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she surpassed, and poverty was no hindrance. This poverty, therefore, made her almsgiving greater; as Paul also says, Their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For one must not consider this, that she put in two mites, but that having only these, she did not spare them, but brought in her whole substance, one must admire her and crown her. Therefore, it is not abundance, but eagerness that we need, when we receive strangers. For just as when this is present, no harm can come from poverty, so when it is absent, no benefit can come from wealth. What do you say? The widow takes care of children and for this reason would not be able to attend to strangers? For this very reason, therefore, she will accomplish this more easily, having her sons as partners in the service, assisting and joining with her in this good work. So the number of children will be not a hindrance, but a help to her hospitality, and the many hands will provide great ease in the service. For do not speak to me of a lavish table; if she receives the stranger into her house, if she sets out what she has, if she shows much friendliness, the whole fruit of hospitality is perfected. For if a cup of cold water alone brings about the kingdom of heaven, how much fruit will it bear, tell me, to make him a sharer of one's roof, and a partner at one's table, and to give him rest? Consider then Paul's precision. For he does not simply require hospitality here, but that which is with eagerness and a fervent soul and a warm mind. For having said, If she has lodged strangers, he added, If she has washed the saints' feet. She must not, sitting with arrogance, entrust the care of the stranger to her maidservants, but become a worker herself, and snatch the fruit, and yield to no one this good treasure. And how could this be, he says? For if she should be well-born and eminent and brilliant and distinguished from her ancestors, will she herself wash the stranger's feet? and how is it not 51.333 shameful? It is shameful, rather, not to wash them, man. For even if you extol her noble birth and eminence and brilliance ten thousand times, she partakes of the same nature as the one being washed, and is a fellow-servant of the one being cared for and of equal honor. 13. Consider who washed the disciples' feet, and cease speaking to me about noble birth. The common Master of the world, the king of angels both washed and girded himself with a towel, and not only of the disciples, but also of the traitor himself. Do you see how great the distance is between the one washing and the ones being washed? But nevertheless, all this distance was bridged, and the Master washed the servant, so that the female servant might not be ashamed of her fellow-servant. For this reason also of the traitor, so that you might not be inclined to say that the one who is about to receive the service is lowly and contemptible. For even if he is lowly and contemptible, still he is not like Judas, nor has he done such things to you as that one did to the Master, who after ten thousand good deeds came to betrayal. But nevertheless, foreseeing all these things, He washed them, laying down laws for us, that even if we are higher than all, and more brilliant and more eminent than all, and those who are about to lodge with us are worse than all, we should not for this reason flee from their service, nor be ashamed of their lowliness. But you, O woman, if you see someone helping you in worldly affairs, or assisting in court, or in some other such thing, you both meet him, and receive him with much goodwill, and kiss his hands, and pay money, and do the work of maidservants; but if you see Christ entering, do you hesitate and shrink from His service? If you do not receive the stranger as Christ, do not receive him; but if you receive him as Christ, do not be ashamed to wash the feet of Christ. Do you not see how many of those who are oppressed have fled to the feet of statues? And yet the material is senseless, and the bronze lifeless; but nevertheless, since they are images of kings, they expected to gain some benefit from those feet. But you, seeing not senseless feet, nor lifeless matter, but an image having the king within, toward you

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ὑπερηκόντισε, καὶ οὐκ ἐγένετο κώλυμα ἡ πενία. Αὕτη μὲν οὖν ἡ πενία μείζονα τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην εἰργάσατο· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ Παῦλός φησιν, Ἡ κατὰ βάθους πτωχεία ἐπερίσσευσεν εἰς τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς ἁπλότητος αὐτῶν. Οὐ γὰρ τοῦτο χρὴ σκοπεῖν, ὅτι δύο κατέβαλεν ὀβολοὺς, ἀλλ' ὅτι μόνους ἔχουσα τούτους, οὐκ ἐφείσατο, ἀλλ' ὁλόκληρον τὴν οὐσίαν εἰσήνεγκε, θαυμάζειν αὐτὴν χρὴ καὶ στεφανοῦν. Οὐ τοίνυν περιουσίας, ἀλλὰ προθυμίας ἡμῖν δεῖ, ὅταν ὑποδεχώμεθα ξένους. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ταύτης παρούσης οὐδὲν βλάβος γένοιτ' ἂν ἀπὸ πενίας, οὕτως ἀπούσης οὐδὲν ὄφελος γένοιτ' ἂν ἐξ εὐπορίας. Τί λέγεις; Παιδίων ἐπιμελεῖται ἡ χήρα καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἂν δύναιτο θεραπεύειν ξένους; ∆ι' αὐτὸ μὲν οὖν τοῦτο εὐκολώτερον τοῦτο ἐργάσεται, κοινωνοὺς ἔχουσα τῆς θεραπείας τοὺς υἱοὺς, συναντιλαμβανομένους καὶ συνεφαπτομένους αὐτῇ τῆς καλῆς ταύτης πραγματείας. Ὥστε οὐ κώλυμα, ἀλλὰ βοήθεια τῆς φιλοξενίας ἔσται τῶν παίδων τὸ πλῆθος, καὶ ἡ πολυχειρία πολλὴν τῇ διακονίᾳ παρέξει τὴν εὐκολίαν. Μὴ γάρ μοι πολυτελῆ τράπεζαν εἴπῃς· ἂν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν δέξηται τὸν ξένον, ἂν τὰ ὄντα παραθῇ, ἂν πολλὴν ἐπιδείξηται τὴν φιλοφροσύνην, ἀπήρτισται τῆς ξενοδοχίας ὁ καρπὸς ἅπας. Εἰ γὰρ ποτήριον ψυχροῦ μόνον βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν προξενεῖ, τὸ καὶ ὁμωρόφιον ποιῆσαι, καὶ τραπέζης κοινωνὸν, καὶ ἀναπαῦσαι, πόσον οἴσει τὸν καρπὸν, εἰπέ μοι; Σκόπει δή μοι Παύλου τὴν ἀκρίβειαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ξενοδοχίαν ἐνταῦθα ἀπαιτεῖ, ἀλλὰ τὴν μετὰ προθυμίας καὶ ζεούσης ψυχῆς καὶ διανοίας θερμῆς. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Εἰ ἐξενοδόχησεν, ἐπήγαγεν, Εἰ ἁγίων πόδας ἔνιψεν. Οὐ θεραπαινίσιν ἐπιτρέπειν χρὴ αὐτὴν μετὰ τύφου καθημένην τοῦ ξένου τὴν θεραπείαν, ἀλλ' αὐτουργὸν γενέσθαι, καὶ τὸν καρπὸν ἁρπάζειν, καὶ μηδενὶ παραχωρεῖν τοῦ καλοῦ τούτου θησαυροῦ. Καὶ πῶ, τοῦτο γένοιτ' ἂν, φησίν; εἰ γὰρ εὐγενὴς εἴη καὶ περιφανὴς καὶ λαμπρὰ καὶ ἐπίσημος ἐκ προγόνων. αὐτὴ τοῦ ξένου νίψει τοὺς πόδας; καὶ πῶς οὐκ 51.333 αἰσχρόν; Αἰσχρὸν μὲν οὖν τὸ μὴ νίπτειν, ἄνθρωπε. Κἂν γὰρ μυριάκις αὐτῆς τὴν εὐγένειαν ἐπάρῃς καὶ τὴν περιφάνειαν, καὶ τὴν λαμπρότητα, τῆς αὐτῆς μετέχει τῷ νιπτομένῳ φύσεως, καὶ σύνδουλός ἐστι τοῦ θεραπευομένου καὶ ὁμότιμος. ιγʹ. Ἐννόησον τίς τῶν μαθητῶν τοὺς πόδας ἔνιψε, καὶ παῦσαί μοι περὶ εὐγενείας διαλεγόμενος. Ὁ κοινὸς τῆς οἰκουμένης ∆εσπότης, ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων βασιλεὺς καὶ ἔνιψε καὶ λέντιον περιεζώσατο, καὶ οὐχὶ τῶν μαθητῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ προδότου. Εἶδες πόσον τὸ μέσον τοῦ νίπτοντος καὶ τῶν νιπτομένων; Ἀλλ' ὅμως τὸ μέσον ἅπαν τοῦτο κατέβη, καὶ ὁ ∆εσπότης τὸν δοῦλον ἔνιψεν, ἵνα ἡ δούλη τὸν σύνδουλον μὴ ἐπαισχύνηται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τοῦ προδότου, ἵνα μὴ μέλλῃς λέγειν, ὅτι εὐτελὴς καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητος ὁ μέλλων ἀπολαύειν τῆς θεραπείας. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ εὐτελὴς καὶ εὐκαταφρόνητος, ἀλλ' οὔπω κατὰ τὸν Ἰούδαν ἐστὶν, οὐδὲ τοιαῦτά σοι διέθηκεν, οἷα τὸν ∆εσπότην ἐκεῖνος, μετὰ τὰς μυρίας εὐεργεσίας ἐπὶ προδοσίαν ἐλθών. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἅπαντα ταῦτα προειδὼς ἔνιψεν, ἡμῖν νόμους τιθεὶς, ἵνα κἂν ἁπάντων ὦμεν ὑψηλότεροι, κἂν ἁπάντων λαμπρότεροι καὶ περιφανέστεροι, κἂν ἁπάντων χείρους οἱ μέλλοντες πρὸς ἡμᾶς κατάγεσθαι, μὴ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτῶν φεύγωμεν τὴν θεραπείαν, μηδὲ τὴν εὐτέλειαν ἐπαισχυνώμεθα. Σὺ δὲ, ὦ γύναι, ἐὰν μέν τινα ἴδῃς ἐν τοῖς βιωτικοῖς σοι βοηθοῦντα πράγμασιν, ἢ ἐν δικαστηρίῳ συμπράττοντα, ἢ ἐν ἄλλῳ τινὶ τοιούτῳ, καὶ ἀπαντᾷς, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς δέχῃ τῆς εὐνοίας, καὶ χεῖρας καταφιλεῖς, καὶ ἀργύριον καταβάλλεις, καὶ τὰ τῶν θεραπαινίδων ποιεῖς· ἂν δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν εἰσελθόντα ἴδῃς, ὀκνεῖς καὶ καταδύῃ πρὸς τὴν αὐτοῦ θεραπείαν; Εἰ μὴ ὡς τὸν Χριστὸν δέχῃ τὸν ξένον, μὴ δέξῃ· εἰ δὲ ὡς τὸν Χριστὸν δέχῃ, μὴ ἐπαισχυνθῇς τοῦ Χριστοῦ νίψαι τοὺς πόδας. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς πόσοι τῶν ἐπηρεαζομένων εἰς ἀνδριάντων κατέφυγον πόδας; Καίτοι γε ἀναίσθητος ἡ ὕλη, καὶ ἄψυχος ὁ χαλκός· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐπειδὴ βασιλέων εἰσὶν εἰκόνες, προσεδόκησάν τινα καρπώσασθαι παρὰ τῶν ποδῶν ἐκείνων ὠφέλειαν. Σὺ δὲ οὐκ ἀναισθήτους πόδας, οὐδὲ ἄψυχον ὕλην, ἀλλ' εἰκόνα ἔνδον ἔχουσαν τὸν βασιλέα θεωροῦσα πρὸς σὲ