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to drive away terrors, and to support the soul when it is falling down. “For the Lord supports all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.” 79.1133

CHAPTER 30. There are times when we force ourselves to make our prayer pure, and perhaps not

we are able. And again there are times when, though we do not force ourselves, the soul enters into pure prayer, because the one is from our weakness, the other from the grace from above calling us to return to the purity of the soul, and at the same time through both teaching us not to give credit to ourselves in praying, but to recognize the Giver. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought. When, therefore, we force ourselves to purify our prayer and are not able, but are darkened, then let us wet our cheeks with tears and beseech God that the night of warfare may be dissolved, and the light of the soul may shine forth. For the sake of a ministry, whenever a brother living with you goes on a journey, according to the custom of prayers, renew his memory; but do not picture him beyond measure, lest the demons, taking the beginning of the anxiety from you, whet it and sharpen it further, overshadowing you with him during the singing of the psalms, and depriving you in God of the anxiety that is according to God, so that by striking anxiety against anxiety they may lead us captive away from better things, to the point of not considering, “Cast your care upon the Lord.” For they know that from excessive concern for the brother, they also contrive sorrows by disturbing the ruling faculty. Moreover, they also kindle reproaches for tardiness, as if the brother had neglected his diligence concerning the ministry, so that the anxious longing might perhaps even turn into hatred. And this is also a custom for the demons in anxieties about one who is away: on the day they see him arriving, they show him in a dream, so that, as a result of the dream's outcome, they may make us again accept the prophets of dreams at the time of journeys, whom we ought rather to turn away from and utterly avoid, lest from these things they lead the soul astray into other things as well.

CHAPTER 31. For these know nothing beforehand, but what they see happening, these things

they announce and make appear; often indeed while we are in solitude, having seen a brother coming toward us, they have presaged it through our thoughts, which one must not believe, even if they seem to speak the truth; for through seeming truth they introduce falsehood, so that from the particular instance they may sketch out snares in the paths ahead. Just as unworked gold, when cast into a crucible, becomes purer, so also a novice monk, having his character re-forged in a cenobium, is rendered bright by perseverance; for through the command of the brethren he works to learn obedience; and through the one who rebukes him his nature is prepared to have long-79.1136 suffering. When, therefore, he accepts insults with joy, and embraces humility with lowliness, having become superior to the passions before him, he strives to shine forth beyond in virtues, as grace bestows its power upon him more abundantly. Just as those who go down to the roots of the earth dig up gold, so those who descend into golden humility bring up virtues. Then the mind perceives rest, when, having cut off the causes of the passions, it is occupied with contemplation; but before the cutting of these, it perceives toil and hardship, approaching the battle with the adversaries weakly. CHAPTER 32. The elders greatly approve of a withdrawal that happens by degrees, if someone has come to this after having perfected the virtues in the cenobium; and if indeed he were able in the

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ἀπελάσαι τὰ φόβητρα, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν καταπίπτουσαν ὑποστηρίξαι. «Ὑποστηρίζει γὰρ Κύριος πάντας τοὺς καταπίπτοντας, καὶ ἀνορθοῖ πάντας τοὺς κατεῤῥαγμένους.» 79.1133

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Λʹ. Ἔστιν ὅτε βιαζόμεθα καθαρὰν τὴν εὐχὴν ποιῆσαι, καὶ ἴσως οὐ

δυνάμεθα. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ πάλιν ὅτε, οὐ βιαζομένων ἡμῶν, καθαρᾷ τῇ προσευχῇ ἡ ψυχὴ ἐγγίνεται, ὅτι τὸ μὲν τῆς ἡμῶν ἀσθενείας, τὸ δὲ τῆς ἄνωθεν χάριτος ἐκκαλουμένης ἡμᾶς ἐπανελθεῖν εἰς τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς καθαρότητα, ἅμα δὲ καὶ δι' ἀμφοτέρων παιδευούσης ἡμᾶς μὴ ἑαυτοῖς ἀποδιδόναι ἐν τῷ προσεύχεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐπιγινώσκειν τὸν δωρούμενον. Τὸ γὰρ τί προσευξόμεθα καθ' ὃ δεῖ, οὐκ οἴδαμεν. Ὅταν οὖν καθαρθῆναι τὴν εὐχὴν βιαζώμεθα, καὶ οὐ δυνάμεθα, ἀλλ' ἐσκοτίσμεθα, τότε δάκρυσι τὰς παρειὰς καταβρέξαντες, Θεὸν ἱκετεύσωμεν ἐπὶ τῷ διαλυθῆναι τοῦ πολέμου τὴν νύκτα, καὶ ἐλλαμφθῆναι τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ φέγγος. Ἔνεκεν διακονίας ἐπὰν ὁ συμβιώτης ἀδελφὸς ἐκδημοίῃ, κατὰ τὸ ἔθος τῶν εὐχῶν, ἀνακαίνιζε τούτου τὴν μνήμην· πέρα δὲ τοῦ μέτρου τοῦτον μὴ φαντάζου, μήπως τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς μερίμνης ἀπὸ σοῦ λαβόντες οἱ δαίμονες, ταύτην ἀκονῶντες ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐποξύνωσι, σκιάζοντές σοι τοῦτον ἐν τῇ τῶν ψαλμῶν ὑμνῳδίᾳ, καὶ ὑστεροῦντες ἐν Θεῷ τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν μερίμνης, ἵνα μερίμνῃ μέριμναν ἀντικρούσαντες αἰχμαλώτους ἡμᾶς τῶν κρειττόνων ἀπαγάγωσιν, εἰς τὸ μὴ λογίζεσθαι τὸ, «Ἐπίῤῥιψον ἐπὶ Κύριον τὴν μέριμνάν σου.» Ἴσασι γὰρ, ὡς ἐκ τῆς περιττῆς περὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ φροντίδος, ὅτι καὶ λύπας ἐντορνεύουσιν ὑποταράττοντες τὸ ἡγεμονικόν. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ μέμψεις βραδύτητος ὑφάπτουσιν, ὡς ὑπαμελήσαντος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ περὶ τῆς διακονίας σπουδὴν, ὅπως ὁ πολυμέριμνος πόθος ἴσως καὶ εἰς μῖσος ἐκτραπῇ. Ἔθος δὲ ἐν ταῖς περὶ τὸν ἀπόδημον μερίμναις καὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖν τοῖς δαίμοσιν, ἐν ᾗ ἴδωσιν αὐτὸν παραγενόμενον ἡμέρᾳ κατόναρ τοῦτον ἐσοπτρίζειν, ἵνα ὡς ἐκ τοῦ ἀποβάντος ἐνυπνίου ποιήσωσιν ἡμᾶς ἐν καιρῷ τῶν ἀποδήμων τοὺς προφήτας τῶν ἐνυπνίων καὶ πάλιν προσδέχεσθαι, οὓς ἀποστρέφεσθαι δεῖ μᾶλλον καὶ σφόδρα ἐκτρέπεσθαι, μήπως ἐκ τούτων καὶ εἰς ἕτερα τὴν ψυχὴν ἀποπλανήσωσιν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΑʹ. Προΐσασι γὰρ οὗτοι μὲν οὐδὲν, ἃ δὲ βλέπουσι γινόμενα, ταῦτα

μηνίουσι, καὶ φαντάζουσι· πολλάκις γοῦν καθ' ἡσυχίαν ὄντων ἡμῶν, θεασάμενοι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀδελφὸν ἐρχόμενον, διὰ τῶν λογισμῶν προεσήμαναν, οἷς οὐ χρὴ πιστεύειν, κἂν λέγειν τ' ἀληθῆ νομίζωσι· διὰ γὰρ τῆς δῆθεν ἀληθείας τὸ ψεῦδος παρεισφέρουσιν, ἵνα ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ μέρος ταῖς ἔμπροσθεν ὁδοῖς τοὺς βρόχους ὑπογράφωσιν. Ὥσπερ ἀνέργαστος χρυσὸς, ἐν χωνευτηρίῳ βαλλόμενος, καθαρώτερος γίνεται, οὕτω καὶ νέηλυς μοναχὸς, ἐν κοινοβίῳ τὰ ἤθη ἀναχωνευόμενος, φαιδρὸς ταῖς καρτερίαις ἀποκαθίσταται· διὰ γὰρ τῆς ἐπιταγῆς τῶν ἀδελφῶν τὴν ὑπακοὴν μανθάνειν κατεργάζεται· διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἐπιπλήττοντος ἑτοιμάζεται τὴν φύσιν μακρο79.1136 θυμίαν ἔχειν. Ὅταν οὖν χαρᾷ τὰς ὕβρεις καταδέχηται, καὶ εὐτελείᾳ τὴν ταπείνωσιν ἀσπάζηται, ἀνώτερος τῶν ἄντικρυς παθῶν γενόμενος, ἐπέκεινα στίλβειν ταῖς ἀρεταῖς ἐπαγωνίζεται, τῆς χάριτος αὐτῷ ἐπὶ πλεῖον τὴν δύναμιν δωρουμένης. Ὥσπερ οἱ τὰς ῥίζας τῆς γῆς κατιόντες τὸν χρυσὸν ἀνορύττουσιν, οὕτως οἱ εἰς τὴν χρυσῖτιν ταπείνωσιν καταβαίνοντες ἀρετὰς ἀναφέρουσι. Τότε ὁ νοῦς ἀναπαύσεως αἰσθάνεται, ὁπότε τὰς τῶν παθῶν αἰτίας ἀποτεμὼν, περὶ θεωρίαν ἠσχόληται, πρὶν δὲ τῆς τούτων κοπῆς, κόπου, καὶ ταλαιπωρίας ἐπαισθάνεται, τῇ τῶν ἐναντίων μάχῃ ἀσθενῶς προσερχόμενος. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΒʹ. Βαθμῷ τὴν ἀναχώρησιν γινομένην οἱ γέροντες ἄγαν ἀποδέχονται, εἴπερ τις τὰς ἐν κοινοβίῳ τελέσας ἀρετὰς εἰς τοῦτο παρελήλυθε· καὶ εἰ μὲν δύναιτο ἐν τῇ