124

and becoming fearful, he said: What is it, lord? And he said to him: Your prayers and your alms have ascended before God. praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication, and to that end keeping alert with all perseverance, and making supplication for all the saints, and for me. I urge, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. For this is good before God. I want men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or disputing. Likewise also women. Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let them sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the Church, and let them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick. Be of sound mind, and be sober unto prayer. Let us not be condemned for pettiness, in asking for small things, and things unworthy of the giver. That voice is melodious, and rises up to the divine hearing, not the shout made with some exertion, but the thought sent up from a pure conscience. He who does not join himself to God through prayer, is separated from God. Therefore we should first be taught by the word, that one ought always to pray, 95.1441 and not lose heart. For from praying comes being with God; and he who is with God, is separated from the adversary. Prayer made the sea-monster a house for Jonah, and brought Hezekiah back to life from the gates of death, and for the three youths it turned the flame into a dewy wind. He who in time of prayer is not directed toward what is profitable for the soul, but deems God disposed toward the passionate movements of the mind, is truly some nonsense, and a babbler, and a trifler, and garrulous, and whatever else is of such meaning. From you I have life, from you also let the impulse to live come to be. Since human nature was led astray from the judgment of the good through deceit, and the life of men was dominated by the worse, we rightly pray for the kingdom of God to come. For it is not possible otherwise to escape the evil dominion of corruption, unless the life-giving power takes hold of the dominion over us. If therefore we pray, let us beseech God with this power: May I be delivered from corruption; may I be freed from death; let the now prevailing passions no longer reign over me, nor let the enemy lead me captive through sin; but let your kingdom come upon me, so that the tyranny of the adversary may depart. For darkness does not endure the presence of light, sickness does not stand when health takes hold, the passions are not active when dispassion is present. Death is gone, corruption is vanished, when life reigns in us, and incorruption has the dominion. Let your will be done in me, so that the will of the devil may be extinguished. For just as in the gloomy caves darkness vanishes when light is brought in, so when your will is done in me, every wicked and improper movement of the will is reduced to nothingness. For your will is the salvation of men. He who prays to be delivered from the evil one, asks to be outside of temptations. When through prayer we ask something of the Master, let us not quickly lose heart, but let us overcome the continuance of failure with the continuance of asking. In the delays and postponements of God's gifts, let us not grow weary, nor despair beforehand. For often the Master prolongs the apparent delay for the exercise of faith. It is good always to converse with God through prayer. For if the company of a good man makes the companion better, how much more so to converse with God day and night. Prayer is a great good, if it is made with a thankful mind, if we discipline ourselves, not only receiving,

124

καὶ ἔμφοβος γενόμενος, εἶπε· Τί ἐστι, κύριε; Εἶπε δὲ αὐτῷ· Αἱ προσευχαί σου καὶ ἐλεημοσύναι σου ἀνέβησαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. ∆ιὰ πάσης εὐχῆς καὶ δεήσεως προσευχόμενοι ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ἐν πνεύματι, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ ἀγρυπνοῦντες ἐν πάσῃ προσκαρτερήσει, καὶ δεήσει περὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ. Παρακαλῶ πρὸ πάντων, ποιεῖσθαι δεήσεις, προσευχὰς, ἐντεύξεις, εὐχαριστίας ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων, ὑπὲρ βασιλέων, καὶ πάντων τῶν ἐν ὑπεροχῇ ὄντων, ἵν' ἤρεμον καὶ ἡσύχιον βίον διάγωμεν ἐν πάσῃ εὐσεβείᾳ καὶ σεμνότητι. Τοῦτο γὰρ καλὸν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Βούλομαι προσεύχεσθαι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, ἐπαίροντες ὁσίας χεῖρας, χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμοῦ. Ὡσαύτως καὶ γυναῖκας. Κακοπαθεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν; προσευχέσθω. Εὐθυμεῖ τις; ψαλλέτω. Ἀσθενεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν; προσκαλεσάσθω τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, καὶ προσευξάσθωσαν ἐπ' αὐτὸν, ἀλείψαντες αὐτὸν ἐλαίῳ ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου· καὶ ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως σώσει τὸν κάμνοντα. Σωφρονήσατε, καὶ νήψατε εἰς προσευχάς. Μὴ μικρολογίαν καταγνωσθῶμεν, ἐν τῷ μικρὰ αἰτεῖν ἡμᾶς, καὶ τοῦ διδόντος ἀνάξια. Εὔηχός ἐστιν ἐκείνη ἡ φωνὴ, καὶ μέχρι τῆς θείας ἀναβαίνουσα ἀκοῆς, οὐχ ἡ μετά τινος διατάσεως γινομένη κραυγὴ, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀπὸ καθαρᾶς συνειδήσεως ἀναπεμπομένη ἐνθύμησις. Χωρίζεται Θεοῦ, ὁ μὴ συνάπτων ἑαυτὸν διὰ προσευχῆς τῷ Θεῶ. Οὐκοῦν τοῦτο χρὴ πρότερον ἡμᾶς διδαχθῆναι τῷ λόγῳ, ὅτι δεῖ πάντοτε προσεύχεσθαι, 95.1441 καὶ μὴ ἐκκακεῖν. Ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ προσεύχεσθαι περιγίνεται τὸ μετὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἶναι· ὁ δὲ μετὰ Θεοῦ ὢν, τοῦ ἀντικειμένου κεχώρισται. Προσευχὴ τῷ μὲν Ἰωνᾷ τὸ κῆτος οἶκον ἐποίησεν, τὸν δὲ Ἐζεκίαν ἐκ τῶν πυλῶν τοῦ θανάτου πρὸς ζωὴν ἐπανήγαγε, τοῖς δὲ τρισὶ νέοις εἰς πνεῦμα δροσῶδες τὴν φλόγα ἔτρεψεν. Ὁ ἐν καιρῷ προσευχῆς μὴ πρὸς τὰ λυσιτελοῦντα τῇ ψυχῇ τεταμένος, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἐμπαθεῖς τῆς διανοίας κινήσεις συνδιατίθεσθαι τὸν Θεὸν ἀξιῶν, λῆρός τίς ἐστιν ὡς ἀληθῶς, καὶ βαττολόγος, καὶ φληνάφης, καὶ φλυαρὸς, καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο τῆς τοιαύτης σημασίας ἐστί. Παρὰ σοῦ μοι ζωὴ, παρὰ σοῦ γενέσθω καὶ ἡ πρὸς τὸ ζῇν ἀφορμή. Ἐπειδὴ τῆς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ κρίσεως ἀπεπλανήθη διὰ τῆς ἀπάτης ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις, καὶ πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον ἡ ζωὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατεκρατήθη, καλῶς εὐχόμεθα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν βασιλείαν ἐλθεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἄλλως ἐκδῦναι τὴν πονηρὰν τῆς φθορᾶς δυναστείαν, μὴ τῆς ζωοποιοῦ δυνάμεως ἐφ' ἡμῶν ἀντιλαβούσης τὸ κράτος. Ἐὰν οὖν προσευξώμεθα, ταύτῃ τῇ δυνάμει τὸν Θεὸν ἱκετεύωμεν· Ἀπαλλαγείην τῆς φθορᾶς· ἐλευθερωθείην τοῦ θανάτου· μηκέτι κατ' ἐμοῦ βασιλευέτω τὰ νῦν ἐπικρατοῦντα πάθη, μηδὲ ἀγέτω με ὁ πολέμιος διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αἰχμάλωτον· ἀλλ' ἐλθέτω ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἡ βασιλεία σου, ἵνα ἀποχωρήσῃ ἡ τοῦ ἐναντίου τυραννίς. Οὐ γὰρ ὑπομένει τὸ σκότος τὴν τοῦ φωτὸς παρουσίαν, οὐ νόσος ὑγείας ἐπιλαβούσης ἵσταται, οὐκ ἐνεργεῖ τὰ πάθη, τῆς ἀπαθείας παρούσης. Φροῦδος ὁ θάνατος, ἀφανὴς ἡ φθορὰ, ὅταν ἐν ἡμῖν βασιλεύῃ ἡ ζωὴ, καὶ ἡ ἀφθαρσία τὸ κράτος ἔχῃ. Γενηθήτω ἐν ἐμοὶ τὸ θέλημά σου, ἵνα σβεσθῇ τοῦ διαβόλου τὸ θέλημα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ζοφώδεσι τῶν σπηλαίων φωτὸς εἰσκομισθέντος ὁ ζόφος ἀφανίζεται, οὕτω τοῦ σοῦ θελήματος ἐν ἐμοὶ γενομένου, πᾶσα ἡ πονηρὰ καὶ ἄτοπος τῆς προαιρέσεως κίνησις εἰς τὸ μὴ ὂν περιΐσταται. Θέλημα γάρ σου ἡ σωτηρία τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστίν. Ὁ τοῦ πονηροῦ ῥυσθῆναι εὐχόμενος, ἔξω τῶν πειρασμῶν γενέσθαι παρακαλεῖ. Ὅταν δι' εὐχῆς αἰτησώμεθά τι τὸν ∆εσπότην, μὴ ταχέως ἐξατονήσωμεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ συνεχὲς τῆς ἀποτυχίας τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῆς αἰτήσεως ἐκνικήσωμεν. Ἐν ταῖς ἀναβολαῖς καὶ ταῖς ὑπερθέσεσι τῶν δωρεῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ μὴ προκάμωμεν, μηδὲ προαναπίπτωμεν. Πολλάκις γὰρ ὁ ∆εσπότης τὴν δοκοῦσαν ἀναβολὴν εἰς πίστεως γυμνασίαν παρέλκει. Καλὸν πάντοτε διὰ προσευχῆς ὁμιλεῖν τῷ Θεῷ. Εἰ γὰρ συντυχία ἀνδρὸς ἀγαθοῦ βελτιοῖ τὸν συντυγχάνοντα, πόσῳ μᾶλλον καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ προσομιλεῖν τῷ Θεῷ. Μέγα ἀγαθὸν εὐχὴ, ἐὰν μετὰ διανοίας εὐχαρίστου γένηται, ἐὰν παιδεύσωμεν ἑαυτοὺς, μὴ μόνον λαμβάνοντας,