Letter 55: Natural family cares can become snares unless met with stillness, fasting, and prayer.

I received the rebuke not as a wise person would, according to the spiritual proverbs, loving the one who corrects him, but as a person full of passion who is eager to be freed from the passions. I confess that I am more fearful than the man who, in the days of Pilate, was frightened by the servant girl. Yet even while afraid, I asked to receive pardon, so that I might not strike the soul pregnant within me, in which the form of Christ is being shaped, and receive the condemnation of a goring bull. A rebuke should be mixed carefully. It must state the matter while wearing the face of fear, just as wise physicians hide the knife under the uncertainty of their prognosis. I have said this about fear. As for the passions now holding you, I think this is the diagnosis: of the thoughts that stir us, some come from nature and some from the weakness of our own choice. Those from nature come from blood and family. Those from choice happen to us from anger and desire. Natural thoughts trouble us through length of time, when the mind, by dwelling on them, stamps them into itself and becomes entangled with them. Scripture says about this, "Pass by quickly; do not linger in that place." Thoughts from choice harm the mind if it consents to them, for it is written, "Do not choose to be with them." They harm by duration and by the working out of sin. Even natural thoughts can awaken anger and desire when the mind sinks into prolonged dealings with them, unless it takes care to receive the useful medicines: hunger, thirst, wakefulness, withdrawal, and prayer. Severe hunger knows how to deny even nature itself. Let the woman in Samaria persuade you, who, from hunger, ate her own son. Those who are full seek whatever serves their fullness and despise purity of prayer. You might say, "I do no wrong by caring for my household's livelihood." Consider the deceit of the evil one, who works death in you through something good and darkens your mind through natural thoughts. Look to the physician of souls, who cuts away these thoughts with a saving incision when he says, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own soul, he cannot be my disciple." Why should his heart be darkened by these cares? Do not think it a great thing to leave relatives for the knowledge of God. Many people, obeying idols, sacrificed even sons and daughters to demons. I know that many brothers have fallen into danger through these thoughts when they lingered in them. When their parents or brothers came gladly to their cell, they did not receive them; the evil one had changed their disposition into anger under the pretense of withdrawal. Remain, then, in the desert in stillness, I beg you, and persevere in prayer without anger and without distracting thoughts. Do not give the evil one a place, because the Lord who called you is powerful enough to bring them too to life and to give them an inheritance with those sanctified in light.

Greek retroversion from Syriac transmission (Frankenberg 1912, TAN/TEI CC BY 4.0): ουχ ως σοφος κατα τας πνευματικας παροιμιας απεδεξαμην την επιτιμησιν ωστε τον με νουθετουντα φιλειν αλλ' ως εμπαθης σπευδων των παθων λυτρωθηναι. εξομολογουμαι γαρ οτι εμφοβος ειμι υπερ τον ημεραις Πιλατου απο της παιδισκης φοβηθεντα· παλιν δε μετα του φοβεισθαι αφεσιν ηιτησα λαβειν ινα μη την ψυχην την εν γαστρι εχουσαν εν ηι τυπος Χ. μορφειται παταξας κατακρισιν ταυρου κερατιστου δεχωμαι . προσηκει δε την επιτιμησιν ειναι κεκραμενην ωστε το πραγμα λεγουσαν προσωπον φοβου ενδυεσθαι (?) ωσπερ σοφοι ιατροι τον σιδηρον τωι αμφιλογωι της μαντειας αποκρυπτουσιν. ταυτα ειρηκα περι φοβου, περι δε των νυν σε κατεχοντων παθων οιομαι οτι η επιγνωσις ηδε· των νοηματων των ημας ερεθιζοντων εστι τα μεν εκ της φυσεως τα δε εκ της προαιρεσεως ημων της ασθενειας· εκ της φυσεως ουν εστι τα απο του αιματος και των γονεων, εκ δε της προαιρεσεως τα εκ θυμου και εξ επιθυμιας ημιν συμβαινοντα. και τα μεν εκ φυσεως δια μακροτητος ημας ερεθιζει εν τωι τον νουν δια μελετης αυτα εν αυτωι εντυπουν τε και αυτοις συμπλεκεσθαι ωι δη εν τηι γραφηι λεγεται παρελθε ταχεως μη βραδυνε εν εκεινωι τωι τοπωι, τα δε εκ της προαιρεσεως βλαπτει τον νουν εαν αυτοις συγκατατιθηι οτι γεγραπται μη προαιρου ειναι μετ' αυτων· βλαπτει δε δια του χρονιου και δια της κατεργασιας της αμαρτιας· δυναται γαρ τα φυσικα (κατα φυσιν) νοηματα θυμον και επιθυμιαν εξεγειρειν εν τωι τον νουν ταις πολλαις αυτων πραγματειαις καταδυειν εαν μη τα συμφεροντα φαρμακα λαβειν επιμεληται, πεινην δη και διψον και αγρυπνιαν και αναχωρησιν και προσευχην· οιδε γαρ κρατερα πεινη και αυτην την φυσιν αρνεισθαι, — πειθετω δε σε η γυνη η εν Σαμαρειαι υπο πεινης τον αυτης υιον καταφαγουσα — επει κεκορεσμενοι παντοιον τι προς την πλησμονην αυτων χρησιμον επιζητουσι την δε προσευχης καθαροτητα εξουδενουσιν. λεγοις δε αν οτι μεριμνων του βιου των εμων ουκ αδικω την εντολην· εννοει την του πονηρου δολιοτητα δι’ αγαθου εν σοι θανατον κατεργαζομενου και απο των κατα φυσιν νοηματων τον νουν σου αμαυρουντος· επιβλεψον δε εις τον ιατρον των ψυχων ος δια τομης συμφερουσης (?) ταυτα τα νοηματα καταργει λεγων· ει τις ερχεται προς με και ου μισει τον πατερα αυτου και την μητερα αυτου και την γυναικα και τα τεκνα και τους αδελφους (και τας αδελφας) ετι δε και την αυτου ψυχην ου δυναται ειναι μου μαθητης , δια δη τι την καρδιαν αυτου ταυταις ταις μεριμναις εσκοτισθαι. και μη οιου οτι μεγα τι εστι τινα δια γνωσιν θεου τους συγγενεις καταλιπειν· πολλοι γαρ τοις ειδωλοις πειθομενοι τους τε υιους και τας θυγατερας τοις δαιμονιοις εθυον. οιδα οτι πολλοι των αδελφων δια τουτων των νοηματων εν κινδυνωι επεσον εν αυτοις χρονιζοντων οτε δε οι γονεις αυτων η οι αδειφοι ηδεως προς αυτους εις την κελλην ηλθον ουχ εδεξαντο αυτους· μετεβαλεν γαρ ο πονηρος την διανοιαν αυτων εις οργην εν υποκρισει αναχωρησεως. παραμεινον ουν εν τηι ερημωι εν ησυχιαι δεομαι σου και προσκαρτερησον τηι προσευχηι ανευ οργης και ανευ λογισμων και μη διδως τοπον τωι πονηρωι οτι δυνατος ο κυριος καλεσας σε και τουτους προς την ζωην προσαγειν και κληρον δουναι αυτοις μετα των εν φωτι αγιασθεντων 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.