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you who have recently been deemed worthy of the gift of baptism, and all of us who long ago partook of this grace, let us both receive the counsel of the teacher of the world and understand what sort of people he wishes those to be who have once become partakers of the ineffable mysteries, how he wishes them to be estranged from the present life, not that they should be sent away as colonists outside this world and somewhere far away, but that, while living in the midst, they may differ in no way from those who are far away, but that they may shine like luminaries and show by their actions to the unbelievers that they have transferred themselves to another commonwealth and have nothing in common with the earth and the things on the earth. 7.24 And just as now you happen to be conspicuous to all through your bright clothing and the brightness of your garments shows the excess of the purity in your soul, so also for the time to come it is right for both you who have just been deemed worthy of the gift and all who have already enjoyed the same honor as you, to become manifest to all through the best conduct and to shine like light upon all who see. For this spiritual garment, if we should wish to preserve its brightness, as time goes on, it sends forth a brighter radiance and a great flashing of light, which can never happen with perceptible garments. For even if we take great care of them countless times, it is both worn out by time and having become old, it disappears, and while lying stored, it is consumed by moths, and there are many other things that ruin these perceptible garments. The garment of virtue, however, if we are eager to contribute our part, will never receive a stain nor will it experience old age, but the more time runs by, the more it displays a brighter and more vigorous beauty and the radiance of its light. 7.25 Have you seen the power of the garment? Have you seen the brightness of the raiment, not yielding to time, not being dimmed by old age? Have you seen a beauty beyond compare? Let us be eager, therefore, I entreat, to preserve this beauty in its prime and let us learn precisely what things are able to preserve the brightness of this beauty. What then are they? Before all things, earnest prayer and thanksgiving for what has already been provided and supplication for the security of what has been given. For this is our salvation, this is the medicine of our souls, this is the remedy for the passions born in the soul. Prayer is the wall of the faithful, prayer is our unconquerable weapon, prayer is the cleansing of our soul, prayer is the redemption of our sins, prayer is the foundation of countless good things. For prayer is nothing other than a conversation with God and fellowship with the Master of all. What then could be more blessed than the one deemed worthy of continuous fellowship with the Master? 7.26 And that you may learn how great this good is, consider for me those who are frantic about present affairs, those who are in no way better than a shadow. When they see someone conversing continuously with the one ruling on earth, how they consider him to be great and declare him most blessed and treat him as someone wonderful and deemed worthy of the highest honor. If, therefore, such a person, although conversing with one of his own race and one who partakes of the same nature as himself and discussing worldly and perishable matters, is considered so conspicuous, what might one say about the one deemed worthy to converse with God, not about matters on earth, but about the forgiveness of sins, about the remission of transgressions, about the preservation of what has already been provided, about what is to be provided in the future, about the eternal good things? Such a person would become more blessed even than the one who wears the diadem, if through prayer he should draw down the influence from above. 7.27 This, before all things, will be able to preserve for us continually the brightness of this spiritual garment, and along with it, bountiful almsgiving, the chief of our good things, the

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πρόσφατον τῆς τοῦ βαπτίσματος δωρεᾶς ἀξιωθέντες καὶ ἡμεῖς ἅπαντες οἱ πάλαι ταύτης μετασχόντες τῆς χάριτος καὶ δεχώμεθα τὴν συμβουλὴν τοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης διδασκάλου καὶ ἐννοήσωμεν οἵους εἶναι βούλεται τοὺς ἅπαξ τῶν ἀπορρήτων μυστηρίων μετόχους γεγενημένους, πῶς ἀλλοτρίους αὐτοὺς τοῦ παρόντος βίου, οὐχ ἵνα ἔξω τοῦ κόσμου τούτου καὶ μακράν που ἀποικισθῶσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἐν τῷ μέσῳ στρεφόμενοι τῶν μακρὰν ὄντων μηδὲν διαφέρωσιν ἀλλὰ φωστήρων δίκην διαλάμπωσι καὶ διὰ πραγμάτων δεικνύωσι τοῖς ἀπίστοις ὅτι εἰς ἑτέραν πολιτείαν ἑαυτοὺς μετέστησαν καὶ οὐδὲν κοινὸν ἔχουσι πρὸς τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς πράγματα. 7.24 Καὶ καθάπερ νῦν διὰ τῆς φαιδρᾶς ἐσθῆτος πᾶσι περίβλεπτοι τυγχάνετε καὶ δείκνυσιν ὑμῶν τῆς ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ καθαρότητος τὴν ὑπερβολὴν καὶ ἡ τῶν ἱματίων φαιδρότης, οὕτω καὶ τὸν ἑξῆς χρόνον καὶ ὑμᾶς τοὺς ἄρτι καταξιωθέντας τῆς δωρεᾶς καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἤδη τῆς αὐτῆς ὑμῖν ἀπολαύσαντας φιλοτιμίας, δίκαιον διὰ τῆς ἀρίστης πολιτείας πᾶσι καταδήλους γίνεσθαι καὶ φωτὸς δίκην καταυγάζειν πάντας τοὺς ὁρῶντας. Τὸ γὰρ ἔνδυμα τοῦτο τὸ πνευματικόν, εἰ βουληθείημεν αὐτοῦ τὴν φαιδρότητα διαφυλάττειν, ὅσον πρόεισιν ὁ χρόνος φαιδροτέραν τὴν λαμπηδόνα ἀφίησι καὶ πολλὴν τοῦ φωτὸς τὴν μαρμαρυγὴν, ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἱματίων οὐδέποτε συμβῆναι δυνατόν. Κἂν γὰρ μυριάκις πολλὴν αὐτῶν ποιώμεθα τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ χρόνου δαπανᾶται καὶ παλαιωθέντα ἀφανίζεται καὶ κείμενα ὑπὸ σητῶν ἀναλίσκεται καὶ πολλὰ ἕτερά ἐστι τὰ λυμαινόμενα τὰ ἱμάτια ταῦτα τὰ αἰσθητά. Τὸ μέντοι τῆς ἀρετῆς ἔνδυμα, ἐὰν τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσφέρειν σπουδάζωμεν, οὔτε ῥύπον ποτὲ δέξεται οὔτε παλαιότητος πεῖραν λήψεται, ἀλλ' ὅσῳ ἂν ὁ χρόνος παρατρέχῃ τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον φαιδρότερον καὶ ἀκμαιότερον τὸ κάλλος καὶ τοῦ φωτὸς τὴν αὐγὴν ἐπιδείκνυσιν. 7.25 Εἶδες ἱματίου δύναμιν; Εἶδες ἐνδύματος φαιδρότητα οὐ χρόνῳ εἴκουσαν, οὐχ ὑπὸ παλαιότητος ἀμαυρουμένην; Εἶδες κάλλος ἀμήχανον; Σπουδάζωμεν τοίνυν, παρακαλῶ, τοῦτο τὸ κάλλος ἀκμάζον διατηρεῖν καὶ μάθωμεν ἀκριβῶς τίνα ἐστὶ τὰ δυνάμενα τοῦ κάλλους τούτου τὴν φαιδρότητα διατηρῆσαι. Τίνα οὖν ἐστι; Πρὸ πάντων εὐχὴ ἐκτενὴς καὶ εὐχαριστία ὑπὲρ τῶν ἤδη παρασχεθέντων καὶ παράκλησις ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν δοθέντων ἀσφαλείας. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ σωτηρία ἡ ἡμετέρα, τοῦτο τὸ φάρμακον τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν, τοῦτο τὸ ἰατρεῖον τῶν παθῶν τῶν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ τικτομένων. Εὐχὴ τὸ τεῖχος τῶν πιστῶν, εὐχὴ τὸ ὅπλον ἡμῶν τὸ ἀκαταγώνιστον, εὐχὴ τὸ καθάρσιον τῆς ἡμετέρας ψυχῆς, εὐχὴ ἡ ἀπολύτρωσις τῶν ἡμετέρων ἁμαρτημάτων, εὐχὴ ἡ ὑπόθεσις τῶν μυρίων ἀγαθῶν. Εὐχὴ γὰρ οὐδὲν ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἢ διάλεξις πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ ὁμιλία πρὸς τὸν τῶν ὅλων δεσπότην. Τί οὖν ἂν εἴη μακαριώτερον τοῦ καταξιουμένου συνεχῶς τῆς πρὸς τὸν δεσπότην ὁμιλίας; 7.26 Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅσον ἐστὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἀγαθόν, ἐννόει μοι τοὺς περὶ τὰ παρόντα πράγματα ἐπτοημένους, τοὺς σκιᾶς οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διαφέροντας. Οἳ ἐπειδὰν ἴδωσί τινα συνεχῶς τῷ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς βασιλεύοντι διαλεγόμενον, πῶς μέγαν τοῦτον εἶναι νομίζουσι καὶ μακαριστότατον ἀποφαίνουσι καὶ περιέπουσι ὡς θαυμαστόν τινα καὶ τῆς ἀνωτάτω τιμῆς ἠξιωμένον. Εἰ τοίνυν ὁ τοιοῦτος καίτοι γε ὁμογενεῖ διαλεγόμενος καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς αὐτῷ φύσεως κοινωνοῦντι καὶ περὶ βιωτικῶν καὶ ἐπικήρων πραγμάτων διεξιόντι οὕτω περίβλεπτος εἶναι νομίζεται, τί ἄν τις εἴποι περὶ τοῦ καταξιωθέντος τῷ Θεῷ διαλέγεσθαι οὐ περὶ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς πραγμάτων ἀλλὰ περὶ τῆς τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων συγχωρήσεως, περὶ τῆς ἀφέσεως τῶν παραπτωμάτων, περὶ τῆς φυλακῆς τῶν ἤδη παρασχεθέντων, περὶ τῶν μελλόντων παρασχεθήσεσθαι, περὶ τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν; Ὁ τοιοῦτος καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ τὸ διάδημα περικειμένου μακαριώτερος ἂν γένοιτο εἰ διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς ἐπισπάσαιτο τὴν ἄνωθεν ῥοπήν. 7.27 Αὕτη πρὸ πάντων δυνήσεται τοῦ ἐνδύματος τούτου τοῦ πνευματικοῦ τὴν φαιδρότητα διηνεκῶς ἡμῖν διαφυλάττειν καὶ μετὰ ταύτης ἡ δαψιλὴς ἐλεημοσύνη, τὸ κεφάλαιον τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀγαθῶν, ἡ