to him concerning us. for he only has need of our choice, since he is always ready to have mercy on us and enlighten us, if only we are willing to give ourselves. 56.3 For the soul, having been created by God, has by nature the ability to love him and to be bound to him; but the body, having been taken from the earth, minds the things on the earth; and not only this, but it is also acted upon by Satan, and it drags down the soul and the mind to earthly cares; therefore the monk ought to be discerning and to be on guard in this area, lest he be secretly overcome while ignorant. 56.4 But again we ought to learn what is meant by that which was said by Christ, 'Take up your cross and follow me'; for he does not understand this as though he ought to hang himself on a piece of wood and follow the Lord, but the monk will crucify himself from worldly affairs, so as not to touch them; and again, that he may crucify his mind continually in prayer, so that he may not neglect his salvation. And he ought not to receive evil thoughts, but to discern, and to know, that they are from the evil one; for it is necessary to free his mind from every distraction, so that it may not be troubled by them; for if he does not free it, he also prays in vain; for the mind wanders about those things and pretends to pray, and his prayer does not ascend to his God; for if he does not have a pure prayer fulfilled in faith, God does not accept it. 56.5 The monk by himself is neither strong nor able to resist the devil, nor to cast away sinful thoughts by himself, nor to do the will of God, nor to keep his commandment, nor to resist the passions, except he is strong enough only for this: to give his choice to God, and to pray and beseech him, that he himself might cleanse him from Satan and his workings, and that he might be pleased through his grace to come and reign in his soul, and he himself will work his own commandments and his own will in him, and will entrust to him every virtue of righteousness, first, true faith, effectual prayer, love from the whole soul and strength, hope, fasting, self-control, humility, gentleness, long-suffering, patience, and the rest. And finally such a one cannot boast in himself and say, 'I have accomplished something', but gives thanks to the Lord always that he, being besought, accomplishes all things; for the patience of prayer achieves great accomplishments; but the negligence given by Satan to men, producing great blackness and darkness in the soul, leads man astray from God, and takes his mind captive. 56.6 Therefore we ought to be watchful, choosing the good, by which we can be saved, and to love God and one another not simply but in truth; therefore this love the monk ought to acquire in himself through worship, and to fulfill it in deed, because every command is fulfilled there. For the written law relates many mysteries secretly; but the monk, if he devotes himself unceasingly to prayer and to conversation with God, finds them. And grace shows him things more awesome than these in the scriptures; for neither can one accomplish anything from the reading of the written law as much as in the worship of God; for all things are perfected there. Therefore the one who has chosen this does not have so great a need of the reading of the scriptures; for he knows that all things are perfected in prayer. 56.7 But concerning the passions of sin, he has a great war and forces himself to master them, and is not able; but if he remains praying and beseeching, and entrusts all things to the Lord, he himself will destroy them from him, since he has given his every care to the Lord. And finally the grace of God works many workings in him; for often there comes to him a working for an hour, because such a desire and joy takes hold of him

αὐτῷ περὶ ἡμῶν. αὐτὸς γὰρ μόνον τῆς προαιρέσεως ἡμῶν χρείαν ἔχει, ἐπεὶ ἕτοιμός ἐστι πάντοτε τοῦ ἐλεῆσαι ἡμᾶς καὶ φωτίσαι, ἐὰν μόνον θελήσωμεν ἐπιδοῦναι ἑαυτούς. 56.3 ἡ γὰρ ψυχὴ κτισθεῖσα ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ κατὰ φύσιν ἔχει τὸ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτὸν καὶ αὐτῷ προσδεδέσθαι· τὸ δὲ σῶμα ἐκ τῆς γῆς ληφθὲν τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ φρονεῖ· οὐ μόνον δὲ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνεργεῖται ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ, καὶ καθέλκει τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸν νοῦν εἰς τὰς γεώδεις φροντίδας· ὀφείλει οὖν ὁ μονάζων διακριτικὸς εἶναι καὶ ἀσφαλίζεσθαι ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει μήποτε ἡττωθῇ κρυπτῶς ἀγνοῶν. 56.4 ὀφείλομεν δὲ πάλιν μαθεῖν τί ἐστι τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ χριστοῦ εἰρημένον Ἆρον τὸν σταυρόν σου καὶ ἀκολούθει μοι· μηδὲ γὰρ ὡς ὀφείλων ἐν ξύλῳ ἑαυτὸν κρεμάσαι καὶ ἀκολουθεῖν τῷ κυρίῳ οὕτως νοεῖ, ἀλλὰ σταυρώσει ὁ μονάζων ἑαυτὸν ἐκ τῶν κοσμικῶν πραγμάτων, τοῦ μὴ ἅψασθαι αὐτῶν· καὶ πάλιν ἵνα σταυρώσῃ τὸν νοῦν αὐτοῦ διὰ παντὸς ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ, ὅπως μὴ ἀμελήσῃ τῆς σωτηρίας αὐτοῦ. καὶ οὐκ ὀφείλει δέχεσθαι τοὺς πονηροὺς λογισμούς, ἀλλὰ διακρίνειν, καὶ εἰδέναι, ὅτι τοῦ πονηροῦ εἰσι· χρὴ γὰρ λῦσαι τὸν νοῦν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ παντὸς περισπασμοῦ, ἵνα μὴ ὀχλῆται ὑπ' αὐτῶν· ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ λύσῃ, μάτην καὶ εὔχεται· ὁ γὰρ νοῦς περὶ ἐκεῖνα ῥέμβεται καὶ δῆθεν εὔχεται, καὶ ἡ εὐχὴ αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀναβαίνει· ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ ἔχῃ εὐχὴν καθαρὰν ἐν πίστει πεπληρωμένην, οὐ προσδέχεται ὁ θεός. 56.5 ὁ μονάζων ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὔτε ἰσχύει οὔτε δύναται οὔτε τῷ διαβόλῳ ἀντιστῆναι, οὔτε τοὺς λογισμοὺς τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπορρῖψαι ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ, οὔτε θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ ποιῆσαι, οὔτε ἐντολὴν αὐτοῦ φυλάξαι, οὔτε τοῖς πάθεσιν ἀντιστῆναι, εἰ μὴ μόνον τοῦτο ἰσχύει, τοῦ τὴν προαίρεσιν αὐτοῦ δοῦναι πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ εὔχεσθαι καὶ παρακαλεῖν αὐτόν, ἵνα αὐτὸς καθαρίσῃ αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ καὶ τῶν τούτου ἐνεργειῶν, καὶ ἵνα εὐδοκήσῃ διὰ τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἐλθεῖν καὶ βασιλεῦσαι εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς τὰς ἰδίας ἐντολὰς καὶ τὸ ἴδιον θέλημα ποιήσει ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν δικαιοσύνης ἐμπιστεύσει αὐτῷ, πρῶτον μὲν πίστιν ἀληθινήν, εὐχὴν ἐνεργῆ, ἀγάπην τὴν ἐξ ὅλης ψυχῆς καὶ δυνάμεως, ἐλπίδα, νηστείαν, ἐγκράτειαν, ταπεινοφροσύνην, πρᾳότητα, μακροθυ μίαν, ὑπομονήν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. καὶ λοιπὸν ὁ τοιοῦτος οὐ δύναται καυχήσα σθαι ἐν ἑαυτῷ καὶ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι ἐγώ τί ποτε κατώρθωσα, ἀλλ' εὐχαριστεῖ τῷ κυρίῳ πάντοτε ὅτι αὐτὸς παρακαλούμενος πάντα κατορθοῖ· ἡ γὰρ ὑπομονὴ τῆς εὐχῆς μεγάλα κατορθώματα ἀνύει· ἡ δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Σατανᾶ δεδομένη ἀμέλεια τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, μεγάλην μελανίαν καὶ σκότωσιν ἐμποι οῦσα τῇ ψυχῇ, ἀποπλανᾷ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζει αὐτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν. 56.6 ὀφείλομεν οὖν ἐγρήγοροι εἶναι ἐπιλεγόμενοι τὸ καλόν, εἰς ὃ δυνάμεθα σωθῆναι, καὶ ἀγαπᾶν τὸν θεὸν καὶ ἀλλήλους οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀλλ' ἐν ἀληθείᾳ· ταύτην οὖν τὴν ἀγάπην διὰ τῆς λατρείας ὀφείλει ὁ μονάζων κτήσασθαι ἐν ἑαυτῷ, καὶ ἐν ἔργῳ αὐτὴν ἐπιτελέσαι, ὅτι πᾶν παράγγελ μα ἐκεῖ τελεῖται. ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἔγγραπτος νόμος πολλὰ διηγεῖται μυστή ρια κρυπτῶς· ὁ δὲ μονάζων, ἐὰν σχολάζῃ τῇ εὐχῇ καὶ τῇ ὁμιλίᾳ τῇ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀδιαλείπτως, εὑρίσκει αὐτά. καὶ τούτων φοβερώτερα τῶν ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς ἡ χάρις αὐτῷ δείκνυσιν· οὔτε γὰρ ἐκ τῆς ἀναγνώσεως τοῦ ἐγγράπτου νόμου δύναταί τις κατορθῶσαί τί ποτε ὅσον ἐν τῇ λατρείᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ· πάντα γὰρ ἐκεῖ τελειοῦνται. ὁ οὖν τοῦτο ἐπιλεξά μενος, οὐ τοσοῦτον χρῄζει τῆς τῶν γραφῶν ἀναγνώσεως· οἶδε γὰρ ὅτι πάντα ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ τελειοῦνται. 56.7 περὶ δὲ τῶν παθῶν τῆς ἁμαρτίας πολὺν πόλεμον ἔχει καὶ βιάζεται ἑαυτὸν κατορθῶσαι αὐτά, καὶ οὐ δύναται· ἐὰν δὲ παραμείνῃ εὐχόμενος καὶ παρακαλῶν, καὶ πάντα ἐπιτρέψῃ ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον, αὐτὸς αὐτὰ ἐξολοθρεύσει ἐξ αὐτοῦ, ἐπειδὴ τὴν πᾶσαν μέριμναν αὐτοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἀπέδωκε. καὶ λοιπὸν ποιεῖ ἐν αὐτῷ ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ πολλὰς ἐνερ γείας· ἔρχεται γὰρ αὐτῷ πολλάκις ἐνέργεια ὥρας, ὅτι τοιοῦτος πόθος αὐτὸν λαμβάνει καὶ χαρὰ