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the wounds, he poured on oil, he set him on his own beast, he brought him to an inn, he said to the innkeeper: Take care of him. And see the great generosity: And I will give you, he says, whatever you spend. Then he asks: Which of these, do you think, was a neighbor to him? And the lawyer, having said, The one who showed mercy on him, hears, Go, therefore, and do likewise. And see what sort of parable he told. He did not say that a Jew did this to a Samaritan, but that a Samaritan showed all that generosity. From this we learn to care for all equally, not only looking after those of our own faith, but neglecting those who are not. So then you also, if you see someone suffering evil, do not be overly curious anymore; his suffering evil gives him the right to assistance. For if you see a donkey choking, you raise it up, and you are not curious whose it is; much more must you not be curious whose a person is; he is God's, whether he be a Greek or a Jew. For even if he is an unbeliever, he still needs help. For if it were permitted to you to examine and to judge, you would speak well of these things; but now the calamity does not permit you to examine these things. For if one should not be overly curious about those who are healthy, nor meddle in the affairs of others, much less so with those who are suffering evil. And what else? Did you see him prospering or being well-reputed, that you say, he is wicked and base? he is suffering evil; but if you see him suffering evil, do not say that he is wicked. For when he is well-reputed, we rightly say these things; but when he is in calamity and needs help, one must not say that he is wicked; for this is cruelty and inhumanity and arrogance. What has become more lawless than the Jews, tell me? But nevertheless God punished them, and justly, and very 63.89 justly; and yet he accepted those who grieved with them, but punished those who rejoiced over them. For they did not suffer, he says, at all over the affliction of Joseph. And again he says: Ransom those who are being killed, do not spare. He did not say, Be curious, and learn who he is; and yet for the most part those who are led away are wicked; but he said simply, Ransom, whoever he may be, he says. For this especially is almsgiving. For one who does good to a friend, does not do it entirely for God's sake; but one who does good to a stranger, he works purely for God's sake. And one says, Do not spare money, but even if you must empty out everything, give; but we, seeing them being choked, lamenting, suffering things worse than ten thousand deaths, and often unjustly, we spare our money, and we do not spare our brothers; we care for inanimate things, but we neglect a soul. And yet Paul commands to instruct in gentleness those who 63.90 oppose themselves; lest perhaps, he says, God may give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. -Lest perhaps, he says; do you see how full of long-suffering the word is? We too, imitating him, should despair of no one. For the fishermen, having often cast the hook into the sea, did not succeed, but casting it later, they took everything. So we too do not despair, but we expect that you will suddenly show us ripe fruit. For when the farmer sows, he waits both the first day and the second, and he expects for a long time; then suddenly he sees the fruits sprouting from all sides. This we expect will also happen in your case, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, might, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY XI.

For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater

He swore by Himself, saying: Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed

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τὰ τραύματα, ἐπέσταξεν ἔλαιον, ἀνεβίβασεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸν ὄνον, ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ πανδοχεῖον, εἶπε τῷ πανδοχεῖ· Θεράπευσον αὐτόν. Καὶ ὅρα τὴν φιλοτιμίαν τὴν πολλήν· Καὶ ἐγώ σοι δώσω, φησὶν, ὅσον ἂν ἀναλώσῃς. Εἶτα πυνθάνεται· Τίς οὖν δοκεῖ σοι πλησίον αὐτοῦ γεγονέναι; Ὁ δὲ νομικὸς εἰπὼν, Ὁ ποιήσας τὸ ἔλεος μετ' αὐτοῦ, ἀκούει, Πορεύου οὖν, καὶ σὺ ποίει ὁμοίως. Καὶ θέα ποίαν εἶπε παραβολήν. Οὐκ εἶπεν ὅτι Ἰουδαῖος εἰς Σαμαρείτην ἐποίησεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι Σαμαρείτης τὴν φιλοτιμίαν ἐκείνην ἅπασαν ἐνεδείξατο. Ἐντεῦθεν μανθάνομεν, ἐξ ἴσης προνοεῖσθαι τῶν πάντων, οὐ τῶν οἰκείων τῆς πίστεως μόνον ἐπιμελουμένους, τῶν ἀλλοτρίων δὲ ἀμελοῦντας. Οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ σὺ, ἐὰν ἴδῃς τινὰ κακῶς πάσχοντα, μηδὲν περιεργάζου λοιπόν· ἔχει τὸ δικαίωμα τῆς βοηθείας τὸ κακῶς παθεῖν αὐτόν. Εἰ γὰρ ὄνον ἐὰν ἴδῃς ἀγχόμενον, ἐγείρεις αὐτὸν, καὶ οὐ περιεργάζῃ τίνος ἐστί· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἄνθρωπον οὐ δεῖ περιεργάζεσθαι τίνος ἐστί· τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστι, κἂν Ἕλλην ᾖ, κἂν Ἰουδαῖος. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ ἄπιστος, ἀλλὰ βοηθείας δεῖται. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐξετάζειν καὶ κρίνειν ἐπετράπη σοι, καλῶς ταῦτα ἔλεγες· νῦν δὲ ἡ συμφορὰ ταῦτα οὐκ ἀφίησί σε ἐξετάζειν. Εἰ γὰρ οὐδὲ ὑγιαίνοντας περιεργάζεσθαι χρὴ, οὐδὲ τὰ ἑτέρων πολυπραγμονεῖν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοὺς κακῶς πάσχοντας. Ἄλλως δὲ τί; Εἶδες εὐθηνοῦντα αὐτὸν ἢ εὐδοκιμοῦντα, ὅτι λέγεις, πονηρός ἐστι καὶ φαῦλος; κακῶς πάσχει· εἰ δὲ κακῶς πάσχοντα ὁρᾷς, μὴ λέγε ὅτι πονηρός ἐστιν. Ὅταν μὲν γὰρ εὐδοκιμῇ, καλῶς ταῦτα λέγομεν· ὅταν δὲ ἐν συμφορᾷ ᾖ καὶ βοηθείας δεῖται, οὐ χρὴ λέγειν ὅτι πονηρός ἐστιν· ὠμότητος γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ἀπανθρωπίας καὶ ἀλαζονείας. Τί τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀνομώτερον γέγονεν, εἰπέ μοι; Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐκόλασεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ δικαίως, καὶ σφόδρα 63.89 δικαίως· καὶ ὅμως τοὺς μὲν συναλγοῦντας αὐτοῖς ἀπεδέξατο, τοὺς δὲ ἐφησθέντας ἐκόλασεν. Οὐκ ἔπασχον γὰρ, φησὶν, οὐδὲν ἐπὶ τῇ συντριβῇ τοῦ Ἰωσήφ. Καὶ πάλιν φησίν· Ἐκπρίου κτεινομένους, μὴ φείσῃ. Οὐκ εἶπε, Περιέργασαι, καὶ μάθε τίς ἐστι· καίτοι ὡς τὰ πολλὰ πονηροὶ οἱ ἀπαγόμενοι ἀλλ' εἶπεν ἁπλῶς, Ἐκπρίου, ὅστις ἂν ᾖ, φησί. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι μάλιστα ἐλεημοσύνη. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ φίλον εὖ ποιῶν, οὐ διὰ τὸν Θεὸν πάντως ποιεῖ· ὁ δὲ ἀγνῶτα, οὗτος καθαρῶς διὰ τὸν Θεὸν ἐργάζεται. Καὶ ὁ μέν φησι, Μὴ φείσῃ χρημάτων, ἀλλὰ κἂν πάντα δέῃ κενῶσαι, δός· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀγχομένους ὁρῶντες, ἀποδυρομένους, μυρίων θανάτων χαλεπώτερα πάσχοντας, καὶ ἀδίκως πολλάκις, φειδόμεθα τῶν χρημάτων, καὶ ἀφειδοῦμεν τῶν ἀδελφῶν· τῶν ἀψύχων μὲν κηδόμεθα, ψυχῆς δὲ ἀμελοῦμεν. Καίτοι γε Παῦλος κελεύει ἐν πραότητι παιδεύειν τοὺς 63.90 ἀντιδιατιθεμένους· μήποτε, φησὶ, δῷ αὐτοῖς ὁ Θεὸς μετάνοιαν εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ ἀνανήψωσιν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου παγίδος, ἐζωγρημένοι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ ἐκείνου θέλημα. -Μήποτε, φησίν· ὁρᾷς πόσης μακροθυμίας τὸ ῥῆμα γέμει; Τοῦτον καὶ ἡμεῖς μιμούμενοι, μηδένα ἀπελπίζωμεν. Καὶ γὰρ οἱ ἁλιεῖς, πολλάκις τὸ ἄγκιστρον ῥίψαντες εἰς τὴν θάλατταν, οὐκ ἐπέτυχον, ὕστερον δὲ βαλόντες, τὸ πᾶν ἀπέλαβον. Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἀπελπίζομεν, ἀλλὰ προσδοκῶμεν ὅτι ἀθρόον δείξετε ἡμῖν καρπὸν ὥριμον. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ γηπόνος ἐπειδὰν σπείρῃ, καὶ τὴν πρώτην ἡμέραν καὶ τὴν δευτέραν ἀναμένει, καὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἐκδέχεται· εἶτα ἀθρόον πάντοθεν ὁρᾷ τοὺς καρποὺς βλαστάνοντας. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐφ' ὑμῶν ἔσεσθαι προσδοκῶμεν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΙΑʹ.

Τῷ γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ ἐπαγγειλάμενος ὁ Θεὸς, ἐπεὶ κατ' οὐδενὸς μείζονος εἶχεν

ὀμόσαι, ὤμοσε καθ' ἑαυτοῦ, λέγων· ἦ μὴν εὐλογῶν εὐλογήσω σε, καὶ πληθύνων πληθυνῶ σε. Καὶ οὕτω μακροθυμήσας, ἐπέτυχε τῆς ἐπαγγελίας. Ἄνθρωποι μὲν γὰρ