8

has done everything. For the thing sought is not to give much, or little, but not less than one's own ability. Let us consider him who had the 62.309 five talents, and him who had the two; let us consider her who cast in the two mites; let us consider the widow in the time of Elijah. That woman who cast in the two mites did not say; For what harm is it, if I keep one mite for myself, and give the other one? but she gave her whole living. But you, being in such abundance, are more sparing than her. Let us not therefore neglect our own salvation, but let us apply ourselves to almsgiving. For nothing 62.310 is better than this; and the time to come will show it; but for now the present time has also shown it. Let us live, therefore, to the glory of God, and do those things which are pleasing to Him, that we may be counted worthy of the good things promised; of which may it be granted to us all to attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power, honor, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY II. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of

His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.

1. For this cause, what cause? Since we have heard of your faith and love; since

we have good hopes, we are hopeful also to ask concerning the things to come. For just as in contests we especially rouse those who are near victory, so also does Paul especially exhort those who have achieved the most. Since the day we heard it, he says, we do not cease to pray for you. We do not pray for you for one day, nor two, nor three. Here he both shows his love, and gently hints that they have not yet reached the end; for the phrase, That you might be filled, was to indicate this. And observe for me the understanding of this blessed man; he nowhere says they are deprived of the whole, but that they are lacking everywhere; for the phrase, That you might be filled, indicates this. And again, Unto all pleasing, in every good work; and again, Strengthened with all might; and again, Unto all patience and longsuffering. For the word, All, is a testimony to those who have achieved something, even if not the whole. And, That you might be filled, he says, not that you might receive; for they had received; but that what is lacking might be filled. Thus the reproof became inoffensive, and the praise, being complete, did not allow them to fall back and become supine. But what is, That you might be filled with the knowledge of His will? That is, you must be brought to Him through the Son, no longer through angels. That you must be brought, then, you have learned; but it still remains for you to learn this also, why He sent the Son. For if we were to be saved by angels, He would not have sent the Son, He would not have given Him up. In all wisdom, he says, and spiritual understanding. For since the philosophers were deceiving them, I want you, he says, to be in spiritual wisdom, not according to the wisdom of men. But if spiritual wisdom is needed to learn the will of God, then to know what His essence is, requires continual prayers. And he shows here that from that time Paul has been praying, and has not yet accomplished it, and has not desisted; for the phrase, Since the day we heard, indicates this. And it brings much condemnation on them, if from that time, even being helped by prayers, they have not recovered themselves. And desiring, he says, that is, with much earnest...

8

πᾶν εἰργάσατο. Τὸ γὰρ ζητούμενον οὐχὶ πολλὰ δοῦναι, ἢ ὀλίγα, ἀλλὰ τῆς οἰκείας δυνάμεως μὴ ἔλαττον. Ἐννοῶμεν τὸν τὰ 62.309 πέντε τάλαντα, καὶ τὸν τὰ δύο· ἐννοῶμεν τὴν τοὺς δύο ὀβολοὺς καταβαλοῦσαν· ἐννοῶμεν τὴν χήραν τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἠλία. Οὐκ εἶπεν ἐκείνη ἡ τοὺς δύο ὀβολοὺς καταβαλοῦσα· Τί γὰρ βλάπτει, ἂν τὸν μὲν ἕνα ὀβολὸν ἐμαυτῇ κατάσχω, τὸν δὲ ἕνα δῶ; ἀλλ' ὅλον ἔδωκε τὸν βίον. Σὺ δὲ ἐν τοσαύτῃ ἀφθονίᾳ ὢν, ἐκείνης φειδωλότερος εἶ. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀμελῶμεν τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας, ἀλλ' ἐπιθώμεθα τῇ ἐλεημοσύνῃ. Οὐδὲν γὰρ 62.310 ταύτης βέλτιον· καὶ δείξει ὁ μέλλων χρόνος· τέως δὲ καὶ ὁ παρὼν ἔδειξεν. Εἰς δόξαν τοίνυν τοῦ Θεοῦ ζήσωμεν, καὶ τὰ αὐτῷ δοκοῦντα πράττωμεν, ἵνα καταξιωθῶμεν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Βʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας ἠκούσα μεν, οὐ παυόμεθα ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν προσευχόμενοι, καὶ αἰτούμενοι ἵνα πληρωθῆτε τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ

θελήματος αὐτοῦ ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ συνέ σει πνευματικῇ· περιπατῆσαι ὑμᾶς ἀξίως τοῦ Κυρίου εἰς πᾶσαν ἀρέσκειαν, ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ καρποφοροῦντες, καὶ αὐξανόμενοι ἐν τῇ ἐπιγνώσει τοῦ Θεοῦ.

αʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, ποῖον; Ἐπειδὴ ἠκούσαμεν τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην· ἐπειδὴ

χρηστὰς ἔχομεν ἐλπίδας, εὐέλπιδές ἐσμεν καὶ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων αἰτεῖν. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσιν ἐκείνους μάλιστα διεγείρομεν τοὺς ἐγγὺς ὄντας τῆς νίκης· οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος τούτους μάλιστα παρακαλεῖ τοὺς τὸ πλέον κατωρθωκότας. Ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας ἠκούσαμεν, φησὶν, οὐ παυόμεθα ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν προσευχόμενοι. Οὐ μίαν ἡμέραν ὑπερευχόμεθα, οὐδὲ δύο, οὐ τρεῖς. Ἐνταῦθα καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην δείκνυσι, καὶ ἠρέμα αὐτοὺς αἰνίττεται ὡς οὐδέπω πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἐφθακότας· τὸ γὰρ, Ἵνα πληρωθῆτε, τοῦτο δηλοῦντος ἦν. Καὶ ὅρα μοι τὴν σύνεσιν τοῦ μακαρίου τούτου· οὐδαμοῦ τοῦ παντὸς αὐτοὺς ἀπεστερῆσθαί φησιν, ἀλλὰ λείπειν αὐτοὺς πανταχοῦ· τὸ γὰρ, Ἵνα πληρωθῆτε, τοῦτο δηλοῖ. Καὶ πάλιν, Εἰς πᾶσαν ἀρέσκειαν, ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ· καὶ πάλιν, Ἐν πάσῃ δυνάμει δυναμούμενοι· καὶ πάλιν, Εἰς πᾶσαν ὑπομονὴν καὶ μακροθυμίαν. Τὸ γὰρ, Πᾶσαν, μαρτυροῦντός ἐστι καί τι τοῖς κατορθοῦσιν, εἰ καὶ μὴ τὸ πᾶν. Καὶ Ἵνα πληρωθῆτε, φησὶν, οὐχ ἵνα λάβητε· ἔλαβον γάρ· ἀλλὰ τὸ λεῖπον ἵνα πληρωθῆτε. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἔλεγχος ἀνεπαχθὴς ἐγένετο, καὶ τὸ ἐγκώμιον οὐκ ἠφίει αὐτοὺς καταπεσεῖν καὶ γενέσθαι ὑπτίους ὁλοσχερὲς γενόμενον. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἵνα πληρωθῆτε τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ; Τουτέστι, διὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ προσάγεσθαι ὑμᾶς αὐτῷ χρὴ, οὐκέτι δι' ἀγγέλων. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν δεῖ προσάγεσθαι, ἔγνωτε· λείπει δὲ ὑμῖν ἔτι τοῦτο μαθεῖν καὶ διὰ τί τὸν Υἱὸν ἔπεμψεν. Εἰ γὰρ δι' ἀγγέλων ἔδει σώζεσθαι, οὐκ ἂν τὸν Υἱὸν ἔπεμψεν, οὐκ ἂν ἐξέδωκεν. Ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ, φησὶ, καὶ συνέσει πνευματικῇ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αὐτοὺς οἱ φιλόσοφοι ἠπάτων, βούλομαι ὑμᾶς ἐν πνευματικῇ, φησὶ, σοφίᾳ εἶναι, μὴ κατὰ τὴν σοφίαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Εἰ δὲ ὥστε τὸ θέλημα Θεοῦ μαθεῖν πνευματικῆς δεῖ σοφίας, ὥστε τὴν οὐσίαν τί ἐστιν, εὐχῶν διηνεκῶν. Καὶ δείκνυσιν ἐνταῦθα, ὅτι ἐξ ἐκείνου ὁ Παῦλος εὔχεται, καὶ οὐδέπω ἤνυσε, καὶ οὐκ ἀπέστη· τὸ γὰρ, Ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας ἠκούσαμεν, τοῦτο δηλοῖ. Κατάγνωσιν δὲ αὐτοῖς πολλὴν φέρει, εἰ ἐξ ἐκείνου καὶ εὐχαῖς βοηθούμενοι μὴ ἀνεκτήσαντο ἑαυτούς. Καὶ αἰτούμενοι, φησὶ, τουτέστι, μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς σπου