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Beloved Litoius. Do not then fall down in the former circumstances in which you were tripped up by my sins. For is there not balm, it says, in Gilead? Or does he who turns away not turn back? Turn back to me, cries God. A soldier who has wrestled again is still a soldier, likewise also a pilot; for even if we have sinned the sin unto death, it is not no longer possible to live. We live again through repentance; for he who spoke is true, "As I live," says the Lord, "I do not desire the death of the sinner, but that he should turn and live." so that it is possible to live after the death of sin, but not after the departure from here, for he has closed the door against him, it says. Come then, brother, let us come before his face with confession, the Lord is near to those who call upon him. Be content, my child, with the steward, if you obey me; for those who long ago subverted your departure are enemies and not friends, neither of you nor of God. Labor a little, I pray, take up a beginning, a disposition of care for salvation, because at an hour we do not expect the Lord comes; remember, child, your renunciation, your submission, the cutting off of your will, your other labors and struggles. I, the sinner, am your guarantor of salvation; I gave birth, I will heal. Only stand firm yourself, only swim up from the weight of despondency, only take heed to yourself, only do not be alone any longer, even if it happens that you do not act together with or somehow be with the steward. These things for now, since also, whenever a letter-carrier may happen by, I will not hesitate to write back to you as you write. May the Lord of our salvation himself, touching your heart, create light in your soul, comfort, arousal, work as much as is possible, and save you for his heavenly kingdom. My child, pray for me, that I too may be saved. Your brothers greet you. 155 {1To the same}1 How I, the humble one, rejoice, receiving your word, child, and having in my heart him whom I long ago lost. But thanks be to God who has joined us; would that I had also seen your face, would that I could hear your living voice. Thus I long for you and rejoice that you have been recalled. Do not then be idle, my son, but being of good cheer, proceed on the soul's journey in the Lord, casting far away the worms and stumbling blocks cast by the hinderer of salvation and making a way for yourself for entry to God; for it has already been opened for you, the bars of sin having been removed. Anoint your spiritual feet and, moving little by little, I am confident that you will both be swift of foot and will arrive to enter into the desired things. The contest already lies before you; what then is strange if you should even reach the list of martyrs? Yes, my child Litoius, stand, be saved, be glorified. And it was very well arranged that in hardship you should be with the steward; you were yoked with brother Proterius, a work of humility, and humility is the purgative medicine of the adversary. Peace to you and strength from God. Pray for me. Those with me greet you. 156 {1To Irene the patricia}1 Both when writing and not writing we have the task of unforgettably remembering your honor not only on account of the beneficence which you long ago showed toward our lowliness, but also on account of your manner of confessing Christ, ranking you with those here and there confined and contending for Christ; for are you not also persecuted, not an exile, not stateless, not confined, not always prepared for dangers? Yes, truly, and for this reason blessed, because yours is the kingdom of heaven. Who of the confessors does not know that you have confessed with them? Where has it not been heard that you are a senator among the martyrs? Orders of monks have marveled at you, assemblies of laypeople have praised you; but what are these? The very orders of angels and saints rejoiced over you. And do not think this word is flattery. See then, O martyr of Christ, how you have been honored, how you have been exalted; compare for me clay and gold, so much and much more is the heavenly dignity now granted to you by God than the earthly dignity you left behind, to be called a martyr of Christ, a confessor

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ἀγαπητὲ Λιτόιε. μὴ δὴ οὖν ἐν τοῖς προλαβοῦσι καταπέσῃς ἐφ' ὅσοις καὶ ὑπεσκελίσθης συμβάμασιν ἐξ ἁμαρτιῶν μου. μὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν ῥητίνη, φησίν, ἐν Γαλαάδ; ἢ ὁ ἀποστρέφων οὐκ ἐπιστρέφει; ἐπιστράφητε πρός με, βοᾷ ὁ θεός. ἀναπαλαίσας στρατιώτης καὶ πάλιν στρατιώτης, ὡσαύτως καὶ κυβερνήτης· οὐ γὰρ εἰ καὶ τὴν πρὸς θάνατον ἁμαρτίαν ἡμάρτομεν, οὐκέτι ἔστι ζῆν. ζῶμεν πάλιν διὰ μετανοίας· ἀψευδὴς γὰρ ὁ εἰπών, ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει Κύριος, οὐ θέλω τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ὡς τὸ ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ ζῆν αὐτόν. ὥστε ἔστι μετὰ θάνατον ἁμαρτίας ζῆσαι, οὐκέτι δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἐνθένδε ἀποβίωσιν συνέκλεισεν γὰρ κατ' αὐτοῦ, φησίν. ∆εῦρο λοιπόν, ἀδελφέ, προφθάσωμεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐξομολογήσει, ἐγγὺς Κύριος τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις αὐτόν. στέρξον, τέκνον μου, ἐν τῷ οἰκονόμῳ, ἐὰν ἐμοὶ πείθῃ· οἱ γὰρ ἀνατρέποντές σε πάλαι τὴν ἔξοδον ἐχθροὶ καὶ οὐ φίλοι, οὔτε σοῦ οὔτε θεοῦ. κοπίασον μικρόν, δέομαι, ἐπιλαβοῦ ἀρχῆς, ἕξεως φροντιστικῆς τῆς σωτηρίας, ὅτι ᾗ ὥρᾳ οὐ προσδοκῶμεν ὁ Κύριος ἔρχεται· μνήσθητι, τέκνον, τῆς ἀποταγῆς σου, τῆς ὑποταγῆς, τῆς κοπῆς τοῦ θελήματός σου, τῶν λοιπῶν κόπων καὶ ἀγώνων σου. ἐγὼ ἐγγυητής σου τῆς σωτηρίας, ὁ ἁμαρτωλός· ἐγὼ ἔτεκον, ἐγὼ ἰατρεύσω. μόνον αὐτὸς στῆθι, μόνον ἀνάνηξον τοῦ βάρους τῆς ἀθυμίας, μόνον ἔπεχε σεαυτῷ, μόνον μὴ μονωθῇς ἔτι, κἂν συμβῇ μὴ συμποιεῖν μηδ' αὖ πως συνεῖναί σε τῷ οἰκονόμῳ. Ταῦτα τὸ νῦν, ἐπεὶ καί, ἡνίκα τύχῃ γραμματηφόρος, οὐ κατοκνήσω γράφοντί σοι ἀντιγράφειν. αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν ἐφαψάμενός σου τῆς καρδίας ἐμποιήσειεν φῶς ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ σου, παράκλησιν, διέγερσιν, ἐργασίαν καθ' ὅσον οἷόν τε καὶ σώσειεν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐπουράνιον. τέκνον μου, προσεύχου μοι, ἵνα σωθῶ κἀγώ. οἱ ἀδελφοί σου προσαγορεύουσίν σε. 155 {1Τῷ αὐτῷ}1 Οἷα χαίρω ὁ ταπεινὸς δεχόμενός σου λόγον, τέκνον, καὶ ἔχων ἐν καρδίᾳ ὃν πάλαι ἀπώλεσα. ἀλλὰ χάρις τῷ συνάψαντι θεῷ· εἴθε καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον εἶδον, ὤφελον καὶ ζώσης σου φωνῆς ἐπαϊέναι. οὕτω σε ποθῶ καὶ χαίρω ἀνακληθέντα. μὴ δὴ οὖν ῥαθυμήσειας, υἱέ μου, εὐθυμῶν δὲ πορεύου τὴν ἐν Κυρίῳ πορείαν τῆς ψυχῆς, τὰ ὑποβληθέντα παρὰ τοῦ ἐμποδιστοῦ τῆς σωτηρίας σκῶλα καὶ ἐμπτώματα πόρρω βάλλων καὶ ὁδοποιῶν ἑαυτῷ τὴν πρὸς θεὸν εἴσοδον· ἤνοικται γάρ σοι ἤδη, τῶν κλείθρων τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀρθέντων. ἄλειψαί σου τοὺς νοητοὺς πόδας καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν κινούμενος πέποιθα ὅτι καὶ ὀξυποδίσεις καὶ φθάσεις εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὰ ποθούμενα. ἤδη πρόκειται καὶ ὁ ἀγών· τί οὖν παράδοξον καὶ εἰς κατάλογόν σε μαρτύρων φθάσαι; ναί, τέκνον μου Λιτόιε, στῆθι, σώθητι, εὐδόξησον. εὖ δὲ πάνυ ὅτι ἀπορίᾳ μετὰ τοῦ οἰκονόμου σε εἶναι ᾠκονομήθη· συνεζεύχθης τῷ Προτερίῳ ἀδελφῷ, τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἔργον, ταπείνωσις δὲ τὸ καθαιρετικὸν φάρμακον τοῦ ἀντικειμένου. Εἰρήνη σοι καὶ ἰσχὺς ἐκ θεοῦ. προσεύχου περὶ ἐμοῦ. οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ ἀσπάζονταί σε. 156 {1Εἰρήνῃ πατρικίᾳ}1 Καὶ γράφοντες καὶ μὴ γράφοντες ἔργον ἔχομεν ἀνεπιλήστως μνημονεύειν σου τῆς τιμιότητος οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὸν τῆς εὐεργεσίας λόγον, ὃν ἐνεδείξω ἔκπαλαι πρὸς τὴν ταπείνωσιν ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ὁμολογίας Χριστοῦ τρόπον, συντάσσοντές σε τοῖς ὧδε κἀκεῖσε διὰ Χριστὸν περιωρισμένοις καὶ ἐναθλοῦσι· μὴ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὴ οὐ δεδιωγμένη, οὐκ ἄποικος, οὐκ ἄπολις, οὐ περιωρισμένη, οὐκ ἐμπαράσκευος ἀεὶ πρὸς κινδύνους; ναὶ ἀληθῶς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μακαρία, ὅτι σοί ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. τίς οὐκ οἶδεν τῶν ὁμολογητῶν ὅτι συνωμολόγησας; ποῦ οὐκ ἠκούτισται ὅτι καὶ συγκλητικὴ ἐν μάρτυσιν; ἐθαύμασάν σε μοναστῶν τάγματα, ᾔνεσάν σε λαϊκῶν συνεδρεύματα· τί δὲ ταῦτα; αὐτὰ τὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ ἁγίων τάγματα εὐφράνθησαν ἐπὶ σοί. καὶ μὴ δοκήσῃς κολακείαν εἶναι τὸν λόγον. βλέπε οὖν, ὦ μάρτυς Χριστοῦ, οἷον τετίμησαι, οἷον ὕψωσαι· σύγκρινόν μοι πηλὸν καὶ χρυσόν, τοσοῦτον καὶ πολλῷ πλέον οὗ κατέλιπες ἐπιγείου ἀξιώματος τὸ νῦν δωρηθέν σοι ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἀξίωμα ἐπουράνιον, μάρτυρα καλεῖσθαι Χριστοῦ, ὁμολογητὴν