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For this reason I threatened destruction and death, not wishing to kill, but to urge to repentance. Having awaited for so many periods of years 55.620 their conversion, when they did convert, ought I to have overlooked it? This is not my way, O Jonah. For you, as a man, wish to condemn, but I, as God, am disposed to show love for mankind. Glory to you, O Lord, glory to you. How great is the wealth of love for mankind and mercy with you. Those who were formerly subjected to a sentence of death have now become teachers of the inhabited world. For all who look to them are guided, and by receiving their repentance we remain unshipwrecked. Do you see, beloved, how powerful repentance is? Let us not, then, put it off from day to day; For you do not know what the next day will bring forth. For the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

Come then, let us rejoice in the Lord, let us shout for joy to the God of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving. For the end of our life is uncertain, it does not wait for a season, nor is a time appointed for us. But whenever He who has given breath to all commands, then the soul, flying away from the body, leaves it desolate. Therefore, since each of us knows the uncertainty of our departure, let us await the bridegroom, and when he knocks at the door, let us light for him our lamps, which are always lit, having oil with us, so that when the sound comes of those saying, 'The bridegroom is coming,' we may enter with him, lest we too be found outside the bridal chamber with the five foolish virgins. Let us not slumber, beloved, but let us always have oil in our lamps. For He will not permit us at that hour to go and buy oil from those who sell it; for it is sold here, and consumed there.

And who are the sellers, but the poor? Give bread, and you receive what eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him. Come then, let us rejoice in the Lord, let us shout for joy to the God of our salvation.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, for the night is far spent, and the day for our uncertain life has drawn near. May it be that we all, being light from light, walk in the light of the glory of Christ our Savior, in Him our Lord, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἠπείλησα καταστροφὴν καὶ θάνατον, οὐχ ὡς ἀποκτεῖναι βουλόμενος, ἀλλ' εἰς μετάνοιαν προτρέψασθαι. Τοσαύτας περιόδους ἐτῶν ἐκδεχόμενος τὴν 55.620 τούτων ἐπιστροφὴν, ἡνίκα δ' ἂν ἐπεστράφησαν, παριδεῖν ὤφειλον; Οὐκ ἔστι παρ' ἐμοὶ τοῦτο, ὦ Ἰωνᾶ. Σὺ μὲν γὰρ ὡς ἄνθρωπος καταδικάζειν βούλει, ἐγὼ δὲ ὡς Θεὸς τὸ φιλανθρωπεύσασθαι ἔχω. ∆όξα σοι, Κύριε, δόξα σοι. Πόσος φιλανθρωπίας καὶ ἐλεημοσύνης πλοῦτος παρὰ σοί. Οἱ πρῴην θανασίμῳ ὑποβληθέντες ψήφῳ νῦν διδάσκαλοι τῆς οἰκουμένης καθεστήκασι. Πάντες γὰρ εἰς αὐτοὺς ἀποβλέποντες χειραγωγοῦνται, καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων λαμβάνοντες μετάνοιαν ἀναυάγητοι διαμένομεν. Θεωρεῖς, ἀγαπητὲ, πόσον ἰσχύει μετάνοια; Μὴ οὖν ὑπερτιθέμεθα ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας· Οὐ γὰρ οἶδας τί τέξεται ἡ ἐπιοῦσα. Ἡμέρα γὰρ Κυρίου ὡς κλέπτης ἐν νυκτὶ, οὕτως ἔρχεται.

∆εῦτε οὖν, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἀλαλάξωμεν τῷ Θεῷ τῷ σωτηρίῳ ἡμῶν. Προφθάσωμεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐξομολογήσει. Ἄδηλος γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἔκβασις τοῦ βίου ἡμῶν, οὐ καιρὸν ἐκδεχομένη, οὐ χρόνον τεταγμένη ἐφ' ἡμῶν. Ἀλλ' ἡνίκα δ' ἂν κελεύσῃ ὁ δεδωκὼς πᾶσι πνοὴν, τότε ἡ ψυχὴ ἀποπτᾶσα ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος, καταλιμπάνει αὐτὸ ἔρημον. Ἕκαστος τοίνυν εἰδὼς τὸ τῆς ἐξόδου ἄδηλον, περιμένωμεν τὸν νυμφίον, καὶ κρούσαντος αὐτοῦ τῇ θύρᾳ, ἀνάψωμεν αὐτῷ τὰς λαμπάδας ἡμῶν διὰ παντὸς ἀνειμένας, ἔχοντες καὶ ἔλαιον μεθ' ἑαυτῶν, ἵνα ἡνίκα δ' ἂν ἦχος γένηται λεγόντων, ὅτι Ὁ νυμφίος ἔρχεται, συνεισέλθωμεν αὐτῷ, μήποτε καὶ ἡμεῖς μετὰ τῶν πέντε μωρῶν παρθένων ἔξω τοῦ νυμφῶνος εὑρεθῶμεν. Μὴ ἀπονυστάξωμεν, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἀλλ' ἔχωμεν ἀεὶ ἔλαιον ἐν ταῖς λαμπάσιν ἡμῶν. Οὐ γὰρ συγχωρήσει ἡμῖν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ὥρᾳ ἀπελθοῦσιν ἔλαιον ἀγοράσαι παρὰ τῶν πωλούντων· ἐνταῦθα γὰρ πωλεῖται, καὶ ἐκεῖ ἀναλίσκεται.

Τίνες δὲ οἱ πωλοῦντες, ἀλλ' ἢ οἱ πένητες; ∆ὸς ἄρτον, καὶ λαμβάνεις Ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν, καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν. ∆εῦτε τοίνυν, ἀγαλλιασώμεθα τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἀλαλάξωμεν τῷ Θεῷ τῷ σωτηρίῳ ἡμῶν.

Προφθάσωμεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐξομολογήσει, ὅτι Ἡ νὺξ προέκοψεν, ἡ δὲ ἡμέρα τοῦ ἀδήλου βίου ἤγγικεν. Εἴη δὲ πάντας ἡμᾶς φῶς ἐκ φωτὸς ὑπάρχοντας ἐν τῷ φωτὶ τῆς δόξης Χριστοῦ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν περιπατῆσαι, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.