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of handfuls of grain, not waiting for the changes of seasons, and winter and spring and rain; so also it happens now; and the works cry aloud. While He was saying these things, therefore, the Samaritans were coming out, and the fruit was gathered all at once. For this reason He said, “Lift up your eyes, and see the fields, that they are white.” He said these things, and the work appeared, and the words were seen from the deeds. For from that city many, it says, of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman, who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” For they saw that the woman would not have admired out of flattery the one who convicted her of her sins, nor for the sake of gratifying another would she have paraded her own life. 3. Let us then imitate the woman, we too, and for our own sins let us not be ashamed before men, but let us fear God as we ought, Who both now sees what is being done, and then will punish those who have not repented now; whereas now we do the opposite. For Him who is to judge, we do not fear; but those who harm us in nothing, these we dread, and we tremble at the shame from them. For this reason, in what we fear, in this we receive the punishment. For he who is suspicious only of the shame of men now, and is not ashamed to do something wicked while God is watching, not wishing to repent and change, on that day, not before one or two, but with the whole world watching, is made a public example. For that a great theater is seated there for both good deeds and for those not so, let the parable of the sheep and the goats teach you, and the blessed Paul, saying, “For we must,” he says, “all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad;” and again, “Who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness.” Have you done or thought something evil, and you hide it from man? But you do not hide it from God. But none of these things concerns you; but the eyes of men, this is your fear. Therefore consider that you will not be able to escape the notice of men on that day. For all things then will be set before our eyes as in a picture, so that each person becomes self-condemned. And this is clear also from the rich man. For the rich man saw standing before his eyes the poor man who had been despised, Lazarus I mean, 59.197 and the finger he had often abhorred, he then begs to be a comfort to him. I beseech you, therefore, even if no one sees our deeds, for each of us to enter into his own conscience, and to set up his reason as a judge for himself, and to bring his sins into the midst; and if he does not wish to be exposed on that dreadful day, let him apply the medicines of repentance, and heal the wounds. For it is possible, it is possible for one full of a myriad wounds to depart healthy. “For if you forgive,” He says, “your sins will be forgiven; but if you do not forgive, they will not be forgiven.” For just as sins buried in baptism are no longer seen; so these too will disappear, if we are willing to repent. But repentance is to no longer do the same things. For he who attempts the same things is like the dog returning to its own vomit, and to one who, according to the proverb, combs wool into the fire and draws water into a leaky jar. It is necessary, therefore, to desist both in deed and in thought from the things that have been dared, and having desisted, to apply to the wounds medicines opposite to the sins. For example, I say: Have you seized and been greedy? Desist from seizing, and apply almsgiving to the wound. Have you fornicated? Desist from fornication, and apply chastity to the sore. Have you spoken evil of your brother and harmed him? Cease slandering, and apply kindness. And so let us do for each of our sins, and let us not simply run past our sins; for the time of accounting is now at hand, it is at hand. Therefore Paul also said, “The Lord is near, be anxious for nothing.” But perhaps for us it is possible to say the opposite: “The Lord is near, be anxious.” For they rightly heard, “Be anxious for nothing,” in affliction and toils
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δραγμάτων, οὐκ ἀναμενόντων τὰς τῶν καιρῶν τροπὰς, καὶ χειμῶνα καὶ ἔαρ καὶ ὄμβρον· οὕτω καὶ νῦν γίνεται· καὶ τὰ ἔργα βοᾷ. Μεταξὺ οὖν λέγοντος αὐτοῦ ταῦτα, ἐξῄεσαν οἱ Σαμαρεῖται, καὶ συνήγετο ἀθρόον ὁ καρπός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν· Ἄρατε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν, καὶ βλέπετε τὰς χώρας, ὅτι λευκαί εἰσιν. Εἶπε ταῦτα, καὶ τὸ ἔργον ἐφάνη, καὶ τὰ ῥήματα ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων ἑωρᾶτο. Ἐκ γὰρ τῆς πόλεως ἐκείνης πολλοὶ, φησὶν, ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτὸν τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν διὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς γυναικὸς, μαρτυρούσης, ὅτι Εἶπέ μοι πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησα. Συνεώρων γὰρ ὅτι οὐκ ἂν ἐθαύμασε πρὸς χάριν ἡ γυνὴ τὸν διελέγξαντα αὐτῆς τὰ πλημμελήματα, οὐδ' ἂν ὑπὲρ τοῦ χαρίσασθαι ἑτέρῳ τὸν ἑαυτῆς ἐξεπόμπευσε βίον. γʹ. Μιμησώμεθα δὴ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ ἡμεῖς, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις ἁμαρτήμασι μὴ αἰσχυνώμεθα ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλὰ φοβώμεθα ὡς χρὴ Θεὸν τὸν καὶ νῦν ὁρῶντα τὸ γινόμενον, καὶ τότε κολάζοντα τοὺς μὴ μετανοήσαντας νῦν· ὡς νῦν γε τοὐναντίον ποιοῦμεν. Τὸν μὲν γὰρ μέλλοντα κρίνειν, οὐ δεδοίκαμεν· τοὺς δὲ οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς παραβλάπτοντας, τούτους φρίττομεν, καὶ τὴν παρ' αὐτῶν αἰσχύνην τρέμομεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐν ᾧ δεδοίκαμεν, ἐν τούτῳ τὴν τιμωρίαν δίδομεν. Ὁ γὰρ αἰσχύνην ἀνθρώπων ὑφορώμενος νῦν μόνον, Θεοῦ δὲ ὁρῶντος μὴ αἰσχυνόμενος πρᾶξαί τι ἄτοπον, μὴ θέλων μετανοῆσαι καὶ μεταβαλέσθαι, ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ οὐκ ἐνώπιον ἑνὸς καὶ δευτέρου, ἀλλὰ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης ὁρώσης παραδειγματίζεται. Ὅτι γὰρ καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν πράξεων, καὶ τῶν οὐ τοιούτων μέγα θέατρον ἐκεῖ κάθηται, ἡ τῶν προβάτων καὶ τῶν ἐρίφων παραβολὴ παιδευέτω σε, καὶ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος, λέγων· ∆εῖ γὰρ ἡμᾶς, φησὶ, παραστῆναι ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα κομίσηται ἕκαστος τὰ διὰ τοῦ σώματος ὅσα ἔπραξεν, εἴτε ἀγαθὸν, εἴτε κακόν· καὶ πάλιν, Ὃς φανερώσει τὰ κρυπτὰ τοῦ σκότους. Ἔπραξάς τι πονηρὸν, ἢ ἐνενόησας, καὶ κρύπτεις ἄνθρωπον; Ἀλλὰ τὸν Θεὸν οὐ κρύπτεις. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων σοι μέλει· οἱ δὲ ὀφθαλμοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τοῦτό σοι φόβος. Οὐκοῦν ἐννόησον ὅτι οὐδὲ ἀνθρώπους λαθεῖν δυνήσῃ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην. Πάντα γὰρ ὡς ἐν εἰκόνι τότε στήσεται κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς ἡμῶν, ὡς αὐτοκατάκριτον ἕκαστον γενέσθαι. Καὶ τοῦτο δῆλον καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πλουσίου. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὸν ὑπεροφθέντα πένητα, τὸν Λάζαρον λέγω, 59.197 πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν εἶδεν ἑστῶτα ὁ πλούσιος, καὶ ὃν πολλάκις ἐβδελύξατο δάκτυλον, τοῦτον παρακαλεῖ παραμυθίαν αὐτῷ γενέσθαι τότε. Παρακαλῶ τοίνυν, κἂν μηδεὶς ἴδῃ τὰ ἡμέτερα, ἕκαστον ἡμῶν εἰς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ συνειδὸς εἰσελθεῖν, καὶ καθίσαι ἑαυτῷ δικαστὴν τὸν λογισμὸν, καὶ εἰς μέσον ἄγειν τὰ πεπλημμελημένα· καὶ εἰ μὴ βούλοιτο ἐκπομπευθῆναι ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ φοβερᾷ, ἐπιτιθέτω τὰ φάρμακα τῆς μετανοίας, καὶ ἰασάσθω τὰ τραύματα. Ἔξεστι γὰρ, ἔξεστι μυρίων γέμοντα τραυμάτων, ἀπελθεῖν ὑγιαίνοντα. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἀφῆτε, φησὶν, ἀφέωνται ὑμῶν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀφῆτε, οὐκ ἀφέωνται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι καταχωννύμενα τὰ ἁμαρτήματα οὐκ ἔτι φαίνεται· οὕτω καὶ ταῦτα ἀφανισθήσεται, ἐὰν θελήσωμεν μετανοῆσαι. Ἔστι δὲ μετάνοια τὸ μηκέτι τὰ αὐτὰ ποιεῖν. Ὁ γὰρ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐπιχειρῶν, ἔοικε τῷ κυνὶ τῷ πρὸς τὸν ἴδιον ἔμετον ἐπανιόντι, καὶ τῷ κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν εἰς πῦρ ξαίνοντι καὶ εἰς τετρημένον ἀντλοῦντι πίθον. ∆εῖ τοίνυν ἀφίστασθαι καὶ τῇ πράξει καὶ τῇ γνώμῃ τῶν τολμηθέντων, καὶ ἀποστάντας φάρμακα ἐπιθεῖναι τοῖς τραύμασι τὰ ἐναντία τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων. Οἷόν τι λέγω· Ἥρπασας καὶ ἐπλεονέκτησας; Ἀπόστηθι τῆς ἁρπαγῆς, καὶ ἐπίθες ἐλεημοσύνην τῷ τραύματι. Ἐπόρνευσας; Ἀπόστηθι τῆς πορνείας, καὶ ἐπίθες ἁγνείαν τῷ ἕλκει. Κακῶς εἶπες τὸν ἀδελφὸν καὶ ἔβλαψας; Παῦσαι κακηγορῶν, καὶ ἐπίθες φιλοφροσύνην. Καὶ καθ' ἕκαστον οὕτω ποιῶμεν τῶν πεπλημμελημένων ἡμῖν, καὶ μὴ ἁπλῶς παρατρέχωμεν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα· ἐφέστηκε γὰρ λοιπὸν, ἐφέστηκεν ὁ τῶν εὐθυνῶν καιρός. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· Ὁ Κύριος ἐγγὺς, μηδὲν μεριμνᾶτε. Ἀλλ' ἡμῖν τάχα τοὐναντίον ἔστιν ἐπιλέγειν· Ὁ Κύριος ἐγγὺς, μεριμνᾶτε. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ καλῶς ἤκουον, Μηδὲν μεριμνᾶτε, ἐν θλίψει καὶ πόνοις