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all things, and drew down favor from above. What then ought you to say when you pray? What the Canaanite woman said; for as she said: Have mercy on me, my daughter is grievously possessed by a demon; so you too say, Have mercy on me, my soul is grievously possessed by a demon. For sin is a great demon; the one possessed by a demon is pitied; the one who sins is hated. Have mercy on me. A short phrase, and an ocean of loving-kindness; for where there is mercy, there are all good things. Even if you are outside the church, cry out and say, Have mercy on me, even if not moving your lips, but crying out with your mind; for God hears even those who are silent. A place is not sought, but a beginning of a way of life. Jeremiah was in the mire, and he drew God to himself; and Job was on the dunghill, and he made God merciful; Jonah was in the belly of the sea monster, and he had God listening. Even if you are in a bathhouse, pray; wherever you may be, pray. You are a temple, do not seek a place. The sea was in front, the Egyptians behind, and Moses in the middle speaking nothing; for the distress in prayer was great; and God says to him, Why do you cry to me? So you too, then, whenever a temptation comes upon you, take refuge in God, call upon the Master. For is he a man, that you must go to a place? God is always near. For while you are still speaking, I will say: Behold, I am here. You have not yet finished the prayer, and he gives the healing. For if you have a mind pure of unfitting passions, even if you are in the marketplace, even if on the road, even if standing in a court of law, even if at sea, even if in an inn, even if standing at a work 63.586 shop, even wherever you may be, you will be able, having called upon God, to obtain your request. For what is the meaning of the stretching out of the hands in prayer? These serve many wickednesses; and for this reason we are commanded to raise them, so that the service of prayer may become a bond for them against evil, and a restraint from wickedness; so that, when you are about to seize, or to be greedy, or to strike another, you may remember that you are about to send these to God as advocates, and through them to offer up that spiritual sacrifice, and not disgrace them, nor render them without confidence, by the service of wicked work. Cleanse them, therefore, with almsgiving, with love for mankind, with protection of those in need, and so lead them to prayer. For if you do not permit them unwashed for prayer, much more would you not be right to defile them with sins. If you fear the lesser thing, to pray with unwashed hands, much more shudder at the greater. For to pray with unwashed hands is not so unfitting; but to bring them, when they have been soiled with countless sins, this brings great wrath and destruction. Do you wish to learn how great is the power of the prayer that takes place in the church? Peter was once bound, and was surrounded by many chains. But earnest prayer was being made for him by the Church; and immediately it delivered him from the prison. What then could be more powerful than this prayer, which helped the pillar and tower of the Church? And to the catechumens this has not yet been permitted, since they have not yet reached this confidence; but you are exhorted to make your supplications both for the whole world and for the Church which is spread to the ends of the earth, and for those who administer and oversee it. And you obey with eagerness, bearing witness by your deed that great is the power of the prayer offered up in the Church in unison by the people. For if in the case of men, a people coming forward has begged for condemned men being led away to death, and the king, being importuned by the multitude, has reversed his sentence, much more will the heavenly king, being importuned by you, grant the request. Have you not heard that Peter was thus snatched from the prison, since earnest prayer was being made for him? How much greater do you think it is than our littleness to approach and beseech God on behalf of so great a people? For if I myself do not have the confidence to pray for myself, much less for others; for this belongs to those who are well-pleasing. When, therefore, I myself have given offense, how shall I pray for another? For on behalf of one

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ἅπαντα, καὶ τὴν ἄνωθεν εὔνοιαν ἐπεσπάσαντο. Τί τοίνυν λέγειν ὀφείλεις εὐχόμενος; Ὅπερ ἡ Χαναναία· ὡς γὰρ ἐκείνη ἔλεγεν· Ἐλέησόν με, ἡ θυγάτηρ μου κακῶς δαιμονίζεται· οὕτω λέγε καὶ σὺ, Ἐλέησόν με, ἡ ψυχή μου κακῶς δαιμονίζεται. Μέγας γὰρ δαίμων ἡ ἁμαρτία· ὁ δαιμονῶν ἐλεεῖται· ὁ ἁμαρτάνων μισεῖται. Ἐλέησόν με. Βραχὺ τὸ ῥῆμα, καὶ πέλαγος τῆς φιλανθρωπίας· ὅπου γὰρ ἔλεος, πάντα τὰ ἀγαθά. Κἂν ἔξω ἐκκλησίας ᾖς, κράζε καὶ λέγε, Ἐλέησόν με, εἰ καὶ μὴ κινῶν τὰ χείλη, ἀλλὰ τῇ διανοίᾳ βοῶν· καὶ σιωπώντων γὰρ ἀκούει ὁ Θεός. Οὐ ζητεῖται τόπος, ἀλλ' ἀρχὴ τρόπου. Ὁ Ἱερεμίαςἐν βορβόρῳ ἦν, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐπεσπάσατο· καὶ ὁ Ἰὼβ ἐν κοπρίᾳ ἦν, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἵλεων κατεσκεύασεν· ὁ Ἰωνᾶς ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὑπήκοον ἔσχε. Κἂν ἐν βαλανείῳ ᾖς, εὔχου· ὅπου ἐὰν ᾖς, εὔχου. Ναὸς εἶ, μὴ ζήτει τόπον. Θάλαττα ἦν ἔμπροσθεν, ὄπισθεν Αἰγύπτιοι, καὶ μέσος ὁ Μωϋσῆς μηδὲν λαλῶν· πολλὴ γὰρ ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ ἡ στενοχωρία· καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς, Τί βοᾷς πρός με; Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν ὅταν πειρασμὸς ἐπέλθῃ σοι, ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν κατάφυγε, τὸν ∆εσπότην κάλεσον. Μὴ γὰρ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν, ἵνα ἀπέλθῃς εἰς τόπον; Θεὸς ἀεὶ ἐγγύς ἐστιν. Ἔτι γὰρ λαλοῦντός σου, ἐρῶ· Ἰδοὺ πάρειμι. Οὐδέπω τελεῖς τὴν εὐχὴν, καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν ἴασιν δίδωσιν. Ἂν γὰρ τὴν διάνοιαν ἔχῃς καθαρεύουσαν τῶν ἀτόπων παθῶν, κἂν ἐν ἀγορᾷ ᾖς, κἂν ἐν ὁδῷ, κἂν ἐν δικαστηρίῳ παρεστὼς, κἂν ἐν θαλάσσῃ, κἂν ἐν πανδοχείῳ, κἂν ἐπ' ἐργαστη 63.586 ρίῳ ἑστηκὼς, κἂν ὅπουπερ ἂν ᾖς, δυνήσῃ τὸν Θεὸν καλέσας ἐπιτυχεῖν τῆς αἰτήσεως. Τί γὰρ βούλεται τῶν χειρῶν ἡ ἔκτασις ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ; Πολλαῖς πονηρίαις διακονοῦσιν αὗται· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κελευόμεθα αὐτὰς ἀνατείνειν, ἵνα ἡ τῆς εὐχῆς διακονία δεσμὸς αὐταῖς γένηται τῆς κακίας, καὶ ἀπαγωγὴ τῆς πονηρίας· ἵν', ὅταν μέλλῃς ἁρπάζειν, ἢ πλεονεκτεῖν, ἢ τύπτειν ἕτερον, ἀναμνησθῇς ὅτι ταύτας μέλλεις ἀντὶ συνηγόρων πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν πέμπειν, καὶ διὰ τούτων τὴν θυσίαν ἀναφέρειν ἐκείνην τὴν πνευματικὴν, καὶ μὴ καταισχύνῃς αὐτὰς, μηδὲ ἀπαῤῥησιάστους ἐργάσῃ, τῇ διακονίᾳ τῆς πονηρᾶς ἐργασίας. Κάθαιρε τοίνυν αὐτὰς ἐλεημοσύνῃ, φιλανθρωπίᾳ, προστασίᾳ τῶν δεομένων, καὶ οὕτως αὐτὰς εἰς εὐχὴν ἄγε. Εἰ γὰρ ἀνίπτοις αὐταῖς οὐκ ἐπιτρέπεις εἰς εὐχὴν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἁμαρτήμασιν οὐκ ἂν εἴης δίκαιος αὐτὰς μιαίνειν. Εἰ τὸ ἔλαττον δέδοικας τὸ ἀνίπτοις χερσὶν εὔχεσθαι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸ μεῖζον φρίξον. Τὸ γὰρ μὲν ἀνίπτοις χερσὶ προσεύχεσθαι οὐ τοσοῦτον ἄτοπον· τὸ δὲ καταῤῥυπανθείσας αὐτὰς μυρίοις ἁμαρτήμασι προσάγειν, τοῦτο πολλὴν φέρει τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ τὸν ὄλεθρον. Βούλει μαθεῖν πόση ἡ δύναμις τῆς εὐχῆς τῆς ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ γινομένης; Ἐδέδετό ποτε ὁ Πέτρος, καὶ ἁλύσεις περιέκειτο πολλάς. Προσευχὴ δὲ ἦν ἐκτενὴς ὑπὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας περὶ αὐτοῦ γινομένη· καὶ εὐθέως αὐτὸν ἀπήλλαξε τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου. Τί τοίνυν δυνατώτερον ταύτης γένοιτ' ἂν τῆς εὐχῆς, ἣ τὸν στῦλον καὶ πύργον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὠφέλησε; Καὶ τοῖς μὲν κατηχουμένοις οὐδέπω τοῦτο ἐπιτέτραπται, ἐπειδὴ οὐδέπω πρὸς τὴν παῤῥησίαν ἔφθασαν ταύτην· ὑμῖν δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς οἰκουμένης καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς μέχρι τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς ἐκτεταμένης, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν διοικούντων ταύτην καὶ ἐπισκοπούντων, παρακελεύεται ποιεῖσθαι τὰς δεήσεις. Καὶ ὑπακούετε μετὰ προθυμίας, ἔργῳ μαρτυροῦντες, ὅτι μεγάλη τῆς εὐχῆς ἡ δύναμίς ἐστι τῆς ἐν Ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀπὸ τοῦ δήμου συμφώνως ἀναφερομένης. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ ἀνθρώπων καταδίκους ἄνδρας ἀπαγομένους εἰς θάνατον, δῆμος προσελθὼν ἐξῃτήσατο, καὶ τὸ πλῆθος δυσωπηθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν γνώμην ἀνέθετο, πολλῷ μᾶλλον παρ' ὑμῶν ὁ ἐπουράνιος δυσωπηθεὶς βασιλεὺς παρέξει τὴν αἴτησιν. Οὐκ ἠκούσατε ὅτι Πέτρος οὕτως ἐξηρπάγη τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου, ἐπειδὴ ἦν εὐχὴ ἐκτενὴς ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ γινομένη; Πόσῳ νομίζετε μεῖζον εἶναι τῆς ἡμετέρας σμικρότητος τὸ ὑπὲρ δήμου τοσούτου προσιέναι καὶ παρακαλεῖν τὸν Θεόν; Εἰ γὰρ αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ δεηθῆναι παῤῥησίαν οὐκ ἔχω, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ ἑτέρων· τῶν γὰρ εὐδοκιμούντων ἐστὶ τοῦτο. Ὅταν οὖν καὶ αὐτὸς προσκεκρουκὼς ὦ, πῶς ὑπὲρ ἄλλου δεηθήσομαι; Ἕνα μὲν γὰρ ὑπὲρ