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Those who have just entered the stadium of repentance from an unwilling disposition and of their own free will and according to their ability exercise themselves in bodily training, both the beginners, I say, and those who have spent time in it, think that they are serving the Lord and hope to be justified by works. For not paying attention to the light of the divine Scriptures, but some of them always walking outside of it and being held in the darkness of their wicked thoughts, do not know that there is a great difference between those who are repenting and striving in the training of virtue and those who are actually serving the master Christ. For those who are repenting, feeling remorse for the evil they have done, ask to receive forgiveness for their faults, such as was the tax collector, the harlot, Peter himself, when, being frightened and having denied a third time, he wept bitterly, and if anyone like that prodigal who squandered his paternal inheritance with harlots and tax collectors; for these and such as these are not said to be serving the Lord, but being enemies and having offended, they are reconciled to him through repentance and confession. But those who pursue asceticism and are just now eagerly training for the exercise of virtue are zealous to conquer the passions after repentance, having obviously done it zealously and fervently for their past sins; (245) and not only that, but they also struggle to acquire virtues securely in place of the passions.

And the one who is just now repenting is grieved, weeps, fasts, keeps vigil, sleeps on the ground, serves, and endures all afflictions, always considering his own evils and holding himself as worthy of greater punishments, he endures all that comes upon him without disturbance, so that through such patience of his, his offenses might be forgiven him. But the good ascetic who is just now striving, not for the remission of sins, but for the war against the passions, practices and does all these things and other things more than these; and he accepts with joy every affliction that comes upon him, and when it does not come, he afflicts himself; and every deed done, which he will hear of from the saints of old or will see being done by his companions, he strives to do it himself also according to his ability, so that by the variety of ascetic virtues and deeds he might wipe out and completely banish from his own soul the many and various passions, through which the demons possess their strength against us, treasuring up in himself the virtues in their place with all the power of his soul. For if this is not so done by him and he does not thus maintain well the affairs of the struggles within himself, there will be no benefit to him from the mere alienation of the passions; for not the one who is not greedy, but the one who is merciful is praised, nor was the one who kept the given talent safe saved, but the one who doubled it, nor is the one who turns away from evil, but the one who does good, blessed, nor does the one who does not side with the king's enemies, but the one who both takes up arms and fights against them on his behalf, demonstrate love.

And the master Christ himself testifies to this, crying out explicitly thus: "He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters". And saying this, he shows (246) that he who does not in every way and with all zeal keep his commandments and always acquire the virtues through the work of the commandments and go forward through them, but only seems to abstain from evil things, while not holding on to good things for long, but as it were having ceased from gathering the virtues through neglect of the commandments, is not able to keep even what he seems to have; for through idleness he loses these things also; and this is what "he who does not gather scatters" signifies. For in perceptible things this is impossible; for he who does not gather there, but sits idle, is not also as one who scatters. But in spiritual things it is not so, but the divine Scripture holds the one not doing good as sinning, and

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Οἱ εἰς τό στάδιον ἄρτι τῆς μετανοίας ἐξ ἀκουσίου γνώμης καί αὐτοθελῶς εἰσερχόμενοι καί κατά τό ἐνόν εἰς τήν σωματικήν γυμνασίαν ἑαυτούς ἐγγυμνάζοντες, εἰσαγωγικοί τε, λέγω, καί οἱ ἐν ταύτῃ χρονίσαντες, οἴονται τῷ Κυρίῳ δουλεύειν καί ἐξ ἔργων δικαιοῦσθαι ἐλπίζουσι. Μή προσέχοντες γάρ τῷ φωτί τῶν θείων Γραφῶν, ἀλλ᾿ ἔξω τούτου ἀεί τῶν τοιούτων τινές πορευόμενοι καί ἐν σκότει τῶν πονηρῶν διανοιῶν αὐτῶν κατεχόμενοι, οὐ γινώσκουσιν ὅτι πολύ ὑπάρχει τό ἐν μέσῳ διάφορον τῶν τε μετανοούντων καί ἀγωνιζομένων εἰς τήν γυμνασίαν τῆς ἀρετῆς καί αὐτῶν τῶν τῷ δεσπότῃ δουλευόντων Χριστῷ. Οἱ μέν γάρ μετανοοῦντες, ὑπέρ ὧν κακῶς ἔπραξαν μεταμελόμενοι, συγχώρησιν τῶν ἐπταισμένων αἰτοῦνται λαβεῖν, οἷος ἦν ὁ τελώνης, ἡ πόρνη, ὁ Πέτρος αὐτός, ὅτε, πτοηθείς καί ἀρνησάμενος τρίτον, ἔκλαυσε πικρῶς, καί εἴ τις κατ᾿ ἐκεῖνον τόν ἄσωτον τόν μετά πορνῶν καί τελωνῶν καταδαπανήσαντα τόν κλῆρον τόν πατρικόν· οὗτοι γάρ καί οἱ τοιοῦτοι οὐχί δουλεύειν λέγονται τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἀλλά ἐχθροί καί προσκεκρουκότες ὑπάρχοντες, διά μετανοίας καί ἐξομολογήσεως καταλλάσονται αὐτῷ. Οἱ δέ τήν ἄσκησιν μετερχόμενοι καί ἄρτι πρός τήν γυμνασίαν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐκθύμως ἐγγυμναζόμενοι τά πάθη μετά τήν μετάνοιαν νικῆσαι σπουδάζουσι, σπουδαίως αὐτήν καί θερμῶς δηλονότι πεποιηκότες ὑπέρ τῶν προημαρτημένων αὐτοῖς· (245) οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλά καί τάς ἀρετάς ἀντί τῶν παθῶν κτήσασθαι ἀσφαλῶς ἀγωνίζονται.

Καί ὁ μέν ἄρτι μετανοῶν λυπεῖται, κλαίει, νηστεύει, ἀγρυπνεῖ, χαμευνεῖ, διακονεῖ καί πάσας ὑποφέρει τάς θλίψεις, ἀεί τά ἑαυτοῦ κακά λογιζόμενος καί ὡς μειζόνων κολάσεων ἄξιον ἑαυτόν ἔχων, ἀταράχως ὑπομένει πάντα τά ἐπερχόμενα, ἵνα διά τῆς τοιαύτης αὐτοῦ ὑπομονῆς ἀφεθῇ αὐτῷ τά ἐγκλήματα. Ὁ δέ ἀγωνιζόμενος ἄρτι καλός ἀσκητής οὐχί διά ἔκτισιν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀλλά διά τόν πρός τά πάθη πόλεμον, ταῦτα πάντα καί ἕτερα τούτων πλείονα ἐπιτηδεύεται καί ποιεῖ· καί πᾶσαν θλῖψιν ἐπερχομένην αὐτῷ μετά χαρᾶς ἀποδέχεται, μή ἐπερχομένης δέ, αὐτός ἑαυτόν θλίβει· καί πᾶσαν πρᾶξιν πραχθεῖσαν, ἥν ἀκούσει παρά τῶν πάλαι ἁγίων ἤ καί παρά τῶν συνόντων πραττομένην θεάσεται, σπουδάζει τό κατά δύναμιν καί αὐτός ποιῆσαι αὐτήν, ἵνα τῇ ποικιλίᾳ τῶν ἀσκητικῶν ἀρετῶν τε καί πράξεων τά πολλά καί ποικίλα πάθη, δι᾿ ὧν τήν ἰσχύν καθ᾿ ἡμῶν οἱ δαίμονες κέκτηνται, ἐξαλείψῃ καί τέλεον ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῆς ταῦτα ἐξαφανίσῃ, πάσῃ δυνάμει ψυχῆς τάς ἀρετάς ἀντ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐν ἑαυτῷ θησαυρίζων. Εἰ γάρ μή οὕτω γένηται παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ καί οὕτω τά τῶν ἀγώνων ἕξει καλῶς ἐν αὐτῷ, οὐδέν ἔσται ὄφελος αὐτῷ ἐκ μόνης τῆς τῶν παθῶν ἀλλοτριώσεως· οὐ γάρ ὁ μή πλεονεκτῶν, ἀλλ᾿ ὁ ἐλεῶν ἐπαινεῖται, οὐδέ ὁ τό δοθέν τάλαντον σῶον φυλάξας ἀλλ᾿ ὁ διπλασιάσας ἐσώθη, οὐδέ ὁ ἐκκλίνας ἀπό κακοῦ, ἀλλ᾿ ὁ ποιήσας τό ἀγαθόν μακαρίζεται, οὐδέ ὁ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τοῦ βασιλέως μή συντιθέμενος ἀλλ᾿ ὁ καί ὑπέρ αὐτοῦ κατ᾿ αὐτῶν ὁπλιζόμενός τε καί ἀντιμαχόμενος τήν ἀγάπην ἐνδείκνυται.

Καί μαρτυρεῖ τοῦτο αὐτός ὁ δεσπότης Χριστός οὕτω διαρρήδην βοῶν· "Ὁ μή ὤν μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ κατ᾿ ἐμοῦ ἐστι· καί ὁ μή συνάγων μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ σκορπίζει". Τοῦτο δέ λέγων, δείκνυσιν (246) ὅτι ὁ μή παντί τρόπῳ καί πάσῃ σπουδῇ τάς ἐντολάς αὐτοῦ τηρῶν καί ἀεί τάς ἀρετάς διά τῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν κτώμενος ἐργασίας καί εἰς τό πρόσω δι᾿ αὐτῶν ἀνερχόμενος, ἀλλά τῶν μέν πονηρῶν μόνων τῷ δοκεῖν ἀπεχόμενος, τῶν δέ γε ἀγαθῶν μή ἐπί πολύ ἀντεχόμενος, ἀλλ᾿ οἱονεί τοῦ συλλέγειν τάς ἀρετάς διά τῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν ἀμελείας παυσάμενος, οὐδέ ἅ δοκεῖ ἔχειν φυλάξαι δύναται· διά γάρ τῆς ἀργίας καί ταῦτα ἀπόλλυσι· καί δηλοῖ τοῦτο τό "ὁ μή συνάγων σκορπίζει". Ἐπί μέν γάρ τῶν αἰσθητῶν τοῦτο ἀδύνατον· ὁ γάρ μή συνάγων ἐκεῖ, ἀλλά ἀργός καθεζόμενος, οὐχί καί ὡς ὁ σκορπίζων ἐστίν. Ἐπί δέ τῶν πνευματικῶν οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλά τόν μή ποιοῦντα τό ἀγαθόν ὡς ἁμαρτάνοντα ἔχει ἡ θεία Γραφή καί