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In illud: Vidi dominum (homiliae 1-6)

Praise of those who have assembled in the church, and concerning good order in the doxologies and on the text: 'I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high

and lifted up." 1.1 I see you showing much zeal to put into practice the things previously said by us. For this reason, therefore, I too tirelessly sow the seeds of teaching, being nourished from this by good hopes. For the farmer, whenever he has sown the seeds with labor and sees the land fertile and the crops flourishing, forgets his former toils and is roused for the subsequent work and care by the expected profit. And yet how much more resourceful and profitable has this farming become? For that one, while procuring an abundance of tangible fruits, stores up food for bodies; but this one, sowing the teaching of the words and multiplying the gifts of the Spirit, stores up spiritual wealth, the inexhaustible and pure food that is not dissolved, nor consequently perishes, but is preserved by some ineffable providence and has an intellectual enjoyment. This is the fruit of my labors, this is the wealth stored up in your love. Perceiving this, then, growing in you, I rejoice always that I do not sow the seeds in vain, that I have not endured the labors for nothing, that I am sowing upon fertile and rich land and suitable for bearing fruit. Whence, then, do I conjecture such a profit? whence do I perceive the words advancing into action? Evidently from the present gathering, from your eagerly taking possession of the church, the mother of all, from this all-night and continuous standing, from your imitating the angelic choir by offering unceasing hymnody to the Creator. O the gifts of Christ. Above, hosts of angels give glory; below in the churches, men leading the choirs imitate the same doxology as they do. Above, the Seraphim cry aloud the thrice-holy hymn; below, the multitude of men sends up the same; a common festival of heavenly and earthly beings is assembled; one thanksgiving, one exultation, one joyful choir. For the ineffable condescension of the Master assembled this, the Holy Spirit wove this together, the fatherly good pleasure harmonized the harmony of its sounds, so that it has the beautiful rhythm of its melodies from above and, being moved by the Trinity as by some plectrum, it sounds forth the delightful and blessed melody, the angelic song, the unceasing symphony. This is the end of the zeal here, this is the fruit of your assembly. For this reason I rejoice, seeing such good repute; I rejoice, perceiving the gladness in your souls, the spiritual joy, the exultation according to God. For nothing so disposes our life to be exceedingly joyful as gladness in the church. In the church the joy of the joyful is preserved, in the church the cheerfulness of the disheartened, in the church the gladness of the grieving, in the church the refreshment of the weary, in the church the rest of the laboring. 'For come to me,' he says, 'all who labor and are heavy laden; and I will give you rest.' What could be more desirable than this voice? what sweeter than this call? The Master, calling you in the church, calls you to a banquet, to rest instead of labors

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In illud: Vidi dominum (homiliae 1-6)

Ἔπαινος τῶν ἀπαντησάντων ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, καὶ περὶ εὐταξίας ἐν ταῖς δοξολογίαις καὶ εἰς τό· "Εἶδον τὸν Κύριον καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ

καὶ ἐπηρμένου." 1.1 Πολλὴν ὁρῶ τὴν σπουδὴν ἐνδεικνυμένους ὑμᾶς εἰς ἔργον ἀγαγεῖν τὰ πρῴην ἡμῖν εἰρημένα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τοίνυν ἀόκνως τὰ τῆς διδασκαλίας κἀγὼ καταβάλλομαι σπέρματα, χρησταῖς ἐντεῦθεν ταῖς ἐλπίσι τρεφόμενος. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ γεωργός, ὁπόταν πόνῳ μὲν τὰ σπέρματα καταβάλῃ εὐφοροῦσαν δὲ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰ λήϊα κομῶντα θεάσηται, τῶν πρῴην ἐπιλανθάνεται κόπων καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἑξῆς ἐργασίαν τε καὶ συντήρησιν τῷ προσδοκωμένῳ διανίσταται κέρδει. Καίτοι πόσον ποριμωτέρα καὶ ἐπικερδὴς αὕτη καθέστηκεν ἡ γεωργία; Ἐκείνη μὲν γὰρ τῶν καρπῶν τῶν αἰσθητῶν περιποιουμένη τὴν ἀφθονίαν, σώμασιν ἐναποτίθεται τροφήν· αὕτη δὲ τὴν τῶν λόγων καταβαλλομένη διδασκαλίαν καὶ τὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος πλεονάζουσα χαρίσματα, τὸν ψυχικὸν ἐναποτίθεται πλοῦτον, τὴν ἀδαπάνητον καὶ ἀκήρατον τροφὴν τὴν μὴ διαλυομένην, μηδὲ φθειρομένην κατ' ἀκολουθίαν, ἀλλὰ ἀρρήτῳ τινὶ συντηρουμένην προνοίᾳ καὶ νοητὴν τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν ἔχουσαν. Αὕτη τῶν ἐμῶν πόνων ἡ ἐπικαρπία, οὗτος ὁ ἐναποτιθέμενος τῇ ὑμῶν ἀγάπῃ πλοῦτος. Τοῦτον οὖν αὐξανόμενον ἐν ὑμῖν κατανοῶν, χαίρω διὰ παντὸς ὡς μὴ εἰκῇ τὰ σπέρματα καταβαλλόμενος, ὡς μὴ μάτην τοὺς πόνους ὑπομείνας, ὡς εἰς εὔφορον καὶ λιπαρὰν ἐπισπείρων γῆν καὶ πρὸς καρποφορίαν ἐπιτηδείαν. Πόθεν οὖν τὸ τοιοῦτον καταστοχάζομαι κέρδος; πόθεν εἰς ἔργον τοὺς λόγους προκόπτοντας κατανοῶ; Ἐκ τῆς παρούσης δηλονότι συνδρομῆς, ἐκ τοῦ τὴν μητέρα πάντων τὴν ἐκκλησίαν μετὰ σπουδῆς ὑμᾶς καταλαβεῖν, ἐκ τῆς παννύχου ταύτης καὶ διηνεκοῦς στάσεως, ἐκ τοῦ τὴν ἀγγελικὴν χοροστασίαν μιμουμένους ἀκατάπαυστον τῷ κτίστῃ τὴν ὑμνολογίαν προσφέρειν. Ὢ τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ δωρημάτων. Ἄνω στρατιαὶ δοξολογοῦσιν ἀγγέλων· κάτω ἐν ἐκκλησίαις χοροστατοῦντες ἄνθρωποι τὴν αὐτὴν ἐκείνοις ἐκμιμοῦνται δοξολογίαν. Ἄνω τὰ Σεραφὶμ τὸν τρισάγιον ὕμνον ἀναβοᾷ· κάτω τὸν αὐτὸν ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀναπέμπει πληθύς· κοινὴ τῶν ἐπουρανίων καὶ τῶν ἐπιγείων συγκροτεῖται πανήγυρις· μία εὐχαριστία, ἓν ἀγαλλίαμα, μία εὐφρόσυνος χοροστασία. Ταύτην γὰρ ἡ ἄφατος τοῦ ∆εσπότου συγκατάβασις συνεκρότησεν, ταύτην τὸ Πνεῦμα συνέπλεξεν τὸ ἅγιον, ταύτης τὴν ἁρμονίαν τῶν φθόγγων ἡ πατρικὴ εὐδοκία συνήρμοσεν, ὥστε ἄνωθεν ἔχει τὴν τῶν μελῶν εὐρυθμίαν καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς Τριάδος, καθάπερ ὑπὸ πλήκτρου τινὸς κινουμένη, τὸ τερπνὸν καὶ μακάριον ἐνηχεῖ μέλος, τὸ ἀγγελικὸν ᾆσμα, τὴν ἄληκτον συμφωνίαν. Τοῦτο τῆς ἐνταῦθα σπουδῆς τὸ πέρας, οὗτος ὁ τῆς συνελεύσεως ὑμῶν καρπός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο χαίρω τὴν τοιαύτην καθορῶν εὐδοκίμησιν· χαίρω τὴν ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν εὐφροσύνην κατανοῶν, τὴν χαρὰν τὴν πνευματικήν, τὴν κατὰ Θεὸν ἀγαλλίασιν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω περιχαρῆ τὴν ἡμετέραν διατίθησι ζωὴν ὡς ἡ ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ θυμηδία. Ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ἡ τῶν χαιρόντων συντηρεῖται χαρά, ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ἡ τῶν ἀθυμούντων εὐθυμία, ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ἡ τῶν λυπουμένων εὐφροσύνη, ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ἡ τῶν καταπονουμένων ἀναψυχή, ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ἡ τῶν κοπιώντων ἀνάπαυσις. "∆εῦτε γάρ, φησί, πρός με πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι· κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς." Τί ταύτης τῆς φωνῆς γένοιτ' ἂν ποθεινότερον; τί τῆς κλήσεως ταύτης ἡδύτερον; Πρὸς εὐωχίαν σε καλεῖ ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ καλῶν ὁ ∆εσπότης, εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν ἀντὶ τῶν κόπων