The Grace of Flight

Τοσαύτην χάριν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος τοῦ μέλλοντος τοῖς μοναχοῖς ἐδωρήσατο, ὥστε τούτους μὲν μὴ θέλειν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην δόξαν, μήτ' ἐπιθυμεῖν τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ παντοίων ἀξιωμάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ κρύπτεσθαι πολλάκις, καὶ σπουδάζειν μᾶλλον λανθάνειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους διὰ τὸ ἐγκαταμίξαι ἐκουσίως ἑαυτοὺς τοῖς εὐτελέσι καὶ ἐξουδενωμένοις τῶν ἀδελφῶν· πολλοὺς δὲ μεγιστᾰνας, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐν κόσμῳ ἀξίαν, εἴθ' ἑκουσίως, εἴτ' ἀβουλήτως διά τινος περιστατάσεως προσφεύγειν τοῖς ταπεινοῐς μοναχοῖς, καὶ λυροῦσθαι μὲν κινδύνων θανατηφόρων, σωτηρίας δὲ, καὶ προσκαίρου, καὶ αἰωνίου τυγχάνειν. Ἡ γὰρ θεία πρόνοια συνωθεϊ τοὺς δυνάστας, ἑκόντας τε καὶ ἄκοντας, προσφεύγειν τοῖς ἐλαχίστοις, καὶ σώζεσθαι. Ἅγιος Νειλος,Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ Α', Πτολεμαιῳ Συνκλητικῳ Source: Migne PG 79.81a-b

Such grace before the future age God has given to monks that neither do they wish for human glory, nor desire any honour in the world, but to be often hidden and to be eager rather to be forgotten by men, mixing of their own free will with the vile and most despicable brothers. And yet many great men, conspicuous with worldly glories, either by their own will, or unwillingly on account of something that they must flee, fly to humble monks, and so are ransomed from fatal dangers unto salvation, both now and forever. For the Divine providence compels the powerful, the willing and the unwilling, to flee to the least, that they be saved. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 1, To Ptolemaeus