Letter 32: Rufinus and Melania are praised for hospitality, almsgiving, patience, and mercy.

When soldiers came near to John the Baptist and asked him about their way of life, he said to them, "Do not extort from anyone, and be content with your wages." I do not say anything like this to your sobriety of mind, for the grace of Christ has been poured out richly in you. I know that in your zeal you are a helper of those who are mistreated and that from your wages you feed the poor. You also showed us your hospitality with cheerfulness, together with your wife, the humble-minded servant of Christ, who did everything for our honor and rest. May the Lord grant you to find mercy on that day. May the blessing of your fathers come upon you. May the Lord sanctify your works, guard your house, and drive every blow away from you. Be free from anger and full of mercy. Do everything with patience. Value nothing more than the Lord and the knowledge of him. Become like Cornelius, whose prayers and alms persuaded not only the holy angels but God himself to send Simon Cephas to him to complete what was lacking through baptism. Nothing commends us to God so much as patience and mercy. God, who is merciful, has mercy on the merciful; and the Lord, who is patient, is patient with the patient and gives the promised reward in the kingdom of heaven to those who are patient for his sake.

Greek retroversion from Syriac transmission (Frankenberg 1912, TAN/TEI CC BY 4.0): ιωαννης ο βαπτιστης τοις στρατιωταις προς αυτον εγγιζουσιν τε και περι της ζωης αυτων επερωτωσιν ειπεν μηδενα συκοφαντησητε και αρκεισθε τοις οψωνιοις υμων εγω δε προς την σωφροσυνην σου τοιουτον τι ου λεγω· υπερεκ κεχυται γαρ εν σοι η χαρις του Χ. και οιδα οτι βοηθος τε ει των συκοφαντουμενων εν τηι σπουδηι σου και τους πτωχους απο των οψωνιων σου ψωμιζεις· οτι και ημιν εν ιλαροτητι την ξενοφιλιαν σου εδειξας μετα της συζυγου σου της ταπεινοφρονος Χ. δουλης παν εις την ημων τιμην και αναπαυσιν εργαζομενης. δοιη υμιν ο κυριος ελεος ευρειν εν εκεινηι τηι ημεραι και επελθοι εφ' υμας η ευλογια των πατερων υμων, αγιασαι ο κυριος υμων τα εργα και φυλαξαι τον οικον υμων και πασαν πληγην υμων αποδιωκοι. εστε δε και υμεις αοργητοι και ελεημονες, παν ποιειτε εν μακροθυμιαι, μηδεν μετα κυριου και της γνωσεως αυτου τιματε, ομοιωθητε κορνηλιωι ου αι προσευχαι δε και ελεημοσυναι ου μονον τους αγιους αγγελους αλλα και αυτον τον θεον επεισαν σιμωνα κηφα προς αυτον αποστειλαι ως δια βαπτισματος τα υστερηματα αυτου αναπληρωσοντα· ουδεν γαρ ημας ουτως προς τον θεον συνιστησι ως μακροθυμια και ελεος· ο θεος γαρ ελεημων τους ελεημονας ελεει και ο κυριος μακροθυμος μετα των μακροθυμων μακροθυμει και ως δι' αυτον μακροθυμησασι διδωσιν τον επηγγελμενον μισθον εν τηι βασιλειαι του ουρανου Syriac transmission available in the linked TAN/TEI source. The complete corpus is Syriac-transmitted; Greek survives only fragmentarily, so this display text is a retroversion witness.