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is directed, nor is it able to benefit others or to accept alien thoughts. And concerning the Tri-hypostatic Godhead which is equal in all respects and likewise existent. ...... 156

Discourse 33. (411) ....................................................................................................... 156 That it is not without danger to bury the talent given to us by God; for it is necessary

to make it public and to show it to all and to proclaim with gratitude the good deeds of God for the benefit of those who hear, even if some are displeased................................................................................................................. 159

Discourse 34. (421)....................................................................................................... 159 Of the same. Thanksgiving to God for the gifts which he has been deemed worthy to receive. And an introduction

as to how God always appears to those who are pure in heart, and in what things and signs. ............................................................................................ 165

Discourse 35. (437) ....................................................................................................... 165 Of our holy and great father Symeon the New. Thanksgiving to God

concerning the good deeds done unto him by Him. In which also is concerning spiritual prayer and the progress therein. And concerning the illumination of divine and unerring contemplation and of love towards God. ......................................................................... 169

Discourse 36. (448) ..................................................................................................... 169

THE CATECHESES AND THANKSGIVINGS OF OUR HOLY FATHER SYMEON THE NEW THEOLOGIAN, ABBOT AND PRESBYTER

OF THE MONASTERY OF SAINT MAMAS OF XEROKERKOS.

Concerning love. And what are the ways and the actions of spiritual men. And a beatitude to those who have love in their hearts.

Discourse 1. (21) Brothers and fathers, I wish to speak to you things that contribute to the benefit

of the soul, and I am ashamed, Christ the truth is my witness, of your love, knowing my unworthiness. For on this account I always wished to be silent, as the Lord knows, and not to lift up my head at all nor to see the face of a man, having my conscience condemning me, because I have been ranked altogether unworthily to lead you all, as one who knows the way, I who do not even know what is at my feet, nor have I yet touched the path that leads to God. Therefore, no small or ordinary grief possesses me because of this, that I, the humble one, have been chosen to guide you, the most honorable, whom I myself ought rather to have as guides, being the last of all both in time and in age, I do not have a practical and witnessed word from my life to exhort you and to remind you of the things concerning the laws and (22) the will of God, since also concerning the things I wish to speak, I know that I have never done any of them. But I know precisely that our Lord and God blesses not only the one who speaks, but the one who has also acted before speaking; "For blessed," he says, "is the one who has done and taught; this one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven;" For when the disciples hear such a teacher, they become eager to imitate him and they do not receive so much benefit from his words as they are aroused by his good deeds and are compelled to do the same things, which I myself do not understand in myself; for I am conscious of no good in myself. But I beg and implore all of you, my beloved brothers, not to look at my dissolute life, but at the things of

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κατευθύνεται, οὐδέ ἄλλους ὠφελεῖν δύναται ἤ ἀλλοτρίους δέχεσθαι λογισμούς. Καί περί τό ἴσον κατά πάντα καί ὡσαύτως ὄν τῆς Τρισυποστάτου Θεότητος. ...... 156

Λόγος ΛΓ΄. (411) ....................................................................................................... 156 Ὅτι οὐκ ἀκίνδυνον τό διδόμενον ἡμῖν παρά Θεοῦ τάλαντον κατορύττειν· χρή

γάρ δημοσιεύειν αὐτό καί τοῖς πᾶσιν ὑποδεικνύειν καί τάς εὐεργεσίας Θεοῦ εὐγνωμόνως ἀνακηρύττειν εἰς τήν τῶν ἀκουόντων ὠφέλειαν, κἄν τινες ἀπαρέσκωνται................................................................................................................. 159

Λόγος Λ∆΄. (421)....................................................................................................... 159 Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Εὐχαριστία πρός Θεόν ὑπέρ ὧν ἠξίωται δωρεῶν. Καί εἰσήγησις

ὅπως τοῖς κεκαθαρμένοις τῇ καρδίᾳ Θεός ἀεί ἐπιφαίνεται, καί ἐν ποίοις τοῖς πράγμασι καί γνωρίσμασι. ............................................................................................ 165

Λόγος ΛΕ΄. (437) ....................................................................................................... 165 Τοῦ ἁγίου καί μεγάλου πατρός ἡμῶν Συμεών τοῦ Νέου. Εὐχαριστία πρός Θεόν

περί τῶν γεγονότων εὐεργεσιῶν εἰς αὐτόν παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ. Ἐν ᾗ καί περί εὐχῆς πνευματικῆς καί τῆς ἐν ταύτῃ προκοπῆς. Καί περί ἐλλάμψεως θείας θεωρίας τε ἀπλανοῦς καί ἀγάπης τῆς πρός Θεόν. ......................................................................... 169

Λόγος Λστ΄. (448) ..................................................................................................... 169

ΑΙ ΚΑΤΗΧΗΣΕΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΙ ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΙΑΙ ΤΟΥ ΟΣΙΟΥ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΣΥΜΕΩΝ ΤΟΥ ΝΕΟΥ ΘΕΟΛΟΓΟΥ ΗΓΟΥΜΕΝΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΟΥ

ΜΟΝΗΣ ΤΟΥ ΑΓΙΟΥ ΜΑΜΑΝΤΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΞΗΡΟΚΕΡΚΟΥ.

Περί ἀγάπης. Καί ποῖαί εἰσι τῶν πνευματικῶν ἀνδρῶν αἱ ὁδοί καί αἱ πράξεις. Καί μακαρισμός πρός τούς ἔχοντας τήν ἀγάπην ἐγκάρδιον.

Λόγος Α΄. (21) Ἀδελφοί και πατέρες, θέλω πρός ὑμᾶς λαλεῖν τά συντείνοντα πρός ὠφέλειαν

ψυχῆς καί αἰδοῦμαι, μάρτυς μου ὁ Χριστός ἡ ἀλήθεια, τήν ἀγάπην ὑμῶν, γινώσκων μου τό ἀνάξιον. ∆ιά τοῦτο γάρ ἀεί σιωπᾶν ἐβουλόμην, ὡς οἶδεν ὁ Κύριος, καί μηδέ ἀνανεύειν τό σύνολον καί πρόσωπον ἀνθρώπου ὁρᾶν, κατακρίνουσαν ἔχων μου τήν συνείδησιν, ὅτι κατετάγην ὅλως ἐγώ προηγεῖσθαι πάντων ὑμῶν ἀναξίως, ὡς τήν ὁδόν ἐπιστάμενος, ὁ μηδέ τά ἐν ποσίν εἰδώς, μηδέ ἀψάμενος ἀκμήν τῆς φερούσης ὁδοῦ πρός τόν Θεόν. Τοίνυν καί λύπη με διά τοῦτο οὐ μικρά καί ἡ τυχοῦσα κατέχει, ὅτι ὁδηγεῖν ὑμᾶς τούς τιμιωτάτους ὁ ταπεινός προκριθείς, οὕς ἔχειν αὐτός ὁδηγούς μᾶλλον ὤφειλον, ὡς πάντων ἔσχατος ὑπάρχων καί χρόνῳ καί ἡλικίᾳ, τόν ἔμπρακτον οὐκ ἔχω καί ἐμμάρτυρον λόγον ἀπό τοῦ βίου εἰς τό παρακαλεῖν ὑμᾶς καί ὑπομιμνήσκειν τά περί τῶν νόμων καί τοῦ (22) θελήματος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐπειδή καί περί ὧν λαλεῖν βούλομαι, οἶδα μηδέν ἐξ αὐτῶν διαπραξάμενός ποτε. Οἶδα δέ ἀκριβῶς ὅτι ὁ Κύριος καί Θεός ἡμῶν οὐχί τόν λέγοντα μακαρίζει μόνον, ἀλλά τόν πρό τοῦ εἰπεῖν καί πράξαντα· "Μακάριος γάρ, φησίν, ὁ ποιήσας καί διδάξας· οὗτος μέγας κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν·" Τοῦ γάρ τοιούτου διδασκάλου καί οἱ μαθηταί ἀκούοντες, μιμεῖσθαι αὐτόν γίνονται πρόθυμοι καί οὐ τοσοῦτον ἐκ τῶν ἐκείνου λόγων δέχονται τήν ὠφέλειαν, ὅσον ἀπό τῶν καλῶν αὐτοῦ πράξεων διεγείρονται καί τά αὐτά ποιεῖν ἀναγκάζονται, ὅπερ αὐτός ἐγώ ἐν ἐμαυτῷ οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι· οὐδέν γάρ ἀγαθόν ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα. Ἀλλά δέομαι καί πααρακαλῶ πάντας ὑμᾶς, ἀγαπητοί ἀδελφοί μου, μή εἰς τόν διακεχυμένον μου βίον ὁρᾶν, ἀλλ᾿ εἰς τά τοῦ