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comfort the hardship of the ascetic life with the taking up of the divine readings and songs, guarding also the non-communion with heresy, even if it is necessary to suffer something for it, even unto death, in no way betraying the faith; for nothing is more precious than the love of Christ, as the virgins of Christ from ages past have demonstrated even to this day, since even now there are those who are persecuted and driven from their monasteries for Christ's sake, rather than partake of the heretical bread. These things I have written to you and to those with you, as to a sister and daughter in Christ, so that you might see that the master of us both is common and that we love for all to be saved, as being of one body of Christ and through him being called brothers of one another; for in Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female, but Christ is all and in all, may he save both us and you. 482 {1To Euphrosyne the abbess}1 The memory of the blessed mother, yours in both respects, mine in the spirit, and I dare say of many others as well (since the lady was venerable), urged me, as if being prodded by her, to address you, sister in the Lord, with a few words even now. And what are these? That you should fight the good fight of the ascetic life, to which you were called and confessed the good confession before many witnesses. And how is one to fight? By having the fear of God in the heart; for where there is fear, there is the keeping of commandments. By meditating on death; for where there is meditation, there is alienation from passions. by being concerned with the departure from the body, the angelic attendance upon it, the leading of the soul to the heavenly realms, how then it might pass by the ruler of this age, who tries to draw the ascending soul to himself, if he should see it stained by the passions, then where it might find its resting place until the time of resurrection, when its kindred body might be united according to the ineffable power of God. I speak of the coming a little later of the bridegroom Christ from heaven with the angels of his power, and the snatching up into the air of the God-loving souls and the gathering together of all creation before the face of the fearful judgment seat, then the sentence for each of the two parties present, calling the righteous into the kingdom of heaven, but sending the sinners into the outer fire. Therefore the soul that considers these things with keen perception trembles, is afraid, is filled with compunction, weeps, is purified, is enlightened, departing from the relationships of this world, and undergoing the good transformation and running up to God in spiritual joy and ineffable gladness, so as to turn away even from seeing the sun and the other pleasures of the present life on account of the overwhelming contemplation of the good. Thus it is to fight the good fight, most honored one. Having fought this fight, your good mother was joined to God and passed from here praiseworthily. Let us therefore also hasten, I beseech you, to follow in her footsteps. And do not become dizzy when called to the height of virtue, on the one hand because by the grace of God you are also lifted up by the good ascents, from which I hear you are doing well, and on the other, because where the will is present, there also perfection is gradually added, with God strengthening and loving the salvation of the one who so chooses. Perhaps you consider the leadership of the sisters an obstacle to such a purpose, being weighed down by the guidance. But in no way, O lady. For nothing is so beloved to God as shepherding and guiding those who follow. For he says to the great Peter: If you love me, feed my sheep. And again: He who brings out the precious from the worthless will be as my mouth. And again: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. For if someone running after it out of love of rule should seize the shepherd's staff, he is hateful and detestable to God, neither saving nor being saved; but if, having been called, he accepts the leadership through obedience to God, he will be shown to be both a friend to God and one who saves and is saved. Since you yourself have been so called, rejoice and tremble, the one on account of the hope, the other on account of the

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ἐπαχθὲς τῆς ἀσκήσεως ταῖς ἀναλήψεσι τῶν θείων ἀναγνωσμάτων τε καὶ ᾀσμάτων παραμυθεῖσθε, περιφρουροῦσαι καὶ τὸ ἀκοινώνητον τῆς αἱρέσεως, κἂν δέῃ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ παθεῖν τι μέχρι καὶ θανάτου, μηδαμῶς προώμεναι τὴν πίστιν· τῆς γὰρ ἀγάπης Χριστοῦ οὐδὲν προτιμότερον, καθὼς ἀπέδειξαν αἱ ἀπ' αἰῶνος παρθένοι Χριστοῦ μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο, ἐπειδήπερ εἰσὶ καὶ νῦν διωκόμεναι καὶ τῶν μονῶν ἐξεωθεῖσαι διὰ Χριστὸν ἢ μετασχεῖν τοῦ αἱρετικοῦ ἄρτου. Ταῦτα ὡς κατὰ Χριστὸν ἀδελφῇ οὔσῃ καὶ θυγατρὶ γέγραφά σοι καὶ ταῖς μετὰ σέ, ὡς ἂν ἴδοις ὅτι κοινός ἐστιν ὁ δεσπότης ἀμφοτέρων ἡμῶν καὶ ὡς φιλοῦμεν πάντας σῴζεσθαι ὡς ἑνὸς ὄντες σώματος Χριστοῦ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἀδελφοὶ ἀλλήλων χρηματίζοντες· ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ οὔτε ἄρσεν οὔτε θῆλυ, ἀλλὰ πάντα καὶ ἐν πᾶσι Χριστός, ὃς διασώσειεν καὶ ἡμᾶς καὶ ὑμᾶς. 482 {1Εὐφροσύνῃ ἡγουμένῃ}1 Ἡ μνήμη τῆς μακαρίας μητρός, σοῦ μὲν ἀμφοτέρωθεν, ἐμοῦ δὲ κατὰ πνεῦμα, θαρρῶ δὲ εἰπεῖν καὶ πολλῶν ἄλλων (ἐπείπερ σεβασμία ἡ κυρία), προυτρέψατό με, ὥσπερ ὑπ' ἐκείνης νυττόμενον, προσφθέγξασθαί σε, ἀδελφὴ ἐν Κυρίῳ, βραχέα τινὰ καὶ τανῦν. τίνα δὲ ταῦτα; ἵνα ἀγωνίζῃ τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα τῆς ἀσκήσεως, εἰς ἣν ἐκλήθης καὶ ὡμολόγησας τὴν καλὴν ὁμολογίαν ἐνώπιον πολλῶν μαρτύρων. πῶς δὲ ἔστιν ἀγωνίσασθαι; ἐκ τοῦ ἔχειν τὸν φόβον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ· οὗ γὰρ φόβος, ἐκεῖ ἐντολῶν τήρησις. ἐκ τοῦ μελετᾶν τὸν θάνατον· ἔνθα γὰρ μελέτη, παθῶν ἀλλοτρίωσις. ἐκ τοῦ μεριμνᾶν τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος διάζευξιν, τὴν ἐπὶ ταύτῃ ἀγγελικὴν ἐπιστασίαν, τὴν ἀπαγωγὴν τῆς ψυχῆς πρὸς τὰ οὐράνια, πῶς ἆρα διέλθοι τὸν ἄρχοντα τοῦ τῇδε αἰῶνος, πειρώμενον πρὸς ἑαυτὸν τὴν ἀνιοῦσαν ψυχὴν ἐπισπάσασθαι, εἴπερ ἴδοι αὐτὴν κατεστιγμένην τοῖς πάθεσιν, εἶτα ποῦ τὴν ἀποκατάστασιν λάβοι μέχρι καιροῦ ἀναστάσεως, ἡνίκα τὸ συζυγὲς σῶμα ἑνωθείη κατὰ τὴν ἄρρητον τοῦ θεοῦ δύναμιν. λέγω τὴν μικρὸν ὕστερον ἐπέλευσιν τοῦ νυμφίου Χριστοῦ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ μετ' ἀγγέλων δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, τήν τε εἰς ἀέρα ἁρπαγὴν τῶν θεοφιλῶν ψυχῶν καὶ τὴν ὁμοῦ πάσης τῆς κτίσεως συναγωγὴν πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ φοβεροῦ βήματος, εἶτα τὴν ἀπόφασιν ἑκατέρων τῶν παρισταμένων μερῶν, τοὺς μὲν δικαίους καλοῦσαν εἰς βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν, τοὺς δὲ ἁμαρτωλοὺς ἀποπέμπουσαν εἰς τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἐξώτερον. τοίνυν ἡ ταῦτα ἐννοοῦσα εὐαισθήτως ψυχὴ τρέμει, δεδιᾷ, κατανύσσεται, δακρύει, καθαίρεται, φωτίζεται, ἐξισταμένη τῶν τῇδε σχέσεων, ἀλλοιουμένη τε τὴν καλὴν ἀλλοίωσιν καὶ πρὸς θεὸν ἀνατρέχουσα ἐν χαρᾷ πνευματικῇ καὶ ἀρρήτῳ θυμηδίᾳ, ὡς ἀποστρέφεσθαι μὲν καὶ ἥλιον ὁρᾶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἡδέων τοῦ παρόντος βίου διὰ τὴν ὑπερνικῶσαν τοῦ καλοῦ θεωρίαν. Οὕτως ἔστιν τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα ἀγωνίζεσθαι, τιμιωτάτη, τοῦτον δὴ ἀγωνισαμένη ἡ καλή σου μήτηρ ἐκολλήθη θεῷ καὶ μετέβη ἐπαινετῶς τῶν ἐνθένδε. ἐπειχθῶμεν οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς, παρακαλῶ, τοῖς ἐκείνης ἴχνεσιν ἕπεσθαι· καὶ μή τι ἰλιγγιάσῃς πρὸς τὸ ὕψος τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐκκαλουμένη, τὸ μὲν ὅτι χάριτι θεοῦ καὶ συνεπαίρῃ ταῖς καλαῖς ἀναβάσεσιν, ἐξ ὧν ἀκούω εὖ πράττειν σε, τὸ δέ, ὅτι, οὗ τὸ θέλειν πάρεστιν, ἐκεῖ κατὰ μικρὸν καὶ ἡ τελείωσις προσγίνεται, τοῦ θεοῦ δυναμοῦντος καὶ φιλοῦντος τὴν σωτηρίαν τοῦ οὕτως προαιρουμένου. τάχα δὲ τὴν προστασίαν τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐμπόδιον ἡγήσῃ τῆς τοιαύτης προθέσεως, προσβαρουμένη τῇ ὁδηγίᾳ. ἀλλὰ μηδαμῶς, ὦ κυρία· οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἀγαπητὸν θεῷ ὡς τὸ ποιμαίνειν καὶ ὁδηγεῖν τοὺς ἑπομένους. φησὶ γὰρ πρὸς τὸν μέγαν Πέτρον· εἰ ἀγαπᾷς με, ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου. καὶ πάλιν· ὁ ἐξάγων ἄξιον ἐξ ἀναξίου ὡς στόμα μου ἔσται. καὶ πάλιν· ὁ ἐπιστρέψας ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ σώσει ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκ θανάτου καὶ καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν. ἂν μὲν γὰρ ἐπιτρέχων τις ἐκ φιλαρχίας δράξηται τῆς ποιμαντικῆς ῥάβδου, μισητὸς καὶ ἀπόπτυστος θεῷ, οὔτε σῴζων οὔτε σῳζόμενος· ἂν δὲ κληθεὶς δι' ὑπακοὴν θεοῦ δέξηται τὴν προστασίαν, καὶ φίλος θεῷ καὶ σῴζων καὶ σῳζόμενος ἀποδειχθήσεται. ἐπειδὴ δὲ αὐτὴ οὕτως κέκλησαι, χαῖρε καὶ τρέμε, τὸ μὲν διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα, τὸ δὲ διὰ τὴν