158. A question of the same to the same Great Elder. Jesus, who sought the lost sheep, teach us also how to seek the Shepherd. Father, I want to ask you one word. The Scripture says: "Seek ye the Lord, and be strong, seek His face" (Ps. 104:4). How can a sinful person seek the Lord's removal? Teach us, for the sake of Him who made you wise, how to understand these words, that we also may always seek the face of the Lord. To him be the glory for ever, amen.

Answer. Brother Euthymius! I beseech thy love to assist me in my prayer to God, the lover of mankind; for thy love beseecheth me to write unto thee concerning the search of the Shepherd. From the first day until now, I have prayed to God for your petition, and He answers me: "Cleanse your heart from the thoughts of the old man, and I will fulfill your requests; For my gifts are contained only in the pure, and are given to them. But as long as your heart is moved by anger, resentment, and similar passions of the old man, wisdom will not enter into it. If you desire My gifts, cast out from yourself the vessels of the alien (passion), and My gifts will enter into you of their own accord. Have you not heard that a servant cannot work for two masters (Matt. 6:24)? If you serve me, it is not the devil; but if it be him, then thou dost no longer serve me. Whoever wishes to be vouchsafed My gifts, let him consider My footsteps: as a gentle lamb, I endured all sufferings, not contradicting anything (cf. Acts 8:32), and I commanded you to be gentle like doves (cf. Matt. 10:16), but instead you give yourself over to the ferocity of passions. Beware lest I say unto you, Walk in the light of your fire (Isaiah 50:11)." Hearing this, I give myself over to weeping and weeping, until His goodness is merciful to me, and delivers me from the fierce passions of the old man, that I may receive all that befalls me with much patience. but you know what makes patience, and the Apostle mentioned it (cf. Rom. 5:3). Pray therefore, my brother, that I may receive it, and, for the sake of love, rebuke me, if I transgress anything, that I may be reformed: for though I am foolish, yet I love those who teach and rebuke me, knowing that their teaching will serve for the salvation of my soul. Pray again that I may not fall into self-justification; for I grieve very much. "And forgive me for all that I always put you to work; but for this work there is a great reward in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory for ever, Amen.

Question 159, the same to the same Great Elder. My father! The labors that I give you, you have ascribed to yourself. Thus do the wise, not only to bear the burden of one neighbor, but to benefit the souls of many, and especially you, as a father, in Your much mercy, urge us to inquire about the way of life. Since the Lord has sent me refuge and refuge in you, I beseech you, have mercy, beseech the Lord to show me mercy and reveal to me even a little, for I myself do not know how I fall, and explain it to me as you explained before, that I may repent; And then, as one who has received my soul, show me the way by which I must go.

Answer. Brother! As to my own soul, I say unto thee; For the Lord hath bound thy soul unto mine, saying, Thou shalt not forsake him. It is not my business to teach you, but rather to learn from you: for I am afraid of him who said, 'When you teach another, do you not teach yourself' (Rom. 2:21). Thou sayest that a single wave is sufficient for the wise; But this was not enough for you, and you want to hear clearly. Know that if a fool sins in his word, all are forgiven; for he is foolish, and knoweth not what he speaketh. But if the wise one sins, he is not forgiven, for he is wise and has sinned in knowledge. Thus, if any of the brethren who are outside (silence) sin in the word, he deserves forgiveness, because he lives in the community of others; And if we are professed recluses and silent people, who have a good reputation among men, what forgiveness will we receive? And as thou wilt know plainly what is the matter, I say, Thou art in silence, as one who is dead to the world; How is it that when you enter into a conversation, you go from love and joy to irritation and resentment, and you blame your neighbor and not yourself? And not only do you not say that you are unworthy, but you consider yourself to be something; For on occasion you say, "Say that I have said this, and they will listen with pleasure." Who do you think you are, that your word will be gladly accepted? Or for the prophet Elijah? Reproach yourself and understand that everything that happens to you is not without the will of God: repose leads to thanksgiving, and sorrow leads to patience. Where is the word of the Scriptures, "For you will hear... If someone slaps you in the face, etc. (2 Corinthians 11:20)? That is why we are far from God. If thou wilt know the way, know that it consists in this: To receive the one who strikes as one who warms, the one who dishonors as one who glorifies, the one who annoys as one who honors him, and the one who comforts as one who comforts him; And if, by forgetfulness, or perhaps by will, they do not give thee that which is customary, do not grieve (for this), but, on the contrary, say, "If it had been the will of God, I would have received it." And when you receive it, receive it with a cheerful countenance, rejoicing, like Daniel, who, when the Lord visited him, said only, "For Thou hast remembered me, O God" (Dan. 14:38); And thou shalt say, God hath had mercy on me, who was unworthy. Consider yourself unworthy and forsake self-justification; but you, when you say something, say, "I have said well"; And if you comprehend anything with your mind, you say, "I have understood well, I have done this well, and I have done that well." Why don't we think about offending anyone, either in word or deed? And God will help us in everything. You were carried away by revealing your thoughts to the brethren in order to fulfill your will, insisting that your work be done without fail on the same day, and thus you wounded the thoughts of the younger brethren, who said: "Why does the elder not tolerate when there are still two days?" Have you ascended to heaven? (No, brother, I will simply tell you: By an untimely demand, by the action of the devil, you have wounded the thoughts of the brethren. From now on, leave the dead to bury their dead (Luke 9:60) and let us proclaim the Kingdom of God through Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory forever, amen.

160. (Petition) of the same to the Great Elder in the form of a prayer.

Life of the desperate! Do not despise me in despair. The manifestation of Thy words enlightens and instructs infants (Ps. 118:130). Holy! You said to me, "Purify yourself and cast out the old man." Can shaving purify itself? Or should the building decorate itself if the architect does not decorate it? Or can a pot made by a potter burn itself up, if he who made it does not put it into the fire and test whether it is fit for use? And Thou, O Holy One, if Thou wilt save Thy creation, send Thy Divine Fire, that it may burn the vessel that Thou hast made, that it may then receive oil from Thee and hold it within itself; for thine is glory and mercy for ever, amen.

Answer. Brother! Do not compel me to speak, who wish to remain silent and silent; but thou shalt strengthen thy heart in the Lord, and endure it steadfastly; For he who envied Adam in the beginning, and cast him out of Paradise, envies also our oneness of mind in Christ. But He Who said, "Thou hast seen Satan as a thunderbolt falling from heaven" (Luke 10:18), let him put an end to his schemes against us, and let him break his nets. Take heed lest he outwit thee in any way, lest thou be shaken, and forsake thy place, as he also outwitted Malchus; [56] For (the enemy) is greatly grieved against us; but if we humble ourselves, the Lord will take it away. Let us always blame ourselves: that is what victory is all about. And for the determination to retire into the wilderness, as the Fathers said, there are three conditions which, if one observes, he can live among men, in the wilderness, and wherever he goes, namely, to reproach himself, to leave his will behind him, and to regard himself as inferior to all creatures. Let it be known to your love that all the efforts of the devil are directed to separating us from one another; For he clearly sees that the word of the Scripture is fulfilled upon us: "Brother by brother we help, for the city is strong and hedged" (Prov. 18:19). May the Lord not allow him to do His will in us, but may He crush him, according to the true word of the Scriptures, under our feet soon (Rom. 16:20). Do not doubt; for I hope that we shall both be laid in the same tomb (as I have foretold thee). God has joined us together to benefit from one another, and these temptations are an example for the benefit and affirmation of many. Be silent, therefore, brother, and pray that we may go our way, that our days may not pass in vain: the time is at hand, and therefore the enemy is in a frenzy. God doesn't think your work is vain, not at all! But He Himself, Who desires to be saved by all men, and to come to the understanding of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4), wants you to attain perfection. He said through the Apostle: "Speak, for ye are slaves who are not slaves" (Luke 17:10). Let us hold fast to this, and the Lord will have mercy on us for the sake of his name, which is called upon us. To him be the glory for ever, amen.

161. The devil, out of his envy, seeing the usefulness of these answers, instilled in the thoughts of the questioning elder unbelief in the Great Elder, and the latter, having learned what was in his heart, declared to him the following:

Answer. First and foremost, I glorify the Holy and Consubstantial Trinity, saying: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages, Amen. It is not untimely that I begin my discourse with this doxology, but in order to show the demon, the hater of good, that in the dreams he imagines there is nothing like such a doxology, but only confusion, sorrow, and despondency. But let us pass, brother, to thanking God that He has delivered us from the great temptation that has come upon us as foolish, and that His love for mankind has not suffered us to perish completely; For He is always true, Who said, "As I live, saith the Lord Adonai, I desire not the death of a sinner, but to be converted. and I live to be unto him (Ezek. 33:11). Therefore, let us give unceasing thanks to Him Who has saved us and always Who saves us, Whom the Angels, the Most Mundane Powers, the heavenly Hosts, the Cherubim and the Seraphim thank, with the most glorious voices incessantly and silently crying out and proclaiming: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, and so forth (Isaiah 6:3). "When we know this, we will give thanks to Him Whose throne the heavens are, and the earth is the footstool (Isaiah 66:1), Whom all creation serves. "Let us also begin with this written transposition (of the Holy Trinity), and give thanks to the Father; For He has had mercy on the world, and it will not be spared to send His only begotten Son, the Saviour and Redeemer of our souls (Rom. 8:32). Let us give thanks to the Son; For He humbled Himself, being obedient even unto death, even the death of the cross (Phil. 2:8), for the sake of us men. Let us give thanks to the Holy and Life-giving Spirit, who spoke in the law, the prophets, and the teachers, who drew Peter to repentance, commanded him to go to Cornelius the Centurion (see Acts 10), glorified him (Peter), gave him the power to raise the dead, as (for example) Tabitha; The Spirit, who always warns and breaks the snares of enemies for those who call on Him, according to the prophecy of David, who says, "The snare is broken, and we are delivered by the ox." Our help is in the name of the Lord, who created heaven and earth (Ps. 123:7-8). Behold, he hath had mercy on us also, and hath healed us of this affliction; let us hear His words: "Behold, thou art well: wherefore sin thou shalt not, that thou mayest not be bitter" (John 5:14). In all cases, let us have recourse to humility; For he that is humble is on the ground, and he that lies on the ground, whither can he fall? Obviously, it is convenient for one who is at a height to fall. If we are converted and reformed, it is not from us, but a gift from God, for the Lord makes the blind wise (says the Scripture), the Lord raises up the cast down, and so on. (Ps. 145:8) And what is written to me (by you): "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ" (Rom. 8:35) is a word of great measure: "Behold, we almost broke off love, because we died and departed from the ship of Christ." But it is better for me not to break the seals, and not to talk too much; Someone urges me to do this, saying, "Where there are wise, do not be wise." So, I'll stop talking. I wrote to you as a sincere favorite of mine. By doing this, thou shalt attain that way which leadeth unto eternal life, in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom be glory and honour and dominion unto the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever, Amen.

162. Having received this, the elder gave himself over to weeping and tears for many days. Consoling him, the Great Elder wrote to him the following:

Brother! What has passed, let us leave behind, according to the words of the Apostle: "The ancient mimoidos, behold, all things were new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). With one accord let us harness ourselves to the good yoke of Christ and affirm ourselves in the love of Christ, for it is said: "God is love" (1 John 4:8). And if anyone says that he has love, let him have nothing that Christ hates; let us try to cleanse our hearts from the passions of the old man, which God hates: we are His temples, and God does not live in a temple defiled by passions. And so, let us enter and finish the short time of our silence (most of it has already passed), and let us pray that according to His will our life may be silent, to the glory of the Most-Pure and Holy Trinity. Enter (into silence); commit me also to God, and do not pester me with questions and letters; for henceforth I am abolished. I have sent Anal to thee, according to thy command; Knowing that I am nothing but earth and ashes, I sent not as worthy, for I am unclean and indebted in all things, but in order not to break the commandment, which says: "To everyone who asks of you, give it" (Luke 6:30), and for the love of Christ. Therefore, having received it, pray for me, and pray that our labor in Christ Jesus our Lord may not be in vain. To Him be the glory for ever, Amen.

163. A certain sick elder, named Andrew, was silent in the dormitory, explaining to the same Great Elder some of his secrets; at the same time he thanked him for having been vouchsafed to live near him, and (wrote) about his bodily illness.

Answer. If you truly believe that God has brought you here in every way, then leave it to Him to take care of you, cast all your cares on Him, and He will arrange everything that concerns you, as He pleases. But if you (yourself) begin to take care of any thing, or of bodily illness, or of spiritual passions, then you must also take care of everything as you know. When someone leaves everything to God and suffers a little sorrow, the double-mindedness constantly inspires him: "Perhaps if you had taken care of your body, you would not have endured such sorrow; and therefore whoever gives himself up to God, even unto death, must surrender to Him with all his heart. He knows better than we do what is good for us in soul and body, and as much as He allows you to grieve in the body, He will also give you relief from your sins. God does not require anything from you, except thanksgiving, patience and prayer for the forgiveness of sins. See, then, how proud I am: having been mocked by the demons, and thinking that I have love for God, I dare [57] to say to you: I am now taking upon myself half of your burden, and God will also help you in the future. I have said this unwisely, for I know that I am weak, powerless, and a stranger to every good deed, but my shamelessness does not allow me to despair; for I have a Lord who is compassionate, merciful, loving to mankind, and who stretches out his hand to the sinner to his last breath. Cleave to Him, and He will arrange everything better than we ask or think. To Him be the glory forever, Amen. Forgive me, brother, and pray for me.

164. Hearing from the Elder the words: "I take upon myself half of your burden," and grieving that he had not promised him perfect forgiveness, (Elder Andrew), begging and bowing to mercy (Barsanuphius), asked for the second time to grant him perfect forgiveness in Christ.