Letter 1615: Virtue must be practiced with all one's strength — not merely admired from a distance.
To Heron the Presbyter. The presbyter must be a man of prayer before he is a man of action, for action without prayer is like a body without a soul — it may have the appearance of life but lacks its substance. The busyness of pastoral ministry can become the greatest enemy of the spiritual life if it is not rooted in the silence of prayer and the stillness of contemplation. Many presbyters are so consumed by the urgent demands of their flock that they neglect the one thing necessary — their own relationship with God — and end up giving to others out of an empty reservoir. This is the road to burnout, bitterness, and ultimately apostasy. Therefore guard your prayer time as jealously as a miser guards his gold, and let no pastoral emergency, however pressing, rob you of the daily communion with God that is the source of all your strength and the foundation of all your ministry.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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
Υἱγίατὶ ὀρογῶπ πᾶυδηιϊὶ ϑαιυπὶ ὁδὶ ἀὐνίηιπι οἰΐδπιὶ ᾿πρ]ογᾶγα, ὧἱ οροιῃ Πθδι5 ἴογδι, δυχ τη. Αἱ αυἱ ͵ὰ5 πυ]Π δπν ἀεἷἰϊ ταιοπαπὶ, ποαυθ ἰηνοοαὶ Νυπη6 , ἡΠυ ρτγορ εἴη ποη ἀχρογίοίυγ. Ουΐ δηΐιη οἰππἰᾶ, αυοοὰ : Ποτγὶ μοίο5ι, πηρ!εῖ, Ὀδηΐψης οἱ θυ δηηυΐ,. τ ναγὸ δσθιηριβ οἰἰὰπι βγη εἰατίυβ ἰὰ οϑίθη αι, ἀΐσαγα τη νἱ ογὶβ : Ουἱὰ ] βοογίαπι) ]- γδγὶ Ὑ , θα ΟΠ ἰΔιθθη ἱποοηιμδηι4 [Θ06-- ΓΆΓΟ, αυἃῷ ἀθδιηυπ) γαιϊΐοπα βαϊνα ιν ἢ Εϑὶ αυοά Γοοροηάήολη) : δ᾽. αιἱ] ἀΐδοογα [ἰτπἰοῦὰ8 ουρίαι, ρΓῖ- σορίοτθμι ἰδιηθι πο ᾿ι [γοαυθηίαγο, ἀδμὶπο ἴῃ ψΓδπ)- "Δ . () 6δ8ῖ, δογίθεγο ἀοσδηίθι, δ. ἀ6 ἰδϊ- ἰογὶ8 εἰἰδδεγθηῖθι ) ἱποϊ θῃβ ἀΐοαὶ :- γ88 [ ἀοοθ88 : Δηηποι εἰαγο Γαδροπδυτυπὶ Οορἱμπδτῖδ : ἤθυβ βίο , φμοιιοἋο ὑΐϑεογα αυθᾶ8, Πδαυδ ργΓδοορίο- ΓΘ) ἰγοαυδι , ἤ64υδ διγίυηι ΠΔ Δ] ΔΙΉ (, οἱ ἰοθογαγα γρουβϑὰβ ἢ Τυ οὐ ἀϊδοθηάἑ ουρὶ ὐἰιαιὶ δὶ ἀξοδββοῦι ἰδῦογ, δίᾳυα ορότϑ οἰΐδπὶ πηθὰ, Δ08ο!ὺ- ἴχ. φυϊά ρεγίὀοιυιηαιὸ οναίδὶ. ἡ υοι δὶ ἀθε! ἀ ΓΔ ΓΟ αυϊθι ( δἤθιπ)θ8, πόαᾳὺθ εἃ ἐ88 βοίθμαϊ ουρίαΐ [!ΆσοΓο οΘοπδυδνόναηι, φιοιποῦο ἀΐβοθτα ἡυ688 ἢ δίς αυΐ νἱγιυίοαι ορίατο εἴοι!, δὸ υἱδῶ ἀυσδηίοιη ἰμσγοαά! γοίυφίυη!. ΟΊ. -- ΒΕΒΟΝῚ ΡΝΕΒΒΎΥΤΕΒΟ. δεοίαηάμ θα φμα αὐ υἱτίμίεη! ασηαϊγοίαωι αὐἀπιϊμϊοιίο φμοφηί. Μηδὲν τἔμιον εἶναι νόμιξε, ὃ μὴ πρὸς ἀρετὴν φέρη, μηδὲ ποιῇ ἀμείγους τοὺς περὶ αὐτὸ σπουδά- ζοντας. Φέρει δὲ εἰς ἀρετὴν τὸ τοῖς φιλαρέτοις ἀχο- (αὶ λουθεῖν, καὶ ὁμιλεῖν τοῖς σωφρονεστάτοις, ἀλλὰ μὴ τοῖς ἀσελγεστάτοις " τοῖς εἰρηνιχωτάτοις χαὶ οἷς συνδιατρίόειν λυσιτελὲς, ἀλλὰ μὴ τοῖς μαχιμωτά- τοις. Εὖ γὰρ εἰδέναι χρὴ, ὅτι χαχίας τις ῥᾷον με- ταλαμθάνει ἣ ἀρετῆς. Εἰ γὰρ ἦν ῥᾷον τὸ ἀρετῆς μετασχεῖν, ἐχρῆν χαὶ τοῖς χαχίστοις συνεῖναι τοὺς δυναμένους ταύτην χαρίσασθαι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῦτο δύσχολον, ἄμεινον ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ εἶναι, καὶ φεύγειν τοὺς πονηρούς. Εἰ γὰρ ἐχεῖνοι οὐχ ὠφελοῦνται, δι᾽ ἂν αἰτίαν αὐτὸς ζημιοῦσαι ;
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