Келейное правило

First of all, do not abandon the church rule, then perform cell service, and then pray with zeal (2, part 2, p. 98). The Philokalia defines the order of wise ascetics who performed a small, ordinary cell rule every day, and spent the rest of the day and night in the Jesus Prayer. But out of habit, you cannot suddenly move on to this, at least do not be embarrassed when it is inconvenient for you to complete your entire rule, and especially do not force you to re-read the same thing when the enemy induces oblivion, and sometimes this happens from fatigue and exhaustion, as Gregory of Sinaite explains that when performing a long rule, there are soaring and dissipation of thoughts. It is truer and more useful to reproach yourself for inattention and reconcile yourself. It is said that no flesh will be justified by works, but only by the faith of Jesus (see Gal. 2:16) (2, part 2, pp. 177–178). [...The monk tells the priest that it is difficult to bow to the ground. The elder responds to this: “If you cannot bend down to the ground, make bows from the waist, and if you cannot bow from the waist, say the Jesus Prayer with your lips. The Holy Prophet David said: His praise is in my mouth (Ps. 33:1). Due to weakness, illness, this is allowed” (1, part 2, p. 3).] If you can’t accomplish five hundred in the evening, then pray better in the morning (5, p. 70). Do not make your bows, but if you want, then get up at night (5, p. 70). You shouldn’t say: “I’m going to do a rule,” but say: “I’m going about my business.” Otherwise tell her: “Let’s read the akathist to the Kazan Mother of God” (1, part 2, p. 70). It is better to correct the clear rule in the usual way, because it is better when the source flows continuously, even a little, rather than a lot with interruptions (2, part 2, p. 82). When someone performs the cell rule and in the midst of it feels a special mood of spirit for the Jesus Prayer or for the teaching in any saying of Scripture, then he can leave the cell rule for a while and take up one or another of what has been said. This is what experienced fathers teach us (2, part 2, p. 83). ...should come before everything except the church. It’s better to leave something else, but the rosary rule, even if it’s a single one, try, except for holidays, to say the Jesus Prayer every day and say the Jesus Prayer more often - this is most necessary (2, part 2, p. 91). Having finished the rule of prayer, you can pray, for which zeal will come (2, part 2, p. 98). When the desire comes to pray among the rules with a special prayer and with bows, then there is no need to interfere with such a mood (2, part 2, p. 98). <You write>... to allow you to leave your usual rule for your entire trip to N. May God bless you to leave the usual rule and constantly adhere to the Jesus Prayer, which can calm the soul more than performing a large cell rule. One of the former experienced elders named Vasily explained it this way: “He who adheres to a large cell rule, when he fulfills it, is instigated by vanity and conceit, but when for some reason he cannot fulfill his rule, he is embarrassed. And he who constantly adheres to the Jesus Prayer remains equally in a humble mood, as if he were doing nothing, and he has nothing to ascend with” (2, part 2, p. 177). ...You ask permission to leave forever the reading of the four kathismas of the Psalter, which you were sure to read. God bless you to leave. The Lord does not require anyone to perform feats beyond their strength and capabilities. You began to complain about weakness of the head, and, moreover, you are the abbess, obliged to oversee the behavior of the sisters and the external affairs and needs of the monastery; How is it possible for you to carry out the great rule in your cell? The ancient fathers and deserted ones were content with reading 12 psalms in the morning and evening, and spent the rest of the time on needlework, reading spiritual books and the Jesus Prayer (2, part 2, p. 178). You should not give up handicrafts, but should only do them at a decent time, without leaving behind the rosary rules and other prayer readings, from which the enemy distracts you, because everything blessed constitutes a significant benefit for the monk, which is why doing it can be difficult and, as it were, inconvenient, and as if everything and everyone interferes with it. The causes and severity of such inconveniences are the enemy’s trick and distraction, since he does not like everything blessed. Knowing this, be compelled to fulfill what is prescribed with blessing, and do not abandon the oral Jesus Prayer (2, part 3, p. 8). You write to me about your painful condition, that you are extremely exhausted, and yet the common meal cannot satisfy you, as a result of which you often grumble. And despite such exhaustion, you have imposed on yourself the feat of going to all church services and, in addition, every day in your cell you read the akathist, the Gospel and the Psalter chapter by chapter, as a result of which you have no time to rest and no zeal for obedience. If you are sick, you may not go to church services on weekdays at all, because you can only remain healthy until the Six Psalms if you are obedient. I advise you to completely abandon the cell rule that you have imposed on yourself and use this time for rest, then you will be more willing to obey, and your spirit will be calmer. Do not forget that obedience is higher than fasting and prayer, and try to refrain from grumbling to the best of your ability (2, part 3, pp. 45–46). You are all concerned about the minute precision of the rule. Care more about the quality of prayer and spiritual peace, but otherwise the sick should be more humble (2, part 3, p. 90). You are allowed to fulfill the double cell rule only in such a case when, after completing everything, there is still strength and time left, and if you are weak, it is enough to do it once (2, part 3, p. 92). In general, I will note to you that you are always branching the path of piety. This path is simple, but for you everything turns out to be somehow complicated and petty, you keep worrying about petty details and rules. I have already spoken and written to you, and I repeat again that, according to St. John of Damascus, the sick and weak regarding external labors and exploits should work as much as they can, considering both their weakness and their strengths, and then the main rule for them is gratitude and humility, i.e. so that he can endure the illnesses and infirmities sent to him not only without grumbling, but also thank God for everything, and in his malfunction humble himself before the Lord and people (2, part 3, pp. 92–93). Before the All-Night Vigil, should you go to Compline, when it happens separately - in this regard, consider your strength. After the all-night vigil, when she departs late, you can read the end of the prayers for sleep for those coming (“Vladyka, Lover of Mankind, is this bed really for me...”). The canons can be read before the all-night vigil, as long as you have time (2, part 3, p. 94). They don’t enter someone else’s monastery with their own rules, and they don’t come to a monastery with their own rules. The main thing for you is to obey, wisely according to God, the monastery authorities and adapt to the general order, but privately do in simplicity what you can, and the Lord will accept even the small rule, performed with humility. The importance is not what rules we follow, but how we fulfill them. You are still grieving in bewilderment that maybe you are doing something wrong. Saint Climacus says that to doubt and remain perplexed about something for a long time is a sign of a proud and love-loving soul. You write: even the healthy are attacked by laziness and weakness. But a healthy person can be forced, but a sick person, if he is forced beyond his strength, there is embarrassment upon embarrassment, according to St. Isaac the Syrian. For a patient to set different rules for himself means never wanting to get out of an embarrassed state. You often ask me, but you don’t listen to my words and still hold on to your wisdom. How many times have I told and written to you that the weak and weak, as St. John of Damascus says, need humility and gratitude most of all (2, part 3, p. 97). I am sending you a piece of paper with the meaning of the canons, as they are read in our monastery. If you listen to any of the above in church, you no longer need to read it in your cell, and if you don’t read it in church, you can read it in your cell if you have the time and energy. And if when you don’t have time to subtract something due to weakness and other circumstances, then do not be embarrassed, but replace it with humble self-reproach. But first of all, you should always remember the words of the Monk Macarius of Egypt: “If someone forces himself to prayer until he receives gifts from God, and does not force himself to humility, love, meekness and other virtues to the same extent, then sometimes God’s grace comes to him through his prayer and petition; because God is good and merciful and gives to those who ask Him what they ask. But, without preparing and accustoming himself to the virtues listed above, he either loses the mercy of God, or accepts and falls, or does not succeed due to arrogance; because he does not devote himself wholeheartedly to the commandments of the Lord” (2, part 3, p. 101). ...By virtue of the establishment of the holy fathers, one should devote the morning until noon to prayer, and then take care of revealing thoughts to the elders and talking with them. The last word may include reading the patristic writings (2, part 3, p. 112). ...You wrote that when you are sick, it is difficult for you to bow to the ground, and you ask: what should you do? And I have told you about this more than once and written that it is harmful to force a weak body beyond its strength and that this only results in embarrassment upon embarrassment. If you cannot make prostrations, make bows at the waist, either standing, sitting, or even lying down, say a prayer, and instead of bowing, at least make the sign of the cross at the first 30 prayers of each hundred when fulfilling the inaccurate five hundred rule (2, part 3, p. 140). You might be interested in: