Answer Varsonuphia. Brother, let us consider what we say, and see that our very words convict us. Whoever comes to the doctor, if he does not observe the proper order, he cannot be freed from the disease. And since thou hast wished to receive other cures and cures, I am astonished at thy love, that thou dost not comprehend the all-embracing wisdom of our great Physician, Who cut short the excuse of every man who seeks it; For by opening His medical books to every man who would give heed to his own salvation, He has made us unanswerable. When wives always sing, "But there is a worm and not a man, a reproach of men, and a humiliation of men" (Ps. 21:7), what should men do? I do not say this out of contempt for the female sex, far from it, for we are not commanded to do so, but (wishing to show) that although they were in the beginning the cause of the crime, yet God did not remove them from the Divine teaching. If, then, we desire this healing, why do we reject it? If, however, when we are mocked, we think that we have not rejected it, but are taking advantage of it, then we speak falsely, and do not do it. Truly, when we have tested our inner man, let us be sure that we endure neither chastisement, nor vexation, nor humiliation, nor reproach. And from thy present thought, in which I once tried thee, thou mayest understand this; For when the deed was done, thou didst repent that thou didst not understand. Desiring to test thy love, I have done as thou knowest, and have found that the old man still dwelleth in thee; but I think that thy love hath profited not a little from it. Our Lord is perfect, and desires to be perfect in all His things, for He says: "Be ye perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). Whoever endures these cauterizations is saved; For he who smells his own stench does not feel any other (stench) if he stands on heaps of corpses. [51] And he who is robbed by robbers has nothing to give to others. Beware, beloved, that we, who are beyond all care and care, do not even want to think that we are really earth and dust; And we grew old, nourishing vanity in us. For to think that our work is pleasing to God, that our sojourn (in silence) edifies all, and that we have been delivered from judgment and condemnation, is utter vanity, and nothing more. When our great heavenly Physician gave us heals and bandages, on whom does the cause of our destruction depend, if not on the weakness of our will? First of all, He granted us humility, which casts out all pride and every exaltation that is laid upon the mind (2 Corinthians 10:5) of the glory of the Son of God, an obedience that quenches all the arrows of the evil one that have been kindled (Eph. 6:16), in order to cut off in all things one's own will before one's neighbor. And this engenders serenity of the heart, a bright and quiet disposition of the face, and a good constancy of vision. He has also given us a great band, which binds all the limbs together, and heals every sickness and every ulcer, the love of Him. He Himself has become an example for us; For it is said, "He humbled Himself, not only being obedient, but even unto death" (Phil. 2:8), and laying down His life for us, He taught us, saying, "That ye love one another, as ye love... And of this they all understand, as My disciples are, if they love one another (John 13:34-35). If thou wilt not be lame, take the rod of the cross, and strengthen thy hands with it, and thou shalt die in all things, and thou shalt lame no more; for the dead are never lame. And if thou hast this rod, thou hast no need of a gatekeeper: with this rod thou shalt drive away not only the dogs, but also the chief of the beasts, the roaring lion. And Jacob said, "With this rod the Jordan hath crossed" (Gen. 32:10), and again, "Bow down on the top of his rod" (Hebrews 11:21). And Moses performed miracles with a rod (cf. Exodus 7:9); Whoever is nailed to this cross is completely healed of the flowing phlegm; For he who dies dies to sin. What can we expect after this? "A three-day resurrection alone: it is enough for the crucified to be resurrected with Jesus. Concerning the week (I will say): There will be various sorrows and troubles. And by the naming of the mountains to which you have mentioned, we must understand the Holy Mary the Mother of God and the other saints who will live in those times and who firmly preserve the seal of the Son of God; for he saves many for their sake. To him be the glory for ever, amen.

153. (The question) is the same, similar (to the previous ones).

O indivisible Trinity, do not be separated from us: out of the mouth of the babe and of those who suck Thou hast made praise (Ps. 8:3). My good father! You, as a true disciple of a true Physician, have given me cures and remedies. But even the first cauterization has penetrated through my heart, and I can't stand the pain. Thou hast written unto me to sing, I am a worm, and not a man" (Ps. 21:7), and indeed I sing, and worship, and praise, and exalt for ever, but I dare not say that I am a worm and not a man, for I am a man stung by a corruptible worm. What is the power of this Imperishable Worm? This Worm (so called Himself in humility) came for my sake, that He might deliver me from the corruptible worm that corrupted the human race. And as this corruptible worm, smouldering and smoldering, enters into sores and produces putrefaction and stench, so also came this Imperishable Worm, of Whom it is said: "I am a worm, and not a man" (Ps. 21:7). And as that worm enters into the plagues, so the Imperishable Worm came down into the pit of the earth, and from there began to corrupt all the wickedness of the old worm. And having thus cleansed, He raised them all up, and He Himself remained incorruptible. It was this Worm who cleansed Job from the corruptible worm, and said to him, "Arise, gird thy loins as a man" (Job 38:3). This Worm, hanging on a tree, attracted the serpent with a fishing rod. To this Worm all things are subjected, except Him Who subjected all things to Him: for thou shalt subdue all things under His nose (1 Corinthians 15:27). The corruptible worm corrupts all things, and there is nothing left on the earth that it does not destroy, neither wood, nor food, nor earth, nor body, except salt and oil. What is salt and oil? "The Father, Who subjected all things to Him, Who salted His creation with His mercy, and gave salt to the Apostles, may they salt the world, so that from the stench of idols men may pass into the good stench of our true God." Amen.

What is the power of mustard, that (the Lord) likened the kingdom of heaven to it, and not to an olive tree, a date, or one of the great trees, but to it, the smallest? For it is very corrosive, and it constricts our hearts. Yes, my father, pray to the Lord, that He may show us the mystery of this (parable), I mean the worm and the mustard, that we also may glorify the Father and the Son with the Holy Spirit forever, amen.

My father! Thou hast reminded me of the past, and I have not forgotten it, but I always remember that in which the enemy did not succeed, but only raged when he saw the fruit that was in this place; Your patience and God's love for mankind did not allow his evil will to be fulfilled, and we still exist, glorifying God. Thou hast told me that I repent after I have done; About! If only he had repented, though after, and not remained in it to the end. And as thou hast said, that he that hath been caught by robbers, and that hath been stolen, hath nothing to give to another, therefore I also, who hunger, beseech you, to give me of your morsels, that I also, like a dog from the table, may receive food from you who have it. And as thou hast said that pride and pretence have grown old with me, pray that they may forsake me. Amen.

Answer Varsonuphia. David declared, "I have stinked and bent my wounds from the face of my folly" (Ps. 37:6). Madness, then, is the receptacle of all evil; Foolishness bringeth forth disobedience, and disobedience hath bred a plague; After the plague, the same madness gave birth to negligence, and negligence produced putrefaction and stench, and the accursed flesh was covered with worms, and was corrupted. And the corrupt one was cast out into the sea, and became the food of the great fish, and remained in its womb, until the Worm of Heaven came. And when he had been taken to the ouda of the cross, he came down into the belly of the fish, and through its mouth together with its womb he brought forth the food which it had swallowed, and having taken on the flesh, he anointed it with oil, and washed it with water, and baked it with fire, for it is said, "By him ye baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire" (Luke 3:16), and fed it with bread, and made it glad with wine, and salted it, and delivered it from corruption. To this he added mustard, which holds back corruption, and compresses the nostrils of the serpent, that he may not smell the flesh, and darkens his eyes, that he may not behold the perfection of its humility. Knowing all these things, let us not despise his admonition; Let not that which was said be fulfilled upon us: If salt be salted, what shall it be salted? (Matt. 5:13). And what is the disadvantage of this? "Is it not only that he is mad in his heart, 'There is no God' (Ps. 13:1)? If you haven't forgotten the former, you know the latter; Hearken unto Him who said, Thou knowest the will of thy master, and thou shalt not... having created... There will be many bienas (Luke 12:47). If, in knowing, we speak and are careless, then the woe that awaits those who sin in knowledge is not far from us. If, following the example of Abraham and Job, we think that we are earth and ashes (Gen. 18:27; cf. Job 42:6), we will never be robbed; but we will always have something to give to others: not gold and silver, but an example of humility, patience, and love for God. To him be the glory for ever, amen.

154. The same one, eating (only) bread, asked the same Great Elder about the use of food.

Answer. Rejoice, brother, in the Lord. Pray God to give me perfect patience, for I begin a work and do not finish it, but as soon as I have established a rule, I begin to waver; But I desire to make a beginning and come to an end, hearing the Apostle who speaks of the beginning and the end: "For he that hath begun a good work shall do good in you, even unto the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). And though I, who am to be pitied, do nothing pleasing to God, yet at thy command I give thee counsel as a brother; if thou canst, eat four laitin [53] a week; and on Sunday, because of bodily infirmity, soup, or hot food. I think it is good for you to partake of this; or perhaps I speak so unwisely, I do not know; For he who does not know how to govern himself, how can he govern others? Forgive me, brother, I should have asked you to make a rule for me, but my pride, the root of all evil, does not yet allow me to do so. Pray, brother, that we may walk the path that lies before us, for it is full of troubles and dangers, and I, as a fool, laugh and despise them. However, I do not cease to hope, having a merciful and gracious Lord. For the sake of love, therefore, give me thy hand, and draw me unto him, and through thee he shall save me also, who am cursed. To Him be the glory for ever, amen.

155. The same (brother), not following the advice given to him by the Elder concerning food, asked the same question a second time. The elder answered him as follows:

Brother! Hast thou not rejected my words, that thou hast found me obedient to thy love? However, even in the fact that my words have remained fruitless, it is not your fault, but mine: they are not the fruit of sweat, and therefore have no force. "Whoever inquires and disobeys (the fathers) provokes God; The question will be followed by the envy of the enemy, and we have not yet learned the tricks of the demons. The Apostle preaches incessantly, saying, "For we do not understand his designs" (2 Corinthians 2:11). Be of good cheer, my brother! If I did not consider you to be of one accord to me, for the love of Christ, I could not give you an answer, because, as I said before, I have not yet attained such a measure. But since God has bound me to thy love, I say again senselessly, Be content with four laitins during the week, as I told you, and on the Sunday you shall eat either one pottage or hot food because you are not infirm. But think not in your heart that I have given you a commandment: it is not a commandment, but a brotherly counsel. The field is open: "Come, that ye may comprehend" (1 Corinthians 9:24), for we are perishable people and of little time on earth, that we may find mercy in this terrible and terrible hour in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory for ever, amen.

Answer 156, by the same Great Elder, which also explains the force of the previous answer.

Brother! What shall I say to you, who have done nothing at all? Though thou sayest that thou hast done and are doing, yet I remember nothing of myself, except that I always anger God by my works, and therefore I expect nothing from my works; I hope to be saved for His love for mankind, for He died for the salvation of sinners. And I abide in my cell in His name, until He comes by Himself, and says unto me, What wilt thou do? Then I will say with the blind man, "Lord, that I may see" (Luke 18:41). And if he had, he would not have dared to speak of them, for fear of the condemnation which befell the Pharisee. But I say unto thee, brother, that all my life and hope is centered in Him: day and night I beseech Him to grant me purification from manifest and hidden passions. What do we dare to say about the works of our righteousness, [54] when we hear: "Let every mouth be stopped" (Rom. 3:19), etc., and again: "Glory, let him glory in the Lord" (2 Cor. 10:17)? Blessed is he who has been cleansed from anger and other passions, who has kept all the commandments, and who says, "Be a servant who is not a slave" (Luke 17:10). But if we do one good deed and destroy it with another, what is the use of building up and destroying every day? He that despiseth glory and dishonour alike can be saved in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory, amen. Commit me to the Lord and be silent with hope, praying for me, cursed and humble.

157. A question of the same to the same Great Elder. My father! Pray for me, I am weary of toil. Before I asked your advice, if I undertook a task that was within my power, I did it without difficulty; And ever since you gave me advice, I've been working myself to the point of exhaustion. And before this I wrote to thee, asking thy counsel, but thou didst think me to be of high wisdom, and reminded me of the Pharisee, and I told thee these things, my father, not out of high wisdom, but out of necessity. Please pray that the Lord will reveal to you what is in me.

Answer of the Great Elder. Brother! The Divine Scripture says: "Do all things with counsel, and do nothing without counsel" (Sir. 32:21). "When you did not according to advice, but of your own free will, you did not work wisely; For there is no one who has no need of a counsellor but Himself who created wisdom. "And when thou hast made up thy mind, according to God, to cut off thy will, to come to humility, and to accept thy least brother as a counsellor, thou hast thereby envied the hater of good, the demon who always harbors envy against all. Do you see the obstinacy of the enemy? I did not prescribe anything to you of my own accord, but you begged me, and I advised you as a brother. "But when you heard, you left (the advice unobeyed) and asked me a second time, and I reminded you of the Pharisee. for he also said with self-boasting what he said. Thou hast sought a testimony,[55] and this is nothing but arrogance of wisdom. Be attentive and you will see truly that as soon as you make a beginning, the enemy immediately presents you with a plausible pretext, and you ruin what you have begun; — again you believe, and you destroy even sooner, and do not remember that he who endures to the end will be saved (Mark 13:13), and he who begins a good work in you will do it even to the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6). If you do as you have done (hitherto); It is comforting to you, I do not grieve over it; For I do not want to be anyone's Abba or teacher, remembering the Apostolic rebuke: "Teaching another, teach thyself not" (Rom. 2:21). Brother! It is the business of those who are saved to thin their souls like a spider's web. Therefore, much patience is needed, until through many tribulations we enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22) in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen. Forgive me, brother, and pray for me.