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he says, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. Hear Stephen saying, Lord, do not hold this sin against them. Not only did he not curse, but he even prayed for them; but you not only did not pray for them, but you even cursed them. Therefore, just as he was wonderful, so you are most wicked. Whom do we admire, tell me? those for whom he prayed, or the one who prayed for them? Clearly, this one; and if we do, much more so does God. Do you want to strike your enemy? Pray for him, but not with such an intention, not as if to strike him; for this indeed happens, but you should not do it with this purpose. And yet that blessed one suffered all things unjustly, and prayed for them; but we suffer many things, and justly, from our enemies. But if he who suffered unjustly did not dare not to pray for them, we who suffer justly, and not only do not pray for them but even curse them, of what punishment are we not worthy? You think you are delivering the blow to him, but in truth you thrust the sword against yourself, not allowing the judge to be gentle in your own sins, through which you provoke him against others. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you, he says, and with the judgment you judge, you will be judged. Let us therefore be forgiving, so that we may find God to be such. 3. I want you not only to hear these things, but also to keep them. But now your memory lasts only as long as the words, and perhaps not even that long; but when we have dispersed, if one who was not present should ask what we discussed, some will say nothing at all, while others who know will state only the topic about which we spoke, that he preached on not bearing grudges, but even praying for others, then omitting to say all that was said (for it is not possible to remember), and some remember a few things, but only some. Wherefore I beseech you, if you gain nothing from what is said, do not even pay attention to the hearing. For what is the benefit? The judgment becomes greater, the punishment more severe, because after countless exhortations we persist in the same things. For this reason God appointed a prayer for us, that we should ask for nothing of this life nor anything human. You faithful know what one must pray, how the entire prayer is common. But it is not said there, one says, to pray for unbelievers. Because you do not know the power of the prayer, nor recognize its depth and treasure; for if one were to unfold it, he would find this also lying within it. For when the one praying says, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, he alludes to nothing other than this. How? Because in heaven there is no unbeliever, no one who stumbles. If, therefore, it were only about the faithful, what is said would have no meaning. For if the faithful were going to do His will, but the unbelievers not, His will would no longer be as in heaven, but what? Just as in heaven, he says, there is no evil one, so let there not be on earth either; but draw all, he says, to the fear of yourself, make all men angels, even if they are our enemies, even if they are foes. Do you not see how much God is blasphemed each day? how much he is insulted both by unbelievers and by the faithful? Both through words and through deeds? What then? Did he extinguish the sun on this account? Did he put the moon to sleep? Did he tear down the heaven? Did he stir up the earth? Did he dry up the sea? Did he make the springs of water disappear? Did he throw the air into confusion? Not at all, but quite the contrary; he makes the sun to rise, he sends the rain, he gives fruits, he gives yearly sustenance to the blasphemers, to the foolish, to the defiled, to the persecutors, not for one day nor a second nor a third, but for their whole life. Imitate him, you too, emulate him according to human ability. You cannot make the sun rise? do not speak evil. You cannot give rain? do not revile. You cannot give nourishment? do not act insolently. These gifts from you are sufficient; from God the beneficence towards enemies comes through 62.534 deeds; you, at least do it through words, pray for your enemy; thus you will be like the

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φησὶν, εὐλογοῦμεν, διωκόμενοι ἀνεχόμεθα, βλασφημούμενοι παρακαλοῦμεν. Ἄκουε τοῦ Στεφάνου λέγοντος, Κύριε, μὴ στήσῃς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ταύτην. Οὐ μόνον οὐ κατηύχετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπερηύχετο· σὺ δὲ οὐ μόνον οὐχ ὑπερηύξω, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατηύξω. Ὥσπερ οὖν θαυμάσιος ἐκεῖνος, οὕτω σὺ κάκιστος. Τίνα θαυμάζομεν, εἰπέ μοι; τοὺς ὑπὲρ ὧν ηὔξατο, ἢ τὸν ὑπερευχόμενον; Τοῦτον δηλονότι· εἰ δὲ ἡμεῖς, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ Θεός. Βούλει πλήττεσθαι τὸν ἐχθρόν; εὖξαι ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ μὴ τοιαύτῃ διανοίᾳ, μὴ ὡς πλήττων· τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ γίνεται, σὺ δὲ μὴ τούτῳ ποίει τῷ σκοπῷ. Καίτοι ὁ μακάριος ἐκεῖνος ἀδίκως πάντα ἔπασχε, καὶ ὑπερηύχετο· ἡμεῖς δὲ πολλὰ καὶ δικαίως πάσχομεν παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν. Εἰ δὲ ὁ ἀδίκως παθὼν οὐκ ἐτόλμησε μὴ ὑπερεύξασθαι, οἱ δίκαια πάσχοντες, καὶ μὴ μόνον οὐχ ὑπερευχόμενοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατευχόμενοι, τίνος οὐκ ἐσμὲν ἄξιοι τιμωρίας; ∆οκεῖς μὲν ἐκείνῳ διδόναι τὴν πληγὴν, τὸ δὲ ἀληθὲς κατὰ σαυτοῦ τὸ ξίφος ὠθεῖς, οὐκ ἀφιεὶς τὸν δικαστὴν ἐν τοῖς σοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι γενέσθαι ἥμερον, δι' ὧν αὐτὸν κατὰ ἑτέρων παροξύνεις. Ὧ γὰρ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε, ἀντιμετρηθήσεται ὑμῖν, φησὶ, καὶ ᾧ κρίματι κρίνετε, κριθήσεσθε. Γενώμεθα τοίνυν συγγνωμονικοὶ, ἵνα τοιούτου τύχωμεν τοῦ Θεοῦ. γʹ. Ταῦτα οὐκ ἀκούειν ὑμᾶς μόνον βούλομαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ φυλάττειν. Νῦν δὲ μέχρι ῥημάτων ἡ μνήμη μόνον, τάχα δὲ οὐδὲ μέχρι τούτων· ἀλλὰ διαλυθέντων ἡμῶν, ἂν ἐρωτήσῃ τις τῶν μὴ παραγεγονότων, τί διελέχθημεν, οἱ μὲν οὐδὲ ἐροῦσιν, οἱ δὲ εἰδότες ἐροῦσι τὴν ὑπόθεσιν, εἰς ἣν εἰρήκαμεν μόνον, ὅτι ὡμίλησεν εἰς τὸ μὴ δεῖν μνησικακεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπερεύχεσθαι, εἶτα ἀφέντες εἰπεῖν τὰ λεχθέντα πάντα (οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε μεμνῆσθαι), οἱ δὲ μικρῶν μέμνηνται, ἀλλ' ἐνίων. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ, εἰ μηδὲν κερδαίνετε ἐκ τῶν λεγομένων, μηδὲ προσέχειν τῇ ἀκροάσει. Τί γὰρ τὸ ὄφελος; μεῖζον τὸ κρῖμα γίνεται, χαλεπωτέρα ἡ τιμωρία, ὅτι μετὰ μυρίας παραινέσεις τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιμένομεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εὐχὴν ἡμῖν ὥρισεν ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα μηδὲν βιωτικὸν μηδὲ ἀνθρώπινον αἰτῶμεν. Ἴστε δὴ οἱ πιστοὶ τίνα δεῖ εὔχεσθαι, πῶς πᾶσα κοινή ἐστιν ἡ εὐχή. Ἀλλ' οὐκ εἴρηται, φησὶν, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀπίστων εὔχεσθαι ἐκεῖ. Ἐπειδὴ μὴ ἴστε τῆς εὐχῆς τὴν δύναμιν, μηδὲ τὸ βάθος καὶ τὸν θησαυρὸν αὐτῆς ἐπιγινώσκετε· εἰ γάρ τις αὐτὴν ἀναπτύξειεν, εὑρήσει καὶ τοῦτο κείμενον ἐν αὐτῇ. Ὅταν γὰρ λέγῃ ὁ εὐχόμενος, Γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ τοῦτο αἰνίττεται. Πῶς; Ὅτι ἐν οὐρανῷ οὐδεὶς ἄπιστος, οὐδεὶς προσκρούων. Εἰ τοίνυν περὶ τῶν πιστῶν μόνων ἦν, οὐκ εἶχε λόγον τὸ λεγόμενον. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ πιστοὶ ἔμελλον τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ποιεῖν, οἱ δὲ ἄπιστοι οὐχὶ, οὐκέτι ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ἦν, ἀλλὰ τί; Ὥσπερ ἐν οὐρανῷ, φησὶν, οὐδεὶς πονηρὸς, οὕτω μηδὲ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔστω· ἀλλὰ πάντας, φησὶν, εἰς τὸν φόβον ἕλκυσον τὸν σαυτοῦ, πάντας ἀγγέλους ποίησον τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, κἂν ἐχθροὶ ἡμῶν ὦσι, κἂν πολέμιοι. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς πόσα καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ὁ Θεὸς βλασφημεῖται; πόσα ὑβρίζεται καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἀπίστων, καὶ παρὰ τῶν πιστῶν; καὶ διὰ ῥημάτων, καὶ διὰ πραγμάτων; Τί οὖν; ἔσβεσε διὰ τοῦτο τὸν ἥλιον; ἐκοίμισε τὴν σελήνην; κατέῤῥαξε τὸν οὐρανόν; ἀνετάραξε τὴν γῆν; ἐξήρανε τὴν θάλασσαν; ἠφάνισε τῶν ὑδάτων τὰς πηγάς; συνέχεε τὸν ἀέρα; Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ πᾶν τοὐναντίον· ἀνατέλλει τὸν ἥλιον, βρέχει τὸν ὑετὸν, δίδωσι καρποὺς, δίδωσι τροφὰς ἐτησίους τοῖς βλασφήμοις, τοῖς ἀνοήτοις, τοῖς μιαροῖς, τοῖς διώκταις, οὐ μίαν ἡμέραν οὐδὲ δευτέραν οὐδὲ τρίτην, ἀλλὰ πάντα τὸν βίον. Τοῦτον μίμησαι καὶ σὺ, τοῦτον ζήλωσον κατὰ δύναμιν ἀνθρωπίνην. Οὐ δύνασαι τὸν ἥλιον ἀνατεῖλαι; μὴ κακηγορήσῃς. Οὐ δύνασαι ὑετὸν δοῦναι; μὴ λοιδορήσῃς. Οὐ δύνασαι θρέψαι; μὴ παροινήσῃς. Ἀρκεῖ ταῦτα παρὰ σοῦ δῶρα· παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δι' 62.534 ἔργων γίνεται εἰς τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡ εὐεργεσία· σὺ κἂν διὰ λόγων ποίησον, ὑπέρευξαι τοῦ ἐχθροῦ· οὕτως ἔσῃ ὅμοιος τῷ