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to visit you with the present letter, addressing to you things that pertain to peace. Christ be with you, whom you have desired and for whom you suffer. Be of good cheer, be strong, be mighty in Christ who strengthens you, not only in the things in which you are, but also in whatever Christ will allow to be brought upon you for the testing of your unfeigned faith. Do not say, "4Hierarchs, priests, abbots have gone astray, and I, a woman, weak by nature, what shall I do? How shall I endure?"5 Not at all, O mother; each of us has received power from God, man and woman, young and old, to fight even to the shedding of blood for the divine law and our orthodox faith. And the fall of our neighbor will not suffice for our defense. How many men and women in the martyrs' contests of old for Christ? And few men and women, not to name names, who received the crown of the contest. Therefore, stand courageously like them, I beseech you; for, he says, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us. And give us in return for words your supplications, so that we the humble may also arrive somewhere behind our holy fathers who are contending.

143 {1To the Deaconess}1 Considering myself a debtor to your honor according to God because I have enjoyed the gifts of your piety, I have sent this present letter, making my defense to your ladyship. For what? Because your compassionate soul was so pricked, first to open the door of your God-guarded house to brother Proterius for every comfort and in such a time, when many friends and relatives close their houses out of human fear from the face of those persecuted for Christ's sake; then also to send to us the humble things which are for our comfort and consolation. It is a work, therefore, of your great compunction and goodness, a sign of great piety and love of the commandments to do good to a man not known, but also one who happens to be a sinner. But this is not an isolated act, but arises from a good treasure of many other good works and of your orthodox faith, as the letter-bearer also reports to us. We therefore glorify God for you (since your virtuous life of widowhood is to the glory of God), and then we also pray that these good things may remain inalienably with you, so that by living ever more gloriously you may reach the measure of perfection and obtain the kingdom of heaven, whose works you are accomplishing. May it be so.

144 {1To Sergius, consul and cousin}1 What you wrote to me, most genuine and longed-for, I have understood, accepting your good intention, because you dare to write in these days and you console with words from your great pains and mercy toward us the humble. But I, the sinner, putting aside my own affairs (for by Christ's grace they are not grievous, even if they seem so, because of the hope for them), turn to your circumstances. How is it that your misfortunes are so successive, from without, from within, from your own children, from whom especially there should have been the care of the house and the increase of the family, and the guidance and staff and whatever else is dear to fathers? Alas for my misery, into what circumstances your life has fallen. Believe me, O good cousin, the things concerning you touch my soul as if our blessed father felt them; for he, if anyone, was grieved at your adversities. Do not be disheartened, then, but rather bear it with thanksgiving, endure; for the good God knows how to manage what is profitable for us even through contrary and afflictive things, and after all, it is our task to flee the communion of the Christ-fighting heresy, participation in which blackens and destroys the soul. Therefore, as much as you are able, take care of yourself, because other things, even if we are deprived of them, are no great matter (for even if we do not wish it, we will all leave everything behind, departing naked to the judge as we were born), but to suffer loss in faith is the greatest and only of dangers; for with it we shall depart, and it alone shall stand by us with our works on the day of eternal judgment. Blessed is the abbess, if she should finish

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παρόντος γράμματος ἐπισκέψασθαί σε, προσφωνοῦντές σοι τὰ εἰς εἰρήνην. ὁ Χριστὸς μετὰ σοῦ, ὃν ἐπόθησας καὶ ὑπὲρ οὗ πάσχεις. εὐθύμει, κραταιοῦ, ἴσχυε ἐν τῷ ἐνδυναμοῦντί σε Χριστῷ μὴ τὰ ἐν οἷς εἶ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσα μέλλει συγχωρεῖν ἐπαχθῆναι εἰς δοκιμὴν τῆς ἀνυποκρίτου σου πίστεως Χριστός. μὴ εἴποις "4ἐξώκειλαν ἱεράρχαι, ἱερεῖς, ἡγούμενοι, κἀγὼ γυνή, τὴν φύσιν ἔχουσα ἀσθενῆ, τί πράξω; πῶς ὑποίσω;"5 μηδαμῶς, ὦ μῆτερ· ἕκαστος ἡμῶν εἴληφεν δύναμιν παρὰ θεῷ, ἀνήρ τε καὶ γυνή, νέος καὶ πρεσβύτης, τῆς μέχρις αἵματος ὑπερμαχήσεως τοῦ θείου νόμου καὶ τῆς ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως ἡμῶν. καὶ οὐκ ἀρκέσει εἰς ἀπολογίαν ἡμῖν ἡ τοῦ πέλας πτῶσις. πόσοι καὶ πόσαι ἐν τοῖς ἄνω ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ μαρτυρίοις; καὶ ὀλίγοι καὶ ὀλίγαι, ἵνα μὴ κατονοματίζω, αἱ τὸν τῆς ἀθλήσεως στέφανον κομισάμεναι. Αὐταῖς οὖν ἐοικυῖα στῆθι καὶ αὐτὴ ἀνδρείως, παρακαλῶ· ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ γάρ, φησί, πρεσβεύομεν, ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ παρακαλοῦντος δι' ἡμῶν. δίδου δὲ ἡμῖν καὶ αὐτὴ ἀντὶ λόγου τὰς ἱκετηρίας σου, ὅπως καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ ταπεινοὶ κατόπιν που τῶν ἁγίων ἡμῶν πατέρων τῶν ἐναθλούντων καταντήσωμεν. 143 {1Ὑπατίσσῃ}1 Χρεώστην ἐμαυτὸν λογισάμενος τῆς κατὰ θεόν σου τιμιότητος διὰ τὸ ἀπολελαυκέναι με δωρεῶν σου εὐσεβείας ἐπέστειλα τὸ παρὸν γραμματεῖον, ἀπολογίαν ποιούμενος τῇ κυριότητί σου. τί γάρ; ὅτι οὕτως κατηνύγη σου ἡ εὐσυμπάθητος ψυχή, πρῶτον μὲν ἀνοῖξαι θύραν τῆς θεοφυλάκτου σου οἰκίας τῷ ἀδελφῷ Προτερίῳ εἰς πᾶσαν ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ ἐν τοιούτῳ καιρῷ, ὁπότε κλείουσιν οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν φίλων καὶ ἰδίων ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν διὰ Χριστὸν διωκομένων φόβῳ ἀνθρωπίνῳ τὰς οἰκίας· ἔπειτα καὶ ἡμῖν τοῖς ταπεινοῖς παραπέμπειν ἅ ἐστιν εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν καὶ παρηγορίαν. πολλῆς οὖν κατανύξεώς σου καὶ ἀγαθότητος ἔργον, πολλῆς φιλευσεβείας καὶ φιλεντολίας δεῖγμα εὐεργετεῖν ἀνθρώπῳ μὴ γνωριζομένῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ τυγχάνοντι. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ὀρφανικόν, ἐξ ἀγαθοῦ δὲ θησαυροῦ ἑτέρων πλείστων ἀγαθοεργιῶν καὶ πίστεως ὀρθοδόξου σου ἀνίσχον, καθὼς ἡμῖν καὶ ὁ γραμματηφόρος ἀπαγγέλλει. ∆οξάζομεν οὖν τὸν θεὸν ἐπὶ σοὶ (ἐπείπερ εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ ὁ ἐνάρετός σου τῆς χηρείας βίος), εἶτα καὶ προσευχόμεθα διαμένειν σοι τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἀναφαίρετα, ὡς ἂν εὐκλεέστερον ἀεὶ διαβιοῦσα φθάσοις εἰς μέτρον τελειότητος καὶ τύχοις τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἧς τὰ ἔργα ἐξανύεις. γένοιτο. 144 {1Σεργίῳ ὑπάτῳ καὶ ἐξαδέλφῳ}1 Ἃ ἐπέστειλάς μοι, γνησιώτατε καὶ ποθεινότατε, ἐπέγνων, ἀποδεξάμενός σου τὴν ἀγαθὴν προαίρεσιν, ὅτι καὶ εὐτολμεῖς γράφειν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις καὶ παρηγορεῖς λόγοις ἐκ πολλῆς σου περιπονήσεως καὶ τῆς περὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ταπεινοὺς ἐλεημοσύνης. ἐγὼ δὲ ἀφεὶς τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ (οὐδὲ γάρ εἰσι χάριτι Χριστοῦ λυπηρά, κἂν δοκῇ, διὰ τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἐλπίδα) ἐπὶ τοῖς σοῖς συμβάμασι τρέπομαι ὁ ἁμαρτωλός. πῶς οὕτως ἀλλεπάλληλοί σου αἱ συμφοραί, ἔξωθεν, οἴκοθεν, ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν τέκνων, ἀφ' ὧν ὅτι μάλιστα ἔδει καὶ τὴν οἰκουρίαν καὶ τὴν αὔξησιν τῆς οἰκίας, τήν τε χειραγωγίαν καὶ βακτηρίαν καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο τῶν πατράσι φίλων εἶναι; φεῦ τῆς ἐμῆς ταλαιπωρίας, εἰς οἷα περιέστη σου ἡ ζωή. πίστευσόν με, ὦ καλὲ ἐξάδελφε, ἅπτεταί μου τῆς ψυχῆς τὰ κατὰ σὲ ὡς τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν τοῦ μάκαρος αἰσθανομένου· ἠνιᾶτο γὰρ εἰ καί τις ἄλλος ἐπὶ ταῖς δυσπραγίαις σου. Μὴ οὖν ἀθυμήσῃς, μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν εὐχαρίστως οἶσον, φέρε· οἶδεν γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁ ἀγαθὸς θεὸς καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων καὶ θλιπτικῶν οἰκονομεῖν τὰ συμφέροντα, μετὰ δὲ πάντα ἔργον τὸ φυγεῖν τὴν κοινωνίαν τῆς χριστομάχου αἱρέσεως, ἧς ἡ μέθεξις μελαίνει τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ἀπόλλυσιν. ὅσον οὖν δύνῃ, φρόντιζε σαυτοῦ, ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἄλλα, κἂν ἀφῃρήμεθα, οὐδὲν μέγα (κἂν μὴ βουλώμεθα γάρ, πάντες πάντα καταλείψοιμεν, γυμνοὶ πρὸς τὸν κριτὴν μεταχωροῦντες ὡς ἐγεννήθημεν), τὴν δὲ πίστιν ζημιούμενοι τὸ μέγιστον καὶ μόνον τῶν κινδύνων· μετὰ ταύτης γὰρ ἐξελευσόμεθα καὶ αὐτὴ ἡμῖν παρασταίη μόνη μετὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως αἰωνίως. Μακαρία ἡ ἡγουμένη, εἰ τελειώσειεν