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49

virtuous. For he who has the one, of necessity also possesses the other; and conversely, he who does not know how to love, will also do evil things; he who does evil things, does not know how to love either. Let us, therefore, pursue love; for it is a fortress against our allowing ourselves to suffer any evil; let us bind ourselves together. Let there be nothing deceitful among us, nothing treacherous; for nothing of this sort is found where there is friendship. Another wise man also said this: Even if you draw a sword against a friend, do not despair; for there is a way back. If you open your mouth against a friend, do not lose hope; for there is reconciliation, apart from reproach, and the revealing of secrets, and a treacherous blow. In these things a friend flees, in the revealing, he says, of secrets. If, therefore, we were all friends, there would be no need for secrets; for just as one has no secret with himself, nor will he be able to hide himself from himself; so neither from his friends. So with no secrets, a break from this cause is impossible. For we have secrets for no other reason than because we do not trust everyone; so that the cooling of love has created secrets. For what secret do you have? Do you wish to wrong your neighbor? Or are you preventing him from sharing in some good, and for this reason you hide it? But it is none of these things; but you are ashamed? Not trusting, then, is the proof of this. If, then, there is love, there will be no revealing of secrets, nor even reproach. For who, tell me, would ever reproach his own soul? And if it should happen, it is for a good purpose. Since we also reproach children, wanting to sting them; and Christ then began to reproach the cities, saying, Woe to you, Chorazin, woe to you, Bethsaida, in order to deliver them from reproaches. For nothing is so able to lay hold of the mind, and to rouse it up, and to set aright what is slack. Let us not, then, simply reproach one another. For why? Will you reproach him for money? By no means, if indeed you hold your possessions in common. But for his sins? Not even this, but rather you will correct him. And of a treacherous blow, it says. What then? Will one kill himself? Who would strike? No one. Let us, therefore, pursue love. He did not say simply, 'Let us love,' but, 'Let us pursue.' Much earnestness is needed; it quickly vanishes, it is swift to depart; so many things in this life corrupt this matter. If we pursue it, it will not have time to depart, but we will quickly draw it back; the love of God joined heaven to earth; the love of God set man upon the royal throne; the love of God showed God upon earth; the love of God made the Master a slave; the love of God caused the Beloved to be given up for His enemies, the Son for those who hated Him, the Master for the slaves, God for men, the free for the servants. And it did not stop even at this, but also called us to greater things. For not only did it deliver us from our former evils, but it also promised to give other, much greater things. 62.75 For these things, therefore, giving thanks to God, let us pursue all virtue, and above all things let us establish love with exactness, so that we may be deemed worthy to obtain the promised good things, by the grace and 62.76 loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 10.

One body, and one Spirit, even as you were called in one hope of your calling.

your. 1. Whenever the blessed Paul exhorts to something greater, being exceedingly wise and spiritual, he draws his exhortation from heavenly things, having learned this very thing from the Lord; as he also says elsewhere: Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given himself for us; and again, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not

49

ἐνάρετον. Ὁ γὰρ τὸ ἓν ἔχων, ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ τὸ ἕτερον κέκτηται· καὶ τοὐναντίον, ὁ μὴ εἰδὼς φιλεῖν, καὶ πονηρὰ ἐργάσεται· ὁ πονηρὰ ἐργαζόμενος, οὐδὲ φιλεῖν οἶδε. Μεταδιώξωμεν τοίνυν τὴν ἀγάπην· φρούριον γάρ ἐστι πρὸς τὸ μηδὲν συγχωρῆσαι ἡμᾶς παθεῖν κακόν· συνδήσωμεν ἑαυτούς. Μηδὲν δολερὸν ἔστω παρ' ἡμῖν, μηδὲν ὕπουλον· οὐδὲν γὰρ εὑρίσκεται τοιοῦτον, ἔνθα ἂν ᾖ φιλία. Εἶπε δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ἄλλος σοφός τις ἀνήρ· Ἐπὶ φίλον ἐὰν καὶ σπάσῃς ῥομφαίαν, μὴ ἀπελπίσῃς· ἔστι γὰρ ἐπάνοδος. Ἐπὶ φίλον ἐὰν ἀνοίξῃς τὸ στόμα, μὴ ἀπογνῷς· ἔστι γὰρ διαλλαγὴ, ἄνευ ὀνειδισμοῦ, καὶ μυστηρίων ἀποκαλύψεως, καὶ πληγῆς δολίας. Ἐν τούτοις ἀποφεύγει φίλος, ἐν ἀποκαλύψει, φησὶ, μυστηρίων. Ἂν πάντες τοίνυν ὦμεν φίλοι, οὐδὲ μυστηρίων δεῖ· ὥσπερ γὰρ αὐτός τις πρὸς ἑαυτὸν οὐδὲν ἔχει μυστήριον, οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν κρύπτειν δυνήσεται· οὕτως οὐδὲ τοὺς φίλους. Οὐκ ὄντων οὖν μυστηρίων, ἀδύνατος ἡ ἐκ τούτου διακοπή. ∆ι' οὐδὲν γὰρ ἔχομεν μυστήρια, ἢ διὰ τὸ μὴ πᾶσι θαῤῥεῖν· ὥστε ὁ ψυγμὸς τῆς ἀγάπης πεποίηκε μυστήρια. Τί γὰρ ἔχεις μυστήριον; ἀδικῆσαι τὸν πλησίον βούλει; ἢ κωλύεις ἀγαθοῦ τινος μετέχειν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κρύπτεις; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων· ἀλλ' αἰσχύνῃ; Οὐκοῦν τὸ μὴ θαῤῥεῖν τούτου τεκμήριον. Ἂν μὲν οὖν ἀγάπη ᾖ, οὐκ ἔσται μυστηρίων ἀποκάλυψις, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ὀνειδισμός. Τίς γὰρ ἂν, εἰπέ μοι, καὶ πότε τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῇ ὀνειδίσειεν; Εἰ δὲ καὶ γένοιτο, ἐπὶ κέρδει. Ἐπεὶ καὶ παισὶν ὀνειδίζομεν, δακεῖν αὐτοὺς βουλόμενοι· καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς δὲ τότε ἤρξατο ὀνειδίζειν τὰς πόλεις, λέγων, Οὐαί σοι Χωραζὶν, οὐαί σοι Βηθσαϊδὰ, ἵνα ὀνειδισμῶν ἀπαλλάξῃ. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω δύναται καθάψασθαι διανοίας, καὶ διαναστῆσαι μᾶλλον αὐτὴν, καὶ παρειμένην ἀνορθῶσαι. Μὴ δὴ ὀνειδίζωμεν ἁπλῶς ἀλλήλους. Τί γάρ; ἐπὶ χρήμασιν αὐτὸν ὀνειδίσεις; Μηδαμῶς, εἴ γε κοινὰ τὰ ὄντα κέκτησαι. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ ἁμαρτήμασιν; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον διορθώσεις. Καὶ πληγῆς, φησὶ, δολίας. Τί ποτε; ἑαυτὸν ἀναιρήσει; τίς δὲ πλήξει; Οὐδὲ εἷς. ∆ιώκωμεν τοίνυν τὴν ἀγάπην. Οὐκ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς, Ἀγαπῶμεν, ἀλλὰ, ∆ιώκωμεν. Πολλῆς δεῖ τῆς σπουδῆς· ταχέως ἀφανίζεται, ὀξεῖα πρὸς ἀναχώρησίν ἐστι· τοσαῦτα ἐν τῷ βίῳ τῷ πράγματι τούτῳ λυμαίνεται. Ἂν διώκωμεν αὐτὴν, οὐ φθάσει ἀπελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ ταχέως αὐτὴν ἐξελκύσομεν· ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ οὐρανῷ συνῆψε τὴν γῆν· ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπὶ τὸν θρόνον τὸν βασιλικὸν ἐκάθισεν· ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν Θεὸν ἔδειξεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν ∆εσπότην δοῦλον ἐποίησεν· ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τὸν Ἀγαπητὸν, ὑπὲρ τῶν μισούντων τὸν Υἱὸν, ὑπὲρ τῶν δούλων τὸν ∆εσπότην, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὸν Θεὸν, ὑπὲρ οἰκετῶν τὸν ἐλεύθερον ἐκδοθῆναι ἐποίησε. Καὶ οὐδὲ μέχρι τούτου ἔστη, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ μείζονα ἡμᾶς ἐκάλεσεν. Οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἀπήλλαξεν ἡμᾶς τῶν προτέρων κακῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ μείζονα δώσειν ἕτερα ἐπηγγείλατο. 62.75 Ὑπὲρ δὴ τούτων εὐχαριστήσαντες τῷ Θεῷ, πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν μετέλθωμεν, καὶ πρὸ πάντων τὴν ἀγάπην μετ' ἀκριβείας κατορθώσωμεν, ἵνα καταξιωθῶμεν ἐπιτυχεῖν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ 62.76 φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, δόξα, κράτος. τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Ιʹ.

Ἓν σῶμα καὶ ἓν πνεῦμα, καθὼς καὶ ἐκλήθητε ἐν μιᾷ ἐλπίδι τῆς κλήσεως

ὑμῶν. αʹ. Ὅταν ἐπί τι μεῖζον παρακαλῇ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, συνετὸς ὢν σφόδρα καὶ πνευματικὸς, ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ποιεῖται τὴν παράκλησιν, τοῦτο δὴ αὐτὸ παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου μεμαθηκώς· καθὼς καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησι· Περιπατεῖτε ἐν ἀγάπῃ, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ παρέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν· καὶ πάλιν, Τοῦτο φρονείσθω ἐν ὑμῖν, ὃ καὶ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, οὐχ