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is kind, does not take into account a wrong. If a man considers himself, how he is disposed towards himself, so let him also be disposed toward his neighbor. No one envies himself, he wishes all good things for himself, he prefers himself to all, he wishes to do everything for himself. If, then, we are so disposed also toward others, all terrible things are loosed, there are no enmities, there is no greed; for who would choose to be greedy against himself? No one; but rather, quite the contrary. Therefore let us possess all things in common, and let us not cease gathering ourselves together; and if we do this, bearing a grudge would have no place; for who would choose to bear a grudge against himself? who would choose to be angry with himself? do we not above all forgive ourselves? If we are so disposed also toward our neighbors, there will never be bearing a grudge. And how is it possible, he says, to so love one's neighbor 63.142 as oneself? If others had not done this, you would rightly think this to be impossible; but if they have done it, it is clear that it is not done by us on account of indolence. Besides, Christ commands nothing impossible, since many have even surpassed His commands. Who then has done this? Paul, Peter, the whole choir of the saints. But if I were to say that they loved their neighbors, I will say nothing great; they loved their enemies in such a way as one would not love those of like mind. For who of us would choose to go to Gehenna for the sake of those of like mind, when he is about to go to the kingdom? No one; but Paul chose this for the sake of his enemies, of those who had stoned him, of those who had scourged him. What pardon, then, will there be for us, what excuse, if we do not show even the smallest part of the love for our friends that Paul showed for his enemies? And before him the blessed Moses was willing for the sake of his enemies who had stoned him to be blotted out of the book of God; and David, seeing those who opposed him being destroyed, says: I, the shepherd, have sinned, and what have these done? and having taken Saul into his hands, he did not wish to kill him, but saved him, and this when he himself was about to be in danger. If these things are in the Old Testament, what pardon shall we have who live in the New, and do not even attain to the same measure as they? For if our righteousness does not exceed that of the Pharisees and Scribes, we will not enter into the kingdom of heaven; when we have even less than they, how shall we enter? Love, he says, your enemies, and you will be like your Father who is in heaven. Love your enemy, therefore; for you are not benefiting him, but yourself. How? By doing this, you become equal to God. If he is loved by you, he has gained nothing great; for he was loved by a fellow servant; but if you love your fellow servant, you have gained a great thing; for you become like God. Do you see that you do not bestow a favor on him, but on yourself? For He sets the prize not for him, but for you. What then, he says, if he is wicked? So much the greater is the reward; and you ought to be grateful to him for his wickedness, even if he is wicked after receiving countless benefits. For if he were not exceedingly wicked, your reward would not be exceedingly increased. So that the reason for not loving—that is, saying that he is wicked—this is a reason for loving. Take away the antagonist, and you take away the occasion for the crowns. Do you not see the athletes, how having filled sacks with sand, they train in this way? But for you there is no need to contrive this; life is full of those who train you, and make you strong. Do you not see that even trees, the more they are buffeted by winds, the stronger and denser they become? And so we too, if we are long-suffering, shall also be strong; For a long-suffering man, it says, is great in prudence; but he that is of a little soul, is exceedingly foolish. Do you see how great is the praise of this one? Do you see how great is the accusation of that one? Exceedingly foolish, that is, very much so. Let us not, therefore, be small-souled towards one another; for this does not come from enmity, but from having a small soul; as if it is strong, it will bear all things easily, and nothing will be able to sink it, 63.143 but it will lead it to calm harbors; which may it befall all of us to attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of the Lord

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χρηστεύεται, οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν. Ἐὰν ἐννοήσῃ τις αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν, πῶς διάκειται πρὸς ἑαυτὸν, καὶ οὕτω πρὸς τὸν πλησίον διακείσθω. Οὐδεὶς φθονεῖ ἑαυτῷ, πάντα ἑαυτῷ εὔχεται τὰ ἀγαθὰ, πάντων ἑαυτὸν προτιμᾷ, πάντα ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ βούλεται ποιεῖν. Ἐὰν τοίνυν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους οὕτω διακεώμεθα, πάντα λέλυται τὰ δεινὰ, οὐκ εἰσὶν ἔχθραι, οὐκ ἔστι πλεονεξία· τίς γὰρ ἂν ἕλοιτο πλεονεκτῆσαι ἑαυτόν; Οὐδείς· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον πᾶν τοὐναντίον. Οὐκοῦν κοινὰ πάντα κτησώμεθα, καὶ μὴ παυσώμεθα συνάγοντες ἑαυτούς· κἂν τοῦτο ποιῶμεν, μνησικακία χώραν οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι· τίς γὰρ ἕλοιτο ἂν ἑαυτῷ μνησικακεῖν; τίς ἂν ἕλοιτο ἑαυτῷ ὀργίζεσθαι; οὐχὶ μάλιστα πάντων ἑαυτοῖς συγγινώσκομεν; Ἐὰν οὕτω καὶ πρὸς τοὺς πλησίον διακεώμεθα, οὐδέποτε ἔσται μνησικακία. Καὶ πῶς δυνατὸν, φησὶ, τὸν πλησίον οὕτως 63.142 ἀγαπῆσαι, ὡς αὐτὸς ἑαυτόν; Εἰ μὴ ἐποίησαν τοῦτο ἕτεροι, καλῶς ἀδύνατον εἶναι τοῦτο νομίζεις· εἰ δὲ ἐποίησαν, δῆλον ὅτι διὰ ῥᾳθυμίαν παρ' ἡμῶν οὐ γίνεται. Ἄλλως δὲ, οὐδὲν ἀδύνατον ἐπιτάττει ὁ Χριστὸς, ὅπου γε πολλοὶ καὶ ὑπερέβησαν αὐτοῦ τὰ προστάγματα. Τίς οὖν ἐποίησε τοῦτο; Ὁ Παῦλος, ὁ Πέτρος, πᾶς ὁ τῶν ἁγίων χορός. Ἀλλ' ἐὰν μὲν εἴπω ὅτι τοὺς πλησίον ἠγάπησαν, οὐδὲν μέγα ἐρῶ· τοὺς ἐχθροὺς οὕτως ἠγάπησαν, ὡς οὐκ ἄν τις ἀγαπήσειε τοὺς ὁμοψύχους. Τίς γὰρ ἂν ἕλοιτο ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ τῶν ὁμοψύχων εἰς γέενναν ἀπελθεῖν, μέλλων εἰς βασιλείαν ἀπιέναι; Οὐδείς· ἀλλὰ ὁ Παῦλος ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τοῦτο εἵλετο, τῶν λιθασάντων αὐτὸν, τῶν μαστιξάντων. Ποία οὖν ἡμῖν ἔσται συγγνώμη, τίς παραίτησις, εἰ μηδὲ τὸ πολλοστὸν μέρος τῆς ἀγάπης, ἧς ἐπεδείξατο περὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὁ Παῦλος, ἡμεῖς περὶ τοὺς φίλους ἐπιδειξαίμεθα; Καὶ ὁ μακάριος δὲ Μωϋσῆς πρὸ τούτου ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἠθέλησε τῶν λιθασάντων αὐτὸν ἐξαλειφθῆναι τῆς βίβλου τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ τοὺς ἀντιστάντας αὐτῷ ὁρῶν ἀναιρουμένους, φησίν· Ἐγὼ ὁ ποιμὴν ἥμαρτον, καὶ οὗτοι τί ἐποίησαν; καὶ τὸν Σαοὺλ εἰς χεῖρας λαβὼν, ἀνελεῖν οὐκ ἠβουλήθη, ἀλλὰ διέσωζε, καὶ ταῦτα μέλλων αὐτὸς κινδυνεύειν. Εἰ δὲ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ ταῦτα, τίνα συγγνώμην ἕξομεν ἡμεῖς οἱ ἐν τῇ Καινῇ πολιτευόμενοι, καὶ μηδὲ πρὸς τὸ αὐτὸ ἐκείνοις φθάνοντες μέτρον; Εἰ γὰρ, ἐὰν μὴ περισσεύσῃ ἡ δικαιοσύνη ἡμῶν πλέον τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Γραμματέων, οὐκ εἰσελευσόμεθα εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν· ὅταν καὶ ἔλαττον ἐκείνων ἔχωμεν, πῶς εἰσελευσόμεθα; Ἀγαπᾶτε, φησὶ, τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑμῶν, καὶ ἔσεσθε ὅμοιοι τοῦ Πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Ἀγάπησον τοίνυν ἐχθρόν· οὐ γὰρ ἐκεῖνον εὐεργετεῖς, ἀλλὰ σαυτόν. Πῶς; Ἴσος γίνῃ τοῦτο ποιῶν τῷ Θεῷ. Ἐκεῖνος ἐὰνἀγαπηθῇ παρὰ σοῦ, οὐδὲν μέγα ἐκέρδανε· παρὰ γὰρ ὁμοδούλου ἠγαπήθη· σὺ δὲ ἐὰν ἀγαπήσῃς τὸν ὁμόδουλον, μέγα ἐκέρδανας· γίνῃ γὰρ ὅμοιος τῷ Θεῷ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐκ ἐκείνῳ χαρίζῃ, ἀλλὰ σαυτῷ; τὸ γὰρ ἔπαθλον οὐκ ἐκείνῳ τίθησιν, ἀλλὰ σοί. Τί οὖν, ἐὰν ᾖ πονηρὸς, φησί; Τοσούτῳ μείζων ὁ μισθός· καὶ τῆς πονηρίας ὀφείλεις αὐτῷ χάριν εἰδέναι, κἂν μυρία εὐεργετούμενος κακὸς ᾖ. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ σφόδρα κακὸς ἦν, οὐκ ἄν σοι σφόδρα ὁ μισθὸς ηὐξήθη. Ὥστε ἡ αἰτία τοῦ μὴ ἀγαπᾷν, τὸ λέγειν ὅτι πονηρός ἐστιν, αὕτη αἰτία ἐστὶ τοῦ ἀγαπᾷν. Ἆρον τὸν ἀνταγωνιστὴν, καὶ ἀναιρεῖς τῶν στεφάνων τὴν ἀφορμήν. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τοὺς ἀθλητὰς, πῶς θυλάκους ἄμμου πληρώσαντες, οὕτω γυμνάζονται; Σοὶ δὲ οὐ χρεία ἐπιτηδεῦσαι τοῦτο· γέμει ὁ βίος τῶν γυμναζόντων σε, καὶ ποιούντων ἰσχυρόν. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅτι καὶ τὰ δένδρα ὅσῳ ἂν ὑπὸ ἀνέμων ῥιπίζηται, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ἰσχυρότερα γίνεται καὶ πυκνότερα; Καὶ ἡμεῖς τοίνυν ἂν ὦμεν μακρόθυμοι, καὶ ἰσχυροὶ ἐσόμεθα· Ἀνὴρ γὰρ, φησὶ, μακρόθυμος, πολὺς ἐν φρονήσει· ὁ δὲ ὀλιγόψυχος, ἰσχυρῶς ἄφρων. Ὁρᾷς ὅσον τούτου τὸ ἐγκώμιον; ὁρᾷς ὅσον ἐκείνου τὸ κατηγόρημα; Ἰσχυρῶς ἄφρων, τουτέστι, πάνυ. Μὴ τοίνυν μικροψυχῶμεν πρὸς ἀλλήλους· οὐ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς ἔχθρας γίνεται τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τοῦ ψυχὴν μικρὰν ἔχειν· ὡς ἐὰν ᾖ ἰσχυρὰ, πάντα οἴσει ῥᾳδίως, καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτὴν καταποντίσαι δυνήσε 63.143 ται, ἀλλ' εἰς τοὺς εὐδιεινοὺς ἀπάξει λιμένας· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου