Letter 715

To Aulianus. Some who do not have the boldness that comes from their manner of life, hemmed in within the darkness of passions and sins and choking to death within it, have, merely by groaning and by displaying their own misfortunes to God so as to move him to pity, drawn his mercy down upon themselves, so that even beyond their expectation they were redeemed from their evils. For it is customary for him who is most loving toward mankind to give life to the dead, to console the fainthearted, and to exalt those who have been brought low.

Τινὲς τὴν ἐκ τοῦ βίου μὴ ἔχοντες παῤῥησίαν, ἐν γνόφῳ παθῶν καὶ ἁμαρτιῶν συνεχόμενοι καὶ ἐν- ἀποπνιγόμενοι, μόνον στενάξαντες, καὶ τὰς οἰκείας συμφορὰς τῷ θεῷ ἀναδείξαντες εἰς οἰκτιρμοὺς, καὶ ἕλεον αὐτὸν ἐπεσπάσαντο, ὥστε καὶ παρὰ προσδοκίαν ἐλυτρώσαντο τῶν κακῶν. Σύνηθες γὰρ τῷ φιλανθρωποτάτῳ ζωοποιεῖν τοὺς νεκρούς, καὶ παραμυθεῖσθαι τοὺς ὀλιγοψυχοῦντας, καὶ ὑψοῦν τοὺς τεταπεινωμένους.