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Thus, until the consummation and the coming of Christ, the commandment going forth will bring this reward to all those who have provided the root. If your son learns to say, "Believe," he will not be able to go up to the theater, nor to enter a tavern, nor to pass time in gambling; for this word, placed around his mouth like a bridle, will make him blush and be ashamed even unwillingly; if ever he should appear in those places, it will compel him to leap away quickly. But they laugh; but you, weep for their lawlessness. Many also once laughed at Noah, when he was building the ark; but when the flood came, he laughed at them; or rather, the just man never laughed at them, but mourned and groaned. Therefore, when you see people laughing, consider that the teeth which laugh now will then endure a most grievous weeping and gnashing, and they will remember this laughter, grinding and roaring on that day; then you will be reminded of this laughter. How much the rich man laughed at Lazarus! but later, seeing 49.211 him in the bosom of Abraham, he then mourned for himself.

9. Considering all these things, therefore, urge everyone quickly to the fulfillment of the commandment. And do not tell me, "Little by little," nor put it off until tomorrow; for tomorrow never comes to an end. Forty days have now passed; if, then, the holy Pascha passes, I will no longer forgive anyone, nor will I offer exhortation, but a command and a severity not to be despised; for this defense through habit is not strong. Why does the thief not plead habit and escape punishment? Why does the murderer and the adulterer? Therefore I forewarn and testify to all, that if 49.212 having met with you privately and made a test—and I will certainly test—I find some who have not corrected this fault, I will exact a penalty, commanding them to remain outside the holy mysteries, not that they may remain outside, but that having corrected themselves they may so enter, and with a pure conscience partake of the holy table; for this is to partake of communion. May it be that by the prayers of the bishops and of all the saints, having corrected both these and all other faults, we may attain the kingdom of heaven, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, be glory, honor, and worship, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

49.211 On the return of the bishop Flavian, and on the emperor's reconciliation to the city; and to those

who sinned in the destruction of the statues. Homily 21.

1. From the saying with which I was always accustomed to begin my address to your charity during the time of dangers, from this same one I will also today begin my discourse to you, and I will say with you: Blessed be God, who has deemed us worthy to celebrate this sacred festival today with great joy and gladness, and has given back the head to the body, and the shepherd to the sheep, and the teacher to the disciples, the general to the soldiers, the high priest to the priests; blessed be God who does exceedingly abundantly above what we ask or think. For to us it seemed sufficient to be delivered for the time from the impending evils, and for this we made every supplication; but the loving God, always surpassing our requests with His gift in great excess, has also given our father back to us sooner than all expectation. For who would have expected that in so few days he would both depart, and converse with the emperor, and resolve the terrible things, and return again to us so quickly as to be able to arrive for the holy Pascha and

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οὕτω μέχρι τῆς συντελείας καὶ παρουσίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸ πρόσταγμα βαῖνον, τοῖς τὴν ῥίζαν παρασχοῦσιν ἅπαντα οἴσει τοῦτον τὸν μισθόν. Ἂν μάθῃ λέγειν ὁ υἱός σου, Πίστευσον, οὐ δυνήσεται εἰς θέατρον ἀναβῆναι, οὐδὲ εἰς καπηλεῖον εἰσελθεῖν, οὐδὲ ἐν κύβοις διατρίψαι· τὸ γὰρ ῥῆμα τοῦτο ἀντὶ χαλινοῦ τὸ στόμα περικείμενον, καὶ ἄκοντα ἐρυθριᾷν παρασκευάσει καὶ αἰσχύνεσθαι· εἴ ποτε ἐν ἐκείνοις φανείη, καὶ ἀποπηδᾷν ἀναγκάσει ταχέως. Ἀλλὰ καταγελῶσιν ἐκεῖνοι· ἀλλὰ σὺ δάκρυσον αὐτῶν τὴν παρανομίαν. Πολλοὶ καὶ τοῦ Νῶε κατεγέλασάν ποτε, ὅτε τὴν κιβωτὸν κατεσκεύαζεν· ἀλλ' ὅτε ἦλθεν ὁ κατακλυσμὸς, ἐκεῖνος αὐτῶν κατεγέλασε· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδέποτε αὐτῶν κατεγέλασεν ὁ δίκαιος, ἀλλ' ἐθρήνησε καὶ ἐστέναξεν. Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς γελῶντας, ἐννόησον, ὅτι οἱ γελῶντες νῦν ὀδόντες τότε κλαυθμὸν καὶ βρυγμὸν ὑποστήσονται χαλεπώτατον, καὶ τοῦ γέλωτος τούτου μνησθήσονται τρίζοντες κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν καὶ βρυχόμενοι· τότε ἀναμνησθήσῃ τοῦ γέλωτος τούτου. Πόσα κατεγέλασε τοῦ Λαζάρου ὁ πλούσιος! ἀλλ' ὕστερον ἰδὼν 49.211 αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ, ἑαυτὸν ἐθρήνει λοιπόν.

θʹ. Ταῦτα οὖν ἅπαντα ἐννοῶν συνώθει πάντας ταχέως εἰς τὴν τῆς ἐντολῆς ἐκπλήρωσιν. Καὶ μή μοι λέγε, ὅτι Κατὰ μικρὸν, μηδὲ εἰς τὴν αὔριον ἀναβάλλου· ἡ γὰρ αὔριον οὐδέποτε λαμβάνει τέλος. Τεσσαράκοντα λοιπὸν ἡμέραι παρῆλθον· ἂν τοίνυν τὸ Πάσχα παρέλθῃ τὸ ἱερὸν, οὐδενὶ συγγνώσομαι λοιπὸν, οὐδὲ παραίνεσιν προσάξω, ἀλλ' ἐπιταγὴν καὶ ἀποτομίαν ἀκαταφρόνητον· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἰσχυρὰ αὕτη ἡ ἀπολογία ἡ διὰ τῆς συνηθείας. ∆ιὰ τί ὁ κλέπτων οὐ προβάλλεται συνήθειαν, καὶ ἀπαλλάττεται κολάσεως; διὰ τί ὁ φονεύων καὶ μοιχεύων; Πᾶσι τοίνυν προλέγω καὶ διαμαρτύρομαι, ὅτι ἂν συγ 49.212 γενόμενος ὑμῖν κατ' ἰδίαν καὶ λαβὼν ἀπόπειραν λήψομαι δὲ πάντως, εὕρω τινὰς μὴ διορθώσαντας τὸ ἐλάττωμα, ἀπαιτήσω δίκην, κελεύσας ἔξω μένειν τῶν μυστηρίων τῶν ἱερῶν, οὐχ ἵνα μένωσιν ἔξω, ἀλλὰ ἵνα διορθώσαντες ἑαυτοὺς οὕτως εἰσέλθωσι, καὶ μετὰ καθαροῦ συνειδότος ἀπολαύσωσι τῆς ἱερᾶς τραπέζης· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι μετασχεῖν κοινωνίας. Γένοιτο δὲ εὐχαῖς τῶν προέδρων καὶ τῶν ἁγίων πάντων καὶ ταῦτα καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα διορθώσαντας ἐλαττώματα, τυχεῖν τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, τιμὴ καὶ προσκύνησις, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

49.211 Εἰς τὴν ἐπάνοδον τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Φλαβιανοῦ, καὶ εἰς τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως διαλλαγὴν πρὸς τὴν πόλιν· καὶ πρὸς τοὺς

πλημμελήσαντας εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀνδριάντων καταστροφήν. Ὁμιλία καʹ.

αʹ. Ἀπὸ τῆς ῥήσεως, ἀφ' ἧς ἀεὶ παρὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῶν κινδύνων πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν εἰώθειν ἀγάπην προοιμιάζεσθαι, ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς ταύτης καὶ σήμερον ἄρξομαι τοῦ πρὸς ὑμᾶς λόγου, καὶ ἐρῶ μεθ' ὑμῶν· Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ τὴν ἱερὰν ταύτην ἑορτὴν μετὰ χαρᾶς καὶ εὐφροσύνης πολλῆς καταξιώσας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτελέσαι σήμερον, καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποδοὺς τῷ σώματι, καὶ τὸν ποιμένα τοῖς προβάτοις, καὶ τὸν διδάσκαλον τοῖς μαθηταῖς, τὸν στρατηγὸν τοῖς στρατιώταις, τὸν ἀρχιερέα τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν· εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ποιῶν ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ ὧν αἰτούμεθα ἢ νοοῦμεν. Ἡμῖν μὲν γὰρ ἀρκοῦν εἶναι ἐδόκει τὸ τῶν ἐπικειμένων τέως ἀπαλλαγῆναι κακῶν, καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτου πᾶσαν ἐποιούμεθα τὴν ἱκετηρίαν· ὁ δὲ φιλάνθρωπος Θεὸς, καὶ τῇ δόσει τὰς αἰτήσεις ἡμῶν ἀεὶ νικῶν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ὑπερβολῆς, καὶ τὸν πατέρα ἡμῖν θᾶττον ἐλπίδος ἁπάσης ἀπέδωκε. Τίς γὰρ ἂν προσεδόκησεν, ὅτι ἐν οὕτως ὀλίγαις ἡμέραις καὶ ἀπελεύσεται, καὶ διαλέξεται τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ λύσει τὰ δεινὰ, καὶ πάλιν ἐπανήξει πρὸς ἡμᾶς οὕτω ταχέως, ὡς καὶ τὸ Πάσχα τὸ ἱερὸν δυνηθῆναι φθάσαι καὶ