166

or rather, being Himself God, how would He desire to seek glory or luxury at all in things that lie below? For these things are truly a shame to Him, an insult, contempt, and dishonor. But glory and luxury and wealth for Him are God, the Trinity, and the things of God and divine things, to whom is due all glory, honor, and power, both always and now and unto all ages, amen.

40.

A confession of the grace of the gifts of God; and how the father who writes these things was moved by the Holy Spirit; and a teaching spoken by God, of what one must do to attain the salvation of those who are being saved. (296)

Again the light shines upon me, again it is clearly seen, again it opens the heavens, again it cuts through the night, again it produces all things, again it alone is seen, again it places me outside all visible things, and likewise, ah, separates me from things of sense. Again He who is above all heavens, whom no man has ever seen, without opening the heavens, without cutting through the night, without parting the air nor the roof of a house, in an indivisible way becomes wholly with me, the wretched one, within my cell, within my mind and in the midst of my heart, O awesome mystery! While all things remain as they are, the light comes to me and lifts me up above all things, and while I am in the midst of all things it places me outside of all things. I do not know if in the body, but for now I am truly there in my entirety, where there is only light, simple light, beholding which I become simple in my lack of malice. These are Your paradoxical wonders, O my Christ, (297) these are the works of Your power and love for mankind, which You perform for us, the unworthy ones; for this reason, therefore, fear of You seizes me and I tremble and I am continually anxious and greatly consumed, wondering what I shall give You in return, what I shall offer You in exchange for so many gifts, so much compassion, for countless gifts, which you have worked in me. Finding nothing in myself, nothing of my own in my life, but that all things are Your servants, all are works of Your hands, I am the more ashamed, I am the more in pain, the more, O Savior, I implore to learn what must be done, that I might serve You, that I might be well-pleasing,

166

μᾶλλον δέ Θεός καί αὐτός χρηματίσας, πῶς ἐν τῶν κάτω κειμένων δόξαν ὅλως ἤ τρυφήν θελήσειεν ἐπιζητῆσαι; Ταῦτα γάρ αὐτῷ αἰσχύνη ὄντως πέλει, ὕβρις, ἐξουδένωσις καί ἀτιμία. ∆όξα δέ αὐτῷ καί τρυφή τε καί πλοῦτος Θεός, ἡ Τριάς, καί τά Θεοῦ καί θεῖα, ᾧ πρέπει πᾶσα δόξα, τιμή καί κράτος ἀεί τε καί νῦν καί εἰς πάντας αἰῶνας, ἀμήν.

Μ'.

Ὁμολογία τῆς χάριτος τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεῶν˙ καί ὅπως ὁ ταῦτα γράφων πατήρ ὑπό τοῦ Ἁγίου ἐνηργεῖτο Πνεύματος˙ καί διδασκαλία ῥηθεῖσα ὑπό Θεοῦ, τοῦ τί δεῖ ποιοῦντα τινά, τῆς τῶν σῳζομένων σωτηρίας τυχεῖν. (296)

Πάλιν ἐκλάμπει μοι τό φῶς, πάλιν τρανῶς ὁρᾶται, πάλιν ἀνοίγει οὐρανούς, πάλιν τέμνει τήν νύκτα, πάλιν παράγει ἅπαντα, πάλιν ὁρᾶται μόνον, πάλιν ἁπάντων ἔξω με ποιεῖ τῶν ὁρωμένων, τῶν αἰσθητῶν ὡσαύτως δέ, βαβαί, ἀποχωρίζει. Πάλιν ὁ πάντων οὐρανῶν ὑπεράνω τυγχάνων, ὅνπερ οὐδείς ἑώρακε πώποτε τῶν ἀνθρώπων, μή διανοίγων οὐρανούς, μή διατέμνων νύκτα, μηδέ ἀέρα διϊστῶν μηδέ στέγην οἰκίας ἀτόμως ὅλος μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ γίνεται, τοῦ ἀθλίου, ἔνδοθεν τοῦ κελλίου μου, ἔνδοθεν τοῦ νοός μου καί μέσον τῆς καρδίας μου, ὤ φρικτοῦ μυστηρίου! Μενόντων πάντων ὡς εἰσί, παραγίνεται πρός με τό φῶς καί ἀναφέρει με τῶν πάντων ὑπεράνω, καί μέσον πάντων ὄντων με ἔξω ποιεῖ πάντων. Οὐκ οἶδα εἰ καί σώματι, τέως δ᾿ ἐκεῖσε ὅλος ἐπ᾿ ἀληθείας γίνομαι, ἔνθα φῶς ἐστι μόνον, ἁπλοῦν, ὅ βλέπων γίνομαι ἁπλοῦς τῇ ἀκακίᾳ. Ταῦτά σου τά παράδοξα, Χριστέ μου, τῶν θαυμάτων, (297) ταῦτα τῆς δυναστείας σου καί τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τά ἔργα, ἅπερ εἰς ἡμᾶς ποιεῖς τούς ἀναξίους˙ διά τοῦτο οὖν φόβος σου συνέχει με καί τρέμω καί μεριμνῶ διηνεκῶς καί δαπανῶμαι σφόδρα, τό τί ἀνταποδώσω σοι, τό τί σοι προσενέγκω ἀντί τοσούτων δωρεῶν, τοσαύτης εὐσπλαγχνίας, ἀναριθμήτων δωρεῶν, ὧν εἰς ἐμέ εἰργάσω. Μηδέν δ᾿ εὑρίσκων ἐν ἐμοί, μηδέν ἐμόν ἐν βίῳ, ἀλλά τά πάντα δοῦλα σά, ἔργα πάντα χειρῶν σου, μειζόνως καταισχύνομαι, μειζόνως ὀδυνῶμαι, μειζόνως, Σῶτερ, δυσωπῶ μαθεῖν, τί δεῖ ποιῆσαι, ἵνα καί θεραπεύσω σε, ἵνα εὐαρεστήσω,