Macarius of Egypt, Homilies 7

Of various temptations, but when she gives birth, that is, is perfected, she rejoices continually with inexpressible joy, because a heavenly and new m

The birds of the sky flying in the air rest in it. likewise also is the life of souls, and the air of those having the wings of the spirit is above in

Prepares himself, is pained and distressed by not acting manfully such a one does not become a child of life, since he has not become an imitator and

Therefore, to always examine ourselves and to search our hearts, so that we may know our own faults, trusting in the deliverer of our souls, christ, t

Knowing that you do this not to a man but to god who said, he who hears you hears me, and in lying and withholding what you have brought to god do you

Of a greater judgment than the enumerated evils through such a renunciation, he would have freed the ascetic, together with the brotherhood, from labo

It is necessary to have unceasing remembrance of god and confidence, and so one will be able to wrestle against the evils that beset man, that is, the

For the intention sins when it comes to be with an evil purpose, and sometimes the deed also, when it is done corruptly, or not in the way it ought to

Of salt and if there is taste in empty words, not filled with the testimony of works? 54.9 of abandonments, then, one is for the sake of hidden virtu

I might bear away glory and honor. and paul says, if i do this willingly, i have no reward but if unwillingly, i am entrusted with a stewardship for

To him concerning us. for he only has need of our choice, since he is always ready to have mercy on us and enlighten us, if only we are willing to giv

Unspeakable, so that he weeps, and if the soul were able to leave the body, and to go to the lord. at other times again his soul rejoices within by th

He should bring his thoughts before god by night and day, and weep every hour in the presence of god, and being grieved he should reprove his own soul

of salt; and if there is taste in empty words, not filled with the testimony of works? 54.9 Of abandonments, then, one is for the sake of hidden virtue that it may be revealed, like that of Job, with God declaring and saying: Do not reject my judgment, nor think that I have dealt with you otherwise, but that you might be shown to be righteous. For you were known to me who sees hidden things, but since you were unknown to men who supposed that you served me because of your wealth, I brought on the trial, I reaped away the wealth, in order to show them your grateful philosophy. Another is for the aversion of pride, as in the case of Paul, for the blessed Paul was also abandoned, being cast into trials and buffetings and various afflictions, wherefore he also said: A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to buffet me, that I should not be exalted. lest with the wonders, the ease and abundance and honor that came to him should cast him into diabolical pride by making him conceited. The paralytic was also abandoned because of sins, to whom Christ says: Behold, you have been made well, sin no more. Judas was also abandoned, having preferred silver to the word of God, for which reason he also hanged himself. Esau was also abandoned, having fallen into licentiousness, and having preferred foul refuse to a paternal blessing. As the apostle, perceiving all these things, said concerning some: For since they did not see fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do what is not proper. But mentioning certain others who seemed to be in the knowledge of God but with a corrupt mind, he says thus: Who, knowing God, did not glorify him as God or give thanks, but their foolish heart was darkened. From this we know that it is impossible for one living piously to suffer a fall, unless he be stripped of the providence of God. 54.10 He also said this: that a mind that departs from the memory of God falls into either anger or desire. And he said desire is beastly, but anger is demonic. And when I objected and wondered if the human mind could be unceasingly with God, he said that in whatever divine thought or matter the soul is pious, it is with God. 54.11 And another of the saints said that every upright soul considers those who revile and afflict it more profitable than those who flatter and praise it. For licentiousness somehow loves quiet and health and peace and abundance; wherefore, being such, it shrinks from painful things like a leech. Glory to God, amen. 55. HOMILY 55 55.1 It should be known that there are some younger men who are prudent and intelligent and devout, and grace is with them. And behold, they begin to speak a word, and their word is good. And those who listen, being prudent, begin to praise and marvel and hold them in honor, since they speak the word of God. Yet evil is still with them in the mind, and it suggests to them to be ambitious and to take pleasure in praise, in order to make them vainglorious. 55.2 In the way that one turns away from the desire of the flesh and opposes it in the mind, so ought he in his mind and in his thoughts to oppose vainglory. And if he speaks from grace, and is compelled by someone to preach the word, he ought to be displeased and to flee as from a fire and to oppose his mind, so as to restrain it, lest through his word he be found vainglorious. For even Moses the servant of God, being compelled to speak and preach to Israel, refused, saying that I am not able to speak. Likewise also Jeremiah was compelled to speak, for his heart was burning like a fire, and he refused, saying I am a youth and I cannot, lest through prophesying

ἁλός· καὶ εἰ ἔστι γεῦσις ἐν ῥήμασι κενοῖς, μὴ πεπληρωμένοις τῇ μαρτυρίᾳ τῶν ἔργων; 54.9 τῶν οὖν ἐγκαταλείψεων ἡ μέν ἐστι διὰ κεκρυμμένην ἀρετὴν ἵνα φανερωθῇ, ὡς ἡ τοῦ Ἰώβ, τοῦ θεοῦ χρηματίζοντος καὶ λέγοντος Μὴ ἀποποιοῦ μου τὸ κρῖμα, μηδὲ οἴου με ἄλλως σοι κεχρηματικέναι, ἀλλ' ἵνα δίκαιος ἀναφανῇς· ἐμοὶ μὲν γὰρ ἦς γνωστὸς τῷ ὁρῶντι τὰ κρυπτά, ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἠγνοοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὑπονοοῦσι διὰ πλούτου σε θεραπεύειν με, ἐπήγαγον τὴν περίστασιν, ἐξεθέρισα τὸν πλοῦτον, ἵνα δείξω αὐτοῖς τὴν εὐχάριστόν σου φιλοσοφίαν· ἡ δὲ δι' ἀποτροπὴν ὑπερηφανίας, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ Παύλου, ἐγκατελείφθη γὰρ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, ἐν περιστάσεσι καὶ κολαφισμοῖς καὶ διαφόροις θλίψεσι βαλλόμενος, διὸ καὶ ἔλεγεν Ἐδόθη μοι σκόλοψ τῇ σαρκὶ, ἄγγελος Σατᾶν, ἵνα με κολαφίζῃ, ἵνα μὴ ὑπεραίρωμαι· μήποτε μετὰ τῶν θαυμάτων ἡ ἄνεσις καὶ εὐθηνία καὶ ἡ τιμὴ αὐτῷ προσγενομένη εἰς τῦφον αὐτὸν ἐμβάλλῃ διαβολικὸν χαυνω θέντα· ἐγκατελείφθη καὶ ὁ παράλυτος δι' ἁμαρτίας, ᾧ λέγει Χριστός Ἰδοὺ ὑγιὴς γέγονας, μηκέτι ἁμάρτανε· ἐγκατελείφθη καὶ Ἰούδας, προτιμήσας ἀργύριον τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου, διὸ καὶ ἀπήγξατο· ἐγκατελείφθη καὶ Ἠσαῦ περιπεσὼν ἀκολασίᾳ, καὶ προτιμήσας κόπρον πονηρὸν εὐλογίας πατρικῆς. ὡς πάντα ταῦτα συναισθόμενον τὸν ἀπόστολον εἰπεῖν περί τινων Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν τὸν θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει, παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα· ἑτέρων δέ τινων μνημονεύσας ἐν ἐπιγνώσει μὲν εἶναι δοκούντων θεοῦ μετὰ διεφθαρμένης δὲ γνώμης, οὕτω φησίν, Οἵτινες τὸν θεὸν ἐπιγνόντες, οὐχ ὡς θεὸν ἐδόξασαν ἢ εὐχαρίστησαν, ἀλλ' ἐσκοτίσθη ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία· ὡς ἐκ τούτου γιγνώσκειν ἡμᾶς ἀδύνατον εἶναι περιπεσεῖν πτώματι τὸν εὐσεβῶς βιοῦντα, εἰ μὴ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ γυμνωθῇ προνοίας. 54.10 ἔλεγε δὲ καὶ τοῦτο· ὅτι νοῦς ἀποστὰς μνήμης θεοῦ ἢ θυμῷ περιπίπτει, ἢ ἐπιθυμίᾳ· καὶ τὴν μὲν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔλεγε κτηνώδη, τὸν δὲ θυμὸν δαιμονιώδη· ἐμοῦ δὲ ἀντιλέγοντος καὶ θαυμάζοντος εἰ δυνήσεται νοῦς ἀνθρώπινος ἀδιαλείπτως εἶναι μετὰ θεοῦ, ἔλεγεν ὅτι ἐν οἵῳ δ' ἂν νοήματι ἢ πράγματι θεϊκῷ ἡ ψυχὴ εὐσεβεῖ, μετὰ θεοῦ ἐστίν. 54.11 ἔλεγε δὲ καὶ ἄλλος τις τῶν ἁγίων ὅτι πᾶσα ὀρθὴ ψυχὴ μᾶλλον τοὺς λοιδοροῦντας καὶ θλίβοντας ἐπικερδεῖς ἡγεῖται ἢ τοὺς κολακεύοντας καὶ δοξάζοντας· φιλεῖ γάρ πως ἡ ἀκολασία ἡσυχίαν καὶ ὑγείαν καὶ εἰρήνην καὶ εὐθηνίαν· διὸ τοιαύτη οὖσα, ἐν τοῖς λυπηροῖς ὡς βδέλλα συστέλλεται. δόξα τῷ θεῷ, ἀμήν. 55.τ ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΝΕ 55.1 ἰστέον ὅτι τινές εἰσι νεώτεροι φρόνιμοι καὶ συνετοὶ καὶ εὐλαβεῖς, καὶ σύνεστιν αὐτοῖς ἡ χάρις· καὶ ἴδε ἄρχονται λαλεῖν λόγον, καὶ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῖς καλός ἐστι· καὶ οἱ ἀκούοντες φρόνιμοι ὄντες ἄρχονται ἐπαινεῖν καὶ θαυμάζειν καὶ ἐντίμους αὐτοὺς ἔχειν, ἐπειδὴ λαλοῦσι λόγον θεοῦ· πλὴν τὸ κακὸν ἔτι σύνεστιν αὐτοῖς ἐν τῷ νῷ, καὶ ὑποβάλλει τοῦ φιλοδοξεῖν καὶ συνηδύνεσθαι ἐν τοῖς ἐπαίνοις, ἵνα ποιήσῃ αὐτοὺς κενοδοξεῖν. 55.2 ὃν τρόπον δέ τις ἀποστρέφεται ἐπιθυμίαν σαρκὸς καὶ ἀντιτάσσε ται τῷ νῷ, οὕτως ὀφείλει ἐν τῷ νῷ καὶ ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἀντιτάσσεσθαι τῇ κενοδοξίᾳ· καὶ εἰ ἀπὸ χάριτος λαλεῖ, καὶ ἀναγκάζεται ὑπό τινος κηρύσσειν τὸν λόγον, αὐτὸς ὀφείλει ἀηδίζεσθαι καὶ φεύγειν ὡς ἀπὸ πυρὸς καὶ ἀντιτάσσεσθαι τῷ νῷ, ὥστε ἐπέχειν αὐτόν, ἵνα μὴ διὰ τοῦ λόγου αὐτοῦ εὑρεθῇ κενοδοξῶν. καὶ γὰρ Μωσῆς ὁ θεράπων τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀναγκαζό μενος λαλεῖν καὶ κηρύσσειν τῷ Ἰσραήλ, παρῃτήσατο λέγων ὅτι Οὔκ εἰμι ἱκανὸς λαλῆσαι. ὁμοίως καὶ Ἱερεμίας ἠναγκάζετο εἰπεῖν, ἐκαίετο γὰρ ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ ὡς πῦρ, καὶ παρῃτήσατο λέγων Νεώτερός εἰμι καὶ οὐ δύναμαι, ἵνα μὴ διὰ τοῦ προφητεύειν