Глава 17. Сколькими способами возникают в душе лукавые помыслы

Since previously, although we talked about thoughts, we did not explain how many ways there are in which evil thoughts arise in a sound mind, now we considered it fair to add this too, so that the study of this subject would be complete. So, there are two ways in which obscene thoughts confuse the common sense: either the soul, out of its own negligence, wanders around what is indecent for it, and moves from one dream to another, the most senseless, or this happens through the malice of the devil, who tries to present the mind with obscene objects and diverts it from contemplation and attentive examination of praiseworthy objects. Therefore, when the soul, having weakened the firmness and concentration of thought, awakens in itself the first memories it encounters of objects taken indiscriminately, then the thought, ignorantly and recklessly carried away by the memories of these objects and dwelling on them for a long time, passes from one delusion to another, leading it even further, until, finally, it plunges into vile and incongruous thoughts. But such negligence and such absent-mindedness of the soul must be corrected and diverted from itself by a more concentrated and strict attention of the mind, and at every present moment the soul must be constantly occupied with thinking about what is beautiful. When the devil begins to plot his intrigues and with great force tries to let his thoughts into a silent and at peace soul, like some sort of kindled arrows, suddenly ignite it and produce in it long-lasting and ineradicable memories of the one who was once impressed with it, then such attacks must be repelled with sobriety and the strongest attentiveness, just as a fighter, with the strictest caution and resourcefulness of the body, deflects blows from himself. opponents, and meanwhile everything, that is, the cessation of the battle and the reflection of arrows, should be attributed to prayer and calling for help from above. For this is what Paul teaches us, saying: “over all... taking up the shield of faith, in it you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Eph. 6:16). Even though during these prayers he began to put in crafty dreams, the soul does not cease to pray and let it not honor these crafty efforts of the enemy, these dreams of the wizard yaumatopoioa, inexhaustible in the machinations, with its own growths, but having judged that the appearance of indecent thoughts happens in us due to the relentlessness of the inventor of craftiness, the more strongly let him fall to God and pray to Him to scatter the evil barrier of those remaining in memory of obscene thoughts, so that by the desire of one’s mind, unhindered, without any delay and instantly, flow to God, when the invasions of evil thoughts will not in the least block the path. If such a rebellion of thoughts continues due to the recklessness of the one at war with us, then even in this case we should not fall into despair and leave exploits halfway, but endure until God, seeing our steadfastness, illuminates us with the grace of the Spirit, which puts the attacker to flight, purifies and fills our mind with Divine light and makes it possible for our thoughts to serve God with joy in untroubled silence. You might be interested in: