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of gentile men? Truly nothing. For if seeking and being anxious about bread and wine and clothing makes us like the gentiles, to whom will the things mentioned make us equal, being more shameful than these and more sinful? Will not that which was spoken by the prophet be fulfilled in us: "He was compared to the senseless beasts and was made like them"?

Let us obey, brothers, God who cries out to us each day and says through His apostles: "Neither if we eat, are we the better, nor if we do not eat, are we the worse," and again: "Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink or what you shall wear, but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." And lest someone should say: "If he is slow to give and I have nothing to eat, what shall I do?""Behold the birds," He said, "of the air, how they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feeds them," and He adds, He says: "Are you not of more value than many sparrows, O you of little faith?". And lest we grumble, being fainthearted on account of food or drink, He cries out to us expressly: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."

(204) If, therefore, you believe in Christ and confess that He is truthful, when you hunger or thirst and have nothing to eat or drink, and you ask the cellarer for bread or wine or some food and he does not provide it to you, perhaps being hindered by his duties, call to mind, remembering the words of the Lord, and say to yourself: "I am hungry and thirsty, but patiently I will wait for the Lord and He will act according to my weakness and will not abandon me." And so endure, brother, and you will have a great reward from God. But also in all other temptations that you encounter, do this and you will be held in admiration, both in the present life and in the life to come you will be ranked with the holy martyrs. How many of our brothers in Christ, lying in a corner, often long even for cold water and perhaps give thanks to God and, being not at all indignant, say nothing blasphemous, while we, by the grace of God through His rich gifts, have every need of the body unfailingly and have abundance. When, therefore, one of us has nothing at all, and grumbles, he is condemned as not having patience; but when he has much, and yet over the deprivation of a little he stirs up contentions and fights, and moreover utters blasphemous words, of what forgiveness will such a one be worthy? But in saying these things, I know that I condemn myself, and my words will perhaps be for my condemnation and reproof. Nevertheless, let them be, I beg, also for your remembrance.

Therefore, recalling the benefit of the past days of the fast, how you went through them and with how much zeal and fervor, so also, I pray, be zealous to go through the whole holy Forty Days, (205) considering your good conduct, what piety, what humility, but also silence, but also zeal both for the canon of the divine assembly and for your handiwork each of you had. Yes, I beseech you, do not forget the passion-slaying fast, the purifying self-control, and do not hesitate to do the same things, brothers, but even if a change of foods often happens and you should chance to receive some comfort from somewhere, be unshaken in your purpose and unchangeable in your state, rather indeed, having eaten more than your usual food, be zealous to labor more abundantly in the work of God, so that the comfort may not become for you, instead of thanksgiving and profit, a cause of sloth and no small loss. Yes, my brothers, be sober and as I told you, during the past week and the coming one

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ἐθνικῶν ἀνθρώπων; Ὄντως οὐδέν. Εἰ γάρ τό ἐπιζητεῖν καί μεριμνᾶν περί ἄρτου καί οἴνου καί ἱματίου ὁμοίους ἡμᾶς τῶν ἐθνικῶν ἀπεργάζεται, τίνων ἴσους ποιήσουσιν ἡμᾶς τά εἰρημένα, αἰχρότερα τούτων ὄντα καί ἐφαμαρτότερα; Οὐχί πληρωθήσεται ἐφ᾿ ἡμῶν τό ὑπό τοῦ προφήτου εἰρημένον· "Παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις καί ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς";

Πειθαρχήσωμεν, ἀδελφοί, τῷ βοῶντι καθ᾿ ἑκάστην πρός ἡμᾶς Θεῷ καί λέγοντι διά τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ· "Οὔτε ἐάν φάγωμεν περισσεύομεν, οὔτε ἐάν μή φάγωμεν ὑστερούμεθα", καί πάλιν· "Μή μεριμνήσητε τῇ ψυχῇ ὑμῶν τί φάγητε ἤ τί πίητε ἤ τί ἐνδύσησθε, ζητεῖτε δέ πρῶτον τήν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καί τήν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ καί ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν". Ἵνα δέ μή ἔχῃ τις λέγειν· "Ἐάν βραδύνῃ τοῦ δοῦναι καί οὐκ ἔχω τι φαγεῖν, τί ποιήσομαι;""Τά πετεινά, εἶπε, βλέπετε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, πῶς οὐ σπείρει, οὐδέ θερίζει, οὐδέ συνάγουσιν εἰς ἀποθήκας, καί ὁ Πατήρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τρέφει αὐτά", καί ἐπάγω φησίν· Οὐχί πολλῶν στρουθίων διαφέρετε ὑμεῖς, ὀλιγόπιστοι;". Ὡς ἄν δέ μή γογγύζωμεν, ὀλιγοψυχοῦντες ἕνεκεν βρώματος ἤ πόματος, διαρρήδην βοᾷ πρός ἠμᾶς· "Μακάριοι οἱ πεινῶντες καί διψῶντες τήν δικαιοσύνην, ὅτι αὐτοί χορτασθήσονται".

(204) Εἰ οὖν πιστεύεις Χριστῷ καί ἀψευδῆ τοῦτον εἶναι ὁμολογεῖς, ὅτε πεινάσεις ἤ διψήσεις καί οὐκ ἔχεις τι τοῦ φαγεῖν ἤ πιεῖν, ζητήσεις δέ τόν κελλαρίτην ἄρτον ἤ οἶνον ἤ βρώσιμόν τι καί οὐ παρέξει σοι ὑπό δουλειῶν ἐμποδιζόμενος ἴσως, ἐνθυμήθητι μνησθείς τῶν τοῦ Κυρίου λόγων καί εἶπον πρός ἑαυτόν· "Πεινῶ μέν καί διψῶ, ἀλλ᾿ ὑπομένων ὑπομείνω τόν Κύριον καί αὐτός ποιήσει κατά τήν ἀσθένειάν μου καί οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψει με". Καί οὕτως ὑπόμεινον, ἀδελφέ, καί πολύν ἕξεις τόν μισθόν παρά τῷ Θεῷ. Ἀλλά καί ἐπί πᾶσιν ἄλλοις τοῖς ὑπαντῶσί σοι πειρασμοῖς οὕτω ποίει καί θαυμαστωθήσῃ, ἔν τε τῇ παρούσῃ ζωῇ καί ἐν τῇ μελλούσῃ μετά τῶν ἁγίων καταταγήσῃ μαρτύρων. Πόσοι τῶν ἐν Χριστῷ ἡμῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐπιθυμοῦσι πολάκις, ἐν μιᾷ κατακείμενοι γωνίᾳ, καί αὐτοῦ τοῦ ψυχροῦ ὕδατος καί εὐχαριστοῦσιν ἴσως τῷ θεῷ καί οὐδέν ἀγανακτοῦντες λέγουσι βλάσφημον, ἡμεῖς δέ Θεοῦ χάριτι διά τῶν πλουσίων αὐτοῦ δωρεῶν πᾶσαν τήν χρείαν τοῦ σώματος ἀνελλιπῇ ἔχομεν και περισσόν ἔχομεν. Ὅταν οὖν τις ἐξ ἡμῶν μηδέν ὅλως ἔχῃ, γογγύσῃ δέ, κατακρίνεται ὡς μή ἔχον ὑπομονήν· ὅταν δέ καί πολύ ἔχῃ, ἐπί δέ τῇ τοῦ ὀλίγου στερήσει φιλονεικίας καί μάχας ἐγείρῃ, ἔτι δέ καί βλάσφημα φθέγγεται ῥήματα, ποίας ὁ τοιοῦτος συγγνώμης ἄξιος ἔσται; Ἀλλά ταῦτα λέγων, οἶδα ὅτι ἐμαυτόν κατακρίνω καί ἔσονται οἱ λόγοι μου τάχα εἰς κατάκρισίν μου καί ἔλεγχον. Ὅμως ἔστωσαν, ἀξιῶ, καί εἰς ὑμετέραν ὑπόμνησιν.

Τοιγαροῦν καί ἀναμνημονεύοντες τῆς ὠφελείας τῶν παρελθουσῶν ἡμερῶν τῆς νηστείας, πῶς αὐτάς καί μεθ᾿ ὅσης τῆς σπουδῆς καί τῆς θέρμης διήλθητε, οὕτω καί πᾶσαν, δέομαι, τήν ἁγίαν τεσσαρακοστήν σπουδάσατε διελθεῖν, (205) ἀναλογιζόμενοι τήν καλήν ὑμῶν ἀναστροφήν, οἵαν εὐλάβειαν, οἵαν ταπείνωσιν, ἀλλά σιωπήν, ἀλλά σπουδήν εἴς τε τόν κανόνα τῆς θείας συνάξεως καί εἰς τό ἐργόχειρον ὑμῶν ἕκαστος εἴχετε. Ναί, παρακαλῶ, μή ἐπιλάθησθε τῆς παθοκτόνου νηστείας, τῆς καθαρτικῆς ἐγκρατείας καί τά αὐτά ποιεῖν μή κατοκνήσητε, ἀδελφοί, ἀλλ᾿ εἰ καί βρωμάτων ἐναλλαγή γενέσθαι πολλάκις συμβῇ καί ποθεν τύχοιτε παρακλήσεως, τήν γνώμην ἦτε ἀσάλευτοι καί τήν κατάστασιν ἀμετάβλητοι, μᾶλλον μέν οὖν πλεῖον τῆς συνήθους φαγόντες τροφῆς, περισσοτέρως καί εἰς τό ἔργον τοῦ Θεοῦ κοπιᾶσαι σπουδάσατε, ὅπως μή γένηται ὑμῖν, ἀντί εὐχαριστίας καί κέρδους, ῥᾳθυμίας καί ζημίας οὐ τῆς τυχούσης ἡ παράκλησις πρόξενος. Ναί, ἀδελφοί μου, νήψατε καί καθώς εἶπον ὑμῖν, κατά τήν παρελθοῦσαν ἑβδομάδα καί τήν εἰσιοῦσαν