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has followed. What then, if she is poor? Even so she has not been deprived of raising children, nor of lodging strangers, nor of assisting the afflicted. She is not poorer than the one who cast in the two mites; and even if she is poor, she has a house; for surely she does not remain in the open air. If she has washed the saints’ feet, it says. This is not a matter of expense. If she has followed every good work. What sort of command does he give here? He urges her to contribute bodily service; for women are especially suited for ministering, to make a bed, to give rest. 2. Ah, what great strictness he demands from the widow! Almost as much as from him who has the episcopate. 62.573 For the phrase, "If she has followed every good work," signifies this, that even if she herself was not able to do it, yet she shared in it, she served. Cutting off wantonness, he wants her to be provident, economical, to persevere always in prayers. Such was Anna. See what great strictness he demands from the widow, such as not even from virgins; and yet from them too he required great strictness, and the highest virtue. For to say, "in a seemly and devoted manner to the Lord without distraction," in a summary way somehow embraces all virtue. Do you see that it is not enough to show the widow has not entered a second marriage, but that many other things are needed? For why, tell me, does he urge not to enter a second marriage? Did he condemn the practice? By no means; for this belongs to heretics; but wanting her henceforth to be occupied in spiritual things, and to be transferred to virtue; for marriage is not a matter of impurity, but of occupation; since even when he says, "that they may have leisure," he does not say, "that they may be purified." For marriage is indeed the cause of much occupation. If, therefore, you do not marry for this reason, that you may have leisure for the fear of God, but you do not have leisure, you get no benefit from the matter, so that you show all care for strangers, for saints. When therefore you do not do these things, it is as if you abstained from marriage more from condemning the practice. So also the virgin who is not crucified with strictness has renounced marriage as having condemned it as defiled and impure. Do you see that he speaks of hospitality, not simple friendliness, but that with earnestness, with cheerful purpose, with eagerness, that which pursues the matter as if receiving Christ Himself? For he surely does not want the care of these to be commanded to maidservants, but for them to do these things themselves; For if I, he says, your Master, have washed your feet, how much more ought you to do this for one another. For even if one is ten thousand times rich, even if she happens to be in the greatest eminence, and is proud of the nobility of her ancestors, the distance is not so great as that between God and the disciples. If you receive as Christ, be not ashamed of anything, but rather even glory in the act; but if you do not receive as Christ, do not receive at all. He who receives you, he says, receives me. If you do not receive in this way, you have no reward. Abraham received men passing by as travelers, as he supposed, and did not commit all the preparations for their reception to his servants, but performed the greater part of the service himself, and commanded his wife to knead the flour, although he had three hundred and eighteen members of his household, among whom it is likely there were also maidservants; but he himself wished to have the reward with his wife, not of the expense only, but also of the service. Thus one must show hospitality, doing all things by oneself, that we may be sanctified, that our hands may be blessed. Even if you give to the poor, do not disdain to give by your own hand; for you do not give to the poor, but to Christ. And who is so wretched as to disdain to stretch out his hand to Christ? This is hospitality, this is truly to do something for God's sake. But if you give orders with pride, even if you command them to enjoy the chief places, such a thing is not hospitality, nor is it for God's sake. The stranger needs much care, much of the

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ἐπηκολούθησε. Τί οὖν, ἂν πένης ᾖ; Οὐδὲ οὕτω τοῦ παιδοτροφεῖν, οὐδὲ τοῦ ξενοδοχεῖν, οὐδὲ τοῦ θλιβομένοις ἐπαρκεῖν ἀπεστέρηται. Οὐκ ἔστι τῆς τοὺς δύο ὀβολοὺς καταβαλούσης ἀπορωτέρα· κἂν πένης ᾖ, οἰκίαν ἔχει· οὐ γὰρ δὴ αἴθριος μένει. Εἰ ἁγίων πόδας, φησὶν, ἔνιψεν. Οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο δαπάνης. Εἰ παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ ἐπηκολούθησεν. Οἷον ἐπίταγμα λέγει ἐνταῦθα; Τὴν σωματικὴν ὑπηρεσίαν εἰσφέρειν προτρέπεται· πρὸς γὰρ θεραπείαν μάλιστα ἐπιτηδείως ἔχουσιν αἱ γυναῖκες, κλίνην στρῶσαι, ἀναπαῦσαι. βʹ. Βαβαὶ, πόσην ἀκρίβειαν ἀπαιτεῖ παρὰ τῆς χήρας! ὅσην σχεδὸν καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν ἔχον 62.573 τος. Τὸ γὰρ, Εἰ παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ ἐπηκολούθησε, τοῦτο δηλοῦντός ἐστιν, ὅτι εἰ καὶ μὴ αὐτὴ αὐτὸ ἐργάσασθαι ἠδυνήθη, ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐκοινώνησεν, ὑπούργησε. Τὴν σπατάλην ἐκκόπτων, προνοητικὴν αὐτὴν εἶναι βούλεται, οἰκονομικὴν, εὐχαῖς διαπαντὸς προσκαρτερεῖν. Τοιαύτη ἦν ἡ Ἄννα. Ὅρα πόσην ἀπαιτεῖ τὴν ἀκρίβειαν παρὰ τῆς χήρας, ὅσην οὐδὲ παρὰ τῶν παρθένων· καὶ μὴν καὶ ἐκείνας πολλὴν ἀπῄτησε τὴν ἀκρίβειαν, καὶ ἄκραν τὴν ἀρετήν. Τὸ γὰρ εἰπεῖν, Εὔσχημον καὶ εὐπρόσεδρον τῷ Κυρίῳ ἀπερισπάστως, ἐν κεφαλαίῳ πως περιλαμβάνει τὴν ἀρετὴν ἅπασαν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ τὸ μὴ δευτέροις ὁμιλῆσαι γάμοις ἀρκεῖ δεῖξαι τὴν χήραν, ἀλλ' ἑτέρων δεῖ πολλῶν; ∆ιὰ τί γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, δευτέροις οὐχ ὁμιλῆσαι γάμοις προτρέπει; Ἆρα κατέγνω τοῦ πράγματος; Οὐδαμῶς· τοῦτο γὰρ αἱρετικῶν· ἀλλ' ἀπησχολῆσθαι βουλόμενος λοιπὸν αὐτὴν ἐν τοῖς πνευματικοῖς, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀρετὴν μετατάξασθαι· οὐ γὰρ ἀκαθαρσίας, ἀλλὰ ἀσχολίας ὁ γάμος· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὅταν λέγῃ, Ἵνα σχολάσωσιν, οὐ λέγει, Ἵνα καθαρθῶσι. Πολλῆς γὰρ ἀσχολίας ὄντως ὁ γάμος αἴτιος. Εἰ τοίνυν διὰ τοῦτο μὴ γαμῇ, ἵνα σχολάζῃς τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, μὴ σχολάζεις δὲ, οὐδέν σοι τοῦ πράγματος ὄφελος, ἵνα τὴν θεραπείαν πᾶσαν περὶ ξένους, περὶ ἁγίους ἐπιδείκνυσαι. Ὅταν οὖν ταῦτα μὴ ποιῇς, ὡς τοῦ πράγματος καταγνοῦσα μᾶλλον ἀπέσχου τοῦ γάμου. Οὕτω καὶ ἡ παρθένος ἡ μὴ μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐσταυρωμένη, τῷ τοῦ γάμου κατεγνωκέναι ὡς μιαροῦ καὶ ἀκαθάρτου, τοῦτον παρῃτήσατο. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ξενοδοχίαν λέγει, οὐ τὴν ἁπλῶς φιλοφροσύνην, ἀλλὰ τὴν μετὰ σπουδῆς, τὴν μετὰ προαιρέσεως ἱλαρᾶς, τὴν μετὰ προθυμίας, τὴν οὕτω τὸ πρᾶγμα μετιοῦσαν, ὡς αὐτὸν δεχομένην τὸν Χριστόν; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ταῖς θεραπαινίσι βούλεται τὴν εἰς τούτους θεραπείαν ἐπιτάττεσθαι, ἀλλ' αὐτὰς δι' ἑαυτῶν ταῦτα ποιεῖν· Εἰ γὰρ ἐγὼ, φησὶν, ἔνιψα τοὺς πόδας ὑμῶν ὁ διδάσκαλος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑμεῖς ὀφείλετε τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἀλλήλοις. Κἂν γὰρ μυριάκις ᾖ τις πλουτοῦσα, κἂν ἐν περιφανείᾳ τινὶ μεγίστῃ τυγχάνῃ οὖσα, καὶ ἐπὶ εὐγενείᾳ προγόνων μέγα φρονῇ, οὐκ ἔστι τοσοῦτον τὸ μέσον, ὅσον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τῶν μαθητῶν. Εἰ ὡς τὸν Χριστὸν δέχῃ, μηδὲν ἐπαισχυνθῇς, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ σεμνύνου ἐπὶ τῷ πράγματι· εἰ δὲ μὴ ὡς τὸν Χριστὸν δέχῃ, μηδὲ δέξῃ. Ὁ δεχόμενος, φησὶν, ὑμᾶς, ἐμὲ δέχεται. Ἐὰν μὴ οὕτω δέχῃ, οὐδὲ μισθὸν ἔχεις. Ἀνθρώπους παριόντας ὁδίτας, ὡς ἐνόμιζεν, ὁ Ἀβραὰμ ἐδέχετο, καὶ οὐ πάντα τοῖς οἰκέταις ἐπέτρεπεν ἐξευτρεπίζειν τὰ πρὸς ὑποδοχὴν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πλέον τῆς διακονίας καὶ αὐτὸς δι' ἑαυτοῦ ἔπραττε, καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ τὰ ἄλευρα φυρᾷν ἐπέταττε, καίτοι τριακοσίους δεκαοκτὼ ἔχων οἰκογενεῖς, ὧν εἰκὸς καὶ θεραπαινίδας εἶναι· ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἐβούλετο τὸν μισθὸν ἔχειν μετὰ τῆς γαμετῆς, οὐ τῆς δαπάνης μόνης, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς διακονίας. Οὕτω δεῖ φιλοξενίαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι, δι' ἑαυτῶν πάντα πράττοντας, ἵν' ἡμεῖς ἁγιαζώμεθα, ἵν' αἱ χεῖρες αἱ ἡμέτεραι εὐλογῶνται. Κἂν πένησι διδῷς, μὴ ἀπαξιώσῃς διὰ σεαυτοῦ δοῦναι· οὐ γὰρ τῷ πένητι δίδως, ἀλλὰ τῷ Χριστῷ. Τίς δὲ οὕτως ἄθλιος, ὡς ἀπαξιοῦν αὐτὸν τὴν χεῖρα ὀρέγειν τῷ Χριστῷ; Τοῦτο φιλοξενία, τοῦτο ὄντως διὰ τὸν Θεόν ἐστι ποιῆσαι. Ἂν δὲ μετὰ τύφου ἐπιτάττῃς, κἂν τῶν πρωτείων κελεύῃς ἀπολαύειν, οὐκ ἔστι φιλοξενία τὸ τοιοῦτον, οὐδὲ διὰ τὸν Θεόν ἐστι. Πολλῆς ὁ ξένος δεῖται τῆς θεραπείας, πολλῆς τῆς