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wallowing about, when then will he become pure in heart or when and how will he see God who created him? And how will he be a peacemaker, who has alienated himself from God and not (40) hearing the one who says: "We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us: be reconciled to God"? For everyone who through transgression of the commandments resists and wars against God, this one, even if he makes all men be at peace with one another, is an enemy of God, since not even those whom he makes to be at peace with one another does he do this as it pleases God. For being first an enemy of himself and of God, those who are at peace through such men have also become his enemies. For one who is hostilely disposed toward someone certainly does not know how to rightly advise others on the things that seem good and are pleasing to his enemy and to teach them to do his will, since this very thing, living separated from him, produces ignorance of his desires, but not only that, but also, because of being disposed passionately and hatefully toward him and having a constant practice of walking contrary to his will, it creates a certain habit that, even if this person should ever wish to speak to others the things that contribute to his service, he is not easily able to do so. And reasonably so. For an unenlightened soul, overcome by the passions and especially by envy and having practiced envying someone, cannot bear to hear even another person speaking in favor of the one envied, let alone to do or even to say anything at all for his service. For an old passion and a prolonged practice of evil in a soul takes on the strength of nature, so that it can never be cured. For such men become darkness from light and, falling from goodness into wickedness, they suffer incurably.

But he who has been united with God through faith and has come to know him through practice, has also been deemed worthy to see him certainly through contemplation. (41) But he sees things that I am not able to write. For the mind sees certain strange visions and is wholly illumined and becomes like light, but it is not able to understand or speak of these things. For the mind itself is light and sees all things as light, and the light is living and provides life to the one seeing. It sees itself completely united with the light, and seeing, it withdraws and is as it was. It perceives the light in the soul and is ecstatic, and being ecstatic it sees it from afar, but turning back it finds itself again in the midst of the light. And so what it might say or what it might perceive in what is seen, it is at a complete loss for both words and thoughts.

Who then, hearing these mysteries, will not marvel and, marveling, run to Christ? Who will not long to see the wonders of God and love the one who freely gives these gifts and strange charisms? Truly, brethren, nothing in the world is better than to have nothing of the world, nor to want anything more than the necessary need of the body. And the word knows this necessary need to be bread and water, clothing and shelter, according to the divine apostle: "Having food and clothing, with these we shall be content." But if we need anything more than these, he who has granted greater things and fills every living thing with his good pleasure will certainly provide it to us, as we hope in him and believe. Only let us leave all other things of this temporary life, I mean vainglory, envy, strife toward one another, deceit, grumbling, contention and all things that are abominable to God and bring danger to the soul. But let us desire from the soul the things God commands us to embrace, (42) spiritual poverty, which the word calls humility, unceasing mourning by night and day, from which springs the joy of the soul and the comfort that comes hour by hour to those who love God. For from this, for all who struggle in truth, meekness is also achieved, as they hunger and thirst for righteousness and ever seek the kingdom of God, which surpasses all human understanding. And not only this but also that one becomes merciful, pure in heart, full of peace and a peacemaker and courageous in

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καλινδούμενος, πότε καθαρός ἄρα τῇ καρδίᾳ γενήσεται ἤ πότε καί πῶς τόν Θεόν τόν δημιουργήσαντα αὐτόν ὄψεται; Εἰρηνοποιός δέ πῶς ἔσται ὁ ἀπαλλοτριώσας ἑαυτόν τοῦ Θεοῦ καί μή (40) ἀκούων τοῦ λέγοντος· "Ὑπέρ Χριστοῦ πρεσβεύομεν, ὡς τοῦ Θεοῦ παρακαλοῦντος δι᾿ ἡμῶν· καταλλάγητε τῷ Θεῷ"; Πᾶς γάρ ὁ διά τῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν παραβάσεως ἀνθιστάμενος καί πολεμῶν τῷ Θεῷ, οὗτος κἄν εἰρηνεύειν ἅπαντας πρός ἀλλήλους ποιῇ ἐχθρός ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐπειδή οὐδέ αὐτούς οὕς εἰρηνεύειν πρός ἀλλήλους ποιεῖ, ὡς ἀρέσκει τῷ Θεῷ ποιεῖ τοῦτο. Ἐχθρός γάρ αὐτός πρῶτος ὤν ἑαυτοῦ καί τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐχθροί καθεστήκασιν αὐτοῦ καί οἱ διά τῶν τοιούτων εἰρηνεύοντες. Οὐ γάρ ἐπίσταται πάντως ὁ ἐχθρωδῶς πρός τινα διακείμενος τά τῷ ἐχθρῷ δοκοῦντα καί ἀρεστά ἑτέροις συμβουλεύειν ὀρθῶς καί τά ἐκείνου διδάσκειν αὐτούς ποιεῖν θελήματα, ἐπειδή καί αὐτό τοῦτο, τό ἀποκεχωρισμένως διάγειν ἐξ αὐτοῦ, ἄγνοιαν ἐμποιεῖ τῶν ἐκείνου καταθυμίων, οὐ μήν ἀλλά καί, διά τό ἐμπαθῶς καί ἀπεχθῶς διακεῖσθαι πρός αὐτόν μελέτην τε ἀένναον ἔχειν ἐναντίως τῶν ἐκείνου θελημάτων πορεύεσθαι, ἐθισμόν τινα ποιεῖ τοῦ εἰ καί ποτε θελήσει οὗτος ἑτέροις λαλῆσαι τά πρός θεραπείαν ἐκείνου τελούμενα μή εὐκόλως δύνασθαι. Καί εἰκότως. Ψυχή γάρ ἀφώτιστος, ὑπό τῶν παθῶν καί μάλιστα ὑπό τοῦ φθόνου κρατηθεῖσα καί φθονεῖν τινι μελετήσασα, οὐδέ ἑτέρου τινος ὑπερλαλοῦντος τοῦ φθονουμένου ἀκοῦσαι ἀνέχεται, μή ὅτι γε πρός θεραπείαν ἐκείνου καί διαπρᾶξαί τι ἤ κἄν ὅλως εἰπεῖν. Φύσεως γάρ ἰσχύν λαμβάνει παλαιωθέν πάθος καί κακοῦ μελέτη χρονίσασα εἰς ψυχήν, ὡς μή δύνασθαι τοῦτο ἐξιαθῆναί ποτε. Ἐκ γάρ φωτός σκότος γίνονται οἱ τοιοῦτοι καί, ἐξ ἀγαθότητος εἰς πονηρίαν μεταπίπτοντες, νοσοῦσιν ἀνίατα.

Ὁ δέ γε Θεῷ συγκραθείς διά πίστεως καί ἐπιγνούς αὐτόν διά πράξεως, καί βλέπειν αὐτόν πάντως διά θεωρίας ἠξίωται. (41) Βλέπει δέ ἅ μή γράφειν ἰσχύω. Ὁρᾷ γάρ ξένα τινά θεάματα ὁ νοῦς καί ὅλος φωτίζεται καί φωτοειδής γίνεται, νοεῖν δέ ἤ λαλεῖν ταῦτα οὐκ ἰσχύει. Αὐτός μέν γάρ ὁ νοῦς φῶς ἐστι καί βλέπει τά πάντα φῶς, καί τό φῶς ζῶν ἐστι καί ζωήν τῷ ὁρῶντι παρέχει. Βλέπει ἑαυτόν καθόλου τῷ φωτί ἡνωμένον, καί ὁρῶν συστέλλεται καί ἔστιν ὡς ἦν. Κατανοεῖ τό φῶς ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ καί ἐξίσταται, καί ἐξιστάμενος βλέπει τοῦτο μακράν, στραφείς δέ μέσον πάλιν εὑρίσκεται τοῦ φωτός. Καί οὕτως τί εἴπῃ ἤ τί ἐν τῷ ὁρωμένῳ κατανοήσῃ, ὅλως ἀπορεῖ καί λόγων καί νοημάτων.

Τίς οὖν ἀκούων ταῦτα δή τά μυστήρια οὐ θαυμάσει καί θαυμάσας προσδράμῃ Χριστῷ; Τίς Θεοῦ τερατουργίας μή ποθήσῃ ἰδεῖν καί ἀγαπήσει τόν δωρεάν διδόντα τά δῶρα ταῦτα καί ξένα χαρίσματα; Ὄντως κρεῖττον οὐδέν, ἀδελφοί, ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ὡς τό μηδέν ἔχειν τοῦ κόσμου, μηδέ θέλειν τι πλέον τῆς ἀναγκαίας χρείας τοῦ σώματος. Χρείαν δέ ἀναγκαίαν ταύτην οἶδεν ὁ λόγος, ἄρτον καί ὕδωρ, ἱμάτιον καί σκέπην, κατά τόν θεῖον ἀπόστολον· "Ἔχοντες διατροφάς καί σκεπάσματα, τούτοις ἀρκεσθησόμεθα". Εἰ δέ καί πλέον τι τούτων χρήζομεν, πάντως ἐκεῖνος παρέξει ἡμῖν, ἐλπίζουσιν εἰς αὐτόν καί πιστεύουσιν, ὁ τά μείζω χαρίσας καί ἐμπιπλῶν πᾶν ζῷον εὐδοκίας. Μόνον καταλείψωμεν τά ἄλλα πάντα τῆς προσκαίρου ζωῆς, δόξαν φημί τήν κενήν, τόν φθόνον, τήν εἰς ἀλλήλους ἔριν, τόν δόλον, τόν γογγυσμόν, τήν ἐρίθειαν καί πάντα ὅσα τῷ Θεῷ ἀποτρόπαια καί εἰς κίνδυνον φέρει ψυχῆς. Ποθήσωμεν δέ ἐκ ψυχῆς ἅ κελεύει Θεός ἡμῖν κατασπάζεσθαι, (42) φτωχείαν πνευματικήν, ἥν καλεῖ ὁ λόγος ταπείνωσιν, πένθος ἀένναον ἐν νυκτί καί ἡμέρᾳ, ἐξ οὗ πηγάζεται ἡ χαρά τῆς ψυχῆς καί ἡ παράκλησις καθ᾿ ὥραν τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τόν Θεόν. Ἐκ τούτου γάρ πᾶσι τοῖς ἀγωνιζομένοις ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καί ἡ πραότης κατορθοῦται, πεινῶσι καί διψῶσι τήν δικαιοσύνην καί ζητοῦσιν ἀεί τήν τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείαν, τήν ὑπερέχουσαν πάντα νοῦν ἀνθρώπινον. Οὐ μόνον δέ ἀλλά καί τό γενέσθαι τινά ἐλεήμονα, καθαρόν τήν καρδίαν, εἰρήνης μεστόν καί εἰρηνοποιόν καί ἀνδρεῖον εἰς