In the spirit of pachomian tradition
“51. And every other duty which we must perform in conformity with the law of the holy Koinonia, let us all perform with prudence of piety, as one man, as it is written; ‘All who believed formed but one heart and one soul’ (Acts 4, 32); so that God may bless our bread, that we may eat it with joy and pleasure in the Holy Spirit, and that a blessing may rest upon it, remain there, and not vanish rapidly; also, that the Lord may bless every work we will undertake to do.
- All things which it behooves us to do comfortably with our calling, let us do for the glory of God, whether in matters of food or labor in the fields, the synaxis, and conversations with seculars we shall meet on the road or at the gatehouse or whom we shall visit for a necessary matter relating to the community. In short, let all we do or say be for the glory of God, knowing that the written word is true, ‘The one who honors Me I will honor’ (1 Samuel 2, 30). Indeed, the words of the Scripture, the breadth of God (cf. 2 Tim 3, 16), are true and very dependable (cf. 1 Tim 1, 15; 4, 9), whether concerning favors or punishments.”[1]
Advices from Abbas Barsanuphius
“193. God leaves us to fall into arrogance and other passions so that we might acknowledge our infirmity and acknowledge where we are. In His goodness He leaves us, for our benefit, so that we might lay out trust and hope in Him, and not in ourselves. But beware of thinking that we fall into arrogance and other passions by God’s will (for God’s will is not in these); rather, God allows this to happen to us because of our negligence, and out of His love of mankind He brings us from our evil deeds to humility, for our own salvation.”[2]
Humility – the measure of the Christian life
“Vain glory, the desire to please men, to act to be noticed, this is absolutely forbidden to Christians in any field: even the one who fulfills the command, when it is to be seen and praised by men, loses the reward attached to it (cf. Mt 6: 1-18). Quant to those who have embraced all forms of humility because of the Lord's command, they must flee from all kinds of vain glory.”[3]
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[1] The Regulation of Horsiesius in Pachomian Koinonia vol. 2 (Pachomian Chronicles and Rules translated by Armand Vieilleux) Cistercian Studies Series: number forty-six, Ed. Cistercian Publications Inc. Kalamazoo, MI, USA 1981, p 216
[2] Sts. Barsanuphius and John. Guidance toward spiritual life. (selected and translated by Fr. Seraphim Rose), Ed. St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood 2002, Platina, CA, USA, p 63
[3] Saint Basil's ascetic rules. Question 20 in The Grace of Hospitality. Ed. Du Cerf / Ed. J.P. Migne: Paris 2017, p 171 (in french)
Photo credit: Doxologia.ro/ Oana Nechifor
