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you may receive both flames. Serving the Lord. For through all these things it is possible to serve God. For whatever you do for a brother, passes over to your Master; and as if He Himself had received the benefit, so will He reckon your reward. Have you seen to what height He has raised the mind of him who does these things? Then showing how the flame of the spirit might be kindled, he says: Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. For all these things are kindling for that fire. For since he required an expense of money, and toil of bodies, and protection and zeal and teaching, and the other laborious things, he anoints the athlete again 60.606 with love, with the spirit, through hope. For nothing makes the soul so brave and venturesome for all things, as good hope. Then, even before the good things hoped for, He gives yet another prize. For since hope was of things to come, he says, Patient in tribulation. For even before the things to come, in the present you will reap a great good from tribulation, that of becoming steadfast and approved. And with this he provides another help, saying, Continuing steadfastly in prayer. When therefore love makes it easy, and the spirit helps, and hope lightens, and tribulation makes one approved and fit to bear all things nobly, and you have with these another very great weapon, prayer and the help from supplication, what will be left of the commands that is laborious? Nothing. Have you seen how He has established the athlete from every side, and has shown the commands to be very light? Consider again how he takes up almsgiving; or rather, not simply almsgiving, but that toward the saints. For above when he said, He that shows mercy, with cheerfulness, he opened his hand to all; here, however, he speaks on behalf of the faithful; wherefore he adds, saying, Communicating to the necessities of the saints. He did not say, Provide for their necessities, but, Communicate to their necessities, showing that they receive more than they give, and that the matter is a business transaction; for it is a communion. Do you contribute money? They contribute to you boldness toward God. Pursuing hospitality. He did not say, Practicing, but Pursuing, teaching us not to wait for those in need to come to us, but to run after them ourselves and hunt them down. Thus did Lot, thus did Abraham; for he spent the day on this, waiting for this good prey, and seeing them he leaped up, and ran to meet them, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said: My Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Not as we do, who whenever we see a stranger or a poor man, raise our eyebrows, and do not even think them worthy of a greeting; and if, softened after countless entreaties, we bid our servants give a small coin, we think we have accomplished everything. But he was not so, but took on the posture of a suppliant and a servant, although he did not know whom he was about to receive. 4. But we, though knowing clearly that we are receiving Christ, do not even on this account become gentler. But he both invites and entreats and worships; while we insult those who approach us; and he accomplishes everything through himself and his wife, while we do not even through our servants. And if you should wish to see the table which he set, you will see there also great generosity, not that which his manner of abundance produced, but the wealth of his choice. For how many wealthy men were there then? But no one did any such thing. How many widows were there in Israel? But none gave lodging to Elijah. How many wealthy men again were there in the time of Elisha? But the Shunammite woman alone reaped the fruit of hospitality; just as Abraham also did then, with his liberality and his readiness. And for this reason it is most worthy of admiration, that though not even knowing who had arrived, he did these things. Therefore, do not you be overly inquisitive either; for it is for Christ's sake that you receive him; and if you are always going to be prying, you will often pass by even an approved 60.607 man, and you will lose the reward from this. And yet he who receives one who is not approved is not accused, but even a reward

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ἑκατέραν λάβῃς τὴν φλόγα. Τῷ Κυρίῳ δουλεύοντες. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τούτων ἁπάντων ἔστι δουλεῦσαι τῷ Θεῷ. Ὅσα γὰρ ἂν ποιήσῃς εἰς τὸν ἀδελφὸν, εἰς τὸν ∆εσπότην σου διαβαίνει· καὶ ὡς αὐτὸς εὖ πεπονθὼς, οὕτω σοι τὸν μισθὸν λογιεῖται. Εἶδες ποῦ τὸ φρόνημα ἀνήνεγκε τοῦ ταῦτα ἐργαζομένου; Εἶτα δεικνὺς πῶς ἂν ἀναφθείη τοῦ πνεύματος ἡ φλὸξ, φησί· Τῇ ἐλπίδι χαίροντες, τῇ θλίψει ὑπομένοντες, τῇ προσευχῇ προσκαρτεροῦντες. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἅπαντα ὑπεκκαύματά ἐστι τοῦ πυρὸς ἐκείνου. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ καὶ χρημάτων δαπάνην ἀπῄτησε, καὶ σωμάτων πόνον, καὶ προστασίαν καὶ σπουδὴν καὶ διδασκαλίαν, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τὰ ἐπίπονα, ἀλείφει πάλιν τὸν ἀθλητὴν 60.606 μετὰ τῆς ἀγάπης, μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος, διὰ τῆς ἐλπίδος. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἀνδρείαν καὶ παράβολον πρὸς ἅπαντα ποιεῖ τὴν ψυχὴν, ὡς ἐλπὶς χρηστή. Εἶτα καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἐλπιζομένων χρηστῶν ἕτερον πάλιν ἔπαθλον δίδωσιν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ ἐλπὶς τῶν μελλόντων ἦν, φησὶ, Τῇ θλίψει ὑπομένοντες. Καὶ γὰρ πρὸ τῶν μελλόντων ἐν τῷ παρόντι μέγα καρπώσῃ καλὸν ἀπὸ τῆς θλίψεως, τὸ καρτερικὸς καὶ δόκιμος γίνεσθαι. Μετὰ δὲ τούτου καὶ ἑτέραν παρέχει βοήθειαν, λέγων, Τῇ προσευχῇ προσκαρτεροῦντες. Ὅταν οὖν καὶ ἀγάπη εὔκολον ποιῇ, καὶ πνεῦμα βοηθῇ, καὶ ἐλπὶς κουφίζῃ, καὶ θλῖψις δόκιμον ἐργάζηται καὶ ἐπιτήδειον πρὸς τὸ φέρειν πάντα γενναίως, καὶ ἔχῃς μετὰ τούτων καὶ ἕτερον ὅπλον μέγιστον, τὴν προσευχὴν καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς δεήσεως βοήθειαν, τί λοιπὸν ἔσται ἐπίπονον τῶν ἐπιταττομένων; Οὐδέν. Εἶδες πῶς καὶ πανταχόθεν ἔστησε τὸν ἀθλητὴν, καὶ πολὺ κοῦφα ἔδειξε τὰ ἐπιτάγματα; Σκόπει πάλιν πῶς τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης ἐπιλαμβάνεται· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐλεημοσύνης, ἀλλὰ τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους. Ἄνω μὲν γὰρ εἰπὼν, Ὁ ἐλεῶν, ἐν ἱλαρότητι, πᾶσι τὴν χεῖρα ἀνέῳξεν· ἐνταῦθα μέντοι ὑπὲρ τῶν πιστῶν φησι· διὸ καὶ ἐπάγει, λέγων, Ταῖς χρείαις τῶν ἁγίων κοινωνοῦντες. Οὐκ εἶπε, Παρέχετε αὐτῶν ταῖς χρείαις, ἀλλὰ, Κοινωνεῖτε αὐτῶν ταῖς χρείαις, δεικνὺς ὅτι μείζονα λαμβάνουσιν ἢ διδοῦσιν, καὶ ὅτι ἐμπορία τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστι· κοινωνία γάρ ἐστιν. Εἰσφέρεις σὺ χρήματα; Εἰσφέρουσί σοι παῤῥησίαν ἐκεῖνοι τὴν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Τὴν φιλοξενίαν διώκοντες. Οὐκ εἶπεν, Ἐργαζόμενοι, ἀλλὰ ∆ιώκοντες, παιδεύων ἡμᾶς μὴ ἀναμένειν τοὺς δεομένους, πότε πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔλθωσιν, ἀλλ' αὐτοὺς ἐπιτρέχειν καὶ καταδιώκειν. Οὕτως ὁ Λὼτ, οὕτως ὁ Ἀβραὰμ ἐποίησε· καὶ γὰρ τὴν ἡμέραν εἰς τοῦτο ἀνάλωσεν ἀναμένων τὴν καλὴν ταύτην θήραν, καὶ ἰδὼν ἀνεπήδησε, καὶ εἰς ἀπάντησιν ἔδραμε, καὶ προσεκύνησεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ εἶπε· Κύριε, εἰ εὗρον χάριν ἐνώπιόν σου, μὴ παρέλθῃς τὸν παῖδά σου. Οὐ καθάπερ ἡμεῖς, ἐπειδὰν ἴδωμεν ξένον ἢ πένητα, τὰς ὀφρῦς ἀνασπῶμεν, καὶ οὐδὲ προσρήσεως ἀξίους αὐτοὺς νομίζομεν εἶναι· κἂν μετὰ μυρίας ἱκετηρίας μαλαχθέντες κελεύσωμεν τοῖς οἰκέταις δοῦναι μικρὸν ἀργύριον, τὸ πᾶν κατωρθωκέναι νομίζομεν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκεῖνος οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἱκέτου σχῆμα ἀνέλαβε καὶ οἰκέτου, καίτοι γε οὐκ εἰδὼς τίνας ἔμελλεν ὑποδέχεσθαι. δʹ. Ἡμεῖς δὲ σαφῶς εἰδότες, ὅτι τὸν Χριστὸν ὑποδεχόμεθα, οὐδὲ ταύτῃ γινόμεθα ἥμεροι. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος μὲν καὶ παρακαλεῖ καὶ ἱκετεύει καὶ προσκυνεῖ· ἡμεῖς δὲ ὑβρίζομεν τοὺς προσιόντας ἡμῖν· καὶ ὁ μὲν δι' ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῆς γυναικὸς πάντα ἀνύει, ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐδὲ διὰ τῶν οἰκετῶν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὴν τράπεζαν βουληθείης ἰδεῖν, ἣν παρέθηκε, πολλὴν καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὄψει τὴν φιλοτιμίαν, οὐχ ἣν ὁ τῆς περιουσίας ἐποίει τρόπος, ἀλλ' ὁ τῆς προαιρέσεως πλοῦτος. Πόσοι γοῦν τότε εὔποροι ἦσαν; Ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς τοιοῦτον οὐδὲν ἐποίησε. Πόσαι χῆραι ἦσαν ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ; Ἀλλ' οὐδεμία ἐξένισε τὸν Ἠλίαν. Πόσοι εὔποροι πάλιν ἦσαν ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἐλισσαίου; Ἀλλ' ἡ Σωναμῖτις τὸν καρπὸν τῆς φιλοξενίας ἐτρύγα μόνη· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ, τότε ὢν μετὰ τῆς δαψιλείας καὶ τῆς προθυμίας. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα ἄξιον θαυμάζειν, ὅτι μηδὲ εἰδὼς τίνες ἦσαν οἱ παραγεγονότες, ταῦτα ἐποίει. Μὴ τοίνυν μηδὲ σὺ πολυπραγμόνει· διὰ γὰρ τὸν Χριστὸν δέχῃ· κἂν μέλλῃς ἀεὶ περιεργάζεσθαι, πολλάκις καὶ δόκιμον 60.607 ἄνδρα παραδραμῇ, καὶ τὸν ἐκ τούτου μισθὸν ἀπολεῖς. Καίτοι ὁ μὲν μὴ δόκιμον δεχόμενος οὐκ ἐγκαλεῖται, ἀλλὰ καὶ μισθὸν