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Ad eos qui magni aestimant opes

HOMILY V. To those who consider present things great and are vainly excited over the splendors of life.

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To angels, heaven is a place of joy, but to the faithful the Church, in place of heaven, is a single and lawful dwelling, granting to their souls the pleasure of hearing the sacred songs. When Mary once hung upon this, the Giver of blessedness declared her blessed: “Mary,” he says, “has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Only the profit of pious teaching is a good amulet for us while living, and accompanies us to the Judge when we are dead; but the possession of all other things is easily dissolved, not only because it has the grave as its successor, but also because before the grave there are countless shipwrecks of life. For we navigate this present life as a sea, which is subject to clashes of waves even more violent. Wealth does not enjoy a stable calm, but often, while sailing with a fair wind for its possessors, it is sunk by a sudden tempest of trials. The throne is not the 64.456 unshakable height of power; for sudden storms of dangers, having blown, have uprooted prosperity from its very source. The gift of health is not without a successor, but unexpected harm from diseases lies in wait for it too. The possession of prosperity sheds its feathers in various ways, and a man is like a tree, now bearing the bloom of abundance, now being stripped of it like a tree of its leaf. Examining the flourishing things of this life, you will find none that does not have decay as its neighbor. For thus the Creator composed our life, releasing the desire of those who gape at the earth, and he yoked the admirable things of life with decay, so that whenever the pleasure of earthly things enchants you, its expected transience may rouse you. For you were appointed a traveler of this present age, not an owner, and we make use of creation only as one passes through an inn. For just as travelers, having enjoyed a brief stay in an inn, depart and complete the next stage of their journey, so we too, traveling through this age of life, having remained a little while in life as in a lodging, depart from this dwelling.

For God has prepared for us another life and has made the present life a road for the journey toward that one, having appointed the necessities from creation only as provisions for the road. But for us departing this road, the unaccompanied wealth of all things acquired; for nothing of what we have, have we had as our own. For the garment which we first wear as our own, we have plundered from the nature of sheep; the shoes which we put on our feet, we have obtained from the hide of cattle; the supply of food and drink we procure from the bosom of the earth; hers also is the gold, which we all grasp as our own. Even kings collect pearls from oysters. We live and are rich from another's contribution. Give back the wool to the sheep, and you will have no covering for your flesh; give back their hides to the cattle, and you will find no covering of your own for your feet; give back the silk threads to the worms, and you will not bring forth a silk garment of your own. But you will not even have plenty of your own crumbs, unless you flatter the nurturing earth with what it loves. Christ also, indicating this, said: “If you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?” Do not, showing me wealth from cattle and the earth, adorn yourself as with your own things which are not yours. You are the owner of one possession only, piety. Of this, death, when it comes, will not rob you; but of all other things

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Ad eos qui magni aestimant opes

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Εʹ. Πρὸς τοὺς μεγάλα τὰ παρόντα νομίζοντας καὶ περὶ τὰ τοῦ βίου λαμπρὰ μάτην ἐπτοημένους.

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Ἀγγέλοις μὲν οὐρανὸς εὐφροσύνης χωρίον, Ἐκκλησία δὲ πιστοῖς ἀντ' οὐρανῶν ἓν διαίτημα καὶ νόμιμον, ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡδονὴν δωρουμένη τῶν ἱερῶν ἐπῳδῶν τὴν ἀκρόασιν. Ταύτης ποτὲ τὴν Μαρίαν ἐκκρεμαμένην ὁ τῆς μακαριότητος δοτὴρ ἐμακάριζεν· Μαρία, φησὶν, τὴν καλὴν μερίδα ἐξελέξατο, ἥτις οὐκ ἀφαιρεθήσεται ἀπ' αὐτῆς. Μόνον δὲ τῆς εὐσεβοῦς διδασκαλίας τὸ κέρδος καὶ ζῶσιν ἡμῖν ἀγαθὸν φυλακτήριον, καὶ τεθνεῶσιν πρὸς τὸν κριτὴν συνοδεῦον· ἡ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων εὐκατάλυτος κτῆσις, οὐ μόνον ὅτι τάφον τὴν διάδοχον ἔχει, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τάφου μυρία τὰ τοῦ βίου ναυάγια. Καθάπερ γὰρ θάλατταν τὸν παρόντα ναυτιλλόμεθα βίον σφοδροτέροις κυμάτων συμπτώμασι χρώμενον. Οὐ πλοῦτος σταθερᾶς ἀπολαύει γαλήνης, ἀλλ' ἐξ οὐρίας πολλάκις τοῖς κεκτημένοις συμπλέων, αἰφνιδίῳ λαίλαπι πειρασμῶν ἐβαπτίσθη. Οὐ θρόνος τὸ τῆς 64.456 δυναστείας ἀκατάσειστον ὕψος· ἀθρόαι γὰρ πνεύσασαι καταιγίδες κινδύνων αὐτόῤῥιζον τὴν εὐημερίαν ἀνέσπασαν. Οὐ τὸ τῆς ὑγείας ἀδιάδοχον δῶρον, ἀλλ' ἐφεδρεύει καὶ ταύτῃ νοσημάτων ἀπροσδόκητος βλάβη. Πτεροῤῥυεῖ ποικίλως τῆς εὐπραγίας ἡ κτῆσις, καὶ δένδρῳ τινὶ προσέοικεν ἄνθρωπος, νῦν μὲν τὸ τῆς εὐθηνίας ἀνθηρὸν περιφέρων, νῦν δὲ τῷ ταύτης ὡς δένδρον ἐκδυόμενος φύλλον. Οὐδὲν τῶν βιωτικῶν ἀνθηρῶν ἐξετάζων γείτονα κεκτημένον τὸν μαρασμὸν οὐχ εὑρήσεις. Οὕτω γὰρ ἡμῖν τὸν βίον ὁ Κτίστης συνέθηκεν τῶν πρὸς τὴν γῆν κεχηνότων ἐκλύων τὴν ὄρεξιν, καὶ συνέζευξεν μαρασμῷ τὸ τοῦ βίου περίβλεπτον, ἵν' ὅταν σε τῶν γηΐνων τὸ τερπνὸν καταθέλξῃ, τὸ πρόσκαιρον ἐλπισθὲν ἀναστήση. Τοῦ γὰρ παρόντος αἰῶνος ὁδοιπόρος κατετάχθης, οὐ κτήτωρ, καὶ τὴν ἐν τῇ κτίσει μόνην ὡς πανδοχείου παροδεύομεν χρῆσιν. Καθάπερ γὰρ ὁδοιπόροι μικρᾶς ἐν πανδοχείῳ διατριβῆς ἀπολαύσαντες, τὴν ἐφεξῆς ἐκβάντες πληροῦσιν ὁδοιπορίαν, οὕτω καὶ τὸν τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης ὁδοιποροῦντες αἰῶνα, μικρὸν ὡς ἐν καταλύματι τῷ βίῳ προσμείναντες, τῆς ἐντεῦθεν ἐκδημοῦμεν οἰκήσεως.

Ἄλλον γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁ Θεὸς προηυτρέπισεν βίον καὶ τοῦ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον δρόμου τὴν παροῦσαν ζωὴν ὁδὸν κατεσκεύασεν, τὰς παρὰ τῆς κτίσεως χρείας εἰς ἐφόδιον μόνον τῆς ὁδοῦ κατατάξας. Ταύτην δὲ ἡμῖν τὴν ὁδὸν ἐξελθοῦσιν ὁ τῶν κτηθέντων ἁπάντων ἀσυνόδευτος πλοῦτος· οὐδὲν γὰρ ὧν ἐσχήκαμεν, ἐσχήκαμεν ἴδιον. Ἣν γὰρ φοροῦμεν πρῶτον ὡς ἰδίαν ἐσθῆτα, τὴν τῶν προβάτων ἐξεθύσαμεν φύσιν· ἃ περιβάλλομεν τοῖς ποσὶν ὑποδήματα, παρὰ τῆς τῶν βοσκημάτων δορᾶς κεκομίσμεθα· τὴν τῶν βρωμάτων καὶ ποτῶν χορηγίαν ἐκ τῶν τῆς γῆς συμπορίζομεν κόλπων· ταύτης ἐστὶν καὶ χρυσὸς, ὃν πάντες ὡς ἡμέτερον σφίγγομεν. Μαργαρίτας ἐξ ὀστρέων καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐρανίζονται. Ἐξ ἀλλοτρίας ζῶμεν εἰσφορᾶς καὶ πλουτοῦμεν. Ἀπόδος τοῖς προβάτοις τὸ ἔριον, καὶ οὐδὲν ἕξεις τῆς σαρκὸς περιβόλαιον· ἀπόδος τὰς αὐτῶν δορὰς τοῖς βοσκήμασιν, καὶ σκέπην ἰδιόκτητον τοῖς ποσὶν οὐχ εὑρήσεις· ἀπόδος τὰ σηρικὰ τοῖς σκώληξι νήματα, καὶ σηρικὴν ἰδίαν οὐ προσοίσεις ἐσθῆτα. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ψιχῶν εὐπορήσεις ἰδίων, ἂν μὴ τὴν τρέφουσαν γῆν οἷς φιλεῖ κολακεύσῃς. Τοῦτο καὶ Χριστὸς ἐνδεικνύμενος ἔλεγεν· Εἰ ἐν τῷ ἀλλοτρίῳ πιστοὶ οὐκ ἐγένεσθε, τὸ ὑμέτερον τίς ὑμῖν δώσει; Μή μοι τῶν ἐκ τῶν κτηνῶν καὶ τῆς γῆς προβαλλόμενος πλοῦτον, ὡς ἐπ' ἰδίοις τοῖς μὴ σοῖς καλλωπίζου. Ἑνὸς εἶ κτήματος μόνου εὐσεβείας ἰδιοκτήτωρ. Ταύτης σε θάνατος ἐπελθὼν οὐ συλήσει· τῶν ἄλλων δὲ ἁπάντων