31

makes the mind brighter. And do not think that I say these things to monks only; for the exhortation is also to worldly men, and to these more than to those; for these are the ones most in need of the medicines of repentance. He who laments such things will rise up having his soul better than a calm harbor, casting out all the passions; such a one, filled with much gladness, will meet God in his house with boldness; he will converse with his neighbor with pleasure; for no anger lurks within, no desire burns, no love of money, no envy, nor anything else of that sort. For that groan and tears have caused all these things, like lurking wild beasts, to sink down through the night. My eye was troubled by anger. Have you seen a contrite soul? Having spoken of repentance, he speaks again of the passions, the disturbance in the mind, the fear that comes from the wrath of God. 5. For here he means the eye of the soul, that discerning and rational part, which the thought of one's own sins is accustomed to disturb. For since he always had his transgressions before his eyes, and considered the wrath of God, being in fear, not living insensibly like the many, but in agony and trembling. Such a disturbance is the mother of tranquility; such a fear is the foundation of security. He who is thus disturbed casts out every storm; he who does not have such a soul will endure a difficult tossing. And just as a ship without ballast, given over to the rush of wild winds, is quickly sunk; so also a soul living insensibly is exposed to countless 55.78 passions. Wherefore also the blessed Paul, indicating this 55.78 passion, said: Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. And just as a pilot, as long as he is disturbed with cares for those sailing, keeps all in tranquility, but if, released from this, he should sleep, he brings on a great disturbance; so also is man; for he who is in agony and trembling and disturbed, establishes his own mind in quiet; but he who gives himself over to the sleep of indifference, makes his vessel sink. I have grown old among all my enemies. What is, I have grown old? I have become weak, he says, by my enemies. For our life is a contest, and our life is filled with countless enemies, who also become stronger whenever we fall into sins. Therefore one must do everything to escape their grasp, and never be reconciled to them; for this is for us the foundation of the greatest security. Paul, declaring the phalanx of these enemies, said: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age. Since, therefore, the phalanx of the enemies is such, one must always and continually be armed, and flee the attacks of sins. For nothing is so accustomed to make old as the nature of sin. Wherefore also Paul, commanding that the growing old that comes from this be cast off, said: Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. When, therefore, you are made old by sin, renew yourself by repentance. Depart from me, all you who work iniquity, for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication, the Lord has accepted my prayer. This too is no small path leading to virtue, to flee the wicked. Which also Christ demands from us with so much excess, as to command that friends who are to us in the rank of most necessary members be cut off, when they cause us to stumble, and their company brings us some harm. For if, he says, your eye causes you to stumble,

31

λαμπροτέραν καθίστησι τὴν διάνοιαν. Καὶ μή με νομίσητε πρὸς μοναχοὺς ταῦτα λέγειν μόνον· καὶ γὰρ πρὸς βιωτικοὺς ἡ παραίνεσις, καὶ πρὸς τούτους μᾶλλον, ἢ ἐκείνους· οὗτοι γὰρ μάλιστα οἱ δεόμενοι τῶν τῆς μετανοίας φαρμάκων. Ὁ τοιαῦτα θρηνῶν, ἀναστήσεται λιμένος γαληνοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν ἄμεινον ἔχων, πάντα ἐκβάλλων τὰ πάθη· πολλῆς πεπληρωμένος τῆς εὐφροσύνης εἰς οἶκον Θεοῦ μετὰ παῤῥησίας ἀπαντήσεται ὁ τοιοῦτος· τῷ πλησίον μεθ' ἡδονῆς διαλέξεται· οὐ θυμὸς γὰρ ἐνδομυχεῖ, οὐκ ἐπιθυμία φλέγει, οὐκ ἔρως χρημάτων, οὐ φθόνος, οὐκ ἄλλο τῶν τοιούτων οὐδέν. Πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα, καθάπερ θηρία ἐμφωλεύοντα, καταδῦναι διὰ τῆς νυκτὸς ὁ στεναγμὸς ἐκεῖνος καὶ τὰ δάκρυα παρεσκεύασεν. Ἐταράχθη ἀπὸ θυμοῦ ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου. Εἶδες ψυχὴν συντετριμμένην; Εἰπὼν τὴν μετάνοιαν, λέγει πάλιν τὰ πάθη, τὸν θόρυβον τὸν ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ, τὸν φόβον τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐγγινόμενον. εʹ. Ὀφθαλμὸν γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς φησι, τὸ διορατικὸν ἐκεῖνο καὶ λογικὸν, ὅπερ ἡ ἔννοια τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων ταράττειν εἴωθεν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ διὰ παντὸς πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν εἶχε τὰ πλημμελήματα, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ὀργὴν ἀνελογίζετο, ἐν φόβῳ ὢν, οὐκ ἀναλγήτως ζῶν, καθάπερ οἱ πολλοὶ, ἀλλὰ ἀγωνιῶν καὶ τρέμων. Ἡ τοιαύτη ταραχὴ γαλήνης μήτηρ ἐστίν· ὁ τοιοῦτος φόβος ἀδείας ὑπόθεσις. Ὁ οὕτω τεταραγμένος πάντα χειμῶνα ἐκβάλλει· τοιαύτην οὐκ ἔχων τὴν ψυχὴν χαλεπὸν κλυδώνιον ὑποστήσεται. Καὶ ὥσπερ πλοῖον ἀνερμάτιστον τῇ τῶν ἀγρίων πνευμάτων ἐκδοθὲν ῥύμῃ, ταχέως καταποντίζεται· οὕτω καὶ ψυχὴ ἀναλγήτως ζῶσα, μυρίοις 55.78 πρόκειται πάθεσι. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος τοῦτο 55.78 τὸ πάθος ἐνδεικνύμενος, ἔλεγεν· Οἵτινες ἀπηλγηκότες ἑαυτοὺς παρέδωκαν τῇ ἀσελγείᾳ εἰς ἐργασίαν ἀκαθαρσίας πάσης ἐν πλεονεξίᾳ. Καὶ καθάπερ κυβερνήτης, ἕως ἂν ταῖς φροντίσι ταῖς ὑπὲρ τῶν πλεόντων ταράττηται, πάντας ἐν γαλήνῃ καθίστησιν, ἂν δὲ ταύτης ἀπαλλαγεὶς καθεύδῃ, ταραχὴν ἐπάγει μεγάλην· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος· ὁ μὲν ἀγωνιῶν καὶ τρέμων καὶ ταραττόμενος, ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ καθίστησι διάνοιαν· ὁ δὲ ὕπνῳ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας ἑαυτὸν παραδοὺς, ὑποβρύχιον τὸ σκάφος ἐργάζεται. Ἐπαλαιώθην ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς μου. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐπαλαιώθην; Ἠσθένησα, φησὶν, ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν μου. Καὶ γὰρ ἐναγώνιος ἡμῶν ὁ βίος, καὶ μυρίων ἐχθρῶν ἡ ζωὴ ἡμῖν ἐμπέπλησται, οἵτινες καὶ ἰσχυρότεροι γίνονται, ἐπειδὰν ἁμαρτήμασι περιπέσωμεν. ∆ιὸ πάντα χρὴ ποιεῖν, ὥστε διαφυγεῖν αὐτῶν τὰς λαβὰς, καὶ μηδέποτε πρὸς αὐτοὺς καταλλάττεσθαι· αὕτη γὰρ ἡμῖν μεγίστης ἀσφαλείας ὑπόθεσις. Τούτων τῶν ἐχθρῶν τὴν φάλαγγα δηλῶν ὁ Παῦλος, ἔλεγεν· Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τοιαύτη ἡ τῶν πολεμίων φάλαγξ, ἀεὶ καὶ διηνεκῶς ὁπλίζεσθαι χρὴ, καὶ φεύγειν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὰς ἐφόδους. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω παλαιοῦν εἴωθεν, ὡς ἁμαρτίας φύσις. ∆ιόπερ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος τὴν ἐντεῦθεν παλαίωσιν γινομένην ἀποτρίβεσθαι κελεύων, ἔλεγε· Μὴ συσχηματίζεσθε τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ μεταμορφοῦσθε τῇ ἀνακαινώσει τοῦ νοὸς ὑμῶν. Ὅταν οὖν ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας παλαιωθῇς, ὑπὸ τῆς μετανοίας ἀνακαίνισον σαυτόν. Ἀπόστητε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, πάντες οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν, ὅτι εἰσήκουσε Κύριος τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ κλαυθμοῦ μου. Ἤκουσε Κύριος τῆς δεήσεώς μου, Κύριος τὴν προσευχήν μου προσεδέξατο. Οὐ μικρὰ καὶ αὕτη ὁδὸς εἰς ἀρετὴν ἄγουσα, τὸ φεύγειν τοὺς πονηρούς. Ὅπερ μετὰ τοσαύτης ὑπερβολῆς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἀπαιτεῖ παρ' ἡμῶν, ὡς τοὺς ἐν τάξει μελῶν ἡμῖν ἀναγκαιοτάτων ὄντας φίλους κελεύειν ἐκκόπτειν, ὅταν ἡμᾶς σκανδαλίζωσι, καὶ βλάβην τινὰ ἡμῖν αὐτῶν ἡ συνουσία φέρῃ. Ἐὰν γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου σκανδαλίζῃ σε,