In our long-standing thoughts about eldership, we tried to see in it the basis of what takes place in the life of every human family, where the younger ones use the guidance and instructions of the elder, where the relationship of children to father and mother is naturally formed, and where in the reasonable and loving actions of parents the basis for the correct growth of the child into a perfect husband is laid. We have even tried to show that in the spiritual life the most necessary and incomparable concepts of father, mother, daughter, and son are taken from the natural life of the basic unit of human society, the family.17 Truly, along with the mystical side of the elder's leadership, which the author of "Monastic Pastorship" likes to emphasize, the life of the spiritual family in the elderly leadership is full and firm only when, along with the great ascesis of obedience, observation of the inner soul of the soul, the living warmth of parental and family relations is also preserved, when the elder is not only a strict judge of the "thoughts of the heart", but also a loving, loving abba, who is not even in a fatherly way, rather, in a motherly way, he watches over the inner and outer life of his God-given child.

We know, finally, the attempt of the great Dostoevsky to define eldership as a tremendous power that a person receives by giving his will completely to another, renouncing his will and life.18 It is not for us to judge how right Dostoevsky, who knows the heart, in this definition; we can only be infinitely grateful to him for introducing his concept of the Russian monk into Russian literature and for giving it – and with it the whole world – the image of the Elder Zosima. Through the mouth of Elder Zosima, he said many prophetic words both about the future of the Russian intelligentsia and about the service of the Russian people to all mankind.

The author of "Monastic Pastorship" sees the basis of eldership as a lofty spiritual monastic activity as a striving "to attain the purest thinking without the intermediary of any symbols, not even words." Here he finds "the concentration of the entire inner life" of man "on a single all-embracing idea of the Divine" – a truly great feat, reaching the dimensions by which Dostoevsky defined it.

In order to approach the height of this idea, it is necessary to observe the slightest, initial movements of the soul. It is this observation of movements and their revelation that, along with obedience, constitutes the firm edifice of eldership, the foundation of a genuine spiritual life. Speaking of "sophisticated systematic self-observation," the author of "Pastorship" writes that this requires "an exact, subtle to the scrupulous analysis of the elements of sin and virtue," and thus comes to a definition of the concept of thought. The thoughts (????????) that must be revealed to the elder are the most primary and most subtle forms of the movement of sin and virtue in the realm of the mind, "the observation and regulation of thoughts is the most important, essential, expedient ascetic feat."

The gift of discernment of spirits – discernment of thoughts (separation of good from evil) – is a very difficult feat. It must be based on prudence and reasoning. From this it follows that this gift is acquired from life, from one's own experience, but most importantly, with the help of God's grace. The grace of God guides the relationship between the elder and the disciple, the most sincere inner relations are established between them, so that the disciple can no longer hide anything – not a single thought, not a single movement – from the elder. "By revealing his spiritual movements and states to the leader," says the Monastic Pastorate, "the one who is perfecting acquires the habit of self-observation, brings them out of the recesses of his soul, as if objectifying them, placing them before his inner eye, and therefore has a more psychological opportunity to evaluate them more correctly."

Here it is possible to compare the actions of the elder with the actions of a doctor or psychiatrist who conducts a complex analysis of the patient's mental state. The healing of the patient itself depends on the correct direction, on the depth of the study. It is no accident that in recent years in clinical practice great importance has been attached to the analysis carried out both by the patient himself and by the psychiatrist.19 And yet, for the understanding of eldership, these are only faint similarities, since, as said above, in the leadership of the elders, everything is accomplished by the grace of God, precisely the fact that the elder does not rely on himself or on his art, but on the help, on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, His all-effective grace.

In the legends about the lives of the elders and their disciples, one can find very many living examples of how great is the pure, merciless revelation of thoughts to the elder before God, how in the eyes of God this revelation is redeemed, how this revelation is valued, how he who strives to reveal his thoughts and suffers from them is equated with the passion-bearer who sheds blood for the confession of Christ. Such are the stories of a young monk who repeatedly, many times in the night, went to the elder in order to reveal to him the thought that was chilling him. And they saw a radiance over the head of the disciple, as over the head of a saint. The story of how the elder, not understanding and not accepting the power of his disciple's confession, condemned him for his revelation, and for the edification of the passion with which the disciple struggled, took possession of the elder in all its strength. And the elder was saved only by a grace-filled action, manifested in the intervention of his brethren, who did not allow him to leave the monastery.20

The author of these lines happened to witness how the merciful and at the same time wise elder, reading the revelation of one of his disciples, which concerned very subtle and, perhaps, extremely acute thoughts, said with contrition and sympathy: "Great martyress, great martyress..."21 Another great Russian elder, who laid down his life for his work, when he was removed by the church authorities from the opportunity to receive his spiritual children for revelation, refusing everyone, could not refuse one of his disciples to write her thoughts in detail.22 "She will perish without revelation," said the priest, "she needs to write a lot and in detail." Until his very separation from the spiritual flock, the elder supported this disciple. Others suffered, but the priest refused to accept them, preserving his conscience regarding the order of the church authorities.

In the legends about the lives of ascetics, one can find instructive examples of how the elders taught their disciples to struggle even with a small, seemingly innocent thought. Thus, in one of the sections of the Patericon we read the following touching story: "Once Abba Agathon was walking with his disciples. One of them, who found a small green lentil pod on the road, said to the elder: "Father, will you allow me to take it? The elder turned to him in amazement and said, "Have you laid him here?" No, – answered the brother. If you did not put it, how then do you want to take it? – the elder remarked."23

Similar to this story is a short story about how a monk living in a field wanted to eat an ear of wheat and did not allow himself to do so without asking the owner of the field about it. The elders always attached great importance to the struggle with thoughts. One of them, Abba Cyrus, even said: "If you have no thought, then you are without hope, for if you have no thoughts, then you have a job."24

The struggle with thoughts, their revelation to the elder is just as important, has the same meaning as obedience. Obedience, according to his understanding in spiritual guidance, must be complete, complete, and precise. For example, in the Patericon one can read stories about the pure and immediate obedience of the disciples. One of them, without finishing the letter, jumped up at the call of the elder from his desk. Those who came later saw that he had not completed the inscription of the letter omega (?) 25. In the same place we read about a disciple who had great obedience to his elder, and how he, tempted by another brother, at his word entered a river teeming with crocodiles, and the crocodiles "licked his body and did not harm him".26

The great elders said that obedience is higher than asceticism and purity, since it "boldly leads to God".27 And one of them, the great Abba Moses, said: "Let us ask for obedience, which gives birth to humility and brings patience and generosity, and contrition, and brotherly love, and love; for these are our warlike weapons."28

About holy, humble, incomprehensible love for the old man, born of obedience, many legends have been preserved in the Patericon. For example, one brother, having finished his baskets and tied handles to them to carry them for sale, heard that his neighbor did not have handles for baskets. Untying them from his ware, he took the pens to his brother, assuring him that he did not need them.29 Another elder, having learned that his sick brother wanted fresh bread, took his dry bread into a mantle, went down to Egypt and, exchanging stale bread for fresh bread, brought it, still warm, to the sick man.30 And it is indicated in the discourse of the Fathers that the enemy can imitate both fasting and vigilance, but never humility and love.31 Tempting two brothers, who lived together, the enemy represented the bird to one as a crow, the other as a dove, as a result of which he brought them to quarrel. When, after three days, the brothers understood the temptation, they humbled themselves, were reconciled to one another, and lived in peace until death.32