A Young Man's Counsel

Εἶπέ ποτε ὁ ἀββᾶς Μωσῆς τῷ ἀδελφῷ Ζαχαρίᾳ· Εἰπέ μοι τί ποιήσω; Ἀκούσας δὲ ἔῥῥιψεν ἑαυτὸν χαμαὶ εἰς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ, λέγων· Σύ με ἐρωτᾷς, Πάτηρ; Λέγει αὐτῷ γέρων· Πίστευσόν μοι, τέκνον μου Ζακαρία· εἶδον τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἄγιον κατελθὸν ἐπὶ σὲ, καὶ ἐκ τούτου αναγκάζομαι ἐρωτῆσαί σε. Τότε λαβὼν ὁ Ζακαρίας τὸ κουκούλιον αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ, ἔθηκεν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόσας, καὶ καταπατήσας αὐτὸ εἶπεν· Ἐὰν μὴ συντριβῇ οὕτως ἄνθρωπος, οὐ δύναται εἶναι μοναχός. Ἀποφθεγματα των ἀγιων γεροντων, Παλλαδιος

One time Abba Moses said to brother Zacharias, 'Tell me what I should do?' Hearing this he fell down on the ground at the elder's feet and said, 'Are you asking me, Father?'  The old man said to him, 'Believe me, Zacharias, my child, I saw the Holy Spirit descending upon you and on account of it I am bound to ask you.' Then Zacharias took the hood off his head, put it under his feet, and trampling upon it, said, 'A man who will not be treated so, cannot be a monk.' Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia