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Homily on the Rich

HOMILY OF THE SAME TO THE RICH

1 -We have spoken before about this young man, and the diligent listener surely remembers what was examined then; first, that he is not the same as the lawyer in Luke. For that one was a tempter, asking his questions ironically; but this one, though asking with a sound mind, did not accept obediently. For he would not have gone away grieving at such answers from the Lord, if he had put his questions to him contemptuously. Therefore his character appeared to us as mixed, as it were; the account showing him praiseworthy in one respect, but in another most wretched and altogether despaired of. For to recognize the true teacher, and, having passed by the arrogance of the Pharisees, the conceit of the lawyers, and the crowd of scribes, to give this title to the only true and good teacher, this was what was praised. And indeed, to be seen making it a matter of concern how he might inherit eternal life, this too is acceptable. But what follows convicts his whole intention, as not looking to the truly good, but looking around for what pleases the many: the fact that, having learned saving lessons from the true teacher, he did not write them on his heart, nor put the teachings into practice, but went away disheartened, darkened by the passion of love for wealth. And this proves the inconsistency of his ways and his disharmony with himself.

You call him Teacher, and yet you do not do the things of a disciple? You confess him to be good, and yet you reject what is given? And yet the good one is clearly a giver of good things. You ask about eternal life, but you are convicted of being completely bound to the enjoyment of the present life. What difficult, or burdensome, or excessive word did the teacher propose to you? Sell your possessions, and give to the poor; If he had set before you agricultural labors, or the dangers from trade, or whatever other toilsome things belong to those who make money, you would have had to be grieved, being vexed at the command; but if in this way by an easy road, having no toil nor sweat, he promises to make you an heir of eternal life, do you not rejoice at the ease of salvation, but go away, grieving in your soul and mourning, and render useless for yourself all that you have labored for before? For if you have not murdered, as you say, nor committed adultery, nor stolen, nor borne false witness against anyone, you make your diligence in these things unprofitable for yourself, by not adding what is lacking, through which alone you will be able to enter into the kingdom of God. And if a physician promised to correct mutilations of your limbs, which you had from birth or from illness, you would not be disheartened to hear it; but since the great physician of souls wishes to make you perfect, you who are lacking in the most essential things, you do not receive the grace, but you mourn and are downcast. For you are clearly far from that commandment, and have falsely testified to yourself concerning it, that you have loved your neighbor as yourself. For behold, what was proposed by the Lord convicts you of being utterly lacking in true love. For if what you asserted were true, that you have kept from your youth the commandment of love, and have given to each as much as to yourself, from where do you have this abundance of money? For the care of the needy consumes wealth; with each one receiving a little for his necessary care, while all of them together divide the possessions and spend them on themselves. So that he who loves his neighbor as himself nothing

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Homilia in divites

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΠΛΟΥΤΟΥΝΤΑΣ

1 -Εἴρηται καὶ πρώην ἡμῖν τὰ περὶ τοῦ νεανίσκου τούτου, καὶ μέ μνηται πάντως ὅ γε φιλόπονος ἀκροατὴς τῶν ἐξητασμένων τότε· πρῶτον μὲν, ὅτι οὐχ ὁ αὐτός ἐστι τῷ παρὰ τῷ Λουκᾷ νομικῷ. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ πειρασ τὴς ἦν, εἰρωνικὰς τὰς ἐρωτήσεις ποιούμενος· οὗτος δὲ, ὑγιῶς μὲν ἐρω τῶν, οὐκ εὐπειθῶς δὲ παραδεχόμενος. Οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἀπῆλθεν ἐπὶ ταῖς τοιαύ ταις ἀποκρίσεσιν τοῦ Κυρίου λυπούμενος, εἰ καταφρονητικῶς αὐτῷ προσῆγε τὰς πεύσεις. ∆ιόπερ οἱονεὶ μικτὸν αὐτοῦ τὸ ἦθος ἡμῖν ἀνεφαίνετο· πῆ μὲν ἐπαινετὸν δεικνύοντος τοῦ λόγου, πῆ δὲ ἀθλιώτατον καὶ πάντη ἀπεγνωσμέ νον. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ γνωρίσαι τὸν ἀληθῶς διδάσκαλον, καὶ παρελθόντα τὴν Φαρισαίων ἀλαζονείαν, καὶ νομικῶν οἴησιν, καὶ γραμματέων ὄχλον, τὴν προσηγορίαν ταύτην ἀναθεῖναι τῷ μόνῳ ἀληθινῷ καὶ ἀγαθῷ διδασκάλῳ, τοῦτο ἦν ὃ ἐπῃνεῖτο. Καὶ μέντοι τὸ φανῆναι φροντίδος ἄξιον ποιούμενον πῶς ἂν τῆς αἰωνίου κληρονομήσειε ζωῆς, ἀποδεκτὸν καὶ τοῦτο. Ἐκεῖνο δὲ λοιπὸν ἐλέγχει αὐτοῦ τὴν ὅλην προαίρεσιν, οὐ πρὸς τὸ ἀληθινῶς καλὸν ἀποβλέπουσαν, ἀλλὰ τὸ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀρέσκον περισκοποῦσαν· τὸ, μαθόντα παρὰ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ διδασκάλου μαθήματα σωτήρια, μὴ ἐγγράψαι τῇ ἑαυτοῦ καρδίᾳ, μηδὲ εἰς ἔργον ἀγαγεῖν τὰ διδάγματα, ἀλλ' ἀπελθεῖν ἀθυμοῦντα, τῷ πάθει τῆς φιλοπλουτίας ἐσκοτωμένον. Τοῦτο δὲ τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν τῶν τρόπων, καὶ τὸ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἀσύμφωνον ἀπελέγχει.

∆ιδάσκαλον λέγεις, καὶ τὰ μαθητῶν οὐ ποιεῖς; Ἀγαθὸν ὁμολογεῖς, καὶ τὰ διδόμενα παραπέ μπῃ; Καίτοι ὅ γε ἀγαθὸς ἀγαθῶν ἐστι παρεκτικὸς δηλονότι. Καὶ ἐρωτᾷς μὲν περὶ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς· ἐλέγχῃ δὲ ὅλως τῇ ἀπολαύσει τοῦ παρόντος βίου προσδεδεμένος. Τί δέ σοι χαλεπὸν, ἢ βαρὺ, ἢ ὑπέρογκον ῥῆμα ὁ διδάσκαλος προετείνατο; Πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς· Εἴ σοι προέβαλε πόνους γεωργικοὺς, ἢ τοὺς ἐξ ἐμπορίας κινδύνους, ἢ ὅσα ἄλλα τοῖς χρηματιζομένοις ἐπίπονα πρόσεστιν, ἔδει σε λυπηθῆναι δυσφο ροῦντα τῷ ἐπιτάγματι· εἰ δὲ οὕτως διὰ ῥᾳδίας ὁδοῦ, οὐδένα πόνον ἐχού σης οὐδὲ ἱδρῶτα, ἐπαγγέλλεταί σε κληρονόμον τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς ἀπο δείξειν, οὐ χαίρεις τῇ εὐκολίᾳ τῆς σωτηρίας, ἀλλ' ἀπέρχῃ ὀδυνώμενος τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ πενθῶν, καὶ ποιεῖς σεαυτῷ ἄχρηστα πάντα ὅσα σοι προπεπό νηται. Εἰ γὰρ οὐκ ἐφόνευσας, ὡς σὺ φῂς, οὔτε ἐμοίχευσας, οὔτε ἔκλεψας, οὔτε κατεμαρτύρησάς τινος μαρτυρίαν ψευδῆ, ἀνόνητον σεαυτῷ ποιεῖς τὴν περὶ ταῦτα σπουδὴν, μὴ προστιθεὶς τὸ λεῖπον, δι' οὗ μόνου δυνήσῃ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ εἰ μὲν ἰατρὸς ἐπηγγέλλετο κολοβώματα μελῶν ἐκ φύσεως ἢ ἐξ ἀῤῥωστίας προσόντα σοι διορθώσασθαι, οὐκ ἂν ἠθύμεις ἀκούων· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ μέγας τῶν ψυχῶν ἰατρὸς τέλειόν σε ποιῆσαι βούλεται τοῖς καιριωτάτοις ἐλλείποντα, οὐ δέχῃ τὴν χάριν, ἀλλὰ πενθεῖς καὶ σκυθ ρωπάζεις. Ἐκείνης μὲν γὰρ δῆλος εἶ τῆς ἐντολῆς μακρὰν ὑπάρχων, καὶ ψευδῶς σεαυτῷ προσμαρτυρήσας αὐτὴν, ὅτι ἠγάπησας τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου προταθὲν ἐλέγχει σε παμπληθὲς τῆς ἀληθινῆς ἀγάπης ἀπολειπόμενον. Εἰ γὰρ ὅπερ διεβεβαιώσω ἀληθὲς ἦν, ὅτι ἐφύλαξας ἐκ νεότητος τὴν ἐντολὴν τῆς ἀγάπης, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἀπέδωκας ἑκάστῳ ὅσον καὶ σεαυτῷ, πόθεν σοι ἡ τῶν χρημάτων αὕτη περιουσία; ∆απανητικὸν γὰρ πλούτου ἡ θεραπεία τῶν δεομένων· ὀλίγα μὲν ἑκάστου πρὸς τὴν ἀναγκαίαν ἐπιμέλειαν δεχομένου, πάντων δὲ ὁμοῦ καταμεριζο μένων τὰ ὄντα, καὶ περὶ ἑαυτοὺς δαπανώντων. Ὥστε ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὸν πλησίον ὡς ἑαυτὸν οὐδὲν