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to be sullen and harsh towards the brothers who come, nor be harsh and unapproachable and unkind instead of helpful and loving, nor sullen in the greetings of the brothers who approach, and uncommunicative in answer and speech. For "rejoice always" is an apostolic command, and, "encourage one another," and "be kind to one another;" and, "Love," it says, "is kind;" and the kindnesses of the apostles are in their letters, treating those who hear kindly as children, encouraging those who pay attention as brothers; and it is possible to learn many things about the sacred kindness according to love from the holy 48.1060 Scriptures. Nor must one turn to immoderate hilarity, nor defile with buffoonery the kindness that imitates God, but to stand in a middle course of perfect cheerfulness, and neither grieve those you meet, nor weaken and render them slothful, nor rebuke harshly, nor flatter deceitfully, but both to turn them back profitably and to encourage them kindly. He who refrains, it says, from uttering a harsh word, is wise; but good words are a honeycomb, and their sweetness is healing for the soul; there are those who in speaking wound like swords, but the tongues of the wise heal. And it is also good to be devoted moderately to divine songs; for such cheerfulness sanctifies the soul, according to the Apostle; "Be filled," he says, "with the Spirit, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord."

It is good, therefore, to approach such gladness with zeal, and not, because of some bitter and harsh disposition, be sluggish towards the divine song, as if not deigning to offer a voice to the melody of God. For towards such a divine spirit, and towards the sacred discourse, one must be cheerful, not being enervated by sweetness of voice, nor being disposed to revelry towards the divine songs, nor to break into song with affectation, and to look around here and there, so that you may be praised, but rejoicing in God, and striving to please him alone, and here especially, so that the cheerful may be found mixed with the solemn, with the fear of God providing us solemnity, and the divine song leading to cheerfulness, and producing an imitation of eternal joy, in which those who have lived well will live the life to come with the Lord; to whom be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

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σκυθρωπὸς καὶ χαλεπὸς εἶναι πρὸς τοὺς ἐρχομένους ἀδελφοὺς, μηδὲ ἀπηνής τις καὶ δυσπρόσιτος καὶ ἀπάνθρωπος ἔσο ἀντὶ χρησίμου καὶ ἀγαπητικοῦ, μηδὲ ἐν ταῖς δεξιώσεσι τῶν προσιόντων ἀδελφῶν σκυθρωπὸς, καὶ περὶ ἀπόκρισιν καὶ λόγον ἀκοινώνητος. Πάντοτε γὰρ χαίρειν πρόσταγμά ἐστιν ἀποστολικὸν, καὶ τὸ, Παρακαλεῖτε ἀλλήλους, καὶ γίνεσθε εἰς ἀλλήλους χρηστοί· καὶ, Ἡ ἀγάπη, φησὶ, χρηστεύεται· καὶ αἱ τῶν ἀποστόλων φιλοφροσύναι τοῖς γράμμασιν αὐτῶν ἔνεισιν, ὡς τέκνα φιλοφρονούμενοι τοὺς ἀκούοντας, ὡς ἀδελφοὺς παρακαλοῦντες τοὺς προσέχοντας· καὶ πολλὰ περὶ τῆς ἱερᾶς κατὰ τὴν ἀγάπην χρηστότητος ἔστιν ἐκ τῶν ἁγίων 48.1060 Γραφῶν καταμαθεῖν. Μηδὲ δεῖ πρὸς ἄμετρον ἱλαρότητα μετάγειν, μηδὲ γελωτοποιίᾳ λυμήνασθαι τὴν εἰς Θεὸν μίμησιν χρηστότητα, ἀλλὰ μεταξὺ στῆναι τῆς τελείας ἱλαρότητος, καὶ μήτε λυπεῖν τοὺς συντυγχάνοντας, μήτε ἐκλύειν καὶ ῥᾳθύμους ἀποτελεῖν, μήτε χαλεπῶς ἐπιπλήττειν, μήτε ἀπατηλῶς κολακεύειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συμφερόντως ἐπιστρέφειν καὶ χρηστῶς παρακαλεῖν. Ὃς φείδεται, φησὶ, ῥῆμα προέσθαι σκληρὸν, νοήμων· κηρία δὲ μέλιτος λόγοι καλοὶ, γλύκασμα δὲ αὐτῶν ἴασις ψυχῆς· εἰσὶν οἳ λέγοντες τιτρώσκουσιν ὡς μάχαιραι, γλῶσσαι δὲ σοφῶν ἰῶνται. Καλὸν δὲ καὶ τὸ θείαις ᾠδαῖς ἀνακεῖσθαι μετρίως· ἡ γὰρ τοιαύτη φαιδρότης ἁγιάζει τὴν ψυχὴν, κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον· Πληροῦσθε, φησὶ, Πνεύματι, ᾄδοντες καὶ ψάλλοντες ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ.

Καλὸν οὖν τῇ πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην εὐφροσύνην σπουδῇ προσιέναι, καὶ μὴ διά τινα τρόπον πικρὸν καὶ σκληρὸν ὀκνηρῶς ἔχειν πρὸς τὴν θείαν ᾠδὴν, ὡς μὴ καταξιοῦντα φωνὴν προσκομίσαι πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ μελῳδίαν. Πρὸς γὰρ τοιοῦτον θεῖον πνεῦμα, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὁμιλίαν τὴν ἱερὰν φαιδρῶς ἔχειν δεῖ οὐκ εἰς ἡδυφωνίαν ἐκλυομένους, οὐδὲ βακήλως διακεῖσθαι εἰς τὰς θείας ᾠδὰς, οὐδὲ μελῳδικῶς ἀνακλᾷν, καὶ περιβλέπεσθαι ὧδε κἀκεῖ, ὅπως ἐπαινεθῇς, ἀλλ' ἐνευφραινομένους Θεῷ, καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ ἀρέσκειν σπουδάζοντας, καὶ ἐνταῦθα δὴ μάλιστα, ἵνα τῷ σεμνῷ τὸ ἱλαρὸν κεκραμένον εὑρήσηται, τοῦ μὲν πρὸς Θεὸν φόβου τὴν σεμνότητα παρέχοντος ἡμῖν, τῆς δὲ θείας ᾠδῆς εἰς φαιδρότητα ἐναγούσης, καὶ μίμησιν τῆς αἰωνίου χαρᾶς ἐμποιούσης, ἐν ᾗ τὴν μέλλουσαν ζωὴν οἱ καλῶς ἐμπολιτευσάμενοι ζήσονται παρὰ Κυρίῳ· ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.