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On the Kalends

By the same, a discourse on the Kalends, when Flavian, the Bishop of Antioch, did not come forth. And it was spoken against those who observe the new moons, and against those holding dances in the city, and on the saying of the Apostle: Do all things for the glory of God.

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1. Just as a chorus seeks its leader, and a crew of sailors their helmsman, so also this assembly of priests seeks the high priest and common father today. But in the case of the chorus and the ship, the absence of the leaders often takes away much of both the order and the safety; but here it is not so. For even if he is not present in the flesh, yet he is present in the spirit, and is now with us while sitting at home, just as we are with him while standing here. For such is the power of love, it is accustomed to bring together and to bind those who are at a great distance. For if we love one who is sojourning in a foreign land and separated from us by vast seas, we picture him each day, just as when we are ill-disposed toward someone, we often seem not to see him even when he is standing near. Thus, when love is present, there is no harm from the distance of place, but when it is absent, there is no benefit from the nearness of places.

Recently, for instance, when we were eulogizing the blessed Paul, you leapt for joy, as if seeing him present; and yet his body lies in the queenly city of Rome, but his soul is in the hands of God; for the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them; but nonetheless the power of love placed him before your eyes. And I wished to come down to the same subject today also, but our discourse has hastened on to other urgent matters, the sins committed today by the whole city. For it is necessary that those who hear the praises of Paul should first be emulators of Paul's virtue, and worthy of such a hearing. Since, therefore, our father is not present, come, let us, taking courage from his prayers, take up the task of teaching you. For Moses, though not present in body with those who were fighting, contributed no less than the combatants, but even much more, to that battle, by the stretching out of his hands raising up the fortunes of his own people, and making them terrible to their adversaries. For just as the power of love is not separated by distance of place, so neither is the energy of prayer, but just as the one binds together those who are distant from each other, so the other is able to benefit most greatly those who are far away. 48.954 Being confident, therefore, let us proceed to the battle. For a war has now beset us too, not of Amalekites having attacked, as then, nor of any other barbarians having overrun us, but of demons parading in the marketplace. For the diabolical all-night festivals that took place today, and the jests, and the revilings, and the nocturnal dances, and this laughable comedy, have taken our city captive more grievously than any enemy, and while it was necessary on account of these things to be dejected, to mourn, to be downcast, both those who have sinned and those who have not sinned—the one group for what they transgressed, the other for what they saw their brothers do disgracefully—our city has become joyful and bright, and is wreathed, and just as a woman fond of adornment and luxury, so the marketplace has ambitiously beautified itself today, putting on gold, and costly garments, and shoes, and certain other such things, with each of those in the workshops striving to surpass his fellow craftsman by the display of his own works. But this ambition, even if it is of a childish

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In Kalendas

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγος ἐν ταῖς καλάνδαις, μὴ προελθόντος τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Ἀντιοχείας Φλαβιανοῦ. Ἐλέχθη δὲ κατὰ τῶν παρατηρούντων τὰς

νεομηνίας, καὶ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν χορείας τελούντων, καὶ εἰς τὸ ῥητὸν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου· Τὰ πάντα εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ ποιεῖτε.

48.953

αʹ. Καθάπερ χορὸς τὸν κορυφαῖον ἐπιζητεῖ, καὶ ναυτῶν πλήρωμα τὸν κυβερνήτην, οὕτω καὶ ὁ τῶν ἱερέων τούτων σύλλογος τὸν ἀρχιερέα καὶ κοινὸν πατέρα τήμερον. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ χοροῦ καὶ τοῦ πλοίου πολὺ καὶ τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τῆς ἀσφαλείας ἡ τῶν προεστώτων ἀπουσία παρασπᾶται πολλάκις· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐχ οὕτως. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ τῇ σαρκὶ πάρεστιν, ἀλλὰ τῷ πνεύματι πάρεστι, καὶ νῦν μεθ' ἡμῶν ἐστιν οἴκοι καθήμενος, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς μετ' ἐκείνου ἑστῶτες ἐνταῦθα. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ τῆς ἀγάπης δύναμις, τοὺς ἐκ πολλοῦ διαστήματος ὄντας συναγαγεῖν εἴωθε καὶ συνδεῖν. Τὸν γοῦν ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ διατρίβοντα καὶ μακροῖς διειργόμενον ἡμῶν πελάγεσιν ἂν φιλῶμεν, καθ' ἑκάστην φανταζόμεθα τὴν ἡμέραν, ὥσπερ οὖν ὅταν πρός τινα ἀηδῶς ἔχωμεν, οὐδ' ἐγγὺς ἑστῶτα βλέπειν δοκοῦμεν πολλάκις. Οὕτω παρούσης μὲν ἀγάπης οὐδὲν βλάβος ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν τόπον διαστήματος, ἀπούσης δὲ οὐδὲν ὄφελος ἐκ τῆς τῶν τόπων ἐγγύτητος.

Πρῴην γοῦν ἡμῶν ἐγκωμιαζόντων τὸν μακάριον Παῦλον, οὕτως ἐσκιρτήσατε, ὡς αὐτὸν ὁρῶντες παρόντα· καίτοι τὸ μὲν σῶμα ἐν τῇ βασιλίδι κεῖται Ῥώμῃ, ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ ἐν ταῖς χερσὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ∆ικαίων γὰρ ψυχαὶ ἐν χειρὶ Θεοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἅψηται αὐτῶν βάσανος· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡ τῆς ἀγάπης δύναμις πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτὸν ἔστησε τῶν ὑμετέρων. Καὶ ἐβουλόμην μὲν εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν ὑπόθεσιν καταβῆναι καὶ τήμερον, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἕτερα κατεπείγοντα ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος ὥρμηται, τὰ σήμερον ὑπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἁπάσης ἁμαρτηθέντα. Τοὺς γὰρ ἀκούοντας τῶν ἐγκωμίων Παύλου πρότερον τῆς ἀρετῆς τοῦ Παύλου ζηλωτὰς εἶναι χρὴ, καὶ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀκροάσεως ἀξίους. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐ πάρεστιν ἡμῖν ὁ πατὴρ, φέρε, ταῖς εὐχαῖς ταῖς ἐκείνου θαῤῥήσαντες τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς διδασκαλίας ἁψώμεθα. Καὶ γὰρ Μωϋσῆς οὐ παρὼν τῷ σώματι τοῖς πολεμοῦσιν, οὐδὲν ἔλαττον τῶν πολεμούντων, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ πλέον, εἰς τὴν μάχην συνετέλεσεν ἐκείνην, τῇ τῶν χειρῶν ἐκτάσει τὰ πράγματα τῶν οἰκείων ἐπαίρων, καὶ φοβερὰ τοῖς ἐναντίοις ποιῶν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ τῆς ἀγάπης δύναμις οὐ διείργεται διαστήματι τόπου, οὕτως οὐδὲ ἡ τῆς εὐχῆς ἐνέργεια, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐκείνη τοὺς ἀλλήλων ἀφεστῶτας συνδεῖ, οὕτω καὶ αὕτη τοὺς πόῤῥωθεν ὄντας τὰ μέγιστα ὠφε 48.954 λεῖν δύναται. Θαῤῥοῦντες τοίνυν ἐπὶ τὴν μάχην χωρῶμεν. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἡμῖν πόλεμος συνέστηκε νῦν, οὐκ Ἀμαληκιτῶν ἐπελθόντων, καθάπερ τότε, οὐδ' ἑτέρων τινῶν βαρβάρων καταδραμόντων, ἀλλὰ δαιμόνων πομπευσάντων ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς. Αἱ γὰρ διαβολικαὶ παννυχίδες αἱ γινόμεναι τήμερον, καὶ τὰ σκώμματα, καὶ αἱ λοιδορίαι, καὶ αἱ χορεῖαι αἱ νυκτεριναὶ, καὶ ἡ καταγέλαστος αὕτη κωμῳδία, παντὸς πολεμίου χαλεπώτερον τὴν πόλιν ἡμῶν ἐξῃχμαλώτισαν, καὶ δέον ἐπὶ τούτοις κατεστάλθαι, πενθεῖν, καταδύεσθαι, καὶ τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας, καὶ τοὺς οὐχ ἡμαρτηκότας, τοὺς μὲν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐπλημμέλησαν, τοὺς δὲ ὑπὲρ ὧν τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς εἶδον ἀσχημονήσαντας· περιχαρὴς ἡμῖν ἡ πόλις γέγονε καὶ φαιδρὰ, καὶ ἐστεφάνωται, καὶ καθάπερ γυνὴ φιλόκοσμος καὶ πολυτελὴς, οὕτως ἡ ἀγορὰ φιλοτίμως ἐκαλλωπίσατο σήμερον, χρυσία περιθεμένη, καὶ ἱμάτια πολυτελῆ, καὶ ὑποδήματα, καὶ ἕτερά τινα τοιαῦτα, τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἐργαστηρίοις ἑκάστου τῇ τῶν οἰκείων ἔργων ἐπιδείξει τὸν ὁμότεχνον παραδραμεῖν φιλονεικοῦντος. Ἀλλ' αὕτη μὲν ἡ φιλοτιμία, εἰ καὶ παιδικῆς ἐστι