The Book of Steps

...and the knowledge of the gift of healing. And to seek peace, the door is open before all people; and darkness has been revealed from the minds of many; and the light of thought has shone; and the fruits have sprouted zayte olive in the splendid light, in which there is a sign of the mystery of life, by which Christians, priests, kings, and prophets are perfected; it illuminates darkness, anoints the infirm, and through its hidden mystery turns the penitent back. To those who hasten to come toward it, it instills its sense into their internal ears; they see with their eyes and hear with their ears; they contemplate the figures of its thoughts in their senses, and they are expectant, and they change the equivalence, without delay forward like the crucifixions, and they change forward to the latter ones, they carry that which is in the latter things, and they arrive at the end to the hidden vision, which they grasped when they tasted that which composes melodies for them, so that they may turn away from the evil one. And they become the leaven of the righteous in this world, through whom a place is left for repentance, and also sinners who are left on the earth, that they may receive the promises, and be illuminated by the sun of grace. For indeed, by the spirit of the grace of God, tares are preserved with the wheat, so that if...

...the gift of healing. And to seek peace, the door is open before all people, and the darkness has fled from the mind of many; the light of intellect has shone, and the fruits of the splendid olive have sprouted, in which there is the sign of the sacrament of life, by which Christians and priests and kings and prophets are perfected; it illuminates the darkness, anoints the infirm, and through its mysterious sacrament brings back the penitent. To those who hasten to approach it, it instills its meaning into their internal ears; they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears; they contemplate its figures in the senses of their meditation, and strive to proceed forward without rest, advancing their step, and forgetting the things that are behind; and at length they arrive at the hidden vision, which they perceived when they tasted Him who composes melodies for them, by which they may decline from the malignant one. Then they are made the leaven of the righteous of this world, through whom a place is given for repentance, on account of whom also sinners are left on the earth, that they may receive the promises, and be illuminated by the sun of grace. For by the long-suffering of the good [God], the tares are reserved with the wheat, lest by chance, if the lord of the harvest...