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He said, being done in practice} “And why are you anxious about clothing or food? Do you not see the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, how the one grows, and the other is fed?”. Thus abolishing the one, and confirming the other, the Lord teaches us how we must work with care without being anxious, and how, being free from anxiety, to abstain from unsuitable work.

83. Do not destroy your own house in your desire to build your neighbor's} for see how difficult and hard the work is, lest in choosing this, you both tear down your own, and are not at all able to build up his.

84. If you have not acquired perfect detachment from the things and possessions of this life, do not wish to be entrusted with the management of things, lest you be caught up in these and instead of receiving the reward for service, you will suffer the condemnation of a thief and a temple-robber. But if you are compelled to this by your superior, be disposed as one handling a burning fire, and repelling the assault of a thought through confession (408) and repentance, you will be kept unharmed by the prayer of your superior.

85. He who has not become dispassionate does not even know that dispassion exists, nor can he even believe that there is any such person on earth. For how will he who has not first denied himself and eagerly poured out his own blood for the sake of this truly blessed life suppose another has done these things in order to acquire dispassion? So also he who thinks he has the Holy Spirit, while having nothing, never believes, when he hears of its energies occurring in those who have the Holy Spirit, that there is someone in this generation, equally with the apostles of Christ and the saints from of old, who is energized and moved by the divine Spirit or who is knowingly and perceptibly in a vision of it. For each one judges the things of his neighbor from his own state as he is, whether one speaks of virtue or of vice.

86. Dispassion of the soul is one thing, and dispassion of the body is another} for the former also sanctifies the body with its own radiance and with the effulgence of the Spirit, but the latter by itself alone can benefit its possessor in no way.

87. The immobility of the members of both soul and body is one thing, and the acquisition of virtues is another} for the one is present from nature, but the other represses all the natural movements.

88. Not to desire any of the delightful and pleasant things of the world is not the same as to long for the eternal and unseen goods} for this is one thing and that is another} for many have despised the former, but few of men have cared for the latter.

89. It is not the case that to turn away from and not seek the glory of men, (409) is the same as to depend on the glory of God, but there is a great distance between them} for many, being mastered by other passions, have rejected the former, but very few have been deemed worthy to receive the latter with great toil and labor.

90. To be content with humble clothing and not to desire splendid apparel is not one and the same as being clothed in the light of God} for this is one thing and that is another} for some, being dragged down by countless desires, have easily despised the former, but the latter is put on only by those who unceasingly seek it through every hardship and become sons of light and of day through the fulfillment of the commandments.

91. To speak humbly is one thing, and to think humbly is another, and humility is one thing and the flower of humility is another, and its fruit is another thing, and the beauty of this fruit and the sweetness of the beauty is another, and besides these, the energies from this fruit are another thing. Of these, some are in our power, and some are not in our power} and those in our power are to understand all things, to think all things, to reckon all things and to say and

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ἐμπράκτως γινομένης ἔφη} «Καί περί ἐνδύματος ἤ τροφῆς τί μεριμνᾶτε; οὐχ ὁρᾶτε τά κρίνα τοῦ ἀγροῦ καί τά πετεινά τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πῶς τά μέν αὐξάνει, τά δέ διατρέφεται;». Οὕτω τήν μέν ἀναιρῶν, τήν δέ βεβαιῶν, ὁ Κύριος διδάσκει ἡμᾶς πῶς δεῖ μή μεριμνῶντας μεμεριμνημένως ἐργάζεσθαι, καί πῶς ἀμερίμνους ὄντας τῆς μή προσηκούσης ἐργασίας ἀπέχεσθαι.

πγ'. Μή καταλύσῃς σου τήν οἰκίαν ἐν τῷ βούλεσθαί σε τήν τοῦ πλησίον οἰκοδομῆσαι} ὅρα γάρ ὡς χαλεπόν τό ἔργον καί δύσκολον, μήποτε προαιρουμένου σου τοῦτο, καί τήν σήν καθαιρήσῃς, καί ἀνοικοδομῆσαι τήν ἐκείνου ἰσχύσῃς οὐδόλως.

πδ'. Ἐάν μή τελείαν ἀπροσπάθειαν τῶν πραγμάτων καί τῶν χρημάτων κτήσῃ τοῦ βίου, μή θελήσῃς οἰκονομίαν ἐγχειρισθῆναι πραγμάτων, ἵνα μή ἁλῷς ἐν τούτοις καί ἀντί τοῦ λήψεσθαι μισθόν διακονίας, κλέπτου καί ἱερόσυλου καταδίκην ὑφέξεις. Εἰ δέ ὑπό τοῦ προεστῶτος πρός τοῦτο ἐκβιασθῇς, ὡς πῦρ μεταχειριζόμενος φλέγον διάκεισο, καί τήν προσβολήν τοῦ λογισμοῦ δι᾿ ἐξαγορεύσεως (408) καί μετανοίας ἀπείργων, ἀβλαβής τῇ τοῦ προεστῶτος εὐχῇ διατηρηθήσῃ.

πε'. Ὁ μή γεγονώς ἀπαθής οὐδ᾿ ὅτι ἐστίν ἀπάθεια οἶδεν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέ πιστεύειν εἶναί τινα τοιοῦτον ἐπί τῆς γῆς δύναται. Πῶς γάρ ὁ μή ἑαυτόν ἀπαρνησάμενος πρῶτον καί τό αἷμα προθύμως κενώσας τό ἑαυτοῦ ὑπέρ τῆς μακαρίας ταύτης τῷ ὄντι ζωῆς ἄλλον ὑπονοήσει ταῦτα πεποιηκέναι εἰς τό κτήσασθαι τήν ἀπάθειαν; Οὕτω δέ καί ὁ δοκῶν Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον ἔχειν, μηδέν ἔχων, οὐ πιστεύει ποτέ, τάς ἐνεργείας αὐτοῦ γινομένας ἀκούων ἐν τοῖς τό Πνεῦμα τό Ἅγιον ἔχουσιν, ὅτι ἔστι τις κατά τήν γενεάν ταύτην, ἐπίσης τοῖς ἀποστόλοις Χριστοῦ καί τοῖς ἀπ᾿ αἰῶνος ἁγίοις, θείῳ ἐνεργούμενος καί κινούμενος Πνεύματι ἤ ἐν ὀπτασίᾳ τούτου γνωστῶς καί εὐαισθήτως γινόμενος. Ἕκαστος γάρ ἐκ τῆς οἰκείας καταστάσεως καί τά τοῦ πλησίον κρίνει ὡς ἔχει, εἴτε ἀρετῆς εἰπεῖν εἴτε κακίας.

πστ'. Ἄλλο ἀπάθεια ψυχῆς καί ἄλλο ἀπάθεια σώματος} ἡ μέν γάρ καί τό σῶμα καθαγιάζει τῇ οἰκείᾳ λαμπρότητι καί τῇ φωτοχυσίᾳ τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἡ δέ αὐτή μόνη καθ᾿ ἑαυτήν εἰς οὐδέν τόν κεκτημένον ὠφελεῖν δύναται.

πζ'. Ἕτερον ἀκινησία τῶν ψυχικῶν τε καί σωματικῶν μελῶν καί ἕτερον κτῆσις ἀρετῶν} ἡ μέν γάρ ἐκ φύσεως πρόσεστιν, ἡ δέ καί τάς φυσικάς κινήσεις ἁπάσας καταστέλλει.

πη'. Οὐκ ἔστι τό μή ἐπιθυμεῖν τινος τῶν τοῦ κόσμου τερπνῶν καί ἡδέων ἴσον τοῦ τῶν αἰωνίων καί ἀοράτων ἐφίεσθαι ἀγαθῶν} ἄλλο γάρ τοῦτο καί ἕτερον ἐκεῖνο} τῶν μέν γάρ προτέρων πολλοί κατεφρόνησαν, τῶν δέ δευτέρων ὀλίγοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐφρόντισαν.

πθ'. Οὐκ εἴ τι τό ἀποστρέφεσθαι καί μή ζητεῖν τήν δόξαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, (409) τοῦτό ἐστι καί τό τῆς δόξης ἐκκρέμασθαι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλά πολύ τό μέσον ἐν ἀμφοτέροις} τήν μέν γάρ καί ὑπό παθῶν ἄλλων πολλοί κυριευθέντες ἀπώσαντο, τήν δέ ὀλίγοι λίαν κόπῳ καί πόνῳ πολλῷ λαβεῖν ἠξιώθησαν.

$'. Οὐχ ἕν τό εὐτελεῖ ἐσθῆτι ἀρκεῖσθαι καί μή ἐπιθυμεῖν στολῆς λαμπρᾶς καί τό ἐνδεδῦσθαι τό φῶς ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ} τοῦτο γάρ ἕτερον κἀκεῖνο ἄλλο} τοῦ μέν γάρ ὑπό μυρίων ἐπιιθυμιῶν καθελκόμενοί τινες εὐκόλως κατεφρόνησαν, τό δέ μόνοι περιβάλλονται ἐκεῖνοι οἱ ἀνενδότως αὐτό ζητοῦντες διά πάσης κακοπαθείας καί υἱοί φωτός καί ἡμέρας διά τῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν γινόμενοι ἐκπληρώσεως.

$α'. Ἄλλο τό ταπεινολογεῖν καί ἕτερον τό ταπεινοφρονεῖν, καί ἄλλο ταπείνωσις καί ἕτερον τό ἄνθος τῆς ταπεινώσεως, καί ὁ ταύτης καρπός ἄλλο καί τό τοῦ καρποῦ τούτου κάλλος καί τό τοῦ κάλλους ἡδύ ἕτερον, καί ἄλλο παρά ταῦτα αἱ ἐκ τοῦ καρποῦ τούτου ἐνέργειαι. Τούτων δέ τά μέν ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν εἰσι, τά δέ οὐκ ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν} καί τά μέν ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν, τό πάντα νοεῖν, τό πάντα φρονεῖν, τό πάντα λογίζεσθαι καί λέγειν καί