Letter 510: Theodore Studite, Letter 510; Greek heading: Εὐφροσύνῃ ἡγουμένῃ.

On the present occasion as well we visit your Honor through this letter, longing to learn how you are faring in health, bearing the spiritual life in holiness. For this is a duty owed by us to do, inasmuch as you yourself dedicated yourself to our lowliness [Theodore's customary self-deprecating reference to himself] from the time of your own blessed mother, whose memorial is in the book of the living [cf. Psalm 69:28], since she lived well and left behind her own life as a stamp of piety, not only for you, the holy and God-minded one, and for those under your hand, but also for all others who have a yearning to emulate what is good. Having, then, the example of virtue from your mother's side, add also your own deeds still further, lady, we exhort you, becoming yourself too, out of an excellent image [eikon, here of her mother's life], an image of the godly life to those who behold you, even as you indeed are becoming such; for we hear again and again that you are doing what is good: on the one hand in the governance of the sisters, holding them all together in one loving soul, watchful in the things pertaining to God in prayers, in psalmody, in readings; and on the other hand in brotherly hospitality, distributing yourself in many ways among cares and gifts, and like some eye in a body--this in Byzantium [the city of Constantinople], as I perceive, is your monastery; through which God is glorified and your blessed mother takes ineffable delight, since the saints are deemed worthy to behold the good achievements of their own disciples. Rejoice, therefore, good teacher and genuine mother of children according to God; and let others have earthly glories and splendors, and diadems and crowns that are but for a season, but for you the Cross of Christ will suffice, the God-possessed life, the convent yearning for Christ, and, if you will, the oracles of God more precious and more to be prized than gold and costly stone [cf. Psalm 19:10], the gray garment [the monastic habit], the following of Christ--things which are greater than all earthly things and the pledges of the kingdom of the heavens. May the eye of your understanding, then, never henceforth grow drowsy, nor the hearing of your heart turn deaf, nor may your divine love ever cease; but rather may you ever increase with additions of virtues, pricking and piercing through your soul and, as from some spring, pouring forth tears. For this water is most especially good: it cleanses the soul when at times it is defiled in its thoughts, it extinguishes the fire kindled out of inattention by the love of the flesh, it lulls to rest a troubled disposition and the assault of the adversary, it truly bends God to mercy and re-establishes the lover [of God] in his former genuineness. Being wise, understand what I say; for the Lord gives you grace, and may He give you still more, so that you may love Him and be loved in return, yearn and be yearned for in return, so that it may be possible for you too to say with the Apostle: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" [Galatians 2:20]. For one who loves God wholly goes out of himself into the Beloved, both living and moving and being [cf. Acts 17:28]. Such is the one whom the word seeks you to be, the bride of Christ, and likewise the daughters of God who are under you. And what comes after this? Christ the Bridegroom, the heavenly bridal chamber and the good things of the Jerusalem above [cf. Galatians 4:26], this kingdom of the heavens and all the things of repose that have been promised to the saints; which the blessed mother, having attained them, exhorts you all to persevere in the ascetic discipline, in concord, in unity of soul, to trample upon the passions, to hate flesh and blood, to hold fast to the virtues, through which it is possible to attain these ineffable good things.

Καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἐπισκεπτόμεθά σου τὴν τιμιότητα διὰ τοῦ γράμματος, γλιχόμενοι μαθεῖν ὅπως ὑγιῶς διατελοίη, φέρουσα εὐαγῶς τὴν πνευματικὴν ζωήν· καὶ γὰρ ἔργον ἡμῖν ὀφειλόμενον τοῦτο ποιεῖν, καθάπερ καὶ αὕτη προσανατέθεικας ἑαυτὴν τῇ ταπεινώσει ἡμῶν ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς μακαρίας μητρός σου, ἧς τὸ μνημόσυνον ἐν βίβλῳ ζώντων, καλῶς βιωσάσης καὶ χαρακτῆρα εὐσεβείας τὸν ἑαυτῆς βίον καταλιπούσης, οὐ μόνον σοὶ τῇ ἱερᾷ καὶ θεόφρονι ταῖς τε ὑπὸ χεῖρα, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσιν ἄλλοις, οἷς ἐστι πόθος ζηλοῦν τὰ καλά. τὸ γοῦν ὑπόδειγμα τῆς ἀρετῆς μητρόθεν ἔχουσα πρόσθες καὶ τὰ κατὰ σαυτὴν ἔτι, κυρία, παρακαλοῦμεν, ἐξ εἰκόνος ἀρίστης εἰκὼν γινομένη καὶ αὐτὴ ἐνθέου βίου τοῖς ὁρῶσί σε, ὥσπερ καὶ γίνοιο· καὶ γὰρ ἀκούομεν ἔτι καὶ ἔτι τὰ καλά σε πράττουσαν, τοῦτο μὲν ἐν τῇ καθηγήσει τῶν ἀδελφῶν, μιᾷ ψυχῇ ἀγαπητικῇ τὰς πάσας συνέχουσαν, γρηγοροῦσαν τὰ πρὸς θεὸν ἐν προσευχαῖς, ἐν ψαλμῳδίαις, ἐν ἀναγνώσεσι, τοῦτο δὲ ἐν φιλαδέλφῳ ξενοδοχίᾳ, πολυτρόπως διαμεριζομένην ταῖς φροντίσεσί τε καὶ ἐπιδόσεσι καὶ οἷόν τις ὀφθαλμὸς ἐν σώματι, τοῦτο ἐν τῇ Βυζαντίδι, ὡς κατανοῶ, τὸ σὸν μοναστήριον· δι' οὗ δοξάζεται θεὸς καὶ ἥδεται ἀρρήτως ἡ μακαρία μήτηρ, ἐπείπερ ἠξίωνται οἱ ἅγιοι βλέπειν τῶν σφῶν μαθητῶν τὰ κατορθώματα. Χαίροις οὖν, ἀγαθὴ διδάσκαλε καὶ μήτηρ γνησιεύουσα τῶν κατὰ θεὸν τέκνων· καὶ ἄλλοι μὲν ἐχέτωσαν δόξας γηΐνας καὶ λαμπρότητας, διαδήματά τε καὶ στεφανώματα πρόσκαιρα, σοὶ δὲ ἀρκέσει ὁ σταυρὸς Χριστοῦ, ὁ θεόληπτος βίος, ὁ χριστοπόθητος παρθενών, εἰ δὲ βούλει, τὰ ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον τιμαλφέστερα λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ, τὸ φαιὸν ἱμάτιον, ἡ ἀκολούθησις τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἅτινά ἐστι μείζω πάντων τῶν ἐπιγείων καὶ ἀρραβωνίσματα τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν. μή σοι λοιπόν ποτε νυστάξῃ τὸ ὄμμα τῆς διανοίας μηδὲ ἡ ἀκοὴ τῆς καρδίας ἀνακουστήσῃ μηδὲ λήξῃ σού ποτε ὁ θεῖος ἔρως, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ προσθήκαις ἀρετῶν ἀεὶ ἐπαύξαιο, νύσσουσα καὶ κατανύσσουσα τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ὥσπερ ἔκ τινος πηγῆς προχέουσα δάκρυον. καλὸν γὰρ ὅτι μάλιστα τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦτο· καθαίρει ψυχήν, ἔσθ' ὅτε ῥυπουμένην ἐν λογισμοῖς, σβέννυσι πῦρ ἐξ ἀπροσεξίας ἀναπτόμενον ὑπὸ ἔρωτος σαρκός, κατευνάζει ταραχώδη διάθεσιν καὶ δυσμενοῦς προσβολῆς, κάμπτει τῷ ὄντι θεὸν εἰς ἔλεον καὶ ἵστησιν ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας γνησιότητος τὸν ἐραστήν. σοφὴ οὖσα νόει ἃ λέγω· δίδωσι γάρ σοι Κύριος χάριν καὶ δώσειέ σοι ἔτι εἰς τὸ στέργειν αὐτὸν καὶ ἀντιστέργεσθαι, ποθεῖν καὶ ἀντιποθεῖσθαι, ὡς ἂν ἕξει καὶ σοὶ εἰπεῖν μετὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου· ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός. καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἀγαπῶν ὁλοσχερῶς τὸν θεὸν ἐξίσταται ἑαυτοῦ ἐν τῷ ἀγαπωμένῳ καὶ ζῶν καὶ κινούμενος καὶ ὤν. Τοιαύτην σε ὁ λόγος ἐπιζητεῖ, τὴν νύμφην τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καί γε τὰς ὑπὸ σὲ θυγατέρας θεοῦ. καὶ τί τὸ ἐντεῦθεν; ὁ νυμφίος Χριστός, ὁ ἐπουράνιος νυμφὼν καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς ἄνω Ἱερουσαλήμ, αὕτη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν καὶ ὅσα ἐπήγγελται ἀναπαυστικὰ τοῖς ἁγίοις· ἃ φθάσασα ἡ μακαρία μήτηρ παρακαλεῖ ἐπιμένειν ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἀσκήσει, ἐν τῇ ὁμονοίᾳ, ἐν τῇ συμψυχίᾳ, πατεῖν τὰ πάθη, μισεῖν σάρκα καὶ αἷμα, ἀντέχεσθαι τῶν ἀρετῶν, δι' ὧν ἔστιν ἐπιτυχεῖν τῶνδε τῶν ἀρρήτων ἀγαθῶν.