There was
a monk who told an elder:
– It’s
not always easy to see what you are morally obliged to do, is it?
– It is,
– the elder replied. – What you must do is what you’re the least willing to do.
We should
be living like a spinning wheel, merely touching the ground at a single point
and striving upwards with all the rest. On the contrary, we lie on the ground
and cannot get up. (Saint
Ambrose of Optina)
There was
a brother who asked Abba Poemen for instructions in his spiritual life.
The elder
said to him:
– While
there is fire under a caldron, flies cannot touch it. When it cools down, all
pests can freely sit on it. The same is true for us humans: as long as we
persist in prayer, the enemy cannot defeat us!
A noble
woman came to St Seraphim of Sarov and complained that the teachers of her
children did little to teach them French, and asked St Seraphim what to do.
– You’d
better teach your kids to pray to God, and they will easily learn French later,
- was the holy elder’s advice.
Elder
Amphilochius (Makris) was the rector of St John the Theologian Monastery at the
Island of Patmos. He founded several monasteries, children’s shelters, and
almshouses in the Greek islands.
The wise
elder often used parables to make a point:
– Christ
often comes and knocks at your door, and you invite him to sit in the
antechamber of your soul. Then you get distracted by your problems and forget
about the Great Guest. He sits there patiently waiting for you, and when you
don’t return for too long, He gets up and leaves.
Sometimes
you are so busy that you respond to him out of your window. You have no time
even to open the door.
Elder
Paisius of Mount Athos used to tell the following story, “One day when I was
working in my vegetable garden, planning to plant several tomato plants, a
visitor came to me and asked:
— What
are you doing, Gerondas?
— You
see, I do the confession of my vegetable garden.
— How can
it be possible, Gerondas, — the man was baffled. — Does a vegetable garden need
a confession, too?
— Of
course it does. I know for a fact that when I do the confession of my vegetable
garden, i.e., when I take all stones, weeds, and thorns out of the soil, the
vegetables will be strong and healthy. If I don’t, the tomatoes will be sick
and small.
An elder
told a brother, “The Devil is your enemy, and you are a house. The enemy keeps
throwing all kinds of rubbish and dirt at you. Be careful and throw everything
he puts inside you away. If you are neglectful, your house will be filled with
rubbish, and you won’t be able to get inside. As soon as the devil begins
smearing you, throw the rubbish away, and your house will remain clean thanks
to God’s grace.” (St
Ignatius (Bryanchaninov))
Translated from: https://azbyka.ru/days/
CONVERSATION