19

with these spiritual ears of corn. But consider with me, beloved, the excess of grace. For behold, in one night, how many this spiritual mother has brought forth all at once. And do not marvel; for such are the spiritual birth pangs; they do not need time and a period of months. 4.2 Come, then, let us also rejoice with her and share in her gladness. For if there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, much more is it fitting for us to leap for joy and be glad and glorify the philanthropic God for His inexpressible gift. For truly the magnitude of God's gifts surpasses all speech. What mind, what thought, what reasoning will be able to comprehend the excess of God's philanthropy and the magnitudes of the ineffable gifts which He has graciously given to human nature. 4.3 For those who yesterday and formerly were slaves of sin and without confidence and under the tyranny of the devil, and like captives were thus led and led about, behold, today they have been received into the rank of sons and, having laid aside the burdens of their sins and put on the royal robe, they almost shine in opposition to heaven itself, and having been seen brighter than these stars, their light illumines the eyes of those who look upon them. For those appear only at night; but in the day they could never appear. But these shine equally both at night and in the day, for they are spiritual stars, and they rival the very light of the sun, or rather, they surpass even this by a great measure. For although the Lord Christ used this image to show the brightness of the just in the age to come, saying: "Then the just will shine like the sun," it is not because they shine only so much, but because it was not possible to find another perceptible example brighter than this, for this reason He compared the lot of the just to this image. 4.4 Let us, therefore, today embrace these who are able to shine more than the stars, who shine in opposition to the rays of the sun, and let us not only enfold them with these bodily hands, but also through spiritual exhortation let us show our tender affection for them and let us exhort them, considering the excess of the Lord's generosity and the brightness of the garment which they have been counted worthy to put on. "For as many of you," it says, "as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ," so, therefore, to do and perform all things as having Christ, the creator of all and Lord of our nature, dwelling within. And when I say Christ, I also mean the Father and the Holy Spirit. For He Himself promised, saying: "If anyone loves me and keeps my commandments, my Father and I will come and make our home with him." 4.5 Such a one, therefore, even if he walks on earth, will be disposed as if he were living in heaven, thinking of the things above, imagining the things above, no longer fearing the plots of the evil demon. For when the devil sees such a great change, and that those who were formerly under his dominion have been raised to such a height and have been deemed worthy of such philanthropy from the Lord, he goes away ashamed, not even daring to look back; for he cannot bear the flashes that sparkle from them, but blinded in his eyes by the splendor of the light emitted from them, he goes away, having turned his back. 4.6 But you, new soldiers of Christ, who have today been enrolled as citizens of heaven, who have been called to this spiritual feast and are about to enjoy the royal table, show a zeal worthy of the magnitude of the gifts, so that you may also draw down more grace from above. For our Lord, being philanthropic, whenever He sees us being grateful for what has already been provided and showing great care concerning the magnitude of the gifts, He lavishes His grace, and even if we contribute some small thing, He honors us with great gifts. 4.7 Since also Paul of the world

19

στάχυσι τούτοις τοῖς πνευματικοῖς. Σκόπει δέ μοι, ἀγαπητέ, τῆς χάριτος τὴν ὑπερβολήν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἐν μιᾷ νυκτὶ πόσους ἀθρόον ἀπέτεκεν ἡ πνευματικὴ αὕτη μήτηρ. Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς· τοιαῦται γὰρ αἱ ὠδῖνες αἱ πνευματικαί· οὐ δέονται χρόνου καὶ περιόδου μηνῶν. 4.2 Φέρε οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς συνησθῶμεν καὶ κοινωνήσωμεν αὐτῇ τῆς εὐφροσύνης. Εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι χαρὰ γίνεται ἐν οὐρανῷ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τοσούτῳ πλήθει προσήκει σκιρτᾶν ἡμᾶς καὶ εὐφραίνεσθαι καὶ δοξάζειν τὸν φιλάνθρωπον Θεὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνεκδιηγήτῳ αὐτοῦ δωρεᾷ. Καὶ γὰρ ἀληθῶς πάντα λόγον ὑπερβαίνει τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεῶν τὸ μέγεθος. Ποῖος νοῦς, ποία διάνοια, ποῖος λογισμὸς καταλαβεῖν δυνήσεται τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας τὴν ὑπερβολὴν καὶ τῶν ἀφάτων δωρεῶν τὰ μεγέθη ἃ τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσει κεχάρισται. 4.3 Οἱ γὰρ χθὲς καὶ πρώην δοῦλοι τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ ἀπαρρησίαστοι καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν τυραννίδα τοῦ διαβόλου τυγχάνοντες καὶ καθάπερ αἰχμάλωτοι οὕτως ἀγόμενοι καὶ περιαγόμενοι, ἰδοὺ σήμερον εἰς τὴν τῶν υἱῶν τάξιν ἐδέχθησαν καὶ τὰ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἀποθέμενοι φορτία καὶ τὴν βασιλικὴν ἐνδυσάμενοι στολήν, αὐτῷ σχεδὸν ἀντιλάμπουσι τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ φαιδρότερον τῶν ἀστέρων τούτων ὀφθέντες τὸ φῶς καταυγάζουσι τῶν εἰς αὐτοὺς ὁρώντων τὰς ὄψεις. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ ἐν νυκτὶ μόνον φαίνουσιν· ἐν ἡμέρᾳ δὲ οὐκ ἄν ποτε φανεῖεν. Οὗτοι δὲ καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὁμοίως λάμπουσιν, ἀστέρες γάρ εἰσι πνευματικοί, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸ τὸ ἡλιακὸν ἁμιλλῶνται φῶς, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τοῦτο πολλῷ τῷ μέτρῳ ὑπερακοντίζουσιν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ταύτῃ τῇ εἰκόνι ἐχρήσατο ὁ δεσπότης Χριστὸς δεικνὺς τῶν δικαίων τὴν ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι φαιδρότητα εἰπών· «Τότε οἱ δίκαιοι ἐκλάμψουσιν ὡς ὁ ἥλιος», οὐκ ἐπειδὴ τοσοῦτον λάμπουσιν μόνον ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἦν ἕτερον αἰσθητὸν παράδειγμα εὑρεῖν τούτου φαιδρότερον, διὰ τοῦτο ταύτῃ τῇ εἰκόνι παρέβαλε τὴν τῶν δικαίων λῆξιν. 4.4 Τούτους οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς σήμερον περιπτυξώμεθα τοὺς τῶν ἀστέρων μᾶλλον φαίνειν δυναμένους, τοὺς ταῖς ἡλιακαῖς ἀκτῖσιν ἀντιλάμποντας, καὶ μὴ μόνον ταῖς σωματικαῖς ταύταις χερσὶν αὐτοὺς περιβάλωμεν ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τῆς παραινέσεως τῆς πνευματικῆς τὴν περὶ αὐτοὺς φιλοστοργίαν ἐπιδειξώμεθα καὶ παρακαλέσωμεν, ἐννοήσαντας τῆς φιλοτιμίας τοῦ δεσπότου τὴν ὑπερβολὴν καὶ τοῦ ἱματίου τὴν φαιδρότητα ὅπερ ἐνδύσασθαι κατηξιώθησαν. «Ὅσοι γάρ, φησίν, εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε», οὕτω λοιπὸν ἅπαντα καὶ ποιεῖν καὶ πράττειν ὡσανεὶ τὸν τῶν ὅλων δημιουργὸν καὶ δεσπότην τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως τὸν Χριστὸν ἔνοικον ἔχοντας. Ὅταν δὲ εἴπω τὸν Χριστόν, καὶ τὸν Πατέρα λέγω καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς ὑπέσχετο λέγων· «Ἐάν τις ἀγαπᾷ με καὶ τὰς ἐντολάς μου τηρήσῃ, ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐλευσόμεθα καὶ μονὴν παρ' αὐτῷ ποιήσομεν.» 4.5 Ὁ τοιοῦτος λοιπὸν κἂν ἐν γῇ βαδίζῃ, ὡς ἐν οὐρανοῖς διατρίβων οὕτω διακείσεται, τὰ ἄνω φρονῶν, τὰ ἄνω φανταζόμενος, οὐκέτι δεδοικὼς τοῦ πονηροῦ δαίμονος τὰς ἐπιβουλάς. Ὅταν γὰρ ἴδῃ τὴν τοσαύτην μεταβολὴν ὁ διάβολος καὶ ὅτι οἱ πρότερον ὑπὸ τὴν αὐτοῦ δεσποτείαν ὄντες εἰς τοσοῦτον ὕψος ἀνηνέχθησαν καὶ τοσαύτης ἠξιώθησαν φιλανθρωπίας παρὰ τοῦ δεσπότου, κατῃσχυμμένος ἄπεισιν οὐδὲ ἀντιβλέψαι τολμῶν· οὐδὲ γὰρ φέρει τὰς μαρμαρυγὰς τὰς ἐντεῦθεν ἀπαστραπτούσας, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῆς αὐγῆς τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ ἐντεῦθεν ἐκπεμπομένου ἀποτυφλωθεὶς τὰς ὄψεις ἄπεισι νῶτα δούς. 4.6 Ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς οἱ νέοι τοῦ Χριστοῦ στρατιῶται, οἱ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν σήμερον πολιτογραφηθέντες, οἱ εἰς τὴν ἑστίασιν ταύτην τὴν πνευματικὴν κληθέντες καὶ τῆς τραπέζης τῆς βασιλικῆς ἀπολαύειν μέλλοντες, ἀξίαν τοῦ μεγέθους τῶν δωρεῶν τὴν προθυμίαν ἐπιδείξασθε ἵνα καὶ πλείονα τὴν ἄνωθεν χάριν ἐπισπάσησθε. Φιλάνθρωπος γὰρ ὢν ὁ δεσπότης ὁ ἡμέτερος, ἐπειδὰν ἴδῃ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἤδη παρασχεθεῖσιν εὐγνώμονας γενομένους καὶ πολλὴν τὴν φυλακὴν περὶ τὸ τῶν δωρεῶν μέγεθος ἐπιδειξαμένους, ἐπιδαψιλεύεται τὴν χάριν κἂν μικρόν τι εἰσενέγκωμεν μεγάλαις αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς φιλοτιμεῖται ταῖς δωρεαῖς. 4.7 Ἐπεὶ καὶ Παῦλος ὁ τῆς οἰκουμένης