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he knows not, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. But if someone should say: Do you see what sort of thought entered, because the day was not known? For my lord delays his coming, he says; we would say, not because the day was not known, 58.707 but because the servant was wicked. Since, for what reason did this notion not enter the mind of the wise and faithful servant? For what if the master delays, you wretched one? You entirely expect him to come. Why then are you not concerned? From this, therefore, we learn that he does not delay. For this is not the master's judgment, but the opinion of the wicked servant; wherefore he is also accused for this reason. For that He does not delay, hear Paul saying: The Lord is near, be anxious for nothing; and, He that shall come will come, and will not tarry. But you, hear what follows, and learn how He constantly reminds us of the ignorance of that day, showing His servants that this is useful, and sufficient to awaken and arouse them. For what if some have gained nothing from this? For neither were some benefited by other beneficial things, but nonetheless He does not cease from doing His part. What then does He say next? For he will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know, and will inflict the worst upon him. Do you see how everywhere He puts this forward, the matter of ignorance, showing that it is useful, and by this means keeps us ever in suspense? For this is the thing He is eager for, that we should always be watchful; and since we are always reclining in luxury, but are more restrained in afflictions, for this reason He says everywhere that when there is ease, then the terrible things come. And just as He showed this above through Noah, so also here He says, When that servant is drunk, when he beats others, then also the punishment is unbearable. But let us not only look at the punishment laid up for him, but let us also consider this, lest we too be found doing the same things. For like him are those who have money and do not give to those in need. For you too are a steward of your own money, no less than he who manages the affairs of the Church. Therefore, just as he does not have the authority to scatter what is given by you for the poor simply and at random, since it was given for the nourishment of the poor; so neither do you have authority over yours. For even if you received a paternal inheritance, and thus have all that you have, even so all things are God's. Then, you for your part wish what you have given to be managed with such precision; but do you not think God will demand His own from us with greater vehemence, but will tolerate their being simply wasted? This is not so, it is not. For it was for this reason that He left these things with you, so that you might give them their food in due season. What is, in due season? To those in need, to the hungry. For just as you gave to your fellow servant to manage, so also the Master wishes you to spend these things for a needful purpose. For this reason also, though He could take them away, He has permitted it, so that you might have an occasion to show forth virtue; so that by making you needful to one another, He might make your love for one another more fervent. But you, having received, not only do not give, but even strike them. And yet if not giving is an accusation, what pardon does striking them bring? 5. And this he seems to me to say, alluding to the insolent and the covetous, and showing the great accusation, when they strike those whom they were commanded to feed. And he also seems to me here to allude to those who live in luxury; for a great punishment is laid up also for luxury. 58.708 For he eats and drinks, he says, with the drunken, indicating gluttony. For you did not receive it for this, to spend it on luxury, but to use it for almsgiving. For do you have what is your own? You have been entrusted with the things of the poor, whether you happen to possess them from just labors, or from a paternal inheritance. For was not God able to take these things from you? But He does not do this, making you lord over the munificence towards those in need. But consider, I pray you, how through all the parables He punishes those who use their own money against those in need. For neither did the virgins seize what belonged to others, but they did not give what was their own; nor did the one with the one talent

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γινώσκει, καὶ διχοτομήσει αὐτὸν, καὶ τὸ μέρος αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ὑποκριτῶν θήσει. Ἐκεῖ ἔσται ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων. Εἰ δὲ λέγοι τις· Εἶδες οἷος ἐπεισῆλθε λογισμὸς, διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι τὴν ἡμέραν γνώριμον; Χρονίζει γὰρ ὁ κύριός μου, φησί· εἴποιμεν ἂν, οὐ διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι γνώριμον τὴν ἡμέραν, 58.707 ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ πονηρὸν εἶναι τὸν οἰκέτην. Ἐπεὶ τῷ φρονίμῳ καὶ πιστῷ τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἐπεισῆλθεν αὕτη ἡ ἔννοια; Τί γὰρ, εἰ καὶ χρονίζει ὁ δεσπότης, ἄθλιε, ὅλως προσδοκᾷς αὐτὸν ἥξειν; Τί οὖν οὐ μεριμνᾷς; Ἐντεῦθεν οὖν μανθάνομεν, ὅτι οὐδὲ χρονίζει. Αὕτη γὰρ οὐ τοῦ δεσπότου, ἀλλὰ τῆς τοῦ πονηροῦ οἰκέτου γνώμης ἡ ψῆφος· διὸ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐγκαλεῖται. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ χρονίζει, ἄκουσον Παύλου λέγοντος· Ὁ Κύριος ἐγγὺς, μηδὲν μεριμνᾶτε· καὶ, Ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἥξει, καὶ οὐ χρονιεῖ. Σὺ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἑξῆς ἄκουε, καὶ μάνθανε πῶς συνεχῶς ὑπομιμνήσκει τῆς ἀγνοίας τῆς ἡμέρας, δηλῶν τοῖς οἰκέταις τοῦτο χρήσιμον ὂν, καὶ ἱκανὸν ἀφυπνίσαι αὐτοὺς καὶ διαναστῆσαι. Τί γὰρ εἰ καὶ μηδέν τινες ἐντεῦθεν ἐκέρδαναν; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν ὠφελούντων ὠφελήθησάν τινες, ἀλλ' ὅμως οὗτος οὐ παύεται τὰ αὐτοῦ ποιῶν. Τί οὖν φησι τὰ ἑξῆς; Ἐλεύσεται γὰρ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ οὐ προσδοκᾷ, καὶ ἐν ὥρᾳ ᾗ οὐ γινώσκει, καὶ τὰ ἔσχατα αὐτὸν διαθήσει. Ὁρᾷς πῶς καὶ πανταχοῦ τοῦτο τίθησι, τὸ τῆς ἀγνοίας, δεικνὺς χρήσιμον ὂν, καὶ ταύτῃ ποιῶν ἐναγωνίους ἀεί; Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν αὐτῷ τὸ σπουδαζόμενον, τὸ ἀεὶ ἡμᾶς ἐγρηγορέναι· καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἀεὶ ἐν ταῖς τρυφαῖς ἀναπίπτομεν, ἐν δὲ ταῖς συμφοραῖς μᾶλλον συστελλόμεθα, διὰ τοῦτο πανταχοῦ τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι ὅταν ἄνεσις ᾖ, τότε ἔρχεται τὰ δεινά. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἀνωτέρω διὰ τοῦ Νῶε τοῦτο ἐδήλωσεν, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθά φησιν, Ὅταν ὁ δοῦλος ἐκεῖνος μεθύῃ, ὅταν τύπτῃ, καὶ ἡ κόλασις ἀφόρητος. Ἀλλὰ μὴ τὴν κόλασιν ἴδωμεν μόνον τὴν ἐκείνῳ κειμένην, ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖνο σκοπήσωμεν, μήποτε καὶ αὐτοὶ τὰ αὐτὰ πράττοντες λανθάνωμεν. Καὶ γὰρ τούτῳ ἐοίκασιν οἱ χρήματα ἔχοντες, καὶ μὴ διδόντες τοῖς δεομένοις. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ σὺ οἰκονόμος εἶ τῶν σαυτοῦ χρημάτων, οὐχ ἧττον ἢ ὁ τὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας οἰκονομῶν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἔχει ἐξουσίαν τὰ διδόμενα παρ' ὑμῶν εἰς πένητας ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε σκορπίσαι, ἐπειδὴ εἰς πενήτων ἐδόθη διατροφήν· οὕτως οὐδὲ σὺ τὰ σά. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πατρῷον διεδέξω κλῆρον, καὶ οὕτως ἔχεις πάντα ἃ ἔχεις· καὶ οὕτω τοῦ Θεοῦ πάντα ἐστίν. Εἶτα, σὺ μὲν ὅπερ ἔδωκας, οὕτω βούλει μετὰ ἀκριβείας οἰκονομεῖσθαι· τὸν δὲ Θεὸν οὐκ οἴει τὰ αὐτοῦ μετὰ πλείονος ἀπαιτήσειν ἡμᾶς τῆς σφοδρότητος, ἀλλὰ ἀνέχεσθαι ἁπλῶς αὐτῶν ἀπολλυμένων; Οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα, οὐκ ἔστι. Καὶ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ παρὰ σοὶ ταῦτα εἴασεν, ὥστε δοῦναι τὴν τροφὴν αὐτοῖς ἐν καιρῷ. Τί ἐστιν, ἐν καιρῷ; Τοῖς δεομένοις, τοῖς πεινῶσιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ σὺ τῷ συνδούλῳ ἔδωκας οἰκονομῆσαι, οὕτω καὶ σὲ ὁ ∆εσπότης βούλεται εἰς δέον ταῦτα δαπανᾷν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ δυνάμενος αὐτὰ ἀφελέσθαι, ἀφῆκεν, ἵνα ἔχῃς ἀφορμὴν ἀρετὴν ἐπιδείξασθαι· ἵνα ἀλλήλων εἰς χρείαν καταστήσας τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγάπην θερμοτέραν ἐργάσηται. Σὺ δὲ λαβὼν, οὐ μόνον οὐ δίδως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τύπτεις. Καίτοιγε εἰ τὸ μὴ δοῦναι ἔγκλημα, τὸ τυπτῆσαι ποίαν φέρει συγγνώμην; εʹ. Τοῦτο δέ μοι δοκεῖ λέγειν, τοὺς ὑβριστὰς καὶ τοὺς πλεονέκτας αἰνιττόμενος, καὶ πολλὴν ἐνδεικνύμενος τὴν κατηγορίαν, ὅταν οὓς τρέφειν ἐκελεύσθησαν, τούτους τύπτωσι. ∆οκεῖ δέ μοι καὶ τοὺς τρυφῶντας ἐνταῦθα αἰνίττεσθαι· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τρυφῆς μεγάλη κεῖται κόλασις. 58.708 Ἐσθίει γὰρ καὶ πίνει, φησὶ, μετὰ τῶν μεθυόντων, τὴν γαστριμαργίαν δηλῶν. Οὐ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο ἔλαβες, ἵνα εἰς τρυφὴν δαπανήσῃς, ἀλλ' ἵνα εἰς ἐλεημοσύνην ἀναλώσῃς. Μὴ γὰρ τὰ σαυτοῦ ἔχεις; Τὰ τῶν πενήτων ἐνεπιστεύθης, κἂν ἐκ πόνων δικαίων, κἂν ἀπὸ κλήρου πατρῴου κεκτημένος τύχῃς. Μὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἠδύνατο ταῦτα ὁ Θεὸς ἀφελέσθαι σου; Ἀλλ' οὐ ποιεῖ τοῦτο, σὲ κύριον ποιῶν τῆς εἰς τοὺς δεομένους φιλοτιμίας. Σὺ δέ μοι σκόπει, πῶς διὰ πασῶν τῶν παραβολῶν κολάζει τοὺς εἰς τοὺς δεομένους τοῖς χρήμασι χρωμένους τοῖς ἰδίοις. Οὔτε γὰρ αἱ παρθένοι ἥρπασαν τὰ ἀλλότρια, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔδωκαν τὰ ἴδια· οὔτε ὁ τὸ ἓν τάλαντον