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we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep; by all these things showing that it is necessary for all, having arrived together and at the same time, to enjoy the heavenly honors. This also brings great pleasure to those who have arrived first, when they enjoy those ineffable good things with their own members. For a father partaking of a splendid and sumptuous table will then enjoy its gladness with greater pleasure, when he partakes of the feast and gladness with his own children. So also Paul and all those like him will feel a greater delight, when they enjoy it being with their own members. For fathers do not show so much affection for their children, as those have care for those who have achieved the same things as they have. In order, therefore, that we too may be among those then honored, let us hasten to overtake those saints. And how shall we be able, he says, to overtake them? Who will show us the road that leads there? The Master of those saints Himself, who teaches not only how we may overtake them, but also how we may become house-mates and tent-mates with them all: ‘For make for yourselves friends,’ He says, ‘by means of the mammon of unrighteousness, so that when you fail, they may receive you into their eternal dwellings.’ Well did He say, 'Eternal.' For here, even if you have a splendid house, it will surely be destroyed, decaying with time; or rather, even before its decay in time, death, falling upon you, casts you out of this splendid dwelling; and often even before death, difficulties in affairs and attacks of slanderers and plots have caused one to be cast out from it. But there, one can suspect none of these things, not decay, not death, not ruin, not the malice of slanderers, nothing else, but the dwelling is immovable and immortal. For this reason He called them eternal. ‘Make for yourselves friends,’ He says, ‘by means of the mammon of unrighteousness.’ 11. See how great is the Master's love for humanity, how great His goodness and gentleness, for He did not add this phrase without reason; but since for many rich men wealth has been gathered from plunder and greed, ‘Badly,’ He says, ‘and you should not have collected money this way; however, since you have collected it, cease from plunder and greed, and use the money for what is needful.’ I do not say that you should show mercy while plundering, but that having ceased from greed, you should use your wealth for almsgiving and love for humanity. For if someone does not cease from plundering, he will not perform almsgiving either; but even if he puts ten thousand pieces of money into the hands of the needy, while plundering and defrauding others, he is counted equally with murderers by God. Therefore it is necessary, having first ceased from greed, thus to have mercy on the needy. 51.300 For great is the power of almsgiving, about which we spoke to you also in the previous gathering, and I will speak now. But let no one consider the continuity of the reminder an accusation against the listeners. For indeed, in the games, the spectators encourage those runners whom they see getting close to the prize and having great hopes of victory. And I, therefore, since I always see you receiving the words about almsgiving with great eagerness, for this reason I also more frequently offer exhortation on these matters. The poor are physicians of our souls, benefactors and patrons; for you do not give as much as you receive; you give silver, and you receive the kingdom of heaven; you relieve poverty, and you reconcile the Master to yourself. Do you see that the exchange is not equal? These things are on earth, those in heaven; these perish, those endure; these decay, those are superior to all destruction. For this reason also before the doors of the houses of prayer the poor were placed by the

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ζῶντες, οἱ περιλειπόμενοι εἰς τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Κυρίου, οὐ μὴ φθάσωμεν τοὺς κοιμηθέντας· διὰ πάντων τούτων δηλῶν, ὅτι κοινῇ πάντας καὶ ὁμοῦ παραγενομένους τῶν οὐρανίων τιμῶν ἀπολαύειν χρή. Τοῦτο καὶ τοῖς φθάσασι πολλὴν φέρει τὴν ἡδονὴν, ὅταν μετὰ τῶν οἰκείων μελῶν τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων ἐκείνων ἀπολαύσωσιν ἀγαθῶν. Καὶ γὰρ πατὴρ τραπέζης μετέχων λαμπρᾶς καὶ πολυτελοῦς, τότε μετὰ πλείονος αὐτῆς ἀπολαύσεται τῆς εὐφροσύνης, ὅταν μετὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ παιδίων μετέχῃ τῆς εὐωχίας καὶ εὐφροσύνης. Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος καὶ οἱ κατ' ἐκεῖνον ἅπαντες μείζονος αἰσθήσονται τῆς θυμηδίας, ὅταν μετὰ τῶν οἰκείων μελῶν ὄντες ἀπολαύσωσιν αὐτῆς. Οὐ γὰρ τοσαύτην πατέρες περὶ παῖδας ἐπιδείκνυνται φιλοστοργίαν, ὅσην ἐκεῖνοι περὶ τοὺς τὰ αὐτὰ κατωρθωκότας αὐτοῖς ἔχουσι κηδεμονίαν. Ἵν' οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς τῶν τότε τιμωμένων γενώμεθα, σπουδάζωμεν καταλαβεῖν τοὺς ἁγίους ἐκείνους. Καὶ πῶς δυνησόμεθα, φησὶ, αὐτοὺς καταλαβεῖν; τίς ἡμῖν δείξει τὴν ἐκεῖ φέρουσαν ὁδόν; Αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων ∆εσπότης, ὃς οὐχ ὅπως αὐτοὺς καταληψώμεθα μόνον διδάσκει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅπως ὁμωρόφιοι καὶ σύσκηνοι γενώμεθα πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς· Ποιήσατε γὰρ ὑμῖν φίλους ἐκ τοῦ μαμμωνᾶ τῆς ἀδικίας, φησὶν, ἵν' ὅταν ἐκλίπητε, δέξωνται ὑμᾶς εἰς τὰς αἰωνίους αὐτῶν σκηνάς. Καλῶς εἶπεν, Αἰωνίους. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ κἂν λαμπρὰν ἔχῃς οἰκίαν, ἀπολεῖται πάντως φθειρομένη τῷ χρόνῳ· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πρὸ τῆς κατὰ τὸν χρόνον φθορᾶς, θάνατος ἐμπεσὼν ἐκβάλλει σε τῆς λαμπρᾶς ταύτης οἰκήσεως· πολλάκις δὲ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ θανάτου πραγμάτων τινῶν δυσκολίαι καὶ συκοφαντῶν ἔφοδοι καὶ ἐπιβουλαὶ ἐκπεσεῖν αὐτῆς παρεσκεύασαν. Ἐκεῖ δὲ οὐδὲν τούτων ἐστὶν ὑποπτεῦσαι, οὐ φθορὰν, οὐ θάνατον, οὐ κατάπτωσιν, οὐ συκοφαντῶν ἐπήρειαν, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν, ἀλλ' ἀκίνητος καὶ ἀθάνατός ἐστιν ἡ οἴκησις. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο αἰωνίους αὐτὰς ἐκάλεσε. Ποιήσατε ὑμῖν φίλους, φησὶν, ἐκ τοῦ μαμμωνᾶ τῆς ἀδικίας. ιαʹ. Ὅρα πόση φιλανθρωπία τοῦ ∆εσπότου, πόση χρηστότης καὶ ἐπιείκεια οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς ταύτην τέθεικε τὴν προσθήκην· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πολλοῖς πλουσίοις πλοῦτος συνείλεκται ἐξ ἁρπαγῆς καὶ πλεονεξίας, Κακῶς μὲν, φησὶ, καὶ οὐκ ἐχρῆν σε οὕτω συλλέξαι τὰ χρήματα· πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ συνέλεξας, στῆθι τῆς ἁρπαγῆς καὶ τῆς πλεονεξίας, καὶ χρῆσαι εἰς δέον τοῖς χρήμασιν. Οὐ λέγω, ἵνα ἁρπάζων ἐλεῇς, ἀλλ' ἵνα τῆς πλεονεξίας ἀποστὰς, πρὸς ἐλεημοσύνην καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν ἀποχρήσῃ τῷ πλούτῳ. Εἰ γάρ τις μὴ παύσαιτο τῆς ἁρπαγῆς, οὐδὲ ἐλεημοσύνην ἐργάσεται· ἀλλὰ κἂν μυρία καταβάλῃ χρήματα εἰς τὰς τῶν δεομένων χεῖρας, τὰ ἑτέρων ἁρπάζων καὶ πλεονεκτῶν, τοῖς ἀνδροφόνοις ἐξίσης λελόγισται τῷ Θεῷ. ∆ιὸ χρὴ πλεονεξίας ἀποστάντα πρότερον, οὕτω τοὺς δεομένους 51.300 ἐλεεῖν. Πολλὴ γὰρ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης ἡ δύναμις, περὶ ἧς καὶ τῇ προτεραίᾳ συνάξει πρὸς ὑμᾶς διελέχθημεν, καὶ νῦν διαλέξομαι. Ἀλλὰ μηδεὶς τὴν συνέχειαν τῆς ὑπομνήσεως κατηγορίαν ἡγείσθω τῶν ἀκουόντων. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσιν ἐκείνους τῶν δρομέων διεγείρουσιν οἱ θεαταὶ, οὓς ἂν ἴδωσιν ἐγγὺς τοῦ βραβείου γενομένους, καὶ πολλὰς τῆς νίκης ἐλπίδας ἔχοντας. Καὶ ἐγὼ τοίνυν, ἐπειδὴ μετὰ πολλῆς ἀεὶ προθυμίας ὁρῶ τοὺς περὶ ἐλεημοσύνης δεχομένους λόγους ὑμᾶς, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς συνεχέστερον τὴν ὑπὲρ τούτων κινῶ παραίνεσιν. Ἰατροὶ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν εἰσιν οἱ πένητες, εὐεργέται καὶ προστάται· οὐ γὰρ τοσοῦτον δίδως, ὅσον λαμβάνεις· δίδως ἀργύριον, καὶ λαμβάνεις βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν· λύεις πενίαν, καὶ καταλλάττεις σεαυτῷ τὸν ∆εσπότην. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐκ ἴση ἡ ἀντίδοσις; Ταῦτα ἐπὶ γῆς, ἐκεῖνα ἐν οὐρανῷ· ταῦτα ἀπόλλυται, ἐκεῖνα διαμένει· ταῦτα φθείρεται, ἐκεῖνα πάσης ἐστὶν ἀνώτερα ἀπωλείας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν τῶν οἴκων τῶν εὐκτηρίων ἔστησαν τοὺς πένητας οἱ