Salvation And The Weak

Παρέβαλον ἀδελφοὶ τῷ ἀββᾷ Ἀντωνίῳ, καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Εἰπὲ ἡμῖν λογον, πῶς σωθῶμεν; Λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ γέρων· Ἠκούσατε τὴν Γραφήν; καλῶς ὑμῖν ἔχει. Οἱ δὲ εἶπον· Καὶ παρὰ σοῦ θέλομεν ἀκοῦσαι, Πάτερ. Εἶπε δὲ αὐτοῖς ὁ γέρων· Λέγει τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον· Ἐάν τίς σε ῥαπίσῃ εἰς τὴν δεξιὰν σιαγόνα, στρέψον αὐτῷ και τὴν ἄλλην. Λέγουσιν αυτῷ· Οὐ δυνάμεθα τοῦτο ποιῆσαι. Λέγει αὐτοίς ὁ γέρων· Εἰ μὴ δύνασθε στρέψαι και τὴν ἄλλην, κὰν τὴν μίαν ὑπομείνατε. Λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· Οὐδὲ τοῦτο δυνάμεθα. Λέγει ὁ γέρων· Εἰ οὐδὲ δύνασθε, μή δότε ἀνθ' οὖ ἐλάβετε. Καὶ εἶπον· Οὐδὲ τοῦτο δυνάμεθα. Λέγει οὖν ὁ γέρων τῷ μαθητῇ αὐτοῦ· Ποιησον αὐτοῖς μικρὰν ἀθήραν· ἀσθενοῦσι γάρ. Εἰ τοῦτο οὐ δυνάσθε, κὰκεῖνο οὐ θέλετε, τί ὑμῖν ποιήσω; Εὐχῶν χρεία.   ᾽Αποφθεγματα των ἀγιων γεροντων, Παλλαδιος

Some brothers came to Father Anthony and said to him, ' Speak a word to us; how shall we be saved?' The elder said to them, ' You have heard the Scriptures? Hold well to them.' They said, ' We wish to hear something from you, Father.' And the elder said to them, 'Read the Gospel: If someone strike you on the right cheek, turn the other to him.'1 They said to him, ' We cannot do that.' The elder said to them, ' If you are not able to turn the other cheek, at least suffer one blow.' They said to him, ' Nor can we do that.' The elder said, ' If you cannot do that, at least do not return what has been inflicted.' And they said, ' We cannot do that.' The elder said to a disciple of his, ' Make them a little soup, for they are very frail.' Then he said to them,' If you cannot do these things nor do you wish to, what can I do for you? You are in need of prayer.' Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Palladius of Galatia  1 Mt 5.39