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1. Abba Joseph was silent in the desert of lower Egypt, adjacent to the city of Panethos. He was one of the first citizens of the city of Tmuya, had the learning of this world and knew the Greek language well 622. 2. Abba Pimen asked Abba Joseph: “Teach me: how can I become a monk?” The elder answered: “If you want to find peace in this and in the next century, then in any case say to yourself: “Who am I?” – and don’t judge anyone” 623. 3. The brother asked Abba Joseph, saying: “What should I do? I can neither fast, nor work, nor give alms.” The elder answered him: “If you cannot perform any of the virtues you mentioned, then at least keep your conscience and that of your neighbor from all evil, and you will be saved: God seeks sinlessness from the soul" 624. 4. A certain brother said: “I once came to lower Heraclea to Abba Joseph. In his monastery there was a magnificent tree - a fig tree. When morning came, he said to me: “Go and eat the fruit of the fig tree.” It was Friday then; I did not fulfill what the elder said, so as not to violate the church decree on fasting. After that, I begged him, saying: “For God’s sake, explain to me your action. You commanded me to eat food in the morning, but because of fasting I did not do this - and I am ashamed of you! I’m perplexed, in what mind did you, elder, give me the order to eat food, and what did you want to express by this?” Abba answered: “The fathers first speak the word to the brethren most in the form of a test, and not directly. When they see that they are carrying out a perverted order, they no longer test them with incorrect orders, but instruct them in the truth, having been convinced of their obedience” 625. Such a way of acting should not be allowed in our time due to the paucity of success in mentors and the paucity of good will in those entering the monastery. Let us honor with reverent contemplation the freedom in action of the ancient monks, born of great prosperity! let us honor her by reverently avoiding imitating her, in the consciousness of our inadequacy! 5. Abba Lot, visiting Abba Joseph, said to him: “My Father! According to my strength, I fulfill a small prayer rule, observing moderate fasting, engage in prayer, teaching and silence, try to observe purity, not accepting sinful thoughts: what else should I do? The elder stood up and stretched out his hands to the sky: his fingers became like ten lit lamps. He said to Abba Lot: “If you want, be all like fire. You won’t be able to become a monk if you don’t burn all over like fire” 626. The grace-filled overshadowing of mental prayer, in which the monk begins to feel a breath of extraordinary silence within himself, acquires an experienced knowledge of heartfelt silence, and with particular convenience repels the sinful thoughts and sensations approaching him, is the first degree of success in mental prayer. The ascetic should not stop there: he should, with the help of crying, strive for greater success, which has no limit. Mental prayer is the dwelling of the heavenly King: in this palace there is no number of palaces; magnificent and vast palaces are followed by other, more magnificent and extensive palaces. 6. The brother asked Abba Joseph: “If persecution comes, where is it better to flee, to the world or to the desert?” The elder answered: “Go to where the Orthodox live and place yourself near them” 627. 7. The brother wanted to leave the cenobitic monastery and choose to live as a hermit. He revealed his intention to Abba Joseph and asked him for advice. The elder told him: “Live where you see that there is nothing harmful to your soul and where you can be in peace.” The brother answered: “I live in peace both in the hostel and in hermitage.” The elder said to this: “Put your thoughts, as it were, on scales, and where you see more benefit for your soul, where you achieve greater humility, live there” 628. 8. One of the elders came to another elder, his beloved, to visit Abba Joseph with him. The newcomer said to the owner: “Tell your disciple to prepare a donkey for the journey with us.” The owner answered: “Invite him, and he will do as you wish.” - “What’s his name?” - asked the newcomer. “I don’t know,” answered the owner. “How long has he lived with you that you still don’t know his name!” – the newcomer asked again. “Two years,” answered the owner. To this the newcomer said: “If your disciple lives with you for two years and you do not know his name, then why should I find out his name for one day” 629. The ancient silent monks, keeping the silence of the soul with all possible care, were extremely guarded from curiosity, from any unnecessary knowledge that could break the silence of the heart and interrupt its mysterious conversation with God. We, the monks of recent times, should imitate this to the best of our ability in order to gain the opportunity to at least somewhat concentrate within ourselves for mental prayer. A disciple of the great monastic monk, Abba Philemon, said: “When I left my cell for any service, Abba never asked me: where are you going and why? Again, when I returned, he never asked: where was he and what was he doing? One day I went to Alexandria on monastic business, from there I moved by ship to Constantinople to correct church needs, began visiting reverent brethren there, then returned to Alexandria without giving any news about myself to the servant of God. Having spent quite some time in Alexandria, I returned to him in Skete. When he saw me, he was delighted, greeted me and, having said a prayer, sat down, but did not ask me anything: because with his mind he was in spiritual vision, into which mental prayer raises and almost constantly contains the true silent person.”630 9. They said: When Abba Joseph of Panethos passed away, the elders were sitting with him. Looking at the door, he saw the devil sitting at the door. Then, calling his disciple to him, the abba said to him: “Give me the rod: he thinks that I have grown old and cannot handle it.” The disciple did this: the abba took the rod, and the elders saw that the devil, in the likeness of a dog, made his way through the door and disappeared 631. Cassiani collat. XVI, cap. 1. A Word about Abba Philemon, Philokalia, part 4. Alphabetical Patericon and Memorable Tales. You might be interested in: