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is there a son whom a father does not discipline? But still you cannot say even this. And again elsewhere: What fault did your fathers find in me? Great and wonderful is what was said; for what he says is this: What sin have I committed? he says. God says to men, What sin have I committed? which even slaves do not endure to hear their master utter. And he does not say, What sin have I committed against you, but, against your fathers. But not even this, he says, can you say, that you maintain a paternal enmity towards me; for I never let your ancestors bring a charge against my providence, having overlooked them in small things or great. And he did not say simply, What did your fathers have, but, What did they find? Having sought much, having gone about much during so many years under my rule, they found no fault in me. For all these reasons, therefore, let us continually take refuge in him, and in every despondency let us seek his comfort, in every calamity his release, his mercy, in every temptation his help; for whatever the terror may be, whatever the magnitude of the calamity, he is able to both resolve and bring all things to pass; and not only this, but also all security and power and good reputation, and health of body, and philosophy of soul, and good hopes, and not to sin readily, his goodness will provide for us. Let us not then grumble like ungrateful slaves, nor accuse the Master, but in all things give thanks, and consider one thing only to be terrible, to sin against him. And if we are so disposed towards God, no sickness, no poverty, no dishonor, no lack of harvest, nor anything else of those things that seem grievous will befall us, but reaping pure and holy pleasure perpetually, we will also attain the good things to come, through the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Of the same, a homily concerning fasting and on the prophet Jonah, and Daniel, and the three youths. Delivered at the entrance of the holy fasts.

Homily 5. 1. Today our festival is bright, and our assembly more brilliant than usual. What then is the reason? This is the achievement of fasting; I know it too; of fasting not present, but anticipated. For she has gathered us to our paternal home; she has brought back even those who before this49.306 were more slothful, today to their mother's hands. But if, when only anticipated, she produced such diligence in us, when she appears and is present, how much piety will she work in us? So also a city, when a fearsome ruler is about to enter, casts off all 49.307 sloth, and is established in greater diligence. But do not be frightened, hearing that fasting is a fearsome ruler; for it is not fearsome to us, but to the nature of demons. If someone is possessed by a demon, show him the face of fasting, and he remains more motionless than stones themselves, being frozen with fear, and as if held by some bond, and especially when he sees joined with fasting the sister of fasting and yoke-fellow, prayer. For this reason Christ also says: This kind does not go out, except by prayer and fasting. When, therefore, she so drives out the enemies of our salvation, and is so fearsome to the enemies of our life, we ought to love and embrace her, not to fear her; for if we must fear drunkenness and gluttony, we ought not to fear fasting. For the former, having bound our hands behind our back, gives us over as slaves and captives to the tyranny of the passions, as to some harsh mistress; but the latter

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ἐστιν υἱὸς, ὃν οὐ παιδεύει πατήρ; Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἔχετε εἰπεῖν. Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ· Τί εὕροσαν οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν ἐν ἐμοὶ πλημμέλημα; Μέγα καὶ θαυμαστὸν τὸ εἰρημένον· ὃ γὰρ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Τί ἥμαρτον, φησίν; Ὁ Θεὸς λέγει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, Τί ἥμαρτον; ὅπερ οὐδὲ δοῦλοι τὸν δεσπότην φθέγξασθαι ἀνέχονται. Καὶ οὐ λέγει, Τί ἥμαρτον εἰς ὑμᾶς, ἀλλ', εἰς τοὺς πατέρας ὑμῶν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦτο, φησὶν, ἔχετε εἰπεῖν, ὅτι πατρικὴν εἰς ἐμὲ τηρεῖτε ἔχθραν· οὐδὲ γὰρ τοὺς προγόνους ὑμῶν ἐγκαλέσαι ποτὲ ἀφῆκα τῇ ἐμῇ προνοίᾳ, ἐν μικρῷ ἢ μεγάλῳ παριδὼν αὐτούς. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς, Τί ἔσχον οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν, ἀλλὰ, Τί εὗρον; Πολλὰ ζητήσαντες, πολλὰ περιελθόντες ἐν τοσούτοις ἔτεσιν ὑπὸ τὴν ἐμὴν ἀρχὴν γενόμενοι, οὐδὲν εὗρον ἐν ἐμοὶ πλημμέλημα. ∆ιὰ δὴ ταῦτα πάντα συνεχῶς πρὸς αὐτὸν καταφεύγωμεν, καὶ ἐν πάσῃ ἀθυμίᾳ ζητῶμεν τὴν παραμυθίαν αὐτοῦ, ἐν πάσῃ συμφορᾷ τὴν αὐτοῦ λύσιν, τὸν αὐτοῦ ἔλεον, ἐν παντὶ πειρασμῷ τὴν αὐτοῦ βοήθειαν· οἷον γὰρ ἐὰν ᾖ δεινὸν, οἷον ἐὰν ᾖ μέγεθος συμφορᾶς, πάντα καὶ λῦσαι καὶ παραγαγεῖν δύναται· οὐ μόνον δὲ, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσαν ἀσφάλειαν καὶ δύναμιν καὶ δόξαν ἀγαθὴν, καὶ ὑγίειαν σώματος, καὶ φιλοσοφίαν ψυχῆς, καὶ ἐλπίδας χρηστὰς, καὶ τὸ μὴ ταχέως ἁμαρτάνειν, ἡ ἀγαθότης αὐτοῦ παρέξει ἡμῖν. Μὴ οὖν κατὰ τοὺς ἀγνώμονας δούλους γογγύζωμεν, μηδὲ τοῦ ∆εσπότου κατηγορήσωμεν, ἀλλ' ἐν πᾶσιν εὐχαριστῶμεν, καὶ ἓν μόνον δεινὸν εἶναι νομίζωμεν, τὸ εἰς αὐτὸν ἐξαμαρτάνειν. Καὶ ἐὰν οὕτω πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν διατεθῶμεν, οὐ νόσος, οὐ πενία, οὐκ ἀτιμία, οὐκ ἀφορία καρπῶν, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν τῶν δοκούντων εἶναι λυπηρῶν διαδέξεται ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ καθαρὰν ἡδονὴν καὶ ἁγνὴν καρπούμενοι διαπαντὸς, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν ἐπιτευξόμεθα, διὰ τῆς χάριτος καὶ φιλανθρωπίας τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ὁμιλία περὶ νηστείας καὶ εἰς τὸν προφήτην Ἰωνᾶν, καὶ ∆ανιὴλ, καὶ τοὺς τρεῖς παῖδας. Ἐλέχθη δὲ εἰς τὴν εἴσοδον τῶν ἁγίων νηστειῶν.

Ὁμιλία εʹ. αʹ. Φαιδρὰ σήμερον ἡμῖν ἡ πανήγυρις, καὶ λαμπρότερος τοῦ συνήθους ὁ σύλλογος. Τί ποτε ἄρα τὸ αἴτιον; Νηστείας τὸ κατόρθωμα τοῦτο· οἶδα κἀγώ· νηστείας οὐχὶ παρούσης, ἀλλὰ προσδοκωμένης. Ἐκείνη γὰρ ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὸν πατρῷον συνήγαγεν οἶκον· ἐκείνη καὶ τοὺς πρὸ τού49.306 του ῥᾳθυμοτέρους, σήμερον πρὸς τὰς μητρικὰς ἐπανήγαγε χεῖρας. Εἰ δὲ καὶ προσδοκωμένη μόνον τοσαύτην ἡμῖν ἐνεποίησε σπουδὴν, φανεῖσα καὶ παραγενομένη πόσην ἐν ἡμῖν ἐργάσεται τὴν εὐλάβειαν; Οὕτω καὶ πόλις ἄρχοντος εἰσελαύνειν μέλλοντος φοβεροῦ, πᾶσαν ἀπο49.307 τίθεται ῥᾳθυμίαν, καὶ ἐν πλείονι καθίσταται τῇ σπουδῇ. Ἀλλὰ μὴ πτήξητε φοβερὸν ἄρχοντα τὴν νηστείαν ἀκούσαντες· οὐ γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐστι φοβερὰ, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῶν δαιμόνων φύσει. Ἐὰν σεληνιαζόμενος ᾖ τις, δεῖξον αὐτῷ νηστείας πρόσωπον, καὶ τῶν λίθων αὐτῶν ἀκινητότερος μένει τῷ φόβῳ πηγνύμενος, καὶ καθάπερ δεσμῷ τινι κατεχόμενος, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν ἴδῃ τῇ νηστείᾳ συμβεβλημένην τὴν ἀδελφὴν τῆς νηστείας καὶ ὁμόζυγον, τὴν εὐχήν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστός φησι· Τὸ γένος τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξέρχεται, εἰ μὴ ἐν προσευχῇ καὶ νηστείᾳ. Ὅταν οὖν τοὺς πολεμίους τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας οὕτως ἐλαύνῃ, καὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν οὕτως ᾖ φοβερὰ, φιλεῖν αὐτὴν καὶ ἀσπάζεσθαι, οὐχὶ δεδοικέναι χρή· εἰ γὰρ φοβεῖσθαι δεῖ μέθην καὶ ἀδηφαγίαν, οὐχὶ νηστείαν φοβεῖσθαι χρή. Ἐκείνη μὲν γὰρ ὀπίσω τὰς χεῖρας ἡμῶν δήσασα, τῇ τυραννίδι τῶν παθῶν, καθάπερ τινὶ δεσποίνῃ χαλεπῇ, δούλους καὶ αἰχμαλώτους ἐκδίδωσιν· ἡ δὲ