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people that you are my disciples, if you love one another. For where there is love, there Christ dwells; for Christ is love. But where there is hatred and such things, as we have said before, Christ is not there, but an evil dragon lodges there. It is good, therefore, to be secure, so that no contentiousness or fighting may arise among you. And if one of you is defeated, let him immediately fall down with tears before the brother whom he has grieved, and be reconciled to him with his whole heart, as the Lord sees; for man looks at the face, but God at the heart. For if you do not forgive men their trespasses, said the Lord, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses; and forgive, and you will be forgiven; and let not the sun go down on your anger; for we do not know what the next day will bring forth, and we do not know at what hour the thief is coming. For it is impossible for a resentful soul to enter the gate of life. If it performs every act of righteousness, it is an abomination before the Lord and all the work of such a man is in vain. And henceforth let each one, whether he is rebuked or reproached or insulted justly or unjustly, hold himself to blame and not his brother. And he who does not endure now is afflicted then, because he did not endure, but lost his reward. For what credit is it, says the Lord, if you love those who love you? But love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. And from him who takes your goods, do not ask them back. And if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, offer him the other also. And blessed are you, when they reproach you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven. He did not say, "be angry," but "rejoice." Therefore one must pay attention to the Lord's commandment and be subject to it with force and great long-suffering. For if there is no force and long-suffering, what reward is there? For those who wrong you and slander you procure a heavenly reward for you and benefit your souls. For an evil intention cooperates with the hearing of good things; for as much as the devil strives through the more careless brothers or by other methods to kill the soul, so much does he prepare the zealous one to run and cling to God. And then, being helped and strengthened in turn by the Lord, it becomes superior to the passions and thus receives the reward from the Lord, and the devil is found, against his will, to be its benefactor until death, as the heart struggles against him. Then he who has ears to hear, let him hear. I beseech you therefore, my child and brother, since my word is again to you, if your brother sins against you or against your neighbor or some other fault is found and you wish to correct him, first secure your inner man, that is, your heart, and keep it untroubled with the remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that, wishing to correct another, you may not destroy your own soul in anger-for evil does not cast out evil, but overcome evil with good-and apply the correction to the fault, not through insults or blows, but through fasting, if necessary, as you may prove with the Lord, knowing this, that without him you can do nothing. Beseech him therefore at all times, that he himself may become an eye for you and grant you understanding of both good and evil. And if he falls down repenting, so receive him; for condescension is good. And so, I think, the Lord does not know how to be indignant at compassion, but is angered at severity. Which we also find in the case of the debtor of ten thousand talents, the forgiveness of so many evils, yet he himself, when entreated by his fellow servant, did not forgive the debt of one hundred denarii, and for this reason was condemned to the outer darkness. But if he persists in the same things

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ἄνθρωποι ὅτι ἐμοὶ μαθηταί ἐστε, ἐὰν ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους. Ὅπου γὰρ ἀγάπη ἐκεῖ Χριστὸς κατοικεῖ· Χριστὸς γὰρ ἀγάπη ἐστίν. Ὅπου δὲ μῖσος καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, ὅσα προείπομεν, ἐκεῖ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἔστιν, ἀλλὰ πονηρὸς δρά κων ἐκεῖ αὐλίζεται. Καλὸν μὲν οὖν ἐστιν ἀσφαλίσασθαι, ἵνα μὴ φιλονεικία ἢ μάχη ἀνακύψῃ μεταξὺ ὑμῶν. Ἐὰν δὲ καὶ ἡττηθῇ τις ἐξ ὑμῶν, εὐθέως προσπέσῃ μετὰ δακρύων τῷ ἀδελφῷ, ᾧ ἐλύπησε, καὶ διαλλαγῇ αὐτῷ ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας, ὡς ὁ Κύριος ὁρᾷ· ἄνθρωπος γὰρ εἰς πρόσωπον, Θεὸς δὲ εἰς καρδίαν. Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ἀφῆτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν, εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος, οὐδὲ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος ἀφήσει τὰ παραπτώματα ὑμῶν· καὶ ἄφετε καὶ ἀφεθήσεται ὑμῖν· καὶ ὁ ἥλιος μὴ ἐπιδυέτω ἐπὶ τῷ παροργισμῷ ὑμῶν· οὐ γὰρ οἴδαμεν τί τέξεται ἡ ἐπιοῦσα καὶ οὐκ οἴδαμεν ποίᾳ ὥρᾳ ὁ κλέπτης ἔρχεται. Ἀδύνατον γὰρ μνησίκακον ψυχὴν εἰς θύραν ζωῆς εἰσελθεῖν. Ἐὰν πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην ποιήσῃ, βδέλυγμά ἐστιν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου καὶ ματαία πᾶσα ἡ ἐργασία τοῦ τοιούτου ἀνθρώπου. Καὶ λοιπὸν ἕκαστος εἴτε δικαίως εἴτε ἀδίκως ἐπιτιμηθῇ ἢ ὀνειδισθῇ ἢ ὑβρισθῇ, ἑαυτὸν ἐχέτω αἴτιον καὶ μὴ τὸν ἀδελφόν. Καὶ ὁ μὴ ὑπομένων νῦν τότε θλίβεται, ὅτι οὐχ ὑπέμεινεν, ἀλλὰ ἐξαπώλεσε τὸν μισθὸν αὑτοῦ. Ποία γὰρ χάρις, λέγει Κύριος, ἐὰν ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας ὑμᾶς; Ἀλλὰ ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν καὶ εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐπηρεαζόντων ὑμᾶς, εὐλογεῖτε τοὺς διώκοντας ὑμᾶς, εὐλογεῖτε καὶ μὴ καταρᾶσθε. Καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἴροντος τὰ σὰ μὴ ἀπαίτει. Καὶ ἐὰν τίς σε ῥαπίσῃ εἰς τὴν δεξιὰν σιαγόνα, πάρεχε αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην. Καὶ μακάριοί ἐστε, ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ διώξωσι καὶ εἴπωσι πᾶν πονηρὸν ῥῆμα καθ' ὑμῶν ψευδόμενοι ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ. Χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Οὐκ εἶπεν ὅτι χολᾶτε, ἀλλὰ χαίρετε. Οὐκοῦν τῇ ἐντολῇ τοῦ Κυρίου προσέχειν δεῖ καὶ αὐτῇ ὑποτάσσεσθαι μετὰ βίας καὶ μακροθυμίας πολλῆς. Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ᾖ βία καὶ μακροθυμία, ποῖος μισθός; Οἱ γὰρ ἀδικοῦντες ὑμᾶς καὶ συκοφαντοῦντες οὗτοι μισθὸν οὐράνιον προξενοῦσιν ὑμῖν καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν εὐεργετοῦσι. Συνεργεῖ γὰρ τῇ ἀκοῇ τῶν καλῶν προαίρεσις οὐκ ἀγαθή· ὅσον γὰρ σπουδάζει ὁ διά βολος διὰ τῶν ἀμελεστέρων ἀδελφῶν ἢ ἑτέραις μεθοδίαις θανατῶσαι τὴν ψυχήν, τοσοῦτον παρασκευάζει τὸν σπουδαῖον προστρέχειν καὶ προσκολλᾶσθαι τῷ Θεῷ. Καὶ λοιπὸν κατὰ μέρος ὑπὸ Κυρίου βοηθουμένη καὶ δυναμουμένη ἀνωτέρα γίνεται τῶν παθῶν καὶ οὕτω κομίζεται τὸν μισθὸν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ εὑρίσκεται ὁ διάβολος, ὡς οὐ θέλει, εὐεργέτης γινόμενος αὐτῆς ἕως θανάτου ἀνταγωνιζομένης τῆς καρδίας. Λοιπὸν ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν, ἀκουέτω. Παρακαλῶ οὖν, τέκνον μου καὶ ἀδελφέ, ἐπειδὴ πάλιν μοι πρὸς σὲ ὁ λόγος, ἐὰν ἁμάρτῃ ὁ ἀδελφός σου εἰς σὲ ἢ εἰς τὸν πλησίον σου ἢ εἰς ἕτερόν τι εὑρεθῇ σφάλμα καὶ θέλεις αὐτὸν διορθώσασθαι, πρῶτον ἀσφαλίζου τὸν ἔσω σου ἄνθρωπον, τουτέστι τὴν καρδίαν σου καὶ φύλαξον αὐτὴν ἀτάραχον μετὰ τῆς μνήμης τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα μὴ ἄλλον θέλων διορθώσασθαι τὴν ψυχήν σου διαφθείρῃς ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ-κακία γὰρ κακίαν οὐκ ἐκβάλλει, ἀλλὰ νίκα ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ τὸ κακόν-καὶ πρὸς τὸ σφάλμα τὴν διόρθωσιν ἐπάγαγε, μὴ διὰ ὕβρεων ἢ πληγῶν, ἀλλὰ διὰ νηστείας, εἰ δέοι, καθὼς δοκιμάσῃς μετὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, τοῦτο εἰδώς, ὅτι χωρὶς αὐτοῦ οὐδὲν δύνασαι. Παρακάλει οὖν αὐτὸν ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ, ἵνα αὐτός σοι γένηται ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ χαρίσηταί σοι σύνεσιν καλοῦ τε καὶ κακοῦ. Ἐὰν δὲ προσπέσῃ μετανοῶν καὶ οὕτω δέξαι αὐτόν· καλὴ γὰρ ἡ συγκατάβασις. Καὶ οὕτω, νομίζω, ἐπὶ συμπάθειαν οὐκ οἶδεν ἀγανακτεῖν ὁ Κύριος, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῇ ἀποτομίᾳ ὀργίζεται. Ὃ καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ χρεωφειλέτῃ τῶν μυρίων ταλάντων εὑρίσκομεν, τῶν τοσούτων κακῶν τὴν ἄφεσιν, καὶ αὐτὸς παρακαλούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ συνδούλου αὑτοῦ οὐκ ἀφῆκε τὴν ὀφειλὴν τῶν ἑκατὸν δηναρίων καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κατεδικάσθη εἰς τὸ ἐξώτερον σκότος. Ἐὰν δὲ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐμμένῃ