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by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be glory together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 15. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. 1.

It seems to me that he has set this whole passage in motion for those who are in danger; or rather, not this only, but also what was said a little before. For both, The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed, and that the whole creation groaneth, and saying, For we are saved by hope, and, We wait for it with patience, and, We know not what we should pray for as we ought; all these things were said to them. For he teaches them not to choose what they themselves may think profitable, but what the Spirit suggests. For many things that seemed profitable to them, at times brought great harm. For instance, ease and deliverance from dangers, and to live in security, seemed profitable to them. And what wonder, if it seemed so to them, when even to the blessed Paul himself it seemed to be so? But yet he learned afterward, that the opposite of these things are the profitable ones, and having learned this he was content. He, for example, who thrice besought the Lord to be delivered from dangers, when he heard Him say, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness, from then on leaped for joy being persecuted, being insulted, suffering unspeakable things. For I take pleasure, 60.540 he says, in persecutions, in insults, in necessities. Wherefore he also said, For we know not what we should pray for as we ought; and he advised all to yield these things to the Spirit. For the Holy Spirit also cares for us exceedingly, and this is what is pleasing to God. Having therefore anointed them through all these things, he adds what was said today, stirring up a thought sufficient to recover them. For we know, he says, that all things work together for good to them that love God. And when he says, All things, he means even the things that seem grievous. For whether it be tribulation, or poverty, or imprisonment, or famines, or deaths, or anything else, God is able to change all these things into the opposite. since this too is of His unspeakable power, to make the things that seem grievous light to us, and to turn them to our aid. Wherefore he did not say, that no evil thing comes upon those who love God, but that it also Works together for good; that is, that He uses the very evils for the good repute of those plotted against; which is much greater than preventing the evils from coming, or destroying them when they have come. This, then, he also did in the case of the Babylonian furnace. For He neither prevented them from falling into it, nor, when those holy men had fallen in, did He quench the flame, 60.541 but letting it burn, through it He made them more wonderful. And in the case of the apostles, he worked other such wonders through all things. For if men, knowing how to philosophize, are able to use the nature of things for the opposite end, and living in poverty appear more well-off than the rich, and shine through dishonor; how much more will God work these things and much greater ones for those who love Him. For one thing only is needed, to love Him genuinely, and all other things follow. As, therefore, even things that seem harmful benefit these, so things that are beneficial harm those who do not love Him. For to the Jews, both the display of signs, and the correctness of doctrines, and the philosophy of His teaching were ruinous; and on account of the former they called him possessed by a demon, and on account of the latter an adversary of God; and on account of the signs they even attempted to kill him. But the thief, being crucified, nailed, reviled, suffering ten thousand terrible things, was not only not harmed, but even gained the greatest things from this. Do you see how all things work together for good to them that love God? Having then spoken this great good, and one that greatly transcends human nature,

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χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ δόξα ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΙΕʹ. Οἴδαμεν δὲ, ὅτι τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸν Θεὸν πάντα συνεργεῖ εἰς ἀγαθόν. αʹ.

Ἐνταῦθά μοι δοκεῖ πρὸς τοὺς ἐν κινδύνοις ὄντας ἅπαν τοῦτο κεκινηκέναι τὸ χωρίον· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μικρῷ πρὸ τούτων εἰρημένα. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ, Οὐκ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι, καὶ τὸ, τὴν κτίσιν ἅπασαν στενάζειν, καὶ τὸ λέγειν, ὅτι Τῇ ἐλπίδι ἐσώθημεν, καὶ τὸ, ∆ι' ὑπομονῆς ἀπεκδεχόμεθα, καὶ τὸ, Τί προσευξώμεθα καθ' ὃ δεῖ, οὐκ οἴδαμεν· ἅπαντα ταῦτα πρὸς ἐκείνους εἴρηται. Παιδεύει γὰρ αὐτοὺς μὴ ἅπερ ἂν αὐτοὶ νομίσωσιν εἶναι συμφέροντα, ταῦτα αἱρεῖσθαι πάντως, ἀλλ' ἅπερ ἂν τὸ Πνεῦμα ὑποβάλῃ. Καὶ γὰρ πολλὰ αὐτοῖς δοκοῦντα λυσιτελεῖν, ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ βλάβην ἤνεγκε πολλήν. Ἄνεσις γοῦν καὶ κινδύνων ἀπαλλαγὴ, καὶ τὸ ἐν ἀδείᾳ ζῇν, ἐδόκει συμφέρον εἶναι ἐκείνοις. Καὶ τί θαυμαστὸν, εἰ ἐκείνοις, ὅπου γε καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ μακαρίῳ Παύλῳ τοῦτο οὕτως ἔδοξεν ἔχειν; Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐμάνθανεν ὕστερον, ὅτι τὰ ἐναντία τούτοις ταῦτά ἐστι τὰ συμφέροντα, καὶ μαθὼν ἔστεργεν. Ὁ γοῦν τρὶς τὸν Κύριον παρακαλέσας ὥστε ἀπαλλαγῆναι κινδύνων, ἐπειδὴ ἤκουσεν αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, Ἀρκεῖ σοι ἡ χάρις μου· ἡ γὰρ δύναμίς μου ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειοῦται, ἐσκίρτα λοιπὸν διωκόμενος, ὑβριζόμενος, τὰ ἀνήκεστα πάσχων. Εὐδοκῶ γὰρ, 60.540 φησὶν, ἐν διωγμοῖς, ἐν ὕβρεσιν, ἐν ἀνάγκαις. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγε· Τὸ γὰρ τί προσευξώμεθα καθ' ὃ δεῖ, οὐκ οἴδαμεν· καὶ πᾶσι παρῄνει τῷ Πνεύματι τούτων παραχωρεῖν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον σφόδρα ἡμῶν κήδεται, καὶ τῷ Θεῷ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ δοκοῦν. ∆ιὰ πάντων τοίνυν ἀλείψας αὐτοὺς, ἐπάγει καὶ τὰ σήμερον εἰρημένα, λογισμὸν κινῶν ἱκανὸν αὐτοὺς ἀνακτήσασθαι. Οἴδαμεν γὰρ, φησὶν, ὅτι τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸν Θεὸν πάντα συνεργεῖ εἰς ἀγαθόν. Ὅταν δὲ εἴπῃ, Πάντα, καὶ τὰ δοκοῦντα εἶναι λυπηρὰ λέγει. Κἂν γὰρ θλῖψις, κἂν πενία, κἂν δεσμωτήρια, κἂν λιμοὶ, κἂν θάνατοι, κἂν ὁτιοῦν ἕτερον ἐπείη, δυνατὸς ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τοὐναντίον ταῦτα πάντα μεταβαλεῖν· ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦτο τῆς ἀφάτου δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, τὸ τὰ δοκοῦντα εἶναι μοχθηρὰ κοῦφά τε ἡμῖν ποιεῖν, καὶ εἰς τὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τρέπειν βοήθειαν. ∆ιόπερ οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι Τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸν Θεὸν οὐκ ἐπέρχεταί τι δεινὸν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ Συνεργεῖ εἰς ἀγαθόν· τουτέστιν, ὅτι αὐτοῖς τοῖς δεινοῖς κέχρηται εἰς τὴν τῶν ἐπιβουλευομένων εὐδοκίμησιν· ὅπερ πολὺ μεῖζόν ἐστι τοῦ κωλῦσαι ἐπελθεῖν τὰ δεινὰ, ἢ καταλῦσαι ἐπελθόντα. Τοῦτο οὖν καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς Βαβυλωνίας καμίνου πεποίηκεν. Οὔτε γὰρ ἐκώλυσεν ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς αὐτὴν, οὔτε ἐμπεσόντων τῶν ἁγίων ἐκείνων, τὴν φλόγα ἔσβεσεν, 60.541 ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀφεὶς καίεσθαι, δι' αὐτῆς ταύτης θαυμαστοτέρους εἰργάσατο. Καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων δὲ τοιαῦτα ἕτερα ἐθαυματούργησε διὰ πάντων. Εἰ γὰρ ἄνθρωποι, φιλοσοφεῖν εἰδότες, δύνανται φύσει πραγμάτων εἰς τὸ ἐναντίον ἀποχρήσασθαι, καὶ ἐν πενίᾳ ζῶντες τῶν πλουτούντων εὐπορώτεροι φανῆναι, καὶ δι' ἀτιμίας λάμψαι· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγαπώντων αὐτὸν, καὶ ταῦτα καὶ τὰ πολλῷ μείζονα ἐργάσεται. Ἑνὸς γὰρ δεῖ μόνου, τοῦ γνησίως αὐτὸν ἀγαπᾷν, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἕπεται. Ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τούτους καὶ τὰ δοκοῦντα εἶναι βλαβερὰ ὠφελεῖ· οὕτω τοὺς οὐκ ἀγαπῶντας αὐτὸν, καὶ τὰ ὠφελοῦντα βλάπτει. Τοῖς γοῦν Ἰουδαίοις καὶ σημείων ἐπίδειξις, καὶ δογμάτων ὀρθότης ἐλυμαίνετο, καὶ διδασκαλίας φιλοσοφία· καὶ δι' ἐκεῖνα μὲν δαιμονῶντα ἐκάλουν, διὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἀντίθεον· ὑπὲρ δὲ τῶν σημείων καὶ ἀναιρεῖν ἐπεχείρουν. Ὁ μέντοι λῃστὴς σταυρούμενος, προσηλούμενος, λοιδορούμενος, μυρία πάσχων δεινὰ, οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν παρεβλάβη, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἐντεῦθεν ἐκέρδανεν. Εἶδες πῶς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸν Θεὸν πάντα συνεργεῖ εἰς ἀγαθόν; Εἰπὼν τοίνυν τὸ μέγα τοῦτο ἀγαθὸν, καὶ σφόδρα τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν ὑπερβαῖνον,