SIXTH BOOK Against the Thoughts of the Demon of Listlessness

Against the thought of the demon of listlessness that hates the manual labor of the skill that it knows, and wants to learn another skill by which it will be better supported and which will not be so arduous

By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the earth from which you were taken. For you are earth, and to earth you shall return.

Against the thought that because of listlessness is moved to slander the abbot on the pretext, “He does not comfort the brothers, but he is harsh with them and does not show them mercy in their afflictions”

You shall not revile the gods nor speak evilly of the rulers of your people.

Against the soul that succumbs to the thought of listlessness and impatiently expects to be filled with the fruits of the knowledge of truth

You shall persevere and take the fruits of the land.

Against the intellect that because of thoughts of listlessness has inclined itself again to the world and loves it [the world] and the affairs that arise from it

Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your mind and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Against the thought of listlessness that deprives us of reading and instruction in spiritual words, leading us astray as it says, “Look, such-and-such holy old man knew only twelve Psalms, and he pleased God”

And let these words, all that I have commanded you today, be in your heart and in your soul. And you shall teach them to your sons, and you shall speak of them sitting in your house, walking on the road, lying down, and rising up.

Against the soul that receives thoughts of listlessness whenever a little ailment comes upon the body

And the Lord will remove from you all sickness, and he will not lay upon you any of the evil diseases of Egypt that you have seen and known, but he will lay them upon those who hate you.

Against the thought that because of listlessness wants its family and the people of its household and thinks, “The demon of listlessness is stronger than we are, and I cannot defeat the thoughts that come forth from it and oppose me”

The Lord your God will hand over your enemies who oppose you utterly broken before you; they will come forth against you on one road, and on seven roads they will flee from before you.

Against the thought of listlessness that shuns the reading of and meditation on spiritual words and which advises us to ask the Lord that we might learn the Scriptures through his Spirit

And the book of this law shall not depart from your mouth, and you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may know how to do all the things that are written, and you will prosper... Look, I have commanded you.

Against the soul that at the time of listlessness considers and says, “Why does the Lord so permit me to be tested by the demons? Sometimes they stir up our anger against the brothers who are near us, but at other times they cast us into sadness by compelling us to be annoyed with the brothers who are far from us as well”—these are the tricks of the thoughts of listlessness

And the Lord became very angry with Israel and said, “Inasmuch as this nation has abandoned my covenant, which I commanded their fathers, and has not listened to my voice, for my part I will no longer cast out from before them a man from the nations that Joshua the son of Nun left in the land.” And he left Israel to be tested by them, [to see] whether they would keep the way of the Lord, to walk in it, as their fathers kept it, or not. So the Lord left these nations so as not to cast them out quickly, and he did not deliver them into the hand of Joshua. And these are the nations that the Lord left to test Israel by them, all who had not known the wars of Canaan, but on account of the generations of sons of Israel, to teach them warfare, only those who had not before known them.

Against the hardened soul that does not want to shed tears at night because of thoughts of listlessness—for the shedding of tears is a great remedy for nocturnal visions that are born from listlessness, and David the prophet wisely applied this remedy to his passions when he said

I am wearied with my groaning; I will wash my bed every night; with tears I will water my couch.

To the Lord concerning the thoughts of listlessness that persist in me

Look upon my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.

Against the thoughts of listlessness that take away my hope

I believe that I will see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

Against the thought of murmuring that derives from listlessness and that dares to be silent concerning praise

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise will be continually in my mouth.

Against the soul that in listlessness receives thoughts that take away its hope by showing it how very difficult the monastic life is and that a human being can scarcely endure its way of life

Hope in the Lord, and do kindness; dwell in the land, and you will be fed with its wealth.

Against the miserable soul that is listless and chooses other places in which to live

Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he will raise you up to inherit the land.

Against the intellect that does not know that, when thoughts of listlessness persist in it, they trouble its stability, and at the time of prayer they obscure the holy light in its eyes— concerning this light, I and God’s servant Ammonius wanted to know where it comes from, and we asked the holy John, the seer of Thebes, whether it is the nature of the intellect to be luminous and thus it pours forth the light from itself or whether it [the light] appears from something else outside and illumines it [the intellect]; but he answered us and said, “No human being is able to explain this, and indeed, apart from the grace of God the intellect cannot be illumined in prayer by being set free from the many cruel enemies that are endeavoring to destroy it”

My heart is troubled; my strength has left me; and the light of my eyes is not with me.

Against the soul that wants to learn whether the soul truly is handed over to temptations from demons whenever it is briefly abandoned by the holy angels

My friends and neighbors drew near before me and stood, and my nearest of kin stood far off, while those who seek my soul pressed hard upon me, and those who seek evil things for me spoke empty things and plotted deceits the entire day.

Against the thought of listlessness that takes away the hope of our endurance on the pretext that one cannot through its duration persuade the Lord to have mercy on us

I waited patiently for the Lord, and he attended to me and listened to my supplication.

Against the soul that supposes that tears are of no benefit at the time of combat with listlessness and that does not remember that David did this very thing, saying to God

My tears have been my bread day and night.

Against the soul that succumbs to listlessness and becomes filled with thoughts of sadness

Why are you sad, my soul? And why do you trouble me? Hope in God, for I will give thanks to him, the salvation of my countenance and my God.

To the Lord concerning the demon of listlessness that contends with me all day

Have mercy upon me, Lord, for humanity has tread upon me and afflicted me by making war all day.

To the Lord because thoughts of anger and desire have departed from me

We went through fire and water, and you brought us out into rest.

To the Lord concerning the thoughts of listlessness that are in us, “So-and-so, one of our brothers or one of our relatives, has attained and joined a rank of honor and authority, and he has become a powerful man”

It is good for me to cleave to God, to place my hope in the Lord.

Against the thought that entices us at the time of listlessness to journey to the brothers on the pretext of being comforted by them

My soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God and rejoiced; I poured out my complaint, and my soul fainted.

Against the thought of listlessness that reckons for me a long time and years of a wretched life

As for a human being, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so will he flourish.

Against the thought of listlessness that is eager to find another cell for its dwelling place on the pretext that the first one that it had was very foul and full of moisture so that it got all kinds of diseases from it

Here I will dwell, for I have chosen it.

To the Lord concerning the thoughts that persecute and terrify my intellect

For the enemy has pursued my soul; he has brought my life down to the ground; he has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have been dead for ages. And my spirit was grieved in me; my heart was disturbed within me.

Against the thought of listlessness that rejects manual labor and leans the body in sleep against the wall

How long will you lie down, sluggard? When will you wake from sleep? You sleep a little, and you lie down a little, and you nap for a while, and you fold your arms over your breast for a little. Then poverty comes upon you like an evil traveler, and need like a swift courier.

Against the thought that neglects the labors involved in the service of the commandments

Blessed is the person who begins to help, who depends on hope.

Against the thought of listlessness that complains about the brothers on the pretext that there is no love in them and they do not want to console those who are sad and weary

A man who wishes to separate from his friends looks for excuses, but at all times he is liable to reproach.

Against the soul that is saddened because of a thought of listlessness

Do not reject the chastening of the Almighty, for he causes pain, and then he restores again; he smites, and his hands heal. Six times he will deliver you from distresses, and the seventh time evil will not touch you.

Against the thought of listlessness that depicts to us a prolonged old age, severe poverty without consolation, and diseases that can kill the body

Ask the former generation, and search diligently among the race of the fathers; for we are of yesterday and do not understand, for our life upon the earth is a shadow.

Against the thought of listlessness that shows us other places and advises us to acquire a cell there on the pretext that there we will be able to meet our needs without toil and [to provide] peace and consolation to the brothers who come to us

Is not the extent of my life short? Permit me to rest a little before I go where I will not return, to a dark and gloomy land, to a land of eternal darkness, where there is no light nor does anyone see the life of mortals.

Against the soul that in listlessness thinks that there is no one who sees its afflictions

Do not say that a man has no visitation; indeed, he has a visitation from the Lord.

Against the thoughts of listlessness that call blessed those who have dealings with the world

For all the nations will walk each in its own way, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and beyond.

Against the soul that because of a disease of the body receives thoughts of listlessness

I will bear the Lord’s anger because I have sinned against him, until he rectifies my cause. And he will perform my judgment and bring me out to the light, and I will see his righteousness.

Against the soul that has fallen under the weight of listlessness and cries out due to the sloth that results from thoughts of listlessness

Look, all those who oppose you will be put to shame and confounded, for they will be as if they were not, and all your opponents will perish.

Against the soul that, due to the thoughts of sloth and listlessness that have persisted in it, has become weak, has been brought low, and has dissipated in the miseries of its soul; whose strength has been consumed by its great fatigue; whose hope has nearly been destroyed by this demon’s force; that has become mad and childish with passionate and doleful tears; and that has no relief from anywhere

Thus says the Lord, “Let your voice cease from weeping and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your labors, and they will return from the land of your enemies, and your children [will have] an abiding home.”

To the Lord concerning the thoughts of listlessness that shake our endurance and provoke us to take a little break and make an extended visit to our home and kinfolk

Lord, act on our behalf for your own sake, for our sins are numerous before you, for we have sinned against you. Lord, you are Israel’s endurance, and you save in the time of evils.

Against the thoughts that show us the monastic life, that there are many afflictions and great labors in its discipline

The Lord is good to those who wait for him. The soul that seeks him is good: it will endure and quietly await the salvation of the Lord.

Against the thought that said that a person can acquire purity and stability apart from the monastic life

It is good for a man when he bears a yoke in his youth, sits alone, and is silent, because has taken it upon himself. He will give his cheek to the one who strikes him, and he will be filled with reproaches. For the Lord will not reject forever.

To the Lord concerning the thought of listlessness that has grown strong against me

Do not hand us over to the end for the sake of your name, and do not disband your covenant, and do not remove your mercy from us for the sake of Abraham your beloved, and for the sake of Isaac your slave and Israel your son.

Against the thought of listlessness that advises us to visit our fleshly father

Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.

Against the soul that has succumbed to listlessness and wants to return to its fleshly relatives

Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

Against the soul that is not convinced that Christ called love toward its family hatred, when he spoke in this way to souls that are in the passions of desires and that love the world

Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.

Against the thoughts of listlessness that are in us on the pretext, “Look, our relatives are saying about us that it is not on account of God that we have left the world and embraced monasticism, but on account of our sins or on account of our weakness, because we could not excel in the affairs of the world”

We must obey God rather than human beings.

Against the thoughts of listlessness that come upon us due to afflictions

Be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.

Against the thoughts that due to listlessness dare to murmur

Do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

Against the thought that is saddened because of thoughts of listlessness and that does not remember the Apostle’s trials, which he recounted, saying

... with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless floggings, and often near death. Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked. And besides other things....

Against the thoughts of listlessness that do not give thanks for the fathers and brothers

... giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Against the soul that does not know that for a human being to suffer for Christ is a gift given by the Spirit

For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well—since you are having the same struggle....

Against the soul’s thoughts that have been set in motion by listlessness and want to abandon the holy path of the illustrious ones and its dwelling place

For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet “in a very little while the one who is coming will come and will not delay; but my righteous one will live by faith. My soul takes no pleasure in anyone who shrinks back.”

Against the thought that entices us to see the city, my family, and my loved ones there

For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

Against the soul that has succumbed to listlessness and sadness and in its heart reckons that it has been handed over to the punishment of the demons

Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

Against the thoughts of listlessness that are angry with the holy fathers on the pretext that they are unfeeling and do not want to console the brothers, and therefore these thoughts are fed up with them and do not want to submit to them

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls and will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with sighing.

Against the thought of the soul that is saddened because of the spirit of listlessness that has persisted in it and altered its condition

My brothers, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

Against the intellect that due to a thought of listlessness is thrown all over the place, at one time driven from places by anger, then at another time dragged by the throat to other places near the brothers, or to relatives in the world—a condition that has often humiliated and wearied it

Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. Blessed is our Lord Jesus Christ, who gives us the victory over the thoughts of the demon of listlessness! 147