 3:12), and the like; it is clear that we have put on clothing worthy of marriage. Therefore, let us hasten to put on ourselves the saving robe of mental marriage. For it is in our will to put on, and to take off, and to change clothes, sometimes for better ones, and sometimes for worse ones, and to choose when one and when another; because man was created free. The enemy of our life, the demon, pretending to pity us, instills the idea that there will be no judgment, rewarding everyone according to his deeds, and feeding on these words to harm, corrupts the deceived; because the first of all sinners is the devil. But the Savior of all, Christ, the only pure and righteous one in the proper sense, and by testifying, and denouncing, and curbing, and admonishing, and predicting future judgment, saves those who listen to Him. Therefore, understand that in this sense it is written: the righteous will punish me with mercy and reprove me, but let not the oil of the sinner anoint my head. (Ps. 140:5), that is, the sovereign in me, or the intelligent power in me. 154. I intercede in matters to Orion Woe to you, most unfortunate and damned man, that for a small and transitory pleasure you exchange for yourself an eternal flame! Woe to you, insensitive and senseless, that by doing the will of the flesh (Eph. 2:3), and through it falling into shameful passions, and enslaving to evil deeds, you will be cast out of this immortal bliss, and the merciless Angels will scourge you immortally in hell with fiery scourges! For among the Angels, some are meek, philanthropic, merciful, compassionate, while others are stern, gloomy, terrible, unforgiving, hard-hearted, and unmerciful. 155. To the military leader Symmachus The image of godliness is made up of these two parts: pious dogmas and good deeds. Therefore, one should not dissolve one with the other. As soon as someone speaks evil of his neighbor, he is immediately stricken with leprosy in his heart. Therefore, avoid gossip and slander; for you know how, by God’s decree, the prophetess Mariam became a leper for a moment of slander and one condemning word. 157. To the younger committee Pierius Another thing is love according to God, but another thing is some kind of bestial and unreasonable love for worldly relationships and according to the flesh. Therefore, what is contained in your letter, namely, that during this month, your rather great attachment to Dionysiodor, the son of the master, has become so strong and unbearable that you do not want to eat or drink unless you first see this boy who loved you in advance, as well as other features and signs contained in the letter you sent to me, clearly reveal my thinness of an insidious and highly experienced 22 demon who is trying to lie in wait and to captivate 23 your virtuous and God-loving soul. For from the letter I can easily discern this robber and his cunning method of action; because he is cunning in doing evil. This spirit of fornication, which the Greeks usually call love (ἔρως), clearly, quickly and without any difficulty, draws those who are prone to voluptuousness and careless about future judgments and about the universal judgment into the abyss of lewdness, while it approaches those who care about salvation and fight the beasts of voluptuousness with some kind of bait, tricks and deceptions. At first it is not something bad that he puts in; but one kind affection 24 and a tender, but not yet passionate, inclination towards some person, foreign or native, male or female. Then it encourages you to enter into conversations, spend time together, enter into relationships together, travel, indulge in soaring thoughts together, have necessary things in common, celebrate together, have fun; have a common meal, and all without lustful thoughts. But this very thing serves as the basis, pretext, beginning and root of sin. Finally, after this, when a lot of time has passed, and the bad habit of each other has become indissoluble, then the demon, turning its action on the bodily members, suddenly ignites a dense flame, and like a copper cauldron, brings the members to a boil, and having struck the heart with kindled arrows 25 thoughts of illicit pleasure, compels one to commit an evil deed, strongly inflames it, like the Babylonian furnace. Why does the soul, which has already been brought to exhaustion many times, weakened in spiritual strength by pleasurable irritations, and becoming completely relaxed, sometimes has the need to exclaim in the words of Scripture: having passed through me, it burned like fire among thorns (Ps. 117:11-12), with the liquefaction of the body and obscene movements, pouring into my parts the poison of the vile serpent, not sparingly (Job.16:13), and my soul was filled with reproach (Ps.37:8). For, behold, the strength of the serpent was upon my loins (Job.40:11); suffering and slush (Ps.37:7), the surrounding area is fenced (Job.19:8) with a wall of shameful passion. And how can I cross this wall (Ps. 17:30)? The demons have prepared a snare for my feet, and a slush for my soul (Ps. 56:7): darkness is in my eyes, I am afraid of not seeing (Is. 21:3). For grievous blindness is fornication, and, in short, gratification of the flesh and its desires. I am like a lion seeking to be killed (Job 10:16), I strive like a dog for a chain, and like a bird for a net (Prov. 7:22, 23), I am inflamed with the strongest heat of uncleanness. Who will pray for me to the philanthropic Master to come to my aid and touch my hand, as he once touched the hand of Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:15), so that temptation may depart from me, and this cruel and vile love that burns me will leave me, and then I will be able to rise to chastity and soberly serve my Lord? But in order not to write much now, I convince you, good branch of the good root, beware and beware, as much as you can, from this depraved and crafty demon, avoiding dealing with Dionysiodorus, do not appear with him at festivities, do not go together to ceremonial meetings, do not eat, do not drink, do not spend time together, do not even take a short journey with him. If, however, it becomes necessary to meet with him, do not look at him closely, so that through your windows, that is, through your eyes, as the Prophet says, the death of sin does not enter your soul (Jer. 9:21); but looking down, looking down at the ground, with a stern gaze and a gloomy face, give him answers; do not agree to laugh or wash with him. For we must first seize the strongholds and battering weapons of the nasty serpent, before he catches us in various nets and snares of this inclination towards the mentioned youth. But this young man has acquired a bad reputation about himself, and suspicions that are circulating about him must be avoided. since the root of an action related to the body is a carnal disposition of the heart; then pluck it out completely before it comes out, grows evil, and finally forms into a tree; so it will be necessary to use axes, make fire, and feel the need for more help to destroy the tree of obscenity. For the root, with the passage of time, often made a beautifully built wall weak, and even tore apart a stone. Therefore, avoid the dangers of corruption, try to escape the snares of the devil, and crush his snares, protecting yourself with fasting, frequent prayer, kneeling, physical labor, pious self-exhaustion and other strongholds and benefits, which I have often tried to offer you. And with blessed David, sing to the Almighty Savior and our Benefactor - Christ: save me from the snares that I have made, and from the temptation of those who practice iniquity (Ps. 141:9). Remember also the instructions given in the gospel: let your loins be girded with chastity, and the lamps of your mind burning: and you will be like a man of your Lord when He comes from heaven and finds those who watch (Luke 12:35-37), who sincerely honor and love Him, to make them bright like the sun in the kingdom of heaven. Know also that the enemy tempts others, not only with beautiful, but also with vile, ugly faces, both female and male, putting some kind of blind love into the soul. For the demon, a lover of uncleanness, being cunning and varied, often tries, with the help of one or another appearance, to blind with absurd and shameful lust. Therefore, avoid dealing with unclean young people, both good-looking and ugly. When at any time you feel and understand that an unworthy passion is troubling you and leading you to darkening your soul and to a dirty state; then imagine that your mind is King Saul, who is being crushed by the evil demon of frantic love, and having carried the book of David on Wednesday, as if possessed by a demon, announce your heart with the words of the Holy Spirit: and it will be good for you (1 Sam. 16:14, 16), when you sing to the Lord: keep me from the snare that I have made, and from the temptation of those who practice iniquity; and: deliver me from the hand of the enemy of those who persecute me (Ps. 30:16). And the demon, fearful and ashamed of divine words and much useful sweet singing, will fly away from you, but you yourself, by the grace of God, will be rescued from the pit of passions (Ps. 39:3) and then you will see an air of purity unusual for you, and a dispassionate, pure, unperturbed state, the clearest goodness, spreading to the place of some hazy and gloomy night, so that it will be possible tell you: this day, the Lord has made it, we will rejoice and be glad in it (Ps. 118:24). Finally, Angels of God, open for me the gates of righteousness: having entered into it, let us confess to the Lord (Ps. 118:19). Let us confess to You, that You heard me, and You were my salvation (Ps. 118:21). Blessed be God, Who hath not withheld my prayer and His mercy from Me (Ps. 65:20). Blame not God, the all-wise Creator of bodily members, but your sin-loving heart. Not one of all human members is bad or worthy of condemnation. Our forefather Adam and Eve, when in the beginning they were in paradise, had the same bodily members, and were rejected not for their members, but for the transgression of God's commandment. Therefore, blame not the members, but the will. If you impute to David that he had ten wives (2 Samuel 15:16); then know that you had them not out of voluptuousness, but for childbearing. And he proved this by the fact that after the parricide Absalom had fellowship with them, David did not want to enter either them (1 Sam. 20:3) or any other wife. And subsequently, if the Suianite slept with him, because he felt a strong cold in his limbs, and it was necessary to warm him, he did not at all want to know her (1 Kings 1:4), which serves as proof of the greatest dispassion. 160. Helen, wife of a noble dignitary Apparently you are faithful, but you are trying to imitate the Greeks and become like the infidels. For if you undoubtedly believe that at the end of this age there will be a resurrection of all the dead, then why do you cry incessantly and inconsolably torment yourself? Even if your most beautiful son Nikaret, who was your only son, has died; then you will see on that day that more splendid than the sun, in indescribable glory and joy, he stands before the royal throne, and for you he brings prayers to Christ, the most humane King of the ages. And then you will please yourself, seeing that the son born from your womb remains in the heavenly palaces, has boldness before the Creator of all, God, having been delivered from the world and the manifold sin that lives in it, and enjoying a pure, unstumbling and forever incorruptible life. Therefore, put an end to this reprehensible cowardice and this immeasurable crying: accept blessed joy, good expectations, good hopes, so that with your tears you do not upset your son, who has departed from here for good, or incite him to anger against you and the Master who received him with love. Remember also what the holy Apostle writes: I do not want you, but grieve for the dead, as the pagans grieve, having no hope (1 Thess. 4:13). Therefore rejoice always: pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: this is the will of God (1 Thess. 5:16–18). 161. To Presbyter Aristarchus The world is passing away, and so is lust, says John (1 John 2:17), whom Jesus loved for his purity, and meekness, and quietness of disposition. Therefore, if lust passes away, that is, ceases and perishes, how do you teach that some voluptuous people, even after they die, again after death lust for the pleasures of the temporary world? Having become somewhat careless, you fell into sin and darkened the glory of chastity; but soon sobered up and, as he should have, changed, he recognized it was fair to return to his previous state, without allowing himself to suffer the destructive despair that the devil instilled in you. For he also induces sin, and he, after committing sin, plunges the sinner into despair. Therefore, to sin is a human matter; to despair is satanic and all-destructive; why the devil himself is cast into such destruction by despair, not wanting to repent. But take heart, gather your strength, and let your heart be strong (Ps. 26:14), supported by good hopes. For we are confident that now you will put in much more work, you will make up for your previous defeat with subsequent diligence, and you will be crowned by defeating your opponent who envied you. And we will see that, instead of nettles and small garnish, you have become a tall, rotting and fragrant cypress (Is. 55:13), or a fruitful palm tree, the stings of abstinence and suffering, sweet for those who hasten to repentance, striking the devil who has struck you with sin. For voluntary sorrow, voluntary illness and the many difficulties of good suffering are much sweeter and more expensive than involuntary peace and pleasure. Therefore, the last glory of your mental church will be greater than the first (Ag.2:10), and you will inherit the throne of glory (1 Samuel 2:8), as the Prophets say. The behavior and state of each person is called the house of the soul. For there is a house of righteousness, a house of courage, a house of chastity, and so on; and on the contrary, a house of unrighteousness, a house of fear, a house of fornication, and so on. Therefore, what has been said: being filled with the darkness of the earth with houses of iniquity (Ps. 73:20) means: filled with many and various passions, unrighteous and law-breaking deeds. And in what was said: truth rose from the earth, and righteousness came from heaven (Ps. 85:12), if we understand this morally, the earth means the body that produces the fruits of chastity, according to this word: my flesh flourishes (Ps. 27:7) with integrity, while helping the human heart with prayer and hope. For others have beautifully defined that fornication is a lie, but chastity is the truth and true pleasure. The truth that came from heaven, that is, from the mind, is Jesus, according to the generosity of God, giving. For the Lord will give kindness, and our land will yield spiritual fruit (Ps. 85:13): love, joy, peace, long-suffering and everything else that blessed Paul listed (Gal. 5:22). Under the earth, in the last verse, the heart should understand, as the Lord says: but the seed that fell on the good earth was fruitful by thirty, and sixty, and a hundred (Mark 4:8). To those who care about hope and cry to the Savior Christ: remember us, Lord, when you come into this kingdom (Luke 23:42), the good Master answers, saying: I will remember Rahab and Babylon who lead Me (Ps. 86:4). And those whom Christ remembers, of course, saves; therefore, out of great mercy, he brings harlots and tax collectors into the kingdom. If we have convinced our hearts, during any adversity in sorrow, not to resort to human hopes and not to attract help from there, but with tears, sighs, hard-working prayer and intense vigils to propitiate the All-Perfect, and expect protection from Him; then why are we embarrassed? Why do we relax in cowardice, hesitate, come to despair that God will not soon do what we ask for? For I think that God does this with the intention of strengthening your prayerful appeal to Him and your persistence, so that, having received quickly, you will not quickly retreat and consign His grace to oblivion. But don’t be discouraged when you pray, and without a doubt you will receive. For the Lord in the Gospel also spoke a certain parable about how it is appropriate to always pray and not be cold (Luke 18:1). Moreover, know also that slowing down will give you great grace, as the holy Apostle said: To him who is able to do all things abundantly, whatever we ask or understand, to him be glory, honor and dominion forever (Eph. 3:20, 21)! Nothing leads more to inevitable torment than when you make many people competitors in your bad deeds. For the destruction of those who imitated the bishop turns into an increase in punishment for those who taught badly in the church and clearly did something worthy of condemnation. And if others refuse to imitate it as shameful, then the bishop is subject to no small condemnation for becoming a teacher of evil, although those who were led by a chaste thought, recognizing what he taught as reprehensible, avoided the evil. 167. To Chairman Onesimus What you insatiably collect and consider to be your acquisition is not yours; because it will pass on to other people. The work is yours, but the property is someone else’s. So, why do you appropriate someone else’s as your own, preparing material fetters for yourself, and bring upon yourself the mournful cry of the Prophet about you? For he says: woe to him who gathers things that do not exist, and to him who aggravates his burden with heavy burdens (Hab. 2:6)! He will destroy his property, and for his insatiable nature he will prepare eternal torment for himself. 168. To the former eparch Tavrian Woe to your soul, you inhuman and insatiable! For you do not know that it is cruel to go against a prick (Acts 9:5), and it is a terrible thing to dare to raise your hand against God; the insult shown to the saints is, without a doubt, an insult to God. And you, who dared with intolerable violence to seize the ascetics who ran to the church of the virtuous martyr Plato, and throw them into the people’s prison, who tremble with impatience, puff out your cheeks, raise your eyebrows, and enslave the free in everything by your autocratic will, how can you not, foolish one, think about the future? Why don’t you look, insensitive, what will happen next? Don’t you want, stupid one, to foresee the vicissitudes of things, and especially the fact that in order to achieve your goal you are bringing closer to you the most worthless and vile adviser Lawrence, who serves as an intercessor for those subject to an inventory of the estate; a most wicked man, completely damaged and faded? Therefore, know that it is not easy to neglect the all-holy martyr, and prepare to suffer the troubles that threaten you: firstly, the wrath of a mortal king, fearing whom, you yourself will run to those very venerable fences that have been insulted and desecrated by you; then - a serious and difficult illness that will befall you and all those dear to you, and after all this - the taking away from you of enormous wealth that gives you strength. And then, finally, Father Diev Kron will weep loudly for you and lament sweetly; because you, too, honor him primarily before other gods, during times of prosperity, many times consoled him on holiday with your crying, as if he were miserably castrated, pitifully bound by his own son, covered with a leather head and forever living in darkness. Why do you toil yourself, man, and tire you endlessly? Why are you rushing into deceitful vanity? This way of thinking among the divine Prophet is called cursed and unblessed. For he says: blessed is the man, for the name of the Lord is his hope, and he will not regard false vanity and confusion (Ps. 39:5). Do we ourselves do what is necessary for our lives? God organizes everything; and human effort, if there is no God’s help for it, necessarily does not reach the end, but God’s economy provides perfect benefits even without human assistance. Therefore, a good deed is to love what is good. What is good? Is it not that, having taken root and strengthened in a firm and undeceitful faith, cast all care and all care on the Lord? 170. To bedside Valery You asked us: why is Isaiah calling the Mother of God Mary a prophetess (Is. 8:3)? Read in the Gospel: For he has looked upon the humility of his servant: behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed (Luke 1:48). And if you do not see that Saint Mary is blessed in every nation and in every language because she bore God incarnate from the Holy Spirit and from her in her womb, and gave birth without corruption and any defilement; then don't believe Isaiah. If in the whole world they please, praise, sing songs and bless this unsown and uncultivated land, and its all-blessed and eternal Fruit; then why do you disagree that the Mother of God Mary turned out to be a prophetess? Fill those who hunger with good things, and those who are rich let go of their vanity (Luke 1:53). For before the calling, the pagans who were hungry for the divine word, after they believed, are fed to the full and enjoy the divine dogmas; and the Jews, enriched by the law and the prophets, remain hungry for unbelief, and walk as beggars, having lost the gifts given from above. Therefore, their synagogue, having received, as the prophets say, the book of scapegoating (Is. 50:1, Jer. 3:8), was cast out from the house of God, like an adulteress, furiously abandoning herself to other people’s husbands, that is, demons. So she received the book of absolution, which some call divorce, and is not admitted to the venerable sacraments, and therefore remains in poverty. Therefore, with our own eyes we can already see in the book of Judges what is written prophetically: for throughout all the earth and in all the sunflowers there was, and it happens, the dew of the knowledge of Christ, and on the fleece of only the Jews there was dry land (Judges 6:40); because the life-giving, increasing, watering and nourishing grace of souls has departed from them. But know also that people who repent of their sins and turn to the All-Perfect will, of course, be filled with the all-praising food of many different virtues, and the demons, who were previously ill-enriched by our sins, will lose the wealth that, as Isaiah says, they carried on donkeys and camels (Is. 30:6), because we squander such wealth, and make the demons lament and weep bitterly when we bow to repentance. You told me that you are very interested in the literal meaning of what is written; because it is clear; but with great curiosity, as you say, you delve into the spiritual meaning and willingly want to interpret Scripture in a spiritual sense. Therefore, by the horn of salvation (Ps. 17:3) understand dispassion, and by the house of David - the Church. And therefore, if you yourself belong to the mental House of David, then strive in dispassion and perfection of the soul; because this can happen in the midst of the world, as it happened with Joseph and Daniel. And now there are certain ever-flowing rivers, filled with divine currents, and in their aspirations gladden the city of God (Ps. 45:5), I mean the Church, with unfailing irrigation: I said this about the God-loving and truly blessed Philemon and Nicephorus, who turn out to be for everyone in truth having acquired the highest dispassion and knowledge in hiding valuable stones in their depths, I mean anfrax and a green stone (Gen. 2:12). They mean: green stone - the venerable pallor that appears on the face from asceticism, and the cooling and hardening of the bodily members from a harsh life; and anfrax - bright and flaming thoughts of spiritual contemplation, which kindled the heart of Cleopas (Luke 24:32). But also of the wonderful men mentioned above, the gold-bearing river given by God to the world (Gen. 2:11) - John, Bishop of Constantinople, in whose praises many lips of the wise participate. He is in the true sense an anfrax, from a young age surrounded by the light of piety, elevated by the divine crimson of fiery thoughts, inflamed by desire, with many successes and growth, raising to heights the flame of a teaching beneficial to all mortals, excommunicated from them and put to work by well-meaning men, who were formerly praised for virtue, but are now blamed for laziness, although they shepherds, and whom Jeremiah mourned, saying: how, once clothed in the puss of worldly and corruptible deeds, feeding on scarlet garments (Pl. 4:5) of heavenly and honorable life, incorruptible and spiritual life? Having read the Scripture, let us not be surprised when we see that you extremely disdain the righteous, laughing and mocking their pious teaching. For it is written: godliness is an abomination to a sinner (Sir.1:25); and he also says: when he heard the word of God, he was violent and heartless, and turned her back by his cloaks (Sir. 21:18). And it is also said: every animal loves what is like itself (Sir.13:19); because an evil person also loves and welcomes another evil one. Do not kiss your hands, praising them and pleasing yourself because with them you earn food, and for your household, and for many other empty and worthless people; or better yet, thank God, who gave you His hands and provides for you. And if, forgetting God, you bow to your own hands; then be afraid that over time your hands will weaken from weakness, or your hands will wither. Anyone who sins is removed and separated from God not by place, but by disposition, and enters a foreign country; that is, in a certain new way of life, alienated from the All-Perfect, in that one he suffers from hunger, living fornication, and having squandered a state that is good by nature with evil will: for where chastity and pious thoughts are not visible 27, there hunger is strong. By the inhabitants of that country are meant demons who possess only the faces of sin, apparently sweet, but pinching the throat of the eater (Luke 15:13–16). 177. To Presbyter Martinian To the Israelites, who were preparing to eat the sheep, the law commanded: let them eat the head with the feet (Ex. 12:5, 9) - so that in this image we would recognize the truth of the Lord’s economy, by the head we mean the Divinity, and by the feet we understand humanity. For the Evangelist, having said: in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word (John 1:1), added also: and the Word became flesh (John 1:14). Therefore, let us worship as God, and believe that God became man. For Christ is twofold: O visible man, invisible God. Therefore, it is not useful to call man without implying the Divinity, and it is unsalving with the Divinity not to confess humanity. Here in a few words is the answer to what you wrote to me. What does it mean that the Prophet said about the incorporeal forces: their legs are right, and their feet are feathered (Ezek. 1:7)? The heavenly and holy powers, of course, have no need at all for anything corporeal, but beyond this they do not need to bend; That’s why it is said that their shins are right. And what could feathered legs mean if not the undoubted mobility of this nature towards the divine thought, free from any earth-bending humiliation? It seems to me that you are only half, and not completely, thin. Why, noticing not much good in you, I sow good hopes for you and pray that I will soon see a change for the better in you. Do not be cruel, so as not to experience God’s wrath on yourself, although it seems to you that you are burning with the zeal of godliness. For the most blessed Jonah softened the great fervor of jealousy with the help of a whale. Therefore, you too should be careful not to ever be betrayed by a whale or some unexpected and intolerable temptation for lack of compassion. And by whale I now mean the devil. But so as not to seem as if I am exceeding the limit, I will briefly retell an ancient story, and perhaps you will be convinced to spare the weak in soul. There was one Bishop Carp, contemporary to the Apostles 28. Under him, two young men, having turned from Hellenic delusion and from external schools, approached the Church of Christ, and upon request they were granted divine baptism. But immediately, having learned about this, those who grew up with them became disgraceful and worthless. When he said this, behold, a very terrible and amazing sight opened up. Christ descends from heaven, and the fiery serpents take flight, and He, having appeared with favor and great meekness, carries the young man out of the abyss and places him on earth, thereby demonstrating their salvation. For indeed, those who later converted turned out to be great Christians. Christ reproaches Karp for his sullenness and cruelty, and also for the fact that without compassion he pronounced a curse with firmness. Therefore, knowing this, bishop, do not mercilessly anathematize, do not expel forever from the church those people who are passionately attached to wickedness, Philemon and Sosander, but rather, according to the rules of the holy Apostles, excommunicating them from the Church for a legal time, reprove, admonish, exhort, compel, pour out the mercy of Christ on them, console, renew, strengthen them, wash them with your own cries and tears, decorate them with fasting, enlighten them with many vigils, cover them with prayers when they are naked from godliness through the malice of the devil and the malice of lawless people, sow good hopes in them when they ask, beg, give alms and propitiate the only compassionate, humane and full of generosity, our Savior Christ. Nowhere did Scripture say that the sun was created in the image and likeness of God. How do you teach this openly? Although the sun remains in the sky, shining with the brightest rays, it was created to serve people by command and by law, and not by God’s hands. One person is a wonderful living being, created by the hands of God, adorned with immaterial fingers; and a rational soul is breathed into him. 182. Telesphorus, enamel maker Why do you tire yourself so much and endlessly, and, as Solomon said, work for the wind (Eccl. 5:15)? For your diligence will turn out to be fruitless and useless; since God owns the helm of all things and leads and directs everything as it pleases Him. But you treasure up many things through unrighteousness, but you do not know for whom I will gather them, as David said (Ps. 39:7). Where is the commandment of God; There, of course, there is temptation and the machinations of the enemy. Let Adam assure you of this, who in paradise accepted the commandment of God and was immediately subjected to the intrigues and stumbling of the enemy. And where there is sorrow, where there is great sadness, there, when the time comes, there will be great joy. My soul is sorrowful unto death, says the Lord (Matthew 26:38). However, His sorrow served as the joy of the universe. If we too grieve, enduring sorrows in thousands of temptations, sometimes from demons, sometimes from people; Our God is able to change all our sorrows into joy and everlasting delight. Therefore, do not indulge in much despondency and immeasurable sadness; because those who are sad will rejoice on their beds where they were sad (Ps. 149:5). And by bed now understand a certain skill and a certain state of the soul, mourning the acquisition of virtues. Therefore, where there is sorrow for God’s sake, there will obviously be eternal joy. For the overly saddened Mary Magdalene and the other Mary heard that the Giver of joy to us all, Christ, after the resurrection, said to them: rejoice (Matthew 28:9). Virtue according to God is more valuable than wealth, and a silent life is more noble than countless riches. Therefore, it is wonderful to love the beautiful. Nothing shames those who attack and blame so much as the correction of those blamed with meekness and modesty. For such a wonderful change in those who are blamed is a disgrace for those who blame. I know all the trials and tribulations that have befallen you. Therefore, take upon yourself the weapon of prayer, incessantly calling on the Lord, and all the more so the more and more strongly the demons and people attack us, gnashing their teeth at us and thinking that there will be no help for us from above. For even if we do not acquire strong people as helpers, then, without a doubt, with trust in the All-Perfect and with thanksgiving we will receive strong help. Therefore, look at what Sirach says in prayer: let us confess to You, Lord the King, and I will praise You, God my Savior, I confess to Your name: for Thou art my protector and helper, and Thou hast delivered my body from destruction, and from the slander of the pagans, and Thou hast been a helper against those who opposed me, and Thou hast delivered me according to the multitude of Thy mercy. and Thy name from the gnashing of those who hate me. I was prepared to be caught by those seeking to insult and destroy my soul, the cold around me was like a burning fire; I was in the depths of the belly of mental hell and surrounded by an unclean tongue and false speech: draw near even to death, my soul, which held me in evil from everywhere, and was not there to help: I ​​looked to help a man, and was not there. Then I remembered Thy mercy, O Lord, and Thy deed, which has come from the ages: how Thou hast taken away those who endure Thee, and saved them from the hand of the enemy: and I lifted up a prayer from the earth, and prayed for deliverance from death: I have called upon Thee, O Lord, and do not forsake me in the day of trouble (Sir. 51:1-14). And in another place the same Sirach, offering advice, says: look at the ancient generations, and see: who is the faith of the Lord, and is ashamed? Or who would abide in His passion and remain? Or who called Him and despised Him? The Lord is generous and merciful, and forgives sins (Sir. 2:10, 11), and saves in times of trouble. 187. To the cursive writer Simplicius Solomon predicted that the Jewish synagogue would crown Christ with thorns: daughters of Jerusalem, come out and see the crown with which His mother crowned Him (Song. 3:11). since the Lord took away the sins of all, and the sign of sin is thorns; that is why the crown of thorns was placed on Him. And he was buried in a land condemned to produce thorns and thistles (Gen. 3:18), so that the cursed land might receive a blessing. And since the primeval ones sinned and clothed themselves with fig leaves; Therefore, before suffering, the Lord says to the fig tree: Let there be no more fruit from You (Matthew 21:19), that is, let there be no more crime in paradise. 188. To Chairman Numenius You hide from yourself that the devil is laying snares for you. For he instills in you such thoughts as if there is no benefit at all from reading, so that, with great negligence and forgetfulness of the divine commandments, he can damage and eradicate in you every right thought, from which, of course, in due time a right deed would be born. This mental serpent (for Naas is interpreted as a serpent) once threatened the Israelites that he would gouge out the right eye of each of them, that is, destroy every good thought. By reading the inspired Scriptures, people acquire many benefits. Therefore, if you want to preserve the eye of your soul and defeat your worst adviser, I mean the Ammonite Naas who is within you, 29 make your eye vigilant, find yourself a path to everything beautiful; then do not be lazy and be attentive to the holy reading. When we engage in thoughts that are pure by nature; then we are in paradise, naked from passions, abiding in prayer, and through virtue we are lifted up into the heavenly realm. And when we lean towards the worst; then we are expelled from the divine paradise, clothed in the leather vestments of passions, and having become coarse, we are burdened with 30 sin. But if, having become sober again, through hard work we refine the coarseness of passionate vestments; then, having been given wings, we will become high as eagles and be called spiritual, as it is written that a spirit is born of the Spirit (John 3:6). Why will the Apostle Paul tell us: you are not in the flesh, but in spirit (Rom.8:9); Therefore, put away the old man, which is corrupted by various lusts (Eph. 4:22). For, being clothed with flesh, do not fight according to the flesh (2 Cor. 10:3), but be unearthly in mind; for your life is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). The Savior Christ will resurrect the bodies of dead people without any difficulty and faster than you can sneeze. For tell me: which work is comparatively greater, to make a statue that did not exist before, or to restore a broken one to its former form? Therefore, it is clear that God, who created us from nothing, is able to restore us who have fallen. Remember that the widow mentioned in the Gospel went to the unrighteous judge for quite a number of years, saying: take revenge on me from my rival (Luke 18:3). But he did not want to do this on time, but put it off. A rival can be not only a demon, but also carnal wisdom. Subsequently, the judge, forced by persistence, satisfied the widow. Therefore, our Lord spoke this parable, strengthening us, so that we would not despair when we pray for something or ask for anything. For the Lord Himself, a lover of mankind, knows the time when it pleases Him to hear and give what is asked to the one who asks, and as soon as He desires, He will immediately take vengeance for those who are oppressed and reproached, as it is written: “I shall always say, “Where is your God” (Ps. 41:4)? For the demons spoke this reproachfully to the paralytic who lay by the sheep's font, and who every year was deceived in his expectations. Just as a tree that has already dried up due to lack of water, if you water it with water, sprouts shoots again; so the soul, mortified by sin, if it repents and appeases its Master, is washed from defilements, and having partaken of spiritual grace, watering the mind with abundant irrigation, bears the fruits of all righteousness. The publican was saved for humility alone. And the Lord says that everyone who humbles himself will be exalted (Matthew 23:12). Why does Saint David exhibit humility in his justification, saying: listen to my prayer, for I have greatly humbled myself (Ps. 142:7); and he also says: see my humility and my labor, and forgive all my sins (Ps. 24:18). Therefore, do not be sad inappropriately, saying: I do not have money to continually give to the poor. For when you have nothing, and God will not demand it from you, do not hesitate to bring to the Savior what you have, that is, a contrite and humble heart, and endless prayer, and you will not be humiliated by the One who loves the humble and honors them. Your consolation. 194. Valens, military doctor The Holy and life-giving Spirit, worshiped and glorified with the Father and the Son, although one in kind, produces in us many virtues. He strengthens ascetics in abstinence, and makes those who fight for the faith strong in the confession of the Lord Jesus Christ. The tongue of one is used as an instrument of wisdom, and the soul of another is enlightened for prophecy; to one he gives the power to cast out demons, and to another he gives understanding to interpret the divine Scriptures; confirms one in chastity, and stimulates the other to generous alms; He bestows vigil, fasting, disdain for everything worldly, love for non-covetousness, preference for solitary work, fearlessness, and prepares the other to die for Christ during persecution. In each he acts differently, but He Himself by nature remains unchangeable in the immutable. Of old, through the prophets, He spoke the venerable scriptures. He subsequently, using extremely talented and few disciples in his work, defeated the insurmountable Hellenic sages in the orbit. He suddenly gave to the faithful ordained by the Apostles the gift of speaking in every language which they did not know. Therefore, you too, for your great faith and good deeds, this Spirit dwells in you, having acquired such a representative, guardian, champion and patron, do not be afraid of anyone, neither a demon nor an evil person who intends to plot against your God-protected home. If God has forbidden to do evil, and casts those who do evil into fiery Gehenna; then will He help those who do evil? Therefore, do not say that God listens to people who are corrupt, impure, rotten in their undertakings, and puts a person to death, and pacifies a horse running along a list. Let this not happen! This is not God’s business; evil demons tend to assist in this. For sorcerers, having made images of some saints, and by some kind of charm have bound the evil spirits, bury them in the ground behind the image, and when they want to either bring a wife to adultery, or kill a husband, or pacify horses, they fast with a cursed and vile fast, hold vigils before such an image, having lit candles and lamps, stay awake, calling on demons, until they seek their appearance, and bring other things in execution, but for the most part they do not succeed in their work. So beware of them, so as not to get caught in the net. 196. To the Junior Chairman John Honor your father and your mother, that it may be good for you, the Lord has decreed (Deut. 5:16). Therefore, if possible, do not leave your parents for one moment, so that without their care, care and care you do not meet evil people and put a noose on yourself. For there are many, especially among young people, who are foolish, lust-loving, workers of iniquity, receptacles of all defilement, who cause great harm to those who approach them. Therefore, avoid the infection and uncleanness of such people, always be with your parents with love, honor them above all others, behave according to their instructions, protected by their prayers. For, although you will begin to provide them with all sorts of services, you will not be able to give birth to them for yourself again. That those who praise a righteous man are blessed by God and are rewarded with a thousand blessings, and those who dare to slander fall into endless disasters, listen to what God says to Abraham: I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse (Gen. 12:3). And David says: Let us be dumb with deceiving lips, speaking against the righteous iniquity, pride and humiliation (Ps. 30:19). Therefore, I praise you for always living well and glorifying the righteous. If you try to imitate the wise bee; then don’t be lazy, collect useful things from every reading. It is inappropriate for you to beat your partner, who is both chaste and dignified, who has maintained goodwill towards you all her life, and out of great modesty and respect for you, does not dare to look at you askance. Therefore, stop tormenting the one who is most faithful to you, so that she does not become indignant with you. For the sign of a wise soul is not to lay hands on anyone, but to defeat those who act cunningly with a word. On the contrary, with all readiness to strike anyone he meets, this is a sign of a disorderly and uneducated person. 200. I intercede in the affairs of Nimertius You ask me in your letter whether one should believe that the Holy Spirit is consubstantial with the Father and the Son. Thus we accept, thus we believe, taught by the divine fathers, and so we confess that the All-Holy Spirit is consubstantial with the Father and the Son, the Comforter, co-eternal, co-throne, co-royal, glorified with the Father and the Son throughout the endless ages of ages, amen. The disciples of Christ did not allow men to wash with women, but they abhorred this, abhorred it, forbade it, and rejected and condemned it as something indecent and harmful for Christians. Divine laws command not to swear at all; for whether anyone takes a true oath or breaks his oath, he is subject to punishment. Therefore, flee from swearing both unfairly and justly. One saying of Scripture is very suitable for you. For it is said: just as gold is placed in the nostrils of a swine, so is babbling more wicked to a woman (Proverbs 11:22). And who of the right-minded will not weep for you? Nature has endowed you with beauty, but you use it for evil, spin around and live indecently, fly into every kind of debauchery, rush furiously at other people’s husbands; and although you load yourself with clothes, gold, precious stones, you diligently fertilize your stinking flesh with various luxury inventions, baths, fragrant ointments; but you neglect your soul as if it were a stranger; You have it naked from every good deed, not adorned with anything at all, all ulcerated, alien to virtues, always stinking, and hungry, and corrupted by the filth of lust. And demons put fearful and fearful thoughts into us, and the mind itself often gives rise to some kind of confusion, fears and horrors. But both are healed by the Savior, who easily heals every illness and every suffering, if he is called upon through prayers, acts of charity, reading divine words, and during vigils by invoking the honorable name: Jesus. All those who chase after words, are eloquent, love to do everything for show, and, like your reverence, are carried away by popular applause, but ridicule the reverent for their inability to express themselves, are usually ridiculous to those who love God. 206. Callinicus, goldsmith Touching the dead body of a dumb or verbal being, a marriage bed, sleepy visions, and anything else like that, never harms either husband or wife; because faith in Christ has purified, and always purifies, the true faithful, but for unbelievers there is nothing pure; for their mind and conscience are defiled, and everything seems vile and unclean to them. I once learned about one man that he directly threw a stone at an enemy, but the stone, flying sideways, hit the son of the thrower in the eye, who was standing somewhere carefree, and made him blind. For he who sets out to do evil to another, does evil to himself, according to the truthful determination of the all-seeing God. I said this so that you stop pronouncing curses on everyone you consider an enemy, and so that your own home does not suffer destruction; because we are commanded to pray for our enemies, and not to curse them. 208. The wife of the committee Stefanide What should I bring in your praise, when Solomon has already praised you? For he says: I will get a wife, because one is rarely found, who will find one? The dearest are stones of great value (Proverbs 31:10). The husband is also glorified for her, because he does not care for those in the house (Prov. 31:21); The wife takes care of everything carefully and constantly. Therefore, may you be glorified for this and for the like, as well as for your faith and honesty. You willingly do things that are not allowed, but you accept with displeasure the sorrows that befall you at God’s command. Therefore, they advise you, just as you do not refuse to do evil, so do not deign to refuse what follows from evil deeds; because the salary is, of course, in accordance with a bad disposition of the heart and unsuitable service. 210. To the candidate Aristophanes Do not be surprised to see that the governor Maxim and his brother became entangled in their own false thinking, and were exposed to the dangers and extreme disasters that they tried to inflict on others. For look what the Scriptures say: God binds the axles of the chariots, and leads them in need (Ex. 14:25); they get stuck in the same thoughts as they think (Ps. 9:23). For what they managed to do to their own safety, to the injury and harm of others, God turned to them into misery, shame and unspeakable destruction, and to those against whom they plotted, to benefit, honor, an increase in freedom and considerable profit. So Haman, who once wanted to hang Mordecai, a righteous man, on a tree, had already prepared the tree, but he himself, suddenly disgraced, was hanged beyond his expectations on this very tree he had prepared, by order of the king, who had previously loved him more than his own soul. And Mordecai, whose thoughts were always turned to God, was distinguished by the highest honors from the king and from all the nobles, and has now become much more famous than before. Therefore, at all times believe the word of God, which says: what you hate, do not do to others (Tov.4:15); Do not wish evil upon others, and no evil will befall you (Sir.7:1); from the vessel in which you cooked for others, you will be condemned to eat everything alone. For if you dig a ditch for others, it will suddenly fall into it (Sir.27:29). This is directly said about your notoriousness: I have hated two things, the old adulterer, and the rich deceiver (Sir.25:4). Why are the earth and ashes proud (Sir.10:9)? For he will inherit misery, rottenness and worms (Sir.10:13). Therefore, if you have lived and grown old in disorder, in lies and deceptions, then, having had your fill of evil days, know yourself. 212. To Trustee Aglaophon When a person finally becomes exhausted, seeing that those who unjustly hate and plunder are growing stronger and becoming rulers, when he has already lost hope, not having an assistant; then he will see both protection and help miraculously given to him from heaven. So don't stop praying and hoping. If something is written about in the Old or New Testament, that it happened historically, and it is clearly stated that this or that was done, and we, inclining our reasoning and thoughts towards spiritual edification, understand this about ourselves; then do not think that we are rejecting the literal meaning, or putting history aside. Let this not happen! We do not reject or ignore what is done sensually and betrayed by history. But since we are a small world; then, understanding everything that happened before now about ourselves, we benefit from it. Now there is no Joseph, no Egyptian, no King Hezekiah, no Judah the traitor, no Lazarus who died and rose again, no sorcerer Simon, and so on; but if we see that someone is chaste, we call him Joseph. And if we see a wife as an adulterer, we say that she is an Egyptian. If any ruler is faithful to God and reverent, he is called Hezekiah among us. And everyone who betrays the word of truth and betrays others to death is recognized as a Judas. If some excellent person has sinned through negligence, and then, having repented, is revived; it is clear that his mind died by sin and was resurrected by repentance, and is called by us Lazarus 31. And whoever hypocritically approaches the Church of God and is baptized with water alone, and not together with the Holy Spirit, we are accustomed to call him Simon the Magus. Therefore, considering this and everything that is said in our spiritual sense, you will not be in the least tempted by our words. Therefore, understand everything that was done to the ancients and done by them themselves as a representative example of yourself. For the Apostle says: you are the church of God (1 Cor. 3:16), but not built of stone by Solomon, because, either the world, or the present, or the future, your whole essence is (1 Cor. 3:22). You are God's burden (1 Cor. 3:9), and the vineyard (Matt. 20:1), and the flock (John 10:16), and everything else. 214. To the sophist Lucian the Christian One should not give access to the mind to such ideas that usually damage thoughts, so as not to revive passions that were killed with great care, and again not to lead a life full of struggles. For the mind again bows to passions that were previously destroyed, and we burden the weight of the cup of pleasures to the point that it reaches the ground. This is the property of virtue, it is flexible; if they neglect it, the other side will very easily outweigh it. As the door turns on its heel, says Solomon, so is a lazy man on his couch (Proverbs 26:14). And Sirach likens the lazy man to ox dung (Sir.22:2). This is what I can say to your laziness. Place yourself further away from the filth of fornication, and you will not fall into the power of sorrow. In everything one can find the great dispensation of the good Lord for His servants, so that if anything seems sorrowful, and we do not in everything correspond to their desires, then this too is arranged for the benefit of many by the inconceivable wisdom of the Lord, according to His unsearchable judgments. But resist the temptations that now, like a storm, rise up against us, and crown yourself, father, by praying for me. No one can come to Me, says our Savior Christ, unless it is given to him from above (John 6:65); because faith in Christ is an important matter; For this you need help from above; for it is characteristic of a courageous soul to truly believe; and for such a soul, in order to believe, it requires tenderness given by God. But assistance from above also requires our will. Beautiful repentance has so much power that in a moment of time it will free one from a thousand sins even on the very bed of one who is struggling with death, if he resorts to repentance. For the tightness of circumstances does not constrain God’s love for mankind. It is written in the prophetic book: when, having turned away from your worst deeds, you breathe from the depths of your heart, then you will be saved (Is. 30:15). And may the humble publican assure you of this, who with groaning offered a short prayer, and immediately received remission of his debts, and by the judgment of God was justified more than the arrogant Pharisee, who acted righteously in many respects. Some have an inclination towards something vain in the world, while others are wounded by something not at all useful for the soul; but you lovingly strive for only one thing, to mercilessly squander your wealth on the ascetics of Christ. Therefore, how great rewards you will receive for this, it is clear that before your death this is shown to you by the grace of the Lord, which, as foretelling the future, inspires you to do what is beneficial to your soul, and reveals eternal rewards in advance. In the malice of the face, says Solomon, the heart will be satisfied (Eccl. 7:4). For if we become angry with ourselves, and become upset when we feel an inclination to do something bad; then, of course, our soul will be pleased, delighting and admiring the beauty of virtues. About Christ Jesus, says the Apostle, there is neither male nor female (Gal.3:28). However, all believers are represented as male and female. But the great Paul does not speak about visible things; but on the contrary, it makes it clear what is not visible; because among those who look to God, both male and female passion is mortified by intention, faith, and desire. 223. Dometian, official under the mayor If the God of all and the benefactor God Christ, having really died, did not truly rise from the dead; then our faith is in vain (1 Cor. 15:14), we eat the mystical body in vain, and drink the blood for our own cleansing, so as to proclaim not only death and burial, but also the resurrection, and glory, and the unceasing kingdom of Christ. When carnal wisdom irritates you; Take into your heart the fear of eternal torment, and, as Solomon says, you will recline in the heart of the sea, and like a helmsman in great excitement (Proverbs 23:34). For if, during the struggle with the handsome face that irritates you, you are able to put yourself in the same confrontation in which one is overwhelmed at sea by the eternity of torment foreshadowed to you; then you will comfortably and without difficulty overcome the strong urge of the demons attacking you. Most sovereign baptism is performed by the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11); in the name of fire, recognize the warmth and stimulating power of grace, and also the power that destroys our sins. 226. To Assessor Apollophanes You will become somehow bleating and dumb, although you think of yourself that you are very reasonable, if you refuse to serve God, not at all wanting to listen to Him with obedient ears, while you willingly incline your ear to the enemy, having zealously loved the unnatural ruler to your destruction, you constantly fulfill his commands. Well, the Jewish law commands a slave who has hated freedom to pierce his ear with an awl (Deut. 15:17), as if as a sign that, hearing through the unnatural opening of his ear, he will never accept the word about freedom. This very thing, as we see, was done by you, because you became an eternal slave of Satan, having loved him and this present life, and you never want, even just once, to listen to the Divine Scripture, nor to think about the future age. Why are the spiritual words in Jeremiah called the molat that wipes away the stone (Jer. 23:29)? Because the word of God, falling on a stony heart, separates what is bad in it, so that a person can accurately distinguish and separate the best from the worst, and sometimes choose the good and reject the reprehensible. You say that you are perplexed about who this powerful and all-good man is, about whom I wrote to you mysteriously the other day, and who this robber is, and what kind of weapons he has? The robber is the devil, he took away from us what was best and kidnapped you captive. And food, and blood, and all his armor are our sins, with which he kills and destroys us. Therefore, the Creator of the world, the Savior, having come here in the flesh, as the almighty, bound the robber devil, snatched us from his slavery, taking the sins of the world and nailing us to the cross, triumphed over the enemy, and covered him with eternal shame. 229. To the Church Intercessor Julian The two blind men of Jericho cried out to the Savior: Lord, have mercy on us, son of David (Matthew 20:30). You are God, and You are a man. Have mercy on us, we call on You for help. From the midst of darkness and night, we call on You, Lord of light and darkness, You can strike and heal, You have the power to kill and revive; do not pass us by, humane-loving Lord. Have mercy on us, O leader of mercy. And the people, who wanted Christ to be called not the son of David, but the son of Tekton, were angry with the blind, and rather than him, let him remain silent, but she would cry the same thing more than cry (Matthew 20:31). And the Lord Jesus stopped when he heard the words: son of David; Jesus stopped, stopping the sea, indicating the measure of the waves, setting limits to the winds; Jesus stopped, setting the sky like a kamara (Is. 40:22). Joshua once surprised by stopping the sun with prayer. But what is he before these two blind men who stopped Christ, the sun of righteousness, not by any charter of necessity, but by petition and invocation? And the Lord says to them: What do you want that I will do to you (Matthew 20:32)? Whatever you desire, I will give it to you, as the Lord of heaven and earth. Let the heretics and pagans be covered with shame, who say that Christ is not able to do everything he wants! Whatever you want, I will do for you! If you ask Me, who is not covetous, to give you money; I will open a source of gold. For the Lord will bring poverty and make rich, having enriched the most blessed men Abraham, Job and David. Ask Me to send down rains, they will come immediately. Or give you sources of bread? And I will give this readily; You have your own deeds as proof of this. Or turn water into wine? Witnesses are the wedding cups at Cana. But the blind answered, saying: Lord, let our eyes be opened (Matthew 20:33). Himself, Lord, who struck with blindness, heal. Have mercy on us now, you who were angry with us before. Create your eyes again, Creator of nature. Open the dawn of light that has closed the doors of darkness. Having shown mercy, Jesus touched their eyes: and he received his sight (Matthew 20:34). For whatever Jesus touches is changed for the better. Finally, the blind saw the pure light, that is, ordinary daylight, and the light of the heavenly Physician who healed their souls and bodies. And the light shone in the light. Why, having received their sight, they follow Jesus, like Peter and Andrew, and having come to Bethsphagia, they see with new eyes how children with new date branches glorify the Son of David, who always works extraordinary and wondrous miracles. Did you want to find out what the skin meant that Elijah threw to Elisha from on high (2 Kings 2:13)? Therefore, find out. This mantle killed every earthly idea, and destroyed every innate movement in the members of Elisha; through it, not only then, sensually, but also now spiritually, into the souls of the flesh, filled with sin and wickedness as death, in the mental Jericho puts the salt of God's grace, and makes all believers capable of godliness and childbearing of virtues. 231. To the Church Intercessor Julian By praying to God it is possible to get rid of prodigal eyes, so as not to see more vile lust, and from the grace of the Lord to perceive new eyes, with which we will finally see the beauty of fragrant and holy chastity, having become free, we will defeat the foul-loving demons in the face. It’s surprising to you, you say, why Abraham’s honest servant, sent to Mesopotamia, does not swear by Abraham’s head, but, putting his hand under his hip, utters an oath to the master. Abraham knew and already foresaw with the eyes of his soul that the Creator of all things, Christ, in his time, would come in the flesh from the loins of Abraham, that is, from the seed of Abraham, and already for so many generations he would confess the future mystery. For he says: This God, who will be made flesh from my loins, is the Lord of heaven and earth. That’s why he commands the servant: put your hand under my thigh. And I will slay you to the Lord God of heaven and earth (Gen. 24:2-3). 233. To the noble dignitary Dimarchus When the nesting passion under the womb weakens; It is obvious that she is exhausted from the impoverishment of the vessel under which she is hidden, that is, the womb. And when it intensifies and comes into motion, without a doubt, it has strength, which is supplied from there as a result of immeasurable filling. 234. To the military leader Candidian You asked me in a letter why monks, when wearing a robe, throw it over their left shoulder, exposing the entire left side, and the laity, when wearing cloaks, leave the right side of the body open for everyone? Therefore, listen, monks obey the Lord, who said: what your right hand does, let it not be taken away by shuytsa (Matthew 6:3), that is, the good deeds that you constantly do, let it be hidden from disastrous vanity and man-pleasing (for doing good for this purpose is truly shuytsa). And therefore, the monks rightly hide their successes from people, and have the custom of announcing their shortcomings in front of everyone. The laity are vain, they love to do everything for show, they forget that they raise their gaze to God, like snakes they creep around the earthly and temporary, they hide thousands of their bad deeds, and show off that they practice one virtue, for example, chastity, giving alms, fasting, they make this virtue obvious to almost every person, showing it everywhere, boasting with it, making a noise with bubbles of pride and boastfully proclaiming and preaching about it, betraying greatness to a small cause, receiving from people a useless reward - insignificant praise and glory, but deprived of heavenly rewards. And it is beautifully said about such in the Gospel that they will accept their reward (Matthew 6:2); because they receive it here, extolling themselves in vain with praise. Many, during a storm at sea, with their own hands throw a cargo into the depths, no matter what jewelry it contains, putting property below temporary life, if only the ship, burdened with the weight of the cargo, is saved from danger. And you, pleasing those who are redeeming eternal and endless life, do not want to give your wealth to those in need, but you decide to perish sooner along with the load of a huge estate than to be saved by throwing away at least part of it. Why doesn’t the fear of God affect you as much as the fear of the sea affects others? If the heavens are new and the earth is new according to the promise of Christ, in them the unchanging truth lives for endless centuries (2 Pet. 3:13), and we, saved from the hand of our enemies, will be given the gift to fearlessly and unceasingly serve God in reverence, in truth, in unspeakable joy, in unspeakable glory, then how do you teach that there will again be fear from people and from demons, and change, and fall, and sin, and everything else? You believe, as I know, that there is a heavenly Master, and you are very concerned about being worthy of His love for mankind. Therefore, if you want the Lord to be merciful to you, be merciful to your servants. All those slaves who sincerely serve their masters according to the flesh will receive reward from God; about those who are careless, careless, arrogant and lazy to serve as they should, it is obvious that, having not received any benefits from God, they will still be punished. Perhaps you haven’t read that the Scripture says on behalf of God: with one more I will shake, not only the earth, but also the heavens (Ag. 2:7), and that the Apostle, explaining this, said: and with one more, he says that those who are shaken are changed, so that those who are made may remain, even as they are immovable (Heb. 12:27). And the Prophet says: for the Lord correct the world, which cannot move (Ps. 95:10). And if this is so; then after the future century, which is motionless, do not expect and do not imagine changes, vicissitudes, falls, insurance, slavery of people, and the like. God, knowing from the beginning what was good for us, divided human life into two, into present and future life, and wanting to show that intelligent beings need real life for learning, he made it full of sorrow, sadness, and illness; because all learning and education is associated with sorrows and suffering, from which the students become more chaste and perfect. Actual experience clearly teaches us this; for anyone who wants to diligently raise his children raises them in great severity and difficult studies, so that, having distinguished themselves both in science and in behavior, they can eventually receive the fruits of their labors. Saint Paul also expresses this, saying: any punishment at the present time does not seem to be joy, but sorrow: afterward, the fruit of peace will reward those who have learned righteousness (Heb. 12:11). And thus, teaching us to endure with pleasure the sad and unpleasant, but leading to some good end, he writes: son, do not neglect the punishment of the Lord, weaken below, convicted by Him; The Lord loves him, punishes him, and beats every son, but he accepts him. Endure punishment and so on (Heb. 12:5-7). Those who rule their subordinates lawfully and, according to the word of the righteous, with the fear of God, are honored in the venerable Scripture, and they are blessed both in the present and in the future life; and all those who act like your foolishness, whose soul’s seat of judgment is inactive, while the government of the people has been entrusted to them, are pitiful, being such and with such a rank, and they are condemned by God, although they think of themselves that they are judging others. Their mind, created in the image and likeness of God and placed in charge, no longer sits at the height of the authorities, but, more accurately, having been deposed from the boss’s seat, it is already placed in the ranks of the subordinates, or, more specifically, the condemned. He who sings in the ear of the deaf sings in vain: and he who speaks from the Scripture to you, who is full of foolishness and sleeps while your body is awake, wastes words. God and Lord of all Jesus promised a crown of righteousness to those who loved His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8). What is the said crown, if not perfect, without a doubt, truth and holiness, and incorruptibility, and immutability, and immortality, and eternal delight? What is this dirty trick given to the flesh of the Apostle, so that he would not be exalted by his greatness and multitude of revelations (2 Cor. 12:7)? The daily grief that the most crafty people who hated him inflicted on him is called a dirty trick: for unfavorable circumstances, strangulations and many needs, like a sting, wounding the blessed husband, did not allow him to be proud. To suppress and bring into inaction the rage of the flesh and the voluptuousness ignited in the body through ill-suffering is what the divine Apostle calls bodily training. But godliness, he says, is useful for everything (1 Tim. 4:8); and it really is such, because with the assistance of God it can completely destroy passionate memories and finally acquire permanent purity of mind. If the thought is angry, or shamefully lustful, or avarice-loving, it inclines all the senses of the soul and body; then, all the more, adherence to wisdom according to Christ (Col. 2:8) will tune the mind to renounce, not only the sensory, but also the feelings themselves, delighting it in the most sublime and occupied with the contemplation of the heavenly. Don't you see that the rose has needles? Therefore, do not be embarrassed when you realize that the color and splendor of worldly celebrity are followed by thousands of misfortunes, dangers, illnesses, sorrows and various evil intentions both inside and outside; and the closer you get to the royal houses, the more you expect upheavals and storms; because closer to the sky, closer to the thunder, says the popular proverb. What do you care about mortal people who are not able to reward good things done in life, who often do not have the ability to judge sensibly in their souls, who are dominated by envy and rather blame rather than praise good deeds? Therefore, train yourself to look at grief with your spiritual eye; because the heavenly spectacle pronounces pure, true and impartial judgments. Therefore, take the intention, O lover of virtue, to delight the heavenly sight with the pleasantness of good deeds, and from there attract blessed praise for yourself. It is said that there are vessels that are not honorable (Rom.9:21); these are those who live fornication, publicans, and in a word, those who are engaged in every unclean deed. However, they too, by changing their bad disposition to a good one, can become vessels in honor and usefulness to the King of the ages. Do not be a judge of judges; because in the Church you occupy the place of the feet, not the head. Therefore, do not blame the priests because they are not all pure; It is not your business to judge and judge the bishops of the Lord. Moreover, according to God's providence, the helm of the priesthood is not handed over to any of the disembodied Angels, so that, being sinless, they would not act strictly and immediately put to death any falling person; but people subservient to us, made of flesh and blood and guilty of sins, 32 accept the rank of chairmanship, so that when they notice someone who has fallen into something reprehensible, convinced by their own sins, they show humanity to their fellow tribe. And look, the first stone of the Church, Peter, the supreme one in the face of the Apostles, was put into action after repentance; because he was not sinless. Therefore, do not demand that everyone be free from reproach, and that not one of the leaders of the Church has any vice or human defilement. The hand of Israel, it is said in the psalm, has been labored (Ps. 80:7). Therefore, if you are trying to learn, do not rush to sensual Egypt with your mind, and look not at what happened under Moses, but delve into yourself. For with a cat means multi-woven sin, with Egypt - sorrow, and with hands - predestination. Therefore, if you notice that you are working against sins, breathe from your heart to the Lord, and from the secret storm, from evil oppression, hasten into the freedom of virtue. 252. Symmachus, vegetable seller What is not used as food by law means all the numerous and various types of vice, depicted by animals living in water and on land, and birds; and what is eaten signifies diverse and manifold virtue. What good will it do you if you do not care about active virtue, but are engaged, as you yourself think, in mental philosophy, and you assure yourself that you know the measure of the sun, the effectiveness of the stars, the size of the sky, and often you dare to theologize, where the truth is inaccessible, and research is dangerous, and you live worse in the mud of wallowing pigs? But if, reproached by us, you ever intend to begin doing something praiseworthy; then in this case, you will not gain any benefit for yourself if you do not agree to know the Lord of all, or to expect rewards after death. How do you want to see Constantinople delivered from frequent earthquakes and being set ablaze by heavenly fire, when thousands of absurdities are committed in it, and vice enjoys great freedom, and the pillar of the Church, the light of truth, the trumpet of Christ, the most blessed Bishop John, has been driven out of it? How do you call me to offer prayers for a city shaken by God’s wrath and daily expecting thunder strikes from above, when I myself am caught in the fire of grief, shaken by my thoughts, and the thought in me is killed by the excessiveness of what is currently being done lawlessly in Byzantium? The All-Seeing God said to the prophet Elijah, who needed the necessary food: go to Zarephath of Sidon: I command a certain widow there to feed you (1 Kings 17:9); go, not because the Lord clearly spoke this to the widow with his lips and tongue, but because he put pious thoughts in her and his children’s minds, to take care of the prophet. Therefore, do not indulge in cowardice, but just pray, enduring poverty with gratitude, and the Lord of all will inspire the hearts of sufficient people to supply you, not only with what you need, but also beyond your need. 256. Crispus, who returned from captivity By the grace of God, having been delivered from the bitter dominion of the barbarians, why do you so soon fall asleep in carelessness, and do not miraculously appease Him who snatched you from the hands of the alien and wicked, but became even more enslaved to many sins? That those who despise and reject natural good concepts and the divine Scriptures and virtuous men who offer them their advice, the Lord makes them chaste, sometimes with terrible dreams, sometimes with painful exhaustion, which others call a painful bed, and sometimes with other various admonitions God turns a person to good - of this may Elius convince you, who in the book of Job says: only for The Lord will say: the second is in a dream, or in a nightly teaching, as when fear attacks a person fiercely, in his sleep on his bed: then he will open the human mind, with the sight of fear he will frighten them, so that he will return a person from unrighteousness, and deliver his body from the fall. Then reprove him with sickness on his bed (Job 33:14, 17, 19). Because Peter was wounded by his threefold renunciation; then, after the resurrection of the Savior, it is healed by pronouncing confession and consent three times. It is said: Do you love Me Peter? By the Lord (John 21:15)! So you, too, demand only love from those who fall. For whoever loves sincerely, even if he falls, will soon return to his beloved. Let us not neglect true widows; for God cares greatly for them. He sent the Great Elijah to the widow, and the Lord of all Jesus Himself dried the tears of the widow of Nain, exclaiming to her: do not weep (Luke 7:13); and Jacob commands to visit the orphans and widows in their sorrows (James 1:27). If you say that the present age is the sea; then with what profit, the acquisition of which you are obliged to take care, having crossed the sea of ​​human life, will you appear before the Judge? Do not remain ignorant of the Giver of purity, praiseworthy boldness and fearlessness; As long as the Lord acts, you will be protected and protected from evil intentions and storms, and you will appear to everyone as terrible, glorious, brilliant and protected by divine grace, and fearing no one, you will frighten all demons and evil people. If you begin to be vain and proud; The Lord will depart from you and will not want to help you; and then you will recognize your baseness, fearing and trembling even your own shadow, falling into bodily passions, and becoming increasingly timid both night and day. For David says: You have made his fear firm (Ps. 89:41), because, as one abandoned by God, he no longer dares to exercise the right to teach with boldness. 262. To the noble official Elijah Having previously stolen so much of other people's property, why now, when a small part has been stolen from you by the strongest of you, do you mourn, become angry and gnashing your teeth, man? The Lord, seeing your generosity and generously opening hand to all those in need, arranged for great inheritances to suddenly flow to you. And for this we glorify God. This, that the ox and the bear and the lion, etc., according to Isaiah, will graze together with kindness (Is. 11:7), means that state of the Church in which the people's leaders and subordinates are together governed and fed by the dogmas of piety. 265 To the guardian of the deanery Gerasim We, the faithful, accepted the law of freedom, so that we, as true sons, without coercion and voluntarily, can work more than the slaves who served under fear and whips according to the Law of Moses. Therefore, try to please God, and according to your own zeal, strive according to the gospel (for it is called the law of freedom) in order to be worthy of being pleased. It is not just that one actively works in virtue that brings bright crowns, but that praising those who strive in virtue brings an important reward; because you glorify, O lover of Christ, those who fear the Lord. I have come, says the Lord, that those who do not see may see, and those who see will be blind (John 9:39). For, after the coming of the Master in the flesh, those of the pagans who had not previously seen or understood the divine Scriptures subsequently believed, received their sight mentally, and became wise; and those of the Jews who were worthy of error and darkness have lost the eye of the soul, so that they do not understand the secrets hidden in the divine laws, although they boast that they know the books of Moses and the prophets. Wanting to please the destructive demons, you willingly sacrifice calves to them, and slaughter lambs on the defiled altar; but you don’t want to slaughter your unreasonable irritability, and excessive anger, and other inappropriate and impermissible impulses of the soul. How, if we hate each other, quarrel, are at enmity with each other, plot against each other, do not like silence and generosity, Satan rejoices, has fun, blooms and is magnified, reassured by our worthless deeds; So, if we are in peace and unanimity, and curb our fury, the evil one usually shrinks and humbles himself, as an enemy of peace and love and an irreconcilably hostile opponent of unanimity among people. 270. To the tax collector Martyrius Every type of uncleanness, such as fornication, adultery, debauchery, sodomy, and the like, is called winter by Solomon (Song. 2:11). Therefore, since all those who have repented, guided by a right thought, are freed from such transgressions, and after that they listen with love to chaste words, it is therefore written that winter has passed, the voice of the turtle dove is heard in our land (Song. 2:11, 12); for the turtledove signifies chastity. The painful condition that befell your body with extreme danger for you, through the malice of the devil, was not unknown to us, as well as the fact that this happened to you according to God’s vision, so that you would clearly know both the frantic malice of the enemy, and the care of Christ, who, as a devoted servant, soon delivered you from the disease. 272. Silentiarius Nicaret Whoever enters the spectacle, and who is enchanted and delighted by shameful lust through his ears and eyes, is, whether he wants it or not, he is already a complete adulterer. How can you, not being free from the accusation of adultery, tell me that your soul does not suffer any harm, living in captivity and voluntarily surrendering into slavery to the devil? Respect your name at least! The priesthood, apparently, has become the right to arbitrariness, when you furiously beat and rob free people who do nothing wrong. Where can we give place to the great Paul, who decreed the law: it is fitting for a bishop not to be angry, not to be a murderer, not to be covetous (Titus 1:7)? And you, vile for the sake of profit, offend and persecute everyone. For your faith, the Divine Apostle called you the house and temple of the Holy Spirit. How come you were not afraid to bring into the church of God the rot of fornicating songs, and pitiful laughter, and all sorts of rubbish, and words that are harmful to the soul? If first, like a bubble, you crush your high opinion of yourself, considering yourself to be earth, ashes, smoke, hay, a worm, as Scripture teaches; then praise will not piss you off, and insults will not drive you crazy. 276. To the committee of the east, Eleutherius That which is small is not small; for for a little time, in one night, Judas would have entered the kingdom of God, and that man in Sebastia, who did not deviate for long, would have been crowned with the other martyrs. Therefore, leaving behind false interpretations, let us hasten to every good and lasting work. 277. To the bedside Methodius Christ the Lord of all was not at all afraid of death; He came to suffer to save people. Therefore, when you hear, He says: Father, if it is possible, let the cup of death pass by from Me (Matthew 26:39), understand that he does not say this with fear and trembling, but with humility in his utterances he catches the mental serpent, so that, recognizing Him as a simple man who fears and trembles at suffering, he fulfills through the Jews who served him what He Himself proposed and tried to accomplish for us. For the enemy, inventing the cross on his own, did not know that what was said in the psalms would be fulfilled, that the sinner has bound his hand in the work (Ps. 9:17), and that his wickedness will be turned on his head (Ps. 7:17), caught in destruction by the servant’s gaze and the humble words of the Master. For he who caught us was caught, called the whale and the serpent; and it is said about Christ in the book of Job that he will overcome the great whale (Job.3:8), and will draw out the serpent by the wisdom of His economy according to the flesh (Job.40:20). And when you also hear that the Lord cries out on the cross: My God, My God, you have forsaken Me (Matthew 27:46)! - know that this is said on behalf of all those born from Adam as a man, just as the intercessor, without suffering any offense or plunder, on behalf of the one he is defending, calls out to the Judge: we are offended, robbed, plundered. For if all of us, descended from Adam, had not been abandoned by God; then they would not have been subjected to the reproach of a thousand sins, and would not have made sacrifices, worshiping stones, trees, waters, inanimate stars, monkeys, dogs, wolves, crocodiles, evil demons and the devil himself. There is no joy for the soul, although they claim that there is, to spend time at shows and horse tracks; on the contrary - extreme destruction and terrible harm to the soul. If you really want to find good peace for yourself; then hurry to the universal Church, go to where the monks labor; there you will truly find much consolation for the good and great medicine for those who are sick at heart. Then test yourself afterwards, what are you like when leaving the Church and monasteries, and what are you like when leaving the spectacle and the horse lists? Having compared one and the other day, you will not need to admonish the other; because a comparison of both days will be enough to show you the greatness of both the benefits acquired in the church and monasteries, and the harm received in circuses and shows. It is desirable for me that you observe correctness in both morals and actions; for even people of damaged morality can not sin against the rules of composition, and not use words in speech that are not characteristic of the language. Therefore, stop chasing the purity of what you say, unless, as it seems to me, you are a Christian; for the kingdom of heaven, of course, is acquired not by the beauty of expressions, but by good character, good deeds and firm faith. It was not another who raised Lazarus, nor another who asked about him, but one and the same, according to humanity, saying: where does Lazarus lie (John 11:34)? and according to Divinity he resurrects (John 11:43). One and the same body, like a man, spits, but according to the Divine he opens the eyes of the one born blind, and in the flesh, as Peter says, he suffers (1 Pet. 4:17), and according to the Divine he opens the tombs and raises the dead. 281. To the Rod-bearer Xinodor With love you read the words of Bishop John of Constantinople. From them I will now write the answer to your question. So the Holy Spirit appeared, descending on Jesus like a dove (Matthew 3:16). For in us, as a result of baptism, dwells the firstfruits and pledge of the Divinity, but in Christ is all the fulfillment of the Divinity (Col. 2:9); and do not think that Christ, not having the Spirit, received Him: for Himself, as God, sent Him from above, and Himself, as a man, took upon Himself the debt. Therefore, from Him the Spirit descended upon Him, from His Divinity upon His humanity. 282. Bishop 33 Anastasius The luminary of the great Byzantine Church, or better to say, the whole world, the wondrous priest John, like a persevering one, saw many times that the house of the Lord at almost every hour, especially during the divine and bloodless sacrifice, is never abandoned by the Angels, or deprived of their care. Why, filled with surprise and joy, he privately told about this to his closest spiritual friends. As soon as the priest, he said, begins to perform the holy proskomedia, suddenly the blessed forces, descending from heaven in great numbers, dressed in certain bright vestments, with bare feet, with an attentive gaze, with a bowed face, in reverence, great silence, and silently surrounding the altar, stand before the performance of the terrible sacrament. Then, having dispersed throughout the entire venerable church, each of them here and there assists, helps and gives strength to the bishops, presbyters and deacons who are in the church, all who distribute the body and honest blood. I am writing this so that, having learned how much fear there is in the Divine Liturgy, we ourselves, having lost this divine fear in ourselves, do not indulge in negligence, and do not allow anyone else to talk and whisper during the proskomedia, or boldly give signs to others, or stand, swaying from side to side, looking here and there, or carelessly and easily walk from place to place. For the Lord says to Moses, and through him to all the priests: Be reverent, and not careless, the children of Israel (Lev. 15:31). If the devil is transformed into an Angel of Light to deceive and destroy those who are deceived; then why are you surprised when you hear that he often takes on the appearance of animals, cattle and birds? 284. To Chairman Licinius Do not say: I cannot reconcile with a person who is hostile to me; because he is evil and incurable. For you can reconcile him with yourself and make him well disposed towards you, if you only wish this with all your soul. What's fiercer than a lion? However, people also tame him; art overcomes nature; the lion becomes more humble than the sheep, and walks through the marketplace fearing no one. Therefore, what excuse and what justification will you have for saying that you cannot tame a person when they also tame animals? But just as meekness is unnatural for a beast, so ferocity is unnatural for a man. Therefore, wish, at least at the present time, to soften and make your neighbor a friend. 285. Karina, official under the mayor It is said: when all things submit to Him, then the Son Himself will submit to the Father in our place (1 Cor. 15:28). As our head, Christ will submit to the Father 34 for His members: therefore we are Christ, of His flesh and of His bones, as the Apostle says (Eph. 5:30). Therefore, our submission, since we were previously disobedient and disobedient, is made by Christ with His submission, as our successor. 286. To the mayor Priscus He who distributes his property to the poor, and who does not think evil against a covetous predator and an evil person, and does not curse him, both of them, doing this out of the fear of God, will obviously receive the same heavenly rewards. Without a doubt, it is godless and impious to assert that evil occurs by nature and not by will. For if the Scripture says that he will apply the mind of a man diligently to evil from his youth (Gen. 8:21); then you should know the interpretation of this saying, namely, that man is not by nature partial to reprehensible deeds, and not as a result of those natural concepts that were initially sown in our minds by God. Let this not happen! But it is written: from man’s youth, which shows that we acquired this evil from the devil’s influence, and that we are most easily inclined to evil when deceived by the enemy; because the enemy is man of all tares, says the Lord in the Gospel (Matthew 13:25, 28). Blessed Peter says that God created the Lord and Christ to be the crucified Jesus (Acts 2:36), meaning not that the essence of the Word was created, but that Christ was created according to humanity. For what was crucified but the body? And how else could the Apostle signify the corporeality of the Word, as soon as he said: He created to eat? Do not let your hand be zealously stretched out to take, but be bent to give to the needy (Sir.4:35); but let him, just as he willingly accepts the profits of mammon, so willingly distribute them to those in need for expenses. If, using it to your advantage and keeping others in your power, you think to fulfill the commandments of the Lord and do alms; then have pity most of all on those who suffer insults and sigh at your splendor. Recognize that you have sinned and make amends for your sins. Make yourself an accuser, beating your chest and saying: God, be merciful to me a sinner (Luke 18:13), and you will gain salvation. We will accept your confession and your humility. 292. To the Committee Eustochius, in charge of issuing gifts If you often seal your forehead and heart with the sign of the Lord’s Cross; then the demons will flee from you with trembling; because they are extremely afraid of this blessed sign. It is not good to be angry, either for no reason or for a good reason; for this is justly forbidden by the Lord (Matthew 5:22). Therefore, if you desire to be wise according to Christ; then all evil people, all-destructive and all-evil demons, and even Satan himself, the culprit of all evil, will not be able to move you to anger and rage. If I want him to remain until I come, what about you? you come after Me (John 21:22), that is, if I want John to live in the flesh until I come to drink him from his body, what do you want Peter from the fact that he will remain in this life for a long time? But you, Peter, come for Me, and in royal Rome you will be honored with suffering similar to Mine; just as I was crucified, so you will certainly be lifted up on the tree. After enmity took possession of you, a cruel storm attacked you, and your indignant mind can no longer see or hear sensibly. But if, by forcing yourself, you clear away the cloud of hostility; then you will come to a state of perceiving spiritual clarity from above; because, having put aside hatred of your neighbor, you will be filled with love pleasing to Christ, and the gaze, which out of hostility previously seemed hostile and unpleasant to you, now, when your thoughts are illuminated with light, will seem desirable and pleasant. Blessed David teaches that prayer is a great help. For, having used prayer before the stone, he overthrew this animated pillar - Goliath, who dared to humiliate God's power. Therefore, prayer gave direction to the stone, confused the barbarian, stopped the insolence of the enemy and erected a monument to victory over the enemies. 297. I intercede in the affairs of Auxentius He brought into the light the shadow of death (Job 12:22), that is, God brought it into clarity, and revealed to everyone the nature of sin that was previously hidden within. But when you hear about nature, do not think, as others assume, that sin is some kind of living, intelligent being. For sin usually begins and ends its existence again in human will. Do not neglect meeting with holy men; because one glance from them can heal your soul, exhausted in the fall, and their broadcast brings great gifts to the believer. For the voice of the saints stopped the warfare, cast out demons, stopping the elements, as Joshua cried: let the sun and the moon become (Joshua 10:12), and they immediately stopped. So Moses bound and loosed the sea. So the three youths turned the flame into dew with their chants. Likewise, those who now imitate them in life, having uttered only a word, can extinguish the kindling of sin, dry up the sources of lust, soften irritability, drive out lust, weaken vanity, extinguish the flame of the love of money, deliver from despondency and sadness, and restore deep silence in overwhelmed souls. Others say that when wine was invented after the flood, some, having drunk too much whole wine, died, therefore others, recognizing it as better to drink in moderation and, moreover, wine dissolved in water, and having consumed such a drink, remained alive. But those who had not yet drunk the grape moisture, out of fear of death, asked those who had already drunk: were they alive? And how they answered: yes, alive; Then, rejoicing, they said to each of those who remained alive and those close to them: live! live! Why has the custom of saying to drinkers been preserved from that time until now: Be healthy? I said this in response to your question. Let us not wait to be greeted first and then return the greeting. This is a sign of an arrogant and reckless mind. On the contrary, we will always be the first to greet both friend and enemy, so that for this God will praise us, and people will approve, calling us friendly. For the Apostle also commands us to show honor to one another (Phil. 2:3). Failure to do this, I mean the custom of warning others with a greeting, has dissolved many friendly ties and caused many enmities, but careful fulfillment has stopped long-term fights, destroyed irreconcilable enmities, tied sincere friends more closely together, and increased mutual affection. 301. To Chairman Valery When you see someone who is at enmity against you, and everything that he suffered or listened to comes to your mind, you are deplorable from him; then try to forget it, and if it remains in your memory, attribute everything to the devil. Collect in your thoughts what such a person has ever said or done useful, and if you stop at this recollection, you will very soon calm down, getting rid of your severity and bitterness. 302. Arkady, enjoying a salary It is said: and grace comes with grace (John 1:16). For, bringing our faith to God as grace and a wonderful gift, we received from heaven the greatest and incomparable grace, the communion of the Holy Spirit. It is said: you ascended on high after the resurrection, you took captivity captivity, snatching us from the hand of the devil, and you received giving from men (Ps. 67:19), or as the great Apostle says, and you gave giving from man (Eph. 4:8); because God, accepting faith from people, bestows heavenly gifts on the faithful. So in ancient times, when we were like slaves, He gave us legal grace; and now, not as slaves, but as beloved children, He has given us the grace of the Gospel, higher and greater than the first; and through it we are perfected and made wise by heavenly wisdom, we boldly approach God like sons, and partake of the light of the Divine. In various cases, more than my dignity, honored by your love for God with thousands of good deeds, and seeking what kind of reward to reward you according to decency, but not finding anything like that, I represent a great debtor for myself, namely God; for whoever did anything for me lent it to God (Prov. 19:17). The Lord will reward me, as David said (Ps. 137:8). The expression: behind me means future tense; for example, when Scripture says: who will tell a man what will happen behind him (Eccl. 10:14), that is, after him? And Saul says to David: Be sworn to me, for you will not uproot my seed from behind (1 Sam. 24:22), that is, after this, when I end my life, you will not destroy my descendants. Let us not be careless and lazy in taking care of ourselves. For if we fall into the very abyss of sin, it is still possible for us to restore ourselves, become better and destroy everything that is unsuitable in ourselves; because evil is not motionless, as the Manichaeans claim. But since love is usually always born from sight, forbid your eyes from peering into handsome faces, lest careless glances lead to an indecent and vile act. If Eve had not looked at the beautiful tree; then she would not have taken and tasted the fruit, and would not have immediately lost her divine chastity. By Eve we now understand the feeling which, if defeated by the visible, first itself tastes the harmful, and after that passes on the deadly food to the husband - the invisible mind, which I told you before 36. 306. To Nero, Master and Former Hypatus It is said: whoever acts evilly, do not expect to be innocent (Proverbs 16:5), angering the Lord. Therefore, you will not escape punishment, but you will be subjected to it, although you are already thinking of avoiding it, although you assume that God does not look at your evil and godless deeds, although you think that you have overcome the One who oversees everything, but of course you will be defeated, and at your exit from life you will become familiar with an incurable fall. 307. To the noble dignitary John Everyone, both Angels and people, applauds your valiant soul for serving children and living and dead enemies; living, in order to reconcile their fathers with themselves in this way; died in order to attract the great favor of the Lord, to be adorned with thousands of crowns, and to earn many prayers from everyone, not only those who have been blessed by you, but also those who see your blessings to others. This will help you at trial; even if you have sinned in many ways, you will be freed from all guilt, showing the greatest mercy and love for humanity towards your enemies, and thereby becoming like the most philanthropic Lord. In the holy Scriptures the exposition is of cloth of gold, and warp of gold, and woof of gold. Do not weave cobwebs, going beyond the limits of decency; I honor as cobwebs your weak thoughts and useless prejudices, vain conclusions and false thinking of Hellenic wisdom, which you dared to introduce into the venerable Church, just as Manasseh once placed some vile idols in the church of God. Therefore, stop offering Manichaean fables to the people of the Lord in such a distant Church under the guise of spiritual teaching. For your foolishness has now become obvious to everyone, and according to the Divine Scripture, the secret of Esau (Jer. 49:10), the secret of the darkness of your obstinate soul, has been revealed. 309. Guard at the court Isidore It is said: first let us not even humble ourselves, since we have sinned (Ps. 119:67). because, proud of the fruits of many successes, I arrogantly said to God: You tempted me, and iniquity was not found in me (Ps. 16:3); and I died in my abundance: I will not move forever (Ps. 29:7); then I was abandoned by You, and fell into grave adultery and heinous murder. And as a result of this, I am embarrassed and hesitant, deprived of God’s help, I am afraid and flee from the face of my son Absalom, and I humbly leave the city with bare feet, covering my head (2 Samuel 15:30), ashamed of everyone, while the senseless and pitiful Shimei reviles and throws stones at me along the way. Therefore, I cry to the righteous Judge: Lord, I understood that Thy destiny is righteous, and Thou hast truly humbled me (Ps. 119:75) before this sin. There is no other great sin like conceit and arrogance; Therefore, I will no longer utter words of conceit, but I will become humble, and with humility I will say: I am a worm, and not a man (Ps. 21:7); Our soul is humbled to the dust, our belly is drawn to the earth (Ps. 43:26), and humbled to the point of bitterness (Ps. 37:9). Live me according to Your word (Ps. 119:25), and the like. From the Father was born the Son, the living Word, who is God and who is with God, not created before the ages and not created hereafter; Son, not creature; Creator, not creation, Creator, not creature. All things are Father, My essence (John 16:15). For indeed everything that is in the Prototype belongs to the Image; The Son was not created by command, but from the essence of the Father he shone forth, not separately, not in time, united with the Father, equal to Him in goodness, equal in power. And what does this mean in relation to the physical dispensation, when He builds eternal salvation, which He showed to us, having come in the flesh, and says about Himself that He was sent (John 5:36), cannot do anything about Himself (John 5:30), and accepted the commandment (John 10:18), and all this like, let it not serve as a reason for you to belittle the Divinity Only Begotten; because condescension to your weakness should not become a derogation in the dignity of the Strong. On the contrary, understand His nature as divine, and accept the humiliating things in His sayings in relation to the economy. Why are the heavenly orbits depicted with wings in Scripture? Is it not to signify to people the sublimity, sublimity and lightness of these natures? For this reason, Gabriel descends with wings, not because this ethereal power had wings, but shows the Prophet Daniel that he descended from the highest countries, and leaving the heavenly abodes, comes to people (Dan.9:21). 312. I intercede in the affairs of Genephlius Having learned from Solomon, you say: who can boast of having a pure heart (Prov. 20:9)? But it’s not so much scary that you don’t have such a heart, but 37 that, not having a pure heart, you don’t resort to the Lord Christ, who can make it pure, you don’t resort, having the need to accept this gift. For Christ, if He desires, can cleanse the heart with the Holy Spirit, which is what one of the ancients sought, prayerfully calling out: God, create in me a clean heart (Ps. 50:12). Or rather, God wants to give us this gift along with other blessings, but expects from us at least a small reason to undoubtedly crown us. For what was more sinful than the publican? But when he said: God, be merciful to me a sinner (Luke 18:13), he left the church justified more than the Pharisee. How much power was contained in this saying? But what made him pure was not the saying, but the disposition with which he pronounced this saying, and moreover, God’s love for mankind, which does not want our destruction, but encourages us to turn to repentance. God wants us to give Him only a small pretext, and He Himself already does everything else for our salvation. Therefore, we must condemn ourselves for our sins, and confess to the Lord and ask for His bounty before death. What kind of work, tell me, what kind of burden is it for a sinner to convince himself that he is a sinner, and to say this before God, and to ask for forgiveness? 314. To the tax collector Dracontius By devotion to love and the bridle of reverence, like adamantine bonds, having united with Christ in everything, one must observe an indissoluble faith, undoubtedly believing everything that Christ says; whether he promises something extraordinary, whether he announces something supernatural, do not look for examples, do not enter into the study of the limits of nature, but look only at one thing, what is the dignity of the One who proclaims, and not what is the nature of the one who listens, but what is the power of the One who Promises, and conveniently changes the usual for the better, and transgresses the laws of nature itself. 315. To the bedside Faustin What God does not forbid to do is usually attributed to God Himself in inspired Scripture; because God allows it to be done through someone, and by this permission it is as if He Himself almost does it. He could stop those doing bad things even against their will, but he does not stop them by force, so that human freedom is not constrained. Therefore, according to his own desire and according to his own will, a person is either crowned or punished. And what was said: God gave over the ungodly and wicked people into unskilled minds to do things that were not like them (Rom. 1:28), which means: He allowed them, He did not stop them by His power. Some time before this, some God-loving people, hurrying on a necessary journey, called on the monk to pray for them in order to successfully complete the journey ahead of them, in good weather. The monk, seeing that the sky was cloudy and raindrops were falling, refused to pray, fearing failure. But they said to him: you lend us only your prayer, and we believe that, without a doubt, it will happen to us according to our faith. And when the prayer was completed, they set off on their journey in the rain, without being in the least saddened or doubting. The air has cleared, the clearest weather comes and the winds subside, travelers reach the places where they went and also return home, having completed their work well. I have told you this now, so that you may at least partially understand what is written: faith is the knowledge of those who hope (Heb. 11:1). 317. To the ruler of affairs Parigoria You say: what good will it do me if I start crying and shedding tears about my sins? A very great benefit, man, such that it is impossible to describe it in words. For in worldly courts, no matter how much you cry, you will not escape punishment after the verdict. But here, if you just begin to grieve over your sins, the sentence is canceled and forgiveness is given to you. Therefore, in Scripture many times those who mourn are blessed. Therefore, in the churches, let us not laugh and indulge in distraction, but sigh, so that by sighing we may inherit the kingdom of heaven. Do not want things to be done in everything according to your own intentions, especially when you are arrogant, stubborn and self-indulgent, and your conviction is no longer undoubtedly pleasing to the Lord. Therefore, do not want everything you do to happen according to your will, so as not to fall into madness and unexpected mental damage. But if you take care of yourself and highly value the world pleasing to the Savior; then it is better to leave everything to be done as the Lord ordains. Then you will turn out to be wise and calm the storm of your heart. He who complacently thanks the all-good God for the fact that other people have boldness before Him and please Him, and honors his brother as if he were his own member, he assimilates the brotherly gift for himself, and, for his love of kindness, delighting in the crown of his neighbor, makes it his own. For the praise of your neighbor will not harm you in the least, but will even glorify you, if only you maintain a sound way of thinking. Therefore, if your loved one enters the house of the rich and is honored, do not envy, but rejoice; and if you earn the approval of powerful people, rejoice; By doing this, you will please the Savior of all. When your spiritual father tells you something unpleasant or harsh, accept and endure it wisely and generously; because he does it not out of passion, but dispassionately. If, as you said, he acts cowardly and insults you, then he will do this too, not from the heart, but out of cowardice, like a mother in a bad mood wishes something bad for her child. For that she does not wish bad things for her offspring from the heart, this is clear from the fact that the mother soon, after a short time, repents and cries as soon as the child falls ill. 1. Referendarium Theoktistus Luke writes about the false prophet: suddenly darkness and darkness came upon them, and they searched for the leaders (Acts 13:11). Therefore, you should also be careful that, at the same time you become angry, you do not become a participant in darkness and clouding in your mind. And you need to look for divine mentors who would lead you from an angry disposition to meekness and generosity, enlightening the mind. He who first speaks to God: I will call in days, and you will not hear (Ps. 21:3), and later says: “Thou shalt not despise me, lower than an insolent prayer,” and when I called to Him, He heard me (Ps. 21:25). Therefore, there are times when God slows down, who provides something better for us, and wisely arranges our destiny; and therefore, for our benefit, he does not suddenly grant what we ask. There is a time of not hearing and a time of hearing: for it is time to show mercy (Ps. 101:14), says Scripture, that is, to show mercy to the soul that lifts its gaze to God, as the time has come for the miracle-working of the All-Perfect. Obey the Lord and beg Him, it is said in the thirty-sixth psalm (Ps. 36:7), and trust, and He will bring forth your righteousness as light (Ps. 36:6) in the darkness of sorrows that suppress thoughts, with a sudden change producing a constant noon, and in a storm and anxiety - a smiling silence, before I sit in darkness, says another Prophet, will bring me to the light (Mic.7:8, 9) near from the face of darkness (Job.17:12), that is, the light awaited in the darkness. 4. To the elderly and fornicating rich man Martin Their sons are like new plants planted in their youth (Ps. 143:12). since, leaving the literal meaning, you ask me to explain to you the mental meaning of these sayings; then find out even if you don’t. For, perhaps, you would not have called me to this at your own request, but you expected that I would give some other interpretation, and not this. The sons of unclean demons are called bad thoughts and every bad character that turns sin-loving people to vicious deeds. They are like new plantings, motionlessly erected in your youth; because, although you have grown old in body, you are still strong in abominations, but you are made young by this damned lust; from a young age to a very old age you remain insatiable in frantic fornication, and the proverb is fulfilled in you that evil passion in the soul never grows old. Therefore, although now, if these words shame you, groan bitterly, as if having sobered up from a long-term intoxication, beg God, who can work every miracle in you, to shake these worthless and reprehensible new plantings, shake and uproot them according to His divine sovereignty, so that finally, having abandoned fornication and calmed down, you can say: from the very foundation the state of the soul is indignant mine, so I will calm down, looking at the death. Lie sons of humanity in the measure, hedgehog untruth (Ps. 61:10). By what standards? Not every person hangs everything on scales, not every person trades wool, sells gold or silver, or generally takes pains to obtain these substances, which merchants exchange by weight and measure. There are numerous types of crafts, for the production of which there is no need for scales, many are engaged in navigation, many deal with judicial matters, hold positions of authority, and although there are lies, deception is not done by standards. Therefore, what does the Prophet say? the fact that each of us in our secrecy has a standard created by Him who created us, and by this standard we can distinguish the properties of things. Therefore, the deceitful sons of humanity, whose judging power of the soul is damaged, and whom the Prophet mourns, saying: woe to those who say bitter is sweet, and sweet is bitter (Is. 5:20), to the liars, the crooked, who turn what is right, who praise what is worthless, and so on. I need, they say, the present, but who knows the future? You weigh evilly when you approve of the evil instead of the good, when you prefer the vain and false to the true, when you put the temporary above the eternal, when you choose transitory joy instead of the unceasing and permanent. Therefore, the sons of humanity are deceitful and untruthful. They do lies first to themselves, and then to those who are close to them, who are both cunning advisers in business for themselves and serve as a bad example for others. It will be impossible to tell you on the day of judgment that you did not know what is good: you will be shown your own standard, which is sufficient to distinguish between good and evil. For we determine bodily weights by the inclination of the yoke of the scales, and we distinguish what we choose in life by the free will of the soul, which is called a measure, because it can take an equal inclination towards both. Therefore, do not rely on unrighteousness, do not attach your heart to wealth, do not choose vain things, and let the judging power of your soul not be damaged, know that God is both strong and merciful; Therefore, fear His power and do not despair of His love for mankind. For in order not to do unrighteousness, fear is beneficial; and in order for someone who has slipped into sin not to destroy himself with despair, the hope of mercy is beneficial. Then, following this and at the end of the psalm, the Prophet says to God: for You have rewarded everyone according to his deeds (Ps. 61:13). For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Luke 6:38). Did you insult your brother? Expect your own equal. Stole what belonged to the inferior, laid hands on the poor, shamed with obscene words, slandered, lied, imposed the limits of his father, attacked the property of orphans, grieved widows, preferred temporary pleasure to promised blessings? expect retribution for this; For as every one sows, that will he also reap (Gal.6:7). And also, if you have done something good, expect many times greater rewards for it; for He will reward everyone according to his deeds (Matthew 16:27). By remembering this sentence throughout your life, you will be able to avoid many sins. Having written this to you from what was written by the holy fathers who labored before us, for the sake of your compatriot Anthony, who prompted me to do this, I think that I reminded you of something useful. 6. Gigantius, intercessor for church affairs If you think about yourself that you have become completely above carnal pleasures, and let it be seen that you are struggling in fasting, then what benefit does the ancient gold, left over from your ancestors and kept with considerable care, bring you? Does it give you any pleasure, like the fabulous dragons, to vigilantly guard the golden treasures buried in the ground? It is written: May God spread Japheth (Gen.9:27). And we greatly wish the same for you, man of the Lord. May the Lord expand and multiply, may he glorify and magnify your house, may God make it brilliant, may He fill it with thousands of blessings, may He grant it fame among all people, and may He make it famous. May the Lord be present in your preparation, because your profits bring peace to those in need, your fruit is good, good and eternal, and our Savior Christ often eats from it. For when slaves are in need and eat, then the Lord Christ, having assimilated to Himself what happens to His servants, recognizes Himself as the one who eats. Therefore, do not be sad or grieve that some Christ-loving and godly men and women from outside bring you other things at your disposal. For you will not cause any damage, and you will not put an obstacle to the rewards that follow you, when, giving your own to those in need, along with your property, you will kindly and diligently pass on other people’s offerings. In this way you multiply, and do not diminish, God’s reward, and the brightest crown is woven for you. The Lord, seeing the sincere, unflattering and blissful disposition of your heart, inspires those worthy to give, both during life and when dying, to you generously, so that they too will have mercy, and you will become glorified and crowned, distributing with your property the benefits brought from outside. Whoever strongly desires something, and whoever loves something unremittingly, is constantly prompted to talk about it by an insatiable desire, just like your vanity and your conceit, having been baptized with water and therefore, apparently, lagging behind the Hellenic extravagance, without, however, illuminating the former wickedness in himself with the Holy Spirit, he is silent about Christ’s merits and about the successes of Christ’s disciples, but in his conversations he always brings up the environment He extols foolish Hellenic philosophers with his incessant tongue, crowns them with awkward praises, and condemns, condemns, and constantly denigrates Christian priests as ignoramuses, even if they were glorious and famous in life. And when, at a meal, or in the square, someone wishes to say a word about some Hellenic work, you praise and accept it; and when someone starts talking about some Christian dogma, you either immediately ridicule it, or you speak with your face turned away and take on a gloomy appearance. However, almost everyone, by some kind of God’s discretion, turns away with disgust from you and from Hellenic speeches, and they listen to church verbs willingly and with joy. For in the sayings of the venerable mentors, although they are common people, they hope to find something useful for themselves, and if they delve into them and adhere to them, they will acquire an impeccable way of thinking, while, while studying Hellenic teachings, they furiously indulge in uncleanness and lewdness. For above all baseness and disgusting are the stupid speeches of Philistion, to the detriment of those listening, to repeat at home at table and publicly at spectacles, in which you are not ashamed to be zealous, and to bury the sayings of Scripture, by which we are elevated to heaven, in silence. But you did not hide, sorcerer; for I will say that the foolish talk about you, who think that by some spell the moon is stolen when it turns red, or is eclipsed, or deviates from its rank, and with one voice both men and women shout about this. You haven’t hidden yourself, sorcerer! Nikotikh did not hide from us, although he thought of hiding, resorting to hypocrisy and hiding behind the holy and precious name of Christ; did not hide from us that you are a perfect and pure pagan, formed according to pagan vain teachings. 9. To the venerable Plutarch They say that in ancient times the Athenians prayed not to see any of their close friends elevated to leadership; because the one who has received power, first of all, is seduced by pride, is forced to not know himself or his friends, to no longer control his own thoughts, evading and being carried away here and there, and doing things that serve nothing, and then he is hated by almost everyone, everyone plots his intrigues, and easily catches him, and he is close to every terrible danger and to every misfortune, falling into insurmountable disasters. That’s why I now pray that you don’t get the boss you’re after, and that I don’t lose a sincere, pleasant and kind friend. 10. Elpidia, goldsmith You diligently make a sufficient number of other people’s jewelry from foolish gold, but you do not want to sculpt the jewelry of virtues for yourself. For, having received from God a golden thing - the soul, through his negligence he turned it into stone and lead, throwing it into the crucible of a useless and disastrous life. From which it necessarily follows that, of your own free will, you will drown in the sea of ​​error and disappear into the abyss of sin. For your foolish deeds are not hidden from us; but although now be afraid of the song in which Moses puts to shame, for not correcting bad morals, the Egyptians, like you, suppressed by their own malice. For he says: The Egyptians are mired like tin in greener waters: they are mired in the depths like stone (Ex. 15:10, 5). I congratulate you for your devotion to God, for your uncorrupted and heavenly love, because you ask us for words of heartfelt contrition. Such a petition serves as a sign of spiritual purity. For it is impossible to have such a strong desire for these words without first purifying yourself as you should, and without becoming above everything worldly. And it is not difficult to see this in people who are embraced by this love even for a short time; Such a change suddenly occurs in them that they immediately settle down in heaven, and their blessed spirit becomes celestial. Why, having willingly accepted the command of your sincere love, and having written a whole book about heartfelt contrition, I sent it to you and to the godly friends living with you, asking and begging you, who have boldness towards God, to reward us for this with your reverend prayers; for I know very well that you can appease the All-Perfect One towards us. Do not be surprised when you see that your most godly relative Pisimius, adorned with great virtue, very often suffers sorrows and temptations from the devil and from people serving his will. Like robbers, they often spend their nights without sleep there, and dig undermines where there is hay and straw, but where there is gold and silver: so the enemies of truth and righteousness especially attack and plot against those people who strive in virtue and try to succeed with the help of God. Because you extremely love the words of the venerable and God-bearing John, Bishop of Constantinople; then from them I will write you an answer to what you asked now. Let us not be at all upset by the temptations of good people, let us not become bewildered and embarrassed by this; but we will instruct our own souls, and we will teach others to do the same. If you see that a virtuous person suffers thousands of evils, do not be tempted. For, as I know, many often inquire about this and say: so and so set off on a journey, taking with him money for the poor to the martyr’s church, and was shipwrecked and lost everything; and the other, having done the same thing again, was caught by robbers, and barely saved his soul by returning from there naked. Therefore, what shall we say? The fact that there is no need to be upset or troubled by any of this. Although he suffered shipwreck, he still has the perfect fruit of almsgiving. For he did everything that depended on him, collected money, took it, went with the intention of distributing it, took upon himself, and the labors of the journey. The shipwreck finally did not depend on his will. But why did God allow this? To make him good. But the beggars, you say, have lost their money? You do not provide for the poor as much as God who created them. If they have lost this money, God can open for them another abundant source of food. Therefore, let us not demand an account from God for what is being done, but let us glorify Him for everything. For it is not simply and not in vain that he allows something like this to happen; Often, instead of the consolation of this money, God gives the poor another means of subsistence. And he thereby makes the one who is shipwrecked more skillful, and prepares for him a great reward. And giving alms is much more important - when you fall into trouble, thank God for it. Not only what you give in alms, but also what is taken from us by others, if we endure it courageously, brings us great fruit. And in order to find out to you how much more important the last is than the first, I will make this clear to you by what happened to Job. When he had wealth, his house was open for the poor, and he gave away all his property. But he was not as glorious when his house was opened for the poor as he was when he heard that the house had fallen and did not become despondent. He was not so glorious when he clothed the naked with the wool shorn from the sheep, but he became glorious and worthy of respect when he heard that fire had come down from heaven and destroyed all the flocks, and he thanked God. Then he was philanthropic, but now he has become wise. Then he had mercy on the poor, but now he thanks the Lord, and did not say to himself: what is this? The herds from which thousands of beggars fed were destroyed: if I was not worthy to enjoy this abundance, then it was necessary to spare it for the sake of those who received their share from it. On the contrary, Job did not say or think anything like that; but he knew that God would work everything out for good. And know that he dealt the devil the strongest blow later when, having lost, he gave thanks, rather than when he had mercy. For when he possessed it, the devil could express some suspicion, and although it was false, he had the opportunity to say: does Job eat tuna honor God (Job.1:9)? But when God took everything from Job and deprived him of everything, and Job maintained the same devotion to God, then his shameless lips were already stopped, and there was nothing to say to the devil; now the righteous has become more glorious. Living in wealth, giving alms is not such a great thing as for someone from whom everything has been taken away, to endure it courageously and with gratitude, since this shows righteousness. Then Job’s favor towards slaves like him was great: but now great love for the Master was revealed in him. God could have extinguished the flames of the Babylonian furnace, but did not do this in order to instill greater fear in the wicked, lead them into greater amazement, and soften the bitterness of Nebuchadnezzar. God did what was more important and more wonderful than extinguishing the flame; for, having left it burning to the extent that it was desired to kindle it, He showed His power by not destroying the enemy’s devices, but by making sure that they did not produce anything while remaining. And so that another, seeing how the youths overcame the flame, did not consider the flame a ghost, and allowed it to burn those who plunged, showing that what was visible was really fire, and otherwise neither the brushwood, nor the cotton, nor so many bodies would have been burned. Nothing is as powerful as God's command; the nature of all beings is subjugated to Him who brings it from non-existence into being, as was then shown. For the flame, having taken into itself corruptible bodies, did not touch them as if they were incorruptible, and returned what was entrusted to it unharmed and in even greater glory. Like kings from some royal palace, three youths came out of the cave, and no one wanted to look at the king, but everyone turned their eyes from him to this wonderful sight. Neither a diadem, nor a scarlet robe, nor anything else in royal splendor captivated so many people as this vision of the faithful, who had been in the fire for a long time, and came out of the fire as if, not in reality, but in a dream, this had happened to them. And what is most likely to perish among us, namely hair, then acquired such strength that it became harder than adamant. Divine thoughts really are meat-eating: for it is said: My flesh is truly food (John 6:55). Why do you always willingly partake of this, as Paul says, solid food (Heb. 5:14). Are you not ashamed to call Diogenes, Pythagoras, and Plato temperate and wise, who reached such superstition that they worshiped even motionless and inanimate idols? Do not remain insensitive and unaware of the sorrows that befall your home, and do not add new sins to your previous sins; but know that God is punishing you who are arrogant, so that when you come to consciousness, you show a change in yourself for the better. And if you continue to become even more bitter, show your violence and mock yourself; then you will multiply the blows sent by God many times over, and you will make the misfortunes and misfortunes in your most wicked house increase more and more. If sins are subjected to such precise scrutiny that both words and thoughts are punished; then all the more, good deeds, whether great or small, will be imputed to us on that day of reward. Therefore, do not be discouraged and do not be lazy, but above all, do good to the best of your ability. You asked me: why do some good men fall into unbearable calamities, for example: they suffer to death from bodily ailments, or mental damage, like Selentiarius Callitichus, or are crushed and tormented by a demon, like Stagiria 39, the son of an arrogant rich man, a modest man, filled with tenderness and reverence: others are taken captive by barbarians, and others during an earthquake buried under the ruins of a fallen house, others burned in a fire, or subjected to some other unexpected disaster? Therefore, know that all of these things happen to the righteous, so that through this the careless will have fear, temper their pride, remember the Lord of all and the Judge of all, and those who do evil will stop doing it, come to heal themselves with repentance, and take care of soul-beneficial virtue. Moreover, note that sad events with the righteous do not harm their soul at all, but serve to increase their eternal rewards. Why did Abraham, having accepted the intention of sacrificing his own son to God, say to the slaves: sit down somewhere with the donkey, and when I have bowed down, we will return (Gen. 22:5)? Because he believed that God, after sacrificing his son, would resurrect him and return him alive to the one who sacrificed him. Therefore, we too will believe that here we will again rise from a passionate to a dispassionate state. Imagine that the corrupt world is a cave in which righteous people live like some kind of earthly angels, and evil people, nesting in the said cave like reptiles, cause many insults and difficulties to blessed men. Therefore, if, from cohabitation with the latter, from their patience and admonitions, the evil ones will eventually change their atrocity into a human state; that's good. And if they remain incorrigible to the end; then in the future they will suffer severe punishment, both because they loved vice instead of virtue, and because they did not want to become better by treating the righteous and admonishing them. Virtue is not an entity independent by nature, and vice is not a living, rational being, as others think. But both vice and virtue usually appear, or are also lost, as a result of understanding or exercise, or doing or avoiding the work of those participating or not participating in it. That king and subject, sinner and righteous, strong and weak, will feed on the same faith, Isaiah speaks about this, namely: at the coming of Christ the wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lynx will rest with the goat, and the calf and the young man and the lion will graze together (Is. 11:6). The same Prophet says about the fact that for the simple-minded, who wished rather to be infants in bad deeds, for blessed and gentle people, because of their active, but free from worldly cares, life and because of prayer unweakened by doubts, opposing forces become surmountable, the same Prophet says: He will lay his hand on the fiends of the asps, and they will not do evil, they will not be able to destroy anyone on My holy mountain (Is. 11:8, 9), by mountain meaning the Church of Christ according to the height of faith. If, before good deeds, we begin to study some useless and intractable questions; then, like weak-minded people, we will be subject to errors and intrigues. For everyone’s time is short, and we are judged by our deeds, and not by our knowledge of the unknown. Therefore, let us not stop searching for what we must do to improve eternal life. And if, in this short time, having occupied ourselves with intractable and useless questions, we use all the days of our present life for this; then, having become entangled in them, we will leave here empty-handed, and the Prophets will say about us in good time, mourning our destruction: where are the bookworms (Is. 33:18)? where are the wise advisers and teachers; How did it become desolate, disappear, perish for conceit and for its iniquity, like the sleepiness of one who rises from his bed (Ps. 72:19, 20)? Therefore, before this lamentable song can be applied to you, leaving behind the riotous questions befitting amused youths, listen to the great and true Teacher, who cries: seek first the kingdom of God and righteousness (Matthew 6:33); because there is a time for everything: here the time is to do righteous deeds, and in the next century to accept reward. Therefore, in order not to be subjected to intrigues, let us do more to investigate and do the truth, so that, like some of the most famous travelers, carrying with us the path of good deeds, how in which city can we enter the kingdom of God; because God, because of the world He created, is manifest to those who are grateful, witnessed by all His creation. Therefore, let us not allow ourselves to be deceived, let us not become strangers to eternal life, consigning God, His commandments and judgments to oblivion, and preoccupying ourselves with some unimportant issues and useless sayings, unworthy of any attention, as something great and unspeakable. The soul, which through negligence was previously desolate and became barren, but is now beautifully changing, can become meek, loving, beautiful, transformed into a better form. For it is written: He put the wilderness into the lake, and into the springing up of the waters. And the hungry people inhabited the place, and they made habitable cities, and they sowed villages, and they planted grapes, and I blessed (Ps. 107:35-37). And what does this say not about the inanimate field, but about the rational soul, it says, concluding the psalm: whoever is wise will keep this, and understand the mercies of the Lord (Ps. 106:43)? Therefore, do not despair of yourself, who are desolate of all truth, if you only want to change your disposition. For Moses, by building the tabernacle of God in the wilderness, figuratively indicates that even a deserted soul can become suitable for the tabernacle of the Lord. For it is said: the faithful will rejoice forever, and the Lord will dwell in them, and those who love Your name, O Christ, will boast in You (Ps. 5:12). There is no need to be surprised by what happens in life; because even with sober people everywhere temptations are inseparable, both from their own and from strangers. Therefore, the Apostle, seeing the storms of danger arising, and fearing that some of the disciples would be embarrassed by this, said in his letter: I sent Timothy to you, because not a single one should be embarrassed in these sorrows: for you yourselves know that we are lying on this present day (1 Thess. 3:3). What he said means: such is our life, such is the order of the apostolic decree - to endure thousands of evils; We lie on this present day, says the Apostle. How goods are laid out to be bought and sold; so the apostolic life rests on this present day, to be subject to slander, to suffer, to have no rest; and those who are sober not only do not suffer harm from this, but also gain great benefit. It is said: I will bless the Lord at all times; I will make His praise in my mouth (Ps. 33:2). For it is a shame for us to bless God when things are good, and to remain silent when things are sad. On the contrary, then we should give thanks even more when the sufferer, knowing that the Lord loves him, punishes him: he beats every son, but accepts him (Heb. 12:6). Just as the olive tree is fruitful in the house of God (Ps. 51:10), I never lose blessed hope. Let us therefore become a fruitful olive tree, not in another place, not in paganism, not in Judaism, not in harmful heresy, but in the house of God, that is, in faith and piety; because the wicked, outside the Church, bear fruit in vain. Just as the beginning was difficult for Joseph, things went on for a long time, apparently contrary to the promise, but later more than was expected happened; so in the work of the cross, it was not suddenly, not before the beginning and not at the beginning, that complete success turned out to be, but at first the temptation grows, and although something not much happened for the sake of a miracle and to admonish those who dared to crucifixion the Lord, however, all this soon passed; because if then the veil of the church was torn, and the stones fell apart, and the sun darkened, then all this was the work of one day, and was consigned to oblivion by many. After this, the Apostles were soon in flight, in persecution, subjected to attacks, intrigues, hiding, hiding, being afraid, and so preaching the word; but the Jewish people with full power drag on, dishonor, and torment believers, and the Crucified One sees this and endures. But look how after this the work of the Church shone brighter than the sun and embraced the whole universe. Your love for God asked me, what does it mean that the Apostle wrote to the Galatians, that the circumcised must fulfill the whole law of Moses (Gal. 5:3)? since, after accepting faith in Christ and the light of heavenly knowledge, the Galatians, out of simplicity and frivolity, believing some insidious and spiritually harmful people, came to the point that they were ready to be circumcised, and finally accept all Judaism; because a little kvass leavens the whole mixture (Gal. 5:9): then blessed Paul, wishing not to destroy, but to save them, stops the deceived and keeps them from the harmful undertaking and contrary to the truth of circumcision, as if saying: if you want to be circumcised, then keep the Sabbath, make sacrifices, blow the trumpet, carry out the weeding of the canopy, beware of mice and lass (Lev. 11:29), and every day wash the bed with everything that is laid on it, destroy the oven (Lev. 11:35), bind yourself with all the snakes of Moses, and again, for your own evil, build up what the Lord beautifully destroyed, renew the most painful law, which was given for some time in relation to the state of infancy by reason, and which the Savior Christ brought into inaction with the perfect and lofty dogmas of piety. Therefore, if you love circumcision, as the most senseless and unreasonable children love bones, rattles, balls, nuts, then know clearly that you have no part with Christ, violating Christ’s will, and not only circumcise the foreskin, but cut off everything that serves to childbearing, which those who prescribe circumcision must do, and thereby stir up rebellions against the Church. For this means what was said: O that those who corrupt you may be cut off (Gal. 5:12), and those who have been freed by Christ make slaves again! 31. To the noble official Pionius Because you are the son of my sincere friend, the most blessed Eucarpius; then, being very concerned about your salvation, about your good glory, I write what is useful for you. Therefore, put aside the gold rings and two wrists that are in your hands, and give them rather to your future lawful partner. And if your wife is well-behaved and chaste; I don’t think she’ll take it either. It is said about a monk that he is the altar of the Lord, an altar on which and at which pure prayers are offered to the Most High God, an altar erected spiritually, and based on a place where, as David says, stand in the nose of the Lord (Ps. 132:7), and do not move (Ps. 73:2). For, as it is said, our feet stomp in your courts Jerusalem (Ps. 122:2). What did you expect when you chose hermitage and silence? Of course, sorrows and temptations, countless attacks, ambushes 40 in the tricks of evil demons. Why are you now indignant at the fact that the sharp edges of temptation are pricking you from everywhere, and the fiery wheels of the demonic chariot are tearing your soul to pieces and grinding you like straw? On the contrary, endure with gratitude, generously, being firm in your way of thinking, in unceasing prayer, with unflagging vigil and good abstinence, without departing 41 from the All-Perfect, and you will see the end. And the end of those who fight for Christ is salvation, but the end of the demons is grievous destruction. Then those who torment you now will be wounded, and you will trample them, and dust will be under your feet (Mal.4:2), in whom you were afraid before, they will fear you, according to the advice of the Lord (Is.14:26). Sometimes demonic thoughts hide inside us, and sometimes they come out, prompting us to actually sin. But God, called to our aid, scatters and drives them away from us; and then, having sobered up from embarrassment, we gather within ourselves, as if from the dead having become alive, we are encouraged in spirit, raised to the height of dispassion possible for our nature, we glorify and sing songs to the Lord, resting our good life in a death pleasing to God. This is what I think 43 means when David said: “And all who do iniquity have penetrated, so that they may be consumed for ever and ever” (Ps. 91:8). And my horn will ascend like a unicorn, that is, the power of divine dispassion and my old age in the oil of mastitis (Ps. 91:11) that is, the All-Perfect One with spiritual oil fattens the ascetic man, who was previously exhausted and exhausted by the multitude of passions that troubled him. Therefore, let us not be in the least troubled by temptations, if the cessation of temptations does not immediately follow; let us rather leave this to God, as the only one who has the power to stop them. For when he hesitates, he rewards him with greater grace. Why should we especially give thanks and sing songs when God hesitates in fulfilling what is asked, does not bow to the request for some time, and, without a doubt, reserves the requested grace for greater gifts 44; because the sorrows that befall us make our hopes in God bloom. For it is written: sorrow for sorrow, hope for hope (Is. 28:13); For yet little or no, the one who comes will come and will not cut down (Heb. 10:37). Because of the multitude, it is said, of the illnesses in my heart, Your consolation has made my soul glad (Ps. 93:19). For as the sorrows befall us, we find equal consolation from God. But when the soul is openly and secretly crushed and humiliated by various temptations, then the contemplative priests, that is, the Angels, console it, restoring it with the flaming sweetness of tears, refined thoughts and the power of virtues. Look, beloved, what the Lord says: comfort, comfort My people, priests speak in the ears of Jerusalem, comfort and, as if his humility was filled, his sin was resolved (Is. 40: 1, 2). Finally, in any case, we must thank the Almighty Christ. I will bless the Lord at all times, says the great David (Ps. 33:2). For God accepts our gratitude in sorrows in exchange for all righteousness. Therefore, we also need to imitate Abraham and bring tithes of the spoils to the Lord. And let this tithe be the most important of the ten commandments, precisely the one on which the law and the prophets hang (Matthew 22:40), that is, to love God with all your soul and with all your strength 45. For the divine Apostle defines that love is the fulfillment of the law (Rom. 13:10). The truth is, just as we have a desire to give equally, which, of course, we do not satisfy exactly, however, acting according to the most just inspiration of the heart, we do not deviate from the goal, so the allocation assigned from above by the righteous Judge, both corrective and rewarding, is for us very inconceivable in terms of the height of the definitions hidden in it, as the divine David says: Your righteousness is like the mountains of God, the judgments Your deep is great (Ps. 35:7). Therefore, let us pray that the Lord of all God will bring our souls and bodies into better dissolution; for nothing resists God's will and will. Therefore, let us not be careless and lazy in taking care of ourselves. For if we fell into the very depths of vice; then we can restore ourselves again, become better, and cast off all badness; because evil is not immovable, as the Manichaeans claim. And do not think that it is some small grace of God to condemn your sins and grieve over them. No, this is the greatest grace bestowed by the Lord’s cross on true believers. Imagine; Previously, the Jews, denounced by the Prophets for their bad and impermissible deeds, did not take the trouble to utter simply the words: we have sinned, forgive us, but on the contrary, doing thousands of bad deeds, they strengthened their assertion that they had not sinned in the least; Now, however, the light of Christ the Almighty God has illuminated us to such an extent that even if we do not fall, apparently, but only secretly enter into a friendly conversation with evil thoughts, we immediately condemn ourselves, grieve, sigh, condemn our life, although there is nothing to convict it of, we cry, lament, subject ourselves to grave punishments. And may remembrance of our Savior Jesus Christ, lifting up your eyes to Him, unremitting prayer become for you an ethereal shield against the invisible enemy. For the Apostle writes: take up the shield of faith over everyone, in it you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one (Eph. 6:16). For whether he will attempt to wound you with the arrows of evil lust, envy, or memory malice, or through any other vice to fight against your soul; The enemy of our life will undoubtedly be defeated and brought into inaction by the power of faith and the calling of the Divine name of Christ. Demons are very jealous of those who love chastity, and they put bad and illicit wishes into those who strive. But you shouldn’t lose your vigor at the same time. Then let us strain our strength even more when we are disturbed; then we will be more firmly established in the hope of the promised blessings, because we are so much tempted by flesh-loving demons. For the enemies, knowing that the Lord has promised us great blessings, are very angry with us, out of envy they become armed with shameful and vile passions, and try to the extreme to weaken people striving for virtue. And the mind, having fallen away from the contemplation of God, according to its own concepts becomes either a demon or a beast; because the human mind, having withdrawn from the contemplation of God, of necessity, either falls under the power of a lustful demon leading to intemperance, or is overcome by an evil irritable spirit. And the experienced father called incontinent lust bestial, and irritability a demonic movement. But no matter what concept or deed the soul settles on, only with a pious thought will it undoubtedly be with God. Therefore, whoever wants to be decorated in life with many virtues, he does not need to seek fame and meetings with many, nor use frequent exits, reproach someone, even if those being reproached were worthy of it, nor conduct long conversations, even if what is being discussed is wonderful; Because excessive talkativeness gives over to the demons of sadness and anger, one must be busy keeping the holy commandments and deeply remembering the Lord Jesus of glory. For it is said: keep the commandment, do not learn the evil verb (Eccl. 8:5), that is, do not turn to evil and empty words; because what leads to purity is not only not doing bad things, but also being careful about the beautiful and doing everything you can to destroy bad things. From habit usually comes skill, and skill turns into nature; It is difficult and inconvenient to transform or change nature. However, this is possible to God; because nature does not resist God. It is said: if your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; but if they are like scarlet, they will be as white as wool (Isa. 1:18). Why should we not despair? for a bad and reprehensible habit is stronger than the God who created us, as the Prophet says, who creates and transforms all things (Am. 5:8). And although you acquire a vicious skill, you enter into the very nature of vice, do not despair, but resort to repentance, and you will be saved. Therefore, God, taking flowers that were not erased, but as if turned into the essence of the things they painted, I mean the color of crimson and scarlet, in order to inspire people with good hope, said that this too would lead to the opposite state. Therefore, the power of repentance is great if it makes us white as snow, white as waves, even if the previous sin for a long time denigrated and transformed the soul with worthless deeds. For the Lord says to those who repent of their sins: having uncovered your hearts, stand as those condemned, and I will give boldness to your sorrows, and you will go crowned as the righteous: for My compassions are on all My deeds (Ps. 144:9). That is why we say to God: we are the works of Your hands, O Lord, do not destroy the works of Your hand (Ps. 137:8). Yes, and in the book of Job it is written: The Lord will save the downcast eyes (Job.22:29), and: the one who is saved by your clean hands (Job.22:30), i.e., the Lord will save the sinner who has fallen down in repentance and great humility, just as he saves the publican, who, not daring to lift up his eyes, beats himself in the chest and says: God be merciful to me a sinner ( Luke 18:13). Why does the Lord say to such sinners: in the depths, bow your souls before Me, as those condemned, and you will receive the same crowns as the righteous. Thus, one who has fallen down is saved not for active virtue, not for performing divine deeds, but according to God’s love for mankind, for the consciousness of confessing with great humility and contrition of heart one’s own sins. Thus, one who has downcast eyes is saved by repentance and the deepest contrition 46 . But save yourself with pure hands, that is, by virtues and valiant deeds; because Scripture usually names virtues with hands. Save yourself by crying out to God: save my soul, Lord Christ, so that the devil does not rob me, turning me away from the truth, and become like those who go down into the pit (Ps. 27:1), and the Prophet calls hell and sinful darkness a pit. Constantly beg the Savior Christ, saying: save, O Master, me, Your servant, who trusts in You and does not despair of being worthy of incorruptible and eternal gifts. It is written: our struggle is not in blood and flesh, but against the principalities and authorities, against spiritual malice (Eph. 6:12), warfare with our own body, with the various types of voluptuousness burning in it, with the passions of the heart and with destructive thoughts generated from any reason. Therefore, although lusts and unclean desires of voluptuousness burn, although the excited flesh leaps, although we are tempted by every devilish device and evil deed, we will overcome everything through faith, hope, patience, vigilance, prayer, psalmody, reading, humility and other deeds, and most of all by calling on the name of Jesus Christ, the man-loving God and Savior ours. It is impossible for hostile demons to overcome us if we do not first neglect the fear of God through lack of faith, and do not neglect what is commanded to us by the Lord. Therefore, although there are such demons that enter the human body, diminish all the strength of the bodily composition, put weakness and relaxation into almost all members, while there is no illness or disease, and moreover, they plunge the soul into great joylessness and coldness in the way of thinking; but we, having driven them away from ourselves with a courageous mind and a sober heart, with the help of prayer, will cleave to the all-seeing God, saying: take me away from my enemies, O God, and deliver me from those who rebel against me (Ps. 58:2), order my soul from their wickedness (Ps. 34:17). But just as Sampson once happened through voluptuousness to fall into the hands of foreigners and endure what was written about him; this, without a doubt, also happens today in relation to the soul with pleasures caught by the fish. For as soon as human thoughts, upon the attack of the evil demon, follow him, the grace that protects the soul retreats from man; the demons, having taken the captured one, eradicate in him every chaste thought, bind him with intractable bonds of delightful tickling and shameful lust, and introducing vice into Gaza (Judges 16:21), force him to grind into the bad habit of serving the devil for whole days and nights. But if the soul of one caught in sinful nets, having come to its senses, is able to sigh to God with heart disease, prayer and petition to embrace the invisible feet of the Master; then the Lord, like Elisha about the Somanite, will say to the Angels: leave her (2 Kings 4:27) to come to Me, and do not persecute her, although she has not acquired any virtue and any boldness before Me, but since her heart is painful and relentlessly falls to Me with tears and sorrow, I accept and save her. We need both the power and grace of the almighty and all-wise Spirit, which we must seek zealously. For in this case, the bow of the demons, strong in malice, striking us with voluptuous thoughts, like some kind of fiery arrows, will be exhausted, and the faithful, who were previously exhausted and fallen in heart, will subsequently be greatly strengthened in their strength to exterminate those who resist. And this very thing, the mother of Samuel, full of faith, spoke, prophesying: the bow of the mighty is weak, and the weak are girded with strength (1 Samuel 2:4). The devil does not know whether the Lord of the House Christ is inside, in the heart, or whether He is not there. Therefore, when the enemy sees that you are angry, or swearing, or shouting, or saying shameful and empty things, then he understands that inside your soul there is no God protecting you, caring for you and protecting both the inside and the outside of your mental home. And in this case, the evil one, having already entered like a thief, since there is no lamp in your heart, robs your spiritual home. Not only sinful people, but also those who zealously try to hold on to everything good, are often abandoned so that they learn patience and firmness, and overcome pride in themselves. For, having in our hidden chambers the great illnesses of contempt, arrogance, conceit, we often, through inattention to ourselves, hide them from many people and from ourselves. But the great Physician of our souls knows what care to take about hidden ailments. Therefore, let us not be indignant, faint-hearted, or lose heart when the Lord sends upon us what is appropriate for us. For in the medical clinic of this age there are many sick and ulcerated people, and one medicine 47 is not suitable for everyone and one meal is suitable; but for everyone the doctor offers a special method of treatment and a special way of life. This patient, he says, should enjoy honey more often, and let another wince at the bitterness of wormwood, and let another taste the tasteless hellebore; and treats and treats everyone differently. So God builds an economy for each of us, as it is useful for whom. The demon, the culprit and at the same time the painter of vice, has the goal of driving every person into grave and inconsolable sadness, making him far from faith, from hope, from the love of God, that is, from the most important and most important thing in piety before God. And therefore, it often drives others and the faithful to the point that, as a result of the bestial movement, seed is poured out in the most holy house in order to plunge the soul of the suffering person into hopelessness, despondency and complete despair. Therefore, whoever takes up arms against this demon and enters into confrontation with him, he, adapting to the insidious goal of the enemy, acting with patience, generosity, prayer, unremitting fasting, faith, hope and perfect love for God, will defeat and overcome this nasty and unclean demon, and with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ will undoubtedly defeat him. Let not only the reading of the Scriptures be used, but also prayers, psalms, abstinence, and vigil, reclining on the bare ground, and silence, and handicrafts. It is said: these are on chariots and on horses, i.e. anger, irritation, vanity, envy and other passions (this is called horses and chariots of resistance) arm themselves against us, but we will call on us in the name of the Lord our God (Ps. 19:8); because the name of Jesus Christ the Most High God is sufficient for us to take revenge on our enemies. Therefore, we need to beg God a lot so as not to fall away from virtue. About the fact that it is possible to fall from truth into sin, and from the impassive to be transformed into the passionate, the prophecy appeals to God: as if from the beginning, when You did not rule over us, Your name was called upon us (Is. 63:19), and we became unclean. But it is also possible, after the fall has taken place, to again achieve the original dispassion and former strength through repentance. For everyone who asks with repentance and prayer will, at the proper time, again receive power from above and dispassion. Consider the prophecy: arise Jerusalem, and put on the strength of your arm, arise as at the beginning of the day (Is. 51:9), because sickness, and sorrow, and groaning will flee from you (Is. 51:11). And in bad circumstances, even a small good is great. Even if we are hated by God for our sins, we will be loved again for our repentance. And that the most merciful Master will receive us again and make us glad with His love, about this, look what He says to the mental Jerusalem, that is, to our soul: I will give you eternal joy, joy from generation to generation (Is. 60:15). Don't doubt how it will be. For, when it pleases God to transform a matter from worse to better, everything that is contrary yields to God’s command, so that without difficulty and conveniently the Lord will be able to recreate humanity, just as he commanded Aaron’s sharpened and dry rod to bear fruit rather than plants rooted in the earth. If the latter bear fruit after many years and annual changes; then Aaron's rod produced everything in one night, leaves, flowers, and fruit. Therefore, it is possible for coarsened and petrified human hearts, if they taste spiritual teaching, to turn into rich and fruitful soil. Therefore, let us not hesitate, but from now on let us turn to God with all our hearts. For if we take care of our salvation, we will do a great benefit, not to anyone else, but to ourselves. Each of us has a natural benefit if we do good. And if we sin, then, without a doubt, we have fallen from our natural heights and become despicable, as if thrown to the ground. But if we intend to once again bow to the good, then, as is obvious, we will again ascend to the heights that are characteristic of us, if only we are reasonable, noble in mind, submit to the words of God, indulge in flight from the fickle and delightful for a short time, and soberly and diligently hasten to the benefits that are constant, unshakable and lasting for endless centuries. The Law of Moses, among other things, prescribes to beware of mice and foxes (Lev.11:29). Legitimizing this, allegorically and under the image, he commands not to come into agreement with previous and subsequent bad thoughts. For passions prohibited by law, and customs, and morals, partly precede, and partly accompany. The preceding man-pleasing and vanity are, of course, followed by pride, arrogance and every shameful demonic passion. Evil lust first digs a hole of obscenity, and immediately the cold demon enters and, settling in the prepared hole, commits a sin. For the Lord Jesus says that he who looks upon his wife lustfully is a complete adulterer (Matthew 5:28). And even after the preceding hatred and anger, malice and harm follow in their wake. For often first a mouse gnaws a hole in the wall, and then a vixen, or a snake, or something else comes in and nests in the hole. During temptations, patience according to God is a great help. For the Lord says: in your patience gain your souls (Luke 21:19); He did not say: in your fasting, or in your silence, or in your psalmody, although all this contributes to the salvation of the soul, but: in your patience. In patience, that is, in every temptation that comes, in every sorrow, whether it be insult, or humiliation, or dishonor, from any person, important or unimportant, or bodily weakness, or the rebellion of satanic warfare, or any temptation from people, or from demons. In your patience gain your souls, not just in your patience, but with all thanksgiving, and prayer, and humility, bless and sing songs to the Savior of all, God the Benefactor, who brings everything into harmony, everything, whether it be good or otherwise, arranges for the benefit. And the Apostle writes: let us strive with patience for the fight of faith that is set before us (Heb. 12:1). For what is higher than virtue? What is firmer and stronger than patience, I mean patience according to God - this queen of virtues, the foundation of valiant deeds, an untroubled pier? For it, precisely, is peace during battles, silence during a storm, security among slander and dangers, it makes those who succeed in it harder than adamant; neither the weapons and bows set in motion, nor the restless hordes, nor the advanced battering guns, nor the fired arrows and spears, nor the demonic horde itself, nor the dark squads of the opposing forces, nor the devil himself, who has taken up arms with all his army and malice, will be able to harm the one who has acquired patience in Christ. Christ is pleased when we compel Him to remain with us. Therefore, since the light of virtue has already dimmed in us, let us compel Him, like Cleopas (Luke 24:29), to remain with us, clothe us with our badness, with our humility, break the divine bread and give it to our souls. But nothing is stronger than prayer, which often overpowers time itself. Therefore, prayer is omnipotent and irresistible, and in it the devil tries to hinder us with the most difficult and unbearable temptations, so that, as those who do not gain any benefit from it, we put aside the weapon of multi-useful and saving prayer for Christ. Out of unbelief, you demand and seek the fruit of prayers for those who fear God, both clergy and monks, and do not think that God seeks and demands the fruit of His commands. When you pray, you want to be heard quickly, but you yourself do not obey God’s commandments. If you listen; then you will be heard. Accept God the Lawgiver, and He will accept you who pray. If you disobey, despising the Lord of all; Then you will make sure that the righteous praying for you will not be heard. The high mountains are green (Ps. 103:18), and: the voice of the Lord makes the tree grow (Ps. 28:9). Therefore, if, according to the lord’s teaching and the divine rules of asceticism, you have become a tree, and having destroyed the oak groves of vice within yourself, you have dared to step on mental serpents and kill them; then do not stop there, but by frequent psalmody, perfecting yourself in that most blessed contemplation, of which there is nothing higher, hasten to ascend to the high mountains; because the blessed are the pure in heart, that they will see God (Matthew 5:8); and: the Lord raises me up on high, so that I can defeat destructive demons in His way (Hab. 3:19), and: place me on high, or as it reads in another list, place me on high, train my hands to fight (Ps. 17:34, 35) with the devil. For the Gospel also says: let those who are in Judea, that is, enlightened in the Church, flee to the mountains (Matthew 24:16), to the height of virtues and heavenly contemplation; because something and another are akin to each other. Let us not approach the mysterious bread as we do with simple bread; because he is flesh, venerable, venerable, life-giving flesh, which revives people who were dead in the Falls. Ordinary flesh could not animate the soul. And this is what the Lord Christ said in the Gospel: the flesh, that is, ordinary, simple flesh, benefits nothing (John 6:63). Therefore, by partaking of the flesh and blood of God the Word with blessing 48 and love, we inherit eternal life. For he who eats and drinks with a right heart will be blessed. Sometimes the soul of a person who is ready to fall into spiritual temptation and sorrow is extremely comforted by the prevenient grace of the Holy Spirit, filled with heartfelt joy, and comforted by a stream of tears. Then he gives it over to the enemy to tempt, grieve and outrage her, and then the soul finds itself in grief, in fear, in irritation, in wishes for bad things, in indecent movements, in heartfelt anguish; and in short, in countless disasters. Therefore, when the enemy prevails over a person in everything, he will lose heart and despair of himself; then God’s grace descends again, as if putting a demon to flight, abundantly encouraging, restoring one’s strength, renewing, reassuring, just as a child-loving mother hugs a crying baby with love and tenderness, presses him to her breast, gives him nipples, and thereby gives the child sufficient consolation and great security. And this happens so that with this preliminary consolation of God’s grace and sweet visitation after temptation, the most blessed consolation, the flow of inexhaustible and eternal hope, the wickedness of Satan, hindered by the providence of the Most Perfect and finally brought into inaction, turns out to be in vain. When, having shown a good deed, or begun divine communion, or performed diligent prayer, or done something good, you are subjected to the strongest temptation from the devil; Then know that the enemy, struck and extremely troubled by you, attacks you more quickly, roaring like a lion, and do not stop striking, wounding and perforating with mental spears. For, if we do not stop and weaken the battle with him, if we do not give up the struggle and various types of warfare, 49 then we will undoubtedly achieve victory over the horde of hostile demons. Do not be alarmed by the fact that this shameless beast of voluptuousness is fighting with you, having suffered such a severe illness and weakened in bodily strength. For we have learned from many most reverent and experienced men that the demons who lead us with pleasures are willingly helped, assisted and render all kinds of services by other demons, to whom the devil has assigned sorrows and illnesses, just as with the demons who plunge us into sorrows and illnesses, the demon of pleasures works for one thing in order to overcome a person and make gratitude to God, patience and generosity alien to him. For demons, as they say, help each other, agreeing among themselves about the destruction of those who fall victim to this, if only it is possible to bring a person to despair of his own salvation, clouded in reason, suffered something unpleasant, and stopped calling on God for salvation. But you, having realized this yourself, never cease to call on God who created you and always provides for you. 43. To Chairman Domnik Jr. What you asked me to do recently, I am expressing to you my thoughts, and you, due to forgetfulness, write it down deeper in your memory. But don’t now ask me to talk about non-involvement to the pleasure of those who have acquired natural immobility. For I do not find many who, like some inanimate stones, are completely insensitive to passion, so that even in their sleep they do not experience passionate excitement. This is God’s gift, as eunuchs born from the mother’s womb. And the reasons for such a gift are known only to God, who gives it to others who have not struggled or worked. Now I will tell you, my valiant son, about what happens in thoughts, with various tickles, fiery effervescence and desires of the body; and you protect your youth, most of all by binding and bridling it with the fear of God and the idea of ​​eternal torment. For if you try to strengthen yourself against sin, fight and struggle with the thousands of shameful thoughts that appear to you and with the inflamed movements of the flesh, then I know for sure that you will gain great glory for your excellent courage and chaste mind, you will earn yourself approval and praise, you will pass through human life in unspeakable joy and heartfelt joy. But if, even if you have not weakened much, you allow your mind to be captivated by the joys of short-term and vain pleasure, and give in to the victory of frantic passion over yourself, then know without a doubt that, saddened and upset by the reproaches of your conscience, you will reproach and reproach yourself a thousand times. The defiled and diverse demon of fornication tempts everyone in his own way, and causes anxiety in a special way, and among the young, he overthrows some quickly, others more slowly, teaches others corruption around the twelfth year, ensnares others with passion when they have already reached eighteen years of age, and others, who have survived even the thirtieth year, are carried beyond their expectations into the abyss of adultery. Marvel at how the damned demon teaches this work to those who have not experienced fornication. Often a youth lies on his bed at midday, and a demon approaches him, like a cunning and insidious serpent, in great silence speaks mentally to the soul, as if from a man’s or woman’s face, and persistently incites him to vile passion, sometimes touching the youth’s head, drives away sleep, so that already in a waking state, having nothing else to do, he becomes occupied with unclean thoughts, and, indulging in shameful thoughts, with greater easily learned fornication. And if the young one is immersed in sleep, then he also acts on him, through dreams, precisely and vividly imagining sin, touching the flesh and putting a flame into it, and leads another to this again imperceptibly and insensibly by the vision of a man or woman’s face, however, without showing anything prodigal, but representing only affection and immoderate commitment, while according to the demon’s intention in all this, not good, but bad end. For others, the desire of the heart is persistently inspired to clearly bring it into action; he draws some into voluptuousness through the conversation of peer youths, while he draws others out of divine chastity by some kind of lawlessness, which there is no need to talk about. Therefore, while others are bound and caught to destruction by the most evil demon of fornication, you, as much as you can, wall yourself with the fences of chastity, so as not to suffer the same thing that the Prophet says on behalf of those caught in the net: you tried not to see the hedgehog (Is. 21:3), because you brought rejection and poverty upon yourself even more (Jer. 20:8). For every person who does not listen to the words of the Lord, prompted by the unclean demon teaching him, is drawn into blindness, so as not to see virtue in the darkness of lustful passion; since most often a person bends to the will of the flesh and the demon. Therefore, in Scripture, the Word of integrity spoke to those who strive: the hour is coming, that you will depart from Me, and leave Me alone (John 16:32). For a person easily retreats from an honest and blessed life, indulges in shameful and disgraceful activities, goes from Jerusalem to Jericho, meets robbers, soul-destroying demons, who strip him of the vestments of strictness in morals and shrines, inflict blows of uncleanness and terrible intemperance on him, and leave him half-dead before God. For in general, remembering repentance and a change for the better allows us to guess about half of eternal life, and over time it will lead to a perfect life, I mean a life filled with great diligence and fruits worthy of firm repentance. But you have no need for such great suffering, sackcloth, ashes and tearing of clothes, bitter crying and cries, as those who reap and gather the sweetness of repentance endure all this for a short time. But you will stand above the enemy’s snares if you only try to never leave the walls of Jerusalem. And Jerusalem is interpreted as the mountain of peace, and this name, according to its original meaning, means a pleasing and blameless life. For carnal pleasure is not a mountain of peace, but a mountain of strife, strife, confusion, disorder, rumors, storms, each other pursuing waves of passion, sin and secret intentions. Voluptuousness can never calm down and tame in those who have fallen into it and are defeated by it, but, like some merciless mistress, she strikes those who have fallen with the scourge of lust, urgently and forcibly demands tribute from them, and gives almost no time to those who fall under her power. For God’s word says: Your time is always ready, but My time has not come (John 7:6); and freedom is not easily acquired, because people willingly cede victory over themselves to corruption, and loving the poison of voluptuousness, at all times, day and night, they eagerly rush to serve evil. Many people, perhaps, never want to think or judge about the kingdom and dominion of virtue, in the frantic passion of voluptuousness. But you, child, avoid the snares of the enemy. For just as you descend from chaste people, so by your own excellent choice you preserve the amazing chastity of your fathers and grandfathers, trying to constantly cleave to God, disdaining worldly beauties, fasting daily, adorning yourself with prayers and alms, and maintaining purity amid countless opportunities to defile yourself. And what is surprising is that while you are engaged in public affairs and, as needed, giving answers to those who carry out public affairs, you do not neglect reading church books. And he loved humility so much that, with a comprehensive education and the study of philosophical wisdom, you are not ashamed to obey the monks, and often the villagers, and from them you willingly accept parting words for spiritual salvation. Therefore, as I said before, completely protect yourself from the evil deeds of the insidious one. For the demon not only produces in us an extremely indecent and shameful semblance of passion in a dream, but also in the waking state often presents shameful visions to the mind. And sometimes, too, when a person prays in church, it irritates him with temptation, inflaming his bodily members and heart, and wounds him with obscene thoughts. Others are most tempted by the terrible and shameless enemy during sacred celebrations. And so this is not much of the many things I revealed to you about the cunning of unclean demons. If you get rid of the clerks and find some leisure time; then come to me, then I will personally describe to you in greater detail everything that happens in prodigal battles. Be well in the Lord, most beloved son. The most patient Job says about some of those in need that, having no covering, they clothed themselves in stone (Job 24:8). Christ is called a stone in many places in Scripture. Therefore, all those who do not have good deeds, having resorted to Christ with great humility and prayer, may they be clothed with the Master’s glory for salvation. The second thief was told (and promised) the name of paradise; The apostles were promised the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, the thief on the cross, instead of the first thief of the progenitor Adam, is accepted into heaven. Cunning demons not only instill gluttony, but also advise observing strict abstinence and excessive fasting, having in mind 50 two goals, so that the deluded, or intoxicated with arrogance, thinks of himself that in life he is higher than the brothers who labor with him, and, like vultures, ascends upward with abstinence, or relaxes the body, cannot bring benefit to himself or anyone else, but how with Over time, the disease often intensifies to the highest degree, and the person is finally mired in unbelief, hopelessness and blasphemy. Beware of both excesses and shortcomings. Every virtue is true and is called true. Eat the inexpensive dishes offered to the brethren at the common meal without hypocrisy, so that by refusing them, after a short time, you will not find yourself, due to increased weakness, changing your lifestyle and inventing all kinds and types of expensive dishes that are not available at the meal. The more good deeds someone does, the more people insult him; because many evil spirits and unrighteous people rise up against him. And God allows many to insult the righteous, providing him with an opportunity to acquire eternal and ever-memorable glory, rewarded for enduring excessive sorrows. Therefore, when the righteous, perplexed, says to God: why, my Lord, do all those who suffer from me become strong against me (Ps. 12:5)? Why, my Lord, do you stand far away and despise me (Ps. 9:22), insulted and weary a thousand times? Why were I plagued all day long in my wretched life (Ps. 72:14)? When a righteous man says this and similar things, God will answer him, who spoke to the Prophet: “I am still saying to you, behold, I have come” (Is. 58:9), - this is how he will answer the faithful servant who has raised his eyes to Him from the heart, and will say: For this reason I have allowed you to grieve much and to be burdened with calamities, so that I may make you a burden of eternal glory (2 Cor. 4:17). For this reason, they are told, and in fact happen, that there are many sorrows for the righteous (Ps. 33:20). And what is surprising if you, having contained every virtue in your depths, are devoted to the spirit of fear for greater exercise? It is said: Thou hast laid down his fear (Ps. 89:41); and: You have exalted the right hand of those who oppress him (Ps. 89:43). But be patient a little, and you will see that the holy Angel has crushed the muscles of the enemies that recently crushed you, and you will look for the place of the demon of fear, but you will not find him, and you will see with your own eyes that those pursuing you have fled. He who neglects to do valiant deeds in imitation of Christ, but strives to express himself eloquently, is like a man who prefers stone bread, with which he will not be nourished, but will rather break his teeth. Many, relying on themselves because of certain virtues, and not expecting that the demons besieging and plundering their souls would come to them, thought highly of themselves. However, having changed beyond our expectations for the worse, we learned from experience of enemies who had invaded through the bodily senses and led to desolation of the soul. This is why it is written: the kings of the earth have not believed, for the enemy will come in through the gates of Jerusalem (Pl. 4:12) 51. And that, after a chaste life, it is possible for those who are exhausted in virtue and strengthened in vice, through unclean thoughts, to fall into bodily impurity - here is your evidence of this; The prophet says: they were shaken in spirits on the hay, they were defiled in blood, and when they were in weakness, they touched their garments (Pl. 4:14). If you want not to fall into every sin, then first overthrow, crush to the ground and eradicate vain arrogance in yourself. If you see that another is more unclean than all unclean people and more crafty than all crafty people; then do not express a desire to condemn him, and you will not be abandoned by God, and you will not become a captive. It is permissible to judge by the most glorious and pure of the shepherds, to whom the keys of the kingdom are entrusted, and not by the flock and those who bear traces of sinful defilements. If we constantly remain in the monastery in silence, in prayer and psalmody, and do not disturb the laity; then God, providing and taking care of us, brings them to us and forces them to diligently satisfy our bodily needs. God cares for us when we also care about spiritual matters. Whether the doctor torments the patient, causing him pain, or cherishes, reposes, he does all this according to science, taking care of the patient’s cure. And you, if you want not to be punished here or there, demand an account from yourself. For if we condemn ourselves, we will not be condemned. You will say: how can I subject myself to torture? I answer: humble yourself, cry and sigh over your sins. For it is no small punishment and torment for the soul to reflect and cry over one’s own stumblings; On the contrary, this produces great pain, it stings and torments greatly. Therefore, God will give the reward of truth to the person who tortures himself through confession. For it is said: speak your iniquities first, that you may be justified (Is. 43:26), say; let someone else judge you first, so that you may become righteous 52 . Before the Lord's Day, try to precede the heavenly Judge and deliver yourself from Gehenna. If you want the Supreme Lord to give you thousands of talents, forgive your fellow servant a hundred penalties (Matthew 18:28); But I call your servant your fellow servant, because he also has a Master in heaven. There is no need to despair and lose hope in case of any fall into sin, but one must admit to sin and confess; because those who despair of themselves are numbered among the wicked. The heart is called the innermost cell of the soul; there are many such iniquities in it that one watchful Eye sees. Therefore, elders often commit lawlessness in their hearts. Be careful that you, too, sometimes, when you depict idols of shameful passions in the secret house of your mind, do not deify them and serve them. For the Prophet says: I breathed, and saw, and behold, every likeness of creeping things, and of cattle, of vain abominations, and of the graven images of the writings of Genesis about (Ezek. 8:10). Do not want to pass the short days of this disastrous life without storms and carefree; because to live carefree, to be cheerful and not to experience sorrows at all is not characteristic of us, who struggle in the field with opposing demons, but of those who are careless and unconcerned about eternal life. Nevertheless, 53 those who intend to live a godly life with great illnesses eat the bread of knowledge, drink the water of reason, day and night the soul and body are wounded by the edges of temptation. Understand what I say: the bones of a sad man will dry out (Proverbs 17:22); and pray with the bones the sensual heart (Proverbs 14:30). Yes, and in Ezekiel it is written: son of man, bear thy bread in pain, and drink thy water in pain and sorrow (Ezek. 12:18). Through your patience gain your souls (Luke 21:19), says the Savior. For with patience, where we did not expect, we will find comfort. What no one expected from people, the Lord arranges and gives to those who endure Him with faith and hope. Why does Jeremiah say: The Lord is good to those who hope and the souls that seek Him (Pl. 3:25). By sinning, we bring upon ourselves God's punishment and admonition. Therefore the Lord says: Behold, I will give this disease to the people, and fathers and sons together will faint (Jer. 6:21). And if at the same time we add sin to sin; then God will send death upon us. Why, immediately after what was said, he also says: the neighbor and his sincere one will perish. Therefore let us be afraid, and not be careless. It is not in vain that the Prophets cry out in the churches, but so that, fearing God’s wrath, we will stop sinning. For it is said: because you rebelled against the Lord and did not repent, you opened your treasures and carried away all the vessels of wrath (Jer. 50:25), in order to destroy all those who despise the holy words. 67. Decemvir Farismanimu Even if not a single pagan tormentor persecutes you, still be prepared for torment so as not to lose your zeal. Even if there is no persecution, as you would like; then you will still have business. Better to say, persecution lies ahead for a lifetime: there is irritability, there is shameful lust, displeasure, sadness, despondency torment you, untimely fear is near you, envy is with you, the prince of vanity, gluttony, drunkenness and other evil passions is with you. For each of them persecutes the human soul, preventing it from entering eternal life. Therefore, strive and take courage against them, as a warrior of Christ. Whoever wants to get involved and practice spiritual wisdom should especially live in a monastery with the brethren, and not simply, as happened, by luck and recklessly, out of self-indulgence and stubbornness, choose solitude, so that malicious spirits do not kidnap the soul beyond their aspirations; because the enemy's sword threatens from everywhere. And whoever says: I am becoming a hermit so that there is no one to provoke me to anger, he is no different from a dumb beast. For we see that the animals are quiet and do not become fierce at all unless some person irritates them! And why is it written: submitting to one another in the fear of God (Eph.5:21); and: as you have received the gift, serving one another (1 Pet. 4:10), and: submit yourselves to every creature of the Lord for the sake of (1 Pet. 2:13), - doing one another with honor, not looking at each other for your own, but also for each other’s friends (Phil. 2: 3, 4); whoever is wise and wicked in you, let him show his deeds in meekness and wisdom (James 3:13)? Don’t you know that passionate thoughts inspired by demons are as prolific as hares? An evil thought put into the soul, changing and transforming from one to another, gives rise to many new thoughts. And this is what is said in the psalm: the sheep of the sons of strangers, that is, of demons, are prolific, multiplying in their coming forth (Ps. 143:11-13). It is said: in the abundance of sensual bread, Sodom was magnified (Ezek. 16:49). For the sodomized soul, having been satisfied with the bread of knowledge, becomes indomitable and unbearable. Knowledge easily puffs up a person; why does the Apostle say: Let me not be arrogant, as some have become arrogant, for I have seen a wicked man who warned me, Let me not be arrogant (2 Cor. 12:7). People greatly hate those who seek glory from them. Therefore, the lover of glory is like an adulterous virgin who, chasing after her beloved, is hated by them all the more because she loves them furiously. After you said that you had completely dried out your body by fasting, the crafty demon of the herd greatly aroused lust in you, penetrated into the interior of the compositions and kindled a voluptuous flame, so that you were not a little embarrassed by this. But do not be embarrassed, because this often happens due to the envy of the devil, and start reading carefully. For Ezekiel, turning his speech to the enemy of our life, says: You have broken all the loins (Ezekiel 29:7), that is, you dared to defile and overthrow those who strive with carnal lusts and inappropriate movements. And Jeremiah, speaking about the fact that the Lord sometimes gives us over to demons for our exercise, and allows the devil to penetrate into our secrets and into all the hidden repositories of matter, said: Lord humble me on the day of His wrath, sending fire into my ears and bringing it down, that is, into the depths of the body, or, as the interpreter Symmachus put it, punished me, spread a net for my feet, turn me back, let I am destroyed and sick all day long (Pl. 1:12, 13). Therefore, the ascetic must endure many sorrows from the demons who hate virginity, be subjected to trials, darkness, betrayals, go through fire and water, through darkness and storm, and finally enter into joy, into coolness, into the air of freedom and see the light of bliss. The speed of a horse is not known if there is no competition; the strength of a fighter is unknown if there is no opponent; and gold, perhaps, is testable, not having been tempted by fire 55, like Job, like Joseph, like all the saints. If there had been no persecution, there would have been no martyrs. If there were no Satan tempting and oppressing us, it would not become clear who is diligent and who is unskillful and lazy. He who does not dwell on unclean thoughts, does not agree to accept many indecencies, will obviously spend his life carefree and carefree; For You, O Lord, says the Prophet, have given me only hope (Ps. 4:9). Why does God speak of this: he will dwell in himself, and will not take care (2 Samuel 7:10), and the son of iniquity will not cause him to become embittered (Ps. 89:23), as at first: and I will give you rest from all your enemies: and the Lord will tell you that you have built a house for Him, and I will not leave My mercy, for I have left you from those who left behind (2 Samuel 7:11–15). The sword of the devil is sometimes a bad thought, sometimes worldly affairs, sometimes active sin, sometimes bodily members, which, acting like weapons, kill the soul, charming it in advance with thoughts. But even the demons themselves, who serve a person according to his will, are called a sword. Under Samaria in the Scriptures understand the false knowledge, and under Sodom - the knowledge that is always seeking something new, and the disposition of the spirit, carried away by temporary and corrupted pleasure, due to extreme immoderation and luxury, looking at everything incorrectly, and looking for a woman in a man. While we are young in mind (Gal.4:3), the kingdom of heaven has not yet come near; and when we have succeeded in spiritual wisdom and age, and are ready to accept the fatherly wisdom of the fulfillment of times, hidden in the nurturing law, being no longer under the nurturing rulers, then the Lord says: God draw near, I am, and not God from afar (Jer. 23:23). For the saint, both by virtue and by the knowledge of a perfect man, the kingdom of heaven has already come: behold, says Christ, the kingdom is within you (Luke 17:21), dwells and abides in you, not only in power, but also in effectiveness. Others, not having the boldness acquired through life, being contained and languishing in the darkness of passions and sins, having sighed only and revealing their misfortunes to God, persuaded Him to be generous and merciful in such a way that, beyond their hopes, they were delivered from evils. For it is customary for those who love mankind to give life to the dead, to console the faint-hearted, and to elevate the humble. Therefore, if you have repeatedly begged and have not received what you asked for, do not lose heart, but hope that help will certainly be provided to you. For if the one and all-wise God does not fulfill your request for some time, then, of course, he leaves it unfulfilled in order to give you greater benefits. Likewise, the Jews once, having sinned, were handed over to their enemies in order to suffer oppression, and having suffered, they called out to God, and, having cried out strongly, received help, so that abandonment by God and sorrow turned for them more into benefit and gain. 79. To Chairman Filagrius Carnal works: fornication, debauchery and the like, like dead works, it is convenient to perish and disappear. If the fornicator changes, he acquires abstinence; then the flesh is no longer called flesh, because it is transformed into the spirit, and man is called spiritual. He who cleaves to a harlot is called flesh, but he who cleaves to the Lord is called spirit (1 Cor. 6:16, 17). The mother of all virtues, prayer not only can cleanse and nourish, but also enlightens, and is able to make those who sincerely pray like the sun. 81. To the noble official Vivian There is one only begotten Son of God, even after the incarnation of the Virgin; for there is one Lord Jesus Christ, one hypostasis, one person. I speak the truth about Christ, I do not lie (Rom. 9:1). We worship the same one in the highest by the host of heavenly powers, like God, equal in power to the Father; The same one also stayed on earth with people according to humanity, and as a compassionate physician, supped with sinners and tax collectors, not serving the belly, but correcting those who were accustomed.... 57 at suppers, and seasoning the eating of those with Him with His glorious wisdom. Eliminate the reasons for enmity, and the wild beasts will be peaceful with you, and you will rest under your vine, when the Lord gives sleep to your beloved (Ps. 126:2), killing God-hating passions, and there will be no fear (Mic. 4:4). It sometimes happens that, apparently, the demon also casts down the demon, such as the demon of fornication - the demon of vanity, this predominantly strong, refined, secretive, terrible in seduction, easily jumping and madly rushing upward. Sometimes a nail is knocked out with a nail, and the first temptation is repelled by a second temptation. Therefore, humble yourself and do not be impatient. If you honor God; then honor those who gave birth to you. If you fear God; then throughout your life fear your father and mother. For in the law the Lord says: Let every man fear his father and mother (Lev.19:3). If you train yourself not to look at the face that attracts you; then, without a doubt, you will extinguish the flame of illegal love, and you will heal this scab with prayer and fasting. 88. To the monks Lawrence, Favst and Epinik Do not be at all afraid or horrified by the threats and insurances of crafty demons, voices, shaking of the house, lightning, a thousand sparks, the sting of snakes and camels, sudden night invasions of barbarians, noise, knocking, whistling, fear, laughter, dancing and other machinations of wicked and unclean spirits. For each of you wrote that you suffered similar things from them in the local monasteries. Read everything I have written, and, as I said above, do not be at all afraid and do not be horrified. We have been subjected to all this and more, and we know that others have also experienced it before us. Therefore, do not let your heart be distressed, do not fall into timidity, and do not lose courage; all this is nothing and will be imputed to nothing. Take courage, pray in the Lord, strengthen yourself, exert your strength, be sober, use faith, patience, prayer, psalms, kneeling, vigil, habitual reclining on the bare ground, readings, meekness, silence, peace, humility, the sign of the cross, and you will see that your enemies will disappear like smoke. These days, as you said, you were greatly troubled by blasphemous and unreasonable thoughts instilled in you by worthless demons. And this is not surprising; because, having been defeated by you in their previous enterprises, now these condemned and sentenced to suffer in this unknown fire, which can also touch the incorporeal nature, have decided to fight with you in this way, and they will cry and mourn a lot then, as we will rejoice for the fact that now we were humbled and subjected to countless embitterments. For the demons who are trying to deprive us of everything and erase us from among those being saved will disappear and be deprived of everything. Therefore, let us speak to them with power a prophetic word: This says the Lord: When you heard your blasphemies, you said: The mountains of Israel are desolate, and they were given to us for food. You spoke loudly against Me and cried out in your heart when you heard. For this reason I live, says the Lord, I will do to you according to your enmity and your jealousy (Ezek. 35:11-15), because they hated the monks, persecuted the poor, the poor and the broken-hearted people, in order to kill them. You loved the oath, and it will come to you; you did not desire the blessing, and it will depart from you (Ps. 109:17). I will touch the mountains, and they will rise (Ps. 103:32); I will flash with unspeakable lightning, and you will be scattered (Ps. 143:6), coals will fall (Ps. 139:11.) on you, exalted to the sky by malice and high-ranking enemies, and brought down by the punishing fire from above, you will suffer, and will not stand. For I will destroy your remembrance from the earth (Ps. 109:15), and you will know Me that I am the only mighty Lord God of all. This says the Lord: I will make you desolate with joy throughout the whole earth, because you rejoiced and rejoiced over My heritage that was humiliated and lost to My Israelites. Thus I will make the mental Mount Seir empty, and all of Idumea will be consumed (Ezek. 35:14, 15). Addressing these and similar sayings of Holy Scripture to those who are at enmity with us, let us comfort our hearts. I tell you with complete confidence, brothers 59: everyone who suffers abuse from the devil should resort to the Savior Christ, and to Him alone; the enemy of our life that pursues us cannot reach Him. It is said: You, O God, have been my helper in a place of strong salvation (Ps. 71:3) and a pillar of strength from the face of the enemy (Ps. 61:4). Let us not be careless about handicrafts: because the glorious Paul also boasted of labor, work, and the fact that with his own hands he obtained what he needed for himself. You write that you were freed from mental illness and felt joy after grief; telling me everything they endured. And I was not unaware that you would feel relief and consolation by revealing what happened to you to such a person who himself suffered abuse and remorse from demons a thousand times. For even someone who has been bitten by a viper, when he meets another person who was also bitten before him and tells the misfortune that befell him, receives relief. A Christian man who has touched the best wisdom and knowledge should not observe months, years and weeks, and thus celebrate, but his whole life, illuminated by good deeds and enriched by honest living, should be a holy holiday. Such a person, in my opinion, is more royal than kings, and always spiritually celebrates, celebrating the holidays. It is said: whoever loves diligently punishes, but God beats every son, but accepts him (Heb. 12:6); and one of the saints said: I have been plagued all the day of my life (Ps. 73:14). So why are you surprised when you see that holy men suffer from various diseases, endure poverty, sorrow, and are despised? To indulge sin and to arouse yourself to it is considered suicide and the most bitter mortification: because sin, like a poisonous serpent, creeps in very quietly, and when it intensifies, it bites and reproachfully calls out to the heart: “wonderful! Wonderful! I have achieved my goal! Whoever, during the prodigal struggle, indulges in satiety and drunkenness, and adds fish brine and pepper to many seasonings, will, of course, arouse in himself fury and undying warfare. For, as the Scripture says, such a man will cause amazement in the house of the Lord (Hos. 9:8). Is it possible for someone to easily drive out external enemies who acquires and feeds them with pleasure internal enemies? Remove yourself 60 from the corrupt world. Do you perhaps hear what Christ is calling to us: Arise, let us go from here (John 14:31), from what creeps on the earth to what is in heaven. 96. To Archimandrite Lamprotichus When you received the leadership of the monastics, then you thought that you had acquired a significant name, and you were no less happy, and accepted it with pleasure. And now, when some of the brethren, according to God’s will (for everything is carried out and curbed by God’s judgment), have rebelled to insult you, you complain and cry out, murmur against the Master Builder, and blame our life. But stop being childish in your disposition and walking outside of God’s direct path. For you have not yet suffered spitting from those you have saved and benefited from; acting justly, he was not yet called wicked and a villain, not yet drunk with father and gall, not yet condemned to a shameful death, in order to become like the righteous Jesus, the Lord of all, who endured all this to such an extent from his servants, whom He had favored, and was not in the least angry with them, but on the contrary, he propitiated the Father towards them. If you spend your life with few needs and no excesses; This is what the book of blessed Job will say about you: blessed is he who is born of a small child (Job 14:1), who has become free from the many and inevitable worries of life. For it is not the one who is overzealous, unfaithful and worthy of damnation who is blessed, but the one who is carefree and has only the most necessary things. If with a bad thought and evil will you glorify your neighbor’s sin; it is obvious that you will be unjust and will be held accountable for untruth. For justice demanded not to disclose, but to hide as much as possible, and to correct the fallen with advice and compassion. Repeatedly you have been defeated and trampled underfoot by sin, you have already grown old in sin, and become futile through foolishness. But having now become sober, come to knowledge, strengthen yourself by calling on the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, take care of yourself before you die, man, crush the one who crushed you, defeat the devil who defeated you. For Isaac first gave birth to the vain Esau, and then to Jacob, who conquered passions, and the champion of evil-doers. Let a good conclusion overcome an evil thought that precedes it. 100. To Presbyter Anastasius About the fact that the superiors, having kept silent about the one who demanded the word, will be punished for the death of those subordinate to them, look what the Lord says: Son of man, I have given you as a watchman to the house of Israel, and may you hear the word from My mouth and keep it, never saying to Me a sinner, you will surely die. Therefore, if you do not agree that the wicked should abide from his way, that wicked man will die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at your hand (Ezek. 3:17, 18). As a result of the fact that we participate in many imprudent and imprudent communities, and are carried away by temporary pleasures, it happens that for the most part we are caught up in thoughts of irritability, displeasure and lust. Let no one deny that God’s gift is repentance, and that if we are ashamed of our sins and do not boast about them, we hate and recognize as vile every shameful act we have done. Therefore, God says in prophecy: remember your evil ways and your undertakings, and be indignant at your iniquities, be ashamed and humbled, and I will do good to you for My name's sake (Ezek. 36:31, 32). As Abraham was called king for his virtue; for the foreigners say to him: You are king in us (Gen. 23:6): so the sons of Israel for their godliness were called by Moses the Angels of God: when the sons of Adam were scattered, set the boundaries of the tongues according to the number of the Angels of God (Deut. 32:8). since the sons of Jacob were numbered seventy (Gen.46:27); then on this basis it is said that the nations of the whole earth are distributed according to their number. For others claim that in the whole world there are seventy languages. At all times, especially when we stand in prayer and psalmody before God, we must have heavenly thoughts and the most sacred concepts, and not remember anything sensual. For every sad event for us, it is very useful and extremely necessary to thank God the Provider and the Judge of human life. For if, in every sad circumstance, we prove grateful, then, without a doubt, we will be worthy of the rewards prepared for victorious martyrs. The life of monastics, formerly coveted and very famous, now, as you see, arouses disgust. All cities and villages are burdened with false monks who wander in vain and without purpose, encountering disrespect and coldness everywhere. All the homeowners are embarrassed and truly saddened by the very spectacle, seeing that the monks, more shameless than beggars, do not leave their doors. Therefore, for their sake, the reasoning and way of life of those who live right and virtuously are now considered deception and mockery. And is there now any new Jeremiah who could fully, and as he should, mourn our situation? I'm ashamed to write anything more than this. You are perplexed by what is written that the Lord, after the resurrection, appeared to Cleopas and those who were with him, invisible, and came to be (Luke 24:31). Have you read what Moses said about sinners in Sodom: relaxing, looking for the doors of blessed Lot (Gen. 19:11). It is clear that the righteous man’s doors were real, and not dreamy, they truly existed, and were not only falsely presented. Therefore, if the doors that really existed were obvious and visible to some, but to the Sodomites they became invisible and invisible, then Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, appeared to others after the resurrection, but was not clearly visible to others. The Lord, who died for our sins, truly rose from the dead, and just as His flesh, due to incorruptibility, consisted of the finest parts, He hid this holy and valuable body when He wanted, and when He wanted, He made it visible. For it is written: I was invisible. Therefore, do not understand the words: He was invisible as if He had disappeared, and do not regard the resurrection, as others do, as just a ghost or a sleepy dream. Otherwise, why is it said: touch and see, etc. (Luke 24:39)? Our enemies, demons, are good and pious people, when they are exhausted in body, not only do they make them feel suffering, but they even instill in them thoughts that are blasphemous and murmuring against God’s providence. Yes, and from outside they send to them, of course under the pretext of visiting, good people, but mostly bad ones, who, as if to console the suffering, say something bad, or pleasant and funny, and distract the mind from the righteous judgments of God. Therefore, if, as you write, you are struck by frequent and many bodily ailments, sorrows and various needs, then, as a courageous ascetic, do not be faint-hearted, but increase your usual gratitude many times over, and whoever talks about patience, about kindness and the varied economy of our Master, accept them willingly, praise them and ask them to talk about this with you more often, and whoever dares to talk about anything worldly, rotten, earthly and unprofitable for the soul, drive them away and send them further away, so that they, having infested the soul with their dirty speeches, do not cause the greatest harm to you, who is struggling with illness and death. As a rule, nothing makes us so complacent and joyful as the teaching of true wisdom, to despise everything visible and strive for eternal, that is, future, blessings, and not to recognize anything human as lasting, neither health, nor vigor and bodily strength, nor carnal pleasure, nor wealth, nor power, nor honors, nor pleasures, nor anything like that. It is not good that in order to sufficiently entertain your soul you engage in profitable arts; It is dangerous that in the end you will not have or find time to remember the Lord your God. 111. Selentariu Gavdentius It is said: gather the waters of the sea like a bottle (Ps. 33:7), that is, God, like a bottle, gathers the sea into its appointed limits and holds the waters, and does not allow them to cross the weakest substance - sand, and cover the face of the whole earth. Why, wanting to clarify this very thing, the Holy Prophet adds the words: put in the treasures of the abyss, that is, it contains an immeasurable amount of water in these vessels and containers. 112. Archimandrite Epictitus In petitions and prayers to the All-Perfect, one must not cry out loudly with sensual lips, following the example of the ignorant, but cry out with thoughts from the bottom of the heart. It is wonderful to sing with those of like wisdom and pleasant to sing songs to the Lord, as David says (Ps. 91:1, 135:3). But for an ascetic to cry excessively during prayer is considered unreasonable and indecent by those who established the order of prayer. For the Lord waits, not for thoughts expressed through the mouth and not for bodily exclamations, because He knows what we need, even before the petition is uttered with the fleshly tongue; On the contrary, He listens not to the distractions of the mind, to the inaudible voice, but to the unutterable sighs of the heart. If you pray like this, then the Lord will say: Behold, I have come, still speaking to you, as it is written in Isaiah (Is. 58:9). And we know about Moses that, while he was oppressed on the seashore and kept silent with his bodily lips, he who cried out with his mind was heard; for it was said to him: stop crying to Me, and split the sea (Ex. 14:16). Therefore, after singing psalmody, let us not cry out loudly, as if praying out of duty; but if we pray with our bodies, then let us try to pray more with our minds, as the Apostle advises (1 Cor. 14:15). For blessed Anna, the mother of the Prophet Samuel, prayed, and her lips moved, but her voice was not heard (1 Samuel 1:13). And because she prayed from the heart; then she was heard, and after being barren for so long, she became the mother of many children; because all things are possible to him who believes and prays as he should. Mortify, I ask you, your bodily members; If possible, always follow the spirit; do not hesitate to take the narrow path traversed by few. Become humble and exalted, mortal and immortal, earthly and heavenly, heir to God, joint heir with Christ. May you have continuous prayer, good, unremitting and united psalmody, teaching in the words of God, frequent bending of your exhausted knees, vigilance of soul and body with tears that cleanse the filth brought in, as probably by feelings, assistance to the weary, care for the poor, food, clothing and drink for them. For if you have all this and the like, and it multiplies and grows daily, then it will not present you idle and fruitless to Chryst, the God of all, on the day of reward. If Christ, the Lord of all, wishing to teach us vigil and prayer, praying physically at night (Luke 6:12); Yes, and Paul in Silas at midnight (Acts 16:25) glorified God; and the Prophet says: I rose at midnight to confess to You about the destinies of Your righteousness (Ps. 119:62); then I wonder how you, sleeping and snoring all night, do not feel the judgment of your conscience? Therefore, although now deign to shake off the deadening sleep and diligently listen to prayer and psalmody. Whatever regrettable and sorrowful thing comes your way, accept without any grumbling, bowing to the All-Perfect; because without the Master’s judgment no illness befalls us, and nothing that usually debilitates and saddens us. For it is said: in reproof of iniquity you punished man, and you melted away his soul like a spider (Ps. 39:12). Whoever, because of sins, strikes his chest, we can say that he praises God in his tympanum and face (Ps. 150:4). For, beating his heart with contrition, making a full face of tearful thoughts as a partner in prayer, dipping the reed of repentance into a vessel with tears black as night, flowing from grief and sadness, writing a petition on the outstretched charter of his heart and presenting it to the Lord, he will not be humiliated by Jesus Christ, who died for sinners. 117. Deacon Meliffong is 62 When the snake puts its head into the hole into which it crawls; then it is easier to tear it apart than to pull it back; because releasing her from the well becomes impossible; since the resting scales prevent this. Generally speaking, this beast is a passion for pleasure, and the various and varied types of pleasures mixed into human life through the senses are the very scales of a snake, speckled with a variety of passions. Therefore, if you want to avoid cohabitation with this mental beast, beware of the head, that is, the first attack of evil. 118. I intercede in the affairs of Ursachius On Sunday we pray, standing straight on our feet, and thereby depicting the constancy of the future century; and on other days we bend our knees, allowing them to see the fall of the human race through sin. Rising from kneeling, we proclaim the resurrection that took place on Sunday, which Christ has given to all of us. On the day of the future universal judgment, an account will be required from you, not only for idle words, but also for idle and vain hearing. For divine broadcasts say: do not accept the hearing of vanity (Exodus 23:1). Why should we not willingly and without trial believe those who slander. 120. To the scholastic Alcibiades You write to me that you love humility very much, and you want to know a way to achieve such godly grace. Therefore, if you want to avoid this empty and ungodly arrogance of pride, and become the owner of a blessed gift, then do not neglect anything that contributes to this, but willingly practice everything that serves to improve it. For the soul usually becomes like what it is occupied with; and what he always does, he imprints on himself, and takes on that appearance. Therefore, let your appearance, and clothing, and gait, and seat, and food, and bed, in a word, be brought to moderation, as well as speech, and bodily movement, and conversation with your neighbor, let them tend more towards modesty, and not towards arrogance. Be kind and meek before your brother, kindly before your opponents, philanthropic and compassionate towards the downtrodden, ready to calm and console the sick, visit every person when he is in suffering, labor, sorrow, do not despise anyone at all, be pleasant in conversation, kind in your answers, benevolent in everything, accessible to everyone. Although, as you say, you have no boldness, and you are unclean; however, do not be thrown into hopelessness, because you have confidence in the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He accepted death for the wicked, unclean and lacking in boldness. And He promises, speaking in the Prophet Isaiah: and it will be on the day when the good God will deign to be pleased with you, confessing with tears, He will give you rest from the illness of your sins, and from the cruel work that you worked with in your work to the demons (Is. 14:3). And he also says: the dead will rise again (Is. 26:19), not physically, and not only then, in the general resurrection of the dead, but also spiritually, even now and here, those who rest on the earth for evil and are buried in various vices will rise. For, having received the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit, as it is written, we sigh longingly for sonship, and after baptism for deliverance to our body (Rom. 8:23), that is, freedom for the body enslaved and burdened by sin; because the creation, says the Apostle, will be freed from the work of corruption into the glory of freedom (Rom. 8:21) of incorruptibility, eternity, immutability, joy and crowning. If you do not fear God, the consequence is bitterness and insensibility; and if you fear the Lord, then this produces good feelings and leads to repentance. Therefore it is written: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of feeling. The wise Solomon says in parable: every drunkard and fornicator will become poor, and everyone who is sleepy will be clothed in rags (Proverbs 23:21); calling someone who is slow, weak and lazy for any useful work sleepy. But he who despises God’s decrees leaves the robe of holy knowledge, as the Evangelist John writes, all unshven, worn from above (John 19:23), and the bright robe of incorruptibility, and puts on the torn, multi-seamed and ugly rags of violent and useless questions, cold in evil spirits. One of the Prophets exclaimed: the naked shall flee on that day (Am.2:16). For he who has stripped himself of all temporary and vain care will undoubtedly avoid being caught by his opponents. Therefore, naked, he will run and pursue - he will flee from the snares and tricks of the enemy, but subsequently, more strengthened by the assistance and help from above, he will rise up against his opponents, and, encouraged by the grace of God, he himself will pursue those who were persecuting him before, according to what is written, that the very demons that you were previously afraid of will fear you, and will flee the paths of the week ( Deut.28:7 ), those who were persecuted by you, although first they came to you by one smooth path, and plundered you. 125. Scholastic Sosiklu 63 Having believed the wise Solomon, not only do not often bring your foot to your friend, but also arrange for your friend to rarely bring his foot to you, so that when he has had enough of you, he will hate you (Proverbs 25:17). Occasionally, from time to time, I consider it very safe to have meetings with a friend; this makes love stronger, and what is said becomes more useful and pleasant over the course of days, and also honor and respect, which are due to true friends, remains unshakable, durable and unoffended. If you are not able to give an account to God for yourself; then how are you trying, man, to ensure that you are entrusted with authority over the souls of others and care for them? 127. To Presbyter Polychronia And with your letter and through the bearers of the letter, you asked me to give you some advice on how to destroy despondency and destroy the sadness secretly sowed by demons in your hardworking and God-loving heart. And without any delay, briefly, in a few words, I will give you consolation; be attentive to what I say. The waters, which are lifted in greater quantities by clouds into the heights, I mean the waters of the sea, by the command of God, lay aside their saltiness and become sweet. So we too, by God’s will and God’s power, will then be lifted up and become good and alien to all sinful saltiness, when those who consume us, according to prophecy, depart from us (Is. 49:19). For we will be caught up on the mental clouds into the mysterious air, and thus we will always be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:17), no longer agreeing to fall away, or to deviate from the longed-for and true Lord and Shepherd, and to move away from His goodness, but we will follow Him throughout all eternal life, always being under His control and shepherding. Therefore, let us console ourselves and take comfort in these words, as the divine Apostle Paul writes (1 Thess. 4:18), and without a doubt, we will overcome the sorrowful feeling that is insidiously sown in us by unclean spirits in order to weaken us and deprive us of the strength of faith in the resurrection of the righteous. For why should we become discouraged or lose heart, after the Lord clearly promised in the Gospel that when He is lifted up He will draw all things to Himself (John 12:32)? and the Prophet strengthens and encourages everyone, saying: be patient with the Lord, and keep His ways, and He will exalt you to inherit the high place (Ps. 36:34). Therefore, imagining this in thought, let us not despair of our salvation. Let us work for the Lord with fear, and let us rejoice in Him with trembling (Ps. 2:11), and with great reverence, never giving in to hopelessness, neglect, or contempt. The foul-loving inventor and teacher of fornication, the demon, represents to the ascetic’s soul comely wives, or comely youths, who incline the mind to dream about them and encourage them to commit sin. And with this dreamy idea he is often able to deeply impress a vile and shameless passion into the mind. 129. Presbyter Domnin 64 You know that the Holy Scripture reproaches some for rushing themselves untimely and not waiting for the Sovereign Council. Therefore, it is best at all times to lead with generosity and patience and use prayer. And that we are obliged to wait and watch with prayer and hope what the Lord will do, read about this in Acts, where Luke says: a certain day continued in the city of Philippi (Acts 16:12). And that from small cases, through unimportant people, great things are arranged by God’s providence, he says about this: sitting outside the city in a place of prayer, he spoke to the assembled women. And a certain woman named Lydia, a porphyry merchant, from the city of Thyatira, listened to what they said, and the Lord opened her heart to understand exactly (Acts 16:13, 14). Bring to your memory those mentioned in the gospel: the base Samaritan woman, the Canaanite woman with blood, and Simon the leper. And subsequently, Simon Usmar, who received the great Peter into his house, having served as a small reason for the divine preaching in Joppa, before the great Caesarea in Palestine, was honored with divine praise, since he also opened the door of salvation to many. And that before the time of divine testing we should not hastily force God to show everyone wonderful deeds, but should rather endure and wait for favor and permission from above, listen with attention to what the Lord Christ says about this to His disciples: stay in Jerusalem, and do not leave from there, but wait for the promise (Acts 1:4), and when you are worthy of it, then lay the foundation for the teaching and signs. And those who were with the holy Apostle Paul were forbidden by the venerable Spirit until the time to speak the word in Asia and Bithynia (Acts 16:6). It is impossible for those trained by temptations to complete this path without sorrow. However, after passing temptations and removing demons, all those who have cultivated useful work and saving sorrow in their hearts are filled with great joy, sweet tears and Divine thoughts. For it is said: because of the multitude of illnesses in my heart, the consolations and assurances of God made my soul glad (Ps. 93:19). A great feat is required, a lot of contented care is needed, and sober in undistracted prayer, in order to seek and find that undisturbed state of mind in which the Lord says to those who live, as the Apostle says: or do you not know that Jesus Christ lives in you? For there really is some other heartfelt heaven, illuminated by the sole grace of God, in some inexplicable and inscrutable world. God-wise David, who has already greatly advanced in age, when he gives great thanks to God who chose him, at the conclusion of the blessing he says: now as soon as Thy servant has found his heart, I will pray to You with this prayer (2 Samuel 7:27), thereby signifying to us bliss and that holy, peaceful and luminous state, in which there is no longer any remembrance of any temporary and sensory creature. A monk should not even look at a woman’s face in a dream, nor eat, drink, laugh, nor spend the night with women, and should not fill all his senses with the corrupting sensation of the wife he sees. What is it that if I tell you, I will be able to put an end to your lewdness? What is it that I offer you, as useful and suitable for soul-saving advice, that I will keep you from vice? What kind of rein of admonition can I put on this tightly bridled horse to turn him away from voluptuousness? What can I do with you to free you from misogyny and bind you with the bonds of chastity? You have many guarantees of God’s care for you, and before you took on the monastic image, 65 when you had not yet performed a single good deed, having been blessed a thousand times, you were comforted and protected by God. Therefore, holding this in a benevolent thought, humble your thoughts about yourself, avoiding dealing with those who, even after entering the monastic life, love pride, puff out their cheeks, raise their chests high, and spend time in courts, always talk about everyday things, the depravity of their latest deeds overshadows everything that they have previously done bad, and attract to themselves that evil spirit with the septenary the fiercest spirits, so that, according to the Gospel word, the last pot of the first may become (Matthew 12:45). Therefore, break your own heart, as David said: I have humbled myself before the Lord my God 66 and before the people who believe in Him. For my heart was not exalted, lower than those who walked in the great, lower in the wondrous than me (Ps. 130:1), but I was afraid, lest I become like hard-hearted and ignorant people, who forgot the works of the Lord, and did not remember the good deeds and miracles that the Lord showed and did to them in their days of trouble (Ps. 77:12). Others and laymen, living in the world, according to your learning, have acquired the name of the truthful, they always fast, do not wash, sleep on bare ground, for the most part devote themselves to vigil, prayer and the defense of oppressed people, and never experience demonic temptations at all. This is because the devil has absolutely no concern for them, but more for those who have chosen the monastic and silent life, every, so to speak, hour, he straightens and sharpens the double-edged sword of countless temptations. That is why they have not yet experienced the demonic warfare raised against us; have not yet felt the attack of any spiritual army; have not yet been subjected to the invasion of ethereal barbarians; the invisible fighters had not yet approached them; the cruel, gloomy and dark hordes of opponents had not yet approached them; The king of Assyria had not yet invaded them, they had not yet been tested, they had not yet been shaken and shaken, they had not yet been darkened and overshadowed, as the Lord said to Job about the serpent, that the trees of great trees are overshadowed (Job 40:17), that is, some wonderful men, filled with virtue and divine knowledge, are confused by the devil, in confusion, they are sifted, shaken, pierced to the depths, bitten by his ears, receive blows in the face with his tail, suffer thousands of insults from him, are brought into difficulty, reach the gloomy thought of leaving their tabernacles, want to dissolve the union with the flesh, through which the enemy strengthens his power over us. Need I say more? They have hardly even heard the name of the much-troubled and difficult virtue, and they already wonder about themselves that they are perfect ascetics, conquerors of all opposing forces, fulfillers of every gospel rule, performers of the most excellent activities, versed in all spiritual wisdom, so that they no longer have any need for teachers. Therefore, they finally begin to blame many people, slander the leaders of the Church, ridicule and denigrate the monks, and always talk pleasantly about other people’s affairs. But it is a great sin for someone wounded by many iniquities not to pay attention to his own sins, but to be curious and talk about what is bad in others. They are not happy with everyone, they humiliate everyone, often even the valiant ones, they complain to everyone, they get involved in everything without asking, and they even try to teach others without having yet learned it themselves. Therefore, such people should be likened to small children who promise to beat all the barbarians with a wooden sword, as you yourself have repeatedly said to others. These, like us, young in disposition, still seem to me like the stupidest child who boasts that he has learned exactly the whole art of agriculture, because, having taken a wide pot, put some earth into it, mixed in manure, sowed no more grains, watered it with water, and given it plenty of water, after a while he saw that these small seeds had sprouted, and the pot standing in the parent’s yard was covered with greenery home, and immediately comes to joy, is unspeakably happy and repeats to everyone, saying with an oath and laughter: I am experienced in field work and a perfect farmer. Meanwhile, he has no idea about the labor with which farmers fertilize and plow the fields; he is not aware of the theft of seeds by birds; does not know the sorrows of lack of rain and drought from the heat that often befall the farmer during the same season, or even when the crops are grown, invasions of livestock, or wild donkeys, or other animals, or abductions by people, or trampling by animals, or being beaten by hail, or burning ears of grain. The child still has no information about the need to stay awake and sober outside the house in the field and guard his field; he does not know at all, but has only heard what locusts, moss, rust, and caterpillars are. Yes, such childish reasoning men are still very similar to a child who has a boat in the pier, and who happened to swim near the shore for fun, and he boasts about it, like those who sailed all the terrible seas. Having said this now, I think I did not slightly touch our conceit. Let your enemies not weaken your zeal, striking your soul with various and unproven temptations; because out of many and indescribable sorrows a crown is woven for you, and as the Apostle says, in weaknesses the power of Christ is made perfect (2 Cor. 12:9), and in sad circumstances the grace of the Spirit usually flourishes. In the darkness, it is said, a light has arisen for the upright (Ps. 111:4), if only they maintained firm boldness to the end and could boast in hope. Just as touching an iron of fire makes it inviolable; Thus, pure and powerful prayer, igniting and strengthening the mind of a monk, makes it inaccessible to invisible enemies. Why do worthless demons try by all means to arouse laziness in the ascetic to constantly and patiently remain in prayer, fully knowing that it reflects and drives away any resistant force, and protects and covers the ascetic. 139. To Presbyter Xenophon Before improving yourself in virtues, do not undertake, out of ambition, to publicize and secretly guide others; But first, devote yourself to every good activity, and after such illumination of yourself, having become perfect, having entered, according to the Divine law, into the land of promise and having accepted the inheritance of the fathers, then with boldness form and teach others, and become a planter of spiritual trees, according to what is written in the book of Leviticus: when you enter into the land of promise, plant every edible tree ( Lev.19:23). I offered you this advice so that you don’t often hear these words from someone else: First heal yourself from your serious illnesses as a doctor, and then take care of souls and heal them. There is no need to be upset by those who happen to you, but rather to be complacent in many sorrows. For this, says God, make you angry and starve you to death, in order to feed you with the manna of knowledge and finally show you a good deed (Deut. 8:3). Unless some strong wind blows on the sea; the waves will not appear. And if the unclean demon does not attack us; neither soul nor body will be in the least overwhelmed by bad passions. It is never untimely to take a breath, or to ask God for mysterious petitions until your last breath. It is said: I cried in the days and in the night before You, O Lord God (Ps. 87:2). See how the godly David serves as a model for you, according to which you should pray unceasingly and never become discouraged. And rightly 67; If we often benefit from a conversation with some good man, then how much benefit will we gain by conversing day and night in prayer and psalmody with the Lord of all? Why are you surprised when even those who are unanimous and who were formerly friends reproach and extremely reproach you? Bring to your memory the invincible Job; bring to your memory all the saints who endured all sorrow. And what am I saying? Remember that the Lord of all, Christ Himself, from His own servants suffered so many insults, contempt, reproach, ridicule, spitting, humiliation, outrages, strangulation, thousands of insults, and finally blasphemous death; remember the wise one with this ineffable wisdom, and stop grieving. Know that whoever God wants to save, He will frighten him, terrify him, plunge him into various sorrows, so that he does not have time to succumb to pride; as, composing and writing his useful sayings, the gracious and experienced Sirach speaks about this: love your son, he will increase his wounds (Sir.30:1). We, by our sincere faith, are without a doubt the sons of the Most High God, and He punishes, but does not kill, and deposes, but does not destroy us; because the bush, which once burned with fire, was not burned up (Ex. 3:2) 68. We must never remain in idleness and stop studying the Scriptures, prayer, spiritual hymns and luminous work consistent with the truth, so that, having neglected ourselves and relaxed our morals, we do not lose the warmth of grace. Therefore, the divine Apostle commands, crying: do not quench the spirit (1 Thess. 5:19). And in the Old Testament law, as you have heard more than once, it is prescribed: let the fire on the altar burn on it, that is, in the sovereign soul, and not go out (Lev. 6:12). Let not the jumping of the flesh frighten you, who strongly adheres to abstinence, often resorts to prayer, and loves to remain silent. For it is said: we will not fear, the earth is always troubled (Ps. 45:3), that is, when the flesh, like a cauldron, boils from the confusion and excitement of hostile passions and movements. And also, let us never be afraid of demonic pleasures, like some kind of enchantment that mixes in with human movements from the outside and drives our nature into frenzy, calling on the Lord of all things for help 69 . Blessed David tells us every day: I have trusted in God; I will not be afraid what man will do to me (Ps. 55:5); because every faithful person, lifting the eye 70 of the mind to the All-Perfect and unshakably trusting, will, without a doubt, overcome and bring into inaction the leaps akin to the flesh, and will drive away violent and monstrous thoughts from himself, and will reject shameful ones with contempt. Therefore, how are you most afraid, frightened and horrified by leaps and uprisings of the skin and evil thoughts? You need to inquire whether this fear does not come from unbelief, and it happens, and cry out to the Doctor of souls: I believe, Lord, help my unbelief (Mark 9:24), or repeat what is also written: add faith to us, Lord (Luke 17:5). For I know that, without a doubt, you remember Saint James, who wrote: he who hesitates in prayer and doubts is a double-minded man, unsettled, like the turbulence of the sea, tossed and tossed by the winds, and let not such a man think that he will receive from the Lord any wonderful gift (James 1:6-8). 147. I intercede in the affairs of Parnassius Will you ever rise from the lull of tedious and fruitless amusements? Will you ever realize that you were created to be a living, intelligent being? Do you ever want to hate the enemy of your soul, the devil, the culprit of all inappropriate fun? Will you ever bring to your mind this terrible judgment seat that will open at the end of everything visible? Will you ever judge yourself? Do you ever feel disgusted by doing bad things? Do you hate this stench? Will you ever feel disgusted by what is kind to demons? Will you ever begin to think about God? Will you ever look up at the sky with tears? Will you ever incline your ear to blessed Paul and listen to him who says: Let sin not reign in your dead body; present your souls as servants to iniquity, but consider them to be God's as living in righteousness from the dead, and consider your servants to be holy to the Lord of all unto eternal life (Rom. 6:12, 13, 19)? It is not as if any frantic lover desires his beloved, as God desires a soul ready to repent, which has committed fornication before Him, and whom He again calls through the mouth of the Prophet Jeremiah, and says to her, not daring to open her mouth: come to Me as soon as possible; return to your Lord and Savior; come and do not hesitate after a thousandfold evil, come to me humiliated and ashamed, and I will deliver you from all shame and give you righteous boldness; because I do not turn away from anyone who turns to Me with tears and resorts 71 to My mercy. On some of those who do not want to repent of their sins, the Lord sends grief into bodily suffering, so that, seeing their torment, the diligent and sensitive, before they suffer anything sorrowful, would be corrected and would not become stuck in any shortcoming, no matter how small it may seem. 150. To the fallen subdeacon Quintus It would be wonderful not to desecrate a pure tunic at all; It would be great not to darken the light; It would be wonderful to remain unhurt and not have the need for a doctor; It would be wonderful if the heart, sprinkled with God’s blood and blooming like a rose, was not plunged into the mud of illicit voluptuousness. But even now, when, having become somewhat lazy and careless, you have been overcome and have given in to victory over yourself to dirty and bitter sin, and, stymied by the devil, have become his captive, although you did not expect to suffer anything like that, do not despair. For it is possible to return to something better through repentance; resort to the all-generous and most loving Christ. Your justification, brought through prayers, fasting, crying, confession, vigil, reclining on the bare ground, tears, etc., is favorable to Him. Therefore, 72 you should not lose hope that you will be saved by the mercy of Christ. So now Christ speaks through the mouth of the Prophet: I do not want the death of the sinner, but conversion (Ezek. 33:11); turn to Me after sin. The food of the fallen will not rise (Jer.8:4)? Therefore we will rise. One must always look up to grief; and most of all, when we are in difficult circumstances, we should thank God, who strengthens our strength. For blessed David also says: I will bless the Lord at all times (Ps. 33:1); and Saint Isaiah cries out on our behalf: I will bless and glorify You, O Lord, for You were angry with me, and You turned Your face away from me, and then You had mercy on me, helped me, and comforted me (Is. 12:1). For 73 The Lord knows and sees exactly how much evil the unclean demons instill in us. This is what He says to Moses: I have seen their sickness and bitterness with which the Egyptians embitter them (Ex. 3:7). But He waits and is patient for our benefit. Waiting to multiply the reward for our patience many times over. He waits for His generosity towards us poor to increase and increase, and thus encourages us not to give up before Him in prayers and petitions, so that we learn not to turn our eyes away from Him and not to forget even when we come to a carefree, peaceful state and not disturbed by battles, so that through sorrow we may assimilate our Benefactor, so that those who are consoled will resort to the most loving Christ, so that those who are weary will draw closer to Him, and having need of help, turn to the One who is able to give it. Therefore, we must run to Him with all our hearts and zeal, without any complaints or grumbling, but in every sorrow, protected by good hope. When you ascend to the highest degrees, when you renounce the earth, when you completely abhor earthly things, when you despise everything visible, when you truly love heavenly blessings, when you are able to receive the wings of spiritual eagles and enjoy the harmonious beauty of the wings that easily ascend to heaven: then, just then, you will see terrible temptations, then you will experience terrible battles, even more so wanting praying to be freed from this human life and no longer see the life of mortals. Before you are even fifteen years old, you strive in the monastic life, and you imagine yourself to be perfect; You assume about yourself that you are superior to the elders who have already labored valiantly. Already the chicks of the soup are soaring high ( Job 5:7 )! You already think about yourself that you have overcome all temptations, and having not yet seen any shadow of temptation, having not yet learned what it is to fight demons, having not even begun to fight the devil, you dare to recklessly despise and condemn the brothers who are experienced in battle. You need to know that you will appear before a terrible throne, where no one will be strong enough to give help or snatch it from the hands of the Judge, where the power of the word and the resourcefulness of the tongue 74 will not be able to do anything at all, where there will not be a single defender or supplicant. Therefore, since your soul will have to pass through this terrible and eternal fire, do not be careless, do not neglect this, but repent while there is time and life continues, come to the knowledge of your sins, mourn yourself as if you were already dead and imprisoned in the tomb, send this dew into that flame, let the sources of tears flow, grieve with good and saving sorrow, shed your tears according to your sins. 155. To Chairman Vinustru Сон сладок работающему ( Еккл.5:11 ), говорит божественное Писание. For then it is really sweet and very pleasant, and the sleeper in some way rests and is silent when the soul that has taken possession of the body eats food sufficiently and in moderation, setting itself the goal of nourishing and covering the body. Тогда и для раба сон делается сладок. But whoever indulges in luxury and irritates the body with immoderate consumption of everything, sleep is not sweet and natural for him, and does not in the least allow the soul that owns this slave to rest; because he throws off the yoke of slavery, being satiated with valuable food and drink, and imagines himself free, and, having rebelled against the dominant nature, stirring up a swarm of obscenities, without shame entering the field of various pleasures and competing in the most vile passions, he seeks shameful crowns and rewards Trust in God, as Blessed Paul says, will in no way disgrace the one who truly trusts (Rom. 5:5); because to the one who trusts in God in due time he delivers what he hoped for, brings into being from the non-existent, gives with faith the expected gift, grants what a person often asked for in prayer. Therefore, blessed are, as it is said, those who wait for the Lord in prayer and hope (Luke 12:38). The Lord will have mercy on the voice of your cry, and will hear you when He heals the contrition of your soul. Lord, have mercy on us, the Prophet Isaiah cries for us, for we trust in You (Is. 33:2), our salvation is from You: in the day of trouble I will glorify Your name, for You have done wonderful things. For this reason, poor people will sing to You, and people who are offended and fear You will bless You. For thou art a helper to every humble city, and a protection to those who are weary because of poverty, a protection to thirsty and offended people. Like men of cowardice, thirsty in Zion, from the man to whom thou hast betrayed us (Is. 25:1, 3-5). Understand all this, bishop; for understanding I wrote to him who understands. Bring your bread to satiety, said the Lord through the mouth of Moses, and dwell firmly in your land (Lev.26:5). А знаешь, что такое божественный хлеб, и что такое твердость. I have established you with My right hand, says God (Isa. 41:10), and I will give peace in your land (Lev. 26:6), calling peace freedom from vile passions, and you will fall asleep, and there will be no fear for you. Вот сон благотворный, избавляют от обдержащих зол. For it is said: You have given, not in my mouth, but in my heart, in my thoughts, joy that does not perish, but is eternal, and therefore in peace I will sleep and rest (Ps. 4:8, 9) in a sleep dead to all sin. For when the Lord gives sleep to His beloved, behold the heritage of the Lord (Ps. 127:2, 3), prepared for the ascetics. It is said: I will destroy the fierce beasts from your land, that is, the fierce demons and their evil plans on the souls of those who strive, and your enemies will marry, and they will fall before you by the slaying of the sword, which is your praise, and five hundred of you will marry, and a hundred of you will marry the darkness (Lev. 26:6-8); because the five senses, protected by the height of the spirit, from God with the strength given from above and the best strength of human nature, which the human mind acquires, becoming victorious, drive away hundreds of opponents, and one hundred of our most well-known and most perfect thoughts and good deeds captivate and subdue the darkness of tormentors, clothed with extreme malice. Tyr means difficulty or sorrow. But after the difficulty and sorrow sent to us by the demons, when we endure them generously, we will see the best thing reborn for us, 75 resting us from the previous work, a state that God gives us from above. This, I think, is the psalm saying: the daughters of Tire with gifts (Ps. 44:13); because we notice most of the divine gifts arising in the soul after difficulty and sorrow. He who finds his soul will lose it, and he who loses his soul will find it (Matthew 10:39). Do you notice in these words the beautiful destruction and good gain? Therefore, when, having delved into your soul, you find it in some sin, hasten to destroy it in this disastrous state in order to find it again returned to its original good state, that is, to a virtuous life. In the soul, by the front ones we should understand the luminosity of all virtues, and by the back ones - vices of all kinds. The face of the soul is its god-like image, that is, the purity of mind and the lightness of a holy and immaculate nature, and the backbone is the depravity that has arisen from laziness. Therefore, some are accused and condemned as having turned their backs to God. And vice must necessarily be defeated so that we do not remain unhealed; for it is said: The Lord strike down His enemies (Ps. 77:66) for good and benefit. It is said: manna pleases the will of the one who eats, as anyone wants to be transformed (Wis. 16:21); because in the word of God there is the quality of all spiritual food. For those reborn by water and spirit it is an unflattering milk (1 Peter 2:2); for those who are exhausted it turns out to be a potion (Rom. 14:2); But to those who have senses, the word gives solid food (Heb. 5:14), and everything is available to everyone (1 Cor. 9:22), so that man may be saved and be made worthy of eternal life. Do not carelessly and insensitively meet what happens to you; for through your negligence the king of Egypt invaded your soul, and all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the golden copy, even with great exploits, according to the law of war, taking David from the hand of the youths of the foreigner Hadazar (1 Kings 14:26). And yet you yourself enjoy that which should be saddened and lamented. If your eye causes you to sin, remove it (Matthew 5:29). This is similar to what Moses said: if your wife, even in your bosom, or your friend, equal to your soul, ever wants to distract you from the Lord your God, do not spare them, do not have mercy and do not cover (Deut. 13: 6-8). You say that you are immensely sad and lament that you do not have wealth that you could lavish on everyone in need. But I tell you that this commandment does not require at all from those who do not have money. But there are some vessels and property in your soul that are not worthy of praise, 77 which I beg you to squander and throw away complacently. And this is the essence: irritability, stubbornness, envy, bickering, vanity, outrageousness, pomp, long-windedness, cruelty, ingratiation, curiosity, disobedience. It is said: my soul longs for the courts of the Lord (Ps. 83:3). Scripture calls the courts of God those praiseworthy virtues and actions in which the Word of God is established and those who intend to always follow this Word. Behold, says the Lord, I turn away from those who have endured sorrow, like the river of peace, and like the flooded stream the glory of tongues (Is. 66:12), but Aquila translated: from every country, and Symmachus is expressed: from sorrow, and Theodotion - from multitude. Therefore, understand this, and you will be comforted. 169. Archimandrite Firs 78 Young people should not be allowed to circulate freely, even if, apparently, they were treated with respect, so that through them the enemy would not put us to flight. And what Sirach says about his daughter: take care of her under strong guard, and never turn a kind face to her, so that she does not bring shame to your home (Sir.42:11), also accept for yourself as an instruction and rule and in the reasoning of every young person admitted into your society. Demons do not know that, intending to overcome others and bring them to a fall, they rather themselves fall and suffer, due to the patience and trustworthiness of the ascetics; for it is said: the mountains are false and they know not (Job.9:5). It is said: let it be entwined around your mouth, and it will be called unclean. all the days, when he is a servant, there will be a plague on him, he will be excommunicated and sit outside the regiment (Lev. 13:45, 46). Others recklessly and boldly allow themselves to teach spiritual teaching to those who are struggling with bad passions and have denigrated themselves with many failures. But now the Divine law wraps silence around lips filled with stench, until such a person is converted and purifies himself with the most patient labors, cruel deeds, streams of tears, long-term suffering and incessant humiliation, and until, having mercy on him, the Lord of all Christ, says: widen your mouth, and I will do (Ps. 80:11), not dishonor. and great abomination, but fragrance and all goodness, for the benefit of yourself, then of those who will be announced by you. Outside the regiment, the leper and the unclean in soul are expelled (Num. 5:2). For such a one must, until the most complete purification, be removed and excommunicated from the camp of the divine mentors of the secret masters and from the Prophets of the Church, where Samuel dwells, and from where David does not depart. What does a malevolent demon not contrive to do to reduce good ascetics to cowardice? Sometimes, apparently frightening them, this thought attempts to turn good petitions into the opposite. When the person praying cries out: have mercy on me, O God, and save me, the enemy prompts the soul, saying: be angry with me, O God, and destroy me. And often, too, a person confesses and sings songs of praise to the All-Perfect with all his heart, but this hostile serpent immediately turns the song and praise into blasphemy. But we should not be horrified by this insolence of the enemy, but on the contrary, we must remain complacent, and by continuing prayers and frequent repetition of divine praise, cut the veins of the resisting force and bring it to exhaustion. For 79, when we fight as we should, and are worthy of blessing, like Jacob, then these rulers, indignant at our life, will weaken in shooting, according to what is written, the bows will wear off with strength, and the sinews of their hands will weaken (Gen. 49:24); and we will be glorified with the host of victors. 174. To the former consul Sevier Some bishops, stung by envy of the high virtue of John, Bishop of Constantinople, putting aside the fear of God, rebelled against the God-inspired man, this in the true sense of the lamp of the whole world, and the most pious king, as simple-minded, forced them to yield to their slander and expel the heavenly man into prison. Therefore, since the king, out of passion, agreed with these malicious shepherds, destroyers in morals, the Prophet rightly cried out: stretch out your hand with the destroyer (Hos. 7:5). However, after the imprisonment of the righteous man, most of the rebels suffered punishment from God, and with tears and cries they confessed that they had sinned greatly against this holy man. Open your way to the Lord, and trust in Him, and He will do it (Ps. 36:5). Show Him your shameful life, reveal, O leper, your spiritual sores to the great Bishop, and trust in Him, and He will make the unclean clean, make the dog a lawful child, the angry one meek, the impatient patient, and He will cleanse your mind from filth. 176. Archimandrite Euthymius is 80 It is written that everyone who was in need, and everyone who was sad in soul, gathered to the kindhearted David, and David had him (1 Sam. 22:2). Therefore, all those who are bound by the bonds of unclean thoughts, are strangled by thoughts of blasphemy, despondency, hatred, hot temper and other countless evil and unclean thoughts, who know about themselves that they are burdened with the debts of many sins, and who are sad in soul due to shameful and slavish passions, demonic touches and strong inflammation and other things, all of them, whether spiritual or lay 81, or Nazarenes and those who have renounced the world, so that they may resort to the spiritual David, that is, to the most loving Christ Jesus, with weeping and prayers, in order to be consoled. For the King of kings and God Christ very willingly leads those who painfully turn their eyes to Him; which is why he says: come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28), since you are my creation. I know the disease of your heart, I know the pain with which the Egyptian demons are afflicting you (Ex. 3:9), and your groaning is not hidden from Me. It is said: rise in the morning and stand before Pharaoh (Ex. 8:20); for those who diligently serve God, always abiding in the morning light, no doubt resist and resist the mental Pharaoh. Do not wish that temptations and sorrows will soon cease to trouble you, but endure and wait until this pleases the Christ who provides for you, who wisely arranges your business. And look 83, not in the first, not in the second and not in the third, but in the fourth watch (Matthew 14:25) of the night that has already passed, the Lord appears to those suffering from storms, waves and immeasurable fear. When you deign to approach your ship and board it 84, silence, peace, joy, and more joy will immediately come to you, just do not cool down the beautiful aspiration in yourself, and unflaggingly raise your gaze to Christ; when temptations come and in the midst of trials, do not kill good hope in yourself, but hope. Remember what the Lord said: you will come to an empty place of temptation, and there you will rest a little (Mark 6:31), and not much; because after this, of course, not in an empty life, but in a life filled with temptations and sorrows, life being exercised and tested, you will be oppressed and exhausted. You spent the previous time in the desert and in serenity, not in the least affected by anything unpleasant for you; because providence has not yet prepared you for exploits of virtue. Now, being in the middle of the field at the place of battle, you lose heart, hesitate and complain a lot. Haven't you heard 86 that without labor and sweat it is impossible to weave crowns? Haven’t you heard how in the Prophet Jeremiah, God’s beloved Jerusalem, I mean your soul, is punished with weakness and plagues (Jer. 6:8)? It is said: then the righteous will be enlightened, like the sun of righteousness (Matthew 13:43); and the Prophets call the moon the Church, which penetrates like the morning (Song. 6:9). Oh, how much you will reproach and condemn your recklessness when you rise from the grave to suffer punishment for your life here! Oh, how much you will torment and sigh, repenting of what you have done in vain when the repentant will no longer be acceptable, because a certain time has passed! How much in vain will you cry and lament when you see the joy of the righteous at the glorious distribution of heavenly gifts, and the sorrow of sinners in that deepest darkness, when, sick at heart and in oppression of spirit, you say: woe to my lack of faith, recklessness and indifference! Woe to me, who voluntarily destroyed the entire continuation of the past tense! Woe to me, who did not want to think about such courts and judgments! Why did I prefer vanity to everything? Why did I choose satiety and drunkenness over eternal life? Why did you love irritability as a friend? Why, like what mistresses, did he serve the lustful and vicious desires? Why did he love the noise of useless talkativeness? Why did you fill everything with your confusion and excitement? Why did he hate the fragrance of divine prayers and psalms? Why did you not agree to bow your neck before the bishops? Why did he turn away from the sweetness of silence, holiness, dignity, splendor, benefit, peace of mind, heavenly residence, in the true sense of wisdom of the divine Angels, and unfading glory? You will say this and similar things on that day of retribution for the way we lived here: and no one will come out of compassion to pour out mercy on you. For a long time you lived according to the will of the devil; someday begin to live according to the will of the One who created you; someday serve the laws of Christ, the Most High God. Nothing is equal to the rational soul, nothing is equal to the heavenly kingdom. How long will we prefer the perishable to the imperishable? How long will we hold on to this idea that visible goods are more precious than invisible ones? How long will we remain with our determination to serve unreasonable charm and dreams? How long will we love the enemy and destroyer of our souls, Satan? How long will we believe his advice, which leads to destruction? No advisor is worthy of such trust as God, the lover of mankind; no one is more prudent than the Source of wisdom; no one is as close and useful as the good Lord who created us. And you, having neglected Him, entered into communication with the apostate serpent, you listen to the most evil as the most kind, you embrace the murderer, as a friend, surpassing everyone in violence you recognize as prudent, you consider the one immersed in darkness to be a luminary, you imagine a terrible illness as the greatest health, you consider poverty to be great wealth, and imitating Eve, you incline your ear to the suggestions of the mental serpent, you block your ears to the divine commandments. Should one say much to a person whose mind has become dead? Will we do any good if we sing for someone who has willingly become deaf to all that is beautiful? It is unfair to weaken your spiritual strength in the moment of enemy battles, but you should strengthen your spirit even more, hearing what God said: strengthen your weak hands, and weaken your knees, be strong, do not be afraid (Is. 35: 3, 4)? I am with you to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20); I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you struggling (John 14:18). For, even if your soul is filled with many temptations, nevertheless the Master’s word again comforts you, saying: let there be comfort for the faint-hearted 88! For I, the not lying Lord, give a promise that after such disaster, and captivity, and plunder, the last glory of this church will be greater than the first (Ag. 2:10). Do not be at all embarrassed when evil demons, during prayer, especially inflamed with anger, bring a horde of obscene thoughts into your soul. For even the fiercest snakes are the most irritated and come into violent motion when they hear a conspiracy spoken against them. Thus, the most powerful, effective and terrible conspiracy for demons is sober prayer. And just as at the time when any righteous and pious person comes to one possessed by the spirit, he is in greater confusion, so when we sing psalms and pray, the demons, tormented and oppressed, as if from the invasion of some righteous and hostile man, scorched by our godly deeds, are disturbed and especially then go berserk, and being unable to do anything more, as torment us with illicit thoughts with kindled arrows. And unless we stop praying and singing psalms, then in a short time we will see them disappear before us like smoke. The wine is new, the friend is new, as one wise man says (Sir.9:13). No one should, without a long time and without testing, at the beginning of love, simply and as it happens, entrust himself to an apparent friend. But if the wine promises, says the wise one, then, only then, will we drink it with joy. For when we find in such a person many signs of goodwill and evidence of unchanging love, then we will bring him completely closer to ourselves, and without hesitation, we will praise him. And if he blesses, it is said, and greets his friend with applause in the morning, that is, not at all immediately, and as soon as he approaches him, without having yet seen the experiences of his friendship, from the one who swears he will be disobedient with anything (Prov. 27:14); because with untimely praise and thoughtless blessing he provokes the devil to approach a new friend, and to discover the hypocrisy hidden in him, as likely as not, and through testing to expose that he is not a sincere, but a false friend. In discussing what you wrote to me about, referring to the book of blessed Isaiah, I will offer you a short lesson. – The prophet cries: sickness has taken over me like giving birth (Is. 21:3). Do you see the extreme need of an aching and grieving heart? Then he speaks for this: we don’t hear untruths, we don’t struggle and we don’t see: because, confused by unbearable temptations, I love darkness instead of light. My heart goes astray, and iniquity torments me, my soul stands in fear (Is. 21:4); already in danger of perishing from the face of God and becoming like those descending into hell (Ps. 142:7); since the light of my mental eyes is no longer with me (Ps. 37:11). Do not weaken, praying with tears and waiting for God’s help, because after demonic battles a person is honored with God’s visit, mysterious appearance and ineffable help. In addition to what I told you yesterday, it is written: I was revealed to those who did not ask about Me (Is. 65:1). And this was fulfilled in a typical way at the coming of the Savior of all in the flesh, and it is also being fulfilled now; on us, and will be fulfilled after us, on the ascetics of a pious life. Therefore, if the Lord was found by the ancients who did not seek Him, then much more will He be found enlightening, healing, strengthening, protecting and appropriating us to Himself. 91 is found through prayer and great hope. Therefore, show us Your face, O Lord, and we will be gloriously saved. They will immediately turn their backs on us and give themselves up to flight, all the demons, vile passions, and great sorrows. For truly great sorrows are these unclean demons and passionate thoughts. Not only about those demons that cause sorrow and illness to the body, according to what is written in Job, that touch bones and flesh (Job 2:5), but also about sin-loving and unclean spirits, which in the members of a poor person constantly give rise to cold passions and voluptuousness. And may the experienced David assure you of this, crying: there is no healing in my flesh from the face of Your wrath, there is no peace in my bones from the face of my sins, for my iniquities have exceeded, they have grown stinking and fallen from great madness. Why did I suffer and become muddy (Ps. 37:4-7), becoming worse, not for a small, but for a very large number of days. And yet another someone, as if having no helping angels at all, asking for help with tears and groaning, calls out and says: who will deliver me from the mental death that has embraced me and taken possession of me. Man is poor and wretched (Rom. 7:24), overwhelmed by many demonic invasions. And yet another man, not inexperienced in such disasters, a man inspired by God, offers no small consolation to those who strive for non-corruption and to spiritual fighters. For he says: healing will be in your body, and healing in your bones (Proverbs 3:8); so that all your bones say: Lord, Lord, who is like you? Deliver the poor from the hand of those who strengthened him and plundered him (Ps. 34:10). Having recently retired from worldly rebellions, you must observe great silence, not irritate the wounds that are inflicted on the heart through the feelings by frequent exits from solitude, and not give new forms to old sinful idols, 92 but turn away from yourself the attack of new dreams and make every effort to blot out and destroy previous ideas in yourself. The more strongly the spirit of fornication weighs on you, the more you relax your soul with negligence and sadness, you no longer want to pray or sing psalms, but instead indulge in sleep beyond measure. By doing this, you don’t know that you are amusing your enemies and making them more arrogant, intolerable and unrelenting; because unclean demons are accustomed to stay with those and even more to disturb those who relax themselves with laziness and neglect prayer and divine hymn. 193. Chairman Tilemakh 93 The law says: their oak groves (Exodus 34:13), that is, consign the hordes of passions and pleasure to destruction through abstinence and prayer. And Solomon wrote: who knows if the spirit of a man, that is, of a righteous one, ascends on the mountain (Eccl. 3:21)? Before death, says Sirach, do not indulge anyone (Sir.11:28); because the human race is prostrate and very easily falls from a state of righteousness into lawlessness. Therefore, who knows who is now a doer of virtue, will he enter the heavenly courts, remaining unstumbling and valiant before his departure, and without completely extinguishing the lamp of wondrous morals? Who knows if the spirit of bestiality, that is, of a person whom sin has made a beast, completely descends to the ground (Eccl. 3:21)? For the end of the wicked is not known; perhaps, at the gates of death, having brought repentance, and he, according to what is written, will be delivered from the underworld (Ps. 85:13). And may this thief, whom Luke mentions, convince you of this, with his last breath, at his request, who became an inhabitant of paradise, and who taught us not to despair about any sinful person before death. 194. To Deacon Terentius, who fell and after a long time repented as he should You said: I perished, according to Scripture (Luke 15:17), became an exile of virtue, through great foolishness I made divine successes alien to myself, and is there still any hope and hope of salvation left for me? You said this beautifully. But you do not want to think about something else, also inscribed on the sacred pillars, for the restoration of the overthrown and for the consolation of the exhausted. For it is said: our feet stood in thy courts in Jerusalem (Ps. 122:2), that is, in the natural state there were spiritual feet, but due to some inattention our feet wavered, and we found ourselves outside the divine fence, voluntarily stripped from ourselves of the dignity of the image of God, we put aside good thoughts, lost help from above, our concepts were scattered, fragmented into many parts, the spiritual overcame and swallowed us up. death; and likewise we are swallowed up by demons. However, look that after all this the divine words cry out to us: As I live, says the Lord, those who have devastated you and will come out of you soon. Lift up your eyes around, and see good thoughts - your sons: behold, they gathered together and came to you. As I live, says the Lord, as if I were clothed in a robe with all of them, and covered with them like a bride’s utensils. And your empty, scattered and fallen form will now crowd you out from those who live, and those who consume you will move away from you. Therefore your sons will cry in your ears, you have destroyed them, the place is cramped for me, that I may dwell. And say in your heart: who gave birth to these for me, but I am childless and a widow, was rejected, hated before and cast out by the Lord my God. Who educated these? I, that is, the accursed, sin-loving soul, remained one. Where is this for me (Is. 49:17–21)? Behold, says God, your sins were sold quickly (Is. 52:3) because you yourself did it of your own free will, of your own free will. Therefore, if by your own will you have become under the hand of the devil, then, without a doubt, by your own will you will also be able to free yourself from the torment of the most cruel ruler, and resort to the true Lord and God of our Jesus Christ, to belong to Him and serve, according to what is written: rather, my soul obeys God in Him alone. For this is my God and my saver, and my great intercessor (Ps. 61:6, 7), just as the holy James says in his epistle: submit therefore to God, resist the devil, and flee from you: draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (James 4:7). For, says David, it is good for me to cleave to God, to place the hope of my salvation in the Lord, and not to despair (Ps. 73:28). I wonder why smart and learned monks, when asked about something, rarely answer, or are completely silent, out of humility; and you, when no one asks you, with ignorant recklessness, having an unbridled tongue, simply pour out thousands of words about whatever happens, broadcast widely, and, as others say, talk idle talk. Yes, it seems 94 that there are many villagers like you, uneducated and empty people, who every, so to speak, hour, without being asked by anyone, are ready to talk to everyone, familiar and unfamiliar, out of vanity, for show and to please people, but they do not deserve praise, but are rightly ridiculed and clearly 95 scolded by Satan. Because, being filled with unspeakable vanity, you do not find time to look into the depths of your soul and see, because of your arrogance, the serpent hiding in you; then I will tell you a little something, if only you can hear, and your mental hearing will not be taken away from you, as the ear of the bishop’s carnal servant was once cut off in Jerusalem. For you too have become, not a son, but an indecent slave and a youth of the mental high priest, plunging into recklessness and vanity. Therefore, know that there are certain demons hiding somewhere down in the darkness, because they are close and friendly to the darkness, and from such and such a wicked horde ready for evil, by God’s permission, sent in the likeness of an advance guard or a spy, one seductive and malicious demon enters the soul through thought, like a terrible thief, or like a poisonous snake entwined near a tree. And by this we must understand wrath, according to what is written: and the wrath of God came upon her (Ps. 77:31). For if this demon finds a person not always looking to God, not resisting the insidious and wandering thoughts, but distracted, whirling, or enjoying vain conceit and exaltation, and wavering; then it creeps into the mouth and tongue of the vain, without hesitation 96, does not hesitate to harm this person, like crows carried away by thoughts. For, turning to other demons, this destroyer and murderer takes others with him, and thus united together, they take up arms against the poor worker of vanity, bringing his soul to nakedness and desolation, puffing him up with self-praise, and wasting all his fruits, which he had collected for a long time with difficulty and fatigue, so that vigils, fasting, almsgiving, reclining on the bare ground, and others he destroys good things for the sake of hated vanity and arrogance, to which this Pharisee was once subjected, who considered himself alone righteous and rebelled against the publican, who, according to God's verdict, was justified more than him for humility (Luke 18:14). Therefore, like you, a person caught in vanity can no longer be at peace either with himself or with his neighbor; because he soon falls into sadness, irritation, anger, fury, confusion, sadness, dishonor, I will keep silent about the rest so as not to suddenly expose everything to shame. If anyone who suffers from the evil disease of vanity wants to avoid the hands of the most harmful and evil horde of demons; let him put a bridle on his own mouth, because the tongue of many vainglorious people has led to destruction. If I remain silent, then the actions themselves will speak. Therefore, how do you write to me that you have no vanity at all? Until you light the fire, smoke will not appear. Therefore, how can you, being angry with your brethren, if they do not honor you and flatter you, say that neither arrogance, nor arrogance, nor transitory glory, nor conceit is established in the breadth of your heart? When demons praise you, mentally instilling in you that your vigils are great, your abstinence is great, your deeds are great; do not praise yourself, and do not enjoy their praises, and do not agree with them, but more than that, be indignant at them, and be angry, saying in the scripture: turn away from Me (Ps. 119:115), wolves and murderers, depart from me, the perpetrators and workers of all vice and wickedness, you will always be cursed and hated. May the cursed day of man-pleasing, the mother of all that is unlawful and disorderly, curse you. May he curse you at every time, in every place, in every matter, and may the offspring of your womb, that is, the offspring of vanity, be cursed. And all the people shouted: wake up, wake up (Deut. 27:16, etc.)! No man is an imam, but when the angel signifies, he will cast me into the font of healing (John 5:7), the old man said to the Lord, lying at the sheep font, relaxed. So, since for many years, with faith and patience, of his own free will, in good hope, he courageously struggled with a great illness, and generously endured it, giving thanks, confessing his falls, remembering his long-ago falls, as if they had only happened, and having not had a person for so long, he was honored with the fact that God, who became a man, or better yet, a lover of mankind, in the font of His bounty resolves every ailment of his, mental and bodily, and guides him to the city on high. During a physical illness, the demon incites some of the brothers to advise the sick person, to use for healing not only what can be found, but also what cannot be found anywhere, such as, for example, saying: bird's cheese, or the bone of a newly born fig, or an ant's spleen, and in this he laughs at the frivolous and gullible brother, and misleads him, so that, abandoning hope in the Lord, he indulges in dead worries, worries, sorrows and dreams. But not with all patients, and not always, the demon does this, but only with the most inexperienced in everyday life, and then sometimes. Some of the brethren, bored by the difficulty, frequent repetition and duration of prayer and chant, due to the laziness that possesses them, sit tied to one book, yawn, and often stretch; they slumber, and thereby violate the commandment, which commands first of all to make prayers, supplications, petitions, thanksgiving (1 Tim. 2:1), and then to study in psalms and songs and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19). Therefore, whoever always holds a book in his hands, can he, through fulfilling one commandment, build a perfect spiritual house, as if from one stone? And I 98 know several spiritual brothers who pray, and sing psalms, and ask for certain gifts to be given to them from heaven, and serve their neighbors, and are diligent in handicrafts, while they are not negligent in reading at certain times, and are adorned in everything and abound in various virtues. Whoever has dispelled the sadness that has taken possession of his mind through divine reflection, it will be appropriate for him to say: in the morning hear my voice (Ps. 5:4). But by the word “morning” we must understand Christ’s resurrection, when the natural cry of the human race was heard most of all with unspoken groans. Others say from observation that a crane controls the general flight for thirty days, and then gives another crane the right to guide birds like it through the air. And in your spiritual monastery, the second in number, or rather, the one who loves to excel in everything and show himself, as I found out, having fulfilled the customary one-year service, does not want to yield to another the assumption of the position of canonarch. What can we say to this? 205. Presbyter Charicles, who dealt strictly with the fallen, and argued that confession is not enough for repentance It seems to me that you do not know the Divine Scripture at all; why, having paid attention to one side of it, showing only the wrath of God, you do not know at all in almost all of Scripture the revealed love of God for mankind, and under the guise of a shepherd you do what is characteristic of your enemies, betraying the sheep to evil demons, driven by you to despair, and do not want to bring to mind what the Prophet Ezekiel said: I will require the blood of someone who died at the hand of a shepherd (Ezek. 3:18). Therefore, how dare you destroy a person for whom Christ did not at all deny giving His soul? Why are you trying to plunge Favstinus, who publicly confessed his sins with great humility, into much sorrow, which the great Paul would not have wanted to do? because, upon confession of sin, he recognized the sinner as more of his own, and exhorts the Corinthians to establish the strongest and most unchangeable love for him (2 Cor. 2: 7, 8.)? Or, as can be seen, in planting the grapes of Christ, you are more inactive and lazy, but in uprooting and throwing out the vines already planted by Christ from the vineyard of the Church, you are both active, and not tired, and zealous! Therefore, man, do not say that the Lord does not accept those who sin in deed and confess only in word. For, saying this, you are not far from the ignorant Novatians, pure in name, but unclean in deeds, except for the fact that they, due to an excess of unreason and useless, not to say, soul-harmful arrogance, deny all repentance after enlightenment through baptism, and you do not agree to accept repentance offered in words, especially having learned that this great Moses is not like anything unimportant, but as deserving special care, he demanded a goat from the bishop Aaron about sin (Lev.9:3). For by this he made it known that the confession for which forgiveness is obtained must be offered with all the soul. Therefore, it is truly wonderful and very fitting for a strong soul to make confession through deeds, such as fasting, vigil, reclining on bare ground, wearing sackcloth, sprinkling ashes on oneself, generous and welcoming alms, and other fruits that strict repentance requires. But if, due to lack of attention, or due to some circumstance, or due to impotence, or due to negligence, someone turns out to have a great lack of the benefits mentioned above; then the Lord Jesus, who died, does not reject oral confession, and does not turn away for human sins, wickedness and all kinds of uncleanness, but on the contrary, he accepts verbal repentance as an offering desired by Him, like Moses, along with expensive fine linen, with gold and other things, who accepted the hair of a goat, a worthless gift (Ex. 25:4). For by what labors and efforts was the publican saved? Is it not simple expressions of humility? For what deeds and labors was the thief from the cross brought into heaven and into life? Is it not for uttering a few words and confessing the kingdom of Christ? Therefore, take into account, presbyter, that it is not only severity and not only the wrath of God that are preached in Holy Scripture, but also innumerable and unsearchable love for mankind, as the Scripture says on our behalf to the Lord: for Your great mercy is upon me (Ps. 85:13). For when our sins are great, then He pours out upon us who repent the great sea of ​​His mercy, quenching the fire of our evil deeds. Therefore, you must think not only about judgment, but also about the love of Christ for mankind. But Christ punishes the human race for its benefit, and condescends and has compassion on us, so that we do not perish. For here is Nebuchadnezzar, who in fact showed in himself all types of vice, inhumanity and wickedness, who drenched the earth in blood, who never did anything with proper reasoning, who in madness presented himself as God’s enemy, however, after the judgment of God was turned into cattle and a beast, and this one, who committed lawlessness in deeds without number, although he brought confession in only words and in a few utterances, but He subsequently received the mercy of God, who had condemned him before, and the throne and the image of the king were returned to him, and he was honored with overwhelming honor, as the Lord said: if My wrath goes down on any of those condemned, I will heal them again. I will strike, and I will heal (Deut. 32:39); I’ll get angry and hurt you. Therefore, do not say ignorant words as if God does not accept simple verbal expressions of repentance. Otherwise, you will have to say that God accepts rich offerings, such as gold, silver, and other jewelry, but does not accept two mites from a widow at all. And how can you assure me that you have knowledge of the Divine Scriptures, when you have forgotten what the Savior cries in the Gospel: I do not obey the will of My Father, that one of these little ones should perish (Matthew 18:14)? And you want to deprive many, perhaps even great ones, of salvation, because you say: God does not accept mere words. You, man, teach contrary to the Savior. Where can we give place to what the Prophet Isaiah said to the Lord who has sinned: speak your iniquities first, that you may be justified (Is. 43:26)? For He who created us accepts from those who want to be saved, not only purity, truth, martyrdom and valiant ascetic life, but also lamentation about the falls, and a blow to the forehead, and a beating on the chest, and a bowed knee, and the outstretching of hands with heartfelt sorrow, and the kiss of a harlot wiping the Lord’s feet, and a lamentable cry about sin, and deep sighing, and the fruit of the lips of those confessing the name of Jesus Christ, and the aroma of weeping, and drops of tears, and sorrowful thoughts, and a painfully crying mind, and the lifting of the eyes of those who sincerely look to God and weep, and reproach from the devil, and his strong attacks, and our own weakness, if then, while some of us resist with great courage, others, being easy to grasp and quick to fall, cannot resist temptations. But in every case that I have said, the Lord also accepts the mouth that speaks like David: those who have sinned against the Lord (2 Sam. 12:13), having done evil in His sight (Ps. 50:6). In general, much of what those who have sinned do, although it seems small, brings great salvation to those who repent of their sins. Look, the great Moses, or better yet, God himself through him, not only legitimized bulls, goats, sheep, lambs, and goats (this happens in abundance among the rich) to offer for those who sinned to the Lord, but taking especially great care for the salvation of those who were weak in spiritual strength; applies to the weakness of the needy, condescends to the humiliated so that they do not despair, and reduces the law to the dove, the turtle dove and a small portion of wheat flour (Lev. 14:21, 22). And you, elder, do not disparage, but rather accept, cherish the contrite and humble heart, encourage and save it, not only demanding fruits full of success from the fallen and seeking them in ascetic deeds, but also accepting the words of those who lament their sin, and with great humility confessing to you the bad things they have done. They harm themselves a lot, and suffer great damage, by unhelpfully and untimely prattle about many things, by unprofitably and untimely practicing verbal debates, by the great noise of pompous words, obscuring the very meaning, complicating the convenience of understanding, driving away from themselves the inscrutable effectiveness of grace, and instead of indulging in the contemplation of things, they are engaged in worldly purchases and a variety of temptations. I once saw the abbot severely beating a youth; and as a youth, due to the tenderness of his age, was very afraid of blows, then at each blow, with a plaintive voice, he rushed to the one who was mercilessly beating, and with affection hugged the one who dealt the blows with anger. Therefore, perhaps we should also behave before God, who punishes us with temptations and disasters, or better yet, resort to Him in a sorrowful state, and seek consolation in God’s judgment and providence; because God knows better than us what is good for us. Therefore, let us say to Him in the words of Scripture: have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for we are filled with much humiliation (Ps. 122:3), for we are plagued all day long (Ps. 72:14), for our soul is filled with evil, and our belly is drawing near to hell (Ps. 87:4). Lord, in sorrow I remembered You (Is. 26:16), do not turn Your face away from us (Ps. 26:9); but have mercy on us, Lord, bow to mercy. Incline Your ear to my prayer (Ps. 87:3), raise up Your strength, and come to save us (Ps. 79:3), when and as You please, the only Mighty One. If the Lord has vouchsafed our election to this, without a doubt, that we should always draw near to Him, and serve Him, and keep His commandments and statutes; then for one moment of time we will not depart from Him in prayer, in word and deed, most of all as a gift to Christ, who needs nothing and to the highest God, offering the incense of a pure and faithful mind. We often darken our inner eyes with the cloud of the devil’s delusion, and we suffer quite a bit from an evil and darkened life. At the same time, it is wonderful to fulfill what Jacob wrote. Weep, he says, for the fierce sorrows that are coming upon you (James 5:1). It is wonderful not to give up lamentations and prayers before God until the very end of your life. For it is said in Lamentations: You drove us away with rage, you killed us, and you did not spare us (Pl. 3:43); therefore the coming forth of the waters shall pour out my eye in sorrow (Pl. 3:48). So, since by sin 99 we bring upon ourselves God’s punishments and admonitions, we will be afraid 100 and will not be careless, lest death befall us. 210. Presbyter Pelegrin After they have gained respect, God usually sends great dishonor and shame upon those who love to show themselves off. For the consequence of the fact that a person indulges in many illegible and careless conversations, and admires temporary pleasures, is that he is for a long time mastered by thoughts of anger, displeasure and lust. During the enemy’s attacks, to relax, to become scattered, not to remember with a strict way of thinking about the terrible judgments of the Lord, but to indulge in pleasures and yield to the will of the flesh, means to fall from a lattice window and fall ill with the most difficult mental illness, which is much more painful than a physical illness. For it is said: Ahaziah the king fell from the window and fell ill with a mortal illness (2 Kings 1:2), that is, the royal mind fell into the mental death of active sin. Those who love God with all their souls everywhere find heartfelt joy, and from everywhere they gather into their bosom the wealth of gratitude to the Lord and praise. Therefore, when you see the end of the year, thank the Lord that He brought you into this cycle of years, rejoice in your heart, calculate the continuation of your life, say to yourself: the days run and pass, the years are fulfilled, we have already covered a lot of ground; What good have I done? Will I, in time, be deprived of all truth and having nothing for myself, will I leave here? The judgment seat has already been prepared, my life is finally approaching old age. Let us finally think, soul, about the future century. Let us be afraid lest the Prophet cry out for us: their days have perished in vanity, being carefully brought into confusion (Ps. 77:33). I said this to you, who wish to gain benefit for the soul, and not for the body. For I know well that you no longer want to celebrate public celebrations, you don’t bother about demonic games and amusements, about thousands of other entertainments for the eyes and about horse races, but then you most especially visit houses of worship when you see that all the senseless people are rushing to the horse race, twirling in these curse-worthy sights and soul-harming devilish exits. If you believe that Sampson, by faith and prayer, brought out the spring from the jaw of a dead donkey; then believe and pray. For our fathers called, and they told us, and we learned through experience, and they will also know who will come after us, that faith and prayer are very powerful, offered with all your might without distraction or distraction to Christ, the all-seeing God, and, moreover, they are powerful to such an extent that, as we know, they raise the dead, heal every disease of the soul and body, cast out demons, take away the power of magical compounds, they extinguish unreasonable bodily inflammation, destroy the carnal desires of illicit communication excited by demons 101; and ulcers considered incurable, as hardened and hardened by long-term negligence and habit of them, are suddenly and beyond expectation healed. Others have the zeal to bring complete and pure repentance, but, encountering temporary obstacles from the spirits of evil, they become despondent, and, weakening in strength, soon abandon the feat they have begun, and put off 102 the smallest repentance, which, as another would say, seems to be groping along according to what is written, and without knowing it, they are plunged into destruction. Therefore, let us not leave Leah, who has painful eyes, and in a short time we will acquire the desired and well-read Rachel. And this is the most perfect, pure and unshakable virtue. “My tears were my bread day and night,” says blessed David (Ps. 41:4). For whoever sheds tears not in vain and not for nothing, but out of a hardworking and God-loving disposition indulges in crying, feeds on his tears like bread, not only during cheerful, good and joyful events, which a holy person calls day, but also in disastrous and sad circumstances, which the same saint allegorically calls night. Blessed are those who weep now and cultivate the cry of salvation, so that they may rejoice greatly in the future. Those who sow with tears in this life, as is obvious, on that day will reap the handles of never-ending joy. And on others who do not want to repent of their sins, the Lord imposes sorrows and bodily suffering, so that, due to their torment, even the careless, but more sensitive than them, before being subjected to sorrows, begin to correct themselves, and do not remain for a long time with any of their shortcomings. More humble than anyone is a sinner contrite in spirit, begging the Lord with groaning in repentance. Therefore, we must prefer prayer to Christ over everything, and cry out for the help and protection of the Holy Spirit. For it is impossible to free ourselves from the evil predominance of corruption over us except if God’s power assumes the dominion over us. Therefore, pray with similar words: be my helper, Lord of all Christ, and cover my spiritual weakness, so that I will get rid of ungodly and sinful corruption, I will become free from lawlessness and from its bonds. May the arbitrariness of vice not arise in me, may the evil demon not possess me, and may he not lead me into captivity through lewdness. May the kingdom of the divine and venerable Spirit come upon me, may the unbridled passions that now prevail and reign over me now retreat from me, or better yet, turn into nothingness. I have repeatedly heard you say, as you say now: what should I do? I want to cry and shed tears about my sins, I force myself to do this, but I have no tears in my eyes. Sick only about this, I sigh from my heart; If I see another weeping sweetly for Christ, I fight with envy towards him. - To this I will tell you: in general it is useful to desire tears. And whoever with this desire approaches God, asking for forgiveness and salvation, is heard, according to what was said: Thou hast heard the desire of the poor (Ps. 9:38) and to the sovereign, that is, the king of the mind, as the Prophet says, thou hast given him the desire of the heart (Ps. 20:3). For just as he who desired a wife who had already committed adultery in his heart (Matthew 5:28), so he who desired something good or bad has already fulfilled it in his thoughts. But you, confessing 103 to Him who sees what is in the heart, confess according to what has been said: the thoughts of men will be confessed to You (Ps. 75:11); and such desire of yours will be counted as a sacrifice. God will accept it as incense, and to the angels who are ready to draw the soul away from the feet of the Savior as unworthy, he will say about her: leave her, for her heart is filled with sorrow and painful (2 Kings 4:27). Something similar was written about the Israelites, who once suffered in the wickedness of the Egyptians. For God says to Moses: I saw a hardship, with it the Egyptians are giving them a cold (Ex. 3:9), their life is painful, I heard their cry, and I went down to take it away (Exod. 3: 7, 8). Look, God does not testify to any other deed of the Israelites, except that they were humiliated and sighed, and by this alone they attracted God’s favor. For not in our purity, but in our humility, the Lord remembered us, and delivered us from the Egyptians (Ps. 135:23, 24) and from the cruelest Pharaoh. Pharaoh is now for us the misanthrope the devil, this murderer from time immemorial (John 8:44), and Egypt is our evil and sin, demons are our overseers, and lawlessness is sorrow. And the Prophet also says: The Lord is near to those who are broken in heart, and will save those who are humble in spirit (Ps. 33:19); and again: to whom shall I look? only against the meek and trembling at My words (Is.66:2). Another person’s natural structure is such that it is not easy for him to shed tears. Therefore, what should one who desires tears do? I'll tell you this. If you cannot cry with your visible eyes, make sure that your mind, just as in your dreams often seemed to you crying, and in your waking state mentally weeps and sheds tears before God; and you can be cleansed of your sins. The psalmist also advises this, saying: pour out your hearts before Him (Ps. 61:9). However, I know that others did not reach this point, but through some faith and prayer they turned the mental stone into the lake of water (Ps. 114:8). For, by constantly repeating the words of Christ our God and frequently reminding ourselves of the miracles of God, piercing the heart, we caused streams of tears to flow from the stone eyes from the inside out. If you cannot be worthy of such grace as they were worthy of, meanwhile you see another crying during prayer; then glorify the Lord for it, saying: I thank You, Lord my God, who deprived me of such a destructive and cleansing gift from vices, and gave it to my brother. Increase Your mercy to him, O Lord, to the end; because my brother is my partner; If one ud is glorified, all uds rejoice with him (1 Cor. 12:26). If you are so disposed towards your brother and begin to look at him with a joyful heart; then you will become his partner in the gift he has acquired, and you will have a common crown, if this is done for the sake of Christ. One should not neglect seemingly insignificant falls as if they were small; because even a small sin can lead a person to great iniquities and greatly harm him. Therefore, beware of small spiritual passions, so that by sins that are considered small, you will not be drawn into the very abyss of deep damage. Evil and sin-loving thoughts separate a person from the Lord. If God, called by him, kills and destroys evil and wicked thoughts; then a person will be able to rise from the bottom of sinfulness and resort to the good God. And in this sense, understand what was said: I arose, and am still with You, as I was from the beginning, even if you kill sinners, God (Ps. 139:18, 19). You say that the devil, even against your will, arouses in you disbelief towards God. But do not be afraid of the mischievous unbelief; on the contrary, boldly open yourself to the great Physician Christ, crying out to Him: I believe, Master, help my unbelief (Mark 9:24), and you will receive healing. Sin is mixed into human life in many forms and varied ways. The reason for this is that people do not use God’s assistance in the work of their hands. For if work is preceded by prayer, and the manifold sin that surrounds us from everywhere does not find access to the soul; because when the remembrance of God is established in the heart, the plans of the opponent remain ineffective, since everywhere in every doubtful circumstance the truth mediates. Every person who does not want to bring himself into unity with God through prayer is separated from God. It is a great thing to never fall. If, due to the infatuation of the enemy, some fall occurs, one must resort to good hope; because human inclinations always lead to the opposite. But it is also common for spiritual teaching to disperse the smoke of vice that hangs on souls. And likewise, the most holy words communicate God’s power, and those who read with love can be transformed from evil-minded to good-natured. He who strives for great things must of necessity take up his work not with laziness and absent-mindedness, as if it were something extraneous, but with diligence and courage. Just as smoke, having risen into the air, leaves no sign of its own nature, and like wax, having been in fire, is no longer found; So, when you call and beg the humane Lord for a long time, then if God’s grace and God’s power descend on you, the passions that now dominate you will disappear. For darkness cannot tolerate the appearance of light, and disease is not contained after health is restored. Therefore, passions are not effective in the presence of dispassion. The words: having died morally, without having any food (Job 4:11), probably mean something similar to the following: blessed Job, wanting to show the malice of vile passion, invented this complex name for it, making it up from the names of the bravest animal - the lion and the most insignificant creature - the ant; because the attacks of the passions begin first with the most unimportant ideas, creeping in imperceptibly like an ant, and finally they turn into a large mass, and threaten the one they meet with no less danger, like a charging lion. Therefore, the ascetic must then begin to fight passions when they appear in the form of ants, using their unimportance instead of bait; because if they manage to come into the strength of the lion, then they become invincible. Therefore, we must not give them food, but the food for them is the images of the sensory that enter us through the senses; because feelings feed passions, each image one after another arming the soul. Having asked God many times, and not receiving what you asked, do not become exhausted and do not fall into despair, but, having renewed your petitions before God, relentlessly approach the Master; because in times of need, bold persistence is preferred to bashful evasiveness. For because of his recklessness, what is given to him will be greater than he requires, as the Lord said (Luke 11:8). Good fame and praise, as we argue, comes not from sometimes doing something good before God, but from always doing and acting in such a way. The mind is a reindeer, since one of the horses is zealous and fast, the other is slow, and the last is hot, then he only rules one horse, restrains the other, and drives the third with a whip until he brings them to the point that they all run smoothly, in one spirit. Therefore, for that which is excessively hot in youth, do not imagine increments of fervor, and for that which has been cooled by weakness or time, do not increase the cooling or exhausting, so as not to increase the many and diminish the small. On the contrary, cutting off what is in excess of the measure in both, try to make up for what is missing, and to the same extent, beware of making the body, for one reason or another, useless, so that through excessive carnality you do not teach the flesh rebellion and uncontrollability, and through immoderate ill-suffering you do not make it sick, weakened, and powerless for the necessary service. The most perfect goal of abstinence is to keep in mind not suffering, relaxation and complete unfitness of the body, but the convenience of mental movements. Then you will be recognized as faithful when, having not yet received eternal blessings, you do not stop expecting and hoping that you will certainly receive eternal blessings, according to God’s promise, in the next century. For if now the Lord rewarded good deeds without delay and immediately, then this would be more a purchase than godliness; and one might think that we are truthful, not out of piety, but out of self-interest. If, until the last breath, good, multi-useful and beneficial repentance exerts its power on a person, and being brought at the very gates of death, when a person is struggling with it on his deathbed, and is ready to leave the field of life, it justifies and saves the sinner and the repentant, when he is motionless prostrate before Christ, and breathes out his last breath; then tell me why do you give in to despair? You must hurry by recognizing your sins and repenting. From what was said to the saints: who will give me a krill like a dove (Ps. 54:7)? We learn that God’s work is to give us spiritual wings, so that we can safely overcome, both now disastrous passions and, at the time of our passing from life, the demonic hordes directed at us. But the Lord not only grants divine, spiritual grace to everyone, but only to those who, in labor, in self-exhaustion, with shedding sweat, ask for it night and day. Therefore, above all, let us take upon ourselves the prayerful service of God. While you, with all diligence, fear and reverence, raise your eyes to your Master; and He, without a doubt, listens to you with favor and love, and neither Satan, nor passion, nor misfortune, nor any sin will be able to overcome you. And when, having lost the Master’s fear, you forget your Savior: then He will turn his face away from you, and you will become an accomplice to all evil. Knowing this, one of the saints prayed, saying this: do not turn Your face away from Me, and do not turn aside in anger from Your servant (Ps. 26:9). If the enemies of our life, demons, never get tired, and do not stop disturbing and tempting us, and plotting intrigues for us, and making attacks on us; then we must not be lazy, not lose heart, not get tired, and constantly call on the venerable name of Christ to help us, and thereby torment and crush those who crush us; because the prayer of the faithful is great torment, contrition and fear of evil spirits. If, when you come to the realization that what you have done is reprehensible, you let out a deep sigh; then know that you have been honored with God’s visit and God’s help. And since you say that you fear and tremble at the Judge coming from above; Then I, too, will tell you, my kindest one, that you must not despair, but rather persevere patiently in prayerful service to God, in vigil and in firm hope, and hope that you will be saved. Therefore, as it has been said, one should not despair, especially because the terrible murderer rejoices greatly, and has fun, and attacks more strongly when he sees souls prone to despair. This wife, whom the gospel mentions (Matthew 9:20), who desecrated the earth with drops of unclean blood, serves as an image of every unclean soul; because she, overflowing with faith and touching the crown of the Lady’s robe, immediately dried up the source of blood. From this we learn that to every person who is afraid because of sins, but believes and calls on Christ the Son of God, the sun of righteousness shines, justifying the sinner and granting healing from the most pure kril (Matthew 4:2). Let it be well known to you that no less than those who strive for the greatest feat should be honored by a person who, being possessed by lust and embraced by carnal affection, out of fear of God dissolves these such strong bonds. It is said: draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (James 4:8). Therefore, it is wonderful to be in unity with God with a pure and undefiled heart. If this is not possible, due to some kind of laziness and mental weakness; then at least try with sighs, tears and good hope to embrace the invisible and beloved feet of Jesus Christ, the man-loving Master of our Lord; because God, the king of all, as the most merciful, does not turn away from those who are directed towards Him and groan before Him from the depths of their hearts, even if they are burdened with many sins: but on the contrary, He accepts and cleanses them, grants them the gift of sonship, and over time makes them doers of virtues. If you want to erase the bad memories and attacks of an enemy who has taken on many forms, imprinted in your memory 108; Then, night and day, be always armed with the remembrance of our Savior and the diligent invocation of His venerable name, as often as possible, sealing both your forehead and chest with the sign of the Lord’s Cross. For, as soon as the name of our Savior Jesus Christ is pronounced, and the seal of the Lord’s cross is placed on the heart, on the forehead, and on other members, the power of the enemy is undoubtedly crushed, and the evil demons flee from us in trepidation. And also teaching in the words of the Holy Spirit destroys everything that feeds evil thoughts, generating spiritual fire, according to what is written: and in my teaching a fire will burn (Ps. 39:4). This fire, warming the mind, brings it into such a state that prayer becomes stronger, and with understanding it expresses its petitions to God. You unjustly sent the Primate of Byzantium, John, this great luminary of the universe, into exile, out of extreme frivolity, heeding the convictions of foolish bishops. Therefore, if you deprive the universal Church of this intact and pure teaching, you will not live without sorrows. To be saved, to receive remission of sins and to be considered worthy of the heavenly kingdom is possible for a believer in no other way than by partaking with fear and love of the mysterious and most pure Body and Blood of Christ God. Know that the more you hurt in the flesh, and the more varied sorrows and punishments the Lord sends to you, the more He appears to extend sincere love to you. Do not be horrified that the demons who hate us transform your spiritual weakness in different ways, even if it becomes very hardened; but on the contrary, most of all, arm yourself with prayerful service to God and psalmody. Those who hate us strive especially hard for this, and have the goal of convincing our very heart and mind through fits, heaviness and torment, whatever the infirmity, to leave the unceasing remembrance of God as useless for anything. Therefore, you yourself, knowing the goal of the enemy, do not throw away your spiritual weapons, but take courage, be complacent, be strong and gather all your strength. Satan at all times tries to hinder the soul in striving for the best, and especially during prayer he uses many methods and inspires thousands of thoughts, turning the mind away from what is expected, and leading it into whirling and soaring, so that a person with empty bowels will retreat from the All-Perfect. For the evil one knows exactly that great deeds can be accomplished by those who pray to God without distraction, and therefore, in any way, reasonable or unreasonable, he strives to bring the mind into a whirl 109 . But we, knowing this, will resist our enemy, and when we stand in prayer, or kneel, we will not allow a single thought to enter our hearts, white, black, gum and neck, based and unfounded on Scripture, except for one prayerful offering to God and from heaven the descending illumination and enlightenment in our sovereignty. Therefore, having rejected every reason for entertainment, and laziness, and despondency, and every plausible excuse, let us soberly and fervently devote ourselves to the great work of prayer, which is the root of immortality. On the day of judgment we will be our own accusers, convicted by our own conscience. Therefore, in this extremity, will we find any other protection or help other than faith in the most loving Lord Christ? This faith is our great defense, great help, security, and boldness, and the answer for those who have become irresponsible due to an unspeakable number of falls. For, during our struggle and immeasurable fear, the remembrance of the beloved Master Christ, and the firmly rooted and unshakable faith in Him, appearing like some benevolent, peaceful, bright and meek Angel, drives away trembling and shame, fills with complacency, and makes the alienated one closer to God. Therefore, in this meaning, understand those apostolic words, the meaning of which you wanted to find out, namely: among themselves with a condemning or reproving thought, on the day when God judges the secret of man (Rom. 2:15, 16). If you want to enter the heavenly kingdom, then wish for yourself sorrows; for he who does not have sorrows will by no means enter into it, because the gate is narrow (Matthew 7:14). Because you wrote: for what reason often many, having sinned in the same thing, suffered more than the same punishment? – then I answer: because the Judge has great accuracy. In the fall of sin, not only the type of sin is taken into consideration, but also the intention and dignity of the sinner, the time, place, root of the sin, as well as whether he enjoyed himself, whether he was sad, or remained insensitive after the sin, whether he remained in sin, or repented, whether by chance, or by passion, or by seduction, or deliberately, or out of ignorance fell into sin, and also many other things are subject to consideration. In this search, both the difference in time and the state of life are explored. For he who has committed the same sin, before the law, according to the law and under grace, does not suffer the same punishment; but one is punished more leniently, another with greater severity, and the third without mercy. Yet this is clearly preached in Holy Scripture. When you intend to leave the house behind the gate; then say first these words: I renounce you, Satan, your pride and your service, and unite with you, Christ; and never leave without these words. This will be a rod, a weapon, an insurmountable pillar for you. Along with the words themselves, draw a cross on your forehead. For then, not only the person you meet, but also the devil himself, will not be able to cause you any harm, seeing that you appear everywhere with this weapon. It is a great thing to always be sober and not at all to be caught up in vile lust. If you happen to suffer something human because you see a handsome face; then heal this illness that has befallen you immediately by sighing before God and striking yourself on the chest, avoiding with your thoughts the idea of ​​the beauty that has wounded you and the slightest desire to occupy your mind with it and peer into its image with vile passion; for frequent recollections, leaving deep impressions in the soul, harm it and involuntarily lead it to crime. We should in no way list in our minds the virtues we have already acquired, but every day we should think about new ones, and, moreover, useful and worthy of praise, so that the spiritual talent given to us by God’s power increases and multiplies many times, even until our last breath it is beautifully increased by us. The ascetic should forget about carnal kinship and property to such an extent that he will never be in the least indignant at the memory of this. Or don’t you know that strong attachment to relatives according to the flesh is a satanic snare? Therefore, if you died for the world, if you renounced a corrupt life, if you joined the heavenly army, entered into the heavenly rank and heavenly residence, then you have nothing in common with those on earth, and there should be no attachment to those close to you in the flesh. If, as you say, they need benefits; then, like some poor stranger, if you can, do good to them too, but do not have an earthly attachment to them, so that it is not exposed that you remain entirely carnal, earthly and ignorant. If, as the Prophet said, your mental enemies have multiplied (Ps. 68:5) more than the power of your mental head; then look how many hostiles you have fought with. A poor person usually always strives for harmful things; because many demons constantly attack him and encourage him to do evil. But we will repel violence by force. For the ascetic is obliged to correct every impure thought, arm himself with anger at himself and call on the All-Perfect for help, before the thought weakens and becomes exhausted. Therefore, it is necessary to thin out the whitened flesh; for a plump womb is not capable of generating a subtle thought. Let us train the mind in piety, if the physical training has already been successfully completed. Bodily training is useful in small ways, as similar to children’s teaching, but godliness is useful for everything (1 Tim. 4:8), delivering mental health to those who want to gain victory over opposing passions. For just as it is proper for wrestlers learning childhood games to exercise their bodies and frequently move their limbs, and for wrestlers who have matured it is common to take care of their ascetic strength and to anoint themselves for great feats: so in the consideration of virtue, those who approach only godliness are good to take care to stop the effectiveness of the pleasures in which they grew up, and the passions that, so to speak, were not arbitrarily carried away, and overcome them; and let those who have become capable of active virtue use all their diligence to take care of the movements of their thoughts and guard their thoughts, so that, having come into disorderly movement, they will not be carried away into something useless. And in short, some try to control bodily movements, while others try to give the correct direction to the aspirations of the mind, so that he strives for only a wise way of life, and no worldly idea distracts him from divine thoughts. For the lust of a godly person must be entirely directed towards his beloved, so that human thoughts do not find time to put their passions into action. And if every passion, when set in motion, in its possession keeps the thought in a bound state; then why shouldn’t zeal for virtue keep thought free from everything else? For what sensation of anything external does the distressed person have when he mentally struggles with the image of the distressed face? An indecent person, often sitting with someone in society, does not control his feelings, and imagining his favorite image, talks to him, forgetting about those present, and sits like a silent pillar, does not know what they are doing or saying before his eyes, but, immersed in himself, is completely occupied with imagining his beloved face. If this takes possession of the mind to such an extent due to addiction to satanic love, and makes the feelings inactive; then, much more than that, love for spiritual wisdom forces the mind to renounce both the sensual and the senses, delighting it in the sublime, and engaging it in the contemplation of what is intelligible, brings it into indissoluble unity with God. Having seen a handsome face, there is no need to immediately get carried away by the pleasure excited by beauty and indulge in the most intense love; on the contrary, one should give some time and space for good reflection in order to consider and find out, rationally 113 judging: what can be harmful and what is useful, and how much the conscience will be saddened and burdened if illicit pleasure is tasted by the deed itself, and also how much will be delighted, delighted and prospered by good thoughts, courageously overcoming inappropriate lust, and trampling vile passion with one’s spiritual feet. Let us not be lazy and negligent in praying, singing psalms and studying in all the teaching of the Holy and Worshipful Spirit. For in the sayings of the inspired Scripture the kingdom of heaven is hidden, but it is revealed to those who constantly remain in prayer, in silence, in psalmody and in readings, with which the mind is usually enlightened. Let us never exalt ourselves over the negligent and boast, if, apparently, we also have a clean body, on the contrary, you, who are spiritual today, be afraid, lest you turn out to be carnal in the morning. And the earthly man, having changed, will become heavenly. For when, by acting righteously, you exalt yourself over the sinner, he will immediately be justified more than you. Therefore, beware, O man, lest you also be tempted (Gal.6:1); for perhaps you have never been subject to what he is overwhelmed by. Let us try not to take a breath for even one moment without remembering God; because remembrance of God is the greatest good. All who try to preserve their virginity blameless and inviolable and their bodies to present their bodies as a living sacrifice to God (Rom. 12:1), are obliged to suppress in themselves not only carnal lust, but also covetousness, and vanity, and gluttony, and a passion for deceit and strife, and grumbling, and drunkenness, and idle talk, and any other vice. For I call him a virgin who is virgin in both soul and body. And the Lord, having mentioned ten virgins in the parable, brought five of them into the palace of the kingdom, as pure in soul and flesh, and left five outside the palace, because they were virgins only in body, but were defiled in thoughts, deceiving themselves. Until we have acquired a pure heart, let us at least make our lips pure; because with evil speeches both who speaks and who listens are defiled. It is written: death and life are in the hand of the tongue (Prov.18:21). A slanderous tongue is the devil's bed. Our Lord Christ is strong, not only to destroy those tools with which demons from the outside bring into us the desire for forbidden pleasures, but even to make innate movements ineffective. One should not neglect the small commandments, apparently, but one must fulfill them along with the great ones. For, just as after the destruction of a fence, a field is exposed to devastation, but as long as the fence is intact, the vineyard and garden are safe from plunder; So, if you keep the small commandments, the mental serpent cannot bite you; and if you tear away the fence that protects the inner fruits, then it is convenient for the evil serpent to plot against you. Our sinful thoughts and the swarm of unclean deeds serve as joy for the demonic fury. But as soon as we come to the opportunity to sober up and turn to the humane Christ, those who are hostile immediately indulge in lamentation, crying and unbearable sadness. This is why Baruch speaks of their wickedness: just as they rejoiced and rejoiced over your fall, they will also grieve over their desolation: and I will cut off from her the joy of the multitude, and I will turn her greatness into mourning (Bar. 4:33, 34). Therefore, before you depart from this life, before you become inaccessible to kidnappers, before death befalls you, try to overcome the high-ranking demons and their dark teachings 115. 263. Instruction to new monks A young person should accustom himself to quietness of bodily movements, to decorum in dress, to regularity and order in his voice, to the serene eating of food and drink, and in times of poverty, to silence before the elders, to attentive listening in front of the wisest, to the love of equals, to the readiness to lovingly give advice to the younger ones, to distance oneself from people who are bad, carnal and who interfere in something other than their own business. He should speak little and think more, not use bold expressions, not carry on unnecessary conversations, not be prone to laughter, adorn himself with modesty, not talk to women, lower his eyes and lift up his soul, avoid contradictions, not covet the dignity of a teacher, not highly value the honors given by people, especially those who do not know what is truly honorable, but try to earn the approval of prudent people, this best of all praise. And having succeeded, he must train himself to seek praise only from God. And if he becomes able to teach and benefit others; then let him do this for the sake of the reward set aside from God, as a work that he is obliged to fulfill before God, and which is rewarded from God with eternal gifts. Those who do not want to be saved by obedience and faith in the word, those, due to some indescribable goodness of God, are made wise by sorrowful and grave disasters. To endure any serious and unexpected disaster with meekness and wisdom is higher than all successes and even alms itself. Our Lord knows what we need, and sometimes, just before the departure, he rises and opens the doors to those who strike them with prayer and hope, and fulfills the spiritual request of the heart. If you do not quickly receive what you ask for, if you do not receive it at all (the fulfillment of your request may not be beneficial for your soul); - this is one thing - to stand in prayer and talk with God, who created everything, tell me, what is worthy? 267. Deacon Theoktistus 117 We ourselves are to blame for our destruction. If we bring repentance; then, even if we were some kind of dogs licking the master’s feet, we would be preferred to careless children. For friendship does not manage as much as persistence, and crying, and a strong request. 268. Presbyter Nikon 118 If someone does not arm himself with excellent patience; then it becomes easy to catch for Satan; because he sets thousands of traps for the monks here and there. That is why the Lord exhorts us, saying: through your patience gain your souls (Luke 21:19), for he who endures to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13). If it is desirable for us that the Lord should come to us, as to the Apostles, through closed doors (John 20:19); then we will try to close the doors, that is, the lips, with the most complete silence, so that we do not look passionately, we will forbid our ears to listen to corrupting speeches, and we will turn our senses of smell and touch away from carnal pleasures. God does not forget those who remember Him; on the contrary, he is very mindful of the person in whom the words of the Lord abide. For he says through the mouth of Jeremiah: Because My words are in them, I will remember them (Jer. 31:20). You say that all sorts of lawless and God-fighting thoughts put into your soul by the devil are very oppressive and difficult for you, but as much as you have the strength, repel this grief and this difficulty from yourself, and rejoice even more, encouraging and strengthening yourself with the promise of crowns from God. For in no way will the Lord allow those who sincerely and constantly raise their eyes to Him to perish. If you are amazed, looking at the beauty of real creatures; then marvel at the future much more. If the creatures are beautiful; then the Lord who created them is much more and infinitely more beautiful. If such is temporary; then what is the eternal? Therefore, raise your mind from the visible to the invisible. First of all, know yourself; for to know oneself is the most inconvenient, difficult and difficult thing. But when you know yourself, then you will be able to know God and, as you should, view creation with your thoughts. In his own sense and by nature, the only Lord is wise, but Angels and men have wisdom by communion. Therefore, the Lord, like the wise one, knows who to hear quickly, and whose request to fulfill slowly. For we do not know ourselves as God, who created all things, knows us; and for our benefit He gives us what we ask more slowly, or more quickly. Therefore, let us not at all become faint-hearted and discouraged, but let us remain firm and unshakable, giving thanks, asking, waiting and hoping to receive. For everyone who asks receives it, and everyone who seeks something better finds it, and the door of righteousness will be opened to the one who interprets (Matthew 7:8). Those who have recognized their inherent weakness, when they notice that demons are attacking them with greater impudence, should place all their hope in God, and call on Him to become their protector. You are sleeping, and time passes; You are awake, but your heart is carried away by vanity; Meanwhile, your life is shortening, although you yourself do not feel or understand it. 277. Deacon Anastasius 122 You don’t know, perhaps, although you’ve often read about it, that it’s not good for a giving husband to sleep the whole night. For one who studies divine counsels and waits for the Lord when He comes from heaven and demands an account from us should not lie all night as if dead. Therefore, not knowing what you read, you sleep without satiety from the evening until the morning sun appears in the east, snoring and not moving from your place. Therefore, at least from now on, overcome your laziness, and hasten to shake off your unreasonable sleep and taste the divine sweetness of prayer and psalmody, choose for yourself the best lot, bring yourself to the most beautiful state, desire, by the power of God-loving diligence, to overcome and crush the power of negligence and unspeakable laziness. For skill is usually changed by skill. Don’t pretend to me that you are an autocratic habit. For if sluggishness and laziness have become nature, then all the more so can diligence and sobriety also become nature. Call on God to help you, and, without a doubt, He will hear and give you the gift of strength and unhindered progress along the path of virtue. For the Lord works miracles even supernaturally. Although the laziness and weakness that have prevailed over you have declared you and seem to be considered an obstacle, the force that strengthens you will turn out to be the most powerful. 278. Subdeacon Leander 123 For those who have a strong faith, prayer acquires great strength and strength. Therefore one should always pray day and night; because the Lord grants divine grace, not just to anyone, but to those who ask relentlessly, without sparing labor, effort and sweat 124. If we become discouraged in prayer, we will suffer great losses and extreme harm, we will not accomplish anything that would be worth diligence, and we will be alienated from the Lord himself, not wanting to attach ourselves to Him with prayer, hope and praiseworthy persistence. Do not refuse to have a bodily illness and endure various sufferings, and do not reject My judgment, as the Lord says to Job (Job 40:3), or better yet, endure sorrows with gratitude, so that they may atone for all your sins. Just as those entering the bathhouse take off all their clothing, so those embarking on the ascetic life must, stripped of all worldly materiality, abide in a divine, wise life. It is not in accordance with reason to laugh, joke and make fun of someone who has sinned, and also to exalt himself with great idle talk, but even more so one should weep and be tormented day and night, hearing what the Prophet says: Do not rejoice in Israel, nor rejoice as people who do not know God, because you have committed sin from the Lord your God, and you must weep (Hos. 9:1). Because of the evil that has prevailed over you, you have a need for work, for great healing, for great good deeds; and therefore seek for yourself great refuge. But he who approaches God needs patience, and for a long time he must cry out day and night and look for the true Doctor, who heals the incurable, the true Deliverer, who can deliver from the most bitter slavery. If you are faint-hearted; you won't find it. And if you remain strong, you will meet. You do not have boldness in your conscience, but with patience you can have prayer. For our Savior says: ask, and it will be given to you (Matthew 7:7). The Lord advises you this for your encouragement, so that no one, having lost hope, falls away, and, having fallen away, does not lose blessings 128. Before this terrible judgment seat opens, where, not only in deeds and words, but also in thoughts, we will give an account to the One who sees the unseen, we must precede His face in confession (Ps. 95:2), and call on the Master’s mercy for help with hardworking concern for the correction of life, imitating the great Prophet and king. Do not prefer anything in the real visible world to spiritual salvation according to God. Boldly approach the heavenly First Physician Jesus with tears, and expose all your spiritual ulcers. For there is no weakness that the most loving Christ could not heal. Having loved solitude, let us avoid connections with useless people; because cohabitation with our neighbors is harmful and detrimental to a peaceful state. Just as those who are in contagious air are exposed to all sorts of diseases, so those who enter into relationships with various people, without a doubt, become involved in their vice. Your lack of learning must know exactly that if apostolic miracles are performed by a man who did everything for show, rebellious and angry, then he is abominable before God and before people. Let it not be unknown to you that many of the bishops will inherit the fiery furnace. Do not tell widely and abundantly about the disasters and adversities that have befallen you to everyone you meet. For if you yourself are pleased to remember what happened to you, then your listeners will not find it as pleasant to hear about other people’s troubles. If someone, stung by the idol of shameful lust, begins to reflect and reason with himself about this, and enters into ranting with passion; then, without a doubt, he will become relaxed, indulge in passion, and become enslaved to unclean love, which lulls and softens the ruling mind. And he will be in poverty, suffer and curse his life. Like a serpent, and like a carnivorous lion, one must avoid bad ideas. For it is truly fitting for a Christian man to imagine only the multi-colored types of the virtues of Christ. Since you want to be a mentor to a larger number of brothers; Then first test yourself, whether you can, more by deed than by word, teach what they should do, offering your own life to the students as a model of all virtue, so that those who write off his ugliness 129 shortcomings do not detract from the beauty of virtue. For know that you are obliged to fear no less for your superiors than for yourself; because you will give an answer both for yourself and for them, having once taken upon yourself the task of saving them. And the saints made every effort to ensure that their students were not left unaccomplished of their own virtue. So the Apostle made Onesimus a martyr from a fugitive. The Prophet Elijah made Elisha from Oratai a Prophet. Moses raised Joshua, the son of Nun, to perfection. And the priest Eli made Samuel even greater than himself. For, although the diligence of the students helped them to acquire virtue, the whole reason for their success was that they had teachers who could ignite the spark of zeal that had kindled in them to a greater extent. Satisfying the persecuted (Matthew 5:10) makes it clear that those persecuted for the sake of righteousness should not necessarily be understood only by malicious people; because there are also invisible enemies who drive people away from knowing God and doing good by breaking small, of course, commandments. Therefore, one should not incline one’s ears to vain talkers, who are ready to slander almost everyone and who are slanderous. And touching something funny is not good for the soul. For in general this shows baseness, a decline in spirit, and serves as a sign of internal disorder and relaxation. Instead of laughing, one should rather sing songs and glorify the Divine. For to those who have their mouths open day and night to the hymns of God, the treasure of heavenly blessings will be readily opened. Now, after previous letters, we write to you this, knowing that from our humility you expected edifying words, wanting to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Don’t indulge, brother, in the entertainment, worries and cares of this soul-damaging life. What are you waiting for? Will you have time? The days pass away like a shadow and like a dream (Ps. 143:4), but you do not take care of yourself, and you decorate inanimate walls. The Lord created you carefree, and you torment yourself with troubles; He has taken your worries away, and you are entangling yourself in squabbles. Of all the things you do, nothing will benefit the soul. Be careful, son, that in seeking human glory you do not lose the glory of God; for there is no other way to achieve glory than by avoiding it; and while we are chasing glory, it runs away from us. If you want to be famous, don't lust after fame. If you want to be tall, don't be tall. Be attentive to yourself, child, and do not let the thought of the degree of priesthood and abbot deceive you. I am afraid and afraid for you, so that, trying to save others, I will not destroy my soul for you. For holy and honorable is he who saves his soul. Therefore, child, listen to me, a humble father, who loves you and takes pity on you in Christ. Leave, child, the creeping plans on the earth, and turn away and remain silent in your cell, blocking it from everywhere, so as not to see anyone at all, except once on Saturday and on Sunday. And then you will know what is good for the soul, and also other things, such as, for example, that you will have to endure many sorrows, many temptations, many infirmities. But blessed are you if you endure. And if you don’t do this, then move from there to another place. And if it is desirable for you to come into contrition, do not read pagan books, neither historical nor allegorical, do not even touch the Old Testament books, but read the New Testament, martyrdoms, lives of the fathers and legends about old age; and you will gain great benefit from this. I advise you not to read the books of the Old Testament, not because the Church rejects them, on the contrary, they are accepted, spoken by the Holy Spirit, and the Church cannot do without them, but because they do not produce contrition in the silent and monks. Be careful brother; the harvest is abundant (Matthew 9:37), do not forsake it, do not reap straw instead of grain; The grape harvest is plentiful, do not leave gathering spiritual fruits, do not begin to look for grapes after those who have harvested the grapes. And you leave earthly things and take up heavenly things. Reap and take advantage of the fruits of truth. And if you want to rest, make the Lord your friend, become dead to every person. Make yourself the slave of one Master, while you are enslaved by many. He who fears one will not fear many, or rather, many will fear one. Why, child, do you deviate from the path that says: who am I? earth and ashes (Gen. 18:27), and you want to follow the path of obstinacy, full of sorrows and dangers. Where did you leave my words, kept for you day and night? Where have you been and where do you see yourself prevailing? Where have you been and where do I wish you to be? Where are you now, because you love to boss, and you don’t keep your incessant tongue on a leash? Where are the commandments I gave you? Won't they complain about you? Cry and shed tears, do not indulge in lust, do not compare yourself with others in anything; turn your love to another path; depart from the world, finally enter the cross, soar from the earth; shake off the dust from your feet (Matthew 10:14), despise shame, give every person preference over yourself; mourn your dead; Take the beam out of your hair (Luke 6:42). Build up your house, which is in danger of falling. Cry: have mercy on me, Son of David, have mercy on me, that I may see (Mark 10:47, 51). Know that every mouth will be stopped (Rom. 3:19), and do not be lazy to give thanks at all times; Shut your door to the enemy, let your words become Merilech (Sir.21:28), and make your door shut (Sir.28:28); Do not fall asleep carelessly, lest it suddenly touch your ears: Behold the bridegroom, come ye out to meet Him (Matthew 25:6). So what do you say then? - No time, I'm busy. “He put you to rest, and you want to work.” You don’t have time to grieve, shed tears, cry about your sins. Remember what the Lord said about the doors that will be shut (Matthew 25:10). Hurry so as not to be left out with the foolish virgins. Take your thoughts away from this vain life into another age; put aside earthly things and seek heavenly things; leave behind the corruptible and you will find the incorruptible; flee in thought from the temporal, and you will meet the eternal; Mortify your fleshly members so that you may live a perfect life. You know why I say, understand my words. Work on this more carefully, and you will find treasures hidden according to God. Do not disgrace my gray hairs before God, who prays for you day and night. Don’t say, brother: like all monks, so am I. I tell you that there are many plants on the mountains, on the hills, in the forests and in the fields, but some fruitful ones are worthy of a garden, while the barren ones are suitable for burning with fire. It is said: everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin (John 8:34), whether he is a priest, or a king, or a monk, or wears on his head thousands of crowns studded with stones; There is no sight with God (Rom. 2:11). He who has been worthy to put on the holy schema, and does not do deeds befitting it, is a tree that has many leaves and no fruit at all. Therefore, you, who say: like all monks, so do I, such words will not bring any benefit at that hour when your soul is separated from your body, on the contrary, they will serve to your great condemnation, and will become a path to torment. Finally, don’t be arrogant, brother; because the Lord opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Take care, brother, that, in the hope of repentance, having collected for yourself a multitude of evils, you do not reap the sin and remain without mercy. God is not mocked (Gal.6:7). What is done involuntarily is made up for by sincere repentance, and what is done arbitrarily is devoid of any excuse. Run, child, voluptuousness. Understand that its fruit - repentance for you will be bitterer than gall and more than a sharp sword. For if anyone is overcome, he also has work to do (2 Pet. 2:19). Torture and condemnation are also determined for idle speech; How much more so will one who is immersed in voluptuousness fall into this. It is written: If anyone corrupts God’s church, God will corrupt him (1 Cor. 3:17). Will you create the hooks of Christ, the hooks of the harlots? let it not be (1 Cor. 6:15), especially in a consecrated church. Flee, brother, voluptuousness - this mother of destruction and death, do not listen to his words; because it caresses the lambs like a wolf. Flee all entertainment, all amusement, idleness, luxury, beauty of face, creeping eyes; sweet speech is an arrow to the ear, it betrays the members to voluptuousness. The soul of such a person is a cool place for evil spirits and an adviser to evil, and the body is the guardian of unclean thoughts, which, if hidden from him, prevail over him. Almost, brother, your guardian angel; do not sadden the holy Angels, and do not bring joy to the demons. Remember the stench of women, and what benefit there is from it, except the unquenchable fire, the undying worm and the gnashing of teeth; because voluptuousness is enmity against God. Imagine, brother, there is a vigilant Eye in your mind, because it watches your actions, penetrates your heart, searches your thoughts, discovers thoughts that can destroy your soul and body in fiery hell (Matthew 10:28). Test yourself, who are you? Know your nature, know that your body is mortal, but your soul is immortal. Despise the flesh, for it perishes. Take care of the virtue of the immortal spirit. Great and heavy of three; You have a great need for confession, for bitter tears, for intense prayer, for unceasing vigil, for continuous fasting. Be attentive to yourself, child, you walk among snares, because the snares are hidden by the enemy. Therefore, beware lest you hide iniquity in your heart; for he who looks upon a wife lusts her already commits adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28). Therefore, for many, bodily affairs are stopped, but for the one who sins in intention, the sin is completely committed by the speed of thoughts. Remember that what is pleasant to you in the present will lead to a bitter end; and this very pleasure of tickling the body will give birth to a non-dying poison-bearing worm, which will torment us in Gehenna, and the kindling of the flesh will become the mother of eternal fire. A dog bitten by an animal becomes even more irritated with him, the pain in the wound makes him irreconcilable. Imagine, in your mind, a child, sorrow and the cessation of prayer. Imagine in your mind one who sits on cherubim and sees the depths (Dan.3:54). And I, child, did as much as I could according to the word of the Prophet, who says: if you see that your brother is walking in an evil way, and you do not notice it, I will require his blood at your hand (Ezek. 3:18). And in previous letters I told you, and now I’m telling you the same thing. The degree of priesthood is not useful for you, it is not useful for you to teach others and to rule over anyone. Many of the monks, having piously distinguished themselves in the desert by fasting and abstinence, became glorious like a shining luminary; but, willingly or unwillingly, those elevated to the degree of priesthood, having become closer to the world, destroyed those virtues that they acquired with great difficulty, effort and sweat; Having come to serve others, they themselves fell, indulging in the passions of gluttony and love of money, even fell into fornication, and finally they cut off their members with a sword and died a terrible death, I mean mental and physical death. Therefore, the Apostle advises us, saying: everyone who is called quickly in the same rank, let him abide in him (1 Cor. 7:20). You know, brother, why I speak, as a discerning one, discuss my words. May God give you meaning to understand and do useful things; for I think that you have not departed so far from the teaching of the fathers; but on the contrary, you have been and will be a very hardworking example for the benefit of others. Take care, brother, that the magnificent name of God is not blasphemed for your sake. Do not become the source of temptation for those who want to be saved, but rather be a lamb and not a wolf, lest you become a destroyer and not life, a sour grape and not a sweet bunch, tares and not wheat, straw and not gold, excitement and not silence. Be careful, beloved, do not carry out what is being discussed in your discussion, do not become a laughing stock for the laity. And if you pay attention to them, you will go crazy and lose prudence. Rather, turn away from evil and do good (Ps. 33:15). For we believe that you will not disobey our insignificance. But may the grace of God be (as it is) with those who keep the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ! To him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen. If the smell of hand fish had the power to put a demon to flight and drive him far away from Raguel’s daughter; then all the more so will the approaching stench of the Holy Spirit drive out from you the voluptuous spirit hidden in your bodily members, raising waves of sensuality and lust and constantly darkening your thoughts. More than the fierce winds that agitate the sea, the soul of one who has received holy orders is overwhelmed by a terrible rock - vanity. Therefore, most of all, fight vanity, and do not indulge in carelessness, as if you do not fear any harm from it. Fast, abstaining not only from bread, wine, meat and any other foods and drinks, but much more from thoughts, from hearing and talking about anything bad and harmful, from irritability, from envy, from ridicule, and from similar obscenities. In the world, during military recruitment, only husbands and young men are chosen, and the elders are despised, children are abandoned, slaves are not approved, and wives, due to the weakness of nature, are driven away. For the feat according to God, when recruiting warriors of piety, the elders are called, and the young men flock, and the children come running, and the slaves diligently and boldly present themselves, and the wives turn out to be not unworthy of choice, but with ardor and courageously they rush to the devil, and by struggling they overcome the enemy, overcome him, erect victorious monuments, and are crowned every day for defeating their opponents. With a spiritual understanding, read what is written: If your eye is single, your whole body will be full of light (Matthew 6:22). For the body is now called the soul, and the eye is the mind. During the War of Fornication, refuse when invited to a feast. If a guest comes to you; then serve him, and give him peace, and protect yourself in secret by abstinence from both food and drink. The soul abandoned by God is scattered and amused by all kinds and types of sins; why does the Lord say: I will scatter you in the countries, and scatter you among the nations (Ezek. 22:15). When a person, after falling into evil, wanders, becomes overwhelmed, almost drowns, and finally, having come to his senses and sobered up, returns again to the good that is akin to his nature; then God says to him: Your uncleanness will become scarce, and I will rule over you, and you will know that I am Lord (Ezek. 22:15, 16). Your robe abhorred you, that is, your flesh hated your mind, which constantly commands it to do what is forbidden. And that superiors who remain silent when they should speak will be punished for the death of those subordinate to them, look what the Lord says about this. It is said: if you do not agree with the wicked to be protected from his way, that wicked person will die in his sin, but I will require his blood at your hand (Ezek. 3:18). You say that you once wished not to fear a single person, but to fear only God. Therefore, if it is so desirable for you to succeed in this, renounce everything earthly and temporary, and have nothing at all. And I give you my word that you will not be afraid of anyone, neither the consul, nor the mayor, nor the executioner, nor robbers, nor sea robbers, nor the prince, nor the king, nor the demons themselves, nor the ruler of the world, the devil. Why, man, are you running away and into the distance? Imagine that you are the son of a widow (Luke 7:12–16), that is, of a state that is widowed, having lost a truthful and firm way of thinking, and that evil carnal passions and foul-loving demons carrying you for burial carry you away for burial. And therefore, pray with tears that the Lord Christ will deign to touch the bed, that is, the multi-passionate body, and those who bear it, that is, will stop the desire for deadly sin. For when they become and are kept from advancing in evil, the human mind will miraculously resurrect, and much will be given alive to our mourning and weeping mother, Jerusalem on high (John 4:28). For it is said: a voice was heard in Rama, that is, in the highest; because Rama means the height where there is weeping and mourning and much lamentation for fallen humanity (Matthew 2:18). Imitate the great Job, who scraped off the pus and cleansed the worms from the wounds, and cleanse yourself from all the cares of this age, putting aside the evil thoughts and earthly pleasures that nest within you like worms. If Job suffered visibly; then you too must struggle and strive in secret to bring joy to the face of the angels. The angels of God, just as they rejoice when we repent and turn to salvation, also sadden and sigh when they realize that we are arbitrarily enslaved to demons because of sin. What will you do? What will you do when your life ends? When will the sources of life become scarce? When will trouble and sorrow come upon you? When will the doctors give up on you? When will your neighbors despair of you? When, tormented by dry and rapid breathing from intense heat that burns and exhausts your insides, will you sigh from the depths of your heart, but will not find someone sharing your melancholy? When the dead of night comes and no one is able to help you? Will death appear, and some gloomy and unmerciful angels will hasten to take you away? When will terrible forces take you, and drag away your soul, bound by sins, often turning to those left here, and pitifully fighting without a weapon of the voice? Oh, how much you will cry for yourself, while the sources of tears will already be hidden! How long will you sigh, mourning what was done according to evil plans! When after this you see the joy of the righteous at the glorious distribution of heavenly gifts and the despondency of sinners in the deepest darkness, what words will you utter then? What can you say then, your heart hurts? Alas, I did not throw off the sinful burden by repentance when it was easy to lay it down! Alas, I have not washed away the defilements, but I bear on myself the marks of iniquity! Now I would celebrate and have fun with the Angels! Now I would enjoy eternal blessings! Oh, my evil wish! I suffer immortally for temporary sinful pleasure! For carnal pleasure, am I consigned to eternal fire? God's judgment is true 132. I was taught, and I did not listen; Some of the pious testified to me, and I laughed. You will say this and similar things then, mourning yourself, if now you do not listen to good admonitions and reminders, and kidnapped from here, you will be taken to a place where everything that forces you to repent, cry and sigh will not bring any benefit; because these benefits are needed here, and not there. Although we are honored by our freedom of will; however, without help from above we cannot accomplish a single valiant deed on the path of real life. For it is said: because a man cannot bear his way, a man will go lower and straighten his way (Jer. 10:23). Therefore, we will not attribute victories in exploits to ourselves alone; It is up to us to choose only the best and strive for the best, but it is up to God to bring our good desire into fulfillment. Do not present as an excuse of fear and useless excuses, as if 133 you do not dare to ask the Lord, due to the poverty of virtues. It is said: this beggar cried, and the Lord heard and saved him from all his sorrows (Ps. 33:7). What could be more regrettable than sin for those who know and feel themselves? Although I am very far from virtue, you said about yourself, I diligently praise all virtuous men, accept them with applause and glorify them, especially the great silent Rufinus - this heavenly and Christ-bearing vessel. Therefore, know that he who receives the children of virtue gains no small benefit, and after the crowns that will be given to them, he receives a second reward. And the husband you mentioned and I tried to become a friend and praiser. We need nothing more than time; and science is long, and our life is short; and the end of life is near. So stay awake, man. Have you inquired how God betrays those who despise His commandments in the passion of dishonor, and in extremely servile and unclean deeds, according to what the Apostle said: And God gave them over in the passion of dishonor (Rom. 1:26), and in evil undertakings? Therefore, if someone were to say: this man was thrown into a ditch by the sun, which was not visible, after listening to this, we would conclude from this not that the luminary itself pushed him into the ditch who did not want to see him, but that the reason for the fall into the ditch was that the man did not take advantage of the light. So God, rejecting those who do not heed His laws, threats, and shining commandments, plunges into the ditch of sin. In this life, both labor and effort are short-lived, sweat, but great and numerous, even innumerable, are the eternal gifts that Christ abundantly gives to lovers and doers of virtue. Therefore, before the time of eternal torment comes, let us use the medicine of repentance; because God never turns away from anyone who approaches Him in a deplorable state with words asking for mercy. For those who cry over their sins find great consolation. It is useful not to put off turning to the Lord day after day, not to be careless, lazy, slow, but to confess your sins. For through the mouth of Isaiah our Master says: speak your iniquities first, that you may be justified (Is. 43:26). For if you behave in this way in confession, petition and frequent prayers, then you will not hesitate to hear what the Lord will say to you in response: I am the one who blots out your sins and your iniquities (Is. 43:25). What a beautiful and wonderful reciprocity when a person hurries to serve God, and God without delay brings His servant closer to Himself, sincerely and not falsely trying to please the Master! It is truly desirable to tremble and fear, so as not to be deprived of eternal life and the illumination of the Holy Spirit. When we hear what the divine Scripture tells us: Tear off your boots (Ex. 3:5); then we must know that the command is given to us to leave, put aside and reject the previous bad custom and habit. 23. I intercede in the affairs of Parnassius 135 Voluptuousness is the devil's oud, leading to destruction. Lust is the preparer of eternal fire. Voluptuousness is the feeder of the never-sleeping worm. Voluptuousness is death to the immortal soul. Voluptuousness thickens the larynx of the foolish for a short time, and subsequently produces belching more bitter than wormwood. Lust with heat, with fury, and so to speak, with violence, prompts a person to enjoy fetid, and even harmful, uncleanness; and when the desecration is complete, he leaves the one caught and deceived by this reprehensible and damned sweetness as a gift of reproach, heart disease, sorrow, confusion and fear. Which prudent husband would want to throw mud at him? Which sane person would want to smell rot, admire worms, or enjoy a fetid stream? Who would ever agree to sit at the opening of latrines and at the sources of unclean city underground ditches, constantly looking at human droppings and examining stinking wash basins and pits filled with all sorts of stench? Who will agree to descend every day, according to what is written, into the pit of passions and into the mire of destruction (Ps. 39:2)? Which of those who tremble at God will ever decide, like your foolishness, to covet the rottenness of Kallinika? We must expand our spiritual storehouses with great faith and praiseworthy deeds, so that we may become recipients of God’s grace. For it is said: widen the mouth of the spiritual man (Ps. 80:11). When, like a small swallow, we open our lips of understanding, having come to a sense of our thinness 136 and smallness, and bodily humiliation, and turning with all our soul to God; then the grace of the Lord will not hesitate to visit us, and when it comes, it will give us food, like some chick opening its mouth, and communicate, as they say, divine consolations, divine thoughts, divine delight, divine tenderness, divine fear, and wisdom, and love, divine joy, and revelations of great mysteries. It is said: let him descend into the mysterious helicopter city, and let him eat vegetables (Song. 5:1). Therefore, if we have learned that the Lord descended into the city of Vertograd, created by His economy and for His sake, that is, into our world; then let us bring Him the fruits of the Gospel, which He will taste with sweetness, namely: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, mercy, faith, meekness, and most of all self-control (Gal. 5:22, 23), for whom the law does not lie (1 Tim. 1:9); The fact that every person, through demonic thoughts, has fallen from virtue and rushed into a bad life and the most vicious habit, without a doubt, feels tiredness and toil, listen to what the prophecy repeatedly says: we were persecuted, we labored, we could not rest (Pl. 5:5). It is said: remember the Lord from afar, and let Jerusalem come into your heart (Jer. 51:50). I call Jerusalem a peaceful state of soul. Those who were previously far from the Lord due to a bad disposition, now cleave to Him with good hope, faith and prayer. It is said: I remembered the Lord and rejoiced (Ps. 77:4). For in times of oppression and deep spiritual despair, the remembered God not only quenches sorrows, but also produces joy, consoling with indescribable consolation a heart weighed down by the burden of temptations and faint-hearted from the greatness of sorrows. Therefore, it is beautifully said: remember, for there is no perishing death to remember Jesus Christ (Ps. 6:6). Whoever does not diligently feed those under him with the word of God; Let him prepare his backbone for spiritual scourges, and let him courageously endure every temptation. You read in Ezekiel about the elders who burn incense to demons in secret in their beds and say: God has forsaken the earth and does not see what we do in secret (Ezek. 8:11:12). If you have read this, be careful not to portray idols of cold passions in the secret chamber of your soul, do not idolize them, and do not serve them. The secret cell of the soul is the heart, in which many iniquities are committed, visible only to the vigilant Eye. Therefore, elders often commit lawlessness in their hearts. You write: what length of time can be sufficient for success in not swearing? I don't think it would take ten days to break this habit. But if even after ten days we find ourselves swearing; then we will impose punishment on ourselves, and the punishment is very serious, we will determine how to atone for each sin. What exactly? So that the fallen does not remain in the fall, but in repentance seeks salvation, like Lamech, like the prodigal son, like the thief hanging on the cross, through one word of faith he became an inhabitant of paradise. You say that you do not know what words should be used to appease the angry Master. Near you you have Saint Daniel teaching you. Therefore, using his words, fervently beseech God: O Lord, incline Thy ear and hear, open Thy eyes, and see our consumption; it is not on our righteousness that we cast our prayer before Thee. Hear, Lord, cleanse, Lord, attend, Lord, create, and do not hesitate to have mercy, O God (Dan.9:18, 19). Let us finally dare to begin to please God, and we will not lose heart, but we will exert care, not meaning failure. For anyone who intends to learn any art, if he is afraid and has before his eyes everything that can interfere with the matter, will never be able to bring it to the end, such as a swimmer who is afraid of a shipwreck, and a merchant, and a farmer who calculates failures. On the contrary, each of them gets down to business and takes it upon himself, reinforcing 137 himself with good hopes. There is no disaster that cannot yield to God's will. Immediately, by a single wave of the good Lord, the wine is resolved, and the incurable scab disappears. Just don’t weaken, begging with tears the most humane Savior Christ, and sowing good hopes in yourself. And if you are cowardly, you will lose your great salvation. Therefore, take heart and be strong, without upsetting trustworthiness in your heart, and do not forget your heavenly, glorious and rich fatherland, so that, having loved a foreign and poorest home, you do not run the risk of losing your great salvation. People, perhaps not knowing the future, despair of saving those who live extremely viciously. God does not give up hope until they die, but, looking at what follows, he exhorts and calls them all the more. If at the present time demons are tormenting you with various temptations, and plunging you into grave sadness and joylessness, and even into final disaster - despair and hopelessness; then bringing to mind God’s various views on you, intercessions, important help for you, and many blessings before you accepted the monastic image. For such a remembrance will restore a soul that is already ready to fall, moreover, it will strengthen and arouse to hope, and will encourage and repel enemies leading to despair. In addition to this, you must think like this: the Lord, having taken care of me before, when I had not yet served Him, how much more will He now provide for me, will give me help, will show me great benefits, will govern me, who for Him, to the best of my ability, I work, please and serve His mercy. 37. To Mayor Konon If the Lord brought you from non-existence into existence; then all the more will he be able to correct you, who already exists, but has become corrupted by sin and has become seduced into a state that is unnatural for you. For this is what the Lord wants, if only you want it too. There is no vice that cannot be destroyed by saving tears of repentance. And you can easily find out this by bringing it to your mind and taking into account the Lord’s bait, which brought that tax collector out of the depths of unspeakable depravity - this uncatchable prey; - Oudu, who stripped clay with gold, made a captive a valiant warrior and writer of the divine gospel. How did the Lord save the harlot? How did he make a thief worthy of heaven? How did he make the wise men and sorcerers good preachers of His coming into this world? How did he eat and drink with publicans and sinners, out of mercy wanting to benefit them and convert them? How did he give the gracious gift to blasphemers, scolders and persecutors to glorify the All-Perfect and theologize, forced them to lay down their heads for the truth, convinced them to live not for themselves, but only for God, and while still living in a corruptible body, to imitate the life of the heavenly Angels, and to regard everything visible as skills? How did he bring those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, because of their voluptuousness, wickedness and arbitrary indolence in vices, into the light, made them abhor lawlessness, forced them to cast off all uncleanness, completely transformed them into lovers of purity and piety, and gave them the divine treasures of the divine sacraments? Therefore, keeping all this and the like in your thoughts, never despair, man, of salvation; but although the devil will draw you into joylessness and hopelessness, encourage yourself, comfort the sorrowful, admonish the weary, strengthen and encourage yourself, and do not cease to calm your own heart, pointing to the Lover of mankind, because we have a Master who is not a hater of mankind, but a lover of souls, and for us, having laid down His soul, we have acquired the Lord and Savior Christ, the great physician of souls and a body that is above every disease and every infirmity, incurable for all people, and surpasses everything in strength, and has overcome all the power of evil. Therefore, let us not despair at all, my sinful soul, worthy of eternal torment. To be careless, beloved, not to want to endure great and various calamities for Christ is characteristic of foolishness. About the one who is oppressed and is saved, the Songwriter says: when he falls, he will not be broken: for the Lord strengthens his hand (Ps. 37:24), that is, if a good person happens to crawl somewhere, he will not suffer harm, having God as an intercessor and helper. Place a guard on your tongue and eye, often and constantly stretch out your hands to the sky for undisturbed prayer, set your legs in motion according to the will of the holy and most pure Master. In your conversations, let you always have sacredness, thoughtfulness, respect, firmness in your gait and not fidgetiness, little eating in your food intake, moderation in your sleep, zeal and effort in abstinence. Being the most beautiful creation of the most loving God, Who wants salvation for all people, do not complain, do not despair, but hope to improve your salvation, never ceasing to do good yourself, and never preferring anything visible to the salvation of the soul. For for the weakest, it is important to climb at least one step on the ladder of virtues and for now become somewhat higher than the earth. Do not despair of a change for the better, and do not extinguish this clear lamp - the good aspiration and strong hope of the soul in God. For if you know 139 that Lazarus was raised from the dead, and the faithful women received alive from the resurrection of their dead (Heb. 11:35), then you yourself, without a doubt, strengthened 140 with hope, will be able to free yourself from the deadness in the tomb of sin. If you don’t ask a doctor who comes to you to explain how he treats you, you only ask him to cure him; then why do you ask God for a method of salvation? Therefore, when you approach the Lord in repentance, do not be curious about the way to cleanse your sins, but only believe, and marvel, and worship, and sing songs. Otherwise, tell me the method of divine cunning, how was this intelligent living being created from a homogeneous nature, I mean dust, a man composed of so many parts and members, if you only want to pay attention to the dry veins, bones, hair, nails, flesh, brains, blood veins and other diversity and structure of the body? If you cannot say in what way God designed you; then do not demand an explanation of how the soul is healed by divine power and God’s love for mankind, and how it is cleansed from many sins; for where God acts, there is no need to enter into an inquiry into the method of salvation. It is said: I will block the gates of the sea (Job 38:8), that is, with my alms I will hold back the evil of the devil, so that all of it, having suddenly covered you, does not drown you completely. For, according to what is written, the Lord gives alms (Ps. 102:6), and thus he does so that he spares the human race, and does not allow the enemy to tempt the zealous, as much as he wants. Sin exhausts and dries, but faith in Christ makes it flourish and does not disgrace a person who undoubtedly and uncomplainingly trusts. For it is written: Because I humbled them, I became so many (Ex. 1:12). When the face that offended you was remembered, and you, having overcome yourself, were able to free yourself from this recollection, acting like David, because you too have snatched prey from the mouth of lions (1 Sam. 17:35), by lion I mean irritation, and if you still strike the bear, that is an evil desire; then, undoubtedly, your soul will be established in the good things of the Lord (Ps. 24:13). Those who have plunged themselves into a hopeless state, suffering from complete forgetfulness of the Lord, without a doubt, have had the saving spirit of conversion removed from their insides. It is written about them: that those who are not dead in hell, from whom the spirit is taken from their bowels, will give glory to God (Ps. 113:25). Those who grieve over their sins and their laziness, who are attentive as much as possible to their salvation, and rely on their trust in Christ the Savior, will be numbered among those who live eternal life in order to praise the Lord. But every soul that is saddened by the greatness of evils, that walks downcast and weak with darkened eyes, and the thirsty and humble and humiliated soul, will give glory to the Lord of righteousness. Did you ask what is the head of the entourage (Ps. 133:10)? Remember that the Lord commanded to always guard the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). Therefore, the first, carnal and lustful thought put into the mind by the enemy, grows and gathers around itself many evil thoughts. And therefore we will recognize the first germ of evil thoughts as the head. Moreover, since the devil himself has evil hordes of demons accompanying him, he too is called the head of their wickedness. The devil himself is called temptation; temptation is also the way the enemy usually tempts people. You asked what it means when it is written: and the hungry come into your land (1 Samuel 2:5)? Therefore, know: those who greedily desire divine truth, of course, do not care about earthly goods, despise the entire visible earth, and left it, soaring with pious thoughts, passed everything visible, and became heavenly, triumphant with the Angels. Try not to indulge in negligence, drowsiness and floating thoughts, but force yourself to work and deeds of virtue, reasoning that constant work is better than a carefree state. Now we are betrayed to the devil and the fierce forces surrounding him to tempt us for our own benefit, now we need heroic deeds, all kinds of warfare and struggle with opponents, now we will show spiritual courage. It’s still a little, as Scripture says (John 14:19), and we will receive great help from above, we will crush the various edges of the devil, and we will step on the necks of our mental enemies. Let us overcome serpents and scorpions and the power of the enemy that resists us, but let us not be careless. Blessed are you in your silence, serenity and deep fearlessness, since you despised everything that swirls in this corruptible life, entered a calm haven, welcoming the beautiful land there, fled the seas and one another pursuing waves of human suffering, and you have only one concern, how to please the Lord Christ, how to glorify and reign with Him. If we are preparing to taste the mysterious Easter; then let us protect our spiritual feet by abstinence; because with it we will bend and break the needles of mental thorns that prevent us from going from some invisible and subtle beginning to penetrate inside. 54. Bishop Epiphanius 141 In order for our body to remain especially calm and not be disturbed by any of the passions arising from satiety, we must take care of moderation of behavior, setting a measure and rule for the use of those who serve for consolation, not pleasure, but the need for each thing. If pleasure is often mixed with need, because poverty knows how to make everything pleasant, by the power of desire delighting everything invented by need, then one should not reject the need because of the subsequent pleasure, and reject the pleasure that precedes it; but thanks, extracting useful things from everything, one must despise the pleasures of feelings and, due to the ever-present poverty, must, thanks to God, use what is necessary. One must avoid servility, obsequiousness and intemperance in food, but even more so with modesty and reasoning; with the fear of God and with gratitude, one must touch what is offered. Not unimportant evils are sources and conductors of indifferent consumption of food and immoderate laughter; because incontinent laughter and gluttony give rise to an innumerable multitude of sins. The priest must avoid all sin. Somehow, clumsy and bound by laziness, clutching only a book, as I hear, from early morning until sunset, you sit motionless, as if you were welded to the bench with lead, and as if your body was completely strengthened. But this is not what our leader Anthony did; on the contrary, at the direction of the Angel, he sat down to do needlework, then stood up again to pray, and was so enlightened that one day he said to some philosopher: as on a leaf in the nature of creatures, I always read the Lord’s word. And he approached God so much during the night, when the greatest darkness set in, 142 that when day appeared, he was extremely upset and exclaimed: what do I need in you for the sensual light? Therefore, if you know for sure that a house cannot be built from one stone, then do not think that you must only master virtue, that is, reading, but you must finally take up prayer, and sober psalmody, and unflagging vigil, and the like, whatever you can, and gradually improve yourself, and please, as you should 143, God, being zealous for every kind of virtues, and casting off the dirt into the burden of laziness. You write to me: because you are preparing to erect a majestic church in honor of the holy martyrs and Christ himself, glorified by their martyrdom, labors and sweats; then wouldn’t it be very decent to put icons in the sanctuary, and fill the walls on the right and left with images of all kinds of catching animals, so that you could see nets stretched across the ground, hares, chamois and other animals fleeing, hunters rushing after them and zealously pursuing them with dogs, as well as fish thrown into the sea, all kinds of fish caught and fishermen’s hands pulling them out? land; Besides this, make all kinds of images molded from plaster for the delight of the eyes in the house of God; and in the place of the general meeting of the faithful, depict a multitude of crosses and all kinds of birds, livestock, reptiles and plants? And in response to this letter, I will say that it is a decent thing for children and young people to deceive the eye of believers with what was said above. It is typical for mature and courageous sense to depict only a cross in the sanctuary on the eastern side of the church. For the human race is saved by the single saving cross, and hope is preached to desperate people everywhere; and let the holy church, here and there, be filled by the hand of a most skillful painter with the stories of the Old and New Testaments, so that those who do not know the grammar and cannot read the Divine Scriptures, looking at picturesque images, bring to mind the courageous deeds of those who sincerely served the true God, and are excited to compete with their glorious and ever-memorable virtues, according to which they exchanged earth for heaven, preferring the visible invisible. In a place of general meeting of the faithful, divided into many churches, I consider it necessary to provide each church with an honest cross erected in it, and leave everything unnecessary. I advise you, and I beg you, to remain in unflagging prayers, in unshakable faith and in giving alms, and also to protect your wife, children and all your property with humility, unfailing trust in God, teaching in divine words, compassion for the people of the tribe, love of mankind for servants, and fulfilling all the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ. In that other place at different times, with miracles performed daily, the Lord calls those of little faith to firm faith about the unbelievers, and moreover increases the faith and hope of believers, and makes their way of thinking sedate and unshakable. And out of a thousand miracles, I now intend to tell you one miracle of our victorious martyr Plato, who, not only in our fatherland, but in every city and every country, through him gives ready grace to those who ask God, and shows wondrous power. In the mountain called Sinai, where Moses received the law from God, there lived monks, both local and foreign, and among them there was someone, a Galatian by birth, together with his son, who loved a solitary life, performing the exploits of a desert life there for a long time. And one day some barbarians, pagans in faith and desperate people suddenly invaded; Without difficulty, they capture the monks they found, including the son of the elder Galatian, make them captives, and tie their hands back, make many wondrous journeys with them through the deserts, driving them hungry and naked, not equipped with any shoes, through these joyless, waterless and unsmooth places, forcing them to flee by force and under duress, and exhausting them with an unknown fear. The elder, alone, hiding in some secret cave, shed tears, unable to bear the loss of his God-loving son, and begged the Lord Christ to bow to mercy, at the intercession of the Russian martyr Plato. At the same time, the son, bound in captivity, asked God, through the prayers of the same holy martyr, to have mercy on him and perform a miracle. The prayers of both, both the father in the mountain cave and the son in captivity, were heard; and so our Plato, suddenly appearing sitting on a horse and leading another saddled horse, appears to the awake youth, who recognizes him because he has often seen the image of the saint on icons, immediately orders him, rising from the midst of everyone, to take the horse and sit on it. And when, like a cobweb, the bonds on the youth had already been released, he, freed by prayer and rising at the behest of God, rides on a horse, boldly and joyfully following the guiding holy martyr. Soon both Saint Plato and the young monk, as if inspired, reach the dwelling in which the elder prays and cries; I, the victorious martyr, having saved his beloved son to the grieving father, becomes invisible. So in every place, the ever-memorable and illustrious ascetics of the Lord Christ can perform any extraordinary and wonderful deed for those who cry through them to God. I wrote this to you, as a lover of martyrs and always insatiably ready to honor the memory of the blessed martyrs. That is, you are earth, and you will go back to earth (Gen. 3:19). This is how it reads from the manuscript. According to the manuscript it reads: ἀκομασσαμενης. Instead of: ἐιρηνηκή according to the manuscript it reads: ἐαρινη. Words: except for the truth, supplemented from the manuscript. In the printed edition this letter is divided into two, but in the manuscript it is one. In glory In the translation, these words are read differently, but in the seventy they are read in this order: establish Zion for yourself, create torment, give your heart to your shoulders, the path you have walked in, and so on. This name meant employees at the royal court, and those who occupied the lowest place in the rank of court services. The order of these ranks was as follows: candidate, groom, squire. The word is most important, supplemented from the manuscript. The words that follow are taken from the manuscript. But how does it serve as a connection with the letter from the 7th printed edition, which begins with the words: for if even a little, then this letter is attached to the 6th letter. Word: supplemented daily according to the manuscript. This word has been supplemented from the manuscript. Instead of: τέμς according to the manuscript it reads: τέλεσυ. Instead of: ὑποταγῆς according to the manuscript it reads: ὑπακοῆς According to the manuscript, instead of: σὠμασι it reads: πτὠμαι. This letter combines three letters according to the Greek edition, namely: 110, 111 and 113. Of these, 111 beginning with the words: “this patient,” he says, and 113 beginning with the words: “that is, this one” are read as one according to the manuscript, and the 110th, which is not read in the manuscript, is added as containing the general idea revealed in the letters 111 and 113. Instead of: ποὑσπιλον according to the manuscript it reads: πολὐπειρον. Επιπἰϑηοιν, as read in the manuscript. Instead of μέλεσι, the manuscript reads βέλεσι. The last two words are added from the manuscript. The Legend of Bishop Carpe borrowed from St. Neil from the Epistle of St. Dionysius the Areopagite to the monk Demophilus. From this message, lost in the letter of St. Nile's place can be filled in this way: those who grew up with them corrupted one newly resurrected one, so that, having renounced Christ, he again returned to paganism. Distressed by this St. Karp, waking up one day at midnight, when he usually got up to pray, indignant at the seduced man and at those who had seduced him, utters a formidable curse on them, begging God that with one strike of lightning these wicked and worthless ones would be deprived of their lives. The translation follows the order of speech in accordance with the manuscript. According to the manuscript it reads: καταβαςυνὐμεϑα. The last words were added according to the manuscript. The speech has been supplemented from the manuscript. According to the Slavic translation for me. This letter, according to the manuscript, is composed of two, which in the printed edition are read under numbers 317 and 318. In Greek, the speech is clearly incomplete, and therefore supplemented in the translation. Instead of: συνεργηϑῆναι according to the manuscript it reads: ἐυοδωϑἤναι. This is how this name is read according to the manuscript. Instead of: λόγχος it should read: λόχος. Sl. from Greek oven editions of the book 2. writing 137. This is translated from the manuscript. Slici in Greek. publication. Book 2. Pis. 138. Compare with Greek. edition. Book 2. Pis. 139. This has been supplemented according to the manuscript. Compare in Greek, edition book 2. Pis. 93. According to the manuscript it reads: εϰεῖνος μεν ὕτω σώζεται τῶ τρώπο τὴς μετανοίας and so on. This has been supplemented by comparison with the written text. 110th book. 2. in a printed Greek edition, or in letters. 109 books 2. by hand translation. According to the manuscript, instead of: μετ ἐυλογἰας it reads: μετ ἐυλαβείας (with reverence). Instead of: πολεμιυς according to the manuscript it reads: πολέμες. Instead of: μνώμενκι according to the manuscript it reads: κραγματευόμενοι. In the printed edition, letter 54 begins with this, but according to the manuscript it is a continuation of the previous letter 53. The translation was made according to the manuscript, and according to it, three printed letters were combined into one letter. publication, namely: 59, 60, 61. And in the print. ed. these letters are joined together; see book 4 letters 7th. In the printed edition, a special letter under No. 67 begins here, but in the manuscript it is not separated from the previous one. And in this letter, according to the manuscript, three letters are combined according to the printed edition: 72, 73 and 74. The speech was supplemented according to the manuscript, in accordance with which the letters in print. edition 79 and 80 are combined together. In this letter, according to the manuscript, letters 85, 86, and 88 of the printed edition are combined. A few words are missing from the original; the meaning can be supplemented as follows: those who are accustomed to serve him at suppers. In this letter, according to the manuscript, letters 99, 100 and 101 are combined together. publications These words are supplemented from the manuscript. The speech that begins here is supplemented according to the manuscript. This letter in the printed edition is divided into two, namely 109 and 110. In this letter, according to the manuscript, letters 130 and 131 are combined together in the printed edition. In this letter, according to the manuscript, two letters in the printed edition are combined, namely: 139 and 140. This letter combines three letters according to the printed edition, namely 144, 145 and 146, the first two according to the manuscript, and the last according to the connection of speech. Instead of the words: καὶ της περιβολῆς τῦ μοναχικῦ, etc., the manuscript reads: καὶ πρὸ τῦ μοναχικῦ. These words, according to some editions of the translation of the seventy, are read in 2 books. Kings ch. 7, art. 19. This beginning of the letter has been supplemented according to the manuscript. This is how it reads in the printed edition below; see book. 4 letters 25. Here the letters, in the printed edition 161, 162 and 163, according to the manuscript, as containing one continuous thought, are combined into one letter. According to the manuscript for the letter on printing, ed. 165 are joined here by the next two letters 166 and 167. Instead: τὸ ὄνομα is read from the manuscript; τὸὄμμα. This word has been supplemented according to the manuscript. According to the printed edition, a new letter begins here, namely: 172, but according to the manuscript it is not separated and forms the conclusion of the previous one. The letter that begins here is in the oven. ed. 174 is clearly a continuation of the previous one. It is connected with the previous one and according to the manuscript. Here the speech is supplemented from the manuscript. Instead of: γενναίαν according to the manuscript it reads: βελτίσιην. According to the manuscript, instead of: ἐτέραν it reads: οτερεἀν. These words have been supplemented according to the manuscript. Based on the manuscript of the letter in the printer. edition 192 and 193 are one (as in this translation) and are inscribed to the monk Cyril. The letter that begins here in printed edition 198, in content, according to the manuscript, is one with the previous one. According to the manuscript, the following letter includes three seal letters. ed., namely 201, 202 and 203. And this letter in the printed edition is needlessly divided into three, namely: 205, 206 and 207, whereas according to the manuscript it is one. This letter, according to the manuscript, is composed of three letters to print. published, namely: 209, 210 and 211. This letter, according to the manuscript is one, in the printed edition there are two, namely: 215 and 216. Instead of: τῆ προνοἰα according to the manuscript it reads: τῆ διανοία. And this letter is in the oven. ed. in vain it is divided into two, namely: 217 and 218, while in the manuscript it is one. The entire speech that follows until the end of the letter is supplemented from the manuscript. Letters from the printed edition 225, 226 and 227, according to the manuscript, constitute one letter here. These words in the manuscript are linked into one letter in writing. ed. letters 229 and 230. Instead of: ἐ χρήζεν according to the manuscript it reads: ἐ χρονίζη. Supplemented according to the manuscript, according to which the letters for publication are joined together here. edition 233 and 234. Starting here in print. ed. 235 letter in the manuscript is not separated from the previous one. Instead of: ἀισϑάνοντι according to the manuscript it reads: ἀμαρτάνοντες. Instead of: βοηϑῶμεν according to the manuscript it reads: φοβηθῶμεν. According to the manuscript: καταλιμπάνεσι. This passage is translated from the manuscript. This is how the letter is written in the manuscript. Here, reading from the manuscript is preferred: τἀς τῶ μνημονικῶ εγκολαφϑείσας κακας μνήμας. According to the manuscript it reads: δήποτε τρόπω ευλόγω ἤ αλόγω ρεμυεσϑαι τὀν νοῖν αγοινιζεται. Instead of: συνεχως according to the manuscript it reads: νουνεχως. The word: carnal is supplemented according to the manuscript. The last speech has been supplemented from the manuscript. So according to the manuscript in which letters 304 and 305 are in print. edition are combined together, as was done in the translation. This is inserted here according to the manuscript, but in the printed edition it forms a special letter 320. The inscription is taken from the manuscript. Instead of: τῆ αμαρτία in the manuscript it reads: τῆ ἀμορφία. According to the manuscript it reads: ὡς μήδολως. According to the manuscript: Bishop Theocritus. The title of the position attributed to Parnasius above the book is retained here. 3. writing 147, where in the inscription instead of the word: φησκῶ the word is used: συνηγορῶ. Instead of: τῆς διανοίας according to the manuscript it reads: τῆς ἐυτελείας. Instead of: δουλόυμενος according to the manuscript it reads: ἐπερειδόμενος. In the manuscript, before the word: ἕγνως there is no negative particle: μὴ. Instead of: νεκρωϑεὶς according to the manuscript it reads: νευρωϑεὶς. Instead of: σκοπίας according to the manuscript it reads: σκοτίας. Instead of: δὴ according to the manuscript it reads: δεἵ.