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sweeter, not only having sweetness in the mouth, but also in the depth of the heart, to possess; love is fitting for all, through which earthly things are held together, and heavenly things increase; love, through which God sent his own Son into the world; For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son into the world for our sake; love taught to endure dangers both on land and sea; love perfects martyrs, blesses, crowns 60.776; love sees the neighbor as oneself, and considers its own things common to all; love makes the need of the neighbor its own; love sets a common table for all, for rich and for poor, for wise and for unlearned; love sweetens the embittered soul, heals the afflicted, restores the humbled; love carries about an unquenchable lamp of virginity, and busies itself seeking its own; love opens the gates of the kingdom, and leads in virginity crowned, and does not prevent those living in a holy marriage from entering; love loves almsgiving, and prepares crowns of golden sheen for its husbandman; love knows no pride, but glorifies the humble; love flees from evil-speaking, and cherishes blessing; love counsels men and women joined in marriage to be of one mind, and never wishes them to be separated from one another; love urges fathers to love their children, and children to serve their parents as masters; love exhorts masters to be merciful towards their servants, and advises servants to minister to their masters without guile; love puts fear outside, and embraces boldness towards God; For perfect love, it says, casts out fear; love wove for us this crown of the fathers, and established for us the sweet and fruitful stock of hope, love leads the flock into the fold of the Church, and grazes upon the green pasture of paradise; love, having received the hearing of all of us into one love of listening, has set it in order, and has broadened your tongue; love disciplines the body, warms the spirit, whitens the soul; love honors the labors of the ascetics, and opens to them the smiling bosoms of the Son; into which may the Lord of all deem us worthy, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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γλυκυτέρα, οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ στόματι τὸ γλυκὺ ἔχουσα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ βάθει τῆς καρδίας, κεκτεῖσθαι· ἀγάπη πάντων ἁρμόζει, δι' ἧς συνέστηκε μὲν τὰ ἐπίγεια, αὔξει δὲ τὰ ἐπουράνια· ἀγάπη, δι' ἣν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ Υἱὸν ἀπέστειλεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον· Οὕτω γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν· ἀγάπη τὰ ἐκ κινδύνων καὶ κατὰ γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν ὑπομένειν ἐδίδαξεν· ἀγάπη μάρτυρας τελειοῖ, μακαριοῖ, στε 60.776 φανοῖ· ἀγάπη τὸν πλησίον ὡς ἑαυτὸν ὁρᾷ, καὶ τὰ ἴδια πᾶσι κοινὰ ἡγεῖται· ἀγάπη τὴν ἔνδειαν τοῦ πλησίον ἰδίαν τίθεται· ἀγάπη κοινὴν τράπεζαν πᾶσιν ἱστᾷ, πλουσίῳ τε καὶ πένητι, σοφῷ τε καὶ ἰδιώτῃ· ἀγάπη τὴν πεπικρασμένην ψυχὴν γλυκαίνει, τὴν τεθλιμμένην θεραπεύει, τὴν τεταπεινωμένην ἀναθάλλει· ἀγάπη ἄσβεστον λαμπάδα τῆς παρθενίας περιφέρει, καὶ τοὺς ἰδίους περιεργάζεται ζητοῦσα· ἀγάπη τὰς τῆς βασιλείας θύρας ἀνοίγει, καὶ τὴν παρθενίαν στεφανηφόρον εἰσάγει, καὶ τοὺς ἐν σεμνῷ γάμῳ βιοῦντας εἰσελθεῖν οὐ κωλύει· ἀγάπη τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην φιλεῖ, καὶ τῷ αὐτῆς γεωργῷ στεφάνους χρυσαυγεῖς ἑτοιμάζει· ἀγάπη ὑπερηφανίαν οὐκ οἶδε, ταπεινοὺς δὲ δοξάζει· ἀγάπη κακολογίαν φεύγει, καὶ εὐλογίαν δὲ στέργει· ἀγάπη ἄνδρας καὶ γυναῖκας γάμῳ συναφθέντας ὁμονοεῖν συμβουλεύει, χωρίζεσθαι δὲ ἀπ' ἀλλήλων οὔ ποτε θέλει· ἀγάπη τοὺς πατέρας φιλεῖν τὰ τέκνα προτρέπεται, καὶ τὰ τέκνα δουλεύειν ὡς δεσπόταις τοῖς γονεῦσιν· ἀγάπη τοὺς δεσπότας ἐλεήμονας εἶναι παρακαλεῖ πρὸς τοὺς οἰκέτας, καὶ τοὺς οἰκέτας ὑπουργεῖν τοῖς δεσπόταις ἀδόλως παραινεῖ· ἀγάπη τὸν φόβον ἔξω τίθεται, καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν παῤῥησίαν ἐνστερνίζεται· Ἡ γὰρ τελεία ἀγάπη, φησὶν, ἔξω βάλλει τὸν φόβον· ἀγάπη τὸν στέφανον τοῦτον τῶν πατέρων ἔπλεξεν ἡμῖν, καὶ τὸ στέλεχος τῆς ἐλπίδος γλυκὺ καὶ καρποφόρον ἵδρυσεν ἡμῖν, ἀγάπη τὸ ποίμνιον εἰς τὴν μάνδραν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας εἰσάγει, καὶ τὴν χλοηφόρον τοῦ παραδείσου νέμεται τρυφήν· ἀγάπη τὴν πάντων ἡμῶν ἀκοὴν εἰς μίαν φιληκοΐαν δεξαμένη ἐῤῥύθμισε, καὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν γλῶσσαν ἐπλάτυνεν· ἀγάπη τὸ σῶμα παιδεύει, τὸ πνεῦμα θερμαίνει, τὴν ψυχὴν λευκαίνει· ἀγάπη τοὺς τῶν ἀσκητῶν πόνους σεμνύνει, καὶ τοὺς τοῦ Υἱοῦ κόλπους τούτοις γελῶντας ἀνοίγει· εἰς οὓς καὶ ἡμᾶς ὁ πάντων ∆εσπότης ἀξιώσειε, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.