An old man said, `If temptation comes upon a person, from all sides afflictions multiply against him in order to discourage him and make him grumble’. And the old man recounted the following story: There was a certain brother at Kellia and temptation came upon him, and if someone saw him, that person wanted neither to greet the brother nor invite him into his cell; if he lacked bread, no one supplied him with any; no one called him in from the harvest when it was time for the agape meal, as is the custom.
One time, therefore, when he returned from the harvest, he did not have any bread in his cell-and for all these things he gave thanks to God. When God saw his patient endurance, he removed from him the warfare brought on by the temptation-and suddenly someone was knocking on his door, having come from Egypt with a camel loaded with bread! And the brother began to cry out, ‘Lord, am I not worthy to have a little affliction?’ When the temptation passed by, the brothers prevailed upon him to rest himself in their cells and in the church.
Becoming Fire
ed. Tim Vivian, P. 341
