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great, when you pursue with intention what he pursues by necessity. But if you are not persuaded by these things, listen to the Scripture: The Lord opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. And if you despise these things too, you will be despised by God; then the conceit of your insensibility, wishing to lead you to a lofty height, is about to greatly exalt you, in order to cast you down all the more.

For what is wealth? Matter leaping from one to another; for when death comes, this departs from you, but the evils from it never depart from you. See that you are not proud, being earth and ashes, and fall into the fall of the Pharisee; know yourself; for this the Lord also urges, saying through the parable: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. Two men went up, but two men did not come down, traversing the same path without error. And the Pharisee was manifestly mistaken about this. They entered into the one place to pray, and they were not found in the one place when they departed. The Pharisee ran with confidence, but the tax collector went away timidly; and the one running remained behind, but the one behind went ahead. The Pharisee ran to declare his righteous deeds; the tax collector also hastened to announce his transgressions. They went up to pray; and one was seen puffed up, but the other was shown praying. For the Pharisee made such laws for himself, saying: I am not a debtor to the commandment of the law; I am not liable for what the prophets commanded; I do not need the teaching of Moses, of which I have transgressed none of these things; but I go up to pray, paying the debt of custom, which my ancestors performed. Why then, O Pharisee, do you worship the temple for the sake of your ancestors, but do not see the temple for the sake of prayer? Your ancestors faithfully performed the thanksgiving, but you make a show of the thanksgiving, so that your sacrifice may be glorified by men; and upon you comes the saying of David: Let his prayer become sin, and may another take his office, that is, the tax collector. And what about the tax collector? He went to the temple condemning himself, calling himself unworthy of prayer. He called himself unworthy; for which reason Christ also accepted his intention. He said he was indebted to sin, but Christ showed him to be accountable to righteousness; he granted him remission of his trespasses, and redeemed his intention; he freed him from sin, that he might enslave him to righteousness. O servitude, through which we escape a wicked servitude, and flee to the freedom of Christ! O servitude, providing a light yoke, and after this having and rendering eternal life! O servitude, called servitude in this world, but in the one to come bestowing an unending kingdom!

Let us run to this servitude, brothers, that we may reap the freedom of our souls. When one becomes a good servant, then the Lord reveals him as a true son, then he fulfills the saying through the Prophet concerning him: I said: You are gods, and all sons of the Most High. Blessed are those who are deemed worthy of such an honor! blessed are those who have hastened to be released from corruption! blessed are those who through this servitude have acquired freedom, and crying out in the freedom with which Christ redeemed us, we stand, having the buttressing cross of Christ! Let us cry to Christ: Reckon us, O good Shepherd, as one of the lost sheep; seek us 62.726 in the thoughts of our hearts, and finding us wandering and about to be caught by the enemy, gather us into your flock. Reckon us as one drachma, and having lit a lamp with the fire of your divinity, search, and having found us, rejoice with the saints and the angels who dwell together with your undefiled divinity; show us to be as the tax collector, so that in praying we may embrace humility, but turn away from pride, and the of the

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μέγας, ὅτε, ὅπερ ἐκεῖνος ἀνάγκῃ, αὐτὸς προθέσει μετέρχῃ. Εἰ δὲ τούτοις οὐ πείθῃ, ἄκουε τῆς Γραφῆς· Κύριος ὑπερηφά νοις ἀντιτάσσεται, ταπεινοῖς δὲ δίδωσι χάριν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τούτων καταφρονεῖς, καταφρονηθήσῃ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ· τότε μέλλει τῆς ἀναισθησίας ἡ οἴησις, εἰς μετάρσιον ὕψωμα ἀναγαγεῖν σε βουλομένη, μεγάλως σε ἐπαίρειν, ἵνα μειζόνως σε κατενέγκῃ.

Τί γάρ ἐστι πλοῦτος; Ὕλη μεταπηδῶσα ἀφ' ἑτέρου πρὸς ἕτερον· τοῦ γὰρ θανάτου ἐπεισελθόντος, οὗτος μὲν ἀφίσταταί σου, τὰ δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν κακὰ οὐδέποτέ σου ἀφίστανται. Βλέπε, μὴ ὑπερηφανεύου γῆ καὶ σποδὸς ὑπάρχων, καὶ ἐμπέσῃς εἰς τὸ πτῶμα τοῦ Φαρισαίου· ἐπίγνωθι σεαυ τόν· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ Κύριος παρεγγυᾷ λέγων διὰ τῆς παραβολῆς· Ἄνθρωποι δύο ἀνέβησαν εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν προσεύξασθαι, ὁ εἷς Φαρισαῖος, καὶ ὁ ἕτερος τελώ νης. Ἄνθρωποι δύο ἀνέβησαν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἄνθρωποι δύο κατέβησαν, τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδὸν διανύοντες ἀπλανῶς. Καὶ ὁ Φαρισαῖος ταύτης διεσφάλη φανερῶς. Ἐπὶ τὸν ἕνα τόπον εἰσῆλθον προσεύξασθαι, καὶ οὐκ εἰς τὸν ἕνα τόπον ἐξελθόντες εὑρέθησαν. Ὁ μὲν Φαρισαῖος ἔτρεχε θαῤῥῶν, ὁ δὲ τελώνης ἀπῄει δειλιῶν· καὶ ὁ μὲν τρέχων ἀπέμει νεν, ὁ δὲ ὀπίσω προέλαβεν. Ἔτρεχεν ὁ Φαρισαῖος ἐξαγ γεῖλαι τὰ δικαιώματα· ἔσπευδε καὶ ὁ τελώνης ἀναγγεῖ λαι τὰ παραπτώματα. Ἀνῆλθον προσεύξασθαι· καὶ ὁ μὲν ὡράθη φυσιούμενος, ὁ δὲ ἐδείχθη προσευχόμενος. Τοιαῦτα γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ἐνομοθέτει ὁ Φαρισαῖος λέγων· Οὐκ εἰμὶ χρεώστης τῆς παραγγελίας τοῦ νόμου· οὐχ ὑπάρχω ὑπεύθυνος ὧν παρήγγειλαν οἱ προφῆται· οὐ χρῄζω τῆς διδαχῆς Μωϋσέως, ἧς οὐδὲν τούτων δι ήμαρτον· ἀλλ' ἄνειμι προσεύξασθαι, τῆς συνηθείας τὸ χρέος ἀποδιδοὺς, ὅπερ οἱ πρόγονοί μου ἐπετέλουν. Τί οὖν, ὦ Φαρισαῖε, τῶν προγόνων ἕνεκεν τὸ ἱερὸν προσ κυνεῖς, προσευχῆς δὲ χάριν τὸ ἱερὸν οὐχ ὁρᾷς; Οἱ πρόγονοί σου πιστῶς ἐπετέλουν τὴν εὐχαριστίαν, σὺ δὲ θριαμβεύεις τὴν εὐχαριστίαν, ἵνα ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων δοξασθῇ σου ἡ θυσία· καὶ γίνεται ἐπὶ σοὶ τὸ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ ῥητόν· Γενηθήτω ἡ προσευχὴ αὐτοῦ εἰς ἁμαρτίαν, καὶ τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν αὐτοῦ λάβοι ἕτερος, τουτέστιν, ὁ τελώνης. Τὰ δὲ τοῦ τελώνου ποῖα; Ἀπῄει εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν ἑαυτὸν κατακρίνων, ἀνάξιον ὀνομάζων ἑαυτὸν προσευ χῆς. Ἀνάξιον ἑαυτὸν ἐπεκαλέσατο· διὸ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς τὴν πρόθεσιν αὐτοῦ ἀπεδέξατο. Ἔλεγεν ἑαυτὸν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ κατάχρεων, ἀλλ' ἔδειξεν αὐτὸν τῆς δικαιο σύνης ὁ Χριστὸς ὑπεύθυνον· ἐχαρίσατο τῶν πεπλημμελημένων αὐτῷ τὴν ἄφεσιν, καὶ ἀντηγόρασε τὴν πρόθεσιν· ἠλευθέρωσε τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἵνα δουλώσῃ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ. Ὢ δουλεία, δι' ἧς ἀποφεύγομεν δουλείαν πονηρὰν, καὶ προσφεύγομεν τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ! ὢ δουλεία, ἐλαφρὸν ζυγὸν παρέχουσα, καὶ μετὰ ταύτην αἰώνιον ζωὴν ἔχουσα καὶ ἀποδιδοῦσα! ὢ δουλεία, ἡ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ δουλεία λεγομένη, ἐν δὲ τῷ μέλλοντι βασιλείαν ἀτελεύτητον δωρουμένη!

Ταύτῃ τῇ δουλείᾳ προσδράμωμεν, ἀδελφοὶ, ἵνα τὴν ἐλευ θερίαν καρπωσώμεθα τῶν ψυχῶν. Ὅταν γένηταί τις ἀγαθὸς δοῦλος, τότε τοῦτον ἀναδείκνυσιν ὁ Κύ ριος υἱὸν γνήσιον, τότε πληροῖ τὸ ῥητὸν διὰ τοῦ Προφήτου ἐπ' αὐτόν· Ἐγὼ εἶπα· Θεοί ἐστε, καὶ υἱοὶ Ὑψίστου πάντες. Μακάριοι οἱ καταξιούμενοι τῆς τοιαύτης τιμῆς! μακάριοι οἱ σπουδάσαντες ἀπαλ λαγῆναι τῆς φθορᾶς! μακάριοι οἱ διὰ ταύτης τῆς δουλείας κτησάμενοι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, καὶ κράζοντες τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ, ᾗ Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἐξηγόρασεν, ἱστάμεθα ἔχοντες τὸν σταυρὸν ἀντερείδοντα τοῦ Χριστοῦ! Κρά ζωμεν τῷ Χριστῷ· Λόγισαι ἡμᾶς, ὁ Ποιμὴν ὁ καλὸς, ὡς ἓν τῶν προβάτων ἀπολωλότων· ζήτησον ἡμᾶς 62.726 ἐν ταῖς διανοίαις τῶν καρδιῶν ἡμῶν, καὶ εὑρὼν πλανωμένους ἡμᾶς καὶ μέλλοντας ἁλίσκεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, συνάγαγε εἰς τὴν ποίμνην σου. Λόγισαι ἡμᾶς δραχμὴν μίαν, καὶ ἅψας τῷ πυρὶ τῆς σῆς θεότητος ἐρεύνησον, καὶ εὑρὼν συγχάρηθι τοῖς ἁγίοις καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις συναυλιζομένοις τῇ ἀχράντῳ σου θεότητι· ἀνάδειξον ἡμᾶς ὡς τὸν τελώνην, ἵνα προσευχόμενοι ταπεινοφροσύνην ἀσπασώμεθα, ὑπερηφανίαν δὲ ἀπο στρεφώμεθα, καὶ τὴν τῆς