33
edits
Changes
no edit summary
#Since you are friend of Christ, let me give you this further piece of advice. You must aspire to live in exile, free from the conditions and ways of your own country. Do not be caught up by anxiety for your parents or by ties of affection to your relatives. Do not stay in a town but persevere in the wilderness, saying like the prophet: 'Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness' (Ps. 55:7. LXX).<br>
#Seek out places which are secluded and far from the world. And even it there is a scarcity of essentials in the place you choose, do not be afraid. If you enemies should encircle you like bees (cf. Ps. 118:12) or perniciuous drones, assaulting you and disturbing you with all kinds of thoughts, do no be scared, do not listen to them, do not withdraw from struggle. Rather, endure patiently, always saying to yourself: 'I waited patiently for the Lord; and He heard me, and listened to my supplication' (Ps. 40:1.LXX). And then you will see the great things God does, His help, His care and all His forethought for your salvation.<br>
#If you are a friend of Christ you should have as friends persons who are of benefit to you and contribute to your way of life. Let your friends be men of peace, spiritual brethren, holy fathers. It is such that our Lord was speaking when He said : 'My mother and brethren are those wo do the will of My Father who is in heaven' (cf. Matt. 12:49-50).<br>#Do not hanker after varied and costly foods or lethatl peasures. For 'she that indulges in pleasure' it is said, 'is dead while still alive' (1 Tim. 5:6). Even with ordinary foods, avoide satiety as fas as possible. For written : 'Do not be deceived by the filling of the belly' (Prov. 24:15.LXX).<br>#You must avoid continually wasting time outside your cell, if you have indeed chosen to pracice stillness. For it is most harmful, depriving you of grace, darkening your mind and sapping your aspiration. This why it is said: 'Restlessness of desire perverts the guileless intellect' (Wisd. 4:12). So restrict your relationships with other people, lest your intellect should become distracted and your life of stillness disrupted.<br>#When sitting in your cell, do not act in a mindless and lazy manner. 'To journey without direction', it is said, 'is wasted effort.' Instead, work purposefully, concentrate your intellect an always keep before your eyes the last hour before your death. Recall the vanity of the world, how deceptive it is, how sickly and worthless; reflect on the dreadful reckoning that is to come, how the harsh keepers of the toll houses will bring before us one by one the actions, words and thoughts which they suggested but which we accepted and maed our own. Recall the chastisements in hell, and the state of the soul imprisoned there. Recall, too, that great and fearful day, the day of the general resurrection, when we are brought before God, and the final sentence of the infallible Judge. Bring to mind the punishment that befalls sinners, the reproach, the reprobation of the sonscience, how they will be rejected by God and cast into the age-long fire, to the worm that does not die, to the impenetrable darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (cf. Mark 9:44, Matt. 8:12). Meditate on all the other chastisements, and let your tear continually drench your cheeks, your clothes, the place where your are sitting. I have known many men in whom such thoughts have produced an abudance of tears, and who in this way have wonderfully cleansed all the powers of their soul.<br>#But think also of the blessings which await the righteous: how they will stand at Christ's right hand, the gracious voice of the Master, the inheritance of the heavenly kingdom, the gift which is beyond the intellect's grasp, that sweet light, the endless joy, never interrupted by grief, those heavenly mansions, life with the angels, and all the other promises made to those who fear the Lord.<br>#Let these thoughts dwell with you, sleep with you, arise with you. See that you never forget them but, wherever you are, keep them in mind, so that evil thoughts may depart and you may be filled with divine solace. Unless a soul is strengthened with these thoughts it cannot achieve stillness. For a spring which has no water does not deserve its name.<br>#This is the way of life ordained for those who live in stillness: fasting t the limit of one's strength, vigils, sleeping on the ground, and every other form of hardship for the sake of future repose. For, says St Paul, 'the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us' (Rom. 8:18). Especially important is pure prayer - prayer which is unceasing and uninterrupted. Such prayer is a safe fortress, a sheltered harbour, a protector of virtues, a destroyer of passions. It brings vigour to the soul, purifies the intellect, give rest to those who suffer, consoles those who mourn. Prayer is converse with God, contemplation of the invisible, the angelic mode of life, a stimulus towards the divine, the assurance of things longe for, 'making real the things for which we hope' (Heb. 11:1). As an ascetic your must embrance this queen of the virtues with all your strength. Pray day and night. Pray at times of dejection and at times of exhilaration. Pray with fear and trembling, with a watchful and vigilant mind, so that your prayer may be accepted by the Lord. For, as the psalmist says : 'The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to heir prayer' (Ps. 34:15).<br>
