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the indivisible. Faith in this, therefore, grants the forgiveness of sins; this confession bestows upon us the adoption as sons. 2.27 And the things that happen after this are sufficient to teach us from what they have been freed, and what they have obtained, who have been deemed worthy of this mystical rite. For as soon as they come up from those sacred waters, all who are present embrace them, greet them, kiss them, rejoice with them, and congratulate them, because those who were formerly slaves and captives have suddenly become free men and sons, and have been called to the royal table. For after their ascent from there, they are immediately led to the awesome table, which is full of countless good things, and they taste of the body and of the blood of the Lord, and become a dwelling place of the Spirit, and just as if they were clothed in Christ himself, so they go about, appearing everywhere like earthly angels and shining against the rays of the sun. 2.28 All these things I have taught your love beforehand, not in vain or at random, but so that even before the enjoyment you might reap great pleasure, already winged by hope, and you might adopt a mindset worthy of what is happening and, as the blessed Paul exhorted, you may set your minds on things above and transfer your thoughts from the earth to heaven, from the things that are seen to the things that are not seen. But we see these things more clearly with our spiritual eyes than by the sight of our senses. 2.29 But when you come near to the royal vestibules and are about to approach the throne where the king sits who distributes the gifts, show all eagerness in your requests, nothing of this life, nothing human, but making the request worthy of the one who gives. Therefore, stepping into those divine waters and showing the symbol of the resurrection through the ascent from there, ask for his assistance so that you may show great safeguarding of the things gifted to you, so that you may become unconquerable by the machinations of the evil one. Plead for the peace of the churches, supplicate for those still wandering, fall down on behalf of those in sin so that we might be deemed worthy of some mercy. For he who imparted to you such great boldness, and enrolled you among his first friends, and raised to adoption as sons those who were formerly captives and slaves and without boldness, will not refuse your requests but will provide all things to you, imitating his own goodness in this also. 2.30 And in this way especially you will draw him to greater goodwill. For when he sees you showing such great care for your members and being concerned for the salvation of the rest, for this reason also he will deem you worthy of great boldness. For nothing so gladdens him as our being compassionate towards our members and showing great affection towards the brethren and exercising great providence for the salvation of our neighbors. 2.31 Knowing these things, therefore, beloved, with joy and spiritual gladness prepare yourselves for the reception of grace, so that you too may enjoy the bountiful gift, and so that we all in common, having shown a way of life worthy of the grace, may be counted worthy to attain the eternal and ineffable good things, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, might, honor, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

3.t Sermon 3 A homily of the same, delivered to the newly-illuminated. 3.1 Blessed is God; behold, stars also appear from the earth, stars of the

heavens more radiant. Stars on earth on account of the one from heaven who appeared on earth; not only stars on earth, but also stars in the day; this is a second wonder. Stars in the day more radiant than those in the night. For those, when the sun has appeared,

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ἡ ἀδιαίρετος. Ἡ εἰς ταύτην τοίνυν πίστις τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τὴν ἄφεσιν χαρίζεται, αὕτη ἡ ὁμολογία τὴν υἱοθεσίαν ἡμῖν δωρεῖται. 2.27 Καὶ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ γινόμενα ἱκανὰ διδάξαι ἡμᾶς τίνων μὲν ἠλευθερώθησαν, τίνων δὲ τετυχήκασιν οἱ τῆς μυστικῆς τελετῆς ταύτης καταξιωθέντες. Εὐθέως γὰρ ἀνιόντας αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἱερῶν ἐκείνων ναμάτων πάντες οἱ παρόντες περιπλέκονται, ἀσπάζονται, καταφιλοῦσι, συνήδονται, συγχαίρουσιν ὅτι οἱ πρότερον δοῦλοι καὶ αἰχμάλωτοι ἀθρόον ἐλεύθεροι καὶ υἱοὶ γεγόνασι καὶ εἰς τὴν βασιλικὴν ἐκλήθησαν τράπεζαν. Μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἄνοδον εὐθέως ἐπὶ τὴν τράπεζαν ἄγονται τὴν φρικτὴν καὶ μυρίων γέμουσαν ἀγαθῶν καὶ τοῦ σώματος ἀπογεύονται καὶ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ δεσποτικοῦ καὶ οἰκητήριον γίνονται τοῦ Πνεύματος καὶ καθάπερ αὐτὸν τὸν Χριστὸν ἐνδεδυμένοι οὕτω περιΐασιν, ὥσπερ ἄγγελοί τινες ἐπίγειοι πανταχοῦ φαινόμενοι καὶ ταῖς ἀκτῖσι τοῦ ἡλίου ἀντιλάμποντες. 2.28 Ταῦτα πάντα οὐ μάτην οὐδὲ εἰκῇ προλαβὼν ἐδίδαξα τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἀπολαύσεως πολλὴν καρπώσησθε τὴν ἡδονὴν ἤδη τῇ ἐλπίδι πτερούμενοι καὶ φρόνημα ἀναλάβητε ἄξιον τῶν γινομένων καὶ καθὼς παρῄνεσεν ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, τὰ ἄνω φρονήσητε καὶ μεταστήσητε ὑμῶν τὸν λογισμὸν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, ἀπὸ τῶν ὁρωμένων ἐπὶ τὰ μὴ ὁρώμενα. Σαφέστερον δὲ ταῦτα τῶν αἰσθητῶν ὄψεων βλέπομεν τοῖς πνευματικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς. 2.29 Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὰν πλησίον γένησθε τῶν προθύρων τῶν βασιλικῶν καὶ μέλλητε αὐτῷ προσεγγίζειν τῷ θρόνῳ ἔνθα προκάθηται ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ τὰς δωρεὰς διανέμων, πᾶσαν φιλοτιμίαν περὶ τὰς αἰτήσεις ἐπιδείξασθε, μηδὲν βιωτικόν, μηδὲν ἀνθρώπινον, ἀλλ' ἀξίαν τὴν αἴτησιν τοῦ παρέχοντος ποιούμενοι. Ἐπιβαίνοντες τοίνυν τῶν θείων ἐκείνων ναμάτων καὶ τὸ σύμβολον τῆς ἀναστάσεως διὰ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἀνόδου ἐπιδεικνύμενοι, αἰτήσατε τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ συμμαχίαν ὥστε πολλὴν ὑμᾶς τὴν φυλακὴν τῶν δεδωρημένων ὑμῖν ἐπιδείξασθαι, ὥστε ἀχειρώτους γενέσθαι ταῖς τοῦ πονηροῦ μηχαναῖς. Περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν παρακαλέσατε, περὶ τῶν ἔτι πλανωμένων ἱκετεύσατε, περὶ τῶν ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ὄντων προσπέσετε ὥστε φειδοῦς τινος ἡμᾶς ἀξιωθῆναι. Ὁ γὰρ τοσαύτης ὑμῖν μεταδοὺς παρρησίας καὶ εἰς τοὺς πρώτους τῶν φίλων ἐγγράψας καὶ εἰς τὴν υἱοθεσίαν ἀναγαγών, τοὺς πρότερον αἰχμαλώτους καὶ δούλους καὶ ἀπαρρησιάστους, οὐκ ἀνανεύσει πρὸς τὰς ὑμετέρας αἰτήσεις ἀλλὰ πάντα ὑμῖν παρέξει, τὴν οἰκείαν ἀγαθότητα καὶ ἐν τούτῳ μιμούμενος. 2.30 Καὶ ταύτῃ μάλιστα εἰς πλείονα αὐτὸν εὔνοιαν ἐπισπάσεσθε. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδῃ τοσαύτην ὑμᾶς κηδεμονίαν ποιουμένους τῶν ὑμετέρων μελῶν καὶ τῆς τῶν λοιπῶν σωτηρίας φροντίζοντας, πολλῆς ὑμᾶς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀξιώσει τῆς παρρησίας. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως αὐτὸν εὐφραίνει ὡς τὸ συμπαθεῖς ἡμᾶς εἶναι περὶ τὰ μέλη τὰ ἡμέτερα καὶ πολλὴν φιλοστοργίαν περὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἐπιδείκνυσθαι καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν πλησίον πολλὴν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν πρόνοιαν. 2.31 Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδότες, ἀγαπητοί, μετὰ χαρᾶς καὶ εὐφροσύνης πνευματικῆς πρὸς τὴν ὑποδοχὴν τῆς χάριτος ἑαυτοὺς εὐτρεπίσατε ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς δαψιλοῦς τῆς δωρεᾶς ἀπολαύσητε καὶ κοινῇ πάντες ἀξίαν τῆς χάριτος τὴν πολιτείαν ἐπιδειξάμενοι τῶν αἰωνίων καὶ ἀπορρήτων ἐπιτυχεῖν ἀγαθῶν καταξιωθῶμεν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμή, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

3.t ΛΟΓΟΣ Γʹ Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ὁμιλία λεχθεῖσα πρὸς νεοφωτίστους. 3.1 Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεός· ἰδοὺ καὶ ἀπὸ γῆς ἀστέρες φαίνουσιν, ἀστέρες τῶν

οὐρανῶν φαιδρότεροι. Ἐπὶ γῆς ἀστέρες διὰ τὸν ἐξ οὐρανῶν ἐπὶ γῆς φανέντα· οὐκ ἐπὶ γῆς δὲ μόνον ἀστέρες, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἀστέρες· τοῦτο δεύτερον θαῦμα. Ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἀστέρες τῶν ἐν νυκτὶ φαιδρότεροι. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ τοῦ ἡλίου φανέντος