Prayerzzzzzz

A hermit was living in a cave in the Thebaid with one well-tested disciple. It was usual for him to teach the disciple during the evening and show him how the soul should progress, and after the address he used to pray and send him away to sleep.

Some devout laymen who knew of the hermit’s ascetic life happened to visit him. He gave them counsel and they went away. Then he sat down after the evening prayers as usual to instruct the brother. But while he was talking, sleep overcame him.

The brother waited for the hermit to wake and end with the usual prayer. But he went on sleeping and the brother went on sitting for a long time and in the end the disciple felt he must go and sleep, though he was uneasy about it. So he pulled himself together, and resisted the temptation, and went back to sit by the hermit. 

A second time he was forced away by the longing for sleep, but he sat down again. This happened seven times, and still he went on resisting it.

In the middle of the night the hermit woke up, and found him sitting nearby and said, “Haven’t you gone away yet?” He said, “No, you did not send me away, abba.” The hermit said, “Why did you not wake me up?” He answered, “I did not dare to nudge you for fear of upsetting you.” They both got up and began to say the morning prayers. After that the hermit sent the disciple away.

When the hermit was sitting alone, he was shown a vision of a glorious place, with a throne in it, and the throne had seven crowns. He asked the angel who showed him the vision, “Whose crowns are those?” and he replied, “They are the crowns of your disciple. God had given him this place and throne because of his goodness and tonight he has been granted these seven crowns.”

The hermit was amazed and called his disciple to him with wonder and said, “Tell me what you did all night.” He answered, “Alas, abba, I did nothing.” The hermit could see that he was being humble and concealing something, and said, “Look here, I can’t rest until you tell me what you did and thought last night.” But the brother was not aware that he had done anything and could not say a word. Then at last he said to the hermit, “Indeed, abba, I did nothing, except that seven times I was driven by wandering thoughts to go way and sleep; but you had not sent me away as you usually do, so I did not go.” Then the hermit at once understood that every time he resisted the temptation, God bestowed a crown on him.

To the disciple he said nothing, thinking it best for his soul, but he told other directors of souls to teach us how God can bestow crowns upon us even for resisting little temptations. It is good that a man discipline his whole self for God’s sake. As it is written, “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by storm” (Matthew 11:12)

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V