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someone, I neither dare nor am I able to give an opinion on this. Therefore, if you approve something in the Lord, do this; for it is good to gain a soul; for he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and will cover a multitude of his own sins. Therefore I beseech you, children, through the Lord, love humility, which Christ especially spoke of, who humbled Himself for our sake unto death, even death on a Cross, so that we too might become imitators of Him and thus conquer the pride of the devil through humility; and because of humility the Lord said that whoever wishes to be great among you must be the last of all and servant of all and minister of all; for he who exalts himself will be humbled, but the humble one can in no way fall, lying beneath all, but he who exalts himself is brought down into the abyss of fire. Therefore I beseech you, children, have mercy on yourselves. I beseech you, weep, while you have time, so that we may not weep there, where there is the gnashing of teeth, where the sleepless worm never dies, where the unquenchable fire flows like a river, where the angels are merciless and pitiless. They do not have authority to pity anyone or to have regard for an old man or to spare anyone or to honor a king, but to punish each one unsparingly according to his deeds. Therefore I beseech you, bend your backs even unto death. This work has need of much force, because narrow and afflicted is the way that leads to the gate of life and those who use force enter into it; for the kingdom of heaven is for the violent, says the Lord. Flee the spirit of vainglory and the demon of men-pleasing, which especially separates from God; for God has scattered the bones of men-pleasers; they were put to shame because God has despised them. Either we are to be glorified here and we receive there our due debt in the gehenna of fire for endless ages, or we are to be dishonored here and there we are to receive our reward for ever and ever. Therefore I beseech you, let none of you be a babbler or an idle talker or a slanderer or a fabricator or a grumbler—for these passions do not allow the soul to see the beam in its own eye, but rather the speck in the brother's eye—pleasing themselves, not God, whose end is destruction with the Pharisee and his way of thinking. Love affliction according to God more than the joy of this age, and weeping more than laughter; for blessed are those who mourn, said the Lord, for they shall be comforted. And woe to you who laugh, for you shall weep. Flee those who wish to occupy you, devising certain useless things from many readings for the perversion of the hearers. And do not suck the poison of an asp through your hearing, and do not wish to read many things, but few things and well, that it may give grace to those who hear. But rather learn to pray much and to weep much; for this strengthens the mind and nourishes the soul, but reading many things makes the mind unsteady. Hate many meetings and relatives according to the flesh, and do not turn back to the affection of parents or children or any others, but see them as spiritual, just as the rest. And never wish to reveal a secret of the monastery to a fleshly relative, lest you be condemned on the day of judgment; for you have died to the world and you have no business with the world. For the Lord says through the Gospel, when His mother and His brothers came to see Him; and stretching out His hand toward His disciples, saying: these are My mother and My brothers who do the will of My Father in heaven. And again: Go out from your land and from your kindred and come to a land that I will show you, and the rest of what the Lord says. These things

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τις, περὶ τούτου γνώμην δοῦναι οὔτε τολμῶ οὔτε δύναμαι. Λοιπόν, εἴ τι δοκιμάσεις ἐν Κυρίῳ, τοῦτο πράττε· καλὸν γὰρ τὸ κερδῆσαι ψυχήν· ὁ γὰρ ἐπιστρέψας ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ σώσει ψυχὴν ἐκ θανάτου καὶ καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν αὑτοῦ. Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, τέκνα, διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην ἀγαπήσατε, ἣν μάλιστα εἶπεν ὁ Χριστός, ὁ ταπεινώσας ἑαυτὸν δι' ἡμᾶς μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ Σταυροῦ, ἵνα λοιπὸν καὶ ἡμεῖς μιμηταὶ αὐτοῦ γενώμεθα καὶ οὕτω νικήσωμεν τὴν ὑπερηφάνειαν τοῦ διαβόλου διὰ τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης· καὶ ὁ Κύριος διὰ τὴν ταπείνωσιν εἶπεν ὅτι ὁ θέλων ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι μέγας ἔστω πάντων ἔσχατος καὶ πάντων δοῦλος καὶ πάντων διάκονος· ὁ γὰρ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν ταπεινωθήσεται, ὁ δὲ ταπεινὸς οὐδαμόθεν δύναται καταπεσεῖν ὑποκάτω πάντων κείμενος, ὁ δὲ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν κάτω φέρεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον τοῦ πυρός. Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, τέκνα, ἐλεήσατε ἑαυτούς. Παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς κλαύσατε, ὡς ἔχετε καιρόν, ἵνα μὴ ἐκεῖ κλαύσωμεν, ὅπου ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων, ὅπου ὁ σκώληξ ὁ ἀκοίμητος οὐδέποτε τελευτᾷ, ὅπου τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἄσβεστον ποταμηδὸν διοδεύει, ὅπου ἄσπλαγχνοι καὶ ἀνελεήμονές εἰσιν ἄγγελοι. Οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἐξουσίαν ἐλεῆσαί τινα ἢ ἐντραπῆναι γέροντα ἢ φείσασθαί τινος ἢ τιμῆσαι βασιλέα, ἀλλ' ἕκαστον ἀφειδῶς τιμωρήσασθαι κατὰ τὰς πράξεις αὐτοῦ. Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, βιάσασθε τὸν νῶτον ἕως θανάτου. Πολλῆς βίας ἔχει χρείαν τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον, ὅτι στενὴ καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν θύραν τῆς ζωῆς καὶ οἱ βιαζόμενοι εἰσέρχονται ἐν αὐτῇ· βιαστῶν γάρ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν, λέγει Κύριος. Φεύγετε δὲ τὸ τῆς κενοδοξίας πνεῦμα καὶ τὸν τῆς ἀνθρωπαρεσκείας δαίμονα, ὃ μάλιστα καὶ χωρίζει ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ· διεσκόρπισε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ὀστᾶ ἀνθρωπαρέσκων, κατῃσχύνθησαν ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐξουδένωσεν αὐτούς. Ἢ ὧδε ἔχομεν δοξασθῆναι καὶ ἀπέχομεν ἐκεῖ τὸ χρέος εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρὸς εἰς ἀτελευτήτους αἰῶνας ἢ ὧδε ἔχομεν ἀτιμασθῆναι καὶ ἐκεῖ ἔχομεν ἀπολαβεῖν τὸν μισθὸν εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος. Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς μή τις ἐξ ὑμῶν φλύαρος ἢ ἀργολό γος ἢ κατάλαλος ἢ ἐφευρετὴς ἢ γογγυστής-ταῦτα γὰρ τὰ πάθη οὐκ ἐῶσι τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν δοκὸν τὴν ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ ὀφθαλμῷ ἰδεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸ κάρφος τὸ ἐν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ- ἑαυτοῖς ἀρέσκοντες, οὐχὶ τῷ Θεῷ, ὧν τὸ τέλος ἀπώλεια μετὰ τοῦ Φαρισαίου καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ φρονήματος. Ἀγαπήσατε δὲ τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν θλῖψιν ὑπὲρ τὴν χαρὰν τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου καὶ τὸν κλαυθμὸν ὑπὲρ τὸν γέλωτα· μακάριοι γὰρ οἱ πενθοῦντες, εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος, ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται. Καὶ οὐαὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς γελῶσιν, ὅτι κλαύσετε. Φεύγετε τοὺς θέλοντας ὑμᾶς ἀπασχολεῖν σοφιζομένους τινὰς οὐδὲν χρήσιμον ἀπὸ πολλῶν ἀναγνωσμάτων ἐπὶ διαστροφῇ τῶν ἀκουόντων. Καὶ μὴ θηλάζετε ἰὸν ἀσπίδος διὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς καὶ μὴ θελήσητε πολλὰ ἀναγινώσκειν ἀλλ' ὀλίγα καὶ καλῶς, ἵνα δῷ χάριν τοῖς ἀκούουσι. Μάθετε δὲ μᾶλλον πολλὰ προσεύχεσθαι καὶ πολλὰ κλαίειν· τοῦτο γὰρ στηρίζει τὸν νοῦν καὶ τρέφει τὴν ψυχήν, τὸ δὲ πολλὰ ἀναγινώσκειν μετεωρίζει τὸν νοῦν. Μισήσατε δὲ τὰς πολλὰς συντυχίας καὶ τοὺς κατὰ σάρκα συγγενεῖς καὶ μὴ ἐπιστραφῆτε πρὸς φίλτρον γονέων ἢ τέκνων ἢ ἄλλων τινῶν, ἀλλ' ὡς πνευματικοὺς αὐτοὺς ὁρᾶτε ὡς καὶ τοὺς λοιπούς. Καὶ μὴ θελήσητέ ποτε μυστήριον τῆς μονῆς σαρκικῷ συγγενεῖ ἐκφάναι, ἵνα μὴ κατακριθῆτε ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως· ἀπεθάνετε γὰρ τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ οὐδὲν πρᾶγμα ἔχετε μετὰ τοῦ κόσμου. Λέγει γὰρ ὁ Κύριος διὰ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, ὁπότε ἦλθεν ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ ἰδεῖν αὐτόν· καὶ ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ λέγων· οὗτοί εἰσιν ἡ μήτηρ μου καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου οἱ ποιοῦντες τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Καὶ πάλιν· ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς σου καὶ ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας σου καὶ δεῦρο εἰς γῆν, ἣν ἄν σοι δείξω καὶ τὰ λοιπά, ὅσα λέγει Κύριος. Ταῦτα