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with full armor; 52.796 So also our Lord Jesus Christ, having seen that the dominion of the opposing powers was great, and for this reason human nature was in need of much help, bestowed the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that the one who previously feared the phalanxes of demons, might now appear terrible to them, and terrify them, and by merely appearing might drive away the deceitful serpent. For such is the grace of the Holy Spirit; for wherever it might appear, it causes the phalanxes of demons to flee, and all the opposing powers.

For you shall receive, he says, power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. And what was this power? That which he had also previously said to them: Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons, and such things; for there will be no disease, he says, so strong that it will not yield to the power of the Holy Spirit. This day has become the cause of so many good things for us. For today the angels received what they had long desired, seeing our nature flashing from the royal throne. And that you may learn the difference between a servant and a master, when Elijah was taken up, he endured this in a fiery chariot; but when our Master with the flesh, a cloud served for the ascent. For while they were watching, he says, he was lifted up, and a cloud received him from their eyes. And that one went up as if into heaven, for he was a servant; but this one into heaven itself, for he was Master. Behold, two men in white apparel, and they say to them: This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you have seen him go.

And when the servant had to be called, a chariot was sent down; but when the Son, a royal throne, and not simply a throne, but the Father's own. For hear Isaiah of the great voice saying concerning the Father: Behold, the Lord sits upon a swift cloud. For this reason he also sent down the cloud for the Son. And Elijah, having ascended, left his mantle for Elisha, but Jesus, having gone up, left gifts for the disciples, making not one prophet, but countless Elishas, or rather, many much greater and more glorious than he. Considering all these things, beloved, let us also repay our Master through the best conduct, so that as he glorified us through his own gifts, so also may we, through our right actions and best conduct, make God propitious. Let us therefore glorify our Master, and let us despise the arrogance of the present things. For this is the best teaching of all, able to lead the unbelievers to the truth. For they do not pay attention so much to the things said by us, as to the things done by us. For this reason Christ also said: Blessed is the one who has done and taught; showing that teaching through works is more accurate than teaching through words, and more able to lead in the ignorant. Let us therefore become well-pleasing to God, and with accuracy let us regulate our own life, so that we may also draw to ourselves the grace of the Spirit, and may have greater ease towards the accomplishment of virtue, being assisted by the power of the Spirit.

For wherever grace sees a watchful soul, there it alights with abundance. Let us therefore prepare ourselves, I beseech you, so that, being empowered by the energy of the Spirit, we may both live the present life without grief, and attain the good things to come, and be deemed worthy of the kingdom of heaven; of which may it be that we all attain by the grace and loving-kindness of him who redeemed us with the precious blood of his life-giving side, and delivered us from error and from slavery, Jesus Christ our Lord; with whom is fitting honor and power, all glory and

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παντευχίᾳ· 52.796 οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς θεασάμενος πολλὴν οὖσαν τὴν τῶν ἐναντίων δυνάμεων δυναστείαν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πολλῆς δεομένην βοηθείας τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν, ἐδωρήσατο τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος τὴν χάριν, ἵνα ὁ πρότερον δεδιὼς τῶν δαιμόνων τὰς φάλαγγας, νῦν ταύταις φοβερὸς ὀφθῇ, καὶ καταπλήττῃ, καὶ μόνον ὀφθεὶς ἀπελάσῃ τὸν δόλιον ὄφιν. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος χάρις· ὅπου γὰρ ἂν φανείη, δραπετεύειν ποιεῖ τῶν δαιμόνων τὰς φάλαγγας, καὶ πάσας τὰς ἀντικειμένας δυνάμεις.

Λήψεσθε γὰρ, φησὶ, δύναμιν ἐπελθόντος τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐφ' ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἔσεσθέ μοι μάρτυρες ἔν τε Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ, καὶ Σαμαρείᾳ, καὶ ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. Τίς δὲ ἦν αὕτη ἡ δύναμις; Ὅπερ καὶ πρώην πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔλεγεν· Ἀσθενοῦντας θεραπεύετε, λεπροὺς καθαρίζετε, δαιμόνια ἐκβάλλετε, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἔσται νόσημα, φησὶν, οὕτως ἰσχυρὸν, ὃ μὴ εἴξῃ τῇ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος δυνάμει. Τοσούτων ἡμῖν ἀγαθῶν αἰτία γέγονεν ἡ σήμερον ἡμέρα. Σήμερον γὰρ ἀπέλαβον ἄγγελοι, ἃ πάλαι ἐπεθύμουν, τὴν φύσιν τὴν ἡμετέραν ὁρῶντες ἀπὸ τοῦ θρόνου ἀστράπτουσαν τοῦ βασιλικοῦ. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς τὸ διάφορον δούλου καὶ δεσπότου, ἡνίκα μὲν Ἠλίας ἀνελαμβάνετο, ἐν ἅρματι πυρίνῳ τοῦτο ὑπέμεινεν· ἡνίκα δὲ ὁ ∆εσπότης ὁ ἡμέτερος μετὰ σαρκὸς, νεφέλη πρὸς τὴν ἄνοδον ὑπηρέτει. Βλεπόντων γὰρ αὐτῶν, φησὶν, ἐπήρθη, καὶ ἡ νεφέλη ὑπέλαβεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν. Καὶ ἐκεῖνος μὲν ὡς εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνῄει, δοῦλος γὰρ ἦν· ὁ δὲ εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν οὐρανὸν, ∆εσπότης γὰρ ἦν. Ἰδοὺ δύο ἄνδρες ἐν ἐσθῆτι λευκῇ, καί φασι πρὸς αὐτούς· Οὗτος ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἀναληφθεὶς ἀφ' ὑμῶν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, οὗτος ἐλεύσεται ὃν τρόπον ἐθεάσασθε αὐτόν.

Καὶ ὅτε μὲν τὸν δοῦλον ἔδει κληθῆναι, ἅρμα κατεπέμπετο· ὅτε δὲ τὸν Υἱὸν, θρόνος βασιλικὸς, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς θρόνος, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ πατρικός. Ἄκουε γὰρ Ἡσαΐου τοῦ μεγαλοφώνου περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς λέγοντος· Ἰδοὺ Κύριος κάθηται ἐπὶ νεφέλης κούφης. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ τὴν νεφέλην κατέπεμψεν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Ἠλίας ἀνελθὼν ἀφῆκε μηλωτὴν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἐλισσαῖον, ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἀναβὰς ἀφῆκε χαρίσματα ἐπὶ τοὺς μαθητὰς, οὐχ ἕνα προφήτην ποιοῦντα, ἀλλὰ μυρίους Ἐλισσαίους, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐκείνου πολλῷ μείζους καὶ λαμπροτέρους. Ἅπερ ἅπαντα ἐννοοῦντες, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἀμειψώμεθα καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸν ἡμέτερον ∆εσπότην διὰ τῆς ἀρίστης πολιτείας, ἵνα ὡς αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ἐδόξασε διὰ τῶν οἰκείων χαρισμάτων, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς διὰ τῶν κατορθωμάτων καὶ τῆς ἀρίστης πολιτείας τὸν Θεὸν ἵλεων ἐργαζώμεθα. ∆οξάσωμεν τοίνυν τὸν ἡμέτερον ∆εσπότην, καὶ τῆς ὑπεροψίας τῶν παρόντων καταφρονήσωμεν. Αὕτη γὰρ ἀρίστη μάλιστα διδασκαλία δυναμένη τοὺς ἀπίστους πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν χειραγωγῆσαι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτω τοῖς παρ' ἡμῶν λεγομένοις προσέχουσιν, ὡς τοῖς ὑφ' ἡμῶν πραττομένοις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν· Μακάριος ὁ ποιήσας καὶ διδάξας· δεικνὺς ὅτι τῆς διὰ λόγων διδασκαλίας ἡ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἐστὶν ἀκριβεστέρα, καὶ μᾶλλον ἐναγαγεῖν δυναμένη τοὺς ἀγνώμονας. Γενώμεθα τοίνυν εὐάρεστοι Θεῷ, καὶ μετὰ ἀκριβείας τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον ῥυθμίσωμεν, ἵνα καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν χάριν ἐπισπασώμεθα, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς κατόρθωσιν πλείονα τὴν εὐκολίαν ἕξωμεν ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος δυνάμεως συνεργούμενοι.

Ἔνθα γὰρ ἂν ἴδῃ ψυχὴν νήφουσαν ἡ χάρις, ἐκεῖ μετὰ δαψιλείας ἐφίπταται. Εὐτρεπίσωμεν τοίνυν ἑαυτοὺς, παρακαλῶ, ἵνα παρὰ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνεργείας δυναμούμενοι, καὶ τὸν παρόντα βίον ἄλυπον διανύσωμεν, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀξιωθῆναι· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ ἐξαγοράσαντος ἡμᾶς τῷ τιμίῳ τῆς ζωοδώρου πλευρᾶς αὐτοῦ αἵματι, καὶ ἐκ πλάνης καὶ ἐκ δουλείας ἡμᾶς ἀπαλλάξαντι, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν· μεθ' οὗ πρέπει τιμὴ καὶ κράτος, πᾶσα δόξα καὶ