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we will be able to lay aside all these burdens of sins. Let us be willing, therefore; for it is much better to labor a little here and be delivered from inescapable punishment, than by being slothful for this short time to fall into those immortal torments

. But it is now time to recount what has been said; we have reproved those who come only once a year, because they neglect their mother when she is stripped bare; we have reminded them of ancient history, and of curses and blessings; we have spoken about the Jewish feasts, and for what reason God commands the Jews to appear before him three times a year; we said that a feast is always Pentecost, and Pascha, and Epiphany; we said that a clean conscience makes a feast, not a period of days and times; after that we moved on to the gifts brought down from above; we said that this is a sign of reconciliation; we showed that the Holy Spirit is present 50.464 through the remission of sins, through the response to the shepherd, through the word of wisdom, and of knowledge, through ordinations, through the mystical sacrifice; we said that we hold hostages and pledges of one another; we added the reason why signs are now removed from our midst; after this we brought to mind the fearful judgment-seat, and the books then opened, and that all our sins are recorded; we showed that it is wiped away again, if we are willing.

Remember all these things; but if it is not possible to remember all, instead of all remember the word concerning the books; and all that you would answer, speak so with assurance, as having one present who is also writing, and keep this word constantly flourishing in your memory; so that those written in the book of the righteous may add to their good deeds, while those having many recorded sins, having blotted them out here with no one knowing, may be freed from that public exposure. For it is possible, as we have shown, through earnestness and prayer and intense piety to blot out all the recorded sins. Let us strive for this, therefore, at all times, so that when we depart to that place we may be able to obtain some pardon, and all escape the inescapable punishments; may it be that we all, being delivered from these, be deemed worthy of the kingdom of heaven, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

50.463 ON HOLY PENTECOST

Homily 2.

1. Great, beloved, and surpassing all human reason are the

gifts bestowed on us today by the loving God; for this reason let us all rejoice together, and leaping up let us praise our Master. For today is a feast and a festival for us. For just as in the change of seasons and solstices one succeeds another, so also in the Church one feast succeeds another, thus sending us from one to the next. Recently, then, we celebrated the cross, the passion, the resurrection, after these the ascension into heaven of our Lord Jesus Christ; and today, finally, we have arrived at the very end of good things, we have reached the very metropolis of the feasts, we have come to the very fruit of the Lord’s promise. For if I go away, he says, I will send you another Comforter, and I will not leave you orphans.

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δυνησόμεθα ἅπαντα ταῦτα ἀποθέσθαι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τὰ φορτία. Βουληθῶμεν τοίνυν· πολλῷ γὰρ βέλτιον μικρὸν ἐνταῦθα πονήσαντας ἀπαραιτήτου κολάσεως ἀπαλλαγῆναι, ἢ τὸν βραχὺν τοῦτον ῥᾳθυμήσαντας χρόνον εἰς τὰς ἀθανάτους ἐκείνας ἐμπεσεῖν τιμωρίας

. Ὥρα δὲ λοιπὸν ἀναλογίσασθαι τὰ εἰρημένα· ἐπετιμήσαμεν τοῖς δι' ἐνιαυτοῦ μόνον παραγινομένοις, ὅτι τὴν μητέρα περιορῶσι γυμνουμένην· ἀνεμνήσαμεν αὐτοὺς παλαιᾶς ἱστορίας, καὶ κατάρας καὶ εὐλογίας· διελέχθημεν περὶ ἑορτῶν Ἰουδαϊκῶν, καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν τρὶς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ κελεύει τοὺς Ἰουδαίους φαίνεσθαι αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός· εἴπομεν ὅτι ἑορτὴ διαπαντός ἐστι καὶ Πεντηκοστὴ, καὶ Πάσχα, καὶ Ἐπιφάνεια· εἴπομεν ὅτι ἑορτὴν συνειδὸς ποιεῖ καθαρὸν, οὐχ ἡμερῶν καὶ χρόνων περίοδος· μετ' ἐκεῖνο ἐξέβημεν ἐπὶ τὰ δῶρα τὰ ἄνωθεν κατενεχθέντα· εἴπομεν ὅτι καταλλαγῆς ἐστι τοῦτο σημεῖον· ἐδείξαμεν ὅτι πάρεστι Πνεῦμα ἅγιον 50.464 διὰ τῆς ἀφέσεως τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, διὰ τῆς ἀποκρίσεως τῆς πρὸς τὸν ποιμένα, διὰ τοῦ λόγου τῆς σοφίας, καὶ τῆς γνώσεως, διὰ τῶν χειροτονιῶν, διὰ τῆς θυσίας τῆς μυστικῆς· εἴπομεν ὅτι ὅμηρα ἀλλήλων καὶ ἐνέχυρα κατέχομεν· προσεθήκαμεν τὴν αἰτίαν, δι' ἣν τὰ σημεῖα ἀνῄρηται νῦν ἐκ τοῦ μέσου· μετὰ ταῦτα ἀνεμνήσαμεν τοῦ φοβεροῦ δικαστηρίου, καὶ τῶν τότε ἀνοιγομένων βιβλίων, καὶ ὅτι πάντα ἡμῶν ἐγγράφεται τὰ ἁμαρτήματα· ἀπεδείξαμεν ὅτι ἐξαλείφεται πάλιν, καὶ ἂν θέλωμεν.

Ταῦτα πάντα μέμνησθε· εἰ δὲ μὴ δυνατὸν πάντα, ἀντὶ πάντων τοῦ περὶ τῶν βιβλίων μέμνησθε λόγου· καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἂν ἀποκρίνησθε, ὡς ἔχοντες τὸν παρεστῶτα, καὶ γράφοντα, οὕτω φθέγγεσθε μετὰ ἀσφαλείας, καὶ κατέχετε διαπαντὸς ἐνακμάζοντα τῇ μνήμῃ τὸν λόγον τοῦτον· ἵνα οἱ μὲν ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ τῶν δικαίων ἐγγεγραμμένοι προσθῆτε τοῖς κατορθώμασιν, οἱ δὲ πολλὰ ἔχοντες ἐγγεγραμμένα ἁμαρτήματα, ἀπαλείψαντες αὐτὰ ἐνταῦθα οὐδενὸς εἰδότος, ἀπαλλαγῶμεν τῆς δημοσιεύσεως ἐκείνης. Καὶ γὰρ δυνατὸν, καθὼς ἀπεδείξαμεν, διὰ σπουδῆς καὶ προσευχῆς καὶ εὐλαβείας ἐπιτεταμένης ἀπαλεῖψαι τὰ ἐγγεγραμμένα ἁμαρτήματα ἅπαντα. Τοῦτο τοίνυν διὰ παντὸς σπουδάζωμεν τοῦ χρόνου, ἵνα ἀπελθόντες ἐκεῖ δυνηθῶμέν τινος συγγνώμης τυχεῖν, καὶ πάντες ἀπαραιτήτους φυγεῖν κολάσεις· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἀπαλλαγέντας καταξιωθῆναι τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, 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.

50.463 ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΑΓΙΑΝ ΠΕΝΤΗΚΟΣΤΗΝ

Ὁμιλία βʹ.

αʹ. Μεγάλα, ἀγαπητοὶ, καὶ πάντα λόγον ἀνθρώπινον ὑπερβαίνοντα τὰ

σήμερον ἡμῖν δωρηθέντα παρὰ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ χαρίσματα· διά τοι τοῦτο κοινῇ πάντες χαίρωμεν, καὶ σκιρτῶντες ἀνυμνήσωμεν τὸν ἡμέτερον ∆εσπότην. Ἑορτὴ γὰρ ἡμῖν καὶ πανήγυρις ἡ σήμερον ἡμέρα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν ὡρῶν καὶ τῶν τροπῶν ἐναλλαγῆς ἑτέρα τὴν ἑτέραν διαδέχεται, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἑορτὴ ἑορτὴν διαδεχομένη, οὕτως ἡμᾶς εἰς ἀλλήλας παραπέμπουσι. Πρῴην μὲν οὖν ἑωρτάσαμεν τὸν σταυρὸν, τὸ πάθος, τὴν ἀνάστασιν, μετὰ ταῦτα τὴν εἰς οὐρανὸν ἄνοδον τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ· σήμερον δὲ λοιπὸν εἰς αὐτὸ τὸ τέλος ὑπηντήσαμεν τῶν ἀγαθῶν, εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν μητρόπολιν ἐφθάσαμεν τῶν ἑορτῶν, εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν καρπὸν παρεγενόμεθα τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπαγγελίας. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἀπέλθω, φησὶν, ἐγὼ, ἄλλον Παράκλητον πέμψω ὑμῖν, καὶ οὐκ ἀφήσω ὑμᾶς ὀρφανούς.