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For what house is there that does not have the sign of the cross, existing as a trophy against demons and an amulet for souls?

What ship that is not steered by the cross? what city that does not have the cross as a garrison? what king who is not crowned with the cross? what virgin who does not have the cross as a staff? what Church that is not walled by the cross? The Cross gives light in the night, and bears a torch in the day; it knows how to call the winter of misfortunes spring and summer, it strengthens marriage, it increases friendship, at the beginning of all good things. What then does the evangelist say? For it is good also to examine the head of the whole passage. You just heard the evangelist saying, Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead. And what is this day six 61.718 days before? What is this? The present day, which represents John the forerunner. For just as John ran before the Lord, so also this day ran before the resurrection; and just as John, pointing to the Lord, said: Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world; so also this day, pointing to the coming Lord's day, cried out, saying: Behold, the mother of those who are to be reborn.

Six days before the Passover. Hear the day; for it is not simply written, Six days before the Passover; but so that you may learn to cleanse yourself from every defilement of flesh and spirit. For this day is a pre-purification, so that you may cleanse yourself from every stain, so that you may resolve enmity and cease anger, so that you may extinguish slander, so that you may strengthen love, so that you may broaden love for the poor, so that you may not feast alone, but the needy may also feast with you. For if you do not share with the one in need, and he is gloomy, while you are feasting, beware lest the recompense of that rich man befall you, who, feasting sumptuously every day, did not share from his crumbs with Lazarus. Therefore, share your table with the one in need, and do good to those who ask, so that you may always feast, and the poor man may feast with you. For if you do not do good to your poor coreligionist, who is in need of comfort, and he, out of necessity, not being helped by you, goes to a heretic, and that one comforts him, that one has become more philanthropic than you. For every heretic barks at the shepherd. What then does the evangelist say? Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead. O the wisdom of the Lord; He raised Lazarus, in order to provoke the devil. Hear in brief. When the devil saw, as the Lord cried out, "Lazarus, come forth," and all things under the earth were dissolved, and the powers below could not endure to hold him, and that as a royal command was sent down, or rather, as a divine will was acting, the hairs of Lazarus were taking root from above, and the loosened sinews were being tightened, and the reductions of the flesh were being filled out, and the separation of the bones was being fitted together, and the streams of ichor were being checked, and the vital spirit was re-entering, and the mistress soul was taking up its former and ancient dwelling; when he saw these and similar things happening, disturbed and becoming agonized, he commanded his powers, saying, "Set yourselves in opposition, be strong, do not betray my kingdom."

Oh, what have I suffered? The power of death is being destroyed, which I acquired through sin; the one whom I held for four days, I now give back with great violence; I have fallen into calamity; I have begun to vomit up those whom I swallowed. I do not weep for Lazarus alone, but I fear that I may also lose the others, whom I hold from Adam until now. I have need of haste, and of much strength; if I do not anticipate the one who despoils me by a word, he will show all my existence to be empty. I have found what to do, I know what I shall make; I have the Jews as collaborators; I am hiring Judas; he is always for me

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Ποῖος γὰρ οἶκός ἐστιν ὁ μὴ ἔχων τὸ σημεῖον τοῦ σταυροῦ, τρόπαιον κατὰ δαιμόνων καὶ φυλακτήριον ψυχῶν ὑπάρχον;

Ποῖον πλοῖον τὸ μὴ πηδαλιουχούμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ; ποία πόλις ἡ μὴ ἔχουσα τὸν σταυρὸν φρούριον; ποῖος βασιλεὺς ὁ μὴ ἀναδεσμούμενος τὸν σταυρόν; ποία παρθένος ἡ μὴ ἔχουσα βακτηρίαν τὸν σταυρόν; ποία Ἐκκλησία ἡ μὴ τῷ σταυρῷ τετειχισμένη; Σταυρὸς ἐν νυκτὶ φωτίζει, καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ λαμπαδουχεῖ· χειμῶνα συμφορῶν ἔαρ κα λεῖν καὶ θέρος ἐπίσταται, συζυγίαν συσφίγγει, φιλίαν αὔξει, δι' ἁπάντων τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀρχῇ. Τί οὖν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής; καλὸν γὰρ καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν τῆς πάσης διακοπῆς ψηλαφῆσαι. Ἤκουες ἀρτίως τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ λέγοντος, Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ Πάσχα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν, ὅπου ἦν Λάζα ρος, ὃν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν. Καὶ ποία αὕτη ἡ πρὸ 61.718 ἓξ ἡμερῶν ἡμέρα; Ποία αὕτη; Ἡ παροῦσα ἡμέρα ἡ τὸν πρόδρομον Ἰωάννην χαρακτηρίζουσα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ Ἰωάννης προέδραμε τοῦ Κυρίου, οὕτω καὶ αὕτη προέδραμε τῆς ἀναστάσεως· καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ Ἰωάννης δακτυλοδεικτῶν τὸν Κύριον ἔλεγεν· Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου· οὕτω καὶ αὕτη δακτυλοδεικτοῦσα τὴν μέλλουσαν κυριακὴν, ἐκέκραγε λέγουσα· Ἴδε ἡ μήτηρ τῶν μελλόντων ἀναγεννᾶσθαι.

Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ Πάσχα. Ἀκούσατε τὴν ἡμέραν· οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς κεῖται τὸ, Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ Πάσχα· ἀλλ' ἵνα μάθῃς καθαρίσαι ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ παντὸς μολυσμοῦ σαρκὸς καὶ πνεύματος. Προκαθάρσιον γάρ ἐστιν αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα, ἵνα ἑαυτὸν καθαρίσῃς ἀπὸ πάσης κηλῖδος, ἵνα λύσῃς ἔχθραν καὶ παύσῃς ὀργὴν, ἵνα σβέσῃς διαβολὴν, ἵνα συσφίγξῃς ἀγάπην, ἵνα πλατύνῃς φιλοπτωχείαν, ἵνα μὴ μόνος σὺ ἑορτάσῃς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἐνδεόμενος συνεορτάσῃ σοι. Ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ μεταδῷς τῷ χρείαν ἔχοντι, ἐκεῖνος δὲ στυγνάζῃ, καὶ σὺ ἑορτάζῃς, σκόπει μὴ γένοιτο ἐπὶ σοῦ ἡ τοῦ πλουσίου ἐκείνου ἀνταπόδοσις, ὅστις εὐφραινόμενος καθ' ἡμέραν λαμπρῶς, τῷ Λαζάρῳ ἐκ τῶν ψιχίων οὐ μετέδωκε. Μετάδος οὖν τῆς τραπέζης τῷ χρείαν ἔχοντι, καὶ εὐποίησον τοὺς δεομένους, ὅπως καὶ σὺ διαπαντὸς ἑορτάσῃς, καὶ ὁ πένης συνευωχηθῇ. Ἐὰν γὰρ σὺ μὴ εὐποιήσῃς εἰς τὸν ὁμόδοξόν σου πένητα, τὸν χρείαν παραμυθίας ἔχοντα, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἀπὸ ἀνάγκης παρὰ σοῦ μὴ εὐεργετηθεὶς, προσέλθῃ αἱρετικῷ, κἀκεῖνος αὐτῷ παραμυθήσηται, γέγονεν ἐκεῖνος σοῦ φιλανθρωπότερος. Πᾶς γὰρ αἱρετικὸς καθυλακτεῖ τοῦ ποιμένος. Τί οὖν ὁ εὐαγγελιστής; Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ Πάσχα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν, ὅπου ἦν Λάζαρος, ὃν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν. Ὢ τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου σοφίας· ἤγειρε τὸν Λάζαρον, ἵνα ἐρεθίσῃ τὸν διάβολον. Ἄκουε διὰ βραχέων. Ὡς εἶδεν ὁ διάβολος, τοῦ Κυρίου βοήσαντος, Λάζαρε, δεῦρο ἔξω, καὶ πάντα τὰ καταχθόνια διαλυθέντα, καὶ τὰς κάτω δυνάμεις μὴ ὑπομενούσας κρατεῖν, καὶ ὅτι ὡς βασιλικοῦ προστάγματος κατα-πεμφθέντος, μᾶλλον δὲ ὡς θεϊκοῦ βουλήματος ἐνεργοῦντος, αἱ μὲν τρίχες Λαζάρου ἄνωθεν ἐῤῥιζοῦντο, τῶν δὲ νεύρων αἱ διαλύσεις συνεσφίγγοντο, τῶν δὲ σαρκῶν αἱ μειώσεις ἀνεπληροῦντο, τῶν δὲ ὀστέων ὁ χωρισμὸς συνηρμόζετο, τῶν δὲ ἰχώρων τὰ ῥεῖθρα συνεστέλλετο, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα τὸ ζωτικὸν ὑπεισήρχετο, ἡ δὲ δέσποινα ψυχὴ τὴν προτέραν καὶ ἀρχαίαν μονὴν παρελάμβανεν· ὡς εἶδε ταῦτα καὶ τὰ παραπλήσια γινόμενα, θορυβηθεὶς καὶ ἐναγώνιος γενόμενος ἐπέτασσε ταῖς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεσι λέγων, Ἀντιτάξασθε, κραταιώθητε, τὴν ἐμὴν βασιλείαν μὴ προδῶτε.

Ὢ τί πέπονθα; καταλύεται τὸ κράτος τοῦ θανάτου, ὅπερ διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐκτησάμην· ὅνπερ εἶχον τέσσαρας ἡμέρας κρατῶν, νῦν ἀποδιδῶ βίᾳ μεγάλῃ· συμφορᾷ περιπέπτωκα· ἠρξάμην ἐξεμεῖν οὓς κατέπιον. Οὐ διὰ τὸν Λάζαρον μόνον κλαίω, ἀλλὰ φοβοῦμαι μὴ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους, οὓς κατέχω ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν, ἀπολέσω. Σπουδῆς μοι χρεία, καὶ πολλῆς ἰσχύος· εἰ μὴ προκαταλάβω τὸν τῷ λόγῳ συλῶντά με, πάσης μου τῆς ὑπάρξεως κενὸν ἀποδείξει. Εὗρον τί πράξω, ἔγνων τί ποιήσω· ἔχω τοὺς Ἰουδαίους συνδρόμους· μισθοῦμαι τὸν Ἰούδαν· ἀεί μοι οὗτος