Texts on Ascetic Practice by Our Venerable Father Theodore of Edessa
1. Since by the grace of the good God we have turned away from Satan and his wicked works and have come to Christ through the font of baptism, and since we have now taken the monastic vows as well, we are all the more bound to keep His commandments. This is required of us not only by our twofold promise, but also by a natural obligation; for God created us good from the very beginning, and such we ought to be. Although through our inattention sin has entered into our nature, yet we were called back again through the mercy of the compassion of our God, and renewed by the passion of the passionless One, and redeemed at a great price — the blood of Christ. Since we have already been redeemed from the ancient transgression of our forefathers, it is no wonder if we are righteous; but to fall away from righteousness is wretched and worthy of lamentation.
2. As a good deed performed without right faith is dead and altogether ineffectual, so faith itself without righteous deeds will not deliver us from the eternal fire. «He who loves me», says the Lord, «keeps my commandments.» And if we love God and believe in Him, let us do our works according to His commandments, and we shall receive eternal life. But if we despise the keeping of His commandments — and all creation obeys Him — how shall we call ourselves faithful? We have received greater honour than any other creature, and yet more than all creatures we fail to hear the commands of the Creator; and though we receive grace, we lose it at once.
3. When we keep the commandments of Christ, we do nothing thereby for Him, for He has need of nothing, since He Himself is the Giver of all good things. By keeping the commandments we do good to ourselves, gaining eternal life and the enjoyment of unutterable blessings.
4. Everyone who forbids us to fulfil God’s commandments — be it father or mother or anyone else — let him be abhorrent and hateful to us, lest we hear: «He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.»
5. With all our strength let us urge ourselves to fulfil the commandments of the Lord, lest the indissoluble bonds of wicked desires and soul-destroying passions bind us, and we hear such a sentence as the barren fig tree heard: «Cut it down; why should it use up the ground? For every tree that does not bear good fruit shall be cut down and thrown into the fire» (cf. Luke 13:7; Matt. 3:10).
6. He who is overcome by desires and pleasures and lives in the world quickly falls into the nets of sin. And sin, once committed, is like fire to reeds, like a stone rolling down a mountain, like a deep pit full of water: the fire, the stone and the pit bring destruction to whoever falls into them.
7. When the soul grows savage and, through pleasure, passes over to what is contrary to nature, it becomes a dwelling place of fearful beasts, as it is said: «There the wild creatures shall settle, there the vipers shall make their nest, and the demons shall meet with the wild creatures» — and all these creatures are the various dishonourable passions. But when the soul returns to its natural order, it can conquer, if it wills, while it is still joined to the body; it is strengthened by the love of good works, and so restores its nature and lives according to the law of God. Then the beasts that had nested in it perish, and the angels come, the guardians of our life, making a day of joy over the soul’s conversion. Then the grace of the Holy Spirit comes into the soul, teaching it knowledge, so that it may be preserved in what is good and may attain to still more.
8. The fathers valued prayer as a spiritual weapon, and one must not go out to battle without it, lest the enemies take us captive and drag us over to their side. He who does not seek God with a righteous heart will not be able to acquire pure prayer, for it is God who gives knowledge to man.
9. That the passions attack the soul and that it begins to grow angry even against its will is not surprising at all. This happens because thoughts linger in us and stir up the passions. The assault of a passion is not a sin; but if we fight manfully against the thoughts and conquer the passions, we shall be counted worthy to receive a crown. And if weakness or fear overcomes us, we shall be worthy of torment and affliction.
10. There are three passions which give birth to all the rest: love of pleasure, love of money and love of glory; and after them follow five other wicked spirits. From these comes a great abundance of passions and various kinds of sin. He who has conquered the three chief passions has destroyed the other five as well, and after that he will conquer all the rest.
11. When we yield to the passions, the memory of what we have done torments our soul. But when the heart is completely purified of passionate thoughts, so that they no longer come near it, then we shall be given a sign of the remission of our former sins. As long as the soul is still passionate and still struggling, so long is it guilty of sins, and it is evident from it that sin rules over it.
12. The passions of the body and of desire are diminished when the body suffers; but the passions of the soul, which are not manifest, are destroyed by humble wisdom, by gentleness and by love.
13. Passionate desire withers through self-restraint and humility; burning anger is quieted by love. Wicked thoughts are gathered up by prayer with the remembrance of God — and so the three powers of the soul are purified. Fulfilling this, the divine Apostle says: «Strive for peace and for holiness, without which no one will see the Lord» (Heb. 12:14).
14. Some, not understanding, have asked: «Does the thought stir up the passions, or the passions the thought?» And some answered one way and some another; but I say that thoughts are stirred up by the passions. If there were no passions in the soul, thoughts about passion would not trouble it.
15. The enemies who always war against us have this custom: not to let us practise those virtues which are within our strength, and to push us towards those virtues which are beyond our strength. Into those who keep stillness and live in the desert they put a desire for community life; and those who live successfully under obedience they urge to do the works of those who keep silence — and with such deceit they war against every virtue. But let us, having knowledge, do well everything that we know, at the right time and in measure; and let us utterly hate whatever is harmful, immoderate and uncertain.
16. Against those who live in the world and come close to things that arouse the passions, the demons war and fight by rising up against their actions. But against those in the deserts they war with thoughts, because things themselves are lacking. The second struggle is far stronger than the first. The first is bound up with things, and therefore requires time and a suitable place; but the second needs neither place nor time in order to attack the intellect. The weapon against this bodiless struggle is pure prayer. For him who arms himself with pure prayer for the noetic battle, victory is prepared.
17. The divine Apostle says that the end of the passions is the deadening of the body: «Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires» (Gal. 5:24). When we put to death the passions and destroy the desires and subject the fleshly mind to the Spirit, then we take up the cross and follow after Christ. Withdrawal from the world is nothing else than the putting to death of the passions and the manifesting of the life hidden in Christ.
18. Those who suffer death through the disturbances in the body and are always arming themselves for battle against it should reproach not the body but themselves. If they did not let it gather strength and did not allow it indulgences, they would not suffer so much from it. Do they not know those who have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires and thereby joined it to what is good rather than to what is opposed, and compelled it to abide in God’s law? Let these first do the same, and they will enjoy the same peace. For it is said: «Give blood and receive the Spirit.»
19. Every assent in the thoughts to some desire — in other words, every impulse of passion — is a sin for the monk. First comes the thought and darkens the intellect through the passionate part; then the soul inclines towards the pleasure and ceases to fight, and this is called assent; and assent, as we have said, is sin, since it stirs up a particular passion and then gradually carries it over into deed. Therefore the prophet praises those who dash the infants of Babylon against the rock (Ps. 136:9). Let those who have learned this sequence understand.
20. The angels, the ministers of the love of peace, rejoice at our repentance, and therefore help us to be filled with spiritual visions of God and assist us in everything good. But the demons, the workers of anger and malice, rejoice when virtue is destroyed, and they put forward seemingly good deeds in order to turn our souls aside to shameful fantasies.
21. Faith is the covenant of good; through faith the fear of God is born. It teaches us to keep the commandments in deed, and from this blessed dispassion grows in us. And love is the fulfilment of all the commandments; it unites all things and establishes them.
22. When the bodily senses are healthy and perceive the approach of some illness, then, if they do not recognise it, they are sick with insensibility. So too the intellect: when it knows that its activity is saving, it understands all its own strength and knows whence the tormenting passions come to it, and it raises a strong struggle against them. But if it does not perceive this, its days pass grievously. It becomes like one who fights with the night, taking the thoughts of sleep for those of battle.
23. When our rational power turns unfailingly to the virtue of contemplating God, and the desiring power longs to draw near to Christ, the Giver of blessings, and the incensive power arms itself against the demons, then our powers act according to their original nature.
24. According to Gregory the Theologian, every rational soul has three powers. The virtues accomplished by the rational power he calls understanding, knowledge and wisdom; those of the incensive power, courage and patience; and those of the desiring power, love, chastity and self-restraint. All of them have within them righteousness, which sets them on right action: teaching us with understanding to subdue the opposing powers and to hasten towards the virtues; with chastity, to look upon everything dispassionately; with love, to love all people as ourselves; with self-restraint, to fight against every harmful pleasure; and with courage and patience, to arm ourselves for the invisible battle. Such is the order of the God-inspired soul, as the tongue declares it.
25. He who is zealous for chastity loves blessed purity, and no one will be mistaken in calling it dispassion. Let such a man restrain and subdue the body, calling upon divine grace with a humble thought, and he will obtain what he desires. He who feeds the body intemperately with food will be sick with the spirit of unchastity. As water quenches fire, so hunger and humility destroy the burning of the body and shameful fantasies.
26. Let the passion of rancour, O lover of Christ, depart entirely from your soul. Never give place to enmity. As fire hidden in straw, so rancour nests in the heart. Do the opposite: pray fervently for the one who has wronged you, and do him good as far as your hand is able, so as to deliver your soul from passion and to have boldness at the hour of your prayer.
27. In humble hearts the Lord will rest, but in proud hearts the dishonourable passions. Nothing rises against us so strongly as the thoughts of pride. Nothing so uproots the evil weeds of the soul as blessed humility; therefore it is rightly called the slayer of passions.
28. Let your soul be purified of evil thoughts and enlightened by good knowledge, always remembering that a pleasure-loving heart becomes a prison and fetters when the soul goes out of the body, while a heart that loves labour becomes an open door for the soul. The soul that goes out of the body truly pure is guided by angels, who lead it to the blessed life; but the defiled and unrepentant soul — woe is me — the demons receive.
29. Fair is a head adorned with a precious crown, with Indian gems and shining pearls. Yet unspeakably fairer is a soul enriched with the knowledge of God and illumined with bright contemplations of God, when the Holy Spirit has come to dwell in it. And who can describe the beauty of that blessed soul?
30. Do not allow rage and anger to dwell in you, O monk. For an angry man has no comely appearance, while in the hearts of the gentle wisdom will rest. When the passion of anger takes hold of your soul, those who live in the world will be better than you. Then you will be a monk shamed and unloved.
31. In every misfortune and every struggle acquire prayer, that unconquerable weapon, and you will conquer by the grace of Christ. Let your prayer be pure, as the wise teacher instructs: «I desire, then, that the men should pray in every place, lifting up pure hands to heaven, without anger or dispute» (1 Tim. 2:8). He who does not care for such prayer is given over to misfortunes and passions.
32. It is written that «wine gladdens the heart of man» (Ps. 103:15); but you have promised to weep and lament, so avoid such gladness, and you will be gladdened with spiritual gifts. But if you make merry with wine, you will live with shameful thoughts and fall into many sorrows.
33. When you keep a feast, do not drink wine, but renew your intellect and purify your soul. He who overeats and drinks wine angers Him who established the feasts.
34. We are commanded always to keep vigil in prayer and reading, and all the more on feast days. The alert monk directs his mind to God, feeding his soul with contemplation; but if he sleeps long, his intellect grows hard. Yet take care that when you keep vigil you do not entertain evil thoughts. It is better to sleep than to keep vigil with vain words and thoughts.
35. He who nourishes a serpent at his breast and a wicked thought in his heart will perish. The serpent will bite the body with its poisonous sting, and the thought will pour deadly poison into the soul. Let us quickly kill the serpent’s brood and grieve over the wicked thoughts in the heart, that we may not suffer bitter pain.
36. A pure soul will be called a chosen vessel of righteousness, an enclosed garden, a sealed fountain and a throne of perception. But he who defiles himself with unclean defilements will be filled with abomination and stench.
37. From fine clothing, a full stomach and harmful conversations evil thoughts are born in the soul. I have heard this from fathers experienced in ascetic practice.
38. Let no desire for possessions settle in the souls of monks. A monk burdened with possessions is like a ship full of water: he is weighed down by the waves of sorrow and sinks into the depths of afflictions. Love of money is the mother of many passions and «the root of all evils» (1 Tim. 6:10), as the Apostle rightly says.
39. To have no possessions and to keep silence is a treasure hidden in the field of the monastic life. Go, then, sell your goods and give to the poor, and then buy the field and bury your treasure in it, that you may be enriched with inexhaustible riches.
40. When you settle with a spiritual father and feel the profit of it, let no one separate you from his love and from living with him. Do not judge him, do not speak evil of him when he reproaches you or strikes you; do not listen to anyone who slanders him, and do not agree with those who dishonour him, lest the Lord be angry with you and blot you out of the book of the living.
41. Let the struggle of renunciation in submission — as we know from experience — be fenced about with three tokens: the weapons of faith, hope and love. He who labours in the good struggle will receive the crown of righteousness.
42. Do not judge the deeds of your father, but do what he commands. The demons show you his faults in order to stop your ears against his words, or to make you a soldier cowardly and weak in battle, or they will bring you to thoughts of unbelief and, having weakened you as you listen to them, will make you feeble for every virtue.
43. He who does not obey the commands of his father transgresses the first vows of renunciation. But he who has accepted obedience and cut off his own will with the sword of humble understanding has fulfilled the promise which he made to Christ before many witnesses.
44. We have seen and understood and clearly learned that the enemies of our life, the demons, greatly envy those who abide in obedience to their fathers; they gnash their teeth at them and devise every stratagem, so that they may withdraw and lose their father’s protection. And always, as though speaking fair words, they show them various pretexts, irritate them and teach them hatred of their father; they present his commands as foolishness and his reproofs as sharp arrows. They say that you are free, yet you live in slavery, and that you are worse off than a slave under this unmerciful, unintelligent, ignorant, unreasonable and irascible man, who is in every way just like you; and how long will you go on languishing under the yoke of service and never see the free world? Then they suggest visiting the hostels and the sick and taking pity on the poor. Then they praise silence and the monastic struggles pursued in silence; and they sow in the heart of the sufferer and soldier of Christ the images of all these evil weeds, only in order to drive him from his spiritual protection, and to draw him out of the quiet of stillness, and to cast his rebellious soul into a ruinous storm at sea. Then, having taken him under their power as a captive, they compel him to do everything according to their evil will.
45. Let not the flattery of the enemy who fights against you remain hidden from you who abide under obedience to a father; do not forget your vows to God, and do not let the demons mock you. Do not avoid the reproofs, the rebukes or the anger of your father, and do not submit to the dishonourable yoke of self-indulgence and self-will. But, holding in your heart the word of the Master, «He who endures to the end will be saved», patiently «run the race that is set before us, looking steadfastly to Jesus, the author and finisher of faith» (Heb. 12:1-2).
46. The goldsmith puts gold into the furnace and purifies it. So the beginner monk, having submitted to obedience and to all afflictions, burning with zeal for the divine commandments, after labours and patience and sorrows casts off his evil habits and grows accustomed to obedience; and he becomes radiant and worthy of the heavenly treasures, of a blessed end and of an endless dwelling there, whence all sickness, sorrow and sighing have fled away, and where gladness and eternal fragrance are planted.
47. Right faith and the keeping of the commandments give birth to the fear of God; where there is the fear of God, there is also the keeping of the commandments; through the keeping of the commandments active virtue is formed; its fruit is pure prayer and the beginning of the contemplation of God. He who has attained dispassion will enter the door of love; and of love the beloved disciple said: «God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him» (1 John 4:16). I have heard well-composed words of this kind from certain men: «Nothing that cleanses the body remains afterwards with the one cleansed; but the virtues cleanse the soul and remain with those they have cleansed.»
48. Truly fair and good is the monastic life, for monks fulfil the commandments and the law of the same Master which the apostles first fulfilled, having learned them from the Holy Spirit. It is fitting for the soldier of Christ to be unburdened by earthly things and free from care for every worldly reasoning and activity, as the Apostle says: «No soldier on service entangles himself in the affairs of this life, if he wishes to please the one who enlisted him» (2 Tim. 2:4).
49. It is fitting for a monk to be unburdened by earthly things, dispassionate, without any evil desire, not greedy, not a drunkard, not slow, not lazy, not a lover of money, not a lover of pleasure. Unless a man withdraws from all this, he cannot live the angelic life. This is granted to those who hasten to take upon themselves the good yoke and the light burden, which divine hope makes lighter, and to act in complete dispassion and with peace. Truly sweet is such a life, and fair its practice, and good the portion which shall not be taken away from the soul that has acquired it.
50. When you have withdrawn from the cares of this life and entered upon the monastic struggle, do not desire to have wealth in order to distribute it to the poor; for this is a flattery of the evil one, which leads to vainglory in order to bring your intellect into great turmoil. If you have bread and water, you can receive travellers with these. And if you have not even this, receive the traveller kindly and speak a word of comfort to him — and so you will receive the reward of hospitality. And in the Gospel the Lord bears witness of the widow, that with two small coins alone she surpassed the great offerings of the rich.
51. This is commanded to those who live in silence and to those who abide in obedience to a father: they must keep one thing only in mind, that they do not depart from a single commandment of ascetic practice. He who fulfils this has fulfilled everything; and on the contrary, he who falls away from such a life will fulfil no virtue and no spiritual life.
52. Accept my counsel, O lover of Christ, and love exile and love itself. They will take the place of the sorrows of your homeland. Let not the sorrows of your parents and the love of your kinsmen lead you astray; avoid remaining in the city, and endure in the desert, saying with David: «Behold, I have fled far away and dwelt in the wilderness» (Ps. 54:8).
53. Seek out places deserted and far from the world, even if not everything needful is to be found there. And if the enemies surround you like bees and fierce wasps, attacking you with every kind of struggle, do not withdraw, do not be afraid, do not incline your ear to them, do not avoid the struggles; but endure patiently, singing within yourself and saying: «I waited patiently for the Lord, and He looked upon me and heard my prayer» (Ps. 39:2). And then you will see the protection of God’s majesty, His ordering of things and all His other providence for salvation.
54. It is fitting for you, O lover of Christ, to have as friends those deeds which are profitable and lead to life. Let men of peace, it is said, be your friends, and let your spiritual brethren be the holy fathers, of whom the Lord says: «My mother and my brethren are those who do the will of my Father who is in heaven.»
55. Do not be eager for various and refined dishes, which are deadly when one gorges on them. Strive, if possible, not to eat even ordinary food to satiety. For it is said: «Let not the fullness of the belly lead you astray.»
56. Refuse to spend much time outside your cell, for this is exceedingly vain; strive rather to keep silence more. Frequent departures from the cell take away grace, darken the mind and quench desire. Therefore Scripture says: «The whirlwind of desire perverts the guileless mind» (Wisd. 4:12) and hinders the good impulses of many. Let your intellect not be bent aside, and let your silence remain unbroken.
57. Sitting in your cell, do your work neither foolishly nor lazily. For it is said: «He who walks without understanding labours in vain.» Rather acquire good practice, and gather your intellect, and keeping your end before your eyes, remember the vanity of the world, how deceitful and empty it is. Remember the fearful reckoning of the answer we must give, and that the evil adversaries and enemies of our life wish to present our deeds and words and the wicked thoughts which we accepted and which they themselves put into us. Remember also the torments that will be in hell: how souls are shut up there, in what fear and pain; remember also that final resurrection, and those who will hear the fearful sentence of the impartial Judge; think of the shame that sinners will suffer, remember the disgrace and the reproaches of conscience — for when it convicts us, we shall suffer rejection from God and be cast into the eternal fire, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Do not cease to remember all the other torments, and wash your face with tears in understanding, whether you are standing or sitting. I have seen many who by such thoughts obtained an abundance of tears and clearly purified the powers of the soul to the very end.
58. But meditate also on what is prepared for the righteous: the standing at the right hand of Christ, the blessed voice of the Master, and the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven; and besides this, the gifts and the joy that has no end and is not interrupted by sorrow, the heavenly dwellings and the life with the angels, and all else that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
59. Let these thoughts remain with you; let them sleep with you and rise with you. See that you never forget them. Wherever you may be, always remember them, that all evil thoughts may flee from you and you may be filled with divine consolation. A soul not fenced about with these works cannot keep silence: a spring without water is called a spring in vain.
60. And this rule has been composed for those who keep silence: fasting, as far as strength allows; vigil; sleeping on the ground; and every other kind of endurance for the sake of the rest to come. For it is said: «The sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us» (Rom. 8:18). And above all, prayer — pure, unceasing and unfailing. This is a strong wall, a quiet harbour, a storehouse of good deeds, the destruction of the passions, a good help to the soul, purity of intellect, rest for those who labour, comfort for those who weep, life with the angels. Pray, O faster, day and night, with fear and trembling, with a sober and alert intellect, that your prayer may be acceptable to God. For it is said: «The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer.»
61. It was said by one of the ancient fathers, with much experience and rightly, that among the demons who oppose us the chief commanders in the battle, urging us to what is contrary, are these desires: the spirit of gluttony, of love of money and of vainglory; and the others come after them and bring every evil upon our souls.
62. Truly we have learned by experience that a man does not fall into sin or into any passion unless one of these three desires has first struck him. Therefore the devil once put these three thoughts before the Saviour, and the Lord stood above them and drove the devil away. The Lord will give us the victory over them, for He is the good Master who loves mankind; He clothed Himself in all things, except sin, in our body which is capable of suffering, and showed us the sinless and undeceiving road, walking along which we form within ourselves the new man, renewing him according to the image of Him who created him.
63. The word of David teaches us to hate the demons with perfect hatred as the enemies of our salvation — and this is very profitable for virtue. But is there anyone who hates the enemies with perfect hatred and has not sinned either in deed or in thought? How shall we attain perfect hatred, when we ourselves contain the vessels of such thoughts? A pleasure-loving heart will never be able to hate them.
64. The wedding garment of the rational soul which has renounced worldly passions and turned away from all evil desires is dispassion and a God-loving intellect shining with bright visions of God. But the intellect oppressed by countless passions and greatly attached to them will cast off the garment of chastity and clothe itself in shameful and defiled rags — and it will be put to shame, for its hands and feet will be bound and it will be cast into outer darkness (Matt. 22:13), as is said in the Gospel. For out of such thoughts and deeds it wove itself a garment, and the Word declared it unworthy of the divine words.
65. A certain wise man once spoke truly about wicked and hateful self-love. First of all the thoughts is the fierce warfare of self-love, like some cruel tormentor; and with it three others, and after them five more, and all of them seize our intellect.
66. I marvel how one who fills himself with food can acquire dispassion. Dispassion is not merely to be cleansed from the act of sin — that is called self-restraint. Dispassion is the freeing of the intellect from the shrines of passion and from ungodly idols, and its raising up to heaven; and this indeed is called purity of heart.
67. It is easy to cleanse an unclean soul, or again to defile one that has been cleansed. For those who have renounced worldly cares but have not yet felt the divine sweetness in the soul, it is no wonder if they fall into certain sins. But it is astonishing, truly astonishing, that those who have known the sweetness of God’s words, and have felt in their souls certain divine visitations, and have walked on the paths of salvation, should return again to sin; and it is not easy for them, I think, to return to their former order. The first suffered because they did not know the right road; but the second, because the demon constantly showed them afflictions, taught them that God is unmerciful towards them, and brought into their minds sinful thoughts of idols, striving to cast them into the depths of sorrow. Yet a manful and hardworking soul will immediately set this right with the help of God, who with long-suffering shows us His love for mankind and, when we turn to Him, receives us with unutterable mercy and generosity, as the Gospel teaches us in the parable of the prodigal son.
68. None of us can by his own strength conquer the wiles and stratagems of the evil one; we can conquer them only by the unconquerable power of Christ. Those are greatly mistaken who fast much and think that they will rid themselves of sins by their own strength, whereas one can be freed from them only by the power of God; for sin lost its strength through the mystery accomplished on the cross. Therefore the great lamp of the Church, John Chrysostom, says that human desire alone is not enough if there is no help from on high; and again, help from on high will avail nothing if there is no desire. This is seen in the example of the apostles Judas and Peter. The first satisfied his own desire and did not wish to be converted; and since his desire was lacking, help from on high did not avail. But Peter, after denying God, wept bitterly — and received help from on high. «Therefore», says Chrysostom, «I pray that he who places his hope in God may not fall asleep, and that he who has great zeal may not rely on his own labours alone. Let both the one and the other show God their desire and ask His help, as the psalmist teaches: ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain’ (Ps. 126:1).»
69. It is a dangerous thing to tread upon the asp and the basilisk and to trample the lion and the serpent, until a man has been purified as he ought and has received help from Him who said to the apostles: «Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy» (Luke 10:19). Therefore we are commanded in prayer to entreat that we may not enter into temptation and may be delivered from the evil one. If we are not freed from the burning arrows of the enemy by the power of Christ’s help, we hope in vain to accomplish anything by our own strength. He who wishes to bring the devil’s designs to nothing and to become a partaker of divine glory, let him seek divine help and protection with tears and sighs and stillness, day and night. And desiring to receive them, let him keep his soul pure from every worldly pleasure and possession. Of such souls the Lord says: «If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him» (John 14:23).
70. One of the ancient fathers spoke a most intelligent and good word about thoughts: «Judge your thoughts in the court of the heart, whether they are ours or come from our adversaries. Lay up the good thoughts, which are akin to us, in the inner storehouse of the soul, and keep them in a treasury that cannot be robbed; but those from the adversary drive out, having first tormented them with the punishments of the rational intellect, and do not give them a place even near your soul. He who examines his thoughts well is a true zealot for the fulfilment of the commandments.»
71. He who strives to overcome the passions that war against him and oppress him should find himself more helpers and with them go out to battle. As helpers let him take humility of soul, bodily labour, and prayer from a sorrowing heart with an abundance of tears. So David sings in the psalm: «Look upon my humility and my affliction, and forgive all my sins» (Ps. 24:18). And again: «My tears have been my bread day and night» (Ps. 41:4), and «I mingled my drink with weeping» (Ps. 101:10).
72. The enemy of our life greatly diminishes our sins and covers them with forgetfulness. And he tries to praise us with thoughts in the heart and to present us as dispassionate and righteous, so that we may forget to weep for our sins. But let us, brethren, remember our falls, even if we think we have been cleansed by repentance. Let us always remember our transgressions and weep over them unceasingly, so that, having acquired for ourselves a good companion — humility — we may escape the snares of vainglory and pride.
73. Let no one think that by his own strength he will bear all labours and acquire the virtues. The cause of all the good that is in us is God, and the cause of all evil is the tempter. So, when you do something good, give thanks to Him who is the cause of every good; and when it happens that you do something evil, reproach for it the prince of darkness.
74. He who joins practice and knowledge together may be praised as a ploughman who waters the field of his soul from two sweet springs. Knowledge lifts up the pure nature to the contemplation of what is higher, while practice puts to death the earthly members — unchastity, impurity, evil desire, unclean passion. When these are dead, then the flowers of the virtues blossom, bearing spiritual fruits: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, mercy, faith, gentleness, self-restraint. Such a man will say with the God-bearing preacher: «It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.»
75. And let this also be known to you, lover of Christ: that a passion, when it finds a place in you and takes root, brings other passions to that place as well. And though the passions are opposed to one another — for so the demons have arranged it — yet all together they agree in seeking our destruction.
76. The pain of fasting ends in the peace of dispassion; but the remembrance of food grows into unseemly passions.
77. He who makes the flower of the flesh wither through fasting and cuts off his own will bears the wounds of Christ in his mortified flesh.
78. Do not count the long years of your ascetic life, do not boast of your long dwelling in the desert or of your heavy labours; but always keep in mind the word of the Lord about the unprofitable servant who has not even done what he ought. And while we live in this present life, not only have we not yet been called to return to Jerusalem, but we still dwell by the rivers of Babylon, and suffer in Egypt in bondage, and have not even seen the promised land. Therefore we must weep and pray to Him who is able to save us from the service of the fierce Pharaoh and to free us from bitter torment, to lead us into the promised land and to give us rest in the sanctuary of God. Let us pray unceasingly to receive these gifts that are beyond our understanding — not for the righteous deeds we suppose we do, but through God’s boundless mercy — weeping day and night, as it is said: «I am wearied with my groaning; every night I will wash my bed, I will water my couch with my tears» (Ps. 6:7); «those who sow in tears shall reap in joy» (Ps. 125:5).
79. Drive far from yourself the spirit of much speaking, for from it all fierce passions are born. From it comes lying, from it insolence, from it foolishness, from it laughter, from it slander, from it false accusation, from it disgrace, from it empty talk — in a word, through much speaking you will not escape sin. But a silent man is a son of wisdom; therefore silence is profitable.
80. We are commanded to praise and even to bless those who slander us and reproach us. For when we are at peace with people, by that very fact we war against the demons, whom we have learned to hate with perfect hatred.
81. Take care that your wicked word does not become a stumbling block to your neighbour, for otherwise a stumbling block will come to you from the destroyer. Hear how the prophet calls out about this and says: «The Lord abhors the man of blood and deceit» (Ps. 5:7). And again: «The Lord will destroy all deceitful lips and the boastful tongue» (Ps. 11:4). Take care also not to judge the transgressions of your brother, lest you fall away from goodness. He who does not love his brother has not yet known God, for God is love. So John, the son of thunder, calls out: «He laid down His life for us; and we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren» (1 John 3:16).
82. Love is rightly called the mother of the virtues, the foundation of the law and the prophets. For its sake let us take upon ourselves every labour, for God is love, and he who has love has God within him. But if we have no love, nothing will profit us. For the beloved Apostle says: «No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.» From this it is clear that love is the greatest good, and in Scripture it is spoken of as the highest of all. There is no virtue which a man could practise without love and so draw near to God; every virtue comes from love, and love guards it and keeps watch over it.
83. When we receive brethren who come to us, let us not think that their coming disturbs our silence or harms it, lest we fall away from the law of love. Let us receive them as though it were not we who do them good, but they who do good to us; let us receive them with prayer and quietness, as the patriarch Abraham showed. Therefore the most theological intellect calls out: «Little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth» (1 John 3:18-19).
84. The patriarch showed hospitality and, sitting before his house, called out to passers-by and invited all to his table, even pagans and strangers. Therefore he was counted worthy of such wondrous table-companions — angels together with the Master. Let us also become like him, that we may receive not only angels but God Himself (Gen. 18:2). For the Lord says: «Whatever you did to one of the least of my brethren, you did to me» (Matt. 25:40). Therefore we must do good to all, and most of all to those who cannot repay us in kind.
85. He whose heart does not reproach him for turning away from God’s commandment or for accepting a contrary thought will be called pure in heart — and rightly so — and he will be counted worthy to hear: «Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God» (Matt. 5:8).
86. Let us strive to learn to govern the senses with understanding, and most of all the eyes, the ears and the tongue, so as to learn to look and to hear and to speak not with passion but for our own profit. Nothing is so prone to sin as these organs when they are not governed with understanding; and nothing is so conducive to salvation as they are, when the mind rules them and directs them where it should. When disorder reigns in them, then the sense of smell also is confused, and touch becomes dissolute, and an abundance of countless passions comes, and they do with them whatever they wish. But when the mind governs them in due order, then peace and quiet come to them.
87. As precious myrrh, though sealed in a vessel, fills the air with its fragrance, and not only those nearby but also those far off delight in it, so the fragrance of a virtuous soul, going out through the body by all the senses, shows its virtue to all who see. For who, seeing a tongue that says nothing false or unfitting, feet that walk in good ways, a face always ready for weeping and tears, will not recognise the fragrance from within the soul? Therefore the Saviour says: «Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven» (Matt. 5:16).
88. Christ our God called the road that leads to life narrow and strait in the Gospel (Matt. 7:13-14), and the very same road He called a good yoke and a light burden (Matt. 11:30). How can these be reconciled, since they seem entirely opposite? They are reconciled thus: for one who walks along this road of his own will and with hope, it is desirable and dear, and to souls that love the virtues it brings delight, not sorrow. Hear what the blessed Luke relates: when the apostles had been beaten, they went out from the Sanhedrin rejoicing; for in every matter sorrow comes first and afterwards joy. This we have learned also from David, who says: «In the evening weeping shall come, and in the morning joy.» And returning again to the words of the Apostle Luke, that the apostles, when they had been beaten, went out from the Sanhedrin rejoicing (Acts 5:40-41), we shall say that it is not the nature of wounds to bring joy; from wounds there usually comes pain. But if wounds for Christ’s sake bring joy, it is no wonder that every other suffering and bodily self-restraint also brings joy.
89. When the passions torment us and hold us captive, we often do not guess why we suffer so. We ought to know that when we withdraw from the contemplation of God, then we fall captive to the passions. But whoever cleaves with his intellect to our Master and God will dare to say with the prophet: «I saw the Lord always before me, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken» (Ps. 15:8). And what is sweeter than always to have the Lord at one’s right hand, who covers and protects and does not let one be shaken? And whether we shall be counted worthy of this depends upon ourselves.
90. Well and rightly did the fathers say that a man will not find peace until his intellect becomes so strong that it sees only God and itself, and nothing in the world leads it astray. Loving God alone and cleaving to Him alone, such an intellect will find in itself true peace and freedom from the torment of the passions, and will be counted worthy to sing: «My soul has cleaved to Thee, and Thy right hand has upheld me» (Ps. 62:9).
91. Self-love, love of glory and love of pleasure drive the remembrance of God from the soul. Self-love gives birth to unspeakable sins; for when there is no remembrance of God in the soul, a great rebellion of the passions begins in it.
92. He who has completely torn self-love out of his soul will easily gain mastery over the other passions as well, for grace quickly comes to his aid. But those who are overcome by anger and sorrow, rancour and love of pleasure, insolence and the other passions are ruled by them. And by self-love we mean passionate care for the body, love of the body, and the fulfilment of bodily desires.
93. When someone loves something, he wishes to be inseparable from it and does not even want to hear of anything that hinders him from being with the beloved. So too the soul that truly loves God always desires to draw near to Him and to be with Him. It is possible for us to attain this through pure prayer and constant striving towards God. Pure prayer brings us near to the Master, so that we may say: «O God, my God, to Thee I rise early» (Ps. 62:2). He rises early to God who has set his intellect far from all malice and is unceasingly wounded by divine love.
94. Through self-restraint and humility we acquire dispassion, and through works, knowledge; and by means of these the soul attains discernment and love. Embraced by divine love, on the wings of pure prayer it ascends unceasingly to the height of love, until it attains the knowledge of God, as the Apostle says: «To mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ» (Eph. 4:13).
95. Practice and good habit subdue desire and bridle the incensive power; but through knowledge and the contemplation of God the intellect grows and, having torn itself away from everything bodily, is raised up to God and comes to know true blessedness.
96. Our first struggle is to destroy the passions and to conquer them completely. The second struggle is to acquire the virtues and not to leave our soul empty and idle. The third struggle is to guard with watchfulness the fruits of our labours and works; for we are commanded not only to accomplish labours, but also to preserve them.
97. «Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning» (Luke 12:35), said the Lord. Those who have thus prepared themselves are indeed like men who wait for their Master, so that when He comes and knocks they may open to Him at once; and He, entering with the Father and the Spirit, will make His dwelling in them. «Blessed are those servants whom the Master, when He comes, shall find watching!» (Luke 12:36-37).
98. It is fitting for a monk, as a son, to love God with all his heart and all his mind; as a servant, to revere Him, to fear Him and to obey Him; daily to examine his evil thoughts and wicked deeds and to make up by works for what is lacking; not to be proud of his successes, but to call himself an unprofitable servant who has not done what he ought to have done; to praise God and to ascribe all his successes to grace; to do nothing out of vainglory or to please men, but to do everything in secret and to seek praise from God alone. And above all, to fence his soul about with right faith according to the divine ordinance of the Universal Church, as the holy fathers and the God-proclaiming apostles taught us. For those who live thus a great reward is prepared, and endless life, and there is generously bestowed the unshakeable dwelling of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the one-in-essence and three-personed Godhead.
99. «The end of the matter, when all has been heard, is this: fear God and keep His commandments», says the Preacher (Eccles. 12:13). «I show you», he says, «the chief and the swift road to salvation: fear God and keep His commandments.» Of course, what is meant here is not the fear of beginners — the fear of torments — but the fear of the perfect, which leads to perfection. Such fear we must have out of love for Him who gave us the commandments. If we do not sin out of fear of torments, it is clear that, if no torments awaited us, we, being inclined to sin, would commit every sin. But if we do not fear torments, but have truly come to hate sin, and abstain from it, and practise the virtues out of love for the Master, fearing lest we fall away from Him and lest we neglect any commandment, then this is pure fear: it becomes the cause of every good, and purifies our souls, and has the same power as perfect love. He who has such fear and keeps the commandments is perfect, and he lacks nothing.
100. A courageous soul is one which throughout its whole life keeps two lamps always lit — practice and contemplation — and does everything needful to keep them burning. But a cowardly soul grows faint through pleasures. Knowing this, brethren, let us fear God and keep His commandments, that we may be perfect and stand firm in the virtues, having a humble mind and a broken heart, wetting our cheeks with tears at all times and singing unceasingly to God that prayer which Arsenios the Great used to repeat: «O God, my God, do not abandon me; I have done nothing good before Thee, but grant me, for the sake of Thy mercy, to make a beginning from this day.» For our whole salvation lies in the compassion and the love of God for mankind. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.