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that which is lacking, clearly, and to receive the grace of the Spirit from the heavenly king Christ, just as soldiers receive their rations from the earthly king; and then, as having already become perfect men, having ascended to the stature of Christ and its measure and having been enrolled among His soldiers and servants, we shall march out against the hostile enemies, since, as Paul the divine apostle says, no one ever "serves as a soldier at his own expense". What does he mean by expense? The royal ration. If, therefore, we too do not receive from God the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world, that is, the grace of the Spirit—for this is the spiritual ration, by which those who have enlisted with Christ are nourished and which they put on spiritually instead of armor, how, tell me, shall we go out into the battle-line of God or how shall we be enrolled among His servants?

But come, let us arise, all who wish to flee from the slavery of the passions and run to Christ the true master, that you may be called His servants; and let us strive to become such as the preceding discourse has set forth. Let us not then despise our salvation nor deceive ourselves and make excuses for sins by saying: it is impossible for such a one to ever exist in the present generation. Let us not then philosophize against our (263) salvation nor speak rhetorically against our own souls; for it is possible, if we wish, and so much so that good will alone is enough to lift us to such a height; for where, it says, there is a ready will, there is no hindrance. God wants to make us gods from men, but willingly and not unwillingly; and do we shrink back, shaking off the benefaction? And of how much simple-mindedness is this not, or of madness and extreme folly? For God wants this so much, that having come forth ineffably from the bosom of His blessed Father He descended and came for this reason upon the earth. If, therefore, we too are willing, nothing at all will be able to hinder us in this; only let us rush to Him through fervent repentance and He, drawing near to us and touching our hearts with His immaculate finger alone will light the lamps of our souls and will no longer allow them to be extinguished until the end of the age and for ages and beyond, for to Him belongs all glory, honor, and worship now and to the unending ages of ages; amen.

DISCOURSE 8. (264)

Concerning the love of God and faith and how one becomes pregnant with the love of God. And concerning the illumination and vision of light and the mystical converse of the Spirit.

If it seems good, then, let us hear our savior God crying out clearly and

saying to us: "I came not to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through me". And wishing to show the way of salvation, He says: "God sent His Son into the world, that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life". He, therefore, who believes these things from the heart and is fully convinced that Christ came not to judge him but to save him, and not by works or labors and sweat, but through faith in Him alone, how, tell me, will he not love Him with all his soul and with all his mind? And especially when he hears all that He suffered, wishing to save him and all people, such as His descent from heaven, His entry into the womb of the Virgin and Theotokos and

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λειπόμενον δηλονότι, καί τήν τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν ἀπό τοῦ ἐπουρανίου βασιλέως Χριστοῦ, ὡς οἱ ἀπό τοῦ ἐπιγείου στρατιῶται τό σιτηρέσιον, λαβεῖν· καί τηνικαῦτα, ὡς ἤδη τέλειοι γεγονότες ἄνδρες, εἰς τήν ἡλικίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ καί τό μέτρον ἀναδραμόντες αὐτῆς καί τοῖς στρατώταις καί δούλοις καταλεγέντες αὐτοῦ, ἐκστρατεύσομεν κατά τῶν πολεμίων ἐχθρῶν, ἐπειδή, ὥς φησι Παῦλος ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος, οὐδείς "στρατεύεται ἰδίοις ὀψωνίοις ποτέ". Τί λέγων ὀψώνιον; Τό βασιλικόν σιτηρέσιον. Εἰ τοίνυν καί ἡμεῖς μή λάβοιμεν ἀπό Θεοῦ τόν ἄρτον τόν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβαίνοντα καί διδοῦντα τῷ κόσμῳ ζωήν, ἤγουν τήν χάριν τοῦ Πνεύματος - τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τό πνευματικόν σιτηρέσιον, ᾧ τρέφονται οἱ Χριστῷ στρατευθέντες καί ὅ ἀντί ὅπλων πνευματικῶς ἐπενδύονται , πῶς εἰς παράταξιν, εἰπέ μοι, ἐξέλθωμεν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἤ πῶς καταταγῶμεν ἐν τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ;

Ἀλλά δεῦτε καί διαναστῶμεν, ὅσοι ἀπό δουλείας τῆς τῶν παθῶν βούλεσθε φυγεῖν καί Χριστῷ τῷ ἀληθινῷ προσδραμεῖν δεσπότῃ, ἵνα καί δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ χρηματίσητε· καί τοιοῦτοι σπουδάσωμεν καί ἡμεῖς γενέσθαι, οἵους ὁ λόγος προλαβών ἀνετάξατο. Μή οὖν καταφρονήσωμεν τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν μηδέ ἀπατῶμεν ἡμᾶς ἑαυτούς καί προφασιζώμεθα προφάσεις ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ἐν τῷ λέγειν· ἀδύνατον τοῦτό ἐστι κατά τήν παροῦσαν γενέαν τοιοῦτον γενέσθαι ποτέ. Μή δή φιλοσοφῶμεν κατά τῆς σωτηρίας (263) ἡμῶν μηδέ κατά τῶν ἰδίων ψυχῶν ῥητορεύωμεν· δυνατόν γάρ ἐστιν, ἐάν θέλωμεν, καί τοσοῦτον ὡς ἀρκεῖν προαίρεσιν μόνην εἰς τοσοῦτον ὕψος ἀνενέγκαι ἡμᾶς· ὅπου γάρ, φησίν, ἑτοίμη προαίρεσις, τό κωλῦον οὐδέν. Ὁ Θεός βούλεται θεούς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ποιῆσαι ἡμᾶς, ἑκόντας δέ καί οὐκ ἄκοντας· καί ἡμεῖς ἀναδυόμεθα, τήν εὐεργεσίαν ἀποσειόμενοι; Καί πόσης τοῦτο εὐηθείας οὐκ ἔστιν ἤ παραπληξίας καί ἀφροσύνης ἐσχάτης; Τοσοῦτον γάρ βούλεται τοῦτο ὁ Θεός, ὅτι ἐκ τῶν κόλπων τοῦ εὐλογημένου Πατρός αὐτοῦ ἀνεκφοιτήτως ἐξελθών κατῆλθεν καί ἦλθεν διά τοῦτο ἐπί τῆς γῆς. Εἰ τοίνυν θελήσομεν καί ἡμεῖς, οὐδέν οὐδαμῶς εἰς τοῦτο ἡμᾶς ἐμποδίσαι δυνήσεται· μόνον ὁρμήσωμεν διά μετανοίας θερμῆς πρός αὐτόν καί αὐτός ἐγγίσας ἡμῖν καί ἐφαψάμενος τῶν καρδιῶν ἡμῶν μόνῳ τῷ ἀχράντῳ δακτύλῳ αὐτοῦ ἀνάψει τάς λαμπάδας τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν καί οὐκέτι ἐάσει σβεσθῆναι αὐτάς ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος καί ἐπ᾿ αἰώνων καί ἔτι, ὅτι αὐτῷ πρέπει πᾶσα δόξα, τιμή καί προσκύνησις νῦν καί εἰς τούς ἀτελευτήτους αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ Η΄. (264)

Περί ἀγάπης Θεοῦ καί πίστεως καί ὅπως τις ἐγκύμων γίνεται τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγάπης. Καί περί ἐλλάμψεως καί θεωρίας φωτός καί μυστικῆς ὁμιλίας τοῦ Πνεύματος.

Εἰ δοκεῖ, τοίνυν ἀκούσωμεν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Θεοῦ διαρρήδην βοῶντος καί

λέγοντος πρός ἡμᾶς· "Οὐκ ἦλθον ἵνα κρίνω τόν κόσμον, ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος δι᾿ ἐμοῦ". Καί δεῖξαι βουλόμενος τόν τρόπον τῆς σωτηρίας, φησίν· "Ἔπεμψεν ὁ Θεός τόν Υἱόν αὐτοῦ εἰς τόν κόσμον, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτόν μή ἀπόληται, ἀλλ᾿ ἔχῃ ζωήν αἰώνιον". Ταῦτα τοιγαροῦν ὁ πιστεύων ἀπό καρδίας καί πληροφορούμενος ὅτι οὐκ ἦλθεν ὁ Χριστός κρῖναι αὐτόν ἀλλά σῶσαι, καί οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων ἤ κόπων καί ἱδρώτων, ἀλλά διά μόνης τῆς εἰς αὐτόν πίστεως, πῶς, εἰπέ μοι, ἄρα μή ἀγαπήσῃ αὐτόν ἐξ ὅλης αὐτοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς καί ἐξ ὅλης αὐτοῦ τῆς διανοίας; Καί μάλιστα ὅταν ἀκούσῃ ὅσα ἐκεῖνος ἔπαθε, σῶσαι αὐτόν καί πάντας βουλόμενος, οἷον τήν ἐξ οὐρανῶν αὐτοῦ κάθοδον, τήν ἐν γαστρί τῆς Παρθένου καί Θεοτόκου εἴσοδόν τε καί