Leisure and Truth

Μή γένοιτο οὖν ἡμᾶς σχολὴν ποιῆσαι τῷ ἀντικειμένῳ πρὸς τὴν εἴσοδον, ἀλλὰ ἀσχολήσωμεν ἡμῶν τὸν ἔσω οἶκον, προενοικίσαντες ἐν ἑαυτοῖς διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος τὸν Χριστόν. Μετὰ γοῦν τὸ χαρίσασθαι τὴν εἰρήνην τοῖς τέως ταρασσομένοις ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων, τότε λέγει τὸ, Σκολάσατε ἀπὸ τῶν περισπώντων ὑμᾶς ἐχθρῶν, ἵνα ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ τοὺς περὶ τῆς ἀληθείας θεωρήσητε λόγους. Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Κύριος, Πᾶς ὅστις οὐκ ἀποτάσσεται, φησὶ, πᾰσι τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν, οὐ δύναταί μου εἶναι μαθητής. Σκολάσαι οὖν δεῖ ἀπὸ τῶν γαμικῶν ἔργων, ἵνα σχολάσωμεν τῇ προσευχῇ· σχολάσαι ἀπὸ τῶν περὶ τὸν πλοῦτον σπουδῶν, ἀπὸ τῆς περὶ τὸ δοξάριον τοῦτο ἐπιθυμίας, ἀπὸ τῶν πρὸς ἀπολαυσιν ἡδονῶν, ἀπὸ φθόνου καὶ πάσης τῆς εἰς τὸν πλησίον ἡμῶν πονηρίας, ἵνα, γαληνιωσης ἡμῶν τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ ὑπ' οὐδενὸς πάθους ταρασσομένης, οἷον ἐν  κατόπτρῳ τινὶ καθαρὰ γένηται καὶ ἀνεπισκότητος ἡ ἔλλαμψις τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Εἰς Τον ΜΕ' Ψαλμον

May it not be on account of leisure that we make a way of entry for the enemy, but let us be occupied with holding our interior dwelling for Christ whom we receive through the Holy Spirit. After which He gives rest to those who have been troubled by enemies and says, 'Be at leisure from the distractions of your enemies that in quiet you are able to contemplate the word of truth.' Whence even the Lord says, 'Everyone who does not renounce everything he possess is not able to be my disciple.' 1 Let us therefore be at leisure from works of marriage that we have leisure for prayer, let us be at leisure from the desire for wealth, from the longing for glory, from the use of pleasure, from envy and all malignity against our neighbour, that obtaining tranquility for our soul and being untroubled by any movement of passion, there comes to be, as in some clear mirror, the flash of the unobscured God. Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 45 1 Lk  14.33