Letter 898

To Paulinus the Domesticus [a household official]. As long as you look up to your own Master with all goodwill, and fear, and reverence, He too, clearly, attends to you graciously and tenderly, and Satan could have no power against you, nor passion, nor misfortune, nor any sin whatsoever. But when you deprive yourself of the fear of the Master, and forget your own Savior, then He too turns His face away from you, and for the rest you will become subject to every evil. Knowing this, one of the saints prayed, saying: Turn not your face away from me, and turn not aside in anger from your servant. [Psalm 26:9 LXX / 27:9]

Μέχρις ἂν σὺ μετὰ πάσης εὐνοίας, καὶ φόβου, καὶ εὐλαβείας ἀναβλέπῃς πρὸς τὸν σεαυτοῦ Δεσπότην, κἀκεῖνος δηλονότι εὐμενῶς σοι, καὶ φιλοστόργως προσέχει, καὶ οὐκ ἂν δυνηθείη πρὸς σὲ ὁ Σατανᾶς, οὐ πάθος, οὐ συμφορά, οὐκ ἀμαρτία πᾶσα. Ὅταν δὲ σὺ ἀποστερῶν τοῦ Δεσποτικοῦ φόβου, καὶ ἐπιλάθῃ τοῦ οἰκείου Σωτῆρος, τότε καὶ αὐτὸς ἀποστρέφει τὸ πρόσωπον ἀπὸ σοῦ, καὶ λειπὸν γενήσῃ παντὶ κακῷ ὑποχείριος. Ὅπερ ἐπιστάμενός τις τῶν ἁγίων ηὔχετο λέγων, μὴ ἀποστρέψῃς τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ, καὶ μὴ ἐκκλίνῃς ἐν ὀργῇ ἀπὸ τοῦ δούλου σου.