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God. Therefore also the blessed Stephen said to them: You always resist the Holy Spirit. Do you see how unclean are the unleavened breads? how unlawful is the Jewish feast? There was once a Jewish Passover, but it was dissolved. Then, he says, Jesus, while they were eating and drinking, taking bread in His holy and immaculate hands, having given thanks and broken it, said to His own disciples: Take, eat; this is my body which is broken for you and for many for the remission of sins. And again taking the cup, He gave it to them saying: This is my blood which is shed for you for the remission of sins. And Judas was also present when the Lord said this. This is the blood, O Judas, which you sold for thirty pieces of silver; this is the blood, for which a little while ago you made shameless agreements with the ungrateful Pharisees. Oh, how great is the love of Christ for mankind! Oh, the ingratitude of Judas! The Master was feeding, and the slave was selling; for the one sold Him, receiving thirty pieces of silver, but Christ poured out His own blood as a ransom for us, and gave it to the one who sold Him, if he had been willing. For Judas was also present before the betrayal, and partook of the holy table, and enjoyed the mystical supper. For just as He washed the feet of the disciples, so also Judas partook of the holy table, so that he might have no defense, but might receive condemnation. For he persisted in his wicked intention, and going out, instead of a kiss he wrought a betrayal, not remembering His benefactions, and after the betrayal he threw down the thirty pieces of silver, saying: I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. O blindness! You partook of the supper, and you betrayed the benefactor? And the Lord indeed willingly fulfilled what was written; but woe to him through whom the offense came. 2. But it is time now to approach this awesome and fearful table. Let us all, therefore, approach with a pure conscience; let there be no Judas here deceiving his neighbors, no one wicked, no one having poison hidden in his heart. Christ is present now also, adorning the table; for it is not a man who makes the offerings become the body and blood of Christ. The priest stands only fulfilling a role, and offers prayer; but the grace and the power is of God, who works all things. This is my body, he says. This word transforms the offerings. And just as that voice, which said, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, was a word, and became a deed, empowering human nature for procreation; 49.390 so also this voice, which says, constantly increases by grace those who worthily partake. Let no one therefore be deceitful, no one wicked, no one a robber, no one a reviler, no one a hater of his brother, no one a lover of money, no one a drunkard, no one greedy, no one a sodomite, no one envious, let no one be a slave to fornication, no one a thief, no one treacherous, lest he receive condemnation for himself. For then Judas unworthily partook of the mystical supper, and going out he betrayed the Lord, so that you may learn that upon those who unworthily partake of the mysteries, upon these especially the devil continually leaps, and they cast themselves into greater punishment. I say these things not only to frighten you, but also to make you more secure. For just as bodily food, when it enters a stomach having bad humors, further aggravates the disease; so also spiritual food, when partaken of unworthily, heaps up greater condemnation for oneself. Let no one therefore have wicked thoughts within, I beseech you, but let us cleanse our heart; for we are temples of God, if we are pure. Let us make our soul chaste; for it is possible to do this in a single day. How and in what way? If you have anything against your enemy, cast out your anger, dissolve the enmity, so that you may receive the healing of forgiveness from the table. You approach a sacrifice awesome and holy; Christ lies slain before you. But consider for what reason He was slain. O what mysteries you were deprived of, Judas! Christ suffered willingly, to break down the middle wall of partition, and to unite the things below with the things above, to make of angels

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Θεόν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Στέφανος ἔλεγε πρὸς αὐτούς· Ὑμεῖς ἀεὶ τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ ἀντιπίπτετε. Ὁρᾷς ὡς ἀκάθαρτα τὰ ἄζυμα; πῶς παράνομος ἡ ἑορτὴ ἡ Ἰουδαϊκή; Ἦν Πάσχα Ἰουδαϊκόν ποτε, ἀλλ' ἐλύθη. Τότε, φησὶν, Ὁ Ἰησοῦς,ἐσθιόντων αὐτῶν καὶ πινόντων, λαβὼν ἄρτον ἐπὶ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ ἀχράντων αὐτοῦ χειρῶν, εὐχαριστήσας καὶ κλάσας εἶπε τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς· Λάβετε, φάγετε· τοῦτό μου ἐστὶ τὸ σῶμα τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν καὶ πολλῶν κλώμενον εἰς ἄφεσιν ἀμαρτιῶν. Καὶ τὸ ποτήριον πάλιν λαβὼν, ἐδίδου αὐτοῖς λέγων· Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ αἷμά μου τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐκχεόμενον εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν. Καὶ παρῆν καὶ Ἰούδας τοῦτο λέγοντος τοῦ Κυρίου. Τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ αἷμα, ὦ Ἰούδα, ὅπερ ἐπώλησας τριάκοντα ἀργυρίων· τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ αἷμα, ὑπὲρ οὗ πρὸ μικροῦ τὰ ἀναιδῆ σύμφωνα ἐποίου πρὸς τοὺς ἀγνώμονας Φαρισαίους. Ὢ πόση ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ φιλανθρωπία! ὢ τῆς τοῦ Ἰούδα ἀγνωμοσύνης! ὁ ∆εσπότης ἔτρεφε, καὶ ὁ δοῦλος ἐπίπρασκεν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐπώλησεν αὐτὸν λαβὼν τριάκοντα ἀργύρια, ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς λυτρὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τὸ ἴδιον αἷμα ἐξέχεε, καὶ τῷ πεπρακότι δέδωκεν, εἴπερ ἠθέλησε. Καὶ γὰρ παρῆν καὶ Ἰούδας πρὸ τῆς προδοσίας, καὶ τῆς ἱερᾶς τραπέζης μετέσχε, καὶ τοῦ μυστικοῦ δείπνου ἀπήλαυσεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τοὺς πόδας τῶν μαθητῶν ἔνιψεν, οὕτω καὶ τῆς ἱερᾶς τραπέζης μετέσχεν Ἰούδας, ἵνα μηδεμίαν ἔχῃ ἀπολογίαν, ἀλλὰ κρῖμα λήψηται. Ἐπέμενε γὰρ τῇ πονηρᾷ γνώμῃ, καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἀντὶ φιλήματος προδοσίαν εἰργάσατο, μὴ μνησθεὶς τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ μετὰ τὴν προδοσίαν ἔῤῥιψε τὰ τριάκοντα ἀργύρια, λέγων· Ἥμαρτον παραδοὺς αἷμα ἀθῶον. Ὢ τύφλωσις! τοῦ δείπνου μετέσχες, καὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην παρέδωκας; Καὶ ὁ μὲν Κύριος ἑκὼν τὸ γεγραμμένον ἐπλήρου· Οὐαὶ δὲ δι' οὗ τὸ σκάνδαλον ἦλθεν. ʹ. Ἀλλὰ καιρὸς λοιπὸν τῇ φρικτῇ ταύτῃ καὶ φοβερᾷ τραπέζῃ προσιέναι. Πάντες τοίνυν μετὰ καθαροῦ συνειδότος προσέλθωμεν· μηδεὶς ἔστω Ἰούδας ἐνταῦθα δολιευόμενος τοὺς πλησίον αὐτοῦ, μηδεὶς πονηρὸς, μηδεὶς ἰὸν ἔχων ἐγκεκρυμμένον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ. Πάρεστι καὶ νῦν ὁ Χριστὸς τὴν τράπεζαν κοσμῶν· οὐ γὰρ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ ποιῶν τὰ προκείμενα γενέσθαι σῶμα καὶ αἷμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Σχῆμα πληρῶν μόνον ἕστηκεν ὁ ἱερεὺς, καὶ δέησιν προσφέρει· ἡ δὲ χάρις καὶ ἡ δύναμίς ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ πάντα ἐργαζομένη. Τοῦτό μου ἐστὶ τὸ σῶμα, φησί. Τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα τὰ προκείμενα μεταῤῥυθμίζει. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐκείνη ἡ φωνὴ, ἡ λέγουσα, Αὐξάνεσθε, καὶ πληθύνεσθε, καὶ πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν, ῥῆμα ἦν, καὶ ἐγένετο ἔργον, ἐνδυναμοῦσα τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν πρὸς παιδοποιίαν· 49.390 οὕτω καὶ αὕτη ἡ φωνὴ, ἡ λέγουσα, διαπαντὸς αὔξει τῇ χάριτι τοὺς ἀξίως μετέχοντας. Μηδεὶς τοίνυν ὕπουλος ἔστω, μηδεὶς πονηρὸς, μηδεὶς ἅρπαξ, μηδεὶς λοίδορος, μηδεὶς μισάδελφος, μηδεὶς φιλάργυρος, μηδεὶς μέθυσος, μηδεὶς πλεονέκτης, μηδεὶς ἀρσενοκοίτης, μηδεὶς φθονερὸς, μηδεὶς πορνείᾳ δουλευέτω, μηδεὶς κλέπτης, μηδεὶς ἐπίβουλος, ἵνα μὴ κρῖμα ἑαυτῷ λήψηται. Καὶ γὰρ τότε ὁ Ἰούδας ἀναξίως μετέσχε τοῦ μυστικοῦ δείπνου, καὶ ἐξελθὼν παρέδωκε τὸν Κύριον, ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι τοῖς ἀναξίως μετέχουσι τῶν μυστηρίων, τούτοις μάλιστα συνεχῶς ἐπιπηδᾷ ὁ διάβολος, καὶ εἰς μείζω τιμωρίαν ἑαυτοὺς ἐμβάλλουσι. Ταῦτα λέγω οὐχ ἵνα φοβήσω μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ ἀσφαλεστέρους ποιήσω. Καθάπερ γὰρ σωματικὴ τροφὴ, ὅταν εἰς γαστέρα χυμοὺς ἔχουσαν πονηροὺς ἐμπέσῃ, πλεῖον ἐπιτείνει τὴν νόσον· οὕτω καὶ ἡ πνευματικὴ τροφὴ, ὅταν ἀναξίως μετέχηται, πλέον κρῖμα ἑαυτῷ σωρεύει. Μηδεὶς τοίνυν πονηροὺς ἔνδον ἐχέτω λογισμοὺς, παρακαλῶ, ἀλλ' ἐκκαθάρωμεν ἡμῖν τὴν καρδίαν· καὶ γὰρ ναοὶ Θεοῦ ἐσμεν, ἐὰν καθαρεύωμεν. Ἁγνὴν ἡμῶν ποιήσωμεν τὴν ψυχήν· καὶ γὰρ δυνατόν ἐστι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι ἐν μιᾷ ἡμέρᾳ. Πῶς καὶ τίνι τρόπῳ; Ἐὰν ἔχῃς τι κατὰ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ, ἔξελε τὴν ὀργὴν, λῦσον τὴν ἔχθραν, ἵνα λάβῃς θεραπείαν ἀφέσεως ἀπὸ τῆς τραπέζης. Θυσίᾳ προσέρχῃ φρικτῇ καὶ ἁγίᾳ· ἐσφαγμένος πρόκειται ὁ Χριστός. Ἀλλ' ἐννόησον τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐσφάγη. Ὢ ποίων μυστηρίων ἐστερήθης, Ἰούδα! Χριστὸς ἑκὼν ἔπαθεν, ἵνα λύσῃ τὸ μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ, καὶ ἑνώσῃ τὰ κάτω τοῖς ἄνω, ἵνα ἀγγέλων ποιήσῃ