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No one is able to have a pure heart; it is clear that a man ought to pass a single and only day in his whole life without repentance and tears, as much as it is up to him. For even if he does not have tears, still he ought to seek them with all his strength and soul. For in no other way can he become sinless, nor pure in heart.

But if someone is not willing to sleep on the ground and to keep vigil, considering the multitude of his sins and the weight of his errors, and will endure to correct (80) the stinking and rotten bruises of his passionate desire and of his prejudices from negligence and contempt, which lead him to insensibility—for this is truly foolishness—how will he come to an awareness of the future condemnation and judgment of sinners and weep in the pain of his heart?

If someone does not wish to suffer hardship in being afflicted and bowed down to the end and to go about grieving all the day, in being troubled and humbled exceedingly and in crying out from the groaning of his heart and in becoming like a lonely sparrow on the rooftop and being likened to a pelican of the wilderness, in becoming a stranger in soul's disposition from all those in the monastery and those in the world and without boldness before great and small, in toiling in his groaning and eating his bread as if it were ashes and mixing his drink with weeping, how will he ever be able, brothers, either to wash his bed every night or to drench his couch with tears? Truly never, in no way, not only will he not see these things happening in himself, but he will not even find them in his prayer, nor will he be able to prepare a place for the Lord, nor a worthy tabernacle for the God of Jacob, who is Christ the Lord, our Savior and God. But if he does not prepare these things well, not even with tears, clearly, nor partaking worthily and as is needful, will he receive the King and God in himself, even if he should do this once a year.

(81) For "Holy things for the holy" some say every day and preach to others, crying out loudly to them—and would that also to themselves—while others of you hear them saying it. What then? Is he who is not holy also unworthy? No, but he who does not confess the secrets of his heart each day, who does not show worthy repentance for these things and for things done in ignorance, who does not always mourn and go about grieving and does not pursue the aforementioned things with diligence, this one is not worthy. But he who does all these things and passes his life in groans and tears, is exceedingly worthy not only on a feast day, but every day from the very, if it be bold to say, beginning of his repentance and conversion to be a partaker of these divine mysteries. For such a one is pardonable, as he intends to persevere in these and such works until the end, walking in humility and with a contrite heart. For by so doing and being so disposed, he is enlightened in his soul daily, being helped by partaking of the holy things, and is rather quickly raised up to perfect purification and holiness.

But there is no other way for our defiled vessel to be washed or our polluted house to be cleansed. For I have learned nothing more either from the divine Scriptures, nor have I been able to know it from myself. For every day we hear the apostle saying: "For let each man, he says, examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks the body of the Lord unworthily, eats and drinks judgment to himself" and again: "But he who eats the body and blood of the Lord unworthily, (82) will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, not discerning the body of the Lord". But if he who has not shown forth fruits worthy of repentance, is unworthy according to all divinely-inspired Scripture

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οὐδείς δύναται ἁγνήν ἔχειν τήν καρδίαν, εὔδηλον ὅτι ἄνευ μετανοίας καί δακρύων ὀφείλει ἄνθρωπος διελθεῖν μίαν καί μόνην ἡμέραν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ· ὅσον τό ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν. Εἰ γάρ καί μή ἔχει δάκρυα, ἀλλά τέως ζητεῖν ὀφείλει ταῦτα ἐξ ὅλης ἰσχύος τε καί ψυχῆς. Οὐδέ γάρ ἄλλως δύναται γενέσθαι ἀναμάρτητος, οὐδέ τήν καρδίαν ἁγνός.

Εἰ δέ μή χαμευνῆσαι καί ἀγρυπνῆσαι βουληθῇ τις, ἀναλογιζόμενος τό πλῆθος τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων αὐτοῦ καί τό βάρος τῶν αὐτοῦ σφαλμάτων, καί διορθώσασθαι (80) ἀνέξεται τούς προσοζέσαντας καί σαπέντας ὑπό ἀμελείας καί καταφρονήσεως μώλωπας τῆς ἐμπαθοῦς ὀρέξεως καί τῶν προλήψεων αὐτοῦ, τῶν εἰς ἀναισθησίαν αὐτόν ἀγουσῶν - τοῦτο γάρ ἡ ὄντως ἀφροσύνη ἐστί , πῶς εἰς συναίσθησιν ἔλθῃ τῆς μελλούσης τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν καταδίκης καί κατακρίσεως καί κλαύσει ἐν ὀδύνῃ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ;

Εἰ οὐ βούλεται κακοπαθῆσαί τις ἐν τῷ ταλαιπωρηθῆναι καί κατακαμφθῆναι ἕως τέλους καί ὅλην τήν ἡμέραν σκυθρωπάζων πορεύεσθαι, ἐν τῷ κακωθῆναί τε καί ταπεινωθῆναι ἕως σφόδρα καί ὠρύεσθαι ἀπό στεναγμοῦ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ καί ὡς στρουθίον μονάζον γενέσθαι ἐπί δώματι καί πελεκᾶνι ἐρημικῷ ὁμοιωθῆναι, ἐν τῷ διαθέσει ψυχῆς ξένον γενέσθαι ἀπό πάντων τῶν ἐν τῇ μονῇ καί τῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ καί ἀπαρρησίαστον ἀπό μεγάλων τε καί μικρῶν, ἐν τῷ κοπιᾶν ἐν στεναγμῷ καί τόν ἄρτον ὡσεί σποδόν ἐσθίειν καί τό κιρνᾶν τό πόμα αὐτοῦ μετά κλαυθμοῦ, πῶς ἰσχύσει ποτέ, ἀδελφοί, ἤ λούειν καθ᾿ ἑκάστην νύκτα τήν κλίνην αὐτοῦ ἤ ἐν δάκρυσι τήν στρωμνήν αὐτοῦ βρέχειν; Ὄντως οὐδέποτε οὐδαμῶς, οὐ μόνον ταῦτα ἐν ἐαυτῷ γεγονότα οὐ μή θεάσηται, ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέ ἐν εὐχῆ αὐτοῦ εὑρήσει αὐτά, οὐδέ τόπον ἑτοιμάσαι ἰσχύσει τῷ Κυρίῳ, οὐδέ σκήνωμα ἄξιον τῷ Θεῷ Ἰακώβ, ὅς ἐστι Χριστόν Κύριος, ὁ Σωτήρ καί Θεός ἡμῶν. Εἰ δέ μή ταῦτα προετοιμάσει καλῶς, οὐδέ μετά δακρύων, δηλονότι, οὐδέ ἀξίως καί ὡς δεῖ κοινωνῶν, τόν Βασιλέα καί Θεόν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὑποδέξεται, κἄν ἅπαξ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ τοῦτο ποιήσειε.

(81) "Τά γάρ ἅγια τοῖς ἁγίοις" καθ᾿ ἑκάστην οἱ μέν λέγουσι καί τοῖς ἄλλοις κηρύττουσι, μέγα ἐκβοῶντες αὐτοῖς - εἴθε δέ καί ἑαυτοῖς, οἱ δέ λεγόντων ἐκείνων ἀκούετε. Τί οὖν; Ὁ μή ἅγιος καί ἀνάξιος; Οὔ, ἀλλ᾿ ὁ μή καθ᾿ ἑκάστην τά κρυπτά τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ ἐξαγγέλλων, ὁ μή μετάνοιαν ἀξίαν ὑπέρ τούτων καί ὑπέρ τῶν ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ ἐπιδεικνύμενος, ὁ μή πενθῶν ἀεί καί σκυθρωπάζων πορευόμενος καί τά προειρημένα μή μετερχόμενος ἐν σπουδῇ, οὗτος οὐκ ἄξιος. Ὁ δέ ταῦτα πάντα ποιῶν καί καί ἐν στεναγμοῖς καί δάκρυσι τόν ἑαυτοῦ βίον διανύων, καί σφόδρα ἐστίν ἄξιος οὐκ ἐν ἑορτῇ μόνον, ἀλλά καθ᾿ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐξ αὐτῆς, εἰ τολμηρόν εἰπεῖν, τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς μετανοίας καί ἐπιστροφῆς αὐτοῦ τῶν θείων τούτων ἐν μετοχῇ γίνεσθαι μυστηρίων. Συγγνωστός γάρ ἐστιν ὁ τοιοῦτος, ὡς ἐν τούτοις καί τοῖς τοιούτοις ἔργοις μέλλων ἐγκαρτερεῖν μέχρι τέλους, ὁδεύων ἐν ταπεινώσει καί συντετριμμένῃ καρδίᾳ. Οὕτω γάρ ποιῶν καί οὕτως ἔχων, φωτίζεται τήν ψυχήν ὁσημέραι, βοηθούμενος ἐκ τῆς μεταλήψεως τῶν ἁγίων, καί εἰς τελείαν κάθαρσιν καί ἁγιότητα συηντόμως μᾶλλον ἀνάγεται.

Ἄλλως δέ πως ἀποπλυθῆναι ἤ καθαρθῆναι τό ῥερυπωμένον ἡμῶν σκεῦος καί τήν μολυνθεῖσαν οἰκίαν ἡμῶν οὐκ ἔνι. Ἐγώ γάρ οὐδέν πλέον οὔτε ἀπό τῶν θείων Γραφῶν μεμάθηκα, οὔτε ἐξ ἐμαυτοῦ γνῶναι ἴσχυσα. Λέγοντος γάρ ἀκούομεν καθ᾿ ἑκάστην τοῦ ἀποστόλου· "∆οκιμαζέτω γάρ, φησίν, ἕκαστος ἑαυτόν καί οὕτως ἐκ τοῦ ἄρτου ἐσθιέτω καί ἐκ τοῦ ποτηρίου πινέστω. Ὁ γάρ ἀναξίως ἐσθίων καί πίνων τό σῶμα τοῦ Κυρίου, κρῖμα ἑαυτῷ ἐσθίει καί πίνει"καί πάλιν·" Ὁ δέ ἀναξίως ἐσθίων τό σῶμα καί τό αἷμα τοῦ Κυρίου, (82) ἔνοχος ἔσται τοῦ σώματος καί αἵματος τοῦ Κυρίου, μή διακρίνων τό σῶμα τοῦ Κυρίου ". Εἰ δέ ὁ μή ἀξίους τούς καρπούς τῆς μετανοίας ἐπιδειξάμενος, ἀνάξιος εἶναι ὑπό πάσης θεοπνεύστου Γραφῆς