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and are in contests; but those who live in robbery and in luxury, those who are about to give a heavy account, would not hear this, but rather that, with good reason: The Lord is near, be anxious. For not much time of the consummation is left, but the world is henceforth hastening to the end. This the wars declare, this the tribulations, this the earthquakes, 59.198 this the love grown cold. For just as a body at the point of death, and being near its end, draws to itself countless evils; and when a house is about to collapse, many things are accustomed to fall beforehand both from the roof and from the walls; so also the consummation of the world stands near and at the doors, and for this reason countless evils are scattered everywhere. For if the Lord was near then, much more is He near now. If four hundred years ago when these things were said, Paul called that time the fullness of times, much more the present time. But perhaps for this very reason some disbelieve. And yet for this reason one ought to believe all the more. For how do you know, O man, that the end is not near, and that after a short time the things spoken will come to pass? For just as we say the end of the year is not the last day, but also the last month, though it has thirty days; so also of so many years, even if I should call four hundred years the end, I shall not err. So from that time he was foretelling the end. Let us therefore restrain ourselves, let us take delight in the fear of God. For while we are living in security, not being very anxious nor expecting it, the coming will suddenly be upon us. And Christ, declaring this, said: For as it was in the days of Noah, and in the days of Lot, so shall it be also in the consummation of this age. This Paul also, declaring, said: But when they say, "Peace and safety," then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. What is, As labor pains upon a pregnant woman? Often pregnant women, while playing or dining, or spending time in the bath or in the marketplace, foreseeing none of the things to come, have been suddenly seized by the pain. Since, therefore, our circumstances are also like this, let us be ever prepared. For we shall not always hear these things; we shall not always have the power for these things. For in Hades, he says, who will confess to you? Let us therefore repent here, so that we may have God merciful on the coming day, and may be able to enjoy much forgiveness; which may we all attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

59.197 HOMILY 35. So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them. And he stayed there two days. And many more believed in him because of his word; and they said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe; for we ourselves

have heard, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world, the Christ." And after two days he departed from there, and went into

Galilee.

1. Nothing is worse than envy and malice, nothing more grievous than vainglory; this is accustomed to corrupt countless good things. The Jews, therefore, though having more knowledge than the Samaritans and having been brought up with the prophets, were shown to be behind them in this. For these believed even from the testimony of the woman, and having seen no sign, they went out beseeching Christ to stay with them; but the Jews, even 59.198 after witnessing miracles, not only did not keep him with them, but even drove him away, and did everything to cast him out of the country, and yet

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καὶ ἀγῶσιν ὄντες· οἱ δὲ ἐν ἁρπαγαῖς ζῶντες καὶ ἐν τρυφῇ, οἱ χαλεπὰς εὐθύνας μέλλοντες διδόναι, οὐ τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο ἂν ἀκούσαιεν εἰκότως· Ὁ Κύριος ἐγγὺς, μεριμνᾶτε. Οὐδὲ γὰρ πολὺς λείπεται τῆς συντελείας ὁ χρόνος, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ τέλος λοιπὸν ὁ κόσμος ἐπείγεται. Τοῦτο οἱ πόλεμοι δηλοῦσι, τοῦτο αἱ θλίψεις, τοῦτο οἱ σεισμοὶ, 59.198 τοῦτο ἡ ἀγάπη ψυγεῖσα. Καθάπερ γὰρ σῶμα ψυχοῤῥαγοῦν, καὶ ἐγγὺς ὂν τῆς τελευτῆς, μυρίας ἐπισπᾶται κακώσεις· καὶ οἰκίας μελλούσης καταπίπτειν, πολλὰ προπίπτειν εἴωθε καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ὀροφῆς καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν τοίχων· οὕτω καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐγγὺς καὶ ἐπὶ θύραις ἕστηκεν ἡ συντέλεια, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὰ μυρία διέσπαρται πανταχοῦ κακά. Εἰ γὰρ τότε ὁ Κύριος ἐγγὺς, πολλῷ μᾶλλον νῦν ἐγγύς. Εἰ πρὸ τετρακοσίων ἐτῶν ὅτε ταῦτα ἐλέγετο, καὶ πλήρωμα τῶν χρόνων τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον ὁ Παῦλος ἐκάλει, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸν παρόντα. Ἀλλ' ἴσως δι' αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἀπιστοῦσί τινες. Καὶ μὴν διὰ τοῦτο πιστεύειν χρὴ μᾶλλον. Πόθεν γὰρ οἶδας, ἄνθρωπε, ὅτι οὐκ ἐγγὺς τὸ τέλος, καὶ μετὰ βραχὺν χρόνον ἀπαντήσεται τὰ εἰρημένα; Ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ τέλος, οὐ τὴν ἐσχάτην ἡμέραν λέγομεν εἶναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἔσχατον μῆνα, καίτοι γε τριάκοντα ἡμέρας ἔχοντα· οὕτω καὶ τῶν τοσούτων ἐτῶν κἂν τετρακόσια ἔτη τέλος εἴπω, οὐχ ἁμαρτήσομαι. Ὥστε ἔκτοτε προανεφώνει τὸ τέλος. Συστείλωμεν οὖν ἑαυτοὺς, ἐντρυφήσωμεν τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἀδείᾳ διατριβόντων ἡμῶν, οὐ σφόδρα μεριμνώντων οὐδὲ προσδοκώντων, ἐπιστήσεται ἀθρόον ἡ παρουσία. Καὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν ὁ Χριστὸς ἔλεγεν· Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τοῦ Νῶε, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τοῦ Λὼτ, οὕτως ἔσται καὶ ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Ὅταν δὲ λέγωσιν, εἰρήνη καὶ ἀσφάλεια, τότε αἰφνίδιος αὐτοῖς ἐφίσταται ὄλεθρος, καὶ ὥσπερ ἡ ὠδὶν τῇ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσῃ. Τί ἐστιν, Ἡ ὠδὶν τῇ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσῃ, Πολλάκις αἱ κύουσαι γυναῖκες παίζουσαι ἢ ἀριστοποιοῦσαι, ἢ ἐν βαλανείῳ, ἢ ἐν ἀγορᾷ διάγουσαι, οὐδὲν τῶν μελλόντων προορώμεναι, ὑπὸ τῆς ὀδύνης κατεσχέθησαν ἀθρόον. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τοιαῦτα καὶ τὰ ἡμέτερα, ὦμεν ἀεὶ παρεσκευασμένοι. Οὐ γὰρ ἀεὶ ταῦτα ἀκουσόμεθα· οὐκ ἀεὶ τούτων ἐξουσίαν ἕξομεν. Ἐν γὰρ τῷ ᾅδῃ, φησὶ, τίς ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι; Οὐκοῦν ἐνταῦθα μετανοήσωμεν, ἵνα οὕτως ἵλεω τὸν Θεὸν ἔχωμεν κατὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἡμέραν, καὶ πολλῆς ἀπολαῦσαι δυνηθῶμεν συγγνώμης· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

59.197 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΛΕʹ. Ὡς οὖν ἦλθον πρὸς αὐτὸν οἱ Σαμαρεῖται, ἠρώτων αὐτὸν μεῖναι παρ' αὐτοῖς. Καὶ ἔμεινεν ἐκεῖ δύο ἡμέρας. Καὶ πολλῷ πλείους ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτὸν διὰ τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ· τῇ τε γυναικὶ ἔλεγον, ὅτι Οὐκ ἔτι διὰ τὴν σὴν λαλιὰν πιστεύο μεν· αὐτοὶ γὰρ

ἀκηκόαμεν, καὶ οἴδαμεν, ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὁ Σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου ὁ Χριστός. Καὶ μετὰ δύο ἡμέρας ἐξῆλθεν ἐκεῖθεν, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὴν

Γαλιλαίαν.

αʹ. Οὐδὲν φθόνου καὶ βασκανίας χεῖρον, οὐδὲν κενοδοξίας χαλεπώτερον· αὕτη τὰ μυρία εἴωθε διαφθείρειν ἀγαθά, Οἱ οὖν Ἰουδαῖοι πλείονα τῶν Σαμαρειτῶν γνῶσιν ἔχοντες, καὶ τοῖς προφήταις συντραφέντες, ὕστεροι τούτων ἐφάνησαν ἐντεῦθεν. Οὗτοι μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς μαρτυρίας ἐπίστευσαν τῆς γυναικὸς, καὶ σημεῖον ἰδόντες οὐδὲν, ἐξῆλθον παρακαλοῦντες τὸν Χριστὸν μεῖναι παρ' αὐτοῖς· οἱ δὲ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ 59.198 θαύματα θεασάμενοι, οὐ μόνον οὐ κατεῖχον αὐτὸν παρ' ἑαυτοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπήλαυνον, καὶ πάντα ἔπραττον, ὥστε καὶ τῆς χώρας αὐτὸν ἐκβαλεῖν, καίτοι γε