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Have you suffered something involuntary? But nothing like what that man suffered. Was your eye cut out? But he lost both. Have you suffered a long illness? But he has an incurable one. Did you lose your children? But he lost even the health of his own body. Did you suffer a great loss? But you have not yet been reduced to begging from others. Therefore, give thanks 62.466 to God. You see those men in the furnace of poverty, asking from all, but receiving from few. When you grow weary in prayer, and do not receive, consider how many times you heard a poor man calling to you, and you did not listen, and he did not grow angry, nor did he insult you. And yet you do this out of cruelty, but God does not listen out of love for humanity. If, therefore, you who do not listen to your fellow servant out of cruelty do not think you deserve to be accused, do you accuse the master of the servant who does not listen out of love for humanity? Do you see how great the inequality is? How great the injustice? 4. Let us always consider these things, those who are lower, those in greater misfortunes, and thus we shall be able to give thanks to God. Life is full of many such examples; and for the sober man who is willing to pay attention, there is no small instruction even from the houses of prayer. For this reason, both in the churches and in the martyria, the poor sit before the gateways, so that from the sight of them we may receive great benefit. For consider that when we enter the palaces on earth, there is nothing of this sort to be seen; but men both dignified and splendid and wealthy and intelligent run about everywhere; but in the true palaces, I mean the church and the houses of prayer of the martyrs, are the possessed, the crippled, the poor, the old, the blind, those with twisted limbs. Why so? So that you may be instructed by the sight of them; first, that if you should enter dragging in any pride from outside, looking at them, and putting away your pomposity, and crushing your heart, you may thus enter and hear the things that are spoken (for it is not possible for one praying with pride to be heard); that, when you see an old man, you may not be proud of your youth; for these old men were also once young; that, when you boast greatly of a military post and royal power, you may consider that among these are also those who were once brilliant in the royal courts; that, when you are confident in the health of your body, paying attention to these you may check your pride. For by entering here continually, the healthy man will not be proud of the health of his body; and the one who is sick will receive no small comfort. But they do not sit here for this reason only, but also that they may make you merciful, and that you may be bent toward mercy, that you may marvel at the loving-kindness of God. For if God is not ashamed of them, but has set them in His gateways, much more should you not be; so that you may not be proud of the palaces on earth. Therefore, do not be ashamed when called by a poor man; even if he approaches, even if he holds your knees, do not shake him off; for these are certain marvelous dogs of the royal courts. For I did not call them dogs to dishonor them, far from it, but to praise them greatly; they guard the royal court; feed them, therefore; for the honor goes up to the king. There, everything is pride, I mean in the palaces on earth; here, everything is humility. That human affairs are nothing, you learn especially from these gateways; that God does not delight in wealth, you are taught by those who sit before them. For their sitting here and their assembly is almost an exhortation, sending forth a clear voice to the nature of all men, and saying that human affairs are nothing, that they are a shadow and smoke. If wealth were a good thing, God would not have set the poor before 62.467 His own gates. But if He also accepts the wealthy, do not be surprised; for He does not accept them for this reason, that they should remain wealthy, but that they may be freed from their pomposity; for hear what Christ says to them;

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Ἔπαθές τι τῶν ἀβουλήτων; ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, οἷον ἐκεῖνος. Ἐξεκόπης τὸν ὀφθαλμόν; ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος τοὺς δύο. Ἐνόσησας νόσον μακράν; ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος ἀνίατον ἔχει. Ἀπέβαλες τοὺς παῖδας; ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος καὶ τὴν ὑγιείαν τοῦ οἰκείου σώματος. Ἐζημιώθης ζημίαν μεγάλην; ἀλλ' οὐδέπω πρὸς τὸ ἑτέρων δεῖσθαι κατέστης. Οὐκοῦν εὐχαρίστη 62.466 σον τῷ Θεῷ. Ὁρᾷς ἐκείνους ἐν καμίνῳ πενίας, καὶ παρὰ πάντων μὲν αἰτοῦντας, παρ' ὀλίγων δὲ λαμβάνοντας. Ὅταν ἀποκάμῃς εὐχόμενος, καὶ μὴ λαμβάνῃς, ἐννόησον ποσάκις ἤκουσας πένητός σε καλοῦντος, καὶ οὐκ ἐπήκουσας, καὶ οὐκ ἠγανάκτησεν ἐκεῖνος, οὐδὲ ὕβρισέ σε. Καίτοι σὺ μὲν ἀπὸ ὠμότητος τοῦτο ποιεῖς, ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ἀπὸ φιλανθρωπίας καὶ τὸ μὴ ἀκούειν ποιεῖ. Εἰ τοίνυν αὐτὸς τοῦ ὁμοδούλου δι' ὠμότητα μὴ ἀκούων οὐκ ἀξιοῖς ἐγκαλεῖσθαι, τῷ δεσπότῃ τοῦ δούλου διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν οὐκ ἀκούοντι ἐγκαλεῖς; Ὁρᾷς πόσον τὸ ἄνισον; πόσον τὸ ἄδικον; δʹ. Ταῦτα ἐννοῶμεν διαπαντὸς, τοὺς κατωτέρους, τοὺς ἐν μείζοσι συμφοραῖς, καὶ οὕτω δυνησόμεθα εὐχαριστεῖν τῷ Θεῷ. Πολλῶν ὁ βίος γέμει τοιούτων ὑποδειγμάτων· ἔχει δὲ διδασκαλίαν οὐ μικρὰν ὁ νήφων καὶ βουλόμενος προσέχειν καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν εὐκτηρίων οἴκων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις, καὶ ἐν τοῖς μαρτυρίοις προκάθηνται τῶν προπυλαίων οἱ πένητες, ὥστε ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς τούτων θέας πολλὴν δέχεσθαι τὴν ὠφέλειαν. Ἐννόησον γὰρ ὅτι εἰς μὲν βασίλεια τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰσερχομένων ἡμῶν, οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἔστιν ἰδεῖν· ἀλλὰ ἄνδρες καὶ σεμνοὶ, καὶ λαμπροὶ, καὶ πλουτοῦντες, καὶ συνετοὶ, πανταχοῦ διατρέχουσιν, εἰς δὲ τὰ ὄντως βασίλεια, τὴν ἐκκλησίαν λέγω, καὶ τοὺς εὐκτηρίους οἴκους τῶν μαρτύρων, δαιμονῶντες, ἀνάπηροι, πένητες, γέροντες, τυφλοὶ, διεστραμμένοι τὰ μέλη. Τί δήποτε; Ἵνα σὺ παιδεύῃ διὰ τῆς τούτων θέας, πρῶτον μὲν ἵνα, εἴ τινα τῦφον ἔξωθεν ἐπισυρόμενος εἰσέλθῃς, εἰς ἐκείνους βλέψας, καὶ ἀποθέμενος τὸν ὄγκον, καὶ συντρίψας τὴν καρδίαν, οὕτως εἰσέλθῃς, καὶ τῶν λεγομένων ἀκούσῃς (οὐ γὰρ ἔστι μετὰ τύφου προσευχόμενον ἀκούεσθαι)· ἵν', ὅταν γέροντα ἴδῃς, μὴ ἐπὶ νεότητι μέγα φρονῇς· καὶ γὰρ οὗτοι οἱ γέροντες νέοι ἐγένοντο· ἵν', ὅταν ἐπὶ στρατείᾳ καὶ δυναστείᾳ βασιλικῇ μέγα κομπάζῃς, ἐννοήσῃς ὅτι ἐκ τούτων εἰσὶ καὶ οἱ λαμπροὶ γενόμενοι ἐν ταῖς βασιλικαῖς αὐλαῖς· ἵν', ὅταν ἐπὶ ὑγείᾳ σώματος θαῤῥῇς, τούτοις προσέχων καταστείλῃς σου τὸ φρόνημα. Καὶ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα συνεχῶς εἰσιὼν, ὁ μὲν ὑγιαίνων οὐ μέγα φρονήσει ἐπὶ ὑγείᾳ σώματος· ὁ δὲ κάμνων, λήψεται παραμυθίαν οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν. Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον ἐνταῦθα παρακάθηνται, ἀλλ' ἵνα σε καὶ ἐλεήμονα ποιήσωσι, καὶ πρὸς ἔλεον ἐπικαμφθῇς, ἵνα θαυμάσῃς τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται αὐτοὺς, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς προπυλαίοις αὐτοῦ ἔστησε, πολλῷ μᾶλλον σύ· ἵνα μὴ μέγα φρονῇς ἐπὶ τοῖς βασιλείοις τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Μὴ τοίνυν ἐπαισχύνου παρὰ πένητος καλούμενος· κἂν προσέλθῃ, κἂν τὰ γόνατα κατέχῃ, μὴ ἀποσείσῃ· κύνες γάρ εἰσιν οὗτοί τινες θαυμαστοὶ τῶν αὐλῶν τῶν βασιλικῶν. Οὐ γὰρ ἀτιμάζων αὐτοὺς κύνας ἐκάλεσα, μὴ γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ἐπαινῶν· τὴν αὐλὴν φυλάττουσι τὴν βασιλικήν· θρέψον τοίνυν αὐτούς· ἡ γὰρ τιμὴ εἰς τὸν βασιλέα ἀναβαίνει. Ἐκεῖ πάντα τῦφος, ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις λέγω τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἐνταῦθα πάντα ταπεινοφροσύνη. Ὅτι οὐδὲν τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ἀπ' αὐτῶν μάλιστα τῶν προπυλαίων μανθάνεις· ὅτι οὐ τέρπεται πλούτῳ Θεὸς, ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν προκαθημένων διδάσκῃ. Ἡ γὰρ τούτων καθέδρα καὶ ἡ συλλογὴ μονονουχὶ παραίνεσίς ἐστι, πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων φύσιν φωνὴν ἀφιεῖσα λαμπρὰν, καὶ λέγουσα, ὅτι οὐδὲν τὰ ἀνθρώπινα πράγματα, ὅτι σκιὰ καὶ καπνός. Εἰ καλὸν ἦν ὁ πλοῦτος, οὐκ ἂν πένητας προεκάθισεν 62.467 ὁ Θεὸς τῶν οἰκείων προθύρων. Εἰ δὲ προσίεται καὶ πλουτοῦντας, μὴ θαυμάσῃς· οὐ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο προσίεται, ἵνα μένωσι πλουτοῦντες, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἀπαλλαγῶσι τοῦ ὄγκου· ἄκουσον γὰρ τί φησιν αὐτοῖς ὁ Χριστός·