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From Epictetus and Isocrates. Self-sufficiency, like a short and pleasant road, has great grace but little toil.

Fortify yourself with self-sufficiency; for this is an impregnable place. Socrates. When Xanthippe was rebuking her husband Socrates, because plainly

he prepared to receive friends, he said: If they are our own, it will not matter to them; but if they are strangers, it will not matter to us about them.

DISCOURSE 14. Concerning Prayer. 15Ε_140 Matt. 6. When praying, do not use vain repetitions, 808 like the

Gentiles; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. Therefore do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

James 5. Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Solomon. The sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord; but the prayers of the upright are acceptable with him.

Sirach 7. Do not be faint-hearted in your prayer. Sirach 18. Do not hinder paying a vow in due time. Of Basil. The divine hearing does not need a voice for perception. For he knows even in the

movement of the heart to recognize what is sought. Or do you not hear that Moses, while uttering nothing, interceding with the Lord with his unutterable groans, was heard by the Lord, who said: Why do you cry to me?

For the presence of righteous works is a loud voice before God. 15Ε_142 Of the Theologian. Let us not be condemned for pettiness, in asking for small things

and unworthy of the Giver. Chrysostom. A great good is prayer, if it is made with a thankful mind; if

we train ourselves to give thanks to God, not only when receiving, but also when failing to receive. For at times he gives, with both outcomes being useful. So whether you receive or do not receive, you have received in not receiving. Whether you succeed or do not succeed, you have succeeded in receiving. Whether you succeed or do not succeed, you have succeeded in not succeeding. For it is sometimes more profitable not to receive. For if it were not often profitable for us not to receive, he would surely have given. But to fail profitably is to succeed.

When a prayer comes forth from clean lips, 809 and from an unhypocritical heart, it knows how to reach the unflattering ear of the Master.

When we ask something of the Master through prayer, let us not quickly lose heart; but let us overcome the continuance of failure with the continuance of our petition.

In the delays and postponements of God's gifts, let us not grow weary, nor give up beforehand. For often the Master prolongs the apparent delay for the training of our faith.

It is always good to converse with God through prayer. For if meeting a good man improves the one who meets him, how much more so to converse with God both by day and by night?

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Ἐκ τῶν Ἐπικτήτου καί Ἰσοκράτ. Αὐτάκρεια, καθάπερ ὁδός βραχεῖα καί ἐπιτερπής, χάριν μέν ἔχει μεγάλην πόνον δέ μικρόν.

Ὀχύρωσον σαὐτόν τῇ αὐταρκείᾳ· τοῦτο γάρ δισάλωτόν ἐστιν χωρίον. Σωκράτ. Ξανθίππης Σωκράτει τῷ ἀνδρί ἐπιτιμώσης, διότι λιτῶς

παρεσκευάζετο ὑποδέξασθαι φίλους, εἶπεν· Εἰ μέν ἡμέτεροί εἰσιν, οὐδέν ἐκείνοις μελήσει· εἰ δέ ἀλλότριοι, ἡμῖν περί αὐτῶν οὐδέν μελήσει.

ΛΟΓΟΣ Ι∆´. Περί προσευχῆς. 15Ε_140 Ματθ. στ´. Προσευχόμενοι μή βαττολογήσητε, 808 ὥσπερ οἱ

ἐθνικοί· δοκοῦσι γάρ, ὅτι ἐν τῇ πολυλογία αὐτῶν εἰσακουσθήσονται. Μή οὖν ὁμοιωθῆτε αὐτοῖς· οἶδε γάρ ὁ Πατήρ ὑμῶν ὧν χρείαν ἔχετε, πρό τοῦ ὑμᾶς αἰτῆσαι αὐτόν.

Ἰακ. ε´. Κακοπαθεῖς τις ἐν ὑμῖν; προσευχέσθω. Εὐθυμεῖς τις; ψαλλέτω. Ἀσθενεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν; προσκαλεσάσθω τούς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, καί προσευξάσθωσαν ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν, ἀλείψαντες αὐτόν ἐλαίῳ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου· καί ἡ εὐχή τῆς πίστεως σώσει τόν κάμνοντα, καί ἐγερεῖ αὐτόν ὁ Κύριος· κἄν ἁμαρτίας ᾖ πεποιηκώς, ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ.

Σολομ. Θυσίαι ἀσεβῶν βδέλυγμα Κυρίῳ· προσευχαί δέ κατευθυνόντων, δεκταί παρ᾿ αὐτῷ.

Σιράχ ζ´. Μή ὀλιγοψυχήσῃς ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ σου. Σιράχ ιη´. Μή ἐμποδίσῃς τοῦ ἀποδοῦναι εὐχήν εὐκαίρως. Βασιλείου. Ἡ θεία ἀκοή, οὐ φωνῆς δεῖται πρός αἴσθησιν. Οἶδε γάρ καί ἐν τῷ

κινήματι τῆς καρδίας γνωρίσαι τά ἐπιζητούμενα. Ἤ οὐκ ἀκούεις ὅτι Μωϋσῆς μηδέν φθεγγόμενος, τοῖς ἀλαλήτοις ἑαυτοῦ στεναγμοῖς ἐντυγχάνων τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἠκούετο παρά τοῦ Κυρίου, λέγοντος· Τί βοᾷς πρός με;

Ἔργων γάρ δικαίων παρουσία, μεγαλοφωνία ἐστί παρά Θεῷ. 15Ε_142 Θεολόγου. Μή μικρολογίαν καταγνωσθῶμεν, ἐν τῷ μικρά

αἰτεῖν ἡμᾶς καί τοῦ διδόντος ἀνάξια. Χρυσοστ. Μέγα ἀγαθόν εὐχή, ἐάν μετά διανοίας εὐχαρίστου γένηται· ἐάν

παιδεύσωμεν ἑαυτοῦ μή μόνον λαμβάνοντες, ἀλλά καί ἀποτυγχάνοντες, εὐχαριστεῖν τῷ Θεῷ. Καί γάρ ποτέ μέν δίδωσι, ἀμφότερα χρησίμως. Ὥστε κἄν λάβῃς, κἄν μή λάβῃς, ἔλαβες ἐν τῷ μή ἀπολαβεῖν. Κἄν ἐπιτύχῃς, κἄν μή ἐπιτύχῃς, ἔτυχες ἐν τῷ ἀπολαβεῖν. Κἄν ἐπιτύχῃς, κἄν μή ἐπιτύχῃς, ἔτυχες ἐν τῷ μή ἐπιτυχεῖν. Ἔστι γάρ ὅτι τό μή λαβεῖν λυσιτελέστερον. Εἰ γάρ μή συμφέρον ἡμῖν ἦν πολλάκις τό μή λαβεῖν, πάντως ἔδωκεν ἄν. Τό δέ συμφερόντως ἀποτυχεῖν, ἐπιτυχεῖν ἐστιν.

Ὅταν ἐκ καθαρῶν χειλέων ἐξέρχηται δέησις, 809 καί ἐκ καρδίας ἀνυποκρίτου, οἶδε φθάσαι τό ἀκολάκευτον οὖς τοῦ ∆εσπότου.

Ὅταν δι᾿ εὐχῆς αἰτησώμεθά τι τόν ∆εσπότην, μή ταχέως ἐξατονήσωμεν· ἀλλά τό συνεχές τῆς ἀποτυχίας, τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῆς αἰτήσεως ἐκνικήσωμεν.

Ἐν ταῖς ἀναβολαῖς καί ἐν ταῖς ὑπεθέσεσι τῶν δωρεῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, μή προκάμνωμεν, μηδέ προαναπίπτωμεν. Πολλάκις γάρ ὁ ∆εσπότης τήν δοκοῦσαν ἀναβολήν, εἰς τήν τῆς πίστεως γυμνασίαν παρέλκει.

Καλόν πάντοτε διά προσευχῆς ὁμιλεῖν τῷ Θεῷ. Εἰ γάρ συντυχία ἀνδρός ἀγαθοῦ βελτιοῖ τόν ἐντυγχάνοντα, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τό καί ἐν ἡμέρᾳ καί ἐν νυκτί καθομιλεῖν τῷ Θεῷ ;