At a certain monastery, there was a monk whom the devil had successfully led into negligence. He stopped doing his prayer rule, ceased attending church, and discontinued his appointed prayers.
The other fathers were aware of his negligent conduct. Eventually, the time of death approached, and the other fathers gathered by his side hoping to see a sign that God would, perhaps, show for their benefit. The fathers noticed that this careless monk was exceedingly joyous as death drew near. They were puzzled. “How can he be so peaceful?” they wondered.
“He spent his entire monastic life with complete indifference. Doesn’t this worry him? Isn’t his conscience protesting? Doesn’t he feel uneasy? Why isn’t he despairing?” Meanwhile, the monk continued to be joyful. Compelled by curiosity, they asked him, “Forgive us, dear brother. We notice that you are quite cheerful. We all know, however, that you were negligent and indifferent when it came to your monastic duties. Now that you are departing to be judged by Christ, we expected you to be somewhat concerned and apprehensive. However, we see the exact opposite: you are joyous, peaceful, and full of hope. We are truly perplexed. How do you justify this?”
