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wolves, but by choice. Behold, I send you forth. What then do you command? Be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. What do you mean, Wise as serpents? Even if the serpent receives a thousand wounds, if it saves its head, it is entirely healthy. So you too, if the enemy wants to take your money, give it; if your possessions, if even your very life; only preserve your faith. Be wise. With that remaining, all things are easy and simple. Naked you came from your mother’s womb, and naked you shall depart. But does someone exile you? The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof. But are you dying? But 52.806 death to you is a sojourn. Only do not lose the faith, the inexhaustible treasure, the unspent faith. Witnesses of these things are these martyrs; because they did not lose the faith, and after death they are more powerful than the living. For this I became man, for this I took on flesh, that I might make the whole world a Church.

For the Church is very precious to God, not secured by walls, but fortified by faith. For the Church heaven was established, and the sea was poured out, and the air was spread out, and the earth was founded, paradise was planted, the law was given, prophets were sent, miracles happened, the sea was split and sewn up, the rock was broken and again joined together, manna was brought down, and an improvised table was prepared. For the Church prophets, for the Church apostles; and why do I say much? For the Church the only-begotten Son of God became man, as Paul says: He who did not spare his own Son. He did not spare the Son, that he might spare the Church; he poured out the blood of the Son for the Church. This blood waters it; for this reason the plants cannot wither, nor do they shed their leaves. It is not subject to the necessities of seasons, nor is it a slave to times, luxuriating in its leaves in summer, and being stripped bare in winter. For it is not the necessity of seasons, but the grace of the Spirit that cultivates it; for this reason it is not uprooted. But it is not wonderful that it is not uprooted, but that even with many making war against it, it is not uprooted. How many from the beginning made war on the Church? When it was newly planted, many things were set in motion against it. For now indeed, through the grace of God, and the power of the Spirit, and pious emperors, and generals, and the whole world is filled with the faith; but in the beginning and in the preludes, there were impious emperors, impious generals, decrees of rulers, altars being kindled, smoke everywhere and the savor of sacrifice. The air was polluted, the earth was defiled, demons raged, the devil danced, a father killed a son, a son dishonored him; nature was torn apart, and piety was not divided. Where now are those who dared to set themselves against the Church? When it was newly planted, it was not harmed; when it has touched heaven, do you expect to overcome it? When there were eleven apostles, no one prevailed over them, but the eleven caught so many myriads in their net; now when the sea, and the inhabited world, and the uninhabited land, and cities, and all the ends of piety are filled, do you then hope to master it? But you cannot; for Christ declared: The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. It is easier for heaven to vanish, and the earth to perish, than for the Church to suffer anything. Christ Himself: Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

And rightly so; for the word of God is more powerful than heaven itself; for heaven is the work of the word. God said, Let there be heaven; and the word became deed. Nature ran, and there was nothing to hinder it. For He was Lord of nature, both to make it such, and to change it so. I who established the heavens built it; but for the heavens I would not have taken a body, that you might learn that the Church is more precious than heaven and angels and all of creation. For this reason, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Let the

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λύκοι, ἀλλὰ προαιρέσει. Ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω ὑμᾶς. Τί οὖν κελεύεις; Γίνεσθε φρόνιμοι ὡς οἱ ὄφεις, καὶ ἀκέραιοι ὡς αἱ περιστεραί. Τί λέγεις, Φρόνιμοι ὡς οἱ ὄφεις; Ὁ ὄφις κἂν μυρία λάβῃ τραύματα, τὴν δὲ κεφαλὴν διασώσῃ, ὅλος ἐστὶν ὑγιής. Οὕτω καὶ σὺ, κἂν χρήματα θέλῃ λαβεῖν ὁ ἐναντίος, δός· κἂν κτήματα, κἂν αὐτὴν τὴν ζωήν· μόνον τὴν πίστιν σου διατήρησον. Γίνεσθε φρόνιμοι. Ἐκείνης μενούσης πάντα ῥᾴδια καὶ εὐχερῆ. Γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθες ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός σου, γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσῃ. Ἀλλ' ἐξορίζει σέ τις; Τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ γῆ, καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς. Ἀλλ' ἀποθνήσκεις; Ἀλλ' ὁ 52.806 θάνατός σοι ἀποδημία. Μόνον τὴν πίστιν μὴ ἀπολέσῃς, τὸν θησαυρὸν τὸν ἀνάλωτον, τὴν πίστιν τὴν ἀδαπάνητον. Μάρτυρες τούτων οἱ μάρτυρες οὗτοι· ἐπειδὴ τὴν πίστιν οὐκ ἀπώλεσαν, καὶ μετὰ τελευτὴν τῶν ζώντων εἰσὶ δυνατώτεροι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἄνθρωπος ἐγενόμην, διὰ τοῦτο σάρκα ἀνέλαβον, ἵνα τὴν οἰκουμένην Ἐκκλησίαν ἐργάσωμαι.

Πολὺ γὰρ περισπούδαστον τῷ Θεῷ Ἐκκλησία, οὐ τοίχοις ἀσφαλιζομένη, ἀλλὰ πίστει τειχιζομένη. ∆ιὰ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν οὐρανὸς ἐστάθη, καὶ ἡ θάλασσα ἐξεχύθη, καὶ ἀὴρ ἡπλώθη, καὶ γῆ ἐθεμελιώθη, παράδεισος ἐφυτεύθη, νόμος ἐδόθη, προφῆται ἀπεστάλησαν, θαύματα ἐγένετο, πέλαγος ἐσχίζετο καὶ ἐῤῥάπτετο, πέτρα ἐῤῥήγνυτο, καὶ πάλιν συνήπτετο, μάννα κατεφέρετο, καὶ σχεδιαζομένη παρεσκευάζετο τράπεζα. ∆ιὰ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν προφῆται, διὰ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ἀπόστολοι· καὶ τί πολλὰ λέγω; ∆ιὰ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος ἐγένετο, ὥς φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· Ὅς γε τοῦ ἰδίου Υἱοῦ οὐκ ἐφείσατο. Τοῦ Υἱοῦ οὐκ ἐφείσατο, ἵνα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας φείσηται· τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐξέχεε διὰ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν. Τοῦτο ἀρδεύει αὐτὴν τὸ αἷμα· διὰ τοῦτο τὰ φυτὰ μαρανθῆναι οὐ δύναται, οὐδὲ φυλλοῤῥοεῖ. Οὐχ ὑπόκειται καιρῶν ἀνάγκαις, οὐδὲ δουλεύει χρόνοις, ἐν θέρει μὲν κομῶσα τὰ φύλλα, ἐν δὲ χειμῶνι γυμνουμένη. Οὐ γὰρ καιρῶν ἀνάγκη, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος χάρις αὐτὴν γεωργεῖ· διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀνασπᾶται. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι θαυμαστὸν, ὅτι οὐκ ἀνασπᾶται, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ πολεμούντων πολλῶν οὐκ ἀνασπᾶται. Πόσοι ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπολέμησαν τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν; Ὅτε νεόφυτος ἦν, πολλὰ κατ' αὐτῆς ἐκινήθη. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ διὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος δύναμιν, καὶ βασιλεῖς εὐσεβεῖς, καὶ στρατηλάται, καὶ ἡ οἰκουμένη πᾶσα τῆς πίστεως ἐμπέπλησται· τὸ δὲ ἐν ἀρχῇ καὶ ἐν προοιμίοις βασιλεῖς ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ, στρατηλάται ἀσεβεῖς, διατάγματα ἀρχόντων, βωμοὶ ἀναπτόμενοι, καπνὸς πανταχοῦ καὶ κνίσσα. Ὁ ἀὴρ ἐμολύνετο, ἡ γῆ ἐμιαίνετο, δαίμονες ἐβάκχευον, διάβολος ἐχόρευε, πατὴρ ἀπέκτεινεν υἱὸν, υἱὸς ἠτίμαζεν· ἡ φύσις ἐσχίζετο, καὶ ἡ εὐσέβεια οὐκ ἐμερίζετο. Ποῦ νῦν οἱ τολμήσαντες τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀντιπαρατάττεσθαι; Ὅτε νεόφυτος ἦν, οὐκ ἠδικήθη· ὅτε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἥψατο, προσδοκᾷς αὐτῆς περιγενέσθαι; Ὅτε ἕνδεκα οἱ ἀπόστολοι, οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν ἐκράτησεν, ἀλλὰ οἱ ἕνδεκα τοσαύτας μυριάδας ἐσαγήνευσαν· νῦν ὅτε ἡ θάλαττα, καὶ ἡ οἰκουμένη, καὶ ἡ ἀοίκητος χώρα, καὶ πόλεις, καὶ πάντα τὰ πέρατα τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐμπέπλησται, τότε ἐλπίζεις αὐτῆς κρατῆσαι; Ἀλλ' οὐ δύνασαι· ὁ Χριστὸς γὰρ ἀπεφήνατο· Πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς. Εὐκολώτερον τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀφανισθῆναι, καὶ τὴν γῆν ἀπολέσθαι, ἢ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν τι παθεῖν. Αὐτὸς ὁ Χριστός· Ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσονται, οἱ δὲ λόγοι μου οὐ μὴ παρέλθωσι.

Καὶ καλῶς· ὁ γὰρ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ, αὐτοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ δυνατώτερος· ὁ γὰρ οὐρανὸς ἔργον τοῦ λόγου. Εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς, Γενηθήτω οὐρανός· καὶ ὁ λόγος ἔργον ἐγένετο. Ἔτρεχεν ἡ φύσις, καὶ τὸ κωλύον οὐδέν. Καὶ γὰρ ∆εσπότης ἦν τῆς φύσεως, καὶ τοιαύτην ποιῆσαι, καὶ τοιαύτην μεταβαλεῖν. Ἐγὼ αὐτὴν ᾠκοδόμησα ὁ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς στήσας· ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ οὐρανοὺς σῶμα οὐκ ἂν ἔλαβον, ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι καὶ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἀγγέλων καὶ πάσης τῆς κτίσεως ἡ Ἐκκλησία τιμιωτέρα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσονται, οἱ δὲ λόγοι μου οὐ μὴ παρέλθωσι. Παρέστω ὁ