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English Translation: Done by ChatGPT 4
OF THE SAME HOLY FATHER EPHREM THE SYRIAN
OTHER BEATITUDES.
Twenty Chapters.
I.
Blessed is he who hates and forsakes this present life, and whose meditation in life is in God alone.
II.
Blessed is he who hates and detests the worst sin, and loves only God, the good and lover of men.
III.
Blessed is he who is on earth as a heavenly angel, and having become an imitator of the Seraphim, continually has chaste thoughts.
IV.
Blessed is he who is chaste to God, and holy and pure from all impurities, thoughts, and wicked deeds.
V.
Blessed is he who is entirely free in the Lord from all things of this vain life.
VI.
Blessed is he who contemplates in his mind that fearsome day of future judgment, and who strives to heal the wounds of his soul with tears.
VII.
Blessed is he who is utterly like a cloud in tears, and who ceaselessly extinguishes the flame of wicked passions.
VIII.
Blessed is he who walks in the way of the Lord's commandments, continually making dwellings for himself sincerely through faith and love.
IX.
Blessed is he who progresses in the good customs of ascetic life, and hopes to receive the heavenly kingdom from God.
X.
Blessed is he who remembers the dreadful command concerning the idle word, and sets a guard on his mouth, lest he fall from the commandment.
XI.
Blessed is he whose soul has become like a newly planted tree, always holding tears according to God, like a stream of water.
XII.
Blessed is he who plants in his own soul the virtues and lives of the Saints as the finest plants.
XIII.
Blessed is he who plants his plants and waters them with tears and prayers, so that they may produce pleasing fruits for the Lord.
XIV.
Blessed is he who, inflamed by the flame of the love of the Lord, burns away any base thoughts and the defilements of his soul.
XV.
Blessed is he who of his own will is like good and beautiful earth, bearing good seed a hundredfold, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold.
XVI.
Blessed is he who is found to be good seed in the field, which the Lord has sown in his field.
XVII.
Blessed is he who finds that chosen and heavenly pearl, and having sold all his possessions on earth, buys that alone.
XVIII.
Blessed is he who finds a treasure hidden in the field, and rejoicing, sells all that he has, and possesses it alone.
XIX.
Blessed is he who continually contemplates in his mind the day of departure from this life, and strives diligently to be found prepared and fearless at that hour.
XX.
Blessed is he who, at the hour of departure, when the soul will be separated from the body with fear and sorrow, finds confidence. For angels will come to receive the soul and separate it from the body, and place it before the tribunal of the immortal and fearsome Judge. There will be great fear, o brothers, at the hour of death, when the soul is separated from the body with fear and sorrow. Indeed, at that hour of separation, the deeds performed by the soul, both day and night, whether good or bad, will be presented. And while the angels urge it to leave the body, looking back at its deeds, it will be terrified to depart. The soul of a sinner will depart from the body with fear and will go trembling to be placed before the tribunal of the immortal Judge. And when it is forced to leave the body and beholds its deeds, then with fear it will say to them: Grant me yet an hour's time before I depart. But all its deeds will answer in one voice and say to it: You made us, we will go with you to God.
Therefore, despising the vanity of this life, my dearest brothers, let us desire Christ alone, the holy and redeemer of our souls. We do not know, brothers, at what hour our departure will be. No one has precise knowledge of the day and hour of separation. While we walk on the earth without any worry, indulging in pleasures and delights, suddenly the fearsome command is issued for the separation of the soul from the body: and the sinner departs at an unexpected day and hour, having a soul full of sins, and finding no excuse for them. Therefore, I urge and admonish you, dearest ones, to become free, and not be held in servitude by this vain and fleeting life. This life is full of snares and traps of death. Let us raise our souls from these as if on wings. The wicked demon perpetually lays traps for our souls, that, having ensnared them with scandals, he may drag them to eternal punishments. We walk among snares, dearest ones. Therefore, let us be attentive to ourselves, lest we fall into the snares of death. The snares of malign death are filled with sweetness. Let our soul beware, lest it be relaxed by the sweetness of its snares. The sweetness of these snares is the care for earthly things, for money, and also for wicked thoughts and actions. Beware, brother, lest you be caught by the sweetness of the snares of death. Beware, lest you be loosened and relaxed by the meditation on wicked and shameful thoughts. If an evil thought makes its way into the soul, it entertains it with unjust meditation, to deliver it unto death: and let the evil thought be as a snare in the soul; and it is not expelled except by prayers, tears, continence, and vigils. Therefore, be vigilant, and be free from all earthly things, that you may be freed from snares, and from wicked thoughts and actions. Beware, lest you relax even for a moment in the meditation on an improper thought. Beware, brother, lest a perverse thought dwell in your soul. Flee continually to God with prayers, fasting, and tears, that you may be freed from all snares, stumbling blocks, and passions. Beware that you do not persuade yourself of a long life still to come on earth, O brother, and in the meantime become softened and dissolved in the meditation of the worst thoughts and actions: and yet an edict, unexpectedly issued by the Lord, finds you sinning, and leaves you no time for repentance and forgiveness. And what will you say to death at that hour of your departure, O brother? For it happens that not even for a moment does the Lord’s command allow you to remain on earth. While many persuade themselves of a long life on earth, death comes unexpectedly, and finds a man sinning and rich, counting many more years during which he believes he will live peacefully on earth, calculating his total money and interest on his fingers, dividing up his riches over many years to come. But death comes unexpectedly, and in a moment destroys all his calculations along with his riches and the very vain cares of time. Death comes again to the righteous man, who, gathering heavenly riches through prayers and fastings and constantly keeping death before his eyes, and not fearing at all the approach of death and the separation of the body, finds him. So you too, always, as one who is discerning and spiritual, daily expect death, and the separation of the soul from the body, and the appearance before the tribunal of the Lord. Keep your lamp daily prepared and prudent, and every single hour renew it with tears and prayers, that it may be ready. While you are still able, and not assailed, take serious counsel for your affairs, dearest one. For there will come to you a time full of unbelief, negligence, laziness, and hardness, which, because of its own confusion, will not allow you to think what is better. Pay attention, dearest ones, to how all evils now thrive, how the very worst things make their daily progress, how wickedness increases: all of which foretell the coming confusion and that great tribulation that will come upon all ends of the earth. Because of our sins, all these things progress daily, and because of our laxity and sloth, vices reign on earth. Let us therefore be vigilant, O lovers of God, and vigorous warriors, so that daily we may overcome the wicked enemy in battle, as perfect lovers of God. Let us be trained in the manners of this war: since the enemy is invisible; and in this battle, these polished manners are that we should strip ourselves of earthly things. If you continually meditate with death before your eyes, you will not sin. If you are stripped of earthly things, you will not be overcome in battle. If you hate earthly and momentary things, dearest, and despise them, then you will obtain the palm of victory, as the best warrior. For when earthly things draw us downwards, and passions cloud the eyes of the heart in battle, for this reason the wicked enemy conquers us in the conflict of war, because we are earthly and overly anxious about earthly things, and serve our desires. For all of us, dearest, love earthly things today, and have our minds fixed on the earth, due to our softness and laziness. The day draws to evening: our time has passed; yet we, because of our unbelief, think it is still the morning hour. Behold, the kingdom of heaven is at the doors, and in the meantime, we do not want to hear about the signs and wonders that the Lord has foretold. Plagues, earthquakes, terrors, wars, and movements of nations have already occurred. Yet all these things seem to us like dreams: we are neither moved by hearing of them, nor by seeing them. The elect are gathered lest they see the great confusion and pressure that will overwhelm this wicked world. The time for harvest has come, and the crop has ripened. This age has reached its end: and the angels, having taken up their sickles, await the signal. Therefore, let us fear, dearest ones. It is now time to say the eleventh hour, and a long journey still lies ahead of us. Let us strive to be found on the way. Let us be sober and wake from sleep, as if sleepless. We do not know at what hour the Lord will come to the whole earth. Therefore, let us lay aside the burden and care of earthly things. For the Lord indeed does not want us to be anxious about any matter on earth; He commands mutual love among us. But from us, love has been banished and expelled from the earth. All things are full of sins. Injustice has taken hold of everyone alike. Each one desires earthly things and despises heavenly ones: no one loves the future. Do you wish to become heavenly? Let all earthly things always be hateful and detestable to you: practice discipline, as if perfect, and aspire to the heavenly kingdom. But beware that you do not say to yourself in thought, O monk: Great is the labor in discipline; but I am small and weak, and I cannot endure the labor of disciplines. Hear the words of the most beautiful and best advice with your ears, and commit to memory what I, your dearest and most loving brother in Christ, am about to tell you. If you wish to travel to another distant region and country, you cannot complete the entire distance of the journey in a single moment of time; but step by step, progressing daily through many stages, after great efforts exhausted from the journey, you will finally reach the region you were expecting. Similarly, it is with the heavenly kingdom and the paradise of delights: to which one can arrive through fasting, continence, and vigils. Indeed, continence, tears, prayers, vigils, and charity, are the stages that lead to heaven. Do not be afraid to start a beautiful beginning on a good path that leads to life. Desire to walk on that path alone, and a purposeful spirit will be found in you, and soon the same path will be laid out before your feet. Rejoicing and walking not without pleasure through that journey, you will make the stages. The steps of your soul through each stage will be made firmer. On this path, which leads to heaven, you will find no difficulty. The Lord himself in heaven has made Himself the way and the life for those who desire to joyfully reach the Father of lights. You have become for me, Christ the Savior, the way of life, leading to the Father. This alone contains joy within itself, and its end is the kingdom of heaven. You have become for me, Lord Jesus, Son of God, the way of life and enlightenment, and I have drawn for myself from your fountain gifts, full of desire. Your grace has become in the heart of your servant light and joy, sweeter on the tongue of your servant than honey and the honeycomb. Your grace has become in the soul of your servant like a treasure, enriching poverty, dispelling want and decay. Your grace has become for your servant a refuge and strength, protection and exaltation, boasting and the food of the entire life. How then can your servant, Lord, remain silent about the great love and sweetness of your grace? I have opened my unworthy mouth: but how can my tongue praise and glorify the giver of goods worthily? or how again can I, a sinner, dare to block out the waves of your grace burgeoning in my heart, and full of the sweetness of manifold gifts? I will sing to the Lord of the glory of the heavens, who has bestowed heavenly gifts upon his servant through diverse gifts. I will magnify your grace, Christ the Savior: for in magnifying it, I myself am magnified. I will not cease, Lord, to praise your grace with my tongue. My harp will not be silent, strumming spiritual songs. To you, Savior, who are the glory of my life, I am drawn by desire for you. Your grace draws my mind to follow you with a certain sweetness. Let my heart be good soil that receives the good seed, and let your grace drench it with the dew of eternal life; and let the same grace reap from the soil of the heart a sheaf of compunction, adoration, sanctification, which are always most pleasing to you. Convert my soul with that found sheep back to the fold of the paradise of delights. May my soul be found in that light. And just as you lifted that found sheep onto your shoulders; so also draw this unworthy soul of mine to you with your hand, and offer both to the immaculate and immortal Father: that with all the Saints in those delights of Paradise I may say: Glory to the immortal Father: worship to Him who bestowed heavenly gifts on the lowly and rejected, that He Himself might offer the drachma of glory to the King of all forever. Amen.