16. A great thing is the baptism that is to be offered. It is the redemption of captives, the remission of sins, the death of sin, the rebirth of the soul, a bright garment, a holy, indestructible seal, a chariot to heaven, the consolation of paradise; the kingdom of intercession, the gift of adoption. However, the serpent watches over those who pass by on the way, see that he does not wound you with unbelief. He sees so many who are being saved, and seeks whom He may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). You enter into the Father of spirits, but you pass by this serpent. How can you pass by him? put on your nose for the preparation of the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15), so that, even if it hurts, you will not suffer harm. Establish faith in yourself, have firm hope, strong shoes, so that you may pass by the enemy and ascend to the Lord. Prepare your heart for the reception of the teaching, for the communion of the Holy Mysteries. Pray more often, that God would vouchsafe you the heavenly and immortal Mysteries. Do not be idle day or night: but as soon as sleep falls from your eyes, let your mind rise to prayer. And if you feel that an evil thought is entering into it, arouse in yourself the salvific remembrance of judgment. Occupy your mind with teaching, so that it may forget the abominable things. If anyone says to you, "And you want to immerse yourself in water? Are there no baths in the city?", then know that the serpent of the sea is telling you this. Do not heed the words of the speaker, but the working God. Guard your soul, so that you may not be caught, and that, remaining in hope, you may become an heir of eternal salvation.

17. We, as men, command and teach; but do not build your building of straw, reeds, and chaff, lest we lose our labor when the work is burned up; but make the work of gold, silver, and precious stones. My business is to speak, to agree with yours, and to do God's work. Let us direct our minds, let us attune our souls, let us prepare our hearts: we strive for our souls, let us drink eternal treasures. But God is mighty, who leads your hearts, and knows who is sincere and who is hypocritical, to preserve the sincere, and to make the hypocrite faithful. For God can make an unbeliever faithful, (if only this one will give Him his heart), and blot out the handwriting that condemns us. May He forget your former sins, may He plant you in the church, and may He choose you into His army, having clothed you with the armor of righteousness; may He fill them with the heavenly things of the new covenant, and may He seal them with the seal of the Holy Spirit, indestructible for ever, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Glory to Him forever and ever. Amen.

Catechetical Instruction First

To those who are preparing in Jerusalem for enlightenment, spoken without preparation, leading those who are approaching baptism, to the words of the prophet Isaiah: "Wash yourselves," etc. (Isaiah 1:16).  

1. Disciples of the New Testament and communicants of the mysteries of Christ! Now by calling, and soon by grace, make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 18:31), so that the celestials may rejoice. For if, according to the Gospel, there is joy over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7), how much more will the salvation of so many souls stir up heaven to joy? Having entered upon the blessed and good path, walk reverently in the field of godliness, for the Only-begotten Son of God, always ready for your deliverance, stands here, saying: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). Burdened with transgressions and bound by the bonds of their sins! Hear the prophetic voice, crying out: "Wash yourselves, be clean, take away evil from your souls before my eyes" (Isaiah 1:16), so that the angelic countenance may call out to you: "Blessed are those whose iniquity hast been forsaken, and whose sins have been hidden" (Psalm 31:1). Having now kindled the lamps of faith, keep them unquenchable in your hands, so that Him Who then opened paradise to the thief on this all-holy Golgotha for his faith, may vouchsafe you also to sing a wedding song.

2. If anyone here is a slave of sin, let him prepare himself by faith for freedom and the regeneration of adoption, and, having laid aside the most shameful slavery of sin, and having entered into the most blessed service of the Lord, let him be counted worthy to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven through confession; put on the old man, who decays in the lusts of charms (Eph. 4:22; 4:24), that ye may put on the new, who is renewed in understanding after the image of Him who created him (Col. 3:10). Through faith obtain the earnest of the Holy Spirit, that ye may be received into the dwellings of eternity. Approach the mysterious sealing, so that you may be known to the Lord, and that, having been numbered among the holy and verbal flock of Christ, you may stand at His right hand and inherit the life prepared for you. For those who are still under the weight of sins remain untouched, because they do not approach the grace of God, which is given by Christ in regeneration through baptism. And I do not mean regeneration of the body, but of the soul, the spiritual rebirth. For bodies are born of visible parents, but souls are regenerated by faith, for the spirit, where it wills, breathes (John 3:8). And then, if you are worthy, you will hear: "Good, good and faithful servant" (Matt. 25:21)! When, that is, not the slightest filth of pretense is found in the conscience.

3. For if anyone who is here thinks to tempt grace, he deceives himself and does not know power. Have, O man, an unfeigned soul, for the sake of the searching heart and womb (Psalm 7:10). For just as those who recruit men for the army diligently look at the age and bodily constitution of those who are chosen, so the Lord, in choosing souls, tests arbitrariness. And if there is a pretense in someone, then he rejects such a person as incapable of true military service. And if he finds someone worthy, he will hastily give grace to him: "The saint does not give a dog" (Matt. 7:6), but in whom he sees a good conscience, on him he places a salvific, miraculous seal, from which evil spirits tremble and which the angels know, so that they, being driven away, may flee, and these, as their own, accompany him. Thus, those who receive this spiritual and salvific seal must also have their own will. For as for the pen or the sword there is need of the one who acts, so for grace are the believers.

4. You do not take up perishable weapons, but spiritual ones. You are planted in a spiritual paradise for the last time. You get a new name, which you did not have before. For before this you were a catechumen, but from now on you will be called faithful. At last you are transplanted into spiritual olives; From the wild olive tree you are grafted to the fruitful one, from sins to righteousness, from impurities to purity, you are grafted into the holy vine. However, if you abide in this vine, you will multiply like a fruitful branch, but if you do not remain, you will be consumed by fire. Therefore, let us bear fruit properly, so that the same thing may not happen to us as to that barren fig tree; so that Jesus, when He came, would not even now curse him for barrenness, but so that it might be possible to say this to all: "As an olive tree is fruitful in the house of God, trusting in the mercy of God forever" (Psalm 51:10), the olive tree is not material, but spiritual, light-bearing. Therefore, it is God's work to plant and irrigate, and yours to bear fruit; it is God's work to send down grace, and to receive and preserve yours. Do not despise grace because it is given to you, but when you have received it, keep it reverently.

5. The present tense is the time of confession. Confess what you have done in word, in deed, in the night, in the days. Confess in good season, and in the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Accept the heavenly treasure. Be diligent in spells. Go unfailingly to catechetical teachings and remember what will be said. For it is not said that you may only hear, but that by faith you may seal what is said. Lay aside all human care, for for the sake of the soul you struggle, you completely abandon all worldly things. Little is what is forsaken, but great is what is given by the Lord. Leave the present and believe in the future. So many years have you spent in vain labors for the sake of the world, and will you not spend forty days praying for the benefit of your soul? Be abolished, and understand that I am God (Psalm 45:11), says the Scriptures. Flee from idle talk, and do not speak ill of anything else, nor listen to another who speaks evil, but rather be prepared for prayer. Show in yourself a recluse by the solitude of your heart. Cleanse thy vessel that thou mayest receive greater grace. For the remission of sins is equally given to all, but the communion of the Holy Spirit is given according to the measure of the faith of each. If you work little, you will get little, but if you do much, then the reward is great. You strive for yourself, see what is useful to you.

6. If you are angry with anyone, forgive them. You are approaching the reception of the forgiveness of sins; it is necessary that you yourself forgive the sinner. Otherwise, with what look will you say to the Lord: Forgive me my many sins, when you yourself have not forgiven even the smallest of your concelebrants? Be diligent in pious gatherings, not only now, when the ministers of the Church demand it of you, but also after you have received grace. For if a thing is good before you have received it, will it not be good after you have received it? If before planting you could be profitably watered and cultivated, then can you not be more profitable after planting? Strive for your soul especially in these days. Nourish it with the reading of the Divine Scriptures, for the Lord has prepared for you a spiritual supper. Say also with the Psalmist: The Lord shepherds me, and will deprive me of nothing; In the place of gold, there I dwelt; bring me up in the waters of rest: turn my soul (Psalm 22:1-3); that the angels also might rejoice with you, and Christ Himself, the Great Hierarch, accepting your will, and presenting you all to His Father, said: "Behold, I and the children, whom God has given me" (Isaiah 8:18; Heb. 2:13). May He keep you all pleasing to Himself. Glory to Him and dominion to the endless ages of ages. Amen.

Catechetical Instruction II

To those who are preparing in Jerusalem for enlightenment, spoken without preparation about repentance, remission of sins, and about the adversary, in response to the words of Ezekiel: "The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him" (Ezekiel 18:20).

1. Terrible evil is sin, and the most cruel illness of the soul is the transgression of the law; it completely deprives it of strength, and throws it into eternal fire; the evil of man himself, the product of volition. "And that we truly sin of our own volition, the prophet says clearly about this somewhere: "I have planted thee a fruitful vine, all true; how did ecu become a sorrow, a strange vineyard (Jeremiah 2:21)? A good planting, an evil fruit: evil comes from the will. The planter is not guilty, and the grapes will be burned by fire. For he was planted for good fruits, but he brought forth evil fruit of his own free will. For God created a righteous man, according to the words of Ecclesiastes, and these sought the thoughts of many (Ecclesiastes 7:30). For Him we are created, says the Apostle, for good works (Ephesians 2:10). The Creator, being good Himself, created us for good works, and the creation of His own free will turned to evil. Thus, sin, as it is said, is a terrible evil, but not incurable. It is terrible for the one who has it, but it is conveniently curable in the one who rejects it through repentance. For imagine that someone holds fire in his hand. As long as he holds the coal, the coal undoubtedly burns it, but if he throws the coal, the heat will cease. But if anyone thinks that he is not burned from sin, the Scripture says to him: "Shall any man bind fire into the bosom, and burn not his garments" (Proverbs 6:27)? Thus sin burns the strength of the soul.

2. But someone will say, "What is sin?" Is it an animal? Is it an angel? Is it an evil spirit? What is so active? This is not an enemy attacking you from without, O man, but a worthless branch that vegetates from you. Look with your right eyes, and there will be no lust in you; guard what is yours and do not steal what is not yours, and the inclination to steal will cease. Remember the judgment, and neither fornication, nor adultery, nor murder will increase in you. When you forget God, then you only begin to think evil and do lawless deeds.