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O unworthy mouth and defiled lips, (407) O word of a poor tongue, at a loss to hymn you, to give thanks and to speak of your good deeds, which you have done for me, the orphan and stranger, being a stranger on earth. For those who are yours are strangers to the world, but your things and the things of your own, eyes do not see, a tongue cannot speak, nor the world contain. For this reason, therefore, Master, the world hates us, it persecutes, reviles, envies, rages, kills and does all things against us, falling into these things. But we, as you were well-pleased, your humble servants, are strong in weakness, in poverty we are rich, in all affliction we rejoice, being outside the world. We, O Master, are with you, but the world has the body. Therefore, the blind man wanders, holding only clay, which he will not even gain; for He will give it back spiritual, as you promised, at the last trumpet, and then he alone will gain his own evil things with those of like mind with him and the blind lovers of the world.

57.

That he who has desired God with his whole soul hates the world. (408)

I am held by a shadow and I see a truth, which is nothing else than sure hope. What hope then? That which eyes have not seen. What is this? Life, which all desire. And what is life but God the creator of all? Desire Him and hate the world. The world is death, for what does it have that is not fleeting?

58. A common teaching with reproof to all: kings, high priests, priests, monastics, laity, spoken and uttered from the mouth of God. (409)

O Christ, grant me words of wisdom, words of knowledge and divine understanding. For you know the weakness of my speech and my lack of external learning; you know that I have you alone as life and word and knowledge and wisdom, savior God and protector in life and the breath of my humble soul, I who am a stranger and humble in words. You are my hope, you are my help, you are my protection, you are my refuge,

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Ὤ ἀναξίου στόματος καί ῥυπαρῶν χειλέων, (407) ὤ λόγου γλώσσης πενιχρᾶς ὑμνεῖν σε ἀπορούσης, εὐχαριστεῖν τε καί λαλεῖν τάς σάς εὐεργεσίας, ἅς εἰς ἐμέ τόν ὀρφανόν ἐποίησας καί ξένον, ξένον ὑπάρχοντα ἐν γῇ. Οἰ γάρ σοί κόσμου ξένοι, τά δέ γε σά καί τά τῶν σῶν ὀφθαλμοί οὐχ ὁρῶσιν, γλῶσσα λαλεῖν οὐ δύναται, οὐδέ κόσμος χωρῆσαι. ∆ιά τοῦτο οὖν, ∆έσποτα, μισεῖ ἡμᾶς ὁ κόσμος, ἀποδιώκει, λοιδορεῖ, φθονεῖ, μαίνεται, κτείνει καί πάντα πράσσει καθ᾿ ἡμῶν περιπίπτων ἐν τούτοις˙ ἡμεῖς δέ, ὡς εὐδόκησας, οἱ ταπεινοί σου δοῦλοι ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ ἰσχυροί, ἐν πενίᾳ πλουτοῦμεν, ἐν πάσῃ θλίψει χαίρομεν ὄντες ἔξω τοῦ κόσμου. Ἡμεῖς, ὤ ∆έσποτα, σύν σοί, κόσμος δ᾿ ἔχει τό σῶμα. Λοιπόν, πλανᾶται ὁ τυφλός πηλόν κατέχων μόνον, ὅς οὐδ᾿ αὐτόν κερδήσειε˙ δώσει γάρ, ὡς ὑπέσχου, ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ σάλπιγγι πνευματικόν καί τοῦτον, καί τότε μόνος τά κακά τά ἴδια κερδήσει σύν τοῖς ὁμόφροσιν αὐτοῦ καί τυφλοῖς φιλοκόσμοις.

ΝΖ'.

Ὅτι ὁ τόν Θεόν ἐξ ὅλης ποθήσας ψυχῆς μισεῖ τόν κόσμον. (408)

Σκιᾷ κρατοῦμαι καί ἀλήθειαν βλέπω, ὅ οὐδέν ἐστιν ἤ ἐλπίς ἡ βεβαία. Ποίαν οὖν ἐλπίς; Ἥν ὀφθαλμοί οὐκ εἶδον. Αὔτη τί ἐστι; Ζωή, ἥν ἅπαντες ποθοῦσιν. Ἡ δέ ζωή τί ἤ Θεός κτίστης πάντων; Τοῦτον πόθησον καί μίσησον τόν κόσμον. Κόσμος θάνατος, τί γάρ ἄρρεστον ἔχει;

ΝΗ'. ∆ιδασκαλία κοινήν σύν ἐλέγχῳ πρός πάντας˙ βασιλεῖς, ἀρχιερεῖς, ἱερεῖς, μονάζοντας, λαϊκούς, ὑπό στόματος λαληθεῖσα καί λεγομένη Θεοῦ. (409)

Ὦ Χριστέ, παράσχου μοι λόγους σοφίας, λόγους γνώσεως καί συνέσεως θείας. Σύ γάρ οἶδάς μου τό ἀσθενές τοῦ λόγου καί ἀμέτοχον μαθήσεως τῆς ἔξω˙ σύ ἐπίστασαι, ὅτι σέ μόνον ἔχω ζωήν καί λόγον καί γνῶσιν καί σοφίαν, σωτῆρα Θεόν καί προστάτην ἐν βίῳ καί ἀναπνοήν τῆς ταπεινῆς ψυχῆς μου, ὁ ξένος ἐγώ καί ταπεινός τοῖς λόγοις. Σύ εἶ ἡ ἐλπίς μου, σύ ἡ ἀντίληψίς μου, σύ ἡ σκέπη μου, σύ ἡ καταφυγή μου,