The Thorns Of Our Cares

Kαὶ ἄκαρπος γένηται ὁ λόγος ὑπὸ τῆς μερίμνης πνιγόμενος τῶν ἀκανθῶν. Οὐκοῦν τοὺς ἐκ μερίμνης ἀποθέμενοι λογισμοὺς, ἐπιῤῥίψωμεν ἐπὶ Κύριον τὴν μέριμναν ἡμῶν τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀρκούμενοι, καὶ πενιχρᾷ ζωῇ χρησάμενοι, καὶ στολῇ τῆς κενοδοξόας μεθ' ἡμέραν ἀποδυσώμεθα. Εἰ δέ τις ἀσχημονεῖν ἐπὶ πενιχρᾷ νομίζει στολῇ, βλεπέτω τὸν ἅγιον Παῦλον ἐν ψύχει, καὶ γυμνότητι, τὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης προσδοκήσαντα στέφανον. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ θέατρον, καὶ στάδιον ὁ Ἀπόστολος τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον ὠνόμασεν, ἴδωμεν, εἰ ἔστι δυνατὸν, μερίμνης ἐνδυσάμενον λογισμοὺς, δραμεῖν ἐπὶ τὸ βραβεῖον τἠς ἄνω κλήσεως, ἢ παλαῖσαι πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου; ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ οἶδα, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς αἰσθητῆς παιδευόμενος ἱστορίας. Ἐμποδισθήσεται γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἀθλῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ χιτῶνος δηλονότι, καὶ εὐκόλως περιελκυσθήσεται, καθάπερ καὶ ὁ νοῦς ὑπὸ τῶν λογισμῶν τῆς μερίμνης, εἴπερ ἀληθινὸς ὁ λέγων τῷ ἰδίῳ τὸν νοῦν προσκαρτερεῖν θησαυρῷ, Ὅπου γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θησαυρός σου, φησὶν, ἐκεῖ ἔσται, καὶ ἡ καρδία σου.   Εὐάγριος ὁ Ποντικός, Περὶ διαφόρων πονηρῶν λογισμῶν

The word is fruitless being choked by the thorns of our cares. So being done with troublesome thoughts, let us cast our cares down before the Lord, content with things present; and living in poverty and want, let us day by day strip ourselves of the garments of vainglory. And if anyone thinks it shameful to live in poor clothes, let him look to Saint Paul in cold and nakedness awaiting the crown of righteousness. To an arena and a stadium the Apostle likened the world; and so how is he able who is clothed with fretful thoughts to run for the prize of high calling, or wrestle against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age? I do not see how this is possible, and by this sensible insight let us be educated, for just as an athlete is weighed down by clothing and relieved when it is removed, so it is with the mind and anxious thoughts, if indeed the saying is true that the mind cleaves to its own treasure; for 'Where your treasure is, there will your heart be.' Evagrius Ponticus, On Various Evil Thoughts