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we would not become friends and brothers, we would not become partakers and fellow heirs, nor would we come to be in contemplation and knowledge and experience of the aforementioned mysteries of God.

For this reason, let the one who has not been deemed worthy to attain to these things and to come into possession of such good things condemn himself alone and not say, making excuses in sins, that the thing is impossible, or that (321) it happens, but unknowingly; but let him know, being fully assured from the divine Scriptures, that the thing is possible and true, occurring in deed and operating knowably, but through laziness and lack of the commandments each one deprives himself of such good things in proportion; may it be that we all attain these things, having tasted from here and known that the Lord is good, and from there seeing Him whole and rejoicing with Him for the unending ages of ages; amen.

DISCOURSE 11. (322)

Concerning the life-giving mortification of Jesus and God which always occurs perceptibly in the perfect. And that the acquisition of the virtues is bought with blood; and what are the lodgings of the virtues, and that he who does not ascend in order through the first step into the kingdom of heaven will by no means enter into it. That in the perfect there is joy and exultation, and not tears, and the streams of theology gush forth. And toward the end, that it is necessary to leap upon positions of authority without the grace that fills our hearts, which calls one to shepherd the people of God; and what is the work of those who preside, and what is the care for the rational sheep, and how they ought to be shepherded by the shepherds.

The things of the life-giving mortification of Jesus and God and of its wondrous energy

which always occurs in those who are perfect in virtue and knowledge, not everyone who hears will also discern, even if someone thinks so, but only those who have clearly recognized and comprehended the most sacred saying of the Apostle that speaks thus: "For the form of this world is passing away, so that those who have wives should be as though they had none, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who weep as though they were not weeping, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who use the world as not making full use of it," so also those who are anxious as though not anxious, and (323) those who work as though not working. And again: "As dead, and behold, we live; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things." Do not, then, run past these things simply and think thus somehow to understand the power hidden in them, but understand for me precisely the inner disposition of your soul, beloved, and from things that are seen we will present to you the contemplation of what has been said; but pay attention to what is said with precision.

He who has already become dead is disposed toward none of the things seen with the senses; and he who has nothing is completely deprived, is in need of all things, desires all things; but he who possesses all things, for what other thing of life could he have his desire, having clearly embraced all things and not having left anything which he ought to desire to acquire? But blessed is he who has sought these things in deed, who has comprehended by experience and has seen and has learned. For our words are not empty words, but just as houses and cities and kingdoms are in places along the roads and in the countries, so also on the very road that leads to heaven are the commandments of God and the virtues according to

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οὐκ ἄν φίλοι καί ἀδελφοί, οὐκ ἄν συμμέτοχοι καί συγκληρονόμοι, οὐδέ τῶν εἰρημένων μυστηρίων Θεοῦ ἐν θεωρίᾳ καί γνώσει καί πείρᾳ γενώμεθα.

∆ιά τοι τοῦτο ὁ μή πρός ταῦτα φθάσαι καταξιωθείς καί τῶν τοιούτων ἐν κατασχέσει γενέσθαι καλῶν ἑαυτοῦ καταγινωσκέτω μόνου καί μή λεγέτω, προφασιζόμενος προφάσεις ἐν ἁμαρτίαις, ὅτι ἀδύνατον τό πρᾶγμα, ἤ ὅτι (321) γίνεται μέν, ἀγνώστως δέ· ἀλλά γινωσκέτω πληροφορούμενος ἀπό τῶν θείων Γραφῶν, ὅτι τό μέν πρᾶγμα δυνατόν καί ἀληθές ἐστιν, ἔργῳ γινόμενον καί γνωστῶς ἐνεργούμενον, τῇ δέ ἀργίᾳ καί ἐλλείψει τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτός ἑαυτόν ἕκαστος τῶν τοιούτων κατά ἀναλογίαν ἀποστερεῖ ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, ἐντεῦθεν μέν γευσαμένους καί γνόντας ὅτι χρηστός ὁ Κύριος, ἐκεῖθεν δέ ὅλον ὀψομένους αὐτόν καί εἰς ἀτελευτήτους αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων συνευφραινομένους αὐτῷ· ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΙΑ '. (322)

Περί τῆς ζωοποιοῦ νεκρώσεως τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καί Θεοῦ τῆς ἀεί γινομένης εὐαισθήτως ἐν τοῖς τελείοις. Καί ὅτι ἡ κτῆσις τῶν ἀρετῶν αἵματι ἀγοράζεται· καί τίνα τῶν ἀρετῶν τά καταγώγια καί ὅτι ὁ μή διά τῆς πρώτης βαθμίδος κατά τάξιν εἰς τήν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνερχόμενος οὐδαμῶς εἰσελεύσεται εἰς αὐτήν. Ὅτι ἐν τοῖς τελείοις χαρά καί ἀγαλλίασίς ἐστι, καί οὐ δάκρυον, καί βρύουσι τῆς θεολογίας τά ῥεῖθρα. Καί πρός τό τέλος, ὅτι δεῖ ἐπιπηδᾶν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς ἄνευ τῆς πληροφούσης τάς καρδίας ἡμῶν χάριτος, τῆς ἐπί τό ποιμαίνειν καλούσης τόν λαόν τοῦ Θεοῦ· καί τί τό ἔργον τῶν προϊσταμένων, τίς δέ ἡ περί τά λογικά πρόβατα φροντίς, καί πῶς ὀφείλουσι ταῦτα παρά τῶν ποιμένων ποιμαίνεσθαι.

Τά τῆς ζωοποιοῦ νεκρώσεως τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καί Θεοῦ καί τῆς θαυμαστῆς ἐνεργείας

αὐτῆς τῆς γινομένης ἀεί ἐν τοῖς τελείοις τήν ἀρετήν καί τήν γνῶσιν οὐ πᾶς τις ὁ ἀκούων καί διαγνώσεται, εἰ καί τοῦτό τις οἴεται, ἀλλ᾿ ἐκεῖνοι μόνοι οἱ ἐπιγνωκότες καί κατειληφότες ἐναργῶς τό οὕτω λέγον τοῦ Ἀποστόλου ἱερώτατον λόγιον· «Παράγει γάρ τό σχῆμα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, ἵνα καί οἱ ἔχοντες γυναῖκας ὡς μή ἔχοντες ὦσι καί οἱ ἀγοράζοντες ὡς μή κατέχοντες καί οἱ κλαίοντες ὡς μή κλαίοντες καί οἱ χαίροντες ὠς μή χαίροντες καί οἱ χρώμενοι τῷ κόσμῳ ὡς μή καταχρώμενοι», οὕτω καί οἱ μεριμνῶντες ὡς μή μεριμνῶντες καί (323) οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι ὡς μή ἐργαζόμενοι. Καί πάλιν· «Ὡς νεκροί, καί ἰδοῦ ζῶμεν, ὡς μηδέν ἔχοντες καί πάντα κατέχοντες». Μή οὖν παραδράμῃς ἁπλῶς ταῦτα καί οὕτω πως ἐννοεῖν τήν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐγκεκρυμμένην δύναμιν νόμιζε, ἀλλά κατανόει μοι ἀκριβῶς τήν ἔνδοθεν τῆς ψυχῆς σου διάθεσιν, ἀγαπητε, καί ἀπό τῶν ὁρωμένων πραγμάτων παραστήσομέν σοι τῶν εἰρημένων τήν θεωρίαν· πρόσεχε δέ τοῖς λεγομένοις ἐν ἀκριβείᾳ.

Ὁ ἤδη νεκρός γεγονώς, πρός οὐδέν τῶν ὁρωμένων ἐν αἰσθήσει διάκειται· καί ὁ μηδέν ἔχων, πάντως ἐστέρηται, πάντων χρῄζει, πάντων ἐπιθυμεῖ· ὁ δέ τά πάντα κατέχων, πρός ποῖον ἄλλο πρᾶγμα τοῦ βίου σχοίη τήν ἐπιθυμίαν αὐτοῦ, συμπεριλαβών δηλονότι τά πάντα καί μή καταλείψας μηδέν ὅ καί ἐπιθυμῆσαι ὀφείλει τοῦ κτήσασθαι; Ἀλλά μακάριος ὁ ἔργῳ ταῦτα ζητήσας, ὁ πείρᾳ καταλαβών καί ἰδών καί μαθών. Οὐ γάρ λόγοι κενοί οἱ λόγοι ἡμῶν εἰσιν, ἀλλά καθάπερ οἰκίαι καί πόλεις καί βασίλεια ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς καί ταῖς χώραις κατά τόπους εἰσίν, οὕτω καί ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ὁδῷ τῇ πρός οὐρανόν ἀπαγούσῃ αἱ ἐντολαί τοῦ Θεοῦ καί αἱ ἀρεταί κατά