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they wounded the soul, and having given it countless wounds, so they departed, leaving them lying in the pit of impiety. 4. Let us not, then, overlook such a tragedy, nor run past so mercilessly a pitiable sight, but even if others do this, you do not; do not say to yourself, I am a worldly man, I have a wife and children, these things are for priests, these things are for monks. For that Samaritan did not say these things. Where now are the priests? where now the Pharisees? where the teachers of the Jews? but as if having found some very great prize, so he seized the gain. And you, therefore, when you see someone needing healing, whether of the body or of the soul, do not say to yourself: For what reason did so-and-so and so-and-so not heal him? but deliver him from the illness, and do not call them to account for their neglect. If you find gold, tell me, lying there, do you not say to yourself, For what reason did so-and-so and so-and-so not pick it up, but are you not eager to snatch it before others? So also think concerning fallen brethren, and consider the care of them to be a treasure found. For if you pour upon him the teaching of the word like oil, if you bind him up with kindness, if you heal him with patience, he will make you richer than any treasure.48.933 For he who brings forth the precious, He says, from the worthless, shall be as my mouth. What could be equal to this? What neither fasting, nor sleeping on the ground, nor all-night vigils, nor anything else can accomplish, this the salvation of a brother does. Consider your mouth, how many times it has sinned, how many shameful words it has uttered, how many blasphemies, how many insults it has cast forth, and you will surely undertake the care of the fallen one; for through this one good deed you will be able to cleanse every one of those stains. And why do I say cleanse? You will make your mouth as the mouth of God. What could be equal to this honor? For do I promise these things? God himself said this, that If you bring forth even one, He says, as my mouth, your mouth will be pure, holy. Let us not, therefore, neglect our brothers, nor go about saying, How many fasted, how many were led astray? but let us care for them. Even if there are many who fasted, do not you publicize it, beloved, nor make a spectacle of the Church's misfortune, but heal it. And if someone says, Many fasted, silence him, so that the rumor does not become public, and say to him: I indeed know of no one; you are deceived, man, and you lie; if you see two or three led astray, you say they are many. And on the one hand silence the accuser, but on the other hand do not neglect those who were led astray, so that from both sides great security may come to the Church, both from the rumor not being publicized, and from those who were led astray being brought back to the holy flock again. Let us not, therefore, go about saying, Who has sinned? but let us be zealous only to correct those who have sinned. For it is a terrible custom, a terrible thing to only accuse the brethren, but not to care for them; to publicize the evils of the weak, but not to heal them. Let us, therefore, abolish this wicked custom, beloved; for it works no small harm; and how, I will tell you. Someone heard from you saying that many fasted with the Jews and, without examining anything, carried the report to another; again that one, without further inquiry, told this to another; then as this wicked rumor gradually grows, great reproach is scattered upon the Church, while for the lost there is no benefit, but rather harm both for them and for many others. For even if they are few, we make them many by the many rumors, and we make those who stand weaker, and we push those who are about to fall. For the brother, hearing that many fasted, will himself become more negligent, and again the weak one hearing these things will run to the multitude of the fallen. Let us not, therefore, rejoice in this or any other wickedness, even if there are many who sin, so as to publicize them and say that they are many, but let us silence and

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ψυχὴν κατέτρωσαν, καὶ μυρία αὐτῇ τραύματα δόντες, οὕτως ἀπῆλθον, ἀφέντες ἐν τῷ λάκκῳ τῆς ἀσεβείας κειμένους. δʹ. Μὴ δὴ παρίδωμεν τραγῳδίαν τοιαύτην, μηδὲ παραδράμωμεν ἀνηλεῶς οὕτω θέαμα ἐλεεινὸν, ἀλλὰ κἂν ἕτεροι τοῦτο ποιῶσι, σὺ μὴ ποιήσῃς· μὴ εἴπῃς πρὸς σεαυτὸν, Κοσμικός εἰμι ἀνὴρ, γυναῖκα ἔχω καὶ παῖδας, ταῦτα τῶν ἱερέων ἐστὶ, ταῦτα τῶν μοναχῶν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ Σαμαρείτης ἐκεῖνος ταῦτα εἶπε. Ποῦ νῦν οἱ ἱερεῖς; ποῦ νῦν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι; ποῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων οἱ διδάσκαλοι; ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τι θήραμα μέγιστον εὑρὼν, οὕτως ἥρπασε τὸ κέρδος. Καὶ σὺ τοίνυν, ὅταν ἴδῃς τινὰ δεόμενον θεραπείας ἢ σωματικῆς ἢ ψυχικῆς, μὴ λέγε πρὸς ἑαυτόν· Τίνος ἕνεκεν ὁ δεῖνα καὶ ὁ δεῖνα αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐθεράπευσεν; ἀλλ' ἀπάλλαξον τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας, καὶ μὴ ἀπαίτει ἐκείνους εὐθύνας τῆς ἀμελείας. Ἐὰν εὕρῃς χρυσίον, εἰπέ μοι, κείμενον, μὴ λέγεις πρὸς σεαυτὸν, Τίνος ἕνεκεν ὁ δεῖνα καὶ ὁ δεῖνα αὐτὸ οὐκ ἀνείλοντο, ἀλλ' οὐ σπουδάζεις πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἁρπάσαι; Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πεπτωκότων ἀδελφῶν λογίζου, καὶ νόμιζε θησαυρὸν εὑρηκέναι τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τὴν ἐκείνων. Ἂν γὰρ ἐπιστάξῃς αὐτῷ καθάπερ ἔλαιον τοῦ λόγου τὴν διδασκαλίαν, ἂν καταδήσῃς τῇ προσηνείᾳ, ἂν θεραπεύσῃς τῇ καρτερίᾳ, θησαυροῦ παντὸς εὐπο48.933 ρώτερόν σε οὗτος ἐργάσεται. Ὁ γὰρ ἐξαγαγὼν τίμιον, φησὶν, ἐξ ἀναξίου, ὡς στόμα μου ἔσται. Τί τούτου γένοιτ' ἂν ἴσον; Ὅπερ οὐδὲ νηστεία, οὐδὲ χαμευνία, οὐδὲ παννυχίδες, οὐκ ἄλλο τι δύναται ἐργάσασθαι, τοῦτο ἡ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σωτηρία ποιεῖ. Ἐννόησόν σου τὸ στόμα πόσα πολλάκις ἥμαρτε, πόσα ἐφθέγξατο αἰσχρὰ ῥήματα, πόσας βλασφημίας, πόσας λοιδορίας ἐξέβαλε, καὶ πάντως ἀντιλήψῃ τῆς τοῦ πεπτωκότος προνοίας· διὰ γὰρ ἑνὸς τούτου τοῦ κατορθώματος πᾶσαν ἐκκαθᾶραι δυνήσῃ τὴν κηλῖδα ἐκείνην. Καὶ τί λέγω ἐκκαθᾶραι; ὡς στόμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ποιήσεις σου τὸ στόμα. Τί ταύτης γένοιτ' ἂν ἴσον τῆς τιμῆς; Μὴ γὰρ ἐγὼ ταῦτα ἐπαγγέλλομαι; αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς τοῦτο εἶπεν, ὅτι Κἂν ἕνα τινὰ ἐξαγάγῃς, φησὶν, ὡς στόμα μου, ἔσται τὸ στόμα σου καθαρὸν, ἅγιον. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀμελῶμεν τῶν ἀδελφῶν, μηδὲ περιιόντες λέγωμεν, Πόσοι ἐνήστευσαν, πόσοι παρεσύρησαν; ἀλλ' ἐπιμελώμεθα αὐτῶν. Κἂν πολλοὶ ὦσιν οἱ νηστεύσαντες, σὺ μὴ ἐκπομπεύσῃς, ἀγαπητὲ, μηδὲ παραδειγματίσῃς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὴν συμφορὰν, ἀλλὰ θεράπευσον. Κἂν εἴπῃ τις, ὅτι Πολλοὶ ἐνήστευσαν, ἐπιστόμισον, ὥστε μὴ γενέσθαι δήλην τὴν φήμην, καὶ εἰπὲ πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδένα οἶδα· ἠπάτησαι, ἄνθρωπε, καὶ ψεύδῃ· ἂν δύο καὶ τρεῖς ἴδῃς παρασυρέντας, πολλοὺς αὐτοὺς εἶναι λέγεις. Καὶ τὸν μὲν κατηγοροῦντα ἐπιστόμισον, τῶν δὲ παρασυρέντων μὴ ἀμελήσῃς, ἵνα ἑκατέρωθεν πολλὴ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀσφάλεια γένηται, ἀπό τε τοῦ τὴν φήμην μὴ ἐκπομπεύεσθαι, ἀπό τε τοῦ τοὺς παρασυρέντας αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὴν ἱερὰν ἀγέλην ἄγεσθαι πάλιν. Μὴ τοίνυν περιιόντες λέγωμεν, Τίνες ἥμαρτον; ἀλλὰ σπουδάσωμεν, ὅπως διορθώσωμεν τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας μόνον. Καὶ γὰρ δεινὸν ἔθος, δεινὸν τὸ κατηγορεῖν τῶν ἀδελφῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἐπιμελεῖσθαι· τὸ ἐκπομπεύειν τὰ κακὰ τῶν ἀσθενούντων, ἀλλὰ μὴ θεραπεύειν. Ἀνέλωμεν τοίνυν τοῦτο τὸ πονηρὸν ἔθος, ἀγαπητοί· οὐδὲ γὰρ μικρὰν λύμην τοῦτο ἐργάζεται· καὶ πῶς, ἐγὼ λέγω. Ἤκουσέ τις παρὰ σοῦ λέγοντος, ὅτι πολλοὶ ἐνήστευσαν μετὰ Ἰουδαίων καὶ μηδὲν ἐξετάσας εἰς ἕτερον τὸ ῥῆμα ἐξήνεγκε· πάλιν ἐκεῖνος μηδὲν πολυπραγμονήσας, ἑτέρῳ τοῦτο ἐξεῖπεν· εἶτα κατὰ μικρὸν τῆς πονηρᾶς ταύτης αὐξανομένης φήμης πολὺ μὲν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ ὄνειδος κατασκεδάννυται, τοῖς δὲ ἀπολωλόσιν οὐδὲν ὄφελος γίνεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ βλάβος καὶ τούτοις καὶ ἑτέροις πολλοῖς. Κἄν τε γὰρ ὀλίγοι ὦσιν, ἡμεῖς αὐτοὺς ταῖς φήμαις ταῖς πολλαῖς πολλοὺς ποιοῦμεν, καὶ τοὺς ἑστῶτας ἀσθενεστέρους ἐργαζόμεθα, καὶ τοὺς μέλλοντας πίπτειν ὠθοῦμεν. Ὁ γὰρ ἀδελφὸς ἀκούσας, ὅτι πολλοὶ ἐνήστευσαν, καὶ αὐτὸς ῥᾳθυμότερος ἔσται, καὶ ταῦτα πάλιν ὁ ἀσθενὴς ἀκούσας, δραμεῖται ἐπὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν πεπτωκότων. Μὴ τοίνυν μηδὲ ἐπὶ τούτῳ, μηδὲ ἐπ' ἄλλῳ πονηρεύματι συγχαίρωμεν, κἂν πολλοὶ ὦσιν οἱ ἁμαρτάνοντες, ὥστε ἐκπομπεύειν αὐτοὺς καὶ λέγειν, ὅτι πολλοὶ, ἀλλ' ἐπιστομίζωμεν καὶ