90. One day two brothers came to Abba Pambo. One of them said to him, "Abba! I fast for two days, and eat only two pieces of bread: will I be saved through this, or am I in error? And I, Abba, said another brother, make two coins every day from my needlework, keep a little for my food, and give the rest to alms: will I be saved or am I in error? The abba did not give them an answer, although they asked for it for a long time. "After four days, when they wanted to return to their place, the clergy came to console them: "Do not grieve, brethren," they said. God will not leave you without a reward – the elder has such a custom that he does not suddenly speak, if God does not inspire him. "The brethren went in to the elder and said to him: pray for us, Abba! "Do you want to go away from us?" The elder asked. "Yes," they answered. "Having in mind their feats, the abba wrote on the ground and said: Pambo fasts for two days and eats two pieces of bread — is he a monk because of this? No! Pambo works every day, produces two coins, and gives them as alms—is he a monk for this reason? Not yet! Then he said to them, "These works are good; but if at the same time you keep your conscience before your neighbor, then you will be saved. The brethren, satisfied with such instruction, went with joy.

91. A brother asks Abba Pambo: Why do the demons prevent me from doing good to my neighbor? "Do not say this," the elder answered him, "otherwise you make God a liar; but it is better to say: I do not want to do mercy myself at all. For God, having preceded it, said: "Behold, I give unto you power to tread upon the serpent, and upon the scorpion, and upon all the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19).

92. Abba Palladius said: A soul that strives for God must either learn with faith what it does not know, or clearly teach what it knows. If she does not want to do either, then she suffers from madness; for the beginning of apostasy is satiety with teaching, disgust with the word, with that which the soul of the lover of God thirsts for.

93. One of the elders said, "I asked Abba Sisoi to say a word to me, and he answered me, 'A monk should consider himself inferior to idols.' Having gone to my cell, I reasoned with myself, saying: What does it mean to be below idols? I went again to the elder, and said to him: What does it mean to be lower than idols? The elder answered me, "It is written about idols, 'The mouth hath the mouth, and shall not cry out: the eyes shall have, and shall not see: the ears shall have, and shall not hear' (Psalm 113:13, 14). Such should be a monk. And as an idol is an abomination, so it must consider itself an abomination.

94. The brother said to Abba Sisoi, "Why do the passions not leave me? "Because their vessels are within you," the elder answered; give them their pledge, and they will depart.

95. A certain man came to Abba Silouan in Mount Sinai. Seeing that the brethren were working, he said to the elder: "Do not do that which perisheth (John 6:27): but Mary has chosen the good part (Luke 16:22). The elder said to his disciple: Zachariah! Give your brother a book and take him to an empty cell. When the tenth hour came, the brother listened at the door to see if they were sending him to a meal. But as no one called him, he himself, getting up, went to the elder and said: Abba! Did the brothers not eat today? "Yes," the elder answered. "Why didn't they call me?" asked the brother. "Because," answered the elder, "you are a spiritual man and have no need of such food; but we, as carnal ones, want to eat, and therefore we work. Thou hast chosen the good part, reading all day, and thou wilt not partake of fleshly food. "Hearing this, the brother bowed down to the elder and said, 'Forgive me, Abba! Then the elder said to him: "Truly Mary also has need of Martha; for Mary also boasts because of Martha.

96. The elder said: "A certain man, having fallen into a grave sin, repented of it, and went to reveal it to an elder. But he did not reveal the matter to him, but said this: If such and such a thought comes to someone, can he have salvation? The elder, being inexperienced in reasoning, answered him: "You have destroyed your soul." "When my brother heard this, he said, 'If I have destroyed myself, I will already go out into the world.' On the way, he met Abba Silouan, and revealed to him his thoughts. "And he was great in reasoning. But when the brother came to him, he did not reveal the case to him either: but again he used the same concealment as in relation to the other elder. The father opened his mouth, and began to speak to him from the Scriptures, that those who think are not subject to condemnation at all. Hearing this, the brother had strength and hope in his soul, and revealed to him the matter itself. Having heard the matter, the father, like a good physician, healed his soul with the words of the Holy Scriptures. What is repentance for those who turn to God with consciousness. When the abba came to that elder, he told him about this, saying: this brother, who has lost hope and decided to go into the world, is like a star among the brethren. "I have told you this so that we may know how dangerous it is to talk to people who are inexperienced in reasoning, whether about thoughts or about deeds.

97. St. Syncliticia said: Those who gather earthly wealth, being exposed to labors and dangers, even though they have acquired much, desire even more: they consider for nothing what they have, but strive for what they do not have. And we, having nothing of the good we are looking for, do not want to seek them out of fear of God.

98. She also said: there is sorrow for benefit and there is sorrow for harm. Sorrow for good consists in lamenting one's own sins, over the ignorance of one's neighbor, and in not falling away from the proposed goal of being vouchsafed perfect goodness. This is sorrow for God. But to this there is a certain admixture of the enemy, for he also brings sorrow, full of foolishness, which many call despondency. This spirit must be expelled primarily by prayer and psalmody.

99. Сказала также: хорошо не гневаться; если же это бывает, то тебе Бог не дал меры для страсти и одного дня, ибо сказал: солнце да не зайдет в гневе вашем (Ефес. 4, 26). А ты ожидаешь, пока исполнится твое время! Неужели ты не знаешь, что сказано: довлеет дневи злоба его? (Матф.6, 34). За чем ты ненавидишь оскорбившего тебя человека? Не он оскорбил тебя, а диавол; возненавиди болезнь, а не больного.

100. Сказала также: опасно учить других человеку опятно не прошедшему деятельной жизни. Ибо как имеющий ветхий дом, если примет к себе странников, может погубить их в случае падения дома; так и те, которые сами предварительно не построили прочного здания, вместе с собою погубляли и пришедших к ним. Ибо хотя словами они призывали ко спасению, но худою жизнию более вредили своим последователям.

101. Еще сказала: от врага происходит чрезмерное усиленное подвижничество, и его ученики так делают. Чем же отличим мы божественное и царское подвижничество от этого тиранского и демонского? Ясно, умеренностью. Во все время жизни да будет тебе одно правило поста. Не постись четыре дня или пять дней с тем, чтобы потом через послабление разрешить на множество явств, — это радует врага, потому что неумеренность всегда бывает гибельна. Не трать вдруг всего оружия, чтобы не остаться тебе безоружным и не попасть в плен во время войны. Старайся о том и другом на случай нужды. Пока ты молод и силен, — постись, ибо придет старость, а с нею и немощь. Пока ты в силах, собирай сокровище, чтобы после не оказаться бессильным.

102. Также говорила: чем более успевают подвижники, тем с сильнейшими встречаются противниками.

103. Некогда пришли из страны Пелузийской к матери Сарре два старца, — великие отшельники. И отходя от нее, сказали друг другу: поучим эту старицу смирению. И так говорят ей: смотри, мать, не превозносись умом, и не говори сама в себе: вот и отшельники пришли ко мне — женщине. Она отвечала им: я женщина по телу, а не по уму.