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What should I say to those who say such things? That 49.58 even if the one caught was blameless for the present situation, yet he once committed another, more grievous sin, then, not having changed, he paid the penalty in the present one. For it is God's custom to do this: when we sin, He does not immediately pursue our transgressions, but lets them be, giving us a set time for repentance, so that we may be corrected and changed; but if, because we have not paid the penalty, we think that the sin has also been wiped away and we become contemptuous, where we do not suspect it, there we will certainly be caught afterwards. And this happens so that when we sin and are not punished, we may not be emboldened, if we do not change, knowing that where we do not expect it, we will certainly fall into it. So, if you sin and are not punished, do not be contemptuous, beloved; but for this very reason be more afraid, knowing that it is a light thing for God, whenever He wishes, to repay. For He did not punish you then for this reason, that you might receive a set time for repentance. Therefore, let us not say that so-and-so, being blameless, fell into it, while another, being guilty, escaped. For the one who fell into it, being blameless as I said, paid the penalty for other sins, and the one who now escapes, if he does not change, will be caught in another snare. If we are so disposed, we will never forget our own sins, but always fearing, trembling, lest we should ever pay the penalty, we will quickly remember them. For nothing is so accustomed to bring sins to remembrance as vengeance and punishment; and this is clear from the brothers of Joseph. For when they had sold the righteous one, and thirteen years had passed, suspecting they were being punished and fearing for the worst, they remembered their sin, and said to one another: ‘Yes, for we are in sin concerning our brother Joseph.’ Do you see how fear reminded them of that transgression? And while they were sinning, they were not aware; but when they expected to be punished, then they remembered. Knowing all these things, then, let us make a change and correction of our life, and before the deliverance from the impending distress let us be concerned for piety and virtue. And for the time being I wish to entrust to you three commandments, that you may fulfill them for me during the fast: to speak evil of no one, to have no enemy, to banish entirely from your mouth the evil habit of oaths. And just as when we hear that a tax in gold has been imposed, each one goes home, and calling his wife and children and servants, he considers with them and deliberates from where he might pay this contribution; so let us also do with these spiritual commandments. Let each one, having retired home, call his wife and children, and say that a spiritual contribution has been imposed today, a contribution through which there will be some release and deliverance from these terrible things, a contribution not making poor those who pay it, but richer, so as to have no enemy, to speak evil of no one, and not to swear at all. Let us consider, let us be concerned, let us deliberate, how we may fulfill these commandments; let us bring all diligence, let us remind one another, let us correct one another, so that we may not depart from there in debt, then needing to borrow from others, we may not suffer the fate of the foolish virgins, and fall away from immortal salvation. If we so order our own life, from this I guarantee and promise you that there will be some release from the present calamity, 49.59 and a deliverance from these terrible things; and what is greatest of all, the enjoyment of the good things to come. For it was necessary to entrust the whole of virtue to you, but I consider this the best method of correction, to take up and fulfill the laws part by part, and then to proceed to the others. For just as when a field is set before him, the farmer, by digging it up part by part, thus comes to the end; so also we, if we set this law for ourselves, so that during the present Lent we fulfill these three commandments with exactness, will surely, along with the safety of a good habit, hand over

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εἴποιμι πρὸς τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα λέγοντας; Ὅτι 49.58 εἰ καὶ τῆς παρούσης στάσεως ἀναίτιος ἦν ὁ ἁλοὺς, ἀλλ' ἑτέραν ἁμαρτίαν εἰργάσατό ποτε χαλεπωτέραν, εἶτα μὴ μεταβαλλόμενος, ἐν τῇ παρούσῃ δίκην ἔδωκε. Καὶ γὰρ ἔθος τῷ Θεῷ τοῦτο ποιεῖν· ὅταν ἁμάρτωμεν, οὐκ εὐθέως ἐπεξέρχεται τοῖς πλημμελήμασιν, ἀλλ' ἀνίησι, διδοὺς ἡμῖν προθεσμίαν μετανοίας, ὥστε διορθώσασθαι καὶ μεταβαλέσθαι· ἂν δὲ διὰ τὸ μὴ δοῦναι δίκην, νομίσαντες καὶ τὸ ἁμάρτημα ἐξηλεῖφθαι, καταφρονήσωμεν, ἔνθα οὐχ ὑπονοοῦμεν, ἐκεῖ μετὰ ταῦτα ἁλωσόμεθα πάντως. Τοῦτο δὲ γίνεται, ἵνα ὅταν ἁμάρτωμεν, καὶ μὴ κολασθῶμεν, μὴ θαρσήσωμεν, ἂν μὴ μεταβαλώμεθα, εἰδότες ὅτι ἔνθα οὐ προσδοκῶμεν, ἐμπεσούμεθα πάντως. Ὥστε, ἂν ἁμαρτήσῃς, καὶ μὴ κολασθῇς, μὴ καταφρονήσῃς, ἀγαπητέ· ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο μειζόνως φοβήθητι, εἰδὼς ὅτι κοῦφον τῷ Θεῷ, ὅταν θέλῃ, ἀνταποδοῦναι πάλιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ τότε σε οὐκ ἐκόλασεν, ἵνα λάβῃς προθεσμίαν μετανοίας. Μὴ τοίνυν λέγωμεν, ὅτι ἀναίτιος ὢν ἐνέπεσεν ὁ δεῖνα, ἕτερος δὲ αἴτιος ὢν διέφυγεν· ὅ τε γὰρ ἀναίτιος ἐμπεσὼν, ὥσπερ ἔφην, ἑτέρων ἁμαρτημάτων ἔδωκε δίκην, ὅ τε νῦν διαφυγὼν, ἐὰν μὴ μεταβάληται, εἰς ἑτέραν ἁλώσεται παγίδα. Ἂν οὕτω διακεισώμεθα, οὐδέποτε τῶν οἰκείων ἁμαρτημάτων ἐπιλησόμεθα, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ δεδοικότες, τρέμοντες, μή ποτε ὑπόσχωμεν δίκην, ἀναμνησθησώμεθα ταχέως αὐτῶν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἁμαρτίας ἀναμιμνήσκειν εἴωθεν, ὡς τιμωρία καὶ κόλασις· καὶ τοῦτο δῆλον ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἀδελφῶν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀπέδοντο ἐκεῖνοι τὸν δίκαιον, καὶ ἔτη τρία καὶ δέκα παρῆλθεν, ὑποπτεύοντες κολάζεσθαι, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐσχάτων δεδοικότες, ἀνεμνήσθησαν τῆς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔλεγον· Ναὶ, ἐν ἁμαρτίαις γάρ ἐσμεν περὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν τοῦ Ἰωσήφ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ὁ φόβος ἀνέμνησεν αὐτοὺς τῆς πλημμελείας ἐκείνης; Καὶ ὅτε μὲν ἡμάρτανον, οὐκ ᾐσθάνοντο· ὅτε δὲ κολάζεσθαι προσεδόκησαν, τότε ἀνεμνήσθησαν. Ταῦτ' οὖν εἰδότες ἅπαντα, ποιησώμεθα τοῦ βίου μεταβολὴν καὶ διόρθωσιν, καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἀπαλλαγῆς τῆς ἐπικειμένης ἀγωνίας ὑπὲρ εὐλαβείας καὶ ἀρετῆς φροντίσωμεν. Καὶ τέως τρεῖς ἐντολὰς ὑμῖν παρακαταθέσθαι βούλομαι, ἵνα μοι ταύτας ἐπὶ τῆς νηστείας κατορθώσητε· τὸ μηδένα κακῶς λέγειν, τὸ μηδένα ἐχθρὸν ἔχειν, τὸ καθόλου πᾶσαν ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ἀπελάσαι τὴν πονηρὰν τῶν ὅρκων συνήθειαν. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐπειδὰν χρυσίον ἐπιβληθὲν ἀκούσωμεν, ἀπιὼν οἴκαδε ἕκαστος, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα καλέσας καὶ τὰ τέκνα καὶ τοὺς οἰκέτας, σκοπεῖ μετ' ἐκείνων καὶ βουλεύεται, πόθεν τὴν εἰσφορὰν καταβάλῃ ταύτην· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐντολῶν ποιήσωμεν τούτων τῶν πνευματικῶν. Ἀναχωρήσας οἴκαδε ἕκαστος καλείτω τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τὰ παιδία, καὶ λεγέτω ὅτι εἰσφορὰ ἐπεβλήθη πνευματικὴ τήμερον, εἰσφορὰ δι' ἧς ἔσται τις λύσις τῶν δεινῶν τούτων καὶ ἀπαλλαγὴ, εἰσφορὰ οὐχὶ πένητας τοὺς καταβάλλοντας, ἀλλὰ πλουσιωτέρους ποιοῦσα, ὥστε μηδένα ἐχθρὸν ἔχειν, μηδένα κακῶς λέγειν, μηδὲ ὀμνύναι καθόλου. Σκοπήσωμεν, φροντίσωμεν, βουλευσώμεθα, ὅπως ἐκπληρώσωμεν τὰς ἐντολὰς ταύτας· πᾶσαν εἰσενεγκώμεθα σπουδὴν, ἀλλήλους ὑπομνήσωμεν, ἀλλήλους διορθωσώμεθα, ἵνα μὴ ὀφείλοντες ἀπέλθωμεν ἐκεῖ, εἶτα δεόμενοι δανείσασθαι παρ' ἑτέρων, μὴ τὸ τῶν παρθένων πάθωμεν τῶν μωρῶν, καὶ τῆς ἀθανάτου σωτηρίας ἐκπέσωμεν. Ἂν οὕτω τὸν ἑαυτῶν ῥυθμίζωμεν βίον, ἐντεῦθεν ὑμῖν ἐγγυῶμαι καὶ ὑπισχνοῦμαι, ὅτι καὶ τῆς παρούσης συμφορᾶς ἔσται τις λύσις, 49.59 καὶ τῶν δεινῶν τούτων ἀπαλλαγή· καὶ τὸ δὴ πάντων μεῖζον, τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν ἡ ἀπόλαυσις. Ἔδει μὲν γὰρ ὑμῖν ὁλόκληρον ἐγχειρίζειν τὴν ἀρετὴν, ἀλλὰ τοῦτον ἄριστον ἡγοῦμαι τρόπον διορθώσεως, τὸ κατὰ μέρος λαμβάνοντας τοὺς νόμους κατορθοῦν, καὶ τότε ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἰέναι. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἀρούρας προκειμένης, ὁ γηπόνος κατὰ μέρος διασκάπτων ἅπασαν, οὕτως ἐπὶ τὸ τέλος ἔρχεται· οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐὰν νόμον ἑαυτοῖς τοῦτον θῶμεν, ὥστε κατὰ τὴν παροῦσαν Τεσσαρακοστὴν ταύτας μετὰ ἀκριβείας κατορθῶσαι τὰς τρεῖς ἐντολὰς, πάντως πρὸς τῷ σὺν ἀσφαλείᾳ τῆς καλῆς συνηθείας παραδοῦ