Izbornik

Contents Brief life of the Venerable Isaac the Syrian From the “Ascetic Words” of the Venerable Isaac the Syrian From the first word From the second word From the fourth word From the fifth word From the eighth word From the ninth word From the eleventh word From the fourteenth word From the eighteenth word From the nineteenth word From the twenty-first word From the thirtieth word From the thirty-first word From the thirty-third word From the thirty-fourth word From the thirty-fifth word From the thirty-sixth word From the thirty-seventh word From the thirty-seventh word eighth From word thirty-nine From word forty From word forty-first From word forty-third From word forty-four From word forty-six From word forty-seven From word forty-eight From word forty-nine From word fifty-one From word fifty-third From word fifty-four From word fifty-five From word fifty-six From word fifty-seven From word fifty-eight From word sixty-first From word sixty-four From word sixty-six From word sixty-seven From word seventy-one From word seventy-third From words seventy-four From word seventy-five From word seventy-seven From word seventy-eight From word seventy-nine From word eighty From word eighty-third From word eighty-five From word eighty-six From word eighty-eight From word eighty-nine From word ninetieth From word ninety-one Subject index Saint Isaac devoted his entire life to the solitary study of his soul, and no one’s teachings are filled with such deep psychological information as the teachings of Saint Isaac; Having himself passed through the degrees of spiritual contemplative life, Saint Isaac presents exalted instructions on contemplations and based on solid experiences. Spiritual life is depicted in his teachings as applied to the most elusive states of the soul. His Eminence Filaret (Gumilevsky) Brief life of St. Isaac the Syrian The Monk Isaac the Syrian was born in the 7th century, in Nineveh, in the province of Qatar. The province of Qatar (Beit Qatrayeh) was located on the western shore of the Persian Gulf. Isaac spent his childhood near the sea. Marine images are constantly found in his writings. In his youth, together with his brother, Isaac the Syrian entered the Lavra of St. Mar-Matthew, where he took monastic vows. Living in the monastery, the monks excelled in learning and asceticism, and Isaac's brother was given control of the monastery. The Monk Isaac retired to a hermit's cell, located not far from the Lavra, where he devoted himself entirely to silence and solitude. And although his brother, in frequent letters to him, insisted that Isaac return to the monastery, the Reverend remained unshakable in his intention. After the fame of his ascetic life spread widely throughout Assyria, he was installed as bishop of the city of Nineveh. However, the Monk Isaac did not remain at the see for long; after five months he renounced the bishopric. The following East Syrian legend in Arabic has been preserved about this refusal of the Monk. When Isaac was sitting in his residence on the first day after his ordination as a bishop, two people came to him, one of whom, a rich man, demanded the return of a debt from the other: “If this man refuses to return what is mine to me, I will be forced to sue him.” Isaac said to him: “Since the Holy Gospel teaches not to take away what is given, you should at least give this man a day so that he can pay back.” But the rich man replied: “Leave the Gospel aside now!” Then Isaac said: “If the Gospel is not taken into account here, why did I come here?” Seeing that episcopal service did not correspond to his inclination towards a hermit's life, the Monk Isaac left the see of Nineveh and retired to live in the mountains... He climbed Mount Matut and lived in silence with the hermits who were there. Penetrating deeply into the Divine mysteries, the Monk Isaac wrote “Words of Asceticism” - a book of teachings and conversations about life in God and hermitage. The modern theologian Bishop Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia writes about the theological works of the holy father of the Church: “Reverend Isaac was an ascetic, a hermit who lived in the mountains, but his writings have a universal purpose. They are addressed not only to hermits, but also to city dwellers, not only to monks, but to all believers in Christ. With extraordinary liveliness, he speaks about what is vital for every Christian - about repentance and humility, about the diverse external and internal forms of prayer, about loneliness and community, about silence, amazement and ecstasy. In addition to the “enlightened love” on which Isaac places special emphasis, two other themes characterize his description of the mystical path of the Christian: his sense of God as a living mystery and his deep reverent veneration of Christ the Savior. The outstanding spiritual writer of the late 19th century, Saint Theophan the Recluse, composed a prayer to the Reverend: “Reverend Father Isaac! Pray to God for us and with your prayer illumine our minds to understand the lofty contemplations with which your words are filled, and moreover, raise or introduce into the secret places of prayer, the production, degrees and strength of which are thus depicted by your teachings, so that, inspired by it, we can freely follow the commandments of the Lord, steadily, bypassing obstacles encountered on the way and overcoming the enemies who are arming themselves against us." The Church commemorates the Monk Isaac the Syrian on January 28, old style. From the “Words of the Ascetic” by St. Isaac the Syrian The beginning of the path of life is to always learn with your mind the words of God and spend your life in poverty. Drinking oneself in one way promotes improvement in another. If you hydrate yourself with the study of the words of God, this helps you to prosper in poverty, and prosperity in non-covetousness gives you the leisure to prosper in the study of the words of God. The assistance of both contributes to the rapid construction of a whole edifice of virtues. When grace has increased in a person, then, by the desire for righteousness, the fear of death becomes of little respect for him, and he finds many reasons in his soul why he must endure sorrow for the sake of the fear of God. Everything that apparently harms the body and suddenly affects nature, and therefore leads to suffering, is considered nothing in his eyes in comparison with what he hopes for in the future. Without allowing temptations, it is impossible for us to know the truth. Man finds exact confirmation of this in the thought that God has great providence for man and that there is no person who is not under His Providence, and he sees this especially clearly, as if at the direction of a finger, in those who seek God and in those who endure suffering for His sake. But when the impoverishment of grace in a person has increased, then everything said appears in him in almost the opposite form. His knowledge, due to research, is greater than faith, and there is not trust in God in every matter, and God’s Providence for man is understood differently. Such a person is constantly exposed to the machinations of those who lie in wait in the darkness to shoot him (cf. Ps. 10:2) with their arrows. The beginning of true life in man is the fear of God. And he does not tolerate being in someone’s soul along with the soaring of the mind, because by serving the senses the heart is scattered, losing the pleasure of God. He who desires honor for himself cannot lack reasons for sorrow. There is no person who, with a change in circumstances, would not feel in his mind a change in attitude towards the task at hand. If lust, as they say, is a product of feelings, then let those who assert about themselves that they maintain peace of mind even during entertainment be silent. To avert the dispositions preoccupied by the soul towards obscenity and to eliminate the disturbing memories rising in the flesh, producing a rebellious flame, nothing is as sufficient as immersing oneself in the love of studying the Divine Scripture and comprehending the depth of its thoughts. When thoughts are immersed in the delight of comprehending the wisdom hidden in words, then to the extent that a person extracts clarity from them, he leaves the world behind him, forgets everything that is in the world, and all memories, all effective images of the materialization of the world, erases in the soul, and often destroys the very need for ordinary thoughts visiting nature. The soul itself is delighted at the new ideas it encounters in the sea of ​​the mysteries of Scripture. Every thing is beautiful in measure. Without measure, even what is considered beautiful turns into harm. Do you want to be in communion with God with your mind, accepting into yourself the feeling of this pleasure, not enslaved to the feelings? Serve alms. When it is found within you, then this holy beauty is depicted in you, by which you become like God. The comprehensiveness of deeds of alms produces in the soul communion with the Divine without the mediation of any time, leading to unity with the glory of lordship. Every person who lives uncleanly desires a temporary life. The second according to him is the one who is deprived of knowledge. Someone beautifully said that the fear of death saddens a man who is condemned by his conscience. And whoever has a good testimony in himself desires death as much as life. Do not recognize him as a true sage who, for the sake of this life, enslaves his mind to fear and fear. Consider everything good and bad that happens to the flesh as a dream. For it is not in death alone that you renounce this, but often even before death it leaves you and moves away. And if any of this has some communication with your soul, then consider it your acquisition in this age; it will go with you into the Future Age. And if this is something good, then rejoice and thank God in your mind. If this is something bad, then be sad, and sigh, and try to free yourself from this while you are in the body. Every good thing that happens in you mentally, you yourself carefully keep secret, because Baptism and faith were your mediators for it; in them you are called by our Lord Jesus Christ to His good works. With the Father and the Holy Spirit, to Him be glory, and honor, and thanksgiving, and worship forever and ever! Amen. The gratitude of the receiver encourages the giver to give greater gifts than before. He who is ungrateful for little is deceitful and unjust for more. He who is sick and knows his illness must seek treatment. He who declares his illness to others is close to his healing and will easily find it. Through the hardness of the heart, its illnesses multiply; and if the patient resists the doctor, his torment increases. There is no unforgivable sin except unrepentant sin. And the gift does not remain without aggravation, unless there is gratitude for it. The part of the meaningless is small in his eyes. Always keep in mind those who are superior to you in virtue, so that you can constantly see in yourself a deficiency against their measure; always keep in your mind the gravest sorrows of the grieving and embittered, so that you yourself can give due thanks for the small and meaningless sorrows that you find in yourself, and be able to endure them with joy. During your defeat, relaxation and laziness, bound and kept by the enemy in painful languor and in the grave work of sin, imagine in your heart the previous time of your diligence, how you cared about everything even to the smallest extent, which feat showed, how you jealously resisted those who wanted to hinder your progress. Above all, think about the sighs with which you suffered over the shortcomings that appeared in you from your negligence, and about how, with all this, you received a victorious crown. For with all such memories, your soul awakens, as if from a deep sleep, is clothed in the flame of jealousy, rises from its immersion, as if from the dead, ascends - and with ardent confrontation with the devil and sin returns to its primitive rank. Remember the fall of the strong and humble yourself in your virtues. Remember the grave falls of those who fell in ancient times and repented, as well as the height and honor that they were awarded after this, and you will take courage in your repentance. Pursue yourself, and your enemy will be driven away by your approach. Make peace with yourself, and heaven and earth will make peace with you. Strive to enter your inner cage, and you will see the heavenly cage, because both are one and the same, and when you enter one, you see both. The ladder of this Kingdom is within you, hidden in your soul. Immerse yourself in yourself from sin, and you will find there ascents along which you will be able to climb. Not the lover of virtue who does good with struggle, but the one who joyfully accepts the disasters that follow. It is not a great thing for a person to endure sorrow for his virtue, just as it is not to waver in his mind in choosing his good will when the senses are seductively tickled. Any repentance, after the deprivation of freedom, is such that it neither exudes joy nor gives the right to a reward to those who have acquired it. Cover the falling one, if there is no harm to you from this: you will give him complacency, and the mercy of your Master will support you. Strengthen the weak and saddened in heart with words and with everything that is sufficient for your hand, and the Almighty Right Hand will strengthen you. With sorrowful hearts, be in communion with prayerful work and heartfelt affection - and a source of mercy will be opened to your petitions. Do not dare to tempt your mind with obscene thoughts or the sight of persons leading you into temptation, even when you think that you will not be overcome by this, because even the wise were darkened in this way and fell into foolishness. You cannot hide the flame in your bosom without strong sorrows in your flesh. It is difficult for youth to submit to the yoke of the sacred without training. The beginning of darkening of the mind (when a sign of it begins to reveal itself in the soul) is first of all seen in laziness towards God’s service and prayer. For if the soul does not first fall away from this, there is no other way to spiritual deception; when it is deprived of God's help, it conveniently falls into the hands of its opponents. And also, as soon as the soul becomes careless about deeds of virtue, it will certainly be carried away into the opposite. For the transition from any side is already the beginning of the opposite side. If you do something for virtue and for the soul, then do not worry about vain things. Continually reveal your weakness before God, and you will not be tempted by strangers, as soon as you are left alone without your Intercessor. When you hear about moving away from the world, about abandoning the world, about purity from everything in the world, then you first need to understand and find out, using not common people’s concepts, but purely rational ones, what the very name world means, what differences this name is made up of, and you will be able to find out about your soul, how far it is from the world and what is mixed in with it from the world. The word world is a collective name, embracing what is called passions. If a person has not first learned what the world is, then he will not achieve knowledge by what members he is far from the world and by what means he is connected with it. There are many who have renounced the world with two or three members, and have refused to communicate with the world, and have thought of themselves that they have become strangers to the world in their lives, because they did not understand and wisely discern that with only two members they died to the world, while their other members in the body live in the world. However, they were not able to recognize their passions in themselves; and since they did not recognize them, they did not care about their healing. According to speculative research, the composition of the collective name, which embraces individual passions, is also called the world. And when we want to name passions collectively, we call them world, and when we want to distinguish them by the difference in their names, we call them passions. Passions are parts of the continuity of the world; and where passions cease, there the world began in its continuity. And the passions are the following: commitment to wealth, to collecting things; bodily pleasure, from which comes the passion of marriage; the desire for honor from which envy flows; desire to be in charge; arrogance at the splendor of power; desire to dress up and be liked; the search for human glory, which is the cause of rancor; fear for the body. Where these passions stop flowing, there the world has died, and to the extent that some of these parts are missing there, to that extent the world remains outside, not acting with those parts of its composition; just as someone said about the saints that while they were still alive, they became dead, because while they lived in the flesh, they did not live according to the flesh. And you look at which of these parts you live in - then you will know in which parts you live and in which parts you died to the world. When you find out what the world is, then from the difference of all this you will find out how you are connected with the world and how you have renounced it. And I will say briefly: the world is carnal living and the wisdom of the flesh. By the very fact that a person has extricated himself from this, it is known that he has come out of the world. And alienation from the world is recognized by these two signs: by the most excellent life and by the difference in the concepts of the mind itself. Question: What is purity of mind? Answer: The one who does not know evil is pure in mind (for such a person will be bestial), not the one who is in an infant state by nature, not the one who is a hypocrite. But purity of mind is enlightenment by the Divine, through active exercise in virtues. And we dare not say that anyone should acquire this without temptation of thoughts, unless he is endowed with a body. For we do not dare to say that our nature will not be fought and harmed until death. I call temptation of thoughts not only to obey them, but to begin the fight against them. Enumeration of movements in thoughts The movement of thoughts in a person occurs for four reasons: firstly, from the natural carnal will; secondly, from the sensory representation of worldly objects, which a person hears about and which he sees; thirdly, from pre-occupied concepts and from spiritual inclinations that a person has in his mind; fourthly, from the attack of demons who fight with us, involving us in all passions, for the reasons mentioned above. Therefore, a person, even before death, while he is in the life of this flesh, cannot help but have thoughts and battles. For, judge for yourself, is it possible that before a person’s departure from the world and before death, any one of these four causes should become inactive? Or is it possible for the body not to covet necessities and not be forced to desire anything worldly? If it is inappropriate to imagine something like this, because nature has a need for such things, then it already means that passions act in everyone who wears a body, whether he wants it or not. Therefore, every person, as someone who carries a body, needs to protect himself not from one passion that is clearly and incessantly active in him, and not from two, but from many passions. Those who have conquered the passions within themselves through virtues, although they are disturbed by thoughts and the attack of these four causes, nevertheless do not yield to victory over themselves, because they have strength, and their mind is delighted with good and Divine remembrances. Question: What is the difference between purity of mind and purity of heart? Answer: One is purity of mind, and another is purity of heart. For the mind is one of the spiritual feelings, and the heart embraces and holds in its power the inner feelings. It is the root. But if the root is holy, then the branches are holy, that is, if the heart is brought to purity, then it is clear that all feelings are purified. If the mind applies diligence to reading the Divine Scriptures or labors a little in fasting, in vigils, in silence, then it will forget its previous life and achieve purity as soon as it moves away from bad behavior; however, it will not have constant purity, because it is soon cleansed, but soon it is also defiled. The heart achieves purity through many sorrows, deprivations, removal from communication with everything that is worldly in the world, and self-mortification for all this. If it has achieved purity, then its purity is not defiled by anything small, it is not afraid of great, obvious battles - I mean terrible battles - because it has acquired a strong stomach that can quickly digest any food that is indigestible in weak people. For doctors say that all meat food is indigestible, but it imparts much strength to healthy bodies when a strong stomach accepts it. Thus, any purity acquired quickly, in a short time and with little difficulty, is soon lost and desecrated. Purity, achieved through many sorrows and acquired over a long period of time, is not afraid of any attack that does not exceed the measure of any part of the soul, because God strengthens the soul. Glory to him forever and ever! Amen. Great simplicity can be conveniently converted. Human nature requires fear to maintain the limits of obedience to God. Love for God arouses in a person a love for doing virtues, and thereby is drawn into doing good. Spiritual knowledge is by its nature later than the doing of virtues. Both are preceded by fear and love. And again: fear precedes love. Anyone who says without shame that the latter can be acquired without doing the former, undoubtedly lays the first foundation of destruction for his soul. This is the way of the Lord, that the last are born from the first. Do not replace love for your brother with love for any thing, because your brother has secretly acquired within himself the One who is most precious of all. Leave the little to gain the great. Despise what is superfluous and of little value in order to gain what is of great value. Be dead in your life, so that you may live after death. Give yourself over to dying in exploits, and not living in negligence. For not only those martyrs who accepted death for faith in Christ, but also those who die for keeping the commandments of Christ. Do not be foolish in your petitions, lest you offend God by the smallness of your knowledge. Be wise in your prayers so that you may receive glory. Ask the worthy one from the Giver without envy, so that you may receive honor from Him for your wise desire. Solomon asked himself for wisdom, and since he asked wisely from the Great King, he accepted the kingdom of the earth with wisdom. Elisha asked in full measure for the grace of the Spirit that the teacher had, and his request did not remain unfulfilled. For whoever covets something unimportant from the king humiliates his honor. Israel asked for little things, and the wrath of God came upon them. He abandoned to marvel at the terrible miracles of God in the works of God, and sought to satisfy the lusts of his belly. But there is still evil in their mouths, and the wrath of God is upon her (Ps. 77:30,31). Bring your petitions to God in accordance with His glory, so that your dignity will be magnified before Him and He will rejoice over you. If anyone asks the king for some pus (dung - ed. note) ), then he will not only dishonor himself with the unimportance of his request, as having shown great ignorance, but will also insult the king with his request. This is what the one who asks God for earthly blessings does in his prayers. For behold, the Angels and Archangels, these nobles of the King, during your prayer direct their attention to you, with what petition you will turn to their Lord; and they are amazed and rejoice when they see that you, earthly, have left your flesh and are asking for Heavenly things; and, on the contrary, they are upset, looking at the one who has left Heavenly and asks for his pus. Do not ask God for what He Himself gives us without asking according to His providence, and gives not only to His own and beloved, but also to those who are strangers to the knowledge of Him. For it is said: do not be like the pagans, saying too much in your prayers (cf. Matt. 6:7). This is bodily, and this is what the pagans are looking for (Matthew 6:32), said the Lord. You don’t worry about... what you eat, or what you drink... or what you put on (Matthew 6:25). For your Heavenly Father knows that you require these all (Matthew 6:32). The son no longer asks his father for bread, but seeks the greatest and highest things in his father’s house. For out of the weakness of the human mind alone, the Lord commanded to ask for daily bread. But look at what is commanded to those who are perfect in knowledge and sound in soul. They are told: do not worry about food or clothing; because if God cares about dumb animals, about birds and about inanimate creatures, then how much more will He care about you: Seek therefore the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). If you ask God for something and He is slow to hear you quickly, do not be sad, because you are no wiser than God. This happens to you either because you are not worthy to receive what you ask, or because the ways of your heart are not consistent, but contrary to your requests, or because you have not yet come to the extent to accept the gift that you ask. For we should not touch upon great measures ahead of time, so that the gift of God, from the speed of its acceptance, does not become useless, because what is easily received is soon lost; everything acquired with heart disease is stored with caution. Endure your thirst for Christ’s sake, that He may intoxicate you with His love. Close your eyes to the pleasures of life, so that God will grant you His peace to reign in your heart. Refrain from what your eyes see, so that you will be rewarded with spiritual joy. If your deeds are not pleasing to God, do not seek glorification from Him, lest you become like a man who tempts God. Your prayer should also be consistent with your life. For it is impossible for one who is attached to the earthly to seek the Heavenly, and for one who is occupied with the worldly there is no opportunity to ask for the Divine, because the desire of each person is shown by his actions: in what he shows his zeal, he strives for that in prayer. He who desires great things is not busy with unimportant things. Be free, although you are bound by your body, and for Christ’s sake prove the freedom of your obedience. Be prudent in your simplicity, so as not to be robbed from you. Love humility in all your affairs in order to get rid of inconspicuous snares, which are always outside the path of the humble. Do not give up on sorrows, because through them you enter into the knowledge of the truth, and do not be afraid of temptations, because through them you gain what is worthy. Pray not to fall into spiritual temptations, but prepare for bodily temptations with all your strength. For outside of them you cannot approach God, because Divine peace is prepared among them. He who runs from temptations runs from virtue. I mean the temptation not of desires, but of sorrows. He who forbids his mouth to speculate, keeps his heart from passions. And whoever keeps his heart from passions sees the Lord every hour. He who always thinks about God drives away demons and eradicates the seed of their malice. Whoever watches over his soul hourly, his heart rejoices at revelations. He who concentrates the vision of his mind within himself sees the spiritual dawn within himself. He who abhors all soaring of the mind sees his Lord within his heart. If you love purity, in which the Lord of all can be seen, then do not condemn anyone and do not listen to the one who condemns his brother. If others argue in front of you, close your ears and run away from there, so that you do not hear angry expressions and your soul does not die, having lost its life. An irritated heart cannot contain the mysteries of God, but a meek and humble heart is the source of the mysteries of the new age. Now, if you are pure, then Heaven is within you, and in yourself you will see the Angels and their light, and with them and in them the Lord of the Angels. He who is justly praised suffers no harm. But if praise delights him, then he is a free worker. The treasure of the humble man is within him, and this is the Lord. He who watches his tongue will never be robbed by it. Silent lips interpret the mysteries of God, but those who are quick to speak withdraw from their Creator. The soul of a good person shines more than the sun and every hour rejoices at the vision of Divine revelations. Whoever follows the one who loves God will be enriched in the mysteries of God, and whoever follows the unrighteous and proud will withdraw from God and be hated by his friends. He who is silent with his tongue in all his appearance acquires a humble and wise orderliness, and he will easily prevail over the passions. Passions are uprooted and put to flight by the constant immersion of thought in God. This is the sword that kills them. Just as in the silent silence of the sensual sea a dolphin rushes and swims, so in the silence and calming of irritability and anger in the sea of ​​the heart, at all times, to the joy of the heart, secrets and Divine revelations rush through it. He who desires to see the Lord within himself makes an effort to purify his heart by constant remembrance of God; and thus, with the brightness of the eyes of his mind, he will see the Lord hourly. What happens to a fish that comes out of the water, so happens to the mind that has emerged from the remembrance of God and soars in the remembrance of the world. To the extent that a person withdraws from conversations with people, to the same extent he is rewarded with a bold mind to converse with God, and to the extent that he cuts off the consolation of this world from himself, to the extent that he is rewarded with the joy of God in the Holy Spirit. Whoever humiliates and belittles himself, the Lord will make him wise. And whoever considers himself wise falls away from God’s wisdom. To the extent that the tongue refrains from verbosity, the mind is illuminated to discern thoughts; and the most prudent mind is confused by too much verbiage. This is a chaste and God-loving rite - not to turn your eyes here and there, but always look forward; do not idle talk, but speak only what is necessary; to be content with wretched clothes to satisfy bodily needs, to use foods that support the body, and not for gluttony; to eat a little of everything, not to despise one thing, but to choose another and willingly fill the belly with this one, and sweep away the rest. Above all virtue is prudence. But do not drink wine when you have no friends with you, or do not have an illness, or a loss of strength. Do not interrupt your speech when another is speaking; and do not answer like an ignoramus, but be firm like a wise man. And wherever you are, consider yourself the least of all and a servant of your brothers. ...Avoid freedom of speech as if it were death. And acquire a chaste rite for your sleep, so that the power that protects you does not depart from you. ...Eat and drink chastely, as becomes the children of God. Do not be hasty in your gait without a necessary need forcing you to hurry. Be obedient to everyone in every good deed, just do not follow the covetous, or the lovers of money, or the lovers of peace, so that the work of the devil does not happen. Talk to everyone meekly, look at everyone chastely, do not satiate your eyes with anyone’s face. When walking along the road, do not get ahead of your elders. And if your comrade falls behind, move a little forward, wait for him. Whoever does not do this is foolish and is like a pig who has no law. If your friend starts speaking to someone you meet, wait for him and don’t rush him. Let a healthy person tell a sick person in advance: we will do what is needed. Do not convict anyone of any wrongdoing, but consider yourself responsible in everything and guilty of sin. Do not refuse or shirk any low deed with humility. ...Have one interlocutor and companion - one who fears God and is always attentive to himself, poor in his church, but rich in the mysteries of God. Conceal your secrets, deeds and battles from everyone. Do not resist anyone in anything, do not argue with anyone, do not lie, do not swear in the Name of the Lord your God. If you are neglected, do not neglect yourself. If you are offended, do not offend yourself. It is better to let the physical perish along with the body, as long as nothing spiritual suffers harm. Do not go into court with anyone, but if you are condemned, when you should not be judged, be patient. Do not love with your soul anything worldly, but submit to rulers and rulers and refrain from close relations with them, because this is a net that ensnares the careless in destruction. Shower mercy to everyone and be humble in everything. Keep yourself from talking too much. For it quenches in the heart the mental movements that come from God. Like a lion rushing at everyone, run and learn to hunt. For this purpose, do not associate with either the disciples of the Church or strangers. Do not pass through the crowds of angry and quarrelsome people, lest your heart be filled with irritability and the darkness of delusion prevail over your soul. Do not live with someone who is proud, lest the effectiveness of the Holy Spirit be taken away from your soul and lest it become the dwelling place of every evil passion. If you, man, observe these precautions and always engage in the thought of God, then your soul will truly see the light of Christ within itself and will not be darkened forever. Glory and power to Christ forever! Amen. ...Inexperienced merchants in large transactions cause great losses to themselves, but in unimportant transactions they quickly move forward with success. And again, as I said, every task has its order, and every kind of life has a certain time. Whoever begins ahead of time, beyond his measure, gains nothing, but only aggravates his own harm. ...If someone does not approach God in secret and does not know how to serve Him in spirit, but does not care about the obvious deeds that are possible for him, then what other hope will he have of acquiring life for himself? This is meaningless. I say that those tormented in Gehenna are struck by the scourge of love. And how bitter and cruel is this torment of love! For those who feel that they have sinned against love endure torment greater than any torment that brings fear; The sadness that strikes the heart for sin against love is more stinging than any possible punishment. It is inappropriate for a person to think that sinners in Gehenna are deprived of God’s love. Love is a product of the knowledge of truth, which (as everyone agrees) is given to everyone in general. But love, with its power, acts in two ways: it torments sinners, as here it happens to a friend to suffer from a friend, and it brings joy to those who keep their duty. And so, in my opinion, this is the torment of Gehenna - it is repentance. Love intoxicates the souls of the sons of heaven with its joys. Question: Someone was asked: when will a person know that he has received remission of his sins? Answer: And the questioned answered: when he feels in his soul that he has completely, with all his heart, hated sins, and when he clearly gives himself a direction opposite to the previous one. Such a one hopes that he has received from God remission of sins, as having already hated sin through the testimony of his conscience, which he acquired in himself according to the apostolic word (see: Rom. 2:15): an uncondemned conscience is its own witness. May we also be worthy to receive remission of our sins through the grace and love of mankind of the Beginning Father with the Only Begotten Son and the Holy Spirit. Glory to him forever and ever! Amen. Love, which has God as its Author, is the same as a spring gushing from the earth: its streams are never stopped, because God alone is the Source of love, and what feeds this love does not become scarce. In six days, God put the entire composition of this world in order, arranged the elements, gave their composition over to the ever-moving movement for service, and they will not stop flowing until their destruction. It was by their power, that is, by the power of the primeval elements, that He formed our bodies. But he did not give rest to the elements in their movement, nor to our bodies, which came from the elements, rest from doing. He set a limit for rest from work in us, while our bodies will follow their first affinity, and this is permission from this life. So he said to Adam: By the sweat of your brow you shall eat your bread (Gen. 3:19). And how long will this last? – ... Until you return to the land from which you were taken (Gen. 3:19) and which will grow for you thorns and thistles (cf. Gen. 3:18). These are the secrets of doing this life while you live! But from that night on which the Lord shed sweat, He exchanged the sweat that brought forth thorns and thistles for sweat shed in prayer and together in doing righteousness. For five thousand and five hundred-odd years God left Adam to work on earth, because until then the way had not been revealed to the saints (Heb. 9:8), as the Divine Apostle says. In the last days he came and commanded freedom to replace one sweat with another, and allowed not a rest from everything, but a change of everything; because, for the duration of our suffering on earth, He showed us His love for mankind. Therefore, if we stop shedding sweat on the earth, then of necessity we will reap thorns. For by the same necessity, abandoning prayer means planting the earth, which naturally produces thorns. Indeed, passions are thorns, and they grow in us from being sown into the body (see: Gal.6:8). While we carry the image of Adam, we must also carry Adam’s passions within us. For it is impossible for the earth not to grow the vegetation inherent in its nature. The product of her nature is the earth of our bodies, as God’s testimony says: ... the earth from which the earth was taken (cf. Gen. 3:19). That land produces thorns, and this intelligent land produces passions. If the Lord was an image for us in everything, in the sacrament, in all the various actions of His Household, and even until the ninth hour the heel did not cease from work and labor (and this is the secret of our work for a whole life), on Saturday He rested in the tomb, then where are those who claim that there is still a Sabbath in life, that is, rest from passions? It is high for us to talk about Sunday. Our Saturday is the day of burial. There our nature truly sabbaths. Every day, as long as the earth stands, we must pluck thorns out of it. Over the course of our work alone, these thorns become scarce, because the earth is not completely cleared of them. And if this is so, and with temporary laziness or a little negligence, thorns multiply and cover the face of the earth, suppress what you sow, and turn your labor into nothing, then every day we must cleanse the earth, because the cessation of cleansing increases the multitude of thorns, from which may we be cleansed by the grace of the Consubstantial and Only Begotten Son of God! Glory to Him with the Beginningless Father and the Life-giving Spirit forever! Amen. From word twenty-one Question: By what ties is the human heart bound so that it does not strive for evil? Answer: By constantly following wisdom and abounding in the teachings of life. For there are no other bonds so strong as to restrain the disorder of thought. Question: Who deserves to be called meaningful? Answer: One who truly understood that there is a limit to this life. He can put a limit to his sins. For what knowledge or understanding is higher than this - for a person to manage to emerge from this life in uncorruption, not having a single part defiled by the stench of lust, and not having any defilement in the soul left by the sweetness of lust. Question: Who, in truth, is the strongest? Answer: He who is content in temporary sorrows, in which the life and glory of his victory are hidden, and did not desire the breadth in which the stench of shame is hidden and which at all times gives drink to the one who finds it from the cup of sighing. Question: What harm is there in the procession to God if someone, due to temptation, deviates from good deeds? Answer: It is impossible to approach God without sorrow; without it, human righteousness does not remain unchanged. And if a person interrupts the deeds that increase righteousness, then he also interrupts the deeds that protect it. And he becomes like an unguarded treasure and a fighter from whom his weapons were taken away when the regiments of his enemies surrounded him, and a ship that does not have its rigging, and a garden that is no longer watered by a source of water. Question: How does a person leave his previous habit and get accustomed to shortcomings and achievements in life? Answer: The body does not agree to live without satisfying its needs while it is surrounded by what serves for luxury and relaxation; and the mind cannot keep it from doing this until this body is removed from everything that produces relaxation. For when the spectacle of luxury and vanity is open to him and every almost hour he sees something that leads to relaxation, then a fiery desire for this awakens in him and, as if inciting it, irritates him. Therefore, the Redeemer Lord very well commanded those who pledged to follow Him to be naked and come out of the world (see: Matt. 19:21), because a person must first reject everything that serves to relax, and then get down to business. And the Lord Himself, when he began his battle with the devil, waged it in the driest desert. And Paul advises those who accept the cross of Christ to leave the city. ... Let us come to Him, he says, outside the city, and accept His reproach (cf. Heb. 13:13), because He suffered outside the city. Whoever loves conversation with this couple throughout his entire life becomes a friend of chastity. Just as the beginning of all evil is the repose of the belly and the relaxation of oneself by sleep, which kindles lust, so the holy path of God and the foundation of all virtues is fasting, vigil, wakefulness in the service of God, in crucifying the body all day and all night, in contrast to the sweetness of sleep. Fasting is the protection of all virtue, the beginning of struggle, the crown of abstinence, the beauty of virginity and holiness, the lordship of chastity, the beginning of the Christian path, the mother of prayer, the source of chastity and prudence, the teacher of silence, the predecessor of all good deeds. Just as healthy eyes are characterized by a desire for light, so a fast observed with prudence is characterized by a desire for prayer. ...Fasting with prudence is a vast abode for all good things. But whoever neglects fasting causes everything that is good to be shaken; because fasting was a commandment, initially given to our nature as a precaution when eating food, and by breaking the fast the beginning of our creation fell. But what was the first humiliation, from that the ascetics begin to excel in the fear of God, as soon as they begin to keep the Law of God. This is where the Savior began when he appeared to the world on the Jordan. For after Baptism the Spirit led Him into the desert, and He fasted there for forty days and forty nights. Likewise, all those who follow the Savior on this basis affirm the beginning of their feat, because fasting is a weapon prepared by God. And who, if he neglects him, will not be reproached for this? If the Lawgiver Himself fasts, how can anyone who keeps the Law not fast? That is why, before fasting, the human race did not know victory, and the devil never experienced his defeat from our nature, but from this weapon he was exhausted at the very beginning. And our Lord was the Leader and Firstborn of this victory, in order to place the first victorious crown on the head of our nature. And as soon as the devil sees this weapon on one of the people, this enemy and tormentor immediately comes into fear, immediately thinks and remembers his defeat in the desert by the Savior, and his strength is crushed, and the sight of the weapon given to us by our Leader burns him. What weapon is stronger than this? And what gives so much courage to the heart in the fight against the spirits of evil as greed for Christ? Question: If someone has achieved heart purity, what is its sign? And when will a person know that his heart has achieved purity? Answer: When someone sees all people as good and no one seems unclean and defiled to him, then he is truly pure in heart. For how can we fulfill the word of the apostle, according to which we must all equally from a sincere heart do great things for ourselves (cf. Phil. 2:3), if it is not said that the good eye will not see evil (see: Hab. 1:13)? ...To devote oneself to God and live virtuously is one of the great gifts of Christ. For many, having forgotten that by this grace they were deemed worthy to become excommunicated from people and dedicated to God, partakers and successors of His gifts, chosen and worthy of serving and performing sacred acts to God, instead of constantly thanking God for this with their lips, have turned into pride and arrogance and think of themselves not as those who have received the grace of sacrament, in order to serve God with pure life and spiritual deeds, but as showing mercy God; when they should have judged that God had taken them out from among people and made them His associates to know His mysteries. And they do not tremble with all their souls, reasoning in this way, especially when they see how the dignity of those who reasoned like this before them was suddenly taken away and how the Lord in the blink of an eye overthrew them from the high glory and honor that they had; and they strayed into uncleanness, lasciviousness and filthiness, like cattle. because they did not recognize their strength and did not constantly keep in mind the One who gave them grace... When in the Holy Scriptures you find faith combined with works, then do not mistake discussions about it for discussions about right confession, because faith, leading to certainty in hope, is never achieved by people who are not baptized or whose minds are corrupted to the truth. For the certainty of faith in people who are high in soul is revealed to the extent that their morals are attentive to living according to the commandments of the Lord. Continuous study of Scripture is light for the soul, because it shows the soul useful reminders to beware of passions, to remain in the love of God and in purity of prayer, and also outlines before us a peaceful path in the footsteps of the saints. If the remembrance of the good, when we bring it to our minds, renews virtue in us, then it is obvious that the remembrance of lewdness, when we remember it, renews the shameful desire in our mind, because the remembrance of both shows and outlines in our thoughts the difference between the most remembered things, as if with a finger it points us either to the shamelessness of our thoughts, or to the height of our life and strengthens us. thoughts and movements and gums and ears. We are busy with them in the secrets of our mind, and in this mental occupation the lot of our life is depicted, so that, of necessity, we constantly see ourselves. Love, aroused by something, is like a small lamp fed by oil, which maintains its light, or like a stream flooded with rain, the flow of which stops with the impoverishment of its constituent rainwater. But love, which has God as its Author, is the same as a spring gushing from the earth: its streams are never stopped, because God alone is the Source of love, and what feeds this love does not become scarce. About how you should pray without your thoughts spinning Do you want to enjoy poetry during your service and comprehend the meaning of the words of the Spirit spoken by you? Put completely aside the number of verses, do not take into account the knowledge of the measure in verses, say them as a prayer, leave the usual thunder and understand what I am saying to you and what is said narratively, as written by one of the men guided by God. Let your mind delve deeper into the study of the words of the Spirit until your soul, through wonder at the Economy, is aroused to their lofty understandings, and through this is moved toward glorification or useful sorrow. And if there is something for prayer, internalize it for yourself; and when your mind is established in this, then confusion will give way and go away. For in slavery there is no peace of mind, and in the freedom of children there is no rebellious confusion. And confusion usually takes away the taste from meaning and understanding and plunders thoughts like a leech sucking life out of bodies with the blood of their members. And confusion, if possible, would be decently called the chariot of the devil, because Satan always has the custom, like a rider, to sit on the mind, take with him a bunch of passions, with them enter the unfortunate soul and plunge it into confusion. But understand this also wisely. When versifying your psalmody, do not seem to be borrowing words from another, so as not to give the idea that you are constantly multiplying the work of teaching, and not to become completely distant from the tenderness and joy gleaned from the verses; but pronounce the words of your petition on your own behalf with tenderness and reasonable understanding, as one who truly understands his matter. What gives rise to despondency and what gives rise to a soaring mind? Dejection comes from a soaring mind, and a soaring mind comes from idleness, reading and vain conversations, or from a satiated belly. About the fact that one should not contradict evil thoughts, but submit oneself before God If someone does not contradict the thoughts implanted in us by the enemy, but interrupts the conversation with them through prayer to God, then this serves as a sign that his mind has acquired wisdom by grace, that his true knowledge has freed him from many matters, and that by finding the short path that he has achieved, he has stopped long-term soaring on a long path, because not at all times we have the strength to so contradict all opposing thoughts in order to stop them; on the contrary, we often get ulcers from them, which cannot be cured for a long time. And you go out to give a lesson to those who are already six thousand years old. And this serves as a weapon for them, with which they will be able to strike you, despite all your wisdom and all your prudence. But when you defeat them, even then the impurity of thoughts will defile your mind and the stench of their stench will remain in your sense of smell for a long time. Having used the first method, you will be free from all this and from fear, because there is no other help except God. From word thirty-one The Lord does not allow the power of demons and people to approach His creation and carry out their will on it. Therefore, always say to your soul: “I have a Guardian who protects me; and not one of the creatures can appear before me, unless there is a command from above.” Be sure that they will not dare to appear before your eyes and force you to listen with your ears to their threats. For if it were allowed from above from the Heavenly One, then there would be no need for word or words, but their will would be followed by deeds. Say also to yourself: “If it is the will of my Lord that the evil ones should prevail over creation, then I accept this without being upset, as if I do not want the will of his Lord to remain unfulfilled.” Thus, in your temptations you will be filled with joy, as one who knows and understands exactly that the Master’s beck governs and disposes of you. Finally, strengthen your heart with trust in the Lord; and you will not be afraid from the fear of the night, from the arrow that flies in the days (Ps. 90:5). For it is said that faith in God and in wild animals makes the righteous gentle, like sheep. About the benefits that temptations bring to those who endure them with gratitude and courage One of the saints said: “There was one hermit, a venerable old man, and I came to him one day, and I myself was in sadness from temptations. He lay sick; and when I greeted him, I sat down next to him and said to him: “Pray for me, father, because demonic temptations greatly sadden me.” Then he, opening his eyes, looked at me carefully and said: “You are young, child, and God does not leave temptations to be sent to you.” I answered him: “Yes, I am very young, but I endure the temptations of men who are strong in strength.” And he continued: “God wants to make you wise.” I objected: “How can you make me wise? I taste death every day." And he said to this: “God loves you; be silent: He gives you His grace.” Then he added: “Know, child, for thirty years I fought with demons, and after the twentieth year I did not see any help for myself. When I had lived through the fifth of the last ten, then I began to find peace. And over time it increased. And when the seventh year passed, and the eighth year came after it, the repose extended to a much greater measure. During the thirtieth year, and when it was already coming to an end, the peace became so strong that I don’t even know the extent to which it increased.” And he added: “When I want to get up to perform God’s service, I can still perform one more “Glory”; and as for the rest, if I stand for three days, I am in amazement with God and do not feel any labor.” This is the kind of insatiable peace generated by a arduous and long-term undertaking!” That keeping the tongue not only makes the mind rise to God, but also promotes abstinence ...Keeping the tongue not only makes the mind rise up to God, but also open deeds done with the help of the body secretly provides great strength for their accomplishment, and also enlightens in secret work, as the fathers used to say, because guarding the mouth makes the conscience rise up to God, if only one observes silence with knowledge. From word thirty-three To prefer a good will is the business of the wisher; to complete the choice of good will is God’s work. For this, man needs God's help. Therefore, let us make sure that the good desire that appears in us is followed by frequent prayers, and we will ask not only to help us, but also to show whether this desire is pleasing to the will of God or not. For not every good desire enters the heart from God, but only that which is useful. Sometimes a person desires good, but God does not help him, because some desire similar to this comes from the devil and is considered to serve as a help; and often it is not according to man. The devil himself intends to harm a person and forces him to seek what he wants when he has not yet achieved the life corresponding to it. Or the desire is alien to the image a person has assumed. Or the time has not yet come when you can fulfill it or begin to fulfill it. Or the person does not have sufficient knowledge and bodily strength for the task. Or the circumstances of the time do not help us. And the devil in every way, as if under the guise of this good deed, either confuses a person, or harms his body, or hides snares in his mind. However, as I said, let us diligently perform frequent prayers, when a good desire appears in us, and let each of us say to himself: “Thy will be done, until I complete this good deed, which I wished to do, if it pleases Your will. For in this matter, to desire is convenient for me, but I cannot do this without the gift sent by You; although both are from You, both what I want and what I do (Phil. 2:13), because without Your grace I would not have decided to accept this desire aroused in me, or I would have been afraid of it.” For this is the custom of one who desires good, to use prayer, according to the prudence of the mind, as an aid to action and to the acquisition of wisdom, to distinguish truth from falsehood. And the good is given preference with many prayers, doing, storing, unceasing devotion, with frequent tears, humility and Heavenly help, especially when a person has resistant thoughts of pride. For they do not allow God’s help to reach us, but we bring them into inaction through prayer. From word thirty-four If you work in beautiful virtue and do not feel that you are enjoying pleasure from it, then do not be surprised. For until a person humbles himself, he does not receive a reward for his work. The reward is given not for doing, but for humility. He who insults the latter loses the former. He who has anticipated and already accepted the reward for good deeds has an advantage over those who practice virtue. Virtue is the mother of sadness, and from sadness humility is born, and grace is given to humility. The reward is no longer for virtue and labor for its sake, but for the humility that is born from them. If it is lost, then the first will be in vain. The practice of virtue is keeping the commandments of the Lord. Abundance of doing is good preparation of the mind. It consists of humility and conservation. When the strength of the first becomes impoverished, this is accepted in their place. Christ does not require the making of commandments, but the correction of the soul, for which he legitimized the commandments to those under the law. The body acts equally with both the gums and the ears, and the mind does as it wants: it either justifies itself or sins. Some people make life in the wisdom of God by deeds, while others sell sin as if under the guise of the Divine. In others, those who protect themselves and their shortcomings are guardians of the truth. Gift without temptation is destruction for those who accept it. If you do good before God and He gives you a gift, beg Him to give you knowledge of how much it is appropriate for you to humble yourself, or to assign a guard to you over the gift, or to take it from you, so that it will not be the cause of your destruction. For it is not harmless for everyone to keep wealth. A soul that has taken upon itself the care of virtue and lives in severity and fear of God cannot be without sorrow every day, because virtues are associated with sorrows. Whoever leaves sorrows, of course, is undoubtedly separated from virtue. If you desire virtue, then surrender yourself to all sorrow. For sorrows give birth to humility. God does not want the soul to be without care. Whoever wishes not to have care is, by his wisdom, outside the will of God. We do not mean concern for the physical, but for that which troubles subsequent good deeds. Until we achieve true knowledge, that is, the revelation of the mysteries, through temptation we approach humility. He who abides in his virtue without sorrow, the door of pride is open to him. And who already wants to be without sadness in his thoughts? Without insults, the mind cannot remain in humility, and without humility, it cannot purely engage in prayer to God. First, a person’s thoughts move away from proper care, and after this the spirit of pride approaches him. When a person remains in pride, then the providential Angel, who is near him and arouses in him concern for righteousness, moves away from him. And when a person offends this Angel and he leaves, then a stranger approaches the person, and from that time on he no longer has any concern for righteousness. Before contrition comes pride (cf. Proverbs 16:18; 18:12), says the Wise One, and before gifts comes humility. The measure of pride visible in the soul, and the measure of contrition with which God admonishes the soul. I don’t mean pride when a thought appears in the mind or when a person is temporarily overcome by it, but pride that constantly resides in a person. The first proud thought will be followed by contrition, and when a person has loved pride, he no longer knows contrition. To our God be glory and splendor forever! Amen. Whoever cares about the spiritual or about something that serves the spiritual, bodily things, without worrying about that, are delivered in proportion to the urgent need and over time. And whoever cares about bodily things beyond need, involuntarily falls away from God. If we try to take care of what is needed for the sake of the Name of the Lord, then the Lord will take care of both, according to our efforts. However, let us not try to tempt God in the physical, in exchange for our spiritual deeds, but let us direct all our deeds towards the hope of future blessings. ...It is impossible for God to show a benefit to someone who wanted to be with Him in any other way than by sending temptations to him for the sake of the truth; How can a person become worthy of being worthy of this greatness, that is, for these Divine labors, entering into temptation and rejoicing is impossible without the grace of Christ. Saint Paul testifies to this. For this work is so great that the apostle clearly calls it a gift, when a person is prepared to suffer for the sake of hope in God. Paul says: this has been given to us from God, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him (cf. Phil. 1:29). So Saint Peter wrote in his Epistle: when you suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed (cf. 1 Pet. 3:14), because you have become partakers of the Passion of Christ (see: Phil. 3:10). Finally, then you should not rejoice when you live in abundance, but in sorrows you should lower your face and consider them alien to the path of God. For from eternity and from generation to generation his path has been paved by the cross and death. Where did you get this idea from? Find out from this that you are outside the path of God and moving away from it, you do not want to follow in the footsteps of the saints, or you intend to arrange for yourself a different special path and walk along it without suffering. The way of God is a daily cross. No one ascended to Heaven living a cool life. As for the cool path, we know where it ends. God does not want those who have given themselves to Him with all their hearts to be careless. His concern should be about the truth. And from this it is known that he is under God’s Providence, when God constantly sends him sorrows. From word thirty-six The Lord does not, at every time when He is close to His saints, clearly show His power in some deed or sensory sign to help them without need, so that the help provided to them does not become useless and does not lead to any harm. And he does this, providing for the saints and wanting to show them that he does not stop His secret care for them even for an hour, but in every matter he allows them, to the best of their ability, to show their feat and work in prayer. If the work overcomes them with difficulty, when they are exhausted and are unable to complete the work, because their nature is insufficient for it, He Himself does it according to the greatness of His power; and as He Himself knows, they receive proper help, and as much as possible, strengthens them in secret until they resist their grief with strength. For he does so that by the knowledge he bestows on them, all the fetters of their sorrow are resolved, and by contemplating it he awakens them to praise, which is useful in both cases. If the matter requires discovery, then, of necessity, he does this too; and His methods are the most wise, sufficient in poverty and need, and not some chosen at random. He who unnecessarily dares to do this or prays to God and desires to have miracles and powers in his hands is tempted in his mind by the scolding demon and turns out to be boastful and weak in his conscience. For in sorrow we must ask for God’s help. It is dangerous to tempt God unnecessarily. And whoever desires this is not truly righteous. True righteous people always think to themselves that they are unworthy of God. And that they are truly righteous, this can be seen from the fact that they recognize themselves as damned and unworthy of God’s care, and confess this secretly and openly, and are wise to this by the Holy Spirit, so as not to be found lacking in the care and work appropriate to them while they are in this life. God kept a time of rest for them in the Future Age. And those who have the living Lord within themselves for this very reason do not want to be at peace and free from sorrows, although at times they are given mysterious consolation in the spiritual. It is no longer a virtue for a person, when he reaches it, not to have care and labor in it; but here is the habit of the Spirit - to constantly force yourself to be in obedience, although there is a way to do the job in peace, because such is the will of the Spirit: in whom He dwells - not to accustom those to laziness. On the contrary, the Spirit encourages them not to seek rest, but to devote themselves more to work and the greatest sorrows. Through temptations the Spirit strengthens them and causes them to draw closer to wisdom. This is the will of the Spirit, that His beloved should remain in labor. It is not the Spirit of God that lives in those who are at rest, but the spirit of the devil, as one of those who love God said: “I swore that I was dying every day.” This is what distinguishes the sons of God from others, that they live in sorrow, while the world prides itself on luxury and peace. From word thirty-seven How pleasant knowledge is, borrowed by the deed itself from experience and from exercise, and what strength it gives to those who have acquired it in themselves through long-term experience, this is recognized by those who have experienced the assistance of knowledge, as well as the weakness of nature and the help of God's power, and are convinced of this. For only then will they know when God, having at first withheld His power from assisting them, brings them into consciousness of the weakness of nature, the difficulty of temptation, the cunning of the enemy and the one with whom they are fighting, with what nature they are endowed and how they were protected by God's power, how many journeys they have made, how much God's power has elevated them and how much they are weak in the fight against any passion if this power is removed from them, so that from all this they acquire humility, draw closer to God, begin to expect His help and remain in prayer. And where would they have accepted all this if they had not gained experience about many bad things, having fallen into this bad thing by God’s permission, as the Apostle said: ... for the many revelations, let me not be arrogant, since I have given him a foul of the flesh, the angel Satan (2 Cor. 12:7)? But in temptations, repeatedly experiencing God's help, a person acquires firm faith, which is why he becomes fearless, and acquires complacency in temptations from the very exercise that he had. Temptation is useful for every person. For if the temptation was useful to Paul, then let every mouth be stopped, and the whole world be guilty of God (Rom. 3:19). Ascetics are tempted to add them to their wealth; relaxed, to protect themselves from harm; immersed in sleep in order to prepare for their awakening; far away in order to bring them closer to God; theirs to God, so that they may rejoice with boldness. Every untaught son receives wealth from his father's house to no avail. That is why God first tempts and torments, and then shows the gift. Glory to the Lord, Who through bitter medicine brings us to the opportunity to enjoy health! There is no person who does not grieve during training; and there is no person who would not find the time bitter when he drinks the poison of temptation. Without them it is impossible to acquire a strong build. But we are not able to withstand temptations. For how can a clay vessel withstand the flow of water if Divine fire does not strengthen it? If, humbly asking with unceasing desire, we submit to God with patience, then we will receive everything in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. From word thirty-eighth The joy of God is stronger than life here; and whoever has found it will not only not look at the suffering, but will not even look at his life, and there will be no other feeling there, if this joy really existed. Love is sweeter than life, and understanding according to God, from which love is born, is even sweeter than honey and honeycomb. It is not sad for love to accept a hard death for those who love. Love is a product of knowledge, and knowledge is a product of mental health; mental health is strength that comes from prolonged patience. Question: What is leading? Answer: Feeling of immortal life. Question: What is immortal life? Answer: Feeling in God; because love comes from understanding, and knowledge according to God is the king of all desires, and to the heart that accepts it, all sweetness on earth is superfluous. For there is nothing like the sweetness of the knowledge of God. Fill, O Lord, my heart with Eternal Life! Eternal life is consolation in God; and whoever has found consolation in God considers worldly consolation unnecessary. Question: How does a person know that he has achieved humility? Answer: From the fact that he finds it disgusting to please the world with his communication with him or his word; and in his eyes the glory of this world is hateful. Question: What are passions? Answer: Impacts that are produced by the things of this world, prompting the body to satisfy its most essential needs; and these battles do not cease as long as this world stands. But a person who has been honored with Divine grace, has tasted and felt something higher than this, does not allow these affections to enter his heart, because instead of them another, better desire has prevailed in him, and neither these very affections nor what they generate come close to his heart, but they remain externally ineffective, not because there are no longer passionate affections, but because the heart that receives them is dead to them and lives on something else; not because the person has calmed down as a result of maintaining prudence and deeds, but because there is no anxiety in his mind from anything, his consciousness is saturated, having enjoyed something else. The heart, which has fully accepted the feeling of the spiritual and the contemplation of the Future Age, is in the same way in its consciousness towards the remembrance of passions as a person who is satiated with expensive food, with other food that is not similar to the one offered to him, that is, does not pay attention to it at all, does not desire it, and even more so abhors it and turns away from it, not only because it is vile in itself and hateful, but also because the man was satisfied with the first, best food, which he ate, not as he squandered his share and then coveted the people, when he had already squandered his father’s wealth that he had. And also, the one who is entrusted with the treasure does not sleep. If we train ourselves to think well, we will be ashamed of passions as soon as we encounter them. And those who have experienced it themselves know this. But we will be ashamed of approaching passions because of their guilt. When, out of love for God, you wish to accomplish some deed, set death as the limit of your desire; and in this way, in fact, you will be honored to ascend to the level of martyrdom in the fight against every passion and you will not suffer any harm from what meets you within this limit, if you endure to the end and do not relax. The thoughts of a weak mind make the strength of patience weak, but a strong mind imparts strength to those who follow its thoughts, which nature does not have. Grant me, Lord, to hate my life for the sake of life in You! The life of this world is like drawing some only letters from those inscribed on a table; and when anyone wants and wishes, he adds and subtracts to them and makes a change in the letters. And the life to come is like manuscripts inscribed on blank scrolls, sealed with the royal seal, in which there is neither addition nor omission. Therefore, while we are in the midst of change, we will be attentive to ourselves, and while we have power over the handwriting of our life, which we write with our own hands, we will try to make additions to it with a good life, we will begin to erase in it the shortcomings of the previous life. For while we are in this world, God does not put a seal on either good or bad, until the very hour of our departure, at which the work in our fatherland ends, and we depart for a foreign country. From word thirty-nine So that the mind does not suffer harm from everything: from sight, from hearing, from care about things, from their destruction, from their multiplication, from man - and in order to bind it with a single hope in God, the Lord rejected from us all other care, so that as a result of this we would desire an interview with the One God. But prayer still needs exercise so that the mind can remain in it for a long time. After non-acquisitiveness, which frees our thoughts from bonds, prayer requires staying in it, because with the passage of time the mind acquires the habit of exercise, learns how to reflect thoughts from itself, and through long experience learns what it cannot borrow from another source. For every present life borrows growth from the life of the previous one, and the previous one is required to gain the subsequent one. ...Love for God comes from conversation with Him, and prayerful reflection and teaching is achieved by silence, silence by non-covetousness, non-covetousness by patience and hatred of lusts, and hatred of lusts by fear of Gehenna and aspirations of bliss. Be careful lest your body become too weak, and therefore negligence grows stronger against you and chills your soul by tasting its work. Everyone should weigh his life, as it were, on a scale. When you are full, beware of giving yourself freedom even in small things. ...Keep yourself from conceit during good changes in you. Diligently reveal your weakness and ignorance in considering the subtleties of this conceit to the Lord in prayer, so as not to be abandoned to you and not to be tempted in anything shameful; because pride follows fornication, and conceit follows deception. If the Lord visits you in the physical without your labor, when you strive to take care of your soul, then, through the trick of the murderer - the devil, then the thought arises in you that the reason for all this industry, without a doubt, is in yourself. And then, along with this thought, God’s providence for you ceases, and at that very hour very many temptations are rushed at you, either from the cessation of the Provider’s care for you, or from the resumption of labor and illnesses rising in your body. God stops His care not just because a thought arises, but because the mind stops on this thought. For God does not punish or judge a person for an involuntary movement, even if we temporarily agree with the thought. If at the same hour we pierce a passion within ourselves and contrition appears in us, then the Lord does not punish us for such negligence, but punishes us for negligence to which the mind really indulges in such a way that it looks at it insensitively and recognizes it as something necessary and useful, and does not consider it a dangerous concern for itself. Let us always pray to the Lord like this: “May Thy truth, O Christ, the Fullness of Truth, shine in our hearts, and may we learn how to walk in Thy way according to Thy will!” Love silence above all, because it brings you closer to fruition; the tongue is weak to depict it. First, let us force ourselves to silence, and then from silence something will be born for us that will lead to silence itself. May God grant you to feel something born of silence. If you begin with this life, I cannot even say how much light will shine for you from here. ...When you put all the deeds of this life on one side, and silence on the other, then you will find that it outweighs on the scales. People have a lot of advice, but when someone comes close to silence, the work of keeping them will be unnecessary for him, and the previous works will turn out to be unnecessary, and he himself will turn out to have surpassed these works, because he has approached perfection. I have found, brother, many fathers, great and wonderful, who, more than about deeds, took care of the orderliness of feelings and bodily habits, because from here comes the orderliness of thoughts. Many reasons occur to a person outside of his will, which force him to go beyond the limits of his freedom. And if he is not protected in his feelings by a previously acquired unrelenting skill, then it may happen that for a long time he will not enter into himself and will not find his original peaceful state. Prosperity of the heart is thinking about your hope. The prosperity of life is renunciation of everything. Remembrance of death is a good bond for external members. The bait for the soul is the joy produced by hope thriving in the heart. The increase in knowledge is the constant testing to which the mind is daily subjected internally as a result of twofold changes. For if from solitude sometimes despondency is born in us (and this, perhaps, is allowed at God’s discretion), then we have the excellent consolation of hope - the word of faith, which is in our hearts. And one of the God-bearing men said well that for believers, love for God is sufficient consolation even in the event of the destruction of his soul. For, he says, what harm will sorrow cause to one who, for the sake of future benefits, neglects pleasure and peace? I give you, brother, this commandment: let alms always take precedence over you, until you feel in yourself the mercy that you have for the world. Let our mercy be a mirror so that we can see in ourselves that likeness and that true image that exists in God’s nature and in the essence of God. Let us be enlightened by this and similar things, so that with enlightened will we may move toward living according to God. A cruel and unmerciful heart will never be cleansed. A merciful person is the doctor of his soul, because, as if with a strong wind, he disperses the darkness of passions from his insides. This, according to the Gospel word of life, is a good debt given by us as a loan to God. When you approach your bed, tell her: “This night, perhaps, you will be my coffin, my bed, and I don’t know if this night, instead of a temporary sleep, an eternal, future dream will come to me.” Therefore, while you have legs, follow the doing, before you are bound by bonds that can no longer be resolved. While you have fingers, crucify yourself in prayer before death comes. While you have eyes, fill them with tears before they are covered with dust. Like a rose, as soon as the wind blows on it, it withers, so if within you you breathe on one of the elements that make up your composition, you will die. Put it into your heart, man, that you are about to depart, and constantly say to yourself: “There is a messenger already at the door who has come for me. Why am I sitting here? My exile is eternal, there will be no return.” He who has felt his sins is superior to the one who raises the dead with his prayer, when his abode is among a crowd of people. He who spends one hour sighing for his soul is superior to the one who benefits the whole world with his vision. He who is worthy to see himself is higher than he who is worthy to see Angels. For the latter enters into communication with the eyes of the body, and the former with the eyes of the soul. Truth is a feeling about God, which only a person experiences in himself through the sensation of the feelings of the spiritual mind. Love is the fruit of prayer; and from its contemplation it raises the mind to its insatiable lust, when the mind remains in it without despondency, and a person prays with his mind only in the silent thoughts of the understanding, ardently and with ardor. Prayer is the mortification of concepts inherent in the will of carnal life. For he who prays diligently is as he who is dead to the world; and to remain patiently in prayer means for a person to deny himself. In the selflessness of the soul, the love of God is finally found. From word forty-four If the depths of the world, after the sun's rays move away from it, remain warm for a long time, and also the smell of medicine and the smoke of the world, spreading in the air, remain for a considerable time before they dissipate and disappear, then all the more passions, like dogs accustomed to licking blood in a butcher's shop, when they are not given their usual food, stand at the door and bark until the strength of their former skill is crushed. When negligence begins to enter your soul like a Tatar, and it returns back in darkness, and the house is close to being filled with darkness, then the following signs are approaching. You will secretly feel within yourself that you are exhausted in your faith, you prevail in what is visible, but your hope is diminished, you suffer loss in those close to you, your whole soul is filled with reproach in your mouth and in your heart for every person and for every thing, with whatever you encounter in your thoughts and feelings, and for the Most High Himself, and you are afraid of bodily harm, for the sake of which cowardice takes possession of you every hour, and from time to time your soul is excited by such fear that you are frightened and run from your shadow, because you have eclipsed your faith with unbelief; By faith we do not mean the basis of a common confession, but this mental power, which with the light of the mind strengthens the heart and with the testimony of conscience arouses in the soul great hope in God, so that it does not worry about itself, but carelessly casts its care in everything on God. When you stretch forward, you will find the following clear signs close to your soul: you will be strengthened in everything by hope and enriched by prayer, the things that serve for good in your mind will never become scarce every time you meet people and feel the weakness of human nature, and each such case will protect you from pride. On the other hand, your neighbor’s shortcomings will become unworthy of attention in your eyes. You desire to leave this body with the same desire as you would to remain in the Future Age. About every sorrowful adventure for us, which meets you openly and secretly, with all caution, far from conceit, you will find that in justice and judgment all this has approached you. And for everything you will bring confession and thanksgiving. Many times, day after day, others transgress the law and heal their souls through repentance, and grace accepts them, because in every rational nature there are countless changes, and changes happen to every person hourly. And the sensible person finds many opportunities to understand this. But the tests he carries out on himself every day can especially make him wiser in this if he is sober in order to observe himself in his mind and find out what change in meekness and modesty his thought takes every day, how suddenly from his peaceful state he comes into confusion when no reason for this is rejected, and how a person is in great and unspeakable danger. And Saint Macarius, with great foresight and diligence, clearly wrote this as a reminder and for instruction to the brethren, so that, during a change to the contrary, they would not fall into despair, because with those who stand at the level of purity, like cooling with air, falls always happen, while there is no negligence or indulgence in themselves; on the contrary, even when they observe their rank, falls happen to them that are contrary to the intention of their own will. And blessed Mark, as one who has known exact experience, testifies to this and sets it out in excellent order in his writings, so that no one would think that Saint Macarius said this in his epistle by chance, and not from actual experience, and so that from these two witnesses the mind would surely receive consolation for itself in times of need. So what now? “Changes,” he says, “happen in everyone, like in the air.” Understand this word: in each; because nature is one, and lest you think that you said this about the lower and worse, the perfect ones are free from change and steadily stand on the same degree without passionate thoughts, as the Euchites say, he therefore said: in everyone. How is this, blessed one? However, you say, there is cold and soon then heat, also hail and a little later a bucket. This is what happens in our exercise: sometimes there is warfare, sometimes there is help from grace; sometimes the soul is overwhelmed, and cruel waves arise against it; and again a change occurs, because grace visits and fills a person’s heart with joy and peace from God, with chaste and peaceful thoughts. He points here to these thoughts of chastity, letting them understand that before them there were bestial and unclean thoughts, and gives advice, saying: if an impulse follows these chaste and modest thoughts, let us not grieve and despair, we will not also boast during the time of repose of grace, but during the time of joy we will begin to expect sorrow. He advises us not to be sad when painful attacks follow, showing that the mind should not bring them upon us, but should joyfully accept them as natural and characteristic of us. Let us not give in to despair, like a person who expects something for a feat, even perfect and unchangeable repose, and at the same time does not allow exploits, and sorrows, and for the movement of something contrary to occur in him, which our Lord God did not find appropriate to give to this nature in this world. Macarius gives this advice so that we do not become completely idle, remaining idle, and with this thought we do not relax in despair and remain motionless in our course. Know, he says, that all the saints were in this work. While we are in this world, after these labors we secretly receive abundant consolation, because every day and every hour we are required to experience our love for God in struggle and feat against temptations. And this means that we should not be sad or discouraged in our feat. And thus our path becomes successful. Finally, know that to resist is not yours or your virtue’s business, but this will be accomplished by grace, which carries you in the palms of its hand, so that you do not fall into fear. Put this into your thoughts during times of joy, so that your thoughts do not become exalted, as our holy father said; and cry, and shed tears, and fall down at the memory of your sins during the time of remission, so that you can be freed from this and gain humility through this. However, do not despair and, in thoughts of humility, make your sins forgivable through propitiation. Humility and doing nothing makes many sins forgivable. On the contrary, without humility, deeds are useless, and they even prepare a lot of bad things for us. By humility, as I said, make your iniquities forgivable. What salt is to all food, humility is to all virtue: it can break the strength of many sins. To acquire it, it is necessary to constantly grieve in thought with humiliation and rational sadness. And if we acquire it, it will make us sons of God and present us to God without good deeds, because without humility all our deeds, all virtues and all deeds are in vain. Finally, God wants a change in thought. Thought makes us both better and obscene. She alone is enough to make us helpless before God, and she speaks for us. Give thanks and silently confess to God that you have received such a weak nature and capable of evasion, and - with the assistance of grace, to what extent you sometimes rise - what gifts you are worthy of and to what extent you are above nature; when something is allowed to happen, how condescending do you become and acquire a bestial mind! Keep in mind the poverty of your nature and the speed with which changes will follow in you, as one of the holy elders said. “When,” he says, “the thought of pride comes to you, saying to you: “Remember your virtues,” you say: “Look, old man, at your fornication.”” He understood that fornication, by which, during the period of indulgence, we are tempted in thoughts, that grace arranges with everyone, or leading us into battle, or showing us help when something is useful for us. The briefly expressed thought of this chapter is the following: hourly we must know that in these twenty-four hours of the day and night we have a need for repentance. The meaning of the word repentance, as we learned from the actual properties of things, is this: it is, with a prayer filled with contrition, an unremitting petition approaching God to leave the past and pain to preserve the future. Therefore, our Lord also indicated the support of our weakness in prayer, saying: wake up, watch and pray, so that you do not fall into misfortune (Matthew 26:41). Pray and be not lazy, being watchful and praying at all times (Col.4:2,3). Ask and you will receive; seek, and you will find; ask, and it will be opened to you; for everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who asks, it will be opened (Matthew 7:7,8). He especially confirmed His Word and moved us to greater diligence with the parable of a friend who came to his friend at midnight and asked him for bread. The Lord says: Amen, I say... to you: even if he does not give it to him... he is not a friend; but because of his blindness, when he rises up, he will give it to him, and demand it (Luke 11:8). And you pray and do not be careless. What an unspeakable encouragement to boldness! The Giver encourages us to ask Him to give us His Divine gifts. And if He Himself, as He knows, organizes everything that is beneficial for us, then these words of His are filled with great power to arouse boldness and hope in us. Since the Lord knows that before death He will not take away from us the opportunity to deviate, that this change is very close to us, namely the transition from virtue to vice, that man and his nature conveniently accept the opposite, he commanded us to be careful and strive in constant prayer. If there were a land of authentication in this world, then as soon as a person reached it, his nature would then become higher than need and his work higher than fear, and God would not have commanded us to strive in prayer, doing this by His providence, because in the Future Age they do not bring prayers to God with requests for anything. In this homeland of freedom, our nature does not accept change and deviation on pain of resistance, because everything is perfect. Therefore, I commanded not only for the sake of prayer and self-preservation, but also because of the subtlety and incomprehensibility of what always meets us and is not comprehended by the knowledge of our mind in those states in which we often find ourselves involuntarily at all times. For although our thoughts are very firm and attached to good, yet His Providence has repeatedly left us at the limit of temptations and plunged us into them, as Blessed Paul said, for the abundance of revelations, let me not be arrogant, since the foul of the flesh, the angel of Satan, plays dirty tricks on me... And about this I prayed to the Lord three times, let him depart from me, and said to me: My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:7-9). If this is already Your will, Lord, and our infancy requires all this to guide and awaken its own by You, and even when a person is intoxicated with Your love, like me, and is drawn after the good, so that he does not look at the world at all, because of the ecstasy in which he is, then when, in addition to this, You gave me to achieve revelations and contemplations that cannot be explained in carnal language, You gave me to see and hear the voice of spiritual service and be honored filled with the holiness of Thy contemplation, but even with all this I, a perfect man in Christ, am not sufficient to protect myself, because there is something that, in its subtlety, cannot be comprehended by my strength, although I have acquired the mind of Christ - then I rejoice for this reason, Lord, in weaknesses, in sorrows, in prisons, in bonds, in needs, whether from nature this, whether from the sons of nature or from its enemies; but, rejoicing, I now endure my weaknesses, that is, the weaknesses of my temptations, so that the power of God may dwell in me. If, after all this, I need the rod of temptations, so that Your settlement in me may be expanded and I may be kept close to You, then I know that no one is loved by You more than me, and therefore You have exalted me above many. And just as you made me know Your wondrous and glorious powers, so you did not give them to any of my fellow apostles. And He called me a chosen vessel (Acts 9:15), because I will faithfully preserve the order of Your love. For all this, and especially in order for the work of preaching to prosper and extend forward, You, as far as I know, would grant me freedom if this were useful for me. But You deigned that I should not be without sorrow and care in this world, since it is not so important for You that the work of preaching Your Gospel in the world should multiply, but that I should benefit from my temptations when my soul is kept healthy by You. Finally, if all this, reasonable, is a great gift of temptations, because the more exalted a person is and, in the likeness of Pavlov, has entered into the spiritual, the more he still needs fear and caution and reaps the benefit from the temptations encountered by him; Who is this who has reached a land of authentication, full of predators, and has accepted something in order to become unwavering, which was not given to the holy Angels, so that not without us they will receive perfection (Heb. 11:40) - has accepted that which is contrary to everything spiritual and physical, and wants to be completely unchangeable, wants temptation not to approach him in his thoughts? The order of this world is this thought, expressed as if in all the Scriptures: if every day we constantly accept thousands of blows, then let us not be faint-hearted and let us not stop in the flow of the field, because in one unimportant case we can delight in victory and receive a crown. This world is a competition and a field for competition. This time is a time of struggle. But in the country of struggle and during the competition, there is no law, that is, the king does not set a limit for his warriors until the competition is over, and every person is brought to the door of the King of Kings, and there the one who was in the competition is tested, who did not allow him to be defeated and who turned his back. For many times it happens that a person, unfit for anything due to his lack of skill, is constantly defeated and deposed, and at all times remaining in powerlessness, when he suddenly steals the banner from the hands of the army of the sons of giants, his name is exalted, and he is praised much more than those who labored and became famous in victories, and receives a crown and expensive gifts more than his comrades. Therefore, let no man remain in despair. Let’s just not neglect prayer and don’t be too lazy to ask for help from the Lord. Let us firmly believe in our thoughts that while we are in this world and left in the flesh, even if we ascend to the vault of heaven, we cannot remain without deeds and labor and be without care. This (forgive me for this) is perfection, and what is more than this is mockery without reason. To our God be glory, and power, and splendor forever! Amen. The perfection of the entire field lies in the following: in repentance, in purity and in self-improvement. What is repentance? Leaving the past and sadness about it. What is purity? Briefly put: a heart that has mercy on all created nature. What is self-improvement? The depth of humility, that is, the abandonment of everything visible and invisible (visible, that is, everything sensory, and invisible, that is, mental) and care about it. At another time the question was asked again: what is repentance? - and said: a contrite and humble heart. – What is humility? - and said: pure, voluntarily accepted death for everything. – And what is a merciful heart? - and said: a person’s heart is kindled about all creation, about people, about birds, about animals, about demons and about every creature. When remembering them and looking at them, a person’s eyes shed tears. Because of the great and strong pity that envelops the heart, and because of the great patience, its heart is diminished, and it cannot bear, or hear, or see any harm or small sorrow endured by the creature. And therefore, for the dumb, and for the enemies of the truth, and for those who harm him, every hour he offers a prayer with tears, so that they will be preserved and have mercy; and also for the nature of reptiles he prays with great pity, which is immeasurably aroused in his heart until he becomes like God in this. And it was also asked: what is prayer? - and said: freedom and the abolition of the mind from everything here, - a heart that has completely turned its gaze to the lust of what is hoped for in the future. And whoever is far from this sows mixed seed in his field and is like one yoking an ox and a donkey together (see: Deut. 22:10). And it was also asked: how can a person acquire humility? - and said: by unceasing remembrance of sins, by hope approaching death, by poor attire, by choosing at all times the last place and in any case willingly taking upon oneself the most recent and humiliated things, not to be disobedient, to maintain constant silence, not to like going to meetings, to wish to remain unknown and not chosen for anything, not to keep any thing at your complete disposal, to hate conversations with many people, not to love profits and, above all, with one’s mind to be above blaming and blaming every person, and above envy, not to be the kind of person whose hands would be on everyone and on whom everyone’s hands would be, but to go about his business alone in solitude and not take care of anything in the world except himself. In short: a wandering life, poverty and solitude - this is what gives birth to humility and purifies the heart. The sign of those who have achieved perfection is this: if ten times a day they are handed over to be burned for love for people, they are not satisfied with this, as Moses said to God: ... if you forgive them their sin, forgive them: if not, blot me out of Your book, I wrote ecu in the book (Ex. 32:32); and as blessed Paul says: I prayed... that I should be excommunicated from Christ according to my brethren (Rom. 9:3); and again: Now I rejoice in my sorrow for you Gentiles (Col. 1:24). And the other apostles, for their love for human life, accepted death in all its forms. The end of all this together is God and the Lord. Out of love for creation, He gave His Son up to death on the cross. For God so loved the world, as He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16) to die for it - not because He could not redeem us in any other way, but in order to teach us His abounding love and by the death of His Only Begotten Son to bring us closer to Himself. And if He had something more precious, He would have given it to us in order to thereby acquire our race for Himself. And out of His great love He did not deign to restrict our freedom, although He was strong to do this, but He deigned that through the love of our own hearts we would draw closer to Him. And Christ Himself, out of His love for us, was obedient to His Father in joyfully accepting reproach and sorrow upon Himself, as Scripture says: ... instead of the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross, being careless about the shame (Heb. 12:2). That is why the Lord, on the night on which he was betrayed, said: This is My Body, which is given for life for peace (Luke 22:19); and: For this is My Blood... which is shed for many for the remission of sins (Matthew 26:28); and he also says: ... for their sake I consecrate myself (John 17:19). This is how all the saints achieve this perfection when they become perfect and become like God through the outpouring of their love and philanthropy towards everyone. And the saints strive for this sign - to become like God by perfection in love for their neighbor. No one can ascend to the level of this love unless he secretly feels his hope. And those who love this world cannot acquire love for people. When someone acquires love, together with love he puts on God Himself. And the one who has acquired God must not only not agree to acquire anything else with Him, but also put off his body. But if anyone puts on love for the world in this world and in this life, he will not put on God until he leaves this. For God Himself testified to this, saying: ... unless someone forsakes everything and hates ... his own life, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:26). You should not only leave it, but also hate it. And if someone cannot be a disciple of the Lord, then how can the Lord dwell in him? Do you, little man, want to find life? Keep faith and humility in yourself, because with them you will acquire mercy, and help, and words spoken in your heart by God, as well as a Guardian who is secretly and openly with you. Do you want to acquire this, that is, the fellowship of life? Walk with God in simplicity, not in knowledge. Simplicity is followed by faith, and refinement and perversion of thoughts are followed by conceit, and conceit is followed by distance from God. When you stand before God in prayer, in your thoughts become like an ant, like a reptile on the ground, like a leech and like a silent child. Do not speak before God anything from knowledge, but with your childish thoughts draw near to Him and walk before Him, so that you may be worthy of that Fatherly providence that fathers have for their children and infants. It is said: The Lord protect the infants (Ps. 114:5). ...Ask God to let you come to the measure of faith. And if you feel this pleasure in your soul, then it is not difficult to tell me that there is nothing to turn you away from Christ. ...And also pray so as not to weaken. You will be worthy of this if you first, with faith, force yourself to cast your care on God and replace your care with His providence. And when God sees this will in you, that with all the purity of your thoughts you trusted God Himself more than yourself, and forced yourself to trust in God more than in your soul, then this unknown power will dwell in you and you will tangibly feel that there is undoubtedly power with you - that power, feeling which in themselves many go into the fire, and are not afraid, and, walking on the waters, do not waver in thought his fear of drowning, because faith strengthens spiritual feelings, and a person feels within himself that as if something invisible convinces him not to listen to the vision of terrible things and not to look at the vision that is unbearable for the senses. In weakness and simplicity, pray that you may live well before God and be without care. For as the shadow follows the body, so mercy follows humility. Finally, if you want to do this, then do not give your hand to weak thoughts. If all harm, all malice and all dangers surround and frighten you, do not worry about it and do not care about it. If you once entrusted yourself to the Lord, who is all-sufficient to protect you and look after you, and if you follow Him, then do not worry about anything like that again, but say to your soul: “For me, every work is sufficient for Him to whom I once devoted my soul. I'm not here; He knows it." Then you will actually see the miracles of God: you will see how at all times God is close to deliver those who fear Him, and how His Providence surrounds them, although invisible. But because the Guardian who is with you is invisible with your bodily eyes, you should not becomes the basis for it, you doubt Him, as if He does not exist, for He often reveals Himself to the eyes of the body in order to make you feel good. Grace, as soon as it sees that a certain amount of conceit has begun to appear in a person’s thoughts and he has begun to think highly of himself, immediately allows temptations to intensify and become stronger against him, until he recognizes his weakness, runs and clings in humility to God. By this a man comes to the measure of a man perfect in faith and trust in the Son of God and is elevated to love. For the wonderful love of God for a person is known when he finds himself in circumstances that destroy his hope. Here God shows His power in saving him. For man never knows the power of God in peace and freedom, and nowhere has God palpably demonstrated His effectiveness except in the land of silence and in the desert, in places devoid of gatherings and the rumors that occur among people. Do not be surprised that when you begin to practice virtue, cruel and strong sorrows are poured out on you from everywhere, because even that which is not accompanied by difficulty is not considered a virtue. For for this very reason, as Saint John said, it is called virtue (αρετή): virtue, he says, usually encounters difficulties; it is reprehensible when it is tied to peace. You know that the hope of peace at all times has made people forget what is great, good and virtue. But even those who live in this world for the body cannot fully achieve the fulfillment of their desires if they do not decide in their minds to endure the unpleasant. And since experience testifies to this, there is no need to convince of this with words; That is why, before us and to this day, not because of anything else, but because of this, people are exhausted and not only do not gain victory, but are even deprived of the best. Therefore, let us say briefly that if a person neglects the Kingdom of Heaven, it is only because of the hope of little consolation here. When the mind becomes jealous of virtue, then the external senses, such as sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, do not yield to victory over such difficulties that are alien to them, extraordinary, beyond the limits of natural powers. And if natural irritability reveals its activity in time, then bodily life is neglected more than the mind. For when the heart becomes jealous in spirit, the body does not grieve over sorrows, does not become afraid and does not shrink from fear, but the mind, like adamant, with its firmness resists all temptations. From word fifty-one Above all passions is self-love; above all virtues is disdain for peace. Whoever gives up his body to rest, in the land of peace, causes it sorrow. He who enjoys in his youth becomes a slave in old age and groans in his last days. Just as it is impossible for someone whose head is in the water to inhale the thin air spreading in this empty depths, so it is impossible for someone who immerses his thoughts in local worries to inhale the sensations of this new world. Just as the stench of death upsets the physical composition, so does an obscene spectacle upset the world of the mind. Just as it is impossible for there to be health and illness in one body and one not to be upset by the other, so it is impossible for there to be a lot of money and love in one house and one not to harm the other. Just as glass cannot remain intact when colliding with a nearby stone, so a saint, when they are together, stays for a long time and talks with his wife, cannot remain in his purity and not become defiled. Just as trees are uprooted by a strong and constant influx of water, so the love for the world is eradicated in the heart by the influx of temptations directed at the body. Just as medicine destroys the impurity of bad juices in the body, so the cruelty of sorrows cleanses the heart from evil passions. Just as a dead person cannot emit the smell that is felt from the living, so the soul of a monk, buried in silence, as in a coffin, is deprived of that breeze that usually appears, like smoke, when sensing anything used by people. Just as it is impossible for someone who spares his enemy on the battlefield to remain unharmed, so it is impossible for an ascetic to save his soul from destruction if he spares his body. Just as a young virgin is amazed by terrible sights and, indulging in flight, holds on to the edges of her parents’ clothes, calling on them for help, so the soul, to the extent that it is oppressed and crushed by the fear of temptation, hastens to cleave to God, calling on Him in unceasing prayer. And while temptations continue to attack her one after another, she multiplies her prayer, and as soon as she receives liberation again, she indulges in soaring thoughts. As those who are handed over to the hands of judges for punishment for an atrocity, if, as soon as they are approaching torture, they humble themselves and immediately admit their unrighteousness, the punishment is reduced, and soon, through minor sorrows, they are freed from trial; if some criminals are stubborn and do not confess, then they are subjected to new tortures and finally, after many tortures, when their body is covered with wounds, although they confess involuntarily, they do not receive any benefit from it - so do we, when for our sins, carelessly committed by us, mercy delivers us into the hands of the righteous Judge of all and commands us to be stretched out under the rod of temptations in order to ease the punishment there. ours, if as soon as the rod of the Judge approaches us, we will humble ourselves, remember our iniquities and bring them to confession to the One who punishes us, we will soon be delivered from short-term temptations; and if we become hardened in our sorrows and do not confess that we are really guilty of such sins and are worthy to endure even greater sorrows, on the contrary, we will begin to blame people, and sometimes demons, at other times God’s truth, and assert that we are innocent in such matters, and we will think and say this, and will not think that God knows better than ourselves and knows us, that His judgments throughout the whole earth and without His command are not if a person is punished, then everything that happens to us will cause us constant sadness, our sorrows will increase, and one after another they will, like a rope, bind us until we know ourselves, humble ourselves and feel our iniquities (for without feeling them, it is impossible for us to reach correction); and finally, burdened with many sorrows, we will bring confession without benefit to ourselves, when, as a rule, there is no longer any consolation. But this - to feel our sins - is a gift that is given to us by God when God sees that we are tired of manifold temptations; and then the thought comes to us that, despite all our misfortunes and sorrows, we should not depart from this world without receiving any benefit for ourselves. And the fact that we do not understand our sins is not due to the difficulty of the temptations, but due to ignorance. Often others, being in similar circumstances, depart from this world guilty and have not confessed their sins, but deny them and blame others; The merciful God expected this in order to forgive them and make it easier for them, if only they would humble themselves; and would not only ease their temptations, but would also forgive them their sins, being appeased by a small heartfelt confession. Just as a person who drinks wine on the day of mourning, having drunk, forgets all sadness about his difficult situation, so one who is intoxicated with the love of God in this world, that is, in the house of mourning, forgets all his labors and sorrows and, because of his intoxication, becomes insensitive to all sinful passions. His heart is strengthened by hope in God; his soul is light as a feathered bird; his mind hourly rises from the earth, soars above all human thoughts with his thoughts and enjoys immortality with the Almighty. To him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen. From word fifty-three Humility is the robe of the Divine. The Word made human clothed itself in it and through it spoke to us in our body. And everyone clothed in it truly became like Him who Descended from His height, who hid the valor of His greatness and covered His glory with humility, so that creation would not be deceived by looking at Him. For the creature could not have looked at Him if He had not received part of it and thus began to talk with it. I could not have heard the words from His mouth face to face, because the children of Israel could not hear His voice when He spoke to them from the cloud, and they said to Moses: Let God speak to you, and let you tell us His words, and let not God speak to us, lest we die (Ex. 20:19). Therefore, how could creation openly accept the sight of Him? The vision of God is so terrible that the intercessor (the prophet Moses - ed. note) said: I am afraid and trembling (Heb. 12:21); because on Mount Sinai the very valor of glory appeared; the mountain smoked and shook from the fear of the revelation that was upon it; why the animals that approached the lower parts of the mountain died, and the sons of Israel, having purified themselves, according to the command of Moses, prepared and equipped themselves for three days in order to become worthy to hear the voice of God and see God's revelation; but when the time came, they could not accept the vision of His light and the strength of the voice of His thunder. Now, when at His coming He poured out His grace on the world, He did not descend in cowardice, not in fire, not in a terrible and strong voice, but like rain on a fleece and like a drop quietly dripping onto the ground, and He was visible, talking to us in a different way, that is, when, as if in a treasury, He hid His greatness under the veil of flesh and among us talked with us in that with a wave He built Himself for Himself in the bosom of the Virgin and Mother of God Mary, so that we, seeing that He is the only one of our kind and talks with us, would not be horrified when we look at Him. Therefore, everyone who is dressed in the robe in which he was seen in the body in which the Creator was clothed, he clothed himself in Christ Himself, because in the likeness in which Christ was seen and lived with His creation, and he wished to be clothed according to his inner man, and in this likeness we see slaves like him, and instead of the robe of honor and external glory he was adorned with this. Therefore, the creature, verbal and dumb, looking at every person clothed in this likeness, worships him as a ruler, in honor of its Master, Whom it saw clothed in this same likeness and lived in it. Humility is a certain mysterious power, which, after completing the entire life, perfect saints will receive. This power is given only to those who are perfect in virtue by the power of grace, since they are adequately capable of this by nature, because this virtue contains everything. Therefore, not every person, no matter who he is, can be considered humble by anyone, but only those who have been worthy of this rank we have spoken of. Not everyone who is modest and silent, or prudent, or meek by nature, has already reached the degree of humility. On the contrary, he is truly humble who has in his secret something worthy of pride, but is not proud and in his thoughts regards it as dust. And the one who is humble when remembering his sins and misdeeds and remembers them until his heart is contrite and his mind, when remembering them, descends from the heights of proud thoughts, we will not call him humble, although this is commendable, because there is still a proud thought in him, and he has not acquired humility, but cunningly brings it closer to himself. And although, as I said, this is commendable, humility does not yet belong to him; He only desires humility, but he has no humility. The one who is completely humble is the one who does not need to invent reasons for humility through his wisdom, but in all this has completely and naturally acquired humility without difficulty, like a person who has accepted into himself a certain great gift that exceeds all creation and nature, but who looks at himself as a sinner, at a person who means nothing and is despicable in his own eyes; and while he has entered into the secrets of all spiritual beings and has become completely perfect in the wisdom of all creation, he recognizes himself as meaningless. And this one, not subtly, but without coercion, is like that in his heart. Is it possible or impossible for a person to become like this and by nature to change himself like this? Do not doubt, finally, that the power of the sacraments received by a person accomplishes this in him, in every virtue, without his labors. This is the power that the blessed apostles received in the form of fire. It was for her that the Savior commanded them not to leave Jerusalem (Acts 1:4) until they received strength from above. This Jerusalem is virtue, strength is humility, and the power from above is the Comforter, otherwise interpreted as the Spirit of Consolation. This is what is said about Him in the Divine Scripture, that mysteries are revealed to the humble. It is this Spirit of revelations, revealing mysteries, that the humble of wisdom are privileged to receive within themselves. This is why it is said by some saints that humility perfects the soul with Divine contemplations. If a person asks: “What should I do? How to purchase? What is the way to become worthy to accept humility? So I force myself, and as soon as I think that I have acquired it, I see that thoughts contrary to it are turning in my mind, and therefore I am now falling into despair,” - this questioner will be given the following answer: It is sufficient for a disciple to become like his teacher, for a slave to become like his master (cf. Matt. 10:25). Look how He who commanded it and bestows this gift acquired humility, and imitate it, and you will find it. He said: The prince of this world is coming, and in Me he will find nothing (cf. John 14:30). You see how with the perfection of all virtues you can acquire humility! Let us be jealous of Him who gave the commandment. He says: Foxes have wounds, and birds of heaven have nests: but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head (Matthew 8:20). He says this, Who of all who are perfect, sanctified, and made complete in every generation has glory, together with the Father who sent Him, and with the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. From word fifty-four ... Carry out your life in accordance with the purpose that you have proposed for yourself before God, in which your conscience is not condemned, and test your life according to the Divine Scriptures and according to the commandments that you received from the holy fathers. And if you are not accused by them, then do not be afraid of what others have been tempted by. For not a single person can satisfy everyone equally or please everyone and work for God in his innermost being. Purity of the soul is the original gift of our nature. Without purity from passions, the soul is not cured of sinful illnesses and does not gain glory lost through crime. If someone has been worthy of purification, that is, mental health, then his mind really and truly accepts joy with a spiritual feeling, for he becomes a son of God and a brother of Christ and does not have time to feel the good and bad that encounters him. May God grant us to know His will, so that, always fulfilling it, we may come to His eternal rest, according to the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom is due all glory, honor and worship, now and forever and ever. Amen. From word fifty-five Question: Should one keep all the commandments of the Lord, and is there a way for one who does not keep them to be saved? Answer: And, it seems to me, there is no need to ask anyone about this. For although there are many commandments, it is nevertheless necessary to preserve them. Otherwise, the Savior would not have needed to give them, because the Lord, as I think, did not say or do anything unnecessary, for which there would be no reason and for which there would be no need. And the purpose of His coming, when He gave us His life-giving commandments as cleansing medicines in our passionate state, was to cleanse the soul from the damage caused by the first crime and restore it to its primitive state. What medicine is for a sick body, so are commandments for a passionate soul. And it is clear that the commandments were established in spite of passions, for the healing of a criminal soul, as the Lord clearly says to His disciples: If you have My commandments and keep them, this is you who love Me: and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will appear to him Myself (John 14:21). ...And we will come to him and make our abode with him (John 14:23); and again: Of this the world understands, because you are my disciples, if you love one another (cf. John 13:35). It is clear that love can be acquired with mental health, but a soul that has not kept the commandments is not healthy. Keeping the commandments is even lower than spiritual love. And since there are many who keep the commandments out of fear or for the sake of reward in the future, and not out of love, the Lord urges many to keep the commandments out of love, so that they may impart light to the soul. And one more thing: ... let people see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in Heaven (Matthew 5:16). But good deeds, as the Lord taught, cannot be visible in the soul if the commandments are not kept. And the Lord said that the commandments are not difficult for those who love the truth, for He says: Come... all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light (Matthew 11:30). He Himself also commanded that all the commandments must be preserved by us diligently, when He says: Whoever destroys the unity of these little commandments and teaches men to do so, he will be called in the Kingdom of Heaven (cf. Matt. 5:19). After all this, legitimized for our salvation, I cannot say that we should not keep all the commandments. And the soul itself will not be able to become pure if it does not keep them. The commandments were given by the Lord as medicine to cleanse from passions and sins. Blessed Basil and Blessed Gregory, about whom you said that they were lovers of the desert, pillars and light of the Church and praised silence, came into silence not because they did not practice doing the commandments, but first lived in the world and kept the commandments that those living in society were supposed to keep, and then they came to spiritual purity and were honored with spiritual contemplation. Indeed, I am sure that when they lived in cities, they received strangers, visited the sick, clothed the naked, washed the feet of workers, and if someone fought their field together, two walked with him (cf. Matt. 5:41). And when they kept the commandments needed in social life, and their mind began to feel the original steadfastness, Divine and mysterious contemplations, then they hurried and went out into the desert silence; and from that time on they remained with their inner man, which is why they became speculative and remained in spiritual contemplation until they were called by grace to become shepherds of the Church of Christ. He who neglects the sick will not see the light. Whoever turns his face away from someone who mourns, his day will be darkened. And whoever despises the voice of the afflicted, his sons in blindness will grope for their homes. ...It is not actions that open the locked door of the heart, but a contrite heart and humility of the soul, when you overcome passions with humility and not with disdain. For the sick person first humbles himself and takes care of recovery from his ailments, and then strives to become a king, because purity and mental health are the kingdom of the soul. ...Above all, acquire patience for everything that happens to you. And in great humility and contrition of heart for what is in us and for our thoughts, we will ask for forgiveness of our sins and spiritual humility. One of the saints wrote: “Whoever does not consider himself a sinner, his prayer is not accepted by the Lord.” If you say that some fathers wrote about what spiritual purity is, what health is, what dispassion is, what contemplation is, then they did not write so that we would expect this ahead of time; for it is written that the kingdom of God will not come without waiting (Luke 17:20). And in those who had such an intention, they acquired pride and downfall. And we will bring the area of ​​the heart into order through works of repentance and a life pleasing to God; The Lord’s will come by itself if the place in the heart is clean and undefiled. What we seek in observance, I mean God’s lofty gifts, is not approved by the Church of God; and those who accepted this acquired pride and downfall. And this is not a sign that a person loves God, but mental illness. And how can we strive for God’s high gifts, when Paul boasts of his sorrows and honors fellowship in the sufferings of Christ as God’s high gift? You know, beloved, that if the passionate part of the soul is not healed, is not renewed, is not sanctified in secret, is not bound by spiritual life, then the soul will not acquire health and will not be freed from whatever it encounters in creation that saddens it. And this healing can be accomplished by grace, as it was with the blessed apostles, because by faith they were perfected in the love of Christ. And sometimes it happens that the soul acquires health legally. For whoever, by doing the commandments and the difficult deeds of true living, has overcome passions, let him know that he has legitimately acquired spiritual health, and has been milked with milk outside the materialization of this world, and has cut off his former disposition, and has been reborn, as originally, in the spiritual, and by grace, as having acquired the concepts of the inner man, has become visible in the realm of the Spirit, and has received it into himself into a new, uncomplicated world. When the mind is renewed and the heart is sanctified, then all the concepts that arise in it are aroused in accordance with the nature of the world into which it enters. First, love for the Divine is awakened in him, and he desires communication with Angels and the revelation of the secrets of spiritual knowledge; his mind senses the spiritual knowledge of creatures, and the contemplation of the mysteries of the Holy Trinity, as well as the mysteries of the venerable Economy for our sake, shines in him; and then completely enters into unity with the knowledge of the hope of the future. ...As long as a person makes an effort for the spiritual to descend upon him, it does not submit. And if he boldly dreams, and raises his gaze to the spiritual, and reaches it with his understanding at the wrong time, then his vision soon becomes dull, and instead of the real, he sees ghosts and images. ...True contemplation of the sensual and supersensible natures, and the Holy Trinity Itself, is given in the revelation of Christ. Christ taught him and showed him to people, when initially through His Hypostasis he renewed human nature, returned and gave him the first freedom, and Himself paved the way for us to ascend to the truth with His life-giving commandments. And nature is only then capable of becoming a spectator of true, and not dreamy, contemplation, when a person initially, through suffering, work and sorrow, puts off the old passionate person, just as a newborn baby takes off the clothes taken out of his mother’s womb. Then the mind is able to be reborn spiritually, become visible in the spiritual world and accept the contemplation of its fatherland. From word fifty-six The soul that loves God, in God and in Him alone, acquires peace for itself. First allow every external union within yourself, and then you will be able to be in union with God with your heart, because union with God is preceded by renunciation from matter. Bread is given to the baby as food after he has been fed with milk; and a person who intends to succeed in the Divine desires first to remove himself from the world, like a baby from the embraces and suckles of his mother. Bodily work precedes spiritual work, just as dust preceded the soul blown into Adam. He who has not achieved bodily work cannot have spiritual work, because the latter is born from the first, like an ear from a bare grain of wheat. And whoever does not have spiritual activity is deprived of spiritual gifts. The illnesses suffered in the present age for the sake of truth cannot be compared with the pleasure that is prepared for those who suffer for good. Just as the handles of rejoicing follow those who sow in tears, so suffering for the sake of God will be followed by joy. The bread produced by sweat seems sweet to the farmer; sweet are the works for the sake of righteousness to the heart that has accepted the knowledge of Christ. With good will, endure both humiliation and humility, so that you may have boldness before God. A person, knowingly enduring every cruel word, when he himself has not first done an injustice to the one who spoke it, although at the same time he places a crown of thorns on his head, he is nevertheless blessed, because he is crowned incorruptibly, although he himself does not know it. He who with knowledge flees from vain glory has felt in his soul the Future Age. Whoever says that he has left the world, and argues with people because of some need, so that he does not lack anything for his repose, is completely blind, because although he voluntarily left his whole body, he nevertheless argues and argues about one of its members. Whoever runs from peace in this life, his mind has already glimpsed the Future Age. And whoever is bound by covetousness is a slave of passions. Do not think that the mere acquisition of gold and silver is covetousness; it is the acquisition of anything, something to which your will is attached. Do not praise someone who suffers physically, but who has been given free rein to his senses, I mean hearing, gaping and uncontrollable lips and wandering eyes. When you prescribe rules for a soul to arrange its salvation through mercy, teach your soul not to seek justification in other matters, so that it does not turn out that you are doing with one hand and wasting it with the other, for there the need is for compassion, and here for the breadth of the heart. Know that forgiving sins to debtors is one of the works of righteousness. Then you will see silence and lightness everywhere in your mind. When you take the path of truth, then you will cleave to freedom in every matter. ...One must joyfully not only endure the unjust confiscation of some thing and other external things, but also lay down one’s very soul for one’s brother. He who lays down his soul is merciful, and not the one who only shows mercy to his brother through alms. But he is also merciful who hears or sees something that saddens his brother and his heart burns; and equally the one who, if strangled by his brother, will not have such shamelessness as to answer and sadden his heart. ...Love chastity, so as not to be ashamed during your prayer before God. Acquire purity in your deeds, so that your soul is illuminated in prayer and the remembrance of death kindles joy in your mind. Beware of the small, so as not to fall into the big. ...Do not bind your freedom to what serves for pleasure, lest you become a slave of slaves. In your attire, love poor clothes, in order to disparage the thoughts that arise in you, that is, the arrogance of the heart. He who loves brilliance cannot acquire humble thoughts, because the heart is internally imprinted in the likeness of external images. ...It is better for you to free yourself from the bonds of sin than to free slaves from slavery. It is better for you to make peace with your soul in the unanimity of the threefold composition within you, that is, body, soul and spirit, than to pacify those of different minds through your teaching. Gregory says: “It is good to theologize for the sake of God, but it is better for a person to make himself pure for God.” It is better for you, being a leader and experienced, to be tongue-tied than to flow out teachings like a river from the sharpness of your mind. It is more useful for you to take care to restore what has fallen in your soul from passions by exciting your thoughts to the Divine, than to resurrect the dead. Let it be better that you be considered uneducated for your lack of ability to argue, than one of the wise for your shamelessness. Be poor in humility - and do not be rich in shamelessness. Convict those who hold teachings contrary to yours by the strength of your virtues, and not by the persuasiveness of your words. With meekness and calmness of your lips, stop the lips of shamelessness of the disobedient and make them silent. Reprove the depraved with the nobility of your life, and those who have shameless feelings with the self-control of their eyes. All the days of your life, wherever you go, recognize yourself as a wanderer, so that you can be able to get rid of the harm caused by freedom in circulation. Always think about yourself that you know nothing, in order to avoid being blamed on suspicion that you want to establish the opinion of another in your own way. Always bless with your mouth, and they will not slander you, because from slander comes slander, and from blessing comes blessing. In every matter, consider yourself poor in order to teach, and throughout your life you will prove wise. Do not tell another what you yourself have not comprehended, so that you are not ashamed of yourself and your lies are revealed when your life is compared. If you begin to tell someone something useful, then speak as a student, and not with authority and shamelessness, and judge yourself in advance, and show that you are lower than him, so that you can show those who listen the order of humility and encourage them to listen to your speech and begin to do it, and you will be honored in their eyes. If you can, then in such cases speak with tears in order to benefit both yourself and those listening to you - and the grace of God will be with you. If you have anything extra for your daily needs, give it to the poor and go boldly to offer your prayers, that is, talk with God like a son with his father. Nothing can bring the heart closer to God like almsgiving; and nothing produces such silence in the soul as arbitrary poverty. It is better for many to call you ignorant for the sake of simplicity, than for the sake of fame to be wise and perfect in mind. If someone, sitting on a horse, stretches out his hand to you to accept alms, do not refuse him, because at this time he is, without a doubt, as poor as one of the beggars. When you give, give with generosity, with a kindly expression on your face, and provide more than you asked for. For it is said: Send your piece on the face of the poor, and in a short time you will find reward (cf. Eccl. 11:1). Do not separate the rich from the poor and do not try to distinguish the worthy from the unworthy: let all people be equal for you for a good deed. For in this way you can also attract the unworthy to goodness, because the soul through the physical is soon drawn into the fear of God. And the Lord shared meals with publicans and harlots and did not separate the unworthy from Himself, so that in this way he would draw everyone into the fear of God and so that through the physical they would come closer to the spiritual. Therefore, by beneficence and honor, make all people equal, whether someone is a Jew, or an infidel, or a murderer, especially since he is your brother, of the same nature as you, and through ignorance he has strayed from the truth. When you do good to someone, do not expect retribution from him: God will reward you for both. And if it is possible for you, do good, and not for the sake of future reward. From word fifty-seven Consider as a man of God the one who, out of great compassion, killed himself for a necessary need. For whoever shows mercy to the poor has God as his guardian. And whoever becomes poor for God’s sake will find endless treasures. God has no need for anything; but he rejoices when he sees that a person reposes His image and honors it for His sake. When someone asks you for what you have, do not say in your heart: I leave this to my soul to rest in it; God from another place will give him what he needs. Such words are appropriate for unrighteous people and those who do not know God. A just and kind person will not give his honor to another and will not allow the time of grace to pass without action. A poor and needy person is supplied by God, because the Lord does not leave anyone; but you, having sent the poor one away from you, have deviated from the honor given to you by God and removed His grace from yourself. Therefore, when you give, have fun and say: “Glory to You, God, that you have made me worthy to find someone to put to rest!” If there is nothing to give you, rejoice and, thanking God, say: “I thank You, my God, that you have given me this grace and honor to become poor for the sake of Your Name, and have made me worthy to taste the sorrow laid on the path of Your commandments, in sickness and poverty, as Your saints who walked this path tasted!” And when you faint, say: “Blessed is he who has been found worthy to be tested by God in that for which we will inherit life.” For God sends illnesses for the health of the soul. One of the saints said: “I noticed that a monk who does not work pleasingly to the Lord and does not strive zealously for the salvation of his soul, but is careless in practicing the virtues, is certainly allowed by God to fall into temptation, so that he does not remain idle and does not deviate from his much idleness into the worse.” Therefore, God imposes temptation on the lazy and careless, so that they think about temptations and not about vain things. God always does this to those who love Him, in order to enlighten, make wise and teach them His will. And when they beg Him, He will not quickly heed them, until they are exhausted and until they undoubtedly know that this happened to them because of their negligence and laziness. For it is written: Whenever you stretch out your hands to Me, I will turn away Mine eyes from you: and if you increase your prayer, I will not hear you (Is. 1:15). And although this is said about others, it is actually written about those who have abandoned the path of the Lord. But since we say that God is abundantly merciful, then why, when we constantly ask en masse and in temptation, are we not heard, but does He despise our petition? This, of course, is what the prophet teaches us, saying: The hand of the Lord is not small to show mercy, and the Lord is not hard of hearing to hear. But our sins separated us from Him, and our iniquities turned away His Face so as not to hear (see: Is. 59: 1,2). Remember God at all times, and He will remember you when you fall into trouble. Your nature has become conveniently accepting passions, many temptations in the real world, evil is not far from you and is exuding inside you and under your feet. Don't move from where you are. When God deigns, you will be freed from this. Just as the eyelids are close to each other, so temptations are close to people; and God wisely arranged this for your benefit, so that you would constantly knock on His door, so that the fear of sorrow would instill the remembrance of Him in your mind, so that you would draw closer to Him in prayer and your heart would be sanctified by unceasing remembrance of Him. And when you beg, he will hear you; and you will know that the One who delivers you is God, and you will recognize the One who created you, who provides for you, who preserves you, and who created the ultimate world for you: one as a temporary teacher and mentor, the other as a fatherly home and eternal inheritance. God did not make you inaccessible to the deplorable, so that you, having desired the Divinity, would not inherit the same thing that was inherited by the one who was originally a star, and who later became Satan for exaltation. And also He did not create you steadfast and motionless, so that you would not become similar to the nature of inanimate creatures and so that the good in you would not remain unprofitable for you and not deserving of reward, like natural bestial advantages in dumb ones. For it is easy for anyone to understand how much benefit, gratitude and humility are born from the fact that these thorns are sharpened against you. Continually cleanse yourself before the Lord, having the remembrance of Him in your heart, so that, having spent a long time without remembering Him, you will not be found to lack boldness when you come to Him. For boldness before God comes from frequent conversation with Him and much prayer. Communication with people and its continuation occurs through the body, and communication with God occurs through spiritual remembrance, attentiveness in prayers and burnt offerings. By maintaining the remembrance of God for a long time, the soul is at times brought into amazement and amazement. ... Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice: seek the Lord, you condemned, and be strengthened in hope, seek His Face (Ps. 104:3,4) with repentance, and be sanctified by the sanctity of His Face, and be cleansed from your sins. Unrighteous lips are stopped with prayer, because the condemnation of conscience makes a person lacking boldness. A kind heart joyfully sheds tears in prayer. In whom the world is dead, they joyfully endure insults; and in whom the world is alive, they cannot tolerate insults, but, driven by vanity, they become angry and, from an unreasonable movement, become confused or overcome with sadness. Oh, how difficult it is to succeed in such virtue and what glory it acquires from God! Whoever wants to succeed in this virtue, that is, to endure offense and be generous, must move away from his relatives and become a wanderer, because in his own country it is impossible to succeed in this virtue. It is common for the great and the strong to endure her suffering among their relatives, and only those in whom this world has died can do this, because they have despaired of any real consolation. Just as grace is close to humility, so painful adventures are close to pride. The eyes of the Lord are on the humble, to make them glad. The face of the Lord is against the proud, to humble them. Humility always accepts mercy from God. And cruelty and lack of faith encounter terrible events. Humble yourself in everything before all people, and you will be exalted before the princes of this age. Preface everyone with your greeting and bow, and you will be honored more than those who bring Ophir gold as a gift. Humble yourself and you will see the glory of God in yourself. For where humility vegetates, there God’s glory flows. If you strive to be openly humiliated by all people, then God will make you glorified. If you have humility in your heart, then in your heart God will show you His glory. Be convenient in your greatness, and not great in your smallness. Try to be neglected, and you will be filled with God's honor. Do not strive to be respected while you are internally filled with plagues. Reproach honor in order to become venerable; and do not love honor, lest you be dishonored. He who strives for honor runs forward from him. And whoever runs away from honor, it overtakes him from behind and becomes a herald of his humility for all people. If you neglect yourself so as not to be honored, then God will proclaim about you. If you really blame yourself, then God will command all His creatures to praise you, and they will open the door of the glory of your Creator before you, and they will praise you, because you truly have His image and likeness. Who has seen a man, shining with virtues and appearing insignificant to people, bright in life, wise in knowledge, humble in spirit? Blessed is he who humbles himself in everything, for he will be exalted. For whoever humbles and humbles himself in everything for God’s sake is glorified by God. Whoever hungers and thirsts for His sake, God will intoxicate him with His blessings. He who endures nakedness for the sake of God is clothed by Him with the robe of incorruptibility and glory. He who becomes poor for God's sake is comforted by His true riches. Humble yourself for the sake of God, and you will not know how your glory will increase. Throughout your life, acknowledge yourself as a sinner, so that throughout your entire life you may be justified. Be ignorant in your wisdom, and do not appear wise while being ignorant. If humility exalts a simple and unlearned person, then consider what honor it will bring to the great and honorable? Flee vanity and you will be glorified. Fear pride and you will be exalted. Vanity is not given to the sons of men, nor is arrogance given to the offspring of women. If you have voluntarily renounced everything worldly, then you will no longer compete with anyone about anything. If you are disgusted by vanity, then run away from those who are chasing after it. Flee from covetous people, as well as from covetousness itself. Stay away from the luxurious, as well as from luxury itself. Flee from obscenity, as well as from obscenity itself. For if the mere recollection of what was said disturbs the mind, then how much more is it looking at them and spending time with them? Get close to the righteous, and through them you will get closer to God. Treat those who have humility, and you will learn their morals. For if the view of such is beneficial, how much more is the teaching of their lips? Love the poor, so that through them you too may receive mercy. Do not get close to lovers, so as not to be forced to stand outside your silence. Without disgust, endure the stench from the sick and especially the wretched, because you too are covered with body. Do not rebuke those who are sorrowful in heart, lest their rod strike you; and you will seek comforters, but you will not find them. Do not disparage the crippled, because we will all go to hell equally honest. Love sinners, but hate their deeds and do not despise sinners for their shortcomings, lest you yourself be tempted in the same way that they were tempted. Remember that you too are involved in earthly nature, and do good to everyone. Do not rebuke those who demand your prayer and do not deprive them of softened words of consolation, so that they do not perish and their souls are not collected from you. On the contrary, remember that doctors heal inflammatory diseases with cool medicines, and the opposite ones with intoxicating medicines. When you meet your neighbor, force yourself to show him honor beyond his measure. Kiss his hands and feet, hug them often with great honor, place them on your eyes and praise him even for what he does not have. And when you are separated from him, say everything good and honorable about him. For by this and similar things you will attract him to goodness, you will make him ashamed of the greeting with which you greeted him, and you will sow the seeds of virtue in him. From such a habit acquired by you, a good image will be imprinted on you, you will acquire high humility in yourself and without difficulty you will succeed in great things. And besides this, if the one honored by you has any shortcoming, he will easily receive healing from you, ashamed of the honor that you showed him. May you always have this character - to be friendly and respectful to everyone. Do not upset anyone or envy anyone, either because of faith or because of his bad deeds. But beware of reproaching or reproaching anyone for anything, because we have an impartial Judge in Heaven. If you want to convert someone to the truth, then grieve for him and, with tears and love, say a word or two to him, and do not become angry with him, and let him not see a sign of enmity in you. For love does not know how to be irritated, or to be upset with anyone, or to reproach someone indifferently. The indication of love and knowledge is humility, which is born from a good conscience about Christ Jesus our Lord. To him be glory and power with the Father and with the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto ages of ages! Amen. From word fifty-eighth To creep towards something sinful reveals human weakness, because God, for the benefit of the soul, allowed it to be accessible to the passions, but did not see it useful to place it above the passions before the second rebirth. And the soul to be accessible to passions is useful for wounding the conscience; to be in passions is brazen and shameless. There are three ways in which every rational soul can approach God: either fervor of faith, or fear, or the admonition of the Lord. No one can approach God’s love unless he first approaches one of these three ways. Just as rebellion of thoughts is born from gluttony, so from verbosity and disorderly conversations - misunderstanding and frenzy of the mind. Concern about the affairs of life confuses the soul, confusion over them confuses and deprives the mind of silence. Bodily labors without purity of mind are the same as a barren womb and withered breasts, because they cannot approach the knowledge of God. They tire the body, but do not bother to eradicate passions in the mind, and therefore do not reap anything. Just as he who sows among thorns cannot reap anything, so he who humiliates himself with rancor and covetousness cannot succeed in anything, but groans on his bed from much vigil and from the difficulty of his affairs. Just as a cloud blocks the light of the moon, so the vapors of the womb drive God’s wisdom out of the soul. And as the flame of fire is in dry wood, so is the body when the belly is full. And just as one combustible substance applied to another increases the fiery flame, so the variety of brushes increases the movement in the body. The knowledge of God does not dwell in a voluptuous body; and whoever loves his body will not benefit from God’s grace. Just as in the diseases of birth a fetus is born that brings joy to the one who gave birth, so with the languor of the larynx a fruit is born in the soul - knowledge of the secrets of God, but for the lazy and voluptuous - the fruit of shame. Just as a father cares for his children, so Christ cares for the body that suffers for His sake, and is always near his lips. The acquisition of doing things done with wisdom is priceless. He is a wanderer who, with his thoughts, has become outside of everything worldly. He who weeps, who, in the hope of future blessings, spends all the days of his life in greed and thirst. That monk who is outside the world and always prays to God to grant him future benefits. The wealth of a monk is the consolation found in crying, and the joy of faith shining in the mysteries of the mind. He is merciful who in his thoughts does not distinguish one from another, but has mercy on everyone. He is a virgin who not only has preserved his body undefiled by carnal intercourse, but is even ashamed of himself when he is alone. If you love chastity, drive away shameful thoughts by reading and prolonged prayer; and then you will have a weapon against natural impulses, and without this it is impossible to see purity in the soul. If you want to be merciful, train yourself first to neglect everything, so that the mind does not get carried away by the weight of this and does not go beyond its limits. For the complete perfection of mercy is demonstrated by the patience of one who decides to endure insults. The perfection of humility is to bear false accusations with joy. If you are truly merciful, then when what you have is unjustly taken from you, do not grieve internally and do not tell about the damage to strangers. Let it be better that the damage caused by those who have offended you be absorbed by your mercy, just as the astringency of wine is absorbed by a lot of water. Do you think about yourself that you have humility. But others accused themselves, and you, accused by others, cannot stand this and proclaim yourself humble. If you want to know whether you are humble, then test yourself in what has been said, do you not become confused when you are offended? The Savior calls the many abodes of the Father the different measures of the mind of those placed in that country, that is, the differences and diversity of spiritual gifts that are enjoyed according to the measure of the mind. For he called the monasteries many not according to the variety of places, but according to the degree of talent. Just as everyone enjoys the sensual sun, in proportion to the purity and acceptability of the power of vision, and just as from one lamp in one house the illumination can be different, although the light is not divided into many illuminations, so in the Future Age all the righteous are not separately settled in one country, but each in his own measure is illuminated by one mental sun and, according to his dignity, attracts to himself joy and gladness, as if from one air, from one place, throne, spectacle and image. And no one sees the measure of his friend, both higher and lower, so that if he sees the superior grace of a friend and his own deprivation, this would not be a cause of sadness and sorrow for him. Let this not happen where there is neither sorrow nor sighing! On the contrary, everyone, according to the grace given to him, rejoices internally in his own measure. Outside of all there is one spectacle and one country, and besides these two degrees there is no other intermediary degree, I mean one higher degree, the other low, and in the middle of them there is diversity in the difference of rewards. If this is true (as indeed it is true), what is more meaningless or unreasonable than such speech: “It is enough for me to avoid Gehenna, but I do not care about entering the Kingdom”? For avoiding Gehenna means this very thing – entering the Kingdom; just as to lose the Kingdom means to enter Gehenna. Scripture has not given us three countries, but what does it say? When the Son of Man comes in His glory... and He will set the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left (Matthew 25:31,33). He did not call the host three, but two - one at the right hand, the other at the left. And he divided the boundaries of their various abodes, saying: And these, that is, sinners, go away into eternal torment, but the righteous into eternal life (Matthew 25:46); They will be enlightened like the sun... (Matthew 13:43) And again: ... from the east and the west they will come and lie down with Abraham... in the Kingdom of Heaven: but the sons of the kingdom will be driven into outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:11,12), which is more terrible than any fire. Have you not understood from this that the state opposite to the highest degree is the most painful Gehenna? It is better to turn away passions by remembering virtues than by resistance, because passions, when they emerge from their domain and are raised up for battle, imprint their images and likenesses on the mind. This warfare acquires great power over the mind, greatly disturbing and confusing thoughts. And if you act according to the first rule we said, then there will be no trace of passions in the mind after driving them away. Physical labor and teaching in the Divine Scriptures protect purity, and labor is supported by hope and fear. Hope and fear are strengthened in the mind by distance from people and unceasing prayer. Until a person accepts the Comforter, he needs the Divine Scriptures so that the remembrance of good will be imprinted in his thoughts, and by constant reading the striving for good will be renewed in him, and will protect his soul from the subtlety of sinful ways: because he has not yet acquired the power of the Spirit, which removes delusion, takes captive spiritually beneficial remembrances and approaches coldness when the mind is scattered. If you have no business, do not talk about virtues. More precious than any prayer and sacrifice before the Lord are sorrow for Him and for His sake; and more than all fragrances is the stench of their sweat. Consider any virtue accomplished without bodily labor to be a premature and inanimate fruit of the womb. It is better to die for God than to live in shame and laziness. When you want to begin God’s work, first make a will, as a person who can no longer live in this world, as one who has prepared for death and despairs of this life, as one who has reached the time of his term. And really keep this in mind, so that the hope of extending your present life does not prevent you from struggling and winning; because the hope of prolonging this life relaxes the mind. Therefore, do not become overly sophisticated, but give faith a place in your mind, keep in mind the many days left behind, and the inscrutable centuries after death and judgment, and let relaxation never come to you, just as it did not come to the Wise One, who says that a thousand years of the present age is not equal to one day in the age of the righteous (see: Ps. 89:5). Begin every good deed with courage, and do not approach such deeds with double-mindedness, do not waver in your heart in trusting in God, so that your work does not become useless and your work becomes burdensome. On the contrary, believe in your heart that the Lord is merciful and gives grace to those who seek Him, as a Rewarder, not according to our deeds, but according to the zeal and faith of our souls. For he says: ... just as I believed, so be it for you (Matthew 8:13). From word sixty-one Blessed is the man who recognizes his weakness, because this knowledge becomes for him the foundation, root and beginning of all goodness. As soon as someone recognizes and really feels his weakness, he raises his soul from the relaxation that darkens knowledge, and reserves himself with caution. But no one can feel his weakness unless even a small temptation is allowed upon him, something that tires either the body or the soul. Then, comparing his weakness with God’s help, he immediately recognizes its greatness. And also, when he considers the many measures he has taken, caution, abstinence, protection and protection of his soul, in which he hoped to find its safety, and does not find it, even his heart, from fear and trembling, does not have silence - let him understand and know then that this fear of his heart reveals and shows the indispensable need for him of some other helper. For the heart, with fear, striking it and struggling inside it, testifies and makes it known about the lack of something; and this denounces that it cannot live in safety, because, as it is said, God’s help saves. But he who knows that he needs God’s help makes many prayers. And to the extent that he multiplies them, the heart is humbled. For everyone who prays and asks cannot help but humble himself. But God will not despise a contrite and humble heart (Ps. 50:19). Therefore, the heart, until it humbles itself, cannot stop soaring; humility brings it together. As soon as a person humbles himself, mercy immediately surrounds him. And then the heart feels Divine help, because it gains a certain power of confidence awakening in it. When a person feels that Divine help will really help him, then his heart is instantly filled with faith. From this he understands that prayer is a refuge for those seeking help, a source of salvation, a treasure of hope, a pier that saves from anxiety, a light for those in darkness, a support for the weak, a cover during temptations, an aid in a decisive moment of illness, a shield of deliverance in battle, an arrow sharpened against enemies, and simply say: it is revealed to him that all the multitude of these blessings is made available to him by prayer; and from now on he delights in the prayer of faith. From word sixty-four When it happens that your soul is internally filled with darkness (and this is usually in the order of silence determined by God’s grace), and just as the sun’s rays are obscured on earth by the darkness of clouds, your soul is deprived of spiritual consolation for some time, and the light of grace within dims, due to the cloud of passions overshadowing the soul and because the somewhat joyful power in you is diminished and an unusual darkness has clouded your mind, you will not be embarrassed by thoughts and do not give a hand to spiritual ignorance, but be patient, read the books of teachers, force yourself to prayer and wait for help. She will come soon, and you won’t know it. For just as the face of the earth is revealed by the rays of the sun from the airy darkness that envelops the earth, so prayer can destroy and dispel the clouds of passions in the soul and illuminate the mind with the light of joy and consolation, which prayer usually generates in our thoughts, especially when it borrows food from the Divine Scriptures and has vigilance that illuminates the mind. Constant engagement with the writings of the saints fills the soul with incomprehensible wonder. And how bitter and cruel it is the torment of love! For those who have felt that they sinned against love, suffer torment greater than any fear-inducing torment. and Divine joy. To our God be glory forever! From word sixty-six There are three ranks in which a person excels: the rank of beginners, the rank of intermediate and the rank of perfect. And whoever is in the first rank, although the way of thinking is inclined towards good, the movement of the mind is nevertheless in passions. The second rank is something between the state of passion and dispassion, and the spiritual and spiritual thoughts are equally aroused in a person, and, as already said, he does not cease to exude both light and darkness. If he stops for a short time from frequently reading the Divine Scriptures and imagining in his mind Divine mental ideas, which inflame him with images of truth, imagining them to the best of his ability with external caution, from which both internal preservation and sufficient action are born, then a person is carried away in passion. If he feeds his natural ardor with what has been said above and does not abandon the search, research and desire for this from afar, although he does not see this, but, at the behest of reading the Divine Scriptures, nourishes his thoughts and keeps them from wandering into the land of the world, and does not accept into himself under the image of the truth any devilish omnipotence, and moreover, he preserves his soul with love and asks God with patience in tireless prayer, then God Himself will fulfill his request and open His door to him, especially for his humility, because the revelation of the mysteries happens to the humble. And if he dies in this hope, then although he will not see this land up close, nevertheless, I think, his inheritance will be with the ancient righteous who hoped to achieve perfection and did not see it, according to the apostolic word (see: Heb. 11:39); and they toiled all their days and rested in hope. Everything that has humility is beautiful. The spiritual teaching of the mind in the love of God, guided by the understanding of the Divine Scriptures, protects the soul from the inside from previous evil thoughts and guards the mind in remembering future blessings, so that it does not relax from its negligence and, instead of the better, does not engage in remembering worldly things, because from this the strength of its wonderful movements gradually cools, and it falls into vain and unreasonable desires. To our God be the glory! From word sixty-seven There is hope in God with heartfelt faith; and it is beautiful, connected with prudence and knowledge; and there is another, different from this hope, a consequence of lawlessness, and it is false. A person who has no concern at all for the soon-to-perish, but wholly, day and night, entrusts himself to the Lord, does not care about anything worldly, due to his great zeal for virtues, uses all his time for the pursuit of the Divine and therefore neglects preparing food and clothing for himself, arranging a home for the body and everything else - such a person has excellent and reasonable hope in the Lord, because the Lord will prepare for him what is necessary. And this is truly the true and wisest hope. And it is right for such a person to hope in God, because he has become His servant, and is diligent in His work, and does not indulge in negligence, for any reason. Such a one is worthy for God to show His care in a special way, because he has kept the commandment of God, which says: Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these will be added to you (Matthew 6:33); and do not please the flesh... (Rom. 13:14) For with such our disposition, the world, like a slave, will prepare everything for us, without a doubt it will obey us as rulers, and will not resist our words and our will. Such a person, in order not to interrupt his unceasing presence with God, does not indulge in worries about the necessary needs of the body and, out of the fear of God, does not care about anything else except this one thing, so that he can be free from all such concerns, small and great, with the goal of pleasure and soaring of the mind; and yet miraculously receives it without caring or working about it. But a person whose heart is completely buried in earthly things, who always eats dust with the serpent, never cares about what is pleasing to God, but is tired and weakened by everything bodily, has no concern for a single virtue, due to constant relations with people and distraction in amusements, and presents any excuses for this - such a person, indeed, due to this laziness and idleness, has become far from good. And when we are hampered by poverty in something or by death and depressed by the fruits of our iniquities, then perhaps he will say: “I will put my trust in God, and he will make me carefree, and give me relief.” Until this hour, you, foolish one, did not remember God, but offended Him with the lewdness of your deeds, and the Name of God for your sake, as it is written, was blasphemed by the pagans (cf. Rom. 2:24), and now you dare to say with open lips: “I will put my trust in Him, He will help me and take care of me”! To the shame of such, God spoke well through the prophet: They seek Me day by day and desire to understand My ways, because men have done righteousness and have not forsaken the justifications of their God: they ask... from Me righteous judgment (Is. 58:2). Among these is this foolish one, who did not even approach God with his thoughts, but as soon as he became surrounded by sorrows, he raised his hands to Him with hope. Such a person would need to be kindled on fire a lot in order to enlighten him in every possible way, because he has not done anything that would make him worthy to have trust in God. On the contrary, for his evil deeds and for his negligence about what is due, he is worthy of punishment; and the long-suffering God, by His mercy alone, endures him. Therefore, let him not deceive himself, let him not forget what his life is like, and let him not say that he hopes in God. For he will be punished because he does not have a single work of faith. Let him not remain in idleness and let him not say: “I believe that God will give me what I need,” as one who spends his life in the works of God, or let him not recklessly plunge into the well, so that, having never had God in his thoughts, now after falling he can say: “I will put my trust in God, He will deliver me.” Do not flatter yourself, foolish one; Hope in God is preceded by work for God and sweat shed in doing it. If you believe in God, then you do well. But faith requires works, and hope in God is revealed in suffering for the sake of virtue. Do you believe that God provides for His creatures and is omnipotent? May your faith be accompanied by decent work, and then God will hear you. Do not try to hold the wind in your handful, that is, faith without works. From word seventy-one Oh, how sweet are the occasions for passion! A person can sometimes cut off passions; far from them he enjoys the silence, has fun when they stop; but he cannot make sure that he does not have reasons for passions. Therefore, we are tempted and reluctantly, and grieve when we are in passions, but we love that the reasons for them remain in us. We don’t want sins for ourselves, but we accept the reasons that lead us to them with pleasure. Therefore, the latter are made guilty of the effectiveness of the former. He who loves reasons for passions, unwittingly and reluctantly becomes an assistant and enslaves to passions. He who hates his sins will stop sinning; and whoever confesses them will receive remission. It is impossible for a person to abandon a sinful habit if he does not first acquire hostility towards sin, and it is impossible to receive remission before confessing his sins. For enmity is the cause of true humility, confession is the cause of contrition, which follows in the heart from shame. If we do not hate what is worthy of reproach, then while we carry it in our souls, we cannot feel the stench and stench in the effectiveness of all this. Until you reject from yourself what is inappropriate, you will not know how covered you are in shame and how much you should blush because of it. When you see your burden on others, then you will recognize the shame that lies on you. Every joy is followed by misfortune, and every misfortune for the sake of God is accompanied by joy. If everything that is in this world is subject to corruption, and corruption both here and in the Future Age, and during the exodus, happens from contrary reasons, and especially from indecent lust or from the evil suffering opposite to this lust, endured during sanctification, then God arranges this too out of love for mankind, so that either during the journey itself, or at the end of it, we may taste punishment, and then, by rich mercy His, to pass the path, in one case - as a kind of reward, and in another - as a pledge. For he does not forbid acquiring good things even until the last hour; but he actually forbids evil, because he remains in evil, as it is written, worthy of punishment. The one punished here, for the sake of his shame, tastes his own Gehenna. Beware of your own freedom, which precedes evil slavery. Beware of consolation that precedes warfare. Beware of the knowledge that precedes a meeting with temptations, and what most often happens, the desire for this meeting, before repentance. For if we are all sinners, and no one is above temptation, then not one of the virtues is above repentance, because the work of repentance can never be perfect. Repentance is always appropriate for all sinners and righteous people who want to achieve salvation. And there is no limit to improvement, because the perfection of the most perfect is truly endless. Therefore, repentance until death is determined neither by time nor by deeds. Remember that every pleasure is followed by disgust and bitterness, like inseparable companions. Beware of joy that is not accompanied by a reason for change. The rest of the members is followed by frenzy and confusion of thoughts; behind immoderate activity there is despondency, and behind despondency there is frenzy. But one frenzy is different from another. The first frenzy after rest is followed by prodigal warfare, and the frenzy from despondency is followed by leaving one’s silent abode and moving from place to place. There is no price for proportionate and zealously continued work. ... Passions are like small dogs that are used to being in meat markets and run away from one voice, and if they don’t pay attention to them, they attack like the biggest lions. Put a small wish into nothing, so as not to harbor thoughts about the power of its disintegration, because temporary patience in the small delays the danger in the great. It is impossible to overcome the great unless you overcome the unimportant. From word seventy-three If, before entering the city of humility, you notice in yourself that you have calmed down from the rebellion of passions, then do not trust yourself. For the enemy is preparing some kind of ambush for you; on the contrary, after peace, expect great anxiety and great rebellion. If you do not go through all the monasteries on the path of virtues, then you will not find peace from your labor and will not have rest from the enemy’s machinations until you reach the monastery of holy humility. Grant us, O God, to achieve this by Your grace! Amen. From word seventy-four Let no one deceive himself and let no one dream of fortune-telling. A defiled soul does not enter the pure Kingdom and is not united with the spirits of saints. Conceal the kindness of your chastity with tears, fasting and solitary silence. A little sorrow for the sake of God is better than a great deed done without sorrow, because voluntary sorrow shows the experience of faith in love. And the matter of peace is the result of the lull of conscience. Therefore, the saints, out of the love of Christ, showed themselves to be skillful in sorrows, and not in coolness, because what is done without labor is the truth of worldly people, who give alms from the outside, but do not gain anything in themselves. But you, ascetic and imitator of the sufferings of Christ, strive within yourself so that you may be worthy to taste the glory of Christ. For if we suffer with Christ, then we will be glorified with Him (cf. Rom. 8:17). The mind will not be glorified with Jesus if the body does not suffer for Christ. Finally, whoever neglects human glory is honored with the glory of God, and his body is glorified along with his soul. For the glory of the body is the submission of chastity with the help of God, and the glory of the mind is the true contemplation of God. Whoever submits himself to God is close to having everything submit to him. He who knows himself is given knowledge of everything, because to know himself is complete knowledge of everything, and in the submission of your soul everything will be subject to you. While humility reigns in your life, your soul submits to you, and with it everything submits to you, because the peace of God is born in your heart. But while you are outside of it, not only passions, but also circumstances will constantly pursue you. Truly, Lord, if we do not humble ourselves, You do not cease to humble us. True humility is a product of knowledge, and true knowledge is a product of temptation. From word seventy-five Having been tempted for a long time in the gums and ears, having repeatedly tested myself in these two ways, having taken upon myself countless blows from the enemy and having been granted great secret help, over the course of many years I gained experience and, by the grace of God, I learned the following experimentally. The foundation of all that is good, the return of the soul from captivity to the enemy, the path leading to light and life - all this is contained in these two ways: to gather oneself together and always fast, that is, wisely and prudently make it a rule for oneself to abstain from the womb, to constantly stay in one place, to constantly engage in the thought of God. Hence the submission of feelings; hence the sobriety of the mind; hence the taming of the fierce passions aroused in the body; hence the meekness of thoughts; hence the bright movements of thought; hence the diligence towards acts of virtue; hence the high and subtle mental ideas; hence the tears that know no measure, flowing at all times, and the memory of death; hence pure chastity, completely far from any dream that tempts thought; hence insight and foresight; hence the deep, mysterious concepts that the mind comprehends with the help of Divine words, and the internal movements occurring in the soul, the division and discrimination of the spiritual both in holy powers and true visions, and in vain dreams. Hence that fear on the paths and paths, which cuts off laziness and negligence in the sea of ​​​​thought, that flame of jealousy, which tramples all danger and overcomes all fear, that ardor, which neglects all lust, and blots it out in the mind, and along with everything else, brings into oblivion all remembrance of what is transitory; in short, hence the freedom of a true person, spiritual joy and resurrection with Christ in the Kingdom. ...The wise do not allow themselves to imagine great deeds, but the patience they show in small things protects them from falling into great labors. Therefore, the devil strives to first make sure that unceasing heartfelt prayer is abandoned, and then instills disregard for the established times of prayer and the rules performed physically. And thus, at first the thought indulges in weakness to taste some small amount of food ahead of time and something most insignificant and insignificant, and after falling into violation of one’s abstinence, a person creeps into immoderation and debauchery. First, he is overcome by the desire (it would be better to say, it seems unimportant in his eyes) to look at the nakedness of his body or at some other beauty of his members, when he takes off his clothes, or when he goes out for bodily needs, or enters the water and relaxes his feelings, or boldly puts his hand under his clothes and begins to touch his body, and then it rises within him, and so on, one after another. And whoever previously guarded the stronghold of the mind and grieved over one of the things said, then opens wide and dangerous entrances to himself, because thoughts (I will say likewise), like water, while they are restrained from everywhere, maintain their good order; and if a few come out from their stronghold, they destroy the fence and cause great devastation. For the enemy stands before our eyes day and night, taking notice, waiting and watching through which open entrance of our feelings he can enter. And when we are negligent in any of the above, then this cunning and shameless dog shoots his arrows at us. And sometimes nature itself begins to love peace, freedom, laughter, soaring thoughts, laziness - and becomes a source of passions and an abyss of rebellion; and sometimes the enemy instills this in the soul. But we will finally replace our great labors with small labors, which we regard as nothing. For if these labors, neglected by us, as shown, prevent many great feats, inconvenient labors, the hottest struggles and heavy blows - who would not hasten to find sweet peace for themselves with these small preliminary labors? ...This is wisdom - for a person, no matter what he does, to always be sober in both small and insignificant things. From word seventy-seven To the extent that labor increases, sins decrease to the same extent, because sorrows and dangers kill voluptuousness in passions, and peace nourishes and increases them. Finally, I clearly understood that God and His Angels rejoice when we are in need, and the devil and his workers rejoice when we are at rest. If in sorrows and oppression the commandments of God are fulfilled, and we have disdained them, then it already means that, contrary to God’s commandment, we manage to neglect the commandments because of the passions born from our peace, and we bring into inaction the cause of virtue, that is, oppression and sorrow, and, as we acquire peace for ourselves, we give place to passions in ourselves, because in an oppressed body thoughts cannot be indulged vain soaring. When someone joyfully bears labors and sorrows, then he can greatly curb his thoughts, because these thoughts are rendered inactive by labor. When a person remembers his previous sins and punishes himself, then God takes care to put him to rest. God rejoices that for deviating from the path of God he himself imposed punishment on himself, which serves as a sign of repentance. And the more he puts pressure on his soul, the more his honor is increased by God. From word seventy-eight Virtues are successive to one another, so that the path of virtue is not difficult and difficult, so that one can succeed in them in order and find relief for oneself in this, and so that in this way the very difficulties endured for the sake of good become pleasant, like something good. For no one can acquire real non-covetousness unless he convinces and prepares himself to endure temptations with joy. And no one can endure temptations except someone who is convinced that for the sorrows in which he has prepared himself to participate, he can accept something that surpasses bodily peace. Therefore, in anyone who has prepared himself for non-covetousness, the love of sorrows is first aroused, and then the thought comes to him not to acquire what is in this world. And everyone who begins to endure sorrow is first strengthened by faith, and then proceeds to sorrow. Whoever deprives himself of material things, but has not deprived himself of the effectiveness of his senses, I mean sight and hearing, has prepared for himself extreme sorrow and will be in extreme misery and sorrow. It’s better to say: what is the use of depriving oneself of sensory things and pleasing the senses with them? For from the sensations produced by these things, a person suffers the same thing that he previously suffered when performing a task, because the remembrance of the habit of them does not leave his mind. And if mental representations of things without the things themselves produce a painful feeling in a person, what shall we say when the things themselves are with us and close to us? Do not try to take advice from a person who does not lead the same lifestyle as you, although he is extremely wise. It is better to entrust your thought to an unlearned person who has experienced the matter experimentally, than to a learned philosopher who argues based on his research without having experienced it in practice. When on your path you find unchangeable peace, then be afraid, because you are far from the straight path trodden by the weary feet of the saints. For while you are still on the way to the city of the Kingdom, let the following be a sign of your approach to the city of God: you will encounter strong temptations; and the more you approach and succeed, the more the temptations facing you multiply. ...If the soul is weak and does not have sufficient strength for great temptations, and therefore asks not to enter into them, and God listens to it, then know for sure that to the extent that the soul does not have sufficient strength for great temptations, to the same extent it is insufficient for great gifts; and just as access to it is forbidden to great temptations, so great gifts are also forbidden to it, because God does not give a great gift without a great temptation. Gifts are determined by God in proportion to temptations, according to His wisdom, which those created by Him do not comprehend. Finally, through the cruel sorrows sent to you by God’s Providence, your soul comprehends what honor it has received from the greatness of God. For as much as there is sorrow there is also consolation. From word seventy-nine Every cramped circumstance and every sorrow, if there is no patience with it, leads to greater torment, because patience in a person reflects disasters, and cowardice is the mother of torment. Patience is the mother of consolation and a certain strength, usually generated by the breadth of the heart. It is difficult for a person to find such strength in his sorrows without the Divine gift, acquired through the persistence of prayer and the outpouring of tears. Whenever it pleases God to subject a person to great sorrows, he allows him to fall into the hands of cowardice. And it gives rise to a force of despondency that overcomes him, in which he feels the suppression of the soul, and this is a taste of Gehenna; This induces a spirit of frenzy in a person, from which thousands of temptations emanate: embarrassment, irritation, blasphemy, complaints about fate, wrong thoughts, relocation from one side to another, and the like. If you ask: what is the reason for all this? - then I’ll say: your negligence. You yourself did not bother to seek a cure for this. There is only one cure for all this; with the help of only this, a person finds quick consolation in his soul. What kind of medicine is this? Humility of heart. Without it, no one will be able to destroy the barrier of these evils; rather, he will find that disasters have overcome him. Don't be angry with me because I'm telling you the truth. You have not sought humility with all your soul. But if you want, enter its region, and you will see that it will free you from your vice. In proportion to your humility, you are given patience in your troubles; and as you endure, the severity of your sorrows lightens, and you accept consolation; as your consolation increases, your love for God increases; and as your love increases, your joy in the Holy Spirit increases. Our generous Father, when He deigns to relieve His true sons of temptations, does not take away their temptations, but gives them patience in temptations. And they, with the hand of their patience, accept all these blessings for the perfection of their souls. May Christ God grant us, by His grace, with a grateful heart, to endure evil out of love for Him! Amen. Spiritual living is activity without the participation of the senses. It is described by the fathers. As soon as the minds of the saints accept this, the material view and the whiteness of the body are taken away from the environment, and the mental view begins (and I call the creation of the original nature the material view), and from this material view a person is conveniently raised to the knowledge of a solitary life, which, according to a clear interpretation, is wonder at God. This is that high state of enjoying future blessings, which is given in the freedom of immortal life, in life after the resurrection, because human nature there will never cease to be amazed at God, having no thought at all about creatures; for if there were something like God, then the mind could be moved to it, sometimes by God, and sometimes by this very thing. But since all the beauty of creation in the future renewal is lower than the beauty of God, how can the mind, through its vision, withdraw from the beauty of God? Woe to us that we do not know our souls and what kind of life we ​​are called to; but we consider this life of weakness, this state of the living, these sorrows of the world and the world itself, its vices and its repose, to be something significant! But, Christ, the One Almighty! Blessed... is his intercession with you: put his ascension in your hearts (Ps. 84:6). You, Lord, turn our faces away from the world to lust after You, until we see what the world is and stop believing the shadow as reality. Having created again, renew, O Lord, in our minds zeal before death, so that at the hour of our departure we might know what our comings and goings were in this world, until we accomplished the work for which by Thy will we were originally called into life, and then the hope was accepted by a mind filled with hope, to receive, according to the promise of the Scriptures, the great blessings that Thy love has prepared, in the second re-creation, the remembrance of which is preserved by faith in the sacraments. From word eighty-three As grace upon grace, repentance was given to people after Baptism, because repentance is a second rebirth from God. And that gift, the pledge of which we received from faith, we accept through repentance. Repentance is the door of mercy, open to those who earnestly seek it; through this door we enter into God's mercy; Apart from this entrance we will not find mercy; For according to the word of Divine Scripture, having sinned... we will be justified by His grace (Rom. 3:23,24). Repentance is the second grace, and is born in the heart from faith and fear; fear is the fatherly rod that controls us until we reach the spiritual paradise of blessings; and when we reach it, then he will leave us and return. Paradise is the love of God, in which is the enjoyment of all blessings, - where blessed Paul was fed with supernatural food and, as soon as he ate the fruit of the tree of life there, he exclaimed, saying: Whom eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has breathed into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9). The fruits of this tree were forbidden to Adam according to the devil’s intent. The tree of life is the love of God from which Adam fell away; and from then on joy no longer greeted him, but he worked and labored in the land of thorns. Those deprived of the love of God, even if they walk in righteousness, eat that bread of sweat in their deeds, which the first-created was commanded to eat after its fall. Until we acquire love, our work on earth is thorns; and although our sowing is the sowing of righteousness, we sow and reap among thorns, and are wounded by them every hour, and no matter what we do to justify ourselves, we live by the sweat of our brow. And when we find love, then we will begin to eat Heavenly Bread and strengthen our strength without work and labor. The Heavenly Bread is Christ, who came down... from Heaven and gave life to the world (John 6:33). This is angel food. He who has found love eats Christ every day and hour and becomes immortal from this, for it is said: ... whoever eats of this bread ... which I will give him, will never see death forever (cf. John 6:51). Blessed is he who eats of the Bread of love, which is Jesus. And that he who tastes love tastes Christ, who is God above all, John testifies to this, saying: ... The God of love is (1 John 4:8). Finally, he who lives in love bears fruit in life from God, and in this still world, in what is felt here, he smells the air of resurrection. The righteous will enjoy this air after the resurrection. Love is the Kingdom; The Lord mysteriously promised the apostles about her that they would taste her in His Kingdom. For what is said: ... may you eat and drink at the table of My Kingdom (cf. Luke 22:30) - what else does it mean if not love? Love is enough to nourish a person instead of food and drink. Here is the wine that gladdens the heart of man (cf. Ps. 103:15). Blessed is he who drinks this wine! The intemperate drank it and were ashamed; sinners drank and forgot the ways of stumbling; the drunkards drank and became fasters; the rich drank and desired poverty; the poor drank and were enriched with hope; the sick drank and became strong; The ignorant drank and became wiser. Just as it is impossible to cross a large sea without a ship and a boat, so no one can achieve love without fear. We can cross the stinking sea between us and mental paradise only on the boat of repentance, on which there are oarsmen of fear. But if these rowers of fear do not rule the ship of repentance, on which we sail across the sea of ​​this world to God, then we will drown in this stinking sea. Repentance is a ship, and fear is its helmsman, but love is the Divine pier. Therefore, fear introduces us to the ship of repentance, transports us across the stinking sea of ​​life and guides us to the Divine pier, which is love. All who labor and are burdened with repentance come to this pier. And when we achieve love, then we have reached God, and our path is complete, and we have come to the island of the other world, where the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are. Glory and power to him! And by His fear He will make us worthy of His glory and love! Amen. From word eighty-five A good thought does not sink into the heart if it is not from Divine grace. An evil thought does not approach the soul, except for temptation and testing. A person who has reached the point of knowing the extent of his weakness has achieved the perfection of humility. The gifts of God bring to man a heart stirred to unceasing thanksgiving. Temptation is brought to the soul by a murmuring thought that is constantly stirred up in the heart. The Lord bears with all sorts of human infirmities, but does not tolerate a person who always grumbles, and does not leave him without admonition. The soul, far from any illumination of knowledge, indulges in such murmuring thoughts. The lips that always give thanks receive blessings from God; if the heart remains in gratitude, grace descends into it. Humility precedes grace, and conceit precedes punishment. The proud one is allowed to fall into blasphemy, and the one who exalts himself in active virtue is allowed to fall into fornication, and the one who exalts himself in his wisdom is allowed to fall into the dark nets of ignorance. A person, far from any remembrance of God, carries in his heart a thought against his neighbor, troubled by an evil memory. Whoever, while remembering God, respects every person, will, by the will of God, secretly find help for himself from every person. He who defends the offended finds God as his champion. He who stretches out his hand to help his neighbor receives the arm of God to help himself. Whoever accuses his brother of his vice finds an accuser in God. He who corrects his brother in his cage, heals his own vice. And whoever accuses someone in front of the congregation increases the soreness of his own ulcers. He who heals his brother in secret makes the power of his love obvious. And whoever shames him in front of his friends shows the power of envy in himself. A friend who reproaches in secret is a wise physician, but the one who heals in the eyes of many is in reality a scolder. A sign of compassion is forgiveness of any debt, and a sign of an evil way of thinking is rebuke to the fallen. He who admonishes with the goal of making him healthy, admonishes with love; and whoever seeks revenge has no love in him. God admonishes with love, and does not take revenge (let this not happen!); on the contrary, he means that His image will heal, and does not retain anger for a time. This way of love is a consequence of being right and does not deviate into the passion of revenge. A truthful sage is likened to God, for he punishes a person, not at all taking revenge on him for his sin, but so that either the person will correct himself or others will be afraid. Punishment other than this is not admonition. He who does good for the sake of reward soon changes. He who, by the power of his knowledge, is amazed at the contemplation of the knowledge that is in God, even if he is mortified in the flesh, does not exalt himself in his thoughts and does not deviate from virtue. He who enlightens his mind for a worthy reward to God, has descended both soul and body into the depths of humility. For before anyone approaches knowledge, he ascends and descends in his life; as soon as he approaches knowledge, he ascends entirely to heights; and while it rises, the ascent of its knowledge does not reach perfection; Until that age of glory comes, man will not receive his full wealth. For to the extent that a person is perfected before God, to that extent he follows Him; in the true age, God shows him His Face, and not what He is. For the righteous, while they enter into the vision of Him, see the image as in a mirror; and there they will see the manifestation of reality. A fire that ignites in dry wood is difficult to extinguish. And if God’s warmth appears and subsides in the heart of someone who has renounced the world, then its ignition is not extinguished and it is faster than fire. When the power of wine enters the limbs, the mind forgets severity in everything. And the remembrance of God, when it takes possession of the pasture in the soul, destroys in the heart the remembrance of everything visible. The mind that has acquired spiritual wisdom is the same as a man who finds a ready ship at sea; and when he ascends to it, he sails away from the sea of ​​this century and comes to the island of the Future Age. The feeling of the Future Age in this world is the same as a small island in the sea; and the one who approaches him is no longer bothered by the waves of visions of this age. Worldly glory is a rock in the sea, covered with water, and it is unknown to the swimmer until the ship bottoms out on it and is filled with water. Vanity does the same to a person until it drowns and destroys him. The fathers say about him that the passions that were once defeated by it and emanated from it return again to the vain soul. A small cloud covers the solar circle, and the sun after the cloud is especially warm. And a little despondency darkens the soul, but after it there is great joy. Do not approach the words of the sacraments contained in the Divine Scripture without prayer and asking for help from God, but say: “Grant me, Lord, to receive the feeling of the power contained in them.” Consider prayer as the key to the true meaning of what is said in the Divine Scriptures. When you want to draw closer to God with your heart, first prove to Him your love through bodily labors. They are the beginning of life. For the heart draws much closer to God through the meagerness of necessities, by accustoming itself to one type of food, and thus this approach will follow bodily deeds. And the Lord laid them as the foundation of perfection. Consider idleness to be the beginning of the darkening of the soul, and as darkening upon darkening, a gathering place for conversations. The reason for the first is the second. If useful speeches, when there is no measure for them, produce darkness, then how much more than vain speeches? The soul is humiliated by many long conversations, even if it protects itself with the fear of God. Finally, the darkening of the soul comes from disorder in life. Moderation and a well-known rule in life enlighten the mind and prevent confusion. Confusion of the mind from disorder produces darkness in the soul, and darkness again produces confusion. Peace is a consequence of good order, and from peace light is born in the soul; from light and peace, pure air shines in the mind. As the heart, having withdrawn from the world, approaches spiritual wisdom, it receives joy from God to the same extent and in its soul feels the difference between spiritual wisdom and worldly wisdom, because in spiritual wisdom silence takes possession of the soul, and in worldly wisdom there is a source of soaring thoughts. And upon acquiring the first wisdom, you are filled with great humility, modesty and peace, reigning over all your thoughts. From now on, confusion and violent impulses will cease in your members, and silence will come. With the acquisition of the second wisdom, you will acquire pride in your wisdom, and unspeakably strange thoughts, and confusion of mind, shamelessness and arrogance of feelings. Do not think that a person attached to the physical will have boldness before God in prayer. A selfish soul will be deprived of wisdom, but a merciful soul will be made wise by the Spirit. Just as oil is needed to give light to a lamp, so almsgiving nourishes knowledge in the soul. The key to the heart to Divine gifts is given to love for one's neighbor, and, as the heart renounces the bonds of the body, the door of knowledge also opens before it. The passage of the soul from world to world is the acceptance of understanding. How beautiful and praiseworthy is love for one’s neighbor, if only its concern does not distract us from the love of God! How pleasant it is to have a conversation with our spiritual brothers, if only we can also maintain a conversation with God! Finally, it is good to take care of this as long as proportionality is observed in this, that is, as long as under this pretext one can not lose one’s secret work and life and unceasing conversation with God. The latter may find it insanity to strictly adhere to the former; the mind is not sufficient to carry on two conversations. Just as the soul is by nature better than the body, so the soul is better than the body. And just as the original creation of the body preceded the breathing of life into it, so physical deeds precede spiritual deeds. And a low life, invariably continued, is a great strength. A weak drop, constantly falling, breaks through the hard stone. When the time approaches for the spiritual man to resurrect in you, then a deadening of everything is awakened in you, joy is kindled in your soul, which is not likened to creatures, and your thoughts are contained within you with that sweetness that is in your heart. And when peace is ready to rise in you, then the soaring of thought, low and fickle wisdom, multiplies in you. I call peace the passions that are generated by the soaring of the mind. When they are born and reach maturity, they become sins and kill a person. Just as children are not born without a mother, so passions are not born without the soaring of thought, and the commission of sin does not happen without an interview with the passions. If patience increases in our souls, this is a sign that we have secretly received the grace of consolation. The power of patience is stronger than the joyful thoughts that take possession of the heart. Life in God is a decline of feelings. When the heart lives, feelings fall. The revolt of feelings is the death of the heart. And when they rise up, this is a sign of the death of the heart for God. Conscience does not receive justice from virtues performed between people. The virtue that someone does for the sake of others cannot purify the soul, because it is imputed before God as a reward for deeds. The virtue that a person creates in himself is imputed to perfect virtue and achieves both, that is, it is imputed to reward and produces purification. Therefore, avoid the first and follow the second. Without taking care of the second, leaving the first is a clear falling away from God. But the second replaces the first, even if the first does not exist. If you keep your tongue, then God will give you, brother, the grace of heartfelt tenderness, so that you can see your soul in it and through it enter into spiritual joy. If your tongue overcomes you, then believe what I tell you: you will not be able to get rid of delusion. If your heart is unclean, let your lips be pure, as Blessed John said. When you want to instruct someone to goodness, first repose him physically and almost with a word of love. For nothing brings a person to shame and forces him to give up his vice and change for the better, like bodily blessings and the honor that he sees from you. To the extent that someone has entered into a feat for the sake of God, to such extent does his heart accept boldness in his prayer. And to the extent that a person is entertained by many things, to the same extent he is deprived of God’s help. Do not grieve over physical shortcomings, because death will completely take them away from you. Do not be afraid of death, because God has prepared everything for you to be above it. To him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen. From word eighty-six The first thought, which, according to God’s love for mankind, enters a person and guides the soul to life, is the thought that sinks into the heart about the outcome of this nature. This thought is naturally followed by disdain for the world; and with this every good movement begins in a person, leading him to life. And, as it were, what foundation is laid in man by the Divine power accompanying him when he desires to discover life in him. And if a person does not extinguish this thought we have said in himself with worldly connections and vanity, but grows it in silence, and dwells on it in contemplation, and engages in it, then it will lead a person to deep contemplation, which no one is able to depict in words. Satan greatly hates this thought and attacks with all his might to destroy it in man. And if it were possible, I would give him the kingdom of the whole world, just to erase such a thought in a person’s mind with entertainment. And if he could, as is said, he would do it willingly. For the insidious one knows that if this thought abides in a person, then his mind no longer stands on this land of deception and his intrigues do not approach the person. Let us understand this not about that first thought, which by its reminder awakens the memory of death in us, but about the completeness of this matter, when it implants in a person the inseparable memory of death and when, by the thought of it, a person is put into a state of constant surprise. The first thought is something bodily, and this last is spiritual contemplation and wondrous grace. This contemplation is clothed with bright thoughts. And whoever has it no longer enters into inquiries about this world and is not attached to his body. From word eighty-eight ...While we are in darkness, let us not be embarrassed, especially if we are not the reason for this. Attribute this to the Providence of God, acting for reasons known to the One God. For at other times our soul languishes mortally and is as if among the waves; and whether a person reads the Scripture or performs a service, in whatever work he undertakes, he has one darkness after another. Such a one abandons the matter, and is often not allowed to even approach it; and he does not at all believe that this is a temporary change with him and that he happens in the world. This hour is filled with despair and fear; hope in God and the consolation of faith in Him are completely rejected by the soul, and it is completely filled with doubt and fear. Those who have endured temptation in this wave of this hour know from experience what change will follow when it ends. But God does not leave the soul in this state for the whole day, because it would lose Christian hope. On the contrary, abundance will soon occur (1 Cor. 10:13). If the alarming state of this darkness continues longer, then soon expect a change in life itself. And I will note to you, man, and give advice: if you do not have the strength to control yourself and fall on your face in prayer, then cover your head with a mantle and sleep until this hour of darkness passes for you, but do not leave your cell. Those who wish to lead a mental life and in their journey seek the consolation of faith are especially exposed to this temptation. Therefore, this hour torments and tires them most of all with the wavering of the mind; This is often followed by blasphemy, and sometimes doubts about the resurrection and other things come upon a person that we should not even talk about. We have often learned all this through experience and, to the consolation of many, we have described this struggle. Those engaged in bodily affairs are completely free from these temptations. A different kind of despondency comes upon them, known to everyone, and in its mode of action it is different from these and similar temptations. The health and healing of those who suffer from it are exuded by silence. This is a consolation for him! In the community of others, he never accepts the light of consolation and is not healed by human conversations, but rests for a while, and after that this despondency arises with greater force in a person. And he needs an enlightened person who has experience in this, who would enlighten him and strengthen him in any case in time of need, but not forever. Blessed is he who endures this without leaving the door. For after this, as the fathers say, he will come to great monastery and power. However, this struggle will not end in one hour and not soon; and grace does not suddenly come completely and settle in the soul, but gradually, and one thing is replaced by another - a time of temptation and a time of consolation; and in this state man remains until his departure. And in order to become completely alien to this and be completely comforted, let us not even hope for that here. For God Himself was pleased that our life here should be arranged this way, and that those who walked the path would endure it. Glory to God forever and ever! Amen. From word eighty-nine A jealous person never comes into the world of the mind, and one who is alien to peace is alien to joy. If peace of mind is called perfect health, and jealousy is contrary to peace, then it already means that the one in whom there is evil jealousy suffers from a serious illness. Apparently, man, you reveal your jealousy against other people’s illnesses, but in reality you have deprived your soul of health. Therefore, take better care of the health of your soul. If you want to heal the weak, then know that the sick have more need to take care of them than to reprimand them. And yet, while you are not helping others, you are plunging yourself into a serious, painful illness. Jealousy in people is recognized not as one of the types of wisdom, but as one of the mental illnesses, and precisely there is a limitation in the way of thinking and great ignorance. The beginning of Divine wisdom is modesty and meekness, which is characteristic of a great soul and bears the infirmities of people. For it is said: you... bear the strong infirmities of the weak (cf. Rom. 15:1). And correct him who falls... with a spirit of meekness (Gal.6:1). The apostle counts patience and peace among the fruits of the Holy Spirit (see: Gal.5:22). The heart, filled with sadness about weakness and powerlessness in obvious physical affairs, replaces all these bodily affairs. Physical deeds without the sadness of the mind are the same as an inanimate body. He who grieves at heart and gives freedom to his feelings is like a sick person who suffers physically and whose mouth is open to any food harmful to him. He who grieves at heart and gives freedom to his feelings is like a man who has an only begotten son and who little by little kills him with his own hands. Sorrow of mind is a precious gift from God. He who endures it as he should is like a man whose members are filled with holiness. A person who has given free rein to his tongue to speak about people, both good and bad, is unworthy of this grace. Mercy and justice in one soul are the same as a person who worships God and idols in the same house. Mercy is the opposite of justice. Justice is an equalization of the exact measure: because it gives everyone what they deserve, and when rewarding, it does not allow inclination to one side or partiality. But mercy is sadness, aroused by mercy, and bows compassionately to everyone; whoever is worthy of bad treatment is not rewarded with evil, and whoever is worthy of good reward is given it in abundance. And if justice is on the side of truth, then mercy is already on the side of sin. Just as hay and fire cannot stand to be in the same house, so justice and mercy cannot be in the same soul. Just as a grain of sand cannot maintain balance with a large piece of gold, so the demand of God’s justice does not maintain balance in comparison with God’s mercy. Like a handful of sand thrown into the great sea, the same is the fall of all flesh in comparison with God's Providence and God's mercy. And just as a source of abundant water is not blocked by a handful of dust, so the mercy of the Creator is not overcome by the vices of creatures. To be vindictive and to pray is the same as to sow on the sea and wait for the harvest. Just as it is impossible to make a barrier to the light of fire so that it does not ascend upward, so nothing prevents the prayers of the merciful from ascending to Heaven. What is the flow of water in a sloping place, such is the strength of irritability when it finds access to our mind. He who has acquired humility in his heart has become dead to the world, and he who has become dead to the world has become dead to passions. He who has become dead in heart for those close to him, to him the devil has become dead. And whoever found envy found the devil with it. There is humility out of fear of God, and there is humility out of love for God. Some are humble out of fear of God, others are humble out of joy. And he who is humble through the fear of God is accompanied at all times by modesty in all his members, orderly feelings and a contrite heart; and the one who is humble in joy is accompanied by great simplicity, a growing and uncontrollable heart. Love does not know shame, therefore it does not know how to give members the appearance of decorum. It is natural not to be ashamed of love and to forget your limits. Blessed is he who found you, haven of great joy! The assembly of the humble is loved by God, like the assembly of the Seraphim. A chaste body is more precious before God than a pure sacrifice. These two virtues, that is, humility and chastity, prepare in the soul the guarantee of the Trinity. Enter your friends reverently; when you do this, you will benefit both yourself and them, because the soul often throws off the reins of caution under the pretext of love. Beware of gatherings, because they are not useful at all times. In meetings, prefer silence, because it prevents much harm. Observe the belly, but not as eyesight, because domestic warfare is undoubtedly easier than external warfare. Do not believe, brother, that internal thoughts can be stopped without bringing the body into a good and orderly state. Fear habits more than enemies. He who feeds a habit is the same as a person who feeds fire, because the measure of strength in both lies in the amount of what feeds them. If a habit demands something one day and its demand is not fulfilled, then another time you will find it weak. And if you fulfill her will once, then the second time you will find that she attacks you with much greater force. Keep this in mind regarding everything, because the help of precaution is more important to you than the help of the actual actions. Whoever loves laughter and loves to show off himself to people, do not be his friend, because he will teach you the habit of indulging in relaxation. Do not meet with a cheerful face the one who leads a dissolute life, but beware of hating him, and if he wants to rebel, give him your hand and take care until death to acquire him. If you are still weak, then turn away from healing; for it is said: Give him the top of your staff, and so on. Speak carefully to someone who is highly intelligent and suffers from envy. For as soon as you say something, he gives your words in his heart whatever interpretation he pleases, and in what is good in you, he looks for ways to cause others to stumble; and your words in his mind turn into food for his illness. When someone begins to argue with his brother in front of you, lower your face. As soon as you do this, both before God and before him you will find yourself careful. If you give something to someone in need, let the cheerfulness of your face precede your giving and comfort his sorrow with a kind word. When you do this, then kindness in his mind is more valuable than your giving, which would even be beyond the needs of the body. On the day when you open your mouth and begin to say something contrary to anyone, imagine yourself dead to God and vain in all your deeds; at least your thoughts prompted you to say, apparently, something fair and edifying. For what need does a man have to destroy his own building and repair the building of his friend? On that day on which you grieve for someone suffering from some kind of illness, for a good or evil person, suffering physically or mentally, consider yourself a martyr and look at yourself as someone who suffered for Christ and who was deemed worthy to become a confessor. For remember that Christ died for sinners, not for the righteous. Look what a great thing it is to grieve over evil people and do good to the sinners more than the righteous! The Apostle remembers this as a matter worthy of wonder (see: Rom. 5:6–8). If you can justify your soul by yourself, then do not worry about looking for another justification. Let bodily chastity and purity of conscience precede you in all your deeds. For without them, every work is vanity before God. In any matter, if you do it without reflection and study, know that it is vain, although decent, because God imputes righteousness according to prudence, and not according to foolish actions. Let them persecute you - don’t persecute you; let them crucify you - do not crucify; let them offend you - do not offend; let them slander you - do not slander you; be modest and do not be jealous in evil. Litigation is not a matter of Christian life; there is not even a hint of this in the teachings of Christ. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, for this is a sign of purity. With the sick - get sick, with the sinners - shed tears, with the repentant - rejoice. Be friendly with all people, but remain alone in your thoughts. Take part in the suffering of everyone, but with your body be far from everyone. Do not reprove or vilify anyone, even those who are extremely bad in your life. Spread your clothing over the falling one and cover him. If you cannot take upon yourself his sins and bear punishment and shame for him, then at least be patient and do not shame him. ...If you cannot keep your thoughts in order, then at least make your feelings well-ordered. If you are not alone in your thoughts, then be alone in your body. If you cannot labor with your body, grieve at least mentally. If you cannot stay awake while standing, then stay awake while sitting or lying on your bed. If you cannot fast for two days, fast at least until the evening. And if you cannot until the evening, then beware of satiety. If you are not blameless in your heart, then be blameless in your body. If you do not weep in your heart, then at least clothe your face with weeping. If you cannot have mercy, then say that you are a sinner. If you are not a peacemaker, then at least do not be a lover of rebellion. If you cannot become zealous, at least in your way of thinking, be not like a lazy one. If you are not a winner, then do not be proud of yourself in front of your subordinates. If you are not able to stop the mouth of someone who condemns your friend, then at least beware of entering into communication with him. Know that if fire comes out from you and burns others, then God will seek from your hand the souls kindled by your fire. And if you do not cast fire, but agree with the caster and delight in it, then at the Judgment you will be his accomplice. If you love meekness, remain in peace. And if you are worthy of peace, then rejoice at all times. Seek meaning, not gold; clothe yourself with humility and not fine linen; gain the world, not the kingdom. He who is not intelligent does not have humility. And whoever does not have humility will not be meaningful. He who is not peaceful is not humble; and the unpeaceful is not humbly wise; and it is not peaceful unless someone rejoices. In all the paths that people walk in the world, they do not find peace until they come closer to hope in God. The heart is not pacified by labor and stumbling until hope comes into it, pacifies the heart, and sheds joy into it. The venerable and holy lips spoke about her: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). Come closer, he says, so that you can place your hope in Me, and you will calm down from labor and fear. Undistracted prayer produces a clear thought about God in the soul. And our instilling in ourselves the remembrance of God is the instillation of God in us. Thus we become the church of God. Here is concern and a heart broken by the preparation of rest in God! Glory to him forever! Amen. Sobriety helps a person more than business, and permission to do something harms him more than peace. From peace, domestic battles arise and disturb a person; but he has the ability to stop them. For as soon as a person leaves peace and returns to the place of business, these battles are taken away from him and removed. But what is generated by resolution is not the same as what is generated by relaxation and peace. While a person remains in the realm of his freedom during rest, he can return again and govern himself by establishing his rule, because he is still in the realm of his freedom. But by giving himself permission, he leaves the realm of his freedom. Do not give, man, freedom to any of your feelings, so as not to reach the point where it is impossible to return to freedom again. Peace harms only the young, but permission harms both the perfect and the old. As a result of peace, those who reach evil thoughts can again return to observing themselves and establish themselves in their high life. But those who, out of hope for work, neglected to monitor themselves, were led away captives from a high life into a dissolute life. We will not grieve when we creep in something, but when we become rigid in the same thing, because creep often happens to the perfect, and to become rigid in the same is complete mortification. The sadness that we feel at our attempts is imputed to us by grace instead of pure work. Whoever, in the hope of repentance, crawls a second time, deals with God deceitfully; death unexpectedly attacks him and he does not reach the time in which he hoped to fulfill the deeds of virtue. Everyone who gave free rein to their feelings also gave free rein to their hearts. The work of the heart serves as a bond to the outer senses. And if someone engages in it with prudence, following the example of the fathers who lived before us, then this happens clearly by the following three phenomena in him, namely: he is not bound by bodily benefits, does not like gluttony, and is completely far from irritability. Where these three phenomena take place, that is, bodily (whether small or large) gain, hot temper and overcoming gluttony, there (let it be known to you), even if a person was apparently like the ancient saints, permission for the external comes from impatience in the internal, and not from a special negligence of his soul. Otherwise, why not, neglecting bodily things, acquire meekness? Reasonable neglect is followed by: detachment from anything, neglect of peace and human commitment. And if someone, readily rejoicing, accepts damage for the sake of God, then he is pure internally. If he does not disdain anyone for his physical shortcomings, then truly he is free; whoever does not look with pleasure at the one who honors him or is not indignant at the one who dishonors him, in this life he has become dead to the world. Maintaining prudence is better than any living, no matter how and to what human extent it is carried out. Don't hate the sinner because we are all responsible. And if you rebel against him for the sake of God, then cry for him. And why do you hate him? Hate his sins and pray for him in order to become like Christ, Who was not angry with sinners, but prayed for them. Don't you see how He wept for Jerusalem (see: Luke 19:41)? And the devil laughs at us in many ways; Why hate someone who, like us, is ridiculed by the devil who laughs at us? And why do you hate a sinner, man? Is it because he, like you, is unrighteous? Where is your truth when you don't have love? Why didn't you cry for him? But you drive him away. Out of ignorance, others are aroused to anger, presenting themselves as judges over the affairs of sinners. Be a preacher of God's goodness, because God rules over you, unworthy, because you owe Him a lot, but His exaction is not visible on you, and for the small deeds you have done, He rewards you with great ones. Do not call God only truthful to you, because in your deeds His justice does not make itself known. Although David calls Him truthful and upright, His Son revealed to us that He is even more good and full of goodness. For he says: ... there is good (Luke 6:35) to the evil and wicked. Why do you call God only truthful, when in the chapter about the reward of workers you meet: Friend, I will not offend you... I want to give to this last one, as I did to you... Even if your eye is evil, for I am good (Matthew 20:13,14,15)? Why also does a person call God only truthful, when in the chapter about the prodigal son, who prodigally squandered his wealth, he meets that with one contrition shown to him, He came and fell on his neck, and gave him power over all His wealth? No one else said this about God, lest we doubt Him; on the contrary, the Son of God Himself testified this about Him. Where is God's truth? We are sinners, but Christ died for us! If He is so merciful, then we will believe that He does not accept change. May we never imagine such lawlessness as to call God unmerciful! The attribute of God does not change, like the dead. God does not acquire what He does not have, nor lose what He has, nor receive increase, like creatures. What God had from the beginning, he always has and will have to infinity, as Blessed Cyril said in his interpretation of the Book of Genesis: fear God, he says, out of love for Him, and not according to the terrible Name given to Him. Love Him as you must love Him, and not for what He will give you in the future, but for what we have received in the present, and for this one world that He created for us. For who is able to repay Him? Where is His reward in our deeds? Who convinced Him to bring us into being in the first place? Who pleads with Him for us when we do not remember Him? When we did not yet exist, who brought this body of ours to life? And one more thing: where does the thought of knowledge fall into the dust? Oh, how wonderful is the mercy of God! Oh, how amazing is the grace of God and our Creator! What a force that dominates everything! What immeasurable goodness, according to which our nature in us sinners again leads to re-creation! Who has the strength to glorify Him? He restores the one who transgressed His commandment and blasphemed Him, renews the foolish dust, makes it meaningful and verbal, scattered and insensitive dust, wasteful feelings makes it a rational nature and worthy of the ability to think! The sinner is unable to imagine the grace of His resurrection. Where is Gehenna that could make us sad? Where is the torment that frightens us in various ways and overcomes the joy of His love? And what is Gehenna in comparison with the grace of His resurrection, when He will raise us from hell, cause this corruptible to be clothed with incorruptibility, and raise those who have fallen into hell in glory? Come, you sensible ones, and be amazed. Who, having a wise and wonderful mind, will worthily marvel at the mercy of our Creator? There is a reward for sinners, and instead of a righteous reward, He rewards them with resurrection; and instead of bodies trampled upon by His Law, He clothes them with the perfect glory of incorruptibility. This mercy is to resurrect us after we have sinned, higher than mercy is to bring us into being when we did not exist. Glory, Lord, to Your immeasurable grace! Behold, Lord, the waves of Your grace silenced me, and I had no thought left to thank You! With what lips do we confess to You, Good King, Who loves our lives? Glory to Thee for these two worlds, which Thou hast created for our growth and enjoyment of everything Thou has created, leading us to the knowledge of Thy glory - glory to Thee from now on and forever! Amen. From word ninety-one Glory to Him who saves us with our gums and lips and in all this provides us with an opportunity to gain our life! For even the souls of those who are exhausted in their will to acquire life for themselves, through involuntary sorrows He leads to virtue. And this beggar Lazarus, not by his own will, was deprived of the blessings of this world, and his body was stricken with ulcers, and he endured two bitter sufferings, each of which was worse than the other; however, he was finally honored in Abraham’s bosom. God is close to the grieving heart of those who cry out to Him in sorrow. Even if it sometimes exposes us to bodily deprivation and other sorrows, then enduring this turns us into help; just as a doctor in a serious illness restores health by cutting his limbs. The Lord shows great love for mankind towards the soul of the mourner, commensurate with the cruelty of suffering in his grief. The angels are driven away by the man’s pride, after which the demon approaches him 55 (page 34) Gratitude leads to receiving greater benefits 14 (word 2) Gratitude attracts grace to God 162 (page 85) When grace is given to a person 89, 90 (page 49) A virtuous life is the gift of grace 43.44 (word 21) Signs of the increase and decrease of grace in the soul 10,11 (word 1) Why does God allow illnesses 119 (page 57) Spiritual knowledge follows the practice of virtues 23 (page 5), 106–111 (page 55) What is faith 73 (page 44) What reveals the certainty of faith 45 (page 30) Without works, faith is fruitless 143,144 (page 67) How a person gains firm faith 60, 61 (page 37) Spiritual vision 27–29 (page 8) Pride deprives a person of God’s providence for him 67, 68 (page 40) Advice on how to overcome spiritual pride 77, 78 (page 46) How does a person know that he has received remission of sins 34 (page 18) It is not the sinner who should be hated, but his sins 186 (page 90) What sin is unforgivable 14 (word 2) One should never ask God for special gifts 58 (page 36) When a spiritual gift is the cause of death 54 (page 34) Who is the true lover of virtue 16 (page 2) What contributes to the acquisition of virtue 10 (page 1) Virtues are associated with sorrows 53 (page 34), 93 (page 49) For the future life, only what is assimilated by the soul matters 13, 14 (word 1) What is the beginning of true life 11 (page 1) What is spiritual life 158 (page 80) What guides the soul to life 171 (page 86) What is immortal life 62, 63 (page 38) The similarity of phenomena in spiritual life with phenomena in nature 74–76 (page 46) The meaning of the commandments for the soul 105,106 (page 55) Must keep all the commandments of the Lord 105 (page 55) For what purpose does God send temptations 119–121 (page 57) God proportions temptations to man’s strengths 155 (fn. 78) The benefits of temptations 93 (page 49), 60, 61 (page 37) How to endure temptations with joy 49 (page 31) Without God's help it is impossible to withstand temptations 60–62 (page 37) How temptations are overcome 157 (page 79) What is love 33, 34 (page 18), 62 (page 38), 160,161 (page 83) Degrees of love 46 (page 30) Love for one's neighbor is a means of becoming like God 87, 88 (sl. 48) What gives birth to love for God 23 (page 5), 66 (page 39), 71, 72 (page 43) Who is truly merciful 129,130 (page 58) Mercy is the opposite of justice 176,177 (page 89) Mercy allows us to see the image of God in ourselves 70 (page 41) Alms bring you closer to God 116 (page 56) A merciful man is a physician of his soul 70 (page 41) How to give alms 116,117 (page 56) Almsgiving makes a person like God 13 (page 1) How peace is found 182 (page 89) What is the world 18,19 (word 2) Why did the Lord command to leave the world 40, 41 (page 21) Prayer of St. Isaac for the deadness of the world 65 (page 38) Who died for the world 19, 20 (page 2), 177 (page 89) Prayer requires exercise 66 (page 39) Prayer must be consistent with the demands of life 26 (page 5) What one should not ask God for 24.25 (word 2) Why God sometimes does not quickly fulfill our requests 26 (page 5) Laziness towards prayer is a sign of darkness of the soul 17 (page 2) Why God is slow to hear our prayers 26 (page 5), 51, 53 (page 33) What should be the prayer 26 (page 5), 89, 90 (page 49) How to pray without thoughts spinning 46,47 (page 30) What is prayer 72 (page 43), 85 (page 48) What fruits come from silence 51 (page 31), 68 (page 41) How to start reading the Holy Scriptures 166 (page 85) What is the benefit of reading the Holy Scriptures 12 (v. 1), 45 (v. 30), 132 (v. 58), 136,139,140 (v. 64) What is repentance 78, 79 (page 47), 84 (page 48), 159,160 (page 83) Repentance is always and everyone needs 146 (page 71) Harm to rest 152,153 (page 77), 183,184 (page 90) The desire for bodily peace removes a person from the Kingdom of Heaven 93, 94 (f. 49) Reasons for the movement of thoughts 20, 21 (page 4) Who can you trust with your thoughts 155 (page 78) How the effect of evil thoughts is weakened 48 (page 30) When a fast is established 42, 43 (seq. 21) The benefits of fasting 41–43 (seq. 21), 149, 150 (seq. 75) Providence embraces all people 11 (page 1) Must believe in God's Providence 89, 90 (page 49) How the heart is kept from striving for evil 39 (page 21) What is a sign of purity of heart 43 (page 21) How to keep your heart from passions 27 (page 8) How purity of heart is achieved 22 (page 4) Without sorrow it is impossible to get closer to God 40 (page 21), 190 (page 91) What helps to endure sorrows with joy 15 (page 2), 49 (page 31) Why does God allow sorrow 27 (page 5), 40 (page 21), 96 (page 51) For whom death is desirable and for whom it is terrible 13 (page 1) Why do you always need to think about death 69–71 (page 41), 170,171 (page 86) What gives birth to humility 53–55 (page 34), 60 (page 37), 77 (page 46), 85, 86 (line 48), 103,104 (line 53), 126 (line 57), 134,135 (line 61) What is humility 101–103 (page 53,) Types of humility 177,178 (page 89) Sign of humility 63 (page 38) Humility is a means to forgiveness of sins 77 (page 46) Humility accepts mercy from God 122–124 (page 57), 135 (page 61) What are passions 63 (page 38) From what passions are born 169 (page 85) How passions are eradicated 29 (page 8), 132 (page 58), 144 (page 71) Why didn’t God make the soul above passions 127 (page 58) Who is free from the attack of passions 63 (page 38) Without grace it is impossible to acquire patience 156 (page 79) What makes patience grow 169 (page 85) What is purity of mind 20 (word 2) What causes confusion of the mind 167 (page 83) What gives birth to despondency 47 (page 30) The harmful consequences of despondency 146 (page 71), 156 (page 79) Feelings should not be given freedom 11 (page 1), 169 (page 85), 184, 185 (page 90) An Orthodox Christian must not only know the fathers and quote them: he must enter into their spirit and acquire a “patristic mind.” He must consider the fathers not only as a legacy of the past, but as living witnesses and contemporaries. 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