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Bibliography
 

Christianity

The Acts of John ▪ Saint Anselm ▪ Apocalypse of Peter ▪ The Apocryphon of James ▪ The Apocryphon of John ▪ Saint Thoms Aquinas ▪ Athanasius of Alexandria ▪ Saint Augustine ▪ Saint Basil the Great ▪ Saint Benedict ▪ The Book of Thomas the Contender ▪ Saint John Climacus ▪ The Desert Fathers ▪ The Dialogue of the Savior ▪  Meister Eckhart ▪ The Exegesis of the Soul ▪ The First Apocalypse of James ▪  The Gospel of John ▪ The Gospel of Luke ▪ The Gospel of Mark ▪ The Gospel of Matthew ▪ Gospel Oxyrhynchus 840 ▪ The Gospel of Philip ▪ The Gospel of Thomas ▪ The Gospel of Truth ▪ Saint Gregory ▪ The Hypostasis of the Archons ▪ Saint Ignatius of Loyola ▪ Isaac the Syrian ▪ Thomas à Kempis ▪ Thomas Merton ▪ Thomas Moore ▪ Theresa Neumann ▪ On the Origin of the World ▪ Pascal ▪ The Prayer of Thanksgiving ▪ The Second Treatise of the Great Seth ▪ The Secret Book of James ▪ The Sentences of Sextus ▪ The Teachings of Sylvanus ▪ The Thunder: Perfect Mind ▪ The Treatise on the Resurrection ▪ Kallistos Ware

Jesus told us to form a circle and hold each other’s hands, and he himself stood in the middle, and said, “Respond to me with ‘Amen.’

So he began by singing a hymn and declaring,

THE SONG

“Glory be to you, father.”

And we circled around him and responded to him,

“Amen.”

“Glory to you, word. Glory to you, grace.”

“Amen.”

“Glory to you, spirit. Glory to you, holy one. Glory to your glory.”

“Amen.”

“We praise you, father. We give thanks to you, light, in whom no darkness is.”

“Amen.”

“Why we give thanks, I declare:

I will be saved and I will save.”

“Amen.”

“I will be released and I will release.”

“Amen.”

“I will be wounded and I will wound.”

“Amen.”

“I will be born and I will bear.”

“Amen.”

“I will eat and I will be eaten.”

“Amen.”

“I will hear and I will be heard.”

“Amen.”

“I will be kept in mind, being all mind.”

“Amen.”

“I will be washed and I will wash.”

“Amen.”

GRACE DANCES

“I will play the flute. Dance, everyone.”

“Amen.”

“I will mourn. Lament, everyone.”

“Amen.”

“A realm of eight sings with us.”

“Amen.”

“The twelfth numbers dances on high.”

“Amen.”

“The whole universe takes part in dancing.”

“Amen.”

“Whoever does not dance does not know what happens.”

“Amen.”

“I will feel and I will stay.”

“Amen.”

“I will adorn and I will be adorned.”

“Amen.”

“I will be united and I will unite.”

“Amen.”

“I have no house and I have houses.”

“Amen.”

“I have no place and I have places.”

“Amen.”

“I have no temple and I have temples”

“Amen.”

“I am a lamp to you who see me.”

“Amen.”

“I am a mirror to you who perceive me.”

“Amen.”

“I am a door to you who knock on me.”

“Amen.”

“I am a way to you, you passerby.”

“Amen.”

UNDERSTANDING THE SONG

 “If you respond to my dance, see yourself in me as I aspeak, and if you have seen what I do, keep silent about my mysteries. You who dance, understand what I do for yours is this human passion I am about to suffer. You could by no means have comprehended what you suffer unless I had been sent as the word to you by the father. You who have seen what I suffer have seen me as suffering, and when you have seen it, you have not stood firm but were completely moved. You were moved to become wise, and you have me for support. Rest in me. Who I am you will know when I depart. What now I am seen to be I am not. You will see when you come. If you knew how to suffer, you would have been able not to suffer. Learn about suffering, and you will be able not to suffer. What you do not know I myself shall teach you. I am your god, not the traitor’s. I want holy souls to be in harmony with me. Know the word of wisdom. Say again with me,

Glory to you, father.

Glory to you, word.

Glory to you, spirit.

Amen.

“If you want to know what I was, once I mocked everything with the word, and I was not put to shame at all. I leaped. But understand everything, and when you have understood, declare,

Glory to you, father.

Amen.

(“The Round Dance of the Cross.” GB, 352-55)
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Now, little man, turn away a little from your cares, hide a bit from your anxious thoughts. Lay down your burdensome concerns, and put aside your worries. Give a little time to God, and rest a short time in him. Enter into the cell of your mind, exclude everything but God, and that which helps you to seek him, and, with your door closed, seek him. Say now, sincerely, to God: I seek your face, your face I seek, O Lord. (Proslogion 1.226. TMJ1, 291-2)

I do not try, Lord, to penetrate your heights, for in no way could my intellect be worthy; but I desire to know something of your truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand, in order to believe; rather, I believe, so that I will understand. I do believe that unless I believed first, I would not understand. (Proslogion 1.227. TMJ1, 293)
 

You are my God and my Lord, and I’ve never seen you. You made me and remade me, and you have given me everything that I have, and I still don’t know you. Finally, I am brought to the point of seeing you; and I’ve not yet done what I’m made to do. O sorry lot of man, who lost that which he was made to be! (Proslogion 1.226. TMJ1, 292)

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And they praise the men of the propagation of falsehood, those who will come after you. And they will cleave to the name of a dead man, thinking that they will become pure. But they will become greatly defiled and they will fall into a name of error, and into the hand of an evil, cunning man and a manifold dogma, and they will be ruled heretically. (74.11-22. NHL3, 374)

“And there shall be others of those who are outside our number who name themselves bishop and also deacons, as if they have received their authority from God. They bend themselves under the judgment of the leaders. Those people are dry canals.” (79.22-30. NHL3, 376)

The Savior said to me, “He whom you saw on the tree, glad and laughing, this is the living Jesus. But this one into whose hands and feet they drive the nails is his fleshly part, which is the substitute being put to shame, the one who came into being in his likeness. But look at him and me.”  (81.15-24. NHL3, 377)

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Do you not, then, desire to be filled? And your heart is drunken; do you not, then, desire to be sober? Therefore, be ashamed! Henceforth, waking or sleeping, remember that you have seen the Son of Man, and spoken with him in person, and listened to him in person. Woe to those who have seen the Son of Man; blessed will they be who have not seen the man, and they who have not consorted with him, and they who have not spoken with him, and they who have not listened to anything from him; yours is life! Know, then, that he healed you when you were ill, that you might reign. Woe to those who have found relief from their illness, for they will relapse into illness. Blessed are they who have not been ill, and have known relief before falling ill; yours is the kingdom of God. Therefore, I say to you, ‘Become full, and leave no space within you empty, for he who is coming can mock you.’ (3.8-39. NHL3, 31)

“Do not make the kingdom of heaven a desert within you. Do not be proud because of the light that illumines, but be to yourselves as I myself am to you. For your sakes I have placed myself under the curse, that you may be saved.” (13.17-25. NHL3, 35-6)

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He is the invisible Spirit, of whom it is not right to think of him as a god, or something similar. For he is more than a god, since there is nothing above him, for no one lords it over him. For he does not exist in something inferior to him, since everything exists in him. For it is he who establishes himself. He is eternal, since he does not need anything. For he is total perfection. He did not lack anything, that he might be completed by it; rather he is always completely perfect in light. He is illimitable, since there is no one prior to him to set limits to him. He is unsearchable, since there exists no one prior to him to examine him. He is immeasurable, since there was no one prior to him to measure him. He is invisible, since no one saw him. He is eternal, since he exists eternally. He is ineffable, since no one was able to comprehend him to speak about him. He is unnameable, since there is no one prior to him to give him a name.

He is immeasurable light, which is pure, holy (and) immaculate. He is ineffable, being perfect in incorruptibility. (He is) not in perfection, nor in blessedness, nor in divinity, but he is far superior. He is not corporeal nor is he incorporeal. He is neither large nor is he small. There is no way to say, ‘What is his quantity?’ or, ‘What is his quality?’, for no one can know him. He is not someone among (other) beings, rather he is far superior. Not that he is (simply) superior, but his essence does not partake in the aeons nor in time. For he who partakes in an aeon was prepared beforehand. Time was not apportioned to him, since he does not receive anything from another, for it would be received on loan. For he who precedes someone does not lack, that he may receive from him. For rather, it is the latter that looks expectantly at him in his light.

For the perfection is majestic. He is pure, immeasurable mind. He is an aeon-giving aeon. He is life-giving life. He is a blessedness-giving blessed one. He is knowledge-giving knowledge. He is goodness-giving goodness. He is mercy and redemption-giving mercy. He is grace-giving grace, not because he possesses it, but because he gives the immeasurable, incomprehensible light. (2.33-4.10. NHL3, 106-7)

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For according to the first institution of nature, man was created capable of the calm of contemplation, and therefore God put him in a paradise of delights. But turning away from the true light to goods that change and pass away, he was bowed down by his own fault, he and his entire race incurred original sin, which infects human nature in two ways, namely the mind through ignorance and the body through concupiscence; thus, because he is blind and bowed down, man sits in darkness and does not see the light of heaven, unless he is helped by grace with justice against concupiscence, and by knowledge with wisdom against ignorance. (Itinerarium, 127. TMJ1, 275)
 

In the midst of action and studies, the mind can be lifted to God; and by means of this directing everything to the divine service, everything is prayer. [...] As long as a man is acting in his heart, speech, or work in such a manner that he is tending toward God, he is praying; and thus one who is directing his whole life toward God is praying always. (Commentary on Romans, 1.5. ILCW, 459)

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He was left alone, after his parents’ death, with one quite young sister. He was about eighteen or even twenty years old, and he was responsible both for the home and his sister. Six months had not passed since the death of his parents when, going to the Lord’s house as usual and gathering his thoughts, he considered while he walked how the apostles, forsaking everything, followed the Savior, and how in Acts some sold what they possessed and took the proceeds and placed them at the feet of the apostles for distribution among those in need, and what great hope is stored up for such people in heaven. He went into the church pondering these things, and just then it happened that the Gospel was being read, and he heard the Lord saying to the rich man, If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. It was as if by God’s design he held the saints in his recollection, and as if the passage were read on his account. Immediately Antony went out from the Lord’s house and gave to the townspeople the possessions he had from his forebears (three hundred fertile and very beautiful arourae [“In general terms, aroura signifies arable land, but here the reference is to an Egyptian measure of land, i.e., 100 square cubits.” pp135], so that they would not disturb him or his sister in the least. And selling all the rest that was portable, when he collected sufficient money, he donated it to the poor, keeping a few things for his sister. (The Life of Saint Antony, 2. AACW, 31)

There were not yet many monasteries in Egypt, and no monk knew at all the great desert, but each of those wishing to give attention to his life disciplined himself in isolation, not far from his own village. Now at that time in the neighboring village there was an old man who had practiced from his youth the solitary life. When Antony saw him, he emulated him in goodness. At first he also began by remaining in places proximate to his village. And going forth from there, if he heard of some zealous person anywhere, he searched him out like the wise bee. He did not go back to his own place unless he had seen him, and as though receiving from him certain supplies for traveling the road to virtue, he returned. Spending the beginning stages of his discipline in that place, then, he weighed in his thoughts how he would not look back on things of his parents, nor call his relatives to memory. All the desire and all the energy he possessed concerned the exertion of the discipline. (The Life of Saint Antony, 3. AACW, 32)

And the kind of life the holy, God-bearing men possessed who spoke these things—this life you also shall imitate. (A Letter to Marcellinus, 33. AACW, 129)

And in order that we not become negligent, it is good to carefully consider the Apostle’s statement: I die daily. For if we so live as people dying daily, we will not commit sin. The point of the saying is this: As we rise daily, let us suppose that we shall not survive till evening, and again, as we prepare for sleep, let us consider that we shall not awaken. By its very nature our life is uncertain, and is meted out daily by providence. If we think this way, and in this way live—daily—we will not sin, nor will we crave anything, nor bear a grudge against anyone, nor will we lay up treasures on earth, but as people who anticipate dying each day we shall be free of possessions, and we shall forgive all things to all people. (The Life of Saint Antony, 19. AACW, 45)

And concerning the cross, what would you say is preferable: when a plot is introduced by evil men, to endure the cross and not to cower in fear before any form of death, or to relate myths about the wanderings of Osiris and Isis, the plots of Typhon, and the flight of Kronos, and swallowings of children and murder of fathers? For these are the things you count as wise! And how is it that while you scoff at the cross, you do not marvel at the resurrection? For those who told the one also wrote the other. […] You answer well, for faith comes from the disposition of the soul, but dialectic is from the skill of those who construct it. Therefore, for those in whom the action through faith is present, the demonstration through arguments is unnecessary, or perhaps even useless. For what we perceive by faith you attempt to establish through arguments. And often you are unable even to articulate what we see; so it is clear that the action through faith is better and more secure than your sophistic conclusions.

We Christians, then, do not possess the mystery in a wisdom of Greek reasonings, but in the power supplied to us by God through Jesus Christ. For evidence that the account is true, see now that although we have not learned letters, we believe in God, knowing through his works his providence over all things. And for evidence that our faith is effective, see now that we rely on the trust that is in Christ, but you rely upon sophistic word battles. (The Life of Saint Antony, 75, 77-88. AACW, 85-86, 87)

In fact, the devil has no authority over swine, for, as it is written in the Gospel, they begged the Lord, saying, ‘Send us to the swine.’ But if they held no sway over the swine, how much less do they hold over people made in the image of God! (The Life of Saint Antony, 29. AACW, 54)

But do not be afraid to hear about virtue, and do not be a stranger to the term. For it is not distant from us, nor does it stand external to us, but its realization lies in us, and the task is easy if only we shall will it. Now the Greeks leave home and traverse the sea in order to gain an education, but there is no need for us to go abroad on account of the Kingdom of heaven, nor to cross the sea for virtue. For the Lord has told us before, the Kingdom of God is within you. All virtue needs, then, is our willing, since it is in us, and arises from us. (The Life of Saint Antony, 29. AACW, 46)

None of us is judged for what he does not know, any more than one is counted blessed because he is learned and possesses knowledge. It is rather in regard to these questions that each faces judgment: whether he has kept the faith and sincerely observed the commandments.

Therefore we are not to attach much importance to these other things, and not for the purpose of gaining foreknowledge are we to train ourselves and labor—but rather in order that we may please God in the way we lead our lives. (The Life of Saint Antony, 33-34. AACW, 57)

And let us not consider, when we look at the world, that we have given up things of some greatness, for even the entire earth is itself quite small in relation to all of heaven. (The Life of Saint Antony, 17. AACW, 44)

For what benefit is there in possessing these things that we do not take with us? Why not rather own those things that we are able to take away with us—such things as prudence, justice, temperance, courage, understanding, love, concern for the poor, faith in Christ, freedom from anger, hospitality? If we possess these, we shall discover them running before us, preparing hospitality for us there in the land of the meek. (The Life of Saint Antony, 17. AACW, 44)

In fact, though some thought that he was annoyed by the crowds, and for this reason turned everyone away from him, he was undisturbed and said, “These are no more numerous than those demons with whom we wrestle on the mountain.” (The Life of Saint Antony, 70. AACW, 83)

Girding himself in this way, Antony went out to the tombs that were situated some distance from the village. He charged one of his friends to supply him periodically with bread, and he entered one of the tombs and remained alone within, his friend having closed the door on him. (The Life of Saint Antony, 8. AACW, 37)

Nevertheless, he loved more than everything else his way of life in the mountain. (The Life of Saint Antony, 84. AACW, 92)

When the one called the duke implored him to stay, he replied that it was impossible to spend time with them, and by a graceful illustration he persuaded the duke, saying, “Just as fish perish when they lie exposed for a while on the dry land, so also the monks relax their discipline when they linger and pass time with you. Therefore, we must rush back to the mountain, like the fish to the sea—so that we might not, by remaining among you, forget the things within us.” (The Life of Saint Antony, 85. AACW, 93)

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I will now try to give a coherent account of my disintegrated self, for when I turned away from you, the one God, and pursued a multitude of things, I went to pieces. (Confessions, 2.1.1. ACB, 25)

In awe-inspiring ways these truths were striking deep roots within me as I read the least of your apostles; I had contemplated your works and was filled with dread. (Confessions, 7.21.27. ACB, 144)

Why must I go on saying, “Tomorrow … tomorrow”? Why not now? Why not put an end to my depravity this very hour? (Confessions, 8.12.28. ACB, 167)

What kind of human being is anyone who is human and nothing more? (Confessions, 4.1.1. ACB, 54)

I had been extremely miserable in adolescence, miserable from its very onset, and as I prayed to you for the gift of chastity I had even pleaded, “Grant me chastity and self-control, but please not yet.” (Confessions, 8.7.17. ACB, 159)

How then did this bizarre situation arise, how develop? The mind commands the body and is instantly obeyed; the mind commands itself, and meets with resistance. (Confessions, 8.9.21. ACB, 162)

I was amazed that other mortals went on living when he was dead whom I had loved as though he would never die, and still more amazed that I could go on living myself when he was dead—I, who had been like another self to him. It was well said that a friend is half one’s own soul. I felt that my soul and his had been but one soul in two bodies, and I shrank from life with loathing because I could not bear to be only half alive; and perhaps I was so afraid of death because I did not want the whole of him to die, whom I had loved so dearly. (Confessions, 4.6.11. ACB, 61)

Whither could my heart flee to escape itself? Where could I go and leave myself behind? Was there any place of refuge where I would not be followed by my own self? (Confessions, 4.7.12. ACB, 61)

Our pupils occupy our morning hours, but what are we doing with the rest? Why do we not get on with it? (Confessions, 6.11.18. ACB, 113)

From no place are you absent, yet how tardily do we return to you! (Confessions, 8.3.8. ACB, 152)

Grant me to know and understand, Lord, what comes first: to call upon you or to praise you? To know you or to call upon you? Must we know you before we can call upon you? Anyone who invokes what is still unknown may be making a mistake. Or should you be invoked first, so that we may then come to know you? But how can people call upon someone in whom they do not yet believe? But scripture tells us that those who seek the Lord will praise him, for as they seek they find him, and on finding him they will praise him. (Confessions, 1.1.1. ACB, 3)

Or should I say, rather, that that I should not exist if I were not in you, from whom are all things, through whom are all things, in whom are all things? Yes, Lord, that is the truth, that is indeed the truth. To what place can I invite you, then, since I am in you? Or where could you come from, in order to come into me? To what place outside heaven and earth could I travel, so that my God could come to me there, the God who said, I fill heaven and earth? [...] What are you, then, my God? What are you, I ask, but the Lord God? For who else is lord except the Lord, or who is god if not our God? You are most high, excellent, most powerful, omnipotent, supremely merciful and supremely just, most hidden yet intimately present, infinitely beautiful and infinitely strong, steadfast in all things, never new, never old, renewing all things yet wearing down the proud though they know it not; ever active, ever at rest, gathering while knowing no need, supporting and filling and guarding, creating and nurturing and perfecting, seeking although you lack nothing. You love without frenzy, you are jealous yet secure, you regret without sadness, you grow angry yet remain tranquil, you alter your works but never your plan; you take back what you find although you never lost it; you are never in need yet you rejoice in your gains, never avaricious yet you demand profits. You allow us to pay you more than you demand, and so you become our debtor, yet which of us possesses anything that does not already belong to you? You owe us nothing, yet you pay your debts; you write off our debts to you, yet you lose nothing thereby.

After saying all that, what have we said, my God, my life, my holy sweetness? What does anyone who speaks of you really say? Yet woe betide those who fail to speak, while the chatterboxes go on saying nothing. (Confessions, 1.2.2., 1.4.4. ACB, 4, 5)

O God, most high, most deep, and yet nearer than all else, most hidden yet intimately present, you are not framed of greater and lesser limbs; you are everywhere, whole and entire in every place, but confined to none. In no sense is our bodily form to be attributed to you, yet you have made us in your own image, and lo! here we are, from head to foot set in our place! (Confessions, 6.3.4. ACB, 100)

What I now longed for was not greater certainty about you, but a more steadfast abiding in you. (Confessions, 8.1.1. ACB, 145)

If only humans would acknowledge that they are human, and anyone minded to boast would boast in the Lord! (Confessions, 9.13.34. ACB, 194-5)

The content did not seem better to me for being better presented, nor true because skillfully expressed, nor the man wise of soul because he had a handsome face and a graceful turn of speech. […] so I had already learned under your tuition that nothing should be regarded as true because it is eloquently stated, nor false because the words sound clumsy. On the other hand, it is not true for being expressed in uncouth language either, nor false because couched in splendid words. I had come to understand that just as wholesome and rubbishy food may both be served equally well in sophisticated dishes or in others of rustic quality, so too can wisdom and foolishness be proffered in language elegant or plain. (Confessions, 5.6.10. ACB, 82)

How can these contrasted and warring loves be carried in a single soul and balanced against each other? How can I love in another what I loathe and ward off from myself, and this when both of us are human? (Confessions, 4.14.22. ACB, 68)

Anyone who knows truth knows it, and whoever knows it knows eternity. Love knows it. (Confessions, 7.10.16. ACB, 134)

But whereas the frivolous pursuits of grown-up people are called “business,” children are punished for behaving in the same fashion, and no one is sorry for either the children or the adults; so are we to assume that any sound judge of the matter would think it right for me to be beaten because I played ball as a boy, and was hindered by my game from more rapid progress in studies which would only equip me to play an uglier game later? Moreover, was the master who flogged me any better himself? If he had been worsted by a fellow-scholar in some pedantic dispute, would he not have been racked by even more bitter jealousy than I was when my opponent in a game of ball got the better of me? (Confessions, 1.9.15. ACB, 13)

Why persist in walking difficult and toilsome paths? There is no repose where you are seeking it. Search as you like, it is not where you are looking. You are seeking a happy life in the realm of death, and it will not be found there. How could life be happy, where there is no life at all? (Confessions, 4.12.18. ACB, 66)

Beautiful things and varied shapes appeal to them, vivid and well-matched colors attract; but let not these captivate my soul. Rather let God ravish it; he made these things exceedingly good, to be sure, but he is my good, not they. Every day, all through the hours that I am awake, colors and shapes impinge upon me and never is any respite from the allowed me, as it is from the sound of song, or sometimes from all sounds, when silence reigns. Light is the queen of colors and bathes everything we see, and wherever I am in the daytime it flows all around me, and caresses me even while I am doing something else and not thinking about it. (Confessions, 10.34.51. ACB, 231)

Give us peace, Lord God, for you have given us all else; give us the peace that is repose, the peace of the Sabbath, and the peace that knows no evening. (Confessions, 13.35.50. ACB, 341)

The soul that dies by the monstrous savagery of pride, from the luxurious inertia of self-indulgence, and from sham pretension to knowledge, so that wild beasts may become gentle, domestic animals responsive and snakes harmless. (Confessions, 13.21.29. ACB, 325)

This is why, O my God, my confession in your presence is silent, yet not altogether silent: there is no noise to it, but it shouts by love. I can say nothing right to other people unless you have heard it from me first, nor can you even hear anything of the kind from me which you have not first told me.

        What point is there for me in other people hearing my confessions? Are they likely to heal my infirmities? A curious lot they are, eager to pry into the lives of others, but tardy when it comes to correcting their own. Why should they seek to hear from me what I am, when they are reluctant to hear from you what they are? (Confessions, 10.2.2-10.3.3. ACB, 198)

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When the intellect is no longer dissipated among external things or dispersed across the world through the senses, it returns to itself; and by means of itself it ascends to the thought of God. (Letter 2. JCCW, 51)

There is only one way out of this, namely, total separation from all the world. But withdrawal from the world does not mean physical removal from it. Rather, it is the withdrawal by the soul of any sympathy for the body. One becomes stateless and homeless. One gives up possessions, friends, ownership of property, livelihood, business connections, social life and scholarship. The heart is made ready to receive the imprint of sacred teaching, and this making ready involves the unlearning of knowledge deriving from evil habits. To write on wax, one has first to erase the letters previously written there, and to bring sacred teaching to the soul one must begin by wiping out preoccupations rooted in ordinary habits. (Letter 2. JCCW, xix)

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The life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent. (The Rule of Saint Benedict, 49. SBR, 49)

What is not possible to us by nature, let us ask the Lord to supply by the help of his grace. If we wish to reach eternal life, even as we avoid the torments of hell, then—while there is still time, while we are in this body and have time to accomplish all these things by the light of life—we must run and do now what will profit us forever. (The Rule of Saint Benedict, prologue. SBR, 5)

Your way of acting should be different from the world’s way; the love of Christ must come before all else. You are not to act in anger or nurse a grudge. Rid your heart of all deceit. Never give a hollow greeting of peace or turn away when someone needs your love. Bind yourself to no oath lest it prove false, but speak the truth with heart and tongue.

        Do not repay one bad turn with another. Do not injure anyone, but bear injuries patiently. Love your enemies. If people curse you, do not curse them back but bless them instead. Endure persecution for the sake of justice.

You must not be proud, nor be given to wine. Refrain from too much eating or sleeping, and from laziness. Do not grumble or speak ill of others.

Place your hope in God alone. If you notice something good in yourself, give credit to God, not to yourself, but be certain that the evil you commit is always your own and yours to acknowledge. (The Rule of Saint Benedict, 4. SBR, 12-13)

If there are artisans in the monastery, they are to practice their craft with all humility, but only with the abbot’s permission. If one of them becomes puffed up by his skillfulness in his craft, and feels that he is conferring something on the monastery, he is to be removed from practicing his craft and not allowed to resume it unless, after manifesting his humility, he is so ordered by the abbot. (The Rule of Saint Benedict, 57. SBR, 55)

It is written: Distribution was made to each one as he had need. By this we do not imply that there should be favoritism—God forbid—but rather consideration for weaknesses. Whoever needs less should thank God and not be distressed, but whoever needs more should feel humble because of his weakness, not self-important because of the kindness shown him. (The Rule of Saint Benedict, 34. SBR, 37)

No one is to pursue what he judges better for himself, but instead, what he judges better for someone else. To their fellow monks they show the pure love of brothers; to God, loving fear; to their abbot, unfeigned and humble love. Let them prefer nothing whatever to Christ, and may he bring us all together to everlasting life. (The Rule of Saint Benedict, 72. SBR, 69)

Let him strive to be loved rather than feared. Excitable, anxious, extreme, obstinate, jealous or over-suspicious he must not be. (The Rule of Saint Benedict, 64. SBR, 63)

A brother may be assigned a burdensome task or something he cannot do. If so, he should, with complete gentleness and obedience, accept the order given him. Should he see, however, that the weight of the burden is altogether too much for his strength, then he should choose the appropriate moment and explain patiently to his superior the reasons why he cannot perform the task. This he ought to do without pride, obstinacy or refusal. If after the explanation the superior is still determined to hold to his original order, then the junior must recognize that this is best for him. Trusting in God’s help, he must in love obey. (The Rule of Saint Benedict, 68. SBR, 66-67)

We must know that God regards our purity of heart and tears of compunction, not our many words. Prayer should therefore be short and pure, unless perhaps it is prolonged under the inspiration of divine grace. (The Rule of Saint Benedict, 20. SBR, 29)

Monks should diligently cultivate silence at all times, but especially at night. (The Rule of Saint Benedict, 42. SBR, 43)

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And the savior answered, saying, “Blessed is the wise man who sought after the truth, and when he found it, he rested upon it forever and was unafraid of those who wanted to disturb him.” (140.40-141.2. NHL3, 203)

Then the savior continued, saying, “Woe to you, godless ones, who have no hope, who rely on things that will not happen!

“Woe to you who hope in the flesh and in the prison that will perish! How long will you be oblivious? And how long will you suppose that the imperishables will perish too? Your hope is set upon the world, and your god is this life! You are corrupting your souls!

“Woe to you within the fire that burns in you, for it is insatiable!

“Woe to you because of the wheel that turns in your minds!

“Woe to you within the grip of the burning that is in you, for it will devour your flesh openly and rend your souls secretly, and prepare you for your companions!

“Woe to you, captives, for you are bound in caverns! You laugh! In mad laughter you rejoice! You neither realize your perdition, nor do you reflect on your circumstances, nor have you understood that you dwell in darkness and death! On the contrary, you are drunk with the fire and full of bitterness. Your mind is deranged on account of the burning that is in you, and sweet to you are the poison and the blows of your enemies! And the darkness rose for you like the light, for you surrendered your freedom for servitude! You darkened your hearts and surrendered your thoughts to folly, and you filled your thoughts with the smoke of the fire that is in you! And your light has hidden in the cloud of [...] and the garment that is put upon you, you [...]. And you were seized by the hope that does not exist. And whom is it you have believed? Do you not know that you all dwell among those who that [...] you as though you [...]. You baptized your souls in the water of darkness ! You walked by your own whims!  (143.8-144.2. NHL3, 205-6)

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Freedom from anger is an endless wish for dishonor, whereas among the vainglorious there is a limitless thirst for praise. Freedom from anger is a triumph over one’s nature. It is the ability to be impervious to insults, and comes by hard work and the sweat of one’s brow.

Meekness is a permanent condition of that soul which remains unaffected by whether or not it is spoken well of, whether or not it is honored or praised.

The first step toward freedom from anger is to keep the lips silent when the heart is stirred; the next, to keep thoughts silent when the soul is upset; the last, to be totally calm when unclean winds are blowing.

Anger is an indication of concealed hatred, of grievance nursed. Anger is the wish to harm someone who has provoked you.

[…]

If it is true that the Holy Spirit is peace of soul, as He is said to be and as, indeed, He is, and if anger is disturbance of the heart, as it really is and as it is said to be, then there is no greater obstacle to the presence of the Spirit in us than anger. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 8. JCCW, 146, 147)

Let us write on it divine words, or rather seeds, and let us begin like this. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 1. JCCW, 74)

A fish turns swiftly from the hook. The passionate soul turns from solitude. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent,  15. JCCW, 176)

By what rule or manner can I bind this body of mine? By what precedent can I judge him? Before I can bind him he is let loose, before I can condemn him I am reconciled to him, before I can punish him I bow down to him and feel sorry for him. How can I hate him when my nature disposes me to love him? How can I break away from him when I am bound to him forever? How can I escape from him when he is going to rise with me? How can I make him incorrupt when he has received a corruptible nature? How can I argue with him when all the arguments of nature are on his side?

If I try to bind him through fasting, then I am passing judgment on my neighbor who does not fast—with the result that I am handed over to him again. If I defeat him by not passing judgment I turn proud—and I am in thrall to him once more. He is my helper and my enemy, my assistant and my opponent, a protector and a traitor. I am kind to him and he assaults me. If I wear him out he gets weak. If he has a rest he becomes unruly. If I upset him he cannot stand it. If I mortify him I endanger myself. If I strike him down I have nothing left by which to acquire virtues. I embrace him. And I turn away from him.

What is this mystery in me? What is the principle of this mixture of body and soul? How can I be my own friend and my own enemy? Speak to me! Speak to me, my yoke-fellow, my nature! I cannot ask anyone else about you. How can I remain uninjured by you? How can I escape the danger of my own nature? I have made a promise to Christ that I will fight you, yet how can I defeat your tyranny? But this I have resolved, namely, that I am going to master you. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 15. JCCW, 185-6)

Dried-up mud draws no pigs. Dried-up flesh harbors no demons. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent, “A Brief Summary of Preceding Steps (1-26).” JCCW, 257)

What the eye has not seen and what has only been heard of does not greatly stir desire. So ignorance is therefore a great help to the chaste. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent, “A Brief Summary of Preceding Steps (1-26).” JCCW, 258)

When a man fights lion, it is fatal to glance away for even a moment. So to with the man fighting against his body, who yields for the merest instant. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent, “A Brief Summary of Preceding Steps (1-26).” JCCW, 258)

It is risky to swim in one’s clothes. A slave of passion should not dabble in theology. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 27. JCCW, 262)

To be reminded of death each day is to die each day; to remember one’s departure from life is to provoke tears by the hour. Fear of death is a property of nature due to disobedience, but terror of death is a sign of unrepented sins. Christ is frightened of dying but not terrified, thereby clearly revealing the properties of His two natures.

Just as bread is the most necessary of all foods, so the thought of death is the most essential of all works. The remembrance of death brings labors and meditations, or rather, the sweetness of dishonor to those living in community, whereas for those living away from turbulence it produces freedom from daily worries and breeds constant prayer and guarding of the mind, virtues that are the cause and the effect of the thought of death.       

[…]The man who wants to be reminded constantly of death and of God’s judgment and who at the same time gives in to material cares and distractions, is like someone trying at the same time to swim and to clap his hands. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 6. JCCW, 132, 133)

No one who knew in advance the hour of his death would accept baptism or join a monastery long before it, but instead would pass all his time in sin and would be baptized and do penance only on the day of his demise. Habit would make him a confirmed and quite incorrigible sinner. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 6. JCCW, 133)

The Fathers assert that perfect love is sinless. And it seems to me that in the same way a perfect sense of death is free from fear. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 6. JCCW, 133)

As long as the flesh is in full vigor, we should everywhere and at all times cultivate temperance, and when it has been tamed—something I doubt can happen this side of the grave—we should hide our achievement. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 14. JCCW, 166)

Truly blessed is the man totally unstirred by any body, any color or any beauty. The chaste man is not someone with a body undefiled but rather a person whose members are in complete subjection to the soul, for a man is great who is free of passion even when touched, though greater still is the man unhurt by all he has looked on. Such a man has truly mastered the fires of earthly beauty by his attention concentrated on the beauties of heaven. In driving off this dog by means of prayer he is like someone who has been fighting a lion. He who subdues it by resistance to it is someone still chasing an enemy. But the man who has managed to reduce its hold completely, even when he himself is still in this life, is someone who has already risen from the dead. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 15. JCCW, 172)

I do not think anyone should be classed as a saint until he had made holy his body, if indeed that is possible. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 15. JCCW, 178)

The vigilant monk is a fisher of thoughts, and in the quiet of the night he can easily observe and catch them. (The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 20. JCCW, 196)

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