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De precatione

OF THE SAME, ON PRAYER. First Discourse. 50.775 For both reasons it is fitting to call blessed and to admire the servants of God: that they had the hope of their own salvation in holy prayers, and that by preserving in writing the hymns and the services, which they offered to God with joy and fear, they also passed down to us their own treasure, so that they might be able to draw all that comes after to their own zeal. For it is fitting for the way of the teachers to pass on to those who converse with them, and it is fitting for the hearers of the prophets to appear as imitators of their righteousness, so that we may live together all the time with prayers and the worship of God and meditation, considering this to be life, this health and wealth, this the end of good things, to pray to God with a pure and incorruptible soul. For just as the sun is light to the body, so is prayer to the soul. If, therefore, it is a loss for a blind man not to see the sun, how great a loss is it for a Christian not to pray continually and through prayer bring the light of Christ into the soul? And yet who would not be astonished and marvel at the love for mankind that God shows towards us, bestowing so great an honor upon men, as to deem them worthy of prayer and of communion with Himself? For we truly speak to God at the time of prayer, through which we are also joined to the angels, and we are seen to greatly escape communion with irrational beings. For prayer is the work of angels, surpassing even their own dignity, if indeed it is better than the dignity of angels to converse with God. And that it is indeed better, they themselves teach us, offering their prayers with much fear, and granting us to know and to learn that it is fitting for those approaching God to do this with joy and fear: with fear, indeed, fearing lest we should appear unworthy of prayer, and becoming full of joy at the magnitude of the honor, that the mortal race has been deemed worthy of so great and such providence, as to continually enjoy divine communion, through which we escape being mortal and transient, being mortal by nature, but by communion with God passing over to immortal life. For it is necessary for one who converses with God to become superior to death and all corruption. And just as it is entirely necessary for one who enjoys the sun's ray to escape the darkness, so it is entirely necessary for one who enjoys divine communion to be no longer mortal. For the very magnitude of the honor transfers us to immortality. For if it is impossible for those who converse with a king, and enjoy honor from him, to be poor, much more is it impossible for those who pray and commune with God to have mortal souls; for the death of a soul is impiety and a lawless life. Therefore, the life of a soul is the worship of God, and a life fitting for it; and prayer gathers a holy life and one fitting for the worship of God, and wonderfully treasures it up in our souls. For whether one is a lover of virginity, or 50.776 has been eager to honor temperance in marriage, or to control anger and live with meekness, or to be pure from envy, or to do any other of the fitting things, with prayer leading the way, and smoothing such a path of life, he will have the course of piety easy and ready. For it is not possible, it is not possible for those who ask from God for temperance, and righteousness, and meekness, and kindness, not to obtain their prayer. For, He says, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and

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De precatione

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΠΡΟΣΕΥΧΗΣ. Λόγος αʹ. 50.775 Ἀμφοτέρων ἕνεκα προσήκει τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ θεράποντας μακαρίζειν καὶ θαυμάζειν· ὅτι τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας ἐν ταῖς ἁγίαις εἶχον εὐχαῖς, καὶ ὅτι γραφῇ φυλάξαντες τοὺς ὕμνους καὶ τὰς λατρείας, ἃς τῷ Θεῷ σὺν χαρᾷ καὶ φόβῳ προσέφερον, καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς διέδωκαν τὸν ἑαυτῶν θησαυρὸν, ἵνα πρὸς τὸν οἰκεῖον ζῆλον πᾶν τὸ ἐπιγινόμενον ἐπισπάσασθαι δυνηθῶσιν. ∆ιαβαίνειν γὰρ προσήκει τὸν τῶν διδασκάλων ἐπὶ τοὺς ὁμιλοῦντας τρόπον, καὶ τοὺς τῶν προφητῶν ἀκροατὰς μιμητὰς προσήκει φαίνεσθαι τῆς ἐκείνων δικαιοσύνης, ἵνα πάντα τὸν χρόνον ταῖς προσευχαῖς καὶ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ λατρείᾳ καὶ μελέτῃ συζῶμεν, τοῦτο ζωὴν, τοῦτο ὑγίειαν καὶ πλοῦτον, τοῦτο πέρας ἀγαθῶν εἶναι νομίζοντες, τὸ προσεύχεσθαι τῷ Θεῷ μετὰ καθαρᾶς καὶ ἀδιαφθόρου ψυχῆς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῷ σώματι φῶς ἥλιος, οὕτω τῇ ψυχῇ ἡ προσευχή. Εἰ οὖν τυφλῷ ζημία τὸ μὴ ὁρᾷν τὸν ἥλιον, πόση ζημία Χριστιανῷ τὸ μὴ προσεύχεσθαι συνεχῶς καὶ διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ φῶς εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν εἰσάγειν; Καίτοι τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐκπλαγείη καὶ θαυμάσειε τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν, ἣν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐπιδείκνυται, τοσαύτην τιμὴν ἀνθρώποις χαριζόμενος, ὡς καὶ προσευχῆς ἀξιῶσαι καὶ ὁμιλίας τῆς ἑαυτοῦ; Θεῷ γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς λαλοῦμεν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς προσευχῆς, δι' ἧς καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις συναπτόμεθα, καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὰ ἄλογα κοινωνίαν πολὺ φαινόμεθα διαφεύγοντες. Ἀγγέλων γὰρ ἔργον ἡ προσευχὴ, ὑπεραίρουσα καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων ἀξίαν, εἴπερ κρεῖττόν ἐστι τῆς ἀγγέλων ἀξίας τὸ Θεῷ διαλέγεσθαι. Καὶ ὅτι γε κρεῖττόν ἐστιν, αὐτοὶ διδάσκουσιν ἡμᾶς, σὺν πολλῷ μὲν φόβῳ τὰς εὐχὰς προσφέροντες, παρέχοντες δὲ ἡμῖν εἰδέναι καὶ μανθάνειν, ὅτι προσήκει τῷ Θεῷ προσιόντας σὺν χαρᾷ καὶ φόβῳ τοῦτο ποιεῖν· φόβῳ μὲν, δεδοικότας μὴ τῆς προσευχῆς ἀνάξιοι φανῶμεν, χαρᾶς δὲ μεστοὺς γινομένους ἐπὶ τῷ μεγέθει τῆς τιμῆς, ὅτι τοσαύτης καὶ τοιαύτης προνοίας τὸ θνητὸν ἠξιώθη γένος, ὡς καὶ θείας ἀπολαύειν ὁμιλίας συνεχῶς, δι' ἧς καὶ θνητοὶ εἶναι καὶ πρόσκαιροι διαφεύγομεν, φύσει μὲν ὄντες θνητοὶ, τῇ δὲ πρὸς Θεὸν ὁμιλίᾳ πρὸς ἀθάνατον ζωὴν μεταβαίνοντες. Ἀνάγκη γὰρ τὸν ὁμιλοῦντα Θεῷ καὶ κρείττονα γενέσθαι θανάτου καὶ πάσης διαφθορᾶς. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἀνάγκη πᾶσα τῆς ἡλιακῆς ἀκτῖνος τὸν ἀπολαύοντα διαφεύγειν τὸ σκότος, οὕτως ἀνάγκη πᾶσα τὸν θείας ὁμιλίας ἀπολαύοντα μηκέτι εἶναι θνητόν. Αὐτὸ γὰρ τὸ τῆς τιμῆς μέγεθος πρὸς ἀθανασίαν ἡμᾶς μεθίστησιν. Εἰ γὰρ τοὺς βασιλεῖ διαλεγομένους, καὶ τῆς παρ' ἐκείνου τιμῆς ἀπολαύοντας, ἀμήχανον εἶναι πένητας, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἀδύνατον τοὺς τῷ Θεῷ προσευχομένους καὶ ὁμιλοῦντας θνητὰς ἔχειν ψυχάς· θάνατος γὰρ ψυχῆς ἀσέβεια καὶ βίος παράνομος. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ζωὴ ψυχῆς ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ λατρεία, καὶ βίος ὁ ταύτῃ πρέπων· βίον δὲ ὅσιον καὶ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ λατρείᾳ πρέποντα προσευχὴ συνάγει, καὶ θησαυρίζει θαυμαστῶς ταῖς ἡμετέραις ψυχαῖς. Εἴτε γὰρ παρθενίας τις ἐραστὴς, εἴτε 50.776 τὴν ἐν γάμῳ σωφροσύνην τιμᾷν ἐσπουδακὼς, εἴτε κρατεῖν ὀργῆς καὶ πραότητι συζῇν, εἴτε φθόνου καθαρεύειν, εἴτε ἄλλο τι τῶν προσηκόντων ποιεῖν, προσευχῆς ἡγουμένης, καὶ προλεαινούσης τὴν τοιαύτην ὁδὸν τοῦ βίου, εὐχερῆ τε καὶ ῥᾴδιον ἕξει τὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας δρόμον. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν, οὐκ ἔστι τοὺς αἰτοῦντας παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ σωφροσύνην, καὶ δικαιοσύνην, καὶ πραότητα, καὶ χρηστότητα, μὴ τυγχάνειν τῆς εὐχῆς. Αἰτεῖτε γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν· ζητεῖτε, καὶ εὑρήσετε· κρούετε, καὶ