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with the Cherubim, with the Seraphim, and the other heavenly powers; consider your fellow choristers; this is sufficient for you to be sober, when you reflect that, though clothed in a body and bound up in flesh, you have been counted worthy to praise with the bodiless powers the common Master of all. Do not then with relaxed eagerness partake of those sacred and mystical hymns, do not have worldly thoughts at that time; but having banished all earthly things from your mind, and having transferred your whole self to heaven, as if standing near the very throne of glory, and flying with the Seraphim, so offer up the all-holy hymn to God. For this reason we are commanded to stand well at the time of the divine mystery, that we may set upright the thoughts that creep on the ground, that, casting out the weariness that comes upon us from worldly affairs, we may be able to raise our soul upright before God. For he is not speaking of the hands and knees of the body; for he is not conversing with runners or pancratiasts; but the strength of the inner thoughts, which has been cast down by temptations, he urges us to raise up through these words. For at the time of the divine assembly, brothers, not only do men shout that most awesome cry, but also angels fall down before the Master, and archangels pray; for they have both the time fighting on their side, and the offering assisting them. And just as men, having cut off olive branches, wave them at kings, reminding them of mercy and philanthropy through the plant; so also the angels then, instead of olive branches, presenting the very body of the Lord, entreat the Master on behalf of human nature, as if to say, We pray for these, whom you yourself first deemed worthy to love so much as to give your own soul; for these we pour out our supplications, for whom you yourself shed your blood; for these we plead, for whom you sacrificed this body. Let each one therefore consider in himself, what fault he has corrected, what good deed he has acquired, what sin he has washed away, in what way he has become better; and if he finds that something more has come to him from the fast for this good commerce, and perceives that he has taken much care of his wounds, let him approach; but if he has remained neglectful, having only the fast to show, and having accomplished nothing else, let him remain outside, and then let him enter, when he has cleansed away all his sins. For it is likely that one who does not fast may receive pardon, putting forward the weakness of the body; but for the one who has not corrected his faults, it is impossible to receive a defense. For if God should demand an account of our carelessness in the assemblies, what shall we do? For you surely know this, that often while he is speaking to all of us through the prophet, we hold many and long conversations with our neighbors about matters that do not concern us at all. If then, passing over all else, he should wish to demand justice from us for this sin, what hope of salvation will there be for us? For do not think this transgression is a small thing, 63.627 but if you wish to perceive its 63.627 size, examine this very thing in the case of men, and then you will see the magnitude of the absurdity. Dare, while a ruler is speaking to you, or rather a friend of a slightly more venerable sort, to turn away from him and converse with your own servant, and then you will see how great a thing you dare to do in the presence of God. For if he is one of the more distinguished, he is able to exact a penalty from you for the insult; but God, though being insulted with so many and more things than these each day, not by one or two or three people, but by almost all of us, is patient and long-suffering. And when you wish to appease the wrath of an earthly king, you all run together with children and wives, and often you snatch the condemned man from the royal wrath; but when you are about to make the heavenly king merciful and

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μετὰ τῶν Χερουβὶμ, μετὰ τῶν Σεραφὶμ, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων οὐρανίων δυνάμεων· ἀναλόγισαί σου τοὺς συγχορευτάς· ἀρκεῖ σοι τοῦτο εἰς νῆψιν, ὅταν ἐνθυμηθῇς, ὅτι σῶμα περικείμενος, καὶ σαρκὶ συμπεπλεγμένος, μετὰ τῶν ἀσωμάτων δυνάμεων κατηξιώθης ἀνυμνεῖν τὸν κοινὸν ∆εσπότην ἁπάντων. Μὴ τοίνυν διαλελυμένος τὴν προθυμίαν τῶν ἱερῶν κοινώνει καὶ μυστικῶν ὕμνων ἐκείνων, μὴ βιωτικοὺς κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ἔχε λογισμούς· ἀλλὰ πάντα τὰ γήϊνα τῆς διανοίας ἐξορίσας, καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ὅλον ἑαυτὸν μεταθεὶς, ὡς αὐτοῦ πλησίον ἑστὼς τοῦ θρόνου τῆς δόξης, καὶ μετὰ τῶν Σεραφὶμ ἱπτάμενος, οὕτως τῷ Θεῷ τὸν πανάγιον ὕμνον ἀνάφερε. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἑστάναι καλῶς κατὰ τὸν τῆς θείας μυσταγωγίας καιρὸν κελευόμεθα, ἵνα τοὺς χαμαὶ συρομένους λογισμοὺς ἀνορθώσωμεν, ἵνα τὴν ἔκλυσιν τὴν ἐκ τῶν βιωτικῶν γινομένην ἡμῖν πραγμάτων ἐκβαλόντες, ὀρθὴν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀναστῆσαι δυνηθῶμεν ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχήν. Οὐ γὰρ περὶ χειρῶν καὶ γονάτων λέγει τῶν τοῦ σώματος· οὐδὲ γὰρ δρομεῦσιν ἀνθρώποις, οὐδὲ παγκρατιασταῖς διαλέγεται· ἀλλὰ τὴν ἰσχὺν τῶν ἔνδον λογισμῶν προκαταβεβλημένην ὑπὸ τῶν πειρασμῶν, ἀναστῆσαι διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων παρακελεύεται. Κατὰ γὰρ τὸν τῆς θείας συνάξεως καιρὸν, ἀδελφοὶ, οὐκ ἄνθρωποι μόνον βοῶσι τὴν φρικωδεστάτην ἐκείνην βοὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄγγελοι προσπίπτουσι τῷ ∆εσπότῃ, καὶ ἀρχάγγελοι δέονται· ἔχουσι γὰρ καὶ τὸν καιρὸν αὐτοῖς συμμαχοῦντα, καὶ τὴν προσφορὰν βοηθοῦσαν. Καὶ καθάπερ ἄνθρωποι κλάδους ἐλαιῶν ἐκκόψαντες ἐπισείουσι τοῖς βασιλεῦσι, διὰ τοῦ φυτοῦ ἐλέου καὶ φιλανθρωπίας αὐτοὺς ἀναμιμνήσκοντες· οὕτω δὴ καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι τότε ἀντὶ κλάδων ἐλαιῶν, αὐτὸ τὸ σῶμα τὸ δεσποτικὸν προτεινόμενοι, τὸν ∆εσπότην παρακαλοῦσιν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως, μονονουχὶ λέγοντες, ὅτι Ὑπὲρ τούτων δεόμεθα, οὓς αὐτοὺς φθάσας οὕτως ἀγαπῆσαι κατηξίωσας, ὡς τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπιδοῦναι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ· ὑπὲρ τούτων ἐκχέομεν τὰς ἱκετηρίας, ὑπὲρ ὧν αὐτὸς τὸ αἷμα ἐξέχεας· ὑπὲρ τούτων παρακαλοῦμεν, ὑπὲρ ὧν τὸ σῶμα τοῦτο κατέθυσας. Ἕκαστος τοίνυν ἀναλογιζέσθω παρ' ἑαυτῷ, ποῖον ἐλάττωμα διώρθωσε, ποῖον κατόρθωμα προσεκτήσατο, ποίαν ἁμαρτίαν ἀπενίψατο, κατὰ τί βελτίων ἐγένετο· κἂν μὲν εὕρῃ πλέον τι γενόμενον ἀπὸ τῆς νηστείας αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν καλὴν ταύτην ἐμπορίαν, καὶ συνίδῃ ἑαυτῷ πολλὴν πεποιημένῳ τῶν τραυμάτων ἐπιμέλειαν, προσερχέσθω· εἰ δὲ ἠμελημένος ἔμεινε, νηστείαν μὲν ἔχων ἐπιδείξασθαι μόνην, τῶν δὲ ἄλλων οὐδὲν κατωρθωκὼς, ἔξω μενέτω, καὶ τότε εἰσιέτω, ὅταν ἅπαντα ἐκκαθάρῃ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. Τὸν μὲν γὰρ μὴ νηστεύοντα εἰκὸς καὶ συγγνώμης τυχεῖν, σώματος ἀσθένειαν προβαλλόμενον· τὸν δὲ μὴ διορθώσαντα ἑαυτοῦ τὰ πλημμελήματα, ἀδύνατον ἀπολογίας τυχεῖν. Τῆς γὰρ ἐν ταῖς συνάξεσι ῥᾳθυμίας ἐὰν ἀπαιτήσῃ τὰς εὐθύνας ὁ Θεὸς, τί ποιήσομεν; Ἴστε γὰρ δήπου τοῦτο, ὅτι πολλάκις αὐτοῦ διαλεγομένου πρὸς πάντας ἡμᾶς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου, πολλοὺς καὶ μακροὺς ποιούμεθα πρὸς τοὺς πλησίον λόγους περὶ τῶν οὐδὲν ἡμῖν προσηκόντων πραγμάτων. Ἂν τοίνυν πάντα παρεὶς τὰ ἄλλα, ταύτης τῆς ἁμαρτίας θελήσῃ δίκην ἀπαιτῆσαι ἡμᾶς, ποία σωτηρίας ἔσται ἡμῖν ἐλπίς; Μὴ γὰρ δὴ μικρὸν 63.627 εἶναι νομίσῃς τὸ πλημμέλημα, ἀλλ' εἰ βούλει τὸ μέ63.627 γεθος αὐτοῦ κατιδεῖν, ἐπ' ἀνθρώπων τοῦτο αὐτὸ ἐξέτασον, καὶ τότε ὄψει τῆς ἀτοπίας τὸ μέγεθος. Τόλμησον ἄρχοντος πρὸς σὲ φθεγγομένου, μᾶλλον δὲ φίλου τινὸς τῶν ὀλίγον σεμνοτέρων, ἀφεὶς αὐτὸν πρὸς οἰκέτην διαλέγεσθαι τὸν σαυτοῦ, καὶ τότε ὄψει ἡλίκον τολμᾷς ἐπὶ Θεοῦ τοῦτο ποιῶν. Ἐὰν γὰρ ᾖ τις τῶν ἐπιφανεστέρων ἐκεῖνος, καὶ δίκην σε ἔχει ἀπαιτῆσαι τῆς ὕβρεως· ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς τοσαῦτα καὶ πλείονα τούτων καθ' ἑκάστην ὑβριζόμενος τὴν ἡμέραν, οὐ παρ' ἑνὸς καὶ δύο καὶ τριῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ παρὰ πάντων ἡμῶν σχεδὸν, ἀνέχεται καὶ μακροθυμεῖ. Καὶ βασιλέως μὲν ὀργὴν ἐπιγείου καταλῦσαι βουλόμενοι, μετὰ τῶν παίδων καὶ γυναικῶν συντρέχετε πάντες, καὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς ὀργῆς πολλάκις τὸν κατάδικον ἐξαρπάζετε· τὸν δὲ οὐράνιον βασιλέα μέλλοντες ἵλεων ποιῆσαι καὶ