ISAAC THE THEBAN

1. One day Abba Isaac went to a monastery. He saw a brother committing a sin and he condemned him. When he returned to the desert, an angel of the Lord came and stood in front of the door of

his cell, and said, 'I will not let you enter.' But he persisted saying, 'What is the matter?' and the angel replied, 'God has sent me to ask you where you want to throw the guilty brother whom you have condemned.' Immediately he repented and said, 'I have sinned, forgive me.' Then the angel said, 'Get up, God has forgiven you. But from now on, be careful not to judge someone before God has done so.'

2. It was said of Abba Apollo that he had a disciple, named Isaac, perfectly trained in all good works and he had the gift of ceaseless prayer at the time of the eucharist. When he came to church, he did not allow anyone to join him. He used to say that all things are good in their proper time, 'for there is a time for everything.' As soon as the synaxis was concluded, he fled as though pursued by fire and hurried back to his cell. Now at the conclusion of the synaxis a piece of bread and a cup of wine was often given to the brethren, but he did not accept it. Not that he wanted to refuse the agape of the brethren, but because he wished to preserve the ceaseless prayer of the service. Now it happened that he fell ill. When they heard of it, the brethren came to visit him. Sitting beside him they asked him, 'Abba Isaac, why do you flee from the brethren at the end of the service?' He said to them, 'I am not fleeing from the brethren, but from the wicked ruse of the demons. When someone is holding a lighted lamp, if he lingers in the open air, the lamp goes out because of the wind. We are the same, if, when we are illuminated by the holy eucharist, we linger outside our cell; our spirit is darkened.' Such was the way of life of the holy Abba Isaac.