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In illud: Messis quidem multa

HOMILY 10. 63.515

A homily by the same, delivered in the church of the Apostle, after the bishop had spoken a few preliminary words, on the text, The harvest is plentiful, but the

laborers are few.

1. Have you seen the old man who is also young, old in body, but young in spirit? Have you seen grey hairs flourishing 63.516 and the vigor of old age abounding? For such are things among us, the opposite of things outside. For in external matters, old age is useless. For example, when a soldier reaches this age, he cannot draw a bow, nor loose an arrow, nor shake a spear, nor mount a horse, 63.517 nor attack walls, nor is he able to do anything else of the sort; and the pilot, too, when old age has relaxed for him the tone of his flesh, will not be able to pull ropes, nor unfurl sails, nor handle an oar, nor move the rudder, nor fight with waves, nor do anything else of this kind.

Again the farmer, being at this age, will not have the strength to yoke oxen, nor to draw a plow, nor to break up and cut furrows, nor to care for a tree, nor to place himself in a band of reapers, nor to do anything else of this kind; but each of these sits at home, having an exemption from age, and fettered by a great and inescapable necessity, old age. But not so the teacher of the Church; but then especially will he contend, and engage in discourse, and set forth teaching, and will try to discipline the people. For old age is useless in other things, but in the Church and in the labors of virtue it is most useful. Since indeed the blessed Abraham won the greatest prize then, when he was of this age; for then, then he overthrew the tyranny of nature, and slew his son; for he slew him, if not in experience, yet in will; if not in completion, yet in purpose; if not in deed, yet in thought; then he became a priest of his own bowels, and having almost removed himself from nature itself, and having transferred himself to heaven, he accomplished that wonderful and extraordinary deed. And Paul, the teacher of the world, in extreme old age stripped for those marvelous contests, and bore bonds and chains and prisons in his aged body with much vigor; and declaring this he himself said: 'As Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner in Christ Jesus.'

And I say these things, not dishonoring youth; since also the children who trod down the furnace were very young and mere lads, and Jeremiah who received the prophecy; and Daniel, too, when he bridled the lions, and through his unspeakable confidence brought forth into the open those secret things of the king's dreams and made them clear to him who saw them, was very young; and youth was no impediment to the man's virtue. For in external things, as I said before, both untimely old age and immature youth might become the greatest hindrances; but in the contests of virtue this is no longer so, but there is need of one thing only, a prepared mind and soul, and neither is youth useless, nor old age unsuitable, but in either age one might see the ripe fruit sprouting, only, as I said before, if one has a sober soul that knows how to philosophize, and through much virtue draws to itself the goodwill of God. Let no one therefore put forward either youth or old age as an excuse for laziness; since even now many young men among us this spiritual

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In illud: Messis quidem multa

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Ιʹ. 63.515

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ὁμιλία, ῥηθεῖσα ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τῇ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀποστόλου, ἐπισκόπου ὀλίγα προομιλήσαν τος, εἰς τὸ, Ὁ μὲν θερισμὸς πολὺς, οἱ δὲ

ἐργάται ὀλίγοι.

αʹ. Εἴδετε τὸν γέροντα καὶ νέον, γέροντα μὲν τῷ σώ ματι, νέον δὲ τῷ φρονήματι; εἴδετε πολιὰν ἀκμάζουσαν 63.516 καὶ γήρως τόνον σφριγῶντα; Τοιαῦτα γὰρ τὰ παρ' ἡμῖν, ἀπ' ἐναντίας τοῖς ἔξωθεν. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἔξωθεν πραγμάτων τὸ γῆρας ἄχρηστον· οἷον, ὁ στρατιώτης εἰς ταύτην ἐλθὼν τὴν ἡλικίαν, οὐ δύναται τεῖναι τόξον, οὐ βέλος ἀφεῖναι, οὔτε δόρυ σεῖσαι, οὔτε ἵππον ἀναβῆναι, 63.517 οὔτε τείχεσι προσβαλεῖν, οὔτε ἄλλο τοιοῦτον οὐδὲν ἐργά σασθαι δύναται· καὶ ὁ κυβερνήτης δὲ, ὅταν αὐτῷ τὸν τόνον τῆς σαρκὸς χαλάσῃ τὸ γῆρας, οὐ σχοινία τεῖναι, οὐχ ἱστία ἀναπετάσαι, οὐ μεταχειρίσασθαι κώπην, οὐ μεταθεῖναι οἴακας, οὐ μαχέσασθαι κύμασιν, οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων δυνήσεται.

Πάλιν ὁ γηπόνος ἐν τούτῳ τῆς ἡλικίας ὢν, οὐ ζεῦξαι βοῦς, οὐκ ἄροτρον ἑλκύσαι, οὐκ ἀναῤῥῆξαι καὶ ἀνατεμεῖν αὔλακας, οὐ θεραπεῦσαι δέν δρον, οὐ χορῷ θεριζόντων ἑαυτὸν ἐγκαθίσαι, οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων πράττειν ἰσχύσει· ἀλλ' ἕκαστος τού των οἴκοι κάθηται, τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἡλικίας ἀτέλειαν ἔχων, καὶ ἀνάγκῃ μεγάλῃ καὶ ἀπαραιτήτῳ, τῷ γήρᾳ, πεπεδη μένος. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας διδάσκαλος οὕτως· ἀλλὰ τότε μάλιστα ἀγωνιεῖται, καὶ λόγων ἅψεται, καὶ διδασκαλίαν προθήσει, καὶ λαὸν ῥυθμίσαι πειράσεται. Τὸ γὰρ γῆρας ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἄχρηστον, ἐν δὲ τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ καὶ τοῖς τῆς ἀρετῆς πόνοις χρησιμώτατον. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ μακάριος Ἀβραὰμ τὸ μέγιστον ἆθλον τότε ἤρατο, ὅτε ταύτην ἦγε τὴν ἡλικίαν· τότε γὰρ, τότε τῆς φύσεως τὴν τυραννίδα κατέλυσε, καὶ τὸν παῖδα κατέσφα ξεν· ἔσφαξε γὰρ, εἰ καὶ μὴ τῇ πείρᾳ, ἀλλὰ τῇ γνώμῃ· εἰ καὶ μὴ τῷ τέλει, ἀλλὰ τῇ προθέσει· εἰ καὶ μὴ τῷ ἔργῳ, ἀλλὰ τῇ διανοίᾳ· τότε τῶν ἰδίων σπλάγχνων γέ γονεν ἱερεὺς, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς σχεδὸν τῆς φύσεως ἑαυτὸν μετοικίσας, καὶ πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν μεθορμισάμενος, τὸ θαυμαστὸν ἐκεῖνο καὶ παράδοξον ἔργον ἤνυσε. Καὶ Παῦ λος, ὁ τῆς οἰκουμένης διδάσκαλος, ἐν βαθυτάτῃ πολιᾷ πρὸς τοὺς θαυμαστοὺς ἐκείνους ἀγῶνας ἀπεδύετο, καὶ δεσμὰ καὶ ἁλύσεις καὶ δεσμωτήρια ἐν γεγηρακότι τῷ σώματι μετὰ πολλῆς ἔφερε τῆς εὐτονίας· καὶ τοῦτο δη λῶν αὐτὸς ἔλεγεν· Ὡς Παῦλος πρεσβύτης, νυνὶ δὲ καὶ δέσμιος ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.

Καὶ ταῦτα λέγω, οὐχὶ τὴν νεότητα ἀτιμάζων· ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ τὴν κάμινον κατα πατήσαντες παῖδες, νέοι σφόδρα καὶ μειράκια ἦσαν κο μιδῇ, καὶ ὁ τὴν προφητείαν δεξάμενος Ἱερεμίας· καὶ ∆ανιὴλ δὲ, ὅτε τοὺς λέοντας ἐχαλίνου, καὶ διὰ τὴν ἄφα τον αὐτοῦ παῤῥησίαν τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα ἐκεῖνα τῶν τοῦ βα σιλέως ὀνειράτων εἰς μέσον ἐξῆγε καὶ δῆλα ἐποίει τῷ θεασαμένῳ, σφόδρα νέος ἦν· καὶ οὐδὲν ἡ νεότης ἐμπόδιον γέγονε πρὸς τὴν ἀρετὴν τοῦ ἀνδρός. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἔξωθεν, ὅπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, καὶ γῆρας ἔξωρον καὶ νεό της ἄωρος μέγιστα κωλύματα γένοιτ' ἄν· ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν παλαισμάτων τῆς ἀρετῆς οὐκ ἔτι, ἀλλ' ἑνὸς χρεία, γνώ μης μόνον καὶ ψυχῆς παρεσκευασμένης, καὶ οὔτε νεότης ἄχρηστος, οὔτε γῆρας ἀνεπιτήδειον, ἀλλ' ἐν ἑκατέρᾳ τῇ ἡλικίᾳ ὥριμον ἴδοι τις ἂν βρύοντα τὸν καρπὸν, μόνον, ὅπερ ἔφθην εἰπὼν, εἰ ψυχήν τις ἂν ἔχοι νήφουσαν καὶ φιλοσοφεῖν ἐπισταμένην, καὶ διὰ τῆς πολλῆς ἀρετῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν εὔνοιαν ἐπισπωμένην. Μὴ τοίνυν μηδεὶς προ βαλέσθω μήτε νεότητα μήτε γῆρας εἰς ἀπολογίαν ῥᾳθυ μίας· ἐπεὶ καὶ νῦν πολλοὶ παρ' ἡμῖν νέοι τὸ πνευματι κὸν τοῦτο