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to speak these things it has not the strength. For the mind itself is light and sees all things as light, and the light is living and gives life to the one who sees. It sees itself completely united with the light, and seeing, it shrinks and is as it was. It perceives the light in the soul and is ecstatic, and being ecstatic it sees this far off, but turning back it finds itself again in the midst of the light. And thus what it might say or what it might perceive in what is seen, it is at a 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, nothing is better, brethren, in the world 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." And if we need anything more than these, He will surely provide it for us, who hope in Him and believe, He who has granted greater things and fills every living thing with good pleasure. Only let us leave behind all other things of this temporary life, I mean vainglory, envy, strife toward one another, deceit, murmuring, rivalry and all things that are abominable to God and bring danger to the soul. But let us long from the soul for what 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 consolation hour by hour for those who love God. For from this, for all who strive in truth, meekness is also achieved, who hunger and thirst for righteousness and always seek the kingdom of God, which surpasses all human understanding. But not only this, but also for one to become merciful, pure in heart, full of peace and a peacemaker and courageous in temptations, this comes from mourning daily. From here also hatred for evil things arises in us, from here divine zeal is kindled in the soul, which does not allow it to rest at all or to incline toward evil with the evil, but fills it with courage and power to persevere in terrible things until the end.

Let us flee, therefore, the world and the things in the world, beloved brethren. For what have we to do with the world and with the people in the world? Let us run, let us pursue, until we grasp something of the things that stand and do not flow away. For all things pass away and pass by like a dream and nothing is lasting or stable in the things that are seen. The sun, the stars, the heaven and the earth all pass away, but man alone of all things remains. What then of the things seen can benefit us in the necessary time of death, when we are departing from here to the repose of that age, while they are left behind? And if the things seen will thus pass away, what is our gain when we depart and leave the body dead? For after the soul leaves its own body, (43) it can neither see through it nor be seen by another, but from then on it is concerned only with the unseen and has no care for the things here, having a double life and struggle there, either of the kingdom of heaven and eternal glory or again of gehenna and the punishment of fire. For one of these it receives from God as an eternal inheritance, according to the worth of what it did here.

Therefore let us flee, I ask, for these reasons, the world. Let us flee the deceit of this life and its supposed gladness and let us run to Christ the savior of souls alone. Let us strive to find Him who is present everywhere, and having found Him let us hold on, falling at His feet, and let us kiss them with warmth of soul. Yes, I beseech you, let us strive while we are still alive to see Him and behold Him.

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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 τούς πειρασμούς, ἐντεῦθέν ἐστιν ἐκ τοῦ πενθεῖν καθ᾿ ἑκάστην. Ἐντεῦθεν καί τό μισεῖν ἡμῖν ἐπιγίνεται τά κακά, ἐντεῦθεν ὁ θεῖος ζῆλος ἀνάπτεται εἰς τήν ψυχήν, ὅς οὐκ ἐᾷ ἠρεμῆσαι αὐτήν ὅλως ἤ συνεκκλῖναι πρός τά κακά τοῖς κακοῖς, ἀλλά πληροῖ ταύτην ἀνδρείας καί δυνάμεως εἰς τό μέχρι τέλους ἐγκαρτερεῖν τοῖς δεινοῖς.

Φύγωμεν οὖν τόν κόσμον καί τά ἐν κόσμῳ, ἀγαπητοί ἀδελφοί. Τί γάρ ἡμῖν καί τῷ κόσμῳ καί τοῖς ἐν κόσμῳ ἀνθρώποις; ∆ράμωμεν, διώξωμεν, ἕως οὗ δραξόμεθά τινος τῶν ἑστώτων καί μή ῥεόντων. Τά γάρ πάντα φθείρεται καί ὡς ὄναρ παρέρχεται καί οὐδέν μόνιμον ἤ βέβαιον ἐν τοῖς ὁρωμένοις. Ὁ ἥλιος, τά ἄστρα, ὁ οὐρανός καί ἡ γῆ πάντα παρέρχονται, μόνος δέ πάντων μένει ὁ ἄνθρωπος. Τί τοίνυν ἐκ τῶν ὁρωμένων δύναται ἡμᾶς ὠφελῆσαι ἐν καιρῷ ἀνάγκης θανάτου, ἡμῶν ἀπερχομένων ἐντεῦθεν πρός τήν ἐκεῖθεν κατάπαυσιν τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐκείνου, αὐτῶν δέ ὄπισθεν καταλιμπανομένων; Εἰ δέ καί οὕτω τά ὁρώμενα παρελεύσεται, τί τό κέρδος ἡμῶν ἀπιόντων καί τό σῶμα καταλιμπανόντων νεκρόν; Ἀφ᾿ οὗ γάρ ἡ ψυχή καταλίπῃ τό ἴδιον σῶμα, (43) οὔτε βλέπειν δύναται δι᾿ αὐτοῦ οὔτε βλέπεσθαι παρ᾿ ἑτέρου, ἀλλ᾿ ἔκτοτε πρός μόνα τά ἀόρατα ἔχει καί φροντίς οὐδεμία ἐστίν αὐτῇ περί τῶν ὧδε, διπλοῦν ἐκεῖθεν ἐχούσῃ τόν βίον καί τόν ἀγῶνα, ἤ βσιλείας οὐρανῶν καί αἰωνίου δόξης ἤ γεέννης πάλιν καί τιμωρίας πυρός. Ἕν γάρ τούτων εἰς κληρονομίαν αἰώνιον, κατ᾿ ἀξίαν ὧν ἔπραξεν ἐνταῦθα, ἀπολαμβάνει παρά Θεοῦ.

Τοιγαροῦν φύγωμεν, ἀξιῶ, διά ταῦτα τόν κόσμον. Φύγωμεν τήν ἀπάτην τοῦ βίου καί τήν νομιζομένην εὐφροσύνην αὐτοῦ καί μόνῳ προσδράμωμεν τῷ ψυχοσώστη Χριστῷ. Τοῦτον σπουδάσωμεν εὑρεῖν τόν πανταχοῦ παρόντα, καί εὑρόντες κρατήσωμεν προσπεσόντες τούς πόδας αὐτοῦ, καί αὐτούς ἐν θέρμῃ ψυχῆς ἀσπασώμεθα. Ναί παρακαλῶ, σπουδάσωμεν ἔτι περιόντες ἰδεῖν αὐτόν καί θεάσασθαι.