Spiritual activity is quite unknown to us. We are completely engrossed in bodily activity and that with the purpose of appearing pious and holy in the eyes of the world and to get its reward. We have abandoned the hard and narrow way of salvation… - St. Ignaty Brianchaninov

The monks praised a brother to Antony. So Antony went to him and tested him to see if he could endure being insulted. When he saw that he could not bear it, he said to him, "You are like a house with a finely decorated facade, but burglars have stolen all the furnishing through the back door."

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A brother spoke with abba Theodore, and began to discuss matters of which he had no experience. Theodore said to him, "You've not yet found a ship to sail in, nor put your luggage aboard, nor put out to sea, and you are already acting as if you were in the city you intend to reach. If you make some attempt to do the things you are discussing, then you may talk about them with understanding."

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Once a magistrate journeyed into the desert to see abba Simon, and the clergy who accompanied him went on ahead and said to Simon, "Abba, get ready for the judge has heard of you and is coming to be blessed by you." So Simon covered himself with sackcloth and took bread and cheese in his hand, and sat in his doorway and began to eat. The magistrate arrived with his entourage. When they saw him they despised him and said, "is this the hermit about whom we heard such great things?" Disgusted, they turned around and went straight home.

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A hermit said, "Do not judge an adulterer if you are chaste or you will break the law of God just as much as he does. For he who said, 'Do not commit adultery' also said 'Do not judge'".

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H e who bears scorn and injury and loss with patience, can be saved.