They said of Abba Or and Abba Theodore that while they were putting mud on a cell, they said to one another, “If God should visit us now, what would we do?” And weeping, they left the mud and each withdrew to his own cell.
They said of Abba Or that he never lied, never swore an oath, never cursed anyone, and never spoke except when necessary.
Abba Or said to his disciple Paul, “Be careful never to bring another person’s word into this cell.”
Once Paul, the disciple of Abba Or, went to buy palm branches and found that others had arrived first and given a deposit. Abba Or never gave a deposit for anything; instead, at the proper time he sent the price and bought it. So his disciple went to another place for palm branches. The gardener said to him, “Someone gave me a deposit but has not come back; take the branches yourself.” Paul took them, went to the elder, and told him what had happened. When the elder heard it, he struck his hands together and said, “Or will not work this year.” He would not allow the palm branches inside until Paul had carried them back to their place.
Abba Or said, “If you see me holding a thought against someone, know that he holds the same thought against me.”
There was a count named Longinus in the region of Abba Or, and he gave many alms. When one of the Fathers visited him, the count asked the monk to take him to Abba Or. The monk went to the elder and praised the count, saying that he was a good man and gave many alms. Understanding what the monk wanted, the elder said, “Yes, he is a good man.” The monk then began to beg him, “Allow him, Abba, to come and see you.” The elder answered, “Believe me, he will not cross this ravine and see me.”
Abba Sisoes asked Abba Or, “Tell me a word.” Or said to him, “Do you have faith in me?” He answered, “Yes.” Or said, “Then go and do what you have seen me doing.” Sisoes asked, “What do I see in you, Father?” The elder said, “My thought places itself beneath every person.”
They said of Abba Or and Abba Theodore that they were always making good beginnings and giving thanks to God continually.
Abba Or said, “The crown of a monk is humility.”
He also said, “Whoever is honored or praised beyond his worth suffers great harm. But whoever is not esteemed at all by people will receive glory from above.”
He also said, “Whenever a thought of self-exaltation or pride comes to you, examine your conscience: have you kept all the commandments? Do you love your enemies and grieve over their misfortune? Do you regard yourself as an unprofitable servant and as more sinful than everyone? Even if you find these things in yourself, do not think highly of yourself as though you had accomplished everything rightly, knowing that this thought destroys everything.”
He also said, “In every trial, do not complain about anyone, but only about yourself, saying, ‘Because of my sins these things are happening to me.’”
He also said, “Do not say in your heart against your brother, ‘I am more watchful and more ascetic than he is.’ Rather, submit yourself to the grace of Christ in a spirit of poverty and unfeigned love, lest you fall into a spirit of boasting and lose your toil. For it is written, ‘Let the one who thinks he stands take care lest he fall.’ Be seasoned with salt in the Lord.”
He also said, “Either flee people as one who is truly fleeing, or make sport of the world and of people by making yourself a fool in many things.”
He also said, “If you speak evil of your brother and your conscience strikes you, go to him, make a prostration, and say, ‘I spoke evil of you.’ Then make yourself secure so that you are not deceived again, for slander is death to the soul.”