OF THE SAME: ON THE PRIESTHOOD, TO A CERTAIN PIOUS MONK DECORATED WITH THE SACRED OFFICE OF DEACON, AND WHO WAS SUBSEQUENTLY RAISED BY THE BISHOP TO THE RANK OF PRIEST.
A Beloved and most genuine brother in Christ: While we owe the duty of our charity to all according to the commandment, we owe it much more to the genuine and those who love us. For even if charity according to God is indivisible, simple, and uniform, and we ought to owe it to all according to the perfection of the law, after the likeness of the Lord Jesus, who is charity itself and perfection itself, and gave himself for all; yet it is declared to those who desire him according to the intention of each. Just so, the light shining in the sun is likewise for all, yet it is seen by each person according to the will to see and the power of vision. Hence the Savior himself also says: "I love those who love me" B—not that he loves some and hates others, but since he is charity itself, he loves all, and those who do not wish to love him and who turn away from him, he does not force tyrannically; for he does not take away free will, but as they love him and strive to approach him, he gives and surrenders himself entirely, and since he is goodness itself, he provides testimonies of his love. And the Apostle also commands care to be provided to those of the household before all others, calling those of the same faith "the household." I therefore, although I happen to be the least of the least, am nevertheless a faithful servant of Christ, a priest and his servant in his own reception and help; as much as is in me, I have the necessity to remember his commandments, and especially charity, which is the head of all, according to my strength, so that, according to the disciple beloved by him, Christ himself might be found C having a small room and dwelling in me. For "He who abides," he says, "in charity, abides in God, and God in him." Therefore, I myself also desire to keep this, and D
to show it to all according to the rule, and especially to those who love me, having you among my closest and dearest friends; and now I yearn to show this charity to you in the most sincere manner. I shall not follow the form of an exhortation here, but I shall deliver what is, as it were, a memorial word and a very brief notice of that diaconate which you are about to undertake, by which A I may assist you, as one who has entered this ministry before you, and who has become a priest of Christ and a minister of his mysteries, having been deemed worthy by his infinite goodness of the greatest and most divine blessings.
Behold, therefore, dearest one, you are deemed worthy to become a minister of Christ, and his deacon, and companion, and interpreter of the mysteries, and his near acquaintance and familiar friend, and a communicant, and a herald of the Gospels: no longer entangled in any veils, but seeing clearly, and not communicating through a Seraph—that is to say, through a priest—by the tongs, but yourself having become a Seraph, B having been honored with the priesthood. And calling others to prayers, rather than being called; and leading others to approach God, while you yourself are the one who holds and celebrates the divine things, and invokes the faithful, and exhorts them to attend, and presents them to Christ, and being altogether a path and model for others, and becoming a guide to the light. And what else will you be but a Cherub, entirely discerning through the mysteries the One who sees all things? Or a Seraph, fiery, enjoying the living God who is fire? Or a throne, having within you the One who sits everywhere, by sacrifice and communion? Or even a certain angel, being his minister and legate? And all these things C will happen to you not in figure or image; because it is not for a certain figure and type that you are to minister, but for the true Lord himself, whom in the heavens the guarding spirits surround. For what they do in the heavens, you are about to fulfill here on earth. For thus the heavenly Architect of all things willed that the sacred ministry should be carried out in heaven and on earth. And he himself acted in such a way that he might be seen: and he appeared as man, fulfilling through himself his union with us. For being entirely pure spirit, he voluntarily put on material form, and according to this sensible form he became like to men; being by his nature uncreated and eternal, he did not assume the created immaterial nature of spirits, D while considering uniting himself to a creature; but producing them from nothing, he made them by his wonderful grace to be spiritual and immortal, and at the same time imparted to each according to their degree a portion of his own glory. And he bestowed upon us [the gift] that he assumed our created nature, to be united to himself hypostatically. Having therefore become a sharer of human nature by an indivisible and unconfused union, he called it to the participation of the glorious attributes of the divinity: "For in him," says Paul, "dwells all the fullness of the godhead bodily." He was seen, therefore, and again is seen in the way that he has chosen in his love: and he gave himself to us, and even now again he delivers himself for us. And of such works, O the greatness of his goodness, we are the ministers and servants and initiates. What is greater than this, that according to the acting out of the mysteries, we have received a dignity above the angels? O the kindness of the Master! Who contains all things, and is [yet] incomprehensible, in a place
A small for our sakes is contained: He who cannot be palpated is handled and held by fingers; the invisible is offered to the senses; He who cannot be comprehended by the mind communicates with mortals in our lowest and fallible nature, and through the priesthood with which we have been honored—O wonder!—is generated by the mysteries, is manifested, is given, is borne, is supplied, is housed, is clothed, is provoked to anger, is reconciled, is shown mercy, and is partaken of. What is more novel than these? What is a greater good toward men? What power is more transcendent? What authority possesses greater graces? Behold, we are dust, clay, and worm; yet we are seen as authorities and powers; or rather, we are even able to do more than these by the power of the priesthood. For we are creators of a more excellent creation through baptism and the other mysteries; we are fathers of God’s children, and by adoption we are workers of gods, destroyers of sin, deliverers of souls, loomers of eternal bonds, keepers of the keys of paradise, and capable of the things of God; and we are shown to be His co-workers for the salvation of men.
B But what more shall we say to these things? How much is owed to God on account of such great gifts? Of what sort we were to be we have become indebted, nor even if we were contemplating those many-eyed [angels] would we be sufficient for such things? For what created nature is worthy of the graces of God? The first orders of the powers above tremble, cower, and shudder to behold the things being enacted by us. And indeed, they wonder all the more, learning the manifold wisdom of God through the Church, as Paul says. And they, knowing their own created nature and the immeasurable goodness of God, stand in awe, cry out in amazement, and marvel at the things happening. But we, having been deemed worthy to be ministers and servants of these most divine and greatest things, how do we behave? We turn this fearful authority and most shudder-inducing task—there are times, alas!—into a source of passions and matter for sin, C we who are making sin and passions cease; [some] pulling this authority, which is original and cosmic, and wickedly forcing it, and madly leaping upon it, and doing the things against which it was established, that they might—alas!—lay hold of it, if indeed they participate in it in this way, and are not far from it. D Those who were becoming like angels of the saints, having perception of such height, shuddering according to the most divine, as it is said, Seraphim, used to flee from and draw back from the great [dignity] of the priesthood; but being deemed worthy of it, how they managed their own lives is clear from the things they accomplished.
A We, therefore, dearly beloved, desiring to be participants in this merit, will strive as much as we can to govern and reform our life according to their example and standard. This work is not only beyond us, who are but the least among the little, nor is it a consequence of our own merit, but it is not even the work of those who are as pure as possible and who live according to the angels, nor indeed is it the work of the angels themselves. It is the work solely of the divine nature, which brings forth from nothing things that did not exist before, which keeps all things together, and which is able to change them as it wills. And this is evident from the following: since we alone among all created things need reformation, having been miserably crushed and having lost our pristine beauty by not heeding the voice of the eternal, immortal, immaculate, and immutable God; but rather serving the good created out of nothing, having voluntarily become corrupted thereby, despoiled of divine immortality, and having become mortal through separation and alienation from the immortals, we have fallen into such great need of grace and dearth of help. B For although the apostate appears to himself to live and stand, yet he is deprived of the true life of God, having been changed by a most wicked mutation of his own will; and by this very persuasion he is constituted an adversary to the Lord who made him, and for that reason he became the cause of perdition to himself and to us, whom he lured into imitating him. But he remained an apostate, nor did he abandon his malice; we, however, even after the fall, have had a place to return to life, through the goodness of Him who made us. For he did not suffer any illusion that caused him to fall; nor was he entangled with the weight of flesh and the allurements of matter, but voluntarily, even though he possessed a true and lucid knowledge of Him, he fell away from the good. Hence, therefore, having no place for repentance, he is chiefly evil through his treachery, and he has persevered in malice and increased his own wickedness. We, however, having been deceived by sense and fortified against his most wicked seductions, have received the grace of repentance, so that if ever we fall into the temptation of this evil enemy of ours, having gained a perception and understanding of the true and divine goods from which we have fallen, we may come to our senses, be called back again, and have the grace of mercy instead of guilt, and be renewed once more in the participation of divine goodness. C Since, therefore, the prophets, and the law, and all ceremonies and sacrifices prescribed by the law, and finally the incarnation of God among men, tend toward these things, that we might be taught the evil of sin, so that withdrawing from it, and fleeing from him who corrupts and seduces us, we might be found as we were before, or rather better, with our nature, as it has been said, united to the Creator; and since we have been called back to the Lord, who is supremely diligent and good, through the Incarnation. But since it was impossible that He, having become incarnate, should remain here forever among us, because this would be alien to human nature—for it was proper and legitimate to the life which He resumed after the sacrifice—He could not, furthermore, subject the flesh, already endowed with immortality, to the eyes of mortals, especially to the eyes of the impious and sinful, nor could He work their reformation: for even that
was fitting for His holy and impassable body; A because, in the end, before all men who possess free will, He could not act for those for whom He underwent it, He chose rather to be emptied again, and as much as He could, to suffer and die a thousand times and more, just as He was emptied and is emptied, has suffered and suffers again through those who continually suffer for Him day by day; and for this reason He Himself ascended into heaven. And He who remains from eternity in the bosom of the Father, and is always present everywhere, performed this for us, setting His body on high before the Father as a gift of human nature, and making it sit in heaven: "Above every principality and power and virtue," as Paul said, B and proving it equal to God, glorified and worshipped by all creation—and which always lies there for our sake, a sacrifice offered to the Father; and He is our Comforter, and propitiation, and redemption, and portion, and gift, and prize, and all our enjoyment. Since, therefore, these things were thus accomplished, and He sits at the right hand of the Father, while the saved have need of the Savior, the Savior—oh, the infinite dignity of His compassion!—bestowed the grace of salvation upon men, who are of the same nature and suffer like things, for the saved; since He Himself, desiring to save men, became like men. He did not grant this to angels, as it is written, for He did not unite the nature of angels to Himself, not even intellectually; for they had no need of renovation. C Therefore, He established priests as saviors in His stead, as formers of souls, as guides to heaven, as light, as life, as fathers, as shepherds and guardians; they have attained His power and were established for this purpose, not for themselves alone and for their own sake, but also for the sake of others.
We must consider, therefore, how great this power is, and strive according to our strength to render ourselves worthy of so high a mystery. Thus it is fitting that some on earth attain God's power, authority, and grace, so that they might exercise it not only for their own benefit, but that they might have it and bestow it for the progress of many, D even being prepared unto death. For thus did our Archetype do and say: "For I lay down my life for the sheep." And Peter says, "Christ suffered for us." And Paul speaks concerning the Father: "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all." And these things are common to all priests. But what of those who are clothed in the divine and cross-bearing habit? Is this not the sign of the poverty of Jesus? It is a symbol of the Cross, an image of His death, an exercise of all heavenly things, and a casting away of all earthly things. Therefore, those who were initiates in the knowledge of this once fled from the height of the sacred glory—not that the priesthood is to be shunned, but because it requires a soul that is capable and great—one that is destined to administer holy things, and as pure as is possible, and ardent for the benefit of the brethren; for it is the work of God, and beloved by Him, and given for love's sake, as Christ also taught Peter. They therefore refused it, reckoning the great priesthood to be above them.
A And yet, by those who have put on that habit, this is now rather pursued, and to them it is given, as the many deem it worthy—seeing that the high and pure thing requires a powerful and purified soul. Yet purity and reverence accompany the habit even more. And such an opinion of the many is most beautiful, and concerns the Church generally; and it has been established to such a degree that almost the entire administration of the Church is entrusted to monks. And if you were to examine, you would rarely find anyone in the world who has been deemed worthy of the hierarchy; but for monks, this has been as though allotted. And you might see some being brought up from the secular life to the hierarchy. And even they are required by the Church to first put on the habit of the monks. But these things are the common judgment of the faithful, and rather of the divine superiors of the Church, who bestow honor upon the divine habit according to its order from above and its profession. But the bad judgment of the many has corrupted everything. And the things of the habit have been rendered useless (alas!) and broken. And some, having seized the hierarchy, do not administer it as they ought, but instead hasten B only to attain the most divine dignity as much as they are able, and do everything for this; but they perform nothing of the things worthy of it; or indeed, they do even that which is against it, and rather work against themselves. For one ought not to put on the habit for this reason, but rather observe its goal, and when they are deemed worthy of the priesthood, being chosen for this, they ought to show themselves more reverent, and to be humbled together with the humbled Master, whose order and image they have received. One can see that, rather than being the cause of divine order for many, it has become a cause of pride, not because of it, but because of our own choice, which is not set toward the divine mind, but is gaping only at earthly things and is entirely hanging upon those things that are and are in the senses. We ought not to look at it in this way. For if I also write these things against myself, being often held by the C same thoughts of arrogance, yet I do not excuse myself; and I speak as much as I discern to be divine and owed, so that among others I may also convict myself. For it is impossible that some thought of the goods should not occur to our memory and mind, and [also] be stolen by improper reasonings. For the receiving of thoughts and the assaults of reasonings are not up to us; and being deceived is something that naturally happens to us, as we are dominated by change. But the thinking of what is beneficial, and again the returning to the better, is among those things which are in our power. Neglecting this, therefore, we would be under responsibility. Furthermore, also, the concern for the most beautiful things, at all times, is naturally productive of something more divine.
A Henceforth, we must examine whose ministers we are and of whose work we are servants, and whose image we bear. We are, then, ministers of God, who created all things, who caused them both to be and to be good, and who desires them to be so forever; who, when some creatures—especially men—fell voluntarily into evil, both willed and graciously granted that they be restored again to being good, and who accomplishes this through the priests. We are servants of a most great work. For that which was on earth has been united with things above, and enmity has been dissolved, and God has been reconciled to mortals, and all error has ceased, and the power of demons has perished, and we have become—together with angels, and sons of God, and gods by grace—the workers, ministers, stewards, and mystics of this, in an ineffable way. And we bear an image, as it is both divine and most great, each according to his worth proportionately. B For the bishop is an image of Jesus; and after him the presbyter, according to the sacrificing of the mysteries. And by other charisms, the bishop is the image of the Father of lights, from whom is every good gift and every perfect gift, and is for this reason an illuminator. The presbyter, however, having the type of the higher orders, and being a second light, and a distributor and worker of mysteries, is for this reason called a fulfiller. The deacon, moreover, is the third order, bearing the type of the liturgical angels, who are always sent forth for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation; and for this reason he is also a herald, and one who prepares, and he is a liturgical server. But all are attendants of one God, beholders of one sacrifice, participants of the same, and one body, and fellow-glory-sharers, and distributors of the grace of God to others—even if this is done in the first and second degree, according to the rule given to each from above. C
Let us, then, behold Jesus. God is true, existing from Him who is, the Word of the unoriginate Mind; the only-begotten Son of the most high Father, He from whom are all things, Wisdom, Power, and the Word, through whom are all things. Almighty Lord, immaterial, invisible, ineffable, incomprehensible, ungraspable, uncircumscribed, intangible, immortal. What then is He for our sake? Man, visible, circumscribed, passible, mortal, poor, without a city, without honor, sold, condemned, insulted, mocked, tormented, crucified. He endured these things for us. What is more divine? What other sign of goodness is greater? What is more easily known than the abyss of His compassion? What is more manifest than the humility D of God? The Creator became a creature, the Maker became the work; and suffering for the benefit of His creatures, at the hands of His own creatures, for the sake of servants, the Master was cast out by those very servants; for the sake of the faithless, who had become most hostile to Him, who had voluntarily strayed far away, who served His enemy and adversary, who chose not to acknowledge Him as their Creator, who were impenitent, who did not wish to seek Him, nor to run to Him, but rather fled, cast Him out, blasphemed, and slew Him—the good One gave Himself, suffered, died, rose again, and raised us up with Himself, was taken up, and lifted us up with Himself; and in the end, He places Himself always for our sake,
and mingles with us, and unites with us, and makes us His members, and desires to remain within us inseparably, and longs for this, and hastens toward this. What shall we offer in return for these things? How many deaths, if it were necessary, would we not be debtors to pay Him for these countless things? And even these things we owe continually, and even then, we are unable to repay the debt. Henceforth, whenever we stand before Him, and speak and perform the works and words of humility, let us be humbled, seeing the One who was humbled and is humbled for us; let us tremble, considering Him before whom we stand. Christ stands in our midst, invisible in Himself, but visible A through the holy bread of His body and the venerable cup of His blood, in which His sufferings are represented: the sacrifice, the nails, the blood, the death. Let us approach trembling and stand before Him; for we behold Him without a veil; we divide and eat, and we drink of that blood, and distribute it to others according to the grace given to us. Then the Cherubim marvel, the Seraphim are astonished, every most divine power trembles at the sight, and they stand in fear, and recognize their own nature as created and weak, and in amazement they glorify the immeasurable goodness of God; they stand with us, surrounding the altar in constrained ranks, remaining with trembling, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to look upon the holy mystery; for they do not stand by idly or in vain. From there they receive the ray and splendor B of His own light: from there also comes the flame of their light, their fire, the ardor of their heat, their life, wisdom, and consecration. If, therefore, they stand thus, those who are without passion, those who are far from every defilement—then we, the mind, the clay, the worm—how ought we to stand? How ought we to prepare ourselves for so great a work of God? With all fear and with all intense desire, let us prepare ourselves to approach and to serve in such a matter. Since, however, this matter is nothing other than love alone, let us love Him who loved us first, and with the service of love, with all our soul, let us approach. Since love showed God humbled C to such a degree, let us serve Him in humility and love, through the work of humility, since God, by becoming man, showed that it was impossible for the nature of mortals to rise without God—having given itself up voluntarily to the fall—and for this reason man needed union with God. Let us always reflect on how weak we have become, and that we are always in need of God's help, and let us never contemplate anything without Him, for He said, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” And so let us also unite ourselves, and remain inseparably in Him. The evil one became an apostate through madness and pride; let us, through the knowledge and confession of our poverty D, become intimate with the Creator. For, He says, “He who humbles himself will be exalted,” and He who became everything for all who are in need—let us give ourselves to Him, so that we may become partakers of His own things. Let us serve Him in this work.
and if possible, offer unto Him the tremendous sacrifice daily; He Himself desires this fervently, saying: “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you” (Luc. XXII, 15). And He asks for it perpetually: He does not say, “You will do it,” but, “Do this in my remembrance” (Luc. XXII, 19)—that is to say, perpetually. And what other work could be greater than this work? Which is the remembrance of Christ, that He was sacrificed for us and is perpetually offered. For this is, He said, “My body which is broken for you” (1 Cor. XI, 24)—that is, always. “And this is my blood, B which is shed for you,” not having been shed once, but manifestly at all times. Therefore, nothing is more profitable to us than this sacrifice, and more pleasing to God. Because it is both His work, and the renewal of humanity, and the communion of this with us, just as even when He became incarnate He showed it, and when He was about to suffer, He prayed for this: “That they may be one, even as we are” (Jan. XVII, 11), He says. And that we are made one with Him through this, He Himself testifies: “He who eats my flesh,” He says, “and drinks my blood, abides in me, and I in him” (Joan. VI, 57).
Therefore, above all prayer and praise, this work must be cared for, because C every prayer exists because of it and through it. And we should make this the primary occupation of all the days of our life. For it is also right to consider this concerning it: if all the divine works and words that are in the world have their effectiveness, and nothing is idle since it was created. And it is clear from all the creatures we see, which are always active, I mean the heaven being moved always, and the earth putting forth vegetation, and those in between each performing their own proper function; with much more reason, he who has been established for this most divine and greatest work ought to be active. And if all D sensible things work without weariness, and this microcosm which is great, man, demonstrates this, being always active—in the sensible realm, like sensibles, being nourished, growing, changing; but in the intelligible realm, like intelligibles, always working and moving with the intellect and the rational part of the soul—so that from the movement of the human mind one may reason that the intelligible and divine powers are ever-moving. How then, could the greatest work of this great ministry of God—that which is for all creation, through which beings are guided to well-being, being united to God and becoming divine, and more so those endowed with reason, and before all, men both dead and alive—be idle through the sloth or even the supposedly pious caution of priests? Idleness is not piety in the celebration of the mysteries; it is not, but rather a hindrance to the saving sacrifice and the benefit that comes from it. If, therefore, that which hinders is not the reason for celebrating, let the saving sacrifice be performed perpetually. The priest has been manifested as a sacred instrument; let him not remain idle. For he will give an account, as I reckon, of his idleness; just as divine Basil also says.
to a certain Gregory, threatening him with idleness: A Either let him reasonably decline to be an instrument and refrain from the work, or, having been lawfully prepared to be a divine instrument, and remaining in this state, let him not be negligent regarding the work. For each one shall receive the reward of his own work. And it is written: "Cursed is he who does the work of God negligently." What other work of God is greater than this? The idleness of this work is harmful, as we have said. If a man has received the grace only according to the Fathers, and is not entangled in things contrary to that grace, let him beware of not acting. Let him fear God; he shall be required to give an account of the work; for by idleness, the sacred sacrifice ceases, as does the benefit to those who would have been helped by it; the commemoration of the Savior is not performed, B nor is the initiation of the divine passion. Let everyone entangled [in such things] be idle, to whom the Fathers have handed down that those entangled should be idle. He who does not act according to the Fathers acts according to his own pleasure and against himself, and is guilty concerning the mysteries of Christ. For if he who communicates unworthily is hindered, how much more he who offers? We are indeed taught that no one among men is worthy of this work, since it is tremendous even to the angels; but since God has granted this to men, it has been given according to what is possible. Being human, we shall have struggles, and we shall deem ourselves worthy of this grace according to our ability: C let them exercise this with fervent zeal throughout their whole life, imitating the Lord; so that there may be found those who celebrate and those who communicate perpetually, who bear his type, and who, if they are able, may celebrate his commemoration daily: and thus there shall be union between God and us, and between the angels and God and us, and the holy souls, and all the souls of the faithful who live piously; whether they have persevered and are progressing in living rightly, or if they have sinned, through repentance, mercy, and conversion, they have merited purity, and furthermore, from this, much sanctification redounds upon all creation: D for in those things of which we have need in relation to the sensible life, the greatest help is found for us in this, and for him who offers piously and diligently, the reward is very great. But if one is not able to celebrate daily, let him at least offer four times in the week, according to Basil the Great, who used to act in this way, omitting the other three days; he offered the sacrifice alternately in this way; according to the prescription of the teaching. That it must be offered daily I do not presume to teach from myself, but, being taught by the Savior himself, whose word is this: "Do this in my commemoration." And that: "I live, and he who eats me shall live because of me." And the apostles are declared to have done so: for they were "devoted to prayer and the breaking of the bread," as it is written, meaning clearly to the ministration of the mysteries and to communion. But also, we have the sayings and deeds of many of the Fathers regarding this, first of the most blessed Gregory the Roman, who
exerted himself for the divine work, and, as they say, decreed a perfect A liturgy to be offered in the churches of Rome during fasts, and instructed a certain bishop who did this to perform the liturgy every day; which bishop, the primates, according to their own account, took to themselves, he says, after the divine liturgy, just as they also foretold to him in dreams; and to Apollonius the holy, whose disciples also celebrated the holy sacrifice every day and partook of the mysteries. And the holy Chrysostom also, in this matter concerning the divine mystagogy, agrees with Father Basil, and praises those who participate in the communion every day, provided they receive it piously and worthily; and it is handed down that initiation into the things of the mystagogy is to be performed every day for those who are eager in the Catholic churches and everywhere.
But lest this statement seem extraordinary to some, because seculars who are bound to such a ministry—living with wives—and monks as well often encounter nocturnal assaults, or the assaults of anger and rancor and many other passions, which occur B for most through the attack of the wicked one: the true priest must be free from all these things, and if possible, let him act according to the canon of the great Basil, to celebrate four times in the week, as has been said. If not, then at least twice in the week without fail. For this is possible for those in the world as well as for monks, and there is no room for excuse for them, being able to be purified beforehand by the study, attentiveness, and confession of the five days. Wherefore, confession is to be held fast by them before all else; for this is able to purify more than anything else, and is more necessary for priests who perpetually approach the all-seeing God, who has given forgiveness through repentance.
If, however, the power of some passion should prevail over someone—and this happens more to those who are rancorous and to those overcome by envy and jealousy—it is not right for one who has been overcome by passion to approach the Good and the Author of peace, having become an instrument for the wicked one, as one who has taken up residence in him through that passion. But let such a one know that he will be called to account for the passion and the negligence, having voluntarily and knowingly surrendered himself to the suggestions of the wicked one. For the enemy does not have the power to drive us wherever he wills; for power has been given to us C to tread upon serpents and scorpions—that is, the treacherous and death-dealing demons—and over all the power of the enemy. For the inventor of wickedness finds room to attack us only through our own consent. This is for the testing of the faithful and the elect, as we have known; not that he brings force and exercises tyranny. For he has no power against those who are enlightened, being a creature of God.
If, therefore, it lies in our own choice and will to overcome him and to achieve virtue, we shall be condemned if we are overcome by him and, on account of some detestable passion, are deprived of such a heavenly gift—I mean of the liturgy and the sanctification from it. Therefore, one must be purified as much as possible, and one must D strive with all effort and strength, and one must strive utterly not to fall into the snares of the evil one. Let us, who have been counted worthy of the priesthood, guard ourselves, that we may stand and serve the immaculate God, so far as in us lies, as immaculate ourselves.
A And let us hasten to adorn ourselves in our deeds, in our words, and in our thoughts with the distinct virtues of His nature, and to bear within ourselves certain imitations of Him. And what are these? Philanthropy, humility, mercy, love toward all, peace, and the imparting of divine gifts; but before all else, communion among us and holiness. For our God is holy, and He sanctifies those who approach Him, and He is well-pleased to rest in the saints—He who B will count us worthy of the portion of His elect and holy ones, having both rendered us worthy ministers of His most holy mysteries here and keeping us in holiness until the end, and there again leading us into the Holy of Holies, and making us, who have participated in intimate communion with Him, perfect by unifying us in eternal ages. Therefore, let all glory, honor, magnificence, and praise be to Him, Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God and our God, who for our sake sanctified Himself by the sacrifice of the cross, so that we too might be sanctified in truth, together with His unoriginate Father, and the all-holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.