1

De beato Philogonio

On the blessed Philogonius, who became a bishop from being a lawyer, and that nothing is equal to providing for the common good for gaining favor with God, and that to approach the divine mysteries carelessly has unbearable punishment, even if we should dare this once a year.

Spoken five days before the birth of Christ. Sixth Homily.

48.747 1. I indeed was preparing myself today for the contests of the heretics

to strip for wrestling, and to pay you the remainder of the debt; but the day of the blessed Philogonius, whose feast we now celebrate, has called our tongue to the narration of his achievements. And we must by all means obey. For if he who speaks evil of father or mother 48.748 dies the death, it is clear that he who blesses will by all means enjoy life, and if natural parents ought to enjoy such goodwill from us, how much more our spiritual parents, and especially when praise makes the departed no more glorious, but makes us who are gathered together, both the speakers and the hearers, better. For he who has ascended to heaven, would have no need of human 48.749 praise, having departed to a greater and more blessed lot; but we who for the time being are occupied here, and are in need of much encouragement from every side, need his encomiums, so that we may be stirred up to the same zeal.

For this reason a certain wise man also exhorts, saying: The memory of the just is with praises; not as though the departed, but as though those who praise them are most benefited by this. Since, therefore, the profit to us from this matter is so great, let us obey and not object; for the time is also suitable for such a narrative. For today the blessed one was transferred to the untroubled life, and moored his vessel where it is no longer possible to suspect shipwreck, nor any despondency and pain. And what wonder is it if that place is free from despondency, where Paul, speaking to men who are still alive, says: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing? But if here, where there are diseases, and insults, and untimely deaths, and slanders, and envies, and despondencies, and angers, and evil desires, and countless plots, and daily cares, and continuous and successive evils bringing countless sorrows from every side, Paul said it is possible to rejoice always, if one, having emerged a little from the surging wave of life's affairs, should regulate his own life well, how much more easily can one attain this good after departing from here, when all these things have been taken away, both sicknesses and passions and the occasion of sins, when "mine" and "yours" do not exist, that cold phrase, which introduces all terrible things into our life, and has given birth to countless wars. Therefore I especially count this saint blessed, because even if he was transferred and left the city among us, yet he ascended to another city, the city of God, and having left this Church, he belongs to that of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and having left these feasts, he has passed over to the festive assembly of the angels.

For that there is also a city above and a Church and a festive assembly, hear Paul saying: You have come to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to myriads of angels

1

De beato Philogonio

Εἰς τὸν μακάριον Φιλογόνιον γενόμενον ἀπὸ δικολόγου ἐπίσκοπον, καὶ ὅτι τοῦ προνοεῖν τῶν κοινῇ συμφερόντων οὐδὲν ἴσον εἰς εὐδοκίμησιν παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ὅτι τὸ ῥᾳθύμως προσιέναι τοῖς θείοις μυστηρίοις κόλασιν ἀφόρητον ἔχει, κἂν ἅπαξ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ τοῦτο τολμήσωμεν.

Ἐλέχθη δὲ πρὸ πέντε ἡμερῶν τῆς Χριστοῦ γεννήσεως. Λόγος ἕκτος.

48.747 αʹ. Ἐγὼ μὲν καὶ τήμερον παρεσκευαζόμην πρὸς τὰ τῶν αἱρετικῶν

παλαίσματα ἀποδύσασθαι, καὶ τὸ λειπόμενον ὑμῖν ἀποδοῦναι τοῦ χρέους· ἀλλ', ἡ τοῦ μακαρίου Φιλογονίου ἡμέρα, οὗ τὴν ἑορτὴν ἄγομεν νῦν, πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἐκείνου κατορθωμάτων διήγησιν τὴν γλῶτταν ἡμῶν ἐκάλεσε. Καὶ δεῖ πείθεσθαι πάντως. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ κακολογῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα θα 48.748 νάτῳ τελευτᾷ, εὔδηλον ὅτι ὁ εὐλογῶν ζωῆς ἀπολαύσεται πάντως, καὶ εἰ τοὺς φυσικοὺς γονεῖς τοσαύτης παρ' ἡμῶν ἀπολαύειν εὐνοίας χρὴ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τοὺς πνευματικοὺς, καὶ μάλιστα ὅταν τοὺς μὲν κατοιχομένους ὁ ἔπαινος μηδὲν ποιῇ λαμπροτέρους, τοὺς δὲ συνιόντας ἡμᾶς καὶ τοὺς λέγοντας καὶ τοὺς ἀκούοντας βελτίους ἐργάζηται. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβὰς, οὐδὲν ἂν δέοιτο τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης 48.749 εὐφημίας πρὸς μείζονα καὶ μακαριωτέραν λῆξιν ἀπελθών· ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ τέως ἐνταῦθα στρεφόμενοι, καὶ πολλῆς πανταχόθεν παρακλήσεως χρῄζοντες, τῶν ἐγκωμίων δεόμεθα τῶν ἐκείνου, ἵνα εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν ζῆλον διαναστῶμεν.

∆ιὰ τοῦτο καί τις σοφὸς παραινεῖ λέγων· Μνήμη δικαίου μετ' ἐγκωμίων· οὐχ ὡς τῶν ἀπελθόντων, ἀλλ' ὡς τῶν ἐγκωμιαζόντων ταύτῃ τὰ μέγιστα ὠφελουμένων. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τοσοῦτον τὸ κέρδος ἡμῖν ἐκ τοῦ πράγματος, πειθώμεθα καὶ μὴ ἀντιλέγωμεν· καὶ γὰρ ὁ καιρὸς πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην διήγησιν ἐπιτήδειος. Σήμερον γὰρ ὁ μακάριος πρὸς τὴν ἀτάραχον μετετάξατο ζωὴν, καὶ τὸ σκάφος ὥρμισεν ἔνθα ναυάγιον ὑποπτεῦσαι οὐκ ἔνι λοιπὸν, οὐδὲ ἀθυμίαν τινὰ καὶ ὀδύνην. Καὶ τί θαυμαστὸν εἰ καθαρὸν ἐκεῖνο τὸ χωρίον ἀθυμίας ἐστὶν, ὅπου γε ἀνθρώποις τοῖς ἔτι ζῶσι διαλεγόμενος ὁ Παῦλός φησι· Πάντοτε χαίρετε, ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε; Εἰ δὲ ἐνταῦθα ὅπου νόσοι, καὶ ἐπήρειαι, καὶ ἄωροι θάνατοι, καὶ συκοφαντίαι, καὶ φθόνοι, καὶ ἀθυμίαι, καὶ ὀργαὶ, καὶ ἐπιθυμίαι πονηραὶ, καὶ μυρίαι ἐπιβουλαὶ, καὶ καθημεριναὶ φροντίδες, καὶ συνεχῆ καὶ ἐπάλληλα τὰ κακὰ μυρίας πάντοθεν ἐπάγοντα λύπας, ἔφησεν ὁ Παῦλος δυνατὸν εἶναι πάντοτε χαίρειν, εἴ τις μικρὸν ἐκ τοῦ κλυδωνίου τῶν βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων ἀνακύψας, τὸν ἑαυτοῦ καλῶς ῥυθμίσειε βίον, πολλῷ μᾶλλον μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀποδημίαν τούτου ῥᾴδιον ἐπιτυχεῖν τοῦ καλοῦ, ὅτε ταῦτα πάντα ἀνῄρηται, καὶ ἀῤῥωστίαι καὶ πάθη καὶ ἁμαρτημάτων ὑπόθεσις, ὅτε τὸ ἐμὸν καὶ τὸ σὸν οὐκ ἔστι, τὸ ψυχρὸν τοῦτο ῥῆμα, καὶ πάντα εἰς τὴν ζωὴν ἡμῶν εἰσάγον τὰ δεινὰ, καὶ τοὺς μυρίους γεννῆσαν πολέμους. ∆ιὸ μάλιστα μακαρίζω τὸν ἅγιον τοῦτον, ὅτι εἰ καὶ μετετάξατο καὶ πόλιν ἀφῆκε τὴν παρ' ἡμῖν, ἀλλ' εἰς ἑτέραν ἀνέβη πόλιν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ καταλιπὼν τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν ταύτην, εἰς ἐκείνην τελεῖ τὴν τῶν πρωτοτόκων τῶν ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ τὰς ἑορτὰς ταύτας ἀφεὶς, πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀγγέλων μετέστη πανήγυριν.

Ὅτι γὰρ καὶ πόλις ἄνω καὶ Ἐκκλησία καὶ πανήγυρίς ἐστιν, ἄκουσον τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος· Προσεληλύθατε πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ καὶ Ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ μυριάσιν ἀγγέλων