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Let us imitate the blessed Anna's intense and unceasing fasting and prayers; may we not appear worse than a woman, and this while she lived under the shadow of the law, where approval in these things was rare. But let us, illuminated by the light of grace, and helped by the clearer and more distinct hope, and strengthened by the power of the Spirit, not be separated from the sacred teachings, from which the saving habit is wont to be born in souls; just as she is testified to be inseparable from the temple, let us not let our thoughts wander from the fear of God, but by it and in it let us nail down our flesh and our thoughts, according to the prophet's prayer. Let us hear the great Paul teaching: I have betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ, and let us not break our covenants with him through mixing with the destroyer of our life by doing his will; and in this imitating the chastity and single-wedded state of the prophetess; but according to what is at hand, may you not fail in the imitation, as many of you as have been released from a first marriage, and if possible 46.1181, do not enter into a second marriage. For Paul assures you that in this way you will be more blessed. Let us also bring to the altar above, as a pair of turtledoves, the purity of soul and body; or as two young pigeons, providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men, so that we too, having accomplished all things spiritually according to the divine law, progressing in wisdom and in grace, and arriving at the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, and perfecting the inner man, and becoming a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, may return to our true fatherland, the heavenly Jerusalem, in which may we be deemed worthy to enjoy the blessed and perpetual joy and kingdom in Christ Jesus, to whom be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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Μιμησώμεθα τῆς μακαρίας Ἄννης τὸ ἐν νηστείαις τε καὶ προσευχαῖς σύντονον καὶ ἀνένδοτον· μὴ γυναικὸς χείρους φανείημεν, καὶ ταῦτα ὑπὸ τὴν σκιὰν πολιτευομένης τοῦ νόμου, ἔνθα τὸ ἐν τούτοις εὐδόκιμον σπάνιον. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς τῷ φωτὶ καταλαμπόμενοι τῆς χάριτος, καὶ τῷ τρανῷ τε καὶ ἐκτυπωτέρῳ τῆς ἐλπίδος βοηθούμενοι, καὶ τῷ κράτει τοῦ Πνεύματος δυναμούμενοι, μὴ χωρισθῶμεν τῶν ἱερῶν διδαγμάτων, ἐξ ὧν ἡ σωτήριος ἕξις ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἐντίκτεσθαι εἴωθεν· καθάπερ κἀκείνη ἀχώριστος εἶναι τοῦ ἱεροῦ μεμαρτύρηται, μὴ περιπλαζώμεθα τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ θείου φόβου, ἀλλ' ἐξ αὐτοῦ τε καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τὰς σάρκας ἡμῶν καὶ τὰ νοήματα, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ προφήτου εὐχὴν, καθηλώσωμεν. Ἀκούσωμεν τοῦ μεγάλου Παύλου διδάσκοντος· Ἡρμοσάμην ὑμᾶς ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ παρθένον ἁγνὴν παραστῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ, καὶ μὴ τὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν συνθήκας ἀθετήσωμεν διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὸν φθορέα τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν ἐπιμιξίας ἐκ τοῦ ποιεῖν τὰ ἐκείνου θελήματα· κἀν τούτῳ μιμούμενοι τῆς προφήτιδος τὸ σῶφρόν τε καὶ μονόζυγον· ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ πρόχειρον μὴ ἀπολειφθείητε τῆς μιμήσεως, ὅσοι μονογαμίας ἐλύθητε, καὶ εἰ δυνα τὸν 46.1181, πρὸς δεύτερον γάμον μὴ ἔλθητε. Οὕτω γὰρ μακαριώτερον ἔσεσθαι Παῦλος ὑμᾶς περὶ τούτου διαβεβαιοῦται. Προσαγάγωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐπὶ τὸ ἄνω θυσιαστήριον ὡς ζεῦγος τρυγόνων τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τοῦ σώματος καθαρότητα· ἢ ὡς δύο νεοσσοὺς περιστερῶν τὸ προνοεῖσθαι καλὰ, οὐ μόνον ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνώπιον ἀνθρώπων, ἵνα πάντα καὶ ἡμεῖς πνευματικῶς κατὰ τὸν θεῖον νόμον τελέσαντες, ἐν σοφίᾳ τε καὶ χάριτι προκόπτοντες, καὶ εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ φθάνοντες, καὶ τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον τελειούμενοι, καὶ Πνεύματος ἁγίου γινόμενοι ἐνδιαίτημα, ὑποστρέψωμεν εἰς τὴν πατρίδα ἡμῶν τὴν ἀληθινὴν, τὴν ἐπουράνιον Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἐν ᾗ καταξιωθείημεν τῆς μακαρίας καὶ διηνεκοῦς εὐφροσύνης τε καὶ βασιλείας ἀπολαύειν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ᾧ δόξα καὶ κράτος σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.