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["Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord, or who] may stand in His holy place?" (Ps. 23:3).
Truly, good deeds are necessary, according to the words He added afterward: "He who has clean hands" (Ps. 23:4), so that with these hands—that is, with our hands—we may touch "that which was from the beginning, which we have heard" (1 Jn. 1:1), and so that with a pure heart we may behold the treasures of Wisdom hidden within it (cf. Col. 2:3). Then we shall worthily celebrate the feast...
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For, brethren, we are called and gathered by Wisdom, according to the Gospel parable (Mt. 22:1-14), to the great and solemn feast, sufficient for all creation—I speak of the Passover that was sacrificed, that is, Christ; for "Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (1 Cor. 5:7).
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"drinks from the spring of water welling up to eternal life" (Jn. 4:14). Those who can answer such a call and partake of this feast are those who live as described by the Psalmist, who said: "Who has not lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbor" (Ps. 23:4). Such are the ones Wisdom seeks; and she exhorts us, saying: "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Forsake foolishness and live, and walk in the way of understanding" (Prov. 9:5-6). Those who clothe themselves in such garments will hear: "Enter into [the joy of your master... approximately 10 lines......]
...He commanded the demons to be silent when they uttered such words (Mk. 5:7). He ordered them to be silent—not because they lied, for what they proclaimed, calling Him the Son of the Holy God, was true—but so that they would not deceive people and then teach them what was proper only to themselves. This is how He acted when He was among us during His coming. Likewise, from the very beginning, He commanded Moses to preach what had been revealed to him. Similarly, He taught Paul to silence the slave girl possessed by a spirit of divination in Philippi, as written in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 16:16); and He cast the unclean spirit out of her, so that she would not utter ungodliness and that people would not trust in her hypocrisy.
If anyone objects that in the martyria many possessed by unclean spirits were healed—this is an evasion. Let them hear what I answer them: they were healed not by the martyrs nor by the demons, but by the Savior, whom the martyrs confessed; and, tormented by Him, the demons cried out, as did those of whom it is said in the Gospel: "I beg You, do not torment me" (Lk. 8:28). But they will be put to shame when they see the destruction of the demons whom they glorified and from whom they sought knowledge of the future.
After these explanations, will they still dare to consult unclean spirits? Yes! Yes, they will dare, for they are shameless and lovers of pleasure. And now, to condemn their wrongful attitude toward the martyrs and to show that they go to the tombs of the martyrs with improper intentions, I ask you to heed what I say: The Lord spoke through Isaiah, saying, "Be My witnesses" (Is. 43:10); and while among us, He also said: "Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father in heaven" (Mt. 10:32). For whoever bears witness to the Lord, the Lord will bear witness for him; and he who abides in the Lord will find the Lord abiding in him. So it was with [the Apostle] Paul, who said: "You seek proof that Christ is speaking in me" (2 Cor. 13:3). It is also written: "The Gospel which God promised beforehand through His prophets" (Rom. 1:1-2)—that is, the Son, who speaks through them and prophesies. Therefore, if these people truly believed that by their confession the martyrs confess God, they would know what an offense they commit by thinking that demons are the prophets of the martyrs. But the martyrs did not confess demons so that they might speak through them; the martyrs confessed the Lord, and He does not forsake those who have confessed Him.
"He spoke through demons!"—this is the insult hurled at the saints and a misunderstanding of what a martyr truly is. For if they understood, they would know that martyrs abide in Christ, not in demons, and they would call upon Christ who dwells in them. They would wait for Christ to reveal to them what they seek—whether in a dream or by speaking in their hearts—and would not rush to bow before demons.
How can such people be called Christians? How can we not distance ourselves from them? Truly, they are alien to God, enemies of the Scriptures, and devoid of goodwill toward the holy martyrs. Why, then, do they go to their tombs? In truth, they do not go because they desire the martyrs to intercede for them before God, but rather to interrogate them through demons. This is not the work of Christians; on the contrary, such acts are demonic mockery and belong to the worship of idols.
Therefore, I implore you: let such people be outside the community of God, like lepers and strangers to the faith. Let such deeds not even be mentioned among you and your brethren (Eph. 5:3), nor among your companions. For we have no part with demons; we have prophets, and we honor the Word of God, which speaks from heaven. We have no need for those who speak from the earth. By living in this way and keeping ourselves pure from such leaven, we shall celebrate the feast worthily and to the glory of God.
We shall begin the holy [forty-day] fast on the 21st of the month of Mehir (ⲚⲘϢⲒⲢ), devoting ourselves to prayer and fasting with diligence. The Great Week of Holy Pascha shall begin on the 26th of the month of Paremhat (ⲘⲠⲀⲢⲘϨⲞⲦ), and we shall break the fast on the 1st day of the month of Parmoute (ⲘⲠⲀⲢⲘⲞⲨⲦⲈ) at the evening of Saturday. Then we shall celebrate the feast on Sunday, the 2nd of the same month of Parmoute (ⲠⲀⲢⲘⲞⲨⲦⲈ). We shall also add to this the seven weeks of Holy Pentecost, remembering the poor and praying for one another, so that we may rejoice and celebrate together with the saints in heaven, in Christ Jesus our Lord—to whom be glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit, unto ages of ages. Amen.
Greet one another with a holy kiss. The brothers who are with me greet you.