Prologue in Sermons: February 15

On Patience

February 15

(From a saying of the Paterikon about a certain monk who went from monastery to monastery, unable to endure annoyance from the brethren.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

There are people who think things are good only where they themselves are not. Wherever they live, they complain about everyone, saying that all treat them badly and all offend them.

“If only I could settle over there,” they say, “then things would be different.”

They are always searching for something, always running from place to place. But will they ever find peace?

If they do not abandon their irritability and impatience — never; but if they arm themselves with patience and discernment, they will find it very soon.

A certain monk lived in a coenobitic monastery, and there five brethren loved him, but one insulted him. Unable to endure the offense, the monk left, thinking to find peace in another monastery. There eight brethren began to love him, but two hated him. He fled to a third. There seven loved him and five hated him. What was he to do?

“I will go somewhere else,” said the monk, “there it will be better for me.”

And he set out for a fourth monastery. On the way, once sitting down to rest, the monk began to reflect.

“What will come of it,” he said to himself, “if I keep running from place to place? Then in the whole world I shall not find peace. I will rather endure.”

With these words he took a sheet of paper and wrote:

“I will endure everything for the sake of Jesus Christ, the Son of God!”

Having tied this writing to his belt, he came to a new monastery and remained to live there. As in the previous ones, so it happened here as well: after a very short time they again began to offend him. But now he did not lose heart. Whenever he received an insult from someone, he immediately read his written pledge and at once became calm. At last his patience completely triumphed. Those who had offended him asked his forgiveness and stopped insulting him.

Thus, brethren, it is not the character of the people with whom we live that makes us happy or unhappy, but the character we ourselves form within us while living with people. People are everywhere people — not angels. And we are not in heaven, but on earth. Therefore, instead of thinking we suffer because those around us are bad, it is better to look at ourselves and think we suffer because we ourselves are bad — or, more simply, to take up patience.

Patience is the medicine for every trouble, and to know how to endure is to know how to live peacefully. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.