60

he behaves according to his will, so that he, approving, might give him some money. But if he sees that he gives him nothing, he shamelessly does not shrink from asking everywhere, bringing up the mention of his relative. And those who hear, being carnal and encompassed by the same evils, praise the unfortunate man more and say to him, "You have a great reward." From these things, the attachment, increasing, takes root, or rather, the passion for this thing hardens like a scar on the spiritual flesh of the neck like a rope, and it is strengthened and becomes indissoluble. Whence, little by little, it tears him away from pure prayer and unknowingly transforms his God-given tears into their opposite, and then leads him into hatred and envy of those who have more than him and do not give to him abundantly; and not only this, but it also renders him lazy and disobedient toward all obedience. Then he lies and considers the matter a stewardship, as if giving to God what is spent on the relative, and not only this, but he also begins to steal small things and is not even persuaded that it is theft, but with his mind deceived by the passion, whatever he might do in defense of his own and his relatives, his conscience does not condemn him. Therefore, when our enemy the devil has brought the humble monk down to all these things, then he winds the very end of the rope, so to speak, in the established and rooted sin of the passion of attachment, (157) as on some pillar fixed in the depths of Hades, and lets him go, having full assurance that he will no longer be pulled up from there.

Therefore, we have spoken these few things out of many concerning those who are struggling. For concerning those who approach this way and manner of life indifferently and contemptuously, what need is there even to say how great their attachment to their relatives is, since such men fall into every snare of the devil like senseless birds, having given themselves over to every passion, who also become the constant food of the evil one, who walks about and roars like a lion, seeking whom he may devour, and they choose rather to die than to be snatched from his teeth and his most terrible throat? But let us pray with all purpose and mind, we who hear the word with faith, never to be deceived nor enticed, nor through any single small or great transgression to fall away from the road that leads to the heavens, nor to be bound by any passion, but walking without turning back on it, let us hasten to reach Jesus who goes before us; and having taken hold of him, let us fall down before him and weep before his goodness and fervently ask that he never be separated from us at all, nor allow us to fall outside the road, which he himself is, who said: "I am the way and the resurrection and the life." Let us therefore seek him out, let us strive to reach him, so that we may also possess him, (158) and if this happens and we live with him and share his life, not only at the departure from this life but also now let us ascend with him to the heavens and be taken up with him, or rather, may he raise us up with him and glorify us with him and grant the enjoyment of the eternal good things, of which may we all be deemed worthy to attain by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

60

συμπεριφέρεται κατά τό θέλημα αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ἀποδεξάμενος δόσῃ χρῆμά τι. Ἐάν δέ μηδέν ἴδῃ διδόντα αὐτῷ, ἀναιδῶς οὐ παραιτεῖται ζητεῖν πανταχοῦ τήν μνείαν περιφέρων τοῦ συγγενοῦς. Οἰ δέ ἀκούοντες, σαρκικοί ὄντες καί τοῖς αὐτοῖς κακοῖς ἐμπεριεχόμενοι, ἐπαινοῦσι μᾶλλον τόν δυστυχῆ καί "Μισθόν ἔχεις μέγα"λέγουσι πρός αὐτόν. Ἐξ ὧν ἡ προσπάθεια αὐξομένη ῥιζοῖ, μᾶλλον δέ συνουλοῖ τῇ τραχήλου νοητῶς σαρκί τό ταύτης πάθος ὥσπερ σχοινίον καί ἰσχυροποιεῖται καί ἀδιάλυτον γίνεται. Ὅθεν ἐκ τοῦ κατ᾿ ὀλίγον ἀποσπᾷ αὐτόν τῆς καθαρᾶς προσευχῆς καί τά κατά Θεόν δάκρυα εἰς ἐναντία ἀγνώστως μεταποιεῖ καί τηνικαῦτα εἰς μῖσος καί φθόνον ἐνάγει τῶν ἐχόντων πλέον ὑπέρ αὐτόν καί μή διδόντων ἀφθόνως αὐτῷ· οὐ μόνον δέ ἀλλά καί πρός πᾶσαν ὑπακοήν ῥᾴθυμον αὐτόν καί παρήκοον ἀπεργάζεται. Εἶτα ψεύδεται καί οἰκονομίαν τό πρᾶγμα ἡγεῖται, ὡς τῷ Θεῷ δῆθεν διδούς τά εἰς τόν συγγενῆ ἐξοδιαζόμενα, καί οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλά καί κλέπτειν ἀπό μικρῶν ἄρχεται καί οὐδέ ὅτι κλέμμα ἐστί πείθεται, ἀλλ᾿ ἀποβουκοληθείς τάς φρένας ὑπό τοῦ πάθους, εἴ τι δ᾿ ἄν καί ποιῇ ὑπερασπιζόμενος τῶν ἰδίων καί συγγενῶν, οὐκ ἔχει καταγινώσκουσαν αὐτοῦ τήν συνείδησιν. Τοιγαροῦν καί ὅταν εἰς ταῦτα πάντα καταβιβάσῃ τόν ταπεινόν μοναχόν ὁ ἐχθρός ἡμῶν διάβολος, τότε καί αὐτό τό ἄκρον δῆθεν τοῦ σχοινίου ἐν τῇ ποιωθείσῃ καί ῥιζωθείσῃ ἁμαρτίᾳ τοῦ πάθους τῆς προσπαθείας, (157) ὡς ἐν στυλῳ τινί πεπηγμένῳ ἐν ᾅδου μυχοῖς ἐμπειριειλήσας, ἀφίησι, πληροφορίαν ἔχων ὡς οὐκέτι ἐκεῖθεν ἀνασπασθήσεται.

Ταῦτα οὖν ὡς ἐκ πολλῶν ὀλίγα περί τῶν ἀγωνιζομένων εἰρήκαμεν. Περί γάρ τῶν ἀδιαφόρως καί καταφρονητικῶς ταύτῃ τῇ ὁδῷ προσερχομένων καί πολιτείᾳ, τί δεῖ καί λέγειν ὅση τούτων ἡ πρός τούς συγγενεῖς ὑπάρχει προσπάθεια, ὅπου γε δίκην ἀναισθήτων ὀρνέων πρός πᾶσαν παγίδα τοῦ διαβόλου ἐμπίπτουσιν οἱ τοιοῦτοι, ἐκδότους ἑαυτούς πρός πᾶν πάθος ποιήσαντες, οἵ καί κατάβρωμα ἀεί τοῦ πονηροῦ γίνονται, τοῦ περιπατοῦντος καί ὠρυομένου ὡς λέοντος, τίνα καταπίῃ, καί προαιροῦνται μᾶλλον ἀποθανεῖν ἤ τῶν ἐκείνου ὀδόντων καί τοῦ δεινοτάτου φάρυγγος ἐκσπασθῆναι; Ἀλλ᾿ εὐξώμεθα ἡμεῖς ἐξ ὅλης προθέσεως καί διανοίας, οἱ μετά πίστεως τόν λόγον ἀκούοντες, μή ἀπατηθῆναί ποτε μηδέ δελεασθῆναι, μηδέ διά μιᾶς τινος μικρᾶς ἤ μεγάλης παραβάσεως ἐκπεσεῖν τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς φερούσης εἰς οὐρανούς, μηδέ πάθει τινί δεσμευθῆναι, ἀλλά βαδίσαντες ἀμεταστρεπτί ἐν αὐτῇ σπεύσωμεν πορευόμενον ἔμπροσθεν ἡμῶν φθάσαι τόν Ἰησοῦν· καί γεγονότες αὐτοῦ ἐγκρατεῖς προσπέσωμεν αὐτῷ καί κλαύσωμεν ἐνώπιον τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητος καί θερμῶς αἰτησώμεθα μή χωρισθῆναι αὐτόν ὅλως ποτέ ἀφ᾿ ἡμῶν, μηδέ ἐᾶσαι ἔξω πεσεῖν ἡμᾶς τῆς ὁδοῦ, ἥτις αὐτός ἐστιν ἐκεῖνος εἰρηκώς· "Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός καί ἡ ἀνάστασις καί ἡ ζωή". Τοῦτον οὖν ἐκζητήσωμεν, τοῦτον φθάσαι σπουδάσωμεν, ἵνα καί κατάσχωμεν αὐτόν, (158) καί ἐάν τοῦτο γένηται καί συμβιοτεύσωμεν αὐτῷ καί συμπολιτευσώμεθα, οὐ μόνον ἐν τῇ ἐξόδῳ τοῦ βίου ἀλλά καί νῦν εἰς οὐρανούς αὐτῷ συνανέλθωμεν καί συναναληφθῶμεν, μᾶλλον δέ αὐτός ἡμᾶς συνανενέγκῃ καί συνδοξάσῃ καί τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν δωρήσηται τήν ἀπόλαυσιν, ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν χάριτι καί φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καί τό κράτος νῦν καί ἀεί καί εἰς τούς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.