To the Most Venerable Magna, Deaconess of Ancyra, a word about non-covetousness

Essay by Rev. Nil of Ancyra “To the most venerable Magna, Deaconess of Ancyra, a word on non-covetousness” (67 chapters, around 426-427) is a continuation of the treatise “The Ascetic Word”. The work can be divided into 2 parts. In the 1st part (chapters 1-34) St. Neil calls on monks to renounce all earthly attachments and expounds the doctrine of triple poverty. “Higher” poverty is characteristic only of a small number of people who fully devote themselves to serving God. This is the complete poverty of Adam before the Fall, which some saints also achieve when they are freed from all bodily cares. “Average” poverty consists of devoting part of the time to manual labor to satisfy basic bodily needs, and spending the rest of the time in prayer and reading the Holy Scriptures (especially recommended for monks). “Small” or “slightest” poverty consists of complete adherence to everything earthly, leaving no time for the monk to engage in the exercise of virtue. In the 2nd part (chapters 35-67) St. Neil condemns those monks who spend day and night worrying about the flesh, and demands that they change their lifestyle. “Average” poverty, combining prayer and handicraft, allows the monk to freely engage in “his most important work” (turning to God in prayer, imitating Him, struggling with thoughts, etc.). In conclusion, the author gives advice that concerns abstinence, patience, humility and is intended for new monks. *The title of the work in Greek is Πρὸς Μαγνησίλαν τὴν διάκονον ᾿Αγκύρας περ ἀκτημοσύνης. *The title of the work in Latin is De voluntaria paupertate ad Magnam. Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 Recently, when writing a word to those passing through monastic life, we sufficiently impressed upon them how much they have departed from apostolic precision, proving this by their diligence about vain things - by the fact that they are attached to property and, no less than rich lovers, indulge in worldly entertainment. And now, since we should praise zeal both in you, who have preserved the rule of non-covetousness, as it was inviolable in the beginning, and in others like you, it is also necessary to say that those who love living in accordance with the law encourages them to prefer it and leads to choosing what is proper. Just as the condemnation of the bad, shaming those who are devoted to it and forcing them to repent, turns to the better, so the praise of the good and the lazy arouses them to appropriate it for themselves, catching them with the desire for good glory and without coercion attracting them to themselves, before, with a chaste thought having considered the uselessness of human praise, they see the truly useful glory with which God glorifies the pious, rewarding them for their efforts, and now making them known, and, more than any reasonable nature, crowning them on the day of Judgment, when everyone will be truthfully awarded reward, not according to the erroneous assumption here, but, as justice requires, according to the very truth of what was done. For if to those who, out of compassion for a fellow tribesman, exhausted by poverty, showed him mercy, he says: “Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you” (Matthew 25:34), then wouldn’t he say the same word to those who cared little about the flesh (precisely how many were forced to do so by necessity) in order to maintain life, but spent a lot of time on occupation soul and took care that she would appear pure and not defiled by indecent thoughts to the One who will judge the secrets of the heart and examine thoughts, in what affinity or alienation they have with each of the disturbing passions? For both the former, for their mercy towards their relatives, and the latter, for their wise treatment of those who seduce, are equally worthy of approval before the Judge. Just as the merciful are not saddened by the fact that wealth is diminished by daily distribution, but are even more happy, expending it on the needy, so the non-covetous are not crushed by the desire for real blessings, but they are forced to jump and admire what is neglected by others, considered precious, that they have freed themselves from the occupation of vain, free thoughts, indulging diligently in doing the best, considering the occupation of what is a waste of work. others chose unprofitable and useless service. Let no one think that success in non-covetousness is achieved without labor and easily. For now we call non-covetousness not involuntary poverty, which, occurring out of necessity, crushes the spirit and, as involuntary, is considered unbearable, but the voluntary determination to be content with little, acquired by the autocracy of thought, however, requiring labor, and until the very time when exercise, turning into a habit, makes bearable what for a long time seemed difficult and unbearable. The beautiful appearance of the body and the splendor of the substances that constitute wealth equally irritate lust for lust, and in both cases a courageous soul is required, strong muscles are needed not to succumb to their seduction and not to fall in love with their attractive bait, which usually inclines even such minds as are apparently firmly established to consent. But worthy of praise are those who are now passing through the mediocrity of non-covetousness, who are not carried away, along with the acquisitive, by the fickle lightness of thoughts and who have not bound their minds with empty worries. For in those who lack firmness, just as everything improper produces jealousy for imitation, so especially bodily splendor, which greatly contributes to pleasure and human glory, since long-standing custom has taught these wise ones to consider blessed those who live in abundance, who enjoy fame for their wealth and abundantly enjoy what is acquired by wealth. And truly great should be honored and called courageous those who, as in the field, win, while thoughts, of course, not without reason, fight and compete, as if by convincing body movements trying to prove that one must agree with the opinion of many and recognize what seems good as really good, not refuse what, in the general opinion, is respectably worthy of the price, not shy away from the possession of what has been given for use from the Creator Himself and with arrogance imaginary wisdom should not in vain denounce the acquisition of something that was brought into existence for a certain purpose, and not for nothing. These ascetics are truly worthy of praise, as they did not give up their place to their opponents and were not knocked off the field, because they did not fall into the hands of their enemies. Having safely fixed their knees on the right judgment, they did not bow down to accept earthly substances, preferring an unentertained life to a troubled life and moderation in food, having perfectly acquired serenity for themselves. For the mind, not having sufficient strength to care about many things, does not find the leisure to touch with thought the thoughts that are suitable for the soul; freed from restless occupations, he clearly sees that it is useful, fearlessly, with this convenience, having fun in the fact that, having laid aside the complex shackles of everyday bonds, he freely does what is recognized as the best, not prohibited in his beautiful desire for this by any of the usually busy worries surrounding him. And they are extremely worthy of surprise, and beyond all praise expressed in words, and they have surpassed them 1 by the severity of life and entered into the very limits of complete non-acquisitiveness, because even now those who decide to imitate them are attracted to competition, and they free themselves from arrogance when they do good, since they try to follow in the footsteps of the first and cannot leave them behind them. For just as if you surpass your predecessors in virtue, it will produce 2 arrogance and conceit in you, so if you do not achieve them, a humble thought will protect you, more painfully 3 about what you are insufficient in than one who is puffed up about what you seem to have succeeded in. But none of today either reaches or has not achieved the virtue of the ancient saints, who, according to the description, led a homeless, homeless life, had no clothing, always wandered from place to place, happily ate whatever food happened to them, found a bed for themselves wherever it happened and whatever happened, and had against them many slanderers and persecutors, unlike today they have many admirers and followers. Paul describes them when he says: “I was stoned, I was despised, ... I died by the sword, I walked in skins [and] in goatskins, deprived, sorrowful, embittered: but the whole world is not worthy of them” (Heb. 11:37-38). If anyone today were to dream of equality with them, perhaps thinking that he competes with them both in intention and in deeds, then in the service of virtue, for which the ancients exposed themselves to danger, he would have the disadvantage that as a consolation in his labors he has the glory that accompanies him, of which these blessed ones were completely deprived, finding the path to praise a reason for persecution and heavy deaths. They had no shelter, no shelter, no bed, no meal; they used sheep’s skins and hair as clothing; food was quickly prepared for the present day; but there was no concern for tomorrow, because out of the wisdom they assumed for themselves, they preferred the Lord’s advice, which says: “Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather in granaries, and your heavenly Father feeds them” (Matthew 6:26); and again: “Look at the crops of the villagers, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin” (Matthew 6:28). They knew that what is necessary for the needs of the body will follow by itself when you please the God who gives this and primarily take care of acquiring the Kingdom of Heaven. But with us, food is prepared for a long time, and clothing is in accordance with the seasons, and the house is protected from cold and heat, as well as from any bad weather, and the acquisition of money, property and any unnecessary substance is not neglected. And how can our life be equal to the life of those who were not disturbed even by thoughts of the idea of ​​the physical, but some pure desire of the Divine, constantly delighting them in the most sublime, convinced them to forget about what is considered brilliant on earth? They had nothing on earth except the body, which nature kept down, as usually heavy and inconvenient for the heavenly procession, because they would have wanted to have it with them where they were with their minds, thinking about Heavenly blessings and never being distracted from the local pleasure and benefit there, if nature had not returned them again to bodily needs, with reverence for the One who bound the soul with the body of those forced to care and about a body from which alienation from experience was recognized as both useful and proper. For every diligent truly recognizes as a loss even a short-term engagement in carnal service, considering the time well spent that was spent on doing something better, knowing that even there he will find that one labor that he made for the advancement of the soul is not lost, and not that which he turned to the care of serving the body and which during the time of need satisfied the need, and after it passed, it became useless for anything, yesterday it was useful, but today it is no longer useful. unnoticed. For such is the need of the body: it flows quickly and passes, in the past it had no thought for the present and in the present it has no thought for the future, it heals the present and the useless if there is a deficiency in the future. And the work of virtue is a seed that produces fruit that never fails, and during the work itself it pleases the conscience with the expectation of pleasure, and after moving from here it turns out to be splendid and conducive to eternal joy; and what has passed in it is not useless, unless the unreasonable passion of vanity squanders what has been collected: even what has not been put into action, but is firmly assumed, is revered in it on an equal basis with what has been done, because what has been judiciously undertaken with trust is accepted as truly accomplished according to already undeceitful vows, even if what was carefully planned did not have a convenient time for execution and did not have time to come into action. Truth judges so truthfully that what is done to please people is recognized as a perfect act, which would certainly be brought to perfection, as was the zeal for it, if some necessity did not prevent the zeal from reaching the end. And it was truly just and worthy of God’s sentence, pronouncing judgment on the unseen, to give will the reward for which it undertook the work and towards which its goal tended from beginning to end, without moving from one to the other, because the opposite is often suppressed by the opposite and what was supposed turns into the opposite of this, when what is done for human glory, like useless labor, is corrected by sound thought, and what was supposed for the sake of the good itself, from what has come pious thought, no longer follows the intended goal, but is stopped by the opposite goal and is completely directed towards it. Thus, thoughts move from better to worse and from worse to better, sometimes beneficially, and sometimes harmfully changing from one to another, to the benefit due to thoroughness or to the inappropriate due to laziness of will. Therefore, the Lord offers advice to those who are about to do good: “Whenever you pray, go into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret” (Matthew 6:6); and again: “Whenever you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you” (Matthew 6:2), commanding to avoid doing things for show, as harmful. And the Prophet, saying that “gather the bribes of the congregation into the vagina of a diravo” (Hag. 1:6), shows that the corrupted goal of insane love of glory destroys labor, as if in a torn bag, passing through a heart not protected by a modest way of thinking. For it is a “treasure” and a strongly built stronghold from everywhere, “where neither worms nor aphids corrupt, and where things are not broken into or stolen” (Matthew 6:20); By worm we mean conceit that is born within and destroys what is good in people, and by thieves we mean praise coming from outside, and with recklessness and arrogance suddenly plundering the treasures collected by much labor of virtue. Just as a worm eats the substance from which it came into being, and the thieves, digging up a wall, carry away what has been carefully accumulated, so the thought, moved by good deeds to exalt itself, destroys what it has acquired, and the praises of people of all sorts undermine the unsteady way of thinking and do not allow in anything good, lawfully brought in from the outside and rejected by the opening of the ears. But let no one be so overcome by passion and lulled by the love of glory that he suffers a complete loss of his labors, but let him be sober, even when they are undermining, and let him kill the malicious ones before the damage they have caused, striking them at the time of undermining the thought itself, before the sun shines clearly and the thought becomes an action. This is clearly commanded by the Law, saying: “If a thief is found in a tunnel, and dies with an ulcer, he will not have murder; if the sun rises on him, murder will be imputed” (Exod. 22:2-3), making it clear that addiction to evil thoughts finds an excuse for itself, like a night dream, because any passion for a sudden attack by enemies is truly a deception and needs excuse, but the great attentiveness of the robber and the obvious understanding of the one doing the harm rightly follows punishment, because in this there is a fall of the heart, voluntary consent, and not an involuntary custom of ignorance. He who agrees to an obviously bad deed rightly becomes subject to judgment, having, out of bias, yielded as if caught in the sunlight by an enemy and not having fought with all his might against the obvious enemy, so that when the attack of harmful thoughts begins, when the digging begins, they are struck and fall dead in battle. For in this case, his life would no longer be subject to abuse, but would be filled with joy and he would have fun, enjoying what he was ready to mourn the loss of shortly before. Such was the One who says: “From the very mouths of the beasts I plucked out two legs and a dry ear (cf. Am. 3:12) before they were devoured, receiving and appropriating them for Myself.” Whether the thought of lust got its feet entangled in earthly affairs and prevented success in the best, or the word could, through hearing, corrupt a good disposition, like animals holding stolen members in their open mouths, the Prophet does not allow them to do harm, preventing death with a powerful hand and stopping the approaching attempt with sobriety. The one who has begun to be possessed by passion is no less endangered than the one in the mouth of the beast. He is as close to becoming a prisoner as he is to being devoured if, soon awakening, he does not escape the threatening death. Therefore, both David and Jacob, experienced in the art of shepherding, boasting of their much-versed caution in it, say - one: I took the bear by the larynx and crushed the lion (see 1 Samuel 17:34-35), that is, I returned what was swallowed up to life unharmed, and the other: “I did not bring beast-eaters to you: I rewarded you from Me ... Tatbins day and night Tatbins” (cf. Gen. 31:39), that is, he did not allow anything to come into the deadly activity of unreasonable and bestial desires. And if something unimportant and not posing a greater danger by the soaring of the mind was sometimes stolen, for example, something inappropriate was said or heard from someone else who said it, then I immediately returned what was stolen from home, for a mistake made through negligence, rewarding with increased diligence and thus making correction, so that the same thing was included in the list of other virtues, so that the body of all virtues would be intact and unharmed, without any deficiency or distortion in none of the parts that contribute to its natural beauty. Preferred in the ranks of the Apostles and always walking ahead of them, Peter, who caught people with fish and nets of grace, shows both the beast and the fury with which he devours, saying: “Your adversary the devil, like a lion, roars around, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). We know for sure that some people first, out of laziness, are in the mouth of the lion and can either be swallowed up or come out of the mouth, but he himself becomes the guilt of one or the other, having neglected or exerted effort on himself, choosing by force of will what he wants, he arbitrarily becomes part of the part of those being saved or perishing. That is why, of course, the great Paul, having clearly examined the thoughts of the enemy and not being unaware of his tricks for the destruction of the simple-minded people deceived by him, commands the one who, due to the great loss of spirit in the mouth of the lion, to draw encouragement and much consolation, saying: “Let such a one be consumed by so many sorrows” (2 Cor. 2:7), when he is close to leaving it, if will take courage, enlightened by the suggestions that encourage his dull spirit, and to be absorbed if, left without care for him, he despairs of himself. So, since the path leading to the Kingdom has so many difficulties, being narrow and surrounded on both sides by rapids, then what is the need, having burdened oneself with heaps of money or having listened to those who praise or blame, to attempt to follow this path in such a way as it is impossible to go? Concerns about material things, scattering, strongly draw one down, and attentiveness to glory or dishonor, both here and there, makes the fall easy, since any soaring presents convenient opportunities for creeping, when the eye has no leisure where safety requires great care, and, moreover, the most sober one. For even in this case, the procession barely passes without falling, presenting many difficulties due to the narrow path along the rapids. And if, according to the Lord’s word, the path is narrow and straitened, “lead it into the belly” (Matt. 7:14), then the one who walks must, without a doubt, be careful and watchful, not burden himself with weight, not become exhausted during the procession, and not fearlessly look back and forth, because on both sides there is a great and extremely terrible danger and the slightest deviation can lead to death into a yawning abyss. Therefore, both the Lord and Paul prescribe non-covetousness, saying: “Do not acquire gold, nor silver, nor copper for your belts” (Matthew 10:9); and: “Don’t worry about it in the morning” (Matthew 6:34); and: “Having food and clothing, we will be satisfied with these” (1 Tim. 6:8); and: “No one who has been a warrior is obligated to purchase the purchases of this life” (2 Tim. 2:4), - then they advise not to indulge in the love of glory, saying: “When you fast, do not be like hypocrites and complain: for they darken their faces, for they may be seen as men by fasting” (Matthew 6:16); and: “Whenever you pray, do not be like hypocrites, for they love... in the hundred ways to pray worthily, so that they may appear as men” (Matthew 6:5); and: “Forgetting what is behind, but reaching out to what is before” (Phil. 3:13). He who is thus disposed is not so much exalted by what he has succeeded in, but humbled by what is lacking in what was proposed, taking care to complete what is unfinished, and not turning to what is finished, because just as what has been done often puffs up the frivolous to the point of recklessness, so what requires doing humbles the thought with the uncertainty of whether it will be brought to an end, and, before it is completed, causes sorrow. Therefore, the Lord, who has ascended to the heights of virtue, protecting them from creeping towards conceit, says: “When you have done all that is commanded you, then say, for we are unworthy servants: for whatever we ought to do, we have done by the same” (Luke 17:10). Although it does not prevent you from rejoicing that your duty has been fulfilled, it does not allow you to think highly of yourself. For he says that a debt was given, and not an arbitrary gift, and it is indecent for the one who paid what belongs to Christ to exalt himself as a benefactor, glorying in the fact that he gave with gratitude what would be required of someone who is not grateful with torture. The Apostle not only commands that the “back” should be forgotten, knowing that remembering this will draw the frivolous into arrogance, but he also commands to carefully guard against attacks from one side or the other, when he says: “Weapons of righteousness with the right hand and with the sides, with glory and dishonor, with evil and with praise: like deceivers, even the truth” (2 Cor. 6:7-8). For the one who hastens towards perfection is harmed no less by arrogant praises and censures, humiliating his way of thinking and weakening his zeal with despondency and sadness. Why is it necessary, in accordance with the intention, to hasten “to the honor of the high calling” (Phil. 3:14), and hasten with dignity, and together without soaring thoughts. For if you act according to the words of the one who said: “Try this way, that you may comprehend” (1 Cor. 9:24), then this at least prepares for the late achievement of the end in that for which efforts are made, because the space is large and in order to reach the end, wings are needed rather than legs. So said the one who was convinced of this: “Who will give me a krill like a pigeon? and I will fly and rest” (Ps. 54:7). It is advisable to soberly avoid snares here and there, because the enemies stretch out “snake... to the feet” (cf. Ps. 139:5), trying to catch well those flowing from right and left with outstretched snares, placing in one place glory and a good name, and in another - dishonor, infamy and contempt of the world, so that when any intrigues are prepared on either side, if one takes power, - or force a person completely fall, or at least delay him for a short time in the flow and thereby prevent him from progressing in goodness for a while and prevent him from achieving the perfection for which he tried. But why do false slander sadden the mind so much? Or why does what elevates him to the point of miracle amuse him and inflate him to the point of exhaustion? If what was confirmed by the local verdict was confirmed by an impartial Judge, then it would be good to please people; another, citing local glory as evidence for verification in the future, would try to prove about himself that he is not subject to responsibility, since this has been proven by the local judges. If appearance, approval, glory remain invalid according to the verdict pronounced about them in this life, naked images of what we have done and thought appear, become clear revelations of bad and approving thoughts and actions and are judged not by what they seemed to many, but by what they are in reality, then it is truly a vain and vain undertaking to wish to know what our deeds are, to assure those whose identification will not help us in the least at the High Court, which looks at the real, does not support the imaginary, knows what is happening, does not agree to defend those who are trying to convincingly prove that a lie is the truth, and by the power of cunning words give the opinion of the listeners the direction they want, while the things in themselves are different, and some other deceptive ghost has an appearance, and what is now presented to the eye is transformed so that what seemed clear yesterday is now becomes secretive and is no longer made public, according to new reviews of the crowd, in praise or censure, for which, without a doubt, it is pleasure and enjoyment to inquire with curiosity about other people’s affairs, and, when the opportunity arises, to talk about this with each other, and which always imputes this useless activity to itself, because idle time is not used by everyone as it should be. But since the behavior of life is threefold - non-acquisitiveness, the highest, average and materialized, multi-acquisitive (at first it was one, both legitimized by the Creator and equally accepted by everyone, not burdened with worries and completely unattached to the material; and it was later divided into these different behaviors by the human will, which was divided differently, depending on what it had an inclination towards), then it is necessary to describe the distinctive property of each of of these behaviors, to show what benefit or what harm will follow from this to those who have chosen this or that behavior for themselves, and what advantages belong to them and are given to those who first legitimized one behavior in life. For it will, without a doubt, be recognized as preferable to others even by the extremely ungrateful, because the truth will force them to recognize the dignity with shame, although they express the opposite by their actions, being caught by the seduction of the pleasant and not making a choice of the useful with reason. Therefore, what kind of life was prescribed for the primordial? It is said: “Take down the grass” (see Gen. 1:29). Let no one present against this convincing reasoning that seems now, asking: “Was food apparently bestial for a rational animal?” For the dignity of the Commander prevents us from entering into inquisitive research about this. But perhaps this food was more useful for man and much more suitable for preserving in those created in the image of God the desired refinement, which, with extreme delicacy, burdens the thinking power, darkening insight and sobriety of reason. And that this was the case before, if we go to consider whether what is presented to us is well-founded, then the proof is also the care of the Creator, Who always has in mind the benefit of what was created and our very deviations towards the worse, with condescension, directs us towards the useful. For after the crime and disobedience of the proud man, as an outcast, he should not be left without care for him, but in a new way to correct the first mistake, and for the descendants, who subsequently rushed furiously to idolatry, to allow sacrifices, and from time to time to make these and other regulations for each, and their untimely desires to turn to what is due, just like the one who manages to direct the destructive wishes of the willful sick to their salvation - is the work of the highest Providence, condescending to the weakness of those under His supervision and allowing everything that real power is able to do for the good. Therefore, at the very beginning, when a person was unbearably satiated with extreme honor and he was delighted with its incessant joy, God Himself, by His good pleasure, came to him for a daily interview, as if he had a need for something to do and lacked something that could fill his idle time. God allowed him free enjoyment of every fruit of the paradise plants, commanding him to abstain from only one, not because eating was hateful, but in order to accustom a person to obedience, while there was no other substance suitable for this law. To teach this was required so that the one who has power over all other animals should know that he himself is subject to the Law and has a commandment as an obvious sign of his submission to the One who gave it. Yes, and having removed him from the initial state of pleasure, which was not appropriate for those who had lost the taste in him, God did not leave him without His care, as disobedient, and did not deprive him of His help at all who had transgressed the commandment, but again legitimizes for him another way of life, consistent with his condition, who did not take advantage of the peace, as he should have, commanding him to obtain food through work and labor, because he did not know how to constantly remain in the service of God and in conversation with Him, having free time and remaining idle from bodily labors. God also clothes him in “robes of leather” (Gen. 3:21), both covering his nakedness, which only then (and not before, when a person was a keeper of the commandment) turned out to be full of shame, so teaching him by deed, although he kept silent in words, what clothes should be used, and through this, with a robe that satisfies the need, reducing the subsequently newly introduced luxury of clothes and the needless preparation of this robe in advance condemning the current vanity. Therefore, what kind of life was decent or useful for a person? Is it the one prescribed for him in the Statute? Or the one to whom he was condemned when he despised the commandment? Was it the one when he could use and enjoy contemplation in paradise and the consumption of various plants? Or the one when, burdened with the labors of farming, he ate food by the sweat of his brow? Is it the same when a person carelessly took the fruits that he wanted, and reaped pleasant things with his hand everywhere, bothering himself only for the necessary food, only stretching it out, offering a treat that was not worth the effort to the desire, satisfying it, according to desire, with those dishes that aroused lust, and satisfying it with food that nature itself had prepared? Or he, when he took in his hands a shovel, a spade, a sickle and a plow plows that land, which not long before by itself grew what was needed, sows, waters, reaps, carries sheaves, threshes, grinds, winnows the crops and then, preparing food from this, sets the grain in motion through millstones, grinds, mixes flour with water, bakes on the fire and thus obtains laborious bread? Is it the one who heard God's words and, with the help of his ears, amused his soul with ineffable verbs? Or the one when his ears were filled with restless sounds of mooing, bleating and roaring? One serves as a distinctive sign of non-covetousness, and the other - a life abundant in all. One is prescribed by Divine Laws, and the other is done according to human wishes. One holds on to hope in God and always has contentment given by God, while the other rushes towards vanity, hesitates and threatens with great danger and is very close to failure. Witness to this is experience and what the feeling confirms every day, namely that what seemed true often deceived hope, but the care of the All-Good never left without help. For who knows the losses that accompany agriculture? Who doesn't know how much adversity befalls the fruit? Often the rains that nourish them also cause harm; the winds of unfavorable winds either cool or scorch beyond measure and thereby destroy them; strong hail destroys the formed ear and the already ripe harvest; from excessive rain, the resulting streams carry away and make unusable the harvest collected or prepared for threshing. Locusts, rust, caterpillars and many other insects can cause great harm. I will not talk about aphids, which originate in the grain in the very granaries and turn all the hard labor of agriculture into nothing. Who, again, has not been taught by time how everything is safe under God’s Providence, how He serves the godly without their labor, when necessary, the food they need, while the rich, having used all means for an abundance of food, are exhausted from lack, how to those who put their trust in Providence, from where He pleases, He miraculously arranges a ready-made meal, sometimes serving from uncultivated clouds unsown bread - manna in the desert, sometimes bringing quails from the sea and at other times from a dry stone issuing abundant water to the thirsty in order to satisfy the urgent need for both food, both dry and wet, and in order to support with various foods the desire for food, usually weakened by the uniformity of nutrition! Who directed the ravens to bring food to Elijah twice a day during the famine? Who made it possible that a handful of flour multiplied in a waterpot was enough for so long? How did Elisha feed a hundred men with ten loaves, having witnessed the saturation and consumed the leftovers? Or how else did he change boiling in a cauldron, bitter from poisonous grass, into something palatable, in order to satisfy the needs of those who then needed food? Some had no ox, no land for cultivation, no other agricultural tools: and why was their bodily need always fulfilled without lack? Others always have everything needed for cultivating the land and do not neglect anything that is brought to the growth of fruits by human effort: and why do those who care for the sow with all their might remain in need and do not receive fruits from their labor at all? Because the fulfillment of hope in God is certain, but the end of human hope is false; it relies on what seems solid and is rightly deceived in expectation, recognizing the extraordinary as impossible, and recognizing the ordinary as solid, subsequently being assured by experience that doubtful, both possible and impossible 8, everything that seems to depend on our thoroughness has success, undoubtedly and necessarily everything that comes from God’s grace turns into favor, because the currents of the Ever-flowing Source - Providence - are abundant and inexhaustible. The Lord spoke beautifully, and David the hymnographer also speaks in agreement with Him. And the Lord said: “For he who labors his own food is worthy” (Matthew 10:10). David says: “Those who seek the Lord will not be deprived of any good” (Ps. 33:11). And this makes it clear that those who dedicate all their time to serving God have a ready supply of food as a reward before the highest reward, decently corresponding to the work and due to serving the body. For one reward, commensurate with labor, is reserved for the soul in the future, and the other is given as food to our animal part, which contributes to virtue itself and advances in godliness, truly becoming like an animal under the yoke, bearing the burden of the task and having the need to take care of it, so that it has enough strength to serve while under the yoke it works the work for which it was determined by the Creator. These are the advantages of initial non-covetousness. These are the keys to an unentertained life. This is the behavior befitting a living rational being - to spend time in the service of God and receive what is due, as from a treasury, from God's Providence; to rely on God's care, to use its assistance in everything, to despise earthly things and to have the earth as a tribute, bringing its goods for commensurate enjoyment, to acquire nothing in the world as property, and when it is necessary, to use worldly goods with authority, to sincerely serve the Creator and to impose arbitrary tribute on the creation for needs; to be a prisoner here, and to choose a dwelling where our permanent residence is truly; Do not consider anything that is here important, but put into greatness what is relevant to the future lot. This life was prescribed by the Creator to man at the beginning, and all the saints lived by this life, obeying Him. They did not even have any small measure of land acquired as property, and they collected tribute from all over the land, like rulers, receiving from it everything they needed, wherever they happened to find it. They were not famous among people for their wealth and possessions, but with the dignity of virtue they forced respect among animals. They did not have slaves for servants, exhausting all the art of how to pamper the body, but whole parts of creation served them in necessary need. They did not have pack animals in their service to carry movable property, but they carried this to the Orons, fulfilling their needs even more quickly. By the purity of life they tried to become friends of Christ and with boldness they disposed of the Friend’s creatures as they wanted, they ordered heaven to deliver food to those in need, and according to this command it brought them manna; at other times, to admonish the ungrateful, they closed up the sky, and for three years and six months it held back the rain that usually rushes downward, 9 for the sake of those commanded, bearing with the passage of time the gradually accumulated burden in the fraught abyss. Once the sky rained fire 10, having received the command to burn several of the wicked, and another time, with a well-aimed blow, it hurled hail like a sling at other wicked people and caused death to many of them, taught by the wave of these righteous people. They commanded the earth to open a great abyss and, together with the tabernacles and a large herd of cattle, brought the rebels down into the underground abysses. The depths of the sea were made solid and convenient, and the waterless land was flooded for abundant use of the previously rare water. They crossed rivers with wet feet, walked in a fiery furnace and did not experience harm from the fire as they did from cold water, fighting with their bodies against the flame and defeating the destructive with the destructible. They were given over to the rage of beasts and did not experience their ferocity, but through taming spells, bringing them into meekness through prayer. They illuminated the impenetrable darkness with a pillar of fire, moderated the midday heat for travelers, overshadowing the clear sky with a cloud, made the bitter water, which was the cause of the infertility of the earth, different, and drinkable for those who were thirsty, and suitable for growing fruits for those who received that country as an inheritance. The barren were given the gift of children and, when those born to them died, the children were returned to them alive. They resisted the tormentors, surrounded by a great many bodyguards, laughed at the ranks of the militia, put the armed hordes of enemies to flight, cunningly prepared ambushes of the evil ones passed without suffering anything. They were saved from prisons through doors opened for them by an invisible force, freed from bonds by the miraculous resolution of the shackles that bound them; threats to kill princes and the fury of a violent crowd always passed comfortably for them, and they never experienced any harm at all. All this, and even more than this, happened to these righteous people, because, having freed themselves from the complex worries of the world, they did not stop, without being distracted by anything, to serve God and by their boldness before God they became so venerable to every creature that they could command it. The history of Scripture indicates who they were, and in its place makes known the names from the description of their deeds, with each miracle making it known about each to those who wish to acquire this information. Now it would be lengthy, and in vain, to list them, as they are already known from the word of God, even to not very zealous readers of the Divine Scripture, but who find pleasure in studying this, and perhaps a means to remove sad thoughts from themselves. For for those who carefully work on a task, reading is also useful for speculation, as by occupying the mind with certain thoughts, now by one or another saying, leading it to understand what is encountered, which always immediately follows sadness about the past and supports it until the thought that aroused it leaves the thought, thus enriching the daily prosperous soul with wisdom and lawfully leading it to the same goal to which it strives. But you know the non-covetous people and the New Testament, the Forerunner of Christ John and the entire face of the Apostles, from whom monastic life began; you know that the Forerunner arbitrarily chose the desert to live, eating locusts and wild honey and wearing clothes made of camel hair; The apostles, obeying the Lord's advice, were content with only a tunic and food, which they found somewhere in time, completely, as they were taught this, without having anything with them, even that which is especially necessary for travelers for many things: neither a staff, nor a bag, so that, having given any thought as if they were relying on them, they would not weaken their hope in God by relying on the visible 11 and counting the Power for nothing, assisting invisibly, which does not prevent Her providential grace from participating in what is in accordance with reason and is possible, but wants to show it naked from any cover and equally devoted to what is fair and true, and at the same time turns human activity onto Herself and does not allow herself to be carried away by the thought that people are helping Her to protect what She is building. But, saying that the saints are constantly occupied with the Divine, we do not open the doors of idleness, like Adelphius of Mesopotamia and Alexander, who recently troubled the royal Constantinople, turned the imaginary stay always in prayer into a cover for laziness to work, and young children and husbands, who are still in the strength of their bodily strength, obliged to exhaust it with many labors, legitimized, remaining in peace, to do nothing, than they arouse passions in them and give free rein to thoughts to provide them with food, until imaginary prayer, not being what it is called, perishes altogether. The disturbing memory of carnal desires not only does not allow one to converse with God, but even the mind, apparently praying, defiles it with dreams of vile thoughts. It is good to remain unceasingly in prayer and to exercise the mind in conversation with God, but to such an extent that the time of peace does not become a time of battle and the duration of time exceeding the measure does not give access to hostile passions, which have the custom of giving captive thoughts to absurd concepts, as if extracting them from the sacred refuge of prayer and autocratically leading to the carnal wisdom of those who are already touched by thoughts. everything that this wisdom, having prevailed, forces one to say. Therefore, who of the right-thinking will call this struggle of mutually opposing and bickering thoughts prayer, when one opposes the other what seems true to him, and the other tries to convince him of what he wants, and each confronts the other until a clear victory, however, not in hand-to-hand combat or a brave fight (oh, if only it were so! For it is good to stand and fight with what worries you, and not allow yourself to be drawn without contradiction, like slaves)? Often, distracted from the words of the prayer, we follow the thoughts that lead us astray, without renouncing them or being upset by them, which would be a sign of disagreement of the will with those who suggest the wrong. Although the appearance shows a prayerful appearance, for, on bending our knees, we seem to be praying to those looking at us, but in our thoughts we imagine something pleasant, we speak favorably with friends, we slander our enemies with anger, we feast with guests, we build houses for relatives, we plant trees, we travel, we engage in trade, we are forcibly recruited to the priesthood, with great prudence we arrange the affairs of the churches entrusted to us and most of everything. We go over this in our thoughts, to whatever our thoughts suggest, agreeing in whatever way our passion desires to incline our heart to it. Prayer does not require this, but that the mind be clear of any such thoughts, not allow anything to come to it other than what is supposed, even if it is very honorable, and not accept the sensations of anything earthly, but, as inspired by God and having renounced the usual and dear to the body, reverently perform the interview where he intended to occupy himself. And let this activity have such a measure that the skill acquired through exercise can prepare everyone to remain in this activity without having fun. Therefore, let them not lead into the seduction of the simple-minded, inexperienced in the matter of prayer and asceticism, and by presenting the most important matter, let them not force them to refrain from doing something less important. For their main goal, as can be seen, is to eat what others have prepared without laboring their hands, and, under the honorable pretext of practicing prayer, to plausibly collect what is needed to nourish the body, and not to live, as the benefit of the soul and body requires. For whoever divides time between work and prayer, according to the convenience of both, tames the body with labor and brings its disorderly aspirations to moderation, and brings the soul, working together with the body and desiring peace, to prayer, as an easier task, with ready and flourishing forces, because the soul feels relief, changing the task itself and moving from one to another, while it loses the desire for work, being busy with one thing for a long time, being burdened monotony, but is glad for the variety of work, as if laying down the work, which apparently ceases, and with new strength begins future work as a beginner. And whoever loves laziness, he feeds passions through idleness and gives time to desires to freely strive for what is characteristic of them, especially during prayer, when the mind is completely turned to what worries him, then turning over in thoughts that the invading passion, arousing shameful thoughts, inspires instead of talking with God and asking Him for what is useful, so that the words of prayer are brought closer to concepts that are vicious or unclean or with concepts of what passion is inclined to, having taken possession of the heart and imparting to it its own qualities. And Paul, knowing that this happens to such people, attacks idleness with zeal, presenting in order the evil consequences it generates. For he says: “We command you, brethren, and we pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you be separated from every brother who walks without order, and not according to tradition, which you received from us: for you yourselves know how foolish it is for you to become like us: for you are not without rank, for you are not the bread of the flesh, but in toil and labor you work night and day, so that you do not Let us burden no one from you: not as if we were not the imams of power, but let us give ourselves the image of a lady to you, so that you may become like us. For when I was with you, I bequeathed this to you, for if anyone does not want to do it, let him eat. For we hear of some who walk among you disorderly, doing nothing, but going about deceitfully: we rebuke such and pray in our Lord Jesus Christ, that they who work in silence may eat their own bread” (2 Thess. 3:6-12). The apostle reinforces the severity of his reprimand with many instructions. For by the fact that he called idleness disorder, he added to this: he who does not “below let him eat” presented himself as a model and example of one who works at work day and night (he does not reproach them alone, but in the face of them and others and orders those who are healthy to move away from them, as from those possessed by a destructive disease), he expressed great and impatient indignation. And indeed, idleness for many is the cause of many bad things, through inaction both multiplying already common vices and teaching those that were not yet common. She is an innovator and has a great ability to teach new vices. And Paul beautifully, both in the above words and in many others, depicts its vileness, begs to avoid it, gets angry, grieves, reprimands and uses all art 12 in order, as he puts it, to persuade the disorderly to do things “silently” and to walk “decently” towards outsiders (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12). For he knew that action is an anchor for thought, giving it a safe direction. And if storms and whirlwinds approach from everywhere, gusts of wind threaten to collapse, the thought stands steadily, held by action, like an anchor, excited by thoughts that rise somewhat upward, but not carried into danger, because the bonds that hold it are stronger than the winds that drive it. So, under the pretext that they must constantly remain in prayer, those who refuse handicrafts do not pray, because the thought cannot rush to what is desired without rising high, but, being entertained beyond the best of their own abilities by many things that should not be, nourishing the body, they make it arrogant and incapable of prayer, thereby thinking in idleness to give the soul freedom from worries, entangling it in the labyrinth of inexorable thoughts. For the body, working on a task, keeps with itself a thought, which, no less than the eyes, must observe what is being done and assist the body for infallibility in action, and a resting body gives the thought freedom to whirl, because during rest the passions are aroused and with every lustful memory they carry away the thought and take possession of it as a captive. Therefore, if the mind, when it observes a matter, makes its production perfect, and when it does not observe, it turns out to be sinful and far removed from what it should have been, then can prayer be strong and free from the soaring of thoughts, when the one performing it is distracted by passions and often falls from a state, not to say, complete frenzy, but even attentiveness to the words of prayer? For there is the highest prayer of the perfect - a kind of admiration of the mind, its complete detachment from the sensory, when with unutterable sighs of the spirit it approaches God, Who sees the disposition of the heart, open like a written book and expressing its will in silent images. So Paul was caught up to the “third heaven” and did not know whether he was “in the body” or “outside the body” (2 Cor. 12:2). So at another time, praying in the church, he was “in a frenzy” and with the feeling of his heart (because the bodily hearing and other senses, due to the frenzy, remained inactive), he heard the Lord, “saying:... get out of here quickly..., otherwise they will not accept your testimony about Me” (Acts 22:17-18). So Peter, having gone up “to the upper room to pray,” saw a vision of the shroud, in which were all the animals, livestock, creeping things of the earth and birds of the air (see Acts 10:9–12), showing the difference in human conditions. Thus, the hawk shown by God to Job stood, “spread out motionless, in vain to the south” (Job 39:26), meaning by its appearance the attentiveness of the one praying, and by its name - his sacred mind. But after the first there is a second prayer, when words are spoken, and the mind follows them with tenderness and knows to whom the petition is addressed. Prayer, interrupted by thoughts and combined with bodily concerns, is far from the state of the one praying. For if the person praying does not hear himself, being carried away here and there by his thoughts and not knowing what words he is uttering, then will Divine hearing listen to what, due to absent-mindedness, he himself could not hear? Those who said: “Listen to my prayer, inspire my prayer” (Ps. 16:1) and: “Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my prayer” (Ps. 129:2) all the mind was carefully collected there and did not spill, to which the thought of the careless, not in control of itself, usually spills and scatters. Such was the non-covetousness of the saints, as was said shortly before, and it brought them so many of the benefits indicated in its place. But there is a lot of usefulness and the average after it is non-covetousness, as consistent with the time and needs of the body. For even if it is impossible for her to compete for primacy and boast of equality with a superior way of life, then the second degree of honor belongs to her; and it will not give way to the third and fourth order of those who live more negligently, for it does not achieve perfection to the same extent as it excels over other different kinds of life. The first saints lived for one soul and for God who created it, placing the body at nothing, which is why, even without caring about it, in time they had in good order everything they needed, not pre-collected in granaries, but from God’s will, as from a treasury, received in good time. The saints who followed them, taking care of the necessary consolation of the body and ensuring that our animal part, left in negligence, would not be destroyed against the will of Him who combined it with us, used their hands to the extent that, by inevitable necessity, it was necessary to serve the body; Most of the time was spent in caring for the soul, in prayers, in readings and proper studies, meaning, as it should have been, success in good deeds. The last of these, having completely become flesh, devoted themselves entirely to the service of the earthly idol: they cultivate the land, fatten livestock, engage in trade, practice in every industrial art, wanting to have not only enough for carnal life, but also something that would show them no less than those distinguished by abundance, so that through this they could be in everyone’s sight, and, since they have not acquired fame for themselves by living in society, they think to achieve fame through luxury, and thus clearly They expose their madness to shame, imputing reprehensible things to themselves as praise and thinking thereby to attract attention to themselves and earn surprise, for which they are worthy of contempt and ridicule. For just as what is consistent with each title gives solid reasons for approval, so what is not suitable for the title, although in another respect it is commendable, is very reprehensible where it is not characteristic. No one praises a husband who decorates the hair on his head with gold and precious stones; no one approves of a woman wearing a cloak with a buckle. The decoration that nature has given to everyone, being replaced by a new one, becomes a pretext for ridicule. Therefore, to which are the middle ones closest to them from those adjacent to them on either side? Of course, to those who are closer in action and their affinity with whom they proclaim by trying to be close to them in life. For, by virtue of the fact that they constitute the middle rank between both, they are no longer equally inclined towards both, and although they are behind those who precede them, but, immediately following them and following in their footsteps with a youthful foot, they are as far apart from those who follow them as those running gradually move away from those walking at a walk or from those remaining in one place. For what kind of communication do those who have a lot of material things have with those who do not have money? What agreement do those who are wise in the flesh have with those who are wise in the spiritual? What common ground do those involved in everyday affairs have in common with those who carelessly serve God? Some apostolically leave behind everything they have acquired, no matter how small it may be, while others acquire what they did not have. Some remain silent, internally taking care of modesty and honesty, while others wage all sorts of struggles, fighting for money and property. Some legitimately quarrel with the spirits of evil for Heavenly blessings; others attack others who own them for earthly blessings, and they themselves suffer attacks from them. For some, all their time is spent caring for the salvation of the soul; for others, their whole life, spent on various concerns about the body, is barely enough for that. Some, living carefree, incite those who look at them to give thanks, while others become the perpetrators of blasphemy for them, not doing anything that would be worthy of a vow. Paul says to some: “You are like lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15), shining, of course, with the glory of life and becoming for those who see the culprits of good competition, and to others it is said: “My name... is blasphemed by you” (Rom. 2:24), that is, by you who act contrary to your calling and wear an appearance that is contrary to deeds. Why rightly some deserve surprise, while others deserve spitting; some are pleased, and others are mourned; some are loved in truth, while others are hated by unjust hatred. And who, in all fairness, will not love someone who has completely renounced external rebellions and chosen a carefree and silent life? Who would not love with surprise a person who turns away from the reasons for quarrels over common possessions and, while practicing the same art, when the house is desolate, is careful not to do or tolerate anything that exceeds the limit, does not bother others and does not worry himself, does not offend anyone, does not want to offend and cannot be offended himself, for he does not decide to do the former at will, although he could, and the latter is impossible, because that he has nothing in himself in which he could be offended. What word is not abhorred by those who say that they have renounced the things of life and are devoted to its entertainments? He boasts that he has despised the world, and is fiercely devoted to worldly affairs? He promises not to pay any attention to earthly things - but his actions prove the falsity of the promise? Decided, as he says, to laugh at what people consider magnificence, and tries to do it more than other people? He claims that he has said goodbye to vanity, but does not part with it? Does he admit that self-sacrifice is a cross and death, and does not show in himself a single sign of self-mortification? You, man, came out of Egypt: what then do you have in common with panel making? You walk through the desert, hastening to the land of promise: why do you hesitate, doing vain work, becoming a slow traveler on a long journey? The path before you requires great care - do not wander along the crossroads, so as not to remain without reaching peace. You laid your hand on the handle of the rala: why are you turning back, not having been guided into the Kingdom of Heaven? You have left behind you the burning of the pentacity, why are you looking around, wanting to see what is happening there? You took up the cross - follow Christ, leaving everything: father, ship, nets and tools of every art, and with them every family connection and memory, because Christ, with whom you were united, wants to be loved more than all this. You died with Him, you were buried with Him in the blissful tomb of dispassion: why do you again give place to the passions characteristic of people still living, putting a lot of care into the lusts of the flesh? The body requires a little consolation - take care of this consolation, because for the time being you are connected with the body, so that you can have it as an accomplice in the practice of virtue and so that the progress of the soul, which wants to acquire everything in a short time and is barely worthy of little for its needs, does not encounter obstacles. And whoever cares about oxen, counts herds of sheep every day, constantly tends to vineyards, groves, fields and gardens, so that even the continuation of the day is not enough for him to do this work, where and when will he have time to remember God? When should he start singing psalmody? When to pray? How much time should I devote to exercising myself in moral, natural, and theological speculation? And if he finds the opportunity to occasionally do this between many things, then how will he bring pure prayer to the Lord when his thought is not detached from what he has a lot of care and concern for? How can one follow the movements of the passions in order to find out the difference between yesterday and today in the change for the better or for the worse? How will he find the interweaving of thoughts that are replaced by one another in a variety of ways and make observation itself difficult? People of vile behavior are preferred to honest ones, to money lovers - apparently compassionate and merciful, to vindictive people - who promise to correct the reasons for sadness that arouse them, to vain and proud people - who take a vow of perfection of virtue; and in general, over all vicious people, they take advantage of those who seem to behave decently and with the ghost of good behavior attracting love to themselves, who seduce inexperienced people in such a deception, and subsequently present themselves as changed into something opposite, barely able or even unable to correct the seduction, because the mind, tuned by its previous speculations, although it feels the error, but with difficulty leaves it, being carried away more by the delight of the pleasant than how much he tries to avoid harm from what is not useful. And if this is so and so much care is required, then will there still be a convenient time left for empty things beyond the necessary tasks? Or don’t you notice how deeds crush you during the day, and the remembrance of them at night, turning the very time of rest into a time of torment? For then the memory, bringing to mind who violated the boundary, who harmed the fruits, who blocked the watercourses for irrigation, who poisoned the pasture, who does or has done some other offense, and about everyone, how he persists and argues, drives those into a frenzy, rousing the irritable power of the soul to vengeance, and does not give time for sleep and peace, as well as for prayer, which requires great silence everywhere and a long free time, which provides, in part, liberation from all cares. For what does Paul say? “I want you to be without sadness. And he adds: He who is not married cares for the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord: but he who is married cares for the things of the world, how to please his wife” (1 Cor. 7:32-33). Therefore, if it is impossible to serve God without sorrow, then why don’t they get married and take on this burden without caring about how to please the Lord? For they are no different from those who have married, caring for worldly things like them and not deserving the same censure as them, but becoming worthy of much greater condemnation. Ecclesiastes gave at least a few apologies to those who were married, as those who had taken upon themselves the burden of vain labors, in order to provide at least a little consolation in life to children who, perhaps, would suffer premature orphanhood, and so that they, perhaps not having caregivers, and oppressed by the scarcity of necessities, would not endure any sorrow from everywhere, being oppressed in everything. And he accused the latter of obvious madness, saying: “There is one, and there is no second, nor a son, nor a brother lower than him” (Eccl. 4:8). And who is he “working for the wind?” (Eccl. 5:15). And he very rightly reproaches him, because, not having heirs, for whom the desire to acquire may still have a plausible excuse, he does not use his peace as he should, in order to make the time, lost by many, useful for himself, using it to acquire spiritual goods. Is it possible that when he hears: “Do not worry about your soul about what you eat, or what you drink... or what you put on” (Matthew 6:25), he hesitates, doubting out of little faith whether he who serves God will or will not have what he needs? Why does he not adhere to this rule: “Having food and clothing, we will be satisfied with these” (1 Tim. 6:8) and does not sow those labors that those who care about the world sow in carnal affairs in spiritual fields in order to reap Eternal Life in them? On the contrary, he completely devoted himself to earthly things, torments himself over earthly things all the time and with all his might, using all the leisure that he has and what bodily needs require, if he pays attention to what is necessary for the body, and does not spill out of luxury into a sea of ​​pleasures. For if, according to the words of Pavlov, “we must not live according to the flesh” (Rom. 8:12), then why, serving it with something small and the dishes that happen, giving what it deserves so as not to disturb us, do we not live for the soul in the spirit, doing everything for what we need to do, and, moreover, the only one that is not lost along with the skills that decompose in the womb during digestion? Well, condemning the one who has abandoned the cultivation of the soul and takes great care of the land, Solomon says: “He has forsaken the ways of his vineyard, but wanders along the paths of his fields, walks through waterless places in the desert, through a long land in a thirsty land, and gathers up barrenness with his hands.” For caring for bodily things beyond need is indeed a delusion and walking the wrong way, which forces one to wander through impassable deserts and the end of one’s labors is fruitless, since these labors are not at all useful for the Life of the Future. And one of the Prophets, mourning this, loudly cries out, saying: “Woe to him who multiplies himself without it, and to him who aggravates his burden with a burden” (Hab. 2:6), and this confirms that everything that does not contribute to virtue is an alien burden for the worker in order to turn away effort from the vain and turn it to the useful, so that the one who works in labor has his own gain, which he collects for Heaven for long-lasting and endless pleasure, and so that when those who labored in vain lack even a drop of cold water, then he should rejoice in abundance, enjoying with great triumph the blessings that he foreshadowed and brought with him, being a reasonable steward of his labors. Divine Laws require that we be models for other people and, through impeccable life, show everyone the unstumbling path. Therefore, what kind of example have we become for them, striving for vain things more than they themselves? Just as we will be without stumbling blocks for them, holding more closely to them than they do what we have been taught to despise and with which we ourselves apparently agree, and thus laying before them stumbling blocks and thousands of daily temptations, for they reason that what we strive for is truly desirable, and that competing about it does not in the least harm godliness. The bad deeds of those who are considered more honest by people become worthy of imitation 13 both for everyone, and especially for the simple-minded - without them even thinking about it. “Such people,” they say, “would not dare to do this if it were, as others think, really bad.” Therefore, the great Paul, when, having given rules for a virtuous life and reproaching those who are careless about the harm caused to the simple-minded, says: “If anyone who has understanding sees you reclining in the tavern, will not his weak conscience create food sacrificed to idols?” (1 Cor. 8:10), perfectly with this one accusation does not allow indifference in any matter and shows that what is done by people who are considered to know what is useful better than others, easily leads to the imitation of simple people who recognize this as creation, and not destruction of what is good. The Apostle meant this by the word “will be created,” that is, he considers imitation of what he saw to be success and improvement. For, saying: “Each build up (1 Thessalonians 5:11) one another,” he gives the law of mutual obligation to each other: each, doing good, should encourage the other to do the same, becoming an example for him to improve himself in private circumstances. What kind of “millstones of donkeys” and what “depths of the sea” (cf. Matt. 18:6) are worthy of punishment for those who have become such culprits of such temptations for simple-minded people and those who themselves tend to be more content with little, encouraging them to become more acquisitive by their quarrel with them and with those who choose for themselves what is clearly useless? For it is said: “The jealousy of a man comes from his friend” (Eccl. 4:4), who alike wants to surpass his neighbor in good and bad. For such zeal compels one to gain victory over one who competes in any matter, considering it not so much dangerous to unjustly gain the upper hand over someone, but rather shameful and reproachful to justly be defeated. It’s better to say, everyone knows this from experience that in reasoning there is no useful argument and jealousy is weak, and if someone, either unintentionally or with intention, does something useless, then jealousy is ready and imitation is uncontrollable: everyone considers it an excuse for himself to follow in the footsteps of those who preceded him and attributes the blame to those who started, and not to those caught by their example. And this very thing, perhaps, is pointed out by one of the Prophets when he asks the ancient people and with their answer confirms the truth of the question 14, saying: “If... the meat is holy... touches... the robe... or the cooking, will the food be sanctified? And I answered...: no. And the speech...: if a defiled... soul touches any of these, will the food be defiled? And... deciding: he will be defiled” (cf. Hag. 2:12–13). And with this answer he made it clear that the audience rather imprints in themselves examples of the bad than the good, they are more inclined to imitate the former than the latter, having learned through a bad habit to prefer the harmful to the useful. And how these careless ones were not afraid of terrible threats for those who were seduced, foolishly preparing for themselves in the future a severe punishment both for the fact that they preferred the worst to the best, and for the fact that they became a reason for others to do evil, a great passion for vain things in those inclined, and also inflaming insatiable desires for acquiring more. And some of the Jews, although the Law did not require non-covetousness, loved it arbitrarily and wanted to serve God carelessly, living in booths and abstaining from everything that could distract the mind from the best, as they themselves said to those who asked them and wanted to know this new way of life: “We have no grapes and fields and no home” (Jer. 35:9), for they knew that worrying about this prevents the exercise of piety. And a considerable number of Hellenic philosophers showed such non-covetousness that, like dogs, they lived without a roof and took food whenever they could and whatever they could find: it seemed to them that even for empty speculation it was necessary to have pure understanding, without disturbing oneself with any worries about everyday affairs. And one of them, who had nothing but a cup from which he took food and drink, when he saw that the shepherds’ children were bringing handfuls of water to their mouths, threw the cup and said: “I learned, children, what was hidden from me until now, I learned the perfection of non-covetousness” - and with gratitude he admitted that he owes to the children what philosophy did not bring to his perfection. So, perhaps, it was his intention to lay aside his body, if it were possible, and with it to strip away all worldly cares and live with his whole soul naked without carnal impurities, devoting himself to the supreme and insatiable love of philosophy. And we, who always hear both the Lord and the Apostles proclaiming this to us, since until now we have not been ashamed of their Divine inspirations and have not moved ourselves to do good, let us be ashamed, at least, of these pagans, who with their lack of covetousness reproach us for our abundance of money, for it is fitting for us to be reproached by those by whom we should be respected for the honorability of our lives. And we, while taking precedence over them in dogmas, should not be second in life, so that, by behaving worse than the Greeks, we do not incite them to blaspheme the name of the Lord, called upon us, because our deeds are alien and contrary to what we are commanded to do. I know that what has been said is amazing for readers, but only for those on whom reproach does not fall, and not for you, to whom the word comes. For I am confident that even these reproofs will not bring chastity to those who suffer without healing, and if something even harsher is said to bring them to their senses, then they will not correct their shortcomings, once forever putting aside shame and no longer blushing when they sin, because even by the example of an ant, according to the word of the wise Solomon, the lazy is not ashamed to move his hands and be ashamed of reprehensible idleness. For it is difficult to get rid of the passion that we have been nourishing in ourselves for a long time, and to leave a habit strengthened by long-term habit, unless one uses great effort to correct a bad character, who holds on to it as if bound by insoluble bonds (although he could free himself from it), so that sometimes, as if tied, he is necessarily drawn back, held back by the memory of where he was before, and often involuntarily returned to what he is trying to escape from. For Solomon loudly calls out to the lazy: “Go to wickedness, O lazy one, and be jealous when you have seen his ways” (Proverbs 6:6). And to those who have taken a vow of monastic life, but are still entangled in everyday needs, the Lord says: “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, but your Heavenly Father feeds them” (Matthew 6:26). And these latter did not leave the care of the land, as they were commanded, and the first did not take his hands out of the depths, preferring debilitating poverty to satiety that required short-term labor. So, being dominated by the familiar, he is uncomfortable with the unusual, he prefers to remain in the state in which he was (although he realizes that this is not useful) than to go into an unusual state, even if the benefit of this was clear and obvious. But you, friends of Christ and guardian guardians of Christ's Laws, bring to the Lord a double denarius of commandments: to what you are obliged by command, you make a generous addition to it at your own discretion, out of the freedom of your heart you extend beyond what is prescribed for slaves for urgent work. You have entered into one life with Christ, on the mountain you have been taught the mystical dogmas of lofty wisdom and by your deeds you prove the certainty of what was taught to you. You follow in the footsteps of the apostles, you work so as not to burden anyone, but you are busy with work so much that the time required for the most necessary work is not spent on less important things: you perfectly divide your time between the private needs of the body and the great care of the soul. For this division is truly befitting of truth: to give not to everyone in equal measure, but to each according to his dignity; and give the servant her due in proportion, and give everything to the mistress, as the real owner, who should enjoy great honor. You courageously and generously make war with Christ, not committing yourself to “purchases of life... to please the governor" (2 Tim. 2:4). You strive lawfully and, as if anointed, having set yourself in the spirit of non-covetousness, you do not give yourself into the hands of your opponents, because you have nothing in yourself that, if they grabbed hold of, they would cause you harm 16 or depose you from the field, taking possession of you with the help of the passion of covetousness, like the Egyptian woman who grabbed hold of Joseph’s robe, which she could not have done if Joseph had been as naked as a fighter truly ready for a feat. But even in this case, although she took hold of the robe, she did not achieve what she wanted, because the fighter took off from himself that for which he was being held by force, and after experience he learned that he who lives with passions must be naked from the very beginning and who fights with them must initially enter into the fight as he fled later, that is, having renounced care and concern for everything sensual, for they defeat those who intend to resist passions and those deprived cheerfulness, sadness, attached to money and property and the displeasures that come with this, which are not used as they should be. But you are free from such bonds, like the wild donkey mentioned in Job, released into the desert, which laughs at “many people..., but does not hear the cold of the tribute” (Job 39:7). You are freed from worrying about property and from the hassle of tribute collectors, “having nothing... in possession and having everything” (2 Cor. 6:10) in power. You, according to the word of the Lord, do not have any other robe (see Matt. 10:10), but have put on Christ, who does not allow any harm to come to you from outside. You walk on earth according to the needs of your body, but in your mind you live in Heaven. You zealously hasten “to the honor of the title,” and with the speed of birds you complete the course of piety. You have shaken off all the burden of worldly care from your spiritual shoulders, quickly jumped over the temptations that hinder success, and the way of life that you inherited from your predecessors, if changed, then to a more zealous one (so that you, as those who worked together with your predecessors, would have some praise for the severity of your life), but not to the most careless one. Just as by virtue you are recognized as the true children of your fathers, so by the difference of your deeds you are not considered false. For it is no small dishonor to descendants when they boast of kinship with their ancestors and do not prove this closeness by morals. Just as facial features and other bodily signs show by their similarity who is whose son or father, so the way of life makes it possible to see who is whose student or acquaintance, explaining in words who taught speculation, and in deeds who taught activity. But why do we present finger relationships as an example for those who are higher than bodily examples, wanting to signify extremely great things with very small things, and equate animate images with outlines, which cannot be called images either, because they are not understood by colors? You are disciples of Christ and sons of the Eternal Father. For this is how the Lord calls you brothers, saying: “Whoever does the will of My Father who is in Heaven is My brother, and sister, and mother” (Matthew 12:50), and He also calls you sons of His Father when He says: “Do not worry about... what you eat or what you drink:... for your Father in heaven knows that you have demanded these all” (Matt. 6:25, 32). And how this kinship is formed and appropriation is accomplished, the Lord teaches, giving ways to those who wish to achieve this nobility and who decide to move from slavery to sonship, when He says: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29); and again: “Be merciful, as is your Heavenly Father” (cf. Luke 6:36); and: “Be of good heart, as your Father is, and in all things be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Therefore, since the nature of God is offered for likeness, what is the need to look at human efforts and be curious about who, how and how much has succeeded in goodness, and how others, being caught up in worldly pleasures, become bogged down in vain entertainments, otherwise one thing to keep in mind is how one can be like God in everything and how to remain in that perfection, by what labors one can restore the primitive dignity of nature, having become from above a given imprint of the original face and by practicing virtue, making the acquired skill, like nature, inaccessible to change to the contrary? Therefore, what time will be enough for us to become like the nature of God, what force will serve to prepare images of God’s likeness? How and when will we be all that is God's? For, of course, comparison is possible, because He who knows the strength of everyone commanded this. But even the one who began in childhood and used unremitting care at all ages until old age will imprint on himself the original virtue: what kind of effort is required for someone who has been careless about this in the past years? What kind of diligence is needed to succeed in a short time in something in which success is difficult to acquire over the course of a lifetime? Of course, the difficulty of the task does not make it impossible, and the late start does not imply that the accomplishment is doubtful or hopeless for the beginner, because the determination of the will to bring the intended to completion has a shortened path, rather, it accomplishes what is supposed to be done when it is accelerated by diligence, and a task that requires a long time is completed in a time disproportionate to it. The witnesses to this are the workers of the vineyard, who came at the eleventh hour and did the same as those who were scorched by the heat from morning to evening, and the short time was not an obstacle for them to become equal to those who preceded them. For such is negligence and such is carelessness. The former, with greater freedom, does small things that are unworthy of attention, while the latter manages to do great things in a short time, leaving behind the slowness of the careless with thoroughness. This is why we were created in the image of God, in order to preserve the features of these properties and, through our excellent life, to present clear signs of God-likeness to those who look at us. “I,” says God, “am generous and merciful, long-suffering and abounding in mercy, and I observe righteousness” (cf. Joel. 2:13). The image of godlikeness is described in such colors; these are the features of the disembodied face; by them the soul is recognized as related to the Divine, out of love for Him, jealous of the fullness of perfect purity, but forbidden from doing so by the bonds connecting it with the body; however, even with a small deficiency, she is glaring that she wants not to lack anything, for which she provides clear evidence in the fact that it is still achievable for her, allowing her to see how she desires the unattainable, and by the fact that she wants to free herself from natural needs, showing with what lust and with what desire she succeeded in what was possible for her: in kindness, long-suffering, kindness and philanthropy, having carefully acquired everything that distinguishes her. Divine nature; and, where there was no obstacle, she willingly used power and with great convenience extended herself to everything that the powers given to her could lead to. Why, as one who is venerable in the image of God, according to David’s word, “with a little thought... she was humbled by the angels” (Ps. 8:6), because, as one associated with the earthy body, although for a short time she is forced, by inevitable need, to spend time on satisfying bodily needs, she always and completely wants to take care of the best and live there by contemplation, where she has pure joy, not disturbed by the remembrance of anything unpleasant. For, who runs away from popular rebellions and refuses to disturb himself with burdensome affairs, avoids society with frivolous and unreasonable people, and at home spends most of his time silently in prayer and studying the words of God, while on rare occasions leaving the house he is seen as sedate, modest, unperturbed, compassionate, brotherly loving, someone who will not be called a truly zealot of God, an image and likeness illuminating with the Divine rays of God goodness and illuminating their likeness with virtues, as if with what attractive flowers? The Lord, renewing this image and calling His disciples to this likeness, also teaching how through likeness one can become God, said, as mentioned above: “Be ye therefore merciful, just as your Father in heaven is merciful” (cf. Luke 6:36), unenviably promising equality to those who wish to rise to such honor, because the Divine is truly pure from envy, just as from every other passion, he loves those who seek the same glory with Him. since it is not diminished by its communication with others, it has no hatred for those who, through their thoroughness, become the same as It is by nature, always remaining immutable and unchangeable and wanting everyone to come to immutability, having acquired it through skill. People, having both honor corresponding and inappropriate to them, not without reason envy the success of others, suspecting that in the very thing for which they are famous they will be surpassed by others, and fearing the success of those who from a low state are approaching equal honor with them, so as not to turn out to be inferior to them, they envy them, rightly, as they think, wanting to be the best in everything and, out of love for fame, absolutely not tolerating anyone being higher than them. But God, having the Glory that actually belongs to Him, fearlessly communicates it to everyone, not suffering anything offensive to Himself from this. Diligent learning never takes advantage of nature, although it turns into a skill with much practice, does not deprive nature of primacy, although it apparently differs in second place, and allows one’s own success to be seen, and does not exalt itself over those who have the advantage, retains the honor conceded to it and does not appropriate to itself a superior honor. So Paul, following the words of the Lord, presenting the image of God in everyone with the same distinctive features, defines it by the immutability of likeness. For he says: “Be imitators of God” (Eph. 5:1) - and shows the way to succeed in this, saying: “Be kind to one another, show mercy, forgiving one another” (Eph. 4:32), “if anyone has reproach against anyone, just as Christ also forgave us” (cf. Col. 3:13); also: “Be clothed, therefore, as God’s choice, holy and beloved, in the womb of tenderness, kindness, humility, meekness and long-suffering” (Col. 3:12). This is how the Apostle wants us to be adorned with these advantages, with which, as a lover of mankind, the Image of God shines (see Phil. 2:6). Here are the distinctive features of God and a person who is zealous about becoming like God: modesty, gentleness, non-anger, lack of envy, charity, compassion, unforgettable malice, love of kindness, kindness, equality, observance of the benefits of others, sociability, thoughtfulness, lack of pride - in short, everything in which an abundance of goodness is revealed by God, who “the sun shines... on the evil and on the good and rains.” into the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). By these traits one is recognized who is trying to be an imitator of God; he is equal in doing good to everyone, both to friends and to those who are hostile: he tolerates evil, repays evil with good, and shames those who offend not only by generously enduring insolence, but also by the fact that he does all the good he can to them from the fullness of his heart. For it is impossible for a person, from a long stay in evil, to become so alien and far from human nature in everything, so as not to be ashamed of the one who could repay equals for what he suffered and used his power for good, and so that, without blushing for the insults committed, he accepts mercy from the offended as if it were borrowed, and does not blame himself in all justice for his malice, and also does not be surprised with full conviction at the wisdom of the one who by his example obliges him to abandon malice and turn to the good known by experience, and to those who are malicious against him, of course, to become the same as those who were subjected to his intrigues and good deeds of his malice, who prompted him to reconciliation. And although this was enough for Paul to teach the obedient to live a chaste life, yet knowing that others are led to this with difficulty, with many other suggestions he attempts to skillfully distract us from vanity, leading us to the observance of the Law with praiseworthy names: then he says: “This is the church of God” (1 Cor. 3:16); then: “Walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8); and again: “Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Phil. 1:27); and also: “Your bodies are the delight of Christ” (1 Cor. 6:15); in one place he calls us “holy and blameless” (cf. Eph. 1:4), and in another “blameless and whole children of God and blameless” (cf. Phil. 2:15), as being in us, testifying to what is not yet in us and what we must acquire, so that false praise does not turn into reproach for us, but so that we may rejoice when called such, what we are in deeds, recognizing in our conscience that this is true testimony and not ridicule. The Apostle followed this by taking great care and exerting care for our progress, so that by all means he might bring us “to a perfect man, according to the stature of the fulfillment of Christ” (Eph. 4:13), sets all methods in motion everywhere, leaving nothing further to facilitate this. And firstly, he demands that we die and be crucified for the world, not feeling at all the pleasures or sorrows of the world, since, in his words, “for the image of this world passes away” (1 Cor. 7:31) and, like an image, it saddens little, and also briefly and briefly cheers, for a short duration it does not produce a feeling of either, it comes with the fastest desire and in speed does not leave even a trace of memory in the soul. Therefore, the Apostle says: “You have died... to the world, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (cf. Col. 3:3), knowing that after the death he said there is another life, which is lived by those who rebel with Christ, those who seek above things and those who think above, who died “from the elements of the world,” and do not still live according to them, like those whom Paul reproaches, saying: “If dying from the elements of the world, why do you strive for those who live in the world? Do not touch, do not taste, do not touch... for all things are destroyed by use” (Col. 2:20-22) in those in whom the desire for this desire has been stopped by death. “But imagine,” he says, “the gods are like the living from the dead” (Rom. 6:13), desiring in part that we should die precisely by what brings into action the passions of the flesh, which lusts after the spirit, and in part commanding us to live by what works of virtue are accomplished to please God. That is why he calls a living sacrifice those who have put to death “the lives of the earth” (cf. Col. 3:5) and those who walk “in the newness of life” (Rom. 6:4), who are not moved to harm, because of the sacrificial mortification of the strength that was for that purpose, and who do not remain idle for good deeds, because, being a living sacrifice, they have not lost the power to do what is useful with by force to do inappropriate things, but as a blossoming and young one they use it against the long-hostile wisdom of the flesh, no longer carried away by these unreasonable desires, since they have completely moved from bodily life to spiritual life and live not in the flesh, but in the spirit. It was to them, probably, that the Apostle said: “You are not in the flesh, but in spirit” (Rom. 8:9), to them, who were burdened with a bodily burden, but were no longer disturbed by it, because sin did not reign in their dead body and no longer forced to forcibly obey their own commands of the one who fights against the law of the mind, lives in the members of the weak, in order to take them captive by the law of sin, but is himself taken captive in obedience to the commandments of Christ and slavishly yielding to the best laws, which Paul commands to enjoy according to the inner man, “being ready to avenge all disobedience” (2 Cor. 10:6); and, in which, once deceived, he fell, promising to later resume the struggle with diligence, with labors raised for the sake of virtue, having done to the body what, caught by the pleasant, he suffered from him. What kind of vengeance this is and how it is carried out, the Apostle teaches this in the Epistle to the Romans, where he says: “For as you have presented the lives of your servants to uncleanness and lawlessness as iniquity, so now will you present the lives of your servants to righteousness as holy” (Rom. 6:19). What kind of work this is and how great it is, know those who, being dominated by habit, are forced to transform a bad habit into a good one. Whatever they want, in their opinion, with tireless efforts, they succeed in, they easily retreat from, because habit, like a chain, soon draws them back and often makes great work useless, until, after repeated retreats and repeated strivings forward, they are able to gradually retreat from the vices to which they were betrayed, and completely turn their disposition from worse to better, so that all members can be used in action against hostile ones. passions, turning them from weapons of untruth into weapons of truth and legally subordinating them in what they previously served illegally for the destruction of those who own them. For the eye, seeing the good things of a neighbor, when it arouses the mind to desire or envy, becomes a weapon of untruth, and when it disposes to thank the One who gave the good, it turns into a weapon of truth. And the tongue, serving to pronounce accusations and slander, and the hand, promoting covetous thefts, and the heart, giving rise to evil thoughts - by which each of the feelings is led to reach the end that was intended, rightly receive a dishonest name, but when they perform a right and useful deed, they receive a name worthy of the deed, as acting lawfully, they are honored with glorious names. Therefore, since you - “who were sacrificed and live in the verbal service of the word, were pleasing to God” (cf. Rom. 12:1) – died with Christ, being buried with Him in the mortification of yourself for the world, then you rose with Him in order to “be wise on high..., where Christ is sitting on the right hand of God” (cf. Col. 3:1-2), and before the resurrection you have living in Heaven, like the Angels, living that carefree life that will be after the resurrection and about which, presuming the possibility of it, Paul says: “If we achieve the resurrection from the dead” (cf. Phil. 3:11), having achieved this through a temporary life befitting it, although he had not yet achieved what he had already achieved, he called himself, out of a humble way of thinking, hiding the dignity of virtue. You are “the light and salt of the world” (Matthew 5:13–14), with the severity of life you strengthen morals, which are unstable from neglect and are not far from decay, but shining with the glory of life and those who see your good deeds, according to the word of the Lord, awakening to the glorification of “your Father who is in Heaven,” you remain in goodness or, even more so, succeed in it, becoming an incentive for the lazy to acquiring the same thing in which you yourself excel, and thereby making sure that you will receive extreme, or even demanding, praise from the Lord. For whoever, going through the same life as you, improves himself in that which serves to the fullness of perfection, has one reward for the deed itself, and another for convincing those who compete to imitate him, and a third for the fact that he brings benefit to those who are alien to godliness, forcing us through an impeccable life to recognize our faith as godly, in the true sense the only one worthy of God, adorned by such deeds as It is fitting for those who recognize God as their leader and live as pleasing to the truth of the Commander, who wants those who have vowed to live in commonwealth with her to be adorned with special advantages, and instills in them in advance: “Unless your righteousness comes out any more than the scribe and the Pharisee, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:20). What for the Apostles then were the Pharisees, who were clearly opposed to them in their love for truth, now for you those who think of themselves that they share a common title with you, and are denied communication with you due to the multiplicity of life, with you they first began the journey according to the vow and did not reach the end of it, because, like the sons of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, they were delayed by the land, convenient for cattle breeding, requiring many cares, and made the perfect path in vain, because the previous work 19 due to insufficiency did not reach what it should have, and did not achieve the goal that was assumed at the beginning. But, according to correct reasoning, all labor is vain and truly useless that does not achieve what was intended at the beginning, is interrupted before the end and stops where it is impossible to obtain any of the intended fruits. Therefore, beloved, hastening to what is intended, “for the honor of the high calling” (Phil. 3:14), and being not far from the crowns, do not weaken your good zeal, but pass it on to those who follow you in the same strength in which you received it from your predecessors. For those who still delight in vanity and spend the labors that should have been devoted to virtue on earthly labors, have pity on them as those who labor in vain and sow “to the flesh,” from which they can reap “corruption” (Gal. 6:8). Do not argue too stubbornly with them as if they are sinning in what is proper to the apostolic life. For those who are not convinced by the deed will not be humbled by the word, as those who are able to no longer be ashamed of admonitions, so as not to show that they are clearly exposed and reproof reveals their futility to everyone, and, if you receive them favorably, so as not to give such a thought about yourself that they are defeated by silence. If they were inclined to correction, then, before human admonitions, they would have respected even more the instructive words of the Lord, which He spoke, turning his speech to the covetous: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor..., take up the cross... and come after Me” (Matthew 16:24, 19:21). The Lord Himself, in order to make it convenient for him to walk “the narrow and cramped path,” removes from him that burden which, no matter how heavy and difficult it is, they love, thereby making it difficult and even completely impossible for themselves to enter the Kingdom, which by Truth itself is likened to the eye of a needle (see Matthew 19:24) and barely accepts a soul naked from everyday worries and free from worries, and, moreover, when it, perhaps, pushes this away from himself and intensifies to walk sideways 20 through the cramped and inaccessible gates, which squeeze and sideways the entering bodies, even those not burdened with heavy burdens. How can those who, as about precious things, care about rubbish and what is even worse than rubbish, will say: “We have left everything and followed You” (Matthew 19:27), without even leaving what they have not yet acquired, making monastic life as if it were a reason for purchase, and not for wisdom? It is indeed a reason for the greatest purchase, but of future blessings, and not of present pomp and poverty, poverty and all that now seems harsh, gives there the pleasure of all the pleasant things, gives an unknown and ignorant person boldness before God and eternal glory. And you, in the knowledge of what you have done, having a firm hope in this, try again and again to neglect what, having judged well, was rightly neglected as truly worthy of contempt and rejected by the sober, although it seemed worthy of attention and desired by the foolish, who, in a deceptive idea, are attached to the extremely vile as to something comely and loved the substance as a truly comely woman, while she is not such, but it is embellished with only visible color, luring to the pleasure of those who like the pleasant more than the useful and who, preferably over the useful, choose what provokes desire as a tasty bait. Take care of the movements of thought, observing how it produces memories of things, biasedly or impartially accepting the representations of these things. Many movements, rushing randomly, are usually harmful, easily give in to passions, in thoughts more than in actions, invisibly agree with them, and in the external do not represent any sign of consciousness, often give in to victory over themselves and fall, and until they put their actions into action they hide the fall from those who are not accustomed to see inside. Others, by their calm appearance, seem to be a careless person to those present, only knowing the hidden vileness, blushing at that in which the invisible is opposite to the visible, because the truth contradicts the respectable appearance and makes the conscience rightly ashamed, for the thoughts of the heart do not agree with the concept of them by which they are glorified by the audience, but like a fallen coffin, the arrogance of thought, filled, like a real grave, with dead bones and all sorts of uncleanness. For how does she differ from a tomb when she talks about what she should not, being unclean like the tombs, and even more than the tombs themselves? The grave does not contain a stench for long while there are still moisture in the body, but as soon as the juices flow out of the bones, it is already freed from the stench, because the composition of the flesh will be resolved into the earth and into fine dust, from which it was composed in its blooming state, being nothing more than dust, colored with blood and phlegm, of which one whitens, and the other gives a reddish color; and with these colors a brilliant appearance is given to the attractive qualities that become visible on the surface of the body. But a heart filled with indecent thoughts always inspires disgust, being more fetid than a rotting body, and itself only enjoys its own shame. Those who pay attention to the visible idol do not know at all what is being planned in secret, and sometimes it even happens that they are even amazed at the sedateness they perceive and imagine, because a quiet disposition, a stern look, an unsmiling face announce nothing more than a great constancy in the depths of the heart, as said above, about the best. And this, for those who do not know what thoughts settle inside, leads to the guess that the internal disposition is in accordance with the appearance. Let this, at least for a very solid reason, convince you to agree with the external and the internal state in accordance with the opinion of others about you, so that, as people recognize us, we may appear the same in our thoughts before God, to reason as many consider us to be reasoners. And as you yourself know, having experience in this, it is not too difficult for those who decide to act in a reasonable manner, if, having found the reasons, they are eliminated, without difficulty stopping the disturbances arising from them. Just as pleasure and sadness follow desire, and desire is accompanied by sensation, then one who does not give in to the sensation does not give room to the first, like one who crushed the head of a snake pinched at the entrance, leaving behind the door the entire tail drawn with the head, which, no doubt, would have entered freely into the door if the head protruding forward had found a convenient entrance. And this image has a great affinity with what is depicted by it, because, like those who go forward, those accompanying them fall with them. Sensation imprints on the mind the images seen, and it also arouses the desire for what is pleasant, each time renewing in the memory the ideas of what was seen before and bringing into the soul clear images of it, until either failure, producing sorrow, or success, bringing pleasure, teaches by clear experience what harm there is for those who dwell on it for a long time. For the desired evil is equally harmful in both cases, whether it is achieved or not achieved, and joy produces useless and inappropriate sadness, because this sadness is not “sorrow ... according to God,” which, according to Paul, “works unrepentant repentance toward salvation” (2 Cor. 7:10); and this joy is not in the Lord, as the same Paul argues, because he commands those who rejoice with a good conscience, saying: “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4). On the contrary, this joy is some kind of spiritual addiction, inspired by a demon, depending not on any eternal good, but on a perishable substance that exposes that lust is useless. For what will others say? There were no proper worries left for us, and therefore we occupied our hearts with empty thoughts, dreaming of wealth, power, fame and that in which many provide prosperity. Our morals have been corrected, our passions have been subdued, our feelings do nothing wrong, the path to success has been leveled to the point of convenience, feats have become a skill for us, our hearts are in deep peace, our battles have ceased, the struggle with the authorities and with the authorities is over, the flesh, which is hostile to it, has concluded a peace treaty with the spirit, it no longer takes up arms against the spirit, it is completely defeated and, serving as a captive, recognizes over a victory. And you forged “your swords into plowshares and your spears into pruning hooks” (Is. 2:4), because of the great peace, turning what was needed for military affairs into agricultural implements. Let us rest, according to God’s promise, “every one under his vine and every one under his fig tree” (Mic. 4:4), rejoicing in the works of his hands “and ... rejoicing on his beds” (cf. Ps. 149:5), because nothing disturbs us from anywhere, neither passion, nor the spirit of resisting power, inflaming in us the lust for that which we have no desire for. decently. But if we have achieved such dispassion, as has been said, that everything that usually disturbs the mind has subsided, and, like the ancient saints, we have become above every worldly desire, then why is caring about vain things useful for us - this is empty entertainment that does not accomplish what it tries to do? For what depends on our will is not done according to our zeal, even if we tried with zeal to acquire it, but it is a gift of the Providence that takes care of us, and not a matter of human zeal. And therefore, to those who know how to hear well, the Lord says: “Whoever cares about you can add one lacto to his age? (Matthew 6:27). And the futility of this care proves that great care, which does not come to an end because of our diligence, is vain and truly useless, only makes the thought soar and distracts from true care, but cannot deliver to anyone anything from what it dreams of, sees cheerful dreams, and reality exposes in it an empty hope for ghosts, always successful in vain thoughts and never seeing these thoughts in practice, in accordance with the parable of Isaiah, in which he says: “As one thirsts like one who drinks in a dream, but when he rises up he still thirsts, but his soul hopes in vain” (Is. 29:8). Thus, hope in vain things is a kind of pleasure in a nocturnal feast, making one happy in the seduction of the night and never allowing one to experience this imaginary joy. Therefore: why, as for our own, do we always worry about what is not ours, and try to care about someone else’s as if it were our own, wasting the time needed to think about what is necessary on empty thoughts? If, as we think, the passions have subsided and the malicious spirits of malice have retreated, then by constant remembrance in prayers we should thank the Lord Christ, who brought us to such a state. And all the time, which is so meager for this and so short, will barely be enough for us to repay for everything that we have used and are using daily, the benefits of Him who made us conquerors of those who oppress many. And if both the limits of the continuation of time, I mean day and night, David advises us to spend in teaching the Law (see Ps. 1:2), and the Lawgiver demands that we do the same, saying: “Study in it, “sit in the house and walk in the way, and lie down and rise” (Deut. 6:7),” and does not leave us a little time for idleness, and the other orders us to bless “the Lord at all times.” (cf. Tob. 4:19), and Paul commands to “pray without ceasing” (cf. 1 Thess. 5:17), then what time will we have for permissible reflection on things that do not concern us, when every duty prescribed to us requires all of our time and leaves nothing for other matters? How can one pray unceasingly who does not study the Law of the Lord day and night? How will one always bless God who does one of the things said, when there is barely enough time to contribute to exactly anything done virtuously? Therefore, the Scripture, knowing the negligence of many, constrained us with instructions, even exceeding our strength, in order to both strengthen zeal for the possible and cut off the reason for making excuses for weakness: when a doer of good is humbled by the fact that he is not able to do this as commanded, rather than puffed up that he has fulfilled part of the commandments, expecting that he will not so much be praised for what he thinks he has succeeded in, but rather blasphemed for what he did not complete as a careless person. For no unfinished work gives boldness to the one who did it, but brings shame to the one who did not bother to reach the end of what he began. And although some of the artistic works have a limit and end, which is what those who begin the work have in mind, and each of these works, as if carried out on a substance, is successfully completed in a short time, and it has a definite end, and awaits the decisive work, but virtue has an extensive and, perhaps, limitless extension, depleting the very strength of those who begin the work and is still far from being crossed by them: it irritates desire because the end is apparently close, but to that extent it runs away from those who are approaching, in which zeal is exhausted, as it is already close to reaching the end, and the work of the successful is hidden by the fact that the end is gradually inconspicuously moving away. And this, it seems, is the meaning of what was beautifully said about the patriarch Abraham, namely: “When he came to the place that God had spoken to him, ... and Abraham looked up with his eyes and saw the place from afar” (cf. Gen. 22:3-4): apparently he reached the place as a consolation for the unbearable work, and from the fact that he was still far from it, he knew that he was not yet in place, so that his zeal would not weaken from the fact that what was supposed was accomplished, but it was always strengthened with greater zeal by the hope of being in a short time where he was in a hurry. These are the distinctive features of the way in which the virtue of one who is committed to it manages to move towards possible success. Success does not seem very distant, so that it does not seem as if virtue wants to frighten with great distance, but it does not stand motionless so that it can be caught by the pursuer, and this is so that he does not stop his zeal until death, but throughout his life intensifies diligence, spreading it to everything. Although the end of virtue is unattainable, yet by the fact that it constantly seems close, it encourages what is achievable, calls for success, which human nature makes possible, and after many labors remains far from being comprehended. For who has achieved so much in virtue that he lacks nothing to achieve perfection? Who, even after using all his efforts, has not remained far from its limits? And in order to prove this in an obvious way, it should be said about the distinctive properties of true love itself, because it is the fullness of the Law and is rightly called so in the Divine Scripture, as it embraces all the parts of the perfections of the Law, teaches to do good to a fellow tribesman, does not allow one to offend him or do anything contrary to him, and demands to voluntarily forgive him bad things. Therefore: who has loved his neighbor so much that in everything he honors him as another? Who is delighted by his brother’s successes in good as if he were his own, and is not irrationally offended by them, and is not prompted to envy, reasoning that it is inglorious for himself, if in any respect his neighbor surpasses him in glory? Who does not recognize the honor of another (in anything) as a loss to his own honor? Who, having a preference, for whatever reason, for good-skilled men, does not fall into despondency, believing that being second is a dishonorable lot? Who is not swayed by the praise of someone who is passing through the same business, as if it were a reproach to him? Who was sad when someone made a mistake, as if considering it his own mistake? Who has compassion for those who have not achieved success as for themselves? Who has not laughed at the disgrace of anyone? Who has not rejoiced at the fall of another and has not been arrogant, thinking highly of himself, because he stood when he stumbled and fell? Who blushed with the blush of being convicted of a mistake, and did not consider its shame as a right for himself to boldly do more, thinking that as soon as the glory of another is diminished, his own is exalted? And in short: who, in the words of Pavlov, “rejoices with those who rejoice and weeps with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15), bringing himself with everyone into the same disposition as he himself is in when experiencing something joyful or sorrowful? For this is the distinctive advantage of love: the disposition to make everyone one, so that everyone rejoices like the other, and also grieves, so that, like members of one body, everyone is connected with each other and, by sympathy, their sufferings are passed on to each other and received from each other. Therefore, if the time of a whole life is not enough to take care of virtue and those who strive, due to opposing members, need great sobriety, then how can we, when our thoughts are scattered and changing, either make such a difficult and long journey, or protect ourselves from the machinations of opponents who are numerous and invisible and use our passions and feelings as weapons against us, overthrowing us in the same way that nature has armed us with in defense against them? The eye often serves them in arousing in us a desire for what we see, producing love for any shiny substance. Hearing usually arouses sadness with sad news and pleasure with pleasant news 21 . Irritability flares up under any pretext, bringing the whole body into boiling and shaking, and the thought into confusion and disturbing the purity of the latter, like clear water in a source, so that the imprints of thoughts are not clearly visible. Vanity forces one to glorify one’s work, wanting to please people more than God, and turning one’s work into nothing, because what is done sinfully is not accompanied by a reward, when one goal in mind is not pleasing the One who can reward, but the praise of the audience. Pride inflates thoughts to the point of pompousness, teaches them to disdain every person and look with contempt at every fellow tribesman as something insignificant, drives pompous thoughts to madness, inspires dreams of equality, does not recognize the Providence and care of the Most Perfect, reasons that, as due for their deeds, they receive all the mercies that they use, they do not want to see God’s assistance in what they do and in what they succeed, considers herself sufficient for every good deed; out of conceit, she thinks that she has the strength to do everything, although she is completely powerless. She is a bubble of water, inflated with a vain opinion of herself: if you just blow, she turns into insignificance. Evil spirits - some, standing on the road, lay temptations by what seem to be fundamental, leading away from the truth, while others, like birds, spread nets in the air, trying to catch those who have risen somewhat above earthly fetters into arrogance with something exceeding. Others, having taken places in the heavenly places (and, as Paul speaks of them, “spirits of wickedness in high places” (cf. Eph. 6:12), and having “life in Heaven” (Phil. 3:20), attempt to capture even there in the net of pride, and with the same passion the initially maddened devil is cast down to the earth, with the same passion they try to cast down from the height of vigilance those who ascend to the heights life. And how many of these spirits wage war with them, enter into battle, compete, fight in all possible kinds of battle, fight, run along with those who flee (not in order to achieve “honor... rank” with them (Phil. 3:14), but in order to hinder them, getting stuck in the flow), then since there are so many of them, as Paul says, that our speech can be made lengthy, it is difficult and inconvenient to list everyone and those who fight with them do not have any freedom. time to occupy your thoughts with others, because any deviation from this struggle is the reason for them - defeat, and for enemies - victory. Therefore, it is necessary to be attentive to this and not get carried away by what is helping our opponents against us. For who will not understand that what does not contribute to the exercise of our feat serves in favor of the opponents who intercept us and throw us out of the field, and that to waver in firmness and from what we should care about, to turn to what should in no way be an object of care, means, if not a fall, then a defeat, because, according to the judgment of Truth, both in a material action and in an improper thought in intentions there is a defeat and a fall? Therefore, “the thoughts of the righteous destined: but wickedness is ruled by flattery” (Prov. 12:5). Some wisely succeed in good, while others are easily led to evil by those who in different ways direct them towards the supposed flattery, now here and there, constantly turning their thoughts, just as the turns of the sails direct the course of a ship to the supposed piers when going out to sea. That is why one says: “Let the heart of a man consider it right that his steps should be corrected by God” (see Proverbs 20:24), and the other: “If there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think about these things” (Phil. 4:8). And in this way they teach what thoughts should guide those who intend to give the right course to their thoughts. So David said in one place: “The instruction of my heart is understanding” (Ps. 48:4); and in the other: “I will always learn from Your justifications (Ps. 119:16)”; and again: “I will learn from all Your works, and I will mock at Your undertakings” (Ps. 77:13), allowing myself this mockery so that the ever-moving mind does not have time to be carried away to inappropriate things, but is relentlessly occupied with what mockery brings pleasure and great benefit, amusing the senses with sight, and the soul with contemplation. So, for example, you can really spend your whole life thinking about the works of God and sometimes raise your gaze to heaven, observing the sun during the day and the stars at night, and sometimes bring it down to the earth, considering the growth of all kinds of fruits and the numerous differences in animals. And also, seeing in the air and in the sea thousands of species of birds and fish living in them and studying them, before a person knows the benefit of each, he marvels at the wisdom of the Creator, and glorifies God for the diversity of creatures. And when he comes to the state of engaging in a visible, learned way, then all kinds of joy will come over the mind, saturated with the natural knowledge of earthly creatures. For there is nothing in existence that does not quietly teach us some kind of moral and theological speculation. But since we have extinguished the power of the mind with voluptuousness and the mind no longer reminds us of what is useful for us to do, then through our own efforts, through external things, we will bring to mind how we should live and act in order to become pleasing to the Creator. Therefore, providential grace sometimes sets up an ant, sometimes a bee, as teachers who, not by spoken word, but by deed, convince to imitate, and says: “Go to wickedness, O lazy one, and be jealous... of its way” (cf. Proverbs 6:6) - he, during the harvest, putting aside food for the winter, instructs how to profitably collect instructions for the Future Age; or: “Go to the bee and see if there is a worker” (Prov. 6:8) - she reaps flowers from plants and wisely makes honeycombs out of them, and thus teaches how, by collecting the abundance of good men, to prepare sweets for yourself for a pleasant stay in the hoped-for life. Sometimes he commands the disobedient to compete with the turtledove and the swallow, saying: “The turtledove and the swallow of the village, the slaves have preserved the times of their entrances: but My people did not know the judgments of the Lord” (Jer. 8:7), and adds: “What do you say, because we are wise and the law of the Lord is with us?” (Jer. 8:8). Thus, both by natural cognitive power and by the guardian of morals - the Law, the Prophet reproaches those gifted with reason, that in their knowledge of the will of the Creator they are more insensitive than the dumb. And also to those who do not respect the limits of their authority and recklessly offend a fellow tribesman. The Prophet, in order to pacify their arrogant arrogance, presents as an example the troubled sea in the depths when he says: “Will you not fear me; The Lord said: Or are you not ashamed at My presence? Whoever laid the limit of sand for the sea, the commandment is everlasting, and shall not surpass it... but this people had a disobedient and disobedient heart” (cf. Jer. 5:22–23). By the fact that the inanimate element is afraid of the commandment, it inspires them with reverence for keeping the commandments, so that like a sea wave, driven from the depths by a gust of wind, which, gradually rising, competes in the enormity with the mountains, when it approaches the sandy shore, reflected, returns again back to its limit, fearing the One who bound it, so those gifted with reason kept within themselves every wrong desire and, having received the command to stop every lawless thought with reason, and especially to soften the unreasonably arrogant arrogance, at least, out of imitation of insensible things, they did what they were obliged to do without the Law, recognizing this as fair according to free reasoning, serving as evidence of a free way of thinking, self-determined determination moved to the same thing that the necessity of the Law would lead to. And every visible luminary teaches something useful. The Sun, with its radiance, brings the Son to the understanding of the Co-eternal Father, and I present Paul as a witness in this, who says: “Who is the brightness of his glory and the image of His hypostasis” (Heb. 1:3). For the Apostle understood what he saw, just as the nature of the visible taught us to recognize with the keen eye of the soul that hidden law in the structure of the sun, which the Creator put in, symbolically raising the minds of those looking to the relationship that His Co-original Son has to Him. And the moon, waxing and waning, makes it possible to see the adaptability of our affairs and by recurrent changes in its appearance teaches us that we should not rejoice in prosperity as constant, and consider the days of trouble as regrettable as long, because one day is soon replaced by another, so that with the speed of passing they do not produce the sensation of their presence, while one day takes the place of another and the previous one continuously replaces the next one, like incessant modifications of the moon, which are inferior to one another to the same extent as ordinary revolutions take place both in life and in the increase of light, and changes in them are hardly noticeable, because the gradual addition or decrease is naturally hidden from the senses. And if someone, being unknown and ignorant, decides to imitate barely noticeable or brighter stars, he will not envy those who surpass him in dignity and wealth; in the same way, the one who is famous for this will not raise his eyebrows in front of insignificant people as in front of the rabble, seeing that the stars are tied to their own rank and love to remain in the lot that was assigned to them and in whatever it pleased God to place them, for each star he determined his own measure of light. And the Lord, wanting us to be “wise as a serpent, and purposeful as a dove” (Matthew 10:16), makes disciples of all parts of the creation of us, who did not preserve the nobility given to us at creation, and, rightly, those who were once our slaves, who received as mentors to bring about the improvement of our condition 22 so that we, taking into account the lesson they taught, arouse in ourselves the knowledge with which we were created with the strength to live blamelessly, choosing what is good on their own, and not collecting it from the outside, like the poor. But you, most blessed, in addition to all other goodness, and your agreement, and your experience in what is characteristic of each state, are worthy of surprise because, like a euphonious psalter, you proclaim in different voices a single song of piety, and although you pass, one is this, and the other is another, any kind of it, but none of you disagrees on anything, according to the mutual obedience of each other, which is separated physically usually combines the unanimity of wills for a single goal, just as a musician dissolves both the high and low tone characteristic of each string into harmonious sweet singing. For the visible discord of each string, which does not occur from their equal tension, most of all produces agreement, contributing to the musical harmony of the song with various modulations with variable transitions of sounds from smooth to sharp. But how is it that the newly joined, who are still making progress and entering the haven of perfection, know how to observe their rank among you, overcoming some gluttony, some vanity, and some pride and, turning away from them as from destructive passions, zealously practice abstinence, not having in mind human glory, and not being arrogant? For the filling of the womb moistens what is below it, and this, as if from bitter springs, drinking from what, due to satiety, pours into it over the edges in overflowing streams, produces strong lustful excitement and with its tickling makes the feat of chastity difficult. Knowing also that vanity is a useless ghost, they rightly run away from it as persuading them to work for virtue and turning these labors into nothing, because it does not want to show them to God, who clearly rewards secret deeds, but wants to make known what they do to people, who, as a reward for this, cannot give anything other than praise, and deprive them of eternal and great honor. For he who accepts any kind of labor in order for people to marvel at him is no different from a miracle worker in a spectacle, being content with the payment of those amused by him and not having the right to ask for another reward from God, as he who first assumed to receive a reward not from God, but from people. But the unreasonable passion of pride rightly inspires disgust, for who has any plausible excuse for being arrogant towards someone, to exalt himself before his neighbors and think highly of himself in comparison with him? Does he succeed in anything more than others and is much more abundant in good deeds than others? Without a doubt, he himself made efforts about this, and he himself will receive rewards for his diligence. Doesn’t anyone else care and take care of virtue? He himself suffers harm and does not reduce the rewards of the first. So, why does the arrogant one become arrogant and indignant as one who strives for others and intends to become, as it were, the general savior of the race? Doesn’t he know that negligence is less harmful than conceit usually does, hindering zeal to succeed in everything else with the thought that what has already been promised has been fulfilled, and by contempt for the fallen, preparing for oneself a great punishment? But humility never gave place to envy or arrogance in you, who well imitate the bodily members in sociability, and appropriate the glory of each to yourself as the glory of one body, because the perfect before the one who succeeds is not yet exalted as having an advantage, knowing that he himself was such when he succeeded; and also, being convinced that not in a long time he himself will come to the same measure of perfection, he does not envy the perfect person who is still lagging behind him in the dignity of virtue, jealous of being equal to him in life, and is not consumed by jealousy that he has become such. And in a word, among you, the one who intends to prosper in life and in this distinctive way of thinking is more humble than others. Another, looking at those who have great diligence in their affairs, will find, perhaps, that the most diligent is more modest in character than others, just as one can find among others that, due to the prevailing love of fame in the world, everyone wants to appear more preferable to everyone else. Just as you have come to know Christ, so you live in Christ, having learned from Him to obey one another, just as He was obedient to the Father “even to death, even death on the cross” (Phil. 2:8); having legitimized the measure of obedience even to the point of such danger, you also practice other virtues with all zeal, because Christ, by creating them and teaching them, became a reliable Teacher for all people, Himself the first to actually show the disciples the opportunity to do what he commanded. So you have a great and all-surpassing goodwill towards each other, having recognized that Christ called this very thing a sign of His disciples when He said: Of this all understand, just as you are My disciples, if you have love among one another (John 13:35); sincere “have peace” (Mark 9:50) with everyone; “My peace I leave with you” (cf. John 14:27); love those who hate you, “pray for... those who persecute you and cause harm to you” (Matthew 5:44). Christ Himself commanded this, exercising us in sorrows as ascetics of patience; listen to what He says: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29); in fact, show that you are imitating Me, when they hit “on the right side of the cheek, turn the other one too,” when they take the “robe,” give back “and the cheek” (cf. Matt. 5:39–40), enduring insult and damage rather than frivolously rushing to revenge.” But you, more than others, succeed in not acquiring that which the Lord has forbidden to acquire, knowing that this way of life is appropriate for warriors and ascetics. Not one of you neglected the Lord’s bliss, but all of you forever became in your hands and with the rewards that are associated with them; You have become poor in spirit, and meek, and peacemakers, and merciful, and pure in heart, but yours and the Kingdom of Heaven, which, pray, may we also be worthy of, becoming zealous for your deeds, the reward for which, like everyone else worthy of you, will be the promised enjoyment of the Kingdom in Christ Jesus our Lord. To him be glory forever! Amen. Instead of: εί according to the manuscript it reads: οί. Instead of: πηγή according to the manuscript it reads: ποιει. Instead of: ή according to the manuscript it reads: μαλλον. According to the manuscript it reads: κάν without copulation: γάρ. Instead of: θεσμός according to the manuscript it reads: μεστός. Instead of: κατά του Χριστου according to the manuscript it reads: τά του Χριστου. Instead of: βλέπειν according to the manuscript it reads: κλέπτειν. The word “impossible” was added according to the manuscript. According to the manuscript it reads: τόν συνήθη μαιμάσσαντα ύετόν. Instead of: νυκτός according to the manuscript it reads: ούρανός. The words “trusting in what is seen” are added according to the manuscript. Instead of: σχέσιν according to the manuscript it reads: τέχνην. According to the manuscript, the conjunction is not readable: ού before the word: ζηλοτά. Instead of: του πταίσματος according to the manuscript it reads: του πύσματος. Instead of: μακρυνθεισαν according to the manuscript it reads: κρατυνθεισαν. According to the manuscript it reads: λυπήσουσι ζημία. Instead of: τάξιν according to the manuscript it reads: πράξιν. Instead of: ού ταπεινω according to the manuscript it reads: ταπεινω. Instead of: χρόνου according to the manuscript it reads: πόνου. Instead of: δόξη according to the manuscript it reads: λόξη. According to the manuscript it reads: έπί τοί καταθυμίοις. Instead of: της άφροσύνης according to the manuscript it reads: της καταστάσεως. You might be interested in: