It's essential to observe the thoughts that constantly arise in your mind and to distinguish between good and bad ones. Opening your heart to your spiritual master was a first step for beginners in the monastic life.
If they are evil thoughts, you must drive them out from the start so they don't take root and grow. In this process, honesty is essential to revealing your heart to your spiritual master. ‘Opening your heart’ was very important for beginners in monastic life.
The novice had to receive advice, help, and encouragement from the spiritual master regarding spiritual practice, spiritual struggles, prayer, and all physical and mental practices. The spiritual master was a person who had finally acquired the gift of discernment through long experience, through many failures, mistakes, trials, and errors.
Only a person who has acquired this discernment can guide others in their spiritual struggle. Since the novice has only passion and lacks discernment, they need an experienced elder who has walked this path before them as their guide, to open their hearts to them, and to follow their advice. The disciple must reveal all their thoughts to the spiritual master so that the master can discern them and provide the appropriate help.
Through this process, the disciple also gradually develops discernment, distinguishes between spirits, and learns how to guide others. In this way, the disciple becomes another master. Without this process, no one can or should dare to guide others. A guide without discernment will lead people astray.
Some may ask, ' Why is it necessary to open your heart and obey a spiritual teacher?’ The reason for revealing your thoughts is, above all, to conquer evil spirits rather than to succumb to them. One of the reasons why early zealous Christians went into the desert was to directly confront and fight evil spirits. However, without the advice and help of an experienced person, it would be too challenging for a beginner to attempt.
One spiritual master advised that when evil thoughts arise, do not hide them; instead, share them with your spiritual master immediately. Evil thoughts are like snakes emerging from a hole that run away when revealed. However, the more they are hidden, the stronger and more numerous they become. Like maggots in a tree, they can destroy our hearts. Likewise, it is said that those who reveal their thoughts are immediately healed, but those who hide them become sick with pride.
The reason a disciple obeys his master is to fight against their own will. The Desert Fathers knew well that all sin consists in preferring one’s own will to God’s. Therefore, they emphasize renouncing one’s will by submitting to a spiritual master. “The will of man is a wall and a stumbling block between him and God. When man renounces his will, he will say to himself: With the help of my God I will leap over the wall" (Ps. 18).
In the early days of monastic life, a newcomer to the desert could settle in a cave or hermitage without the help of an elder. But the results were sometimes disastrous. Antony testifies: “Some people harm their bodies by practicing asceticism, but they turn away from God because they lack discernment.” By completely obeying the discernment and judgment of the master, the young monk will become pure in heart, tame his passions, and finally attain inner peace. In the spiritual life, the temptation is always to overestimate one’s abilities. This temptation is nothing but a vain delusion born of pride.
Obedience that gives up one’s own will leads us to humility, the pinnacle of all virtues. In the spiritual journey toward God, a disciple couldn't reveal all their thoughts to the master and follow the master’s discernment and judgment without humility. Therefore, opening one’s heart to the master is ultimately a practice of humility and obedience.
The Desert Fathers’ exhortation to “reveal your heart!” reminds us of the importance of experienced guides in the spiritual life, discernment, openness of heart, a humble attitude toward asking for and listening to others' advice, and the freedom to put down one’s own will.
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