Letter 206: Chrysostom urges Theodulus to keep preventing disturbance in Gothia and to pray for peace.

Even if the winter is hard, even if it has risen to a great height, and even if those who want to harm the churches in Gothia are hurrying everywhere, you must not stop contributing what lies within your power. Even if you accomplish nothing more, which I do not think will be the case, you will still have a complete reward from the God who loves humanity for your intention and purpose. So do not grow weary, beloved. Keep showing zeal, care, and concern, both by yourself and through others as far as you can, so that disturbances and riots do not arise there. Above all, pray. Do not stop begging God earnestly, with fitting zeal, to loosen the evils now prevailing and give the church deep peace. Meanwhile, as I wrote before, do everything possible to secure delay in the matter, and write to us continually while you are there.

Σʹ. Θεοδούλῳ διακόνῳ. Εἰ καὶ χαλεπὸς ὁ χειμὼν, καὶ πρὸς ὕψος ἐγήγερται μέγα, καὶ οἱ βουλόμενοι λυμαίνεσθαι ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις ταῖς εἰς Γοτθίαν πολλὴν ποιοῦνται σπουδὴν, πανταχοῦ περιτρέχοντες, ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς μὴ διαλίπητε τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσφέροντες. Κἂν γὰρ μηδὲν ἀνύσητε πλέον, ὅπερ οὐχ ἡγοῦμαι, ἀλλ' ὅμως τῆς γνώμης, καὶ τῆς προθέσεως ἀπηρτισμένον ἔχετε παρὰ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ τὸν μισθόν. Μὴ τοίνυν κάμῃς, ἀγαπητὲ, σπουδάζων, μεριμνῶν, φροντίζων, καὶ διὰ σαυτοῦ, καὶ δι' ἑτέρων, ὧν ἂν οἷόν τε ᾖ, ὥστε μὴ γενέσθαι ταραχὰς αὐτόθι καὶ θορύβους. Πρὸ δὲ πάντων εὔχεσθε, καὶ μὴ διαλίπητε ἐκτενῶς δεόμενοι τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ, καὶ μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης σπουδῆς, ἵνα λύσῃ τὰ κατέχοντα νῦν κακὰ, καὶ πολλὴν παράσχῃ καὶ βαθεῖαν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ εἰρήνην. Τέως μέντοι, ὅπερ καὶ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπέσταλκα, πάντα ποιήσατε, ὥστε ἀναβολήν τινα γενέσθαι τῷ πράγματι, καὶ γράφε ἡμῖν συνεχῶς, ἕως ἂν ᾖς αὐτόθι.