April: Day 12:
Venerable Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto
(God Exposes and Shames Unrighteous Covetous People)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
Venerable Isaac the Syrian, Abbot of Spoleto
(God Exposes and Shames Unrighteous Covetous People)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
I. Venerable Isaac, whose memory is celebrated today, was a native of Syria, but led an ascetic life in Italy, near the city of Spoleto. Here he first built a small cell for himself, but soon many disciples gathered around him, wishing to be saved under his guidance in the monastic life. Thus a monastery was established, where the brethren combined prayerful feats with physical labor, cultivating the land in the vineyard they had planted.
The Venerable One especially tried to instill in the brethren non-acquisitiveness and diligence, forbidding them to enjoy the fruits of others' labor. He said: "I know a brother who, when he was reaping in the field and wanted to eat an ear of wheat, asked the owner: 'Will you allow me to eat an ear of wheat?' Thus the brother was careful about unrighteous acquisition, which usually begins small and imperceptibly leads a person to great evil."
Once Venerable Isaac ordered that in the evening all the agricultural implements, as many as there were in the monastery, be taken out to the monastery garden for the night. Having risen in the morning, he ordered a sufficient amount of food to be prepared and after the morning service he led the brethren into the garden. When they arrived, they saw as many workers as there were agricultural implements. These were night thieves who had come to steal the fruits. God changed their evil intent and turned them to what should be the duty of everyone who wants to eat his bread in peace, i.e., to work. Thus the monk ordered the thieves, miraculously put to shame by God, to be fed and sent them away, having supplied them with bread.
Another time, strangers in shabby rags came to the monk and asked for clothes to cover their nakedness. These were people who, under the guise of poverty, resorted to deception in order to take advantage of the mercy of the monk, who never refused to help anyone: they had left their clothes in the nearby forest, in the hollow of a tree. The monk, gifted by God with the grace of foresight, foresaw this deception, sent one of the brethren to bring the hidden clothes and gave them to the strangers, thus exposing them in their unworthy request for alms.
II. From these examples, taken from the life of Venerable Isaac the Syrian, we will draw two edifying lessons for ourselves.
a) The first lesson is that before the all-seeing eye of God everything is open and even in this life, by God's judgment, there is "nothing secret that will not be made manifest, nor anything hidden that will not be known and brought to light" (Luke 8:17). Every lie, deception and theft, no matter how cunningly hidden by man, are for the most part either directly revealed and punished with shame and civil penalties, or are accompanied by disasters sent down by God to teach the violators of God's commandments. Daily experience teaches us that evil acquired is evil and perishes. He who brings unrighteous gain into his house is the same as bringing a fire that consumes even the property he has, because easy gain through unrighteousness and deceit weans a person from beneficial industry, accustoms him to idleness, which is the mother of all vices, and thus inevitably leads a person to poverty and destruction. “He who sows evil will reap evil, and he will bring the plague of his own deeds” (Prov. 22:8), says the Wise One. Even if in this life a person hides the traces of his secret crimes and untruths in relation to his neighbors, he will not escape the future righteous retribution, when the Lord comes, “Who will bring into light the secrets of darkness, and will make known the counsels of the heart” (1 Cor. 4:5).
b) From the example of Venerable Isaac we also learn that in those cases when our external well-being suffers from the deception and theft of evil people, we must not repay evil with evil. Leave those who violate the truth and the laws of society to the judgment of God and civil justice, but in your souls “love your enemies ... and pray for those who spitefully use you” (Matt. 5:44). It is not without the will of God that misfortunes happen to us from the cunning of evil people: in each of such cases, a true Christian must discern God's visitation for our own spiritual benefit. To repay with evil for damage caused to us in perishable and quickly passing goods means to inflict even greater damage on your soul, depriving it of the precious gift of love, which is the highest good for us, as “the sum of perfection” (Col. 3:14). Let us learn, brethren, according to the words of the Apostle, “to overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21), in order to awaken the conscience of violators of the truth and protect them from further crimes by the power of long-suffering and forgiving love.
III By the prayers of Venerable Isaac the Syrian, may the Lord deliver us from the sin of unrighteous acquisition and may He preserve us from taking revenge on our enemies. Amen.
Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
