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If I were outside of ecclesiastical cares, and had a strong body, I would not have shrunk from making so great a journey, just to see the chains, and the prison where Paul was bound. O blessed bonds! O blessed hands, which that chain that was put around Paul adorned! His hands were not so precious when they raised the lame man in Lystra, as when they wore the bonds. If I had been in those times, then I would have especially embraced them, and placed them on my own eyes; I would not have ceased from kissing hands deemed worthy to be bound for my Master. I do not so much bless him because he was caught up to the third heaven and into paradise, as because he was cast into prison; I do not so much bless him because he 63.716 heard unspeakable words, as because he endured the bonds; for these are much greater than those. For it is more desirable for me to suffer evil for Christ's sake, than to be honored by Christ. Paul also, considering this, likely said: If He himself for my sake became a slave, and emptied His glory, He did not consider Himself to be so much in glory, as when He was crucified for my sake, what must I not suffer? For hear him saying: 'Glorify me, Father.' What are you saying? You are being led to the cross with robbers and tomb-robbers, to undergo the death of the accursed, you are about to be spat upon and struck, and you call this glory? Yes, he says; for the sake of those who are loved I suffer these things, and I rightly consider them glory. If, therefore, my Master, having loved the pitiable and wretched, calls the matter glory, and prefers this to the glory on the paternal throne, much more ought I to consider these things so. All men are astonished at Job for his endurance, for the purity of his life, for the testimony of God, for that stout battle, for the wondrous victory after the battle; but what soul of adamant could display the endurance of Paul? For he did not spend many months struggling thus, but many years; not melting clods of earth by scraping away discharge, but continually falling into the very mouth of the spiritual lion, and wrestling with countless temptations, and being reproached not by three or four friends, but by all the unbelievers, being spat upon, reviled, and enduring myriad snowstorms of temptations, and now his body being stretched by scourges, now by stones, and wasting away with continual hunger and cold. But was the hospitality of Job great? We do not deny it, but we shall find it as much inferior to Paul's as the soul is to the body. For what he did for those who were maimed in the flesh, this one showed toward those who were mutilated in the soul; and the one, having countless sheep and oxen, did these things; but this one, possessing nothing more than his body, from this very thing assisted those in need, and cries out saying: These hands have ministered to my necessities, and to them that were with me. Let us all emulate these, let us imitate these, that we may also obtain like praises and rewards with them, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

HOMILY 23. On Almsgiving and Hospitality.

The word of almsgiving, beloved, is not fitting for the rich only,

but also for the poor; and if one is fed by begging, this word is also for him; for there is no one so poor, however exceedingly poor he may be, as not to have two mites. It is possible, therefore, even by giving little from a little, to surpass those who possess much and give more; just as that widow did. For the greatness of the almsgiving is not judged by the measure of what is given, but by the ability and the intention of the givers. For one must not consider this, that 63.716 two

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Εἰ τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν φροντίδων ἐκτὸς ἤμην, καὶ τὸ σῶμα εὔρωστον εἶχον, οὐκ ἂν παρῃτησάμην ἀποδημίαν τοσαύτην ποιήσασθαι, ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὰς ἁλύσεις μόνον ἰδεῖν, καὶ τὸ δεσμωτήριον, ἔνθα ὁ Παῦλος ἐδέδετο. Ὢ μακαρίων δεσμῶν! ὢ μακαρίων χειρῶν, ἃς ἐκόσμησεν ἡ ἅλυσις ἐκείνη ἡ περιτεθεῖσα τῷ Παύλῳ! Οὐκ ἦσαν οὕτω τίμιαι αἱ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ, τὸν χωλὸν τὸν ἐν Λύστροις ἐγείρουσαι, ὡς τὰ δεσμὰ περικείμεναι. Εἰ κατ' ἐκείνους τοὺς χρόνους ἤμην ἐγὼ, τότε ἂν μάλιστα αὐτὰς περιεπτυξάμην, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κόρας ἔθηκα τὰς ἐμάς· οὐκ ἐπαυσάμην καταφιλῶν χεῖρας καταξιωθείσας ὑπὲρ τοῦ ∆εσπότου δεθῆναι τοῦ ἐμοῦ. Οὐχ οὕτως αὐτὸν μακαρίζω, ὅτι εἰς τρίτον οὐρανὸν ἡρπάγη καὶ εἰς τὸν παράδεισον, ὡς ὅτι εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἐνεβλήθη· οὐχ οὕτως αὐτὸν μακαρίζω, ὅτι 63.716 ἤκουσεν ἄῤῥητα ῥήματα, ὡς ὅτι ὑπέμεινε τὰ δεσμά· καὶ γὰρ ταῦτα ἐκείνων κατὰ πολὺ μείζονα. Αἱρετώτερον γὰρ ἐμοὶ παθεῖν κακῶς ὑπὲρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἢ τιμᾶσθαι παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος ἐνθυμούμενος ἔλεγεν ὡς εἰκός· Εἰ αὐτὸς δι' ἐμὲ γενόμενος δοῦλος, καὶ τὴν δόξαν κενώσας, οὐχ οὕτως ἐν δόξῃ εἶναι ἡγεῖτο, ὡς ὅτε ἐσταυροῦτο ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, τί ἐμὲ παθεῖν οὐ δεῖ; Ἄκουε γὰρ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· ∆όξασόν με, Πάτερ. Τί λέγεις; ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἄγῃ μετὰ λῃστῶν καὶ τυμβωρύχων, τὸν τῶν ἐπαράτων ὑφίστασθαι θάνατον, ἐμπτύεσθαι μέλλεις καὶ ῥαπίζεσθαι, καὶ ταῦτα δόξαν καλεῖς; Ναὶ, φησίν· ὑπὲρ τῶν φιλουμένων ἐγὼ πάσχω ταῦτα, καὶ εἰκότως αὐτὰ δόξαν ἡγοῦμαι. Εἰ οὖν ὁ ∆εσπότης ὁ ἐμὸς τοὺς οἰκτροὺς καὶ ταλαιπώρους φιλήσας, δόξαν τὸ πρᾶγμα καλεῖ, καὶ τοῦτο τῆς ἐν τῷ πατρικῷ θρόνῳ δόξης μᾶλλον προτίθησι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὀφείλω ἐγὼ ταῦτα ἡγεῖσθαι. Ἐκπλήττονται τὸν Ἰὼβ ἅπαντες ἄνθρωποι διὰ τὴν ὑπομονὴν αὐτοῦ, διὰ τὴν τοῦ βίου καθαρότητα, διὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ μαρτυρίαν, διὰ τὴν καρτερὰν μάχην ἐκείνην, διὰ τὴν θαυμαστὴν νίκην τὴν μετὰ τὴν μάχην· ἀλλὰ τὴν Παύλου ὑπομονὴν ποία ἂν ἀδαμαντίνη ψυχὴ δύναιτ' ἂν ἐπιδείξασθαι; Οὐδὲ γὰρ μῆνας πολλοὺς ἀγωνιζόμενος οὕτω διῆγεν, ἀλλ' ἔτη πολλά· οὐχὶ τήκων βώλακας γῆς ἀπὸ ἰχῶρος ξέων, ἀλλ' εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦ λέοντος τὸ νοητὸν στόμα συνεχῶς ἐμπίπτων, καὶ μυρίοις παλαίων πειρασμοῖς, καὶ οὐδὲ παρὰ φίλων τριῶν ἢ τεσσάρων, ἀλλὰ παρὰ πάντων τῶν ἀπιστούντων ὀνειδιζόμενος, ἐμπτυόμενος, λοιδορούμενος, καὶ μυρίας νιφάδας πειρασμῶν ὑπομένων, καὶ νῦν μὲν μάστιξι, νῦν δὲ λίθοις τὸ σῶμα κατατεινόμενος, καὶ λιμῷ διηνεκεῖ καὶ κρυμῷ τηκόμενος. Ἀλλ' ἡ φιλοξενία τοῦ Ἰὼβ μεγάλη; οὐδὲ ἡμεῖς ἀντεροῦμεν, ἀλλὰ τῆς Παύλου τοσοῦτον καταδεεστέραν εὑρήσομεν, ὅσῳ ψυχῆς σῶμα ἀφέστηκεν. Ἃ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος πρὸς τοὺς τὴν σάρκα πεπηρωμένους ἐποίει, ταῦτα οὗτος περὶ τοὺς τὴν ψυχὴν λελωβημένους ἐπεδείκνυτο· καὶ ὁ μὲν προβάτων αὐτῷ καὶ βοῶν ὄντων ἀπείρων, ταῦτα ἔπραττεν· οὗτος δὲ οὐδὲν πλέον κεκτημένος τοῦ σώματος, ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τούτου τοῖς δεομένοις ἐπήρκει, καὶ βοᾷ λέγων· Ταῖς χρείαις μου καὶ τοῖς οὖσι μετ' ἐμοῦ ὑπηρέτησαν αἱ χεῖρες αὗται. Τούτους ζηλώσωμεν, τούτους μιμησώμεθα ἅπαντες, ἵνα καὶ τῶν ὁμοίων αὐτοῖς ἐπαίνων καὶ μισθῶν ἐπιτύχωμεν, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΚΓʹ. Περὶ ἐλεημοσύνης καὶ φιλοξενίας.

Ὁ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης λόγος, ἀγαπητοὶ, οὐ πρὸς τοὺς πλουσίους ἁρμόζει μόνον,

ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς πένητας· κἂν ᾖ τις ἐκ τοῦ προσαιτεῖν τρεφόμενος, καὶ πρὸς αὐτόν ἐστιν ὁ λόγος οὗτος· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν οὕτως οὐδεὶς πένης, κἂν σφόδρα πένης ᾖ, ὡς δύο λεπτῶν μόνον μὴ εὐπορεῖν. Ἔνεστιν οὖν καὶ ἐξ ὀλίγων ὀλίγα δόντα τοὺς πολλὰ κεκτημένους ὑπερβαλέσθαι πλείονα διδόντας· καθάπερ κἀκείνη ἡ χήρα. Οὐ γὰρ τῷ μέτρῳ τῶν διδομένων, ἀλλὰ τῇ δυνάμει καὶ τῇ προαιρέσει τῶν διδόντων κρίνεται τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης τὸ μέγεθος. Οὐ γὰρ τοῦτο χρὴ σκοπεῖν, ὅτι 63.716 δύο