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of the body, even if the foot receives a wound, we see the head bending down; and yet what is more dignified than it? But it does not see its own dignity in the time of misfortune; so you must also do. For this reason Paul also exhorts us to rejoice with those who rejoice, and to weep with those who weep. But as I was saying, consider how Paul fears despair, as a great weapon of the devil. 63.838 For having said, Confirm your love toward him, he also adds the reason: Lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. The sheep, he says, is in the throat of the wolf; let us therefore hurry, let us snatch it away beforehand, before it swallows and destroys our member. The ship is now in a storm; before the shipwreck let us hasten to save it. For just as when the sea is rising, and the waves are cresting on all sides, the vessel becomes submerged; so also a soul, when despondency surrounds it on all sides, is quickly suffocated, if it does not have someone holding out a hand; and the sorrow for sins which is salutary, becomes destructive when it is immoderate. Therefore Paul, knowing what the devil did in the case of Judas, feared lest this might also happen here. And what did he do in the case of Judas? Judas repented; For, he says, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. The devil heard these words; he knew he was beginning on the way to what is better, and walking toward salvation, and he feared the change. He has a philanthropic Master, he says; when he was about to betray Him, He wept for him, and exhorted him in countless ways; will He not much more receive him when he repents? When he was uncorrected He drew him to Himself and called him; will He not much more draw him to Himself when he has been corrected and has recognized his sin? For it was for this that He also came to be crucified. What then did he do? he confounded him, he darkened him with an excess of despondency, he pursued him, drove him on, until he led him to the noose, and removed him from the present life, and deprived him of the zeal of repentance. For that, if he had lived, he himself also would have been saved, is clear from those who crucified Him. For if He saved those who raised Him up on the cross, and while on the cross itself He pleaded with the Father, and asked for forgiveness for their audacity; it is quite clear that He would also have received the betrayer with all kindness, if he had shown repentance according to the proper law. But that man did not endure to persist with the remedy, being swallowed up by overmuch sorrow. Therefore Paul, fearing this, urges the Corinthians to snatch the man from the throat of the devil. And what need is there to speak of the things of the Corinthians? Peter after communion in the mysteries denied three times, and by weeping wiped away everything; the prostitute with tears propitiated the Master; Paul, confessing his sin, became a teacher of those who repent. Taking these plasters, let us heal our own wounds, saying: Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee. For the physician, having accepted us, will say: I am He that blotteth out thy transgressions, and I will not remember them anymore. See how many remedies the physician has prepared for you; choose whichever you wish. He has shown you a variety of helps for the difference of wounds. If you are not able to fast, like the Ninevites, at least, like the prostitute, wash away your sins with tears; if you are not able to show mercy, confess your sins; flee for refuge to the mercy of God, saying with David: Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy great mercy. For it is not the bite of a viper, that I might apply a remedy to it, nor a stain made from mud, that I might wash it away with water; but the wound is from the bite of the devil, needing the mercy of Your philanthropy. Only come asking; for the philanthropic one will pour on the oil, 63.839 He who said that, If the lawless man turns from his wicked way, I will not remember the iniquities which he has done. Let us therefore turn, let us exhort, let us wash away the filth of sin through tears, let us beat our breast, let us strike 63.840 our forehead, let us come to a sense of what we have sinned so that we too may hear from the Lord, Today you will be with Me

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σώματος, κἂν ὁ ποῦς δέξηται τραῦμα, τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐπικύπτουσαν ὁρῶμεν· καίτοι τί ταύτης σεμνότερον; ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁρᾷ τὴν ἀξίαν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς συμφορᾶς· οὕτω καὶ σὺ ποίησον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Παῦλος παραινεῖ χαίρειν μετὰ χαιρόντων, καὶ κλαίειν μετὰ κλαιόντων. Ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἔλεγον, σκόπει πῶς δέδοικε τὴν ἀπόγνωσιν ὁ Παῦλος, ὡς μέγα ὅπλον τοῦ διαβόλου. 63.838 Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Κυρώσατε εἰς αὐτὸν ἀγάπην, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν προστίθησι· Μή πως τῇ περισσοτέρᾳ λύπῃ καταποθῇ ὁ τοιοῦτος. Ἐν τῇ φάρυγγι τοῦ λύκου, φησὶν, ἐστὶ τὸ πρόβατον· φθάσωμεν τοίνυν, προεξαρπάσωμεν, πρὶν ἢ καταπίῃ καὶ διαφθείρῃ τὸ μέλος ἡμῶν. Ἐν κλυδωνίῳ νῦν ἐστιν ἡ ναῦς· πρὸ τοῦ ναυαγίου διασῶσαι αὐτὴν σπουδάσωμεν. Καθάπερ γὰρ θαλάττης αἰρομένης, καὶ κυμάτων πάντοθεν κορυφουμένων, ὑποβρύχιον γίνεται τὸ σκάφος· οὕτω καὶ ψυχὴ, τῆς ἀθυμίας αὐτὴν πάντοθεν περιστοιχιζομένης, ἀποπνίγεται ταχέως, εἰ μή τινα ἔχῃ τὸν χεῖρα ὀρέγοντα· καὶ ἡ σωτήριος ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι λύπη, ὀλέθριος ἐπὶ τῆς ἀμετρίας γίνεται. Εἰδὼς τοίνυν ὁ Παῦλος ὅπερ ἐποίησεν ὁ διάβολος ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα, ἔδεισε μὴ καὶ ἐνταῦθα γένηται τοῦτο. Τί δὲ ἐποίησεν ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰούδα; Μετενόησεν ὁ Ἰούδας· Ἥμαρτον γὰρ, φησὶ, παραδοὺς αἷμα ἀθῶον. Ἤκουσε τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων ὁ διάβολος· ἔγνω τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον ἀρχόμενον ὁδοῦ, καὶ πρὸς σωτηρίαν βαδίζοντα, καὶ ἐφοβήθη τὴν μεταβολήν. Φιλάνθρωπον, φησὶν, ἔχει ∆εσπότην· ὅτε ἔμελλεν αὐτὸν προδιδόναι, ἐδάκρυσεν αὐτὸν, καὶ μυρία παρεκάλεσεν· οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον μετανοοῦντα δέξεται; ἀδιόρθωτον ὄντα ἐφειλκύσατο καὶ ἐκάλεσεν· οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον διορθωθέντα καὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐπιγνόντα ἐπισπάσεται; ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ σταυρωθῆναι ἦλθε. Τί οὖν ἐποίησεν; ἐθορύβησεν αὐτῷ, ἐσκότωσε τῇ τῆς ἀθυμίας ὑπερβολῇ, ἐδίωξεν, ἤλασεν, ἕως ἐπὶ τὸν βρόχον ἤγαγε, καὶ τῆς παρούσης ὑπεξήγαγε ζωῆς, καὶ τῆς προθυμίας τῆς κατὰ τὴν μετάνοιαν ἀπεστέρησεν. Ὅτι γὰρ, εἰ ἔζη, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐσώθη ἂν, δῆλον ἐκ τῶν σταυρωσάντων. Εἰ γὰρ τοὺς ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτὸν ἀναβιβάσαντας ἔσωσε, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ σταυρῷ ὢν παρεκάλει τὸν πατέρα, καὶ συγγνώμην αὐτοῖς ᾔτει τοῦ τολμήματος· εὔδηλον ὅτι καὶ τὸν προδότην, εἰ νόμῳ τῷ προσήκοντι τὴν μετάνοιαν ἐπεδείξατο, μετὰ πάσης ἂν εὐμενείας ἐδέξατο. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἠνέσχετο ἐμμεῖναι τῷ φαρμάκῳ, τῇ περισσοτέρᾳ λύπῃ καταποθείς. Τοῦτο τοίνυν ὁ Παῦλος φοβούμενος, ἐπείγει τοὺς Κορινθίους ἐξαρπάσαι τῆς φάρυγγος τοῦ διαβόλου τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Καὶ τί χρὴ λέγειν τὰ Κορινθίων; Πέτρος μετὰ τὴν τῶν μυστηρίων κοινωνίαν ἠρνήσατο τρὶς, καὶ δακρύσας ἀπήλειψεν ἅπαντα· ἡ πόρνη δάκρυσι τὸν ∆εσπότην ἐξευμενίσατο· Παῦλος ὁμολογῶν τὸ ἁμάρτημα, διδάσκαλος τῶν μετανοούντων ἐγένετο. Ταύτας τὰς ἐμπλάστρους λαβόντες, τὰ τραύματα ἑαυτῶν θεραπεύσωμεν, λέγοντες· Ἴασαί με, Κύριε, καὶ ἰαθήσομαι· ἴασαι τὴν ψυχήν μου, ὅτι ἥμαρτόν σοι. Ἀποδεξάμενος γὰρ ἡμᾶς ὁ ἰατρὸς λέξει· Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἐξαλείφων τὰς ἀνομίας σου, καὶ οὐ μὴ μνησθήσομαι ἔτι. Ἴδε πόσα φάρμακα κατεσκεύασέ σοι ὁ ἰατρός· οἷον θέλεις αὐτὸς ἐπίλεξον. Ποικιλίαν σοι βοηθημάτων ἐπέδειξε πρὸς τὴν τῶν τραυμάτων διαφοράν. Εἰ μὴ δύνασαι νηστεῦσαι, ὡς οἱ Νινευῖται, κἂν, ὡς ἡ πόρνη, δάκρυσι τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἀπόπλυνον· εἰ μὴ δύνασαι ἐλεῆσαι, ἐξαγόρευσόν σου τὰς ἁμαρτίας· ἐπὶ τὸ ἔλεος τοῦ Θεοῦ κατάφυγε μετὰ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ λέγων· Ἐλέησόν με, ὁ Θεὸς, κατὰ τὸ μέγα ἔλεός σου. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι δῆγμα ἐχίδνης, ἵνα πρὸς αὐτὸ ἐπιθῶ φάρμακον, οὐδὲ σπῖλος ἀπὸ βορβόρου γενόμενος, ἵνα ὕδατι αὐτὸν ἀποπλύνω· ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ δήγματος διαβόλου ἐστὶ τὸ τραῦμα, τοῦ ἐλέους τῆς σῆς φιλανθρωπίας δεόμενον. Μόνον πρόσελθε αἰτῶν· ἐπιστάξει γὰρ τὸ ἔλαιον ὁ φιλάνθρωπος, 63.839 ὁ εἰπὼν, ὅτι Ἐὰν ἐπιστρέψῃ ὁ ἄνομος ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς, οὐ μνησθήσομαι τῶν ἀνομιῶν αὐτοῦ ὧν ἐποίησεν. Ἐπιστρέψωμεν τοίνυν, παρακαλέσωμεν, ἀποπλύνωμεν διὰ τῶν δακρύων τὸν ῥύπον τῆς ἁμαρτίας, κρούσωμεν τὸ στῆθος, τύψωμεν 63.840 μέτωπον, εἰς αἴσθησιν ἔλθωμεν ὧν ἡμάρτομεν ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἀκούσωμεν τὸ, Σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσεσθε