1

De baptismo Christi

To those who absent themselves from the divine assemblies, and on the holy and saving baptism of our Savior Jesus Christ, and concerning the

unworthy communicants, and that those who leave the divine liturgy unfinished, and depart before the final prayer, Judas

imitate, a discourse. 49.363 1. You are all in gladness today, but I alone am in sorrow. For whenever I look upon this spiritual sea, and behold the boundless wealth of the Church, then consider that when the feast has passed, this multitude will leap away from us again and be gone, I am stung and pained in my soul, because the Church, having borne so many children, cannot enjoy them at every assembly, but only on a feast day. How great a spiritual exultation it would be, how much joy, how much glory to God, how much benefit for souls, if at every assembly we saw the precincts of the church so filled? But now, sailors and helmsmen do everything to cross the sea and reach the harbor; but we contend to be tossed about on a perpetual sea, constantly submerged in the tempests of worldly affairs, and turning about in the marketplaces and in the courts, but here we meet barely once or twice in the entire year. Or do you not know that just as he fixed harbors in the sea, so God has fixed the churches in the cities, so that fleeing here from the surge of worldly disturbances, we may enjoy the greatest calm? For here one need not fear the tempest of waves, nor the raids of robbers, nor the assault of malefactors, nor the violence of winds, nor the plots of wild beasts; for it is a harbor free from all these things, it is a spiritual harbor of souls. And you are witnesses of what is said. For if any of you were to unfold his conscience now, he would find much peace within; for anger does not trouble, nor desire inflame, nor envy consume, nor presumption puff up, nor love of vainglory corrupt, but all these beasts have been laid to rest, as by some divine incantation, the hearing of the divine Scriptures, entering through each one's hearing to the soul, and lulling to sleep these irrational passions. Of how great misery would it not be, then, for those who are about to enjoy so much 49.364 philosophy not to continually sojourn and frequent the common mother of all, I mean the Church? For what more necessary occupation could you tell me than this? What better fellowship? What is the obstacle to spending time here? You will surely tell me that poverty is an impediment for you to this goodly gathering; but the excuse is not reasonable. The week has seven days; God has divided these seven with us; and He did not give the greater part to Himself and the lesser to us, but rather He did not even divide them in half, He did not take three and give three, but to you He assigned six, and for Himself He left one. And not even on this whole day can you bear to be free from worldly affairs, but what those who plunder sacred treasures do, this you also dare to do on this day, seizing it, though it is sacred and dedicated to the hearing of spiritual oracles, and misusing it for worldly cares. But what am I saying about a whole day? What in the case of almsgiving

1

De baptismo Christi

Πρὸς τοὺς ἀπολιμπανομένους τῶν θείων συνάξεων, καὶ εἰς τὸ ἅγιον καὶ σωτήριον βάπτισμα τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ περὶ τῶν

ἀναξίως κοινωνούντων, καὶ ὅτι οἱ ἀτέλεστον καταλιμπάνοντες τὴν θείαν λειτουργίαν, καὶ πρὸ τῆς τελευταίας εὐχῆς ἐξερχόμενοι, τὸν Ἰούδαν

μιμοῦνται, λόγος. 49.363 αʹ. Πάντες ὑμεῖς ἐν εὐθυμίᾳ τήμερον, ἐγὼ δὲ ἐν ὀδύνῃ μόνος. Ὅταν γὰρ εἰς τὸ πέλαγος ἀπίδω τοῦτο τὸ πνευματικὸν, καὶ τὸν ἄπειρον τῆς Ἐκκλησίας θεάσωμαι πλοῦτον, εἶτα λογίσωμαι ὅτι τῆς ἑορτῆς παρελθούσης, καὶ τὸ πλῆθος ἡμῖν τοῦτο πάλιν ἀποπηδῆσαν οἰχήσεται, δάκνομαι καὶ ὀδυνῶμαι τὴν ψυχὴν, ὅτι τοσαῦτα τεκοῦσα τέκνα ἡ Ἐκκλησία, οὐ καθ' ἑκάστην σύναξιν ἀπολαύειν αὐτῶν δύναται, ἀλλ' ἐν ἑορτῇ μόνον. Πόσον ἦν ἀγαλλίαμα πνευματικὸν, πόση χαρὰ, πόση δόξα Θεοῦ, πόση ψυχῶν ὠφέλεια, εἰ καθ' ἑκάστην σύναξιν οὕτω πεπληρωμένους ἑωρῶμεν τοὺς περιβόλους τῆς ἐκκλησίας; Νῦν δὲ ναῦται μὲν καὶ κυβερνῆται πάντα ποιοῦσιν, ὅπως τὸ πέλαγος διαδράμοιεν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν λιμένα καταντήσωσιν· ἡμεῖς δὲ διὰ παντὸς πελάγους σαλεύειν φιλονεικοῦμεν, ἐν ταῖς τῶν βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων τρικυμίαις συνεχῶς ποντούμενοι, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἀγοραῖς καὶ ἐν τοῖς δικαστηρίοις στρεφόμενοι, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ἅπαξ ἢ δεύτερον μόλις τοῦ παντὸς ἀπαντῶντες ἐνιαυτοῦ. Ἢ ἀγνοεῖτε ὅτι καθάπερ λιμένας ἐν πελάγει, οὕτω τὰς ἐκκλησίας ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν ἔπηξεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα ἀπὸ τῆς ζάλης τῶν βιωτικῶν θορύβων ἐνταῦθα καταφεύγοντες, γαλήνης μεγίστης ἀπολαύωμεν; Οὐδὲ γὰρ κυμάτων ἔστιν ἐνταῦθα δεῖσαι τρικυμίαν, οὐ λῃστῶν ἐπιδρομὰς, οὐ κακούργων ἔφοδον, οὐ πνευμάτων βίας, οὐ θηρίων ἐπιβουλάς· λιμὴν γάρ ἐστιν ἁπάντων τούτων ἀπηλλαγμένος, λιμήν ἐστι ψυχῶν πνευματικός. Καὶ τῶν λεγομένων μάρτυρες ὑμεῖς. Εἰ γάρ τις ὑμῶν τὸ συνειδὸς ἀναπτύξειε νῦν, πολλὴν ἔνδον εὑρήσει τὴν ἡσυχίαν· οὐ θυμὸς γὰρ ἐνοχλεῖ, οὐκ ἐπιθυμία φλέγει, οὐ βασκανία τήκει, οὐκ ἀπόνοια φυσᾷ, οὐ κενοδοξίας ἔρως διαφθείρει, ἀλλὰ πάντα ταῦτα κατέσταλται τὰ θηρία, καθάπερ θείας τινὸς ἐπῳδῆς, τῆς τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ἀκροάσεως, διὰ τῆς ἑκάστου ἀκοῆς πρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν εἰσιούσης, καὶ κοιμιζούσης τὰ ἄλογα ταῦτα πάθη. Πόσης οὖν ἀθλιότητος οὐκ ἂν εἴη, τοσαύτης μέλλοντας ἀπολαύειν 49.364 φιλοσοφίας μὴ συνεχῶς ἐπιχωριάζειν καὶ φοιτᾷν πρὸς τὴν κοινὴν ἁπάντων μητέρα, τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν λέγω; Ποίαν γὰρ ἂν ἔχοις εἰπεῖν μοι ταύτης ἀναγκαιοτέραν διατριβήν; τίνα δὲ χρηστοτέραν συνουσίαν; τί δὲ τὸ ἐμπόδιον τῆς ἐνταῦθα διατριβῆς; Πάντως μοι τὴν πενίαν ἐρεῖς κώλυμά σοι γίνεσθαι τοῦ καλοῦ τοῦδε συλλόγου· ἀλλ' οὐκ εὔλογος ἡ πρόφασις. Ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας ἡ ἑβδομὰς ἔχει· τὰς ἑπτὰ ταύτας ἐμερίσατο πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεός· καὶ οὐχ ἑαυτῷ μὲν τὸ πλέον, ἡμῖν δὲ τὸ ἔλαττον ἔδωκε, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ ἐξ ἡμισείας αὐτὰς διενείματο, οὐκ ἔλαβε τρεῖς καὶ ἔδωκε τρεῖς, ἀλλὰ σοὶ μὲν ἀπένειμεν ἓξ, ἑαυτῷ δὲ κατέλιπε μίαν. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ὅλῃ ἀνέχῃ τῶν βιωτικῶν ἀπηλλάχθαι πραγμάτων, ἀλλ' ὅπερ οἱ τὰ ἱερὰ συλῶντες χρήματα ποιοῦσι, τοῦτο καὶ σὺ ἐπὶ τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης τολμᾷς, αὐτὴν οὖσαν ἱερὰν καὶ ἀνακειμένην τῇ τῶν πνευματικῶν ἀκροάσει λογίων ἁρπάζων καὶ καταχρώμενος εἰς βιωτικὰς φροντίδας. Τί δὲ λέγω περὶ ἡμέρας ὁλοκλήρου; ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης