to carefully examine every 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. Listen with understanding. Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany. Six days before the Passover. And what is this day "Six days before"? What is this? The present day, which prefigures 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, cries out saying: Behold the mother of those who are to be born again. Six days before the Passover. Hearken to the day and look around at it; he of the day, to the day; he of the light, to the light; he of the sun, to the sun; he of the bride, to the bridegroom. Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany. Hearken to the day; it is not simply stated "Six days before the Passover"; it indicates the quantity, so that you may cleanse yourself from all defilement of flesh and spirit; for this day is a pre-purification. Six days before the Passover, so that you may pre-cleanse yourself from every stain, so that you may resolve enmity, so that you may cease from anger, so that you may extinguish slander, so that you may strengthen love, so that you may broaden your love for the poor, so that not only you may celebrate but also the one in need may celebrate with you; for if you do not share with the one in need, you indeed celebrate, but he is sullen. Lest the recompense of that rich man come upon you too, who, feasting sumptuously every day, did not share crumbs with Lazarus, share, therefore, from your table with the one in need and do good to the needy, so that you too may celebrate through all things and the poor man may feast with you, lest the dogs become more philanthropic than you. Listen with understanding. For if you do not do good to your poor fellow believer, who has need of comfort, and he, out of necessity, not having been helped by you, approaches a heretic, and that one comforts him, the dog has become more philanthropic than you; for every heretic barks against the shepherd. What then says the evangelist? Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom he had raised from the dead. O the beneficence of the Lord. He raises Lazarus, in order to provoke the devil. What does it mean, "He raises Lazarus, in order to provoke the devil"? Listen briefly; for it is good to end the sermon because of the pressing work. When the devil saw the Lord crying out: Lazarus, come forth, and all things below being dissolved and the powers below not enduring it, as a royal command was manifested, or rather as a divine will was at work, and that at once the hairs of Lazarus were taking root from above, the divisions of the nerves were being bound together, the separation of the bones was being joined, the flows of the fluids were being checked, the life-giving spirit was entering in, the mistress soul was receiving its former pasture, when the devil saw these things and things similar to them happening, disturbed and becoming distressed he commanded his subordinate powers, saying: Resist, hold him fast, do not forsake my kingdom. What have I suffered, you cowards? The powers of death are being dissolved; for him whom I have held for four days, I am giving up by force. I have fallen into a great misfortune; I have begun to vomit up those whom I swallowed. I weep not for Lazarus alone, I fear that I may also lose Adam. I have need of haste and swiftness; if I do not get ahead of the one who is finishing me, he will strip me of all my substance. I know what I shall do; I have the Jews as allies, I am hiring Judas, a robber always works with me. The ointment well

πάσης περικοπῆς διαψηλαφῆσαι. Ἤκουες ἀρτίως τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ λέγοντος· Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν, ὅπου ἦν Λάζαρος ὃν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν. Ἄκουε συνετῶς. Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν. Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα. Καὶ ποία αὕτη ἡ Πρὸ τῶν ἓξ ἡμερῶν ἡμέρα; Ποία αὕτη; Ἡ παροῦσα ἡμέρα, ἡ τὸν πρόδρομον Ἰωάννην προχαρακτηρίζουσα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ Ἰωάννης προέδραμε τοῦ κυρίου, οὕτω καὶ αὕτη προέδραμε τῆς ἀναστάσεως· καὶ ὥσπερ Ἰωάννης δακτυλοδεικτῶν τὸν κύριον ἔλεγεν· Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου, οὕτω καὶ αὕτη δακτυλοδεικτοῦσα τὴν μέλλουσαν κυριακὴν κέκραγε λέγουσα· Ἴδε ἡ μήτηρ τῶν μελλόντων ἀναγεννᾶσθαι. Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα. Ἄκουε τὴν ἡμέραν καὶ ταύτην περιβλέπου· ὁ τῆς ἡμέρας, τὴν ἡμέραν· ὁ τοῦ φωτός, τὸ φῶς· ὁ τοῦ ἡλίου, τὸν ἥλιον· ὁ τῆς νύμφης, τὸν νυμφίον. Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς Βηθανίαν. Ἄκουε τὴν ἡμέραν· οὐχ ἁπλῶς κεῖται Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα· μηνύει τὴν ποσότητα, ἵνα καθαρίσῃς ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ παντὸς μολυσμοῦ σαρκὸς καὶ πνεύματος· προκαθάρσιον γάρ ἐστιν αὕτη ἡ ἡμέρα. Πρὸ ἓξ ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα, ἵνα προκαθαρίσῃς ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ πάσης κηλῖδος, ἵνα λύσῃς ἔχθραν , ἵνα παύσῃς ὀργήν, ἵνα σβέσῃς διαβολήν, ἵνα συσφίγξῃς ἀγάπην, ἵνα πλατύνῃς φιλοπτωχίαν, ἵνα μὴ μόνον σὺ ἑορτάσῃς ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἐνδεόμενος συνεορτάσῃ σοι· ἐὰν γὰρ σὺ μὴ μεταδῷς τῷ χρείαν ἔχοντι, σὺ μὲν ἑορτάζεις, ἐκεῖνος δὲ στυγνάζει. Ὅπως μὴ γένηται καὶ ἐπὶ σοῦ ἡ τοῦ πλουσίου ἐκείνου ἀνταπόδοσις, ὅστις εὐφραινόμενος καθ' ἡμέραν λαμπρῶς τῷ Λαζάρῳ ψιχίων οὐ μετέδωκεν, μετάδος οὖν ἐκ τῆς σῆς τραπέζης τῷ χρείαν ἔχοντι καὶ εὐποίησον τοὺς ἐνδεομένους, ὅπως καὶ σὺ διὰ πάντων ἑορτάσῃς καὶ ὁ πένης συνευωχηθῇ, ἵνα μὴ οἱ κύνες φιλανθρωπότεροί σου γένωνται. Ἄκουε συνετῶς. Ἐὰν γὰρ σὺ μὴ εὐποιήσῃς τὸν ὁμόδοξόν σου πένητα, τὸν χρείαν παραμυθίας ἔχοντα, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἀπ' ἀνάγκης παρὰ σοῦ μὴ εὐεργετηθεὶς προσέλθῃ αἱρετικῷ, κἀκεῖνος αὐτὸν παραμυθήσηται, γέγονεν ὁ κύων 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 εὐεργεσίας. Ἐγείρει τὸν Λάζαρον , ἵνα ἐρεθίσῃ τὸν διάβολον. Τί ἐστιν Ἐγείρει τὸν Λάζαρον, ἵνα ἐρεθίσῃ τὸν διάβολον; Ἄκουε διὰ βραχέων· καλὸν γὰρ καταπαῦσαι τὸν λόγον διὰ τὴν ἐπικειμένην ἐργασίαν. Ὡς εἶδεν ὁ διάβολος τὸν κύριον βοήσαντα· Λάζαρε, δεῦρο ἔξω, καὶ πάντα τὰ καταχθόνια διαλυθέντα καὶ τὰς κάτω δυνάμεις μὴ ὑποφερούσας ὡς βασιλικοῦ προστάγματος ἐμφανισθέντος, μᾶλλον δὲ ὡς θεϊκοῦ βουλήματος ἐνεργοῦντος, καὶ ὅτι παραυτὰ αἱ μὲν τρίχες Λαζάρου ἄνωθεν ἐρριζοῦντο, τῶν δὲ νεύρων αἱ διαλύσεις συνεσφίγγοντο, τῶν δὲ ὀστέων ὁ χωρισμὸς συνεγομφοῦτο, τῶν δὲ ἰχώρων τὰ ῥεῖθρα συνεστέλλοντο, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα τὸ ζωτικὸν συνεισήρχετο, ἡ δὲ δέσποινα ψυχὴ τὴν προτέραν νομὴν ἀπελάμβανεν, ὡς εἶδεν ὁ διάβολος ταῦτα καὶ τὰ παραπλήσια τούτων γινόμενα, θορυβηθεὶς καὶ ἐν ἀγωνίᾳ γενόμενος ἐπέταττε ταῖς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ δυνάμεσι λέγων· Ἀντίσχετε, κρατήσατε, τῆς ἐμῆς βασιλείας μὴ προκρίνητε. Τί πέπονθα, ἄνανδροι; Ἀναλύεται τὰ κράτη τοῦ θανάτου· ὃν γὰρ ἔχω τέσσαρας ἡμέρας κρατῶν ἀναδίδωμι βίᾳ. Μεγάλῃ συμφορᾷ παρεμπέπτωκα· ἠρξάμην ἐμεῖν οὓς κατέπιον. Οὐ διὰ τὸν Λάζαρον μόνον κλαίω, φοβοῦμαι μὴ καὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἀπολέσω. Σπουδῆς μοι χρεία καὶ γοργότητος· εἰ μὴ προκαταλάβωμαι τὸν συντελοῦντά με , πάσης με τῆς ὑπάρξεως κενὸν ἀποδείξει. Οἶδα τί πράξω· ἔχω τοὺς Ἰουδαίους συνδρόμους, μισθοῦμαι τὸν Ἰούδα, ἀεί μοι λῃστὴς συμπράττει. Καλῶς τὸ μύρον