Letter 504: The difficulty you are experiencing in maintaining the disciplines you have chosen is not a sign that you chose...
Τοῖς θείοις χρησμοῖς οὔτ᾽ ἀντιδλέπειν χρὴ, οὔτ᾽ ἀντιφθέγγεσθαι " ἀλλὰ πρὶν ἣ ὅ τι χρὴ πράττειν ἀχοῦσαι, τὸ πράττειν ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι. Τὸ γὰρ εἶναι Θεὸν τὸν θεσπίζοντα, πᾶσαν μὲν ἀντιλογίαν ἐξορίζει, πᾶσαν δὲ πειθὼ δημιουργεῖ. Ὃ γὰρ τὸ συμφέρον ἡμῖν διαφερόντως ἐπιστάμενος, οὗτο; χαὶ λέγων χκαὶ νομοθετῶν, ἀξιόχρεως ἂν εἴη. ΣΝ’, -- ΖΗΝΩΝΙ ΠΡΕΣΒΥΤΕΡΩ. Οὐδὲν ἡ σωματιχὴ ἀσθένεια () τοσοῦτον, ὅσον ἡ τῶν τρόπων ἀγχιστεία. Διόπερ εἰ χαλέσαιμί σε τοῦ ἀοιδίμον Ἑρμογένους τοῦ ἐπισχόπου ἀδελφιδοῦν, οὐδὲν ἄν σοι χαρισαίμην" εἰ δὲ γνήσιον φοιτητὴν, οὐδέτερον ἂν αἰσχυνοίμην. Οὔτε γὰρ τῷ ἄριστῳ () δόξεις ἠχολουθηχέναι, ἐχεῖνός τε γενναῖον τὸν μιμη- σάμενον ἀποτετελεχέναι,
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To Παλλαδίῳ. (361)
So you weren't actually longing for the speeches — you just wanted to be seen longing for them.
Prayer is not the manipulation of God but the alignment of our will with his.
The priesthood is a sacred trust, not a career.
God's judgment is certain, and no amount of cleverness or delay can avoid it.