Гордость

How to overcome the thought of pride QUESTION. If, after a lot of work, suffering, and struggle that a person has undergone, the thought of pride is not ashamed to attack him, because it borrows food for itself from the beauty of his virtues, and counts on the greatness of the labor he has endured, then how can a person overcome his thought and acquire such firmness in his soul that it does not submit to the thought? ANSWER. When someone knows that he will fall away from God, like a dry leaf falling from a tree, then he understands the strength of his soul: that is, did he acquire these virtues by his own strength and endure all the struggles for their sake, while the Lord withheld His help and allowed him to enter into the struggle with the devil alone, and did not walk with him, as He usually participates in the struggle with those who struggle, and helps them; then its strength is revealed; better to say, the defeat and its difficulty become clear. For the Providence of God always happens to the saints, protecting and strengthening them. Through it he overcomes every rank of people, if it happens in feat and in the suffering of martyrdom and in other disasters that befall those who suffer for God and for His sake. And this is clear, obvious and undeniable. For how can nature overcome the power of tickling, which is constantly aroused in the members of people, causing them grief and very strong in order to overcome them? And why do others desire victory and love it, but cannot achieve it despite their strong opposition, on the contrary, every day they suffer defeat from bodily tickles and remain in labor, in crying and in exhaustion, working for their souls, while you can comfortably bear the claims of the body, which are so fierce, and not be in great confusion as a result? And how can a body, in other cases sensitive to suffering, and not tolerating being stung by thorns, by pricking its nail, overcome cutting with iron, endure crushing of the members and all kinds of torment, and not be overcome by suffering, without feeling, as nature usually does, even the difference in this torment, if, in addition to natural strength, another force does not come from here, reflecting from it the cruelty of torment? And since we started talking about God’s Providence, we will not be too lazy to bring to mind one soulful story that elevates a person in his struggles. One young man named Theodore, whose whole body was subjected to torment, was asked by someone: “Did you feel torment?” answered: “At first I felt, and later I saw a certain young man who wiped away the sweat of my struggle, strengthened me and gave me coolness during my suffering.” Oh, how great are God's mercies! How close is the grace of God to those who strive for the name of God, so that they may joyfully endure suffering for Him! Therefore, man, do not be ungrateful to God’s providence for you. If, finally, it is clear that you are not a winner, but only, as it were, an instrument, the Lord wins in you, and you still receive the name of victory, who forbids you and at all times asks for the same strength, and to win, and to receive praise, and to confess (bring praise) to God? Haven't you heard, man, how many ascetics from the foundation of the world, being unappreciative of this grace, fell from the heights of life and from the heights of their exploits? Just as many and varied are the gifts of God to the human race in themselves, there is just as much difference in the acceptable gifts and, accordingly, in the degree of those who receive them. There are smaller and greater gifts of God; although they are all lofty and wonderful, one surpasses the other in glory and honor, and the degree of degree is higher. And also: to devote oneself to God and live virtuously is one of the great gifts of Christ. Many who accepted the grace of the priesthood lost their dignity due to pride and arrogance. For many, having forgotten that by this grace they were vouchsafed to become excommunicated from people and dedicated to God, partakers and recipients of His gifts, chosen and awarded the service and sacramental performance of God, instead of constantly thanking God for this with their lips, they deviated into pride and arrogance and think of themselves not as having received the grace of sacramental rites, in order to serve God with pure life and spiritual work, but as giving mercy to God, when they should have judged that God had taken them out from among people and made them His own 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. since they did not recognize their strength and did not constantly keep in mind the One who gave them grace - to perform service before Him, to become included in His kingdom, to be cohabitants of angels and to approach Him with angelic life, then God removed them from their work and, by leaving silence and changing their way of life, showed them that it was not their power if they observed decorum in life and did not disturb their natural compulsions, demons and other other resistances, on the contrary, it was the power of God’s grace, which produced in them that which the world, due to the difficulty of this, cannot contain or hear, and in which they remained for a long time and were not overcome; why, of course, there was in them a certain power accompanying them, sufficient to help them in everything and protect them. But since they forgot about this power, the word spoken by the Apostle was fulfilled on them: “Because they were not tempted to have God in their minds... He gave them over, who had gathered dust for spiritual service,... into an unskilled mind” (Rom. 1:28), and, as it should be, they received dishonor for their error. Before contrition comes pride, says the Wise One (Proverbs 16:18), and before gifts comes humility. The measure of pride visible in the soul is 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. A proud thought will be followed by contrition, and when a person has loved pride, he no longer knows contrition. Sins. Sins are voluntary and involuntary. There is a sin committed through weakness, in which a person is carried away involuntarily; and there is a sin committed arbitrarily and out of ignorance. It also happens that someone will commit a sin for some reason, and also because of obstinacy and practice in evil. These are all the kinds and types of sins; and although all of them are worthy of blame, nevertheless, when comparing the punishments imposed for sins, it turns out that one is greater than the other. The greatest condemnation falls on another, and repentance from him is difficult to accept, and the sin of another is close to forgiveness. And just as Adam, Eve and the serpent, although they all received retribution for sin from God, were nevertheless cursed to varying degrees, so it is with their sons: for each, the severity of punishment is proportionate to his intention and addiction to sin. If someone, not having the desire to serve sin, through negligence about virtue is drawn into sin, because he has not practiced virtue, then it is hard for him to remain in sin; and his punishment is heavy. And if it happens that someone who cares about virtue is tempted by some sin, then, without a doubt, mercy is close to him to cleanse his sin. Another sin is committed when a person turns out to be caring for virtue and constant in doing, so that he does not sleep at night, worrying so as not to suffer damage in what he cares about, and during the day he carries his burden with him everywhere, and all his care is about virtue, but with these and similar concerns, or due to some ignorance, or from any obstacles on his path, that is, on the path of virtue, and from the waves, whenever his members rise up, or as a result of the deviation allowed to him to test his freedom, his scale tilts slightly to the left, and through bodily weakness he is drawn into one of the types of sin; and at the same time he grieves, grieves, sighs painfully for his soul, because of the disaster that happened to him from those who opposed him. Sin is different, when a person turns out to be weak and careless in the practice of virtue, has completely abandoned its path, slavishly strives to obey every sinful pleasure, shows zeal to seek means to complete pleasure, like some slave, is ready to carefully fulfill the will of his enemy and prepare his members for weapons to the devil with all obedience to him, does not in the least intend to think about repentance, to get closer to virtue, to stop evil and put an end to your destructive path. Otherwise, sin comes from the inclinations and falls that can happen on the path of virtue and on the path of truth. For, according to the Fathers, on the path of virtue and on the path of truth there are falls, obstacles, coercions and the like. Another thing is the fall of the soul, its complete destruction, complete abandonment. Whoever clearly belongs to the number of such, when he falls, let him not forget the love of his Father; but if it happens to him to fall into many different sins, let him not cease to strive for good, let him not stop in his progress, but let the conquered one again rise up to fight with his opponents, and daily let him begin to lay the foundation for a destroyed building, until his very departure from this world, having in his mouth the prophetic word: “Do not rejoice in me,... my adversary, for he has fallen; and for I will arise again... If I sit in darkness, the Lord... will illuminate me" (Mic. 7:8); and let him not cease fighting until death, as long as there is breath in him, and let him not give up his soul to be overcome, even during the very defeat. But if every day his boat is broken and all its cargo is wrecked, let him not cease to take care, to stock up, even to borrow, to transfer to other ships and to sail with hope, until the Lord, looking upon his feat and having mercy on his contrition, sends down His mercy on him, and gives him strong motives (strength of strength) to meet and endure the kindled arrows of the enemy. This is the wisdom given from God; such is the wise patient who does not lose his hope. It is better for us to be condemned for some things, and not for abandoning everything. Therefore, Abba MARTINIAN exhorts us not to become exhausted from many exploits, from many different and frequent battles on the path of righteousness, not to go back and not to give in to the enemy victory over ourselves in any way that is shameful for us. For, like some loving father, in a decorous and orderly manner, he says the following. To save yourself from sin, you need to move away from the causes that give rise to sin. QUESTION. How does a person cut off his previous habit and become accustomed to shortcomings and asceticism in life? ANSWER. The body does not agree to live without satisfying its needs while it is surrounded by what serves for pleasure and relaxation, and the mind cannot keep it from this until this body is removed from everything that produces relaxation. For when the spectacle of pleasure 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. That is why the Lord, the Redeemer, gave the all-wise and very good commandment to those who undertook to follow His footsteps: to be naked and come out of the world (Matthew 19:21), because a person must first reject everything that serves to weaken him, and then get down to business. And the Lord Himself, when he began the 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 let us accept His reproach” (Heb. 13:12–13), because He suffered outside the city. For if a person separates himself from the world and from everything in the world, he soon forgets his former habit and his former way of life, and does not work on it for a long time. And as he approaches the world and worldly things, the strength of his mind soon weakens. Therefore, one must know what is especially helpful and leads to success in this painful and saving battle. So, it is suitable and helpful in this battle for the monastic cell to be in a meager and insufficient condition, so that the monk’s cell is empty and does not contain anything that arouses in him the desire for peace. For when relaxing causes are removed from a person, there is no danger for him in twofold warfare - internal and external. And thus, a person who has something that serves him for pleasure at a distance, easily wins in comparison with someone who has something nearby that excites him to lust. For this is a great feat. When a person wants to have only what is necessary to support his body, then his needs become conveniently neglected, and even in the necessary time of moderate satisfaction of his needs, he does not look at this with lust and with a small something (i.e., a small amount of food) subjugates the body and looks at it as something conveniently neglected and approaches food not because of its sweetness, but in order to help nature and strengthen it. Such means soon bring a person to the point where he begins asceticism with a non-sorrowful and carefree thought. So, it is appropriate for a zealous monk to run quickly, without turning back, from everything that is at war with the monk, not to enter into communication with those who are fighting with him, but to refrain from even looking at them and, as far as possible, move away from their approach. And I say this not only about the womb, but also about everything that leads into temptation and battle, with which the monk’s freedom is tempted and tested. For a person, when he comes to God, makes a covenant with God to abstain from all this, namely: not to look at a woman’s face, not to look at beautiful faces, not to lust for anything, not to be luxurious, not to look at elegant clothes, not to look at any order established by the laity, not to listen to their words and not to be curious about them, because passions acquire greater strength from drawing closer to everything like this, as it weakens the ascetic and changes thoughts his and intentions. And if the view of something good excites the will of a true zealot and inclines him to do good, then it is clear that the opposite of this also has the power to captivate the mind. And if nothing more happens to a silent mind, but only plunges itself into a violent feat, then this is already a great loss - to arbitrarily plunge oneself from a peaceful state into confusion. And if one of the elders, ascetics and fighters, seeing a young man who had no beard and looked like a woman, considered this harmful to his thoughts and disastrous for his feat, then can anyone be remiss in anything else (raising abuse), when this saint did not dare to enter and kiss his brother? For the wise old man reasoned: “If I think just this night that there is something like that here, then this too will be a great harm to me.” That is why he did not enter and said to them: “I am not afraid, children; but why should I want to in vain bring up abuse against myself? The recollection of any such thing produces useless confusion in the mind. In every member of this body there is a bait hidden, a person faces a great battle from this, and he must protect himself and ease the battle that threatens him by fleeing from it; and as soon as something like this approaches, a person, although he forces himself to do good, is nevertheless in danger from this, always seeing it and desiring it.” We see many hidden poisons in the earth, and in the summer, due to the heat, no one knows them; when they are moistened and feel the power of the cool air, then it turns out where each poison was buried in the ground. So a person, when he is in the grace of silence and in the warmth of abstinence, then he really is at peace from many passions; if he enters into worldly affairs, then he sees how every passion rises up, lifts its head, especially if it feels the stench of peace. I said this so that no one would indulge in arrogance while he lives in this body and until he dies; I also wanted to show that running away and moving away from everything that leads to a vicious life helps a person a lot in the ascetic struggle. We should always be afraid of what one memory causes us shame, and also not trample on our conscience or neglect it. So, let's try to remove the body into the desert for a while, and force it to acquire patience. And what is most important, let everyone (even if it was regrettable for him, he will no longer have anything to fear) try, wherever he is, to move away from the causes of war, so that when the need comes, he will not fall from the proximity of them. QUESTION: Who has cast aside all care and embarked on a feat, what is the beginning of his battle with sin, and how does he begin this struggle? ANSWER. Everyone knows that every struggle against sin and lust begins with the work of vigil and fasting, especially if someone is struggling with the sin that resides within us. This is seen as a sign of hatred of sin and its lust in those leading this invisible war; They begin with fasting, and after it a night vigil promotes asceticism. Sinful pleasure. It is overcome only by hatred of the causes of sin. Until someone truly hates the causes of sin from the heart, he is not freed from the pleasure produced by the action of sin. This is the most fierce struggle, resisting a person even to the point of blood; in him his freedom is tempted in the unity of his love for virtues. This is the force that is called irritation and militia, from the smell of which the damned soul is exhausted, due to the inevitable militia that occurs against it. This is the power of the greatness of sin, which the enemy usually confuses the souls of the chaste, and forces pure movements to experience something that they have never experienced at all. Here, beloved brethren, we show our patience, heroism and zeal. For this is a time of invisible feat, about which they say that the monastic order always defeats them. When confronted with this abuse, a pious mind soon becomes confused, if not very angry. In these times - times of martyrdom - You, Lord, are the source of all help, are able to strengthen the souls who with joy betrayed themselves to You, the heavenly Bridegroom, and out of pure, and not insidious, motives, with reason entered into a holy covenant with You. Therefore, grant them the strength to boldly destroy fortified walls and every exaltation that rises against the truth, so that they do not remain unsuccessful in their own intention due to unbearable and intolerable coercion at such a time when the struggle goes to the point of blood. In this fierce battle there is not always a victory for chastity, because a person is left without help even for the sake of temptation. But woe to the weak, who are tempted in this testing battle, because this battle has acquired the greatest strength as a result of the habit (of winning) it received from those who betray themselves to defeat by combining (accepting them, agreeing with them) with their thoughts. Oh, how sweet are the occasions for passion! A person can sometimes cut off passions; far from them he enjoys the silence and has fun when they stop; he cannot deny the causes of 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 stops 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 confession of sins is the cause of true humility; humility is the cause of contrition that 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 of its effectiveness. Until you reject from yourself what is inappropriate, until then you will not understand how much shame you are covered with, and you will not understand the shame of this. When you see your burden (sins similar to yours) on others, then you will understand the shame that lies on you. Get away from the world, and then you will recognize its stench. And if you don’t leave, you won’t understand (how stinking it is); On the contrary, you will soon be clothed with its stench as a fragrance, and you will consider the nakedness of your shame a veil of glory. (Word 71, pp. 361–362; 363–364) The Savior calls the many abodes of the Father the different measures of understanding of those who are installed in that country, that is, the differences and diversity of spiritual gifts, which are enjoyed according to the measure of understanding. For it was not the difference of places, but the degrees of talents that He called many abodes. 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 next century all the righteous are inseparably settled in one country, but each in his own measure is illuminated by one mental sun and, according to his own dignity, attracts to himself joy and gladness, as if from one air, from one place, seat, vision 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. But the spectacle (in the Syriac text: “object of contemplation”), located outside of all, is one, and one place, and besides these two degrees there is no other intermediate degree, I mean one higher degree, the other low, and in the midst of them there is diversity in the difference of rewards. Gifts. Gifts are sent to a person during prayer. But if anyone asks: why do these great and indescribable gifts occur at just this time, then we answer: because at this time, more than at any other time, a person is gathered into himself and is prepared to listen to God, desires and expects mercy from Him. In short, this is the time of standing at the royal gates to beg the king; and it is fitting that the request of the one who begs and calls at this time be fulfilled. For is there any other time at which a person would be so prepared and watch himself so much, except the time when he begins to pray? Or, perhaps, it is more decent to receive something like that while he is sleeping, or working, or when his mind is indignant? For the saints, although they do not have idle time, because they are busy with spiritual things every hour, nevertheless there are times with them when they are not ready for prayer. For they often engage in either thinking about something encountered in life, or looking at creatures, or in other things that are truly useful. But during prayer, the contemplation of the mind is directed towards the one God, and to Him it directs all its movements, and brings prayers to Him from the heart, with zeal and unceasing fervor. And therefore, at this time, when the soul has one and only care, it is fitting for Divine favor to flow. And so we see that when the priest gets ready, stands in prayer, propitiating God, praying and gathering his mind together, then the Holy Spirit descends on the bread and wine offered on the altar. And an angel appeared to Zechariah while he was praying and announced the birth of John. And Peter, when he was praying in the upper room during the sixth hour, a vision appeared, guiding him to the calling of the pagans by the shroud that came down from heaven and the animals imprisoned in it. And an angel appeared to Cornelius while he was praying and told him what was written about him. And God also spoke to Joshua the son of Nun when he bowed down on his face in prayer. And from the purgatory that was above the ark, from where the priest was given secret instruction from God in visions about everything that he should have known, at the very time when the bishop, once a year, at the terrible time of prayer, at the gathering of all the tribes of the children of Israel, standing in prayer in the outer tabernacle, entered the Holy of Holies and prostrated himself on his face - he heard God’s words in a terrible and unutterable vision. Oh, how terrible is this sacrament, which was served by this bishop! But such are all the visions that appeared to the saint during prayer. For what other time is so holy, and in its holiness so fitting for the reception of gifts, as the time of prayer, during which a person converses with God? At this time, during which prayers and supplications are made before God and conversation with Him, a person, with effort from everywhere, gathers together all his movements and thoughts and is immersed in thought in one God, and his heart is filled with God; and therefore he understands the incomprehensible. For the Holy Spirit, according to each person’s strength, acts in him, and acts by borrowing substance from the very thing for which one prays; so that by attentiveness the prayer is deprived of movement, and the mind is amazed and absorbed in amazement and forgets about the desire of its own petition, and its movements are immersed in deep ecstasy, and it is not in this world. And then there will be no difference between soul and body, no remembrance of anything, as the divine and great GREGORY said: “Prayer is purity of mind, which alone, in the amazement of a person, is given from the light of the Holy Trinity.” Do you see how prayer is given to those who are amazed by the understanding of what is born from it in the mind, according to what I said at the beginning of this scripture and in many other places? And the same Gregory says: “Purity of mind is the soaring of the mental. She is likened to a heavenly flower; during prayer, the light of the Holy Trinity shines in her.” Waiting for God's gifts is obviously sinful. This leads to pride and downfall. 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 vision 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 by keeping” (Luke 17:20) waiting. And in those who had such an intention, they acquired pride and downfall. And we will bring the area of ​​the heart into order by deeds of repentance and a life pleasing to God; The Lord comes by itself if the place in the heart is clean and not defiled. What we seek with observance, I mean God’s lofty gifts, is rejected by the Church of God; and those who accepted this earned themselves pride and downfall. And this is not a sign that a person loves God, but an illness of the soul. And how can we strive for God’s high gifts, when the divine Paul boasts of his sorrows and honors fellowship in the sufferings of Christ as God’s high gift? Gifts and temptations. Their relationship. If the soul is weak and does not have sufficient strength for great temptations, and therefore asks not to enter into them, and God will listen to it, then know for sure that, to the extent that the soul does not have sufficient strength for great temptations, it is equally insufficient for great gifts, and just as access to it is forbidden to great temptations, so great gifts are forbidden to it, because God does not give a great gift without a great one. temptations (2 Cor. 1:5). In proportion to temptations, gifts are determined by God according to His wisdom, which those created by Him do not comprehend. So, 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. QUESTION. How then? Is the temptation first and then the gift; or first the gift, and then the temptation? ANSWER. Temptation does not come if the soul does not first secretly accept greatness, more than its own measure, and the Spirit of grace it previously received. This is evidenced by the temptations of the Lord Himself, and likewise by the temptations of the Apostles: they were not allowed to enter into temptation until they received the Comforter. Whoever partakes of good things, it is fitting for him to endure their temptations, because after the good comes his sorrow. This is how it pleased the good God to do with everyone. And although this is indeed so, that is, grace comes before temptation, the feeling of temptation, for testing freedom, certainly preceded the feeling of grace. For grace in no one ever precedes the trial of temptation. Grace precedes in the mind, but delays in feeling. So, during these temptations, it is proper to have two opposite and in no way similar sensations, i.e. joy and fear: joy - because we find ourselves walking along the path laid out by the saints, or better yet, by the Life-Giver Himself of everything, as is clear from considering temptations; We should have fear as to whether it is because of pride that we endure this temptation. However, the humble are wise by grace and can distinguish and understand all this, that is, which temptations come from the fruit of pride, and which ones from blows (visits of God) inflicted on love. Temptations during prosperity and growth of a good life differ from temptations allowed to admonish the pride of the heart. Doing the heart with discernment. The work of the heart serves as a bond for the outer members. And if someone deals with 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 attached to bodily acquisitions, does not like gluttony, and irritability is completely far from him. Where these three phenomena take place, i.e., bodily (whether small or great) acquisitiveness, hot temper and overcoming gluttony, there (let it be known to you), even if a person, apparently, was like the ancient saints, his permission for the external comes from intolerance in the internal, and not from the difference in the negligence of his soul (i.e., not from the fact that his soul neglects other things). Otherwise, why not, neglecting bodily things, acquire meekness? Reasonable neglect is followed by: disconnection from anything, neglect of peace and the desire for people (the desire to communicate with people). And if someone willingly and joyfully accepts damage (sorrows, deprivations, insults) for the sake of God, then he is pure internally; if someone does not neglect anyone for their physical shortcomings, then he is truly free; If someone does not look with pleasure at someone who honors him or is not indignant at someone who dishonors him, then 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. Activity and contemplation. The activity of the godmother is twofold; According to the duality of nature, it is divided into two parts. One, consisting in enduring carnal sorrows (bodily deprivations inevitable in the fight against passions), produced by the action of the irritable part of the soul, is, and is called, activity. And the other consists in the subtle work of the mind, and in Divine meditation, as well as in staying in prayer, and so on; it is accomplished by the concupiscible part of the soul and is called contemplation. And one, i.e. activity, purifies, by the power of jealousy, the passionate part of the soul, and the second - the reality of spiritual love, i.e. natural lust, which enlightens the intellectual part of the soul. Every person who, before perfect learning in the first part, moves on to this second, attracted by its lust, not to mention his laziness, experiences the wrath (of God) for not “putting to death first his evils that were on the earth” (Col. 3:5), that is, he did not heal the weakness of his thoughts by patiently practicing the reproach of the cross, but dared in his mind to dream about glory to the godmother. This is what was said by the ancient saints, that if the mind intends to enter the cross before its feelings, having been healed of weakness, become silent, then God’s wrath will befall it. This ascent to the cross, which brings wrath, does not happen in the first part of the suffering of sorrows, that is, the crucifixion of the flesh, but when a person enters into contemplation; and this is the second part, following the healing of the soul. Whose mind is defiled by shameful passions and who hastens to fill his mind with dreamy thoughts, his lips are blocked with punishment (he is restrained by punishment) because, without first purifying his mind with sorrows and without subduing carnal lusts, but relying on what the ear heard and what was written in ink, he rushed straight forward, to walk a path full of darkness, when he himself was blind in the eyes. For even those whose sight is sound, being filled with light and having acquired leaders of grace, are in danger day and night, while their eyes are full of tears, and they continue their service in prayer and weeping all day long, even night, because of the horrors that await them on the way and the terrible rapids they encounter and images of the truth that turn out to be mixed with deceptive signs of it. They say: “What is from God comes by itself, but you will not feel it.” This is true, but only if the place is clean and not defiled. If the apple of your soul’s eye is unclean, then do not dare to fix your gaze on the solar globe, lest you lose even this small ray, that is, simple faith, and humility, and heartfelt confession, and small deeds within your power, and not be cast out into the single region of spiritual beings, which is total darkness, that which is outside of God and is a semblance of hell, just as the one who was not I was ashamed to come to the wedding in unclean clothes. Through labor and self-preservation, purity of thoughts exudes, and purity of thoughts exudes the light of thinking. From here, by grace, the mind is guided to that over which the senses have no power, which they neither teach nor learn. Imagine that virtue is the body, contemplation is the soul, and both are one perfect person, united by a spirit of two parts, the sensual and the rational. And just as it is impossible for the soul to receive existence and be born without the perfect formation of the body with its members, so the soul can come into the second contemplation, that is, into the spirit of revelation - into contemplation formed in the liens that receive virtues; and this (virtue) is the abode of reasoning, which receives revelation. Contemplation is the feeling of the Divine mysteries hidden in things and in their causes. Devil's abuse. About the various methods of warfare that the devil wages against those who walk the narrow path that exceeds the world. Our opponent the devil has an ancient custom with those entering this feat to cunningly diversify their struggle - according to the way they are armed, and, taking into account the intention of the person, he changes the method of his struggle. Those who are lazy in will and weak in thoughts, he pays special attention to those, and from the very beginning he attacks them strongly, so that he sets up strong and strong temptations against them, so that at the beginning of the path he will force them to experience all the ways of his wickedness, so that from the first exploit they will be overcome by fear, their path seems cruel and impassable to them, and they said this: “If the beginning of the path is so hard and difficult, then who can withstand the many who are in the middle until the very end?” his difficulties? And from that time on, they could no longer rise up again or move forward, or even see anything else from the oppressive concern about this. And little by little the devil intensifies his cruel warfare against them in order to put them to flight. It’s better to say that God Himself allows the devil to overcome them, and will not help them in anything, because they entered into the Lord’s feat with doubt and coldness. For God says: “Cursed is everyone who does the work of the Lord with negligence, and... who withholds blood from his hand” (Jer. 48:10); and again: “The Lord is near those who fear Him” (Ps. 84:10). For God commands to go against the devil without fear and coldness, saying: just begin to destroy him, and rush to battle with him, and fight him courageously, and I will put your fear on all your enemies under heaven (Deut. 11:25). For if you do not voluntarily die a sensual death for the goodness of God, then you will inevitably die spiritually - for God. Therefore, if such is your fate, without burden (without cowardice) voluntarily accept temporary suffering for God in order to enter into the glory of God. For if you die physically in the Lord’s feat, the Lord Himself will crown you, and God will bestow upon your honorable remains the honor of martyrs. Therefore, as I said above, those who at the very beginning were careless and relaxed and did not dare to give themselves up to death, from now on in all battles turn out to be weak, and not courageous. It’s better to say that God allows them to be persecuted and defeated in battle, because they did not truly seek Him, but, as if tempting and mocking them, tried to do the work of God. Therefore, the devil himself recognized them from the beginning and tested them in their thoughts for what they are, that is, fearful and self-loving and most of all sparing their body. And for this reason, as if by a storm, he drives them away, since he does not see in them the spiritual power that is customary to see in saints. For, according to a person’s will to strive for God and the intention to strive for a goal for His sake, God assists, helps, and shows him His providence for him. But the devil cannot approach a person or bring temptations upon him unless the person is remiss and God does not allow (temptations) to befall him. Or, if someone allows himself to have shameful thoughts through conceit and exaltation, or thoughts of doubt and double-mindedness, then the devil asks for such as temptation. But he does not ask beginners, simple and inexperienced, from God, like the saints and great ones, to tempt them. For he knows that God will not allow such people to fall into his hands (since God knows that they do not have sufficient strength against the devil’s temptations), unless they have one of the above reasons, and then the power of God’s Providence moves away from them. This is the first method of the devil's warfare. About the second method of devilish warfare. But those who, as the devil sees, are courageous, strong, do not count death as anything, go to work with great zeal, give themselves up to every temptation and death, neglect worldly life, the body and all temptations, the devil does not suddenly come out to meet them, and for the most part does not show himself to them, hides, gives way to them and does not meet with them at their first aspiration, and does not enter into battle with them. For he knows that every beginning of battle is hot; and he knows that the ascetic has great zeal, and zealous warriors are not easily defeated. The devil does this, not being afraid of them, but he is afraid of the surrounding them, of his terrifying, Divine power. Therefore, while he sees them as such, he does not even dare to touch them - until he sees that they have cooled in their jealousy, and those weapons that they had prepared for themselves in their thoughts have been laid aside by changing the Divine words and remembrances that promote and assist them; during their laziness, he pays attention to them, when they deviate somewhat from their first thoughts, and on their own begin to invent something that serves to overcome them in themselves with the caresses (seductions) of their wisdom emanating from them, and from themselves, for their souls, they dig a ditch of destruction from laziness by the resulting soaring of thoughts, from which coldness reigned in them, that is, in their thoughts and hearts. And the devil, when he refrains from attacking them, does this involuntarily, not because he spares them or is ashamed of them, for he imputes them to nothing. On the contrary, I reason that a certain force surrounds those who strive for God with fiery zeal, set out to exploit with infantile feelings, renounce the world without hesitation, but hope in God, believe in Him and do not know with whom they are fighting. Therefore, God repels the cruelty of the devil’s wickedness from them so that it does not approach them, and the enemy is curbed, seeing the Guardian always protecting them. For if they do not reject the reasons for help, that is, prayers, labors and humility, then this Intercessor and Helper never moves away from them. Look and write this down in your heart, because voluptuousness and love for peace are the reasons for permission. And if someone remains in unflagging abstinence from this, then God’s assistance never leaves him, and the enemy is not allowed to fight him. If it happens that it is allowed to fight with him in order to admonish him, then holy power accompanies and supports him, and he is not afraid of demonic temptations, because his thought is bold and neglects temptations for the sake of this power. For this Divine power itself teaches people, just as someone teaches some small child to swim; and when he begins to drown, he carries him out of the water, because the child floats above the hands of the teacher; and when he begins to feel timid, lest he drown, the one who carries him in his arms calls out to him with approval: “Don’t be afraid, I’m carrying you.” And just as a mother teaches her little son to walk, moves away from him and calls him to her, and when, going to his mother, he begins to tremble and, due to the weakness and youth of his legs and limbs, to fall, his mother comes running and carries him in her arms: so the grace of God carries and teaches people who, purely and in simplicity, have given themselves into the hands of their Creator, have renounced the world with all their hearts and follow in the footsteps of the Lord. And you, a person who sets out in the footsteps of God, at every time of your exploit, always remember the beginning and the first zeal at the beginning of the path, and those fiery thoughts with which you left your home for the first time and entered into battle. So test yourself every day, so that the ardor of your soul does not cool down in the jealousy that flared up in you at the beginning, and so that you do not lose one of the weapons that you were equipped with at the beginning of your feat. And constantly raise your voice among the military camp, encourage and encourage the children of the right hand of the country, that is, your thoughts, to courage, and show others, that is, the enemy side, that you are sober. And therefore, if at first you see the aspiration of the tempter frightening you, do not weaken: it may be useful to you, because He who saves you does not allow anyone to approach you for nothing (without reason, in vain), if he does not arrange something for your benefit. But do not show negligence (in your deeds) at the beginning, so that, having shown negligence here, you will not fall when you go forward, and you will no longer be unable to resist the sorrows that come upon you, I mean sorrows due to hunger, weakness, terrible dreams and other things. Do not pervert the intentions of your Hero, because He will give you help against the enemy, so that the enemy does not find you as he expects. But constantly call on God, weep before His grace, lament and work until He sends you a helper. For if one day you see the One who saves you near you, you will no longer be defeated by your enemy who resists you. Up to this point, two methods of fighting the devil have been described. About the third method of enemy warfare with the strong and courageous. Therefore, when the devil, after all this, rises up against someone, he no longer has the strength to fight him, or better yet, to fight against those who strengthen him and help him; With this assistance, a person rises above the enemy, borrows strength and patience from the promoter (i.e., the guardian angel), so that the rough and material body defeats the incorporeal and spiritual. When the enemy sees all this power that a person has received from God, he sees that a person’s external feelings are not overcome by visible things and audible voices, and his thoughts do not relax from his caresses and seductions, then this deceiver wants to find some way to alienate the angel helping him from the person; better to say, this deceiver wants to blind the mind of the person who is being helped, so that he turns out to be helpless, and arouse in him thoughts of pride, so that he thinks to himself that all his strength depends on his own strength, and he himself acquired this wealth for himself, with his strength he saved himself from the enemy and the murderer. And sometimes he argues that he defeated the enemy by accident; and sometimes - that I defeated the enemy due to the powerlessness (I am silent about other images and thoughts of blasphemy, at the mere memory of which the soul falls into fear); sometimes the enemy, under the guise of revelations from God, brings out his charm on the environment and shows something to a person in dreams, and also during his wakefulness he is transformed into a bright angel, and does everything to be able to little by little convince a person - at least be a little of the same mind with him, so that the person is delivered into his hands. If a prudent person firmly holds his thoughts, or better yet, retains the remembrance of what is helping him, and directs the eye of his heart to heaven so as not to see those whispering this in him, then the enemy again tries to invent ways. About the fourth counter-enemy battle. So, he has this one thing left (the last method of temptation), because nature has an affinity with this; and therefore with this (the last method of temptation) he mainly hopes to cause the death of a person. What is this trick? In the following: to attack a person through his natural needs. The mind of an ascetic is often blinded by the vision and approach of sensory things, and is easily defeated in the struggle when it comes close to them, and much more so when they are before a person’s eyes. For the fierce devil uses this method with knowledge and experience, that is, he learned this experimentally from many strong and powerful ascetics who fell from this, and he does it cunningly. Although he cannot force a person to commit (i.e. to commit a sin) in fact, due to the firmness of his silence and due to the remoteness of his home from the reasons and causes for sin, however, it intensifies to arouse the mind of ascetics to daydreaming and tries to form in them false dreams under the guise of truth; so that they come to lust for what they dream of, it tickles and urges them to dwell on shameful thoughts, agree to them, become guilty of them, so that through this their helper retreats from them. For the enemy knows that a person’s victory, and his defeat, and his treasure, and his protection, and everything for the ascetic lies in his thought, and is accomplished in a short moment, if only the thought would move from its place and from that height descend to the earth, and with the will to show its consent for one moment, as happened with many of the saints during the dreamy presentation of female beauty. If they approached the world one or two miles, or a day's journey, then the enemy often resorted to actually bringing women to them. And since he cannot catch those who are far from the world in this net, in his dreams he shows them female beauty, showing it to them either in elegant dresses and in a seductive form, or obscenely - in the form of a naked woman. By this and similar things, some were actually defeated by the enemy, while others, through the carelessness of their thoughts, were desecrated by dreams, and through this they fell into the depths of despair, strayed into the world, and their souls lost heavenly hope. Others were stronger than them and, enlightened by grace, defeated the enemy and his dreams, trampled on carnal pleasures and turned out to be skilled in the love of God. Often the enemy also made them dreamily see gold, precious things and golden treasures, and sometimes he actually showed it to them in the hope that, perhaps, with such various dreams he would be able to stop one of them in its course and trap one of them in one of his nets and among his own. But Thou, O Lord, Lord, Who knowest our weakness, do not lead us into such temptations, from which even the stronger and more skilled hardly emerge victorious after such a struggle! And all this is allowed to the tempter the devil in order to wage war with the saints through temptations, so that through such temptations the love of God in them may be tested: are they really, with the removal of these things, in seclusion, deprivation and poverty, they love God and abide in the love of God and truly love God; and when they approach these things, do they try, out of love for God, to neglect them and humiliate them; Those who are deceived by them do not yield to them victory over themselves. And in this way they are tempted, so that through this they become known not only to God, but also to the devil himself, because it is desirable for him to tempt and tempt everyone, if possible, and to ask God for temptation, as he asked the righteous Job. And when there is a small allowance from God, the tempter the devil approaches uncontrollably; but according to the strength of those tempted by him, and not according to his own desire, the lawless devil attacks them. And through this, those who are true and firm in the love of God are tested: do they neglect all this, and is it considered nothing in their eyes in comparison with the love of God? Do they always humble themselves and give glory to the One who assists them in everything and the Author of their victory, and surrender themselves into His hands during the feat, saying to God: “You are strong, Lord; This is your feat, you fight and win in it for us.” Then they are tempted like gold in a furnace. In the same way, false lovers of God are explored and recognized in such temptations, and they, having given place to their enemy and become guilty, fall away from God like rubbish, for the carelessness of their minds or for their pride, because they were not worthy to receive the power that acted in the saints. The force assisting us cannot be overcome. For the Lord is omnipotent and stronger than all, and at all times he is victorious in his mortal body when he goes together with the ascetics to battle. If they are defeated, then it is clear that they are defeated without Him. And these are those who, by their own will, through their own foolishness, have exposed themselves from God, because they have not been granted the power to help the victors, and even feel deprived of that ordinary, their own strength that they had during their strong battles. How do they feel it? They see that their fall seems pleasant and sweet in their eyes, and that it is difficult for them to withstand the cruelty of the fight against their enemy, which they previously resolutely overcame with jealousy by the desire for natural movement, which was accompanied at that time by ardor and speed. And now they do not find this in their souls. And those who are careless and weak at the beginning of the feat, not only from these and similar struggles, but also from the noise of tree leaves, come into fear and confusion, and through little need, hunger in case of lack, and a little weakness, they renounce the feat and return back. True and skillful ascetics are not satisfied with grains and vegetables and, even eating dry roots, do not agree to taste anything before the appointed hour, but lie in bodily exhaustion and distress on the bare ground; Their eyes can hardly see from the excessive exhaustion of the body, and if from this need they are close to being separated from the body, they do not yield victory over themselves (to the enemy) and do not abandon strong will, because they wish and desire to force themselves better out of love for God and prefer to work for the sake of virtue rather than have a temporary life and any peace in it. And when temptations come upon them, they rejoice all the more because they are perfected by them. Even in the midst of the difficult labors that befall them, they do not waver in the love of Christ, but until the end of this life they ardently desire to withstand difficulties with courage and do not retreat, because through this they are perfected. To our God be glory forever and ever! AMEN. When you do good to someone, do not expect retribution from him - God will reward you for both (in the Syriac text: “then God will reward you twice”). And if it is possible for you, do good, and not for the sake of future reward. Voluntary poverty and the danger from covetousness due to love of poverty. If you set the limit of poverty on your soul, and, by the grace of God, you are freed from cares, and by your poverty you become above the world, then be careful not to covet acquisitions out of love of poverty, for the sake of giving alms, do not plunge your soul into confusion by taking from one and giving to another, do not destroy honor by your dependence on people, asking from them, and do not lose freedom and nobility of mind your own in taking care of the things of life, because your degree is higher than the degree of the merciful; no, please don't be addicted. Virtue. What is virtue? Virtue is not the manifestation of many and various deeds performed bodily, but a wise heart in its hope, because right reason connects it (virtue) with deeds according to God. The mind can do good without bodily deeds; and a body without heart wisdom, even if it does something, cannot benefit from it. However, a man of God, when he finds it convenient to do a good deed, will not resist, so as not to prove his love for God by the work of his doing. The first rank (smart work) always succeeds, the second (physical labor) often succeeds, and sometimes not. About those who accept the action of virtue and who do not accept. The word about virtue requires a heart that is not concerned with the earth and close communication with it. In a person whose mind is burdened with concern for what is transitory, virtue does not awaken the thought to love it and seek its possession. There is no reward for virtue without humility. If you work in beautiful virtue and do not feel that you are receiving help 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 offends the latter loses the former. He who has previously received 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 not for labor for its sake, but for the humility that is born from them. If it becomes scarce, then the first (virtue and work for it) will be in vain. Virtue comes with sorrows. A soul that has taken upon itself the care of virtue and lives with caution and in the fear of God cannot be without sorrow every day, because virtues are associated with sorrows. Whoever avoids sorrows is, undoubtedly, completely 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 mysteries, through temptation we approach humility. He who abides in his virtue without sorrow, the door of pride is open to him. So, who 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 (i.e., a demon) approaches the person, and from that time he no longer has any concern for righteousness. Virtue comes with challenges. Do not be surprised that when you approach virtue, cruel and strong sorrows pour 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: “Virtues,” he says, “usually encounter difficulties; it is worthy of blame when it is tied to peace.” Blessed monk Mark said: “Every virtue is called a cross when it fulfills the commandment of the Spirit.” Therefore, “all who want to live in the fear of the Lord and in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). For He says: “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and come after Me” (Mark 8:34). He who does not want to live in peace, having lost “his soul for My sake, will find it” (Matthew 16:25). For this purpose, He preceded you and offered you the cross, so that you would determine death for yourself and then send your soul to follow in His footsteps. Nothing is as strong as despair (that is, when a person determines himself to be in grief until death): it does not know that anyone will defeat him, either with his gums or with his hands. When a person in his thoughts cuts off hope in relation to his life, then there is nothing more daring than him. None of the enemies can resist him, and there is no sorrow, the hearing of which would lead to exhaustion of his wisdom; because every sorrow that happens is easier than death, and he bowed his head to take death upon himself. If in every place, in every deed, at every time, in everything that you would like to do, you doom yourself in your mind to work and sorrow, then not only at all times will you prove to be daring and not lazy in order to resist every inconvenience that presents itself to you, but from the power of your mind, the thoughts that frighten and terrify you will flee from you, usually generated in a person by thoughts directed towards peace (bodily). And everything that is difficult and inconvenient for you will seem convenient and easy to you. Often you will encounter something contrary to what you expected; and perhaps nothing like this will ever happen to you. Temptations and sorrows in virtue. The 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 (gradually), and find relief for oneself in this, and so that in this way the very sorrows endured for the sake of good become kind, 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 he has prepared himself to participate in and endure, 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 be acquisitive about the things of this world. And everyone approaching sorrow is first strengthened by faith, and then approaches sorrow. Whoever renounces the material, but does not renounce the effectiveness of the senses, I mean sight and hearing, will prepare himself for deep sorrow and will be in deep misery and sorrow. It’s better to say: what is the benefit of depriving yourself of sensory things and pleasing your senses with them? For from the passions produced by these things, a person suffers the same thing that he previously suffered when possessing them in practice, because the remembrance of the skill for them does not leave his mind. And if mental representations of things without the things themselves produce a painful feeling in a person, what can we say about actually approaching them? “All-Wise” is not in the Greek edition; inserted by us from the translation of Paisius. You might be interested in: