Letter 130

To John the Monk. The demons, through manifold trials, are eager to shut our mouth, so that we may neither sing hymns, nor chant psalms, nor glorify the Creator. But we have hope, as the pure John [the Apostle, in Revelation 3:7] says, that the Lord will open, and no one will be able to shut.

Οἱ μὲν δαίμονες διὰ ποικίλων πειρασμῶν σπουδάζουσι κλεῖσαι τὸ ἡμέτερον στόμα, ὅπως μὴ ὑμνῶμεν, μήτε ψάλλωμεν, μήτε δοξολογῶμεν τὸν κτίσαντα. Ἀλλ’ ἔχομεν ἐλπίδας, καθά φησιν ὁ ἁγνὸς Ἰωάννης, ὅτι ἀνοίξει ὁ Κύριος, καὶ οὐδεὶς κλεῖσαι δυνήσεται.