Про авву Филимона Слово вельми корисне

About Abba Filimon The very useful word of Abba Philimon the hermit was told that he went into seclusion in a cave called Romieva, not far from the Lavra, and labored in prayerful feats, repeating in his mind the words he heard from Arsenius the Great: “Filimon, why did you leave the world?” He lived in the cave for quite a long time, weaving ropes and baskets, gave them to the housekeeper, and received small bread from him. I did not eat anything except bread and salt, and even then once for several days. From this it is clear that he did not bother about his body, because he was in divine enlightenment. And he was joyful, because he gained indescribable knowledge of mysteries. He went to church alone on Saturdays and Sundays, not allowing anyone to get close to him, so that his mind would not be distracted from what he was doing. Having come to the church, he stood in a corner and, bowing his head, wept fervently, sighing incessantly, remembering the death and life of the holy fathers, and in particular Arsenius the Great, whom he tried to imitate. When there was a heresy in Alexandria and the surrounding area, he went to the Lavra called Nikanorov. He was received by the God-loving Pavlin and assigned to him a remote place to live, which contributed to his speechlessness. During the year, he did not allow anyone to come to him and did not bother him himself, he came to him only to bring bread. When the feast of the Holy Resurrection of Christ came, and they came together, and there was a conversation between them about the hermit life, then blessed Philemon understood that this most reverent brother had a good intention of a hermit life, so he taught him the words of asceticism, handed down from the fathers, written and unwritten, showing everyone that without complete silence it is impossible to please God, just as Moses once did – divine father – taught all wisdom that silence gives rise to a feat, a feat gives rise to crying, crying gives rise to fear, fear gives rise to humility, humility – insight, insight – love, love makes the soul painless and passionless – and then a person knows that he is not far from God. And then he said to him: “It pleases you to completely purify the mind through silence and give it incessant spiritual activity. Just as the eye gazes at sensual things and marvels at visible things, so the pure mind contemplates mental things and is enraptured by spiritual contemplation, and it is not easy for it to break away from it. To the extent that it is freed from passions by silence, so much is it likened to knowledge. The mind then becomes perfect when it casts off its the natural mind will be united with God. For, having the dignity of a king, it will no longer suffer and be attracted by low desires. When you want to grasp all these virtues, do not bother with any of them. Flee from the world and walk diligently along the path of the saints.Let your appearance be neglected, your clothes simple and poor, and your manners simple, and your speech simple, and your walk not proud, and your voice unflattering, wish to live in poverty and be despised by all, and above all keep sobriety of mind and patience in all straits and everything that is good, keep intact and undamaged. And be careful not to take anything from the sweets that come. Soul passions can be calmed by silence, but when they are inflamed and enraged, they rage even more and encourage the person in whom they nest to sin more. If the wounds of the body are lacerated and torn, it is not easy to heal them. An empty word can distance the mind from the memory of God, because the demons incite it, and the senses obey them. It is a great and terrible feat to protect the soul. Therefore, it pleases you to distance yourself from the whole world and detach your soul from the love of the body, having nothing of your own – no place, no cell, and be not fond of silver, not a visitor, carefree, not seeking friends, not knowing the usual human affairs, being humble, merciful, kind, meek, silent, ready to receive with the heart the impressions of divine knowledge. “You can’t write with wax until you erase what has already been written,” – this is how Basil the Great teaches us. Such was the face of the saints, completely removed from living in the world, who unabashedly kept the heavenly wisdom within themselves. They were enlightened by divine laws and shone with pious words and deeds, mortifying their earthly members with self-restraint, and the fear of God, and love. Through unceasing prayer and the teaching of the Divine Scriptures, the thinking eyes of the soul are opened and they see the King of Powers, and there is great joy, and ardent desire is very kindled in the soul. The body joins this desire under the action of the Spirit, and thus the whole person becomes spiritual. Such are they – workers of blessed silence and a difficult ascetic life, who distanced themselves from all human pleasures, united with the One Lord who is in heaven, conducting a pure conversation”. When that God-loving brother heard this and his soul was struck by Divine love, he went with Philemon to the hermitage, where the great holy fathers performed their dear piety. They settled in the Lavra of St. John Kolov, leaving all his worries in the hands of the steward of the Lavra, because they wanted to be in silence. And, by God’s grace, they went to church on Saturday and Sunday, and on other days of the week they remained in their cells, each doing prayers and a rule. The holy elder had the following rule: at night he sang the whole Psalter and recited one verse from And then he sat down and repeated in his soul: “Lord, have mercy” for a long time, until he fell asleep a little. Then, sitting in his place facing the east, he sang psalms and then read the Gospel. And he performed this rule every day, praying and enjoying himself for his mind was often raised to contemplation, so that he did not know whether he was still on earth.His brother, seeing how the monk labors in ceaseless worship and changes from divine thoughts, said to him: “Do you, father, at such an old age need to work so hard, mortifying your body and subduing it?” And the venerable one answered, saying: “Believe me, child, God has put such zeal and desire to serve in my soul that I cannot restrain these impulses, and love for God and the desire for future benefits overcome bodily weakness.” Such was the desire of his mind, and it soared to heaven on wings even during a meal. Once upon a time, a brother lived with him, who asked him: “What secrets are revealed to you in contemplation?” When the reverend saw that the brother was zealous and longing for contemplation, he answered him: “I tell you, child, that when someone is deliberately purified, God reveals to him a vision of service powers and heavenly ranks.” The brother also asked him this: “Why, father, do you enjoy the Psalms more than other words of the Divine Scriptures, and why, when you sing softly, do you pronounce the words as if you were talking to someone?” And he said: “I tell you, child, this is how God reflected the power of the psalms in my humble soul, as well as in the prophet David, and I cannot tear myself away from the sweetness of knowing them, because they encompass the entire Divine Scripture.” He told about this with great humility for the benefit of his brother, and even after his brother had asked him for a long time. A certain brother named John from Primorye came to this holy and great father Philemon and, falling at his feet, asked him: “What must I do, father, to be saved? I see that my mind wanders and wanders here and there, and this does not please the condition.” Philemon remained silent for a while and said: “This passion comes from external things, and it remains in you, because you do not yet have perfect love for God, you have not yet reached the warmth of love and knowledge of Him.” The brother says: “And what should I do, father?” And he answered: “Go, keep the hidden teaching in your heart, and it will cleanse your mind of everything.” The brother did not understand what was said, because he was uneducated, and he said to the old man: “What is hidden instruction, father?” And the old man answered: “Go, be sober in your heart and in your sober mind repeat with fear and trembling: “Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” This is how blessed Diadoche taught beginners. The brother left, and with God’s help and at the prayers of his father, he remained speechless and for some time enjoyed hidden instruction. Then the pleasure left him, and he could no longer soberly teach and pray. The brother went back to the old man and told him what had happened. And the old man said to him: “You have already learned the path of silence and prayerful activity and experienced its sweetness. Always keep this activity in your heart: whether you are eating, drinking, or having a conversation with someone, whether you are outside the cell or on the road, never forget to pray this prayer with a sober mind and mind without delusion, and sing, and learn in prayers and psalm. Even when you are busy with the most necessary things, do not let your mind be idle, let it work in prayer and hidden instruction.This way you will be able to understand the depths of the Divine Scripture and the power hidden in it, and give the condition of unceasing action, and thereby you will fulfill the words of the apostle, who says: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5, 17). Therefore, be vigilant and guard your soul so that it does not entertain cunning, vain and useless thoughts. Whenever you sleep and when you get up, when you eat, or drink, or speak, let your heart mentally study the psalms, then pray like this: “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the living, have mercy on me.” And also: when you sing with your tongue, be careful not to let your mouth say one thing, and your thoughts another.” And the brother also said: “In my dreams I see a lot of empty things.” The old man answered him: “Do not be lazy and do not neglect to compose many prayers in your heart before going to sleep, and deny your thoughts, so that the will of the devil does not rule over you and that God accepts you. Make a feat as much as you have strength, so that you fall asleep with psalms and mental instruction, so that you do not become careless and do not allow your mind to accept other people’s thoughts, but with which thoughts you prayed, go to bed with those, so that they accompany you in sleep and, when you wake up, talk to you. Before you fall asleep, show the holy symbol of the Orthodox faith, because correct thoughts about God are the source and safeguard of all good things.” And again the brother asked him, saying: “Create love, father, tell me, in what activity is your mind exercised? Teach me so that I too can be saved.” The old man answered him: “Why do you need to know this?” At this the brother got up, embraced the saint’s feet, kissed them and begged him to answer. Several hours passed like this, and the old man said: “You cannot yet endure such a feat; to give each sense a suitable work for him is a feat for a man who is used to striving for good. He who has not yet completely cleansed himself of vain worldly thoughts cannot deserve such a gift. Therefore, if you desire it, keep the hidden teaching in your pure heart. If your prayer and study from the scriptures will be unceasing, the thinking eyes of your soul will be opened, and it will have great joy, and some indescribable and strong desire will be in the body, which will kindle the Spirit – and then the whole person will become spiritual. And when God graces you with a pure mind to create a pure prayer, whether during the day or at night, then do not resort to your rule, but, as much as you can, try to obey God – and he will enlighten your heart in the spiritual work that you have started.” And Abba Philemon told him this: “An old man once came to me. I asked him about the disposition of his mind, and he said: “For two years I prayed to God with all my heart, unceasingly asking that the prayer which He Himself taught His disciples should be imprinted in my heart always and carelessly. The great Lord saw my work and my patience, so he gave me what I asked for.” Abba Philemon also said that vain thoughts are the disease of a lazy and relaxed soul. We like, as it is written, to guard our mind in every way, to sing incessantly in the mind and to pray with a pure mind.Therefore, brothers, God wants us to show our zeal for Him first in labor, as well as in love and unceasing prayer, and then He provides the way of salvation. It can be seen from this that no other path leads to heaven like complete silence, distance from all evil, acquisition of good, perfect love for God and staying with God in reverence and truth – whoever abides in all this, he will very quickly approach the heavenly face. Anyone who wishes to ascend to this height likes to mortify his earthly members. When our soul enjoys the contemplation of the true good, it does not deviate to any passion, but, returning from all carnal lust, receives the appearance of God with a pure and undefiled thought. There is a great need for us to guard our hearts, to do physical labor and to purify our souls, so that God may dwell in our hearts, so that we continue to sinlessly fulfill His divine commandments, and He Himself teaches us to firmly guard His laws, spreading His influence like the rays of the sun, with the blessing of the Spirit sent down. With labors and temptations it pleases us to purify the image according to which we were verbal and accepted all knowledge about God and the likeness of God; so that our senses, as if forged in the fire of temptation and transformed into royal dignity, do not allow any filth to enter. God created human nature capable of being a partaker of all good, it can mentally see the joy of angels, the glory of dominions, power, principle, power, unapproachable light, shining glory. When you have accomplished virtue, do not fall into a proud thought against your brother and do not think that you have mastered virtue, and your brother has neglected it – this is the beginning of pride. We watch with all our strength, so that you do not do anything for the sake of cannibalism. When you perform a feat against passion, do not give in to sorrow and boredom, and when passion does not yield and attacks you even more, fall before God with all your heart, saying with the prophet: “Condemn, Lord, those who despise me (Ps. 34, 1), I cannot fight against them.” And the Lord, seeing your humility, will immediately send his help. When you go with someone on the road, do not start a vain conversation, but give the condition to spiritual action, let him get used to good and forget worldly pleasures and reach the abode of dispassion.” The elder taught his brother with these and many other words and let him go. After a while, the brother came to him again and asked: “What should I do, father, when during my night service sleep burdens me and does not give me to pray soberly and hear no more, so when I sing, I want to take up work in my hands?” The old man answered: “When you can pray soberly, don’t go to work. When despondency strikes you, take a job and work a little to drive away your thoughts.” The brother asked again: “And you yourself, father, are you not burdened by sleep in your service?” The old man answered: “It is not easy, but when I fall asleep, I walk a little and recite the beginning of the Gospel from John, raising my mind’s eye to God, and the dream then flees. I do the same with thoughts. When a thought comes, met like fire, with tears.And you can’t arm yourself like that yet, but always keep the hidden teachings and the daily prayers given by the holy fathers, that is, the third, sixth and ninth hours, try to perform the evening and night services. Watch with all your strength not to do anything of cannibalism, and never be at enmity with your brother, lest you fall away from your God. Guard your thoughts so that they do not soar, and check the thoughts that come. When you are in the church and want to partake of the Divine Mysteries of Christ, do not leave the church until you receive complete peace. Stand still and don’t leave until you leave. Think that you are standing in heaven with holy angels before God and accepting Him into your heart. Prepare with great fear and trepidation, so that you do not become an unworthy partaker of the holy powers.” Having thus well armed his brother, the elder handed him over to the Lord and the Spirit in His grace and let him go. And the brother who was then next to the elder told the following: “I once sat next to him and asked him how he learned to overcome the devil’s attacks while living in the desert.” And he answered: “Forgive me, brother. If God allows such temptations to come upon you as I suffered from the devil, I do not think you will be able to endure their bitterness. I am seventy years old, or even more, and have endured many temptations, and lived in various deserts in the greatest possible silence. I have experienced and endured so much from demons that it is not useful to tell about the bitterness of these sufferings to those who have not yet experienced speechlessness. This is what I always did in temptations – I placed all my hope in God, before whom I also made vows of renunciation. And God immediately saved me from all sorrow. Therefore, brother, I think not only of myself. I know that God cares about me, so I can more easily endure the temptations that come. The only thing I bring from myself is unceasing prayer. For I know that the more violent attacks increase, the more crowns are prepared for the patient. This is what the righteous Judge promised. Know this, brother, so that you do not fall into boredom, seeing yourself in exploits in the middle of the battle, and know that there are many who fight for God’s enemy. Would we dare to fight against such a terrible enemy of our kind, if the all-powerful right hand of God did not support us, blocking and covering us? How would human nature withstand his attacks? “Who has ever lifted before his clothes? Who passed through his double armor? Torches fly out of his belt, fiery sparks jump out. Smoke comes out of his nostrils [like from a coal-burning furnace]. [His soul is like a coal], a flame comes out of his mouth. There is strength in his neck [doom is coming before him]. His heart is hard as a stone [stands immovable like an anvil]. Under him, as in a cauldron, the abyss boils, to him the sea is like a pot for incense [and the abyss is like a captive for him]. He looks at everything proudly: he is king over [those in the waters]” (Job 41, 4 ff.). Our struggle is against him, brother. This is how the Word describes the torturer.But it is not difficult to defeat him by accepting life in a different way, because due to renunciation of the world and great virtues, they have nothing to do with him, and even have an advantage over those who fight against us. Tell me, is there anyone who came to the Lord and, having the fear of the Lord in his mind, did not change his nature? Who, enlightened by divine laws and deeds, did not make his soul bright and did not illuminate it with divine understandings and thoughts, not allowing it to be idle? Because he has God, who prompts the mind to insatiably desire light. And when he does this to his soul, the spirit of passion cannot weaken it. She, like some king, breathing fierce anger at her enemies, kills them mercilessly and never turns back; acting in this way, the soul raises its hands to the sky and, making a conditional prayer, defeats the enemy.” The brother said that Abba Philemon also acquired such a virtue that he could not bear to hear empty words. When someone, due to inattention, said something that was not good for the soul, he did not answer at all. When the brother went about his business, the old man did not ask him: “Where are you going?”, and when he came, he did not ask: “Where have you been and what did you do?” “Once,” the brother said, “I sailed to Alexandria in need, and from there I went to Tsargorod to buy what I needed for the church, I visited the well-behaved brothers who live there, and I did not inform the servant of God about it. Having stayed there as long as necessary, he returned to his hermitage again. He, seeing me, rejoiced, and, having greeted me, made a prayer and sat down, not asking me anything at all and practicing contemplation. Sometimes, wanting to test him, I did not bring him bread for several days. He did not inquire and did not say anything. When several days passed, I bowed down and asked him: “Make love, father, and tell me, are you not offended that I did not bring you food as usual?” And he answered: “Forgive me, brother, even if you don’t give me food for twenty days, I won’t take offense at you. As long as I endure with my soul, I endure with my body.” This is how he diligently practiced the contemplation of the true good. He spoke of himself as follows: “Since I came to the hermitage, I did not allow my thoughts to go outside the cell and did not accept any other thought in my mind, except the fear of God and the judgment of the future age, thinking about the judgment of judgment for sinners, eternal fire and utter darkness. And where the souls of the righteous sinners will settle, and about what the righteous prepared good, and each one will receive according to his labors. Some will have a reward for great deeds of labor, others for alms and unfeigned love, some for non-acquisition and renunciation of the whole world, some for humility and complete silence, some for true obedience, others for hospitality. Thinking about all this, I did not allow any other thought to act in me, and no I can therefore be with people in order to exercise my mind with them, so that I do not stray from divine thoughts.” Before that, he also told about a certain monk, saying: “He achieved dispassion, an angel gave him bread for sustenance, but due to negligence he lost such an honor.When the soul weakens the fortress and hardness of the mind, then night will overtake the soul. Where God does not shine with His light, everything is lost in darkness, and one cannot contemplate the only God and tremble at His words. “Am I God near, says the Lord, and not God from afar? Can someone hide somewhere in a secret place, where I would not see him? – the word of the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? – the word of the Lord” (Jer. 23, 23-24). And he mentioned many others who had experienced something similar. He also mentioned Solomon’s fall, saying that Solomon had received great wisdom and everyone praised him. He was like the morning star, because he enlightened everyone with the light of wisdom, but because of a little sweetness he lost all his glory. Carelessness is a terrible thing. We like to pray without ceasing, so that another thought does not come and separate us from God, and does not show something else to our condition. A pure heart becomes the container of the Holy Spirit and clearly sees God himself.” “Hearing this, says the brother who lived with Father Philemon, I understood from the very actions that the carnal passions had already ceased to act in him, he yearned with all his might for what was better, that is why he saw how the Divine Spirit was working in him, and he sighed indescribable sighs, and turned to himself and reasoned with himself, and was afraid that some thought would come and did not disturb the purity of the mind, and so that no dirty secret entered into him.” Seeing all this, brother, I often asked the old man if I wanted to imitate such virtues. “How can I, – the brother asked, – acquire a pure mind, like yours?” And the old man answered: “Go and work.” It takes hard work and heartache. Spiritual blessings are given to us when we labor and watch, not when we are relaxed and asleep. No one will acquire even earthly goods if he does not work hard. The one who wants to achieve success in spiritual things likes to renounce his desires first of all and always have weeping and failure. Do not look at other people’s sins, but only your own, cry over them day and night, and do not be friends with people. The soul that suffers because of its misfortune and suffers wounds, remembering its sins, becomes dead to the world, and the world is dead to it, that is, those lustful passions cease to act in a person, and a person ceases to serve them. Because the one who renounced the world, united with Christ, lives in silence, loves God, preserves His image and enriches the likeness – he will receive from God another branch of the Spirit from on high and will become God’s house, presenting God with righteous deeds. The soul, purified by a righteous life, free from the defilements of the body, having no taint, no vice, will adorn itself with the crown of truth, shining with a good face of honesty. When someone from the very beginning of renunciation does not have in his heart weeping, spiritual tears, no memory of eternal torment, no true silence, no incessant prayer, no psalm singing and teaching of the Divine Scriptures, does not get used to endless patience and conditional action, and does not dwell in the fear of God in his mind, this means that he is still in love for the world and cannot have a pure mind in prayersPiety and the fear of God cleanse the soul of passions and make the mind free, lead him to natural knowledge and encourage him to come to theology, which he accepts in the beatitudes, which already now serve as a pledge for ascetics, and keeps them steadfast. Let us strive with all our might for effective action, which raises us to piety, that is, to the purity of thoughts, the fruit of which is natural and theological contemplation. After all, action is an ascent to contemplation, as the insightful and theological Gregory says. When we neglect action, we distance ourselves from all wisdom. Even if someone has reached the highest pinnacle of virtue, he still needs vigorous labors that suppress the idle impulses of the body, and he must guard his thoughts. The more truth prevails in us, the more spiritual courage is added. The whole mind, having become perfect, adheres to God and is illuminated by the divine light, then indescribable mysteries are revealed to it. Then he really learns where there is wisdom, where there is strength, where knowledge to understand everything, where longevity and life, where the light of the eyes and peace. While the mind is still at war with the passions, it does not yet find time to enjoy all this. Virtues and sins blind the mind. The first – so that he does not see virtues, the second – so that he does not see sins. When the struggle ceases and the mind is endowed with spiritual gifts, then the whole becomes luminous, it is supported by grace and it remains steadfast in the contemplation of spiritual things. Such a person is not attached to earthly things and will pass from death to life. It is desirable for the one who wants to live a life worthy of imitation, and comes to God, to have a clean heart and clean mouth, because only a clean word that comes out of the mouth will be able to praise God worthily. A soul attached to God talks to Him endlessly. So let’s hurry, brothers, to reach the summit of virtues and not stay on earth, nailed by passions. Whoever performs a feat and manages to get close to God, and partake of the holy light, and be struck by God’s love, enjoys some kind of spiritual and incomprehensible God’s joy, as the divine psalmist of Mossov says: “Be dear to the Lord, and He will give you the desire of your heart… And He will bring forth your righteousness like the light, and your judgment like the noonday” (Ps. 36, 4.6). What love of a soul can be so hot and unbearable as that which is born from God in a soul cleansed of all vices? In the soul, which says out of true zeal: “I faint from love” (P.p. 2, 5). The ineffable and unspeakable brilliance of divine beauty. You cannot describe it in words, it does not fit into the ear. Do you remember the brightness of the star, or the brightness of the moon – they are all unworthy even to resemble that glory, and their beauty is as far from the beauty of true light as deep night or terrible darkness is from clear noon. This is what the divine Vasiliy learned from the teachers and passed it on to us.” This and much more was told by the brother who lived with the old man. But no one will be surprised at this either, having a great sign of the old man’s humble wisdom.He gave up to be worthy of the priesthood and touched heavenly things with his life’s understanding, but he avoided the divine liturgy, and for many years he did not come close to the holy meal, and he was not worthy of the communion of the Divine Mysteries. Although he lived so zealously, he did not take communion after talking with people, although he did not talk about any earthly things, but only what was beneficial to the interlocutors. And when he wanted to partake of the Divine Mysteries, he propitiated God with prayers, psalm singing and confession. He was very impressed when, before Communion, the priest pronounced: “Holy to the holy.” He said that the whole church is then full of divine angels and the King of Powers himself mysteriously consecrates and turns into Body and Blood in our hearts. That’s why he said: “We like it immaculately and cleanly, as if we were outside the body, without sadness and embarrassment, with courage to approach the Holy Communion of the most pure mysteries of Christ, so that we can become partakers of their enlightenment. Many of the holy fathers saw angels who protected them, so they kept themselves in silence and did not talk to anyone.” The brother also told the following: “When the old man had to sell his oaths, so that through the questions and answers no untruth, verbiage, or some other sin would creep in, the old man pretended to be a fool, and everyone who wanted to buy from him took what he wanted and paid him what he wanted. The old man wove small baskets, accepted the price that was given to him, and this truly all-wise man did not say anything.” Our holy father Theodore lived during the reign Heraclius and Constantine the Bearded in the six hundred and sixties. First, he performed a feat in the monastery of Saint Sava, and then by divine choice he was elevated to the episcopal throne of the city of Edesia, and he performed many miracles during his life and after his death as well. And the divine through his teachings showed many martyrs and saved. On the eleventh day of July, he moved to his eternal abode, as written in his Life in the book Kalokairina. Whether there were any more writings left after him, we cannot say for sure. These hundred chapters, which he compiled, will be included among other ascetic books. These chapters provide abundant fruits of sacred sobriety and spiritual benefit to those who read them judiciously and wish for salvation. So come and pluck the most bountiful fruit. At the end of these chapters is added an imaginary Word, signed by Theodore’s name. And the fact that it is added to the chapters on sober understanding and comes after this Word, we think that this is a sign that Theodore really wrote it.