On the Fragility of Monastic Life When It Is Not Based on the Gospel Commandments

He who founded his life on the study of the Gospel and on the fulfillment of the Gospel commandments, founded it on the hardest rock. In whatever position he was placed by the circumstances of life, his podvig was always with him. He works unceasingly, he strives unceasingly, he succeeds unceasingly, although his work, although his podvig and success are imperceptible and incomprehensible to others. Whatever sorrows and temptations befall him, they cannot overthrow him. The Lord said: "Whosoever heareth these words of mine, and doeth me, I will liken him unto a wise man, who made his tabernacle upon a stone: and the rain came, and the rivers came, and the winds blew, and fell upon that tabernacle: and thou shalt not fall, for it was founded upon a stone." Here life and spiritual disposition are likened to a tabernacle: this tabernacle receives extraordinary strength from the Divine, unlimited power with which the words of Christ are filled. It is obvious that no other means or aid can provide such firmness as the fulfillment of Christ's commandments gives to the soul: the power of Christ works in His commandments. The Lord added the following words to the above words: "Whosoever heareth these words of mine, and not doing them, shall be like a foolish man, who made his tabernacle on the fox: and the rain came, and the rivers came, and the winds blew, and the tabernacle was questioned, and fell: and its destruction was great." It conveniently destroys the apparently good life of those who base it exclusively on some bodily podvig or on many podvigs, sometimes very difficult and very highlighted, but do not pay due attention to the commandments of the Gospel. Very often it happens that ascetics do not even pay any attention to the Gospel commandments, openly trample on them, giving them no value and not understanding their importance in the least. Such ascetics, when they encounter an unexpected temptation or an unexpected change in their lives, not only hesitate very quickly, but also undergo a complete moral disorder, which in the Gospel is called the great destruction of the temple of the soul. As an example, let us take a desert dweller who lives in deep solitude, who has placed all the hope of his success and salvation in this solitude. Let us suppose that suddenly, due to the violence of circumstances, this hermit had to leave solitude and live among a multitude of people. He, as unbound in himself by the commandments of the Gospel, must certainly be subjected to the strongest influence of temptations, which are found in great numbers in human society. This is natural: he had no other power to protect him than external solitude: having lost it, he lost all his support, and must of necessity yield to the power of other external impressions. What has been said is by no means to humiliate the wilderness life, which protects against temptations and amusements, and especially contributes to the study and fulfillment of the Gospel commandments; it is said so that the desert dweller in his wilderness may apply special diligence to study and fulfill the commandments of the Gospel, by means of which Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God are introduced into the soul [87]. True Christianity and true monasticism consist in the fulfillment of the Gospel commandments. Where there is no such fulfillment, there is neither Christianity nor monasticism, whatever the outward appearance. The righteous will inherit the earth and dwell in it for ever and ever: the Scriptures call righteous those who try to fulfill in the most thorough manner the truly and only righteous will of God, by no means their own, imaginary and falsely righteous. Only those who fulfill God's righteousness can inherit the earth, that is, they can dominate their hearts, their flesh, and their blood. The mouth of the righteous shall learn wisdom, and his tongue shall proclaim judgment. The law of his God is in his heart, and his feet shall not stumble.

Chapter 5

On Guarding Yourself from Temptations

Basing one's life on the Gospel commandments, one must at the same time choose as a place of residence the monastery furthest from temptations. We are weak and damaged by sin. Temptation, being in front of us or near us, will necessarily find sympathy for itself in our sinful damage and will make an impression on us. This impression may at first be unnoticed; but when it develops and strengthens in man, then it will prevail over him and can bring him to the brink of destruction. Sometimes the impression of temptation acts very quickly, without allowing, so to speak, the tempted person to come to his senses or come to his senses: it instantly darkens the mind, changes the disposition of the heart, and plunges the monk into fall and fall. St. Pimen the Great said: "It is good to flee from the causes of sin. A person who is near the cause of sin is like one standing on the edge of a deep abyss, and the enemy always conveniently plunges him into the abyss whenever he wants. But if we are bodily removed from the causes of sin, then we are like one who is far removed from the abyss; the enemy, even if he dragged us into the abyss, but at the time when we are subjected to the attraction, we can resist, God will help us" [89]. The causes (guilt) of sin, the reasons for it, the temptations are as follows: wine, wives, wealth, health (excess) of the body, power and honors. "These," says St. Isaac of Syria, "are not sins proper; but our nature is conveniently inclined to sin because of them, which is why man must carefully guard himself against them" [90]. The Fathers forbid the choice of a glorious monastery as a place of residence in the opinion of lay people [91]: vanity, common to the entire monastery, must necessarily infect each member as well. Experience shows that the entire brotherhood can become infected with the spirit of vanity, not only because of the material advantages of their monastery, but also because of the high opinion of the laity about the special piety of its rule. The contempt for the brethren of other monasteries, which is precisely what pride consists of, deprives us of the possibility of monastic success, based on love for one's neighbor and humility before them. — As an example of how temptation, acting little by little on a monk, as if imperceptibly and insensibly, can finally prevail over him and plunge him into a terrible fall, we cite the following story: "In the Egyptian skete there was a certain elder who fell into a grave illness and accepted service from the brethren. Seeing that the brethren were working for his sake, he decided to move closer to the villages, so as not to trouble the brethren. Abba Moses (probably the one whom the Monk Cassian calls the most prudent among the fathers of the skete, who in general were distinguished by an abundance of spiritual gifts) said to him: "Do not move to the neighborhood of villages, so as not to fall into fornication." The elder was surprised and saddened by these words; he answered: "My body is dead, and is this what you are talking about?" He did not listen to Abba Moses and settled in the neighborhood of a secular village. The inhabitants, having learned about it, began to come to it in great numbers. A certain maiden also came to serve him for God's sake. He healed her – it seems: the maiden had some kind of illness, and the elder had the gift of wonderworking – then, after some time, he fell with her, and she became pregnant. The villagers asked her: "By whom is she pregnant?" They did not believe her. The Elder said: "I have done this; but keep the child that is to be born." A child was born, and was breastfed. Then, on one of the feasts of the skete, an elder came there with a child on his shoulders, and entered the church at a meeting of the entire brotherhood. The brotherhood, seeing him, wept. He said to the brethren: "Behold, the child: this is the son of disobedience." After that, the elder went to his former cell, and began to bring repentance to God" [92]. Such is the power of temptation when a monk stands face to face before him. The gift of healing did not stop me from falling into fornication; The body, mortified for sin by old age, infirmity, and prolonged monastic labor, came to life again, being subjected to the incessant or frequent action of temptation. — As an example of how the guilt of sin can instantly affect a monk, darken his mind, turn his heart's disposition and plunge him into sin, let us again cite a church story: "The bishop of a certain city fell into an illness, because of which everyone despaired of his life. There was a convent there. The abbess, learning that the bishop was desperately ill, visited him, taking with her two sisters. While she was conversing with the bishop, one of her disciples, standing at the feet of the bishop, touched his foot with her hand. From this touch, a fierce prodigal battle flared up in the sick man. Passions are evil. He began to ask the abbess to leave her sister with him to serve him, citing the lack of her own servants as the reason for such a request. The abbess, suspecting nothing, left the sister. Through the action of the devil, the bishop felt the restoration of strength and fell into sin with a nun who became pregnant. The bishop left the cathedra and retired to a monastery, where he ended his life in repentance, the acceptance of which God testified to by granting the penitent the power of miracles" [93]. "Such is our weakness!" such is the influence of temptations on us! They threw into the abyss of the fall the holy prophets [94], and the holy bishops, and the holy martyrs, and the holy desert dwellers. All the more so should we, who are passionate and weak, take all precautions and protect ourselves from the influence of temptations on us. The passions in monks are hungry: if they are left unguarded, they rush with fury at the objects of lust, like predatory beasts unleashed from chains.

Chapter 6

A God-pleasing life in silence must be preceded by a God-pleasing life in human society

For those who are beginning the monastic life, coenobitic monasteries are more appropriate, as they represent a vast field for the fulfillment of the Gospel commandments. However, if you have entered a regular monastery, then do not lose heart; Do not leave him without a good reason: and in the regular monastery, make every effort to educate yourself by the Gospel commandments. The general rule is that a monk must first learn to do the commandments in human society, in which spiritual work is connected with bodily work, and then, having achieved sufficient success, engage exclusively in spiritual work in silence, if he proves capable of it. They are rarely capable of silence. A novice cannot endure spiritual activity alone. By spiritual activity we enter the world of spirits, for which it is precisely for this purpose that experienced monks retire into solitude. In the world of spirits, the fallen spirits initially meet the Christian, as belonging to the host of their soul because of the fall, as having to prove the good direction of his free will by rejecting communion with fallen spirits and accepting communion with God, communion granted to us by the Redeemer. Spirits conveniently kill the one who enters into a struggle with them without proper experience and without proper preparation[95]. The fulfillment of the commandments in human society provides the executor with the most experienced, clearest and most detailed knowledge of the fallen human nature and the fallen spirits, with whom through the fall mankind entered into communion and into the same category of beings outcast, hostile to God, doomed to burial in the dungeons of hell. The Holy Fathers affirm that "he who truly desires to be saved must first endure vexation, dishonor, deprivation, humiliation in cohabitation with people, free himself from the influence of his feelings, and then go into complete silence, as our Lord Jesus Christ Himself revealed in Himself, for He, having endured all this, finally ascended the holy cross, which means mortification of the flesh and passions, and holy, perfect tranquility" [96]. Then know for sure that you will succeed everywhere, both in a coenobitic and in a regular monastery, if you engage in the study and fulfillment of the Gospel commandments; on the contrary, everywhere you will remain without success and alien to spiritual reason, everywhere you will come to a state of self-deception and spiritual disorder, if you neglect the study and fulfillment of the Gospel commandments. Do not stop studying the gospel for the rest of your life! Do not think that you know him well, even if you know him by heart! The Lord's commandment is broad [97], although it consists in small words. The commandment of the Lord is infinite, just as the Lord who spoke it is infinite. The fulfillment of the commandments and success in them are infinite: the most perfect Christians, brought to a state of perfection by Divine grace, remain imperfect in relation to the commandments of the Gospel.

Chapter 7

О хранении себя от добра, принадлежащего падшему естеству человеческому

Придет ли тебе какая благая мысль? остановись; никак не устремись к исполнению ее с опрометчивостию, необдуманно. Ощутишь ли в сердце какое благое влечение? остановись; не дерзай увлечься им. Справься с Евангелием. Рассмотри: согласны ли со всесвятым учением Господа благая мысль твоя и твое благое влечение сердечное. Вскоре усмотришь, что нет никакого согласия между евангельским добром и добром падшего человеческого естества. Добро нашего падшего естества перемешано со злом, а потому и само это добро сделалось злом, как делается ядом вкусная и здоровая пища, когда перемешают ее с ядом. Хранись делать добро падшего естества! Делая это добро, разовьешь свое падение, разовьешь в себе самомнение и гордость, достигнешь ближайшего сходства с демонами. Напротив того, делая евангельское добро, как истинный и верный ученик Богочеловека, соделаешься подобным Богочеловеку. Любяй душу свою, сказал Господь, погубит ю: и ненавидяй души своея в мире сем в живот вечный сохранит ю [98]. Иже хощет по Мне ити, да отвержется себе, и возмет крест Свой, и по Мне грядет. Иже бо аще хощет душу свою спасти, погубить ю: а иже погубит душу свою Мене ради и Евангелия, той спасет ю [99]. Господь повелевает полное отвержение падшего естества, ненависть к его побуждениям, не только к явно злым, но и ко всем без исключения, и ко мнимо добрым. Великое бедствие — последовать правде падшего естества: с этим сопряжено отвержение Евангелия, отвержение Искупителя, отвержение спасения. Кто не возненавидит душу свою, не может Мой быти ученик [100], сказал Господь. Объясняя вышеприведенные слова Господа, великий Варсонофий говорит: «Как отрекается от себя человек? — Лишь тем, что оставляет естественные желания и последует Господу. Посему-то и говорит Господь здесь собственно о естественном, а не о неестественном; ибо если кто оставит только неестественное, то он не оставил еще ничего своего собственного, ради Бога, потому что противоестественное не принадлежит ему. А тот, кто оставил естественное, всегда взывает с апостолом Петром: се, мы оставихом вся и вслед Тебе идохом, что убо будет нам? [101] и слышит блаженный глас Господа, и обетованием удостоверяется в наследовании жизни вечной [102]. Что оставил Петр, будучи не богат, и чем хвалился, если не оставлением естественных своих желаний? Ибо если человек не умрет для плоти, живя духом, он не может воскреснуть душою. Как в мертвеце вовсе нет желаний естественных, так нет их и в духовно умершем для плоти. Если ты умер для плоти, то как могут жить в тебе желания естественные? Если же ты не достиг меры духовной, а еще младенчествуешь умом, то смирись пред учителем, — да накажет тя милостию [103], и без совета ничего не делай [104], хотя бы что и казалось тебе по видимому добрым; ибо свет демонов обращается впоследствии во тьму» [105]. Точно то же должно сказать и о свете падшего человеческого естества. Последование этому свету и развитие его в себе производит в душе совершенное омрачение и вполне отчуждает ее от Христа. Чуждый христианства чужд Бога: всяк, отметаяйся Сына, ни Отца имать [106] — безбожник.

В наш век, гордый своим преуспеянием, большинство человеков, провозглашающее себя и христианами и делателями обильнейшего добра, устремилось к совершению правды падшего естества, отвергнув с презрением правду евангельскую. Это большинство да услышит определение Господа: приближаются Мне людие сии усты своими и устнами чтут Мя: сердце же их далече отстоит от Мене. Всуе же чтут Мя, учаще учением, заповедем человеческим [107]. Делатель правды человеческой исполнен самомнения, высокоумия, самообольщения; он проповедует, трубит о себе, о делах своих, не обращая никакого внимания на воспрещение Господа [108]; ненавистию и мщением платит тем, которые осмелились бы отворить уста для самого основательного и благонамеренного противоречия его правде; признает себя достойным и предостойным наград земных и небесных.

Пред каждою скорбию, посылаемою Промыслом Божиим, он с покорностию преклоняет главу, ведая, что Бог обучает и образует скорбями служителей Своих во время их земного странствования. Он милосердствует о врагах Своих и молится о них, как о братиях, увлекаемых демонами, как о членах единого тела, пораженных болезнию в духе своем, как о благодетелях Своих, как о орудиях Промысла Божия.

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