Thoughts that can lead a person away from the perishable and stick to the imperishable (TCO)

Essay by Rev. Nile of Sinai “Thoughts that can lead a person away from the corruptible and cleave to the imperishable” is a collection of 100 spiritual instructions. They are aimed at renouncing worldly vanity and acquiring inner perfection. The author, relying on the Holy Scriptures and patristic tradition, reveals the principles of combating passions, cultivating virtues and striving the mind towards the eternal. St. Neil criticizes attachment to material wealth and temporary pleasures, calls for spiritual vigilance and unceasing prayer. He reflects on the sinfulness of human nature and the need for repentance, and gives advice on achieving peace of mind through the rejection of vain thoughts. This publication presents a translation made at the Moscow Theological Academy in the series “Creations of the Holy Fathers.” *The title of the work in Greek is Γνῶμαι ἀπάγουσαι τῶν φθαρτῶν. *The title of the essay in Latin is Sententiae abducentes hominem a corruptibilibus et incorruptibilibus unientes. This is the best and shortest path to virtue: escape from the world. He who desires the imperishable must regard the perishable as nothing. If you want True Life, always expect human death. Hate real life, for, look, its wheel turns without order. Do not covet goods, the use of which is missed and the possession of which is lost. Laugh at those who are successful in everything, and have compassion on those who fail in everything, for the former leads to reward, and the latter to wisdom. Practice the patience in which, as you know, the martyrs labored, because the testimony of conscience is required from us too. Prefer the soul to everything, and then the path of virtue will be completed without difficulty. Everything is perishable, but the soul is immortal, therefore the perishable should prefer the immortal. Be prepared for tribulations and you will gain great benefit. Ask God not for something pleasant, but for something useful. If you ask for the first, God will not give it, and even if you receive it, it will be lost. Do not blame poverty, because it makes the ascetic unentertained in fulfilling the Law. Do not rejoice in wealth, because worries about it, most often and against the will, separate a person from God. The end is near, and the lazy one is preparing to suffer punishment. The harvest is not far away, so let’s clear the spiritual field of thorns. Nothing is hidden from the Judge, so it is in vain that we try to sin secretly. Before people, be ashamed of the Angels, because there are many of them with us, and remove yourself from every shameful act. Think carefully about the scales of the Judge and throw out from yourself any admixture of worldly attempts that is in you. Consider idleness and rest to be harmful to yourself and hasten to do anything that is required of us. Always think about the impermanence of real life, and nothing in it will be able to entertain you. Let not earthly gaiety, which is temporary, delight you; it is an oud, like a fish, that lures and catches the soul. Try not to fall into temptation, and if you do, show courage. Never despise a poor man who sheds tears, so that the tears of your prayer are not despised. Love of wisdom, this most advantageous property of people, wants to remain with the one who acquires it. Virtue is God's robe; learn to seek it, and you will clothe the Clothes of creation. What is on earth is stolen by the tatami. Do what is heavenly, for this is beyond the reach of the fingers of thieves. You must give up luxury, because it involves you in activities that, after sobriety, lead to sighs. It is best to abhor carnal thoughts, because they corrupt both the body and the soul. And earthly blessings are not obtained without labor, so why do we shy away from Heavenly blessings because of labor? Do you want to practice virtue without difficulty? Think about labor that it is temporary, and about reward that it is eternal. Let all those who are exhausted by the desire for indecent pleasures talk about the short duration of pleasure and the duration of punishment. To the extent that life is unclean, the soul becomes bestial; and those who have reached this point should cry, as if they had damaged their rational power, and, moreover, on their own behalf. Consider everything to be perishable, and virtue only to be imperishable. Neglect everything else that makes a person bestial and do the one thing that can make you Heavenly. Take care of virtue, because it renews Adam with wisdom. Do you own the womb? Master your language, so that when you remain a slave to one, liberation from the other will not be useless. Love God, and do not, moreover, be partial to your own, so that you do not, according to His word, even if you do not desire it, be unworthy of Him. Be patient in tribulations, for there are crowns for those who strive in them. To endure evil is a blessed thing, but to do it is a damned thing, for whoever endures is the heir of Christ, and whoever does it is the heir of the devil. The bread of Lent is wonderful because there is no leaven of pleasure in it. The altar of prayer is holy because it draws the Holy of Holies to us. Do not consider justice an unimportant addition to virtue, because without it every deed is unclean. If you sow among the poor, then sow your own, for what is foreign and tares is exceeded by bitterness. The merciful is blind if he is unjust: he cultivates a field from which he cannot reap a harvest. Always expect, but do not fear, death; both are true traits of wisdom. Wear an image of virtue, but not in order to deceive those who see you, but in order to benefit them. Those who do not do good should also speak about good things, so that, being ashamed of words, they can begin deeds. If you desire Heaven, then you have nothing in common with the earth, because the earth does not allow you to soar to Heaven. Do not desire to become rich through love of poverty, because God legitimizes the righteous to give alms from righteous labors (Proverbs 3:9). If a cup of cold water justifies the merciful, then what reward awaits the one who wastes everything on the poor? Purity and compassion are the mothers of virtues, so it is impossible to be without one or the other. Soldiers of Christ. Do not neglect compassion: it brought down the Good Lord from Heaven. Do not neglect purity: through it, She who became the instrument of the Incarnation gave people the Incarnate One for our sake. Don’t say: “I will take revenge on the enemy!” We have a Righteous Judge in Heaven. Do not desire to live luxuriously, or to become rich, or to become famous, because this is the corruption of life, and we were not created for decay. Do not cry over the dead: this is the common path. And whoever reaches the end is blessed. Weep for the sinner, and not for the beggar, for the latter is crowned, and the former suffers punishment. Laugh at the wheel of life, which turns without order, but beware of the abyss into which it casts those who fall asleep on it. Talk with God a lot, and with people little; By teaching yourself in the Law, you will succeed in both. A wonderful bath for the soul is tears during prayer, but after prayer, remember what you cried about. Do not please the mighty of the world, because the mighty will be tormented more severely (Wis. 6:6); why the Judge will be stricter towards them. Adam must work, and we, by working in the Law, will receive a reward. The heirs of Eve need to grieve, but when we endure sorrow with thanksgiving, for us the oath turns into a blessing. Instead of a lamp, when considering your actions, use your conscience; it shows you which actions in your life are good and which are bad. Let us condemn ourselves, and the Judge will be appeased; for, as the Good One, He rejoices, seeing that the sinner wastes his burden. If we have done anything unclean, we will wash it with repentance, because we must imagine the image of God in ourselves clean. Before the spiritual scabs are exposed, let us heal them, so that with these healings we can turn punishments to our advantage. Just as it is difficult for those who are bound to walk, so those who are clinging to everyday life perform the virtues uncleanly. Sin must be hated; in this case, even if someone creeps towards sin, he can quickly get out of its snares. He who does not hate sin, even if he does not commit sin, is counted among the sinners. Breathe for your sinning neighbor, so that at the same time you can breathe for yourself, for we are all guilty of sins and are subject to punishment. Remind a sinning friend of the Judge, and you will heal your ulcer, because this healing advice, as a general one, is suitable for both him and you. When you intend to say or do something, take care of the justification that will soon be required of you - and, corrected by fear, you will become chaste. Fear the punishment for sin, and be horrified by shame, because the weight of both is immeasurable. The beauty and multitude of future benefits are limitless, but the present is a shadow, smoke, a bubble of water. Beware of this evil, for the harvest is near and fire awaits the planter of thorns. Hypocrites, covetous people, sensualists are the roses of this world, but be patient a little and you will see that this grass is trampled. Every bad deed arms the devil, but he who is armed treats those who arm him cruelly. Do you want to bring the enemy into exhaustion? Cut off sin, and it, deprived of these wings, can be mocked like a sparrow. Woe to the wicked, because when everyone is enlightened, then he is darkened. Woe to the blasphemer, because his tongue is tied and he is unable to justify himself in any way before the Judge. Woe to the wicked, because he will go to the strict Judge and the truthful Lawgiver. Woe to the covetous! Wealth flees from him, but fire awaits him. Woe to the lazy! He will repay the time he spent poorly. Woe to the arrogant! When he goes to the grave, he will know who he is. Woe to the fornicator who defiles the wedding robe! In shame he is expelled from the royal bridal chamber. Woe to the scolder and with him the drunkard! They are placed on a par with murderers and punished along with adulterers, Woe to him who lives in luxury! It will not take long for him to become fat, like a calf prepared for slaughter. Woe to the hypocrite! The shepherd renounces him, and the ram turns out to be a wolf. Blessed is he who walks the narrow path, because he ascends to Heaven as a crowned man. Blessed is he who tramples upon earthly pleasures: demons tremble to fight him. Blessed is he who is pure in virtue and not hypocritical in soul: he will judge the world, and we will not be judged along with the world. Blessed is he who is vigilant in prayer, reading and good deeds: he will be enlightened so that he does not fall asleep into death. Blessed is he who is lofty in life and humble in his thoughts: he imitates Christ and sits down with Him. Blessed is he who does not leave the law on his tongue; God does not forsake his tabernacle. Blessed is he who does good to many: at the Judgment he will find many defenders. Blessed is he who has no bad mixture in his virtue, because the shovel of the Judge does not deceive him. Blessed is he who adorns his deeds before the fire by which all are tempted reveals them. Blessed is he who hastens to the Future Life, because the present gives off the smell of decay and is drawn towards death. Blessed is he who squanders what he has collected and appears clean to the pure Judge. And the main thing in the word: do not neglect your soul, because soon you will stand before the scales at the Last Judgment Seat of Christ our God. You might be interested in: