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Let us therefore flee this beast by all means. For it is varied and of every kind, and everywhere it scatters its own venom, both in money, and in luxury, and in the beauty of bodies. For this reason we everywhere exceed what is necessary; for this reason there is covetousness concerning clothing, the great swarm of servants; for this reason necessity is everywhere despised, both in houses, and in clothing, and at the table; but covetousness prevails. Do you wish to enjoy glory? Practice almsgiving; then the angels will praise you; then God will accept you. For now the wonder extends only to the goldsmiths and the weavers; but you depart uncrowned, often seeing yourself receiving curses. But if you do not put these things on your body, but empty them into the stomachs of the poor, great will be the applause from every side, great the praise. Then you will have them, when you give them to others; but as long as you alone possess them, you do not have them. For the house is an untrustworthy treasury; but the hands of the poor are a secure treasury. Why do you adorn the body, while the soul is neglected, possessed by impurity? why do you not bestow as much care on the soul as on the body? And yet it needed more; but still, beloved, you should have provided at least equal care for it. For tell me; if someone were to ask you, what do you want, for your body to be radiant and healthy, and to be preeminent in beauty, and to wear simple clothing; or to have it maimed and full of diseases, and to wear gold and be adorned? would you not much rather have comeliness in the nature of your body, than in the adornment of your clothes? Then would you choose this for the body, but the opposite for the soul, having it ugly and deformed and black; do you think you gain anything from gold ornaments? And how much folly this is! Turn this adornment inward, and put these necklaces on the soul. For things placed around the body do not help it either for health or for comeliness; for it will not make the black white, nor the ugly beautiful or well-formed; but if you put them on the soul, you will quickly make it white instead of black, beautiful and well-formed instead of ugly and deformed. And the word is not mine, but the Lord's own, who speaks thus; Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow; and, Give alms, and all things will be clean for you. And being so disposed, you will make beautiful not only yourself, but your husband also. For if they see you have put away this adornment, they will not have great need for expense; and not having it, they will abstain from all covetousness, and will be more disposed to almsgiving, and you yourselves will be able to advise them with boldness on what is fitting. For now you have been deprived of all such authority. For with what mouth will you discuss these things? with what eyes 59.381 will you look at your husbands, demanding alms, when you spend the greater part on the adornment of your body? Then you will be able to speak with your husband with boldness concerning almsgiving, when you put away the adornment of gold. And even if you accomplish nothing, you have fulfilled your whole part; or rather, it is impossible not to win him over as well, when you speak through the actions themselves. 59.382 For what do you know, O woman, whether you will save your husband? Therefore, just as you will now give an account both for yourself and for him, so, if you put off all this display, you will have a double crown, being crowned with your husband and processing through those uncorrupted ages, and enjoying eternal goods; of which may it be granted to us all to attain, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

59.381.10 HOMILY 79. Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 1. Be imitators of me, says Paul, as I am of Christ. For on this account he also took flesh from our own lump, that through it he might teach us virtue. For in the likeness of sinful flesh, he says, and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh; and Christ himself, Learn from me that I am meek

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Φεύγωμεν τοίνυν τὸ θηρίον τοῦτο διὰ πάντων. Ποικίλον γάρ ἐστι καὶ παντοδαπὸν, καὶ πανταχοῦ διασπείρει τὸν οἰκεῖον ἰὸν, καὶ ἐν χρήμασι, καὶ ἐν τρυφῇ, καὶ ἐν κάλλει σωμάτων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πανταχοῦ τὴν χρείαν ὑπερβαίνομεν· διὰ τοῦτο ἡ περὶ τὰ ἱμάτια πλεονεξία, ὁ πολὺς τῶν οἰκετῶν ἐσμός· διὰ τοῦτο πανταχοῦ μὲν ἡ χρεία καταπεφρόνηται, καὶ ἐν οἰκίαις, καὶ ἐν ἱματίοις, καὶ ἐν τραπέζῃ· ἡ δὲ πλεονεξία κρατεῖ. Βούλει δόξης ἀπολαύειν; Ἔργασαι ἐλεημοσύνην· τότε σε ἐπαινέσονται οἱ ἄγγελοι· τότε σε ὁ Θεὸς ἀποδέξεται. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ τὸ θαῦμα μέχρι τῶν χρυσοχόων ἕστηκε καὶ τῶν ὑφαντῶν· σὺ δὲ ἀστεφάνωτος ἀναχωρεῖς, κατάρας ὁρῶσα σεαυτὴν δεχομένην πολλάκις. Ἂν δὲ ταῦτα μὴ τῷ σώματι περιθῇς, ἀλλ' εἰς τὰς γαστέρας τῶν πενομένων κενώσῃς, πολὺς ὁ κρότος πανταχόθεν ἔσται, πολὺς ὁ ἔπαινος. Τότε αὐτὰ ἕξεις, ὅταν ἑτέροις δῷς· ἕως δ' ἂν μόνη κατέχῃς, οὐκ ἔχεις. Θησαυρὸς γὰρ ἄπιστος ἡ οἰκία· θησαυρὸς δὲ βέβαιος αἱ τῶν πενήτων χεῖρες. Τί τὸ σῶμα κοσμεῖς, τῆς ψυχῆς ἠμελημένης, ἀκαθαρσίᾳ κατεχομένης; τί μὴ τοσαύτην ἀπονέμεις τῇ ψυχῇ πρόνοιαν, ὅσην τῷ σώματι; Καίτοι γε πλείονα ἔδει· ἀλλ' ὅμως, ἀγαπητοὶ, κἂν τὴν ἴσην αὐτῇ παρέχειν ἔδει πρόνοιαν. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι· εἴ τίς σε ἤρετο, τί βούλει, τὸ σῶμά σου εἶναι λαμπρὸν καὶ εὐεκτοῦν, καὶ ὥρᾳ νικᾷν, καὶ ἱμάτια φορεῖν εὐτελῆ· ἢ τοῦτο μὲν ἀνάπηρον ἔχειν καὶ νόσων ἐμπεπλησμένον, καὶ χρυσοφορεῖν καὶ καλλωπίζεσθαι; οὐ πολλῷ μᾶλλον εἵλου ἐν τῇ φύσει τοῦ σώματος ἔχειν τὴν εὐμορφίαν, ἢ τῇ περιβολῇ τῶν ἱματίων; εἶτα ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ σώματος τοῦτο αἱρήσῃ, ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς τοὐναντίον, καὶ αἰσχρὰν αὐτὴν ἔχουσα καὶ δυσειδῆ καὶ μέλαιναν· οἴει τι καρποῦσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν χρυσίων; Καὶ πόσης ταῦτα ἀνοίας; Στρέψον τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον ἔνδον, καὶ τὰ περιδέραια ταῦτα τῇ ψυχῇ περίθες. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ σώματι περικείμενα οὔτε εἰς ὑγίειαν, οὔτε εἰς εὐμορφίαν αὐτοῦ τοῦτο ὀνίνησιν· οὔτε γὰρ τὸ μέλαν λευκὸν ἐργάσεται, οὔτε τὸ αἰσχρὸν καλὸν ἢ εὐειδές· τῇ δὲ ψυχῇ ἂν περιθῇς, ταχέως αὐτὴν ἀντὶ μελαίνης λευκὴν ἐργάσῃ, ἀντὶ αἰσχρᾶς καὶ δυσειδοῦς καλὴν καὶ εὐειδῆ. Καὶ οὐκ ἐμὸς ὁ λόγος, ἀλλ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου οὕτω λέγοντος· Ἐὰν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ· καὶ, ∆ότε ἐλεημοσύνην, καὶ πάντα ὑμῖν ἔσται καθαρά. Οὐ σαυτὴν δὲ μόνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα οὕτω διακειμένη καλὸν ποιήσεις. Ἂν γὰρ ἴδωσι τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον ἀποθεμένας, οὐ πολλὴν ἕξουσι δαπάνης ἀνάγκην· οὐκ ἔχοντες δὲ, πλεονεξίας ἀποστήσονται πάσης, καὶ εἰς ἐλεημοσύνην ἔσονται εὐκολώτεροι, καὶ ὑμεῖς δὲ αὐτοῖς δυνήσεσθε μετὰ παῤῥησίας συμβουλεύειν τὰ δέοντα. Νῦν μὲν γὰρ πᾶσαν παρῄρησθε τὴν τοιαύτην ἐξουσίαν. Ποίῳ γὰρ στόματι ταῦτα διαλέξεσθε; ποίοις δὲ ὀφθαλμοῖς 59.381 ἀντιβλέψετε ἐλεημοσύνην ἀπαιτοῦσαι τοὺς ἄνδρας, ὅταν τὰ πλείονα εἰς τὴν τοῦ σώματος περιβολὴν ἀναλίσκητε; Τότε δυνήσῃ μετὰ παῤῥησίας διαλέγεσθαι τῷ ἀνδρὶ περὶ ἐλεημοσύνης, ὅταν τὸν κόσμον τῶν χρυσίων ἀποθῇ. Κἂν μηδὲν ἀνύσῃς, τὸ σαυτῆς ἐπλήρωσας ἅπαν· μᾶλλον δὲ ἀμήχανον μὴ καὶ ἐκεῖνον κερδᾶναι, διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν διαλεγομένη. 59.382 Τί γὰρ οἶδας, γύναι, εἰ τὸν ἄνδρα σώσεις; Ὥσπερ οὖν νῦν καὶ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῆς καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου δώσεις τὸν λόγον, οὕτως, ἐὰν τὴν φαντασίαν ταύτην ἀποδύσῃ πᾶσαν, διπλοῦν τὸν στέφανον ἕξεις, μετὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς στεφανηφοροῦσα καὶ πομπεύουσα κατὰ τοὺς ἀκηράτους αἰῶνας ἐκείνους, καὶ τῶν αἰωνίων ἀπολαύουσα ἀγαθῶν· ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. 59.381.10 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Οʹ. Πρὸ δὲ τῆς ἑορτῆς τοῦ Πάσχα, εἰδὼς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὅτι ἦλθεν αὐτοῦ ἡ ὥρα, ἵνα μεταβῇ ἐκ τοῦ κό σμου τούτου πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, ἀγαπήσας τοὺς ἰδίους τοὺς ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, εἰς τέλος ἠγάπησεν αὐτούς. αʹ. Μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε, φησὶν ὁ Παῦλος, καθὼς κἀγὼ Χριστοῦ. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ σάρκα ἐκ τοῦ φυράματος ἔλαβε τοῦ ἡμετέρου, ἵνα δι' αὐτῆς ἡμᾶς παιδεύσῃ τὴν ἀρετήν. Ἐν γὰρ ὁμοιώματι σαρκὸς, φησὶν, ἁμαρτίας, καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας κατέκρινε τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐν τῇ σαρκί· καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Χριστὸς, Μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὅτι πρᾶός