And you, clerics, be careful that you sing and read, not stealthily, not vainly, not only in order to learn to read, or to catch any utterance, or so that euphony is not lost in reading, but for the common good and for the benefit of your souls, so that you may all be one, having one mind and one will. And may the Lord and God of my father, Who made all things peaceful by the outpouring of His blood, grant you still greater unanimity in the truth of the Holy Spirit and in all good progress. For to Him is due all glory, honor, and worship forever and ever. Amen.

HOMILY 21: On Doing Good, and Abstaining from Contrary Things. To the Tripylian brethren

Brothers and fathers! At all times we see you in our humble souls, but now especially; for you are in great labor and bodily suffering, for the sake of the harvest time. May God strengthen you in the inner and outer man, so that you may endure everything that happens to you, visibly and invisibly; for there are many cases, and who can understand the wiles of the devil, the snares and temptations? But we beseech and beseech you: let us live in accordance with our order, so that, being outside the world, we do not do worldly things, and having escaped the deeds of the flesh, we do not live according to the flesh. And this is what happens to us, as you yourselves know; you know it, even if we don't tell you. For if we love pleasures and passions, if we fulfill our will, if we love primacy, if we argue for robes and clothes, for embroidery of cuckules, for icons, for paintings, and for other small and great things; then are we not carnal, and are we not our worldly life? No, no, my brethren, let us not humiliate our holy order with such ridiculous and childish deeds. The glory of a monk consists in dishonor, in order to be reproached and dishonored, and he endures reproach courageously for God's sake, and does not do anything worthy of reproach. But if anyone does that which is worthy of reproach, it is required at least that he should endure reproach; and to do and not to endure, this is not in accordance with anything.

Verily, it is great if, after departing from all this, one escapes the snares of the devil; and if he has this, then how can he not fall into the rapids and not be immersed in passions?

I beseech and beseech you, for the love of the Lord, have mercy on me, the accursed one, and do not commit me to eternal fire, lest I be condemned also for your evil life; on the contrary, by your good and virtuous life, deliver me from my sinful duty, and bring me from death to life. Observe what is prescribed by the rule, do not forget the commandments of the fathers, do not despise the words of the Saints; Do not be insensitive and completely deaf, as those who have damaged your hearing by sin, do not love the present blessings, so as not to be deprived of eternal ones. For He will come, my children, He Who wants to judge all will come, and will not delay, and before the general end will come a terrible angel who will separate the soul from the body; the year and the time of infirmity and death will come. A dying illness is terrible and incurable to such an extent that, not being able to endure it, we die. And what will happen in separation when the angels come? Which side will prevail over us? Here I will tell you a little story; although about a worldly person, I will tell you for the sake of benefit. It is said that when the famous Stavrakius began to die, he languished greatly at his very last breath, trembled, gnashed his teeth and cried out very terribly, saying: "Help, have mercy on me! Lord, have mercy! Oh, how many people come out of the sea, black, ugly, like demons, and come to me. And he was lying on the seashore. Many were there, but saw nothing; but he saw and understood – he who judged many. Who, then, as I have said, will be able to overcome us, the face of angels or demons? For we will be met immediately by those whom we have loved. If we have come to love virginity, obedience, humility and other virtues, we know that the angels will receive us; but if there is vanity, insolence, reproach, idle talk, laughter, pride, then without a doubt they are demons. For the passions are from demons, and the virtues are from angels. Who, then, can overcome my soul? Have mercy on me. Let us love all the virtues together, so that the angels may receive us, and they may prevail, and the demons will not conquer and take us. Woe, woe! It would be better for me not to be a monk, and it would be better for us not to be born at all; for the mighty shall be tormented more extensively (Wisdom Sol. 6:6), especially those who are in this rank, and especially if they are abbots or other superiors.

Do not be burdened with my word, for I do not try to terrify you beyond measure.

For by accepting penances, you become healthy again, and you will not be condemned in anything, neither before God nor before me; only obey your superiors, and the elders one to another. And the Lord of peace, because of the prayers of my father and your father, be with you, my beloved children, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 22: On the Cutting Off of Your Will. To the Sakkoudion brethren

Brother, child Sophrony! Carry out your service not slothfully, with diligence and thoroughness; it is always necessary to write to you about this and arouse your zeal. Be considerate of all, and lead your brotherhood. Observe and consider the deeds and life of each of them, how they live and how they behave, so that both we and those close to you may know that you live for the glory of God, according to the statutes and canons laid down by our Holy Fathers, according to the commandments of our humility and according to the existing rules. For in what place one lives in this way, and all this is observed, there God is pleased, there the light shines, there the world appears, there Satan has no place, from there the passions flee far away; and where there is no effort to do so, there is all the opposite: instead of good, there is evil, instead of light, darkness, instead of Christ, the devil. Therefore, be attentive and vigilant through confession, examine the hearts of the brethren, and being among them as an example, instruct them in every good work. Under the pretext of prayer, silence and reading, do not abandon the monastic affairs, so that they do not fall into disorder in relation to bodily needs; and on the contrary, through constant and constant exercise and concern for affairs, do not allow your mind to be immersed in them, and leave the memory of God and vision: such is the rule of piety. If you lead such a life, then in every way the brethren will imitate you, becoming like both in deeds and in life. For we did not become monks in order to eat, drink, and adorn ourselves, or this is not our salvation; and again, we have not taken on the monastic image, that we may not eat, clothe ourselves, or work, but that we may do both at a proper time, as the Apostle's word says: "Let all things be decently and according to order" (1 Corinthians 14:40): for the Apostle himself says that he never ate bread for nothing, but what was necessary for himself and for those which were with him, he obtained by the labor of his holy hands (2 Thessalonians 3:8. 20. 34). Do so, and abide in this. Do not be attentive to what needs to be corrected, so that through imaginary goodness the small things do not remain without reproof, and do not lead the brethren to greater evil. If anyone eats secretly, punish him; If anyone has anything as his own, even the smallest one, impose a penance on him. Doesn't want to work? Let him not eat. He distributes something without having the power to do so, whether it be food or drink, or exchanges it for something else? Punish him. Slander or steal? Drive him out of the gate, as the rules dictate. And you, children and brethren, hearing this, do not consider it cruel, and do not think that I say this out of hardness of heart, but out of fatherly love and condolences for the salvation of your souls. Of this we must be aware; and great condemnation will fall on our head, if we do not tell you this, if we do not strengthen you and teach you; for even a good father's duty not to leave his children unpunished, but by small threats and reproaches leads them to the enjoyment of eternal life. Eli, according to the testimony of the Scriptures, was reproached and hated like a father, because he did not admonish with threats and did not punish his sons, who broke the law, as he should. For this one fault, he died together with his sons. Therefore, stand bravely in your asceticism, each in his own service, in every good deed, so that your other virtues may be joined to your bodily labors. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ always be with you, my most honorable brethren. Amen.

HOMILY 23: On Love from the Bottom of My Heart

Brethren, my beloved fathers and children! Truly, you know that I do not only day or night, or at any appointed hour, but always ask and pray to God, that He, through the prayer of my father and your father, may preserve you in all things from harm and stumbling. This is my sorrow, this is my work and my care, even more – this is my life and death, this is my wealth and glory, my joy and sorrow. I care for nothing else, my children, and I desire nothing else than to acquire you, and to bring you to perfection, and to present you to the living God as a pure and blameless sacrifice. Love me, my children, as I also loved you, and lay down my life for you, although I am a sinner; for you are my desire, my pleasure, and my lust. Do not think that these are only idle words; but believe me, that as the word is, so is (the feeling for you) of my foul and unclean heart. Remember all this, and keep it in your hearts as best you can. Strive, my children, and walk your spiritual path, fixing the eyes of your thoughts on sorrow, looking to the heavenly and imagining the eternal; contemplating how and when, in winter or summer, day or night, in youth or in old age, in this summer or in the future, death will come, those who separate the soul from the body will come, the rival will overtake us, our deeds and words will be tortured, there will be our victory or defeat. By asserting yourselves in this way, you will not be inclined to sin and will not fall into the pit of iniquity, but you will see the blessings of the highest Jerusalem all the days of eternal life.

Likewise, do not ignore bodily actions; Be thorough in both. Sing praises to God with your lips, speak the truth with your tongue; do with your hands what is in proportion to your strength, and walk with your feet in the way of peace; let your whole body be holy, and let your members be the rods of Christ. For if I make the rods of Christ the rods of the harlot, let it not be (1 Corinthians 6:15). Therefore flee from fornication, lest any one be wounded, lest any one be defiled, especially now in summer, whether under a shady tree, or in a hidden place. The eyes of the Lord, as the Divine Scripture says, are thus brighter than the sun, seeing all the ways of men, and discerning in secret places. (Sir. 23:2, 28). When conversing or sitting, do not laugh shamelessly, and do not sit close to each other, so that the body warms from the body. Do not satiate the belly; I do not advise the healthy to drink wine, but only in weakness and sickness. Inner disturbances are sufficient, natural fire is sufficient, and the flame of bodily excitement is sufficient. And if thou add fire of wine also, it shall be kindled and burn thee; for the flesh cannot endure this, but is stirred up, inflamed, and seeks that which is akin to itself, and being stirred up, it rushes to the works of darkness. Wherefore each of them is kindled by lust for his neighbor; And what happens from them is shameful and speaks. And those who undergo this acquire bestial aspirations, are like dumb animals and are likened to senseless cattle. But I have not yet spoken of that most evil passion which occurs alone and commits fornication without another body. Be attentive, my children; behold, I speak to you beforehand, I confirm you beforehand, I foretell and foretell. God has appointed the day of judgment, on which He will judge those who do such works, and will deliver them over with demons to eternal torment. Precede the Lord in confession: reveal to me what the devil inspires you; do everything decently; Sleep moderately: during the short time of the church service, be awake, and in general confess and correct yourself more and more often. And if the Lord finds you who do these things, blessed are you: He will give you an everlasting kingdom. May the Lord God preserve you, my most honorable brethren, in peace and unanimity, for to Him is due glory forever. Amen.

SERMON 24: On the Pastoral Care of Christ's Verbal Sheep

Brothers and fathers! Can a helmsman be calm when he is at sea, steering a ship and watching the winds, or a good shepherd when he sees wolves coming to steal sheep? By no means; but both are watchful, and attentive, and watch and watch, and walk round and forth, to save the ship from the waves, and the sheep from the wolves. Thus the leader of souls and the shepherd of the verbal sheep work, and even more so, how much higher is his superiority, and the more important is the loss or salvation. For this reason I, too, humble, tremble, fear, groan and grieve, seeing the difficulty of being abbot and the inconvenience of correcting my duty. For in truth it is difficult to be a guide of souls and to instruct people. What happens to us every day, you know, even if you do not speak of it: for how can you not see in the community the storm that arises, and the rocks in the depths, when the winds of wickedness blow, and disorder is raised up in the brotherhood through the madest, the negligent, and the laziest? If a man becomes not diligent in his service, in obedience, unyielding to obedience, self-willed and insubordinate, and through the assistance of demons finds a place and time convenient for his apostasy, for the prince of this world fulfills the desires of those who submit to him, then, having come to such a state, he makes not only himself, but also another brother an apostate. Oh, trouble, trouble!