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naked he was set before his sons. Not keeping the fast, Esau lost the honor of the firstborn, and became a stranger to his father's blessing. Not keeping the fast, the sons of Israel fell from heavenly delight and from divine grace. You have learned what those who did not honor it suffered; know also of what honor 56.527 and grace those who kept it were made worthy. Having reaped the fruit of fasting, Moses received the law, and was shown to be a worthy leader of Israel. Having reaped the fruit of fasting, Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire, by which also the all-honorable sheepskin mantle was shown to be more honorable than royal purple. Having acquired fasting in the pit, Daniel muzzled the wild beasts, and remained unharmed by their devouring. The three youths, having embraced fasting, quenched the furnace that was kindled sevenfold, and made the fire like a rustling, dewy wind. Having welcomed fasting, John was proclaimed greater among the prophets, and was deemed worthy to baptize the Lord of glory in the Jordan. And why do I bring prophets and righteous men into the midst? Christ also, having welcomed fasting, cast down the enemy, and deemed us worthy to become spectators of him. Therefore let us receive it, the precious gift, the holy treasure, the image of truth, the sum of piety, the advocate of spiritual teaching, the mortification of the passions, the destruction of sin, the adversary of wickedness, the like-minded of virginity, the destroyer of demons, the dishonor of the devil, the abolition of idols, the comeliness of the Churches, the power of kings, the adornment of priests, the prudence of men, the modesty of women, the instruction of infants, the deliverance of slaves, the consolation of the poor. Who, having welcomed fasting, was not glorified? who, having kept it, was not magnified? who, having preserved its ordinances, was not blessed? who, having acquired it, did not conquer temptations? who, having heard its promises, was not honored among men only, but also was snatched away from the wrath and indignation of God? Was not Ahab, having armed himself with it, delivered from divinely-sent wrath, even he who was given as food for the birds and the beasts, and of whom it is said, in his blood the prostitutes will wash. through it was he delivered from the danger of death, and was it not shown to be mightier than a prophet? Did not the Ninevites, keeping it, both men and cattle, escape from the three-day threat, and the word of the prophet Jonah become ineffective? Did not the Prophets, observing it, become partakers of visions and apparitions of God Almighty, and did they not foresee and prophesy future things as if they were present? And did not the Apostles, having armed themselves with it, Their sound has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world? And did not the Martyrs, having embraced it, cast down temples and altars and the sacrificial smoke of idols, and count the wrath of tyrants as nothing? Did not the Holy Ones, having longed for it, leave behind the world and all things in the world, and dwelling in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the earth according to the apostle Paul, cast down the devil face to face, and his armies? Let us also keep it, the calm of souls, the medicine of bodies, the peace of thoughts, the mortification of desires, that which prevents seizing the wealth of another, that which does not allow orphans to be wronged, that which does not bring the grief of loss upon widows, that which does not permit us to be occupied with the cares of life, that which makes mortals live like angels, that which exhorts us to meditate on the law of the Lord day and night. For the prophet Zacharias says

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γυμνὸς τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ προέκειτο. Νηστείαν μὴ φυλάξας Ἡσαῦ τῶν πρωτοτοκίων τὴν τιμὴν ἀπώλεσε, καὶ τῆς πατρικῆς εὐχῆς ἀλλότριος ἐγένετο. Νηστείαν μὴ φυλάξαντες οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ, τῆς ἐπουρανίου τρυφῆς καὶ τῆς χάριτος τῆς θεϊκῆς ἐξέπεσον. Ἔμαθες τοὺς μὴ τιμήσαντας αὐτὴν οἷα ἔπαθον· γνώρισον καὶ τοὺς φυλάξαντας αὐτὴν, οἵας τι 56.527 μῆς καὶ χάριτος ἐγένοντο ἄξιοι. Νηστείαν καρπωσάμενος Μωϋσῆς νόμον ἐδέξατο, καὶ δημαγωγὸς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ἄξιος ἀνεδείχθη. Νηστείαν καρπωσάμενος Ἠλιοὺ δι' ἅρματος πυρίνου εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀνήχθη, δι' οὗ καὶ ἡ πάντιμος μηλωτὴ ὑπὲρ βασιλικὴν πορφυρίδα τιμιωτέρα ἀνεδείχθη. Νηστείαν ἐν λάκκῳ ∆ανιὴλ κτησάμενος, τὰ ἄγρια θηρία φιμώσας, ἀλώβητος τῆς τούτων βορᾶς γέγονε. Νηστείαν οἱ τρεῖς παῖδες ἀγκαλισάμενοι, τὴν κάμινον τὴν ἐξαφθεῖσαν ἑπταπλασίως κατέσβησαν, καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἐποίησαν ὡς πνεῦμα δρόσου διασυρίζον. Νηστείαν ἀσπασάμενος Ἰωάννης, μείζων ἐν προφήταις ἀνηγορεύθη, καὶ τὸν Κύριον τῆς δόξης κατηξιώθη βαπτίσαι ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ. Καὶ τί προφήτας καὶ δικαίους εἰς μέσον παρεισάγω; Νηστείαν καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἀσπασάμενος, τὸν ἐχθρὸν κατέβαλε, καὶ ἡμᾶς θεωρητὰς αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι κατηξίωσε. ∆ιὸ ταύτην ὑποδεξώμεθα, τὸ τίμιον δῶρον, τὸ ἅγιον κειμήλιον, τὸ τῆς ἀληθείας ἴνδαλμα, τῆς εὐσεβείας τὸ κεφάλαιον, τὸν τῆς πνευματικῆς διδασκαλίας συνήγορον, τῶν παθῶν τὴν νέκρωσιν, τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὴν ἀναίρεσιν, τῆς κακίας τὸν ἀντίπαλον, τῆς παρθενίας τὴν ὁμόδοξον, τῶν δαιμόνων τὴν ἀφανίστριαν, τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν ἀποτίμησιν, τῶν εἰδώλων τὴν καθαίρεσιν, τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν τὴν εὐπρέπειαν, τῶν βασιλέων τὸ κράτος, τῶν ἱερέων τὸ ἐγκαλλώπισμα, τῶν ἀνδρῶν τὴν φρόνησιν, τῶν γυναικῶν τὴν σωφροσύνην, τῶν νηπίων τὴν παιδαγωγίαν, τῶν δούλων τὴν ἀνάῤῥυσιν, τῶν πτωχῶν τὴν παραμυθίαν. Τίς νηστείαν ἀσπασάμενος οὐκ ἐδοξάσθη; τίς ταύτην φυλάξας οὐκ ἐμεγαλύνθη; τίς τοὺς θεσμοὺς αὐτῆς συντηρήσας οὐκ ἐμακαρίσθη; τίς κτησάμενος ταύτην οὐκ ἐνίκησε πειρασμούς; τίς ἀκούσας ταύτης τὰς ὑποσχέσεις οὐχὶ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἐτιμήθη μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὀργῆς καὶ ἀγανακτήσεως ἐξηρπάγη; Οὐχὶ Ἀχαὰβ ταύτην ὁπλισάμενος θεηλάτου ὀργῆς ἐῤῥύσθη, καὶ ὁ τοῖς ὀρνέοις εἰς βρῶσιν δοθεὶς καὶ τοῖς θηρίοις, καὶ Οὖ ἐν τῷ αἵματι, φησὶν, αἱ πόρναι λούσονται. δι' αὐτῆς ἀπηλλάγη τοῦ θανατικοῦ κινδύνου, καὶ ὑπὲρ προφήτην δυνατωτέρα ἐδείχθη; Οὐχὶ ταύτην οἱ Νινευῖται φυλάξαντες, ἄνθρωποι καὶ τὰ κτήνη, τῆς τριημέρου ἀπειλῆς ἀνηρπάγησαν, καὶ τοῦ προφήτου Ἰωνᾶ τὸ ῥῆμα ἄνεργον ἐγένετο; Οὐχὶ ταύτην τηρήσαντες οἱ Προφῆται, θεωριῶν καὶ ὀπτασιῶν Θεοῦ παντοκράτορος μέτοχοι γεγόνασι, καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα ὡς ἐνεστῶτα προεθεώρησαν καὶ ἐθέσπισαν; Οὐχὶ καὶ οἱ Ἀπόστολοι ταύτην ὁπλισάμενοι, Πανταχοῦ κύκλῳ τῆς γῆς διέδραμεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν, καὶ εἰς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῶν; Οὐχὶ καὶ οἱ Μάρτυρες ταύτης ἐνστερνισάμενοι, ναοὺς καὶ βωμοὺς καὶ κνίσσας τῶν εἰδώλων κατέβαλον, καὶ τὸν θυμὸν τῶν τυράννων εἰς οὐδὲν ἐλογίσαντο; Οὐχὶ οἱ Ὅσιοι ταύτην ποθήσαντες, τὸν κόσμον καὶ τὰ ἐν κόσμῳ κατέλιπον ἅπαντα, καὶ ἐν ἐρημίαις καὶ ὄρεσι καὶ σπηλαίοις καὶ ταῖς ὀπαῖς τῆς γῆς κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον Παῦλον οἰκήσαντες, αὐτοπροσώπως τὸν διάβολον κατέβαλον, καὶ τούτου τὰ στρατεύματα; Ταύτην καὶ ἡμεῖς φυλάξωμεν τῶν ψυχῶν τὴν γαλήνην, τῶν σωμάτων τὸ ἰατρεῖον, τῶν λογισμῶν τὴν εἰρήνην, τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν τὴν νέκρωσιν, τὴν κωλύουσαν ἁρπάζειν τὸν ἀλλότριον πλοῦτον, τὴν μὴ καταδεχομένην ὀρφανοὺς ἀδικῆσαι, τὴν μὴ ἐπάγουσαν χήραις πένθος ζημίας, τὴν μὴ βιωτικαῖς μερίμναις ἀσχοληθῆναι ἡμᾶς συγχωροῦσαν, τὴν ἀγγέλοις ὁμοδιαίτους τοὺς βροτοὺς ἐργαζομένην, τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου τὸν νόμον ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς μελετᾷν διακελευομένην. Φησὶ γὰρ ὁ προφήτης Ζαχαρίας