Eldership as a method of spiritual guidance is based primarily on the Holy Scriptures. The obedience and humility of the Son of God is inherent in the Divine Trinity Itself. Our Lord and God Jesus Christ said to His disciples, "I came down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (Jn. 6. 38); My teaching is not Mine, but Him who sent Me (Jn. 7. 16); I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true (John 7:28); I have kept My Father's commandments, and I abide in His love (Jn. 15. 10).

And the Holy Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians: He... humbled Himself, being obedient even unto death, even the death of the cross (Phil. 2. 6, 8).

This spirit of obedience is also characteristic of the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, that is, the Holy Spirit. The Saviour said of Him: "Whom the Father will send in My name" (John 14:26). And further: When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak of Himself, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare things to you (Jn. 16. 13).

Thus, the two Persons of the Holy Trinity – the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, Who are one Being with the Father and have the same dignity and glory with Him – are nevertheless subordinate to the Father, the Almighty.

According to the religious views of the elders, who rely on the teaching of St. Dionysius the Areopagite ("On the Heavenly Hierarchy" and "On the Church Hierarchy"), the spirit of obedience is inherent in all creation. The Father is the only Creator of all things visible and invisible, forming a hierarchy of steps,

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As the Holy Apostle Paul said: "By Him were created all things, both in heaven and in the world, visible and invisible: whether thrones, lordships, principalities, or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him" (Col. 1. 16). And the earthly, "militant" Church is characterized, as a cornerstone, by the spirit of hierarchical order. Just as sheep cannot be without a shepherd, so everyone who wants to be saved must have a guide on the path of his salvation, whose constant help and constant presence will facilitate and ensure his correct ascent up the ladder to the Kingdom of Heaven.

For the Church Fathers and the ancient ascetics, our earthly life is nothing but a preparation for eternal life, for deification, and the means for this are given to us in ascetic exercises. Among the spiritual deeds that lead us up the steps, along the "ladder to paradise," the fathers of the ancient Church first of all proposed obedience. The very idea of spiritual guidance becomes effective and fruitful through obedience. John Climacus (f circa 650) placed his "Ladder to Paradise" on the fourth step obedience, which he defined as "burial of the will", "voluntary death", and in the highest form – "obedience unto death". "Indeed, the disciple of obedience," he says, "even if he can raise the dead, even if he has the gift of tears, always knows that this is not his merits, but his teachers."

St. Basil the Great (f 379), priest. Ephraim the Syrian (f 373) and St. 11 of Sinai (t 453) in their writings also pay special attention to spiritual guidance. "The real and perfect obedience of the subordinate to the leader," writes St. Basil the Great, "is expressed in the fact that, after the advice of the leader, one should not only refrain from all the games of the leader, but also not do anything good of one's own free will." St. Basil also says the following: "With great care and reflection, try to find someone who flawlessly walks his path of life, who is able to understand those who strive for God and who knows the Holy Scriptures deeply. And "just as God demands complete devotion from His servants, so the spiritual father demands from His subordinates, within the framework of the Law of God, obedience without November."

Pdp. St. Ephraim the Syrian, this "pillar of the Church" and "intercessor before the Holy Spirit," describes the mutual relationship between the elder and the subordinate as follows: "Brother! If any soul has trusted you, then you will drink your loins like a husband, for you are not going to an easy struggle, you have taken upon yourself the responsibility for another soul. Be also prudent in the highest steigia, for the matter requires great attention. Do not consider your work<>d" to be different, on the contrary, as leaders, we must live in all holiness with others... Elders should set an example for their subordinates in each parent. If we ourselves are dissolute, how can we teach obedience to our subordinates? If we ourselves are revelers, or drunkards, or misers, how can we then teach our subordinates temperance and patience? If we ourselves are imprudent, despondent, and irresolute, how can we teach our subordinates seriousness and constancy? Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ says: "Whoever does and teaches, the same is a great pair in the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matt. 5. 19).

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Concerning the fasting of one another we have the commandment of the Holy Spirit: "He who turns a sinner from his false way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins" (Jas. 5. 20). Beloved, we do not even dare to judge our elders, for it is written: "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matt. 7. 1). A little boy cannot take such big steps as a man. If you put a burden on a child that exceeds his strength, you will make him good for nothing. It is also necessary to guide a beginner wisely, so as not to destroy his soul. Remember often how you yourself were a subordinate and a novice, and lead your pet gradually, step by step, to the heights of asceticism! If, at the end of the all-night vigil and the established cell rule, you still want to be awake, and your subordinate wants to sleep a little, then give him rest, for, as I have already said, a child cannot walk with the same steps as adults. If he is of weak build, do not push him away from you, but sympathize with him with patience, as an understanding peasant takes care of a good plant. Use all possible diligence to present his body as a living sacrifice pleasing to God, so that you do not deserve condemnation with those of whom the Apostle said to have a form of godliness, but whose powers have been denied (cf. 2 Tim. 3. 5). Instruct your pupil in virtuous exercises, for it is written: "If thou shalt extract the precious from the insignificant, thou shalt be as my mouth" (Jer. 15. 19). If worldly educators use all their care for the education of a child's soul and do it for a salary received from parents, then how much more should perfect elders have patience when studying with the weak for the sake of the Lord... Those who pass from a vain and tedious worldly life to a lonely life should not be proud and arrogant, but should show meekness and humility, constantly remembering the mercy of God, which brought them out of this vain world, so that the words of the Psalm could not be applied to them: "A man in honor is not understanding, be gathered together with senseless beasts, and be made like them" (Psalm 48:13).

Thus, beloved, let us all serve the Lord with constant humility throughout our entire lives, so that the Lord, raising up the poor from the earth, and exalting the poor from festering (Ps. 112:7), He has settled us on earth, meek and humble, beholding the splendor of God, as it is written: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (Jas. 4. 6). To Him be the glory forever. Amen."

Hegumen Dorotheos (f 620), who himself went through a long school of ascetic obedience with Elder Serid, says in his remarkable spiritual conversations: "Just as two horses in one harness cannot move without the other, so obedience needs humility to be associated with it. In any case, the grace-filled height of the virtue of humility will not be attained if one does not cut off one's own will, entrusting oneself to a spiritual guide. We must not deviate from obedience to him and do everything with the conviction that through the spiritual father the will of God is fulfilled."