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of the waves? who has not groaned over them? how many great ones has this present life tripped up, and ensnared those running well? And no wonder; for demons are the ones at work, the devil is the one lying in wait.

Knowing these things, therefore, let us repent with our whole heart, lest our pleasures turn into lamentations and tears; let us help ourselves, let us snatch our soul from this world, and even from its own flesh; let it find for itself a cell at the ends of the earth, so that it too may cry out to the Lord: have mercy on me, the lonely one; behold, I have left all things and followed you; behold, I have denied all things for fear of you. Let our compunction reach to the clouds, let our groans draw near to the heavens, let our prayers and our alms come before God. Let us minister to him with all truth, with reverence and fear; let us do all things, so that we may not regret it there; let us endure all things, so that we may also enjoy the good things of God, so that we may acquire greater boldness, so that we may be deemed worthy of more honorable gifts, so that we may be seen as second to none of the saints. A great temptation is our life, and no one knows it; a great winter storm, and no one perceives it.

Let us give place to the working of the passions, and to the sin dwelling in us, according to the Apostle; let us give place to the provocations of men. let us give place to this flesh and its desires, let us give place to this world and its difficulties, let us give place to all temptations, to all afflictions; let us hide from them; for we are persecuted by them, and we are all sought out to be killed by demons, by affairs, by men stirred up by Satan. Let us attend only to ourselves and to God, giving this body of ours to those who wish to strike it; for it has become worthy of many blows. Let us lift up our heart, pouring out our whole soul before God, so that we may be saved and have mercy and live, leaping and delighting and rejoicing, for ever and ever. Amen.

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κυμάτων; τίς οὐκ ἐστέναξεν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς; πόσους μεγάλους ἐπτέρνισεν ἡ παροῦσα ζωὴ, καὶ τρέχοντας καλῶς ἐπαγίδευσε; Καὶ οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν· δαίμονες γάρ εἰσιν οἱ ἐνεργοῦντες, διάβολος ὁ ἐνεδρεύων.

Ταῦτα οὖν εἰδότες μετανοήσωμεν ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ, μὴ αἱ ἡδοναὶ ἡμῶν στραφῶσιν εἰς θρήνους καὶ δάκρυα· βοηθήσωμεν ἑαυτοῖς, ἀποσπάσωμεν τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτῶν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῆς ἰδίας σαρκός· εὕροιτο ἑαυτῇ κελλίον εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς, ὅπως ἂν βοήσῃ καὶ αὐτὴ πρὸς τὸν Κύριον· ἐλέησόν με τὴν μόνην· ἰδοὺ πάντα ἀφῆκα, καὶ ἠκολούθησά σοι· ἰδοὺ πάντα ἤρνημαι διὰ τὸν σὸν φόβον. Ἡ κατάνυξις ἡμῶν ἕως τῶν νεφελῶν φθασάτω, οἱ στεναγμοὶ ἡμῶν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἐγγισάτωσαν, αἱ προσευχαὶ ἡμῶν καὶ αἱ ἐλεημοσύναι ἐλθέτωσαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Λειτουργήσωμεν αὐτῷ μετὰ πάσης ἀληθείας, μετὰ εὐλαβείας καὶ δέους· πάντα ποιήσωμεν, ἵνα ἐκεῖ μὴ μεταγνῶμεν· πάντα ὑπομείνωμεν, ἵνα καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσωμεν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα τὴν μείζονα παῤῥησίαν κτησώμεθα, ἵνα τιμιωτέρων ἀξιωθῶμεν δωρεῶν, ἵνα μηδενὸς τῶν ἁγίων ὀφθῶμεν δεύτεροι. Μέγας πειρασμὸς ὁ βίος ἡμῶν, καὶ οὐδεὶς οἶδε· μέγας χειμὼν, καὶ οὐδεὶς κατανοεῖ.

∆ῶμεν τόπον τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ τῶν παθῶν, καὶ τῇ ἐν ἡμῖν οἰκούσῃ ἁμαρτίᾳ κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον· δῶμεν τόπον τοῖς παροργισμοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. δῶμεν τόπον τῇ σαρκὶ ταύτῃ καὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις αὐτῆς, δῶμεν τόπον τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ καὶ ταῖς δυσχερείαις αὐτοῦ, δῶμεν τόπον ὅλοις τοῖς πειρασμοῖς, ὅλαις ταῖς θλίψεσι· κρυβῶμεν ἀπ' αὐτῶν· διωκόμεθα γὰρ ἀπ' αὐτῶν, καὶ ζητούμεθα πάντες εἰς τὸ ἀποκτανθῆναι ὑπὸ δαιμόνων, ὑπὸ πραγμάτων, ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων ἐρεθιζομένων ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ. Ἑαυτοῖς μόνοις προσέχωμεν καὶ τῷ Θεῷ, ἑαυτῶν ἐκδόντες τὸ σῶμα τοῦτο τοῖς θέλουσι τύπτειν· πολλῶν γὰρ πληγῶν καθέστηκεν ἄξιον. Ἄνω τὴν καρδίαν τείνωμεν ἑαυτῶν, ἐκχέοντες ὅλην ἑαυτῶν τὴν ψυχὴν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα σωθῶμεν καὶ ἐλεηθῶμεν καὶ ζήσωμεν, σκιρτῶντες καὶ τρυφῶντες καὶ χαίροντες, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.