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made the care of a virtuous act, following the Master? Let us see, then, from the beginning what has been said. The Master says: Father, forgive them their sin; for they know not what they do. Stephen said: Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. Paul says: I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to 49.418 the flesh. Moses likewise: If you will forgive their sin, forgive; but if not, blot me out of the book which you have written. David says: Let your hand be upon me, and upon my father's house. Samuel likewise: Far be it from me to sin by ceasing to pray for you. What forgiveness, then, shall we obtain, when those from the New, those from the Old, as it were, all push us to the prayer for our enemies, if we do not hasten to achieve this with all zeal? Let us not then be sluggish, I beseech you. For the more examples there are, the greater the punishment if we do not imitate them. For it is much greater to pray for enemies than for friends; praying for friends does not benefit us as much as praying for enemies. Hear Christ saying: If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? When, therefore, we pray for our friends, we are not yet better than the tax collectors; but if we love our enemies, and pray for our enemies, we become like God according to human ability. For you will be, he says, like your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. When, therefore, we have the examples both from the Master and from the servants, let us be zealous, let us achieve this virtue; that we may be deemed worthy to attain the kingdom of heaven, and approach this awesome table with greater boldness, having cleansed our own conscience, and obtain the promised good things, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

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κατορθώματος ἐποιήσατο τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, τῷ ∆εσπότῃ κατακολουθῶν; Ἴδωμεν τοίνυν ἄνωθεν τὰ εἰρημένα. Ὁ ∆εσπότης λέγει· Πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν· οὐ γὰρ οἴδασι τί ποιοῦσιν. Ὁ Στέφανος εἶπε· Κύριε, μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην. Ὁ Παῦλος λέγει· Ηὐχόμην ἀνάθεμα εἶναι αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου, τῶν συγγενῶν μου κατὰ 49.418 σάρκα. Ὁ Μωϋσῆς ὁμοίως· Εἰ μὲν ἀφῇς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἄφες· εἰ δὲ μὴ, κἀμὲ ἐξάλειψον ἐκ τῆς βίβλου ἧς ἔγραψας. Ὁ ∆αυῒδ λέγει· Γενέσθω ἡ χείρ σου ἐπ' ἐμὲ, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρός μου. Ὁ Σαμουὴλ ὡσαύτως· Ἐμοὶ δὲ μὴ γένοιτο ἁμαρτεῖν τοῦ διαλιπεῖν προσευχόμενον ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν. Ποίας οὖν τύχοιμεν ἡμεῖς συγγνώμης λοιπὸν, τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Καινῆς, τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Παλαιᾶς, ὥσπερ πάντων ἡμᾶς ὠθούντων εἰς τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν εὐχὴν, εἰ μὴ μετὰ πάσης σπουδῆς τοῦτο κατορθοῦν σπουδάσομεν; Μὴ τοίνυν ῥᾳθυμῶμεν, παρακαλῶ. Ὅσῳ γὰρ πλείονα τὰ παραδείγματα, τοσούτῳ, ἂν μὴ μιμησώμεθα, μείζων ἡ κόλασις. Πολὺ γὰρ μεῖζόν ἐστι τὸ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν εὔχεσθαι, ἢ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων· οὐχ οὕτως ἡμᾶς ὠφελεῖ τὸ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων εὔχεσθαι, ὡς τὸ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν. Ἄκουε τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· Ἐὰν ἀγαπήσητε τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας ὑμᾶς, ποία ὑμῖν χάρις ἐστίν; οὐχὶ καὶ οἱ τελῶναι τὸ αὐτὸ ποιοῦσιν; Ὅταν τοίνυν ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων εὐξώμεθα, οὐδέπω τῶν τελωνῶν γινόμεθα βελτίους· ἐὰν δὲ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς φιλήσωμεν, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν εὐξώμεθα, ὅμοιοι γινόμεθα τῷ Θεῷ κατὰ δύναμιν ἀνθρωπίνην. Ἔσεσθε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅμοιοι τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς, ὅτι τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ ἀνατέλλει ἐπὶ πονηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς, καὶ βρέχει ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους. Ὅταν οὖν καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ∆εσπότου, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν δούλων ἔχωμεν τὰ παραδείγματα, ζηλώσωμεν, κατορθώσωμεν τὴν ἀρετήν· ἵνα καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπιτυχεῖν καταξιωθῶμεν, καὶ τῇ φρικτῇ ταύτῃ τραπέζῃ μετὰ πλείονος τῆς παῤῥησίας, τὸ συνειδὸς ἑαυτῶν ἐκκαθάραντες, καὶ τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν ἐπιτύχωμεν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.