I would like to
tell about an episode, which reflects the monastic rules concerning the
relationships of a monk with his relatives.
When Elder
Paisios became a monk, from the very beginning he entrusted the care for his
relatives to God. Every time someone of his brothers or sisters tried to come
to his, he began to scold them. Of course, the elder loved all his relatives,
and that great love was the very reason why he decided to let God care about
them, but not himself.
When the elder
came to the monastery of St. John the Theologian, his sister never missed an opportunity
to come there and see him. She loved him very much and always worried about
him. Sometimes she sewed clothes for him or just bought some and went to the
monastery. At his turn, the elder handed out all the clothes she brought to him
and never wore it. When his sister saw that he did not wear what she had
brought she asked what he did with those clothes. The elder always answered that
he handed it out as a blessing. He scolded her for frustration she felt when
she found out that her brother had handed everything out. He even called her greedy,
allegedly because she brought too little. Thus he tried to make her get tired
and stop visiting him.
Once she came
to the monastery of St. John the Theologian. When the elder saw her, he
resented:
- What do you
want again? Why are you here? Have I not told you that you stop coming?
- But why,
father? – she replied. – How can I bother you? So many people come there! They
are standing in queue, and I am standing with them, without no exceptions. And
I have one more thing to say to you: I come there not for you, but for the
sisters.
The elder
answered her:
- I is better
for you not to come at all, because you are tempting them.
- How can I tempt
them?
- I tell them
about absolute withdrawing from the world and that they should not maintain
relations with their close people. Are you are always rolling around here. It
will be fair if they ask me, “Then why do you meet with your sister all the
time?” And I will not find any excuse for myself. This is why I am asking you
not to come!
That was a real
joy to observe such a brotherly dispute.
An excerpt from
the book “Chosen Vessel”
CONVERSATION