Ancient Patericon

19. Еще сказал: мы смотрим на крест Христов и читаем его страсти, а сами не переносим ни одной обиды.

20. Пришли некогда разбойники в монастырь некоторого старца и сказали ему: мы пришли взять все, что есть в келье твоей. Он же сказал: что вам угодно, чада, то и берите. Итак, они взяли все, что нашли в келье, — и отошли. Но забыли они только денежный кошелек, который там был сокрыт. Взявши его, старец погнался за ними, крича и говоря: чада! возьмите, что вы забыли в келье. Удивившись злотерпению старца, разбойники возвратили все в келью и раскаялись, говоря друг другу: человек этот Божий!

21. Жили два монаха в Понтине, и один великий старец посетил их. Желая испытать их, он взял жезл и начал сокрушать садовое растение одного. Видя это, брат скрылся. Когда остался один корень, брат говорит ему: авва! если хочешь, то оставь это его, чтобы мне сварить от него, — и мы вкусим вместе. Старец принес раскаяние брату, говоря: брат! за твое терпение зла почивает на тебе Дух Божий.

22. Братья посетили святого старца, живущего в пустынном месте, и нашли вне монастыря его отроков пасущих и говорящих непристойные слова. После того, как они открыли ему свои мысли и получили пользу от знания его, говорят ему: авва! как ты терпишь таких отроков и не запрещаешь им, чтобы они не баловали? И старец ответил: по немощной природе, братья; я нахожу иногда дни, когда желал запретить им, и однако же, упрекая самого себя, говорю: если сего малого не переношу, то как могу перенести, если пошлется мне великое искушение? Поэтому-то я ничего не говорю им, чтобы получить привычку переносить случившееся.

23. Рассказывали о старце, что он имел отрока, живущего с ним. Увидев его, что он сделал неполезное ему, сказал однажды: отнюдь не делай сего. Отрок не послушал его. Старец оставил о нем попечение, наложив на него свой суд. Юноша же, заперши дверь келии, в которой были доли хлеба, на три дня оставил его голодать; и не сказал ему старец: где был или что делал вне? Имел же старец соседа, который, когда узнал, что отрок замедлил, приготовлял немного вареного, подавал старцу чрез стену и просил его вкусить, и говорил старцу: брат замедлил. Старец на это отвечал: когда будет иметь удобное время, придет.

24. Некоторые рассказывали: однажды философы захотели искусить монахов. Проходит мимо некий монах, хорошо одетый, и говорят ему: поди сюда! Он же, разгневавшись, сказал обидное им слово. Проходит и другой монах великий, Левийский, и говорят ему: монах, злой старец, поди сюда! Он тотчас подошел, — и они дали ему пощечину. Он же обратил им и другую ланиту. Тогда философы тотчас встали и поклонились ему, говоря: вот истинно монах! Посадивши его посреди себя, спросили его, говоря: что большего против нас вы делаете в пустыне? Вы поститесь, и мы постимся, вы живете целомудренно, и мы также; и что если вы делаете, то и мы делаем; и так, что лишнее вы делаете, живя в пустыне? Старец говорит им: мы надеемся на благодать Божию и блюдем ум. На сие они сказали: мы этого не можем соблюсти. И получивши назидание, они отпустили его.

25. Был некоторый старец, имеющий ученика, искусного монаха, и некогда по невнимательности изгнал его вон. Брат же пребыл, сидя вне. Старец, отворивши дверь, нашел его при ней, и принес пред ним раскаяние, говоря: Петр! смирение долготерпения твоего победило мое невнимание, войди сюда; отселе ты — старец и отец, а я юноша и ученик, потому что в деле своем превзошел мою старость.

26. One of the elders said that he had heard from some saints who were young and guided the elders in life, and he told the following: "There was a certain elder who was drunk; he made a mat every day, sold it in the village and drank its price. Afterwards a certain brother came to him and remained with him; and this one made a mat. The elder took and sold it, drank the price of both and brought his brother some bread in the evening. When the elder did this for three years, the brother said nothing to him. And after this he said to him, Behold, I am naked, and I eat my bread with scanty; when I get up, I will go away from here. And again he pondered within himself, saying, Where shall I go? I will begin to live again, for I live for God in this communal life. And immediately an angel appeared to him, saying, "Do not go anywhere, for we will come to you tomorrow." And the elder's brother begged the elder for that day, saying, "Do not go anywhere, for mine will come tomorrow to take me." When the time came for the incontinent elder to depart, he said to his brother: "Child! will not come today, for they have already delayed. The brother said, "No, they are certainly coming," and speaking to him, he rested. The elder, weeping, said: "Alas for me, child! for I have lived many years in negligence, and in a little time you have saved your soul by patience. And from that time the elder became chaste and became skillful.

27. It was said about a brother, a neighbor to the great elder, that when he came to him, he stole if there was anything in his cell. The elder saw him and did not rebuke him, he did not work even more, saying: "Perhaps this brother is in need." And the elder had great sorrow when he labored in this way, and yet found his bread in poverty. When the elder's death arrived, his brothers surrounded him. Seeing him stealing, he said to him, "Draw near to me!" And kissing his hands, he said, "Brothers! I am grateful to these hands, because through them I go into the Kingdom of Heaven. The brother, touched and repentant, became a skilful monk himself from the deeds that he saw in the great elder.

28. Abba Cassian said: The great Isidore, the presbyter of Skete, had a certain Paphnutios deacon, whom he made a presbyter for his virtue, so that he would be his successor after his death. He did not accept ordination out of reverence, but remained a deacon. It was this, through the enemy's malice, that some of the elders envied. When everyone was in church praying, he went out, threw his own book into the cell of Abba Paphnutius and announced to Abba Isidore that one of the brothers had stolen my book. And Abba Isidore was amazed, saying that this had never happened in the Skete. The elder, who had thrown the book, said to him: "Send two fathers with me, so that we search the cells." When they went, the elder took them first to the cells of others, and finally to the cell of Abba Paphnutius, and they found the book. He brought it to the presbyter in the church. Abba Paphnutios repented before all the people to Abba Isidore the presbyter, saying: I have sinned, give me penance. He gave him a penance that he would not have fellowship with them for three weeks, and coming with each assembly before the church, he fell down before all the people, saying, "Forgive me, I have sinned!" After three weeks he was received into communion, and immediately the elder who had slandered him became possessed by a demon and began to confess, saying: "I have slandered the servant of God." When there was a prayer for him from the whole church, he was not healed. Then the great Isidore said to Abba Paphnutius in front of everyone: pray for him; for thou hast been slandered, and only by thee shall he be cured. When Paphnutios prayed for him, the elder immediately became well.

29. A brother asked one of the fathers, saying, "How does the devil tempt the saints?" The elder answered him: in Mount Sinai there lived one of the fathers, named Nikon. And a certain man came to the hut of a certain Pharaanite, and found his daughter alone, and fell with her. And he said to her, "Tell me that the hermit, Abba Nikon, has done this to me." When her father came home and learned of what had happened, he took a sword and went to the elder Nikon. When he knocked, the elder went out, and Faranite raised his sword to kill him, but his hand became withered. And Pharaanite went to church, and told the presbyters about it. They sent for the elder. The elder came. They, having inflicted many blows on him, wanted to drive him out, and the elder begged them, saying: "Leave me here to repent." The presbyters excommunicated him for three years and gave him a commandment that no one should go to him. The elder spent three years in repentance, going to church every Sunday and repenting, begging, saying: pray for me. Finally, the one who committed a sin and laid down the temptation on the hermit began to be tormented by a demon. He confessed to the church: I have committed a sin and told them to slander the servant of God. And then all the people, having gone, brought repentance to the elder Nikon, saying: Forgive us, Abba! The elder said to them: to forgive you, I will forgive you, but to remain – I will not stay with you; for there was not one among you who had the prudence to have compassion on me. Thus Abba Nikon departed from there. And the elder said to the brother who asked, 'Do you see how the devil tempts the saints!'

30. A certain brother forged the key, and opened the cell of one of the elders, and took his money. The elder wrote a charter, saying: "Sir brother, whoever you are, show me love, leave me half for my need." And dividing the money into two parts, he put down the charter. The latter, coming another time and tearing up the charter, took all the money; Then, two years later, he began to die and his soul did not come out. Then, calling the elder, he said to him: "Pray for me, father, for I have stolen your money." And the elder said, "Why did you not say it before?" And when he began to pray, he gave up his spirit.

31. Another, being delivered up by his slave to torture, approaching death, saw a slave who had betrayed him. And taking it, he brought out a gold ring and gave it to her, saying, "I thank you, that you have been the cause of such and many blessings for me."

32. A certain elder in the Skete found robbers robbing his cell, and said to them, "Make haste, before the brethren come and prevent me from fulfilling the commandment of Christ, who says: "Thou shalt not torment him who exacts thy thine" (Luke 6:30).