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the distraction of the mind, the life that is soft and dissolute and superfluous? All are gone and have flown away. What has become of the body that enjoyed such care and cleanliness? go to the coffin, behold the dust, the ashes, the worms, the hideousness of the place; behold and groan bitterly. And would that the loss were only unto ashes; but now from the coffin and these worms transfer your thought to that undying worm, to the gnashing of teeth, to the outer darkness, to the unquenchable fire, and those bitter and unbearable punishments, for endless ages. For here both good and evil things have an end, and that a swift one; but there both are extended for immortal ages; and in quality they differ from present things so much that it is not even possible to say. What then has become of that great adornment? where has the great flattery and the care of the servants gone, and the abundance of money and possessions? what wind has come in and blown everything away? What is the meaning of this superfluous and useless expense for the burial, bringing great loss to those burying, but no profit to the one who has departed? When you hear that the Master rose naked, cease from the madness concerning burial. For when Christ said, "I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was naked and you clothed me," he did not add, "I was dead, and you buried me;" for if he commands the living to have nothing more than a covering, much more so the dead. What defense, then, shall we have, when we adorn the 63.811 body which is being consumed into gore and worms, but we overlook Christ who is hungry, thirsty, naked, wandering about, and a stranger? But even lying on the bier, he says, the dead man bears the symbols of pride and wealth; with splendid raiment laid upon him, with poor and rich escorting him, with crowds acclaiming him. All this is indeed ridiculous; yet even these things are immediately exposed like a fading flower. For when we have crossed the threshold of the city gates, and having given the body over to the worms, we return, I will ask you again, Where is that great crowd going? what has become of the shouting and the uproar? where are the torches, where are the choirs of women? are these things not a dream? And what became of the cries? where are those many mouths? that were shouting and encouraging to take heart, for no one is immortal? These things ought not be said now to him who cannot hear, but when he was seizing, when he was being greedy, then changing it a little, one ought to have said: You must not take heart; no one is immortal. If someone built houses for you, 63.812 where you were not going to remain, you would have considered the matter a loss; but now you wish to be rich here, from where you are often about to depart even before evening. Stop the madness, quench the desire. But say, "Take heart," to the one who is wronged. But if these things are henceforth useless to him who has finished his race, let at least those who suffer from the same things as he, and who follow to the tomb, listen. For since before, in the drunkenness of wealth, they think of no such thing, let them be sobered, let them be taught at that time, when the sight of the one lying there confirms what is said, considering that a little later they too will be led away to those fearful reckonings, and to give an account for the evil they have done here. In order that we may not suffer the same things as them, let us hasten to change and become better, with all our strength, so that we may obtain the good things to come, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power with the Father and the life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 32. Concerning courage and strength.

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τῆς διανοίας διάχυσις, ὁ βίος ὁ ὑγρὸς καὶ ἀνειμένος καὶ περιττός; Πάντα οἴχεται καὶ ἀπέπτη. Τί γέγονε τὸ τοσαύτης ἀπολαῦον θεραπείας καὶ καθαρότητος σῶμα; ἄπιθι πρὸς τὴν σορὸν, θέασαι τὴν κόνιν, τὴν τέφραν, τοὺς σκώληκας, τοῦ τόπου τὸ εἰδεχθές· θέασαι καὶ στέναξον πικρόν. Καὶ εἴθε μέχρι τῆς τέφρας ἡ ζημία ἦν· νῦν δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς σοροῦ καὶ τῶν σκωλήκων τούτων μετάγαγε τὸν λογισμὸν ἐπὶ τὸν ἀτελεύτητον ἐκεῖνον σκώληκα, ἐπὶ τὸν βρυγμὸν τῶν ὀδόντων, ἐπὶ τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον, ἐπὶ τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἄσβεστον, καὶ τὰς κολάσεις τὰς πικρὰς καὶ ἀφορήτους ἐκείνας, τὰς εἰς ἀτελευτήτους αἰῶνας. Ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ καὶ τὰ χαλεπὰ τέλος ἔχει, καὶ τοῦτο τάχιστον· ἐκεῖ δὲ ἀθανάτοις ἀμφότερα παρεκτείνεται αἰῶσι· καὶ τῇ ποιότητι δὲ τοσοῦτον τῶν νῦν διενήνοχεν, ὅσον οὐδὲ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν. Τί τοίνυν γέγονε ὁ πολὺς κόσμος ἐκεῖνος; ποῦ δὲ οἴχεται ἡ πολλὴ κολακεία καὶ ἡ θεραπεία τῶν δούλων, καὶ ἡ περιουσία τῶν χρημάτων καὶ τῶν κτημάτων; ποῖος ἄνεμος ἐπεισελθὼν ἐξεφύσησε πάντα; Τί δὲ βούλεται ἡ περιττὴ αὕτη καὶ ἀνόνητος περὶ τὴν κηδείαν δαπάνη, πολλὴν μὲν φέρουσα τοῖς κηδεύουσι ζημίαν, τῷ δὲ ἀπελθόντι κέρδος οὐδέν; Ὅταν ἀκούσῃς, ὅτι γυμνὸς ὁ ∆εσπότης ἀνέστη, παῦσαι τῆς περὶ τὴν κηδείαν μανίας. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰπὼν ὁ Χριστὸς ὅτι Πεινῶντά με εἴδετε, καὶ ἐθρέψατε, διψῶντα, καὶ ἐποτίσατε, γυμνὸν, καὶ περιεβάλετε, προσέθετο ὅτι καὶ Τεθνεῶτα, καὶ ἐθάψατε· εἰ γὰρ ζῶντας κελεύει μηδὲν πλέον ἔχειν, ἀλλ' ἢ σκέπασμα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τελευτήσαντας. Ποίαν οὖν ἕξομεν ἀπολογίαν, ὅταν τὸ μὲν 63.811 σῶμα εἰς ἰχῶρας καὶ σκώληκας δαπανώμενον καλλωπίζωμεν· τὸν δὲ Χριστὸν πεινῶντα, διψῶντα, γυμνὸν περιιόντα καὶ ξένον περιορῶμεν; Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης κείμενος, φησὶν, ὁ τεθνηκὼς, φέρει τοῦ τύφου καὶ τοῦ πλούτου τὰ σύμβολα· ἐσθῆτος λαμπρᾶς ἐπικειμένης, πενήτων καὶ πλουσίων προπεμπόντων, δήμων εὐφημούντων. Μάλιστα μὲν καὶ ταῦτα κατάγελως· πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῦτα εὐθέως ὥσπερ ἄνθος διαῤῥέον ἐλέγχεται. Ὅταν γὰρ τὸν οὐδὸν ὑπερβῶμεν τῶν τῆς πόλεως πυλῶν, καὶ τοῖς σκώληξι παραδόντες τὸ σῶμα ὑποστρέφωμεν, πάλιν σε ἐρήσομαι, Ποῦ πορεύεται ὁ πολὺς ὄχλος ἐκεῖνος; τί γέγονεν ἡ κραυγὴ καὶ ὁ θόρυβος; ποῦ δὲ αἱ λαμπάδες, ποῦ δὲ οἱ χοροὶ τῶν γυναικῶν; ἆρα μὴ ὄναρ ταῦτά ἐστι; Τί δὲ καὶ ἐγένοντο αἱ βοαί; ποῦ τὰ στόματα τὰ πολλὰ ἐκεῖνα; τὰ κραυγάζοντα καὶ παρακελευόμενα θαῤῥεῖν, ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἀθάνατος; Οὐ νῦν ταῦτα ἔδει λέγεσθαι τῷ μὴ ἀκούοντι, ἀλλ' ὅτε ἥρπαζεν, ὅτε ἐπλεονέκτει, τότε μικρὸν παραλλάξαντας ἔδει λέγειν· Οὐ δεῖ θαῤῥεῖν· οὐδεὶς ἀθάνατος. Εἰ μέν τίς σοι κατεσκεύασεν οἰκίας, 63.812 ἔνθα μὴ ἔμελλες μένειν, ζημίαν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐνόμισας ἄν· νῦν δὲ ἐνταῦθα βούλει πλουτεῖν, ὅθεν καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἑσπέρας πολλάκις μέλλεις ἀποδημεῖν. Ἐπίσχες τῆς μανίας, σβέσον τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν. Τὸ δὲ, Θάρσει, τῷ ἀδικουμένῳ. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ἐκείνῳ ταῦτα ἀνόνητα λοιπὸν ἐξελθόντι τὸ στάδιον, κἂν οἱ τὰ αὐτὰ ἐκείνῳ νοσοῦντες, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ σῆμα ἀκολουθοῦντες, ἀκουέτωσαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἔμπροσθεν ὑπὸ τῆς μέθης τῶν χρημάτων οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἐννοοῦσιν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ὅτε καὶ ἡ ὄψις τοῦ κειμένου πιστοῦται τὸ λεγόμενον, σωφρονιζέσθωσαν, παιδευέσθωσαν, ἐννοοῦντες ὅτι μικρὸν ὕστερον καὶ αὐτοὺς ἄξουσιν οἱ ἀπάγοντες ἐπὶ τὰς φοβερὰς ἐκείνας εὐθύνας, καὶ τὸ δοῦναι δίκην ὧν ἐνταῦθα κακῶς ἐπλημμέλησαν. Ἵνα οὖν μὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰ αὐτὰ ἐκείνοις πεισώμεθα, μεταβαλέσθαι καὶ γενέσθαι βελτίους σπουδάσωμεν, ὅση δύναμις, ὅπως καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ ζωοποιῷ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ ΛΒ. Περὶ ἀνδρείας καὶ ἰσχύος.