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
In the section on the higher virtues of the monks, it is gratifying to read the following lines: "Abba Isaiah said: Love is contemplation of God with unceasing thanksgiving; but God rejoices in thanksgiving, it is a sign of tranquillity."33 Such lines are not to be found in the guidance of other religions: Christ's humility, His obedience to the will of the Father, lies at the foundation of all virtues; it is unattainable for the spirit of evil, and holy, pure, and humble Christian love is above all the snares and snares of the devil. It is alien and inaccessible to him.
The heights of this pure love are reached by those who walk the path of obedience and humility, by the way of cutting off their will, by revealing all the subtlest attachments of the enemy, by the thorny path of self-observation and the revelation of their thoughts, right and hand, to the elder.
В Отечнике, составленном святителем Игнатием Брянчаниновым, под различными сказаниями о жизни старцев и их изречениями помещены примечания самого святителя Игнатия, полные великой духовной силы и значения. В них сохраняется тот высокий стиль, что присущ основным произведениям Святителя. В них всюду – та же высокая подлинная духовность, которой полны его произведения.
Часто святитель Игнатий, приводя жития и изречения старцев, делает указания, соответствующие тому времени, когда издавался Отечник. Многие мнения старцев были чересчур строги для того периода. Большинство же сказаний и изречений исследованы Святителем с большой любовью, и высказывания его только подчеркивают их высоту. Так, в сказании о духовном видении инока Захарии, с которым очень сурово обходился его духовный отец, епископ Игнатий пишет, что для верного течения духовной жизни Захарии было правильным сохранение сурового руководства его отца. «От истинного послушания, – пишет святитель Игнатий, – рождается и истинное смирение: истинное смирение осеняется милостию Божиею»34. Разбирая поступок аввы Аммона с учеником, склонным к высокоумию, святитель Игнатий пишет в своих примечаниях: «Преподобный преподал ему подвиг смирения, единый благоугодный Богу, единый способный привлечь милость и благодать Божию к подвижнику»35. «Неоцененный подвиг! Существенный подвиг!», – восклицает Святитель по поводу невидимого внутреннего подвига инока, доступного и для современных ему монахов. «Глубина смирения есть и высота преуспеяния, – пишет он в другом примечании, – нисходя в бездну смирения, восходим на небо»36.
При оставлении всех попечений инок может «устремиться к Богу умною молитвою, – пишет святитель Игнатий. – Тогда она (умная молитва – Авт.) возносит делателя своего в ту любовь к Богу, которая законоположена Богом»37.
Касаясь высоких духовных состояний, которые часто отмечаются в сказаниях о старцах, святитель Игнатий всегда являет смиренномудрие, доискиваясь до основ, до причин этих высоких состояний, и всегда старается подчеркнуть связь их со спасительным смирением сердца. Так, в примечании к повести о старце Аммоне, который, по слову своему, уже не знал о существовании зла, святитель Игнатий пишет: «Такое настроение является в душе от постоянного внимания себе, от плача о своей греховности, от действия умной благодатной молитвы. Эта молитва исполняет сердце умиления. Умиление есть ощущение обильной милости к себе и ко всему человечеству»38.