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).

You see what kind of God we have, how good He is, how merciful, how loving to mankind. For this is the cleansing of our sins (John 2:2); for our sake he became poor and suffered for our salvation; He was bruised, endured afflictions, was wounded, received reproach, was mocked, poured out His most holy blood, and by His wounds, as it is written, we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). Therefore, my brethren, come, let us draw near to Him, let us fall down before Him, and let us weep before Him, for He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand (Psalm 94:7). Today, if we hear His voice, let us not grieve Him, and let us not creep like the disobedient and murmuring, and let us not be slothful to go to the land of His promise, whither we will go by the narrow and sorrowful path, lest we leave the bones of our souls in the wilderness of torment. If they had then listened to Joshua their leader, and Caleb the son of Jephaniah, they would have inherited God's promises. And since they, through laziness and negligence, did not want to walk the difficult path and resist the pagans who resisted them, they were afraid, and those who had the invincible power of God that helped them, were consumed, and their memory perished completely.

So it will be with us now, if you do not listen to us unworthy and do not convert. Do not dwell in love of the flesh, thinking about the passion life of Egypt, and the servile service to this world, from which you have been freed by the grace and mercy of God. Stand zealously, with a warm heart; shod your feet for the preparation of the gospel of peace, wrapped in the breastplate of firm faith; arm yourselves with spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:13-15) and walk the path of thought; and let us overcome the alien and barbarian passions that beset us, and conquer them; let us mentally cross the Jordan with tears, and inherit that land in which immortal life flows, in which are the fruits of eternal blessings. With a meager and unworthy word, always, as now, I try to instill boldness in your souls, my brethren. But take into your hearts even this little that we have, and adding your good deeds to the poorest and most insignificant word, multiply it by thirty, sixty, and a hundred.

To her, I beseech you, my most honorable brethren, my heart, my crown, my praise, my chosen people, or rather, the chosen lot of God, the holy part, the royal priesthood; for even this I dare to come to this, and thus praise you; endure the labors of your life in the services entrusted to you. Cellarer! Work with joy; take courage, steward; strengthen the gardeners and gardeners; Be of good cheer, carpenters; be firm podkelari; be strong, millers, and always have God and our humility with you; Rejoice, cook, and calm my children with your labors. Rejoice, ruler, administrator of God's services; be attentive in your actions, do not grieve God, and treat all the brethren with great humility. Rejoice in the Lord, guardian of the sick with your helper. Be strong, scribes, laboring in calligraphy, for you are the scribes of the laws of God, and scribes of the words of the Spirit, handing down books not only to the present generations, but also to future generations; observe punctuation marks and evenness in letters, spelling, order and calligraphy. Sexton, kindler of the Divine lights, serve God with great humility, so that the church of God may be adorned by it. Bookkeeper, guard the holy books as the most sacred tablets of God, demanding from those who read them, if any of them puts the book in a book that is not as it should be, or dusty,[38] or damaged, or smeared through the negligence of the reader, and put them in the bookkeeper with care and in order. Guardian of the sacred vessels, with fear and trembling carry out the service entrusted to you: with clean hands and an undefiled soul, touch the holy thing, not in uncleanness, lest you be burned. Keeper of the fraternal junk, be successful with your co-workers, keep the fraternal garments, and distribute them to each according to decency, and as you are commanded. The vineyard keeper, the herdsman, the gatekeeper, the spender, the dyer, all of you rejoice and rejoice with me. All of you may be prosperous. Let no one murmur, grieve, or be proud against his brother, for such a man is hated both by the Lord and by men. Let no one do shameful deeds of soul and body: let no one eat in secret, lie, slander, or start an untimely dispute with anyone; let no one sit idle and invent excuses for sins; let him not be double-minded, slanderer, slanderer, troublemaker, talkative, hypocrite, brother-hater, stubborn and stubborn. On the contrary, all of you, my beloved children, carefully walk the path of God, and strive with diligence. Be simple, obedient, yielding, bowing your necks, obedient, affable, abhor insolence, love one another, and have no guile; so that in doing so and leading such a life, we may accomplish the podvig that lies before us, please God and enjoy the blessings of the future. O that we may all receive them through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, is due glory, dominion, honor, and worship forever. Amen.

HOMILY 32: On Being Satisfied with Little, and on Receiving into the Monastery the Youthful, the Crippled, and the Crippled

Fathers and brethren! It is my duty to always speak a word of edification to you. Present your rods, as the Apostle says, slaves to righteousness for holiness (Romans 6:19). Increase in divine wisdom; understand the important and angelic dignity of your honorable image, although you have already understood it, and in humility have completely surrendered yourselves to the Lord; endure daily sufferings both in spiritual and bodily matters, for both are equally useful, and one is connected with the other. One exercises in reading, another in prayer, another sits at needlework, and another works somewhere outside. One digs up the vines, another plows the ground, this one gathers alms, and this one does the carpenter's work, and no one remains idle, and no one is idle, but all work according to their strength. As for me, neither he who watches over those who enter the monastery, nor he who drives the birds from the fruit, does not seem to me to be a man unnecessary, for they also satisfy the needs of the whole body, and although in part, they nevertheless fulfill the place of a foot or a finger.

We are all like one soul and one will. This is how we should always be; And let no one, outwardly being in the midst of the brotherhood, cut himself off through his imprudence, but let him voluntarily labor together with the rest of the brethren. All of you sanctify your hands; for your labor, as a sacrifice and an offering, is lifted up to God. Or am I not telling the truth? For do we not eat the children whom we receive every day? Do you not feed the elders, do you not give the pilgrims bread and vegetables, a cup of cold water or wine, or anything else that is in the monastery? Do you not treat visiting friends, and do you not eat yourself? What is all this? Is this not an offering to God? For it is said in the Scriptures: "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice" (Matt. 9:13). Therefore you are merciful: if anything is given, I do not give it alone, but we give everything, whether it be silver, or clothing, or anything else; for you are my children and partakers in all things, both in soul and body. My heart burns for you, although I am a sinner; and ye are not narrowly contained (2 Corinthians 6:12) in my heart, though I am unworthy; However, I embrace each of you with spiritual love, I hold you in my bosom, and I wish to warm you and comfort you in every possible way. Let no one, therefore, oppose or despise another, not even the steward of the lowest of all. Whosoever resisteth his brother resisteth me, for I am in his person. Therefore, be peaceful, love one another and honor each other, help one another and have spiritual love. Lowly, honor your rulers as I am, and obey them in all things. And if anyone does not obey my word, he is not my child. Rejoice with spiritual consolations, church services, vigilantly and attentively, and with sacred prayers; Be comforted also bodily for the sake of the labors that occur. Fortify yourself with bread and boiled vegetables and a small amount of wine, however, this is only for the weak in stomach. And whoever loves abstinence, let him, thanking the Lord, abstain from it.

In the bright week, some people were cold to me that they should not drink wine. I replied that I allowed this to be done with reason. In general, now I command you: when it is customary to eat twice a day, be relieved of prostrations, and with regard to the hours of time (in the reception of food) [39]. Then, if anyone wishes, let him observe abstinence, except on Saturdays and Sundays, and be content with bread and water alone. But if he feels that he is faint, let him condescend to himself, and drink a little wine to strengthen himself, or let him eat twice a day. Let the infirm always drink, as well as those who are accustomed in the cities to a joyful life. Therefore, whoever drinks wine in weakness, let him not lose heart, but let him be strengthened by humility; likewise, let him not be arrogant, as if he were doing something great, for he will not set us before God (1 Corinthians 8:8), if we are vain. However, it is useful for the young to abstain from wine, if only one can abstain from it. Even we are commanded not to drink wine by the Divine Basil the Great [40], St. Mark and other Fathers; However, as we have already said, this applies to healthy people. But still, my children, it is better to abstain, and if you permit, then be content with one cup, or two, and let the cup contain four ounces. And whoever desires, let him always abstain from wine. Then may the glory and honor of heaven crown you, may the mercy, peace, and grace of God precede you, and thirdly, may the prayer of our Father seal you and preserve you unharmed.