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let him be burned; but let another put off his martyrdom for the edification of his neighbor, and not only put it off, but even depart without martyrdom; who will be more well-pleasing after his departure from hence? We do not need many words here, nor a long discourse. For the blessed Paul stands over us, bringing the verdict and saying: To depart and be with Christ is better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you; and he preferred the edification of his neighbor to his departure to be with Christ. For this most of all is to be with Christ, to do His will; and nothing is so much His will as that which is profitable for one's neighbor. Do you wish that I give a fourth proof of this? Peter, do you love me? He says; Feed my sheep; and having asked him a third time, He said this was the proof of love. But this was not said to priests only, but also to each one of us, who have been entrusted with even a small flock. For do not despise it because it is small; For My Father, He says, is well pleased in them. Each of us has a sheep; let him lead it to the proper pastures. And let the husband, when he rises from his bed, seek nothing else but how he may do or say something by which he will make the whole house more devout. Let the wife again be a keeper at home, but before this care let her have another more necessary concern, how the whole house may work for the things of 58.710 heaven. For if in the affairs of this life, before taking care of the house, we are eager to pay our public debts, so that for default in these we may not be beaten and dragged into the marketplace, and suffer countless disgraces; much more ought we to do this in spiritual things, to first pay what is due to God, the King of all, that we may not come to the place where there is gnashing of teeth. And let us seek these virtues, which along with our own salvation might also greatly benefit our neighbors. Such is almsgiving, such is prayer; or rather, even prayer is made powerful and winged by it. For your prayers, it says, and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And not only prayer, but fasting also has its strength from this. Even if you fast without almsgiving, the act is not even reckoned as fasting; but such a one is worse than a glutton and a drunkard, and by so much worse, as cruelty is more grievous than luxury. And why do I speak of fasting? For even if you are chaste, even if you are a virgin, you stand outside the bridal chamber if you do not have almsgiving. And yet what is equal to virginity, which not even in the New Covenant came under the necessity of law, because of its excellence? but nevertheless it is cast out when it does not have almsgiving. But if virgins are cast out because they did not have this with the fitting abundance, who will be able to obtain pardon without it? There is no one, but it is entirely necessary that the one who does not have it should perish. For if in the affairs of this life no one lives for himself, but the artisan, and the soldier, and the farmer, and the merchant, all contribute to the common good and the benefit of their neighbor; much more ought we to do this in spiritual matters. For this most of all is to live; as he who lives for himself alone, and despises all others, is superfluous, and not even a man, nor of our race. What then, he says, if I should neglect my own affairs while seeking those of others? It is not possible for one who seeks the things of others to neglect his own. For he who seeks the things of others grieves no one, but pities all, helps to the extent of his ability; he will rob no one, defraud no one, will not steal, will not bear false witness; he will abstain from all evil, he will take hold of every virtue, and will pray for his enemies, and do good to those who plot against him; and he will neither revile anyone, nor speak evil, even if he hears countless evil things, but will say the apostolic words: Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? But in looking to our own interests, the interests of others do not necessarily follow. Being persuaded by all these things, that it is not possible to be saved without considering the common good, and having seen this man who was cut in two, and him who the

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κατακαιέσθω· ἕτερος δέ τις ἀναβαλλέσθω τὸ μαρτύριον διὰ τὴν τοῦ πλησίον οἰκοδομὴν, καὶ μὴ μόνον ἀναβαλλέσθω, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπερχέσθω μαρτυρίου χωρίς· τίς μᾶλλον εὐδοκιμήσει μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημίαν; Οὐ δεῖ πολλῶν ἐνταῦθα λόγων ἡμῖν, οὐδὲ μακρᾶς τῆς περιόδου. Ἐφέστηκε γὰρ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος τὴν ψῆφον φέρων καὶ λέγων· Τὸ ἀναλῦσαι καὶ σὺν Χριστῷ εἶναι, κρεῖσσον· τὸ δὲ ἐπιμένειν τῇ σαρκὶ, ἀναγκαιότερον δι' ὑμᾶς· καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὸν Χριστὸν ἀποδημίας προετίμησε τοῦ πλησίον τὴν οἰκοδομήν. Τοῦτο γὰρ μάλιστά ἐστι συνεῖναι Χριστῷ, τὸ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ποιεῖν· θέλημα δὲ αὐτοῦ οὐδὲν οὕτως ἐστὶ, ὡς τὸ συμφέρον τῷ πλησίον. Βούλει καὶ τετάρτην εἴπω τούτου ἀπόδειξιν; Πέτρε, φιλεῖς με; φησί· ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου· καὶ τρίτον αὐτὸν ἐρωτήσας, τοῦτο ἔφησε φιλίας εἶναι τεκμήριον. Οὐ πρὸς ἱερέας δὲ τοῦτο εἴρηται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς ἕκαστον ἡμῶν, τῶν καὶ μικρὸν ἐμπεπιστευμένων ποίμνιον. Μὴ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ μικρόν ἐστι, καταφρονήσῃς· Ὁ γὰρ Πατήρ μου, φησὶν, εὐδόκησεν ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ἔχει ἕκαστος ἡμῶν πρόβατον· τοῦτο ἐπὶ τὰς προσηκούσας ἀγέτω νομάς. Καὶ ὁ ἀνὴρ ἀναστὰς ἀπὸ τῆς εὐνῆς μηδὲν ἄλλο ζητείτω, ἀλλ' ἢ ὅπως ἐργάσηταί τι καὶ εἴπῃ, δι' ὧν ἅπασαν εὐλαβεστέραν ποιήσει τὴν οἰκίαν. Ἡ γυνὴ πάλιν ἔστω μὲν οἰκουρὸς, πρὸ δὲ ταύτης τῆς ἐπιμελείας ἑτέραν ἀναγκαιοτέραν ἐχέτω φροντίδα, τὰ τῶν 58.710 οὐρανῶν ὅπως ἅπασα ἐργάζηται ἡ οἰκία. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς βιωτικοῖς, πρὸ τῆς κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπιμελείας, τὰ δημόσια σπουδάζομεν καταθεῖναι ὀφλήματα, ὥστε μὴ διὰ τὴν ἐν τούτοις ἀγνωμοσύνην δέρεσθαι καὶ ἕλκεσθαι ἐπ' ἀγορᾶς, καὶ μυρία ἀσχημονεῖν· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῶν πνευματικῶν τοῦτο δεῖ ποιεῖν, τὰ τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ καταθεῖναι πρότερον, ἵνα μὴ ἔλθωμεν ὅπου ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων. Καὶ ταύτας ζητῶμεν τὰς ἀρετὰς, αἱ μετὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας σωτηρίας καὶ τοὺς πλησίον τὰ μέγιστα ὠφελῆσαι δύναιντ' ἄν. Τοιοῦτον ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη, τοιοῦτον ἡ εὐχή· μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ αὕτη παρ' ἐκείνης δυνατὴ καὶ ὑπόπτερος γίνεται. Αἱ εὐχαί σου γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ αἱ ἐλεημοσύναι σου ἀνέβησαν εἰς μνημόσυνον ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Οὐκ εὐχὴ δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ νηστεία ἐντεῦθεν τὰ νεῦρα ἔχει. Κἂν νηστεύῃς χωρὶς ἐλεημοσύνης, οὐδὲ νηστεία τὸ πρᾶγμα λογίζεται· ἀλλὰ γαστριζομένου καὶ μεθύοντος χείρων ὁ τοιοῦτος, καὶ τοσούτῳ χείρων, ὅσῳ τρυφῆς ὠμότης χαλεπώτερον. Καὶ τί λέγω νηστείαν; Κἂν γὰρ σωφρονῇς, κἂν παρθενεύῃς, ἐκτὸς ἕστηκας τοῦ νυμφῶνος, ἐλεημοσύνην οὐκ ἔχων. Καίτοι τί παρθενίας ἴσον, ὃ μηδὲ ἐν τῇ Καινῇ ὑπὸ νόμου ἦλθεν ἀνάγκην διὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον; ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐκβάλλεται, ὅταν τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην μὴ ἔχῃ. Εἰ δὲ παρθένοι ἐκβάλλονται, ἐπειδὴ ταύτην οὐκ εἶχον μετὰ δαψιλείας τῆς προσηκούσης, τίς δυνήσεται ταύτης ἄνευ συγγνώμης τυχεῖν; Οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεὶς, ἀλλ' ἀπολέσθαι πάντως ἀνάγκη τὸν ταύτην οὐκ ἔχοντα. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς βιωτικοῖς οὐδεὶς ἑαυτῷ ζῇ, ἀλλὰ καὶ χειροτέχνης, καὶ στρατιώτης, καὶ γεωργὸς, καὶ ἔμπορος, πρὸς τὸ κοινῇ συμφέρον καὶ τὸ τῷ πλησίον ὠφέλιμον συντελοῦσιν ἅπαντες· πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῶν πνευματικῶν τοῦτο δεῖ ποιεῖν. Τοῦτο γὰρ μάλιστά ἐστι ζῇν· ὡς ὅγε ἑαυτῷ ζῶν μόνον, καὶ πάντων ὑπερορῶν, περιττός ἐστι, καὶ οὐδὲ ἄνθρωπος, οὐδὲ τοῦ γένους τοῦ ἡμετέρου. Τί οὖν, φησὶν, ἂν τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν παρίδω. τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιζητῶν; Οὐκ ἔστι τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιζητοῦντα τὰ ἑαυτοῦ παριδεῖν. Ὁ γὰρ τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιζητῶν, οὐδένα λυπεῖ, ἀλλ' ἐλεεῖ πάντας, ὠφελεῖ εἰς δύναμιν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ· οὐδένα ἁρπάσεται, οὐδένα πλεονεκτήσει, οὐ κλέψει, οὐ ψευδομαρτυρήσει· πάσης ἀφέξεται κακίας, πάσης ἐπιλήψεται ἀρετῆς, καὶ ὑπερεύξεται τῶν ἐχθρῶν, καὶ εὐεργετήσει τοὺς ἐπιβουλεύοντας· καὶ οὔτε λοιδορήσεταί τινι, οὔτε κακῶς ἐρεῖ, κἂν μυρία ἀκούσῃ κακῶς, ἀλλ' ἐρεῖ τὰ ἀποστολικά· Τίς ἀσθενεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ; τίς σκανδαλίζεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ πυροῦμαι; Ἐν δὲ τῷ τὰ ἡμέτερα σκοπεῖν οὐ πάντως καὶ τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἕψεται. Ἐκ τούτων ἁπάντων πεισθέντες, ὡς οὐκ ἔνι σωθῆναι μὴ τὸ κοινῇ συμφέρον σκοποῦντα, καὶ τὸν διχοτομηθέντα τοῦτον ἰδόντες, καὶ τὸν τὸ