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you will know yourself, (255) or rather you will learn from the sun of glory, if indeed you have ever gazed at the sun.

But if the presentation is of such a kind and so difficult and hard to understand for it to come about according to God, much more so the undertaking and administration of the matters themselves, and the endurance against temptations, and the most subtle discernment against the wars. For this reason, these few things, which we were deemed worthy to learn and to know, we thought it necessary to make clear to your love through this catechesis; but concerning the rest, so that we might not appear to be publicizing the things that happen in the monasteries, we have restrained our mind and our hand, but leaving aside all other things, let us direct our discourse to the shepherd.

Looking, then, look at your heart, spiritual father, or rather, always wash the eye of your mind and keep it pure and untroubled, through which you will be seeing your heart, and to discern well and manage fittingly the things of the sheep entrusted to you, or rather of the fathers and brothers. For the church, as you hear, is a body, and its head is the one who presides; just as the other members of the body each have one function, such as the foot for walking, the hand for holding and working, but the head is the constitution of the whole body, as it has in itself all the senses and the mind and reason itself; so also the brothers in the monastery, not all have all, but one is meant to perform one function and another another. Hence you will barely find one or two of the virtues at the same time in one subordinate, (256) and it is no wonder; for they are members in part, but the one who presides is required to have all the virtues in himself, and not only the spiritual ones but also the physical ones, or rather, along with the virtues, also the mystical and great charisms. For just as the head of a man has beauty and honor from its outward form and comeliness, but is useless and dishonored by all if it does not have its mind and senses sound and intact, so also is the one who presides; for not only must he be adorned and brightened by the virtues of the soul and body, but also be beautified more by the spiritual charisms, since virtue is one thing and a charism another. For virtues are achieved by our diligence and are gathered by our own labors, but spiritual charisms are gifts from God given to those who struggle.

What do I mean? Fasting and self-control are a virtue; for it withers pleasures and restrains the passions of the body. But these are the work of our will; but to pursue them without affliction and without toil and to arrive at purity and perfect dispassion, this is a gift of God and a most high charism. Again, to control anger and wrath is a matter of a wondrous struggle and intense labor, but to arrive at immovability from these and to acquire calmness of heart and perfect meekness, is the work of God alone and a transformation by His hand. And again, to disperse and distribute all one's possessions to the poor and to become a poor man seeking alms is a matter of our will, but to desire nothing, (257) but with joy and gladness to endure the furnace of poverty, is a certain mystical and divine energy. Thus every action, both good and virtuous, done according to the Lord's commandment, becomes a virtue; but just as the farmer toils only by plowing and digging and casting the seeds into the earth, but it is God's gift that they grow and give fruit, both late and early, so also you will find it truly happening in spiritual matters. For it is ours to do every

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σεαυτοῦ γνώσεις, (255) μᾶλλον δέ παρά τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δόξης μαθήσει, εἰ ἄρα καί τῷ ἡλίῳ ποτέ ἐνητένισας.

Εἰ δέ ἡ πρόβλησις τοιαύτη καί οὕτω δύσκολος καί εἰς τό γενέσθαι ταύτην κατά Θεόν δυσνόητος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν ἐγχείρησις καί διοίκησις, καί ἡ πρός τούς πειρασμούς ὑπομονή, καί ἡ πρός τούς πολέμους λεπτοτάτη διάκρισις. ∆ιά δή τοῦτο ὀλίγα ταῦτα, ἐξ ὧν μαθεῖν καί γνῶναι κατηξιώθημεν, δῆλα τῇ ἀγάπῃ ὑμῶν διά τῆς κατηχήσεως ταύτης ποιῆσαι ᾠήθημεν δεῖν· περί δέ τῶν λοιπῶν, ἵνα μή ἐκπομπεύοντες φανῶμεν τά ἐν τοῖς μοναστηρίοις γινόμενα, τόν νοῦν καί τήν χεῖρα ἐπέσχομεν, ἀλλά γάρ τά τῶν ἄλλων ἅπαντα καταλείψαντες ἐπί τόν ποιμένα τόν λόγον ἰθύνωμεν.

Βλέπων τοίνυν βλέπε τήν σήν καρδίαν, πάτερ πνευματικέ, μᾶλλον δέ τόν ὀφθαλμόν ἀεί τῆς σῆς διανοίας ἔκπλυνε καί καθαρόν εἶναι περιποιοῦ καί ἀθόλωτον, δι᾿ οὗ καί τήν καρδίαν ἔσῃ βλέπων τήν σήν, καί τά τῶν ἐγχειρισθέντων σοι προβάτων, μᾶλλον δέ πατέρων καί ἀδελφῶν, διαγινώσκειν καλῶς καί πρεπόντως οἰκονομεῖν. Σῶμα γάρ, ὡς ἀκούεις, ἡ ἐκκλησία ἐστί καί κεφαλή ταύτης ὑπάρχει ὁ προεστώς· καθάπερ τά μέν ἄλλα μέλη τοῦ σώματος ἕν καθ᾿ ἕν μίαν ἔχει ἐνέργειαν, οἷον ὁ ποῦς εἰς τό περιπατεῖν, ἡ χείρ εἰς τό κρατεῖν καί ἐργάζεσθαι, ἡ δέ κεφαλή τοῦ ὅλου σώματός ἐστιν ἡ σύστασις, ὡς καί πάσας ἔχουσα ἐν ἑαυτῇ τάς αἰσθήσεις καί τόν νοῦν καί τόν λόγον αὐτόν· οὕτω καί οἱ ἐν τῇ μονῇ ἀδελφοί οὐ πάντες πάσας, ἄλλος δέ ἄλλο τι ἐνεργεῖν καί διακονεῖν πέφυκεν. Ὅθεν καί μόλις μίαν ἤ δύο τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐν ταὐτῷ εὑρήσεις ἐν ὑπηκόῳ ἑνί (256)καί οὐδέν θαυμαστόν· μέλη γάρ ἐκ μέρους εἰσί , ὁ δέ γε προεστώς πάσας ἀπαιτεῖται τάς ἀρετάς ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, καί οὐ μόνον τάς ψυχικάς ἀλλά δή καί αὐτάς τάς σωματικάς, μᾶλλον δέ σύν ταῖς ἀρεταῖς καί αὐτά τά μυστικά καί μεγάλα χαρίσματα. Ὥσπερ γάρ ἡ τοῦ ἀνδρός κεφαλή ἔχει μέν ἀπό τῆς ἔξωθεν διαπλάσεως καί εὐπρεπείας τό περικαλλές καί τό τίμιον, ἀχρεῖος δέ ὑπάρχει καί ἄτιμος πᾶσιν, ἐάν μή καί τόν νοῦν καί τάς αἰσθήσεις σώας καί ἀκεραίας ἔχῃ, οὕτω δή καί ὁ προεστώς· οὐ μόνον γάρ ἀπό τῶν ψυχικῶν καί σωματικῶν ἀρετῶν ὀφείλει κατακοσμεῖσθαί τε καί φαιδρύνεσθαι, ἀλλά καί ἀπό τῶν πνευματικῶν χαρισμάτων πλειόνως ἐγκαλλωπίζεσθαι, ἐπειδή ἄλλο ἀρετή καί ἕτερον χάρισμα. Αἱ μέν γάρ ἀρεταί ἐξ ἡμετέρας κατορθοῦνται σπουδῆς καί ἐξ οἰκείων πόνων συνάγονται, τά δέ πνευματικά χαρίσματα δῶρά εἰσιν ἐκ Θεοῦ τοῖς ἀγωνιζομένοις διδόμενα.

Οἷόν τι λέγω; Ἡ νηστεία καί ἡ ἐγκράτεια ἀρετή ἐστι· μαραίνει γάρ τάς ἡδονάς καί τάς πυρώσεις συστέλλει τοῦ σώματος. Ταῦτα δέ τῆς ἡμετέρας εἰσί προαιρέσεως ἔργον· τό δέ ἀθλίπτως καί ἀπόνως ταύτας μετέρχεσθαι καί εἰς ἁγνείαν φθάσαι καί τελείαν ἀπάθειαν, τοῦτο δῶρον Θεοῦ καί χάρισμα ὑψηλότατον. Πάλιν, τό κρατεῖν ὀργῆς καί θυμοῦ ἀγῶνός ἐστι θαυμαστοῦ καί πόνου σφοδροῦ, τό δέ εἰς ἀκινησίαν τούτων ἐλθεῖν καί γαλήνην κτήσασθαι καρδίας καί τελείαν πραότητα, Θεοῦ μόνου ἐστίν ἐνέργεια καί τῆς ἐκείνου χειρός μεταποίησις. Καί πάλιν, τό διασκορπίσαι καί διαδοῦνται τά ὑπάρχοντα πάντα τοῖς πένησι καί γενέσθαι πτωχόν ζητοῦντα ἐλεημοσύνην τῆς ἡμετέρας ὑπάρχει θελήσεως, τό δέ μή ἐπιθυμεῖν τινος (257) ἀλλά μετά χαρᾶς καί εὐφροσύνης ὑποφέρειν τῆς πτωχείας τήν κάμινον, μυστική τις ὑπάρχει καί θεία ἐνέργεια. Οὕτω πᾶσα πρᾶξις καλή τε καί ἀγαθή κατά τήν τοῦ Κυρίου ἐντολήν γινομένη ἀρετή γίνεται· ἀλλά καθάπερ ὁ γεωργός κοπιᾷ μόνον ἀροτριῶν καί σκάπτων καί καταβάλλων εἰς γῆν τά σπέρματα, Θεοῦ δέ δῶρον τό καί φυῆναι ταῦτα καί δοῦναι καρπόν ὄψιμόν τε καί πρώϊμον, οὕτω καί ἐπί τῶν πνευματικῶν εὑρήσεις ἐν ἀληθείᾳ γινόμενον. Ἡμέτερον μέν γάρ ἐστι τό πᾶσαν