Letter 93: Chrysostom asks a monastic and clerical community to support him through prayer across distance.

For people who love, the bodily presence of those they love brings a special kind of consolation. Blessed Paul carried the whole world of the faithful continually in his mind and could not set them aside even in chains, in prison, and during his defense. He showed this when he said, "I hold you in my heart, both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel." Yet he still longed intensely for their bodily presence, saying, "When we were torn away from you for a short time, in face and not in heart, we were all the more eager to see your face." That is what we feel now. We long for the presence both of those who have seen us and of those who have not. But since this is not possible for the moment - the length of the road, the season of the year, the fear of robbers, and our own difficulty in leaving home all prevent it - we have taken the second course. We send you the greeting we owe, and before that we ask, as a very great favor, that you remember us constantly in your prayers and fall before the God who loves humankind with nobility and tears on behalf of our lowliness. You have escaped the rushing channel of ordinary affairs, the smoke and dizziness of the evils in the middle of life, and have guided your souls into the calm harbor of this beautiful philosophy. You turn nights into days through holy vigils and see more clearly in them than others do by daylight. It is only right that you share with us the help of your prayers. Even from so great a distance we can benefit from them; no place and no time can cut off such help. Join your strength to ours, then, and stretch out your hand through your prayers. This is one of the greatest forms of love. And along with your prayers, do not hesitate to tell us about your health, so that we may receive great comfort, delight in your love, and picture the absent as present.

Γʹ. Ἀφθονίῳ, Θεοδότῳ, Χαιρέᾳ, πρεσβυτέροις καὶ μονάζουσι, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς τῆς συνοικίας ὑμῶν. Φέρει μέν τι πλέον εἰς παραμυθίας λόγον τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι καὶ ἡ σωματικὴ παρουσία τῶν ἀγαπωμένων. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος συνεχῶς, μᾶλλον δὲ διηνεκῶς, τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν τῶν πιστῶν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ διανοίας περιφέρων, καὶ οὐδὲ ἐν ταῖς ἁλύσεσιν, οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀπολογίᾳ ἀνεχόμενος αὐτοὺς ἀποθέσθαι· ὃ καὶ δηλῶν, ἔλεγε· ∆ιὰ τὸ ἔχειν με ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμᾶς, ἔν τε τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀπολογίᾳ καὶ βεβαιώσει τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου· μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σπουδῆς καὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἐπεζήτει παρουσίαν, οὕτω λέγων· Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀπορφανισθέντες ἀφ' ὑμῶν πρὸς καιρὸν ὥρας, προσώπῳ, οὐ καρδίᾳ, περισσοτέρως ἐσπουδάσαμεν τὸ πρόσωπον ὑμῶν ἰδεῖν. Ὃ δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς πάσχομεν νῦν, τῶν τε ἑωρακότων ἡμᾶς, τῶν τε οὐχ ἑωρακότων μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σπουδῆς ἐπιζητοῦντες τὴν παρουσίαν. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο τέως οὐκ ἔνι κωλύει γὰρ καὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸ μῆκος, καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἔτους ὥρα, καὶ ὁ τῶν λῃστῶν φόβος, καὶ τὸ μὴ ῥᾴδιον ἡμῖν εἶναι καὶ τούτων χωρὶς κινεῖσθαι οἴκοθεν, καὶ μακρὰς ἀποδημίας ἀποδημεῖν, ἐπὶ τὸν δεύτερον ἤλθομεν πλοῦν, τήν τε ὀφειλομένην ἀποδιδόντες ὑμῖν πρόσρησιν, καὶ πρὸ ταύτης παρακαλοῦντες, καὶ ἐν μέρει μεγίστης αἰτοῦντες χάριτος, τὸ διηνεκῶς ἡμῶν εὐχομένους μεμνῆσθαι, καὶ τῷ φιλανθρώπῳ Θεῷ προσπίπτειν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐγενείας, καὶ τῶν δακρύων, ὑπὲρ τῆς ταπεινώσεως τῆς ἡμετέρας. Οἱ γὰρ τὸν εὔριπον τῶν βιωτικῶν διαφυγόντες πραγμάτων, καὶ τοῦ καπνοῦ καὶ τῆς ζάλης τῶν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ κακῶν ἀπαλλαγέντες, καὶ, καθάπερ εἰς λιμένα τινὰ εὔδιον καὶ ἀκύμαντον, τῆς καλῆς ταύτης φιλοσοφίας ὅρμον τὰς ἑαυτῶν ὁδηγήσαντες ψυχὰς, καὶ τὰς νύκτας ταῖς ἱεραῖς παννυχίσιν ἡμέρας ἐργαζόμενοι, καὶ φανερώτερον ἐν ταύταις ὁρῶντες, ἢ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἕτεροι, δίκαιοι ἂν εἴητε ἡμῖν ἀπὸ τῶν εὐχῶν ὑμῶν μεταδοῦναι συμμαχίας. ∆υνατὸν γὰρ καὶ ἐκ τοσούτου καθημένους διαστήματος, ἀπολαύειν ἡμᾶς τούτων, καὶ τόπος οὐδείς ἐστιν, οὐδὲ χρόνος, ὁ τὴν τοιαύτην δυνάμενος διακόψαι βοήθειαν. Συμμαχήσατε τοίνυν ἡμῖν, καὶ χεῖρα ὀρέξατε διὰ τῶν εὐχῶν τῶν ὑμετέρων. Τοῦτο γὰρ μάλιστα μέγιστον ἀγάπης εἶδός ἐστι. Καὶ μετὰ τῶν εὐχῶν τῶν ὑμετέρων, καὶ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς ὑμετέρας δηλοῦν ἡμῖν μὴ κατοκνεῖτε, ἵνα καὶ ἐντεῦθεν μεγίστην δεχώμεθα τὴν παραμυθίαν, ἐντρυφῶντες ὑμῶν τῇ ἀγάπῃ, καὶ ὡς παρόντας τοὺς ἀπόντας φανταζόμενοι· δύναται γὰρ καὶ εἰκόνας τοιαύτας ὑπογράψαι τὸ γνησίως φιλεῖν. Κἂν ἐν χαλεπωτέρᾳ ταύτης τύχωμεν ὄντες ἐρημίᾳ, πολλὴν ἐντεῦθεν καρπωσόμεθα τὴν παράκλησιν.