Letter 814

To Titus the Deacon. The manna, Scripture says, serving the desire of the one to whom it was offered, was transformed into whatever each one wished. For in the divine word there is the quality of every spiritual food: to those reborn of water and Spirit [in baptism; cf. John 3:5] it becomes pure milk [cf. 1 Peter 2:2]; to the weak it appears as a vegetable [cf. Romans 14:2]; but to those who have their faculties trained for discernment [cf. Hebrews 5:14] the word bestows yet another food; and it becomes all things to all [cf. 1 Corinthians 9:22], so that people may be saved and be counted worthy of eternal life.

Τὸ μάννα, φησί, τῇ τοῦ προσφερομένου ἐπιθυμίᾳ ὑπηρετοῦν, πρὸς ὅ τις ἐδούλετο, μετεκιρνᾶτο. Ἐν γὰρ τῷ θείῳ λόγῳ πάσης νοητῆς ἐστι βρώσεως ποιότης· τοῖς μὲν ἀναγεννηθεῖσιν ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ Πνεύματος γίνεται ἄδολον γάλα, τοῖς δὲ ἀσθενοῦσι λάχανον φαίνεται, τοῖς δὲ τὰ αἰσθητήρια γεγυμνασμένα ἔχουσι πρὸς διάκρισιν τροφὴν ἑτέραν ὁ λόγος χαρίζεται, καὶ τοῖς πᾶσι γίνεται τὰ πάντα, ἵνα σωθῶσιν ἄνθρωποι, καὶ καταξιωθῶσι τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς.