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and of His care is extended. For all things, therefore, let us offer thanksgiving to Him, for things common, for things private, for His goodness, for His love for mankind, for His power, for His care, and let us continually persist in doing this, as the Psalmist also says, Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. For this is a sacrifice, this is an offering, this especially makes Him merciful to us, and causes us to enjoy His goodwill; may it be that we all attain it, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. ON THE 136TH PSALM. By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, and we wept when we remembered Zion. 1. Great was the longing of the men for the city, great was the desire for the return. For as long as they had good things in their hands, they continued to be affectedly coy and insolent; but when they were cast out from them, then at last they were in a state of desire. For on this account He cast them out, that He might lead them to a greater longing. And God is accustomed to do this in many places. For when, luxuriating in His good things, we do not perceive them, He places us in a state of destitution of them, so that being disciplined by the deprivation we might seek again the enjoyment. And for what reason did they sit by the rivers? Since they were captives, and taken from an enemy country, they were encamped outside the walls and cities. On the willows in the midst of it we hung our instruments. Another, Our harps. Another, Lyres. And for what reason did they take their instruments with them, going into captivity, when they were not going to use them? This too was ordained by God, so that even in a foreign land they would have reminders of their former way of life, and that they would be more stung seeing the symbols of that worship. For there they that carried us away captive required of us the words of songs; and they that led us away: Sing us a hymn from the songs of Zion. They gained not a little from this also, in that the barbarians pressed them, and desired to hear the songs from them. But see from this also how great a correction they received from the captivity. For those who had danced away, and leaped away from their own worship, and in every way trampled on the laws, used such great exactness in the foreign land, that even with the barbarians pressing them, and threatening, and surrounding them on all sides, and desiring to hear, not even so did they gratify their desire, but preferred the law, and preserved it with exactness. But as for, They that led us away, another said, Those who were boasting against us, all but declaring this: Those who before this were treading upon us, and rising up against us, in time became so gentle and considerate and mild, as even to desire to hear our songs. But nevertheless these did not yield. Do you see how affliction makes men strong? how it makes them contrite? how it crushes the mind? For they both wept, and kept the law, and those who had laughed at, and mocked, and scorned the weeping prophets, these now, with no one reminding them, were turned to tears, and were lamenting. From this their enemies also gained great things. For they saw them being oppressed not by the captivity, nor lamenting their servitude, nor their stay in a foreign land, but their fall from their own worship. For this reason he adds: When we remembered Zion.

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καὶ τῆς κηδεμονίας ἐκτέταται. Ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων τοίνυν αὐτῷ τὴν εὐχαριστίαν ἀναφέρωμεν, τῶν κοινῶν, τῶν ἰδικῶν, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀγαθότητος, ὑπὲρ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας, ὑπὲρ τῆς δυνάμεως, ὑπὲρ τῆς κηδεμονίας, καὶ διηνεκῶς τοῦτο ποιοῦντες διατελῶμεν, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Ψαλμῳδός φησιν, Ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ Κυρίῳ, ὅτι ἀγαθὸς, ὅτι εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο γὰρ θυσία, τοῦτο προσφορὰ, τοῦτο μάλιστα ἡμῖν ἵλεων αὐτὸν καθίστησι, καὶ τῆς εὐνοίας ἀπολαῦσαι ποιεῖ τῆς ἐκείνου· ἧς γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ ΡΛʹ ΨΑΛΜΟΝ. Ὑπὲρ τῶν ποταμῶν Βαβυλῶνος, ἐκεῖ ἐκαθίσαμεν, καὶ ἐκλαύσαμεν ἐν τῷ μνησθῆναι ἡμᾶς τῆς Σιών. αʹ. Πολὺς ὁ πόθος τοῖς ἀνδράσι τῆς πόλεως, πολὺς ὁ ἔρως τῆς ἐπανόδου. Ἕως μὲν γὰρ εἶχον τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐν χερσὶν, ἀκκιζόμενοι καὶ ὑβρίζοντες διετέλουν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐξεβλήθησαν αὐτῶν, τότε λοιπὸν ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ κατέστησαν. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐξέβαλεν, ἵνα αὐτοὺς εἰς πόθον ἀναγάγῃ μείζονα. Καὶ τοῦτο πολλαχοῦ ποιεῖν ὁ Θεὸς εἴωθεν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐντρυφῶντες αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς μὴ αἰσθανώμεθα, ἐν ἐρημίᾳ αὐτῶν ἡμᾶς καθίστησιν, ὥστε τῇ στερήσει σωφρονισθέντας ζητῆσαι πάλιν τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν παρὰ τοὺς ποταμοὺς ἐκάθηντο; Ἅτε αἰχμάλωτοι ὄντες, καὶ ἀπὸ πολεμίας εἰλημμένοι χώρας, ἔξω τειχῶν καὶ πόλεων ηὐλίζοντο. Ἐπὶ ταῖς ἰτέαις ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ἐκρεμάσαμεν τὰ ὄργανα ἡμῶν. Ἕτερος, Κιθάρας ἡμῶν. Ἄλλος, Λύρας. Καὶ τίνος ἕνεκεν τὰ ὄργανα ἐπήγοντο εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν ἀπιόντες, καὶ οὐ μέλλοντες αὐτοῖς χρῆσθαι; Ὠκονόμητο καὶ τοῦτο ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, ὥστε καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀλλοτρίας ἔχειν ὑπομνήματα τῆς πολιτείας τῆς προτέρας, καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς δάκνεσθαι ὁρῶντας τὰ σύμβολα τῆς θρησκείας ἐκείνης. Ὅτι ἐκεῖ ἐπηρώτησαν ἡμᾶς οἱ αἰχμαλωτεύσαντες ἡμᾶς λόγους ᾠδῶν· καὶ οἱ ἀπαγαγόντες ἡμᾶς· Ὕμνον ᾄσατε ἡμῖν ἐκ τῶν ᾠδῶν Σιών. Οὐ μικρὰ καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἐκέρδαινον ἐν τῷ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐπικεῖσθαι, καὶ τῶν ᾀσμάτων ἐπιθυμεῖν ἀκούειν τῶν παρ' αὐτῶν. Ὅρα δὲ κἀντεῦθεν πόσην ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας ἐδέξαντο τὴν διόρθωσιν. Οἱ γὰρ ἐξορχησάμενοι, καὶ τῆς οἰκείας ἀποσκιρτήσαντες λατρείας, καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ τὰ νόμιμα καταπατήσαντες, τοσαύτῃ ἀκριβείᾳ κέχρηνται ἐπὶ τῆς ἀλλοτρίας, ὡς καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων ἐπικειμένων, καὶ ἀπειλούντων, καὶ πανταχόθεν περιστοιχιζόντων αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐπιθυμούντων ἀκοῦσαι, μηδὲ οὕτως χαρίσασθαι αὐτῶν τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ, ἀλλὰ προτιμῆσαι τὸν νόμον, καὶ διατηρῆσαι μετὰ ἀκριβείας. Τὸ δὲ, Οἱ ἀπαγαγόντες, ἕτερος εἶπεν, Οἱ καταλαζονευόμενοι ἡμῶν, μονονουχὶ τοῦτο δηλῶν· Οἱ πρὸ τούτου ἐπεμβαίνοντες, καὶ κατεξανιστάμενοι, οὕτω τῷ χρόνῳ γεγόνασι πρᾶοι καὶ ἐπιεικεῖς καὶ ἥμεροι, ὡς καὶ τῶν ᾠδῶν ἐπιθυμεῖν ἀκούειν τῶν ἡμετέρων. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἐνέδωκαν οὗτοι. Εἶδες πῶς ἰσχυροὺς ἡ θλίψις ἐργάζεται; πῶς κατανενυγμένους ποιεῖ; πῶς συντρίβει τὴν διάνοιαν; Καὶ γὰρ ἔκλαιον, καὶ τὸν νόμον διετήρουν, καὶ οἱ τῶν προφητῶν δακρυόντων γελῶντες, καὶ κωμῳδοῦντες, καὶ χλευάζοντες, οὗτοι νῦν μηδενὸς ὑπομιμνήσκοντος αὐτοὺς πρὸς δάκρυα ἐτρέποντο, καὶ ἐθρήνουν. Ἐκ τούτου καὶ οἱ πολέμιοι τὰ μεγάλα ἐκέρδαινον. Καὶ γὰρ ἑώρων αὐτοὺς οὐ τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ πιεζομένους, οὐδὲ τὴν δουλείαν θρηνοῦντας, οὐδὲ τὴν ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ διατριβὴν, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῆς οἰκείας ἐκπεσεῖν λατρείας. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο προστίθησιν· Ἐν τῷ μνησθῆναι ἡμᾶς τῆς Σιών.