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QUESTION 37: Whether one ought, on the pretext of prayers and psalmody, to neglect works, and what are the suitable times for prayer, and first, whether one must work. RESPONSE. Since our Lord Jesus Christ says, "Worthy," not simply anyone, nor just by chance, but "The laborer is worthy of his food"; and since the Apostle commands us to labor and work with our own hands at what is good, that we may have something to give to him who has need, it is immediately clear that one must work diligently. For one must not consider the goal of piety to be a pretext for idleness or an escape from toil, but an occasion for spiritual struggle, and of more abundant labors, and of patience in afflictions, so that it may be possible for us also to say: "In weariness and toil, in sleeplessness more often, in hunger and thirst"; not only because such a discipline is useful for us for the subduing of the body, but also for love of neighbor, so that through us God may provide sufficiency for the weak among the brethren, according to the example given by the Apostle in the Acts, when he said: "I have shown you in all things that by so laboring you must support the weak"; and again: "that you may have something to give to the one 31.1012 who has need"; so that we may be counted worthy to hear: "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink." And as for how great an evil idleness is, what need is there to say, when the Apostle clearly commands that if anyone will not work, neither should he eat? Therefore, as daily food is necessary for each person, so too is work according to one's ability. For not in vain did Solomon write in praise: "She does not eat the bread of idleness." And again, the Apostle says of himself, "nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day"; although he had the authority, preaching the Gospel, to live from the Gospel. And the Lord also joined idleness with wickedness, saying: "You wicked and lazy servant." But wise Solomon not only praises the one who works through the aforementioned words, but also rebukes the lazy by comparison with the smallest of creatures, saying: "Go to the ant, you sluggard." So one must be afraid, lest this be brought against us on the day of judgment by the one who gave us the ability to work, who seeks work proportionate to that ability. For, "From him to whom they entrusted much," it says, "they will demand the more." But since some, on the pretext of prayers and psalmody, refuse to work, it must be known that while for other things there is a specific time for each, according to Ecclesiastes who said: "For everything there is a season"; for prayer and psalmody, however, as indeed for many other things, every time is suitable, so that while moving one's hands to works, one may at times also with the tongue, when this is possible, or rather, useful for the building up of the faith; but if not, to praise God in the heart with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, as it is written, and to fulfill prayer in the midst of work; giving thanks to the one who has given both the strength of hands for works, and the wisdom of mind for the acquisition of knowledge, and who has granted the material, both that in the tools and that underlying the arts, in whichever we happen to be working; and praying that the works of our hands may be directed toward the goal of pleasing God. Thus we also achieve steadfastness of soul, 31.1013 when in every action we ask from God success for our work, and we render thanks to the one who gave the ability to act, and we keep the goal of pleasing him, as was said before. Since, if these things are not this way, how can the things said by the Apostle be consistent with each other, both "Pray without ceasing," and, "working night and day"? Not, however, because the in every

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ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΛΖʹ· Εἰ δεῖ προφάσει τῶν προσευχῶν καὶ τῆς ψαλμῳ δίας ἀμελεῖν τῶν ἔργων, καὶ ποῖοι καιροὶ τῆς προσευχῆς ἐπιτήδειοι, καὶ πρῶτον, εἰ χρὴ ἐρ γάζεσθαι. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος, Ἄξιος, οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἕκαστος, οὐδὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἀλλ' Ὁ ἐργάτης τῆς τροφῆς αὑτοῦ ἐστι· καὶ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου προσ τάσσοντος κοπιᾷν καὶ ἐργάζεσθαι ταῖς ἰδίαις χερσὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν, ἵνα ἔχωμεν μεταδιδόναι τῷ χρείαν ἔχοντι, τὸ μὲν, ὅτι χρὴ ἐργάζεσθαι σπουδαίως, δῆλόν ἐστιν αὐτόθεν. Οὐ γὰρ πρόφασιν ἀργίας, οὐδὲ ἀπο φυγὴν πόνου τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας σκοπὸν ἡγεῖσθαι χρὴ, ἀλλὰ ὑπόθεσιν ἀθλήσεως, καὶ πόνων περισσο τέρων, καὶ ὑπομονῆς τῆς ἐν θλίψεσιν, ἵνα καὶ ἡμῖν ἐξῇ λέγειν· Ἐν κόπῳ καὶ μόχθῳ, ἐν ἀγρυπνίαις περισσοτέρως, ἐν λιμῷ καὶ δίψει· οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸν ὑπωπιασμὸν τοῦ σώματος χρησίμου οὔσης ἡμῖν τῆς τοιαύτης ἀγωγῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸν πλησίον ἀγάπην, ἵνα καὶ τοῖς ἀσθενοῦσι τῶν ἀδελ φῶν δι' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν αὐτάρκειαν παρέχῃ, κατὰ τὸν ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου δεδομένον τύπον, εἰπόντος· Πάντα ὑπέδειξα ὑμῖν, ὅτι οὕτω κοπιῶντας δεῖ ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι τῶν ἀσθε νούντων· καὶ πάλιν· Ἵνα ἔχητε μεταδιδόναι τῷ 31.1012 χρείαν ἔχοντι· ὅπως καταξιωθῶμεν ἀκοῦσαι· ∆εῦτε, οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ Πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβο λῆς κόσμου. Ἐπείνασα γὰρ, καὶ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν· ἐδίψησα, καὶ ἐδώκατέ μοι πίνειν. Καὶ ὅσον μὲν κακόν ἐστι τὸ τῆς ἀργίας, τί χρὴ λέγειν, τοῦ Ἀποστόλου φανερῶς παραγγέλλον τος, τὸν μὴ ἐργαζόμενον μηδὲ ἐσθίειν; Ὡς οὖν ἀναγκαῖον ἑκάστῳ ἡ καθημερινὴ τροφὴ, οὕτως ἀναγ καῖον καὶ τὸ κατὰ δύναμιν ἔργον. Οὐ γὰρ μάτην ὁ Σολομὼν ἐν ἐπαίνῳ ἔγραψε τό· Σῖτα δὲ ὀκνηρὰ οὐκ ἔφαγε. Καὶ πάλιν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ὅτι Οὔτε δωρεὰν ἄρτον ἐφάγομεν παρά τινος, ἀλλ' ἐν κόπῳ καὶ μόχθῳ, νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας ἐργαζό μενοι· καίτοι ἔχων ἐξουσίαν, τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον καταγ γέλλων, ἐκ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ζῇν. Καὶ ὁ Κύριος δὲ τὴν ὀκνηρίαν τῇ πονηρίᾳ συνῆψεν, εἰπών· Πονηρὲ δοῦλε καὶ ὀκνηρέ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ σοφὸς Σολομὼν οὐ μόνον ἐπαινεῖ τὸν ἐργαζόμενον διὰ τῶν μνημονευ θέντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐλέγχει τὸν ὀκνηρὸν συγκρίσει τῶν μικροτάτων ζώων, λέγων· Ἴθι πρὸς τὸν μύρμηκα, ὦ ὀκνηρέ. Ὥστε φοβεῖσθαι χρὴ, μήποτε ἡμῖν τοῦτο καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως προενεχθῇ, τοῦ δεδωκότος ἡμῖν τὴν πρὸς τὸ ἐργάζεσθαι δύναμιν, ἀναλογοῦσαν τῇ δυνάμει τὴν ἐργασίαν ἐπιζητοῦντος. ∆ιότι Ὧ παρέθεντο, φησὶ, πολὺ, περισσότερον ἀπαιτή σουσιν αὐτόν. Ἐπεὶ δέ τινες προφάσει τῶν εὐ χῶν καὶ τῆς ψαλμῳδίας παραιτοῦνται τὰ ἔργα, εἰδέναι δεῖ, ὅτι ἐπὶ μὲν ἄλλων τινῶν ἑκάστου καιρός ἐστιν ἴδιος, κατὰ τὸν Ἐκκλησιαστὴν εἰπόντα· Καιρὸς τῷ παντὶ πράγματι· προσευχῆς δὲ καὶ ψαλμῳδίας, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ἑτέρων πλειόνων, πᾶς καιρὸς ἐπιτή δειος, ὥστε μεταξὺ τὰς χεῖρας κινοῦντα πρὸς τὰ ἔργα, ποτὲ μὲν καὶ τῇ γλώσσῃ, ὅταν τοῦτο ᾖ δυνα τὸν, μᾶλλον δὲ χρήσιμον πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς πίστεως· εἰ δὲ μή γε, τῇ καρδίᾳ ἐν ψαλμοῖς καὶ ὕμνοις καὶ ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς τὸν Θεὸν ἀνυμνεῖν. καθὼς γέγραπται, καὶ τὴν προσευχὴν μεταξὺ τοῦ ἔργου πληροῦν· εὐχαριστοῦντες μὲν τῷ δεδωκότι καὶ δύναμιν χειρῶν πρὸς ἔργα, καὶ σοφίαν διανοίας πρὸς ἀνάληψιν τῆς ἐπιστήμης, καὶ τὴν ὕλην χαρι σαμένῳ, τήν τε ἐν τοῖς ἐργαλείοις, καὶ τὴν ὑποκειμέ νην ταῖς τέχναις, ἅσπερ ἂν τύχωμεν ἐργαζόμε νοι· προσευχόμενοι δὲ κατευθυνθῆναι τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν ἡμῶν πρὸς τὸν σκοπὸν τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν εὐ αρεστήσεως. Οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἀμετεώρεστον τῇ ψυχῇ κατ 31.1013 ορθοῦμεν, ὅταν ἐφ' ἑκάστῃ ἐνεργείᾳ τήν τε εὐοδίαν τῆς ἐργασίας παρὰ Θεοῦ αἰτῶμεν, καὶ τὴν εὐχαρι στίαν τῷ δεδωκότι τὸ ἐνεργεῖν ἀποπληρῶμεν, καὶ τὸν σκοπὸν τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν εὐαρεστήσεως φυλάσ σωμεν, καθὰ προείρηται. Ἐπεὶ, εἰ μὴ ταῦτα τοῦτον ἔχει τὸν τρόπον, πῶς δύναται συμβαίνειν ἀλλήλοις τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου εἰρημένα, τό τε Ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε, καὶ τὸ, Νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν ἐργαζό μενοι; Οὐ μὴν ἐπειδὴ ἡ ἐν παντὶ