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but to rescue him and myself likewise, but if not, to remain above and mourn the one who has fallen and to flee, with all my strength, from falling with him. But now raise me up, lead me up from the chaos and set me on the rock, Christ, of your commandments and show me again the light, which the world does not contain, but outside the world and visible light and the perceptible air and heaven and all perceptible things, it makes the one seeing it, my Savior, to be the same; whether without the body, or with it at all, not knowing, O God, at that hour, but I think, being then like an immaterial luminary, shining with the beauty of the noetic sun, he is not able to see his own light with perception, but he sees only that luminary that never sets, comprehending the impossible beauty of its glory, and being exceedingly astonished, he is not able to understand it, nor to comprehend the manner of the vision, how or where he who is everywhere in an ineffable way is seen, is circumscribed, willing it among the saints. But all we who are initiates of such things know this, (357) that we are then truly outside the world and we remain, as long as we see it, and again we are found in the body and in the world. And remembering the joy and that light and the sweet pleasure, we lament and mourn, just as an infant child, seeing its mother and remembering the sweetness of milk, whimpers until it can take hold of her and suckle to its fill. This we ask now, for this we implore you, for this we fall down to receive it inalienably, Savior, so that we may now be nourished, all-merciful One, by this bread that comes down noetically from heaven and imparts life to all who partake, and departing, and making the journey toward you, we may have it as a fellow traveler, a helper and a deliverer and with it and through it may we be brought to you, Savior, and at the dread judgment may it cover our sins, Master, so that they may not be uncovered, nor revealed to all angels and men, but may it also become for us a shining garment and glory and a diadem for ages of ages,
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ἀλλά κἀκεῖνον ῥύεσθαι καί ἐμαυτόν ὡσαύτως, εἰ δέ μή, μένειν ἄνωθεν καί θρηνεῖν τόν πεσόντα καί φεύγειν, ὅση δύναμις, τό πεσεῖν σύν ἐκείνῳ. Ἀλλ᾿ οὖν καί νῦν ἀνάστησον, ἀνάγαγε τοῦ χάους καί στῆσον ἐπί πέτραν με, Χριστέ, τῶν ἐντολῶν σου καί δεῖξον πάλιν μοι τό φῶς, ὅ οὐ χωρεῖ ὁ κόσμος, ἀλλ᾿ ἔξω κόσμου καί φωτός ὁρατοῦ καί ἀέρος τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ καί οὐρανοῦ αἰσθητῶν τε ἁπάντων ἀποτελεῖ γε τόν αὐτό, Σῶτέρ μου, καθορῶντα˙ εἴτε χωρίς τοῦ σώματος, εἴτε σύν τούτῳ ὅλως, μή ἐπιστάμενος, Θεέ, κατά τήν τότε ὥραν, δοκῶ δέ, ὥσπερ ἄϋλος φωστήρ ὑπάρχων τότε τῷ κάλλει τε τοῦ νοητοῦ λαμπόμενος ἡλίου, τό ἑαυτοῦ οὐ καθορᾶν ἰσχύει φῶς αἰσθήσει, ἐκεῖνον μόνον δέ ὁρᾷ τόν ἄδυτον φωστῆρα ἀμήχανον κατανοῶν κάλλος αὐτοῦ τῆς δόξης, καί ἐκπληττόμενος σφοδρῶς καταμαθεῖν οὐκ ἔχει, οὔτε κατανοήσασθαι τόν θεωρίας τρόπον, τό πῶς ἤ ποῦ ὁ πανταχοῦ ἀνερμηνεύτως πέλων ὁρᾶται, περιγράφεται, θέλων ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις. Τοῦτο δέ ἴσμεν ἅπαντες τῶν τοιούτων οἱ μύσται, (357) ὅτι τοῦ κόσμου ἔξωθεν τότε ἐν ἀληθείᾳ γινόμεθα καί μένομεν, ἄχρις αὐτό ὁρῶμεν, καί πάλιν εὑρισκόμεθα ἐν σώματι καί κόσμῳ. Μεμνημένοι δέ τῆς χαρᾶς καί τοῦ φωτός ἐκείνου καί τῆς γλυκείας ἡδονῆς θρηνοῦμεν καί πενθοῦμεν, ὥσπερ παιδίον νήπιον καθορῶν τήν μητέρα καί μεμνημένον γάλακτος γλυκασμοῦ κλαυθμυρίζει, ἕως ἐκείνου δράξηται καί εἰς κόρον θηλάσῃ. Τοῦτο αἰτούμεθα καί νῦν, τοῦτό σε δυσωποῦμεν, τοῦτο προσπίπτομεν λαβεῖν ἀναφαίρετον, Σῶτερ, ὅπως καί νῦν τρεφώμεθα, πανοικτίρμον, ἐκ τούτου τοῦ ἄρτου τοῦ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ νοητῶς κατιόντος καί πᾶσι τοῖς μετέχουσι ζωῆς μεταδιδόντος, καί ἀπιόντος, καί πρός σέ τήν πορείαν ποιοῦντες συνοδοιπόρον ἕξωμεν, βοηθόν τε καί ῥύστην καί σύν αὐτῷ καί δι᾿ αὐτοῦ προσαχθῶμέν σοι, Σῶτερ, καί ἐν τῇ κρίσει τῇ φρικτῇ τάς ἡμῶν ἁμαρτίας αὐτό σκεπάσῃ, ∆έσποτα, τοῦ μή ἐκκαλυφθῆναι, μηδέ φανῆναι ἅπασιν ἀγγέλοις καί ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλά καί ἱμάτιον ἡμῖν γένηται λαμπροφόρον καί δόξα καί διάδημα εἰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων,