VARIOUS SAYINGS OF AN EGYPTIAN ELDER
I took my lord Sophronios, and we went in search of a particularly distinguished elder, an Egyptian, at the lavra located eighteen miles from Alexandria. I said to the elder, “Abba, say something to us, sir, about the way in which we ought to live with each other, for my lord the sophist here has a desire to renounce the world.”
The elder said, “Well done indeed, my child, if you renounce the world and save your soul. Settle yourselves in a cell. Where does not matter; only that you live there in sobriety and recollection, praying unceasingly. And have a good hope in God, my child, that He will send you knowledge of Himself to illuminate your minds.”
Again he said, “Children, if you wish to be saved, flee from people. Today there is no end to our knocking on doors, our traveling around all the cities and countryside, to see if there is anywhere we can snap up some gratification for our avarice and vain-glory, filling our souls with vanity.”
Furthermore, the elder said, “Let us meet, children, for the time draws nigh.” Another time he said, “Ah, me! How we shall weep and repent for those things of which we do not repent now!”
Again he remarked, “We do not retain the virtue of humility when we are praised to the skies, nor are we able to tolerate criticism. The one increases our vain-glory; the other brings grief to us poor, miserable creatures. No good thing is to be found where there is grief and vain-glory.”
He continued, “Our fathers, who were great and wondrous, were the pastors of many. I, on the other hand, cannot even direct one sheep but am always falling prey to wild beasts.”
Again he said, “This is the way the demons work; after causing a soul to fall into sin, then they cast us into despair to destroy us completely. The demons are always saying to the soul, ‘When will his name die and be destroyed?’ If the soul is one of sobriety, it will answer them and say, ‘I shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord.’ Yet since the demons are very impudent, they will turn back on you, saying, ‘Flee as a sparrow unto the hill.’ We must answer them: ‘God Himself is my savior and my helper; I shall not be removed.’”
Again he said, “Be the doorkeeper of your heart. So that no alien may enter therein, say: ‘Are you on our side or the adversary's?’”