О вооружении монаху

Those who wish to strive for the sake of Christ must acquire such weapons for themselves, so that they will be able to resist the devil and be pleasing to our Savior. What kind of weapon is this? Listen, monk. Instead of armor, accept mustard seed-like faith in the Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity. For the mustard seed is completely round, has neither splits nor corners, but is completely round and, as it were, self-moving. It was this (such faith) that the Supreme Apostle Peter acquired and, having confessed Christ as the Son of the Living God, received the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Acquire this perfect armor for you too, my brother, so that you may receive the gift, as the Lord taught, saying: “If you have faith like the grain of a mountain, you say to this mountain, “Depart from here, and it will pass away, and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20). Do you see how he who has faith has been granted the gift? He is given a gift - the spirit of understanding, for when someone believes, then we will understand (Is. 7:9). Gifting is not to judge your neighbor; then - the word of wisdom; then - the granting of healings, because he heals the weak in faith and restores those who have fallen in heart; for “all these things work in one and the same way, waiting for the Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:11). Some have faith, but have no works; this is not faith, because it is dead, for it is said: “faith without works is dead” (James 2:21). Whoever has faith and does works of faith, faith is like a self-propelled mustard seed. Acquire it, my brother, and be healthy and unharmed in the faith, burning with willfulness in the commandments of our Savior, so that you too may hear from Him: “Well done, good and faithful servant... enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:23). The Lord called him good for his deeds, and faithful for his faith. Instead of a helmet, take the hope of future blessings: “Whose eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has the heart of man sighed, ... angels desire to dwell in him” (1 Cor. 2:9; 1 Pet. 1:12). This hope will give you strong consolation in suffering and sorrow, and remembering it will rejoice you. The blessed martyrs of Christ listened to him among the sharp edges, among the terrible and varied torments, among the cruel fire; They had this longed-for hope before their eyes, and therefore they willingly and with gratitude endured everything just to receive what they hoped for. Having this bribe before his eyes, and “Moses... refused to be called the son of the daughter of Pharaoh,” considering it the best of Egyptian treasures, which is why “you would rather suffer with the people of God than have the temporary sweetness of sin” (Heb. 11:24-25). Always keep this hope before your eyes, brother, so that the desire of the one you trust does not allow you to think about anything impermanent, but moreover arouses in you readiness for every good deed. Instead of a belt, you will gird yourself with perfect love for God and your neighbor: love will make you flow (go towards virtue) and not encounter obstacles. He who is girded comfortably and unhindered goes through everything; Moreover, one who is girded with love comfortably walks everywhere. For “love,” as it is said, “all hope, all endure” (1 Cor. 13:7), and therefore “the fulfillment of the law of love is” (Rom. 13:10). It was acquired by Blessed Paul, who said: “If anyone faints, I will not faint; whoever is tempted, and I am not liquefied” (2 Cor. 11:29)? See the compassion of love! Why are you, blessed Paul, so pained about me? Will you be punished for me? You have already finished the course, and have kept the faith, and the crown of righteousness is awarded to you. What are you looking for more? Why do you cause yourself grief and exhaustion for my sake? Yes, he says, love compels me to do this. Do you see the power of love? For her sake, having fulfilled the law, clothed in a corruptible body, he was deemed worthy to ascend “to the third heaven... and hearing unspeakable verbs, which a man should not speak” (2 Cor. 12:2, 4). Instead of shoes, take humility. Just as sandals are trodden under foot, so he who has acquired humility strives to be trodden underfoot by all. And you, brother, acquire humility. These are not physical shoes, but spiritual ones; they will protect you, “lest you dash your foot against a stone” (Ps. 90:12). The stone is Christ, your humility will protect you, so as not to be crushed when you fall (collide) to Christ. And blessed David, having acquired humility, said: “I am a worm, and not a man” (Ps. 21:7). Do you see the humility of the king and the prophet? He saw “the Lord before” himself, “as if he were at his right hand,” guarding him and not moving (Ps. 15:8), that is, so that David would not fall into sin. Do you see, beloved, how God loves humility, how much He approaches those who acquire it and always looks upon it, as it is written: “He lives on high and looks upon the humble” (Ps. 113:5-6). And again: “You look upon the poor with His eyes” (Ps. 9:29). When you hear about the poor, beloved, do not understand the one who is poor in wealth, because many kings pleased God, and many poor people perished. But he calls the poor “poor in spirit,” according to what has been said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for of them is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Yes, beloved, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in the Kingdom of Heaven, which our Savior promised to the humble. Instead of a shield, protect yourself with an honest cross, imprinting it on your members and heart. And not only put the sign of the cross on yourself with your hand, but also in your thoughts, imprint it on every activity you do: your entrance, and your walk at all times, and your sitting, and your rising, and your bed, and whatever service you perform - first of all, imprint it in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is a very strong weapon, and no one can ever harm you if you are protected by this weapon. If no one can do harm to someone who bears the seal of the earthly king, then even more so no one is able to compete with us, who bear on ourselves such a seal of the great Heavenly King! Use this weapon most often, my brother, for it gives you strength to resist the enemy’s arrows, or better yet, his sword—bitter and terrible temper. She, like a two-edged sword, destroys in an instant the one who attacks her, as it is written: “the desire of his rage will fall to him” (Sir. 1:22). Therefore, my brother, never be negligent to seal yourself with the cross, and you will break the snares that the devil has hidden for you, for it is written: “In this way, when I walked in the wrong way, I hid the net for me” (Ps. 142:4). So, always seal yourself with the cross, and evil will not touch your spirit. Instead of a bow, stretch out your hands in prayer, as it is written: “And you have put the bow of my copper arm” (Ps. 17:35). Indeed, the “bow of the Medes” against their enemies is hands outstretched in prayer offered in knowledge (conscious knowledge). Prayer is an arrow, accurately shot by the one who draws the bow. If you allow your thoughts to wander, you will become like a man who holds a bow in his hands, but does not know how to aim an arrow at the enemy and shoots it at random. Will such a blow frighten your enemy if you hold a bow in your hands, but not at it, but shoot an arrow at random? That is why, when someone prays with knowledge, he does not allow his thoughts to wander, but understands who he is. Who is going to talk and with whom? Such prayer brings him closer to God, then the enemy suffers greatly, as if struck by an arrow in the heart. The soul, by grace, prospers more and more, but the enemy flees like dust before the wind, driven by the Angel of God. That is why he makes the enemy suffer who prays with knowledge and strives courageously, taking his thoughts captive. So, my brother, pray with knowledge. And if during prayer something, either through the eyes or for some other reason, distracts your mind, then know that this is the work of the enemy. And do not rush to finish your prayer, but, having judged yourself, gather your mind again and pray with knowledge, so that you know what you are asking God for and why you are asking Him, so as not to needlessly tell you unnecessary things and not to talk too much. It is the work of Satan if something directs your thoughts like an arrow shot at random and does not allow a person to stay on what he is preoccupied with. For (the enemy) knows that if a person continues his prayer, then He who created him will hear him, even if he were an infinitely (infinite) sinner. That is why the enemy leads him into verbosity and excessive verbiage, so that his thoughts fly like an arrow shot at random. Then, stretching out his hands in prayer, he sees and thinks and speaks differently in his mind. My brother, what is your special need, and what is needed at all times, ask God for that. Look at the two blind men who came to Him and cried out: “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David” (Matthew 20:30). What does the Lord say to them? - “Whatever you want, I will do for you.” They, with sickness and groaning of their hearts, asked that their eyes be opened. They didn’t say: give us what we really needed. They didn’t say: give us clothes, because we are poor. On the contrary, they asked for what was urgently needed. Look at the Canaanite woman who cries after the Lord: “Lord, have mercy on me, son of David: my daughter is angry with evil” (Matthew 15:22). She didn’t say anything other than her heart disease. Likewise, did not all those who came to Him express the illnesses of their hearts before Him? So, was it not because of the flow of her blood that she who was bleeding came to Him? If a patient comes to the doctor, doesn’t he show that he is in pain? And you, my brother, present to God the illness of your soul. Look at Him with the help of faith with the eyes of your mind, so that, according to what is written, you see “He who sits on the throne, high and exalted” (Is. 6:1) and the armies of Angels and Archangels standing before Him. Prostrate yourself before His goodness, pour out your petition before Him. First, confess your sins, and then declare your words or your sorrow before Him, so that He may be merciful in His goodness and pour out His mercies on you: O soul, “great is your faith: do as you wish” (Matthew 15:28). Listen, beloved! If you are denied what you ask for, do not stop crying out to God, do not become disheartened that you will not be heard. Remember the Canaanite woman and be jealous of her patience, remember how she was denied what she asked for. That is why the disciples come to Christ and say for her: “Let her go, for she is crying out after us” (Matthew 15:23). Did he completely reject her? He didn’t refuse her at all, but gave her what she asked for – for our learning, so that we, having received a refusal, would be able to stand by our request. And indeed, we will receive, although we are sinners, just as she received, being a foreigner - a Canaanite. So the Lord commanded, saying: “Whoever has a friend from you, and goes to him at midnight, and says to him: friend, give me three loaves of bread in return, since the friend came from the way to me, and the imam will not offer him anything. And answering from within, he said: Do not do any work for me, the doors are already closed, and my children are on the bed with me: and I cannot give you a rise. I say to you: even if he rises up and does not give it to him, he is a friend; but for his lack of selflessness, when he rises up, he will give it to him and demand it. And I say to you: ask, and it will be given to you” (Luke 11:5-9). So the psalm says: “I have endured the Lord, and heard my prayer” (Ps. 39:2). Therefore, do not lose courage, my brother; Be patient and you will get what you need. But listen, my brother, I’ll give you some more advice. If you ask God for something of your own, then ask not in such a way that you will certainly receive it from Him, but at the same time leaving it to Him and His will. For example, if you are often oppressed by bad thoughts, and you are sad about it, and want to beg God to free you from the abuse. But often this serves you well, my brother. I say that this often happens to you (because) so that you do not become arrogant, but be humble in your wisdom. Look at the pillar of the apostles, how, to his own benefit, he was given “a dirty trick of the flesh, an angel of Satan, yes... dirty tricks” to him (2 Cor. 12:7). For what? Let him not be arrogant! If this lesson was given to such a man so that he would not become arrogant, then all the more should we, who are weak and imagine ourselves to be nothing (Gal. 6:3), must endure torment so as not to become arrogant. Also, if some kind of sorrow or distress has befallen you, do not ask to be sure to get rid of them, because this, my brother, is often useful! It often happens that during prayer you neglect your salvation, as was the case with the Israelites. It is said: “And Jacob was satisfied, and his beloved was denied: fat, thick, wide: and forsake God who made him” (Deut. 32:15). And one more thing. If you ask to receive something, do not ask to receive it without fail. For you, as a person, often consider things useful to you that are often useless to you. But if you leave your will and decide to walk according to the will of God, then you will be safe. He, Who Foreknows everything before it comes to fruition, by His condescension shepherds us; but we do not know whether what we ask for is useful to us. Many, having achieved what they desired, subsequently came to repentance, and often fell into great troubles. Without carefully examining whether this was the will of God, but thinking that it was good for them, under some pretexts that had the appearance of truth, deceived by the devil, they were exposed to extreme dangers. Many such deeds are often accompanied by repentance, because we followed our own wishes in them. Listen to what the apostle says: “For what we will pray for, as we ought, we do not know” (Rom. 8:26). For “all are to fly, but not all are to crawl; all are to fly, but not all are to edify” (1 Cor. 10:23). So, what is useful and edifying for each of us, God Himself knows, and therefore leave it to Him. I am not saying this in order to prevent you from turning to God with your petitions. On the contrary, I also beg you to ask Him for everything, from small to great. And this is what I tell you: when you pray and reveal to Him what is in your heart, tell Him this: “Neither my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). If it is useful, as you yourself know, do it! For it is thus written: “Open your way to the Lord and trust in Him, and He will do it” (Ps. 37:5). Look also at our Lord Jesus Christ, Who prays economically and says: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me: neither as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). Therefore, my brother, if you ask anything from God, stand firmly in your request, opening yourself before Him and saying: “If it is, Master, it is Your will that if this has happened, then complete it and make it successful. And if this is not Your will, do not let it happen, my God! Do not give me over to my own desire, for you know my foolishness. Do not give me over to delusion and my foolishness, but, as You Yourself know, protect me according to Your condescension!” If you pray because of sorrow and thoughts, then say: “Lord, do not reprove me with Your wrath, nor punish me with Your anger. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak" (Ps. 6:2-3). Look what the prophet says: Look, O Lord, and see that I am earth and ashes, and I cannot bear this. Do not betray me to my sins, “let me not keep silence from Me: and I will become like those who go down into the pit” (Ps. 27:1), but give glory to Your name, O unforgettable one, do not remember my sins and hear me. And if possible, let sorrow pass from me, “not as I want, but as You”; Just strengthen and preserve my soul, and I will be able to endure everything, so that I may find grace before You both in this and in the next century.” And cast your sorrow upon Him, and He will do what is good for you. For know that He, the Good One, wants everything necessary for our salvation. That is why this good Shepherd laid down His soul. Glory to him forever! Amen. You might be interested in: