Letter 1123: Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.

To Kasianos. Even though the account of the Gospel narrative describes Lazarus [the poor man of the parable in Luke 16] as having come to the utmost extremity of every wretchedness, nevertheless his calamity became for him the greatest occasion of prosperity and of truth. For if he had not come to so great a degree of misfortune, he would not have risen to so great a height of renown. For what could be more glorious (to pass over the recompenses there [in the world to come]) than to be celebrated in the Gospels, and to have God as one's praiser, and Abraham as one's advocate?

Εἰ καὶ πάσης εἰς ἄκρον ἥκοντα ταλαιπωρίας τὸν Λάζαρον ὁ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς διηγήσεως ὑπογράφει λόγος, ἀλλ’ εὐπραγίας αὐτῷ ὑπόθεσις μεγίστη καὶ ἀληθείας γέγονεν ἡ συμφορά. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ εἰς (94) τοσοῦτον δυσπραγίας ἀφικτο, οὐκ ἂν πρὸς τοσοῦτον εὐκλείας ἀνέβη. Τῇ γὰρ εὐκλεέστερον (ἵνα παρῶ τὰς ἐκεῖσε ἀμοιβὰς) τοῦ ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις ὑμνεῖσθαι, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐπαινέτην, καὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ κεκτῆσθαι συνήγορον;