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so that He might also lead them into the heavenly blessings. It is possible to say that those taken up as orphans are those who leave their parents for the sake of piety; such as was Abraham, who went out from his land and his kindred and his father’s house, God having called him to this; and indeed also James and John who, because of Jesus’ call, left Zebedee their father. Following this, you will also say that widows taken up are those separated from husbands for perfect chastity, by the harmonious consent of both, I mean of the husband and the wife, who dissolved the marriage for the same purpose. But also more allegorically, the souls who cast off their father who came into being in wickedness, the devil, or also a husband, are orphans and widows being taken up. When these have been taken up, the way of sinners, being none other than that of wickedness, will be destroyed by God. 1269 Ps 145:10 Zion, the watchful and examining of the truth, that is, the perfect soul or the church of the living God; your God shall reign forever, whose kingdom will have no end, His rule extending to generation and generation. It was said in the preceding psalm about His unending kingdom extending to all ages and how He rules to generation and generation. Therefore, being satisfied with those things, as they also apply to the present words, we will say nothing more.

1270 Ps 146:1bc Since the psalm is good, benefiting the one who uses it, for this reason praise and declare to Him so that in this respect a psalm does not differ from a praise, especially that which he who psalms utters, singing with the spirit and the mind and making melody in the heart. But if “to psalm” signifies to act in a practical manner, to those who have accomplished this good psalm, it also exhorts to praise Christ through theology, so that, having been perfected in action and thought, they might gladden God; for He says, “A sacrifice of praise will glorify Me,” and the spirit commands the one who is able to offer it, “Offer to God a sacrifice of praise.” 1271 Ps 146:6 And He takes up the meek, leading them up to the land they inherit. And this land which they inherit is established somewhere high above. wherefore it is also written, “He will bring you up to the good things of the land,” and also, “And He will exalt you to inherit the land.” And He takes up the meek, but humbles the sinners to the earth who bear the image of the man of dust by setting their minds on things below and things on earth. Thus Paul, being meek, was caught up to the third heaven and to paradise to partake of unutterable words. And all who have called their names upon their own lands by being in the flesh and not having the spirit of God, having departed from God, are written upon the earth. 1272 Ps 146:7 Arousing to thanksgiving those who have obtained such great goods. “Begin,” he said, “in confession, hymning and glorifying Him for what He has wrought.” 1273 Ps 146:8-9 And He clothes allegorically His divine Word, which is heaven, with clouds that pour intelligible rain; for, “Let the heaven above be glad, and let the clouds (that clothe Him) sprinkle righteousness.” From these intelligible clouds He prepares rain for the earth, which Jesus sowed spiritually in order to bring forth fruit divided into a hundred and sixty and thirty, causing grass to grow in the mountains for those of great nature and having an uplifted soul, so that the slavery of men, having found fresh green grass that has newly sprouted, might be fed to satiety. And the slavery of men is the irrational animals. The things that come to mind concerning the matters at hand have been said in the one hundred and third psalm, wherefore being content with those, let us look at what follows. He makes to grow and gives food to the simpler of the believing sheep of Christ and to the cattle who are saved along with men. And not only to these does He give food but also to those who have become high-flying by calling upon Him, whom the young of the ravens

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οπως καὶ εἰς τὰς ἐπουρανίους εὐλογίας εἰσαγάγῃ αὐτούς. ∆υνατὸν ὀρφανοὺς ἀναλαμβανομένους εἰπεῖν τοὺς θεοσεβείας ενεκα καταλειπόντας γονέας· οιος ην ὁ ̓Αβραὰμ ἐξερχόμενος ἐκ τῆς γῆς καὶ συγγενείας καὶ τοῦ οικου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, εἰς τοῦτο καλέσαντος αὐτὸν θεοῦ· ετι μὴν καὶ ̓Ιάκωβος καὶ ̓Ιωάννης διὰ τὴν ̓Ιησοῦ πρόσκλησιν καταλείψαντες Ζεβεδαῖον τὸν πατέρα αὐτῶν. ἀκολούθως τούτοις καὶ χήρας ἀναλαμβανομένας ἐρεῖς τὰς χωρισθείσας ἀνδρῶν ἐπὶ τελείᾳ σωφροσύνῃ, ἐκ συμφώνου συγκαταθέσεως ἑκατέρων, τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ τῆς γυναικός φημι, τῷ αὐτῷ σκοπῷ διαλυσάντων τὸν γάμον. ̓Αλλὰ καὶ ἀλληγορικώτερον αἱ ἀποβάλλουσαι ψυχαὶ τὸν γενόμενον ἐν κακίᾳ πατέρα αὐτῶν διάβολον η καὶ ανδρα ὀρφαναὶ καὶ χῆραι ἀναλαμβανόμεναί εἰσιν. τούτων ἀναληφθέντων ἡ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ὁδὸς οὐκ αλλη τῆς κακίας ουσα ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἀφανισθήσεται. 1269 Ps 145,10 ̔Η Σιὼν ἡ σκοπευτικὴ καὶ ἐξεταστικὴ τῆς ἀληθείας ητοι ψυχὴ τελεία η ἐκκλησία θεοῦ ζῶντος· βασιλεύσει σου ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ου τῆς βασιλείας οὐκ εσται τέλος παρατεινούσης τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτοῦ εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν. Ειρηται ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου ψαλμῷ περὶ τῆς ἀτελευτήτου βασιλείας αὐτοῦ διατεινούσης εἰς πάντας τοὺς αἰῶνας καὶ ὡς δεσπόζει εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν. διὸ ἐκείνοις ἀρκούμενοι, ὡς ἐφαρμόζουσι καὶ ταῖς προκειμέναις λέξεσιν, οὐδὲν πλέον ἐροῦμεν.

1270 Ps 146,1bc ̓Επεὶ ὁ ψαλμὸς ἀγαθός ἐστιν ὠφελῶν τὸν χρώμενον, τούτου

ενεκα αἰνοῦντες ἀπαγγείλατε αὐτῷ ὡς κατὰ τοῦτο ψαλμὸν αινου μὴ διαφέρειν, ἐκείνου μάλιστα ου προφέρει ὁ ψάλλων πνεύματι καὶ νῷ ᾳδων καὶ ψάλλων τῇ καρδίᾳ. εἰ δὲ τὸ ψάλλειν τὸ πρακτικῶς ἐνεργεῖν δηλοῖ, τοῖς τὸν ἀγαθὸν τοῦτον ψαλμὸν κατορθώσασι παραινεῖ καὶ αἰνεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ θεολογίας, οπως πράξει καὶ νοήσει τελειωθέντες εὐφράνωσι θεόν· Θυσία γάρ φησιν αἰνέσεως δοξάσει με, καὶ προστάττει τὸ πνεῦμα τῷ προσάγειν αὐτὴν οιῳ τε οντι Θῦσον τῷ θεῷ θυσίαν αἰνέσεως. 1271 Ps 146,6 Καὶ τοὺς πραεῖς ἀναλαμβάνει, ἀναβιβάζων αὐτοὺς ἐφ' ην κληρονομοῦσι γῆν. αυτη δὲ ην κληρονομοῦσι γῆν πρὸς υψος ανω που ιδρυται. διὸ καὶ γέγραπται ̓Αναβιβάσει σε ἐπὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ετι Καὶ ὑψώσει σε τοῦ κατακληρονομῆσαι γῆν. Καὶ τοὺς μὲν πραεῖς ἀναλαμβάνει, τοὺς δὲ ἁμαρτωλοὺς ταπεινοῖ εως γῆς τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ φοροῦντας τῷ φρονεῖν τὰ κάτω καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς. ουτω Παῦλος πρᾶος ων ἀνελήφθη εἰς τρίτον οὐρανὸν καὶ εως τοῦ παραδείσου ἐπὶ τῷ μετασχεῖν ῥημάτων ἀρρήτων. καὶ πάντες δὲ οἱ ἐπικαλεσάμενοι τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῶν γαιῶν αὐτῶν τῷ ειναι ἐν σαρκὶ καὶ πνεῦμα θεοῦ μὴ εχειν ἀφεστηκότες τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς γράφονται. 1272 Ps 146,7 Εἰς εὐχαριστίαν διεγείρων τοὺς τῶν τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν τετυχηκότας. ̓Εξάρξατε, εφη, ἐν ἐξομολογήσει ὑμνοῦντες καὶ δοξολογοῦντες αὐτὸν ἐφ' οις εἰργάσατο. 1273 Ps 146,8.9 Περιβάλλει δὲ κατ' ἀλληγορίαν τὸν θεῖον αὐτοῦ λόγον οὐρανὸν οντα νεφέλαις νοητὸν ὑετὸν ῥεούσαις· Εὐφρανθήτω γὰρ ὁ οὐρανὸς ανωθεν, καὶ αἱ νεφέλαι (αἱ περιβάλλουσαι αὐτὸν) ῥανάτωσαν δικαιοσύνην. ̓Εκ τούτων τῶν νοητῶν νεφελῶν ἑτοιμάζει τῇ γῇ ὑετόν, ην εσπειρεν ̓Ιησοῦς πνευματικῶς ἐπὶ τῷ ἀγαγεῖν καρπὸν διαιρούμενον εἰς ἑκατὸν καὶ ἑξήκοντα καὶ τριάκοντα, ἐξανατέλλων χόρτον ἐν ορεσι τοῖς μεγαλοφυέσι καὶ επαρμα ψυχῆς εχουσι ἐπὶ τῷ εὑροῦσαν τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων δουλείαν χλόην νεαρῶς τεθηλυῖαν εἰς κόρον τραφῆναι. δουλεία δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ αλογα ζῷα. ειρηται περὶ τῶν προκειμένων τὰ ὑποπεσόντα ἐν ἑκατοστῷ καὶ τρίτῳ ψαλμῷ, οθεν ἐκείνοις ἀρκεσθέντες ἑξῆς ιδωμεν. ̓Εξανατέλλει καὶ δίδωσι τροφὴν τοῖς ἁπλουστέροις τῶν πεπιστευκότων Χριστοῦ προβάτων καὶ κτηνῶν αμα ἀνθρώποις σῳζομένων. οὐ μόνον δὲ τούτοις τροφὴν δίδωσιν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ὑψιπετέσι γεγενημένοις τῷ αὐτὸν ἐπικαλεῖσθαι ους κοράκων νεοσσοὺς