Letter 262: Theodore Studite, Letter 262; Greek heading: Γενναδίῳ τέκνῳ.

What you wrote to me, beloved child, I have understood. You are grieved that in the persecution you move from place to place, gripped by fear and anxiety; for the condition of exile suggests these things, and besides this, that you are in want of the necessities of life. But let the beatitude of the Lord gladden you and lighten your pains: blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Is not this promise sufficient to dissolve every affliction and distress? The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. Do you see that the violence is making you an imitator of God? For the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who take it by force. Endure, child, as you have already borne for Christ not only persecution but also imprisonment. He who increases knowledge increases pain, it says. Lately you have proved yourself a champion; and now, grown older in knowledge and in age, would you not be still greater? Yes, child, I beseech you, guard yourself in every way, so that you may be saved like a gazelle from the snares and like a bird from the traps. Pray for me, the sinner.