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but you, the tears. Not for your tears only (do I long to see you), but also for your faith, that you are a worker of truth, that there is nothing deceitful in you. When, therefore, you present yourself as worthy of being loved, being so affectionate, so genuine a disciple of Christ, and when I am not one of the unloving, but of those who are zealous to speak the truth, what was to prevent me from coming? But I am persuaded that it is in you also. From of old you have this good thing, he says; from your ancestors you have inherited this sincere faith. For the praises of our ancestors, when we share in them, are our own also; but when we do not, they have no force, but rather condemn us. Therefore he added, But I am persuaded that it is in you also. I do not guess, he says, but I am persuaded and fully assured. If, therefore, you came to this for no human reason, nothing will be able to shake you. For which reason I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. See how he shows him to be in great despondency, in dejection. For it is as if he says this: Do not think that I have despised you; but know this, that I have neither condemned nor forgotten you; and if no one else, think of your grandmother and your mother. Therefore, since I know that you have a sincere faith, I remind you; for you need zeal to stir into flame the gift of God. Just as fire needs wood, so grace needs our zeal, that it may always be fervent. I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands; that is, the grace of the Spirit, which you received for the governance of the Church, for signs, for the whole of worship. For it is in our power both to quench and to kindle this; which is why he says elsewhere, Do not quench the Spirit. For by listlessness and indolence it is quenched, but by watchfulness and attention it is stirred up. For it is indeed in you, but work it more intensely, that is, fill it with boldness, with joy, with gladness; stand firm nobly. For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of self-control. That is, we did not receive the spirit for this purpose, that we should shrink back, but that we should speak boldly. For to many he gives a spirit of cowardice, as happened in the wars in the books of Kings. And there fell, it says, a spirit of cowardice upon them; that is, he instilled fear in them. But to you he gave the opposite, a spirit of power and of love for him. So this too is from grace, but not simply from grace, but when we first show what is from ourselves. For that which makes us cry, Abba, Father, also places in us love for him and for our neighbor; that we should love one another, he says; for from power and not being cowardly comes love. For nothing is so accustomed to dissolving friendship as cowardice and the reputation of betrayal. For God has not given us, he says, a spirit of cowardice, but of love and of power and of self-control. He calls self-control either the health of the mind and of the soul, or of chastening, 62.604 so that we may be chastened, even if something terrible happens, that it may chasten us, and cut off what is superfluous. Let us not, therefore, grieve over the terrible things that happen; this is a chastening. Do not be hasty, he says, in time of trial. Many have many sorrows at home, and while we share in the sorrow with one another, we no longer share in the cause; but one man grieves because of his wife, another because of his child, another because of a servant, another because of a friend, another because of an enemy, another because of a neighbor, another because of a financial loss, and the causes of sorrow are many and varied; and altogether it is not possible to find anyone free from sorrow and despondency, but one has small sorrows, another has greater ones. Let us not therefore be distressed, nor think that we alone are in sorrow. 3. For it is not possible for one who is human and living this mortal life to be without sorrow; but if not today, then tomorrow; if not tomorrow, after this it happens that

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σὺ δὲ τὰ δάκρυα. Οὐ διὰ τὰ δάκρυα μόνον (ἐπιποθῶ σε ἰδεῖν), ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὴν πίστιν, ὅτι ἀληθείας εἶ ἐργάτης, ὅτι οὐδὲν δολερὸν παρὰ σοί. Ὅταν οὖν καὶ σαυτὸν ἄξιον τοῦ φιλεῖσθαι παρέχῃς, οὕτω μὲν ὢν φιλόστοργος, οὕτω δὲ γνήσιος μαθητὴς τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅταν μηδὲ ἐγὼ τῶν ἀστόργων ὦ, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀληθεύειν σπουδαζόντων, τί τὸ κωλύον ἦν ἐμὲ ἐλθεῖν; Πέπεισμαι δὲ ὅτι καὶ ἐν σοί. Ἄνωθεν ἔχεις τοῦτο, φησὶ, τὸ καλὸν, ἐκ προγόνων διεδέξω τὴν πίστιν τὴν ἀνυπόκριτον. Τὰ γὰρ τῶν προγόνων ἐγκώμια, ὅταν μὲν αὐτοῖς κοινωνῶμεν, καὶ ἡμῶν ἐστιν· ὅταν δὲ μὴ, οὐδὲν ἰσχύει, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον κατακρίνει. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε, Πέπεισμαι δὲ ὅτι καὶ ἐν σοί. Οὐ στοχάζομαι, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ πέπεισμαι καὶ πεπληροφόρημαι. Εἰ τοίνυν δι' οὐδὲν ἀνθρώπινον ἦλθες ἐπὶ τοῦτο, οὐδέν σε παρασαλεῦσαι δυνήσεται. ∆ι' ἣν αἰτίαν ἀναμιμνήσκω σε ἀναζωπυρεῖν τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅ ἐστιν ἐν σοὶ διὰ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν μου. Ὅρα πῶς δείκνυσιν αὐτὸν ἐν ἀθυμίᾳ ὄντα πολλῇ, πῶς ἐν κατηφείᾳ. Μονονουχὶ γὰρ τοῦτό φησι· Μὴ νομίσῃς ὅτι κατεφρόνησά σου· ἀλλ' εἰδὼς ἔσο, ὅτι οὔτε κατέγνων, οὐδὲ ἐπελήσθην· καὶ εἰ μηδένα ἕτερον, τὴν μάμμην καὶ τὴν μητέρα ἐννόει. ∆ιὸ ἐπειδὴ οἶδα, ὅτι ἀνυπόκριτον ἔχεις πίστιν, ἀναμιμνήσκω· δεῖ γάρ σοι προθυμίας πρὸς τὸ ἀναζωπυρῆσαι τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καθάπερ τὸ πῦρ δεῖται ξύλων, οὕτω καὶ ἡ χάρις τῆς προθυμίας τῆς ἡμετέρας, ἵνα ἀεὶ ἀναζέῃ. Ἀναμιμνήσκω σε ἀναζωπυρεῖν τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅ ἐστιν ἐν σοὶ διὰ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν μου· τουτέστι, τὴν χάριν τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἣν ἔλαβες εἰς προστασίαν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, εἰς σημεῖα, εἰς τὴν λατρείαν ἅπασαν. Ἐν ἡμῖν γάρ ἐστι καὶ σβέσαι καὶ ἀνάψαι τοῦτο· διὸ ἀλλαχοῦ λέγει, Τὸ Πνεῦμα μὴ σβέννυτε. Ὑπὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀκηδίας καὶ ῥᾳθυμίας σβέννυται, ὑπὸ δὲ νήψεως καὶ προσοχῆς διεγείρεται. Ἔνεστι μὲν γὰρ ἐν σοὶ, πλὴν ἀλλὰ σφοδρότερον ἐργάζου αὐτὸ, τουτέστι, παῤῥησίας ἔμπλησον αὐτὸ, χαρᾶς, εὐφροσύνης· στῆθι γενναίως. Οὐ γὰρ ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ Θεὸς πνεῦμα δειλίας, ἀλλὰ δυνάμεως καὶ ἀγάπης καὶ σωφρονισμοῦ. Τουτέστιν, οὐ διὰ τοῦτο τὸ πνεῦμα ἐλάβομεν, ἵνα ὑποστελλώμεθα, ἀλλ' ἵνα παῤῥησιαζώμεθα. Πολλοῖς γὰρ δίδωσι πνεῦμα δειλίας, οἷον ἐπὶ τῶν πολέμων ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις γέγονε. Καὶ ἔπεσε, φησὶ, πνεῦμα δειλίας ἐπ' αὐτούς· τουτέστι, φόβον αὐτοῖς ἐνέθηκεν. Ἀλλὰ σοὶ ἔδωκε τοὐναντίον πνεῦμα δυνάμεως καὶ ἀγάπης τῆς εἰς αὐτόν. Ἄρα καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ χάριτός ἐστιν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀπὸ χάριτος, ἀλλ' ὅταν καὶ ἡμεῖς πρότεροι ἐπιδειξώμεθα τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν. Τὸ γὰρ ποιοῦν ἡμᾶς κράζειν, Ἀββᾶ, ὁ Πατὴρ, καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην τίθησι τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν πλησίον· ἵνα ἀλλήλους, φησὶν, ἀγαπῶμεν· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ τοῦ μὴ δειλιᾷν ἡ ἀγάπη γίνεται. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω φιλίαν διαλύειν εἴωθεν, ὡς δειλία καὶ προδοσίας φήμη. Οὐ γὰρ ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ Θεὸς, φησὶ, πνεῦμα δειλίας, ἀλλὰ ἀγάπης καὶ δυνάμεως καὶ σωφρονισμοῦ. Ἤτοι σωφρονισμὸν τὴν ὑγείαν λέγει τῆς διανοίας καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς, ἢ Σωφρονισμοῦ, 62.604 ὥστε σωφρονίζεσθαι ἡμᾶς, κἄν τι δεινὸν γένηται, ἵνα σωφρονίζῃ ἡμᾶς, καὶ τὰ περιττὰ κόπτῃ. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀλγῶμεν ἐπὶ τοῖς δεινοῖς τοῖς συμπίπτουσι· σωφρονισμὸς τοῦτό ἐστι. Μὴ σπεύσῃς, φησὶν, ἐν καιρῷ ἐπαγωγῆς. Πολλοὶ πολλὰ κατ' οἶκον ἔχουσι λυπηρὰ, καὶ τῇ μὲν λύπῃ κοινωνοῦμεν ἀλλήλοις, τῇ δὲ ὑποθέσει οὐκέτι· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἀπὸ γυναικὸς, ὁ δὲ ἀπὸ παιδὸς, ἕτερος ἀπὸ οἰκέτου, ἄλλος ἀπὸ φίλου, ἄλλος ἀπὸ ἐχθροῦ, ἄλλος ἀπὸ γείτονος, ἄλλος ἀπὸ ζημίας, καὶ πολλαὶ καὶ διάφοροί εἰσιν αἱ αἰτίαι τῆς λύπης· καὶ ὅλως οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν τινα λύπης καθαρὸν καὶ ἀθυμίας, ἀλλὰ ὁ μὲν μικρὰ, ὁ δὲ μείζονα ἔχει τὰ λυποῦντα. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀσχάλλωμεν, μηδὲ αὐτοὶ μόνοι νομίζωμεν εἶναι ἐν λύπῃ. γʹ. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἄνθρωπον ὄντα καὶ τὸν ἐπίκηρον τοῦτον ζῶντα βίον, λύπης εἶναι χωρίς· ἀλλ' ἂν μὴ σήμερον, αὔριον· ἂν μὴ αὔριον, μετὰ ταῦτα συμβαίνει τὸ