7

I will rejoice. But if their teachings contained error, and those men were introducing heresies, Paul could not rejoice.

But since the teaching is sound and unadulterated, for this reason he says, I rejoice and I will rejoice. For what if those men destroy themselves, doing this out of spite? Nevertheless, they advance my cause, even unwillingly. Do you see how great is the power of Paul? How he is not caught by any of the devil's schemes? And not only is he not caught, but he even overcomes him by these very things. For great indeed is the malice of the devil, and the wickedness of those who serve him; for under the pretense of thinking the same things, they wished to extinguish the preaching. But He who catches the wise in their craftiness did not allow this to happen then. Indeed, Paul, indicating this very thing, said: To abide in the flesh is more necessary for you, and having this confidence, I know that I will remain and continue with you all. For those men desire to cast me out of this present life, and they endure all things for this reason; but God does not permit it, for your sakes. Therefore, remember all these things with exactness, so that you may be able to correct with all wisdom those who use the Scriptures simply and randomly and for the destruction of their neighbors. And we will be able to remember 51.319 the things that have been said, and to correct others, if we always take refuge in prayers, and beseech the God who gives the word of wisdom, to give also understanding in hearing, and the accurate and inviolate keeping of this spiritual deposit. For what we are often unable to achieve by our own diligence, these things we will be able to accomplish easily through prayers, and by prayers I mean continual ones. For one must always and unceasingly pray, both he who is in affliction, and he who is in comfort, and he who is in distress, and he who is in good circumstances: the one in comfort and many good things, so that these things may remain unshaken and unchangeable and never fall away; and the one in affliction and many distresses, so that he may see some good change happen for him, and be transformed into a calm of consolation. Are you in a state of calm? Then beseech God that this calm may remain steadfast for you. Have you seen a storm arise? Beseech God earnestly to carry past the tempest, and to make a calm from the storm. Have you been heard? For this give thanks, because you have been heard. Have you not been heard? Persevere, so that you may be heard. For even if God should ever postpone the gift, it is not out of hatred or aversion, but because by the delay of the gift He wishes to keep you continually with Himself, just as affectionate fathers also do; for they too contrive the continual attendance of their more indolent children by postponing the gift. You have no need of mediators with God, nor of much running about, nor of flattering others; but even if you are desolate, even if you are without a patron, having besought God by yourself you will certainly obtain. He is not so accustomed to assent when besought by others on our behalf, as by ourselves who are in need, even if we are full of countless evils. For if in the case of men, even if we have offended them in countless ways, when we appear to those who have been grieved by us both at dawn, and at midday, and in the evening, by the constancy and the continual encounter of our presence we easily dissolve their enmity, much more would this happen with God.

12. But are you unworthy? Become worthy by perseverance. For that even the unworthy

can become worthy through perseverance, and that God assents when besought by ourselves rather than by others, and that He often postpones the gift, not wishing us to despair, nor to send us away with empty hands, but so that He may become the cause of greater goods for us; these three things I will try to make clear to you through the parable read today. The Canaanite woman approached Christ, pleading for her demon-possessed daughter, and crying out with great earnestness, she says:

7

χαρήσομαι· εἰ δὲ πλάνην τὰ δόγματα εἶχε, καὶ αἱρέσεις εἰσῆγον ἐκεῖνοι, οὐκ ἠδύνατο χαίρειν ὁ Παῦλος.

Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὑγιὲς καὶ ἀνόθευτον τὸ δόγμα, διὰ τοῦτό φησι, Χαίρω καὶ χαρήσομαι. Τί γὰρ, εἰ ἑαυτοὺς ἀπολλύουσιν ἐκεῖνοι, ἐξ ἀπεχθείας τοῦτο ποιοῦντες; Ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐμὰ καὶ ἄκοντες αὔξουσιν. Εἶδες πόση τοῦ Παύλου ἡ δύναμις; πῶς οὐδενὶ τῶν τοῦ διαβόλου μηχανημάτων ἁλίσκεται; Καὶ οὐ μόνον οὐχ ἁλίσκεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῖς τούτοις αὐτὸν χειροῦται. Πολλὴ μὲν γὰρ οὖν καὶ ἡ τοῦ διαβόλου κακουργία, καὶ τῶν ἐκείνῳ διακονούντων ἡ πονηρία· ἐν προσχήματι γὰρ τοῦ τὰ αὐτὰ φρονεῖν, σβέσαι τὸ κήρυγμα ἐβούλοντο. Ἀλλ' Ὁ δρασσόμενος τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτῶν, οὐ συνεχώρει τοῦτο γενέσθαι τότε. Τοῦτο γοῦν αὐτὸ ἐμφαίνων ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγε· Τὸ δὲ ἐπιμεῖναι τῇ σαρκὶ ἀναγκαιότερον δι' ἡμᾶς, καὶ τοῦτο πεποιθὼς οἶδα, ὅτι μενῶ καὶ συμπαραμενῶ πᾶσιν ὑμῖν. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ τῆς παρούσης με ζωῆς ἐκβαλεῖν ἐπιθυμοῦσι, καὶ πάντα διὰ τοῦτο ὑπομένουσιν· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς οὐκ ἀφίησι δι' ὑμᾶς. Ταῦτα τοίνυν μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἅπαντα μνημονεύετε, ἵνα τοὺς ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε ταῖς Γραφαῖς κεχρημένους καὶ ἐπ' ὀλέθρῳ τῶν πλησίον, μετὰ πάσης σοφίας δύνησθε διορθοῦν. ∆υνησόμεθα δὲ καὶ μεμνῆσθαι 51.319 τῶν εἰρημένων, καὶ ἑτέρους διορθοῦν, ἂν εἰς εὐχὰς ἀεὶ καταφεύγωμεν, καὶ παρακαλῶμεν τὸν Θεὸν τὸν διδόντα λόγον σοφίας, δοῦναι καὶ σύνεσιν ἀκροάσεως, καὶ φυλακὴν τῆς πνευματικῆς ταύτης παρακαταθήκης ἀκριβῆ καὶ ἀχείρωτον. Ἃ γὰρ οὐκ ἰσχύομεν πολλάκις ἐξ οἰκείας κατορθῶσαι σπουδῆς, ταῦτα δυνησόμεθα ἀνύσαι εὐμαρῶς δι' εὐχῶν, εὐχῶν δὲ λέγω τῶν διηνεκῶν. Ἀεὶ γὰρ καὶ ἀδιαλείπτως εὔχεσθαι χρὴ, καὶ τὸν ἐν θλίψει, καὶ τὸν ἐν ἀνέσει, καὶ τὸν ἐν δεινοῖς, καὶ τὸν ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ὄντα· τὸν μὲν ἐν ἀνέσει καὶ πολλοῖς ἀγαθοῖς, ἵνα ἀκίνητα καὶ ἀμετάβλητα ταῦτα μένῃ καὶ μηδέποτε μεταπέσῃ· τὸν δὲ ἐν θλίψει καὶ πολλοῖς τοῖς δεινοῖς, ἵνα τινὰ χρηστὴν αὐτῷ ἴδῃ γενομένην μεταβολὴν, καὶ εἰς γαλήνην παρηγορίας μεταβληθῇ. Ἐν γαλήνῃ εἶ; Οὐκοῦν παρακάλει τὸν Θεὸν βεβαίαν σοι μένειν τὴν γαλήνην ταύτην. Χειμῶνα εἶδες ἐπαναστάντα; Παρακάλει ἐκτενῶς τὸν Θεὸν παρενέγκαι τὸ κλυδώνιον, καὶ γαλήνην ἀπὸ χειμῶνος ποιῆσαι. Ἠκούσθης; Ἐπὶ τούτῳ εὐχαρίστησον, ἐπειδὴ ἠκούσθης. Οὐκ ἠκούσθης; Παράμεινον, ἵνα ἀκουσθῇς. Κἂν γὰρ ἀναβάληταί ποτε τὴν δόσιν ὁ Θεὸς, οὐχὶ μισῶν οὐδὲ ἀποστρεφόμενος, ἀλλὰ τῇ μελλήσει τῆς δόσεως διηνεκῶς σε παρ' ἑαυτῷ κατέχειν βουλόμενος, καθάπερ καὶ πατέρες φιλόστοργοι ποιοῦσι· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι τῶν ῥᾳθυμοτέρων παίδων τὴν διηνεκῆ προσεδρείαν τῇ τῆς δόσεως ἀναβολῇ σοφίζονται. Οὐ χρεία σοι μεσιτῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐδὲ πολλῆς τῆς περιδρομῆς, καὶ τοῦ κολακεῦσαι ἑτέρους· ἀλλὰ κἂν ἔρημος ᾖς, κἂν ἀπροστάτευτος, αὐτὸς διὰ σαυτοῦ παρακαλέσας τὸν Θεὸν ἐπιτεύξῃ πάντως. Οὐχ οὕτω δι' ἑτέρων ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν παρακαλούμενος ἐπινεύειν εἴωθεν, ὡς δι' ἡμῶν αὐτῶν τῶν δεομένων, κἂν μυρίων ὦμεν γέμοντες κακῶν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων κἂν μυρία προσκεκρουκότες ὦμεν, ὅταν καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν ἕω, καὶ μέσης ἡμέρας, καὶ ἐν ἑσπέρᾳ φαινώμεθα τοῖς πρὸς ἡμᾶς λελυπημένοις, τῇ συνεχείᾳ καὶ τῇ διηνεκεῖ τῆς ὄψεως συντυχίᾳ καταλύομεν ῥᾳδίως αὐτῶν τὴν ἔχθραν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦτο γένοιτ' ἄν.

ιβʹ. Ἀλλ' ἀνάξιος εἶ; Γενοῦ τῇ προσεδρείᾳ ἄξιος. Ὅτι γὰρ καὶ τὸν ἀνάξιον

δυνατὸν ἄξιον ἐκ τῆς προσεδρείας γενέσθαι, καὶ δι' ἡμῶν αὐτῶν μᾶλλον, ἢ δι' ἑτέρων παρακαλούμενος ὁ Θεὸς ἐπινεύει, καὶ ὅτι τὴν δόσιν ἀναβάλλεται πολλάκις, οὐχ ἡμᾶς ἐξαπορῆσαι βουλόμενος, οὐδὲ κεναῖς ἐκπέμψαι χερσὶν, ἀλλ' ἵνα μειζόνων ἡμῖν ἀγαθῶν αἴτιος γένηται· τὰ τρία ταῦτα διὰ τῆς παραβολῆς τῆς σήμερον ἀναγνωσθείσης ὑμῖν πειράσομαι ποιῆσαι φανερά. Προσῆλθε τῷ Χριστῷ ἡ Χαναναία ὑπὲρ θυγατρὸς δεομένη δαιμονιζομένης, καὶ βοῶσα μετὰ πολλῆς ἐκτενείας, φησίν·