from the spiritual instructions of Elder Joseph
Teaching patience, humility and gentleness, the elder Joseph was the first to give an example of the observance of the virtues. During half a century of monastic life he had to go through many sorrows and trials, which he bore with such gentleness and calmness that outsiders were not even aware of them. When people pointed out to him actions that upset them, the elder would say: 'What can you do? You have to put up with it: it won't do us any harm but it will do us a lot of good if we bear it with humility.' If people complained or passed judgment on someone he would answer: "Ekh, if we were better people, then we would feel better!' When people admitted to passing judgment on those who had a hostile attitude toward him, he would say: 'You shouldn't judge them; it's not them but the enemy that is upsetting them and we have to pray for them.' When people urged him to appeal to his admirers, among whom there were influential people, he would answer, 'Why should I write and arouse the ill feelings of worldly people against the monastery Elder Joseph loved to repeat and always observed this wise rule: 'If this matter be not of God, then it will come to ruin of its own accord." (Acts 5:38)
The elder prayed constantly and devoted himself to inner spiritual activity. The cell attendant often discovered him reciting in a half whisper, with great reverence and contrition, the Jesus Prayer. The elder didn't stop praying while he was occupied with visitors; he prayed until his last breath on the last day of his earthly life. And he encouraged others to occupy themselves with the Jesus Prayer, saying that prayer was the most indispensable thing for every Christian. He taught people to recite it clearly, without hurrying- The devil usually calls forth thoughts in order to distract our attention, and Here we must even more zealously immerse ourselves in prayer, and the thoughts, that is the devil himself, scorched by the terrible name of Jesus, win flee. In order to succeed in the Jesus Prayer one must behave humbly in all things: in one's demeanor, in one's gait, and in one's dress. The elder strictly warned impatient and inexperienced people against attempts to reach high levels of prayer; he taught them to go gradually along the path of prayer, beginning by reciting the Jesus Prayer aloud and using a prayer rope without fail. Here is one of his written instructions: 'You ask for instruction on how to avoid distractions during prayer. It is impossible for us sinful people to avoid completely distraction during prayer, but we should still strive as much as we can to collect our mind, enclosing it in the words of the prayer, that is, penetrating every word of the prayer. We should not be upset by coldness and hardness, but we should continue to compel ourselves to pray, realizing that we are unworthy of comfort and tenderness. If our prayer is cold, we should not conclude from that that it is not pleasing to God, for sometimes even a prayer like that can turn into a podvig [spiritual feat] for a person if only he is humble and reproaches himself in all ways before God." The elder would say that heartfelt prayer comes by itself in proportion to purification and the habit of oral prayer. But "even if you don't completely reach the fruits and the perfection of prayer, then it is good even if you depart this life on the path to it. Don't seek the heights: they will come when it is pleasing to God."