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before the Judge arrives, and especially those who have dared things contrary to nature, considering how punishments will succeed such people, if they do not repent with toil in proportion to their offense. Remember the Apostle crying out, that the Unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God, neither fornicators nor adulterers nor the effeminate nor homosexuals will inherit the kingdom of God. And for what reason were they broken down into this grievous fall? Tell us, Paul. Because, he says, they did not see fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves. Do you see the cause of the terrible fall? For this reason the same apostle advises us not to be desirers of evil things, nor slaves of passions; For by whatever a man is overcome, to this he is enslaved. For this reason one must always pray, always weep and lament, so that the Lord may deliver us from the evil mindset of this body of death; and may we desire at least sometime those truly desirable things, into which even angels desire to look.

8. Let us also long for these things, and let us be eager to repent, and through repentance become spotless again, just as before falling. For such is the nature and the power of the precious possession of repentance; it restores the penitent again to the first honor which he had before the error. I dare to say, that some have even become higher. Having labored much, and having wept more abundantly, they washed away the stench of sin according to the one who says: You will wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. But there is need of much zeal, because at an hour we do not know, the one who demands will seize, and there is no one to deliver. Whence the divine voice unceasingly cries, Be ready. You who are appointed to judge, flee from judging, as the Lord says, Do not judge; and do not refuse one who is again being thoroughly exhausted, but remember the Lord who says: Do not judge by appearance, but judge righteous judgment; and again: Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. But if, while judging another, you do the same things, you will not escape the judgment of God.

Hear the Apostle rebuking such people and saying: Therefore you are without excuse, O man, whoever you are who judges those who practice such things, and do them; for in what you judge another, you condemn yourself. You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach not to steal, do you steal? You who say not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? First cast the beam out of your own eye, as the Lord said; For with what judgment, he says, you judge, you will be judged. See therefore, you who judge, that you do not take gifts against the innocent; for it is written: Woe to those who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous. If therefore any of the judges and rulers should find himself guilty in these things, let him hasten through repentance to make himself blameless; for behold, the judge of judges stands before the doors. Therefore let us no longer judge one another, but let us love one another, let us help one another, let us pray for one another, that we may be healed from here by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If anyone is enslaved to temper and anger, hear the Apostle saying: Let all bitterness and wrath and anger be put away from you; and again: The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God; and again, Put away anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. But before all, also hear the prophet exhorting you: Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Then Solomon also says: Do not associate with an angry man. For such a one is not a servant of God, but of the passion that possesses him, as it is written: For by whatever one is overcome, to this he is also enslaved. And

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πρὶν τὸν Κριτὴν παραγενέσθαι, καὶ μάλιστα παρὰ φύσιν τολμήσαντες, λογιζόμενοι πῶς αἱ κολάσεις τοὺς τοιούτους διαδέξονται, ἐὰν μὴ ἐμπόνως κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τοῦ πταίσματος μετανοήσωσι. Μνημονεύετε τοῦ Ἀποστόλου βοῶντος, ὅτι Ἄδικοι βασιλείαν Θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν, οὔτε πόρνοι οὔτε μοιχοὶ οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται βασιλείαν Θεοῦ οὐ κληρονομήσουσι. Καὶ ἐκ ποίας αἰτίας εἰς τὸ χαλεπὸν τοῦτο πτῶμα κατεῤῥάγησαν; εἰπὲ, Παῦλε. ∆ιότι, φησὶν, Οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν ἔχειν τὸν Θεὸν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει, παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῶν καρδιῶν αὐτῶν εἰς ἀκαθαρσίαν τοῦ ἀτιμάζεσθαι τὰ σώματα αὐτῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς. Εἶδες τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ δεινοῦ πτώματος; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο παραινεῖ ὁ αὐτὸς ἀπόστολος μὴ εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἐπιθυμητὰς κακῶν, μηδὲ δούλους παθῶν· Ὧ γάρ τις ἥττηται, τούτῳ καὶ δεδούλωται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δεῖ πάντοτε προσεύχεσθαι, πάντοτε δακρύειν καὶ θρηνεῖν, ὅπως ῥύσηται ἡμᾶς ὁ Κύριος ἐκ τοῦ κακοῦ φρονήματος τοῦ σώματος τοῦ θανάτου τούτου· καὶ ἐπιθυμήσωμεν κἄν ποτε τὰ ὄντως ἐπιθυμητὰ ἐκεῖνα, εἰς ἃ καὶ ἄγγελοι ἐπιθυμοῦσι παρακύψαι.

ηʹ. Ταῦτα καὶ ἡμεῖς ποθήσωμεν, καὶ σπουδάσωμεν μετανοῆσαι, καὶ διὰ τῆς μετανοίας πάλιν ἄσπιλοι γενέσθαι, καθὼς καὶ πρὸ τοῦ καταπεσεῖν. Τοιοῦτον γάρ ἐστι τὸ εἶδος καὶ ἡ δύναμις τοῦ τιμίου κτήματος τῆς μετανοίας· εἰς τὴν πρώτην τιμὴν, ἣν εἶχε πρὸ τοῦ σφάλματος, ἀποκαθιστᾷ πάλιν τὸν μετανοοῦντα. Τολμῶ εἰπεῖν, ὅτι καὶ ὑψηλότεροί τινες γεγόνασι. Πολλὰ κοπιάσαντες, καὶ περισσοτέρως δακρύσαντες, ἀπέπλυναν τὴν δυσωδίαν τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατὰ τὸν λέγοντα· Πλυνεῖς με, καὶ ὑπὲρ χιόνα λευκανθήσομαι. Σπουδῆς δὲ πολλῆς χρεία, ὅτι ᾗ ὥρᾳ οὐκ οἴδαμεν, ὁ ἀπαιτῶν ἁρπάσει, καὶ οὐδεὶς ὁ ῥυόμενος. Ὅθεν ἡ θεία φωνὴ ἀπαύστως βοᾷ, Γίνεσθε ἕτοιμοι. Ὁ κρίνειν λαχὼν, φεῦγε τοῦ κρίνειν, τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος, Μὴ κρίνετε· καὶ μὴ παραιτοῦ πάλιν διακαταπονούμενον, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Κυρίου μνημόνευε τοῦ λέγοντος· Μὴ κρίνετε κατ' ὄψιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν δικαίαν κρίσιν κρίνατε· καὶ πάλιν· Μὴ καταδικάσητε, καὶ οὐ μὴ καταδικασθῆτε. Εἰ δὲ τὸν ἕτερον κρίνων σὺ τὰ αὐτὰ πράσσεις, οὐκ ἐκφεύξεις τὸ κρῖμα τοῦ Θεοῦ.

Ἄκουε τοῦ Ἀποστόλου ἐπιπλήττοντος τοὺς τοιούτους καὶ λέγοντος· ∆ιὸ ἀναπολόγητος εἶ, ἄνθρωπε, ὁ κρίνων τοὺς τοιαῦτα πράσσοντας, καὶ ποιῶν αὐτά· ἐν ᾧ γὰρ κρίνεις τὸν ἕτερον, ἑαυτὸν κατακρίνεις. Ὁ οὖν διδάσκων ἕτερον, σεαυτὸν οὐ διδάσκεις; ὁ κηρύσσων μὴ κλέπτειν, κλέπτεις; ὁ λέγων μὴ μοιχεύειν, μοιχεύεις; Ἔκβαλε πρῶτον τὴν δοκὸν ἐκ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ σου, καθὼς ἔφη ὁ Κύριος· Ἐν ᾧ γὰρ, φησὶ, κρίματι κρίνετε, κριθήσεσθε. Ὅρα οὖν ὁ κρίνων, μὴ λάβῃς δῶρα ἐπ' ἀθώοις· γέγραπται γάρ· Οὐαὶ οἱ δικαιοῦντες τὸν ἀσεβῆ ἕνεκεν δώρων, καὶ τὸ δίκαιον τοῦ δικαίου αἴροντες. Εἴ τις οὖν τῶν δικαστῶν καὶ κριτῶν εὕροι ἑαυτὸν ἔνοχον ἐν τούτοις, σπουδάσῃ διὰ μετανοίας ἑαυτὸν ἀνέγκλητον ποιῆσαι· ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὁ κριτὴς τῶν κριτῶν πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν ἕστηκε. Μηκέτι οὖν ἀλλήλους κρίνωμεν, ἀλλ' ἀλλήλους ἀγαπήσωμεν, ἀλλήλοις βοηθήσωμεν, ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων εὐξώμεθα, ὅπως ἰαθῶμεν ἀπεντεῦθεν χάριτι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

Εἴ τις τῷ θυμῷ καὶ τῇ ὀργῇ δεδούλωται, ἄκουε τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγοντος· Πᾶσα πικρία καὶ θυμὸς καὶ ὀργὴ ἀρθήτω ἀφ' ὑμῶν· καὶ πάλιν· Ὀργὴ ἀνδρὸς δικαιοσύνην Θεοῦ οὐ κατεργάζεται· καὶ πάλιν, Ἀπόθεσθε ὀργὴν, θυμὸν, κακίαν, βλασφημίαν, αἰσχρολογίαν ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν. Προηγουμένως δὲ ἄκουε καὶ τοῦ προφήτου παραινοῦντός σε· Παῦσαι ἀπὸ ὀργῆς, καὶ ἐγκατάλειπε θυμόν. Εἶτα καὶ ὁ Σολομών φησιν· Ἀνδρὶ θυμώδει μὴ συναυλίζου. Ὁ γὰρ τοιοῦτος οὐκ ἔστι δοῦλος Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τοῦ κατέχοντος αὐτὸν πάθους, καθὼς γέγραπται· Ὧ γὰρ ἥττηται, τούτῳ καὶ δεδούλωται. Καὶ