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your love, render with us thanksgiving to the benefactor, who guides this visible weakness of our body with his invisible power. But lest we weary you by detaining you for too long, after discoursing briefly on the psalm that was being sung for you since we arrived, and after nurturing your souls with the word of consolation according to the power we possess, we will release each of you to the care of the body. What then was being sung? *I have loved*, he says, *because the Lord will hear the voice of my supplication*. Not everyone can say, *I have loved*, but only one who is already being perfected and is surpassing the fear of servitude, and has come to be in the spirit of adoption. Now, to *I have loved* is not added the word 'someone'; but it is understood by us that it means, the God of all. For what is truly lovable is God; since they define the lovable to be that for which all things long. And God is good, and the first and most perfect of goods. Therefore I have loved God himself, who is the ultimate of things to be desired, and I have received with jo 29.485 y the sufferings for his sake. And what these are, a little later he goes through: the pangs of death, the dangers of Hades, affliction, pain, all of which appeared lovable to him on account of his love for God, and the hope laid up for those who accept sufferings for the sake of piety. For not against my will, nor by violence and constraint did I endure, he says, the contests, but with a certain affection and disposition I received the painful things; so that I am able to say: *For your sake we are killed all the day long*. And these things seem to be equivalent to those of the Apostle, and to be spoken by him from the same disposition: *Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? Or distress? Or persecution? Or famine? Or nakedness? Or peril? Or sword?* I have therefore loved all these things, knowing that under the spectator and prize-giver, the Master of all, I endure the dangers for the sake of piety. *Because the Lord will hear the voice of my supplication*. For thus also each of us is able to accomplish what is laborious in the commandments, when, as it were, he shows his own conduct to the God of all as a spectator. *Because he inclined his ear to me*. *He inclined*, he said, not that you might take up some corporeal notion of God as having ears, and inclining them to a gentle voice, which we do towards those who speak softly, bringing our hearing near, that from close by we might receive by sense what is spoken; but *He inclined*, he said, that he might show his own weakness. That he condescended to me lying on the ground out of loving-kindness; just as, when some sick person from great weakness is not even able to speak clearly, a philanthropic physician, bringing his hearing near, might learn from close by the necessities of the one who is ill. *Therefore he inclined his ear to me*. For the divine hearing does not need a voice for perception; for he knows, having recognized in the movement of the heart the things that are sought. Or do you not hear that Moses, while uttering nothing, but interceding with the Lord with his unutterable groanings, was heard by the Lord who said: *Why do you cry to me?* God knows how to hear even righteous blood, which has no tongue, nor a voice piercing the air. But the presence of righteous deeds is a loud voice before God. *And in my days I will call upon him*. We, indeed, after praying for one day, or for one hour having grieved a little for our sins, are without care, as if we have already done something commensurate with our wickedness. The holy one, however, says that the confession is shown to be coextensive with the whole time of his life; for in all my days, 29.488 he says, I will call upon him. Then, lest you should think that while prospering in this life, and with all his affairs proceeding smoothly, he called upon God, he relates the magnitude of the circumstances in which he found himself and did not forget the name of God. For *the pains of death*, he says, *encompassed me, the dangers of Hades found me*. The pains indeed properly upon those

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ὑμετέρας ἀγάπης, ἀπόδοτε μεθ' ἡμῶν τὴν εὐχαριστίαν τῷ εὐεργέτῃ, τῷ τὴν ὁρωμένην ταύ την τοῦ σώματος ἡμῶν ἀσθένειαν τῇ ἀοράτῳ αὐτοῦ δυνάμει χειραγωγοῦντι. Ὡς ἂν δὲ μὴ ἐπὶ πλεῖον παρα κατέχοντες ὑμᾶς ἀνιῶμεν, βραχέα ἐξ οὗ κατελάβομεν ᾀδομένου ὑμῖν ψαλμοῦ διαλεχθέντες, καὶ τῷ λόγῳ τῆς παρακλήσεως κατὰ τὴν προσοῦσαν ἡμῖν δύναμιν τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν θρέψαντες, ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἐπιμέ λειαν ἕκαστον διαφήσομεν. Τί τοίνυν ἦν τὸ ᾀδό μενον; Ἠγάπησα, φησὶν, ὅτι εἰσακούσεται Κύ ριος τῆς φωνῆς τῆς δεήσεώς μου. Οὐ παντός ἐστιν εἰπεῖν τὸ, Ἠγάπησα, ἀλλὰ τοῦ τελειουμένου ἤδη καὶ ὑπερβαίνοντος τὸν τῆς δουλείας φόβον, καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι γενομένου τῆς υἱοθεσίας. Οὐ πρόσκειται μὲν οὖν τῷ, Ἠγάπησα, τὸ, τινά· προσ υπακούεται δὲ παρ' ἡμῶν ὅτι, τὸν Θεὸν τῶν ὅλων. Τὸ γὰρ κυρίως ἀγαπητὸν, ὁ Θεός· ἐπειδήπερ ἀγαπη τὸν ὁρίζονται εἶναι, οὗ πάντα ἐφίεται. Ἀγαθὸν δὲ ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ πρῶτον καὶ τελειότατον τῶν ἀγαθῶν. Αὐτόν τε οὖν ἠγάπησα τὸν Θεὸν, τῶν ὀρεκτῶν ὄντα τὸ ἔσχατον, καὶ τὰ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ παθήματα μετὰ χα 29.485 ρᾶς ὑπεδεξάμην. Τίνα δέ ἐστι ταῦτα, μικρὸν ὕστε ρον διεξέρχεται, τὰς ὠδῖνας τοῦ θανάτου, τοὺς κιν δύνους τοῦ ᾅδου, τὴν θλίψιν, τὴν ὀδύνην, ἅπερ πάντα αὐτῷ ἀγαπητὰ διὰ τὴν πρὸς Θεὸν ἀγάπην, καὶ τὴν ἐλπίδα, τὴν ἀποκειμένην τοῖς τὰ ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας πάθη καταδεχομένοις, ἐφαίνετο. Οὐ γὰρ παρὰ προ αίρεσιν, οὐδὲ βιαίως καὶ κατηναγκασμένως ὑπέμεινα, φησὶ, τοὺς ἀγῶνας, ἀλλὰ στοργῇ τινι καὶ διαθέσει ὑπεδεξάμην τὰ ἐπίπονα· ὥστε ἔχειν με λέγειν· Ὅτι ἕνεκα σοῦ θανατούμεθα ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν. Καὶ ἔοικε ταῦτα ἰσοδυναμεῖν τοῖς τοῦ Ἀποστόλου, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς αὐτῷ διαθέσεως λέγεσθαι τὸ, Τίς ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ; θλίψις; ἢ στενοχωρία; ἢ διωγμός; ἢ λιμός; ἢ γυμνότης; ἢ κίνδυνος; ἢ μάχαιρα; Ἠγάπησα οὖν ταῦτα πάντα, εἰδὼς, ὅτι ὑπὸ θεατῇ καὶ ἀθλοθέτῃ τῷ ∆εσπότῃ τῶν ὅλων τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας διαφέρω κινδύνους. Ὅτι εἰσακούσεται Κύριος τῆς φωνῆς τῆς δεήσεώς μου. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ἕκαστος ἡμῶν δύναται τὸ ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς ἐπίπονον διανύειν, ὅταν οἱονεὶ θεατῇ τῷ Θεῷ τῶν ὅλων ἐπιδεικνύμενος ᾖ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πολιτείαν. Ὅτι ἔκλινε τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ ἐμοί. Ἔκλινεν, εἶπεν, οὐχ ἵνα σωματικήν τινα ἔννοιαν λάβῃς περὶ Θεοῦ ὦτα ἔχοντος, καὶ ταῦτα πρὸς τὸ ἠρεμαῖον τῆς φωνῆς ἐπικλίνοντος, ὅπερ ἡμεῖς ποιοῦμεν πρὸς τοὺς μικρὸν φθεγγομένους· προσεγγίζοντες ἡμῶν τὴν ἀκοὴν, ἵνα ἐκ τοῦ σύνεγγυς τῇ αἰσθήσει παραδεξώ μεθα τὸ λαλούμενον, ἀλλ' Ἔκλινεν, εἶπεν, ἵνα τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἀσθενὲς ἐπιδείξηται. Ὅτι χαμαὶ κειμένῳ μοι συγκατέβη διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν· οἱονεὶ, ἀῤῥώστου τι νὸς ἐκ πολλῆς ἀσθενείας οὐδὲ φθέγγεσθαι τρανῶς δυ ναμένου, φιλάνθρωπος ἰατρὸς προσαγαγὼν ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ἀκοὴν ἐκ τοῦ σύνεγγυς μανθάνοι τὰ ἀναγ καῖα τῷ κάμνοντι. Ἔκλινεν οὖν τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ ἐμοί. Ἡ γὰρ θεία ἀκοὴ οὐ φωνῆς δεῖται πρὸς αἴσθη σιν· οἶδε γὰρ καὶ ἐν τῷ κινήματι τῆς καρδίας γνω ρίσας τὰ ἐπιζητούμενα. Ἢ οὐκ ἀκούεις, ὅτι Μωϋσῆς μηδὲν φθεγγόμενος, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀλαλήτοις ἑαυτοῦ στε ναγμοῖς ἐντυγχάνων τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἠκούετο παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος· Τί βοᾷς πρὸς μέ; Οἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ αἵματος ἀκοῦσαι δικαίου, ᾧ γλῶσσα οὐ πρόσεστιν, οὐδὲ φωνὴ τὸν ἀέρα περῶσα. Ἔργων δὲ δικαίων παρουσία μεγαλοφωνία ἐστὶ παρὰ Θεῷ. Καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις μου ἐπικαλέσομαι. Ἡμεῖς μὲν, ἐν μιᾷ προσευξάμενοι ἡμέρᾳ, ἢ ἐν μιᾷ ὥρᾳ βραχύ τι ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν ἐπιστυγνάσαντες, ἀμεριμνῶ μεν ὡς ἤδη τι ποιήσαντες ἐφάμιλλον τῇ κακίᾳ ἡμῶν. Ὁ μέντοι ἅγιος παντὶ τῷ χρόνῳ τῆς ζωῆς ἑαυτοῦ παραμετρουμένην ἐπιδείκνυσθαι λέγει τὴν ἐξομολόγησιν· Ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις γάρ μου, 29.488 φησὶ, πάσαις ἐπικαλέσομαι. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ οἰηθῇς, ὅτι ἐνευημερῶν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ, καὶ πάντων αὐτῷ τῶν πραγμάτων κατὰ ῥοῦν προϊόντων, ἐπεκαλεῖτο τὸν Θεὸν, διηγεῖται τὸ μέγεθος τῶν περιστάσεων, ἐν αἷς ὢν οὐκ ἐπελάθετο τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Θεοῦ. Περι έσχον γάρ με, φησὶν, ὠδῖνες θανάτου, κίνδυνοι ᾅδου εὕροσάν με. Κυρίως μὲν αἱ ὠδῖνες ἐπὶ τῶν