Беседа 21. О том, как новоначальная душа становится добродетельной и преуспевает, когда освобождается от первоначальных напряженных трудов. И как приближается она при малом утомлении тела к свободному существованию 927 благодаря помощи свыше. 928 И с какой целью трудится она в трудничестве своем.

1. So, when you are weakened and tired from the work of psalmody with this constant repetition of the usual, and you are no longer able to work in this as before - because of old age, or because of the great weakness of the body - work instead in prayer, petition and the like. Bring your prayer long and persistently, ask diligently and work in your prayer with heartfelt effort. 929 Be persistent, extend and stretch it out for a long time, 930 until the door opens for you. 2. For our Lord is merciful, and He will accept you not for your work, but for the good intention of your mind. 931 Your soul will be illuminated when you prolong your prayer, and your thoughts will be inflamed with love for Him. 932 In this way you will receive help from God in the small labors of your weak body. At the same time, as far as possible, do not completely abandon your small services 933 - so as not to turn out to be like a person who does not want to obey the rule. For this is to the attacks of the demon of pride upon you, as with one who imagines that he no longer needs it; or little by little you will voluntarily come to relaxation. 3. I am not imposing any necessary time, but only talking about what can happen and will happen. 4. There is also nothing reprehensible if during the time that corresponds to the force of 934 - or even does not correspond - we stand or sit; for great fear and sobriety accompany us, forbidding us to fall into a contemptuous attitude towards God at the time when the service is performed by us and when the prayer sacrifice is offered to Him. 935 5. But you should worry about the conscious and thoughtful, and not about a certain limit, and not particularly worry about quantity, 936 for the latter very often becomes a cause for embarrassment. But about how our hearts can draw closer to God in service and prayer: for this you submit to the law of children. 937 6. But even more than psalmody, pay attention to these and especially use them, sometimes standing on your feet, sometimes on your knees, sometimes sitting. 7. Also, there is nothing that would prevent you from fully perceiving all of these 938 psalms and using them. Also, delightful words set forth in songs that are intended by the Holy Church, 939 together with other sublime words that the Spirit has set to music and chants, can take the place of perfect prayer in a person. we reflect on them, they give birth in us to pure prayers and high insights and thus bring us closer to enlightened thinking and amazement at God, as well as to others, through which the Lord makes you wise and enlightens you at those times when you choose the appropriate verses and in a supplicative mood 940 bring them to your Lord, repeating them for a long time and in silence. 8. Also, psalmody, with such a mood, 941 brings more benefit to a person than the rite of reading the hours. This is for people who have reached a level and who have entered into that way of life when even in their prayer they are rewarded with gifts from God. And because of the concentration of their minds, they are very successful in; the soul approaches 942 great virtue in these works and is constantly rewarded with help from above. Very often she acquires a certain enlightenment of thoughts on her way, among her prolonged prayers. 9 . But we should not strive for this right away, for not many achieve this, but only a select few. 943 Such people come not in accordance with labors, but in accordance with God's plan and knowledge, for He knows to whom it should be given. We should not lose hope in our asceticism throughout our lives. 10. Having acquired this, we should not become arrogant and imagine that thanks to our great asceticism 944 we have been awarded this. If this is delayed for us, 945 we should not be sad and dejected, like people who serve God for the sake of reward: this is the way of thinking of those who are not trained in the work of humility and in the pursuit of God. For we understand that these and similar ones, as I said, God does not give to a person for many labors, and it is not because of a lack of such that He delays them, but to those for whom He knows that it will be useful to them. 11. Dignity or unworthiness also does not have to do with these things, but with the will that a person shows in relation to God, to the extent that with his mind he withdraws from the world out of love for God and becomes enlightened. 946 12. So, we will consider it a sign of our success that day by day we see the passion diminishing in our soul 947 and thus we are getting closer and closer to God and are rewarded, without realizing it, with His innumerable gifts. 13. For the work of reading is very sublime and great, as far as one can even talk about it. 948 For it is the door through which the mind enters into the divine mysteries and acquires strength for enlightenment in prayer. And he is washed with joy, 949 wandering through the economy of God, that which is in relation to people; for these we are constantly in amazement, and from them meditation also receives strength, which is the fruit of the asceticism we are talking about. prayer is enlightened and strengthened, whether they are taken from spiritual scriptures, 950 or from the works of the great teachers of the Church, dedicated to the economy 951 or teaching the secrets of asceticism. 952 14. These two types of reading are useful for a spiritual person. As for other things, any existing reading will harm him, darken his mind from striving for God; 953 he will bring gloom and despondency 954 to him during service and prayer. 15. For without reading it is impossible for the mind to approach God: it embraces 955 thinking and directs it to God at every moment; it washes 956 him from the thoughts of this material world 957 and forces him to constantly remain above the flesh. There is no other work through which a person prospers more, if only he reads for the sake of truth, in order to acquire these benefits through it. 16. There are, again, people for whom even reading about the economy does not bring any benefit or help. For the most part, they are even more darkened, because they much more need reading about how to pacify passions. Every person benefits from reading, at their level, 958 receives help and thrives thanks to. 17. However, for this level of asceticism 959 it is very useful to read about the economy, a long enlightened conversation about it and books carefully written by divine and enlightened writers on this. The soul rejoices greatly and is naked of passions thanks to these books. 960 Or “towards a lifestyle of freedom.” Or “spend a long time in it.” Lit. “according to the purpose of your mind.” According to the manuscript Paris syr.298: “powerlessness,” “weakness.” Lit. “and when prayer is offered in His presence.” Lit. “But you should worry about knowledge and prudence, and not about limits and confusion, and not about quantity.” Var. “You submit to Him in the freedom of the children.” Lit. “perceive the fullness of these things.” The term “songs” (tebhata) may refer to biblical songs, as well as to the hymns of Ephraim the Syrian, Babai the Great and other Syrian authors used during worship. Var. "for prayerful purposes." Lit. “our great asceticism (way of life).” Or “withheld from us.” Lit. “how far he withdraws from the world with his mind, in an enlightened way, out of love for God.” Sire. 'alma d-qeryana. The term qeryana means primarily the reading of Scripture. Lit. “And he swims and rejoices.” Lit. "on the topic of house building." Those. from the dogmatic and ascetic writings of the teachers of the Church. Or “from the goal that is in God,” “from thought to God.” Sire. 'amtana w-quttáa. The latter term corresponds to the Greek akedia (dejection, despair, hopelessness). Lit. “from this bodily world with its thoughts (sukkale).” Lit. "from reading your measure." Those. for the level discussed in this Conversation. Lit. “to these goals”, or “to these topics”, i.e. books written on these topics. You might be interested in: