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spoken to those who pay attention, if they remember. Let us therefore always remember these words, beloved, and the holy kisses, and the most awesome greeting to one another. For this intertwines our minds, and makes us all become one body, since we all partake of one body. Let us therefore mix ourselves into one body, not by mingling our bodies with one another, but by joining our souls to one another with the bond of love; thus we will be able to partake of the table set before us with boldness. For even if we have ten thousand righteous deeds, but bear grudges, all is random and in vain, and we will be able to reap none of them for the account of salvation. Knowing these things, therefore, let us put away all anger, and cleansing our conscience, let us approach the table of Christ, with whom to the Father be all glory, honor, power, together with the Holy Spirit, now and forever, etc.

On the divine and mystical supper of the Savior, and concerning the of Judas

betrayal, and on the Passover, and on the tradition of the divine mysteries, and concerning not bearing grudges. Spoken on the holy and great

Fifth Day.

Homily 2. 1. I wished, beloved, again the subject concerning the patriarch

to take up, and from there to set before you the spiritual feast; but the ingratitude of the traitor draws our tongue to the subject concerning him, and the season of the day urges us to speak of the madness of his audacity. For today our Lord Jesus Christ was delivered into the hands of the Jews by his own disciple. But when you hear this, beloved, do not become downcast, nor be dismayed on hearing that the Master was delivered up; rather, groan and weep, not for Jesus who was delivered up, but for Judas who delivered him up. For Jesus who was betrayed saved the world, but Judas the betrayer destroyed his own soul; and Jesus who was betrayed sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven, but Judas the betrayer is now in Hades, awaiting the inescapable and eternal punishment. For this reason groan, for this reason 49.382 weep; since our Master Jesus Christ Himself, on seeing Judas, was troubled and wept. For on seeing him, it says, He was troubled and said: One of you will betray me. And for what reason was He troubled? Considering that after so much teaching, after so many exhortations, he did not perceive into what a precipice he was pushing himself. The Master, therefore, seeing the madness of the disciple, and pitying him, was troubled and wept. For the evangelists state this repeatedly, that they might confirm the truth of the dispensation. The Master, therefore, was troubled, seeing the surpassing ingratitude of the disciple, and teaching us to mourn especially for those who do evil, not those who suffer evil; for those who suffer evil and injustice, these are more worthy of being called blessed. Wherefore Christ also said: Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Do you see how great a gain 49.383 He showed for those who suffer evil? See again elsewhere the inescapable punishment of those who do evil; hear the blessed Paul saying: But you, brethren, became imitators of the Churches of God which are in Judea, because you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus, and

8

εἰρημένα τοῖς προσέχουσιν, ἐὰν μνημονεύωσι. Μνημονεύωμεν οὖν διαπαντὸς τούτων τῶν ῥημάτων, ἀγαπητοὶ, καὶ τῶν ἁγίων φιλημάτων, καὶ τοῦ φρικωδεστάτου ἀσπασμοῦ τοῦ πρὸς ἀλλήλους. Τοῦτο γὰρ συμπλέκει τὰς διανοίας ἡμῶν, καὶ ποιεῖ σῶμα γενέσθαι ἓν ἅπαντας, ἐπειδὴ καὶ ἑνὸς σώματος μετέχομεν οἱ πάντες. Κεράσωμεν οὖν ἑαυτοὺς εἰς σῶμα ἓν, οὐ τὰ σώματα ἀλλήλοις ἀναφύροντες, ἀλλὰ τὰς ψυχὰς ἀλλήλαις τῷ τῆς ἀγάπης συνδέσμῳ συνάπτοντες· οὕτω δυνησόμεθα μετὰ παῤῥησίας ἀπολαῦσαι τῆς προκειμένης τραπέζης. Κἂν γὰρ μυρία ἔχωμεν δικαιώματα, μνησίκακοι δὲ ὦμεν, πάντα εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐξ αὐτῶν εἰς σωτηρίας λόγον καρπώσασθαι δυνησόμεθα. Ταῦτα οὖν συνειδότες, πᾶσαν καταλύσωμεν ὀργὴν, καὶ καθαίροντες ἑαυτῶν τὸ συνειδὸς, μετὰ πραΰτητος καὶ ἐπιεικείας πάσης προσέλθωμεν τῇ τραπέζῃ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ πᾶσα δόξα, τιμὴ, κράτος, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, κ.τ.λ.

Εἰς τὸ θεῖον καὶ μυστικὸν δεῖπνον τοῦ Σωτῆρος, καὶ περὶ τῆς τοῦ Ἰούδα

προδοσίας, καὶ εἰς τὸ Πάσχα, καὶ εἰς τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν θείων μυστηρίων, καὶ περὶ τοῦ μὴ μνησικακεῖν. Λεχθεὶς τῇ ἁγίᾳ καὶ μεγάλῃ

Πεντάδι.

Ὁμιλία βʹ. αʹ. Ἐβουλόμην, ἀγαπητοὶ, τῆς κατὰ τὸν πατριάρχην πάλιν ὑποθέσεως

ἅψασθαι, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ὑμῖν τὴν ἑστίασιν παραθεῖναι τὴν πνευματικήν· ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ προδότου ἀγνωμοσύνη πρὸς τὴν κατ' αὐτὸν ὑπόθεσιν τὴν ἡμετέραν ἕλκει γλῶτταν, καὶ τῆς ἡμέρας ὁ καιρὸς προτρέπεται τῆς τόλμης αὐτοῦ τὴν μανίαν εἰπεῖν. Σήμερον γὰρ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς παρεδόθη ταῖς τῶν Ἰουδαίων χερσὶν ὑπὸ τοῦ οἰκείου μαθητοῦ. Ἀλλὰ σὺ τοῦτο ἀκούων, ἀγαπητὲ, μὴ γένῃ κατηφὴς, μηδὲ στυγνάσῃς ἀκούων, ὅτι παρεδόθη ὁ ∆εσπότης· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ στέναξον καὶ δάκρυσον, μὴ διὰ τὸν παραδοθέντα Ἰησοῦν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν παραδόντα αὐτὸν Ἰούδαν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ προδοθεὶς Ἰησοῦςτὴν οἰκουμένην ἔσωσεν, ὁ δὲ προδοὺς Ἰούδας τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἀπώλεσε· καὶ ὁ μὲν προδοθεὶς Ἰησοῦς ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐν οὐρανοῖς κάθηται, ὁ δὲ προδοὺς Ἰούδας ἐν ᾅδου νῦν ἐστι, τὴν ἀπαραίτητον καὶ αἰώνιον ἀναμένων κόλασιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο στέναξον, διὰ τοῦτο 49.382 δάκρυσον· ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ ∆εσπότης ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἰδὼν τὸν Ἰούδαν ἐταράχθη καὶ ἐδάκρυσεν. Ἰδὼν γὰρ αὐτὸν, φησὶν, ἐταράχθη καὶ εἶπεν· Εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν παραδώσει με. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐταράχθη; Ἐννοῶν ὅτι μετὰ τὴν τοσαύτην διδασκαλίαν, μετὰ τὰς τοσαύτας παραινέσεις, εἰς οἷον κρημνὸν ἑαυτὸν ὠθῶν οὐκ ᾐσθάνετο. Θεωρῶν τοίνυν ὁ ∆εσπότης τοῦ μαθητοῦ τὴν μανίαν, καὶ ἐπελεῶν αὐτὸν ἐταράχθη καὶ ἐδάκρυσε. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἄνω καὶ κάτω τιθέασιν οἱ εὐαγγελισταὶ, ἵνα πιστώσωνται τῆς οἰκονομίας τὴν ἀλήθειαν. Ἐταράχθη τοίνυν ὁ ∆εσπότης, ἰδὼν τοῦ μαθητοῦ τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν ἀγνωμοσύνην, καὶ διδάσκων ἡμᾶς ἐκείνους μάλιστα θρηνεῖν, τοὺς κακῶς ποιοῦντας, οὐ τοὺς κακῶς πάσχοντας· οἱ γὰρ κακῶς καὶ ἀδίκως πάσχοντες, οὗτοι μᾶλλον μακαρισμοῦ ἄξιοί εἰσι. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν ὁ Χριστός· Μακάριοι οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Εἶδες πόσον τὸ κέρδος 49.383 ἔδειξε τῶν κακῶς πασχόντων; Βλέπε πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ τῶν κακῶς ποιούντων τὴν ἀπαραίτητον τιμωρίαν· ἄκουε τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου λέγοντος· Ὑμεῖς δὲ, ἀδελφοὶ, μιμηταὶ ἐγενήθητε τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν οὐσῶν ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ, ὅτι τὰ αὐτὰ ἐπάθετε καὶ ὑμεῖς ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων συμφυλετῶν, καθὼς καὶ αὐτοὶ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, τῶν καὶ τὸν Κύριον ἀποκτεινάντων Ἰησοῦν, καὶ