Авва Евлогий Скитский

1. The disciples of Abba Eulogius of Scete told us: When the elder sent us to Alexandria to sell handicrafts, he commanded us to stay in this city for no more than three days. “If,” he said, “you stay more than three days and fall into any sin, then I am not guilty of your sin.” We asked him: “Why do other monks, staying in cities and villages with worldly people, do not feel harm to their souls?” The elder, opening his unlying lips, told us: “Believe me, my children: from the time I accepted monasticism, I lived in the Skete for thirty-eight years, without going anywhere. At the end of the thirty-eighth year, I went with Abba Daniel to Alexandria to Patriarch Eusebius for some need. When we entered the city, we met many monks there, and my eyes were opened: I saw that some of them were being hit in the face by crows with their wings; others were hugged by naked women and whispered in their ears; naked male children played with others and smeared them with stench; others were brought to smell meat and wine. From this I understood that the demons aroused abuse in the mind of each monk, according to the passion with which he was possessed. For this reason, brothers, I do not want you to slow down in the city and be attacked by such thoughts, or rather demons” 280. 2. Elder Eulogius was very skilled in reasoning about demonic thoughts. He gathered his disciples to him every day and taught them how to resist the thoughts that presented themselves to the mind. He said: “As many passions in the soul as there are demons. Divine Scripture also testifies that everyone is enslaved to that by which he is conquered. Whoever becomes enslaved to fornication and pleasures has rejected Christ. “Vanity, pride, love of money and lies also make a person who serves these passions, alien to Christ” 281. 3. Blessed Eulogius related the following vision of a certain elder; he had a vision of the thing itself. This elder stood in the church at the all-night vigil before Sunday. The brothers stood face to face and sang the psalms of David. The elder saw that the church was filled with light, and that the angels of God were singing with the brethren. When the all-night vigil ended, the Angels left the holy Altar; baskets were placed in front of them, as if they were crystal, filled with gold, silver and copper coins, prosphora, both whole and crushed into pieces; a small golden vessel with ointment and a golden censer with very fragrant incense were also placed. When the brethren, before leaving the church and going to their cells, approached the honorable cross to worship: the Angels gave some gold coins with the image of our Lord Jesus Christ, others silver coins with the image of the cross, others copper coins, others whole prosphoras, others ukruhi; Angels anointed some with myrrh from a golden vessel, others incense with a censer; some received nothing; some left, leaving what they had received in the church. The elder prayed to God that the meaning of the vision would be revealed to him, and why the gifts were not equal, while everyone was engaged in psalmody and vigil together. And it was revealed to him that those who accepted a piece of gold are those who keep a sober vigil on Wednesdays, Fridays, weekdays and twelfth holidays from evening until morning; those who accepted the pieces of silver are those who watch from midnight until the morning; those who accepted the copper coin are those who are forced to sing psalmody; Those who have accepted whole prosphora are diligent in reading books; newcomers who had not yet entered into a perfect monastic life received ukrukhs; anointed with myrrh, obedient in everything to their father and giving themselves to the service of everyone - their sweats and labors are counted before God as myrrh; those who are fumigated with the incense of the censer are those who have given in to rumors and come to their senses only when they enter the church; Those who were careless about their salvation, who did not resist evil thoughts and did not cleanse their hearts from passions, did not accept anything, but indulged in the love of money and gluttony; those who left the gifts they received in the church and left empty-handed are those who study Hellenic books, the sciences of this world - those who indulged in pride, vanity and man-pleasing 282. You might be interested in: