Obedient even when our spiritual father is absent

Venerable John Climacus ~ The Ladder of Divine Ascent
Step 4 ~ On Obedience

¶54. When in the absence of the superior we imagine his face and think that he is always standing by us, and avoid every meeting, or word, or food, or sleep, or anything else that we think he would not like, then we have really learnt true obedience. Base-born children regard the absence of their teacher as a joy, but legitimate ones think it a loss.