Letter 24: Chrysostom excuses Hesychius's illness and treats his intention as equivalent to a visit.

You ask pardon for not coming and put forward illness as your excuse. I, however, crown and proclaim your intention, the very intention by which you did come. By the law of love, you have no less place with us than those who arrived in person. God is able to free you from the illness that holds you and restore you to perfect health, so that we too may enjoy meeting you face to face. We very much long to see you, embrace you, and kiss a head so dear to us. But as long as both your nobility's illness and the season prevent that, we will not stop writing continually to your honor and gaining this pleasure for ourselves.

Κ∆ʹ. Ἡσυχίῳ. Αὐτὸς μὲν συγγνώμης ἀξιοῖς τυχεῖν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ παραγενέσθαι, τὴν ἀῤῥωστίαν προβαλλόμενος. Ἐγὼ δέ σε καὶ στεφανῶ καὶ ἀνακηρύττω τῆς γνώμης, ἀφ' ἧς καὶ παραγέγονας, καὶ τῶν ἐλθόντων οὐδὲν ἔλαττον ἔχεις παρ' ἡμῖν κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀγάπης λόγον. Ἱκανὸς δὲ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ τῆς κατεχούσης σε ἀπαλλάξαι ἀῤῥωστίας, καὶ πρὸς καθαρὰν ὑγείαν ἐπαναγαγεῖν, ἵνα σου καὶ τῆς κατ' ὄψιν ἀπολαύσωμεν συντυχίας. Καὶ γὰρ σφόδρα ἐπιθυμοῦμέν σε ἰδεῖν καὶ περιπτύξασθαι, καὶ τὴν φίλην ἡμῖν φιλῆσαι κεφαλήν. Ἕως δ' ἂν ταῦτα τό τε ἀῤῥωστεῖν σου τὴν εὐγένειαν καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἔτους ὥρα διακωλύῃ, οὐ παυσόμεθα συνεχῶς ἐπιστέλλοντές σου τῇ τιμιότητι, καὶ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς πραγματευόμενοι ἡδονήν.