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keeping vigil, sleeping on the ground, giving his possessions to the needy, sitting in ashes and sackcloth for a long time, so as to be able to 63.685 put away those sins? And now, having done none of these things, through a bare word he put away all wickedness and reproaches, and the revilings of the one who thought to insult him, without sweat and toils and long time, brought him a crown of righteousness. For this reason God also commanded us to pray for our enemies, so as not only to forgive them their debts, but also to count them among our chief friends. But if you do no wrong, but you turn away and do not look upon him gladly, and you have the wound still fresh in your soul, you have not yet done the commandment which Christ commanded. How then do you yourself beseech God to be merciful, when you yourself have not yet become merciful to those who have sinned against you? But if you wish to know that, even if we should entreat on behalf of our enemies and those who have wronged us, God does not forgive, if they are going to become worse through our forbearance, I will tell you an ancient story. Miriam once spoke against Moses. What then did God do? He sent leprosy upon her, and made her unclean, although in other respects she was both gentle and prudent. Then when Moses himself who was insulted was entreating, beseeching him to put away his wrath, God did not consent, but what did he say? If she had a father, and he put her out of his sight, would she not have borne the rebuke? I therefore accept your meekness and forbearance, but it is not yet right for me to release her from the punishment. Remember therefore the fearful judgment, at which all things are naked and laid bare; consider that the things hidden now are revealed then. If therefore you forgive your neighbor the sins which are going to be revealed then, these are all made to disappear here, and you will depart dragging nothing behind you of what you have transgressed. So that you receive more than you give. For we have often sinned such sins, that no one else has seen. Then considering that on that day all our sins will lie before our eyes in the common theater of the world, will we not suffer more grievously than from the punishment, being choked and strangled by our conscience? But so great a shame of yours, so many sins, it is possible to wash away through forgiveness towards your neighbor. And, if you wish, hear the power of this commandment: Though Moses and Samuel stood, he says, my soul is not with them. But yet, those whom Moses and Samuel could not snatch from the wrath of God, this commandment can snatch away. For this reason he continuously exhorted those to whom he said these things, saying: Let none of you remember evil against his brother in your hearts; and, Do not take account of the evil of your neighbor. But if we are commanded to love our enemies, when we hate even those who love us, what penalty shall we pay? If he who loves the one who loves him has nothing more than the tax collectors; he who hates the one who does no wrong, 63.686 where will he stand? and how will he escape Gehenna, having become worse than the Gentiles? If he who does not love his brother, even if he should empty his coffers, even if he should shine forth in martyrdom, accomplishes nothing more; he who makes war on one who has done no wrong, consider how much punishment he would be worthy of. If God does not forgive those who do not forgive the sins committed against them; to those who attempt to wrong those who have done no wrong, what forgiveness will He give? Why then do we fight one another for no reason, why do we make war on one another, when we have been commanded to love even those who hate us? what are you saying, O man; you have an enemy and are not ashamed? For is not the devil enough for us, that we also draw our kinsmen in? Would that he had not wished to make war on us, would that he were not the devil. Do you not know how much pleasure there is after reconciliations? For what if even in enmity it does not appear very much, But if you say that you are inflamed when you remember the insult, remember if any good has come to you from the one who has grieved you, and how many evils you have done to others, and you will quickly put an end to the enmity. For you have not suffered any such great evil, as the evil you do to yourself by bearing a grudge. For how will you obtain pardon, which you do not impart to others? The children of the Greeks nothing great

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ἀγρυπνοῦντα, χαμευνοῦντα, τὰ ὄντα τοῖς δεομένοις παρέχοντα, ἐν σποδῷ καὶ σάκκῳ καθήμενον ἐν πολλῷ τῷ χρόνῳ, ὥστε δυνηθῆναι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα 63.685 ἀποθέσθαι ἐκεῖνα; Καὶ νῦν οὐδὲν τούτων ποιήσας, διὰ ψιλοῦ ῥήματος πᾶσαν ἀπέθετο κακίαν καὶ τὰ ὀνείδη, καὶ αἱ λοιδορίαι τοῦ δόξαντος αὐτὸν ὑβρίζειν χωρὶς ἱδρώτων καὶ πόνων καὶ χρόνου μακροῦ στέφανον αὐτῷ δικαιοσύνης ἐκόμισαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὑπερεύχεσθαι τῶν ἐχθρῶν προσέταξεν ὁ Θεὸς, ὡς μὴ μόνον ἀφιέναι αὐτοῖς τὰ ὀφειλήματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς τοὺς πρώτους τῶν φίλων αὐτοὺς ἀριθμεῖν. Ἐὰν δὲ ἀδικῇς μὲν μηδὲν, ἀποστρέφῃ δὲ καὶ οὐχ ἡδέως ὁρᾷς, καὶ τὸ τραῦμα ἔχῃς ἐνακμάζον σου τῇ ψυχῇ, οὔπω τὴν ἐντολὴν ἐποίησας, ἣν προσέταξεν ὁ Χριστός. Πῶς οὖν αὐτὸς ἵλεων γενέσθαι τὸν Θεὸν παρακαλεῖς, τοῖς εἰς σὲ πεπλημμεληκόσιν οὔπω γεγονὼς ἵλεως αὐτός; Εἰ δὲ βούλει γνῶναι ὅτι, κἂν ἡμεῖς παρακαλέσωμεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν καὶ ἠδικηκότων, ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἀφίησιν, ἐὰν μέλλωσι γενέσθαι χείρους διὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀνεξικακίας, ἱστορίαν ὑμῖν ἐρῶ παλαιάν. Κατελάλησέ ποτε τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἡ Μαριάμ· τί οὖν ὁ Θεός; λέπραν ἐπαφῆκεν αὐτῇ, καὶ ἀκάθαρτον ἐποίησε, καίτοι γε τὰ ἄλλα οὖσαν ἐπιεικῆ τε καὶ σώφρονα. Εἶτα τοῦ Μωϋσέως αὐτοῦ ὑβρισμένου παρακαλοῦντος, ἱκετεύοντος ἀφεῖναι τὴν ὀργὴν, οὐκ ἠνέσχετο ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ τί ἔφη; Εἰ πατέρα εἶχε, καὶ ἐξ ὄψεως αὐτὴν ἐποίησεν, οὐκ ἂν ἤνεγκε τὴν ἐπιτίμησιν; Σὲ μὲν οὖν ἀποδέχομαι τῆς πραότητος καὶ τῆς ἀνεξικακίας, ἐμὲ δὲ οὐδέπω αὐτὴν ἀφεῖναι δεῖ τῆς κολάσεως. Ἀναμνήσθητι τοίνυν τῆς φοβερᾶς κρίσεως, καθ' ἣν ἅπαντα γυμνὰ καὶ τετραχηλισμένα· ἐννόησον ὅτι τὰ κρυπτόμενα νῦν ἀνακαλύπτονται τότε. Ἂν τοίνυν ἀφῇς τῷ πλησίον τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἅπερ ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι μέλλει τότε, ταῦτα ἐνταῦθα ἀφανίζεται πάντα, καὶ ἀπελεύσῃ μηδὲν ἐπισυρόμενος ὧν ἐπλημμέλησας. Ὥστε μείζονα λαμβάνεις, ἢ δίδως. Καὶ γὰρ πολλάκις ἡμαρτήκαμεν τοιαῦτα, ἃ μηδεὶς ἕτερος εἶδεν. Εἶτα ἐννοοῦντες ὅτι κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἅπαντα κείσεται ἡμῶν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἐν τῷ κοινῷ τῆς οἰκουμένης θεάτρῳ, οὐ τῆς κολάσεως χαλεπώτερον ἀλγήσομεν πνιγόμενοι καὶ ἀγχόμενοι τῷ συνειδότι; Ἀλλὰ τὴν τοσαύτην σου αἰσχύνην, τὰ τοσαῦτα ἁμαρτήματα ἔστιν ἀπονίψασθαι διὰ τῆς εἰς τὸν πλησίον συγχωρήσεως. Καὶ, εἰ βούλεσθε, ἀκούσατε ταύτης τῆς ἐντολῆς τὴν δύναμιν· Ἐὰν στῇ Μωϋσῆς καὶ Σαμουὴλ, φησὶν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς αὐτούς. Ἀλλ' ὅμως, οὓς οὐκ ἠδύνατο Μωϋσῆς καὶ Σαμουὴλ ἐξαρπάσαι τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ, αὕτη δύναται ἐξαρπάσαι ἡ ἐντολή. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκείνοις, οἷς ταῦτα εἶπε, συνεχῶς παρεκέλευε λέγων· Κακίαν ἕκαστος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ μὴ μνησικακείτω ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν· καὶ, Τὴν κακίαν τοῦ πλησίον ὑμῶν μὴ λογίζεσθε. Εἰ δὲ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀγαπᾷν κελευόμεθα, ὅταν καὶ τοὺς φιλοῦντας μισῶμεν, ποίαν τίσομεν δίκην; Εἰ ὁ τὸν φιλοῦντα ἀγαπῶν, οὐδὲν πλέον ἔχει τῶν τελωνῶν· ὁ τὸν οὐδὲν ἀδικοῦντα μισῶν, 63.686 ποῦ στήσεται; πῶς δὲ ἐκφεύξεται γέενναν, τῶν ἐθνικῶν χείρων γενόμενος; Εἰ ὁ μὴ φιλῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν, κἂν χρήματα κενώσῃ, κἂν ἐν μαρτυρίῳ διαλάμψῃ, οὐδὲν ἀνύει πλέον· ὁ πολεμῶν τῷ μηδὲν ἠδικηκότι, ἐννόησον πόσης ἂν εἴη τιμωρίας ἄξιος. Εἰ τοῖς τὰ εἰς αὐτοὺς μὴ συγχωροῦσιν ἁμαρτήματα, οὐκ ἀφίησιν ὁ Θεός· τοῖς τοὺς οὐδὲν ἠδικηκότας ἀδικεῖν ἐπιχειροῦσι, ποίαν ἄφεσιν δώσει; Τί τοίνυν μαχόμεθα πρὸς ἀλλήλους εἰκῆ, τί πολεμοῦμεν ἀλλήλοις, προστεταγμένοι καὶ τοὺς μισοῦντας φιλεῖν; τί λέγεις, ἄνθρωπε· ἐχθρὸν ἔχεις καὶ οὐ καταισχύνῃ; οὐ γὰρ ἀρκεῖ ἡμῖν ὁ διάβολος, ὅτι καὶ ὁμογενεῖς ἐπισπώμεθα; Εἴθε μήτε ἐκεῖνος ἠθέλησεν ἡμῖν πολεμεῖν, εἴθε μηδὲ ἐκεῖνος διάβολος ἦν. Οὐκ οἶσθα πόση ἡδονὴ μετὰ τὰς καταλλαγάς; Τί γὰρ, εἰ καὶ ἐν ἔχθρᾳ οὐ σφόδρα φαίνεται, Εἰ δὲ λέγεις ὅτι φλεγμαίνεις τῆς ὕβρεως μεμνημένος, ἀναμνήσθητι εἰ γέγονέ σοι καλὸν παρὰ τοῦ λελυπηκότος, καὶ ὅσα ἑτέροις σὺ διέθηκας κακὰ, καὶ ταχέως καταλύσεις τὴν ἔχθραν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ τοσοῦτον κακῶς ἔπαθες, ὅσον σαυτὸν ἐργάσῃ μνησικακῶν κακόν. Πῶς γὰρ ἐπιτεύξῃ συγγνώμης, ἧς ἑτέροις οὐ μεταδίδως; Ἑλλήνων παῖδες οὐδὲν μέγα