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a table set from the gospels; but I, as a servant, have only set its dishes, therefore to another, if it seems good to you, I will move on to another table. The call crowns Andrew; it shows the soldier the election. The hiring has established the worth of the vinedresser, which Matthew thus set before us: “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” “From that time.” When? -From when He hallowed the Jordan and planted the gift of baptism and crushed the head of the dragons in the waters and brought down the gift of the Spirit from heaven, He opened a way of life, He threw open the gate of salvation; “From that time He began to preach and to say: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For the creditor has come who erases the charges for all; the ungrudging king has visited; the judge is present freeing the guilty from prison, He who looses the collars, He who erases the charges for all, “who closes his eyes that he may not see injustice, who makes his ears heavy that he may not hear a judgment of blood.” “Repent”; wash your deeds with the word, wipe your mouth clean with your tongue, cleanse your life with prayer, offer a sacrifice which rules over many things. “Repent”; therefore he who repents not only is delivered from terrible things but also receives an inheritance of good things, not only is he free from evil but also becomes a husbandman of righteousness. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” You who are strong, press on, you who are weak, be strengthened, you who are lame, run, and you who run, hurry, and you who hurry, do not be confident in yourselves, but in God who directs the course; “For it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” “Repent”; for there is no evil that conquers repentance, there is no poison which can extinguish the power of this honey; the devil wrestles with all and opposes all and fights all; against repentance alone he does not dare to wrestle; for it casts the sheep out of his jaws, from his very hand it snatches the captive of the tyrant.

7 “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother.” Having seen many, He passed them by, since they were unworthy of the master's eyes. “He saw two brothers,” not only in body but also in soul, in nature and in grace, in way of life and in kinship. “He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter,” not 'who was to be called'; for he happened to have been deemed worthy of the call. For he knew that Christ had said to him: “You are Simon, you shall be called Cephas, which is interpreted as Peter.” Behold, before the confession you have the reward, and before you work in the vineyard you have received the denarius, before you light the altar you have had the sacrifice accepted, before you preach you have been crowned, before you evangelize the prize of theology has met you. But Andrew became the cause of this very thing, and for this reason Matthew added: “And Andrew his brother,” although he had said it once: “He saw two brothers,” but nevertheless, behold, now he takes it up a second time, wishing to proclaim Andrew as the benefactor of Peter. For this reason he says: “Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother,” the one who fulfilled the commandment which Solomon prescribed in Proverbs: “Let brothers be useful in necessities,” in things that are very profitable, in things that are very important, in things that are extremely urgent; for wisdom called this as necessary and indispensable causes: “But let brothers be useful in necessities.” Therefore Andrew did not overlook Peter when the call was urgent; for you have heard how he said to him: “We have found the Messiah, who is called Christ.” Run, Peter, he says, before other Peters get there first, before others seize the first place; for this one recruits from wherever he wishes, this is the one from “the

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ἐκ τῶν εὐαγγελίων παρατεθεῖσα τρά πεζα· ἐγὼ δὲ αὐτῆς τὰ ὄψα ὡς οἰκέτης μόνον παρέθηκα, διόπερ ἐφ' ἑτέραν, εἴπερ ὑμῖν δοκεῖ, μεταβήσομαι τράπεζαν. Ἀνδρέαν ἡ κλῆσις στεφανοῖ· δείκνυσι τῷ στρατιώτῃ τὴν ἐκλογήν. Παρέ στησεν τοῦ ἀμπελουργοῦ τὴν ἀξίαν ἡ μίσθωσις ἣν οὕτως ἡμῖν ὁ Μαθθαῖος παρέθετο· «Ἀπὸ τότε ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἤρξατο κηρύττειν καὶ λέγειν· Μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.» «Ἀπὸ τότε.» Πότε; -Ἀφ' οὗ τὸν Ἰορδάνην ἡγίασεν καὶ τοῦβαπτίσματος τὴν δωρεὰν ἐφύτευσεν καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν τῶν δρακόν των συνέτριψεν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος τὴν δωρεὰν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κατήγαγεν, ἤνοιξεν ὁδὸν ζωῆς, τῆς σωτηρίας τὴν πύ λην ἀνεπέτασεν· «Ἀπὸ τότε κηρύττειν ἤρξατο καὶ λέγειν· Μετα νοεῖτε· ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.» Ἦλθεν γὰρ ὁ δανειστὴς ὁ πᾶσιν ἀπαλείφων τὰ ἐγκλήματα· ὁ ἄφθονος βα σιλεὺς ἐπεδήμησεν· πάρεστιν ὁ δικαστὴς τῆς φυλακῆς τοὺς ὑπευ θύνους ἐλευθερῶν, ὁ λύων τοὺς κλοιούς, ὁ ἀπαλείφων πᾶσιν ἐγ κλήματα, «ὁ καμμύων τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ ἵνα μὴ ἴδῃ ἀδικίαν, ὁ βαρύνων τὰ ὦτα αὐτοῦ ἵνα μὴ ἀκούσῃ κρίσιν αἵματος.» «Με τανοεῖτε»· πλύνατε τῷ λόγῳ τὰς πράξεις, γλώσσῃ τὸ στόμα ἀποσμήξατε, εὐχῇ τὸν βίον καθάρατε, προσενέγκατε θυσίαν ἥτις πολλῶν ἄρχει. «Μετανοεῖτε»· οὐκοῦν ὁ μετανοῶν οὐ μόνον τῶν δεινῶν ἀπαλλάττεται ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν κληρονομίαν δέχεται, οὐ μόνον κακίας ἐλεύθερος ἀλλὰ καὶ γεωργὸς δικαιοσύ νης γίνεται. «Μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρα νῶν.» Οἱ δυνατοὶ βιάσασθε, οἱ ἀσθενεῖς δυναμώθητε, οἱ χωλοὶ τρέχετε καὶ οἱ τρέχοντες σπεύσατε καὶ οἱ σπεύδοντες ἑαυτοῖς μὴ θαρρήσητε, ἀλλὰ τῷ θεῷ τῷ τὸν δρόμον ἰθύνοντι· «Οὐ γὰρ τοῦ θέλοντος οὐδὲ τοῦ τρέχοντος ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐλεοῦντος θεοῦ.» «Μετανοεῖτε»· οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ κακία νικῶσα τὴν μετάνοιαν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἰὸς ὅστις δύναται τούτου τοῦ μέλιτος ἀποσβέσαι τὴν δύνα μιν· πᾶσιν ὁ διάβολος παλαίει καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθίσταται καὶ πᾶσιν μάχεται· πρὸς μόνην οὐ τολμᾷ παλαῖσαι τὴν μετάνοιαν· αὐτὴ γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῶν φαρύγγων ἐκβάλλει τὸ πρόβατον, ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀπο σπᾷ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ τυράννου τὸν αἰχμάλωτον.

7 «Καὶ περιπατῶν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τῆς Γαλιλαίας εἶδεν δύο ἀδελφούς, Σίμωνα τὸν καλούμενον Πέτρον καὶ Ἀν δρέαν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ.» Πολλοὺς ἰδὼν παρεῖδεν, ἐπειδὴ τῶν δεσποτικῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἦσαν ἀνάξιοι. «Εἶδεν δύο ἀδελφούς», οὐ σώματι μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ψυχήν, τὴν φύσιν καὶ τὴν χάριν, τὴν πολιτείαν καὶ τὴν συγγένειαν. «Εἶδεν δύο ἀδελφούς, Σίμωνα τὸν καλούμενον Πέτρον», οὐ τὸν κληθησόμενον· περὶ γὰρ τῆς κλήσεως ἠξιωμένος ἐτύγχανεν. Ἤδει γὰρ ὅτι ὁ Χριστὸς πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰρηκὼς ἦν· «Σὺ εἶ Σίμων, σὺ κληθήσῃ Κηφᾶς ὁ λεγόμε νος Πέτρος.» Ἰδοὺ πρὸ τῆς ὁμολογίας τὸν μισθὸν ἔχεις καὶ πρὶν ἐργάσῃ τὸν ἀμπελῶνα τὸ δηνάριον ἔλαβες, πρὶν ἀνάψῃς τὸν βωμὸν τὴν θυσίαν προσδέδεξαι, πρὶν κηρύξῃς ἐστεφανώθης, πρὶν εὐαγγελίσῃ τὸ τῆς θεολογίας σοι βραβεῖον ὑπήντησεν. Αἴτιος δὲ αὐτοῦ τούτου ὁ Ἀνδρέας ἐγένετο καὶ τούτου χάριν ὁ Μαθθαῖος προσέθηκεν· «Καὶ Ἀνδρέαν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ», καίτοι ἦν ἅπαξ εἰρηκώς· «Εἶδεν δύο ἀδελφούς», ἀλλ' ὅμως ἰδοὺ νῦν ἀνα λαμβάνει καὶ δεύτερον, εὐεργέτην κηρύξαι τὸν Ἀνδρέαν τοῦ Πέτρου βουλόμενος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν· «Σίμωνα τὸν λεγόμενον Πέτρον καὶ Ἀνδρέαν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ», τὸν πληρώσαντα τὴν ἐντολὴν ἣν ἐν Παροιμίαις ὁ Σολομὼν προϋπέγραψεν· «Ἀδελφοὶ ἐν ἀνάγκαις ἔστωσαν χρήσιμοι», ἐν τοῖς ἄγαν συμφέρουσιν, ἐν τοῖς λίαν σπουδαίοις, ἐν τοῖς σφόδρα κατεπείγουσιν· τοῦτο γὰρ ὡς ἀναγκαίας καὶ ἀπαραιτήτους αἰτίας ἡ σοφία ἐκάλεσεν· «Ἀδελ φοὶ δὲ ἐν ἀνάγκαις ἔστωσαν χρήσιμοι.» Οὐ τοίνυν παρεῖδεν ὁ Ἀνδρέας τὸν Πέτρον κατεπειγούσης τῆς κλήσεως· ἀκήκοας γὰρ ὅπως πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔλεγεν· «Εὑρήκαμεν τὸν Μεσσίαν τὸν λεγό μενον Χριστόν.» ∆ράμε, Πέτρε, φησίν, πρὶν προλάβωσι Πέ τροι, πρὶν ἄλλοι τῶν πρωτείων ἐπιλάβωνται· οὗτος γὰρ ὅθεν θέλει στρατολογεῖ, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἀπὸ «τῶν