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they arrange their own lives well, they think that nothing further is lacking for their salvation. However, they do not think correctly. And this he who buried the one talent also shows; for he did not bring it back diminished, but whole, and such as he who had entrusted it gave it. But the blessed Paul also shows it here, saying thus: But if any provide not for his own. He means all providence, that for the soul, that for the body; since this too is providence. But he who provides not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, that is, those related by birth, he says, is worse than an infidel. Which Isaiah, the chief of the prophets, also says: Thou shalt not hide thyself from thine own flesh. For if one should neglect those related by birth and united by kinship, how will he be affectionate towards others? Will not all say the thing is vainglory, when, while doing good to strangers, he despises and does not spare his own? And what, when catechizing others, he overlooks these in their error, although having greater facility and a greater right in doing good? Most certainly; for will they not say, Are Christians affectionate, who overlook their own? And he is, he says, worse than an infidel. Why? Because that one, even if not strangers, at least does not overlook those who are near. What he says is this: He who is neglectful of his own wrongs both the law of God and the law of nature. But if he who provides not for his own has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel, where will he who also wrongs his own be ranked? with whom will he stand? But how has he denied the faith? They profess, he says, that they know God, but in works they deny him. And what has the God in whom we trust commanded? Not to despise the kindred of one's seed. But how does such a one, who has become a denier of God, believe? Let us consider, as many of us as, sparing of money, despise our own kin; for this reason God also devised the union that comes from kinship, that we might have many grounds for doing good to one another. When, therefore, you do not do that which the unbeliever does, have you not denied the faith? So then faith is not this, to believe by confession only, but also to show worthy works. And in each particular it is possible to believe, and not to believe. For since he had discoursed about luxury and wantonness, Not for this reason alone, he says, is she lost, because she lives in luxury, but because also 62.572 she is forced to overlook her own kin. With reason he says this; for she who lives for her belly, both on this account is lost, denying the faith. But how is she worse than an infidel? Because it is not the same to overlook one of the household, and one who is distant; for how could it be? but the crime is greater here, to overlook the known than the unknown, the friend than the not-friend. Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man, well reported of for good works. He said, Let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents; he said, She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth; he said, that If any provide not for his own, he is worse than an infidel; he said the things which, if she does not have them, she is unworthy of the list of widows; he says here what it is necessary to have for the future. What then? shall we approve her from her years? And what sort of achievement is this? for it is not her own doing to have become sixty years of age. Not from age alone, he says, so that even if she should pass that age, he says, not having the works, not even then let her be enrolled. But why he is so exact about her age, he states the reason later, a reason brought in not by himself, but by the widows themselves. But for now let us hear what follows: Well reported of, he says, for good works. What works? If she have brought up children. This is indeed no small work, to bring up children. But bringing up children is not simply this, to feed the children only, but also to feed them as is proper, as he says above: If they continue in faith and charity and holiness. Do you see how everywhere he puts the good deeds done to one's own before those done to strangers? For first he says, If she have brought up children, and then, If she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if to every good work

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κατὰ τὸν ἑαυτῶν βίον καλῶς διάθωνται, μηδὲν αὐτοῖς ἔτι λείπειν πρὸς σωτηρίαν ἡγοῦνται. Οὐ μὴν ὀρθῶς οἴονται. Καὶ τοῦτο δείκνυσι μὲν καὶ ὁ τὸ τάλαντον κατορύξας τὸ ἕν· οὐ γὰρ δὴ μειώσας αὐτὸ προσήνεγκεν, ἀλλ' ὁλόκληρον, καὶ τοιοῦτον, οἶον ὁ παρακαταθέμενος ἔδωκεν. ∆είκνυσι δὲ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος οὕτω λέγων· Εἰ δέ τις τῶν ἰδίων οὐ προνοεῖ. Πρόνοιαν πᾶσαν λέγει, τὴν κατὰ ψυχὴν, τὴν κατὰ σῶμα· ἐπεὶ καὶ αὕτη πρόνοιά ἐστιν. Ὁ δὲ τῶν ἰδίων, καὶ μάλιστα τῶν οἰκείων, τουτέστι, τῶν πρὸς γένος διαφερόντων μὴ προνοῶν, ἀπίστου, φησὶν, ἐστὶ χείρων. Ὃ λέγει καὶ Ἡσαΐας ὁ τῶν προφητῶν κορυφαῖος· Τοὺς οἰκείους τοῦ σπέρματός σου οὐχ ὑπερόψει. Εἰ γάρ τις τοὺς γένει προσήκοντας καὶ ἡνωμένους ὑπὸ ἀγχιστείας περιίδοι, πῶς ἔσται περὶ τοὺς ἄλλους φιλόστοργος; οὐχὶ κενοδοξίαν τὸ πρᾶγμα πάντες ἐροῦσιν, ὅταν τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους εὖ ποιῶν, τῶν αὑτοῦ καταφρονῇ καὶ μὴ φείδηται; τί δὲ, ὅταν ἄλλους κατηχῶν, τούτους ἐν πλάνῃ περιορᾷ, καίτοι πλείονα ἔχων εὐκολίαν καὶ μεῖζον δικαίωμα ἐν τῷ εὖ ποιεῖν; Σφόδρα γε· οὐ γὰρ ἐροῦσι, Φιλόστοργοι οἱ Χριστιανοὶ οἱ τοὺς ἑαυτῶν περιορῶντες; Καὶ ἔστι, φησὶν, ἀπίστου χείρων. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι ἐκεῖνος, εἰ καὶ μὴ τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους, τοὺς γοῦν ἐγγὺς οὐ περιορᾷ. Ὃ δὲ λέγει, τοῦτό ἐστι· Καὶ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμον, καὶ τὸν τῆς φύσεως ἀδικεῖ ὁ τῶν ἰδίων καταμελῶν. Εἰ δὲ ὁ μὴ προνοῶν τῶν οἰκείων τὴν πίστιν ἤρνηται, καὶ ἀπίστου χείρων ἐστὶν, ὁ καὶ ἀδικῶν τοὺς οἰκείους, ποῦ τετάξεται; μετὰ τίνος στήσεται; Πῶς δὲ τὴν πίστιν ἤρνηται; Θεὸν, φησὶν, ὁμολογοῦσιν εἰδέναι, τοῖς δὲ ἔργοις ἀρνοῦνται. Τί δὲ ἐπέταξεν ὁ πιστευθεὶς Θεός; Τοὺς οἰκείους τοῦ σπέρματος μὴ ὑπερορᾷν. Πῶς δὲ πιστεύει ἀρνησίθεος ὁ τοιοῦτος γεγονώς; Ἐννοήσωμεν ὅσοι χρημάτων φειδόμενοι τῶν οἰκείων καταφρονοῦμεν· ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς συγγενείας ἐπενόησεν ἕνωσιν, ἵνα πολλὰς ἔχωμεν ὑποθέσεις τοῦ ἀλλήλους εὖ ποιεῖν. Ὅταν τοίνυν, ὅπερ ὁ ἄπιστος ποιεῖ, σὺ μὴ ποιῇς, οὐχὶ ἤρνησαι τὴν πίστιν; Ἄρα οὐ τοῦτο πίστεως, τὸ ὁμολογίᾳ μόνον πιστεύειν. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ἔργα ἐπιδείκνυσθαι ἄξια. Καὶ καθ' ἕκαστον ἔστι πιστεύειν, καὶ μὴ πιστεύειν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ περὶ τρυφῆς διελέχθη καὶ σπατάλης, Οὐ κατὰ τοῦτο μόνον, φησὶν, ἀπόλωλε, καθὸ τρυφᾷ ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ 62.572 τοὺς οἰκείους ἀναγκάζεται περιορᾷν. Εἰκότως τοῦτό φησιν· ἡ γὰρ τῇ γαστρὶ ζῶσα, καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο ἀπόλωλε, τὴν πίστιν ἀρνουμένη. Πῶς δέ ἐστιν ἀπίστου χείρων; Ὅτι οὐκ ἴσον τὸν οἰκεῖον περιορᾷν, καὶ τὸν πόῤῥω· πῶς γάρ; ἀλλὰ μεῖζον ἐνταῦθα τὸ ἔγκλημα, τὸν γνώριμον ἢ τὸν ἀγνῶτα, τὸν φίλον ἢ τὸν οὐ φίλον περιορᾷν. Χήρα καταλεγέσθω μὴ ἔλαττον ἐτῶν ἑξήκοντα, γεγονυῖα ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς γυνὴ, ἐν ἔργοις καλοῖς μαρτυρουμένη. Εἶπε, Μανθανέτωσαν πρῶτον τὸν ἴδιον οἶκον εὐσεβεῖν, καὶ ἀμοιβὰς ἀποδιδόναι τοῖς προγόνοις· εἶπεν, Ἡ σπαταλῶσα ζῶσα τέθνηκεν· εἶπεν, ὅτι Τῶν οἰκείων εἰ μὴ προνοεῖ, ἀπίστου χείρων ἐστίν· εἶπεν ἅπερ μὴ ἔχουσα ἀνάξιός ἐστι τοῦ καταλόγου τῶν χηρῶν· λέγει ἐνταῦθα τί δεῖ ἔχειν λοιπόν. Τί οὖν; ἀπὸ τῶν χρόνων αὐτὴν ἐγκρινοῦμεν; καὶ ποῖον τοῦτο κατόρθωμα; οὐ γὰρ αὐτῆς ἐστι τὸ ἑξήκοντα γεγονέναι ἐτῶν. Οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς ἡλικίας, φησὶ, μόνον, ὡς ἂν εἰ καὶ ἐκείνην παρέλθοι τὴν ἡλικίαν, φησὶ, μὴ ἔχουσα τὰ ἔργα, μηδὲ τότε καταλεγέσθω. Τί δήποτε δὲ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡλικίας ἀκριβολογεῖται, τὴν αἰτίαν ὕστερον τίθησιν, οὐ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλὰ παρ' αὐτῶν εἰσενηνεγμένην τῶν χηρῶν. Τέως δὲ τῶν ἑξῆς ἀκούσωμεν· Ἐν ἔργοις, φησὶ, καλοῖς μαρτυρουμένη. Ποίοις ἔργοις; Εἰ ἐτεκνοτρόφησεν. Οὐ μικρὸν ὄντως τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο, τὸ παιδοτροφεῖν. Τὸ παιδοτροφεῖν δὲ οὐ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἁπλῶς τὸ τρέφειν μόνον τοὺς παῖδας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τρέφειν ὡς δεῖ, καθάπερ ἄνω φησίν· Ἐὰν ἐπιμείνωσι τῇ πίστει καὶ τῇ ἀγάπῃ καὶ τῷ ἁγιασμῷ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς πανταχοῦ τῶν οἰκείων τὰς εὐεργεσίας τῶν ἀλλοτρίων προτίθησι; Πρῶτον γάρ φησιν, Εἰ ἐτεκνοτρόφησε, καὶ τότε, Εἰ ἐξενοδόχησεν, εἰ ἁγίων πόδας ἔνιψεν, εἰ θλιβομένοις ἐπήρκεσεν, εἰ παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ