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robberies, He saw men joining house to house, and bringing field near to field, so that we might take something from our neighbor; He saw them not pitying orphans, and not paying attention to the judgment of widows; He saw teachers doing the opposite of what they say; He saw disciples insulting ecclesiastical good order with theatrical disorders, He saw men living in wickedness and envy, He saw them joining deceit to envy, He saw tempests of hypocrisy sinking the more simple like boats, He saw men murdering deliberately, He saw them committing as much injustice as we are able, He saw love being shipwrecked, but deceit sailing smoothly, on the sea of life, He saw men leaping away from the truth and running toward falsehood, and to put it briefly, He saw them serving mammon rather than the Lord, and he shook the earth for us, as a tutor for children, and He showed the compassion of a tenderly-loving mother, who often, wishing to make her own nursing child, who is whimpering disorderly, cease from the habit, shakes that little cradle violently, not to strike, but to frighten the infant; so also the Master of all things, who bears the inhabited world in His hand, shakes it not to destroy, but to turn the disorderly towards salvation.

βʹ. And let no one find fault, because we have compared the Lord to a tenderly-loving mother,

since the Lord Himself compared Himself to a bird in the Gospels, saying: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, in the way a bird gathers her own young, and you were not willing? Therefore the Lover of mankind moved the inanimate earth, in order to stop the animate from its disorderly motion; He threatened the death of the flesh, so that we might guard against the ruin of the soul. Have you seen, O lover of Christ, how great is the compassion of the Creator for us? Have you seen a threat flashing with love for mankind? Have you seen mercies anticipating indignation? Have you seen a sentence being overcome by goodness? And nothing is strange; He is even now our meek and benevolent Master, who characteristically cares for our salvation, who in the Gospels cries out distinctly, as was just now read to us: Come, learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart.

Oh how great is the 50.722 condescension of the Creator, and the creature shows no reverence! Come, learn from me, when has a Master come for the exhortation of his erring slaves? Such is Christ for us; He shows compassion, when it is right to punish the sinner, when it is right to destroy the race of those who provoke Him, He utters gentle words to the liable ones: Come, learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. God is lowly, and man is lofty; the judge is gentle, and the condemned is proud; the artisan makes his voice poor, and the clay discourses as a king. Come, learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. The preceding events did not persuade, the more recent ones did not bring us to shame; how both then and now, having moved creation, He has again mercifully established it; Come therefore, learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. He does not have a nature that strikes with a scourge, but one that heals. Come, see an unspeakable love for mankind. Who does not love a master who does not strike? Who does not marvel at a judge who deems the condemned man worthy? The simplicity of the words surely amazes you: I am the Creator, and I love my work; I am the maker, and I spare the one whom I formed. If I should use my dignities, I do not rescue fallen humanity, and while it is incurably sick, if I do not soothe it with gentle medicines, it is not strengthened; if I do not win it over, it is made dead, if I only threaten, it is destroyed. For this reason I will go around it as it lies, with plasters of goodness; I bow down very low, suffering with it, so that I may raise the fallen. The one who is standing does not raise the one who has been cast down from his fall, if he does not bring down his hand.

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ἁρπάγματα, εἶδε συνάπτοντας οἰκίαν πρὸς οἰκίαν, καὶ ἀγρὸν πρὸς ἀγρὸν ἐγγίζοντας, ἵνα τοῦ πλησίον ἀφελώμεθά τι· εἶδεν ὀρφανοὺς οὐκ ἐλεοῦντας, καὶ κρίσει χηρῶν οὐ προσέχοντας· εἶδε διδασκάλους ἀπεναντία ὧν λέγουσι πράττοντας· εἶδε μαθητὰς θεατρικαῖς ἀταξίαις τὴν ἐκκλησιαστικὴν εὐταξίαν ὑβρίζοντας, εἶδεν ἐν κακίᾳ καὶ φθόνῳ διάγοντας, εἶδε δόλον τῷ φθόνῳ συνάπτοντας, εἶδεν ὑποκρίσεως λαίλαπας καθάπερ σκάφη τοὺς ἁπλουστέρους βυθίζοντας, εἶδε φονεύοντας κατὰ πρόθεσιν, εἶδεν ἀδικοῦντας ὅσα δυνάμεθα, εἶδε ναυαγοῦσαν μὲν τὴν ἀγάπην, εὐπλοοῦσαν δὲ τὴν ἀπάτην, ἐν τῷ πελάγει τοῦ βίου, εἶδε τῆς ἀληθείας ἀποπηδῶντας καὶ τῷ ψεύδει προστρέχοντας, καὶ συνελόντα φράσαι, εἶδε τῷ μαμωνᾷ μᾶλλον ἢ τῷ Κυρίῳ δουλεύοντας, καὶ τὴν γῆν ἡμῖν ὡς παισὶ παιδαγωγὸν ἐπετίναξε, καὶ φιλοστόργου μητέρος ἐπεδείξατο σπλάγχνα, ἣ πολλάκις τὸν ὑπομάζιον ἑαυτῆς παῖδα ἀτάκτως κλαυθμυρίζοντα ἀποστῆσαι βουλομένη τοῦ ἔθους, τὸ μικρὸν ἐκεῖνο κλινίδιον διατινάσσει σφοδρῶς, οὐχ ἵνα πλήξῃ, ἀλλ' ἵνα φοβήσῃ τὸ νήπιον· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ τῶν ὅλων ∆εσπότης, ἣν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ οἰκουμένην βαστάζει, διατινάσσει οὐχ ἵνα καταστρέψῃ, ἀλλ' ἵνα πρὸς σωτηρίαν ἐπιστρέψῃ τοὺς ἀτακτοῦντας.

βʹ. Καὶ μεμφέσθω μηδεὶς, ἐπεὶ τὸν Κύριον φιλοστόργῳ μητέρι παρεικάσαμεν,

ὁπότε αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος ἑαυτὸν ἀπείκασεν ὄρνιθι ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις, εἰπών· Ἱερουσαλὴμ, Ἱερουσαλὴμ, ἡ ἀποκτείνουσα τοὺς προφήτας καὶ λιθοβολοῦσα τοὺς ἀπεσταλμένους πρὸς αὐτὴν, ποσάκις ἠθέλησα συναγαγεῖν τὰ τέκνα σου, ὃν τρόπον ὄρνις τὰ νοσσία ἑαυτῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἠθελήσατε; Ἐκίνησε τοίνυν τὴν ἄψυχον γῆν ὁ φιλάνθρωπος, ἵνα στήσῃ τὴν ἔμψυχον ἀτάκτου κινήσεως· σαρκὸς ἠπείλησε θάνατον, ἵνα τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς φυλαξώμεθα ὄλεθρον. Εἶδες, φιλόχριστε, πόσου τοῦ κτίσαντος ἡ περὶ ἡμᾶς εὐσπλαγχνία; εἶδες ἀπειλὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ἀστράπτουσαν; εἶδες οἰκτιρμοὺς προλαμβάνοντας ἀγανάκτησιν; εἶδες νικωμένην ἀπόφασιν ἀγαθότητι; Καὶ ξένον οὐδέν· αὐτός ἐστι καὶ νῦν ὁ πρᾶος καὶ φιλάνθρωπος ἡμῶν ∆εσπότης, ὁ τῆς ἡμετέρας συνήθως κηδόμενος σωτηρίας, ὃς ἐν τοῖς Εὐαγγελίοις διαῤῥήδην βοᾷ, ὡς ἀρτίως ἡμῖν ἀνεγινώσκετο· ∆εῦτε, μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ.

Ὢ πόση τοῦ πλάσαντος 50.722 συγκατάβασις, καὶ ὁ πλασθεὶς οὐκ αἰδεῖται! ∆εῦτε, μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, πότε ∆εσπότης εἰς παράκλησιν τῶν πταισάντων παρεγένετο δούλων. Τοιοῦτος ἡμῖν ὁ Χριστὸς, οἰκτιρμοὺς ἐπιδείκνυται, δέον τιμωρεῖν τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα, δέον τῶν παροργισάντων ἀφανίσαι τὸ γένος, ἥμερα τοῖς ὑπευθύνοις ἀφίησι ῥήματα· ∆εῦτε, μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Ὁ Θεὸς ταπεινὸς, καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὑψηλός· ὁ δικαστὴς ἥμερος, καὶ ὁ κατάδικος ὑπερήφανος· ὁ τεχνίτης πενιχρὰν ποιεῖται φωνὴν, καὶ ὁ πηλὸς ὡς βασιλεὺς διαλέγεται. ∆εῦτε, μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Τὰ προλαβόντα οὐκ ἔπεισε, τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ τὰ πρὸ βραχέος οὐκ ἐδυσώπησεν, ὅπως καὶ τότε καὶ νῦν τὴν κτίσιν κινήσας πάλιν ἐστήριξεν ἐλεήσας· ∆εῦτε οὖν, μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ. Οὐκ ἔχει μάστιγα πλήττουσαν, ἀλλ' ἰατρεύουσαν φύσιν. ∆εῦτε, ἴδετε φιλανθρωπίαν ἄφατον. Τίς οὐκ ἀγαπᾷ δεσπότην μὴ τύπτοντα; τίς οὐ θαυμάζει κριτὴν ἀξιοῦντα κατάκριτον; Ἐκπλήττει σε πάντως ἡ τῶν ῥημάτων εὐτέλεια· ∆ημιουργός εἰμι, καὶ φιλῶ μου τὸ ἔργον· πλάστης εἰμὶ, καὶ ὃν ἔπλασα φείδομαι. Ἂν χρήσωμαι τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἀξιώμασι, τὴν πεσοῦσαν ἀνθρωπότητα οὐ ῥύομαι, καὶ ἀῤῥωστοῦσαν ἀνίατα, ἂν μὴ προσηνέσι καταπλάσσω φαρμάκοις, οὐ ῥώννυται· ἂν μὴ ψυχαγωγήσω, νεκροῦται, ἂν ἀπειλήσω μόνον, ἀπόλλυται. Τούτου χάριν ἀγαθότητος ἔμπλαστρα αὐτὴν περιοδεύσω κειμένην· πολὺ ὑποκύπτω συμπάσχων, ἵνα πεσοῦσαν ἐγείρω. Τὸν ἐῤῥιμμένον ὁ ἑστὼς, ἂν μὴ συγκαταγάγῃ τὴν χεῖρα, οὐκ ἐξεγείρει τοῦ πτώματος.