Того самого преподобного Касіяна до ігумена Леонтина про святих отців скитських і про розсудливість

The same Venerable Cassian to Abbot Leontin about the holy fathers in the hermitage and about prudence. A word full of great benefit. Saint Herman and I, who was my spiritual friend in childhood, in education, in the army and in other life, arrived in the Scythian desert, where the most experienced fathers lived, and we met Abba Moses, the man of the saint, who shone not only active virtues, but also spiritual contemplation of God. We begged him with tears to tell us a word of instruction, by which we can attain perfection. When we had been begging him for a long time, he said: “Children, all virtues and undertakings have their purpose. Those who direct themselves to it and direct themselves, reach the desired end. After all, the farmer diligently cultivates the land, whether in heat or in cold, because he wants to keep his eyes free from thorns and weeds, and the end of his labor is the enjoyment of the fruits. And the merchant is not afraid of troubles neither on sea nor on land, he diligently trades, because the intention is to gain profit from trade, and the end of trade is the enjoyment of profit. And warriors do not consider the burden of battles, nor long journeys, because they have the measure of showing courage and gaining military honors. And our vow also has its own purpose, for the sake of which every labor and feat is not oppressed abstinence from food, we are sweetened by the labor of the senses, we love to read and learn from the scriptures, to perform all labors, and obedience, and distance from all earthly things, and sojourn in this desert. And you, who despised your homeland, and your family, and the whole world, and went on a journey, and came to us, rude and ignorant people, tell me what your intention is and for what end you all did they do it?” We, answering, said: “For the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.” At that, Abba Moses said: “You said well about the end. But you did not say what intention we should look at in order to reach the Kingdom of Heaven, without evading the right path.” And when we were silent, not knowing what to say, the elder explained: “The end of our vow, as we have already said, is the Kingdom of God, and the intention is the purity of the heart, without which it is impossible to reach that end. In this intention, let our mind always be, and when it happens that the heart deviates from the right path, then we immediately correct it, as a builder corrects the direction. Blessed Paul knew about this, and that is why he said: “I forget that which is behind, and I strive for that which is ahead, I press toward the goal, for the reward of God’s high calling” (Phil. 3, 13-14). For this purpose, we do everything, we despise everything: our homeland, and family, and wealth, and the whole world – in order to gain purity of heart. When we forget our purpose, we will walk as in darkness, and, having gone astray from the right path, often stumble and often wander. It happened to many that, having begun their renunciation, they despised wealth, and silver, and the whole world, but at once began to be angry and furious at the spade, at the needle, at the cane, and at the book. They would not have suffered this if they had remembered the intention for which they despised all things.We despise wealth for the sake of love for our neighbors, so as not to fall away from love, reaching for wealth and increasing the passion of anger. If even in small things we are angry with our brother, we thereby depart from our intention, and there is no benefit to us in renunciation. The blessed apostle also knew about this, that is why he said: “If I gave my body to be burned, but did not have love, then I would not have any benefit” (1 Cor. 13, 3). Therefore, let’s remember that perfection does not come immediately after we speak and turn away from things, but when we show love, and about its signs the apostle writes like this: “Love… does not envy,… does not boast, does not puff up… does not seek his own, does not rush to anger, does not plan evil” (1 Kr. 13, 4). All these signs build purity of heart. For her sake he likes to do everything: to despise wealth and to endure fasting and vigil with joy, while reading and singing psalms. However, do not neglect love for the sake of these feats, when you have to give up your usual fast for the sake of some necessary work for the Lord. Not so much gain from fasting as much loss from anger; and it is not such a benefit of rebuke, as it is a pity, when you despise your brother and grieve him. After all, fasting, and vigilance, and teaching in the Scriptures, abandoning wealth and renouncing the whole world are not perfection, as has already been said, but the ways of attaining perfection. Because perfection does not reside in them, but is acquired by them. Yes, we brag about fasting, vigil, and fasting, and reading the Scriptures, when we have not acquired love for God and neighbor. He who has acquired love has God in himself, and his mind is always with God.” To this, Herman spoke: “And who among those who are united with this body is able to keep his mind always in God, so as not to think about anything: neither about visiting the sick, nor about receiving strangers, nor about needlework, nor about other constant needs of the body? And finally, how can the human mind always contemplate the immeasurable and invisible God and not depart from contemplation?” Moses answered: “To always contemplate God and not depart from Him in the way you think is impossible for a person clothed in flesh and burdened with infirmities. God can be contemplated in another way. Contemplation of God can be grasped in many ways. Because it is possible to know God not only in His blessed and immeasurable nature – this will be given in the future age only to His saints. You can know Him from the greatness and beauty of His creations and from His order and providence, which happens every day, and from His truth and His miracles, which He shows in every kind of His saints. When we think about His immeasurable power and never-sleeping eye, which sees the secrets of hearts and nothing is hidden from Him, then, overcome with fear, we wonder and worship Him. When we think that He knows the number of raindrops, sea sand and heavenly stars, then we marvel at the greatness of His being and wisdom. When we think about His unspeakable and unspeakable wisdom, and manly love, and inexhaustible long-suffering, which withstands the innumerable iniquities of sinners, we glorify Him.When we think about His great love for us, that for us, who have done nothing good, He, being God, deigned to become a man in order to save us from error, our love for Him grows. When we think that the enemy of our devil, He himself wins in us, if only we had a desire and inclination for good, and gives us eternal life, we worship Him. There are also other innumerable ways of contemplating God, which are reborn in us according to our actions and purification, and we can contemplate and know God through them.” Herman also asked: “Why does it happen that often, even though we don’t want to, we are tormented by numerous thoughts and evil thoughts; they are subtle and come secretly, and not only can we not prevent them, but it is very difficult for us to recognize them. If possible, we would like to learn so that our thoughts are free from them and do not bother them.” Moses answered: “It is impossible that these thoughts do not bother the mind. But accepting them and being in them or rejecting them is possible for anyone who makes an effort. It is not up to us whether thoughts will come, but it is in our power to drive them away. Likewise, changing our thoughts depends on our vigilance. When we intelligently and often study God’s law, recite psalms and songs, stay in fasts and vigils and remember often about future things – the Kingdom of Heaven, and the fire of Gehenna, and all the works of God – then evil thoughts decrease and do not find a place for themselves. When we are engaged in worldly affairs and bodily things and indulge in vain and empty conversations, then evil thoughts multiply in us. A water mill cannot stop its movement, but it depends on the miller whether he grinds rye or chaff. In the same way, our mind, which is always moving, cannot get rid of thoughts, but it depends on us whether to give it spiritual instruction or physical action.” The old man, seeing that we are surprised and amazed by this, and insatiably eager to listen to his words, remained silent for a while and continued: “And since your love has listened to such a long word and still wants to listen, do you think that you really want to learn about perfection. I want to tell you about the most important virtue, that is, prudence, which stands among other virtues, like a queen on a mountain, and show its superiority, height, and benefit not only with our words, but also with the ancient thoughts of the fathers, as the Lord will grant grace to the narrator, according to the desire and dignity of the listeners. This is not a small virtue, which comes from the most special gifts of the Holy Spirit, about which the apostle speaks: “To one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit; to another, according to the same Spirit, the word of knowledge; to another faith in the same Spirit; to another the gift of healing in the same Spirit; to another the discernment of spirits” (1 Cor. 12, 8-9). Having named all the gifts, the apostle adds: “And all this is done by the same Spirit.” So you see that prudence is neither an earthly nor a small gift, it is the greatest gift of God’s grace.If the monk does not follow him with all his strength and vigilance, and if he does not learn to judge with a firm mind the spirits that enter him, he will have to, like one who has gone astray in the night, not only fall into the worst pits of sin, but also stumble in even and right places. I remembered how, in my youth, in Thebaid, where blessed Anthony lived, the elders gathered to him and discussed with him what was the greatest virtue that could keep a monk unscathed from the devil’s nets and temptations. Everyone said what they thought. Some said: fasting and vigil, because with them thoughts are refined and thanks to purity it is easier to approach God. Others: not acquiring and disdaining one’s possessions, because this frees the mind from the tangled ropes of worldly pursuits, and then it is easier to approach God. Others preferred the virtue of almsgiving, because the Lord also said in the Gospel: “Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat” (Mt. 25, 34-35). And while everyone said what, in his opinion, is the virtue that brings a person the closest to God, almost a whole night passed. Finally, blessed Antony said: “All that you have said is necessary and useful for those who seek God and wish to come to Him. But we are not allowed to give priority to any of these virtues because we have seen many who walked in fasting vigils, and they themselves were removed to the desert, and suffered in extreme poverty, so that they did not even leave their daily food for themselves, and gave alms. so much that they did not have enough property to give away, and therefore they fell away from virtue and went astray. But because, in my opinion, they did not have the gift of prudence, prudence teaches a person to keep the golden rule and does not allow us to be robbed on the right, and on the left to we did not fall into carelessness and laxity. Prudence is like the eye of the soul and a lamp, according to the Gospel saying: “The light of the body is the eye. As, therefore, your eye is healthy, your whole body will be bright. And when thine eye is evil, thy whole body will be in darkness.” This is what prudence does: it tests all the thoughts and actions of a person, and separates and separates every evil and displeasing work to God, and drives away from him every temptation. Everyone can learn this from the Divine Scriptures, which tell about it. Saul first became the king of Israel, and because his eyes were not prudish, he darkened his mind and failed to judge that his sacrifice was not acceptable to God, as commanded by Saint Samuel (1 Sam. 10, 1). He angered God by what he wanted to please Him, and therefore he lost the kingdom (1 Sam. 15, 19, 23). He would not have suffered this if he had the light of prudence in him the sun and he himself says: “Let the sun not go down on your anger” (Eph. 4, 26). Discretion governs our lives, as it is written: “Where there is no reasonable management, the people decline” (Prov. 11,14).The scriptures call prudence counsel; we learn from the Scriptures not to do anything without prudence. And even the spiritual wine that gladdens a man’s heart should not be drunk without discernment, as it is said: “Drink wine with a happy heart (Prop. 9:7); not for kings… to drink wine (Prov. 31:4)”, and it is also said: “Like a city that is disturbed and without walls, is a man who does not rule over himself” (Prov. 25, 28). This is wisdom, this is knowledge and sense, without which we cannot build our inner house or gather spiritual wealth, as it is said: “The house is built with wisdom and it is strengthened with the mind; with knowledge the pantries are filled with all expensive and beautiful possessions” (Prov. 24, 3-4). Prudence is also called the solid food of those whose senses are trained by long training to distinguish between good and evil. From this it is clearly seen that no virtue can be acquired without prudence and cannot be steadfast to the end. Prudence is the mother and guardian of all virtues.” These are the beliefs and opinions of St. Anthony, and many fathers agreed with him. We can confirm his opinion with the teachings of later fathers and our contemporaries. Remember the elder Iron and the miserable fall he suffered a few days ago in front of your eyes. Why did this happen? The devil, mocking him, dragged him from such a high life into the depths of death. We remember how he lived in the desert for fifty years, having acquired austerity and great abstinence, and lived in the most distant desert, and loved solitude. And after so many labors and exploits, the devil laughed at him, and the old man fell with a heavy fall, which brought all the fathers and brothers in the desert to inconsolable tears prudence, and she would have taught him not to listen to his own opinion, but to obey the advice of his fathers and brothers. He followed his own opinion so much, wanting to fast and stay away from people, that even on the feast of Saint Easter, he did not go to the table with his fathers and brothers, so that he would not have to eat vegetables with them and what would be served at the meal, and thus he would not violate his intention and rules the desire that he accepted the angel of Satan and worshiped him as the angel of Light, and he ordered him to throw himself into the deepest well at midnight, so that he would learn from experience that he was no longer afraid of any trouble because of his great virtues and God-pleasing labors happened, and with great difficulty pulled him out alive. After that, he lived for two days and died on the third, leaving his brother Paphnutius inconsolable. The elder Paphnutius, out of great philanthropy, remembered the many labors of the elder Iron and the many years he spent in the desert, and did not exclude him from commemoration and offerings for the dead, because he was not counted among those who died And what about the other two brothers who lived on the other side of the Thebaid desert, where the blessed Antony was at times.An imprudent thought pushed them to go into the interior desert, large and deserted, and they decided not to accept food from people, so that the Lord would perform a miracle and give them food himself. And when they were wandering in the desert and dying of hunger, they were seen by the Magi from afar – and this tribe is wilder and crueler than all the wild tribes – and divine providence turned their cruelty into philanthropy, and they met the brothers with bread. One of the brothers – because his prudence was touched – gladly and gratefully accepted the bread, thinking that it was cruel and wild the tribe, always glad of human blood, would not have sympathized with them, and would not have brought food, had not God inspired it to do so. Another rejected the food, because it was brought to him by people, and, remaining with his rash opinion, died, weakened by hunger. Although from the very beginning they planned a very bad thing, having adopted a foolish and harmful opinion, yet one, when his prudence was touched, well corrected what he had thought presumptuously and foolishly, and the other remained with his foolish plan and, turning away from prudence, brought upon himself the death which the Lord wanted to avert. What can I say about the other – whose name I don’t want to mention, because he is still alive – who often received the demon as an angel, received revelations from him and often saw a clear light in his cell. And then the devil ordered him to sacrifice his son, who was with him in the monastery, to God in order to have an equal share with the patriarch Abraham. And he was so seduced by the demon’s instructions that he would have been the son of a beggar if he had not seen that his father was sharpening a knife, which he had never done, and was preparing ropes to tie his son as a sacrificial offering, and would not have run away. Much could be said about the delusion of that Mesopotamian, who lived so much in abstinence, and was in a cell in a prison for many years, and the devil mocked him so much with revelations and dreams that after so many labors and virtues, which surpassed all the monks there by three, he fell into Judaism and into circumcision. After all, the devil, wanting to deceive him, often showed him true dreams, so that he would later accept delusion. And finally, the devil showed him one night the entire Christian people with the apostles and martyrs, darkened and full of all shame, in sorrow and weeping, and the Jewish people with Moses and the prophets – illuminated by a great light, in joys and merriment. And the tempter told him that when someone wants to partake of the bliss and joy of the Jewish people, he must be circumcised. This is what the monk did. It is clear from everything that has been said that they would not have been subjected to such ridicule and ridicule if they had the gift of prudence.” To this Herman said: “From the stories of the new and from the instructions of the ancient fathers, it is clear that prudence is the source, root and head, and assurance of all virtues.Do we want to learn how to acquire it and how to understand whether it is true prudence from God, or false and pretended, devilish?” Then Abba Moses said: “True prudence comes when there is true humility, when we reveal to our fathers not only what we do, but also what we think, and we do not believe in any of our thoughts, but in everything we follow the words of the elder, and that is all we have the good that the old men will experience. This action not only keeps the monk on the right path with true prudence, but also protects him from the devil’s nets. Whoever directs his life according to the wisdom and advice of the perfect, he cannot fall from the devil’s delusion, because even before he himself receives the gift of prudence, what he discovers and reveals the evil thoughts of the fathers, weakens and diminishes them. If a snake is pulled out of a dark cube into the light, it tries to run away and hide, just as evil thoughts, when you see them, try to escape from a person. And so that you can better see this virtue, I will tell you about Abba Serapion, how he himself told those who came to him to be careful. He spoke as follows: “When I was young, I lived with my abba. After eating, I got up from the meal and, under the influence of the devil, stole crackers and ate secretly from my abba. I did this for a long time, and as this passion took over me, I could not overcome it, only my conscience condemned me, and I was ashamed to tell the old man. It happened according to the providence of the man-lover of God that some brothers came to the old man for his benefit and asked him about his thoughts. The old man answered: “Nothing hurts a monk so much as concealing his thoughts from his spiritual fathers. And when I heard this, I came to my senses and thought that God had revealed my sins to the old man, and I began to cry rusk, who was already used to stealing. And, throwing himself on the ground, he asked for forgiveness for his past sins and confirmation for the future. Then the old man said: “Child, your confession freed you, and the devil, who tormented you with your silence, you allowed him to possess you until now, without contradicting him and not exposing him. He will no longer have a place in you, because you took him out of your heart and made it clear.” Before the old man finished his words, it became apparent how a candle of fire came out of my insides and filled the house with a stench, so that those present seemed as if a lot of sulfur was burning. Then the old man said: “This is the Lord who confirmed my words and your release with a sign.” So through the confession, the passion of gluttony retreated from me and This is a diabolical act, and after that such a desire did not even occur to me.” So, from what Abba Serapion told us, we learn that the gift of true prudence comes to us when we trust not the prudence of our own thoughts, but the teachings and instructions of the fathers. Because not with some other vice, but with this one, the devil carries the monk down the abyss, so that he rejects the advice of the fathers and follows his own opinion and his own will.We can understand this by looking at secular sciences and craftsmanship. Although we can take it in our hands, see it with our eyes, and hear it with our ears, but we cannot learn it by ourselves, and we need a good teacher – wouldn’t it be madness to think that the spiritual art is the most difficult of all arts, because it is invisible, it is secret, only the heart sees it – you can learn it without a teacher. When there is no such art, not temporary trouble is born, but the destruction of the soul and eternal death.” Said Herman: “The reason we hide our thoughts is shame, and we also heard that the fathers, often listening to their thoughts, not only did not heal their brothers, but also reprimanded them and drove them to despair. And we ourselves saw how it happened in some places in Syria. The brother alone revealed his thoughts to the elder there with all simplicity and sincerity, without being ashamed, he revealed the secret of his heart. And the old man, as soon as he heard, became angry and embarrassed against his brother, reproaching him for such evil thoughts. Many, hearing about this, were ashamed to reveal their thoughts to the elders.” Abba Moses answered: “It is good, as I said, not to hide one’s thoughts from the fathers, but one should not tell them to just anyone, but to spiritual elders who themselves have discretion; not because they have become gray with their age, because many, looking at old age and expressing their thoughts, instead of medicine fell into despair due to the inexperience of the listener. There was one brother who was very zealous, who was tormented by a prodigal devil. He came to the old man and told him his thoughts. The old man heard and, being inexperienced, called his brother wretched and not worthy of any other insult, because he accepted such thoughts. Hearing this, the brother fell into despair, left his cell and went out into the world. By God’s providence Abba Apollos, the most experienced of the elders, met him and, seeing him confused and very sad, asked him, saying: “Child! What is the reason for your sadness?” At first he did not answer anything because of great longing. And later, when the old man had been asking him for a long time, he told what had happened to him, saying: “I often have thoughts that bother me, and I went to tell them to an old man, and according to him, I have no hope of salvation. I am in despair and now I am going to the world.” Hearing this, the old man Apollos prayed a lot and begged his brother, saying: “Do not be surprised, child, and do not despair. I am already so old and gray, and such thoughts burn me very much. Do not despair from such inflamation, which is cured not so much by human jealousy, but by God’s manly love. You just listen to me now and return to your cell.” The brother did so. And Abba Apollos, leaving him, went to the cell to the old man, who was angry with his brother, and, standing near the cell, prayed with tears, saying: “Lord, who brings temptations for the sake of profit, return the struggle of that brother to this old man, let him learn from experience in his old age, what he has not learned for a long time, how to sing to those who are struggling.” He finished the prayer and saw an Ethiopian standing not far from the cell and shooting arrows at the old man.The old man, struck by them, twirled to and fro as if drunk, and, unable to bear it, left the cell and went into the world on the same road as the younger man. Abba Apollos, knowing what was happening to him, met him and asked: “Where are you going? What is the reason for your confusion?” The old man understood that the saint knew what was happening to him, and he remained silent out of shame. Abba Apollos said to him: “Return to your cell and know your weakness. Do not let the devil know you, otherwise you will be despised by him, because you did not like the battle against him. And what do I say about the battle? You did not manage to repel even one of his attacks. And this happened to you, because you accepted the youngest brother, who was defeated by our common enemy, and instead of to encourage him to the feat, he threw him into despair, not remembering the wise commandment that says: “Do not spare those who are led to death and redeem those destined for execution”. You did not remember the parable of our Savior, which says: “He will not break a broken reed and will not extinguish a smoldering wick” (Mt. 12, 20). would not have extinguished natural inflammation, if God’s grace had not protected us. When His saving providence has already been fulfilled over us, we pray to God to take away the punishment sent upon you. He wounds, and His hands heal, He humbles and exalts, He brings us down to hell and brings us out of hell.” Having said this and prayed, he immediately freed him from the alleged attack and advised him to ask God to give him a word of instruction, so that he would understand at what time the word should be spoken. From all that has been said, we can see that there is no other way of salvation that we will pass without stumbling, how to open our thoughts to the most reasonable fathers, so that they direct us to virtue, and not to follow our own thoughts and our own judgment. Even if someone happens to be with one simple elder or with a few inexperienced ones, he likes to run away from them and reveal his thoughts to experienced fathers, and not to despise the traditions of his predecessors. Because they did not from themselves, but from God and the Divine Scriptures, they handed over their wealth to their descendants, so that they could ask their elders. You can learn this from many places in the Divine Scriptures, especially from the story of Saint Samuel, whom his mother dedicated to God as a child. He enjoyed talking with God, but when God called him the first time, and the second time, he went to Elder Eli, and he taught him and instructed him how to respond to God. He, whom God, having called, considered worthy of Him, had to listen to the old man and learn from him, that is, he had to come to humility in this way. And Christ himself, when he called the apostle Paul and spoke to him, although he could open his eyes and show him the way to perfection, sent him instead to Ananias and ordered him to learn about the way of truth, saying: “Get up, and go to the city, and they will tell you what you should do” (Acts 9, 6).With this, Christ teaches us to follow the guidance of those who already have some success in spiritual life, so that what is said well about Paul is not interpreted badly and so that it does not become an example for self-will, because everyone wants to be guided by God to the truth, like Paul, and not by the fathers. And if this is so, then you can learn not only from what has been said, but also from what this apostle reveals by his actions, and he writes about himself as follows: “I went to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and James and showed them the Gospel that I preach and, perhaps, I do not labor or have labored in vain” (Ch. 1, 18; 2, 2), although from the power of the signs and miracles that he performed, it is clear that his was accompanied by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Who will be so proud and arrogant that he will follow his own opinion and understanding, when the apostle Paul – the chosen vessel – asks for advice from those who became apostles before him, and he himself admits it. From this it is clear that the Lord does not open the way to perfection to anyone, but spiritual fathers guide everyone. So the prophet says: “Ask your father, and he will tell you, from old people, they will tell you” (Deuteronomy 32, 7). Therefore, we must acquire the good gift of prudence with all our strength and zeal, and it will protect us from all excesses. Because the fathers say that all extremes are equally harmful: excessive fasting, fullness of the stomach, immoderate vigilance, excessive sleep, and all other excesses. We have seen those who were not overcome by gluttony, but overpowered by excessive fasting, and they themselves turned to gluttony, exhausting themselves with fasting. And I myself, I remember, experienced something similar, because I abstained from food so much that I did not feel the desire to eat at all: I did not eat anything for two or three days, and I would not have wanted any food at all, if others had not forced me to eat. And by the devil’s inspiration, sleep came from my eyes so much that for many nights I did not sleep at all and begged the Lord to let me sleep at least a little. I suffered more from the fact that I could not eat and sleep, than from filling my stomach and a long sleep”. Saint Moses entertained us with such many teachings, so that we, using them, glorified the Lord, who gives such wisdom to those who fear Him. He likes honor and power forever. Amen. Constantinople was a worthy city for the venerable Nile, and the divine Golden Mouth was the mentor. The year when he asked, 442. He was from a good family and was appointed a bishop in his city. But, coming to Mount Sinai, he left behind him numerous writings, full of spiritual wisdom and indescribable grace fasting feat, divided into 153 chapters. We treat the readers with this Word, like honey combs. It truly drains the sweetness of honey, ambrosia and nectar and brings a very useful fruit. The wise Photius also mentions this in the 201st reading on page 266, saying: 153 chapters. In them, the divine husband explains the way of prayer.There is much else that testifies to his outstanding perfection in deeds and power in words.”