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Truly nothing, but they will kindle the fire for me more. For if I, who hope to be in communion with good things and eternal glory, both your servant and friend, should be deprived of all things together and of you yourself, my Christ, how will my affliction not be worse than that of the unbelievers, of those who have not known you, of those who have not seen your light shine and have not been filled with your sweetness? But if it should happen for me to attain the fulfillment of these pledges and to receive the prizes, Savior, which you promised to those who have believed in you, Christ, then I too shall be blessed and I will praise you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the one true God, unto ages of ages, amen.

29.

That divine realities are manifest only to those to whom God has been wholly united to their whole person through participation in the Holy Spirit. (225)

From where do you come, how do you enter, I mean, inside the cell which is secured on all sides? For this is also strange, beyond reason and beyond mind. But that you suddenly become wholly within me and shine forth and are seen as a form of light, like a full moon, this renders me mindless, speechless, my God. I know that you are the one who has come to enlighten those who sit in darkness, and I am ecstatic and beside myself in mind and words, because I see a strange wonder, surpassing all creation, all nature, all reason. Nevertheless, now I will tell all, (226) what you grant me to speak: O entire race of men, kings and rulers, both rich and poor, both monastics and laypeople, every tongue of the earth-born, hear me now speaking, the greatness of the love for mankind

123

Ὄντως οὐδέν, ἀλλά τό πῦρ ἀναψουσί μοι πλέον. Ὁ γάρ ἐλπίζων ἀγαθῶν καί αἰωνίου δόξης ἐν μετοχῇ ὑπάρχειν με καί δοῦλόν σου καί φίλον, εἰ στερηθῶ πάντων ὁμοῦ καί σοῦ αὐτοῦ, Χριστέ μου, πῶς οὐχί χείρων ἔσται μοι τῶνἀπίστων ἡ θλῖψις, τῶν μή ἐπεγνωκότων σε, τῶν μή τό φῶς σου λάμψαν ἰδόντων καί γλυκύτητος τῆς σῆς ἐμφορηθέντων; Εἰ δέ τυχεῖν μοι γένηται τῶν ἀρραβώνων τούτων τά τέλη καί τά ἔπαθλα ἀπολήψεσθαι, Σῶτερ, ἅ ἐπηγγείλω τοῖς εἰς σέ, Χριστέ, πεπιστευκόσι, τότε κἀγώ μακάριος ἔσομαι καί αἰνέσω σέ, τόν Πατέρα καί Υἱόν καί τό Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, Θεόν τόν ἕνα ἀληθῶς εἰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων, ἀμήν.

ΚΘ'.

Ὅτι μόνοις ἐκείνοις καταφανῆ τά τῶν θείων πραγμάτων, οἷς διά τῆς μετουσίας τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος ὅλοις ὅλος ἡνώθη Θεός. (225)

Πόθεν ἔρχῃ, πῶς εἰσέρχῃ, ἔνδοθεν τῆς κέλλης λέγω πάντοθεν ἠσφαλισμένης; Ξένον γάρ καί τοῦτο ἔστιν ὑπέρ λόγον, ὑπέν νοῦν τε. Τό δ᾿ ἐντός μου γίνεσθαί σε ὅλον αἴφνης καί ἐκλάμπειν καί φωτοειδῆ ὁρᾶσθαι ὡς ὁλόφωτον σελήνην, τοῦτο ἄνουν, ἄφωνόν με ἀπεργάζεται, Θεέ μου. Οἶδα, ὅτι σύ ὑπάρχεις ὁ ἐλθών, ἵνα φωτίσῃς τούς ἐν σκότει καθημένους, καί ἐξίσταμαι καί ἔξω γίνομαι φρενῶν καί λόγων, ὅτι βλέπω θαῦμα ξένον, πᾶσαν κτίσιν, πᾶσαν φύσιν, πάντα λόγον ὑπερβαῖνον. Ὅμως ἄρτι πᾶσι λέξω, (226) ἅ χαρίζῃ μοι λαλῆσαι˙ Ὦ ἀνθρώπων ἅπαν γένος, βασιλέων καί ἀρχόντων, πλούσιοί τε πένητές τε, μοναχοί καί κοσμικοί τε, πᾶσα γλῶσσα γηγενῶν με νῦν ἀκούσατε λαλοῦντα, μέγεθος φιλανθρωπίας