Vengeance is Mine

A brother who was hurt by another brother went to the Theban Sisois and said, "I want to get back at a brother who has hurt me."

Sisois begged him, "Don't do that, my son, leave vengeance in the hands of God."

But he said, "I can't rest until I get my own back."

Sisois said, "My brother, let us pray." Then standing, he prayed, "O God, we have no further need of you, for we can take vengeance by ourselves."

The brother heard it and fell at the hermit's feet, saying, "I won't quarrel with my brother any longer; I beg you to forgive me."

Deny Self

Evagrius said, "To go against self is the beginning of salvation."

~~Overgrown Skull by Qrstvr

The Test of Obedience

Once a man who wanted to become a monk came to see Sisois of the Thebaid. The hermit asked him, "Have you any ties in the world."

He said, "I have a son."

Sisois said to him, "Go and throw him in the river, and then you can be a monk."

He went to throw his boy in the river, but Sisois sent a monk to stop him. He was already holding his son ready to throw him in, when the brother said, "Stop! What are you doing?"

He said, "The abba told me to throw him in."

The brother said, "Now the abba says, do not throw him in."

So he left his son, and came back to the hermit; and tested by such obedience he became a strong monk.

~~The Binding of Isaac silkscreen print by Tamar Messer

Breaking Fast

Two brothers once came to see a hermit whose custom it was not to eat every day. When he saw them, he welcomed them cheerfully and said, "A fast has its own reward, but whoever eats because of love, obeys two commandments: he loses his self-will, and he refreshes his brothers."

Prayer

Some brothers asked Macarius, "How should we pray?"

He said, "There is no need to talk much in prayer. Reach out your hands often, and say, 'Lord have mercy on me, as you will and as you know.' But, if conflict troubles you, say, 'Lord, help me.' He knows what is best for us and had mercy."

Eternal Judgment

Evagrius said, "If you always keep in mind your death and the eternal judgment, there will be no stain on your soul."

Wise as an Owl

They said of Agatho that some people went to him because they heard he was a man of great discretion. Wanting to test whether he was irritable, they said to him, "Are you Agatho? We have heard that you are an adulterer and a proud man."

He answered, "It is true."

They said to him, "Are you that Agatho who gossips and slanders?"

He answered, "I am."

They asked him, "Are you Agatho the heretic?'

He answered, "I am no heretic."

So they asked him, "Why did you patiently bear it when we slandered you, but did not endure it when we said you were a heretic?"

He answered, "I agreed to the first charges against myself for the good of my soul. But I didn't accept it when you said I was a heretic because that is to be separated from God, and I don't want to be separated from God."

They admired his discretion, and went away edified.

~~Wise Old Owl by Amy Huntington