A imbecility of the body, and many women have acquitted themselves no less worthily than men. There are even those who have achieved even greater renown. Of these are they who compose the choir of virginity. Of these are they who shine in the contests of confession and the victories of martyrdom. Indeed, during His presence among us, not only men followed the Lord Himself, but also women, and through both, the ministry of the Savior was accomplished. Since, therefore, such and so excellent rewards are destined and set aside for the warfare according to Christ, let the fathers of sons and the mothers of daughters be moved by the desire for it. Let them bring forward their offspring, joyful in the eternal hopes of which their children shall be partakers with them, desiring to have them as patrons and good ambassadors and intercessors before Christ. And let us not be faint-hearted concerning our children, nor fear if they labor; but let us rejoice that they will be glorified. Let us present to the Lord what He has given, so that we may also become partakers of the glory of our children, by bringing and standing with them ourselves. To those, then, who are thus eager and thus striving, one might well say from the Psalmist: B "Blessed are you of the Lord who made heaven and earth." And according to Moses, one shall pray for them: "Bless, O Lord, their works, and break the pride of those who rise up against them." Be manly as noble ones, run the course nobly for the eternal crowns, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
THE SAME, ASCETIC DISCOURSE AND EXHORTATION CONCERNING THE RENUNCIATION OF THE WORLD AND SPIRITUAL PERFECTION
1. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," says the divine voice, whether it signifies the rest which is to come, or that which is here. Nevertheless, it calls us, on the one hand, to cast away the burden of many possessions by distributing them to the needy; and, on the other hand, to cast off the swarm of sins that arises from these, through charity and confession, and to run to the cross-bearing life of the monks. Whoever, therefore, has purposed to obey Christ and hastens toward a poor and untroubled life is truly to be admired and called blessed. But, I ask you, let him not do this in an unexamined manner, nor paint for himself some relaxed way of life and C an effortless salvation; but rather, let him first exercise and test himself in enduring the hardships of body and soul, so that if he should suddenly enter into the unexpected struggles, he would not
be found retreating toward the things from which he had departed, together with A shame and laughter—returning to the life of the world with the condemnation of his soul, and becoming a scandal to many, producing in all a low opinion of the discipline in Christ. You are all acquainted with the danger of this who read the Gospels, in which the divine voice says: “It is better for him that a millstone should be hung about his neck, and that he should be cast into the sea, rather than that he should scandalize one of these little ones.” For he will B not only be liable to the condemnation of a deserter, but also to that of the ruin of those who have been overturned by him—even if he thinks, by foolish reasonings, to persuade himself that, while living in the world, he can appease the Divinity through good works; which is impossible for him. For he who, in that way of life where the access to sin is not easy, could not, because of the constant attention of the soul, endure the struggles of the adversary, how will he be able to accomplish any of the virtuous deeds in a life exposed to many sins, of which he himself is the guide? C But even if one should grant that he is able to govern his life uprightly, yet he will not escape the crime of having forsaken Christ, just as the disciples in the Gospel: concerning whom the divine evangelist says: “Many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with Jesus,” saying, “This is a hard saying; who can hear it?” For this very reason the all-merciful God, providing for our salvation, divided the life of men into a twofold mode of living, I mean marriage and virginity, so that he who was not able to endure the contest of virginity might take to himself a wife: D yet so, however, that he should know that he must render an account of chastity and holiness, and of his likeness to those saints who lived their lives in marriage and the bringing up of children. Such was Abraham in the Old Testament, who, having sacrificed his only son without pain or reluctance, gloried in this, that he had preferred God; and who, when he was prepared to receive strangers, kept the doors of his tent wide open. For he did not hear: “Sell what you have, and give to the poor.” Nay, Job, and many others, David also and Samuel, performed greater things than these. Such also was Peter in the New Testament, and the rest of the apostles. For the fruits of love toward God and neighbor are to be required of every man; and for these commandments, or rather for all that are violated, he shall pay the penalty. Just as the Lord also declares in the Gospels, when
he says: "He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me." And, "If any man hate not his father and mother, and wife, and children, and his own life, he cannot be my disciple."
2. A Do you think, then, that the Gospels were written for those who have wives? Behold, it is made clear to you that all men—both monks and those in the married state—will be required to show obedience to the Gospel. For it is sufficient if those who have entered into marriage are granted indulgence for their incontinence, and for their lust and intercourse with a woman; but the rest of the commandments, having been B established for all alike, do not leave those who transgress them without peril. For when Christ preached the commandments of the Father, He spoke to those who were in the world; and if it happened that He was questioned privately and answered His own disciples, He testified by saying: "What I say unto you, I say unto all." Do not, therefore, grow lax, O you who have chosen the companionship of a wife, as if you had the power to embrace the world at your own will. For you have need of greater labors and more diligent watchfulness to attain salvation, inasmuch as you have chosen to dwell in the midst of snares and within the reach of the rebel powers, and have the provocations of sin before your eyes, and all your senses are, night and day, vehemently impelled C to covet them. Know, therefore, that you will not escape the wrestling-ground with the apostate, nor will you seize the victory over him without many labors in keeping the evangelical dogmas. For how will you be able to refuse the battle with the enemy, while living in the very arena of the contest—which is the whole earth under heaven, throughout which we are taught by the book of Job that he goes about and walks to and fro, like a mad dog seeking whom he may devour? If, therefore, you refuse to enter into the battle with the adversary, depart into another world in which he does not exist; and then it will be permissible for you not to fight with him, and to remain D idle without danger in the keeping of the evangelical dogmas. But if this is impossible, strive to learn the combat against him, being instructed by the Scriptures in the art of wrestling, so that, by not being defeated by him through ignorance, you may not be delivered to the eternal fire. And let these things be said, by the way, to those who are joined in marriage and who securely neglect to keep the commandments of Christ, as if they had been spoken merely in passing. But you, who are a lover of the heavenly life and a practitioner of the angelic conduct, and who desire to become a fellow-soldier of the holy disciples of Christ, strengthen yourself for the patience of the trials, and boldly approach the assembly of the monks; and at the beginning of the...
your renunciation, show yourself a man, so that you are not dragged down by the affection and attachment of those related to you according to the flesh, but rather, with a valid and strong spirit, exchange mortal things for immortal ones. A When you have abandoned the things that pertain to you, be inflexible and constant, and know for certain that you are sending them on ahead to heaven: for inasmuch as you store them up in the bosom of the poor, you will find them with much increase before God. B But when you are separated from friends and acquaintances, do not become excessively afflicted, for you are joined to Christ who was crucified for you: and what, I ask, can be imagined more worthy of our love than this? When, however, by the help of God, you have overcome your adversary in this first wrestling match, do not cast yourself away like some kind of ignominious vessel. For from the moment you renounced earthly things, you have already secured honor for yourself before Christ; but take great care and provide that you find a man who is the most secure guide for your life, well-taught in leading those who are moving toward God, flourishing in virtues, possessing the testimony of his love for God from his own deeds, having knowledge of the divine Scriptures; undisturbed, free from the love of money, a stranger to worldly business, quiet, acceptable to God, diligent toward the poor, not quick to anger, unmindful of injuries, laboring much for the edification of those who approach him, not vainglorious, not proud, not to be bent by any flatteries, not prone to change, preferring nothing to God. And if you find such a man, C cast off and throw away your entire own will, and deliver yourself to him, so that you may be found as a clean vessel, preserving the virtues poured into you for your own praise and glory. For if you leave behind in yourself any of the vices to which you were previously given, then, since the good things that have been infused into you will be changed into vinegar, you will be thrown outside, like one of the useless vessels.
3. This is the second struggle, which we must enter into with the enemy of our salvation. For the teachings of good teachers are good; but those of evil ones are altogether evil. For when that evil adversary of ours has not been able to persuade us to remain in the tumult and destruction of the world, he attempts to persuade us not to yield ourselves to an accurate life, D nor to permit ourselves to a man who sets all our sins before our eyes and corrects them; but that we should trust someone who is insane with the love of honor, and who, under the pretext of his own indulgence toward those who live with him, commends his own vices: so that, when he has thus secretly bound us once again with countless vices, he may bind us with the very chains of our own sin. But if you deliver yourself to a man of many virtues, you will become an heir of the good things in him, and you will be blessed.
A But if, out of sparing your body, you seek a master who will descend with you into your own passions, or, to speak more correctly, who will fall down along with you, you have undertaken the struggle of renunciation in vain, having delivered yourself over to a life of passion, using a blind guide and being led toward a pit. For if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. It is enough for the disciple to be as his master. This is the word of God, and it shall not fall. You must regulate yourself by the law of the athlete; if not, you shall not be crowned, as the Apostle said: And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.
B If, therefore, you find (for you will certainly find, if you seek) a teacher of good works, keep him with you, and do nothing against his judgment. For everything that happens outside of him is theft and sacrilege that leads toward death, not toward profit, even if it seems to you to be good. For if it is good, why is it done secretly and not in the open? Question your own reasoning, which impels you industriously to plunder; for while you do not obey what is good, it trains you for sinister actions. Do not wish to correct the charms C of those bitten by beasts if you are unskilled in the art of charming, lest, after you have attracted the serpents and have been wrapped around by them, and then have no power to resist, you be mercilessly consumed by them. Do not lean upon the nobility of the flesh, nor seek honor; for the carnal man does not receive the things of the Spirit. Do not be tempted to corrupt anything of those things which are held by custom to be true, and by your own laxity both trip those who are struggling D and heap up for yourself a burden of sins, whether in a softer bed, in garments, or in footwear, or in any other manner, or in variety of foods, or in a table [spread] beyond the time of your renunciation, or in standing, or in sitting, or in being engaged in easier or more delicate manual labor. For all these things, not only if you have them, but even if you seek them, will have no good outcome. For unless you quickly perceive that these are diabolical guiles and cut them out from your heart, they will construct for you a fall from the way of life in Christ. But...
once you have persuaded your soul that you are the most dishonorable of all men and the greatest of sinners, a stranger and a wanderer, and that you have been received out of mercy by those who renounced the world before you, strive to be the lowliest of all and the servant of all. B For these things will bring you true honor and glory, not those [worldly things]. Have ears open for obedience, and hands ready for the fulfillment of what you have heard; have a silent mouth and a circumspect heart. Be idle regarding idle talk, but prudent and understanding in listening to the saving words of the divine Scriptures. Let the hearing of worldly tales be bitter to your taste, but let the discourses of holy men be to you as honeycombs. Hasten to imitate those who have previously practiced in their manner of life, and do not expect to be taught every single thing. Struggle to stretch yourself toward the greater virtues, and do not neglect the lesser ones. Do not despise a fault, even if what is done is smaller than a cause of any scandal. Rather, hasten toward correction through repentance; even if many commit many sins, both small and great, and remain unrepentant. Do not become a judge of the sins of others. For they have a just Judge, who will render to each according to his works. You, hold to your own, and make your own burden light as far as you have the power. For he who makes his own burden heavy, he himself shall bear it. Repentance is salvation; but folly is the death of repentance.
5. Hide yourself from the bulk of men; but make yourself C visible, as much as possible, to God. Avoid every going-forth, as far as is in you, fleeing the dissipation of your heart. For have you gone out of your cell? You have abandoned self-control; you have cast your eyes into the world; you have encountered a harlot woman, who, having beguiled your ears with enticing words, your eyes with the beauty of her face, and your taste with delicate foods, will draw you to herself as with a hook. Then, entwined with your limbs and receiving you into her bosom, she will soften that firm desire of yours for keeping self-control, and thus at last, having gradually drawn you away from the right and holy way of living, she may...
A corrupt it of itself. But if by chance, with God helping you, you are able to escape her nets, you will indeed return to your cell, but you will not be the same; you will be some weakened and infirm person, disagreeable toward every work of the virtues, and only after a long time will you be able to return to your own habits. For your thoughts will bring you into straits on account of the desire for both lives, and not without much labor will you be able to provide victory for your soul. B Therefore, if it happens that through some necessity you must depart from your cell, having been armed with the fear of God as with a breastplate, and having placed the love of Christ in your hand, having overcome by all temperance the assaults of pleasures, as soon as your business is finished, return immediately without delaying, but using swift wings for your return, and like some innocent dove, fleeing back to the ark from which you were sent out, carrying in your mouth the mercies of Christ; and in this way persuade your inner thoughts that you cannot find saving rest in any other place. If you are young, either in body or in mind, decline the company of your peers, and flee from them as from a flame. For the enemy, having ignited many through them, has handed them over to eternal fire, having, under the guise of spiritual love, cast them into that horrendous pit of the five cities. And those who had been preserved C unscathed in the sea, through every wind and storm, while they were living securely in port, he plunges into the depths together with the ship and its passengers. Sit in a seat far away from your contemporary. When you lie down to sleep, let not your garments be near his; rather, use an old man as an intermediary. But when he speaks with you, or sings psalms opposite you, answer him with your face fixed on the ground, lest by fixing your eyes upon his face you receive the seed of desire from the enemy who sowed it, and reap sheaves of corruption and ruin. In a house or in a place where there is no one who sees your works, do not be found with him under the pretext of meditating on divine words, or any other necessary matter. For nothing is more necessary than D the soul, for which Christ died. Do not trust the deceitful thought that suggests to you that the matter is without scandal; be convinced that this very thing is a scandal, for the many experiences of those who have fallen make these things clear and manifest to you.
A 6. Believe my words, which proceed from a brotherly heart. Approach the elders who do not offer an easy access: they who, while they encourage the young to virtuous deeds by the sententiae of proverbs, do not in any way harm them by their appearance. *Keep your heart with all vigilance* (Prov. iv, 23). For just as gold is watched incessantly by thieves night and day, and yet is snatched away unexpectedly and without your knowing it; so too, take care lest the adversary, having seduced you through the sin of our first parent, drive you quickly from the paradise of delight. For he who stripped Adam of life through the theft of food, and who had expected also to trip up Jesus, will not be ashamed to offer this same first cause of evils to you all the more, knowing that it is a potent poison. For the vice of gluttony B is not wont to show its own strength in the abundance of foods, but in the appetite and in a small taste. If, therefore, the appetite for a brief taste has been able to subject you to the vice of gluttony, it will bring you destruction with no trouble at all. For just as a spring of water, divided into many channels, causes all the land surrounding those channels to flourish, so also the vice of gluttony, if it be poured into your heart, will irrigate all your senses—which are like a forest of iniquity planted within you—and make your soul a habitation for wild beasts. For I have seen many who were enslaved by vices return to health; but of all of them, I have not seen one who ate in secret or was a glutton who was amended; rather, they either abandon the institution of the continent life and are corrupted in the world, or they try to hide among the continent, and become fellow-soldiers of the devil through C pleasure. For these are liars, bound by many oaths, perjured, contentious, ready to strike back, clamorous, and people who deny that they have eaten, ignoble, effeminate, querulous, meddlesome, and who rejoice in shadows, and who willfully oppose every institution of a pious and holy life. For, in order to cover the vice of gluttony, they fall into a multitude of evils: who indeed are numbered among the elect in appearance, but in reality among the reprobate.
7. Gluttony delivered Adam to death, and brought destruction upon the world through the pleasure of the belly. Noah is mocked, Ham is cursed, Esau forfeits D the rights of the firstborn, and contracts an affinity with the Canaanites. Lot becomes the husband of his daughters, he himself the son-in-law and father-in-law to his own self, father to his wife, and grandfather to his children, insulting the boundaries of nature on every side. This also drove Israel to worship idols, and [[the remainder of this page's text is reserved for the next entry]].
desert. It also made a certain prophet, who had been sent by God to rebuke an impious king, the fodder of a wild beast; and he whom Jeroboam the king could not overcome with all his royal power, once captured by the deception of his belly, suffered a pitiable death. B But Daniel, that man of desires, having mastered his belly, became lord of the kingdom of the Chaldeans, and became the destroyer of idols, the slayer of the dragon, the tamer of lions, the herald of the incarnation of God, and the interpreter of hidden mysteries. The three holy children, having shown themselves superior to the pleasure of the belly, despised the king's wrath, and dared, undaunted, to descend into that terrible burning furnace which King Nebuchadnezzar had the power to light. They showed that the golden image considered as a god was empty and inert; and what had been constructed by Satan over a long time to the injury of the glory of God, having taken it as booty, they offered to their own Master. They were the cause that the most hostile king himself, and the whole army which he had arrayed against C God, celebrated God with hymns along with all creation. And, to sum it all up, if you master your belly, you will dwell in paradise; but if you do not master it, you have become a prey to death.
8. Be a faithful D treasury of virtues, and use as a key the tongue of your spiritual father. Let this open your mouth to receive bread, and let this also shut it. Do not accept the serpent as a counselor, who wishes, instead of good counsel, to plunder you. Until the tasting of the tongue, guard against the sin of secret eating. For if it can overthrow you in a small matter, it will overcome you in the struggle, and will bind you with its chains. Do not lend your ears to everyone who speaks, and do not answer every babbler in conversations that do not correspond to the goal of your asceticism. Become a listener of good teachings, and by the meditation of these keep your heart. Guard your ears from worldly stories, lest you stain your soul with a sprinkling of mire. Do not labor to hear what is said by others, nor thrust your head into the midst of those who are conversing, so that you may not be mocked yourself, and make them detractors. Do not be curious, and do not wish to see everything, so that you may not seize inside your mind the pus of passions. Look usefully,
A listen usefully, speak usefully, and answer usefully. Do not dare to sit rashly in the presence of someone greater. And if you are bidden to do so, do not occupy the same seat as he, but looking around here and there, hasten to find a lower seat, so that God may honor you for your humility. Being asked, answer with a seemly and humble voice; if you are not asked, keep silence. When another is being asked, restrain your mouth, lest your tongue, urged on by a rash heart, escape and strike someone who is perfecting the ascetic life, and cast you into the bonds of accusations. When sitting, do not place one of your legs over the other; for this is a sign of lack of attention and of a wandering soul. When conversing with someone your inferior, or when asked something by him, do not make your answers listlessly, despising your brother to the insult of God. For, He who despises the poor provokes the One who made him, says the Proverb. Let the word of consolation go forth before your other words, confirming your love for your neighbor. Let it also be placed in the middle, and be most full in its discourse, with a cheerful countenance, so that you may give joy to the one conversing with you. Rejoice in every good work of your neighbor, and give glory to God; for his accomplishments are yours, just as yours are his. B Avoid the first couches and the first seats at gatherings; but pursue the last place, so that you may rather hear: "Friend, go up higher." Let not your left hand behave disorderly at the table, nor let it assume authority over the right. Rather, let it be inactive and idle; or if not, at least let it serve the right. Whenever you are called to prayer, let your mouth respond, and persevere in the rule until the very last prayer, considering the departure to be a great loss. For if, when eating for the sustenance of your flesh, you can scarcely be pulled away from the table before the needs of life are fully satisfied, and you would not easily do this without great necessity, how much more ought you to be present for spiritual banquets, and to strengthen your own soul with prayer? For as much as heaven differs from earth, and things in heaven from things on earth, by so much does the soul differ from the body.
9. The soul is an image of heaven, for in it the Lord dwells; D but the flesh consists of earth, in which mortal men and irrational animals dwell. Therefore, fit the needs of the body to the hours of prayer, and be ready not to obey the thought that draws you away from the rule. For it is the custom of the demons, at the hours of prayer, under the pretext of an allegedly reasonable
A cause, to urge us to withdraw, so that they may draw us away on a specious pretext from the saving prayer. Do not use as a pretext, saying, "Woe is me, my head! Woe is me, my belly!" and produce obscure witnesses of non-existent pain, and for the sake of rest break the vigor of your vigil. But rather B possess secret prayers, which God who sees in secret will reward you for in the open. Have a store of excellent conduct, so that you may find hidden treasure in the day of need. In the daily routine of your service, along with the labor of the body, have also a consoling word for the love of those served, so that your service may become acceptable, seasoned with salt. Do not allow another to perform the tasks that fall to you, lest the reward also, being taken from you, be given to another, and while you are humbled, another be glorified by your wealth. Perform the tasks of your service properly and diligently, as serving Christ. For cursed, he says, is everyone who does the works of the Lord C negligently. Fear the misuse that proceeds from excess and contempt, even if the ministries that are in your hands seem paltry, for God is looking on. Great is the work of service, and it is a herald of the kingdom of heaven. For it is a dragnet of virtues, carrying within itself all the commandments of God: and first of all, all-virtuous humility, which brings with it the swarm of good things; then that word, I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and sick, and in prison, and you served me. And D especially when the debt is discharged with a humble mind, without elation, anger, or murmuring. Be an emulator of those who live rightly, and inscribe their deeds upon your heart. Pray to be of the number of the few. For good is rare, and therefore few are those who enter into the kingdom of heaven. Do not imagine that all those who are in the cell are being saved, both the bad and the good. For it is not so. For many approach the virtuous life, but few accept its yoke. For the kingdom of heaven belongs to the violent, and the violent take it by force. The saying is evangelical. He called "violence" the affliction of the body, which the disciples of Christ voluntarily endure while they deny their own wills and the rest of their body, and keep all the commandments of Christ. If, therefore, you wish to seize the kingdom of God, become a violent one; yoke your neck to the yoke of the servitude of Christ.
Constrain His yoke about your neck, and may it weigh upon your neck; make it thin and light through the labor of virtue, in fasts, in vigils, in obedience, in silence, in psalmodies, in prayers, in tears, in the work of the hands, and in enduring every affliction that comes to you both from demons and from men. A
10. Let not some proud thought persuade you as time goes on to relax your labors, lest perhaps, when you are found naked of virtues at the exit doors, you be discovered outside the gates of the kingdom. Let not the clerical rank lift you up, but rather let it humble you; for the progress of the soul is the progress of humility, whereas falling away and disgrace are born of pride. The more it happens that you approach the greater B degrees of the priesthood, so much the more humble yourself, fearing the example of the sons of Aaron. Knowledge of piety is knowledge of humility and meekness. Humility is the emulation of Christ; but arrogance, boldness, and impudence are the emulation of the devil. Emulate Christ, not the antichrist; God, not the adversary of God; the Master, not the runaway; the merciful, not the unmerciful; the humane, not the inhuman; those who are of the bridal chamber, not those of the darkness. Do not desire to command the brotherhood, lest you place upon your neck the burdens of others' sins. Examine the work C of each day, and compare it with the work of the day that preceded it, and thus finally strive to become better. Make progress in virtues, that you may approach near to the angels. Remain in your cell not for days, not for months, but for the circuits of many years, praising your Master night and day, in the example and imitation of the Cherubim. If you begin thus, and likewise finish, having traversed the narrow way during the brief time of your asceticism, by the help of God you will enter into paradise in the splendor of the lamp D of the soul, rejoicing with Christ for ages of ages. Amen.
SERMON BY THE SAME ON ASCETIC DISCIPLINE, how a monk ought to be adorned.
1. A monk ought first of all to possess nothing in life. Furthermore, he ought to have the solitude of the body, modesty of habit, a moderated voice, and orderly speech; he should be tranquil and quiet regarding food and drink, eat in silence, be silent before elders, listen when in the presence of the wise, love his equals, clothe his counsel with charity...