Letter 8: To Sabrishoʿ, abbot of the monastery of Mar Sliba

8. To the head of the monastery of Mar Sliba, concerning the afflictions after the death of Yazdād. To the servant of the Lord and laborer of purity, Mār Sabrīshōʿ, from Īshōʿyahb, in the Lord, greeting. As much as it is possible for you, O holy one of God, I was accustomed to delight and, in the abundance of days, I was able even in times of distress to be incited to the desire for the beauty of my thought by the encounter with your person. For it is idleness that makes one who, before the pleasant sensation, is found to be a helper of his virtue. In inexhaustible treasures, the memory of his holiness is preserved. For I was enriched by the first choice of my perfection in the election of your will, and the bond of fitting love was broken for me, even though it is through the weak possibility of my person that I repay at all times your love with the wills of the needy. For as in these things, so also now, when I am stirred, and at the time of the persecution that follows, the demonstration of the partnership of suffering is extended, as it is fitting for my person to be incited in a timely manner. Therefore, act manfully with enduring strength or with difficulty against the force of the changes that come to you at this time. For it is not possible, nor is it found, that even the tossing of a ship by narrow waves should drown a man in the deep, stormy sea of this changeable world. For you have more than any man: a revered ocean and a ship of salvation; you are able to steer the helm of your thought so that it is not shaken by the storm of this time. For he who, when he is buffeted by the storm, does not move to the ground, and kills death, and from then on and every day defeats the legions of demons while faithfully serving, how much more will you, more than any man, prevail in the salvation of every day, as befits the servant of his holiness. For when you are adorned with free men from all the needy, you are also able to sweeten the sin of the shameless with your prayer.

and the gratitude of the righteous is fitting for a leisure such as this. In the peace of the many, it will increase to the glory of Christ, who, by his grace, preserves from all afflictions. Amen.