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they will become like the devil, as having imitated his works and having kept his commands, with whom they will also be assigned to unquenchable fire, having been sent away to darkness and Tartarus, or rather, these will be brought down in proportion to the weight, according to the worth of the sins which each one carries and there he will spend the ages of ages. (369) But the saints, as we said, again, each one having been lifted up by the wings of the virtues, will ascend to meet the Master, each according to his worth. As one has prepared himself, so he will be in every way near or far from the Creator, and he will be with Him for infinite ages, leaping and delighting in unceasing 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 assailed by these and by evil thoughts. (370)

Your light shining around me gives me life, my Christ, for to see You is life-giving, and is resurrection. How to speak of the energies of Your light, I do not have, but this I have known by deed and I know, my God, that whether in sickness, Master, or in afflictions or in sorrows or I am held in bonds or in hunger or in prison, or I am constrained by more terrible pains, my Christ, Your light, having shone, drives all things away as darkness, and suddenly Your Divine Spirit makes me to be in relief and light and enjoyment of light. The afflictions I have known as smoke, the thoughts as darkness, the temptations as arrows, the cares as gloom, and the passions proving to be as wild beasts, O Word, from which You freed me, from which You delivered me long ago, little by little having shone forth Your divine light in me, and now me, being in the midst of these things, Christ, my God,

248

ὅμοιοι γενήσονται τῷ διαβόλῳ ὡς τά ἐκείνου μιμησάμεναι ἔργα καί τάς ἐκείνου τηρήσασαι προστάξεις, μεθ᾿ οὗ καί ταχθήσονται πυρί ἀσβέστῳ, τῷ σκότει καί ταρτάρῳ παραπεμφθεῖσαι, μᾶλλον δέ αὗται κατά ἀναλογίαν καταχθήσονται τοῦ βάρους, κατ᾿ ἀξίαν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν, ὧν ἕκαστος βαστάζει κἀκεῖ διάξει εἰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων. (369) Οἱ δέ ἅγιοι, ὥσπερ εἴπομεν, πάλιν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἕκαστος πτεροῖς ἀρθέντες 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,