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and let us put to flight the wild beasts, so that we may offer a clean field to the husbandman, and after clearing it, let us water it with spiritual streams. Let us plant the fruitful olive, the gentlest plant, the ever-flourishing, the illuminating, the nourishing, the producer of health. Almsgiving possesses all these things, being a seal with those who possess it. This plant not even death coming upon it withers, but it stands ever illuminating the mind, nourishing the sinews of the soul, making its strength more powerful. If we have this continually, we shall be able to see the Bridegroom with confidence, and to enter into the bridal chamber; which may we all attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

59.147 HOMILY 25. Jesus answered, Truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the

kingdom of God.

1. Little children, attending teachers every day, both receive their lessons and give them back, and never cease from this acquisition; but there are times when they even add the nights to the days, and are compelled by you to do this for the sake of perishable and temporary things. But we do not demand so much labor from you who are of age, as you demand from your children. For not every day, but only two days of the week we ask you to pay attention to what is said for a small part of the day, so that the labor might be light for you. For this reason also we explain to you little by little the things laid down in the Scriptures, so that it may be possible for you to receive them with ease, and to store them up in the treasuries of your mind, and thus be zealous to keep all things in memory, so that you are able to report them with accuracy; unless someone should be very drowsy and sluggish, and more slothful than a little child. But come, let us again take up the sequence of what was said before, and let us see how, when Nicodemus fell down and dragged what was said towards the birth here below, 59.148.40 saying that it is impossible for an old man to be born from above, Christ more clearly reveals the manner of the birth, which even so has a difficulty for the one who questions carnally, but is able nonetheless to lead up the hearer from his lowliness. For what does he say? Truly, I say to you, Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. What he makes plain by this is this: You say it is impossible; but I say it is so very possible, as to be even necessary, and that it is not possible to be saved otherwise. For the necessary things God has made very easy for us. For the earthly birth, which is according to the flesh, is from the dust; therefore the things in the heavens are walled off from it; for what does earth have in common with heaven? But that birth, being of the Spirit, easily opens for us the arches above. Hear, all you who are outside of illumination; shudder, groan; for fearful is the threat, fearful the sentence. It is not possible, he says, for one who has not been born of water and the Spirit, to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Because he wears the garment of death, of the curse, of corruption; he has not yet received the Lord's token; he is a stranger 59.149 and a foreigner; he does not have the royal watchword. Unless one, he says, is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. But Nicodemus did not understand even so. For nothing is worse than entrusting spiritual things to reasonings. This also this one

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καὶ τὰ θηρία φυγαδεύσωμεν, ἵνα καθαρὰν παράσχωμεν τῷ γεωργῷ τὴν ἄρουραν, καὶ μετὰ τὸ καθᾶραι τοῖς πνευματικοῖς αὐτὴν ἀρδεύσωμεν νάμασι. Φυτεύσωμεν τὴν κατάκαρπον ἐλαίαν, τὸ ἡμερώτατον φυτὸν, τὸ ἀειθαλὲς, τὸ φωτιστικὸν, τὸ θρεπτικὸν, τὸ ὑγιείας ποιητικόν. Ταῦτα πάντα ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη ἔχει, ὡς σφραγὶς οὖσα μετὰ τῶν κεκτημένων αὐτήν. Τοῦτο οὐδὲ θάνατος ἐπελθὼν ξηραίνει τὸ φυτὸν, ἀλλ' ἕστηκεν ἀεὶ φωτίζον τὴν διάνοιαν, τρέφον τὰ νεῦρα τῆς ψυχῆς, τὴν ἰσχὺν δυνατωτέραν ἐργαζόμενον. Ἂν ταύτην ἔχωμεν διηνεκῶς, δυνησόμεθα μετὰ παῤῥησίας καὶ τὸν νυμφίον ἰδεῖν, καὶ εἰς τὸν νυμφῶνα εἰσελθεῖν· οὗ γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἡ δόξα, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

59.147 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΚΕʹ. Ἀπεκρίθη ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ἀμὴν λέγω σοι· Ἐὰ μή τις γεννηθῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ Πνεύματος, οὐ δύναται εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν

βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ.

αʹ. Τὰ παιδία τὰ μικρὰ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν εἰς διδασκάλους φοιτῶντα, καὶ δέχεται τὰ μαθήματα καὶ ἀποδίδωσι, καὶ οὐδέποτε παύεται ταύτης τῆς κτήσεως· ἀλλ' ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ τὰς νύκτας προστίθησι ταῖς ἡμέραις, καὶ ταῦτα ὑπὲρ ἐπικήρων καὶ προσκαίρων πραγμάτων παρ' ὑμῶν ἀναγκάζεται ποιεῖν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὑμᾶς τοὺς ἐν ἡλικίᾳ γενομένους ἡμεῖς τοσοῦτον ἀπαιτοῦμεν πόνον, ὅσον ὑμεῖς τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς ὑμετέρους. Οὐ γὰρ καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν, ἀλλὰ δύο μόνον τῆς ἑβδομάδος ἡμέρας παρακαλοῦμεν προσέχειν τοῖς λεγομένοις πρὸς βραχὺ τῆς ἡμέρας μέρος, ὥστε κοῦφον ὑμῖν γενέσθαι τὸν πόνον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν διαξαίνομεν ὑμῖν τὰ ἐν ταῖς Γραφαῖς κείμενα, ἵνα μετ' εὐκολίας ἐξῇ λαβεῖν ὑμῖν αὐτὰ, καὶ τοῖς ταμιείοις ἐναποθέσθαι τῆς διανοίας, καὶ οὕτω πάντα διὰ μνήμης ποιεῖσθαι σπουδάζειν, ὡς δύνασθαι καὶ ἀπαγγέλλειν αὐτὰ μετὰ ἀκριβείας ὑμᾶς· πλὴν εἰ μή τις σφόδρα ὑπνηλὸς εἴη καὶ νωθὴς, καὶ παιδίου μικροῦ ῥᾳθυμότερος. Ἀλλὰ φέρε πάλιν ἁψώμεθα τῆς ἀκολουθίας τῶν ἔμπροσθεν εἰρημένων, καὶ ἴδωμεν πῶς τοῦ Νικοδήμου καταπεσόντος, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐνταῦθα 59.148.40 γέννησιν ἕλκοντος τὸ εἰρημένον, καὶ λέγοντος, ἀδύνατον εἶναι γέροντα γεννηθῆναι ἄνωθεν, ὁ Χριστὸς σαφέστερον ἀποκαλύπτει τῆς γεννήσεως τὸν τρόπον, ἔχοντα μὲν καὶ οὕτω δυσκολίαν τῷ ψυχικῶς ἐρωτῶντι, δυνάμενον δὲ ὅμως ἀπὸ τῆς ταπεινότητος ἀναγαγεῖν τὸν ἀκούοντα. Τί γάρ φησιν; Ἀμὴν λέγω σοι· Ἐὰν μή τις γεννηθῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ Πνεύματος, οὐ δύναται εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὃ δὲ διὰ τούτου δηλοῖ, τοῦτό ἐστι· Σὺ μὲν ἀδύνατον αὐτὸ φὴς εἶναι· ἐγὼ δὲ οὕτως αὐτὸ σφόδρα δυνατὸν εἶναι λέγω, ὡς καὶ ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι, καὶ μηδὲ δυνατὸν ἄλλως σωθῆναι. Τὰ γὰρ ἀναγκαῖα, σφόδρα ἡμῖν εὔκολα πεποίηκεν ὁ Θεός. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ γηΐνη γέννησις ἡ κατὰ σάρκα ἀπὸ τοῦ χοός ἐστι· διὸ καὶ ἀποτετείχισται τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς αὐτῇ· τί γὰρ κοινὸν τῇ γῇ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανόν; ἐκείνη δὲ ἐκ Πνεύματος οὖσα, ῥᾳδίως ἡμῖν τὰς ἁψῖδας ἀναπετάννυσι τὰς ἄνω. Ἀκούσατε ὅσοι τοῦ φωτίσματός ἐστε ἐκτός· φρίξατε, στενάξατε· φοβερὰ γὰρ ἡ ἀπειλὴ, φοβερὰ ἡ ἀπόφασις. Οὐκ ἔστι, φησὶ, τὸν μὴ γεννηθέντα ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ Πνεύματος, εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. ∆ιότι τὸ τοῦ θανάτου φορεῖ ἔνδυμα, τὸ τῆς κατάρας, τὸ τῆς φθορᾶς· οὐδέπω τὸ ∆εσποτικὸν ἔλαβε σύμβολον· ξένος 59.149 ἐστὶ καὶ ἀλλότριος· οὐκ ἔχει τὸ σύνθημα τὸ βασιλικόν. Ἐὰν μή τις, φησὶ, γεννηθῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ Πνεύματος, οὐ δύναται εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ἀλλ' ὁ Νικόδημος οὐδὲ οὕτω συνῆκεν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ χεῖρον τοῦ τοῖς λογισμοῖς τὰ πνευματικὰ ἐπιτρέπειν. Τοῦτο καὶ τοῦτον