О том, что братия должны жить между собою в единомыслии и любви

The brethren must be in great love with each other. Whether they pray, read the Scriptures, or whatever else they do, they must place love for each other as the basis; in this case, these exercises can be worthy of the blessing of the Lord. And whoever works, and whoever prays, and whoever reads, can all benefit by living with each other in simplicity and righteousness. For what is written? Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth (Matthew 6:10), so that, just as the Angels, being in great unanimity, live in love, in peace, and there is no exaltation, envy, discord, but only mutual love and sincerity, so the brethren remain among themselves. For it happens that some thirty people live together, and they cannot spend the whole day and the whole night in one task, on the contrary, some of them spend six hours in prayer, and then want to read; some diligently serve, while others are engaged in some kind of work: but whatever the brethren do, they are obliged to be in mutual love and rejoice in each other. Let the one who works say this about the one who prays: “My brother did not take possession of all the treasure; it is common, and I am a participant in it.” And whoever prays, let him say about the reader: “What he uses in reading will benefit me.” And whoever works, let him say this: “there is a general benefit in the service I provide.” Just as there are many bodily members, and they form one body, and mutually help each other, although each one does his own work, and moreover, the eye looks at the whole body, and the hand works for all the members, and they all have compassion for one another: so the brethren are members for each other: and let him who prays not condemn the one who works because he does not pray, and whoever works, let him not condemn the one who prays because he continues to pray while I am working. And whoever serves, let him not judge another, but whatever everyone does, let him who reads hold the one praying in love and rejoice over him, reasoning that he is also praying for him; and let the one who prays say about the one who works: “What he does, he does for the common good.” Thus, with great unanimity, one can hold each other in a union of love and live in mutual righteousness; and then there will be the Lord's blessing. The most important thing of all, as is obvious, is staying in prayer; Let it only be a subject of seeking, so that man may have the treasure of his soul and life. If anyone has Christ in his thoughts, whether he works, prays, or reads, let him have Him as his enduring spiritual acquisition. Some say that God requires from man only obvious fruits, but God himself makes the hidden things in man manifest. But this is not how it happens in reality; On the contrary, just as someone brings himself to safety through the external person, so he must fight and wage war in his thoughts; because God requires you to be angry with yourself, to fight with your mind, not to agree to evil thoughts and not to delight in them. It is God’s work to eradicate sin and innate evil and overcome the enemy. For if you yourself were able to do this, then what would be the need for the Lord’s coming? Just as it is impossible to see with eyes without light, or to speak without a tongue, or to hear without an ear, or to walk without legs, or to work without hands, so it is impossible for a person to be saved or to enter the kingdom of heaven without the Lord Jesus. If you talk about obvious deeds: “I am not a fornicator, not an adulterer, not a lover of money, and therefore I am righteous”; then you are mistaken in this, thinking that you have already accomplished everything. There are not only three members of sin from which a person must bring himself to safety, but there are thousands of them. For tell me, where does fearlessness, blindness, unbelief, hatred, envy, deceit, hypocrisy come from? Shouldn't you fight with them in secret and in your thoughts? If there is a robber in your house; then this already disturbs you and does not allow you to be calm. And if you begin to resist him and even strike him; then he attacks and hits you. So the soul must resist, strike, fight. She takes on herself, and inflicts blows herself, is amazed and reflects. The will, now opposing, now becoming exhausted and cramped, finally begins to prevail, and the soul, with great difficulty, begins to gain the upper hand. Satan falls, rises against the soul, builds loopholes, and destroys the soul. It also happens that sin overcomes and overthrows the soul in ten or twenty struggles, and in a similar way the soul over time overcomes sin in some kind of deed. And again, if she stands firm and does not relax, then she begins to gradually take advantage, strengthen and gain victories over sin. However, sin, although it does not overthrow a person, nevertheless remains in him until a person reaches a perfect man, to the extent of the age of the fulfillment of Christ (Eph. 4:13), and until he conquers death. For it is written: the last enemy will be destroyed by death (1 Cor. 15:26). And only this person is above death, and becomes its winner. If, as we said above, someone says, I am not a fornicator, not an adulterer, not a lover of money, and this is enough for me: then he fought with three parts, and did not touch twenty. Sin did not fight with his whole soul, although he was often defeated. Therefore, we must strive and strive in everything; because the mind, as we have repeatedly said, is a fighter, and within itself has the strength to argue with sin and resist thoughts. If you say that the opposing force is stronger and completely possesses a person, then you accuse God of injustice, Who condemns humanity for listening to Satan. If the enemy is stronger than us, if he is some kind of compelling force; then You yourself created a being that is stronger than human souls, and You command me not to obey him; and this is very unfair. Therefore, we affirm that our mind is a fighter, and an equal fighter; because the soul that seeks God enjoys help and protection, and is rewarded. Struggle and feat are possible only with equal strength. Glory and power to God forever and ever! Amen. You might be interested in: