I might bear away glory and honor. And Paul says, If I do this willingly, I have no reward; but if unwillingly, I am entrusted with a stewardship; for just as in visible things the master builder does a work, and the coppersmith and the silversmith, casting vessels into the fire, accomplishes a work, so also the men of God are once for all prepared for this, not that they may speak and be glorified by men, but that their word may accomplish a divine work, building up the souls of men, and making a mind that has been sunk and plunged into evils light and borne up toward heaven. For by enlightening and guiding and changing such people to good characters and good ways, they prepare them to go to life. 55.3 And there are many strongholds of wickedness: the first are desire of the flesh and love of money. For it happens that on the outside someone is poor and without possessions, but on the inside he takes pleasure in wealth and is a friend of the rich; and if it happens that money is left to him by someone, he is turned aside. God therefore seeks a way that is free from the love of money; or even if it happens that wealth befalls him, then especially to be disgusted and to hate and to flee as from a fire. And after these are other strongholds of vainglory; and of delusion, and who then will be able to break through these fences and partition walls, and to have continual labor in the soul, and tears and hunger and thirst? 55.4 If then you are ever in these things, have a word with your soul and your body. Say to your body: What are we doing in this world? Our time is short; you are about to decay, and to go to a tomb. Say to your soul: What are you doing here? Go, fall down before the Lord, lest you be punished in eternal fire. Stand again against the enemy who boxes with you and destroys your mind. Blessed are those who have passed through the fearful places of that darkness, and the terrible night, and the squalid places and disease-producing airs of sin, and have entered into rest and joy in the exultation of the Holy Spirit, to whom be glory for ever and ever, amen. 56. HOMILY 56 56.1 What a monk is and in what way he is truly so named, we ought to know. Therefore we speak as Christ gives. First, he is so called because he is alone, abstaining from a wife and having renounced the world both inwardly and outwardly; that is, outwardly from material things and worldly affairs, and inwardly from the thoughts of these things, so that he may not receive the reasonings of worldly care. Secondly, he is called a monk, so as to beseech God in unceasing prayer, that He may cleanse his mind from many and difficult reasonings, and the mind may become, in itself, a solitary monk, alone with the true God, not receiving the reasonings that come from wickedness, but always to be pure as is necessary, and to remain sincere toward God. 56.2 For this is in the choice of man. If therefore he wishes to give his choice only to the Lord, He roots out the passions and the reasonings of wickedness from him, and thus having cleansed him, He implants in him the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which are, Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control; concerning which the apostle says, 'Against such things there is no law.' For inasmuch as God sees the choice of man at leisure and drawing near to Him always without distraction, so much also does He multiply His grace in him, and enriches him in it; but inasmuch as He sees our choice being neglectful and not drawing near to Him but being distracted in material actions, so much also does He depart, and it is no concern

δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν ἀπενέγκωμαι. καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δέ φησιν Εἰ μὲν ἑκὼν τοῦτο πράττω, μισθὸν οὐκ ἔχω· εἰ δὲ ἄκων οἰκονομίαν πεπίστευμαι· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς φαινομένοις ὁ ἀρχι τέκτων ἔργον ποιεῖ, καὶ ὁ χαλκεὺς καὶ ὁ ἀργυροκόπος βάλλων σκεύη εἰς πῦρ ἔργον ἐπιτελεῖ, οὕτω καὶ οἱ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωποι ἅπαξ εἰς τοῦτό εἰσιν εὐτρεπισμένοι, οὐχ ἵνα λαλήσωσι καὶ δοξασθῶσιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' ἵνα ὁ λόγος αὐτῶν θεϊκὸν ἔργον ἐπιτελέσῃ, ψυχὰς ἀνθρώπων οἰκοδο μῶν, καὶ βεβυθισμένον νοῦν καὶ καταπεποντισμένον εἰς κακὰ κοῦφον καὶ ἀνωφελῆ πρὸς οὐρανὸν ἀπεργαζόμενος. τοὺς γὰρ τοιούτους φωτίζοντες καὶ ὁδηγοῦντες καὶ μεταβάλλοντες εἰς ἤθη καλὰ καὶ τρόπους ἀγαθούς, παρασκευάζουσιν ἀπελθεῖν εἰς ζωήν. 55.3 εἰσὶ δὲ πολλὰ ὀχυρώματα τῆς κακίας· τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ἐπιθυμία σαρκὸς καὶ φιλαργυρία· συμβαίνει γὰρ ὅτι ἔξωθεν μέν τις πτωχός ἐστι καὶ ἀκτήμων, ἔσωθεν δὲ συνήδεται τῷ πλούτῳ καὶ ἔστι φίλος πλου σίων· καὶ ἐὰν συμβῇ ὑπό τινος καταλειφθῆναι αὐτῷ χρήματα, ἐκτρέ πεται. ζητεῖ οὖν τὸν τρόπον ὁ θεὸς ἀνάργυρον· ἢ καὶ ἐὰν συμβῇ αὐτῷ ἐμπεσεῖν πλοῦτον, τότε μάλιστα ἀηδισθῆναι καὶ μισῆσαι καὶ φυγεῖν ὡς ἀπὸ πυρός. μετὰ δὲ ταῦτά εἰσιν ἄλλα ὀχυρώματα τῆς κενοδοξίας· καὶ τῆς τυφώσεως, καὶ τίς ἄρα δυνήσεται τούτους τοὺς φραγμοὺς καὶ τὰ μεσότοιχα διαρρῆξαι, καὶ πόνον ἔχειν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ διηνεκῆ, δάκρυά τε καὶ πεῖναν καὶ δίψαν; 55.4 εἰ οὖν ἐν τούτοις γένῃ ποτέ, λόγον ποιοῦ μετὰ τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τοῦ σώματός σου. εἰπὲ τῷ σώματί σου· τί ποιοῦμεν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ; ὀλίγος ἐστὶν ὁ καιρὸς ἡμῶν· μέλλεις φθείρεσθαι, καὶ ἀπέρχεσθαι εἰς μνημεῖον. εἰπὲ τῇ ψυχῇ σου· τι ποιεῖς ὧδε; ἄπελθε πρόσπεσον τῷ κυρίῳ, μήπως κολασθῇς εἰς πῦρ αἰώνιον· ἀντίστηθι πάλιν πρὸς τὸν πυκτεύοντά σοι ἐχθρὸν καὶ ἀφανίζοντα τοῦ νοῦν σου. μακάριοί εἰσιν οἱ παρελθόντες τοὺς φοβεροὺς τόπους ἐκείνου τοῦ σκότους, καὶ τὴν δεινὴν νύκτα, καὶ τοὺς αὐχμηροὺς τόπους καὶ νοσοποιοὺς ἀέρας τῆς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ εἰσελθόντες εἰς κατάπαυσιν καὶ χαρὰν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει πνεύματος ἁγίου, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν. 56.τ ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Νϛ 56.1 τί ἐστι μονάζων καὶ κατὰ τίνα τρόπον ὄντως ὀνομάζεται, ὀφεί λομεν γνῶναι· καθὼς οὖν ὁ χριστὸς δίδωσι λέγομεν. πρῶτον μὲν οὕτω λέγεται, ὅτι μόνος ἐστίν, ἀπεχόμενος γυναικὸς καὶ ἀποταξάμενος τῷ κόσμῳ ἔσωθέν τε καὶ ἔξωθεν· ἤγουν ἔξωθεν μὲν ταῖς ὕλαις καὶ τοῖς κοσμικοῖς πράγμασιν ἔσωθεν δὲ τοῖς τούτων διανοήμασιν, ἵνα μὴ κατα δέχηται τοὺς λογισμοὺς τῆς κοσμικῆς φροντίδος. δεύτερον δὲ λέγεται μονάζων, ὥστε παρακαλεῖν τὸν θεὸν ἐν τῇ ἀδιαλείπτῳ εὐχῇ, ὅπως τὸν νοῦν αὐτοῦ καθαρίσῃ ἐκ τῶν πολλῶν καὶ χαλεπῶν λογισμῶν, καὶ γένη ται καθ' ἑαυτὸν μονάζων μόνος ὁ νοῦς πρὸς τὸν ἀληθινὸν θεόν, μὴ καταδεχόμενος τοὺς ἐκ τῆς κακίας λογισμούς, ἀλλὰ πάντοτε καθαρεύειν ὡς δεῖ, καὶ μένειν εἰλικρινὴς πρὸς τὸν θεόν. 56.2 τοῦτο γὰρ ἐν τῇ προαιρέσει τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐστίν· ἐὰν οὖν θελήσῃ δοῦναι τὴν προαίρεσιν μόνον πρὸς κύριον, αὐτὸς ἐκριζοῖ τὰ πάθη καὶ τοὺς λογισμοὺς τῆς κακίας ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὕτως καθαρίσας αὐτόν, ἐμφυτεύει ἐν αὐτῷ τοὺς καρποὺς τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, ὅ ἐστιν, Ἀγάπη, χαρά, εἰρήνη, μακροθυμία, χρηστότης, ἀγαθωσύνη, πίστις, πραότης, ἐγκράτεια· περὶ ὧν λέγει ὁ ἀπόστολος Κατὰ τῶν τοιούτων οὐκ ἔστι νόμος. ὅσον γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ὁρᾷ τὴν προαίρεσιν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου σχολάζουσαν καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐγγίζουσαν ἀπερισπάστως ἀεί, τοσοῦτον καὶ αὐτὸς πολυ πλασιάζει τὴν χάριν αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ πλουτίζει αὐτὸν ἐν αὐτῇ· ὅσον δὲ βλέπει τὴν προαίρεσιν ἡμῶν ἀμελοῦσαν καὶ μὴ ἐγγίζουσαν αὐτοῦ ἀλλὰ περισπωμένην ἐν ταῖς ὑλικαῖς πράξεσι, τοσοῦτον καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπο χωρεῖ, καὶ οὐ μέλει