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And another measure of spiritual poverty, a perfect measure neither small nor great. For God hates these things not unjustly, but justly, as not at all just; for the small falls short of what is just through neglect or even contempt, remaining useless reasonably and justly; but that which is not small, but happens to be great leads the one who possesses it to presumption and harms all others who use it. A just measure of humility is neither to despair of oneself completely, nor to think that there is anyone in the world worse than oneself in unseemly deeds, and to weep always and lament for this reason and to despise all visible things. For this is a proof of the mourning, which comes from the soul according to God. But if he clings to any of the visible things, he has not yet known himself with perception, nor has he received fear in his heart of divine judgment and eternal fire, nor has he acquired perfect humility, and for this reason he falls away from both the vision and the gift of those good things, which no eye of man has seen. Let us all hasten to find humility, (199) the nameless grace of our souls, which has no name, but through experience becomes named for those who have acquired it. Christ is meek and humble in heart; he who has acquired Him as an indweller knows that through Him he has humility, or rather He Himself is humility. A soul seeking glory from men has not known this humility at all; but he who has acquired even some conceit, how will he have humility within himself? Truly in no way! Woe to me the all-wretched one, the vainglorious and exalted, who has acquired not one virtue and insensibly passes by them all

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Μέτρον ἄλλο δέ πνευματικῆς πτωχείας, μέτρον τέλειον οὐ μικρόν οὐδέ μέγα. Ταῦτα γάρ μισεῖ ὁ Θεός οὐκ ἀδίκως, ἀλλά δικαίως, ὡς οὐ δίκαια πάντως˙ τό μέν γάρ μικρόν λείπεται τοῦ δικαίου ἐν ἀμελείᾳ ἤ καί καταφρονήσει, μένον ἄχρηστον εὐλόγως καί δικαίως˙ τό δέ οὐ μικρόν, ἀλλά μέγα τυγχάνον εἰς ἀπόνοιαν φέρει τόν κεκτημένον καί πάντας ἄλλους βλάπτει τούτῳ χρωμένους. ∆ίκαιον μέτρον ταπεινώσεως ἔστι τό μήτε πάντῃ αὐτοῦ ἀπογινώσκειν, μήτε οἴεσθαι εἶναί τινα ἐν κόσμῳ χείρονα ἑαυτόῦ ἐν πράξεσιν ἀτόποις, κλαίειν τε ἀεί καί θρηνεῖν διά τοῦτο καί καταφρονεῖν πάντων τῶν ὁρωμένων. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τεκμήριον τοῦ πένθους, τοῦ κατά Θεόν ἐκ ψυχῆς γινομένου. Εἰ δ᾿ ἀντέχεταί τινος τῶν ὁρωμένων, οὔπω ἑαυτόν ἔγνωκεν ἐν αἰσθήσει, οὐδέ φόβον ἔλαβεν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ κρίσεως θείας καί πυρός αἰωνίου, οὐδ᾿ ἐκτήσατο ταπείνωσιν τελεία, καί διά τοῦτο ἐκπίπτει καί τῆς θέας καί τῆς δωρεᾶς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐκείνων, ὧνπερ ὀφθαλμός οὐδείς ἀνθρώπων εἶδεν. Σπεύσωμεν πάντες ταπείνωσιν εὑρέσθαι, (199) τήν ἀνώνυμον τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν χάριν, ἥτις οὐκ ἔχει ὄνομα, τῇ δέ πείρᾳ ἐνωνύμως γίνεται τοῖς κεκτημένοις. Πρᾷος ὁ Χριστός, ταπεινός τῇ καρδίᾳ˙ ἔνοικον τοῦτον ὁ κτησάμενος ἔγνω ὅτι δι᾿ αὐτοῦ τήν ταπείνωσιν ἔχει, μᾶλλον δέ αὐτός ἡ ταπείνωσις ἔστι. Ψυχή ζητοῦσα δόξαν ἐκ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ταύτην τήν ταπείνωσιν ὅλως οὐκ ἔγνω˙ ὁ δέ οἴησιν κἄν ποσῶς κεκτημένος, πῶς ἐντός αὐτοῦ τήν ταπείνωσιν ἕξει; Οὐδαμῶς ὄντως! Οἴμοι τῷ παναθλίῳ, τῷ κενοδόξῳ καί κατεπαιρομένῳ καί μηδέ μίαν ἀρετήν κεκτημένῳ καί ἀναισθήτως πάσας παρερχομένῳ