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bringing dangers upon him, when a woman, and aged, and the mother of so many children, and having struggled before grace, while the gates of death were still closed, sin not yet having been blotted out, nor death having been overcome, is seen enduring so many torments for God's sake with so much eagerness and courage? Considering all these things, both women and men, both young and old, having inscribed the struggles and contests as if on some tablet of our heart, let us have her endurance stored up in our soul as a perpetual counsel for the contempt of dreadful things, so that here, by imitating the virtue of these saints, we may also there be able to share in their crowns, we showing as much endurance in irrational passions—in anger, and desire for money, bodies, empty glory, and all other such things—as the philosophy they displayed in dangers. For if we overcome the flame of these things just as they overcame the fire, we will be able to stand 50.623 near them, and to share the same confidence; may it be that we all attain it, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, 50.624 through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

ON THE HOLY MACCABEES. Homily 2. 1. It is not possible, then, to praise all the holy martyrs with one tongue, but even if we had ten thousand mouths and as many tongues, we would fall short of their praises; and I experience the same thing when I look at the achievements of the seven martyrs, as would a man who loves money, who, coming upon a spring flowing with gold that has seven mouths, should attempt to drain it all, but after much and unspeakable labor should depart, leaving the greater part behind. For however much you may draw from a spring, the greater part is left. What then? Since we are not able to offer what is worthy, shall we be silent? By no means. For they who receive the gifts are martyrs, and they imitate their own Master in the judgment of such generosity. And how does He act? When someone offers gifts, He measures the reward by paying attention not to the size of what was offered, but to the eagerness of the one who offered it. Thus He did in the case of that widow; the woman put in two small coins, and was preferred to those who had put in much; for God saw not the smallness of the money, but the richness of her intention; the money was two small coins, but the intention was more precious than ten thousand talents of gold. Let us then take up the encomiums with confidence, and what we did yesterday, let this, if you please, be done now also; for yesterday, taking the mother alone, we spent the discourse on her; and we did this not wishing to separate her from the choir of her children, but to make the wealth more secure for us; let us do this now also; separating one of the children, let us say a few things about him; for there is a fear that perhaps like seven rivers, the praises of the seven martyrs, coming together, might suddenly overwhelm our discourse. Therefore, let us take one of the youths, not separating this one either from the choir of his brothers, but making the burden light for ourselves; for when one is praised, the crown will be common to the others as well, since they all shared in the same contests. But the mother will certainly come in upon us today as well, even if we do not touch upon her; for the sequence of the discourse will certainly draw her in, and she will not endure to leave her children; for if in the contests she did not stand apart from the

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ἐπαγομένους αὐτῷ κινδύνους, ὅταν γυνὴ, καὶ γεγηρακυῖα, καὶ τοσούτων παίδων μήτηρ, καὶ πρὸ τῆς χάριτος ἀγωνισαμένη, κεκλεισμένων ἔτι τῶν τοῦ θανάτου πυλῶν, οὔπω τῆς ἁμαρτίας σβεσθείσης, οὐδὲ τοῦ θανάτου καταγωνισθέντος, μετὰ τοσαύτης προθυμίας τε καὶ ἀνδρείας τοσαύτας φαίνηται διὰ τὸν Θεὸν ὑπομένουσα τιμωρίας; Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα λογισάμενοι, καὶ γυναῖκες καὶ ἄνδρες, καὶ νέοι καὶ γέροντες, τοὺς ἀγῶνας καὶ τὰ παλαίσματα ὥσπερ ἐπὶ πίνακός τινος τῆς καρδίας ἡμῶν ἀπογράψαντες, διηνεκῆ συμβουλὴν πρὸς τὴν τῶν δεινῶν ὑπεροψίαν τὴν ἐκείνης καρτερίαν ἔχωμεν ἐναποκειμένην ἡμῶν τῇ ψυχῇ, ἵνα ἐνταῦθα μιμησάμενοι τὴν ἀρετὴν τῶν ἁγίων τούτων, κἀκεῖ τῶν στεφάνων δυνηθῶμεν αὐτοῖς κοινωνῆσαι, ὅσην ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις φιλοσοφίαν ἐπεδείξαντο, τοσαύτην ἐν τοῖς ἀλόγοις πάθεσιν ἡμεῖς καρτερίαν ἐπιδεικνύμενοι, θυμῷ, καὶ ἐπιθυμίᾳ χρημάτων, σωμάτων, δόξης κενῆς, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων ἁπάντων. Εἰ γὰρ τῆς τούτων περιγενοίμεθα φλογὸς καθάπερ ἐκεῖνοι τοῦ πυρὸς, δυνησόμεθα στῆναι 50.623 πλησίον αὐτῶν, καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς μετασχεῖν παῤῥησίας· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, 50.624 δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΕΙΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΑΓΙΟΥΣ ΜΑΚΚΑΒΑΙΟΥΣ. Ὁμιλία βʹ. αʹ. Ἅπαντας μὲν οὖν ἐγκωμιάσαι τοὺς ἁγίους μάρτυρας οὐ δυνατὸν μιᾷ γλώττῃ, ἀλλὰ κἂν μυρία στόματα ἔχωμεν καὶ γλώττας τοσαύτας, λειπόμεθα τῶν ἐγκωμίων· καὶ ταὐτὸν πάσχω πρὸς τὰ κατορθώματα τῶν ἑπτὰ μαρτύρων ὁρῶν, οἷον ἂν εἰ φιλοχρήματος ἄνθρωπος, ἐπιστὰς πηγῇ ῥεούσῃ χρυσὸν ἑπτὰ στόματα ἐχούσῃ, πᾶσαν μὲν αὐτὴν ἐξαντλῆσαι ἐπιχειροίη, μετὰ δὲ τὸν πολὺν καὶ ἄφατον πόνον τὸ πλέον ἀφεὶς ἀπέλθοι. Πηγῆς γὰρ ὅσον ἂν ἐξαντλήσῃς, τὸ πλέον ἀπολείπεται. Τί οὖν; ἐπειδὴ τὰ κατ' ἀξίαν εἰσενεγκεῖν οὐ δυνάμεθα, σιγήσομεν; Οὐδαμῶς. Μάρτυρες γάρ εἰσιν οἱ τὰ δῶρα δεχόμενοι, καὶ τὸν ἑαυτῶν ∆εσπότην μιμοῦνται ἐν τῇ κρίσει τῆς τοιαύτης φιλοτιμίας. Πῶς δὲ ἐκεῖνος ποιεῖ; Ὅταν τις προσενέγκῃ δῶρα, οὐ τῷ μεγέθει τοῦ προσενεχθέντος, ἀλλὰ τῇ προθυμίᾳ τοῦ προσενέγκαντος προσέχων μετρεῖ τὴν ἀντίδοσιν. Οὕτως ἐποίησεν ἐπὶ τῆς χήρας ἐκείνης· δύο κατέβαλεν ὀβολοὺς ἡ γυνὴ, καὶ προετιμήθη τῶν πολλὰ καταβεβληκότων· οὐ γὰρ τὴν ὀλιγότητα τῶν χρημάτων, ἀλλὰ τὴν πολυτέλειαν τῆς γνώμης εἶδεν ὁ Θεός· δύο ὀβολοὶ τὰ χρήματα, ἀλλὰ μυρίων χρυσοῦ ταλάντων τιμιωτέρα ἡ γνώμη. Ἁψώμεθα δὴ τῶν ἐγκωμίων θαῤῥοῦντες, καὶ ὅπερ χθὲς ἐποιήσαμεν, τοῦτο εἰ δοκεῖ γενέσθω καὶ νῦν· καὶ γὰρ χθὲς τὴν μητέρα ἀπολαβόντες μόνην εἰς αὐτὴν τὸν λόγον ἀνηλώσαμεν· ἐποιοῦμεν δὲ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀποσχίσαι βουλόμενοι τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν παίδων αὐτὴν, ἀλλ' ἀσφαλέστερον ἡμῖν κατασκευάσαι τὸν πλοῦτον· τοῦτο δὴ καὶ νῦν ποιήσωμεν· ἕνα τῶν παίδων ἀποσπάσαντες, εἰς αὐτὸν ὀλίγα εἴπωμεν· δέος γὰρ μή ποτε καθάπερ ἑπτὰ ποταμοὶ, οἱ τῶν ἑπτὰ μαρτύρων ἔπαινοι συνελθόντες ἀθρόον τὸν λόγον ἡμῖν ἐπικλύσωσιν. Οὐκοῦν ἕνα τῶν νεανίσκων ἀπολάβωμεν, οὐδὲ τοῦτον ἀποσχίζοντες τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν ἀδελφῶν, ἀλλὰ κοῦφον ἡμῖν ποιοῦντες τὸ φορτίον· καὶ γὰρ ἑνὸς ἐπαινουμένου, κοινὸς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὁ στέφανος ἔσται, ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν ἄθλων τῶν αὐτῶν ἐκοινώνησαν ἅπαντες. Πάντως δὲ ἐπεισελεύσεται ἡμῖν ἡ μήτηρ καὶ σήμερον, κἂν μὴ αὐτῆς ἁπτώμεθα· ἡ γὰρ ἀκολουθία αὐτὴν τῶν λόγων ἐπισπάσεται πάντως, καὶ οὐκ ἀνέξεται ἀφεῖναι τὰ παιδία· εἰ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσιν οὐκ ἀπέστη τῶν