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may we all attain this through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Concerning repentance and the beginning of the monastic life. And how one, proceeding by a path and in order to virtue in the practice of the commandments, to perfection

comes.

Discourse 14. (216) Brothers and fathers, he who has disdained all visible things and even his own

soul, so that he might be able to show forth genuine repentance according to the Lord's commandment and might begin this work, does not think to learn this from himself, but approaching a skilled and experienced man, having submitted to him with much fear and trembling and with intense attention, he learns from him and is taught the spiritual practice of virtuous deeds, and what one must do in repenting; and I speak of fear and trembling lest he fail to obtain such a good, and be condemned to the eternal fire as an unapproved worker of the commandments. For, reckoning that man's words as coming forth from the mouth of God, and as being the cause of life and death when they are kept or disregarded, he keeps them exactly; and so—that I might not prolong the discourse by saying many things—having begun (217) and clinging with unwavering faith to the promises of God, he progresses daily according to God, and proceeding along the path, he increases in spiritual stature, and becomes a perfect man in Christ our God.

Of what promises, then, of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God? Listen with understanding to what He promises us: "Truly, I say to you, there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents," and again, "Whoever comes to me—that is, by such a path—I will never cast out," and again, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink," and, "Whoever believes in me will never see death," and elsewhere, "Draw near to me, and I will draw near to you," and, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest," and in another place, "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me; and whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I and the Father will come through the Spirit and make our home with him," and, "If you, then," He says, "though you are evil men, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?". In these promises and assurances of God, therefore, trusting with unwavering faith, as we said, with much eagerness and irrepressible impulse he tirelessly fulfills all His commandments. And the first commandment is this: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near," and again, (218) "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." And in addition to these things, God, wishing to teach us how one must ask and through what words and deeds, said, "Whoever wishes to be first among you must be last of all and servant of all and minister of all. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

He who unceasingly holds all these things and things like them in his mind and is occupied with them night and day, considering these things both intellectually and perceptibly and working at them with diligence, is separated little by little from the memory of the

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γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν χάριτι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τούς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.

Περί μετανοίας καί ἀρχῆς βίου μοναδικοῦ. Καί πῶς τις ὁδῷ καί τάξει προβαίνων εἰς ἀρετήν ἐν τῇ τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐργασίᾳ εἰς τελειότητα

ἔρχεται.

Λόγος Ι∆΄. (216) Ἀδελφοί καί πατέρες, ὁ πάντων καταφρονήσας τῶν ὁρωμένων καί αὐτῆς αὐτοῦ

τῆς ψυχῆς, ἵνα γνησίαν μετάνοιαν δυνηθῇ ἐπιδείξασθαι κατά τήν ἐντολήν τοῦ Κυρίου καί τοῦ ἔργου τούτου ἐνάρξηται, οὐκ ἀφ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ τοῦτο μαθεῖν οἴεται, ἀλλά τεχνίτῃ καί ἐμπείρῳ ἀνδρί προσελθών, μετά φόβου καί τρόμου πολλοῦ καί μετά προσοχῆς συντόνου τούτῳ ὑποταγείς, μανθάνει ἐξ αὐτοῦ καί διδάσκεται τήν πνευματικήν ἐργασίαν τῶν ἐναρέτων πράξεων, καί τίνα μετανοῶν χρή ποιεῖν· φόβου δέ λέγω καί τρόμου τοῦ μή ἀποτυχεῖν αὐτόν τοῦ τοιούτου καλοῦ, καί ὡς ἀδόκιμόν τινα ἐργάτην τῶν ἐντολῶν καταδικασθῆναι τῷ αἰωνίῳ πυρί. Ὡς γάρ ἐκ στόματος Θεοῦ τούς ἐκείνου λόγους ἐξερχομένους λογιζόμενος καί ὡς αἰτίου ὄντας ζωῆς καί θανάτου ἐν τῷ φυλάσσεσθαι ἤ παρορᾶσθαι αὐτούς, ἀκριβῶς φυλάσσει αὐτούς· καί οὕτως ἵνα μή πολλά λέγων μηκύνω τόν λόγον ἐναρξάμενος (217) πίστει τε ἀδιστάκτῳ τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκκρεμάμενος, προκόπτει κατά Θεόν ὁσημέραι, καί ὁδῷ προβαίνων αὐξάνει τήν πνευματικήν ἡλικίαν, καί γίνεται ἀνήρ τέλειος ἐν Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ.

Ποίων οὖν ἐπαγγελιῶν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ; Ἄκουε συνετῶς οἷα ἡμῖν ἐπαγγέλλεται· "Ἀμήν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι χαρά γίνεται ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἐπί ἑνί ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι", καί πάλιν· "Τόν ἐρχόμενον πρός με - διά τῆς τοιαύτης δηλονότι ὁδοῦ οὐ μή ἐκβάλω ἔξω", καί αὖθις· "Ὁ διψῶν ἐρχέσθω πρός με καί πινέτω", καί· "Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ οὐ μή ὄψεται θάνατον εἰς τόν αἰῶνα", καί ἀλλαχοῦ· "Ἐγγίσατέ μοι καί ἐγγιῶ ὑμῖν", καί· "∆εῦτε πρός με πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καί πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγώ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς", καί ἑτέρωθι· "Ὁ ἔχων τάς ἐντολάς μου καί τηρῶν αὐτάς, ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν ὁ ἀγαπῶν με· καί ὁ ἀγαπῶν με ἀγαπηθήσεται ὑπό τοῦ Πατρός μου, καί ἐγώ καί ὁ Πατήρ διά τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐλευσόμεθα καί μονήν παρ᾿ αὐτῷ ποιήσομεν", καί· "Εἰ ὑμεῖς, φησί, πονηροί ἄνθρωποι ὄντες, οἴδατε δόματα ἀγαθά διδόναι τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν, οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ Πατήρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος δώσει Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον τοῖς αἰτοῦσιν αὐτόν;". Ἐν ταύταις οὖν ταῖς ὑποσχέσεσι καί ταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις τοῦ Θεοῦ πίστει ἀδιστάκτῳ ἐλπίζων, ὡς ἔφαμεν, πολλῇ προθυμίᾳ καί ἀκατασχέτῳ ὁρμῇ πάσας τάς αὐτοῦ ἐντολάς ἀόκνως ἐπιτέλει. Πρώτη δέ ἐντολή αὕτη ἐστί· "Μετανοεῖτε, ἤγγικε γάρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν", καί αὖθις· (218) "Αἰτεῖτε καί δοθήσεται ὑμῖν, ζητεῖτε καί εὑρήσετε, κρούετε καί ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν· πᾶς γάρ ὁ αἰτῶν λαμβάνει καί ὁ ζητῶν εὑρίσκει καί τῷ κρούοντι ἀνοιγήσεται". ∆ιδάξει δέ ἡμᾶς ἐπί τούτοις βουλόμενος ὁ Θεός, ὅπως δεῖ αἰτεῖσθαι καί διά ποίων ῥημάτων καί ἔργων, ἔφη· "Ὁ θέλων ἐν ὑμῖν εἶναι πρῶτος, γενέσθω πάντων ἔσχατος καί πάντων δοῦλος καί πάντων διάκονος. Ὁ γάρ ὑψῶν ἑαυτόν ταπεινωθήσεται, ὁ δέ ταπεινῶν ἑαυτόν ὑψωθήσεται".

Ταῦτα πάντα καί τά τούτοις ὅμοια ὁ ἀδιαλείπτως ἐν διανοίᾳ κρατῶν καί ἐν αὐτοῖς νυκτός καί ἡμέρας ἐνασχολούμενος, νοερῶς τε καί αἰσθητῶς ταῦτα λογιζόμενος καί σπουδῇ ἐργαζόμενος, χωρίζεται τῆς μνήμης κατ᾿ ὀλίγον τοῦ