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and these will go up to meet the Lord, each according to his worth: as one has prepared himself, he will certainly be near or far from the creator, and he will be with him for endless ages, leaping and enjoying unending delight, amen.

51.

That when the Holy Spirit shines in us, all the passions are put to flight, as darkness by the light; but when he withdraws his rays, we are struck by these and by evil thoughts. (370)

Your light shining around me gives me life, my Christ, for to see you is life, and it is resurrection. How to speak of the energies of your light, I cannot, but this I have known by deed and I know, my God, that whether by sickness, Master, or by afflictions or by sorrows, or in bonds or in hunger or in prison I am held, or am constrained by more terrible pains, my Christ, your light shining drives all away like darkness, and in relief and light and enjoyment of light suddenly your Divine Spirit makes me be. The afflictions I have known as smoke, the thoughts as darkness, and the temptations as arrows, the cares as gloom, and the passions proving to be wild beasts, O Word, from which you freed me, from which you rescued me long ago, little by little flashing your divine light in me, and now, being in the midst of these, Christ, my God, you keep me unwounded, sheltering me with your light. But since I stumble very much, sinning every hour, since I am lifted up with pride, since I provoke you, I beg for your compassionate correction, my Christ, which I also feel strongly coming to be in me by the withdrawal from me of the unapproachable, Master, and all-radiant and divine (371) light that shelters me. For as when the sun sets, night and darkness come and all the wild beasts go out for food, so when your light, O my God, uncovers me, immediately the darkness of life, a sea of thoughts, envelops me and the beasts of passion devour me, and I am wounded by the arrows of all thoughts. But when you are moved with compassion again, when you have mercy, when you give ear to my mournful laments and attend to my groans and accept my tears and you are willing to look upon the humility of me who has sinned unforgivably, my Christ,

210

εἰς ἀπάντησιν καί οὗτοι τοῦ ∆εσπότου ἀναβήσονται, ἕκαστος κατ᾿ἀξίαν˙ ὡς ἑαυτόν τις προευτρέπισε πάντως ἐγγύθεν ἤ πόρρωθεν ἔσται τοῦ κτίστου, συνέσται τ᾿ αὐτῷ εἰς ἀπείρους αἰῶνας σκιρτῶν καί τερπόμενος ἄληκτον τέρψιν, ἀμήν.

ΝΑ'.

Ὅτι τοῦ Πνεύματος λάμποντος ἐν ἡμῖν τοῦ Ἁγίου πάντα τά τῶν παθῶν φυγαδεύονται ὡς ὑπό τοῦ φωτός τό σκότος˙ συστέλλοντος δέ αὐτοῦ τάς ἀκτῖνας, ὑπό τούτων καί τῶν πονηρῶν βαλλόμεθα λογισμῶν. (370)

Τό φῶς σου περιλάμπον με ζωογονεῖ, Χριστέ μου, τό γάρ ὁρᾶν σε ζώωσις, ἀνάστασίς τε πέλει. Τό πῶς εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἔχω σου φωτός τάς ἐνεργείας, πλήν τοῦτο ἔργῳ ἔγνωκα καί γινώσκω, Θεέ μου, ὅτι κἄν νόσῳ, ∆έσποτα, κἄν θλίψεσι κἄν λύπαις κἄν ἐν δεσμοῖς κάν ἐν λιμῷ κἄν φυλακῇ κρατῶμαι, κἄν δεινοτέροις ἀλγεινοῖς συνέχωμαι, Χριστέ μου, τό φῶς σου λάμψαν ἅπαντα ὡς σκότος ἀπελαύνει, καί ἐν ἀνέσει καί φωτί καί φωτός ἀπολαύσει αἴφνης ποιεῖ με γίνεσθαι τό Πνεῦμά σου τό Θεῖον. Τάς θλίψεις ἔγνων ὡς καπνόν, τούς λογισμούς ὡς σκότος, ὡς βέλη τε τούς πειρασμούς, τάς μερίμνας ὡς ζόφον, ὡς δέ θηρία τά πάθη χρηματίζοντα, Λόγε, ἐξ ὧν με ἠλευθέρωσας, ἐξ ὧν ἐρρύσω πάλαι, κατά μικρόν ἐκλάμψας σου φῶς ἐν ἐμοί τό θεῖον, καί νῦν ἐν μέσῳ τούτων ὄντα με, Χριστέ, Θεέ μου, διαφυλάττεις ἄτρωτον, σκέπων με τῷ φωτί σου. Ἐπεί δέ πταίω πάμπολλα, καθ᾿ ὥραν ἁμαρτάνων, ἐπεί δέ κατεπαίρομαι, ἐπεί σε παροργίζω, δέομαι τῆς εὐσπλάγχνου σου παιδεύσεως, Χριστέ μου, ἥν καί σφοδρῶς αἰσθάνομαι ἐν ἐμοί γενομένην τοῦ ἀπροσίτου, ∆έσποτα, καί παμφαοῦς καί θείου (371) ὑποχωρήσει ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ φωτός τοῦ σκέποντός με. Ὡς γάρ ἡλίου δύναντος νύξ γίνεται καί σκότος καί ἐξίασιν ἅπαντα πρός βρῶσιν τά θηρία, οὕτως ἀποσκεπάζον με, ὦ Θεέ μου, τό φῶς σου, εὐθύς τοῦ βίου σκότος με, θάλασσα λογισμῶν τε περικαλύπτει καί παθῶν θηρία κατεσθίει, καί βέλεσι τιτρώσκομαι τῶν λογισμῶν ἁπάντων. Ἐπάν δέ πάλιν σπλαγχνισθῇς, ἐπάν κατελεήσῃς, ἐπάν ἀπακροάσῃ τε τῶν γοερῶν μου θρήνων καί στεναγμούς ἑνωτισθῇς καί δάκρυα προσδέξῃ καί ἐπί τήν ταπείνωσιν ἐπιβλέψαι θελήσῃς ἐμοῦ τοῦ ἁμαρτήσαντος ἀσύγγνωστα, Χριστέ μου,