Venerable Barsanuphius and John the Prophet

“How then, when you go to converse with others, is it that you move from charity and joy to exasperation and rancor, and reproach your neighbor instead of yourself and do not say, "I am the dishonorable one," but even quite approve of yourself? Because, if the occasion arises, you say, "Speak, for I have spoken and will listen gladly." Who believes that they listen to your words gladly? Are you Elijah the prophet? Accuse yourself, and know that all of this that happens to you does not happen without the will of God, whether it is in the matter of rest that you yield thanks or an affliction that requires patience. Where is the word in Scripture, "You endure it when someone hits you in the face," and so on? For this is why we are far from God.Therefore, if you want to learn the way, it is this: to consider the one who persecutes you like the one who cares for you; the one who despises you like the one who praises you; the one who insults you like the one who honors you; and the one who plagues you like the one who provides you with rest. And whether if, by forgetfulness or deliberately, they do not treat you in the way to which you are accustomed, do not get upset but say instead: If God intended this, they would have come. And when they do come, you receive them with a joyful face, rejoicing and thinking: the Lord has had mercy on me although I was unworthy; like Daniel, when the Lord went to visit him, he said only this: "You have remembered, Lord," judging himself unworthy.”

“We do not advise you to leave the one who entrusted you with the care of the holy churches of God, but only to look after your own soul in the fear of God. Do not accept gifts from anyone, do not waver in judgment, do not be ashamed before a powerful person, do not declare innocent the guilty or condemn the innocent. Keep away from avarice, which is the root of all evils; in fact, it is called, and it is, a second kind of idolatry. And do not pride yourself, so that you may be a disciple of the apostle who says, "Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly." Do not try to please people, for you know what happens to people who do this. They become estranged from the service of Christ. In fact, the apostle says, "For if I were still pleasing people, I would not be the servant of Christ." And submit to the Lord, who says, "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Extinguish anger and chase it far from you, for it is the ruin of a person; do everything according to God and you will find him as your helper. Always fear death, for it is necessary that it comes to us all. Remember the hour of your departure, and do not sin against God. And if you arrive at the point of calmness, you will find rest and grace wherever you decide to withdraw. - "Book of Letters 789"”

“The fear of God is without turmoil, agitation or restlessness. If, therefore, before our encounter with others, we prepare our hearts with vigilance in the fear of God, why should there be any reason for us to become upset or laugh? There is, in fact, no laughter in the presence of godly fear. It is said of the fools that they raise their voice when they laugh and that the speech of the fool is agitated and results in unpleasantness. Of the righteous one, however, it is said that he only smiles. If, therefore, we bring to ourselves in a similar way the memory of God and fill our thoughts with quiet humility when we are in the company of our friends, we love them in this way and hold before their eyes the tremendous judgment of God. Such a disposition will drive away from our heart every evil thought. For where, in fact, there is quiet, gentleness and humility, this is where God dwells.”

“If one reminds himself that his soul is mortal and therefore strives to do good, is this not a voluntary gain? It is good to remind oneself of death, for thus one recognizes his own mortality and comes to realize that mortals will not live forever. For someone who is not eternal must surely abandon this world, even if by force. Therefore by continually remembering one's mortality the individual learns to do good according to his own free will. Thus, when one sees mortality before his eyes and does what is good, this is not the same as the one who is continually meditating on it and chooses to do good; rather, if it is out of impending fear of death, then what one does is out of necessity.”

“If those who receive silver coins from the king conserve them with zeal and care, they will remain shiny and clean. If instead they neglect them, they will not only rust but also may soon be lost. For the wise man has said, "Lock up your gold and your silver." And I am not only telling you to bind it with a firm faith but also to seal it with humility and the patience of perseverance by which the one who perseveres is saved. What I am saying to you, by God's permission, is an audacious thing. For the great mediator Jesus, Son of the blessed Father, distributor of the holy and life-giving Spirit says to you through me, who am least of all, "Your many sins are forgiven you," from birth up until this very minute. In receiving this great and inexpressible joy, you then love him with all your might, displaying fruit worthy of repentance, proclaiming with Saint Paul those melodious words, "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress, or hunger, or persecution, or nakedness, or danger, or fear or the sword?" And again, "Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughterhouse. But in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. I am confident that neither death, nor life, neither angels, nor principalities, nor authorities, nor things present or things future, neither powers, nor height, nor depth nor anything else in all of creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Make sure you not only meditate on these things in what you say but also in what you do. For Jesus says, "By your patience your soul is acquired." You have become worthy of a great dignity: perform great and worthy works of patience and thanksgiving through which come the expectation of perfection, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Think about these things continually and conscientiously, and you will taste their sweetness, as they become fragrant to your soul and the souls of those who are able to choose them.”

“If a person does not do what he can, uniting himself to the prayers of the saints, neither does he derive any benefit if the saints pray for him. If they abstain and intercede for him but he abandons himself to dissoluteness and pleasure, what good is their prayer for him? The word is thus fulfilled, "If one builds and another destroys, what good is further labor?" If this could in fact occur, that the one for whom the saints prayed would be saved without him making even a minimum of effort, nothing would stop them from doing this for all the sinners in the world. The sinner, moreover, if he does make a bit of effort, also has need of the prayers of the righteous. As the apostle says, "The intense prayer of the righteous can do much." This happens when a holy and righteous person intercedes and the sinner cooperates with the saints' prayers, to the extent possible for him, by penance, being unable to pay his debt by himself. His contribution is small, but that of the prayer of the saints is great. It is as though someone needed to carry ten sacks of grain and was unable to carry even two but finds a God-fearing person who takes nine of them, leaving him with just one. And he is protected in this way until he arrives safe and sound, unharmed by robbers. This also is the same thing.”