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rich; for this discourse of mine is not only to the rich, but also to the poor. For they too seize what belongs to those 62.461 poorer than themselves, and the wealthier and more powerful artisans sell off the more helpless and poorer ones, shopkeepers sell shopkeepers, and all who are in the marketplace. So that from every side I wish to root out injustice. For the injustice consists not in the measure of what is seized and stolen, but in the intention of the one who steals. That these are more so thieves and covetous, those who do not despise even small things, I know and remember having said to you, if indeed you also remember. But let us not be too precise 62.462; let them also be like the rich. Let us then train our minds not to desire greater things, not to long for more. And in heaven, let the desire for more never have a limit, but let each one always long for more; but on earth, let each one be for what is necessary and for self-sufficiency, and seek nothing more, so that we may thus be able to attain the things that are truly good, by grace and love for mankind, and the rest.

HOMILY XI. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophecies. But test everything;

hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. 1. A thick mist and gloom and a cloud have been poured over all the earth; and declaring this the Apostle said: For we were once darkness; and again, You, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief. Since, therefore, it is night, so to speak, a moonless one, and in this night we walk, God has given us a bright lamp, having kindled the grace of the Holy Spirit in our souls. But some who received this light made it brighter and radiant, such as Paul, such as Peter, such as all those saints; while others even quenched it, like the five virgins, like those who made shipwreck concerning the faith, like the one in Corinth who committed fornication, like the Galatians who were led astray. For this reason Paul now says, Do not quench the Spirit, that is, the spiritual gift; for it is his custom to call the gift of the Spirit thus. But an unclean life quenches it. For just as with the light of this lamp, if someone pours water on it, or dust, he has quenched the light, and if neither of these, yet at least by taking away the oil; so also with the spiritual gift; for if you pour on it the cares of earthly and fleeting things, you have quenched the Spirit; and if you do nothing of the sort, but from some other quarter a temptation comes and attacks violently, like some wind, and the flame is not strong, or does not have much oil, or you do not block up the opening, or do not close the door, all is lost. And what is the opening? Just as with the lamp, so also with us, the opening is the eye and the hearing. Do not let a violent wind of wickedness fall upon these, since it would quench the lamp, but block it with the fear of God. The door is the mouth; close it, shut it tight, so that it may both provide light and repel the attack from without. For example, has someone insulted you? Reviled you? You close your mouth; for if you open it, you have fanned the wind. Do you not see in houses, when two doors stand opposite and in a straight line, and there is a strong wind, how, if you close one and there is no counter-breeze, the wind has no strength, but the greater part of its force is cut off? So also now, there are two doors, your mouth, and that of the one who insults you and treats you with drunken insolence 62.462; if you shut yours and do not give a counter-breeze, you have quenched the whole wind; but if you open it, it becomes uncontrollable. Therefore, let us not quench it. For it is often quenched even when nothing is pressing upon it

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πλούσιοι· οὐ γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς πλουσίους μοι μόνον οὗτος ὁ λόγος, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς πένητας. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἁρπάζουσι τοὺς αὐ 62.461 τῶν πενεστέρους, καὶ χειροτέχναι οἱ εὐπορώτεροι καὶ δυνατώτεροι τοὺς ἀπορωτέρους καὶ πενεστέρους ἀπεμπολοῦσι, κάπηλοι καπήλους, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς. Ὥστε πάντοθεν βούλομαι τὴν ἀδικίαν ἐξελεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῷ μέτρῳ τῶν ἁρπαζομένων καὶ κλεπτομένων, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ προαιρέσει τοῦ κλέπτοντος τὸ ἀδίκημα ἵσταται. Ὅτι δὲ οὗτοι μᾶλλόν εἰσι κλέπται καὶ πλεονέκται, οἱ μηδὲ τῶν μικρῶν καταφρονοῦντες, οἶδα καὶ μέμνημαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰρηκὼς, εἴ γε καὶ ὑμεῖς μέμνησθε. Πλὴν ἀλλὰ μηδὲν ἀκριβολογώ 62.462 μεθα· ἔστωσαν ὁμοίως τοῖς πλουσίοις καὶ αὐτοί. Παιδεύσωμεν τὴν διάνοιαν λοιπὸν τῶν μειζόνων μὴ ἐπιθυμεῖν, τοῦ πλείονος μὴ ὀρέγεσθαι. Καὶ ἐν μὲν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς μηδέποτε ὅρον ἐχέτω ἡ ἐπιθυμία τοῦ πλείονος, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ τοῦ πλείονος ἕκαστος ὀρεγέσθω· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς γῆς τῆς χρείας ἕκαστος ἔστω καὶ τῆς αὐταρκείας, καὶ μηδὲν πλέον ζητείτω, ἵν' οὕτω δυνησώμεθα τῶν ὄντως ἀγαθῶν ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΙΑʹ. Τὸ πνεῦμα μὴ σβέννυτε· προφητείας μὴ ἐξουθενεῖτε. Πάντα δὲ δοκιμάζετε·

τὸ καλὸν κατέχετε. Ἀπὸ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀπέχεσθε. αʹ. Ἀχλύς τις παχεῖα καὶ ζόφος καὶ νεφέλη κατακέχυται τῆς γῆς ἁπάσης· καὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἔλεγεν· Ἦμεν γάρ ποτε σκότος· καὶ πάλιν, Ὑμεῖς, ἀδελφοὶ, οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σκότει, ἵνα ἡ ἡμέρα ὑμᾶς ὡς κλέπτης καταλάβῃ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν νύξ ἐστιν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἀσέληνος, καὶ ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ βαδίζομεν, ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν λαμπάδα φαιδρὰν ὁ Θεὸς, τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου τὴν χάριν ἀνάψας ἐν ταῖς ἡμετέραις ψυχαῖς. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο τὸ φῶς οἱ μὲν δεξάμενοι λαμπρότερον εἰργάσαντο καὶ φαιδρὸν, οἷον ὡς Παῦλος, ὡς Πέτρος, ὡς οἱ ἅγιοι πάντες ἐκεῖνοι· οἱ δὲ καὶ ἔσβεσαν, ὡς αἱ πέντε παρθένοι, ὡς ἐκεῖνοι οἱ περὶ τὴν πίστιν ναυαγήσαντες, ὡς ὁ ἐν Κορίνθῳ πεπορνευκὼς, ὡς Γαλάται παρατραπέντες. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ Παῦλος νῦν φησι, Τὸ πνεῦμα μὴ σβέννυτε, τουτέστι, τὸ χάρισμα· οὕτω γὰρ αὐτῷ καλεῖν ἔθος τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ Πνεύματος. Σβέννυσι δὲ αὐτὸ βίος ἀκάθαρτος. Καθάπερ γάρ τις ἐπὶ τοῦ λυχνιαίου τούτου φωτὸς, ὕδωρ κατασκεδάσας, ἢ χοῦν, ἔσβεσε τὸ φῶς, καὶ εἰ μηδὲν τούτων, ἀλλά γε τὸ ἔλαιον ἐξελών· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ χαρίσματος· ἄν τε γὰρ γήϊνα καὶ τῶν διαῤῥεόντων πραγμάτων κατασκεδάσῃς φροντίδας, ἔσβεσας τὸ πνεῦμα· ἄν τε σὺ μηδὲν ἐργάσῃ τοιοῦτον, ἑτέρωθεν δέ ποθεν πειρασμὸς ἐπελθὼν προσβάλῃ σφοδρῶς, καθάπερ τι πνεῦμα, καὶ μὴ σφοδρὰ ᾖ ἡ φλὸξ, ἢ πολὺ τὸ ἔλαιον ἔχουσα, ἢ τὴν ὀπὴν μὴ ἐμφράξῃς, ἢ τὴν θύραν μὴ προσκλείσῃς, πάντα ἀπόλωλε. Τί δέ ἐστιν ἡ ὀπή; Ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ λύχνου, οὕτω καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν, ὀπή ἐστιν ὀφθαλμὸς καὶ ἀκοή. Μὴ ἀφῇς ταύταις προσπίπτειν πνεῦμα σφοδρὸν πονηρίας, ἐπεὶ ἔσβεσε τὸν λύχνον, ἀλλ' ἀπόφραξον τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Θύρα τὸ στόμα ἐστί· κλεῖσον, πρόσκλεισον, ἵνα καὶ τὸ φῶς παρέχῃ, καὶ ἀποκρούηται τὴν ἔξωθεν προσβολήν. Οἷον, ὕβρισέ σέ τις; ἐλοιδόρησε; σὺ κλεῖσον τὸ στόμα· ἂν γὰρ ἀνοίξῃς, ἐῤῥίπισας τὸν ἄνεμον. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις, ὅταν καταντικρὺ καὶ ἐπ' εὐθείας δύο θύραι στήκωσι, καὶ σφοδρὸς ἄνεμος ᾖ, πῶς, ἂν τὴν ἑτέραν κλείσῃς καὶ ἀντίπνοια μὴ γένηται, οὐδὲν ἴσχυσεν ὁ ἄνεμος, ἀλλὰ τὸ πολὺ τῆς ἰσχύος ὑποτέμνεται; Οὕτω καὶ νῦν, δύο εἰσὶ θύραι, τὸ στόμα τὸ σὸν, καὶ τὸ τοῦ ὑβρίζοντός σε καὶ ἐμ 62.462 παροινοῦντος· ἂν ἀποκλείσῃς τὸ σὸν καὶ μὴ δῷς ἀντίπνοιαν, ἔσβεσας ὅλον τὸ πνεῦμα· ἂν δὲ ἀνοίξῃς, ἀκάθεκτον γίνεται. Μὴ τοίνυν αὐτὸ σβεννύωμεν. Ἔστι δὲ πολλάκις καὶ μηδενὸς ἐπικειμένου σβεσθῆναι τὴν