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the stains from the passions. (99) Wash also the heart from all wickedness. For this is the root and source of sin; it is a seed sown by the wickedness of the evil sower. And where it is, it sprouts and grows high and puts forth many branches of wickedness and malice. Tear out its roots from the depths, O my Christ, and cleanse the fields of my soul and heart and implant your fear in them, O compassionate one, and make it worthy to take root and sprout well, so that it may grow high, being added to hour by hour by the keeping of your commandments. And to the addition of tears, adding gushing streams, being watered by these it grows even more and, as it is strengthened, it also rises to a height. Humility grows correspondingly with fear, and with humility all the passions retreat; and with them the phalanx of demons (100) is driven away, and all the virtues are seen following this in a circle as if a queen, like guards and friends and handmaidens of a mistress. When these are gathered together and united with one another, in the midst of them, like a tree planted by the channels of waters, your fear blossoms and little by little shows me a strange flower. O my Christ, a strange flower! I said strange, because every nature bears according to its kind

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τάς ἐκ τῶν παθῶν κηλῖδας. (99) Ἔκπλυνον καί τήν καρδίαν ἀπό πάσης πονηρίας. Αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ῥίζα καί πηγή τῆς ἁμαρτίας˙ πονηρίᾳ τοῦ σπορέως πονηροῦ σπορά ὑπάρχει. Ἔνθα δ᾿ ἔστι, καί βλαστάνει καί εἰς ὕψος ἀναβαίνει καί ἐκφύει πλείστους κλάδους πονηρίας καί κακίας. Τούτου ῥίζας ἐκ βαθέων ἐξανάσπασον, Χριστέ μου, καί καθάρισον ψυχῆς μου καί καρδίας τάς ἀρούρας καί ἐμφύτευσον τόν φόβον ἐν αὐταῖς, τόν σόν, οἰκτίρμον, καί ἀξίωσον ῥιζῶσαι καί καλῶς ἀναβλαστῆσαι, ὅπως αὐξηθῇ εἰς ὕψος φυλακῇ τῶν ἐντολῶν σου προστιθέμενος καθ᾿ ὥραν. Τῇ προσθήκῃ δέ δακρύων προστιθείς ῥοάς βλυζούσας, ποτιζομένος δ᾿ ἐκ τούτων ἐπί πλεῖον καί αὐξάνει καί, καθ᾿ ὅσον στερεοῦται, καί εἰς ὕψος ἀναβαίνει. Ἀναλόγως συναυξάνει ἡ ταπείνωσις τῷ φόβῳ, ταπεινώσει δέ τά πάθη ἅπαντα ὑποχωροῦσι˙ σύν αὐτοῖς δέ καί δαιμόνων (100) ἀπελήλαται ἡ φάλαγξ, ἀρεταί δέ πᾶσαι ὥσπερ βασιλίδι κύκλῳ ταύτης συνεπόμεναι ὁρῶνται, οἷα φύλακες καί φίλαι καί θεράπαιναι δεσποίνης. Τούτων συναθροισθεισῶν δέ καί ἑνωθεισῶν ἀλλήλαις, μέσον τούτων ὥσπερ δένδρον εἰς ὑδάτων διεξόδους φόβος σός πεφυτευμένος ἐξανθεῖ καί κατ᾿ ὀλίγον δείκνυσί μοι ξένον ἄνθος. Ὦ Χριστέ μου, ξένον ἄνθος! Ξένον εἶπον, ὅτι πᾶσα φύσις κατά γένος τίκτει