231

of consolation. Did not all the Israelites perish together? what consolation did this bring them? did not this very thing rather grieve them? wherefore they also said, We are lost, we are utterly lost, we are consumed. What then is this consolation? In vain we console ourselves with these hopes; there is only one consolation, not to fall into that unquenchable fire; but for those who have fallen in, it is not possible to find consolation, where there is gnashing of teeth, where there is weeping, where the worm dieth not, where the fire is not quenched. For will you consider any consolation at all, tell me, being in tribulation and anguish? For you will then be within yourself. Let us not, I beg and beseech, let us not deceive ourselves in vain, and console ourselves with these words, but let us do these things, which will be able to save us. It is set before you to sit with Christ, and you are being meticulous about these things? For if there were no other sin, for these words what great punishment ought you to have undergone, because we are so sluggish, because we are so wretched and indolent, as to say these things when so great an honor is set before us? But when you then consider those who have succeeded, do you not melt away more? when you see from slaves and from the low-born, those who have toiled a little here, and partaking there of the royal throne, will these things not be worse for you than punishment? For if now seeing them prosper, though you suffer no evil, you are destroyed by this alone worse than any punishment, and you mourn yourself and weep, and judge yourself worthy of ten thousand deaths, what will you then endure? For if there were no gehenna, was not the very thought of the kingdom sufficient to destroy and corrupt? 63.859 And that this will be so, it is possible to learn from the experience of things. Let us not then vainly entertain ourselves with such sayings; but let us attend and be concerned for our own salvation, and let us take care of virtue, and let us rouse ourselves 63.860 to the work of good deeds, that we may be deemed worthy to attain so great a glory, in Christ Jesus our Lord. with whom to the Father together with the Holy Spirit be power, glory, honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

HOMILY 40. On the fact that we ought to do and contrive all things for the

salvation of our brethren; and that it is a great good to forgive the sins of those who trespass against us; and this is greater than almsgiving.

Nothing is more blessed than those who attain the kingdom of heaven,

brethren, just as nothing is more wretched than those who fail to attain it. For if one cast out from his country is pitied by all, and having lost an inheritance seems pitiable to all; he who falls from heaven and from the good things laid up there, with how many tears ought he to be wept for? or rather, not even be wept for? for one is wept for, when he suffers something of which he himself is not the cause. But when from his own will he involves himself in wickedness, he will be worthy not of tears, but of lamentations; or rather, then also of mourning. Since even our Lord Jesus Christ mourned and wept for Jerusalem, although it was impious. Truly we are worthy of ten thousand wailings, of ten thousand lamentations, if the whole world, receiving a voice, and stones and wood and trees and beasts and birds and fishes, and simply the whole world, if receiving a voice, it should bewail us who have fallen from those good things, it will bewail nothing according to what is deserved, nor will it lament. For what word will be able to represent, what mind that blessedness, and that virtue, that pleasure, that glory, that gladness, that splendor? Which eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man? He did not say that it simply surpasses, but that no one has ever conceived, What God has prepared for those who love him. For of what good things is God the preparer and provider, what are these likely to be? For if having made us straightway, when nothing had been done by us beforehand,

231

παραμυθίας. Οὐχὶ πάντες ὁμοῦ ἀπώλοντο οἱ Ἰσραηλῖται; ποίαν τοῦτο αὐτοῖς παραμυθίαν ἔφερεν; οὐχὶ μᾶλλον αὐτὸ τοῦτο αὐτοὺς ἐλύπει; διὸ καὶ ἔλεγον, Ἀπολώλαμεν, ἐξολώλαμεν, παρανηλώμεθα. Ποία τοίνυν αὕτη παραμυθία; Μάτην ἑαυτοὺς παραμυθούμεθα ταύταις ταῖς ἐλπίσι· μία μόνη παραμυθία ἐστὶ, τὸ μὴ ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἐκεῖνο τὸ ἄσβεστον· ἐμπεσόντας δὲ οὐκ ἔνι παραμυθίας τυχεῖν, ἔνθα ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων, ἔνθα κλαυθμὸς, ἔνθα σκώληξ ἀτελεύτητος, ἔνθα πῦρ ἄσβεστον. Ἐννοήσεις γὰρ ὅλως τινὰ, εἰπέ μοι, παραμυθίαν, ἐν θλίψει καὶ στενοχωρίᾳ ὤν; ἐν σαυτῷ γὰρ ἔσῃ λοιπόν. Μὴ, δέομαι καὶ παρακαλῶ, μὴ ἑαυτοὺς εἰκῆ ἀπατῶμεν, καὶ τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις παραμυθώμεθα, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πράττωμεν, ἅπερ ἡμᾶς σῶσαι δυνήσεται. Συγκαθίσαι τῷ Χριστῷ πρόκειται, καὶ σὺ περὶ τούτων ἀκριβολογῇ; Εἰ γὰρ μηδὲν ἕτερον ἦν ἁμάρτημα, ὑπὲρ τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων πόσην κόλασιν ὑποστῆναι ὑμᾶς ἐχρῆν, ὅτι οὕτω νωθεῖς, ὅτι οὕτω ταλαίπωροι καὶ ῥᾴθυμοί ἐσμεν, ὡς, προκειμένης τοσαύτης τιμῆς, ταῦτα λέγειν; Ὅταν δὲ ἐννοήσῃς τότε τοὺς κατωρθωκότας, οὐ τήκῃ πλέον; ὅταν ἴδῃς ἀπὸ δούλων καὶ ἀπὸ δυσγενῶν ὀλίγα καμόντας ἐνταῦθα, καὶ τοῦ θρόνου μετέχοντας ἐκεῖ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ, οὐχὶ τῆς κολάσεώς σοι ταῦτα χείρονα ἔσται; Εἰ γὰρ νῦν ὁρῶν εὐδοκιμοῦντας, καίτοι οὐδὲν πάσχων κακὸν, πάσης τιμωρίας χεῖρον ὑπὸ τούτου μόνου διαφθείρῃ, καὶ πενθεῖς σαυτὸν καὶ δακρύεις, καὶ μυρίων εἶναι θανάτων κρίνεις ἄξιον, τί τότε ὑποστήσῃ; Εἰ γὰρ μὴ γέεννα ἦν, αὐτὴ ἡ ἔννοια τῆς βασιλείας οὐκ ἦν ἱκανὴ ἀπολέσαι καὶ διαφθεῖραι; 63.859 Καὶ ὅτι τοῦτο οὕτως ἕξει, ἱκανὸν ἀπὸ τῆς πείρας τῶν πραγμάτων μαθεῖν. Μὴ τοίνυν εἰκῆ ψυχαγωγῶμεν ἑαυτοὺς τοῖς τοιούτοις ῥήμασιν· ἀλλὰ προσέχωμεν καὶ φροντίζωμεν τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας, καὶ ἀρετῆς ἐπιμελώμεθα, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῶν καλῶν ἐργασίαν 63.860 ἑαυτοὺς διεγείρωμεν, ἵνα καταξιωθῶμεν τυχεῖν τῆς τοσαύτης δόξης, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν. μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι κράτος, δόξα, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ Μʹ. Περὶ τοῦ, ὅτι δεῖ πάντα ποιεῖν καὶ πραγματεύεσθαι ὑπὲρ τῆς

σωτηρίας τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν· καὶ ὅτι μέγα ἀγαθὸν, τὸ συγχωρεῖν τοῖς εἰς ἡμᾶς πλημμελοῦσι τὰ ἁμαρτήματα· τοῦτο δὲ μεῖζον ἐλεημοσύνης ἐστίν.

Οὐδὲν τῶν ἐπιτυγχανόντων τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν μακαριώτερον,

ἀδελφοὶ, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ τῶν ἀποτυγχανόντων ἀθλιώτερον. Εἰ γὰρ πατρίδος τις ἐκβεβλημένος ὑπὸ πάντων ἐλεεῖται, καὶ κληρονομίαν ἀπολέσας δοκεῖ παρὰ πᾶσιν ἐλεεινὸς εἶναι· ὁ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐκπίπτων καὶ τῶν ἀποκειμένων ἀγαθῶν ἐκεῖ, πόσοις ὀφείλει δάκρυσι δακρύεσθαι; μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ δακρύεσθαι; δακρύεται γάρ τις, ὅταν τι πάθῃ ὧν οὐκ αὐτός ἐστιν αἴτιος. Ὅταν δὲ ἐξ οἰκείας γνώμης ἑαυτὸν περιπείρῃ τῇ κακίᾳ, οὐδὲ δακρύων, ἀλλὰ θρήνων ἔσται ἄξιος· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τότε πένθους. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καίτοι ἀσεβοῦσαν, ἐπένθησε καὶ ἐδάκρυσεν. Ὄντως μυρίων ὀδυρμῶν ἄξιοί ἐσμεν, μυρίων θρήνων, ἐὰν πᾶσα ἡ οἰκουμένη λαβοῦσα φωνὴν, καὶ λίθοι καὶ ξύλα καὶ δένδρα καὶ θηρία καὶ ὄρνεις καὶ ἰχθύες, καὶ ἁπλῶς πᾶσα ἡ οἰκουμένη, ἐὰν λαβοῦσα φωνὴν, ἡμᾶς ὀδύρηται τοὺς ἐκπεπτωκότας τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐκείνων, οὐδὲν κατ' ἀξίαν ὀδυρεῖται, οὐδὲ θρηνήσει. Ποῖος γὰρ λόγος παραστῆσαι δυνήσεται, ποῖος νοῦς ἐκείνην τὴν μακαριότητα, καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐκείνην, τὴν ἠδονὴν, τὴν δόξαν, τὴν εὐφροσύνην, τὴν λαμπρότητα; Ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε, καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη; Οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι ὑπερβαίνει ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐνενόησέ ποτέ τις, Ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν. Ὧν γὰρ ἑτοιμαστὴς καὶ παρασκευαστὴς ὁ Θεὸς ἀγαθῶν, ποῖα εἰκὸς εἶναι ταῦτα; Εἰ γὰρ ποιήσας ἡμᾶς εὐθέως, οὐδενὸς παρ' ἡμῶν προϋπηργμένου,