Abba Matoes said, “I prefer a light and steady practice that lasts to the end rather than a practice that is difficult at first and quickly abandoned.”
A brother asked Abba Matoes, “How is it that the nearer a person comes to God, the more he sees himself as a sinner?” The elder said, “When the prophet Isaiah saw the Lord, he called himself wretched and unclean.”
Abba Matoes said, “When I was young, I used to say, ‘Perhaps I am doing something good.’ But now that I am old, I see that I do not have even one good work in myself.”
Abba Matoes said, “Satan does not know by which passion the soul will be defeated. So he sows without knowing what he will reap. He sows a thought of fornication, then a thought of slander, and likewise the other passions. Whichever passion he sees the soul incline toward, he supplies that one to it.”
A brother came to Abba Matoes and said to him, “How did the monks of Scetis do more than Scripture commands, loving their enemies more than themselves?” Abba Matoes said to him, “As for me, I do not yet love the person who loves me as I love myself.”
A brother asked Abba Matoes, “What should I do if a brother comes to me when it is a fast day, or early in the morning? I am troubled about it.” The elder said, “If you are troubled and yet eat with the brother, you do well. But if you are not expecting anyone and you eat, then that is your own will.”
Abba James said, “I visited Abba Matoes, and as I was leaving I said to him, ‘I want to go to the Cells.’ He said to me, ‘Greet Abba John for me.’ So I went to Abba John and said to him, ‘Abba Matoes greets you.’ The elder said to me, ‘Behold Abba Matoes, truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.’
“After a year had passed, I visited Abba Matoes again and conveyed Abba John’s greeting to him. The elder said, ‘I am not worthy of the elder’s saying. But know this: when you hear an elder praising his neighbor above himself, he has reached a great measure. For this is perfection: to honor one’s neighbor above oneself.’”
Abba Matoes said, “A brother came to me and told me that slander is worse than fornication. I said, ‘That is a hard saying.’ He asked, ‘Then how do you understand the matter?’ I replied, ‘Slander is evil, but it has a quick cure. The slanderer often repents and says, “I spoke badly.” But fornication is a natural death.’”
Abba Matoes once went from Rhaithou to the region of Magdolos with his brother. The bishop of the place took hold of the elder and made him a priest. Later, while they were together, the bishop said, “Forgive me, Abba. I know you did not want this, but I dared to do it so that I might receive your blessing.” The elder replied humbly, “My thought did want it a little. But what troubles me is that I must be separated from the brother who is with me, because I cannot perform all the prayers by myself.” The bishop said, “If you know that he is worthy, I will ordain him too.” Matoes replied, “Whether he is worthy, I do not know. One thing I do know: he is better than I am.” So the bishop ordained him also.
Both of them died without ever approaching the altar to make the offering. The elder used to say, “I trust in God that I will not incur a great judgment because of the ordination, since I do not make the offering. Ordination belongs to those who are blameless.”
Abba Matoes related: “Three elders went to Abba Paphnutius, who was called Cephalus, to ask him for a word. The elder said to them, ‘What do you want me to say to you—something spiritual or something bodily?’ They answered, ‘Something spiritual.’ The elder said to them, ‘Go, love affliction more than rest, dishonor more than glory, and giving more than receiving.’”
A brother asked Abba Matoes for a word. He said, “Pray to God to put mourning and humility in your heart. Always attend to your sins, and do not judge others. Put yourself beneath everyone. Do not be familiar with a boy, do not be acquainted with a woman, and do not have a heretic as a friend. Cut familiarity away from yourself. Restrain your tongue and your belly, and drink only a little wine. If someone speaks about any matter, do not argue with him. If he speaks rightly, say, ‘Yes.’ If wrongly, say, ‘You know what you are saying.’ Do not contend with him about what he said. This is humility.”
Abba Matoes said, “Cut contentiousness away from every matter. Weep and mourn, for the time is near.”
A brother asked Abba Matoes, “What should I do? My tongue troubles me. Whenever I am among people, I cannot restrain it; instead I condemn them even in every good work they do, and I rebuke them. What should I do?” The elder replied, “If you cannot restrain yourself, flee into solitude, for this is weakness. The one who lives with brothers must not be square but round, so that he can turn toward everyone.”
The elder added, “I live alone not because of virtue but because of weakness. The strong are those who go out among people.”