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cast down, and to make use of the benefit of hearing for the salvation of your brothers. But is it burdensome and grievous to denounce those who sin in such ways? It is truly burdensome and grievous to be silent. For this silence brings destruction both upon you who conceal, and upon them who are hidden, making God an enemy to you. How much better it is to be hated by your fellow servants for the sake of salvation, than to provoke the Master against yourselves, For this one, even if he is indignant now, will not be able to harm you at all, but rather will even be grateful to you afterwards for the cure; but God, if you are silent and conceal, showing injurious favor to your fellow servant, will demand the ultimate penalty from you. So by being silent, you will both make God your enemy and harm your brother; but by denouncing and making it known, you will have Him gracious, and you will win this one, and you will gain a zealous friend, who has learned the kindness by experience. Do not then think that you are doing a favor to your brothers, if, seeing them pursuing any wicked things, you do not reprove them with all vehemence. If you lose a garment, do you not consider an enemy not only the one who stole it, but likewise the one who knew of the thief and did not denounce him? Our common mother has not lost a garment, but has lost a brother; the devil has stolen him, and now holds him in Judaism; you know the one who stole, you know the one who was stolen; you see me, like a lamp, lighting the word of teaching, and seeking everywhere and toiling; and you stand silent, and do not denounce? and what excuse will you have? How will the Church not count you among the worst of enemies, and consider you an adversary and a destroyer? But may it never happen that anyone hearing this counsel should ever commit such a sin as to betray a brother for whom Christ died. Christ poured out His blood for him; but you do not endure even to utter a word for him? No, I beseech you, but immediately departing from here, hasten to this hunt, and let each of you bring me one of those who are sick with such things; or rather, may it not be that there are so many who are sick; let two or three of you, or even ten or twenty, bring me one, so that on that day, seeing the catch having come into the nets, I may set before you a more abundant table. For if I see today's counsel put into action, I will apply myself to their healing with greater eagerness, and the gain will be greater both for you and for them. Therefore, do not be neglectful, but let women hunt women, and men men, and slaves slaves, and free men free men, and children children, and all simply, having hunted with all accuracy those who are sick with such things, so come to the next gathering, so that you may both receive praise from us, and before our encomiums may draw down the great and ineffable reward from God, which surpasses by a great measure the labors of those who do right; may we all attain this by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom and with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

48.857 Against those fasting the fast of the Jews, and

against the Jews themselves. And it was spoken five days before their fast, another having already been spoken. Second Discourse.

1. The lawless and unclean fast of the Jews is now at

the doors. And do not be surprised if I have called it unclean, though it is a fast; for what is done contrary to the will of God, whether it be a sacrifice or a fast, is the most abominable of all things. The

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καταβληθὲν, καὶ τῇ τῆς ἀκροάσεως ὠφελείᾳ πρὸς τὴν σωτηρίαν τῶν ὑμετέρων ἀδελφῶν ἀποχρήσασθαι. Ἀλλὰ φορτικὸν καὶ ἐπαχθὲς καταγγέλλειν τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα ἁμαρτάνοντας; Φορτικὸν μὲν οὖν καὶ ἐπαχθὲς σιγᾷν. Καὶ γὰρ ὑμῖν τοῖς ἀποκρύπτουσι, κἀκείνοις τοῖς λανθάνουσιν ἐπάγει τὸν ὄλεθρον αὕτη ἡ σιγὴ, τὸν Θεὸν ὑμῖν ἐκπολεμοῦσα. Πόσῳ δὲ βέλτιον τοῖς συνδούλοις ἀπεχθάνεσθαι ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ, ἢ τὸν ∆εσπότην παροξύνειν καθ' ἑαυτῶν, Οὗτος μὲν γὰρ κἂν ἀγανακτήσῃ νῦν, οὐδέν σε βλάψαι δυνήσεται, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ χάριν εἴσεταί σοι μετὰ ταῦτα τῆς ἰατρείας· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς, ἂν τῷ συνδούλῳ σου τὴν ἐπιβλαβῆ χαριζόμενος χάριν, σιγήσῃς καὶ ἀποκρύψῃς, τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀπαιτήσει σε δίκην. Ὥστε σιγῶν μὲν, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἐκπολεμώσεις σεαυτῷ, καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν βλάψεις· καταγγέλλων δὲ καὶ φανερὸν ποιῶν, κἀκεῖνον ἕξεις ἵλεων, καὶ τοῦτον κερδανεῖς, καὶ φίλον κτήσῃ μανικὸν, τῇ πείρᾳ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν μαθόντα. Μὴ τοίνυν νομίζετε χαρίζεσθαι τοῖς ὑμετέροις ἀδελφοῖς, εἴ τι τῶν ἀτόπων ὁρῶντες μετιόντας, μὴ μετὰ πάσης ἐλέγχοιτε τῆς σφοδρότητος. Ἱμάτιον ἐὰν ἀπολέσῃς, μὴ τὸν κεκλοφότα μόνον, οὐχὶ καὶ τὸν συνειδότα τῷ κλέπτῃ καὶ μὴ καταγγέλλοντα, ὁμοίως νομίζεις ἐχθρόν; Ἡ μήτηρ ἡμῶν ἡ κοινὴ οὐχ ἱμάτιον, ἀλλ' ἀδελφὸν ἀπώλεσεν· ἔκλεψεν αὐτὸν ὁ διάβολος, καὶ κατέχει νῦν ἐν τῷ ἰουδαϊσμῷ· οἶδας τὸν κεκλοφότα, οἶδας τὸν κλαπέντα· ὁρᾷς ἐμὲ, καθάπερ λύχνον, ἅπτοντα τῆς διδασκαλίας τὸν λόγον, καὶ πανταχοῦ ζητοῦντα καὶ κοπτόμενον· καὶ σὺ ἕστηκας σιγῶν, καὶ οὐ καταγγέλλεις; καὶ ποίαν ἕξεις συγγνώμην; πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις σε τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἡ Ἐκκλησία λογιεῖται, καὶ πολέμιον ἡγήσεται καὶ λυμεῶνα; Ἀλλὰ μὴ γένοιτο μηδένα τῶν ταύτης ἀκουόντων τῆς συμβουλῆς, τοιαύτην ἁμαρτίαν ποτὲ ἁμαρτεῖν, ὥστε προδοῦναι ἀδελφὸν, ὑπὲρ οὗ Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν. Ὁ Χριστὸς τὸ αἷμα ἐξέχεεν δι' αὐτόν· σὺ δὲ οὐδὲ λόγον προέσθαι δι' αὐτὸν ὑπομένεις; Μὴ, παρακαλῶ, ἀλλ' εὐθέως ἐντεῦθεν ἀναχωρήσαντες, ἐπὶ τὴν θήραν ταύτην ἐπείχθητε, καὶ ἕκαστος ὑμῶν ἕνα μοι κομισάτω τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα νοσούντων· μᾶλλον δὲ μὴ γένοιτο τοσούτους εἶναι τοὺς νοσοῦντας· δύο καὶ τρεῖς ἐξ ὑμῶν, ἢ καὶ δέκα καὶ εἴκοσι, ἕνα μοι κομισάτωσαν, ἵνα κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην ἰδὼν τὴν ἄγραν εἴσω τῶν δικτύων γενομένην, δαψιλεστέραν ὑμῖν παραθῶ τὴν τράπεζαν. Ἂν γὰρ ἴδω τὴν σήμερον συμβουλὴν εἰς ἔργον ἐκβεβηκυῖαν, μετὰ πλείονος ἅψομαι τῆς προθυμίας τῆς πρὸς ἐκείνους ἰατρείας, καὶ πλέον ἔσται τὸ κέρδος καὶ ὑμῖν κἀκείνοις. Μὴ τοίνυν ὀλιγωρήσητε, ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναῖκες γυναῖκας, καὶ ἄνδρες ἄνδρας, καὶ δοῦλοι δούλους, καὶ ἐλεύθεροι ἐλευθέρους, καὶ παῖδες παῖδας, καὶ πάντες ἁπλῶς μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἁπάσης τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα νοσοῦντας θηρεύσαντες, οὕτως εἰς τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν ἀπαντήσατε σύναξιν, ἵνα καὶ τοῦ παρ' ἡμῶν ἐπαίνου τύχητε, καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐγκωμίων τὸν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ μισθὸν ἐπισπάσησθε τὸν πολὺν καὶ ἄφατον, καὶ τοὺς πόνους τῶν κατορθούντων ὑπερβαίνοντα πολλῶ τῷ μέτρῳ· οὗ γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ καὶ μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

48.857 Πρὸς τοὺς νηστεύοντας τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων νηστείαν, καὶ

πρὸς αὐτοὺς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους. Ἐλέχθη δὲπρὸ πέντε ἡμερῶν τῆς νηστείας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἄλλης ἤδη λεχθείσης. Λόγος δεύτερος.

αʹ. Ἡ μὲν παράνομος καὶ ἀκάθαρτος τῶν Ἰουδαίων νηστεία λοιπὸν ἐπὶ

θύραις. Μὴ θαυμάσητε δὲ εἰ ἀκάθαρτον αὐτὴν ἐκάλεσα νηστείαν οὖσαν· τὸ γὰρ παρὰ γνώμην Θεοῦ γινόμενον, κἂν θυσία, κἂν νηστεία ᾖ, πάντων ἐστὶν ἐναγέστερον. Ἡ