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Discourse 34. (421)

That it is not without danger to bury the talent given to us by God; for it is necessary to make it public and to show it to all and to proclaim thankfully the benefactions of God for the benefit of those who hear, even if some are displeased. Brothers and fathers and children in Christ God, what have you suspected concerning the things taught by us often in various discourses? What have you decreed in yourselves against the one who has spoken these things with boldness? Did you perhaps suppose that we said something outside the divine Scriptures? Did you perhaps secretly blame us, as having said arrogant things? Did you perhaps condemn us, as boasting? If, then, you were thus disposed toward the things that were said, may Christ be merciful to you, but I beseech your love that no one persist in such a judgment. For we have not written these things for the sake of show—may God who has had mercy and led us to these things not allow this—but, remembering the gifts of God, which from the beginning of our life and until the present He has worked with us, the unworthy, giving thanks (422) we praise Him, as a compassionate Master and our benefactor Lord, and the talent given to us by Him we gratefully lay before you all. For where can we keep silent about so great a magnitude of His benefactions or ungratefully, as forgetful and wicked servants, bury the talent given to us? For, being unable to do this, we proclaim His mercy, we confess His grace, we show His goodness toward us to all, and we exhort you also through the teaching of the word to strive to partake of His gifts and to enjoy them, which we the unworthy have also enjoyed through His ineffable goodness. For in this we do you no wrong, nor have we wronged you, but we long to share what we have received with our fellow servants, who are you, the people of Christ and holy flock and royal priesthood deemed worthy to hear and be called.

For just as a certain poor man who loves his brothers, having asked and received coins from a certain Christ-loving and merciful man, runs to his fellow poor in joy and reports, saying to them in secret: "Run, you also, with haste, that you may receive," pointing with his finger and showing them the one who gave him the coin; and if they disbelieve, he bares it on his palm and shows it, so that believing they may act with haste and quickly find that merciful man, so indeed I, the humble, the poor and naked of good and servant of the holiness of all of you, having received experience of the philanthropy and compassion of God, as one having approached Him through repentance (423) and through the mediation of Saint Symeon, my father and your father, having received grace, I who am unworthy of all grace, I cannot bear to hide it alone in the bosom of my soul, but to all of you, my brothers and fathers, I speak of the gifts of God and what kind of talent has been given to me; as far as I am able, I reveal it to you and through the word, as if on my palm, I lay it bare, and I speak not as in a corner and in secret, but crying out with a loud voice: "Run, brothers, run!" and not only do I cry out, but I also point out the giving Master, again putting forward the word to you instead of a finger. For if a man gives an obol to a certain poor man, and then that man reports him so that he might give to others also, he becomes angry and is hardened toward giving more, but God is not so, but does entirely the opposite. For if He gives someone a spiritual gift, that is, a talent, and he does not preach it to all and make it public, saying, "Come to the one who gives freely

158

Λόγος Λ∆΄. (421)

Ὅτι οὐκ ἀκίνδυνον τό διδόμενον ἡμῖν παρά Θεοῦ τάλαντον κατορύττειν· χρή γάρ δημοσιεύειν αὐτό καί τοῖς πᾶσιν ὑποδεικνύειν καί τάς εὐεργεσίας Θεοῦ εὐγνωμόνως ἀνακηρύττειν εἰς τήν τῶν ἀκουόντων

ὠφέλειαν, κἄν τινες ἀπαρέσκωνται. Ἀδελφοί καί πατέρες καί τέκνα ἐν Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ, τί πρός τά κατηχηθέντα παρ᾿

ἡμῶν ἐν διαφόροις πολλάκις λόγοις ὑπενοήσατε; Τί κατά τοῦ ταῦτα παρρησίᾳ λαλήσαντος ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀπεφήνασθε; Μή τι τῶν θείων ἔξω Γραφῶν εἰπεῖν ἡμᾶς ὑπελάβετε; Μή τι λεληθότως ἡμᾶς κατεμέμψασθε, ὡς ὑπέρογκα λελεχότας; Μή τι κατεκρίνατε, ὡς μεγαλορρημονοῦντας ἡμᾶς; Εἰ οὖν οὕτω πρός τά ῥηθέντα διετέθητε, ἵλεως ὑμῖν γένοιτο ὁ Χριστός, ἐγώ δέ παρακαλῶ τήν ἀγάπην ὑμῶν ἵνα μηδείς τῷ τοιούτῳ κρίματι ἐπιμείνῃ. Οὐ γάρ ἐνδείξεως χάριν ταῦτα γεγράφαμεν, μή τοῦτο συγχωρήσῃ ὁ ἐλεήσας καί ἀγαγών ἡμᾶς εἰς ταῦτα Θεός, ἀλλά μεμνημένοι τῶν δωρεῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὧν ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς βίου καί μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος πεποίηκε μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν τῶν ἀναξίων, εὐχαριστοῦντες (422) ἀνυμνοῦμεν αὐτόν, ὡς εὔσπλαχνον ∆εσπότην καί εὐεργέτην ἡμῶν Κύριον, καί τό ἐπιδοθέν ἡμῖν παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ τάλαντον εὐγνωμόνως πᾶσιν ὑμῖν καταβάλλομεν. Ποῦ γάρ καί δυνάμεθα τό τοσοῦτον μέγεθος τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν αὐτοῦ σιωπᾶν ἤ ἀγνωμόνως ὡς ἀμνήμονες καί κακοί δοῦλοι κατορύττειν τό δοθέν ἡμῖν τάλαντον; Τοῦτο γάρ ποιεῖν μή δυνάμενοι, ἀνακηρύττομεν τόν αὐτοῦ ἔλεον, ὁμολογοῦμεν τήν χάριν, πᾶσι δεικνύομεν τήν πρός ἡμᾶς αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητα καί παρακαλοῦμεν καί ὑμᾶς διά τῆς διδασκαλίας τοῦ λόγου ἀγωνίσασθαι μετασχεῖν τῶν αὐτοῦ δωρεῶν καί ἀπολαῦσαι, ὧν καί ἡμεῖς οἱ ἀνάξιοι διά τῆς ἀφάτου αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητος ἀπηλαύσαμεν. Οὐδέν γάρ ὑμᾶς ἐν τούτῳ ἀδικοῦμεν ἤ ἠδικήσαμεν, ἀλλά μεταδοῦναι ποθοῦμεν ἐξ ὧν εἰλήφαμεν τοῖς συνδούλοις ἡμῶν, οἵτινές ἐστε ὑμεῖς, οἱ Χριστοῦ λαός καί ποίμνιον ἱερόν καί βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα ἀκούειν καί καλεῖσθαι ἠξιωμένοι.

Ὥσπερ γάρ πτωχός τις φιλάδελφος παρά τινος φιλοχρίστου καί ἐλεήμονος αἰτήσας καί λαβών νομίσματα, ἀποτρέχει πρός τούς συμπένητας αὐτοῦ ἐν χαρᾷ καί καταμηνύει λέγων ἐν μυστηρίῳ αὐτοῖς· "∆ράμετε σπουδῇ καί ὑμεῖς, ἵνα λάβητε", δακτυλοδεικτῶν καί ὑποδεικνύων αὐτοῖς τόν τό νόμισμα αὐτῷ ἐπιδόντα, εἰ δέ καί διαπιστοῦσιν, ἐπί τῆς παλάμης ἀπογυμνώσας δείκνυσι καί αὐτό, ἵνα πιστεύσαντες σπουδῇ χρήσωνται καί τόν ἐλεήμονα ἐκεῖνον ἄνδρα ταχύ καταλάβωσιν, οὕτω δή καί ὁ ταπεινός ἐγώ, ὁ πτωχός καί γυμνός ἀγαθοῦ καί δοῦλος τῆς ἁγιωσύνης πάντων ὑμῶν, πεῖραν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας καί συμπαθείας λαβών, ὡς διά μετανοίας (423) αὐτῷ προσελθών καί διά τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου Συμεών μεσιτείας, τοῦ πατρός μου καί πατρός ὑμῶν, τήν χάριν ἀπειληφώς ὁ ἀνάξιος πάσης χάριτος, οὐ φέρω μόνος ταύτην κρύπτειν ἐν κόλπῳ ψυχῆς, ἀλλά πᾶσι τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ὑμῖν λέγω καί πατράσι μου τάς δωρεάς τοῦ Θεοῦ καί ὁποῖόν ἐστι τό δοθέν μοι τάλαντον, ὅσον τό ἐπ᾿ ἐμοί, φανερῷ ὑμῖν καί διά τοῦ λόγου ὡς ἐπί παλάμης ἀπογυμνῶ τοῦτο, καί λέγω οὐχ ὡς ἐν παραβύστῳ καί μυστηρίῳ, ἀλλά μεγάλῃ βοῶν τῇ φωνῇ· "∆ράμετε, ἀδελφοί, δράμετε", καί οὐ βοῶ μόνον, ἀλλά καί ὑποδεικνύω τόν διδόντα ∆εσπότην, τόν λόγον πάλιν ἀντί δακτύλου ὑμῖν προβαλλόμενος. Ἄνθρωπος μέν γάρ ἐάν ὀβολόν πτωχῷ τινι δῷ, εἶτα ἐκεῖνος πρός τό καί ἑτέροις δοῦναι τοῦτον καταμηνύσειεν, ὀργίζεται καί πρός τό δοῦναι μᾶλλον σκληρύνεται, ὁ δέ Θεός οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλά τοὐναντίον ἅπαν ποιεῖ. Ἐάν γάρ τινι δῷ πνευματικόν χάρισμα ἤγουν τάλαντον καί οὐ κηρύξῃ τοῖς πᾶσι καί δημοσιεύσῃ αὐτό, "Προσέλθετε", λέγων, "πρός τόν ἁπλῶς διδόντα