Letter 77: I know that Satan has sought "to sift you as wheat" [Luke 22:31], and that the Lord has allowed it -- so that he...

To Eulalius, Bishop of Persian Armenia, I know that Satan has sought "to sift you as wheat" [Luke 22:31], and that the Lord has allowed it -- so that he might display the wheat, prove the gold, crown the athletes, and proclaim the victors' names. Nevertheless, I fear and tremble. Not for your sake -- you are noble champions of the truth. But I know that some men are weaker of heart. If among twelve apostles one was found a traitor, there is no doubt that among a far greater number one might easily discover many falling short of perfection. Reflecting on this, I have been troubled and filled with discouragement, for as the divine apostle says, "when one member suffers, all the members suffer with it" [1 Corinthians 12:26]. We are members of one another and form one body, with the Lord Christ as our head. Yet I have one consolation in my anxiety: the thought of your holiness. Raised as you have been on the divine Scriptures, taught by the chief Shepherd what marks the good shepherd, I have no doubt that you will lay down your life for the sheep. For as the Lord says, "the hired hand, when he sees the wolf coming, flees, because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. But the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" [John 10:12-13]. It is not in peacetime that a great general shows his true valor but in war -- by rallying his men and putting himself in harm's way for their sake. It would be absurd for a commander to enjoy the privileges of his rank and then run from danger when the moment comes. This is how the thrice-blessed prophets always acted: making nothing of their own safety, enduring every kind of suffering for the sake of the very people who hated and rejected them.

Letter 77