Attacks from opponents and an insatiable thirst for the Divine word

Despite the great number of those who attack me, I had completely decided to refrain from writing about anything, if you, most venerable mother, had not constantly asked me to do so, both in letters and through the reminders of others, until you persuaded me to take up this work again for the comfort and instruction of those who seek salvation.

You yourself do not need any instructions, for by the grace of Christ, along with advanced age, you have acquired the gray hairs of wisdom, and you have learned the sacred commandments of the Gospel through long years of activity according to them, dividing your life between the labors of obedience and silence (hesychia), with which, having whitened the tablet of your soul, you have made it capable of receiving divine imprints and preserving them.

But the thing is, that the soul, completely captivated by the love of spiritual doctrine, is never satisfied with it. Therefore wisdom says of herself: “He who eats me will still crave” (Sir. 24:23). And the Lord, who instills such a divine desire in the soul, says of Mary, who chose this “good part,” that “it shall not be taken away from her” (Lk. 10:42).

Scriptures for the daughters of the great King and the duty of love in Christ

You, after all, perhaps need such writings both for the daughters of the great King who live under your guardianship, and for the brides whom you seek to betroth to the immortal Bridegroom. Imitating Him – as He took on our true image for our sake – you yourself now take on the form of novices who need instruction.

Therefore, I, not as being able to teach others, and moreover to such teaching, but for the sake of obedience and the commandment to give to him who asks, will readily fulfill the duty of love in Christ from what I have now.

Death of the soul and sin unto death

Know, venerable mother, or rather let the young women who have chosen a life after God learn through you, that there is death in the soul, although it is immortal by its nature. So the beloved Theologian says: “There is a sin unto death… and there is a sin not unto death” (1 John 5:16–17), meaning here, of course, the death of the soul; and the great Paul says: “The sorrow of this world worketh death” (2 Cor. 7:10), of course, the death of the soul. And again: “Arise, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Eph. 5:14). From which dead does he call to rise? Undoubtedly, from those who have been mortified by the lusts of the flesh, which war against the soul (1 Peter 2:11).

Therefore, the Lord called those who live according to the spirit of this vain world dead, when He did not give permission to one of His disciples, who asked to go and bury his father, but commanded him to follow Him, leaving the dead to bury their dead. The Lord called those who were still alive dead, of course, as those who were dead in spirit.

Separation from God as the death of the soul and the consequences of the fall into sin

For as the separation of the soul from the body is the death of the body, so the separation of God from the soul is the death of the soul. And this is primarily death, the death of the soul. God pointed to it when, giving the commandment in paradise, he said to Adam: “In the day that you eat of the forbidden tree you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17). For then his soul died, having been separated from God through transgression; but in the body he continued to live from that hour onwards for nine hundred and thirty years.

But death, which came through transgression, not only made the soul unfit and man cursed, but also the body, making it sickly and suffering, ultimately gave it over to death: for then, following the mortification of the inner man through transgression, the earthly Adam heard: “Cursed is the ground in your works; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; in the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground, from which you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:17–19).

If in the future, in that new existence (new existence), the bodies of the wicked and sinners will also be resurrected with the resurrection of the righteous, it will only be in order to be given over to the second death, to that eternal torment, to the worm that never dies, to the gnashing of teeth, to pitch darkness, to the phlegm of the unquenchable fire of Gehenna, according to the word of the Prophet, who says: “The wicked and sinners will burn together, and there will be none to quench it” (Isa. 1:31). For this is the second death, as Saint John taught us through revelation.

Listen also to the great Paul, who says: “For if you live according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Rom. 8:13). He speaks of life and death of those who will be in the age to come, calling life the enjoyment of the eternal kingdom, and death the eternal torment. Thus, the transgression of the commandment of God is the cause of all death, both for the soul and for the body – both that which occurs in this age and that which will constitute that endless torment.

True death and true life of the soul through the fulfillment of the commandments

And here is the true death – when the soul is separated from divine grace and united with sin. Those who have reason should avoid such a death and fear it. For those who are wise, it is more terrible than the torment of Gehenna itself. We will avoid it with all our might. We will abandon everything, leave everything, renounce everything – both in relationships, in deeds, and in desires, which distracts and distances us from God and causes such a death.

Whoever fears this death and guards himself against it will not be afraid of the approach of bodily death, having within himself true life, which through death acquires inseparability. For as the death of the soul is true death, so also the life of the soul is true life. The life of the soul is union with God, as the life of the body is its union with the soul.

For just as the soul died through the transgression of the commandment, being separated from God, so through obedience to the commandment, being united again with God, it is made alive. For this reason the Lord says in the Gospel: “The words that I have spoken to you, they are spirit and life” (John 6:63). Having tasted this by experience, Saint Peter said to Him: “You have the words of eternal life” (ibid., 68).

But they are the words of life to those who obey them; but to those who disobey, the commandment of life becomes death. So the Apostles, being the “fragrance of Christ,” were to some “a savor of death unto death,” and to others “a savor of life unto life” (2 Cor. 2:15–16).

Resurrection of the body, eternal communion with Christ, and the second death

This life, again, is the life not only of the soul, but also of the body: for it makes him immortal through the resurrection, not only freeing him from mortality, but also from the death that never ceases, the future torment of hell. It also gives him eternal life in Christ, without labor, without pain, and without danger—truly immortal.

But as after the death of the soul, that is, after transgression and sin, there followed the death of the body, and with it the departure to the earth and transformation into dust, and after the death of the body there followed again the second death of the soul – its condemnation to hell: so after the resurrection of the soul, which is its return to God through the fulfillment of the Divine commandments, there will come a resurrection of the body, when it will be reunited with the soul. After this same resurrection will come true immortality and co-eternalization with God of those who are worthy of this, who from the flesh have become spiritual and have become capable, like the Angels of God, to live in heaven. “We shall be caught up,” says the Apostle, “in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17).

As the Son of God, who for the sake of humanity became man, died in the flesh through the separation of His soul from the body, but without the separation of His Divinity from Him, which is why, having resurrected His body, He took it to heaven in glory: so also those who lived here after God, while separated from the body, not separated from God, will in the resurrection also take the body to God, entering with Him with joy unspeakable there, where “the forerunner for us has entered Jesus” (Heb. 6:20), in order to enjoy with Him also that glory which is to be revealed in Christ. For they will be partakers not only of the resurrection, but also of the ascension of the Lord and of His entire divine life.

But not those who lived here in the flesh and at the time of their departure were found to have no communion with God. For although all will be resurrected, yet “each one,” as the Apostle says, “in his own order”: he who with the spirit has put to death the deeds of the flesh here, there will live with Christ a divine and truly eternal life; and he who with carnal lusts and passions has put to death the spirit here, there, alas! must be condemned together with the master and culprit of all evil, and given over to unbearable and unceasing torment: which is the second death, which has no inheritance (end).

The beginning of true life in the present age and no room for despair

Where did true death, the originator and culprit of temporary and eternal death for both the soul and the body, originate? Was it not in the realm of life? — Therefore, alas! man was immediately expelled from the paradise of God beyond its borders, as one who had acquired a life that was deadly and incompatible with the divine paradise.

In the same way, true life, the author of true and eternal life for both soul and body, must have its beginning in this realm of death. And let him who does not seek to obtain it for the soul here, not deceive himself with vain hopes of obtaining it there or somehow deserving of God’s love for mankind in this time. For then will be the time of righteous retribution, not mercy and forgiveness, “the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Rom. 2:5), the time of the manifestation of “the strong and high hand” that casts the disobedient into hell to torment (Ps. 135:12). Woe to him who must “fall into the hands of the living God!” (Heb. 10:31). Woe to him who must experience the wrath of the Lord there, but has not here, through the “fear of God,” known “the power of His wrath” (Ps. 89:11), and has not by his works procured for himself God’s love for mankind! — This is a matter of the present time.

For this very reason God has arranged this life for us, to give us a place for repentance. If this were not the case, then a person, having sinned, would immediately lose this life as well. For what would be the benefit of it or what need is there for it? — Therefore, despair has no place at all in people, although the evil one tries in every way to throw into it not only those who live carelessly, but also those who strive well. Since the time of this life is the time of repentance, the very fact that the sinner is still alive serves for him — if he wishes to turn to God — as a guarantee that he will be graciously accepted by Him. For in the present life, self-government (freedom of will) is always in force; the path of the above-mentioned life and death is subject to self-government, from which a person can choose or reject any that he wishes, as an achievable task. Where is there room for despair here, when everyone always and everyone has the opportunity, if they wish, to gain eternal life?

God’s Long-Suffering, the Parable of the Vineyard, and the Call to Christ

Do you not see how great is God’s love for mankind?! At first He does not execute righteous judgment against our disobedience, but, long-suffering, gives time for conversion. During this time of long-suffering He gives us the power to become His sons (John 1:12), if we wish. What do I say – to become His sons? To unite with Him and be one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17).

In this same time of long-suffering, even if we go the opposite way to Him and love death more than true life, He does not take away from us the given power or freedom to return to Him. And not only does He not take away such power, but He Himself calls us back and goes around, seeking how to return to the works of life, according to the parable of the workers in the vineyard, from the morning until the very evening of life (Matt. 20:1–16).

But who calls and hires? — The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and the God of all comfort. Who is the vineyard to which He calls to labor? — The Son of God, who said, “I am the vine” (John 15:1). For “no one can come to Christ,” as He Himself said in the Gospel, “unless the Father draws him” (John 6:44). And who are the branches (stepchildren)? We; for listen to what He says immediately after this: “You are the branches, and My Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1, 5). The Father “reconciles us to Himself through the Son, not imputing our sins to us” (2 Cor. 5:19), and calls us not as those who are busy with unnecessary things, but as those who do nothing and stand idle, although inaction is also a sin, since we will give an account for every idle word (Matt. 12:36).

Labor in the Lord’s vineyard, pruning, and great reward

God, as I have said, regardless of the sins each of us has committed before, calls us again and again. What exactly does He call us to do? To work in the vineyard. And this means working on the branches, that is, on ourselves. Then, — oh, how incomprehensibly great is God’s love for man! — He promises us and gives us a reward for having worked on ourselves and for ourselves.

“Come,” He says, “receive eternal life, which I freely give you. And for the labor of this journey to life, and for the very desire to receive it from Me—for all, as if a debtor, I will repay you with a reward.” Who will not acknowledge grace and not give thanks to the Deliverer from death and the Giver of life?—And He also promises to add a reward, and an inexpressible reward. “I have come,” says the Lord, “that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). What does this mean—“to the full”? Not simply to abide and live by His power, but also to be His brothers and joint heirs.

This excess is the reward given to those who resort to the life-giving vine and become branches on it, who work on themselves and cultivate themselves. What exactly do they do? They cut off from themselves everything that is not only unnecessary and useless, but also that which hinders them from bearing fruit worthy of the granary of God. What is this? — Riches, pleasures, vain glory, everything that is fleeting and passing away, every passion of the soul and of the body, shameful and harmful, every hearing, seeing and every word that can harm the soul. For whoever does not cut off all these and does not cleanse his heart with the greatest care from such growths, he will never bear fruit for eternal life.

The Advantage of Celibacy for Unconcerned Service to the Lord

It is possible for those who live in marriage to achieve such purity, but with great difficulty. Therefore, all who from youth have obtained God’s favor, contemplating that life with the keenest eye of reason and becoming lovers of the blessings there, reverently avoid marriage, since “in the resurrection,” according to the word of the Lord, “they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God” (Matt. 22:30).

Whoever thus desires to be an Angel of God, rightly holds himself above bodily union even here, like the children of that resurrection. Moreover, the cause of sin originally came from the woman. Therefore, those who wish never to give the adversary any occasion for temptation should renounce marriage.

If this body is in itself difficult to control and difficult to incline to virtue, and we carry it with us as a natural adversary, fused with us, how can we ever subdue it, and how much more will we increase the difficulties in the matter of virtue, being bound by many and different bodies (wife, children, servants)? And how will she have the freedom that she has accepted the commandment to care for, who is bound by natural ties to her husband, children, and all those of the same blood? How can she serve the Lord carelessly, who has taken upon herself the care of so many people? How can she be free from embarrassment and anxiety, when she is surrounded by such a crowd?

Renunciation of the world for the sake of the Heavenly Bridegroom and the danger of pacifism

For this reason, a true virgin, desiring to be like the holy Virgin and the Son of the Virgin, the Bridegroom of souls who lived reverently in virginity, not only avoids carnal marriage, but also any worldly cohabitation, renouncing all relatives: so that she can boldly say to Christ with Peter: “Behold, we have left all and followed you” (Matt. 19:27). And what is unusual about her, if, just as an earthly bride leaves her father and mother for the sake of a mortal bridegroom and clings to him, according to Scripture, she does the same for the sake of the eternal wedding hall and the Bridegroom, leaving them? And would it be appropriate to have kinship on earth with those whose “life is in heaven”? (Phil. 3:20). How, being a child not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit, will she have a fleshly father, or a mother, and blood relatives? How, having become alienated from her own body and alienated herself, as far as possible, like one who has put away the carnal life, will she have any relationship with foreign bodies? If now, as they say, likeness is fellowship and accepts all such, then the virgin will also be likened to those with whom she associates, and will fall into the disease of peace-loving. “For the love of the world is enmity against God” (James 4:4), as Paul, the wedding guide of the spiritual wedding hall, says (Rom 8:7). In this way she runs the risk not only of breaking her marriage union with the peace-loving Bridegroom, but also of becoming hostile to Him.

Comparing the difficulties of marriage and the feat of virginity

Do not look and do not be sad if those who have entered into a secular marriage, according to Scripture, are not rebuked when they care for worldly things, and not for the Lord’s (1 Cor. 7:32–34); while those who have made a vow of virginity to God are forbidden even to touch anything worldly, and are not allowed to live in comfort at all. However, St. Paul also speaks thus to married people: “The time is short, so that both those who have wives should be as those who do not have them… and those who use the world as those who do not use it” (1 Cor. 7:29, 31). Which, as I believe, is much harder than the feat of virginity. Experience also shows that fasting is more convenient than abstinence in food and drink. Perhaps, and indeed rightly and justly, someone would say that we have no word to say to someone who does not take up the work of salvation; And whoever cares about his salvation, let him know that life in virginity is much more feasible and less difficult than married life.

The Vine of Life, Virginity, and Two Different Paths

But let us leave this. But you, virgin, bride of Christ, keep in mind for me the branch of the vine of life, which was said above. – Thus says the Lord: “I am the vine, you are the branches, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1, 2, 5). Consider such care for yourself as an indication of the fruit of your virginity and of the love of your Spouse for you; and rejoice in this greatly, and take care to thank Him for it with complete devotion.

I will say something else: gold that has received something of copper mixed with it is called false; and copper that is plated with gold or gilded appears brighter and more brilliant than it really is: so, virgin, for those who are not virgins, to desire you and yours is praise; but for you to desire them and theirs is dishonor, because through this desire yours returns you to the world – either by entering into intercourse with those who are in the world and living with them after you have died to the world – or by desiring to enjoy the same things as they and their relatives and which constitute the prosperity of life, such as wealth, nobility, fame, pleasures. Thus, in the end, it will come to pass that your will will fall away from the will of your Bridegroom. For He clearly condemns all this in the Gospel, saying: “Woe to you who are rich! Woe to you who laugh! Woe to you who are full! Woe to you when all men speak well of you!” How does He condemn them? Is it not as dead in soul? What kinship has the bride of life with the dead? What contact has she with those who go the opposite way?

The way they are rushing is broad and spacious; and if they do not restrain themselves, having added something of yours to themselves, they will fall into destruction altogether; but you enter into life by narrow gate and narrow way (Matt. 7:13). But no one can pass through the narrow gate and narrow way, puffed up with glory, drowning in pleasures and burdening himself with wealth and possessions. But hearing that the way of life is broad, do not think that it is safe, because it is full of many and heavy sorrows; but it is called broad and spacious because there are many who walk along it, and each of them is burdened with a great burden of transient things. But your way, virgin, is very narrow, so that it cannot accommodate even two who walk together.

True poverty of spirit and imitation of Christ

Why do many of those who were formerly occupied with the world, after losing their husbands and being left alone, through zeal for your peaceful way of life, renouncing the world, set out on your path, in order to be worthy of the same crowns? St. Paul commands us to honor such as those who are in supplications and prayers with trust in God (1 Tim. 5:3, 5). If something sorrowful happens on this path, it also brings a kind of comfort, contributes to the receipt of the Kingdom of Heaven and becomes the cause of salvation; on the other hand, both pleasant and sorrowful are equally deadly. For, it is said, “the sorrow of this world produces death, but the sorrow for the sake of God produces repentance that leads to salvation” (2 Cor. 7:10).

Therefore, the Lord blesses that which is contrary to the goods of the world, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3). Why did He add, after saying: “Blessed are the poor,” “in spirit”? To show that the blessing is worthy of the humility of the soul itself, and that although bodily poverty is blessed and leads to the Kingdom of Heaven, it is blessed if it is accompanied by humility of the soul, if it is closely united with it and originates from it. Thus, by blessing the poor in spirit, the Lord wonderfully showed where the root and cause of the visible poverty of the saints is, that is, in their spirit. The spirit, having received into its bosom the grace of the Gospel preaching, draws forth from itself the source of poverty that “waters the face of the earth” (Gen. 2:6), that is, our external man, and makes it a paradise of virtues. Such poverty is worthy of God’s blessing.

For someone else can be indigent and poor, and moreover voluntarily, but for the sake of human glory. Such a person is not poor in spirit, but hypocritical. Hypocrisy is born of self-love (self-esteem), which is the opposite of poverty in spirit. He who has a contrite and humble spirit, therefore it is impossible not to rejoice in apparent poverty and humility, because he considers himself unworthy of glory, wealth, comforts and all such things. He who considers himself unworthy of all this, and is blessed by God, is poor. And such a one is truly poor, who does not half deserve this name. And all such are from the number of those who heard and followed the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, and imitated Him, because He said: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:29). Therefore, theirs is the Kingdom of God, because they are joint heirs with Christ.

The tripartite nature of the soul and the order of its treatment by Christ

The soul is three-part and is considered in three powers: the thinking (reasonable), the irritable (emotional/angry), and the desiring (willful). It is sick with all of them; and Christ, its Physician, begins His healing with the last, that is, with the desiring power.

The food of anger (a matter of the irritable power) is desire (a matter of the desiring power); and both of them, when badly directed, nourish the pride of the mind (a matter of the thinking power). Therefore you will never see the irritable power of the soul healthy until these other two are healed.

Love of money as the root of all evil and the fruit of madness

If you investigate, you will find that the first evil offspring of desire is covetousness. Desires that help people to preserve and organize their lives are pure; therefore, from a young age, they are found to be fused with us. But avarice, a little later, clings to all existing desires. From this it is clear that it originates not from nature, but from arbitrariness (the choice of the will).

And St. Paul rightly called it “the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). Some of the evils which it usually produces are: avarice, greed, extortion, theft, and in general every kind of wickedness, which the same Apostle called a second idolatry (Col. 3:5). And to those sins which it does not directly produce, it gives nourishment and support to almost all. All these, which are born of materialism, are passions of a soul which has no zeal for good works.

In general, passions that depend on our will are more easily cured than those that originate in nature; but passions born of avarice are difficult to overcome due to disbelief in Divine Providence. He who does not believe in this Providence places his hope in wealth. Such a person, although he hears the words of the Lord that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matt. 19:24), yet, having the Kingdom for nothing, and moreover the Kingdom of Heaven and eternity, desires earthly and fleeting wealth. It, even when it is not in the hands of those who desire it, by itself alone does great harm to those who are desired. For “those who want to be rich fall into temptations and “snares” of the devil, as Paul says (1 Tim. 6:9).

Even when it is available—in the hands or in the house—it shows its worthlessness by the fact that, despite its presence, it still remains desirable for the foolish, whom even experience does not make wise. For this unfortunate passion does not come from poverty, but rather poverty (the feeling of poverty) comes from it; it itself comes from madness, through which he quite justly receives the name from the common Lord of all, Christ, who “destroys his barns and builds larger ones” (Luke 12:18). For how can one not be a fool who, for the sake of things that cannot bring any substantial benefit (“for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15)), betrays the most useful thing for the sake of such things.

The consequences of avarice for a monk and biblical examples

It is impossible for a monk who has this passion to be obedient. If he stubbornly indulges it, then he is in great danger of incurably suffering for it in body as well. Gehazi and Judas, from the Old and New Testaments, are convincing examples of this. In the former, leprosy blossomed as a sign of the incurability of the soul, while this one, falling headlong on a field of blood, “burst open in the middle, and all his bowels gushed out” (Acts 1:18).

Renunciation of everything as the basis of obedience and pure prayer

Renunciation of all precedes obedience; and without the former there is no place for the latter. It is the elementary beginning of the monastic life; and he who has not first renounced all possessions, how can he undertake any other feat of such a life?

Someone will say: what is the harm if he is incapable of obedience? — But he will remain in silence (hesychia), living alone and giving himself up to prayer. — Let such a one hear what the Lord said: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). How then can one who accumulates treasures on earth reach out with his thoughts to “Him who sits at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3)? And how can one inherit the Kingdom whose passion of covetousness does not allow even his mind to accept it with purity?

That is why it is said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3). Do you see how many passions the Lord cut off with this one beatitude? But covetousness is only the first offspring of evil desire. It has a second, which must be avoided even more, and a third, no less evil.

Vanity and its two types

What is the second? — Love of glory (vanity). For as we grow older, even before carnal love, when we are still young, the passion of love of glory meets us as a kind of evil prelude to it. I mean here that kind of love of glory which consists in adorning the body and showing off one’s clothes, and which the Fathers call worldly vanity.

The second kind of vanity occurs in those who are distinguished by virtues, and entails doubt and hypocrisy, with which the enemy seeks to steal and dissipate our spiritual wealth.

Healing from Vanity and the Path of True Humility

All these passions find complete healing in the feeling and love of the highest honor, while considering oneself unworthy of it, and also in enduring human humiliation, while considering oneself worthy of it. In addition, the remedy is to give preference to the glory of God over the glory of men, according to the words of the Prophet: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory” (Ps. 113:9).

When a person realizes that he has done something praiseworthy, he should attribute it to God and give Him the glory for it with gratitude, and not appropriate it to himself. Such a Christian will rejoice that he has received virtue as a gift, and will not put up with it like one who has nothing of his own. On the contrary, he will humble himself even more, keeping his mental eyes turned to God day and night—like “the eyes of a maidservant,” as the Psalmist says, “to the hand of her mistress” (Ps. 122:2). He will do this out of fear, lest, having shared in good with Him who gives and preserves it, he should fall into the abyss of evil. For this is what those who suffer from doubts and vanity usually suffer.

Solitude as a means of healing and spiritual poverty

What especially contributes to the healing of such people is distancing themselves from the company of others, living alone and staying in a cell, with the awareness of the weakness of their own will and considering themselves incapable of living among people. And what else is this but poverty of spirit, which the Lord has blessed?

Avoiding vanity and the vanity of earthly clothing

If one also considers the shame that usually accompanies this passion, one will avoid vanity as much as one can. For he who seeks glory from men, through the very deeds for its sake, usually suffers dishonor. He who worries about beauty, thinks much of himself because of the nobility of his ancestors, the brilliance of his clothes, and other such things, reveals in himself the childish immaturity of the mind, for all this is dust; and what is more worthless than dust? The same who uses clothes not to cover and warm the body, but to show off and flaunt their elegance and color, not only reveals the barrenness of the soul before those who look at her, but also covers herself with the shamelessness of promiscuity. Let such and such hear Him who said: “Behold, those who wear soft clothes are in kings’ palaces” (Matt. 11:8). “Our life is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20), says St. Paul: Let us not allow ourselves, because of the softness of our clothing, to be cast down from heaven under the protection of the prince of this age.

The Vanity and Fruitlessness of Man-Pleasers

In the same way, those who do good deeds for the sake of human glory suffer. For such, having received the lot of life in heaven, “their glory,” alas, “settle in the dust” (Ps. 7:6), calling upon themselves this curse of David. And their prayer does not ascend to heaven, and all their care falls to the ground, not being winged by divine love, which makes our earthly works capable of ascending: so that they lift up labors, but do not receive rewards. But what shall I say about the fruitlessness of their labors. They bear fruit, but what? shame, instability of thoughts, captivity and confusion of thoughts. “For God has scattered the bones of the lovers of men,” says the Psalm: “they were ashamed, because God has despised them” (Ps. 52:6).

The subtlety of vanity, the threat of pride, and the generation of envy

This passion is the most subtle of all passions. Therefore, it is not the interview that the ascetic should beware of or avoid, but the attachment itself (the first thought) considering it as consent, and guard himself against it. For even if he acts in this way, he will hardly be able to outrun the speed of his fall. But even if he acts in this way, considering himself, attachment brings sorrow. If not, then this prepares a place for pride. And whoever accepts it, it is difficult to reason with, or, better to say, he becomes incorrigible. For this is the devil’s fall.

But even then, the passion for pleasing men does such harm to those who have acquired it that they even perish in faith, according to the word of the Lord, who said: “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44). What do you care about human glory, O man, or rather, about the empty name of glory, which not only does not have what it names, but also deprives it of it? And not only this, but, among other evils, it also gives rise to envy, envy that is equal to murder, the cause of the first murder of man, and later of the murder of God.

The Harmfulness of Human Glory and Serving the One God

Is it useful in any way to nature? Does it support and preserve it, or, finding it in some way damaged, does it heal it? No one, of course, can say this about it. On the contrary, whoever wants to carefully investigate everything about it will find that it is for the most part a cunning counselor in shameful matters.

Preachers of pagan teachings suggest that without it there would be nothing good in life. But we are not so taught, for we bear the glorious name of Him who lovingly anointed our nature with Himself. We have Him as the spectator of our affairs. Contemplating Him, we do all that is best through Him and for Him, and we direct everything to His glory, not at all having the goal of pleasing men, following Saint Paul, the supreme confidant of our Lawgiver, and our Lawgiver, who says: “For if I yet pleased men, I should not be a servant of Christ” (Gal. 1:10).

Gluttony, natural movements and temptation through the eyes

The third desire of a soul sick with lust is gluttony (gluttony), from which all carnal impurity originates. Why do we call it the third and last, when it is rooted in our nature from birth, just as the natural movements related to childbearing? Why do we also put carnal desire in the last place? Because it is a part of our nature. Now what is natural is innocent, as created by a good God, so that we can use it for good.

Because of this, natural movements do not in themselves indicate a disease of the soul. The soul is sick in those who abuse them. When we “turn the cares of the flesh into lust” (Rom. 13:14), then this sensuality is a sinful passion, the beginning of carnal passions and a disease of the soul, because although they enter from without, they are assimilated by the soul and become its own. That is why the Lord says that from the heart come evil thoughts, which defile it (Matt. 15:19, 20). And even before the Gospel, the law says: “Take heed to yourself, lest the secret word of iniquity creep into your heart” (Deut. 15:9).

Evil thoughts originate in the soul, but they gather into the soul from below through the senses and are held in the imagination of sensual things, which is again set in motion by the senses, especially the eyes, which can attract from afar that which serves for defilement; a clear testimony of this is our foremother, Eve. For she first saw that “the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes” (Gen. 3:6), and only then did she consent to the thought of her heart, and touched and tasted of the forbidden tree.

Therefore, we have rightly said that the victory of shameful passions is preceded by the seduction of the beauty of things and faces through the eyes. Hence the fathers’ commandment not to gaze at the beauty of other people’s bodies and not to enjoy one’s own.

Satisfying carnal passions through purification of thoughts

Since in this way carnal passions are initiated and set in motion by passionate thoughts, it is from them that their treatment must begin. For as in the case of a fire: if he who wishes to extinguish it tries to somehow tame the flames from above, he will by no means succeed in extinguishing it; but if he throws away the combustible substance, the fire will immediately diminish and subside. So also with lustful passions: if you do not dry up the source of thoughts within by prayer and humility, but only arm yourself against them by fasting and mortification of the body, you will labor in vain; but if you sanctify the source by humility and prayer, as we have said, you will communicate the sanctification to the external body.

This is also, as it seems to me, suggested by the Apostolic word, which commands us to “gird our loins with truth” (Eph. 6:14), just as some of the Fathers wisely observed that when the power of the intellect tames lust, then the passions of the thighs and abdomen also subside.

Mortification of the body, solitude in a cell, and spiritual poverty

Both mortification of the body and proportionate abstinence from food and drink are necessary, lest it become unbridled and begin to oppress the mind. Carnal passions are cured by nothing else than mortification of the body, accompanied by prayer and humility of heart: which is the poverty of the spirit, which the Lord has blessed. If, therefore, anyone wishes to be enriched with “holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14), let him remain in his cell, mortifying the body and remaining in prayer in humility, for for him who dwells well in solitude, the cell serves as a refuge for chastity.

Everything external, especially what happens in the markets and festive festivities, is full of a depraved impurity, which through hearing and sight penetrates the soul of the monk who approaches them, and immerses him in shameful thoughts and movements. You can also call this sinful world a burning fire, which makes combustible material for itself those who move around in it, and turns any manifestation of virtue in them to ashes. A fire that does not burn was once found in the desert (bush). Instead of the desert, sit in a cell and hide in it for a while, until the heat of passion passes: for when it passes, being in the open air does not harm. Then you will be truly poor in spirit, you will gain mastery over your passions, and you will be brilliantly blessed by Him who said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3).

True bliss lies in poverty of spirit and humility

And will not those be justly blessed who do not trust in wealth at all, but in Him alone, who do not wish to please anyone except Him alone, and live in humility before Him? Let us also become poor in spirit, humbling ourselves, mortifying the flesh and not acquiring earthly things (not acquiring), so that the Kingdom of God may be ours, and that we may be worthy of good hopes.

The benefit of involuntary temptations and the blessing of the poor in spirit

Putting before the Gospel as if a kind of abridgement of it (in the sayings about the beatitudes), with this one first saying (about poverty of spirit) how many virtues He embraced and how many evil inclinations He cut off and deprived of beatitude! — But there is something else in it. What exactly? An indication of various humiliating temptations (trials) that must be joyfully endured by those who wish to bear fruit to the Cultivator of our souls. Just as plants must freeze in winter in order to bear fruit, so sorrows from temptations are necessary for spiritual fruit-bearing. Whoever does not bravely endure the heavy burden of the temptations encountered will not bear fruit worthy of the heavenly granaries and treasuries. — Every zealot for perfection attains it through the ascent of voluntary and involuntary labors and deprivations, some of which he finds outside, while others arrange for themselves at home. But those that are voluntary in themselves are not as beneficial as those that come from without, not of our own will. And love for God is most tested by the sorrow of involuntary temptations. Voluntary deprivations prepare the soul to endure involuntary ones, for, having become accustomed to having the pleasures of life and fame for nothing in the former, it easily endures the latter.

The poor in spirit, because of the very spirit of this poverty, is not only not embarrassed by the sorrows that come upon him, but also considers himself guilty of even greater ones, as one who needs stronger remedies of repentance. Therefore, he lives, day and night expecting every sorrow, and accepts every temptation as his proper attribute, and rejoices when he falls into them, like one who has entered the purgatory of his soul, making this the subject of the most contrite and most effective prayer, as the source and protection of the good mood of the soul; as a result of which he not only does not hold a grudge against those who threw him into temptation, but also shows gratitude to them and prays for them as for benefactors. For this, he himself not only receives forgiveness for his sins, according to the Savior’s promise, but is also honored with the blessing of the Divine and the Kingdom of Heaven, being blessed by the Lord for his long-suffering to the end in the spirit of humility.

The connection between spiritual poverty and blissful weeping

After those who have acquired inseparable wealth through poverty in the spirit, the Only Blessed One declares those who weep to be partakers of His beatitude, saying: “Blessed are those who mourn (weep), for they will be comforted” (Matt. 5:4). Why did Christ the Lord so closely associate weeping with poverty? Because he is never separated from it. But “sorrow” in worldly poverty “works death” of the soul, says the Apostle; and “sorrow” in poverty “works godly repentance unto the salvation of the soul” (2 Cor. 7:10).

Moreover, involuntary poverty is followed by involuntary weeping, and voluntary poverty by voluntary. Since the weeping blessed here is connected with poverty for God, it is meant that it is for the sake of it and depends on it in everything as a cause, and only in connection with it is it spiritual and voluntary. — But let us see how blessed poverty gives rise to blessed weeping.

The Unity of the Four Types of Spiritual Poverty

We have shown four kinds of spiritual poverty a little above: in the way of thinking (the image of thoughts), in the conduct of the body, in the state of life, and in the temptations that come from without. But let none of you, hearing them explained separately, suppose that they are actually separated: for they usually all manifest themselves together. Therefore, they are all included in one beatitude, which wonderfully shows at the same time where their root and source is, as it were, – precisely in our spirit. For it, receiving into its bosom the grace of the Gospel, as has been said, gives forth from itself a source of poverty, which waters the whole face of our earth, that is, our external man (man), and makes it a paradise of virtues.

The birth of weeping from bodily poverty and its consolation

From each of these four kinds of poverty comes its own special lamentation, with its corresponding consolation. From poverty in the keeping of the body with humility, which consists of hunger, thirst, vigilance (vigilance) and all general deprivation and mortification of the flesh, and above that strict preservation of the senses, there is born not only lamentation (pity, sorrow), but also tears. For as insensitivity, coarseness and hardness of heart are usually born from satiety and all pleasure of the body, so from abstinence and a modest diet – contrition of heart and tenderness, by which all bitterness in bodily deprivations is destroyed and the quiet sweetness of life with them is granted. – Without contrition of heart, they say, it is impossible to get rid of sinful feelings; and the heart is brought to contrition by three abstinences – in sleep, in food and in bodily rest.

The soul, having been freed from such feelings and their bitterness through bodily contrition, receives spiritual comfort in their place. And this is the comfort for the sake of which the Lord, who has arranged for us a spiritual ladder (ladder), says: “Thirst and anxiety break the heart; but a broken heart brings forth tears.” Whoever has experienced this will “laugh at it,” that is, with blessed laughter (Luke 6:21), being comforted, as the Lord promised (Ladder, Word 6, 13). Thus, from God-loving bodily poverty is born weeping, which blissfully comforts those who have acquired it. And from self-humbled wisdom (image of thoughts) and divine humility in the depths of the soul — how?

Fear of future torment and inconsolable weeping

Self-abasement (self-humiliation) always coexists with humility of the soul; and it is initially brought to the strongest tension by the fear of eternal torment, presenting before the eyes that terrible coexistence in the same place of torment with enemies, and adding to this the fear of the thought that those torments are indescribable, that there are no words to express them; and their infinity adds to the horror! Heat, cold, darkness, fire, chains, terror, the gnawing of sleepless worms – all are gathered together in that punishment. But even all this does not yet convey the whole horror of that time, as it really is, judging by what is said about the opposite state: “and it has not entered the heart of man” (1 Cor. 2:9).

And how vain, how inconsolable will be that weeping that has no end! Here, in those who sin before God, the awareness of their sins sets in motion weeping, softened by the hope of pardon. There, in the exposed and condemned, with the deprivation of any good hope and with despair for salvation, the involuntary exposure and the gnawing of conscience will immeasurably increase the due torment through weeping. And at this moment weeping, and always weeping, and this awareness of its incessantness gives birth to new weeping! In the same way, darkness will be upon darkness, and burning upon burning without the slightest coolness. And an endless abyss of despair covers everything.

The Value of Present Crying and Graceful Skill

Now, weeping is precious here. For God, who even descended to us with His visitation and promised comfort to those who weep, takes note of it, since He Himself is and is called the Comforter. Have you now seen the weeping that comes from a humbled soul and brings comfort with it? However, self-humiliation in itself, like a kind of mental millstone for the intellectual part of the soul, severely oppresses and crushes, and squeezes out the saving wine that gladdens the heart of man – our inner man. This wine is a broken heart, which through weeping crushes the passions and fills the soul with blessed joy, freeing it from this fierce burden. Therefore, “blessed are those who mourn (those who mourn), for they will be comforted” (Matt. 5:4).

Non-acquisitiveness as the mother of weeping and spiritual joy

From avarice, or, what is the same, from material poverty, when it is combined with poverty of spirit – for only in this case is it pleasing to God – from such poverty as comes weeping and the consolation that is in it – listen and consider wisely. When a person, having left everything, renounces silver and gold and any property, throwing it away or distributing it according to the commandment, then, tearing the soul away from the care of these, it gives it the opportunity to turn to the care of itself, freeing it from the affairs of life that externally entertain it.

When the mind detaches itself from all sensual things and, having risen above the sinking with concern for it, begins to look into the inner man; then, seeing its face disgustingly soiled by wandering down, it first hastens to wash it with tears, and then, having removed this ugly covering from it, since the soul is no longer amused by things unworthy of it, it enters unabashedly into its inner treasuries and there secretly prays to the Father, who first of all gives it peace of mind, as a ready receptacle for the gifts of grace, and with it – perfect humility, the mother and guardian of every virtue – not that humility that consists in humble words and postures that are easy for everyone who wants it, but that which is witnessed by the good Divine Spirit and which creates a spirit that is “renewed within us” (Ps. 50:12).

In them (peace and humility), as in a strongly fenced mental paradise, grow all kinds of trees of true virtue, in the midst of which the royal sacred palace of love is erected, and in the eve, as the forerunner of the coming age, inseparable inexpressible joy blooms. For non-covetousness is the mother of serenity; serenity – of attention and prayer; these – of weeping and tears; and these – smooth out all prejudices (former sins); after smoothing this, the rest of the path of virtue is conveniently completed, because then all obstacles to it are removed and the conscience becomes blameless.

From all this, joy and blissful laughter of the soul flow (Luke 6:21). Then bitter tears are transformed into sweetness, the “words” of God become “sweeter” to the palate and sweeter to the mouth (Ps. 118:103), in prayer, petition is changed into thanksgiving, instruction in the testimonies of the Divine becomes joy of the heart with unashamed hope, — one experiences what the Psalm proclaims: “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 33:9), — the joy of the righteous, the joy of the offended, the comfort of the humble, and the consolation of those who weep for His sake.

Illumination of the mind with Divine light and contemplation of the supreme

But let us extend our word further, believing what our holy fathers have said, and convincing others, as the Apostle says according to the scripture: “I believed, therefore I spoke; we also believe, therefore we speak” (Ps. 115:1; 2 Cor. 4:13). When every passion that nests within us is driven out, and the mind, as already said above, having turned to itself and to the other powers of the soul, adorns the soul by cultivating virtues, always reaching out to the more perfect, more and more laying down active ascents, more and more washing itself with God’s help: then it not only rejects evil, but also generally drives away everything foreign, even if it belonged to the good part, and, having risen above all thought and any thoughts free from dreams about it, and having laid aside all this out of love and for the sake of love for God, “as one deaf and dumb” (Ps. 37:14), it comes before God.

Then nothing external knocks at the door of the mind, because grace keeps the internal in the best disposition and illuminates it with an indescribable—and wonderful—light, thereby perfecting the inner man. When in this way “the day begins to dawn, and the daystar shines in our hearts” (2 Pet. 1:19), then, according to the prophetic word, the true “man” will “go forth” to his true “work” (Ps. 103:23) and, using this light, he will keep to the path by which he ascends to the eternal mountains, and in this light he will become a contemplative of the most peaceful things.

Divine light in a pure mind and the restoration of the image of God

Why does the divine Nile say: “The true state of the mind is a mental height, similar to the color of heaven, which is visited by the light of the Holy Trinity during prayer.” And again: “If anyone wants to see the mind in its true state, let him free himself from all thoughts, then he will see it like a sapphire or a color of heaven. But this cannot be done without dispassion: for this requires the help of God and the divine outpouring of His light.”

And the holy Diadochos also says: “Holy grace gives us two benefits through baptism, one of which immeasurably exceeds the other: the first is that it renews us in water and illuminates that which is in us after the image of God, taking away all sinful impurity in us; the second is that it begins to act together with us. Therefore, when the mind begins to taste with full feeling the goodness of the Holy Spirit, then we must know that grace begins to paint in us, as it were, what is after the likeness on that which is after the image: so that feeling shows that we are transformed into the likeness; and we know the perfection of the likeness from enlightenment.”

And again: “No one can acquire spiritual love unless he is fully and truly enlightened by the Holy Spirit: for if the mind, through divine enlightenment, does not perfectly accept what is according to the likeness, then although he may have all the other virtues, he still remains uncommunicative of perfect love.”

Likewise, St. Isaac says: “the mind, blessed during prayer, sees its purity similar to the heavenly color, which the elders of Israel called the place of God, when they saw it on the mountain.” And again: “there is a purity of mind in which the light of the Holy Trinity shines during prayer. But the mind, honored with this light, also transmits many signs of divine beauty to the body united with it, standing in the midst of divine grace and thick flesh and announcing to it the power to do what it itself is not capable of. Hence — a God-knowing and unique virtuous disposition, completely unmovable or difficult to move towards evil.”

The difference between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow

This is the height to which the blessed weeping of the humble in heart and the poor in spirit elevates. But let us say something more about it. — It also accompanies all kinds of involuntary or worldly poverty. For how can one not grieve who is both short of money and hungry involuntarily, burdened with work and deprived of honor? — Here weeping is inconsolable as long as poverty continues, especially if the one who endures it does not have true knowledge. For such a one does not subordinate sensual pleasures and sorrows to the mind, but submits to them himself and, abusing the ingenuity of the mind, multiplies them beyond measure, not only without benefit, but also with great harm to the soul.

He exposes himself to open exposure in that he weakly believes the Gospel of God, the prophets who preceded Him, and His disciples who followed Him and were sent to proclaim the gospel: that through poverty inexhaustible wealth is granted, through dishonor – unspeakable glory, through deprivation – sorrowless comfort, and through the endurance of future temptations – deliverance from eternal torment and sorrow, prepared for those who loved this corrupt life and did not want to enter into life through the narrow gate and the cramped road.

The Apostle Paul said well that “the sorrow of this world worketh death” (2 Cor. 7:10). For if the true life of the soul is the divine light that comes from crying out for God, as the words of the Fathers have said above, then the death of the soul will be the evil darkness that is cast upon the soul by the sorrow of this world—that darkness of which Basil the Great says: “sin, which has its existence in the impoverishment of good, through unrighteousness creates mental darkness.”

And the divine Mark says: “Overwhelmed by evil thoughts, how will he see the essential sin hidden beneath them, which is the darkness and fog of the soul, which is brought upon it by evil thoughts, words, and deeds? And who has not seen this common sin when he prays for it and is cleansed? And who has not been cleansed, how will he find the place of a pure nature? And not finding it, how will he behold the inner dwelling of Christ?”

Constant prayer and maintaining a spiritual home

Therefore, it is necessary to seek (find) this dwelling place by constant prayer, and not only to obtain it, but also to preserve it. For there are those who, after having obtained it, have lost it. Perhaps the slow to learn and the young have a mere knowledge of this or a casual experience; but not all, even the pious elders and those with much experience, have such a constant and patient practice. With this both Macarius, who is heavenly in his knowledge, and the entire host of the saints agree.

The Sorrow of This World and the Saving Power of Crying to God

But as this darkness derives its existence from all sins, so if you examine the sorrow of this world, you will find that it is generated and sustained by all passions. It bears the image and is, as it were, the beginning, the vestibule, or the pledge of the future endless weeping for those who have not chosen the weeping blessed by the Lord – which not only brings consolation here, serving at the same time as the pledge of eternal joy, but also makes virtue strong and unshakable, making the soul unyielding to the worst.

For he who has become poor, humbled, and humbled himself for God’s sake, if, while striving for the best, he does not obtain weeping, is fickle and willing to return in thought to what he has left behind, and to desire what he has left behind, thus making himself a criminal. But if, being constant in his disposition to blessed poverty and considering it, he establishes weeping within himself, he becomes steadfast towards what he has left behind and does not return with evil to that from which he previously fled by doing good. “For godly sorrow,” as the Apostle says, “produces repentance to salvation, not to be regretted” (2 Cor. 7:10). Therefore one of the Fathers said: “Weeping produces and preserves.”

The fruits of weeping and cleansing from past sins

And not only is this the fruit of weeping, that from it a man becomes almost unmovable to evil and difficult to return to his former sins, but also that these sins become as if they had never happened. For since a man weeps over them at first, God considers them as if they were involuntary in him; and what is involuntary is not considered a sin.

Just as he who weeps over poverty testifies by this that it is involuntary in his case, and because of this, together with those who “want to be rich” or are already rich, he “falls into the snare” of the devil, and if, changing, he does not hasten to escape from these snare, he will condemn himself to eternal torment because of this (1 Tim. 6:9): so also he who sins before God, if, repenting, spends his days in weeping for his sins, then his sins are justly counted to him as involuntary, and he, together with those who have not sinned like him, will walk without temptation for them on the path that leads to eternal life.

Divine love and the indescribable sweetness of spiritual comfort

Such is the fruit of the beginning of weeping, which is painful because the fear of God is combined with it. But, stretching forward, it is wonderfully combined with the love of God and brings forth the sweetest and most sacred fruit of consolation from the goodness of the Comforter, which (fruit) is eaten by those in whom weeping has become a trait of character (have become hardened by weeping), and which to those who have not experienced it is something unheard of, because it is inexpressible.

For if the sweetness of honey cannot be clearly explained in words to those who have not tasted it, then who will explain the sweetness of joy and grace, which are from God, to those who have not experienced it? Of course, no one.

Spiritual engagement and union of the soul with God through crying

The beginning of weeping is like a search for God’s betrothal, which seems unattainable. Therefore, at the same time, some seemingly pre-betrothal words are uttered by those who, out of a strong desire for this, weep, tearing their hearts before the Bridegroom and calling upon Him with sobs.

The end of weeping is the perfect union in marital purity. Therefore, Paul, calling the union of spouses into one body a “great mystery,” says: “But I speak concerning Christ and the Church” (Eph. 5:31-32). For as they are one body, so those who are God’s are one spirit with God, as the same Apostle said somewhere: “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with the Lord” (1 Cor. 6:17).

Where are those who say that the grace that dwells in the saints is something created? Let them know that they blaspheme the very Spirit of whom the saints become partakers.

Comparing the beginning and end of the lamentation with the return of the prodigal son

We will also offer another, more expressive example to clarify what we are talking about. The beginning of the cry is like the return of the prodigal son: for it also fills its creator (doer) with shame, and forces the same to say the words: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15:21). Its end is like the meeting and embrace of the heavenly Father, which, having been made worthy through the wealth of ineffable goodness, the son is filled with joy and courage (daring), receives and gives a kiss, enters the house with the Father and eats with Him, tasting heavenly joy at the same time.

A call to blessed weeping and praising God

Let us also come, in blessed poverty of spirit, “let us fall down and worship, and weep before the Lord,” our Creator (Ps. 94:6), so that we may be washed away from our past sins, and make ourselves steadfast against evil, and be made worthy of the communion of the Spirit of Comforter and be comforted by Him, sending up glory to Him with the beginningless Father and the only-begotten Son, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.