Felix

Some brothers came to Abba Felix accompanied by laypeople and asked him to speak a word to them. The elder remained silent. After they had begged him for a long time, he said, “Do you want to hear a word?” They said, “Yes, Abba.” Then the elder said, “There is no word now. When brothers used to ask the elders and then do what the elders told them, God gave the elders a way to speak. But now, because people ask and do not carry out what they hear, God has taken away the grace of the word from the elders, and they do not find what to say, because there is no one who puts it into practice.” When the brothers heard this, they groaned and said, “Pray for us, Abba.”