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Homilia de invidia

HOMILY 11. Concerning Envy.

God is good, and the bestower of good things to the worthy; the devil is wicked, and the creator of all manner of evil. And just as bounty follows the good, so envy accompanies the devil. Let us therefore beware, brothers, of the passion of envy, lest we become sharers in the works of the adversary, and be found condemned with him in the same judgment. For if one who is puffed up with pride falls into the condemnation of the devil, how shall the envious man escape the punishment prepared for the devil? For no passion more destructive than envy takes root in the souls of men; which, while causing little pain to others, is a first and 31.373 personal evil to the one who possesses it. For just as rust consumes iron, so envy utterly consumes the soul that possesses it. Or rather, just as they say vipers are born by eating through the womb that conceived them, so also envy is wont to destroy the soul that travails with it. For envy is grief at a neighbor's prosperity. Therefore, troubles and despondencies never leave the envious man. Has the neighbor's land been fruitful? Does his house prosper in all things of life? Do joys not fail the man? All these things are nourishment for the disease, and an addition to the pain of the envious man. So that he is no different from a naked man being wounded by all. Is someone courageous? Is he in good health? These things strike the envious man.

Is another more graceful in form? Another blow to the envious man. Does so-and-so excel the many in the advantages of his soul? Is he regarded and admired for his wisdom and power of speech? Is another rich and splendidly ambitious in his giving and fellowship toward the needy, and does he receive much praise from those he has benefited? All these things are blows and wounds, striking him in the middle of his heart. And the difficult thing about the disease is that he cannot even speak of it; but he hangs his head, and is downcast, and confused, and laments, and is destroyed by the evil. But when asked about his affliction, he blushes to make public his misfortune, that "I am envious and bitter, and my friend's good things crush me, and I grieve at my brother's cheerfulness, and I cannot bear the sight of others' good things, but I make the prosperity of my neighbors a misfortune." For he would say these things, if he wished to speak the truth. Choosing to say none of these things, he keeps the disease deep inside, smoldering in his inward parts and consuming them.

Therefore, he neither calls a physician for the disease, nor can he find any remedy to ward off the passion, although the Scriptures are full of these cures; but he waits for one relief from the evil, if he should see one of those he envies fall. This is the end of his hatred: to see the one envied become wretched from being blessed, the one admired become pitiable. Then he makes a truce, and is a friend, when he sees him weeping, when he beholds him mourning. And he does not rejoice with one who is cheerful, but he weeps with one who is grieving. And he pities the change of his life, from what things to what things he has fallen, not out of love for mankind and from being sympathetic, extolling his former state with words, but in order to make the misfortune heavier for him.

He praises the child after his death, and honors him with countless encomiums, how fair he was to see, how quick to learn, how well-suited for everything; he would not to him

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Homilia de invidia

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΙΑʹ. Περὶ φθόνου.

Ἀγαθὸς ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἀγαθῶν τοῖς ἀξίοις παρεκτι κός· πονηρὸς ὁ διάβολος, καὶ

κακίας παντοίας δη μιουργός. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἕπεται τῷ ἀγαθῷ ἡ ἀφθονία, οὕτως ἀκολουθεῖ τῷ διαβόλῳ ἡ βασκανία. Φυλαξώ μεθα οὖν, ἀδελφοὶ, τὸ πάθος τοῦ φθόνου, μὴ κοινω νοὶ τῶν ἔργων τοῦ ἀντικειμένου γενώμεθα, καὶ εὑρε θῶμεν τῷ αὐτῷ συγκαταδικαζόμενοι κρίματι. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ τυφωθεὶς εἰς κρῖμα ἐμπίπτει τοῦ διαβόλου, πῶς ὁ φθονερὸς τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην τῷ διαβόλῳ τι μωρίαν ἐκφεύξεται; Φθόνου γὰρ πάθος οὐδὲν ὀλε θριώτερον ψυχαῖς ἀνθρώπων ἐμφύεται· ὃς, ἐλά χιστα λυπῶν τοὺς ἔξωθεν, πρῶτον κακὸν καὶ 31.373 οἰκεῖόν ἐστι τῷ κεκτημένῳ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἰὸς σί δηρον, οὕτως ὁ φθόνος τὴν ἔχουσαν αὐτὸν ψυχὴν ἐξ αναλίσκει. Μᾶλλον δὲ ὥσπερ τὰς ἐχίδνας φασὶ τὴν κυήσασαν αὐτὰς γαστέρα διεσθιούσας ἀπογεννᾶσθαι, οὕτω καὶ ὁ φθόνος τὴν ὠδίνουσαν αὐτὸν ψυχὴν πέ φυκε δαπανᾷν. Λύπη γάρ ἐστι τῆς τοῦ πλησίον εὐ πραγίας ὁ φθόνος. ∆ιόπερ οὐδέποτε ἀνίαι, οὐδέποτε δυσθυμίαι τὸν βάσκανον ἐπιλείπουσιν. Εὐφόρη σεν ἡ χώρα τοῦ πλησίον; εὐθηνεῖται πᾶσι τοῖς κατὰ τὸν βίον ὁ οἶκος; θυμηδίαι τὸν ἄνδρα οὐκ ἐπιλείπουσι; ταῦτα πάντα τροφὴ τῆς νόσου, καὶ προσθήκη τῆς ἀλγηδόνος ἐστὶ τῷ βασκάνῳ. Ὥστε οὐδὲν διαφέρει ἀνθρώπου γυμνοῦ παρὰ πάντων τιτρωσκομένου. Ἀνδρεῖος τίς ἐστιν; εὐεκτεῖ; ταῦτα πλήττει τὸν βάσκανον.

Ἕτερος χαριέστερος τὴν μορφήν; ἄλλη πληγὴ τῷ βασκάνῳ. Ὁ δεῖνα τοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς προτερήμασι τῶν πολλῶν ὑπερέχει; ἐπὶ φρονήσει καὶ δυνάμει λόγων ἀποβλέπεται καὶ ζηλοῦται; ἄλλος πλουτεῖ καὶ φιλοτιμεῖται λαμπρῶς ἐν ἐπιδόσεσι καὶ κοινωνίᾳ τῇ πρὸς τοὺς ἐνδεεῖς, καὶ πολὺς αὐτῷ παρὰ τῶν εὐεργετουμένων ὁ ἔπαινος; ταῦτα πάντα πληγαὶ καὶ τραύματα, μέσην αὐτοῦ τύπτοντα τὴν καρδίαν. Καὶ τὸ χαλεπὸν τῆς νόσου, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐξειπεῖν αὐτὴν δύναται· ἀλλὰ κύπτει μὲν, καὶ κατηφής ἐστι, καὶ συγκέχυται, καὶ ποτνιᾶται, καὶ ἀπόλωλεν ὑπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ. Ἐρωτώμενος δὲ τὸ πάθος, ἐρυθριᾷ δη μοσιεῦσαι τὴν συμφορὰν, ὅτι Βάσκανός εἰμι καὶ πικρὸς, καὶ ἐπιτρίβει με τὰ τοῦ φίλου καλὰ, καὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τὴν εὐθυμίαν ὀδύρομαι, καὶ οὐ φέρω τὴν θέαν τῶν ἀλλοτρίων καλῶν, ἀλλὰ συμφορὰν ποι οῦμαι τὴν τῶν πλησίον εὐημερίαν. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἂν εἴποι, εἰ τὰ ἀληθῆ λέγειν βούλοιτο. Ὧν οὐδὲν ἐξειπεῖν αἱρούμενος, ἐν τῷ βάθει κατέχει τὴν νόσον ὑποσμύχουσαν αὐτοῦ τὰ σπλάγχνα καὶ κατεσθίου σαν.

Οὐκοῦν οὔτε ἰατρὸν τῆς νόσου παραλαμβάνει, οὔτε τι φάρμακον ἐξευρεῖν δύναται τοῦ πάθους ἀλε ξητήριον, καίτοι πλήρεις αἱ Γραφαὶ τῶν ἰαμάτων τούτων· ἀλλὰ μίαν ἀναμένει τοῦ κακοῦ ῥᾳστώνην, εἴ πού τινα ἴδοι καταπεσόντα τῶν φθονουμένων. Οὗτος ὅρος τοῦ μίσους, ἄθλιον ἰδεῖν ἐκ μακαρίου τὸν βασκαινόμενον, ἐλεεινὸν γενέσθαι τὸν ζηλωτόν. Τότε σπένδεται, καὶ φίλος ἐστὶν, ὅταν δακρύοντα ἴδῃ, ὅταν πενθοῦντα θεάσηται. Καὶ εὐθυμοῦντι μὲν οὐ συνευφραίνεται· ὀδυρομένῳ δὲ συνδακρύει. Καὶ τὴν μεταβολὴν τοῦ βίου, ἐξ οἵων εἰς οἷα μεταπέπτωκε, κατοικτίζεται, οὐχ ὑπὸ φιλανθρωπίας, καὶ τοῦ συμ παθὴς εἶναι, ἐξαίρων τῷ λόγῳ τὰ πρότερα, ἀλλ' ἵνα βαρυτέραν αὐτῷ κατασκευάσῃ τὴν συμφοράν.

Τὸ παιδίον μετὰ τὸν θάνατον ἐπαινεῖ, καὶ μυρίοις ἐγκω μίοις ἀποσεμνύνει, ὡς μὲν καλὸν ἰδεῖν, ὡς δὲ εὐμα θὲς, ὡς δὲ πρὸς πάντα εὐάρμοστον· οὐκ ἂν αὐτῷ