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De patientia (sermo 1) Sp.

On patience, and on not weeping bitterly for the departed.

60.723 Come, today more than on previous days, let us more earnestly enter into the word of instruction; for the word often knows how to console pain; and fitting instruction is able to dispel despondency. For many of those who were with you yesterday, I now do not see with you, but either summoned to the Master, or lying in beds, and all these awaiting death.

Wherefore I see lamentation from you, much clamor in the city, much disturbance in the Church, the immeasurable tears of the mourners, the strange ways and deeds of the many. For I have often exhorted you concerning this and reminded you of the matter; I mean, of bearing with patience and thanksgiving the falling asleep of children and of one's own and of relatives, and not behaving in such an unseemly way, nor considering as lost those who are departing to God; and especially, wherever some infants and incorrupt ones have left this life. Wherefore let us not groan for them, but rather let us lament for ourselves who live in sins. For if we are not sober today, when then shall we turn back? if the death of your brother does not make you sober-minded, what then will turn you back? if, seeing a corpse lying, you do not correct your life, when then will you reverence God? Behold, then, we see, behold, we learn by experience itself. Wherefore let us spare ourselves, I beseech you, and not be troubled rashly and in vain, nor imagine ourselves to be immortal. For the way of death is one, and there is no other way; the cup is common, and given to all; the one hour, and a grievous hour; the one bridge, and having no passage 60.724 by; the debt of all, the one first-fruit, and the end of all; the divine sword, and showing no partiality. For death does not shudder at a king, it does not honor a high priest, it does not pity gray hair, it does not have mercy on beauty, it does not spare youth, it has no compassion for an only-begotten, it is not bent by tears, it does not tremble at a ruler, it does not fear tyrants, it is not bought off with money, it does not accept anyone's person, nor again a substitute, but death comes equally upon all. Those with us today, tomorrow there before us; those today embracing us as friends, tomorrow being sent forth by us pitifully; those today in this life, tomorrow in the tomb; those today being visible, tomorrow swarming with worms; those today anointed with myrrh, tomorrow stinking; those today living luxuriously here, tomorrow mourning there; and, to speak simply, those today being flattered, tomorrow there being condemned. Whom we often seek, and not knowing of their falling asleep, we say to one another: Where is so-and-so the ruler? and we hear: He has now passed on; and, Where is that potentate? we ask one another, and we learn: He died; and, Where is the arrogant king? There, one says, he has gone before; and, Where is so-and-so the companion? He has passed over there. There, where?

Where the Judge of judges is; there, where the Awesome One is stronger than the awesome; there, where the King is eternal and the Judge is inexorable. There? Where then, or how, or in what place, or in what manner are those who have been taken? No one has been able to say; but we know only this, that it is there, where the only eternal and only immortal one is, where the only good and only lover of mankind is, the creator of souls and of bodies. To that great and terrible judgment 60.725 seat, where there is no laughter, but weeping; where there is no adornment, but darkness; where there is no

1

De patientia (sermo 1) Sp.

Περὶ ὑπομονῆς, καὶ τοῦ μὴ πικρῶς κλαίειν τοὺς τελευτῶντας.

60.723 Φέρε σήμερον μάλιστα τῶν προτέρων ἡμερῶν σπουδαιότερον ἐπὶ τὸν λόγον τῆς διδασκαλίας εἰσέλθωμεν· οἶδε γὰρ πολλάκις ὁ λόγος παραμυθήσασθαι τὸν πόνον· δύναται καὶ διδασκαλία σύμμετρος διαλῦσαι τὴν ἀθυμίαν. Καὶ γὰρ πολλοὺς τῶν χθὲς ὄντων μεθ' ὑμῶν νῦν οὐχ ὁρῶ ὄντας μεθ' ὑμῶν, ἀλλ' εἴτε πρὸς τὸν ∆εσπότην μετακληθέντας, ἢ καὶ ἐν κλίναις κατακειμένους, καὶ τούτους πάντας ἐκδεχομένους τὸν θάνατον.

∆ιὸ καὶ παρ' ὑμῶν τὸν θρῆνον ὁρῶ, πολὺν ἐν τῇ πόλει τὸν θόρυβον, πολλὴν ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ τὴν ταραχὴν, ἄμετρα τῶν πενθούντων τὰ δάκρυα, ἄτοπα τῶν πολλῶν τὰ ἤθη καὶ τὰ πράγματα. Καὶ γὰρ πολλάκις ὑμᾶς περὶ τούτου παρεκάλεσα καὶ ὑπέμνησα τοῦ πράγματος· λέγω δὴ τοῦ μεθ' ὑπομονῆς καὶ εὐχαριστίας ὑποφέρειν τῶν τέκνων καὶ τῶν ἰδίων καὶ συγγενῶν τὴν κοίμησιν, καὶ μὴ οὕτως ἀσχημονεῖν, μηδὲ ὡς ἀπολωλότας τοὺς πρὸς Θεὸν ἀπιόντας λογίζεσθαι· καὶ μάλιστα, ὅπου δ' ἂν νήπιοί τινες καὶ ἄφθοροι τὸν βίον κατέλιπον. ∆ιὸ μὴ ἐκείνους στενάξωμεν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἑαυτοὺς τοὺς ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ζῶντας θρηνήσωμεν. Εἰ γὰρ σήμερον μὴ νήψωμεν, πότε λοιπὸν ἐπιστρέψωμεν; εἰ μὴ ὁ θάνατος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου σωφρονίσει σε, τίς λοιπὸν ἐπιστρέψει σε; εἰ μὴ νεκρὸν κείμενον βλέπων διορθώσῃ τὸν βίον, πότε λοιπὸν δυσωπήσεις τὸν Θεόν; Ἰδοὺ τοίνυν ὁρῶμεν, ἰδοὺ αὐτῇ τῇ πείρᾳ μανθάνομεν. ∆ιὸ φεισώμεθα, παρακαλῶ, μηδὲ εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην ταραττώμεθα, μηδὲ ὡς ἀθάνατοι φανταζώμεθα. Μία γὰρ ἡ ὁδὸς τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ οὐκ ἄλλη ὁδός· κοινὸν τὸ ποτήριον, καὶ πᾶσι διδόμενον· ἡ μόνη ὥρα, καὶ πονηρὰ ὥρα· ἡ μόνη γέφυρα, καὶ πάροδον οὐκ 60.724 ἔχουσα· τὸ πάντων χρέος, ἡ μόνη ἀπαρχὴ, καὶ πάντων τέλος· ἡ θεία μάχαιρα, καὶ ὄψιν μὴ λαμβάνουσα. Οὐ γὰρ βασιλέα φρίττει ὁ θάνατος, οὐκ ἀρχιερέα τιμᾷ, οὐ πολιὰν οἰκτείρει, οὐ κάλλος ἐλεεῖ, οὐ νεότητος φείδεται, οὐ μονογενῆ σπλαγχνίζεται, οὐ δάκρυσιν ἐπικάμπτεται, οὐκ ἄρχοντα τρέμει, οὐ τυράννους δέδοικεν, οὐ χρήμασιν ἐξαγοράζεται, οὐ λαμβάνει τινὸς πρόσωπον, οὐδὲ πάλιν ἀντιπρόσωπον, ἀλλὰ πᾶσιν ἴσος ἐπέρχεται ὁ θάνατος. Οἱ σήμερον μεθ' ἡμῶν, αὔριον ἐκεῖ πρὸ ἡμῶν· οἱ σήμερον φιλικῶς ἡμᾶς ἀσπαζόμενοι, αὔριον ἐλεεινῶς ὑφ' ἡμῶν προπεμπόμενοι· οἱ σήμερον ἐν τῷ βίῳ, αὔριον ἐν τῷ μνημείῳ· οἱ σήμερον ἐμφανεῖς ὄντες, αὔριον σκωληκιῶντες· οἱ σήμερον μυριζόμενοι, αὔριον ὀζόμενοι· οἱ σήμερον ὧδε τρυφῶντες, αὔριον ἐκεῖ πενθοῦντες· καὶ, ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν, οἱ σήμερον παρασιτούμενοι, αὔριον ἐκεῖ καταδικαζόμενοι. Οὓς καὶ πολλάκις ἐπιζητοῦντες, καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων κοίμησιν ἀγνοοῦντες πρὸς ἀλλήλους λέγομεν· Ποῦ ὁ δεῖνα ὁ ἄρχων; καὶ ἀκούομεν· Παρῆλθε λοιπόν· καὶ, Ποῦ ὁ δυναστὴς ἐκεῖνος; ἀλλήλους ἐρωτῶμεν, καὶ μανθάνομεν· Ἀπέθανε· καὶ, Ποῦ ὁ ὑπερήφανος βασιλεύς; Ἐκεῖ, φησὶ, προέλαβε· καὶ, Ποῦ ὁ ἑταῖρος ὁ δεῖνα; Ἐκεῖ ἐπέρασεν. Ἐκεῖ, ποῦ;

Ὅπου ὁ ∆ικαστὴς τῶν δικαστῶν· ἐκεῖ, ὅπου ὁ φοβερὸς τῶν φοβερῶν ἰσχυρότερος· ἐκεῖ, ὅπου Βασιλεὺς αἰώνιος καὶ Κριτὴς ἀπαραίτητος. Ἐκεῖ; Ποῦ ἄρα, ἢ πῶς, ἢ ἐν ποίῳ τόπῳ, ἢ ἐν ποίῳ τρόπῳ οἱ παραλαβόντες τυγχάνουσιν; Οὐδεὶς εἰπεῖν ἐδυνήθη· ἀλλ' ἢ μόνον τοῦτο οἴδαμεν, ὅτι ἐκεῖ, ὅπου ὁ μόνος αἰώνιος καὶ μόνος ἀθάνατος, ὅπου ὁ μόνος ἀγαθὸς καὶ μόνος φιλάνθρωπος, ὁ ποιητὴς τῶν ψυχῶν καὶ τῶν σωμάτων. Εἰς ἐκεῖνο τὸ μέγα καὶ φοβερὸν δικαστή60.725 ριον, ὅπου οὐκ ἕνι γέλως, ἀλλὰ θρῆνος· ὅπου οὐκ ἔνι καλλωπισμὸς, ἀλλὰ σκοτισμός· ὅπου οὐκ ἔνι