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examples and the proof. Be zealous for what you wish, either be a servant of the poor, or a lover of the doctrines of Christ. But if you are able to be zealous for both, from each you will bear the fruit of salvation. The spiritual word, however, is first, and all the rest are second. For Mary, he says, has chosen the good portion. If, therefore, you too wish to be an initiate of Christ, sit at his feet, receive his Gospel, you will leave his whole life, and you will pass through it without anxiety; and you will forget your own body, and thus you will be able to converse with his teachings, that you may be zealous like Mary, and reap the highest glory. And when praying, see that you do not ask for one thing instead of another, and anger the Lord, not money, not human glory, not power, not anything else of those things that pass away; but ask for the kingdom of God, and he himself will provide you all things for the need of the body, just as the Lord himself says: Seek the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Of prayer, beloved, there are two modes: the one is that of doxology with humility; the second is that of petition, which is subordinate. When you pray, therefore, do not come immediately to petition; otherwise, you slander your own intention, as if compelled by need you are praying to God. Beginning prayer, therefore, leave yourself, wife, children; let go of the earth, transcend heaven, leave all 31.1329 creation both visible and invisible, and begin from the doxology of the one who made all things, and when you glorify him, not letting your mind wander here and there, nor mythologizing in the Greek manner, but selecting from the holy Scriptures, and saying: I bless you, Lord, the long-suffering, and forbearing, who every day are long-suffering with me as I sin, and have given to all of us the power of repentance. For because of this you are silent, and you bear with us, Lord, so that we may glorify you who provides for the salvation of our race; sometimes through fears, other times through exhortations, sometimes through prophets, and later by visiting us through the coming of your Christ. For you formed us, and not we ourselves. You are our God. And when you have glorified from the Scriptures, as you are able, and you have sent up praise to God, then begin with humility, and say: I, Lord, am not worthy to speak before you, because I am an exceedingly great sinner. Even if you are not conscious of anything wicked in yourself, thus you must speak. For no one is without sin except God alone. For though sinning much, we do not understand most of it. For this reason the Apostle says: I am conscious of nothing in myself, but I am not justified by this; that is, I sin much, and I do not understand. Whence also the Prophet says: Who can understand his errors? So therefore you do not lie by calling yourself a sinner. For if you understand, you sin in this very thing, by saying, "I am not a sinner;" but rather say, that I am the one above all sinners who transgresses the divine command that orders: When you have done all things aright, say, "We are unworthy servants; for what we were obliged to do, we have done." Thus you must always consider, that "I am unworthy;" and again: In humility considering one another as superior to yourselves. Pray therefore to God with fear and humility. When therefore you offer a word of humility, and say: I thank you, Lord, that you have been long-suffering with my transgressions, and until now have left me unpunished; for I was worthy long ago to suffer countless terrible things, and to be cast away from your presence, but your forbearing love for humanity has been long-suffering with me; I thank you, even if I am not sufficient for thanksgiving for your forbearance; and when you have completed the two parts of doxology and humility, then finally ask what you ought to ask: not wealth, as I said before, not earthly glory, not health of body. For he himself formed you, and cares for your salvation, and knows how it is profitable for each, whether to be healthy,

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ὑποδείγματα καὶ τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. Ζήλωσον ἃ θέλεις, ἢ διάκονος ἔσο πτωχῶν, ἢ ἐραστὴς δογμάτων Χριστοῦ. Εἰ δὲ δύνα σαι ἀμφότερα ζηλῶσαι, ἑκατέρωθεν ἀποφέρῃ τὸν καρπὸν τῆς σωτηρίας. Πρῶτος μέντοι ἐστὶν ὁ πνευ ματικὸς λόγος, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ πάντα δεύτερα. Μαρία γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν ἀγαθὴν μερίδα ἐξελέξατο. Ἂν τοίνυν καὶ σὺ θέλῃς μύστης εἶναι Χριστοῦ, παρακαθέζῃ μὲν αὐτοῦ τοῖς ποσὶ, δέχῃ δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, καταλείψεις αὐτοῦ ὅλον τὸν βίον, καὶ ἀμερίμνως διοί σεις· ἐπιλησθήσῃ δὲ καὶ τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος, καὶ οὕτω δυνήσῃ προσδιαλέγεσθαι αὐτοῦ τοῖς θεωρήμα σιν, ἵνα ζηλώσῃς Μαρίαν, καὶ τὴν ἀνωτάτω καρπώσῃ δόξαν. Προσευχόμενος δὲ, ὅρα μὴ ἄλλα ἀντ' ἄλλων αἰτήσῃς, καὶ παροργίσῃς τὸν Κύριον, μὴ χρήματα, μὴ δόξαν ἀνθρωπίνην, μὴ δυναστείαν, μὴ ἄλλο τι τῶν παρερχομένων· ἀλλὰ αἴτει τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ πάντα τὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν τοῦ σώματος αὐτός σοι παρέξει, καθώς φησιν αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος· Ζητεῖτε τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τὴν δι καιοσύνην αὐτοῦ, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσε ται ὑμῖν. Προσευχῆς δὲ, ἀγαπητὲ, δύο εἰσὶ τρόποι· ὁ μὲν ὁ τῆς δοξολογίας μετὰ ταπεινοφροσύνης· δεύ τερος δὲ ὁ τῆς αἰτήσεως ὑποβεβηκώς. Προσευχόμενος οὖν, μὴ εὐθέως ἐπὶ αἴτησιν ἔρχου· εἰ δὲ μήγε, δια βάλλεις σου τὴν προαίρεσιν, ὡς ὑπὸ τῆς χρείας ἀναγκαζόμενος προσεύχῃ τῷ Θεῷ. Ἀρχόμενος τοίνυν προσευχῆς, κατάλιπε σεαυτὸν, γυναῖκα, τέκνα· ἔασον τὴν γῆν, ὑπέρβηθι οὐρανὸν, κατάλιπε πᾶσαν τὴν 31.1329 κτίσιν ὁρατήν τε καὶ ἀόρατον, καὶ ἄρξαι ἀπὸ δοξο λογίας τοῦ ποιήσαντος τὰ πάντα, καὶ ὅταν δοξολογή σῃς αὐτὸν, μὴ πλανώμενος τὸν νοῦν ὧδε κἀκεῖσε, μηδὲ Ἑλληνικῶς μυθολογῶν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων Γραφῶν ἐκλεγόμενος, καὶ λέγων· Εὐλογῶ σε, Κύριε, τὸν μακρόθυμον, καὶ ἀνεξίκακον, τὸν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν μακροθυμοῦντά μοι πλημμελοῦντι, καὶ δόντα ἐξουσίαν πᾶσιν ἡμῖν μετανοίας. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο σιω πᾷς, καὶ ἀνέχῃ ἡμῶν, Κύριε, ἵνα σε δοξολογῶμεν τὸν οἰκονομοῦντα τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν τὴν σωτηρίαν· ποτὲ μὲν διὰ φόβων, ἄλλοτε δὲ διὰ παραινέσεων, ποτὲ δὲ διὰ προφητῶν, ὕστερον δὲ διὰ τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ σου ἐπισκεψάμενος ἡμᾶς. Σὺ γὰρ ἔπλασας ἡμᾶς, καὶ οὐχ ἡμεῖς. Σὺ εἶ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν. Ὅταν δὲ δοξολογήσῃς ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν, ὡς δύνα σαι, καὶ ἀναπέμψῃς αἶνον πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, τότε ἄρ χου μετὰ ταπεινοφροσύνης, καὶ λέγε· Ἐγὼ μὲν, Κύριε, οὐκ εἰμὶ ἄξιος ἐπὶ σοῦ φθέγξασθαι, διότι σφόδρα ἁμαρτωλὸς τυγχάνω. Κἂν μὴ σύνοιδάς τι σεαυτῷ φαῦ λον, οὕτω χρή σε λέγειν. Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἀναμάρτητος εἰ μὴ μόνος ὁ Θεός. Πολλὰ γὰρ ἁμαρτάνοντες, τὰ πλεῖστα οὔτε συνίεμεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο φησὶν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· Οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν τούτῳ δεδικαίωμαι· τουτέστι, πολλὰ ἁμαρτάνω, καὶ οὐ συνιῶ. Ὅθεν καὶ ὁ Προφήτης φησί· Παραπτώματα τίς συνήσει; Ὥστε οὖν οὐ ψεύδῃ ἁμαρτωλὸν σεαυτὸν εἰπών. Εἰ γὰρ συνιεῖς, καὶ αὐτῷ τούτῳ ἁμαρτάνεις, τῷ λέγειν, ὅτι Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἁμαρτωλός· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον λέγε, ὅτι Ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς πάντας ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ παρα βαίνων τὸ θεῖον πρόσταγμα τὸ κελεῦον· Ὅταν πάντα κατορθώσητε, λέγετε, ὅτι Ἀχρεῖοι δοῦλοί ἐσμεν· ἃ γὰρ ὀφείλομεν ποιῆσαι, πεποιήκαμεν. Οὕτω σε δεῖ λογίζεσθαι διαπαντὸς, ὅτι Ἀχρεῖός εἰμι· καὶ πάλιν· Τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ ἀλλήλους ἡγούμενοι ὑπερ έχοντας ἑαυτῶν. Προσεύχου οὖν τῷ Θεῷ μετὰ φόβου καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης. Ὅταν οὖν ἀποτείνῃς λόγον τα πεινοφροσύνης, καὶ εἴπῃς· Εὐχαριστῶ σοι, Κύριε, ὅτι μου ἐμακροθύμησας τοῖς παραπτώμασι, καὶ ἕως τοῦ νῦν ἀτιμώρητόν με εἴασας· ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ ἄξιος ἤμην πάλαι μυρία δεινὰ παθεῖν, καὶ ἀποῤῥιφῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου, ἡ δὲ ἀνεξίκακός σου φιλανθρω πία ἐμακροθύμησεν ἐπ' ἐμοί· εὐχαριστῶ σοι, εἰ καὶ μὴ τυγχάνω αὐτάρκης πρὸς εὐχαριστίαν τῆς σῆς ἀνεξικακίας· καὶ ὅταν τὰ δύο μέρη ἀποπληρώσῃς τῆς δοξολογίας καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης, τότε λοιπὸν αἴ τησον ὃ ὀφείλεις αἰτῆσαι· μὴ πλοῦτον, καθὼς προεῖ πον, μὴ δόξαν ἐπίγειον, μὴ ὑγείαν σώματος. Αὐτὸς γάρ σε ἔπλασε, καὶ κήδεταί σου τῆς σωτηρίας, καὶ οἶδε πῶς ἑκάστῳ συμφέρει, εἴτε ὑγιαίνειν,