Oh, blessed vision! with it, the criminal can bring true repentance for the crimes committed, propitiate the All-Merciful with abundant tears, humble words, exposing his sorrowful state, ask the lover of mankind God for forgiveness, and with him a multitude of priceless, eternal, spiritual gifts. The greatest success of a monk is to see and recognize himself as a sinner! The great success of a monk is to prove by all his activity a sincere and real recognition of himself as a sinner! "When the mind begins to see its sins, which are like the sand of the sea, then this serves as the beginning of the enlightenment of the soul and a sign of its health," said the Hieromartyr Peter of Damascus [1287]. Then the mind can see its sins when the grace of God touches it; darkened by the fall, he is not able to see them by himself. The sight of one's sins and sinfulness is a gift of God. The Holy Orthodox Church teaches her children to ask for this gift from God during fasting and kneeling, especially during the days of the Holy Forty Days. The gift of seeing one's sins, one's fall, and the communion of fallen man with the fallen angels was incomprehensibly abundant in the great venerable Fathers, and in spite of the multitude of spiritual gifts that clearly testified to their holiness, it stirred them up to unceasing repentance and weeping, to unceasing washing of themselves with tears. The sayings uttered by the Fathers from this state are incomprehensible to carnal minds. Thus, Pimen the Great said to the brethren who cohabited with him: "Brethren! Believe me: whither Satan is cast, there will I also be cast" [1288]. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted [1289], said the Lord!

Conclusion

On the Applicability of the Above Rules to the Situation of Modern Monasticism

Whoever attentively reads the writings of the Holy Fathers on monasticism will conveniently note that the Fathers composed their instructions, applying themselves to the circumstances of the time and to the situation of those monks to whom they devoted their work. For this reason, almost all the monastic writings of the Holy Fathers have their own special purpose, their one-sidedness. For this reason, even in the flourishing times of monasticism, it was impossible for each monk to apply to himself all that the Fathers wrote: all the more so is such an application impossible in our times, and many who have tried to make it have labored a great deal and have gained very little. Let us cite as an example the book of St. John of the Ladder. This saint of God wrote his writings for coenobitic monks, whose main virtue should be obedience; for this reason he speaks with caution, briefly and as if reluctantly about silence, protecting against untimely and improper entry into it, and speaks about obedience in great detail, praising and exalting this life.

It is obvious that a monk who spends his life outside the community should be confused and upset by the reading of the Holy Ladder: he will certainly imagine that there is no monastic progress outside of community life and obedience. Such an effect of this divinely inspired book is proved by experience: St. Anthony the New, who lived as a hermit in the deep wilderness, read the Ladder; as a result of this reading, he left the wilderness and entered a cenobitic monastery [1290]. It is not possible for everyone to change his external position! What is the result? A monk, remaining in his position out of necessity and having lost confidence in his position as inconvenient for salvation, falls into despondency, grows cold to monastic podvig and begins to lead a negligent life. In our time, when we are separated by many centuries from the customs and situation in the depths of which the Fathers lived and pronounced their teaching, the application of their teaching to the current situation of monasticism in our homeland seemed especially necessary and promising to be useful. That was the purpose of the counsel here proposed. We hope that they can serve as a guide for the monks of our time, according to the position that has been granted to them by God's Providence. We hope that our poor labor can be usefully applied both in coenobitic and regular monasteries, and to the life of a monk in a metochion or at a chapel, and to the life of a monk traveling on a ship according to the requirements and customs of the state, and to the life of a monk who is in long-term obedience in the midst of the world, and to the life of a monk tonsured into monasticism at a theological school. who occupies some scholarly or administrative position with him, even to the life of a layman, who would like to devote himself to his own salvation with special diligence in the midst of the world. The fulfillment of the Gospel commandments has always been and still is the essence of monastic work and life. Any place and position presents many conveniences for this work and podvig. Fraternity! Accept the spiritual offering, and do not condemn it for its poverty. The poverty of the offering testifies to the poverty of the property. By your faith and diligence make up for this poverty, and with prayers and blessing reward him who has labored for his own and your salvation.

The rich Householder gave a sumptuous dinner to His many friends and acquaintances, and to a multitude of those whom He wished to invite to dinner, to include them among His friends and acquaintances. An immeasurable number of spiritual viands of unimaginable and inconceivable dignity were present at the spiritual meal. At the end of it, the guests are generously gifted with spiritual gifts. When the invited dignitaries had left, the Householder looked through the gates of the palace and saw [1291] at these gates a crowd of hungry beggars, who would be glad to use the crumbs left over from the wonderful meal. The merciful Vladyka ordered the servants to stop, not to remove the table. He invited the beggars, despite the fact that the beggars were covered with dirt and rags that did not correspond to the splendor of the palace, and offered them the remains of viands. Timidly and in perplexity, the beggars went up into the vast hall, approached the table, stood around it as it happened, each took and used what fell into his possession. They picked up all the crumbs. Of course, none of them had tasted a single whole dish, had not seen the orderly service of the servants, nor had they seen the precious dishes and utensils that had been used at the table, nor had they heard the great choir of singers and the loud chorus of music, the sounds of which resounded the universe and ascended to heaven. For this reason, none of the beggars, although there were people with natural intelligence among them, could form a clear, precise idea of dinner. Having satisfied themselves with crumbs for satiation, they had to be satisfied with the divinatory and approximate concept of a brilliant and delightful meal, which was used by the honored guests. Having cleared all the food from the table, the beggars fell down on their faces before the Householder, thanking them for the food, which they had not yet eaten or seen. He said to them: "Brethren! when I disposed of the supper, I did not have you in mind [1292]: therefore I did not present you with the supper in its proper form, and I do not give you gifts, which have all been dispersed according to a previously made calculation, comprehensible to Me alone." The beggars cried out with one voice: "Lord! Do we care about gifts! Until a sumptuous dinner! we give unspeakable thanks that Thou didst not abhor us; The beggars dispersed, continuing to thank and bless the merciful Householder. Then He turned to the servants and said: "Now remove the table and close my chamber. There would be no more guests, and what could be offered for food was offered. It's over!" [1293] Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and understanding of God! For His judgments have not been tried, and His ways have not been searched. Who is the understanding of the Lord? or who was His counsellor? or who shall give to him first, and shall he be recompensed? For from Him and by Him and in Him are all things. To Him be the glory for ever. Amen [1294].

It was completed on April 20, 1861. Stavropol of the Caucasus.

Notes

1

… every mountain and island was moved out of its place (Rev. 2:10). 6. 14).

2