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distress; lead and guide, shepherding and bearing the care of the sisterhood. Do the rumors frighten you, as you say? But you have God as a helper through the cooperation of your mother's prayers, upon whom you might cast your care and he himself will make your dispositions easier. Do you say you have no one who genuinely protects you? But you have as your protector the very Lord whom you have loved, and then also the angel, the guardian of your life, who delivers you from every evil. Therefore, be cheerful and not despondent, be strong and not sick, taking care for the well-being of your body, so that you may serve God sufficiently and manage the sisters. And the sisters again (for let the discourse turn to them) that they may follow according to reason and be shepherded in a manner worthy of God, breathing only you and knowing you as a true mother and one another as true sisters. For where such harmony of soul is present, there is Christ in the midst and the blessed life is perfected; for they have chosen a blessed life, having embraced virginity and having Christ as a bridegroom and not mortal suitors, whose union is painful and whose separation a little later is more grievous. But the bridegroom whom they have, Christ, never dies, but is also the life of all and they will enter in with him, keeping the profession of purity, into the heavenly bridal chamber. And let them eat and drink and be clothed and receive whatever else is needful from your discerning love of God; since the apostle says: so, being affectionately desirous of you, we were well pleased to impart unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls. Only let them be of one mind, of one accord, having one soul, one will, all things in common, nothing privately owned, nothing of a different mind, and the whole work of their salvation has been accomplished and the brief and all-beautiful course of the cenobitic life has been completed. And they will dance for ever and ever with you, their good and God-minded mother; for thus the good cenobium and she who shepherds it well will rejoice with a shared joy and will be with the Lord always. This is our small and insignificant address. But you, lady, having received these few seeds, add from yourself what is lacking and be pleased to pray for us sinners; so that, of the words of which we are teachers, of these we may be seen to be active doers and may be saved with you in the kingdom of heaven. 483 {1Catechetical}1 That your honor has sought a word of admonition from our lowliness, even though our word is contemptible and our life neglected; yet, because we desire your salvation, since you are a virgin, a bride of Christ, a treasure of sanctity, and as you seek our admonition out of confidence, and you seek it on account of the holy Forty Days which is at the doors. And the true virgin of Christ not in appointed days, but at every season and on each day seeks how she will please her Lord and bridegroom. But the time of the fasts certainly has a special character of virtuous zeal in relation to the whole year. Therefore, O most honored one, be eager now also to put into effect your customary rule of asceticism; for we are not able to prescribe this and that either for you or for those practicing with you because we do not yet know your order and way of life. But one rule and canon is owed by all for the common good, and especially by those who have taken up the monastic profession, that we do nothing outside of what is displeasing to God, but in fear and trembling work out our own salvation; for a true fast is abstinence from every evil. Let us fast, first of all, from allowing wicked thoughts to dwell in the heart and from thence be kindled into unseemly desires. For there is one desire and one true love, our Lord Jesus Christ, the good and beautiful bridegroom, whose desiring soul wholeheartedly hates flesh and blood and all the phantoms of corruption, and ever winged with longing for him, turns away,

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ἀγωνίαν· ἡγοῦ καὶ κατευοδοῦ, ποιμαίνουσα καὶ διαφέρουσα τὴν φροντίδα τῆς ἀδελφότητος. ὀρρωδεῖ σε τὰ θρυλλούμενα, ὡς φῆς; ἀλλ' ἔχεις θεὸν ἐπίκουρον συνεργίᾳ τῶν προσευχῶν τῆς μητρός, ἐφ' ᾧ τὴν μέριμνάν σου ἐπιρρίψοις καὶ αὐτὸς ποιήσει ῥᾴους τὰς διαθέσεις σου. οὐκ ἔχειν λέγεις τινὰ τὸν προστατοῦντά σοι γνησίως; ἀλλ' ἔχεις τὸν προστάτην αὐτὸν ὃν ἠγάπησας Κύριον, ἔπειτα καὶ τὸν φύλακα τῆς ζωῆς σου ἄγγελον, ῥυόμενόν σε ἐκ παντὸς κακοῦ. ∆ιὸ εὐθύμει καὶ μὴ ἀθύμει, εὐρώστει καὶ μὴ ἀρρώστει, πρόνοιαν ποιοῦσα τῆς εὐεξίας τοῦ σώματος, ἵνα δουλεύῃς θεῷ ἀρκούντως καὶ διέπῃς τὰς ἀδελφάς. καὶ αἱ ἀδελφαὶ πάλιν (πρὸς αὐτὰς γὰρ ὁ λόγος ἐπιστρέφοιτο) ἵνα ἕπωνται κατὰ λόγον καὶ ποιμαίνωνται θεοπρεπῶς, σὲ μόνον ἀναπνέουσαι καὶ σὲ μητέρα ἀληθινὴν γνωρίζουσαι καὶ συγγόνους ἀψευδεῖς ἀλλήλας. ὅπου γὰρ ἡ τοιαύτη συμψυχία πάρεστιν, ἐκεῖ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐν μέσῳ καὶ ἡ μακαρία ζωὴ τελειουμένη· μακαρίαν γὰρ ζωὴν εἵλαντο, παρθενίαν ἀσπασάμεναι καὶ Χριστὸν νυμφίον ἔχουσαι καὶ οὐκ ἐπικήρους μνήστορας, ὧν ἡ συνάφεια ὀδυνηρὰ καὶ ἡ μικρὸν ὕστερον διάζευξις ἀλγεινοτέρα. ὃν δὲ νυμφίον ἔχουσι, Χριστόν, οὔποτε ἀποθνήσκει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ζωή ἐστι τῶν ἁπάντων καὶ συνεισελεύσονται αὐτῷ, τηροῦσαι τὸ ἐπάγγελμα τῆς ἁγνείας εἰς τὸν οὐράνιον νυμφῶνα. καὶ φαγέτωσαν καὶ πιέτωσαν καὶ ἐνδιδυσκέσθωσαν καὶ ὅ τι ἂν ἄλλο χρειῶδες λαμβανέτωσαν πρὸς τῆς εὐδιακρίτου σου θεοφιλίας· ἐπείπερ φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος· οὕτως ὀμειρόμενοι ὑμῶν εὐδοκοῦμεν μεταδοῦναι ὑμῖν οὐ μόνον τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχάς. μόνον ὁμογνωμονείτωσαν, συμφρονείτωσαν, μίαν ψυχὴν ἔχουσαι, ἓν θέλημα, πάντα κοινά, μηδὲν ἰδιόκτητον, μηδὲν ἑτερόγνωμον, καὶ τὸ πᾶν αὐταῖς τῆς σωτηρίας ἐξείργασται καὶ ὁ σύντομος καὶ ὁ πάγκαλος τοῦ κοινοβιακοῦ βίου διήνυσται. καὶ χορεύσουσιν εἰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων μετὰ σοῦ, τῆς καλῆς μητρὸς καὶ θεόφρονος· οὕτω γὰρ τὸ καλὸν κοινόβιον καὶ ἡ καλῶς ποιμαίνουσα εὐφρανθήσονται ὁμοδίαιτον εὐφροσύνην καὶ ἔσονται σὺν Κυρίῳ πάντοτε. Αὕτη ἡμῶν ἡ μικρὰ καὶ μηδαμινὴ προσφώνησις. σὺ δέ, κυρία, τὰ βραχέα σπέρματα λαβοῦσα, παρ' ἑαυτῆς πρόσθες τὰ ἐλλείποντα καὶ προσεύχεσθαι περὶ ἡμῶν τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν παρακλήθητι· ἵνα, ὧν λόγων ἐσμὲν διδάσκαλοι, τούτων ἐνεργεῖς ὀφθῶμεν πράκτορες καὶ σωθῶμεν σὺν ὑμῖν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν. 483 {1Κατηχητική}1 Ὅτι ἐπεζήτησεν ἡ τιμιότης σου λόγον νουθεσίας παρὰ τῆς τα πεινώσεως ἡμῶν, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἡμῶν ἐξουθενημένος καὶ ὁ βίος ἡμῶν ἠμελημένος· ὅμως ὅτι ἐρῶμεν τῆς σωτηρίας σου, καθότι καὶ παρθένος εἶ νύμφη Χριστοῦ, κειμήλιον ἁγιότητος, καὶ καθὼς ἐκ πεποιθήσεως ἐπιζητεῖς ἡμῶν τὴν νουθεσίαν, ἐπιζητεῖς δὲ αὐτὴν διὰ τὴν ἐπὶ θύραις ἐφισταμένην ἁγίαν Τεσσαρακοστήν. καὶ ἡ ἀληθινὴ παρθένος Χριστοῦ οὐκ ἐν ἡμέραις ἀφωρισμέναις, ἀλλ' ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ καὶ ἐν ἑκάστῃ ἡμέρᾳ ζητεῖ πῶς ἀρέσει τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ νυμφίῳ αὐτῆς. ἔχει δέ τι πάντως καὶ ὁ τῶν νηστειῶν χρόνος ἰδίωμα σπουδῆς ἐναρέτου πρὸς τὸν ὅλον ἐνιαυτόν. Τοιγαροῦν, ὦ τιμιωτάτη, τὸν κατασυνήθη σου κανόνα τῆς ἀσκήσεως ἐνεργεῖν καὶ ἄρτι προθυμήθητι· οὐ γὰρ δυνάμεθα ὁροθετεῖν τοῦτο κἀκεῖνο ἢ σοὶ ἢ ταῖς μετὰ σοῦ συνασκουμέναις διὰ τὸ μήπω εἰδέναι τὴν τάξιν καὶ ἀγωγὴν ὑμῶν. εἷς δὲ ὅρος καὶ κανὼν κοινωφελὴς πᾶσι κεχρεωστημένος, καὶ μάλιστα τοῖς ἀνῃρημένοις τὸ μοναχικὸν ἐπάγγελμα, τὸ μηδὲν ἔξω τῶν ἀπαρεσκόντων θεῷ πράττειν ἡμᾶς, ἀλλ' ἐν φόβῳ καὶ τρόμῳ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἡμῶν κατεργάζεσθαι· καὶ γὰρ νηστεία ἀληθὴς ἡ παντὸς κακοῦ ἀποχή. νηστεύσωμεν πρῶτον μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ εἰσοικίζεσθαι τοὺς πονηροὺς λογισμοὺς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ κἀντεῦθεν ἀνάπτεσθαι εἰς ἐπιθυμίας ἐκτόπους. μία γὰρ ἐπιθυμία καὶ εἷς ἔρως ἀληθινός, ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, ὁ καλὸς καὶ ὡραῖος νυμφίος, οὗ ἡ ἐφιεμένη ἐξ ὁλοκλήρου ψυχὴ μισεῖ σάρκα καὶ αἷμα καὶ πάντα τὰ τῆς φθορᾶς ἰνδάλματα, ἀεὶ δὲ πτερουμένη τῷ περὶ αὐτὸν πόθῳ ἀποστρέφεται,