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for me, from him who is about to kindle it, or from where, or how, so that then, having been prepared, we may go forth, bright with bright lamps, to meet the Bridegroom? For when we have risen as from sleep, we are to run immediately to the meeting, as you hear. If then, while we are sitting and dwelling in the tombs, the trumpet, crying out, will awaken us, and if we do not have our souls from here as lamps kindled beforehand, but they are found shining not at all or a little and faintly, and are about to be extinguished, according to the voice of the Gospel, where then shall we find the means either to kindle the completely (85) extinguished ones, or to add a little to those being extinguished from the lack of oil? Truly we will find nothing anywhere. Therefore let us hasten from this moment to kindle them brightly through repentance and tears together, so that at the resurrection, being brilliant, we may meet the Bridegroom brilliantly and may enter with Him into the kingdom of heaven and enjoy the eternal good things, which may it be that we all attain in Christ Himself our God, to whom is due all glory, honor, and worship unto the ages of ages. Amen.

On repentance. And that the mere distribution of our possessions and the stripping away of things itself is not sufficient for the purification of the soul, unless we also acquire mourning. And concerning the exile of Adam. And that if he had repented after transgressing, he would not have fallen from paradise. And what good his repentance after the fall accomplished for him. And concerning the second coming of the Lord and the condemnation of sinners. And toward

the end, a refutation of those living in evil and hypocrisy.

Discourse V. (86) Brothers and fathers, repentance is a good thing, and the benefit that comes from it. This

for the Lord Jesus Christ, our God, knowing this and foreknowing all things, said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." But do you want to learn how without repentance, and repentance from the soul and of the kind the word seeks from us, it is impossible for us to be saved? Listen to the apostle himself crying out: "Every sin is outside the body; but he who commits fornication sins against his own body," and again: "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive (87) the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." Often, therefore, someone may say from this: "I thank God that I have not defiled a member of my body in any evil deed"—which I, a worker of all iniquity, cannot yet say!—and he has, so it seems, consolation from this, that he is free from sins of his body. But the Master replies and tells the parable of the ten virgins and shows to all of us and declares that we are in no way benefited by the purity of the body if the other virtues are not also present in us. Not only that, but Paul himself again, in harmony with the Master, cries out, saying: "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord." And why did he say "Pursue"? Because it is not possible for us to become and to be holy in a single hour, for it is necessary, beginning from small things, to be led up to holiness and purity according to progress; and that even if we should spend a thousand years in this life, we will never be able to attain its perfection, but always on each,

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μοι, τοῦ ταύτην ἀνάψαι μέλλοντος, ἤ πόθεν ἤ πῶς, ἵνα τότε ἑτοιμασθέντες φαιδροί φαιδραῖς ταῖς λαμπάσι τῷ νυμφίῳ προσυπαντήσωμεν; Ἐξαναστάντων γάρ ἡμῶν ὡς ἐξ ὕπνου, εὐθύς πρός τήν ἀπάντησιν, ὡς ἀκούετε, τρέχειν μέλλομεν. Εἰ οὖν καθεζομένων καί ἐν τοῖς μνήμασιν οἰκούντων ἡμῶν, ἐκβοήσασα ἡ σάλπιγξ ἐξυπνήσει ἡμᾶς, ἐάν μή ἀπό τῶν ὧδε, ὡς λαμπάδας προαναφθείσας, ἔχωμεν τάς ψυχάς, ἀλλ᾿ εὑρεθῶσιν ἤ μηδόλως ἤ ὀλίγον τι καί μικρόν φαίνουσαι καί ὅσον οὔπω σβεσθῆναι, κατά τήν εὐαγγελικήν φωνήν, μέλλουσαι, ποῦ τότε εὑρήσομεν ἤ τάς παντελῶς (85) ἐσβεσμένας ἀνάψαι ἤ ταῖς σβεννυμέναις ἀπό τῆς ἐνδείας τοῦ ἐλαίου προσθεῖναί τι μικρόν; Ὄντως οὐδέν οὐδαμοῦ εὑρήσομεν. ∆ιά τοῦτο σπουδάσωμεν ἀπεντεῦθεν ἤδη ταύτας ἀνάψαι διά μετανοίας ὁμοῦ καί δακρύων φαιδρῶς, ἵνα ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει λαμπροί λαμπρῶς τῷ νυμφίῳ προσυπαντήσωμεν καί συνεισελευσώμεθα αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν καί τῶν αἰωνίων κατααπολαύσωμεν ἀγαθῶν, ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν ἐν αὐτῷ Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν, ᾧ πρέπει πᾶσα δόξα, τιμή καί προσκύνησις εἰς τούς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

Περί μετανοίας. Καί ὅτι οὐκ ἀρκεῖ ἡμῖν ἡ τῶν ἐνόντων μόνον διάδοσις καί ἡ ἀπογύμνωσις αὐτή τῶν πραγμάτων εἰς κάθαρσιν ψυχῆς, ἐάν μή καί τό πένθος κτησώμεθα. Καί περί τῆς τοῦ Ἀδάμ ἐξορίας. Καί ὅτι εἰ μετενόησε παραβάς, οὐκ ἄν τοῦ παραδείσου ἐξέπεσε. Καί οἷον ἀγαθόν εἰργάσατο αὐτοῦ ἡ μετά τήν ἔκπτωσιν μετάνοια. Καί περί τῆς δευτέρας τοῦ Κυρίου παρουσίας καί τῆς τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν κατακρίσεως. Καί πρός

τό τέλος, ἔλεγχος τῶν ἐν κακίᾳ καί ὑποκρίσει ζώντων.

Λόγος Ε΄. (86) Ἀδελφοί καί πατέρες, καλόν ἡ μετάνοια καί ἡ ἐξ αὐτῆς γινομένη ὠφέλεια. Τοῦτο

γάρ εἰδώς καί ὁ τά πάντα προειδώς Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, ὁ Θεός ἡμῶν, "Μετανοεῖτε, ἔφη, ἤγγικε γάρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν". Θέλετε δέ μαθεῖν πῶς δίχα μετανοίας, καί μετανοίας ἀπό ψυχῆς καί οἵαν ὁ λόγος ἐπιζητεῖ παρ᾿ ἡμῶν, ἀδύνατον σωθῆναι ἡμᾶς; Αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀποστόλου βοῶντος ἀκούσατε· "Πᾶσα ἁμαρτία ἐκτός τοῦ σώματος ἐστιν· ὁ δέ πορνεύων εἰς τό ἴδιον σῶμα ἁμαρτάνει", καί πάλιν· "Παραστῆναι δεῖ ἡμᾶς ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα ἀπολήψηται ἕκαστος (87) τά διά τοῦ σώματος πρός ἅ ἔπραξεν, εἴτε ἀγαθόν εἴτε φαῦλον". Ἔχει οὖν πολλάκις ἐκ τούτου τις εἰπεῖν· "Εὐχαριστῶ τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτι οὐκ ἐμίανα μέλος σώματός μου ἐν οὐδεμιᾷ τινι πονηρᾷ πράξει"ὅπερ εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἔχω τέως ἐγώ, ὁ πάσης ἀνομίας ἐργάτης! - καί ἔχει δῆθεν παραμυθίαν ἐκ τούτου ὅτι ἐκτός ἐστιν ἁμαρτίας σώματος αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλ᾿ ἀντιφθέγγεται ὁ ∆εσπότης καί λέγει τήν περί τῶν δέκα παρθένων παραβολήν καί δείκνυσι πᾶσιν ἡμῖν καί ἀποφαίνεται μηδέν ὠφελεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς τοῦ σώματος καθαρότητος μή προσουσῶν ἡμῖν καί τῶν λοιπῶν ἀρετῶν. Οὐ μόνον δέ ἀλλά καί αὐτός πάλιν ὁ Παῦλος συνᾴδοντα τῷ ∆εσπότῃ βοᾷ λέγων· "Εἰρήνην διώκετε μετά πάντων καί τόν ἁγιασμόν, οὗ χωρίς οὐδείς ὄψεται τόν Κύριον". ∆ιατί δέ εἶπε "∆ιώκετε"; ∆ιότι οὐ δυνατόν ἐστιν ἐν ὥρᾳ μιᾷ γενέσθαι καί εἶναι ἁγίους ἡμᾶς, δεῖ γάρ ἀπό μικρῶν ἀρξαμένους κατά προκοπήν ἀναχθῆναι εἰς ἁγιωσύνην καί καθαρότητα· καί ὅτι κἄν χίλια ἔτη ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ ποιήσωμεν, οὐδέποτε τό ταύτης τέλειον καταλαβεῖν δυνησόμεθα, ἀλλά πάντοτε καθ᾿ ἑκάστην,