My fathers, brethren and children!

I lie for the sake of sickness, and I cannot stand before your face and teach you with my insignificant word. But if you are healthy and strong in soul and body, I do not feel sickness, and I do not grieve at all; For you are my children, in truth my health and joy, my repose and my crown. With you I have a happy life and prosperity, feast and praise, wealth and pleasure, joy and joy. And if you were subject to spiritual ailments, which should not happen, then this would cause me illness and contrition.

Then the blessed voice of the Lord will be heard by those who worthily accomplished their podvig, who desired nothing from this world and were not deceived by its vanity. For then, it is said, the righteous will shine like the sun (Matt. 13:41), when they come from the east and the west, and from the north and the sea, and sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Hakov (Matt. 8:11), in inexpressible joy, when our King and Lord will divide His gifts according to the merits of each.

Woe, woe, my brethren and children! What glory will the blessed novices inherit! Truly, everyone in what order has pleased God, in that he will receive blessings. Though great in the sight of God are those who served Him in the mountains, and in caves, and in the abysses of the earth, stylites, hermits, and in every other way of life who glorified God, nevertheless know, my beloved and longed-for brethren, that when our Lord Jesus Christ, the divider of innumerable blessings, came to earth, He did not choose a wilderness or stylite life, but an image and rule of obedience. For He Himself says: "As I came down from heaven, I do not My will, but the will of Him that sent Me" (John 6:38), and yet I do not speak of Himself nothing, but the Father who sent Me, "To Him will I give a commandment, as a river, and as I shall speak" (John 12:49). Honey mushrooms girded with ribbons. He took the form of a servant, washed the disciples' feet and wiped them with lenticum. And in another place he said: I am in the midst of you, as you serve. (Luke 22:27). And so, my children and brethren, as you see, the Lord has chosen our life in preference, a life in obedience, and not any other of all the others. How can you not rejoice? How not to have fun? How can you not be filled with joy and gladness, that you also live in the likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ? Is there anything more blessed for you than this? Or will you be surprised at any other way of life? Therefore, do not please any other life than ours, if only you spend it correctly. Therefore, as it is narrated in the Patericon about the three images of monasticism: the hermit, the sick, and the novice, was not seen in the revelation a novice with a crown brighter than the rest? To her, verily I say to you, my brethren, great is our way of life and holy; and in every way, if you worthily perform it, then without a doubt you will be glorified with Abraham, you will rejoice with the martyrs, and you will dwell with the righteous.

Therefore, make the course with diligence; anoint your feet with the oil of patience, so that your spiritual veins may be warmed, and you may receive strength for further flow. Put on the garment of righteousness and joy, drink the water of virginity and chastity. Do not say, How long? This is the word of the lazy. We don't live for a thousand years. Grief! In ancient times they lived for nine hundred, seven hundred, and a hundred years, as, for example, Enoch, Noah, Abel, Abraham, Job, and others, who pleased God; and in our time it is even more, if someone lived seventy years, as David says: "The days of our years are seventy years or eighty" (Psalm 89:10); It is around these numbers that our life ends. And now I see that even little children and infants die before they come of age and choose any kind of residence. So we, children, will die today or tomorrow. Remembering this every day, we do well, spending our lives according to the spiritual law. And so our fathers lived their short days. Therefore, may there be among us, through the holy prayer of our father, mercy, peace, love, non-envy, non-jealousy, non-acquisitiveness, obedience, good words, concord, compassion for one another, humility; Thus abide, thus live, praying also for my humility, so that I may not be cast into the unquenchable fire. O that we may all be delivered from it and be worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to Whom all glory is due with the Father and the Holy Spirit. By the Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 30: On Pernicious Insolence

My spiritual children and most honorable brethren! I am not slothful to speak to you often, and to confirm you with the words of truth, lest any of you, through ignorance or negligence, be wounded in any way by the sting of death, that is, by sin, transgressed the commandments, or done anything that was not proper, all the more so since the wicked Satan finds a place elsewhere even when I am doing my work. And for all your sins, no matter how you sin, I, the most accursed, must give an account on the day of justice and revelation to the Lord God, unless I warn you, if I do not confirm and teach you beforehand. Woe is me! I am in the rank of shepherd, whereas I would not be worthy to be called a sheep.

What will I answer? How will I justify myself? I am darkness myself, but I am trying to enlighten others, I am myself in the sores of passions, but I want to heal the sick. But for the sake of love for you and for the sake of my father's command, I alone want to suffer, if only you might avoid harm. For I think every day, my brethren, and consider what the judgment seat of God is, and how God seeks that man, and especially the minister of the word, should be whole and perfect in every virtue. So, what should I do? Who to contact? Who to call for help? There remains only one thing, that through the prayers of our lord and father, you also support me with your prayers, so that, strengthened by them, I may instruct you as you should, strive against your passions, and succeed in fulfilling the will of God. The Kingdom of Heaven is before us, my brethren, let us exalt it by the fulfillment of the commandments, let us not love pleasure, let us not be lazy, let us withdraw from the world and the things in the world, let us rise above the storm of passions, let us rise above the spirits of evil, let us save ourselves in the quiet refuge of eternal life. What sorrowful torment awaits the lazy! As there is rage and wrath upon every soul that does evil, every monk and Christian, and more so on a monk, for the more we are honored, so much will the purity of our life be required of us. Sorrow is temporary, from compulsion, but from this pleasure is eternal. And so, let us accustom ourselves to good, forcing ourselves in everything, in eating, in sleep, and in anger, and in sinful thoughts, and in everything else. If we work and force ourselves in this way, then God will strengthen us, and the path of virtue will be smooth and smooth for us. But sin is heavy, full of rapids, sorrowful, dark, abominable, and pernicious.

Therefore, listen to me, my children: let us walk the sorrowful and at the same time without sorrow, narrow and at the same time joyful path of God. Do not give yourselves over to weakness in your vigils. Have patience, good humor, and love for the brethren. Audacity is a great evil and a deadly deed; And if anyone is not attentive, he will immediately be overwhelmed and broken: the many-wielding devil with the arrows of his evil snares wounds our souls, showing the beautiful faces of the young, and with voluptuous laughter arouses impure desires in them, inflaming passions on both sides and plunging them into confusion of thoughts. When he arouses impure love in one, then he tries to deceive the other to mutual love, for whom he has a passion; and then, attracted to one another by gazing and glances and unclean touches,[36] they kindle the furnace of voluptuousness. And if God does not help them soon, and there is no paternal protection, so that they may know such temptations and depart from one another, then they are exposed to the destruction of the burning of Sodom and the consumption of Gomorrah. But let us all flee from this. I am the first, who was tempted before the others, I give my hand to you who are tempted. A great help in this is the guarding of the eyes and sincere confession.

Let us not be shameless even with ourselves, for here too there is death, of which the ignorant do not need to know. However, all must guard themselves, so that he who does not know this evil does not fall into the pit of destruction through ignorance. Those who have stumbled understand what I am talking about. Do not touch or approach some of your limbs, and do not look at your nakedness, lest you be cursed by Canaan. This great pillar, as Anthony the Great said, which fell in the wilderness, was conquered by no other sin than this, although the all-wise did not explain the manner of the fall; for fornication can be without touching the body of another. Reverently guard yourselves in all your actions, so that you will not be subjected to death in any way. Do not leave strict attention to yourself even in the very fulfillment of bodily needs; and when you give out urine, chastely observe both sight and touch. O accursed man! Or do you not know what the Apostle says about this: Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Romans 7:24). Thou dwellest with the beast, with the fierce lion thy flesh; If you do not raise a sword against him, he will kidnap you and kill you. Is it ever possible to touch a serpent and touch it with your hands? You can hardly remain unharmed, standing among swords and spears. Have mercy on me, my children and brethren, have mercy on me, and do not put another fire on my head beyond my innumerable evils. On the contrary, by your good diligence destroy the evil that is against me; for it is said in the Scriptures: "A wise son rejoiceth his father" (Proverbs 10:1), and corrects his foolishness. It is necessary to talk about this, to instruct one another, and to help one another in what we sin, and secretly; let us reveal this; let us not be ashamed of the explanation; for it is better to utter shameful things than to do them. From this comes great strength and victory over the devil. Do not weaken in your obediences: take courage in your deeds, bear one another's burdens in joyful hope and in piety of spiritual joy; Grow and be strong every day, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom is due glory forever and ever. Amen.

HOMILY 31: On the Snares of the Evil Demons, and on the Retribution That Is Set to Them, Who Carefully Perform Their Service

My fathers, brethren and children! The duty of superiorship compels me to proclaim to you daily the way of God: for the priest and teacher, according to the Scriptures, is an angel of God Almighty, and God will seek the law from his mouth to those who are subject to him (Malachi 2:7). And I'm accursed, I'm lazy and don't dare to speak. For I have a defiled heart and unclean lips, whereas I live among holy people, and even more, I am the abbot over them. However, the love of God draws me away, and I now teach you, now confirm you in what I myself have been tempted, now I converse with you brotherly, now I teach you as sons; and I also confess that I am your most useless child.

Wherefore, therefore, my most honorable brethren, shall we correct our path? When we keep the words of the Lord and the destinies of His righteousness. We have a great and unceasing battle with the world-keepers of the darkness of this world, and their bitterness against us is great, as Climacus writes (Step. 4, ed. 35. Step. 26, otd. 126). For they trouble us, stir us up, stir up lust in us, produce voluptuous movements [37], and kindle the fire of lusts (but especially in the young) and burn them; their malice is diverse, their food and drink are deadly. If a humble person is caught by one thing, from his own inattention, or envy equal to murder, or love of glory, or secret poisoning, or sinful thoughts, and agreement with thoughts, — for even from this alone the soul can descend into hell; — or if someone is caught by any of the devil's suggestions, then he is alienated from God and the kingdom of heaven, deprived of eternal life, loses endless joy, on the contrary, inherits the unquenchable fire, the worms that never sleep, the dark Tartarus, and the place with demons.

But let no such thing befall you, my brethren. Let us flee from the snares of the devil, let us courageously fight against him, let us endure the fire of lust, and it will undoubtedly be extinguished. For God's all-powerful help will not leave us to be scorched for a long time, but we will soon enter into the coolness and dew of purity, singing praises to God with the holy youths. If envy also fights against us, let us also arm ourselves against it; after a short temptation it will pass; he will stay, perhaps, for one hour, or three, or maybe for two days; And let it be destroyed on our couch: for all that we have thought in our hearts all day, let us learn to destroy in our couches. Fight as a soldier of Christ, so that you may be crowned, and not be tormented. Are you hurt? But thou hast wounded thy enemies also. Thou hast fallen, (what shall not be)? Get up quickly. Have you been carried away by the word into transgression of the law, have you suffered temptation from the eyes, or the captivity of the mind, or have you been caught by laughter? Turn again, mend thyself, repent, give glory to God, confess, pour out warm tears from the heart, groan from the depths of thy heart, mourn and lament, be contrite, humble thyself. And this is the healing of the soul; for it is said: "When thou returnest breathless, then shalt thou be saved, and understand where thou wast" (Isaiah 30:15). And: "Yet saith thee, saith thee, behold, I have come" (Isaiah 58:9). And again it is said: "Thou shalt be grieved, and go away decrepit, in thy ways, and thou hast seen his ways, and hast healed him" (Isaiah 57:17).