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to be delighted, one must first rejoice and exult. But when all the gold is piled up for the adornment of the woman's body, and there is constraint in the house, there is no delight for the one who lives with her. So if we wish to please our husbands, we shall put them in a state of pleasure; and we shall put them in a state of pleasure if we take away the adornment and the embellishments. For all these things seem to have a certain delight at the very time of the nuptial procession; but later in time, it withers. For if the heaven, being so beautiful, and the sun, so bright, to which you could name no body as equal, we do not marvel at in the same way because of familiarity; how shall we marvel at an adorned body? I say these things, wishing you to adorn yourselves with the sound adornment that Paul commanded: Not with gold or pearls or costly array, but what befits women who profess godliness, with good works. But do you wish to please those outside, and be praised by them? Indeed, this desire is not that of a chaste woman. Nevertheless, if you wish, you will have them as ardent lovers and praisers of your chastity. For no one reasonable and moderate will praise that woman, but the licentious and lewd; rather, not even these will praise her, but will also speak ill of her, their eyes being roused by the profligacy about the woman; but this one, both those and these, and all will approve, since they receive nothing evil from her, but also a lesson in philosophy; and great will be the praise from men, and great the reward from God. Let us therefore emulate this adornment, so that we may live here with security, and may obtain the good things to come; of which may it be that we all attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

59.341.50 HOMILY 62. Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, from the

village of Mary and her sister Martha. Now it was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment.

1. Many men, when they see some of those who are pleasing to God suffering some terrible thing, such as having fallen into sickness, or poverty, or anything else of this sort, are scandalized; not knowing that it is for those most dear to God to suffer these things; since Lazarus also was one of Christ's friends, and he was sick; At least, those who sent word said this: "Behold, he whom you love is sick." But let us look at the passage from the beginning. "There was a certain man," it says, "sick, Lazarus of Bethany." He did not say simply or at random where Lazarus was from, but for a certain reason which he will state later. For the time being, let us keep to the matter at hand. 59.342. And he also teaches us usefully about his sisters; and further, what more Mary had, adding and saying: "Now it was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment." Here some are perplexed, saying, "How did Christ bear with a woman doing such things?" First, then, it is necessary to learn that this is not the prostitute in Matthew, nor the one in Luke; for this is another woman. For those women were prostitutes and full of many evils; but this one was both chaste and earnest. For she was also earnest about the reception of Christ. And the evangelist shows that the sisters also loved him, and yet he allowed Lazarus to die. For what reason did they not, leaving their 59.343 sick brother, as the centurion and the royal official did, go to him, but instead send messengers? They had great confidence in Christ, and had much familiarity with him. Besides, they were also weak women, and were overcome with grief; for that they did not do this out of contempt, they later showed. That this was not that other woman, then, is clear. But why did Christ receive that other one, he says? To undo her wickedness; to show the

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τέρπεσθαι, χαίρειν δεῖ πρότερον καὶ ἀγάλλεσθαι. Τοῦ χρυσίου δὲ παντὸς σεσωρευμένου εἰς τὸν κόσμον τοῦ σώματος τοῦ γυναικείου, καὶ στενοχωρίας οὔσης κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν, οὐδεμία τέρψις ἐστὶ τῷ συνοικοῦντι. Ὥστε εἰ βουλόμεθα ἀρέσκειν τοῖς ἀνδράσιν, ἐν ἡδονῇ αὐτοὺς καταστήσομεν· ἐν ἡδονῇ δὲ καταστήσομεν, ἂν περιέλωμεν τὸν κόσμον καὶ τοὺς καλλωπισμούς. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἅπαντα παρ' αὐτὸν τῆς νυμφαγωγίας τὸν καιρὸν ἔχειν τινὰ τέρψιν δοκεῖ· ὕστερον δὲ τῷ χρόνῳ μαραίνεται. Εἰ γὰρ τὸν οὐρανὸν οὕτω καλὸν ὄντα, καὶ τὸν ἥλιον οὕτω λαμπρὸν, οὗ σῶμα οὐδὲν ἂν ἔχοις ἴσον εἰπεῖν, οὐχ ὁμοίως θαυμάζομεν διὰ τὴν συνήθειαν· πῶς σῶμα κεκαλλωπισμένον θαυμάσομεν; Ταῦτα λέγω, βουλόμενος ὑμᾶς κοσμεῖσθαι τὸν κόσμον τὸν ὑγιῆ, ὃν ὁ Παῦλος ἐπέταξε· Μὴ χρυσῷ ἢ μαργαρίταις, ἢ ἱματισμῷ πολυτελεῖ, ἀλλ' ὃ πρέπει γυναιξὶν ἐπαγγελλομέναις θεοσέβειαν δι' ἔργων ἀγαθῶν. Ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἔξω ἀρέσκειν βούλει, καὶ ἐπαινεῖσθαι παρ' αὐτῶν; Μάλιστα μὲν οὖν οὐ σώφρονος γυναικὸς ὁ πόθος οὗτος. Πλὴν εἰ βούλει, καὶ τούτους οὕτως ἐραστὰς ἕξεις σφοδροὺς καὶ τῆς σωφροσύνης ἐπαινέτας. Ἐκείνην μὲν γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἐπαινέσεται ἐπιεικὴς καὶ μέτριος, ἀλλὰ ἀκόλαστοι καὶ λάγνοι· μᾶλλον δὲ, οὐδὲ οὗτοι ἐπαινέσονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ κακῶς ἐροῦσιν, ἀναπτερούμενοι τὰς ὄψεις ὑπὸ τῆς περὶ τὴν γυναῖκα ἀσωτίας· ταύτην δὲ κἀκεῖνοι καὶ οὗτοι, καὶ πάντες ἀποδέξονται, ἅτε μηδὲν κακὸν παρ' αὐτῆς λαμβάνοντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ διδασκαλίαν φιλοσοφίας· καὶ πολὺς μὲν ἔσται παρὰ ἀνθρώπων ὁ ἔπαινος, πολὺς δὲ παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ὁ μισθός. Τοῦτον τοίνυν ζηλώσωμεν τὸν κόσμον, ἵνα καὶ ἐνταῦθα μετὰ ἀδείας ζήσωμεν, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

59.341.50 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΞΒʹ. Ἦν δέ τις ἀσθενῶν Λάζαρος ἀπὸ Βηθανίας, ἐκ τῆς

κώμης Μαρίας καὶ Μάρθας τῆς ἀδελφῆς αὐτῆς. Ἦν δὲ Μαρία ἡ ἀλείψασα τὸν Κύριον μύρῳ.

αʹ. Πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὅταν ἴδωσί τινας τῶν ἀρεσκόντων Θεῷ πάσχοντάς

τι δεινὸν, οἷον ἢ ἀῤῥωστίᾳ περιπεσόντας, ἢ πενίᾳ, ἢ ἄλλῳ τινὶ τοιούτῳ, σκανδαλίζονται· οὐκ εἰδότες, ὅτι τῶν μάλιστα τῷ Θεῷ φίλων τὸ ταῦτα πάσχειν ἐστίν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Λάζαρος τῶν φίλων ἦν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἠσθένει· Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ οἱ πέμψαντες ἔλεγον· Ἴδε ὃν φιλεῖς ἀσθενεῖ. Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν ἄνωθεν τὴν περικοπήν. Ἦν τις, φησὶν, ἀσθενῶν Λάζαρος ἀπὸ Βηθανίας. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὐδὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν εἶπε πόθεν ἦν ὁ Λάζαρος, ἀλλὰ διά τινα αἰτίαν ἣν μετὰ ταῦτα ἐρεῖ. Τέως δὲ τοῦ προκειμένου 59.342 ἐχώμεθα. Καὶ τὰς ἀδελφὰς δὲ αὐτοῦ ἡμᾶς διδάσκει χρησίμως· καὶ ἔτι ὃ πλέον εἶχε Μαρία, ἐπάγων καὶ λέγων· Ἦν δὲ Μαρία ἡ ἀλείψασα τὸν Κύριον μύρῳ. Ἐνταῦθά τινες διαποροῦντες, Πῶς, φησὶν, ἠνέσχετο ὁ Χριστὸς γυναικὸς τοιαῦτα ποιούσης; Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ἐκεῖνο ἀναγκαῖον μαθεῖν, ὅτι οὐχ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ πόρνη ἡ ἐν τῷ Ματθαίῳ, οὐδὲ ἡ ἐν τῷ Λουκᾷ· ἄλλη γὰρ αὕτη. Ἐκεῖναι μὲν γὰρ πόρναι δή τινες ἦσαν καὶ πολλῶν γέμουσαι κακῶν· αὕτη δὲ καὶ σεμνὴ καὶ σπουδαία. Καὶ γὰρ περὶ τὴν ὑποδοχὴν ἐσπούδαζε τοῦ Χριστοῦ. ∆είκνυσι δὲ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, ὅτι καὶ αἱ ἀδελφαὶ ἐφίλουν αὐτὸν, καὶ ὅμως συνεχώρησε τὸν Λάζαρον ἀποθανεῖν. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἐάσασαι τὸν 59.343 ἀδελφὸν κάμνοντα, ὅπερ ἐποίησεν ὁ ἑκατόνταρχος καὶ ὁ ἄρχων ὁ βασιλικὸς, ἀπῆλθον πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ πέμπουσι; Σφόδρα ἐθάῤῥουν τῷ Χριστῷ, καὶ πολλὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν εἶχον οἰκείωσιν. Ἄλλως δὲ, καὶ γυναῖκες ἦσαν ἀσθενεῖς, καὶ τῷ πένθει κατείχοντο· ἐπεὶ ὅτι οὐ καταφρονοῦσαι τοῦτο ἐποίουν, ὕστερον ἐδήλωσαν. Ὅτι μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἦν αὕτη ἐκείνη, δῆλον. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκείνην τίνος ἕνεκεν ἐδέξατο ὁ Χριστὸς, φησίν; Ἵνα λύσῃ τὴν κακίαν· ἵνα δείξῃ τὴν