About patience, the end of this age and the second coming.

Continuous reign of the righteous and endless punishment of sinners; the basis of confession, an exhortation to study the divine Scripture, and what are the tricks of the enemy, and in what ways silence is useful. The life of the righteous is brilliant; but how does it become brilliant if not through patience? Having acquired it, love it, brother, as the mother of courage, because the psalm exhorts, saying: “Trust in the Lord and keep His way” (Ps. 37:34), and Paul says how it acquires virtue: “from tribulation comes patience” (Rom. 5:3). Turning to him, you will find a source of blessings, hope: “hope does not disappoint” (Rom. 5:5). So, “Submit to the Lord and trust in Him,” and you will find from here that “He will also fulfill the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:7, 4). What is more blessed than this - to gain the merciful ear of such a king? Who would not want the judge's ear to be open to him, and to obey? Brother, you are a doer of virtue; Christ has hired you into His vineyard; While you have a convenient time, do good. Listen to Paul when he says, “Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7). Sow into the spirit in order to reap eternal life for you: “he who sows to his flesh,” says (the apostle), “from the flesh will reap corruption” (Gal. 6:8). Listen to the wonderful exhorter who says: “Sow for yourselves in righteousness, and you will reap in kindness” (Hos. 10:12); Seeing hope ahead of you, do not neglect your work. Where there are exploits, there are rewards; where there are wars, there are honors; Where there is struggle, there is a crown. Looking at this, prepare yourself through patience; always call to yourself, exclaiming with the saints: “Take courage, and let your heart be strengthened, and trust in the Lord” (Ps. 27:14). “Prepare your work for the end, and finish it... on the field” (Prov. 24:27), because life is this field. Take the Old Testament: “fence your possession with thorns” (Sir. 28:27). Which one? Fasting, prayer, teaching. If you have a fence, no beast will enter—I mean the devil. Cultivate your soul like a beautiful vine. And just as those guarding the vineyard clap their hands, shout with their voices, and with a roar they prevent intruders from entering, so do you: shout with prayer, raise a cry with psalmody, and you will drive away the insidious beast, the fox, which is the devil; The Scripture spoke about him: “Catch foxes for us, little foxes...” (Song. 2:15), and so on. Always watch the enemy; if he comes to pierce your heart with the arrow of a foolish desire, and if he comes to plunge your soul into dirty thoughts, put up the shield of faith, put on the helmet of hope, draw the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; and, thus arming yourself against the enemy, endure, and do not be careless in the fight, but watch in everything. The enemy brings either space or sorrow. He tests where a person’s internal state is located - and he himself goes there to fight, with the help of his cunning. Therefore, my brother, be continually vigilant and always diligent in reading diligently, so that you may learn how to escape the snares of the enemy and achieve eternal life. Reading divine Scripture restrains the wandering mind and gives knowledge about God, because it is written: “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 45:11); Do you hear, brother, that he who sincerely studies the Divine Scripture receives knowledge about God? Therefore, my brother, do not neglect your soul, but engage in reading and prayer, so that your mind will be enlightened, and so that you will be safe and sound, without any defect. Others boast in conversing with nobles, rulers and kings, but you boast before the angels of God, conversing with the Holy Spirit through the divine Scripture, because the Holy Spirit speaks through it. Try to read the Divine Scripture and constantly remain in holy prayer. The more times you are with God through him, the more times your body, soul and spirit are sanctified. So, knowing this, my brother, that when you read it, you are sanctified, try to read it the more often; and if your hands are not free, pray in your mind. Anna, the mother of the prophet Samuel, also prayed: she moved her lips; her prayer reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. And what she asked for was given to her. Therefore, my brother, even if your hands are free, still pray with your mind; The Lord listens to the voiceless. And if you do not know how to read, lie down where you can listen and benefit, because it is written: “If you see an intelligent man, go to him early in the morning, and let your foot wear out the thresholds of his doors” (Sir. 6:36). This helps, my brother, not only those who cannot read, but even those who can. Many people read and do not understand what they are reading. So, see, brother, do not neglect the mercy given to you by the gift of Christ; but think and examine how you can please God in order to receive bliss, because it is written: “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with all their hearts” (Ps. 119:2). When you read, be careful that the enemy does not distract you by offending you, putting you to the test, and saying: first of all, do this thing, since it is small, and then you will read without worry. When he suggests this and makes you want to do this, he instills all this in order to keep you from reading and gaining benefit by doing it. When the devil sees a person reading with effort and benefit, he attacks with these means and many others, looking for something to hinder him. So, do not trust him, but be like a thirsty deer, willing to go to the sources of water, that is, to the Divine Scripture, in order to drink from it, and it will quench your thirst, which burns you with strong desire. At the same time, drink from here and benefit yourself: I say this so that when the Lord gives you an understanding of the word from it, you will not rush past it, but ponder it in your mind, write it in your heart and constantly keep it in your memory, as it is written: “I am comforted by Your statutes, I do not forget Your word”; and again: “I have hidden Your word in my heart, so as not to sin against You”; and again: “How can a young man keep his path pure? “By keeping yourself according to Your word” (Ps. 119:16, 11, 9). Do you see, brother, that a person corrects his path by remembering the words of God? Who, in fact, remembers the word of God and does not correct (the path), if not the worthless and unfortunate one who remembers absolutely nothing, but even forgets what, in his opinion, he remembers? To such a person God says: “Why do you preach My statutes and take My covenant in your mouth, but you yourself hate My instruction and throw My words away for yourself” (Ps. 49:16, 17)? So, He commands that what He thinks he has should be taken away from him (Matthew 25:29); he, in his opinion, has faith, he calls himself a Christian, but in reality he refuses, and is worse than an infidel. Therefore He commands that the Holy Spirit, which he received on the day of redemption, which, in his opinion, he has, should be taken away from him. And there is such a person as a wine pot with a crack, and through it he loses wine; everyone who sees it, without noticing what has happened, thinks that it is full; and when it is examined, then it becomes obvious to everyone that it was empty. So will such a person be when he is examined on that day of judgment; and then everything that concerns him will become obvious to everyone. Being such, even if they say to the King on that day: “Lord! God! Have we not prophesied in Your name? and was it not in Your name that they cast out demons? and didn’t they do many miracles in Your name?” - then the King will answer them and say to them: “Truly I say to you: “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:22–23). You see, brother, that such a person does not receive any mercy. So, be mindful of the words you hear and correct your path. Be careful not to allow oblivion to come and steal it (the word) from your heart; See that you do not allow the birds to fly in and eat the seed of God, because He himself said that the seed is the word that you heard. Hide the seed in the depths of the earth, that is, hide the word in the midst of your heart, so that it will bear fruit in fear of the Lord. And when you read, read diligently and intensely, reading the verse with great thoroughness, and do not try to just leaf through it, but, if necessary, do not be lazy to read the verse twice, three times and many times in order to understand its power. And when you intend to sit down and read, or, again, listen to someone else reading, pray, first of all, to God, saying: Lord Jesus Christ our God, open the ears and eyes of my heart, so that I, Lord, may listen to Your word, understand and do Your will, since “I am a stranger on earth; hide not Your commandments from me” but “Open my eyes, and I will see the wonders of Your law” (Ps. 119:19, 18). My God, I hope in You that You will enlighten my heart *. Really, I ask, my brother, always pray to God that He will enlighten your mind and make the power of His words clear to you. Many were lost, relying too much on their own understanding of them, and “professing to be wise, they became fools” (Rom. 1:22), fell into blasphemy, not understanding what was written, and perished. So, if during your reading you find a word incomprehensible, be careful that the evil one does not teach you to say to yourself that what is not as this word says, because how can it be so? and the like; but if you believe God, believe His words, and say to the evil one: get away from me, Satan. I know: “The words of the Lord are pure words, silver purified from the earth in a furnace, refined seven times” (Ps. 11:7); and (there is) nothing indirect or complicated in them, but everything is good for those who understand; but I am foolish and do not understand; I know that they were written spiritually: and the apostle says that “the law is spiritual” (Rom. 7:14). Then, look at the sky and say: Lord, I believe in Your words; I don’t mind, but I boldly trust the words of the Holy Spirit. You, Lord, save me so that I may find grace before You. I do not seek anything other than my own salvation, in order to receive, O merciful One, Your mercy, since Yours is the kingdom and power forever. Amen. Also, brother, wield silence as a strong wall, because silence makes you above passions; you fight from above, and he from below. Master the silence of the fear of God, and all the arrows of the enemy will not harm you; silence coupled with the fear of God is a chariot of fire. Let Elijah the prophet also convince you (of this) - Elijah, who loved silence and the fear of God - and how was he taken to heaven? O silence, the success of the monks; oh, silence, stairway to heaven; O silence, the path of the heavenly kingdom; O silence, mother of repentance; Oh, silence, the mirror of sins, showing man his sins; Oh, silence that does not hold back tears; O silence, mother of meekness; O silence, companion of humility; Oh, silence coupled with the fear of God is an enlightener of the mind; Oh, silence, a spy on thoughts, and a helper in doubt; Oh, silence, the parent of all good, the basis of fasting, and an obstacle to gluttony; O silence, leisure for prayer and reading; oh, silence, silence of thoughts, and clear harbor; oh, silence, carelessness of the soul; Oh, silence, a useful yoke and a light burden, giving rest and bearing the one who bears you; oh, silence, joy of soul and heart; oh, silence, a bridle for the eyes, ears and tongue; O silence, the destruction of boastfulness, and the enemy of shamelessness; oh, silence, prison of passions; Oh, silence, helper of all virtue, protector of poverty, God's country, bearing good fruits; Oh, silence, a wall and a fortress for those who wish to strive for the kingdom of heaven! Really, brother, take possession of this beautiful part that Mary has chosen for herself. This Mary, who sat down at the feet of the Lord and clung only to Him, was an example of silence. That is why the Lord praised her, saying: “Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42). Do you see, brother, what silence is like? (It is such) that the Lord himself, our God, praises the one who owns it. Own it, my brother, and you will enjoy your Lord, sitting at His feet and clinging only to Him, so that you too can openly say: “My soul cleaves to You; Your right hand upholds me” (Ps. 62:9). Therefore, “As my soul is satisfied with fat and oil” (Ps. 62:6). Right, my brother, own it - (it is) sweeter than honey. Better is a piece with the salt of silence and carelessness than a supply of precious dishes in temptations and worries. Listen to the Sovereign God who says: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The Lord desires to give you rest from the cares, rage, temptation and sorrow of this age; wishes you to be free from Egyptian brick-making; wants to lead you into the desert, that is, into silence, in order to illuminate your path with a pillar of cloud, in order to feed you with manna - I mean the bread of silence and carelessness - in order to give you a good land for your inheritance - I mean the heavenly Jerusalem. Really, beloved, love it, own it, so that you can enjoy God’s testimonies during your journey, as if with all your wealth. Truly, brother, master silence with the fear of God, and the God of peace will be with you; To him be glory forever. Amen. So, beloved, I ask you, by the Lord, to try every day to bring this to mind - I mean hope, faith, love, humility, constantly imprinting yourself with the prayers of God, meditation on Divine Scripture and silence. This, when it exists and increases among you, does not make (you) idle or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. A Christian who does not master this is blind, short-sighted, and forgets about his previous sins; and what happens to him is truly according to the parable: “the dog returns to his vomit, and the washed pig goes to wallow in the mud” (2 Pet. 2:22). Therefore, (who), having removed themselves from the defilements of the world, as it is written, and having renounced this in the holy font and having been in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, then again become entangled in this, for those the last is worse than the first. It would be better for them not to know the path of truth than, if they knew, to go back again. So, beloved, faithful servants and chosen warriors of God, Christians, let us take into our hearts the whole armor of what was said earlier, and urgently bring this to mind every day, so that we can fight a wonderful feat and trample all the power of the enemy; so that we would be delivered from the wrath that comes to the sons of disobedience, and would find mercy and grace on the terrible day before the righteous Judge, who rewards everyone according to his deeds; Glory is due to Him, with the Almighty Father and the All-Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom, and classified in the Minya edition as Spuria. Under the stars is a short prayer placed earlier, separately from the context. You might be interested in: