Авва Исидор, пресвитер Скитский

1. Abba Isidore, presbyter of the monastery, belonged to the first monks of the monastery, both in time and in success 444. He said: “The wisdom of the saints consists in the knowledge of the will of God: man, the image and likeness of God, rises above all by obedience to the truth. All demons are not so scary as following your own heart, that is, your own thoughts, and not the law of God. At the end of his life, a person will cry over the fact that he did not essentially know Christianity, did not find the path of the saints, and did not strive on it. Now is “the time for the Lord to work” (Ps. 119:126), salvation is accomplished during the tribulation - just as Scripture says: “In your patience you will gain your souls” (Luke 21:19). 2. The brother asked Abba Isidore, the presbyter of the monastery: “Abba! Why are demons so afraid of you? The elder answered: “From the time I became a monk, I have not allowed anger to rise to my throat.” 3. Abba Isidore said: “Behold! It’s been forty years since I’ve been carried away by either lust or anger, although I feel the onset of sinful thoughts.” 4. He said: “The fierce passion of the love of money is fierce. The soul embraced by it decides to commit any lawlessness, does not know saturation with passion, and is led by it into the depths of evil. This passion must be cut off at the very beginning. If it prevails over us, we will not be able to overcome it.” 5. He told about himself: “Once I went to a market to sell some baskets I had made. Noticing that anger was arising in me about the sale, I left the baskets and ran.” 6. Abba Isidore said: “Great is the height of humility, deep is the abyss of arrogance: and therefore I advise you to love the first, so as not to fall into the second.” 7. Abba Pimen told about Abba Isidore: “When he taught the brethren in church, he first of all said: “Leave it, and it will be left to you.” 8. A certain brother said to Abba Pimen: “My thoughts do not allow me to see my sins; but the fathers force me to think about my sins.” Abba Pimen responded by telling the following about Abba Isidore: “Abba Isidore usually cried when his disciple was in another cell. One day it happened that a disciple came in to him while the Abba was crying and asked him: “Abba! What are you crying about? He answered: “I mourn my sins.” The student said: “Abba! you have no sins." The elder answered this: “Oh, my son! if God had made my sins obvious to everyone, then not two, not three, not many helpers would have been enough to mourn them” 445. 9. The brother asked Abba Isidore of the monastery about his thoughts of fornication. The elder answered: “When a prodigal thought comes, confusing the soul and attracting it into conversation with itself, but cannot lead to sin in practice: then it only disrupts spiritual activity; but the sober husband, having rejected him from himself, immediately turns to prayer” 446. 10. Asked about the same thought, the elder answered: “If we had no thoughts, we would be like animals. But just as the enemy strives to do his own thing, so we must do ours. Let us pray intensely, and the enemy will flee. Stay in the memory of God (in teaching), and you will win. Victory is achieved by remaining in good sobriety. Fight and you will be crowned" 447. Alphabetical Patericon and Memorable Tales. Patrolog. Tom. XI, Pag. 1039. Patrolog. Tom. XI, Pag. 1018. Patrolog. Tom. XI, Pag. 1019. You might be interested in: