For example, Paul the Simple was ordered to water a dry stick, and water had to be carried from afar (heat, heat). He waters it for a long time, but the Lord Himself attests to the necessity of this feat for the Church in His dispensation of the Lord, so the stick takes root, gives a leaf and bears unearthly fruit. And then the elder (mentor) gives the fruits of his unearthly to the other disciples with the words: "Eat the fruit of obedience."

In the same way, Seraphim of Sarov has an example with the Diveyevo originals – he has never been in Diveyevo, except mysteriously, i.e. he was replaced by an angel. And the Dieyev sisters ran to him for 15 km – as long as he said, but even after walking 15 km, they still had to stand in the cold at the threshold of the cell – some half an hour, some an hour, some more – depending on their location, advancement, etc.

Since Seraphim at that time was already living in a coenobitic monastery, i.e. everyone can see it, one neighbor in the cell decided to correct this, in his opinion, tyranny and began to do good deeds to the nuns, saying that it was the old man who was starving and freezing you, come to me in the vestibule and warm up. He had no more second thoughts, but when the monk learned about this, he drove him into a drinking binge and he was expelled from Sarov.

Obedience is a general principle of monasticism, and in order for life in the wilderness under the guidance of an elder to be beneficial, one must also have a special spiritual taste that reacts sensitively to two spiritual sweets: the sweetness of repentance and the sweetness of obedience.

The sweetness of the cell, the spiritual taste for solitude – without this there is no use.

As St. Theodore of Fermea wrote: "A man who has known the sweetness of the cell avoids his neighbor." Or St. Anthony: "If a man does not say in his heart, "I am alone in the world and God, he will not find peace."

Only some people are called to such solitude in God, but this is when their whole life turns into prayer – they do not need to force themselves to pray, prayer goes by itself, and this is God's gift.

By rejecting the possibilities one by one, by the apophatic method, we arrive at a positive, cataphatic result. Wilderness dwelling is the path of solitary inner struggle, it is also spiritual creativity, for a person is left to himself (he consults, but from time to time), and he must be with God every second.

This podvig is extremely difficult, because the Lord constantly watches over His servant, man constantly seeks God's participation, but constantly and immediately there is also a "third odd man", i.e. the enemy of our salvation – the demon and nothing can stop him – he is here – this is allowed. Therefore, this is a feat for the heroes of the spirit, by the way, just like the feat of Christ for the sake of foolishness. This feat initially requires great endurance, a bright mind and good physical strength. Monasticism is a calling, but for a monk his whole life is prayer, and prayer is a gift from God.

What is the gift of solitary inner podvig? God's gift is the highest freedom. Even in a monastery you can be tonsured by force, but you can't forcibly drive out into the desert. Spiritual freedom is the reverse side of wilderness.

What is the church service of hermitage or wilderness life?

A hermit is a man of prayer for the whole world. They know in great detail the concerns of the world. Not only suffering passes through the heart of the man of prayer, but in general all the cares of the world. Being in the desert, they take part in the affairs of the world, but in a certain sense – from the outside. The fact is that the heroes of the spirit in the apostolic terminology are people who have come to the full stature of Christ (Ephesians 4:13), and they pray and watch over the infants in Christ, over these little ones. Now it is clear why they should be at a distance, because, just like adults, not everyone can play with children at lapta or daughter-mother, but only some, but for this you need to have an extraordinary pedagogical talent, and if you don't succeed at all, it will be false. In the same way, there are adult games – political or court parties, meetings, court etiquette.

Gregory the Theologian, having done his work, the preparation and conduct of the Second Ecumenical Council, prayed, because he could not endure court etiquette – both the fact that he had to have a decent table, and the fact that they parted before him as before a wild beast (as he put it) – this was absolutely unbearable for him. Others may be: Nektarios, Maximian (after Nestorius), "a man of holy simplicity and simple holiness." John the Faster, for example, refused the patriarchal throne – then he was arrested in the palace, and in the next room the cathedral was assembled and elected patriarch. He submitted, but warned me – all things are done only after 3 o'clock, until 3 o'clock – I remain in continuous prayer.

Tikhon of Moscow – when people came to him, they received a response – His Holiness prayed.