Слово 8. О безгневии и кротости

1. Just as water, little by little poured on a fire, completely extinguishes it, so a tear of true crying extinguishes every flame of irritability and anger. Therefore, let us now speak in order about freedom from anger. 2. Lack of anger is an insatiable desire for dishonor, just as in vain people there is an endless desire for praise. Lack of anger is a victory over nature, insensitivity to annoyance, resulting from exploits and sweat. 3. Meekness is an immovable dispensation of the soul, remaining the same in dishonor and honor. 4. The beginning of freedom from anger is the silence of the lips when the heart is confused; the middle is silence of thoughts with subtle confusion of the soul; and the end is unshakable silence with the breath of unclean winds. 5. Anger is the memory of secret hatred, that is, memory of malice. Anger is the desire for harm to the one who upsets. Hot temper is an untimely inflammation of the heart. Sadness is an unpleasant feeling nestling in the soul. Irritability is a complacent movement of character and ugliness of the soul. 6. Just as darkness disappears when light appears, so the fragrance of humility destroys all bitterness and irritability. 7. Some, being prone to irritability, neglect the healing and destruction of this passion; but these pitiful ones do not reflect on what was said: “the aspiration ... of his wrath will fall upon him” (Sir. 1:22). 8. The rapid movement of a millstone in one instant can erase and destroy more spiritual wheat and the fruit of life than the slow movement of another throughout the whole day: therefore, we must prudently pay attention to ourselves. Sometimes a flame, suddenly fanned by a strong wind, burns and destroys the spiritual field for more than a long time. 9. It should not be hidden from us, O friends, that sometimes, during times of anger, evil demons quickly leave us for the purpose of making us neglect great passions 44 as if they were unimportant, and finally make our illness incurable. 10. Just as a hard and sharp-angled stone, colliding and colliding with other stones, loses all its angularity, unevenness and roughness, and becomes round-shaped: so a hot-tempered and stubborn person, dealing with other rude people, receives one of two things: either with patience he heals his ulcer, or he retreats, and thus clearly recognizes his weakness, which, as in a mirror, will appear to him in his cowardly flight. 11. An angry person is at times arbitrarily carried away by this passion, 45 and then, out of habit, he is involuntarily conquered and crushed by it. 12. Nothing is more disgusting to repentants than embarrassment from irritability, because repentance requires great humility, and irritability is a sign of great exaltation. 13. If a sign of extreme meekness is to maintain heartfelt silence in the presence of an irritant and a guarantee of love for him; then, without a doubt, the extreme degree of anger is revealed by the fact that a person, alone with himself, with words and body movements, seems to argue and rage with the one who insulted him. 14. If the Holy Spirit is called and is the peace of the soul, and anger is the indignation of the heart; then nothing hinders the coming of the Holy Spirit into us so much as anger. 15. We know many evil products of anger; Only its involuntary manifestation, although incidental, is useful for us. For I have seen people who, inflamed with furious anger, cast out the long-standing memory of malice that was hidden within them, and thus got rid of passion by passion, having received from the offender either an expression of repentance, or an explanation regarding what they had been grieving for a long time. And again I saw those who, apparently, showed long-suffering, but reckless, and under the cover of silence hid within themselves memory of malice; and I considered them the most damned frantic ones, because they darkened the whiteness of the dove, as if with some kind of blackness. We need much diligence against this serpent (i.e., anger and remembrance), because nature also cooperates with him, like the serpent of carnal lust. 16. I saw people who, angry, rejected food out of frustration; and with this reckless abstinence they added poison to poison. I also saw others who, as if for a blessed reason, taking advantage of their anger, indulged in overeating and fell from the ditch into the rapids. Finally, I saw intelligent people who, like good doctors, having dissolved both, received very great benefit from the moderate consolation given to the body. 17. Sometimes moderate singing successfully calms irritability, and sometimes, if it is immeasurable and untimely, it promotes voluptuousness. So let's use it, judiciously analyzing decent times. 18. Sitting, out of some need, near the cells of silent men, I heard how they, out of frustration and anger, got angry in private, like partridges in cages, and jumped on those who upset them, as if they were present there, and I piously advised them not to live in solitude, so as not to turn people into demons. And I saw again people who were voluptuous and lustful at heart, who, apparently, were meek, affectionate, brotherly, and loved beautiful faces; Thus, I prescribed to undergo a silent life, as a medicine that counteracts fornication and the stench of carnal uncleanness, so that they would not pitifully turn from rational creatures into dumb animals. And as some told me that they were greatly carried away by this and that passion (that is, both voluptuousness and irritability): then I forbade them to live according to their own will; and he lovingly advised their mentors to allow them from time to time to go through this or that way of life, but obeying the chief superior in everything. The voluptuous person damages only himself, and perhaps another one, his co-conspirator; an angry person, like a wolf, often disturbs the entire flock, and upsets and oppresses many souls. 19. It is great harm to disturb the eye of the heart with irritability, as it is said: “my eye is troubled with rage” (Ps. 6:8), but greater is to reveal spiritual fury with words; if it is done with your hands, then this is completely indecent and alien to monastic, angelic and Divine life. 20. If you want, or think that you want to take out your neighbor’s twig, then do not use logs instead of a medical instrument. The log is cruel words and rough treatment; The medical instrument is gentle admonition and long-suffering reproof. “Reprove,” says the Apostle, “rebuke, entreat” (2 Tim. 4:2), and did not say: and beat; if this is required, then as little as possible, and not by itself. 21. If we look closely, we will see that many of the angry are diligently practicing vigil, fasting and silence; and the devil’s intention is, under the guise of repentance and crying, to give them substances that feed their passion. 22. If, as we said above, one wolf, having a demon as an assistant, can disturb the entire herd; then one wise brother, having an Angel as an assistant, can, like a good bottle full of oil, tame the wave and give the ship a quiet sailing 46. As much as the first deserves grave condemnation, so great a reward will the second receive from God, having become a useful example for everyone. 23. The beginning of blessed kindness to endure dishonor, although with grief and illness of the soul. The middle is to remain in them carelessly. The end of it, if only it has an end, is to accept reproach as praise. Let the first rejoice; may the second be possible; Blessed is the Lord, and let the third rejoice. 24. I saw a pitiful sight in angry people, which happens in them from secret repentance. For having become angry, they were angry again because they were overcome by anger. I was surprised to see in them how fall followed fall; and I could not see without compassion how they took revenge on themselves for their sin with sin, and, horrified by the treachery of demons, I almost despaired of my life. 25. If anyone notices that he is easily overcome by arrogance and irascibility, deceit and hypocrisy, and wants to draw against them the double-edged sword of meekness and gentleness: let him enter, as if into the law of salvation, into the community of brethren, and, moreover, the most severe ones, if he wants to completely get rid of these passions; so that there, subjected to annoyance, humiliation and shock from the brethren and mentally, and sometimes sensually, struck, or oppressed, dejected and trampled under foot, he could cleanse the robe of his soul from its filth. And that reproach is in fact the washing of spiritual passions, let the common proverb among the people assure you of that; It is known that some people in the world, having showered someone with abusive words to their face, say: “I washed so-and-so well.” And this is true. 26. There is another lack of anger in beginners, which comes from crying, and another - equanimity, which happens in perfect ones. In the first, anger is bound by tears, like some kind of bridle; and in the latter he is killed by dispassion, like a serpent with a sword. 27. I saw three monks who suffered dishonor at the same time. One of them was offended, but remained silent; another rejoiced for his own sake, but was saddened by the one who reproached him; the third, imagining the harm to his neighbor, shed warm tears. Thus one could see here the workers of fear, retribution and love. 28. Just as a fever in the body, being alone in itself, has not one, but many causes for its inflammation: so the combustion and movement of anger and our other passions occurs from many and different causes. Therefore, one medicine cannot be prescribed against them. And the advice I give is that each of those who are indignant should diligently find a decent remedy for their healing. The first step in this healing should be to know the cause of the disease, so that, having found it, you can receive the appropriate plaster for your illness from the Providence of God and from spiritual doctors. Those who wish to enter with us in the Lord into the proposed spiritual judgment seat, let them enter: and we will examine, although it is not clear, the mentioned passions and their causes. 29. Let wrath, therefore, as a tormentor, be bound by the bonds of meekness, and struck down by long-suffering, drawn by holy love, and brought before the judgment seat of reason, let him be examined. Tell us, crazy and shameful passion, the name of your father, and the name of your evil mother, as well as the names of your nasty sons and daughters. Tell us, moreover, who are those who fight against you and kill you? “In response to this, anger tells us: “I have many mothers, and my father is not alone. My mothers are: vanity, love of money, gluttony, and sometimes lustful passion. And my father is called arrogance. My daughters are: malice, hatred, enmity, self-justification. Those who resist them are my enemies, who keep me in chains, without anger and meekness. My adversary is called humility; and from whom it is born, ask him himself, in due time.” At the eighth degree lies the crown of freedom from anger. But whoever wears it by nature may not wear anything else; and whoever acquired it through labor has, without a doubt, conquered the eight passions. As some people say to justify themselves: although I am hot-tempered, this soon passes for me. According to glory. temporarily frantic at liberty. C Greek voluntarily subjected to temporary bouts of insanity. Here Climacus speaks allegorically, meaning the body by fur; under oil - meekness; under the waves - exaltation and anger; under the ship - brother, or brotherhood. (PG 88, p. 840.) You might be interested in: