40. К пресвитеру Николаю 32

You greatly rejoiced us and gave us great pleasure by informing us that you care a lot about Phenicia and, despite such a long distance, you encourage the workers there with letters, thus showing apostolic zeal. We constantly glorify and please you, therefore, both because you first sent the monks there, and because now, in such a difficult state of affairs, you not only did not recall them, but ordered them to remain there, acting like an excellent helmsman or a conscientious doctor. When the helmsman sees that the waves are rising, then he applies much more diligence. When the doctor notices that the fever has reached the highest degree of inflammation, then he exerts all his skill. So you too, my most honest and reverent lord, acted worthy of your valor when, seeing that things were going badly and hostilely, you insisted with particular force that those there should not run away from the ranks, but remain in their places and do their job. Continuing in this way with your former zeal, hurry my master, the most honorable presbyter Gerontius, to immediately go there, if only he has recovered and is completely recovered. We would be very pleased to see him if he came to visit us here; but since the state of affairs there requires special haste and vigilance, so that it is not possible to spend much time on the road, and besides, the coming winter may block his path, we earnestly ask your honesty to hurry him, if he has recovered, to go straight there, and with him try to send our dear, dear Presbyter John. You know that especially at this time, the affairs there require more and more workers, the wider the evil has grown. Understanding this, knowing what a great matter is the salvation of the soul, and bearing in mind how much has already been done by the previous zeal of your honesty, please, both yourself and through others through whom you can, make every effort so that what has already been done remains firmly forever, and more and more significant increments are added to it. You have made us no less happy than those who arrived here; mentally as if you had arrived, and although you are not here visibly, we constantly see you with the eyes of love, carrying you everywhere in our soul. Maybe we will have a chance to see each other in person when time permits. But at this time, although we would very much like to see and embrace your love, we also believe that your presence there is necessary. I am sure that you will do everything and use all your efforts to fill Phenicia with valiant workers, strengthening those already there even more so that they do not return from there, abandoning their affairs there, and meanwhile, looking for new people nearby and sending them there with full zeal. In this way, you will bring the greatest benefit to everyone, both near and far, becoming like aromas that not only fill the place where they are contained with their incense, but also spread far in the air. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” The present and the following three letters were written from Kukuz in 405. You might be interested in: