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those who are sick," he gives foolishness to the one who administers and provides. "He did not give," therefore, "foolishness to God." .... "blessed is the Lord." Since, therefore, there are also different seasons, and it is fitting to give thanks in everything, he rightly says: "I will bless the Lord at all times." There is no time when I do not bless the Lord. Even if the things brought upon me are unpleasant, I receive them as good. And another saying said: "Receive everything brought upon you by the Lord as good." Would you not say, seeing someone who is sick and being treated by an excellent physician, that he gives thanks to the physician, desiring salvation? For when ..... him and cuts with a knife so that he may be saved, he accepts it, not only when he gives him pleasant remedies. But he does not look to the pleasant nor to the unpleasant of the things offered, but to what is beneficial and advantageous. Therefore, every season is for blessing God. And we take "season" in two ways: both as the proper time and as the condition of the one being helped. So we say in the case of the healthy that the season for lunch is midday and for dinner is the evening, but in the case of one who is ill, we do not take the season thus, looking to time, but to how his body is. In both ways "at all times" the saint blesses God; for he knows that he is under providence and that the one providing knows better than he what is advantageous for him. "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything giving thanks." If the saint rejoices always, he never sinks down or is dejected in the presence of grim things; for he rejoices even in these, he rejoices as in contests. He sees the victory succeeding the contests and, expecting the crowns and the prizes, he rejoices, even if the surrounding circumstances are unpleasant. 189 "I will bless" therefore. And lest anyone think the blessing comes by utterance, as if someone speaks by promise: "his praise shall continually be in my mouth." In hymning him I bless him. "his praise shall continually be in my mouth." But we do not say this, lest something impossible follow, that he has the praise continually in his utterance. But this is impossible; for while sleeping he does not do this, while eating sometimes he does not; but one must praise thus: all that I do, whether I eat or drink or sleep, I undergo these things giving thanks to God. Thus, at least, must be understood also: "Rejoice always." If you take grace in actuality, the one sleeping does not have this. He has it in potentiality. "Pray without ceasing." If you take it as demonstratively praying, it cannot be performed without ceasing. Indeed, if someone was recorded historically, he is said to pray "three times a day," at noon or about the ninth hour, let us grant also in the evening. Therefore, to pray without ceasing is such a thing: prayer is nothing other than a request for good things from God. When someone, therefore, through all that he does, asks God for good things, he is praying. And even if he does not perform the specific act, having a desire to obtain beneficial things, he is praying. The desire itself is prayer; for he has the desire. Whatever he may do, even if he is hindered from performing the specific act of prayer, yet he has the asking of God. Thus, at least, it is also said in the Wisdom of Sirach: "The discourse of a devout man is always wisdom." How can he discourse on wisdom always? If we take it thus—and these things are often taken thus also in common usage—, as often in general we seek someone and desire to learn where it is possible to meet him; they say: "he always sits in this clinic and is there continuously," not taking this as the whole day, but that when he sits, thus, he sits there rather than elsewhere. Therefore, he did not say simply "praise continually," but "his"; for he who seems to praise not with right thoughts, not with truly theological ones, does not praise for himself, does not praise him. 3 In the Lord my soul shall be praised. My soul is not praised for any other thing primarily than for partaking of God; for as another desires to be praised for a skill or for knowledge or for rank or honor, so the saint in the Lord

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νοσοῦντας̣", ἀφροσύνην δίδωσιν τῷ δι οικοῦντι καὶ προνοουμένῳ. "οὐκ ἔδωκεν" οὖν "ἀφροσύνην τῷ θεῷ". ···· "εὐλογητ̣ὸς κύριος". ἐπεὶ τοίνυν καὶ καιροὶ διάφοροί εἰσιν, ἐν παντὶ δὲ εὐχαριστεῖν προσήκει, εἰκότως λέγει ὅτι· "εὐλογήσω τὸν κύριον ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ". οὐκ ἔστιν ὅτε οὐκ εὐλογῶ τὸν κύριον. κἂν ἀηδῆ ᾖν τὰ ἐπιφερόμενα, ὡς ἀγαθὸν προσδέχομαι. ἔλεγεν δὲ ἄλλος λόγος ὅτι· "πᾶν τὸ ἐπαγόμενόν σοι παρὰ κυρίου ὡς ἀγαθὸν προςδέχου". οὐκ ἂν εἴποις ὁρῶν νοσοῦντα καὶ περιοδευόμενον ὑπὸ ἀρίστου ἰατροῦ ὅτι εὐχαριστεῖ τῷ ἰατρῷ ποθῶν σωτηρίαν; ὅταν γὰρ α̣····· ···· αὐτὸν καὶ διαιρῇ ξίφει ἵνα σωθῇ, μὴ μόνον ὅτε προσηνῆ βοηθήματα αὐτῷ δίδωσιν, ἀποδέχεται. οὐκ εἰς τ̣ὸ προσηνὲς δὲ βλέπει οὐδὲ εἰς τὸ ἀηδὲς τῶν προσαγομένων, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸ συμφέρον καὶ λυσιτελοῦν. πᾶς καιρὸς οὖν ἔστιν τοῦ εὐλογεῖν τὸν θεόν. ἑκατέρως δὲ τὸν καιρὸν λαμβάνομεν καὶ τὸν δέοντα χρόνον καὶ τὴν κατάστασιν τοῦ βοηθουμένου. λέγομεν οὖν ἐπὶ τῶν ὑγιαινόντων καιρὸν ἀρίστου εἶναι τὸν μεσημβρινὸν καὶ δείπνου τὸν ἑσπερινόν, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ κάμνοντος οὐχ οὕτ̣ω λαμβάνομεν τὸν καιρὸν εἰς χρόνον ἀφορῶντες, ἀλλ' εἰς τὸ πῶς ἔχει αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα. ἑκατέρως "ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ" εὐλογεῖ τὸν θεὸν ὁ ἅγιος· οἶδεν γὰρ ὅτι ὑπὸ πρόνοιάν ἐστιν καὶ ὅτι ὁ προνοούμενος μᾶλλον αὐτοῦ οἶδεν τὰ αὐτῷ λυσιτελοῦντα. "πάντοτε χαίρετε, ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε, ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστοῦντες". εἰ πάντοτε χαίρει ὁ ἅγιος, οὐδέποτε καταδύεται ἢ κατηφεῖ ἐπὶ σκυθρωποῖς παροῦσιν· καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις γὰρ χαίρει, χαίρει ὡς ἐπὶ ἀγωνίσμασιν. τὴν διαδεχομένην νί κην τοὺς ἀγῶνας ὁρᾷ καὶ τοὺς στεφάνους προσδοκῶν καὶ τὰ βραβεῖα χαίρει, κἂν ἀηδῆ ᾖν τὰ περιεστηκότα. 189 "εὐλογήσω" οὖν. καὶ ἵνα μή τις τὴν εὐλογίαν προφορᾷ νομίσῃ γίνεσθαι, οἷον λέγειν τινὰ ἐπαγγελίᾳ· "διὰ παντὸς ἡ αἴνεσις αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ στόματί μου". ἐν τῷ ὑμνεῖν αὐτὸν εὐλογῶ αὐτόν. "διὰ παντὸς ἡ αἴνεσις αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ στόματί μου". οὐ τοῦτο δὲ λέγομεν, ἵνα μὴ ἀδύνατόν τι ἀκολουθήσῃ, ὅτι ἐν τῷ προφορικῷ διὰ παντὸς ἔχει τὴν αἴνεσιν. ἀδύνατον δὲ τοῦτο· καθεύδων γὰρ οὐ ποιεῖ τοῦτο, ἐσθίων ἐνίοτε οὐ ποιεῖ· ἀλλὰ οὕτως αἰνεῖν δεῖ· πάντα ἃ ποιῶ, κἄν τε ἐσθίω κἂν πίνω κἂν καθεύδω, εὐχαριςτῶν τῷ θεῷ ὑφίσταμαι ταῦτα. οὕτω γοῦν ἀκουστέον καὶ τοῦ; "πάντοτε χαίρετε". ἐὰν κατ' ἐνε´̣ργειαν λάβῃ̣ς̣ χάριν, ὁ κοιμω´̣μενος οὐκ ἔχει ταύτην. δυνάμει αὐτὴν ἔχει. "ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε". ἐὰν ἐπὶ τοῦ δεικτ̣ικῶς προσεύχεσθαι λάβῃς, οὐ δύναται ἀδιαλείπτως τελεῖσθαι. ἀμέλει γοῦν εἴ τις ἱστορικῶς ἀνεγράφη η, "τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας" λέγεται προσεύχεσθαι, μεσημβρινῆς ἢ περὶ ἐνάτην ὥραν, δῶμεν ὅτι καὶ ἑσπερινῆς. τὸ ἀδιαλείπτως οὖν προσεύχεσθαι τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· ο̣ὐδ̣ε`̣ν̣ ἑ´̣τ̣ερ̣όν ἐστιν προσευχὴ ἢ αἴτησις ἀγαθῶν παρὰ θεοῦ. ὅταν τις τοίνυν διὰ παντὸς οὗ ποιεῖ, αἰτῆται ἀγαθὰ τὸν θεόν, προσεύχεται. κἂν τὸ ἰδικὸν μὴ ποιῇ, πόθον ἔχων τοῦ τυχεῖν τῶν ὠφελίμων, προσεύχεται. αὐτὸς ὁ πόθος προσευχή ἐστιν· ἔχει γὰρ τὸν πόθον. ὅ τι ποτὲ ἐὰν ποιῇ, κἂν ἐνποδίζηται τοῦ τὸ ἰδικὸν τῆς προσευχῆς ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ ἔχει τὸ αἰτεῖσθαι τὸν θεόν. οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ἐν τῇ Σοφίᾳ τοῦ Σιρὰχ λέγεται· "διήγη σις εὐσεβοῦς διὰ παντὸς σοφία". πῶς διὰ παντὸς δύναται τὴν σοφίαν διηγεῖσθαι; ἐὰν οὕτω λάβωμεν -λαμβάνεται δὲ πολλάκις ταῦτα καὶ ἐν τῇ συνηθείᾳ οὕτως-, ὡς καθόλου πολλάκις ζητοῦμέν τινα καὶ μαθεῖν ποθοῦμεν, ποῦ ἔστιν αὐτῷ συντυχεῖν· λέγουσιν· "εἰς τὸ ἰατρεῖον τοῦτο ἀεὶ κάθηται καὶ διηνεκῶς ἐκεῖ ἐστιν", οὐχ οὕτω λαμβάνων τὴν ἡμέραν ὅλην, ἀλλ' ὅτε κάθηται, οὕτω, μᾶλλον ἐκεῖ κάθηται. οὐκ εἶπεν οὖν ἁπλῶς "διὰ παντὸς ἡ αἴνεσις", ἀλλ' "αὐτοῦ"· ὁ γὰρ δοκῶν αἰνεῖν μὴ μετὰ φρονημάτων ὀρθῶν, μὴ μετὰ τῶν ἀληθῶς θεολογικῶν, οὐχ αὑτῷ αἰνεῖ, οὐκ αὐτὸν αἰνεῖ. 3 ἐν τῷ κυρίῳ ἐπαινεθήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου. ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ ἐμὴ οὐκ ἐπαινεῖται ἐπ' ἄλλ̣ῳ̣ τ̣ι̣ν̣ὶ προηγουμένως ἢ ἐπὶ τῷ μετέχειν θεοῦ· ὡς γὰρ ἄλλος ἐπὶ τέχνῃ ἐπαινεῖσθαι ποθεῖ ἢ ἐπὶ ἐπιστήμῃ̣ ἢ ἐπὶ ἀξιώματι ἢ τιμῇ, οὕτως ὁ ἅγιος ἐν τῷ κυρίῳ