Letter 1598: Prayer is not the manipulation of God but the alignment of our will with his.
To Palladius the Deacon. The Christian life is a race, and those who run it must strip off every weight and every sin that clings so closely. The runner who carries unnecessary baggage will never reach the finish line; the soldier who wears unnecessary armor will never win the battle. In the same way, the Christian who clings to worldly attachments — wealth, pleasure, reputation, power — will never attain the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus. This does not mean that all earthly things are evil — they are not — but that they must be held loosely, as servants rather than masters, as tools rather than treasures. The person who uses the world without being enslaved by it has found the secret of the Christian life: to possess everything and be possessed by nothing, to enjoy everything and be addicted to nothing, to hold everything in open hands and to let go of everything when the Master calls.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
ΝΗ πἰηιίς αἰΠεγεπάμηι, Ὠἰαδοίἑ ατίἐς πιαία;. Νοιι δβί Ῥγοογδοιπδηάσυπι, ἀἰδεγειν , "Ὸ νὶγ, δαὰ ορίΐϊηνὰ 4υδιυθ ἀζοηθδ. Νοφυὸ δηΐηι ἢηΐ8 ἰδ Ρρυ5 πονίιηυδ, ἃς π6 ἀπο β 4υ] ) Π] [ ΔΓΪο8 νϑγϑυ , αὐΐθι5 π06 ορρυρυδί, αυὶ ρΓγιΕ- δ6η. ὺ8 Π05 ΧΟΡ Ἶ6 ), Γὰ ]ΓΟΓΌἢ ΘγΟΠ Οἰυ!. αὔὶ αεὐπι πονῖε Ποιπΐ ἰῃ ἀΐοιη νἱἵνογο, (υἱπγυτη ψέγυ δι ἱποογίκπ), ορρυζιδὶ Π1 , ἃς ρΓϑ δοιὰ αυϊάδιη ( ὲπ58, ἀδᾳιι6 [αἰυτγὶ8 ἱπδηὶ δρὲ ἰδοίδηβ8, αυὶ μοάΐογιιπ) ἀἰθιη ΘΘΏΡΟΡ ῥτϑδδηίθη) ΔΥὈ ὙδηΐΌΓ, ἃ ροΓβυ85085 ρτεδοὶρίῖα!. Ουμργορίοῦ οἱ γοὶ βογοπ ΘΟΟΔ [η ἢ1 δφοηἋο οΟμδυ!ηθη., ΟρροΟΓιυηἰ- ἰδιθπ) ἰδη)ρυβαθ6 μορμυμ!. Τορυδ δ ἤυθι8 1ὸΓῚ ἢυπάφυδιῃ δἰ ϑιίυγ, βοὰ 4υ88 ἰηιογθᾶ Οὐ μέλλειν, ὦ σοφὲ, ἀλλὰ πράττειν χρὴ τὰ βέὲλ- τιστα " οὔτε γὰρ τὸν τῆς τελευτῆς ἴσμεν χαιρὸν, οὔτε τὴν τοῦ διαδόλον χαχουργίαν, ἣν χαθ᾽ ἡμῶν μηχανᾶται, ἐχχρούων μὲν ἀεὶ τοῦ παρόντος, τὸ δὲ μέλλον ὀνειροπολεῖν παρασχευάξων. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οἶδεν, ὅτι χατὰ τὸ παρὸν ζῶμεν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, τὸ δὲ μέλλον ἀμφίδολον, χαταστρατηγεῖ" καὶ τὸ μὲν πα- ρὸν ἀπατῶν, τὸ δὲ μέλλον ὑποτιθέμενος, ἐχτραχηλ!- ζει τοὺς πειθομένους, τὸ σήμερον ἀεὶ παρὸν λογί- ζομένους. Διὸ χαὶ τὸν τοῦ πράττειν χαιῤὸν εἰς τὸ μηδὲν παρασχευάζεσθαι ἀναλίσχοντες, διαμαρτά“ γουσι τῆς εὐχαιρίας. Ὃ γὰρ χρόνος τὸ βράδος ο περιμένει" ἀλλὰ χαὶ ἃς ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ ὕλᾶς ΑΒ ΓΕΟΤΙΟΝΕΘ ΕἸ ΝΟΤΕ. () Τρυφῇ ἰάδιη δυροὶ ἐπ τρυφῆς. ρυᾳ. . " Ῥγὸ τὸν Δι οὐ ἀ. ρυμυπηῖὶ τήν. ἴν. (οὐ. υἱόγαυς οἐἰ θείας. ει . ἸΏΟΓ χα- ταλαμθάνει εἰ τοιοῦτον Δη100 ἰπδαγιηὶ πρός. [ ὑπο- " υἱ1. να γϑίθιιθ νοσαῦυΐὰ ἰἰἀδη) Αἰ τὲγ οὐ μδαί, π0 .. γα ΠΟΙΔὈΪ. ΡοΞ351Ν. ἘΡΙΘΤΟΙΛΕΆΙΜΝ . Υ. -- ἘΡΙΘΤ. (ΓΟ ΧΧΙΥ. ἀπατῶμεν ἑαυτοὺ; παρατχενάξειν, οὐδὲν οἷόν τε Α ἸΟΠΙΡΟΓΪΒ Γ6Β Π05 “θυ ρ η168 Δρράγαγο νἱ6- ποιεῖν ἐξελέγχονται. ΤΟ΄. --- ΑἸΟΛΛΩΝΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ. ὨυΓ, αυοιΐ δὐβοίνογο μὸῃ ῬοϊοΓ , δούυ58- ὈΐΩΝΓ. ΟσΟῸΙΧΧ. --- ΑΡΟΙΙΟΝΙΟ ΕΡΙΘΟΟΡΟ. γ]εῖοτ φεὶς υετε. ((οη[. ορὶεί. ἼΟ εἰ .) Εἰ χαὶ δειναὶ ἐν τοῖς πράγμασι συμθαίνουσαι ἀπορίαι τὸ εἰχὸς ἀνελεῖν, χαὶ () τοῦ πρέποντος ἀναγχάζουσι τὸ παρεμπίπτον ἐλέσθαι" ἀλλ᾽ οὖν οἱ φρονήσεως οὐχ ἀμοιροῦντες, χαὶ τῇ θείᾳ δεξιᾷ τὰ χαθ᾽ ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιτρέποντες, τὸ πρέπον μᾶλλον τοῦ παραυτίχα δοχοῦντος αἱρούμενοι, οὐ τῷ δόξαι ἦτ- τῆσθαι δυσχεραίνουσιν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ὄντως νενιχηχέναι ἀγάλλονται. Νίχη γὰρ ἀληθῶς οὐ τὸ δοκεῖν παρα- χρῆμα νενιχηχέναι, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀρετῆς χαὶ εὐσεθείας μὴ ἐχπεπτωχέναι.
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Scripture speaks with precision to those who read carefully.