Meekness

Examples of Meekness from the Spiritual Meadow, by John Moschos

Once robbers rushed into the cell of one elder and told him that they would take all his things. The elder answered humbly: "Children, take what you desire." They took everything and left. But they did not notice a small sachet with money, which was hanging on the wall. The elder took it and ran after the robbers crying: "Children, take this sachet, which you did not notice." The robbers were touched by the elder’s mildness and took all his things back to the cell. When they were leaving they said to each other: "Truly he is a man of God!"

A little later a similar thing happened in that monastery. Robbers came to another elder. But before they demanded anything he went out to meet them and joyfully started to show them what he had. — "Do you have gold?" — they asked. — "Yes, here it is," — the elder answered and gave them three golden coins. They took them and left in peace. The elder was not upset with it at all but he prayed that God would turn then to the path of honest labor.

In the cenobitic monastery of Abba Constantine (the region of Jordan in Palestine, 6 century) there was hegumen. He told the following case. "Once when I was traveling with my elder we got lost and accidentally started walking on a sown field and trampled some seedlings.

The farmer who was working on the other end of the field saw us and started crying at us with the coarsest swearing. — "What kind of monks are you? You don’t have the fear of God!" — he cried to us.

— "For God’s sake don’t say anything!" — the elder whispered to me. Then he said to the farmer: "You are right, child, we are bad monks and do not have the fear of God! For God’s sake forgive us that we have trampled your planting."

But the farmer did not calm down and continued to swear even more. The elder trying to quiet him down said: "Good laborer, you are absolutely right that you are mad at us! If we were true monks we would not have done that. But for God’s sake forgive us for sinning against you."

Finally, he was touched by the elder’s humbleness and calmed down, he bowed to the elder and exclaimed: "Forgive me, the sinner, that I was swearing at you! Nothing terrible has happened."

Having spoken with us, he became nice and joyful. When saying good-bye he asked us to take him to our monastery with us, because he also wanted to become a monk. We happily took him with us. And so he was tonsured at our monastery."

In the monastery of venerable Gerasim (Palestine, 6 century) one monk told the following case from his life, in connection with the elders’ words that everyone should reproach himself in everything but be lenient towards others. "For a long time I was friends with one lavra deacon, when all of a sudden he began to be mad at me. I saw his gloomy and unfriendly look and I began to ask him to explain to me what was the matter. He began to reproach me about something, which I had never done. I did not feel any guilt and began to justify myself and explain that I was absolutely not guilty in what he was accusing me.

But my explanation did not convince him at all.

Then I went to my cell and began to think if I had really done something like that. But I could not remember anything. Once when the deacon came to the holy Chalice for Communion I began to swear that I had not done what he was blaming me for. But even in that holy and solemn moment he did not believe me.

Then I remembered the words of the holy elders and began to convince myself: "The Deacon sincerely loves me and openly told me what was on his heart. He is doing this so that I could start abstaining and be vigilant so as not to fall into such sin and do something similar. Suppose I did not do what he is accusing me of. But do I know all my evil deeds and words? Do I remember all my sins? Thus, probably, I have forgotten many of my sins and have not repented for them." Having prepared myself for repentance by such thinking I realized that I was guilty of many things. And people have forgiven me a lot by their kindness and God is merciful to me. In a repentant mood I went to the deacon and knocked on his door to ask for his forgiveness. But before I could say a word he kneeled down before me with the words: "Forgive me, this was the devil, taunting me, and instilled this suspicion of you! Truly God Himself has taught me that you were not guilty!"

I kissed him and thanked God that He had taught humbleness to both of us and reconciled us."