Abba Euprepius said, “Hold within yourself the conviction that God is faithful and powerful; believe in Him, and you will share in what is His. If you lose heart, you do not believe. We all believe that He is powerful and that all things are possible for Him. Believe in Him also concerning your own affairs, for He works wonders in you as well.”
When the same elder was being robbed, he helped the thieves carry things away. After they had removed what was inside, they left behind his staff. When Abba Euprepius saw it, he was distressed. He took it and ran after them, wanting to give it back. They were afraid and would not accept it, fearing that something had happened. So when he met some people traveling the same road, he asked them to return the staff for him.
Abba Euprepius said, “Bodily things are matter. Whoever loves the world loves stumbling blocks. So if it happens that we lose something, we ought to receive this with joy and thanksgiving, as people who have been freed from cares.”
A brother asked Abba Euprepius about the spiritual life. The elder said, “Eat grass, wear grass, sleep on grass—that is, despise everything, and acquire a heart of iron.”
A brother asked the same elder, “How does the fear of God come into the soul?” The elder said, “If a person has humility and non-possession and does not judge, the fear of God comes to him.”
The same elder said, “May fear, humility, lack of food, and mourning remain with you.”
Early in his monastic life, Abba Euprepius visited an elder and said to him, “Abba, tell me a word: how can I be saved?” The elder said, “If you want to be saved, when you visit someone, do not be the first to speak before he questions you.” Cut to the heart by this word, Euprepius made a prostration in repentance and said, “Truly, I have read many books, but I have never yet learned such instruction.” He went away greatly benefited.