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Abraham, that Sarah gives suck? The saying is symbolic. We pray, therefore, to the very Lord of glory, that having touched your heart, He may create in it a light of unceasing consolation, so that, having the resources of comfort from within, you may not need another's voice. And we saw our beloved brother and spiritual son, the lord John, the blood-relative of your highness, who visited us sinners, as was fitting; whom we also consoled with a few words on account of the grief for his mother, and we exhorted him to bear with fraternal sympathy the things concerning your piety. 510 {1To Euphrosyne the abbess}1 And at the present time we visit your honor through this letter, desiring to learn how you continue in good health, bearing piously the spiritual life; for it is a duty incumbent upon us to do this, just as you also have entrusted yourself to our lowliness since the time of your blessed mother herself, whose memorial is in the book of the living, who lived well and left her own life as a model of piety, not only for you, the holy and God-minded, and for those under your authority, but also for all others who have a desire to emulate what is good. Therefore, having the example of virtue from your mother, add also still more from yourself, lady, we beseech you, becoming from an excellent image an image yourself of a godly life to those who see you, just as you are becoming. For we hear again and again that you are doing good things, on the one hand in the guidance of the sisters, holding them all together with one loving soul, being watchful toward God in prayers, in psalmody, in readings, on the other hand in brotherly hospitality, being divided in many ways among cares and contributions, and being like an eye in the body, this, in Byzantium, as I understand, is your monastery; through which God is glorified and your blessed mother rejoices ineffably, since the saints are deemed worthy to see the good achievements of their own disciples. Rejoice, therefore, good teacher and true mother of children according to God; and let others have earthly glories and splendors, diadems and temporary crowns, but for you the cross of Christ will suffice, the God-inspired life, the Christ-desired virginity, or if you wish, the oracles of God, more precious than gold and costly stone, the grey cloak, the following of Christ, which are greater than all earthly things and pledges of the kingdom of heaven. May the eye of your mind never grow drowsy then, nor the hearing of your heart become deaf, nor may divine love ever cease in you, but may you always increase with additions of virtues, pricking and striking the soul with compunction, and pouring forth a tear as from some spring. For this water is exceedingly good; it cleanses a soul, when it is defiled by thoughts, it extinguishes a fire kindled through carelessness by love of the flesh, it calms a troubled disposition and the assault of the enemy, it truly bends God to mercy, and restores the lover to his former genuineness. Being wise, understand what I say; for the Lord gives you grace and may He give you more, so as to love him and be loved in return, to long for and be longed for in return, so that you too will be able to say with the apostle: it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. For he who loves God completely goes out of himself into the beloved, both living and moving and being. The word seeks you to be such a person, the bride of Christ, and indeed the daughters of God under you. And what comes from this? Christ the bridegroom, the heavenly bridal chamber and the good things of the Jerusalem above, this is the kingdom of heaven and all the restful things that have been promised to the saints; which the blessed mother, having attained them, exhorts you to persevere in the ascetic life, in concord, in unity of soul, to trample on the passions, to hate flesh and blood, to hold fast to the virtues, through which it is possible to obtain these ineffable good things. 511 {1To Eudokimos the spatharios}1 I write a second time to your honor, and this having been urged by Silouanos, our most reverend brother; for when he came to the conversation

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Ἀβραὰμ ὅτι Σάρρα θηλάζει; συμβολικὸς ὁ λόγος. εὐχόμεθα οὖν αὐτὸν τὸν Κύριον τῆς δόξης, ἐφαψάμενόν σου τῆς καρδίας, ἐμποιῆσαι φῶς ἐν αὐτῇ ἀλήκτου παραμυθίας, ὡς ἂν οἴκοθεν ἔχουσα τὰς ἀφορμὰς τῆς παρακλήσεως μὴ δεδεῆσθαι φωνῆς ἑτέρας. Εἴδομεν δὲ καὶ τὸν ἀγαπητὸν ἡμῶν ἀδελφὸν καὶ πνευματικὸν υἱέα, τὸν κύριον Ἰωάννην, τὸν ὁμαίμονα τῆς ὑψηλότητός σου, ἐπισκεψάμενον ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς κατὰ τὸ εἰκός· ὃν καὶ παρεμυθησάμεθα βραχέσι λόγοις διὰ τὸ μητρικὸν πάθος καὶ συμπαρεκαλέσαμεν οἴσειν τῇ ἀδελφικῇ συνδιαθέσει τὰ κατὰ τὴν θεοσέβειάν σου. 510 {1Εὐφροσύνῃ ἡγουμένῃ}1 Καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἐπισκεπτόμεθά σου τὴν τιμιότητα διὰ τοῦ γράμματος, γλιχόμενοι μαθεῖν ὅπως ὑγιῶς διατελοίη, φέρουσα εὐαγῶς τὴν πνευματικὴν ζωήν· καὶ γὰρ ἔργον ἡμῖν ὀφειλόμενον τοῦτο ποιεῖν, καθάπερ καὶ αὕτη προσανατέθεικας ἑαυτὴν τῇ ταπεινώσει ἡμῶν ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς μακαρίας μητρός σου, ἧς τὸ μνημόσυνον ἐν βίβλῳ ζώντων, καλῶς βιωσάσης καὶ χαρακτῆρα εὐσεβείας τὸν ἑαυτῆς βίον καταλιπούσης, οὐ μόνον σοὶ τῇ ἱερᾷ καὶ θεόφρονι ταῖς τε ὑπὸ χεῖρα, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσιν ἄλλοις, οἷς ἐστι πόθος ζηλοῦν τὰ καλά. τὸ γοῦν ὑπόδειγμα τῆς ἀρετῆς μητρόθεν ἔχουσα πρόσθες καὶ τὰ κατὰ σαυτὴν ἔτι, κυρία, παρακαλοῦμεν, ἐξ εἰκόνος ἀρίστης εἰκὼν γινομένη καὶ αὐτὴ ἐνθέου βίου τοῖς ὁρῶσί σε, ὥσπερ καὶ γίνοιο· καὶ γὰρ ἀκούομεν ἔτι καὶ ἔτι τὰ καλά σε πράττουσαν, τοῦτο μὲν ἐν τῇ καθηγήσει τῶν ἀδελφῶν, μιᾷ ψυχῇ ἀγαπητικῇ τὰς πάσας συνέχουσαν, γρηγοροῦσαν τὰ πρὸς θεὸν ἐν προσευχαῖς, ἐν ψαλμῳδίαις, ἐν ἀναγνώσεσι, τοῦτο δὲ ἐν φιλαδέλφῳ ξενοδοχίᾳ, πολυτρόπως διαμεριζομένην ταῖς φροντίσεσί τε καὶ ἐπιδόσεσι καὶ οἷόν τις ὀφθαλμὸς ἐν σώματι, τοῦτο ἐν τῇ Βυζαντίδι, ὡς κατανοῶ, τὸ σὸν μοναστήριον· δι' οὗ δοξάζεται θεὸς καὶ ἥδεται ἀρρήτως ἡ μακαρία μήτηρ, ἐπείπερ ἠξίωνται οἱ ἅγιοι βλέπειν τῶν σφῶν μαθητῶν τὰ κατορθώματα. Χαίροις οὖν, ἀγαθὴ διδάσκαλε καὶ μήτηρ γνησιεύουσα τῶν κατὰ θεὸν τέκνων· καὶ ἄλλοι μὲν ἐχέτωσαν δόξας γηΐνας καὶ λαμπρότητας, διαδήματά τε καὶ στεφανώματα πρόσκαιρα, σοὶ δὲ ἀρκέσει ὁ σταυρὸς Χριστοῦ, ὁ θεόληπτος βίος, ὁ χριστοπόθητος παρθενών, εἰ δὲ βούλει, τὰ ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον τιμαλφέστερα λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ φαιὸν ἱμάτιον, ἡ ἀκολούθησις τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἅτινά ἐστι μείζω πάντων τῶν ἐπιγείων καὶ ἀρραβωνίσματα τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν. μή σοι λοιπόν ποτε νυστάξῃ τὸ ὄμμα τῆς διανοίας μηδὲ ἡ ἀκοὴ τῆς καρδίας ἀνακουστήσῃ μηδὲ λήξῃ σού ποτε ὁ θεῖος ἔρως, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ προσθήκαις ἀρετῶν ἀεὶ ἐπαύξαιο, νύσσουσα καὶ κατανύσσουσα τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ὥσπερ ἔκ τινος πηγῆς προχέουσα δάκρυον. καλὸν γὰρ ὅτι μάλιστα τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦτο· καθαίρει ψυχήν, ἔσθ' ὅτε ῥυπουμένην ἐν λογισμοῖς, σβέννυσι πῦρ ἐξ ἀπροσεξίας ἀναπτόμενον ὑπὸ ἔρωτος σαρκός, κατευνάζει ταραχώδη διάθεσιν καὶ δυσμενοῦς προσβολῆς, κάμπτει τῷ ὄντι θεὸν εἰς ἔλεον καὶ ἵστησιν ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας γνησιότητος τὸν ἐραστήν. σοφὴ οὖσα νόει ἃ λέγω· δίδωσι γάρ σοι Κύριος χάριν καὶ δώσειέ σοι ἔτι εἰς τὸ στέργειν αὐτὸν καὶ ἀντιστέργεσθαι, ποθεῖν καὶ ἀντιποθεῖσθαι, ὡς ἂν ἕξει καὶ σοὶ εἰπεῖν μετὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου· ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός. καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἀγαπῶν ὁλοσχερῶς τὸν θεὸν ἐξίσταται ἑαυτοῦ ἐν τῷ ἀγαπωμένῳ καὶ ζῶν καὶ κινούμενος καὶ ὤν. Τοιαύτην σε ὁ λόγος ἐπιζητεῖ, τὴν νύμφην τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καί γε τὰς ὑπὸ σὲ θυγατέρας θεοῦ. καὶ τί τὸ ἐντεῦθεν; ὁ νυμφίος Χριστός, ὁ ἐπουράνιος νυμφὼν καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς ἄνω Ἱερουσαλήμ, αὕτη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν καὶ ὅσα ἐπήγγελται ἀναπαυστικὰ τοῖς ἁγίοις· ἃ φθάσασα ἡ μακαρία μήτηρ παρακαλεῖ ἐπιμένειν ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἀσκήσει, ἐν τῇ ὁμονοίᾳ, ἐν τῇ συμψυχίᾳ, πατεῖν τὰ πάθη, μισεῖν σάρκα καὶ αἷμα, ἀντέχεσθαι τῶν ἀρετῶν, δι' ὧν ἔστιν ἐπιτυχεῖν τῶνδε τῶν ἀρρήτων ἀγαθῶν. 511 {1Εὐδοκίμῳ σπαθαρίῳ}1 ∆ευτερεύω τοῦ ἐπιστέλλειν τῇ τιμιότητί σου, καὶ τοῦτο προτραπεὶς παρὰ Σιλουανοῦ, τοῦ αἰδεσιμωτάτου ἡμῶν ἀδελφοῦ· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἦλθεν εἰς ὁμιλίαν τὴν