Глава IX. О том, что должно блюсти себя от осуждения

1. Once upon a time in Abba Elijah’s town, a temptation happened to one brother, and, expelled from there, he went to Abba Anthony in the mountain. After his brother had stayed with him for a year, the abba sent him to Cenobia, from which he came. But the brethren, seeing him, expelled him again. Returning to Abba Anthony, he told him: they didn’t want to accept me, father! Then the elder sent him with these words: the ship was wrecked at sea and lost its cargo, only a little was saved with difficulty to the shore; You want to drown what has been saved. The brethren, hearing that he had been sent by Abba Anthony, immediately accepted him. 2. Abba Agathon, when he noticed something, and his thoughts wanted to condemn it, he said to himself: Agathon, don’t do the same! And thus he pacified his thoughts. 3. Abba Agathon and one of the elders once fell ill. When they were lying in the cell, and the elder was reading the book of Genesis, then, having reached the place where Jacob says: Joseph is not there, Simeon is not there, and will you understand Benjamin? ...and you will bring my old age with sorrow to hell (Gen. 42:36, 38), remarked: are not ten more enough for you, Abba Jacob? Abba Agathon said to him: stop, elder! God justify. Who is to judge? (Rom. 8:33, 34) 4. Abba Anthony predicted to Abba Ammon: you will succeed in the fear of God. Then he took him out of the cell and, showing him a stone, said: Scold this stone and beat it. He did so. Abba Anthony says to him: didn’t the stone tell you anything? He answered: no. Abba Anthony said: “So you too have the ability to achieve this measure,” which came true, for Abba Ammon succeeded so much that from the excess of goodness he no longer saw evil. So, when he became a bishop, one day they brought to him a maiden who was with child, and asked to give her penance, but he, marking her womb with a cross, ordered that six pairs of shrouds be given to her, saying: lest she or her child die when the time comes to give birth, and nothing will be found for burial. Then her accusers said to him: Why did you do this? Give her penance! He answered them: see, brothers, how close she is to death. What can I do? And he let her go. The elder never dared to condemn anyone. 5. Once Abba Ammon came to one place for a meal. There was someone there who had a bad reputation, and it so happened that at that time a woman came and entered the cell of the blasphemed brother. The brethren, having learned about this, were so alarmed that they wanted to immediately expel their brother, but when they heard about Bishop Ammon, they came to the Abba and asked to go with them. As soon as the brother found out about this, he hid the woman under a large tub, and Abba Ammon, realizing this and wanting to hide the matter for the sake of God, sat on the tub, and ordered the brothers to search the cell. When the woman was not found, Abba Ammon said: What is this? God forgive you! Then, having prayed, he ordered everyone to leave and, taking his brother by the hand, said to him: pay attention to yourself, brother! And having said this, he left. 6. It was said that one brother who had sinned was expelled by the elder of the church. Then Abba Vissarion stood up and went out with him, saying: I too am a sinner. 7. Abba Elijah said: I saw that one brother took a pumpkin of wine under his arm. Wanting to shame the demons, for it was a vision, I said to my brother: do me a favor, lift this to me. When he lifted his clothes, it turned out that he had nothing. I told this so that you, whether you see it with your own eyes or hear it, do not believe it. Especially guard your thoughts, memories and thoughts, knowing that they are often implanted by demons in order to defile the soul with thoughts of unprofitable things and with them to abolish the remembrance of one’s sins according to God. 8. Abba Isaiah said: if the thought comes to you of condemning your neighbor for some sin, think first that you are even more sinful than him. Do not believe that what pleases God, that you think you are doing well, and do not dare to condemn your neighbor. 9. He said again: not judging your neighbor and humiliating yourself is the place of peace of conscience. 13. Abba Paphnutius, a disciple of Abba Macarius, said: I once asked my father to tell me a word, and he said: do no harm to anyone and do not condemn anyone; keep this and you will be saved. 14. They said about Abba Macarius the Great that he was like an earthly God. For just as God covers the world, so Abba Macarius covered sins, which, seeing, as if he had not seen, and, hearing, as if he had not heard. 15. A brother once sinned in Skete. When the meeting was held, they sent for Abba Moses, but he did not want to go. The presbyter again sent to him, saying: come, for everyone is waiting for you. He stood up, took the holey basket and, filling it with sand, carried it on himself. The brethren, coming out to meet him, asked: what does this mean, father? The elder answered: it is my sins that are pouring out behind me; I don’t look at them, but now I have come to judge the mistakes of others. Hearing this, they did not say anything to their brother and forgave him. 16. Abba Moses said: a person must die for everyone else, so as not to condemn him for anything. 17. He also said: the end of everything is not to judge your neighbor, for when the hand of the Lord killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, there was not a house left in which there was not a dead person. The brother asked him what this word means? The elder answered him: if he allows us to see our sins, then we will not see the sins of our neighbor, for it is crazy for a person who has his own dead man to go cry over his neighbor’s dead man. And to die for your neighbor means to bear the weight of your sins, without caring about the other - whether he is good or bad. Do not do evil to any person and do not even think evil in your heart against anyone; do not disparage the one who does evil, do not communicate with the one who does evil to his neighbor, and do not rejoice with the one who does evil to his neighbor. This means dying for your neighbor. Do not condemn anyone, but say: God knows everyone. Do not agree with the one who is evil, do not rejoice in his evilness, and do not hate your neighbor who is evil - this is what it means not to condemn! Do not have enmity with any person, do not hold enmity in your heart and do not hate the one who is at enmity with your neighbor - this is what peace means! With this, console yourself this way: labor is for a short time, but through the grace of God - peace for all eternity. Glory. Amen. 18. They said about Abba Mark of Egypt that he did not leave his cell for thirty years. One presbyter had the custom of coming and making the Holy Offering for him. The devil, seeing the patience of the virtuous man, maliciously intended to tempt him with condemnation, and inspired one demoniac to come to the elder under the pretext of prayer. When this one possessed by the spirit came, he, before any other word, shouted to the elder: Your elder has the stench of sin; do not let him come to you anymore. But the inspired man said to him: everyone throws out uncleanness, but you brought it to me. It is written: Judge not, lest ye be judged (M. 7:1). However, if he is a sinner, may the Lord save him, for it is said: pray for one another, that you may be healed (James 5:16). With this word, having made a prayer, the abba cast out the demon from that man and released him healthy. When the presbyter came according to custom, the elder received him with joy; and the good God, seeing the elder’s gentleness, showed him the following sign: when the presbyter stood before the Holy Table, I saw, the elder said, that an Angel of the Lord descended, laid his hand on the presbyter, and he became like a pillar of fire. When I was amazed at such a vision, I heard a voice saying to me: man! Why are you amazed at this? If an earthly king does not allow his nobles to appear unclean before him, and not otherwise than with great glory; All the more so will Divine power purify the servants of the ineffable mystery who stand before the face of heavenly glory. Thus, the courageous fighter of Christ, Mark of Egypt, who became great, was awarded this gift for not condemning the presbyter. 19. The brother asked Abba Pimen: tell me how to become a monk? The elder said: if you want to find peace here and in the next century, then in every case say: who am I? And don't judge anyone. 20. One day the presbyter of Pelusiot heard about some brethren that they often went into the city to wash themselves and did not take care of themselves. Arriving at the church meeting, he removed the schema from them, but after that his conscience began to torment him and he, repenting, came to Abba Pimen, overcome by thoughts and carrying the brothers’ levitons. When he revealed what had happened to the elder, he asked him: Do you also have anything from the old man? Have you got rid of him? The presbyter answered: I am part of the old man. The elder said to this: therefore, you too are like brothers, for even if you are a little involved in old age, you are still subject to sin. Then the presbyter, having called all eleven brothers and repented before them, clothed them in the monastic schema and released them. 21. The same old man said: it happens that a person seems silent, but his heart condemns others; such a one speaks incessantly. And it happens that a person speaks from morning to evening, but meanwhile remains silent, that is, he says nothing without benefit. 22. One brother asked Abba Pimen: Father, if I see my brother fall, is it good to cover it? The elder answered: at what hour we cover our brother’s fall, at that time God covers ours; and in whatever way we reveal our brother’s fall, God reveals ours. 23. The brother said to Abba Pimen: when I see the brother about whose fall I heard, I do not want to bring him into my cell; When I see a good one, I rejoice with him. The elder replied: if you do a little good for a good brother, then do it twice as much, for he is weak. So, there was someone in the cinema named Timothy. The abbot, having heard a bad rumor about the temptation of one brother, asked Timothy about it, and he advised him to expel the offender. When he was expelled, the temptation of his brother came upon Timothy to the point that he was in danger. Then Timothy wept before the face of God, saying: I have sinned, forgive me. And a voice came to him: Do not think that I did this to you for anything other than because you despised your brother during his temptation. 24. On Mount Afliv there lived one great silent man, and when robbers attacked him, the old man screamed. When the elder’s neighbors heard this, they seized the robbers and sent them to the governor, who put them in prison; however, after that the brethren began to mourn, saying: they were betrayed because of us. Then they went to Abba Pimen and told him about this matter. Abba Pimen wrote to that elder: rejoice over the first betrayal - where does it come from; and then you will understand the second. For if you had not been betrayed from within before, you would not have made the second betrayal. Having heard the word of Abba Pimen - and he was famous throughout that country - the silent man, despite the fact that he had never left his cell, went to the city, led the robbers out of prison and freed them in front of everyone. 25. Abba Pimen said: it is written, even as thine eyes have seen, speak (Prov. 25:8); I tell you: even if you touch it with your hands, do not testify to it with confidence. And he told how one brother was insulted like this: it seemed to him that his brother was sinning with his wife; He, being strongly struggling, came up and, thinking that it was them, pushed them with his foot, saying: stop at last! How long? But it turned out that they were sheaves of wheat. Therefore I said to you: even if you touch it with your hands, do not reprove it. 26. Some of the fathers asked Abba Pimen: how did Abba Nesteroi tolerate his disciple for so long? Avva Pimen answered them: if it were me, then I would put a pillow under his head. Then Abba Anub asked: what would you say to God? Abba Pimen replied that he would have said: You said: first remove the logs from your hair, and then you will see to take away the twig from your brother’s hair (Matthew 7:5). 27. A brother once fell in Konovia. In those places there lived a hermit who did not go out for a long time, and Abba Konovia came to this old man and told him about the fallen one. The elder said: drive him out. Having left Kinovia, the exiled brother came to a certain ditch and wept. It happened at that time that some brethren went there to see Abba Pimen. Hearing the crying and going to their brother, they found him in great sorrow and urged him to go to the elder, but he did not want to and said: here I will die. Having come to Abba Pimen, they told him about this, and he, dismissing them, asked to tell his brother that Abba Pimen was calling him. The brother came, and the elder, seeing how he was overcome by grief, stood up, gave him a kiss and, rejoicing with him, asked him to taste, and meanwhile sent him to that hermit with the words: for many years I have wanted to see you, hearing about you, but due to the laziness of both of us, we have not yet seen each other. Now, for the sake of the fact that this is the will of God and there is a good reason for this, take the trouble to come here and we will see each other. He, although he had never left his cell, having heard this, said: if God had not inspired the elder, he would not have sent for me - therefore he stood up and came to him. Kissing each other with joy, they sat down, and Abba Pimen told him: two people lived in one place and both had a dead man. One of them left his dead man and went to cry over his brother’s dead man. Hearing this word, the elder was overcome with contrition, for he remembered what he had done and said: Pimen, woe, woe, is in heaven, but I am down, down on earth. 28. Some of the fathers asked Abba Pimen: if we see any brother sinning, will you command us to reprove him? The elder answered them: as for me, if there is a need to go through this place, I will pass by and will not expose him. 29. One brother asked Abba Pimen: what should I do, for I am bored sitting in my cell? The elder answered: do not humiliate anyone, do not condemn anyone, do not slander anyone, and God will give you peace, and your sitting will be undisturbed. 30. The brother asked Abba Pimen: Father, what should I do? And the elder said: it is written that I will proclaim my iniquity, and take care of my sin (Ps. 37:19). 31. Once upon a time Abba Pimen came to the borders of Egypt. It happened that a brother lived near him who had a woman, but the elder never denounced him, and the brothers did not know about this matter. When that woman gave birth, the elder, having learned about this, ordered his younger brother: take these vegetables and give them to your neighbor, for now he has need of them. The brother did as the elder told him, and it was so edifying for the sinning brother that he came into contrition and after a few days released the woman, giving her what he had. Then he said to the elder: from now on I begin repentance. Then he built a cell for himself nearby and through it he entered the elder, who guided him along the path of God and acquired him. 32. Once upon a time there was a meeting in Skete on the occasion of the fall of a brother. The fathers spoke, but Abba Pior was silent, then he got up and left; taking the bag, filled it with sand and carried it on his shoulders; He also took a small basket of sand and carried it in front of him. When the fathers asked him what that meant, he answered: this bag, in which there is a lot of sand, are my sins, for there are many of them, but I left them behind, so as not to worry about them and not cry; but these few sins of my brother are before me, and I deal with them, judging him. I shouldn’t do this, but rather I should bear my sins before myself and take care of them, asking God for mercy. Then the fathers rose up and said: “Truly, this is the way of salvation.” 33. Abba Paphnutius said the following: one day, while traveling, I lost my way due to fog and found myself near a village. Seeing people there talking unworthily to each other, I began to pray for my sins. And then the Angel of the Lord came with a sword and said to me: all who condemn their brothers perish by this sword, but since you did not condemn, but humbled yourself before the face of God, as if you yourself had committed a sin, then for this your name is written in the book of the living. 34. The elder said: do not condemn the fornicator, if you are chaste, - through this you are equally breaking the law, for He who said: do not commit adultery (Matthew V, 27), also said: do not condemn (Matthew 7:1). 35. They told about one old man who lived in Egypt in a secluded cell. It was the custom for one brother and one virgin to come to him. One day they came to the elder together, and when evening came, the elder laid out a mat and lay down among them. The brother, being a slave, rebelled against the virgin, and they committed sin. The elder felt this, but did not say anything and, when morning came, he saw them off without showing any severity or gloom towards them. On the way they said to each other: did the old man understand or not? And returning to him, they repented and asked: Abba! Do you understand how Satan scolded us? The elder answered them: I understand. They say to him: where was your thought at that hour? He said: my thought was where Christ was crucified; there he stood and cried. Then they asked the elder for the rule of repentance, left and became chosen vessels. 36. A certain old man ate only three crackers every day. One day his brother came to him, and when they sat down to eat, the elder offered him three crackers; however, then, seeing that the brother still needed it, he offered three others. When they were full and stood up, the elder condemned his brother and said to him: brother, the flesh should not work. The brother repented to the elder and left. The next day, when the time came for the elder to eat, he served himself three crackers as usual, but after eating them, he was still hungry, however, he denied himself. The next day the same thing happened. Later, beginning to weaken, the elder realized that this was the abandonment of God, therefore, throwing himself before the face of God, he prayed about the abandonment that had occurred. And he sees an angel who said to him: this happened to you because you condemned your brother. So, know that he who has to abstain or do something good, does not do it by his own strength, but by the grace of God, which strengthens every person. 37. A presbyter from the clergy came to a certain hermit and made the offering of the Holy Mysteries for him. One day someone came to this hermit and blasphemed the presbyter, and when, according to custom, the presbyter came to make an offering, the seduced hermit did not open his cell for him, and the presbyter returned back. And then the hermit hears a voice: people have taken My judgment. And then, as if in admiration, he sees a golden lake, and in it the water is very good and there is someone black, scooping it up and pouring it over it. The hermit was thirsty, but he did not, because the drawer was black. And here again a voice comes to him: why don’t you drink this water, and what does the black drawer mean here? He only scoops and pours. Having come to his senses and realizing the power of the vision, the hermit called the presbyter and left him to make the Offering for him, as before. 38. In Konovia there were two great brothers, each of whom was granted the gift of seeing the grace of God on his brother. It happened one day that one of them came out of the cinema on Friday, and when he saw someone outside eating in the morning, he said to him: Are you eating at this hour on Friday? The next day, during the usual rule, his brother saw that the grace of God had departed from his brother, and began to grieve. Then entering the cell, he asked him: what have you done, brother, for now I have not seen the grace of God on you as before? He said: I do not recognize anything bad either in my word or in my deed. His brother asked: did you say words to anyone? Then the brother remembered what he had said and answered: yesterday morning I saw someone eating outside the movie, and I said to him: are you eating at this hour on Friday? This is my sin. But work with me for two weeks, and let’s pray to God that He forgives me. They did this, and two weeks later the brother saw that grace had again come to his brother. They were comforted and thanked God. 39. One of the fathers said: there is no people under the sun like the Christian people; and among this people there is no rank similar to that of the monks. However, it does them a lot of harm that the devil leads them into rancor about their brothers, and they often say: he told me this, and I told him that; their own uncleanness is before them, and they do not see it, but they attend to the affairs of their neighbor. Because of this they suffer a lot of harm. 40. One holy man, seeing a sinner, began to cry and said: he today, and I, probably, tomorrow. So, even if someone sinned in your presence, do not condemn him, but consider yourself more sinful than him, even though he is a layman. 41. The brother asked one of the elders to judge him with an experienced word: if I see that someone is doing something, and I tell another about it, however, I see that I do not condemn him, but only say - is this not condemnation? The elder said: if you speak out of passion, having something against him, then this is evil; if you are free from passion, then what is said will not be evil, but so that evil does not increase. 42. Another brother also asked the elder: if I come to some elder and tell him that I want to live together with so-and-so, and he knows that it is not good for me, how can he answer me? If he says, “Don’t go,” has he not condemned him with his thoughts? The elder replied: not many people have such subtlety. Therefore, if there is a movement of passion in him and he says so, then he will harm himself, and his word will have no force. What is the best thing to say to him then? Better: I don’t know, because in this case he will save himself from condemnation. If he is free from passion, then he will not condemn anyone, but will blame himself, saying: I am not built, and therefore - it is implied - it is not useful to you. If the one asking is smart, he will not go, for the elder said this not out of malice, but so that evil would not increase. 43. One of the saints, hearing that one brother had fallen into fornication, said: Oh! What a bad thing he did. A few days later that brother fell asleep, and an Angel of God came with his soul to the elder and asked him: look, the one whom you condemned has fallen asleep; So, where will you command me to place him - in the kingdom or in hell? And then, until his death, the elder asked God for forgiveness for this, crying and being very ill. 44. One of the saints said: there is no better commandment - not to condemn any of the brethren. Meanwhile, it is commanded: by reproof you must rebuke your neighbor, and for his sake you shall not accept sin (Lev. 19:17). So, if you see a brother sinning and do not say to him with love: how long will I see the same sin in you? - His blood will be required at your hands; if he, having been lovingly rebuked, continues in the same thing, then he will die in his sin. So, it is good to reprove with love, and not to revile and humiliate as an enemy. 45. The elder said: if you see someone laughing or eating a lot, do not judge him, but rather say: blessed is he, for he has no sins, and therefore his soul rejoices. 46. ​​One great old man lived in Syria within the borders of Antioch and had a disciple who was quick to condemn if he saw someone falling. The elder often admonished him about this, saying: truly, son, you are mistaken and are only destroying your soul, for who knows what is in a man, even the spirit of a man living in him (1 Cor. 2:11). Moreover, many often do a lot of evil before people and secretly repent before God. We also see sin, but God alone knows the good deeds he did. Many more, having spent their entire lives badly, often at their death were found in repentance and saved; It happens that sinners are accepted for the sake of the prayers of saints. Therefore, even if I saw with my own eyes that a person should not condemn another person. There is only one Judge - the Son of God, and a person who judges another is guilty of judgment, as an opponent of Christ, because judgment delights in the power and strength that the Father gave Him. 47. The elder said: if you see your brother falling with your eyes, immediately say: anathema to you, Satan - my brother is not guilty of this. And strengthen your heart not to condemn your brother, because otherwise the Spirit of God will depart from you. 48. The elder said: Whatever you condemn murderers, or fornicators, or grave-diggers, or any other of the wicked, they have their own judge. Do not examine things from only one side, but also be curious about your downfalls, which are often even worse than those. And you often looked with unchaste eyes, which, as you yourself know, is already fornication. And you often reviled your brother; It is not unknown to you that the Lord said about this: he who says to his brother: you are a freak, guilty of fiery hell (Matthew 5:22). The most terrible thing is that you may approach the Holy Mysteries unworthily and become guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ (1 Cor. 11:27). And it is revealed that the one whom you condemn killed a simple man, and you kill Christ Himself, becoming guilty of killing Him, for he who eats and drinks unworthily, judges himself to eat and drink (1 Cor. 11:29), that is, just as those Jews crucified Christ, so those who unworthily partook of His Body and Blood do the same. And this judgment on them is completely fair, for those who tore the royal purple or soiled it are subject to the same punishment; so that both those who then cut off His body, and those who now defile Him by communing with Him with an unclean soul, will equally be subject to judgment according to the word of the Apostle. 49. Someone asked the elder: why can’t I live with my brothers? The elder answered: because you are not afraid of God, for if you remembered that Lot was saved in Sodom by not condemning anyone, then you could get along if you fit even among the animals. 50. The elder said: if you see that your brother has sinned, do not lay the reason for this on him, but on the one who fights him, and say: just as he is defeated, so am I. Cry, seek help from God and show compassion to him - the unwittingly injured one, for none of us wants to sin before God, but we are all deceived. 51. One elder said: when I lived in the inner desert, one brother from the monastery came to visit me, and I asked him how the fathers lived. He said: okay, with your prayers. I also asked him about one brother who had a bad reputation. The brother replied: he has not yet changed this bad glory. Hearing this, I said: alas! - and with this word he fell into sleep. In admiration, I saw myself standing on Holy Golgotha, and our Lord Jesus Christ crucified among the thieves. When I rushed to approach and worship Him, He, seeing me, loudly commanded the angels standing before Him: cast him out, for this enemy is Me by the fact that before My judgment he condemned his brother. When they expelled me and I went out, my robe was held up by the closed door and I left it there. Immediately waking up, I said to the one who came to me: this day is evil for me. He asked: why, father? Then I told what I saw in my dream and added: my mantle means the cover of God that was on me and which I have now lost. From that day - I say as before the Lord of glory - I spent seven years wandering through the deserts, not eating bread, not entering under shelter and not seeing a single person, until again, in the same way, I saw my Lord commanding me to give me my mantle. Hearing this about such a wondrous old man, we said: if the righteous are barely saved, where will the wicked and sinful appear? (Prov. 11:31). 52. The elder said: nothing angers God so much, nothing exposes a person so much and puts him in a state of abandonment, like blasphemy, condemnation and humiliation of his neighbor. The fact that condemnation is heavier than any sin, and the Lord Himself says: you hypocrite, first remove the log from your hair, and then you will see to take away the speck from your brother’s hair (Matthew 7:5), that is, the Lord has likened the sins of your neighbor to a knot, and condemnation to a log, so destructive is condemnation! It is above all sin! So, brothers, there is nothing harder, nothing more disastrous than condemning your neighbor. Why don’t we condemn ourselves more than ourselves and our evil deeds, which we know for sure and for which we have to give an account to God? Why do we admire the judgment of God? What do we care about His creation? What do we care about our neighbor? What do we care about other people's burdens? Each of us has something to take care of, brothers! Let everyone take heed to himself and his evil deeds! To justify or condemn is the work of the one God, who knows everyone’s condition, strength, conversion, talents, mood, and readiness - and therefore the judge, as He Himself alone knows. 53. Again he said: let us acquire love for our neighbor, let us acquire mercy towards him, in order to save ourselves from the terrible shame, condemnation and humiliation for us; Let us help each other as if we were our own members, for we are one in relation to each other - the same as members of the body, as the Apostle says: we are all one body in Christ, and in one way we judge one another (Rom. 12:5), and if one man suffers, all men suffer with him (1 Cor. 12:26). You might be interested in: