Letter 305

To Pierius the Senator. Christ, the most loving Savior of all, so far as it depends on Him, came to save all human beings. And we see that not all give themselves over to their own salvation. Therefore let us condemn ourselves, and reproach ourselves as wretched for our negligence and our evil-mindedness, and let us not lay the charges against the good Master.

Ὁ φιλανθρωπότατος Σωτὴρ τῶν ὅλων Χριστὸς, τό γε ἧκον εἰς αὐτὸν, πάντας ἀνθρώπους παρεγένετο σῶσαι. Καὶ βλέπομεν, ὅτι οὒ πάντες ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδιδόασι τῇ σωτηρίᾳ ἑαυτῶν. Τοίνυν καταγνῶμεν, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ταλανίζωμεν τῆς ἀμελείας, καὶ τῆς κακοφροσύνης, καὶ μὴ τῷ ἀγαθῷ δεσπότῃ ἐπάγωμεν τὰ ἐγκλήματα. ΤΙΖ΄. – ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΩ ΕΚΔΙΚΩ. Ὅμοιος ὑπάρχεις τῷ λέγοντι, ὅτι Ἤθελον ἰδεῖν ἡμέρους μεθύσκοντας τὴν γῆν ἅπασαν, ῥιγῆσαι δὲ οὐ θέλω. Καὶ πῶς ἐγχωρεῖ δίχα ψυχρίας ἀπολαῦσαι τῶν ὄμβρων; πῶς οὖν φάσκεις ὀρέγεσθαι, καὶ εὔχε- σθαι πνευματικῆς τινος ἀξιωθῆναι χάριτος ἄνευ πό- νου, καὶ θλίψεως; Δεῖ γὰρ πάντα τὸν βουλόμενον εἴτε λαϊκὸν, εἴτε μοναχὸν, οὐρανίου τινὸς ἐπιτυχεῖν δω- ρεᾶς, ὑπομεῖναι θλίψεις πολλάς, καὶ πειρασμοὺς, καὶ λύπας, ἅπερ πάντα ἐπέχει λόγον χειμῶνος σφο- δροῦ, εἶθ’ οὕτως ἀμήσασθαι τοὺς καρποὺς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος.