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to preach good news to the poor he has sent me, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind. For since a physician was sent for those broken in heart, The Lord, he says, is near; I say to you who are lowly and have crushed your own pride, encouraging you and leading you into long-suffering by the joy of things awaited. But contrition of heart is the disappearance of human reasonings. The one who has despised the things here, and has given himself over to the word of God, and surrendering his own ruling faculty to thoughts that are above human and more divine, this would be the one having a contrite heart, and having made it a sacrifice not despised by the Lord. For a contrite and humbled heart God will not despise. The Lord therefore is near to the brokenhearted, and will save the humble in spirit. The one who has no arrogance, nor thinks highly of any human things, this one is both broken in heart, and humble in spirit. One is indeed humble who also walks according to sin, because sin is the most humbling thing of all. Wherefore also we say she who is corrupted and has lost the holiness of her virginity is humbled. As Amnon, it says, rising up against Tamar, Humbled her. As many therefore who have lost the stature and uprightness of the soul, having been cast down to the ground by sin, and as it were dashed to the ground, journeying along like the serpent they are bent over, 29.381 not being able to be straightened up completely, these are indeed humbled, but not in spirit; for their humility is not praiseworthy. But as many as, having the grace of the Holy Spirit, willingly humble themselves to their inferiors, according to the Apostle saying that they are servants of some in Christ, and the Offscouring of all things until now; and again, We have become as the refuse of the world; those who use humility spiritually, making themselves the last of all, so that they might become the first of all in the kingdom of heaven. These also the Lord calls blessed, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, and out of them all the Lord will deliver them. In everything, he says, we are afflicted, but not crushed. For this reason the Lord also says to his disciples: In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. So if you ever see the righteous being in sicknesses, in maimings of body, in the loss of their kin, in plagues, in dishonors, in every need and lack of necessities, remember that Many are the afflictions of the righteous, and out of them all the Lord will deliver them. But he who says that affliction is not fitting for the righteous, says nothing other than that an antagonist is not suitable for an athlete. But if the athlete does not compete, what grounds for crowns will he have? And now for the fourth time it is said in this psalm, in what way the Lord delivers from affliction those whom he wishes to deliver. For first: I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my afflictions; and second again: This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his afflictions; and third: The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them, and delivered them out of all their afflictions; and last: Many are the afflictions of the righteous, and out of them all the Lord will deliver them. The Lord guards all their bones; not one of them shall be broken. Must one remain on the literal sense, and be content with the readily apparent meaning that falls upon our ears, that these bones, the supports of the flesh, of the righteous will not be broken because of the protection given them by the Lord? And whether only while he is living and happens to be in this life will the bones of the righteous be kept unbroken? or also when the bodily bond has been loosened, will no cause of fracture happen to the righteous? And yet we have learned many things about

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εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέ με, ἰάσαθαι τοὺς συντετριμμένους τὴν καρδίαν, κηρύξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν, καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἰατρὸς ἀπεστέλ λετο τῶν συντετριμμένων τὴν καρδίαν, Ἐγγὺς, φησὶ, Κύριός ἐστιν· ὑμῖν λέγω τοῖς ταπεινοῖς καὶ συντρίψασιν ἑαυτῶν τὸ φρόνημα, εὐθυμοποιῶν ὑμᾶς καὶ εἰς μακροθυμίαν ἐνάγων τῇ χαρᾷ τῶν προσ δοκωμένων. Συντριμμὸς δὲ καρδίας ἐστὶν ὁ ἀφανισμὸς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων λογισμῶν. Ὁ καταφρονήσας τῶν τῇδε, καὶ ἀποδεδωκὼς ἑαυτὸν τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐμπαρέχων ἑαυτοῦ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν τοῖς ὑπὲρ ἄνθρω πον καὶ θειοτέροις νοήμασιν, οὗτος ἂν εἴη ὁ συντε τριμμένην ἔχων τὴν καρδίαν, καὶ ποιήσας αὐτὴν θυσίαν οὐκ ἐξουδενωμένην ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου. Καρδίαν γὰρ συντετριμμένην καὶ τεταπεινωμένην ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἐξουδενώσει. Ἐγγὺς οὖν Κύριος τοῖς συντετριμμένοις τὴν καρδίαν, καὶ τοὺς ταπεινοὺς τῷ πνεύματι σώσει. Ὁ μηδὲν ἔχων ἔπαρμα, μηδὲ φρονῶν ἐπί τινι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων, οὗτος καὶ συντε τριμμένος ἐστὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ ταπεινὸς τῷ πνεύματι. Ἔστι μὲν ταπεινὸς καὶ ὁ κατὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν πορευό μενος, διότι ταπεινωτικὴ μάλιστα πάντων ἡ ἁμαρ τία. Καθὸ καὶ τὴν ἐφθαρμένην καὶ ἀπολέσασαν τὸν τῆς παρθενίας ἁγιασμὸν λέγομεν ταπεινοῦσθαι. Ὡς ὁ Ἀμνὼν, φησὶν, ἐπαναστὰς τῇ Θάμαρ, Ἐταπείνωσεν αὐτήν. Ὅσοι οὖν τὸ ἀνάστημα καὶ τὸ δίαρμα τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπολωλέκασιν, ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κα ταβληθέντες εἰς γῆν, καὶ οἱονεὶ ἐδαφισθέντες, ὁμοίως 29.381 τῷ ὄφει συμπορευόμενοι συγκύπτουσι, μὴ δυνάμενοι ἀνορθωθῆναι εἰς τὸ παντελὲς, οὗτοι τεταπείνωνται μὲν, οὐ μὴν τῷ πνεύματι· οὐ γὰρ ἐπαινετὴ αὐτῶν ἡ ταπείνωσις. Ὅσοι δὲ ἔχοντες τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου χάριν, ἑκόντες ἑαυτοὺς ὑποταπεινοῦσι τοῖς ὑποδεεστέροις, κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον λέγοντες ἑαυ τοὺς εἶναι δούλους τινῶν ἐν Χριστῷ, καὶ Πάν των περίψημα ἕως ἄρτι· καὶ πάλιν· Ὡς πε ρικαθάρματα τοῦ κόσμου ἐγενήθημεν· οἱ πνευ ματικῶς τῇ ταπεινώσει κεχρημένοι, πάντων ἑαυτοὺς ποιοῦντες ἐσχάτους, ἵνα πάντων πρῶτοι γένωνται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν. Τούτους καὶ μακαρίζει ὁ Κύριος λέγων· Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι. Πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν αὐτῶν ῥύσεται αὐτοὺς ὁ Κύριος. Ἐν παντὶ, φησὶ, θλιβόμενοι, ἀλλ' οὐ στενοχωρούμενοι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι καὶ ὁ Κύριος τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μαθηταῖς· Ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ θλίψιν ἔχετε· ἀλλὰ θαρσεῖτε, ἐγὼ νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον. Ὥστε ἐὰν ἴδῃς ποτὲ ἐν νόσοις, ἐν πηρώσεσι σώματος, ἐν ἀποβολῇ τῶν οἰκείων, ἐν πλη γαῖς, ἐν ἀτιμίαις, ἐν πάσῃ ἐνδείᾳ καὶ ὑστερήσει τῶν ἀναγκαίων τοὺς δικαίους ὑπάρχοντας, μνήσθητι, ὅτι Πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν αὐτῶν ῥύσεται αὐτοὺς ὁ Κύριος. Ὁ δὲ λέγων μὴ πρέπειν τῷ δικαίῳ τὴν θλίψιν, οὐδὲν ἕτερον λέγει ἢ μὴ ἁρμόζειν τῷ ἀθλητῇ τὸν ἀνταγωνιστήν. Μὴ ἀγωνιζόμενος δὲ ὁ ἀθλητὴς τίνας ἕξει τῶν στεφάνων τὰς ὑποθέσεις; Ἤδη δὲ τέταρτον λέγεται ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ τούτῳ, τίνα τρόπον ἀπὸ θλίψεως ῥύεται ὁ Κύριος, οὓς ἐὰν θέλῃ ῥύσασθαι. Πρῶτον μὲν γάρ· Ἐξεζήτησα τὸν Κύριον, καὶ ἐπήκουσέ μου, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεών μου ἐῤῥύσατό με· δεύτε ρον δὲ πάλιν· Οὗτος ὁ πτωχὸς ἐκέκραξε, καὶ ὁ Κύριος εἰσήκουσεν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλί ψεων αὐτοῦ ἔσωσεν αὐτόν· καὶ τρίτον· Ἐκέκραξαν οἱ δίκαιοι, καὶ ὁ Κύριος εἰσήκουσεν αὐ τῶν, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν τῶν θλίψεων αὐτῶν ἐῤῥύσατο αὐτούς· καὶ τελευταῖον· Πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων, καὶ ἐκ πασῶν αὐτῶν ῥύσεται αὐτοὺς ὁ Κύριος. Φυλάσσει Κύριος πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτῶν· ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐ συντριβήσεται. Πότερον δεῖ ἐπὶ τῆς λέξεως μεῖναι, καὶ ἀρκεσθῆναι τῇ κατὰ τὸ πρό χειρον προσπιπτούσῃ ταῖς ἀκοαῖς ἡμῶν ἐννοίᾳ, ὅτι τὰ ὀστᾶ ταῦτα, τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑποστηρίγματα, οὐ συν τριβήσεται τῶν δικαίων διὰ τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου δε δομένην αὐτοῖς φυλακήν; Καὶ πότερον ζῶντος μόνον καὶ ἐν τῷ βίῳ τυγχάνοντος ἀσύντριπτα τοῦ δικαίου φυλαχθήσεται τὰ ὀστᾶ; ἢ καὶ ἀπολυθέντος τοῦ δεσμοῦ τοῦ σωματικοῦ, μηδὲν αἴτιον ἐπισυμβήσεσθαι συντριβῆς τῷ δικαίῳ; Καὶ μὴν πολλὰ μεμαθήκαμεν ἐπὶ