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Since, therefore, it has been demonstrated that we have been commanded to be anxious about no earthly matter at all, not even about our own necessary needs, nor to avenge either ourselves or our brothers who are wronged and abused by anyone, come then, let us examine what was said by the Lord to the chief of the apostles: "If you love me," He says, "more than these, feed my sheep." But I know that from what has been said this has become clear, and many of the intelligent have perhaps already understood the power of the saying, but it is necessary for us also, for the sake of those who are ignorant, to say a few things to your love.

To shepherd, therefore, is nothing other than (339) the care of those being shepherded through word and teaching; and Christ himself showed this when He spoke thus to Peter: "How many times has Satan asked to sift you like wheat? And I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail." Then He added this also, to say to him: "And you, therefore, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." What then is "strengthen your brothers"? From your example, He says, assure them never to fall into despair, even if it happens that they sin. For what is worse, He says, than to deny me, the Master of all? But when you repented and wept bitterly, I immediately deemed you worthy of my compassion and, when you were without confidence before me, I called you with the rest of the disciples on the mountain, and I did not reproach you with a single word for this. Therefore, you also, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers; feed my sheep. And you will shepherd them not by leading them in and out from pasture to pasture and keeping their bodies well-fed and fat, nor by enclosing them with fences and walls, but by teaching them to keep all that I have commanded you, not to keep some things and despise others, but to keep all that I have commanded you. "For go," He says, "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." And He adds: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned."

"Feed my sheep." The shepherd of irrational sheep cares not for farming, nor for business, nor for a house, nor for abundant tables, nor for glory, nor for honor; he is anxious for no other of the matters of this life, nor does he endure (340) to hold on to these things at all, but leaving house and wife and children, he shows all his diligence for his own flock, keeping watch over it and setting out on long journeys, not having a couch, not carrying a bed, but enduring in the open the heat of the day and staying up all night enduring the frost of the night, always wrestling with winds and cold and weather, and he does not desist from guarding and caring for them. But it is possible for you to shepherd my sheep even in your house and on the road and on your couch and bed and while sitting at the table itself; how? By teaching them to have undisturbed and sincere and unwavering faith in me, to love me with all their soul, with all their mind, just as I too have loved them. For I laid down my soul for them and I died. Set before them, instead of irrational pasture, the life-giving food of my commandments; teach them that participation in these comes through the working and fulfillment of them; admonish and exhort them to be filled in this way at every hour, so that by these they may always be satisfied and filled with my good things. And what sort of things my good things are, and through what sort of actions they are acquired, you will suggest to them, saying these things. Sell your possessions and give alms; make for yourselves purses that do not grow old,

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Ἐπεί οὖν ἀποδέδεικται μηδέν ὅλως περί γηΐνου πράγματος προστετάχθαι μεριμνᾶν ἡμᾶς μηδέ περί αὐτῆς τῆς ἀναγκαίας χρείας ἡμῶν, μήτε δέ διεκδικεῖν ἤ ἡμᾶς αὐτούς ἤ τούς ἀδελφούς ἡμῶν ἀδικουμένους καί ἐπηρεαζομένους παρά τινων, φέρε δή ἐξετάσωμεν τί ἐστι τό ῥηθέν παρά τοῦ Κυρίου τῷ κορυφαίῳ τῶν ἀποστόλων· «Εἰ φιλεῖς με, φησί, πλεῖον τούτων, ποίμαινε τά πρόβατά μου». Οἶδα δέ ὅτι ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων σαφές τοῦτο γέγονε καί πολλοί τῶν συνετῶν ἴσως ἔγνωσαν ἤδη τοῦ λόγου τήν δύναμιν, ἀλλά δεῖ καί ἡμᾶς διά τούς ἀγνοοῦντας μικρά τινα πρός τήν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην εἰπεῖν.

Οὐδέν τοιγαροῦν ἕτερόν ἐστι τό ποιμαίνειν εἰ μή ἡ διά (339) τοῦ λόγου καί τῆς διδασκαλίας τῶν ποιμαινομένων ἐπιμέλεια· καί τοῦτο αὐτός ἔδειξεν ὁ Χριστός οὕτως τῷ Πέτρῳ εἰπών· «Ποσάκις ᾐτήσατο ὁ Σατανᾶς σινιᾶσαί σε ὡς τόν σῖτον; Κἀγώ ἐδεήθην περί σοῦ, ἵνα μή ἐκλείπῃ ἡ πίστις σου». Εἶτα προσέθετο καί τοῦτο εἰπεῖν πρός αὐτόν· «Καί σύ οὖν ἐπιστρέψας ποτέ, στήριξον τούς ἀδελφούς σου». Τί οὖν ἐστι τό «στήριξον τούς ἀδελφούς σου»; Ἐκ τοῦ εἰς σέ, φησίν, ὑποδείγματος, πληροφόρησον μηδέποτε εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν καταστρέφεσθαι, εἴ τι δ᾿ ἄν καί συμβῇ αὐτοῖς ἁμαρτῆσαι. Τί γάρ χεῖρον, φησί, τοῦ ἀρνήσασθαί με τόν τῶν ἁπάντων δεσπότην; Ἀλλά μεταμεληθέντα καί πικρῶς κλαύσαντα εὐθύς τῆς συμπαθείας σε ἠξίωσα καί ἀπαρρησίαστον ὄντα πρός ἐμαυτόν μετά καί τῶν λοιπῶν μαθητῶν ἐν τῷ ὄρει ἐκάλεσα καί οὐδέ λόγῳ σοι μόνῳ ὑπέρ τούτου ὠνείδισα. Λοιπόν οὖν καί σύ ἐπιστρέψας στήριξον τούς ἀδελφούς σου· ποίμανον τά πρόβατά μου. Ποιμανεῖς δέ οὐκ ἐν τῷ εἰσάγειν καί ἐξάγειν ἀπό νομῶν εἰς νομάς καί εὔτροφα καί πίονα ταῦτα τῷ σώματι συντηρεῖν, οὐδ᾿ ἐν τῷ περικλείειν φραγμοῖς καί τοίχοις, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν τῷ διδάσκειν αὐτά τηρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν, οὐ τά μέν τηρεῖν, τῶν δέ καταφρονεῖν, ἀλλά πάντα φυλάττειν ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν. «Πορευθέντες γάρ, φησί, μαθητεύσατε πάντα τά ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτούς εἰς τό ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρός καί τοῦ Υἱοῦ καί τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος, διδάσκοντες αὐτούς τηρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν». Καί ἐπιφέρει· «Ὁ πιστεύσας καί βαπτισθείς σωθήσεται, ὁ δέ ἀπιστήσας κατακριθήσεται».

«Ποίμανε τά πρόβατά μου». Ὁ ποιμήν τῶν ἀλόγων προβάτων οὐ γεωργίας, οὐ πραγματείας, οὐκ οἰκίας, οὐκ εὐθηνουσῶν τραπεζῶν, οὐ δόξης, οὐ τιμῆς φροντίζει· οὐδέν ἑτερον τῶν βιωτικῶν μεριμνᾷ πραγμάτων, οὐδέ ἀντέχεσθαι (340) τούτων ὅλως ἀνέχεται, ἀλλά καί οἰκίαν καί γυναῖκα καί τέκνα καταλιπών, ὅλην ἐν τῇ ἑαυτόῦ ποίμνῃ τήν σπουδήν ἐπιδείκνυται, ἀγρυπνῶν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῇ καί μακράς ἀποδημίας στελλόμενος, μή κλίνην ἔχων, μή στρωμνήν ἐπιφερόμενος, ἀλλ᾿ ὑποφέρων αἴθριος τόν καύσωνα τῆς ἡμέρας καί τόν παγετόν τῆς νυκτός ὑπομένων διανυκτερεύει, ἀνέμοις καί κρυμῷ καί ἀέρι προσπαλαίων ἀεί, καί τῆς παραφυλακῆς καί ἐπιμελείας αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀφίσταται. Σοί δέ ἔξεστι καί ἐν οἰκίᾳ καί ἐν ὁδῷ καί ἐπί κλίνης καί στρωμνῆς καί ἐπί τραπέζης αὐτῆς παρακειμένῳ ποιμαίνειν τά πρόβατά μου· πῶς; ∆ιδάσκων αὐτά τήν εἰς ἐμέ πίστιν ἀθόλωτον ἔχειν καί εἰλικρινῆ καί ἀδίστακτον, ἀγαπᾶν με ἐξ ὅλης αὐτῶν τῆς ψυχῆς, ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας, ὡς αὐτούς οὕτως κἀγώ ἠγάπησα. Ὑπέρ αὐτῶν γάρ ἔθηκα τήν ψυχήν μου καί ἀπέθανον. Πρόθες αὐτοῖς ἀντί νομῆς ἀλόγου τήν τῶν ἐμῶν ἐντολῶν ζωοποιόν τροφήν· δίδαξον αὐτούς διά τῆς ἐργασίας τούτων καί ἐκπληρώσεως τήν ἐξ αὐτῶν μετάληψιν γίνεσθαι· νουθέτησον καί παρακάλεσον αὐτούς οὕτως καθ᾿ ὥραν ἐμπίπλασθαι, ἵνα ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀεί κεκορεσμένοι ὦσι καί ἐμπεπλησμένοι τῶν ἐμῶν ἀγαθῶν. Ὁποῖα δέ τά ἐμά ἀγαθά καί διά ποίων τῶν πράξεων κτῶνται, ὑποθήσεις αὐτοῖς λέγων ταῦτα. Πωλήσατε τά ὑπάρχοντα ὑμῶν καί δότε ἐλεημοσύνην· ποιήσατε ὑμῖν βαλάντια μή παλαιούμενα,