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with contemplations. Therefore, come, let us bring her down from the heavens and comfort her astonishment, taking refuge in the customary exhortation. And what is this? To pray for those who are sick with such things to be healed at some point. For if we are commanded to beseech God for those in sickness, in the mines, in harsh slavery, and for the possessed, much more for these, since impiety is more grievous than a demon. For that madness has forgiveness, but this sickness is deprived of all defense. But since I have mentioned the prayer for the possessed, I wish to discuss something with your love, and to cut out a grievous sickness of the Church. For it would be absurd, while healing those outside with such care, to neglect our own members. What then is the sickness? This unspeakable crowd, gathered together now and paying attention to what is said with such exactness, I have often sought to see during that most dread hour, but have not been able, and I have groaned exceedingly, because while the fellow servant is preaching, there is great earnestness, intense eagerness, people pressing one another and remaining until the end, but when Christ is about to appear in the holy mysteries, the church becomes empty and deserted. And how can these things be worthy of forgiveness? Because of this indolence, you lose all the praise for your eagerness in listening. For who will not condemn both you and us, when he sees the fruit of the hearing immediately flowing away from you? For if you were paying attention with exactness to what was said, you would have shown your earnestness through your works. But to jump away immediately after hearing is a sign of having received nothing of what was said and stored it in the mind. For if what was said was stored in your souls, it surely would have kept you inside and sent you forth to the most dread things with greater piety. But now, as if having heard some cithara player, thus devoid of all benefit, you depart when the speaker has ceased. But what is the cold excuse of the many? I can pray at home, he says, but to hear a homily and teaching is not possible at home. You deceive yourself, O man; for it is possible to pray at home, but it is impossible to pray as in the church, where there is so great a multitude of fathers, where a cry is sent up to God with one accord. You are not so heard beseeching the Master by yourself as with your brethren. For here there is something more, such as concord and harmony, and the bond of love, and the prayers of the priests. For this is why the priests preside, so that the prayers of the people, being weaker, taking hold of these more powerful ones, may ascend together with them to heaven. Besides, what would be the benefit of a homily, when prayer is not joined with it? First prayer, and then the word; so also the apostles say: “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” So also Paul does, praying in the introductions of his epistles, so that just as the light of a lamp, so the light of prayer may prepare the way for the word. If you accustom yourself to pray with exactness, you will not need the teaching of your fellow servants, as God Himself illuminates your mind without any mediator. But if the prayer of one alone has so much power, much more that with a multitude; for its sinews are greater and its confidence much more than that at home and in private. From where is this clear? Hear Paul himself saying: “Who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver, in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us.” So also Peter escaped the prison. “For constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.” But if the prayer of the Church benefited Peter and brought that pillar out of the prison, how do you despise its power, tell me, and what defense will you have? Hear also God Himself

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θεωρίαις. ∆ιὸ φέρε αὐτὴν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν καταβιβάσωμεν καὶ ψυχαγωγήσωμεν καταπεπληγμένην, ἐπὶ τὴν συνήθη καταφυγόντες παράκλησιν. Τίς δὲ αὕτη ἐστίν; Εὔχεσθαι τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα νοσοῦντας ὑγιᾶναί ποτε. Εἰ γὰρ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐν νόσοις, ἐν μετάλλοις, ἐν σκληραῖς δουλείαις καὶ τῶν ἐνεργουμένων κελευόμεθα τὸν Θεὸν παρακαλεῖν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑπὲρ τούτων, ἐπεὶ καὶ χαλεπωτέρα τοῦ δαίμονος ἡ ἀσέβεια. Ἐκείνη μὲν γὰρ ἔχει συγγώμην ἡ μανία, αὕτη δὲ πάσης ἀπολογίας ἡ νόσος ἐστέρηται. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τῆς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐνεργουμένων ἐμνήσθην εὐχῆς, βούλομαί τι πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν διαλεχθῆναι ἀγάπην, καὶ νόσημα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐκκόψαι χαλεπόν. Καὶ γὰρ ἄτοπον ἂν εἴη τοὺς ἔξωθεν μετὰ τοσαύτης ἰατρεύοντας ἐπιμελείας τῶν οἰκείων καταφρονεῖν μελῶν. Τί ποτ' οὖν ἐστι τὸ νόσημα; Τὸ πλῆθος τοῦτο τὸ ἄφατον, τὸ συγκεκροτημένον νῦν καὶ μετὰ τοσαύτης ἀκριβείας προσέχον τοῖς λεγομένοις, κατὰ τὴν φρικωδεστάτην ὥραν ἐκείνην πολλάκις ἐπιζητήσας ἰδεῖν οὐκ ἠδυνήθην, καὶ σφόδρα ἐστέναξα, ὅτι τοῦ μὲν συνδούλου διαλεγομένου πολλὴ ἡ σπουδή, ἐπιτεταμένη ἡ προθυμία, τῶν συνωθούντων ἀλλήλους καὶ μέχρι τέλους παραμενόντων, τοῦ δὲ Χριστοῦ φαίνεσθαι μέλλοντος ἐπὶ τῶν ἱερῶν μυστηρίων, κενὴ καὶ ἔρημος ἡ ἐκκλησία γίνεται. Καὶ ποῦ ταῦτα συγγνώμης ἄξια; Ἀπὸ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας ταύτης καὶ τοὺς ἐπαίνους τοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ κατὰ τὴν ἀκρόασιν σπουδῇ πάντας ἀπόλλυτε. Τίς γὰρ ὑμῶν οὐ καταγνώσεται καὶ ἡμῶν, ὅταν ἴδῃ τὸν καρπὸν τῆς ἀκροάσεως εὐθέως ὑμῖν διαρρυέντα; Εἰ γὰρ μετὰ ἀκριβείας προσείχετε τοῖς λεγομένοις, διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἂν ἐπεδείξασθε τὴν σπουδήν. τὸ δὲ εὐθέως ἀκούοντας ἀποπηδᾶν σημεῖόν ἐστι τοῦ μηδὲν δέξασθαι τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ ἐναποθέσθαι τῇ διανοίᾳ. Εἰ γὰρ ἐναπέκειτο τὰ λεγόμενα ταῖς ψυχαῖς, πάντως ἂν ὑμᾶς ἔνδον κατέσχε καὶ πρὸς τὰ φρικωδέστατα μετὰ πλείονος εὐσεβείας παρέπεμψε. Νῦν δὲ ὥσπερ κιθαρῳδοῦ τινος ἀκούσαντες, οὕτως ἔρημοι πάσης ὠφελείας, παυσαμένου τοῦ λέγοντος, ἀναχωρεῖτε. Ἀλλὰ τίς ἡ ψυχρὰ τῶν πολλῶν ἀπολογία; Εὔξασθαι, φησί, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας δύναμαι, ὁμιλίας δὲ ἀκοῦσαι καὶ διδασκαλίας ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας οὐ δυνατόν. Ἀπατᾷς σαυτόν, ἄνθρωπε· εὔξασθαι μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας δυνατόν, οὕτω δὲ εὔξασθαι ὡς ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀδύνατον, ὅπου πατέρων πλῆθος τοσοῦτον, ὅπου βοὴ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἀναπέμπεται. Οὐχ οὕτως εἰσακούῃ κατὰ σαυτὸν τὸν ∆εσπότην παρακαλῶν ὡς μετὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν τῶν σῶν. Ἐνταῦθα γάρ ἐστί τι πλέον, οἷον ἡ ὁμόνοια καὶ ἡ συμφωνία καὶ τῆς ἀγάπης ὁ σύνδεσμος καὶ αἱ τῶν ἱερέων εὐχαί. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο οἱ ἱερεῖς προεστήκασιν, ἵνα αἱ τοῦ πλήθους εὐχαὶ ἀσθενέστεραι οὖσαι, τῶν δυνατωτέρων τούτων ἐπιλαβόμεναι, ὁμοῦ συνανέλθωσιν αὐταῖς εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν. Ἄλλως δὲ τί γένοιτ' ἂν ὄφελος ὁμιλίας, ὅταν εὐχὴ μὴ ᾖ συνεζευγμένη; Πρότερον εὐχὴ καὶ τότε λόγος· οὕτω καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοί φασιν· «Ἡμεῖς δὲ τῇ προσευχῇ καὶ τῇ διακονίᾳ τοῦ λόγου προσκαρτερήσωμεν.» Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ποιεῖ ἐν τοῖς προοιμίοις τῶν ἐπιστολῶν εὐχόμενος, ἵν' ὥσπερ λύχνου φῶς, οὕτω τὸ τῆς εὐχῆς φῶς προοδοποιήσῃ τῷ λόγῳ. Ἐὰν ἐθίσῃς σεαυτὸν εὔχεσθαι μετὰ ἀκριβείας, οὐ δεήσῃ τῆς παρὰ τῶν συνδούλων διδασκαλίας, αὐτοῦ σοι τοῦ Θεοῦ χωρὶς μεσίτου τινὸς καταυγάζοντος τὴν διάνοιαν. Εἰ δὲ εὐχὴ μόνου τοσαύτην ἔχει δύναμιν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡ μετὰ πλήθους· μείζονα γὰρ ταύτης τὰ νεῦρα καὶ πλείων ἡ παρρησία πολλῷ τῆς ἐν οἰκίᾳ καὶ κατ' ἰδίαν. Πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον; Αὐτοῦ τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος ἄκουσον· «Ὃς ἐκ τηλικούτου θανάτου ἐρρύσατο ἡμᾶς καὶ ῥύεται, ἠλπίκαμεν δὲ ὅτι καὶ ἔτι ῥύσεται, συνυπουργούντων καὶ ὑμῶν τῇ δεήσει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἵνα τὸ εἰς ἡμᾶς χάρισμα διὰ πολλῶν προσώπων εὐχαριστηθῇ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν.» Οὕτω καὶ Πέτρος τὸ δεσμωτήριον διέφυγε. «Προσευχὴ γὰρ ἦν ἐκτενὴς ὑπὸ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ γινομένη πρὸς τὸν Θεόν.» Εἰ δὲ Πέτρον ὠφέλησε τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἡ εὐχὴ καὶ τὸν στῦλον ἐκεῖνον ἐξέβαλε τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου, πῶς σὺ καταφρονεῖς τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτῆς, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ ποίαν ἕξεις ἀπολογίαν; Ἄκουσον καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ