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of Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, dominion, honor, now and forever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 24.

And this, knowing the season, that it is now high time for us to awake out of sleep. 1.

Since he has commanded all things that were necessary, he again urges them to the working of good things, from the urgency of the matter. For the time of judgment, he says, stands at the doors; just as he also wrote to the Corinthians, that The time is short that remains; and again to the Hebrews, Yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. But there he said these things to raise up those who were laboring, and to console them in the sweat of their successive temptations, but here to awaken those who are sleeping; for this saying is useful to us for both purposes. But what is it that he says, It is now high time for us to awake out of sleep? That is, the resurrection is near, the dreadful judgment is near, the day that burns like a furnace is near; and it is time for us to be delivered from our indolence. For now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Do you see how he already brings the resurrection upon them? For as time goes on, he says, the season of this present life is spent, and the future 60.622 age draws nearer. If, therefore, you are prepared, and have done all that He commanded, the day becomes one of salvation; but if the opposite, it is no longer so. But for the time being he exhorts not from grievous things, but from good things, and by this he releases them from their attachment to present things. Then, since it was likely that they were more zealous in the beginning and in the preludes, as their desire was flourishing, but that as time went on, all their zeal would wither, he says that one must do the opposite, not to become lax as time goes on, but rather to be more vigorous. For the nearer the king approaches, the more one must be prepared; the nearer the prize, the more one ought to be stirred up for the contests; since runners also do this: when they are near the end of the race and the receiving of the prize, then they exert themselves more. For this reason he said, Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, and the 60.623 day is at hand. Therefore, if the one is ending, and the other is approaching, let us henceforth do the things of that day, not of this one. For this also happens in worldly affairs; and when we see the night hastening toward dawn, and hear a swallow singing, we each awaken our neighbor, although it is still night; but since it is now departing, we now hasten, saying to one another that "Day has come," and we do all the things of the day, getting dressed and getting rid of dreams and shaking off sleep, so that the day may find us prepared, and we may not then begin to get up and stretch when the sunbeam rises. What we do there, therefore, let us also do here; let us put off our fantasies, let us be rid of the dreams of this present life, let us cast off deep sleep, and let us put on virtue instead of clothes; for, indicating all these things, he said, Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. For the day calls us to battle array and to combat. But do not be afraid when you hear of battle array and armor. For in the case of perceptible full armor, it is burdensome and to be deprecated to be armed, but here it is desirable and worthy of prayer; for it is the armor of light. Wherefore it also makes you brighter than the sunbeam, sending forth much lightning, and it places you in safety; for it is armor; and it causes you to shine; for it is the armor of light. What then? Is it not necessary to fight? It is necessary to fight, but not to be worn out and to labor; for this is not war, but a dance and a festival. Such is the nature of this armor, such is the power of the General.

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Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Κ∆ʹ.

Καὶ τοῦτο, εἰδότες τὸν καιρὸν, ὅτι ὥρα ἡμᾶς ἤδη ἐξ ὕπνου ἐγερθῆναι. αʹ.

Ἐπειδὴ πάντα ἅπερ ἐχρῆν ἐπέταξεν, ὠθεῖ πάλιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐργασίαν ἀπὸ τοῦ κατεπείγοντος. Ἐπὶ θύραις γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ τῆς κρίσεως ἕστηκε καιρός· καθάπερ καὶ Κορινθίοις ἔγραφεν, ὅτι Ὁ καιρὸς συνεσταλμένος τὸ λοιπόν ἐστι· καὶ Ἑβραίοις δὲ πάλιν, Ἔτι μικρὸν ὅσον ὅσον, ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἥξει, καὶ οὐ χρονιεῖ. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ μὲν τοὺς πονουμένους ἀνιστὰς, καὶ τοὺς ἱδρῶτας τῶν ἐπαλλήλων πειρασμῶν παραμυθούμενος ταῦτα ἔλεγεν, ἐνταῦθα δὲ τοὺς καθεύδοντας διεγείρων· καὶ γὰρ πρὸς ἀμφότερα χρήσιμος ἡμῖν οὗτος ὁ λόγος. Τί δέ ἐστιν, ὅ φησιν, Ὥρα ἡμᾶς ἤδη ἐξ ὕπνου ἐγερθῆναι; Τουτέστιν, ἐγγὺς ἡ ἀνάστασις, ἐγγὺς ἡ κρίσις ἡ φοβερὰ, ἐγγὺς ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ ὡς κλίβανος καιομένη· καὶ δεῖ λοιπὸν ἡμᾶς ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας. Νῦν γὰρ ἐγγύτερον ἡμῶν ἡ σωτηρία, ἢ ὅτε ἐπιστεύσαμεν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἐφίστησιν αὐτοῖς ἤδη τὴν ἀνάστασιν; Τοῦ χρόνου γὰρ προϊόντος, φησὶν, ὁ μὲν τοῦ παρόντος βίου δαπανᾶται καιρὸς, ὁ δὲ τοῦ μέλ 60.622 λοντος αἰῶνος ἐγγύτερος γίνεται. Ἂν μὲν οὖν ᾖς παρεσκευασμένος, καὶ πάντα πεποιηκὼς ὅσα ἐπέταξε, σωτηρίας γίνεται ἡ ἡμέρα· ἂν δὲ τοὐναντίον, οὐκέτι. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν λυπηρῶν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν χρηστῶν προτρέπει τέως, καὶ ταύτῃ τῆς τῶν παρόντων αὐτοὺς ἀπολύων συμπαθείας. Εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ εἰκὸς ἦν αὐτοὺς ἐν μὲν ἀρχῇ καὶ προοιμίοις σπουδαιοτέρους εἶναι, ἅτε ἀκμάζοντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ πόθου, τοῦ χρόνου δὲ προελθόντος καταμαρανθῆναι τὴν πᾶσαν σπουδὴν, φησὶν ὅτι τοὐναντίον μὲν οὖν δεῖ ποιεῖν, οὐχὶ ἐκλύεσθαι προϊόντος τοῦ χρόνου, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἀκμάζειν. Ὅσῳ γὰρ ἂν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐγγίζῃ, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον δεῖ παρασκευάσασθαι· ὅσῳ μᾶλλον ἐγγὺς τὸ βραβεῖον, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον διεγείρεσθαι χρὴ πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας· ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ δρομεῖς τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν· ὅταν πρὸς τῷ τέλει τοῦ δρόμου γίνωνται καὶ τῇ τοῦ βραβείου λήψει, τότε διανίστανται μειζόνως. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγε, Νῦν ἐγγύτερον ἡμῶν ἡ σωτηρία, ἢ ὅτε ἐπιστεύσαμεν. Ἡ νὺξ προέκοψεν, ἡ δὲ 60.623 ἡμέρα ἤγγικεν. Οὐκοῦν εἰ αὕτη μὲν τελευτᾷ, ἐκείνη δὲ πλησιάζει· τὰ ἐκείνης πράττωμεν λοιπὸν, μὴ τὰ ταύτης. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐν τοῖς βιωτικοῖς τοῦτο γίνεται· καὶ ὅταν ἴδωμεν πρὸς ὄρθρον τὴν νύκτα ἐπειγομένην, καὶ χελιδόνος ᾀδούσης ἀκούσωμεν, τὸν πλησίον ἕκαστος διεγείρομεν, καίτοιγε ἔτι τῆς νυκτὸς οὔσης· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ λοιπὸν ἄπεισιν, ἐπειγόμεθα λοιπὸν λέγοντες ἀλλήλοις, ὅτι Ἡμέρα γέγονε, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἡμέρας ἅπαντα πράττομεν, ἐνδυόμενοι καὶ ὀνείρων ἀπαλλαττόμενοι καὶ ὕπνον διακρουόμενοι, ἵνα παρεσκευασμένους ἡ ἡμέρα εὕρῃ, καὶ μὴ ἀνισχούσης ἀκτῖνος τότε ἀρξώμεθα ἀνίστασθαι καὶ διατείνεσθαι. Ὅπερ οὖν ἐκεῖ ποιοῦμεν, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα πράξωμεν· ἀποδυσώμεθα τὰς φαντασίας, ἀπαλλαγῶμεν τῶν ὀνειράτων τοῦ παρόντος βίου, ἀποθώμεθα τὸν βαθὺν ὕπνον, καὶ ἐνδυσώμεθα ἀντὶ ἱματίων τὴν ἀρετήν· ταῦτα γὰρ ἅπαντα δηλῶν ἔλεγεν, Ἀποθώμεθα γοῦν τὰ ἔργα τοῦ σκότους, καὶ ἐνδυσώμεθα τὰ ὅπλα τοῦ φωτός. Καὶ γὰρ πρὸς παράταξιν καὶ μάχην ἡ ἡμέρα ἡμᾶς καλεῖ. Ἀλλὰ μὴ δείσῃς παράταξιν καὶ ὅπλα ἀκούσας. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς αἰσθητῆς παντευχίας βαρὺ καὶ ἀπευκτὸν τὸ ὁπλίζεσθαι, ἐνταῦθα δὲ ποθεινὸν καὶ εὐχῆς ἄξιον· φωτὸς γάρ ἐστι τὰ ὅπλα· διὸ καὶ τῆς ἀκτῖνος λαμπρότερόν σε ἀποφαίνει πολλὴν ἀφιέντα τὴν ἀστραπὴν, καὶ ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ σε καθίστησιν· ὅπλα γάρ ἐστι· καὶ καταλάμπεσθαι ποιεῖ· φωτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὅπλα. Τί οὖν; οὐκ ἀνάγκη πολεμεῖν; Ἀνάγκη μὲν πολεμεῖν, οὐ μὴν ταλαιπωρεῖσθαι καὶ πονεῖν· οὐδὲ γὰρ πόλεμος τοῦτό ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ χορεία καὶ πανήγυρις. Τοιαύτη τῶν ὅπλων τούτων ἡ φύσις, τοιαύτη ἡ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ δύναμις.