`Father, what`s the right position the monk must have in the hard situation of nowadays?`
`From the start the prayer, the righteous life and example. He or she should talk when it is necessary and where it is necessary.
`This means the monk should talk when he is given the opportunity?`
`Of course. If the monk doesn`t speak, then who to speak? The monk has nothing to be afraid of. The others are afraid they might lose their positions. If we who devoted ourselves to God don`t push forward, then who will do it?`
`My mind tells me that God will not let this happen, will not allow it. This situation will end. Now it is like there is a big fishing net which has fish inside, but it is rotten. They move in all directions and in the end the net will be torn. And will not be torn because the fish are big, only because the net is rotten.`
`Father, the fish are the Christians?`
`Yes, the Christians and the others are the eels, the snakes. But we will have to answer to God for this situation. I tell them openly. I don`t refrain.`
`What should we do, father?`
`First of all we must do work inside ourselves. Because being a monk, I have as my purpose to destroy my own fleshly spirit. To build up my own spirit and become a spiritual man, because otherwise my life as a monk is meaningless. Then we must talk with discernment when it is necessary and God will help us to bear good fruit.
`Father, but some people say: Better practice silence and prayer.`
`But you can`t be indifferent when everything is burning around you. You must extinguish the fire. The pain doesn`t let you remain silent. Of course, the most important thing is that everyone should struggle to live a spiritual life as much as he can. And if he has to take a stand in a serious matter, he will take the stand which is allowed by God.
Live a humble, simple, spiritual life, so that you won`t be forced to make compromises in a difficult moment .
Afterwards, try to receive for monastic life young girls who have vocation for monachism, who can become good, authentic nuns. When someone becomes a good monk, he knows till where to deal with a matter , what to do and what not to do, he knows how to act. If he doesn`t become a good monk, everything will go wrong. Do you understand? If you become good nuns, you will act prudently.
If you don`t become good nuns, then when you send one somewhere, you will have to tell her: You must speak about this matter only to this extent and to that extent about the other matter.` Because otherwise she might say stupid things. And this shows that the soul is immature. And how will you cope with that?`
`That`s why those who have inclinations for monasticism should be educated in such a way that they could become good nuns and know till where to speak about something and what to speak about. To know what to do in a difficult moment and act showing obedience, so that her spirit may unite with that of her abbess.
When needed, only at a sign made by the abbess, they should understand to work on the same frequency. Otherwise, nothing can be done. If you don`t learn to act in this way, someone else may enter the same frequency and say other things and you wouldn`t understand and, in this way, a great harm may be done.
Excerpt from Spiritual Awakening– Pious Paisios the Athonite, Evanghelismos Publishing, 2012.
