7

and He introduces a judge who is both impious and a hater of mankind, savage toward others, but kind and gentle toward those in need, so that you may learn that all supplication easily draws even an evil nature to pity and mercy. For what reason, then, did Christ do this? So that no one might be ignorant of the power of prayer. For this reason, after presenting the widow to the most wicked of all, and showing him to be philanthropic contrary to his nature, He turned the discourse from the wicked one to His own Father, the good, the gentle, the mild, the philanthropic, who passes over iniquities, who forgives many sins, who is blasphemed every day, and bears it, enduring to see honor given to demons, insolence to Himself, blasphemies to the Son? myriad terrible things, spoken and unspoken; then, being blasphemed, He bears it so gently, but if He sees us falling down before Him with fitting fear, will He not quickly have mercy? Hear, He says, what the judge of unrighteousness says: Though I do not fear God, nor regard man, yet because she troubles me, I will avenge her. What are you saying? That which fear could not do, supplication could? And neither threat, nor hope of punishment brought the man to what is right; but a widow appearing with supplication tamed the savage one. What, then, is it fitting to conjecture about the philanthropic God, if the widow falling down before him made the cruel man so gentle? how much kindness, how much philanthropy will God show toward us, He who always wishes only to have mercy, but never to punish, who has threatened punishments for us out of great philanthropy, and has prepared great honors, so that both fear and hope of honor, the one might stir up to virtue, and the other might hinder from wicked deeds! I cannot turn my mind away from the judge of unrighteousness, beholding in his gentleness, which is contrary to nature, the unspeakable philanthropy of God. For if he who never wished to show anything 50.783 good, suddenly changing his mind, had mercy on the one in need, how much care from heaven will prayers bring to us? And one might know the strength and the power of holy prayers, by considering and beholding how many good things those who always fall down before God enjoy each day and hour. For who does not know that God bestows equally on all men, both the just and the impious, the light of the sun, and of the stars, and of the moon, and temperate climates, and all kinds of food, and wealth, and life, and myriad good things, through His great philanthropy, which He employs toward us? And if He thus has mercy daily and gives rest to those who are not in need, nor ask, how many good things is it likely that those who have devoted their whole life to prayers and supplications will enjoy? Come now, let us also tell you how many of the righteous were able, through prayers, to save both nations, and cities, and the whole world. And in memory of prayer, Paul is first worthy of mention, Paul, insatiable in the worship of God, the common father and ancestor of the servants of Christ. He, then, the guardian of the world, through prayer and continuous supplication saved all the nations, always saying to us: For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named; that He would grant you, according to the riches of His grace, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Do you see how much prayer and supplication can do? It makes men temples of Christ; and just as gold, and precious stones, and marbles make the houses of kings, so prayer makes temples of Christ. That Christ may dwell, he says, in your hearts. What greater encomium of prayer could there be than that it makes temples of God? He whom the heavens do not contain, this one enters into a soul living in prayers. Heaven is My throne,

7

καὶ ἀσεβῆ καὶ μισάνθρωπον εἰσάγει κριτὴν, ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν ἄλλων ἀνήμερον, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν δεομένων χρηστὸν καὶ πρᾶον, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι πᾶσα δέησις καὶ φύσιν πονηρὰν εἰς οἶκτον καὶ ἔλεον ἐπισπᾶται ῥᾳδίως. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκα τοῦτο πεποίηκεν ὁ Χριστός; Ἵνα μηδεὶς ἀγνοῇ τῶν ἁπάντων τῆς προσευχῆς τὴν ἰσχύν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τῷ πονηροτάτῳ πάντων παραστήσας τὴν χήραν, καὶ δείξας αὐτὸν παρὰ φύσιν φιλάνθρωπον, ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ Πατέρα μετέστησε τὸν λόγον, τὸν ἀγαθὸν, τὸν πρᾶον, τὸν ἥμερον, τὸν φιλάνθρωπον, ὑπερβαίνοντα ἀνομίας, συγχωροῦντα ἁμαρτίας πολλὰς, βλασφημούμενον καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, καὶ φέροντα, ἀνεχόμενον ὁρᾷν τιμὴν εἰς δαίμονας, ὕβριν εἰς αὐτὸν, εἰς τὸν Υἱὸν βλασφημίας; ῥητὰ καὶ ἄῤῥητα μυρία δεινά· εἶτα βλασφημούμενος μὲν οὕτω πράως ἀνέχεται, ἐὰν δὲ ἴδῃ μετὰ τοῦ προσήκοντος φόβου προσπίπτοντας ἡμᾶς, οὐκ ἐλεήσει ταχέως; Ἀκούσατε, φησὶ, τί ὁ κριτὴς τῆς ἀδικίας λέγει· Εἰ καὶ τὸν Θεὸν οὐ φοβοῦμαι, καὶ ἄνθρωπον οὐκ ἐντρέπομαι, διά γε τὸ παρέχειν μοι κόπους, ἐκδικήσω αὐτήν. Τί λέγεις; ὅπερ οὐκ ἴσχυσε φόβος, τοῦτο δέησις ἴσχυσε; Καὶ ἀπειλὴ μὲν, καὶ τιμωρίας ἐλπὶς οὐ προσήγαγε τῷ δικαίῳ τὸν ἄνθρωπον· μεθ' ἱκετηρίας δὲ φανεῖσα χήρα, τὸν ἄγριον ἡμέρωσε. Τί οὖν εἰκάζειν προσήκει περὶ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ, εἰ τὸν ὠμὸν οὕτω πρᾶον πεποίηκεν ἡ χήρα προσπίπτουσα; πόσην χρηστότητα, πόσην φιλανθρωπίαν ἐφ' ἡμῶν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιδείξεται, ὁ μόνον ἐλεεῖν ἐθέλων ἀεὶ, κολάζειν δὲ οὐδεπώποτε, ὁ καὶ τὰς τιμωρίας διὰ πολλὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ἀπειλήσας ἡμῖν, καὶ μεγάλας ἑτοιμάσας τιμὰς, ἵνα καὶ φόβος καὶ τιμῆς ἐλπὶς, ἡ μὲν ἐπεγείρῃ πρὸς ἀρετὴν, ὁ δὲ κωλύσῃ πονηρευμάτων! Οὐ δύναμαι τοῦ κριτοῦ τῆς ἀδικίας ἀποστῆσαι τὴν διάνοιαν, θεωρῶν ἐν τῇ ἐκείνου παρὰ φύσιν πραότητι τὴν ἀμύθητον τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ μηδέποτε μηδὲν χρη50.783 στὸν ἐπιδείξασθαι βουληθεὶς, ἄφνω μεταθέμενος, τὴν δεομένην ἠλέησε, πόσην ἡμῖν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κηδεμονίαν οἱ προσευχαὶ κομίσουσι; Γνοίη δ' ἄν τις τὴν ἰσχὺν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν τῶν ἁγίων προσευχῶν, σκοπῶν καὶ θεωρῶν ὅσων ἀγαθῶν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν καὶ ὥραν ἀπολαύουσιν οἱ πάντοτε τῷ Θεῷ προσπίπτοντες. Τίς γὰρ οὐκ οἶδεν, ὅτι καὶ τοῦ ἡλίου τὸ φῶς, καὶ τῶν ἀστέρων, καὶ τῆς σελήνης, καὶ ἀέρων εὐκρασίαν, καὶ τροφὰς παντοίας, καὶ πλοῦτον, καὶ βίον, καὶ μυρία ἀγαθὰ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ὁμοίως ὁ Θεὸς χαρίζεται, καὶ δικαίοις καὶ ἀσεβέσι, διὰ τὴν πολλὴν αὐτοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν, ᾗ κέχρηται πρὸς ἡμᾶς; Εἰ δὲ τοὺς μὴ δεομένους, μηδὲ αἰτοῦντας, οὕτως ἐλεεῖ καθ' ἡμέραν καὶ ἀναπαύει, πόσων εἰκὸς ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσεσθαι τοὺς ἐν εὐχαῖς καὶ δεήσεσι πάντα τὸν βίον ἐσχολακότας; Φέρε δὴ καὶ ὅσοις τῶν δικαίων ὑπῆρξε διὰ προσευχῶν σῶσαι καὶ ἔθνη, καὶ πόλεις, καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν, εἴπωμεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Ἐν δὲ μνήμῃ προσευχῆς Παῦλος πρῶτος ἄξιος μνήμης, Παῦλος ὁ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ λατρείας ἀκόρεστος, ὁ κοινὸς πατὴρ, καὶ πρόγονος τῶν δούλων τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἐκεῖνος τοίνυν ὁ φύλαξ τῆς οἰκουμένης, διὰ προσευχῆς, καὶ τῆς συνεχοῦς δεήσεως πάντα τὰ ἔθνη διέσωσε, λέγων ἀεὶ πρὸς ἡμᾶς· Τούτου χάριν κάμπτω τὰ γόνατά μου πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐξ οὗ πᾶσα πατριὰ ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ὀνομάζεται· ἵνα δῴη ὑμῖν κατὰ τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ, δυνάμει κραταιωθῆναι διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ, εἰς τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον, κατοικῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ πίστεως ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν. Ὁρᾷς, ὅσον ἰσχύει προσευχὴ καὶ δέησις; Ναοὺς Χριστοῦ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐργάζεται· καὶ ὥσπερ χρυσὸς, καὶ λίθοι πολυτίμητοι, καὶ μάρμαρα ποιοῦσι τοὺς οἴκους τῶν βασιλέων· οὕτω προσευχὴ ναοὺς τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Κατοικῆσαι, φησὶ, τὸν Χριστὸν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν. Τί μεῖζον ἂν γένοιτο προσευχῆς ἐγκώμιον, ἢ ὅτι ναοὺς ἀπεργάζεται Θεοῦ; Ὃν οὐ χωροῦσιν οὐρανοὶ, οὗτος εἰς ψυχὴν εἰσέρχεται ζῶσαν ἐν προσευχαῖς. Ὁ οὐρανός μοι θρόνος,