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chanting continuous incantations from the divine Scriptures over our passions, we barely restrain our temper, barely bridle our anger, barely cast out the wasting of envy, barely put an end to desire, barely suppress the shameless beasts; those who never enjoy this healing, nor obey the divine teaching, what hope of salvation will they have? For just as he who has left the harbor wanders everywhere, and he who is deprived of light stumbles over many things; so too he who has fallen into forgetfulness of the fear of God is given over to cares and worries and pains continually. And just as when God holds fast and is with us, grievous things are removed; so when he departs and forgets, the soul is cut through and the heart is pained, and those who grieve trample upon us, so that being bitten on all sides, the more negligent might return more earnestly to whence they fell. For your apostasy will discipline you, it says, and your wickedness will convict you. So even the abandonment of God is a form of providence. For when, though he provides and cares, he is despised, he lets go for a little while and abandons, so that then, negligence having been cast out, the neglectful might become more earnest. I think that many of those who formerly left us, and who deserted to the theaters of lawlessness, are present today; and I wished to know them clearly, so as to cast them out of the holy vestibules, not that they might remain outside forever, but that having been corrected they might return again. Since fathers also cast erring children out of the house, and bar them from the table, not that they might be deprived of these things for all time, but that, having become better by this admonition, they might return with 63.629 fitting honor to their paternal inheritance. This is also what shepherds do; they keep the sheep full of mange away from the healthy ones, so that having put aside the sickness, they might return with safety to the healthy ones again, and not, while sick, fill the whole flock with that sickness. For this reason we also wished to know them; but even if we cannot distinguish them with our eyes, the word will certainly recognize them, and taking hold of their conscience, will easily persuade them to withdraw willingly; teaching that he alone is within, who presents a mind worthy of sojourning here; as he who with a corrupt way of life partakes of this holy assembly, even if he brings his body in here, has been cast out, and is driven further away than those who are shut out and cannot partake of the holy table. For they, having been cast out according to the laws of God and remaining outside, for the time being have good hopes, if they are willing to correct their transgressions, through the Church from which they fell they will be able to return again with a pure conscience; but those who have defiled themselves, and have been ordered not to enter before they have cleansed themselves of the stain from their sins; then acting shamelessly, they work a more grievous wound; for it is not so grievous to sin, as is the shamelessness after the sin. Many partake of the mysteries once a year, others twice, and others many times. Which of these, then, shall we approve, those who do so once, or those many times, or those few times? Neither those who do so once, nor those many times, nor those few times, but those with a pure conscience, those with a pure heart, those with a blameless life. Let such as these always approach; but those who are not such, not even once; for they receive judgment and condemnation to themselves. For just as food, being nourishing by nature, if it falls into a bad stomach, ruins and corrupts everything, and becomes an occasion of disease, so indeed also are the awesome mysteries. You enjoy a spiritual table, a royal table, and again you mix your body with mire? you anoint with myrrh, and again you fill with stench? Partaking of communion after a year, do you think it is enough for you for the cleansing of the sins of the whole time, and again when a week has passed you give yourself over to your former ways? Tell me now; if, having recovered your health, to

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συνεχεῖς ἐπῳδὰς τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ἐπᾴδοντες τοῖς ἡμετέροις πάθεσι, μόλις κατέχομεν θυμὸν, μόλις χαλινοῦμεν ὀργὴν, μόλις ἐκβάλλομεν τηκεδόνα φθόνου, μόλις καταπαύομεν ἐπιθυμίαν, μόλις καταστέλλομεν τὰ ἀναίσχυντα θηρία· ἐκεῖνοι οἱ μηδέποτε ταύτης ἀπολαύοντες τῆς ἰατρείας, μηδὲ τῆς θείας ὑπακούοντες διδασκαλίας, ποίαν ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας ἕξουσιν; Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ τοῦ λιμένος ἐξελθὼν, πανταχοῦ πλανᾶται, καὶ ὁ τοῦ φωτὸς ἀποστερηθεὶς πολλοῖς προσπίπτει· οὕτω καὶ ὁ εἰς λήθην ἐμπεσὼν τοῦ φόβου τοῦ Θεοῦ, φροντίσι καὶ μερίμναις καὶ ὀδύναις ἐκδίδοται διηνεκῶς. Καὶ καθάπερ ἀντεχομένου τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ μεθ' ἡμῶν ὄντος, τὰ λυποῦντα ἐκποδὼν γίνεται· οὕτως ἀφισταμένου καὶ ἐπιλανθανομένου καὶ ψυχὴ διακόπτεται καὶ καρδία ὀδυνᾶται, καὶ οἱ λυποῦντες ἐπεμβαίνουσιν, ὥστε διὰ πάντων δακνομένους τοὺς ῥᾳθυμοτέρους, σπουδαιότερον ἐπανελθεῖν, ὅθεν ἐξέπεσον. Παιδεύσει γάρ σε ἡ ἀποστασία σου, φησὶ, καὶ ἡ κακία σου ἐλέγξει σε. Ὥστε καὶ ἡ ἐγκατάλειψις τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας εἶδός ἐστιν. Ὅταν γὰρ προνοῶν καὶ κηδόμενος καταφρονῆται, ἀφίησι μικρὸν καὶ ἐγκαταλιμπάνει, ἵνα τότε τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας ἐκβληθείσης, σπουδαιότεροι οἱ ὀλίγωροι γένωνται. Πολλοὺς οἶμαι τῶν πρώην καταλιπόντων ἡμᾶς, καὶ πρὸς τὰ θέατρα τῆς παρανομίας αὐτομολησάντων, παρεῖναι σήμερον· καὶ ἐβουλόμην τούτους εἰδέναι σαφῶς, ὥστε αὐτοὺς τῶν ἱερῶν ἐκβαλεῖν προθύρων, οὐχ ἵνα μένωσιν ἔξω διηνεκῶς, ἀλλ' ἵνα διορθωθέντες ἐπανέλθωσι πάλιν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ πατέρες παῖδας σφαλλομένους τῆς οἰκίας ἐκβάλλουσι, καὶ τῆς τραπέζης ἀπείργουσιν, οὐχ ἵνα διαπαντὸς τούτων ἐκπέσωσιν, ἀλλ' ἵνα καὶ βελτίους τῇ νουθεσίᾳ ταύτῃ γενόμενοι, μετὰ 63.629 τῆς προσηκούσης δόξης πρὸς τὸν πατρῷον ἐπανέλθωσι κλῆρον. Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ποιμένες ποιοῦσι· τὰ ψώρας ἐμπεπλησμένα πρόβατα τῶν ὑγιαινόντων εἴργουσιν, ἵνα ἀποθέμενα τὴν ἀῤῥωστίαν, μετὰ ἀσφαλείας πρὸς τὰ ὑγιαίνοντα ἐπανέλθῃ πάλιν, καὶ μὴ νοσοῦντα τὴν ἀγέλην ἅπασαν ἐμπλήσῃ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ἐκείνης. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐβουλόμεθα τούτους εἰδέναι· ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ μὴ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοὺς διακρῖναι δυνάμεθα, ὁ λόγος αὐτοὺς ἐπιγνώσεται πάντως, καὶ τοῦ συνειδότος αὐτῶν ἐπιλαβόμενος πείσει ῥᾳδίως ἑκόντας αὐτοὺς ὑπεξελθεῖν· διδάσκων, ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ἔνδον ἐστὶ μόνος, ὁ τῆς ἐνταῦθα διατριβῆς ἀξίαν παρέχων τὴν γνώμην· ὡς ὁ μετὰ πολιτείας διεφθαρμένης τοῦ ἱεροῦ τούτου μετέχων συλλόγου, κἂν τὸ σῶμα ἐνταῦθα εἰσάγῃ, ἐκβέβληται, καὶ τῶν ἀποκεκλεισμένων ἔξω καὶ μὴ δυναμένων τῆς ἱερᾶς μετασχεῖν τραπέζης, μᾶλλον ἀπελήλαται. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμους ἐκβληθέντες καὶ μένοντες ἔξω, τέως χρηστὰς ἔχουσιν ἐλπίδας, κἂν ἐθέλωσι τὰ παραπτώματα διορθῶσαι, διὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἧς ἐξέπεσον δυνήσονται μετὰ καθαροῦ τοῦ συνειδότος πάλιν ἐπανελθεῖν· οἱ δὲ μολύναντες ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ κελευσθέντες μὴ πρότερον ἐπιβῆναι, ἕως ἂν ἀποκαθάρωνται τὴν κηλῖδα τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων· εἶτα ἀναισχυντοῦντες, χαλεπώτερον τὸ τραῦμα ἐργάζονται· οὐ γὰρ οὕτω τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν χαλεπὸν, ὡς ἡ μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἀναισχυντία. Πολλοὶ τῶν μυστηρίων ἅπαξ μεταλαμβάνουσι τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ, ἕτεροι δὲ δὶς, ἄλλοι δὲ πολλάκις. Τίνας οὖν τούτων ἀποδεξόμεθα, τοὺς ἅπαξ, ἢ τοὺς πολλάκις, ἢ τοὺς ὀλιγάκις; Οὔτε τοὺς ἅπαξ, οὔτε τοὺς πολλάκις, οὔτε τοὺς ὀλιγάκις, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μετὰ καθαροῦ συνειδότος, τοὺς μετὰ καθαρᾶς καρδίας, τοὺς μετὰ βίου ἀνεπιλήπτου. Οἱ τοιοῦτοι ἀεὶ προσιέτωσαν· οἱ δὲ μὴ τοιοῦτοι, μηδὲ ἅπαξ· κρῖμα γὰρ ἑαυτοῖς λαμβάνουσι καὶ κατάκριμα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ τροφὴ φύσει οὖσα θρεπτικὴ, ἐὰν εἰς κακόσιτον ἐμπέσῃ, πάντα ἀπόλλυσι καὶ διαφθείρει, καὶ γίνεται νόσου ἀφορμὴ, οὕτω δὴ καὶ τὰ τῶν φρικτῶν μυστηρίων. Τραπέζης ἀπολαύεις πνευματικῆς, τραπέζης βασιλικῆς, καὶ πάλιν φύρεις βορβόρῳ τὸ σῶμα; μύρῳ χρίεις, καὶ πάλιν δυσωδίας πληροῖς; Μετὰ ἐνιαυτὸν τῆς μεταλήψεως μετέχων οἴει ἀρκεῖν σοι πρὸς καθαρισμὸν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τοῦ παντὸς χρόνου, καὶ πάλιν ἑβδομάδος παρελθούσης ἐκδίδως σαυτὸν τοῖς προτέροις; Εἰπὲ δή μοι· ἐὰν ὑγιάνας εἰς