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the stain. And may it come to pass that all of us, having here cleansed away all the filth of our sins through confession, may there obtain the promised good things in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom to the Father be the glory, the might, and the rest.

62.707 HOMILY II.

I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, hearing of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in us

unto Christ Jesus. 1. He does not ask for the favor immediately from the outset, but first the man

having admired, and praised him for his right actions, and having shown no small proof of his own love in constantly remembering him in his prayers, and having said that many are refreshed by him, and that he obeys and is persuaded by all; then he places this last, especially pressing him with this. For if others obtain what they ask, much more so Paul; if coming before others he was worthy to receive, much more so after others, and asking a thing that did not pertain to himself, but for anoth 62.708.40 er. Then, so that he might not seem to be writing only for this reason, nor might anyone say, "If it were not for Onesimus, you would not have written," see how he also gives other reasons for the letter; first declaring his love? and then also bidding that a lodging be prepared for him. Hearing, he says, of your love. This is admirable, and to see this in the present is much greater.

For it is clear that from this being surpassing, it also became very well known, and reached even to him; and yet the distance between Rome and Phrygia was not small; for there, it seems to me, he is from Archippus. For the Colossians are of Phrygia, to whom he wrote, saying, "When this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea." And this is a city of Phrygia. I pray, he says, that the fellowship of your faith may become effective. Do you see him giving before receiving, and before asking the favo 62.709 r, providing his own which is much greater? That, he says, the fellowship of your faith may become effective in the knowledge of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. That is, that you may pursue every virtue, so that nothing may be lacking.

For thus faith becomes effective, when it has works. For without works faith is dead. And he did not say, "Your faith," but, "The fellowship of your faith," joining him to himself, and showing one body, and by this especially pressing him. If you are a partaker, he says, according to faith, you ought also to partake in other things. For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother. Nothing so presses a man as to bring forward his benefactions to others, and especially when he is more venerable than they are. And he did not say, "If you do for others, much more so for me." But he hinted at the same thing, but managed it differently, more kindly. We have joy; that is, you have given me boldness from what has been done for others. And consolation. That is, we not only rejoice, but we are also comforted; for they are our members. If, therefore, the harmony ought to be so great, that at the refreshment of others, others who are in afflictions, even if they receive nothing, should rejoice on their account, as if one body had been benefited, much more so if you will also refresh us. And he did not say, "Because you yield, because you are persuaded," but even more vehemently

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τὴν κηλῖδα. Γένοιτο δὲ, ἡμᾶς πάντας ἐνταῦθα ἀποκαθηραμένους ἅπαντα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὸν ῥύπον διὰ τῆς ἐξομολογήσεως, ἐκεῖ τυχεῖν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, τὸ κράτος, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.

62.707 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Βʹ.

Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ Θεῷ μου πάντοτε, μνείαν σου ποιούμενος ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν μου, ἀκούων σου τὴν ἀγάπην καὶ τὴν πίστιν, ἣν ἔχεις πρὸς τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν καὶ εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους, ὅπως ἡ κοινωνία τῆς πίστεώς σου ἐνεργὴς γέ νηται ἐν ἐπιγνώσει παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ τοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν

εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν. αʹ. Οὐκ εὐθέως ἐκ προοιμίων αἰτεῖ τὴν χάριν, ἀλλὰ πρότερον τὸν ἄνδρα

θαυμάσας, καὶ ἐπαινέσας ἐπὶ τοῖς κατορθώμασι, καὶ τῆς αὑτοῦ ἀγάπης δείξας τεκμήριον οὐ μικρὸν τὸ διαπαντὸς αὐτοῦ μεμνῆσθαι ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς, καὶ εἰπὼν, ὅτι πολλοὶ ἀναπαύονται πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ πᾶσιν ὑπακούει καὶ πείθεται· τότε καὶ αὐτὴν τελευταῖον τίθησι, μάλιστα αὐτὸν δυσωπῶν τούτῳ. Εἰ γὰρ ἕτεροι ἐπιτυγχάνουσιν ὧν δέονται, πολλῷ μᾶλλον Παῦλος· εἰ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἐλθὼν ἄξιος ἦν τυχεῖν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον μετὰ τοὺς ἄλλους, καὶ πρᾶγμα αἰτῶν οὐκ εἰς αὐτὸν ἀνῆκον, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἑτέ 62.708.40 ρου. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ τούτου ἕνεκεν γράφειν μόνον, μηδὲ εἴπῃ τις, ὡς Εἰ μὴ Ὀνήσιμος ἦν, οὐκ ἂν ἔγραψας, ὅρα πῶς καὶ ἑτέρας αἰτίας τίθησι τῆς ἐπιστολῆς· πρῶτον μὲν τὴν ἀγάπην αὐτοῦ δηλῶν; ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ ξενίαν κελεύων ἑτοιμασθῆναι αὐτῷ. Ἀκούων σου, φησὶ, τὴν ἀγάπην. Θαυμαστὸν τοῦτο, καὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἰδεῖν τοῦτο πολλῷ μεῖζον.

∆ῆλον γὰρ ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ὑπερβάλλουσαν ταύτην εἶναι, καὶ διάδηλος γέγονε, καὶ μέχρις αὐτοῦ ἔφθασε· καίτοι γε οὐκ ὀλίγον τὸ μέσον ἦν Ῥώμης καὶ Φρυγίας· ἐκεῖ γάρ μοι δοκεῖ εἶναι ἀπὸ Ἀρχίππου. Οἱ γὰρ Κολοσσαεῖς τῆς Φρυγίας εἰσὶ, πρὸς οὓς γράφων ἔλεγεν, Ὅταν ἀναγνωσθῇ παρ' ὑμῖν ἡ ἐπιστολὴ, ποιήσατε ἵνα καὶ ἐν τῇ Λαοδικέων Ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀναγνωσθῇ, καὶ τὴν ἐκ Λαοδικείας ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀναγνῶτε. Αὕτη δὲ τῆς Φρυγίας πόλις ἐστίν. Εὔχομαι, φησὶν, ἵνα ἡ κοινωνία τῆς πίστεώς σου ἐνεργὴς γένηται. Ὁρᾷς πρότερον αὐτὸν διδόντα ἢ λαβεῖν, καὶ πρὶν ἢ τὴν χάριν αἰτῆ 62.709 σαι, τὴν αὑτοῦ παρέχοντα πολλῷ μείζονα; Ὅπως, φησὶν, ἡ κοινωνία τῆς πίστεώς σου ἐνεργὴς γένηται ἐν ἐπιγνώσει παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ τοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν. Τουτέστιν, ἵνα πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν ἐπέλθῃς, Ἵνα μηδὲν ἐλλειφθῇ.

Οὕτω γὰρ ἡ πίστις γίνεται ἐνεργὴς, ὅταν ἔργα ἔχῃ. Χωρὶς γὰρ ἔργων ἡ πίστις νεκρά ἐστι. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἡ πίστις σου, ἀλλ', Ἡ κοινωνία τῆς πίστεώς σου, συνάπτων αὐτὸν ἑαυτῷ, καὶ ἓν σῶμα δεικνὺς, καὶ τούτῳ μάλιστα αὐτὸν δυσωπῶν. Εἰ κοινωνὸς εἶ, φησὶ, κατὰ τὴν πίστιν, καὶ κατὰ τὰ ἄλλα ὀφείλεις κοινωνεῖν. Χαρὰν γὰρ ἔχομεν καὶ πολλὴν παράκλησιν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀγάπῃ σου, ὅτι τὰ σπλάγχνα τῶν ἁγίων ἀναπέπαυται διὰ σοῦ, ἀδελφέ. Οὐδὲν οὕτω δυσωπεῖ, ὡς τὸ τὰς ἑτέρων εὐεργεσίας προφέρειν, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν ἐκείνων αἰδεσιμώτερος ᾖ. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Εἰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ποιεῖς, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐμοί. Ἀλλὰ τὸ αὐτὸ μὲν ᾐνίξατο, ἑτέρως δὲ αὐτὸ μεθώδευσε προσηνέστερον. Χαρὰν ἔχομεν· τουτέστι, Σύ μοι παῤῥησίαν ἔδωκας ἐκ τῶν εἰς ἑτέρους γενομένων. Καὶ παράκλησιν. Τουτέστιν, οὐ μόνον ἡδόμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ παραμυθούμεθα· μέλος γὰρ ἡμῶν ἐκεῖνοι. Εἰ τοίνυν τὴν συμφωνίαν τοσαύτην δεῖ εἶναι, ὡς ἐπὶ ταῖς ἑτέρων ἀναπαύσεσι τοὺς ἄλλους ἐν θλίψεσιν ὄντας, κἂν μὴ τύχωσί τινος, εὐφραίνεσθαι δι' ἐκείνους, ὡς ἑνὸς σώματος εὐεργετηθέντος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον εἰ καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀναπαύσεις. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, Ὅτι εἴκεις, ὅτι πείθῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφοδρότερον