On Purity of the Senses and the Heart
An elderly ascetic told us: "Any monastic who ventures out into the world should be extremely careful when conversing with people. This is particularly true of female monks who need experienced spiritual fathers to tell them how to maintain the purity of their senses."
Father Neophytos was the spiritual father of Little St. Anne's. He occupied the hermitage of the Holy Archangels, the place where St. Agapios had lived and written The Salvation of Sinners. At one time Father Neophytos had gone to the Island of Tinos in order to serve as the celebrant priest in one of the women's monasteries there. In this community all the nuns were attempting to live a pure life. One of them, who was blind, went to confession to Father Neophytos and revealed the impure thoughts which she had had about him. He was so dismayed that he immediately returned to Little St. Anne's.
He was sad and puzzled: how could Satan introduce such thoughts to a blind person? He decided one day to invite answers from all the neighbouring spiritual fathers. He discussed the question with Fathers Stephanos, Kyprianos, and Kosmas, and with a subordinate sent by Father Ignatios who, although the most experienced of them all, happened to be ill at the time. His subordinate's name was Ignatios also. He was from Ismirne and had had the desire to be a monk from a very early age.
All the elders started to discuss this issue: how could a blind nun be tempted by improper thoughts? But though they were spiritually mature, they were unable to resolve the question. Then the turn of the young Father Ignatios came. "Your voice, Father, became the cause of such thoughts to the blind nun, thoughts which she reflected upon and then went to confess." All the fathers were impressed with his answer and blessed his words.
An elder said: "Monk, beware! Do not extend your hand to any woman, not even your own mother, so that you can attain the spiritual heights of our forefathers. Pay attention when you are in the world. Restrain from laughing and joking, so that while conversing, your teeth may not be seen. When you observe all of these practices, the purity of your life will teach you higher things."
In 1955 a miracle occurred to a brother from Dionysiou: the appearance of St. John the Baptist to him. We were told of the occurrence by the ever memorable Elder Lazaros. He was talking as if it were of a third person, but we realized that it was really about him.
A brother from the monastery who was sent to Thessaloniki stayed in a hotel where he was unwillingly tempted. A pretty young woman approached him, a family acquaintance, asking him questions about the fathers and the Holy Mountain. The discussion went on for a long time and her intention became clear when she offered him hospitality in her room, extending her hand to him saying: 'We'll be going just for a moment, and will return right away.'
"His fall would have been actualized if at that moment he had not been protected by his prayer to and trust in St. John the Baptist. He pleaded for the saint to intercede and save him from such a pitfall. And indeed a sudden blinding light shone in her room and in the midst of it appeared St. John, who snatched him up and returned him to his room at the opposite end of the hotel floor."
An elder said: "A good man views all women as if they were his own sisters. Even when he sees an immoral woman, he should say to himself: 'If this woman were my blood sister, I would be very embarrassed.' Then he would not have take advantage of her."
The enlightened Father loakim from St. Anne's, who was like a brother to our elder, said: "Whoever desires to be pure, let him be careful, strict, and watchful of himself, not even holding his own hands together. In gatherings he should be careful about how he talks and looks around, and avoid contact with handsome people and anything else which might connect him to a fall from chastity and purity of life." For our contemporary Father Joseph the Hesychast, relentless was the war against the flesh. This war lasted eight years, which is a long time for someone who had remained pure of any carnal sins since childhood. He would say that whenever he was reaching the point of exhaustion in the struggle, he would start all over again, after being strengthened by God's grace. But for him, as time passed, the war was intensified almost endlessly. 'At the same time, I did not give up my defence tactics, which were all-night vigils and self-inflicted beatings. I wept, sighed and prayed to our Lady Theotokos. The struggle slowed down for awhile so that I could catch my breath, and then it started all over again, more intensely than before. My body got weaker and I lost my strength. I was consoled only in prayer, and that was a comforting sign."
He mobilized all practical methods for a victorious ending of the struggle, such as all-night vigils, hardship, hunger, thirst, beatings, and tears. He gave up his bed and slept sitting on a wooden stool made into an armchair to rest his arms. He did this for the duration of the entire war.
