Letter 68: Theodore Studite, Letter 68; Greek heading: Ἐφραὶμ καὶ Ἀγάθωνι καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς τέκνοισ.

Since the blessed Laurentios has fallen asleep [died], death is for him a rest; for how should this not befall a good man, who has passed from his ascetic labors out of this life, or rather who, from the persecution endured for righteousness' sake, has taken up his dwelling with the Lord, of whose virtues there are many witnesses? But it has befallen you, most honored brothers, as also us in our lowliness, the grievous thing of having lost a tried and tested monk, an honored brother, set up as the head for the guidance of the soul. And yet the grievous thing has been turned into joy for us both, because the one snatched away from you is one chosen of God, by the command of God the good, in holiness and righteousness. Therefore I too in my lowliness rejoice and rejoice together with you, that we have sent forward to the Lord so great a vessel. For Laurentios was truly a vessel of election [echoing Acts 9:15, of Paul], first through his unfeigned renunciation and submission, and secondly through his virtue-loving zeal and progress; from which he was also accounted worthy of the priesthood and took up the dignity of presiding over many brothers, useful for shepherding the flock with love, living truly for God and for his superior, and not for the world and the affairs that pertain to the world. His also were the exiles for the Lord's sake and the persecutions, both before and afterward; his too were the feet that were beautiful [cf. Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:15], to speak in the language of Scripture, as he went about here and there and brought to the brothers the glad tidings of the saving promises. A fragrant ointment was his spiritual sweat; a holy dew was his agonizing course of virtue. And he, taken up in this very present persecution, what else did he do but bind upon himself the blessedness pronounced by the Lord? And now he indeed is in heaven, faring together as a citizen with those of his own rank, while we still stand in the contest and lie exposed to the fear of being turned to flight; for there is no perfect blessedness for a man until his departure from life, because of the uncertainty of the outcome. Therefore I exhort you, brothers, to watch and be sober, to act manfully and to be strengthened in the contest set before us, of both the spiritual and the perceptible persecution; for the one who lives according to God is ever pursued by the unseen pursuer toward the seizure of him into sin. Let us flee from him, noble soldiers of Christ. And how is it possible to flee? By coming to be under the mighty hand of God through being well-pleasing to him in all things. And this will come to pass if you live not according to your own private will, but in the common life [cenobitically], that is, having brother Ephraim as your acting superior, just as he too [Laurentios] left it so, and we for our part give our joint approval, and the time and the manner would require it. Let all things be common; let the "mine" and the "thine" be banished; let love mark you out; let obedience keep you safe. And, if you know these things, blessed are you, he says, if you do them [cf. John 13:17].