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of pleasant and other joyful things, but also of gloomy and sorrowful ones. For to think of such things makes the one who remembers better, and prepares him to become more diligent. And of what gloomy things, you say? You are not ignorant, I think, and now you seek to be taught? Hear a few things out of many, the pitiful cries of the tormented rich man made to the hospitable patriarch Abraham; who because of his own lack of compassion was not strong enough to pass over that dreadful and terrible chasm, which his lack of compassion had dug for him; likewise also of the five foolish virgins, whom mercilessness similarly condemned to be shut out of the blessed bridal chamber; then of those on the left again the reproach, the shame, the disgrace, and finally the painful sentence, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed.' Consider also that one especially 60.683 the one whose hands and feet were bound, and who was cast out from the royal and glorious wedding with great shame, and was exiled to that astounding and dreadful place. Where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth; of which the mere hearing produces torment. For to remember such things, as we have said before, is no small profit for the soul; for to remember God, as the word says, gladdens the one who remembers, and draws him to high things; but the memory of gloomy things brings on fear and compunction, and makes a man strive and be diligent. For who, bearing in memory that inconsolable failure, is not moved to compunction and does not lament and break his own heart? Who does not wet with tears both his bed and his breast and his whole body, thinking of so great a loss, and especially one that has absolutely no consolation or comfort? For every failure or shipwreck before the end has a correction and consolation. For each person finds, in place of what he lost, other things while the festival is still going on, and consoles his own affliction. But the failure after the departure has an inconsolable grief; for he cannot recall what he has lost. For even if he is troubled, even if he groans, even if he laments, or even sheds tears, even if he sends up loud cries, all are unacceptable. For this reason all Scripture cries out, for this reason all diligence was legislated, for this reason there are struggles, for this reason prayers and supplications, for this reason tears and vigils, for this reason sleeping on the ground, wasting of the body, dry diets, renunciations, virginity, poverty of spirit, ministries, alms, withdrawal from the world; for this reason patience in things that come upon us, and endurance of dishonor and hatred and persecutions and spitting and blows and all temptations, in imitation of the Lord and Stephen and the other saints, so that in that hour we may not miss the mark with that terrible failure, and especially since we have the commandments of our Lord above every city and every fortress. Which ones? The 'I am with you;' the 'I will not leave you orphans;' and, 'Do not be afraid of those who kill the body;' 'Keep the head;' for 'I am the head of every man;' 'Keep the head;' 'Do not forget the Lord your God;' 'Having the redemption of your souls in my body and blood;' 'Do this for my remembrance and your salvation.' Do you see how he commands not to forget him, and how he urges always to remember him, as has also been said before? For this reason I say to every person, just as Paul also writing to Timothy; 'Child Timothy, always remember and never forget God who nourishes you, nor forget all his recompenses.'

But remember continually especially those terrible words of the judge, which he spoke to the uncompassionate on the left, and also to the five foolish virgins; likewise also what he said through the patriarch Abraham to that merciless rich man; and in addition to these, also to the other rich and covetous man, the one who

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τῶν τερπνῶν καὶ λοιπῶν χαροποιῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν σκυθρωπῶν καὶ λυπηρῶν. Καὶ γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων ἐννοεῖν βελτιώτερον ἀπεργάζεται τὸν μνήμονα, καὶ σπουδαιότερον γενέσθαι παρασκευάζει. Καὶ ποίων, φησὶ, σκυθρωπῶν; Οὐκ ἀγνοεῖς, ὡς οἶμαι, ἤδη καὶ διδαχθῆναι ζητεῖς; Ἄκουσον ἐκ τῶν πολλῶν ὀλίγα, τοῦ βασανιζομένου πλουσίου οἰκτρὰς φωνὰς πρὸς τὸν φιλόξενον πατριάρχην Ἀβραὰμ γενομένας· ὅστις διὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀσπλαγχνίαν οὐκ ἴσχυσε τὸ δεινὸν ἐκεῖνο καὶ φοβερὸν χάσμα παρελθεῖν, ὅπερ ὤρυξεν αὐτῷ ἡ ἀσπλαγχνία· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῶν πέντε μωρῶν παρθένων, ἅσπερ τὸ ἀνέλεον ὁμοίως ἔξω τοῦ μακαρίου νυμφῶνος ἀποκλεισθῆναι κατεδίκασεν· εἶτα τῶν ἐξ εὐωνύμων πάλιν τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν, τὴν αἰσχύνην, τὴν ἐντροπὴν, καὶ τέλος καὶ ἐπώδυνον ἀπόφασιν, τὸ, Πορεύεσθε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ οἱ κατηραμένοι. Ἐννόει δὲ κἀκεῖνον καὶ μάλιστα 60.683 τὸν τὰς χεῖρας καὶ πόδας δεσμευθέντα, καὶ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ καὶ ἐνδόξου γάμου μετὰ μεγάλης αἰσχύνης ἐκβληθέντα, καὶ εἰς τὸν ἔκθαμβον καὶ φρικτὸν ἐκεῖνον τόπον ἐξορισθέντα. Ὅπου ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων· οὗ καὶ μόνον ἡ ἀκοὴ βάσανον ἐμποιεῖ. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τῶν τοιούτων μνημονεύειν, καθὼς προειρήκαμεν, οὐ μικρὸν κέρδος ψυχῆς· τὸ μὲν γὰρ Θεοῦ μνημονεύειν, ὡς ὁ λόγος, εὐφραίνει τὸν μνήμονα, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ὑψηλὰ ἕλκει· ἡ δὲ τῶν σκυθρωπῶν μνήμη φόβον ἐπάγει καὶ κατάνυξιν, καὶ ἐναγώνιον καὶ σπουδαῖον καθιστᾷ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Τίς γὰρ ἐπὶ μνήμης φέρων τὴν ἀπαραμύθητον ἐκείνην ἀποτυχίαν, οὐ κατανύγεται καὶ ὀδύρεται καὶ συντρίβει τὴν ἑαυτοῦ καρδίαν; τίς οὐ βρέχει δάκρυσι καὶ τὴν κλίνην καὶ τὸ στῆθος καὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα, ἐννοῶν τὴν τοσαύτην ζημίαν, καὶ μάλιστα μὴ ἔχουσαν παντελῶς παρηγορίαν ἢ παράκλησιν; Πᾶσα γὰρ ἀστοχία ἢ ναυάγιον πρὸ τελευτῆς ἔχει διόρθωσιν καὶ παραμυθίαν. Εὑρίσκει γὰρ ἕκαστος ἀντὶ ὧν ἀπώλεσεν ἕτερα τῆς πανηγύρεως τέως ἱσταμένης, καὶ παραμυθεῖται τὴν ἑαυτοῦ θλῖψιν. Ἡ δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἔξοδον ἀποτυχία ἀπαραμύθητον ἔχει πένθος· ἀνακαλέσασθαι γὰρ ὃ ἀπώλεσεν οὐ δύναται. Κἂν γὰρ ταράσσηται, κἂν στενάζῃ, κἂν ὀδύρηται, ἢ καὶ δάκρυα ἐκχέῃ, κἂν φωνὰς ὑψηλὰς ἐπαφίῃ, πάντα ἀπρόσδεκτα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πᾶσα Γραφὴ βοᾷ, διὰ τοῦτο πᾶσα σπουδὴ ἐνομοθετήθη, διὰ τοῦτο ἀγῶνες, διὰ τοῦτο προσευχαὶ καὶ δεήσεις, διὰ τοῦτο κλαυθμοὶ καὶ ἀγρυπνίαι, διὰ τοῦτο χαμευνίαι, τῆξις σώματος, ξηροφαγίαι, ἀποταγαὶ, παρθενία, πτωχεία πνεύματος, διακονίαι, ἐλεημοσύναι, ἀναχώρησις κόσμου· διὰ τοῦτο ὑπομονὴ τῶν ἐπερχομένων, καὶ ἀνοχὴ ἀτιμίας καὶ μίσους καὶ διωγμῶν καὶ ἐμπτυσμάτων καὶ ῥαπισμάτων καὶ πάντων τῶν πειρασμῶν, κατὰ μίμησιν τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Στεφάνου καὶ λοιπῶν ἁγίων, ἵνα μὴ ἐν τῇ ὥρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἀστοχήσωμεν τὴν δεινὴν ἀστοχίαν, καὶ μάλιστα ἔχοντες ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν πόλιν καὶ πᾶν ὀχύρωμα τὰς τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν ἐντολάς. Ποίας; Τὸ, Ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι· τὸ, Οὐκ ἀφήσω ὑμᾶς ὀρφανούς· καὶ, Μὴ φοβεῖσθε ἀπὸ τῶν ἀποκτενόντων τὸ σῶμα· Τηρεῖτε τὴν κεφαλήν· Παντὸς γὰρ ἀνδρὸς ἡ κεφαλὴ ἐγώ εἰμι· Τηρεῖτε τὴν κεφαλήν· Μὴ ἐπιλάθησθε Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ· Ἔχοντες τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν ἐν τῷ σώματι καὶ αἵματί μου· Τοῦτο ποιεῖτε εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἀνάμνησιν καὶ ὑμῶν σωτηρίαν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἐντέλλεται μὴ ἐπιλανθάνεσθαι αὐτοῦ, καὶ πῶς προτρέπεται ἀεὶ μνημονεύειν αὐτοῦ, καθὼς καὶ προείρηται; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λέγω πρὸς πάντα ἄνθρωπον, καθάπερ καὶ Παῦλος Τιμοθέῳ γράφων· Τέκνον Τιμόθεε, ἀεὶ μνημόνευε καὶ μηδέποτε ἐπιλάθῃ Θεοῦ τοῦ τρέφοντός σε, μηδὲ ἐπιλανθάνου πάσας τὰς ἀνταποδόσεις αὐτοῦ.

Μνημόνευε δὲ συνεχῶς μάλιστα τὰς φοβερὰς ἐκείνας τοῦ δικαστοῦ φωνὰς, ἃς πρὸς τοὺς ἐξ εὐωνύμων ἀσπλάγχνους ἐφθέγξατο, ἔτι δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὰς μωρὰς πέντε παρθένους· ὁμοίως καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἀνηλεῆ ἐκεῖνον πλούσιον διὰ τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἀβραὰμ διελέχθη· πρὸς τούτοις δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἄλλον πλούσιον καὶ πλεονέκτην τὸν τὰς