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shepherds.” And after a little: “Thus says the Lord Adonai: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand, and 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 any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.” These things are terrible and of all dread, O brothers.

For this reason, let us be diligent 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 conquered by the worse. And when we enter into the depth of humility and with the streams of its tears wash away the stains of sin, and acquire a gentle and calm spirit from a contrite mind, and in great thirst for the righteousness of God are filled with the ineffable goods of His kingdom through the comfort of the Spirit, then, having taken up bowels of mercy and compassion from this, let us 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 what is divided in us into one (346) mind through deep peace, and let us first make peace within ourselves and make ourselves a harmonious instrument through body and soul in one Spirit to God, and not only this, but when also in many trials, in many tribulations and calamities we endure for Christ and we bear being persecuted and being blasphemed we entreat, and being cursed we bless, not counting evil against anyone in any way, but we endure all things, we bear all things, keeping our proven character unshaken from the foundation of the virtues, and thus, through all and in all the things that have been said, when we increase in the stature of Christ and 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 also for the benefit of others let us give ourselves as the least slaves, if indeed we are also called from above, according to the voice of the Lord: “Whoever wishes to be first among you, let him be the slave of all and servant of all.”

But until we arrive at this through many struggles, let us be at leisure, I beseech you, submitting to our fathers in God and to God himself who holds all things together, repenting daily and being cleansed by tears according to God, so that we may be able to know God and that He is true in giving the things promised by him to those who love him and do his divine commandments; who will also 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 belongs all glory, honor, and worship, now and ever and unto the endless ages of ages. Amen.

DISCOURSE 12 (347)

On the saying of the Apostle: “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” And how one may prudently redeem 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.