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With good reason; for he himself said again: Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Since therefore they have demonstrated the greatest love, he receives them, and they enjoy that glory, they share in the choirs, and they partake of the mystical members. For if while in the body, through the communion of the mysteries, they completed that choir, singing the thrice-holy hymn with the Cherubim, as you who have been initiated know, much more now, having received their fellow-dancers, do they share in that praise with much boldness. Did you not before this shudder at martyrdom? do you not now desire martyrdom? do you not now feel pain, that the time for martyrdom is not at hand? But let us also train ourselves for a time of martyrdom. They despised life; you, despise luxury; they threw their bodies into the fire; you, now throw money into the hands of the poor; they trampled upon the burning coals; you, extinguish the flame of desire. These things are burdensome, but also profitable. Do not look at the present burdensome things, but at the good things to come, not the terrible things at hand, but the good things in hope, not the sufferings, but the prizes, not the labors, but the crowns, not the sweats, but the rewards, not the pains, but the recompenses, not the burning 50.711 fire, but the kingdom set before you, not the executioners standing around, but Christ who crowns.

3. This is the greatest method and easiest way to virtue, not the labors

to see alone, but also the prizes with the labors, and not them by themselves alone. Therefore, when you are about to give alms, do not pay attention to the expenditure of money, but to the gathering of righteousness; He has scattered, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever and ever; do not look at the wealth being emptied, but see the treasure being increased. If you fast, do not consider the affliction from fasting, but the relief from the affliction; if you keep vigil in prayer, do not consider the hardship from the vigil, but the boldness from the prayer. Thus also soldiers do; they look not at the wounds, but at the rewards; not at the slaughters, but at the victories; not at the falling dead, but at the crowned heroes. Thus also pilots see the harbors before the waves, the cargoes before the shipwrecks, the good things after the sea before the terrors in the sea. Thus you also do; consider how great it is in the deep night, when all men and beasts and cattle are sleeping, when there is the deepest quiet, for you alone to rise and converse with boldness with the common Master of all. But is sleep sweet? But nothing is sweeter than prayer.

If you converse with him in private, you will be able to accomplish much, with no one disturbing you, nor distracting you from your supplication; you have the time also as an ally toward obtaining what you wish. But you turn over lying on a soft bed, and you hesitate to get up? Consider the martyrs lying today on the iron bed, not with a mattress underneath, but with burning coals spread beneath. Here I want to end my discourse, so that you may depart having the memory of the bed fresh and new, and remember it night and day; for even if ten thousand bonds hold us, we will be able to break all 50.712 easily, and to rise for prayer, by constantly considering this bed. And let us depict not only that bed, but also the other tortures of the martyrs upon the breadth of our heart. And just as those who make their own houses bright adorn them everywhere with flowery painting; so let us also paint the tortures of the martyrs on the walls of our mind. That one

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εἰκότως· αὐτὸς γὰρ εἶπε πάλιν· Μείζονα ταύτης ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει, ἵνα τις θῇ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ.

Ἐπειδὴ οὖν τὴν μεγίστην ἀγάπην ἐπεδείξαντο, δεξιοῦται τούτους, καὶ ἀπολαύουσι τῆς δόξης ἐκείνης, κοινωνοῦσι τῶν χορῶν, καὶ μετέχουσι τῶν μελῶν τῶν μυστικῶν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν σώματι ὄντες κατὰ τὴν τῶν μυστηρίων κοινωνίαν εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἐτέλουν τὸν χορὸν, μετὰ τῶν Χερουβὶμ τὸν τρισάγιον ὕμνον ψάλλοντες, καθάπερ ὑμεῖς ἴστε οἱ μυηθέντες, πολλῷ μᾶλλον νῦν τοὺς συγχορευτὰς ἀπολαβόντες μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς παῤῥησίας κοινωνοῦσι τῆς εὐφημίας ἐκείνης. Ἆρα οὐκ ἐφρίττετε πρὸ τούτου τὸ μαρτύριον; ἆρα οὐκ ἐπιθυμεῖτε νῦν τοῦ μαρτυρίου; ἆρα οὐκ ἀλγεῖτε νῦν, ὅτι οὐ πάρεστι καιρὸς μαρτυρίου; Ἀλλὰ καὶ γυμναζώμεθα εἰς καιρὸν μαρτυρίου. Κατεφρόνησαν ἐκεῖνοι ζωῆς· καταφρόνησον σὺ τρυφῆς· ἔῤῥιψαν ἐκεῖνοι τὰ σώματα τῷ πυρί· ῥῖψον σὺ χρήματα νῦν ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ τῶν πενήτων· κατεπάτησαν ἐκεῖνοι τοὺς ἄνθρακας· σβέσον σὺ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τὴν φλόγα. Φορτικὰ ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπικερδῆ. Μὴ τὰ παρόντα ὅρα τὰ ἐπαχθῆ, ἀλλὰ τὰ μέλλοντα χρηστὰ, μὴ τὰ ἐν χερσὶ δεινὰ, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐν ἐλπίσιν ἀγαθὰ, μὴ τὰ παθήματα, ἀλλὰ τὰ βραβεῖα, μὴ τοὺς πόνους, ἀλλὰ τοὺς στεφάνους, μὴ τοὺς ἱδρῶτας, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἀμοιβὰς, μὴ τὰς ἀλγηδόνας, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἀντιδόσεις, μὴ τὸ καιόμενον 50.711 πῦρ, ἀλλὰ τὴν προκειμένην βασιλείαν, μὴ τοὺς περιεστῶτας δημίους, ἀλλὰ τὸν στεφανοῦντα Χριστόν.

γʹ. Αὕτη μεγίστη μέθοδος καὶ εὐκολωτάτη πρὸς ἀρετὴν ὁδὸς, μὴ τοὺς πόνους

μόνον ὁρᾷν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἔπαθλα μετὰ τῶν πόνων, ἀλλ' οὐκ αὐτὰ καθ' ἑαυτὰ μόνον. Ὅταν οὖν μέλλῃς ἐλεημοσύνην διδόναι, μὴ πρόσεχε τῇ δαπάνῃ τῶν χρημάτων, ἀλλὰ τῇ συλλογῇ τῆς δικαιοσύνης· Ἐσκόρπισεν, ἔδωκε τοῖς πένησιν· ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος· μὴ βλέπε τὸν κενούμενον πλοῦτον, ἀλλ' ὅρα τὸν αὐξανόμενον θησαυρόν. Ἂν νηστεύσῃς, μὴ τὴν κάκωσιν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς νηστείας λογίζου, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἄνεσιν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς κακώσεως· ἂν ἀγρυπνήσῃς εὐχόμενος, μὴ τὴν ταλαιπωρίαν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγρυπνίας, ἀλλὰ τὴν παῤῥησίαν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς εὐχῆς ἐννόει. Οὕτω καὶ στρατιῶται ποιοῦσιν· οὐ τὰ τραύματα, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἀμοιβὰς βλέπουσιν· οὐ τὰς σφαγὰς, ἀλλὰ τὰς νίκας· οὐ τοὺς πίπτοντας νεκροὺς, ἀλλὰ τοὺς στεφανουμένους ἀριστέας. Οὕτω καὶ κυβερνῆται πρὸ τῶν κυμάτων τοὺς λιμένας ὁρῶσι, πρὸ τῶν ναυαγίων τὰς ἐμπορίας, πρὸ τῶν ἐν θαλάσσῃ δεινῶν τὰ μετὰ θάλασσαν ἀγαθά. Οὕτω καὶ σὺ ποίησον· ἐννόησον ἡλίκον ἐστὶν ἐν νυκτὶ βαθείᾳ, τῶν ἀνθρώπων καθευδόντων ἁπάντων καὶ θηρίων καὶ κτηνῶν, βαθυτάτης ἡσυχίας οὔσης, μόνον σε ἐγερθέντα παῤῥησίᾳ διαλέγεσθαι τῷ κοινῷ πάντων ∆εσπότῃ. Ἀλλὰ γλυκὺς ὁ ὕπνος; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν γλυκύτερον προσευχῆς.

Ἂν κατ' ἰδίαν αὐτῷ διαλεχθῇς, πολλὰ ἀνύσαι δυνήσῃ, μηδενὸς ἐνοχλοῦντός σε, μηδὲ ἐκκρούοντός σε τῆς δεήσεως· ἔχεις καὶ τὸν καιρὸν σύμμαχον πρὸς τὸ ἐπιτυχεῖν ὧν θέλεις. Ἀλλὰ περιστρέφῃ κείμενος ἐπὶ μαλακῆς στρωμνῆς, καὶ ὀκνεῖς διαναστῆναι; Ἐννόησον τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς σιδηρᾶς κλίμακος κειμένους σήμερον μάρτυρας, οὐχὶ στρωμνῆς ὑποκειμένης, ἀλλ' ἀνθράκων ὑπεστρωμένων. Ἐνταῦθα βούλομαι καταλῦσαι τὸν λόγον, ὥστε τῆς κλίμακος τὴν μνήμην ἀκμάζουσαν καὶ νεαρὰν ἔχοντας ὑμᾶς ἀπελθεῖν, καὶ ταύτης ἐν νυκτὶ καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μεμνῆσθαι· κἂν γὰρ μυρία κατέχῃ δεσμὰ, δυνησόμεθα πάντα ἀποῤ50.712 ῥῆξαι ῥᾳδίως, καὶ πρὸς τὴν εὐχὴν ἀναστῆναι, τὴν κλίμακα ταύτην ἐννοοῦντες διαπαντός. Μὴ τὴν κλίμακα δὲ μόνον ἐκείνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἄλλας τῶν μαρτύρων τιμωρίας διαγράφωμεν ἐπὶ τὸ πλάτος τῆς καρδίας τῆς ἡμετέρας. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ τὰς οἰκίας τὰς ἑαυτῶν ποιοῦντες λαμπρὰς, ἀνθηρᾷ γραφῇ πανταχόθεν αὐτὰς κατακοσμοῦσιν· οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν τοῖς τοίχοις τῆς ἡμετέρας διανοίας ζωγραφήσωμεν τῶν μαρτύρων τὰς τιμωρίας. Ἐκείνη