41. К пресвитеру Геронтию

I wrote to your reverence, believing that you were already in Phenicia; and therefore now I am writing again the same thing that I spoke about in my previous letter, namely, that at the present time it is especially necessary to do everything and transfer everything, so that your good field does not remain barren and so that nothing that has already been done there is lost in vain. So, when the shepherds see that their sheep are in great danger of death from everywhere, they become especially vigilant and active, take up the sling and resort to various other means to drive away all danger from the flock. If Jacob, to whom the dumb sheep were entrusted, worked for fourteen whole years, without knowing sleep, languishing in the cold and heat, and worked for the very last wages of a hired hand, then think about what those who are entrusted with the verbal sheep are not obliged to do and endure, so that not one of them perishes. Therefore, I zealously ask your reverence: the more terrible the storm, the more evil, the stronger the obstacles, the more numerous the slanderers, the more decisively rise up yourself, convince others to take up this good guard with you, and hasten to arrive there as quickly as possible. Just for the trip itself you will receive a considerable reward; if you are awarded for one trip, then even more so when you get down to business and show great zeal. Instead of sitting at home, it is much better and more useful to undertake such trips. Being there, you can have everything that you have now: fasts, vigils, and other feats of abstinence. But sitting at home, one cannot acquire what can be achieved while living there - the salvation of so many souls, reward for dangers, reward for complete readiness to endure them, since just readiness for them already requires reward. So, think about how many new crowns you will buy for yourself, and don’t hesitate, don’t put it off, but when you get better, please go there straight away, without worrying at all about the necessary things. I have already told my lord, the most honest and most reverent presbyter Constantius, that whether you need to spend anything on buildings or on the needs of the brethren, I will deliver everything to you in full abundance, and even now more fully than before. Having, therefore, in mind both the provision of all needs there, and, above all, the godly nature of the matter itself, please, discarding all procrastination, hurry up as quickly as possible, and from Phenicia itself let us know about this in order to console us in our difficult life in the desert. Indeed, if we receive the news that you went there with complete determination to do everything and endure everything for the sake of saving the souls of the pagans there, then we will be able to forget from such pleasure even that we live in the desert. We would also like to see you; but since what I was talking about is much more necessary and you can be afraid that winter will block your path from us there, that’s why we are hurrying you and asking you earnestly to go straight there as soon as possible. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: