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opens a door of contradiction to the many, and accustoms himself to it. And since not everyone is able to discern what is profitable, he often chooses a task that is harmful to himself. And he creates evil suspicions among the brothers, as if he were predisposed to the task he seeks, or to those with whom it is necessary to work. So that, in general, not obeying is the root of many and great evils. But if he thinks he has some reason for refusing the task, let him make it known to the superiors, and let him leave it to their judgment. QUESTION 120. Whether it is necessary to go somewhere without informing the superior. ANSWER. When the Lord says: *For I have not come of my own accord, but He sent me*; how much more ought each of us not to give himself permission? For he who gives himself permission is clearly sick with pride, and subject to the judgment of the Lord who said: *That which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.* And in general, to give oneself permission is blameworthy. QUESTION 121. Whether it is permissible to refuse the more burdensome tasks. ANSWER. He who is genuine in his love for God, and firm in the full assurance of the reward from the Lord, is not content with what is being done, but always seeks an addition, and desires what is more. And even if he seems to do something beyond his strength, he is not unconcerned, as if having fulfilled the measure; but he always struggles, as if falling short of what is worthy, hearing the Lord commanding that *When you have done all that you were commanded, then say: ‘We are unworthy servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’*; and of the Apostle, to whom the world was crucified, and he to the world, not being ashamed to say, *I do not yet consider myself to have laid hold of it.* *But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.* Who, 31.1165 although having the authority, when proclaiming the Gospel, to live from the Gospel, says, *In toil and hardship, working night and day, not because we do not have authority, but that we might give ourselves as a model for you to imitate us.* Who then is so senseless and faithless, as to ever be content with what has already been done, or to refuse something as too burdensome, or wearisome? QUESTION 122. If someone, having been rebuked not to receive the eulogia, says, "If I do not receive the eulogia, I will not eat," whether he should be tolerated. ANSWER. If the fault is worthy of so great a penance as to be forbidden to eat, the one who imposed the penance will certainly judge; but if someone was judged unworthy only of the eulogia, and having been permitted to eat does not endure it, let him be judged as disobedient in this, and contentious; at the same time recognizing and acknowledging about himself that in seeking this he is not healing himself, but is adding sin to sin. QUESTION 123. If someone is grieved at not being permitted to do what he cannot do skillfully, whether he should be tolerated. ANSWER. Concerning this it has been said in many places that in general to use one's own will, or to give permission, is contrary to sound reason; and not to submit to the judgment of the majority has the danger of disobedience and contradiction. QUESTION 124. Whether it is necessary, if found somewhere by chance with heretics or Greeks, either to eat with them or to greet them. ANSWER. This common greeting, of course, the Lord forbade for no one, saying: *If you greet only your friends, what more are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles do so?* But concerning eating with them we have the command of the Apostle, about whom it is necessary to refuse this, when he said: *I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with the sexually immoral—not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy, or swindlers, or idolaters; since then you would need to go out of the world.* *But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of a brother if he is sexually immoral or greedy, or an idola 31.1168 ter, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one.* QUESTION 125. One who is entrusted with a task, and does something without

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θύραν ἀντιλογίας τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀνοίγει, καὶ ἑαυτὸν πρὸς ταύτην ἐθίζει. Καὶ ἐπεὶ μὴ δύναται ἕκαστος δοκιμάζειν τὸ συμφέρον, ἐκλέγεται πολλά κις τὸ βλαβερὸν ἑαυτῷ ἔργον. Καὶ ὑπονοίας δὲ πο νηρὰς ἐμποιεῖ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, ὡς προπεπονθὼς ᾖ τῷ ἔργῳ ὅπερ ἐπιζητεῖ, ἢ οἷς συνεργάζεσθαι ἀνάγκη. Ὥστε καθόλου τὸ μὴ ὑπακούειν πολλῶν καὶ μεγά λων κακῶν ἐστι ῥίζα. Εἰ δέ τινα λόγον ἔχειν νο μίζει τῆς παραιτήσεως τοῦ ἔργου, φανερούτω τοῦ τον τοῖς προεστῶσι, καὶ καταλιμπανέτω τῇ ἐκείνων δοκιμασίᾳ. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΚʹ. Εἰ δεῖ ἀπιέναι που χωρὶς ὑπομνήσεως τοῦ προ εστῶτος. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος· Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ ἐλήλυθα, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνός με ἀπέστειλε· πόσῳ μᾶλ λον ἕκαστος ἡμῶν ἑαυτῷ ἐπιτρέπειν οὐκ ὀφείλει; Ὁ γὰρ ἑαυτῷ ἐπιτρέπων δῆλός ἐστιν ὑψηλοφροσύ νην νοσῶν, καὶ ὑποκείμενος τῷ κρίματι τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος· Τὸ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὑψηλὸν βδέλυγμα ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ καθόλου τὸ ἑαυτῷ ἐπιτρέ πειν ὑπαίτιον. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΚΑʹ. Εἰ ἔξεστι παραιτεῖσθαι τὰ βαρύτερα τῶν ἔργων. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ὁ γνήσιος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Θεὸν ἀγάπῃ, καὶ βέβαιος ἐν πληροφορίᾳ τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου μισθαποδοσίας, οὐ τοῖς γινομένοις ἀρκεῖται, ἀεὶ δὲ προσθήκην ἐπι ζητεῖ, καὶ τοῦ πλείονος ὀρέγεται. Κἂν ὑπὲρ δύνα μιν δόξῃ ποιεῖν τι, οὐκ ἀμεριμνεῖ, ὡς πληρώσας τὸ μέτρον· ἀγωνιᾷ δὲ ἀεὶ, ὡς ἀπολιμπανόμενος τοῦ πρὸς ἀξίαν, τοῦ Κυρίου ἀκούων προστάσσοντος, ὅτι Ὅταν ποιήσητε πάντα τὰ διατεταγμένα, τότε λέγετε· ∆οῦλοι ἀχρεῖοί ἐσμεν· ὃ ὠφείλομεν ποιῆσαι, πεποιήκαμεν· τοῦ δὲ Ἀποστόλου, ᾧ ὁ κόσμος ἐσταύρωτο, καὶ αὐτὸς τῷ κόσμῳ, μὴ ἐπαι σχυνθέντος εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Ἐγὼ ἐμαυτὸν οὔπω λο γίζομαι κατειληφέναι. Ἓν δὲ, τὰ μὲν ὀπίσω ἐπι λανθανόμενος, τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμε νος, κατὰ σκοπὸν διώκω ἐπὶ τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ. Ὃς, 31.1165 καίτοι ἐξουσίαν ἔχων, τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον καταγγέλλων, ἐκ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ζῇν, Ἐν κόπῳ καὶ μόχθῳ, φησὶ, νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας ἐργαζόμενοι, οὐχ ὅτι οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἑαυτοὺς τύπον δῶμεν ὑμῖν εἰς τὸ μιμεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς. Τίς οὖν οὕτως ἀναί σθητος καὶ ἄπιστος, ὡς ἀρκεσθῆναί ποτε τοῖς ἤδη γενομένοις, ἢ παραιτήσασθαί τι ὡς βαρύτερον, ἢ κοπῶδες; ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΚΒʹ. Ἐάν τις, ἐπιτιμηθεὶς εὐλογίαν μὴ λαβεῖν, λέγῃ, ὅτι, «Ἐὰν μὴ λάβω εὐλογίαν, οὐκ ἐσθίω·» εἰ δεῖ αὐτοῦ ἀνέχεσθαι. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Εἰ μὲν τοσούτου ἐπιτιμίου ἄξιον τὸ πταῖσμα, ὡς καὶ τοῦ φαγεῖν κωλυθῆναι, ὁ ἐπιτιμήσας δοκιμάσει πάντως· εἰ δὲ μόνης τῆς εὐλογίας ἀνάξιός τις ἐκρί θη, συγχωρηθεὶς δὲ φαγεῖν οὐκ ἀνέχεται, ὡς ἀπει θὴς ἐν τούτῳ, καὶ φιλόνεικος κρινέσθω· ἅμα καὶ ἑαυτὸν γνωρίζων καὶ ἐπιγινώσκων, ὅτι οὐχὶ θερα πεύει ἑαυτὸν τοῦτο ἐπιζητῶν, ἀλλὰ ἁμάρτημα ἁμαρτήματι συνάπτει. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΚΓʹ. Ἐάν τις λυπῆται μὴ ἐπιτρεπόμενος ποιεῖν, ὃ μὴ δύναται ἐπιτηδείως ποιεῖν, εἰ χρὴ αὐτοῦ ἀνέχεσθαι. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Περὶ τούτου εἴρηται πολλαχοῦ, ὅτι καθόλου τῷ θελήματι τῷ ἰδίῳ κεχρῆσθαι, ἢ ἐπιτρέπειν, παρὰ τὸν ὑγιῆ ἐστι λόγον· καὶ τῇ δοκιμασίᾳ τῶν πλειόνων μὴ ὑποτάσσεσθαι ἀπειθείας καὶ ἀντιλογίας ἔχει τὸν κίνδυνον. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΚ∆ʹ. Εἰ δεῖ μετὰ αἱρετικῶν ἢ Ἑλλήνων κατὰ συν τυχίαν εὑρεθέντα που, ἢ συνεσθίειν αὐτοῖς, ἢ ἀσπάζεσθαι αὐτούς. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τὸν μὲν ἀσπασμὸν τοῦτον δηλονότι τὸν κοινὸν ἐπ' οὐδενὸς ὁ Κύριος ἀπηγόρευσεν, εἰπών· Ἐὰν ἀσπάσησθε τοὺς φίλους ὑμῶν μόνον, τί περισ σὸν ποιεῖτε; Οὐχὶ καὶ οἱ ἐθνικοὶ οὕτω ποιοῦ σιν; περὶ δὲ τοῦ συνεσθίειν ἔχομεν παραγγε λίαν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου, ἐπὶ τίνων χρὴ παραιτεῖσθαι τοῦτο, εἰπόντος· Ἔγραψα ὑμῖν ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ μὴ συναναμίγνυσθαι πόρνοις, καὶ οὐ πάντως τοῖς πόρνοις τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, ἢ πλεονέκταις, ἢ ἅρπαξιν, ἢ εἰδωλολάτραις· ἐπεὶ ὀφείλετε ἄρα ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου ἐξελθεῖν. Νῦν δὲ ἔγραψα ὑμῖν μὴ συναναμίγνυσθαι. Ἐάν τις ἀδελφὸς ὀνομα ζόμενος, ἢ πόρνος, ἢ πλεονέκτης, ἢ εἰδωλολά 31.1168 τρης, ἢ λοίδορος, ἢ μέθυσος, ἢ ἅρπαξ, τῷ τοι ούτῳ μηδὲ συνεσθίειν. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΚΕʹ. Τὸν πιστευόμενον ἔργον, καὶ ποιοῦντά τι χωρὶς