Chapter LX
That Without Necessity We Should Not Desire Nor Ask That Any Sign Should Manifestly Happen Through Us Or Unto Us
The Lord who is always near the saints through the signs of help He sends to them, does not show, without necessity, His power manifestly by performing any perceptible sign, lest the things which are meant to help us, should become impotent or a means to bring us harm. Such is His way, though He care for them to such an extent, that His secret providence does not abandon them one moment. But in all things He allows them to show care according to their power and to fatigue themselves by prayer. If however the matter is so difficult, that the scale of their knowledge should become too light, after they have spent their force and resigned because nature is not sufficient [for such a task], He will give His supply according to the greatness of His power, as is becoming and profitable to them in 4zo His mind. As long as possible He strengthens them secretly in order that they may remain standing before that difficulty. By the knowledge which He grants them He causes its bond to be loosened, and by contemplation He excites them unto glorification, in order that the matter may be of profit to both parties. If however the case wants manifest action, He will proceed to give this, for necessity's sake. His acts of providence are wise, serving necessity, not chance. He that without necessity ventures upon this, begging from God and desiring that wonders and powers should happen through himself, is found to be tempted 1) of the scornful demon in his heart, and even a boaster and one sick in heart. For to ask God's help in trouble, is becoming. But to tempt
1) R e a d i ng,..Dr2l!:>O with Bedjan and the Greek translation (7rE1pa�oruvo;)
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without necessity, is a dangerous thing. He is not even truly a righteous one, who desires this. But that which the Lord does without any man's will, is found by most of the saints. That a man should desire this wilfully, without necessity, is apostasy from watchfulness and aberration from true knowledge. And if he that asks is heard on this point, because of his daring and his persuading our Lord, he is led unto a thing which is still more serious. But those who are truly righteous, do not desire this; and they not only do not count upon this 4 2 1 but they do not even ask for it, if it is given them; neither before the eyes of men, nor even privately. Unto one of the saints, because of his serenity, the gift was granted that he knew beforehand if any one should visit him; but he asked God, and he persuaded others to pray for this, that the gift might be taken away from him. The Fathers did not use this freedom of speech not even in times of necessity. When the blessed Ammon, a holy man in truth, one of the admirable Fathers, went to the great Mar Antonius and wandered in the desert he did not say: 0 God take me up and set me down there where Antonius is -though he would have been able to do something like this, because of his being near to God, and because this was a case of necessity; for it is said that those who are wandering in this desert incur danger. Notwithstanding all these things, he did not say this to God, but said only this word: 0 Lord, let not Thy creature perish. - Doest thou perceive the humbleness, doest thou understand the true wisdom of the Fathers? And 422 God, because He knew that the man was true and not led in his deliberations by haughtiness, showed unto him His care for the saints, and did to the man as his greatness deserved. And so, though Ammon did not beseech, God did what was becoming. For Ammon lay down to sleep; and rising he saw as it were the hand of a man hanging above his head in the sky and showing him the way, till it went and stood still above the cave of the blessed Antonius. - Doest thou perceive God's care for His housemates? It would have been possible even not to let him err. But God desired that Ammon should know how much He cared for him. So He let Him err and showed him afterwards manifestly the way, not through a man, but through an angel and in the air. Blessed be God's care for the saints.
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Recollect also what happened to Aba Macarius. When he went to Skete, bearing baskets, and grew fatigued and weary, he sat down because he could not walk any longer. But he did not ask from God that He should do unto him anything, by His infl u ence, to give him comfort. But he trusted himself unto God saying: 0 God, thou knowest that I have no more strength. Then at once, in a moment, by divine influence, he was taken up and placed there whether he wished to go, he and his baskets. Those who are righteous in truth, constantly think in their heart that they are not worthy of God. And they consider themselves as true in so far as they deem themselves to be wretches. And they sincerely confess, secretly and openly that they are not worthy of His care. And as sinners and wretches 4 23 they bestow care and painstaking upon everything and trust themselves unto God, in faith, though, as far as their strength goes they do not desist from what they ought to do, being instructed by the Spirit that they should not neglect to care for their duty but to labour as long as they live. The time of rest He has preserved for the world to be. And those in whom God dwells do not desire that they may have rest here and be liberated from torments, although consolation in spiritual things is given unto them from time to time in secret. Excellence is not that a man, on reaching it, should give up care and J:lainstaking. But this is [the sign of] the immanence of the Spirit, that a man constantly subdues and compels himself, even if it should be possible to perform the thing in comfort. For the will of the Spirit is not to accustom those in whom it dwells to laziness and to invite them to comfort, but to labours and greater trouble. And it will teach them alertness and confirm them by temptations and lead them towards wisdom. It is the will of the Spirit that those who love it, be in vexations. In those who pass their life in comfort, not' the Spirit of God but the Spirit of Satan dwells. The Spirit of God is not pleased with bodily comfort, nor does it find pleasure in a life of comfort, but in a life of vexations. Satan on the other hand fi n ds pleasure in a life full of comfort, according to Our Lord's witness. The Holy Spirit flees from comfort; 424 as it is said by the holy Fathers: The Spirit of God does not
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dwell in a body softened 1) by comfort. But it looks after a place where people strain themselves, with an emaciated body, and a prepared soul; and with them it takes habitation, teaching them how to live during this small space of time. Those who love God complete their life under all kinds of trouble. For all the righteous have driven out this world by means of vexations. According as they came nearer to God, their vexations increased. For one of them said with oaths: I die every day. I conjure you by your honour, o my brethren, that it has been given me in our Lord Jesus Christ to die every day. Therein they differ from other men; and that God lives in them [appears from the fact] that they live in troubles whereas the world delights in comfort. God has not chosen that those who love Him should enjoy bodily comfort, but it is His will that as long as they live they should be in trouble in the world, afflicted, vexed, needy and lonely; naked and poor; sick, scorned and beaten. A standing place they have not; their heart is broken; their body is humbled; their acquaintances disavow them; their mind is full of distress; their aspect is strange to all creatures; their dwelling place is strange to all mankind; their habitation is solitary and lonely, bereft of the sight of the world, void of every sign of the things which cause joy in this world; destitute of any comfort. Mourning, 425 is found in it; joy, is far from it; afflictions, are frequent in it. They do not even possess plenty of that which the body needs as all men do. Their bed is the ground; their faces are parched by fasting; their knees tremble from weakness. Their internal organs are unfitted for their customary purpose through service alien to human habit. They weep, and the world laughs. They are sorry, and the world is joyful. They fast, and the world takes comfort. All creatures enjoy a sweet sleep, and they wake in prayer. During the day they are wearying themselves and during the night they prepare themselves for struggle. The saints live a bitter life in the world, with a humbled body, an afflicted soul and in distress on all sides. Thus it is the will of God that all those who are near to Him should live in miserable circumstances, being humbled and wretched in their whole soul and body; some through
1) Dwell and softened are expressed by the same root in Sy ri ac
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voluntary troubles; some through the vexations caused by their sufferings; some through the bitter pains which they bear in their bodies; some through the misery and the persecutions of men; danger of sufferings, danger of the demons, danger of illnesses, danger of poverty. Others have been persecuted; others have been put to death; others have been sawn asunder; others have been stoned; others have been drowned in the sea; others have had their limbs cut off alive; others have been delivered to scorn and contempt; others have been 426 punished by the fl a mes, others by prison, others by terrible
flogging; others have been delivered to the sword; others have gone round, clad in hides of lambs and goats, and have become as lost in the desert. Troubles the saints have undergone on mountains and in caverns and in the holes of the earth. Of such people according to the witness of the apostle, the world was not worthy. But what is more marvellous than all these things, they did not expect to be saved or to find rest on account of all these according to the word of the blessed apostle. Glory to Him that crowned them, He that by the suffering of the cross has also completed this path with all its previous sufferings, that also His saints may follow His steps. Fulfilled has been the word of our Lord: In the world ye shall have tribulation, but in me ye shall have good cheer 1). By the force of this good cheer, these saints acquire the power to be patient. May God, by whose power the saints have been patient in these struggles without becoming weak in their hope, strengthen His hope in us all. Amen. Without troubles, no life. God did know that two kinds of gladness cannot be in one man. And because it is impossible to cling to His love when the body is in comfort, He has withheld men from this, and has strengthened His love in their soul by bereaving them from all worldly pleasure. May Christ, whose love is stronger than death and fire and sword 427 and exile and alienation from family and loss of life - and no difficulties can remain standing before His love of His friends -reveal in us the power of His love. Amen.
1) John 16, 33
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