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and the angels from above seeing our affairs, but the word of the Lord is fulfilled in us, the one saying that: Seeing they do not see, and again: Hearing they rather stop up the ears of the soul and do not hear the words of the Spirit at all, for indeed they hear physically with fleshly ears, but they have spiritual ears and hearts that are veiled and cannot hear God at all. For in no way are they able by themselves to lift the veil of arrogance and insensibility, for they have placed this upon themselves by their will, and they want to have both eyes and ears covered, and for this reason they think that they both see and hear. But if someone should say to them: Hear me, children, and remove the veil from your heart; they grow wild at these very words, because he did not call them fathers, but addressed them as children, and they rather acquire hatred toward him from these words and are not able to perceive the passion that is in them, or rather the passions that darken the mind and senses and separate from God those already seized, who, having become slaves of conceit and pride by their will and having been taken captive, always fulfill their own will. These, having abandoned the laws of God, are a law to themselves, and they serve not God but themselves, O the audacity, seeking their own glory instead of the glory of God and hastening to establish it by all deeds and means. Therefore, the glory of Christ is the cross and the sufferings, which He endured for us, that He might glorify us; (381) but these things they do not wish to suffer, as He suffered, and they refuse to become partakers of the glory of God by refusing to suffer, as He suffered, and they wish, alas, rather for the honor that is from men and they voluntarily choose separation from God. But, O my Christ, deliver those who trust in You from defiled vainglory and pride and make them partakers of Your sufferings and glory and deem us worthy to be inseparable from You both now and unto the coming ages of ages. Amen.

53.

A discourse according to the dialogue of God and of the father of the words: and how this divine father, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, spoke with God and was initiated by Him into things both divine and human. (382)

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καί τούς ἀγγέλους ἄνωθεν τά καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς ὁρῶντας, ἀλλά πληροῦται εἰς ἡμᾶς ὁ λόγος τοῦ Κυρίου, ὁ λέγων ὅτι˙ Βλέποντες οὐ βλέπουσι, καί αὖθις˙ Ἀκούοντες τά ψυχικά ὦτα βύουσι μᾶλλον καί οὐδαμῶς ἀκούουσι τοῦ Πνεύματος τούς λόγους, καί γάρ ὠσίν ἀκούουσι σωματικῶς σαρκίνοις, ὦτα πνευματικά καρδάς δέ κεκαλυμμένα ἔχουσι καί οὐ δύνανται ὅλως Θεοῦ ἀκούειν. Οὐδαμῶς γάρ ἰσχύουσιν ἀφ᾿ ἑαυτῶν διάραι κάλυμμα τῆς ἐπάρσεως καί τῆς ἀναισθησίας, αὐτοί γάρ τοῦτο ἑαυτοῖς ἐπέθεντο θελήσει, καί βούλονται καλύπτεσθαι ὀφθαλμούς τε καί ὦτα, καί διά τοῦτο οἴονται καί βλέπειν καί ἀκούειν. Εἰ δέ γε τις ἐρεῖ αὐτοῖς˙ Ἀκούσατέ μου, τέκνα, καί ἄρατε τό κάλυμμα ἐκ τῆς ὑμῶν καρδίας˙ καί πρός αὐτά τά ῥήματα ἀγριαίνουσιν, ὅτι μή πατέρας ἐκάλεσεν, ἀλλά τέκνα προσεῖπε, καί μῖσος μᾶλλον πρός αὐτόν ἐκ τῶν λόγων προσκτῶνται καί συνιδεῖν οὐ δύνανται τό προσόν αὐτοῖς πάθος, μᾶλλον δέ πάθη τά τόν νοῦν σκοτίζοντα καί φρένας καί τοῦ Θεοῦ χωρίζοντα τούς προληφθέντας ἤδη, οἵ δοῦλοι τῆς οἰήσεως καί ὑπερηφανίας θελήσει χρηματίσαντες καί αἰχμαλωτισθέντες τό θέλημα τό ἴδιον ἀεί ἀποπληροῦσιν. Οὗτοι ἀφέντες νόμους τοῦ Θεοῦ ἑαυτοῖς εἰσι νόμος, καί οὐ Θεῷ ἀλλ᾿ ἑαυτόῖς λατρεύουσιν, ὤ τόλμης, ἀντί τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ τήν ἰδίαν ζητοῦντες καί στῆσαι ταύτην σπεύδοντες πᾶσιν ἔργοις καί τρόποις. ∆όξα οὖν πέλει τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁ σταυρός καί τά πάθη, ἅ καθυπέστη δι᾿ ἡμᾶς, ἵνα ἡμᾶς δοξάσῃ˙ (381) ταῦτα δ᾿ οὐ βούλονται παθεῖν, ὡς ἔπαθεν ἐκεῖνος, καί παραιτοῦνται μέτοχοι δόξης Θεοῦ γενέσθαι τῷ παραιτεῖσθαι τό παθεῖν, ὡς ἔπαθεν ἐκεῖνος, καί θέλουσιν, οἴμοι, τιμήν μᾶλλον τήν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων καί χωρισμόν ἀπό Θεοῦ ἑκουσίως αἱροῦνται. Ἀλλ᾿, ὦ Χριστέ μου, λύτρωσαι τούς εἰς σέ πεποιθότας κενοδοξίας μιαρᾶς καί ὑπερηφανίας καί συμμετόχους ποίησον παθῶν σου καί τῆς δόξης καί καταξίωσον ἡμᾶς ἀχωρίστους σου εἶναι νῦν τε καί εἰς τούς μέλλοντας αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΝΓ'.

Κατά διάλεκτον Θεοῦ καί τοῦ πατρός τῶν λόγων ὁ λόγος˙ καί ὅπως ὑπό τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐλλαμπόμενος ὁ θεῖος οὗτος πατήρ ὡμίλει Θεῷ καί ὑπ᾿ ἐκείνου ἐμυσταγωγεῖτο τά θεῖά τε καί ἀνθρώπινα. (382)