Asterius of Amasea, Homilies

harsher condemnation. Make the weight light, then, if you please, if you wish not to be dragged down to the condemning scale with your actions, when our life is weighed as in a balance in the judgment of God. 13.7.3 While clothed in a body and living in the flesh, never reject the healing from medical treatment from your life. For even if you live for a very long time in both well-being and health, you will not continue so free from sickness as not to be in need of the care of the one who heals. And having a soul inclined toward earthly things, whenever, forgetting itself, it is filled with the passions of the body, do not do away with mercy, so that you may not be deprived of pardon, when you find yourself in need of it. 13.7.4 Someone is a priest and has been allotted to rule the people; let him look with sympathy on the falls of his subjects, knowing that even if the station of his life has a difference from the many, yet in nature he is no different from those being shepherded, and sharing in it, he may perhaps at some time also share in sin. 13.7.5 Moses, knowing these things—for he was a man and knew nature—ordained that the calf be sacrificed for the priest, as one who had certainly sinned and was in need of purification, and of more of them. But what the calf in the flesh was then, this now is incorporeal repentance and bloodless prayer, whose benefit, let us not, by speaking loftily and boasting, destroy. 13.7.6 knowing that even Aaron the most approved priest was led astray with the people who were seeking gods, and with his sister Maria was caught in murmuring, and if the one murmured against had not interceded, he would not have escaped the punishment. Another is not a priest, but one of the many; let him fear to impose a heavy yoke. For if the one appointed to purify the people is sometimes in need of purification, what would happen to the one who does not even have the power of ordination? 13.8.1 Let us imitate the pastoral care of the Master; let us stoop over the gospels and as in a mirror learn the idea of both care and goodness. For I see there in parables and in the overshadowed words a man, a shepherd of a hundred sheep; who, when one animal was separated from the flock and went astray, did not remain with those who were in order and grazing without wandering, 13.8.2 but setting out on the search, he traveled through many hollows and ravines, and passed over great and high cliffs, and toiled patiently in the deserts, until he tracked down the one that was wandering. And when he found it, he did not strike it, nor indeed did he drive it, hurrying it harshly toward the flock, but placing it on his neck and carrying it with gentleness, he restored it to its flock-mates, rejoicing over that one more than over the multitude of the others. 13.8.3 Let us understand, then, the matter that is hidden in the riddles. For the sheep is not really a sheep and the shepherd is surely something else, not indeed the herdsman of irrational beasts, but these are instructive examples for priests, so that we neither readily despair of people nor are we negligent of those in danger. But let us seek the one in passion and lead him back to order and rejoice in those who return and mix them with the fullness of those who are living rightly. 13.8.4 To such an extent, then, it is fitting for the priest to practice love for mankind instead of severity, that even if the Master commands him to cut down someone as a useless plant, he himself, as a gardener, must ask for forbearance and postponement. For the word presents this meaning to us from the fruitless fig tree, which the Lord wished to cut down because of its fruitlessness, the husbandman beseeches and asks for a delay and a postponement, holding out to him good hopes through his own care. 13.8.5 Do not, then, cut down readily, you who ought to prevent the cutting brought on by the Lord, nor condemn its uselessness quickly, but work out your care. Dig with reproofs, warm as with dung with exhortations, water with the influx of teachings, fence around with the preventative precepts as with a palisade. Let it be yours to entreat, the judge's to judge. 13.8.6 Let us be eager to be called that, which the Lord is also called; for an advocate

τραχυτέραν κατάκρισιν. Ποίησον οὖν, εἰ δοκεῖ, κοῦφον τὸ σταθμίον, εἴπερ βούλει μὴ πρὸς τὴν κατακρίνουσαν πλάστιγγα καὶ τὰς σὰς πράξεις καθελκυσθῆναι, ὅταν ὁ βίος ἡμῶν ὡς ἐν ζυγῷ τῇ κρίσει τοῦ Θεοῦ ταλαντεύηται. 13.7.3 Σῶμα περικείμενος καὶ διαζῶν ἐν σαρκὶ μήποτε ἀπελάσῃς τοῦ βίου τὴν ἀπὸ ἰατρικῆς θεραπείαν. Κἂν γὰρ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ὅσον εὐεξίᾳ τε καὶ ὑγείᾳ συζήσῃς, ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως διατελέσεις ἄνοσος, ὡς ἐν χρείᾳ μὴ γενέσθαι τῆς ἐπιμελείας τοῦ θεραπεύοντος. Καὶ ψυχὴν ἔχων κατακλινομένην πρὸς τὰ γήϊνα, ἡνίκα ἂν ἑαυτῆς ἐπιλαθομένη τῶν προσπαθειῶν ἐμπλησθῇ τοῦ σώματος, μὴ ἀναίρει τὸν ἔλεον, ἵνα μὴ ἀμοιρήσῃς συγγνώμης, ὅταν αὐτῆς ἐπιδεὴς καταστῇς. 13.7.4 Ἱερεύς τίς ἐστι καὶ ἡγεμονεύειν ἔλαχε τοῦ λαοῦ· συμπαθῶν ὁράτω τῶν ὑπηκόων τὰ πτώματα, εἰδὼς ὅτι κἂν ἡ τάξις τοῦ βίου διαφορὰν ἔχῃ πρὸς τοὺς πολλούς, ἀλλὰ τῇ φύσει τῶν ποιμαινομένων οὐδὲν διενήνοχεν, κοινωνῶν δὲ αὐτῆς ἴσως ποτὲ κοινωνήσει καὶ πλημμε λήματος. 13.7.5 Ταῦτα καὶ Μωϋσῆς εἰδώςἄνθρωπος γὰρ ἦν καὶ τὴν φύσιν ἐγνώριζεντὸν μόσχον ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἱερέως ἱερουργεῖσθαι διέταξεν, ἡμαρτηκότος πάντως καὶ καθαρσίων δεομένου καὶ πλειόνων. Ὅπερ δὲ ἦν τότε ὁ ἔνσαρκος μόσχος, τοῦτο νῦν ἐστιν ἡ ἀσώματος μεταμέλεια καὶ ἡ ἀναίμακτος δέησις, ἧς ὑψηλολογούμενοι καὶ μεγαλαυχοῦντες τὴν εὐεργε σίαν μὴ λύσωμεν 13.7.6 εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ Ἀαρὼν ὁ δοκιμώτατος ἱερεὺς τῷ λαῷ ζητοῦντι θεοὺς συναπήχθη καὶ μετὰ τῆς ἀδελφῆς τῆς Μαρίας ἑάλω τῷ γογγυσμῷ καὶ εἰ μὴ ὁ γογγυσθεὶς ἱκέτευσεν, οὐκ ἂν τὴν τιμωρίαν διέφυγεν. Ἄλλος ἐστίν, οὐχ ἱερεύς, ἀλλὰ εἷς τῶν πολλῶν, φοβείσθω βαρὺν ἐπιτιθέναι ζυγόν. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ καθαίρειν τὸν λαὸν προβληθεὶς χρῄζει καθαρσίων ἐνίοτε, τί ἂν πάθοι ὁ μηδὲ τῆς χειροτονίας ἔχων τὴν δύναμιν; 13.8.1 Μιμησώμεθα τὴν ποιμαντικὴν τοῦ ∆εσπότου· ἐγκύψωμεν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις καὶ ὥσπερ ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ τὴν ἰδέαν καταμάθωμεν τῆς ἐπιμε λείας τε καὶ χρηστότητος. Βλέπω γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἐν παραβολαῖς καὶ τοῖς ἐπεσκιασμένοις τῶν λόγων ἄνδρα ποιμένα ἑκατὸν προβάτων· ὃς ἑνὸς θρέμματος ἀποσχισθέντος τῆς ἀγέλης καὶ πλανωμένου οὐ τοῖς ἐν τάξει καὶ ἀπλανῶς νενομένοις παρέμεινεν, 13.8.2 ἀλλ' ὁρμήσας ἐπὶ τὴν ζήτησιν πολλὰς μὲν διώδευσε κοιλότητας τε καὶ φάραγγας, μεγάλων δὲ καὶ ὑψηλῶν ὑπερηνέχθη σκοπέλων καὶ ταῖς ἐρημίαις καρτερῶς ἐνεμόχθησε, μέχρις ἀνίχνευσε τὸ πλανώμενον. Εὑρὼν δὲ οὐκ ἔπληξεν, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ἤλασεν σφοδρῶς ἐπείγων πρὸς τὴν ἀγέλην, ἀλλ' ἐπιθεὶς τῷ αὐχένι καὶ κομίσας μετὰ φειδοῦς τοῖς συννόμοις ἀποκατέστησεν χαίρων ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ πλέον ἢ τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἄλλων. 13.8.3 Νοήσωμεν τοίνυν τὸ πρᾶγμα τὸ τοῖς αἰνίγμασιν ἐγκρυπτόμενον. Τὸ γὰρ πρόβατον οὐκ ὄντως πρόβατον καὶ ὁ ποιμὴν δὲ πάντως ἄλλο τι, οὐ μὴν ὁ τῶν ἀλόγων νομεύς, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὑποδείγματα ταῦτα τῶν ἱερέων παιδευτικά, ἵνα τῶν ἀνθρώπων μήτε προχείρως ἀπελπίζωμεν μήτε καταρρᾳθυμῶμεν κινδυνευόντων. Ζητῶμεν δὲ τὸν ἐμπαθῆ καὶ ἐπανάγωμεν εἰς τάξιν καὶ χαίρωμεν τοῖς ἐπιστρέφουσιν καὶ τῷ πληρώματι τῶν ὀρθῶς βιούντων ἀναμιγνύωμεν. 13.8.4 Ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον δὲ τὸν ἱερέα προσῆκεν ἀντὶ τῆς ἀποτομίας τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ἀσκεῖν, ὥστε κἂν ὁ ∆εσπότης ἐκκόπτειν κελεύῃ τινὰ ὡς φυτὸν ἄχρηστον, αὐτὸν ὡς φυτοκόμον αἰτεῖν δεῖ τὴν φειδὼ καὶ ὑπέρθεσιν. Τοῦτον γὰρ ἡμῖν παρίστησι τὸν νοῦν τῆς ἀκάρπου συκῆς ὁ λόγος, ἣν ἐκτεμεῖν θέλοντος τοῦ Κυρίου διὰ τὴν ἀκαρπίαν, ὁ γεωργὸς ἱκετεύει καὶ ἀναβολὴν αἰτεῖ καὶ ὑπέρθεσιν ἐλπίδας αὐτῷ χρηστὰς ὑπο τείνων διὰ τῆς οἰκείας ἐπιμελείας. 13.8.5 Μὴ τοίνυν κόπτε προχείρως, ὁ τὴν τομὴν παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπαγομένην κωλύειν ὀφείλων, μηδὲ καταγίνωσκε ταχέως τὴν ἀχρηστίαν, ἀλλ' ἐκπόνει τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν. Σκάπτε τοῖς ἐλέγχοις, θάλπε ὡς κόπρῳ ταῖς παρακλήσεσιν, πότιζε τῇ ἐπιρροίᾳ τῶν μαθημάτων, περίφρασσε τοῖς προφυλακτικοῖς τῶν παραγγελμάτων ὡς χαρακώματι. Σὸν ἔστω τὸ παραιτεῖσθαι, τοῦ κριτοῦ τὸ δικάζειν. 13.8.6 Ἐκεῖνο κληθῆναι σπουδάσωμεν, ὃ λέγεται καὶ ὁ Κύριος· παράκλητος γὰρ