Instruction Five

While I was thinking what to say to you in conclusion of our discourses about the path to salvation, there came to mind a story which I once read in one of the ancient paterica (collections of the fathers’ sayings). It is very close to what we have been discussing, and I do not consider it superfluous to pass it on to you now in the form it presents itself in my mind.

A certain wise elder, living in remote solitude, fell into despair, and darkness of thought began to crush his soul, suggesting to him doubt whether he was proceeding rightly and whether there was hope that his labors would finally be crowned with success. The elder sat with bowed head. His heart ached, but his eyes gave no tears. Dry sorrow tormented him. While he was thus afflicted with grief, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: “Why are you troubled and why do such thoughts enter your heart? You are not the first and not the last to walk this path. Many have already traveled it, many are traveling, and many will travel it to the bright mansions of paradise. Come, I will show you the different paths by which the sons of men walk, and also where these paths lead. Look—and be instructed!”

Obeying the angel’s gesture, the elder rose and went; but hardly had he taken a few steps forward when he became lost in thought and was absorbed in contemplation of a wondrous vision that opened to his spiritual eyes. On his left he saw dense darkness, like an impenetrable wall, from within which were heard noise, turmoil, and confusion. Looking more carefully into the darkness, he saw a wide river in which waves moved back and forth, to the right and to the left; and each time a wave appeared before his eyes, someone distinctly seemed to whisper in his ear: this is a wave of disbelief, heedlessness, indifference; this is one of cruelty, debauchery, bribery; this is one of luxury, amusement, envy, discord; and this one of drunkenness, impurity, idleness, infidelity of spouses, and so on and so on; and every wave turned before him an innumerable multitude of people, raising them from the river and plunging them again into its depths. In horror the elder cried out: “Lord! Will all these perish and is there no hope of salvation for them?” The angel said to him: “Look farther—and you will see God’s mercy and truth!”

The elder looked again at the river and saw it along its entire width and length covered with small boats in which sat radiant youths with every kind of instrument for the rescue of the drowning. They called all to themselves and extended hands to some, lowered rods and boards to others, threw ropes to yet others, and sometimes thrust hooks and grapples into the depths, trying to catch anyone there who might come forth.

And what happened? Very few responded to their call, and fewer still made proper use of the rescue instruments offered to them. The greater part scornfully rejected them and with a kind of wild delight sank in this river, which gave off vapor, stench, and smoke. The elder extended his gaze far along the river and at its end saw an abyss into which it plunged. Youths in great number swam swiftly in boats here and there, right at the edge of the abyss, carefully offering help to all; but despite this, every minute, at every point of the river, whole thousands of people together with the river were cast into the abyss, from which were heard only cries of despair and grinding of teeth. The elder covered his face and wept.

And there came a voice from Heaven: “It is bitter, but who is to blame? Tell Me, what more could I have done for their salvation that I did not do? But they obstinately reject all the help offered to them. They would reject Me if I came down to help them in the most hopeless places of their suffering.”

Having found some comfort, the elder turned his eyes to the right, toward the bright east, and was consoled by a glorious vision. Those who, heeding the call of the radiant youths, gave them a hand or grasped at some instrument of salvation, were drawn by them to the right shore.

Here they were received by other persons, who led them into small, orderly buildings scattered in great numbers along the whole length of the shore, where they were washed with clean water, clothed in clean garments, girded, shod, given a staff, and, after being strengthened with food, sent on their way—farther to the east, with the command not to look back, to go without stopping, to look carefully at their feet, and not to pass a single building like the others without entering it to refresh themselves in it with food and counsel from those whose care these buildings are entrusted to, as well as to all who enter them.

The elder swept his eyes along the shore and saw that along its entire length these rescued people were preparing for their journey. Joy and courage were imprinted on the face of all. It was evident that they all felt a special lightness and strength and were irresistibly drawn to the path, the first stages of which were strewn with pleasant flowers.

The elder then turned his gaze farther to the east, and behold what was revealed to him!

A pleasant meadow ended not far from the shore; beyond it mountains began, lying in ridges in different directions. They rose higher and higher, intersected by chasms, now bare and rocky, now covered with shrubs and forests. Everywhere on them were seen traveling laborers. One was climbing a steep slope, another sat in exhaustion or stood lost in thought; that one was struggling with a beast or serpent; one was going straight to the east, another in an oblique direction, and yet another was cutting across the paths of others; but all were in labor and sweat, in struggle and straining of body and soul. Seldom did a traveler always see the road: often it vanished entirely or scattered into many paths; in some places mist and darkness hid it, in others a chasm or steep cliff blocked it; there wild beasts from the forest or venomous serpents from the crevices barred the way. But here is what is marvelous! Everywhere on the mountains there were scattered beautiful buildings, like those into which the rescued ones were first received. As soon as a traveler entered them, as he was commanded in the beginning, then, no matter how exhausted he was before, he came out refreshed and full of strength. Then beasts and serpents could not endure his gaze and fled from him; no obstacles halted him for long, and he easily and quickly found the hidden path according to the directions he received in those buildings. Every time someone overcame an obstacle or defeated an enemy, he became stronger, taller, and more handsome; the higher one climbed, the more beautiful and luminous he became. Near the summit of the mountain the land became smooth and flower-covered again; but those who entered it soon passed into a bright cloud or mist from which they appeared no more.

The elder raised his eyes above this cloud and from beyond it or beyond the mountain saw wondrous light of indescribable beauty, from which came to him sweet sounds: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Hosts!” (Is. 6:3) The elder, moved with compunction, fell to the ground, and over him sounded the word of the Lord: “Run thus so that you may attain” (1 Cor. 9:24).

Rising again to his feet, the elder saw that from various heights of the mountain a considerable number of travelers in different places were swiftly running back to the river, some in silence, others with shouts and curses and abusive words. To each of them calls came from above and from the sides: “Stop, stop!” But driven by some small, dark-skinned beings, they did not heed the warning and again sank into the foul-smelling river. Then the elder cried out in astonishment: “Lord! What is this?” And he heard in reply: “The fruit of self-will and disobedience to the divinely-established order!”

The angel showing this to the elder then asked him: “Are you comforted?” And the elder bowed to him to the ground.

I think, brothers, there is no need for me to say much to explain this vision for you. The river is the world; the people sunk in it are those living according to the spirit of the world, in passions, vices, and sins; the radiant youths in boats are angels and the grace generally calling to salvation; the abyss into which the river plunges is ruin; the beautiful building on the right shore is the Church, where through the Mysteries of repentance or baptism the converted sinners are washed from their sins, clothed in the garment of justification, girded with power from on high, and set on the path to salvation; the ascent of the mountain with its various difficulties represents the different labors in cleansing the heart from passions; the beasts and serpents are the enemies of salvation; the smooth land toward the summit is the pacification of the heart; the bright cloud hiding the travelers is the peaceful death; the light beyond the mountain is the paradise of the blessed; the buildings scattered on the mountain are the temples of God. Whoever enters these buildings on the journey, that is, receives the Mysteries and participates in the sacred rites and prayers of the Church, makes use of the counsel and guidance of shepherds, easily overcomes all obstacles and quickly advances toward perfection.

But whoever willfully rejects them, not submitting to the guidance and counsel of shepherds, soon falls, and the spirit of the world draws him away again.

I consider any further exhortation to this unnecessary.

I only beg you, brothers, save yourselves from this wicked generation! Amen.