Слово Никифора-монаха про тверезість і береження серця

The word of Nicephorus the monk about sobriety and guarding the heart, full of considerable benefit to you who wish to obtain the beautiful divine revelation of our Savior Jesus Christ; all who want to receive heavenly fire with their heart in hearing; all who try by experience and feeling to be reconciled with God; you, who for the sake of finding and acquiring the treasure hidden in the abode of your hearts, left everything worldly; you who want your spiritual candles to be lit from now on, and therefore have renounced everything of the present; you who want to know and accept the Kingdom of Heaven, which is within you, by reason and experience, come and I will tell you about the science or art of eternal or heavenly life, which without effort or sweat leads the one who performs it, to the harbor of dispassion, which is not afraid of any temptation or fall from demons, and then only falls when, due to disobedience, he finds himself somewhere far from the life that I am teaching you. How once Adam, disrespecting God’s commandment, befriended a snake, and, considering him righteous, oversatisfied himself with the fruit of temptation, and fell in need, and cast all his descendants into the depths of death, darkness and corruption. So come together, or, more accurately, let us return to ourselves, brothers, completely turning away from the serpent’s counsels and creeping tendencies. Because there is no other way we will be reconciled with God and we will not change, if we do not first return to ourselves, as much as possible, or even enter into ourselves. It is glorious to break away from worldly affairs and vain worries and unceasingly support the Kingdom of Heaven, which is within us. That is why the monastic life is called science from sciences and art from arts, because this monastic life teaches us imperishable things, so that we bury our mind in them, distancing it from better things, and promises us some strange and indescribable benefits, which “eye has not seen and ear has not heard, which has not entered into the mind of man” (1 Cr. 2, 9). And therefore “we must fight not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against the authorities, against the rulers of this world of darkness” (Eph. 6, 12). When the present age is darkness, let us flee from it, let us flee, thinking that we have nothing in common with the enemy of God. Whoever wants to be his friend becomes God’s enemy, but who will help God’s enemy? Therefore, let us imitate our fathers and search for the treasure that is in our hearts, as they also searched. Having found it, let’s hold it tight, working on it and keeping it. When will some other Nicodemus appear who will argue and say: “How can a person enter his heart and do something or stay there?” – as the first Nicodemus contradicted the Savior: “How can a man be born when he is already old? Will he be able to enter his mother’s womb again and be born?” – this one will also hear in response that the Spirit “blows where it wants” (John 3, 4.8). When we doubt about things that are active, without believing in them, how can we understand things that are mental?For the ascent to speculation is action. But since it is impossible to convince someone who does not believe without written evidence, we will include the lives of the saints and their written exposition in this word for the benefit of many, so that they can be convinced by reading and reject all doubts. Beginning with the greatest of our fathers, let us pass, as far as possible, to the following, and having collected here in part their words and deeds, add them for assurance. From the life of our venerable father Anthony Once upon a time, two brothers went to Abba Anthony. When they ran out of water on the way, one died, and the other was near death. He could not go any further and lay down on the ground, waiting for death. Antony was then sitting on the mountain. He called two monks who happened to be there and ordered them: “Take a quart of water and go on the road to Egypt. There were two people walking there, and one is already dead, and the other will die if you don’t hurry. I had such a vision when I was praying.” When the monks came, they found one lying dead and buried him, and the other was given water to drink and brought to the old man. It happened at a distance of one day’s walk. And when someone asks why Anto did not say anything to her before the death of that monk, then his question is wrong. It is not Antony who decides about death, but God, who decided so and revealed it to Antony. The only miracle that happened through Antony was that he sat on the mountain and sobered his heart, so the Lord showed him distant events. Do you understand that Anthony became a visionary and a seer because he sobered up in heart? In the heart, God appears to the condition, as John the Foliate says, first as a fire that purifies the one who loves God, then as a light that enlightens the mind and makes it God-like. But it’s time for us to move on to the next word. From the life of St. Theodosius, the head of community life, the Divine Theodosius was so struck by the arrow of sweet love and so bound by the bonds that he fulfilled the high divine commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind” (Lk. 10, 27). And this was possible only when the natural forces of the soul were directed not to the things of the present age, but sought only the Creator. And this is the condition of action. Therefore, even when he begged, he was feared by many, and when he quarreled, he was desirable and sweet to everyone. Who could benefit others so much by talking to many, and who could so easily teach how to gather feelings together and arrange them within? Who, having lived for years in the midst of confusion, had in himself as much silence as those who live in silence have it? And who remained the same whether he was in the company of people or in solitude? Such was this great Theodosius, who gathered his senses together and brought them inside, because he was struck by love for the Creator. From the life of St. Arsenius This wonderful Arsenius avoided recording disputes and writing letters to someone. He didn’t do it because he couldn’t. It was as easy for him to speak eloquently as it is easy for others to speak simply. And the reasons for this were as follows: the habit of silence and unwillingness to show oneself to people.Therefore, both in the church and at meetings, he tried very hard not to see anyone himself and so that others did not see him, but stood behind a pillar or some other partition and thus hid, and never stood among others, but hid, because he wanted to collect his mind inside and easily go to God. This is what this divine man, an earthly angel, did: he gathered his mind inside so that he could easily ascend to God from there. From the life of St. Paul of Latra, the Divine Paul always lived in the mountains and in the desert, and his neighbors and fellow diners were wild animals. Sometimes he went down to the Lavra and visited the brothers. He instructed and taught not to be weak-hearted and to take care of the hard work of acquiring virtues, to adhere to the evangelical life with all care and prudence and to resist the spirits of malice with good-naturedness. In addition, he talked about the skill that gives strength to fight against the wiles of passion and to turn away from the crops of passion. You see how this divine father teaches skill to students who do not know it, so that they can turn away the attachment of passions with this skill. And this was no other skill than just keeping one’s mind. This is the work of this skill, and not of any other. But let our word continue. From the life of Saint Sava When the divine Sava saw a certain monk who had well studied the rules of monastic life, and knew how to fight against opposing thoughts, and could already guard his mind, and had completely banished the memory of worldly things from his thoughts, then he gave such a person a cell in the Lavra, if he was weak and sick; and when that monk was healthy and strong, then he ordered him to build a cell for himself. Do you see how the divine Sava required the disciples to guard their minds and then allowed them to have their cell when they had already learned this? What should we do who sit idly in our cells and don’t even know what the preservation of the mind is? From the life of Abba Agafon A brother asked Abba Agafon: “Tell me, Abba, what is more: physical labor or care of the mind?” Abba answered: “Man is like a tree: bodily labor is the leaves, care of the mind is the fruit. And since, according to the Scripture, “every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Lk. 3, 9), all our efforts should be directed to the fruits, that is, to the care of the mind. We need not leaves and decorations, that is, physical labor.” Oh wonder! As this saint well said against all those who do not take care of the mind, but boast only of action: “Every branch that does not bear fruit, that is, taking care of the mind, but has only leaves, that is, action, will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Your words are terrible, father! Abba Mark to Nicholas When you want, child, to have inside you a lamp of the conditioned light of the spiritual mind, so that, without stumbling, you can walk in the dark night of this age and that the Lord will direct your feet, because you very much wanted the evangelical path, according to his word, that is, with ardent faith and prayer to be a partaker of the perfect evangelical commandments of the Lord, I will show you a wonderful art and a spiritual way that requires not physical labor and feat, but a spiritual mind and attentive thought, accompanied by the fear of God and the love of God.This way you can easily defeat the enemy regiment. And when you want to win victory over passions, then concentrate with prayer and God’s help and, entering the depths of the heart, examine these three giants: forgetfulness, despair and ignorance, which support thinking foreigners. And through them, other sinful passions enter the heart, they act, and live, and grow in sweet-loving souls. With great attentiveness and thoroughness of the mind, with help from above, you will get what is unknown to many, you will be able to get rid of fierce giants with prayer and attentiveness. From the effort to acquire true knowledge and remember the word of God, the trace of forgetfulness, ignorance and despair disappears from the heart of the one who tries to establish himself in the heart by active grace and protect himself. Do you see how spiritual words harmonize with each other? Do you see how clearly they explain what mindfulness is? After all, look at the previous fathers, what they say about it. St. John the Baptist The mute is the one who tries to keep the disembodied soul in a corporeal house, and this is a glorious deed. A silent person is one who says: “I sleep, but my heart does not fall asleep” (P.p. 5, 2). He is the one who closes the door of the cell against the body, the door of the tongue against conversations, and the inner door against evil spirits. Sitting on a height, watch, if you are experienced, how, when, from where, how many and what kind of thieves will come to steal the grapes. When you get tired of keeping watch, get up, pray, and sit down again, courageously start the same business. Guarding your thoughts is one thing, and guarding your mind is another. As far as the east is from the west, the second differs from the first and is more complicated than it. Just as robbers, when they see that the royal weapon is lying somewhere, attack with guile, so the one who has connected prayer with his heart is robbed with guile by mental robbers. Do you know the words that explain the strange action of this great father? But we, who walk as in darkness, bypass soul-beneficial spiritual words and like those who walk in a night battle, we voluntarily become deaf, passing by them [words]. But also listen to the words of other fathers, to what they write for us who are on our way to sobriety. Abba Isaiah When someone departs from those on the left and knows all the sins he has committed against God – because he does not see sins until he is separated from them by bitter separation – he, having reached this measure, will find weeping and prayer and will be ashamed before God, remembering the wicked friendship with passions. So let us rise up, brothers, as much as we have strength, and God will help us according to the abundance of his mercy. And if we do not manage to preserve our hearts, as our fathers preserved, then let us try to at least keep our bodies sinless, as God commands. Let us believe that during the famine that will come upon us, God will show mercy to us, as he did to his saints. Here this great father consoles us, saying this to the weakest: “Even if we do not preserve our hearts, like our fathers, at least we preserve our bodies sinless, as God commands. And He will have mercy on us.” This father has great mercy and condescension.Macarius the Great The most important thing for an ascetic is to enter his heart and do battle with Satan, and hate him, and, fighting against his thoughts, attack him. When someone outwardly protects his body from corruption and fornication, and inwardly commits adultery before God and fornicates with his thoughts, he will have no benefit from a virgin body. Because it is written: “Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mt. 5, 28). There is fornication committed by the body, and there is fornication when the soul unites with Satan. It seems that this great father is denying the words of Abba Isaias, but in fact he is not. Because he also teaches us to take care of our bodies, as God commands. And God commands to preserve not only physical purity, but also spiritual purity, which is what the Gospel commandments tell us. Diadocha Who is always in his heart, he completely withdraws from the beauties of life. He who walks in the Spirit cannot see carnal lust, because he walks under the guard of virtues, virtues in him are like gatekeepers, and therefore the devils do not take him under their feet. This saint says well that the cunning of the enemy does not work when we are in the depths of our heart, and the more we are protected from them, the more firmly we establish ourselves there. But you see, I will not have enough time to repeat the words of all the fathers on this issue. Therefore, having mentioned one or two, I will finish my speech. Isaac of Syria Hurry to enter your inner treasury and you will see the heavenly treasury. Both the first and the second are the same. Entering the first, you will see both the first and the second. The treasure of that Kingdom is hidden within you, that is, in your soul. So wash yourself of your sins and you will find steps on which you can go up. Carpathia Great effort and work is needed in prayers in order to find an untroubled thought – like the second heaven of the heart, where Christ lives, according to the words of the apostle: “Do you not know by yourselves that Jesus Christ dwells in you” (2 Cr. 13, 5). Simeon the New Theologian Since man was driven out of paradise due to disobedience and distanced himself from God, the devil and demons have gained the freedom to shake the mind of every person both at night and during the day, one – a little, another – more, and still another – a lot. The mind will be protected from them by nothing else, except by constant remembrance of God. When the memory of God is imprinted in the heart by the power of the cross, then verbalism will firmly establish itself. This leads to a mental feat that every Christian must strive for. If he does not perform a feat mentally, his feat is in vain. Everyone who endures suffering for the sake of the Lord undertakes various spiritual exercises in order to receive the mercy of God. Then the Lord will restore him to his original dignity and Christ will be imprinted in his mind, as the apostle says: “Oh my little children, whom I give birth to again in torment, until Christ is imagined in you!” (Ch. 4, 19). Have you understood, brethren, what is a spiritual mastery or a method of learning which quickly leads one to dispassion and God-vision to the one who practices it?Have you realized that God looks upon every action as the unfruitful leaves of a tree, and that to every soul that does not keep its mind, everything goes in vain? So let us hurry, so that we do not repent too late, when our life ends in fruitlessness. Question: From this passage we learn what action should be in order to please God, and what action quickly frees the soul from passions and unites it with God’s love, which is necessary for everyone who fights for Christ. We have no doubt about this and are firmly convinced. What, then, is mindfulness and how does one come to understand it? Please teach us! We know absolutely nothing about it. Answer: In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who said: “Without me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Calling upon Him as a helper and companion, I will try to explain in an accessible way what attentiveness is, and how to acquire it with God’s help. The same Nicephorus. Some of the holy fathers called attentiveness the preservation of the mind, others the preservation of the heart, still others sobriety, others mental silence, and others still differently. All these words mean the same thing, just like the words “bread”, “edge”, “slice” – they all have the same meaning. Listen carefully, what is attention and what are its signs. Attention is the knowledge of pure repentance, attention is the call of the soul, hatred of the world and ascent to God. Mindfulness is about turning away from sin and embracing virtue. Mindfulness is an unmistakable announcement of the forgiveness of sins. Mindfulness is the beginning of reasoning, and even reasoning, through it God leans into the mind and appears to it. Mindfulness is not the vexation of the mind, or, in other words, its hardness, which the mercy of God gives to the soul. Mindfulness is the overcoming of thoughts, the temple of the memory of God and the treasury of the transference of sorrows that are found. Mindfulness is the reason for faith, hope and love. If a person did not believe, he would not accept sorrows that come from outside, and if he did not accept sorrows with love, he would not say to God: “My intercessor and my shelter” (Ps. 90, 2). And if she had not taken the Most High as her shelter, she would not have found herself on the bosom of God’s love. This, the greatest of all actions, is acquired by many, if not all, through learning. Few of the uneducated receive it from God through increased action and warm faith – and this exception was corrected. That’s why we need to look for an unattractive mentor in order to learn to distinguish between right and left errors and excesses in keeping attentiveness that happen to us due to the wiles of the evil one. The teacher will teach us from what he himself has experienced, and will undoubtedly show us this way of thinking so that it will be easy for us to walk it. When there is no mentor, one must diligently look for him. When it is not found, call upon God with sorrow, and tears, and unbelief, pray to Him and do what I tell you. You know that we breathe air, besides, we exhale it with nothing but our hearts. It is the cause of life and warmth of the body. The heart draws in air in order to give off its warmth with exhalation and remain in good condition. The lungs support the heart in this or even serve it.The Creator made it loose, like a vessel, so that it could easily let air in and out. Therefore, the heart, drawing in cold air and exhaling warm air, preserves the constitution of a living being. Therefore, you sit down and, collecting your mind, introduce it into the airways where air enters the heart, and encourage it to descend with the air into the heart. When he enters there, he will not be as sad and joyless there as here. Just as a man who has left home and then returned is overjoyed to see his wife and children again, so the mind, when it is united with the soul, is filled with a flood of linguistic joy and merriment. Therefore, brother, train your mind to leave there slowly. At first, he will be bored from being closed inside and cramped. And when he gets used to it, he will no longer want to go outside, because within us is the Kingdom of Heaven, and, contemplating it and finding it with pure prayer, he will consider everything external as vile and hateful. When you first enter your heart with your mind, as I told you, give thanks to God, and praise and rejoice, and always stick to this action, and it will teach you everything you do not know. You also need to learn this, that your mind, when it is in the heart, is not fit to stand idly and be silent, but, saying the words “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me”, be busy and endlessly teaching and never stop it. Keeping your mind in this way so that it does not become proud, you make it impregnable and inviolable for hostile attachments and raise it every day to love and divine desire. When, brother, after much effort, you cannot enter the neighborhood of the heart, as I commanded you, do as I tell you, and with God’s help you will find what you are looking for. Do you know that the literature of each person is in his chest. Inside, because in the chest, when our mouths are silent, we speak, give advice, create prayer and psalms and other things. Having banished every other thought from this literature, you can, if you want, let it speak like this: “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me” – and force yourself to call like this instead of any other thought. When you endure this for a while, your heart will open to you, as we have already written to you, having undoubtedly learned this from experience. The whole face of virtues: love, joy, peace, and others, comes to you together with the much-desired and sweet attentiveness, and through them all your requests will be fulfilled in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory, power, honor and worship to the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever. Amen. eoliptus, a truly great Philadelphia luminary, rose during the time of Andronicus the Second Palaeologus around 1325. At first, he lived on the Holy Mountain in a solitary life, and then, after accepting the abbotship in Philadelphia, he was the mentor of St. Gregory of Thessalonica and taught him the best sciences. He taught Gregory holy sobriety and conditional prayer when he was still at peace, which is told in the life of the same Gregory, which was written by Patriarch Philoteus.And this Word, which he painstakingly wrote, is the best known example of the rule of the teaching hidden in Christ, with the following chapters, in which divine understanding and clarity of speech are appropriately combined. It is more useful than anything else, and it is a commendable work to summarize God’s wise teaching for those who seek spiritual wisdom.