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childbearing, and the care of a household, and many snowflakes of cares. Then especially both avarice and envy flourish. When, therefore, we pass through each stage of life with shipwrecks, how shall we suffice for the present life? how shall we escape the coming punishment? For when in the first stage of life we learn nothing sound, and in youth we are not temperate, and having become men we do not overcome avarice, having come to old age as to a kind of ship's hold, and having made the vessel of our soul weaker with all these blows, with the planks having been broken apart, we shall arrive at that harbor, carrying a great load of refuse instead of spiritual merchandise, and we shall provide laughter for the devil, but lamentation for ourselves, and we shall draw upon ourselves unbearable punishments. That these things may not happen, therefore, having braced ourselves on every side, and having taken a stand against all passions, let us cast out the desire for wealth; that we may also obtain the good things to come, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
58.737 HOMILY 82. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and
having given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And having taken a cup, and having given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you; this is my blood of the New Covenant, which for many
is poured out for the remission of sins. 1. Alas, how great the blindness of the betrayer! Even while partaking of the mysteries,
he remained the same; and while enjoying that most awesome table, he was not changed. And this Luke makes clear, saying that after this Satan entered into him, not despising the Master's body, but henceforth mocking the shamelessness of the betrayer. For the sin became greater on both counts: both that with such an intention he approached the mysteries, and that having approached he did not become better, neither from fear, nor from the benefit, nor from the honor. But Christ did not prevent him, although He knew all things; that you might learn that He omits nothing of the things that lead to correction. For this reason, both before this and after this, He continually reminded and restrained him, both by deeds, and by words, and by fear, and by healing, and by threat, and by honor. But nothing could turn him away from that grievous disease. Therefore, leaving him aside, He reminds the disciples again of the slaughter through the mysteries, and in the midst of the meal He discourses about the cross, making His passion acceptable by the continuity of the prophecy. For if, when so many things had happened and been foretold, they were troubled, what would they not have suffered if they had heard none of these things? And as they were eating, He took bread and broke it. Why ever did He perform this mystery then, at the time of the Passover? 58.738 That you might learn from every side both that He is the lawgiver of the Old, and that the things in it were foreshadowed for the sake of these things. For this reason, where the type is, He places the reality. And the evening was a proof of the fullness of the times, and of the fact that matters had henceforth come to the very end. And He gives thanks, teaching us how we ought to perform this mystery, and showing that He does not come to the passion unwillingly, and instructing us to bear with thanksgiving whatever we may suffer, and from this stretching out good hopes. For if the type became a release from such great slavery, much more will the reality set the world free, and will be delivered up for the benefit of our nature. For this reason He did not hand down the mystery before this, but when it was time for the things of the law to cease. And He abolishes the chief of their feasts, transferring them to another, most awesome table, and says: Take, eat; this is my body, which
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παιδοποιία, καὶ οἰκίας προστασία, καὶ πολλαὶ τῶν φροντίδων νιφάδες. Τότε μάλιστα καὶ φιλαργυρία ἀνθεῖ καὶ βασκανία. Ὅταν οὖν ἕκαστον μέρος ἡλικίας παρερχώμεθα μετὰ ναυαγίων, πῶς ἀρκέσομεν τῇ παρούσῃ ζωῇ; πῶς τὴν μέλλουσαν διαφευξόμεθα κόλασιν; Ὅταν γὰρ ἐν μὲν τῇ πρώτῃ ἡλικίᾳ μηδὲν μανθάνωμεν ὑγιὲς, ἐν δὲ τῇ νεότητι μὴ σωφρονήσωμεν, καὶ ἄνδρες γενόμενοι φιλαργυρίας μὴ περιγενώμεθα, ὥσπερ εἴς τινα ἀντλίαν τὸ γῆρας ἐλθόντες, καὶ πάσαις ταῖς πληγαῖς ταύταις τὸ σκάφος τῆς ψυχῆς ἀσθενέστερον κατασκευάσαντες, τῶν σανίδων διαλελυμένων, ἀπαντησόμεθα εἰς ἐκεῖνον τὸν λιμένα, πολὺν ἐπιφερόμενοι φορυτὸν ἀντὶ πνευματικῆς ἐμπορίας, καὶ τῷ μὲν διαβόλῳ παρέξομεν γέλωτα, θρῆνον δὲ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὰς ἀφορήτους ἐπισπασόμεθα τιμωρίας. Ἵν' οὖν μὴ ταῦτα γένηται, πάντοθεν ἑαυτοὺς συσφίγξαντες, καὶ πρὸς πάντα τὰ πάθη στάντες, ἐκβάλωμεν τοῦ πλούτου τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν· ἵνα καὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἐπιτύχωμεν ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.
58.737 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΠΒʹ. Ἐσθιόντων δὲ αὐτῶν, λαβὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἄρτον, καὶ
εὐχαριστήσας, ἔκλασε, καὶ ἔδωκε τοῖς μαθηταῖς, καὶ εἶπε· Λάβετε, φάγετε· τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σῶμά μου. Καὶ λαβὼν ποτήριον, καὶ εὐχαριστήσας, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων· Πίετε ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντες· τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ αἷμά μου τὸ τῆς Καινῆς ∆ιαθήκης, τὸ ὑπὲρ πολλῶν
ἐκχυνόμενον εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν. αʹ. Βαβαὶ, πόση ἡ πήρωσις τοῦ προδότου! Καὶ τῶν μυστηρίων μετέχων,
ἔμενεν ὁ αὐτός· καὶ τῆς φρικωδεστάτης ἀπολαύων τραπέζης, οὐ μετεβάλλετο. Καὶ τοῦτο ὁ Λουκᾶς δηλοῖ λέγων, ὅτι μετὰ τοῦτο εἰσῆλθεν εἰς αὐτὸν ὁ Σατανᾶς, οὐ τοῦ σώματος καταφρονῶν τοῦ ∆εσποτικοῦ, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀναισχυντίας καταγελῶν τοῦ προδότου λοιπόν. Καὶ γὰρ μεῖζον τὸ ἁμάρτημα ἐγίνετο ἑκατέρωθεν· καὶ ὅτι μετὰ τοιαύτης γνώμης τοῖς μυστηρίοις προσῄει, καὶ ὅτι προσελθὼν οὐκ ἐγένετο βελτίων, οὔτε ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου, οὔτε ἀπὸ τῆς εὐεργεσίας, οὔτε ἀπὸ τῆς τιμῆς. Ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἐκώλυσεν αὐτὸν, καίτοι πάντα εἰδώς· ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι οὐδὲν παραλιμπάνει τῶν εἰς διόρθωσιν ἡκόντων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ πρὸ τούτου καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο συνεχῶς ὑπεμίμνησκε καὶ κατεῖχε, καὶ δι' ἔργων, καὶ διὰ λόγων, καὶ διὰ φόβου, καὶ διὰ θεραπείας, καὶ δι' ἀπειλῆς, καὶ διὰ τιμῆς. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν αὐτὸν ἀφίστη τοῦ νοσήματος ἐκείνου τοῦ χαλεποῦ. ∆ιὸ λοιπὸν ἐκεῖνον ἀφεὶς, τοὺς μαθητὰς διὰ τῶν μυστηρίων ἀναμιμνήσκει πάλιν τῆς σφαγῆς, καὶ μεταξὺ τῆς τραπέζης περὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ διαλέγεται, τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῆς προῤῥήσεως εὐπαράδεκτον αὐτοῦ ποιῶν τὸ πάθος. Εἰ γὰρ τοσούτων γενομένων καὶ προλεχθέντων, ἐθορυβήθησαν, εἰ μηδὲν τούτων ἠκηκόεισαν, τί οὐκ ἂν ἔπαθον; Καὶ ἐσθιόντων αὐτῶν, λαβὼν ἄρτον ἔκλασε. Τί δήποτε τότε κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ πάσχα τὸ μυστήριον ἐπετέλει τοῦτο; 58.738 Ἵνα μάθῃς πάντοθεν καὶ τῆς Παλαιᾶς αὐτὸν ὄντα νομοθέτην, καὶ τὰ ἐν ἐκείνῃ διὰ ταῦτα προσκιογραφηθέντα. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο ἔνθα ὁ τύπος, τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπιτίθησιν. Ἡ δὲ ἑσπέρα τοῦ πληρώματος τῶν καιρῶν τεκμήριον ἦν, καὶ τοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸ λοιπὸν ἥκειν τὸ τέλος τὰ πράγματα. Καὶ εὐχαριστεῖ, διδάσκων ἡμᾶς ὅπως δεῖ τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο ἐπιτελεῖν, καὶ δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ ἄκων ἐπὶ τὸ πάθος ἔρχεται, καὶ παιδεύων ἡμᾶς, ὅπερ ἂν πάσχωμεν, εὐχαρίστως φέρειν, καὶ χρηστὰς κἀντεῦθεν ὑποτείνων τὰς ἐλπίδας. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ τύπος τοσαύτης δουλείας γέγονεν ἀπαλλαγὴ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡ ἀλήθεια τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐλευθερώσει, καὶ ἐπὶ εὐεργεσίᾳ τῆς ἡμετέρας παραδοθήσεται φύσεως. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο οὐδὲ πρὸ τούτου παρέδωκε τὸ μυστήριον, ἀλλ' ὅτε λοιπὸν παύσασθαι ἔδει τὰ νομικά. Καὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον δὲ τῶν ἑορτῶν αὐτῶν καταλύει, ἐφ' ἑτέραν αὐτοὺς μετατιθεὶς τράπεζαν φρικωδεστάτην, καί φησι· Λάβετε, φάγετε· τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σῶμά μου, τὸ