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Shorter Rules
St Basil the Great, tr. Lowther Clarke, 1925
Rule 89: Since It is Written, The Ransom of a Man’s Life is His Riches, What Shall We Do…
If we have been zealous but unable to give it, let us remember the answer of the Lord to Peter who was troubled about a similar matter and said: “Lo, we have left all and followed thee; what shall we have2’ Thus He answered him: ‘Every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel’s, shall receive a hundredfold and shall inherit eternal life.” But if we have not made the sacrifice through neglect, let us now show our zeal. If the opportunity and power are no longer ours, let the apostle’s words console us: “I seek not yours, but you.:
Notes
- Prov. xiii. 8. The order of words is slightly different from Sw.’s (B) text.
- Mt. xix. 27; 29; conflated with Mk. x. 29 **,