For if she is sober, then through this she grows even more and is crowned, constantly progressing according to God and becoming enlightened. Death itself is not able to harm it; on the contrary, after leaving the body, the angels receive her rejoicing in heaven, and bring her to the Father of lights; for tribulation worketh patience (Romans 5:3); and poverty and lack of acquisitiveness are the land of her work; from them it gathers the fruit of righteousness. And illness cannot harm it; for from it the soul is clothed with power and praise before God. In the same way, temptations are not able to humiliate her; for from them he receives praise and glory unto eternal life. Persecution cannot lead her to fear; from it she weaves a perfect and beautiful crown, which she brings with joy to the God of glory. And nakedness is not able to cover it with dishonor; for from it he prepares for himself a robe of glory. In the same way, hunger cannot plunge her into faint-heartedness; from it a meal is prepared for her in the heavenly kingdom. And thirst is not able to bring her to despondency; from it a heavenly joy is prepared for her. And poverty cannot lure her to riches; for for it he shall inherit the pleasure of the Lord. And vigil and weeping are the crown of her perfection, humility and meekness are the foundation of her edifice. Death cannot kill her, and the tomb cannot enclose and hold her. The heavens themselves are not strong enough to close their gates before the virtuous soul; on the contrary, when they see it, they open with joy. Thousands of thousands of Angels, Archangels, Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, and Powers cannot reproach her, but receive her with joyful faces, and, lifting her up in their arms, bring her to the throne of glory.

The Father and the Son rejoice in it with the Holy Spirit. The father rejoices over her; for she loved Him, and loved none but Him. His only-begotten Son rejoices over her; because she desired Him, and gained none but Him. The Holy Spirit rejoices over her; for in Him she became a holy temple, and He dwelt in her. The heavens and the heavenly Powers rejoice over her, and with one accord they fall down and glorify the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, seeing that she is adorned with angelic virtue in all the babbling of righteousness. Paradise rejoices over her; because she inherited it. Glory and majesty to the only good and loving God, Who, by His grace, grants us His kingdom!

Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed. The only wise and gracious one! I beseech Thy goodness, heal the wounds of my soul, and enlighten the eyes of my mind, that I may understand Thy economy for me. And since my mind has been overwhelmed, let the salt of Thy grace correct it. But what shall I say to Thee, O Forerunner and Searcher of hearts and wombs? Thou alone knowest that, like a dry land, my soul thirsts for Thee, and my heart desires Thee; for whoever loves Thee is constantly satisfied with Thy grace. But as Thou hast always hearkened unto me, so now heed not my petition; for my mind, like a prisoner, seeks Thee, the only true Saviour. Therefore send forth Thy grace, that when it comes, it may satisfy my hunger, and quench my thirst. For I desire and thirst for Thee, the Light of truth and the Giver of salvation. Give me what I ask, and pour out in my heart at least one drop of Thy love, so that it may burn in my heart like a flame, and consume in it thorns and thistles, that is, evil thoughts. Give richly and in moderation, as the God-man, and multiply Thy gifts, as the good Son of the good Father. Though I, as the earthly and the son of the earthly, have rejected and reject Thy grace; but Thou who hast filled the waterpots with Thy blessing (John 2:1-11), fill me who thirst with Thy grace. Thou who hast fed five thousand with five loaves of bread (Matt. 14:14-21), feed me, hungry, with the immeasurable riches of Thy goodness.

Good Lover of Mankind! If Thy grace is abundantly poured out on the grass, on the flowers, and on all the greenery of the earth at this time; how much more will Thou grant what Thou askest of Thy servant who beseeches Thee. For behold, the air is cleared, and the birds diversify their voices, singing the glory of Thy great wisdom. Behold, the whole earth is clothed in a robe of speckled flowers, woven without human hands, rejoicing and celebrating two feasts: one for the sake of its firstborn son Adam; for he was made of it; the other for the sake of his Lord, because having descended he walked on it. Behold, the sea is filled with Thy grace and enriches those who swim in it. Thy grace also gives me boldness to speak before Thee; and the love that I have for Thee impels me to do so.

But if the murderer is from time immemorial, the evil serpent, having approached at this time, opens his mouth; how much more will Thou open Thy mouth to the glory and praise of Thy grace to Thy servant who loves Thee.

Hear me, O Lord, hear me, and let me be called into Thy kingdom, and I who have gone astray will be brought back, I will be cleansed uncleanly, I will be foolish and I will be made chaste, I will be useless.

Thy chosen flock, the ascetics and all those who have pleased Thee, rejoicing in paradise, intercede for me and beseech Thee, the only Lover of mankind. Hear their petitions Yourself and save me by their prayers. But I will give Thee glory through them, that Thou hast hearkened unto their prayers, and hast had compassion on me, and hast not despised their petitions to save me.

Thou, O Lord, hast said through Thy prophet, 'Open thy mouth, and I will do it' (Psalm 80:11). Behold, therefore, the mouth and heart of Thy servant are open, fill them with Thy grace, that at all times I may bless Thee, O Christ, my Saviour. Sprinkle my heart, O good Lover of mankind, with the dew of Thy grace. As the sown land, without the visitation of Thy grace, cannot bring forth its plants: so my heart, without Thy grace, is not able to utter that which is pleasing to Thee, and to bring forth the fruit of righteousness. Behold, the rain nourishes the plants, and the trees are crowned with various flowers: and may the dew of Thy grace enlighten my mind, and may it adorn it with the flowers of tenderness, humility, love, and patience.

And what else can I say? Behold, my prayer is weak, my iniquities are great and mighty, my sins oppress me, my infirmities oppress me: may Thy grace prevail over them, O Lord! Thou, having opened the eyes of the blind man, open the eyes of my mind, that I may behold Thy beauty unceasingly. Thou who hast opened the mouth of the foal, open my mouth to the glory and praise of Thy grace. Thou who hast set a limit to the sea by the word of Thy commandment, set a limit also to my heart by Thy grace, so that neither at the right hand nor in the other side shall I deviate from Thy babbling. Thou who hast given water in the wilderness to a rebellious and contradictory people, give me tenderness and tears to my eyes, that day and night I may weep for the days of my life with humility, love, and a pure heart. Let my supplication draw near before Thee, O Lord (Psalm 118:168). And grant me Thy holy seed, that I may offer Thee handles full of tenderness and confession, and say, "Glory to Him who gave what I shall bring unto Him," and worship the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit for ever. Amen.

And so, I beseech you, let us sober up in this short time, and let us endure the podvig in this one-tenth hour. The evening is near: the Rewarder comes with glory to repay each one according to his deeds. Be careful that one of you, after success, does not become disgusted and does not destroy the immeasurable recompense of the Savior. A monk is like a sown field, which, having grown from various and fruitful rains and grew, bears the fruit of joy; and having reached the time of fruiting, he leads the farmer to great care that hail or wild animals do not devastate the field. And when the farmer shall receive the reward of the harvest, having gathered the reaped fruit into the garner; then he rejoices and rejoices, giving thanks to God. Likewise, a monk, while in this body, must take care of eternal life, laboring in podvig until the last day, so that through negligence he does not make the entire course useless. When, having completed the course, like a farmer, he carries the fruits of his labors to heaven; then he brings joy and gladness to the angels.

Therefore, no one should be lazy, and do not be afraid of temptations. Let the strong help the weak, the zealous comfort the faint-hearted, the sober stir up the sleepy, the constant give advice to the fickle, the temperate admonishes the careless and disorderly. Thus, with one accord, encouraging one another and urging one another on, let us shame our opposing enemy, let us glorify our God, and let us rejoice the holy angels and those who see us and hear about us, and let us serve as a great edification in Christ our Saviour. For like a host of holy angels, so is the multitude of monks, whose minds are always directed in accordance with God. And as honey and honeycomb are in the mouth, so is the answer of a brother to his neighbor, given with love. As cold water is to one who thirsts in heat, so is a word of consolation to a brother in sorrow. And as one gives his hand to the fallen and raises him up; thus the word of counsel and truth raises up a lazy and slothful soul. And as good and fresh seed is in the rich earth, so are good thoughts in the soul of a monk. And as there is a strong bond in the building, there is long-suffering in the heart of the monk during his psalmody. And what is a burden of salt to a weak person, so to a monk is sleep and worldly care. As thorns and thistles are in good seed, so are impure thoughts in the soul of a monk. And that the necrosis of the limbs (in the case of medical Antonov fire), although healable, is never completely healed, is a remembrance of malice in the soul of a monk. As a worm wears away a tree, so enmity is the heart of a monk. As moths spoil clothes, so slander defiles the soul of a monk. As a tree is tall and red, but has no fruit, so the monk is proud and arrogant. As the fruit is red on the outside and rotten on the inside, the monk is envious and unfriendly. As he who throws a stone into a pure spring stirs it up; Thus the answer of a monk, pronounced with anger, disturbs the mind of his neighbor. As he who transplants a tree covered with fruit destroys the fruit and dries the leaves of the tree; so it is with a monk who leaves his place and moves to another. As a building not founded on stone, a monk who has no patience in sorrows. Imagine that another, standing before the king and conversing with him, at the call of a slave like him, leaves a wondrous and glorious conversation with the king, and begins to converse with a servant; Like this is he who speaks during the psalmody. Let us understand, beloved, Whom we stand for. As the Angels, standing before them with great trembling, sing a hymn to the Creator; so we should stand with fear during the psalmody. Let it not be that only our bodies stand before us, and the mind dreams. Like a boat in the waves of the sea, so is a monk in the affairs of life. But let us gather our thoughts, that we may have praise before our God; let us endure the temptations of our enemy, that we may be glorified. Praise to a monk is patience in sorrows, praise to a monk is non-acquisitiveness, humility and simplicity, glorifying him before God and the Angels. Praise for a monk is silence and vigil with tenderness and tears. Praise for a monk is to love God with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself. Praise to a monk is abstinence in food, abstinence of the tongue, coordination of words with one's deeds; praise to him if he patiently remains in his place, and is not carried hither and thither, as dry twigs are carried by the wind.

Woe is me, my beloved! for I have become like the bellows of a blacksmith, which are filled and emptied, using nothing from the wind; and so I, describing the virtues of the flock of Christ, myself have no part in them. Glory to the greatness and goodness of Christ.

If any of you, brethren, has unclean and shameful thoughts, let him not give way to despair in negligence, but let him turn his heart to God, and sighing, with tears, say: "Arise, O Lord, and give ear to my judgment. My God and my Lord, on my hand. Judge me, O Lord, according to Thy righteousness (Psalm 24:33, 50). I am the work of Thy hands; hast thou forsaken and despised me" (Psalm 21:1)? Turn away Thy face from me, and forget my humility (Psalm 43:25)? For the enemy has driven my soul: he has humbled my life to the ground (Psalm 142:3); charcoal in the thymnia of the depths, and there is no constancy (Psalm 68:3). May Thy hand hold me, and I shall not perish." If thou wilt thus call upon Him with patience, the Lover of mankind will soon, having sent His grace into thy heart, and console thee in the painful and difficult battle.

Therefore, let us not be slothful, and let us not be slothful, having such a merciful Lord. For while we are here, He is merciful, and saves, and forgives our iniquities. Who will not be amazed that for the momentary tears, that even in this one-tenth hour He forgives thousands of our falls, and heals thousands of our wounds, and having healed, He still gives a reward for tears? For this is the usual of His grace: after healing He scatters his rewards.