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De paenitentia (sermo 2) [Sp.]

On Cheesefare Sunday concerning repentance and almsgiving. Sermon 2.

60.699 1. Trumpets sounding prepare the soldiers of an earthly king for battle; but the reading of the divine Scriptures arouses the soldiers of the heavenly king Jesus Christ to the praise and fear of God; but those for a confrontation with perceptible enemies and foes; but us against invisible enemies and demons; as Paul says, that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. See, brothers, what kind of enemies we have; see with what kind of foes we fight. For they are wicked, as you see, and shameless, and they compel us toward every sin.

And if they fail at this, they come to another; and if they are at a loss from that, they move on to another; and, to speak simply, moving from one to another they do not desist, until their will is done. And one they move to fornication, another to adultery; and another to seize what belongs to others, and another to steal what belongs to his neighbor; and one to covetousness and greed, another to malice and envy; another to murder and slander, and another to calumny and fratricide; another to gluttony and pederasty, and another to sacrilege and shamelessness; and one to pleasing men and vainglory, another to mercilessness and inhumanity; another to denial and oath-taking, and another to insolence and dishonor; and one to anger and wrath, and another to usury and toward zeal and strife, and another to blasphemy and impurity; and some they persuade not to have mercy on the poor, others to move their neighbor's boundary markers; they make others deprive laborers of their wages, than which what could be more pitiful? they make others strip orphans, others oppress widows, others not even to enter church, others they cast down into countless passions, of which there is no number; which even in recounting them the time of my life would fail me. See, brothers, into how many evils we fall each day, and we pay no heed. But, alas, what shall I become, recounting these things? Believe me, brothers, that while I am only writing these things, I am terrified and trembling, and a shudder has fallen upon me and I am beside myself, and it comes to me to weep, when I consider this, by how many wicked and demonic passions we are enticed. Why then are we negligent, why do we wait? What occasion do we expect? Why do we despise our own salvation? Why do we not care about our departure? Why are we negligent, why do we hold back? how long despondency, how long luxury, how long drunkenness, how long pleasures, how long sensuality, how long greed, how long robberies, how long injustice? how long the oppression of the poor? how long the plundering of the destitute? how long wealth, how long possessions, how long gold? how long love of money, the strangling of souls? how long envy, how long falsehood, how long calumny, how long slander, how long shameful and licentious desires? Why do we wander? Why do we wait? Why do we labor unseasonably? Why do we mock ourselves? Why do we wear ourselves out in vain? Why do we run after the things of others? Why are we troubled? Why do we labor? Why do we treasure up temporary things?

Let us repent from now on, let us awake, let us be watchful, I beseech you, brothers, let us shake off the deep sleep of sin. Come, listen, and

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De paenitentia (sermo 2) [Sp.]

Κυριακῇ τῆς Τυροφάγου περὶ μετανοίας καὶ ἐλεημοσύνης. Λόγος βʹ.

60.699 αʹ. Βασιλέως μὲν τοῦ ἐπιγείου στρατιώτας παρασκευάζουσι πρὸς παράταξιν

βοῶσαι σάλπιγγες· βασιλέως δὲ τοῦ ἐπουρανίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ στρατιώτας διεγείρει πρὸς δοξολογίαν καὶ φόβον Θεοῦ ἡ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ἀνάγνωσις· ἀλλ' ἐκείνους μὲν πρὸς αἰσθητῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ πολεμίων ἀντιπαράταξιν· ἡμᾶς δὲ πρὸς ἀοράτους ἐχθρούς τε καὶ δαίμονας· καθώς φησιν ὁ Παῦλος, ὅτι Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις. Ἴδετε, ἀδελφοὶ, ποίους ἐχθροὺς ἔχομεν· ἴδετε μετὰ ποίων πολεμίων μαχόμεθα. Πονηροὶ γάρ εἰσιν, ὡς ὁρᾶτε, καὶ ἀναίσχυντοι καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἁμαρτίαν ἐκβιάζονται ἡμᾶς.

Κἂν ἀποτύχωσιν ἐκ τούτου, ἐπὶ ἄλλο ἔρχονται· κἂν ἀπὸ ἐκείνου ἀπορήσωσιν, ἐπὶ ἕτερον μεταβαίνουσι· καὶ, ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν, ἀπ' ἄλλου εἰς ἄλλο μετερχόμενοι οὐκ ἀφίστανται, ἕως ἂν τὸ θέλημα αὐτῶν γένηται. Καὶ τὸν μὲν κινοῦσι πρὸς πορνείαν, τὸν δὲ πρὸς μοιχείαν· καὶ ἄλλον ἐπὶ τὸ ἁρπάσαι τὰ ἀλλότρια, καὶ ἄλλον ἐπὶ τὸ κλέψαι τὰ τοῦ πλησίον· καὶ τὸν μὲν πρὸς πλεονεξίαν καὶ ἀπληστίαν, τὸν δὲ πρὸς βασκανίαν καὶ φθόνον· ἄλλον πρὸς φόνον καὶ λοιδορίαν, καὶ ἄλλον πρὸς καταλαλιὰν καὶ ἀδελφοκτονίαν· ἄλλον πρὸς γαστριμαργίαν καὶ παιδοφθορίαν, καὶ ἕτερον πρὸς ἱεροσυλίαν καὶ ἀναισχυντίαν· καὶ τὸν μὲν πρὸς ἀνθρωπαρέσκειαν καὶ φιλοδοξίαν, τὸν δὲ πρὸς ἀσπλαγχνίαν καὶ ἀπανθρωπίαν· ἄλλον πρὸς ἄρνησιν καὶ ὅρκον, καὶ ἄλλον πρὸς ὕβριν καὶ ἀτιμίαν· καὶ τὸν μὲν πρὸς ὀργὴν καὶ θυμὸν, καὶ ἄλλον ἐπὶ τόκον καὶ πρὸς ζῆλον καὶ ἔριν, καὶ ἕτερον πρὸς βλασφημίαν καὶ ἀκαθαρσίαν· καὶ τοὺς μὲν πείθουσι μὴ ἐλεεῖν πτωχοὺς, τοὺς δὲ τοῦ γείτονος τοὺς ὅρους παρασαλεύειν· ἄλλους ἀποστερεῖν ποιοῦσι τῶν μισθῶν μισθωτοὺς, οὗ τί γένοιτ' ἂν ἐλεεινότερον; ἄλλους ποιοῦσιν ὀρφανοὺς ἀποδύειν, ἄλλους χήρας καταπονεῖν, ἄλλους μηδὲ εἰς ἐκκλησίαν εἰσιέναι, ἄλλους εἰς μυρία πάθη κατακρημνίζουσιν, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός· ἃ καὶ διηγούμενον ἐπιλείψει με ὁ χρόνος τῆς ζωῆς μου. Ἴδετε, ἀδελφοὶ, εἰς πόσα κακὰ ἐμπίπτομεν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, καὶ οὐ προσέχομεν. Ἀλλ', οἴμοι, τίς γένωμαι ταῦτα διηγούμενος; Πιστεύσατέ μοι, ἀδελφοὶ, ὅτι ἐν ᾧ καὶ μόνον ταῦτα γράφω, ἔκφοβός εἰμι καὶ ἔντρομος, καὶ φρίκη μοι ἐπέπεσε καὶ ἐξίσταμαι, καὶ δακρύειν μοι ἐπέρχεται, ὅταν ἐνθυμηθῶ τὸ, ἐν πόσοις πάθεσι πονηροῖς καὶ δαιμονικοῖς δελεαζόμεθα. Τί οὖν ἀμελοῦμεν, τί περιμένομεν; ποῖον καιρὸν ἐκδεχόμεθα; τί τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας καταφρονοῦμεν; τί οὐ φροντίζομεν τὰ τῆς ἐξόδου ἡμῶν; τί ἀμελοῦμεν, τί ἀναδυόμεθα; ἕως πότε ἀθύμως, ἕως πότε τρυφὴ, ἕως πότε μέθη, ἕως πότε ἡδοναὶ, ἕως πότε ἡδυπάθεια, ἕως πότε ἀπληστία, ἕως πότε ἁρπαγαὶ, ἕως πότε ἀδικία; ἕως πότε ἡ καταδρομὴ τῶν πτωχῶν; ἕως πότε αἱ λεηλασίαι τῶν πενήτων; ἕως πότε πλοῦτος, ἕως πότε χρήματα, ἕως πότε χρυσός; ἕως πότε φιλαργυρία, τῶν ψυχῶν ἡ ἀγχόνη; ἕως πότε φθόνος, ἕως πότε ψεῦδος, ἕως πότε καταλαλιὰ, ἕως πότε λοιδορία, ἕως πότε ἐπιθυμίαι αἰσχραὶ καὶ ἀκόλαστοι; Τί πλανώμεθα; τί ἀναμένομεν; τί ἀκαίρως κοπιῶμεν; τί ἑαυτοὺς χλευάζομεν; τί ἑαυτοὺς κατακόπτομεν μάτην; τί τὰ ἀλλότρια ἐπιτρέχομεν; τί ταρασσόμεθα; τί κοπιῶμεν; τί θησαυρίζομεν πρόσκαιρα;

Μετανοήσωμεν τοῦ λοιποῦ, ἐξυπνίσωμεν, γρηγορήσωμεν, παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοὶ, ἀποτινάξωμεν τὸν βαθὺν ὕπνον τῆς ἁμαρτίας. ∆εῦτε, ἀκούσατε, καὶ