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let us be part of the divine wedding, and let us be acknowledged as worthy of the calling, and let us partake of the fatted calf, and let us share in the Paschal lamb, and let us be filled with the new fruit of the vine, now indeed the flesh of God from wheat, and the blood of God from wine, truly by the invocation and ineffably transformed; for He who promised is 96.640 true; eating and drinking with a pure conscience, and by these things being purified sevenfold, like gold, and washing away the dross of sin, and inheriting incorruption, and being joined to God, and being deified, and reveling in His communion, when the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and the dead shall rise, when the tribunal is set, and on the day which God has appointed to judge the world in righteousness; when all things will receive their proper restoration, with no other restoration remaining; when fire will consume the adversaries without consuming them, but the mansions prepared before the ages will receive the righteous, and the bosom of Abraham, I mean, God the Word and Lord, incarnate from the loins of Abraham; when the land of the impious will fall, and gloom will receive them, and a dark fire which they kindled for themselves, and a worm consuming without sleep, and weeping mingled with the gnashing of teeth; but the land of the meek will receive those who are upright in heart and have a blameless faith, shining brightly like the sun; when of the virgins, the foolish will be most foolishly disturbed, seeking the things of the season out of season, and hastening to adorn their extinguished lamps with foreign oil, for whom the bridal chamber will be shut. And the voice of the impartial one will echo sharply from within: I do not know you. Which is the same as saying: I do not love you; for you did not love my brothers; you did not show yourselves symbols of love; you did not stir up bowels of compassion towards them. Therefore judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. For by nothing am I, the compassionate one, so served as by mercy; Nothing knows how to seize my heart but mercy. For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. You did not open the door of mercy to those in need, nor will I open wide to you the entrance to my kingdoms. These are the fruits of the foolish. But the wise were prepared, and were not disturbed. For having filled their own lamps with all kinds of virtues, and having abundantly watered them with the oil of good works, and having lit them with the illuminating fire of orthodox faith, they, radiant, radiantly went to meet the bridegroom in the middle of the night, and dance in the divine bridal chamber, and enjoy the gladness there, being ever intellectually joined to the undefiled one, and being deemed worthy to converse purely with the pure. 36. And you, therefore, O divine and holy flock of the great shepherd, and priest, and victim, a people for his own possession, a royal priesthood, who have been enriched with the common name as servants of Christ, remembering his passions, and words, and deeds, let us keep his life-giving commandments. For he said: Believe in God, and believe in me. And another: The Father will send 96.641 you a Comforter, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father. Therefore, believing, let us love him eagerly. For he who loves me, he says, will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and I will manifest myself to him. 37. Let us therefore hate his enemies. Everyone who does not confess Christ as the Son of God and Lord, is an antichrist. If anyone says that Christ is a servant, let us close our ears, knowing that he is a liar, and the truth is not in him. Let us bear his reproach as a diadem of glory. For blessed are you, he says, when they reproach you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you for my sake. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. Thus

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θείου γάμου γενώμεθα, ἐπιγνωσθῶμέν τε τῆς ἀνακλήσεως ἄξιοι, καὶ τοῦ μόσχου τοῦ σιτευτοῦ μεταλάβωμεν, καὶ τοῦ ἀμνοῦ τοῦ Πάσχα μετάσχωμεν, ἐμφορηθῶμέν τε τοῦ καινοῦ τῆς ἀμπέλου γεννήματος, νῦν μὲν σάρκα Θεοῦ ἐκ σίτου, καὶ αἷμα Θεοῦ ἐξ οἴνου, ἀληθῶς τῇ ἐπικλήσει καὶ ἀῤῥήτως μεταποιούμενον· ἀψευ 96.640 δὴς γὰρ ὁ ἐπαγγειλάμενος· καθαρᾷ τῇ συνειδήσει ἐσθίοντές τε καὶ πίνοντες, καὶ τούτοις ἑπταπλασίως, ὥσπερ τις χρυσὸς καθαιρόμενοι, καὶ τὸ κίβδηλον τῆς ἁμαρτίας ῥυπτόμενοι, καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν κληροδοτούμενοι, καὶ Θεῷ συναπτόμενοι, καὶ θεούμενοι, καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ κατατρυφῶντες τῆς μεθέξεως, ὅταν φωνήσῃ τοῦ Κυρίου σάλπιγξ, καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ ἀναστήσωνται, ὅτε καθιεῖται κριτήριον, καὶ ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἔστησεν ὁ Θεὸς κρῖναι τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ· ὅτε πάντα τὴν οἰκείαν ἀποκατάστασιν λήψονται, μηδεμιᾶς ἑτέρας ὑπολειπομένης ἀποκαταστάσεως· ὅτε πῦρ μὲν τοὺς ὑπεναντίους κατέδεται ἀδαπάνητα, τοὺς δὲ δικαίους αἱ πρὸ αἰώνων ἡτοιμασμέναι μοναὶ ὑποδέξονται, καὶ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ κόλπος, ὁ ἐκ κόλπων, φημὶ, Ἀβραὰμ σεσαρκωμένος Θεὸς Λόγος καὶ Κύριος· ὅτε τῶν μὲν ἀσεβῶν ἡ γῆ πεσεῖται, καὶ ζόφος αὐτοὺς ὑποδέξεται, καὶ πῦρ σκοτεινὸν ὅπερ ἑαυτοῖς ἐξέκαυσαν, καὶ σκώληξ κατατρύχων ἀκοίμητα, καὶ κλαυθμὸς τῷ τῶν ὀδόντων βρυγμῷ σύμμικτος· τοὺς δὲ εὐθεῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ πίστιν ἀμώμητον ἔχοντας, λαμπροὺς, λαμπρῶς λάμποντας ὡς ἥλιος, ἡ γῆ τῶν πραέων εἰσδέξεται· ὅτε τῶν παρθένων, αἱ μὲν μωραὶ ἀφρονέστατα ταραχθήσονται, ἐν οὐ καιρῷ ζητοῦσαι τὰ τοῦ καιροῦ, καὶ τὰς σβεννυμένας λαμπάδας ξένῳ κοσμεῖν ἐλαίῳ σπουδάζουσαι, αἷς ὁ νυμφὼν μὲν ἀποκλεισθήσεται. φωνὴ δὲ τοῦ ἀδεκάστου ἔνδοθεν ἠχήσει ἀπότομος· Οὐκ οἶδα ὑμᾶς. Ταυτὸν δὲ εἰπεῖν· Οὐκ ἀγαπῶ ὑμᾶς· οὐ γὰρ τοὺς ἐμοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἠγαπήκατε· οὐ τῆς ἀγάπης ἑαυτοῖς σύμβολα ἐπεδείξασθε· οὐ σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμῶν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐκινήσατε. ∆ιὸ ἡ κρίσις ἀνίλεως τῷ μὴ ποιήσαντι ἔλεος. Ἐπ' οὐδενὶ γὰρ, ὡς ἐλέῳ, ὁ συμπαθὴς θεραπεύομαι· Οὐδὲν ἁρπάζειν τὴν ἐμὴν καρδίαν οἶδεν, ἢ ἔλεος. Ἔλεον γὰρ θέλω, καὶ οὐ θυσίαν. Θύραν ἐλέου τοῖς χρῄζουσιν οὐκ ἠνοίξατε, οὐδ' ὑμῖν ἐκπετάσω τῶν ἐμῶν βασιλείων τὴν εἴσοδον. Ταῦτα τὰ τῶν ἀφρόνων γεώργια. Αἱ δὲ φρόνιμοι ἡτοιμάσθησαν, καὶ οὐκ ἐταράχθησαν. Παντοδαπῶν γὰρ ἀρετῶν τὰς σφῶν λαμπάδας ἐμπλήσασαι, καὶ τῷ ἐλαίῳ τῆς εὐποιίας ταύτας ἀφθόνως ἀρδεύσασαι, τῷ τε φωτιστικῷ πυρὶ τῆς ὀρθοδόξου ἀνάψασαι πίστεως, φαιδραὶ φαιδρῶς τῷ νυμφίῳ μεσούσης τῆς νυκτὸς ὑπαντήσασαι, ἐν τῷ θείῳ νυμφῶνι χορεύουσι, καὶ τῆς αὐτόθι χαρμονῆς ἀπολαύουσι, τῷ ἀχράντῳ νοερῶς ἀεὶ συναπτόμεναι, καὶ καθαρῶς τῷ καθαρῷ προσομιλεῖν ἀξιούμεναι. λϛʹ. Καὶ ὑμεῖς τοιγαροῦν, ὦ θεῖον καὶ ἱερὸν τοῦ μεγάλου ποιμένος, καὶ ἱερέως, καὶ θύματος ποίμνιον, λαὸς περιούσιος, βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα, οἱ τὸ κοινὸν ὄνομα ὡς Χριστοῦ δοῦλοι πλουτήσαντες, τῶν αὐτοῦ μεμνημένοι παθῶν τε, καὶ λόγων, καὶ πράξεων, τηρῶμεν αὐτοῦ τὰ ζωηφόρα ἐντάλματα. Ἔφη γάρ· Πιστεύετε εἰς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ εἰς ἐμὲ πιστεύετε. Καὶ ἄλλον· Παράκλητον ὁ Πατὴρ πέμψει 96.641 ὑμῖν, τὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας, ὃ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται. Πιστεύοντες οὖν, ἐκθύμως αὐτὸν ἀγαπήσωμεν. Ὁ γὰρ ἀγαπῶν με, φησὶν, ἀγαπηθήσεται ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρός μου, καὶ ἀγαπήσω αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐμφανίσω αὐτῷ ἐμαυτόν. λζʹ. Μισήσωμεν οὖν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ. Πᾶς ὅστις οὐχ ὁμολογεῖ τὸν Χριστὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Κύριον, ἀντίχριστός ἐστιν. Ἐάν τις εἴπῃ, ὅτι δοῦλός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς, κλείσωμεν τὰς ἀκοὰς, εἰδότες ὅτι ψευστής ἐστι, καὶ ἀλήθεια ἐν αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστιν. Ἐνέγκωμεν τὸν ὀνειδισμὸν αὐτοῦ, ὥσπερ δόξης διάδημα. Μακάριοι γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐστὲ, ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς, καὶ διώξωσι, καὶ εἴπωσι πᾶν πονηρὸν ῥῆμα καθ' ὑμῶν ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ. Χαίρετε, καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολύς ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Οὕτω