Holy Thoughts
There was
an elder who is said to have spent fifty years in complete abstention. He did
not even eat bread, and he drank just a little water. That elder boasted that
he had eradicated fornication, love of money, and vainglory from his soul. When
Abba Abraham heard it, he came to that elder and asked him:
– Have
you said so and so?
The elder
replied:
– Yes, I
have.
Abba
Abraham responded:
– Imagine
you get into your hut and see a woman in your bed. Can you refrain from
thinking that she is a woman?
– No but
— but I struggle with the thought and try not to touch her.
Abraham
concluded:
– So you
haven’t eradicated fornication: it is alive in your heart but it is bound.
Again, imagine you are walking down the road and see rocks and potsherds, and
gold coins scattered among them. Won’t you think about the gold coins?
The elder
admitted:
– No but
I will cast that thought away and won’t take the gold.
Abraham
stated:
– So your
passion is alive but bound. Again: if you meet two brothers, one of whom loves
and praises you to the skies, while the other hates and insults you — will your
heart be predisposed towards them equally?
The elder
replied:
– Of
course not but I will struggle with my thoughts and do as much good to the one
who hates me as to the one who loves me.
Abba
Abraham summed it up:
–
Consequently, your passions are still alive but they are bound with holy
thoughts.
Pure Heart
Someone
asked St. Isaac of Syria:
– How
does a person get to know that his heart has become pure?
The elder
replied:
– When
that person considers all people to be good, and regards no man filthy and foul
— that’s when he has a really pure heart.
Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto
them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and
conscience is defiled (Titus 1:15)
Strong Wind
A
traveler sought advice from the abbot of Skete.
– I’d
like to lead a better life but I can’t protect myself against sinful thoughts.
The abbot
noticed that it was windy outdoors. He said to the pilgrim:
– It’s
hot. I’d appreciate it if you catch some wind from the outdoors and bring it
here to make the room less stuffed.
– That’s
impossible, – the traveler protested.
–
Likewise, you can’t protect yourself against ungodly thoughts, – the monk
replied. – But if you know how to say no to the temptation, those thoughts
won’t do you any harm.
Service and Praise
One day,
elders were sitting at the table. Abba Alonius was waiting on them.
The
elders commended him but he did not say anything in response.
One of
the elders enquired:
– Why
didn’t you say anything to the elders when they praised you?
Abba
Alonius told him:
– If I
had said anything to them, it would have meant that I accepted their praise.
Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto
thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. (Ps. 115:1)
Hermit’s Hunger
There was
a hermit who came to his spiritual father to complain that he felt hungry in
his secluded cell as early as 9 o’clock every morning, even though he had
managed to do without food for several days when he had lived in a monastery.
– Don’t
be surprised, my son, – the elder replied. – There is no one in the desert who
would see your fasting and support and feed you with praises. Vainglory used to
be your food when you were at the monastery. The satisfaction that you felt
because of your exceptional abstention was sweeter than a meal.
Three Monks
There
were three diligent monks. One of them chose to restore peace among those who
quarrelled as his spiritual practice. The second monk decided to put his
efforts into visiting the ill. The third monk went to the desert to stay in
solitude. The first monk had a lot of work because people just wouldn’t stop
quarreling. He came to the second monk and saw that he was likewise tired and
ceased to tend to his cause. They agreed to visit the hermit, tell him about
their problems, and see what good he had done in the wilderness. The hermit
paused and then poured some water into a cup, saying:
– Look at
the water.
The water
was muddy, and they couldn’t see anything. After a while, he invited them to
look at the water again.
– See,
the water is still now.
They
looked at the water and saw their faces like in a mirror. He said to them:
– That’s
what happens to a person who lives amidst other people. He has to cope with so
much hassle that he cannot see his sins. When he stays silent, especially in
the wilderness, he can spot his shortcomings.
Praising and Cursing the Dead
A
newly-tonsured monk came to a renowned hermit hoping that the elder would show
him the way to perfection.
– Go to a
graveyard tonight, – the elder said, – and praise the dead who lie there till
dawn. Then come and tell me how they receive your praises.
The
newly-tonsured monk returned from the graveyard the following morning:
– I’ve
done what you ordered me, Father! I praised those dead people with a loud voice
all night long. I called them holy, blessed fathers, great and righteous men
who pleased God, the lights of the universe, the treasure troves of wisdom, and
the salt of the earth. I claimed that they had all the virtues I had ever read
about in the Holy Scriptures and the philosophers’ books.
– So
what? Did they show you their appreciation?
– No,
they didn’t, Father: they kept silent all the time. I didn’t hear a single word
from them.
– Sounds
strange, – the elder said. – That’s what you should do: go to the graveyard
again tonight and curse them as hard as you can until you elicit any response.
The
newly-tonsured monk returned the following day and reported:
– I kept
cursing and smearing them. I called them dirty dogs, devil’s vessels,
God-forsakers; I likened them to all wicked men of the Old and New Testament,
from Cain who murdered his brother to Judas who betrayed the Lord; from the
lustful Gibeonites to Ananias and Sapphira who attempted to lie to God. I
claimed that they were guilty of all heresies, from the Simon’s and Valentine’s
old heresies to the new one called Monothelitism.
– Well,
and how did you escape their anger?
– I
didn’t need to, Father! They kept silent all the time. I even put my ear close
to their tombs but no one moved.
– You
see, – the elder concluded, – you have reached the first stage of Angelic
living, which is obedience. You will reach the top level on earth only when you
become as indifferent towards praises and curses as those dead people.
…By honour and dishonour, by evil report and
good report: as deceivers, and yet true (2 Cor. 6:8)
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