Авва Иоанн Колов

1. Приснопамятный и блаженный отец наш Иоанн Колов – прозвание это дано преподобному по малому росту его, и значит малый – послушания воспитанник, оставил мир в юном возрасте. With his brother Daniel, he retired to Skete, where both took monasticism. Они поместились на жительство в одной келлии и подвизались в посте и молитве. По прошествии некоторого времени Иоанн сказал брату своему Даниилу: «Я решился нисколько не заботиться о теле, не хочу употреблять пищи и пития, приготовленных на огне, но хочу пребывать в этой пустыне без попечения, подобно бесплотному ангелу». Сказав это, он тотчас снял бывшую на нем одежду и нагой вышел из келлии в пустыню. В эту ночь случился сильный мороз. Не стерпев мороза, Иоанн возвратился в келлию к брату своему и начал стучаться в двери. Брат, желая вразумить его, долгое время не подавал голоса; then he said a prayer and said: “Who is knocking so insistently on my doors?” – Иоанн отвечал: «Это – я, брат твой Иоанн, не могу вынести мороза и возвратился послужить тебе». Даниил отвечал: «Не прельщай меня, демон! go away: I won’t open it for you. Как смеешь ты говорить, что ты – мой брат? Don’t you know that my brother is an angel, that he neglects his body, that he does not need food? Get away from me! Иоанн сотворил молитву и сказал: «Я – брат твой Иоанн! ныне узнал, не стерпев мороза, что на мне плоть». When he repented, his brother opened the door and took him into his cell, saying to him: “Brother! на тебе плоть: для нее ты должен трудиться о пище и одежде» 562 . 2. After this, John placed himself with a certain great elder, a native of Thebaid, named Pamve, and devoted himself to his service. Старец учил его послушанию, а Иоанн дал обет повиноваться старцу во всем 563 . 3. One day the elder took a dry tree, stuck it on the mountain and ordered John to water this dry tree every day with a bucket of water until the tree bears fruit. The water was far from them. Утром надо было идти за нею, чтоб принести к вечеру. По истечении третьего года дерево прозябло и принесло плод. The elder took the fruit, brought it to the church to the brethren and said to them: “Come, taste the fruit of obedience.” 4. В некотором расстоянии от их келлии было кладбище. A fierce hyena lived there, killing people and animals. Старец сказал Иоанну: «На кладбище я видел помет гиены: поди принеси его сюда». John said to this: “What should I do if a hyena attacks me?” The elder, smiling, answered: “If a hyena attacks you, then tie it up and bring it here.” Вечером Иоанн пошел на кладбище; a hyena attacked him. Он, по повелению старца, бросился, чтоб схватить ее; but she ran away from him. Иоанн погнался за нею, крича: «Остановись! отец мой повелел связать тебя». She stopped; John tied her up. Meanwhile, the elder sat and waited for the student. And so! John is walking, leading a tied hyena. Старец, увидев это, удивился; Wanting to humble the disciple and protect him from arrogance, he took the rod and began to beat John, saying: “You fool; did you bring the dog here? The elder untied the hyena and released it 564. 5. Pamvo also had another disciple, Paisius, who later became a famous hermit in the Nitrian desert, honored by the Church among its great saints. The elder died a blessed death. Left after him, Paisius and John lived together for some time. Diversity began to appear in their lives: why did John advise Paisius to resort to God with a request to grant them notice of what type of life God would please assign to each of them? They held an all-night vigil. By morning, an Angel appeared to them and commanded John to remain at his place of residence and edify the brethren, and Paisius to retire to the desert and there spend the life of a hermit 565. 6. Abba John Kolov said: “If the king wants to take an enemy city, then first of all he stops the supply of food supplies to it; citizens, being oppressed by hunger and so as not to die from hunger, submit. The same thing happens with carnal lusts: if a person spends his life in fasting and hunger, lusts become exhausted in his soul” 566. 7. He said: “The gate of God is humility. Our fathers, from the midst of many humiliations, entered the church of God, rejoicing.”567 8. Он говорил: «Я подобен человеку, который сидит под высоким деревом и видит, что приближается к нему множество зверей и змей; if he cannot resist them, he climbs a tree and escapes. So I, silent in my cell, see evil thoughts rising up against me; when I cannot resist them, I resort to God in prayer and am saved.”568 9. He said: “Humility and fear of God are higher than all virtues” 569. 10. He said: “Leaving a light burden, i.e. self-reproach, we have placed a heavy burden on ourselves - self-justification" 570. 11. Abba Pimen told the following about Abba John Kolov. He begged God, and his passionate lusts were taken away from him. He felt an unshakable calm. Then he came to a certain father and told him: “I see myself calm, not having any struggle.” The elder answered him: “Go and beg God that the battles and that contrition of heart and humility that you had before will return: because of the battles, the soul comes to prosperity.” John asked God for the return of the battles, and when the battles came, he no longer prayed for liberation from the battles, but said: “Lord! grant me patience in battle" 571. 12. Abba John said: “To remain silent in a cell, practicing the unceasing memory of God, is the same as being imprisoned in prison. The saying can be attributed to such a residence: “I was in prison, the visitor to Men” (Matthew 25:36) 572. 13. They told about Abba John: When he returned from the harvest, he first went to the elders for prayer and edification; then he practiced psalmody; after that he moved on to prayer. He found such gradualism in his studies necessary to bring the mind to the state in which it was before leaving the cell 573. Anyone who has mental prayer should gradually return to it after he has been exposed to entertainment. 14. Abba John Kolov said: “It is impossible to build buildings by starting from the roof and continuing to the bottom; but must build, starting from the foundation and rising to the top.” He was asked: “What should be meant by foundation here?” He answered: “The foundation is our neighbor, when we use and acquire him: because all the commandments of Christ are based on him” 574. 15. One day some of the brothers came to test Abba John Kolov, knowing about him that he did not allow himself to have fun and did not talk about anything worldly. They told him: “There has been a lot of rain this summer; the palm trees are watered and give many branches; the brethren will receive a large quantity of material for needlework.” Abba John answered: “In the same way, when the Holy Spirit descends into the hearts of the saints, they are renewed and put forth shoots in the fear of God” 575 . 16. They told about him that he once sewed two baskets together with a rope. He has already sewed one basket; но приметил это только тогда, когда, работая, прикоснулся к стене: потому что ум его был в духовном видении, производимом благодатною умною молитвою 576 . 17. One day Abba John was sitting near the church. The brothers surrounded him and asked him about his thoughts. One of the elders saw this and, overcome by envy, said to him: “John! your cup is full of charm.” John answered: “Exactly so, Abba! And you said this, seeing only the external: what would you say if you saw the internal? 577 18. Abba John depicted the state of the soul that wants to repent with the following parable: “In a certain city there was a beautiful woman - a harlot who had many lovers. The prince made her an offer: “Promise to live chastely, and I agree that you be my wife.” She promised. Князь женился на ней и взял ее в свой дом. Having learned about this, her former lovers consulted among themselves like this: such and such a prince married her and took her into his house. Если мы пойдем прямо в дом, то князь подвергнет нас пытке. Here's what we'll do: let's go behind the house and whistle at her. Она узнает наш свист и выйдет к нам: тогда уже мы не будем виноваты. And so they did. But when she heard the whistle, she covered her ears, ran into the inner room and locked the doors behind her. Abba explained the parable this way: “The harlot is the soul; her lovers are passions; prince - Christ; внутренняя комната – вечная обитель; свистящие любовники – демоны. If the soul constantly resorts to God, then the demons and passions, being afraid, will move away from it” 578. 19. They asked Abba John Kolov: “What does monk mean?” Он отвечал: «Понуждение себя на всякую заповедь Божию составляет отличительную черту инока. He who lives like this is a monk” 579. 20. Abba John said: “Who is stronger than a lion? but he, too, falls into the net because of his belly; then all his strength serves no purpose” 580. 21. He said: “Our fathers ate bread and salt. They said: let us not allow ourselves to be filled with bread and salt. For this reason they were strong in the work of God" 581. 22. He told his disciple: “Let us honor the One, and everyone will honor us. If we despise this One, i.e. God: then everyone will despise us, and we will perish” 582. 23. He said: “The devil began to attack Job, first of all, with his possessions. Когда увидел, что Иов не предался печали и не отлучился от Бога: то вторую язву нанес уже на тело. Но доблестный страстотерпец не согрешил даже словом уст своих: он имел Божественное сокровище внутри себя и по причине его непрестающее радование» 583 . 24. One day Abba John was walking from Skete with other brethren. It was night, and their guide lost his way. The brothers said to Abba John: “Abba! what should we do? brother has lost his way: how could we not die wandering!” The elder answered: “If we tell him about this, he will be sad and ashamed of us. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll say I’m sick and refuse to travel further, but will stay here until the morning.” He did so. The others also said: “And we will not go further, but we will stay with you.” They sat in place until the morning and did not expose their brother 584. 25. There was a certain old man in the Skete, strong in physical feats, but not versed in examining thoughts. He went to Abba John Kolov to ask him about the disease of forgetfulness. Having listened to the teaching on this subject, the elder returned to his cell and forgot what Abba John had said to him. Again he went to the Abba, asked him the same thing, listened to the same teaching, returned to his hut, and again forgot what was said to him. Thus, he went to John many times and each time, upon returning to his cell, he was overcome by oblivion. After this, seeing the elder, he said to him: “Do you know, Abba? I again forgot what you told me; but so as not to bother you, I no longer came to you.” Then Abba John said to him: “Light the candle”; – he lit it. Abba John said: “Bring other candles and light them from her.” When the elder did this, Abba John asked him: “Has the light of the first candle diminished because many candles have been lit with it?” The elder answered: “No.” John said to this: “John is like the first candle: even if the whole Skete turns to me, it will not diminish the grace of Christ. Come to me whenever you want, without any doubt.” For the patience of both, God removed oblivion from the heart of the elder. – This was the way the monastery fathers acted: they promoted the success of those who strived for it and forced themselves to virtue 585. 26. The brother asked Abba John: “What should I do? One of the brethren often comes to me and takes me to work, but I am a sinner and weak in my physical strength: this circumstance puts me in a difficult position. How should I act in these cases so as not to break the commandments? The elder gave him the following answer: “Caleb said to Joshua: “It was fourty years ago that Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from the desert to you and to this land, and now seven days ago I am eighty and five years old.” As then, so now I can go in and out to battle” (Joshua 14:7-11). So you too, if you are able to get in and out, go out; if you cannot do this, sit in your cell and mourn your sins. When they find you crying, they will not force you to go out” 586. 27. A certain elder came to Abba John’s cell and found him sleeping. An angel stood near him and hovered over him. The elder saw this and left. When the Abba got up, he asked his disciple: “Did anyone come here while I was sleeping?” The student answered: “Such and such an old man came.” And Abba John realized that this elder was equal to him in spiritual success and that he saw an angel 587. 28. Abba John said: “A certain spiritual 588 elder lived in seclusion and was famous in the city and had great fame in the surrounding area. It was revealed to him: one of the saints was approaching death: go and say goodbye to him before his departure. The elder said to himself: “If I go during the day, the people will flock to me and show me great honor: it’s better to go in the evening; darkness will hide me from everyone.” When evening came, with the intention of hiding, he left his cell - and lo! Two Angels appeared with flaming lamps, sent from God to illuminate the elder’s path. The whole city came running to see this spectacle. As much as the elder thought to avoid glory, he was glorified! The words of Scripture were fulfilled over him: “Everyone who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11) 589. 29. Some of the fathers said about Abba John: “Who is like John, who in his humility hung the entire Skete on his little finger” 590? 30. One day Abba John was sitting in the Skete. The brothers surrounded him and asked him about his thoughts. One of the elders saw this, and overcome by envy, said to him: “John! You are like a harlot who adorns herself and multiplies the number of her lovers.” John hugged him and said: “You speak the truth, my father.” 591 31. One of Abba John’s disciples asked him: “Are you not troubled in your soul?” The elder answered: “No! and in my soul I am what I am in outward behavior” 592. 32. Abba John was a burning spirit (Rom. 12:11). A certain brother came to him and praised his handicraft. Avva, who was busy weaving rope at the time, remained silent. The visitor repeated the praise. Avva remained silent again. And for the third time the brother who came praised the handicraft. Then the Abba said to him: “By your coming you removed God from me” 593. 33. Abba John asked: “Who sold Joseph?” One of the monks answered: “His brothers.” The elder objected: “Not brethren, but humility. He could have declared that he was their brother and opposed the sale. But he kept silent, and his humility sold him; then it made him the owner of Egypt” 594. 34. Abba John said: “Although we are monks and are very humiliated before men; but we have hope that God will honor us” 595. 35. One day Abba John was in church and sighed, not noticing that his brother was standing behind him. Seeing him, John bowed to him, saying: “Forgive me, Abba! I have not yet been trained in monastic rules" 596. So the ancient monks were afraid to reveal themselves. 36. One day, during the harvest, Abba John, hearing that one brother was speaking angrily and sorrowfully to his neighbor, left the harvest and hastily departed 597. 37. Abba John said: “Once I was walking along the monastery road with my handicrafts. Having met the owner of the camels and entered into a conversation with him, I noticed that I could be angered by his words - and immediately fled, leaving my baskets here.”598 38. They said about Abba John that, having come to the church of Skete and hearing there that some of the brethren were arguing among themselves, he returned to his cell, walked around it three times, and after that he entered it. Some of the brothers saw this and asked him why he did this. He answered: “My hearing was imprinted with the words of the argument: I walked around in order to cleanse myself, and already in the silence of my heart ascend to my cell” 599. 39. Abba John said: “If a person has a Divine guarantee in his soul, then he can remain silent in his cell. Also, someone who, without a Divine pledge, can remain hopelessly in a cell, has a pledge of this world. One who has neither God’s deposit nor the deposit of this world cannot remain in a cell” 600. This means: one who practices mental prayer and crying is satisfied and values ​​the silence of the cell; You can value being in a cell because of some kind of passion, for example, because of a passion for needlework for money-loving purposes. Without these pledges, staying in the cell is unbearable. 40. One day a brother came to the cell of Abba John Kolov for a spiritual conversation. When evening came, the brother wanted to return. But the soulful conversation continued, and unbeknownst to them, morning came. Abba stood up to see his brother off; but the conversation lasted until the sixth hour. Abba led his brother into his cell again; they shared the meal; after her brother left 601. 41. They said about Abba John that he brought the wages he received for the harvest to the Skete, saying: “My widows and orphans are all in the Skete” 602. 42. Abba John Kolov was in great success in mental prayer and passed from it into a state of spiritual vision. One day his brother came to him to take baskets. He came out to him and said: “Brother! what do you want? The brother answered: “I need baskets, Abba.” The elder entered the cell to take out the baskets, and, forgetting about them, sat. The brother knocked again, and when the elder came out, he reminded him about the baskets. The elder went into his cell and sat again, forgetting about the baskets. The brother knocked a third time. The elder came out to him and said: “What do you want, brother?” The brother answered: “Korzin, Abba.” The elder took him by the hand and led him into his cell, saying: “If you need baskets, take them and go!” I have no time" 603 . 43. One day the owner of the camels came to Abba John to take his baskets and take them to their destination. Abba went into his cell to bring out the baskets for him, and taking one basket, he forgot, because his mind was caught up in God. The camel owner again disturbed him by knocking on the door. Abba came out to him; but, returning to his cell, he forgot again. The camel owner knocked a third time. Abba went out to him, and returning to his cell, he repeated: “Baskets are a camel, baskets are a camel.” He repeated this so as not to forget again 604. 44. They told about him: From the extraordinary union with God through mental prayer, he did not leave it even then, he did not hesitate when one day the devil, taking the form of a serpent, wrapped himself around his body, devoured his flesh and threw it on his face 605. 45. Once in the Skete, several elders ate food together. Among them was Abba John Kolov. A certain presbyter, a man of great holiness, stood up to give a cup of water to those who were eating. But out of respect for the presbyter, no one agreed to accept from him, except John Kolov. The elders were surprised and said to him: “How did you, the least of all, dare to accept service from the presbyter?” He answered: “When I get up to give the cup, I rejoice if everyone accepts it, as one who receives a large bribe (Matthew 10:42; Mark 9:41): for the same reason, now I have accepted the cup, wanting to give my neighbor a bribe. No matter how upset he would be if no one accepted from him” 606. 46. ​​Abba John Kolov said: “I wish that a person would be a participant in all virtues. Every day, rising early in the morning, lay the foundation for all virtue, and keep the commandments of God with great patience, with the fear of God and long-suffering, in the love of God, with great care for soul and body, with much humility, in constant contrition of heart, in many prayers and supplications combined with sighs, in purity, in bridling the tongue and eyes, in anger-free patience insults, in the spiritual world, not repaying evil for evil, in inattention to the vices of others, in not exalting oneself, but in recognizing oneself as the worst of all creations, in renunciation of everything carnal and from all those who live according to the flesh, in crucifixion, in the fight against sinful undertakings, in humility of spirit, in good will and in spiritual abstinence, in fasting, in crying, in spiritual reasoning, in chastity, in the mood of the heart of kindness towards everyone and in silence, in the work of handicraft, in night vigils, in greed and thirst, in cold and nakedness, in asceticism, in seclusion, as if in a tomb, as if already dead or awaiting death daily” 607. 47. It can be reliably assumed that the Monk Cassian the Roman in the next two stories speaks about John Kolov: “Abba John, the abbot of a great community and numerous brotherhood, visited Abba Paisius, who had spent forty years in the remote desert. Being on close terms with Paisius, John asked him, like his former comrade in the monastic novice, what special thing had he accomplished, taking advantage of the solitude of the desert, for such a long time, undisturbed by any of the brethren? Abba Paisius answered: “The sun did not see me eating.” “And me to those who are angry,” John said to this” 608. In the word about Abba Philemon, the Lavra of John Kolov, which was in Skete 609, is mentioned. This monastery was predominantly inhabited by the silent; but new monks also lived in it, preparing for silence, as can be seen from the life of Arseny the Great. 48. When Abba John departed from this life, he departed in joy, as if returning to his homeland, the troubled brethren surrounded his bed. They began to earnestly ask him to leave them some particularly important instruction as a spiritual inheritance that would help them achieve Christian perfection more easily. He sighed and said: “I have never fulfilled my will and taught anyone what I had not done myself before” 610. Life of Paisius the Great, Fourth Menaion, June 19. The fathers call someone who has achieved a measure of Christian perfection spiritual. Cassiani lib. V. Cap. XXVII and Memorable Tales of Abba Cassian.. Alphabetical Patericon and Memorable Tales. You might be interested in: