125

Therefore, set this also as a law for yourself, that before the final prayer you should never leave the assembly without great necessity or bodily need, but remain, as we said, persevering in your standing place, since "he who endures to the end," according to what is written, "will be saved"; not only that, but first he will receive help imperceptibly, then also with perception, and after a little while in illumination from God Almighty. And when the morning doxology is finished, as you leave, do not begin to speak to this one and that one and to be distracted and to speak idly, but let there be for you, after praying your prescribed prayer alone in your cell with tears and much attention, some bodily work, and immediately run to it, whether it is a service to the service, or a handiwork to the handiwork, or reading to the reading. Do not at all wish to sit idle in your cell, so that idleness may not teach you every evil, which it is not right to speak of. But indeed, do not wander around the monastery (331) and meddle with those who are working or serving, but guard silence and abstention from everyone, which is true exile. Pay attention only to yourself and to your handiwork, whatever it may be.

And do not enter anyone’s cell without your father in God, unless you are sent either by the superior or a deacon of the monastery. And having gone, be diligent not to speak or hear a word beyond the need for which you were sent; but having given the reply, return quickly. And if while passing by you should see some brother alone, or sitting with others and conversing at an inopportune time, making a prostration, pass by in silence. Do not go and sit with them, remembering the psalmist who says: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the pestilent." For such people are pestilences, as Paul says: "Evil company corrupts good habits"; therefore, whatever the pestilence is, this is also corruption. Therefore do not sit with idle talkers, beloved, nor say, 'I too will listen to what you are saying,' but as has been said, making a prostration, pass by. Guard silence, exile; and silence by saying to yourself: "For what good thing have I to say, being all filth and foolish, and not only that but also a stranger and unworthy to speak or to hear or to be numbered among men?"; and exile and abstaining from all by considering these things and saying to yourself: "Who am I," it says, "the outcast and worthless one, the ignoble and poor, that I should enter someone's cell? Will he not, seeing me as an abomination, turn away from me? Will he not perhaps say: Why did this defiled (332) one come to me to defile my cell?", placing your sins before your eyes, and saying these things not with the tips of your lips, but from the soul. For even if at first you are not strong enough to say these things from the soul, yet little by little you will come to this also, with grace working with you. Only listen to me the humble one, only make a beginning in these things, brother, only begin to do and practice and say these things, and God will not abandon you. For He loves you greatly and wants you to come to the knowledge of truth and be saved.

Having thus then passed the hours until the liturgy, brother, enter again into the assembly with diligence and with great eagerness. Stand as we outlined for you in the morning doxology, in no way forgetting your mourning; stand trembling, as if seeing the Son of God being sacrificed for you. And if you are worthy and have been permitted this, approach in fear and joy to partake of the ineffable good things. And after the final prayer, having gone out, enter with everyone into the refectory, not separating yourself from your brothers. And if you have been appointed to serve, stand by as serving Christ and not men from a sincere disposition and love to all as to saints, or rather, as we said, as to Him Himself—about to serve Christ, each of them

125

Θές οὖν καί τοῦτο σεαυτῷ νόμον, ἵνα πρό τῆς ἐσχάτης εὐχῆς μή ἐξέλθῃς ποτέ τῆς συνάξεως ἄνευ ἀνάγκης μεγάλης ἤ χρείας τοῦ σώματος, ἀλλά μένε ὡς εἴπομεν προσκαρτερῶν ἐν τῇ στάσει σου, ἐπειδή "ὁ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος", κατά τό γεγραμμένον, "σωθήσεται"· οὐ μόνον δέ ἀλλά πρῶτον μέν βοήθειαν λήψεται ἀνεπαισθήτως, εἶτα καί ἐν αἰσθήσει, καί μετ᾿ ὀλίγον ἐν φωτισμῷ ἀπό Θεοῦ Παντοκράτορος. Τελεσθείσης δέ τῆς ὀρθρινῆς δοξολογίας, εὐθύς ἐξερχόμενος μή ἄρξῃ λαλεῖν τούτῳ κἀκείνῳ καί μετεωρίζεσθαι καί ἀργολογεῖν, ἀλλ᾿ ἔστω σοι, μετά τό εὔξασθαι καταμόνας ἐν τῷ κελλίῳ τήν τετυπωμένην σου εὐχήν ἐν δάκρυσι καί πολλῇ προσοχῇ, ἐργασία σωματική τις, καί εὐθύς ἀπότρεχε πρός αὐτήν, εἴτε διακονίαν εἰς τήν διακονίαν, εἴτε ἐργόχειρον εἰς τό ἐργόχειρον, εἴτε ἀνάγνωσις εἰς τήν ἀνάγνωσιν. Ἀργός δέ μή θελήσῃς ὅλως καθεσθῆναι ἐν τῷ κελλίῳ σου, ἵνα μή ἡ ἀργία διδάξῃ σε πᾶν κακόν, ὅ μή θέμις εἰπεῖν. Ἀλλά γάρ μηδέ περιέρχῃ τό μοναστήριον (331) καί τούς ἐγαζομένους ἤ διακονοῦντας περιεργάζῃ, φύλαξον δέ τήν σιωπήν καί τό ἐκ πάντων ἀπέχεσθαι, ὅπερ ἀληθής ἐστι ξενιτεία. Πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ μόνῳ καί τῷ ἐργοχείρῳ σου, οἷον δ᾿ ἄν ἐστι.

Καί μή εἰσέλθῃς εἰς κελλίον τινός ἄνευ τοῦ κατά Θεόν σου πατρός, εἰ μή ἀποσταλῇς ἤ παρά τοῦ προεστῶτος ἤ διακονητοῦ τῆς μονῆς. Καί ἀπελθόντος σου, σπούδασον μή εἰπεῖν ἤ ἀκοῦσαι λόγον ἔξω τῆς χρείας σου, δι᾿ ἥν ἐπέμφθης· ἀλλά τήν ἀπόκρισιν ποιήσας, συντόμως ὑπόστρεψον. Εἰ δέ καί διερχόμενος ἴδῃς τινά ἀδελφόν μόνον, ἤ καί μετά ἑτέρων καθήμενον καί ὁμιλοῦντα παρά καιρόν, βαλών μετάνοιαν σιωπῇ πάρελθε. Μή ἀπελθών καθεσθῇς μετ᾿ αὐτῶν, μνησθείς τοῦ ψαλμῳδοῦ λέγοντος· "Μακάριος ἀνήρ ὅς οὐκ ἐπορεύθη ἐν βουλῇ ἀσεβῶν, καί ἐν ὁδῷ ἁμαρτωλῶν οὐκ ἔστη, καί ἐπί καθέδρᾳ λοιμῶν οὐκ ἐκάθισε". Λοιμοί γάρ εἰσιν οἱ τοιοῦτοι, καθώς ὁ Παῦλός φησι· "Φθείρουσιν ἤθη χρηστά ὁμιλίαι κακαί"· εἴ τι οὖν ὁ λοιμός, τοῦτο καί ἡ φθορά. Μή τοίνυν συγκαθεσθῇς μετά ἀργολογούντων, ἀγαπητέ, μηδέ εἴπῃς· "Ἀκούσομαι τί λαλεῖτε κἀγώ", ἀλλ᾿ ὡς εἴρηται, βαλών μετάνοιαν πάρελθε. Φύλαξον τήν σιωπήν τήν ξενιτείαν· καί τήν μέν σιωπήν ἐν τῷ λέγειν πρός ἑαυτόν· "Τί γάρ ἔχω καί εἰπεῖν ἐγώ ἀγαθόν, ὅλος βόρβορος ὤν καί μωρός, οὐ μόνον δέ ἀλλά καί ξένος καί ἀνάξιος τοῦ λαλεῖν καί ἀκούειν ἤ συναριθμεῖσθαι μετά ἀνθρώπων; "· τήν δέ ξενιτείαν καί τό ἀπέχεσθαι ἀπό πάντων ἐν τῷ λογίζεσθαι ταῦτα καί λέγειν πρός ἑαυτόν· "Τίς εἰμι, φησίν, ἐγώ ὁ ἀπερριμένος καί εὐτελής, ὁ ἀγεννής καί πτωχός, ἵνα εἰς κελλίον εἰσέλθω τινός; οὐχί ὡς βδέλυγμα ὄντα με, ἰδών με ἀποστραφήσεται; ἆρα οὐ μή εἴπῃ· Τί δέ ὁ μιαρός (332) οὗτος ἦλθε πρός με μιᾶναι τήν κέλλαν μου; ", προτιθείς πρό τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν σου τάς ἁμαρτίας σου, καί μή ἄκροις χείλεσιν, ἀλλ᾿ ἀπό ψυχῆς λέγων αὐτά. Εἰ γάρ καί μή κατ᾿ ἀρχάς λέγειν ταῦτα ἰσχύσεις ἀπό ψυχῆς, ἀλλ᾿ ὅμως κατά μικρόν ἐλεύσῃ καί εἰς τοῦτο, τῆς χάριτος συνεργούσης σοι. Μόνον ἄκουσόν μου τοῦ ταπεινοῦ, μόνον βάλε εἰς ταῦτα ἀρχήν, ἀδελφέ, μόνον ἄρξαι ποιεῖν καί πράττειν καί λέγειν ταῦτα, καί οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψει σε ὁ Θεός. Ἀγαπᾷ γάρ σε σφόδρα καί θέλει σε εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν καί σωθῆναι.

Οὕτω τοιγαροῦν τάς μέχρι τῆς λειτουργίας ὥρας διελθών, ἀδελφέ, εἴσελθε πάλιν εἰς τήν σύναξιν ἐν σπουδῇ καί ἐν προθυμίᾳ πολλῇ. Στῆθι καθώς ἐν τῇ ὀρθρινῇ σοι δοξολογίᾳ ὑπετυπώσαμεν, τοῦ πένθους μηδόλως λήθην ποιούμενος· στῆθι σύντρομος, ὡς τόν Υἱόν τοῦ Θεοῦ βλέπων θυόμενον διά σέ. Καί εἰ εἶ ἄξιος καί ἀπελύθης εἰς τοῦτο, πρόσελθε ἐν φόβῳ καί χαρᾷ τῶν ἀπορρήτων κοινωνήσων ἀγαθῶν. Καί μετά τήν ἐσχάτην εὐχήν ἐξελθών, εἴσελθε μετά πάντων ἐν τῇ τραπέζῃ, μή χωριζόμενος τῶν σῶν ἀδελφῶν. Καί εἰ μέν διακονεῖν ἐτάγης, παράστηθι ὡς τῷ Χριστῷ καί οὐκ ἀνθρώποις διακονῶν ἐξ εἰλικρινοῦς διαθέσεως καί ἀγάπης πᾶσιν ὡς ἁγίοις, μᾶλλον δέ ὡς αὐτῷ καθώς εἴπομεν - διακονήσων τῷ Χριστῷ, ἕκαστον αὐτῶν