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Let no one with ease expect to see heaven; for it is not possible. Let no one with luxury hope to travel the narrow way; for it is not possible. Let no one walking the broad way hope for life. When, therefore, you see a certain person indulging in baths, a luxurious table, or a retinue of guards, do not count yourself wretched for not partaking of these things, but groan for that man, because he is traveling the road that leads to destruction. For what is the benefit of this road, when it ends in affliction? And what is the harm from that narrowness, when it comes to ease? Tell me, if someone called to the palace should walk through distressing and precipitous narrow ways, while another, being led to death, were dragged through the middle of the marketplace, whom shall we count blessed, for whom shall we groan? Is it not the one walking through the broad way? So also now, let us not count blessed those who live in luxury, but those who do not live in luxury; these hasten toward heaven, those toward gehenna. And perhaps many of them will even laugh at the things said by us; but I especially for this reason lament and weep, because they do not even know at what things they ought to laugh, over which things they ought most to mourn; but they confuse and disturb and throw all things into confusion. For these reasons I weep for them. What are you saying, O man? You are about to be resurrected, and to give an account of the things done by you, and to undergo the final judgment, and you take no account of these things, but you practice gluttony and getting drunk, and in addition to these things you laugh? But I weep for you, knowing the evils that await 62.454 you, the punishment that will receive you; and for this reason I weep most of all, because you laugh. Mourn with me, weep with me for your own evils. Tell me, if any of your household should perish, do you not both turn away from those who laugh at the death, and consider them enemies, while you love those who weep and mourn with you? Then, when your wife lies dead, you turn away from the one who laughs, but when your soul is dead, do you turn away from the one who weeps, and laugh yourself? Do you see how the devil has disposed us, to be enemies and adversaries to ourselves? Let us at some point become sober, let us see clearly, let us be watchful, let us lay hold of eternal life, let us shake off deep sleep. There is judgment, there is punishment, there is resurrection, an examination of things done; the Lord is coming on the clouds, A fire shall be kindled before him, and round about him a mighty tempest, he says; a river of fire flows before him, the undying worm, unquenchable fire, the outer darkness, the gnashing of teeth. And even if you are displeased at these things ten thousand times, I will not cease speaking. For if the prophets, being stoned, were not silent, much more ought we to bear hatred, and not speak to you to please you, lest having deceived you, we ourselves should be cut in two. There the punishment is immortal, inconsolable; there is no one who will stand up for you. Who will have mercy, he says, on a charmer bitten by a serpent? When we do not have mercy on ourselves, who will have mercy, tell me? If you see someone driving a sword through himself, will you ever be able to spare him? By no means; much more, when it is possible to act rightly, and we do not act rightly, who will spare us? No one. Let us have mercy on ourselves; when we pray to God saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord," let us say to ourselves, and let us have mercy on ourselves. We are masters of God having mercy on us; he himself has granted this to us. If we do things worthy of mercy, if worthy of the loving-kindness from him, God will have mercy on us; but if we do not have mercy on ourselves, who will spare us? Have mercy on your neighbor, and you will be shown mercy by God himself. How many each day come up saying, "Have mercy on me," and you do not even turn to them? how many naked, how many maimed, and we are not bent, but we dismiss their supplications? How then do you think you are worthy to receive mercy, when you yourself do nothing worthy of mercy? Let us become compassionate, let us become merciful; so that in this way we may be well-pleasing to God, and may obtain the good things promised to those who love him, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together

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ἀνέσεως προσδοκάτω τις τὸν οὐρανὸν ὄψεσθαι· οὐ γὰρ ἔνι. Μηδεὶς μετὰ τρυφῆς ἐλπιζέτω τὴν στενὴν ὁδεύειν ὁδόν· οὐ γὰρ δυνατόν. Μηδεὶς τὴν εὐρύχωρον βαδίζων, τὴν ζωὴν ἐλπιζέτω. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς λουτροῖς, τραπέζῃ πολυτελεῖ, ἢ δορυφορίαις ἐντρυφῶντα τὸν δεῖνα, μὴ ταλανίσῃς σαυτὸν, ὡς οὐ μετέχοντα τούτων, ἀλλὰ στέναξον ἐκεῖνον, ὅτι τὴν ἀπολλυμένην ὁδεύει ὁδόν. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος ταύτης τῆς ὁδοῦ, ὅταν εἰς θλῖψιν τελευτᾷ; ποῖον δὲ βλάβος ἀπ' ἐκείνης τῆς στενοχωρίας, ὅταν εἰς ἄνεσιν ἔρχηται; Εἰπέ μοι, εἴ τις εἰς τὰ βασίλεια καλούμενος, διὰ στενωπῶν θλιβερῶν καὶ ἀποκρήμνων βαδίζοι, ἕτερος δέ τις τὴν ἐπὶ θάνατον ἀγόμενος διὰ μέσης ἕλκοιτο τῆς ἀγορᾶς, τίνα μακαριοῦμεν, τίνα στενάξομεν; οὐ τὸν διὰ τῆς εὐρυχώρου βαδίζοντα; Οὕτω καὶ νῦν, μὴ τοὺς τρυφῶντας μακαρίζωμεν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὴ τρυφῶντας· οὗτοι πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν σπεύδουσιν, ἐκεῖνοι πρὸς τὴν γέενναν. Καὶ ἴσως μὲν αὐτῶν πολλοὶ καὶ γελάσονται τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν λεγόμενα· ἐγὼ δὲ μάλιστα διὰ τοῦτο ὀδύρομαι καὶ θρηνῶ, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἴσασιν ἐφ' οἷς χρὴ γελᾷν, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐχρῆν μάλιστα πενθεῖν· ἀλλὰ πάντα συγχέουσι καὶ ταράττουσι καὶ θορυβοῦσι. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα αὐτοὺς ἐγὼ θρηνῶ. Τί λέγεις, ἄνθρωπε; μέλλων ἀναστήσεσθαι, καὶ λόγον ὑφέξειν τῶν σοι πεπραγμένων, καὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην ὑποστήσεσθαι δίκην, τούτων μὲν οὐδένα λόγον ποιῇ, γαστρίζεσθαι δὲ μελετᾷς καὶ μεθύειν, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις γελᾷς; Ἀλλ' ἐγώ σε θρηνῶ, τὰ μένοντά σε ἐπιστά 62.454 μενος κακὰ, τὴν διαδεξομένην σε τιμωρίαν· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο θρηνῶ μάλιστα, ὅτι γελᾷς. Πένθησον σὺν ἐμοὶ, θρήνησον μετ' ἐμοῦ τὰ σὰ κακά. Εἰπέ μοι, ἐάν τίς σοι τῶν οἰκείων ἀπόληται, οὐχὶ τοὺς μὲν γελῶντας ἐπὶ τῇ τελευτῇ καὶ ἀποστρέφῃ, καὶ ἐχθροὺς ἡγῇ, τοὺς δὲ δακρύοντας καὶ συμπενθοῦντας φιλεῖς; Εἶτα τῆς μὲν γυναικὸς προκειμένης νεκρᾶς, τὸν γελῶντα ἀποστρέφῃ, τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς σοι τεθανατωμένης, τὸν δακρύοντα ἀποστρέφῃ, γελᾷς δὲ αὐτός; Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἡμᾶς διέθηκεν ὁ διάβολος, ἐχθροὺς ἑαυτοῖς εἶναι καὶ πολεμίους; Ἀνανήψωμέν ποτε, διαβλέψωμεν, γρηγορήσωμεν, ἐπιλαβώμεθα τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς, τὸν πολὺν ὕπνον ἀποτιναξώμεθα. Κρίσις ἐστὶ, κόλασίς ἐστιν, ἀνάστασίς ἐστιν, ἐξέτασις τῶν πεπραγμένων· ὁ Κύριος ἔρχεται ἐν νεφέλαις, Πῦρ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ καυθήσεται, καὶ κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ καταιγὶς σφοδρὰ, φησί· ποταμὸς πυρὸς σύρεται ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ, σκώληξ ἀτελεύτητος, πῦρ ἄσβεστον, σκότος ἐξώτερον, βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων. Κἂν μυριάκις ἐπὶ τούτοις δυσχεραίνητε, ἐγὼ λέγων οὐ παύσομαι. Εἰ γὰρ λιθαζόμενοι οἱ προφῆται οὐκ ἐσίγων, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμᾶς ἀπεχθείας δεῖ φέρειν, καὶ μὴ πρὸς χάριν ὑμῖν ὁμιλεῖν, ἵνα μὴ ἀπατήσαντες ὑμᾶς, αὐτοὶ διχοτομηθῶμεν. Ἐκεῖ κόλασίς ἐστιν ἀθάνατος, ἀπαραμύθητος· ὁ προστησόμενος οὐδείς. Τίς ἐλεήσει, φησὶν, ἐπαοιδὸν ὀφιόδηκτον; Ὅταν ἡμεῖς ἑαυτοὺς μὴ ἐλεήσωμεν, τίς ἐλεήσει, εἰπέ μοι; Ἐὰν ἴδῃς τινὰ ξίφος ἐλαύνοντα δι' ἑαυτοῦ, τούτου δυνήσῃ φείδεσθαί ποτε; Οὐδαμῶς· πολλῷ μᾶλλον, ὅταν παρὸν ᾖ κατορθῶσαι, καὶ μὴ κατορθώσωμεν, τίς ἡμῶν φείσεται; Οὐδείς. Ἐλεήσωμεν ἑαυτούς· ὅταν εὐχώμεθα τῷ Θεῷ λέγοντες, Ἐλέησόν με, Κύριε, λέγωμεν πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἐλεήσωμεν. Ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν κύριοι τοῦ τὸν Θεὸν ἡμᾶς ἐλεῆσαι· αὐτὸς ἡμῖν τοῦτο ἐχαρίσατο. Ἐὰν ἄξια ἐλέους πράττωμεν, ἐὰν ἄξια φιλανθρωπίας τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ, ἐλεήσει ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεός· ἐὰν δὲ ἑαυτοὺς μὴ ἐλεῶμεν, τίς ἡμῶν φείσεται; Ἐλέησον τὸν πλησίον, καὶ ἐλεηθήσῃ παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Πόσοι καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν προσέρχονται λέγοντες, Ἐλέησόν με, καὶ οὐδὲ ἐπιστρέφῃ; πόσοι γυμνοὶ, πόσοι ἀνάπηροι, καὶ οὐκ ἐπικαμπτόμεθα, ἀλλὰ παραπεμπόμεθα αὐτῶν τὰς ἱκετηρίας; Πῶς οὖν ἀξιοῖς ἐλεηθῆναι, αὐτὸς οὐδὲν ἄξιον ἐλέου ποιῶν; Γενώμεθα οἰκτίρμονες, γενώμεθα ἐλεήμονες· ἵν' οὕτως εὐαρεστήσωμεν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐπιτύχωμεν τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα