Letter 50: To the Archimandrite Gerontius,

To the Archimandrite Gerontius, The character of a soul is often painted in words, its unseen form revealed on the page. Your letter, reverend father, is exactly such a portrait -- it displays the piety of your holy soul. Your anticipation of that verdict, your anxiety, your search for advocates, your preparation of a defense: all of it clearly reveals your soul's passion for divine things. We, by contrast, are practically asleep. We are nourished on idleness and stand in desperate need of the help that prayer provides. Give us that help, O man beloved of God, so that we may at last wake up and give some proper attention to the state of our souls.

Letter 50