Слово 25. Об искоренителе страстей, высочайшем смиренномудрии, бывающем в невидимом чувстве

1. Who would like to explain in a sensual word the feeling and action of God's love in all its accuracy, holy humility - properly blessed purity - truly, Divine enlightenment in all its clarity, fear of God - not false, heartfelt notification 71 - pure; and whoever thinks with one legend to enlighten and teach those who have not tasted it by doing it himself: he does something similar to a person who intended with words and examples to give an understanding of the sweetness of honey to those who have never tasted it. But just as the latter rhetorics in vain, or, better said, talks idlely, so the former, being inexperienced, does not know what he is talking about, or is greatly offended by vanity 72 . 2. The present word presents to your reasoning the treasure in mortal vessels, that is, in bodies. No word can explain its quality. This treasure has one inscription, an incomprehensible inscription, as if coming from above; and those who try to interpret it in words take upon themselves the work of a great and endless trial. This inscription is this: holy humility. 3. Let all who are led by the Spirit of God enter with us into this spiritual and wise gathering, carrying in their mental hands the God-written tablets of reason! And we got together and explored the power and meaning of this honest inscription. Then one said that humility is always forgetting one’s corrections. Another said: humility consists in considering yourself the last and most sinful of all. Another said that humility is the awareness in the mind of one’s weakness and powerlessness. Another said that a sign of humility is to, in the event of an insult, precede the neighbor with reconciliation and thereby destroy the remaining enmity. Another said that humility is the knowledge of the grace and mercy of God. Another said that humility is a feeling of a contrite soul and a renunciation of one’s will. 4. Having listened to all this, and having examined and understood with great accuracy and attention, I could not by ear cognize the blissful feeling of humility; and therefore, being the last of all, like a dog, having collected the grains that fell from the table of wise and blessed men, that is, the words of their mouths, defining this virtue, I say this: humility is the nameless grace of the soul, the name of which is known only to those who have known it through their own experience; it is unspeakable wealth; God's naming; for the Lord says: “learn” not from an Angel, not from a man, not from a book, but “from Me,” that is, from My indwelling and illumination and action in you, “for I am meek and humble in heart” and in thoughts and way of thinking, “and you will find rest for your souls” from battles, and relief from tempting thoughts (Matthew 11:29). 5. There is another view of this sacred vertograd during the winter of passions, another in the spring, which promises fruits, and another during the summer of ripening virtues; however, all these modifications lead to one end - to joy and fruitfulness; and therefore each of its times has its own certain indications and signs of fruit. For when the sacred grape of humility begins to flourish in us, then we, although with difficulty, will hate all human glory and praise, driving away irritability and anger. When humility, this queen of virtues, begins to flourish in our soul with spiritual growth, then we not only consider all our good deeds as nothing, but also count them as abomination, thinking that we daily add to the burden of our sins, a waste unknown to us, and that the wealth of gifts that we receive from God, and which we are unworthy of, will serve to increase our torment in the coming age. Therefore, at that time the mind is hidden, shut up in the ark of humility, and only hears around it the tramp and games of invisible thieves, but not one of them can lead it into temptation; for humility is a storehouse of treasures that is inaccessible to predators. 6. So we dared to philosophize in a few words and the flowering and first success of this ever-blooming fruit; and what is the perfect honor of the most sacred humility, ask the Lord Himself about this, your closest friends. It is impossible to talk about the quantity of this wealth: about the quality - even more difficult; however, we will attempt to speak about its properties according to the understanding given to us. 7. Sincere repentance, weeping cleansed of all filth, and the reverend humility of beginners are as different from each other as flour, dough and baked bread. For the soul is erased and thinned by true repentance, but is united in some way, and, so to speak, is mixed with God, the water of unfaithful crying; and when it is kindled by the fire of the Lord, then blissful humility, unleavened and unassuming, is nourished and established. Therefore, this sacred and triple-braided rope, or, better to say, the rainbow, converging into one force and action, has its own special actions and properties; and if you point out any sign of one, then at the same time you will find that it serves as a sign and property of the other. But what we have said here briefly, we will try to confirm with proof. 8. The first, and one of the most excellent properties of this beautiful and wonderful trinity, consists in the most joyful acceptance of humiliations, when the soul with outstretched hands accepts and embraces them, as a medicine that heals and burns its ailments and great sins. The second property is the destruction of all anger, and to quench it - humility. And the third and most excellent degree is complete disbelief in one’s good deeds, and an everlasting desire to learn. 9. “The end of the law and the prophets is Christ, for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom. 10:4); The end of unclean passions is vanity and pride for everyone who does not pay attention to himself. Their destroyer is this mental deer, that is, humility, which keeps its partner unharmed from any deadly poison 73 . For when does the poison of hypocrisy appear in humility? When is the poison of slander? Where can snakes nest and hide in it? Doesn’t it rather take it out of the earth of the heart, and kill it, and destroy it? 10. In one who copulates with humility, there is no trace of hatred, no appearance of contradiction, no stench of disobedience, except where faith is involved. 11. He who is united in marriage with the virtue of humility is meek, friendly, easy-going, and merciful; above all, quiet, submissive, carefree, cheerful, non-lazy, and - to say a lot - dispassionate; because “in our humility the Lord remembered us... and delivered us from our enemies” (Ps. 135:23–24), from our passions and defilements. 12. A humble monk is not curious about incomprehensible objects; but the proud one wants to explore the depth of the Lord’s destinies. 13. The demons apparently approached one of the most sensible brothers and pleased him. But this wise man said to them: “If you would stop praising me in my soul, then, from your departure, I would conclude that I am great; If you do not stop praising me, then from your praise I see my uncleanness; for “every one who is high-hearted is unclean before the Lord” (Prov. 16:5). So, either step away, so that I consider myself a great man; or praise, and through you I will gain more humility.” They were so amazed by this mutual saying that they immediately disappeared. 14. May your soul not be a ditch, which sometimes flows out the life-giving water of humility, and sometimes dries up from the heat of glory and exaltation; but let it be a source of dispassion, always draining the river of poverty. 15. Beloved! Know that “the abundance will multiply the wheat” (Ps. 64:14), and spiritual fruit in itself. This pleasure is a humble soul, which, in the midst of mountains, labors and virtues, always remains without exaltation and motionless. I did not fast, says David, I did not watch, I did not lie on the bare ground: but “I humbled myself, and the Lord saved me” quickly (Ps. 115:5). 16. Repentance restores the fallen; crying strikes the gates of heaven; and holy humility opens them. But in saying this, I worship the Trinity in Unity and the Unity in Trinity. 17. The sun illuminates all visible creatures, and humility affirms all reasonable actions. Where there is no light, everything is dark; and where there is no humility, all our deeds are vain. 18. There is one place in the entire universe that the sun has seen only once: and one thought has often given birth to humility. On one and only day the whole world rejoiced: and the virtue of humility alone is such that demons cannot imitate it 74 . 19. It is another thing to be arrogant; It’s another thing not to be exalted; and another to humble yourself. One judges (about everyone and everything) all day long; the other does not judge anything, but does not condemn himself, while the third, being innocent, always condemns himself. 20. It is another thing to be humble; it is another thing to strive to acquire humility; but it is another thing to praise the humble. The first belongs to the perfect; second - to true novices; and the third - to all Orthodox Christians. 21. He who has humbled himself inwardly is not robbed through the mouth; For what is not in the storehouse, this door will not wear out. 22. When a horse runs alone, it seems to him that he is running quickly: but when he is running with others, then he realizes his slowness. 23. If our thoughts no longer boast of natural gifts, then this is a sign of beginning health; and as long as he feels this stench of vanity, until then he cannot smell the incense of peace (humility). 24. Holy humility says: whoever has love for me, but has not yet completely copulated with me, will not condemn anyone, will not want to rule, will not show his wisdom. After copulation with me, “the law no longer lies” for him (1 Tim. 1:9). 25. Unclean demons secretly poured praise into the heart of one ascetic who carefully strived for this blessed virtue; but he, being instructed by divine inspiration, knew how to convince the wickedness of the spirits with pious cunning. Having stood up, he wrote on the wall of his cell the names of the highest virtues, that is, perfect love, angelic humility, pure prayer, incorruptible purity, and others like that; and when his thoughts began to praise him, he said to them: “Let’s go to reproof,” and, going up to the wall, read the written titles, and cried out to himself: “When you acquire all these virtues, know that you are still far from God.” 26. So, we cannot say what exactly is the power and essence of this sun (humility); however, by his properties and actions we can comprehend his being. 27. Humility is a divine cover that does not allow us to see our corrections. Humility is an abyss of self-denigration, inaccessible to all invisible thieves. Humility is “a pillar of strength against the enemy” (Ps. 61:4). “The enemy will have time against him, and the son, that is, the thought of iniquity will not turn to embitter him” (Ps. 89:23). “And his enemies will disappear from before him, and those who hate him will overcome” (Ps. 89:24). 28. In addition to the properties shown, which all, with the exception of one 75, are visible signs of this spiritual treasure, there are also other properties that the great owner of this wealth recognizes in his soul. Then you will know for certain that the holy essence of this virtue is in you, when you are filled with ineffable light and indescribable love for prayer. Before you achieve these gifts, you must acquire a heart that does not look down on the sins of others; the forerunner of all that has been said must be hatred of vanity. 29. He who has known himself in every feeling of the soul has, as it were, sown on the earth; and whoever has not sowed in this way, it is impossible for humility to flourish in him 76 . 30. He who knows himself has reached the mind of the fear of the Lord, and walking in it, reaches the gates of love. 31. Humility is the door of the kingdom of heaven, and it leads there those who approach it. I think that the Savior Himself speaks about those who enter through this door with these words: “and he will come in and go out” (John 10:9) without fear from this life, and he will find pasture and grain in the villages of paradise. All those who came to monasticism through a different door are the essence of their lives and robbers. 32. If we want to achieve the virtue of humility, let us not stop testing and torturing ourselves; and if in the true feeling of our soul we think that each of our neighbors is superior to us, then God’s mercy is not far from us. 33. It is impossible for flame to come from snow; It is even more impossible to be humble in faith in someone of another faith, or in a heretic. This correction belongs to only the Orthodox, the pious, and the already purified. 34. Many call themselves sinners, and perhaps they really think so about themselves; but the heart is tempted by humiliation (from others). 35. Let him who hastens to that unstormable haven of humility not cease to do everything he can, and be compelled by words, and thoughts, and in various ways, by research and research, and by all life, and by means of making prayers and supplications, reflecting, inventing, and inventing all means, until with the assistance of God and abiding in the most humble and most despised states and labors, the boat of his soul will not be delivered from the disasters of the ever-stormy sea of vanity; for he who gets rid of this passion receives a convenient justification from all his other sins, like the Gospel publican. 36. Some, although they have already received forgiveness of sins, but for the everlasting encouragement to humility, they retain the memory of past sins until the end of their lives, suppressing vain astonishment with it. Others, reflecting on the suffering of Christ the Savior, consider themselves unpaid debtors to Him. Others blame themselves for daily malfunctions. Others, through temptations, weaknesses, and sins into which they fall, overthrow pride. Others, by praying for gifts to be taken from them, have acquired the mother of gifts, humility. There are also those (but whether they exist now, I cannot say) who humble themselves all the more before God the more they are enriched by God’s gifts, considering themselves unworthy of such wealth, and they have such a deposit in their souls that they seem to be adding to their debt every day. Here is humility, here is bliss, here is the perfect honor of victory! If we see or hear that someone, in the course of a few years, has acquired the highest dispassion: believe that such a person walked no other way, but this blessed and short one. 37. The sacred duality is love and humility; the first lifts up, and the last supports the ascended and does not allow them to fall. 38. Contrition of the heart is another matter; self-knowledge is another matter; and another thing – humility. 39. Contrition comes from the Fall. The one who falls is distressed, and although he is daring, he nevertheless stands in prayer with commendable shamelessness, like one broken, leaning on the rod of hope and using it to drive away the dog of despair. 40. Self-knowledge is a correct concept of one’s spiritual age and an unentertained remembrance of one’s slightest sins. 41. Humility is the spiritual teaching of Christ, mentally accepted by those worthy in the spiritual cage. It is impossible to explain it in sensory words. 42. Whoever says that he feels the fragrance of this world, and during praise, although he moves his heart a little, and understands the power of their words (but does not turn away from them): let him not deceive himself, for he is deceived. 43. “Not to us, Lord, not to us,” said someone, in the feeling of the soul, but to Your name give glory” (Ps. 113:9); for he knew that human nature cannot accept praise harmlessly. “You have my great praise in the Church” (Ps. 21:26) in the next century: but before that I cannot accept it safely. 44. If the limit, property and image of extreme pride is that a person, for the sake of glory, hypocritically shows virtues that are not in him: then it is a sign of the deepest humility when a person, for the sake of humiliation, in some cases, takes upon himself such guilts as are not in him. This is what the spiritual father did who took the bread and cheese in his hands 77; So did that worker of cleanliness, who took off his clothes and walked through the city dispassionately 78 . Such people no longer care or fear lest people be tempted, because through prayer they have received the power to invisibly use everyone. And whoever of them still cares about the first, that is, temptations, expresses the poverty of the second talent; for where God is ready to fulfill the request, there we can do everything. 45. Choose to offend people rather than God; for He rejoices to see that we diligently strive for dishonor in order to shock, wound and destroy our vain vanity. 46. ​​Such gifts 79 are brought about by complete deviation from the world. And truly it is the business of the great to endure reproaches from their own. But do not be horrified by what I have said; no one has ever been able to climb to the top of the stairs in one step. 47. “All understand this, because we are God’s disciples” (John 13:35), “not because demons obey us,... but because our names are written in the heaven of humility” (Luke 10:20). 48. The natural property of the lemon tree is such that, being sterile, it raises its branches upward; and when they bend, they soon become fruitful. He who knows intelligently will understand this. 49. Holy humility has a gift from God to ascend to thirty, sixty and one hundred. Only the dispassionate ascend to the last degree, and the courageous to the middle; but everyone can ascend to the first degree. 50. He who knows himself is never scolded to undertake a task beyond his strength; he established his foot on the blessed path of humility. 51. Birds are also afraid of the sight of a hawk; and the workers of humility - and the voice of discord. 52. Many received salvation without prophecies and lights, without signs and wonders; but without humility no one will enter the heavenly palace. For the guardian of the first (gifts) is the second (humility); but often, in frivolous people, the second is destroyed through the former. 53. In order to induce us, even those who do not want to humble ourselves, to this virtue, the Lord, by His providence, arranged that no one sees his wounds as well as his neighbor sees them; and therefore we are obliged not to attribute our healing to ourselves, but to our neighbor and to God to give thanks for our health. 54. The humble man always abhors his own will as sinful, even in his petitions to the Lord: he learns what is due with undoubted faith, and accepts it, not heeding the life of the teacher, but entrusting care to God, who taught Balaam what was due through the donkey. And although such a worker does, thinks, and speaks everything according to the will of God, he never trusts himself; for for the humble it is a burden and a sting to believe in himself: just as it is difficult for the proud to follow the words and opinions of others. 55. It seems to me that only an Angel is capable of not being robbed by any sin in ignorance; for I hear an earthly Angel saying: “I have nothing in myself, but I am justified in nothing; The Lord is the Lord who contends with me” (1 Cor. 4:4). Therefore, we must always condemn and reproach ourselves in order to atone for involuntary sins with free self-condemnation; and if not, then when we depart from this world we will endure severe torture for them. 56. He who asks from God less than what he deserves will, of course, receive more than what he is worth. The truth of this is evidenced by the publican who asked for remission of sins and received justification. The robber also only asked that the Lord remember him in His kingdom, but he was the first to receive all of paradise as an inheritance. 57. Just as it is impossible to see fire in any creature by nature, 80 neither small nor great, so it is impossible for the form of matter, that is, passions, to remain in unfeigned humility; and as long as we sin arbitrarily, there is no humility in us; and from this we can already understand when it is present in us. 58. Our Lord, knowing that the virtue of the soul is consistent with outward actions, taking lenius, showed us an example of finding the path of humility; for the soul is likened to bodily actions, and is in agreement with and agrees with what the body does. Leadership became the cause of arrogance for some of the Angels, although it was not entrusted to him for that reason. 59. The person sitting on the throne has a different mental state; and other things for one who sits on a dunghill. For this reason, perhaps, the great righteous Job sat on a dunghill outside the city; for then, having acquired perfect humility, he said in the feeling of his soul: “I reproached myself and lost myself: and counted the earth and ashes to myself” (Job.42:6). 60. I find that Manasseh sinned more than all men, desecrating the church of God and all worship by worshiping idols; so that even if the whole world fasted for him, it would not be able to satisfy him in the least for his iniquities. But humility alone was able to heal his incurable sores. “If you had desired sacrifice,” David says to God, “you would have given burnt offerings, that is, bodies that are melted by fasting, you do not deign; but sacrifice to God is a broken spirit” (Ps. 50:18-19); everything else that follows is known to everyone. 61. “Those who have sinned against the Lord,” this blessed humility once cried out to God after committing adultery and murder: and immediately heard: “The Lord has taken away your sin” (2 Samuel 12:13). 62. Our fathers of ever-memorable assert that the path to humility and the initial cause of this virtue are bodily labors; and I believe - obedience and rightness of heart, which naturally resists exaltation. 63. If pride turned some of the Angels into demons, then without a doubt humility can turn demons into Angels. So, let the fallen be content (trusting in God). 64. Let us sweat and strive with all our might to rise to the top of this virtue. If we cannot walk, we strive so that it will lift us on its shoulders. If we are infirm in some way, then at least let us not fall away from the embrace; for I would marvel if he who fell away from him received some eternal gift. 65. The veins and paths of humility, but not yet the signs of this virtue, are: non-covetousness, evasion from the world, concealment of one’s wisdom, simplicity of speech, asking for alms, hiding nobility, expelling boldness, eliminating verbosity. 66. Nothing humbles the soul more than being in poverty and living on alms; for then we appear most wise and God-loving when, having the means to exalt, we run away from it irrevocably. 67. If you arm yourself against any passion, then take humility to help you; for it “will step on the asp and the basilisk, that is, on sin and despair, and will trample the lion and the serpent” (Ps. 90:13), that is, the devil and the serpent of carnal passion. 68. Humility is a typhon that can lift the soul from the abyss of sins to heaven. 69. Someone saw in his heart the beauty of this virtue, and, being overwhelmed with surprise and horror, asked her to tell him the name of his parent. She, smiling joyfully and meekly, said to him: “How are you trying to find out the name of the One who gave birth to me, when He is nameless? So, I do not announce this name to you until you acquire God within yourself.” Glory to Him forever and ever. Amen. The mother of the source is the abyss; the source of reasoning is humility. In another Russian translation: certificates. Fr. St. John Chrysostom says: “The gifts of God are so great that people almost cannot believe it. And it is not surprising if they cannot understand them until they experience them.” Conversation 4, on 1st Epistle to Timothy. The comparison of humility with a deer is based on the legend of ancient writers, who claim that the deer senses the place where snakes are hiding, and, standing over the entrance to their hole, removes them from there with its breath, so that they themselves come out and climb into his mouth, and then he devours them; but having devoured them, the deer gets a strong and burning thirst and hastily runs to the sources of water in order to cool and quench it, because it will die if it stays for three hours without drinking. That is why David said that his soul thirsted for God like the tree for springs of water. One place that once saw the sun is the bottom of the Red Sea, during the passage of the Israelites; and the only true thought that gives rise to humility is the thought of death, or the thought of judgment, or the thought of the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. One day of universal joy is the day of the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, on which our race was freed from the eternal bonds of hell. Some say that this is the day of the Nativity of Christ, on which it was heard from the Angels: Glory to God in the highest. Others mean the day on which Noah and his family left the ark. PG 88, p. 1005. Modern Greek translation of “The Ladder” by Athanasius of Crete, p. 318. He who has acquired grace-filled humility through the grace of God and his own labors has not only the above-mentioned gifts, but also other special signs, having experienced which with good reasoning, everyone can see that they prove the wonderful wealth of his soul. These visible properties of humility are: 1. patience with humiliation and contempt, 2. complete victory over anger and 3. distrust of one’s good deeds with a constant desire to learn. One gift cannot be known, because it is hidden in his heart and invisible to others. This is the great self-blasphemy that he constantly exerts within himself towards his soul and his body, considering himself unworthy and worse than a stinking dog. Modern Greek translation of “The Ladder” by Athanasius of Crete, p. 321. He who knows all of himself that he is a sinner and mourns his sins from the heart, has sowed in a good village; if he did not sow in this way, then it is impossible for the fruitful deeds of humility to flourish in him. He who does not know himself in order to humble himself becomes proud; and he who knows himself and his dispensation does not exalt himself, but humbles himself. Modern Greek translation of “The Ladder” by Athanasius of Crete, p. 321. Ava Simon. Hon. Tales of movement. St. Fathers Publishing House 1855 p. 313. Ave. Serapion Sindonite. Lavsaik, ch. 72nd. See also in Chetyi-Minea, July 21st, life of St. Simeon Christ for the sake of the holy fool. The nature of fire is hidden in wood, stone, iron, etc. You might be interested in: