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a narrative; therefore rather to the deed. For if these unpleasant things happen in the body, much more in the soul. Such was that son who had consumed all his substance, and had been brought down to the depths of wickedness, being in a weaker state than any delirious and sick person. But when he willed it, he suddenly became young, from his decision and change alone. For when he said, "I will return to my father," this word brought him all good things; or rather, not the word simply, but the deed added to the word. For he did not say, "I will return," and remain; but he said, "I will return," and he returned, and he retraced that entire road. Let us do likewise; even if we are carried away into exile, let us return to our father's house, and let us not shrink from the length of the road. If we are willing, the return becomes easy and very swift, only let us leave the foreign and alien land; for this is sin, leading us far from our father's house. Let us therefore leave it, that we may quickly return to our father's house. For the father is affectionate, and He will love us when we change no less than those who are well-pleasing, but even more; since the father then honored him more greatly; for he himself was more greatly pleased to receive his son back. And how shall I return, he says? Only make a beginning of the matter, and the whole is done; stand back from wickedness, and go no further, and you have already taken hold of the whole. For just as for the sick, not getting worse would be the beginning of getting better, so also it happens with wickedness; do not go further, and your evil ways will have an end. And if you do this for two days, on the third you will desist more easily, and after the three, you will add ten, then twenty, then a hundred, then your whole life. For the further you advance, the more easily you will see the road, and you will stand upon the very summit, and you will enjoy many good things at once. Since also at that time, when that prodigal returned, there were flutes and lyres and dances and feasts and festivals; and he who ought to have exacted a penalty from his son for the untimely expense and for such a long flight, did none of these things, but saw him as one well-pleasing, and did not even reproach the son with words, or rather, he did not even bear to remind him of his former deeds at all, but both embraced and kissed him, and sacrificed a calf, and put a robe on him, and set him in great honor. Therefore, having these examples, let us take courage and not despair. For He does not so rejoice in being called Master as Father, nor in having a slave as a son; and He desires this 60.482 more than that. For this reason, then, He also did all 60.482 that He did, and did not even spare His Only-begotten, that we might receive adoption as sons, that we might not love Him as Master only, but also as Father. And if He obtains this from us, like one who is glorified, He exults, and proclaims it to all, He who is in need of nothing of ours. This, at least, He did in the case of Abraham, saying everywhere, "I am the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob." And yet it was the servants who ought to have been adorned by this; but now the Master appears to be doing this. For this reason also He says to Peter, "Do you love me more than these?" showing that He seeks nothing from us before this. For this reason also He commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son, that He might show to all that He is greatly loved by the patriarch. And this wanting to be greatly loved, comes from greatly loving. For this reason also He said to the apostles: "He who loves father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me." 2. For this reason, that which is more our own than all things, the soul, He commands us to place even this second to the love for Him, since He wishes to be loved by us with all excess. For we too, when we are not greatly disposed toward someone, do not greatly desire that person's friendship, even if he be great and distinguished; but when we love someone warmly and genuinely, even if the one loved be lowly, even if he be small, we consider the affection from that person to be the greatest glory. Therefore He also not only to be loved by us, but also

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διήγησιν· οὐκοῦν μᾶλλον πρὸς τὴν πρᾶξιν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν σώματι ταῦτα ἀηδῆ συμβαίνοντα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ. Τοιοῦτος ἦν ἐκεῖνος ὁ παῖς ὁ πάντα τὰ ἑαυτοῦ κατηναλωκὼς, καὶ εἰς ἐσχάτην κακίαν κατενεχθεὶς, παντὸς ληροῦντος καὶ νενοσηκότος ἀσθενέστερον διακείμενος. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐβουλήθη, γέγονεν ἄφνω νέος, ἀπὸ γνώμης μόνης καὶ μεταστάσεως. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἐπιστρέψω πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου, τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο αὐτῷ πάντα ἐκόμισε τἀγαθά· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τὸ ῥῆμα ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἔργον τῷ ῥήματι προστεθέν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ἐπανέλθω, καὶ ἔμεινεν· ἀλλ' εἶπεν, Ἐπανέλθω, καὶ ἐπανῆλθε, καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν πᾶσαν ὑπέστρεψεν ἐκείνην. Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς ποιῶμεν· κἂν εἰς τὴν ὑπερορίαν ἀπενεχθῶμεν, ἐπανέλθωμεν πρὸς τὸν πατρῷον οἶκον, καὶ μὴ κατοκνήσωμεν πρὸς τὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ μῆκος. Ἂν βουληθῶμεν, εὔκολος ἡ ἐπάνοδος γίνεται καὶ ταχίστη, μόνον ἀφῶμεν τὴν ξένην καὶ τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ ἁμαρτία, πόῤῥω τῆς οἰκίας ἡμᾶς ἀπάγουσα τοῦ πατρός. Ἀφῶμεν τοίνυν αὐτὴν, ἵνα ταχέως πρὸς τὸν πατρῷον ἐπανέλθωμεν οἶκον. Καὶ γὰρ φιλόστοργός ἐστιν ὁ πατὴρ, καὶ τῶν εὐδοκιμούντων οὐχ ἧττον ἡμᾶς ἀγαπήσει μεταβαλλομένους, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλέον· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐκεῖνον ὁ πατὴρ τότε μειζόνως ἐτίμησε· καὶ γὰρ μειζόνως αὐτὸς ἥσθη τὸν παῖδα ἀπολαβών. Καὶ πῶς ἐπανέλθω, φησίν; Ἀρχὴν ἐπίθες τῷ πράγματι μόνον, καὶ τὸ πᾶν γέγονε· στῆθι τῆς κακίας, καὶ μὴ προέλθῃς περαιτέρω, καὶ ἤδη τοῦ παντὸς ἐπελάβου. Καθάπερ γὰρ τοῖς κάμνουσι τὸ μὴ χεῖρον σχεῖν ἀρχὴ γένοιτ' ἂν τοῦ βέλτιον ἔχειν, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κακίας συμβαίνει· μὴ περαιτέρω προβῇς, καὶ τέλος ἕξει σοι τὰ τῆς πονηρίας. Κἂν δύο ποιήσῃς τοῦτο ἡμέρας, τῇ τρίτῃ εὐκολώτερον ἀποστήσῃ, καὶ μετὰ τὰς τρεῖς, καὶ δέκα προσθήσεις, εἶτα εἴκοσιν, εἶτα ἑκατὸν, εἶτα τὸν βίον ἅπαντα. Ὅσῳ γὰρ ἂν προβαίνῃς, εὐκολώτερον ὄψει τὴν ὁδὸν, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτὴν στήσῃ τὴν κορυφὴν, καὶ πολλῶν ἀθρόον ἀπολαύσεις τῶν ἀγαθῶν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τότε, ὅτε ὁ ἄσωτος ἐπανῆλθεν ἐκεῖνος, καὶ αὐλοὶ καὶ κιθάραι καὶ χοροὶ καὶ θαλίαι καὶ πανηγύρεις ἦσαν· καὶ ὁ ὀφείλων ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀκαίρου δαπάνης καὶ τῆς οὕτω μακρᾶς φυγῆς τὸν παῖδα ἀπαιτῆσαι δίκην, οὐδὲν τούτων ἐποίησεν, ἀλλ' ὡς εὐδοκιμηκότα εἶδε, καὶ οὐδὲ μέχρι ῥημάτων ὀνειδίσαι τῷ παιδὶ, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς αὐτὸν ἀναμνῆσαι τῶν προτέρων ἠνέσχετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ περιεχύθη, καὶ κατεφίλησε, καὶ μόσχον ἔθυσε, καὶ στολὴν ἐνέδυσε, καὶ ἐν πολλῷ τῷ κόσμῳ κατέστησε. Ταῦτα οὖν ἔχοντες καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰ ὑποδείγματα, θαῤῥῶμεν καὶ μὴ ἀπογινώσκωμεν. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτω χαίρει καλούμενος ∆εσπότης, ὡς Πατὴρ, οὐδὲ δοῦλον ἔχων, ὡς υἱόν· καὶ μᾶλλον τοῦτο 60.482 βούλεται, ἢ ἐκεῖνο. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ πάντα ἐποίησεν 60.482 ἅπερ ἐποίησε, καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ ἐφείσατο, ἵνα τὴν υἱοθεσίαν ἀπολάβωμεν, ἵνα μὴ ὡς ∆εσπότην μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς Πατέρα αὐτὸν ἀγαπῶμεν. Κἂν τύχῃ τούτου παρ' ἡμῶν, καθάπερ τις δοξαζόμενος ἐναβρύνεται, καὶ εἰς πάντας αὐτὸ ἐκφέρει, ὁ μηδενὸς δεόμενος τῶν ἡμετέρων. Τοῦτο γοῦν ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἐποίησε, πανταχοῦ λέγων, Ἐγὼ ὁ Θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶἸακώβ. Καίτοι γε τοὺς οἰκέτας ἐχρῆν καλλωπίζεσθαι τούτῳ· νῦν δὲ ὁ ∆εσπότης φαίνεται τοῦτο ποιῶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Πέτρῳ φησὶ, Φιλεῖς με πλέον τούτων; δεικνὺς, ὅτι οὐδὲν πρὸ τούτου ζητεῖ παρ' ἡμῶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ τὸν υἱὸν θῦσαι ἐκέλευσεν, ἵνα δείξῃ πᾶσιν, ὅτι σφόδρα φιλεῖται παρὰ τοῦ πατριάρχου. Τοῦτο δὲ τὸ σφόδρα φιλεῖσθαι ἐθέλειν, ἀπὸ τοῦ σφόδρα φιλεῖν γίνεται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ἔλεγεν· Ὁ φιλῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ, οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος. ʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο, ὃ πάντων ἡμῖν ἐστιν οἰκειότερον ἡ ψυχὴ, καὶ ταύτην δευτέραν κελεύει τίθεσθαι τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγάπης, ἐπειδὴ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ἁπάσης βούλεται φιλεῖσθαι παρ' ἡμῶν. Καὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς, ὅταν μὲν μὴ σφόδρα περί τινα ὦμεν διακείμενοι, οὐδὲ τῆς παρ' ἐκείνου σφόδρα δεόμεθα φιλίας, κἂν μέγας ᾖ καὶ περιφανής· ὅταν δὲ θερμῶς τινα καὶ γνησίως φιλῶμεν, κἂν εὐτελὴς, κἂν μικρὸς ὁ φιλούμενος, μεγίστην τιθέμεθα δόξαν τὸ παρ' ἐκείνου φίλτρον. ∆ιὸ καὶ αὐτὸς οὐ τὸ φιλεῖσθαι παρ' ἡμῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ