Chapter ix. Of Love, and Charity, and of the Welcoming of Strangers
393. A CERTAIN old man used to dwell with a brother in a cell in a friendly manner, and he was a man of compassionate disposition; now a famine broke out, and the people began to be hungry, and they came to him that they might receive charity, and he gave bread unto them all. And when the brother saw that he was giving away large quantities of bread, he said unto the old man, “Give me my portion of the bread”; and the old man said unto him, “Take [it],” and he divided [what there was] and gave him [his share], and the brother took it from him for himself. And the old man was compassionate, and gave away bread from his portion, and many folk heard [that he was doing this] and came unto him, and when God saw the generosity of the old man He blessed his bread; but the brother took all his portion and ate it up, and when he saw that his bread was finished, and that the portion of the old man was still lasting, he made entreaty unto him, saying, “My portion hath come to an end, and this [bread of thine is all] that I have; receive me as a partner [therein].” And the old man said unto him, “Good,” and he associated him with himself again. And when there was abundance [again], the people came to take [bread] from him, and he gave it unto them again. Now it came to pass that they lacked bread, and the brother went and found that bread was wanting, and a poor man came for some, and the old man said unto the brother, “Go in and give him some,” and the brother said, “There is none”; for he was filled with bread. The old man said, “Go in and search [for some],” and having gone in he found that the place wherein they used to set [the bread] was filled with loaves to the very top, and he took [some] and gave to the poor man, and he was afraid. Thus that brother knew the excellence and the faith of the old man, and he gave thanks unto God, and glorified Him.
394. Two brethren went to the market to sell their wares, and whilst one of them had gone to perform the service, he who was left by himself fell into fornication; and the other brother came and said unto him, “My brother, let us go to the cell,” but he said unto him, “I cannot go, for I have fallen into fornication.” Now whilst he was seeking to do better, the brother began to swear to him, saying, “I also, when I was away from thee, fell in the same manner, nevertheless, come, and let us repent together, and it may happen that God will pardon us.” And when they came to their cells they informed the old men about the temptation which had come to them, and whatsoever the old men told them to do the two brothers did, and the one brother repented with the other, just as if he had sinned with him. Now God saw the labour of his love, and in a few days He sent a revelation unto one of the old men concerning the matter, saying, “For the sake of the love of that brother who did not sin, forgive thou him that did commit sin.” This is what is meant by the words, “A man should lay down his soul for his friend.”
395. And they also say that there was a certain self-denying and ascetic brother who wished to go to the city to sell his handiwork, and to buy the things which he needed; and he called a brother, and said unto him, “Come with me, and let us go and return together.” And when they had gone as far as the gate of the city, the man of abstinence said unto his companion, “Sit down here, O my brother, and wait for me while I go in and perform my business; and I will return speedily.” And having gone into the city, and wandered round about in the streets, a certain rich woman tried her blandishments upon him, and he stripped off his monk’s garb and took her to wife. Then he sent a message to his companion, saying, “Arise, get thee to thy cell, for I can never see thee again”; now the man who had been sent to him with this message related unto him the whole matter, even as it had happened, and he said to the messenger, “God forbid that such things should be spoken about my holy brethren, and God forbid that I should depart from this place until my brother cometh, according to his word to me.” And having tarried there a long time, and ceasing not from weeping and praying either by night or by day, the report of him was heard throughout the city, and the clergy, and the monks, and the governors of the city entreated him to depart to his monastery, but he would not hearken unto their supplication, and he said, “I cannot transgress my brother’s command, and I cannot leave this place until we go back together to the monastery.” So he stayed there for seven years, being burned by heat in the summer, and dried up by the cold and ice in the winter, and with hunger, and thirst, and weeping and watching, he made supplication on behalf of his brother. Then at length one day his former companion himself came unto him, dressed in costly garments, and said unto him, “O So-and-so, I am he who was with thee the monk So-and-so, arise, get thee gone to thy monastery”; and the brother looked at him and said, “Thou art not, for he was a monk, and thou art a man in the world.” Then God looked upon the trouble of that brother, and at the end of the seven years the woman died, and the brother who [had married her] repented, and again put on the garb of the monk, and went out to his companion; and when he saw him, he rose up, and embraced him and kissed him, and he took him with gladness, and they went forth to the monastery. Then that brother renewed his former ascetic works, and he was worthy of the highest grade of perfection. Thus by the patience of one man the other lived, and the saying, “A brother is helped by his brother, even as a city is helped by its fortress,” was fulfilled.
396. On one occasion two old men came to an old man, whose custom was not to eat every day; and when he saw them he rejoiced, and said, “Fasting hath its reward, and he who eateth for the sake of love fulfilleth two commandments, for he setteth aside his own desire and he fulfilleth the commandment, and refresheth the brethren.”
397. They used to tell the story of a certain brother who fell into sin, and he came unto Abbâ Lôt, and he was perplexed and confused, and was going in and coming out, and was unable to rest. And Abbâ Lôt said unto him, “What is the matter with thee, O my brother?” and he said, “I have committed a great sin, and I am unable to confess it before the fathers.” The old man said unto him, “Confess it unto me, and I will bear it”; and then the brother said unto him, “I have fallen into fornication, and I thought thou hadst discovered the matter.” And the old man said unto him, “Be of good courage, for there remaineth repentance; get thee gone and sit in thy habitation, and fast for two weeks, and I will bear with thee one half of thy sin”; and at the end of three weeks it was revealed unto the old man that God had accepted the repentance of that brother, and he remained with the old man, and was subject unto him until the day of his death.
398. Certain of the fathers came to Joseph to ask him a question about welcoming the strangers who came to them, that is to say, whether it was fitting for a man to forsake his work, and to be with them in the ordinary way or not; and before they asked him, he said unto his disciple, “Lay to heart that which I am about to do this day, and wait.” Then the old man placed two pillows, one on his right hand, and the other on his left, and he said unto the fathers, “Sit ye down”; and he went into his cell, and put on the apparel of beggars, and went forth to them; and again, he took this off, and put on the beautiful apparel of the monks, and he went forth again, and passed among them; and he went in again and took this off, and having put on his own clothes, he sat down in their midst, and they marvelled at the doings of the old man. Then he said unto them, “Have ye understood what I did?” and they said unto him, “Yes.” He said unto them, “What is it?” And they said unto him, “Thou didst put on first of all the apparel of beggars”; he said unto them, “Peradventure I have been changed by that disgraceful apparel?” and they said unto him, “No.” The old man said unto them, “Since I have not myself been changed by all these changes of raiment, for the first change brought no loss upon me and the second did not change me, so are we in duty bound to welcome the brethren, according to the command of the Gospel, which saith, ‘Give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God’ (St Matthew xxii, 21). Therefore, whensoever strange brethren arrive we must welcome them gladly, for it is when we are alone that it is necessary for us to suffer.” Now when the fathers heard [these words] they marvelled that he had spoken unto them that which was in their hearts before they asked him, and they glorified God, and departed with rejoicing; and they received his word as if it had [come] from God, and they accepted what he had said, and did it.
399. They used to speak about an old man, who was from Syria, and who used to dwell on the road of the desert of Egypt, and whose work was as follows:—At whatever time a monk came to him he would welcome him. And it came to pass that on one occasion a man came from the desert and asked him to allow him to rest, but he would not permit him to do so, and said unto him, “I am fasting.” Then the blessed man was grieved and said unto him, “Is this thy labour, that thou wilt not perform thy brother’s desire? I beseech thee to come, and let us pray, and let us follow after him with whom this tree, which is here with us, shall bow.” Then the man from the desert knelt down, and nothing happened, but when he who received strangers knelt down, that tree inclined its head at the same time, and seeing this he profited, and they glorified God.
400. On one occasion Abbâ Ammon came to a certain place to eat with the brethren, and there was there a brother concerning whom evil reports were abroad, for it had happened that a woman had come and entered his cell. And when all the people who were living in that place heard [of this], they were troubled, and they gathered together to expel that brother from his cell, and learning that the blessed Bishop Ammon was there, they came and entreated him to go with them. Now when the brother knew [this], he took the woman and hid her under an earthenware vessel. And much people having assembled, and Abbâ Ammon, understanding what that brother had done, for the sake of God hid the matter. And he went in and sat upon the earthenware vessel, and commanded that the cell of the brother should be searched, but although they examined the place they found no one there. Then Abbâ Ammon answered and said, “What is this that ye have done? May God forgive you”; and he prayed and said, “Let all the people go forth,” and finally he took the brother by the hand, and said unto him, “Take heed to thy soul, O my brother,” and having said this he departed, and he refused to make public the matter of the brother.
401. There were two brethren who lived in the wilderness, and they were neighbours, and one of them used to hide whatsoever he gained from his work, whether it was bread or whether it was oboli, and place it with his companion’s goods; now the other brother did not know this, but he wondered how it was that his goods increased so much. One day, however, he suddenly caught him doing this, and he strove with him, saying, “By means of thy corporeal things thou hast robbed me of my spiritual goods”; and he demanded that he should make a covenant with him never to act in this manner again, and then he left him.
402. On one occasion Abbâ Macarius went to visit a certain monk, and he found him to be ill, and he asked him if he wanted anything to eat, for he had nothing whatsoever in his cell, and the monk said unto him, “I want some honeycakes”; and when the wonderful old man heard [this] he set out for Alexandria, and he did not regard this journey as a trouble, although [the city] was sixty miles away from them, and he brought the honeycakes to give to the sick monk. And this he did himself, and did not tell anyone else to bring them, and the old man thus made manifest the solicitude which he felt for the monks.
403. They used to tell the story of an old man who lived in Scete; now he had fallen sick, and wished to eat a little fine bread. And when a certain brother heard [this], he took his cloak and placed in it some dry bread, and he went to Egypt and changed it [for fine bread] and brought [it] to the old man, and the old man looked upon him and wondered. But the old man refused to eat it, saying, “This is the bread of blood, O my brother,” and the old men entreated him to eat lest the offering of the brother should be in vain, and having pressed him the old man was persuaded and he ate the bread.
404. The blessed Anthony never deemed it right to do that which was convenient for himself to the same extent as that which was profitable for his neighbour.
405. An old man used to say, “I have never desired any work which doeth good to myself and harm to my neighbour, and I have the hope that what is of benefit to my brother will be labour that is beneficial to me, and that it will be a thing that will invite a reward for me.”
406. A certain brother from the Great Monastery was accused of fornication, and he rose up and came to Father Anthony; and there came brethren after him from that monastery to inform him about the matter and to take him away, and they began to accuse him, saying, “Thus and thus hast thou done,” and the brother made excuses, and said, “I never acted in this manner.” Now Abbâ Paphnutius happened to be there, and he spake a word unto them, saying, “I saw a man in the river with the mud up to his knees, and some men came to give him help and to drag him out, and they made him to sink up to his neck.” And when Abbâ Anthony heard [him say this], he spake concerning Abbâ Paphnutius, saying, “Behold, indeed, a man who is able to make quiet and to redeem souls!” And the eyes of those brethren were opened, by the word of the old men, and they took that brother, and he departed with them to their monastery.
407. They used to say about Abbâ Theodore that when he was a young man he dwelt in the desert, and that he went to make his bread in the same place as the monks made theirs; and he found a certain brother who wished to make bread, but he had no one to do the work for him, and he was unable to do it for himself. Then Abbâ Theodore left his own bread and made that of the brother, and a second brother came and he made his also, and a third brother came, and he did likewise; and finally when he had satisfied them, he made bread for himself.
408. A brother asked an old man, saying, “There were two brethren, and one of them led a life of silent contemplation in his cell, and used to fast six days at a time, and to devote himself to great labour, and his companion used to minister to the sick; which of them will receive the [greater reward for] his service?” The old man saith, “If he who fasted were to raise himself up upon the works which are profitable, he would not find himself equal before God with him that visited the sick.”
409. There was a certain head of a monastery in a house of monks in the desert, and it happened that the brother who ministered unto him had a desire to leave the monastery, and he departed and dwelt in another monastery; now the old man was unwilling to let him go, and on this account he was always going to him to visit him, and he entreated him to return to his monastery, and the brother refused to do so. And for three whole years the old man used to go to the brother and entreat him to return, and finally he was constrained, and he departed with him. One day the old man told him to go out and bring in some fuel for the fire, and whilst he was gathering the firewood, by the agency of Satan, a stick stuck in his eye and it was put out; and when the old man heard of this he was greatly grieved, and being full of sorrow he began to speak to him words of good cheer. And the brother answered, and said, “Be not afflicted, O father, for I was the cause of this myself, for this hath happened to me through all the toil and labour which I brought upon thee when thou usedst to go and come to me.” And after a little time, when the brother had recovered from the sickness caused by the injury to his eye, the old man said unto him, “Go out and bring in some palm leaves from the ground,” for this was the work which the monks who dwelt there had to do; and whilst the brother was cutting them, once again, as it were by the agency of Satan, a stick sprang up in the air, and smote the man in the other eye, and it was put out, and he came to the monastery in grief, and he was perforce idle and useless because he was unable to do any work. Thus the old man was deprived [of a servant], and he had no one with him, because each of the brethren dwelt in his own cell. And after a short time the day of his departure, which he had known beforehand, drew nigh, and he sent and called all the brethren and said unto them, “The day of my departure hath drawn nigh. Watch ye yourselves, and take good heed to the service of your lives (or life’s work), and treat not lightly your ascetic labours.” And each one of them began to say to him sorrowfully, “Father, why art thou leaving us?” and the old man held his peace. Then he sent and brought the blind man, and revealed to him concerning his departure, and the blind man wept and said unto him, “Wherefore leavest thou me, the blind man?” The old man saith unto him, “Pray that I may have openness of face with God, and that I may find mercy before Him, and I have hope through His help, that on the First Day of the Week thou wilt be able to perform the service with thy companions”; and straightway the old man died. And, according to his word, a few days later he appeared unto that brother, and his eyes were opened, and he became an Abbâ and a head of monks. Now these things were related unto us by those who were acquainted with the period wherein the old man lived.
410. A certain man of abstinence saw a man who had a devil, and who was unable to fast, and he was exceedingly sorry for him; and by reason of the love for Christ with which he was filled, and because he not only took care for himself, but for his companion also, he prayed and entreated God that the devil might come to him, and that the man might be released from him. Now God looked upon his prayer and upon his good will, and saw that the holy man was carrying a great load on behalf of that demoniac, and since that brother began to prolong his fasting and prayer, and to practise continually self-denial, in a few days that evil spirit departed.
411. They used to say concerning Abbâ Poemen that when he was pressed by any man to go with him to eat at an unusual time, he would go, with the tears streaming from his eyes, so that he might not resist the wish of that brother and cause him annoyance; for he would forgo his own will, and he would humble himself and go.
412. There was an old man in the Cells whose name was Apollo, and when one of the brethren came to call him to work, he would go joyfully, saying, “I go to-day with the King Christ to work on my own behalf, for this is the reward of this labour.”
413. On one occasion Abraham, the disciple of Abbâ Sisoes, was tempted by Satan, and the old man saw him fall down, and straightway he spread out his hands towards heaven, and said to God, “My Lord, I will not let Thee go until Thou hast healed him,” and straightway Abraham was healed.
414. A certain monk was sitting by the monastery, and whilst he was occupied in great labours, it happened that strangers came to the monastery, and they forced him to eat with them contrary to his usual custom, and afterwards the brethren said unto him, “Father, wast thou not just now afflicted?” And he said unto them, “My affliction is to break my will.”