The Spirit And Speech And Silence

Τὸ στόμα μου ἤνοιξα καὶ εἴλκυσα Πνεῦμα, καὶ δίδωμι τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ πάντα, καὶ ἐμαυτὸν τῷ Πνεύματι, καὶ πρᾶξιν, καὶ λόγον, καὶ ἀπραξίαν, καὶ σιωπήν· μόνον ἐχέτω με, καὶ ἀγέτω, καὶ κινείτω καὶ χεῖρα, καὶ νοῦν, καὶ γλῶσσαν, ἐφ' ἂ δεῖ καὶ βούλεται· καὶ ἀπαγέτω πάλιν ἀφ ὦν δεὶ, καὶ ὦν ἄμεινον. Ὄρανόν εἰμι θεῖον, ὄρνανον λογικὸν, ὄργανον καλῷ τεχνίτῃ τῷ Πνεύματι ἁρμοζόμενον καὶ κρουόμενον. Χθὲς ἐνήργει τὴν σιωπήν; τὸ μὴ λέγειν ἐφιλοσόπουν. Σήμερον κρούει τὸν νοῦν; ἠχήσω τὸν λόγον, καὶ φιλοσοφήσω τὸ φθέγγεσθαι. Καὶ οὔτε λόγος οὕτως εἰμὶ, ὡς λέγειν ἐπιθυμεῖν, τὸ σιωπᾷν ἐνεργούμενος· οὔτε σιωπηλὸς οὔτω καὶ ἀμαθὴς, ὡς ἐν καιρῷ λόγου τιθέναι φυλακὴν τοῖς χείλεσιν· ἀλλὰ καὶ κλείω καὶ ἀνοίγω τὴν ἐμὴν θύραν Νῷ, κιὰ Λόγῳ, καὶ Πνεύματι, τῇ μιᾷ συμφυϊᾳ τε καὶ θεότητι. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, Λόγος ΙΒ´ Source: Migne PG 35.844a-b

I opened my mouth and I drew in the Spirit, 1 and I give my all and myself to the Spirit, both action and speech, and inaction and silence, only let Him hold me and guide me, and move both hand and mind and tongue where it is needed and He wills, and again restrain it as it is needed and is best. I am a divine instrument, a rational instrument, an instrument tuned and played by an adept artist, the Spirit. Yesterday His work was silence. I thought not to speak. Does He strike my mind today? Speech shall be heard, and I will think on speaking. I am neither so talkative, as to desire to speak, when He works silence, nor so reserved and unlearned as to set a guard on my lips when it is time to speak, but I close and open my door according to the Mind and Word and Spirit of one nature and Deity. Saint Gregory Nazianzus, from Oration 12 1 Ps 118.131