Часть II

(1) That we should not live indifferently, but must be attentive to ourselves and constantly be prepared My fathers, brothers and children. If our feat had as its goal something physical or earthly, then after frequent teachings to you in the past, I would now have the right to think that I had already fulfilled my duty. But since we are dealing with an immortal soul, which, for its virtue or evil, as one saint said, will face eternal praise or endless punishment, 378 it is necessary for me to teach in addition to the previous teachings, to teach even further, in addition to the old catechumens, to speak new ones, and so to do all the time that I hold my breath, so that in this way we can save our souls from the present evil one, due to the presence of evil spirits 379, century. So, children, we have already celebrated the upcoming holidays, as well as the feast of the Epiphany, that is, the appearance of our Lord (2) Jesus Christ. Time flies and draws us towards the end of this fleeting life. How reasonable, as I often repeat, is the person who does not waste time in an indifferent ( αδιαφορώ ζωη ) 380 life and in committing the devil’s abominations! How prudent is the one who spends his life with attention and who does not allow himself to be carried away by negligence, but, preparing for death, constantly strains himself and presents his, both spiritual and physical, work as pure before the face of the Almighty God! How wise is the one who turns his soul's gaze to the mountain, to the sky, who, contemplating there, although, albeit vaguely, the beauty of the heavenly sights, transfers all his aspirations into the thirst for this alone, and who, soaring with the highest Powers, after that no longer finds anything difficult for himself, but endures insults, humiliation, and suffering, hunger, thirst, cold, (3) heat and rolls, according to Scripture, among his brothers like a stone holy (Zechariah 9:16). And I really know among you not one or two, but many who, in accordance with what has been said, listen and perceive my instructions, who are submissive, meek, obedient, enduring, frank and distinguished by great devotion. True, they did not acquire great knowledge in grammar (γραμμάτων), dialectics (σοφισμάτων), did not engage in much reading (αναγνωσμάτων) or memorization ( εκστηισμάτων), they are unskilled in singing (διαψαλμάτων), but they have one thing that reason requires and with which they are like Christ, namely, humility and meekness, for it is said: learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart (Matthew 11:29). So, my beloved children, turn your attention to light and truth, righteousness and bliss, that is, to simplicity and kindness. Do not think that by listing all this, I am hinting at myself to be praised - but I am saying this for you, gentlemen and rulers, beloved and dear not only of mine, but also of God, for for your sake, simply - for the sake of our common salvation, all my exploits and sufferings. Therefore, I ask you, save yourself completely from irritability and malice: sons of humanity, it is said, how long will hardness of heart last? Do you love vanity and seek lies? (Ps. 4:3). Why does the enemy blaspheme, irritate the enemy (Ps. 73:10)? Forgive me for these words, but I am ashamed of the Angels, who, like our guards, watch over us and what we do; I am also ashamed of our holy and reverend fathers, whose way of life we ​​have accepted and are living. What pertains to piety, brothers, let us do piously and fulfill holy things holy. Do not, I ask you, be stubborn, intractable, argumentative, nor rude, nor irritable, nor arrogant in speech, nor scoffers, nor gossipers, nor talkers, nor laughers, nor shameless; be not lovers of fornication, but lovers of God (4), love silence rather than talk, do not be dandy - wear poor clothes, eyes down, and spirit down, looking vigilantly around you, so that at a time when you are not vigilant, you will somehow not receive wounds from the arrows of sin. After all, what will be the end of all this? For your labors you will be destined for repose, for deeds - crowns, for insults - honors and glory, for humiliation - praise and approval, for forgiveness - remission of sins and joy, for submission - power over ten cities (Luke 19:17), for separation from parents and relatives - inheritance and co-inheritance with our Lord Jesus Christ, for cutting off your will - establishment with the first martyr Stephen; and just as suffering is temporary, very light and passes like a shadow, so, on the contrary, the reward for it is eternal, indestructible and endless. If you want to receive the Kingdom of Heaven, taste immortal life, achieve adoption 381, become inhabitants of paradise, be carried to Abraham's bosom (see Luke 6:22), enjoy in a palace not made with hands (cf. Matt. 9:15) and gain everything else, then all this is possible for you 382, ​​achievable, it is already prepared, you just have to stretch out your hands. If you head in the other direction, then you will be met there by an unquenchable fire (Mark 9:44; Luke 13:28), a poisonous worm, hellish flames, gnashing of teeth, standing with goats (see Matt. 25:32–33), the condemnation that will befall the damned (Matthew 25:41), etc. May this not happen to us! But we will not avoid this, my children, if we do not truly organize our lives, as was indicated, (5) if we do not lead it according to the rule, decently. He who lives so well and piously gains not only his soul, but also his brothers, and also me, the accursed; he, even his face and word, are dear to the Lord, blessed is he, and he will be remembered with praise. What, on the contrary, is the benefit of the stubborn from his stubbornness, the disobedient from his disobedience, the disobedient from his disobedience, and the proud from his pride? Are they not storing up wrath for themselves on the day of wrath and revelation of God’s righteous judgment (Rom. 2:5)? Isn’t their work like firewood, hay and straw, and aren’t the words fulfilled on them: His work will be burnt up, it will be lost, but he himself will be saved, just as by fire (1 Cor. 3:12-15)? For in the next century, hellish fire will truly cleanse us from the sinful thorns that have entangled us, we will burn in it forever and not be consumed, we will see the glory of the saints, we will desire it, but we will be deprived of it, as a result of this we will weep and cry 383, but in vain and to no avail. May none of us, children, reach such a state and such a fate! While we are still alive, in order to avoid the coming fire, let us purify ourselves with the fire of the fear of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. That we should fulfill our obediences with a clear conscience and not do the works of the Lord carelessly My brothers and fathers. If the sower rejoices when he throws seeds into the ground, then how can I, the humble one who sow the word of catechumen in you, not rejoice even more? He reaps (6) ears of corn, which provide temporary food for the body, and I - your virtues 384, eternal food for the soul. Therefore, children, I rejoice and have fun. The only thing that saddens me is my sins, and even the fact that I am not able to teach you as it should be for your dear souls. But accept what I, meager and humble, can give, and with your wealth enrich me, poor and poor in virtues, for, although I am a father, I cannot, according to the Apostle, gain wealth for you, my children (2 Cor. 12:14). Virtues are eternal nourishment for the soul I made this comparison in order to gain your indulgence. But, on the other hand, since farming requires that the farmer look after the field, clear it of all weeds and thorny grasses, then, my children, I should also look after your souls, for your souls receive wounds from various external circumstances 385 . Therefore, watch how you grow, how you rise, how you sing, how you bring your excellent life to God and me as fruit. In your submission gain your souls (Luke 21:19), in humility - lift up the horn of your life, in obedience show the testimony of your conscience (2 Cor. 1:12), fulfilling your ministries without guile and deception. Whoever is assigned where, one here, another there, work without being offended, without hostility and without neglecting the work: let everyone, as before the face of God, in order, according to his conscience, properly give or receive everything he needs, in order to hear on that day: Well done, good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few, I will set you over many: enter into the joy of your Lord (Matt. 25:23). For those who, without the fear of God, either give out clothes, shoes, money for spending, or indicate a reading, or give an order, an answer, or assign punishment, are unworthy of such a voice. (7) Such persons deserve a different, opposite answer: you see, you are contemptuous, and you marvel at miracles, and disappear (Hab. 1:5), says the Lord, and: cursed is everyone who does the work of God with negligence (Jer. 48:10). What to rejoice and mourn about For what actually comes out of this? Passions take over the soul, as one begins to look at the other and become upset (which is completely fair) at the issuing manager. But I do not say this so that you, the recipients, will begin to track down, compare and inspect this or that brother’s dress or shoes, for example, for this is a slippery, dangerous and insidious business; to be happy with everything, as Basil the Great says 386, is your duty, but those in power will bear responsibility for this; and so that you, those in charge, with the fear of God and love, use the power given to you completely impeccably, depending on what is entrusted to whom, issue and assign impartially and according to merit clothing, shoes, books, readings, write-offs, money for expenses, or, so as not to list in detail, everything else in general. If you do this, then you, my beloved, will have peace and quiet (ευστάθεια και γαλήνη). Yes, yes, my sanctified brothers, I ask and pray you, fill your hearts with goodness 387, give yourselves to each other in love, rejoice at the distinction of others, grieve at the fall of your neighbor. Like the earthy one, it is said, so are the rings, and like the one who is in heaven, and so are the heavenly ones (1 Cor. 15:48). Our God, who is in heaven, loves alms and justice (Ps. 100:1), and His mercies, as David sings, fill the earth (Ps. 119:64). Behold, let us also become like Him; Today we will succeed in one thing, and tomorrow we will move on; Let us not be discouraged in poverty, let us not be conceited in the presence of abundance: in the latter case, let us thank God, for this is the work of neither a willing nor a present, but a merciful God (Rom. 9:16), and in the former, let us wait, (8) and our hope will be fulfilled: for everyone who asks, it is said, receives, and it will be opened to the one who interprets (Matthew 7:8). This is how, my children, gradually rising higher and higher, work for the salvation of your souls day after day. Now is the time for joy, true joy, not a perishing purchase. Now is the time for running, but spiritual running, the time for enrichment with goods, but with eternal benefits. Blessed is he who strives; Blessed is he who endures the feat; all-blessed is he who constantly increases in himself the fire of aspiration and love for God. You, my children, will not die, but will live, will not be separated, but will be united, will not receive dishonor, but will be glorified, if only to the very end you will firmly and unswervingly keep the vow of sacred obedience, through the prayer of my father and yours 388 in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. That we should abhor self-love and pride, because of which we fell from the heights of our angelic life My fathers, brothers and children. The current circumstances require only a brief announcement. And I even wanted not to say a word at all until the opportunity came to preach again with a calm heart. Because of my sins, now we, due to the turmoil in the world, do not have a quiet life. We here declare one king, and our brethren outside - another 389. (9) Fellow tribesmen sharpen their swords against each other, troops move, a terrible warrior is inflamed with rage, a Christian curses a Christian, a man longs to stain his sword in the blood of his neighbor and, finally, after terrible oaths and kisses of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross (in their blindness they already insult the Conqueror of Death Himself!) the enemies stubbornly, with bloodshed, stand for their own. For it is unnatural for there to be two kings in one kingdom. Bitter lust for power. Sin of Cain Unlucky business! Oh, this trick of the evil one! Ah, this bitter lust for power! Through him, evil entered the world from the very first day, for we fell in love with self-love and planned to become equal to God, and through this we fell from the heights of angelic life and were cast out of paradise. From that very time, human depravity, like a chain, continues to this day. Thus, death began from Abel with Cain; She didn’t exist before and we didn’t even hear what she was. Despite the fact that they were brothers to each other, the elder did not tolerate the preference of the younger and killed him (Gen. 4:8). Oh, what a cruel thing! Pity was drowned out, the heart turned to stone and the mind darkened! How did the killer not stop his hand in front of his brother? How is it that he, the most inhuman, could not resist attacking and completely in vain killing his half-brother? If only he, the unfortunate one, would feel sorry for his parents! How is it that he was not ashamed of them? With what face did he appear to them? How did he justify his murder? But at the same time there was someone else who excited him and guided him - this is the great thief, the crafty serpent, the poisonous dragon, Satan, who fell like lightning from heaven (Luke 10:18). And as soon as this evil deed was accomplished, ill will, as we can read it, entered subsequent generations and in various ways, in the successive killings of people by each other, reached and is revealed in current circumstances. Malice entered the history of mankind from Cain Isn’t all this, my brothers, worthy of sobs and tears? Truly, now we need Jeremiah with his great cry: who will give my head water and comb out the source of my tears! And I cry for those who were beaten (Jer. 9:1) - not for the Israelis, but for today’s Christians! And since Jeremiah is not there, we, humble as brethren, will cry out, weep and ask for our brothers, and who knows whether the Lord will not repent, (10) as he did with the Ninevites (Jonah 3:10), and will not turn away His wrath from us? The current events, one must think, are only the beginning and forerunners of more serious horrors, and the sparks flashing now foreshadow a real fire. So what to do now? Yes, nothing except, as was said earlier, to cry, grieve, raise our hands to God, pray to Him day and night, may the Lord - in whatever way His wisdom knows - take temptation away from us, may the divided kingdom be united into one, may the barrier in its midst be destroyed and may peace reign in the universe. So remember that the day of trouble has come, know that it will bring you great temptation. But do not forget what the divine David sings: sorrows and needs have found me: Your commandments are my teaching (Ps. 119:143). Let us do the same, let us begin to live in the testimonies of the Lord (cf. Ps. 119:2) and keep our life in the sanctuary of chastity (1 Tim. 2:15), acquiring humility (1 Pet. 5:5), indulging in love, putting on the armor of obedience, according to the prayer of our father, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About keeping our spiritual city from evil deeds through keeping the Divine commandments Brothers and fathers. The troubles now occurring in the world, as I predicted, are unusually great. Due to difficult and terrible external circumstances, arrows also hit us. But I, the accursed one, am not afraid of any of this, even if they sharpened swords against me, even if they inflicted wounds on me, even if they sent me into exile, even if they even threatened me with death - if only for the good God and for the truth. (11) But I fear and am afraid of the devil’s insidious actions in my humble soul, which constantly rise while sin reigns in my corruptible body (Rom. 6:12), attacking virtue with a whole horde of countless passions standing under its command. I am also afraid of the arrow of pleasure, which wounds not the flesh, but the heart. Blood is also terrible to me, but not that which is shed on the ground with a simple sword, but that which is poured out on the soul by an invisible sword. I am afraid of hunger and thirst, but not of bread and water, but, as the prophet sings, of the famine of hearing the word of the Lord (Am. 8:11). So this is what I (of course, also you, taught by God) fear and tremble at - I desire that we, remaining free from the wiles of the ruler of this world (Eph. 6:12) 390, by doing good deeds and rejecting evil excuses, would remain under the authority of the King of all and the Master of God. The need for self-attention Therefore, my brethren, let us carefully watch ourselves, so that no proud thought, or passionate thought, or luring thieves' pleasure 391, or disobedience 392 that removes us from the monastery, or seductive and destructive self-indulgence, creeps into the city of our soul, like an intruder or enemy, unmitigated stubbornness, intractability that cannot be persuaded, unyielding self-justification, or anything else that can confuse the soul. But let us surround ourselves, like fortifications, with the Divine commandments and we will always remain unharmed. Different types of demonic attacks And if it happens that any of the above-mentioned robbers gets inside us, then as soon as possible - track him down, tie him up and drive him out. Next, let us arm ourselves, I ask you, with resistance against passions, invulnerability of heart and fortitude of spirit, so that in the event of an attack we do not fall, but resist and repel the enemies invisibly rising up against us. Today one demon attacks, (12) tomorrow another one rises, and then again a new one, for example, the demon of fornication, then gluttony, then arrogance, pride, fear, insolence, self-indulgence, despondency and other countless passions, the names of which there is no time to list. We must meet all these passions, enter into battle with everyone and destroy everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is coming to give us the reward for victory on the day of retribution for victory. Blessed, my brethren, is he who listens to all this, understands and preserves, who daily forces himself into spiritual warfare (εν τω νοητω πολεμώ): salvation is achieved only by self-compulsion and the Kingdom of Heaven is admired only by women in need (Matthew 11:12). Therefore we should not be surprised if you are to be tempted, since this is done for your testing. In view of this, do not weaken when you are reproached, punished, admonished, imprisoned, shouted at, offended, and sometimes, if necessary, even insulted. Be complacent, cheerful and courageous, for in all this there is only your salvation, your success, your martyrdom, your crowns. Due to lack of time, I will keep silent about the rest. The Lord God of my father (Ex. 2:22, 18:4) now and always will preserve and save us from all temptation, sorrow and need, from all enmity and fury on the part of demons, protecting and saving us in Himself, for He is due honor and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. That we need to be nailed down by the fear of God so as not to fall under the dominion of our lusts My brothers, fathers and children. What did I explain to you in the last announcement? (13) Is it not that now, when we mourn the turmoil there, outside, in the world, we should pay attention so as not to suffer intrigues against our souls? And not long later, my sins drove one of our brothers, namely Habakkuk, to flight. He did not stand on spiritual guard at all; instead of faithful and pious thoughts about God, he chose errant and disorderly thoughts as his military leaders and, as a result, he suffered what he should have suffered - following the devil, he withdrew from our midst and, what is most difficult of all, he also deceived and carried away the youth Phinehas with him. Well, where is he going now, like a lost sheep doomed to be eaten by wild beasts, without guidance, without enlightenment? For how can he now sing and praise God, from whom he has already fallen away, having cast aside his vows? How can he sing: blessed is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked (Ps. 1:1), when he himself, unfortunate, is heading precisely along this path? Or how can he say: this is my rest for ever and ever, here I will dwell as I will (Ps. 131:14), after he rejected his terrible vow written by the Angels? The words of the Lord who endured him, and heeded me, and heard my prayer (Ps. 39:2) are far from him. If he had decided to sing our usual psalm, he would have cursed himself with these words: curses are those who turn away from Your commandments (Ps. 119:21). Truly, he is cursed and rejected, unless God, through the prayers of our father and with the assistance also of your prayer, hastens to bring him back. But why, my children, is this happening? Why does Satan make us his subordinates? Why are we not nailed down by the fear of God? Why are we not dressed in the armor of love for Christ (cf. Eph. 6:14, 16), (14) so ​​as not to succumb to the dominion of our own lusts? Why are we only lukewarm, false, worthless, weak, unbearable, unstable, due to which we are barren? Where is the loyalty to the father? Where is the love for brothers? What else can I add to this, the accursed and unclean one, who must take care of each of you individually? I care about your soul and body, together with my father and other elders, I am constantly, especially at the present time, tormented and worried about how to nourish you both spiritually and physically, how to save you from sensory and spiritual temptations, and as a result of this I am almost constantly hurt, burned and tormented. But you have not yet reached the pinnacle of sorrows and are already in a hurry to rest; having not seen the lists, you go back. How can I believe you that for the sake of love for Christ, as you promised to me, a sinner, you will truly lay down your souls and bodies and will endure sorrow, oppression, hunger, persecution, exile, torment and death? Just look at the warriors of earthly kings, how some of them, out of fear or out of love, remaining faithful to their king, endure insults, beatings, flaying (may this happen, due to my sins, to me too) and shed blood. And all this is because of what? Just to receive honors or awards. But our feat is not like that, it is for the immortal, invisible and one God reigning over all, in order for us to gain the Kingdom of Heaven, to become joint heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17) and to taste which eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not entered the heart of man (1 Cor. 2:9). Meanwhile, we sleep and snore, stray from the herd and are deceived by deception. Shall we not shake off our drowsiness? Will we not be strengthened, will we not be tempered, will we not become true sons, (15) will we not be called sons of light (1 Thess. 5:5), will we not become children of obedience, will we not be the holy seed, will we not take every mind captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5), will we not rise above worldly thoughts, will we not die for Christ, even if this were to be done many times a day? Without fail, my beloved children, I ask you, following the example of our holy fathers and the model of the blessed ascetics of obedience, let us become sons of strength, warriors of Christ, the chosen people, an angelic face, an invincible regiment 394 so that we can trample and weaken Satan, as did Saint Silouan, or the Monk Dositheos, or the glorious Zechariah 395 and in general all the disciples of all the saints. For not only Dositheus, or Silouan 396, or Zechariah became famous, but all their companions become participants in their glory, although they, as higher ones, surpass them in their light. Let us, I ask you, be like them, and we will not allow our enemies to plot against us, rebel, and finally kill us with a sinful death, but we will live the remaining days or hours of our lives pleasing to God; To Him is due all glory, honor and worship, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. That we need not to relax in our spiritual work, but to firmly and tirelessly fulfill the feat set before us My brothers, fathers and children. This is what a bad and difficult time, due to my sins, we have lived to see: as a result of the division that has invaded between Christians, the good of the world has been destroyed, the city 397 is under guard, (16) soldiers are guarding it in all parts, near Chrysopolis 398 our brothers who have risen against us are camped and are preparing to take the city as a nest 399 . All this, of course, is terrible, difficult and worthy of many tears - and we need to diligently, night and day, fall to God so that He, as His unsearchable wisdom knows, will turn away His anger from us and restore peace: for even the holy God conspires, it is said, who will destroy? And who can turn away His lofty hand? (Isa. 14:27). But, on the other hand, we, children, do not need to be embarrassed, as if God had already completely abandoned us, and not allow ourselves to relax in our spiritual pursuits, but to be diligent and fulfill our work established by God: for those who love God, says the Apostle, will all work together for good (Rom. 8:28), so that neither this present turmoil nor any other even more terrible calamity, not even, let’s say in the apostolic way, neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, below power, nor present, nor to come, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:38-39). Therefore, fixing our eyes and looking at God, looking also at the blessings destined for us, we will perform the feat set before us tirelessly, firmly and firmly: we will not become sluggish from despondency, we will not allow ourselves to weaken from fasting, to be exhausted from vigil, to become slow from prayer and generally numb from other commandments, but we will strive and hasten to them as to joy, as to life, joy, rejoicing, or rather, as to light, as to God Himself, and we will begin to move from strength to strength of the commandments, from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18) virtues, (17) being transformed, perfected in all respects and constantly enlightened and enriched by the Divine, until we achieve everything in the union of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to the extent of the age of fulfillment (Eph. 4:13) Our Lord Jesus Christ, for whose sake we were crucified to the world and the world was crucified to us (Gal. 6:14), for whose sake we have left everything and counted the means of being, that we may receive Him (Phil. 3:8). So, you see, my children, what and how great a deed we have accomplished, that we have fled from the world and renounced everything worldly - kinship, homeland, parents, brothers, sisters, cities, houses, loved ones and everything carnal? So take care, I ask you and pray, that, as a result of laziness, negligence and inattention of the spirit on your part, it does not become covered with shame. And this happens when we begin to fulfill the desires of the flesh and satisfy the passions of the soul, for example, when we demand first one thing, then another - sometimes new, and even semi-precious or red, clothes; then a spacious, tall, certainly the newest, low-hanging, made of thin material, with many crosses (all these are inventions of the incompetent in mind) dolls; when we further demand silk-embroidered and lined belts, deftly fitted shoes, soft, expensive fabrics, long and beautifully colored robes; when we straighten our tunics so that they lie in regular folds; when we put on makeup like on stage and perform like girls. And we, shameless ones, are not ashamed of all this? Our venerable and holy fathers were not like that: they wore patched hair shirts, poor kukuls, shirts made from sailing canvas and broken shoes, (18) but at the same time they had: God-imitating humility, unconditional obedience, sincere devotion, hatred of the world, love for God, an incessant desire for Him, wondrous feats, spiritual enlightenment, a righteous death. Behold, children and brethren, let us also imitate them, organize ourselves according to their example, and force ourselves to follow the footsteps of the saints, so that we may be worthy of their fate. Do not be offended by my words, for I do not mean all of you, but only some of you. May the Lord correct them and save them, for to Him belongs glory, honor and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. That we should endure hunger, thirst, and every other need until death, as we promised when approaching the Lord My brothers and fathers. Due to the illness that happened to me, due to my sins, I interrupted the usual announcements. But now, when my pitiful body has strengthened, although the heat in it has not yet completely passed, I considered it necessary to again become obedient, for my obedience consists in reminding and offering to you, my ever-beloved, born to me by the Holy Spirit, what is useful and saving, as well as constantly awakening and renewing sobriety of thought in your souls, although I have not yet achieved such a gift. So do as the Lord says, not quickly perishing, but abiding in eternal life (John 6:27), that is, His commandments, His justifications (Ps. 119:16, 117), (19) studying in His law day and night (Ps. 1:2), so that you may become, as David sings, like a tree planted by the waters that come up, and that you may yield your fruit in its time and the leaf of your salvation has not fallen away, that is, in the age to come (Ps. 1:3). Not like wickedness, not like this: but like dust, which the wind sweeps away from the face of the earth (Ps. 1:4). Not only people of other faiths can be wicked, but also [simply all] violators of the commandments of the Lord. At least take an example from our brotherhood. What else but the wicked, [all] disobedient, proud, slippery in tongue, cunning in inventions, vain, shameless, as well as those who eat in secret, murmuring, dandies, greedy for news, idle, indifferent, loving gossip, self-willed, gossips, and especially those who are ungrateful and demand what is not due. These latter are not content with the gifts of God offered to them, but, inventing excuses for their sins (Ps. 10:4), inventing justifications for their passions, completely abandoning concern for the soul, indulging [only] in bodily pleasures and enslaving to the devil, they wage a real war over foods and drinks of which they are unworthy, complain about wine and brew, exposing their physique, the characteristics of their body, ill health How good it would really be if they actually developed liver disease, spleen disease, if they fell ill with dropsy and died in order to get rid of the most serious illness - discontent and ingratitude! Some also require that there be always fish, some special tincture before meals, and delicious dishes. How these unfortunates forgot what they agreed to and what they promised on the first day, when they approached God in the face of many, visible and invisible, witnesses! Didn’t they then promise to endure (20) hunger and thirst, a narrow and cramped life, need and persecution, torment and death? And now they are fighting over the difference in food and wine. But just as they ridiculed, so they will laugh at them; They did not consider that God Himself looks and listens to their confessions - I am afraid that He would not give them over to an unskilled mind to do things that are inappropriate (Rom. 1:28) and destructive. An Exhortation to Zeal for God So sober up, you all are like that! Especially sober up from the slumber of your souls, from neglect of the Divine, from immersion in earthly things, from lukewarmness 400 (Rev. 3:15-16), be kindled with Divine love and fear, accept punishment (Ps. 2:12), accept the weapons of righteousness (Rom. 6:13). Tremble and be afraid even at what they give you, I’m not talking about those cases when we have fish, cheese, seasonings, fried foods, cookies, but also when they give only bread, cabbage and beans with butter, various herbs and vegetables, one or two cups of wine, for this is already a great consolation. Indeed, what kind of humble person does not take care that through such relief he does not lose eternal blessings? In my personal opinion, food and drink are only a supply of torment for myself, and I especially consider this to be what they fed me during my illness; and believe me, although I am expressing an insane thing, that if it were not for the great fear of disobeying our father and also the consideration of the care and management of you, I would not have changed my food and my habits, until my soul had entered hell (Ps. 93:17), but I ate and drank various foods and drinks - but, forgive me again for stupidity, with sorrow, sighing and bitterness in my heart: with sorrow and sighing because I am unworthy of it, with bitterness because you yourself, weak, need care and suffer from lack. Food and drink - a reserve of torment for yourself Still, by the grace of Christ, you and I have something, (21) and you, ungrateful ones, give glory to God for this, because we drank wine, ate with butter, ate fish, lay in the hospital and were treated not once or twice, but, to tell the truth, every day. We have elected a brother who knows the art of medicine, a senior hospitalist, he has from three to five assistants, his own cook, his own cellarer. He [the hospital worker] makes ointments, lint 401, and is constantly busy with his work. And there are a lot of expenses [for the hospital]: fish is given almost every day - it is delivered by three or four brothers assigned to this task or bought. How much and what kind of wine has been and is being wasted! How much butter, honey! Clean, fresh bread and so on are given so that the words are not dragged out by petty recounting. And for all this, ungrateful ones, [how can one] not give thanks, praise, sing, and give glory to God? Don’t you think that we ourselves brought absolutely nothing to the monastery, and there is no income from our work. You are here, like boiled beets, like onions, dressed like children, carefree; All we have to do is walk around and look around, and there is nothing else: we are not forced to stand at the gate, or serve at meals, and are not used for any other work, even for children or old people. We, insensitive, do not want to see that we are, in essence, the last ones here, but others deserve honor and are higher than us - various brothers and fathers both in the monastery itself and outside it, namely those who, in winter and summer, in the heat and during the heat, as if doomed to slavery, plow, dig, prune vineyards, garden, chop wood, carpenter, grind, paint, cook, forge, they wash, sew, endure hardships, go here and there, serve, travel through cities, fields, mountains, buy things, give them away, in all this enduring sorrow and exhaustion. (22) Truly of such is the Kingdom of God (Luke 18:16). Censure of unworthy monks Take care, blind, stubborn, crafty, desperate man, lest you hear on that day: having tied his hand and nose, take him and throw him into the outer darkness (Matthew 22:13). Woe, woe! Since God does not reward immediately, you consider Him as if for nothing. This is said directly about you: you are foolish in your heart: there is no God. Why? Because you have become corrupt and disgusted in your undertakings, not doing goodness (Ps. 13:1). But the Lord constantly comes down from heaven and looks to see if anyone understands or seeks Him (Ps. 13:2), and He writes down such people and crosses out others. I am afraid that Saint David would not come to Him, would not sing about us and that what we sing would not come to fruition: I divided them in their belly (Ps. 16:14). Who exactly? Yes, it’s clear that these bad guys live kindly. So understand this, you who have forgotten about God, so that He does not take away anyone so that this person does not have a deliverer (Ps. 49:22); And for me, foolish, beloved children, forgive me for the fact that, protecting you, out of love for you, I say [all] this with tears, believing that it is better for me to whip you with my preaching than for you to experience eternal scourges, from which may we all be delivered by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Him to the Father and with the Holy Spirit be glory, honor and power, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. About not arranging secret meetings and conferences with each other, because this leads to spiritual destruction My brothers, fathers and children. Again temptation, again temptation! Again, I, the unfortunate one, lament and grieve that my beloved have lifted up their heel (23) against me (see Ps. 40:10), that those who lived a high life were cast down, those who say to be wise (Rom. 1:22) were darkened, - that people who had already endured great feats and labors of piety for many years, in the blink of an eye, squandered everything and became for instead of grapes - thorns, instead of hope - failure. And now I no longer know whether to say anything about the fall of my brothers or just sit down, cry and say: if so, then who, Lord, can be saved? (Matthew 19:25). Indeed, one cannot praise a person before his death (see Sir. 11:28). Truly, the path of our salvation is difficult to travel. Who can avoid the devil's tricks? Who will not take care [of himself] until his death? You can't praise a person before he dies This was perfectly understood by the saint who was already on the verge of death when the devil asked him: “Did you drive me out?” - answered: “I don’t know.” This is how he fought, that even in this last hour he was not firmly convinced of his salvation, despite the high degree of his pious deeds. And we will only live for five to ten years, learn the monastic rules (καταστάσεις του μοναστηρίου), - we will memorize a few passages from the Holy Scriptures, we will have to bow a few times, pray a few times, fast, when we become preoccupied with ourselves and begin to think that we are all done. That is why we fall like leaves (Prov. 11:14), and our bones are scattered in hell (Ps. 140:7); Before we vegetate, we already wither, we turn out to be wise in ignorance and smart in stupidity, we set ourselves up as teachers, zealots, lawyers - with such an appearance as if we alone have the truth. That is why this happened to us, that is why we accept darkness instead of light, for this we became exiles from paradise - the courtyard of Christ and His flock. The harmfulness of monastic conceit (24) So I ask you, my brothers, pay attention to this and do not squander your virtues and good faith little by little, so as not to reach such poverty when all your spiritual wealth turns out to be spent and you find yourself at the very point of falling - escaping. After all, when you talk about this and are tempted to seduce yourself, and then, instead of either correcting each other yourself, or reporting this to me, in order to quickly heal the disease, you remain silent, and you yourself fall, and you drag others along with you and perish together. If you continue to behave like this, I don’t know what will happen to all of you tomorrow. These gatherings, assemblies and discussions of yours are good, because with them you are ruining your souls! Why, when you hear such speeches, do you not turn away, are not frightened by such an interlocutor and do not dare to run away from him, as from fire or a snake, but because of your gentleness, kindness, and also because of your reluctance to be an informer and out of love for your brother, you turn out to be murderers and brother-haters and shed innocent blood, which is required of your souls? So I told you, brothers, and I warn you, as I warned you before with pain, torment and sorrow. Murderers because they do not want to be informers Hear, it is said, heaven, and teach to earth (Isa. 1:2). From now on, let no one make excuses, let no one make excuses: “I don’t know, I’m not aware, I haven’t heard.” You [very well] know, and are informed, and have heard, and to the pure all things are pure (see Titus 1:15). Perhaps you are striving for my destruction and, cutting off and separating yourself from God by renouncing your vow, think to remain unpunished on the Day of Judgment? Is this true? God is a righteous Judge, He will punish me with all justice; but even such persons cannot escape due punishment; they will also suffer retribution for their crime, for they became violators of the law of God and did not remain firm in their promises they made before His altar, (25) when through holy repentance and cleansing baptism they were tonsured and their sins were forgiven. And what could poor Eustathius and unfortunate Epiphanius tell us - why and for what purpose did they bring about their fall? Whatever they come up with, they cannot say anything just at all, as it is written: Woe to those who are wise within themselves and understand themselves (Isa. 5:21), and again: God said to the sinner: How will you tell my justifications and accept my covenant with your lips? (Ps. 49:16). There is no need to talk further about how they decided that their secret removal was good for me, would not cause [on my part] condemnation and would [even] be pleasant to me. But I will confirm once again: their escape is dangerous and disastrous. You know how [well] they could have ended the matter if they had provided sufficient justification. Let us pray, I ask, with one accord for the lost, that they may be converted, that they may be found, and, thirdly, that it may happen to them not what we do, but what He [God] Himself wants, and that we may receive them today or later unharmed: then it will be revealed what and what their business is—Divine or Satanic. And in relation to you, children, I insist even more on frankness, patience and humility: be patient, bear with each other, yield, bear with each other and have peace in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About how we can endure all the sorrows that happen in our community, so that we can reach the Kingdom of Heaven My fathers, brothers and children. I daily bless the God of my father (Ex. 18:4) (26) for the fact that He makes you strong and strengthens you for your valiant feat of obedience, and I humbly ask that the Lord will open the eyes of your mind even more to all His ways, so that you may receive the thirst of divine love for Him, lull all carnal lust and become above submission to passions, so that you may be perfect and fulfilled in every work of brilliance ( Hebrews 13:21). And this, as you already know, my children, is not done easily, not without effort and not quickly, but with great effort and labor, if you strain yourself day and night, force your nature and endure all the grief - whether from people or from demons that happen in our communal life. Whoever does not get tired of this, but with God’s help endures and endures an insulting word, a difficult command, and punishments - dry eating, standing, reproach and any other of our usual phenomena, this one will receive a blessing from the Lord and alms from God his Savior (Ps. 23:5) and will not lose the Kingdom of Heaven. Yes, it is good and blissful to endure all such suffering and become a winner in Christ, but at the same time one should not neglect, but need to move forward in another direction, namely, to eradicate anger and quarrels, self-will and conceit, bickering and enmity, causticity and slander, slander and lies, slander and ill will, disobedience and ridicule, the language is already tired of listing [all these] palaestras and lists [where you labor]: so far away some of you, according to news, have now strayed into vice! How can such persons be and be called [sons of] our Lord Jesus Christ? Are they not rather sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:2) (27) and children of wrath (Eph. 2:3) and heirs not of eternal blessings, but of endless torment? For, my children, is not our image angelic? Isn’t our structure of life all-holy? Isn’t our path indicated by God Himself? What does the great apostle say? Even though I have destroyed, I will build again; I imagine a criminal (Gal. 2:18). After all, we have put off the old man, which is decaying (Eph. 4:22) as a result of the deception of the cunning serpent; we renounced the first and bitter taste and disobedience, which made us exiles, we left the reasons for our wretched existence - first in the baptism of water and the Spirit, and then, according to God’s love for mankind, in the second baptism of repentance and renunciation, and your promises, on the one hand, were recorded with God under the testimony of His holy Angels, and on the other hand, noted with me. You have been tonsured, enlightened, freed from the bonds of sin, and have put on the new man, created according to God (Eph. 4:24) in holiness and righteousness. So why are you going back? Why are you returning to your eruption? Why, using the expression of Proverbs, do you return like a dog to your vomit (Prov. 26:11; 2 Pet. 2:22)? Why, according to the word of the Lord, do you become unruly in the Kingdom of God, laying your hand on the head and turning back in vain (Luke 9:62)? The Lord knows that I say all this while loving, protecting, caring and rooting for you. What does the Old Testament say about the Israelites? They returned with their hearts to Egypt, because they remembered the Egyptian onions, meat, cauldrons and the miserable life there (Numbers 11:5). Have we also (28) returned to the world and everything worldly in the same way and are beginning to do what we [before] did there? How is it that we, who should be equal to the Angels, do not behave even on an equal footing with pious laymen, when from gradual neglect we reach the very wounds of sins? But I ask you, let my insignificant announcement serve as a support for the unfallen, for the fallen - as a medicine, for the careless - as a threat, and for the diligent - as encouragement, for beginners - as a rule for obedience, for the weakening - as an incentive to patience, for the besieged - as help, for the carefree - as excitement, and in general for everyone, for everyone, if only you achieve salvation, for for you is my sermon, and also my whole life, although I I feel my foolishness and ignorance. May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ restore what is fallen, may He strengthen what is standing, and may He fill what is missing, and just as He brought us out of worldly Egypt and led us through the sinful desert, so may He bring us through the foul sea of passions, dividing it, drying it up and arranging for us the path of virtue, and as He called us, may He truly call us His chosen people, the holy tongue (1 Pet. 2:9 ) and may he dwell us in a good land, in a land of virtues, and especially after death - in a land of the meek (Ps. 36:11), for to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. That we, who have left everything for the sake of God, should not spend our lives in empty worldly pleasures My fathers, brothers and children. Indeed, it is difficult, according to the sacred expression of the Theologian 402, to be under authority, (29) but, I think, it is much even more difficult to be able to manage people. For my part, I don’t think otherwise that it was only because of my sins that it fell to my lot to rule over you, my masters. If I lead a weak and easy life (which, perhaps, some non-God-fearing people think about, if there are any among us), then, of course, my feats and works are small. After all, when [everything goes by itself] - the one who is saved is saved and the one who perishes, the one who stands stands and the one who falls falls, the one who is tormented is torn to pieces and the sick one is ill, the one who renounces [God or monasticism] and rejects [commandments or vows] do this, and I am invested with the rank of abbot, I bear the title of “master” and “father”, when friends and relatives do not leave us, defenders are not transferred and the intercessors and the glory and rumor about us becomes known even to the king himself - all I can do is say in the Gospel: to your soul, you have many good things, rest, eat, drink, be merry (Luke 12:19), and let everything else take its course. Hegumen: to lay down one's soul for one's subordinates before blood is shed But, in my opinion (and for every reasonable person, as Gregory the Theologian says again 403), power and abbess are something else: namely, how high this rank is, so great is the danger. Therefore, I need to show a lot of effort, a lot of tension, a lot of zeal, the same amount of activity, an appropriate measure of courage, greater [compared to others] success [in life], exceptional cheerfulness, a broad and far-sighted view, perfect prudence - and what is especially to spread, let’s just say, in the Gospel: the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11). So I, my beloved children, need to lay down my fall-prone and multi-passionate soul for you until blood is shed. In view of this, I do not dare to disobey, and I do not object to the duty entrusted to me. That is why I also do not retreat, am not burdened and do not become irritated by the [various] difficulties that arise in managing this small herd, but, on the contrary - and this is what I am expressing the secret of my soul - when, as a result of grief, difficulties and bewilderments with those who fall and are tormented (30), I have to receive beatings, wounds and even be stabbed, then at the same time in the midst of such patristic (I express myself unreasonably) activities I begin to flicker hope for salvation. Our life compared to eternity But be careful, my children, do not take advantage of my pitiful patience to condemn yourself; in my excess of condescension, do not add sins to sins. Well, why allow this? Your actions do not surprise me, but at the same time they surprise me. They are not surprised because [as I see] the villain Satan is fighting with you, but they are surprised because you, reasonable people, having already abandoned everything for the sake of God - parents, brothers, the world, and everything worldly in general - and having taken upon yourself the easy yoke of Christ, you reveal worldly, and most importantly, satanic actions. If anyone rejects the Law of Moses, it is said that he will die with two or three witnesses (Heb. 10:28). Think about how much worse the punishment you are being subjected to for what, in the words of St. Basil 404 [the Great], by rejecting obedience you violate the unity of the spirit and have imagined the blood of the sacred filth (Heb. 10:29), which you drank on the day of renunciation of the enemy and the world and union with Christ! Is this what you should do? And for just one hour (after all, our life, in comparison with eternity, is really only one hour) you could not help but doze off with the death of separation [among each other]? Are these your vows before God as a witness and in the presence of His holy Angels? Are these the scissors (ψαλίδιον) that you gave me with your own hands, as if from the hand of the Lord? Is this how you shed tears, humble yourself, assent in your bowed soul, nod in agreement with your lowered gaze and make promises when you are given admonitions, which are usual in that case? Oh, children, how you have forgotten everything, how far you have wandered [from the herd]! Where, for example, is poor Ammun? Isn’t it true that our flock, like a wolf, (31) is constantly in wait for the terrible and fierce wolf of our souls, the devil, looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8), to drag someone away? And so he dragged him away and to this day still crushes the bones of his soul, and the son of light (cf. John 12:36) became the son of darkness, the son of salvation became the son of destruction, the beloved became hated, the disciple became a crafty traitor, the neighbor became a distant [stranger]. Where should he go now? Nowhere but the places, cliffs and abysses of sin; he does not disappear from sight of the terrible and all-seeing eye of God, he is [only] left to his own will. He who will reward everyone according to his deeds (cf. Rom. 2:6) will come and will not hesitate to judge all creation. Let this not happen, let it not happen! I am already kindled again [with love] for him, as for my child, I call upon him, who is perishing, and try to find him, and, if God wills, of course, I will achieve this. But why do such things happen to us? Why do we work just for this? Why are we struggling in vain? Why do we spend everything we have collected over many years to the end? No, no, I ask and implore you, my brothers, my children, small and great, beaten and fallen, all be sober, all renewed, all improved in one thought, in one hope, in one heart - you to me, and I to you, in the co-presence of the Lord between us - and we will live, buy and acquire the Kingdom of Heaven in Christ Jesus our Lord. To him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About the fact that we need to hurry and take courage for our spiritual competitions in order to receive crowns for patience My brothers, fathers and children. (32) It is commendable not to hide the good deed of God, which I now notice on you, but to proclaim it, for this is what the time itself requires, so that through this we become more and more zealous. In fact, thanks to the grace of Christ, continuous announcements, constant reminders and almost daily instructions, you have achieved spiritual success, demonstrated good experience and God-loving diligence. And that I am telling the truth, you yourself confirm this, the fact itself shows, I, a sinner, can confirm this too, for at the present time I have received relief from sorrows and from many worries, as if in a lull, with joy in my soul I have moved on to the peace of your decent life. And indeed, it is rightly said: any punishment at the present time does not seem to be joy, but sorrow; afterward, the fruit of peace rewards those who are taught in righteousness (Heb. 12:11). But this success does not depend on me, not on my care, not on my efforts. This is God’s gift, your zeal, the assistance of our father. In this case, why do I, a worthless person, rejoice and have fun because of other people’s labors? We are all one, you are in me and I am in you (see John 15:4), your and my successes are considered mutual. May the Lord, terrible in strength and mighty in strength, grant me strength from now on in order to properly examine and interpret His holy commandments, and may He, my children, keep you in submission, unfeigned obedience and constant trust, showing you more and more virtuous and zealous, so that you courageously and boldly go to every spiritual feat, to oppression, oppression, punishment, ridicule, hardship, hunger, thirst and all other blessed deeds, (33) so that, finding yourself invincible, you may receive the crown for patience on the day of reward from the Righteous Judge. Truly, brothers, our trade is profitable! Having left the perishable, you have received the imperishable; having lost your parents, you received a Father in the Lord; having become strangers to their brothers, they became fellow citizens of the saints, a chosen race, a royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9); instead of the country where you were born and which raised you, the highest city has been assigned to you as your fatherland, to which God is the artist and creator (Heb. 11:10); instead of a temporary and crumbling house - the monastery of the venerable and righteous; instead of insignificant glory and perishing honor - divine and equal-angelic dignity; instead of offerings and sensual pleasures - the enjoyment of eternal blessings; instead of submission and cutting off the will - joy with the Angels; instead of loneliness and alienation from family - closeness with all the saints. So why else are we lazy, why do we give up, why do some people look sad? Let each of us say with the divine David: in what way are you sorrowful, my soul, and in what way are you troubled? Trust in God, for we will confess to Him (Ps. 41:12). For if we suffer with Him in asceticism, then we will also reign with Him (2 Tim. 2:12). We also have martyr’s crowns, for the hostel (κοινοβιακόν σΰνθημα), according to the general opinion, is the lists of feats 405 (στάδιον αθλήσεως). After this, how blessed is the obedient! How great is he who is frank! How pious is he who is patient! How blessed is everyone who is faithful and steadfast in the commandments! Therefore, my brethren, comrades-in-arms, companions, companions in wanderings, let us not allow ourselves to stray from the straight path, nor to deviate to the side, nor to hesitate, nor to lag behind, nor to wait, nor to turn back. There is still flesh, so let’s not spare it! Like a word, a second, our life is short. Even if it stretches to seventy or eighty years, still in comparison with eternity it is nothing. Let us spend, I ask you, (34) the obol, but we will receive tens of thousands of interest on it, we will lose a short time and gain endless centuries, we will endure hours of labor and receive eternal peace, we will cry in order to laugh with eternal blissful laughter 406, we will weep out of love for Christ, and we will rejoice with endless joy! I earnestly ask you, my brothers, let us stand with a cheerful face before the Lord Almighty, walking after our fathers, we will become famous both on earth and in heaven. In the future century, at the reward for what has been lived, when the Judge will sit on the throne of His glory in the presence of thousands of thousands of those who serve Him and the darkness of those standing before Him (Dan. 7:10) of the holy Angels and all creation, when terrible definitions will be heard, when it turns out that those standing on the right with glory and honor enter the Kingdom of Heaven and rejoice forever, and the rest will be driven away with shame and dishonor to eternal torment, where, it is said, the fire does not go out and the worm does not die (Mark 9:44, 46 and 48), - then let us remember each other without reproach and complaints, but cheerfully, with gratitude and praise! Oh, how scary it is to hear that definition! Oh, how bitter it is - it will only befall me for my sins. You, having accomplished your excellent feat, rejoice, looking at the reward of the highest calling, until you reach the time of perfection and repose from here in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About abstinence, said on the Sunday of Meat Eating My brothers, fathers and children. I am a man of limited intelligence and completely unskilled in speech, therefore I am not able (35) to instruct you with my weak announcements. For what can I say that is suitable for such children of God as you, who have obeyed the Gospel of Christ, left the whole world, and performed this great work of blessed and most highly-desired obedience? May God Himself, who, according to the Apostle, comforts the humble (2 Cor. 7:6), comfort you with the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, sanctify, justify and enlighten you on the path of His commandments and show you as heirs of His Kingdom of Heaven. Monastic renunciation of the world And indeed, what a wonderful thing, my brothers, you have done! How cleverly you thought of it! How wisely it was discussed! What a smart plan! How firmly you fixed your gaze on the intended goal! How then, by the calling of God, like the forefather Abraham, you left your homeland, from your family and from the house of your father (Gen. 12:1), and thus came here, to the place of achievement that the Lord pointed out and where the Lord led you, and stood here above all carnal thoughts, because for the sake of God you did not allow love for your parents to hold you back, or the habits of your former life stopped you, or your father’s inheritance took possession of you, you were bound by military service to the corruptible king and generally any other obstacle. After this, how can we not call you and consider you blessed and blessed? Therefore, my beloved brethren, never, in any way or in any way, indulge in negligence, do not become discouraged, do not become weak, but, inspired by the blessings destined for you for the current sorrows and ascetic constraints and dejections, rejoice and have fun as you run, spending your days as if you were galloping on horses around a circus arena: from the circles of individual days you make up weeks, from weeks you go to the month, from months to the season, and from times to the whole year. And in fact, isn’t our life similar to this circus circle and horse racing? If someone does not weaken in running and fighting, then only death alone will stop him, (36) for it is a stop for every person. What then? And then an unfading wreath of glory will be placed on the winner, heavenly rewards will be given and his name will be proclaimed in the Kingdom of Heaven, when God calls heaven from above and earth to judge His people (Ps. 49:4). Condemnation of petty theft So, in view of all this, I repeat to you again: do not be lazy, do not slumber, do not be indifferent, do not scold, do not argue, do not offend, do not slander, do not be shameless, do not be vain, do not be gluttonous, do not eat in secret, and also - regarding something that is not even worthy of hearing - do not steal. Whoever starts stealing nuts will go on to more. Anyone who is used to carrying writing will be tempted to carry away clothes, and there is nothing more to say. So here we are constantly seeing thefts of clothes, writing boards, belts, belts, shoes and other things. Is this good? And you are doing this, you are the servants of Christ, strangers to the world, those who have received not an earthly, but a heavenly inheritance, the so-called saints and blessed ones, to whom people still bow? Good is your diligence, success and improvement! However, I do not blame everyone, so don’t be surprised that I turn from praise to blame. Preaching requires both, who deserves what. I ask you, I pray, I order and threaten: if theft occurred before now, so that from now on it will no longer happen. And if anyone, even after this announcement of mine, does anything like that, let him be excommunicated from the Church of God and must appease God with repentance and confession. But even those who have stolen before will not be healed of their sin unless they confess. Just as the theft of the golden vessel led Achar to be stoned (Joshua 7:20–26), so those caught in passion and not confessing will be beaten with invisible stones. Therefore arise, fallen one, and live in the Lord. The real holiday is in the gifts of the Holy Spirit (37) The meat-eater has arrived. Do not turn your lips and eyes to where we previously worked in vanity. It is noticed that some people feed themselves, like on the day of slaughter (James 5:5). Those who serve the belly, their belly is God, and their glory is in their cold (Phil. 3:19). Look at such a person after his excesses: he [reeks] of wine, and since it is still fermenting in the stomach, then, of course, nothing remains from all this except belching, nausea and bad changes in the soul and in the body. Is this what you want? Should we try to do this? No way! On the contrary, such nasty things should be avoided at all costs. You, my children, satisfy yourself sufficiently to satisfy your natural needs, avoiding meat and wine; fill yourself up better with other kinds of food, arrange for yourself a real holiday and meat emptying in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, in peace, love, hope, faith, psalmody, poetry, obedience, humility, vigil, cheerfulness, sincerity, simplicity, purity of thoughts, contrition and tearful cleansing - and you will see what a wonderful meat empty you created, how well you celebrated it, incomparably better than the kings, princes and all carnally living people. Well, I've already talked about this enough. The Lord, through the prayer of my father with you, may he give you the strength not only to simply listen, but also to perceive and put into action what is said here in the catechumen - in Christ Himself, our God, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. About not showing impatience and not complaining about enemy trials 407 My brothers, fathers and children. (38) Since you, in your obedience worthy of many praises and rewards, labor and work on the work of God, it is necessary to constantly offer you instructions. Spiritual armor of a warrior of Christ If your struggle and war against the tricks of the devil were interrupted for some time, then I would interrupt my instructions. But since this war goes on forever and continuously, not stopping day or night, then, of course, I must remind, encourage, and reassure you in an appropriate manner, providing you with weapons, strength, help, experience for the destruction of invisible strongholds. You know that a warrior should do his job and strictly perform what is required by his rank. Therefore, you, true warriors of Christ, examine whether your weapons are in order, whether each of you has the sword of obedience, the armor of faith, the helmet of salvation, the shield of humility, the bow of prayer, the visor of hope and, so as not to list everything separately, in general any other weapon that is required and required. An ordinary warrior in his armor is not so beautiful and not so admired as the warrior of Christ (στρατιώτης του Χριστοΰ) when he is dressed in the armor listed above. Therefore, my children, arm yourself, build fortifications, [make] forays, attack and defeat the devil who is at war with you, and do not be embarrassed by anything that usually happens, whether you receive a blow or a wound or are thrown to the ground - just get up quickly. Some of you are annoyed, perplexed and even despair that they are tormented by shameful thoughts, enmity, blasphemy, ill will, the temptation to escape from the monastery, etc. I, for my part, am also surprised at such people. Well, tell me, in fact, do you really think you will get your crowns without labor, without effort, without war, without victory? To this they usually answer: “Well, I lived [in the monastery] for so many years, I confessed and opened my soul so many times, I discovered such and such virtues, I prayed without counting (39) with tears and sobbing, I endured so much from the brothers who attacked me, the weak.” Oh, wisdom! How many years, you say, have you been waging war? Three, five, ten, even more? But the blessed mother Sarah for forty years with the greatest courage carried a strong war with the demon of fornication 408. I will also mention Elder Pachomius, how he once in church took off all his clothes and was approved of by Abba Apollo for this act. But why should I give countless examples? Those of you who have read about this know what these exploits and successes were. Was it not for nine whole years that the demon troubled the two brothers to escape [from the desert], and they tied themselves to each other by their sheepskin garments and outwitted the crafty devil 409 . One, having already reached the age of fifty, still fought with the same passion 410, another - differently, a third still differently, and nowhere is grief heard, cowardice and cowardice are not visible, until, having repelled the invasion of enemies with support from above, they were unable to overcome their weaknesses (Heb. 11:34). And among us, the cowardly, our speeches and actions are also somehow cowardly, impatient and ignorant. Therefore, I inspire you to recover from the skirmishes, to become firm and unshakable, with confidence in God, with a song on our lips: if an army takes up arms against me, my heart will not fear, if it rises up to fight against me, I will trust in Him (Ps. 26:3). So do not be afraid of all this, just as do not be frightened by horrors and fears when at night the demon excites the imagination, showing various things, sometimes taking on various forms, and sometimes even emitting voices and calling you by name. He is weak and powerless, otherwise he would have completely destroyed everyone. He takes the form of a lion, and you boldly pierce him with fearlessness, and it will turn out that inside he is stuffed with straw. He appears to you (40) tall, reaching to the ceiling, black - you meet him with prayer and, like Saint Anthony 412, you will see how he will run away from you, grimacing like a monkey. And even if he approached you, ready to rush at you now or bring down your home on you, and thus plunge you into stupor, do not be timid at that moment, and everything will fly by like a dream. This is exactly why all this happens to you, that you are afraid where there is nothing to fear, and you are afraid where there is no danger. How can you frighten the devil? So, children, do not be frightened where there is nothing to be frightened, but rather you yourself, with hope and prayer to God, frighten the one who frightens everyone. By the way, it is necessary to add for some, so that they do not act like hypocrites: by chasing after lying down and sitting down first (Matthew 23:6), they fall under terrible woe to you (Matthew 23). For the Lord said: whoever wants to be first in you, let him be the servant of everyone (Matthew 20:26–27). Therefore, exalt yourself through humility, and also be first by being ready to become last. I am surprised how some people love this primacy, but do not strive for the virtues that should be first - they do not go to church, they are drowsy, they grumble. If they are chasing championship, then let them do the things of the first, otherwise things will turn out shamefully. The Lord God, through the prayers of my father with you, may he strengthen and unite us all and may he be worthy not only to listen, but also to actually fulfill everything that is said, for to Him belongs glory, honor, power, worship, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. About guarding against passions and about abstinence Holy Union: one soul and one will My brothers, fathers and children. Just as it is pleasant and gratifying for me to talk and reason with you, so, I think, (41) for you too - to listen to my speeches and sympathize with me, the accursed: after all, just as after God I have no one - neither father, nor mother, nor brothers, nor sisters, nor relatives, nor friends, except you, my and dear children, brothers and fathers, so you, besides me, also have no one. This is how the Holy Spirit unites 413. This connection arranged for us to escape from the world, renounce our parents and all carnal responsibilities. Hence our sacred union, one soul and one will in all. Therefore, I always talk and speak with joy before you, burning with zeal for your love for God and for salvation, so that your work, to my inexpressible joy, continuously grows and shines. It's good not to drink wine at all So I ask you, my children, be firm and unshakable in your hope in God and, breaking through the intricate machinations of the devil, show yourself above passions, trample on the desires and lusts of the flesh and protect your mental and physical integrity and purity. Now it’s spring, every living creature is drawn to childbirth. The hours of your sleep and rest, as I explained to you before Easter, must be strictly measured, and proper moderation in food must also be observed. It is good, says the apostle, not to eat meat, nor to drink wine, so that your brother stumbles or is offended or faints (Rom. 14:21). And I, my brothers, do not command, but advise for the sake of your precious souls, and then only for the healthy, and not for the sick, that it would be good not to drink wine at all, and especially for the younger ones among you, for wine inflames passions. We already have a whole storm of natural passions within ourselves - so why add anxiety from wine into it? Taste, therefore, and see (Ps. 33:9) how beneficial (42) abstinence from it is. By abstaining from wine, you will feel that your thoughts are directed to grief, your soul is not inflamed, you are awakened to the love of God and are ready to do many things that are wonderful and bring salvation. He who abstains from wine is filled with the Holy Spirit; whoever drinks water drinks streams of contrition. However, in order to preserve your health or in case of fatigue, do as best you can: I am giving you only advice, not an order. And regarding food, my children, I also advise you to avoid senseless overfilling of the stomach and gross satiety. Thanks to this, debauchery and seeds of Sodom arise; Conduct yourself, on the contrary, regarding food, drink and everything else in such a way that you rule and do not obey desires, dominate and not be slaves of the flesh. This is the best law for soul and body - the higher should not be enslaved by the lower! Be careful when leaving the monastery and in conversations with laymen, so as not to cause shock to the brotherhood. And you, who are assigned to ships, when you return and deliver what is needed, avoid communication with the laity, do not exchange words or shouts with them, but let your voyage be sedate, may God be glorified in it. The best law for soul and body I hear that some come to the gardens and demand greens from the gardener, and when - as is necessary - they are refused according to the rule, they begin to argue with the gardener. This is a purely satanic matter, and henceforth it should not exist, for otherwise the guilty will be punished. Are you not given enough [greens or food] at meals? If greenery defeats you, then how will you fight passion after that? If you, my weak brother, do not strengthen your thoughts with abstinence, you will become lighter than a feather. People constantly become and have become perfect from imperfect, greatest from insignificant, healthy from weak, (43) men from children, passionless from passionate, temperate from intemperate; Let us do the same, we will not be lazy or procrastinate. The Lord gives strength and strength (cf. Ps. 63:7): He stretched out His wings and received them, and lifted them up on His frame (Deut. 32:11) - so our salvation is pleasing to Him, so He is near to all who call on Him (Ps. 145:18). So, my beloved children, may the Lord of glory encourage your hearts, strengthen your souls, and gird your loins to go forth and fight against the enemy, to victory, to repel opponents, to glory, to His praise, to the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven, for to Him belongs glory with the Father and His All-Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. About cutting off one’s will and the need to avoid shamelessness, which is terrible in its danger There are many paths and at the same time one My brothers, fathers and children. My work is in the Lord (1 Cor. 9:1). Therefore, to address you with an announcement and to arouse in you zeal for fulfilling the commandments of the Lord is neither labor nor burden for me; on the contrary, it gives me joy and serves as a source of joy when I have to speak, interpret and converse about how we can go through the earthly path and arrange our affairs in such a way as to achieve the Kingdom of Heaven. After all, there are many paths and at the same time one: one because virtue has one beginning (αρετή μονογενής), and many because it branches into many separate successes (εις πολλά κατορθώματα). Let us take hold of it, my beloved children, (44) with all our might - and whoever wants, let him go on the unhindered and endless path of God-imitating obedience, and whoever - on the smooth and shortest path of Christ-bearing humility, but both of them equally and first of all must love, as an immaculate sacrifice, the cutting off of their own will (έκκοπή του θελήματος ). Who is a man, it is said, who, though he may live, may love the days and see good things? (Ps. 33:13). Only the one who truly cuts off his will, only such a person will live and not see death, will deliver his soul from the hand of hell (Ps. 89:49), he is the son of light, his soul is cleansed from everything passionate, for he uproots every passion. Why do we have misdeeds, troubles, troubles, resentments, strife, hatred, envy? Is it not because each of us tries to insist on our own and give the upper hand to our aspirations? Yes, precisely from this, and there is no other way than the one indicated, which could save from all sorts of devilish wiles: it is the only one that delivers those who agree to subjugate themselves. Whom will God justify at Judgment? The long summer days have arrived. Time is getting hotter. Let us not be unemployed and frivolous. Day, it is said, days are vomited by the verb, and night is proclaimed by the mind (Ps. 19:3), and both come and pass. Just as a river flows, so our life strives and approaches death. And blessed are you that you sacrifice the insignificant and temporary in order to create for yourself the eternal and heavenly. It will come when, surrounded by His holy Angels, He will sit on the throne of His glory, call you to Himself and place you together with the righteous. But is it everyone? No, but only those who are obedient, submissive, God-fearing, who love virtue and integrity, who are pure in heart, who are contrite, weep, who are hardworking, frank, who love fathers and brothers, silence, who are zealous, who have completely renounced their relatives, and who (45) generally do every other work of God. And among you there are some persons who are adorned not with just one, but with many successes. Such a person, shining with the gifts of the Spirit, is truly more beautiful in kindness than the sons of men (Ps. 44:3). Therefore, my children, let us refrain ourselves from the disgusting and destructive shame of sin, we will avoid terrible shamelessness (τής δεινής παρρησίας), nasty looks at each other, corrupting smiles, fornicating laughter, satanic murmuring, evil excitement, but let us be complacent accept everything - food, drink, clothing, obedience, whatever it may be. This is the valor of your feat, this is your spiritual martyrdom, here is your success as the athletes of God, here is your crowns. I hear rumors that some of the brothers speak unreasonably about the children [living in our monastery] 414, as if because of them we ourselves will perish and as if they will destroy our monastery. What stupidity! With such speeches, these persons do not complain about anyone else, but about the Lord Himself, who says: leave the children and do not forbid them to come to Me: for such is the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 19:14). Did not Christ Himself deign to become a child? Didn't He suckle at the breast? Wasn’t He then a baby, a youth - when he was, it is said, twelve years old (Luke 2:42), - a youth, and finally an adult husband, when about thirty years old he began to work miracles (Luke 3:23)? So why, after this, talk all sorts of nonsense, why not instead reproach ourselves better, because destruction comes to them from themselves? Such persons are smarter and more far-sighted than the abbot, more to the right than the right, they are zealous beyond reason for the love of God and in severity they go beyond the limits of the rules. If no one said such speeches, then let our words fly like the wind, and we will not demand anyone to answer, but if someone did, let him correct himself, so as not to fall into the devil’s snare. What the holy elder, known to all of us, said: “If a child commands me to do anything, I consider (46) that the Son of my Lord commanded it to me.” And you read this and don’t understand. When children are disruptive, why don't you teach them to feel afraid of you? Just don’t get inflamed by them... Well, I won’t delay the announcement, now the sun is rising - forgiveness to everyone and may the God of peace be with you all, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen. About how we can endure the heat of lust and the burden of asceticism and not despair in the anxiety of temptations Many feats, but great rewards My brothers, fathers and children. It is no problem for me to remind you of salvation. True, and this is completely obvious, I am not able to properly feed your precious souls, for I am poor and wretched (see Ps. 86:1) both in word and in deed. But since everything that a person does to the best of his ability is pleasing to God, I will fulfill my duty today. What does it consist of? In reminding you that, according to the word of the Lord, through your patience you gain your souls (Luke 21:19), so that you endure the labor and heat of an ascetic life, not showing the slightest impatience, and that you study the law of the Lord day and night and are like a tree planted by the rising waters (Ps. 1:2-3). Indeed, you have many exploits, but the rewards are also great; It takes a lot of effort, but forever and a treasure for it. You, I know, struggle, fight, suffer, receive wounds, are crucified by the cutting off of your will, but rejoice also, for for all this the Kingdom of Heaven is prepared for you, immortality, adoption, inheritance, life abundant in all, bliss, rejoicing, peace without end. In view of such and such awards, how can anyone still remain carefree after this? On the contrary, should not everyone strive and strive and struggle, not paying any attention to the degree of good and perfection he achieves, until, finally, death itself (47) leads him to the fulfillment of his hopes? After all, my announcements are not empty words! After all, I am not trying to seduce you through deception! No, my brothers, in no way! Your ears [even without my announcements] constantly listen to the words of the saints. You know how the apostle exclaims: we are not worthy of the passions of this present time for the glory that desires to be revealed in us (Rom. 8:18). Let us, children, endure the heat of lust, and the burden of despondency, and exhaustion from work, and hunger from abstinence, and above all else, boredom and melancholy, and then we will be able to say with the apostle: For your sake we are put to death all the day long, counted as the sheep of the slaughter (Ps. 43:23; Rom. 8:36). Those of you who have previously prospered, and are now prospering and ascending to the heights of virtue, should not be afraid of either demonic visions or the plans of lust; I need to talk about all this [only] for those who are lazy, stumble, who hesitate, who are double-minded. However, you who have succeeded, take advantage of encouragement and advice to brilliantly complete the path of piety. So let us all begin to add fear to fear, let us be courteous among ourselves, gentle, loving, trusting, affectionate, friendly, unenvious, unconceited, unboastful, quiet, uncomplaining, having patience as the basis and root of our good life. Of course, many sorrows always happen to you, I do not deny this. But doesn’t this happen for the sake of your salvation and so that you will inherit eternal blessings? Yes, for this; and no one can object to this. If, children, all this: exhaustion, and effort, and stress, and running, and constant bustle, and work, and sweat, and hunger, and fatigue, and confusion of thoughts, and the anxiety of temptations raised upon us in this worldly sea by invisible enemies - if all this is precisely for the sake of those blessings, (48) then in no way, O children, I ask you, let us not allow ourselves to become lazy and fall spirit, despondency, despair. Christ Himself goes ahead of us, He stretches out His hand and says to this sea: be silent, cease (Mark 4:39). Only we ourselves, for our part, will force ourselves to move forward, we ourselves will still try to hurry, and we will achieve our goal. I am firmly convinced that we will cross our sea and enter the harbor of the Kingdom of Heaven safe and sound, and then will there be any trace or even a memory of the labor we have endured? Absolutely nothing will remain: from there, as it is written, sickness and sorrow and sighing will truly escape (Isa. 35:10). The path of martyrs and saints So, could there be anything more blessed than such deeds and labor, from which flow light, life, joy, peace, endless joy and joy! If someone reasons in this way and then follows virtue, then such a person does not weaken, does not give up, does not deviate from the straight path, does not turn back, not only before the various tests indicated, but even before death itself, before crucifixion, perforation and shedding of blood, he will joyfully enter the fight, the arena, for all this is a means for the fulfillment of his hopes. In this way, my beloved children, martyrs suffered and endured all kinds of torture. In exactly the same way, the saints, after all kinds of ascetic trials, became saints. Accordingly, I, the poor one, call on you, through your most praiseworthy submission and martyrdom, to also suffer and also receive crowns. I insistently ask you: we will not allow ourselves to be deprived of those ineffable and unspeakable blessings, we will not allow ourselves to be deprived of the name “sons and heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven.” I earnestly pray to you: let us not allow ourselves to be deprived of the joy of the palace of Christ and the place at the right hand, where all the saints will forever rejoice, rejoice, sing and enjoy in God and all divine blessings. Greetings to those who struggle (49) But how can you achieve all this? Yes, not otherwise, if you carry out your praiseworthy work, without falling away, without becoming faint, without being scattered and without being locked in the abyss of sin. Therefore, first of all, my greetings to all of you, especially greetings to those who work harder than others, greetings to those who are especially useful, greetings to those who especially shine [with their virtues] - greetings to you, stewards, greetings to you, deans, greetings to those who are the very first at work and who work outside the monastery, especially who plows and cultivates the land, and also who suffers from obedience. My greetings to you, senior clothing manager, cellarer, shoemaker, tanner. My greetings to you, baker, cook, parchment maker, meal-keeper, gardener, blacksmith. My greetings to you, the hospital worker with your assistants, the senior fisherman with his comrades, the gatekeepers, watchmen, painters. My greetings to you too, the first among us (that is why I am addressing you after the others) - hieromonks, deacons, scribes, if you work with obedience and humility; singers, those who verse [psalms], and especially the canonarch, if you mean that you sing and proclaim it for the Lord. My greetings also to the various servants and assistants, tailors, alarm workers and observers. My greetings to you, archive managers, secretaries and scribes, treasurers, sacristans, basket makers, candlelighters, head of church utensils, garden and field watchmen, wine manager, senior scribe, librarian and observer of order in the church. And to everyone else, small and great, my greetings to all! All rejoice, (50) all hasten, all purify yourselves, all ascend upward. What a wondrous spectacle when a man is told of his virtue in front of the whole brotherhood! How sweet it is to see him greeted in the presence of so many for his fear of God, humility and obedience! What a desirable example is the one who hurries to everyone, goes around everyone, illuminates with a word and motivates with encouragement, for such persons have the highest fate on the day of reward. Every one, says the apostle, will receive his reward according to his labor (1 Cor. 3:8), therefore it is profitable to work hard and through small deeds to inherit what God has prepared for all who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9), for to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. That we should remain faithful to our vows, and also remain in the calling to which God has called us, and not ruin our much-coveted successes My fathers, brothers and children. Pray, I ask you, mentally to God, may He expand my mind, so that I will be able to help you with this pitiful and insignificant announcement of mine - to help you with the needs that constantly appear and arise in us, which, due to their importance, require special exhortation and a longer teaching than what we usually do. In our country, impatience, carelessness, arbitrariness, laziness, and on the part of some, disobedience, and on the part of others, arrogance, are constantly falling like flakes of snow, some even run away from the monastery; on top of all this, contradictions, troubles, grumbling, and gossip constantly appear. Yes, however, I don’t have enough time to list everything 415; all this, like a winter storm, covers me, and my weak soul is tormented by the question: how can I, with the help of the prayers of our father, save the ship entrusted to me with your dear souls from condemnation and sinking? I see and declare this quite openly that you, too, help me steer the ship and work with me, but not very many of you do this (51), otherwise my work would not be so hard for me, but much easier. Therefore, I ask those who are already struggling with me to take even more part in my work, for for this they will receive a reward from God, and I ask the rest to stop their excesses, feel the fear of God and think about answering before that terrible and terrible Judgment, where everyone will receive a reward for their deeds. After all, why, children, did we come here, having withdrawn from the world and being separated from our carnal parents, relatives and friends, cities, homeland, home and village? Is it not to save your souls? Is it not in order to receive forgiveness for sins committed before, in order to please God, in order to acquire eternal blessings? Is it not in order to live like an angel, imitating disembodied spirits, and especially our holy and blessed fathers? So how do things go the other way around for us? Instead of crying, we laugh; instead of lamenting, we are ready to gallop; instead of becoming well-behaved, we rage; instead of praying, we curse; instead of silence, we make noise; instead of silence, we chat; instead of purifying ourselves, we only become even more polluted; instead of restraining ourselves, we are idle; instead of fasting we are intemperate; instead of singing, we talk in church; instead of obedience, we are self-willed; Instead of humbling ourselves, we elevate ourselves. This is how, usually, as a result of oblivion and inattention on our part to our vows, the enemy overthrows us. But open your eyes, children, feel yourself, become sober and turn to what you once promised, namely, to wash away your sins, to be sanctified, to be enlightened, to be perfected, to be deified (θεοποιηθήναι), to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. I ask and pray that all your labors will not be in vain. Look how much you have already suffered, (52) how much you have fasted, how much you have been vigilant, how much punishment you have endured, and how much you have accepted in the past and how much you are enduring all this now - how much you have already done and how much you are still doing. So, with your indifference and because of fleeting pleasure, do not ruin your great, prolific and coveted successes, but try to acquire more and more new ones in addition to your previous ones; Let's end this life with great acquisitions, and then retreat to the quietest haven of endless life. The harmfulness of self-imposed asceticism The Lord knows how I work to give each of you a proper rest, and how I respond with all my soul to everything that happens to you, how I suffer with those who suffer, how I become weak, like myself weak in soul, with those who are exhausted, I am faint-hearted with the faint-hearted, I strive with those who struggle, I am overcome with those who are overwhelmed, I am kindled with those who are tempted (see. Rom. 12:15). So why, after this, don’t you all obey me and don’t walk correctly and calmly, according to the rules? Why do some of you come out and replace all this with your own and - worst of all - harmful desires and proud plans, not in accordance with the rules of obedience and social order, but out of pride and self-indulgence, inventing better laws, inventing more holy rules and composing new teachings, more divinely inspired than the old ones, and what is in fact just wickedness and lawlessness? Some of you, by your own decision, or rather, by the devil’s instigation, quietly and without my knowledge put on chains (σίδηρα ἘθριθβάΧλθσθζ), allow others to do this, and thus become closer to your accomplice in sin - the devil. Others glorify the desert life and discuss this matter with Satan, who only wants to devastate your souls. Others, too, at their own discretion and (53) also with the blessing of the devil, do other and even new things, I will not talk about them in detail. Why are you doing all this and not trying, on the contrary, about what you should do, what suits you, what is godly and saving for you? Have any saints ever done anything like this? Never! And if they did, then in rare cases and each time according to a special vision and sign from God or even with paternal permission. And you have not yet washed yourself even from your previous sins (and even if you have washed yourself, you have not yet corrected your character and have not tasted the sweetness of reasoning), but only, being blinded by recklessness and self-indulgence, as if like worms, you are carried away to the abyss by the serpent dragging you through deception. The benefits of staying in a hostel In no way, my children, should you leave your business in such a sad situation. Believe me, this is wiser than all wisdom, holier than all holiness and more beneficial for you than anything useful - to remain in the state to which the Lord has called you, that is, to remain in the community, with your father, with your brothers, in that courtyard where God Himself is the shepherd. For whoever leaves here will certainly become the prey of wild beasts. But, on the other hand, having settled here, learn and follow the local rules - unanimity, like-mindedness, joint asceticism, torment, labor and church service. How to stand out from others And if anyone wants to stand out from others by his success, then let him, if he can (this is pleasing to both God and us), consider himself lower than everyone else, let him not contradict, let no lies be found in his mouth at all 416 (Isa. 53:9), let him not grumble at all. Let him then be slanted into anger (James 1:19), quick to obey, even quicker to say “forgive” (συγχώρηησον) during a heated conversation; let him also have a bright face from internal psalmody, prayer and orderliness, lowering his eyes and raising his mind to God. Let him, further, refrain completely from laughter to a simple smile, fulfilling his duty; let him also refrain from any, even a single, rotten word that does not bring edification; let him be satisfied with the food (54) at the common meal, and even then let him not allow himself to become satiated; let him be content with the prescribed hours of the day; let him stand at the service soberly and cheerfully, fulfilling exactly every verse. Let him daily set himself the limit of life only from morning to evening, and therefore let him grieve, weep and prepare for the end of his life. Let him, finally, shed tears every day, and if this is beyond his strength, then at least let him, at least during Communion or in the evening when he goes to bed, let him wet his cheeks with tears, remembering to himself either what he has omitted out of laziness, or imagining heavenly sights, as well as the daily judgments of God, or, finally, and especially, remembering death, how his soul will be separated from his body, how it will be led Angels, how she will meet with demons, how she will then have to answer for everything done in her mind, in word and in deed. Where and in what place will such a humble soul end up? Isn't it on the blessed right side? Is it not in Abraham's bosom? Is it not to the divine palace? Will she not get rid of the fate of the goats who will hear: go away from Me, the curse, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angel (Matthew 25:41). Examples of communal asceticism You see how many different advantages we have and how many feats are possible. Where else, as our great legislator, the divine Basil 417 declares, in what other life leading to God, besides the sacred community, can one accomplish so much and demonstrate such different virtues? Without naming names, I will point out some of you as examples in order to encourage those who do not do their due to compete. So, among you, firstly, there are those who, out of sincere faith and love for God, as well as for the abbot, do not sleep at all. (55) The divine Vasily 418 also speaks of such a feat. Others struggle in tears - and some of them hardly spend a single day without tears, while others will never receive Holy Communion until they have shed tears from their eyes. Still others watch themselves so strictly and love chastity so much that they never allow themselves to look at the faces of others [in order] not to be harmed. Some sleep sitting, others, except for meals, do not allow themselves to drink water or swallow a piece of food without a blessing; others, following the example of the divine Savva 419, are the first to come to church services; Still others never make statements or demands to me about giving them clothes, or shoes, or anything else, but turn to me solely to ask for fasting, vigil and all sorts of other hardships for their salvation. Here are the truly upright in heart (Ps. 31:11). Here are those who want to strive for the highest. These are people who, along with their salvation, try not only not to cause any harm to their neighbor, but constantly created and are creating the most praiseworthy help for him, by the way, also by raising and raising the fallen. Those who want to rise, let them imitate such persons. Well, if he can’t, let him be content with success, which is obligatory for everyone. Contentment is saving, and only for this alone will they receive their crowns. This is a long announcement I have written for you, so that you may not philosophize any more than you ought to philosophize (Rom. 12:3), but that you may philosophize, as was established in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. About protecting our souls with virtues, for there are many who fight us from on high (Ps. 55:3) The Importance of Spiritual Meetings My brothers, fathers and children. Today I will begin my announcement with an example. (56) When a war is started, the military leaders first hold a meeting, then they gather the people, call them, excite and inspire them, and finally they set out on a campaign. In the same way, ship captains first confer and discuss the sailing plan with the sailors, and then, calling on God’s help, they order the sails to be raised and go to sea. I will not talk about travelers, merchants, farmers and all other examples where general meetings, discussion of the matter and unanimity are also first required. In view of the fact that we, the armies of Christ, a society made up of God’s chosen ones from all over the world, a gift dedicated to God, also have, according to the Apostle, a struggle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers and authorities [and] against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness (Eph. 6:12), then we need to gather together for meetings and discussions of matters not once, twice, three times a year (after all, then, Having made three campaigns or endured three defenses, we, as well as our enemy, could, each for his part, return home and again continue a quiet life), but we must do this continuously, for, as we all know this very well from experience, our enemy wages war forever. Therefore, there is nothing strange or unreasonable in the fact that we gather together three times a week and, in addition, every day in the evening and here, at the announcement, we consult, exercise and defend ourselves - on the contrary, this, on our part, is very reasonable, completely correct and very useful for us. The devil does not eat, drink or sleep See therefore, soldiers of Christ, whether you have defended your souls well, whether you have the armor of firm faith, the shield of humility, whether the spear of obedience is ready. (57) Is your head protected by the helmet of saving hope, is the sword of unshakable courage in your hands (cf. Eph. 6:17), and above all, is your honest body obedient and running quickly, is it like a war horse that walks with a sure step, does not bite the bit, does not rear up and does not throw off its rider, that is, the mind, in the face of the enemy? Yes, I will answer for you, indeed, you have all this; keep this, my children, with you constantly, for there are many who fight us from on high (Ps. 56:3), the arrows of the evil one (cf. Eph. 6:16) are extremely hardened, he does not suspend his hostile actions day or night, not even for one minute: the apostate, in his own words to one holy elder, does not eat, drink or sleep 420. His whole unnecessary life and destructive activity consists only in bringing down the wretched and the poor, and slaying the upright in heart (Ps. 36:14). But let his sword enter into his heart, and let his bow be broken (Ps. 36:15). How can this be done? If we listen to the words of this psalm, if we repel the enemy with the above weapons. He, as the villain himself admitted, is destroyed by obedience, driven out by prayer, starved by fasting, crushed by brotherly love and, in general, by any fulfillment of other divine virtues. So, I, a prisoner of sin, ask you to walk worthy of the calling into which we were called (Eph. 4:1), so that a tyrant does not gain the upper hand over us. Hold on to the work of your obedience, carry it through in all the works of your hands - whether in arable land, or in digging the earth, or in sewing clothes, as well as in correspondence, carpentry, bakery, and in any other of the crafts and obediences that exist among us. For this you will be credited with a great reward in heaven. Our life rushes by like a runner, flies by like a bird. Neither joy lasts long, nor does grief remain forever. Let us engage, brothers, (58) in profitable trade! In one moment we will inherit eternity! Truly, our whole life is only one moment in comparison with the future eternity, and blessed is he who looks at this correctly, blessed is he who has hated the world, and blessed is he who for the sake of the Lord has abandoned his parents, relatives, friends, brothers and everything worldly. How can you not become famous after all this? The Lord Himself says: those who glorify Me I will glorify, and those who disparage Me will be dishonored (1 Samuel 2:30). Glorify God (1 Cor. 6:20) in your souls, for you are truly the sanctified souls of Christ; sacrifice yourselves 421 and by obedience lay up for yourselves a supply for ever. Therefore, let none of you interrupt his successful run, let no one be unemployed, let no one become lazy, sleep, or snore (Jonah 1:5). Run all together, all united by one love, all having one common will, one common heart, agile, constantly moved by piety, praying for me, the unworthy, that I too may receive salvation with you through the prayers of my father and your father 422, through Jesus Christ our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About Thanksgiving and Patience Burning lamp and oil for it My brothers, fathers and children. We, in ourselves, have a burning lamp - love for God and thirst for eternal blessings, and we must constantly add to it the oil necessary for burning, so that otherwise this lamp, having gone out, does not leave us in the dark and so that we, led astray by passions, as if at night, do not fall into any danger. What does this oil consist of? It is not to forget, to remember, to compare and contrast what was, what is and what will happen to us. The perniciousness of the world and the salvific value of monasticism Let us therefore remember that time (59) of our youth when, due to our ignorance, we wandered as if in darkness, then, as if on a stormy sea, we rushed about in our affairs, then as if we were drowning in the abyss of pleasures; let us remember where the all-good God called us from and from what he saved us, from what passions He rescued us and then, stretching out His hand to us, He set us on our feet, showed us the true path and encouraged us to strive for this bright and holy image; Let us remember that, while so many other people close to us - relatives, comrades, neighbors, friends, acquaintances - are still left in the world, we are the only ones who came out of there, as if from Egyptian slavery, climbed this high mountain of virtues and from here we look and look at the rest of the people, as if they live in some deepest valley, how they attack and how they overthrow each other, working completely in vain for the corruptible, impermanent and transitory things, showing enormous and persistent efforts in this. And it would be good if the whole thing ended just like that, but no - they work so that eternal torment befalls them for this. What kind of gratitude should we feel to God just for our deliverance from all this and what should we repay Him for what He repaid us (Ps. 116:3)? This reward consists in our renunciation and flight from the world, in estrangement from parents, distance from loved ones and in a blessed life of obedience. So, having recognized God’s gift to us, we will bring thanksgiving to God, and also spend the days of our sojourn as a holiday, singing more than Israel: let us drink to the Lord, for gloriously we have been glorified, horse and rider thrown into the sea (Ex. 15:1). And since we have already received deliverance, we now need to properly cross the desert of our life, be submissive and obedient, enduring, long-suffering, we need to love integrity and the commandments and should not, like the ancient people, murmur, show disobedience, be carnalists, (60) sensualists, self-willed people, argue, rebel against our Lawgiver Himself and, as it were, remember the Egyptian meat, cauldrons, onions and garlic (Num. 11:5), which by the power of God we have already abandoned and renounced. So I ask you: we will try with all our might not to allow anything like this, but we will behave as befits God’s holy people, who do not cause God grief, immediately obey and quickly go wherever, whenever and from where He wants, guided by His commandments, which He reveals and gives, wandering and enduring all the hardships of travel - the need for bread, lack of water, and so on. If we constantly trust in Him in this way, then the Angel of God will go before us, the Lord Himself will overcome our passions for us, like any foreigners, and then we will go not to some land of the Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites and Hivites, but to the very land of the meek (cf. Ps. 37:11) and the righteous, to the land flowing with milk and honey (Ex. 33:3), saints, immortal and inexhaustible, and, co-king with the Lord Lord, we inherit all the promised blessings. Therefore, brethren, look at the rewards set before us, do not forget the pleasures prepared for us, and, on the other hand, also the torments and torments intended for those who live carefree, remember what that disobedient people endured and what the obedient receive. With great joy, with great zeal and tireless patience, let us quickly take good care of our obediences, like those holy vessels, the sons of Kohath and Merari (Num. 4:1, 29), and without any laziness, let us raise up the tabernacle of the covenant of the Lord - His gospel law. So let none of us turn out to be disobedient, murmuring, a gossip, a slanderer, a shameless person, a liar, a laugher, a hater, (61) an envious person, an idle lover, a slanderer; let no one in his holy life cause the slightest reproach. But let us, with all our strength, do everything pleasing to God, so that, having completed in this way the glorious struggle of righteousness (cf. 1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7), we will receive a crown in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About embarrassment during your spiritual competition, and about not adornment Monasticism - spiritual martyrdom and confession My fathers, and brothers, and children. Just as chicks, sitting on a nest, constantly wait for food from their mother, so now you too sit to listen to me, humble one, my unlearned word. May the Lord help me, like that bird, to collect food here and there from the spiritual fatherly meadows, to also compose for you, as it were, a bouquet and deliver to you everything you need in sufficient quantity, so that you can feed, grow, live and become accustomed to spiritual flight, until, perhaps, some of you, by the will of God and by your perfect virtue, fly to such a limit that you yourself, in turn, will be able to guide and feed others. After death, may we all be worthy to fly to heaven, to the mountain above, from where we can escape sickness and sorrow and sighing (Isa. 35:10). I, unworthy, hope and firmly believe, without any doubt, that you will go exactly there and find yourself where those who rejoice are the dwelling place of all (Ps. 87:7), where the face of those who rejoice and the voice of those who celebrate (Ps. 41:5), tasting there the blessings promised to all the saints who have pleased Christ since the ages, and this is for your brilliant success in the exploit, for your praiseworthy and blessed life, (62) for flight from the world, for renunciation of carnal parents, for cutting off your will, for the daily suffering and patience that you show in your martyrdom obedience, for in it you truly confess the Lord and deny yourself from the main tormentor - the devil; for this they strip you naked and lead you into the arena, where they cut you and scrape your skin with all sorts of spiritual and sensual obsessions, sometimes from carnal lusts, sometimes from demonic plans, sometimes from clashes with brothers, sometimes from ridicule, and sometimes from the censure of stewards and deans, then, finally, from vigils, psalmody, work, and in general from all other obediences we have - and so nevertheless, despite the fact that you are constrained in all sorts of ways, tortured, pressed, tormented, you do not in any way renounce your vows given to God, you do not bow your knees to Baal (see 1 Kings. 9:18), but boldly and courageously endure martyrdom for your salvation, shaming your enemies and repelling the attacks of the devil directed at you. This, my children, is our greatest and most glorious competition of all, and you can easily repeat with the apostle: who will separate us from the love of God: tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or trouble, or the sword? - adding to this the words of David: for for Your sake we are put to death all day long, being counted as sheep of the slaughter (Rom. 8:3536; Ps. 43:23). But you will be ultimately blessed and blessed only if you complete your feat and present it to God as true and immaculate, for we simply present individual martyrdoms and crowns for them every day. All this I am saying is about what has already happened; Let's now move on to what is and what will happen next. What are our real affairs? Here too I will give you full justice for your behavior. At our humble admonition, you immediately came (63) and gave away all your copper things, calligraphic styles, cases and inkwells, knife sheaths, key rings, outerwear clasps, needles, lamp chains and hooks, except for church and other things, which cannot be dispensed with in obedience, as well as buttons from robes and belts carved from ivory and plain bone, handles from knives, embroidered with silk and lined belts, along with all this, carved and patterned memorial tablets. In this matter, just as we, the humble ones, turned our attention to our duty, so you obediently obeyed our orders - and if some of you were saddened, this is not at all surprising; In general, the fact that you gave up your things so quickly is commendable on your part, and in this you, as it were, received the crown of martyrdom. Seducing others is a grave and unforgiving sin And why, in fact, my brethren, should we become a slave to something from which there is no benefit for us and in which, on the contrary, there is a lot of harm and possible damage to our soul? After all, if, in the words of the divine and glorious Basil, “everything that is used not for need, but for the sake of decoration, testifies only to vanity, and vanity is a sin” 423, and also “a true Christian must avoid all decoration” 424 - then how can we avoid judgment if we keep such things for decoration? But it may be objected that we keep them with us not at all for the sake of decorating ourselves, but as simply as we usually keep such things; To this I will answer that it is our conscience, which is capable of discussing a matter one way or another, that secretly dissembles in such people and comes up with justifications for their passions, for, according to Scripture, it is one thing to sit on dung and another to sit on a throne (Sir. 40:3), and our gaze admires something dear in another way and a less valuable thing in another way. If, finally, one of us said to himself that he had already reached such a degree of perfection that he considered gold itself no higher than lead, (64) the words of the famous holy elder 425 would have exposed him, that such a person in this case only suppressed this thought in himself for a while, for our passions are constantly only in a bound state. And then, how can such a person avoid seducing others - and this is a grave and unforgiving sin? For if only there are comrades, then they constantly compete and try to imitate each other in everything - evil is easily adopted (εύζηλωτον γάρ τι πράγμα η κακία) 426, and from here the need for shiny and golden copper things develops, skillful and patterned products, in round turned and painted buttons, as well as in embroidered, multi-colored and stitched belts. If there were lay people here, how much laughter they would have and what a temptation from all this would be for them! After all, what would they say looking at this? “Don’t they say that monks have the same weaknesses as we do? They also preen themselves and decorate themselves with the same things we wear. These are just drunkards and false monks! “Behold,” they will say, “these are women lovers and horses neighing (cf. Isa. 5:8) at their fellows!” And in deeds we hear this and will continue to hear it. After all, you yourself, I ask you (I’m not even talking about myself), while you were still in the world, if you happened to see such things, then didn’t you say similar speeches in this case? Yes, I admit, when I had occasion to see such a brilliant monk, in colorful robes, well-fed and ruddy, shiny with fat, with white and tender hands, shod in shiny shoes or boots that cleverly fit his feet, with an elegant knife on a copper ring and with a copper handle (and sometimes also with a silver notch) at his belt, and besides this, also with also with a copper key ring, with various trinkets carved from bone, etc., and on top of all this, on a well-fed, beautifully walking 427 and expensive horse or mule with a corresponding saddle and bridle with a copper set - then I always felt very painful, and I looked with disgust at such a monk. On the contrary, I loved to look at such monks, who are dressed in the most necessary and simple dress, (65) who walk, do not bother with their faces, who are not white-handed, with the usual smell from all this, without any other aromas; in this case, as if enlightened, I glorified God, began to consider the angelic image holy and alien to the empty glory of the world, and wanted to be counted among the same. And so the matter seems, in my opinion, not only to me, the unreasonable one, but also to everyone else who thinks about it, if only he has common sense. After all, how is this really possible? Our Lord Jesus Christ, by the way, also forbade us to wear copper in our belts (Matthew 10:9), and we, having forgotten His commandment, continue to do this. True, we don’t have any copper in our belts, but we do have it on our belts, or on our knives, or on our key rings. By this we only once again prove the saying that if we only fail to fulfill the God-given commandment in some way, then at the same time we no longer keep it all (James 2:10). Further, we can use iron for a ring for a knife, in the same way for a ring for keys, for a stele and for other objects, except for those that cannot be dispensed with. Just like buttons, you can use just wooden ones, memorial plaques without carvings or patterns, belts without silk embroidery and unstitched, and you can also maintain similar simplicity in other things. Why do we occupy ourselves with trifles and chase after them only for the sake of providing a beautiful sight to voluptuous eyes, while at the same time going beyond the boundaries of what is truly good and necessary, and also beyond the boundaries of the commandment? Therefore, blessed is the God of my father (Ex. 18:4) because He has disposed your souls to decide on a good deed and to discard what is harmful to you. Let no one object that this is all nonsense and that there are things that are incomparably more important, and they should be done first of all. Whoever says this speaks like an ignoramus and a fool. To this I will answer: my beloved brother, if you cannot already lift a light burden and (66) step on the first step, how can you then bear a heavier burden and be able to immediately jump onto the second step? This is simply the devil’s deception, which happens with every commandment of God. What does Saint Dorotheus say? “When someone says: “Well, is this or that important?” - then from this he develops a small but bad habit, and such a person then begins to neglect greater and more important things and trample on his conscience” 428. The importance of gradualism in spiritual improvement Therefore, just as one can rise upward to virtue only gradually, in the same way one can also descend downward step by step. It’s just like if you want to learn to read, you first need to learn the alphabet; when you start to walk, you first learn to move your foot, and you always start in the same way in every other activity. But you, my children, by the grace of Christ not only began, but even ran, run now, with the help of God, run further until you get up, that is, until death finally comes, so that you receive a reward for victory from our Master of the competition, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. About being sober and performing the most valiant deeds of praiseworthy obedience, and also about being attentive to oneself From one we learn about the other My brothers, fathers and children. Having returned from my absence, I again begin the usual yearly round of announcements. And firstly, I want to say that, whether we are away or staying here, we must constantly, although with bad lips, pray that we may all be preserved in this holy and virtuous life without damage, pure and without stumbling, and that none of us will be overthrown by the devil’s pride, but that everyone will be sober and watchful in order to perform the necessary and valiant deeds of the most praiseworthy obedience. (67) Since we have all this, then I no longer grieve about the rest, despite the fact that sadness is common among us, namely due to the scarcity of means of subsistence, which is just now noticeable among us. But I consider need as abundance, poverty as wealth, lack as abundance, constrained circumstances as space, because I have hope as my guide and believe that the Lord will not kill a righteous soul with famine (Prov. 10:3) and will not forsake His saints (Ps. 36:28), which you are, for by the grace of Christ, by the providence from above you receive food and shelter not only for one soul, but also for the body. For how could it be possible to feed and supply in sufficient quantities everything necessary to such a populous society, which was mostly made up of the poor and has no outside help, if the hand of the Lord did not help it? In fact, lift your eyes and see that we have old people, and weak, and sick, and youths, and children. Since we entered the capital, there have been many city dwellers, and yet the Lord satisfies all our needs. Isn't this surprising? Is this unworthy of God's praise? Yes, my children and brothers, this is so, but at the same time we ourselves do not need to be sluggish, but with great humility we should contribute our share of labor and work for the needs of our brothers. For when God sees that such a multitude of people are doing His commandments, then He also bows down to us, sending us in unknown ways the means for contentment. Therefore, I persistently ask and exhort you, let everyone, whatever obedience he has been assigned to, try to work on it with all his strength and do as much as possible both spiritually and physically, for one can be recognized by the other: whoever is diligent in bodily work, it is clear that he is the same in mental work, and whoever has done nothing for the soul is also negligent about bodily affairs. (68) Secondly, I want to remind you that we have everything in common, and not only the physical and sensory, but also the spiritual and supersensible - virtues and good deeds. We are in close communication and interaction with each other like a body, as the apostle describes: that the body is one, and there are many, but all the parts of one body, being many, are one body. And if one oud suffers, all ouds suffer with it; If one ud is glorified, all uds rejoice with him (1 Cor. 12:12, 26). And just as, starting from the head and ending with the feet, each member is assigned its own activity, corresponding to its structure, the same is true for us - from a spiritual point of view. In first place is our father, followed by me, and then everyone else in order, until the very last, will receive either praise or blame on the day of reward. However, do not think that I, as the first, expect to receive more of your benefits and as a result of this, they say, I rejoice; on the contrary, I fear and tremble, for retribution will be made for both good and evil, and my good in comparison with evil is only a thousandth of it. I, the unfortunate one, will be rewarded with the fate of that last slave who received the least (Matthew 25:14-30). Remembering all this, my children, let us all run, we will all strive, we will all contribute our share of labor to the common cause, and let no one, in the obedience and occupation entrusted to him, allow any harm or damage to this cause. God will not judge the way we expect Also firmly remember that God will distribute places on that day differently than we expect. He will place the three hundredth third or fourth, the tenth he will bring down to the middle, and the last one he will make first (see Matt. 19:30), all depending on the zeal and merits of each. It may also happen that (it’s scary to say) (69) those who here are thinking about something else and are double in their thoughts (see James 1:8), He will completely drive them out of the picture and send them into torment, just like, for example, me, a sinner, for my bad life and carelessness. In fact, what do you think: those of us who, for the sake of a common cause, live far away, conduct business, plow, travel, fish, dig the earth, bake bread, are in cellars, I am not counting the others, so as not to drag out the words - all of them, of course, are not working in vain? Everyone shares with each other On the other hand, won’t all these deprived of staying in the monastery, peace, poetry [cell prayer], psalmody, share equally with those who remain at home? This will certainly happen, just as we see in war when dividing the spoils. And there those who fight and those who remain in the camp divide the spoils equally among themselves. And if it is still possible to hide or steal something among people, before the incorruptible God this should not be the case: with what measure we measure ourselves, according to Scripture, it will be measured to us (Matthew 7:2). Books with our actions Therefore, my brethren, let us pay attention to what has been said here, and let us try not to cause loss to each other: those living outside the monastery to those living inside it and vice versa, or, for example, singers and praying people - to the servants, the sick - to the healthy ([perhaps someone here will ask] how can a sick person work? How else can he, for example, doing prayer, observing resignation and patience with suffering), then the scribes - by they dig the earth, plowmen and winegrowers - to servants and those who travel on various business, cellars and meal-keepers - to bakers and cooks, overseers and observers - to fishermen and carpenters, and in general - no one and no one, for God watches what we do, and all our words are entered into His books and (70) will be written down; and on that day the books with our deeds will be opened - it will be revealed what each of us has done, and each will receive his reward according to his labor (1 Cor. 3:8). Therefore, I pray that for the sake of your local glorious deeds and efforts, you, my children and brothers, will then all receive praise and a crown in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. That we receive unconditional benefit from announcements and instructions and thanks to them we succeed What is the benefit of regular announcements? My brothers and fathers. Just as each of you, being in this holy society, at the same time bears his own certain obedience, in the same way I, the meager one, to whom it has fallen the lot to govern you and instruct you, should not be careless about my obedience, but along with the rest, I must, as far as I have the strength, tell you announcements every week. Perhaps someone will object: “What good do we benefit from these announcements, if we don’t actually fulfill what they say? For example, we often heard there that one should not laugh, but still we do not observe this. We have been told many times not to talk idle, and yet we still continue to do this, often we have been told not to envy or wish harm to our neighbor, but we still have not gotten rid of these passions. We are constantly told not to stand carelessly during night and day services, but we still continue to be absent-minded and dormant, both sensually and spiritually, etc.” But all this is unfair, and firstly, because overcoming passions is far from an easy task; on the contrary, it is much more difficult and requires more effort than any other work and occupation. Secondly, just as, for example, on a ladder (71) it is impossible to immediately jump from the first step to the top one, but we can only reach it gradually, in the same way in virtue: if we want to reach its top, we can only do it little by little. Hence my announcements are useful to me, as well as to you, because they little by little translate and transfer your dear souls from bottom to top, and especially from earth to heaven itself. On the other hand, you also need to take into account the fact that even if now, when they tell you and you listen, what exactly needs to be done for the glory of God, you, despite this, do not overcome your passions, then, the question arises, what would happen and what would things have come to with us if we became silent, did not discuss and explain what should be? Every word is a path to deeds The Holy Fathers taught me that every word in general, whether useful or otherwise, is the path to action, and I know very well that talking about good things will certainly lead you to the same action. I can openly admit that by listening to the Inspired Ones, and to some extent by my weak announcements, you are rising higher and higher. You strain yourself more and more, namely, those of you who were previously sick with passions - towards sobering up and correction, and those who remained virtuous - towards further improvement. And we confess the grace sent to us from God and His good deeds, and we also do not hide His mercy (cf. Ps. 39:11). In fact, look, we have almost no bickering, no slander, no complaints, no abuse, no disobedience, no appropriation of other people’s things, no secret eating. And if this happens to anyone—after all, we live in this sin-prone flesh—then all this is soon put back in the same order and those caught are cured by punishment. Some are imprisoned, others are punished with dry eating, others are forced to stand, others make a certain number of bows in accordance with how much is needed to heal passion. Therefore, there is no need to say (72) that we do not benefit from the announcements and that we do not seem to move forward from the teachings. By the grace of Christ and through the prayers of my father and yours 429, we actually receive benefit, and succeed, and successfully ascend the mountain of virtues, all being enlightened, sanctified and deified 430. But since this, as has already been said, is achieved only with great effort and difficulty, I ask and implore you: let us remain in the same way as we so beautifully decided before, we will constantly destroy double-mindedness and drive out cowardice, we will strengthen ourselves with great hopes and the future reward of eternal blessings - and this is as long as we hold our breath, and, having renounced through death the present restless and difficult life, we will be worthy of becoming heirs of the Kingdom Heavenly in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About the need to mentally run through and contemplate the lives of our fathers and live like them Everyone should imitate Christ My fathers, brothers and children. If I had taken a carnal look at the sorrows and troubles that happen to us almost every day, I would have been tired of all this long ago and would have handed over the reins of leadership to someone else. But my humble mind looks first of all to God, through whom just as you were called here, so I have given myself to you; therefore, although I have not gained favor with God, I do not turn away from the work of superiority, despite my foolishness, I do not think of abandoning it, despite the fact that I myself am a lost person, I still do not despair, but constantly work, as if I were burning, living in a vice and in torment - and with Christ strengthening me, with the help of the prayers of my and your father (73), for the sake of you, my beloved, or rather, for the sake of my Lord and Master Himself, I am ready to willingly endure everything. For if He Himself, the Creator of the ages, according to the mystery of salvation, doomed Himself and accepted temptations, insults, reproaches, shame, ridicule, crucifixion, perforation and death for my sake, then how can I, or even we, not suffer all this? After Him, this becomes everyone. Okay, let sorrow, need, etc. happen to us. But on the other hand, if we manage things well, stay awake, and try, we will acquire eternal and indestructible blessings. If we become lazy and procrastinate, then we will receive wrath on the day of wrath and revelation of God’s righteous judgment (Rom. 2:5). Where have those holy people who once lived gone now? Is there anywhere else the same jealousy and exploits as theirs? For them, bodily sorrow was joy, humility was the highest glory and greatness, love for the Lord was an unceasing ardent and fiery desire; Their insatiable desire was not to fulfill their will, but, on the contrary, to try with all their might not to create it, not to be in charge, but to be under control and in submission until old age - this is their wonderful desire! Where is that blessed elder 431 who was supposed to stand until the very end of the meal? Anyone who's read about this knows who I'm talking about. Where is that much-tempted pearl of long thirty years of obedience? Where is this one, where is that one? Like a choir of stars, all this God-gathered multitude surrounds my thought. Who acquired unfeigned obedience and soon became famous? Let us flow mentally, children, to his monastery 432. Let's go to the brethren of the great Pachomius 433 and see there the glorious Jonah, blessed Petronius, Theodore the Sanctified. (74) From there we will go to the monastery of the glorious Theodosius 434, we will see there the immortal Basil, the wondrous Aetius 435 and others and others. From here we will move on to the divinely inspired Theoktistus 436, to the all-holy monastery of Euthymius and Sava 437. And in general, I will say briefly about all the ascetics, both the ancients, the later ones, and the newest ones - how and how much each of them labored in his good field! So we, children, if we want to find life and the true light (John 1:9), let us walk in exactly the same way, enduring everything, covering everything, not giving a single stumble in anything, so that the service of our work will be blameless (2 Cor. 6:3), taking up the shield of faith over everyone, in which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one (Eph. 6:16), abstaining from disputes, rejoicing and rejoicing with each other, if anyone deserves distinction, being built in one agreement of the Spirit, as one body of Christ, praying for me, poor and wretched, that the God of peace will give me the Spirit of strength, so that I may, in accordance with His will, bring you to the very end of your achievement in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. About not losing patience in spiritual exploits, but competing with each other in valiant zeal to defeat the enemy My fathers, brothers and children. It is soon dawn and time for rest after psalmody, (75) my announcement therefore already seems painful. But I ask you, along with the service, listen to him as well: I want to remind you in brief words of your feat, to which we are all called, for which our sins have been forgiven, and in which we daily exercise and suffer, for, according to the word of the Lord, our path, in comparison with the wide and spacious path leading to destruction, is cramped and narrow (Matthew 7 and 14). But since he, my children, has the promise of eternal life, therefore let us rejoice, rise up and compete with each other with valiant zeal - imagine that we are competing with some opponent in the race and defeating him in order to receive the crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8) on the day of retribution. Therefore, we will consider everything that is difficult to be easy, the burdensome as bearable, the sad as joyful, deprivation as enrichment, dishonor as glory, reproach as praise, submission as the achievement of power, malnutrition as a rich meal, water as wine, the late hour of a meal as early and in the like manner, and any other ascetic movement, for this is our martyrdom, expectation and hope of future blessings. And because all this now saddens and weakens the heart, we will not allow ourselves, I ask you, to stand up and lose patience, on the contrary, since it prepares for us a future adoption 438, the Kingdom of Heaven and immortality, let us hold on to this, we will strive and constantly demonstrate more and more new exploits, new labors, new efforts, obediences, punishments, (76) prayers, vigils, divine studies, tears and divine and heavenly aspirations. This is what our life is like, detached and placed above everything fleeting, strange and wonderful for those who think about the worldly, are guided by the flesh and prefer the present to the future, and this is what you are like, my children, in that you have left the world and everything worldly, parents, brothers, children and all worldly blessings, being ready to exhaust yourself for the love of the Lord, to grieve, to languish, to wander, to endure ridicule and even if will happen, abuse, as well as beatings, scraping of the body, cutting off members and death. For this, a great reward is prepared for you in heaven, for this, leaving the world, you go to God and, parting with temporary life, you will pass into eternal life, if only you complete the test of your obedience in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. About making it easy for us to fulfill our spiritual life My fathers, brothers and children. Reflecting on how much intelligence and firm vigilance are needed in order to manage our so numerous brotherhood, and comparing my wretchedness with this, I realize and see that here, through the prayers of my father and yours, we are assisted by the finger of God (Ex. 18:18), which cares for your union, supports your unity and preserves your cohesion among each other. After all, would the successes of my bad life or the influence of my ignorant speeches (77) be able to create such a thing here in the capital, and moreover, even in the current weak and feeble times in relation to the anciently faithful fatherly life, when it is almost impossible to find a person who would faithfully teach the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15) 439 of our life, and when, on the contrary, we, the leaders ourselves, are all at odds and We disagree in our opinions about what our system is in comparison with the worldly one. I cry, lament and break with my heart, seeking for my salvation (so that I may not perish) some kind of help, Divine or human, that could resume our life-saving life, point out the right path and arrange each of us in the ancient system and way of life, according to the rules and law, as depicted in the books of the holy fathers, and especially the ascetic writings of Basil the Great. But you, children - although this is impertinent on my part - I commend you for the fact that in this resourceful generation and in such times you seek the Lord, correctly direct your hearts and vow to abide in your spirit with God, as well as for the fact that you live your life without deception and without tricks, in truth and without any lies, renouncing and withdrawing from the world, and, bearing the name of monks, in fact you are such, for, united in perfect life with God alone and serving Him, you have truly withdrawn from everything. As a result of this, everything in your life is common and nothing is considered yours, as a result of this you have an unconditional forever alienation from your carnal parents and neighbors, hence sincere trust and unity with me, the humble one, manifested in the disclosure of secret and heartfelt thoughts, hence also the narrow path for you is wide (cf. Matthew 7:13-14), cramped space (78) - spaciousness, in bodily needs you find only medicine and joy. And why say too much? Thanks to all this, your fame arose, which you enjoy, and what many say about you. And in this, although I myself am lost, I am not deceiving you at all, despite my crooked mind, not trying to confuse you. But why, in the end, am I telling you and reminding you of all this? In order for you to be strengthened, strengthened and strive, so that when you ascend upward, we do not fly down, so that you do not become faint-hearted in front of your intention, so that you do not turn away 440 to perverted human reasoning and stupidity (I don’t even want to call it teachings, because they are not from the Holy Spirit) and so that you firmly remember that everywhere there are those who fear the Lord and that they serve Him even more than we do, but that everywhere there are also temptations. For what? Yes, temptations may appear (1 Cor. 11:19). Loving God with good works. Revelation of thoughts Therefore, holding firmly to your good intentions, be careful not to be careless in loving God through good works, and also in seeking those pertaining to salvation. For much escapes our sight, and we ourselves do not know how we fall: the Fall, it is said, who understands? (Ps. 18:13). And I want you to remember that there is no other medicine that would work so quickly and successfully for salvation, as you yourself know, except the revelation of thoughts. And since the Lord has given us this gift, why are you still hesitating, suffocating yourself with silence, as if you were sick with boils and as if swarming with worms - unconquered thoughts? I, my children, pity such of you and sympathize with their weaknesses. After all, why, in fact, should we get sick when we have the opportunity to be healthy, have a cheerful and fresh look? God knows everything, for there is no creation that is not manifest before Him, but all naked and declared before His eyes (Heb. 4:13). I should also (79) know everything. That is why I demand confession from you, so that I can know my children and so that they, in turn, also know me. This is true and spiritual birth, sincere submission; under this condition, a carefree march forward, sweet prayer, continuous prosperity, ascension and deification 441 are possible for those who have acquired this gift. Pray, my children, that I too may see, at least from afar, a little of the threshold of dispassion, which is especially required in governing all of you, and may I not remain forever under the burden of sin. As for good deeds, a good deed is a tear of contrition, a good deed is also night and day prayer, then patience with attacks, intensive work, cheerfulness when listening to readings, restrained conversations, conversations without laughter, moderation in food and drink, and with permission, a good deed is to turn your thoughts to death and imitate the life of the saints in your strength, a good deed is to avoid the most terrible shamelessness and master the divine humility of mind: according to the apostle, hold on to all that is good (1 Thess. 5:21). Let us thank God for spending this day, and also for the fact that we performed the church service, although we were bored at the same time. And tomorrow may the Lord give us strength and strength for carnal and bodily affairs, encouraging you and giving us an abundance of what we need, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (80–82) About our most glorious obedience and about not considering anything higher than it 442 About the Feast of Holy Epiphany My fathers, brothers and children. Again we have a pre-holiday announcement at the transition from the Nativity of Christ to the day of Epiphany: like the previous announcement, it is lower, I don’t even say – the importance of Divine celebrations, for only saints and God-wise men can avoid this, but also lower than what you need. We heard earlier about the Nativity of Christ, that He appeared in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16), (83) He appeared in the world when He came, and His own did not all receive Him (John 1:11). But we accepted Him (and really accepted Him with the eyes of faith and saw Him in a cave born virginally and incomprehensibly by a prophetess 443), worshiped Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23) and together with the Angels sang the praises of His good pleasure. We have received, as the divine evangelist exclaims, the realm of being a child of God (John 1:12), having thrown off the veils of passions from our flesh and blood in order to see and put on His sacred appearance. The Word now goes to the voice (for the time of fulfillment has come, until now It has been humanly submitting to its parents for thirty years, prefiguring our spiritual and bodily obedience), the Bridegroom to the friend of the Bridegroom (John 3:29), the Master to His servant, God incarnate to the angel in the flesh. John shortly before this leaves his desert life, God leads him and teaches him to prepare the ways of the Lord, to make His paths right (Matthew 3:3), to prepare chosen people for Him (Titus 2:14). And since all this was accomplished through the baptism of repentance, he meets Jesus coming to him and exclaims: Behold, Lamb of God, take away the sins of the world (John 1:29). My Christ demands baptism from him, John is filled with horror. The master forces him to obey, the servant resists and refuses to perform the godlike task. You can imagine how two opposing feelings fought in the Forerunner: one forced him to obey, and the other pushed him towards the consciousness of his unworthiness. Therefore, he reasoned quite rightly and answered: “How can I, so insignificant and still uninitiated, take upon myself the image of the dedicator and dedicate You, the All-Holy God? (84) How can I touch the head of Him who bowed down the heavens (cf. Ps. 17:10; 143:5) and came down from there? Who set the mountains as a standard (Isaiah 40:12), Who measured the valleys with a yoke and the whole earth with a span? How can I go down into the water and see without the garment of the Incomprehensible One who covers the sky with the clouds (Ps. 147:8)?” But my Christ, despite this (it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness - Matt. 3:15), - oh, great condescension! - takes off his clothes, descends into the streams and is baptized. And the sea, as the sacred psalmist David says, saw and ran, the Jordan returned back (Ps. 113:3), the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father was heard, testifying: This is My beloved Son, in Him I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17). Then Christ, the Savior and Enlightener of our souls, comes out of the water. Blessed is the hand of the one who touched the Head, Which then declared him the head of all the prophets (Matthew 11:13; Luke 16:16)! How great is the hand that held the head of Him Whom neither heaven, nor earth, nor the whole world can contain? Oh, God-ordained priest, the highest of all priests, worthy to baptize God in the flesh! On the day when the Sun of righteousness (Mal. 4:2) rose from the water, the light shone, and the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali rejoiced spiritually and sensually, the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the path of the sea on the floor of Jordan, the language of Galilee (Matt. 4:15), and more - the whole universe. In view of this, we too will exalt glory and we will be enlightened by the light of knowledge (Hos. 10:12) and, mentally going to the Jordan, we will see the great Light, the baptized God of ours, we will embrace His incomprehensible feet in the waters and will no longer return at all to sinful darkness, (85) but we will set off and go with Him, as His faithful companions, but first of all this, we will be baptized with Him. This is for us - I mean baptism with tears - perhaps, at our request, daily: such baptism truly cleanses and eternally enlightens. The source for this is at home: enlightened by the stream of contrition, we own our own Jordan. Let us continue to follow Christ every day. He will go up the mountain, and we will follow Him; He, in order to destroy the tempter, will be tempted by Satan, and we, together with Him, will be tempted for a short time, so that we can then remain calm forever. He, like a man, fasts for forty days, and we will fast with Him both according to the usual rule and according to our own will, temporarily, so that we can then enjoy indescribable benefits forever. Christ did not enjoy the spectacle of all the earthly kingdoms shown to Him by Satan, and we will not allow ourselves to be seduced by the sweets of this life or the lures and seductions of the capital, we will not allow ourselves to fall on our faces and bow to Serapis. Finally, our Christ did not succumb to deception, did not command the stones to become bread, and if Satan encourages us, we will refrain from evil thoughts and words and answer Him with divine speech: Follow Me, Satan (Matthew 4:10). If we throw him away and do this, he will leave, disappear and even completely perish, but Angels will appear to us to serve, we will meet with Christ, we will be enrolled in His disciples and become glorious in dispassion, like perfect lights in the world, in Christ Jesus Himself, our Lord, to Him be glory and power, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. (86) About our most valiant life, said on the Week of Vai My fathers, brothers and children. A joyful day has come (for the fasting time has already ended), and blessed are you from the Lord that you endured the exhaustion and heat of abstinence, intense vigil, intense psalmody, hard work for our needs - on land work, on buildings, in various crafts, in correspondence, weaving, sewing clothes and shoes and, in general, I will say, in all other obediences that we have. There is no need to pass by any, even the most ordinary, occupation, but each of the many different services should be taken into account, as long as a person performs it according to his conscience, for the glory of God. After all, it seems that the work of one who daily reminds of death and repeats just one verse is small, but if he does it with all his heart, and for this only one thing, he will receive a reward equal to, and perhaps even greater than, the economy. After this, what can we say about those who occupy second place among us, or about the deans, or about the overseers, about the canonarch, the cellarer, the refector, the shoemaker, the parchment maker, the gardener, and in general about all the others? Great and glorious are their rewards, how honorable are their occupations and how brilliant is their execution. This is the wonderful guidance Divine grace has shown you, and may it lead you further and may it transfer you from strength to strength, this divinely constituted assembly, an indissoluble union, a new, but with ancient life, abode, you, looking at God alone and turning away from all communication with the world. Good, good to you, most honorable brethren, for your excellent life and for your perfect and wondrous course! Well, now, unable to speak and sinful, can I tell you about the holiday? (87) The properties of the subject of our conversation require skill in speech and spiritual purity, for, it is said, an unclean person cannot touch a pure thing. Still, for your sake, I want to convey at least one story of the holiday, and may my weak lips be sanctified by this, and may your ears hear something. The omnipresent Christ our God today goes carnally from Galilee to Judea, to the glorious Lazarus, who is already dying; by returning him to life, He lays down the pledge of his own resurrection and presupposes the rays of incorruption. What does the most faithful of disciples and wondrous Thomas, the spoken twin (John 11:16) say on the way? We too come, that we may die with Him [ibid.]. What ardor of faith and ardor of love in the disciple! He aroused the entire apostolic host and inspired them with the courage to share danger with their Teacher. This is not posed by chance and this passage must be understood not literally: an example is given here for us, so that we too follow our leaders in the same way, even if we were faced with death. But since Christ was already finishing His journey, He says to His disciples directly: Lazarus, our friend, has succeeded, but I go, that I may awaken him (John 11:11). Remarkably, Lazarus is awarded the title of friend of the Lord of all. Oh, ineffable condescension, extending to such a degree of humility that He calls the common man His friend! In the person of Lazarus, Christ makes His friend all of humanity, which in ancient times, thanks to the primordial, through disobedience became His enemy. And so we, who once, as a result of sinful enmity, stood far from Him, are now approaching Divine love, and who once received temporary and mortal life as our inheritance, now from the Divinity, which was communicated to us by the nature of the Word, we become immortal: the Word, it is said, (88) became flesh, and dwelt in us. And from its fulfillment we all receive grace and grace comes with grace (John 1:14, 16). But let's move on. So, He, the True One, enters Bethany and, having listened with compassion to the crying and prayers of Martha and Mary, asks where the dead man is buried. The Savior cries like a man, showing that He is truly of two natures; With divine power He stops tears. Then he inquires how long ago Lazarus died. And they answer Him: He is four-dayed (John 11:39). He encourages the weeping sisters, who are strengthened by faith, and commands those present to open the cave. And then the Treasure of life and Giver of breath (Acts 17:25) proclaims with a loud voice: Lazarus, come out (John 11:43). And immediately the dead one rises, the already rotten one is clothed in healthy flesh, the lifeless one is animated; As soon as the word was spoken, it had already come to fulfillment, for He who said to the light and other creatures: “Let it be,” and “be” (Gen. 1ff.), as soon as he called, the Divine words, by the power of their sound, called the dead man from death to life. So, we celebrate the memory, that is, the resurrection, of the most blessed Lazarus, that Lazarus who, according to news, lived and served as a bishop for thirty whole years after that. It is the eve of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is the foreshadowing of victory over death, and we rejoice and rejoice together with the women surrounding Martha, and confess the glorious miracle. But, on the other hand, let us also go out, like children, with palm branches to meet Christ entering Jerusalem and prophetically exclaim: Rejoice, city of Zion! Behold, your King comes to you meekly, and rides on a donkey and a colt, the son of a horseman (Matthew 21:5), subduing, as it is said, pagan foolishness, and, like David, let us sing: Hosanna (89) in the highest (Matthew 21:9), blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord (Psalm 118:26) to life-giving and free passion! Here we will end our announcement, thanking Christ Himself, our God, who has given us such a long teaching; to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About saving passion and consent Those who are overwhelmed by malice become even more ferocious from the benefits they receive. My brothers, fathers and children. My heart is happy. The Lord gave me the happiness of celebrating Easter in joy: I cast off from my tormented soul the grief that arose thanks to our brother, the abbot of the “Pure” monastery. When he began to throw away and shake what I had decreed so well and savingly, then one could really almost say: My soul is sorrowful unto death (Matthew 26:38). And now look what a good and heavenly action of obedience: it is the guarantee of eternal life, while disobedience, on the contrary, leads to danger. May the grace of the Holy Spirit, through the prayers of our father, as well as through yours, guide him, strengthen him and guide him in shepherding the small flock entrusted to him with Divine power, and not with the techniques of an inexperienced shepherd, and also let him be with us in unanimity and live in harmony, as decreed. What speeches, my beloved children, should I address to you today and what should I tell you about this day? Today a council is already meeting with the Lord: leaders and people are coming together to seize the Righteous One; instead of what they should give to Him as the Benefactor [with gratitude], they, like dogs, go out to catch Him. For souls seized by hatred and malice only become even more ferocious from the benefits shown to them, (90) until finally they manage to kill the Benefactor who has shown them so many mercies. But it is painful to see that His disciple also joins the villains and, together with them, builds covens against His Teacher. It's crazy Judas! Having once been a lamp, it has now gone out; once involved in a high life, he, like a star, fell from there (cf. Is. 14:12); formerly a healer, now he himself is covered in ulcers; one invested with the title of apostle receives the nickname of an apostate; who previously accepted the unspeakable Mysteries, now becomes an assistant to the devil’s plans. What inhumanity! What foolishness! How did he forget such benefits? How did he get so reckless? Evil can do anything: having corrupted the main strength of the human soul - reason, it gradually drives a person to madness. That is why the shameless Judas rushes at his teacher, exalts stumbling at Him, in the psalm's style (Psalm 40:10), behaving insidiously, laying on Him the word of transgression (Psalm 40:9) and calling the drink offering of peace on Him nonsense (Matthew 26:8). The current traitors of truth and destroyers of sacred obedience are exactly the same: they, too, babble all sorts of fabrications just to somehow whitewash themselves and justify their apostasy. After such a beginning, Judas sells his priceless Teacher for a few pieces of silver: not being ashamed of his proximity to Him at supper, not being amazed at the washing of his feet, not even thinking about the hint addressed to him about his betrayal, having forgotten that he so loved to carry the ark entrusted to him (John 13: 5-29), he breaks away from the face of the disciples and unites with the leader of the demons; taking with him all the spira (John 18:3), at night in his favorite place (John 18:2) he seizes and with an insidious kiss (Matthew 26:49) betrays the Lord of glory (1 Cor. 2:8). But we, brothers and children, will take the other apostles as models for ourselves, will not break away from our union and, having promised to die for the commandment, (91) will actually die for it, not at all afraid of the fact that some of us break away or break away. This is how the betrayal was set up. Our Christ and Lord, after the crowd, shouting and pushing, dragged Him to the court of the bishop and when they put Him there before Caiaphas, they interrogated Him, tried to catch Him in some crime, mocked, beat Him, and then led Him away and handed Him over to the hegemon of Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:2). He has endured a lot for us during this time! Let us also imagine everything that followed: being in custody, investigation, interrogation, decree, shouts: take, take, crucify Him (John 19:15), the demand of the Jews, exclaiming: His blood be on us and on our children (Matthew 27:25), Pilate dipping a cane to sign His sentence, scourging, strangling, spitting, dressing for fun in scarlet, laying on crown, kneeling before Him for the purpose of mockery and beatings on the head from those who asked Him: prophets to us, who is smite You (Matthew 26:68), insults, noise, fury of the entire wicked crowd that rose up against Him, piercing of holy hands and feet with nails, division of vestments, ridicule and mockery of passers-by, exclaiming: if You are the Son God, come down from the cross and save others, who cannot save themselves (Matthew 27:40, 42), as well as other ridicule and abuse, piercing with a spear, eating bile and everything else that only happened then. Easter is the first and greatest gift of the Divine Economy What shall we, the condemned, repay for all this for the sake of the Suffered, Buried and Resurrected One? I will take the cup of salvation together with David 444 and call on the name of the Lord (Ps. 116:4). (92) Therefore, in view of the approach of the Holy Resurrection, we will strictly monitor ourselves: on the one hand, we will celebrate the holiday, of course, lightly and divinely, for it is Easter, and Easter is the first and greatest gift of the Divine Economy, but, on the other hand, we will also humble our body, and although then we will change our food, we will not change our usual behavior. How can this be achieved? If we eat wine, oil, fish and everything else that is offered at the meal modestly and with moderation. I advise some to be content with one or only two - for the sake of consolation - cups of wine, others who are weak or voluptuous should drink three, and more than this can only be drunk by the sick, but not the healthy, the intemperate, but not the moderate. After all, what does this lead to? To overwhelm and drowsy satiety. Do you remember what the prophet says? Fed, he says, and rejected (Deut. 32:15). Remember the fire of Sodom, pay attention to Lot, who got drunk and then went on rampage 445 with his own daughters (Gen. 19:30–38), imagine also Noah, naked from excessive drinking of wine (Gen. 9:20–22). What does intoxication lead to? When the mind ceases to act, what necessarily follows is that it is unable to resist in the spiritual struggle, and immediately the desire for laughter, passionate dreams appear, thoughts are conceived, and destruction for the soul and reason is born. I hesitate to talk about further consequences, because, according to the Theologian [Gregory], bad teachers have bad lessons, just as bad farmers have bad fields 446 . I warned you, children, with this, so that you would strengthen yourself, so that you would not make your forty-day efforts in vain and, plunging into immoderation and drowning in the sinful sea, would not in an instant lose your labors that you had been doing for so long (after all, along with the change of food, there is also a change in time: spring comes, the body becomes excited, (93) the springs flow stronger, the blood boils more vigorously; flowers bloom, and at the same time sprouts rise passions, - therefore, I ask, I exhort: take care of yourself), but let us eat, drink, sleep, get up, talk, be affectionate, as much as all this is necessary and as order requires, avoiding secluded and secluded places, as well as being alone alone, face to face, especially with novices and beardless people. And if we live like this, then we will have a feast every day in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion forever. Amen. About not grumbling when need arises My brothers, fathers and children. Constantly talking with you, admonishing and encouraging you in patience for your life according to God’s commandments is my business and my tireless feat. If the shepherds of dumb flocks, when tending the cattle entrusted to them, do not sleep and carry all kinds of worries, then I, a sinner who has unworthily received power over you, Christ’s sheep, incomparably more need to keep my spiritual eye vigilant, and also with my speeches, as if with a flute, to proclaim to you what is necessary and useful, and at the same time bear labor, sorrows and difficulties in order to prepare and provide you with a sufficient amount of spiritual and bodily food. But if, on the one hand, I am required to fulfill my duties, then, on the other hand, justice in the same way demands that you do not treat my teachings lightly and haphazardly, but that you listen to me, humble, with attention: my sheep, it is said, listen to My voice; but they do not follow a stranger, but flee from him, as if they do not know the strange voice (John 10 and 5). (94) Why did I start my speech like that? So that you are not offended by my further words. Some of you bless me with your lips, but their hearts are far from Me (Matthew 15:8). Due to what? Partly due to last year's crop failure, partly due to the influx of newcomers, whom God sends here, as if from the sea, here, to the harbor of renunciation, for salvation, partly also because here, in the capital (εν τη βασιλευούση πάλει), we have to provide extensive hospitality and make large distributions, we have need for subsistence. In view of this, I declared in announcements and said that it bothers me, makes me think and care, the thought that you have enough for a year, and in accordance with this, I asked and begged that each of you would get to work and work as hard as possible in the obedience to which he was assigned. At the same time, I also reminded that if we are looking for the Kingdom of Heaven, then we will certainly have to walk along a narrow and narrow path, where there is sorrow, need, hunger, etc., and I added that God, in order to test our love for Him, allows temptations to happen to us for a short time, whether we will prove firm in sorrowful circumstances. And then [not like now] you did not reject my proposal, but agreed that all this is necessary, should and required, but, as was said above, you answered and approved only with your lips. For after that - since your heart was not sincere before God - you grumbled, began to feel burdened and rebelled not against any Moses (for if you thought so, you would have behaved cautiously), but only against me, a sinner, saying: “Why does he gather so many people that he is not able to feed, who are in great need of it and who forces him to accept such a multitude?” To all this I will give the necessary answer, but at the same time I will announce the judgment of God, and will also announce (95) the sword that is directed at such people, so that their blood will not subsequently be exacted from my unclean hands. For these people, first of all, did not behave like true sons; they did not say: “Why do we accept?” - but, like other people’s children, they reproachfully declare: “Why does he accept this?”, thus excluding himself from communication and unanimity with me. Secondly, even if they had spoken as they should, they would still have turned out to be guilty and condemned, for, as it is said in the psalm, slander against God is false: will God be able to prepare a meal (Ps. 77:19) for such a multitude? After all, do I deliver food, supplies, fill pantries? Do I, by my own decision and without permission, accept those who come and thus increase the brotherhood? Is it not, on the contrary, that all this is done by the Lord Himself and the Nourisher of the whole world, Who opens His hand and fulfills every living good pleasure (Ps. 144:16), Who says: seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matt. 6:33), and in particular to the faint-hearted: look at the birds of the air, for they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and your Heavenly Father feeds them, since he feeds them more than you, you of little faith! (Matthew 6:26, 30), and then - through the wise: who has faith in the Lord and is ashamed? ( Sir. 2:10 )? And then again in the Gospel: He who comes to Me I will not cast out (John 6:37), and also: leave the children to come to Me and do not scold them: for this is the Kingdom of God (Mark 10:14) and much more like this? So why do you rebel against me, insignificant, and say unreasonable things? You are like new Israelites: after (96) liberation from the hand of the invisible Pharaoh, bitter work on the bricks of passions and dark Egypt, when then, during the transition to an ascetic and close life, some difficulties happened to you, you did not thank God, did not give Him praise and glorification; Divine Providence, for your good spiritual disposition, sent down to you everything you needed, but instead you grumbled and began to say, just as Israel once did: Oh, that we might die in the land of Egypt (Ex. 16:3), remembering the cauldrons there, onions and garlic (Num. 11:5), which you can understand as anyone wants, in relation to the situation in which he lived in the world. But remember what the Israelites suffered for this: none of them was worthy to enter the promised land, their bones fell in the desert, and they perished, according to Scripture, from the Destroyer. So, children, I am also afraid that we, too, doing the same thing as them, will not suffer their fate. And then there was only the childhood of a shadow (see: Heb. 10:1; Col. 2:17) and the Law, and now the maturity of the grace and truth of Christ. The holy ascetics had a constantly open door for those in need Further, this thing of ours happened not among any lay people, but among us, who have ascended to the height of angelic life. Has there ever been such a murmur among the reverend fathers? Did they, due to lack of means of subsistence, push away at least one person who wanted to save himself in the hostel? On the contrary, wasn’t their door constantly open, not to mention for those who simply wanted to renounce the world, but also for every beggar and needy person? Didn’t they leave testaments about this after their death? You know the life of our great lamp Euthymius, and you also know well the lives of our fathers Sava, Theodosius and blessed Pachomius. Didn't they have any shortcomings? And very often, so that once on Easter they did not even have what was needed for the Holy Offering 447, and in order to avoid such a misfortune, they were already planning to sell the holy vessels, (97) if only this had not been prevented by God's help that soon happened. The great Pachomius also once, due to need, bought one hundred coins worth of bread 448. And this happened often with them, sometimes they lived in contentment, and sometimes in need, and their true children thanked their fathers equally for both and were in poverty with them with joy and gladness. Condemnation of hard-hearted monks And those who then behaved or who now behave differently fall into damnation and destruction. Therefore, children and brothers, you need to take a good look, and let those of you who grumble not forget that they did not earn their food with their own labor, that when they came here they brought absolutely nothing with them and that they were not sent back after all; then you bowed to the floor, thanked and praised God and me. So how is it that after this you, fools, do not show the mercy that you yourself once experienced, and do not give the gift that you yourself tasted to others? Unfriendly, heartless, cruel, if we, by feeding hungry dogs, receive a reward for this, for the righteous, it is said, have mercy on the souls of his livestock (Proverbs 12:10), then how can we not accept people - rational beings who are of the same nature as us and are our brothers, who ask to be saved in our harbor from shipwreck, for whom Christ died? But crazy people don’t want to think anything like that! You constantly talk about fulfilling the commandments and about loving me and making promises, for the sake of the name of the Lord, to die with me, and as soon as a small need comes, you abandon all this and begin to move back. Why, on the contrary, do you not force me to ensure that none of the poor people who come to us leave here without eating, without drinking wine and without receiving what they ask for, at the same time providing for this purpose enormous funds from your own labor and demanding that such poor people be helped even by cutting your own allowance? And why, on the contrary, do you just want to be full, even to be satiated, (98) to eat two or even three times a day, to eat fish more often, butter, to drink not two or three cups (εν κρασοβολίοις) [of wine], but in addition to how much is commanded by the fathers, especially for the healthy? And here again you turn out to be fools and justify what is said: no one can work for two masters (Matthew 6:24), that is, gluttony and love for God. But - oh, foolish and inert at heart (Luke 24:25)! - in order to accept everything that the holy fathers commanded and that we sinners taught, it is we who need to suffer and through many sorrows enter the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). Therefore, come to your senses and repent of the fact that you have committed a great sin and crime before God. I, insignificant, for my part will not express condemnation and will not renounce what I did before, but as I began, I will continue to accept with all cordiality and with all my heart (that is, not me, actually, but God who commanded this to us, as well as everyone living with me, for we are all one) everyone who comes to us - I will clothe the naked, warm the cold, put shoes on the barefoot, give shelter homeless, to feed the hungry, to give water to the thirsty, doing all this in the name of Jesus Christ, our true God, who gave Himself as an atonement for our sins, confidently trusting in His sure promises that He will not bring us to want or starve (Prov. 10:3) souls of the righteous; Among them are those of you (I don’t blame everyone) who do not grumble, who rejoice when God’s commandments are fulfilled among us, our brotherhood increases, who, furthermore, are firm in the trials of God, ready to do anything, even to death, rather than allow me to omit even one of God’s commandments, because of which, however, all the others may go bankrupt: for he who will keep the whole law, (99) If he sins in one, he will be guilty of all (James 2:10). Look, finally - I appeal to you again, ignoramuses - how many times God saved us from need and what blessings, through the prayers of our father, He showed us! Didn’t He send us these when we were short of bread and wine? Didn't He move people to open their stores for our food? And even to this day, do they not send us everything, various blessings (honey, butter, cheese, blankets, clothes, gold) from everywhere: from different regions, islands and foreign cities, from bishops, chiefs and even from the crown bearers themselves – as much as we are not even worth? You know how much we received in the previous reign; you know how much we receive even under the current pious king 449. When we have gifts, we are so grateful, we love the commandments and are eager to die, but when we have a lack, we begin to scold, grumble and blame. I said all this not because I wanted to ridicule you, but so that through this small shame you would get rid of eternal torment. May the Lord God forgive you and make you stronger for the future, so that you, enduring everything, enduring everything along with the rest of your brothers, may receive the crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8) in Christ Jesus our Lord. To him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About the need to take care of yourself when consuming various types of food, and about abstinence Good is hard to come by and easily lost My brothers and fathers. If, my beloved (100) and venerable children, I began to open my bad lips to you even every day, then even then I would not find this sufficient due to the love I have for you 450, as well as due to the concern that lies on me for your salvation. For with this, despite my sinfulness, I am busy day and night, I constantly think about this, I breathe with this, I strive for this, I achieve this, this is my life and this is my glorious death. Therefore, now, taking advantage of the opportunity that the brethren are sending to you, I found the opportunity to talk with you in a letter 451. Weeding out thorns of passions in the field of flesh Well, how did you, holy brothers, spend Holy Week? How do you spend the God-blessed days of Holy Easter in your piety? I already know that you are all being cleansed, enlightened, lifted up, sanctified and perfected in the grace of my Lord, living in harmony with each other, maintaining vigor and great zeal in everything. This is shown by the letters coming to us from you in various ways: they tell us about the strength of your faith and the great height of your virtue. And may the Lord our God, who gave you this and confirmed you in such successes, even more, even stronger, even more fully, until the very end, may he strengthen and protect you, my children, my lights and lamps, my eyes, my hands and everything that is most dear to me! Keep an eye on yourself, my children, for good is difficult to acquire, it is easily stolen from the inattentive, and even acquired at the cost of many years of searching, it easily disappears with the slightest carelessness. Beware of the coming time of year: now it’s spring, it excites the body, and our flesh, taken from the earth, now strives to act in an earthly way. The manured and fertilized soil sprouts, then produces 452 stems and flowers. The same is true for our flesh, which is fattened with various foods and drinks. We need to weed out the thorns of passions. Take good care of her, enslave her in an apostolic manner (1 Cor. 9:27), do not act in lust (Rom. 13:14), giving her what she needs in sufficient measure, while at the same time remaining in the spiritual life. How to eat and drink properly. The meaning of abstinence In view of this, observe moderation in food and wine consumption. Although wine may be given, a small consolation should be allowed only on holidays, during difficult work, or only for those who are sick, who lose heart, or who go on a journey, and in all other cases one should use one, many two cups each, for you know what is determined about this in the Gerondike 453 . And I say this to you, my children, not because I want to completely keep you from eating food (food, according to the Apostle, may be abolished - 1 Cor. 6:13), not at all: I only try so that you have true food, which is why I started talking about food here. I want you to eat and drink, but only decently, with the memory of God and for salvation, for the sake of bodily strength, which is needed for work for the common good. Don’t you know that for this abstinence, as well as for the deprivation of the sweets of the world, meat, wine, baths, delicacies and delicious dishes, that divine paradise is prepared for you, where the tree of life and the source of water of immortality, the sweetness of the Spirit, the natural and at the same time inconceivable beauty of ineffable eternal blessings are prepared for you? A sumptuous meal is prepared for you there. Not long after death you will go there and drink and eat at an inexhaustible and eternal meal. Here, my children, if we take even the kings themselves, then their delicious meal is not a pleasure, but simply the food of worms, their amusements are not entertainment, on the contrary, “a burden for the soul, their amusements are not joy, but sorrow, their inheritance does not bring any possession, but only deprivation. Truly, all their bliss is just vanity of vanities (Eccl. 1:2). (102) Thus said the one who was the greatest among them and who enjoyed all the pleasures of the world, Solomon. You have a dear friend - continence, you have a wife - obedience, the daughters of the Lord - purity, virginity, compassion, there are also sacred virgins - contrition, humility. Lift your eyes to heaven and see where your home is, where your Head is Christ and the Father of all, where your city is the highest Jerusalem. Gal. 4:26), mother 454 of Paul and Peter and other saints who followed them. Truly, if you continue like this, you will be victorious; if you hold out until the end, you will be crowned; If you perfect yourself in this way, then the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven will open before you, and then you will remember me, poor and prodigal, because then you will see all this in practice and you will not be sent to torment. But pray, I ask you, my children, for me too, so that the Lord will save me along with you and give me the spirit of understanding (cf. Exod. 31:3; 35:31; Deut. 34:9; Job 15:2) and spiritual perfection, so that I can live Godfully among you. Not possession, only deprivation This is what I am writing to you about now. And then, as I wrote before, the housekeeper will come to you. And you, if you find letter carriers, do not miss the opportunity to answer us about yourself, how things are going with you. Strive, my children, in your work, take care of livestock, fields, vineyards, doing everything gracefully and in order. You, child Akaki 455, rule well, and you, all the rest, my brothers, follow your leader, as before God, may it be good for you all and may you be sons of light (see John 12:36). Recently, together with Abba Ammonius, we also sent to you Abba Bartholomew, the overseer, our child, for emerging needs. A little later, a ship with the things you need will leave here. I also inform you that we have accepted newcomers (103) and have even already cut their hair. One of them, Abba Ephraim, was a famous man in the city, he was a pious man seeking God. Pray for them, that they may be perfect in the Lord. Our lord and father 456, the steward, the assistant steward, Protopresbyter Athanasius, Dean Barsanuphius and all the rest of the brethren bow to you. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. About bearing with gratitude the sorrows of our life in Christ My fathers, brothers and children. Judging by my bad deeds, I know that my weak word will not give you anything. But in order not to hear what is said in the Gospel: wicked and lazy servant, it was fitting for you to give my money as a trader, and when I came I would take what was mine with interest (Matthew 25:26-27), I hasten, with the help of the prayers of our father, to say and remind you of what is necessary, believing that you, with your good desire for the commandments of God, will make my profitable word useful for yourself. So, work, my children, strive, and if any sadness happens in your life in Christ, then do not be afraid, as if something unexpected happened to you. After all, when you came here from the world, didn’t you then make promises before God and His chosen Angels to endure for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven all kinds of sorrows and needs - hunger, thirst, cold, nakedness, insults, reproaches and all sorts of other exploits? After that, what happens to you is not something strange, but only something to which you have already given your consent, no matter how many times it happens to you. What do we gain from this? The inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven, (104) the joy of eternal blessings, the taste of immortality, the bliss of eternal life, adoption 457, heavenly pleasure and all the other rewards that exist and are spoken of. In view of this, the great apostle quite rightly exclaims: the passions of this present time are unworthy for the glory that desires to appear in us (Rom. 8:18). But then he had to go around the whole universe, as if among lions, bears, panthers and wolves, the infidels hounded him, drove him from all sides, bit and tormented him, he, hungry and thirsty, worked day and night with his own hands (see 1 Cor. 4:11-12), so as not to burden anyone and to provide himself and his companions with a means of subsistence. Now, if we endure with gratitude and patience even what happens to us, then it will be good on our part, and we will not lose his reward. But if we become dissatisfied, begin to feel burdened, grieve, then how can we then get into the host of those who fought against sin until they bled to death? Will they not ridicule us on that day for the fact that we lacked the diligence to achieve even the smallest, namely, unquestioning obedience, uncomplaining labor, humble [without pride] helpfulness, timely silence, reasonable conversation, a quick transition from the old to the newly indicated obedience, intensity in work, cutting off the will, accepting with gratitude the appointed punishment, unremitting psalmody, night and day prayer, and also for the versification of daily psalms. Once we assimilate and endure all this (there is nothing more to list), then we live and will live wonderfully, then God is pleased with our work, and the brotherhood becomes holier, and for outsiders it is more instructive, and for this you are prepared for a martyr’s crown. (105) Because of this, who can separate us from the love of God (Rom. 8:35) and from the above? Absolutely nothing. If we had to die even daily, and we would do this with joy just because we suffer for Christ, rejoicing, rejoicing, not causing one to stumble in anything, so that we may be blameless (2 Cor. 6:3) our good living. Well enough about that. You, of course, know that we have a shortage of bread, because, due to my sins, there was a crop failure in the fields of one monastery, so we did not receive a single grain from there. But if everything is successful in your soul, then there is no need to be discouraged. For the Lord said: seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33), and He is unfaithful in His promises. He has shown before and now constantly shows before our eyes His miracles and gifts. Only you yourself, as it is said, raise your hands to heaven in holiness and righteousness (Luke 1:75), and everything else will be provided to you by the good Economist and Giver of all God, for to Him belongs glory forever. Amen. 0 abstinence not only from food, but also from passions, said on Holy Pentecost My fathers, brothers and children. Due to a severe illness that happened to me, I have not filled your ears with my humiliated words for a long time (2 Cor. 10:10); on the one hand, necessity forced me to teach, and on the other, lack of strength required me to interrupt the order of announcements. But now that I feel a little better, I will tell you a little lesson. What is required during Lent and what does it consist of? You know that now we have Pentecost. (106) It requires from us spiritual exploits much more than ordinary times, namely, zeal, spiritual strength, tension, firmness, patience, prayer reaching to the sky, tearful tenderness, timely silence, restrained conversations, unquestioning obedience, humility imbued with heartfelt contrition, abstinence and abstinence not only from various material foods and drinks, but also from envy, hatred, anger, rivalry, ill will, murmuring, pride and all other vile passions. Two wings for fasting - humility and obedience Take a look, I beg you, children, and pay attention to yourself. Cleanse yourself from these passions and make of yourself chosen vessels (cf. Acts 9:15), organs harmonious with God, sweet harps for receiving the Holy Spirit. For this is what the present time calls us to do, and this is what fasting consists of. Let them not say to me: “This is how much I sing and verse, this is how much I pray, I eat and drink very little, I sleep sitting up, I make so many bows, I often raise my hands to the sky.” Undoubtedly, you need to purchase this too. But answer me this: is your thought cast down, is your spirit crushed, is your will cut off so much that you always obediently obey, do not contradict anything, do not grumble at all, never argue, do not envy your brother, do not harbor ill will towards your neighbor, do not engage in idle thoughts and conversations about this and that (why does such and such do this, and why is this so) and, as a result, do not to be angry, not to assume a fierce appearance and not to take [not from good, but] from evil from the treasure of your soul (Matt. 12:35) empty speeches and words, full of unbelief and fearlessness, which lead to the fall of not only the speaker himself, but also those who listen? Works of fasting and feats of abstinence, brethren, are not like this, (107) but, as has been said, they are imbued with humility and obedience. With these two virtues, the obedient one, as if on wings, flies to heaven and becomes God's interlocutor. It is not surprising that, despite my announcements and your attention to them, something inappropriate still penetrates into you. For even a field, if it is left unattended for some time, becomes covered with tares. What kind of tares do we have? And here are some of you: some of you, not entirely reasonable (because the temperate and perfect will not do this), ask, demand, argue, beg, return, change, look out for others, compare, rush here and there, like children, youths, or, better yet, dandies. And what is this all about? Because of outerwear, shoes and other such ordinary things. Why do all this, kids? Is this for our glory or is this what your fast consists of? On the contrary, isn’t this rather a fall and satiety? Why are you not happy with what you are given? Why don't you wait until the day specified for distribution? Why don't you wait for the right time? After all, I, a sinner, and our father have deliberately appointed not one, two, three, but several people who diligently, with the fear of God, love and mercy, look after this matter, manage this part of the economy and give everyone what they need and what they should. And you yourself do not always have to receive everything or the same thing as before, for example, clothes, blankets, shoes, food, drinks, but only what is really needed, and as the management of the household will manage. Perhaps you, demanding other clothes for yourself, are in fact unworthy even of the one you are wearing now; Perhaps also, in what clothes you would need, as unworthy, to lament, you grumble because of it and demand another instead. Look what kind of judgment you are bringing on your head. After all, do real monks (108) or the best novices do this? Never. This is characteristic only of mercenaries and slaves 459. They only demand everything, some because they live under the yoke of slavery, and others because they work for pay. A true son, since he knows that all his father’s property also belongs to him, and since he loves his parent and, in turn, is loved by him, he lives calmly, for he is constantly in front of his father’s eyes and turns to his father with a sweet, well-timed request, imbued with love. So, pay attention to what I am talking about, and do not point out to me in response that now, despite such days, due to illness I allow myself variety in food and drink, as well as some other indulgences (for this will be unfair on your part, because you yourself insisted on this in view of my illness, which occurred as a result of abstinence, so that I would not cause you grief), and remember that the true signs of saints and true obedience consist in the following: be content and endure everything. Give up all these nasty and vile harassments, from which both God and all pious people turn away. And remembering that servant who does not ask for what he needs, but waits until his master himself deigns to give him what is due, although we do not undertake to serve the Lord and Master of all as His faithful servants, let us serve Him, my truest brothers, as stated above, as true sons. And do not talk idle words over my insignificant speeches (for such people will joke to eternal torment), but formulate this in your righteous souls, and those of you who are not noticed in the indicated offenses, rejoice and beware of this further; whoever is noticed, let him be healed from my admonition, and whoever is noticed further will be punished. Man's willingness to follow a bad example Alas, alas! How badly people are jealous of goodness and how difficult it is to find it in them. How, on the contrary, they love evil and how easily it comes 460. No one looks at the one who is patient, dressed in rags, who endures the cold, (109) whom everyone despises, who eats little, who is neglected, who is distinguished by humility and tries to become like God; on the contrary, one might say, almost everyone tries to take an example from the most worthless people, who is demanding, who loves to contradict or offend, who is grumbling, who shows off, who leads a pampered life, who is lazy and who, having become the son of disobedience (cf. Col. 3:6), he pours out all filth upon himself. But have mercy, have mercy on us, Lord, and, having acquired our souls with Your mercy, let us do Your will and fulfill Your commandments, so that, in everything and in every way leading our lives along the right path, we will achieve the blessings promised to us in the Kingdom of Heaven, for all glory, honor, power, worship is due to You, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. About avoiding negligence in the matter of salvation until death My brothers, fathers and children. A true helmsman must be able to save his ship from an approaching storm in a safe harbor. In the same way, a good shepherd should be able to graze his flock in different pastures, have it rest near cold water, play the pipe, guard it from wild animals without sleep, and do everything else that is required of a good shepherd. Equally, a good commander must be a skilled leader of his army - he must be able not only to encourage him to patiently endure the difficulties of the campaign, but also to excite him during the battle to bravely rush at the enemy. So I, meager and unworthy, upon whom the task of being your primate is entrusted, (110) in order to save you all, must sacrifice my humble soul to the point of bleeding. For, according to the word of the Lord, this is the characteristic of a good and true shepherd. Thanks to this, torment, sadness, worries, thoughts, insomnia, weakness constantly come upon me, I am pulled in all directions, and I, being unable to cope with this matter on my own, with petitions and prayers I resort to the Lover of Mankind, God, so that He would not take His right hand away from the work of your salvation, but so that for the sake of your love for Him and sincere faith, He would constantly cover and preserve your brotherhood for His glory and praise Majesty and so that for your sake I would be encouraged to save me, a sinner, too, for leading reasonable souls and managing such a multitude is, indeed, far from an easy task. I, children, know and see your exploits, labors and efforts for the cause of God, how you are daily pulled here and there for various spiritual and physical works: you suffer every day and have no rest, at night you watch, sing and pray, during the day you are engaged in work, as much as each one has the strength, and, like bees, are transferred from one obedience to a new one, from one place to another. I am, of course, very happy about all this, because I hope that for this a great reward is prepared for you in heaven. But in view of the fact that we, while we have not yet departed from this world by death, cannot even be a little careless about our salvation, otherwise we will lose everything, I now remind you: see to it that your hearts are never burdened with despondency, relaxation and inappropriate thoughts, and so that as a result of this your souls do not find fall and death, (111) but with youthful zeal, end the rest of your short and temporary life, May you pass from this life to the next age with valiant deeds, with the most glorious successes and the most honest virtues, in order to receive there from the Rewarder God the unfading crown of righteousness. Therefore, let each of you watch how he fulfills his obedience, serving God, so that there is no negligence, laziness, sluggishness, or hypocrisy. Let him remember that if he is angry, then he is angry with God Himself, for Whom the service is being performed. After all, what do I have to do with it? I take the place of only a slave like you, to remind you of the commandments of our Master, so that both those who obey and those who disobey are not guilty before us and do not serve us, but the good Master and God who gave us the commandments. Therefore, whatever he does, whether he is engaged in correspondence or serving, plowing, digging the earth, etc., let him do it as if in the face of God, and not people, and his work must be done according to his conscience - God, the knower of the heart, will measure it in accordance with the strength of the worker. At the same time, you should keep your tongue from idle talk, protect your eyes from hostile glances, keep your heart away from thoughts, and protect all your feelings with the fear of God. You need to treat others with modesty, communicate with each other with love and without shamelessness, you need to talk about what is appropriate, look only at what is useful, listen to what is necessary, take up what is useful, reflect on what is divine, so that, thus, fulfilling the commandments of God, ending the days of your predilection with benefit, having God as an Helper and Protector in this life, and as a solid protection of the prayer of the Holy Mother of God and our rulers, the great saints, the Forerunner and the Theologian, (112) in whose name we have monasteries 461, we rejoiced and rejoiced with each other. And if God is with us, then who will rise up against us? If the Lord is the protector of our life (Ps. 27:1), then whom should we fear? If we have the help of the Mother of God and our saints, who can prevail over us? Absolutely no one. Demons will stand far from us, people will glorify us, our enemies will fall, and no one will be able to resist us. But if we ourselves live differently, then the consequences will be just the opposite. What to talk about Therefore, fathers and brethren, let us maintain proper order in our lives, especially in view of the fact that we live in the capital, and we will avoid conversations about extraneous subjects, for talking about the king, about the authorities, sorting out this and that is not our business. I am commanded to you, it is said, understand this (Sir. 3:22). We have different thoughts, different conversations. The worldly talk about the worldly, the carnal talk about the physical, and we talk about what concerns our King, spiritual benefit, the virtues of the life of our reverend fathers, death, repose, the meeting of the holy Angels and the answer at the Judgment of Christ, enlightened in this way, like the Angels, illuminating, as much as we can, those who are exhausted in the world. After all, it may happen that in an empty conversation we will say something that should not be done, and for this we will be brought to court. God can take intentions for actions Therefore, from now on, watch yourself and keep your lips from talking about what is not proper, but rather, try to work on your good deeds, becoming even more zealous in the love of God, preparing yourself to be ready even to die for the sake of His truth, and God, taking your intentions for deeds, on that day (113) will crown you with a martyr’s crown. Well, I won’t talk about this today. If you pray for me and I have enough strength, then in the future I will not hesitate to do the same, because by teaching you, I myself am learning, by admonishing you, I am admonishing myself, for I talk and will continue to talk with you in a brotherly way and out of love, and not in a bossy way and not with authority - in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. That if we do not betray martyrdom, we will receive eternal honors Brothers, fathers and children. You are already tired of yesterday’s vigil in memory of our venerable and God-bearing father Savva, as well as from the current service on the occasion of the feast of our father Nicholas among the saints, 462, and your work is righteous and soul-helping, it does not perish, but remains, preserved until the day of reward at the righteous judgment of God. Perhaps your hearing is already refusing to perceive my teaching, but in order not to interrupt our custom, I will talk with you a little today, reminding you and encouraging you that, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and through the prayers of our father, your work moves forward, constantly expanding, growing and improving not from yourself, for you are corruptible and mortal, but from the fulfillment of His holy and life-giving commandments. And it is good, it is good for you that you are engaged, working and trying on such a matter - on the salvation of your precious souls. Different people choose different goals for themselves. One is busy trying to become a master; the other - to enjoy and beautified with the fleeting, like a dream, ranks of this age; another is about getting married or having children, (114) making a large fortune from landed property or slaves. The wishes of that world are many and varied. But you, having said goodbye to all this and transferred your high life to another world, strive and achieve super-worldly 463 and heavenly things (τά ύττερκόσμια και ουράνια): your heart, your thoughts and concern are directed only towards completely cleansing yourself from passions, acquiring a contrite and humble heart (Ps. 50:19), cheerful prayer, unyielding zeal, tears of contrition, renunciation of all concern not only for friends and neighbors, but even for one’s own parents and from all dreams almost associated with vain labor. And all this is by the grace of God. I see how each of you constantly resists, struggles and strains himself in order to break away from every passion that burdens him and in order to remain aligned 464 [with his soul] with God alone. For this firmness of yours in martyrdom, may Christ our God give you, like the holy men and our God-bearing fathers who lived before us, the strength and strength to turn away from yourself every passionate and satanic rebellion and joyfully complete your most blessed feat. Did these fathers, clothed in the body and the same as we 465, go through life here without labors and exploits? No, they ascended to the heights of life and acquired their well-deserved glory only after they suffered a lot in various ways, performed many deeds, and through complete obedience, humility and abstinence subordinated their flesh to the spirit. As a farewell to our souls, let us remember the virtues of our all-honorable father Savva and let us not forget the successes of this associate of ours. Being a member of the novices, he, as you know, was distinguished by extreme obedience, (115) he was diligent, helpful, and when the very last obediences were assigned to him, he rejoiced, as if he had been given a distinction, he worked with his hands day and night, carried water, firewood, was the first to come to psalmody and the last to leave, and so on, which is written about him in the life (it’s too late and there’s no time to prolong the announcement). Let us, children, imitate him, for this is possible for us, one succeeding in one thing, and the other in another, and competing with each other in our successes. And first of all, let us beware of doing anything arbitrarily, without proper demand, even if it seems wonderful to us. In addition to all that has been said, one thing cannot be kept silent about, although it will entail censure for you. I don’t understand how some of you, obviously still immature and frivolous, do this. Namely: we began to experience loss or, rather, theft (κλοπαί) more often. When a brother is called or he himself goes somewhere and puts his shoes, or slippers, or writing, or something else in his cell or in another safe place, then, when he returns, he no longer finds anything. This is a diabolical and destructive work, it brings confusion to the brethren, for, firstly, it raises grief, enmity, suspicion and slander against the right and wrong, and secondly, according to the statement of the blessed apostle, tatiye... They will not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:10). He simply said tatie, and did not add, say, gold, or silver, or expensive clothes, but in general he spoke about the theft of any kind of thing, even the smallest thing. Therefore, I ask you, do not steal darning needles, simple needles, memorial tablets, candlesticks, belts, small knives, belts, and also onions, figs, pieces of bread, vegetables, etc. Whoever steals these, I repeat again, will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Are you not afraid of the apostolic words? (116) Am I the one making the threat? See for yourself what is written. Therefore, I ask you to walk worthy of the calling in which (Eph. 4:1) we have been called, according to our conscience, holy and righteous, leaving behind all the above, that we may be heirs of eternal blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. About us looking at only one thing, namely, at the body of our soul My fathers, brothers and children. Not out of confidence in the power of my catechumens (they cost absolutely nothing), but in the hope of the goodness of the Lord, which protects, admonishes and strengthens your hearts in the fear of God, which also opens my mouth to what needs to be said for the perfection of you, my dear ones, and with the assistance, of course, of the prayers of our father, I taught you a lot before, I teach now, I will teach and I will not stop this while I am in my miserable body. My conversations, beloved, I believe, are not without benefit. On the contrary, with your healthy inclination, they, being insignificant in themselves, nevertheless, penetrating into the depths of your pure hearts, threw seeds there, sprouted and gave considerable fruit that does not perish, but remains forever. Your work does not perish, is not lost, but is planted in this ascetic life, in the words of David, like a tree planted by the waters that come out (Ps. 1:3); it puts forth new shoots, produces 466 flowers, and in the next century it will bring your fruit to the Lord God. Therefore, rejoice and be glad, (117) and nothing will take this joy from you (John 16:22): you are accustomed to constantly being subjected to all sorts of visible and invisible griefs and sorrows, and since you have only one goal, that is, the salvation of your souls, then everything else is the work of abstinence, and humiliation from punishments, the insult from reprimands, the burden of obedience, labor in various jobs, fatigue from vigils, the burden of lesson psalmody and so on - you consider it a secondary matter. It’s like when you’re traveling, encountering both pleasant and difficult things along the way, stopping at neither, but trying your best to get to the hotel before sunset. What other hotel can we have, my brothers, other than death, and what other evening than the sunset of this life into the grave? However, our stop here should not be to be imprisoned in a dark and fetid place, but so that, as befits, firstly, true Christians, and secondly, martyrs of obedience in a holy [monastic] form, we shine into eternal life. The endless day, which our Unapproachable Light will create for eternal rest (see 1 Tim. 6:16), on the one hand, will come after the final restoration of everything, when we accept our present corruptible bodies as incorruptible so that they, as those who have labored with us, will take part in the blessings, and on the other hand, it comes immediately (though not completely) after death, for, according to Scripture, the souls of the righteous lies with God, and death will not touch them 467 (Wis. 3:1). And where is the hand of the Lord (Acts 11:21), then can there be anything other than good, except that which gives peace and surrounds with care? From here it is clear that you, like all the saved saints and righteous people, having valiantly completed your feat, from the very moment you lay down your body, you will live in anticipation of the blessings prepared for you and will remain in constant and joyful joy. When the endless day comes (118) Therefore, let none of us slumber, let not sleep, not snore, not turn back, not hesitate, not complain, not pause, not lag behind on this heavenly lists, where God Himself distributes crowns and where there are so many rewards. But always and everywhere use everything in order to achieve a great reward for yourself. Let the scribe not tire of his correspondence, let the canonarch not weaken in trumpeting, singing along and inspiring the divine choirs 468, let the lamp-holder carefully light and properly fill the sacred lamps; cellarer, cook and table-keeper: let the first, with great attention, cordiality, love and analysis (for one person is like this, and the other is different) give out what anyone needs, the second, while cooking food and roasting on the fire, let him try to prepare food for the brothers as best and tastier as possible, and the third, when he lays out the bread hung in equal portions, let him be careful not to distribute the softer and more stale and unusable bread in the wrong way. randomly, but distinguish between the highest, middle and last (the same must be done with everything: with olives, nuts, herbs, spoons, cups) and not ignore the needs of the very last brother, as if the Lord Himself accepts your services instead of them, as our divine and great father Vasily teaches 469. Based on what has just been said about these obediences, you, busy with the rest of the obediences, already guess about yourself and do so, and first of all you, the steward and the assistant steward, and, however, even before you, the one who bears the second obediences 470: the senior presbyter, the senior dean, the senior calligrapher, the chief manager of clothing, and especially the last one, for in his service there is a lot of torment. Look, Lucian, what service has been entrusted to you! May God be glorified through him in you! The senior gardener and shoemaker should also be counted among these. And this is no small feat. (119) Look, Theodosius, what kind of obedience you are in! Rejoice in him your Master Lord! Where are you hiding from us, senior hospitalist? Don’t you know that if you carry out your service wisely, then you are above all other ascetics? For if the one who is ill and endures his illness with gratitude is already great, then what is worthy of the one who serves him as before God and with great care? Look, with your helpers, how you care for the sick, how much you are inflamed by their heat, how you share their suffering, despondency and despair. They rely only on God and you. Next, constantly rearrange the bedding, so to speak, and serve everything you need without delay and on time. Prepare ointments, plasters, potions and other medicines for those who need what, as well as food, drink, bed and everything else. If you do and fulfill what you hear, then blessed are you and will be called the sons of God (see Matthew 5:7). So this is how great, wondrous, glorious and holy your obedience is. And who performs them properly, whether a parchment maker, or a shoemaker, or a fisherman with a fishing rod, a gatekeeper, a potter, a chain maker, a rawhide worker (he is also special), a carpenter, a fisherman with tackle (I do not even omit to mention the method of occupation), a painter (especially who paints divine and worshiped images), a basket maker, a wine manager (he is also special), a field watchman (he is also special), a cattleman (he is again especially), a weaver (and he is especially), a saddlemaker or someone else, then he is treble-blazed. All are blessed, all are workers of God, all are cultivators of heavenly pleasure. My Lord and God, through the prayer of our father, in the same way may He preserve all of you in fulfilling His life-giving commandments, for to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship with the Father and His All-Holy and Life-Giving (120) Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. That we should not be slow, but easy to fulfill God’s commandments Martyrdom of commendable obedience My fathers, brothers and children. I always thank my God for you, especially recently, when I saw how you showed your zeal in everything, especially how you gave yourself up to voluntary dishonor: one of you was tied up, another was put in shackles, another was tied by the neck with a rope and led like that in front of all the brethren, another was placed in front without a belt, or in some other way 471 . And I am now convinced that my damnation is the only obstacle for you, for nothing else prevents you from demonstrating the valor of our fathers. What else can I add to this? One thing: namely, that I, in view of your firmness and your virtuous life, am not worthy to be called either your father, or teacher, or leader. I only pray that because of my repentance you will not be stopped at all, but that you will suffer with courage and lawfully (2 Tim. 2:5) over every spiritual matter in the martyrdom of praiseworthy obedience. Each, according to Scripture, has his own talent, one - one thing, another - another (Rom. 12:6). So you, my brothers, share your successes with each other and rejoice in the success of others. One of you, perhaps, easily endures dishonor, another conquers with his hard work, another gains the upper hand in silence, the next excels in the perfection of his obedience, but at the same time you all consider all this to be a common property. Good passes from one to another, just like evil. Therefore, rejoice and rejoice with each other, and whatever one has a talent for, let him strive for it, avoiding vanity and considering his brother’s success more than his own. Good and evil pass from one to another If we behave this way, if we merge and unite with each other (121) in a union of love, then we ourselves will succeed more and more, and God will be glorified in our work and our life will be talked about in a significant part of the universe. Let no one, I ask you, be self-willed and arbitrary, for woe, it is said, let no one be wise in themselves and understand before themselves (Isa. 5:21), let no one be lazy and lie on his side, so that he does not hear: go to wickedness, O lazy man (Prov. 6:6); Let no one waver or be double in his thoughts, lest he too hear: a double-minded man is unsettled in all his ways (James 1:8). But be all prompt, constantly strive to fulfill God’s commandments, be sincere and unstumbling through the confession of your secret thoughts, do not fall under the yoke of vanity, do not be enticed by foul pleasures and do not be carried away by your own lusts. For such a person is like the turbulence of the sea - like this, he moves, swells and has neither stability nor support in his heart. Unite in a union of love You all must free yourself from all this. Acquire for yourself and store up in your precious souls riches and treasures from what is praiseworthy and what is best, in order to achieve the Kingdom of Heaven. After all, everything that each of you does daily, praiseworthy or deserving of blame, passes away, for everything is replaced, like a river flows, and not even a trace remains of yesterday. Whether someone suffers for the sake of the commandment, is exhausted, cries, endures, strains, has a heartache, is bored, yearning, or is sometimes subjected to a reprimand or something else - he endures all this only for one hour or in passing, he immediately passes it all, and the one who has endured remains forever and ever for retribution. Conversely, whoever indulges in pleasure, laughs, enjoys, goes wild, gives himself complete freedom in everything, engages in jokes, is idle, disobeys, is shameless, boasts, envies, competes, is angry, rages, (122) does not trust, does bad things, disobeys, is arrogant, is lazy and the like, he, besides the fact that even now, will not derive any benefit from this for himself, yet prepares for himself merciless condemnation on the day of retribution and the righteous Judgment of God. What is needed to distinguish between good and evil Therefore, brethren, let us compare and weigh both - let us take virtue for ourselves, and let us avoid evil, for it brings grief and oppresses a person. For if we do not distinguish things in this way, then we cannot see correctly, distinguish between good and evil. But since, by the grace of Christ, we have already received correct vision, we flee from the darkness, draw closer to the light, and end the rest of our temporary life in pleasing God, so that together with all the saints who have pleased Him from the ages, we may receive the promised blessings to us in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with His All-Holy Father and the Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen. That my insignificant announcements, by the grace of Christ, usually bring much benefit to our souls My brothers and fathers. Why, I ask you, is the announcement being held? Is it really just to temporarily read it and amuse your ears, or so that you, out of affection for me or for the purpose of gratitude, express praise to me? No, in no way, not for this, my children, but so that you perceive what is said to you, and so that through the grace of Christ and with the assistance of the prayers of our father, strength will instill in you and bear some fruit. But I very often and with many of you notice that with the end of reading, what was discussed immediately disappears in them, so that there is usually no trace left of what was said. For as soon as we leave the reading, we immediately fall into the same offenses (123) as before. One starts conversations at the wrong time, another immediately begins to ask for news, another begins to grumble, this one lazily goes to the work awaiting him, this one begins to slander and stir up discord, some to blame, some to hide in the corners of the monastery, and some, while the sun has already risen high, barely gets out of bed and gets down to his assigned work. I will already pass over in silence how some people are lazy, stop working, doze off, give up, barely move their legs and sluggishly bend their body. Exhortation to Right Hearing This should not happen to my children, in no way, so that we do not have to hear: these people bless Me with their lips, but with their hearts they are far from Me, but they honor Me in vain (Matthew 15:8-9). But if we have to hear the saving word, either by catechumen or from the reading of God-inspired Scripture, whenever this happens, let our hearts be touched by the fear of God, the love of God, the desire for prosperity, the desire to fulfill His holy commandments, so that we may be worthy of His Kingdom; May we all be worthy to achieve it through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, for to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. That those who run successfully are assigned crowns of righteousness Spiritual competition and awards My brothers, fathers and children. I am obliged (oh, if I could also, meager and insignificant!) to anoint you for the upcoming competitions and inspire you with valiant hopes. This miserable and weak announcement is the fulfillment of this duty. So listen today to my appeal to you, rise up and, filled with zeal, make your spiritual run. For you are truly competing in a race (124) with the Lord God and you are not running like earthly runners, who in an instant cover a short and strictly defined path in both directions 472; your run is directed from earth to heaven, stretches over many, many stages and over many years. It does not take place in a corner of some city, in the presence of such a number of spectators that it is easy to count, but throughout the entire universe and in the face of countless angelic ranks and all the saints and righteous. And when you win, you are given a crown and rewards that are not perishable, as the corruptible king gives, but incorruptible and inaccessible, in accordance with how imperishable is the Distributor Himself, the Highest King of all. Finally, the joy of victory here is not mixed with sadness, it does not last, like the earthly one, only a few days and again, like that, it does not disappear, no, this joy is without an admixture of sadness and sorrow, and it will have no end forever. In view of all this, you are blessed simply because, having placed the holy image on yourself, you entered our lists. But it will be possible to finally call you this way when, with the onset of your death, you finish your run and you are crowned by Christ, our God, in the future ineffable and immortal life. Therefore, beloved, let each of you try to run and acquire the distinction of virtue, breaking through and leaping over the encountered devilish temptations, stocking up on strength, patience and firmness, not looking around with curiosity, but straining yourself to reach the end of the list, so as not to limp and turn back from meeting the enemy. Don’t be afraid because the path is long and it takes a lot of time. The manager of the competition, God, has given each of us an Angel, he will hold competitions with us everywhere and will always protect us from enemies. What does it mean to win a spiritual competition? From the very first day of your arrival here until now, you have escaped successfully. If some of you fell, (125) those who were raised again, those who were lazy were again inspired, and those who were weak were strengthened. In order to exert oneself and run, it is necessary that a person, like horses and birds, want this and be ready to do it, especially in competitions for difficult and amazing rewards, even if someone was physically lame or missing one leg, was completely legless, and even did not leave the bed at all. This is a great gift from God. Run further, I ask you, not quieter than before, but even faster, competing with each other in this valiant competition. General Characteristics of Those Running in a Spiritual Race To run ahead of others here means to be more humble in wisdom, and to overtake and defeat others means to be more obedient, reverent, uncomplaining, diligent in psalmody, loving silence, hardworking, zealous, frank, bashful, unenvious, loving, and distinguished by other manifestations of virtue, mental and physical. Behold, run along the path of these virtues and through them rise from strength to strength and from earth to heaven, and blessed is the one who runs without sparing himself, because the Lord God at that Terrible Judgment will crown and praise him in a special way. Love is the crown of virtue Finally, the common property (that κοινον ιδίωμα) that should distinguish you, those competing in the race, or better yet, the disciples of the Great King, let it be love (ή αγάπη). And being in love, accept with pleasure the distinctions and preferences that are given to some of you when assigning them to obedience, work, when awarding them any authority or position. Let there be no envy among you, let rivalry be banished and irritability and every bad thing banished, consider your neighbor's differences as your own and rejoice in the successes of others 473. For this consists of successful running and serving God (126) and in this way one usually wins, even if the winner had nothing else, because love is the crown of virtue ( ή αγάπη το μέγα κλέος τών αρετών ), and irritation due to the fact that such and such preferred to me in this or that matter, for this or that obedience, is bad, dangerous and a sign of qualities and virtues opposite. Under no circumstances allow yourself to think or say that I should have more benefits against such and such, or that I have lived here longer than that person and should be superior to him. This, brothers, is wrong. Therefore, I ask you, avoid these devilish tricks, the indignations hated by our fathers and the self-will ridiculed by the saints, but retain, preserve, acquire and create what is good, what is honorable, what befits the saints, what relates to brotherly love, humility, humiliation, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, who chose a poor and humiliated fate, behaving innocently, kindly and sincerely, like the lambs of Christ, like the Lord’s chosen people (Numbers 16:3), without doing anything contrary to what was commanded. And if this happens, then correct yourself again through punishments and, thus, on the day of reward you will hear the desired voice: Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34). May we all be worthy to achieve it - by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Him be glory and power with His All-Holy Father and the Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About how we should cast off all despondency and awaken to spiritual work Differences in approaches to spiritual care My brothers, fathers and children. Just as each of you is required (127) to work in his obedience, so I, for my part, am obliged to present you with the catechumens. Oh, if I could give you announcements so broad and varied in content that, by the grace of Christ, they would satisfy everyone and suit everyone! For many among you, my brethren, are in need of a call, now of consolation, now of support, others in reminder, others in correction, and some in reproof, others in punishment, some in leniency, others in severity, and a few in dishonor and humiliation. Just as there are many different characters, the methods of teaching should be just as varied: what method helps one, it may be harmful to another; What benefits one person destroys another; the same word edifies one, but it happens to corrupt another. In view of this, my obedience is not easy; on the contrary, it is actually difficult and difficult to fulfill. But with the help of our father’s prayers 474 I will still send him away and, as long as I hold my breath, I will not allow myself to neglect him, but will work and strive to remind my masters and fathers of what is necessary. By the grace of God, you are all among those who are being saved (cf. 2 Cor. 2:15), you all came here in order to be saved, and all of you have no other task than to achieve salvation. But since the devil opposes every good deed, many of us are tempted, although this is undesirable for us: he inflames some with voluptuousness, attracting natural youthful excitability here for assistance, while he overcomes others with lust, because of which he himself fell from heaven; self-indulgence leads them to do crazy things. And why list in detail all the things by which he tries to bring us down (128) and what he undertakes every day, expecting our destruction? The Lord God, who said to the sea: be silent, cease (Mark 4:39), will forbid it and drive it far from us. But this can be then if we become ourselves and constantly look at the purpose of our coming here, for we, with God as our witness, made a promise to withstand all oppression and oppression until death. Therefore, all of you, throw away everything that anyone has: the despondent - their despondency, the covetous - covetousness, the sluggish - lethargy, the lustful - lust, the proud - pride, the vain - vanity, the shameless - shamelessness, the disorderly - disorderliness, the chatterboxes - talkativeness, the dandies - panache, the lovers of flesh - love of the flesh, those who grieve - their unreasonable, unfounded sadness, if anyone envies, let him give up his envy, whoever competes - rivalry, whoever bickers - strife, whoever is idle - idleness; all this and the like are works of darkness, various types of evil, desires and inventions of the evil one. The works of our God are: peace, meekness, humility, obedience, non-envy, work, diligence, cheerfulness, love, faith, hope, decency, prayer. All these are works of light, valor, righteousness, and prosperity of the saints. If there is any virtue and if there is any praise (Phil. 4:8), I ask you, for the love of the Lord, wake up, you who are frozen in these passions; Awake, you who sleep in such hindrances to salvation! If we want a good life and see good days, then we will pay attention to the words: turn away from evil and do good, seek peace and get married (Ps. 33:15). Where are the eyes of the Lord, (129) if not on those who fear Him (Ps. 32:18), and where, on the contrary, is the angry face of the Lord, if not on those who do evil, and consume their remembrance from the earth (Ps. 33:17)? The entire further end of the psalm, if we pay attention to it, gives us excellent instruction. Well about that. Do more service than take advantage of others. These days, many of our brothers are sick, because these are unhealthy times. Let those of us who are healthy help the sick, and let the sick accept the Lord’s punishment as salvation and patiently bear it, and also let them be grateful for their care. And when they recover from their illness, they should not wander back and forth without permission, but go to work. For we do not have slaves who performed this work (for slavery was created by sin, and the apostle allowed it only to those living in a worldly way), but we are our own slaves and masters, we ourselves serve and we ourselves use the services. Therefore, everyone should try to take advantage of the services of others at inopportune times. The Lord knows each of his work and his obedience, what origin he is, who he was before, how he lived in the world and how he lives now, how he forces himself, what patience he displays, with whom he is enrolled, with whom he stands in line, who his closest comrades are, with whom he eats, rolls around and sleeps, what kind of clothes and shoes he has. And in accordance with all this, the Strict Weigher, the Righteous Equalizer will reward, according to the Scriptures, everyone according to his deeds (Rom. 2:6). Therefore, let no one be discouraged, let no one think about anything else except what needs to be thought about, for even now we stand before the face of God, and then we will appear before His terrible and terrible judgment seat, when we give Him an answer for everything we have lived, (130) for to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. About arming yourself with virtues to fight the enemy Spiritual farming in the field of your soul My brothers, fathers and children. The farmer, working in his field, does not pay attention to the severity of his labor and, as a result, does not stop or abandon his work, but, directing his thoughts to future profits, willingly devotes himself to all bodily labor and effort. In view of the fact that each of us has been given in this life, also as if as a field, a soul, and we must carry out all kinds of spiritual work on it in order to obtain a supply of food and provisions for the future life (for the Lord who created us will undoubtedly demand this from us on the Day of Judgment), then I ask and implore you: let us all cultivate our fields together, in unison, we will turn up virgin soil 475 (cf. Jer. 4:3) piety (νεώσωμεν νεώματατα της ευσέβειας), we will sow it not according to the thorns of passions, but according to the arable land, cleared of all sinful vegetation, we will water it with spiritual rains, that is, with God-broken tears, so that mental beasts do not harm her, let us surround the field with a strong fence - the fear of God, illuminate it with the sun and the warmth of spiritual love, so that we will ultimately fill our spiritual hands with sheaves and gather a multitude of 476 wheat from the holy commandments of Christ. The Lord God calls every soul to this very work in this life, especially us, clothed in the angelic image. Therefore, each of us, I ask, let him show by his beautiful life his field (131) in good condition, fertile, blooming with the stench of fragrance (Gen. 8:25; cf. 2 Cor. 2:15-16) to the Lord - blooming through complete renunciation from carnal ties, and fertile - through obedience, every day becoming more perfect, moving further, being transferred through showing off good deeds, rejecting all disobedience and captivating every mind into the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5), submitting to the general brotherly rule, constantly having self-reproach within himself, through which he can easily crush and kill the many-headed dragon of pride and self-rule. So, brethren, we are called to work, to war, to battle, not to any ordinary battle, but as the apostle describes it: for our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers and authorities and rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). Therefore, let no one remain unprepared for battle or unarmed, no one should shy away from fights with enemies, and on the other hand, let him not be afraid if he is wounded by a spear or sword or stunned by a blow, such is the fate of a warrior. Our enemy does not die immediately, if he is wounded once or thrown to the ground, he will not die even then if this is done to him many and countless times, but he himself voluntarily surrenders to his enemies for slaughter. Therefore, brothers and fathers, as soldiers of Christ, let us take good care and stand firm in war. Every warrior, as you know, when he goes on a campaign and lives in a camp, endures a lot of hardships - from heat, from rain, and sometimes from snow. There he does not lead a luxurious life, but sometimes he even needs bread and gets a cup of cold water; for whole days, and sometimes at night, he walks here and there (132), he is taken from one place to another, he is covered in dust, exhausted. And for what? Yes, it will please the governor (2 Tim. 2:4), so as not to end up on the list of deserters and to receive more rewards. It’s the same with us, only in a different way: there are given temporary, insignificant, unimportant and transitory rewards, but to us the King of all God gives everything immortal, eternal and incorruptible. Therefore, my children, let us not allow ourselves to escape. Let us not run away and let us all strive and strive each in our own obedience, according to our conscience and patiently serving the Lord: those who administer - in reasonable and vigilant stewardship, and those who serve - in uncomplaining and diligent service. Let us also endure our period of hunger, thirst, insults, insults, blows and wounds, commands, orders, and especially the burden of nightly psalmody and prayers, as well as those troubles that visibly and invisibly attack us and torment us daily depending on our existing works and obediences, and, in this way, having completed, through the prayers of our father, our valiant feat and having completed our run, we will receive on that day the crown of righteousness ( 2 Timothy 4:8) In Christ Jesus our Lord to Him be glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About listening to the threats and instructions of the holy fathers Exhortation is a Pastor's Duty My fathers, brothers and children. Since telling you announcements is my business and obedience, I should not be lazy and careless about this duty, but I need to try and take care of it more and more - try so that (133) you, God’s chosen ones, receive all the necessary reminders, encouragement and stimulation for the salvation of your souls; to take care so that I, the accursed one, as a result of the fact that I proclaimed what was necessary to you, could save my poor soul from responsibility. For she is frightened and oppressed by the words of the teacher of the universe, Paul, who once said: I am pure from the blood of all, for I did not hesitate to tell you the whole will of God (Acts 20:26–27). Therefore, if I, pathetic one, according to the authority entrusted to me, do not proclaim and tell you what you need, then how can I then avoid merciless judgment for silence? Therefore, forgive me that last time, accusing and ridiculing some of you, I spoke to you in an accusatory spirit, not in order to upset you without any reason - not at all - and not, on the other hand, to simply amuse myself (don’t think so!), but in order to frighten, correct and improve those people, although I myself am flawed and unstable. That the reason for this was my zeal, stemming from love for you and concern for your salvation, so hear with your ears and understand with your mind (Isa. 6:9), my children, something from what the saints say and command, for we, reminding and pointing out to you what is righteous for you and me, dare in our catechumens, however, in an imperfect and inappropriate way, to offer the same thing. What do they say and what do they constantly call to us about? This time I will give places from only two. One says with a threat: do not flatter yourself: neither the harlot, nor the idolater, nor the adulterer, nor the wicked, nor the sodomite, nor the covetous, nor the thieves, nor the drunkards, nor the harasser, nor the extortioner will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10), and in another place: all grief, and anger, (134) and wrath, and cry, and Let blasphemy be taken away from you with all malice: be kind and merciful to one another, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (Eph. 4:31-32). And the second, calling, says: come, let us worship and fall down before Him, and weep before the Lord who created us (Ps. 95:6), and also: enter into His gates in confession, into His courts in singing (Ps. 99:4). So, children and brethren, let us strengthen ourselves with threats and also put instructions in our hearts, and come together let us worship and mourn before Him for our past life and for our daily faults - in knowledge and ignorance, in word, in deed, in thought, and let us enter into His courts with songs and praises, and not with shameful thoughts, enmity, disobedience and arrogance. Let us not, like some, grumble, disobey, be self-willed and think highly of ourselves, for we are only earth, dust, cinders and ashes, and especially those who foolishly think that they are glorious due to their bodily or mental labor. I see that the image of the world has passed from us (1 Cor. 7:31), for we are completely different in comparison with the laity, we are dressed in special clothes and lead a special way of life, we are celibate, have no property, no property, no kinship, and most importantly - incorporeal, for those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Rom. 8:8), having been crucified to the world (Gal. 6:14). If this is the way of life we have accepted, then let us demonstrate in a worthy manner the properties of such a life, so that we are in our own sense, and not falsely called as we exist, we will also be obedient, quick, agile, God-fearing, Christ-minded, reverent, (135) chaste, we will love one another, we will be unenvious, we will shy away from strife, boasting, we will love silence, work, let us be frank, accommodating, patient, grateful for everything that is given to us, for food, for drink, for clothing, for shoes and for everything else, so that, by doing good, we will become, through the prayers of our father, heirs of the desired and sought-after Kingdom of Heaven in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. About runaway brothers and about looking after yourself My brothers and children. Where else should I begin this announcement, if not directly from our closest subject - the brethren who fled due to recklessness? That this is a fairly common occurrence in our country, so what’s surprising? After all, there are tares in the wheat, and thorns grow among the grapes. But what's special here? And the fact that, as it is said, I gave birth to sons, and they, leaving the good light of life according to God and throwing themselves into the path of darkness, rejected Me (Isa. 1:2). Isn’t their very escape at night an act of darkness on their part? Ah, what recklessness, what frivolity about God’s judgment! After all, they considered the entire law of God to be weak and powerless in order to take revenge on them for its violation! But why did I start mourning them? We must first of all complain about the enemy and adversary of our life - the devil, about the culprit of evil - the serpent, who roars like a lion, constantly looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). And he found people obedient to himself, who were carried away and seduced by his deceits, and so he first corrupted and undermined them for a long time, and then, raising them to the wings of evil, (136) in an instant he pushed them and threw them, or rather, caught them in his nets and, having kidnapped them, now leads them after him, over mountains, deserts, abysses and in general to those places where they were not God is looking. Such a fate was suffered by the unfortunate Eulalius and the instantly fallen, double-minded and fickle Petronius. How can I, children and brothers, not cry and lament the misfortune that happened to them? How can I not shed tears of regret? After all, when the time of their glory had already arrived, then they were put to shame and faded away; when the time came for them to bear fruit, they withered and fell like leaves from a tree. Indeed, it is a pitiful sight when they suddenly lose so much work, effort and deeds (if all this is actually done) and become the prey of the devil! Oh, what cruelty on their part! Who does not weep for the unfortunate? Who will not grieve for those who deserve this sorrow? I know very well that I will be required to answer for them, why I did not do and did not tell them everything that was necessary. But what, I ask for my part, should have been done with the vineyard and what did I not do? According to my limited strength, after I gave birth to them spiritually and raised them, I instructed them, admonished them, affirmed them, ordered them, threatened them, sometimes punished them, and, as far as possible, I did everything else, such as: I consoled them during sorrow, shared with them bouts of relaxation, bore the burden of their confessions, healed them with mercy, raised them with tender love, like children, taught them writing, handicrafts, reading, for exercise in reading, he allowed them to take any book that even another abbot could hardly get (for, by the grace of Christ, we have a large collection of books). But they did not take all this into account and for the good they did (137) they became a disappointment to me. For, looking with their eyes, they did not see the goodness of God and with their ears (cf. Matt. 13:15) they did not listen well to the catechumens, and in the end their foolish hearts were darkened: they said to be wise, foolish (Rom. 1:21-22) and changed their glory into the likeness of destruction. Oh, this devilish envy, as well as human inattention, as a result of which many fall and slip! God's punishment for monks who deviated from their vows But you, children and brethren, will become wise by their example and know that the Lord has surprised His mercy (Ps. 30:22) on you in that you are not carried away by the villain the devil, but thanks to the firmness of your faith, you have stood unshakably in the holy obedience devoted to you. Do not be like them, I ask you; being sons of light (John 12:36), do not become sons of darkness (1 Thess. 5:5) and disobedience, and do not waste your great and praiseworthy labors, so as not to subsequently give up your souls to eternal torment. For whoever, it is said, rejected the law of Moses dies without mercy in the presence of two or three witnesses (Heb. 10:28). Think how much greater punishment those who trampled on the confessions and vows given during holy tonsure and considered the sacrament of your perfection to be a toy will be subjected to! Therefore, I ask: listen and, as you improve, follow God’s path, praying that sobering and conversion from their deadly spiritual wandering, as well as other things, may be given to them. Each of us already shows by our behavior what will come out of him - whether a chosen vessel (Acts 9:15) or a vessel of destruction (see Rom. 9:22). When a person begins to do something, for example, in reading or psalmody, in seeking advice, in abstinence, vigil (138) or in general in any other good and necessary deed, not for the common good and not in accordance with the commands of the primate, but arbitrarily and according to his own desires (which usually brings disorder and confusion to the brethren, as was the case with the mentioned persons), then it is clear what will come of this an instrument of evil: he, following his lusts, as if in the midst of fire and darkness, will throw off the bonds of obedience. It is also necessary to pay attention to the fact that, according to a fair saying, the wicked are separated from the pious, the false from the true, the crafty from the upright, the pretenders from the reverent, the bad from the good, for it is said: what fellowship has light with darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Belial? (2 Cor. 6:14–15). Therefore, we often do not cut them off out of condescension towards them. Although they believe that they know how to hide themselves by cunning, in fact they catch themselves, excommunicate and separate themselves, as they say in the “Gerondike” 477, that the place itself drives out those who do not do things befitting of this place. So pray that they will return back; pray for me too, weak in body and soul, because I began to get sick again, may God, in His mercy, look upon them and me, and may we all be saved by His compassions in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and dominion, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About not hiding bad thoughts, but overcoming them through confession My brothers, fathers and children. What should I talk to you about today? Yes, of course, again about our three unfortunate brothers who escaped, or rather, who were torn away from your good brotherhood, on the one hand, so that you yourself, through the fall of others, would become stronger and stronger, (139) and on the other, so that I could alleviate the sadness of my heart by lamenting about them. After all, although I am bad, I am still your father and shepherd, and no father easily endures the loss of his son. If this happens with carnal children, how much more so with spiritual ones? And no shepherd is indifferent to the loss of his sheep, but he calls and beckons the lost one. Truly, the beast recently kidnapped not Joseph, as it is said in Scripture (Gen. 37:33), but my children - Petronius, Malchus and Aetias. This fierce beast is the mental wolf, the wild dragon, the cunning serpent, who in ancient times, through deception and bitter eating, cast Adam and Eve out of paradise (Gen. 3), and now he has in the same way expelled, as if from a new paradise, from the community, the above-mentioned persons. How he lured others from here or from other places, there is no time to talk about this: from the very beginning of the world until its end, the same devil does and did all this. How can I now not grieve and weep for them? How can I not suffer in soul and not become depressed at the thought of their loss? Three youths, three young people, not matured, not established, still under-educated! After all, Satan, having seized them, will not begin to drag them hither and thither along the cliffs and will not crush their bones like earthen vessels 478? But I accused them, however, not so that the already elderly and with beards among you would begin to think that they, having fled in the same way, could have been saved, but because those young men, in addition to falling, are plunging their youth into another even greater evil. Oh, what recklessness and darkness of reason on their part, and even more - what my misery, as a result of which they and all others fell! So what now? Do we really (to you, healthy, standing and saving ourselves, I am addressing here) really want to get sick like they do? (140) And should we hasten to fall like them? And we will seek our destruction along with them? No way, my children. But how can we avoid this? There is no other way than not to listen to the advice of the serpent at all, not to hide the serpent in your heart, but rather to defeat it, and it will run from us like from fire. If the above-mentioned persons had done this, they would not have gotten into such trouble. And you, children and sheep of Christ, as it is said, beware, do not willingly become the prey of the devil and, living in the paradise of Christ’s commandments, do not allow the evil serpent to deceive you in any way, so as not to be later cast into the dark vale of sin. Living like an angel, through self-indulgence, which must be avoided, do not become beasts, but remain faithful to your life and keep the commandments. Let no one communicate with a bad person, let no one talk with a wicked person, for he is truly a bad and wicked person who talks or starts talking about flight or some other passion to the destruction of himself and his interlocutor. Therefore, my brother, when such a person takes you aside and begins to pour out the poison of evil from his tongue alone with you, then, as we have often repeated, jump away from him, stand further, close your ears in order to save both yourself and him. If he sees that you are upset by the temptation that happened, and begins to assent to you that you were upset and justifiably indignant, do not listen to him, because the snake is only trying to get inside you. When he begins to complain to you about our paradise, that is, about the hostel, or about your roommates, that is, about the brothers, he will talk about this or that of them, about this or that matter, you give him a slap in the face, answer him as necessary in order to bring him to reason and to save yourself. What do they usually say? “Let's get out of here. (141) Here the abbot is stern, the dean has no heart, the cellarer does not make any distinction between people, there is a lot of severity, but they give only little, everyone gives you orders, everyone orders you. Here you have to think more about bearing the burden of labor than about saving. Let's leave!" But where, one wonders? Yes, only anathema: for one has only to go out and look into their souls, then every healthy person will immediately see that such people are darkened, obsessed with passions, raging, there is nothing healthy in them - neither desires, nor thoughts, they rush here and there and break off like lost sheep. And don’t think, children, that I’m saying this with the aim of denigrating them, not at all, in fact, they have even more of this, which cannot be talked about. Pray harder that they will be found and return either on their own or through me. And you, as was said above, need to strengthen yourself, avoiding the causes of your fall and performing the good feat of your heavenly crown. I hear from the side that some of you carelessly say that those who slipped did what they should. These faces are not even worth remembering simply, without any justification, and you can do this only by pronouncing their names with regret. After all, the apostles did not justify the traitor and did not call him an apostle, but simply Judas, a traitor and a thief. On top of all this, I hear that in the evenings you have disturbances in your meals, some require wine, food on Wednesdays and Fridays. Don’t you remember that, having entered this city 479, we changed our outward and previous way of life, that is, eating with oil, drinking wine, [eating] heated food on the two days of Lent, as well as on Wednesdays and Fridays? But since I, due to my weakness, sympathize with you, for the sake of the not entirely healthy urban climate, I decree that from now on everyone who wants can receive one cup of wine and a piece of bread on the indicated days (142) in the evening. And then, let there be no more unrest and bickering that I should get more and that I worked more. So, now, for the two reasons given, as well as due to another third - the unrest, I have made an easing for everyone. And then - so that this noise does not happen, because otherwise it is not far from punishments and imprisonments. Together with others, pay strict attention to this, you deans, overseers and wine distributors, so that you do not suffer the same thing. It should also be noted that some do not remain in the obediences where they were assigned, but run away from them and do not show constancy, recklessly transferring and flying from one to another, so that, in the end, they harm both themselves and those who do their work in order - themselves because, as Basil the Great says 480, not everyone can know what is useful to him, but others by the fact that he tempts them into disorder and causes unnecessary worries and troubles to the dean. This shouldn't happen! Whoever is called to a place, let him patiently abide there and obey what is ordered to him regarding any work, or a student, or anything else. And everywhere trying to interfere in other people’s affairs and striving to do one’s own will is characteristic of disorderly persons, ill-mannered and worthless people. Therefore, from now on, when you have now seen all this evil, let no one do this again, so as not to be punished for the outrage. Do you know what Saint Dorotheos says? Whoever has achieved the cutting off of the will has reached the degree of tranquility 481. If anyone therefore wants to live in peace, let him master this path of cutting off his will, and immediately he will receive eternal peace. May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the prayers of my father, grant you all like-mindedness, consent, strength to endure and endure 482 all the trials of asceticism for the guidance of eternal life, (143) for the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven in Christ Himself, our Lord, to Him be glory and power and greatness, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About the terrible day of Judgment and [about the brother] who apostatized and, in a Jewish way, 483 draws us to the worldly court My brothers, fathers and children. What benefit you derive from my bad publicity, I cannot say. But as for myself, I openly admit that I, the damned one, with these teachings lead myself to revive the feeling and fear of God’s Judgment, as well as to the consciousness of the duty of authority unworthily imposed on me. It is in order to admonish, if not others, then at least myself, that I am speaking and will continue to speak teachings to you. Unsuccessful or successful outcome of the struggle Today we will talk about the fact that real life is a time of competition, a time of sorrows and labors, and not instantaneous and not short-term, as one might think, but constant, many years, ending only with this life. The failure or success of this struggle concerns not petty, insignificant and human things, but divine and heavenly things. For if we achieve success through intense patience, unyielding firmness and observance of the divine commandments, then we will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, immortality, eternal life, unspeakable, unheard of and unthinkable pleasures of eternal blessings, and if (which may not happen) due to negligence, laziness, attachment and love for this life and perishing and destructive pleasures we fail, then we will receive eternal torment instead, endless shame, standing on my feet, hearing those terrible and unbearable words of the Judge of all and the Lord of God: (144) Depart from Me, the curse, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angel (Matthew 25:41). But, children and brethren, in no case will we allow ourselves to hear this and we will not undergo that sorrowful and indescribable separation from the saints and righteous, when they will be received into unspeakable joy, into ineffable light and for inexhaustible pleasure (for they, as it is said, will lie down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob - Matt. 8:11), and we will be led with the demons into an unquenchable fire, to an unquenchable worm (Mark 9:44-48), to the gnashing of teeth, to chaos, to unbearable tartarus, to insoluble fetters, to the darkest dungeons, and this is not for a short time, not for one year or not for a hundred, a thousand, not even ten thousand years - no, there will be no end to punishment, as the Origenists think, but it, by definition God will be constant, unchanging and eternal. And where then, as the saints ask, can we find a brother, or a mother, or a father who would save us from punishment? Then there is no way to find them: brother, it is said, will not deliver, will man deliver? He will not give God treason for himself, and the price of the deliverance of his soul (Ps. 48:8-9). I, for my part, will also ask: where then, my brothers, will be the laziness of the lazy (I will start with small things and then rise to something more important), the negligence of the negligent, the contradiction of the disobedient, the disobedience of the disobedient, the pride of the proud, the insolence of the daring, the self-will of the self-inflicted, the gluttony of the gluttons, the shamelessness of the shameless, the ardor of the avengers, the most skillful self-justifications of liars, and especially - where then will the apostates renounce the vows given with God as witness (145) and from their obedience, which are all those who trampled on the Son of God and thought the blood of His covenant was unclean (see Heb. 10:29) and decided that there is no death, no Resurrection, no Judgment, no retribution, who, having been cut off from fellowship in the Holy Spirit and deprived of Him (as Basil the Great writes in one place 484), like lost sheep, rush hither and thither along the cliffs and abysses of their own lust, and who, finally, are not satisfied with the fact that they have become the prey of the wild animals, but they strive completely towards final destruction, not listening to either the call from me, insignificant, or the frightening threat indicating to them the best outcome; even more: one of these began to act directly in the Jewish way (Gal. 2:14) 485 and brings us to the worldly court. Spare us, spare us, Lord, from such insensibility, shamelessness and darkness! When we are vulnerable to the devil Unlike them, we, children, come, bow down and fall down... before the Lord who created us (Ps. 94:6), and, as befits brotherly lovers, we will earnestly pray and pray for such people, asking for conversion and return, adding to the prayers what is needed, and for ourselves and asking forgiveness for our mistakes made through negligence, we will strive to improve ourselves. No matter what we say, we are still here on the lists, protected by a fence and under the guidance of a shepherd, albeit a blind one. Satan did not catch us, the enemy did not take possession of us, the fierce beast does not drag us by the neck with its teeth and does not hit the sides of our soul with its tail, for, like Christ’s sheep, we are inside the fence. But as soon as we get sick, lame, we have worms (146) or anything else happens, he is already inventing and plotting from the outside, looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8), who will somehow jump out from behind the fence, or who can be carried away through some secret hole of thought, or through a side door, or even by breaking through the spiritual fence. So, let us watch this and let us not remain ignorant of his plans 486, and let each one, according to his strength and in the obedience entrusted to him, strive and strive ever forward in the future, succeeding in humility, obedience, revelation of thoughts, contrition, prayer, tears, integrity and in every good deed, revealing himself to be a chosen vessel of Christ and a son of light (Acts 9:15; 1 Thess. 5:5). Yes, yes, my children, I ask, I pray, I remind, I beg: a little more, a little - and soon the hour will come and the time of our joy, deliverance, joy, freedom, crowns, rewards will come. After all, the saints themselves, and especially our companions, that is, those belonging to the [monastic] order, 487, looking at our successes from heavenly heights, rejoice and delight in this (for every face of the righteous loves its ascetics more than others), trying to increase and multiply new members in their work, so that they can arrange the largest possible gathering of those who join, chanting the Blessed and Holy Trinity, for to Her is due all glory, honor and worship, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About easily enduring the feat of our good obedience My fathers, brothers and children. You have just been cleansed and enlightened by praises and prayers. Therefore, one might think, doesn’t my weak announcement (147) after this become unnecessary? No way. Fulfilling the established custom, I now turn to you with teaching, and now I want to talk with you, for this is necessary for you, my beloved children; you are my most precious oud, my womb, I no longer know what is even more precious for me to compare you with; even better to say - children of God (John 1:12), sons of light (Luke 16:8), the chosen people of the Lord (Num. 11:29) 488, the assembly of the godly, the army of the high Kingdom, the Church of Christ, the angelic face, the true tongue is holy, the royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9), whose social order is heavenly (Phil. 3:20), and not earthly, life is not in the flesh, but above the flesh, it is not some perishing, transitory and corruptible thing, but entirely spiritual, salvific and eternal, clothing is poor in appearance, but on the inside it is lined with golden cassocks, the beauty of virtues is dressed and dotted with (Ps. 44:14), finally, the inheritance and inheritance is not gold with silver and precious stones, not expensive clothing, and also not the possession of such and such an amount of land and estates or many numerous herds of large and small livestock or the like (which all soon collapses and perishes), but the Lord Himself, the Kingdom of Heaven, the bosom of Abraham, immortality and bliss, a sweet paradise and everything else that, according to Scripture, which eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man, is the good that God has prepared (1 Cor. 2:9) for all those who have pleased Him from all eternity. So this is what our society is like, this is what our business is, and this is our wondrous and virtuous way of life, which is understood only by people who are not of this world, and not by those who live in a worldly way, and which is revered only by heavenly, and not earthly, inhabitants. (148) Therefore, you, having one Father of all - God, your city is the highest Jerusalem, and fellow citizens - all the saints from time immemorial, in the flesh you are without clan and without fatherland. So, after all this and wonder, what if we are here, in the ascetic life, where we are dragged here and there, tortured and forced to bear all sorts of labor, and some sometimes even offend, blame, slander and ridicule, if we are in poverty here? Since for all this truth and abundance of peace will shine upon us (Ps. 71:7), light, life, joy unspeakable and the joy of life with the holy Angels, then I ask and pray you: strengthen your souls in patience and confirm all your thoughts in the Lord, enduring and doing everything easily, in anticipation of the fulfillment of great hopes, because our short and fast-flowing life flies and flies, and we are not approaching death, but to endless life. After all, since you voluntarily died earlier by renouncing the world, then death will no longer prevail over you. Let us, therefore, attend to our own affairs and concerns, and let each one, in accordance with his obedience, diligently try to complete his work - impeccably, in justice, presenting it blameless to the rewarder God; the housekeeper, for example, in managing the household, the dean - in his studies of observing, discussing and trying the misdeeds of the brothers, the cellarer - in distributing food, the head of clothing - in washing, mending and fair distribution to who needs what, the shoemaker (with his difficult occupation) - in cutting and making shoes so that they are comfortable to wear and do not spoil the feet. In the same way, the cook must monitor the cooking of vegetables and herbs, as well as the oven, the eater must monitor the layout of the bread so that its portions are of equal weight, etc. (149) And in any other obedience one must try to do the same: tanners must diligently produce leather in sufficient quantities for the needs of the brethren, blacksmiths must also work conscientiously, do what they must and do nothing beyond what is required, parchment makers and basket makers must observe the same thing, for the Lord looks at every person with his work - both the diligent, and the lazy, and the clumsy, and the one who dissuades himself from work. Let the scribes also pay more attention to this, and not only they, but also weavers, hospital workers, gatekeepers, carpenters, goldsmiths, tailors, bakers, cattlemen, servants, overseers, alarm makers, lamp holders, winegrowers, gardeners of the highest and middle rank, fishermen, churchmen and all others, small and great, serving and using services, sick and healthy. For the Lord, as it is said, looks at everything and will give due honor to everyone in the Kingdom of Heaven. We need to constantly remind you of this. Now I also reminded you because the holy holidays have approached, which, along with divine joy and gladness, bring us (if we do not take care of ourselves) also harm from the evil one - due to the cessation of work and rest. But you, as God-wise, both now and in the future, try to do everything in God’s way and as it should, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. That we need to imitate the simple-heartedness of children for the sake of Christ who became the baby for us Divine self-deprecation My brothers, fathers and children. So we celebrated the feast (150) of the Nativity of Christ and did everything that was appropriate, we rejoiced and had fun in divine hymns and sacred readings, and, by the grace of Christ, nothing inappropriate happened to us - even all kinds of bodily consolations were all done decently and with appropriate moderation. At the same time, we also presented the holy image to the twenty-seven brothers, and therefore, according to Scripture, there was joy in heaven (Luke 15:7). For if it happens even with one sinner who repents, then how much more so with so many? So, through the prayers of our father, the Lord grants us His rich and great mercies. And how else can we repay Him for what He has repaid (Ps. 116:3) to us, if not by imitation of Him? But in what way and how? Baptism and adoption of monasticism - spiritual birth Look, fathers and children, who He became, from what height of Divinity and to what degree of humility He lowered Himself! For, being God and Lord of all, He took on the form of a servant (Phil. 2:7); having been born from the Most Holy Theotokos, he was swaddled like a child, breastfed like a baby, and all this in a wretched and meager environment. For He was born in a den, laid in a manger, then gradually grew, from a child he became a youth, and finally a mature man, when he was baptized, pouring out for us the bath of rebirth (Titus 3:5). To this we must also add everything else, namely, the tradition [by Judas], His life-giving passion, crucifixion, death, three-day resurrection. All this, as you know, was for our sake, so that we would imitate Him as much as possible. Admonition to newly tonsured monks And since He, incorporeal, born of the Father before the ages, was finally born in the flesh from the Holy Virgin, so we also need to be born first bodily, and then spiritually - for everyone in general - in Holy Baptism, and especially for those who become monks, (151) upon taking on the holy image. Therefore, children, we, especially those newly tonsured among us, should be infants and imitate the simple-heartedness of children, so that if when we are angry, offended, insulted, we would not immediately become furious and enraged due to the fact that we are young, or, on the contrary, old people, or because we were once managers, economists, mayors, gentlemen, owners or something else in of this kind, for this would mean that we have not yet been born according to Christ, but we must obey our spiritual parents in every thing. For He who subjugates everything to Himself with a single word submitted Himself, as far as it should be, to His Mother. He also endured blasphemy and insults from the scribes and Pharisees who were hostile against Him, such as, for example: the demon imashi (John 7:20), that about Beelzebub the princes will cast out demons (Matt. 12:24), Tekton's son (Matthew 13:55) and many other grievances. What can we say after this about how He, when He was spat upon, strangled, crucified, nailed, pierced with a spear, did not emit the slightest sound, but only thanked and prayed: Father, let them go, for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34). Now, those who desire salvation, if they want to become joint heirs with the saints, let them remember all this. So, everyone, and especially those newly tonsured, see how you need to remain prudent, considerate and obedient in everything, without changing the good direction of your life and without staining your pure vows. But if this is required of beginners, then how much more firm and unshakable should we, the elderly, be after this in order to set an example for the lower ones and enlighten them with our good life? After all, lamps are not brought in front so that it will be dark, (152) but so that it will become light. Likewise, guides go ahead not to lead you to destruction, but to show you a safe path. If the situation is different, then it means that both the lamps and the conductors are of a different kind, may God protect you from this! Therefore, you, observers, overseers, deans, overseeing obedience and giving orders, keep an eye on every little thing, so that nothing is done with bickering, inattentively, lazily, but in every task let us do everything and fulfill God as best and ardently as possible, so that through us Christ, His holy Angels, and also all the saints, and especially ours, may be honored, glorified and rejoice. fathers, comrades and companions. In conclusion, we should not remain silent about the fact that I, a humble person, receive more and more peace from your holiness, because it becomes easier and easier to manage you: you maintain order, a quiet life, and do not lead to strife. This is not from me, but the gift of God (cf. Eph. 2:8); not because of my iniquities, but because of the prayers of my father, not because of my negligence, but because of your own zeal. May the Lord give you even more strength and strength - to be purified, elevated, perfected and enlightened, so that you can shine like luminaries in the world, be fragrant with spiritual fragrance, like beautiful flowers of paradise, and multiply like the unfading roses of the holy altar. Once again I ask you and pray: let us strive, we will direct ourselves, we will hasten to the rapture of the Kingdom of Heaven, to the enjoyment of eternal blessings, to eternal blissful rest in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. That abstinence lasts only for a short time, but virtue lasts forever Teaching is required of every pastor My fathers, brothers and children. It’s as if I’m just beginning to speak announcements, as if I’m just opening my weak lips to you for the first time! And I express this not out of humility (I don’t have that), but out of awareness of my actual sinfulness, as well as the duty of teaching, which is required of every shepherd. For how much, indeed, should I say and do for the benefit of your souls almost daily and even hourly! If the great bishop of God, preacher of repentance, martyr for the truth, Chrysostom (as well as other divine fathers), after countless sermons, after he, by Divine grace, flowed from his lips throughout the universe endless and vast rivers of teaching, despite this, still fears the primacy, trembles before him, exclaiming in one place: “Judging by to myself, I think that it is difficult for the primate to be saved” 489 - then what should I, cursed and unclean, dirty, worm, foolish, reckless, voiceless, wordless, exclaim after this? I don’t even know how to properly express my unworthiness. How did I achieve such a rank? How is it that I, the unclean one, am appointed to shine for others? How is it that I, far from God, am entrusted with bringing to Him those who have fallen away from Him? I should only be a sheep, but I am made a shepherd; I should be a subordinate, but I became a boss; I myself need to incline my ear to listen to instruction, but I open my unclean lips to teach others. Let God Himself see, observe and judge (I don’t know by what kind of judgment, in view of my complete guilt) how I have been placed over you. Humility and self-reproach Rev. Theodora So what should I do after all this? Refuse the authority? No way. Well, at least shut up completely, (154) although I’m already poor and inexperienced in speech? No, no, but, with God's help, with the assistance of your father's prayers, I need to maintain my power and again accept and bear everything on myself. And perhaps, the Creator of great and wondrous deeds - God, for your benefit, will work a miracle here and will make me, blind, deaf, lame, humming, - seeing, hearing, healthy, firm and eloquent (for He can do whatever He wants) so that I, although such a great deed is beyond my strength, will lead, announce, direct, purify and make you chosen people (Ex. 19:5 ). Therefore, children, understand as it is said, and see that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted to the earth (Ps. 45:11). May He be exalted, I ask and pray, He is also above you. But how else can He ascend otherwise than through your saint, exalted above all the earthly affairs of life that strives downwards, to which you are lifted up by Him, raising those who have been rejected from earth to heaven, by grace, living and turning among themselves like angels? For you, like the Angels, have peace and love in everything, as if one soul, one will, one breath and unity among themselves, since all reasons for divisions, such as disputes over property, carnal friendship, family ties, have been destroyed. And indeed, by the grace of God and through the prayers of my father, all this has been banished from you and completely opposite things are observed - common property or, better, the complete absence of any property and possession of everything (2 Cor. 6:10), loving disposition towards everyone, estrangement from carnal parents, brothers and all relatives in general. In this regard, I acknowledge and openly declare your valor that, although we are in danger and right now outside the gates and we live in this city 490, (155) as if in a war, or in a struggle, or in soul-destroying baths, yet you are not inflamed, you are not seduced and do not allow yourself to be destroyed, on the contrary, you do much more than you suffer, since you benefit both strangers who hear about you and your own to comrades. The Ideal of Monastic Community There are people among you who, in the matter of prayer, have completely abandoned meetings with their mother, brothers and relatives. Isn't this a gift from God? Yes, definitely. And in this way, becoming more and more attuned, my children, confirm and strengthen yourself in even more perfect things, for beautiful is that work beyond which there is nothing, beautiful and correct is also the wandering through which seekers find God. After all, you only need to restrain your eyes and ears for one hour or day and limit yourself in all other pleasures, and all this immediately passed and it was as if it had not happened, and what remains does not pass away and is not destroyed, but remains forever, since this is virtue. How can this be? Here’s how: instead of the above-mentioned hardships, in the future joyful age you will experience not short-term and small joy, but eternal and incomparable joy. The common good is distributed to everyone, and everyone - to everyone So continue to endure, my children, strive and force yourself to surpass each other in virtues, but without any envy, for, according to the divine order of our life, the common good is distributed among individuals and the good of an individual, on the contrary, among all other brothers. Let us not do this directly from this announcement, but let us begin daily, every morning: we received such a teaching and commandment from our fathers, for good does not remain in one state, and in general, anyone who wants to be saved can only move from strength to strength (cf. Ps. 84:8). And if we treat what has been said thoughtfully and with attention, if until our death we do not allow ourselves to relax, competing with each other in such a good competition, then - rest assured - the gates will open before us, paradise will receive us, the faces of the martyrs will receive us, the courts of the righteous will give us a home, countless angelic ranks will rejoice with us with inexpressible joy in the face of Jesus Christ, (156) our Lord, to whom glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About thanksgiving and deanery My brothers, fathers and children. In calling you to the announcement, I really want to tell you a word rich and varied in content, so that, like a rich host, I can offer you a sumptuous meal that could fully nourish your holy souls. But since I am poor, I can only offer you a little bread and water - my truly insignificant word. I ask you, accept it, and let what is lacking in it be replaced, with your condescension, by the excess of my jealousy. So, I greatly rejoice and rejoice, seeing that you are successful in living according to God, living with one accord and enduring all the hardships that come with obedience. I also rejoice in the fact that we have gathered in such large numbers, as if in a new paradise, in this community in the name of the Lord our God, and strive not just somehow and as it happens, but firmly and divinely to follow in the footsteps of our blessed fathers, we do not disagree in our thoughts, we do not self-indulge in our desires, we are not separated by carnal ties, we are not divided by personal property, but we are united and united in one common spirit for one truly desire and for a single desire - to serve and please the Lord. All this is the gift of God, the grace of the Mother of God, the blessings of our great patrons - the Forerunner and the Theologian 491, and also, on the other hand, your own work, because you yourself decided so, were inspired by Divine aspiration, broke away from the world and with your valiant zeal flew as if to heaven itself. Blessed are the parents and relatives of monks (157) Blessed is your zeal, even more blessed is your departure here with God’s assistance, and all-blessed is your present life here! I will add one more thing: blessed are your parents and the wombs that bore you. And there is nothing wrong in these words of mine, for, according to Scripture, they [the parents] acquired in your person a tribe in Zion and a tribe in Jerusalem (Isa. 31:9). After all, they have considerable joy for you when they hear and know how well you live in your great, virtuous and patient obedience; by you, then, as with sacred firstfruits, their loins are sanctified, and in general there is not a single family where they are not touched and enlightened even at the mere memory of such a relative. Since you possess such great blessings and gifts - I am no longer mentioning here the bliss of the future life and indescribable rewards - then how can I, humble and sinful, not rejoice? And after this, how can I not want to try to arouse in you with every deed and word a zeal to preserve what your holy souls have collected and created? As a result of all this, I am happy and glad. Sincere trust in the abbot is a solid stone But as great as my joy is, at the same time great is my fear and trembling, so that because of my great sins, no confusion occurs that could destroy everything that you have established and acquired with many efforts, labors and deeds. And I fear both for our entire brotherhood, and for each of you individually, lest someone become unauthorized, weaken in feat, slip from the solid - with patience - stone of sincere trust in the abbot, or somehow accept into himself a many-headed serpent, cunning and resourceful to be deceived by various sins, in various ways and with the help of various excuses and pretexts. For he is very skillful, this inventor of sin, the sower of evil, the bitter deceiver, the rebel against God, the traitor to the Angels, who fell from heaven, the thief who stole into paradise, who deceived (oh, the folly) of our forefather Adam, from then until now in many and varied ways (158) dividing the human race into unfaithful and godless languages and tribes and dividing even the most Christian race, for he, brothers, does not cease to lure him, on the one hand, into nasty heresies, and on the other, into lawless and vile acts that lead to very destruction. He tries to shoot us, wound us and kill us with the arrows of sin. You know very well from the Fatherly tradition what a continuous struggle and war he wages against our holy regiment and valiant ascetics, you know that the fall of a monk for the forces that fell away with him is a glorious victory and a great trophy 492. The Devil and his war against the monks Therefore, children and brethren, I pray, I beg you, I instruct you: [as you] walk dangerously (Eph. 5:15), be protected from everywhere, armed from head to toe, dressed in full armor, not giving the slightest opportunity for his deadly attacks. And all this can be achieved only through good trust, constant confession and complete revelation of one’s thoughts, humility, unfeigned obedience, endurance and tireless patience. Again and again I ask and pray to you: for the sake of God, for the sake of future reward, for the sake of that life and joy and to avoid the opposite fate, that is, the pitch fire and the [countless] multitude of 493 torments, let us endure a few more, run straight ahead, bring our run to the end, show steadfast resistance in the struggle, set off, hasten, swim across and reach the shore of this great sea of real life, (159) and through the holy At death we will receive an unfading crown of righteousness, the reward of immortality, the blessed ineffable rest of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, for to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About imitating the life of holy men and valiantly fulfilling one's obedience Journey of Spiritual Life My fathers, brothers and children. Just as those who make a long journey pass one area after another, change the places of their stops and where they walk on a smooth and comfortable road, and where on a rough and difficult one, in the same way we, spending our present life, experience hour after hour, day after day, sometimes encountering difficult and sorrowful, and sometimes, on the contrary, pleasant and easy circumstances. And just as travelers are not afraid of the length of the journey, and also do not stop because of any extraneous, favorable or unfavorable, accidents for them, but only think about how to finish their journey, so during our valiant feat in ascetic life and on this good path that leads directly to God and to the Kingdom of Heaven, if sorrows happen to us at the discretion of God, allowing everything for our benefit, we must not become lethargic, give up and relax in any way, because this is unnatural and not in accordance with common sense. After all, if travelers do not abandon their journey for the sake of only the small and insignificant blessings of this century, then how much more necessary is it for us to accept and endure all the imperishable and eternal (160) in order to achieve the fulfillment of our hopes! Therefore, my children, even more courageously, even more firmly, let us bear everything that will happen to us - labor, exhaustion, fasts, vigils, reprimands, punishments, bows, kneeling, heat, cold, hunger, thirst, the wretchedness of clothes and shoes, dirt of the face and hair, the position of the last in the brotherhood in place and honor, tirelessness in work and prayer and everything else in which our asceticism is manifested. life. An Exhortation to Diligence and Courage You are blessed and blessed for enduring all this, you are holy and all-holy for working in spiritual endeavors, glorious and all-glorious for gladly accepting the onslaught of spiritual and sensual temptations, which is especially tangible at the present time. After all, who, in fact, as we often repeat, of all the saints from the very beginning of the world, spent this life without effort, without labor, without any temptations and spiritual and sensory sorrows? There is no one. Whether we take the great Abraham among the patriarchs and the patriarchs, prophets and teachers who followed him, whether we take the glory of the apostles - Paul and the fathers who came before and after him, whether we take the pride of monasticism - Anthony with his earlier and later saints, whether we take, finally, the first crown of the martyrs Stephen with all those who suffered for Christ after him - everywhere we will find immeasurable feats, quest, struggle, exploits, competitions, torment, hemorrhages, torment, flames, heat, exile, deprivation of property; having passed, it is said, in clothing [and] in goat skins, deprivation, sorrow, embitterment, which [the whole] world is not worthy of, wandering in deserts and in mountains and in dens (161) and in the abysses of the earth. And all these (Heb. 11:37-39) lived like this, and otherwise it is impossible to please God (cf. Heb. 11:6), nor to complete a long journey without difficulty, nor to win the desired victory without competition. And since we wanted the same fate as they, is it possible for us to achieve this otherwise than by living and conducting our real life according to their example? All saints are examples of suffering and patience With such thoughts, my children and brethren, firmly and unswervingly strive, hasten, run, overtake, be jealous and compete with each other, striving with zeal 494 for the honor of the high calling (Phil. 3:14), not attaching any importance to either real sorrows or pleasures, since these pass and these fly by. Consider as solid only the eternal and immortal blessings, for the sake of which you endure your suffering in the ascetic life. Whatever they are, you should only rejoice and have fun because of them. In this blissful life you stand higher, not to mention any generals, rulers or other dignitaries, but you reign even more than those who wear crowns, purples and other envy-inducing dresses, because you do what is pleasing to the great King and are warriors for the King over everything. And if we suffer with Him (Rom. 8:17), then we will reign with Him (2 Tim. 2:12), as the great mouth of God, the terrible tongue that thunders throughout all the ends of the world, says, the universal theologian Paul. Monks are higher than kings and nobles To all the previous things, I, humble and damned, will also add this, so that our elders valiantly fulfill their obediences: you, who serve the word and, together with us, occupy the first places - in your work of instruction, reasonable management and observance of brotherhood in the world; second in rank and dean - vigilant, cheerful, with love for mankind and without arrogance in punishing for offenses (162) against God's commands; the managers of individual parts of the household - in a judicious, impartial, affectionate, hospitable and fair distribution to all the brethren who deserve what - be it blankets, or clothes, or shoes, food, drinks and everything else necessary. And this applies not only to the steward, but also to the assistant steward, cellarers, refectories, clothing managers, shoemakers, tanners, hospital workers, canonarchs, librarians, senior calligraphers, senior fishermen, order monitors, and in general to all seniors in any kind of obedience. For all of you are like this, some in a larger circle and others in a smaller circle, distributing instructions, work and obedience to your lower brothers. Your goal, God-loving, compassionate, but at the same time formidable before the witness God, Judge and Tormentor in this and the next century, should be to show nothing in word or deed due to partiality, enmity, irritation, hatred, pride. By doing as you are instructed, I know you will be worthy to hear: you have been faithful over a few, I will make you ruler over many, enter into the joy of your Lord (Matthew 25:23). As for you, all the other brethren, who obey and obediently, with humility, without disturbances, without pride, calmly accept from your elders orders, punishments, restraints, and other such desirable and praiseworthy things, various in kind, method and time, then, undoubtedly, what belongs to you is what our Lord Jesus Christ spoke about in prayer: I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe their words for Me, (163) that they may all be one ( John 17:20–21), that is, in the joyful and blissful place of ineffable and unspeakable enjoyment of eternal blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. About diligence and care in our highest living Courageously allow yourself to be defeated by others My brothers, fathers and children. Proclaiming and reminding you of what is needed is, of course, a good thing, but I would rather teach and instruct you by doing it myself. But, as you know, I am poor and meager in virtues, I have not acquired anything so good that could serve as an example for you to follow: I myself am still looking for improvement and desire correction. May the Lord grant me, through the prayers of our father, as well as at your request, to achieve this. For I believe that your petition has great power for my salvation. After all, where does even the little that I now represent come from, if not because your prayers strengthen me? So, let us all shake off spiritual laziness and sluggishness together, be inspired by the proper diligence and care, and let us succeed more and more in the commandments of the Lord. Let us strive not to gain the upper hand over each other with words, insults and stubbornness in our own way - for all this is bad and characteristic only of people going to destruction - but to courageously allow ourselves to be overcome by others and endure annoyance, abuse and ridicule, since this is good and characteristic of saints. Let us be jealous of each other not in causing troubles and taking part in them, not in looking down on the lower brothers and lifting up our heads in front of the higher ones - for these are the works of the one who hovered above the Almighty God and fell from the heavenly heights to the underworld of the earth - but in pacifying others, and living in peace ourselves, calming our brothers and being meek ourselves, humble our character (164) and cast down self-conceit, for all these are the properties of the Son of God, Who obediently and humbly became incarnate and saved the human race by His cross and death. Let us, further, imitate each other not in being lazy, evading and skipping divine daytime services and nightly psalmody and standing, because doing this is characteristic only of the lazy and frivolous, but in responding easily to this task, getting to the church of the Lord before everyone else and at the beginning of the service, for this is what the zealous and virtuous do. And so as not to drag out the teaching with details, let us all imitate each other in everything good, let us unite among ourselves with pure love, peaceful living, and blessed humility. Let us avoid malice and suspicion of each other, let us strengthen our souls in mutual trust through spiritual intimacy. May there be no Judas among us, no traitors, no double-minded, no fickle, no intemperate, no fornicators, no proud, no boasters, no stiff-necked, no intractable, no those who are only looking for the day of destruction, an opportunity for sin and a way for a bad deed. So I ask and beg you not to undertake or do such things at all and in any way, do only what is pious and what is pleasing to God, waiting day by day for the hour of your death, as well as the day of revelation (Rom. 2:5) of the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, when everything will change and be transformed, the sky will curl up (Isa. 34:4), the sun will darken, the stars will fall (Matthew 24:29), the earth will change, every breath will rise up and give an answer before the terrible and incorruptible Judgment of God, in the face of countless regiments of the angelic army (165) for its words, deeds and thoughts, as it is said in Scripture. He who is wise will preserve this, he who has understanding will remember this (cf. Hos. 14:10) and therefore, keeping himself in strong and sincere faith, firm revelation of his thoughts, holy disposition and impeccability of mutual relationships, he will preserve himself and collect a treasure of great virtues. Such a person, from my point of view, even if he could not read well, or speak well, or sing notes, even if he was not versed in rhetoric, even, I will say, if, due to natural inability, he did not know the alphabet at all, he deserves praise for his excellent ascent (Ps. 83:6). What, in fact, is it good for a person if he perfectly masters all this, even if, according to the word of Christ, he gains the whole world, but loses his soul (Matthew 16:26) with destructive deeds? Alas, alas! Further, further from such blindness! God forbid this happens to any of you! Let us better humbly acquire ordinary virtues, achieved with the help of the tongue, hands and reason, God-given (for we have nothing of our own; to think otherwise is a sign of fall) virtues and make them a generally useful property, thinking of receiving a reward from God for them not so much for ourselves as for our neighbor. He who looks at things this way is under God's protection, firm, beautiful both in himself and in all respects, submissive, worthy, a most useful member of the brotherhood, truly a mouth for the slow-tongued, a tongue for the uneducated, a psalm for the voiceless, a song for those who do not know the art of music, skillful speech for the uneducated, the ability to govern for the inexperienced, prudence for the simple, knowledge and education for those who didn't receive it. So, having put on all this, show yourself to be sons of light (1 Thess. 5:5), friends of God (Wis. 7:27), virtuous men, people blessed by God in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion with the Father and (166) the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Exhortation to the brethren of the Sakkudion Monastery 495 Brother and child. You acted very commendably and befitting your prudence in sending the returning brothers here to me. They have now taken up their work very well and really justify what you write about them. You yourself and the rest of my beloved children who are there with you have retained true spiritual love for me; You, quite rightly, on the one hand, grieved and cried, but, on the other hand, you also treated the reckless ones harshly: the sign of true and unfalse sons is that they should not accept any dishonor on their parents, either from their brothers or from strangers. And so the brothers returned back, and especially Thalassius, returned to their previous position, confessing their sin and reckless undertaking. If they thought correctly and were loving, they would humbly remember and do what is said: do not dishonor him [the father] with all your strength (Sir. 3:13). But they went against this and showed themselves to be people of destruction. But which of us, children, does not fall? And who has not gone further than he had to? It is good that they realized their folly and reunited again with tears, sobs, and subjecting themselves to punishment. May God reward you, child of the economy, and in general to all of you for your compassion, condolences and for the courageous severity that you showed in relation to them: it is now clear to me that you have reached such a degree of perfection that you even sanctified your hands on them, like those who obeyed the herald of Moses: if anyone is the Lord, let him come to me... and go... from gate to gate through the regiment, (167) and kill every man his brother and every man his neighbor (Ex. 32:26–27). But I am already ashamed and embarrassed, because I am beginning to appropriate to myself, the lawless one, what happened thanks to your courage. Besides, I'm acting like a fool. Excuse me, children, who am I? Darkness and pit of evil. What did you bring? The words and example of the valor of the saints and great prophets of God. But enough of that. I don’t want to write you a long announcement in this letter, because I believe that you alone, child, are enough for all sorts of reminders, admonitions and encouragements to your brothers. After all, along with your intelligence, you have also been given the talent to provide them with what they need spiritually and physically. Rejoice and rejoice, true slaves and servants of Christ, for if you maintain your current order and maintain this good way of life, you live peacefully, decently, in chastity and purity, in obedience, humility, in works, songs, poetry, in the revelation of thoughts and in everything else that relates here, then He has already prepared for you a crown and His Kingdom. By the way, I remembered the reception of new brothers. I, my children, decided that our brotherhood should increase not only with townspeople, but also with all sorts of good people in general. Therefore, child and brother, send every peasant who comes there to you to us on a ship, since the multiplication of only city dwellers in our midst, in my opinion, is not healthy for us - both physically and mentally. May the Lord protect you, most honest brothers. Amen. On renunciation of the world - to the brethren of the “Three Gates” monastery What kind of sacrifice is pleasing and displeasing to God? Brothers and fathers. In the last announcement, my spiritual and beloved children, we have already sufficiently explained to you what must be done. (168) However, in the present case, when the brothers are sent to you, it does not hurt to remind you of the same thing, for there is nothing difficult for us in this. If you strain and torment your body with work, then am I not, for my part, also obliged to work and excite your spirit with words? God, venerable brethren, will strengthen you in all the works of your hands and in spiritual endeavors and the grace of the Holy Spirit will preserve you in everything whole and unharmed - you who are ready for perfect obedience to His commandments and for every work of obedience and look at the blessings assigned to all those who loved His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8). After all, what other people could be these “lovers” if not those who count all the blessings here as nothing - glory, pleasures, pleasures of flesh and blood, crucified themselves to the world (cf. Gal. 6:14) and are engaged in contemplating only heavenly things? This is how our fathers lived from ancient times to this day in the sacred and angelic rank; such are you, beloved of the Lord, since you have renounced the world and serve Him. So, children, guard what you have received, and extinguish the flames of your passions with the dew of purity, cutting off the aspirations of your will with the sword of obedience, being skillful performers of the commandments of the Lord, as well as the works that are indicated to you by your elder, and especially (he is now with you) our brother the steward. Bishops, priests and deacons Your work is holy and pleasing to God, for in it you suffer for each other and offer your fruits to the Lord. And just as with bad service and with a corrupt thought, even the most holy sacrifice becomes displeasing to God, (169) so, on the contrary, that which cannot apparently be called a perfect offering to God, with good service and with piety, appears before Him and is recognized as a sacrifice and a treasure. Therefore, children, serve as bishops with a good life, serve as priests to God by obedience, serve as deacons to the Lord by work, sacrifice sacrifices pleasing to Him in your contrite hearts and humble spirits. You are truly bishops, priests and deacons to your Lord, and in this, as Holy Scripture indicates (Rev. 5:10; 1 Pet. 2:9), there is no lie. Therefore, let your entire brotherhood be firm, courageous and united, like one soul or one person, and perform both spiritual and carnal deeds before the face of the Lord. About our brothers who are outside the monastery, I report that they are healthy, they walk with God’s inspiration, they live decently, and with the beginning of their deeds they have given an excellent test. God, through the holy prayers of our father, will preserve, establish and strengthen both them and you, for all glory belongs to Him forever. Amen. About patience - to the brothers of the Sakkudion Monastery Brothers and fathers. We, beloved children, have just received your dear letter, imbued with sincere affection and loyalty to God, as well as to me, a sinner, which tells and shows us how you burn with love, how you want to see me, a sinner, how you, like chicks on a nest, sit there and call your mother who has flown away for food. But I am not worthy to be called your father, because I do not have fatherly and godly care. For have I already reached the degree of perfection, or have I risen to such a height (170) of virtue, as to dare to say, following the example of the Apostle, that just as a milkmaid warms her children, so desiring you, I will give you the favor of not just the gospel of God, but also my own souls (1 Thess. 2:7-8)? I am still as far away as heaven from earth, separated from God and the men of God; the same thing that you see in me now, namely, that I don’t fall, I walk, I talk, I give you a candle, so I owe this to you. I rejoice that God has given me not only children, but also masters and rulers, so that when I fall, they will lift me up, when I slip, they will support me, and when I become worthless, they will correct me again. This is what I am now. I hear myself called all sorts of things: the good shepherd, the keeper of the great flock, the executor of the rules, the leader of strict life and the establisher of new orders. Popular proverbs say: “If the pen writes, the scribe will boast”; and also: “Light and fast horses make the coachman a winner.” May the Lord not place this glory, which is higher than my life, in condemnation upon me, but may He enlighten you and clear your spiritual gaze from the many temptations that permeate my life, so that you may successfully flow, follow the Lord relentlessly and cheerfully carry His Cross on your shoulders. For you know, children, that you were crucified to the world, as well as peace to you (Gal. 6:14), rose from the earthly life, ascended to the heavenly and, having died for everything else, now live only for God alone. Who, besides God, are your father and mother now? Besides the Angels, the saints and this good brotherhood, who else are your brothers and neighbors? Besides the hope of the good things prepared for you and the Kingdom of Heaven, what other property, house and comforts of life do you have? Where is your faith, turn your eyes there; Where your wealth is, there let your heart also watch: (171) Where your treasure is, said the Lord, there your heart will also be (Matthew 6:21): if it is down, then down, if it is down, then down. Do you feel, my children, what blessings and what angelic life you have been awarded? If possible, live like an angel, do not allow yourself to fall from the temptations that befall you, fight against anger with meekness, against lust with its humility. Do not let yourself be overcome by even small pleasures, because subsequently it begins to greatly torment and inflame your soul daily and hourly: having endured the Lord, you have heeded and heard my prayer (Ps. 39:2) for liberation from passion after long petitions. Subordinates, remember the rules of obedience; and you, the leaders, also do not forget the rules for power: set yourself up to be first in the last and act with gentleness and love, so that the brothers obey of themselves, but firmly, as if attracted by an iron chain. Maintain moderation in conversations and conversations. It is necessary to converge, but one must diverge again; speak, but then remain silent; talk joyfully and cheerfully, for spiritual encouragement, but then it is prudent to lower your gaze and not cause harm to anyone else by your intemperance in speech. Let your eyes be alert for church services and gentle in answering, let your nostrils not flare with rage, let your eyebrows not rise arrogantly, let your tongue not speak with vanity, let every sense of yours be ordered, every member in obedience: let your lips be lips of praise, let your mouth be the psalm organ of God, let your mind meditate on heavenly things, let your hands be occupied with pious work. May there be no one among you who is completely disobedient, self-willed, hard-hearted, or who will entertain anything godless and expel you from the monastery. Come together in unanimity, love each other with pure love, without shamelessness, give each other your hands on your God-saved life. (172) So much for the announcement. And then pray for me, wretched one, that when I give such instructions to others, I will first take the plank out of my own eye (see Matt. 7:3-5), and then begin to reason about the bitches of my neighbors in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Admonition to the brethren of the monastery of Saccoudio and St. Christopher Brothers and fathers. The steward who returned told us, children and brethren, about your life in the Lord, how you, superiors and subordinates, agreed with each other, that the first, as it should be, took charge and properly distributed obediences to everyone, and others humbly, with humility, without any self-love and with proper reverence, accepted them, and then, on top of all this, that you all united with each other in love, so that you In a peaceful life and order, everyone has one soul, one thought, one will. Needless to say, how humble I was, I rejoiced at this and how I thanked the Lord for it! For for me on earth there is nothing more pleasant and more desirable than that you, leading your life well and fulfilling the commandments of the Lord, should end your life properly, in accordance with your angelic vow. Since now things have settled down and you have all already become acquainted with your new kafigumen 496, the deputy of me, a sinner, and have also learned the place and manner of your obedience, I ask and pray: stock up on great and long patience, with the help of sincere obedience and obedience, spend day after day with benefit for yourself and savingly. So that you do not have alien aspirations, self-will, self-indulgence and self-indulgence, (173) as well as grumbling, gossip, divisions into parties, as well as intemperance, shamelessness, excessive laughter, idleness with laziness, arrogance and pride, and in general everything that is displeasing to God. You know, children and brothers, that we have left everything worldly - parents, brothers, friends, relatives, native land, city, society, squares, theaters, all the passionate and lusty vanity of life in order to gain Christ, live like heaven, crush passions, acquire virtue, so that after a pious and righteous life here, following the example of our reverend fathers, we will receive the benefits promised to us. Since we have such a promise and hope, then, I ask you, let us show in the same way our work, the whole structure and way of our life, so that your life corresponds to your name and so that your life shines with good deeds, giving grace to the monks and laity who come into contact with it, as well as to the brothers subordinate with you, on the one hand, so that, as it is said, the name of our Father who is in heaven is glorified ( Matthew 5:16), and on the other hand, so that I, a sinner, seeing what reward you are gaining for yourself in the Kingdom of Heaven, rejoice at this and become more and more inspired for your good deed. The purpose of the commandments is to acquire God within oneself So look, my child Sophrony, what a test I have imposed on you by choosing you out of many to be the leader of your brothers: do not, to my disgrace and shame, prove yourself unfit for this, but let the light of your virtues shine and let them speak about the perfection of your life, so that you become famous both among your brothers and outside. For every person, no matter who he is, once he has acquired God within himself by fulfilling the divine commandments, becomes glorious in (174) heaven and on earth, and this glory becomes greater the greater he is, in turn, increasing his love for God. In relation to your brothers - instruct them, be kind to them, teach, remind them of what is needed, where it is required - reprove, for what follows - punish, heal the weak, those who are still ignorant due to inexperience - support, work with those who work, do and say everything that is necessary for the common good, for I gave you exactly the same power that I myself, humble, received from God for the work of leadership. Take Abba Akaki as your assistant. And I will repeat the same thing to you, my child Akaki, for I wish that in both of you, or even in all of you in general, there would be one heart, in order to control the brothers with one will and one thought. Further, you, child steward, exercise your obedience zealously, cheerfully, soberly, diligently, without stumbling and impartially. Finally, you, everyone else, both those in charge of obediences and their simple performers; First of all, you, senior plowman, show your zeal, so that I, in turn, will show you special favor for this. In the same way, you, winegrowers, gardeners, shoemakers, cooks, cellars, bakers, table-keepers, canonarchs, tailors, all of you, down to the very last, see that God is glorified in your work and that you gain eternal life by your occupations. Receive the returning brothers and enroll them into your midst, 497 doing only what is appropriate in such a case. For I rejoice at the return of each individual person, and the Lord and His Angels rejoice in this, if only they would exclaim, following the example of the prodigal: those who have sinned (Luke 15:21) - and with their lives they would demonstrate what was pleasing to the Lord. As for your bodily needs, as has already been said, everything will be arranged by the chief steward, he will give everyone what they need, but you, in turn, also do what he tells you; (175) and if anything in his orders seems serious to you, then after you have carried it out, tell me, and I will consider it, and the matter will go in a godly manner. Then, my children, rejoice in the Lord, work with zeal, live in innocence, conduct yourself with simplicity. Open your secret thoughts, because this is saving for the soul and drives out passions. Perform psalmody, poetry, vigils, and readings as required according to the rules. Memorize psalms and troparia, as the abbot orders, and if he forbids something, he knows what he is doing: everyone must certainly act in accordance with his instructions. Finally, pray more earnestly for me, the humble one, that the Lord may give me the word to open my mouth (Eph. 6:19) and prudence to consider what follows, as well as the purification of the passions and the reception of the Holy Spirit, so that I may serve you for your benefit, and at the same time save my poor soul in Christ Himself, our Lord, to Him be glory and dominion forever. Amen. About our spiritual army - to the brothers of the monasteries of Sakkudion and St. Christopher Who should not be among the monastic brethren Children and brothers. As I wrote to you before, live everything in the Lord, delighting in the fruits of your salvation as treasures and moving away from sin by eliminating all causes of disorder. Therefore, let there not be among you people infected with fatal shamelessness, spoiled, enslaved by voluptuousness, sin-lovers, carnalists, with vile souls and vile minds, and also - no thieves, even in small things, further, nor those who are envious, stir up troubles, start fights, nor simply murmuring, nor lazy people and idle lovers, as well as neither disobedient, (176) nor proud, nor selfish, nor boastful, nor quarrelsome, nor evasive, liars, divisive, resourceful for evil, hunters of strife, lovers of food, sleepy, burdening themselves, like cattle, with the carnal and worldly - finally, let there also be no Judas among us, thinking about how to sell his soul and drag your brother along with you; These are precisely those who tear themselves away from God, run away and wander into the places of their iniquity. They are like fugitives from military service. They cannot stand the heat of the day, and therefore will not receive pay for working in the vineyard (see Matt. 20:1-16). Having set out on a campaign with God the All-King, they do not withstand the duration of the war in order to please the Master with diligent service (see 2 Tim. 2:4). Therefore, they will also not receive Divine honors and rewards; during the distribution of this they will be subjected to spitting, removal and expulsion. For if this happens with earthly and temporary kings, who have the same weaknesses and the same nature with their warriors, then what can be said after this about the great and immortal King of kings, God of gods and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16). Can't He judge as it should and reward everyone according to his deeds? But this does not happen to you, my children and brothers, - do not go back, do not weaken in your exploits, so that, having become lazy during the short period of your journey (for in comparison with eternity, it is like a drop next to the boundless ocean), you do not lose the eternal honor and glory of the Kingdom of Heaven. Monastic obediences and professions Therefore, valiant warriors, supporters, associates, companions (no matter what we call you, in every such name there is some truth for you), we will run, knock, endure. The Lord is near (Phil. 4:5) to crown us: He watches from heaven how everyone runs, and he weaves a crown for those who endure to the end. (177) Therefore, through confession, be all pure, through humility, all be peaceful, through hard work, all be prompt. Let the head, as befits a head, observe and look after the benefits and professions of the members: the first for the benefits of those among whom he is the first; the housekeeper - for the benefit of those for whom he runs the household; those who bear obedience - for those whom they serve. Kelari, take heart, do your work with a clear conscience. Cooks, carefully and diligently prepare food for the brotherhood, season it with especially divine words and prayers. The same is true for meals - without any personal predilections, arrange food in equal portions, do not eat secretly yourself, and do not add wine or food to your friends. Bread merchants, supply bread of the best quality possible for your own benefit in the Lord, for what you do for the brothers goes back to God. And do not eat yourself, and do not give to others anything contrary to what you are commanded. Those assigned to gardens and orchards, supply the brethren with all kinds of greenery, so that in this way the grace of God may increase in you. I have nothing yet to say to those assigned to the vineyards, except that they are assigned to the vineyards of the Lord. What should I finally say (I deliberately put this greatest obedience at the end) to the plowmen? Work, as before the face of God, on plowing, cutting and clearing the fields, as well as on their sowing. I know what kind of people are in charge of my individual obediences: they are distinguished by zeal, they shine with obedience, and they shine with humility. I want everyone to be like this, because the work is only done when a person takes on it willingly. See also, canonarchs, how you sing and read, so that it is all without abbreviations, without pride - not just to run through and drive out some words and maintain the correct pronunciation, but for the benefit of everyone and your soul, so that (178) all of you unanimously and willingly become as if one whole. May the Lord and God of my father (Ex. 18:4), who pacified all things with his own blood, also reward you in the Holy Spirit with unanimity, righteousness, and every good prosperity. For all glory, honor and worship is due to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Thanks to God for liberation from prison, as well as an exhortation to endure the sorrows that come with courage and gratitude. To the brothers of the monasteries of Sakkudion and St. Christopher Brothers and fathers. Our good God, quick in mercy and rich in bounties, propitiated by the prayers of our Lady Theotokos, as well as our lords, the Forerunner and the Theologian, and through your prayers, took temptation away from us and freed us from prison 498. Let us therefore all offer Him grateful praise for the fact that He arranged things this way, turned sorrow into joy and crushed the feats of the evil one that were set up for me. What I myself suffered is as it should be (and cannot be considered otherwise) for my sins - I am even encouraged by this, because in this way my sins are atoned for. But at the same time, we all, especially those living here, were tested in this temptation, like gold in a furnace (cf. Wis. 3:6; Sir. 2:5). For those who lived by the Holy Spirit and in unwavering faithfulness remained the same as they were; they did not lose anything; on the contrary, from the danger that happened they only established themselves and became stronger. And those who were lukewarm 499 in heart, double-minded, lived carnivorously and negligently, when trouble struck, they fell like leaves, like tares through a sieve (179) flew out of the monastery, so that pure wheat would thus be revealed. The divine David points to this in the words: I divided them in their belly (Ps. 16:14), that is, “separate the sinners and the careless from the virtuous and pious.” What a fall befell them! Thus, as a result of their own inattention, their bones were wasted in hell (Ps. 141:7). Still, I suffer for them, I grieve, and as long as I live I will not stop calling them back. Perhaps, in some of them, a spark of knowledge of God will gradually flare up and, having repented, they will rise from evil, return from their evil path (Ps. 119:101) and return here like lost sheep. As for you, do not be afraid of their fall, but courageously endure feats of piety, monastic competitions, physical labor, tension in the struggle, constantly occurring sorrows and hardships - and this is until blood is shed, until death. For, as you well know, when you took on the holy [monastic] image, this is exactly what you promised. And then you did not answer the questions in vain, but just as you were truly enlightened by the truth, cleansed of your sins and became sons of light (see John 12:36), so now you have just kept your promise, justifying it with your deeds. Therefore, let everyone consider what he endured from what was promised then, and let him thank the Lord for this, who gave him the strength to endure it, and also let him prepare for new trials in order to thus receive a crown, for it is said: not everyone says to Me: Lord, Lord, but does My will (Matthew 7:21), he is My faithful servant. Let us give thanks, my children and brethren, to God for what has happened, let us give praise (180) to Him who has pacified the turmoil, and let us continue to live godly, so that on the day of revelation and the righteous judgment of God (Rom. 2:5) we will receive the reward for which our whole life is. Let us also pray for all those who are humanely disposed toward us sinners, that the Lord may reward them for the temporary with the eternal. Our brother Kirill will inform you about when we will leave from here, as well as other things that are not mentioned in our letter. Give this letter to the monastery of St. Christopher. Do not cease to pray for me, my beloved and dear children, that I may be saved in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power forever and ever. Amen. About unanimity - to the brethren of the monasteries of St. Christopher and Sakkudion Brothers and fathers. Not only because an opportunity presented itself to send you a letter, we are now writing to you, but even if there was no need, we would still, according to our duty, albeit belatedly, have to do it. And since now the opportunity has presented itself, we gladly write to you, children and brethren. Well, be healthy; be healthy and continue your good life, fulfilling the commandments of the Lord and walking in His justifications, not thinking about anything else and not wanting anything else but to please God through the mortification of passions and the acquisition of virtues, for for this we left the world and entered the monastery, leaving all the vanity of life, all affection, all friendship and love - for parents, brothers, (181) children, sons, relatives, as well as carnal sweetness, worldly glory, and in general everything else that is temporary and futile. And since we, brethren, have set ourselves such a task and drawn up such a plan, then we will act in accordance with this, imitating the life of the saints, following their teaching, tuning ourselves according to their example, not looking around either to the right or to the left - for the current generation has truly shaken and distorted the purity of life - but walking the royal path (Num. 21:22), which is formed by: the unconditional obedience, God-like humility, heavenly detachment from everything, purity, equal angelic dispassion, meekness, straightforwardness, love, peace, zeal, patience, diligence and every other God-like, but not demonic action, for disobedience, grumbling, pride, vanity, laziness, shamelessness, indulgence of passions, carnality and other evil deeds are opposite to virtues. Just as God gives birth to these, so these, as indicated, are Satan - and there is no communication between light and darkness, no agreement between Christ and Belial (2 Cor. 6:14, 15). So be sons of God (Gal. 3:26), sons of submission, sons of obedience, but not children of wrath (Eph. 2:3), children of disobedience (Col. 3:6), sons of destruction (2 Thess. 2:3). Therefore, brother and child Lucian, abbot your brothers and my children, according to my commandment, as is fitting and proper - without irritability, vanity, partiality and all other bad things, so that they organize their lives according to your example. In the same way, you, my child Dometian, set yourself up in the same way, in caring for brotherhood, act like your brother. Let there be one soul in both of you, or, better yet, in all of you. (182) Let none of you be carried away by extraneous desires, let no one be self-willed, idle, grumble, or dissemble. Be all zealous, all grateful, prompt, contrite, sympathetic, friendly, mutually rejoicing, loving each other - be unenvious, free from hatred, so that in this way it can be seen that the Lord is among you. For even if where there are only two and three assemblies (Matthew 18:20), as required here, and He is already there, then how much more will He not be among you, of whom there are so many? If in this way you begin to constantly keep His commandments, and God is in you, then after that will there be anything that could upset, constrain and squeeze you? No, but everything - both mental and physical - will turn out to be difficult, but still bearable. If God is for us, who is for us? He who, it is said, did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all (Rom. 8:31–32). And if we preserve this system of good living, then how can we not become joint heirs with Him of the Kingdom of Heaven? So, my children, I ask you and insistently implore you: kindle yourself with love for God, arm yourself with zeal, strengthen yourself with courage, cleanse yourself with chastity, enlighten yourself with prayers, petitions, psalms, vigils, contrition, confession, tears and weeping. Demand diligently for your ancient homeland, from where we were expelled, that is, paradise. Persistently strive for angelic dignity, which we were deprived of because of the first serpent, the bitter adviser, the treacherous helper. After all, the time of this search is not particularly long, what we are looking for is already approaching, and we will perceive what we once lost. This will happen when death comes, the departure from the flesh, the exodus from prison. After all, a person cannot rejoice in prison, cannot imagine that this is his share, this is his possession, but he prays to get rid of prison. Let us do the same, having been perfected in good works, so that we may constantly cry with David: (183) Bring my soul out of prison to confess to Your name (Ps. 141:8). By the way, since we have already started talking about death, I inform you, my brothers, that our brothers Abba Theodosius, Non, Onesiphorus rested in peace - the trinity went to the Trinity. And we hope that they will appear to Her. How much more work do we have to do to fulfill God’s commandments? The Lord is not far from those who wait for Him. The end of the list is nearby. Therefore, let us not be lazy 500 and relax in doing good, but let us endure a little more, and joy will come - the day of our exodus will come, and we will depart into eternal life, into constant rest in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion forever. Amen. About the favor of God and about power over oneself - to the brethren of the “Three Gates” monastery Spiritual guidance requires an individual approach Brother and child Afanasy. Since God was pleased to eliminate the delay in what connected me, I went to the Sakkudio Monastery. And first of all, I ask for your prayers that I may remain whole, both mentally and physically, on land and at sea, and that all my deeds and words may be pleasing to the Lord. Further, I remind you that I do not treat you indifferently and carefree, but I constantly think about you in my humble soul, and especially now, when with the beginning of summer you have a lot of bodily labor and exhaustion. May God, through the prayers of our father, strengthen you in your inner and outer man to courageously endure everything that happens to you, invisible and visible. (184) And this happens a lot: who can guess all the devil’s deceits, traps and temptations? Therefore, child Athanasius, and you also, child Ephraim, be sober and watchful so that you can wisely lead and godly govern your brethren: this is not a small matter and not many, on the contrary, only a few are capable of this, for whoever is, it is said, a faithful servant and a wise one, his master will appoint him over his house (Matthew 24:45). So, provide everything your brothers need, both spiritual and physical, and constantly encourage them to do the necessary work, combining philanthropy with severity, kindness with severity, command with condescension, meekness and gentleness with purity and modesty, depending on the characteristics of each individual person, as well as what is best suited to whom. For for some, as the fathers teach, a stick is needed, and for others a bridle 501; Some require punishment, while others require forgiveness; some need to be rebuked, while others can simply be ignored. And in general, just as, according to the difference in character, each person has his own special habits and passions, so the art of medicine should be applied to these characteristics of each individual person. Those who are proud and try to hide must be carefully watched in everything. In relation to those who directly do not want to obey or are disobedient, censure, imbued with indignation, is necessary, so that others, following their example, do not become self-willed. But all of you, by the grace of Christ, are not children of anger and not children of rebellion, but children of obedience and submission: you have become sons of God. For it was for God that you all came here from the world, for His sake you fled from flesh and blood [marriage], for His sake you lifted the cross on your shoulders, for the sake of love for Him you imputed all your knowledge (Phil. 3:8) and for the sake of the blessings He promised in the next century (185) you did not cleave to anything, but left your family, homeland, relatives, friends and everything that was kind to you in the world, you came out from there, like strangers and strangers to the world (Heb. 11:13), and entered into this high monastic life. Your removal is marvelous, your choice of lifestyle deserves many praises. Who could look at the matter as intelligently as you? But at the same time, I ask and pray you, after such a beginning, live according to the height of this life; being outside the world, do not take up the things of the world again; Having escaped the flesh, do not begin carnal life again. How this arises and happens, you yourself know well, even if we did not explain it to you: after all, if we indulge in lust, or engage in lust, then insist on our desires, strive for primacy, squabble over robes, clothes, cupolas, places, writings, memorial tablets and because of other trifles, then how come we are not yet carnal people, how come this vanity of ours is not worldly? Get away from my brothers as far as possible, let us not plunge our most holy image into such ridiculous and childish amusements. Monastic glory means experiencing dishonor, enduring reproach and bearing reproach for the sake of God, but at the same time not doing anything that is worthy of reproach, and if you have to do something like that, then you only need to endure the reproach, but not respond to it: to do such things and at the same time not endure reproach for it is extremely strange. What is beauty for a monk? To preen for a monk means to look for something that is completely opposite to this; beauty for a monk does not consist in swaying one's waist, being vain, being arrogant, washing one's hands and imitating, I will say frankly, harlots in the manner of girdling oneself, wearing clothes and putting on shoes, but in ordering one's spiritual habits, steadily rebelling against passions and keeping oneself at peace from senseless lusts. On top of all this, the monk needs to be unpretentious, unwashed and dressed in clothes as bad as possible, worn out, poorly sewn - in a patched cassock, (186) in the same kukul and other clothes. Demanding clothes that are new, thin and beautiful in color is a luxury and preparing oneself for fornication. And indeed, escaping the devil’s trap after escaping even all of the above is in itself a great thing. Well, at the same time, and even falling into the devil’s trap - doesn’t this mean directly throwing yourself into the abyss or drowning yourself in passions? Therefore, I ask you, for the love of the Lord, have mercy on me, who did not deserve mercy, and on yourselves, who have been merciful by the Lord: do not bring things to the point where, because of your bad life, I am condemned to eternal fire; on the contrary, with your virtuous life, make amends for my sinful debt, transfer me from death to life. In view of this, observe what you are commanded, do not consign the fatherly commands to oblivion, do not shake the words of the saints, do not be so deaf as if your ears were clogged with sins, do not get carried away by the present, so as not to neglect the future. The One who will judge everyone will come, my children, He will come and will not delay, and before the general Judgment, another terrible Angel will come to separate the soul from the body - the time of illness will come, the hour of dying heat and the moment of expiration will come. This is all so scary and so difficult that, unable to bear it, we die. What will happen next, after separation, when the Angels appear? Which side will win and take over us? I will give a short story here for your benefit, although it concerns a worldly person. They say that when the famous logothete Stavrakiy 502 began to die and was already at his last breath, he was sweating, tossing about and gnashing his teeth, groaning in an exhausted voice, calling out: Help, have mercy! Lord, have mercy - look what a large heap of black and ugly demons comes out of the sea (the house where he lay stood on the seashore) and comes here to me. Although the rest of those present saw nothing, he saw and felt everything. Leaders will be subjected to a special test Thus, the one who during his lifetime brought many to justice was now himself brought to the same thing and, as a result, complained bitterly. (187) Who, I ask again, will win against us? Is the face angelic or demonic? Yes, of course, those whom we ourselves loved. If we loved purity, obedience, humility and other virtues, then, of course, the Angels will take us; and if, on the contrary, there is vanity, insolence, bickering, chatter, laughter, pride, then, without a doubt, demons. For passions are the same demons as, conversely, virtues are Angels. So who will win, who will take my soul? Have mercy, have mercy on me! Let us all love virtue together, so that the Angels, by no means demons, will take possession of us and defeat us, but so that those others will take possession of us and gain the upper hand. Woe! Woe! It would be better for us not to be born! For those in authority will also be subjected to a special test, and in our rank, especially priests, abbots, and in general all persons occupying a prominent position. What is monastic punishment for? Don't blame me for writing to you here. For I do not want to afflict you like this, without any reason, but, conscious of my duty and loving my children, I tell you what is necessary. If God grants health and mercy to return, then may I find you in good condition, so that you are all healthy, all are successful, obedient, submissive, so that you do not end up falling into something that should not be, and if this happens, so that you unquestioningly accept punishment, for example, for omission of work, for missing services and other established psalmody, as well as for disobedience, for murmuring, sneaking, for a broken vessel or for damage anything else. For by accepting punishment, you will become saints again, and no one will reproach you, neither God nor I. Just obey your elders, and let your elders obey each other, and may the Lord of the world, my beloved children, through the prayers of our father, be with all of you, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen. (188) About cutting off one's will - to the brethren in Sakkudion My brother and child Sophrony. Without any negligence, perform obedience diligently and diligently; I should constantly write to you about this and arouse your zeal. So, cheerfully guide your brothers in everything, together with your comrade and adviser, my child Abba Akaki. Keep an eye on, observe the way of life and behavior of each of them, so that your life, based on the definitions and rules of our holy fathers, as well as according to my humble commandments and in view of the prescribed punishments, shines for the glory of God both for us and for all your neighbors, for where such an order has been established and where it is fulfilled, they serve God, there the light shines, there peace reigns, there Satan has no access, there are far away passions. And where they neglect this and do not fulfill it, everything is exactly the opposite: instead of good there is evil, instead of light there is darkness, instead of Christ there is beliar (see 2 Cor. 6:14–15). Therefore, watch, pay attention, search the hearts of the brothers through confession and set an example for them in every good deed. Stick to the middle path, do not allow your physical work to be disrupted by silence, prayer and reading, and, conversely, do not allow your mind to completely lose the memory of God and the ability to contemplate Him as a result of constant and intensified physical work alone. This is the rule of piety. And if you live this way, then your brotherhood should follow your example and do the same. After all, on the one hand, we did not make our renunciation just to eat, drink and get dressed. But, on the other hand, we accepted this image not in order not to work at all, to sit idly by, to remain without food and clothing, but in order to successfully, in due time (189), do both, according to the apostolic saying: let everything be done in order and in order (1 Cor. 14:40). For the apostle himself, according to him, never ate free bread, but through the labor of his holy hands he satisfied the needs of both himself and his companions (1 Cor. 4:12; 2 Thess. 3:8). Do the same and remember this: from your youth let no one neglect you (1 Tim. 4:12), without omitting anything that requires collection, so that by leaving something small without attention, you will not cause greater harm to the brotherhood. If anyone eats secretly, punish him; whoever holds anything, even the most ordinary thing, without blessing, is also punished; whoever, without having the authority to do so, gives out food or exchanges memorial tablets or anything like that - will be punished again; whoever grumbles does the same to him; whoever is guilty of disobedience - punish again; whoever does not want to work should not eat; whoever breaks the brethren into parties or steals should be excommunicated, as stated in the rules on punishments 503. You, children and brothers, do not be offended by all this and do not think that I am saying this out of cruelty, on the contrary, out of an abundance of love for you and due to zeal for the salvation of your souls. We will be required to answer for this. Great condemnation will fall on our heads if we do not proclaim and proclaim, if we do not strengthen and instruct you: after all, a good father should not leave his children ill-mannered, but is obliged to lead them with small threats and reprimands to the enjoyment of eternal life. Eli deserved reproach and reproach, as described in Scripture, for not properly reproaching and punishing his lawless sons. For this reason, he subsequently died with them (1 Samuel 4:17–18). Therefore, work courageously on the work of your asceticism, on your obedience, and in general, everyone on every good deed, so that with your progress towards virtue our bodily things also increase. Greetings everyone. The grace of our Lord (190) Jesus Christ, most honorable brethren, be with you all. Amen. About taking care of yourself - to the brothers of the Sakkudion Monastery Monastic work is easy and there is only minor adversity Brothers and fathers. When one of the brothers either comes here from you, or, on the contrary, goes from here to you, then, by asking and finding out about your life and various events, I always calm down and free myself from painful thoughts about you. If it turns out that everything is fine with you, then I am filled with complacency and joy; and when the situation is the other way around, then I get scared, as if I were wounded, and I am overcome with sadness. Currently, I have learned good news from Presbyter Meletius and Brother Silouan, so I have been greatly encouraged and comforted in my soul, therefore - thanks be to God, and blessed be the name of the Lord for all your successes! And blessed are you, children, for living so well and doing good, and through short and insignificant sufferings here, you gain pleasure in the Kingdom of Heaven, for after all, monastic work, as our fathers cry, in comparison with endless and eternal joy, is easy and is only a small hardship. If you endure as indicated, then rejoice, for your reward is many in heaven (Matthew 5:12). But for this you need to strictly monitor yourself, and also every day and every hour bring to your mind where we are, where we will go, how we will depart from this world, how we will then meet the Angels, appear before the face of God, how we will be interrogated by the Judge and receive reward - to become on the right hand or on the left. With this thought, rise from sleep, reflect on it, do everything with it. Here I, before the face of God and His chosen Angels, urge you: living in accordance with your vow, do not deviate to the left, (191) do not be carried away into sin, do not let shamelessness lure you into laughing, hiding in secret places, bringing the members of the body together and in any other way. Listen, I cry and will not cease to cry: open your ears, set your heart on fire, understand what I say, keep yourselves unharmed and work for us, for the weak, for the poor, so that, as befits God’s workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16), you may receive a great and immense reward. In a monastery no one should call anything their own I hear rumors that you are committing unreasonable actions, namely: you call your own, appropriate and alienate economic things from the common property, expressing yourself like this, for example: “My yoke is empty; don't interfere with my hay; this or that thing is mine.” All this disrupts our order. What do fathers say? That it is not appropriate to call even a memorial plaque or writing your own. And you have just started, and you are already dividing, the premises have already been divided and the brotherhood has been divided. Don't you all work according to my will? Aren't you there because I sent you there? So why do such people work in vain? If this happened before, let it not happen again. So, children, I remind and exhort you: let us not flow and struggle in vain just to beat the air (cf. 1 Cor. 9:26), but let us direct ourselves with all good behavior - both in word and in deed - directly in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. About kindness - to the brothers in Sakkudion Brothers and fathers. Since the housekeeper returned here, I, my children, have no longer received any news about you and as a result I am sad and worried about how you are staying there and whether you are healthy mentally and physically. Although I am here, (192) but with my soul I seem to be there, with you, caring for and contemplating you. And constantly - both day and night, and hourly, and during all my sinful prayers - I think that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ will pray, be satisfied and bow down with the prayers of, on the one hand, our father, and on the other, all the rest of our brothers regarding your salvation and doing good. What do we now want, what do we want from you, what can calm us down and what pleases us? So that you all obey, all humble yourself, strive, watch, pray, open your soul, live in peace, work, submit, force yourself, endure and lament. If you live like this, then the Holy Spirit really dwells in you, you are actually disciples of the Savior and your monasticism is true and not feigned, and although before the arrival of the steward, not everything was in order with you, but now, when quite a bit of time has already passed, you, without a doubt, have already strengthened, established yourself, united and set about all sorts of good deeds and works. You, child Akaki, live kindly: with kindness, it is said, and rightly cling to me (Ps. 24:21), having at the same time the wisdom of a serpent (cf. Matt. 10:16). You are now the head and take my place: look with your outer and inner eyes at your brothers and listen with four ears, so that one of them, due to the fact that you did not warn him in time, did not take care of him and did not recognize him, through negligence does not fall into the ditch and abyss of sin. How, one might ask, to warn? Yes, like this: or ask him directly: “You, brother, why don’t you act like this?” - or act through praise and appeal to worthy brethren. Understand what I say, so that the Lord will give you understanding (2 Tim. 2:7). Now I turn to everyone else. I would like to see how you will all obey him, (193) especially the first of you, whose example the others will follow, for the last one, when he sees what those in front of him are doing, he will begin to do the same. You, Abba Dionysius, take care of the works of your hands, lovingly leading the brothers who work with you, relying on the advice of Akaki. Treat them quietly and meekly, and sometimes reproach them: lazy people and careless people are not my children, my children are only those who work willingly and deftly. And you, child Evodius, also manage your brothers well and in conferences with Akaki, be unanimous in relation to everyone. Although you occupy one of the first ranks, in a fraternal environment behave like the last. In all your deeds and in all your speeches, keep God before your eyes, so that you may be kind to everyone who looks at you, but at the same time do not harm the monastic affairs. You, Abba Gregory, be among the brethren like a bottle full of oil - reach everyone and lead everyone to good behavior. For you, as a priest of God, have the ability to shine, and so you should enlighten your brothers. Then you, child Abba Dorotheos, be of one mind with Dionysius, and in two bodies you may have one soul, one thought, so that the brethren will be cheerful as a result. See also you, Kelari, so that you too may receive a reward for your service, and I may rejoice at the news about you. You, child Herakl, cultivate your vineyard as the vineyard of God, and first of all cultivate yourself, so that you can bring the wine of contrition. I address the same instructions to every brother and ask and implore you, my children, live this way, so that we may rejoice forever. As for you, child Abba Gerasim and your comrades, since you are already planning to return here, I have nothing to tell you, as soon as - hurry up and return here. May Christ, my beloved children, protect you, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. (194) About humility - to the brothers of the Sakkudion Monastery Brothers and fathers. Can I wish for anything else and what else can reassure me other than the news about my children, how they are thriving in health according to God and in physical terms? And since, most honest brethren, your comrades who came here told us about this, what great joy we were filled with, glorifying and thanking God who protects you in everything! From Epiphanius, first of all, we learned that you have complete order, a correct life and engagement in godly affairs: firstly, he said that you, child Akaki, are steadily moving towards the goal and vigilantly, cheerfully, godly wisely governing the entire brotherhood, having as your adviser, to calm and calm sometimes troubled and stormy life events, the valiant Gregory. Then you, it turns out, Abba Dionysius (Διονύσιε), in accordance with the meaning of your name, pierce yourself (νύσσεις εαυτόν) with love for God and spiritual warmth, in a fatherly and maternal way 504, as if in your bosom, you feed your brothers and care for them spiritually and physically. And you, too, child Evodius, have acquired a good path in the Lord 505 and are successfully doing what is pleasing to God and us. Finally, all Kelari in general - senior, junior, middle and last, you are guided and controlled as if by a single head and a single soul, peacefully and obediently carrying out everything in an excellent manner. This is joy for me, this is success, this is bright hope! This is so, truly so, my children, and henceforth, acting by the grace of God, show what real, and not false, disciples of the Lord you are and true sons of your humble father, how you are saved not only in my presence, but also without me, no matter whether through direct conversation or simply through conversation through letters. (195) Let there be no deviations or errors among you. And if something like this happens, correct it quickly: we are all human and we are all subject to mistakes. If anyone starts strife, let him rather be tamed; if anyone contradicts, he will humble him; whoever complains, let him quickly ask for forgiveness. Especially maintain meekness in relation to those who are first and watchers of the world. May your speech, child Akaki, be imbued with the fear of God, and before that you must set yourself up so that you can behave in a commanding manner, force others to obey you, be vigilant, but at the same time leave it unattended where necessary, condescend, but at the same time build with yourself: on the one hand, do not destroy the order you have inherited with excessive softness, and on the other hand, do not tilt it more than it should, in the other direction with its arbitrariness (to please its personal desires), autocracy and arbitrariness. I don’t dare tell you to become my imitator - imitate your fathers. If you handle things this way, then be sure that everything will work out well for you and that not only people and your brothers of one mind, but even wild animals, as Job put it, will be reconciled to you (Job 5:23). If this is what you need to do, then how should Abba Dionysius, Abba Evodius and everyone else obey you after that? It’s like wax to the master, like copper to the blacksmith, like an animal to the one who guides it. Therefore, children, do not start empty conversations, do not argue, do not seek dominance, primacy, do not start rivalries, for you learn all this from the laity, but it is rejected by God and by me, the insignificant one. It is pleasing to God and to me that you, through humility, cleave to each other and place your hopes in the Lord, and not in people, so that your praise will not be given to you in some place, or in a village, a city, or even a region, but, as the divine David exclaims, in the gates of the daughter of Zion (Ps. 9:15). Rivalry and jealousy are the affairs of those who live in the world; envy, lying down (196) and sitting first (Matthew 23:6) - this is for fools, but for you, let everything be the opposite: you must submit, observe restraint in speech, consider yourself last, be friendly, meek, not engage in strife at all, endure, if it happens, beatings, strangling, and at the same time turn the other cheek, and when you are forced into one field, go instead these are two (Matthew 5:39, 41). So by your very deeds, show whose disciples you are, namely Jesus Christ, our Lord and God. Therefore, every day and every hour, consider this, sort it out, examine it, put it before you and assimilate it in order to direct yourself on God’s path, and blessed be the name of the Lord, so that from now on you will begin to walk even better until the end of time. An admonition to the brethren of the monastery of the “Pure” My fathers, brothers and children. If with this physical, albeit insignificant, distance there was also a spiritual separation between me and you, then I would begin to cry bitterly that you are separated from me, and for a long time, until my death, I would mourn this painful and incurable illness, I would not listen to any consolations, no speeches, but I would give up everything and try to do everything to unite you with your fraternal body and connect you with its other numerous members. But since everything is in order with you and your humble abode is gaining more and more new brothers, and also prospering spiritually, then this is glory and praise for God, pride and joy for me, the humble one, and for my spiritual child, your brother and abbot, that neither he nor you have separated from me, but abide in me, I in you, and all together, despite even the distance separating us, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, I do not cry, (197) I do not grieve, I am not tormented and I do not grieve for you, or for the brothers in Sakkudion, or in other monasteries, on the contrary, I rejoice and delight, seeing how, through the prayer of my lord and our father, my efforts, thanks to you, are crowned with success and how my work is increasing. I sent you for the edification of others, as if sending new apostles to enlighten many people and fulfill the Lord’s commandments, therefore, although I myself am pitiful, I rejoice, am renewed and beautified by my children. If I constantly cry and sigh (and this is true), it is for completely different reasons, namely, on the one hand, because of my love for you, which endures separation from you (can anyone express how spiritual father and children strive to see each other?), and on the other hand, because of my heartfelt and fatherly concern for your salvation, so that you would not think that I have already freed you from further labors, but so that you would be even more successful and increase your virtues. Exhortation: Become bread pleasing to God So, my children, until your death, keep your pledge, which you received through your vow, at the laying on of my sinful hands before the throne of Christ (cf. 1 Tim. 4:14). And secondly, as I ordered you who live there, serve for your abbot and my brother and child as an instrument for the establishment, enrichment and growth of the monastery, work both in deed and in word to maintain the existing and newly arriving brotherhood. All of you, as it were, leaven yourself entirely into one good dough and, baked in the fire of love, appear as bread pleasing to God, and to me, and to your brother the abbot. Do not waste, my beloved children, your time on bodily rest and the fulfillment of your whims, but first of all, use it on divine praise, on the glory of piety and on spiritual peace, and then, if circumstances permit, on moderate bodily consolation corresponding to the need. (198) For only then is this consolation not subject to condemnation if there was spiritual pleasure before it. Further, I believe that you, my beloved child Barsanuphius, and also you, my dear child Gerasim, will both live piously and righteously, conforming to the instructions of your brother abbot, being of one mind with him in everything, striving for his spiritual glory, keeping peace among themselves and submitting to each other. For is this not how our Lord Christ God Himself sent His disciples? Some of them, as has been said, submitted at will to others, greater ones. Finally, you, all my other luminaries, must submit with love to Barsanuphius, keep everything and in everything before your eyes of God, the Lord of glory, remember death daily, imagine all this has already happened - the appearance of Angels, the deposition of the bodily church, the departure from the world, the transition to God, the most terrible interrogation, the judgment that cannot be deceived, the definition of the Only Begotten Son and our God to sinners, of whom I am the first (see. 1 Tim. 1:15): Depart from Me into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angel (Matt. 25:41), and to the righteous, among whom you will be: come, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25:34). In comparison with this, nothing is the whole world, nothing is earthly joy, human glory, the beauty of dress, sprinkling with aromas, satiation with food and drinks, cooking, amusements, drunkenness, gluttony and all other useless and perishing pleasures are insignificant. But you, my beloved children, be satisfied with God, Divine and Heavenly, be drunk beyond satiety with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, (199) truly enjoy more than honey and honeycomb (Ps. 18:11) the most pleasant and sweet words of grace, exalt yourself with chastity, be adorned with abstinence, glorify yourself with humility, ascend by the path of dispassion to heaven, exalt the Lord together with the Angels, strike the enemy with the arrow of the fear of God, directing the holy prayer with a triple invocation, as if a triple stone, against the spiritual Goliath (see 1 Sam. 17), distinguish yourself with David - constantly being enlightened, constantly being cleansed, constantly acquiring heavenly properties, so that you too may hear, as if from the lips of the Lord Himself: you are not of this world (John 15:19), praying also about me, unworthy, so that the tempter may not completely consume me, but that I may arm myself with the armor of righteousness, protect myself with the armor of good works, that I may go ahead of you - lift up, following the example of Moses (although it is courage on my part to say so), holy hands without anger and reflection (1 Tim. 2:8) against the Amalekite demons - and to finally lead you into the promised land of a good life. But I am already asking too much of you for the sake of myself, prodigal and desperate. However, my desire is not evil and I asked you not to pray for something bad. May Christ our God, through the prayer of our father, save you, as well as me with all the brothers scattered in different places, into His Heavenly Kingdom. To him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen. About love and the exodus of the soul - to the brothers of the Sakkudion Monastery Fathers and brothers. With pleasure, my most honest brethren, I read your precious letter, where you, with a contrite heart and a humble spirit, give the appropriate answer, and I was very glad that you were saddened, (200) for this is a sign of your fidelity, as well as love not only for yourself, but also for me, the accursed father: whom the Lord loves, it is said, the Lord punishes, and beats every son who accepts him ( Proverbs 3:12). I repeat, may the Lord forgive you, continue to carelessly care about yourself. But let’s get down to the usual announcement. You know well, my beloved children, that at no time - neither day nor night - does any ordinary prayer begin or end for me except with a prayer that you, under the protection of God and through the prayer of our father, remain and are preserved in all your affairs unharmed and unstumbling. This is my whole business, this is where all my speeches tend, here is my life and death, as well as wealth, fame, joy and sorrow. And I, my children, have no other object of concern and desire than to acquire you, perfect you and present you to the Living God as a pure and immaculate sacrifice. But I am not yet worthy of this, I have not reached such a measure. With the help of God, with sympathy, consent and assistance on your part, I am still striving for this, struggling and devoting myself to this matter with all my soul. I have no mother, no father, no clan. When you hear this, don't think I'm crazy. If anyone asks me where, in this case, I came from, I will answer that I trace my origins from you, for you are my father, mother, brothers, and children (see Matt. 12:47), before you is our father, who gave birth to me spiritually, and even before him (although this is impudent on my part) - God Himself, the Father and Ruler of all. Therefore, I must be an imitator of God, but you, in this case, should also be an imitator of the apostles. He loved so much and, in turn, was so loved by His holy disciples that they shed their blood for confessing His name, following His example. And you, my children, will love me, (201) just as I, a sinner, have loved you: for you are indeed my love, delight and desire. Do not think that these are empty words, but believe that my nasty and unclean heart is really literally so disposed towards you. However, if you want to experience this, you will not get anything, and if you do, I would change, but not for the good of you. Observe what is happening to you, and, as best you can, think in your hearts. Try to be both spiritual and physical at the same time Further, my children, strive and run along the spiritual lists, raising the eyes of your thoughts upward, directing your gaze to the heavenly, looking at the eternal and constantly thinking how and when - whether in winter or summer, day or night, in old age or youth, now or later, today or even at this hour - the final and inevitable end - death - will come. Now the separators of the soul from the body are coming, and the enemy-accuser is appearing. You give an account of your deeds and words, victory or defeat follows. Strengthening yourself with such thoughts, do not be inclined to sin, do not fall into the pit of vice, but may you see the goodness of Jerusalem on high all the days (Ps. 127:6) of your eternal life. Then do some physical work. Try both spiritual and physical things at the same time: glorify God with your lips, speak the truth with your tongue, work with your hands to the best of your ability, walk with your feet in the way of peace, let your whole body be a holy body and its members members of Christ. Shall we, it is said, for the ouds of Christ, create the ouds of the harlots? Let it not be (1 Cor. 6:15). Therefore, avoid shamelessness, make sure that no one gets wounded, do not disgrace yourself - let the young not go to bed next to the young and, of course, the old with the old, especially now, in the summer, neither in the hay, (202) nor under a shady tree, nor in a secluded place: the eyes of the Lord, it is said, the imams are those times brighter than the sun, who see through all the paths of man and looking into secret places (Sir. 23:27–28). Do not laugh shamelessly, do not get close to each other when sitting next to each other or talking, do not heat up your flesh by hugging each other, do not fill your stomach; healthy (I only advise), leave drinking wine, for this is allowed due to the request of the brethren: I doubt that this is necessary, except in cases of fatigue from work or due to weakness. Internal excitement is enough, natural fire and the flame of ordinary excitement are enough. And if you add fire from wine to this, then you will ignite and burn with a destructive fire, because then the flesh cannot stand it, it begins to move, boils, demands its own - still excited from the outside, it strives into the darkness. As a result of this, husbands against husbands, as the apostle describes, commit coldness (Rom. 1:27), as a result of which everyone is inflamed with lust for their neighbor: what happens is to leave them, he says in another place, it is shameful to eat and speak (Eph. 5:12). For one caught in such a passion reaches the most insane impulses and becomes like unreasonable beasts. I will no longer talk about the gravest passion that is within ourselves and which defiles us only alone other than the other body (1 Cor. 6:18). Look, my children, I declare to you in advance, warn, proclaim and predict: God has established a day of testing. He will judge and deliver those who do such things to merciless torment along with the demons. Preface the Lord with confession, reveal the devil’s obsessions to Abba Akaki, do everything decently, sleep moderately, stay awake during your short service, get up and appear to him as soon as possible. You are then blessed: if the Lord finds you who do this (see Luke 12:43), He will reward you for this eternal kingdom. (203) I inform you that the humble Tarasius fled, but appeared again, remembering his vow, full of great humility. Our lord and father greets you with all his heart, and the steward, the assistant steward, the protopresbyter also greet you, and first of all, your brother abbot of the “Pure Ones,” then all the other brethren. May the Lord keep you, most honest brethren, in peace and unanimity, for to Him be glory forever. Amen. About our spiritual martyrdom - to the brothers of the Sakkudion Monastery Brothers and fathers. I greet you even now, my beloved and dear children, in a letter with a bow and kiss and hug each of you individually. How are you doing there? How does the peace of God protect you? How does the fear of God cleanse? How do His justifications gladden your hearts (Ps. 18:9)? How does the order of deanery unite you? How does sincere loyalty affirm you? How does your God-sanctioned vow of submission unite you? How does unfeigned obedience elevate you? How are you doing with Christ-like humility, with your behavior, food, drink, restraint in meetings, silence, confession and resurrection? Then, how is your body work going? How is your bodily strength? What is the situation with the reaping of fruitful fields? What have you already started, completed halfway through, or completely finished? First, middle and last, notify, inform, answer me about it. Make me happy, on the one hand, poor me, and on the other, our and your father. Because because you are far away, we have no dates, I am worried, my heart is aching, tormented and restless. (204) Doesn’t anyone behave outrageously among you, doesn’t anyone get away with it, doesn’t he grumble, doesn’t he indulge in carnality, isn’t he shameless, have some made friends with the devil and take counsel with him, just as with the Lord and with His Christ: let us break their bonds and cast away their yoke from us (Ps. 2:3)? But He who lives in heaven will laugh at them and the Lord will mock them. Then He will speak out against them with His wrath, and I will be crushed by His fury (Ps. 2:4-5). For I am placed (Ps. 2:6) over you as a result of voluntary submission, self-willed enslavement on your part, in order to proclaim to you the commandment of the Lord (Ps. 2:7). That is why I warn and foretell the coming sword. No one can escape the mighty hand of the Lord. No one, since he is bound by renunciation and vow, no one can untie himself, nor can he be allowed by another person or an Angel. Make sure that you have medicines ready for the sick, and if no one is sick, then thanks be to God, the physician of our souls and bodies. You have already worked, you will work and still more, you have suffered - continue to suffer, enduring the Lord in your asceticism, in your submission, in cutting off your will, in those cases when your desires are limited. Do not lose what you have already done: just as you now sow with tears, sighs, despondency, hunger, thirst, so when the Judge of all rewards everyone according to his deeds, you will reap with joy. Hear, it is said, heaven, and teach to earth what the Lord said. Not so, look, sons have begotten and exalted, but they have rejected Me, not as the ox of the covetous and the ass of the manger of his master knew, but Israel did not know Me, and My people did not understand (Isa. 1: 2-3), but that you should be like your sons, like the new plantings (205) of the olive tree around your table, and behold, man will be blessed. fear the Lord (Ps. 127:4–5). So please, listen. Following the leadership of your abbot, be wise in the same way (see Phil. 3:16), in accordance with one general rule, as if dying daily (1 Cor. 15:31), not allowing disorder, or irritation, or murmuring over food or drink. What does the apostle say? If he tempts my brother with evil, I will not eat meat forever, lest I tempt my brother (1 Cor. 8:13). Do not become sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:2), sons of fornication (Col. 3:5-6), do not become children of wrath (Eph. 2:3), children of sin, hiding your passions in those places where the Lord does not look, under this or that tree, or in a grove, vineyard, under a construction site, angering God with your debauchery and being condemned to eternal death, like those fools to the elders because of Saint Susanna (see Dan. 13). Woe is your heart, woe is your gaze: the Lord is the God of vengeance (Ps. 93:1), there is no creation that is not revealed before Him, but all naked and declared before His eyes (Heb. 4:13). Who wouldn't be in awe of this? Who will not be afraid? Who won't open up? Who would not agree to obey until death? Therefore, you, my child, assistant steward, lead everyone wisely and prudently, just like you, my child Akaki, and the rest of the first ranks. As for us, by the grace of God we are healthy. May the God of peace, who always gives us his mercy, preserve, strengthen and reward your life and behavior and, through the prayer of my father, deign to receive you all here in mental and physical health at the appointed time, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About order - to the brothers of the Sakkudion Monastery My fathers, brothers and children. I know well that you now have a lot of work and troubles: while reaping grain and gathering ears of grain, you bend over, are scorched by the sun's rays and drenched in hot sweat. Therefore, I found it appropriate to announce by announcing to such workers who are working for us what is needed. So, the blessing of the Lord is upon us, my children, and may the Lord our God bless you from above, sending firmness and strength to your souls and bodies so that you have strength and remain constantly tireless, on the one hand, in your spiritual obedience, and on the other, in bodily work. The routine of monastic life I, of course, understand how long and hot the summer days are and how painful they are: if not for zeal, then hardly anyone would be able to easily endure them. Therefore, I ask you, for the love of Christ, to endure both feats gracefully and in order. In the morning, after psalm and divine studies, get down to your usual work and begin [it] with confession of the Lord, that is, poetry and prayer. At the same time, I ask you, pronounce the divine words all together, except for those who are obliged to encourage and encourage those working, but even those should not abandon a completely sacred occupation. When the third hour comes, stop working, gather together and sing intelligently to the Lord for the third hour, of course, without kathisma, and raise your hands to heaven (207) in order to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit to strengthen your soul and body. And having done three, four or more bows to strengthen your spiritual and physical strength, eat whatever the Lord sends to you, except for the middle and heels, as he commanded you before. It is also necessary to observe that there is no noise and chatter at dinner, as well as the harvest of disputes and self-will, for from here arise confusion, grief, as well as disobedience, jokes and shameful shamelessness. This, my children, is by no means to happen, but may your work be blessed, glorified, as if it were being done before the face of God. During the harvest, take part in each other's efforts: if one of your neighbors, due to weakness in strength or because he has been given a more difficult part of the work, begins to lag behind the others, then share the work with him and help him, so that with such an equalization, the harvest will proceed, and you will all notice a mutual zeal for each other. When settling down, by order of your elders, for a midday or night rest under trees or under a canopy, be careful that one body does not get close to another, that two of them do not remain in secluded places, and that the young men do not act shamelessly among themselves. Stay awake, O overseers; dean, pay attention! Sower of the weeds (cf. Matt. 13:25) is already invisible here, so that he does not sneak in slowly, so that he does not sow destructive grass, and so do not anger our Master and God. Therefore, watch out. Order of monastery worship Further, as for ordinary worship, since psalmody is already short, sing it slowly, perform it cheerfully, so that it leads you to every good deed. Everyone go to it, and let no one be left without worship and singing, even if he worked with more than ten hands, (208) for such a person on this day is not worthy even of food. I command this not because I myself am sitting idle, but I remind you of this because I am concerned, as it should be, about your salvation and I am inflamed by your zeal, so that you do not pervert the path of the Lord. If trouble happens to someone, then let him not hide it, but let him report it to his elders and let him receive the appropriate punishment for it, and in this way let goodness be established, and let deviation be corrected, and let him be healed as necessary. Let no one remain idle, no matter who he is: such people do not belong to the number of brothers and those who seek the Lord. If you are unable to reap or feel unwell, then carry the sheaves. If you can’t carry sheaves, pick up the ears of corn, carry water, or do whatever else you find in the field or at home. God accepts two mites in the same way as large alms from those who take into the treasury (see Matt. 12:42–44). Christ is with you now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About feeding well the spiritual sheep of Christ - to the brethren of the monastery of the “Pure” Neither unreasonable humility nor arrogance Brothers and fathers. The brothers who came here told us about your affairs and truly made me happy with their good news. For in fact, when we hear that you are all, by the grace of God, being saved, maintaining your orderliness and doing God’s commandments, enlightened by which you are sons of light and heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, my joy is not small. Therefore, my beloved children, continue to philosophize in exactly the same way, protect yourself in the same way, spend day after day in the same way, kindled with divine love, (209) renewed by the Holy Spirit living in us, crushing all sweetness and all lust of the corruptible flesh, planting and growing, like God’s paradise, ever-living virtues, covering everything, enduring everything humbly, obediently, with openness in our thoughts, doing good to each other, treating each other with love, compassionately, providing mutual benefit, entering into each other's position, bearing each other's burdens (Gal. 6:2). And first of all, you, child Barsanuphius, see that you keep the service to which I have placed you blameless in the face of God, who gives life to everything: not at all so that you have partiality, but on the other hand, contempt or annoyance; so that there is no unreasonable humility, but also, in turn, arrogance; follow the middle path, act thoughtfully, with mercy; Just as a milkmaid warms her children (1 Thess. 2:7), so be ready to lay down your soul with love for your good brothers and my children. It is a great thing to shepherd the sheep of Christ. What did Christ say to Saint Peter (see John 21:15–17)? If some of them begin to jump like goats - I hear something like this - then humble them, instill in them that on the day of Judgment the goats will become the shoulder of Christ, with those who are perishing (see Matthew 25:33), and will share the fate of Satan. With this, frighten their hearts and wound them with the threat, so that they too become like lambs. For lambs are tame, gentle, meek in appearance, with good habits, obedient to the shepherd, do not cry, but goats are wild, restless, of bad character and behavior. Woe to such, for they will be punished with eternal fire. (210) Therefore, children, let none of you become like that, no, I ask you, for in this case the shepherd will have to starve such sheep, strangle them and drive them out. Understand what I am hinting at and do the will of God. Who to love and who to hate without hatred And you, my child Daniel, look how you watch how you move among your brothers. Enlighten them, gather them, admonish them. Do not tolerate riots, childish disturbances, or shouting. Love those of them who are orderly, who are reverent, who are bashful, who love decorum, who are hardworking, who are obedient, who are humble, who are uncomplaining, who are temperate in laughter. Hate people of the opposite kind without hatred, correct them and show them the best, so that no one resists God or moves away from Him. The disorderly ones, the sneakers, the murmuring ones, the laughers, the shameless ones, the secret eaters, resist and leave. But let there be no such people among you, and let them all be the most magnificent, God-moved and divine. May the Lord protect you, my beloved children, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About patience - to the brothers of the Three-Gate Monastery Brothers and fathers. Grace and peace to you for all your good order, for obedience, reverence, goodness, night and day praises and verses. See, children, that everything is fulfilled without fail. The holy and immaterial fire of love for God in the heart And this can be no different if you have the fear of God and if you do not extinguish the fire of love for God in your heart. For if it goes out in someone’s soul, despondency, laziness, thistles and thorns of passions, bodily lethargy and relaxation, slowness, reluctance, (211) sleep without measure, gluttony in food and all other types of evil grow there, for I am silent about pleasures that burn like a flame, about obscurantist thoughts and about the manifestations and aspirations of this temporary life. A sign that that holy and immaterial fire has not been extinguished is that the soul in this case, even if it is weak and tired, still unremittingly strives for good and tirelessly does what it should - obedience, studies, poetry, confession, bodily labor, prayers, prescribed abstinence and everything else that relates to blessed obedience. Such a person is blessed, God-loving, loved by everyone, he brings out the good treasure of his heart (Lk. 6:45) divine gifts on his face, thereby, as it were, tinting it with something and thus appearing pleasant and beautiful to those who look godlike at him, since his spiritual image shines through the features of his face. When the wicked fall, the godly begin to fear Those who were obsessed with unclean thoughts and did not open them in order to receive help for themselves, little by little fell away from their divine vow, becoming prey to the devil. Let us pray for them, so that He who daily calls all those who have deviated will return them to the herd from which they fled, so that they will not perish completely from sin. But you yourself, in turn, do not worry about making the necessary searches. Even if unreasonable beasts, when they lose someone, do not bear it easily, then how much more should people gifted with reason look for their lost brothers. The pitiful condition of the monks who fled from the monastery On the other hand, since they have fallen, the rest of you beware, for it is said: “When the wicked fall, the godly begin to fear” (see Proverbs 29:16). So you too, be afraid and behave carefully, for the devil is preparing abysses on all sides. Therefore, let no one shy away from confession, let no one be self-willed, nor a sensualist, (212) nor a self-lover. For the above-mentioned people, being overwhelmed by similar vices and holding bad conferences among themselves, after gluttony, and especially secret eating, after carnality and sinfulness, fell into the pit of flight and now wander miserable and unfortunate, staggering, like lost sheep, here and there. When they begin to be questioned, they lie, because if they do not lie, then they become ashamed, because with the answer and outward appearance they reveal their sin: they tremble, fearful, with downcast eyes, mournful, with their heads hanging. The prayer ran away from them. For to whom is it left for them to raise their hands after they have fled from God? Psalmody and song have been taken away from their lips, for to whom will they sing: having endured the Lord (Ps. 39:2), after they were killed by their negligence? They contain deep sleep and laziness, a lack or, rather, a complete absence of hope. Therefore, pray for their return, pray for their confirmation, saying and crying out: if battle arises against me, I will trust in Him (Ps. 27:3), having fought with me in multitudes from my youth, for I was not overcome (Ps. 129:2) and this is my rest for ever and ever, here I will dwell, as I willed and (Ps. 131:14), so that, fighting like the soldiers of Christ and not falling, we through patience receive the crown of righteousness. An Exhortation to Spiritual Alertness So, my children, I ask you, at your feet I beg you: do not allow negligence, do not accept the devil as your advisor, do not weaken in your ascetic resistance, time little by little flies, crowns are woven, and blessed is that servant whose master, when his master comes, will find himself doing (Matthew 24:46) as He commanded. By the way, you did not write to me about some of the rioters about whom rumors reached me; let them come here. (213) I doubt that you would decide anything else: you will, of course, impose the due punishment. May the Lord protect you forever. Amen. About us remaining firm in our vow - to the brethren of the monastery of St. Christopher Brothers and fathers. Having learned about your affairs through the steward at the present time, I rejoiced and was sad at the same time: I rejoiced at the good life and health of your leaders in the Lord, as well as those brothers who, out of pious obedience, walk correctly and have walked in good patience and a godly life; I was saddened because of those who again strayed from the straight path and ran away, although they had already been called back. May the Lord continue to protect and strengthen you, the first ones, in bringing to the end the path of your feat. To those who are confused, I will say this: sons of humanity, how long will the hearts be heavy? Do you love vanity and seek lies? (Ps. 4:3). Why do you, in mercenary pursuit of your passions, seek to fulfill the will of your thoughts, do not pay attention to the fear of God, nor to condemnation to torment, nor to eternal fire, nor to pitch darkness, nor to gnashing of teeth, nor to unimaginable tartarus, but so fearlessly, impudently, falsely and as if jokingly thinking about God, abandoning your monastic way of life? How long will you forget His judgment? How long will you not feel repentance? How long will you put bad advice in your souls (see Ps. 12:3), invent excuses for your sins (Ps. 141:4), engage in vain searches? Won't you revive yourself from your fall? Won't you come out of your delusion? Won't you free yourself from your impulse? Do you know who you are moving away from? (214) Do you know from whom you are denying? Is it not from the Holy Spirit Himself, Whom you received on the day of deliverance through the holy image? See if the fire is already burning above your head? But enough of the accusations. Don’t add anything more to the old, don’t please the devil anymore, don’t serve the enemy in the future. Love the Lord who loved you. Place a good Lord in your place: regarding the past, He is good, supportive, merciful - through me, the humble one, He will forgive you your transgression. I ask and implore you: correct the weakness of your souls, strengthen the soil of your hearts, eliminate the temptations of your thoughts. You gave me your consent to this, this is exactly what you promised. Even if you were threatened with fire and sword, if you were threatened with torment and death, even then you could not avoid it at all. And you, just because of a trifle, in order to fulfill only a bad desire, trampled on the divine covenant, the sacred vow - you rushed away, like heifers bitten by a gadfly, and went to a waterless and impassable place for piety. What I mean here is how you stopped in villages, rotated among laymen - men and women, ate, drank, as if for slaughter, like pigs. Well, what plants grow from these seeds? Oh, wretched me! May the earth swallow me up! Now I can actually say to myself a prophetic saying: mountains, fall on me, and you, hills, cover me, the lawless (Hos. 10:8), sinner, because those whom I gave birth to rejected the law of God, desecrated the flesh, betrayed virginity, sold obedience, became the plaything of demons! After all, in fact, doesn’t Satan lead those who listen to him hither and thither, snatching them as if from a fence and making them mentally prey for the jaws of sin? But let us sober up at least from now on, let us sober up completely, turn our gaze, (215) reflect on our error, our folly, reproach ourselves, humble ourselves, crush ourselves, fall down, confess, love, and again, little by little, take up our former excellent life. So, I ask you: you who stand in the church of the Lord, in the courts... of our God (Ps. 133:1), stand valiantly, walk firmly, obey the leader. Hello to you, Candide, hello to you, Polyvius, hello to you, Cosmas, hello to you, Paul, hello to you, Theona, hello to you, Ischirion: you, of course, stand tall. Everyone here receives, hears and meets praise or ridicule for themselves by their own behavior. But I hope that none of you died, and if some slipped, they returned to their previous state. You, child Dometian, agree with your elder brother Lucian. Remember the pledge, keep the commandments: you are rejected, Me is rejected (Luke 10:16), whoever accepts you, accepts Me (Matthew 10:40), that is, not me, a sinner, but God Himself, for whose sake I and you. Be diligent and watchful: let everything go well with you, so that you do not omit anything from all that is due. And may the Lord God, through the prayer of our father, fill you with grace and blessing, strengthen and strengthen you, for to Him belongs glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. About humility and deanery - to the brethren of the Sakkudion Monastery Brothers and fathers. Regarding the wars flaring up against us from everywhere, I can say: truly there has been given to us (216) a dirty trickster of the flesh, the angel of Satan, to play dirty tricks on us (2 Cor. 12:7), so that we would not become arrogant, puffed up, or boast, but, on the contrary, when we receive admonition, we would humble ourselves and run under the mighty hand of God (1 Pet. 5:6), for otherwise we we cannot escape. When we, with all zeal, overcome rebellious self-conceit and realize that we are weak in all respects and cannot do anything without God’s help through the medium of a leader, whatever he may be, then an Angel will descend into the furnace of our passions, as once upon the youths with Azariah, throw out the flame of lust from our hearts and create a roaring spirit in our souls (Dan. 3:50), the gift of purity. To do this, let's humble ourselves. Down with our conceit, down with our eyes, let our speech be humbled, let our talkativeness be reduced, and then the help of the philanthropic God is close. Let no one be unfaithful, crafty, cunning, such that he blesses with his lips, but his heart is far from Me (Isa. 29:13), such as the self-initiated and self-willed are, no one, according to the Apostle, seeks his own, but let no one stumble over his neighbor (1 Cor. 10:24), lest he fall into the depths of evil and suffer eternal punishment. Be completely bright, immaculate, true sons. Let us live as children, as brothers, as co-heirs, without causing harm to each other, without causing unrest, especially today, when the feast of the Nativity of our lord and representative, the holy prophet and baptist John, is coming, and in the evening the fathers and brothers invited to the holiday will arrive. May they find you in perfect order, see you sanctified, without stumbling. How to do this? It is necessary that everyone perform the obedience indicated to him properly, (217) behave well in everything, speak appropriately, remain silent where necessary, sing diligently and diligently serve. When we gather for psalmody, everyone, without exception, must take part in the choir and harmoniously sing God-pleasing songs to the Forerunner, and in general do everything that is necessary, whether during worship or at meals. I ask and pray you, give this one day to me, spend it in the most orderly and pleasant way of all the others, so that by the work of your hands God may be glorified for the benefit of all who see you, for to Him belongs great glory, honor and worship, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Thanksgiving to the brethren at Sakkudion Monastery People's lives are filled with enormous evil Brothers, fathers and children. Living in this city, we hear about various incidents of worldly life: about some - that a complaint was received against them, about others - that they were put on trial, and then - about exile, about confiscation of property, about the immeasurable joy of those and about the murderous grief of these, for the first - due, for example, to the fact that they are rich, and for the second because they are poor, or widowed, or childless, have been slandered, suffered theft, or because they are greedy - in a word, every person behaves deceitfully in relation to his neighbor and stumbling stumbling (Jer. 9:4) his brother; and in general, people's lives are filled with enormous evil. But we, by the grace of Him who called us to this sacred and safe image of God, were honored to escape worldly deceptions and all this changeability of vain things, as if we entered this humble monastery at the pier (218) and now we do not have the slightest concern about doing the same as other people - collecting wealth, achieving a higher position, defending ourselves, taking revenge, getting married, doing military service, going to war and risking losing our souls and body. Therefore, what shall we render to the Lord for all that He has rendered to us (Ps. 115:3)? What can we come up with when, in addition to everything mentioned above, we also hope to achieve the Kingdom of Heaven and inherit eternal blessings? Truly, it will be fair for us to constantly repeat the prophetic words: who am I, Lord, and what is my house, because you have loved me until now! (2 Samuel 7:18). What is joy and joy for monks? Is it not a joy for us that we do not think about this world? Isn’t it hilarious that we consider even the most glorious royal dignity as nothing compared to our dignity? Is it not glory that we consider all royal treasures, valuable stones and pearls, compared with the wealth of virtue, to be mere dust? What could be more beautiful for us, what is more important, what is sweeter and more blissful than when we, being rational, understand and feel what the visible is in comparison with the spiritual? At least, no matter how insignificant I am, I will not allow myself to desire any of the things most beloved, most desired by people, even if all the kingdoms of this world were offered to me (cf. Matt. 4:8), because I strive to become an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ, who rules over heaven, earth and everything else. So do you, of course. But I, due to the fact that I do not act as I want, will not achieve this, but you, my children, if you maintain the firmness and steadfastness of your faith and the steadfastness of your obedience, I am confident that you will achieve the blessings set aside from the ages, the incomparable greatness and brilliance (219) of which cannot be compared with what is extolled here for some dull appearance. Becoming an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ So, I, accursed one, for the sake of such blessings intended for you, I ask you, let us not consider it a great thing if we give up our body by burning it (1 Cor. 13:3), as well as if we fast a little, wait, worship, or if we are angry, or offended when we are given clothes and shoes, or if we are caused suffering and anything else in general, for all this is a shadow and a dream. And blessed is the one who hides all this and calms it down in his heart and day by day adds prayers, tears, humility, obedience, contrition, meekness, mercy, dispassion. Such a one really stands out for his prudence among the prudent and for his wisdom among the ranks of sages. If only I could achieve the fate of such people! Whoever wants to obey me, let him therefore endure jokes and ridicule, and also when he is considered reckless and insane, everyone will trample on him and not consider him anything. Earthly misfortunes - shadow and sleep This is what I wanted to tell you about in this announcement. Pray for me, brethren, that the admonition of the Lord will continue to open my ears, so that I may communicate to you some things that are useful to you in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About not acting willfully - to the brethren of the Sakkudion Monastery Human nature's inclination towards evil My brothers, fathers and children. Now, when the brethren have dispersed in all directions for summer work, my humble soul has also divided at the same time, and I mentally move from one place to another, look around and observe how they live, whether they are saved by the Lord, whether they follow the blameless path. (220) For you know that if our nature, prone to falling, receives even the slightest relaxation, it runs wild, acquires bestial inclinations and gives birth to sinful death. That is why I, the unfortunate one, have a heartache, am sad and grieved, I am consumed by worries and thoughts, even though I could not provide you with any benefit: I have not yet acquired the gift of such prayer as to help you or others. But the Lord God of my father (Ex. 18:4; 2:22) will give strength to His people, the Lord will bless His people with peace (Ps. 28:11), unite them, bind them together with pure love and unite them with unanimous desire and aspiration, so that there will not be, as the Apostle says, discord among you (1 Cor. 1:10), as well as personal wills, one’s own desires, that everything is bad, but let there be a common, uniting one will and the same one desire, manifested as if in one and one body. For this is the essence of community, of the Church, and only in this way can we show that our head is Christ. The essence of community and Church In this case, how long will the various divisive and clever people continue their work? Woe, it is said, who are wise within themselves and understand themselves (Is. 5:21). They have had enough of such a strong prophetic threat. “Let them leave,” says Gregory the Theologian in one place, “the thoughts they brought from home with which they come, as well as the habits with which they previously lived” 507. But some do not find it necessary to do this. But don’t you know what the divine and Great Basil says? “Whoever,” he says, “demands something more than others, deserves the saying: his appeal is to you, and you have it (Gen. 4:7)” 508. As a result of this, thoughts crush us, that’s why we suffer, not moving forward, that’s why evil plans penetrate our hearts, hence we become sons of over-grieving and murmuring. (221) But let us come to our senses, abandon our own desires and submit to the ordinary rule of righteousness, as before God and as we should, let us act in accordance with what we are commanded. Let no one recklessly tell me: “I should have done this and that more than others, which means that because I tried so hard, I deserved this or that.” All these are carnal speeches, as well as devilish motives, for in this way such persons are separated from God's Church. After all, if you are children, then you are all one and born of one: it is of Christ Jesus, as the divine apostle says, by the gospel that you were born (1 Cor. 4:15). And if you are all one, then why don’t you love unity, calling me father with your lips, but in your heart you are far from me (cf. Isa. 29:13)? How are you not ashamed? Shame on you? Our Lord Jesus Christ says about Himself: I came down from heaven, not that I should do My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me (John 6:38). By your actions you are saying exactly the opposite: it turns out that you came here not to do the will of God through me, the humble one, but, as children of anger and rebellion, only the will of the flesh and your thoughts. “Indeed,” says the interpreter of the holy “Ladder,” “you will not be freed from Pharaoh and will not see the heavenly Passover until you have thoroughly tasted bitter herbs and unleavened bread, 509 before you are enlightened and wise, unless you cut out your own will by the roots from your heart and do not surrender yourself completely to obedience to your abbot.” This is what I told you about those who resist. After this, I remind you to soberly and cheerfully greet the day and night psalmody [that is, the service], the awakening from sleep, the call to work; in exactly the same way then they treated the confession of thoughts, preparing themselves for the hour of death, (222) for the departure of the soul from the body, for the ascension into heaven with the Angels, for the appearance before the terrible and terrible throne in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. About our joyful obedience to the brothers of the Sakkudion Monastery Monks' Daily Patience My brothers, fathers and children. How can I greet you this time? Yes, not otherwise (although it is bold) than in the apostolic way: rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say: rejoice (Phil. 4:4). (223) Why? Yes, because you are doing God’s work; you are clothed in the monastic image, go through the rule of obedience, daily endure, on the one hand, constraint, oppression and torment, and on the other - grief: grief from fasting, vigils and hard beds, torture from exhausting and intense labor in obedience, from cutting off your will, from being burdened by orders, from your unwashed body, from tattered and dirty clothes and shoes. And also from punishments and imprisonments for mistakes, and even more from incessant attacks, blows, as if from arrows and spears of our visible and invisible enemies. On the one hand, we are worried about the housekeeper, on the other – the assistant housekeeper, on the third – the refector, on the fourth – the baker, and behind them are more and more new faces. Demons do the same thing: from here the demon of fornication fights, from there - despondency, from another side - gluttony, and from another - inconstancy. How many and what kind of passions are there? They have no number. Therefore, I apparently unjustly told you: rejoice in the Lord always. No, my beloved children, you are blessed and blessed that for the sake of God you endure and accept all this. After all, what will come of it? Because you judged this way and chose such a fate, because you so valiantly, blessedly and all-praisingly hated the world and everything worldly - you were separated from your parents, brothers, relatives, friends and loved ones, you left your homeland, cities, villages, fields, houses - because you resorted to the one God, the Lord and King of glory, the good and most good Lord, and became His slaves, standing before Him, serve Him, constantly sing before Him, seek His commandments and justifications and do what is pleasing and dear to Him, for all this in your hearts in the next century truth and abundance of peace will shine (Ps. 71:7), life, joy, eternal rest, adoption 510, joint heirship with Christ and participation in His Kingdom. Now you have no talk of father and mother, no concern for your wife and children, no worries about slaves and slaves, no thoughts about property and fortune, no pursuit of honors and ranks, no desires to become closer to the authorities and kings, no concerns about drinking, pure wines and all other great or small pleasures. And about nothing else perishable, but about only one thing - to end life in a pleasing manner to God, about only the good things prepared in heaven. So, in view of all this, will not the Lord love you according to your merits? Is it not according to your merit that He will call you His children? Isn't He going to say to you on that day: Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34). What do true monks care about? Such are our exploits, our efforts, on the one hand, and our hopes, on the other. That is why I will repeat again: rejoice unceasingly, rejoice, by the way, about our present event: we sent into the future life one of our best brothers, Abba Jeremiah, (224) who spent his life well, died righteously and was joined to our other brothers for eternal life. Blessed is the one who dies after him. Also, rejoice that we were honored to receive in health and well-being two of our brothers - Abba Eustathius and Abba Epiphanius, who returned from Rome; Of course, they do not deserve praise for the fact that they left here without permission, but they have great praise for their secret work, for they (although they boldly say so) did the apostolic work when they put excommunication from Christ and us sinners above their wretched glory and desires. This is what God now showed by their pious return, when he did not reject their zeal and did not show their labor useless. Count them among your other dear brothers. But in the future, they and others need to block the path to such actions, so that no one conceives, intends to do this and perishes for God. For once such a mistake has already happened, and what happened has passed, but the second time - eternal death. Take care everyone. In addition, according to rumors, there is hope to return Abba Nicholas again, pray for him, as well as for others who fled due to their recklessness, so that the Lord will call everyone and bring them into the fence and save them for His Heavenly Kingdom, for glory is due to Him forever. Amen. About the fact that the abbot needs to lay down his soul for his flock, as well as about zeal and care regarding our life according to God and about beingware of the devil’s snares God's Judgment over the abbot of the monastery My fathers, brothers and children. Considering the small remainder (225) of the absence caused by necessary business to still be long, I strive with my desire to return home, since, on the one hand, I fear that, due to my sins, some kind of disorder may occur among you (after all, the devil, like a roaring lion, seeks to drag away someone’s soul in order to devour it - 1 Pet. 5:8), and on the other hand, because I desire everywhere and always be with you. For being outside the monastery does not please me. I am also not amused (despite the fact that I am a sinner) by moving from one place to another: I cannot spend my days enjoying the delights of travel and observing life, while at the same time leaving you to suffer in exploits. No, children and brothers, do not think that way about me, but remember firmly that wherever I go, I always keep you all in my humble heart and in my thoughts I am always with you: I grieve with those who mourn, I compete with those who are jealous, I rejoice with those who prosper, I cry and care about each of you, so that you may be saved. After all, why exactly did you make me your head, for what else should I live, for what else should I rejoice and be merry? Is it not for you alone, children of God? Is it not for your advancement in God? Is it not for your divine jealousy? Is it not for your life of martyrdom? For by the Lord God I will be questioned about how I led you, whether I unerringly showed you the path of His commandments, whether I endured with you, in the position of a shepherd, like the great Jacob, the heat of the day and the cold of the night, whether I sought out the lost, whether I brought back the lost, whether I healed the weak, whether, on the contrary, I did not use the authority for personal pleasure, whether I gave away, through negligence, didn’t he sell the sheep to the predators of souls, the wolves, slaughter them, so to speak, and destroy them (226) with evil. As you see, my brethren, my concern is not unfounded, but completely justified, and no matter how many times I have to talk about it, I will not stop mourning my wretchedness and the judgment that threatens me. Therefore, I ask you: you, for your part, are so strong in your active virtue, give me your right hand, lend a helping hand, let us together defend ourselves and stand up for each other, guide and lead everything to peace and prosperity, and the Righteous Judge will reward everyone according to their deserts. Further, I, a sinner, rejoice at the reception of newly arriving persons and delight in the multiplication of our smallest monastery, since such a gathering of many people in one place occurs by the will of God and is a distinctive phenomenon of the apostolic times, when thousands of people united and lived together (Acts 2:41-47). For how else could people imitate the Angels, if not by such a corporate and good life? But here, with my contrite heart, I have to rejoice as much as I do, and even more, to fear - not because of the lack of means of subsistence, no, I remember the false promises of my Master, but because of my personal spiritual impotence; my head is spinning, and I am horrified when I think about how I can lead you, so as not to omit anything from what I need and am commanded to say and do among you. I only find relief when we have to lead my brother into that life; in this case, we seem to put the treasure in a place inaccessible to thieves. In relation to the living, no matter how good and zealous they are, I feel joy, but at the same time fear: joy because I expect a good end, fear because of the long journey and the difficulty of access to virtue. For the evil one has many deceits, and I do not know what the coming day will bring; (227) Even the star, this supreme angel, was cast out of heaven and a close disciple became a traitor to his Teacher and was thrown from his apostolic place into the ranks of the lawless, the first for his pride, the second for the love of money, but both equally for apostasy. Let none of you suffer their fate. On the other hand, may the Lord return and again bring into the knowledge of the truth those who were carried away and acted like Judas. For why should they wander outside their fence, like sheep without a shepherd, why wander through deserted places, constantly endure the bites of a cunning serpent, sweets and trampling underfoot from people? What good is it for them that they feed themselves extra flesh and blood, when not long later they descend into decay (εις διαφθοράν) 511? Will they glorify the Lord there, having turned to dust? Never. Therefore, all of you, beware of His Judgment. You who stand, watch how you stand and observe the apostolic commandment, for sometimes there is conceit that says, like David: I have died in my abundance: I will not move forever (Ps. 29:7). As a result of this, he was allowed to fall. You, who are exhausted in the struggle with thoughts, will not give in to the devil who is fighting against you, for I am sure that if you show steadfastness, he will take flight. Those who have become dull from insensibility, if there are any, be kindled with the ability to feel, so that the Cultivator of our souls for barrenness does not cut you down like a withered fig tree (Matthew 21:19–21; Mark 11:13–14). Those who are trying to organize meetings and gatherings, do not do this in the future, lest you be swallowed up, like the proud, the lawless and the rebels against Moses - Dathan and Abiron (Num. 16:31-33), by the opened earth of sin. Impatient, fickle and troublemakers, stop the evil that you are causing (228) through your thoughtlessness and pride, so that, inciting others to trouble and taking part in it yourself, you do not drown in the sea of ​​​​iniquity. Take care in everything, fix everything, do everything better forward. Jokers and murmurers, do not cause me unnecessary trouble, lest I otherwise take upon you with the rod of punishment. The Lord of love and God of all joy (2 Cor. 1:3), who has reconciled and pacified all things through His flesh, may He pacify, reward and unite you all in one mind, so that you strive and become more and more perfect until you reach the measure of the age of fulfilling Him, for to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. That we should diligently compete on the spiritual lists until our death, in order to receive crowns of righteousness from the Almighty God for this Brothers, fathers and children. Just as those competing on the lists have special faces that encourage them and anoint them with oil before they run, so I, a sinner, need to inspire you with good hopes. After all, you are truly the Lord’s competitors: you are not running over a small space and your running does not last one hour, but your lists extend from earth to heaven, and the duration of your running is the end of our entire life; So the great universal preacher Paul fled with all the saints and received for this, as he himself said, a crown of righteousness from the Lord (2 Tim. 4:7–8). Lifelong spiritual race Since we have such a competition, (229) a list and a path, where the spectators are the heights of darkness and thousands of holy Angels, where the Ruler is the Lord Himself of all, seated on the impregnable throne of His glory, where, on the other hand, there are also rivals from the party hostile to us, namely cunning and inventive demons, who in every way try to bring us down, trip us up and destroy us, then how much, I ask you, we need to be attentive, prudent 512, careful, experienced and seasoned in running, so as not to end the whole thing with just a good start! For if after this we do not rush even more quickly and courageously further, then such a beginning in itself will not bring any benefit, and victory cannot be achieved otherwise if we do not persist in the competition until our death, even if our life span drags on for a very long time. Let us compare ourselves here with those running in worldly races and in this way we will find out what difference we have with them. When one of them lags behind and is defeated, those familiar with this matter know how sad their faces become after this, their eyes are downcast, tears flow from them, they beat themselves and torment their hair, moan, scream, standing with sorrow and shame in front of the king in the middle of the lists, with folded hands, while in front of their eyes the winners, with noisy praises and greetings from all people, crown them and give them awards. Something like this will happen to us in that day. The difference between a worldly and spiritual race Those who, according to the apostle, have fought a good fight, have passed on to the end, and have kept the faith (2 Tim. 4:7), will appear in heaven before the Almighty God bright and rejoicing, will receive incorruptible and unfading crowns of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8), white, shining more than snow, more than gold and precious stones clothes and many other beautiful (230) and various decorations At the same time, a terrible and loud proclamation of them as winners will be arranged: they will be greeted and praised by the entire angelic multitude of the heavenly Forces, and this not just once, but eternally and continuously. For there will never be an end to joy or rejoicing, nor to crowning, pleasure, praise, and proclamation. The Lord has strength, the abbot has experience So what after this, brothers and fathers? Shall we not run and hasten even more? Shall we not encourage ourselves to take from the Lord strength and strength, and from the abbot the experience for a successful and stumbling-free run? Let's do this, I ask and implore you. The Word showed us a very terrible competition: for those who run courageously and win, it is indescribable in its joy and glory, but for the careless, the lazy, those who lag behind, stumble and run away from the lists, it is very harmful and dangerous: have ears to hear, said the Lord, let him hear (Matthew 11:15). Therefore, children, listen with fear, run firmly and skillfully, recognizing the demons running up and tripping us up. (231) No one can run well unless he first throws off all his clothing except the breastplate of faith. By dress here I mean not only all external property, but also various internal lusts. Further, no one can run well on the lists if his body is not tempered by moderate, but at the same time sufficient consumption of food and drink. Instead of oil, we need to anoint ourselves with perseverance and unbreakable patience; we also need to first practice and become familiar with the work: this is usually done by those who are still being tested and preparing for the holy image. If we somehow jump over the railing of the lists, then we will thereby leave the most convenient and shortest path of obedience. Finally, during the race itself, none of the runners gets into arguments with their rivals, does not slow down the running speed, does not look at them or at other spectators, but with intense attention and gaze directed forward, without looking around, he flies and tries to knock down everyone who interferes with him until he reaches the end. We need this even more so. Exhortation to Spiritual Running Therefore, I ask you: run in order, without any ill will and unrest, compete with each other with love and helping each other, apply effort to effort, zeal to zeal, courage to courage, fixing your gaze on the mountain, contemplating the heavenly, not paying attention to praise and vanity, not retreating a single step, not lowering your hands before the weight of the feat, before reprimands, scolding and punishment. And if something like this happens, get up immediately so that the dragon does not overtake and seize you, so that, by doing everything so well, piously, obediently, humbly wise, sincerely, frankly, brotherly and God-victoriously, we, at the end of our run, will be rewarded from the Lord - crowns and the reward of eternal life, at the same time getting rid of all eternal punishments and torments, this bitter and national shame, through the prayers of our All-Holy Lady Theotokos, the holy Angels, our rulers - the Forerunner and the Theologian, the entire host of martyrs, righteous and reverend, as well as our father in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. (232) The need to wisely shepherd Christ’s spiritual sheep, and the teaching about persistently and diligently improving oneself in all the demands of an ascetic life, was said on the next day of Epiphany Primate – leader for the better My brothers, fathers and children. Since we have already spiritually rejoiced and had fun on the past holy days of the holidays, it is necessary for you to take up your obediences, and for me to take up my work again - to open my humble lips for teachings. It is necessary for me to do this, firstly, because I am your primate and leader for the better, and secondly, because on the day of Judgment the Lord God will demand from me an account of each of you individually, what kind of leadership I showed, whether I really did not omit anything necessary regarding pleasing Him, whether I delivered everything that was due in word and deed. This terrifies and trembles me, because I am already afraid of the answer when interrogated by the Judge of all. For what is a servant before the Lord, nasty before the Pure, carnal before the Immaterial, subordinate before the Ruler, evil before the Good, guilty before the Innocent, ungrateful before the Benefactor? Even if the one who will need to give an answer only for himself alone becomes afraid, does not find the strength to endure the interrogation and begins to be horrified and tormented, and this, perhaps, is still a person with good deeds, then how will I, the damned one, be horrified, lost and tormented after that? At the thought of answering for my countless sins and for the leadership of each of you individually, it seems that I will literally die from fear alone. As a result of this, as I said earlier, I tremble and am beside myself with horror, and when I think better of it, (233) I begin to cry, grieve, groan and suffer, cry out in my heart and raise my eyes to the heights of heaven, asking from there, with the assistance of the prayers of our father, for help for myself, for indeed, my children, the position of abbot is dangerous and the punishments, curses and threats announced since ancient times by the lips of the prophets are terrible. They did not wisely feed their spiritual sheep. The office of superior is dangerous and the punishments are terrible. So let us all take up what is useful for everyone, arm ourselves with ardent zeal for our salvation, and let us do what is useful. Young, old and old, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit (see 2 Cor. 7:1), let us make ourselves chosen vessels (Acts 9:15), practicing holiness in the spirit, avoiding evil deeds, pride, disobedience, lust, love of the flesh, and striving, on the contrary, to acquire virtues, obedience, purity and brotherly love. Love is thieving and low Further, let us throw carnal and voluptuous habits out of our hearts, and not only from the outside, but also from our very insides - we will try not to have more love for any one brother than for another, for such love is filthy, hateful to God, it is thieving and base love, it slowly creeps in as if from a tender feeling for a brother, but in fact, it turns out, from satanic fornication. Watch your passion, beware of destruction, lest you fall into the abyss and suffer punishment both here and in the future life of eternal condemnation. You know that the devil has many intrigues and many tricks that he invents against us with such ingenuity, and no one can get rid of them except through confession (234) and trust before the abbot, through humility and obedience. Those who did not or do not follow this path, as we know, fell and are falling, and those who, on the contrary, did so, appeared to the world as radiant lights, escaped the darkness of sin and, by mortifying their lusts, drove out the devil. Whatever passion oppresses, we must fight against it So I ask you, for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to be prudent in the matter of your own salvation and to perfect yourself in every virtue. Whatever oppresses someone, he must fight against it. Whoever is bothered by envy, let him fight against envy - through hatred of earthly glory. For among us this passion usually gradually burns, consumes and destroys a person due to the desire to appear better than his neighbor in intelligence, in the art of singing from notes, in psalmody, in reading and in any other spiritual or physical talent. But since we, being members of each other, constitute one body, we will rejoice for each other, sympathize with each other, and we will consider personal successes to be common and mutual. This one sings skillfully, but you have a stronger voice; he reads well, and you understand what you read better; Some are wittier than you, but you speak more thoroughly; such and such is easy to manage affairs, but you are more capable of obedience, and the latter is many times higher than the former. For everything that is usually considered important is nothing in comparison with what is truly important. Well, what really is the art of composing tunes, or the art of singing or reading, intelligence, possession of a strong voice, the art of calligraphy, poetry in comparison with praiseworthy and all-loving humility, obedience, kindness, simplicity, gentleness, resignation, love of God, intense prayer and in comparison with other sacred virtues that anyone can acquire, even if he had a bad one? voice, even if he could not sing, even if he read poorly, (235) had a vague and unintelligible language, was young in years, cross-eyed, ugly in appearance, was he crippled? The benefit of virtue grows through spiritual progress This is how the Good God made the good of virtue easy and conveniently attainable, which is sown, grows and ripens not through physical advantages, but through spiritual success. Taking all this into account, let us remain what we represent, rejoicing in each other’s talents, uniting and agreeing with each other for our life according to God. For look, my children, our number is increasing, therefore it is necessary that everything be in order, and if anyone even slightly disturbs the order, then the whole structure of our brotherhood will tremble and waver, losing all its ornament of virtue, as happens with other, worldly, unions, for, in fact, if the government of a kingdom or a house is not conducted properly, so that every official or member of the house at all times and with all measures fulfills his matter, there will be neither kingdom nor house. The same can be said when applied to the choir, society and other unions. The importance of maintaining order and rank After this, for us, who have gathered together in the name of the Lord and are included in the list of the angelic army, all the more necessary and useful is the benefit of orderly order, that is, that you, without noise and confusion, sing, and pray, and stand, and walk, and sit, and get up, go to bed, rise, descend, ascend, remain silent, talk, eat, drink, enter, leave, ask, answer, converge, disperse, asked, gave, served, received services, laid, took, dressed, undressed, put on shoes, took off shoes, as all this is done by you every day. When decorum, combined with divine fear, reigns, then a calm brotherhood is like (236) the sea, which, although it moves and stirs, is in soft waves, since it is swayed by the Holy Spirit, and when, on the contrary, due to inattention, any disorder arises, it begins to rage and seethe, as if a strong wind blew and a storm broke out - it then raises and breeds vile, disgusting and destructive things. the shuttle of our soul is anxiety. The crush at Holy Communion: not sanctification, but condemnation Doesn’t this actually happen to us in those cases when we begin to worry and are moved by jokes due to uncontrollability, clashes, and jostling? Let's take the following examples: what happened to you during the teaching of the Shrine ( της ευλογίας των αγιασμάτων [Communion] or when leaving the meal? In the first case, you almost crushed the youth - a little more, he would have died completely. Four taxiarchs, grabbing each other by the hands, with great effort, pushing away the crowd and resisting, they could hardly withstand your disorderly pressure, which can only be seen among the laity. Didn’t I, the accursed one, give communion to everyone with my own hands? Didn’t the one who received communion receive more sanctification and blessing than others? On the contrary, he did not show respect for the gift; consecration of a peacemaking mood. It’s the same at the meal: won’t we all come out of it in the end, will the one who jumped out in front be sanctified with his agility? On the contrary, due to the indignation of the brethren, instead of benefit, he acquired harm. There is no need to do this, children and brothers. In contrast to this, I ask and pray you, try to understand what the will of God is, that it should not only be good, but also acceptable and perfect (Rom. 12:2), carried out for the perfection of many. I am telling you all this not for the purpose of reproach, but for the purpose of exhortation, so that we may henceforth live cautiously - only (237) in order to avoid repeating such actions in the future, I remember the old and already past. The Lord Jesus Christ also observed the order of earthly life The Lord of the world and the God of all comfort, keeping everything in order - heavenly and earthly, who wanted to come down to earth for the salvation of the human race and did not immediately appear directly in the form of a perfect man, but according to the law and in the sequence of the order to which we are subject, having passed through all ages, starting from infancy - circumcised for eight days, received by Simeon for forty days in the church, where He was brought according to legal custom, then sat for twelve years with the priests and scribes, when He, having read in the book, folded it and gave it to the servant (Lk. 4:20), then, finally, for thirty years He was pleased to be baptized, granting us the rebirth of adoption 513 - may He give you strength and strength for every good deed and intention, for all decorum and like-mindedness, for all peace and quietness, in sincere love for each other, so that on the day of His revelation, together with all the saints who have pleased Him from the ages, we will all find ourselves together as His holy choir, sanctified people, the illuminated tabernacle, for to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About beingware of bad solitude together and shamelessness, and also about patiently enduring the cramped conditions of ascetic life in the hope of space and enjoyment from eternal blessings Duty of teaching for the abbot My fathers, brothers and children. How sweet it is for me to talk with you and see you, especially when the day of the announcement comes and when I see how you all fix your gaze on me, the humble one! (238) Although I am deprived of the gift of speech, which would be required in my place - I am poor in spirit and body - but just because I am fulfilling with my catechumens the custom of our holy fathers, I rejoice, rejoice and give thanks to the Lord for what He has done for you, the humble one. And that even with careful execution of the work of the announcement we have troubles, as recently, this is not surprising, since among our fathers, where the light shone more than the rays of the sun and where there was a whole spring of teachings, and sometimes similar examples happened - whoever has read about this knows. So what follows from all this? Yes, so that I, in constant concern for you, tirelessly show you what is necessary in deed and word, instruct, call, exhort, affirm, punish, be merciful to you, threaten, promise, both in relation to each individual and to everyone in general, so that with the help of God and with the assistance of the prayers of our father, I can attract you with frequent exhortations to what is righteous and saving. This is my business, this is where my zeal is directed, this is my life and concern! That is why my recent indignation against you stemmed not from a feeling of hatred, not from angry irritation and not from the consciousness of my unlimited power, no, but - although this is beyond me - from my excessive care and from my tender fatherly love for you. For noticing that some people had formed a bad alliance and were preparing an uprising against God’s society, I stood up, rushed and hastened to extinguish the fire that had been planted by the cunning serpent, so that from a small satanic spark a huge flame of disorder would not rise, which could devour everyone in an instant. That's how things were then for us. Then I subjected both the guilty and the innocent to penance and censure. The first in order to turn them away from arrogance and conceit with reproofs and reproaches and strengthen them in a modest opinion of themselves, (239) the second in order to frighten them with an example of evil, to strengthen them, so that due to inexperience they would not fall into the same offense. So from now on, I ask and pray, beware of all secret conversations, proud self-will, harmful investigation and violation of rules, obeying the instructions and rules handed down to us from our holy fathers, for what has been determined and decreed by me was not established haphazardly and without any order, but was formed from ancient times, on the basis of enormous experience, with labor and effort, in order to show the truth of our angelic life and to expose those who differ with us regarding the direct commandments of the Lord. What is the tightness of ascetic life? So, carry on your good purchase and continue your path in the Lord, anointing yourself with the oil of perseverance and patience and enduring the cramped conditions of an ascetic life, for which you are prepared with room to enjoy eternal blessings. What kind of tightness is this? In general, everything that you do every day - vigils, psalmody, bodily work, eating in small quantities of food and drink, various changes and transfers from one obedience to another, then everything that you have to endure in the requirements regarding standing, decorum, gait, clothing, shoes, head covering, as well as from constraints, deprivations, preferences, inattention, etc., for from each such task you suffer and, thus Thus, suffer day and night. And that this is true, many saints testify, and first of all, and also together with everyone, the great and divine Basil, when he defines obedience as a martyrdom state 514. But what benefit do we get from all this? What will be our reward for this? Those who obey only their own minds fall Unfading crowns of righteousness, the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven, adoption 515, incorruption and every other blessing you can think of. In view of such promises, my children, (240) continue to endure the feat of our life that is set before you. Do not be afraid that falls happen to others (for they fall like leaves from a tree, obeying only their own mind), do not go against the fear of God and do not relax from the hardships and sorrows that happen to you because of your life according to God. After all, if we do not experience sorrow, then on that day we will not rejoice; If we do not endure sorrows and disasters here, then we will not rejoice and will not receive a good life in the next century. One can say even more: due to the fact that now we are experiencing sorrows, sorrows, misfortunes and oppression, we will even rejoice especially for this, for this is an undoubted sign that in the next century good things will certainly shine upon us for bitter things, for poverty - wealth, for lack of acquisitiveness - the possession of heavenly treasures, for bodily exhaustion - spiritual pleasures, for leaving the world - praise by the Lord in the day retribution. A Sure Sign of Rejoicing in the Age to Come And how great it will be: come, blessed ones of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34)! Therefore, if we even had to die every day for the love of Christ, let us do this too, surrender ourselves to be cut, burned, scraped - like holy martyrs, we will endure all the torments. After all, they didn’t do anything special and they needed to show not any other feat and aspiration compared to us, but the same ones that we showed. Similarities between holy martyrs and monks For by nature we are all one, we are all God’s creations and were sent into this world for one purpose, namely to glorify God by observing His holy commandments. If cutting off members, shedding blood and suffering from tyrants are not the lot of everyone, we, as has already been said, (241) will accomplish our martyrdom of obedience through our high life, suffering torture in another way. By shedding invisibly blood and being spiritually deprived of severed members, may we, together with the holy martyrs, enjoy eternal blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. About the earthquake that happened and the end of the world, as well as an admonition about zeal and diligence in fulfilling the commandments of God Why and why does an earthquake happen? My brothers, fathers and children. Yesterday we had to experience the fright of an earthquake. Therefore, today we have nothing to talk about anything else. We have a subject of conversation: why and why this phenomenon occurs. Various Hellenic sages explain it differently - sometimes by the properties of the earth, sometimes by the silence of the wind and in other unreasonable ways, without achieving the slightest fraction of the truth. For us, the words of the divine David are indisputable: look upon the earth and make it shake, touch the mountains, and make them smoke (Ps. 103:32). Just as a master makes him tremble with a stern look at a slave, so the true Lord and Creator of everything, Whom everything serves, when He wants to show His indignation at us for our sins, then, turning with severity the all-supervising eye of His power on the creation, makes it tremble, so that we, fearful and shuddering, like slaves overcome by wrath, come to reason and turn to His fulfillment commands. Resurrection and Last Judgment So look, my children, how terrible is His power, what is the revelation of His indignation, what is the wrath of His wrath (Ps. 85:4). And if the current earthquake is like this, then what will it be like at the end of everything, according to the word of the prophet: with one more I will shake heaven and earth, and sea, and dry land... says the Lord (Ag. 2:6, 7). What horror will then be found, what trembling will arise, (242) when the shaken earth will give up all those who have died from time immemorial, when bone will unite with bone and flesh and veins will grow on them (see Ezek. 37: 7-8) and bodies will again be animated and rise up; when the sky, with the sound and thunder of the Archangel trumpet to all earthly inhabitants, rolled up like a scroll (see Rev. 6:16), will cast off its stars and extinguish its luminaries; when our God Himself appears, and before Him there are thousands of thousands of Angels and Archangels and all the highest Powers; when thrones are set up and the impartial Judge and Ruler sits on His judgment seat, judging and deciding all naked and declared (Heb. 4:13) and examining our intentions, deeds and words; when, at the end of all this, in the blink of an eye, a great and terrible decree will be heard, calling the righteous into the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal life, and sending the sinners into total fire, to a poisonous worm, into hopeless darkness, into the huge abyss of the mouth of hell, into tartarus of unbearable cold and all the most terrible torments! Who, brothers, can bear all this? Who will endure such terrible and extraordinary phenomena? Who can endure the horror and amazement at the sight of the heavens being torn apart, the earth opening up, and also at the contemplation of many Angels and the Lord Himself coming on the clouds (Luke 21:27) to judge the whole earth? Lamps of purity and oil of love And all this is not far away, the expected is near, the Judge is coming, He is already at the door: behold, it is said, the Bridegroom is coming, come out to meet Him (Matthew 25:6). If you have lamps of purity burning (243) and there is enough oil of compassion and love, then this is good: then we will joyfully meet [Him] and enter with Him into His chamber. If we don’t have this, then when we knock on the door, we will be driven away from it because we were careless, dozed off, overslept and were unprepared. An Exhortation to Spiritual Awakening and Vigor Therefore, to prevent this from happening to us, those of us who are sleeping, let us awaken from the sleep of laziness; whoever is negligent, let us rise from enervating despondency; whoever gets drunk, let us sober up from the hangover caused by vanity of thoughts; whoever pollutes his soul with obscene lusts, let us cleanse him of this; Whose heart is shaken by double-mindedness, fickleness of thoughts and love of flesh, let us strengthen him with the strength of faith; whoever runs successfully, we will tirelessly run even further; those who stumbled and fell, let us rise with the help of zealous repentance; insensitive, numb and petrified, let us rush to fulfill the commandments; whoever loves to look at worldly shows and amusements, let us look at heaven; petrified and motionless for good, let us squeeze a tear of contrition from a hardened heart; shining with light, let us be even more enlightened; clean, we will still be clean; cheerful, we will continue to be the same; whoever loves virtue, let us continue to love it; hardworking, we will continue to work; zealous, let us maintain our zeal and show it in action; humble-wise, let us rise even higher through holy humility; brotherly lovers, let us inflame even more spiritual and pure love for each other; observers of work, obedience and decorum, without irritability and partiality, let us take on our concerns more diligently, as luminaries, eyes and rules for the brethren; obedient and submissive, as sons of light and children of the world, let us further strengthen our unquestioning obedience, uncomplaining readiness for any task, ease in changing obediences, hard work; priests and deacons, (244) both outside the altar and before the altar, when you do not pray and when you pray, appear before the Almighty Lord with Angels and Archangels; young people, improve yourself by throwing away the uncontrollability of desires; body lovers and sensualists, warming up divine love in yourself, refrain from shamelessness and looking at others; whoever has bodily strength for fasting and vigil, do not neglect your gift, which the Lord gave you for your salvation and for motivating others who are lazy; self-indulgent people who love to drink and strive to take first places, understand the futility of your desires and love the desire to enjoy the Lord and His words; whoever has succeeded in the work of the Lord, do not seek rest, as if you were already tired and have done everything, for destruction comes unexpectedly and a whole life is not enough for exploits; who study the law of the Lord day and night (Ps. 1:2), also take care of the divine night and day praises, standing and vigils; whoever roars during worship like foolish animals, open your mouth, strain your spirit, sing to the Lord intelligently (see Ps. 47:8). A lifetime is not enough for achievements And in general, do everything well, set yourself up well, constantly keep concern in yourself, run, be jealous, be inspired, beware, maintain peace yourself, and encourage others to do all this, rising like a flame, Divine zeal, like a sword, sharpening yourself against the enemy dragon, like a knife, ready for any punishment for the commandments of God, and thus keeping and preserving yourself, serve God, surprise the Angels, amaze people with your competition in the feat of our reverend fathers. Surprise the Angels, amaze the people (245) For what truly wise merchants (see Matt. 13:45-46) they turned out to be and acquired worthy acquisitions, when they did not love the world or the flesh, did not desire corruption, did not become attached to this life, but, having worked a little, suffered a little (for even a ninety-year life here is nothing compared to eternity), they received eternal life, achieved indescribable joy, immortality and the Kingdom of Heaven! I believe that you, patiently fulfilling your martyrdom, will participate and enjoy this together with all the saints in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About love for the abbot, as well as about patience and firmness, so that we do not cover with shame what we have already done in our angelic form My brothers, fathers and children. I fell silent for a while to let the difficult times pass. But since now we have returned to the same order and we are again continuing our usual life, it is necessary for me to get back to my usual business. Oh, if only I had such the power of words that I would be able to instruct you and at the same time also rally and unite you in the Holy Spirit and inspire your souls with the desire to strive for good! But since I myself am insignificant, my teachings are also insignificant; I am meager, so I speak only meager announcements. For the sake of the attention with which you listen to me, may the Lord, for the glory of His greatness, reveal something useful from me, who is worthless. First of all, I want to say that I am not, far from being worthy of your sincere love and true devotion to me, a sinner, free from all doubts. (246) For during the persecution 516 you did not turn out to be worthless, hypocritical and false children, but, as true children of God, you chose to endure everything for my sake, so as not to break your vow before God. If some slipped and were expelled, then this is not at all surprising to you, since the devil was found among the Angels, and Judas was found among the Apostles. I’m not even talking about those sixty brothers who, having agreed, rebelled against the great and divine Savva 517. Rev. Theodore: “Everything bad said about me will be true, except for one thing.” In view of this, what can I say that would be worthy of you? What praise can I add to your fame? You appeared in the world above the world - lovers of your father, lovers of God, unanimous, like-minded; you have shown that you are not afraid of anything, but maintain only fear, namely, in order to fear God and, as a result, fulfill your vows. And what came of it? The world was amazed at you, you were glorified in heaven, pious people praised you. Indeed, then everyone saw the height of the angelic and monastic image, they were amazed at your unshakable firmness, supported by the close bond of your love. After all, such a movement arose that almost everywhere even the sky and the sea cried out, and yet you did not retreat at all before them, but remained firm, so that the authorities themselves were stunned by your behavior, like a log. All this is happening only now, after the end of the turmoil, and here on earth. But not long later, the last day and the impartial Judgment will come, when our Lord Jesus Christ will appear: He will give you the full reward for how you remained faithful and how you labored in past events. In these short words, I wanted to express my gratitude to you and deflect the reproach from myself: I wrote all this not in order to boast about my or your exploits. The harmfulness of self-will and self-indulgence After all, I am only earth and dust and everything else, as all sorts of people usually call me. I don’t have time to list all these nicknames. But in general, (247) whatever bad they say about me, everything will be true, except for one thing, namely, I am not a heretic 518. Therefore, I allow anyone to say anything about me, but I just pay attention to myself and take care of myself, guiding myself according to the commandment: from here I know what I need to do and how far I have moved away from it. A strict attitude towards myself and my life, as our holy fathers teach, will bring me more benefit than various reviews of me from people. Secondly, I remind you that we should not now disgrace our previous exploits in any way, but as we began, we will continue what is necessary and virtuous - we will add light to light, move from glory to glory. And this is done through a common virtuous life among us, so that we acquire humility, acquire obedience, show love, meekness, avoid self-will, self-indulgence, because from this arises death, bad deeds, the desire for primacy and glory, for this a quick death is laid down, and thanks to this, everyone who has fallen from the beginning of the world and hitherto has fallen in this feat of obedience. For the martyrdom of obedience the crown of righteousness So, having cleared yourself of the tares, thorns and thorns, now bear abundant fruit, live well both in your personal life and among yourself, without assimilating any thoughts of those people who slipped, so that you do not suffer the same thing. Be completely sincere, pure, endure insults, humiliation, reproach, internecine struggle, abstinence, demands for patience (because this is the martyrdom of obedience). Those who endure this will receive the crown of righteousness, because if it turns out to be necessary, they will not falter even in more difficult feats: he who is faithful in a little, it is said, is also faithful in much (Luke 16:10). And those who are unstable in small things, clearly, will not be able to even touch the most difficult feats with the tip of their finger. Therefore, as already kindled by the love of Christ (248) and strengthened, on the other hand, by disasters and dangers, endure courageously everything that happens to us every day - let us turn to that truly golden way of life of our holy fathers, where there is no disobedience, pride, bickering, insults, unrest and which is a peaceful and somehow angelic state, calmed from above by the Holy Spirit. You know that what I am talking about is true and good, and if it is good, then it is desirable, and if it is desirable, then why don’t we achieve it? Why don't we love him? Why don't we cling to him with all our might? Why should we appear alien to what we praise and marvel at? Reasonable people do not do this, but only fools, or rather people completely devoid of any reason. If I ask you: “Which of you is wise and prudent?” - then you must answer me: “Everything”; to the question: “Who keeps the commandments of the Lord?” – no one should respond with silence. If this is the case for us, then we are blessed. If only we, all saints, could accomplish this entire feat! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the prayers of our father, affirms, guides and directs us from now on to every good deed in Christ Himself, our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. That the path to virtue is uneven and steep, but to evil, on the contrary, it is comfortable and sloping, and as a result of this we need to strive and strive to reach the pinnacle of virtue, in order to thus come to eternal rest A path from earth to sky Brothers and fathers. As a rule, words lead to actions and searches lead to a discovery, so that whenever I make a pronouncement, it does not remain without benefit. But for thoughtful people, one circumstance is curious here, namely: when someone once or twice says something shameful, bad, related to sin, how immediately he seduces himself and his listeners (249) into lawless deeds and almost in an instant makes them captives of sin. Regarding virtue, even if you repeat something saving a thousand times, you can hardly attract the soul to sympathy with piety. Good for human nature is as difficult as a steep and uneven path; evil, on the contrary, is like a smooth path leading downhill 519. Imagine such a path from earth to sky. What effort is required and how many difficulties we need to overcome in order to rise to its very top! And how, on the contrary, it is easy to descend to the very depths of the earth. Therefore, if we want to ascend and not descend, we need to mutually take care of ourselves, lead each other by the hand, inspire each other, talk and remind each other not about earthly and insignificant matters, but about the heavenly and eternal, for the soul will follow the words. And just as if someone, rising upward, decides to look down, then his eyes will become dim, the same thing happens to those who live in virtue, when they turn their spiritual eye to the sweets of life. But looking up 520 where our head is Christ, where our treasure is eternal life, on the contrary, is always pleasant and useful. The soul will follow the words In view of all this, my children, let us in no way become weak in ascending, just as let us not become weary in looking at grief. For in order to reach the end, our strength is not enough; this is possible only with God’s help and intercession. And now we have already moved upward, succeeded and are, each according to our zeal, at one or another degree of virtue, since we differ from each other in our mental states more than in the features of our appearance: one is more zealous than the other - he loves humility and obedience; this one is distinguished by the gift of love for his neighbor; that one - by diligence in caring for his other brothers in the positions of dean or supervisor of bodily work, (250) or in charge of the distribution of necessary things, namely, in the obediences of a steward, cellarer, refector, shoemaker, manager of clothing, etc. But everyone follows the path of the Lord equally, and He Himself prepares incorruptible crowns for everyone. Only we ourselves, for our part, will bear a little and endure a little labor, effort, the imposition of work on us, vigils, fasting, psalmody, cold, torment from light, rough and worthless clothing. For, brethren, the Lord is my witness, it is not easy for me to see these troubles of yours; on the contrary, I grieve and suffer for the needs of each brother and, as far as is possible for me, I make every effort to provide you with everything you need. But you yourself see that dressing, putting on shoes and satisfying so many people is not an easy or simple matter, and I myself do not always have the means for this, just as the distribution managers are not always in this position either. In addition, we promised to endure hunger, and thirst, and nakedness, and poverty for the sake of the love of Christ, because of which the divine apostle himself lived in hunger and thirst and nakedness (2 Cor. 11:27) and among other adversities. It’s the same with all the saints: they went through it, it is said, in clothing and in snares, deprivation, sorrow, embitterment, wandering in the deserts and in the mountains and in dens and in the abysses of the earth (Heb. 11:37-38). Differences in mental states and talents If they had to live like this, then how can we receive the same honor as them if we live differently, if we take a different direction in life? No, there is no way this will happen. But if someone notices that he has any of the listed virtues, for example, he endures cold, hunger, thirst, reproach, contempt, then let him rejoice for himself that he has reached the degree of holiness. Perhaps such a person does not need and is not worthy of being cared for by his other brother, either because his previous life was more severe, or because he has better health, or, finally, because this comes to him as punishment for past or present sins. (251) This is how everyone should look at the matter and accept with gratitude everything that the rulers give out from God, so that there will never be a murmur or slander against the giver, except for a kind and reverent statement in the event that there is any need. And if we, brothers, do this constantly, then we will be blessed and will achieve peace where there is no labor, exhaustion, sadness and worries, but where there is only joy, gladness, rejoicing in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. About caring for spiritual sheep, about the flight of our brothers and about caution in our life according to God Brothers and fathers. Can a helmsman remain calm when he is at sea, steering his ship to the wind, or a good shepherd when he feels that wild animals are watching his flock in order to steal his sheep? In no way, but both of them behave attentively and carefully, run, hurry, do not sleep, watch and look at this or that, in order to save one his ship from a storm, and the other his herd from theft. The primate of souls and the superior of spiritual sheep has to do the same, only he strives incomparably more, his power relates to a more important subject, and his concern is with the danger and salvation of much more valuable things 521. That is why I, the humble one, looking, on the one hand, at my unworthiness, and on the other, at the greatness of the abbot’s rank, the difficulty of presiding over the work, am afraid, trembling, sighing and grieving, for governing souls and leading such a multitude of people, where every day (252) so many all sorts of visible and invisible temptations happen and arise, as you yourself understand and without our explanations, is not an easy task. In fact, when the constantly blowing spirits of malice, through less intelligent, careless and lazy members, stir up unrest among the brotherhood, then in this case, doesn’t the matter become like a sea swell or a storm breaking out? Isn’t it, again, when one or two of our brothers run away, as happened three days ago with the unfortunate Silas and Petronius, then it’s not like a flock when wild animals rush into it and carry away the sheep? Oh, if only they were carried away by real bloodthirsty beasts, but not the destroyer of souls, the devil, who snatched them from our midst and, leading them astray from the right path and arousing their passions, spiritually devours them. However, he knocked them down and kidnapped them again before. And God’s love for mankind, which confirmed them and returned them back to their flock, did not soften them, they now ran away again, seized by self-will, torn to pieces, stealing their souls and clothes, declaring with their actions to God (although this is bold to say): we do not want Your ways (Job. 21:14), or as if God, who accepted their vows and is coming to judge everything, does not even exist at all, according to the words: the fool says in his heart: there is no God (Ps. 13:1). This is what they did, so they ran away from the brotherhood, so they trampled on the divine agreement, so they renounced everything that they had agreed to before the terrible throne of God, so that they could endure and accept everything in word and deed until the shedding of blood and death. Woe, woe! How can I, the unfortunate one, not cry? How can I, a bad shepherd, not grieve, how can I not lament their misfortune and fall? Whoever loses even a foolish sheep, grieves, becomes despondent, lowers his head, how can I, pathetic one, be indifferent to the dead after this? (253) But besides the fact that my sins are to blame for this, this happened to them, as was said, also due to their own insensibility, coarseness of heart, lack of fear of God in them and [due to] contempt for God. After all, did they really sing from the heart: I have endured the Lord, and listened to me and heard my prayer (Ps. 39:2), singing along with this: who will separate us from the love of God: tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or trouble, or the sword? But they didn’t say or do anything like that, they just thought about bad things in their hearts all day and, moving their lips, whispered sly thoughts to each other. They worked and hypocritically, with an oath, assured of their trustworthiness, but could not stand their pretense, began to complain, commit offenses and gradually, by their negligence, were drawn into the ditch of apostasy. For when someone begins to reluctantly get up to work, becomes obstinate in obedience, does not submit, hides in corners and with the help of the devil (for the ruler of this world fulfills the desires of those who obey him) finds a convenient place and time for escape, then, having reached such a state, he not only flees himself, but also makes some other brother of his his co-apostate. The machinations of the devil and weapons against them - confession Woe, woe! What's happening, what's being done! How does the devil defeat us? How do we dishonor our guardians, the holy Angels? How do we take the side of our opponent and turn our backs on our great God, Who through the cross and death gave Himself as a deliverance for us? How will we look into His eyes? How can we bear His wrath? It is impossible to imagine such a punishment for our sin that would completely condemn our contempt for Him, which would plunge us, vile, bestial, godless and filthy, into eternal torment 522. (254) Others behave like confessors 523, but we have the fall of apostates. Others ascend to heaven, but we are brought down to the underworld of the earth. Others work in their hearts to ascend along the path of virtues (see Ps. 83:6), but we set the descent for our destruction. Surely we, at least later, will not become sober, will not feel and will not say prophetic words: our heart has been attracted (Song. 4:9)? Yes, I ask you, let us hasten, let us hasten, we will strive, we will strive, we will pray for the conversion of the lost and at the same time we ourselves will avoid what they were caught in, and, on the contrary, show what is divine and holy, namely obedience without reasoning, intensity in work, submission in humility; Let us reveal all our actions and words in confession: as soon as the devil begins to arouse destructive thoughts in us, begins to arouse in us the desire for pleasure, or encourages us to flee, or entices us to despondency, or pulls us into impatience, or entices us into distrust, we will immediately, from the very beginning, forbid him: follow Me, Satan (Matthew 16:23). He constantly ambushes, sets traps, traps, digs holes, sets bait and traps. He does not sleep, he has no concern for food, drink or anything else, 524 and day and night he constantly thinks about only one thing, namely, about destroying our souls. The first and only remedy against it is to strengthen oneself through confession along with God’s help and intercession. In view of this, no matter how strong the lawless one is, no matter how cunning he is in his evil inventions, even if he is by nature evil incarnate and even if he is occupied only with our destruction, we still will not lose heart and lose heart. Let's not be afraid of him. From the time that Christ our God took on our flesh and became man, (255) he has been weakened and humiliated: we sing to the enemy, having run short of weapons to the end (Ps. 9:7). Having defeated him, the Lord gave us the power to step on his head (Luke 10:19). Encouraged by faith, let us consider him a sparrow (Job 40:24), a creeping thing, which all trample under foot in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About the fact that we need to remember what we represent, as a result of what and what we have become and where we will go, so that, thus, having ended a good life, we can receive eternal rewards Brothers and fathers. I see and notice that I have no other way to benefit you except by preaching about our salvation and doing this almost hourly and daily, for our soul, convicted in this way and, as if with a whip, lashed by reproofs, runs away from communication with passions and seeks the path of truth, where it is impossible to get lost. But here we are faced with one amazing phenomenon - a true miracle! 525 Namely, despite the fact that I do not speak, but, on the contrary, I remain silent and restrain myself in every possible way from speaking about bad things, through the cunning of the enemy, we still think about it and are blinded by passions. As for virtue, although we are tormented and tormented by constant announcements, we pay the most insignificant attention to this, and even then only during the teaching, and when it is over or an hour or a day has passed, we again forget the teaching of piety, as if we had never heard anything: the evil one, as it were, steals poorly sown useful words, and in their place throws in the tares of sin. Oh, how worthless we are! How our very pitiful nature is strongly disposed towards others! So what should we, brothers, do in view of this? (256) Yes, just constantly work with your tongue, open your mouth, talk about everything, discuss what is necessary and what is appropriate, so that our soul, prompted by frequent announcements, can somehow get rid of the evil temptations of the devil. Therefore, now, I ask you, let us listen to the teaching, accept the admonition, look, examine and understand what we are, why we exist, where we are and where we will go again. The purpose for which humans were created So, we are God’s creations, the work of His hands, creatures in the image and likeness of the Creator (Gen. 1:26–27). In our hands is dominion over everything under heaven, for everything, it is said, has been put under our feet (Ps. 8:7). We are second after the Angels in the ranks of creation, because they are of the first nature. Why were we created? For the purpose of serving, like the Angels, for the glory of His power by observing His commandments in everything, for we, as it is said again, are only a little lower than the Angels (Ps. 8:6), and when over time, having cast off corruption, we move into incorruption, we will not be diminished in anything. Where are we now? In the place of exile, in the darkest dwelling, and this is due to the recklessness, disobedience and voluptuousness of our ancestor, which befell us, his descendants; We need to cry about this, grieve, be despondent, grieve, following the example of those who suffered a similar fate from the local kings, imagining where, from what luxurious surroundings, from what angelic life, from what blissful heavenly pleasure we fell and how then we were commanded for insulting the good Master to subsequently appear before Him and give Him an account of our life in exile. Where will we go? To the next world, to the blessed angelic life, to bright rejoicing, to the non-evening life, to the terrible and universal Judgment, where the Judge and God of all, (257) seated on the throne of His glory, in the blink of an eye will judge everything, reward everyone according to his deeds, namely: to those who keep His commandments - standing at the right hand, inexpressible joy, enjoyment of eternal blessings, the Kingdom of Heaven and everything else to which the human mind cannot even come close, and for those who disobeyed Him and, due to laziness, lust and insensibility, committed bad deeds - adultery, fornication, theft, envy, murder, debauchery, depravity, lawlessness, renunciation, pride, vanity and other types of evil, He will assign eternal punishments: pitch fire, poisonous worm, hopeless darkness, gloom, tartarus, the mouth of hell, gnashing of teeth, screams, screams with beating on one's chest, in general, to each according to his sins. Who after this will not judge the matter sensibly, who will not force him to be stricter than his nature and will not courageously endure all adversities, even if it were necessary to die for good, so that only on that day he may shine like the sun, be among the saints, in the ranks of the Angels, in the joy of martyrs, in pleasure along with the prophets and apostles. But woe if, because of fleeting carnal pleasure, because of a lazy heart, because of love for the world, because of insignificant, vile and worthless things, instead of the right side you have to experience a pitiful fate - turn to the left, end up in mournful exile, in irrevocable exile, in endless punishment, in insoluble fetters, where you can only exclaim “alas!” There is no repentance or mercy in hell Woe to the one who gets there, for there is no return from there, there is no repentance, there is no love for mankind, there it is impossible to influence with eloquence either on God, or on the Angels, or on the saints, there is no mercy, no condescension, no weakening of eternal endless torment. Thus, children, everyone should think, no matter who he is - both those who are considered to be running successfully, and those who are sitting with folded arms, and the cheerful, and the despondent, and the first, and the last, and the zealous, and the indifferent, and the rich, and the poor in virtues, and (258) in general, every internal and external person, every tribe and language. Let's take care, set ourselves up well, rush, hasten, act, reject passions like dirt, stretch out our hands to the saving God, set ourselves the task of dying every day, shedding blood, losing members, enduring scraped flesh, broken bones and not paying attention to the fact that we are deprived of food or wine, fine clothes, beautifully made shoes, honor, the highest place and title, which is ridiculous even to talk about in comparison with what is destined for us - so that after a wonderful, reasonable life here, after we, according to our vow, carefully check our obedience, humility, keep our promises faithfully, immutably, without renunciation, we will joyfully leave this prison, boldly and with good hope go in order to receive the eternal rewards promised to us, which may our Lord Jesus Christ lead us to achieve with His grace and love for mankind, with To Him be glory, honor, power to the Father with the All-Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About the fact that for those running on the lists of martyrdom obedience it is appropriate for the abbot to do everything that brings them to courage, so that, having won victory over their enemies, they receive crowns from the Hero of God True fighters and athletes of Christ My brothers and fathers. Those who compete in the lists, as you know, have special persons who prepare them for the competition, show them where and how best to meet and dodge the enemy, and by various means arouse in them the zeal to achieve victory. In the same way, I, a sinner, can (259) for you, true fighters and athletes of Christ, say and do everything that gives you encouragement, courage, inspiration, patience, courage, experience for our greatest competition, so that, having won victory over our enemies, we may receive from our Master of the competition God, not temporary, but eternal crowns. Let us consider how they prepare themselves for competitions, in order to draw conclusions for ourselves from their example. So, when the time comes for competitions, and even much earlier than that time, they spend their time and do not live at random, but perform various body movements, jumps, organize experimental competitions, observe strict order in their lifestyle and improve themselves with all kinds of training, so that they abstain from all kinds of activities and food unsuitable for their purpose, eating only what gives their body nutrition and complete health. The devil is experienced and knowledgeable At this time, as they say, they constantly, day and night, do not have any other conversations about anything extraneous, but only about who their enemy is, how they will rush, when they will rush from the barrier, where they will turn or who will knock down whom. And this kind of competition is considered something great among them. Why? Yes, in order to receive perishable wreaths for victory, temporary rewards and the shame of the opponents they defeated to bring pleasure to the audience and their fans. The need to prepare yourself for spiritual warfare If this is the case with them and if those watching them and their fans do a lot of exercises with them and discuss all the little details of the struggle, then imagine how much more necessary it is for you and me to exercise, try, discuss, investigate, care, watch and stay awake in every possible way. (260) After all, our rival and adversary, our enemy is far from lacking in experience, awareness and perseverance; on the contrary, he diligently and incomprehensibly tries where it would be more convenient for him to strike, from where to meet, from which side it would be better to repel the blow, how to more deftly make an attack, how to shoot an arrow, set an ambush, substitute his foot, push and throw to the ground a humble and fighter of piety monk. In view of all this, is our competition of little importance? Is there really a lot of care and diligence required here? Isn’t it rather necessary here to raise your hands to heaven and say: look, O Lord, from your holy habitation, raise up your power, and come to save us (Ps. 79:3). The Lord will never allow a champion of virtue to weaken We need a lot of constant care and zeal here; it is required of us that with humility and contrition, as well as with hope, with firm spiritual courage, sincere faith and tested obedience, we set our task and direct our calculations to nothing other than this matter, in order to thus confuse and repel the enemy. The Lord will never allow a fighter of virtue to weaken, if only he asks Him to be his helper: my heart trusts in Him, and help me, and prosper my flesh (Ps. 27:7). And if God is a helper, then who will be able to resist him, who will have enough strength to overthrow him? No one has. Even if a thousand or ten thousand enemies rose up against him, such a person would not be afraid of them, for in the name of the Lord he would repel them and scatter them. Although it takes a long time to run (for it sometimes drags on for many, many years), but during all this time the hope for God’s help and the pleasure of victory is never lost. There, on the worldly lists, the winners receive wreaths, rejoice and have fun on the same day when they compete, but their joy does not last very long, but only for a certain period, and after that they again do not remain as winners. Distinction between worldly and spiritual competitions This is not the case with the rewards destined for us. If anyone achieves victory here, then he is blessed, blessed and blessed, for since he will be crowned with imperishable crowns, then he will have eternal joy, gladness, glory, splendor - not before (261) the small lists with its crowd of temporary and soon disappearing spectators, but before the Last Judgment, where all the angelic ranks will be present and where there will be indescribable fear and trembling, since there will begin to be revealed words and deeds: the trumpet will sound and announce everything, the sky will curl up, the earth will shake, the stars will fall, all the elements will change, a fiery river will break out with force and flow, poisonous worms will swarm and rush to devour the flesh of sinners, the darkest and narrowest vents will open to receive the condemned, shackles will be prepared to exhaust the veins, bones and brains. And why list in detail all the misfortunes of sinners and the joy and joy of the righteous? Woe to those condemned at the Judgment: cruel loss and pathetic deception Woe then, real woe, will be the vanquished, for he will be spat upon and abused by the angelic regiments; he will stand sad and despondent, with downcast eyes, not daring to raise his eyes because of his foolishness and recklessness. Then, in chains, with beatings, he, along with the demons who deceived him, will be given over to the harsh Angels and he will be taken to the destruction of the flesh, which lived badly, to the burning of the soul, which did not obey well - and the torment into which he will be plunged will be endless. What benefit did he derive from the fact that until the very end of his life he fulfilled ordinary human lusts, that he enjoyed ordinary pleasures and temptations? Indeed, he suffered a cruel loss, a pitiful deception befell him: he received an obol, but lost countless talents of gold; he sold his property for one copper drachma, and instead bought eternal torment; he preferred one-day or, rather, one-hour pleasure, but lost the eternal Kingdom; (262) like a pitiful person, he did what only arouses pity, vile - he did vile things. It would be better for him to be numbered among the beasts than, being reasonable, to be subjected to endless torment. But let’s now look at the fighter of Christ (about αγωνιστής του Χρίστου), who, having reasoned wisely, sold all his wishes and lusts and bought one pearl - Christ (see Matt. 13:46), who did not allow the deceiver to deceive himself in these pleasures, but, according to the apostolic expression, he turned out to be like a flatterer and at the same time true (2 Cor. 6:8). He did not give himself into slavery to passions, but kept his soul free from submission to them and wished to obey only the servant of the Lord. He was not seduced, following the example of many, by the world, but only laughed and mocked at it, at everything worldly, as well as at those who are amused by it and cling to it, as to something beautiful, desirable and profitable, to something that is actually bad, vile and harmful. He became abstinent, destroyed carnal passions and loved virginity, non-covetousness, prayer and everything else that is holy out of hatred of sin and lawlessness. He reasoned wisely: having in his hands all the worldly and ordinary human bliss and for the sake of God, having rejected it and renounced it, he did not make any mistake, but simply, as it were, exchanged one obol or one-day meager glory for inexhaustible treasures and endless honor. Look at him then, how he will rejoice, how he will enjoy, how he will bless his decision, his smart advisers and clever assistants. The joy of the righteous and the torment of the sinners In order not to prolong the teaching, I will simply say: he will have no end to such joy, which can neither be comprehended nor described, and for him, that is, the sinner, there will be no end to grief, sorrow and torment, which cannot be endured or imagined. So, if we have become petrified, we must come to our senses and praise the greatest and most blessed deed (263) that we have done, namely, that we have fled from the world, accepted monasticism and are perfecting our lives with purity. What needs to be done next? We need to speed up our running, increase our effort and zeal, and, as it were, take inspiration and ignite our hearts, so that through virtue we can fly to God and not give in at all to the devil in his attempts to take possession of us. For this purpose, let us avoid the love of glory, avoid disobedience, run away from grumbling, gossip, shamelessness, divisions, verbosity, laziness, bickering, envy, rivalry, slander, hatred and every vile passion. Let us prefer the beautiful, kind and deifying humility, obedience chosen by heaven, Christ-born virginity, enlightening contrition, gracious weeping and other holy deeds, of which we may be partakers, and at the same time heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Whom be glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and ever. Amen. About how the Lord Christ loved us, and also about the fact that virtue can be achieved only with great labor and effort and that we do not need to weaken in our labors in order to achieve the Kingdom of Heaven Worldly pursuits require effort and labor My brothers and fathers. Every science and craft, with its fruits, motivates those who study it. In the same way, the farmer does not lose heart before the burden and torment of agricultural labor, but, contemplating the future harvest, he only more zealously takes upon himself all the hardships associated with cultivating the land. Likewise, the sailor does not give up fishing because of the dangers that exist at sea, (264) but, calculating future benefits, he boldly sets out on a long journey among the waves, winds and storms. And the merchant, too, getting ready for a long journey, does not hesitate, does not weaken in his perseverance, but, striving to get profits, accepts the upcoming adversities. And in general, in every earthly occupation, no matter who we take - whether a king, a ruler, a rich man, a nobleman, a married man, a single man - everyone works with effort, tension, care, diligence, cheerfulness, attentiveness, discussion and investigation of the matter, with patience, endurance and everything else that is needed for a certain occupation. The same thing, of course, is needed in the art of all arts, namely in our life. It is not any ordinary task - in order to accurately carry it out, a lot of work and effort is needed, for the difference between it and earthly affairs is as great as the distance between East and West: earthly pursuits are directed towards earthly goals and end here on earth, but our work is from God and their goal is heavenly. Monasticism is the art of all arts So, if worldly pursuits, as has been said, are combined with exploits, labor and effort, then how much more of all this should we have? As a result of this, it is precisely the narrow gate and the narrow path that you bring into the belly (Matthew 7:14), as a result of which David exclaims in bewilderment: who will ascend to the mountain of the Lord? Or who will stand in His holy place? (Ps. 23:3), and in another place: who will give me a krill like a dove? And I’ll fly and rest? (Ps. 54:7). How much effort does monastic feat require? As a result of this, I, humble, talk with you almost daily and hourly about this - I talk, I listen, I give you advice, I lead discussions, I am awake and concerned, and yet, despite all this, I do not easily find what I am looking for, but I work tirelessly and in the troubles of everything related to salvation, I am literally torn to pieces. And this difficulty of salvation (265) depends not on anything other than the devil, who hinders salvation and interferes with our spiritual journey. For from the beginning of the world to this day he has been attacking our race and preventing us from reaching heaven and the blessings laid up there for you, since he himself, for his pride, was overthrown from there and condemned to wander here. But, my brethren, we will in no way allow ourselves to become despondent, we will not be afraid of the difficulties of this blessed life, for we have God as a Helper, an Intercessor, lifting up the poor from the earth, and lifting up the wretched from the pit (Ps. 112:7), girding with strength (Ps. 17:33) the weakness of our nature and defeating our tempter - the enemy. Only we ourselves will not stop straining our strength more and more, we will not tire of showing our zeal. God's love for those being saved A young man does not love his beloved, nor a parent his children, as tenderly does God, the Lord of all, love us. He delights in our salvation, He is pleased with our behavior, He opens the eyes of our reason, shows the radiance of His beauty, the charm of the desire addressed to Him, with the angelic light He takes us to heaven and to the heavenly, with the cover of the wings of His Providence He, like on a nest, protects us from invisible enemies. And why say too much? He loves us sinners so much that he came from the bosom of his father, bowed the heavens (see Ps. 143:5), humbly came down to us and became a man. The Lord of all, who arranged everything with a word, glorified and honored, deigned to become a baby, enriching everything - born from an ignorant mother and, finally, having endured many ridicule, mockery, scourging and strangulation, accepted death on the cross and three days later rose again, delivering us (266) from the hand of the dragon and giving us strength and strength against him to laugh at him and trample on him like a sparrow (Job. 40:24) or a writhing snake. Well, who loved whom so much - a father his son or a mother his daughter, a husband his wife, a friend his friend, as He did us, having done and endured so much for the sake of us, His beloved? No one is able to convey and measure in words the greatness of His love and goodness. After this, will not He who loved us so much and suffered so much for our sake be constant, every day and every hour, our helper, intercessor and refuge, unless we ourselves push Him away from ourselves with our passions? In view of this, let us run, brothers! Let's run, hurry and try - we will endure all the sorrows and hardships that happen to us from reasons visible or invisible. Let us courageously fight the enemy! Let us not run away from the feat of obedience! We will not look at the present torment from this, as well as from bodily labor, psalmody, vigil, fasting and cutting off the will, and we will not fall away from indescribable joy, since for such a life we ​​will receive the Kingdom of Heaven. Of the monks, none asked or demanded anything other than to strive in obedience and through cutting off the will to live in the Lord: they said goodbye to everything that is done at their own request and for personal glory - with various sciences and occupations, namely, with crafts, calligraphy, composing troparions and composing melodies, the art of recitation and various rhetorical subtleties, with everything that is the work of the lost, and not those fleeing. And if they said and did anything out of their obedience, they did it not for anything other than for the very good and at the command of the abbot. Let's turn to ourselves and see if we are doing this? If so, then good, blessed is your path and blessed is your life. And what else should we seek for praise and glory here and (267) in the age to come? In my opinion, no one here received honors or became famous except for such behavior. But if this is not the case with us, then - ah, what a loss, even a complete loss! Having gained nothing here, we still lose eternal blessings. And it would be good if the matter were limited to this alone - it would be an even lesser evil. But, besides this, those who have destroyed their hearts through foolishness (since they should have worked for salvation) will be betrayed to eternal torment. May God not lead us to endure this, nor even to hear about it, but may He grant us all the privilege of embarking on a beautiful path, doing what is God-loving and virtuous, spending our lives in peace, love, patience and humility, loving everything that we are ordered to do, not contradicting in any way, not being self-willed and not showing any other passions, so that, supported, exalted and glorified by all this, we achieve a measure of perfection, decency, praiseworthy lives, became an example of virtue to both their neighbors and distant ones, for the good remembrance of both their contemporaries and descendants, and also for the praise of me, a humble, sinful and unworthy your shepherd, and for the achievement of the Kingdom of Heaven in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and dominion forever. Amen. About the fact that we need to vigorously and cheerfully do what leads to the salvation of the soul, and about not grumbling when transferred to another obedience What could be better and more blissful for a person? My brothers, fathers and children. The good condition of the herd and its increase usually gives the shepherd pleasure and joy, especially when he sees how the animals graze, walk, get better, and become fat. In the same way, you, the chosen flock of Christ, dear and special portion, (268) a truly chosen and sanctified people, when you live well in the house of God (Ps. 52:10), sitting in spiritual meadows and feeding on the calm water (Ps. 23:2) of the true life-giving Word, you rejoice me, an unfortunate and unworthy shepherd, and, striving to be transformed for the better, you encourage me by gradual announcements to be jealous about future benefits for you. I ask you, let us remain in this wonderful order of life. For what could be better and more blessed for a person, except to serve the Living God in holiness and righteousness (Luke 1:75), to keep his soul and body pure from all sin, to ardently desire future blessings, to constantly move his thoughts from earthly to heavenly, to have a soul free from all passion, to elude, like a bird, from the devil’s snares and fly upward to freedom? Such a person rejoices and rejoices with blissful and sweet joy, for his goodness abides in himself and from it he draws his pleasure. But this is acquired only through labor, the feat for it is great, and whoever wants to win should neither think nor look at anything extraneous. For, it is said, it is difficult for human nature to catch the word of truth 526 and difficult to achieve good. Therefore, since you left the world for this and came here, since for this you renounced the world and everything worldly, since because of this you became strangers and strangers (Heb. 11:13) to your homeland, family, loved ones and accepted a different way of life, different from the laity, since you said goodbye to all worries and troubles and took up the great competition, then seek, achieve, take and achieve what you wanted: seek, it is said, he will find, and it will be opened to the one who interprets (Luke 11:10), and at the same time, do not worry about anything else (269), do not do anything else, although you have to work on cultivating the land, caring for vineyards, on buildings, in carpentry, in cellaring, in the kitchen, in a shoemaker's workshop, etc. need, or of one’s own free will, or for people close to the flesh, for the sake of father, mother, brothers, relatives, but for spiritual brothers, out of obedience, according to the commandment, and most importantly - for the sake of God. For He Himself accepts what is done for His sake in the brotherhood as a sacrifice and burnt offering, if, of course, His word is kept there and the work is done according to conscience, with unfeigned obedience, uncomplaining patience and martyrdom. God's favor to the workers in the monastery And blessed are you, brethren, that you have thus thought, and so denied, and so desired, for you have thought and desired such wondrous and extraordinary things—riches that do not fade away, glory that does not fade, not a kingdom like a shadow, not a union according to the flesh, not fellowship with a woman, not the birth of the flesh, but most holy virtue, angelic life, the inheritance of heaven, the pleasure of heaven, the habitation of the highest Jerusalem (Gal. 4:26 ), to whom God is the Artist and Maker (Heb. 11:10), inheritance with Paul and Peter and the other apostles, lot with the saints, martyrs, saints and righteous, and even with God Himself, since we, according to the promise, expect to become heirs of God (Gal. 4:7) and joint heirs with Christ (Eph. 3:6). Good, good for our life! Let your hearts not think that a person can wish for anything even more beautiful or that in life there can be anything else preferable to this. Therefore, run quickly, strain your strength with the Spirit, be strengthened by grace, seek in every possible way what will save you for your souls, how much strength and grace each has - one by intensified work against others, another by psalmody that is longer than the others, (270) another by more enduring in front of the neighbor's patience, all in general bringing tears, all exuding contrition, obedience, adopting humility, ready to take on for every task, quick to obey, uncomplaining, without boasting when you are transferred from one obedience to another; By the way, now the time is just coming when some of the monastery will go to the vineyards and fields, and the time will come again when they will return to the monastery again to take up sewing and crafts. And let no one be upset by these works, but let everyone take on them - even if what he is told to do was unusual for him - remembering the general benefit, and also the fact that otherwise he can hardly be useful. Even under such circumstances, as you yourself know, we are strapped for funds and bursting with expenses, which, due to our many different external and internal needs, are great. This is the gift of God and this is the greatest sign that the Lord, in ways known to Him, gives me, the humble one, everything I need in sufficient measure for such a multitude, despite the fact that we do not have any special income. Especially at the present time, when people were planning to destroy us, we, beyond expectation, after reconciliation, did not experience the slightest lack of what we needed, but, on the contrary, even had a surplus. If we think about it, isn't it amazing and worthy of thanksgiving? Why did this happen? From our true trust in God and due to the fact that we put everything in second place before pleasing Him. May He establish, strengthen and benefit us even more and more, keeping our body, soul and spirit whole in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. (271) About the fact that the abbot needs to lay down his soul for his spiritual sheep, since he will give his word for each of them on the Day of Judgment, and also about cutting off his will The severity and responsibility of abbot and pastorate My brothers and fathers. How do you think I, humble, feel in this rank of abbot? Perhaps you think that these insignificant announcements make me proud, as if I were doing something important and really fulfilling the duty of the abbot? Nothing happened. If we tell the truth, then I spend my unhappy life without any enlightenment, in sorrow and worries, I am not satisfied with what I say and proclaim, and I never have rest for even one day or even one hour, but I watch you - both individually and everyone in general, I see what I should be and what I am in fact and how much I have to do for you, my beloved and children of the Lord. Therefore, I am constantly among you, like a shepherd among the flock, and by your readiness, by your responsiveness and by your appearance, I look and try to find out the whole course and all the movements of your life, how you allow yourself to be led, driven, how you respond to calls, how you listen. And what I find right, about that I rejoice, it pleases me, and as a result I am inspired by hopes, but about what is opposite to this, I am upset, grieve and try to ease the grief by sobbing. For if the shepherd of foolish sheep experiences the same thing when, guessing from the appearance of the sheep about their illness, he applies his art to help and cure the sick animal (if he does not delay a single day in this, then he has nothing to fear from the death of the sheep), then how much more after this I, humble, must look after you and protect, guard, call some, admonish others, for these to look after, (272) The heaviness of others to knit - in general to say and do everything related to salvation? After all, won’t I give an account for each of you on the Day of Judgment? Who can consider himself capable of such an answer? Who will go to it without hesitation? Who has the eloquence needed for this? Who will be left there without interrogation? Who can then remain without guilt? Who can vouch for their diligence? And who, on the contrary, will not weep, beat himself in the chest, be frightened and trembled at such responsibility, and even pray that the earth would rather fall under him or that he would run away somewhere far away in order to avoid the insistence? But since he has not done this before, since he agreed to be elected, since he has been appointed, then he no longer dares to do this: in my opinion, this is the only possible thing when there is no other way out. Such fear is explained by the fact that to appear before God, to be judged by the Judge of all, to give an account of all your flock and how you - whether well, as follows, strictly, without indulgences, blameless, without omissions and cheerfully - fulfilled everything before God and people, on the one hand, in the matter of proclaiming justifications, and on the other hand, in the matter of averting evil, reproof, punishment, exhortation, gentle and strict treatment and everything the rest, what should be done, is a difficult matter for a person. I say all this so that you, understanding the torment of my soul and the severity of my work, would be moved and through me would help yourself, and with your own strength - me, the poor one. What could such help and intercession consist of, if not in devoting ourselves more and more to a good life and not considering it at all important if we stand a little higher than the laity, but at the same time do not imitate the life of our fathers, if we stand out from the ranks of our brethren, but are not jealous of strict ascetics? Not everyone who is baptized will be saved For it is said: many are the callings, but few are the chosen (Matthew 20:16). And if not everyone 527 who is baptized will be saved (Mark 16:16), then it would be better for us to shut up with our boasts. Next. We should also not boast only of the amount of time we have lived, that “we have been monastics for so many years and so many years”: this is good, but if at the same time we have been living in virtue for a long time. Equally, we should not pay attention simply to the mere fact that the day has passed, but only if it went well, if we did the work of God on this day (273), acquisition for the future life, cleansing of the soul, if we resisted, or overcame, or even completely tore out of ourselves the passion that burdens us. Monastic in name and in deed This is how the sober person sobers up, the worker works, the man of God becomes deified, the monastic by name strives to be a monk and in practice, constantly freeing himself from the darkness of passions, from the shackles of bad actions, making it possible for his free soul and mind to strive for the Lord alone, to be inspired by love for Him, to desire communion with Him alone. Therefore, let each of you look at how he lives, whether he has what is required here, whether he, on the contrary, gives himself into slavery to passions, whether he does not become a prisoner of sins, a captive of thoughts. Spiritual self-report For from here arises all depravity: from here arise strife, enmity, rivalry, self-justification, pride, disobedience, self-will, murmuring, slander, division, infidelity, the end and beginning of all evils. But whoever resists and struggles with passions, he is not here, but strives to the place from where every good gift is given and every gift is perfect (James 1:17) - meekness, peace, love, compassion, resignation, preference for last places, humility, non-envy, contentment, gratitude, patience, labor, prayer, psalmody, vigilance, contrition, shedding tears and every other praiseworthy activity and spiritual state. For such a person does not try to justify and defend his will, but destroys it as an enemy, does not seek primacy, but avoids it, because this would mean selling his soul, does not seek an occupation where he can only sit, for example, correspondence, sewing clothes, but first of all wants the advice of his [spiritual] father, what is pleasing to him and useful for the community, whether in this case he will have to become a cook, or a boatman, or a gardener, etc. Obedience and cutting off one's will He does not quarrel over clothes, shoes, food, drink, but endures everything patiently, even if it causes him to lose his health, be exposed to the cold, wear poor clothes and go hungry. (274) For he thinks of only one thing - how to gain rest for himself there. He collects and acquires wealth for himself, but not the same as those who deviate from God: he does not necessarily choose to study this or that, this or that craft, well-known psalms, troparia pleasing to him, for this, as I said, is not the work of the doers of the law, but of the lawless; thieves, not free-hearted people; imitators of Judas, not disciples; evil, not good, - but chooses complete renunciation from worries about his life through obedience and cutting off his will in all his work. In this there is light, life, joy for him, here he rejoices, in this he anticipates the future blessings intended for him. Who could be greater than him? Who is richer, who is more reasonable, even though he, by all accounts, occupied the lowest level of obedience and seemed to be worthless in appearance? The importance of frankness in confession So I ask you all that, having learned the truth, you love your obediences, abide in them, try, fulfill them, imitate each other in goodness, endure everything with persistent patience and reveal the secrets of your heart (Ps. 43:22). For just as it is impossible for a worm-eaten plant not to gradually deteriorate from a wormhole, so a soul that has a snake in itself, that is, something not revealed in confession, cannot but deteriorate, become wormy and become completely unusable. Therefore, I ask, let everyone throw away whatever worm he has. If anyone has it, then I will look, and I will fly - with mercy and carefully. And what will be the benefit of this? Immediately such a one will send out spiritual shoots, immediately come to life, immediately bear fruit in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. (275) About the death of Brother Khariton and about fulfilling the obedience entrusted to us without disturbances and peacefully Attitude to death of the righteous and sinners Brothers and fathers. The news of death is terrible, but only for sinners; for the righteous it brings only consolation and encouragement. Just as when the day of judgment comes for someone imprisoned for a crime and he is called to death, he begins to tremble, be frightened, embarrassed and horrified, in the same way it is usually scary and terrible for a sinner to move from here. For the righteous, it is the opposite: in this case, he is like that person who receives rewards and crowns from the king for his services. He rejoices with great joy when he hears a voice announcing his reward. We can now safely say all this in relation to our brother Khariton. For he, in accordance with the meaning of his name, joyfully and cheerfully 529 left the body and went to a place of rest. Look at his example, children, what a good thing it is to strive, how useful it is to force nature, how good it is to endure in various monastic exercises, how commendable it is to suffer in submission until your last breath! For in just a few years, even, one might say, in one day (for how else can one call life here in comparison with eternity?), he acquired inexhaustible wealth, incomprehensible glory, incomparable joy, an immortal kingdom. Life here compared to eternity And now he rejoices, rejoices, and he does not have any sorrowful memories of those labors that he endured for the good: he now enters the villages of the pious, dwells in the tabernacles of the righteous, in the courts of the martyrs, in the glory of the Angels, in the voice of those celebrating, in the highest Jerusalem, the mother of all (Gal. 4:26) saints, contemplating and seeing true and indescribable phenomena, an indescribable light, immortal life, (276) ineffable bliss. After this, can we, still remaining on the lists, not strive, can we not be encouraged, not be inspired, not have our hearts ignited, not be inspired by thought, not have our thoughts transferred from the earthly to the heavenly? Can we not promise to do and endure everything for the love of Christ, not only fasting, vigil, not washing the body, sleeping on bare ground, cold, heat, exhaustion, hard work, humiliation, dishonor, but even, if necessary, shedding our blood, depriving members of the body, scraping the flesh, breaking bones, just to achieve what we are looking for? Every work is for a reward in eternal life Yes, my children, I pray you, it is good to think so, it is wise to reason so. The devil is a thief. He constantly entertains our mind with various thoughts and clouds it with worldly vanity, so that we do not find a place for virtue and good living. But we will not allow ourselves to be deceived by deception; remembering the divine commandments, daily readings, chants, prayers, we will move from day to day, from one week to another, from one month to the next and from one year to the next, until we achieve exactly what we want, presenting to God the necessary deeds immaculate, completely pure, free from grumbling and pride, imbued with peace and love, untainted by turmoil. We already do what is necessary when we plow, cultivate the land, prepare food, do cellaring, work in the garden, do correspondence, work on buildings and all other obediences, for example, we engage in crafts - weaving, weaving baskets or anything else, so that every work is accepted as perfect and is counted towards us for a reward in eternal life. For to spoil it with grumbling, pride, vanity, confusion, and contradiction is unworthy of either reason, reason, or a person who strives to justify his name in all truth. The Special Attribute of Virtue For man is something great in the sense (277) as he is defined in application to the glorious Job: he is a true man, blameless, righteous, godly, shunning all evil things (Job 1:1). Pay attention also to how a diligent and virtuous person is kind to everyone, loved by everyone, in honor and glory by everyone, and not only among his brothers, but also outside, among those who only hear about him. For virtue, although it is done in secret and by an unknown person, has the property of emitting a special sound, revealing itself and proclaiming itself, according to the word of the Lord: a city cannot hide itself on the top of a standing mountain (Matthew 5:14). So, if we endure a little more, struggle a little more, after this a time of peace will come, and not only at the hour of death, but even before that, while from dispassion. For, according to the fathers, the soul, having completely loved God and mortified its will by obedience, has already reached a degree of peace and from now on is already reaping the future good, which may we all achieve, through the prayers of our father, as well as spending well the present Pentecost and reaching the day of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, for to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. About the election of the abbot of the monastery of [St.] Dalmatus and about humility, for it is true knowledge, which is higher than external wisdom Brothers and fathers. You love to listen to my insignificant announcements, not because they are distinguished by their learning, but because your father tells them to you; for although I am unworthy, I am truly your father. And I, for my part, address you with a word not because I have the gift of teaching, but because my instructions are intended for children, spiritual children and beloved ones. What are we going to talk about today? Yesterday's incident is a very good place to start. (278) By order of the bishop, I had to go to the monastery of [St.] Dalmata 530 to elect an abbot. We, all the abbots gathered there, had to ask the opinion of the brethren. They chose not anyone else, but Abba Hilarion. For what and for what reason? Not because he had great learning or could speak well, not because he was old, not because before becoming a monk he was a noble man, but simply because he was humble, had no ambition and loved God, because he also walked the path of virtue in obedience and did not set an example of recklessness to his brothers. Although there was another person there, more knowledgeable and older than him, but who had a disadvantage in other respects, they preferred Hilarion, believing that he would be more pleasing to God and would wisely lead his brothers. So, look, my brethren, how important the gift of humility is: it contains the characteristic that puts an end to unrest, overthrows pride, drives out ambition, drives away self-will, mortifies lust, and instead brings meekness, peace, love, mercy, patience, friendliness - and needless to say, it is generally a source of virtues, which exudes every good deed, and even better - a divine garden that produces all kinds of fruits of immortality. It is said that a city cannot hide from the top of a standing mountain (Matthew 5:14), so it is impossible for someone who has acquired humility to hide, even if he stood on the lowest step, even if he hid underground, even if some out of envy began to spread slander about him. On the contrary, under such and such circumstances it is especially revealed, like a light that suddenly appears on a mountain and attracts the eyes of spectators. This came true in the chosen one, for many abbots cast their votes along with the brethren. Learning is a secondary matter. Leaves and fruits I say this not so that you remain unlearned, so that you do not acquire this wonderful wealth [of teaching], but so that in life you consider it a secondary matter. (279) Let’s take a tree as an example: a good tree has fruit and leaves; leaves are knowledge in relation to the fruits that are brought by life. The latter, that is, fruits, are necessary, but the first, that is, that there should be leaves with the fruits, is only pleasant. If there is no fruit at all, that is, life, you need to try for it, because this alone gives salvation. A tree that bears no fruit, but only leaves, deserves only to be cut down and burned (cf. Luke 3:9). Therefore, we should always prefer activity to knowledge and that the second should never destroy the first, for it is the greatest injustice when the lower rules the higher. For example, the hour comes when you are called to the librarian. For the sake of reading, you should not abandon your obedience. Further, it happens that we receive a book that is not the one we would like. Prefer activity to knowledge So let’s not argue about this, get angry and shout at the librarian, because to show ingratitude instead of gratitude, instead of blessing - curse, instead of peace - confusion, instead of knowledge - ignorance - this is disgusting. Then, we tapped [here on the bell] for the Divine service or to return the books back: in order to still read beyond the deadline, we will not dare to disobey, so that later, when we are interrogated about the reason for the delay, we will not have to lie and make up excuses and, by a bad example, entice others to do the same thing, for this is lawless and a sin of disobeying what is divine. I will also say the same thing regarding the canonarch and the study of the church service: because he did not appoint us for such and such a reading, or on such and such a day, or did not allow us to memorize such and such or other troparia, so because of this we will not become angry and go berserk. This is disgusting! To do this means doing evil instead of good, wickedness instead of piety, and becoming a fool and even completely insane instead of learning. It is necessary that everything be done in due time and wisely, according to the apostolic word: everything is good and in order (1 Cor. 14:40). If we only managed to read a little, thank God. Even if (280) you were unable to read anything at all at the appointed hour, blessed be the Lord. We have received the wrong book - may the name of the Lord be glorified; they do not allow us to learn what we ask; the Lord is just in His favor. What is God-loving is true knowledge This is God-loving and is true knowledge; to act otherwise means to act ignorantly and godlessly, even if someone has learned everything, even if he has memorized the entire Psalter. So why do we act differently, do not care about the benefit of our souls and pleasing God, why do we not seek light, but prefer, at least some of us, darkness? In saying all this, I mean what happens at other obediences, when clothing, shoes, food and drink are given or demanded. Why don’t we behave judiciously here everywhere, why don’t we restrain our irritability, which, as if enraged or stung by a gadfly, attacks the distribution managers, like a dog or some wild animal? Having got rid of this through diligence and having done what is pleasing to God, may we become heirs of eternal blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and dominion, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About abstinence and humility Brothers and fathers. How good is abstinence and the orderliness and keeping of God’s commandments that are established thanks to it! Now you can see for yourself how things are going with us. After we have entered these honorable days of the holy Pentecost, as if after a storm - into a quiet haven, we live in silence, peacefully, calmly, carefully performing psalmody, staying awake (281) in prayer, observing sobriety, simplicity and abstinence in food and everything else that relates to spiritual salvation. Likewise, worldly people no longer come to us and we, in turn, do not go out to them 531. Hence, I want you, having learned what good is, to hold on to this life in the future, moving away from all kinds of evil: not so that, having lived virtuously for five to ten days, then give up all concern for good and again, as the Apostle puts it, begin to destroy what you have created (Gal. 2:18), - no, brethren, in no way; Let us not be so fickle that the devil controls us so easily, but let us cleave and abide in what we have done before the good, adding to this new good deeds, remembering also that a good life for a short period of time is not enough for salvation, but that it can be achieved by exertion throughout our entire life. For our tempter is like that. The deceit and malice of the tempter Day and night he does not stop his attacks on you, insidious ambushes, desires to destroy us, he sets traps for us, sends clouds of arrows to the soul, tickles it, inflames it with passions, raises in it unrest and nasty winds of temptation, confusing the depth (Ps. 64:8) of our mind, like the sea, so that everyone can say to himself: if not the Lord would help My soul would have gone to hell in a little while (Ps. 93:17). He transforms from one image to another: temporarily hides the arrow of lust and spews out the poison of vanity, then inflames him with rage, then throws a stone of envy, and in general, from everywhere he raises a terrible whirlwind towards us, the weak, since he has an insatiable desire to destroy us. For he once rebelled against God, the Lord of all, and now he rages when he sees that we are ascending to the Heavenly Kingdom, from where he fell due to his pride. Imitate Christ with humility and meekness 282) How much and what kind of care, perseverance, diligence, feats, struggle, running and hard work do we need to defeat such a dragon? But take heart, said the Lord, I have overcome the world (John 16:33). And after He won, we, through His holy incarnation, received power over Him. For in another place He exclaims: Behold, I give you power to tread on the serpent and the scorpion and all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19), so that we too can trample on his agitations and various passions. How can this be done? Not otherwise than by imitation of the Winner. Imitation of Him, in His own words, consists of the following: learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29), that is, we should acquire humility and meekness. For if the King Himself and Lord of all, One in His nature, glorified and all-good, accepted humility, being obedient to God and the Father even to the point of death, death on the cross (Phil. 2:8), then what after this remains to be said to us and how much we, insignificant by nature, weak and subservient to the Creator, should really become like Him in humility? Further, if He, having descended from heaven to earth, lived, so to speak, on a foreign side, then how far should we alienate ourselves from our loved ones after being separated from them? If, then, He was a baby, fed on milk, grew up, fulfilled what was commanded by the law, without obeying, as it is said, parents (Luke 2:51), then how, of course, should we equal Him in this, preserving the innocence of a child in evil and obeying our leaders? And if He endured hunger, thirst, walked and was exhausted, then how should we compete with Him when we have to experience anything like that? Finally, if He endured insults, strangulations, ridicule, reproaches, was betrayed, condemned, scourged, crucified, and even on the cross already listened to mocking and caustic speeches (see Luke 23:35), and also endured a lot of other things for our sake (283), then how should we strive after this to imitate Him as much as possible? How is a man of God recognized? All this, brethren, must be constantly kept in mind - take His example, humiliate ourselves to the extreme and, following His example, gratefully accept what is already happening to us, or seek even new exploits, such as: hunger, thirst, jokes, ridicule, humiliation, suffering, poverty in clothes, shoes and everything else by which a man of God is recognized, so that, gradually moving forward, ascending higher, being built up and being edified, ever rising and rising, we have reached a perfect man, according to the age of the fulfillment of Christ (Eph. 4:13), on the one hand, easily spending these days of fasting, and on the other hand, being more inspired to further exploits by the power of the Spirit, grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. About renunciation of the world and everything worldly and the instruction to zealously perceive the properties of our perfect life - said on the Sunday of the Meat Empty My brothers and fathers. What should I, humble one, talk to you about today? Yes, it’s about the fact that carnal people have a meat shortage and on this occasion they are trying to defeat each other in eating and drinking as much as possible. As if having gone crazy, today they compete with each other to see who can eat the most and who can cook the most meat dishes, and they also have fun, jump, gallop, as if they were celebrating a holiday not for Christ, but for the enemy. The demon of gluttony is so strong in many. What follows from this? Since we don’t eat meat at all and don’t drink a lot of wine, don’t have fun and don’t dance, perhaps we should consider them happy and ourselves unhappy? No way. (284) On the contrary, it is precisely about ourselves that we must thank God with all our hearts for the fact that He, as if from a swamp or a ditch, pulled us out of such a life and led us to a sacred vow - to serve Him in piety and righteousness. And we need to laugh at those people, or rather, cry for them, which they, without seeing it themselves, draw from the treasures of the broken (Jer. 2:13) and, seduced by the present insignificant pleasures, are deprived of blissful sweetness, unless something admonishes them to eat wisely and observe moderation when full with good order in everything. The monastic image also requires a corresponding life So come, children, let us rejoice in the Lord, let us exclaim to God our Savior, let us precede His face in confession and exclaim to Him in psalms (Ps. 94:1-2), for this is the true feast, this is the joy worthy of praise, this is the true holiday, so that it comes to us not once or twice a year, but we can constantly celebrate and have fun in the house of God. And such joy is the forerunner and herald of the most blessed fate that will be given to us: I, said the divine David, will appear before Your face in righteousness, I will be satisfied, never to appear before Your glory (Ps. 16:15). Therefore, I ask you, let us not turn our hearts, as it were, to a new Egypt, to those customs of worldly life, among which we once lived, we will not remember the meat and cauldrons there (see: Ex. 16:3), as well as other sinful things related to the enjoyment of food and clothing, but we will turn our gaze to ourselves, as well as to that greatest path on which we struggle and which we accomplish, for here is only the commandment of the Lord, blessing and life (Ps. 132:3), true joy, true hope, saving triumph. And if we talk about luck, we have achieved such luck, if we talk about fate, we have chosen the good part (Luke 10:42), if we talk about bliss, (285) we are the only blessed ones, we who fled from the world, from our clan, homeland, friends, loved ones, family, parents, wives, children, who renounced property, home and everything external, renounced shameful deeds - theaters, singing, horse races, dancing, playing the flute, music, organs, round dances, clapping hands, jumping and all other activities of vain human nature, which said goodbye to marriage and childbirth and gave themselves up to virginity and non-covetousness, this heavenly and divine acquisition, in which we, daily crucifying ourselves to the world (Gal. 6:14) and to everything worldly, quite rightly hear from the apostle: a who are like Christ, the flesh has been crucified with passions and lusts (Gal. 5:24). Woe to the man whose name is higher than his life So who after this can be more blessed than you? Or what else, more pleasant and higher, can we still look for in life? Nothing more than to spend the remaining days of our journey with patience, to endure everything courageously and not to be timid before anything that happens to us from visible and invisible reasons, and to achieve what is promised to us. Be courageous for this, strengthen yourself, gain strength, doing everything well and in order (1 Cor. 14:40), making clear to yourself what and how great the mystery of our image is and what kind of structure of life it requires and how our holy fathers of blessed memory carried it out. Following their example, we will set ourselves up, we will display and embody their features, becoming their exact copy and reflection (ινδάλματα άφευδή και άπεικονίοματα), for for this we are called their sons and can become participants in their joy. After all, it is not enough to randomly put on a monastic image, but at the same time one must lead real life in it, according to the rules, and assimilate for oneself all its distinctive properties. For how can one recognize a warrior otherwise (286) than by his sword? Or how can one distinguish a carpenter, or a blacksmith, or any other artisan, or in general a person engaged in some kind of everyday, bodily or mental labor, if not by the fact that they have in their hands or in their mouths the tools of their crafts and occupations? So all the more so, a monk - a novice or already obedient, a hermit or a monastery, a hermit or a stylite - must be distinguished by the activities that the vow imposes on him. For whoever does not have this is only a monk in name, but in reality he is far from this: woe, it is said, to that person whose name is higher than his life. Therefore, let us abandon all our desires, let us adhere to Divine commandments, sacred rules, observing reasonableness in speech, in movements, in gait, in conversations, when entering and exiting not only the monastery, but also from the church and meals, so that this is done without noise, without crowding, especially after Matins and Compline, so that I do not come across people chatting, laughing, singing mockery in a shrill voice and mimicking church hymns. I constantly walk through the monastery at these hours for inspection. For for every task there is a time: if it’s time to talk, then talk, if it’s time to be silent, then be silent, if it’s time to sing psalmody, then sing, if it’s time to study, then study. And what is untimely is inappropriate and disorderly, and what is inappropriate and disorderly is the cause of corruption and destruction. So with all this I do not make any innovations and do not embarrass you, but, on the contrary, I wish you to be well-natured and rejoice. And I proclaim and demand all this from you so that, by fulfilling this, you will have a peaceful and blameless life, in which you will achieve eternal blessings, which may we all be worthy to achieve by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Him and with Him to the Father be glory, power, honor, worship with the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen. (287) Exhortation and how to resist the devil's attacks The insidious enemy retreats for a while to relax his caution My brothers, fathers and children. For me, talking with you, as you know, is not difficult, but for you it can serve as a means of affirmation, if only you really affirm yourself by listening to my weak announcements. But do not pay attention to the fact that they come from bad lips and a weak soul, but to the fact that they are pronounced for your benefit and salvation and according to the authority entrusted to me, albeit unworthily. Therefore, listen to them with attention, improve and move forward to something higher and more perfect. For this is exactly what is required, this is what my work, my efforts, constant observation of you and care for you are directed towards. Although I do not have the right and am not worthy to say about myself, like the apostle: who faints, and does not faint? Who is tempted, and I am not relieved? (2 Cor. 11:29), - but because of the threatening responsibility for my leadership, because of the fear of punishment, because of zeal for your salvation and prosperity, I seem to endure wounds, beatings and burnt for the sake of each of you, so that you are all saved and so that no one perishes. But how else can this be achieved if we do not pay close attention, be sober, constantly listen, observe decorum, order, unanimity, accurately preserve what is commanded, and even do not omit anything accidental in what should be done for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ? In view of this, let everyone watch and see that he stands firmly and motionless on the rock of faith, in his vow of obedience, in the path of the testimonies (Ps. 119:14) of Christ, not turning aside either to the right or to the left, but to walk in the royal way (Num. 21:21-22; Proverbs 4:27), (288) not falling into spiritual slumber due to the fact that his patience is tired, so as not to stumble over the falling stone, so that he also does not think or do anything of his own free will, or rather, of his own whim, because in this case a person apparently wants to become more faithful to the law and more correct than the rule, but in fact he walks a crooked path and deviates to the side. For although you are before my eyes, you are not always and not everywhere, because this is possible only to the all-supervising and all-seeing God. Therefore, I may not notice how, due to my sins, you, doing something without permission in secret, and especially when tormented by passions, can fall into sin, into spiritual destruction. Therefore, look, be afraid and tremble even when you seem to be sailing with a favorable wind: do not forget, as has been said, about the possibility of a crash - in an instant a hurricane, a storm will break out, a contrary wind will rise, a blizzard will arise, extreme misfortune, destruction, death will come. Just as when peace and affirmation seem to reign (1 Thessalonians 5:3), confusion, battle, war, murder may suddenly arise, and what is worst of all – souls, not bodies. The insidious enemy retreats for a while in order to thus cause a weakening of caution, and then immediately, with one attack, quickly distort and destroy the thought. You can't relax your guard, there can be no time for rest. He drowned many of them who had already reached the pier of salvation; Due to the insignificant negligence of many who had already risen to the very vault of heaven, he brought down iniquities to earth, he plundered the treasures of virtues from very many, he robbed many of their spiritual achievements and left them as beggars. What then remains to be said to us, the truly poor, wretched, weak, timid, young, not yet mature, who have spent so little time in asceticism and have worked so little in it? Why, besides how to be encouraged, to call out, to cry out, will we not receive help from above, so that the cunning enemy, because of our arbitrariness, would not destroy us and cast us completely to the ground? But how long will we ourselves continue to suffer from passions? How long will we still think and do not what pertains to our salvation, (289) but what is contrary to it? I know that not all of you, but only the shameless ones, allow yourselves to be shameless. And because you do not see the slaying Angel (cf. Gen. 19:11), are you not afraid of him? You shamelessly look at each other, engage in conversations and jokes, some, as I was informed, even hug, joining hand to hand, lips to lips, cheek to cheek; This is a matter worthy of lamentation, for it is said: if anyone binds fire into the bowels, will he not burn [his own] garments? Or whoever walks on coals of fire will not have his feet burned? (Prov. 6:27–28). In the same way, the one who does this will not remain pure, without sin. And this happens to you? And those who crucified themselves to the world and died to sin have the courage to do this? Is this how you look at each other’s faces and through conversations arouse such feelings in yourself? But who would give up instead of holding back someone who is climbing into a hole himself? What is an abomination for monks Who wouldn't cry over a suicide? Who can be indifferent to such a person who disgraces himself? So that I no longer hear such things and do not see any abomination among you. I also call it an abomination when they take care of their face, dress up, perform and make antics like harlots. For I notice that some loosen their belts and spread out their dress in beautiful folds, walk with a playful gait and say lewd things. I instill in such people that they should not do this again, otherwise they will be overtaken by the bridle and bridle of their jaws (Ps. 31:9). For the Lord did not put me here for corruption, but for edification. Therefore, follow the rules. Mentors, instruct and correct your students. I don’t even want to say that something of this kind was noticed behind you and that someone, instead of being a doctor, began to cause wounds, instead of being a luminary, became an extinguisher, instead of leading, began to mislead, instead of admonishing, began to confuse, instead of saving, became the author of destruction. For teachers are a model of piety, an example of 532 salvation, a picture 533 of all good things (290) for disciples. Therefore, the latter are handed over to them, so that they learn the good morals of the teacher. If the situation is the other way around, then teachers need to be expelled and separated from others, so that they do not infect healthy people with their scabies. I would not like to say such things, but necessity compels me. Henceforth, I decree that no one - neither teacher and student, nor brother with brother - shall dare, except for the established kissing, hug, or intertwine, push, or play shameful jokes. But in every word and look, even casual, we must observe strictness, so that we can gradually improve, so that the Lord will rejoice in our wonderful life and unite us, humble ones, even more closely and strengthen us. I also want to give a warning about confession. You allow yourself to do this: you find out and question who did not reveal what in confession, then talk about it among yourself and, inciting passions in yourself and in each other and creating fornication with your tongue, which, of course, is very easy to do, you pour poison into your hearts. Oh, if only you were fornicating with your tongue, and not with your soul! If our nature, even without external stimulation, naturally raises waves and boiling passions, then how can the one who adds fuel to the fire and excites the beast not suffer? Unhappy ones, lovers of fornication and not lovers of God, seekers of lawlessness and not righteousness, you dare to enter into a conversation, start a conversation and find out what such and such has experienced, how such passion is inflamed and to whom it inflames. I’m already omitting the more shameful details so as not to stain myself. And you, still so young, beardless and burning with passions, kindle all this material and start a huge fire in your soul? Spare both me and yourself, for the God of vengeance (291) is the Lord (Ps. 93:1) and from this comes the death of the soul. Why strive to find out such things when you have not received the right to it and when it can ruin you? Why, when you somehow hear about this, wouldn’t you rather shut your ears? After all, I myself don’t even know the deeds of some, as these persons, true accomplices of the devil, convey the deeds of their peers and comrades. Be horrified by this, heaven! And after all this, if you don’t give in, I shouldn’t make out, I shouldn’t punish, I shouldn’t use fire? I understand well, well, that you are thinking of taking advantage of the weakness of my character. I'm not like that. Although I am lenient, at the right time I will rise up against you like fire. I give you mercy, but when necessary, I will rise against you like a sword. Be careful that I do not actually appear as a new Phinehas and do not pierce with the sword of punishment any of those who are intertwined (see Numbers 25:5-8), just as, like Moses, I do not kill those who talk idle talk about what is alien and foreign to them (see Numbers 16: 1-40). But to prevent this from happening, I ask you and pray with all my heart and with all the strength of my soul: stop your nasty things, leave your abominations behind, and not only from what was just discussed, but in general from all sin and disorder, from untimely walks, from self-apology and fulfilling the will of your thoughts about food, drink and any other consolation - a bath, medical ointment or anything else that is not constitutes a great need. You haven’t grown old yet, haven’t spent many years in heroic deeds, and haven’t yet touched upon real labors, and if you have touched on it, it’s only a little. So why should you demand this or that? I am telling you all this not because I am merciless and unmerciful towards you; on the contrary, I am saying this because of my great and strong love for you. So do what is appropriate, so that you can end your life easily. May Christ give you strength, establish and strengthen you now and for the future, for to Him belongs all glory, honor (292) and worship, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Exhortation and at the same time praise My fathers, brothers and children. Just as a farmer rejoices and rejoices when he sees that his field, which he sowed with his labors and then, sprouts and is quickly covered with greenery, so I, insignificant and sinful, rejoice and rejoice - although my labors and efforts have nothing to do with your spiritual fruitfulness, which the Lord our God, with the assistance of the prayers of our father, multiplied, raised, expanded and brought to such an amount of brotherhood. For the truth of this cannot be denied, since I myself see that you, by the grace of Christ, have become perfected and, little by little growing in virtue, are moving further and further forward, and you, in turn, can testify to the truthfulness of my words. After all, don’t you now clearly notice the decorum and peaceful order in our midst? Are you not bound and united by one soul and one heart in unwavering loyalty and unbreakable union? Have you not, by devoting your hands to work (Acts 20:34), by this apostolic glory, as well as by all obvious spiritual vigor, strived more strongly to do the life-giving commandments of Christ? Yes, I can openly confess and confirm that you do not have private friendships that, to please the devil, divide and disunite the fraternal body. You also don’t have parties that do the same thing. In the same way, self-will and self-indulgence are not noticed when, in spite of your unanimous and God-centered life, everyone wants to do as they wish. Finally, you don’t have the licentiousness and freedom to wander hither and thither wherever you please, in order to weaken ties and destroy the whole. But by the grace of God, with us everything and in every matter is done in order and decorum, so to speak, in weight, measure (see Wis. 11:21) and according to the rule - in food, and in drinking, and in getting up, and in sitting, and in going out, and in entering, and in conversation, and in silence, in reading, singing, prayer, silence, clothing and shoes. True, not everyone performs everything equally, because not everyone is equal in age, physique, upbringing, birth, virtues, shortcomings, in different lengths of stay in asceticism, in urban or rural origin, in different states of health and for many other reasons. But no one should be denied recognition of his merits, since we are all members of one body, although reason does not require the same honor for everyone. For the eye, which, like a lamp, is placed above the whole body, is valued differently, and the hand is valued differently, as the performer of the necessary work; and the leg, as a support for the weight of all the members of the body resting on it, is valued differently. The ear listens, the nose smells, the larynx perceives the taste of food, and in general, each individual member, performing its own work, contributes its share to the common good - and these members do not disintegrate among themselves, but remain in interaction, as God indicated to each. The same thing can be seen and observed in you, for you are the body of Christ and its members, who are harmonized and united among themselves by the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Let's move on now to what is required. Just as field work ends with harvesting bread and putting it into the granaries, in the same way we will hasten to finish our work, that is, we will hasten to reap our fields, thresh them and by death (δια θανάτου) put the grain into the granary, so that what we sow here in tears, we will reap in joy (Ps. 125:5) in the future century, rejoicing and enjoying from his sacred labors and (294) exploits, and this for endless centuries and eternal joy from ineffable and unspeakable blessings. Therefore, children and brethren, we must all continue to pay attention and be vigilant, so that not one of you will slumber in evil, but let us all watch and be sober, for it is good in the days (Rom. 13:13) walking, rejoicing in hope, comforted by the future peace prepared, the expectation of inexhaustible rewards, forgetting about present oppressions and sorrows, day after day forcing his nature to patience, to perseverance, subordinating the flesh to the spirit, conquering with valiant submission, adorning himself with the glory of shame because of Christ, taking precedence by enrolling himself in the last, showing on yourself, how you endure the lack of rank for the sake of Christ. Thus running, thus fighting, thus competing, you will receive the crown of righteousness, you will rejoice with the martyrs, and rejoice with the saints. Oh, if you would intercede with your holy prayers for me, the pitiful one, so that we might all stand together at the right hand of Christ in the voice of joy and confession (Ps. 41:5), in the choirs of angelic praises, in the habitation of all who rejoice (Ps. 86:7) in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. About honestly and courageously fulfilling the feat of submission and so that those assigned to various obediences undergo them with the fear of God and wisely for the glory of His worshiped name What does spiritual martyrdom mean? My fathers, brothers and children. The day of the announcement is always a day of joy and joy for me: (295) the groom does not long for a date with his bride, just as I long for a conversation with you. Oh, if only you, in turn, had exactly the same desire to listen to my insignificant announcements! But regarding you, I still don’t know what benefit they give you, but about myself I can say that they are very useful for me. For in announcements I reveal my soul to you, making you participants in my sorrows and joys, and this brings me considerable relief. Then here I, on the one hand, remind you of your exploits for the sake of our common salvation, and on the other hand, I inspire each individual to his ascetic life, to his praiseworthy submission, to the completion of obedience, firmness in patience, the acquisition of virtues and everything else that is necessary and necessary. Isn't all this really desirable for both you and me? Why not? Highly desirable. That is why I rejoice that I teach, and you rejoice that you listen, being together inspired by the fact that you were worthy to put on this blessed image, to talk, try and fight, not with the goal of spending your life here in voluptuousness, acquiring the wealth that is perishing and remaining here, getting married and having children, or achieving this or that temporary state, or title, or in general something material and perishable, but so that, having finished life in this century for the glory of Him who created everything out of nothing and brought us into the existence of God, we become heirs of eternal blessings. For this reason, we left parents, brothers, friends, relatives, clan, homeland, property, rank and what anyone was attached to, for some left their wives and children. And therefore this way of your life is blessed, the structure of your society is blessed and the affirmation in this is all praise. After all, who are we and for what kind of good deeds have we achieved this, if not as a result of God’s humane care (296) for us and His generous care? He delivered us from the dark chaos of this vain world and introduced us into his wondrous light of angelic and heavenly life. So after this, what should we repay Him for everything that He has given us? Let us sing to Him in sincere gratitude together with the divine David: I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord (Ps. 116:4). But the cup of martyrdom is no longer there. But if we do not suffer through blood, then constantly suffer spiritually - do not bow your knees to Baal (see 1 Kings 19:18), that is, to carnal pleasure, do not give in to obsessions due to the visible and invisible causes of the temptations that come upon us, endure beatings from thoughts, be burned by the deprivation of lusts and desires, give yourself over to be tormented by merciless reproofs and punishments. Oh, valiant martyrs, warriors of the All-King Christ, those in need and delighters (Matthew 11:12) of the Kingdom of Heaven! Rejoice, rejoice, take courage, strive, run, succeed, enter and pass from strength to strength of sacred deeds, ascend and rise to the heights of virtues, soar in heavenly contemplations. Do this constantly, do this unceasingly, until the end of life comes, bringing you into the joy and gladness prepared for you from the foundation of the world (cf. Matthew 25:34). And indeed, blessed and blessed is he who listens with attention and puts into practice what I say, who increases the fire in his heart and kindles the fire of divine love from earth to heaven. On the contrary, the one who closes his ears, loves vanity and seeks temporary and perishing carnal pleasure is pitiful and unhappy. But so that none of you is among the condemned, each must take to heart not only his personal affairs, (297) but also his neighbors (for we are one another’s judge - Rom. 12:5), take care of them, treat them sympathetically - as far as possible, console them with words, give a hand, advice and help. For the Lord rejoices at this, and I, a sinner, also rejoice. In this way, precisely by supporting and helping his neighbor, this own member, everyone makes himself more perfect. Monastic obediences and professions So, keep yourself cheerful, you who occupy the second place, the dean, the overseers, and especially the overseers at night (for their spiritual benefit and reward is great). Also keep yourself cheerful, wake-up callers, because your work is not some ordinary work, but a saving one; further - canonarchs, taxiarchs (whose obedience is very useful and profitable), cellars, meal-keepers, bakers, the main organizers of order, servants, tanners, shoemakers, weavers (whose grace is from above), parchment makers, fishermen, gatekeepers, scribes (if they work well spiritually and physically), plowmen, winegrowers, gardeners, workers on buildings, servants on ships and others obedience, for their work is God’s work and brings eternal peace, if only all the persons I have listed act rationally and decently, with fear and trembling, as if they received their obedience from God Himself. This is what I wanted to tell you on this occasion, in order to refresh your spiritual zeal, so that it becomes even more perfect in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Touching and about the dormition of Mr. Raphael, a true novice Brothers and fathers. Remembering death is always saving and useful, and if we want to live sinlessly, then we need, on the advice of the holy fathers, to love reminders of it, (298) especially when our brothers die, like now, for example. For here we see an unusual mystery: who recently was with us has now left us in spirit; who recently talked with us is now completely silent - his voice seems to still be ringing in our ears. What a strange sight this is! We see him and at the same time we do not see him: he is in the flesh before our eyes, but absent in spirit, he lies motionless and does not move. There was breathing - and it was gone, there was language, vision - and they are gone, there were other feelings - now there is no vital movement, as if it were a stone or something else inanimate. Let's look into the graves of the formerly deceased. What, brothers, will we find there? Tell and tell. Is it not only dust and dust? Isn't it just black rot and stench? Are not only bodies decomposing? Are the skulls eaten away? Are there bare bones? Aren't they ugly skeletons? And all this in a pathetic and disgusting heap. Will we be able to distinguish brother from brother, handsome from bad, dandy from poorly dressed, young from old? No way. Everything has been flattened, everything has been destroyed. There is only ashes, as it should be in the order of things. If anyone were to look for where the desire for pleasure, or the enjoyment of food, or sleepy peace, or any other carnal desire characteristic of our bodily shell went, - I’m not talking about laughter, dreams, friendship, preening, playfulness, laziness, boasting - then he will not find anything like that, for everything has flown and passed along with the departed one - for eternal punishment. May these words not apply to any of our brothers, and especially to our brother who has now righteously departed for endless life, who valiantly ended his life here with his true submission and obedience. Still a youth, he was (299) an old man in prudence; young in age, he was already mature in spirit; he, which I know better than you, had, as far as possible, no carnal sins, but his outward and known deeds were all good and worthy of praise. Valiant Raphael, truly noble by observing the God-imitating image in himself, I dare even say, truly the same name as the first of the Angels - this is my opinion about this young man; think the same about him, for he deserves it. But let us return to the subject of our conversation, namely, how a little later we will achieve and experience the same thing as our deceased brothers, that is, we will die. We will be removed and buried in exactly the same way, to the point that we, too, will decompose and decay. Since this is so inevitable and since it is not, as it is sung, who is the man who will live and not see death? (Ps. 88:49), then, I ask and pray you, we will live holy, purely, without faults, without bringing condemnation upon ourselves, avoiding all filthiness and impurity, but we will keep clean not only our flesh, but also our soul: we will preserve the flesh from all sin, make it a slave and subordinate it to the spirit, so that it does not rage and rebel due to the activity of our stomach, much less be carried away and oppressed this, because from this it becomes drowsy, whereas with proper observance of moderation in food, drink, sleep and rest, and especially when curbed by the fear of God, the flesh, on the contrary, becomes vigorous; and let us guard the soul so that it does not draw close to impure thoughts and thoughts, so that it flies to God and contemplates His beauty (because this alone truly deserves desire, only one thing is beautiful and worthy of love, and everything else is just a shadow, but not the very object of love, the ghost of beauty, not real beauty), protecting it with psalmody and teachings in divine objects, so that, in this way, both flesh and soul please the beautiful To the Bridegroom, Christ God. And if we end our journey this way, (300) then it is good and blessed. For in this case we will not die, but will live and will not decay. Although we will disintegrate, a little later, in the re-existence, we will be put together again, and our surviving brothers will praise us properly - they will sing longed-for funeral songs over us, weaving praises for us and chanting the corresponding chants: “Blessed is the path, into it you will go today, for a resting place has been prepared for you 534 ... and where is the face of an angel ...”, and also: in the villages of the righteous (Ps. 118:15) 535 and everything else that is usually sung and where our obedience, humility, labors, exploits, sincere love and loyalty, which we showed to each other and to our abbot, our patience and firmness until death, as we showed in our martyrdom, will be remembered. But what does all this compare to the future? Only small and insignificant images and shadows. For just look what we will receive for a godly life when God appears, when He calls heaven from above and the earth to judge with His people (Ps. 49:4), when He sits at the terrible judgment seat, when the books with our deeds are unraveled, when we are placed at the right hand, when the Angels proclaim us victors, and the blessed voice calls us to the Kingdom of Heaven, to the paradise. pleasure, into Abraham's bosom, into the villages of the righteous and venerable. There we will be exalted and rejoice. Let us enjoy things that eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man (1 Cor. 2:9), - joy more than joy, light more than light, life more than life, glory more than glory, honor more than honor. Who can tell about these benefits? Who can describe them? Who can even imagine something that cannot be expressed in words and imagined? Surely, my brothers, we will not strive for this even more strongly? Shouldn't we hurry up even faster? Don't we rush more fervently to obedience, humility, integrity, (301) thanksgiving, prayer, resignation, patience, work, righteousness, purity, to everything that perfects and puts in order the inner man - to the consciousness of our poverty, to crying, contrition, reverence, reproach, ridicule, strangulation, even to the cross itself, so that crucifying and having compassion with Christ, and be glorified with Him in the next century? Is it really, on the contrary, better for us to weaken, to dissolve, to be dejected, to be cowardly, to say: “We will have enough of this,” and also to begin to be amazed in those cases when we are punished, or, further, to grumble, be proud, be arrogant, disobey and, finally, run away? What do we lack compared to the saints? Nothing but want Oh, this won't happen! Instead, I advise and ask you, brothers, that we will endure everything zealously and valiantly. Truly, the blessed and blessed martyrs of Christ, the venerable and righteous, judged well, and even before them the apostles, prophets, patriarchs and all those who were saved in general when they shed blood for Christ, endured contrition of members, preserving in torment, suffering, disasters and cries the testimony of their conscience, deprived, as it is said, sorrowfully (Heb. 11:37), and some of them through shedding of blood, and others received the promise by their living. So what do we lack in order to endure the same and receive their rewards? Nothing but desire (μουου θεχήσαι). You have already demonstrated it earlier in your renunciation, withdrawal from the world, in enduring adversity and need, in enduring obedience and firmness in it. Let us strengthen it a little more, and we are blessed, we will receive bliss on a par with the saints and enjoy the eternal blessings, grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Him to the Father be glory, power, honor with the All-Holy and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. (302) That we, having armed ourselves with the armor of virtue, can easily resist the evil and crafty devil, destroying his various tricks Brothers and fathers. When a storm or sea breaks out, the helmsman tries to encourage the sailors with his cries. The commander does the same in relation to his soldiers in the face of the enemy army and before the start of the battle. Both equally excite and raise courage in their subordinates against the danger that threatens them. Following their example, I, humble and insignificant, also turn to you, the soldiers of Christ, asking and begging you to stand courageously against the devil’s treachery, against the evil and cunning devil, as our battle is not against blood and flesh, it is said, but against the beginning and to the authorities [and] to the ruler of the world of the darkness of this age (Eph. 6:12), namely, against that cruel and cunning devil, against that evil-doer and crafty serpent, who immediately, at the beginning of the world-making, crept into paradise, rushed at our forefather Adam and, seducing him with the taste of disobedience, removed him from immortal pleasure and plunged him into this very pitiful and disastrous life. We all, who are familiar with the Holy Scriptures, know further what and how much he has done, generation after generation, to the human race. He, my brothers, even now ambushes us, hisses, creeps, caresses, flatters, puts on various deceptive disguises, slowly enters, leaves and carries away those who are not strong in soul. (303) Therefore, in order for him not to overcome and wound us, and also in order to find out what he is like with his plans and seductions, a lot of courage, vigilance, prudence and diligence are needed. Don't be afraid when facing defeat By winning victory over all this, we at the same time defeat and drive him away. But at the same time, if we have to suffer defeat, then we should not be afraid of this and relax under his yoke, no matter how many times this happens to us, but on the contrary, just as he himself, when he fails to destroy us, does not yield, does not get tired, but, even though he had to make many attacks in a day, he again acts in the same way as if he had not yet begun, advances again, even, perhaps, even more rapidly, and takes other spirits with him malice - in the same way, I ask you, and we, in turn, will in no way retreat before him and, even if we generally show great zeal, we will not fall out of laziness into ordinary daily and hourly omissions, but we will always, to the same degree, demonstrate against him zeal, vigor, prudence, reserve of strength, freshness and ability to exertion, since God rejoices when he sees that we successfully resist the power of the enemy. In this struggle, the Angels whom God sends help us. For we, my brothers, have not yet reached the degree of dispassion, that is, the cessation of war, so that our spirit would already calm down from the struggle with demons: zealots have achieved and are achieving this only through many sufferings, painful labors and exploits, with the assistance of Divine grace. We, since we still have passion, must not get tired of our exploits and daily and hourly continue, or rather, begin again to do even more perfect good. This is the work of those who struggle, and for this those who suffer in their struggles will receive a crown. Of course, it is a holy thing to achieve a degree of dispassion, but the second thing is blessed - simply not to be defeated in a war, but to constantly recover from attacks and in this way achieve improvement. And such an ascetic will receive the crown of martyrdom, for no warrior (304) who, upon returning from war, shows the king ulcers from arrows, scars and wounds, the king does not shame or condemn, but, on the contrary, praises, brings into the palace, rewards and releases crowned. So, let us strive as soldiers of Christ, let us consider that life here is only a time of fighting with enemies, an uprising of bows and arrows, for, as it is said, the many who fight us from on high (Ps. 55:3), they wage war all day long, set traps, set ambushes, dig ditches, make all sorts of inventions, make up and come up with many plans. Who can escape from them? Who will pass them by? Who won't stumble? Who will not fall into their networks, into their traps, into their deceits, into their disastrous inventions? Who can do this except (as was revealed to the great Anthony 536) one who possesses humility, combined with this obedience, fervent prayer, zeal for the cause, unquestioning submission, uncomplaining readiness for everything, the swiftness of a vigilant thought to expel shameful ideas and to accept Divine contemplations, as well as resistance to drowsiness, vigor of prayer, psalmody, vigils, kneeling and at the same time confession of secret thoughts, avoidance of shamelessness and restraint in speech? For with all this our inner man is strengthened and the enemy is driven away, who under such conditions cannot do anything with us. Therefore, brothers and children, let us be careful, let us not spend the days of our lives without benefit for ourselves. This day has passed, and where will we take it from again - and the work we have done has been written down. If it is good, then it is good for us, and if not, then woe for us. Let us take care that external objects do not carry away our feelings, and, as far as possible, let us subdue them as much as possible. What are the proper manners for a Christian? We must look wisely, not run our eyes around and not turn them here and there, because it is not the eye that looks, but the soul - (305) the external person only reflects it 537. Our face should not be sad or overly cheerful - its expression should be moderate, meek, it should be enlightened by sadness, shining with tears and contrition. Our demeanor should be humble and should not drive people away from us: we should not give ourselves a stern appearance by raising our shoulders, wrinkling our eyebrows, walking with an important gait and throwing our bodies up. The man of God is orderly in everything Our manner of speaking should also be pleasant, with moderation in words and tension of voice, with modest movement of the eyes and other limbs; no need to flare your nostrils, wave your arms, or frown your face. For the man of God is ordered in all things, he is as it were an instrument, moved by the Holy Spirit in all his actions, both in how to speak, and how to look, and how to eat, and how to drink; when, for example, we eat, we should not frantically immerse our entire mind in food, but should listen with attention to the reading or arouse pious thoughts in ourselves, we should not use all our five fingers, hastily and hastily take food, stuff our mouths with it or bite off in huge pieces, but even if it was after labor and fatigue, large pieces should be taken in two steps, and each time - in the amount required, so that you do not bring shame upon yourself by disorderly eating. For we are commanded to do everything gracefully and in order (see 1 Cor. 14:40). We must observe this both regarding food and clothing and shoes. This should not be handled carelessly, but should be used as the Lord's gifts. In order not to delay the announcement, may the Lord bless you in everything, may He guide and admonish you to master good deeds, to correct errors, to fulfill decrees, and in general to everything that brings firmness and that imparts goodness, filling you with His divine gifts, (306) for to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. About success in our honest life, and also about the fact that we work zealously in our obediences and that the brotherhood works not like slaves, but like brothers More success means a stronger sense of distance from perfection Brothers and fathers. At the present moment, when we are just beginning the usual announcement, perhaps one of us will think and say to ourselves that it doesn’t matter to us whether to listen to these announcements or not to listen, because they do not add any benefit to us. But that's not true. Of course, if we judge the matter from the point of view of perfect virtue, then there is some truth in these words, because the more a person succeeds in goodness, the more he feels that he is moving away from perfection: such is the nature of virtue. In fact, each of us, by the grace of Christ, gradually moves towards something more perfect and grows in doing good. Why announcements are necessary and useful For how can the soul not prosper when, like a tree, it is watered and entrenched by frequent announcements, when even, according to the proverb, even a drop wears away a stone and, according to the expression of the Apostle, corrupts good customs and evil conversations (1 Cor. 15:33)? Let us also take into account the fact that if even with announcements evil still holds firm in us, then what would happen if there were no conversations and if the teachings were not analyzed and revealed from all sides? So, catechumens are necessary and extremely useful; this custom originates from the fathers and bears the stamp of venerable antiquity. Therefore, I must preach to you in such a way that, to the best of my ability, I will attract you all to the love of God; to peaceful unanimity, godly decorum and to every good deed. (307) But I, my brethren, see that I have neither the proper gift of speech nor the proper way of life. And as a result of this, I am sad, embarrassed, tormented and frightened, my hard-working soul worries about how I can be useful to you in this and that respect. But although I am deprived of this, I still ask you, do not retreat and do not go back, but go forward, prosper and ascend in your hearts along the good path, moving from glory to glory of virtue, and, looking at the lives of the saints, imitate their morals. How did they please God? Through humility, obedience, submission, submission, patience and firmness, enduring and enduring ascetic labors and stress - in abstinence in food and drink and in performing intense bodily work, then also nourishing love for each other, avoiding envy, rivalry, hatred, ill will, adherence to relatives, abstaining from idle speech, empty conversations, fun, laughter and other disastrous passions. If, most honest brethren, we wish to achieve their fate, then we will become their imitators - we will not allow ourselves to relax from fatigue or laziness, but we will strive like fire every day for our studies, for spiritual services and for bodily obedience, which in general constitutes a divine work. Advice to those performing various obediences Therefore, look at what you are like, what you are working on, because your work is not intended for me, but is offered to God. You, cellarer, fulfill your obedience without laziness, give everyone what they need, without partiality or preference. You, table eater, arrange your food correctly so that you do not end up with any injustice or secret disgrace, because it will not hide (308) from the all-seeing eye of God, although people think to hide it. You, cook, watch how you cook and prepare food for your brothers, and through carelessness and laziness, do not spoil what should be cooked delicious. Manager of the dress, watch your obedience, because it is difficult due to daily changes [of linen]: do not let your eyes sleep, nor your eyelids slumber (Ps. 132:4), until it turns out that you have selected everything necessary for everyone. Monastic work sanctifies souls and bodies And you, the recipients, in turn, must accept and be satisfied with what they give you, even if it is bad, torn and dirty - the sin for this will be on the manager, and you will receive a reward for martyrdom, as if in the eyes of God. Seniors in other obediences (in shoemaking, parchment, basketry, weaving, blacksmithing, leather workshops, in gardening and carpentry work, in fishing, in obedience to setting lamps, in the bakery and elsewhere), work and lead your subordinates as in the face of God. Especially you who work in the vineyards, conduct business and work not as slaves and hirelings, but as sons and brothers 539; when the opportunity presents itself, allow yourself to rest a little, then rise again and take up your tools to sanctify your souls and bodies. Let no one invent excuses for his sins (Ps. 140:4); let no one deceive that he is weak in order to move on to easier work. If this is true, then it will be checked by observers of the work, and if this is done simply because one wants to move on to another task and due to sheer laziness, then there is no need to hypocritically hide the sin, for such pretense will not lead to good. Everyone, if he strives to become a worker of God, needs, as far as he has the strength, to choose what is low and what is more difficult, (309) and not vice versa. What should a worker of God be like? By this I do not want to say that you need to work beyond your strength, but so that false excuses do not appear among you (for this is where unrest, unrest and disorder in business arise), so that you do everything according to your conscience and in a brotherly manner, since the damage from evil is common to you, and the achievement of good is also common - the increase in spiritual deeds and the performance of bodily work. If we reason like this and treat each other with love and brotherhood, as if we all have one soul, then we will not make any mistakes, but day after day we will go straight forward, ending the time of our lives and reaching the time of our death. May our good God vouchsafe us then His incorruptible and eternal blessings, for to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. An admonition not to change and remain faithful to our martyrdom of obedience, to which we made a promise before God and people Brothers, fathers and children. What does the divine apostle teach us and what does he mean when he says: this is an acceptable time, this is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2); let us therefore put aside dark works and put on the armor of light, as in the days, so that we may walk gracefully (Rom. 13:12-13)? He, as a good father and teacher, awakens 540 us from laziness, shaking off spiritual slumber from our spiritual eyes, corrects our steps towards God, leading us onto the path of good deeds. Therefore, let us listen (310) to the divine instruction, let us rise cheerfully, let us sober up well and walk more diligently, for the day of life for each of us is already drawing to an end. We see that our brothers are already being kidnapped by death, and in general our life span at each age is quite insignificant: death takes away not only the elderly and middle-aged people, but also children and infants. And if we, while time allows and while we still have some time left before death, try and strive, then this is good, for in this case we will live forever and enjoy indescribable joy. But if the end of this life comes earlier and the sun of our life sets when we have not yet stocked up on good deeds and have not prepared our souls, then, of course, we will suffer grief more than any grief, darkness more than any darkness, terrible condemnation more than any condemnation. And who will deliver us from the hands of the dragon or what kind of leniency can we receive in punishment for the carelessness with which we spent our life here? He who transgresses, it is said, transgresses, and he who commits transgression transgresses (Isa. 21:2), - I now turn to those who have fled. We need to pray and cry out for them more diligently, for God does not want the sinner to die, but to be converted... and he will live (Ezek. 33:11). But you, who, by the grace of Christ, remained in your martyr's obedience and did not change your vows before God and people, rejoice and be glad, for a great reward is prepared for you in heaven for the fact that you listen, abide, listen, create, observe and preserve everything commanded to you in the Lord, as well as what I, the humble one, point out to you. For slaves who are faithful to their master should not be embarrassed and retreat from their due due to the fact that some of their comrades have committed a crime - on the contrary, in this case they should become even more attached to their masters and love them and at the same time (311) become even more firm in fear. Likewise, faithful soldiers are not burdened by guard duty and service under the king, even if some of their comrades are involved in malicious conspiracies and criminal enterprises. If this happens here, among corruptible lords and kings, then what should happen to the great, first, only true Lord and King of kings? For you, children and brothers, entered military service to Him, you are under His command, you serve Him day and night. Whoever commits a crime becomes a transgressor against Him, and whoever commits lawlessness also commits lawlessness against Him. This should be clear to you if you do not superficially read the rules of the divine and great Basil or what is said in the holy “Ladder”. But with all this, despite such a terrible condemnation for apostasy, some, due to my sins, do not cease to break away from communication not so much with you, but, as the same great Basil says, through you - with the Holy Spirit 541. Then, imitating Judas, they raise certain people against you and me in order to destroy their oath in any way (since I myself do not allow them to do this and do not want to commit lawlessness with them) and so that I would cease to consider them members of the brotherhood. The blame for all this, of course, must be attributed to my sins, for I am a bad shepherd and will suffer punishment for this. But, on the other hand, I warned in a timely manner about the threatening sword. In my opinion, I did this no longer so rarely and lazily. You who are considered worthwhile, watch how you stand! Those who consider themselves steadfast in goodness, look how steadfast you really are! Those who promise to lay down their souls for me for the sake of the love of God, watch how you endure uprisings, for not everyone, it is said, says to Me: Lord, Lord, he is already Mine, but do the will of My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 7:21). After all, you did not waver in these virtues of yours when you heard about the fall of your brothers. Confirm yourself even more in the Lord and, (312) having ascended to the foundation of humility, do not fall. But besides this, pay attention and look closely at how criminals are caught in their crimes. Do you want, it is said, not to be afraid of power? Do good, and you will receive praise from him (Rom. 13:3). Do you want to not be afraid of falling? Keep your vows, do what is commanded according to them, and do not turn back in any way because these vows turned out to be very difficult to fulfill. For when a person begins to feel burdened and reluctant to fulfill his vows, begins to be stubborn, become irritable, self-willed, boast, be arrogant, or grumble, eat secretly, engage in gossip and gossip, chatter, be self-indulgent, not open up in confession, or speak rotten and offensive words, or do not listen with obedience to orders, and also do not accept the clothes and shoes that are given to him, food, but begins to demand and covet: “Give me this and that,” or: “I don’t like this versus that,” and also: “Why can’t I get things more beautiful and better than such and such, for I am older than him in tonsure, I am so and so,” then from all this he, as if from a high ladder, gradually descends (but does not rise!) and falls into the ditch of apostasy. Therefore, if you do not think and do not want to fall away, then avoid what helps this, namely all of the above. For whoever does not observe this will certainly, even if not immediately, but a little later, curl up, perish and act like Judas. May this not happen to any of you. For this purpose, I warn without any deception, as you yourself know, that you cannot go to the Kingdom of Heaven along a smooth, comfortable and calm road, this can only be done in the opposite way to the above - through obedience, humility, long-suffering, endurance, gratitude (313) for everything that is given to you and what you receive, even if what you received was very bad, meager, below your merits compared to your neighbor. For there is another Judge and Distributor; on the day of Judgment the Lord will reward him according to his deeds. Your job, brother, is to endure, to thank, to remain calm, even if you are passed over in front of others, even if you are completely forgotten. Therefore, if in this cold time you were left even without warm clothes, without a kukul, in only a tunic, if you had to shake from the cold, so that you were not even able to control your limbs, in no way, I ask you, do not dare to be indignant, disobedient, or slander. This is what Christ commands to do through His saints. This is what I, a sinner, preach. For in this way the novices receive their reward, and in this way the martyrs received their rewards, and in general all those crowned by God. If this does not happen, then our name is empty, our hope is in vain! A person, as I said above, gradually sinks as a result of inappropriate speech and behavior, instead of a martyr he will turn out to be an apostate, instead of a fighter - a fugitive, instead of being crowned, he will be disgraced not only in this, but also in the next century. But let all bad speech and morals be kept away from us, and let what is commanded by the fathers serve as an example and example for us for our spiritual accumulation of treasures, spiritual joy, wealth of virtue and the achievement of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion forever. Amen. Exhortation on the approach of the Holy Pentecost and on the Second Coming That only one thing is stable and worthy of love My brothers and fathers. Now you cannot be addressed (314) with the words of the prophet: you will hear by hearing, but will not understand, and by seeing, you will not see: for the heart of this people is clothed, and their ears are heavy with hearing, and their eyes are closed (Isa. 6:9-10). By the grace of Christ you are sober and awake, displaying with an open face the glory of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:18). For by obedience in your sacred life you have wiped away the pus of attachment to the world from your spiritual eyes and clearly look at objects, that is, at the vanity of life and at this change in all areas of human vanity, and also understand that only one thing is stable, worthy of love and desire, namely, God and the desire for Him through a virtuous life. So blessed is the Lord God of the fathers because He has vouchsafed us to become participants in this share and to lead our lives as required by ascetic wisdom. Let us look at the mountain, where our head is Christ, let us think not about earthly, corruptible and transitory things, but about the beauty of heavenly and above things, about the peace and enjoyment of those ineffable and incomprehensible blessings, which the mind cannot even imagine in the slightest degree, nor can our ears perceive, nor can our heart feel, because their properties exceed these powers. I am confident that you, if the Lord gives you the strength to endure the feat set before you to the very end, will achieve these blessings and rest in the place from which, as it is said, you have fled sickness and sorrow and sighing (Isa. 35:10), then giving great thanks to God for calling you into this sacred image, because of which each of you has endured so much labor in order to avoid evil and acquire this good. And then there will not be the slightest memory of the suffering here; on the contrary, we will even regret that we did not endure and suffer even greater labor, sorrow and exhaustion, even to the point of shedding blood. (315) The Righteous in the Kingdom of Heaven Indeed, children and brethren, on that terrible day of the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, when He comes with countless thousands of Angels and Archangels, sits at the universal judgment seat and begins to gather from the four corners of the universe all tribes, every soul and breath, reveal dark deeds, declare the thoughts of the heart and examine the deeds of each person, how then some with joy will be placed at the right hand of the Lord, and others with unbearable shame on the left, and they will be in bright abodes, in the bowels of Abraham, in heavenly joy, in angelic faces, in the Kingdom of Heaven, and these will be sent into unquenchable fire, food for worms, into hopeless darkness, into the gnashing of teeth, into the place of Tartarus, into insoluble shackles, into the underworld of hell and into other torments, according to their sins. The first will then shine like the sun (see Matt. 13:43), they will leap for joy, their hearts will rejoice in delight, they will glorify with silent songs, they will abide with the Master whom they have served so well; such will appear, firstly, the martyrs for confession, who shed their blood, the apostles, prophets, saints and righteous ones, and after them those who suffered spiritually - bishops, priests, monks, laymen, all who ended a good life and showed good behavior. Others will gnash their teeth, moan, cry, grieve and scream: “Woe is me, woe!” – cursing himself for his recklessness and not being able to ever get rid of it; bound, persecuted with beatings from the harsh Angels, and even more condemning and accusing themselves, they will enter (316) into that torment to which they are deservedly condemned indefinitely, for the condemnation there is not temporary, but for all eternity: these go, it is said, into eternal torment, but the righteous into eternal life (Matthew 25:46). Sinful passions are similar to wild animals Now, having weighed all this in our minds, and not just because it is terrible (our description does not give the full picture, but only an insignificant hint of what will happen), will we really be careless in our works and labors, will we really turn back little by little from a virtuous life, will we become bored with the duration of our life here? On the contrary, shouldn’t we shudder in our hearts, shouldn’t we rise hotter than fire in order to fulfill what is necessary before the day of our death comes? Therefore, my brethren, let us deal with this - whoever does not do this is completely caught up in passions, snores, sleeps, closes his eyes, is hardened in heart, indulges in sweets, loves arguments, harbors ill will, boasts, is lazy, evades, looks down like a bear, looking only for something to eat and drink, roaring like a lion when he fails in his evil plans, jumps like a panther, making all sorts of plans and inventions about pleasures, cunning like a fox in order to achieve what he wants, becomes enraged like a camel when he has the opportunity to take revenge on his neighbor, gets excited like a horse, raging at animate and inanimate objects, is shameless like an ox in order to destroy his own or someone else's soul. And why go through the many different sinful passions, which are not only quite similar to various wild animals, but also surpass them. Whoever has a good thought, in contrast to the picture described, shines like an Angel, shines like a Cherub, and has many eyes like a Seraphim, so that the dragon does not find a place somewhere and penetrate into it. He is courageous, like a warrior, and turns the fiery sword of his strict thoughts against every sin. (317) He burns demons by kindling good thoughts, emits, like an eternal source, pure streams of tearful contrition, is built, like the church of the Lord, from the golden stones of virtue, full of glory, humility, light, prayer, like a blameless lamb, following the example of his Master, does not argue, does not cry out, but even if he needs to be slaughtered, he goes for it and obeys his father and brothers. He is the son of the Most High, in obedience and humility he goes wherever he is ordered. But listing all the properties of a god-like husband would be very long and would delay the announcement. So, as Scripture says, life and death are indicated to you (Sir. 15:17). Everyone can choose what they want. But you, brothers and fathers, just as you have already chosen the good, so now, I ask, choose it: let us encourage each other to piety, surpass each other in humility, and especially now, when the time of Pentecost has come, we will not allow ourselves to do anything more than what is commanded. He who does not do as he himself wants, regarding food, drink and everything else, is the first ascetic. Let everyone show everything that he is able to do, for our holy fathers called this time the cleansing of the whole year: be enlightened, cleanse yourself, shine, be deified these days in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen. An admonition about how we need to resist the attacks of the devil and repel them, and about the fact that we need sobriety every day Brothers and fathers. If you are so eager to listen to my weak catechumens, and if I can satisfy your desire (for for your sake this small gift (318) of preaching was given to me), then I confess: both in this catechumen, and in general in the composition of other works, for example, chants, and in all other verbal and practical talents, I owe all the prayers of my father. In view of this, I fear and tremble, lest this gift, because of my fickle and unhappy soul, be condemned to me. I earnestly pray to you: ask and pray to the Lover of Mankind, God, that He will preserve me in my gifts sent down for your sake, which are beyond my dignity, and also that He may accept what He has given me as payment of my immense debt to Him. What should we talk about now? Yes, this is about how, according to the apostle, our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers and authorities [and] against the rulers of the darkness of this age (Eph. 6:12). As a result of this, we must be sober a lot, be vigilant, take care, try, be impetuous, and also stock up on spiritual armor, namely, put on the helmet of faith without any doubts, arm ourselves as a shield with unfeigned obedience and genuine humility, as well as everything else that relates to virtue, so that in this way we will be able to defeat those who invisibly rebel against us. For, as you know, these grave and terrible attacks occur constantly, they are not stopped even by prayer or Holy Communion: (319) they excite and inflame such thoughts against the Holy Gifts, against our faith, even against God Himself, which is a sin to even name. But although our weak soul groans from wounds and is shaken by nasty thoughts, immediately there is help from the Lord, and the east from on high (see Luke 1:78) to drive away the dragon. Therefore, we do not need to fall into confusion and fear from this, for since the heart is not afraid, then nothing threatens the mind, and this is not only during Communion, but also at any other time. For as soon as we begin to live well and once our soul, thanks either to contrition, or sincere prayer, or reading, or generally thanks to some other sacred activity, becomes calm, the enemy comes opposite, begins to confuse and shake the heart, as if throwing us out of the harbor into a storm or, as it were, leading us out of daylight into darkness. It’s as if the same changes are happening to us as with daylight: the sun is shining there, then a shadow appears from a cloud that has found it, then the sun comes out again and again the air is darkened by all sorts of changes. Doesn’t the same thing happen to us, when at one time we are illuminated and illuminated by good thoughts, then we are covered with the shadow and darkness of dark thoughts, and then, taking up prayer or some other good deed, we come out into the light again, and so many times during the day? But in the air, changes occur differently than in our soul: there they are produced by external nature and are accomplished in the way that they are controlled by the wisdom of the Creator of all, God, who provides for us. But with us, changes depend on our free desires and will. For although the devil with his attack tries to steal from us the light of spiritual well-being, we have the power to repel it and constantly have within us the Sun of Truth illuminating our spirit (Mal. 4:2), as the saints had it and as those who live holy have it. In fact, even now there are many saints, and they, according to the expression of Scripture, are like holy stones lying on the ground (Zech. 9:16). They are holy not because they can perform signs and wonders, for this alone does not constitute holiness, but because they keep the faith right and the commandments of God uncorrupted, have sincere love for their brother, cleanse themselves from hatred, envy and rivalry, rejoice in the distinctions that they give to their neighbor, (320) observe the rules regarding food, drink and other things necessary for the body. I say this about every such person in general, especially about you, who completely withdrew from the world, were crucified to Christ, and brought special gifts - non-covetousness and virginity. After this, who will not call you saints? But let us constantly continue to endure with courage the sufferings of obedience, the sorrows of asceticism, malnutrition during the present period of Lent, exhausting work, scarcity of clothing, shoes, and all other hardships that we have to endure daily. For if you endure all this, do not make the slightest concession, do not retreat from our obedience and do not fall into passions, but will always and in every way fight against them, then you will become saints yourself, and you will also be placed with the saints, you will be received by the face of the saints and you will rejoice in the tabernacles of the martyrs in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and ever. Amen. Admonition and reproach, in humility, to oneself and about what kind of leader of the brotherhood should be My fathers and brothers. When, in a moment of sobriety, I think about the height of the superiority on the one hand and about my own unworthiness on the other, then I begin to get scared, tremble, cry, be embarrassed and at that time I am ready to pray that the earth will give way under me and swallow me, the unfortunate one. For, as the instructions of the saints indicate, 542 it is necessary to insist on a man strong in word and deed, who is able to impeccably defend the word of truth and shows himself to be his subordinate example of everything, so that they, having next to them an example of virtue, (321) would attune themselves to the God-like and heavenly image of high life. But I am a worm, not a man (see Ps. 21:7) - unclean, fickle, passionate, unhappy, weak in soul and body: you know that even on these holy days I drank wine. After this, how can I not weep, not suffer, not bring tears from my eyes at the thought of the formidable duty entrusted to me - to give an answer for all of you at the Last Judgment of Christ, when they will demand from me an account of each of you individually: how I tried and how much I devoted myself to doing and saying everything as it should, so as not to omit anything necessary in pleasing God, on the one hand, regarding you, which, thanks to my unyielding firmness almost already saved, and on the other hand, regarding those who, due to lack of attention and self-restraint, ran away from our good brotherhood, stagger here and there and live a free, but at the same time, destructive life? As you can see, my torment and fear are quite reasonable. The goodness and intercession of God In view of this, what can I do? Nothing, as soon as, like a helmsman caught at sea by a storm and about to drown, raise your hands to the sky and ask for help from there in order to hold out until some harbor, and at the same time you, like sailors, are assigned to the necessary work, so that the helmsman is awake and watches where to steer the ship, those standing close to the helmsman do what he cannot do due to his powerlessness, while the rest do what is needed in others affairs - so that everyone generally obeys, vigilantly watches for the common good, obeys from the first word, rallies among themselves in unanimity, so that no one remains idle, (322) sits idle, does not sleep and does not snore. If all this is needed on an ordinary sea (I do not yet have the time and necessary information to depict all this in detail), then how much more necessary is it on our ship, which sails on the vast and boundless sea, where many strong spirits of evil blow, where the waves of passions rise almost to the very sky, then again descend to the abysses of the earth (for such are the opposite passions), where there are rocks, pitfalls and the darkness of other dangers, where there is constant excitement that drowns not bodies, but souls in ruin forever and ever. May the Lord grant us, through the prayers of the saints, and first of all the Mother of God, as well as the Forerunner and the Theologian, these our lords and saints, whose names we usually invoke, to escape and get rid of this ruin until we reach the end of this life. Therefore, I ask you, brethren, in accordance with the example given, let us devote ourselves entirely to the fulfillment of what is needed there: we will work, strive, we will hasten and reach the land of salvation, we will in no way allow ourselves to become despondent and careless. Although there are many spirits of malice, although the opposite winds of sin blow, although the sea of our life is great, although the excitement of passions is strong, although there are underwater destructive stones of inexperience, we have a great Helper and Intercessor - God, who forbids the winds, tames the sea, calms the excitement and establishes in our souls the sweetest silence of dispassion, if only we call upon Him. truth, if only at the moment of the uprising, waking up, we say: save us (Matthew 8:25), Master, we perish (Luke 8:24). He loves us tenderly, for He is our Father, He deeply sympathizes with His servants, because He is a philanthropic Lord, He bows down to His disciples, (323) for He is a good Teacher, for their sake He came down from heaven, for their sake He took on the form of a servant, for their sake He was crucified and died: how then will He not deliver them from troubles, will not help them mercifully, will not keep them unharmed from all danger, if they call upon Him in the day of trouble? Only we ourselves, in turn, must conduct our lives soberly, cheerfully and prudently and with an impeccable conscience fulfill our obediences, whoever is assigned to what: whoever is entrusted with exhorting, let him exhort, whoever is supposed to instruct, let him instruct, whoever is commanded to supervise those who work, let him watch carefully, so that everyone works to the best of his ability, whoever is in obedience, let him show unfeigned and uncomplaining obedience, if he were ordered, even in the most impossible, no one should resist or contradict, for, as it is said, every evil person will raise contradictions: the Lord sends away an unmerciful angel (Proverbs 17:11). Persons who issue or assign various necessary things and tasks to the brethren, let them do so in a friendly manner, but let them also resort to severity if anyone becomes disorderly and demands what is not due; this applies to the cellarer, shoemaker, head of clothing, refector, hospital attendant, as well as to the senior calligrapher, canonarch, taxiarch and all other similar ranks, and above all to the steward. The overseers must conduct their work of supervision zealously and diligently, so that no one dares to do or say anything secret and beyond correction. The same should be remembered by the wakers, and with them by the mentors, so that they properly carry out the work of instruction and admonition without any deception, for if one who contributes to the corruption of his brother inherits a sad fate, then what blessing is worthy of the one who leads his brother out of his erroneous path through admonition? (324) So, let everyone work at his work, let everyone do what is due, what is fitting, what is saving, and your reward will not be gold and silver, not the possession of any land or property, like the forefather Abraham, when God said to Him: I will give this land to you and to your seed forever (Gen. 13:15), but your reward will be the Kingdom of Heaven itself, pleasure eternal blessings, the holy land of the meek (cf. Ps. 37:11; Matt. 5:5), eternal lots, the tabernacles of the saints, of whom we may be rewarded after a righteous life in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About non-adherence to vain and corruptible life, as well as about firmness and zeal in our God-imitating and ascetic life Brothers and fathers. Our life is like a road, not a road that can be covered in one or two days or even in a few days, but which stretches the entire length of this life until we move from here to the future life. How much strength we need, how much strength, sobriety and zeal it takes not to stop and refuse to travel this long path! Of course, we have an adversary here - our enemy, who hinders us and trips us up 543, but, on the other hand, we also have an Intercessor and Leader for the competition, who accompanies us in the race, and this is not anyone else, but the Lord Himself and the Master of all, just as we also have help and protection from the holy Angels: behold, he will not sleep, it is said, he who guards Israel will sleep below (Ps. 121:4). The vanity and pleasures of this life Therefore, let us run zealously, let us resist firmly, (325) burn with zeal, let us not look down, but let us, as spiritual runners do, look upward. After all, if we look down, laziness, negligence and relaxation will immediately appear, our thoughts at this time will rush here and there, to the vanity and pleasures of this life, to fornication, gluttony, covetousness, to what deceives our eyes, to shows, festivities, panache, dreams and everything else that quickly leaves and perishes. For in fact, what in this life is constant and does not pass away like a dream or a passing shadow? Pay attention and see if anyone remains and has anything been preserved from ancient times in the same form to this day? Where, for example, are all these kings, satraps, princes, rulers, as well as all those people who once spent their lives in pleasure, or were arrogant, or collected wealth, sought glory, built houses and cities, planted vineyards and gardens, flaunted and decorated themselves, got married, got married, had a large family, were covetous and greedy for gold, and in general, did and endured everything everything for bodily well-being? Hasn’t all this passed, disappeared and perished, leaving no memory behind? Yes, nothing of all this remained or was preserved, but everything died and disappeared, and it would be good if that were all it was. But, besides this, all these deeds are observed even until the day of retribution and the righteous judgment of God, where everyone will be rewarded according to their deeds. This is how real life is. If we look at the future life, then although here [that is, on earth] everything is deplorable and sad for us, although here we have only exhaustion, hard work, fasting, vigil, cutting off our will, renunciation of our desires and everything else that constitutes an ascetic life and martyrdom obedience, (326) but because of this we should in no way become discouraged, lose patience, or be darkened by the sorrows that befall us, retreat before emerging passions, but must boldly run, march, looking at the sky, raising their eyes to God, heading towards the Kingdom of Heaven, striving to acquire the prepared blessings, to heavenly joy, to the enjoyment of incorruptible life, to the unevening Light, to angelic bliss. And what mind is able to comprehend the joy, joy and pleasure there, or what word is able to convey it? It is impossible, in no way possible, to imagine, or to learn from anyone, or to describe this in words. So all the saints fled and won - martyrs, saints, righteous, pious, lovers of God, both monastics and laymen, both men and women, both young men and elders; they all considered life here only a punishment: they were flayed, they were beaten, cut with a sword, they labored, led an abstinent and virginal life, they chose to endure and endure this sad dream, in order to later achieve a quiet, true and good life. Now, if we also want to achieve their glory and bliss, then we should do and endure the same in our God-loved life. Let us decide on this, brethren, let us endure everything, let us be firm with our courageous thoughts and tireless zeal, let us not fall into a pampered life, be carried away by lust or, more precisely, become like cattle, keep our eyes on our feet instead of, as the sage says, being in charge (Eccl. 2:14), (327) for whoever thinks about heavenly things and whoever is occupied with these things, he really has The eyes are in the head, but whoever is busy with vain things actually has eyes in his feet. It is terrible and unnatural for a person to walk on his head and upside down, and it is even more terrible and unnatural if it happens to the soul. We, brothers and children, as wise men and with eyes in our heads, will think and implement what is God and Divine, that is, faith, hope and love (cf. 1 Cor. 13:13), from which are born steadfast patience, purity, brotherly love, peace, meekness, gentleness, courage, constancy, self-control and in general every good deed, every perfect gift (James 1:17), every flower and the fruit of virtue. What is God and what is satanic And what is the opposite of this, that is, unbelief, despair and hatred, is from the enemy: from this arise impatience, negligence, fornication, adultery, shamelessness, lust, gluttony, boasting, panache, jokes, insults, envy, murder and all other satanic acts. We are God’s, so we will strive for God’s; we are pure, so we will strive for the light; we are immaculate, so we will practice what relates to virginity; we are reverent, and so we will acquire the properties of holiness; we are peaceful, then we will strive for brotherly love; we are unconceited, then we will pursue heavenly things; we have renounced the world, then we will seek that which is above the world. We will not allow order to change into disorder, so that we, being the sons of light, will chase darkness, the reverent ones will begin to riot, the enemies of glory will begin to become vain, because this is bitter, disgusting, this will be a struggle against God, the delight of the demon and the strengthening of eternal fire. Those who are of the world love the things of the world, lovers of spectacles - which relates to spectacles, lovers of amusement - which refers to amusement, lovers of the flesh - the things of the flesh, lovers of fornication - their own deeds. We, brothers, as God’s people, must love God, be what our name, in accordance with our vow, indicates, because we are called and considered people living alone (μοναχοί), renouncing the world, hermits, virgins, ascetics and saints. God is not as angry at the sins of the laity as at the sins of the monks Therefore, let none of us be an atheist, or a troublemaker, or an offender, a fornicator, (328) a murmurer, a gossip, a careless person, a lazy person, for the wrath of God is great, close, and he avenges wrongdoing. God is not as angry - although he is still angry - at the faults of the laity, as he is angry at our sins, at the sins of those who have completely devoted themselves to Him. Likewise, the master is more angry with those of the guilty slaves who are under his eyes than with those who are far from him. I have often, albeit in different ways, repeated this to you in view of the fact that evil constantly returns to us and we either correct ourselves or fall under it again. The length of stay in the monastery does not mean anything And I say this not only for the disorderly, but also for those who live decently, not only for those newly tonsured, but also for those who have long ago accepted the holy image, for this longevity in itself does not mean anything; it is necessary that the difference in the amount of time is also combined with a corresponding success in life, since long ago alone, when it brings condemnation, does not provide any benefit and can only serve as a subject of laughter, just as you laugh when you see an elderly man going to school with children. The greatness and God-imitation of monastic obediences Finally, I come to obediences. I do not appoint them on my own, a sinner, but God Himself gives them through me; they are not unimportant, but, on the contrary, very great, not humiliating, but very honorable, above those services that the king gives on earth, since they are aimed at the service and glory of God. In view of this, can a wake-up caller, or a warden, or a mentor, or a dean consider his own obedience to be of little importance? Isn't this stupid? Isn't this reprehensible? Doesn’t the one who thinks this way and arbitrarily assumes the highest obedience anger God? After all, what does it mean, for example, to be an alarm clock? This means freeing oneself from the power of sleep. Such virtue is characteristic of great ascetics. The alarm clock was appointed by the Lord, as it were, as an angel, to wake up the other brethren for the glorification and praise of the Holy Trinity. This is a high position, an angelic ministry. (329) What, further, does it mean to be an epitirite (overseer - επιτηρητής), if not to be directly under the supervision of God and no longer need after that any supervision over oneself - not to shy away from virtuous living, to be placed over all the brethren as an eye observing their entire life? What is it to be a mentor (παιδευτης). This means abandoning all disorder and being filled with prudence, serving as an example for the benefit and improvement of those who have not yet been educated and instructed. Great is the obedience of an overseer, even greater is the obedience of a mentor, for the first only reports what he sees, and the second, in addition, teaches, instructs, stops riots, like an Angel, or even Christ, or a ruler, by his appearance stopping strife and discontent in the brotherhood. Finally, the epistimonarch (dean - εττιστήμονάρχής) by his obedience serves as a model of prudence for everyone. Whoever understands the matter sensibly trembles and is horrified by his obedience, I’m not even talking about the obediences of a housekeeper, a cellarer, a clothing manager, a shoemaker, or about the services of senior or leading persons in some kind of obedience, for example, in the garden, in a tannery or parchment workshop, and in some other kind, but also simply at the work of woodcutters or washing vegetables. For everything that is done for the brothers is God’s and is done for God’s sake. Everything that is done for the brothers is God’s and for God’s sake A stupid, unreasonable and proud person does not understand the importance of his obedience, nor the height and holiness of higher obedience, nor his unworthiness for it and seeks this new service: if he is only an alarm worker, then he strives to become an overseer, if he is a mentor, then he wants to be a dean, and a dean wants to become a priest or abbot; the same thing is done in other obediences. The importance of any monastic service So I explained to you the meaning of obedience. I ask you, do not be fools in this, but remember each one the importance of your service and do not even consider yourself worthy of another, higher one. If you behave this way, then everyone will fulfill his obedience with joy and zeal, find God in it and will not look for another, (330) until the one who has the authority to do so decides and translates it. If things go differently, then unrest will arise, riots will arise, obedience will not be fulfilled and disorder will reign. But in no way, I ask you, this will not happen - let’s not do that! But let us do everything decently and godly, as some among you are doing in accordance with what I just said, for I see and understand the state of your souls by internal and external signs. If anyone would thus take a higher position and obtain a more important obedience, let him honor, sanctify and glorify his present obedience by diligently performing it. In this case, even if you had no desire to change your obedience, the time will come when you will not take the highest obedience of your own will, but the truth itself will force it to be given to you. For the Lord opposes the proud (Prov. 3:34) and every arrogant person is an abomination to Him (Prov. 16:5). But may God grant you all, in the fear of God and with the gift of humility, to successfully lead your life in the present and become more perfect in everything further in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and dominion forever. Amen. About the fact that in our spiritual war we need to fight and fight against the hostile thoughts attacking us in order to receive a reward for victory from the Hero of Christ Soldiers of Christ and their spiritual weapons Brothers and fathers. You all continue on your way peacefully, and I look at you in this state with joy. But you must not forget that you are soldiers of Christ; a warrior needs to constantly study the art of war and always keep his weapons ready for battle (331) with enemies, which can happen at any time, so see if you are ready for this, in what condition (whether sharpened, purified and illuminated) are your spiritual weapons - the sword of obedience, the armor of faith, the helmet of salvation, the shield of humility and the quiver of thoughts; Is your chariot also in order - your honest body: it should be like a well-trained horse, which is not particularly fat, because otherwise it is unfit for running, but also not too exhausted 544, because otherwise it runs poorly, which obeys well the bridle of the fear of God, so as not to bite the bit and throw off its rider - the mind - with a wild gallop. The mind demands that you be constantly in this state, since the war goes on continuously, battles occur hourly, arrows rain down every moment. Who is the hero among you? Who is the hero? Who is the winner who cuts off hostile thoughts by thousands and tens of thousands, and first of all brings down, like the divine David of Goliath (cf. 1 Samuel 17:51), a proud mind? What will happen from here? Putting to flight the spirits of evil and various sinful passions. [A proud mind is] the beginning and end of evil, through it the dragon that now tempts us fell from the vault of heaven and from the angelic light, and from it, as from a root, thousands of shoots - sins - grew. Every person has their own dominant passion Therefore, we need to fight and fight against every thought that attacks us, every person has his own passion and the cunning serpent wounds everyone in a special way: one person is inclined to fornication, another to gluttony, this one to despondency, another to envy, another to vanity, and some to anger, some to unbelief, some to flight, some to self-love, some to idleness, some to enmity - all this is done by the same spirit, the spirit of Satan, and a great struggle is required with all this. (332) An eye is needed everywhere, supervision is needed everywhere, protection is required everywhere. We must attack the enemy and fight him so that he does not penetrate, approach, capture, take prisoner, kill or destroy us. You need to receive one blow, and give ten in return, for a small wound you should beat straight to death. The one who is wounded physically needs healing, just as the one who is wounded spiritually needs healing. The treatment here is the punishment received during confession. And then again - to war! Whoever wins physically receives one wreath, and whoever wins spiritually receives thousands of rewards. Just as there is daily battle, so daily are crowns, daily rewards. Since you resist and are not timid, you are strengthened and are not faint-hearted, and so you will hold out until the time when the war itself is destroyed with our departure from here, then praise be to you! Daily battle, daily crowns, daily rewards So be bold, children and brothers, be bold! We have an Intercessor - God, a helper - our Angel, we have protection from the saints whose names we call upon, an invincible weapon - the image of the Cross of Christ, our fatherly faith, hope in our promises and fraternal unity. We will not be afraid of those people (Ps. 3:7), the invisible thoughts surrounding us, we will not bow our knees to Baal (Rom. 11:4), we will not betray our chastity, which the Lord has espoused to Himself in holiness. Through shamelessness and vile deeds that are destructive to one another, let us not make our members, who are members of the most pure and immortal Bridegroom Christ, vessels of fornication and uncleanness. Let us not accept the serpent as our advisor, who wants to kidnap us from the heavenly hostel; we will not open the door to demonic thieves who can steal our spiritual treasure and betray us into Assyrian thoughts and Babylonian slavery. How good it is for us to remain in the city that the Lord our God created (333) for us out of various virtues! What a blessing it is to have a soul free from slavery to sin! The soul, not subject to passions, is completely free, completely God-like, it is a complete master over itself, it is light-like, joyful, zealous, open, united and dissolved with God, heavenly, it, when necessary, commands natural movements, like slaves: do this - and they do it, and to another: go - and walks in the world (cf. Matt. 8:9). A soul free from slavery to sin, and a soul enslaved to it But something completely different is seen in that soul that is enslaved, subordinated to passions and under their power: it is pulled hither and thither into slavery by every passion, every vile act. For, receiving orders from the devil, she carries them out. And even if these orders came from one more demon, otherwise from many: she is commanded by the demon of voluptuousness, and the demon of envy, and hatred, and rivalry, then - gluttony, laziness, unbelief, abuse, anger, pride, lies, theft, and so on and so forth. Who can count all this? And everyone knows that when he becomes enslaved and submits to passions, then the soul becomes pitiful, its life becomes miserable, it becomes meager, disgusting, gloomy, it does not emit any shine or light, it is then godless, ugly and vile in appearance for prudent people. Let's not sell our freedom So, children, we will not lose our dignity, we will not sell our freedom, being masters. We will not become slaves, we will not turn our light into darkness (cf. Matt. 6:23). Let us not change our beauty for ugliness, let us not turn our face away from God to the idol of evil, let us not throw off our bright tunics of virtue in order to dress in the dirty rags of iniquity; being sons of God (Gal. 3:26), we will not become children of the devil (Acts 13:10); children of light (Eph. 5:8), we will not be abortions of darkness. If all this is vile and bad in a carnal sense, then how much sadder and harder it is to even just talk about it and imagine it in a spiritual sense. What intelligent man among the masters would go into slavery? Who, being the son of God, would want to be called the offspring of the devil? (334) Who, abandoning the indescribable nobility of virtue, will take up a low, passionate life? Who will strive from spiritual wealth to carnal poverty? Who wants to lose the Kingdom of Heaven in order to gain fire, darkness and other eternal torments in its place? This is not what wise people with common sense do, but only fools and short-sighted people. How should people who act like this actually be unreasonable, than, being created in the image and likeness of God for the enjoyment of eternal blessings, thanks to a senseless adherence to passions, end up in hellish confines, to eternal damnation. So, if someone is dozing, let us become sober; if someone is blind, let us see; if someone is deaf, let us hear who has weakened the firmness of his courage; we will gather our strength, we will work, we will hurry, so that, having achieved through our good deeds the habit of goodness, we can then easily and joyfully fulfill all that is divine and saving. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him in truth and will save the humble in spirit (Ps. 33:19) in Christ Jesus our Lord; to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About diligence and fruitfulness in our spiritual vineyard Brothers and fathers. Yesterday, when we had to pick grapes, you, of course, if you came across vines with a lot of grapes, you blessed them, (335) and those that did not have tassels, they were angry and, thus, delivered a curious spectacle for the observers. I brought this speech to the point that you, too, are the vineyard of the Lord: if you have spiritual fruits and if you are burdened with such grapes, then you will cause wonder in the eyes of the Cultivator of our souls, and if not, then you will only deserve a curse and a command to be cut down, for, it is said, every branch that does not bear fruit is cut off and thrown into the fire (Matthew 3:10; John. 15:2, 6). Please note that not every vine produces fruit, but first it must be planted with much difficulty, then it gradually grows and becomes capable of bearing fruit: it is grafted, dug up, fenced, excess shoots are cut off, cleared of thorns, thorns and all kinds of weeds, and only after it has been fattened, manured and received from the gardener of all kinds normal care, it gives fruit in due time. Don't we see the same thing in ourselves? For who, in fact, bore spiritual fruit before he did not experience such care, before he was planted, was not grown and made ripe at a spiritual age according to Christ, before he was also dug in, pruned and fenced with the commandments of Christ? Whoever has not experienced this is still powerless and fruitless; according to Scripture, he is embraced by all the destructive demons who pass by (Ps. 79:13). Therefore, let us begin, I ask you, to cultivate our souls and care for them. And this is formed by an ascetic life, proper decency, labors of abstinence, vigil, attentiveness to confession, wounds of punishment, guarding with the mouth (Ps. 141:3), a heart not carried away by dreams, unshakable hope, invincible firmness of thoughts. (336) Whoever does not have this cannot bear fruit, cannot be called the vine of Christ. After all, we came here, brethren, not to bear much fruit? Is it not in order to nourish the Lord with your abundance of spiritual fruits? Our good Lord hungers for our salvation; if He finds fruit, then He eats it with joy, but if not, then He curses such a vine as a barren fig tree (Mark 11:13–14, 20). He constantly comes up and looks at how we are. In view of this, we need exploits, diligence, spiritual fervor, caring, humility, obedience, attention, praise, strength, prudence, diligence, brotherly love, patience, meekness, hope, so that we can create from ourselves chosen vessels (Acts 9:15), perfected by the Holy Spirit. You have already worked a lot, suffered, endured a lot, ran many times on the lists, crushed the cunning [the devil], fought off his invasions, tore addictions out of your soul, renounced the world, crucified yourself to passions, kept the commandments, kept the faith of your fathers, were not afraid of human horrors, prepared your hearts for death for the love of Christ. All these deeds of yours are pleasant, praiseworthy and pleasing to the Lord, they are all holy, desirable and of heavenly dignity. But I ask you, most honest brothers, let us endure a little longer! Let us be unshakable in faith, fearless in the face of attacks by visible and invisible temptations. Let us not be discouraged because our lives are long, let us not run away from our daily war with Belial. The Lord, it is said, is my helper, and I will look upon my enemies (Ps. 118:7), the Lord is the protector of my life, from whom will I fear? Sometimes those who are angry come close to me, they destroy my flesh, those who insult me ​​and attack me, they become weak and fall (Ps. 26:1-2), but we rise and recover (Ps. 19:9). (337) So, let us inspire ourselves with these thoughts, strengthen 546 the courage of our soul with this, let us take up our obediences with zeal, we will observe decorum in everything, we will not allow any rotten, murmuring, offensive, slanderous, divisive, or shameless speeches. We will come to work, vigils, and psalmody at the first call, promptly, without reservations, with a clear expression on our faces. Let us avoid shamelessness among ourselves, care only for the good, let us be friendly, let us nurture only heavenly thoughts in our souls, we will observe restraint in speech, avoid laughter, treat each other with condescension, we will defeat others with our readiness to submit, putting forward the greatest weapon against the devil - the word “forgive” (σνγχωρησον), we will gentle, peaceful. The word “forgive” is the greatest weapon against the devil The Lord said to the Apostle Peter: feed my lambs, feed my sheep (John 21:15, 16). If you want to be called lambs and sheep of the Lord, then do not jump like goats, do not go into the thistles of passions and do not shout loudly, but live meekly and peacefully, feeding on the life-giving pastures of the commandments and dwelling in places of dispassion in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages. centuries. Amen. On the protection and purification of our feelings and on the confession of evil thoughts The devil is constantly awake Brothers and fathers. I always look at you with joy when you live in harmony and fulfill the commandments of God. I rejoice even more now that you, despite the shock from the outside, remained and remain unshakable and firm, not being afraid of anything and not falling away from your courageous and God-powerful way of thinking. Just as trees swayed by the wind only (338) become more and more rooted and become more stable than others, the same thing is observed among you: thanks to the attacks that came from outside, you only took deeper roots, blossomed, and the God-given commandments gave you an abundance of fruit 547, for the righteous, it is said, will flourish like a phoenix, like the cedar of Lebanon will multiply (Ps. 91:13). But since shocks, and accordingly also the opportunity to take root and be established, do not happen once or twice, because due to the constant action of spiritual and sensory attacks this happens continuously, we need to constantly monitor ourselves and always keep ourselves in the law of God, not deviate either to the right or to the left, but to follow the royal and middle path (Num. 20:17; 21:21–22; Proverbs 4:27), where is salvation, where the soul cannot get lost and [can] walk comfortably. We must remember, heed and not forget that the serpent - the deceiver, the stealer of souls, the devil - is constantly awake in order to lure us from this path and, having overthrown us into some kind of passion, make us his sad prey. But we can overcome it and evade error if we stay awake and sober, if we guard our senses, our eyes from contemplating what should not be seen, our hearing from perceiving deceptive speeches and the whistling of the serpent, our hands so that for passionate or voluptuous motives we do not touch either our own or others’ members, our feet from spiritual and sensual walking along crooked paths and secret places. If we do all this and if we protect ourselves with true frankness in confession, as well as with the required humility and obedience, then the serpent is defeated, the evil one is torn out of the heart, he grinds his teeth, but stands far from us, although, however, he does not leave at all: even though he has suffered many defeats and been driven out several times, he still does not get tired of his work. After this, the soul rejoices, becomes more and more courageous and, finding in the light the path to God, rises higher and higher, (339) becoming deified 548 and soaring in the sky. If things go the other way, she falls into power and is enslaved by the passion that defeated her, and, darkened by bad thoughts, flies into the depths of evil, grieving, tormenting, not finding a place or peace for herself and, thus, acquiring bitterness in the future life. But we, children and brothers, will not allow ourselves to endure this, we will not allow ourselves to be carried away by sinful deceptions, and if this somehow happens, any member falls, be it an eye, or a hearing, or a hand, then we will rather cut it off (Matthew 18:8-9), we will tear out temptation like an arrow from a wound, and we will heal the wounded place with the medicine of repentance: through this the soul begins to rejoice, rejoice and be glad. Why don't we do this? After all, to do otherwise is stupid and unreasonable. Even irrational animals shy away from this and avoid it: they fall into a trap once or twice, and then they try to avoid this place, so as not to fall into death again. And we, honored by the image of God and guided by reason, turn out to be worse than unreasonable creatures: we love all the same passions, we seek the same abyss and the same ditch - ordinary sin. Spiritual joy from the medicine of repentance It is terrible and difficult to experience sadness and grief here, along with the loss of a future life. But, as wise and as pure, let us live wisely and virginally, so that we may be strong and firm in external temptations. For the soul that protects itself from the invasion of passions and remains invincible by them will not fear fire, nor swords, nor beasts, it will not be afraid of kings, princes, nobles, nor sorrow, nor oppression, nor persecution, nor any dangers, it can always say: I will not fear, the earth is always troubled and the mountains are cut into the hearts of the sea (Ps. 46:3). (340) But the soul that lives differently will tremble and become afraid, because it has already suffered from internal intrigues. Therefore, let us beware of internal enemies, then we will not be afraid of external ones. May the Lord of hosts, through the prayers of our father, confirm us in this with His strong hand, for to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. That we should courageously and firmly endure our martyrdom, and also that we should gratefully accept clothing 549 from those in charge of this matter Brothers and fathers. Due to the fact that the nights have become short, I am speaking briefly. For I cannot be completely silent when, even with announcements, we still create troubles and do not stop gross misconduct. Therefore, especially now, when we are fighting with the outside world because of the commandments of the Lord 550, I ask you to be even stronger in your martyrdom obedience and to lead your life so that it goes correctly in everything, is not tainted by anything and is free from all falsehood, so that in this way God Himself would look at it and, pleased with your good deeds, would complete your feat with glory - would reveal you as martyrs and in spiritually and physically. For in fact, this is an important thing, that in the current weak generation, while others are afraid and run away, we sinners are almost the only ones who fight and strive for good. This can be done by youthfully young souls who are inflamed by God’s zeal and follow the example of virtue and fatherly customs, but, of course, mainly this is a matter of help from the angelic power and a gift of the great God, Who is constantly looking for souls purified from passions and knocked out of the intoxication of worldly thoughts, (341) in order to bestow upon them His grace and reveal in the sons of men the works of His omnipotence. Prepare from yourself the chosen vessels If we prepare ourselves in this way as chosen vessels (Acts 9:15), and such vessels should be gold or silver (2 Tim. 2:20), which signifies the purest deeds and dispassionate life, then the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High will descend on us, which will overshadow us (cf. Luke 1:35) both in this and in every other matter, which will strengthen us and will give us everything we need. If, on the contrary, we become vessels for destruction (Rom. 9:22), which, according to bad and unclean deeds, are like wood and clay (2 Tim. 2:20), then God will not dwell in us, and we ourselves will also not be able to accomplish anything saving, even if we apparently strive. Therefore, let us constantly cheerfully accept and endure the hardships that occur in asceticism, both in night vigils and psalmody, and in daytime prayers and works: at night, while everyone else is singing, we will not stay in bed, except in cases of illness and other valid reasons, just as, having risen, we will not stagger hither and thither without reason and moo after divine praises, for this will cause a lot of harm to the soul. And during the day, too, let us not unnecessarily miss hours, leave work, start work at the wrong time, or take part in such conversations that tend not to edification, salvation or general benefit, but to the destruction of all this. For from here arise rumors, unrest, resentment and hatred, this brings joy to Satan and sorrow to the Holy Spirit. Those who have had to read, let them not forget the danger of saddening the Holy Spirit with idle talk. I see that the most chaos happens when distributing clothes, where everyone pesters the manager with his need: (342) one asks for new, strong, as well as soft and thinner outerwear for the summer, another asks for a new, beautiful color and spacious coat. But where can we get all this when we don’t have so many clothes and dolls? What is your income or earnings? Everyone, demanding these things for himself, should remember how much he gives to the monastery and how much he brought into it from the world, and also not forget that once he has made a promise of obedience, then there is no point in doing his own will. After all, what we now have, isn’t it a gift that God constantly sends us miraculously from a source known to Him and from where He wants? And we, on the other hand, are we really worthy of this for our past and present sins? Let each of us remember how he began his monasticism and what he is doing now, and he will find that he is guilty and does not deserve to use even what he now has. If we cannot tolerate rough, bad, patched and tight shirts and dolls, we cannot tolerate lice and flea bites, then what should we boast about? What is our monasticism? What then is our obedience? Some have only one tunic, while others do not change clothes all year round, and there are such people among us, but we do not want to pay attention to good examples and imitate them, but if it comes to examples of the opposite kind, then with complete pleasure. When such and such received a good dress or kukul, which was given to him, perhaps out of attention to his illness, his physique, or to his some special, outstanding position, they immediately begin to envy this, excitement rises, they begin to compare things and argue with the manager of the clothes: “Give me the same thing, why is he better than me?” - especially if the offended person is a priest or one of those who oversee the order of monastic life, or one of those who imagine themselves to be something [significant] 551, but who in fact are not. (343) What can we say after this about the rest, who, due to their rank, age, or simpler and more unpretentious habits, should accept with fear, trembling and gratitude what is given to them, and who instead raise disputes, kick, mutter and demand for themselves the same thing that they have not yet grown up to? In the world I had no opportunity to change my shirt, but here, changing it every week, I become ferocious like a wild animal and bark like a dog. I had no housing except a rented, poor, dark, dirty corner without any marble - and now, damned, as I moved under a gilded roof, onto marble floors and into clean rooms, I forgot that I had moved here from hardship to a quiet life. I once had neither a bed, nor a blanket, nor a pillow, except some kind of felt or some rough and hard thing - and now, lying on a bed made on stretched braids, with a blanket and a pillow, I am still dissatisfied. I now have a fur coat, as well as an outer dress for winter and summer, and not only long, but also short, I have boots and shoes - and all this is not enough for me. Before, I endured insults and was afraid of everyone I met; anyone who wanted could beat me, but now I do not want to endure a random reprimand, insult and reproach. Then they called me simply the son of such and such a poor man, but now, having called myself the son of God and the son of light (Gal. 3:26; 1 Thess. 5:5), on occasion I become offended and angry with the one who spiritually gave birth to me. Isn't this demonic delusion and cunning? Isn't this a deception and deception of our mind? Anyone, once he thinks carefully about the state of affairs, cannot object to this: whether he is of noble birth or from the rich (they have nothing to look at others), (344) if he really works to correct his life, he will certainly admit that he is guilty here. Don't be weak in the easy part so you can endure the hard part So let us, my children 552, direct ourselves more diligently towards God, drive away the opposing forces and without any falsehood and valiantly carry out our feat, we will force ourselves in what has just been indicated, so that, in this way, my life will be somewhat easier and we can rejoice in the hope that we will receive our rewards. For we all - both small and great, both noble and simple, both glorious and unknown - promised to endure not only what we are now talking about, but also beatings, spitting, strangulation, exile, exile, and finally the cross and death. If we endure this, if we do the easier one, then we will have the determination to endure the more difficult one. And if we turned out to be weak in the lighter ones, then, of course, we won’t be able to even touch the hard ones. But may the Lord help you both in the deeds of the first kind (all in general - both those who serve and those who use this service, who distribute things and who receive them, for their labors are the same: whoever serves and distributes in one obedience, in another only enjoys the fruits of this obedience and receives), and in the deeds of the second kind, more difficult, if He deigns to send them down to us, may He give us the strength and firmness to imitate His sufferings, for He All glory, honor and worship is due to the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About not accepting the advice of the evil serpent, but through confession to repel his attacks Brothers, fathers and children. If a mother cares about feeding her children (for it is the law of nature (345) to take care of her children), then how can I, a sinner, not strive to feed you? And if she tries to get them tasty food from everywhere, then how can I, meager, not provide you with what is useful? I only grieve that I cannot feed you delicious food, and also give you as much of it as your appetite requires. What does this food consist of? The Giver Himself said: This is my food, that I may do the will of Him who sent Me, that I may complete His work (John 4:34). Brethren! He gave us the right to call Him Father. Let us love God, who loved us so much that he gave his only begotten Son as a deliverance for us all (see John 3:16). How can we do and accomplish this? You have already partially accomplished this with your previous life: for, in fact, for whom did you run away from the world and everything worldly, renounce your parents and their property, renounce your brothers, relatives, friends and all the other vanity of life? I ask you, show this even more in enduring sorrowful obedience, the labors of abstinence, the burden of work, the fatigue of vigil, as well as in enduring the arrows of thoughts, the fire of lust, the darkness of despondency, the devouring of envy, the destruction of lawlessness and everything else through which the destroyer of our souls, the devil, tries to bring us into the gates of hell. But be brave, children! For you can overthrow him by the power of God that is within you, and not he you. Seeing that you are leading a peaceful and serene life, he grinds and grinds his teeth. He wants to climb in and kidnap some soul for destruction, but when he sees that you are protected and protected by the law of the Lord, he will not find a place from where he could get to you. He sets snares and traps, (346) but seeing that you are destroying his tricks with confession, he weeps from failure. He cannot find a place or corner for himself where there is the fear of God, where they keep the commandments, fulfill the rules and obediently submit to punishments. Therefore, rejoice, be inspired, take courage, strengthen yourself, establish yourself, empower yourself, do not give the slightest access to the fierce demon, do not allow this evil serpent to whisper in the ear of your soul, fight him off, drive him away. You know how he deceived the first man and how he deceives those who are now being deceived by him. He speaks and inspires that which leads to lawlessness, leads to pride, encourages envy, attracts to lust, draws into intemperance and, in general, into everything else that defiles and destroys the soul. Oh, these serpentine tips! You constantly pay attention and listen to what the guardian of your life [Angel] reminds and shows you, namely, regarding chastity, courage, the way of life of our reverend fathers, death, repose, discussion of experiences, future blessings, as well as punishments, how to achieve these and avoid these, so that, analyzing and discussing all this, you do more and more good deeds. Take heed and correct the path of the Lord our God, until the appointed period of our life comes to an end and the Lord, Whom we so diligently serve, delivers us from this sorrows to the future eternal rest. Tender love for each other I have collected this for your food, and so far it is very little. And you, children, in turn, repay me, nourish me with your prayers, supplications, virtuous deeds (347) and disposition, uniting as if you all have one will, one heart - through tender love for each other, vigorous fulfillment of obedience, as well as strict observance of the upcoming Holy Pentecost, so that you can easily carry it out and finish it, and at the same time strengthen your soul and body, rejoice the hope arising from the deeds you perform and to be worthy without condemnation to achieve the Holy Resurrection by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory, power, honor and worship to the Father with the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. About the flight of brother Elpidius and the return of Euphaly, as well as about doing the work willingly, to the best of one’s ability. Brothers and fathers. It is rightly said: the ear of hearing and the eye of seeing will not be filled (Eccl. 1:8). For no matter how many times before I tell you about what is useful and how to live, and, however, I always find that nothing survives or is preserved from this: as soon as my words penetrate your ears, they immediately fly out of there; While you listen to my teachings, they stay in your soul for a little while, and then soon disappear from your memory. This is already your nature: it is unable to retain what is communicated to it, and again demands a repetition of it, just as the body demands new food and drink. Therefore, I need to constantly infuse instructions into you and impart good admonitions, borrowing them either from Divinely inspired Scripture or from my own soul. So in the present case, if you remembered what you were taught and what was commanded to you earlier, at the very beginning, then there would be no need for any conversation (348). But since everything has been erased and disappeared for you, it is necessary to constantly repeat the old things again and renew the old, so that in this way we, at least in appearance, achieve our salvation. I say all this in view of the generally different circumstances of our life, and, in particular, regarding the present incident with brother Elpidius, who, having forgotten everything, despised everything and trampled on what he himself had once confessed before God and His chosen Angels, flew to the place of destruction, into the ditch of apostasy and into the pit of renunciation. Wasn't his life better than that of many other brothers? After all, he was an assistant to Abba Vasily, led a quiet life, received good clothes, was surrounded by care and could go wherever he wanted. But nothing, neither fine clothes and shoes, nor sweet food and drink, nor calm obedience, could soften the soul, since it planned to escape. And why bother describing all this? According to the fatherly saying, He who can create a new heaven and a new earth is only able to attract a person to goodness after he, having strayed from the straight path with self-willed aspirations, carried away by sweetness and seduced by Satan, worsens and worsens his situation. Such a person has already become vain with his evil plan and destroyed his soul (cf. Matt. 16:26), unless some spark of life touches him and calls him out of spiritual deadness, for he, as St. Basil says 553, is dead and deprived of the Holy Spirit, and for this one should only cry and pray for his return. The deceived will lose everything good he has done Why don’t we learn from the example of those who have already been deceived and returned back, why don’t we understand the devil’s deception and avoid the creep? After all, this leads to nothing but the fact that the deceived one will lose everything that he has done good through patience, and when the end of passion (349) and lustful desire comes, he will have to return back empty and, in addition, perhaps, bring with him many of the sins that he committed during his delusion. Let us not think that any of these could remain in their delusion until death. For do they not return here after fleeing and falling? Those of us who ran away know this well. Even the one whom I, due to the extreme madness that gripped him, considered was already completely hopeless for returning - I’m talking about Brother Euphalia - and he is drawn here again, repents, asks, confesses his sin, despite the fact that, in his own words, he is perfectly settled in the carnal life. Is this not a sign for us, who have not yet fallen and been deceived, so that we too will not suffer the same thing? But all this does not help at all; we again fall for the same bait. Unreasonable animals and fish even know how to beware of a dangerous place if they got into trouble there two or three times, and we turn out to be worse than animals, but, of course, not all of them: I’m only talking about those who are not established and unstable, whom the beliar swirls around like in a whirlwind. As a result, the soul weakens or puts itself on one of those slippery paths that generally lead to passions (I’m not talking about retreat alone), unless it is due to neglect of what is commanded, as well as because such persons completely neglect to fulfill unimportant, as they put it, commands? According to Saint Basil 554, one cannot say: small or great sin, for any disobedience in general deserves the same punishment; and look shamelessly at faces, do not turn your eyes away from harmful sights, and take it easy on laughter, screaming, indecent conversations, pushing and groping each other (from which fornication and destruction are born), and idle, and seek what is not appropriate (from which divisions, malice, slander and personal attachments arise), and disobey, and do not fulfill (350) along with others brothers of what is due and what has been established by me, the humble (due to which grumbling, pride and boasting arise, and especially when persons who stand out in some way from others are involved in the matter) - all this is subject to the same punishment. I hear that some of you do not flock to the daily felting of bread, like hawks to food (for what is kneaded and baked is really prepared for your food), even now, when we no longer have such hard work as in many monasteries or as we had before, because our dough is already kneaded by oxen. The ox always fulfills his obedience, alone carries out the hardest work, and we, the numerous brotherhood, can only finish the job and maintain decorum. And yet, we do not quite willingly and not without grumbling take on this daily work. He who has acquired knowledge has also cognized the manger of his master (Isa. 1:3), but such persons have not learned to observe the established rule, they consider great things to be of little importance and do not value the work of preparing bread at all, they do not want to admit that the call to this work comes from God Himself and that disobedience to it is disobedience to God. I also know that when carrying wheat and other things from the pier, some do not immediately, from the first word, join their brothers, but begin to come up with this or that excuse, because the valid reasons are clear to everyone, the overseers always take them into account. Such behavior of such persons is no small evil, firstly, because what is transferred is a common property, will be needed by everyone and therefore, of course, requires equal work from everyone using it. Otherwise, it turns out that those who do not want to participate in this work to the best of their ability, as if they will not take advantage of it, and as if those who suffer from carrying it are not their brothers, but some kind of animals; I think they have enough strength to lift a log (351) or drag some modium 555. By not doing this, such persons also take on another sin on their souls, because they also tempt others into disobedience. They should refuse fraternal services, but no, they use them more than others. This, brothers, should not happen at all. For from here, as has been said, arise troubles, damage to the common cause, gradual decline, unrest, disputes, all sorts of self-justifications and scores. Why don't we reduce the number of punishments? Why do we fall so foolishly where we can easily walk without stumbling? Obedience is life, and disobedience is death So this is what life and death, success and stoppage in spiritual movement, peace or torment depend on! This is completely fair, since obedience is life, and disobedience is death; The yoke of Christ is easy (Matthew 11:30), but the yoke of the devil is heavy; keeping the commandments is sweeter than honey, and disobedience is bitterer than wormwood. Let no one imagine that by disobeying he will achieve a quiet life for himself; this is a deep deception, in this way he acquires for himself only a painful eternal burden, but from obedience, on the contrary, easy peace, despite the fact that even if the order given to him turns out to be beyond his strength: with good determination, God makes the work easier. The saints who claim this do not lie; on the contrary, those who do not want to accept this lie and deceive themselves. But in order for you to achieve the best, so that God can help our strength, so that I, humble, can rest, so that, finally, the common affairs of the entire brotherhood go in the proper order, let us pay attention to what has been said and let us do what was indicated, so that in this way we will reap the firstfruits of future blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages. centuries. Amen. (352) About the humility of the abbot and instructions regarding the structure of life according to God, and also about the fact that we did not submit to the king regarding his adultery My fathers, brothers and children. The shepherd must diligently look after the flock entrusted to him and diligently take care of the well-being of his sheep - help the sick, bandage those who are hurt, look for the lost, attract those who are lagging behind, and generally do everything that the prophet depicts so well (Jer. 23:1-4). In the same way, I, the accursed one, since I, although not according to merit, received superior authority over you, must constantly work and try for you, the true sheep of Christ, now pointing out one thing, then another, as if transferring and driving you from pasture to pasture, from one field to another. Oh, if only God, in fact, through the prayers of our father and for your hope, would grant me the strength to accomplish this! For I have already spoken openly before and now I declare what I am and how weak and incapable I am. Therefore, like the lambs of Christ, graze godly, abide by the life-giving commandments, eat, according to the prophetic expression, on calm waters (Ps. 22:2), walk along the paths of righteousness and sing: though I walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me (Ps. 22:4). And I am sure that if we do not fold our hands and run away from the spiritual and God-imitating life we ​​have perceived and practiced, then no trouble, neither spiritual nor sensory, will catch us and defeat us. If God is for us, who is for us? (Rom. 8:31), and if He is our Protector, then whom will we fear (Ps. 26:1)? (353) How, in view of this, will He not begin to satisfy us more and more fully in everything physical and spiritual, to give us grace, strength, joy and joy, and through the rich and varied gifts sent down to you to surprise this world? This is how, children, believe, and trust, and in accordance with this, grow daily and, so to speak, bloom and bear the fruits of immortal virtues, like flowers of the field, fragrant with divinely inspired deeds, driving away from yourself, as hateful to God and destructive, every stench of sin. For, in fact, is not every day our every action, as a sacrifice to the Sovereign God, lifted up into the stench of fragrance (Ezek. 20:41)? Yes, indeed, your true renunciation of the world, your complete renunciation from your relatives according to the flesh, your common and inseparable life in the community are being elevated and exalted. And in general, in order not to list everything in detail, I will simply say that you, out of your ardent zeal for the ancient and paternal life, tried to acquire many virtues. For example, I will point out that none of you considers anything, even the most insignificant thing, to be yours, or that you all have one common concern in all matters, both in relation to each brother individually and in relation to the whole brotherhood, and also to the fact that, despite the scarcity of our means of living, you show patience and endurance and not only do not omit any commandments because of this, but do even more - namely, you do not refuse anyone to enter the monastery, no matter how poor or wretched the 557 person may be mentally or physically. I will then point out that we have neither slaves nor female cattle, which, as we now see, was carried out so unreasonably by people of our rank, as if they had decided to start living in a worldly way. Let me also remind you of some other matters in which you showed your strong loyalty to God and me. Thus, in the past 558, when, on the occasion of a clash with the king because of his adultery (354), you and I left the monastery, were subjected to scourging and were scattered in all directions, like sheep whose shepherd (although it is impudent on my part to apply these words to myself) was struck (Matt. 26:31), you did not pay attention to this and first of all took care of how to gather together, so that as soon as You were expelled by the king, and immediately came to me, without stopping at any delay. And now, when I left the monastery of the “Pure” because it was impossible to live piously there, 559 and you zealously and courageously separated from life there - like the martyrs of Christ, you valiantly expressed and confirmed your confession. And blessed is the Lord for not rejecting my humble prayer and not withdrawing His mercy from us, who created so that you remained steadfast in your faithfulness, who did not destroy the words of truth in your mouth, so that you did not lie in your terrible vows to Him, who tested you like gold in a furnace (cf. Wis. 3:6), and found the test of your faith pure and unalloyed, who showed you to be true children, and not children worthy of reproach, true sons, and not criminals, sons of light and day (1 Thess. 5:5), and not of darkness and disobedience (1 Thess. 5:5; Eph. 5:6), of a right generation (cf. Ps. 111:2) and those who have given themselves over to God and spiritual life, and not to the wicked and those who grieve (cf. Ps. 77:8) and Who, finally, showed you in this way to monks and laymen 560 - true monks, real novices, true hermits from the world, people who have truly renounced all acquisitions and property, who think about the highest and look to the mountain, strangers and strangers on earth, citizens and inhabitants of heaven, following the example of the holy martyrs, in imitation of the saints and righteous, for the glory of His much-praised power. (355) How can I praise and please you for all this? What else can I say, damned, bad shepherd? Even if I had shed my blood, torn my flesh and broken my bones, even in that case I would not have been able to say anything worthy of the grace bestowed upon you. For what God gives and will give further in this world is great (for He must justify what is said about Him, that He rewards a hundredfold - Mark 10:30), but what will happen in the next century, what God has prepared for all who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9), no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no thought has comprehended. Then you will see with your own eyes what benefit your steadfastness in your vow and contempt for all the sweets here have brought you. Then you will see how I, the pathetic one, needed to speak and not remain silent, for then you will find yourself children and brothers for your firmness, and those who, for the sake of temporary pleasure - just for a few short days - renounced and became an apostate, they will be put to shame, disgraced and hear a bitter definition. What then is the benefit of these poor and unfortunate people at the Judgment, that in the present century they decided to trample on the law of God and call the blood of the covenant filth (Heb. 10:2)? And when light, inexpressible joy, life and immortality of rest in the Kingdom of Heaven shine upon you, what will remain in your memory from the suffering here? But, covering and protecting us in Your testimonies (see Ps. 119:2), spare, O Lord, those too, bring and call them all to conversion and reunion, so that we may all bring glory and honor to You, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. (356) About us imitating our God-bearing fathers, and also about avoiding base passions, about vigor and labor in our spiritual work My brothers and fathers. There is a certain time for sowing, harvesting and harvesting grapes when the farmer can carry out these desired works. Any time is suitable for working in the soul. There is no need for oxen, plows or other implements, the absence of which makes agricultural work impossible. Any time is suitable for working on the soul We only need the hunt and desire, with them we can sow good deeds and reap benefits for eternal pleasure. And this can be done not only during the day, but also at night, and in the morning, and at noon, and while eating, and while drinking, and sitting, and standing, and talking, and silently, being in motion, and in inaction, and working, and remaining idle, if only we are sober and awake, and not deluded and not deceived by our thoughts, if we do not rush hither and thither with our mind or body, do not create our carnal desires, We strike each other with irascibility, quarrelsomeness, disobedience, grumbling, vanity and pride, we do not strive to shift the blame onto our neighbor and do not try to gain victory over him in an unfair way. For all this does not allow our spirit to remain in God, to reflect on what is needed, to remain humble and contrite, and to easily accept all the sorrows that befall us. You should not, brethren, in no way should you do this. What prevents our spirit from dwelling in God Let us not waste or ruin the days of our salvation in idleness, laziness, negligence, and we will not spend or waste time in our lives without gain or benefit, but we will buy virtues and collect heavenly riches, we will be as prudent as our holy fathers were (357), so as not to waste a single day, not a single hour, but to work firmly and intensely on the purification of the soul and the expulsion of passions, to maintain an elevated contemplation of goods, so as not to pay attention to all the work required for this, whether with hands, or feet, or other members in general, but to seek God with all your heart, knock on doors and not fall into despair. For this reason, the entrance to the commandments of Christ was opened to them, the door of love, the gate of truth, the path of dispassion, and they entered and found joy and gladness, and thus, with the help of a little labor, they found what they were looking for - eternal and imperishable joy. Don't waste a single day, not a single hour They did not engage in lust and carnality, did not strive for power, glory and primacy, did not squabble over dresses, shoes, cupolas, robes, writings, memorial plaques, belts, etc. They, experiencing humiliation, insult and oppression, were not irritated with their brother for an offensive word, or ridicule, or an order about work, or for anything else, but constantly looked only at the feat set before them. And since their patience endured everything that was demanded of them, they endured everything either half-joyfully (μετά χαρμολύπης) 561, or completely joyfully (και τελείας ευφροσύνης). In general, those who struggle well endure it half-joyfully, while those who are completely dispassionate endure it joyfully. So why don't some of us do this (and I mean ourselves here)? They are still thinking something about the first, but as for the second [that is, dispassion], all their efforts and endeavors are directed as if they had left the world and came here only to serve the passions, bicker, get angry, get clothes with shoes, lie, invent slander, steal, drag and run from God and from the monastery. All this happened and (358) happens because of my sins. And why do we become monks like that? Why are we entering the light of the holy image? Why did we deceive the living God, and especially why did we, as it is said: the fool in his heart say: there is no God (Ps. 13:1), - imagine that there is no God at all? For everyone who does evil has become corrupt and disgusted in his undertakings (Ps. 13:1), and has renounced God. Censure of careless monks Alas for me, wretched one! What are we called to do and what are we doing! It is assumed that we are called from uncleanness to purity, but in fact we have become even more unclean than in our previous life; we should move from depravity to holiness, but in reality we turn out to be worse than the world - we have become the subject of ridicule and jokes for our neighbors, a reason for blasphemy among those who hear about us, a subject of censure and ridicule among those who know us. Woe to us that we were born: soon, soon the Lord will sort it all out, exclude us from among the saints and deliver us into eternal fire. But you, children and brothers who are still being saved, fulfill your father’s commands and instructions, keep your hearts immaculate and innocent, do not be jealous of those who are evil and do not imitate those who do iniquity, for the grass will soon dry up and the herbs will soon fall away (Ps. 37:1-2). Let us not look at those who are many and who live carelessly in this way, but we will look at those people who are rare and who are vigorous in piety, and most importantly, at our reverend fathers who preceded us, and in accordance with this we will order our lives, we will take from there examples and models to follow. After all, the painter does not abandon a well-made original to begin copying his picture from the latest and worst example, (359) but always tries to paint from a drawing that is outstanding among all in its beauty. We, through our inattention and recklessness, do just the opposite: we leave a brilliant example - the life of the saints - and take an example from what is bad and ugly. A Brilliant Role Model – The Lives of the Saints That is why we do not achieve our goal and do not move forward. Let's take the light of the world - Anthony, the great light-bearer Hilarion, the glory of the monks - Pachomius, the sun of the desert - Euthymius, the unsetting star - Savva, as well as those who were famous for obedience: the luminary of complete obedience - Dositheus, the written book of God - Mark, the adornment of humility - Zosima 562 and the rest who can only be remembered. They need to be imitated, their virtues should be followed. Even if we do not find ourselves able to equal them, we will at least try to get closer to their lives. So I ask you, my most honest brethren, day after day we will work unwaveringly on the work of God, we will clearly look at what we should, we will take up spiritual weapons - the sword of obedience, the armor of faith, the helmet of salvation (cf. 1 Thess. 5:8), for our enemies are defeated with the help of this, we will win with Christ and, having won, we will legally receive crowns and rewards for courage in the righteousness of God in the future century in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. That we should lead our monastic life flawlessly and without falsehood and, according to the commandment of God, endure every temptation until death Brothers and fathers. Instead of a letter, Abba Peter came to us and reported everything (360) regarding your health, and that you were living peacefully and decently. Every time I hear such news, I rejoice and have fun. For what else could be more important and desirable for me than that you should live piously and godly, fulfilling all the commandments of the Lord, and without falsehood maintain the order of monastic life, in which you were born by the Holy Spirit and through which you were freed from previous sins, and in addition also received the spirit of strength (cf. Wis. 5:23) against visible and invisible enemies, so that not to be afraid of earthly disasters and to serve the Living God by impeccable living and keeping His holy commandments? Give thanks, glorify, praise the Lord, Who called you, confirmed you in the hope of His love, rewarding Him for this with nothing more than imbued with patience and firmness in the ascetic life. And if you have already labored so well up to now, then strengthen yourself even more and be inflamed with Divine love further: strain in obedience, and ignite in the patience of the current persecution in the cause of the [king] who has gone astray, for since you decide to endure everything and not deviate from your firmness in the commandments, as well as in obedience to me, the humble one, then the Lord constantly weaves crowns for you. After all, I myself, brothers and children, do not want to throw myself into temptation, nor endure sorrow, grief, abuse and ridicule, or even exile. But since the commandments of the Lord are eternal life, and disobeying them is death, I am forced to prefer the truth and not communicate with those who oppose it. Earthly honors for betraying the truth If I agreed to sell it, then honors, prestige, glory, first places among kings, bishops and others would immediately be at my service. But what good is it, it is said, if a person gains the whole world (361), but loses his soul (Matthew 16:26)? Hence my stubbornness, and as a result of this, the persecution because of me passed on to you. But take heart, says Christ, I have overcome the world (John 16:33). This is why He won, so that we who follow Him would also win. Since, being God, He always wins, now He won as a man, and immediately after Him the apostles conquered the world, after them the martyrs, then the saints. How did they win? Yes, a pious and godly life. How was this victory achieved by both the Lord God Himself and all the saints? Without sorrow, torment, bloodshed and exile? No, on the contrary, through the cross and death. You remember the reproaches of the Lord, as well as the strangling and ridicule that He endured. He was betrayed, condemned, strangled, beaten, crucified - and, resurrected, He saved the world. The martyrs suffered in the same way. Who can then describe the torment and suffering of the saints, their exploits and wanderings? For all who want to live godly in Christ Jesus, it is said, will be persecuted, but wicked men and sorcerers will prosper in the worst way, by deceiving and by those who are deceived (2 Tim. 3:12-13). What is strange if we want to follow the holy fathers and endure the current or other adversities? There is nothing miraculous here. On the contrary, because we are worthy of this, we must say: who am I, Lord, and what is my father’s house, because you loved me? (2 Samuel 7:18). Narrow and cramped is the path to the Kingdom of Heaven, comfortable and wide is the road leading to destruction (see Matthew 7:13–14): here are worldly joys and pleasures of flesh and blood, fear of people, disregard for the Divine commandments and a carefree attitude towards death, and there are sorrows from the world, voluntary labors, struggles requiring courage, expectation of exile, for the apostle says: deprivation, sorrowful, wandering in the deserts and in the mountains and in dens and in the pits of the earth (Heb. 11:37–38). Is there only one saint (362) who would live without sorrow? There is not one like this. Therefore, children, do not be embarrassed by what happens to us, but rejoice that this has befallen you: let the love of God ignite in you more powerfully, so that in this way you can extinguish pleasures 563 and drive away demons. He who loves one person keeps everyone else in the background; He who is afraid of one can no longer be afraid of others. He who has God becomes above everything. What saint lived without sorrow? The Son of God 564 cannot help but fear God alone. The world, already defeated once, cannot then defeat its conqueror. He who has God becomes above all Reason sensibly, observe yourself in piety, creating, according to the apostolic command, prayers and supplications for reigning persons, for bishops, for everyone who is in power (1 Tim. 2:1-2). Christ is in our midst; for if He is present even where there are only two or three (Matthew 18:20), then how can He not be among you, who so firmly keep His commandment? So we will continue to shun the adulterous leaven. And if people leave us alone, then thanks be to God, for this means it pleases Him, and if not, then again thanks be to Him, for He will prosper us when He allows this to happen to us. With those who keep His beautiful and good law, nothing happens without Him, but on the Day of Judgment, and often even here, everything will turn out to be just the opposite. These are our affairs. May the Lord save us all now and ever and forever. Amen. About the fact that epistemonarchs [deans] should lead the brethren in a godly manner, as well as about severity in our divinely inspired life and about avoiding disastrous shamelessness My fathers, brothers and children. Considering and peering into the matter of authority over you, (363) what it is and how great it is, and at the same time realizing my unworthiness, I am tormented by my damned soul, I am frightened, trembling and wondering how I will be able to shepherd and lead you so that it is pleasing to God. And no day, no hour, no classes, no health, no illness, no sadness, no joy, and no other reason gives me peace. I am concerned and worried, although at the same time I am powerless and weak, to save you and, through a good life, to betray you as a godly sacrifice to God (cf. Rom. 12:1). So who is working with me in this matter, who is helping me and who is supporting me? Who else could there be but the grace of God, the intercession of the Mother of God, our patrons - the Forerunner and the Theologian, as well as the prayers of our father, together with your own good and strong zeal? At present I need to go to our other monasteries 565 to visit our brothers. For they too need to be given a fair share of attention, so that due to rare visits on my part, their commands regarding mental and physical life do not decline, so that I really am the father of everyone equally and do not give preference to anyone to the detriment of others. Therefore, I ask you, for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, that during my absence, which in itself does not constitute any important deprivation for you, during these few days you maintain your usual practices regarding obedience, humility and every other good deed. Authorities and deans, do not treat the brethren too authoritatively, arbitrarily, selfishly or in any other human way, but in a godly, salutary manner, always for the purpose of benefit, as if before the eyes and judgment of God, for God will demand from you an account of your words and deeds. Novices and those under authority (364) must obediently and easily obey and do what they are ordered and commanded, firstly by our deputy, the lord elder, and then by the rest of the elders. You are children of God, so live as children of light (cf. Eph. 5:8); You are the lambs of Christ, so graze like His lambs, meekly and without causing any disturbance to your elders. Let no one act outrageously and jump like a goat, eating the thorns of passions; let no one behave like Judas, treating his brothers like a brother, but outside thinking and plotting betrayal and the destruction of his own soul. Let no one despise, like Esau (Gen. 25:32-34), by secretly eating and drinking the birthright of his salvation, whether in obedience to a gatekeeper, or in a hospital, or in a bakery, or in a parchment workshop, or in a shoemaker's shop, or anywhere else at all. Do not remain idle and do not wander back and forth without time, wasting the day, while the rest of your brothers are working hard, roasting in the heat of the day and chilling from the cold of the night. Those who do this, according to the apostle, commit a great crime and are unworthy of bread (1 Cor. 11:29). In the same way, move your feet along the paths of the Lord, and not in secret and vile places and not in empty councils and meetings, for the eyes of the Lord are darker than the brightest sun, looking through all your paths and looking into secret places (Sir. 23:27-28). Therefore, my brother, even if you were in a hidden place, even there the vigilant eye sees you, where you are, with whom you are talking and what you are doing. So be careful, child, that it does not see you talking with Satan, that it does not catch you in nasty persuasion, doing something vile and shameful - (365) if God does not punish you now (for He is long-suffering), but nevertheless writes down your sin, marks your crime, calling to you in an invisible and incomprehensible way: this you have done, and You kept silent, and you repented of iniquity, because I will be like you: I will reprove you and bring your sins before you (Ps. 49:21), that is, on the day of Judgment. Where can we, children and brothers, run away from the hands that have power over everything? What bad thing can we do without it being revealed? No, no, I ask you and pray, let us not do anything like that, but let us act in a way that is salutary and pleasing, so that God will rejoice and be glad, so that He will mark your good deeds in the book of the living (see Ps. 68:29) and at His appearing crown you with unfading and eternal crowns of righteousness. Shamelessness is a great evil and destruction; let us all avoid it. Let us not gradually draw closer to each other, face to face, eyes to eyes, flesh to flesh; Let us not conduct voluptuous conversations and smile lasciviously at each other. In this way, the one who commits every lawlessness and commits every sin [that is, the devil], kindles a fire, burns the house of the soul: he completely burns some, scorches others, and mutilates others. For the sake of short and destructive pleasure, ascetic labor, which took a lot of time and a lot of effort, perishes. What good is it, it is said, in my blood if I always descend into decay? (Ps. 29:10) And why do we, my children and brothers, allow ourselves to be deceived by this? Why do we please Satan and sadden the Holy Spirit? Where are our vows that we once made before the throne of God that we would not stretch out our hands and would not touch any sin? Why do we desecrate the robe of virginity that we received through this holy image? Why do we foolishly attach ourselves to beasts (366) and become like them (Ps. 48:13, 20)? People call us saints, but we are actually filthy; we are called blessed, and yet we are not blessed at all; They call us pure and Nazirites, but in reality we are dirty and unclean. But come, let us worship and fall down and weep before Him who made us (Ps. 94:6). Those of you who have become defiled, it is my fault, I ask you, sober up from intoxication and the power of passions and cleanse yourself through repentance, for the Lord accepts it until your last breath. Do not use mercy and the respite that He gives you for repentance to sin again: such a plan is terrible and threatens death. Man, you don’t know what the next day will bring you, what tomorrow awaits you. Therefore, be strong, so that otherwise, having conceived something rotten, you will not suffer eternal punishment. The Lord accepts repentance until his last breath I have made this announcement a little longer. But in view of the fact that I am leaving, so that all of you, guilty and innocent, and those who run successfully, and those who stand, and those who waver, may be firm, for this purpose I have given you such a long exhortation. So, I ask you, be healthy, all be saved, be strengthened, do what you are commanded, stay awake in psalmody and all other activities, and may Christ our God be with your spirit now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About enduring the difficulties of obedience and graciously accepting punishment from the abbot, and also about living according to the example of our holy fathers Brothers, fathers and children. I cannot remain silent, but it is necessary (367) to constantly address you with my, even insignificant, announcements, for it is said: be urgent and untimely, reprove, rebuke, entreat (2 Tim. 4:2). Since I have been assigned to this, although not according to merit, I need to fulfill the duty assigned to me, where to reprove, where to forbid, and where to exhort with appropriate instructions. For our salvation is achieved in many ways and our spiritual passions are healed in various ways and ways. Therefore, my task - so that you, the flock of Christ, His chosen people, men like Angels, fugitives from the world, pure servants of Christ, renounced from all worldly vanity (if only we really live like that), present you to my God blameless and blameless (cf. Col. 1:22) in a perfect virtuous life - causes me a lot of concern and thoughts, inspires me not entirely normal apprehension and fear. So accept favorably, I ask you, both my admonitions and prohibitions, and through me - also from other elders, both their condescension and reproof, both mercy and strict measures - with attentive inclination of your ear, accept what they say to you, not as if it is done simply somehow, out of habit alone, not as mere words or a simple shake of the air, but remembering that everything this comes from a soul gripped by torment, from a heart gripped by melancholy, and from sincere and saving love for you. Believe it, children! My heart burns for you, I am zealous for your salvation and even dare to pray, so that on the day of Judgment I would rather experience destruction myself than see your falling away from God (cf. Rom. 9:3). But how else can we fall away from Him, if not by falling away from the way of life consistent with our sacred vow? Monastic vow and rewards for it What is our vow, you yourself know: according to the saints, it is holy and angel-like; the rewards for it are martyr's crowns, immortal and eternal rewards. Let us, I ask you, (368) my most honest brethren, live in accordance with this vow, we will not disgrace his nobility and we will not humiliate his honor by the opposite kind of life. Let us live according to the example of our reverend fathers, let us follow in the footsteps of their virtue (and this is achieved through persistent patience and God-fortified spiritual firmness) in order to spend the rest of our lives in submission to the Lord (but not to ourselves, sinners), keeping our spiritual purity unsullied, since it is espoused to Christ, obeying and humbled ourselves following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who gave Himself for us even to the point of death. godmothers (Phil. 2:8): He called us out of darkness into His wonderful light (1 Pet. 2:9). He, again, out of His love for mankind, took away our sins when we put on the holy image. Therefore, we will no longer live in the night of passion, we will no longer be criminals of the law, we will no longer commit any sins from which we have renounced, but with ardor, with a thirst for future blessings, we will end the rest of our lives, spend the remaining days of our exile, we will courageously endure the situation of this life, whatever it may be, whether it concerns food or drink, clothing, our invisible enemies or our brothers who are visibly confronted with us, as well as hurtful words, humiliation, dishonor, imprisonment. Cleansing medicine for the soul For all this serves as a cleansing medicine for the soul, this is the pride of true ascetics, this is the very success. With the help of this, anyone can quickly rise to the heights of virtues and be saved. This is all the opposite of what was mentioned above, which includes pride, disobedience, resentment, enmity, envy, (369) reproach, rivalry, unwillingness to obey, self-will, boasting, gluttony, satiety, carnality, panache, fun, shamelessness. May you not even think about such things, for those who sin in this become the sons of darkness and the devil (1 Thess. 5:5; Acts 13:10), sons of disobedience and lawlessness (Eph. 2:2; Ps. 89:23). The Lord God does not favor them, the Holy Spirit does not dwell in their souls. For to whom, it is said, I will look only to the meek and silent and trembling at My words (Isa. 66:2), and not to the self-willed, proud and boaster. And where is it said that we will come and make an abode with him (John 14:23), that is, of course, the Holy Trinity? Is it not into a heart that is faithful and creates divine words? Is it really still in the unfaithful, wavering and fickle? And where is Christ present? Is it not there where two or three are assembled in His name (Matthew 18:20)? Is it really there where two or three have gathered and consult about debauchery, flight, or some other vile subject? In no way - Satan works there in the sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:2). Therefore, brothers, let no one be guilty of any of these sins. And if this happens, then rather let him correct himself, using punishment for the offense as a spiritual medicine. I ask and pray to all of you: unite among yourself peacefully and divinely, accept, as if with one spirit, with one thought, that which relates to understanding and strengthening about the Lord. Be men of desire (Dan. 9:23) of the Spirit. Become a host of the Lord, an angelic army, a glorious assembly, zealous for the commandments of the Lord, encouraging one another in good deeds, anticipating in humility, warning in obedience, living without strife, avoiding ostentation, holding yourself holy, being firm, reasonable, taught by God, so that having served in such a life here, we will receive in the next century (370) eternal rest in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. On the study of the Divine Scriptures, so that we do not remain ignorant of the various tricks of the devil Brothers and fathers. What do we need to talk about today? Yes, this is about us standing courageously, girding our loins with the truth, and putting our shoes on our feet in preparation for the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:14-15), turning our eyes to the mountain, contemplating the things above, seeking the things above, thinking about heavenly things, about answering God, about departing from the body, about appearing before the Judge, about Divine books, studying the lives of the saints, what is good or useful, learning by heart, holding it in mind and throwing it, like a stone from a sling, at the enemy, without self-praise and vanity - after all, we do only what we should, but with the fear of God, benefit for ourselves and with humility. If anyone is oppressed by passion, let him not lose heart or be afraid, for the Lord is near to all who call on Him (Ps. 144:18) and the soul seeking Him will find Him, only let this person not fall, but let him stand, sigh, cry, raise his hands to heaven, beat himself on the chest, imagine the shame of the sin he has committed - I’m not talking about the shame at the Last Judgment, but only about that which is in the man himself and which will also spread to other people - and in this way, let him restrain and strengthen himself. For what is said? Son, do not despise the Lord’s punishment, but weaken from Him when you are convicted of him, for the Lord loves him, punishes, and beats every son who accepts him (Prov. 3:11–12); (371) and in another place: do not be quick during guidance (Sir. 2:2). The Lord tests our love for Him, whether we maintain it and whether we do not prefer to it a vile act, harmful and deadly, at the same time sweet in taste and bitter in consequences, which punishes more powerfully than a two-edged sword. The villain shows all things in reverse 566: he shows light, but in reality it is darkness, apparently he instills spiritual love, but in reality it is the most disgusting vileness. But you, warrior of Christ, do not misunderstand his tricks (2 Cor. 2:11). If you want life, then seek light, for God and His commandments are light. The gift of discerning spirits. Friend or foe? By the very state of your soul, try to determine who has come to you, a friend or an enemy. If it leaves your soul serene, does not soften it, but, on the contrary, makes it courageous, does not arouse in it indifference to heavenly contemplations, fear of the future, thirst for the good things in store, then this is a good sign. Open the gates of your heart to such a Guest, bring Him to you, offer Him refreshments, give Him shelter in your place, shine with Him, so that He, in turn, will nourish you for an even greater desire for God and everything Divine. But if he brings confusion into your soul, makes noise in it, makes you fix your eyes on flesh and blood, on worldly connections and addictions, already irritating and, as it were, igniting your soul with a fire of sweets, then get away from him, drive away the dragon. He then came to overthrow in an instant all your many years of suffering, which you had endured with so many tears, prayers and courageous deeds. He appeared to make you, a warrior of Christ, the prey of some one and short pleasure. He approached to kill you, the hero, forever with one cup of cold water, mixing it with the poison of pleasure. I write this not because I myself am already dispassionate, but because I have endured many temptations, especially because I am multi-passionate, (372) and also because I know this from books, I learned this from my father and heard from many experienced people. You yourself, by the grace of Christ, can give useful advice to others. But what I say and write, I do everything for the common good and at the same time for myself. For Satan is attacking me more strongly: the enemy is trying to first overthrow the commander, and then easily capture his camp. Therefore, I ask you, pray and ask for me, the damned, so that the Lord, through the prayers of my father, will keep me, all-passionate, healthy and give me the strength to overcome all passions. As for the illness of my accursed flesh, I am better, although I still do not have that strength in me so that I can become what I want and what I need to be among you. I am very sad about this, because I may be causing you difficulties. But you, for the Lord’s sake, be lenient with my weakness and strengthen me, poor one, with your glory in virtue in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About the fact that we need to courageously endure the martyrdom of obedience, and also about listening to the instructions of the God-bearing fathers and not paying attention to what is vain and temporary My brothers and fathers. We are obliged to constantly give you a certain amount of spiritual and bodily food. When we don’t give spiritual food, I don’t notice that anyone gets angry about it, but if we don’t give physical food, (373) then the completely opposite consequence results, although in fact it is not so much the latter as the first kind of food that is needed, for I will send, it is said, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the word of God (Am. 8:11). Indeed, it would be sad if we do not concentrate all our efforts on spiritual food. Therefore, now, I ask and pray, endure the courageous martyrdom of your obedience, endure the heat of the day and the cold of the night spiritually and sensually, especially spiritually. We have a fire of lust, which the invisible Nebuchadnezzar kindles more powerful than the Chaldean furnace (Dan. 3:6). Other passions pester us, coming one after another, dividing and carrying away the unfortunate soul - now anger, now rage, now rancor, pride, despondency, lethargy, addiction, pride and the greatest of all evils - unbelief. We need a lot of courage, self-control, tireless strength and strength, patience, endurance, sobriety and vigor, so that through them we can drive away the temptations and deceits of the devil that threaten us, so that we also do not bow the knee to Baal (1 Kings 19:18), do not worship the image of the passions, do not lose what we have acquired so well, and do not destroy what with God’s help created. But how can we otherwise avoid the above-mentioned passions unless we trust in God with all our hearts and arm ourselves with spiritual weapons to destroy the opposing forces? Spiritual weapons consist of prayer, hope, humility, obedience, love, faith, the absence of all attachments and complete renunciation of the spirit from everything worldly, as well as constant worries and conversations about salvation, strict observation of the eyes, ears, lips, hands, (374) so as not to be indifferent to the activities of these feelings, but in order to strengthen oneself in everything with the fear of God and the thought of God and constantly nourish an insatiable thirst future benefits. After all, if all this were not truly a spiritual weapon, then we would certainly fall into sinful destruction and fall into the hands of our evil enemies. Alas, alas! We hear so much! How much the Holy Scripture tells us, how much the God-bearing fathers teach us, and, despite this, we still forget ourselves, we still remain carefree! Just like what happens with the grain that the plowman threw on the ground before he plowed it, in the same way with us the nasty birds of Satan seem to steal the Divine word right from our mouths (cf. Mark 4:4, 15), and thus the spiritual sowers (cf. Mark 4:3) are left without a harvest, and we, not giving the stem of virtues, remain without fruit. After all, what other comparison can one actually come up with when we see, for example, when the fathers constantly tell us about chastity, courage, righteousness or some other virtue, and we immediately after reading do the exact opposite, as if we had never heard anything. Regret for those who do the opposite of good They talk, for example, about the Court, about tears, and when we leave, we start laughing and laughing. They strengthen our souls with speeches about purity, but we immediately fall into lust, look at each other lustfully and start shameless conversations. We are pushed towards humility and obedience, but after the announcement we begin to puff up with pride, get angry and disobedient. If they tell us about fasting, we immediately become gluttonous, about vigil, we immediately go to sleep, about meekness, we immediately become angry, about silence, we talk idle, about tension in work, we immediately become lethargic, and in general, due to my sins, we go exactly in the opposite direction than where we are told. I say this not only about beginners, (375) but also about those who are considered of some magnitude and are placed in senior positions, as well as about those who have been awarded sacred degrees. Oh, what a deception we suffer from our deceiver – Satan! Why do we turn our face away from the living God, this true beauty, and pay attention to what is vain, fragile and what is perishing? Why do we love and enjoy the bitter and temporary, but miss the sweet and eternal? Due to the fact that our spiritual vision and hearing are not purified, we see poorly and cannot catch good things with our lips. An Exhortation to Diligence in the Work of Salvation So, children and brothers, those of you who have already sat down, let’s start again, those who have died will come to life, those who have dozed off will lose their sleep. After all, we only need one thing - to want, and everything is ready; As soon as we make such a decision, we will reach the degree of salvation on the same day. For we are not bound by everyday affairs so that working on goodness would be inconvenient for us. If we want, then we can easily even work all day for salvation, namely, in the morning it is immediately reasonable to sing David’s saying: in the morning hear my voice, in the morning I will appear to You and see me (Ps. 5:4), in the third hour: do not take Your Holy Spirit away from Me (Ps. 50:13), in the sixth: he will deliver me from the clot... midday, from the arrow that flies through days (Ps. 90:5–6), on the ninth: incline, O Lord, Thy ear and hear me (Ps. 85:1) and in the evening: bless the Lord, my soul (Ps. 102:1) and everything else that is connected with this. If we do this every day, then we do not lower ourselves and do not darken ourselves with indifference and empty talk, but, on the contrary, we elevate and enlighten each other with good behavior and speech. In this way we can be saved, we can spend a good long day, (376) we can do what we need to do from morning to evening. Of course, it is impossible even for the most sober person to avoid a fault, for example, a rash word, a bad word, bad lust or any other passion - with contrite prayer, God will forgive this. And thus, day after day, we will walk the path of God and reach the time of separation, when the Lord will grant crowns, joy and reward to those who strive and force themselves in this way. So, be attentive to your labors, exploits and desires, drive away laziness and restrain zeal, believe that anyone who desires a good life can achieve perfection and acquire virtue. If our Lord is light, life and truth (cf. John 8:12, 1:4, 14:6), then how can the desire for Him not be desirable and feasible? And if, on the other hand, Satan, which is absolutely true, is darkness, lies, abyss and lust, then how is it that deviation towards him is not actually death, sword, darkness and destruction? Therefore, since we are offered the choice of life and death (cf. Deut. 30:15), let us choose life, choose light, choose immortality, let us avoid darkness, gloom and destruction, that we may be worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be the glory and dominion forever. Amen. About the fact that after Lent, we should not behave carefree, so as not to lose the virtues acquired during this time, as well as about the holiday of Vay and the passion of the Savior My brothers and fathers. While those who compete in races on stages (see 1 Cor. 9:24) do this to please people and therefore receive for this, according to the Apostle, perishable crowns (1 Cor. 9:25), (377) with us, after we have run the spiritual race of the Holy Pentecost, where God Himself was the manager of the competition, and the spectators were Angels, of course, and crowns - unfading crowns of glory. What are your competitions? You fasted intensely, kept vigils properly, tried diligently, worked patiently, kept your spirit pure, kept your tongue from slander, your lips from idle talk, and in general presented all your skills instead of sin - weapons of righteousness (Rom. 6:13), obedient instruments of God-inspired living. Now you have completed your run as successfully and well as, in my opinion, never before. But why did it happen this way? Through your most fervent prayer, as well as through the prayers of our common father, but, mainly, through the goodness of God Himself, from whom, as it is said, every gift is good and every gift is perfect (James 1:17). With this you also pleased me, your bad father, or rather, your very last brother; you finished your work with great benefit, you calmed down in spirit. After all, what else could be more joyful for a father than to see that his children are growing stronger in virtue and succeeding in spiritual age? I am far from your perfections, I took good deeds from you, took advantage of your virtues, saw how you serenely spent honest days, and from all this my spirit rejoiced: I saw your tender and quiet faces and felt the shine of your soul, which is stronger than the shine of gold, expensive stones and everything that is expensive and valuable in the world. And although I myself am poor spiritually, now I am rich: it is not the father of the children, but, on the contrary, the children have enriched the father. May your wealth continue to be protected and remain safe. May your treasuries of blessings be inaccessible to thieves 567, may you be given new grace in addition to the old one, (378) others in addition to the old wealth - and so on until the very end of your life. How can this be achieved? The Danger of Losing Spiritual Gains Yes, there is no need to allow carelessness and fall in the future, and especially when Holy Easter comes, when psalmody, hours, prayers with kneeling, increased night vigils will be reduced, there will be an increase in food, that is, the permission of wine, oil, fish, and other indulgences will be allowed, for example, rest at noon, meals twice a day, leaving the monastery 568 and so on. Then, if the spirit is not attentive and does not do everything in moderation and in order, then it will be in danger of losing everything that it has acquired so well - from a rich man it will immediately become a poor man and from the height of glory it will fall straight into shame. Therefore, I ask and pray you, always be strong, until you leave this world and go to that reliable world inaccessible to thieves. What do the real blessed days mean now, when our Lord and God came to raise four-day-old Lazarus from the dead? If any of you has a mortified spirit and, as it were, entwined with passions, then let such a person ask and also cry, like Martha’s friends, and he will hear: Lazarus, come out (John 11:43) from passion to dispassion. For what can resist the Divine Word and not yield to the divine voice, if only we ourselves ardently ask and plead? Not only then, but also now God appears. He said: My Father works hitherto, and I work (John 5:17). He is pleased to constantly awaken and revive new Lazarus, that is, the spirits (νόας) of people. What, further, does it mean to meet and accompany the King of all with the Vaiyas? Not only then, but also now God appears Then, when He entered Jerusalem, the whole city shook, crying out and exclaiming: Hosanna in the highest, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord (Matthew 21:10, 9), for the miracle over Lazarus was great and the prophecy was fulfilled (Zechariah 9:9). Now, if Christ gains access to the city of our soul, then all demonic pride will be shaken, and our heart will exclaim thanksgiving and praise. This is how you need to adapt 569 (μεθαρμόζειν δει) [to yourself] and this is how you should constantly explain to yourself Divine events and miracles in relation to the feasts of the Lord. After these events, the One who is inaccessible, by His Divine power, for any kind of malicious intent, Himself goes towards such plans: a Jewish council gathers against Him. We will avoid such meetings and assemblies against the Lord and against His Christ (Ps. 2:2). The crafty disciple takes up the weapon of betrayal: he quietly behaves, as if nothing had happened - he talks with the other disciples, and meanwhile he himself makes an agreement about selling the Teacher (Matthew 26:15). Who will not weep and sigh for those who follow and follow this disciple, who rebel against their teachers and commit similar vile acts? Do not, do not bring us, Lord, to this, but grant us to stay and dwell with Christ along with the other apostles and faithful disciples and fight along with other fighters against the invasion of temptations and circumstances, do not allow us to renounce You, but grant us to boldly stand for the word of truth until death, as the holy apostles showed after that. Further, my Christ is betrayed and faces trial, is strangled, suffers beatings with whips from the hands created by Him, is subjected to ridicule and desecration and, finally, ascends to the cross, is nailed hand and foot, perforated, tastes vinegar and bile and endures everything 570. After this, who will not praise the Lover of Humanity! Who would not glorify the Merciful One for having done so much for us! Impassive - He suffered, Immortal - He was crucified, Life-giving - slain, Unapproachable in the glory of the Divine - He was, according to the description of Isaiah, dishonored: (380) His appearance is dishonored, humbled more than all the sons of men: He was in ulcers and knew to endure illness, and we impute His being in labor. The same plague was for our sins and we were tormented for our iniquities (Isa. 53:3-5). Is it really possible that even the stony soul will not melt at the thought and at the sight of all these sufferings of the Lord? Exhortation to Imitate Christ I ask you, children and brothers, that we will suffer in the same way as He and we: we will joyfully endure insults, ridicule, reproach, and sometimes slaps and spitting, and even, if necessary, by killing the passions or in the event of martyrdom, the cross and death, so that, crucified with Him, we will be glorified with Him, buried with Him, we will rise with Him, suffering together, we will reign together, for He is the King of all, to whom is due all glory, honor and worship, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. That the abbot must carefully shepherd the spiritual sheep in order, with the help of teachings from the Divinely inspired Scripture, to avoid the soul-destroying plans of the serpent, as well as about cutting off his own will Brothers and fathers. The duties of the shepherd are to carefully watch the flock, to be awake and attentive, to watch carefully so that any sheep does not get lost or accidentally fall behind due to, for example, illness or because it hid in the grass - and above all this, also to call the flock and play shepherd's songs on the pipe. If the voice of a shepherd falls silent in the herd, animals immediately attack him, the cattle scatter and all sorts of attackers begin to act. If such supervision over foolish cattle is now required (381) (I have omitted a lot here, for the sake of brevity of the word), then what can I say after this to me, a bad, insignificant one, who has been appointed shepherd over you - the Lord’s sheep, for whom the true God Himself and our High Shepherd shed His blood, as He says in the Gospel: the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11)? What kind of vigilance, diligence, care, diligence, diligent and constant approach to you with teachings? Therefore, today, due to this necessity, I turn to you with a catechumen, I appeal to you, offering, instead of playing the flute, divinely inspired words: be silent and understand that I am God (Ps. 45:11). So, my brethren, what is required is instruction, insatiable desire, untiring attentiveness, steadfast patience, resistance to evil enemies, rivalry in zeal for success. For the spiritual beasts are close, the stealers of souls - demons: they bite through sin, torment through iniquity, and devour through intemperance. Let none of you, please, voluntarily lag behind, let no one faint-heartedly weaken in your exploits, for only those who want to live by their own mind weaken here; Let no one allow himself to be led astray by his desire, so that he is then dragged hither and thither by voluptuousness and destroyed by self-indulgence, but let him surrender and remain steadfast in all the commandments of the Lord, for the Lord Himself says: My sheep hear My voice... but they do not follow strangers, for they do not know the voice of strangers (John 10:27, 5). Oh, if only we could become worthy of this call and become one of Christ’s sheep! For where Christ is, there is no place for the enemy, the devil. Where the voices of His sheep are heard, the hissing of snakes is silent. (382) While our forefather Adam kept his spiritual hearing healthy and listened to the Divine voice, he lived in paradise and enjoyed heavenly contemplations and incorruptible food. And when he obeyed the serpent’s spell and ate from the sinful tree, he felt shame from his nakedness, and when God asked him: where are you? - He disappeared and answered: I heard Your voice... and I was afraid... for I am naked (Gen. 3:9-10). But the reason for this was actually the crafty attention to the words of the serpent and the falling away from the commandments of God. As a result of this, he is then expelled from that holy place and condemned to this sorrowful way of life in corruption. Devil's lures according to everyone's constitution So move on, brothers, from the advice of the serpent! Let us not accept the passionate plans that his villainous cunning is preparing. The vile worker of lawlessness, as one of the saints saw it, comes with various baits and gives everyone bait for such a passion, for which, according to his observations, we have a strong inclination. To one he presents the bait of fornication, and not in one form, but in many and different ones (for, as it turns out, those who are prone to this passion - he kindles it on different objects in different ways), to another - the bait of envy, striking and wounding him, like Cain, with the preference (Gen. 4:4-5), which is given to his brothers, to another he sets the bait of gluttony, covering him with an insatiable desire for food, like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal (Gen. 25:29-34), then to someone - the bait of self-indulgence, tempting him to secretly hold or acquire something, like Gehazi, who, instead of a blessing, received leprosy from the prophet Elisha (2 Kings. 5:21–27), to whom - the lure of divisions and plans against his own teacher, like Judas the traitor, who sold the Lord of glory for a few coins (1 Cor. 2:8; Matt. 26:15), - and in general, he lures one with one thing, another with another, for he is resourceful and dexterous in all kinds of inventions - then he pours into (383) the soul the poison of slandering his neighbor, then he lets at her with arrows of hatred and enmity, then shoots at her with stones of vanity and pride. Therefore, brethren, we need to watch and beware. But how can this be done otherwise, unless we put on the armor of faith, do not take into our hands the shield of humility, do not put the helmet of obedience on our heads (see 1 Thess. 5:8), and in general, do not take away the whole armor (see Eph. 6:14-17) of all other virtues? The difference between mental and physical love Let's accept it and believe it. Let everyone remember his place and with a clear conscience let him do what he should do in this place. Let us love each other from the spiritual side, and not from the physical, because when there is love of the first kind, then it is equally distributed among everyone, and physical love is concentrated only on one person. Down are our eyes, grief is our spirit, let us not indulge ourselves in passionate glances. Let us not allow our thoughts to return to Egypt and there pounce on meat (cf. Exodus 16:3), that is, on what we once saw and did. There are old and new painters in us, and some of us are captured first, and others - second. Reading and deepening into the study of everything spiritual are good, but only if this is done by a person with a mortified will and at the will of only his leader. For whoever is dead in himself is alive in the leader, and whoever does not take any action on his own is, in fact, being at the disposal of the mentor, hotter than fire. Dead in yourself, alive in the leader He lives and at the same time does not live, hurries and does not hurry, studies and does not study. The first is by the will of his teacher, the second is due to his driving away self-will. If this is the case, then the study of science and everything useful is good, but if not, then it is better to remain uneducated and unlearned, in order to thus move forward to what is needed. What father does not want his son to be perfect and to cause surprise, but a spiritual father desires this more than a carnal one, insofar as the soul is higher than the body. I want and desire that you be full of everything good, knowledge, understanding - and as much as, in my opinion, (384) you do not even want it yourself. The One who knows everything knows this, and perhaps our common father also knows, for for him all my thoughts and, at the same time, sins are no secret. Who would give me such power so that I could make each of you wise and make him, in life, knowledge and activity, a vessel of the Divine, chosen (Acts 9:15) and pleasing to the Master! But I am cursed, unclean and my nature is weak. Distinction of gifts and unity of the body of the church community Further, we must remember that the gifts of Christ are different and to one is given the word of wisdom, to another the word of understanding (1 Cor. 12:8), to another the gift of service (Rom. 12:7), to another - the gift of preparing food, to another - diligence and enduring particularly difficult labors, to whom - the gift of withstanding longer doxology, and also to someone - the gift of negotiating, arranging agreements and affairs with external persons, to whom - to give advice, orders and sort out matters, who should simply work and perform the very last tasks, which are considered the dirtiest of all obediences, namely in the kitchen, in the grain store, in the arable land, in the vineyards, in fishing, etc. All this, as the Apostle teaches, is acted by one and the same Spirit (1 Cor. 12:11). And we all, constituting one body, through our activities provide a favor to each other, and the services of one person to another are distributed throughout, as can be seen in the members of the body. The lips, because they produce sound, speak and give orders, do not therefore go against the legs, because they only occupy a lower position in the body and perform the work of walking. In the same way, the eye, because it sees and is placed higher, does not rise above the hands, because they serve only for work, and in general, the higher members do not rise above the lower ones, but reward each other with what each deserves and as it should - and from this the whole body remains a single whole, ready for any necessary action. In exactly the same way, we must imagine the Church of God in relation to ourselves; as I pointed out, there should be no action in it due to personal calculations and self-will, (385) after all, the ear and nose did not take their place of their own free will, but because they were created this way by the Creator God. And just as the glory of the head is at the same time the glory of the eyes, and the glory of the hands is also the glory of the feet, and in general, each member has its own glory with the other, so in the brotherhood everyone has equal honor and glory, both now and in the age to come. Therefore, if I am a hand, I am not excluded from sharing in the glory of the eye; likewise, if I am a foot, I am nevertheless not excluded from the honor reserved for the lips. For I myself am in everything and share the common glory and shame. You are wise in divine things: understand what I say, and especially what our holy fathers command and teach (cf. 1 Cor. 12:12–22). Be strong in this, prosper and grow day by day, working out the salvation of your souls in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him belongs all glory, honor and worship, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. That whoever has unshakable loyalty to the abbot and enriches himself with virtues day after day will be worthy of being included in the lot of saints My brothers, fathers and children. Although my announcements to you are bad and weak, I still constantly have a desire to talk with you about what is needed. For I see that when I speak the catechumens, you become meek, more attentive and sober, and in general, the sermon is saving both for you, the listeners, and for me, the preacher. For I, like the shepherds of foolish cattle, must constantly, day and night, (386) use my catechumens, like a flute, and call some who are lagging behind due to laziness, who, due to disobedience, are inclined to turn back or who have weakened, those to support, whom to admonish, whom to admonish, whom to encourage, and to punish some rioters (cf. 1 Thess. 5:14), since the sick person needs an incision of the sore spot, cauterization and other unpleasant treatment methods. What will happen to me, the damned one, for the fact that due to illness I remained silent for so many days? Therefore, as soon as my strength has somewhat recovered, then, with the prayers of our father, I need to again fulfill the established custom, preach, talk, shepherd and lead you to the resting places of the holy commandments of Christ. Do you know what that faithful and prudent person is who perceives every divine word and kindles his soul with the search for a good deed for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ? Who, further, is the one who stands firmly and motionless on the rock of patience, not allowing himself to be shaken by either the internal attacks of invisible enemies or the external attacks of visible brothers? What is he who, through a vow made before God, is so devoted to his abbot that in the daily troubles he encounters, he does not tear himself away from him even until his death? Who is he who, for the sake of love for God alone, has broken ties and violated love for the whole world and for relatives of flesh and blood? What is he who is not guided in anything by his own will, but is constantly ready to fulfill and obey the will of his superior? What will be awarded to the one who, for the sake of truly real sweetness and joy of eternal blessings and for the sake of the infinite price of the Kingdom of Heaven, considers, as it were, a dream (387) all worldly desires and joys, glory, titles, power and even royal dignity? What will he receive who strives and strives to become perfect in every work of God and is ready to die daily for Christ? This one, it is said, will receive blessings from the Lord and alms from God his Savior (Ps. 23:5). Behold, children and brethren, reason demands that we be such that we are constantly zealous, cheerful, seething with inspiration, burning with firmness, ardent in activity, incandescent with Divine desire, so that we run in spiritual life, work diligently in our thoughts and delight the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 11:12). Any person who wants to achieve any benefit, for example, to harvest more grain, or acquire capital, or start some big business, how can he otherwise achieve this if he does not work hard and act, strive, search, move from city to city, from country to country and accept a host of other adversities just to achieve what he wants? How much faster and more diligent should your exploits be after this? It is impossible to even compare these two matters, for they seek only the carnal and worldly, while we seek God, heaven and the heavenly. So, in view of this, let us not allow ourselves, I ask you, to become lazy from the past habits of this fleeting life, we will also not allow our spiritual strength to be destroyed by many years of staying in a holy image, so that old age extinguishes the fire of aspiration, but, on the contrary, we will try to make it kindle it even stronger and brighter. Let us all stand courageously against the cunning of the enemy, arming ourselves for this with spiritual all-armor, that is, obedience, (388) humility, meekness, hope, faith, firmness, reverence, love, peace, constantly having in our mouths the praise of God (cf. Ps. 33:2), magnifying and glorifying Him for the fact that He has made us worthy to enter into this holy lot, into the part of His venerables, and in this way, performing all God-loving deeds, we will end our lives. And what will be the end of all this, what will be our reward, the Lord Himself indicated in His Holy Gospel: everyone who leaves a house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or village, for My name’s sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:29). Let this little instruction serve as an announcement for you today. May God, through your prayers, give me the strength in the future to do what I have been commanded and what should be done. Now I want to talk to you about another subject. When I fell ill for the last time and was already dying, I appointed, as it should have been, a deputy for you for a while, to whom you would turn with all your questions. After much discussion and with God's approval, I have appointed an elder for you. But the Lord arranged for me to still live for you. After this, some of you, out of your rudeness and love of disorder (for attentive and sensible people will not do this), began to tempt the brethren to engage in idle talk, to identify candidates for abbesses - to denounce some, and to present others as worthy - and, thus, made yourselves leaders and judges, or, rather, troublemakers. Having heard about this, I considered it necessary to resolutely suppress all this talk and chatter. What was done was done well, according to the law and, I believe, by the Holy Spirit. Since I, the accursed one, am still alive, (389) everything that happened has no power. While I am alive, then, according to the apostle (see Gal. 3:15), I have the right to dispose of my will. A new will will be required from me if the Lord commands me to leave this life. My testament is exactly the same as the testament of my holy fathers (although I myself am a sinner and unworthy to be dust at their feet): at my departure, the entire brotherhood must choose from among them a person outstanding in virtue and knowledge and present him to me, so that I can give him to you as head and abbot, whoever he is, Peter, Paul or some other, even unsuspected person. This is how things should be. And the current elder is my deputy and only because it is now necessary, and I have not yet appointed any successor until the above-mentioned date. Therefore, stop and do not engage in untimely conversations and disputes, for otherwise the guilty will be severely punished as the instigators of disorder. God of peace (Rom. 15:33) may he strengthen, establish, support, protect, perfect, beautify, exalt and complete in the performance of all good works, in preserving prudence and order, both of the least and of the successful, so that all in harmony, in the One Spirit we will exalt the glory of His power - in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power, now and ever and to the ages centuries. Amen. About our most excellent brotherhood and about not being exalted in talents, but constantly striving for something more perfect Subjects for conversation - secular and monastic My brothers, fathers and children. Different people have different conversations and conversations among themselves. Some talk about how to acquire perishing wealth, (390) others talk about how to obtain a dignity that is passing away with this life, some talk about how to take revenge and surpass their neighbor in some way, some talk about how to take a large dowry or a beautiful wife, others talk about victories over the enemies of the fatherland, there are also those who in this regard are a vain and law-breaking host and from participating in conversations with with which the God-father David asks God to deliver him (Ps. 25:4). And in general, the subjects of people’s conversations and meetings are numerous and varied. Our conversations, as you see, do not touch upon the above subjects at all (is it proper for those living outside the world to talk about worldly things?), but concern the salvation of the soul, renunciation from the world, the acquisition of virtues, victory over the prince of this age with the powers subordinate to him (cf. Eph. 6:12) and the destruction of them all, reward and enjoyment of ineffable, unheard of and unthinkable blessings in the Kingdom of Heaven. Oh, what a wonderful and great thing these conversations are! In worldly conversations, only Satan and his servants amuse and help, therefore, there true spiritual happiness is considered misfortune, but in our meetings God truly rejoices, rejoices and helps, and the Angels and all the saints also rejoice, as the Scripture says. There is nothing sweeter than a soul being saved Now that we have seen the difference between these and other conversations, and also understood that light, life and true joy (for there is nothing more pleasant to a soul that is being saved) is on our side, let us stick to these good meetings, let us hasten to them, gather more zealously, consult and reason here about what we really need to seek and what to strive for - today, for example, about sacred and inflaming love for God, and with it also about sincere, free from envy and the shamelessness of love for each other, another time about cutting off the disastrous and main spiritual passions - lust (391) and ambition and thousands of other passions arising from them, and then sometimes about unfeigned obedience and especially about Christ-like humility, which is required most of all, sometimes about sincere submission and true loyalty to the abbot, through which the enemy is overthrown, the obedient one goes on successfully. You need to know all this and especially observe it, for otherwise it is impossible for us to avoid the traps of the enemy, nor to establish our feet on the immovable stone of Christ according to God (cf. Eph. 2:20), nor create for yourself a spiritual home 571 full of all kinds of good deeds. Therefore, one should give up self-indulgence, grumbling, ambition, love of primacy, conceit, the desire to show off the art of singing, or a beautiful voice, or skill in calligraphy, for example, the art, or tailoring, blacksmithing, weaving, or in other crafts, and especially in reading and discussing divine words and thoughts. Anyone who has received from God any one, two or more talents should not be arrogant and proud in front of the poor (because this is unreasonable, and the apostle reproaches such people, saying: why did you not accept it? Even if you have received it, why should you boast? (1 Cor. 4:7), but you need to humble yourself, as if you are unworthy of such gifts, you need to be afraid and tremble, in order to subsequently hear the Divine voice: Well done, good and faithful servant: you have been faithful for a few things, I will set you over many (Matthew 25:21). Virtues and vices It is in this way that the Holy Spirit leads you and gathers you together, and thanks to this your brotherhood grows, blossoms, becomes more and more strengthened and spreads a divinely inspired aroma, more than any ointment, for those endowed with a subtle sense. Therefore, let us hasten, let us hasten, brethren, let us further demonstrate our perseverance and courage, let us do one thing and correct another, strive for the first and push away the second, apply all our efforts to this, (392) so that God, seeing the difficulty of this for us, will make our work easier, and against this we will strengthen our courage, in order to completely destroy the enemy who sows timidity. What do we mean by first and second? The first is the virtues, such as tears, prayer, kneeling, sighing, tenderness, poetry, reading, work, vigil, silence, turning the spirit to God, sadness, downcast gaze, abstinence from laughter, as well as that order of life when each brother, like a bee, flies here and there and, together with others, collects and brings honey from the flowers of virtue. The second is unreasonable and vain wishes, leaving one obedience and switching to another, because the first is low, and the second is more respectable, then it’s harder, and this is easier and more useful, then it only dulls, and this makes a person smarter. I do not have enough time to list and name individually each of these reckless and discordant desires. Some, not having the talents and dexterity for that, want to engage in the art of calligraphy, or, rather, the art of indulging their passions, others from the lowest and most clumsy aspire to become librarians, others, without the corresponding merits, seek the priesthood, still others want to read more often, and also preach, because they are ambitious, greedy for fame and do not want to thank God for what they already undeservedly possess. For what were they before? Why don't they want to see what transition has happened to them? From the unreasonable they became quite intelligent, from the rude - well-mannered (if only they are complacent about educational measures), from the ignorant - educated (if they listen to teaching). Then there are some people who seek enhanced feats in order to appear more godlike, and in my opinion, only to become even crazier and prouder. What kind of feats are these? Intensified abstinence against the rest of the brethren, wearing (393) a hair shirt, special, greater compared to others, silence, holding a stone in the mouth, many bows. In the community, all this is prohibited by the holy fathers, since it offends other brethren, stems from a sense of pride, arouses envy and violates unanimity and harmony. Virtues Blessed in Brotherhood What is commanded to you, says the wise man 572, understand this (Sir. 3:22) 573 and do not ask the Lord for dominion, below from the king the seat of glory (Sir. 7:4) - do not strive to become too righteous and do not invent unnecessary things. Be content with what is ordered and commanded to you, acquire and enrich yourself with that which gives great benefit and which, at the same time, does not cause hostility and anger in the brotherhood, but which excites only joy and competition, namely, resignation, unenvy, obedience, conceit, contentment and obedience in everything that is given or ordered - in food, drink 574, clothing, shoes, obediences, readings, psalmody, instructions, leaving the monastery, no matter how and when all this is done, so that you shine and shine here, like a luminary or a star, and excel like a spiritual prince. The God of peace, who has vouchsafed you to complete one week’s worth of the lists of holy fasting, may he vouchsafe you to reach the end of your spiritual deeds, so that, having received victorious crowns, we can celebrate the conclusion of fasting—Easter. To Him is due all glory, honor and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. About keeping the Divine commandments, and also about ensuring that elders do not give their orders to the brotherhood too authoritatively My brothers, fathers and children. Now we are gradually passing through the sacred time (394) of fasting and are now entering the third circle of the spiritual arena. See for yourself whether we are fulfilling everything that is necessary and necessary: have we acquired unquestioning and unhypocritical obedience, have we fallen in love with contrite reverence and constant prayer, have we been enriched with tears that soften God and the kind of sighing that He hears, have you the treasure of unfailing faith and unshameful hope, have we maintained the gentle resignation that is within our power? abstinence, have we preserved ourselves from sharp objections, offensive words, rivalry, strife, slander, self-indulgence, self-will? Fasting, pleasing and displeasing to God For abstinence requires all this, and if we fulfill it in this way, then we really run the race of piety and successfully complete our race in order to receive incorruptible and eternal blessings as a reward. But if it turns out to be completely the opposite (and we need to pray that this does not happen), namely: if we are inclined to disobedience, perish in pride, fall into grumbling, get bogged down in gossip, relax with self-indulgence, are overthrown by rivalry, are overwhelmed by stubbornness, hatred, anger and other vile passions - then, even if we fasted in food, our fast would still not be pleasing to God, but nasty, vile and deserving only of rejection. Therefore, beloved children, all of you (and those second after me, and stewards, and deans, mentors, overseers, alarm workers, especially cellars, table-keepers, librarians, canonarchs, and mainly the working brethren) learn and observe in everything the commandments and justifications of the Lord. I, damned one, often hear not very good news about workers: it turns out that they allow themselves to bicker, argue and be stubborn, and this is not in relation to any ordinary people, but in relation to the economists themselves. On the one hand, I am afraid to expose them, and on the other hand, I am afraid to remain silent about it, I am afraid to punish (395) them more strongly, but the danger, in order not to undermine matters, forces me to use these measures. The collision of these feelings crushes me. But let these persons give up their shameful deeds in order to spare both themselves and me. For it is truly a shame to disobey, to resist given orders and to say: “I won’t do this if they don’t give me this,” or: “If they don’t give me this, then I won’t take on such and such a task.” You, I think, understand that all this that I am talking about, from which there is no benefit or benefit to either these individuals or the brotherhood, and which cannot at all change the superior position of one side and the subordinate position of the other side, causes only sorrow, confusion, hatred and envy among those who see and hear. I ask you to correct this, since I need to use the power that the Lord has given me not to destroy decency and piety, but to restore them. How to give orders And you, too, who give orders and commands, both the first of you and those who follow them, I ask that you give your orders, orders and commands to the brethren who are in obedience, not as necessary, despotically, heartlessly and recklessly, but with kindness, consideration, caution and judiciousness, so that you too do not hear the Lord’s answer to the wicked servant: he remitted all the debt to you, the more you begged You are me: is it not appropriate for you to have mercy on your minion, just as I had mercy on you? (Matthew 18:32-33), - but so that what was said in Acts will be fulfilled on you: we will choose men filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and we will appoint them over this service (Acts 6:3), so that for such exercise of sacred obedience you may be rewarded with the reward of these men; Among them, the first was none other than Stephen, the first martyr and one of the apostles, (396) - which means this ministry is something great, terrible and inaccessible, and not unimportant. Since I have already touched on the first, I also need to remind you all the rest, so that you all remain in what you are called to (cf. 1 Cor. 7:24), and in this way please God, and do not rise up against each other and do not strive for the obedience of others. In the same way, let no one, through his own unreason, even for the purpose of the common good, demand what he is not yet worthy of, and on the other hand, let him not perform the work suitable for him reluctantly, without attention, somehow and hastily, but, as it is said, let everything happen in good order and in order (1 Cor. 14:40). For there is no good and good if it is not properly expressed and fulfilled - it becomes so when the method of its implementation, and time, and expressions - all this properly corresponds to it and is strictly weighed. I say this to you as wise and prudent, for, as it is said, do not be foolish, but understand that there is the will of God (Eph. 5:17), good and acceptable and perfect (Rom. 12:2), so that whatever is done must be not only good, but acceptable and perfect. All this speech of mine, forgive me, is not aimed at offending you, upsetting you and expressing reproach, but stems from brotherly love for you, for I, although unworthy, am still your father, I am aflame with fatherly feelings, I care and strive for you to be children of God (John 11:52), children of light (Eph. 5:8) (397) and piety - good, true and impeccable, in the perfection of God-inspired wisdom. Therefore, I also ask you: fulfill my joy, as it has been said, so that you may also be wise (Phil. 2:2). For thinking about one thing brings unanimity, obedience and order. Make even more joyful to God, the holy Angels, our holy and blessed reverend fathers, whom you follow, so that, daily renouncing evil deeds, and instead engaging in good deeds, we constantly prosper and, prospering, ascend and improve, until we reach the blessed end of our life in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom is due glory, honor and worship, now and ever and ever. Amen. About listening to the instructions of the fathers and not getting carried away with present life, but looking to the future My fathers, brothers and children. Although I do not have preaching talent, since I need to teach, I cannot remain silent about what is useful for you. For if even the shepherd of foolish cattle is obliged to watch day and night over the flock entrusted to him, to shout and say what he should, then how much more after this am I, humble, having received superiority over your precious souls, obliged until the very end of my life to teach you, and watch over you, take care and stay awake - and all this to such an extent as to be ready, on occasion, even to destroy my flesh and bones and shed blood, so that my announcements are actually led to the strengthening of those walking straight, to the awakening of the careless, to the uprising of the fallen and to the inspiration of those running successfully. For this, of course, it is required that I preach, for, as the divine Basil says, as are the superiors, so in most cases are the subordinates 575 . However, if you look at me, you will not derive any benefit from this for yourself, for I, as you know, am unworthy in all respects, but you will achieve this if you zealously imitate the life of our reverend fathers and fulfill their instructions, which we hear and read almost constantly, if you arrange (398) your life in accordance with their glorious and wondrous virtuous life. So, if you bear the name and are reputed to be the sons of light and resurrection 576 (John 12:36; Luke 20:36), then do not pay attention to those who fall, and if you want to become fellow citizens of the saints (Eph. 2:19), then do not look at those who lazily and carelessly spend their time, but, firmly and wisely strengthening themselves constantly in goodness, grow and become stronger in mastering virtuous living, revealing at the same time unshakable faith and dispassionate love, alien to shamelessness; grow also in the gift of humility, in the beauty of obedience, in the glory of contrition, without showing anything evil or lawless that grieves the Holy Spirit (cf. Isa. 63:10) and makes the enemy glad. Let us be grateful, let us be patient in the work of asceticism, in fulfilling the duty of submission. Let us not look at the present, but let us look at the future life, let us joyfully take up divine affairs, remembering that we, as if out of darkness, came here from the world, from its vanity, from the restlessness and excitement of rebellious human life. Look, in fact, at what is happening there now, in addition to the usual phenomena. The Arabs made an invasion with enormous forces and invaded the Christians 577. What a test and what fear for the reigning persons! How many hardships and sorrows the troops had, what torments, screams and murders among those captured! Suddenly and without time, husbands, wives, old men, old women, children, babies are kidnapped by death, trouble has come for everyone: a wife is separated from her husband, a brother from a brother, a mother from her children, some are cut off their heads right in front of their relatives, others are killed during an attack and they lie in any place and are deprived of even burial. Others are shackled in iron (399) and persecuted, they suffer from hunger and thirst, they are beaten with whips. A mother sees how her child, whom she gave birth to, of course, not for such an unfortunate lot, is broken, cut, or how it dies of hunger and thirst, and no one will take pity, there is no help from anywhere! One should now remain silent about other details and omit what is worthy only of crying and silence: O Lord, save me; O Lord, make haste (Ps. 117:25). Have mercy, have mercy on Your people and do not let Your property be put to shame. Do you turn away Your face? Do you forget our poverty and our sorrow? For our soul has humbled itself to the dust, and our womb has clung to the earth. Arise, Lord, help us and deliver us in Your name (Ps. 43:25–27). Condition for the effectiveness of prayer But what is the reason for this, that through us the all-holy name is blasphemed among the nations (Rom. 2:24), that those who have renounced God have begun to ruin us? Of course, our iniquities and sins with which we have upset Him - the fact that we do not keep His commandments and justifications, for this He scourges and punishes us at the hands of the lawless. What can we do under such circumstances? What else, besides, turn to the Lord our God with earnest prayer for our suffering Christian brothers, so that He, who works miracles, would not destroy His people to the end, but, having heeded the prayers of His All-Holy Mother and all the saints, would dispel the plots of the tongues (Ps. 32:10), may their path be darkness and creeping, and the Angel of the Lord chasing them (Ps. 34:6), so that in this case we can live peacefully, without harm from enemies. Our prayer will be accepted under this condition, if we live in the fear of God and avoid the causes (400) of sin, if we do not be shameless, do anything secret, because this still cannot be hidden from the great eye of God, if, further, we fulfill our sacred service not as slaves or mercenaries, but determined, like sons 578, with zeal, joy, out of the very desire and love for good, so that through pure prayer we can repel the enemy, that is, the beginning and power and rulers of the darkness of this age (Eph. 6:12), and help our brothers in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power, now and ever and forever. Amen. About mourning for runaway brothers and also about holding your tongue Brothers and fathers. Last evening, after the announcement, you were informed that three brothers had broken away from our spiritual union. But how did it happen that you found out about this even before the announcement, thanks to which I read the letter completely in vain? How could you know this? No other way than from the brothers who came, who did not keep the fraternal commandment and were not afraid of God’s punishment. That’s why we fall like leaves, that’s why we perish like wax before the fire (Ps. 67:3), that’s why we don’t move forward at all, but only go backward. Where is the solid fence of announcements? Where are also the commandments of the holy fathers? “Three hours have passed,” says Saint Chrysostom, when explaining the story of the Acts about Sapphira, “and she has not yet learned about the death of her husband Ananias, for the apostolic disciples were so strictly careful,” he continues, “to tell other comrades what the apostles were doing (401) before they themselves spoke about it” 579. But you listen in vain, read in vain, chasing only words, which, according to the apostolic expression, have an image of submission, but have rejected its power (2 Tim. 3:5). Our God-inspired fathers, as well as our other current companions, are not like this! However, I do not reproach all of you, which would be unfair, but only the ill-mannered and intemperate ones. And they, like those who fled, committed exactly the same apostasy. What? Yes to what I'm talking about. And they did not keep the commandments in the same way. For if they had preserved it, they would have remained in the love of Christ, would have kept their vow, would have endured all adversity and would have preserved love for the brethren. But since they did not do this, but instead began to little by little interpret and investigate, as one saint describes it, 580 what is the harm in saying something, what is the importance of asking about this, what is special to see or find out about some other thing - then they slowly reached the very end of evil. All the same, when you have to cut something, in most cases it is cut not at once, but in several subsequent steps, one after another. Thus, when something is finally cut off, the reason for this is not only the last movement of the knife, but to the same extent every one that happened before it. The same must be said about the soul. After all, she is constantly cut by frequent cuts and violations of various commandments. One after another, they drag the poor and unfortunate soul to the very bottom of evil, break and cut it down, like, indeed, a barren fig tree (cf. Luke 3:9; 13:7), in order to then plunge it into eternal fire. But now, it is said, the time is favorable, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2). Let us put aside, it is said in another place, the dark things and let us put on the weapons of light, as in the days we walk gracefully, not in goat-speaking and drunkenness (that is, in relation to us - drunkenness not with wine, but with nasty and vile thoughts), not in fornication and adultery (this is literally), (402) but put on our Lord Jesus Christ, and by fulfilling your desires of the flesh Do not do what you please through lust (Rom. 13:12–14). Grief as evidence of brotherly love So, poor Theoteknus and unfortunate Papilus were torn away from us. As for Aristarchus, although he returned, but since he had already done this often and destroyed others with himself, he was not accepted as a troublemaker in Saccudion. Now, did any of you sigh from the depths of your heart at the news of your flight? Has anyone shed a tear from a sincere heart? Has anyone become sick in their souls thinking about their brothers? 581 For true brotherly love consists precisely in this, this is what Saint Climacus praises, 582 such people imbued with like-mindedness are truly brothers of the Lord, true children of God, members of one body with my humble self. And those who are not so disposed in relation to the fugitives, who make fun of them, blame them, rejoice in their misfortune, delight in and mock - such can only be said that, in the words of the divine and great Basil 583, it would be great impudence in view of this to call them the oud of Christ or to say that they are under the authority of Christ, and also that they are of one soul and one body with me, the humble one: at least in appearance they seemed like children, but inside they were alienated from me. You could not shed tears, but you could let out a bitter lament. You didn't do this, so you could have grieved. You were not able to do even this easy task, then at least - which is not at all difficult - you could at least remain silent. Woe to me and to those who are so careless about the commandments, for if we do not correct ourselves, then darkness, heavenly wrath, and condemnation to eternal fire will befall us. Saints have sorrow and lamentation for those who sin. For example, the blessed saints of the forty martyrs 584 were not like that: when one of them fled to the bathhouse, they began to cry bitterly. Likewise, the face of the apostles, when Judas became a traitor and fell away from Christ, also fell into great sorrow. (403) But the damned are not like that, and therefore we will not be rewarded with their crowns and will not taste their glory. Whoever imitated someone will receive the same crown For persons with similar deeds will receive the same rewards, and whoever imitates whom will receive the same crown: the faithful will receive the crown of the faithful, the patient will receive the patient, the sufferer will receive the sufferer, the one who has not renounced will receive the crown of the intransigent, the one who loves the commandments will receive the one who loves the commandments, the truthful will receive the truthful, the pure will receive the pure; in the same way and vice versa: the infidel will receive the reward of the infidel [traitor], the disobedient - the disobedient, the arrogant - the arrogant, the fugitive - the fugitive, the bad - the bad, the liar - the liar, the apostate - the apostate, the ill-mannered - the ill-mannered, treating everything with proud negligence and the hater of virtue - the reward of the persons corresponding to them. The opposite cannot be the case, for God has no sight of persons (Rom. 2:11) and there is no communication between light and darkness (2 Cor. 6:14), but everyone will be rewarded according to his deserts. Therefore, I ask and pray you, even if not immediately, let us become sober and, having cleansed the pus from the eyes of the spirit with the fear of God and the knowledge of the truth, we will see clearly. Let us taste that the Lord is good (Ps. 33:9), because His holy commandments are good, for the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matt. 10:22), since His path is narrow and strait, lead to the life (Matt. 7:14), and the burden of His commandments is light (cf. Matt. 11:30) for those who strive with hope and faith. Do not allow yourself to suffer the same thing that our fugitives suffered, but constantly pray for their conversion, so that the Lord will give them a reason to wake up, so that they, caught by the devil, will rise from the depths of their destruction. For you already know what some of the same people recently did to us, and most importantly, to their souls: one of them, becoming like Judas in his way of thinking, brought some of you to court to give an answer to all the details of his complaint 585, (404) and I was even imprisoned. So let us strengthen ourselves and work harder for God. For if we do not want, do not work and do not try, then we will destroy ourselves both here and in the future life forever. Therefore, whether willingly or unwillingly, let us nevertheless work, take up the work that attracts us through virtue, so that, although for a short time (for in comparison with eternity it is insignificant), we will receive eternal, sweetest, most wondrous and blessed rest, which cannot be described or even imagined and which all saints will receive in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and power forever. Amen. About not being careless about obedience, but being vigilant over your salvation Love of God and love of strangers Brothers and fathers. The commandment is the same for both me and you - not to conduct conversations while your hands are busy working in obedience. But what does my obedience consist of, if not to watch over your souls (for I must give an account for them on the day of Judgment), to remind and proclaim to you what is necessary and useful, to care for and unite everyone in a union of love in one spirit and in one thought? Therefore, now, in doing this, I ask and pray: stand steadfast and immovable in that holy calling to which you have been called (cf. 1 Cor. 7:24), fulfilling the commandments and justifications of God; constantly arouse and ignite the love of the Lord in yourself, expelling all extraneous love from your hearts; help in ascetic strength, zealously and cheerfully spending every day in vigil, psalmody, obedience, (405) humility, in work, fasting and in all ordinary activities, for the proof of our salvation is precisely this very suffering and difficult life of ours, since instead of present adversity eternal peace will shine upon us, instead of real sadness - eternal joy and instead of regrettable submission - freedom dispassion; The apostle commands us to look not at the visible, for it is temporary and perishable, but at the invisible, since it is eternal and blessed (2 Cor. 4:18). Proof of our salvation Since we have been awarded this gift - the angelic image, since we desire eternal life and incorruptible crowns, since we strive for adoption 586 and the Kingdom of Heaven, then here is the place, here is the time, here is the list and triumph. Let us not be carefree, we will not relax, but we will become more lively and diligent than those who buy gold, silver, precious stones and all sorts of other perishable and temporary things in order to capture the Kingdom of Heaven, the treasures of eternal blessings. And this can only be achieved through constant attention and, so to speak, hourly diligence. In what way? All monastic obedience is holy and saving Let us carry out our obediences well, for any obedience (whether in the cellar, or in the hospital, or in the refectory, or in the shoemaker's workshop and in all other places), once it is fulfilled in a divine manner, is not a human and not a carnal deed, but a holy and saving one. For no one dedicates 587 his work to flesh and blood, but offers it to the Sovereign God, who, accepting it as an acceptable sacrifice, promises to give a corresponding reward for it in the future life. How to do your job properly Therefore, let no one think, even if he had to perform even the very last work, that he is doing it for people, but let him think that he is doing it for the One who accepts this work for his brothers - for the Master Himself. Therefore, let everyone do his work with fear and trembling, for his Taskmaster is God Himself, who knows the hidden things of darkness and reveals the thoughts of our hearts (1 Cor. 4:5). (406) Now, if we all tune in this way (and this is necessary, because all this is the truth) and begin to do the work necessary for everyone, as a divine service, then we will do the whole job, and thanks to this, the rays of all the virtues will shine on us - love, peace, meekness, gentleness, humility, and then we will see that we are really following in the footsteps of our reverend fathers and are zealots of their lives. After all, remember, children, their life, the feat of submission and obedience, the height of their humility and submission, and also how they were jealous of the Lord. For He Himself said: Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart (Matt. 11:29), - He, according to the apostle, who was not equal to God by admiration, made Himself humble, becoming obedient to God and the Father even to the point of death (Phil. 2:6-8). Who was saved and glorified? And who after this was saved and became famous? Who imitated Him, who humbled himself, who was obedient, who obeyed, who did not disobey, who endured all the local sorrows, who humiliated themselves, who endured jokes, ridicule, who was humiliated by people, and sometimes suffered strangulation, persecution, imprisonment, just like some or, rather, all of you, for, on the one hand, because of one of its parts, the whole body suffers dishonor or receives glory, and on the other – by the grace of Christ, you have truly all endured the torment of passion, for the sake of fear and love for Him at different times you have endured reproaches, ridicule, removal and imprisonment. But those who did not establish themselves on the spiritual rock of Christ’s commandments, when winter came, the winds blew, the rains poured, they, according to the Gospel (Matthew 7:27), suffered the wreck of apostasy. But the Lord will call them, (407) if only they will set about their salvation, and you as his mighty warriors, as faithful servants, as men of desire (Dan. 9:23), may our own people and sacred assembly preserve everything stronger and stronger, so that you, having appeared in this generation, truly an adulterer and a sinner (Mark 8:38), doers of the commandments, zealots of godliness and people who do not deviate from saving commandments, but rightly rule the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15), may be worthy to become joint heirs of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Kingdom Heavenly; To Him is due all glory, honor and worship with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. The word is declarative and at the same time accusatory and instructive. The desired fruit of a preacher's labor Brothers and fathers. Why does the farmer sow? Of course, in order to later remove the harvest. And for what does the merchant work? No doubt, in order to make profits. So, what other fruit does a preacher hope for from his labor, other than, of course, the success and improvement of his listeners? But here you are - are my sins hindering you here? - preaching has no effect: I sow and toil a lot, but reap nothing, I teach, announce and instruct, but my words will only reach your ears, and then you immediately forget everything and again fall into the same offenses. Therefore, I cry and am tormented that I cannot overcome this disorderliness of yours. Without a doubt, these weaknesses and failures of mine stem from the fact that my very preaching is weak. But even if my teachings were weak, do you not also listen to the inspired Scriptures? Is not your ear constantly filled with saving teachings? Why do the holy fathers cry (408) to us? What do they proclaim? What do they confirm? What are they threatening? Don’t they picture before us that terrible and impartial 588 Judgment, that terrible and incorruptible judgment, that great and difficult decision, eternal torture and torment, unquenchable internal and external fire, a poisonous worm, a huge mouth, hopeless darkness, the dungeons of Tartarus, insoluble bonds, and so on? And then, in contrast to this, don’t they also depict the Kingdom of Heaven, eternal life, unspeakable joy, unapproachable glory, indescribable light, the true and unimaginable beauty of paradise, the bowels of Abraham, the tabernacles of the saints, the villages of the righteous, the angelic faces, endless joy, etc.? And so, despite all this, we do not notice any desire to correct ourselves and repent, but we listen to all this as empty words and disobey, we only seek to satisfy the needs of the pleasures and lusts of our flesh, as if we close our eyes, lowering them down, and, like unreasonable animals, with our faces in the ground, we are looking for what we can drink and eat today or tomorrow, what joke we can tell to relax both our own and our soul interlocutor, as if, having violated obedience, we invent an excuse for this, and in this way we abandon the matter, accept lies into ourselves and deny the truth, and also we are shameless, we behave vilely, engage in bad and inappropriate gossip and in general we make our soul a workshop not of piety and righteousness, but of lawlessness and unrighteousness. We need to look at the mountain 589, think about the above, seek the above, and also remember what a great vow we made, with whom we united and to whom we submitted - after all, the Lord God Himself, (409) how many, further, and what sins, so vilely committed by us in our previous life, we received remission, how many other offenses we later received forgiveness, and in view of all this we should tremble, sigh, humble yourself, lament, keep your heart and gaze undistracted, but reflect on the hour of death, on the answer before the Judge, on separation from the body, on the meeting with the terrible Angels, just as our holy fathers did all this. For they, observing perfect severity in everything, even to the point of a random word, were constantly serious, soft, bright, sincere, firm, kind, meek, peaceful, avoided strife, were not lovers of the flesh, did not like ornaments, were silent, hymnal, grateful, obedient, humble in wisdom, and were truly chosen vessels (cf. Acts. 9:15), prepared for every good work (cf. 2 Tim. 2:21), and had the Holy Spirit as their indweller. So why are we, the damned, neglectful after this? Why are we lazy? Why are we relaxing? Why does the Word of God not touch our souls? Why don't we shed tears? Why don't we soften our stony hearts? Why don't we rise higher and higher every day? Why don’t we change for the good and acquire a special and different appearance, manner of speaking and gait from the laity, so that it can really be seen that we have escaped from the world and stand above the way of thinking of ordinary people, performing all our affairs with all kinds of reverence and silence? The terrible and terrible day and hour (410) of repose will come, will come and will not delay (Isa. 13:22), a strict and stern Angel will appear, the end of the holiday will come, and then, thinking about the upcoming bitter, sorrowful and already irrevocable fate and not being able to say: my heart is ready, God, my heart is ready (Ps. 57:8), we will weep. But come, if you really listen to my words, let us bow and fall down (Ps. 94:6) Let us sigh from our hearts to Christ Himself, our King, for the Lord is near to all who call on Him in truth (Ps. 145:18). What does virtuous living consist of? He will give us help in shaking off bad habits and will lead us into a virtuous life, which does not consist in not eating at all, not drinking, not meeting or talking with a brother, and also not in not sleeping at all, not recognizing peace, not resting, not meeting with others for conversations, but in doing everything decently and moderately, in its own time and in its place, so that in this way, applying virtue to virtue and from one seeking success for another, you led a peaceful, serene, even and angel-like life - so that I, the accursed one, for my part, would become more zealous in announcements, so that also your main [bosses] would rest from reproaches and reproaches, mentors - from instructions, elders - from supervising the younger ones, and so that we all, uniting among ourselves in love, living holy and righteous, would achieve the good things proclaimed to us in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Him be glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. St. Gregory the Theologian. Homily 3, 28 // St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. T. 1. P. 35. – Ed. In PC: “invisible enemies.” – Ed. In TFS: “ordinary, neither good nor bad.” – Ed. In TFS: “filial position.” – Ed. In TFS: “cry.” – Ed. In PC: “corrections”, “successes” (τα κατορθώματα). – Ed. In PC: “for through your external activities the internal is also revealed.” – Ed. Wed: St. Basil the Great. Conversations on Shestodnev 7, 3; Discourse on the end of the 14th Psalm and on moneylenders, 5; Conversation 2, 2; 6, 7; 26; Rules, stated at length, 21; Letter 42, 3 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 402, 405, 877, 919, 1089; T. 2. pp. 186–187, 519. – Ed. In PC: “by every good work.” – Ed. In TFS: “our father.” – Ed. We are talking about the usurper Vardan the Turk, who proclaimed himself emperor in 803 and made a failed campaign against Constantinople against Emperor Nicephorus I. - Ed. In TFS: “the rulers of this world.” – Ed. In TFS: “the need for pleasure that slowly attracts.” – Ed. Ἐξοστρακίζουσα. Literal translation: “expelling through ostracism.” – Ed. In PC: “like our holy fathers.” – Ed. About them, see note. us. 309, 246, 247 respectively. – Ed. See: Memorable tales. Ava Silouan. – Ed. That is, Constantinople. – Ed. A city on the opposite side of Constantinople, on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus. – Ed. The troops of the usurper Vardan the Turk unsuccessfully besieged Chrysopolis for eight days. – Ed. Hereinafter in TFS: “warm-coolness”. – Ed. Lint is a dressing material consisting of plucked fibers of matter. – Ed. Wed: St. Gregory the Theologian. Homily 3, 10 // St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. T. 1. P. 30. – Ed. Wed: St. Gregory the Theologian. Homily 3, 27 // St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. T. 1. P. 35. – Ed. Wed: St. Basil the Great. Prologue 7, 4 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 106. – Ed. In TFS: “martyr’s arena.” – Ed. In TFS: “to laugh at eternal blissful crying.” – Ed. The NPB has a different inscription: “One must not despair of the attacks of demons.” – Ed. See: Memorable tales. Mother Sarah, 1. It speaks of thirteen years of struggle with the demon of fornication. However, in the 3rd apothegma it is reported that she lived near the river for 60 years. So Rev. Theodore the Studite may be referring to some other hagiographic source about St. Sarah. – Ed. The two previous references are not identified. – Ed. See: St. Palladium of Elenopolsky. Lavsaik, 23. About Pakhom. – Ed. In TFS it is erroneous: “St. Athanasius." – Ed. Greek: Κύτη ή κρα, σις του αγίου Πνεύματος. – Ed. Added to PC: και τα, μαλάκια (and relaxed). – Ed. In TFS: “to count all our virtues.” – Ed. Wed: St. Basil the Great. Rules set out at length 7, 4 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 168. – Ed. Wed: St. Basil the Great. Conversation 13. Incentive to accept holy baptism, 7 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 998. – Ed. See: Kirill Skifopolsky. Life of Rev. Sava the Sanctified, 8. – Ed. See: Memorable tales. Abba Macarius of Egypt, 11. – Ed. In TFS it was: “devour yourself.” – Ed. In TFS here and in all similar cases it is translated: “through the prayers of our father.” – Ed. The quote is not exactly defined. Close in meaning: “limiting itself to the covering alone and not falling into the forbidden flaunting of variegated and variegated decoration, because this was introduced into life later by the vain efforts of vain art.” See: St. Basil the Great. Rules set out at length 22, 2 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 188. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Moral rules 48, 4 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 153. – Ed. See: Memorable tales. Abba Abraham, 1. – Ed. See: St. Gregory the Theologian. Homily 3, 11 // St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. T. 1. P. 30. – Ed. In TFS: “stepper”. – Ed. Rev. Abba Dorotheus of Gaza. Soulful teachings 3, 42. – Ed. In TFS: “our father.” – Ed. In TFS: “deifying.” – Ed. Lavrenty. See: Rev. John of Sinai (Climacus). Paradise Ladder 4, 25. – Ed. Perhaps we are talking about the monastery of Mount Sinai. – Ed. Rev. Pachomius the Great founded a number of monasteries in Egypt and had many associates, some of whom are mentioned here. See note. us. 243. – Ed. Monastery of St. Feodosia is located near Bethlehem. – Ed. Pupils of the teacher Theodosius the Great (Kinoviarch), mentioned in his life (see: Cyril of Scythopolis. Life of St. Theodosius the Great, 9–10). – Ed. Rev. Theoktist of Palestine (f 467) – associate and co-faster of St. Euthymius the Great, both founders of the above-mentioned monastery of St. Feodosia (“Lower”, or Mukailik). See: Kirill Skifopolsky. Life of St. Sava the Sanctified, 7–10. – Ed. There is a certain inaccuracy here. Rev. Euthymius became the founder of his monastery (Lavra of St. Euthymius), and Rev. Savva - the founder of the Great Lavra (Mar Saba); the latter labored for some time under the guidance of St. Theoktista in his monastery, and then under the leadership of Venerable. Euthymius the Great until his death in 473. Therefore, in the literal sense of the word, one famous monastery, common to Sts. Evfimy and Savva were not there. – Ed. In TFS: “filial position.” – Ed. In TFS: “the word was correct.” – Ed. In TFS: “renounced.” – Ed. In TFS: “deification”. – Ed. This announcement is almost identical to announcement 77 from the first part of the Great Announcement. For a similar naming of the Most Holy Theotokos as a prophetess, see also: Eusebius of Caesarea. Gospel Proof VII, 2, 16; St. Basil the Great. Interpretation of the prophet Isaiah 8, 209 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 778. – Ed. In TFS: “It is said that I will accept the cup of salvation.” The words “together with David” were not in TFS. – Ed. In TFS: “present”. – Ed. See: St. Gregory the Theologian. Homily 38, 5 // St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. T. 1. P. 443. – Ed. See: Kirill Skifopolsky. Life of Rev. Theodosius the Great, 11. – Ed. See: Life of St. Pachomius the Great (Paralipomena) 21, 148 – 22, 149. – Ed. We are apparently talking about Nikephoros I, before the start of his persecution of the Venerable. Theodora in 809 - Ed. In TFS: “will support.” – Ed. This announcement is a letter sent to the monks, most likely, of the Sakkudion monastery from the Studite monastery, as indicated by these words of St. Theodore, as well as the final words of this announcement about the newly tonsured and that one of them, Abba Ephraim, was a famous person in the city, that is, in Constantinople. – Ed. In TFS: “kicks out.” – Ed. See note. on p. 320. – Ed. The word "city" in Greek is feminine. – Ed. Perhaps we are talking about the Sakkudion monastery, since in the “Great Announcement” II, 66 Ven. Theodore speaks of the harvesting of grain by the brethren of this monastery. – Ed Wed: St. Basil the Great. Prologue 4, 3 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. pp. 152–153. – Ed. Wed: St. Gregory the Theologian. Homily 3, 11 // St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. T. 1. P. 30. – Ed. See note. us. 404. – Ed. This announcement, apparently, was made on the day of remembrance of St. Nicholas of Myra (December 6/19), while the memory of St. Savva of the Consecrated is celebrated the day before - December 5/18. – Ed. In TFS: “the highest of this world.” – Ed. In TFS: “obsequious to us.” – Ed. In TFS: “breaks.” – Ed. In the Church Slavonic text: “flour”. – Ed. Wed: St. Basil the Great. Ascetic statutes, 1, 1 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 321. – Ed. In TFS: “viceroy”. – Ed. In TFS: “a short and strictly defined circle of stages.” – Ed. Wed: Rev. Theodore the Studite. Great Announcement II, 11 // Rev. Theodore the Studite. Creations. T. 1. P. 450. – Ed. In one of the lists: through the prayers of the saints our fathers. – Ed. In TFS: “a whole heap.” – Ed. In TFS: “meager vessels.” – Ed. Wed: St. Basil the Great. Prologue 5, 2; Rules stated at length, 41; Rules summarized 119, 132 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 148, 208, 259, 262. – Ed. See: Rev. Abba Dorotheus of Gaza. Soulful teachings 1, 20. – Ed. In PC: “to endure even to death.” – Ed. In TFS it is erroneous: “like Judas.” – Ed. Wed: St. Basil the Great. About the Holy Spirit 16, 40 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 131. – Ed. In TFS: “not to understand his thoughts.” – Ed. More precisely: “I speak about those who have renounced [the world].” – Ed. In TFS: “a chosen generation (1 Pet. 2:9).” – Ed. Wed: St. John Chrysostom. Conversations on the Acts of St. Apostles 3, 4 (PG. T. 60. Col. 39). – Ed. That is, in the capital of the Byzantine Empire - Constantinople. – Ed. See: Ancient Patericon. Memorable tales about the asceticism of the holy and blessed fathers 5, 42. – Ed. By their nature, catechumens 52–74 are mostly pastoral epistles of St. Theodore to the Asia Minor monasteries of his monastic community, located in Bithynia and, probably, in the area of ​​Mount Olympus: Sakkudion, St. Christopher, "Three Gates" and "Pure Ones", sent by Rev. Theodore from the Studite Monastery. See: TSGC. P. 72–73. The reverend himself Theodore mentions in the 63rd catechumen of part II about “conversation through letters.” – Ed. Katigumen (κα ^ ηγούμενος) – the same as abbot. – Ed. Perhaps they are talking about the dispersion of the monks during the persecution of St. Theodora in 809–811 – Ed. We are most likely talking about the release of Rev. Theodora from imprisonment in 811 - Ed. In TFS: “warm-cool.” – Ed. In TFS: “get lazy.” – Ed. See: Rev. John of Damascus. Sacred Parallels (PG. T. 95. Col. 1541; T. 96. Col. 369). – Ed. Stavrakiy - logothete of the drome, adviser to Empress Irina, eunuch, famous statesman, laid claim to power. Died June 3, 800 (ODB. P. 1945). – Ed. Wed: Rev. Theodore the Studite. Penances are common to the entire brotherhood; Daily penances for monks // Rev. Theodore the Studite. Creations. T. 2. – Ed. In TFS: “parentally.” – Ed. "Evodius" (Εύόδιος) translated from Greek means "favorable." – Ed. See: St. Dionysius the Areopagite. On the Church Hierarchy 7, 2. – Ed. St. Gregory the Theologian. Homily 3, 40 // St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. T. 1. P. 39. – Ed. Wed: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 138 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 263. – Ed. See: Rev. John of Sinai (Climacus). Paradise ladder 14, 32. Next, the Rev. John is followed by other words: “Bitter potion is the compulsion and patience of fasting, and unleavened bread is unpuffed up wisdom.” This may indicate in favor of bringing Rev. Theodore follows the lines of one of the many commentaries on the Ladder. – Ed. In TFS: “into decay.” – Ed. In TFS: “cautious.” – Ed. Wed: St. Basil the Great. Rules set out at length 28, 2; Rules summarized 116; 152 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 194, 258, 267. – Ed. We are talking about the first or second persecution of St. Theodore and the brothers of his monasteries. – Ed. See: Kirill Skifopolsky. Life of St. Savvy, 36. – Ed. Wed. Memorable tales. Avva Agathon, 5. – Ed. Wed: St. Gregory the Theologian. Homily 3, 12 // St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. T. 1. P. 31. – Ed. Wed: Rev. Abba Dorotheus of Gaza. Soulful teachings 7, 84. – Ed. Wed: St. Gregory the Theologian. Homily 3, 9–13 // St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. T. 1. pp. 30–31. – Ed. After these words in the PC the phrase: “Others delight (254) the Kingdom of Heaven, but we are kidnapped by a deceiver.” – Ed. In PC: “like martyrs.” – Ed. Wed: Memorable tales. Abba Macarius, 11. – Ed. Rev. Theodore mentions the miracle (θαΰμ, α) not in the usual positive sense, but with bitter irony - about the intransigence of fallen human nature towards good. – Ed. Wed: St. Basil the Great. Conversation 3, 1 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 882. – Ed. In TFS: “elsewhere it is said that.” This phrase is not found in the Greek text. – Ed. In TFS: “deified.” – Ed. "Chariton" translated from Greek means "joyful." – Ed. In TFS: “to the Dalmatian monastery.” – Ed. In the Byzantine monastic tradition, monasteries were closed to outsiders during Lent. – Ed. The Greek εικονογραφία can here also mean, so to speak, life iconography, life example. – Ed. Ceremony of Panikhida. Prokeimenon, tone 6. – Ed. Wed: Funeral service. Vacation. – Ed. See: Memorable tales. Abba Anthony, 7. – Ed. In TFS it is not entirely accurate: “the external person serves only as her shell.” – Ed. In TFS: “excites.” – Ed. In TFS: “testaments of the saints.” – Ed. In TFS: “let’s raise.” – Ed. In TFS: “and they blossomed upward with an abundance of the fruits of the God-given commandments.” – Ed. An indication of the “Michian” persecution. – Ed. In TFS: “apparent to be something.” – Ed. In PC: “my brothers.” – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Ascetic statutes 21, 2 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 359. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules, briefly stated, 293 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 312. – Ed. 1 modius 8.704 liters. – Ed. In TFS: “like the Creans.” – Ed. In TFS: “known”. – Ed. In the TFS, the expression ευ τφ προλαβόντι χρόνω was translated as “last year,” which contradicts the generally accepted dating of the second part of the “Great Announcement” (804–808). Therefore, the following translation option is also possible: “in the past”, “in the past tense” (i.e. in 796–797). – Ed. Probably, we are talking about some kind of disorder in the monastery of the “Pure”, because of which the local adherents of St. Theodora were forced to leave the monastery. Perhaps the abbot of this monastery, contrary to Rev. Theodora supported imperial power during the second “Michian crisis” (802–811). – Ed. Literal translation: “joyful-sad.” – Ed. See note. us. 242, 243, 302, 243, 246, 400, 318. – Ed. In TFS: “dry passions.” – Ed. It speaks of Christians as sons of God by adoption to the Father in Christ (Eph. 1:5). – Ed. Evidence of the existence of a whole community of monasteries under the leadership of St. Theodora. – Ed. Wed: Rev. Barsanuphius and John the Prophet Guide to Spiritual Life 58; 59. – Ed. That is, for demons. Wed: Rev. Theodore the Studite. Great Announcement II, 92. See p. 623 of this edition. – Ed. During the period of Great Lent in Byzantium, leaving the monastery and visiting it by outsiders was prohibited. – Ed. In TFS: “to interpret things.” – Ed. See: Matt. 26:48; 27:29–30; 26:67 ; OK. 23:33; Matt. 26:34. – Ed. About the so-called “spiritual house of virtues” see: Rev. Abba Dorotheus of Gaza. Soulful teachings, 14. – Ed. In PC: instead of “the wise man speaks,” there is the address “unwise.” – Ed. The PC added: “as Wisdom says.” – Ed. In TFS: “drinks”. – Ed. See: St. Basil the Great. Rules set out at length 43, 1 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 211. – Ed. In TFS: “children of light and rebellion.” – Ed. Emperor Nikephoros I waged war with the Arabs in 806 (see p. 52 of this edition). – Ed. Wed: St. Basil the Great. The rules are laid out at length. Prologue 4, 3 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. pp. 152–153. – Ed. Wed: St. John Chrysostom. Conversations on the Acts of St. Apostles 12, 1. – Ed. See: Rev. Abba Dorotheus of Gaza. Soulful teachings 3, 42. – Ed. In TFS: “Is anyone heartbroken about the two brothers?” – Ed. See: Rev. John of Sinai (Climacus). Paradise Ladder 4, 47. – Ed. St. Basil the Great. Prologue 7, 3 (About the Judgment of God) // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 105. – Ed. Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. See: St. Basil the Great. Conversation 19. On the Day of the Holy Forty Martyrs // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. pp. 1028–1035. – Ed. For the same, see p. 524. – Ed. In TFS: “raises.” – Ed. In TFS: “unwashed.” – Ed. See: Rev. Abba Dorotheus of Gaza. Soulful teachings, 7. – Ed. 51 You might be interested in: