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the salvation of our souls. This conjunction is able to procure for us countless good things from above and to extinguish the pyre of the sins of our souls and to grant us great confidence. Using this conjunction, Cornelius sent up his prayers to heaven. Therefore he also heard from the angel: "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God." 7.28 Did you see a man living his whole life in a cloak and a belt, how much confidence he acquired from this? Let those enrolled in military service hear and learn that there is no hindrance to virtue for one who wishes to be sober, but it is possible even for one wearing a cloak and belt, and having a wife and caring for children and looking after servants, and entrusted with authority to take great care for virtue. For behold, this marvelous man also, wearing a cloak and a belt, and ruling over soldiers, for he was a centurion, since he was willing and was sober and was watchful, of how much care from above he is deemed worthy. And so that you may learn precisely that the grace from above then alights upon us when we ourselves first contribute what is from us, listen to the story itself. For since he had previously given many and generous alms, and persevered in prayers with earnestness, at the ninth hour, it says, while he was praying, an angel appeared to him and said: "Cornelius, your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God." 7.29 Let us not simply pass by what has been said, but let us consider with precision the man's virtue, and then let us understand the master's love for humanity, how he overlooks no one, but wherever he sees a sober soul, there he lavishes the grace from himself. A soldier, a man, enjoying no instruction, entangled in the affairs of life, having each day countless things that distract and pull him back, did not consume his life in drinking-parties and drunkenness and gluttony, but in prayers and alms, and he showed so much zeal from within himself, and so attended to prayers and worked generous alms, as to render himself worthy of such a vision. 7.30 Where now are those who set out lavish tables and pour out much unmixed wine and spend their days in drinking-parties, and choose neither to pray often before the meal nor to offer up thanksgiving after the meal, but thinking it is permitted for them to do all things without fear, because they are in positions of authority and are numbered in the military rolls and wear a cloak and a belt. Let them see this Cornelius's attentiveness in prayers, his generosity in alms, and let them be ashamed. 7.31 But perhaps he will become a trustworthy teacher not only for them, but also for all of us, even for those who have undertaken the monastic life, and those who have been appointed to the ecclesiastical ministry. For which of us will ever be able to boast that either he has shown so much attentiveness in prayers, or he has become so generous in almsgiving, as to become worthy of such a vision. Therefore, I beseech you, if not before, at least now let us all emulate him, both those enrolled in military service and those pursuing a private life, and those deemed worthy of so many gifts, and let us not become less than the one with a cloak and a belt who showed so much virtue. For then we shall be able to preserve the beauty of this our spiritual garment in its prime if we show forth the conjunction of these virtues with precision; 7.32 And if you wish, let us add other things to these that are able to contribute to the preservation and incorruptibility of this garment, I mean moderation and sanctification; "For pursue peace," says the apostle, "and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord." And so let us pursue this with precision, each

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σωτηρία τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν. Αὕτη ἡ συζυγία τὰ μυρία ἡμῖν ἀγαθὰ ἄνωθεν προξενῆσαι δύναται καὶ τὴν πυρὰν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων σβέσαι τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν καὶ πολλὴν ἡμῖν παρασχεῖν τὴν παρρησίαν. Ταύτῃ τῇ συζυγίᾳ χρησάμενος ὁ Κορνήλιος εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν τὰς εὐχὰς ἀνέπεμπε. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἤκουσε παρὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου· «Αἱ προσευχαί σου καὶ αἱ ἐλεημοσύναι σου ἀνέβησαν εἰς μνημόσυνον ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ.» 7.28 Εἶδες ἄνδρα ἐν χλανίδι καὶ ζώνῃ τὸν ἅπαντα βίον ἀναστρεφόμενον πόσην ἐντεῦθεν ἐκτήσατο τὴν παρρησίαν; Ἀκουέτωσαν οἱ ταῖς στρατείαις ἐγκατειλεγμένοι καὶ μανθανέτωσαν ὡς οὐδὲν κώλυμα γίνεται πρὸς ἀρετὴν τῷ νήφειν βουλομένῳ ἀλλ' ἔξεστι καὶ χλανίδα καὶ ζώνην περικειμένῳ καὶ γυναῖκα ἔχοντα καὶ παιδίων ἐπιμελούμενον καὶ οἰκετῶν φροντίζοντα καὶ ἀρχὴν ἐγκεχειρισμένον τῆς ἀρετῆς πολλὴν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ καὶ ὁ θαυμάσιος οὗτος καὶ χλανίδα καὶ ζώνην περικείμενος καὶ στρατιωτῶν ἄρχων, ἑκατόνταρχος γὰρ ἦν, ἐπειδὴ ἐβουλήθη καὶ ἔνηφε καὶ ἐγρηγορὼς ἦν, ὅσης ἀξιοῦται τῆς ἄνωθεν κηδεμονίας. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ἀκριβῶς ὅτι ἡ ἄνωθεν χάρις τότε ἡμῖν ἐφίπταται ἐπειδὰν αὐτοὶ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν πρότερον εἰσενέγκωμεν, ἄκουε τῆς ἱστορίας αὐτῆς. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ προλαβὼν πολλὰς καὶ δαψιλεῖς τὰς ἐλεημοσύνας ἐποιήσατο καὶ μετ' ἐκτενείας ταῖς προσευχαῖς προσεκαρτέρει, κατὰ τὴν ἐνάτην ὥραν, φησί, προσευχομένῳ αὐτῷ ἐπιστὰς ἄγγελος εἶπεν· «Κορνήλιε, αἱ προσευχαί σου καὶ αἱ ἐλεημοσύναι σου ἀνέβησαν εἰς μνημόσουνον ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ.» 7.29 Μὴ ἁπλῶς παραδράμωμεν τὸ λεχθέν, ἀλλ' ἐννοήσωμεν μετὰ ἀκριβείας τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ τότε καταμάθωμεν τοῦ δεσπότου τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν, πῶς οὐδένα περιορᾷ ἀλλ' ἔνθα ἂν ἴδῃ νήφουσαν ψυχὴν ἐκεῖ τὴν παρ' ἑαυτοῦ χάριν ἐπιδαψιλεύεται. Στρατιώτης ἄνθρωπος, οὐδεμιᾶς ἀπολαύων διδασκαλίας, ἐν πράγμασι βιωτικοῖς συμπεπλεγμένος, καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν μυρία ἔχων τὰ περισπῶντα αὐτὸν καὶ ἀνθέλκοντα, οὐκ εἰς συμπόσια καὶ μέθην καὶ ἀδηφαγίαν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ βίον κατανήλισκεν, ἀλλ' εἰς προσευχὰς καὶ ἐλεημοσύνας καὶ τοσαύτην οἴκοθεν τὴν σπουδὴν ἐπεδείκνυτο καὶ οὕτω ταῖς εὐχαῖς προσήδρευε καὶ τὰς ἐλεημοσύνας δαψιλεῖς εἰργάζετο ὡς καὶ ὀπτασίας τοιαύτης ἄξιον ἑαυτὸν ἀποφῆναι. 7.30 Ποῦ νῦν εἰσιν οἱ τὰς πολυτελεῖς τραπέζας παρατιθέντες καὶ πολὺν τὸν ἄκρατον ἐγχεόμενοι καὶ διημερεύοντες ἐν τοῖς συμποσίοις καὶ οὔτε πρὸ τῆς ἑστιάσεως πολλάκις εὔχεσθαι αἱρούμενοι οὔτε μετὰ τὴν ἑστίασιν τὴν εὐχαριστίαν ἀναφέροντες, ἀλλὰ νομίζοντες πάντα αὐτοῖς ἐξεῖναι ἀδεῶς διαπράττεσθαι διὰ τὸ ἐν ἀρχαῖς εἶναι καὶ στρατιωτικοῖς καταλόγοις ἐναριθμεῖσθαι καὶ χλανίδα καὶ ζώνην περικεῖσθαι. Ὁράτωσαν τοῦ Κορνηλίου τούτου τὴν ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς προσεδρείαν, τὴν περὶ τὰς ἐλεημοσύνας δαψίλειαν, καὶ ἐγκαλυπτέσθωσαν. 7.31 Τάχα δὲ οὐκ ἐκείνοις μόνοις ἀξιόπιστος οὗτος γενήσεται διδάσκαλος, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσιν ἡμῖν καὶ αὐτοῖς τοῖς τὸν τῶν μοναχῶν βίον ἐπανῃρημένοις καὶ τὴν ἐκκλησιαστικὴν λειτουργίαν ἀναδεδειγμένοις. Τίς γὰρ ἡμῶν ποτε δυνήσεται καυχήσασθαι ὅτι ἢ ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς τοσαύτην ἐπεδείξατο τὴν προσεδρείαν ἢ περὶ τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην οὕτω δαψιλὴς γέγονεν ὡς τοιαύτης ὀπτασίας ἄξιος γενέσθαι. ∆ιό, παρακαλῶ, εἰ καὶ μὴ πρότερον, κἂν νῦν γοῦν ἅπαντες τοῦτον ζηλώσωμεν καὶ οἱ ἐν στρατείᾳ κατειλεγμένοι καὶ οἱ τὸν ἰδιωτικὸν βίον μετιόντες καὶ τῶν τοσούτων δωρεῶν ἀξιωθέντες, καὶ μὴ ἐλάττους γενώμεθα τοῦ μετὰ χλανίδος καὶ ζώνης τοσαύτην ἐπιδειξαμένου τὴν ἀρετήν. Τότε γὰρ δυνησόμεθα καὶ τοῦ ἐνδύματος ἡμῶν τούτου τοῦ πνευματικοῦ τὸ κάλλος ἀκμάζον διατηρῆσαι εἰ τὴν συζυγίαν τούτων τῶν ἀρετῶν μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐπιδειξαίμεθα· 7.32 Εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε, καὶ ἕτερα ταύταις προσθῶμεν τὰ συντελεῖν δυνατὰ πρὸς τὴν φυλακὴν καὶ τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν τούτου τοῦ ἐνδύματος, τὴν σωφροσύνην λέγω καὶ τὸν ἁγιασμόν· «Εἰρήνην γὰρ διώκετε, φησίν, ὁ ἀπόστολος, καὶ τὸν ἁγιασμὸν οὗ χωρὶς οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸν Κύριον.» Καὶ ταύτην τοίνυν μετὰ ἀκριβείας μετερχώμεθα, καθ' ἑκάστην