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and his ears to their supplication. Just as the saints are the body of Christ and members in part; and God has appointed in the Church some as eyes, some as tongues, others holding the place of hands, and others of feet; so also the holy spiritual powers who are in the heavenly 29.377 place, some are called eyes, because they are entrusted with the oversight of us, others ears, because they receive our supplications. Now therefore, he called our overseeing power, and the power that receives prayers, eyes and ears. The eyes of the Lord are therefore upon the righteous, and his ears to their supplication. Since every action of the righteous one is worthy of God's sight, and every word, since nothing is spoken idly by the righteous one, is effective and practical, for this reason the word says the righteous one is always watched over and always heard. But the face of the Lord is upon those who do evil, to destroy their memory from the earth. I think face means the bold and manifest coming of the Lord at the judgment. For this reason also the eyes of the Lord, as of one watching us yet from afar, are said to look upon the righteous; but his face itself will appear, to destroy from the earth every memory of wickedness. For do not understand the face of God as bodily formed; since in that case what is said by Scripture will seem irrational, that on the one hand eyes exist shining upon the righteous, and on the other the face is brought against the wicked. And yet there are neither eyes without a face, nor is a face without eyes. Therefore, no man shall see the face of the Lord and live; but the angels of the little ones in the Church always see the face of our Father who is in heaven. Because now it is impossible for us to contain the sight of the glorious appearance on account of the weakness of the flesh that surrounds us; but the angels, since they have no such veil similar to our flesh, are hindered by nothing from continually gazing upon the face of the glory of God. So that we too, when we become sons of the resurrection, will then be deemed worthy of the face to face knowledge. Then the righteous will be deemed worthy of the sight of the face in exultation; but the sinners in judgment, when all sin is about to be destroyed by the righteous judgment of God. The righteous cried out, and the Lord heard them, and from all their tribulations he delivered them. The cry of the righteous is spiritual, having its loud voice in the secret of the heart, able to reach even the ears of God. For he who asks great things, and prays for heavenly things, he is the one who cries out, and sends up an audible 29.380 prayer to God. Therefore, the righteous cried out; they sought nothing mean, nor earthly, nor lowly. For this reason the Lord received their voice, and from all their tribulations he delivered them; not so much by releasing them from troubles, as by making them stronger than what happens. The Lord is near to the contrite of heart, and will save the humble in spirit. By his own goodness he draws near to all; but we distance ourselves through sin. For behold, it says, those who distance themselves from you, will perish. For this reason Moses is said to draw near to God; and if anyone else is like him, through valiant deeds and good actions he becomes near to God. But the word clearly contains a prophecy of the coming of the Lord, and it is in harmony with what precedes. For there it was said: The face of the Lord is upon those who do evil; that is, his appearance at the judgment will be for the annihilation of all wickedness; but here, The Lord is near to the contrite of heart, it foretells the coming of the Lord in the flesh, as already approaching, and not far off. And let this be made credible to you from the prophecy of Isaiah: For the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me;

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καὶ ὦτα αὐτοῦ εἰς δέησιν αὐτῶν. Ὥσπερ οἱ ἅγιοι σῶμά εἰσι Χριστοῦ καὶ μέλη ἐκ μέρους· καὶ ἔθετο ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τοὺς μὲν ὀφθαλμοὺς, τοὺς δὲ γλώσ σας, ἑτέρους τὸν τῶν χειρῶν, καὶ ἄλλους τὸν τῶν ποδῶν ἐπέχοντας λόγον· οὕτω καὶ αἱ ἅγιαι δυ νάμεις αἱ πνευματικαὶ καὶ περὶ τὸν οὐράνιον οὖσαι 29.377 τόπον, αἱ μὲν ὀφθαλμοὶ λέγονται, τῷ τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ἡμῶν πιστευθῆναι, αἱ δὲ ὦτα, τῷ παραδέχεσθαι ἡμῶν τὰς δεήσεις. Νῦν οὖν τὴν ἐποπτικὴν ἡμῶν δύναμιν, καὶ τὴν τῶν εὐχῶν ἀντιληπτικὴν, ὀφθαλμοὺς εἶπε καὶ ὦτα. Ὀφθαλμοὶ οὖν Κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους, καὶ ὦτα αὐτοῦ εἰς δέησιν αὐτῶν. Ἐπειδὴ πᾶσα πρᾶξις τοῦ δικαίου ἀξία τῆς θεωρίας τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ πᾶν ῥῆμα, τῷ μηδὲν ἀργῶς λέγεσθαι παρὰ τοῦ δικαίου, ἐνεργόν ἐστι καὶ ἔμπρακτον, διὰ τοῦτο ἀεὶ ἐφορᾶσθαι καὶ ἀεὶ εἰσακούεσθαι τὸν δίκαιον ὁ λόγος φησί. Πρόσωπον δὲ Κυρίου ἐπὶ ποιοῦντας κακὰ, τοῦ ἐξολοθρεῦσαι ἐκ γῆς τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῶν. Πρόσωπον οἶμαι τὴν πεπαῤῥησιασμένην καὶ φανερὰν τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπιδημίαν τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς κρίσεως λέγεσθαι. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου, ὡς ἔτι πόῤ ῥωθεν ἐπισκοποῦντος ἡμᾶς, ἐπιβλέπειν τὸν δίκαιον εἴρηνται· αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ πρόσωπον ἐπιφανήσεσθαι, ἐπὶ τὸ ἐξολοθρεῦσαι ἐκ γῆς πᾶν τὸ τῆς πονηρίας μνημό συνον. Μὴ γάρ μοι σωματικῶς διαπεπλασμένον τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ νοήσῃς· ἐπεὶ οὕτω γε καὶ ἄλογον εἶναι δόξει τὸ παρὰ τῆς Γραφῆς εἰρημένον, ἰδίᾳ μὲν ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑπάρχειν ἐπιλάμποντας τῷ δι καίῳ, ἰδίᾳ δὲ τὸ πρόσωπον ἐπιφερόμενον τοῖς πονη ροῖς. Καίτοι οὔτε ὀφθαλμοὶ χωρὶς προσώπου, οὔτε πρόσωπον ὀφθαλμῶν ἐστιν ἄμοιρον. Ἄνθρωπος μὲν οὖν οὐ μὴ ἴδῃ τὸ πρόσωπον Κυρίου, καὶ ζήσε ται· οἱ δὲ ἄγγελοι τῶν ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ μικρῶν διὰ παντὸς βλέπουσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. ∆ιότι νῦν μὲν χωρῆσαι ἡμᾶς τὴν θέαν τῆς ἐνδόξου ἐπιφανείας διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς τὴν περικειμένην ἡμῖν ἀμήχανον· οἱ μέν τοι ἄγγελοι, τῷ μηδὲν ἔχειν προκάλυμμα τοιοῦτον παραπλήσιον τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ σαρκὶ, ὑπ' οὐδενὸς ἐμπο δίζονται διηνεκῶς ἐνατενίζειν τῷ προσώπῳ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὥστε καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἐπειδὰν γενώμεθα υἱοὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, τότε καταξιωθησόμεθα τῆς πρόσ ωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον γνώσεως. Τότε δὲ οἱ μὲν δί καιοι ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει τῆς θέας τοῦ προσώπου κατ αξιωθήσονται· οἱ δὲ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐν κρίσει, μελλούσης ἐξολοθρεύεσθαι παρὰ τῆς δικαίας κρίσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ πάσης τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Ἐκέκραξαν οἱ δίκαιοι, καὶ ὁ Κύριος εἰσ ήκουσεν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων αὐτῶν ἐῤῥύσατο αὐτούς. Νοητὴ τῶν δικαίων ἡ κραυγὴ, ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ τῆς καρδίας τὴν μεγαλοφωνίαν ἔχουσα, δυναμένη ἐφικέσθαι καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ὤτων τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὁ γὰρ μεγάλα αἰτῶν, καὶ περὶ ἐπουρανίων εὐχόμενος, οὗτος κράζει, καὶ ἀκουστὴν ἀναπέμπει 29.380 τῷ Θεῷ τὴν εὐχήν. Ἐκέκραξαν οὖν οἱ δίκαιοι· οὐδὲν μικροπρεπὲς, οὐδὲ γήϊνον, οὐδὲ ταπεινὸν ἐπεζήτησαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο αὐτῶν παρεδέξατο τὴν φωνὴν ὁ Κύριος, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων αὐτῶν ἐῤῥύσατο αὐτούς· οὐ τοσοῦτον ἀπολύων αὐτοὺς τῶν ὀχληρῶν, ὅσον κρείτ τονας τῶν συμβαινόντων κατασκευάζων. Ἐγγὺς Κύριος τοῖς συντετριμμένοις τὴν καρδίαν, καὶ τοὺς ταπεινοὺς τῷ πνεύματι σώσει. Τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἀγαθότητι πᾶσιν ἐγγίζει· μακρύνομεν δὲ ἑαυτοὺς ἡμεῖς διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φησὶν, οἱ μα κρύνοντες ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ σοῦ, ἀπολοῦνται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Μωϋσῆς ἐγγίζειν λέγεται τῷ Θεῷ· καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος παραπλήσιος ἐκείνῳ, δι' ἀνδραγαθήματα καὶ πράξεις ἀγαθὰς ἐγγὺς γίνεται τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἄντικρυς δὲ προφητείαν ἔχει ὁ λόγος τῆς ἐπιδημίας τοῦ Κυ ρίου, καὶ σύμφωνος τῷ προάγοντι. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἐλέγετο· Πρόσωπον Κυρίου ἐπὶ ποιοῦντας κακά· τουτέστιν, ἡ ἐπιφάνεια αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν κρίσιν ἐπὶ ἀφανισμῷ πάσης πονηρίας γενήσεται· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, Ἐγγὺς ὁ Κύριος τοῖς συντετριμμένοις τὴν καρδίαν, τὴν ἐπιδημίαν τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν ἐν σαρκὶ προαγγέλλει, ἐγγίζουσαν ἤδη, καὶ οὐ μακρὰν ἀφεστηκυῖαν. Καὶ τοῦτό σοι πιστὸν ἐκ τῆς Ἡσαΐου προφητείας γενέσθω· Πνεῦμα γὰρ Κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμὲ, οὗ ἕνεκεν ἔχρισέ με·