62

QUESTION 287. What are the worthy fruits of repentance? RESPONSE. The works of righteousness that are opposed to sin, which the one who repents ought to bear as fruit, doing what is said: being fruitful in every good work.

QUESTION 288. Should one who wishes to confess his sins confess to everyone, and to any chance person, or to whom? RESPONSE. The purpose of the love of God for sinners is manifest, according to what is written, that I do not desire the death of the sinner, but that he should turn and live. Since, therefore, the manner of conversion ought to be appropriate to the sin, and there is need for fruits worthy of repentance, according to what is written: Bear fruits worthy of repentance, lest the things of the impending threat happen in the lack of fruits: For every tree, it says, that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire; it is necessary to confess sins to those who have been entrusted with the stewardship of the mysteries of God. For thus also are those of old who repented found to have done so in the presence of the saints. For it is written in the Gospel, 31.1285 that they confessed their sins to John the Baptist; and in the Acts, to the apostles, by whom all were also baptized.

QUESTION 289. One who has repented for a sin, and has fallen into the same sin again, what shall he do? RESPONSE. For one who has once repented to commit the same sin again is a proof that he has not cleansed the first cause of that sin, from which, as from a certain root, the same things must necessarily grow again. For just as if someone should wish to cut off the branches of a plant, leaving the root, the remaining root nonetheless sprouts the same things again; so, since some sins do not have their beginning in themselves, but grow from others, it is altogether necessary for the one who wishes to be cleansed from them to remove the first causes of those sins; for instance, strife or envy does not begin from itself, but sprouts from the root of vainglory. For one who lays claim to the glory that comes from men, strives with the one who is well-esteemed, or envies the one who is more highly esteemed. If, therefore, someone having once caught himself in envy or strife, falls into the same things again, let him recognize that he is sick with the first cause of envy or strife, vainglory, in his depth. And he ought, on the contrary, through the exercises of humility (for occupation with more humble matters is an exercise of humility) to heal the passion of vainglory, so that thus, being in a disposition of humility, he may no longer fall into the aforementioned sprouts of vainglory; and similarly for each of such sins.

QUESTION 200. How does one abound in the work of the Lord always? RESPONSE. Either by multiplying the given gift in the benefit and progress of those who are benefited by him, or by showing the greater part of his diligence in the work of the Lord in comparison with human endeavors.

QUESTION 201. What is the bruised reed, or the smoldering flax? and how does one not break the one, and not quench the other? RESPONSE. I consider a bruised reed to be one who does a commandment of God while in some passion; whom one must not break or cut off, but rather heal, 31.1288 as the Lord taught, saying: Take heed that you do not do your alms before men, to be seen by them. And the Apostle commands, saying: Do all things without murmurings and disputes; and elsewhere: Do nothing through strife or vainglory. And a smoldering flax, when someone does the commandment not with a fiery desire and perfect diligence, but somewhat more sluggishly and listlessly, whom one must not stop, but rather stir up by the reminder of the judgments of God, and of his promises

62

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΠΖʹ. Τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ ἄξιοι καρποὶ τῆς μετανοίας; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τὰ ἀντικείμενα τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἔργα δικαιοσύνης, ἅπερ ὁ μετανοῶν καρποφορεῖν ὀφείλει, ποιῶν τὸ εἰ ρημένον· Ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ καρποφοροῦν τες.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΠΗʹ. Ὁ θέλων ἐξομολογήσασθαι τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἑαυτοῦ εἰ πᾶσιν ἐξομολογεῖσθαι ὀφείλει, καὶ τοῖς τυ χοῦσιν, ἢ τίσιν; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ὁ σκοπὸς τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων φανερὸς, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, ὅτι Οὐ θέλω τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ὡς τὸ ἐπι στρέψαι καὶ ζῇν αὐτόν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ τῆς ἐπι στροφῆς ὁ τρόπος οἰκεῖος ὀφείλει εἶναι τοῦ ἁμαρτή ματος, καὶ καρπῶν δὲ χρεία ἀξίων τῆς μετα νοίας, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· Ποιήσατε καρποὺς ἀξίους τῆς μετανοίας, ἵνα μὴ τὰ τῆς ἐπιφερομέ νης ἀπειλῆς συμβῇ ἐν τῇ ἐλλείψει τῶν καρπῶν· Πᾶν γὰρ δένδρον, φησὶ, μὴ ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλὸν ἐκ κόπτεται, καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλεται· ἀναγκαῖον τοῖς πεπιστευμένοις τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῶν μυστηρίων τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐξομολογεῖσθαι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ οἱ πάλαι μετανοοῦντες ἐπὶ τῶν ἁγίων εὑρίσκονται πεποιηκότες. Γέγραπται γὰρ ἐν μὲν τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ, 31.1285 ὅτι τῷ Βαπτιστῇ Ἰωάννῃ ἐξωμολογοῦντο τὰς ἁμαρ τίας αὐτῶν· ἐν δὲ ταῖς Πράξεσι, τοῖς ἀποστόλοις, ὑφ' ὧν καὶ ἐβαπτίζοντο ἅπαντες.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΠΘʹ. Ὁ μετανοήσας ἐπὶ ἁμαρτήματι, καὶ πάλιν εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ ἐμπεσὼν ἁμάρτημα, τί ποιήσει; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τὸ ἅπαξ τινα μετανοήσαντα τὴν αὐτὴν πάλιν ποιῆσαι ἁμαρτίαν ἔλεγχός ἐστι τοῦ τὸ πρῶτον αἴτιον τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐκείνης μὴ ἐκκαθᾶραι, ἀφ' οὗ, καθάπερ ἀπὸ ῥίζης τινὸς, πάλιν ἀνάγκη τὰ ἴσα φύεσθαι. Ὡς γὰρ εἴ τις φυτοῦ τοὺς κλάδους ἐκκόψαι θελήσειε, τὴν ῥίζαν ἐάσας, οὐδὲν ἧττον ἡ ῥίζα μένουσα τὰ αὐτὰ πάλιν βλαστάνει· οὕτως, ἐπειδή τινα τῶν ἁμαρ τημάτων οὐκ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἔχει τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἑτέ ρων φύεται, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα τὸν καθαρεῦσαι ἀπ' αὐ τῶν βουλόμενον τὰ πρῶτα αἴτια τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἐκείνων ἐξᾶραι· οἷον, ἔρις ἢ φθόνος οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἄρχεται, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ ῥίζης τῆς φιλοδοξίας βλα στάνει. Ἀντιποιούμενος γὰρ τῆς δόξης τῆς παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἐρίζει τῷ εὐδοκιμοῦντι, ἢ φθονεῖ τῷ παρευδοκιμοῦντι. Ἐὰν οὖν, ἅπαξ τις λαβόμενος ἑαυτοῦ ἐπὶ φθόνῳ, ἢ ἔριδι, πάλιν τοῖς αὐτοῖς περι πέσῃ, γνωριζέτω ἑαυτὸν τὸ πρῶτον αἴτιον τοῦ φθόνου ἢ τῆς ἔριδος, τὴν φιλοδοξίαν ἐν βάθει νοσοῦν τα. Καὶ χρή γε αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου διὰ τῶν τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης γυμνασμάτων (γυμνάσιον γὰρ τα πεινοφροσύνης ἡ ἐν τοῖς εὐτελεστέροις πράγμασι δια τριβὴ) τὸ πάθος τῆς φιλοδοξίας θεραπεῦσαι, ἵνα οὕτως, ἐν διαθέσει τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης γενόμενος, μηκέτι ἐκπέσῃ εἰς τὰ προειρημένα τῆς φιλοδοξίας βλαστήματα· καὶ ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν τοιούτων ἁμαρτη μάτων ὁμοίως.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ Σʹ. Πῶς περισσεύει τις ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ τοῦ Κυρίου πάντοτε; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἤτοι τὸ διδόμενον χάρισμα πολυπλασιάζων ἐν τῇ τῶν εὐεργετουμένων ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ὠφελείᾳ καὶ προ κοπῇ, ἢ ἐκ συγκρίσεως τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων σπουδα σμάτων τὸ πλέον τῆς σπουδῆς ἐπιδεικνύμενος ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ τοῦ Κυρίου.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΣΑʹ. Τίς ἐστιν ὁ συντετριμμένος κάλαμος, ἢ τὸ τυφόμενον λίνον; καὶ πῶς τις τὸ μὲν οὐ κατ εάξει, τὸ δὲ οὐ σβέννυσιν· ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Συντετριμμένον μὲν κάλαμον λογίζομαι εἶναι τὸν ἐν πάθει τινὶ ποιοῦντα ἐντολὴν Θεοῦ· ὃν κατεάσσειν καὶ ἀποκόπτειν οὐ χρὴ, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον θεραπεύειν, 31.1288 ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἐδίδαξεν, εἰπών· Προσέχετε τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην ὑμῶν μὴ ποιεῖν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀν θρώπων, πρὸς τὸ θεαθῆναι αὐτοῖς. Καὶ ὁ Ἀπό στολος παραγγέλλει, λέγων· Πάντα ποιεῖτε χω ρὶς γογγυσμῶν καὶ διαλογισμῶν· καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ· Μηδὲν κατ' ἐριθείαν ἢ κενοδοξίαν. Λίνον δὲ τυ φόμενον, ὅταν τις ποιῇ τὴν ἐντολὴν μὴ διαπύρῳ ἐπιθυ μίᾳ καὶ τελείᾳ σπουδῇ, νωθρότερον δέ πως καὶ χαυ νότερον, ὃν οὐ χρὴ παύειν, διεγείρειν δὲ μᾶλλον ὑπομνήσει τῶν κριμάτων τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τῶν ἐπαγ γελιῶν αὐτοῦ