Discourse 5

Discourse Five. God has greatly increased honor for the human being, through the excellent teaching which He gave him. And from every side He opened for him a door, that he might enter into knowledge. Seek a true witness from nature concerning yourself, and you will not err. But if you depart from that, learn from a false witness, and it will set you on a path from which you have strayed. A timid heart cannot be delivered from error; and wisdom does not open her door before it. He who is able to attain, through knowledge, a certain conviction, that there is no equality of future destiny for all mortals, does not seek any other teacher concerning the simplicity of the world. The first book given by God to rational beings is the nature of creatures. The teaching of the Law, however, was added after the fall. He who does not distance himself from the causes of sin by his own will is involuntarily entangled in sin. The causes of sins are these: wine, women, wealth, and the strength of the body. It is not that sin exists in these things themselves and in their use, but because of the weakness of the human being and his need for them without law. At times, through them, more than anything else, nature is secretly able to incline towards changing sins; and through them, great vigilance is required of him.

If you remember your own weakness and know truly that you are powerless, you will not step beyond the boundaries of caution. For the one who is in the house of the senses is wearied by everything: by poverty, and even more than that by God—by the pride of the heart and the arrogant mind. In the house of the senses, wealth is burdensome; but concerning God, the soul is humble. When you wish to begin with one of the virtues, first prepare your soul for the evils that come because of it, so that you do not contend against the truth. Evil is present when it sees that a person, in the fervor of faith, begins with one of the virtues; then severe and harsh trials befall him. It happens that when he is shaken by these, he becomes cold from that very place in the love of his thought, and no longer dares to approach the works of God. For because of the fear of the harsh trials that cling to beautiful things, beautiful things are not practiced by a person. But you, prepare your soul so that you may encounter the evils that accompany the virtues with courage and strength, and then begin. If you do not overcome the evils, do not begin with virtue. The man who contends against the Lord is pursued by his shadow; and in the exchange of satiety, he hungers; and in the exchange of peace, his destruction occurs.

and trusts in God, his heart is strengthened. And his honor: he does not seek after passions. And his pride: he does not seek after his faults. Better it is to follow the commandments of God than the treasures of the whole earth. And he who keeps his laws in his heart finds the Lord within himself. A son of the house is one who is near to God, who dwells with his Lord. And those who rejoice in his will find teachers of the heights. He who trembles at sins passes even in a summer place without stumbling. And in the darkness of the cloud he finds light within it. He who trembles at sins, the Lord guards his ways. And to his laws, mercy precedes. And he whose thoughts are small in his eyes falls into pitfalls from his beginnings and is punished: one in seven. Sow righteousness in humility, and you will reap mercy in the house of judgment. In those things by which you lost the good, by those same things you will again acquire them. A debt you owe to God in a place: he does not accept from you a pearl in its place. For there, that is what is needed. Poverty has taken from you: do not let idleness remain in its place, and righteousness will be given in its stead; he does not accept this from you. In the place of holiness: holiness follows. Otherwise: in crooked measures you have erred; do not leave the cry of deceit in its place, and you yourself fast from bread.

Do not leave iniquity in its place and contend with something else. The violent one is uprooted by mercy and by rejection. The abandonment of the desire in its place, and with another you contend, as the word of the great teacher Mar Ephrem. See, in the heat of summer, you do not contend with the waters of winter against the heat. Thus every struggle: with that which sows iniquity, with its opposite you shall reap. And for every sickness, with its own remedy you shall heal it. Now you are slain by loss, and against shame you strive. Sin: as long as it is a plant, uproot it, so that it does not cover the whole earth. He who is anointed with evil as with a little one, in the end may find a harsh lord, and runs before his bonds. He who is bold at the beginning, rules over it easily. He who endures oppression with joy, when victory is in his hand, then the consolation of his faith is felt, and he receives from God. And he who endures distress with humility, attains perfection. At this, angels will marvel. There is no excellence like that of the difficult and its equal is great. Do not trust in your own strength until you enter into the contests and find your mind unchanged within them. And in every matter, thus you shall receive the proof of yourself.

Flee from boasting in the faith of your heart, that you may tread upon the neck of your enemies and find your mind humble. Do not rely on your strength, lest you be left over the weakness of your mind, and by your fall you learn your weakness. Nor rely on your knowledge, lest you be diminished among the thoughts of hidden passions and become confused. Flee to the tongue of the humble, and no disturbance will encounter you. And with sweet lips, you will be found a friend to all. Do not boast in any of the desires with your tongue, for there is nothing in creation that is free from change, lest you be put to shame when you are found in its opposite. Everything that boasts, its causes are before the wicked; vainly does God bring change in it, as it becomes for you a cause for humility. Judge everything by the knowledge of God, and do not suppose that there is anything certain in creation. And when you find this, at all times your eyes will be fixed upon Him. To all the wicked, vanity is bound to every moment. It is not visible except to those who have purified themselves from sins and delight in God at all times. And to these it is revealed clearly, that what they have entered into are the great mysteries for the sake of truth; then they perceive sensibly and, as if with bodily eyes, receive sensation.

And when it is necessary, and also in a spiritual manner, for the sake of the victory of the mystery and the cause, as for a great heart. As with Jacob and Joshua son of Nun, and with the house of the sinners and Peter and the rest: for the likeness of a man was shown to them, for their heart and for the clarity of their faith. And if you say that these were of the economy and of the inner wills, let them be for you witnesses of the heart, the holy ones. For there are times when many are together, and each one in his own place, who suffer for the sake of God. Those who, with the power of the hidden one, by which he is strong in the bodily members, against the torments of iron and the demons of every kind, and works beyond nature. In abundance, and also openly, holy angels were seen by them. As everyone knows, that it is in the power of God, for those who bear sufferings for his sake throughout the nights. For their own heart, and the shame of their oppressors. For the more they were persecuted in a vision like this, the more they were silenced by the wrath of these.

And when he speaks about the many from among the solitaries and the ascetics and the athletes of truth: that they made the desert a dwelling place, and a place of encampments of angels, where they were appointed because of the equality of their conduct; and like true servants of one Lord, in every way their thoughts were mingled upward, in the house of the aim of these. That in all their lives they loved the desert, and made caves and rocks their dwellings, and endured pleasantly and desolately, because of the love of God. And because they left the earth and loved heaven, in the likeness of angels, even they themselves did not diminish from their sight. But sometimes they taught those who were being taught about the ways; and sometimes they resolved their questions about the intentions of something or other, about which they were asked; and sometimes, when they wandered in the desert, they showed them the way; and sometimes they delivered them from trials; and sometimes from a sudden something of the kind of Quadragesima, which they did not know from where it came, something of the kind of Quadragesima, which when they did not know from where it came, it came upon them, from its midst they delivered them. Like the poison of a serpent, or a fall from a cliff, or a falling of a stone, which from silence falls suddenly from a height.

and at times also in the writing of the open battles of Satan: they themselves openly revealed, when for their help they were sent, they were clearly making known, and they were adorning the heart with their speech. And there are times when they also brought healing to their pains, and for the sick, something that had happened from causes, by the touch of their hands they healed them. And at times again: and also to their bodies, which had been stripped of all discipline, they gave strength through their words, as if by the touch of a hand from their prayer. And to the sick who had fallen, they gave strength secretly within him. And to the sick who had fallen, they gave strength secretly within him. And at times: they brought provision to them, bread when it was hot and olives. And for their drink: various fruits. For their drink, however: they revealed over time their customs. And how much do I have to say: about the love of the holy angels towards the body, and the excess of service that they show towards the righteous, like great brothers who care for and protect their younger brothers. All these things, as everyone is convinced: how near God is to his lovers. And how much service he shows towards those who in his hand turn their lives, and after him go with a pure heart.

If you are true and believe that there is a divine power of God over you, you have no need to fear because of the body, nor through means to manage yourself should you be troubled. But if you are divided concerning this, and you yourself seek to be troubled without God, you are one with all the wicked, and what will avail you to live? Cast your hope upon God, that you may be strengthened over every fear. He who once hastens his life to God, in the tranquility of thought he rests. Without the removal of agitations, the soul is not freed from the disturbance of thoughts. And without the stillness of the senses, the tranquility of thought is not perceived. And without the entry of the mysteries, the wisdom of the spirit is not established. And without the silence of reading, the sharpness of thoughts is not learned. And without the tranquility from thoughts, in hidden mysteries it is not moved. And without the support of faith, to guard the soul in the midst of straits and difficulties is not extended. And without the acceptance of the help of the divine power of God actively, the heart cannot trust in God. And without the soul tasting the passion for the sake of Christ, it does not share in knowledge with him.

Consider this, O man of God: that on account of great mercy, he stands his own need in the place of necessity, humbly. He who labors for the poor finds God as a provider. And he who is in need for his sake finds a great treasure. God is not concerned with anything; rather, he rejoices when a man humbles his image for his sake or honor. When a man asks something of you and you have it, do not say in your heart, "I will leave myself, because I will be more at ease by it," or "I will pass it by for the hour." This is not something God distributes from another place, but I set it for myself. Do not say this. This, rather, is what wicked men do, and a man who does not know God is reckoned among them, and his deeds are with these evil thoughts. A righteous man does not give his honor to others, nor does he pass over the opportunity for his goodness. That one, from every side, seeks God from another place, if he knows that he is in need. God does not abandon a man. But you, for the hour, have passed over the honor of God from yourself, and you have cast his goodness away from your side. But if you have wisdom, you give, and you say: "Glory to you, O God, for you have given me that I might also give to a man in need.

And what you do not have: rejoice exceedingly while you confess, as a stranger, many thanksgivings to God, and say: I thank you, O God, that you have given me this honor, that I have become poor for your sake; and my worth, that I have tasted the pain which you placed on the path of your commandments; in illnesses and in poverty, as the saints tasted, who walked on this path. And when you recall, say: Blessed are those who were found like a sign placed for God, in those things that bring upon them suffering, for the sake of the health of the soul, God brings. One of the saints said: I set this sign: that when the solitary does not serve God well, and is not diligent in his works, from every kind of labor he leaves something upon himself to rest in, so that he may not become completely idle, and from his idleness many thoughts are kindled to rest in left-hand things. But when he does not wish to rest in leisure, he sets for himself the work of labors, that he may rest in it, and not be idle in empty things. This God does to everyone who turns to him. When he sees that he has begun to be negligent in his works, he leaves upon him a great pain, to make him wise and to discipline him.

And because of this: even when he reads again such things, he is silent and does not hasten to answer him, until his knowledge and his understanding, and from the silence, such things happen to him to bear. When you spread out your hands, be silent with your eyes from him. And also increase prayer, not hearing. And also to others this is said: from all sides to those who leave the path that is said. And what does it mean when thus from the mercy of God, he increases his knocking at his door in affliction, and he prays, and is silent from his petition? He says: Behold, the hand of the Lord is not too small to save, nor his knowledge too heavy to hear. But your sins have separated you from God, and your faults have turned his face away from you so that he does not hear. Remember the Lord at all times, and he will remember you when evil approaches you. Make your mind a receiver of events. And in the world in which he created you and left you, increase the causes of events and trials. And make your mind a light receiver of such things. And evils are not far from you, not even a little. For from within you they seek you, when they are hinted, and from beneath your feet, and from the place where you stand. But as a neighbor to a neighbor, so trials are neighbors to the flesh. With wisdom God distributes such things that are yours thus: because of your own excess.

Stand firmly in silence at his door, and with the fear of the spiritual thoughts, renew his memory in silence in your contemplation. And be near to God through the silence of your prayer, and be joined to his memory, the silence of your heart. And when you read him and he answers you, you will know that your Savior is God. And you will perceive your God, the one who created you, and who makes you fruitful, and who guards you, through the one who made your affairs for two worlds. One is like your instruction, like a small school of sacrifice. And the other is like your father's house, and your eternal home forever. Do not make yourself a sufferer, so that you do not ascend to the rank of divinity, and inherit something of the satanic side. And do not make yourself, by your own self, not a supplicant, so that you are not like bound reeds, and you stand for your good and evil without increase and without reward, like other bodies on the earth. For how many blows and afflictions, along with thanksgivings, are born from suffering and fear, and also from supplication, for every person is evident. For it is known that even the customs of righteousness and the supplications from evil things are their own will. And honor and shame from these are attached to them. Through shame: fear and trembling. Through honor, however: confess to God, and embrace the good.

These all, these teachings, have increased upon you, so that when you are freed from these, because of your lack of leisure and your inability to receive your purity and your exaltation from fear and thoughts, you might err concerning God and stray from him, and follow after many gods. This also happened to many who were good in discernment and ascetics, and all these were left behind by them through a slight relaxation and through the authority of a small time and through a brief health, not only many gods in this way, but also they harmed themselves, as they thought, from the knowledge of the true God in their time. Because of this, beware of all these things in those that press upon you at the time, lest you stray and he become angry with you, and by placing a beginning, a hindrance might be set for you from before him. He also removes wickedness and sins that follow from health and lack of fear and leisure, and also that which was said before, let it not be. Therefore, with pains and afflictions, increase his remembrance in your heart. And by the point of opposites, awaken yourself to the door of his truth. And by that which saves you from these, sow causes for his love in you. And when you find love, it will bring you to the honor of the fathers. It will show you his grace, how rich it is, and his humility, how gentle it is toward you.

Then your work is to perceive and to hallow the honour of His glory, and the hidden mysteries of the purity of His greatness. From where would you have known these, if not for the contradictions that were yours? For from these, the love of God in the soul increases all the more abundantly. Now this, then, from the understanding of His benefactions and the remembrance of the transformation in His vanity. All these goods, which are born from the thoughts that come to you, if you know how to give thanks. Accompany then the one who is worthy, that your habit may be constant. And what you remember and what you interpret, all these blessings you shall receive. Do not let it slip from your idle mouth, lest your labour also be in vain for your petitions. Let there be for Him a near and hearing approach, that in necessity you may be found bold before Him, because of your constancy towards Him in your heart through your prayer. Sit before His face in all your times, in your meditation on His causes and the remembrance of Him in your heart, lest when you see Him in the hour, you have no boldness to speak with Him because of shame. Great boldness is born from great constancy. Constancy towards fellow humans is a bodily thing; towards God, however, it is the thought of the soul and the nearness of prayers. And from its great abundance, this thought, little by little, becomes mingled with wonder. Rejoice the hearts of those who seek the Lord.

Seek the Lord, sinners, and be strengthened by hope in your thoughts. And seek His face through repentance at all times, and be sanctified by the holiness of His face, and be absolved from your iniquity. For the Lord loves sinners, He forgives iniquity and removes sins. Because it is said in the Scriptures: "The death of a sinner is not desired by God," as it is written and again, "He lives." "I have stretched out my hands all day long to a people who are called and not gathered." And "Why have you killed your men, the house of the house of Jacob? They were gathered to me, and they were gathered against you." And in Ezekiel it says: "On the day that a man leaves his way of iniquity and is gathered to the Lord, and does judgment and righteousness, his sins that he committed are not remembered, but he lives," says the Lord. Just as also if a righteous man leaves his righteousness and sins and does iniquity, his righteousness that he did is not remembered, but he is given a reproach before him, and the iniquity that he did is counted; if he persists and is violent in it. Why? Because iniquity is not weighed by his iniquity on the day he is gathered to the Lord. And the righteousness of the righteous does not save him on the day he sins, if he uproots the foundation in his petition.

And to Jeremiah he said thus: "Take the tablet of the book, and write upon it everything that I have told you, from the days of Josiah, king of Judah, until these days, all the evils that I told you would come upon this people." He heard, and feared, and left his evil way and returned, and drew near to me, and I forgave his sins. And the wise man says: "A man who conceals his iniquity does not prosper. And he who confesses his sins and passes from them, God will have mercy on him." And Isaiah, rich in revelations, said: "Seek the Lord. And when you have found Him, call to Him. And when He draws near, let the sinner leave his way, and the wicked man his thought, and draw near to me, and I will have mercy on him." And to our God, who is abundant in forgiveness, because my thoughts are not like your thoughts, and my ways are not like your ways. "Why do you not weigh silver for bread, and gold for satiety? Hear my word, and eat good things. Come to me, and hear my word, and your soul will live." When you guard the ways of the Lord and do His will, then you will be sheltered by the Lord. Then you will call to Him, and He will answer, and you will approach, and He will say, "Behold, I am here." The wicked, when evil comes upon him, have no confidence to call upon God, nor can they obtain their deliverance.

because he has distanced himself from the will of his heart in the days of his trouble. Until you are tested, seek a helper for yourself. And until you are free, seek a physician for yourself. Until affliction reaches you, pray. And in the time of affliction, you will find her and be helped. Until you fall, pray and seek. Until you return, prepare your provisions. This, then: your provisions and your supplies, the grave, in the time of peace was forgotten. From before a hundred years, its pains were fashioned. And in wrath, the unjust who hastened in iniquity were condemned. And for the righteous, it became a shelter. Iniquity: it stops the mouth with prayer. In the secret that comes from vigilance, it takes pardon from the heart. The trust of the heart: it brings forth tears of joy in supplication. Patient endurance of voluntary persecution: it purifies the heart. Patient endurance of persecution: it comes from the simplicity that is above the world. And that a person may live in tranquility without affliction, because the heart that is at rest sees the truth. The joy of tranquility and persecution of the will: they elevate the heart. There is no one who can endure tranquility and persecution with a joyful will, except those who have completely died in their thoughts to the world. Those, however, in whom the entire fragrance of this life is found in their thoughts: they do not allow them empty leisure, lest they be suddenly seized by anger, or fall into thoughts of sorrow, which are born from this.

Oh, how difficult is this excellence, and how much glory it has before God! For one who abandons this vain conduct and gives himself over to asceticism, and withdraws from his place, it is difficult to accomplish this excellent and lofty excellence, a man in his place. Only the blessed and the strong are able to endure the pain that is born from this great conduct among their acquaintances. And those who died in their lives to these lives, and cut off their hope from the consolation of this time. Where grace is near to humility. Thus for pride, difficult events occur. The heart of the Lord is over the humble, that he may be good. The face of the Lord is against the proud, that he may be humbled. Humility receives mercy immediately. For hardness of heart and lack of faith receive difficult afflictions immediately, without purpose. Until from silence evil rises up against them, and they are delivered over to the destruction of the perishing. Humble yourself in everything among the children of men, and raise yourself even above the heads of the people. Let your prostration be low before every man, and be first in your greeting. And be honored more than one who offers gold of Ophir. Be a wanderer and a despiser in your own eyes, and you will see the glory of God within yourself. Where there is humility, from there praise arises.

If you are openly eager to be praised, you increase your honor through the houses of men. But if your heart is humble, your heart will show you its glory. Be great in your greatness, and not great in your vanity. Learn to be despised when you are full of the honor of the Lord, and not to be honored when you are empty of the praises from within. Cast aside honor, that you may be honored. And do not love it, lest you be led astray. If you run after honor, it will flee from before you. And if you flee from it, from where you hide, from there it will seek you out, and it will become for all a herald of your humility. If you scatter yourself to be honored, the Lord will hinder you. If, however, you despise it for the sake of truth, the creatures will command the praises of you. And the glory of the Creator, who from eternity speaks through them, will open before you, and your praises will be as those of the Creator, because you are his true image. The man who exalts his conduct and is vain among the houses of men, and is proud and arrogant and impoverished in his spirit—what can he attain? Blessed is he who humbles himself in everything, that he may be exalted in everything. He who, for the sake of God, abases and belittles himself is praised by God. And he who, for the sake of his own things, is hungry and thirsty—his blessedness will satiate him with that wine whose intoxication does not pass away for its drinkers. And he who is troubled for the sake of his own things—a garment of praises clothes him.

and his poverty because of it; with his true wealth he confirms his humility. Cast yourself down for God, that your praise may increase, and you not be aware of it. All your life consider yourself a sinner, that all your life you may be found righteous. Be simple when you are wise, and do not go astray in your wisdom. Be a layman in your wisdom, and do not show yourself wise when you are a layman. If humility adorns the simple, how much more does it adorn the honorable. Flee from glory, and you will be glorified. Fear from height, and you will be raised. Do not let pride be divided among the wicked, and height willfully, instead of the small virtues from which with man you will not escape. If you despise praise, flee from the hunters of glory. Flee from the envious, as from the enmities. Distance yourself from the quarrelsome, as from the quarrels. Flee from the contemptible, as from contempt. If the memory of their ways disturbs your mind, how much more the sight and closeness with them. Approach the virtuous, that through their hands you may approach God. Associate with the humble, that you may learn from his ways. If the sight of his conduct benefits his beholders, how much more the smallness of his deeds and the teaching from his mouth. Love the poor, that through their hands you may find mercy.

Do not approach the altars, lest you be hindered from departing from the habits of your wickedness. Do not flee from the bitterness of the sickness of your kidneys, for you also are flesh, and you are evil. Do not strike those of bitter heart, lest you be struck with the rod with which you struck. And you will seek a mediator, and none will be found for you. Do not forget the oaths of the penitent, lest you enter with them into Sheol. Love sinners, and reprove their deeds. Do not despise them because of their defects, lest you also be tempted by them while you are in them. Remember that you are a partner in the nakedness of Adam; you also are evil and prone to weakness. To him who is intent upon the prayer of suffering and the words of struggle, do not give the garment of humility in exchange for these, lest you lose him, and he be sought from your hands. Be like the physicians, who are equipped with cold things against fevers. Restrain yourself, so that when you encounter your neighbor, you may offer him honor beyond his measure. And kiss his hand and his foot, and set your heart at rest in his love humbly. And bring many gifts to his hands from your mouth, and place them on your eyes, and love them with great honor. And place upon his person beautiful things which he does not possess. And even when he is far away, speak good and beautiful things about him, and call him by distinguished names of honor.

Do not be hasty, nor like them. Not only do you turn away from the beauty of the virtues, when you are ashamed of the name of the works that are hidden in it, and you sow in it the seed of the virtues; but from these canons and the like, by which you renew your standing, you establish in yourself habits that are excellent and humbling, and you are created free from many and difficult bonds, which are fastened by labors for the sake of the preservation of others from that very thing. And not only this, but even if there is some defect or blemish of the will, that one, from among these honors that can be obtained from you, by a mere sign, when you show him a living example, he simply accepts healing from you, while being ashamed of your honor before him, and because of the example of love that he sees in you continuously. This is the thought: Be bound to all the living. And when you are offended by a man, and you are troubled because of faith, or because of his evil deeds, or you rebuke him or conceal him, beware of yourself. For the judge in heaven stands ready. But if you have compassion and you wish to bring him to the truth, you will suffer for his sake. And with tears and with love you will speak to him one or two words, and you will not be violently agitated against him, and you will remove the sign of enmity from your person.

Love does not know how to be angry, nor to be provoked, nor to feel pain in a fleshly way. The sign of love and knowledge, wherever it exists, is deep humility, which comes from an inner contemplation. The end of the Fifth Discourse.