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doing. And let this one have mercy on all who are far from the Lord; and on his relatives according to the flesh, as on everyone. But if someone, feeling something more for these, thinks he has the Apostle as an advocate for his own passion, when he says: For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh; let such a one learn from what follows that the Apostle honors not kinship according to the flesh, but Israel and God's special gifts to it; not because the Israelites were his kinsmen, but because his kinsmen according to the flesh were Israelites, and because they were deemed worthy of so many and such great things from God. Because theirs was the adoption and the glory, theirs the lawgiving and the worship; because to them belonged the covenants and the promises, and theirs were the fathers; because from them came Christ according to the flesh, so greatly does he value their salvation; not looking to kinship, but to the incarnation of the Lord on their behalf, who said: I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 31.1212 QUESTION 101. Who is the meek man? ANSWER. The one who is unchangeable in his judgments concerning those things that are eagerly pursued for the pleasing of God. QUESTION 102 What is godly sorrow, and what is worldly sorrow? ANSWER. Godly sorrow is when someone is grieved because a commandment of God has been overlooked, according to what is written: Despair has taken hold of me because of the wicked who forsake your law; worldly sorrow is when the cause of grief is something human and of worldly value. QUESTION 103. What is joy in the Lord; and what should we do that we might be obliged to rejoice? ANSWER. Joy in the Lord is rejoicing in those things that are done according to the commandment of the Lord for the glory of God. Therefore, when we keep the commandments of the Lord, or suffer anything for the name of the Lord, we ought to rejoice and rejoice with one another. QUESTION 104. What sort of mourning should we take up, that we may be deemed worthy of the blessing? ANSWER. This question is included in godly sorrow; when we mourn for sins committed, either on account of the dishonor to God, because by the transgression of the law one dishonors God, or on account of those who are in danger through sin. For "the soul that sins," it says, "it shall die;" imitating the one who said: And I will mourn for many who have sinned before. QUESTION 105. How does one do all things to the glory of God? ANSWER When he does all things for God according to the commandment of God, and in nothing looks about for the praises of men; but everywhere remembers the Lord who said: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. QUESTION 106. How does one eat and drink to the glory of God? ANSWER. In the remembrance of the benefactor, and in such a 31.1213 disposition of the soul, witnessed by the state of the body, that one does not eat as if unconcerned, but as having God as an overseer; and in the purpose of partaking, when one eats not as a slave of the belly for pleasure, but as a worker of God, for vigor in the works according to the commandment of Christ. QUESTION 107. How does the right hand act, so that the left hand does not know? ANSWER. When with an undistracted and intense desire for pleasing God, the mind, striving with its whole being, does not fall short of what is fitting, it strives lawfully. Then it takes no thought of anything, not even of another member, except only of what is useful for the task at hand; just as the craftsman for each work looks only at the tool that is useful to him. QUESTION 108. What is humility, and how shall we achieve it? ANSWER. Humility is to consider all others as superior to oneself, according to the rule of the Apostle. And one achieves it, first of all, if he remembers the commandment of the Lord who said: Learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart (which he showed and taught in many places and in many ways); and believes him who promised, that "He who

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ποιοῦντες. Καὶ ἐλεείτω οὗτος πάντας μὲν τοὺς μακρυνομένους ἀπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου· καὶ τοὺς συγγενεῖς δὲ, τοὺς κατὰ σάρκα ὡς πάντας. Εἰ δέ τις τούτοις πλέον τι προσπάσχων συνῄγορον ἔχειν οἴεται τοῦ ἰδίου πάθους τὸν Ἀπόστολον λέγοντα· Ηὐχόμην γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἀνάθεμα εἶναι ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν συγγενῶν μου κατὰ σάρκα· μανθανέτω ὁ τοιοῦτος ἐκ τῶν ἐπιφερομένων, ὅτι οὐ τὴν συγγένειαν τὴν κατὰ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ τὰ εἰς αὐτὸν ἐξαί ρετα τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ Ἀπόστολος τιμᾷ· οὐδ' ἐπειδήπερ συγγενεῖς αὐτοῦ οἱ Ἰσραηλῖται, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ Ἰσρα- ηλῖται ἦσαν οἱ κατὰ σάρκα συγγενεῖς, καὶ ἐπειδὴ τοσούτων καὶ τοιούτων παρὰ Θεοῦ κατηξιώθη σαν. Ἐπειδὴ αὐτῶν μὲν ἦν ἡ υἱοθεσία καὶ ἡ δόξα, αὐτῶν δὲ ἡ νομοθεσία καὶ ἡ λατρεία· ἐπειδὴ αὐτοῖς μὲν αἱ διαθῆκαι, καὶ αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι, αὐτῶν δὲ οἱ πατέρες· ἐπειδὴ ἐξ αὐτῶν ὁ Χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, τοσούτου τιμᾶται αὐτῶν τὴν σωτηρίαν· οὐκ εἰς τὴν συγγένειαν ἀποβλέπων, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἐνανθρώπησιν τοῦ εἰπόντος· Οὐκ ἀπεστά λην εἰ μὴ εἰς τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ. 31.1212 ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΑʹ. Τίς ἐστιν ὁ πραΰς. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ὁ ἀμετάθετος ἐν ταῖς κρίσεσι τῶν πρὸς εὐαρέ στησιν Θεοῦ σπουδαζομένων. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΒʹ Τίς ἐστιν ἡ λύπη ἡ κατὰ Θεὸν, καὶ τίς ἡ τοῦ κόσμου. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἡ μὲν κατὰ Θεὸν, ὅταν ἐντολῆς Θεοῦ παροφθεί σης λυπηθῇ τις, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· Ἀθυμία κατέσχε με ἀπὸ ἁμαρτωλῶν τῶν ἐγκαταλιμπα νόντων τὸν νόμον σου· ἡ δὲ τοῦ κόσμου, ὅταν τι ἀνθρώπινον καὶ τοῦ κόσμου ἄξιον ᾖ τὸ λυποῦν. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΓʹ. Ποία ἡ ἐν Κυρίῳ χαρά· καὶ τί ἐὰν ποιῶμεν χαίρειν ὀφείλομεν. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τὸ ἐπὶ τοῖς κατ' ἐντολὴν τοῦ Κυρίου εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ γινομένοις χαίρειν ἡ ἐν Κυρίῳ χαρά ἐστιν. Ὅταν οὖν τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Κυρίου ποιῶμεν, ἢ διὰ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Κυρίου πάσχωμέν τι, χαίρειν καὶ συγχαίρειν ἀλλήλοις ὀφείλομεν. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Ρ∆ʹ. Ποῖον πένθος ἀναλάβωμεν, ἵνα καταξιωθῶμεν τοῦ μακαρισμοῦ. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἐμπεριέχεται τοῦτο τὸ ἐρώτημα τῇ κατὰ Θεὸν λύπῃ· ὅταν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἡμαρτημένοις πενθῶμεν, ἤτοι διὰ τὴν ἀτιμίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι διὰ τῆς παραβάσεως τοῦ νόμου τὸν Θεόν τις ἀτιμάζει, ἢ διὰ τοὺς κιν δυνεύοντας ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ. Ψυχὴ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα, αὕτη ἀποθανεῖται· μιμούμενοι τὸν εἰρηκότα· Καὶ πενθήσω πολλοὺς τῶν προημαρτη κότων. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΕʹ. Πῶς πάντα εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ ποιεῖ τις. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Ὅταν πάντα διὰ Θεὸν κατ' ἐντολὴν Θεοῦ ποιῇ, καὶ ἐν μηδενὶ περιβλέπηται τοὺς παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπαίνους· πανταχοῦ δὲ μνημονεύῃ τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος· Οὕτω λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσιν ὑμῶν τὰ καλὰ ἔργα, καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Ρʹ. Πῶς ἐσθίει τις, καὶ πίνει εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἐν τῇ μνήμῃ τοῦ εὐεργέτου, καὶ ἐν τῇ τοιᾷδε 31.1213 διαθέσει τῆς ψυχῆς, μαρτυρουμένῃ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ σώματος καταστάσεως, ὅτι οὐχ ὡς ἀμέριμνος ἐσθίει, ἀλλ' ὡς ἔχων ἐπόπτην Θεόν· καὶ ἐν τῷ σκοπῷ δὲ τῆς μεταλήψεως, ὅταν μὴ ὡς δοῦλος γαστρὸς δι' ἡδονὴν ἐσθίει, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐργάτης Θεοῦ, διὰ τὴν ἐν τοῖς κατ' ἐντολὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἔργοις εὐτονίαν. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΖʹ. Πῶς ποιεῖ ἡ δεξιὰ, ἵνα μὴ γινώσκῃ ἡ ἀρι στερά. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ὅταν ἀμετεωρίστῳ καὶ τεταμένῃ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν εὐαρεστήσεως ὁ νοῦς ἐξ ὁλοκλήρου ἀγω νιῶν μὴ ἐκπέσῃ τοῦ προσήκοντος, ἀγωνίζηται νο μίμως. Τότε οὐδενὸς, οὔτε μέλους ἑτέρου λαμβάνει ἔννοιαν, εἰ μὴ μόνον τοῦ χρησιμεύοντος εἰς τὸ προ κείμενον· ὡς ὁ τεχνίτης καθ' ἕκαστον ἔργον μόνῳ ἐμβλέπων τῷ χρησιμεύοντι αὐτῷ ὀργάνῳ. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΗʹ. Τίς ἐστι ταπεινοφροσύνη, καὶ πῶς αὐτὴν κατορ θώσομεν. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ταπεινοφροσύνη μέν ἐστι τὸ πάντας ἡγεῖσθαι ὑπερ έχοντας ἑαυτοῦ, κατὰ τὸν ὅρον τοῦ Ἀποστόλου. Κατορθοῖ δέ τις αὐτὴν πρῶτον μὲν, ἐὰν μνημο νεύσῃ τῆς ἐντολῆς τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος· Μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρ δίᾳ (ὅπερ πολλαχοῦ καὶ πολυτρόπως καὶ ἔδειξε, καὶ ἐδίδαξε)· καὶ πιστεύσῃ αὐτῷ ἐπαγγειλαμένῳ, ὅτι Ὁ