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we may take the sharpened sword of the Spirit in our hands, then we say we are enlisted and ready ourselves for battle.

But for now, we who have put on the monastic habit and have entered into the stadium of repentance and asceticism, let us consider, if you please, what we are doing. Do we weep? Why? Surely so that we may receive the forgiveness of our sins, (250) and not only this, but that we may also be cleansed of the defilements from them. Do we fast? Surely so that we may restrain the movements of the flesh and make the heart softer. Do we keep vigil and chant psalms? So that we may not entertain wicked thoughts and be turned aside to distractions. Do we pray with the body? So that we may not be captured in mind by the enemy and so that we may think good things and attain to praying always and unceasingly with the mind, spiritually. Do we mourn? Surely so that we may enjoy the joy of mourning. We wear cheap and ragged clothes, we sleep on the ground, and many of us bind our bodies with iron chains? Why? Surely so that we may choke and weigh down this vigorous body and not allow it, like some untamed colt, without a bridle to choke it, and driven it over a cliff, to cast itself and its rider, the mind, down into a pit of destruction and eternal fire. And in doing these things, what favor do we grant to those who see them? Surely none. And if not to those who see, much less to the one who has granted both wisdom and power for us to save ourselves.

But insults and afflictions that come upon us do we endure with thanksgiving and without malice? And in this again we benefit ourselves and not another. And hear the Lord saying this: "If you do not forgive men their trespasses from your hearts, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your trespasses." Behold then, whether we suffer insults, or slaps, or blows, or mockery, or spitting, or whatever else, if we endure thankfully and have compassion from the soul for those who inflict these things on us, we do ourselves a favor, receiving forgiveness for our sins against God; but if we bear a grudge and try to repay (251) them in various ways, we harm ourselves, causing our sins to be kept unforgiven. We sit in a cell, we flee to the mountains, we dwell in caves and are raised up on pillars? Why? Surely hurrying to escape the one who walks about like a lion and roars terribly against us and seeks whom he may devour. If then God should grant—for without His help we will not be able to escape his teeth and his various bonds, wherever we may go—and we may be saved, not becoming food for this terrible beast, how can we say that we serve the Lord through such actions? This does not seem reasonable to me, and I think, not to you either.

For how could one who is pursued by someone, fleeing with all his might, say he serves the one who received him into his house and stood before the doors and rescued him from his pursuing enemy, on this account? In no way, but rather as one who has been benefited by him and delivered from his enemy, he ought to give thanks to him continually. And how, tell me, will the begging poor, who are unwilling to work either because of bodily weakness or because of idleness and sloth, be considered to serve those who give them alms and minister to them, and will not the poor rather appear to be served and waited upon freely by the merciful? So therefore all of us too, being poor and needy because of past iniquities, could never say that we, being in such a state, serve the God who has mercy on us, because, as has been said, some from past sins, others from evil habit, others from sloth and idleness concerning the commandments of God, others from a wicked intention, others from prejudice

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μάχαιραν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἠκονημένην λάβωμεν ἐν χερσί, τότε καί στρατευθῆναι λέγομεν καί πρός παράταξιν ἡμᾶς ἑαυτούς εὐτρεπίζομεν.

Τέως δέ, οἱ περιβαλόμενοι τό μοναχικόν ἔνδυμα καί εἰσελθόντες εἰς τό στάδιον τῆς μετανοίας καί τῆς ἀσκήσεως, σκοπήσωμεν, εἰ δοκεῖ, τί ἐργαζόμεθα. Κλαίομεν; ∆ιά τί; Πάντως ἵνα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἡμῶν τήν ἄφεσιν λάβωμεν, (250) οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλ᾿ ἐκκαθαρθῶμεν καί τῶν ἐξ αὐτῶν μολυσμῶν. Νηστεύομεν; Πάντως ἵνα τάς τῆς σαρκός κινήσεις συστείλωμεν καί τήν καρδίαν μαλακωτέραν ποιήσωμεν. Ἀγρυπνοῦμεν καί ψάλλομεν; Ἵνα μή πονηρά διαλογιζώμεθα καί πρός μετεωρισμούς ἐκτρεπώμεθα. Εὐχόμεθα σωματικῶς; Ὡς ἄν μή ὑπό τοῦ ἐχθροῦ αἰχμαλωτιζώμεθα νοερῶς καί ὥστε εἰς τό τά χρηστά ἐννοεῖν καί κατά διάνοιαν πνευματικῶς ἀεί καί ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθαι φθάσωμεν. Πενθοῦμεν; Πάντως ἵνα τῆς χαρᾶς τοῦ πένθους ἐπαπολαύωμεν. Εὐτελῆ φοροῦμεν καί τρύχινα, χαμαικοιτοῦμέν τε καί σιδήροις τό σῶμα σφίγγομεν οἱ πολλοί; ∆ιά τί; Ἵνα πάντως τό σφριγῶν τοῦτο σῶμα κατάγξωμεν καί φορτίσωμεν καί μή ἐάσωμεν αὐτό, ὥσπερ τινά πῶλον ἀδάμαστον, χαλινοῦ δίχα τοῦ αὐτόν ἄγχοντος, καί συνελάσαν εἰς κρημνόν, ἑαυτό καί τόν ἐπιβάτην νοῦν κατακρημνίσῃ εἰς βόθρον ἀπωλείας καί πυρός αἰωνίου. Ταῦτα δέ ποιοῦντες, τί ἄρα τοῖς ὁρῶσιν αὐτοῖς χαριζόμεθα; Πάντως οὐδέν. Εἰ δέ μή τοῖς ὁρῶσι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τῷ καί σοφίαν καί δύναμιν χαρισαμένῳ εἰς τό ἑαυτούς ἡμᾶς διασώσασθαι.

Ἀλλά λοιδορίας καί θλίψεις ἐπερχομένας μετ᾿ εὐχαριστίας ἀμνησικάκως ὑποφέρομεν; Καί ἐν τούτῳ πάλιν ἡμᾶς αὐτούς καί οὐχ ἕτερον εὐεργετοῦμεν. Καί ἄκουσον τοῦτο λέγοντος τοῦ Κυρίου· "Ἐάν μή ἀφῆτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τά παραπτώματα αὐτῶν ἀπό τῶν καρδιῶν ὑμῶν, οὐδέ ὁ πατήρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος ἀφήσει ὑμῖν τά παραπτώματα ὑμῶν". Ἰδού οὖν, κἄν λοιδορίας, κἄν ῥαπίσματα, κἄν κολαφίσματα, κἄν ἐμπαιγμούς, κἄν ἐκπτύσματα, κἄν ὁτιοῦν πανθάνωμεν, εἰ μέν εὐχαρίστως ὑποφέρομεν καί τούς ταῦτα ἡμῖν ἐπιφέροντας ἀπό ψυχῆς συμπαθοῦμεν, ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς χαριζόμεθα, τῶν εἰς Θεόν ἁμαρτηθέντων ἡμῖν λαμβάνοντες ἄφεσιν· εἰ δέ μνησικακοῦμεν καί ἀνταποδιδόναι (251) αὐτοῖς πολυτρόπως πειρώμεθα, ἑαυτούς ἡμᾶς βλάπτομεν, ἀσυγχώρητα ἡμῶν διατηρεῖσθαι ποιοῦντες τά ἁμαρτήματα. Καθεζόμεθα ἐν κελλίῳ, φεύγομεν εἰς τά ὄρη, ἐν σπηλαίοις κατοικοῦμεν καί ἐν στύλοις ὑψούμεθα; ∆ιά τί; Σπεύδοντες πάντως διεκφυγεῖν τόν ὡς λέοντα περιπατοῦντα καί φρικτά ὠρυόμενον καθ᾿ ἡμῶν καί ζητοῦντα τίνα καταπίῃ. Εἰ οὖν δῴη ὁ Θεός ἄνευ γάρ τῆς ἐκείνου βοηθείας ἐκφεύξασθαι οὐ δυνησόμεθα τούς ἐκείνου ὀδόντας καί τά ποικίλα δεσμά, ὅπου ἄν καί ἀπέλθωμεν - καί διασωθῶμεν, μή βρῶμα τῷ δεινῷ τούτῳ θηρίῳ γενόμενοι, πῶς δουλεύειν τῷ Κυρίῳ διά τῶν τοιούτων πράξεων εἴπομεν; Ἐμοί οὐ δοκεῖ τοῦτο εὔλογον, οἶμαι δέ, οὐδέ ὑμῖν.

Πῶς γάρ ὁ καταδιωκόμενος μέν ὑπό τινος, φεύγων δέ αὐτός ἰσχυρῶς, τόν εἰσδεξάμενον αὐτόν ἐν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ οἰκίᾳ καί στάντα πρό τῶν θυρῶν καί τοῦ διώκοντος αὐτόν ἐχθροῦ λυτρωσάμενον δουλεύσαι τούτου γε ἕνεκα εἴποι ἄν; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ μᾶλλον εὐεργετηθείς καί ῥυσθείς τοῦ ἐχθροῦ αὐτοῦ, ὀφείλει τήν εὐχαριστίαν αὐτῷ ἀποδιδόναι διηνεκῶς. Πῶς δέ, εἴπατέ μοι, οἱ προσαιτοῦντες πένητες, ἤ διά ἀσθένειαν σώματος ἤ διά ἀργίαν καί ὀκνηρίαν ἐργάζεσθαι μή βουλόμενοι, δουλεύειν τοῖς ἐλεημοσύνην διδοῦσι καί διακονοῦσιν αὐτοῖς λογισθήσονται, καί οὐχί μᾶλλον παρά τῶν ἐλεημόνων οἱ πτωχοί δωρεάν φανῶσι διακονεῖσθαι καί ἐκδουλεύεσθαι; Οὕτω τοιγαροῦν καί ἡμεῖς ἅπαντες, φτωχοί καί ἐπιδεεῖς ὑπάρχοντες ἐκ προγεγονότων ἀνομιῶν, τῷ ἡμᾶς ἐλεοῦντι Θεῷ οὕτω διακειμένους ἡμᾶς δουλεύειν οὐδέποτε ἄν εἴποιμεν, ἐπειδή, ὡς εἴρηται, οἱ μέν ἐκ προγεγονότων ἁμαρτημάτων, οἱ δέ ἐκ συνηθείας κακῆς, οἱ δέ ἐξ ὀκνηρίας καί ἀργίας τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, οἱ δέ ἐκ προαιρέσεως πονηρᾶς, οἱ δέ ἐκ προλήψεως