Macarius of Egypt, Homilies 7

Of various temptations, but when she gives birth, that is, is perfected, she rejoices continually with inexpressible joy, because a heavenly and new m

The birds of the sky flying in the air rest in it. likewise also is the life of souls, and the air of those having the wings of the spirit is above in

Prepares himself, is pained and distressed by not acting manfully such a one does not become a child of life, since he has not become an imitator and

Therefore, to always examine ourselves and to search our hearts, so that we may know our own faults, trusting in the deliverer of our souls, christ, t

Knowing that you do this not to a man but to god who said, he who hears you hears me, and in lying and withholding what you have brought to god do you

Of a greater judgment than the enumerated evils through such a renunciation, he would have freed the ascetic, together with the brotherhood, from labo

It is necessary to have unceasing remembrance of god and confidence, and so one will be able to wrestle against the evils that beset man, that is, the

For the intention sins when it comes to be with an evil purpose, and sometimes the deed also, when it is done corruptly, or not in the way it ought to

Of salt and if there is taste in empty words, not filled with the testimony of works? 54.9 of abandonments, then, one is for the sake of hidden virtu

I might bear away glory and honor. and paul says, if i do this willingly, i have no reward but if unwillingly, i am entrusted with a stewardship for

To him concerning us. for he only has need of our choice, since he is always ready to have mercy on us and enlighten us, if only we are willing to giv

Unspeakable, so that he weeps, and if the soul were able to leave the body, and to go to the lord. at other times again his soul rejoices within by th

He should bring his thoughts before god by night and day, and weep every hour in the presence of god, and being grieved he should reprove his own soul

of various temptations, but when she gives birth, that is, is perfected, she rejoices continually with inexpressible joy, because a heavenly and new man was born into the world above. 52.4 and just as the Lord, having taken the body, brought it up and seated it above at the right hand of the Majesty on high, so also now He transfers and translates the believing souls and those worthy of God into His kingdom, having begotten them from above from His own Spirit, as the Lord says, He who believes in me has passed from death to life. For the faithful in truth, even while remaining on earth, minister to the Lord above in the heavens, and He Himself, sitting above on the throne of His majesty, rests below upon the souls of the saints as upon thrones; for they are members and His body, the whole church of the saints, and He is the head of the church; for just as one soul is in the whole body, and each member of the body is directed by the one soul, so all the saints live in the Spirit of the Godhead and are directed by it, and each member lives in the substance and the divine soul. 52.5 and as the body, if it is maimed in hand or foot or eye, the man is blameworthy, so also the soul without the heavenly soul and the divine Spirit is imperfect and blameworthy, being cast out of the kingdom; For unless one is born from above, he says, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. for two hands and two feet and two ears is a perfect man; but also with two wings a bird can fly, but with one wing it cannot fly; but also two covenants were given to men, and without the new, the one was powerless; and all pairs, being two, are one, and thus are shown to be perfect. So also must the true Christian be; for the Lord was pleased for him to have two souls, one the created and one heavenly from the divine Spirit, and thus they can be perfect and useful for the kingdom of the heavens, flying and being lifted up by the wings of the Spirit. 52.6 for just as heaven is named as masculine and the earth as feminine, so the heavenly Christ is the bridegroom, and his bride the beautiful and passionless soul; and from above rain comes down from God, and she, as most excellent earth, receiving it, brings forth the fruits of the Spirit; for just as Eve without union with Adam was barren and fruitless, so also a soul without the union and commingling of the Spirit of the heavenly bridegroom Christ is widowed and fruitless and barren for the kingdom of the heavens. But also the heavenly bridegroom, without the earnestness and will of man, neither dwells in him nor is mingled; for just as wine, when mixed with water, is drinkable and pleasant, so also the Godhead, having mixed itself with humanity, came in order to mix all those who are willing and believe with its own Spirit, and thus they might be changed into a most sweet and savory choice. And as wool dyed in purple has become one, so also souls completely baptized in the Spirit become a spiritual purple, according to what is written: That which is born of the Spirit is spirit; just as also the body of the Lord, mingled with the Godhead, is God; and just as iron cast into fire is fire, and nothing can touch or approach it, since it is destroyed and consumed, unless only fire with fire or coals of fire with coals can be unharmed, so also every soul, purified by the fire of the Spirit and having become fire and spirit, can be with the spotless body of Christ. But for a soul uninitiated into this Spirit, it is impossible to approach there, or to look upon that divine lightning, and to live in it. For each thing is there and lives there, from whence it was born; the animals in the water, because they were born there, live there;

ποικίλων πειρασμῶν, ἐπὰν δὲ γεννήσῃ, τουτέστι τελειωθῇ, χαίρει διηνεκῶς χαρᾷ ἀνεκλαλήτῳ, ὅτι ἐγεννήθη ἐπουράνιος καὶ καινὸς ἄνθρωπος εἰς τὸν ἄνω κόσμον. 52.4 καὶ ὥσπερ τὸ σῶμα λαβὼν ὁ Κύριος ἀνήνεγκε καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἄνω ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης ἐν ὑψηλοῖς, οὕτως καὶ νῦν τὰς πιστευούσας ψυχὰς καὶ ἀξίας τοῦ θεοῦ μεθιστᾷ καὶ μεθίστησιν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ, γεννήσας αὐτὰς ἄνωθεν ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου πνεύματος, καθώς φησιν ὁ Κύριος Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ μεταβέβηκεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν. οἱ γὰρ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ πιστοὶ καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ μένοντες ἄνω ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς δια κονοῦσι τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ἄνω καθεζόμενος εἰς τὸν θρόνον τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ κάτω ταῖς τῶν ἁγίων ψυχαῖς ὡς ἐνθρόνοις ἐπανα παύεται· μέλη γὰρ καὶ σῶμα αὐτοῦ εἰσι, πᾶσα ἡ ἐκκλησία τῶν ἁγίων, αὐτὸς δὲ ἡ κεφαλὴ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τυγχάνει· ὥσπερ γὰρ μία ψυχὴ ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ σώματί ἐστι, καὶ ἕκαστον μέλος τοῦ σώματος ὑπὸ τῆς μιᾶς ψυχῆς διοικεῖται, οὕτω πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς θεότητος ζῶσι καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ διοικοῦνται, καὶ ἕκαστον μέλος ζῇ ἐν τῇ ὑποστάσει καὶ τῇ θεϊκῇ ψυχῇ. 52.5 καὶ ὡς τὸ σῶμα ἐὰν ᾖ παρὰ χεῖρα ἢ παρὰ πόδα ἢ παρ' ὀφθαλμόν, ἐπίμωμός ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, οὕτως καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ χωρὶς τῆς ἐπουρανίου ψυχῆς καὶ τοῦ θεϊκοῦ πνεύματος ἀτελὴς καὶ ἐπίμωμός ἐστιν, ἀπόβλητος τῆς βασιλείας τυγχάνουσα· Ἐὰν μή τις γάρ, φησί, γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν, οὐ δύναται εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ. δύο γὰρ χεῖρες καὶ δύο πόδες καὶ δύο ὦτα τέλειος ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν· ἀλλὰ καὶ δύο πτεροῖς τὸ ὄρνεον δύναται πετασθῆναι, ἑνὶ δὲ πτερῷ πετασθῆναι οὐ δύναται· ἀλλὰ καὶ δύο διαθῆκαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐδόθησαν, καὶ χωρὶς τῆς καινῆς ἡ μία ἀδύνατος ἦν· καὶ πάντα τὰ ζεύγη, δύο ὄντα, ἕν ἐστι, καὶ οὕτω τέλεια ἀποδείκνυνται. οὕτω καὶ τὸν ἀληθῆ χριστιανὸν εἶναι δεῖ· ὁ γὰρ Κύριος εὐδόκησεν αὐτὸν ἔχειν δύο ψυχάς, μίαν τὴν κτισθεῖσαν καὶ μίαν ἐπου ράνιον ἐκ τοῦ θεϊκοῦ πνεύματος, καὶ οὕτω δύνανται εἶναι τέλειοι καὶ χρήσιμοι εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἱπτάμενοι καὶ κουφιζόμενοι ὑπὸ τῶν πτερύγων τοῦ πνεύματος. 52.6 ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ οὐρανὸς ἀρρενικῶς ὀνομάζεται ἡ δὲ γῆ θηλυκῶς, οὕτω νυμφίος ὁ οὐράνιος Χριστός, καὶ νύμφη αὐτοῦ ἡ ὡραία ψυχὴ καὶ ἀπαθής· καὶ ἄνωθεν μὲν ὄμβρος ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ κατέρχεται, αὕτη δὲ ὡς γῆ καλλίστη δεχομένη τοὺς καρποὺς τοῦ πνεύματος ἀποδίδωσιν· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ Εὔα χωρὶς τῆς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ συναφείας στεῖρα καὶ ἄκαρπος ἦν, οὕτω καὶ ψυχὴ χωρὶς τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος συναφείας καὶ συγκράσεως τοῦ ἐπου ρανίου νυμφίου Χριστοῦ χήρα καὶ ἄκαρπος καὶ στεῖρα τυγχάνει τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἐπουράνιος νυμφίος ἄνευ τῆς σπουδῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ τοῦ θελήματος οὔτε οἰκεῖ εἰς αὐτὸν οὔτε κιρνᾶται· ὥσπερ γὰρ οἶνος κιρνώμενος ὕδατι πόσιμος καὶ ἡδύς ἐστιν, οὕτω καὶ ἡ θεότης ἑαυτὴν κεράσασα τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι ἦλθεν ἵνα πάντας τοὺς θέλοντας καὶ πιστεύοντας κεράσῃ τῷ ἰδίῳ πνεύματι, καὶ οὕτως εἰς ἡδυτάτην καὶ εὔνοστον μεταβληθῶσι προαίρεσιν. ὥσπερ δὲ βαφὲν ἔριον ἐν πορφύρᾳ ἓν γέγονεν, οὕτω καὶ τελείως βαπτιζόμεναι ψυχαὶ τῷ πνεύματι πορφύρα πνευματικὴ ἀποτελοῦνται κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον Τὸ γεγεννημένον ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος πνεῦμά ἐστιν· ὥσπερ καὶ σῶμα τοῦ Κυρίου κερασθὲν τῇ θεότητι θεός ἐστιν· ὥσπερ δὲ σίδηρος βληθεὶς εἰς πῦρ πῦρ ἐστι, καὶ οὐδὲν δύναται αὐτοῦ ἅψασθαι ἢ ἐγγίσαι, ἐπεὶ ἀφανί ζεται καὶ ἀναλίσκεται, εἰ μὴ μόνον τὸ πῦρ μετὰ τοῦ πυρὸς ἢ ἄνθρακες πυρὸς μετὰ ἀνθράκων δύνανται εἶναι ἀβλαβεῖς, οὕτω καὶ πᾶσα ψυχὴ διὰ τοῦ πυρὸς τοῦ πνεύματος καθαρισθεῖσα καὶ πῦρ καὶ πνεῦμα γενομένη δύναται εἶναι μετὰ τοῦ ἀχράντου σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ. ψυχὴν δὲ ἀμύητον τούτου τοῦ πνεύματος ἀδύνατον ἐκεῖ προσεγγίσαι, ἢ ἀποβλέ ψαι εἰς τὴν θείαν ἐκείνην ἀστραπήν, καὶ ζῆν ἐν αὐτῇ. ἕκαστον γὰρ πρᾶγμα ἐκεῖ ἐστι καὶ ἐκεῖ ζῇ, ὅθεν ἐγεννήθη· τὰ ζῷα τὰ ἐν τῷ ὕδατι διὰ τὸ ἐκεῖ γεννηθῆναι ἐκεῖ ζῶσι·