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But who, having seen the maker of all things, the only immortal one, the one for whom all things are possible, will not long for him? The majority, believing from hearing, loved him, and for his sake the saints died and now live; but those who have also partaken of the vision of him and of his light, (64) having been known by and having known him, how can they not long for him? Tell me, how will they not mourn for him ceaselessly, how will they not despise the world and the things in the world? And how will they not renounce all honor and glory, having become above the glory that is on earth, above all honor, having longed for the Master who is outside the earth, outside all visible things, or rather, the one who made all visible things, yes, and even the invisible things, and having found and received and unfailingly possessing every good thing from there, but also every desire, every longing for eternal goods, for divine things? From this ever-living source they were enriched; grant, O Master, that we too, and all who seek you and long for you ardently, may be richly satisfied by it, so that we also may delight with your saints in eternal goods for ever and ever. Amen.

IX.

That he who has become a partaker of the Holy Spirit, being seized by its light and power, is carried above all the passions, not being harmed by their approach. (65)

Alas, alas, O God, Lord, Almighty! Who can be sated with your invisible beauty, who can be filled with your incomprehensibility? Who can worthily walk in your commandments and behold the light of your face—great, wondrous, not contained at all in this heavy and dark world, the light that removes from the world the one who sees it, body and all, O strange mystery! Who is he that has passed through the wall of his flesh, who is he that has crossed the gloom of corruption

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τόν δέ τῶν πάντων ποιητήν, τόν ἀθάνατον μόνον, τόν πᾶσι πάντα δυνατόν τίς ἰδών οὐ ποθήσει; Ἐξ ἀκοῆς πιστεύσαντες ἠγάπησαν οἱ πλείους καί δι᾿ αὐτόν ἀπέθανον οἱ ἅγιοι καί ζῶσιν˙ οἱ δέ καί θέας τῆς αὐτοῦ καί φωτός μετασχόντες, (64) γνωσθέντες καί γνωρίσαντες αὐτόν, πῶς μή ποθοῦσιν; Εἰπέ, πῶς οὐ πενθήσουσι δι᾿ αὐτόν ἀενάως, πῶς οὐ καταφρονήσουσι κόσμου καί τῶν ἐν κόσμῳ; Πῶς δέ οὐκ ἀπαρνήσονται πᾶσαν τιμήν καί δόξαν, ὑπέρ τήν δόξαν τήν ἐν γῇ, ὑπέρ πᾶσαν τιμήν δέ γενόμενοι, τόν ἔξω γῆς, ἔξω τῶν ὁρωμένων πάντων, μᾶλλον δέ τόν ποιήσαντα τά ὁρώμενα πάντα, ναί δή καί τά ἀόρατα, ποθήσαντες ∆εσπότην καί δόξαν τήν ἀθάνατον εὑρόντες καί λαβόντες καί ἔχοντες ἀνελλιπῶς πᾶν ἀγαθόν ἐκεῖθεν, ἀλλά καί πᾶσαν ἔφεσιν, πᾶσαν ἐπιθυμίαν τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν, τῶν πραγμάτων τῶν θείων; Ἐξ αὐτῆς κατεπλούτησαν πηγῆς τῆς ἀειζώου, ἧς κορεσθῆναι, ∆έσποτα, δός καί ἡμῖν πλουσίως καί πᾶσι τοῖς ζητοῦσί σε καίποθοῦσιν ἐκθύμως, ὡς ἄν τρυφήσωμεν καὐτοί μετά τῶν σῶν ἁγίων τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν εἰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων˙ ἀμήν.

Θ'.

Ὅτι ὁ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος μέτοχος γεγονώς ὑπό τοῦ φωτός καί τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ ἁρπαζόμενος ἐπάνω πάντων φέρεται τῶν παθῶν, μή βλαπτόμενος τῷ πλησιασμῷ ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν. (65)

Αἴ, αἴ, Θεέ, Κύριε, παντοκράτορ! Τίς χορτασθῇ σου τοῦ ἀοράτου κάλλους, τίς ἐμπλησθῇ σου τῆς ἀκαταληψίας; Τίς ἀξίως προρευθῇ τῶν ἐντολῶν σου καί τό φῶς θεάσεται τοῦ σοῦ προσώπου μέγα, θαυμαστόν, μή χωρούμενον ὅλως ἐν τούτῳ τῷ βαρεῖ καί σκοτεινώδει κόσμῳ, τό τόν ὁρῶντα ἀφαιρούμενον κόσμου μετά σώματος, ὤ μυστηρίου ξένου! Τίς ὁ τό τεῖχος παρελθών τῆς σαρκός αὐτοῦ, τίς ὁ διαβάς τῆς φθορᾶς τό γνοφῶδες