“Holy spiritual father if it’s blessed may we say some thoughts that are troubling us?”
“Tell me the truth did you eat?” Yes. “Drink? Rest?” Yes.
“Oh good work. Well then the spiritual father may as well first eat, drink and then we will say some spiritual things.”
The spiritual father used to say this humorously but he knew to whom he said it. It was like he was parabolicly saying “They [should] first go to the spiritual father and take care of the soul and then they take care the stomach!””
Elder Arsenios
~Elder Arsenios the Cave-dweller