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shepherds.” And a little later: “Thus says the Lord Adonai: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep from their hands, and I will cause them to cease from feeding my sheep.” And again: “And if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the sword comes and takes a soul from among them, that one is taken for his own sin, but his blood I will require from the watchman's hand.” These things are fearful and full of all horror, O brothers.

For this reason, let us be eager first to shepherd ourselves well, as Christ's flock, as a royal priesthood, and to subject the flesh to the spirit, so that the better part in us may not be overcome by the worse. And when we enter into the depth of humility and with the streams of its tears we wash away the stains of sin, and we acquire a meek and calm spirit from a contrite mind, and in a great thirst for the righteousness of God we are filled with the ineffable goods of his kingdom through the comfort of the Spirit, then, taking up bowels of compassion and sympathy from this, we may acquire a pure heart in perfect dispassion and we shall see the light of God, that is, the Holy Spirit himself, working and speaking in us the hidden mysteries of the kingdom of God, as having joined together (346) the things that were divided in us into one mind through deep peace, and let us first make peace with ourselves and make ourselves a harmonious instrument of body and soul in one Spirit to God; and not only this, but when also in many temptations, in many tribulations and misfortunes we endure for Christ and we endure being persecuted, and being blasphemed we entreat, and being cursed we bless, not counting evil against anyone in any way at all, but we endure all things, we bear all things, keeping our proven character unshaken from the foundation of the virtues, and so, through all and in all the things that have been said, when we have grown to the stature of Christ and have run up to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, in perfect knowledge of God and in the wisdom of the words and mysteries granted by the all-holy Spirit, then for the benefit of others also we will give ourselves as the least of slaves, if indeed we are also called from above, according to the Lord's voice: “Whoever wants to be first among you, let him be the slave of all and the servant of all.”

But until we arrive at this through many struggles, let us be at leisure, I beseech you, submitting ourselves to our fathers according to God and to God himself who holds all things together, repenting every day and being purified by tears according to God, so that we may be able to know God and that he is true to his promises to give to those who love him and do his divine commandments; who also will render to each his reward according to his works, when he delivers the kingdom, all things having been subjected to him, to God the Father, to whom is due all glory, honor, and worship, now and ever and unto the unending ages of ages. Amen.

DISCOURSE 12 (347)

On the saying of the Apostle: “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” And how one wisely redeems the time of the present life.

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ποιμένας». Καί μετ᾿ ὀλίγα· «Τάδε λέγει Ἀδωναΐ Κύριος· Ἰδού ἐγώ ἐπί τούς ποιμένας καί ἐκζητήσω τά πρόβατά μου ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν καί καταπαύσω αὐτούς τοῦ μή ποιμαίνειν τά πρόβατά μου». Καί πάλιν· «Καί ὁ σκοπός ἐάν ἴδῃ τήν ῥομφαίαν ἐρχομένην καί μή σαλπίσῃ τῇ σάλπιγγι καί ἐπελθοῦσα ἡ ῥομφαία λάβῃ ἐξ αὐτῶν ψυχήν, αὕτη μέν διά τήν αὐτῆς ἁμαρτίαν ἐλήφθη, τό δέ αἷμα αὐτῆς ἐκ τῆς χειρός τοῦ σκοποῦ ἐκζητήσω». Φοβερά ταῦτα καί φρίκης ἁπάσης, ὦ ἀδελφοί.

∆ιά δή τοῦτο σπουδάσωμεν ποιμᾶναι μᾶλλον πρότερον καλῶς ἑαυτούς ὡς Χριστοῦ ποίμνιον, ὡς βασίλειον ἱεραύτεμα, καί καθυποτάξαι τήν σάρκα τῷ πνεύματι, ἵνα μή τό κρεῖττον ἐν ἡμῖν ὑπό τοῦ χείρονος ἐκνικᾶται. Καί ὁπόταν εἰς τόν τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης βυθόν εἰσέλθωμεν καί τοῖς νάμασι ταύτης τῶν δακρύων τούς σπίλους τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀπολουσώμεθα, κτησώμεθα δέ πρᾷον καί γαληνόν τό πνεῦμα ἐκ συντετριμμένου φρονήματος, ἐν πολλῇ τε δίψῃ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαιοσύνης κορεσθῶμεν τῶν ἀπορρήτων ἀγαθῶν τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ διά τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος παρακλήσεως, εἶτα, σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ καί συμπαθείας ἐντεῦθεν ἀναλαβόντες, κτησώμεθα καθαράν τήν καρδίαν ἐν ἀπαθείᾳ τελείᾳ καί ὀψόμεθα τό φῶς τοῦ Θεοῦ, αὐτό τό Πνεῦμα δηλονότι τό Ἅγιον ἐνεργοῦν καί λαλοῦν ἐν ἡμῖν τά κεκρυμμένα μυστήρια τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείας, ὡς τά διεστῶτα ἐν ἡμῖν εἰς ἕν ἐπισυνάψαντες (346) φρόνημα διά τῆς βαθείας εἰρήνης, καί εἰρηνεύσωμεν πρῶτον ἡμᾶς αὐτούς καί σύμφωνον ὄργανον διά σώματος καί ψυχῆς ἀποτελέσωμεν ἑαυτούς ἐν ἑνί Πνεύματι τῷ Θεῷ, οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλ᾿ ὅταν καί ἐν πολλοῖς πειρασμοῖς, ἐν πολλαῖς θλίψεσι καί συμφοραῖς ὑπομείνωμεν τόν Χριστόν καί ἀνεχώμεθα διωκόμενοι καί βλασφημούμενοι παρακαλῶμεν καί καταρώμενοι εὐλογῶμεν, μή λογιζόμενοι τό κακόν ἐν μηδενί μηδαμῶς, ἀλλά πάντα στέγωμεν, πάντα ὑπομένωμεν, τό δοκίμιον ἡμῶν ἀσάλευτον τηροῦντες ἀπό τῆς ἀποβάθρας τῶν ἀρετῶν, καί οὕτως, διά πάντων καί ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς εἰρημένοις, ὅταν τήν κατά Χριστόν αὐξήσωμεν ἡλικίαν καί ἀναδράμωμεν εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐν γνώσει τελείᾳ Θεοῦ καί ἐν σοφίᾳ τῶν ὑπό τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος χορηγουμένων λόγων καί μυστηρίων, τότε καί ἐπί τῇ τῶν ἄλλων ὠφελείᾳ ὡς δούλους ἐσχάτους ἑαυτούς ἐπιδώσωμεν, εἴ γε καί καλούμεθα ἄνωθεν, κατά τήν τοῦ Κυρίου φωνήν· «Ὁ θέλων εἶναι πρῶτος ἐν ὑμῖν, ἔστω πάντων δοῦλος καί πάντων διάκονος».

Ἔως δέ εἰς τοῦτο διά πολλῶν ἀγώνων οὐ φθάσωμεν, σχολάσωμεν, παρακαλῶ, ὑποτασσόμενοι τοῖς κατά Θεόν πατράσιν ἡμῶν καί αὐτῷ τῷ συνέχοντι πάντα Θεῷ, καθ᾿ ἑκάστην μετανοοῦν τες καί τοῖς κατά Θεόν δάκρυσι καθαιρόμενοι, ὡς ἄν δυνηθῶμεν γνῶναι Θεόν καί ὅτι ἀψευδής ἐστι τά ἐπηγγελμένα παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ διδόναι τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν καί ποιοῦσιν αὐτοῦ τά θεῖα προστάγματα· ὅς καί καί ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ τόν μισθόν κατά τά ἔργα αὐτοῦ, ἡνίκα τήν βασιλείαν παραδώσει, τά πάντα ὑποταγέντα αὐτῷ τῷ Θεῷ καί Πατρί, ᾧ πρέπει πᾶσα δόξα, τιμή καί προσκύνησις, νῦν καί ἀεί καί εἰς τούς ἀτελευτήτους αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΙΒ΄ (347)

Εἰς τό ῥητόν τό λέγον τοῦ Ἀποστόλου· «Ἐξαγοραζόμενοι τόν καιρόν, ὅτι αἱ ἡμέραι πονηραί εἰσί». Καί πῶς ἐξαγοράζεταί τις φρονίμως τόν καιρόν τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς.