Беседа 12. О созерцательном образе жизни и о том, как благотворное безмолвие и одиночество способствуют этой цели духовного знания.

1. In the dwelling or cell of one who has achieved this contemplative conversation in his way of life, no person should spend the night at all. And more than at any time, during the hours of the night he must be cut off from everyone and left alone, so that there will be complete silence 588 in his soul. For our Savior also chose deserted places at night, although he honored and loved silence at all times: “Let us go,” he says, “to a deserted place and rest alone. And He got into the boat and withdrew into a deserted place - He and His disciples,” and so on. 589 But during these hours 590 He especially moved away from people and remained in silence. There was no need for the One who can do everything on anyone to do this: and yet He never spent the night in inhabited places. He went up the mountain to pray alone and in the evening he remained there alone. 591 To teach the sons of light, who would later follow in His footsteps, this new way of life, He held this lonely conversation with God. This, which only the heavenly ranks possess, was revealed to people in the Son of God, who descended to their dwelling and showed them the ministry of the invisible, whose task is to offer praises to God in that great silence that is spread throughout their whole world - in order to thereby be raised to the contemplation of this glorious nature of the Trinity and to remain in amazement, seeing the greatness of this ineffable glory. 2. This way of life will be led by all human nature after the general resurrection. May we be rewarded, as if as a guarantee, with the enjoyment of future blessings already here, by the grace of Christ, to Whom, together with His Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory and honor forever and ever. Amen. Lit. “silence upon silence” (cf. “grace upon grace” in John 1:16). You might be interested in: