Letter 941

To Panolbius. Why do you run off outside, and far away, O man? Consider that you yourself are the son of a widow [an allusion to the widow's son at Nain, Luke 7:11-15] - that is, of a condition widowed of righteous and steadfast judgment - being carried out to the tomb by the evil passions that bear up the soul, by fleshly passions, and by filth-loving demons. And on this account pray with tears, so that the Master Christ may deign to touch the bier, which is the body subject to many sufferings; and those bearing it will stand still - that is, they will cease from the course of corpse-bearing wickedness. For when they have ceased, and the advance toward what is worse has been hindered, the human mind will rise up beyond expectation and will be handed over living to our mother above, Jerusalem [Galatians 4:26], who greatly laments and mourns. "For a voice," it says, "was heard in Rama" [Matthew 2:18, citing Jeremiah 31:15] - that is, in the highest places. For Rama signifies height, where there is lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning on account of erring humanity.

Τί ἔξω, καὶ μακροτέραν ἀποτρέχεις, ἄνθρωπε; Σαυτὸν γὰρ νόησον υἱὸν χήρας ὑπάρχειν, δηλαδὴ καταστάσεως χηρευούσης ἀπὸ δικαίου φρονήματος, καὶ ἰσχυρογνώμονος, ἐκφερόμενος πρὸς τάφον ὑπὸ τῶν κακῶν τὴν ψυχὴν βασταζόντων παθῶν τε σαρ- κικῶν, καὶ δαιμόνων φιλορυπάρων. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εὔξαι μετὰ δακρύων, ἵνα ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστὸς κατ- αξιώσῃ ἅψασθαι τῆς σοροῦ, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τὸ πολυπαθὲς σῶμα· καὶ οἱ βαστάζοντες στήσονται, τουτέστι παύ- σονται τοῦ δρόμου τῆς νεκροφόρου κακίας· παυσα- μένων γὰρ αὐτῶν, καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον προκοπῆς ἐμποδισθείσων, ἀναστήσεται παραδόξως ὁ ἀνθρώπι- νος νοῦς καὶ παραδοθήσεται ζῶν τῇ ἄνω ἡμῶν μη- τέρι Ἱερουσαλὴμ πολλὰ ὀδυρομένῃ καὶ πενθούσῃ. «Φωνὴ γάρ, φησίν, ἐν Ῥαμὰ ἠκούσθη, » τουτέστιν ἐν ὑψίστοις. Ῥαμὰ γὰρ ὕψος δηλοῖ, ἔνθα θρῆνος, καὶ κλαυθμός, καὶ ὀδυρμὸς πολὺς διὰ τὴν πταίουσαν ἀνθρωπότητα γίνεται.