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in affliction; Remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom, was heard, and instead of a cross inhabited paradise, and became a citizen of heaven. He himself will also cry out to the Jews: O sons of men, how long will you be hard of heart? behold the creation suffering with the creator. If, having seen Lazarus running from the tomb after four days, you did not believe, now at least worship the power of the Crucified One; the earthquake raised the dead, and you are asleep in unbelief. Why are you hard of heart? This on the one hand is because you were not pierced by the miracles, this on the other is because out of foolishness you are grievously angry against Christ. Scripture is a witness, saying: A stone is heavy, and sand is hard to bear; but a fool’s anger is heavier; because he is neither charmed by admonition, and seeing miracles he becomes angry. Why do you love vanity, preferring Barabbas to Christ, the murderer over the life-giver, the kingdom of Caesar over the kingdom of heaven, sin, heavier than the sand of the seashore, over righteousness, the temporary things over the eternal, corruption over incorruption? But in addition to these things you also seek falsehood, buying false witnesses to speak against the truth: We found this man perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar. He stirs up the people, teaching. If this man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered him to you. And what evil did he do? that he healed the sick, that he cast out demons, that he raised the dead, that from five loaves he fed as many thousands in the desert, besides women and children? The food is still in the throat and the lie in the mouth. And to those who were estranged with Absalom David said: Why were you led away with the disorderly child? Why do you anoint the son against his father? Why did you follow the vain counsel of Ahithophel? If he who speaks evil of father or mother is worthy of death, how many times is a son who sharpens a sword against his father worthy to die? Why then do you love vanity and seek falsehood? He now calls falsehood every vain thing, that which has a swift fall and change. But the sons of men are vain, the sons of men are false in the balances, to do injustice. INTERPRETATION OF PSALM 5. For the end, for her who inherits, a psalm of David. For the end, a hymn of thanksgiving is sung for the soul being led, that is, the Church, to the divine inheritance prepared for the servants of God. For there is an inheritance for those who serve the Lord; And this is not corruptible nor consists in perceptible wealth. For it is said that its heirs are brought into an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven. The Savior, calling the worthy to this: Come, you on my right, as the blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you. He who recites the present psalm, having conceived a love for this, sends up a prayer to God who prepared it, that he might be deemed worthy to be shown its heir according to the new covenant; as the inscription "for her who inherits" also signifies concerning his own soul. Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my cry. Now, the words proclaimed through the mouth are heard by the ears and given ear to; but the cry is not through words, even if they claim with their lips to know and confess the God over all; but in their own heart, that is, in their mind; there was not one true thought about God. Such, then, was all of life before the coming of our Savior. But most truly a fool
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θλίψει· Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου, εἰσηκούσθη, καὶ ἀντὶ σταυροῦ τὸν παράδεισον ᾤκησε, καὶ πολίτης γέγονε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Αὐτὸς καὶ πρὸς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους βοήσεται· Υἱοὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἕως πότε βαρυκάρδιοι; θεάσασθε τὴν κτίσιν τῷ κτίστῃ συμπάσχουσαν. Εἰ, τὸν Λάζαρον τετραήμερον ἀπὸ τοῦ τάφου τρέχοντα ἰδόντες, οὐκ ἐπιστεύσατε, νῦν γοῦν προσκυνήσατε τοῦ Σταυρωθέντος τὴν δύναμιν· νεκροὺς ὁ σεισμὸς ἀνέστησεν, καὶ ὑμεῖς τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ καθεύδετε. ∆ιὰ τί βαρυκάρδιοι; Τοῦτο μὲν διὰ τὸ μὴ κατανυγῆναι τοῖς θαύμασιν, τοῦτο δὲ διὰ τὸ ἐξ ἀφροσύνης βαρέως κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὀργίζεσθε. Μάρτυς ἡ Γραφὴ εἰποῦσα· Βαρὺ λίθος καὶ δυσβάστακτος ἄμμος· ὀργὴ δὲ ἄφρονος βαρυτέρα· ὅτι οὔτε νουθεσίᾳ θέλγεται, καὶ θαύματα βλέπων ὀργίζεται. Ἵνα τί ἀγαπᾶτε ματαιότητα, τὸν Βαραββὰν τοῦ Χριστοῦ προτιμήσαντες, τὸν φονέα ὑπὲρ τὸν ζωοποιὸν, τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Καίσαρος ὑπὲρ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν, τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τὴν ἄμμου παραλίας βαρυτέραν ὑπὲρ τὴν δικαιοσύνην, τὰ πρόσκαιρα ὑπὲρ τὰ αἰώνια, τὴν φθορὰν ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν; Ἀλλὰ πρὸς τούτοις καὶ ζητεῖσθε ψεῦδος, ψευδομάρτυρας ἐξωνούμενοι κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας λέγοντας· Τοῦτον εὕρομεν διαστρέφοντα τὸ ἔθνος, καὶ κωλύοντα τῷ Καίσαρι φόρον διδόναι. Ἀνασείει τὸν λαὸν διδάσκων. Εἰ μὴ ἦν οὗτος κακοποιὸς, οὐκ ἄν σοι παρεδώκαμεν αὐτόν. Καὶ τί ἐκακοποίησεν; ὅτι νοσοῦντας ἰάσατο, ὅτι δαίμονας ἐφυγάδευσεν, ὅτι νεκροὺς ἤγειρεν, ὅτι ἐκ πέντε ἄρτων ἰσαρίθμους χιλιάδας ἐν ἐρήμῳ διέθρεψε χωρὶς γυναικῶν καὶ παίδων; Ἔτι ἡ τροφὴ ἐν τῷ λάρυγγι καὶ τὸ ψεῦδος ἐν τῷ στόματι. Καὶ τοῖς τῷ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ συναποξενωθεῖσιν ἔλεγεν ὁ ∆αυΐδ· Τί τῷ ἀτάκτῳ παιδὶ συναπήχθητε; Τί τὸν Υἱὸν κατὰ πατρὸς ἀλείφετε; Τί τῇ ματαίᾳ βουλῇ τοῦ Ἀχιτόφελ ἠκολουθήσατε; Εἰ ὁ κακολογῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα θανάτου ἄξιος, ὁ κατὰ πατρὸς ἀκονῶν ξίφος υἱὸς ποσάκις ἐστὶν ἄξιος ἀποθανεῖν; Ἵνα τί οὖν ἀγαπᾶτε ματαιότητα καὶ ζητεῖτε ψεῦδος; Ψεῦδος λέγει νῦν πᾶν πρᾶγμα μάταιον, ταχεῖαν τὴν πτῶσιν καὶ μεταβολὴν ἔχον. Πλὴν μάταιοι οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ψευδεῖς οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν ζυγοῖς, τοῦ ἀδικῆσαι. ΕΡΜΗΝΕΙΑ ΨΑΛΜΟΥ Εʹ. Εἰς τὸ τέλος ὑπὲρ τῆς κληρονομούσης ψαλμὸς τῷ ∆αυΐδ. Εἰς τὸ τέλος χαριστήριος ὕμνος ᾄδεται ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀγομένης ψυχῆς, ἤτοι Ἐκκλησίας, εἰς θείαν κληρονομίαν ἡτοιμασμένην τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ θεραπευταῖς. Ἐστὶ γὰρ κληρονομία τοῖς θεραπεύουσι Κύριον· Ἔστι δὲ αὕτη οὐ φθαρτὴ καὶ ἐν αἰσθητῷ πλούτῳ ἔχουσα εἶναι. Εἴρηται γὰρ εἰσάγεσθαι τοὺς ταύτης κληρονόμους εἰς κληρονομίαν ἄφθαρτον καὶ ἀμίαντον καὶ ἀμάραντον, τετηρημένην ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Εἰς ταύτην τοὺς ἀξίους καλῶν ὁ Σωτήρ· ∆εῦτε ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, εἶπερ οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ Πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἡτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν. Ταύτης ἔρωτα λαβὼν ὁ τὸν ἐγκείμενον ψαλμὸν λέγων, εὐχὴν ἀναπέμπει τῷ εὐτρεπίσαντι αὐτὴν Θεῷ, ἵνα ἀξιωθῇ κληρονόμος αὐτῆς κατὰ τὴν καινὴν διαθήκην ἀναδειχθῆναι· ὡς καὶ περὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ ψυχῆς σημαίνει τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν τὴν ὑπὲρ τῆς κληρονομούσης. Τὰ ῥήματά μου ἐνωτίσαι, Κύριε, σύνες τῇ κραυγῇ μου. Τὰ μὲν οὖν ῥήματα διὰ στόματος ἐπαγγελλόμενα ὠσὶν ἀκούεται καὶ ἐνωτίζεται· ἡ δὲ κραυγὴ οὐ διὰ τῶν λόγων, κἂν αὐτοὶ εἰδέναι καὶ ὁμολογεῖν τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὸν τοῖς χείλεσι φάσκοιεν· ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ἑαυτῶν, τουτέστιν ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ· οὐδὲ μία τις ἀληθὴς περὶ Θεοῦ ὑπῆρχεν ἔννοια. Τοιοῦτος μὲν οὖν ἐτύγχανεν πᾶς ὁ πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παρουσίας βίος. Ἄφρων δὲ ἀληθέστατα