The fathers provide me with bread. I should stay put. The Lord has given me such sweetness here in this cave that even if I were given the whole of Athos I wouldn't leave this spot. But when this passes I feel seven times healthier than before. I must tell you, brothers, they say that on Athos the air is bad, the water, flowing along the marble rocks, is bad, and they're afraid of this.
Fear is from the enemy.
If the Mother of God is the Queen of Creation, and if this is her domain, and if she has care of the whole world how much more care will she lavish upon her own domain. Twice Abbot Paul came here and asked if I wouldn't move to the monastery, promising to provide everything I needed, but I just can't. Glory to God. If at the outset they do not firmly resolve to fight even unto death, they could not have such courage, they couldn't be conquerors and they wouldn't become captains and generals. But don't think that I'm leading any kind of monastic life.