From all these and countless other examples, we learn about the power of tears and repentance. But this means of atonement for sin is possible only when the penitent, washing away his sin with tears, feels disgust, hatred and contempt for it, as the Prophet David says: "I am weary with my groaning, every night I wash my bed, with my tears I wet my bed" (Psalm 6:7). Repentance and tears can atone for our sin, thanks to the sufferings of Christ, through the infinite mercy of God, who said: "Though your sins be as scarlet, as white as snow; though they be red as crimson, as white as wool (Isaiah 1:18). Here's how to think about it; And so we believe. In addition, after knowing the truth, being worthy of regeneration and adoption, one should participate in the holy sacraments, in order to protect oneself as much as possible from falling, for it is not fitting for a true fighter to fall, since many, having fallen, could no longer get up: some, having given access to their passions into their hearts, submitted to them forever and could no longer resort to repentance; others, as a result of premature death, did not have time to wash away the dirt of sin, and therefore were condemned. Therefore, beware of falling into any passion. If this fall is inevitable, then one should immediately rise up and again enter into a glorious struggle. And no matter how many times this fall happens in life, you must immediately try to wake up and get up. Turn to me, and I will return to you (Matthew 3:4).

Then Joasaph said to him: "And how can one preserve oneself pure, unstained by sin after baptism? Although, as you say, there is salvation for sinners through repentance, it is nevertheless again combined with sorrow, calamity, and tears, and it seems to me that the majority cannot successfully use this means. I would like to find a path by which I could not deviate from it and keep all the commandments of God inviolably; so that, after forsaking me my former sins, I would no longer anger the all-good Lord our God."

To this Barlaam answered him: "Thy word is good, my king and lord! I myself would very much like this, but it is only difficult and even absolutely impossible for anyone not to get burned in contact with fire. Therefore, burdened with affairs and busy with worldly cares and anxieties, living in wealth and luxury, it is very difficult to unswervingly follow the path of fulfilling God's commandments. No servant, says the Lord, can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be zealous for the one, and not care for the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (Luke 16:13). His beloved disciple, the great Theologian John, writes in a similar way in his epistle: Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world: whoever loves the world has not the love of the Father in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of this world. And the world passes away, and its lust, but he who does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:15-17). Understanding the meaning of these words of the Apostle, hearing that through many tribulations we must enter into the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22), our Divine Fathers strove after holy baptism to preserve pure and irreproachable the garment of immortality granted to them. Many of them added to it another baptism, namely through blood and suffering. This is also baptism, and moreover, the most worthy and valiant. He who is baptized with such baptism will no longer be defiled by the impurity of sin. The Lord Himself, having accepted suffering for us, called it true baptism. Hence His imitators and followers – first eyewitnesses, disciples and apostles accepted such baptism, then entire Christian communities – subjected themselves to Divine sufferings; Betraying themselves to pagan kings and rulers, they were condemned to various punishments and tortures: to be torn to pieces by wild beasts, to be burned and killed. Throughout their entire life, they openly confessed their faith, kept it immutable, for which they were awarded the reward assigned to the righteous, cohabitation with the angels and the inheritance promised by Christ. Their valor was so great that their fame spread throughout the earth, and the splendor of their exploits shone beyond the boundaries of the universe. And not only their glory and works, but their blood and bones are full of holiness. For by their power demons are cast out, and those who touch them with faith receive healing from all incurable diseases. Even their garments and everything that was close to their glorious bodies has power for every creature. But it would be long to tell about all their exploits separately.

When those cruel, bestial tyrants perished terribly, the persecutions ceased, and pious kings reigned in the world, then many followers of Christ imitated in zeal the truly Christian behavior of the martyrs and, inspired by their aspirations, thought most of all about appearing before the Lord pure in body and soul. They have removed from themselves the influence of all passions and everything that could stain their pure souls and bodies. And since they understood that they could achieve this only through the fulfillment of the commandments of Christ, and at the same time understood that the fulfillment of the commandments and the exercise of virtues are difficult in the midst of worldly passions and lusts, they began to take care of another kind of life and according to the Divine voice, leaving parents, children, friends, relatives, wealth and luxury, hating all worldly things, like some fugitives, they withdrew into the wilderness.

Moreover, trying to mortify their flesh by tortures, they wished to voluntarily become martyrs, in order to gain the glory of those who died by a martyr's death; they strove to accept the torments like Christ, as far as it is certainly possible for human nature, and as a result to become partakers in the enjoyment of the benefits of the future eternal kingdom.

Having set themselves such a goal, the blessed led a quiet life, in no way disturbing peace of mind. Some of them, living in the open air, endured from heat, rain, fierce cold, storms and winds; others lived in tents made by them, in caves, or in crevices of the earth. Thus striving in virtue, they completely renounced all bodily rest and other bodily pleasures; Raw vegetables, various plants, tree fruits, or dry, completely stale bread were eaten. Their abstinence extended not only to the quality of food, but also to the quantity with their characteristic zeal, namely: they ate the most necessary and simple things only to sustain life.

Some of them even remained without food for a whole week, and only on Sunday did they allow themselves to touch it; others took it twice a week, while others ate a little food every other day or only in the evenings.

Spending their time constantly in prayer and vigil, the ascetics almost adapted themselves to the way of life of the Angels: they completely forgot about the existence of gold, silver, buying and selling between people; Those of them who were less successful in the struggle in virtue did not even have any thought of envy of the successful ascetic, who did not show any contempt, arrogance, boasting in relation to his neighbor, who was less happy in asceticism, for such an ascetic attributed all his successes in asceticism not to his own strength, but to the power of God. In this case they followed the command of God: "In the same way, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, We are worthless servants, because we have done what we ought to have done" (Luke 17:10).

Some of them reproached themselves that they had not yet fulfilled what the Lord had commanded them, but that they still had much more to do than they had already done. These ascetics despised themselves for the weakness of the body and the poverty of human nature. Thus, one of them was more humble than the other. In their souls there was no place for vanity and man-pleasing. Therefore, those who, having fled into the wilderness from human society, live there, striving not for people, but for God, hope to receive from Him a reward for their feats, understanding that there is no reward for labors because of vanity, because they are done for the praise of people, and not for the pleasure of God. For this reason the ascetics of the second kind are doubly mistaken: by killing their flesh, they do not receive a reward.

But those who aspire to attain glory in heaven have despised all earthly things that are proper to human nature. Such people asceticize: some in complete solitude, far from human society, devoting themselves entirely to God; others, living apart, come only on Sundays to the company of people to participate in the holy sacraments, namely: in the offering of the pure and Bloodless Sacrifice and the reception of the holy Body and Blood of Christ, which He instituted for the remission of the believers' sins, the enlightenment and sanctification of body and soul. Spending time here in soul-saving conversations, in giving each other moral advice, in explaining to the people those hidden and secret actions that the enemy uses to seduce the faithful from the path of truth, they, on their part, instructed in the ways of waging a struggle with the enemy, so that someone, through ignorance of these methods, would not fall into captivity. After all this, they returned to the places of their asceticism, feeling in their hearts a feeling the sweetness of which is like honey, preparing for themselves by their labors a fruit worthy of taking a place even in the heavenly table.

Some ascetics lead a life together. Having gathered in a certain number in one place, they place at the head of their society the most distinguished for spiritual qualities, killing in themselves with the sword of obedience every desire of their own. Having thus voluntarily become slaves, they no longer live for themselves, but for Him to Whom they have submitted by the will of Christ. It is still better to say that they do not live on their own, but Christ lives in them, to whom they have submitted, renouncing everything else. This is a true withdrawal from the world and a voluntary renunciation of the carnal life, as a result of the striving for the higher. Such lead a life similar to that of the Divine Angels, glorifying the Lord God with one accord in the Psalms and hymns, and together deserving the reward of obedience. The word of the Lord is fulfilled in them, which says: "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20). With these words He did not limit the number of those who gather in His name, but with the words "two or three" He expressed only the unlimited number of them. For no matter how many people gather in His name with a burning desire to serve Him, we infallibly believe that Christ is there among His own. Living in such societies, the inhabitants of the earth tried to adapt themselves to the life of the celestials. They spent their time in fasting, prayer and vigil, in shedding tears, inconsolable grief, in thoughts of death, in humility and meekness, in silence, in deprivation, purity and humility, in peace of mind and perfect love for the Lord and their neighbor. As a result of such a life, by the end of it they became completely heavenly Angels. For this reason God rewarded them here on earth, giving them the power to perform various signs and wonders, thanks to which their fame spread throughout the entire universe. If I tell you about the life of one of them, the founder of monastic activity, whose name was Anthony, then from the story of this one tree you will completely know the sweetness of the fruits of trees of the same kind. You will learn what he set as the foundation of monastic activity, what way of life he prescribed for them, and what mercies he was rewarded by the Savior. After him, many others performed similar feats and attained heavenly rewards and crowns. Blessed, thrice blessed are those who love God and despise everything else for the sake of love for Him. They mourned and wept day and night in order to attain eternal consolation; here they voluntarily humbled themselves in order to exalt themselves there; here they exhausted their flesh with hunger, thirst and vigils, in order to live there in paradisiacal luxury and joy. They became the place of residence of St. Because of the purity of his heart, as the Holy Scriptures testify: "And I will set my tabernacle among you, and I will walk among you" (Lev. 26:12). They crucified themselves for the world, that they might be counted worthy of a place at the right hand of Him who was crucified; they girded their thighs with truth, and always had lamps ready, waiting for the coming of the immortal Bridegroom. Looking at everything with the eyes of reason, they always had before them that terrible hour of death; they saw future blessings before them, and, at the same time, constantly thought about the future eternal punishment; they tried to wither away in order to attain eternal glory. Passion was as alien to them as it was to the Angels, and now they rejoice with them, whose lives they imitated. Blessed and blessed are they because, looking at everything with the eyes of their minds, they saw all the vanity and emptiness of this life, the fragility and abnormality of human well-being on earth, by rejecting which they preferred eternal blessings and attained bliss uninterrupted by death.

Even we, unworthy and insignificant, try to imitate these amazing holy men, but we cannot reach the height of their way of life, similar to that of the celestials. Nevertheless, we try to imitate them, as far as our miserable and feeble nature allows us to do so, we have adapted ourselves to the appearance of their way of life, although we stumble in business.

Following the words of these blessed fathers, we also despise the perishable and temporal blessings of earthly life, in which there is nothing smooth, firm, permanent, but all vanity and anguish of spirit (Ecclesiastes 1:14). Everything earthly here is more illusory than dreams, shadows, a breath of breeze. It brings a small and short-lived joy, which cannot be called joy, but deception and error in the evil of the world. We are commanded not to love him, but to hate him with all our hearts, and this hatred is perfectly well-founded. For what the world gives to its pets, it takes away again in anger. Deprived of all good, covered with shame, with a heavy burden he then sends them to eternal sorrow. Whom he exalts, he hastens to humiliate at once to the joy of his enemies.

Such are the mercies and gifts of this world. He is the enemy of those who love him, and plots against those who do his will. Overthrowing all those who rely on his strength, he finds followers only among fools, flattering them with various false promises in order to attract them. If, however, they turn out to be well-intentioned, then he himself turns out to be deceitful and stupid, since he cannot carry out what he has planned.