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193

For if You shone from on high, You appeared in darkness and came, O compassionate One, into the world among men, (341) willing in Your love for mankind to live as we do, and You truly said that You are the light of the world, but we do not see You, are we not utterly blind, and more wretched than the blind, my Christ? Yes, truly, yes, in truth we are both dead and blind, not seeing You, the life-giving light. The blind do not see the physical sun, but yet they live, O Master, and move about in some way; for it does not grant life, but only sight. But You, being all good things, always give these to Your servants who see Your light, as You are life and provide life along with all the other good things, I say, which You Yourself are. He who truly has You has all things in You. May I not be deprived of You, O Master, may I not be deprived of You, O Creator, may I not be deprived of You, O compassionate One, I who am humble and a stranger; for I have become a stranger, as You were well-pleased, and a sojourner here not by my own choice, not a stranger by my own will, but by Your grace I knew myself to be a stranger to the things that are seen, having been intellectually illumined by Your light and knowing that You transport to an immaterial and invisible world, and You settle the human race, and You allot and divide a dwelling place worthy for each one, according to how he has kept Your commandments, O Savior. For this reason, therefore, I pray You to rank me with You, even if I have sinned much, more than all men, and am worthy of chastisement and punishment, but accept me who am supplicating like the publican and like the harlot, O Master, even if perhaps I do not weep, even if I do not likewise wipe Your feet with my hair, even if I do not groan and lament, O Christ, in a similar way; (342) but You pour forth mercy and gush with compassion, You are a fount of goodness, through which have mercy on me. Yes, You whose hands were pierced, yes, You whose feet were pierced on the cross and whose side was pierced by the lance, O all-merciful One, have mercy and deliver me from the eternal fire, having deemed me worthy to serve You well from here, and then to stand uncondemned before You and to be received within Your bridal chamber, O Savior, where I will rejoice with You, the good Master, with ineffable joy unto all the ages, amen.

193

Εἰ γάρ ἐξ ὕψους ἔλαμψας, ἐπέφανας ἐν σκότει καί παρεγένου, εὔσπλαγχνε, ἐν κόσμῳ μετ᾿ ἀνθρώπων, (341) ἀναστραφῆναι καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς θελήσας φιλανθρώπως καί φῶς τοῦ κόσμου σευτόν ἀψευδῶς ἔφης εἶναι, ἡμεῖς δέ οὐχ ὁρῶμέν σε, οὐχί τυφλοί εἰς ἅπαν, τυφλῶν τε ἀθλιώτεροι τυγχάνομεν, Χριστέ μου; Ναί, ὄντως, ναί, ὡς ἀληθῶς καί νεκροί καί τυφλοί τε ὑπάρχομεν μή βλέποντες σέ ζωοποιόν φάος. Τόν ἥλιον τόν αἰσθητόν οἱ τυφλοί οὐχ ὁρῶσιν, ἀλλά καί ζῶσι, ∆έσποτα, καί ὁπωσοῦν κινοῦνται˙ οὐ γάρ ζωήν χαρίζεται, ἀλλά τό βλέπειν μόνον. Σύ δέ ὑπάρχων ἅπαντα τά καλά, ἀεί δίδως ταῦτα τοῖς δούλοις σου τοῖς βλέπουσι τό φῶς σου, ὡς ὤν ζωή καί τήν ζωήν παρέχεις σύν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι, λέγω, τοῖς καλοῖς, ἅπερ αὐτός τυγχάνεις. Ὁ ἔχων σε ὡς ἀληθῶς ἔχει ἐν σοί τά πάντα. Μή στερηθῶ σου, ∆έσποτα, μή στερηθῶ σου, κτίστα, μή στερηθῶ σου, εὔσπλαγχνε, ὁ ταπεινός καί ξένος˙ ξένος γάρ, ὡς εὐδόκησας, καί πάροικος ἐνταῦθα οὐ προαιρέσει γέγονα, οὐ θελήσει μου ξένος, ἀλλά τῇ χάριτι τῇ σῇ ἐμαυτόν ἔγνων ξένον τῶν ὁρωμένων νοερῶς ἐλλαμφθείς τῷ φωτί σου καί γνούς ὅτι πρός ἄϋλον καί ἀόρατον κόσμον μετάγεις, κατοικίζεις τε τό ἀνθρώπινον φῦλον, μερίζεις τε καί διαιρεῖς ἀξίους κατοικίας ἑκάστῳ, ὡς ἐφύλαξεν, Σωτήρ, τάς ἐντολάς σου. ∆ιά τοῦτο οὖν δέομαι σύν σοί με κατατάξαι, εἰ καί πολλά ἐξήμαρτον ὑπέρ πάντας ἀνθρώπους καί ἄξιος κολάσεως εἰμί καί τιμωρίας, ἀλλά με ἱκετεύοντα δέξαι ὡς τόν τελώνην καί ὡς τήν πόρνην, ∆έσποτα, εἰ καί μή ἴσως κλαίω, εἰ μή ὁμοίως πόδας σου ταῖς θριξί μου ἐκμάσσω, εἰ μή στενάζω καί θρηνῶ, Χριστέ, παραπλησίως˙ (342) ἀλλά ἐκβλύζεις ἔλεος καί βρύεις εὐσπλαγχνίαν, πηγάζεις ἀγαθότητα, δι᾿ ὧν ἐλέησόν με. Ναί, ὁ παγείς τάς χεῖράς σου, ναί, ὁ παγείς τούς πόδας ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ καί λογχευθείς τήν πλευράν, πανοικτίρμον, ἐλέησον καί ῥῦσαί με πυρός τοῦ αἰωνίου, καλῶς καταξιώσας με ἐντεῦθέν σοι δουλεῦσαι, ἀκαταγνώστως τότε δέ στῆναι ἐνώπιόν σου καί προσδεχθῆναι ἔνδοθεν τοῦ νυμφῶνός σου, Σῶτερ, ἔνθα συνευφρανθήσομαι σοί, τῷ καλῷ ∆εσπότῃ, ἀνεκλαλήτῳ χαρᾷ εἰς πάντας τούς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν.