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finding the soul idle and swept clean, should he enter with great license, having found the house without a door? For ought not all in common to have shed fountains of tears at that hour, and the eyes of all to be seen wet with weeping, and for lamentations and wailings to arise from the whole Church? After the communion of the mysteries, after the enjoyment of the font, after enrolling with Christ, that wolf was able to snatch the lambs from the flock and hold them with himself, and you, seeing the calamity, do not weep? and where are these things worthy of defense? Do you not want to suffer with your brother? At least fear for yourself and arise. If you saw your neighbor's house on fire, tell me, even if the neighbor was the most hostile of all, would you not have run to extinguish the blaze, fearing lest the fire, making its way, might also catch your own doorway? Consider this also in the case of those possessed by demons; for the energy of demons is a kind of pyre and a grievous conflagration. See to it, I say, lest the demon, making his way, also seize your soul beforehand, and when you see him present, with great earnestness flee to the Master, so that the demon, seeing your fervent and awakened soul, may henceforth consider your mind to be inaccessible to him. For if he sees one yawning and being slothful, he will quickly enter as into a deserted inn; but if he sees one attentive and awakened and suspended from heaven itself, he will not dare even to look upon him henceforth. So that even if you despise your brothers, at least spare yourself and block the entry against your soul for the wicked demon. For nothing is so accustomed to wall off his assault against us as fervent prayer and supplication. For this very exhortation of the deacon to all, saying, "Let us stand upright, well," has not been legislated simply or in vain, but that we might straighten up the thoughts that drag on the ground, that casting out the weakness that comes to us from the affairs of life, we might be able to make our soul stand upright before God. And that this is true, and the saying is directed not to the body but to the soul, commanding it to be straightened up, let us hear Paul also using this word in this manner. For writing to men who had fallen down and given up in the face of the onset of terrible things, he said: "Lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees." What then should we say? That he speaks about the hands and knees of the body? By no means; for he is not conversing with runners or pancratists, but through these words he exhorted them to raise up the strength of their inner thoughts, which had been cast down by temptations. Consider near whom you stand, with whom you are about to call upon God, with the Cherubim; consider your fellow choristers, and this will suffice you for sobriety, when you reflect that, though clothed in a body and bound up with flesh, you have been deemed worthy to hymn the common Master of all with the bodiless powers. Let no one, therefore, with his eagerness dissolved, partake of those sacred and mystical hymns; let no one at that time have worldly thoughts, but having banished all earthly things from his mind and having transferred his whole self to heaven, as though standing near the very throne of glory and flying with the Seraphim, so let him offer up the all-holy hymn to the God of glory and majesty. For this reason also we are commanded to stand well at that time. For to stand well is nothing other than to stand thus, as it is fitting for a human being to stand before God, with fear and trembling, with a sober and awakened soul. For that the word itself is directed to the soul, Paul again made this very thing clear, saying: "So stand fast in the Lord, beloved." For just as the archer, if he is about to shoot his arrows accurately, first takes care of his own stance and, having positioned himself with precision opposite the target

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σχολάζουσαν καὶ σεσαρωμένην εὑρὼν τὴν ψυχήν, ἐπεισέλθῃ μετὰ ἀδείας πολλῆς, ἀθύρωτον τὴν οἰκίαν εὑρών; Οὐ γὰρ ἔδει πάντας κοινῇ πηγὰς δακρύων ἀφιέναι κατὰ τὴν ὥραν ἐκείνην καὶ διαβρόχους ὁρᾶσθαι πάντων τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ θρήνους καὶ οἰμωγὰς γίνεσθαι παρὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἁπάσης; Μετὰ τὴν κοινωνίαν τῶν μυστηρίων, μετὰ τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν τοῦ λουτροῦ, μετὰ τὸ συντάξασθαι τῷ Χριστῷ, ἴσχυσεν ὁ λύκος ἐκεῖνος ἁρπάσαι ἐκ τῆς ποίμνης τοὺς ἄρνας καὶ κατέχειν μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ σὺ ὁρῶν τὴν συμφορὰν οὐ δακρύεις; καὶ ποῦ ταῦτα ἀπολογίας ἄξια; Οὐ θέλεις συναλγῆσαι τῷ ἀδελφῷ; κἂν ὑπὲρ σαυτοῦ δεῖσον καὶ διανάστηθι. Εἰ τὴν τοῦ γείτονος οἰκίαν εἶδες ἐμπυριζομένην, εἰπέ μοι, εἰ καὶ πάντων πολεμιώτατος ἦν ὁ γείτων, οὐκ ἂν ἔδραμες ἐπὶ τῷ σβέσαι τὴν πυράν, δεδοικὼς μὴ τὸ πῦρ ὁδῷ βαδίζον καὶ τῶν σῶν ἅψηται προθύρων; Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν δαιμονώντων λογίζου· καὶ γὰρ πυρά τίς ἐστι καὶ ἐμπρησμὸς χαλεπὸς τῶν δαιμόνων ἡ ἐνέργεια. Σκόπει δή μοι μὴ καὶ τὴν σὴν προκαταλάβῃ ψυχὴν ὁδῷ βαδίζων ὁ δαίμων, καὶ ὅταν ἴδῃς παρόντα, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σπουδῆς πρόσφυγε τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, ἵνα ἰδών σου τὴν θερμὴν καὶ διεγηγερμένην ψυχὴν ὁ δαίμων, ἄβατον αὐτῷ νομίσῃ λοιπὸν εἶναι τὴν διάνοιαν τὴν σήν. Ἂν μὲν γὰρ ἴδῃ χασμώμενον καὶ ῥᾳθυμοῦντα, ὡς εἰς ἔρημον καταγώγιον ταχέως ἐπεισελεύσεται· ἂν δὲ συντεταμένον καὶ διεγηγερμένον καὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν αὐτῶν ἐκκρεμάμενον, οὐδὲ ἀντιβλέψαι τολμήσει λοιπόν. Ὥστε εἰ καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν καταφρονεῖς, ἀλλὰ σαυτοῦ φεῖσαι γοῦν καὶ τὴν κατὰ τῆς σῆς ψυχῆς εἴσοδον ἀπόφραξον τῷ πονηρῷ δαίμονι. Οὐδὲν δὲ οὕτως αὐτοῦ τὴν καθ' ἡμῶν ἔφοδον ἀποτειχίζειν ἴωθεν, ὡς εὐχὴ καὶ δέησις ἐκτενής. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ παρακελεύεσθαι τὸν διάκονον ἅπασι καὶ λέγειν· «Ὀρθοὶ στῶμεν καλῶς», οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ εἰκῇ νενομοθέτηται, ἀλλ' ἵνα τοὺς χαμαὶ συρομένους λογισμοὺς ἀνορθώσωμεν, ἵνα τὴν ἔκλυσιν τὴν ἐκ τῶν βιωτικῶν ἡμῖν γινομένην πραγμάτων ἐκβαλόντες, ὀρθὴν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀναστῆσαι δυνηθῶμεν ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχήν. Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθὲς καὶ οὐχὶ πρὸς τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν ὁ λόγος ἀποτείνεται, ταύτην κελεύων ἀνορθοῦν, ἀκούσωμεν καὶ Παύλου τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ταύτῃ κεχρημένου τῇ λέξει. Πρὸς γὰρ ἀνθρώπους καταπεπτωκότας καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῶν δεινῶν ἐπαγωγὴν ἀπαγορεύσαντας γράφων ἔλεγε· «Τὰς παρειμένας χεῖρας καὶ τὰ παραλελυμένα γόνατα ἀνορθώσατε.» Τί οὖν ἂν εἴποιμεν; ὅτι περὶ χειρῶν καὶ γονάτων λέγει τῶν τοῦ σώματος; Οὐδαμῶς· οὐ γὰρ δρομεῦσιν ἀνθρώποις, οὐδὲ παγκρατιασταῖς διαλέγεται, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἰσχὺν τῶν ἔνδον λογισμῶν προκαταβεβλημένην ὑπὸ τῶν πειρασμῶν ἀναστῆσαι διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων παρῄνεσεν. Ἐννόησον τίνος πλησίον ἕστηκας, μετὰ τίνων μέλλεις καλεῖν τὸν Θεόν, μετὰ τῶν Χερουβίμ· ἀναλόγισαί σου τοὺς συγχορευτὰς καὶ ἀρκέσει σοι τοῦτο εἰς νῆψιν, ὅταν ἐνθυμηθῇς ὅτι σῶμα περικείμενος καὶ σαρκὶ συμπεπλεγμένος, μετὰ τῶν ἀσωμάτων δυνάμεων κατηξιώθης ἀνυμνεῖν τὸν κοινὸν ∆εσπότην ἁπάντων. Μηδεὶς τοίνυν διαλελυμένος τὴν προθυμίαν τῶν ἱερῶν κοινωνείτω καὶ μυστικῶν ὕμνων ἐκείνων· μηδεὶς βιωτικοὺς κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ἐχέτω λογισμούς, ἀλλὰ πάντα τὰ γήϊνα τῆς διανοίας ἐξορίσας καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ὅλον ἑαυτὸν μεταθείς, ὡς αὐτοῦ πλησίον ἑστὼς τοῦ θρόνου τῆς δόξης καὶ μετὰ τῶν Σεραφὶμ ἱπτάμενος, οὕτω τὸν πανάγιον ὕμνον ἀναφερέτω τῷ τῆς δόξης καὶ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης Θεῷ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἑστάναι καλῶς κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν κελευόμεθα. Τὸ γὰρ καλῶς ἑστάναι οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ οὕτως ἑστάναι, ὡς προσῆκόν ἐστιν ἄνθρωπον ὄντα ἔμπροσθεν ἑστάναι τοῦ Θεοῦ, μετὰ φρίκης καὶ τρόμου, μετὰ νηφούσης καὶ διεγηγερμένης ψυχῆς. Ὅτι γὰρ πρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ λέξις ἀποτείνεται, καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο πάλιν ὁ Παῦλος ἐδήλωσε λέγων· «Οὕτω στήκετε ἐν Κυρίῳ, ἀγαπητοί.» Καθάπερ γὰρ ὁ τοξότης, ἐὰν εὔστοχα ἀφιέναι μέλλῃ τὰ βέλη, πρότερον τῆς στάσεως ἐπιμελεῖται τῆς ἑαυτοῦ καὶ καταντικρὺ τοῦ σκοποῦ μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἑαυτὸν στήσας