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grows wild; and the desire for money, when you throw in more gold, then it is most especially excited. If, therefore, to desire more is a mark of poverty, then the rich man who does so is most of all in poverty. Do you see that the soul is most impoverished when it is rich, and is rich when it is in poverty? And if you wish, let us test the argument with persons. Let there be two men, one having ten thousand talents, the other ten. And let us take these away from both of them. Who then will grieve more? The one who has lost the ten thousand. But he would not have grieved more, unless he loved it more; and if he loves it more, he desires it more; and if he desires it more, he is more in poverty. For we desire most that which we are most in want of; for desire comes from want. For where there is satiety, there can be no desire. For we are most thirsty when we have a want of drink. All these things have been said by me, to show that if we are sober, no one will harm us; and that the injury comes not from poverty, but from ourselves. Therefore I beseech you with all diligence to cast out the disease of avarice, that we may be rich both here, and may enjoy the eternal good things, which may we all attain, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

58.729 HOMILY 81. Now on the first day of the unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the passover? And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say to him, The Teacher says, My time

is at hand; I will keep the passover at your house with my disciples. 1. The first of the unleavened, he says, the day before the unleavened bread; for they are accustomed from the

evening always to count the day; and he mentions this, on which in the evening the Passover was about to be sacrificed; for they came on the fifth day of the week. And one calls this the day before the unleavened bread, speaking of the time when they came; but another says thus, And the day of unleavened bread came, on which the passover had to be sacrificed; saying this, "came," meaning, it was near, it was at the doors, obviously referring to that evening. For from 58.730 the evening they began; which is why each one adds, When the passover was sacrificed. And they say, Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the passover? So that from this it is clear, that he had no house, no lodging; and I think that they themselves did not have one either. For otherwise they would have invited him to come there. But neither did these have one, having renounced all things. And for what reason did he celebrate the passover? Showing by all means, up to the last day, that he is not opposed to the law. And why does he send them to an unknown man? Showing from this as well, that he was able not to suffer. For he who persuaded this man’s mind, so that he received them, and this by words, what would he not have done among those who crucified him, if he had wished not to suffer? And what he did in the case of the donkey, this he also does here 58.731 For there too he says, If anyone says anything to you, you will say that the Lord has need of it; so also here, The Teacher said, I will keep the passover at your house. But I marvel not only at this, that being unknown he received him, but that expecting to draw upon himself so much enmity and an implacable war, he despised the hatred of the many. Then, since they did not know, he also gives them a sign, like the prophet in the case of Saul, saying, You will find someone coming up and having a wineskin; and here, carrying a pitcher. And see again the demonstration of his power. For he did not only say, I will keep the Passover, but he also adds another thing, My time is at hand. And this he did, at the same time continually reminding his disciples of the passion, so that being trained by the frequency of the foretelling

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ἀγριοῦται· καὶ ἡ τῶν χρημάτων ἐπιθυμία, ὅταν πλέον ἐμβάλῃς χρυσίον, τότε μάλιστα αἴρεται. Εἰ τοίνυν τὸ πλειόνων ἐφίεσθαι, πενίας, ὁ δὲ ἐν πλούτῳ τοιοῦτος, οὗτος μάλιστα ἐν πενίᾳ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τότε μάλιστα πένεται ἡ ψυχὴ, ὅταν πλουτῇ, καὶ τότε πλουτεῖ, ὅταν ἐν πενίᾳ ᾖ; Εἰ δὲ βούλει, καὶ ἐπὶ προσώπων τὸν λόγον γυμνάσωμεν, καὶ ἔστωσαν δύο τινὲς, ὁ μὲν ἔχων μυρία τάλαντα, ὁ δὲ δέκα· καὶ ἀμφοτέρους ταῦτα ἀφαιρώμεθα· τίς οὖν μᾶλλον ἀλγήσει; Ὁ τὰ μυρία ἀπολέσας. Οὐκ ἂν δὲ μᾶλλον ἤλγησεν, εἰ μὴ μᾶλλον ἐφίλει· εἰ δὲ μᾶλλον φιλεῖ, μᾶλλον ἐπιθυμεῖ· εἰ δὲ ἐπιθυμεῖ μᾶλλον, μᾶλλόν ἐστιν ἐν πενίᾳ. Τούτου γὰρ μάλιστα ἐπιθυμοῦμεν, οὗ μάλιστα ἐν ἐνδείᾳ ἐσμέν· ἀπὸ γὰρ ἐνδείας ἡ ἐπιθυμία. Ἔνθα γὰρ ἂν ᾖ κόρος, ἐπιθυμίαν οὐκ ἔστιν εἶναι. Καὶ γὰρ τότε μάλιστα διψῶμεν, ὅταν ἐνδεῶς ἔχωμεν ποτοῦ. Ταῦτα δέ μοι ἅπαντα εἴρηται, ὥστε δεῖξαι, ὅτι ἂν νήφωμεν, οὐδεὶς ἡμᾶς λυμανεῖται· καὶ ὅτι οὐ παρὰ πενίαν, ἀλλὰ παρ' ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἡ βλάβη γίνεται. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ πάσῃ σπουδῇ τὴν νόσον τῆς φιλαργυρίας ἐκβαλεῖν, ἵνα καὶ ἐνταῦθα πλουτῶμεν, καὶ τῶν αἰωνίων ἀπολαύσωμεν ἀγαθῶν, ὧν γένοιτο πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτυχεῖν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

58.729 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΠΑʹ. Τῇ δὲ πρώτῃ τῶν ἀζύμων προσῆλθον οἱ μαθηταὶ τῷ Ἰησοῦ λέγοντες, Ποῦ θέλεις ἑτοιμάσωμέν σοι φαγεῖν τὸ πάσχα; Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· Ὑπάγετε εἰς τὴν πόλιν πρὸς τὸν δεῖνα, καὶ εἴπατε αὐτῷ· Ὁ ∆ιδάσκαλος λέγει, Ὁ καιρός μου

ἐγγύς ἐστι· πρὸς σὲ ποιῶ τὸ πάσχα μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν μου. αʹ. Πρώτην τῶν ἀζύμων, τὴν πρὸ τῶν ἀζύμων φησίν· εἰώθασι γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς

ἑσπέρας ἀεὶ ἀριθμεῖν τὴν ἡμέραν· καὶ ταύτης μνημονεύει, καθ' ἢν ἐν τῇ ἑσπέρᾳ τὸ πάσχα ἔμελλε θύεσθαι· τῇ γὰρ πέμπτῃ τοῦ σαββάτου προσῆλθον. Καὶ ταύτην ὁ μὲν τὴν πρὸ τῶν ἀζύμων καλεῖ, τὸν καιρὸν λέγων, καθ' ὃν προσῆλθον· ὁ δὲ οὕτω λέγει· Ἦλθε δὲ ἡ ἡμέρα τῶν ἀζύμων, ἐν ᾖ ἔδει θύεσθαι τὸ πάσχα· τὸ, Ἦλθε, τοῦτο λέγων, Ἐγγὺς ἦν, ἐπὶ θύραις ἦν, τῆς ἑσπέρας δηλονότι μεμνημένος ἐκείνης. Ἀπὸ γὰρ 58.730 τῆς ἑσπέρας ἤρχοντο· διὸ καὶ ἕκαστος προστίθησιν, Ὅτε ἐθύετο τὸ πάσχα. Καὶ λέγουσι· Ποῦ θέλεις ἑτοιμάσωμέν σοι φαγεῖν τὸ πάσχα; Ὥστε κἀντεῦθεν δῆλον, ὅτι οὐκ ἦν αὐτῷ οἰκία, οὐκ ἦν καταγώγιον· ἐγὼ δὲ οἶμαι μηδὲ αὐτοὺς ἔχειν. Ἦ γὰρ ἂν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ παρεκάλεσαν ἐλθεῖν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν οὐδὲ τούτοις, πᾶσιν ἀποταξαμένοις λοιπόν. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν τὸ πάσχα ἐπετέλει ∆ιὰ πάντων δεικνὺς μέχρι τῆς ἐσχάτης ἡμέρας, ὅτι οὐ ἔστιν ἐναντίος τῷ νόμῳ. Καὶ τί δήποτε πρὸς ἀγνῶτα πέμπει ἄνθρωπον; ∆εικνὺς κἀντεῦθεν, ὅτι ἠδύνατο μὴ παθεῖν. Ὁ γὰρ τὴν διάνοιαν τούτου πείσας, ὥστε αὐτοὺς ὑποδέξασθαι, καὶ ταῦτα ἀπὸ ῥημάτων, τί οὐκ ἂν εἰργάσατο ἐν τοῖς σταυροῦσιν αὐτὸν, εἴγε ἐβούλετο μὴ παθεῖν; Καὶ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῆς ὄνου ἐποίησε, τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα 58.731 Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ φησιν· Ἐάν τις ὑμῖν εἴπῃ τι, ἐρεῖτε ὅτι Ὁ Κύριος αὐτοῦ χρείαν ἔχει· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα· Ὁ ∆ιδάσκαλος εἶπε, Πρὸς σὲ ποιῶ τὸ πάσχα. Ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ τοῦτο θαυμάζω μόνον, ὅτι αὐτὸν ὑπεδέξατο ἄγνωστος ὢν, ἀλλ' ὅτι προσδοκῶν ἔχθραν ἐπισπάσασθαι τοσαύτην καὶ πόλεμον ἄσπονδον, κατεφρόνησε τῆς τῶν πολλῶν ἀπεχθείας. Εἶτα ἐπειδὴ ἠγνόουν, καὶ σημεῖον αὐτοῖς δίδωσιν, οἷον ἐπὶ τοῦ Σαοὺλ ὁ προφήτης λέγων· Εὑρήσεις τινὰ ἀναβαίνοντα καὶ ἀσκὸν ἔχοντα· καὶ ἐνταῦθα, Κεράμιον βαστάζοντα. Καὶ ὅρα πάλιν τὴν ἐπίδειξιν τῆς δυνάμεως. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπε μόνον, Τὸ Πάσχα ποιῶ· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερον προστίθησιν, Ὁ καιρός μου ἐγγύς ἐστι. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐποίει, ἅμα μὲν τοὺς μαθητὰς συνεχῶς ὑπομιμνήσκων τοῦ πάθους, ὥστε τῇ πυκνότητι τῆς προῤῥήσεως ἐγγυμνασθέντας