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knowing it was said: For every idle word you will give an account on the day of judgment. For God gives ear to a prayer offered not through deceitful lips, but through a purified tongue, accustomed to meditate on the divine oracles. Therefore, in the case of 23.161 justice, "hear," was said; but in the case of supplication, "give heed;" and in the case of the voice uttered by the lips, "give ear." He therefore asked for three things through the preceding words, placing the better of the two first. You have tried my heart, you have visited it by night; you have tested me with fire, and iniquity was not found in me. How the meaning of the preceding words surpasses human weakness! For who will boast of having a pure heart? And who is bold to say he is pure from sins? Therefore it would be fitting for Christ alone to say the preceding words. Could it be that in the present case he has called the descent into Hades, and the place in death, "night"? For even if he was in the night at the time of the temptations and in the dark and lightless place of death; yet having been tested, he has been deemed worthy of visitation from the Father through the resurrection, and has obtained it. Since, like gold cast into fire, he has remained bright and pure. Since he alone of all time did no sin, nor was deceit found, according to Isaiah, in his mouth. So that my mouth may not speak of the works of men, because of the words of your lips I have kept hard ways. But Symmachus, by saying: I have guarded myself from the ways of the transgressor, has presented another meaning: as if the one sending up the prayer avoids every transgressor, and all the ways of such men, because all deeds of wickedness are difficult and harsh. Make my steps perfect in your paths, that my steps may not be shaken. Through these words also the Savior has given us an example, teaching us never to be worn down, nor to be proud of ourselves. And to be well and precisely persuaded, that we always need help from God, so that our steps may not be shaken, and to fit our feet to his paths. Make your mercies wonderful, you who save those who hope in you. But he is said to be saving those who hope in him, not those from the seed of Israel, nor those living according to the law of Moses; but as if having found a new way, he was revealed as saving those who have hoped in him. For, says the Apostle, faith, hope, love remain; these three are intertwined, as if bound tight by one bond. Therefore he joins faith to hope, saying: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen; and these things spring from love for God; and through them, in turn, love for God is strengthened. From those who resist your right hand keep me, Lord, as the apple of your eye. In the shadow of your wings you will shelter me from the face of the ungodly who have afflicted me. And let every righteous man, when he prays, ask of God to be deemed worthy of protection from him; confessing that he is not able to be his own guardian because of the multitude of those who 23.164 resist him; and let him entreat to be guarded as the apple of an eye; seeing those who resist the right hand of God as certain enemies and foes plotting against the eye of his soul, and wishing to blind him. But even when there are many ungodly men who afflict him, that is, who declare him miserable, and send arrows against him, let him flee under the wings of God, and ask to receive shelter under him. But the Savior also, on behalf of his own Church, which is his body, sent up these words to the Father. And you will understand "wings" as the powers of his providence. My enemies have surrounded my soul, they have enclosed themselves in their own fat, their mouth has spoken pride. Casting me out, they have now surrounded me; they have set their eyes

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εἰδὼς εἰρημένον· Περὶ παντὸς ἀργοῦ ῥήματος δώσετε λόγον ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως. Προσευχῆς γὰρ οὐ διὰ χειλέων δολίων προσφερομένης, διὰ δὲ γλώττης κεκαθαρμένης, καὶ τὰ θεῖα λόγια μελετᾷν εἰθισμένης, ἐνωτίζεται ὁ Θεός. ∆ιὸ ἐπὶ μὲν τῆς δι 23.161 καιοσύνης, εἰσάκουσον, ἐλέγετο, ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς δεήσεως, πρόσχες· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς διὰ χειλέων προφερομένης φωνῆς, ἐνώτισαι. Τρία γοῦν ᾐτήσατο διὰ τῶν προκειμένων, προτάξας τῶν δύο τὸ κρεῖττον. Ἐδοκίμασας τὴν καρδίαν μου, ἐπεσκέψω νυκτός· ἐπύρωσάς με, καὶ οὐχ εὑρέθη ἐν ἐμοὶ ἀδικία. Ὡς τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀσθένειαν ὑπερβαίνει ἡ τῶν προκειμένων διάνοια! Τίς γὰρ καυχήσεται ἁγνὴν ἔχειν καρδίαν; καὶ τίς παῤῥησιάζεται λέγων καθαρὸς εἶναι ἀπὸ ἁμαρτιῶν; Μόνῳ τοιγαροῦν ἁρμόζοι αὐτῷ Χριστῷ λέγειν τὰ προκείμενα. Μήποτε δὲ τὴν εἰς τὸν ᾅδην κάθοδον, καὶ τὸν ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ χῶρον, νύκτα κέκληκεν ἐπὶ τοῦ πάροντος; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἐν νυκτὶ γέγονεν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῶν πειρατηρίων καὶ ἐν τῷ σκοτεινῷ καὶ ἀφεγγεῖ τόπῳ τοῦ θανάτου· ἀλλὰ δοκιμασθεὶς, ἐπισκοπῆς τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἠξίωται διὰ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, καὶ ταύτης τετύχηκεν. Ἐπειδήπερ, οἷα χρυσὸς ἐν πυρὶ βληθεὶς, λαμπρὸς καὶ καθαρὸς διαμεμένηκεν. Ἐπειδὴ μόνος τῶν ἐξ αἰῶνος ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος, κατὰ τὸν Ἡσαΐαν, ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ. Ὅπως ἂν μὴ λαλήσῃ τὸ στόμα μου τὰ ἔργα τῶν ἀνθρώπων, διὰ τοὺς λόγους τῶν χειλέων σου ἐγὼ ἐφύλαξα ὁδοὺς σκληράς. Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος εἰπών· Ἐγὼ ἐφυλαξάμην ὁδοὺς παραβάτου, ἑτέραν παρέστησε διάνοιαν· ὡς τοῦ τὴν εὐχὴν διαπέμποντος πάντα ἄνθρωπον παραβάτην φεύγοντος, καὶ πάσας τὰς τῶν τοιούτων ὁδοὺς, διὰ τὸ χαλεπὰς εἶναι καὶ ἀποσκλήρους πάσας τὰς κατὰ κακίαν πράξεις. Κατάρτισαι τὰ διαβήματά μου ἐν ταῖς τρίβοις σου, ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶσι τὰ διαβήματά μου. Ὑπογραμμὸν ἡμῖν καὶ διὰ τούτων παρέσχεν ὁ Σωτὴρ, παιδεύων μήποτε ἐπιτρίβεσθαι, μηδὲ μέγα ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς φρονεῖν. Εὖ δὲ καὶ ἀκριβῶς πεπεῖσθαι, ὡς πάντοτε τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δεόμεθα βοηθείας, ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῇ ἡμῶν τὰ διαβήματα, καὶ εἰς τὸ ἐφαρμόσαι ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ τρίβοις τοὺς ἡμετέρους πόδας. Θαυμάστωσον τὰ ἐλέη σου ὁ σώζων τοὺς ἐλπίζοντας ἐπὶ σέ. Σώζων δὲ εἴρηται τοὺς ἐλπίζοντας εἰς αὐτὸν, οὐ τοὺς ἐκ σπέρματος Ἰσραὴλ, οὐδὲ τοὺς κατὰ τὸν νόμον Μωϋσέως βιοῦντας· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ καινὴν ὁδὸν εὑράμενος, σώζων ἀνεφάνη τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν ἠλπικότας. Μένει γὰρ, φησὶν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, πίστις, ἐλπὶς, ἀγάπη· τὰ τρία ταῦτα συμπέπλεκται, ὥσπερ ὑφ' ἑνὶ δεσμῷ κατεσφιγμένα. ∆ιὸ τὴν πίστιν τῇ ἐλπίδι συνάπτει λέγων· Ἔστι δὲ πίστις ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις πραγμάτων, ἔλεγχος οὐ βλεπομένων· ταῦτα δ' ἐξ ἀγάπης τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν φύεται· καὶ δι' αὐτῶν πάλιν ἡ εἰς Θεὸν ἀγάπη κρατύνεται. Ἐκ τῶν ἀνθεστηκότων τῇ δεξιᾷ σου φύλαξόν με, Κύριε, ὡς κόρην ὀφθαλμοῦ. Ἐν σκέπῃ τῶν πτερύγων σου σκεπάσεις με ἀπὸ προσώπου ἀσεβῶν τῶν ταλαιπωρησάντων με. Καὶ πᾶς μὲν δίκαιος προσευχόμενος δείσθω τοῦ Θεοῦ, τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ καταξιοῦσθαι φυλακῆς· ὁμολογῶν μὴ ἱκανὸς εἶναι φύλαξ αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ γίνεσθαι διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν 23.164 ἀνθεστηκότων αὐτῷ· φυλαχθῆναί τε ἑαυτὸν, ὥσπερ τινὰ κόρην ὀφθαλμοῦ παρακαλείτω· ὁρῶν τοὺς ἀνθεστηκότας τῇ δεξιᾷ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐχθρούς τινας, καὶ πολεμίους τῷ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ ὀφθαλμῷ ἐπιβουλεύοντας, καὶ τυφλῶσαι αὐτὸν θέλοντας. Ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῶν ὄντων ἀσεβῶν τῶν ταλαιπωριζόντων αὐτὸν, τουτέστι ταλαίπωρον αὐτὸν ἀποφαινόντων, βέλη τε κατ' αὐτοῦ πεμπόντων, ὑπὸ τὰς πτέρυγας καταφεύγων τοῦ Θεοῦ, σκέπης τῆς ὑπ' αὐτῷ τυχεῖν ἀξιούτω. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ ὑπὲρ τῆς αὑτοῦ Ἐκκλησίας, ἥτις ἐστὶν αὐτοῦ σῶμα, ταύτας ἀνέπεμπε πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα τὰς φωνάς. Πτέρυγας δὲ νοήσεις τὰς τῆς προνοίας αὐτοῦ δυνάμεις. Οἱ ἐχθροί μου τὴν ψυχήν μου περιέσχον, τὸ στέαρ αὐτῶν συνέκλεισαν, τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν ἐλάλησεν ὑπερηφανίαν. Ἐκβάλλοντές με νυνὶ περιεκύκλωσάν με· τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἔθεντο