167

we have God as our debtor. But when we are treated well, we are debtors and answerable to God; otherwise, and often, these things become a judgment for us, while those things become a payment for sins. Those things draw down mercy, those things draw down loving-kindness; but these things raise one to despair, these lead to indolence, and prepare one to imagine great things about oneself, these make one vain. For this reason the prophet also said: It is good for me, Lord, that you humbled me, so that I might learn your statutes. When Hezekiah was well-treated and delivered from evils, his heart was lifted up on high; when he was sick, then he was humbled, then he became near to God. When, it says, He slew them, then they sought Him, and they returned and rose early to God; and again: When he grew fat and sleek, the beloved one kicked. For the Lord is known when He executes judgments. Affliction is a great good. The way is narrow; so affliction pushes us into the narrow way; one who is not afflicted will not be able to enter. For he who afflicts himself in the narrow way, this is he who also enjoys rest; but he who makes his way broad, neither enters, and is afflicted by being wedged, so to speak. Hear how Paul entered into this narrow way. I buffet, he says, my body, and bring it into subjection. Buffet the body, so as to be able to enter; for this reason in all afflictions he continued giving thanks to God. You have suffered the loss of money; this has lightened for you much of the broadness. Have you fallen from glory? This is another broadness. Have you been slandered? Have the things said against you been believed, of which you are not conscious in yourself? Rejoice and be glad. For blessed are you, He says, when they revile you, and say all kinds of evil against you, falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. Why are you surprised if you are distressed, and wish to be relieved from temptations? Paul wished to be relieved, and often besought God, and did not obtain it; for "thrice" means "often." For this, he says, I besought the Lord three times, and He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is made perfect in weakness; here he calls afflictions "weakness." What then? Since he heard these things, he bore it thankfully, and says: Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses; that is, I am content, I find rest in afflictions. Therefore let us give thanks for all things, both for rest, 63.231 and for affliction, let us not murmur, let us not be ungrateful. Say also: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall depart. You did not come forth glorious; do not seek glory. Naked not of money only, but also of glory and good repute, you were brought into life. Consider how many evils have often come from money; or rather, hear what Christ says: For it is easier, He says, for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Do you see how many good things wealth becomes an obstacle to, and you seek to be rich? And you do not rejoice in being poor, because the hindrance has been overthrown? So narrow is the way that leads into the kingdom; so broad is wealth, and full of bulk and puffing up. For this reason He says: Sell your possessions, so that that way may receive you. Why do you desire 63.232 money? for this reason He took it from you, that He might deliver you from slavery; since even true fathers, when their son happens to be corrupted by some courtesan, and having exhorted him many times cannot persuade him to leave her, they banish the courtesan. Such also is the abundance of money. Therefore the Master, caring for us and delivering us from the harm that comes from it, takes away our money. Let us not then think that poverty is an evil; sin alone is an evil. For neither is wealth a good in itself; only to please God is a good. Let us then seek poverty, let us pursue it; thus we shall take hold of heaven, thus we shall attain the good things in heaven; may it be that we all attain to them, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

167

τὸν Θεὸν ὀφειλέτην ἔχομεν. Ὅταν δὲ καλῶς πάθωμεν, ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν ὀφειλέται καὶ ὑπεύθυνοι τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἄλλως τε καὶ πολλάκις ἡμῖν ταῦτα εἰς κρῖμα γίνεται, ἐκεῖνα δὲ εἰς ἔκτισιν ἁμαρτημάτων. Ἐκεῖνα ἔλεον ἐπισπᾶται, ἐκεῖνα φιλανθρωπίαν· ταῦτα δὲ καὶ εἰς ἀπόνοιαν αἴρει, ταῦτα καὶ εἰς ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐξάγει, καὶ μεγάλα περὶ ἑαυτοῦ παρασκευάζει φαντάζεσθαι, ταῦτα χαυνοῖ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἔλεγεν· Ἀγαθόν μοι, Κύριε, ὅτι ἐταπείνωσάς με, ὅπως ἂν μάθω τὰ δικαιώματά σου. Ὅτε εὐεργετήθη καὶ ἀπηλλάγη τῶν κακῶν ὁ Ἐζεκίας, ἐπήρθη εἰς ὕψος ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ· ὅτε ἠῤῥώστησε, τότε ἐταπεινώθη, τότε ἐγγὺς ἐγένετο τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὅτε, φησὶν, ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτοὺς, τότε ἐξεζήτουν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐπέστρεφον καὶ ὤρθριζον πρὸς τὸν Θεόν· καὶ πάλιν· Ὅτε ἐπαχύνθη καὶ ἐλιπάνθη, ἀπελάκτισεν ὁ ἠγαπημένος. Γινώσκεται γὰρ Κύριος κρίματα ποιῶν. Μέγα θλῖψις ἀγαθόν. Στενή ἐστιν ἡ ὁδός· ὥστε ἡ θλῖψις ἡμᾶς ὠθεῖ ἐν τῇ στενῇ· ὁ μὴ θλιβόμενος εἰσελθεῖν οὐ δυνήσεται. Ὁ γὰρ ἐν τῇ στενῇ θλίβων ἑαυτὸν, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ καὶ ἀνέσεως ἀπολαύων· ὁ δὲ ἐμπλατύνων ἑαυτὸν, οὔτε εἰσέρχεται, καὶ θλίβεται σφηνούμενος, ὡς εἰπεῖν. Ἄκουε πῶς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν στενὴν ταύτην ὁδὸν Παῦλος. Ὑπωπιάζω, φησὶ, μοῦ τὸ σῶμα, καὶ δουλαγωγῶ. Ὑπωπίαζε τὸ σῶμα, ὥστε δυνηθῆναι εἰσελθεῖν· διὰ τοῦτο ἐν πάσαις ταῖς θλίψεσιν εὐχαριστῶν τῷ Θεῷ διετέλει. Ἐζημιώθης χρήματα· τοῦτό σοι τὸ πολὺ τῆς εὐρύτητος ἐπεκούφισεν. Ἐξέπεσες δόξης; ἑτέρα αὕτη εὐρύτης. Ἐσυκοφαντήθης; ἐπιστεύθη κατὰ σοῦ τὰ λεχθέντα, ἐν οἷς οὐ σύνοιδας σαυτῷ; χαῖρε καὶ ἀγαλλία. Μακάριοι γάρ ἐστε, φησὶν, ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς, καὶ εἴπωσι πᾶν πονηρὸν ῥῆμα καθ' ὑμῶν, ψευδόμενοι, ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ. Χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Τί θαυμάζεις εἰ σὺ ἀσχάλλεις, καὶ θέλεις ἀνεθῆναι ἐκ τῶν πειρασμῶν; Παῦλος ἠθέλησεν ἀνεθῆναι, καὶ πολλάκις τὸν Θεὸν παρεκάλεσε, καὶ οὐκ ἔτυχε· τὸ γὰρ τρὶς πολλάκις ἐστίν. Ὑπὲρ τούτου τρὶς τὸν Κύριον, φησὶ, παρεκάλεσα, καὶ εἶπέ μοι, Ἀρκεῖ σοι ἡ χάρις μου· ἡ γὰρ δύναμίς μου ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελειοῦται· ἀσθένειαν λέγει ἐνταῦθα τὰς θλίψεις. Τί οὖν; Ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα ἤκουσεν, εὐχαρίστως ἤνεγκε, καὶ λέγει· ∆ιὸ εὐδοκῶ ἐν ἀσθενείαις· τουτέστιν, Ἀρέσκομαι, ἀναπαύομαι ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν. Ὑπὲρ πάντων οὖν εὐχαριστῶμεν, ὑπέρ τε ἀνέσεως, 63.231 ὑπέρ τε θλίψεως, μὴ γογγύζωμεν, μὴ ἀχάριστοι ὦμεν. Λέγε καὶ σύ· Γυμνὸς ἐξῆλθον ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου, γυμνὸς καὶ ἀπελεύσομαι. Οὐκ ἐξῆλθες ἔνδοξος· μὴ ζήτει δόξαν. Γυμνὸς οὐ χρημάτων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δόξης καὶ εὐφημίας, εἰς τὸν βίον παρήχθης. Ἐννόησον πόσα πολλάκις ἀπὸ χρημάτων κακὰ γέγονε· μᾶλλον δὲ ἄκουε τί φησιν ὁ Χριστός· Εὐκοπώτερον γὰρ, φησὶ, κάμηλον εἰσελθεῖν διὰ τρυπήματος ῥαφίδος, ἢ πλούσιον εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ὁρᾷς πόσων ἀγαθῶν ἐμπόδιον ὁ πλοῦτος γίνεται, καὶ σὺ πλουτῆσαι ζητεῖς; καὶ οὐ χαίρεις ἐν πενίᾳ ὢν, ὅτι τὸ κώλυμα ἀνατέτραπται; Οὕτω στενή ἐστιν ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ εἰσάγουσα εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν· οὕτω πλατὺς ὁ πλοῦτος, καὶ ὄγκου γέμων καὶ φυσήματος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι· Πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, ἵνα σε δέξηται ἡ ὁδὸς ἐκείνη. Τί ποθεῖς 63.232 τὰ χρήματα; διὰ τοῦτό σε ἀφείλετο, ἵνα σε ἀπαλλάξῃ δουλείας· ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ πατέρες οἱ γνήσιοι, ἐπειδὰν ὁ παῖς τύχῃ προσεφθαρμένος ἑταίρᾳ τινὶ, καὶ πολλὰ παραινέσαντες μὴ πείθωσιν αὐτῆς ἀποστῆναι, τὴν ἑταίραν ἐξορίζουσι. Τοιαύτη ἐστὶ καὶ ἡ εὐπορία τῶν χρημάτων. Κηδόμενος τοίνυν καὶ ἡμῶν ὁ ∆εσπότης, καὶ ἀπαλλάττων ἡμᾶς τῆς ἐντεῦθεν βλάβης, ἀφαιρεῖται ἡμῶν τὰ χρήματα. Μὴ τοίνυν νομίζωμεν πενίαν κακὸν εἶναι· ἁμαρτία κακὸν μόνον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ πλοῦτος ἀγαθὸν καθ' ἑαυτόν· τῷ Θεῷ εὐαρεστεῖν ἀγαθὸν μόνον. Τὴν πενίαν τοίνυν ζητῶμεν, ταύτην διώκωμεν· οὕτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπιληψόμεθα, οὕτω τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀγαθῶν ἐπιτευξόμεθα· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.