1

Sermo antequam iret in exsilium

HOMILY OF THE SAME BEFORE HIS EXILE.

52.427 1. Many are the waves and harsh the tossing; but we do not fear lest we be submerged, for we stand upon the rock. Let the sea rage, it cannot dissolve the rock; let the waves rise, they have not the strength to sink the boat of Jesus. What do we fear, tell me? Death? For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But exile, tell me? The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. But the confiscation of property? We brought nothing into the world, it is clear that we can carry nothing out; and the terrible things of the world are contemptible to me, and its good things laughable. I do not fear poverty, I do not desire wealth; I do not fear death, I do not pray to live, except for the sake of your progress. Therefore I now remind you, and I exhort your 52.428 love to be courageous.

For no one will be able to separate us; for what God has joined together, man cannot separate. For if He says concerning a wife and a husband: For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh; what therefore God has joined, let not man separate. If you cannot break apart a marriage, how much more are you unable to destroy the Church of God? But you war against her, unable to harm the one warred against. But you make me more glorious, while you destroy your own strength by fighting against me; For it is hard for you to kick against the sharp goads. You do not blunt the goads, but you make your 52.429 feet bloody; since also the waves do not dissolve the rock, but are themselves dissolved into foam. Nothing is stronger than the Church, O man. End the war, lest it destroy your power; do not bring war into heaven. If you war against a man, you either have conquered, or you have been conquered. But if you war against the Church, it is impossible for you to conquer; for God is the one who is stronger than all. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? God has established it, who attempts to shake it? You do not know His power. He looks upon the earth, and makes it tremble; He commands, and the things that were shaken were made firm. If He established a shaken city, much more can he establish the Church. The Church is stronger than heaven; Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. What words? You are Peter, and on this my rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

2. If you disbelieve the word, believe the deeds. How many tyrants have wished

to overcome the Church? How many frying pans? how many furnaces, teeth of wild beasts, sharpened swords? And they did not overcome. Where are those who warred against her? They have been silenced and given over to oblivion. But where is the Church? It shines brighter than the sun. Their works have been extinguished, hers are immortal. If when they were few, they were not conquered, when the whole world has been filled with piety, how can you conquer? Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. And very fittingly; for the Church is more precious to God than heaven. He did not take up the body of heaven, but He took up the flesh of the Church; for the sake of the Church is heaven, not for the sake of heaven is the Church. Let nothing that has happened disturb you. Grant me this favor, an unwavering faith. Did you not see Peter walking on the waters, and after doubting a little, about to be submerged, not because of the disorderly rush of the waters, but because of the weakness

1

Sermo antequam iret in exsilium

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΠΡΟ ΤΗΣ ΕΞΟΡΙΑΣ.

52.427 αʹ. Πολλὰ τὰ κύματα καὶ χαλεπὸν τὸ κλυδώνιον· ἀλλ' οὐ δεδοίκαμεν, μὴ καταποντισθῶμεν· ἐπὶ γὰρ τῆς πέτρας ἑστήκαμεν. Μαινέσθω ἡ θάλασσα, πέτραν διαλῦσαι οὐ δύναται· ἐγειρέσθω τὰ κύματα, τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τὸ πλοῖον καταποντίσαι οὐκ ἰσχύει. Τί δεδοίκαμεν, εἰπέ μοι; Τὸν θάνατον; Ἐμοὶ τὸ ζῇν Χριστὸς, καὶ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος. Ἀλλ' ἐξορίαν, εἰπέ μοι; Τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ γῆ, καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς. Ἀλλὰ χρημάτων δήμευσιν; Οὐδὲν εἰσηνέγκαμεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, δῆλον ὅτι οὐδὲν ἐξενεγκεῖν δυνάμεθα· καὶ τὰ φοβερὰ τοῦ κόσμου ἐμοὶ εὐκαταφρόνητα, καὶ τὰ χρηστὰ καταγέλαστα. Οὐ πενίαν δέδοικα, οὐ πλοῦτον ἐπιθυμῶ· οὐ θάνατον φοβοῦμαι, οὐ ζῆσαι εὔχομαι, εἰ μὴ διὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν προκοπήν. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὰ νῦν ὑπομιμνήσκω, καὶ παρακαλῶ τὴν ὑμετέραν θαῤ 52.428 ῥεῖν ἀγάπην.

Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἀποσπάσαι δυνήσεται· ὃ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς συνέζευξεν, ἄνθρωπος χωρίσαι οὐ δύναται. Εἰ γὰρ περὶ γυναικὸς καὶ ἀνδρὸς λέγει· Ἀντὶ τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέρα, καὶ προσκολληθήσεται τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν· ὃ οὖν ὁ Θεὸς ἔζευξεν, ἄνθρωπος μὴ χωριζέτω. Εἰ γάμον οὐ δύνασαι διασπάσαι, πόσῳ μᾶλλον Ἐκκλησίαν Θεοῦ οὐκ ἰσχύεις καταλῦσαι; ἀλλὰ πολεμεῖς αὐτὴν, οὐ δυνάμενος βλάψαι τὸν πολεμούμενον. Ἀλλ' ἐμὲ μὲν ἐργάζῃ λαμπρότερον, ἑαυτοῦ δὲ τὴν ἰσχὺν καταλύεις τῆς πρὸς ἐμὲ μάχης· Σκληρὸν γάρ σοι πρὸς κέντρα ὀξέα λακτίζειν. Οὐκ ἀμβλύνεις τὰ κέντρα, ἀλλὰ τοὺς 52.429 πόδας αἱμάσσεις· ἐπεὶ καὶ τὰ κύματα τὴν πέτραν οὐ διαλύει, ἀλλ' αὐτὰ εἰς ἀφρὸν διαλύονται. Οὐδὲν Ἐκκλησίας δυνατώτερον, ἄνθρωπε. Λῦσον τὸν πόλεμον, ἵνα μὴ καταλύσῃ σου τὴν δύναμιν· μὴ εἴσαγε πόλεμον εἰς οὐρανόν. Ἄνθρωπον ἐὰν πολεμῇς, ἢ ἐνίκησας, ἢ ἐνικήθης. Ἐκκλησίαν δὲ ἐὰν πολεμῇς, νικῆσαί σε ἀμήχανον· ὁ Θεὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ πάντων ἰσχυρότερος. Μὴ παραζηλοῦμεν τὸν Κύριον; μὴ ἰσχυρότεροι αὐτοῦ ἐσμεν; Ὁ Θεὸς ἔπηξε, τίς ἐπιχειρεῖ σαλεύειν; Οὐκ οἶσθα αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν. Ἐπιβλέπει ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ ποιεῖ αὐτὴν τρέμειν· κελεύει, καὶ τὰ σειόμενα ἡδράζετο. Εἰ τὴν πόλιν σαλευομένην ἔστησε, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν στῆσαι δύναται. Ἡ Ἐκκλησία οὐρανοῦ ἰσχυροτέρα· Ὁ οὐρανὸςκαὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσονται, οἱ δὲ λόγοι μου οὐ μὴ παρέλθωσι. Ποῖοι λόγοι; Σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ μου τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς.

βʹ. Εἰ ἀπιστεῖς τῷ λόγῳ, πίστευε τοῖς πράγμασι. Πόσοι τύραννοι ἠθέλησαν

περιγενέσθαι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας; πόσα τήγανα; πόσοι κάμινοι, θηρίων ὀδόντες, ξίφη ἠκονημένα; καὶ οὐ περιεγένοντο. Ποῦ οἱ πολεμήσαντες; Σεσίγηνται καὶ λήθῃ παραδέδονται. Ποῦ δὲ ἡ Ἐκκλησία; Ὑπὲρ τὸν ἥλιον λάμπει. Τὰ ἐκείνων ἔσβεσται, τὰ ταύτης ἀθάνατα. Εἰ ὅτε ὀλίγοι ἦσαν, οὐκ ἐνικήθησαν, ὅτε ἡ οἰκουμένη ἐπλήσθη εὐσεβείας, πῶς νικῆσαι δύνασαι; Ο οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσονται, οἱ δὲ λόγοι μου οὐ μὴ παρέλθωσι. Καὶ μάλα εἰκότως· ποθεινοτέρα γὰρ ἡ Ἐκκλησία τῷ Θεῷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Οὐρανοῦ σῶμα οὐκ ἀνέλαβεν, Ἐκκλησίας δὲ σάρκα ἀνέλαβε· διὰ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ὁ οὐρανὸς, οὐ διὰ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἡ Ἐκκλησία. Μηδὲν ὑμᾶς θορυβείτω τῶν γενομένων. Τοῦτό μοι χαρίσασθε, πίστιν ἀπερίτρεπτον. Οὐκ εἴδετε τὸν Πέτρον περιπατοῦντα ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων, καὶ ὀλίγον διστάσαντα, καὶ μέλλοντα καταποντίζεσθαι, οὐ διὰ τὴν ἄτακτον τῶν ὑδάτων ὁρμὴν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν