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for indeed he cares for the little sparrows. Bear the light yoke of the Lord, for great is the reward of the things to come. A gift saving all of us mortals, for indeed we were bought with divine blood; showing [us as] gods by the power of the one who calls, for this is the incarnation of the Lord, that you might know in deed the outcomes of deeds; the most wondrous of all things seen! A good profit for you is the cutting off of your own will, it shows you a martyr in your conscience. (56) Do the words and commands of your father, for they guide your path without stumbling until death; for this is a great height! God appears to have done this for you. Consider yourself to be lowlier than all, this first makes you [a citizen] of the kingdom, a stranger and poorer, humbler than others; great things indeed, if you should accomplish these. You shall be a complete imitator of the Lord, and what is better than this? Mourning each day sets all things right, for this is sweeter than food and drink, teaching the knowledge of things flowing and things standing; for it first removes [you] from all the world. Practice silence, which guards these things, for it cuts off all manner of useless roots. Have always the remembrance of death; for this is the agent of humility. By which, having been purified and enlightened in heart, O the wonder sought by all, you are deemed worthy to see well the divine light, for it is an immaterial arrow from the immaterial. And Christ is perfect love, he who has it is a god by position, enlightening the souls that seek him. These alone shall live, let no one be deceived! O deifying love, being God! This is an astonishment and a thing hard to find.

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καί γάρ κήδεται τῶν μικρῶν στρουθίων. Ζυγόν βάστασον τόν ἐλαφρόν Κυρίου, πολλή ἡ ἀντίδοσις γάρ τῶν μελλόντων. Ἡμᾶς βροτούς ἅπαντας σῴζοντας δῶρον, καί γάρ ἠγοράσθημεν αἵματι θείῳ˙ θεούς δεικνύντα δυνάμει τοῦ καλοῦντος, τοῦτο γάρ ἡ σάρκωσις ἡ τοῦ ∆εσπότου, ἵν᾿ ἔργῳ γνῷς τῶν ἔργων τάς ἐκβάσεις˙ τό πάντων θαυμαστότερον τῶν ὁρωμένων! Καλόν σοι κέρδος ἐκκοπή θελημάτων, μάρτυρα δεικνύει σε τῇ συνειδήσει. (56) Λόγους πατρός σου καί πρστάγματα πρᾶττε, ὁδηγοῦσι γάρ τήν ὁδόν ἀπροσκόπως μέχρι θανάτου˙ ὕψος γάρ τοῦτο μέγα! Θεός φαίνεται διά σέ τοῦτο πρᾶξας. Νόμιζε εἶναι εὐτελέστερος πάντων, τοῦτο πρῶτόν σε ποιεῖ τῆς βασιλείας, ξένος τε πτωχότερος, ταπεινότερος ἄλλων˙ μεγάλα ὄντως, εἰ ταῦτα κατορθώσῃς. Ὅλος ὑπάρξῃς μιμητής τοῦ ∆εσπότου, τί δέ ὑπάρχει ἀγαθότερον τούτου; Πάντα κατορθοῖ τό πενθεῖν καθ᾿ ἑκάστην, γλυκύ γάρ τοῦτο ὑπέρ βρῶσιν καί πόσιν ῥεόντων καί ἑστώτων διδάσκον γνῶσιν˙ ἀφιστᾷ γάρ πρότερον παντός τοῦ κόσμου. Σιωπήν ἄσκει, τήν φυλάττουσαν ταῦτα, ῥίζας κόπτει γάρ ἀνωφελεῖς παντοίας. Τήν μνήμην ἔχει πάντοτε τοῦ θανάτου˙ αὕτη γάρ πρόξενος ταπεινώσεως πέλει˙ Ὑφ᾿ ὧν καθαρθείς καί αὐγασθείς καρδίαν ὤ τοῦ θαύματος τοῦ ζητουμένου πᾶσι φῶς ἀξιωθῇς ἰδεῖν καλῶς τό θεῖον, βέλος γάρ ἐστιν ἄϋλον ἐξ ἀΰλου˙ Χριστός δέ ἐστιν ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη, ὁ ἔχων αὐτήν θέσει Θεός ὑπάρχει, ψυχάς φωτίζων τάς αὐτόν ἐκζητούσας˙ αὗται μόναι ζήσονται, μηδείς πλανάσθω! Ὧ θεοποιός ἀγάπη, Θεός οὖσα! Ἔκπληξις τοῦτο καί δυσεύρετον πρᾶγμα.