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he would have endured this later. But did you not get your fill of him? But you will certainly enjoy him there. But you desire to see him here also; And what prevents it? For it is possible here too, if you are sober; for the hope of future things is clearer than sight. But if he were in a palace, you would never have sought to see him, hearing that he was held in high esteem; but seeing that he has gone away to far better things, are you fainthearted for a little while, and this though you have him who dwells with you instead of that one; But do you not have a husband? But you have a comfort, the Father of orphans and judge of widows. Hear Paul also calling this widowhood blessed, and saying: She that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusts in the Lord. For such a one will appear more esteemed, showing greater patience. Do not, therefore, weep for that for which you are crowned, for which you demand a reward. For you have given back the deposit, if you have presented what was entrusted to you. Be no longer anxious, then, having laid up the possession in an inviolable treasury. And if you should learn what the present life is, and what the future life is, and that this one is a spider's web and a shadow, but the things there are all unmovable and immortal, you will no longer need other words. For now the child has been delivered from all change; but being here, perhaps he would have remained good, but perhaps not so. Or do you not see how many disown their own children? How many are forced to keep at home those who are worse than the disowned? Let us be wise, considering all these things; for thus we will both gratify the deceased, and enjoy the praises of many people, and from God we will receive the great rewards of patience, and we will attain the eternal good things; of which may we all be deemed worthy to attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

57.377 HOMILY 32. And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying out, and saying: Have mercy on us, son of David. And when he came into the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus says to them: "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They say to him: "Yes, Lord." Then he touched their eyes, saying: "According to your faith be it done to you." And their were opened

eyes. 1. Why does he pass them by as they are crying out? Again here teaching us the

opinion from the many to reject. For since the house was near, he brings them there to heal them in private. And this is clear from the fact that he also instructed them to tell no one. And this is no small accusation against the Jews, when these men, though their eyes were put out, receive the faith by hearing alone; while those, seeing the miracles, and having their sight bearing witness to what was done, do all the opposite things. See their eagerness, both from their cry, and from their very entreaty. For they did not just approach, but crying out loudly, and putting forward nothing other than mercy. And they called him Son of David, because the name seemed to be one of honor. For in many places the prophets also called the kings, whom they wished to honor and declare great, by this name. And having brought them into the house, he puts a second question. For in many places he has been eager, when besought, to heal, so that no one might think he rushed into these miracles out of vainglory; and not only for this reason, but to show that they were also worthy of healing; and so that no one might say, "If he saved by mercy alone, everyone ought to be saved." For loving-kindness also has a certain principle, that which comes from the faith of those being saved. But he demands faith from them not only for these reasons, but because they said, "Son of David," leading them up to something higher, and teaching what they ought to think about him, he says: Do you believe that I am able to do this? He did not say,

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ὕστερον ἂν τοῦτο ὑπέμεινεν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐνεπλήσθης αὐτοῦ; Ἀλλὰ ἀπολαύσῃ πάντως ἐκεῖ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἐπιθυμεῖς ὁρᾷν· Καὶ τί τὸ κωλύον; Ἔξεστι γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα, ἐὰν νήφῃς· ἡ γὰρ ἐλπὶς τῶν μελλόντων ὄψεως φανερωτέρα. Σὺ δὲ εἰ μὲν ἐν βασιλείοις ἦν, οὐκ ἄν ποτε αὐτὸν ἐπεζήτησας ἰδεῖν, ἀκούουσα εὐδοκιμοῦντα· πρὸς δὲ τὰ πολλῷ βελτίω ὁρῶσα ἀποδεδημηκότα, ὑπὲρ ὀλίγου χρόνου μικροψυχεῖς, καὶ ταῦτα ἔχουσα ἀντ' ἐκείνου τὸν συνοικοῦντα· Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔχεις ἄνδρα; Ἀλλ' ἔχεις παραμυθίαν, τὸν Πατέρα τῶν ὀρφανῶν καὶ κριτὴν τῶν χηρῶν. Ἄκουσον καὶ Παύλου ταύτην μακαρίζοντος τὴν χηρείαν, καὶ λέγοντος· Ἡ δὲ ὄντως χήρα καὶ μεμονωμένη ἤλπισεν ἐπὶ Κύριον. Καὶ γὰρ εὐδοκιμωτέρα ἡ τοιαύτη φανεῖται, πλείονα ἐπιδεικνυμένη τὴν ὑπομονήν. Μὴ τοίνυν θρήνει ὑπὲρ οὗ στεφανοῦσαι. ὑπὲρ οὗ μισθὸν ἀπαιτεῖς. Καὶ γὰρ ἀπέδωκας τὴν παρακαταθήκην, εἰ ὅπερ ἐνεπιστεύθης παρέστησας. Μηκέτι φρόντιζε λοιπὸν, ἐν ἀσύλῳ τὸ κτῆμα ἀποθεμένη θησαυρῷ. Εἰ δὲ καὶ μάθοις, τίς μὲν ὁ παρὼν βίος, τίς δὲ ἡ μέλλουσα ζωὴ, καὶ ὅτι οὗτος μὲν ἀράχνη καὶ σκιὰ, τὰ δὲ ἐκεῖ πάντα ἀκίνητα καὶ ἀθάνατα, οὐ δεήσῃ λοιπὸν ἑτέρων λόγων. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ ἁπάσης τὸ παιδίον ἀπήλλακται μεταβολῆς· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ὢν, ἴσως μὲν χρηστὸς, ἴσως δὲ οὐ τοιοῦτος ἔμενεν ἄν. Ἢ οὐχ ὁρᾷς, ὅσοι τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ἀποκηρύττουσι παῖδας; ὅσοι τῶν ἀποκηρυττομένων χείρους ὄντας ἀναγκάζονται οἴκοι κατέχειν; Ταῦτα πάντα λογιζόμενοι φιλοσοφῶμεν· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τῷ τετελευτηκότι χαριούμεθα, καὶ παρὰ ἀνθρώπων πολλῶν ἀπολαυσόμεθα τῶν ἐπαίνων, καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοὺς μεγάλους τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἀποληψόμεθα μισθοὺς, καὶ τῶν αἰωνίων ἐπιτευξόμεθα ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

57.377 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΛΒʹ. Καὶ παράγοντι ἐκεῖθεν τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἠκολούθησαν δύο τυφλοὶ κράζοντες, καὶ λέγοντες· Ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς, υἱὲ ∆αυΐδ. Καὶ ἐλθόντος αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν, προσῆλθον αὐτῷ οἱ τυφλοὶ, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· «Πιστεύετε ὅτι δύναμαι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι;» Λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· «Ναὶ, Κύριε.» Τότε ἥψατο τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν, λέγων· «Κατὰ τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν γενηθήτω ὑμῖν.» Καὶ ἀνεῴχθησαν αὐτῶν οἱ

ὀφθαλμοί. αʹ. Τί δήποτε παρέλκει αὐτοὺς κράζοντας; Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα παιδεύων ἡμᾶς τὴν

παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν διωθεῖσθαι δόξαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πλησίον ἦν ἡ οἰκία, ἄγει αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖ κατ' ἰδίαν θεραπεύσων. Καὶ τοῦτο δῆλον ἐξ ὧν καὶ παρήγγειλε μηδενὶ εἰπεῖν. Οὐ μικρὰ δὲ αὕτη τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατηγορία, ὅταν οὗτοι μὲν, τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῖς ἐκκεκομμένων, ἐξ ἀκοῆς μόνης τὴν πίστιν δέχωνται· ἐκεῖνοι δὲ θεωροῦντες τὰ θαύματα, καὶ τὴν ὄψιν μαρτυροῦσαν τοῖς γινομένοις ἔχοντες, τἀναντία πάντα ποιῶσιν. Ὅρα δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν προθυμίαν, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς κραυγῆς, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἐντεύξεως. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἁπλῶς προσῆλθον, ἀλλὰ μεγάλα βοῶντες, καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἀλλ' ἢ ἔλεον προβαλλόμενοι. Υἱὸν δὲ ∆αυῒδ ἐκάλουν, ἐπειδὴ τὸ ὄνομα τιμῆς ἐδόκει εἶναι. Πολλαχοῦ γοῦν καὶ οἱ προφῆται τοὺς βασιλέας, οὓς ἐβούλοντο τιμᾷν καὶ μεγάλους ἀποφαίνειν, οὕτως ἐκάλουν. Καὶ ἀγαγὼν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν, δευτέραν ἐρώτησιν προσάγει. Πολλαχοῦ γὰρ ἐσπούδακεν ἱκετευόμενος ἰᾶσθαι, ἵνα μή τις νομίσῃ διὰ φιλοτιμίαν αὐτὸν τοῖς θαύμασι τούτοις ἐπιπηδᾶν· καὶ οὐ διὰ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλ' ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι καὶ ἄξιοι ἦσαν θεραπείας· καὶ ἵνα μή τις λέγῃ, ὅτι Εἰ ἐλέῳ μόνον ἔσωζε, πάντας σώζεσθαι ἔδει. Ἔχει γάρ τινα καὶ ἡ φιλανθρωπία λόγον, τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως τῶν σωζομένων. Οὐ διὰ ταῦτα δὲ μόνον τὴν πίστιν αὐτοὺς ἀπαιτεῖ, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ εἶπον υἱὸν ∆αυῒδ, ἀνάγων αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὸ ὑψηλότερον, καὶ παιδεύων, ἃ χρὴ, περὶ αὐτοῦ φαντάζεσθαι, φησί· Πιστεύετε ὅτι δύναμαι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι; Οὐκ εἶπεν,