141

It is not so, brothers, it is not, do not be deceived, but just as those who have a life and a wife and children and who desire wealth and temporary glory hasten and run to accomplish what seems good, so also everyone who repents and everyone who serves God ought to hasten and always be solicitous, so that his repentance may be acceptable and his service may become perfectly well-pleasing, and then, being wholly reconciled to God by these things, he is wholly united and sees him face to face and receives boldness before him accordingly, inasmuch as he hastens to fulfill his will, may we too be deemed worthy to do this and to partake of mercy with all the saints, now, indeed, as far as is possible in this age, but there, we will receive the whole Christ, the whole Divine Spirit, in the Father, unto ages of ages; amen.

28.

Concerning the intelligible revelation of the energies of the divine light and of the noetic and divine work of the virtuous life. (217)

Leave me enclosed alone in my cell, leave me with God, the only lover of mankind, stand away, depart, let me die alone before God who fashioned me. Let no one knock at the door, let no one utter a sound, let none of my relatives or friends visit me, let no one draw my mind and pull it away from the contemplation of the good and beautiful Master, let no one give me food, nor bring me drink. For it will be enough for me to die before my God, the merciful God, the God who loves mankind, who came down to earth to call sinners and to bring them with him into the divine life. I no longer want to see the light of this world, nor the sun itself, nor the things in the world; for I see my Master, I see the King, I see the one who is truly light and the creator of all light,

141

Οὐκ ἔστιν οὕτως, ἀδελφοί, οὐκ ἔστι, μή πλανᾶσθε, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς οἱ βίον ἔχοντες καί γυναῖκα καί τέκνα καί πλούτου ἐφιέμενοι καί δόξης τῆς προσκαίρου σπουδάζουσι καί τρέχουσι τό δοκοῦν ἐκπληρῶσαι, οὕτω καί πᾶς μετανοῶν καί πᾶς Θεῷ δουλεύων ὀφείλει σπεύδειν καί ἀεί ἐμμέριμνος ὑπάρχειν, ὅπως εὐπρόσδεκτος αὐτοῦ ἡ μετάνοια ἔσται καί ἡ δουλεία γένηται εὐάρεστος τελεία, καί τότε ὅλως τῷ Θεῷ οἰκειωθείς ἐκ τούτων ὅλος ἑνοῦται καί αὐτόν κατά πρόσωπον βλέπει καί παρρησίαν πρός αὐτόν ἀναλόγως λαμβάνει, καθ᾿ ὅσον σπεύδει τό αὐτοῦ θέλημα ἐκπληρῶσαι, ὅπερ ἀξιωθείημεν καί ἡμεῖς τοῦ ποιῆσαι καί τοῦ ἐλέους μετασχεῖν μετά πάντων ἁγίων, νῦν μέν καθ᾿ ὅσον ἐφικτόν ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἐκεῖ δέ ὅλον τόν Χριστόν, ὅλον τό Θεῖον Πνεῦμα, ἐν τῷ Πατρί ληψόμεθα εἰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων˙ ἀμήν.

ΚΗ'.

Περί νοητῆς ἀποκαλύψεως τῶν ἐνεργειῶν τοῦ θείου φωτός καί ἐργασίας νοερᾶς τε καί θείας τῆς ἐναρέτου ζωῆς. (217)

Ἐάσατε τῇ κέλλῃ με μόνον ἐγκεκλεισμένον, ἄφετέ με μετά Θεοῦ τοῦ μόνου φιλανθρώπου, ἀπόστητε, μακρύνατε, ἐάσατέ με μόνον ἀποθανεῖν ἐνώπιον Θεοῦ τοῦ πλάσαντός με. Μηδείς τῇ θύρᾳ κρούσειε, μηδείς φωνήν ἀφήσῃ, μηδείς ἐπισκέψατω με τῶν συγγενῶν ἤ φίλων, μηδείς μου τήν διάνοιαν ἑλκύσας ἀποσπάσῃ τῆς θεωρίας τοῦ καλοῦ καί ὡραίου ∆εσπότου, μηδείς μοι βρῶμα δώσειε, μή πόμα μοι κομίσῃ. Ἀρκέσει γάρ μοι τό θανεῖν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Θεοῦ μου, Θεοῦ τοῦ ἐλεήμονος, Θεοῦ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου, τοῦ κατελθόντος ἐπί γῆς ἁμαρτωλούς καλέσαι καί σύν αὐτῷ εἰς τήν ζωήν εἰσαγαγεῖν τήν θείαν. Οὐ θέλω ἔτι κατιδεῖν τό φῶς τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, οὐδέ αὐτόν τόν ἥλιον, οὐδέ τά ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ˙ βλέπω γάρ τόν ∆εσπότην μου, βλέπω τόν Βασιλέα, βλέπω τόν ὄντως ὄντα φῶς καί παντός φωτός κτίστην,