By
Artyom Perlik
Every
person grows. From the point of view of Orthodox theology, even the bliss of
those saved in paradise is not static, but, as Saint Gregory of Nyssa says,
this is an eternal ascent from glory to glory.
Similarly,
wise and lightful people on earth are not in the same state all the time, but
exist in a state of growth. This also applies to saints. Thus, Saint Joseph the
Hesychast’s disciples recall that in the early years of his asceticism, the
elder almost did not let any of them go to the doctors, believing that this was
not appropriate for Athos monasticism. However, growing in wisdom, he changed
his attitude towards medicine. Another old man, Joseph’s disciple, Ephraim of
Arizona recalled how Joseph told him: “You are a sickly guy. You will need to
consult doctors. Do not pay attention to how I treated this. You are weak. If
you need a doctor and medication, consult a doctor. I could not learn this
lesson all these years. Only now, in old age, I have learned it. Now nearing
the end, I have realized that I need to be lenient. The student must always
learn, as the wise Socrates said. You are children and need medical attention.
Therefore, consult a doctor, take medicine and all that is necessary”.
In
the same way, the attitude of the elder to the fasts changed. The more he grew
in wisdom, the more he weakened the measure of fast for his disciples.
Initially,
Joseph equated people with his measure and believed that everyone can bear the
same thing as he, but over the years he realized that God has a different
approach to every person. When disciples started following Joseph, his friend
Arseny the Hesychast told him: “Not everyone is like you, Joseph!”
***
When
someone joined the community of Elder Joseph, his first instruction was to urge
oneself to Jesus prayer.
***
Joseph
said that the new generation simply does not have the strength for the fast
that the monks of past centuries performed. However, this does not matter,
because it does not hinder perfection at all.
Joseph
taught: “My child, say Jesus prayer — it will be the comfort of your life. Hold
it and everything will run like clockwork. Hold Jesus prayer and you will
succeed in everything”.
Of
course, Elder Joseph constantly repeated that prayer is useless without
kindness. Once, on appearing to Ephraim of Arizona from paradise after his
death, Elder Joseph said: “My prayers are better heard, and it’s easier for me
to pray when I intercede for people who force themselves”.
***
Ephraim
of Arizona, the disciple of Elder Joseph, once was talking with a certain
priest who came to see the life of the brotherhood of Elder Joseph. Surprised
that the monks live in a very dangerous mountainous area, the priest asked why
they did not leave. Ephraim answered that they learn to trust God and entrust
their safety to Him. But the priest thought they were insane and left. And
Ephraim realized then that there are different perceptions of the world; and
that if a person does not look at life with living faith, he will not
understand why sacrifice and why endure something to become real.
***
A
few hours before his death, the elder Joseph Hesychast was attacked by great
disbelief, and then it seemed to him that all his living sense of God, all the
miraculous visits and revelations he experienced were nothing more than an
illusion. The elder then said that at that moment the enemy had knocked out his
faith from his heart and the whole building of his life was shaken. The elder
was crying and praying – and the heavy temptation receded, and the living
knowledge of God returned. Then Elder Joseph said that the Lord gave him a
couple more days of life to tell those who experience such enemy attacks on
faith that this horror can be overcome, for example, by prayer.
***
In
the modern Church in the post-Soviet space, numerous church wise guys always
strive to prick the elders and the institution of eldership as such, for
example, to write something derogatory about the meaning of eldership. Although
the practice of mastership was coeternal with the Church; and the apostles
themselves were the first such holy masters. Wise guys cannot stand the elders
because for the first ones it is unbearable to know that their contemporary can
be beautiful and lightful. Because the authenticity of people like elders and
poets crosses out the imaginary meaning of wise guys.
***
A
low man assures others they are low as well. The ordinary one sees everyone
ordinary and speaks a lot about the fact that Peter betrayed, and Matthew had
not a good reputation, and Andersen wrote with misspellings, and Confucius was
considered a fool in his home village… And only he who is truly great reveals
to others the greatness that was originally put in them by Heaven.
So
Elder Joseph the Hesychast answers one girl who confessed to him in a letter:
“You’re very good! Do not worry! Do not despair! Be of good comfort! Do not be
afraid!” And he also writes this for her to feel she is significant for God who
knows how to look at us in such a way that in this look we gain the strength to
live and do good.
***
During
World War II, Italy declared war on Greece in 1940, and there were hard and
hungry times on Mount Athos. Then Elder Joseph, along with his disciple Elder
Arseny the Hesychast, sold their undercassocks and vestments to be able to buy
flour and feed the hungry. At this time, Joseph and his disciples wore
sackcloth instead of clothes.
Joseph
thought to feed the disabled is something precious. He said: “Everyone is welcome
to the healthy, but not to the sick. It’s better we die ourselves, but we will
feed them”. Together with Arseny, he took care of old men, choosing lonely and
sick ones.
Ksenia
Orabei recalls Joseph Hesychast’s mercy: “There were beggars who, after being
fed, stole grapes from the elder. There was not enough grape, but Father Joseph
was comforting the economic father Arseny: “Okay, father Arseny, people just
wanted fruit after lunch”.
Once
on the road, father Joseph picked up a novice with tuberculosis, who was
expelled from everywhere as soon as they found out about his illness. He
himself looked after him, asking the neighbors for figs and olives. And before
his death, he was tonsured into a great schema; it is customary on Mount Athos.
And he didn’t get sick”.
***
Elder
Joseph and his disciples were treated badly often. They were accused of pride
and delusion, and his knowledge of God was made a laughing stock. Joseph even
asked his disciples not to tell others that he was their elder, so that they
would not be humiliated by other monks and people.
Once
Joseph was walking with Ephraim of Arizona along some Athos road, and a certain
monk and a townsman came out towards them. Seeing Joseph, the monk shouted to
him that he was deluded and vile and that he in general defiles Mount Athos
with himself. Joseph did not answer and passed by, and the townsman said to the
angry monk about Elder Joseph: “Maybe this person is deluded, but how reasonable
he is…”
When
Elder Joseph was scolded, he said to his disciples: “We will not argue. We will
care about performing a vigil, prayer; and may they say what they want about
us”.
After
all, even among those who go to churches there are few who really know God. And
such people terrify formalists with their knowledge so much that even Saint
Gregory Palamas says that formalists are ready to accuse any lightful person
who has a living sense of God and a living relation to Him in delusion and
madness.
That’s
why Christ taught to look at the fruits brought by people, because a bad tree
does not bear good fruits, and vice versa.
The
pages of the Gospel contain numerous accusations of Christ Himself by the
formalists Pharisees – in insanity, lies, etc. His true disciples have to
endure the same thing – their knowledge of God is not accepted by formalists,
but it is something sought after and craved for by everyone who would like to
come home.
Translated
by the Catalogue of Good Deeds
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