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and seeing Stephen in the dangers for piety praying for his enemies, we marvel equally at both his meekness and his struggles. Since, therefore, we have so many and such leaders of gentleness, let us exhort ourselves and one another to follow in their footsteps, and to serve God through meekness, as He more gladly accepts this service than all other virtues. For indeed the most divine Paul, wishing to show the virtue of an apostle, wishes the minister of Christ to appear especially from his gentleness; and yet he had many things to say, if he wished to speak of the things that adorn an apostle, the driving out of demons, the resurrection of the dead; but nevertheless, passing over all those things, he goes over and over the gentleness in his character, describing how gently he behaved towards his enemies, both relating and speaking, so that he might persuade us also to follow in his own footsteps, and to be kind and meek. It is right, therefore, to follow those saints, and to make them the example of our life, so that shining forth with all good things, we may obtain the promised goods from our great God and Savior, through whom and with whom to the Father with the Holy Spirit be all glory, honor, and power unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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καὶ τὸν Στέφανον ἐν τοῖς ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας κινδύνοις ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὁρῶντες εὐχόμενον, ὁμοίως ἐπί τε τῇ πραότητι καὶ τοῖς ἀγῶσι θαυμάζομεν. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τοσούτους καὶ τοιούτους ἡγεμόνας ἐπιεικείας ἔχομεν, παρακαλέσωμεν ἑαυτοὺς καὶ ἀλλήλους τοῖς ἐκείνων ἴχνεσιν ἕπεσθαι, καὶ διὰ πραότητος τῷ Θεῷ λειτουργεῖν, ὡς ταύτην μᾶλλον ἀσμένως δεχομένῳ τὴν λειτουργίαν, ἢ τὰς ἄλλας ἁπάσας ἀρετάς. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ θειότατος Παῦλος ἀρετὴν ἀποστόλου δεῖξαι βουλόμενος, ἐκ τῆς ἡμερότητος μάλιστα βούλεται τὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ διάκονον φαίνεσθαι· καίτοι πολλὰ εἶχεν εἰπεῖν, εἴ γε λέγειν ἐβούλετο τὰ κοσμοῦντα τὸν ἀπόστολον, δαιμόνων ἔλασιν, νεκρῶν ἀνάστασιν· ἀλλ' ὅμως πάντα ὑπερβὰς ἐκεῖνα, τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἤθεσιν ἐπιείκειαν ἄνω καὶ κάτω διεξέρχεται, ὅπως ἡμέρως προσενήνεκται τοῖς ἐχθροῖς διεξιών τε καὶ λέγων, ἵνα πείσῃ καὶ ἡμᾶς τοῖς οἰκείοις ἴχνεσιν ἕπεσθαι, καὶ χρηστοὺς εἶναι καὶ πράους. ∆ίκαιον οὖν τοῖς ἁγίοις ἐκείνοις ἀκολουθεῖν, κἀκείνους ποιεῖσθαι τοῦ βίου παράδειγμα, ἵνα πᾶσι τοῖς καλοῖς ἐκλάμποντες, τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων τύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν παρὰ τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ σὺν τῷ Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ πᾶσα δόξα, τιμὴ, καὶ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.