From this narration, it seems clear, brethren, that evil spirits are sometimes truly like executors of God's wrath, and that God allows them to inflict illnesses on people precisely for their sins, so that they may repent of their sins and correct themselves even through sorrows and bodily sufferings. The above-mentioned presbyter proves this truth in the best possible way. Why did he fall under the power of the devil, who struck him with illness? For sins. Why was this allowed? In order for the presbyter, as Simeon told him, to confess his sins and atone for them. - But this is not the only example. Thus we see that the Apostle Paul also commanded that the incest should be delivered over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved (1 Corinthians 5:5). Do you hear? He commanded that he should be delivered over to Satan, not for the destruction of man, but for his correction, that the spirit might be saved. Thus, we repeat, it is clear that the Lord allows evil spirits to inflict illnesses on people for their sins, so that they may come to their senses and repent at least through sorrows and sufferings. And from this what lesson can there be for us, brethren? So that we would remember that although the demons always seek to do us harm, they cannot do anything to us without God's permission, and that if we want to escape their dark power, we must avoid sins and live virtuously, remembering that evil spirits cannot harm holy people and those who revere God. If, finally, we know that the demons are constantly seeking to harm us, and that this is allowed to them for our sins, then in general we must be constantly attentive to ourselves, to our thoughts, intentions, and deeds, we must constantly be vigilant and put on all those weapons which are indicated to us in the word of God against the enemies of our salvation. Be sober and watchful, while your adversary the devil walketh about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Amen.

It must be remembered that the devil attacks with particular bitterness people who turn from sin to virtue

(Homily on the Young Man Who Uncovers the Dead and Repents, Prologue of Sept. 2).

Why, brethren, it usually happens that when we decide to sin, it is as if someone is pushing us to sin, and we rush to it with great haste; And when we decide to turn from sin to virtue, how difficult is it for us? Why has despondency, melancholy, and often some kind of discontent oppressed us lately? Know, brethren, that in the first case we rush to sin with great haste, because the devil pushes us to it; And in the latter it is difficult because, when we turn from sin to virtue, the devil declares a terrible battle against us, torments us invisibly and disturbs us, using all his strength to lead us away from the virtuous path again as quickly as possible and put us back on the path of perdition.

In a certain city there lived a certain young man who had done a great deal of evil, and his trade was that he robbed the dead. But then one day the grace of God touched his heart, he was horrified by his evil deeds, remembered God's judgment and decided to spend the next life in repentance and humility. For this reason, having come to the caves where lay the dead who had been robbed by him, he at first wept bitterly, not even daring to pronounce the name of God, and then completely secluded himself in one of the caves. But then began a terrible demonic battle for him. A week of his life in the tombs passed, and after that hordes of demons appeared and cried out: "Where is this filthy and unclean one, who, having had enough of sin, now wants to show himself chaste and pious? Do you really think you are still a Christian? And do you think that you will be pardoned, having done so many of our evils? Get out of here quickly, and go back to your former deeds. Harlots and buyers of stolen goods are already waiting for you. Why do you not go to satisfy your vile desires? Look, if you don't go, we'll take what is ours. And why are you starving yourself so much? And why, accursed one, do you think to avoid torment? Aren't you ours? And didn't he sell himself to us? And hast thou not done all our iniquities? And is it not for this reason that he is guilty of all of us? And will you dare to answer us anything to all this? "Thus cried the demons. But the young man, believing in God's boundless mercy to repentant sinners, was strengthened by God's help and power, and answered nothing to the demons. For a long time, for a long time, the demons continued to torment him with their cries, but seeing that they did not help to take the youth into their hands again, by God's permission, they began to inflict evil on his body as well. The demons beat him so hard many times that they left him barely alive. And there were times when the young man could not even touch his limb alone, he moaned and thought that his last hour was already coming. Meanwhile, his relatives sought him out and, finding him in the cave, asked: "Why have you come here?" Not knowing his intentions, they urged him in every possible way to return home, but the youth did not listen to them. The demons continued to torment him, and his relatives and packs came to him and again begged him to leave the cave. The youth said to them: "No, I would rather die in these tombs than return to the world to mortal sins." "And they were forced to return home alone. After their departure, the demons attacked the youth again, and with such fury that they almost killed him. But this was also their last attack. Seeing the youth unshaken in patience and courage like a rock, they finally withdrew from him, crying out: "Yes, by the grace of God and by his patience He has overcome us!"

It is the same with all of us, when we abandon evil deeds and take up good ones. At this time, we are bored and tormented by the fact that here the devil declares an irreconcilable battle against us.

Remembering this, let us, with all the strength of our souls, drive away from us the inner and pernicious serpent with patience and courage, and at the same time, without a doubt, with prayer and fasting; for these last two weapons in the struggle against the enemy of our salvation are shown to us by the Lord Himself. This kind, He says, does not proceed except by prayer and fasting (Matt. 17:21). Amen.

Against anger and rancor

(From the word about anger, as if you were angry with your friends, it is given to the devil)

A certain Isaac, a monk, tells the following story from his life. Once, he says, I quarreled with my brother and became angry with him. Meanwhile, sitting once at my needlework, I remembered my quarrel, repented, and, disturbed by the fear of responsibility before God, thought: what should I do? At that time a young man came in to me, and without making the sign of the cross, as it should have been, he said: "You have sinned and are troubled; give yourself to me and you will be at peace." And when I learned that it was the devil, I answered, "Go away, for you are not of God." And he said to me, "I am sorry for you: you are ruining your work, and yet you are mine." "No, I say, I am not yours, the devil, but God's." He said, "The wrath of those who hold up, and the evil of those who remember evil, God has delivered unto us; but thou hast been angry with thy brother for three weeks." I answered: "You lie." And he: "You have a grudge against him; but the fire of hell awaits those who hold grudges, and I am assigned to such people, and you are mine." When I heard this, I immediately went to my brother, bowed down to him, and was reconciled to him. What then? When I returned home, I saw that the devil, not tolerating my reconciliation, out of malice had burned my needlework and matting, which I used to lay when I prayed.

From this narrative you see, brethren, that whoever has a grudge against his neighbor has the closest access to him the enemy of our salvation, the devil; that whoever does not repent of his malice, the devil even acquires power over him; that the fire of Gehenna awaits those who hold on to malice in the future life; and that, finally, by repentance of our anger and reconciliation with our neighbors, we put the devil to shame and drive him away from us.

Knowing this, what should we do, brethren? The sparks of anger in the heart must be extinguished at the very beginning, so that the spark does not turn into a flame and then does not turn into the flame of Gehenna. We must forgive offenses and love enemies. And in order to learn this, let us, first, think more often about our guilt before God and about God's mercy towards us sinners. For all our absent-mindedness, sins often terrify us terribly, and we ourselves feel worthy of any punishment. But how does the Heavenly Father deal with us? Does He punish us according to our sins? No; He uses all measures for our admonition and correction; He sent His Only-begotten Son into the world to save us from sin and death; He, as a benevolent father, gives us everything necessary for life: food, clothing, and shelter; He guards every hair on our head; He calls all of us sinners to Himself and says: "Come unto Me, ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). And if the Heavenly Father is so merciful to us, then, of course, we should act in the same way with those who offend us. Otherwise, you await judgment without mercy, having not done mercy. - Secondly, let us more often imagine before us the suffering Lord and forgiving His enemies from the cross. They beat His innocent man, spat in His face, crucified Him among evildoers, mocked Him during His terrible sufferings, and He said: Father, let them go! If the Saviour did this in relation to His enemies, then, of course, we should do the same, especially since He did no harm to anyone and was tormented, and we ourselves often insult and arm our neighbors against us in one way or another. Amen.

Not only in monasteries, but everywhere you can be saved

(Prologue of Sept. 3)