Того самого преподобного отця нашого Петра Дамаскина книга друга: 24 короткі слова, повні духовного знання

Того самого преподобного отця нашого Петра Дамаскина книга друга

24 short words full of spiritual knowledge This is the first Word and the letter “az”, which contains spiritual wisdom. This letter is the beginning of all letters in every language. It is also the beginning and the end of all virtues. And the alphabet is taught to children. Without it, you cannot learn the higher sciences. It is the beginning of knowledge. Although it is very small, without it you will not acquire virtue at all. Begin Word bless, father. Word 1. The letter A is the beginning of writing in every language, although some do not know it. At the root of all virtues is spiritual wisdom, and it is their end. After all, if it does not join the mind, a person cannot do anything good, because he has never heard of it. And if you once liked to hear, then this is wisdom. The alphabet is studied by children, and without it you cannot learn other sciences, so it happens with the beginning of knowledge. Although it is very small, without it there can be no virtue at all. That’s why I’m afraid to write something about wisdom, because I myself am unwise. For, as I think, there are four things that teach the mind to speak different things: either supernatural grace and bliss; or purity from a feat that comes from God and can bring the soul to its original beauty; or experience in the sciences, learning from men, and the operation of external wisdom; or even accursed and satanic delusion, acting through pride and diabolical cunning, and corruption of being. I am not involved in all these things, so how can I write something, and I am surprised. I do not know whether your faith in God, with which you force me to write, will attract grace to the pen, because my mind and my hand are unworthy and impure. I know well from experience that this often happened to me and always happens. How many times, believe me, father, when I wanted to write something, I could not gather it in my mind. Until he took up the pen, only a thought from the Scriptures or a mention of something heard or seen from the sensual things of this world came to mind. When I picked up the pen and started writing, I found the content of what I had to write about and what someone else was forcing me to do. This is how I write this without hindrance and without a doubt, as much as my hand swells, and it does not slow down my writing. And when God also puts something in my darkened heart, I write it carefree. I think that this happens so that I do not think that I have something that I received through the prayers of someone else, according to the Epistle, which mentions the words of the apostle: “What do you have that you did not receive? But when you received it, why do you boast, as if you did not receive it?” (1 Chron. 4, 7). Why are you bragging as if you did it yourself? Because the thoughts that come to the speechless for God’s sake should be accepted without consideration, as Saint Isaac says. And when someone examines them, it is his understanding. And St. Anthony says: “Every deed or word must be certified by the words of the Divine Scripture.” Therefore, as Balaam’s donkey once spoke (Num. 22, 28), so I will now begin to write – not to teach, let it not be so – but to expose my wretched soul, so that, having been ashamed at least of words, as the Leaflet says, it will start to do, having acquired not a deed, but a word. Who knows if I will still live and be able to write and if you will be able to complete your work?However, you will start yours, and I will start mine, and we will see who can manage how much time. It is not known when our death will come and how long we have left to live. God, who knows everything beforehand, knows everything about us. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. The first word was written now with hope, and this is now the second letter, which is called “go”, and the second word. It briefly says that faith gives birth to another and greater Faith, which the holy fathers speak of, the Foundation of virtues, as the Lord’s Apostle says, who wrote about it. One happens without the works of the law, and the other is fulfilled by works. They find it in silence, they win it with a great struggle. Begin Word bless, father. Word 2. Our venerable father Isaac, wanting to show the faith that the apostle said is the basis of works for God (1 Cor. 3, 10), that we received it in the Divine baptism by the grace of Christ, and not through works, that it generates fear, through which we keep the commandments and endure temptations, as Saint Maximus says, and that after doing, great faith is born in us contemplation, about which the Lord says: “If you had faith like a mustard seed…” (Lk. 17, 6 et seq.), says that there is one faith common to all Orthodox, that is, the true dogmas about God and about His creation, spiritual and sensual, which the Holy Cathedral Church accepted by God’s grace. And there is another faith – knowledge, that is, knowledge, which in no way contradicts the faith from which it is born, but actually makes it stronger. We accepted the first faith from pious parents and teachers of the Orthodox faith. And the second is born because we truly believe and fear the Lord in whom we believe. Out of fear, we promised to keep the commandments, and for this we wished to practice bodily virtues, that is, silence, fasting, moderate vigilance, psalms, prayer, reading, and asking experienced people about every thought, word, and undertaking, so that by such actions the body would be cleansed from impure passions, that is, gluttony, fornication, and the acquisition of living things, and be content with what it has, as teaches the apostle (1 Tm. 6, 8), and from this a person receives the fortress to be carefree in God. From the Scriptures and from experienced people, she learns about the Divine dogmas and commandments, and because of this, she begins to despise the eight main passions. And, thinking about threats, not just fear God, but fear Him as God, as St. Nile says. And from this fear, he begins to keep the commandments with understanding. And to the extent that he suffers death from each commandment at his will, he receives more knowledge and contemplates what happens in it through the grace of Christ. And from all this, he believes that the faith of the Orthodox is truly great, and he begins to want to serve God. And he no longer doubts, as at first, God’s help, but, as the prophet says, he places “his concern on the Lord” (Ps. 54, 23). And, as Basil the Great says, when someone wants to have great faith, let him not worry about his life or death.Whether he will see a beast, or the attacks of devils, or cunning people – let him not be afraid, knowing that they are all creatures of the same Creator and the same slaves as he, and have no power over him, unless God allows it. He alone, as the one who has power, likes to be feared, as the Lord himself says: “I will show you whom you should fear: fear the one who, having killed, has the power to throw into hell” (Lk. 12, 5). And, confirming these words, he adds: “Yes, I tell you: Fear him,” and rightly so. If there were someone else who, besides God, had power, it would be appropriate for us to fear him, and since only one God is the Creator and Lord of the heavenly and underground, then who, besides Him, has the power to do anything? When someone says that there are creatures that have free will, I will also say that heavenly powers, people and demons have it. But heavenly incorporeal ranks and good people do not harm any of God’s servants, such as themselves, even if they are very wicked. On the contrary, they pity them and pray to God for them, as Athanasius the Great says. And evil people and their evil teachers – devils – want to harm, but they cannot, when the person himself does not give a reason, abandoned by God due to evil deeds. The Most Merciful God allows this for her punishment and salvation, if she herself wants to recover from her malice with gracious patience. If not, then for the benefit of someone else, because the all-good God himself wants everyone to be saved. Temptations on righteous and holy people happen by God’s will for the improvement of their souls and the shaming of their enemies – demons. Having understood this, the executor of the divine commandments of Christ not only believes that Christ is God and has power, that even the demons knew of His works and trembled, but that everything is possible for Him and all His will is good, and nothing can happen without Him. And therefore he does not want to do anything without God’s will, even if it is about life. And God’s will is a life that is eternal and very good, although it seems to some that such a life is sorrowful. And that’s why I, the wretched one, am worse than the infidel, because I don’t want to do anything to find great faith, so that with it I can come to the fear of God and the wisdom of the Spirit. Instead, I either voluntarily close the eyes of my soul and break the law, or, darkened by forgetfulness, I reach complete ignorance and do not know at all what is useful for my soul, and, having acquired wicked habits, I get used to sin. And even if I want to return to the place from where I fell, I will not be able to, because my will becomes a barrier that separates me from God, as the fathers say, and I do not want to work to destroy this barrier. If I had the faith that is acquired by works of repentance, then I could say: “With my God I will pass through the wall” (Ps. 17, 30), and I would not be afraid of doubts, saying to myself: “What will meet me when I dare to cross the wall? Is there an abyss? I will not be able to cross and will fall down after so many efforts?” And I will think of many more similar things. Because the one who has faith that God is near, and not far, will never think like that, but will immediately turn to God, who has all power and authority, and all grace and manly love, in order to grasp “not like beating the air” (Kr.9, 26), and as if swimming, seeking the higher ones. And leaving his will below, he travels to God’s will, and he will be able to hear it in new languages ​​and speak them himself, knowing the mysteries. And he will pass from active power to contemplative power, as much as he accepts it, by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, who pleases Him with all glory, honor and power forever. Amen. The third letter in the alphabet is “verb”. And this is the third Word about fear. Because there are two fears of the Lord: the initial one, which keeps away from sin, and the perfect one, which comes from jealousy. Begin Word bless, father. Word 3. Gluttony is the first of the eight main passions. However, the fear of God and the first commandment conquer all passions. He who does not have this fear cannot have all the other virtues. For how, without fear, can you keep the commandment? Unless such a person has learned to love. However, he also began with fear, although perhaps he does not know how his initial fear passed. When someone says that he learned to love in a different way, he was captured either by spiritual joy or by insensitivity, “as if he had crossed a river in a dream,” according to St. Ephraim (in the Prologue of November 30). That is why such a person, in awe of God’s great good deeds, which he was graced with, loves the Benefactor. When someone, living insensitively in the love of pleasure and glory, like the rich man, admits that those who are oppressed by fear and persecuted by temptations suffer so because of sins, and exalts himself over them with pride, thinking that he himself is worthy of such relaxation, which he received, although in fact he is not worthy, by the same makes himself unworthy of the future life and is darkened by the wordless love of earthly things. Perhaps such a person thinks that he has learned to love and therefore receives more grace than others, but he has not understood God’s condescension towards him. That is why he will not find an answer at the trial and rightly hear: “You received your benefits during your life” (Lk. 16, 25). It is known that many of the infidels experience special grace, even though they are unworthy, and none of the wise praises them and says that they are worthy of God’s love or that they love God and that perhaps that is why they live well. So it is. The fear of the Lord is mutual, just like faith: one is initial, and the other is perfect, which comes through the initial. He who fears torment, he fears like a slave and avoids sin. “The fear of the Lord turns away from evil” (Prov. 16, 6 – quoted in the translation of I. Ohienko). “I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Ps. 33, 12). All this is said about the initial fear, according to the words of St. Dorotheus, so that because of the fear of the ban, we, sinners, come to repentance, looking for how we can find forgiveness for our sins. And fear, which returns to us again, teaches us the ways of life, as it is said: “Turn away from evil and do good” (Ps. 33, 15). And the more a person works in good deeds, the more fear grows in him. And he shows her even the smallest sins, which in the darkness of ignorance she took for nothing. And when fear becomes perfect, a person improves through crying, and no longer wants to sin, but, fearing the return of passions, remains unharmed in pure fear.”The fear of the Lord is pure, lasting forever and ever” (Ps. 18, 10). The first fear is impure, because it happens because of sins. But the one who has been purified is not afraid as one who sins, but as a person prone to change and evil. And to the extent that he will rise by acquiring virtues, he is as afraid as a humble sage – and this is correct. Everyone who has wealth is very afraid of vanity, torment, dishonor and fall after exaltation. The poor man has no fear, he is only afraid of being beaten. And this is said about those who are perfect and pure in soul and body. Let him not deceive himself who still sins, even though his sins are the smallest and most insignificant. “Such people are deceived,” says Listvychnyk, “because it is not pure fear and humility, but slavish prudence and fear of prohibition.” That is why it is necessary for such a person to correct his thoughts, so that he knows what fear he has, and while crying, enduring sorrows, he cleansed his sins and thus, by the grace of Christ, came to perfect fear. The signs of the first fear are to hate sin and to be angry with it, as one who is bitten by a beast is angry. And the signs of perfect fear are to love virtue and fear change, because no one is unchanging. Therefore, in everything in this life, we must always be afraid of falling, looking at the great prophet and king who wept for his two sins, and at Solomon, who fell into such a sin. And as the apostle says: “Therefore, when someone thinks he is standing, let him be careful not to fall” (1 Cor. 10, 12). When someone says that “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18), according to the theologian, he is saying it well, but this is the case with the first, i.e. initial, fear. And about perfect fear, David says: “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, he will love His commandments very much” (Ps. 111, 1), that is, he will love virtue very much. Such a person is in the position of a son, because he does so not because he is afraid of torment, but because of love, which drives fear away. That is why it is said “he will love a lot”, because he lives by the commandments not as a slave who keeps them, fearing torment. Let us get rid of them by the grace and manly love of our Lord Jesus Christ, who pleases Him with all glory, honor and worship forever. Amen. This is the fourth Word about piety and the fourth letter “good”. This is its order in the alphabet. This is a Word about abstinence, because it, together with chastity, is the beginning of the Eight contests against the eight passions. This is the essence of the work of piety. Begin Word bless, father. Word 4. It is clear that piety is the name of something manifold and diverse, such as the external love of wisdom. For when you study ten sciences together, then it can be called the love of wisdom, and not when you study one or two. So piety is called not one virtue, but the fulfillment of all the commandments, from the word piety, that is, to do a good deed. If someone says that this word refers to faith, that is, to read the good, then let him explain how it is possible to first fear the Lord, and then to believe in Him? A person first believes in the Lord, and then fears Him, isn’t that right?Because fear comes from faith, and from fear – piety, according to the words of the prophet, who first spoke about wisdom, and then says: “The spirit of knowledge [and piety] and the fear of the Lord” (Is. 11, 2). And God, who began with fear, will teach him who has fear to cry. There is no time to talk in order about all piety, that is, spiritual activity. And those foolish actions are known to everyone – they go before great faith and pure fear. With the help of grace, let’s talk briefly about the sprouts of conditional paradise, that is, about mental virtues. They include comprehensive abstinence, i.e. distancing from all passions. Because there is also another, partial abstinence, it teaches how to consume food and drink. And the first restrains every thought and every movement of the body, which is not done for the sake of God – this is abstinence from passions. She does not allow a thought, a word, a movement of a leg or an arm, or other parts of the body to be unnecessary, and this is in order to live physically and be saved spiritually. Because of this, devilish temptations multiply, because devils see an angel in the flesh, who became such because of zeal and good deeds. This is abstinence, which must be “advised and cared for” (Gen. 2:15), because life in abstinence is a perfect work and requires constant care, so that some passion does not hide and enter from the outside. No two abstinence and two chastities are the same: one of them restrains fornication and impure passions, and the other collects in itself the most subtle and sinless thought and raises it to God. Therefore, it cannot be properly described in words or understood by hearing about it; only through experience can one understand these things, which greatly impress the mind. And how can the mere name raise the gunpowder to make the sensual insensible? External science recognizes these other names by verbal description, and spiritual experience and the acquisition of virtues need God’s help and are acquired with great effort and a long time, and most of all – spiritual virtues, because they are actually virtues. Bodily virtues, as instruments of virtue, are easier to acquire, even though they require physical labor, and mental virtues are more difficult to acquire, although only careful thought is needed for this. That is why the Law first of all says: “Beware” (Deuteronomy 15, 9 – quoted in the translation of I. Ohienko). Basil the Great wrote a wonderful Word about this expression (book 2, conversation 3, sheet 13). What shall we say, that we do not guard ourselves at all, but live like certain Pharisees. Some may fast and watch, and have some knowledge, but there is no discernment in us, because we do not want to guard ourselves and know what we are looking for. And no one wants to take the trouble to be attentive to their thoughts, so that, perhaps, in this way they can gain experience from many attacks and temptations and become for others not only a helmsman, but at least a good sailing companion. But it seems that we, though blind, say that we see, like the Pharisees. That is why it is said: “They will receive a more severe condemnation” (Lk. 20, 47). “If you were blind, you would not have sin” (John 9:41), if only we had the sense to admit our weakness and ignorance! But woe to me! Therefore, let us accept a stricter condemnation, like the Greeks, who, according to Solomon, invented so many things, but lost what they were looking for.So why should we be silent, as those who have no action? But this is even worse. It has been said: “Rather rebuke them, because what people do secretly, it is shameful to say” (Eph. 5, 12). Therefore, I am silent about this, but I will start talking about wonderful virtues, because my darkened heart rejoices, remembering their sweetness. Because of her, I forget about my measure and do not think about the condemnation that threatens me for what I say and do not do. Forbearance and chastity have a similar power, and they are double, as already said, but now let us talk about something more perfect. Whoever, by the grace of God, has great faith in contemplation and pure and divine fear, and through them wants to achieve temperance and chastity, let him always restrain himself inside and outside, let him be as dead in body and soul to this world and people, I say in all my affairs to my thoughts: “Who am I and what is my being – if not an abomination? Today – earth, later – rot, and in the middle – what is my life, and how much is it? Why do I worry about this or that, and why do I bother and argue in vain? When I have a little, then I will worry about it the imperfection of my knowledge, because there is a God who controls everything.” A person’s greatest concern should be to protect his feelings and thoughts, so that he does not think or do anything that could be against God’s will. Let him prepare to endure everything that comes from demons and from people, whether it is sweet or bitter. Then he will not be afraid of either the first or the second and will not come to unreasonable joy and thought or to sadness and despair, not having courage in his thoughts at all, until the Lord comes. Glory to him forever. Amen. This is the fifth Word, and the letter “is”. This is a word about patience. It is great and small In virtues and in every skill. Begin Word bless, father. Word 5. The Lord says: “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt. 10, 22). Patience is the affirmation of all virtues. There is no virtue without this one, because “No one who has put his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God” (Lk. 9, 62). But when someone thinks that he is a partaker of all virtues, and does not drink to the end and does not free himself from the devil’s nets, he is not fit for the Kingdom of God. Because even those who have received the pledge of patience demand that they receive a perfect reward in the future age. Patience is needed in every action and knowledge, and this is correct, because without it even the simplest things will not be done, and when something is done, then patience is needed to preserve what has been done. And we can immediately say that every work is done through patience before it is done, and when it is done, it is preserved by patience, and without it, it will not be preserved and will not improve. When this work is good, it is the giver and keeper of patience, when it is not good, patience gives calmness and magnanimity and does not allow cowardice – an engagement with Gehenna – to oppress the one who is tempted. Patience overcomes despair, which conquers the soul.It teaches the soul to rejoice and not weaken from numerous attacks and sorrows. Judas, his ears overflowing with patience, found a double death, as untested in combat. Having accepted patience, the supreme apostle, as if tested in a fight, defeated the devil, who brought him to the fall7. Having patience, that monk, who once fell into fornication, defeated the conqueror, because he did not listen to the thought of despair that forced him to leave the cell and the desert, but patiently said to his thoughts: “I have not sinned, and I tell you again: I have not sinned.” O divine thought and patience of a valiant man! Patience perfected blessed Job and his previous works. For if this righteous man had shied away from patience even a little, he would have destroyed all his previous works. But God, who knew his patience, allowed misfortune to come upon him for his perfection and benefits many. Whoever understands its benefit, let him do the feat to first of all have patience, according to the words of Basil the Great, and he says this: “You will not overcome all passions at once. It is possible that, avoiding, you will turn back and not be worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. Fight with each passion in turn, starting with the patience of what comes upon you”8. And that’s right. And when someone has this, he will never be able to go out to a visible war and, evading, not only runs away and brings destruction upon himself, but also pushes others to do so, according to the word that

7 У Пролозі, Слово з Патерика, 21 травня.

8 In the 3rd book, the 34th epistle, God says to Moses: “Whoever is a coward… let him return home”, let him not go out to battle (Deuteronomy 20, 8). But when there is a war between people, some may keep their children at home and not go to war. And then he will not receive crowns and gifts, and may still remain in poverty and suffer dishonor. And in the spiritual struggle you cannot find such a place where there is no battle, even if you go around the world, you will find a struggle in every place. In the desert – beasts and demons, other grave sorrows and fears. On silence – demons and temptations. Among people – demons and people who tempt. And there is no place for the carefree. Therefore, you cannot find peace without patience. And it comes through fear and faith, and it begins with wisdom. A wise man tries his work in his mind and sees that it is narrow, as Susanna says, and desires better, as she does. This blessed woman says to God: “It is difficult for me everywhere” (Dan. 13, 22): when I do according to the wishes of the lawless elders, my soul will perish because of adultery, when I do not listen to them, they will slander me that I have committed adultery – and the judges of the people will sentence me to death. But it is better for me to resort to the Almighty, even if death awaits me. O great prudence of this blessed woman! She thought everything through wisely and was not mistaken in her hope. And when the people gathered, and lawless judges sat down to glorify her and condemn her to death – her, innocent as an adulteress – God immediately sent Daniel, a twelve-year-old prophet, and he delivered her from death, returning the death sentence to those elders who wanted to condemn her unjustly. And on it, God showed how close He is to those who endure temptations for His sake and in sorrow do not give up virtue due to negligence, but put God’s law first and endure sorrows, comforted by the hope of salvation. And rightly so. Because when two troubles await us – one temporary and the other eternal, then isn’t it better to choose the first? That is why St. Isaac says: “It is better to endure trouble out of love for God and run to Him with the hope of eternal life than, fearing temptation, to fall away from God into the hands of the devil and go with him to torment” (James 1, 2; 2 Kings 8, 2). Therefore, it would be good if we rejoiced in temptations, as lovers of God, and since we are not such, then at least because of the future trouble, we choose what is easier. And we will either have to suffer here in the body, and in the present and future age to reign spiritually with Christ, having achieved dispassion, or to fall away, fearing temptations, as we have already said, and go to eternal torment, from which God will save us by what we will endure here. Patience is like an unbreakable stone against the winds and waves of life. Whoever obtains it will not faint in the flood and will not turn back, and having found peace and joy, will not become arrogant, will always remain the same, whether in prosperity or in misfortune, and therefore will not be harmed by enemy attacks. When bad weather overtakes him, he waits patiently and with joy for its end. When sunny days come, temptation awaits until the last breath, according to Antony the Great. Such a person knows that there is nothing permanent in this life, and everything passes.That’s why we don’t care much about everyday things, but leave everything to God, who cares about us. He likes glory, honor and power forever. Amen. Now the Gospel Word about the hope of the future was written. This is the sixth Word and the sixth letter – “earth”. The mind tries to become carefree. Begin Word bless, father. Word 6. Life is an undoubted hope and wealth, invisible to the eye, but confirmed by wisdom and the nature of things. For farmers endure great labor when they sow and plant, so also sailors experience great hardships, and children work hard, learning writing and other sciences. And they all have hope, that’s why they work with joy and supposedly lose what they have, but spiritually they endure in order to gain more. Many lose from what they have sown. Maybe someone will say that they learn from experience how to make a profit, but spiritually we know that no one has risen from the dead. This happens due to inexperience in spiritual gifts and knowledge, and no wonder, because even the inexperienced are afraid of the above, until they gain experience. Children do not understand the benefits of learning literacy and other sciences, so they avoid them, and parents, knowing the benefits and loving their children, force them to learn. Over time, children gain experience and not only begin to love learning and parental coercion, but also take up science themselves with joy. Therefore, we too must walk with faith and patience and not weaken in sorrows, and when the time comes, we will find out what is the benefit of what happens to us, and we will do it without effort with joy and cheerfulness. “Let us walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5, 7), says the apostle. But just as it is impossible for traders to understand profit, so it is impossible to find wisdom and peace until you work hard in deeds and words in virtues. And just as merchants are always afraid of impoverishment and hope for profit, so one must work hard in word and deed until the last breath. And just as the former work not only when there is profit, but also when there is poverty and trouble, so the latter must do, knowing that the lazy will not eat from his labors, that is why he is poor and often owes many talents. “For you, Lord, have given me hope alone” (Ps. 4, 9), says the prophet. “We had strong encouragement” (Hebrews 6:18), says the apostle. And this is briefly said about natural things and the Divine Scriptures. When someone wants to get used to it by experience, let him always do the seven bodily actions according to his strength and zealously engage in moral, that is, spiritual action. And thus, having reached hope and being in it, he will be able to understand what was said and keep it. It is also clear that from the beginning of repentance, when he began the seven actions, from the first action, that is, from silence, he received as a reward hope and ready profit, before he labored in the other six, that is, in fasting, vigil and in other actions. But only when he began to learn the first and initial purification of the soul, i.e. without language, he immediately had a profit.However, this inexperienced student did not know the grace of the Lord, just as a child does not understand the benefits of his parents, although they were benefactors of the child even before he was born and prayed for him not only to be born, but also to inherit what they acquired and acquired even after them. But the child does not understand and does not care about this at all, but considers obedience to parents to be an offense, and if he did not have a need for food and other needs of the body, then he would not think rationally at all. And whoever wants to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and does not tolerate what befalls [him], behaves like a fool, since he was created by grace and received everything else and, hoping for the future, reigns eternally with Christ, who honored him, who was nothing, with such and so many gifts, natural and spiritual, that he was willing to shed his precious blood for him and did not ask for anything in return – only to accept Him good, and nothing else. This is His only requirement. And he who can understand is impressed. “What does God require of you?” he says. Oh madness! How come we, being afraid, do not see His terrible mysteries? Even the fact that God appears to those who seek Him is the greatest gift. How do we not understand that the best of all is the one who cares for virtue and stands above all, ascending to the top, even if he is poor and without a family? Do we not see in the present age prophets, apostles and martyrs, who doubt about the future age? Let’s look at their lives, what they did and from where they received grace and power, which not only during life, but also after death they perform miracles. We see how kings and rich people worship their holy icons; we see that the virtuous live today in all thanksgiving, virtue and spiritual joy, while the rich live in discord and are tempted more by ascetics and non-acquirers. Having looked at this, let us believe that virtue is truly the best of all. If not, let’s see what unbelievers, who may not even know God, praise virtue when a non-believer appears to them to be virtuous; the opposite is also ashamed of virtue. And when we believe that virtue is always good, and the One who created virtue and gave it to people, that is, God, is also good, and when he is good, then he is righteous, because virtue is truth, and therefore good. If God is good and righteous, then he does everything completely out of goodness, everything that he created and creates, although the wicked do not think so. Nothing darkens the mind like cunning. God appears to simplicity and humility, not toil. It does not appear as some think because of their inexperience, but by the contemplation of all things, that is, all creations, and the revelation of mysteries in the Divine Scriptures. This is a reward for silence and other deeds in this age, and in the future – “What the eye has not seen and the ear has not heard, what has not entered the mind of man, God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2, 9). And they leave their desires because of patience and hope for future benefits, for which we also pray, in order to receive them by the grace and manly love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom it pleases all glory, honor and power forever. Amen. The seventh letter in order is “Izhe”, the Seventh Word – about dispassion.It is born from hope, It is a distance from the whole world. Begin Word bless, father. Word 7. Dispassion happens through hope. Hoping to gain eternal wealth elsewhere, it is easy to despise the present, even if temporary life brings peace. And when life is sorrowful and painful, then who will incline the word spring man to love this life more than God, who gives so much to those who love Him? Unless that person is blind and cannot see because of unbelief, evil will and cunning custom. Because if she believed, she would be enlightened, and if her mind was even a little enlightened through firm faith, then she would work to destroy her evil habit. And if she put it in her soul, the grace of co-operation would help her. That is why the Lord says: “There will be few who will be saved” (Lk. 13, 23), because the visible seems sweet, even though it is bitter. When he caresses the wounded nostril with his tongue, he feels no pain from the pleasure of pouring out his own blood. And he who suffers from gluttony, when he eats that which harms his soul and body, feels no harm. And all those who serve the passions suffer from insensibility in the same way, and when they even try to get up, they are drawn back by the habit of passions. That is why the Lord says: “The Kingdom of Heaven is not acquired by force” (Mt. 11, 12), not by nature, but by our habit of passions. If it were necessary to acquire it according to nature, no one would enter it [the Kingdom of Heaven], but for those who want, “The yoke [Ho spodne] is easy and the burden is light” (Mt. 11, 30); and for those who do not want to – “Strait is the gate and narrow is the road, and the Kingdom is won by force” (Mt. 7, 14; 11, 12). For the former, it is inside and close, because they want it and immediately achieve dispassion. Will helps or hinders salvation – and nothing else. If you want something good – do it, you can’t do it – wish and you can have it, even if you don’t have it yet. And so slowly the habit itself does either good or evil. If it had not been so, no robber would have been saved; and not one, but many, escaped from the robbery. You see how far a robber is from a saint, but where habit failed, desire won. What can prevent someone who, by the grace of Christ, is reverent or even a monk? That one is far, and this one is close and has already come a long way, either by grace or by nature, or by inheriting piety and reverence from his parents. And isn’t it strange that robbers and gravediggers become saints, and monks are condemned? Oh, woe to me, wretched! The shame of my face covered me. Kings live a poor life, like Joasaph and others, and a poor person cannot preserve the previous custom and easily enter the Kingdom of Heaven by being dispassionate towards things that he did not inherit from his parents. But when he said “I renounce” what he did not have (for the world and what is in the world, another has in his power, and this one only wanted power), when he renounced it, then he began to cry a lot and say: “I cannot help but collect property and endure what I find.” Tell me, what are you suffering from? Prisons and shackles that he had before, even though he was a prince?Because even those who have power and wealth have to endure it. And what then? Lack of necessary things, nudity and everything else that I suffered before. But in order not to prolong the words and shame those who are full of shame, I will only say that it is enough for us only to have a passion for something visible, which we have renounced of our own free will, and because of this we will suffer shame and exposure in the future age, as happened to Gehazza and Judas. The first because he wished to have what he did not have, for which he accepted from God the fall and leprosy; and the second, renouncing what he had, again wished to have, and therefore inherited destruction and hanging. What advantage does a monk have if he does not keep his virginity and acquires property? Everyone should keep all other commandments as natural. The commandment to love God and one’s neighbor, to bear everything one finds, to use things according to nature and to avoid evil deeds – even if one does not want to, one must fulfill them, because one will not have peace even in the present age. Because the laws also punish those who sin, and the words of the apostle encourage princes to do virtue. The apostle says that the government “carries the sword for nothing.” And also: “Do you want to not be afraid of power? Do good, and you will have praise from it” (Rom. 13, 3, 4). And all this, as is natural, everyone not only does and wants to do, but also protects it. The fate of the monk is something supernatural, because he is a soldier of Christ, therefore he must undergo His sufferings in order to receive His glory. But this is also a natural law, which is evidenced by visible things. Don’t they glorify the tsar’s warriors for their suffering? Does not everyone who suffers receive praise for lying out of the measure of suffering and, as much as he has shown outrage, suffer dishonor? And to the extent that someone wears clothing that is more similar to the king’s, isn’t he closer to the king, and the more different the clothing, the further away he is? This is how we like to look at our King: to the extent that one suffers with Jesus and imitates Christ’s poverty, experiencing suffering and humiliation, as Christ suffered for us even before the crucifixion and burial, so much becomes closer to Him and partaker of His glory, according to the words of the apostle: “We suffer with Him, that we may be glorified with Him” ​​(Rom. 8, 17). Oh woe! How can we not understand how much soldiers and robbers endure for the sake of bread itself, how much traveling and sea warriors travel? And what kind of hardships do people who do not trust in the Kingdom of Heaven experience? And many do not achieve what they work for. And we do not want to suffer a little for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven and eternal benefits. It would not be so difficult if we had the desire and did not realize that it is so difficult and unbearable to acquire virtues, and if we remembered that joy and peace for the sake of hope follow virtues. And the opposite of shame washes them and wonders. And their end is not only joy and gaiety, but the joy of dispassion is added to them, just as the sorrow of a troublesome life is added to dishonorable passions, which we would get rid of and achieve a supernatural and eternal life through dispassion, which produces the mortification of the body in Christ Jesus, our Lord.He likes all glory, honor and worship forever. Amen. This is the eighth Word and the eighth letter “fita”. Mortification of passions produces dispassion. He who does not fulfill this with great labor will never be freed from passions. Begin Word bless, father. Word 8. The dispassionate is always attentive to God in contemplation. Dispassion in sensible things opens the contemplation of mental things. And this contemplation is not of all that exists, but of that terrible thing that happens before death and after death, about which grace teaches the dispassionate, so that he may mortify his passions with weeping and in time come to meekness of thoughts. From faith there is fear, and from it – piety, that is, abstinence, patience, weeping, humility, hunger and thirst for the truth, that is, for all virtues, almsgiving, according to the Lord’s blessings, dispassion – and from it mortification of the body through numerous sighs and bitter tears, repentance and sorrow, because of which the soul rejects the joy of the world, and from sorrow it even stops eating, because it begins to see their sins, which are like sand in the sea. And this is the beginning of the enlightenment of the soul and a sign of its health. And what may be preceded by tears and, as it were, divine understanding and emotion, it is devilish mockery and trickery, especially for those who live among people, sebtov troubles, even if they are very small. Because it is impossible to defeat passion while being in something sensual. When someone remembers the husbands of old that they had one and the other, let him know that they had, but did not use anything passionately. This is evident from the fact that they took wives for themselves and after many years got to know them, as it is said in the Old Testament about the genealogy of ancient people (Gen. 5), that those who had wives lived as if they did not have them. This is said about Job and about other righteous people, and not only about them – King David was both a king and a ruler, which Solomon did not have. And he said: “This is a thankless occupation that God has given to people, so that they should worry” (Ecclesiastes 1, 13), that is, because of worries, people can deviate to the worse. And it teaches about the nature of things. Some, despite their many troubles, find time to commit iniquity, so what would happen if our lives were carefree. That is why such a person needs to take care. For it is better for her to have a sly concern and be free from For lustful things and understandings, than to do something else, much worse. And whoever, by the grace of God, has grasped knowledge at least partially and can understand the terrible things that happen before death and after death, which happened because of disobedience, let him not leave this knowledge and those works that bring it, that is, the silence of a carefree life, and let him not start worrying about vain things. “Mar nota futility – everything is futility” (Prov. 1, 1). Repeating after him, John of Damascus says: “Truly everything is vanity, and life is a shadow and a dream.” “He [man] worries in vain” (Ps. 38, 7), as the Scriptures say. And it’s true. What is more vain than where at the end there is rot and dust? Therefore, mortification is dispassion, but not of the mind, but of the body from its first movements to relief and relaxation.The desire for peace, however small, is a desire of the flesh. And the soul is more sad because of him, when he sees in himself some spiritual work or knowledge, and if it is flesh, then the Spirit of God will not be in it (Gen. 6, 3). Therefore, she does not try to do any good deed, but strives to satisfy the desires of the body and the passions within her, and, accepting obscuration after obscuration, of her own free will remains in complete ignorance. And whoever is enlightened to see his sins, does not stop weeping for himself and for all people, seeing such God’s patience and such sins, which we have committed from the beginning before and always commit, wretched ones. And because of this, he becomes prudent, not at all daring to condemn anyone, being ashamed of God’s great good deeds and his sins. And everywhere he leaves his desires, which are contrary to God’s will, and worries about his senses, so that they do not do something unnecessarily, according to the words of the prophet: “Lord,” he says, “my heart was not proud, and my eyes were not proud” (Ps. 130, 1). But one must be careful, so that he himself, having reached such a height, does not lose any of it through carelessness and pride and cannot repent. Because sin is easy even for the righteous, but repentance is not easy for everyone, because death is near, and before it – despair. It is good not to fall or, when you fall, to get up. When you fall, it is good not to despair and not to distance yourself from the Lord’s Man-lover. Perhaps, when He wills, He will show mercy to our weakness, but let us not distance ourselves from Him, let it not be difficult for us to fulfill the commandments, and let us not turn away from them when we cannot comprehend them all, and let us know that “one day is before the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Pt. 3, 8). Let’s not despair and not stay down, but always start from the beginning. You fell – get up! You fell again – get up again! Just don’t back down from the Doctor, so that you don’t suffer a punishment worse than suicide for your despair. Hold on to Him, and He will create mercy, either through conversion, or through temptations, or through other means unknown to you. For the devil has a habit of putting on the soul what it is inclined to at that time: whether joy, or high-mindedness, or sadness and despair, or immeasurable labors, or great laziness, or ill-timed thoughts, as if out of necessity, or obscurity and reckless hatred of everything. Whatever prevails in the soul at that time, he adds so that it will not be useful. Although it can be something good and pleasing to God, when it will be managed by people who can judge things and know God’s intention, hidden among the six passions that surround it from above and below, to the right and to the left, within and without. Whether it is some work for God or knowledge, his good intention is always surrounded by six opposing passions. Therefore, in every business, one should ask about the intention, as St. Anthony advises, and ask not just anyone, but those who have the gift of prudence, so that “both do not [fall] into the pit” (Lk. 6:39), according to the Gospel parable.Because without prudence, nothing good happens – even if it seems good to those who do not understand, it will still be either untimely, or beyond the need, or beyond measure, or beyond human strength or knowledge and many other things. He who has the gift of prudence received it through humility, therefore he knows everything by grace and in time will come to contemplation. Through weeping and patience there is hope and dispassion, and through dispassion there is mortification to the world. And when someone endures well, without falling into despair, that he sees oppression and death everywhere, but knowing that this is for his trial and enlightenment, and does not dare to think that he has reached the level of contemplation, because he has shed many tears of sorrow, then he will come to see clearly the holy sufferings of the Lord, and will be greatly comforted by them, and will consider himself the worst of all, seeing how much good happens for his sake through God’s grace. To God be glory and power forever and ever. Amen. This is the letter “Izhe” and the ninth Word About the honest passions of Christ. The ascetic sheds many tears from the memory of death and sins. And from them it is appropriate to have in the mind the Passion of Christ and His saints. Begin Word bless, father. Word 9. So that the ascetic does not think that his exploits, sighs and tears are some very great work, he is given an understanding of the passions of Christ and all the saints. Understanding them, he is impressed, amazed and exhausts himself with exploits. The mind has its weakness, seeing with the mind so many temptations that there is no cure for them, and how the saints endured them all with joy, and how much the Lord endured for us. At the same time, he is given an understanding of what the Lord said and did. And understanding everything that is said in the Gospel, he begins to weep bitterly from sadness, then to rejoice spiritually out of gratitude. Not because he thinks that he has good deeds, because that is pride, but because he, a very sinful man, deserved such an understanding, and he humbles himself by word and deed, mentioned by the seven actions, and by moral, that is, by soul action, and by taking care of the five senses, and by fulfilling the commandments of the Lord. And he has all this not for good deeds worthy of reward, but for duty, and he does not expect to be freed from duty because of the greatness of the knowledge bestowed upon him. And it is as if he is captured by the understanding of the words that he reads or sings, and from pleasure he involuntarily forgets about his sins, and from joy he cries tears as sweet as honey. And again, fearing delusion, so that the sweet tears would not be untimely, he remembers his previous life and cries bitterly – and so he lives: now in some tears, then in others. This is what happens when he is attentive to himself and consults with someone experienced, and falls to God in pure prayer, as befits an active person, detaching his mind from everything he has seen or heard, and gathering it in the memory of God, and seeking only God’s will in all his undertakings and knowledge. If not, then he is deluded, thinking that he will see the appearance of some holy angel or Christ, not knowing that the one who wants to see Christ should not look outside, but inside himself, imitating His life in the world, and try to have a sinless body and soul, as Christ had, and that the mind always thinks about Christ.And it is not good to have any idea or thought during prayer. About the fact that the mind should be in God’s place, St. Nile said in the words of a psalm: “And it was,” he says, “in peace is its place” (Ps. 75, 3). And peace means not having thoughts, neither good nor evil, because if the mind feels itself, then it resides not only in God, but also in itself. And it’s true. God is indescribable and limitless, invisible and formless. The one who says that he is with the only God must be the same invisible, imageless, unimaginably passionless. And what is beyond that is devilish delusion. That is why it is necessary for the ascetic to be attentive and, without asking the experienced, not to form any opinion, neither good nor bad, because we do not know one or the other. Demons turn into what they want and appear, just like the human mind turns into what it wants and is reflected as the thing it perceives. But demons do this to deceive us, and our mind wanders madly, trying to grasp perfection. However, as far as one can, let him keep him in some teaching about God. As there are seven bodily actions, so there are eight visions, that is, the knowledge of the mind. Three of them were mentioned before talking about the purest sufferings of the Lord, and let everyone always learn from these three – how to weep over his own soul and over those similar to himself, that is, to think about all the sorrow that has happened to us since our transgression, and how our nature has fallen into so many passions, and about our sins and temptations, which are for correction. Then about death and the torments that await sinners after death, so that the soul, having broken down, will go away in tears for its humility and consolation. So that she does not despair from these many and terrible knowledge and does not think that she has achieved some great spiritual work, but that she remains in fear and hope, which is called the peace of thoughts, when everything is perceived equally. And this raises the mind to knowledge and prudence, according to the words of the prophet: “He will teach the meek in judgment” (Ps. 24, 9), and even more in prudence – this is what the prophet calls knowledge with piety. And just as piety is one name, but many deeds, so knowledge contains many knowledge and visions. Because the beginning of bodily action is knowledge, and without knowledge no one undertakes to do good: even about the end of adoption and about the rapture of the mind to heaven in Christ, it is said that this is knowledge and vision. But knowledge exists even before labor, so that work is done with it, as a house is built with tools, and vision is preserved by faith, as strengthening from fear. And there is still knowledge and doing spiritual virtues to prepare and plant heavenly sprouts. Then there is knowledge of the mind and spiritual action, that is, his attentiveness and arrangement of the customs of the soul, so that the ascetic skillfully fulfills and keeps the commandments, because through them there is an effort for growth and Divine help. In the same way, the sun, rain and wind help the plant, without them all the labor of the farmer is useless, although sometimes it happens and is well done. Nothing good can happen without bowing from on high, and bowing from above and grace do not come to those who do not want it, says the divine Golden Mouth.However, in this life everything is dual – action and knowledge, desire and grace, fear and hope, exploits and rewards. And the latter do not come until the former are fulfilled, and if somehow they do appear, then it is a delusion. It is as if an inexperienced farmer, seeing a flower, will think that it is already a fruit, and rush to pluck it, not knowing that he will destroy the fruit. And so here, “when we imagine, we do not allow the imagined to come to pass,” says St. Nile. Therefore, let everyone be with God and do everything prudently, and so it will be when you humbly ask questions and rebuke yourself, and everything that happens from yourself and that you yourself know. “For Satan himself pretends to be an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11, 14). No wonder. Because the thoughts that he sows them seem like inexperienced true knowledge. “Humility is the door to dispassion,” says Listvychnyk. “Its basis is gentleness,” according to Basil the Great. Because she instructs a person to always keep peace of mind in both pleasant and sorrowful things and understandings, and does not care about honor or dishonor, but accepts everything with joy and is not embarrassed, like the virgin who tells about her Antony the Great: “When I was sitting with an Abba, a certain virgin came and said to the elder: “Abba, I fast for six days during the six weeks of fasting, every day I read the Old and New Testament.” The old man answered her: “Has poverty become an abundance for you?” She answered: “No.” “How dishonorable is praise?” She answered: “No, Abba.” “Enemies as friends?” And she said: “No.” That wise old man said to her: “Go, work, you have nothing.” And really, when she fasted so much that she ate once a week, and that was little, then shouldn’t poverty be her wealth? And she also read the Old and New Testaments every day – and did not learn to humble herself. And having nothing in life, shouldn’t you have everyone as your friend? And wouldn’t she have learned to accept enemies as friends after such hard work? That’s why he said well: “You have nothing.” I will add that such a person will be more condemned, as Goldilocks says about the five unwise virgins, that they were able to endure the most difficult feat, that is, virginity, which is supernatural, but they did not manage the easiest, that is, almsgiving, which both Greeks and infidels do as natural to this day. And since the maiden did not understand what she was looking for, she worked diligently. “And that should be done,” says the Lord, “and that should not be left behind” (Mt. 23, 23). Asceticism is a good deed when it is done with a good intention. And we need to look at it not as a deed, but as a preparation for a deed. Not as a fruit, but as the earth, which can with time, with hard work and God, feed sprouts that will bear fruit. And the fruit is the purification of the mind and connection with God, to whom be the glory forever. Amen. This is the tenth Word and the letter “kako” says everything about Christ’s humility. So that the soul does not worry about anything, and always condemns itself in every matter. Begin Word bless, father. Word 10.He who is truly humble never ceases to rebuke himself, even though the whole world rebelled against him and dishonored him, in order to be saved not only against his will, as those who have patience are saved, but to voluntarily go to the passions of Christ, from which this ascetic learned the greatest of all virtues, that the Holy Spirit resides in it. This virtue is the door to the Kingdom, that is, dispassion. And having entered with it, he goes to God, and without it it is a futile labor and a sorrowful journey. And this virtue gives all comfort to the one who has it in his heart, because that is how he has Christ in himself. Thanks to her, grace resides and gifts are preserved. It is born from many virtues, that is, from obedience, patience, non-acquisition, poverty, fear of God, knowledge and others, and the most special of them is prudence, which enlightens the mind. However, let no one think that it is so easy to become humble and wise. This work is supernatural. In a word, as much as the gift is, so much work, and wisdom, and patience are required against the demons and temptations that fight against the ascetic, because it sweeps away all their nets. Humility is born through knowledge, and knowledge is born through temptation. He who has known himself is given knowledge of everything; he who has obeyed God, everything obeys him, when humility dwells in his members. And it’s true. Each person gains experience through numerous temptations and enduring them, and through them he learns his weakness and God’s power. And, knowing his weakness and ignorance, he knows that before he did not know what he knows now, and he thinks that he does not know much about which he will learn later, according to the words of Basil the Great: “When someone does not try things, he does not know what he is losing. He who has accepted knowledge, he partially learns about what he does not know, and knowledge becomes for him a guarantee of humility.” And also: “Whoever knows himself and knows that creations are changeable, does not exalt himself in anything at all, because when he has something, he knows that it belongs to the Creator.” No one praises in court that he himself made himself so beautiful – they praise the potter, but when a dish breaks, they scold not the potter, but the one who broke it. When the vessel is verbal, then by necessity it is self-governing. And in all good things, the Creator is the Giver of good and its cause. And the cause of falls and evasions is the will of the self-righteous. He who remains unchanged after grace receives praise, and he who accepts the malice of the serpent receives rebuke. Praise and thanksgiving is not for the one who receives the gifts, but for the one who gives them. It is possible that the one who accepts the gifts is praised by grace for the intention to accept the gifts that he did not have, and even more so for his prudence towards the Benefactor. And when this is not there, then not only is he deprived of praise, but he will also be condemned for his ingratitude. Let no one dare to shamelessly say that he did not accept the gift, but to steal praise with cunning deeds and boast of silence, thinking that these gifts are not from the Creator, as if he himself acquired the wealth that he has, and did not receive it by grace. Although such a person sometimes thanks the Giver, he thinks the way the Pharisee thought and says to himself: “Thank you” for this and that (Lk. 18, 11).The evangelist says well, and even more so the Heart-witness God, that he spoke “within himself” and not to God. Although he thought he was turning to God, those who knew his proud soul do not say that he spoke to God, but say: “The Pharisee, standing up, prayed like that to himself.” And that the Scripture often repeats the same words or words similar to them, this, says Zolo the long-haired, is not in a figurative sense and not for the sake of verbiage, but so that the word is imprinted in the hearts of the listeners. And the psalmist, out of great love, did not want to repeat the words, so that those who did not taste its sweetness, but through carelessness and neglect the word themselves, would be freed from its burden. Will such people ever bear worthy fruit from the Divine Scriptures? Are they not in danger of condemnation and darkening of the mind when they open the entrance to the demons that attack them? As the Lord says: “For if they treat a green tree like this, what will happen to a dry tree?” And also: “When the righteous is barely saved, what will happen to the wicked and sinful?” (Note 11, 31). And if those who spiritually and unseen keep their whole mind in remembrance of God are attacked by demons, and if God did not protect them for the sake of their humble wisdom, then their prayer would not be able to ascend to Him, but would return in vain, then what should we do, the wretched ones, who never even say to the air that God would ever have mercy and come down to our ignorance and our weakness for the sake of our good intelligence? And since demons also attack the perfect, let’s listen to what St. Macarius says that in the present age no one is perfect. Otherwise, what is given here would not be an engagement. And as a testimony to this, he tells about one brother who was praying with his brothers and was suddenly caught up to heaven in his mind, and saw the mountain Jerusalem and the tabernacles of the saints, and, descending, fell away from virtue, and came to complete destruction, because he thought to himself that he had already achieved success. And he did not think about the fact that he had a greater duty, because he deserved such a height, even though he was unworthy of dust by its nature. And the same saint also says: “We know a lot from experience, and I myself was in such perfection, and I know well that here – no one is perfect. Even if someone becomes completely spiritual and connects him with God, sin follows him again and will never be completely destroyed until death.” And St. Nile tells about someone that he was praying, and by God’s permission, for the benefit of him and many others, the demons threw him up high, taking him by the hands and feet. And so that his body would not break when it fell to the ground, a mat was placed on it. And no matter how long they did so, they could not bring his mind from heaven to earth. Would such an ascetic need food? Would anyone need reading and psalm-singing? And we need all this because of the weakness of our mind, but we don’t want to keep an eye on it either. Oh woe! This saint fought, and we do not care about attacks. Saints protect themselves from the devil’s nets by humility, but we rise from ignorance. And it’s true. It is a great folly to exalt in what we do not have. “What do you have that you did not receive? But when you received, why do you boast, as if you did not receive” (1 Kr.4, 7), but did he do it himself? Abba Kasiyan says: “Humility is born from knowledge, knowledge gives rise to prudence, and from it comes consideration”, which the prophet calls “council” (Is. 11, 2), to see the nature of things, and the mind is deadened from the world by contemplating God’s creations. To God be the glory forever. Amen. The eleventh word and letter is “people”. Humility breeds prudence By the nature of sensual creations. Begin Word bless, father. Word 11. It is very good to ask about everything, but ask experienced people; it is harmful to ask the inexperienced, because they do not have prudence. Prudence knows the time, the need, the constitution of the person, the number, the strength, the knowledge of the one who asks, the desire and purpose of God, the meaning of the words of the Holy Scriptures and many other things. He who does not have prudence may work hard, but achieve nothing. And when one is found who has discernment, he becomes a guide to the blind and a light to those in darkness. We have to rely on him and take advice from him, even though due to our inexperience we sometimes don’t see what we want to see. But the one who has prudence is seen the most – because he can incline to what he says, and those who do not want and do not want it. Because the Spirit also tests the manifestation of Divine works and can force the mind that does not want to believe to believe, following the example of the fathers of Jonah, Zacharias and David, who was a robber and was forbidden by an angel to speak anything, but only to sing. If now there is no one who would have such prudence, because he does not have the humility that gives rise to it, then we must perseverely pray for each of our actions, according to the words of the apostle (Col. 4, 2). If we do not have “clean hands”, i.e. purity of soul and body, then let’s try not to have at least malice and evil thoughts. These are the apostolic words – to bring “clean hands to heaven, without anger and strife” (1 Tim. 2, 8). And when we know that some deed is pleasing to God, let us do it dispassionately, even though it may not be very good, but due to lack of knowledge and intention to please God, grace will count it as good for us, if it is not a passion and it is done according to God’s will, out of necessity, only for the sake of God’s goodness. And where there is one’s own will, and not God’s, there is exaltation, and God does not favor and does not reveal his will, so that he who knows it, but does not fulfill it, does not suffer greater condemnation. For as much as God gives us and as much as withholds from us, it is for our benefit, even though we do not understand it. And he does not send us his Holy Spirit, if we have not yet cleansed ourselves from passions by bodily and mental actions, so that, having become accustomed to passions, we would not deviate and not be guilty of the coming of that Holy Spirit. But when someone spends a long time in exploits and first cleanses the body from small and great sin, then the soul from all desire and all rage and bends his habits to good, so as not to do anything without the desire of the mind with his five senses, and his inner man will not have an inclination to such a thing and the person will submit to himself, then God will subdue everything to him by the grace of the Holy Spirit for the sake of his dispassion.Because it likes to first obey God’s law, and then man, as a verbal man, will obey everything that should be in his power, so that the mind will possess everything, as it was created in the beginning, a wise, all-wise, courageous and righteous Kingdom. And then he will calm the rage with the softness of desire, then he will restrain the desire with the hardness of rage, and he will know that it is autocratic and acts with all the members of the body (Deuteronomy 6, 5) according to God’s commandment. She will no longer be robbed by oblivion and ignorance, as was the case before. Then, through distancing for God’s sake, she will become discerning and begin to notice the devil’s prepared nets, hidden to rob her. But she will not know the future, like the prophets, because this is a supernatural thing and is given for the common good. And prudence is natural, and when the mind is purified, it is shown through restraint of passions, as if hidden in darkness. Through humility, grace comes and opens the soul’s eye, which the devil blinded, and then a person begins to see the nature of things, and is no longer confused by the appearance of things, as before. She dispassionately looks at gold, silver, precious stones – and does not shrink, and does not judge passionately, but knows, following the example of the holy fathers, that they all come from the earth, like all other things of this world. He sees a person and understands that he was taken from the earth and will return to the earth, and he does not just think this way, because all people know this from experience, but, tormented by passions, they become passionate about things. It is not surprising when someone, because of arrogance, thinks that without first labor and virtue he will be able to see the nature of creatures. Through conceit, the blind think they see, and the foolish boast of knowledge. If it were possible to see the nature of things only through thought, then there would be no need for weeping and purification by weeping, and all kinds of feats, and humility, and grace from on high, and dispassion. But it’s not like that, not like that. It is easier for simple people, whose mind is clean from the world, things and deceit, to understand this, when such a person is in obedience to an experienced and spiritual father, or according to the providence of grace, before he turns “to the right hand or to the left” (Prov. 4, 27), as Solomon says. And since we serve the passions from youth and little by little have learned all kinds of cunning and crime, it is impossible to free ourselves from this evil and see the nature of creatures only by our own efforts, without God, and labor, and time. And we will succeed in this only when we love the acquisition of virtues by deed and word, as before we loved evil, and zealously take care of them. Often, such efforts will not be useful to us: either because we do not endure the temptation to the end, or because we do not see the way or purpose, or because of laziness, or infidelity, or other reasons, and there are countless of them. If it is so and we are still very far from success, how dare we say that we have achieved the original beauty. Unless self-gratification leads us astray and hides us to destruction. Reprimanding yourself is an invisible success, because it is good to go forward and not feel successful. And arrogance and self-indulgence are an invisible destruction, because through them we turn back and do not notice it.And this is true. In a vain soul, even if it is purified by grace, passions return again. And the Lord says: “And when an unclean spirit comes out of a man…” (Mt. 12, 23 et seq.). Why? Because there is no place in the soul for the spiritual action from which it came, and there is no humility. That is why he comes, bringing with him many other evils, and settles in the soul. He who is intelligent, let him understand. The Word of God does not convey everything to us clearly and does not leave everything unclear, but just enough so that there is benefit. Goldilocks says that this is God’s great kindness, that some places in the Divine Scriptures are quite clear, and some have a hidden meaning. So that through some we may come to faith and love and not fall into unbelief and despair, not understanding many things, and others encourage us to try and work, so that we get rid of pride and find humility because of what we cannot understand. Thus, in both cases, we will accept the fruit of humility and love for God, when we feel His gifts in ourselves. The fifth vision, which is spoken about in this Word, is that a person can really see sensual creations and thoughts through the gift of prudence, and not look at them in some delusion and do something passionately, against God’s intention, or listen to a thought. But even if death threatens, we will not step away from God’s intention in word and deed. This is what happens at the end of the vision, because at the beginning, the ascetic, even as a student, deviates from his intention, perhaps even in deed, because he is overcome by habit. And when, by God’s providence, he strays a little from the path, he immediately converts with great humility. Sometimes, due to arrogance, he has a passion for exaltation; and when this happens to him, he does not know that grace, while punishing, teaches him to humble himself and to know where he gets strength and knowledge from, so that, as it is said, “hope not in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead” (1 Pt. 4, 11; 2 Kr. 1, 9), and so it happens here. When someone is patient, not puffing up and not turning away from virtue, he himself passes from the mortification of the body and things to the knowledge of all things. Because, as the apostle says, for the sake of a bodily action, a person is crucified bodily, and for the sake of a spiritual one – mentally (Ch. 5, 24), so he undergoes death through the mortification of the senses and knowledge of the nature of things, and is spiritually resurrected for the sake of passionlessness in Christ Jesus, our Lord. To him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen. The letters “think” and the twelfth word. Teaches about the experience of contemplation of Sensual Creatures. Let no one seek him prematurely. Begin Word bless, father. Word 12. When the mind has not yet become dead to passions, it is not useful for it to pass to the contemplation of sensual creatures. When he tries to pass and does not practice in reading the Divine Scriptures, in knowledge and silence, then he is more darkened by forgetfulness and gradually passes into ignorance, although, perhaps, he has already reached mental knowledge – especially if the knowledge did not come through grace, as he himself does not know, but through reading and through mentors experienced in such mysteries. When the farmer does not cultivate the land, it grows with thorns, especially when it is good land.So also the mind, when it is not practiced in prayer and reading and does not work with them, then it becomes hard without knowing it. And just as the earth, although it is watered by rain and illuminated by the sun, does not bring benefits if it is not sown, so the mind will not have knowledge without mental action, although it may have had it through grace. But as soon as he deviates a little due to carelessness towards passions, he is immediately seduced. And when he looks even a little proud, grace leaves him. That is why the fathers, due to old age and weakness, often soon heard bodily actions, but never reduced mental ones. Because instead of bodily actions, they had bodily weakness that could silence the wretched flesh. And keeping the soul sinless, so that the mind is enlightened, is impossible without spiritual action. Because the farmer, although he often works with tools, still puts them away. But he never leaves the ground unploughed, unsown, or unplanted, and never leaves the fruits unattended, if he wants to taste them. “He who doesn’t enter the sheepfold through the door, but gets in somewhere else, is a thief, a robber!” (John 10:1), as the Lord says. – The sheep will not listen to that, that is, Divine thoughts, according to the words of Saint Maximus. Because the thief comes to steal by hearing and kill with hidden content. He cannot learn from the scriptures and will destroy himself and his thoughts with his supposed knowledge because of his arrogance. Because the shepherd will sympathize with thoughts, “like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Tm. 2, 3), according to the apostle, by keeping the Divine commandments, he enters through the narrow gate, that is, through humility and the door of dispassion. And before grace from on high pleases him, he exercises and, listening, learns everything. And how many times does the wolf come in whose sheep’s clothing, drives him away, reproaching himself and saying: “I don’t know who you are. God knows.” And if some thought comes shamelessly and wants him to accept it, saying: “When you do not have your opinion and do not consider things, you will be as unfaithful and ignorant”, – he then answers: “Even as a fool, if you want”, – with the motto of the divine Golden Mouth. Because the apostle says that whoever is foolish in this age will become wise (1 Cor. 3, 18). And the Lord says: “The children of this world are wiser, in their kind, than the children of light” (Lk. 16, 8). And it really is. They want to win and become rich, to be wise and famous, to rule and such other things, although sometimes they do not get it and their work does not bring benefits, but they try beyond their strength to achieve this. And others want to have the opposite of this, so here too they often accept the pledge of bliss that will be there and try, like those, that the mind accepts freedom by grace, through which it can have a restless memory and thoughts that will be confirmed by the Divine Scriptures and experienced in spiritual knowledge. Or, having great knowledge, to know that he does not know everything, realizing that the thoughts that came before were a temptation for his self-control, so that he humbly turned away from his own thought and intention, did not believe them, but even feared them, and asked with many tears, and resorted to humility and reproached himself, and for a great loss he had knowledge and gifts.The proud one is in a hurry to make sure of his thoughts, not hearing the words of the Leaf-bearer, who says: “Do not seek prematurely”, and Saint Isaac, who teaches not to boldly enter inside, but with gratitude and silence. He does not hear Chrysostom, who said: “I do not know”, having learned from the apostle and the Damascene, who said about Adam that it was not yet time to move on to the contemplation of sensual things. Because children’s senses are weak and cannot withstand solid food, they need milk, as the apostle says (Hebrews 5:13). Therefore, let us not seek contemplation until the time has come for it, but first let us acquire the mother of all virtues, and knowledge will come by Christ’s grace. Glory to him forever. Amen. The letter “our” and the thirteenth Word About the knowledge of mental things, that is, about the spiritual disembodied army. Through sensible things, the imaginal perceiver knows them. Begin Word bless, father. Word 13. Mental knowledge comes from skill to sensory knowledge. But he who has this knowledge will not see an angel. Can a person see a supernatural being, accessible only to the Creator, when he cannot see his own soul? For the common good, according to God’s providence, angels appeared to our people many times. But this does not happen with us, because we want it because of pride, and we do not care about the common good, and we do not tolerate anything for God’s sake. Whoever wants something like that wants to see the devil: “For Satan himself pretends to be an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11, 14), says the apostle. Except when someone does not pay attention to it at all and does not believe, even when it happens, then he can have such a vision for the common good. This is known from the fact that we do not want to accept something like that even in a dream or have subtle thoughts, and if there is any vision, behave as if it did not exist. For a true angel has authority from God, and when the mind does not want to receive it, he can pacify the mind. The devil cannot pacify the mind, but if he saw that the mind wanted to accept him, he would appear with permission. If the mind does not want it, then it will run away, because it will be chased away by an angel who has been protecting it since it received Divine baptism, so that the mind does not lose self-control. And so it is. It is said in one vision about the sinful ranks that there are nine of them, according to the words of the great Dionysius, and so we find in all the scriptures. The nine ranks have their names according to their nature and action. They are called incorporeal because they are not made of matter; spiritual, because they are spirits; hosts, because they are “serving spirits” (Heb. 1, 14) of the King of all. And still others have names, general and separate, that is, they are called angels and powers. But this is the name of one rank, and according to the action there are nine names: powers – those that can carry out the Divine will; angels are the proper name of one rank, the first of us, people, and of the terrible throne – nine of that. All are called angels by action, because God sends them to announce His will to people. “Another messenger came to Job,” says Solomon, “and it was a holy angel, because Golden Mouth says that “he was left alone and came to announce this” (Job 1, 19). The Divine Scriptures also call the Lord an angel in various places. It is said that Abraham received angels and the Lord was incorporeal (Gen. 18).So the Damascene speaks to the Mother of God: “In the shadow [of the law], Abraham saw the mystery that was fulfilled in you, Mother of God, because he accepted your Son without flesh”… and so on. And He Himself was in the furnace with the children of Babylon (Dan. 3, 92), and He is called an angel by His actions, as the prophet Isaiah says: “The angel is wise” (Is. 9, 6). As the Lord himself says: “I have declared to you everything that I have heard from my Father” (John 15:15). Glory to him forever. Amen. The letter “xi”, and this is the Word About true dispassion. This is already the Fourteenth Word by the grace of God. Begin Word bless, father. Word 14. Dispassion is a strange and glorious thing. When a person is victorious over passion, dispassion makes him an imitator of God, according to his measure. When a dispassionate person is attacked by devils or evil people, it is as if someone else is suffering, as was the case with the holy apostles and martyrs. And he is not exalted when he is praised, and he does not grieve when he is reproached. He remembers that sweet grace and God’s descent, which he is not worthy of, and sorrows are trials. And the first is presented here by grace for consolation, and the second – for humble wisdom and good hope in the future age, and he, as insensible, with many senses endures sorrows in prudence. Dispassion is not one virtue, but the name of all virtues. As a person, it is not one member of the body, but many members make up a person, and not only themselves, but also the soul. Likewise, dispassion is a combination of many virtues, and instead of a soul, they have the Holy Spirit. For all works that are called spiritual are in fact soulless, if they do not have the Holy Spirit, which is spiritual from Him and is called spiritual. If the soul does not reject passion, the Holy Spirit will not enter it. And without Him, there will be no such great virtue, which we call dispassion. And if someone is like that, maybe he will be, then he will be indifferent to everything. Therefore, the Greeks, not understanding this, said: “Do not be impassive, as if soulless, and do not be passionate, as if speechless.” To call the dispassionate without stuffiness was according to their knowledge, and they did not know the Holy Spirit. And to call passionate speechless is what we call it, but not because we took it from them, but simply call it. It is not knowledge or experience, it is we, having suffered from passions, who know what we have suffered from. We write that you have learned to acquire virtues from the holy fathers who favored dispassion. They say that a passionate person becomes like a captive and insensible from the love of passions. Sometimes desires push him, as if speechless, and sometimes – fury, which takes revenge for desires, like a beast, gnashing its teeth at those like him. Even a dispassionate person becomes insensible from God’s perfect love. Then she endlessly learns in God’s works, and sometimes in some vision she learns His miracles and in some words of the Divine Scripture, as St. Nile says. And even though she will be among many people, even at the market, her mind seems to be on its own. And such an arrangement comes from keeping Christ’s commandments, to Him be glory and power forever. Amen.Keeping God’s commandments is a sign of love for God and neighbor. Therefore, this Word will be about love, It is already the fifteenth. His letter is a small “o”, the beginning of the law and the end of love. Begin Word bless, father. Word 15. Whoever wants to say something about love, dares to speak about God, according to John the Theologian: “God is love… and whoever abides in love abides in God” (1 John 4, 8.16). Oh wonder! This first of all virtues is natural. That is why the law says about her from the very beginning: “You shall love the Lord your God… with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 6:5). I heard the words “with all your soul”, I was captivated, and I didn’t need any other words. Because “the whole soul” is verbal, vivid and desirable; the soul is made up of these three forces. Verbal power thinks only about the Divine, desiring – desires only the Divine and nothing else, because the law says “with all the soul”, and rage acts against everything that prevents this desire. It is well said that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). When God sees that these three powers desire only Him alone, as He commanded, then He Himself, as good, will not only love, but also by sending the Holy Spirit will dwell among them and will walk among us, as the apostle said (2 Kr. 6, 16). The body will involuntarily, as speechless, obey the mind and will no longer “desire against the spirit” (Ch. 5, 17), as the apostle says. But just as the sun and the moon, guided by God’s command, illuminate the world, even though they are soulless, so also work, according to the desire of the soul, does the work of light. And as the sun, passing every day from east to west, makes one day and without it there is night, so every virtue that a person does enlightens the soul, and without it passion and darkness come, until it acquires virtue, and then light comes. And just as the sun, starting from the edge of the east to its second edge, changing its rays at will, completes a year, so a person, having started virtues and slowly coming to success, becomes dispassionate. And just as the moon waxes and wanes every month, so a man waxes or wanes in success after each virtue, until he becomes accustomed to the virtue. She sometimes longs for God, then rejoices, thanking God, knowing that she is unworthy to acquire virtue. Sometimes it becomes brighter, and sometimes it darkens until it completes its course. And one thing happens because of exaltation, and the other – because of despair, by trade. As now, in this age, the sun changes, and the moon waxes and wanes. And when you come, there will always be light for the righteous, and darkness – oh woe! – for sinners like me. Even now, even before perfect love, various changes take place in the soul, and in the mind there is a dimming of virtues and knowledge, until the future actions for the sake of perfect love, for which we work, are pleasing to man. Because for the sake of love, the one who obeys will listen to the commandments, and for the sake of it the rich and free becomes a non-acquirer and a slave and does not defend those who want to have everything that belongs to him, including himself. Likewise, one who fasts allows others to feed from his property, from which he himself wanted to eat. And simply every action happens either for the sake of love for God or for one’s neighbor.What we have said about, and similar things happen because of love for one’s neighbor. Vigils and psalmists and similar to them happen for the sake of love for God, to Him be glory, honor and power forever. Amen. The letter “peace” and the sixteenth Word Briefly about God’s knowledge. Because numerous Fathers have spoken about theology in many canons and words. Begin Word bless, father. Word 16. Everything that God created has a beginning, and when He wills, then an end, because everything came from nothingness. God has no beginning and no end, and neither is His perfection. For He was never without it, but was always good and righteous, all-wise, all-powerful, invincible, impassive, indescribable, boundless, inscrutable, unfathomable, infinite, ever-existent, uncreated, unchangeable, eternal, true, indivisible, invisible, untouchable, incomprehensible, perfect, omnipresent, ineffable, incomprehensible, all-merciful, all-generous, all-merciful, all-powerful, all-seeing. The great Dionysius says that God, having perfection, does not force himself to do any virtue, like virtuous people; He wants good and does it, and uses virtues as a tool. Angels and virtuous people received virtues from Him along with being by grace. Imitating Him in virtues, they became righteous, good and wise. And since they are creatures, they need the help and condescension of the Almighty and without them they can have neither virtue nor wisdom. Because creations are very prone to change and, as they are composed of different things, they are called complex. And God is incorporeal, without beginning, the only God in the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who is worshiped and glorified by all creatures. A person, having His likeness, has a single will, not made up of many, and a pure mind, which always exercises itself in contemplation without the visible, as far as it can, and by design involuntarily descends from the contemplation of the invisible to the contemplation of some words of the Scriptures or creations. And in order not to know condemnation, she takes care of the body, not because she loves it and wants to feed it, but so that it does not become completely weak, because for that she suffers condemnation, as we have already said. The mind does not reject passions, but uses them by nature, so the soul does not reject the body, but uses it for every good deed. And just as the mind, restraining the wordless impulses of passions, directs each of them to God’s will, so a person, restraining the members of the body, makes one will, and not several. He does not allow the four elements of the body, nor the many members of the body to do what they want, and he also does not allow the three mental forces to think unreasonably or to urge the body to action, but, taking care of spiritual wisdom, does the inseparable will of the three forces. There are four kinds of this wisdom: wisdom, wisdom, courage, and truth, about which the Theologian wrote great things in Christ Jesus, our Lord, to Him be glory and power forever. Amen. This is now the seventeenth Word About one of the main virtues. We have already reached the letter “mouth”. Wisdom is the first of the four. Begin Word bless, father. Word 17.Anyone who wants to know about the four main virtues will do well to read about them in the Theologian, but a little about each of them is also written here. For all honesty requires these four, and every intention needs the first of them, that is, honesty, and without it it cannot be fulfilled. Because how can any business be done without wisdom? This wisdom is born from literature and is placed between cunning, or wisdom, and ignorance. Cunning prompts wisdom to bow and harm the soul of the one with wisdom and other souls as much as it can. And ignorance makes a person insensitive and vain and does not allow him to care either about Divine things or about things that are useful for his soul and his neighbors. The first is not like a high mountain, and the second is like a pit. And he who walks through the field in the midst of them is wise, and he who strays from the path either falls into the abyss, or tries to climb the mountain and, not finding the way, involuntarily falls into the abyss and cannot get up, because he does not want to return to wisdom from the height of the mountain by repentance. And the one who has fallen into the pit, humbly prays to the one who can lead him to the path of virtue in its midst. A wise man does not exalt himself, nor does he look for someone to harm, he does not descend foolishly and does not suffer harm from anyone, but, gathering what is best, preserves what is gathered in Christ Jesus, our Lord, to Him be glory and power forever. Amen. The letter is the word, and the Eighteenth Word about the whole refers to it. Begin Word bless, father. Word 18. Chastity is healthy wisdom, that is, unceasing. Whoever has it, therefore, it does not allow them to deviate either to debauchery or to petrification. It preserves that which gathers wisdom, and rejects all that is worse, and gathers in itself a thought, and by itself raises to God. As a good shepherd gathers sheep, so it gathers Divine thoughts within and kills unruliness like a rabid dog, shunning everything harmful. Drives out petrification like a wild wolf and does not let it devour the sheep in the pasture, but always sees it and reveals the words, so that it does not hide in the darkness and does not sneak into thoughts. All wisdom is born from the desire power of the soul, and without it no good will be preserved, even if it has happened. Because when there is no whole body, the three forces of the soul rush either up or down, that is, to petrification or to the disintegration of givenness. And debauchery is troubled not only by gluttony and fornication, but also by every other passion and thought that does not come from God, but is accepted voluntarily. Chastity calms all these passions, restrains the wordless yearnings of soul and body and directs them to God, to whom be glory forever. Amen. The letter is “hard”, and the word is the nineteenth, this is a word about courage, which is born from the power of desire and stands between arrogance and fear. Begin Word bless, father. Word 19. To have courage does not mean to win and subdue one’s neighbor; for this is audacity, and it is higher than courage. And it does not mean to shy away, being afraid of temptations, works and Divine virtues. This is fear, and it is inferior to courage.Courage is to persevere in every good deed and overcome the passions of the mind and body. “For we must fight not against flesh and blood [that is, against people, as the Jews once did, because they thought that the one who defeats other peoples in battle is doing a good deed], but against principles, against authorities [that is, against invisible demons]” (Eph. 6, 12). He who fights mentally wins the passions and they win him. The struggle that the Jews waged is a type of struggle. These two passions, although opposed to each other, together oppose our weakness. Arrogance pulls up and scares, as if threatening, like a powerless bear, and fear runs away like a dog that is chased away. For none of those who have these two passions trust in the Lord. That is why a bold or a coward will not stand in battle. “And the righteous is like a lion” [Prov. 28, 1], hopes in Christ Jesus, our Lord, to Him be glory and power forever. Amen. The twentieth word, in it the letter “Izhitsia”, About the truth of all virtues. She equates them all, And she herself is born from the mind. Begin Word bless, father. Word 20. “God is glorified because He is righteous,” says the great Dionysius. And it really is. And this is correct, because without the truth everything is unjust and without it cannot hold. It is called prudence, and it balances everything in every step, so that there is no shortage due to understatement or excess due to exaggeration. For they, even though you appear to be opposites, because they stand above and below the truth, both incline to untruth. When the line deviates to the side or is rounded, it deviates from the original direction, and whichever side of the scales the weight tilts, it is lower than the other. He who can preserve the truth does not fall through ignorance, stubbornness, fear, and excessive effort; and does not crawl like a snake on its belly, eating the earth and serving the passions of dishonor; and he does not rise up with rage and arrogance, petrification and belittlement, thinking “beyond what should be thought” (Rom. 12, 3), but ponders with the whole body and endures everything with humility, knowing that all that he has, he received by grace, as the apostle says (1 Cor. 4, 7), and does not deny this. Because he harms himself and his neighbor, and what is worse, he dishonors God when he attributes good deeds to himself. And if he thinks that he has some good in himself, then “they will take away from him what he thinks he has” (Lk. 8, 18), as the Lord says. To him be glory and power forever. Amen. The letter “fert” and the twenty-first Word About the complete peace of thoughts, Such as the disciples received from the Lord, because He was given by God. Begin Word bless, father. Word 21. The Lord, having said to the apostles: “My peace I give you,” added: “not as the world gives,” that is, not as simply as it was customary among the people there to say “Peace be with you” when greeting each other. And as the Shunammite woman said: “Peace be with you”, and so did Elisha to Gehaza: “Are you all right [peace] with you? Is everything all right [peace] with your husband? Is everything all right [peace] with the boy?” (2 Kings 4, 23.26). The Lord gives peace that surpasses all understanding, He gives to those who love Him with all their souls, for the sake of the troubles and struggles that come before it.That is why the Lord says: “I have told you this so that you may have peace in me – and adds: – in the world you will suffer. But be of good cheer! For I have overcome the world” (John 16, 33). That is, even if someone has great sorrows and many troubles from demons and people, having the Lord’s peace, he does not pay attention to them. And again he says: “Live in peace among yourselves” (Mr. 9, 50). The Lord foretold all this to the apostles, because they had to go to war and suffer sorrows for His sake. In the struggle, each of us, the faithful, is attacked by passions and temptations, and the one who has peace with God and his neighbor overcomes everything. This is the world that John the Theologian commanded not to love (1 John 2:15), that is, not creation, but carnal lusts. The soul is at peace with God when it is at peace with itself and everything is in God. And this happens when she has peace with all people, even if she suffers from them. She is not angry, that is why she does not worry, but tolerates everything and wishes everyone well, loves everyone for the sake of God and for the sake of nature. And he weeps over the unbelievers, as over those who perish, as the Lord and the apostles did, and he prays and hurts for the faithful (Lk. 23, 34; Acts 7, 60). And so he accepts the peace of thoughts and dwells in God through pure prayer and contemplation. Glory to him forever. Amen. The twenty-second word and the letter “khir” About the fact that joy is born from peace, Little has been said about it, because there is another, spiritual joy. Begin Word bless, father. Word 22. “Rejoice in the Lord” (Philippians 3:1), says the apostle. He says well – “in the Lord.” Because if the joy is not in the Lord, then a person not only does not rejoice, but also never rejoices. Job, reflecting on human life, saw that it is full of sorrows (Job 14, 16). So did Basil the Great. And Grigoriy Nysky says that animals should rejoice because of their insensitivity, and verbal people should never stop crying. “Because,” he says, “we have not known even those blessings from which we fell away.” That is why nature teaches to cry, because life is painful, difficult, and sinful, like exile. But he who always remembers God rejoices, according to the words of the psalmist: “I remembered God and rejoiced” (Ps. 76, 4). Remembering God, the mind rejoices, forgets the sorrows of the world, trusts in God and becomes carefree. Carelessness brings joy and leads to gratitude. Gratitude with discernment increases gifts and giving. The more good deeds are chewed, the more gratitude and pure prayer with tears of joy grow, and slowly a person is freed from tears of sadness and passions, and then gets used to spiritual joy. And he humbles himself for the sake of pleasure and gives thanks, and through temptations he has confirmation of hope for the future. And she is comforted by both, and loves God, and naturally loves everyone as benefactors, and there is nothing in any creation that could harm her. On the contrary, enlightened by God’s knowledge, she rejoices in the Lord with all creations, wondering how He takes care of His creations. And she is surprised not only by what is obvious and worthy of praise, but also, having achieved spiritual knowledge, is amazed by what is hidden from the inexperienced. He wonders not only during the day for the sake of light, but also at night.Night is useful for everyone: it gives silence and exercise to the ascetic; brings those who cry to the memory of death and death; who goes through a spiritual feat, leads them to a more perfect study and test of good deeds and prepares them for the arrangement of [their] customs, as the psalmist of Moskov says: “Repent of what you say in your hearts on your beds” (Ps. 4, 5), that is, repent in the silence of the night, remembering the tricks that happen during the day, and “singing hymns and spiritual songs” (Cl. 3, 16), that is, learn to be in prayers and psalms by studying and carefully reading. This is how a spiritual act is performed: to reflect on what happened during the day, so that in the silence of the night, one can understand and cry about what one has sinned. And when grace leads the ascetic to success and he really, and not imaginary, finds something moral for his soul and body, which happens in deeds or words according to the commandment of Christ, he gives thanks with fear and humility and works with prayer and abundant tears to God to preserve this good custom, teaching himself to remember it so as not to lose it through forgetfulness, because a good custom is established in us over a long time by great efforts. And so it is with the active. “The night brings many visions to the contemplative, – says Vasiliy the Great, – because it reminds of the creation of the world.” At night, all creation is hidden in darkness, as it was in the beginning, and this inclines the ascetic to contemplation. As then there was only the sky and no stars, so it will be now, when the clouds will cover it. Having entered the cell and seeing only darkness, the ascetic remembers the darkness that was “over the abyss” (Gen. 1, 2), and then, when, leaving the cell, he sees the clear sky and the heavenly world, he is amazed and praises God, as was said in the book of Job about the angels when they saw the stars (Job 38, 7). He also sees the earth, “empty and empty” (Genesis 1, 2), as in the beginning, and people enveloped in sleep, as if they were not there, and he feels alone, as Adam once was, and mentally praises the Creator and the Builder together with the angels. And when there are thunders and lightnings, he thinks about the Day of Judgment, in the voices of the birds he seems to hear the sound of the trumpet that then sounds; and in the rising of the star and its rays he sees the appearance of the honest and life-giving cross; he likens the rising of people from sleep to resurrection, and the appearance of the sun to the coming of the Lord. And as some meet the sun with songs, so one day the saints will sing on the clouds, and others are careless and sleep, like those who will fall under the Judgment. And the former spend the whole day in glorification, contemplation, prayer and other virtues, rejoicing and being in the light of knowledge, as the righteous will do, while the latter are in passions and in the darkness of ignorance, as the sinners will be. Therefore, the one who has knowledge finds everything that works with him for the salvation of the soul and for the glory of God, which is why “God … the Lord is omniscient” created everything, that is why the mother of the prophet Samuel says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom … but whoever wants to boast, let him boast that he understands and knows the Lord” (1 Sam. 2, 3, 10 – quoted in translationpatriarch Filaret), that is, who knows the Lord by His creations and imitates Him in strength, keeping His commandments, and then he will be able to create judgment and justice on earth. She said this while prophesying about Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Therefore, let the ascetic suffer with Christ, acquiring virtues, and become famous for dispassion and knowledge, and have praise in himself, because he was worthy to be a slave of such a Lord and an imitator of His humility. And then he will have “praise… from God” (Rom. 2:29), according to the apostle. When is it then? Then, when the Lord “says to those on His right: Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom” (Mt. 25, 34). May we all be pleased with him, with his grace and people with love. To him be glory and power forever. Amen. The twenty-third word about the Scriptures, About the fact that there are no differences in them, When someone wants to study them And how he likes to understand what is written. Begin Word bless, father. Word 23. “Sing with understanding” (Ps. 46, 8), says the prophet, and the Lord says: “Keep the scriptures” (John 5, 39). And the one who listens is enlightened, and the one who doesn’t listen is darkened. He who is inattentive to the words he utters has little fruit from the Divine Scriptures, even if he often sings and reads them. “Be calm and know” (Ps. 45, 11), it is said in the psalm, because calm focuses the mind; when someone wants to be a little attentive, then, according to the apostle, he “knows imperfectly” (1 Cor. 13, 12), especially when he has an imperfect mental action, because it teaches the mind how to fight against passions. However, such a person does not know all the secrets hidden in every word of Scripture, but as much as the purity of mind can receive through grace. This is known from the fact that we often find the same words several times and understand one or two meanings of these words. And after some time, the mind becomes clearer and becomes able to understand another meaning, higher than the previous one. Not understanding and being amazed at God’s grace and His unspeakable wisdom, the mind is amazed and trembles before the omniscient Lord. As the prophetess Anna says: “God is the omniscient Lord.” I do not say that if one heard something from the scriptures or from a man, it would not be purity of mind or revelation. But when something is revealed to someone, he will not believe on his own, unless he finds in the Divine Scriptures or in one of the saints confirmation of his knowledge of the Scriptures or sense or conditions of things. And if he finds not one meaning, but several, or hears from the Divine Scriptures or from the holy fathers, let him believe this and not think that these are disagreements. Because it happens that there is one thing, but it has many purposes. It is like with clothes: one will say that it warms, another – decorates, the third – covers – and all three tell the truth, because clothes are needed for warmth, cover and decoration. These three discerned the divine purpose for clothing and will have the Divine Scriptures and the nature of things as their witness. If someone, being a robber or a thief, would say that clothes are necessary for theft or robbery, then this is a great deception.Neither Scripture nor the nature of things affirms that it is intended for this, but the law also punishes theft or robbery. This is the case with all sensual things or conditions or with the words of the Divine Scripture. Even the saints do not know every intention of God regarding all things or written words, and when they do know, they do not immediately write down everything they know. And this is because God is immeasurable and His wisdom is infinite, and neither an angel nor a man can contain it, as Golden Mouth says about some revelation. And we have said as much about it as we had to say for today. And God knows both what we talked about and other things that we cannot fathom. Moreover, it would be unhelpful for the saints to speak all they know because of human weakness and for the Word to last too long and become hateful or almost incomprehensible due to confusion, but let what is said be moderate, according to the Theologian. Therefore, the same saint says one thing about the same thing today, and another thing tomorrow, and when the listener has knowledge or experience, he will not find discrepancies in what he said. And also: one says this, and the other says differently about the same words of the Divine Scriptures, because the Divine often gives one and the other for grace, depending on the time and disposition of a person. One should only seek that what happens and what is said, happened and was said according to the Divine intention and that there should be little confirmation in the Divine Scriptures, so as not to hear from the apostle: “Let him be anathema!” (Ch. 1, 8), – when to preach the gospel contrary to the Divine intention or beyond the nature of things, even if it is an angel, as the great Dionysius, Antony and Maximus the Confessor say. That is why Zolotoustius says: “It was not the children of the Greeks who gave us this, but the Holy Scriptures.” There are no discrepancies in the fact that the Scriptures say about one man that he did not see Babylon during the captivity (Ezek. 12, 13), and in another place it is said that he was transferred to Babylon together with others. He who reads with a good mind will find in another place of the Scriptures that he was blinded and thus taken captive, and finally he went to Babylon (Jer. 39, 9, 7), as one said about him, but the other did not see it, and therefore did not say. And again some, because of their inexperience, say that the Epistle to the Hebrews was not written by the apostle Paul, and one Word of St. Dionysius was not written by St. Dionysius. But if you are attentive, you can find truth in the Words themselves. For the saints, when it comes to a natural thing that can be explained by prudence, that is, by natural knowledge, considering created things, thanks to the purity of the mind, speak with all vigilance, examining the Scriptures and God’s knowledge. Goldilocks says that this is how gold miners, looking for gold, examine the thinnest veins so that “not one iota, not one dash” is lost (Mt. 5, 18), as the Lord said. Iota is the tenth letter, and you cannot write correctly without this dash. And this is said about things that are in nature. When a sensible or conditional thing is above nature, then the saints know the written word through insight and revelation, if the Holy Spirit gives them knowledge about it.If he does not give, but keeps it hidden for benefit, then they are not ashamed to speak the truth and admit human weakness, saying: “I do not know, God knows” (2 Kr. 12, 3), according to the words of the apostle. And as Solomon says: “Three things are too wonderful for me, even four I do not understand” (Prov. 30, 18). And Golden Mouth speaks again: “I don’t know, even if the heretics call me stupid, let them call me a fool.” And it’s simple: those who have double wisdom gave preference to the wisdom that is from on high, but wisely used external learning – in moderation, keeping the apostolic rule so as not to boast immeasurably, like those Egyptians who mocked the simple words of the apostle Barnabas, because they did not understand that in his sermon there were words of eternal life, as said in Clement. But many of us do this: when someone says something in a foreign language, we laugh, even if he is wise in his language and talks about terrible mysteries, but this happens because of inexperience. The fathers deliberately wrote simply, taking into account the time and the person to whom they were writing. St. Gregory of Nyssa, praising St. Ephraim that he, wise and very experienced in dogmas, wrote simply, he says in surprise: “How skillfully he glued the pages of the heretical books of that foolish heretic, who, unable to bear such shame out of pride, took his own hands.” There is holy humility above nature, and an unbeliever cannot have it, and considers it unnatural, as the great Dionysius wrote to St. Timothy about such a great man, that the ancients considered the resurrection of the dead to be unnatural, but “to me and to you, and to the truth, it is not unnatural, but supernatural.” And it is supernatural only for us, and for God it is natural. The commandment of God is the nature of resurrection. And the fathers welcome humility both in word and deed, like the one who wrote the chapters on eldership, although he was a bishop and was banished for the sake of Christ, but he said about the corpse of a virgin that he took it to himself in order to receive a blessing. And the holy fathers Dorotheus and Cassian, who were very wise, wrote simply. This is said so that no one may think that some wrote elegantly through pride, and others wrote simply through ignorance; um-because they have the same one, because the Holy Spirit gave it, so that their writing would be useful to everyone. After all, if everyone wrote simply, then none of the scientists would be useful, because the simplicity of the language would neglect what was written. And none of the unlearned would be of use if everyone wrote elegantly, because they would not understand the force of what was said. And whoever has the experience of understanding the scriptures knows that the simplest and wisest word has the same meaning and is arranged for human salvation. Those who do not know this are often led astray, not understanding that worldly sciences help a lot if they become a vehicle for the wisdom of the Spirit. Because the first give light thoughts, and the second – the power of the word, if one has firm wisdom together with the whole body, which teaches “not to think more than what is necessary to think, but to think modestly” (Rom. 12, 3), according to the apostle. The word “amen”, often repeated in the Gospels, is replaced by the word “truly” in the Gospel of Luke, because it is a firm word that confirms all the words said before.Likewise, wisdom is solid knowledge that can preserve the truth. The word “amen” means the coming of new grace, that is why it is not in the Old Testament, because it was a type. And in the new grace it is repeated everywhere, because it lasts forever and ever. Oh great now and the twenty-fourth Word gives the heart sense, so that everyone knows what is useful. Begin Word bless, father. Word 24. Oh, how I would like to have tears when I look at myself even a little! Even though I have not sinned, I rise up with pride. When I sin and see this, I am embarrassed because of my inexperience and despair. When I resort to hope, pride comes, when I start to cry, arrogance comes, and when I don’t cry, passions come again. My life is like death, and death is even worse, because I fear torment. My attentiveness becomes my temptation, and my inattention becomes my destruction. “He who adds knowledge adds suffering” (Prov. 1, 18), says Solomon. I’m surprised and excited, and I don’t know what to do. If I even know, but do not do, then this knowledge is for my condemnation. Oh woe to me! What to choose? Because of ignorance, everything seems opposite to me, and I cannot choose which of them is better. I do not find honesty and wisdom hidden in temptations, because I have no patience. I move away from speechlessness through thoughts, but externally passions tempt me through feelings. When I want to fast and be in silence, I am hindered by arrogance and weakness. Because of them, I sleep without measure, because of that I involuntarily sin. I distance myself from everything and run away, fearing sin, and then boredom relaxes me. But I also see many who accept crowns for such attacks and temptations, because they have a firm faith that they accepted the fear of God, and through fear they achieved other virtues. If I had faith like them, I would have gained fear, and through it – piety, according to the words of the prophet, and I would have received a vision from which strength, and joy, and knowledge, and wisdom of the Spirit (Isa. 11, 2) are in those who are safe in God and practice in the Divine Scriptures with patience, because of which both the bad and the good become the same for them. Time and experience will tell us when some passion turns into a virtue. When some virtue deviates to passion, time and experience will distinguish it with patience. And if it is not born from faith, then it cannot have virtue. “By the patience of your souls you will win your own” (Lk. 21, 19 – quoted according to the translation of I. Ohienko), says the Lord. “He who created each one of their hearts” (Ps. 32:15), as the psalmist says. And from this it is clear that the heart, that is, the mind, is created separately – by the patience of what happens to us. The one who believes that he has someone inviolable, who feeds his life, will not listen to his thoughts, which says: I want this, but I don’t want that; this is good and this is bad. When he has a sensual mentor, he must ask him about everything and listen to the answers, and fulfill what he said in action. If there is no such thing, then there is Christ, according to Euchaites.And one should ask Him with prayer from the heart, and with faith hope for an answer in deed and word, so that Satan, who cannot do deeds, does not answer with words, pretending to be a mentor, and does not drag those who do not have patience to perdition. Out of ignorance, they rush to accept something that will never come to them, because “one day before the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day” (2 Pt. 3, 8). Whoever through patience has experience of the enemy’s tricks, according to the words of the apostle (Rom. 5, 4), he works, struggles and moves forward in patience in order to understand and be able to say: “We know his plans, that is, his tricks, unknown to many.” “Satan himself,” says the apostle, “pretends to be an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14), which is not surprising, because the thoughts he sows in the heart appear to the inexperienced to be thoughts of truth. Therefore, he does not know where good is, and he does not believe what the angel says, and he does not believe what happens from the tricks of the enemy, but with patience he distances himself from both extremes and even waits for years for the word to come to fruition, without his permission. As someone said about the contemplation of existing things, that is, God’s creations: if you would reach some place of residence, that is, active knowledge, and stay in it for many years, then you would know that you have been heard and that you have received an answer invisibly. That is, when someone prays to overcome the passions that conquer him, and does not hear the words and does not see the image of temptation, but even if there was something like that in a dream or sensually, then he does not believe. And after a few years, he will see how that struggle is won by grace and some thoughts that incline the mind to humility and knowledge of his weakness, and he will not believe this, but will wait for many years, fearing that it will not be a robbery, as Golden Mouth says about the apostles, which is why the Lord spoke to them those mournful words and added: “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt. 10, 22), so that they would never be safe, but would do feats out of fear. For no one will benefit from other virtues, even if he lives in heaven, if he has pride, because of which the devil, and Adam, and many others fell. Therefore, let no one ever reject fear until he reaches the abode of complete love and finds himself outside the world and outside the body. Such a person will leave fear not out of his own will, but out of great faith, will make his mind secure in relation to the life and death of the body, and will come to the pure fear of love. About him, Athanasius the Great says to perfect people: “Do not fear God as a torturer, but fear Him out of love.” God should be feared not only because of sin, but also because God loves us, and we do not love Him, and He covers us, who are unworthy, with His grace. So that a person, fearing such blessings, inclines his soul to love and becomes worthy of the blessings he received and receives, and from pure fear of love moved to supernatural humility.No matter how much good she does and how much evil she endures, let her never think that with her strength and her knowledge she was able to endure the act of suffering harm to her soul and body, and because of humility and wisdom she accepted prudence and through it she knows that she is God’s creation and can neither do good on her own, nor preserve the good that happens through grace, nor overcome temptations, nor endure with her courage or wisdom. So, from being prudent, one moves to a deeper understanding of things and begins to look at all creations mentally. Not knowing what this means, she looks for the Teacher and does not find Him, because He is invisible and does not accept any insult or unconfirmed revelation, although she is used to this due to prudence, and is very surprised. Everything that happens from her and what she herself learns is for nothing, seeing in front of her so many fallen people after many works and knowledge – from Adam and others. So he listens to the Divine Scriptures and does not understand anything in them, then he begins to cry, realizing his lack of understanding, because he knows that he does not know anything. This is truly a miracle, because “When someone thinks to himself that he knows something, he does not yet know how to know” (1 Cor. 8, 2). And whoever thinks that he has something, “they will take away what he has” (Mt. 13:12), says the Lord. Because he only thought he had it, but in reality he didn’t. And the other thinks that he is mad and foolish, weak and ignorant, and therefore weeps and sobs, because he thinks that he has received what he does not have by virtue. Humility is born from many virtues, and it is precisely this that gives birth to the most perfect. So is knowledge, thanksgiving and prayer, and love, because these virtues are always growing. That is, when someone humbles himself like a sinner, and weeps, and refrains from everything, and voluntarily and involuntarily endures the sorrows that come from demons and people for the sake of a feat to test faith, so that it will be revealed whether he has hope in God, or in man, or in his own strength and wisdom. And having passed the test of patience, and having learned to rely on God, will accept the great faith, about which the Lord says: “Whose Son of Man, when he comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Lk. 18, 8). With this faith, he overcomes his opponents and, having received it, knows his weakness and ignorance through God’s mighty wisdom, which is revealed to him. And grace begins to grow in a humble soul, and it trembles, fearing not to obey God, as before. And from pure fear, which is without sin, and thanksgiving, patience and humility, which he is honored through knowledge, he begins to hope that through grace he gains mercy. Because of the experience of the benefits received, he hopes and fears that he will not appear unworthy of such God’s gifts. And because of this, he grows in humility and prayer from the heart. And as they grow, so much more knowledge is gratefully received. And so from knowledge passes to fear, and from fear passes to thanksgiving and contemplation. And because of this, he naturally begins to love the Benefactor and with joy wishes to please Him spiritually, as a debtor, and immediately grows in devotion and, along with special good deeds, contemplates general ones as well.Unable to give thanks for them, he cries and again, marveling at God’s grace, consoles himself. Sometimes he sheds tears of pain, and sometimes of love, which is sweeter than honey – tears of spiritual joy, which come from great humility, when he truly desires God’s will, and hates honor and comfort, and considers himself to be the least of all, and does not at all think of himself as equal to anyone, but considers himself a debtor before God and before people. Therefore, he respects temptations and sorrows as a great good deed, and he considers joy and peace as a great loss, and with all his heart he wants to know where they come from. And be afraid of them, even if they are tempted by God. And when he is thus in tears, his mind begins to acquire purity and returns to its original state, that is, to the natural knowledge that destroyed him with the love of passions. Some call natural knowledge wisdom, because the mind sees the nature of things. And others call it consideration, because the mind knows some part of hidden secrets, that is, God’s intention, revealed in the Divine Scriptures and in all creation. Consideration is born from prudence and can understand the nature of sensory and mental creations, that is why it is called the vision of beings, that is, creations. But this is natural and happens because of the purity of the mind. And if someone were to achieve insight for the common good, then this is supernatural. Because only God gives everything in advance to everyone, for which he created every thing or word of the Divine Scripture and by grace gives the gift of giving to the worthy. Therefore, the knowledge of sensible and thinking creatures, which is called wisdom, is consideration and natural knowledge, as it was originally by nature, but the passions darkened the mind, and if God had not taken away the passions through active virtues, no one would have this vision. But this is not transparency. Clairvoyance is supernatural and by grace. However, it does not exist without God, which is understandable. “Although the Greeks invented many things, they did not understand God’s intention for creation,” says Basil the Great, “not even God, because they did not have such humility and faith as Abraham.” The one who believes from the visible to the invisible can be called a believer, and the one who believes only the visible does not believe the one who teaches or preaches to him. Therefore, for the test of faith there are open temptations, and intercession is hidden, so that the believer, when the temptation stops, through patience finds knowledge and learns about what he did not know, and that God is good to him, and brings the fruit of humility and love to God as a Benefactor, and to his neighbor, in order to please God. He hears it as his duty and therefore wishes to keep the commandments. He hates passions as an enemy, and despises the body as an obstacle to dispassion and God’s knowledge, that is, His hidden wisdom. And it is truly hidden. For he who is a friend of worldly wisdom wins and feeds on worldly things, and has the peace and glory of this world, but he who is a friend of God’s wisdom does the opposite, that is, he works very hard, and abstains, and endures all sorrow and dishonor for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.The first one wants to get closer to visible goods, and worldly sciences, and kings and suffers a lot for this, while the second song suffers with the passions of Christ. The first has hope here [in the world], if only he has time to keep it, because it is temporary and not easily given; and the hope of the second is hidden here from the eyes of fools, says the Divine Scripture, and you appear in the age to come, when all that is hidden will become manifest. And not only there, but also here, in order to comfort the mourners, hidden knowledge is given, according to the Golden Mouth, that is, the contemplation of the Divine Scriptures and creations. From faith is born fear, from it – weeping, through it – humility, and from it – consideration and, by grace, insight. Let him who has knowledge never insist on his own understanding, but always seek confirmation in the Divine Scriptures or the nature of things. If there is no such confirmation, then it is not true knowledge, but cunning and delusion, as Basil the Great says about the stars. The Divine Scripture names only some of them, and the Greeks, mistakenly, give them many names. For the intention of the Divine Scriptures is to speak about things that can save the soul and reveal to some the mysteries of the Divine Scriptures and the nature of things, that is, the intention behind which every thing exists in order to enlighten the mind to God’s love, to know His greatness and His ineffable wisdom and providence, with which He cares for creation. So that, having this knowledge, a person would be afraid to transgress His commandments and recognize his weakness and ignorance, and because of this he would be humble and wise, love God and not despise Him for His commandments, as those who do not know Him do. Although, again, God hides some secrets from man so that he would want to know them and not be proud, like Adam, that the enemy found him from outside [beyond the commandments] and dragged him into his evil. And so it is with the virtuous, but he frightens the foolish with temptations so that they avoid sins, and he strengthens them with bodily good deeds so that they do not despair. And this is what God always does with his infinite kindness to save everyone and deliver us from the devil’s nets, either by giving us good deeds and knowledge, or by withholding them, and for everyone’s prudence, he gives gifts and understanding. This is what He did with the Divine Scripture, that it has a hidden meaning and is understood by some for their own benefit, according to the desire of the one who reads it. This was not the intention of the worldly sages: each tried to defeat the other and appear wiser. Therefore, neither they nor those who followed their example found the Lord, although they may have worked hard. “God does not appear to labor,” says Listvychnik, “but to humility and simplicity through faith.” That is, through knowledge of the Scriptures and the nature of things, through faith, about which the Lord says: “How can you believe when you receive glory from one another” (John 5, 44). This is a great faith, with which you can put all your worries on God, which the apostle calls the foundation (1 Cr. 3, 11), the leaf – the mother of speechlessness, and Saint Isaac – the faith of the vision and the door of the mystery.He who has such a faith is safe in everything, like all the saints who even have names consonant with their faith, as they were once righteous: the name Peter means firmness, Paul means reassurance, James is a conqueror, because he conquered the beliar, the name Stephen comes from the unfading crown, Athanasius – from immortality, Basil – from the kingdom, Gregory is called divine in wisdom, that is, in theology, Golden-mouthed – from valuable faith and much-desired grace, Isaac – from abandonment. So, both in the Old and in the New Testament, names are consonant with faith. The name Adam corresponds to the four sides of the world: A – east (ἀνατολὴ), D – west (δύσις), A – north (ἂρκτος), M – south (μεσεμβρία). And the word “man” in the language of that time, that is, Syriac, means “fire” – according to the similarity of nature. From one person come all the people in the world, just as from one candle you can light as many others as you want, and the power of the first one does not decrease. When the languages ​​were mixed, then in other languages ​​the word “human” means “forgetfulness” or has other meanings depending on its other signs. A Greek will say that “man” means “one who looks up”. But the actual nature of a person is a word, that is why we call a person verbal, because only he has this sign. Other names of a person can be common to him and to other creatures, therefore we must put them all aside and, as he said, give priority to the word and words to harmonize the thought with the word of God, so that we receive from Him not thoughts, but the words of the Holy Spirit, which are worthy to be received in this age, as it is said: “He gives prayer to the one who prays” (1 Sam. 2, 9), that is, to the one who prays well with bodily prayer, God gives conditional prayer, and to the one who is zealous in it, it is invisible and imageless from the pure fear of God. And whoever does this well, he is given the gift of creation, and from him – the rapture of the mind to theology and good deeds in the future is given to the one who distances himself from everything and exercises himself in word and deed only in prayer, and not only by hearing. Thus, knowledge, even if involuntarily, leads to the humility of the one who has it and is ashamed, because he is not worthy to have it, and turns away from it, as from something harmful, because humility, according to Listvichnyk, although it may have been given by God. When one has knowledge, as someone had it, whose soul was torn out of the body by three prongs when the Ethiopians died, then trouble. His name was great, and people loved him so much that everyone wept after his death and considered his loss a great misfortune. But because of the pride that hid it, a voice could be heard from above: “Don’t give him peace, as he didn’t give me peace for a single hour.” Oh woe! Everyone called him a saint and many hoped to be saved from many different temptations through his prayers, but he suffered such an end because of his arrogance. And that the reason was arrogance, it can be seen from this. If it were another sin, then he could not always secretly commit it. If it were a heresy, even though the heretic always angers God with blasphemy in his mind, it is not hidden.By God’s providence, heresy is revealed in order to correct the heretic, when he would like to correct himself, and when he does not want to, then for the approval of other people. Therefore, only high-mindedness can be hidden from everyone and even from the one who has it, if he is not allowed to fall into temptations that expose the soul, and it knows its weakness and its ignorance. Therefore, the Holy Spirit did not have an hour of peace in that wretched soul, because she always had this idea and rejoiced in it, as if it were some kind of success, and therefore she darkened like the devil. Maybe this man, not seeing his sins, had only this one passion, but the demons had enough of it, because it can fill the place of all other evils, as the Leaflet says. I didn’t think about it myself and understand what the reason was, but I heard it from a holy elder and wrote it down. He also said about St. Paul the Simple that the demon did not immediately listen to him and leave the man, because Paul – when Antony the Great said to him: “Abba Paul, cast out the unclean spirit from this young man” – did not immediately bow, but did not obey and asked: “Why not you?” And when he heard the answer: “I have one urgent matter”, then he listened. And that’s why, says the blessed old man, the devil did not come out immediately, but after many labors. And rightly so. Not only this proves that the old man was God-bearing, but also his story about the washing of the feet, about Moses’ objection and about the prophet who was looking for someone to injure him. Here we will retell his story. It is said in the Scriptures that a certain king ruled his kingdom cruelly. The man-loving God, not tolerating this cruelty, ordered the prophet to go and rebuke the king. And the prophet, knowing the ferocity of that person, did not want to go just like that, so that the king did not see him from afar and, realizing what he was going to, did not drive him away – then the prophet would not be able to rebuke him, and when he said: “I was sent by God because of your cruelty”, he would not be listened to. Therefore, he arranged for someone to injure him, so that he would come covered in blood, as if to complain, and in this way he would lean the king to him, and he would listen to him. As he was walking, he saw someone with an ax, and said to him: “[Thus says the Lord: take an ax and]… hit it [on the head]!” (1 Kings 20, 35). The same pious man said: “No, my lord, I am God’s, and I will not lay hands on the Lord’s anointed.” And the prophet said: “Because you did not listen to the word of the Lord, as soon as you come out, a lion will [eat] you” (1 Sam. 20, 36). It was not anger, let no one think so. It was for the benefit of many. That good man did not just die. He was torn apart by a lion, according to the word of the Lord, and because of bitter death he accepted the crown. As in the Words of the Elders, it is told about four elders who agreed among themselves and prayed that the brother who served them would be torn apart by a lion for the fornication he had committed. But the Lord did not listen to them, but listened to the mute man who prayed that the lion would retreat from him9. Then found about

9 See A word in the Prologue for July 6. rock another, obedient, and said to him: “Thus says the Lord: take an ax and hit me on the head!” And as soon as he heard the words: “Thus says the Lord”, without thinking long, he hit the prophet on the head with an ax (1 Kings 20, 37). And the prophet said to him, as Moses once did: “The blessing of the Lord has come upon you today (Exodus 32, 29), because you listened to the voice of the Lord.” Because the first man was ashamed of the prophet because of the great grace and did not listen, as did the apostle Peter when he washed his feet (John 13:8), and the second, without thinking long, listened to how the people listened to Moses when he ordered to kill those who sinned (Ex. 32:27). It is clear from the Scriptures that the one who listens to God’s clear command does better, because he listens to the supernatural command of the Lord of nature and considers it wiser and more righteous than natural knowledge. He who does not listen does less, because he thinks that his knowledge is better than God’s commandments. But it is not so when the command is hidden, but depends on the intention of obedience or disobedience, and the one who intends to serve God does better. When the command is clear, then God shows wrath to the disobedient and blessing to the one who listens. And if it is hidden, then not so, but, as we have already said, according to natural knowledge, both had validity and were good, because the intention of both was to please God. And so it was. And the prophet, coming to the king and standing in front of him, said: “Save me, oh king, when I was walking on the road, someone who met me injured my head.” And the king, seeing the blood and the wound, was furious, as usual, but not at the complainant, but thinking that someone else should be judged, and not himself, he spoke against the one who committed this crime. The prophet, having heard what he had hoped for, said: “You have spoken well to the king. And therefore thus says the Lord: “I will tear the kingdom from your hands and from your seed, for this is what you have done.” Thus the prophet spoke the prophecy as he wished, and skilfully instructed the king to listen to what was being said about him, and departed, praising God. Such were the souls of the prophets who loved God and through contemplation of Him tried to fulfill His commandments. And that’s right. He who perfectly knows a certain path and skill, goes through them with all thoroughness and ease and unerringly shows others how to walk the path or the secrets of art and knowledge, although, perhaps, he himself is young and very simple, and they are already not young and wise in other sciences. Prophets, apostles and martyrs did not learn God’s contemplation and wisdom from hearsay, as we do. They gave blood and received the spirit, according to the words of the fathers: “Give blood and receive the spirit.” That is why the fathers, instead of the torment of the senses, suffered with their conscience, and instead of physical death, they accepted death by consent, so that the mind would overcome carnal desires and reign in Christ Jesus, our Lord, to whom be glory, power, honor and worship, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen. The end of the labors of Peter Damascene and thanksgiving to God. PART FOUR The age of our holy father John of Carpathia is not known, he was no one, neither when he lived nor where he performed a feat. Photius testifies about him (in chapter 271 on page 266).Diadochus repeats a lot after John of Carpathia and gives his title to his Word, called the consoling Word to the monks who came from India. And this Word of his consists of one hundred chapters. In them, he often instructs readers in a fatherly manner to bear sorrows with joy and to be patient in temptations.