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we are able to say. But for even the unworthy to receive the gift of God or a free gift is nothing strange; for God, in a time of goodness and long-suffering, makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good; and often it is for the benefit either of the one receiving the gift himself, if perhaps, being moved by the goodness of God, he is prompted to the care of pleasing him, or of others, according to what was said by the Apostle: Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, 31.1204 but some also from good will. To which he adds a little later: But what does it matter? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. QUESTION 180. With what sort of disposition and attention ought we to listen to the things read aloud to us at the time of communion. ANSWER. With more than the pleasure with which we eat and drink, so that the mind may be shown not to be carried away by the pleasures of the body; but rejoicing more in the words of the Lord, according to the disposition of the one who said: And sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. QUESTION 181. If there are brotherhoods near each other, and one is poor, while the other is more reluctant about sharing, how should the poor one be disposed toward the one that does not share. ANSWER. How can those who have been taught in the love of Christ to lay down their very soul for one another be sparing of things concerning the body? As if forgetting the one who said: I was hungry, and you gave me no food, and the rest. But if this happens, the poor should be long-suffering, in the full assurance of the comfort in the age to come, imitating Lazarus. QUESTION 182. By what fruits ought one who sympathetically rebukes a sinning brother to be tested. ANSWER. First, by the special fruits of sympathy, according to what was said by the Apostle, that, If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; and that, Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? and then, if he is equally crushed by every sin, and grieves and mourns alike for all who sin, both those who sin against him and those against another, and in rebuking he does not corrupt the manner handed down by the Lord. QUESTION 183. If it happens that some living in a brotherhood disagree with one another, whether it is without danger for the sake of love to bear with such persons. ANSWER. Since the Lord said, Grant, Father, that as I and you are one, so they also may be one in us; and the Apostle wrote, Being of one accord, of one mind; and the Acts relates, 31.1205 that, The heart and soul of those who believed was one; those who disagree are strangers to what has been said. But love that is according to reason guards what has been said: He who loves disciplines diligently; but love that is not according to reason, whatever it may be, is not approved, as the Lord said, He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. QUESTION 184. How can someone, both when he exhorts and when he rebukes, not only strive to speak with knowledge, but also preserve the proper disposition both toward God and toward those to whom he speaks. ANSWER. If one remembers the Apostle saying: Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God, he does not dispense some knowledge of his own with authority, but fulfills a service to God in the care of souls redeemed by the blood of Christ with fear and trembling toward God, according to the one who said: So we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, who tests our hearts; and with a disposition and compassion for the listeners, doing what was said: As a nursing mother cherishes her own children, so we, being affectionately desirous of you, were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own souls. QUESTION 185. If someone in a discourse rejoices when he sees the listeners are well-disposed to what is being said, how will he know himself, if by disposition

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εἰρημένα δυνάμεθα. Τὸ δὲ χάρισμα Θεοῦ ἢ δωρεὰν λαμβάνειν καὶ τὸν ἀνάξιον οὐδὲν παράδοξον· Θεὸς γὰρ ἐν καιρῷ χρηστότητος καὶ μακροθυμίας τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ ἀνατέλλει ἐπὶ πο νηροὺς καὶ ἀγαθούς· πολλάκις δὲ καὶ εἰς ὠφέλειαν ἢ ἐκείνου αὐτοῦ τοῦ ὑποδεχομένου τὸ χάρισμα, ἐὰν ἄρα, δυσωπηθεὶς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ χρηστότητα, προτραπῇ εἰς ἐπιμέλειαν τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν εὐαρεστή σεως, ἢ καὶ ἑτέρων, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου· Τινὲς μὲν καὶ διὰ φθόνον καὶ ἔριν, 31.1204 τινὲς δὲ καὶ δι' εὐδοκίαν τὸν Χριστὸν κηρύσ σουσιν. Οἷς ἐπιφέρει μετ' ὀλίγα· Πλὴν ὅτι παντὶ τρόπῳ, εἴτε προφάσει εἴτε ἀληθείᾳ, Χριστὸς καταγγέλλεται, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ χαίρω. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΠʹ. Μετὰ ποταπῆς διαθέσεως καὶ προσοχῆς ὀφείλομεν ἀκούειν τῶν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς μεταλήψεως παραναγινωσκομένων ἡμῖν. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Περισσοτέρως ἢ μεθ' οἵας ἡδονῆς ἐσθίομεν καὶ πίνομεν, ἵνα δειχθῇ ὁ νοῦς μὴ μετεωριζόμενος εἰς τὰς τοῦ σώματος ἡδονάς· ἐνευφραινόμενος δὲ πλέον τοῖς τοῦ Κυρίου ῥήμασι, κατὰ τὴν διάθεσιν τοῦ εἰπόντος· Καὶ γλυκύτερα ὑπὲρ μέλι καὶ κη ρίον. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΠΑʹ. Ἐὰν ὦσιν ἀδελφότητες πλησίον ἀλλήλων, καὶ ἡ μὲν πτωχεύῃ, ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα περὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν δυσχερεστέρα ᾖ, πῶς δεῖ τὴν πτωχεύουσαν πρὸς τὴν μὴ μεταδιδοῦσαν διατίθεσθαι. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Οἱ διδαχθέντες ἐν ἀγάπῃ Χρίστου καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτὴν τιθέναι ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων πῶς τῶν περὶ τὸ σῶμα φείσασθαι δύνανται; Ὥσπερ ἐπιλαθόμενοι τοῦ εἰ πόντος· Ἐπείνασα, καὶ οὐκ ἐδώκατέ μοι φαγεῖν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἐὰν δὲ γένηται τοῦτο, μακροθυμεῖν χρὴ τοὺς πτωχεύοντας, ἐν πληροφορίᾳ τῆς ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι παρακλήσεως, μιμουμένους τὸν Λά ζαρον. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΠΒʹ. Ἐκ ποίων καρπῶν δοκιμάζεσθαι ὀφείλει ὁ συμπα θῶς ἐλέγχων τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Πρῶτον μὲν ἐκ τῶν ἐξαιρέτων τῆς συμπαθείας, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου ὅτι, Ἐὰν πάσχῃ ἓν μέλος, συμπάσχει πάντα τὰ μέλη· καὶ ὅτι, Τίς σκανδαλίζεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ πυροῦμαι; ἔπειτα δὲ, ἐὰν ἐπὶ πάσῃ ἁμαρτίᾳ ὁμοίως συντρί βηται, καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι, τοῖς τε εἰς αὐτὸν καὶ τοῖς εἰς ἄλλον ὁμοίως λυπῆται, καὶ πενθῇ, καὶ ἐλέγχων μὴ διαφθείρῃ τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου παραδεδομένον τρόπον. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΠΓʹ. Ἐὰν συμβῇ τινας ἐν ἀδελφότητι ζῶντας διαφω νῆσαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους, εἰ ἀκίνδυνόν ἐστιν ἀγά πης ἕνεκεν συμπεριφέρεσθαι τοῖς τοιούτοις. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος, ∆ὸς, Πάτερ, ἵνα, ὥσπερ ἐγὼ καὶ σὺ ἕν ἐσμεν, οὕτω καὶ αὐτοὶ ἓν ὦσιν ἐν ἡμῖν· καὶ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου γράψαντος, Σύμψυχοι, τὸ ἓν φρονοῦντες· καὶ τῶν Πράξεων ἱστορουσῶν, 31.1205 ὅτι, Ἧν τῶν πιστευσάντων καρδία καὶ ψυχὴ μία· οἱ μὲν διαφωνοῦντες ἀλλότριοι τῶν εἰρημένων εἰσίν. Ἀγάπη δὲ ἡ μὲν κατὰ λόγον φυλάσσει τὸ εἰρημένον· Ὁ δὲ ἀγαπῶν ἐπιμελῶς παιδεύει· ἡ δὲ μὴ κατὰ λόγον, οἵα δ' ἂν ᾖ, ἀδόκιμος, τοῦ Κυρίου εἰπόντος ὅτι, Ὁ ἀγαπῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΠ∆ʹ. Πῶς δύναταί τις, καὶ ὅτε παρακαλεῖ, καὶ ὅτε ἐλέγχει, μὴ μόνον σπουδάζειν ἐπιστημόνως λα λῆσαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν διάθεσιν τὴν ὀφειλομένην σώζειν πρός τε τὸν Θεὸν καὶ πρὸς ἐκείνους, οἷς λαλεῖ. ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ. Ἐὰν μνημονεύσῃ τις τοῦ Ἀποστόλου εἰπόντος· Οὕτως ἡμᾶς λογιζέσθω ἄνθρωπος ὡς ὑπηρέτας Χριστοῦ, καὶ οἰκονόμους μυστηρίων Θεοῦ, οὐχ ὡς ἰδίαν τινὰ ἐπιστήμην ἐξ αὐθεντίας οἰκονομῇ, ἀλλ' ὡς Θεοῦ ὑπηρεσίαν ἐν ἐπιμελείᾳ ψυχῶν αἵματι Χρι στοῦ ἐξηγορασμένων πληροῖ μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρό μου τοῦ πρὸς Θεὸν, κατὰ τὸν εἰπόντα· Οὕτω λαλοῦ μεν, οὐχ ὡς ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσκοντες, ἀλλὰ Θεῷ τῷ δοκιμάζοντι τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν· καὶ μετὰ δια θέσεως καὶ εὐσπλαγχνίας τῆς περὶ τοὺς ἀκούον τας, ποιῶν τὸ εἰρημένον· Ὡς ἐὰν τροφὸς θάλπῃ τὰ ἑαυτῆς τέκνα, οὕτως ἱμειρόμενοι ὑμῶν, εὐ δοκοῦμεν μεταδοῦναι ὑμῖν οὐ μόνον τὸ Εὐαγ γέλιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχάς. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΡΠΕʹ. Ἐάν τις ἐν διαλέξει συνδιατιθεμένους τοῖς λεγο μένοις ὁρῶν τοὺς ἀκούοντας χαίρῃ, πῶς γνω ρίσει ἑαυτὸν, εἰ διαθέσει