317

He commands to pray without ceasing, so that by continually joining the mind to God, we may by little and little break away from the attachment to material things.

25. And the Brother said: And how can the mind pray without ceasing; for while singing psalms and reading and conversing and serving, we distract it with many thoughts and reflections. And the elder answered: The divine Scripture commands nothing impossible; since the Apostle himself (931) also sang psalms and read and served, and prayed without ceasing. For unceasing prayer is, to have the mind attached to God with much reverence and longing, and to always hang upon hope in him; and to be confident in him in all things, both in works and in events. Being so disposed, the Apostle said: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation? or distress? and so forth. And a little after: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels. And again: We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

26. So then, the Apostle, being so disposed, prayed without ceasing [or: continually and unceasingly]; for in all his works, as has been said, and in the things that happened to him, he hung upon the hope of God. For this reason all the saints always rejoiced in tribulations, so that they might arrive at the habit of divine love. And for this reason the Apostle said: Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. And a little after: for when I am weak, then am I strong. But woe to us wretches, because we have abandoned the way of the holy Fathers, and for this reason we are destitute of every spiritual work.

27. And the brother said: Why, Father, do I not have compunction? And the elder answered: Because there is no fear of God before our eyes. Because we have become a lodging-place for all evils, and for this reason, as if it were a mere thought, we have despised the terrible punishment of God. For who is not moved to compunction, hearing, on the one hand, Moses speaking from the person of God concerning sinners, that A fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them? And again: I will whet my sword like lightning, and mine hand shall take hold on judgment; and I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. And Isaiah crying out, Who shall declare to you that a fire is burning? who shall declare to you the everlasting place? Walk in the light of your fire, and in the flame which you have kindled. And again: They shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me. For their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. And Jeremiah saying: Give glory to the Lord [Fr. your Lord] your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains. And again: Hear, O foolish and heartless people; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not.(933) Will ye not fear me? saith the Lord: or will ye not be in awe of my presence? who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it? And again: Thine own apostasy shall correct thee, and thy wickedness shall reprove thee. Know therefore and see that it is a bitter thing for thee to have forsaken me, saith the Lord. I had planted thee a fruitful vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the bitterness of a strange vine? And again: I sat not in the assembly of the mockers [Sixt. in their mocking assembly]; but I was in awe of thy hand. I sat alone, because I was filled with bitterness. And who does not shudder, hearing Ezekiel,

317

ἀδιαλείπτως κελεύει προσευχέσθαι, ἵνα τόν νοῦν τῷ Θεῷ συνεχῶς συνάπτοντες, κατά μικρόν ἀποῤῥήξωμεν τῆς τῶν ὑλικῶν προσπαθείας.

κε΄. Καί ὁ Ἀδελφός εἶπε· Καί πῶς ὁ νοῦς δύναται ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθαι· καί γάρ ψάλλοντες καί ἀναγινώσκοντες καί συντυγχάνοντες καί διακονοῦντες, εἰς πολλά αὐτόν περισπῶμεν νοήματά τε καί θεωρήματα. Καί ἀπικρίθη ὁ γέρων· Οὐδέν τῶν ἀδυνάτων ἡ θεία Γραφή προστάσσει· ἐπεί καί αὐτός ὁ Ἀπόστολος (931) καί ἔψαλλεν καί ἀνεγίνωσκε καί διηκόνει, καί ἀδιαλείπτως προσηύχετο. Ἀδιάλειπτος γάρ ἐστι προσευχή, τό τόν νοῦν ἔχειν ἐν εὐλαβείᾳ πολλῇ καί πόθῳ προσκείμενον τῷ Θεῷ, καί τῆς ἐλπίδος αὐτοῦ ἀεί ἀποκρέμασθαι· καί εἰς αὐτόν θαῤῥεῖν ἐν πᾶσι, τοῖς τε ἔργοις καί τοῖς συμβαίνουσιν. Οὕτως διακείμενος ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ἔλεγε· Τίς ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπό τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ· θλίψις; ἤ στενοχωρία; καί τά ἑξῆς. Καί μετ᾿ ὀλίγα· Πέπεισμαι γάρ, ὅτι οὔτε θάνατος, οὔτε ζωή, οὔτε ἄγγελοι. Καί πάλιν· Ἐν παντί θλιβόμενοι, καί οὐ στενοχωρούμενοι· ἀπορούμενοι, καί οὐκ ἐξαπορούμενοι· διωκόμενοι, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ καταλιμπανόμενοι· καταβαλλόμενοι, ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἀπολλύμενοι. Πάντοτε τήν νέκρωσιν τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι περιφέροντες, ἵνα καί ἡ ζωή τοῦ Ἰησοῦ φανερωθῇ ἐν τῇ θνητῇ σαρκί ἡμῶν.

κστ΄. Οὕτως οὖν ὁ Ἀπόστολος διακείμενος, ἀδιαλείπτως [al. διηνεκῶς καί ἀδιαλ.] προσηύχετο· ἐν πᾶσι γάρ τοῖς ἔργοις, ὡς εἴρηται, καί τοῖς συμβαίνουσιν αὐτῷ τῆς ἐλπίδος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπεκρέματο. ∆ιά τοῦτο ταῖς θλίψεσιν ἀεί ἔχαιρον πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι, ἵνα εἰς ἕξιν ἔλθωσι τῆς θείας ἀγάπης. Καί διά τοῦτο ἔλεγεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος· Ἥδιστα οὖν καυχήσομαι ἐν ταῖς ἀσθενείαις μου, ἵνα ἐπισκηνώσῃ ἐπ᾿ ἐμέ ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καί μετ᾿ ὀλίγα· Ὅταν ἀσθενῶ, τότε δυνατός εἰμι. Ἀλλ᾿ οὐαί ἡμῖν τοῖς ἀθλίοις, ὅτι κατελίπομεν τήν ὁδόν τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων, καί διά τοῦτο ἔρημοί ἐσμεν παντός ἔργου πνευματικοῦ.

κζ΄. Καί ὁ ἀδελφός εἶπε· ∆ιά τί, Πάτερ, οὐκ ἔχω κατάνυξιν; Καί ἀπεκρίθη ὁ γέρων· Ἐπειδή οὐκ ἔστι φόβος Θεοῦ ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἡμῶν. Ἐπειδή πάντων τῶν κακῶν γεγόναμεν καταγώγιον, καί διά τοῦτο, ὡς ψιλοῦ νοήματος κατεφρονήσαμεν τῆς φοβερᾶς τοῦ Θεοῦ κολάσεως. Ἐπεί τίς οὐ κατανύγεται, ἀκούων, τοῦ μέν Μωϋσέως ἐκ προσώπου Θεοῦ περί τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν λέγοντος, ὅτι Πῦρ ἐκκέκαυται ἐκ τοῦ θυμοῦ μου· καυθήσεται ἕως ᾅδου κατωτάτου. καταφάγεται γῆν, καί τά γενήματα αὐτῆς· φλέξει θεμέλια ὀρέων. Συνάξω εἰς αὐτούς κακά, καί τά βέλη μου συντελέσω εἰς αὐτούς; Καί πάλιν· Παροξυνῶ ὡς ἀστραπήν τήν μάχαιράν μου, καί ἀνθέξεται κρίματος ἡ χείρ μου· καί ἀνταποδώσω δίκην τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, καί τοῖς μισοῦσί με ἀνταποδώσω. Τοῦ δέ Ἡσαΐου βοῶντος, Τίς ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῖν ὅτι πῦρ καίεται; τίς ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῖν τόν τόπον τόν αἰώνιον; Πορεύεσθε τῷ φωτί τοῦ πυρός ὑμῶν, καί τῇ φλογί, ᾗ ἐξεκαύσατε. Καί πάλιν· Ἐξελεύσονται, καί ὄψονται τά κῶλα τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τῶν παραβεβηκότων ἐν ἐμοί. Ὁ γάρ σκώληξ αὐτῶν οὐ τελευτήσει, καί τό πῦρ αὐτῶν οὐ σβεσθήσεται· καί ἔσονται εἰς ὅρασιν πάσῃ σαρκί. Τοῦ δέ Ἱερεμίου λέγοντος· ∆ότε τῷ Κυρίῳ [Fr.Κυρίῳ ὑμῶν] Θεῷ ὑμῶν δόξαν πρό τοῦ σκοτάσαι, καί πρό τοῦ προσκόψαι τούς πόδας ὑμῶν ἐπ᾿ ὄρη σκοτεινά. Καί πάλιν· Ἀκούσατε λαός μωρός καί ἀκάρδιος· ὀφθαλμοί αὐτοῖς, καί οὐ βλέπουσιν· ὦτα αὐτοῖς καί οὐκ ἀκούουσιν.(933) Ἐμέ οὐ φοβηθήσεσθε, λέγει Κύριος; ἤ ἀπό τοῦ προσώπου μου οὐκ εὐλαβηθήσεσθε; τόν ποιήσαντα ὅριον ψάμμον τῇ θαλάσσῃ, πρόσταγμα αἰώνιον, καί οὐχ ὑπερβήσεται; Καί πάλιν· Παιδεύσει σε ἡ ἀποστασία σου, καί ἡ κακία σου ἐλέγξει σε. Καί γνῶθι, καί ἴδε, ὅτι πικρόν σοι ἐστι τό καταλιπεῖν σε ἐμέ, λέγει Κύριος. Ἐγώ ἐφύτευσα ἄμπελον καρποφόρον πᾶσαν ἀληθινήν· πῶς ἐστράφης εἰς πικρίαν ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀλλοτρία; Καί πάλιν· Οὐκ ἐκάθισα μετά συνεδρίου παιζόντων [Sixt. συνεδρίῳ αὐτῶν παίζ.]· ἀλλ᾿ ηὐλαβούμην ἀπό προσώπου χειρός σου. Καταμόνας ἐκαθήμην, ὅτι πικρίας ἐνεπλήσθην. Τίς δέ οὐ φρίσσει τοῦ Ἰεζεκιήλ ἀκούων,