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Since exhortation to virtue is in itself a stern thing, especially to a tender and young maiden, when discourses are made about philosophy, contrive to give it much grace, and especially banish from her soul these two phrases, That is mine, and That is yours. If she says, My things, say to her, What things do you call yours? for I do not know; I have nothing of my own. How then do you say, My things, when all things are yours? Grant her the expression. Do you not see we do this with children? when they snatch something while we hold it, and want to take another thing as well, we allow it and say, Yes, this is yours, and that too. Let us do this with a wife also; for her turn of mind is more childish. And if she says, My things, say, All things are yours, and I am yours. The expression is not one of flattery, but of much wisdom. Thus you will be able to slacken her anger, and to quench her despondency. For it is flattery when one does something base for an evil end; but this is the greatest philosophy. Say therefore, And I am yours, my child; this Paul has exhorted me to, saying, The husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife. If I have no authority over my body, but you have, much more have you authority over my possessions. Having said these things, you have given her rest, you have extinguished the fire, you have shamed the devil, you have made her more your slave than one bought with money, you have bound her with these words. Therefore from what you say, teach her never to say, Mine and Yours. And never call her simply by her name, but with flattery, with honor, with much love. Honor her, and she will not need honor from others, she will not need glory from others, if she enjoys that which comes from you. Prefer her to all, for the sake of all things, both beauty and wisdom, and praise her. Thus you will persuade her to pay no heed to any of those outside, but to despise all other things. Teach her the fear of God, and all things will flow as from a spring, and the house will be full of countless good things. If we seek the incorruptible things, the corruptible things will also come. For he says, Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. What sort of children must we think those of such fathers to be? what sort of servants those of such masters? what sort of persons all others who come near them? Will it not come to pass that they also will be filled with countless good things? For 62.149 for the most part servants' characters are regulated by their masters, and they are assimilated to their desires, they love the same things, which they have also been taught, they say the same things, they associate in the same things. If we so regulate ourselves, and attend to the Scriptures, we shall for the most part be instructed by them; 62.150 and thus we shall be able to please God, and to pass through the whole of the present life with virtue, and to obtain the good things promised to those who love him; of which may we all be counted worthy, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 21. Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth. 1. Just as someone molding a body, first places the head, then the neck, then the feet, so also the blessed Paul proceeds in his discourse. He spoke about the husband, he spoke about the wife, the second authority; he proceeds therefore, walking on the path to the third; and this is that of the children. For the husband rules the wife, but both the husband and the wife rule the children. See then what he says: Children, obey your parents in the Lord; for this is the first commandment with promises. Neither here does he discourse about Christ, nor about high things; for he is still speaking to tender minds; for which reason he also makes it brief

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καθ' ἑαυτὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἡ παραίνεσις πολὺ τὸ σκυθρωπὸν ἔχει, καὶ μάλιστα πρὸς κόρην ἁπαλὴν καὶ νέαν, ὅταν περὶ φιλοσοφίας λέγοιντο λόγοι, πολλὴν ἐπινόει τὴν χάριν, καὶ τοῦτο μάλιστα ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐξόρισον ἐκείνης, Τὸ ἐμὸν, καὶ Τὸ σόν. Ἂν εἴπῃ, Τὰ ἐμὰ, εἰπὲ αὐτῇ· Ποῖα λέγεις σά; οὐδὲ γὰρ οἶδα· οὐδὲν ἔχω ἐγὼ ἴδιον· πῶς οὖν λέγεις, Τὰ ἐμὰ, πάντων ὄντων σῶν; Χάρισαι αὐτῇ τὸ ῥῆμα. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἐπὶ τῶν παιδίων ὅτι τοῦτο πράττομεν; ὅταν ἡμῶν κατεχόντων τι ἁρπάσῃ, καὶ τὸ ἕτερον πάλιν βούληται λαβεῖν, συγχωροῦμεν καὶ λέγομεν· Ναὶ, τοῦτο σόν ἐστι, κἀκεῖνο. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γυναικὸς ποιῶμεν· παιδικωτέρα γὰρ αὐτῆς ἡ διάνοιά ἐστι· κἂν λέγῃ, Τὰ ἐμὰ, εἰπέ· Πάντα σά ἐστι, καὶ ἐγὼ σός. Οὐκ ἔστι κολακείας τὸ ῥῆμα, ἀλλὰ πολλῆς συνέσεως. Οὕτως αὐτῆς δυνήσῃ χαλάσαι τὸν θυμὸν, καὶ τὴν ἀθυμίαν σβέσαι. Κολακεία γάρ ἐστιν, ὅταν τις ἀγεννές τι πράξῃ κακοῦ ἕνεκεν· τοῦτο δὲ φιλοσοφία μεγίστη. Λέγε οὖν· Καὶ ἐγὼ σὸς, ὦ παιδίον· τοῦτό μοι Παῦλος παρῄνεσεν εἰπών· Ὁ ἀνὴρ τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος οὐκ ἐξουσιάζει, ἀλλ' ἡ γυνή. Εἰ τοῦ σώματός μου οὐκ ἔχω ἐξουσίαν, ἀλλὰ σὺ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τῶν χρημάτων. Ἀνέπαυσας αὐτὴν ταῦτα φθεγξάμενος, ἔσβεσας τὴν πυρὰν, κατῄσχυνας τὸν διάβολον, δούλην ἐποίησας μᾶλλον ἀργυρώνητον, τοῖς ῥήμασι τούτοις κατέδησας αὐτήν. Ὥστε ἀφ' ὧν σὺ φθέγγῃ, δίδαξον αὐτὴν μηδέποτε λέγειν, Ἐμὸν καὶ Σόν. Καὶ μηδέποτε ἁπλῶς αὐτὴν κάλει, ἀλλὰ μετὰ κολακείας, μετὰ τιμῆς, μετὰ πολλῆς ἀγάπης. Τίμα αὐτὴν, καὶ οὐ δεήσεται τῆς παρ' ἑτέρων τιμῆς, οὐ δεήσεται τῆς παρ' ἑτέρων δόξης, ἂν ἀπολαύῃ τῆς παρὰ σοῦ. Πάντων αὐτὴν προτίθει, πάντων ἕνεκεν, καὶ κάλλους, καὶ συνέσεως, καὶ ἐγκωμίαζε. Οὕτως αὐτὴν πείσεις μηδενὶ προσέχειν τῶν ἔξωθεν, ἀλλὰ πάντων τῶν ἄλλων καταγελᾷν. ∆ίδασκε τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν φόβον, καὶ πάντα ὥσπερ ἀπὸ πηγῆς ἐπιῤῥεύσει, καὶ μυρίων ἔσται ἡ οἰκία τῶν ἀγαθῶν γέμουσα. Ἂν τὰ ἄφθαρτα ζητῶμεν, καὶ ταῦτα ἐπελεύσεται τὰ φθαρτά. Ζητεῖτε γὰρ, φησὶ, πρῶτον τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν. Οἵους εἶναι χρὴ νομίζειν τοὺς παῖδας τῶν τοιούτων πατέρων; οἵους τοὺς οἰκέτας τῶν τοιούτων δεσποτῶν; οἵους τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας τοὺς πλησιάζοντας; ἆρα οὐχὶ μυρίων τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ αὐτοὺς γέμειν συμβήσεται; Ὡς γὰρ 62.149 τὰ πολλὰ πρὸς τοὺς κρατοῦντας καὶ οἱ δοῦλοι τὰ ἤθη ῥυθμίζονται, καὶ ταῖς ἐκείνων ἐξομοιοῦνται ἐπιθυμίαις, τῶν αὐτῶν ἐρῶσιν, ὧν ἂν καὶ διδαχθῶσι, τὰ αὐτὰ φθέγγονται, ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς συναναστρέφονται. Ἐὰν οὕτως ἑαυτοὺς ῥυθμίζωμεν, καὶ ταῖς Γραφαῖς προσέχωμεν, τὰ πλείονα παρ' ἐκείνων παιδευθησό 62.150 μεθα· καὶ οὕτω δυνησόμεθα ἀρέσαι τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ τὸν παρόντα βίον ἅπαντα μετὰ ἀρετῆς διεξελθεῖν, καὶ τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων ἀγαθῶν τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν τυχεῖν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἀξιωθῆναι, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΚΑʹ. Τὰ τέκνα, ὑπακούετε τοῖς γονεῦσιν ὑμῶν ἐν Κυ ρίῳ· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι δίκαιον.

Τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐντολὴ πρώτη ἐν ἐπαγγελίᾳ, ἵνα εὖ σοι γένηται, καὶ ἔσῃ μακροχρόνιος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. αʹ. Καθάπερ τις σῶμα πλάττων, πρῶτον μὲν τὴν κεφαλὴν, ἔπειτα τὸν αὐχένα, εἶτα τοὺς πόδας τίθησιν, οὕτω καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος τῷ λόγῳ πρόεισιν. Εἶπε περὶ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς, εἶπε περὶ τῆς γυναικὸς, τῆς δευτέρας ἀρχῆς· χωρεῖ λοιπὸν ὁδῷ βαδίζων ἐπὶ τὴν τρίτην· αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ τῶν παίδων. Τῆς μὲν γὰρ γυναικὸς ἄρχει ὁ ἀνὴρ, τῶν δὲ παίδων ὁ ἀνὴρ καὶ ἡ γυνή. Ὅρα οὖν τί φησι· Τὰ τέκνα, ὑπακούετε τοῖς γονεῦσιν ὑμῶν ἐν Κυρίῳ· αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἐντολὴ πρώτη ἐν ἐπαγγελίαις. Οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ διαλέγεται, οὐδὲ περὶ τῶν ὑψηλῶν· ἔτι γὰρ πρὸς ἁπαλὰς διαλέγεται διανοίας· διὸ καὶ βραχεῖαν ποιεῖται