XIII. (printed 'ul 1.' with §1; read as XIII per p.325 head '12,1.2 + 13,1')
If Jesus prays, and prays not in vain — obtaining what he asks through praying, which perhaps he would not have received without prayer — who of us neglects praying? Mark says: 'Rising very early in the night he went out and departed to a desert place, and there prayed.' Luke: 'And it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place' — and elsewhere: 'And he spent the night in the prayer of God.' John records his prayer, saying: 'These things Jesus spoke, and lifting his eyes to heaven he said: Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You.' And 'I knew that You always hear me,' recorded by him as spoken by the Lord, shows that always praying he is always heard.
Why list those benefited by God for praying in the 'what' manner, heard obtaining what they prayed? Hannah, believing though barren to pray — whereby she was wholly deemed worthy to bear Samuel the prophet, numbered after Moses. And Hezekiah, childless, learning from Isaiah he would die, achieving by prayer to be numbered among my Savior's forefathers. The Mordecai and Esther matters — heard through prayer and fasting, Jews feast the feast of salvation to this day on Mordecai's joyful narratives, a Mordecai-day beside Moses'. The Judith matters — achieving with God by holy prayer against Holofernes, one Hebrew woman shamed Nebuchadnezzar the Assyrian king's house. The Ananias, Azarias, Misael matters — praying, a fine breeze of dew breathing on the furnace flame, deeming them worthy not to smell fire. The Daniel matters — the lions muzzled for Daniel's prayers. And Jonah too, not despairing of being heard from the swallower's belly, coming out of the fish's belly fills the lack of the Ninevites prophecy.
What things each of us has — if thankfully mindful of benefits passed over him he confesses — now to bless the Lord, to glorify His name! That our barren and sterile souls, through prayer's continuance bearing saving words, got children from them? That enemies dissolved — though myriads of hostile power often camped against us, wanting to wipe us from divine faith? Did not, as David said, 'these in chariots and these in horses, but we shall be magnified in the Lord our God's name? They were hamstrung and fell, but we rose and stood upright?' And again, as written: 'A horse is false for salvation, nor shall he be saved by his power's multitude?' And the opposing commander with his plausible deceiving word cut down through the God hymned and glorified in us — and Judith herself, that is, confession (for Judith means confession), awaiting growth and fruits through God's wonder-worthy virtue? And that in trials fire touched us not, nor was fire's smell in us? And the lions' mouths muzzled, unable to make Christ's members food? And fleeing death through repentance we were saved, not despairing of being heard even in death's very belly? For death having prevailed swallowed, and again God wiped every tear from every face.
These seem to me most necessary, after the catalogue of prayer's beneficiaries, for spiritual-life lovers: that in the present season we pray not about small earthly things, but are led up to mystic things, using these expounded ones as types. Willing to follow anagoge with the letter rather than bare history, to train ourselves not barren nor sterile of words, hearing spiritual law with spiritual ears — to be heard as Hannah and Hezekiah; to be saved from intelligible enemies as Mordecai, Esther, Judith; with Egypt the iron furnace, the earthly place (a symbol, then, being fired in Egypt [?]), no less to thank, escaping it, than those tested in furnace fire kept unwet(?) safe; 'deliver not to beasts a soul confessing to You' to be heard; kept unharmed of asp and basilisk, to hymn and thank our Rescuer from them.
Nor shall Jonah's type be idle for the willing examiner — who, reading the fish-belly records and hearing Job say 'cursed be that day,' will tame the great sea-beast — himself beginning no more to resist but obediently to obey [rough]: repenting in the fish's belly, coming out to persist in obedience and prophesy salvation to perishing Ninevites, neither begrudging God's kindness nor demanding severity to penitents. Nor is Samuel's greatest work through prayer's spirit spiritually possible for each genuinely God-devoted now worthy to be heard: 'Stand and see this great word the Lord will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call the Lord, and he will give voices and rain.' And Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord gave voices and rain that day. Every saint genuinely discipled by Jesus hears: 'Lift your eyes and see the fields, white to harvest already; the reaper receives wage and gathers fruit to eternal life.' For in harvest season the Lord does a great word before prophets' hearers: when the Spirit-adorned calls to the Lord, God gives voices and soul-watering rain — that the formerly evil, fearing the Lord and God's benefaction's minister, reverend and venerable toward penitents as manifested. And Elijah, after heaven shut to the godless three years and six months, opens it later by divine word — which is achieved by everyone receiving soul-rain through prayer, previously deprived of it.
Greek (GCS)
§1. Εἰ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσεύχεται καὶ μὴ μάτην προσεύχεται, τυγχάνων ὧν αἰτεῖ διὰ τοῦ εὔχεσθαι, τάχα οὐκ ἂν αὐτὰ εἰληφὼς χωρὶς εὐχῆς, τίς ἡμῶν ἀμελῇ τοῦ εὔχεσθαι; Μάρκος μὲν γάρ φησιν· ὅτι πρωῒ ἔννυχον λίαν ἀναστὰς ἐξῆλθε καὶ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς ἔρημον τόπον, κἀκεῖ προσηύχετο· ὁ δὲ Λουκᾶς· καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐν τόπῳ τινὶ προσευχόμενον — καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις· καὶ ἦν διανυκτερεύων ἐν τῇ προσευχῇ τοῦ θεοῦ· ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης εὐχὴν αὐτοῦ ἀναγράφει λέγων· ταῦτα ἐλάλησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἐπάρας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἶπε· πάτερ, ἐλήλυθεν ἡ ὥρα· δόξασόν σου τὸν υἱόν, ἵνα καὶ ὁ υἱός σου δοξάσῃ σε· καὶ τὸ ἤδειν δὲ ὅτι πάντοτέ μου ἀκούεις παρὰ τῷ αὐτῷ ἀναγραμμένον ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου εἰρημένον δηλοῖ ὅτι πάντοτε εὐχόμενος πάντοτε ἐπακούεται. §2. τί δὲ δεῖ καταλέγειν τοὺς διὰ τοῦ ὧν δεῖ τρόπον προσεύξασθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ εὐεργετηθέντας τυχεῖν ὧνπερ ηὔξαντο ἐπακουσθέντας; τὴν Ἄνναν, πιστεύσασαν στεῖραν οὖσαν προσεύξασθαι, καθ᾽ ὃ ὅλως ἠξίωται τοῦ μετὰ τοὺς Μωυσέως ἀριθμουμένου Σαμουὴλ γεννῆσαι τὸν προφήτην. καὶ τὸν Ἐζεκίαν, ἄπαιδα ὄντα καὶ μαθόντα ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου ὅτι τεθνήξεται, διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς κατορθώσαντα εἰς τὸ τῶν τοῦ σωτῆρός μου προγόνων ἀριθμεῖσθαι. τὰ περὶ Μαρδοχαίου τε καὶ Ἐσθὴρ ἅτινα διὰ προσευχῆς καὶ νηστείας εἰσακουσθέντα τὴν ἑορτὴν τῆς σωτηρίας Ἰουδαίοις ἐπὶ τοῖς περὶ Μαρδοχαίου ἱλαροῖς διηγήμασιν ἑορτάζειν Μαρδοχαϊκὴν ἄχρι τοῦ νῦν ἡμέραν παρὰ τὰς Μωυσέως. τὰ περὶ Ἰουδὶθ ἅτινα διὰ ἁγίας εὐχῆς μετὰ τοῦ θεοῦ κατορθώσασα πρὸς Ολοφέρνην καὶ [διὰ(?) — scan breaks] μία Ἑβραία γυνὴ κατέσχυνε τὸν Ἀσσυρίου βασιλέως οἶκον Ναβουχοδονόσορ. τὰ περὶ Ἀνανίου καὶ Ἀζαρίου καὶ Μισαὴλ εὐξαμένων λεπτῆς αὔρας δρόσου ἀναπνεούσης τὸ φλογὸν τῆς καμίνου καὶ ἀξίων αὐτοὺς ἀποφαινούσης τοῦ μὴ ὀσφραίνεσθαι τὸ πῦρ. τὰ περὶ Δανιὴλ φιμωθέντων τῶν λεόντων διὰ τὰς Δανιὴλ [εὐχάς(?)]. καὶ Ἰωνᾶς δὲ, οὐχ ἀπογνοὺς τὸ ἐπακουσθήσεσθαι ἐκ κοιλίας τοῦ καταπιόντος αὐτὸν κήτους, τὸ ἐλλιπὲς τῆς πρὸς τοὺς Νινευΐτας προφητείας ἐξελθὼν τὴν τοῦ κήτους γαστέρα ἀναπληροῖ. §3. ὅσα δὲ καὶ ἕχαστος ἡμῶν, ἐὰν εὐχαρίστως μεμνημένος τῶν διαβεβηκότων αὐτὸν εὐεργετημάτων ἐξομολογῆται, ἔχει νῦν εὐλογῆσαι τὸν κύριον, ἔχει δοξάσαι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ· ὅτι αἱ ἄγονό(?) τε καὶ στεῖραι ψυχαὶ ἡμῶν, διὰ τὸ συνεχὲς τῆς εὐχῆς γεννήσασαι λόγους σωτηρίους, ἐκτήσαντο ἐξ αὐτῶν τέκνα; ὅσοι δέ, ἡμῶν πολλάκις μυριάδων ἀντιχειμένης δυνάμεως καταστρατευομένων καὶ ἐξαφανίσαι ἀπὸ τῆς θείας ἡμᾶς πίστεως βουλομένων, πολέμιοι διελύθησαν; οὐχὶ, ὡς εἶπε Δαυΐδ, οὗτοι ἐν ἅρμασιν καὶ οὗτοι ἐν ἵπποις, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου θεοῦ ἡμῶν μεγαλυνθησόμεθα; αὐτοὶ συνεποδίσθησαν καὶ ἔπεσον, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀνέστημεν καὶ ἀνορθώθημεν; καὶ πάλιν, καθὼς γέγραπται· ψευδὴς ἵππος εἰς σωτηρίαν, ἐν δὲ πλήθει δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ οὐ σωθήσεται; καὶ τὸν μὲν ἀντικείμενον ἀρχιστράτηγον μετὰ τοῦ πιθανολογοῦντος καὶ πρὸς ἀπάτην φέροντος αὐτοῦ λόγου διὰ τοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν ὑμνουμένου καὶ δοξαζομένου θεοῦ κατακοπέντα, αὐτὴν δὲ τὴν Ἰουδὶθ λέγε, τουτέστι τὴν ἐξομολόγησιν — Ἰουδὶθ γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται ἐξομολόγησις — ἐκδεχομένην αὔξησιν καὶ καρποὺς δι᾽ ἀρετὴν θεοῦ ἀξίους θαυμασμοῦ; καὶ ὅτι ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς πῦρ οὐχ ἧπτετο ἡμῶν, οὐδὲ ὀσμὴ πυρὸς ἦν ἐν ἡμῖν; καὶ ὅτι τῶν λεόντων ἐφιμώθη τὰ στόματα μὴ δυναμένων γενέσθαι τῶν Χριστοῦ μελῶν βρῶσιν; καὶ ὅτι θάνατον φεύγοντες διὰ μετάνοιαν ἐσώθημεν, οὐδ᾽ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ τοῦ θανάτου κοιλίᾳ ἀπογνόντες τὸ ἐπακουσθήσεσθαι; κατέπιε γὰρ ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας, καὶ πάλιν ἀφεῖλεν ὁ θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἀπὸ παντὸς προσώπου. §4. ταῦτα δέ μοι ἀναγκαιότατα μετὰ τὸν κατάλογον τῶν ὠφεληθέντων τῆς εὐχῆς δοκεῖ τοῖς τὸν πνευματικὸν βίον ἀσπαζομένοις. ἵνα μὴ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν περὶ μικρῶν καὶ ἐπιγείων [εὐχόμεθα(?)], ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰ μυστικὰ ἀναγόμεθα, τύποις τισὶ χρησαμένων ἡμῶν τοῖςδε τοῖς ἐξηγημένοις. ἀκολουθεῖν βουλομένους τὴν ἀναγωγὴν τῷ ῥητῷ μᾶλλον ἢ τὴν ψιλὴν ἱστορίαν, ἐνασκεῖν ἑαυτοὺς μὴ εἶναι ἀγόνους μηδὲ στείρους λόγων ἀκούοντας πνευματικοῦ νόμου πνευματικαῖς ἀκοαῖς, ἵν᾽ ἐπακουσθῶσιν ὥσπερ ἡ Ἄννα καὶ ὁ Ἐζεκίας· σῴζεσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν νοητῶν ἐχθρῶν, ὥσπερ Μαρδοχαῖός τε καὶ Ἐσθὴρ καὶ Ἰουδίθ· Αἰγύπτῳ τε τῇ καμίνῳ τῇ σιδηρᾷ, τῷ ἐπιγείῳ τόπῳ σύμβολον οὖν(?) τὸ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ πυρωθῆναι(?) [rough], οὐχ ἧττον εὐχαριστεῖν τοὺς ἐκφυγόντας αὐτὴν ἢ τοὺς ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ τῷ πυρὶ δοκιμασθέντας ἀρόσους(?) διαφυλαχθέντας· μὴ παραδῷς τοῖς θηρίοις ψυχὴν ἐξομολογουμένην σοι ἐπακουσθῆναι· ἀσπίδος καὶ βασιλίσκου ἀπαθεῖς διατηρηθέντας ὑμνεῖν κἀκείνοις(?) εὐχαριστεῖν τῷ ῥυσαμένῳ ἡμᾶς ἐξ αὐτῶν. §5. οὐδὲ τοῦ Ἰωνᾶ δὲ ὁ τύπος ἀργὸς ἔσται τῷ ἐξετάζειν βουλομένῳ, ὅστις ἐν τοῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ ἀναγεγραμμένοις καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς τοῦ κήτους γαστρὸς ἀναγνοὺς καὶ τὸν Ἰὼβ ἀκηκοὼς λέγοντα· καταράσαιτο τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην, ὃ μέλλων τὸ μέγα κῆτος χειρώσασθαι — αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ δι᾽ αὑτοῦ(?) ὁ ἀρχόμενος πείθεσθαι μηκέτι ἀντιτείνειν ἀλλ᾽ εὐπειθῶς ὑπακούειν τῷ κητώδει(?) [rough; sense: yielding to the fish, repenting in its belly, coming out to persist in obedience] μετανοήσας ἐν τῇ τοῦ κήτους κοιλίᾳ, ἐξελθὼν ἐμμένειν τῇ ὑπακοῇ καὶ προφητεύειν τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις Νινευΐταις τὰ πρὸς σωτηρίαν, οὐ μεμψίμοιρον(?) τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν χρηστότητα οὐδὲ ἀπαιτοῦντα ἀπότομον εἶναι πρὸς τοὺς μετανοοῦντας. οὐδὲ τὸ μέγιστον ἔργον τοῦ Σαμουὴλ διὰ πνεύματος εὐχῆς πνευματικῶς δυνατὸν ἑκάστῳ τῷ γνησίως ὄντι ἀφωσιωμένῳ τῷ θεῷ νῦν ἀξίῳ ὄντι τοῦ ἐπακουσθῆναι· στῆτε καὶ ἴδετε τὸ ῥῆμα τὸ μέγα τοῦτο, ὃ ποιήσει κύριος ἐνώπιον ὀφθαλμῶν ὑμῶν· μὴ οὐχὶ θερισμὸς πυρῶν σήμερον; ἐπικαλέσομαι κύριον, καὶ δώσει φωνὰς καὶ ὑετόν. καὶ ἐπεκαλέσατο Σαμουὴλ τὸν κύριον, καὶ ἔδωκε κύριος φωνὰς καὶ ὑετὸν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ. πᾶς δὲ ἅγιος γνησίως μαθητευθεὶς ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ ἀκούει· ἐπάρατε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν, καὶ θεάσασθε τὰς χώρας, ὅτι λευκαί εἰσι πρὸς θερισμὸν ἤδη· ὁ δὲ θερίζων μισθὸν λαμβάνει, καὶ συνάγει καρπὸν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. ἐν γὰρ τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ θερισμοῦ ῥῆμα μέγα ποιεῖ κύριος ἐναντίον τῶν τοὺς προφήτας ἀκουόντων· ὅταν ὁ πνεύματι κεκοσμημένος ἐπικαλέσηται τὸν κύριον, φωνὰς δίδωσιν ὁ θεὸς οὐράνιον(?) καὶ ὑετὸν ψυχῶν ἄρδοντα, ἵνα οἱ πρότερον πονηροὶ τὸν κύριον καὶ τὸν ὑπηρέτην τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ εὐεργεσίας φοβούμενοι πρὸς τοὺς μετανοοῦντας [θεοῦ(?)], αἰδέσιμον καὶ σεβάσμιον [δὲ ὧν ἐπηκροῶντο(?) — rough] πεφανερωμένον. καὶ Ἠλίας δὲ τρισὶν ἔτεσι καὶ ἓξ μησὶ κεκλεισμένον τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν τὸν [οὐρανὸν] θείῳ λόγῳ ἀνοίγει ὕστερον· ὅπερ παντὶ τῷ κατορθοῦται(?), διὰ τῆς εὐχῆς λαμβάνοντι τὸν ὑετὸν τῆς ψυχῆς, τῶν διὰ [τι?] φέρων(?) πρότερον αὐτοῦ ἐστερημένων.