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On the holy Pentecost

ON THE HOLY PENTECOST, And why signs are not now performed, and that the things done and said by us are recorded.

50.453 Homily 1.

1. Again a feast, and again a festival, and again the Church glories in the multitude of her children, this mother of many, this lover of her children. But what is the benefit of this love for her children, when only at festivals, but not continually, she sees the desired faces of her children, just as if someone having a fine garment were not permitted to use it continually? For the garment of the Church is the multitude of those who come, just as the prophet also says from above, speaking to the Church: You shall put them all on as a bridegroom's ornament, and as a bride's attire.

Just as, therefore, a modest and free woman having her tunic reaching down to her ankles appears more seemly and respectable; so also the Church today is shown more radiant, being clothed in the multitudes of your bodies, and having her garment reaching down. For today no part of her is to be seen naked, as on former days; but the cause of that nakedness are those who have come today only, who do not always clothe their mother. But that it is no small danger to overlook our mother's nakedness, let us recall an ancient story; let us recall him who saw his father naked, and paid the penalty for that sight. And yet he did not make his father naked; but only saw his father being naked; and not even so was he delivered from punishment, because he only saw. But those who have come today, and did not come before this, do not see their mother naked, but make her naked. If he who saw the nakedness did not escape punishment, what sort of pardon would those who cause the nakedness be worthy of? These things I say, not wishing to wound, but that we may flee the punishment, that we may flee the curse of Ham, that we may imitate the goodwill of Shem and Japheth, and that we too may always clothe our mother. It is of a Jewish mindset to appear only three times a year before God; to them it was said, Three times a year you shall appear before the Lord your God; but God wishes us to appear before him always. And for them, the distances of the places made the gatherings happen only so many times; for worship was then confined to one place; for this reason the times of their assembly and presence were few in number; for it was necessary to worship in Jerusalem, and nowhere else. For this reason he commanded them to appear before God three times a year; and the distance of the journey was an excuse for them; but for us no manner of excuse will be made. And they were scattered throughout all the 50.454 earth.

For there were, it says, dwelling in Jerusalem devout Jews from every nation under heaven; but we all inhabit one city, we sit under the same walls, and often we are not separated from the church even by a single alley, and yet like those separated by long seas, so seldom do we come to this sacred assembly. And He commanded them to celebrate only three seasons, but He has commanded you to do this always; for to us it is always a feast. And that you may learn that it is always a feast, I will state the reasons for the feasts, and you will know that every day is a feast. Therefore, among us the first feast is the Epiphany. What then is the reason for the feast? Because God appeared on earth, and conversed with men;

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De sancta pentecoste

ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΑΓΙΑΝ ΠΕΝΤΗΚΟΣΤΗΝ, Καὶ διὰ τί σημεῖα νῦν οὐ γίνεται, καὶ ὅτι τὰ πραττόμενα καὶ λεγόμενα παρ' ἡμῶν ἀναγράφεται.

50.453 Ὁμιλία αʹ.

αʹ. Πάλιν ἑορτὴ, καὶ πάλιν πανήγυρις, καὶ πάλιν ἡ Ἐκκλησία τῷ πλήθει τῶν τέκνων κομᾷ, ἡ πολύτεκνος αὕτη καὶ φιλότεκνος. Ἀλλὰ τί τῆς φιλοτεκνίας ὄφελος, ὅταν ἑορταῖς μόνον, ἀλλὰ μὴ διηνεκῶς βλέπῃ τὰ ποθούμενα πρόσωπα τῶν παιδίων, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις ἱμάτιον ἔχων καλὸν μὴ συγχωροῖτο αὐτῷ χρῆσθαι διηνεκῶς; Ἱμάτιον γὰρ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῶν παραγινομένων τὸ πλῆθός ἐστι, καθάπερ καὶ ὁ προφήτης φησὶν ἄνωθεν πρὸς τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν λέγων· Πάντας αὐτοὺς περιθήσεις ὡς κόσμον νυμφίου, καὶ ὡς στολὴν νύμφης.

Καθάπερ οὖν γυνή τις σώφρων καὶ ἐλευθέρα κατεσταλμένον μέχρι τῶν σφυρῶν ἔχουσα τὸν χιτωνίσκον εὐπρεπεστέρα φαίνεται καὶ βελτίων· οὕτω καὶ ἡ Ἐκκλησία φαιδροτέρα σήμερον δείκνυται τὰ πλήθη τῶν ὑμετέρων σωμάτων περιβαλλομένη, καὶ κατεσταλμένον ἔχουσα τὸ ἱμάτιον. Οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐτῆς σήμερον μέρος γυμνόν ἐστιν ἰδεῖν, καθάπερ ἐν ταῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἡμέραις· ἀλλὰ τῆς γυμνώσεως ἐκείνης αἴτιοι οἱ παραγενόμενοι σήμερον μόνον, οἱ μὴ ἀεὶ τὴν μητέρα περιστέλλοντες. Ὅτι δὲ οὐ μικρὸς κίνδυνος γυμνὴν τὴν μητέρα περιορᾷν, ἀναμνησθῶμεν παλαιᾶς ἱστορίας· ἀναμνησθῶμεν τοῦ γυμνὸν ἰδόντος τὸν πατέρα, καὶ δόντος κόλασιν τῆς ὄψεως ἐκείνης. Καίτοι γε ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἐποίησε γυμνὸν τὸν πατέρα· ἀλλ' εἶδε μόνον γυμνὸν ὄντα τὸν πατέρα· καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀπηλλάγη τιμωρίας, ἐπειδὴ εἶδε μόνον· οἱ δὲ σήμερον παραγενόμενοι, καὶ πρὸ τούτου μὴ παραγενόμενοι, οὐχ ὁρῶσι γυμνὴν τὴν μητέρα, ἀλλὰ γυμνὴν ποιοῦσιν αὐτήν. Εἰ δὲ ὁ γύμνωσιν ἰδὼν οὐκ ἐξέφυγε τιμωρίαν, οἱ γύμνωσιν ποιοῦντες ποίας ἂν εἶεν συγγνώμης ἄξιοι; Ταῦτα οὐχὶ πλῆξαι βουλόμενος λέγω, ἀλλ' ἵνα φύγωμεν τὴν τιμωρίαν, ἵνα φύγωμεν τὴν κατάραν τοῦ Χὰμ, ἵνα μιμησώμεθα τὴν εὔνοιαν τοῦ Σὴμ καὶ τοῦ Ἰάφεθ, καὶ περιστέλλωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀεὶ τὴν μητέρα τὴν ἡμετέραν. Ἰουδαϊκοῦ φρονήματός ἐστι τρὶς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ φαίνεσθαι μόνον τῷ Θεῷ· πρὸς ἐκείνους εἴρηται, Τρὶς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ ὀφθήσῃ Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ σου· ἡμᾶς δὲ διαπαντὸς βούλεται ὁ Θεὸς φαίνεσθαι αὐτῷ. Καὶ ἐκείνοις δὲ τῶν τόπων τὰ διαστήματα τοσαύτας ἐποίησε μόνας γίνεσθαι τὰς συνόδους· εἰς γὰρ τόπον ἕνα συνεκέκλειστο ἡ λατρεία τότε· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τῆς συλλογῆς καὶ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτῶν εὐαρίθμητοι ἦσαν οἱ καιροί· εἰς γὰρ τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα ἀνάγκη προσκυνεῖν ἦν, ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ οὐδαμοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐκέλευσε τρὶς τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ φαίνεσθαι τῷ Θεῷ· καὶ ἀπελογεῖτο ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸ διάστημα· ὑπὲρ δὲ ἡμῶν οὐδεὶς ἀπολογήσεται τρόπος. Καὶ ἐκεῖνοι μὲν πανταχοῦ τῆς 50.454 γῆς διεσπαρμένοι ἦσαν.

Ἦσαν γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις κατοικοῦντες Ἰουδαῖοι ἄνδρες εὐλαβεῖς ἀπὸ παντὸς ἔθνους τοῦ ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν· ἡμεῖς δὲ μίαν πόλιν οἰκοῦμεν ἅπαντες, ὑπὸ τοῖς αὐτοῖς τείχεσι καθήμεθα, καὶ πολλάκις οὐδὲ ἑνὶ στενωπῷ διειργόμεθα τῆς ἐκκλησίας, καὶ καθάπερ οἱ μακροῖς πελάγεσι διεστῶτες, οὕτως ὀλιγάκις πρὸς τὴν ἱερὰν ταύτην ἀπαντῶμεν σύνοδον. Καὶ ἐκείνους μὲν τρεῖς μόνους ἐκέλευσε καιροὺς ἑορτάζειν, ὑμᾶς δὲ ἀεὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἐκέλευσεν· ἀεὶ γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐστιν ἑορτή. Καὶ ἵνα μάθητε ὅτι ἀεὶ ἑορτὴ, λέγω τῶν ἑορτῶν τὰς ὑποθέσεις, καὶ εἴσεσθε, ὅτι καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἑορτή ἐστι. Τοίνυν παρ' ἡμῖν ἑορτὴ πρώτη τὰ ἐπιφάνια. Τίς οὖν ἡ ὑπόθεσις τῆς ἑορτῆς; Ἐπειδὴ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη, καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστράφη·