A Monk's Encouragement

᾽Αδελφος τις καθεζόμενος εις τα Κελλια ἐταράσσετο καταμόνας· και ἀπελθὼν πρὸς τον ἀββᾶν θεόδωρον τὸν τῆς Φερμης, εἷπεν αὐτῷ. ῾Ο δὲ γέρων εἶπεν· Ὓπαγε, ταπεινωσον τὸν λογισμόν σου, και ὑποτάγηθι, και μεινον μετὰ ἄλλων. Και ὑποστρεφει πρὸς τὸν γέροντα, και λεγει αὐτῷ· Οὑδε μετὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων αναπαύομαι. Και λὲγει αὐτῷ ὁ γερων· Ει μόνος οὐκ ἀναπαυῃ, οὐδε μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων, διατι ἐξῆλθες εισ τὸν μοναχόν; οὐχι ἵνα ὑποφερῃς τας θλιψεις; εἰπε δέ μοι· Ποσα ἔτη ἒχεις εις τὸ σχῆμα; Λὲγει· Ὀκτώ. Ἐἶπεν οὗν αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· φυσει ἐχω ἐν τᾡ σχήματι ἐβδομὴκοντα ἔτη, και οὐδὲ μιαν ἡμέραν εὗρον ἀνάπαυσιν· και σὺ εις ὀκτω ἔτη θέλεις ἀνάπαυσιν ἔχειν; Και τοῦτο ἀκούσας, ἑδραιωθεὶς ἀπῆλθεν.  ᾽Αποφθεγματα των ἀγιων γεροντων, Παλλαδιος

A certain brother dwelling in the region named 'The Cells' was troubled in his solitude. He went out to Father Theodoros of Pherme to speak to him. And the elder said, 'Begone, be humble in your thought, subject yourself, and abide with others.' He came back to the elder and said, ' I am not able to find rest with men'. The elder said to him, 'If you are not able to rest alone or with others, for what reason did you come out to be a monk? That you might endure suffering? Tell me how many years have you been a monk?' He said, 'Eight.' The elder said to him, ' I have spent seventy years in this state and not one day have I found rest. And you wish for peace in eight years?' Hearing this, he went away fortified. Sayings of the Fathers, Palladius of Galatia