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us with the rod of your judgments.” "Why have you hardened our hearts, so that we do not fear you?" Have you abandoned us to the self-will of our error? Return, O Lord, your servants for the sake of your holy Church, for the sake of all your saints from of old, that we may "inherit a little of your holy mountain. Our adversaries have trodden down your sanctuary; we have become as from the beginning when you did not rule over us, nor was your name called upon us.”

38 (38). "If you would rend the heavens, trembling will seize the mountains from you, and they will melt like wax before the fire; and fire will burn up the adversaries; and your name will be terrible to the adversaries. When you do glorious things, trembling will seize the mountains from you. From of old we have not heard, nor have our eyes seen a God, besides you. And your works, which you will do for those who wait for mercy; for he will meet those who do what is right, and they will remember your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned.” Rather, we sinned, and you were angry.

(14__424> "For this reason we have gone astray, and we have all become as one who is unclean; all our righteousness is as a filthy rag; and we have faded like leaves because of our iniquities, thus the wind will carry us away, and there is no one who calls upon your name, and who remembers to take hold of you. And you have turned your face from us, and have delivered us up because of our sins. And now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and all are the work of your hands. Be not exceedingly angry with us, and do not remember our sins at the appointed time. And now look upon us, for we are all your people; your holy city has become a desert, Zion; Jerusalem has become as a desert. For a curse, the house of our sanctuary, and the glory which our fathers blessed, has been burned with fire, and all our glorious things have fallen. And at all these things you have held back, O Lord, and you were silent, and you humbled us exceedingly.”

39 (39). These things indeed happened figuratively to your people of old, but now they have truly been fulfilled in us; "and we have become a reproach to our neighbors the demons, a scorn and a derision to those around us.” But look down from heaven, and see, and save us for your holy name’s sake; and make known to us the methods of our adversaries; and deliver us from their devices, and do not withdraw your help from us, for we are not able to overcome the things that oppose us; but you are able to save from all adversaries. Save us, O Lord, from the difficulties of this world (14__426>, according to your goodness, that having crossed the sea of life with a clean conscience, standing blameless and whole at your dread judgment seat, we may be deemed worthy of eternal life.”

40 (40). Having heard all these things, the Brother, being deeply moved to compunction, said to the Elder with tears: "From what I see, Father, no hope of salvation is left for me. For "my iniquities have gone over my head”; but I beg you to tell me what I ought to do.”

And the Elder answered and said: "To be saved is impossible with men; but with God, all things

are possible," as the Lord himself said. "Therefore let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, let us worship and fall down, and weep before the Lord who made us, for he is our God”; and let us hear him saying through the voice of Isaiah, that "when you turn and groan, then you will be saved.” And again: "Is the Lord's hand not strong enough to save? Or has his ear become heavy, that it cannot hear? But our sins separate us from God; and because of our sins he has turned his face away, so as not to have mercy.”

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ἡμᾶς τῇ ῥάβδῳ τῶν κριμάτων σου». "Τί ἐσκλήρυνας ἡμῶν τὰς καρδίας, τοῦ μὴ φοβεῖσθαί σε;" Ἐγκατέλειψας ἡμᾶς τῇ αὐτονομίᾳ τῆς πλάνης; Ἐπίστρεψον, Κύριε, τοὺς δούλους σου διὰ τὴν ἁγίαν σου Ἐκκλησίαν, διὰ πάντας τοὺς ἀπ᾽ αἰῶνος ἁγίους σου, ἵνα "μικρὸν κληρονομήσωμεν τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ ἁγίου σου. Οἱ ὑπεναντίοι ἡμῶν κατεπάτησαν τὸ ἁγίασμά σου· ἐγενόμεθα ὡς τὸ ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς ὅτε οὐκ ἦρξας ἡμῶν, οὐδὲ ἐπεκλήθη τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς».

38 (λη'). "Ἐὰν ἀνοίξῃς τὸν οὐρανόν, τρόμος λήψεται ἀπὸ σοῦ ὄρη, καὶ τακήσονται ὡς κηρὸς ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ πυρός· καὶ κατακαύσει πῦρ τοὺς ὑπεναντίους· καὶ φοβερὸν ἔσται τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις. Ὅταν ποιεῖς τὰ ἔνδοξα, τρόμος λήψεται ἀπὸ σοῦ ὄρη. Ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος οὐκ ἠκούσαμεν, οὐδὲ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν εἶδον Θεόν, πλὴν σοῦ. Καὶ τὰ ἔργα σου, ἃ ποιήσεις τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν ἔλεον· συναντήσεται γὰρ τοῖς ποιοῦσι τὸ δίκαιον, καὶ τῶν ὁδῶν σου μνησθήσονται. Ἰδοὺ σὺ ὠργίσθης, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἡμάρτομεν». Μᾶλλον δέ, ἡμεῖς ἡμάρτομεν, καὶ σὺ ὠργίσθης.

(14__424> "∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπλανήθημεν, καὶ ἐγενήθημεν ὡς ἀκάθαρτοι πάντες ἡμεῖς· ὡς ῥάκος ἀποκαθημένης πᾶσα ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἡμῶν· καὶ ἐρρύημεν ὡς φύλλα διὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν, οὕτως ἄνεμος οἴσει ἡμᾶς, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ ἐπικαλούμενος τὸ ὄνομά σου, καὶ ὁ μνησθεὶς ἀντιλαβέσθαι σου. Καὶ ἀπέστρεψας τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀφ᾽ ἡμῶν, καὶ παρέδωκας ἡμᾶς διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν. Καὶ νῦν, Κύριε, Πατὴρ ἡμῶν εἶ σύ· ἡμεῖς δὲ πηλός, ἔργον τῶν χειρῶν σου πάντες. Μὴ ὀργισθῇς ἡμᾶς σφόδρα, καὶ μὴ ἐν καιρῷ μνησθῇς ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν. Καὶ νῦν ἐπίβλεψον ὅτι λαός σου πάντες ἡμεῖς· πόλις τοῦ ἁγίου σου ἐγενήθη ἔρημος Σιών· ὡς ἔρημος ἐγενήθη Ἱερουσαλήμ. Εἰς κατάραν ὁ οἶκος τοῦ ἁγίου ἡμῶν, καὶ ἡ δόξα ἣν ηὐλόγησαν οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν, ἐγενήθη πυρίκαυστος, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔνδοξα συνέπεσε. Καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσι τούτοις ἠνέσχου, Κύριε, καὶ ἐσιώπησας, καὶ ἐταπείνωσας ἡμᾶς ἕως σφόδρα».

39 (λθ'). Συνέβη μὲν ταῦτα τυπικῶς τῷ παλαιῷ σου λαῷ, νῦν δὲ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀληθινῶς πεπλήρωται· "καὶ ἐγενήθημεν ὄνειδος τοῖς γείτοσιν ἡμῶν δαίμοσι, μυκτηρισμὸς καὶ χλευασμὸς τοῖς κύκλῳ ἡμῶν». Ἀλλ᾽ ἐπίβλεψον ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἴδε, καὶ σῶσον ἡμᾶς διὰ τὸ ὄνομά σου τὸ ἅγιον· καὶ γνώρισον ἡμῖν τὰς μεθοδείας τῶν ὑπεναντίων ἡμῶν· καὶ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῶν μηχανημάτων αὐτῶν, καὶ μὴ ἀποστήσῃς ἀφ᾽ ἡμῶν τὴν σὴν βοήθειαν, ὅτι ἡμεῖς οὐχ ἱκανοί ἐσμεν πρὸς τὸ νικᾷν τὰ ἀντιπίπτοντα· σὺ δὲ δυνατὸς εἶ εἰς τὸ σώζειν ἐκ πάντων τῶν ἐναντίων. Σῶσον ἡμᾶς, Κύριε, ἐκ τῶν δυσχερῶν τοῦ κόσμου (14__426> τούτου, κατὰ τὴν χρηστότητά σου, ἵνα ἐν καθαρᾷ συνειδήσει τὸ πέλαγος τοῦ βίου διαπεράσαντες, ἄμεμπτοι καὶ ἀκέραιοι τῷ φοβερῷ βήματί σου παραστάντες, ἀξιωθῶμεν τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς».

40 (μ'). Ταῦτα πάντα ἀκούσας ὁ Ἀδελφὸς καὶ σφόδρα κατανυγείς, μετὰ δακρύων εἶπε τῷ Γέροντι ὡς· "ἐξ ὧν θεωρῶ, Πάτερ, οὐχ ὑπολείπεταί μοι ἐλπὶς σωτηρίας. Αἱ γὰρ "ἀνομίαι μου ὑπερῇραν τὴν κεφαλήν μου»· ἀλλὰ παρακαλῶ εἰπεῖν μοι τί ὤφειλον ποιῆσαι».

Καὶ ὁ Γέρων ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπε· "Τὸ σωθῆναι, παρὰ μὲν ἀνθρώποις ἀδύνατον· παρὰ δὲ τῷ Θεῷ, πάντα

δυνατά", ὡς αὐτὸς ἔφη ὁ Κύριος. "Προφθάσομεν οὖν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐξομολογήσει, προσκυνήσωμεν καὶ προσπέσωμεν, καὶ κλαύσωμεν ἐναντίον Κυρίου τοῦ ποιήσαντος ἡμᾶς, ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν»· καὶ ἀκούωμεν αὐτοῦ λέγοντος διὰ τῆς Ἡσαΐου φωνῆς, ὅτι "ὅταν ἀποστραφῇς καὶ στενάξῃς, τότε σωθήσῃ». Καὶ πάλιν· "Μὴ οὐκ ἰσχύει ἡ χεὶρ Κυρίου τοῦ σῶσαι; ἢ ἐβάρυνε τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ τὸ μὴ εἰσακούσασθαι; Ἀλλὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἡμῶν διιστῶσιν ἀναμέσον ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν ἀπέστρεψε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, τοῦ μὴ ἐλεῆσαι».