Глава 6. О том, что подвижнику не должно без осторожности проводить время со всякими людьми

But one should not trust anyone without caution and reveal oneself to everyone. For whoever lives according to God has many slanderers, and often those closest to him spy on his life. Therefore, it is necessary to have meetings with strangers not without preliminary testing. For if the Savior, as the Gospel says, did not trust everyone, it is said: “Jesus Himself did not give their faith to Himself” (John 2:24), if He, pure, blameless, blameless, righteous, He, Who is all virtue, did so, then we, sinners, creepers, not always faithfully moving towards the goal - either due to our natural weakness, or by cunning the one who cunningly and relentlessly fights with us - by presenting ourselves to curious people, will we not incur evil slander on ourselves and will we create temptations for ourselves? For vicious people often try to slander wonderful deeds and will not tolerate even unimportant mistakes being left unmocked. Therefore, you need to be careful when entering into conversations with strangers. They also have another illness from ignorant judgments about those who have withdrawn from the world: they think that in those who have changed their way of life, it is not only the disposition that has changed, but human nature itself has been rebuilt; They do not reason that ascetics are subject to the same passions and overcome them with spiritual strength and by removing themselves from pleasures, but they believe that passions are completely eliminated from their physical nature. And therefore, if a spiritual person has deviated somewhat from perfection, immediately everyone, even the former most ardent praisers and admirers, become cruel accusers and accuse themselves of having previously lavished insincere praise. Just as in the field, if a wrestler slips, the enemy immediately attacks him, strikes him and brings him to a complete fall, so they, as soon as they see that the one living in the feat of virtue has deviated somewhat from perfection, attack him as if with arrows, striking him with reproaches and slander, and do not judge within themselves that they themselves are daily wounded by passions with thousands of arrows; Ascetics of piety, even if such passions fight against them, either suffer little harm from them, or often none at all, and, moreover, having a stronger enemy than them. Since the ascetics volunteered to fight the enemy, it is very important for the evil one to gain victory over them, but on the contrary, to remain defeated means to receive a mortal wound, as if he had suffered a complete defeat in all parts of virtue. And the enemy despises the fight with those who have given themselves over to the world, partly because many of them arbitrarily strive for defeat, being caught in sin by various pleasures and lusts and giving the enemy an easy victory over themselves, partly because, apparently, those who are somewhat opposed to sin with various entertainments are easily evaded from the fight, turn their backs and, relentlessly defeated, bear the shameful signs of the victory over them victory. If sometimes, having overcome the aspiration of worldly entertainment, they were able to dare to fight the evil one, then they endured not such struggles, but in many ways and infinitely less in comparison with ascetic ones. For one strives to retain for himself what belongs to him by right, and stubbornly struggles in disputes about real goods, while the other yields to those who dispute what belongs to him by right, fulfilling what was said: from him who takes yours, do not torture (Luke 6:30). One, having received a blow, responds with a blow and, having suffered an insult, pays back with an insult and thinks that this supports equality, while the other endures until the one who inflicts the insult or blows feels sated. And one tries to gain the upper hand over all bodily pleasures, while the other spends his life satiated with pleasures. Therefore, how can a worldly person be considered a fighter in comparison with an ascetic? Then there are other things that those attached to real life usually suffer when they judge their exploits. As soon as the ascetic, after a long period of not eating, recognized the need to reinforce the body with food, they want him, as incorporeal and immaterial, either not to take food at all, or to take as little as possible. And if they see an ascetic who does not spare his body at all, but at least satisfies his real need in something, then they slander, slander, and call him some kind of glutton and delicacy, spreading the reproach and mockery of one to everyone. But they don’t reason that they themselves eat the heaviest and fattiest dishes twice, some of them three times a day, load themselves with an immense pile of meat and pour an immeasurable amount of wine, and with the same greed they rush to the table, like dogs let loose from their leash after a long period of hunger. But true ascetics eat the driest food, which, although light, has little nutritional content, and eat one meal every day; Having learned to lead life in strict order and eating food moderately and wisely, they have the right, when eating with a bold conscience, to serve the body what it needs. And therefore it is fitting that our freedom should not be judged “from another conscience” (1 Cor. 10:29). For if we eat food with thanksgiving, why do they blaspheme us for the very thing for which we give thanks, accepting meager and cheap food with such joy as they do not accept the brilliant and valuable preparations of a table rich in dishes? But if one of the people I have mentioned is known for his prudence and reverence and looks at our life with respect, it is not contrary to prudence to allow him to come to the meal with prudence, if he asks for it. You might be interested in: