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Let us not fall away from the love of God. Let us walk by the Spirit, and we will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Let us watch, let us be sober; let us cast off, then, the sleep of indolence. Let us emulate the holy athletes of the Savior; let us imitate their struggles, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. Let us imitate their unceasing course, their fervent zeal, the endurance of their self-control, the holiness of their moderation, the nobility of their patience, the forbearance of their long-suffering, the pity of their sympathy, the tranquility of their meekness, the warmth of their zeal, the sincerity of their love, the height of their humility, the simplicity of their poverty, their courage, their kindness, their fairness. Let us not be laid prostrate by pleasures; let us not be puffed up by our thoughts; let us not defile our conscience; Let us pursue peace with all, and holiness; without which no one will see the Lord. And in addition to these things, let us flee the world, brothers, and the ruler of the world. Let us leave behind the flesh, and the things of the flesh. Let us run up to heaven; there let us have our citizenship. Let us imitate the divine Apostle; let us apprehend the Author of life; let us enjoy the fount of life. Let us dance with angels; with archangels let us hymn our Lord Jesus Christ; to whom be glory and dominion, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

FROM THE WORKS OF PHOTIUS (956)

Ascetic Discourse; and another treatise in 400 chapters. There was read an Ascetic Discourse of the same Saint Maximus, cast in the form of question and answer. and the discourse is useful for all, but especially for those whose way of life is asceticism. For it is a teacher and cultivator of the morals through which one might become a citizen of heaven. (957) Especially concerning Love, it gives many opportunities to approach it, according to knowledge and practice. And another treatise was composed, extending to 400 chapters, which was also addressed to a certain Elpidius, a man consecrated in holiness. And the author himself entitles the work On Love, perhaps because he both sets this down as the principle for the writing, and elsewhere he frequently sets forth an argument concerning it. Nevertheless, it is also possible for those who diligently study them to reap sufficient benefit from the many problems and theorems by which theology is strengthened, and which make a life holy and pure. And the style of his discourse, as with his others, is formed into something clear and well-turned; and it offers nothing that one investigating it might find fault with; except that in some places he prefers the Attic dialect to other speech.

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Θεοῦ ἀγάπης ἐκπέσωμεν. Πνεύματι περιπατῶμεν, καί ἐπιθυμίαν σαρκός οὐ μή τελέσομεν. Γρηγορήσωμεν, νήψωμεν· ἀποβάλωμεν λοιπόν τόν ὕπνον τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας. Ζηλώσωμεν τούς ἁγίους ἀθλητάς τοῦ Σωτῆρος· μιμησώμεθα αὐτῶν τούς ἀγῶνας, τῶν ὄπισθεν ἐπιλανθανόμενοι, τοῖς δέ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενοι. Μιμησώμεθα τόν ἀκατάπαυστον αὐτῶν δρόμον, τήν ζέουσαν προθυμίαν, τῆς ἐγκρατείας τήν καρτερίαν, τῆς σωφροσύνης τόν ἁγιασμόν, τῆς ὑπομονῆς τήν γενναιότητα τῆς μακροθυμίας τήν ἀνοχήν, τῆς συμπαθείας τόν οἶκτον, τῆς πραΰτητος τό ἀτάραχον, τοῦ ζήλου τήν θερμότητα, τῆς ἀγάπης τό ἀνυπόκριτον, τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης τό ὕψος, τῆς ἀκτημοσύνης τό ἀπέριττον, τήν ἀνδρείαν, τήν χρηστότητα, τήν ἐπιείκειαν. Μή ὑπτιωθῶμεν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς· μή χαυνωθῶμεν τοῖς λογισμοῖς· μή ῥυπώσωμεν τήν συνείδησιν· Τήν εἰρήνην διώκωμεν μετά πάντων, καί τόν ἁγιασμόν· οὗ χωρίς οὐδείς ὄψεται τόν Κύριον, Καί ἐπί τούτοις, φύγωμεν τόν κόσμον, ἀδελφοί, καί τόν κοσμοκράτορα. Καταλείψωμεν τήν σάρκα, καί τά σαρκικά. Εἰς οὐρανούς ἀναδράμωμεν· ἐκεῖ ἔξωμεν ἡμῶν τό πολίτευμα. Τόν θεῖον Ἀπόστολον μιμησώμεθα· τόν Ἀρχηγόν τῆς ζωῆς καταλάβωμεν· τῆς πηγῆς τῆς ζωῆς ἀπολαύσωμεν. Σύν ἀγγέλοις χορεύσωμεν· σύν ἀρχαγγέλοις ὑμνήσωμεν τόν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν· ᾧ ἡ δόξα καί τό κράτος ἅμα τῷ Πατρί σύν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καί ἀεί, καί εἰς τούς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΕΚ ΤΩΝ ΦΩΤΙΟΥ (956)

Ἀσκητικός λόγος· καί ἑτέρα πραγματεία ἐν υ΄ κεφαλαίοις. Ἀνεγνώσθη τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἁγίου Μαξίμου λόγος Ἀσκητικός, εἰς πεῦσιν ἐσχηματισμένος καί ἀπόκρισιν. καί χρήσιμος μέν ἅπασιν ὁ λόγος, μάλιστα δι᾿ οἷς ἄσκησις ἡ πολιτεία. Ἠθῶν γάρ , δι᾿ ὧν ἄν τις οὐρανοπολίτης γένοιτο, ἐστί διδάσκαλος καί γεωργός. (957) Μάλιστα δέ Ἀγάπης, κατά τήν γνῶσιν καί τήν ἐργασίαν πολλάς ἐνδίδωσιν ἐπελθεῖν ἀφορμάς. Συνετέτακτο δέ καί ἑτέρα πραγματεία εἰς υ΄ κεφάλαια πληθυνομένη, ἥ καί προσεπεφώνητο Ἐλπιδίῳ τινί ὁσιότητι καθωσιωμένῳ. Καί αὐτός μέν ὁ συγγραφεύς Περί Ἀγάπης τόν πόνον ἐπιγράφει, ἴσως, ὅτι ταύτην τε ἀρχήν τῷ γράμματι ὑποβάλλεται, καί ἀλλαχοῦ πολλάκις περί αὐτῆς καταβάλλεται λόγον. Οὐ μήν ἀλλά γάρ καί πολλῶν προβλημάτων τε καί θεωρημάτων, οἷς θεολογία κρατύνεται, καί ἅ τόν ὅσιον βίον καί καθαρόν ποιεῖ, ἱκανήν ἔστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς φιλοπόνως αὐτά μετιοῦσι καρπώσασθαι τήν ὠφέλειαν. Καί τό εἶδος αὐτῷ τοῦ λόγου, εἰς τό λευκόν τε καί εὔτορνον, ἥπερ οἱ ἄλλοι, διατυποῦται· καί οὐδέν παρέχει, ὅ ἄν τις διερευνήσῃ μωμήσασθαι· πλήν ἔσθ᾿ ὅπη τήν Ἀττικήν τῆς ἄλλης φωνῆς προκρίνει.