Авва Алоний

1. Abba Aloniy conveyed the saying of another father that dry eating and abstinence from pleasant food, combined with the cultivation of love, soon brings the monk into the haven of dispassion 206 . 2. Abba Aloniy said: “If a person does not put it in his heart that besides himself and God, there is no one else in the world, then he will not be able to find peace in his soul” 207. 3. Abba Aloniy said: “If I had not destroyed everything, I could not have recreated myself” 208. The meaning of this saying is identical to the previous one. Both sayings depict a complete mortification of everything and the abandonment of all concerns except the concern for salvation. A monk is raised to such a state by faith. Only from such a state can he completely strive towards God through mental prayer; Only in such a state can mental prayer embrace a person’s entire being. Then she exalts her worker into that love of God, which is ordained by God (Matthew 22:37). 4. Abba Pimen said that his brother asked Abba Alonia to explain the meaning of humiliation. The father answered: “Humiliation of oneself consists in recognizing oneself as worse than beasts who are not subject to condemnation” 209. 5. Abba Pimen also related: One day the elders were sitting at a meal, and Abba Aloniy stood before them and served. The elders praised him for this. He didn't answer them. One of them asked him: “Why didn’t you answer the elders when they praised you?” Abba Aloniy told him: “If I answered them, it would mean that I accepted the praise” 210. You might be interested in: