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In latronem

On the thief, and on the betrayal of our Savior Jesus Christ.

59.719 1. Oh, how great is the power of our faith! Oh, how powerful is the prayer of a Christ-loving people interceding for a sinful priest! And do not be surprised by what is said; for I have been taught to say this to you by the divine Paul, who expressly writes to his disciples in his own Epistles: Pray for me, that a word may be given to me in the opening of my mouth. If Paul, the chosen vessel, the heavenly man, the orator of grace, asked for the gift of prayers from his own disciples, how much more I, whom you all have known as a sinner! But yet even a tax collector, once having changed from his wicked purpose, became a disciple of the Lord; and I know also of a harlot who offered tears of repentance at the Lord's feet, and washed away the notorious defilement of her harlotry; I know also of that wise thief, who through faith well plundered great things; for the profit of such robbery of his became paradise. I too perceive myself taking hold of such an anchor.

For we have such a philanthropic Master, who, upon only sincerely receiving our prayer, immediately gives mercy in return. For He gave the Law; but the Law, having a shadow of the good things to come, not the very truth of the things, was not strong enough to enlighten. He sent the prophetic people as an ambassador; but the prophetic people, too, held fast by death, cried out, saying: I am earth and ashes. An angel could not immutably be made flesh. Not an angel, he says, nor an ambassador redeemed them, but the Lord Himself. For He saw the world deprived of help, and crying out to Him: Bow down, Lord, Your heavens, and come down. For if You, he says, do not come down to us, we cannot ascend to you through anyone else. He saw, therefore, and did not overlook the prayer, but bowed the heavens, and came down to earth, without emptying the heavens. He was conceived in a virginal womb, wider than all creation. For He whom a patriarchal tent did not contain, a virginal womb contained Him. He was made flesh, as He Himself knows, not as the heretics interpret, who are ignorant of their own affairs, and measure divine things. He was born, as He was pleased.

59.720 He mounted the wood, healing the wood of paradise, and cries out: I have trodden the winepress alone, and no one was with me, not an angel, [not an ambassador, not an archangel,] not a prophet, not a king, none of the righteous with me; and one alone with me, not with me did he crush death, but with me he inherited paradise; with me on the wood, not with me in the war against death. For the Lord, he says, shatters wars, the Lord is his name. One thief confessed. Oh, the strange and paradoxical things! the thief with Christ, and the disciple Judas with the devil; the light has become darkness, and the darkness was changed into light; the lamb a wolf, and the wolf a lamb. The thief, his hands pierced with nails, greeted the Master with a faithful voice, saying, Remember me, Lord, when you come into your kingdom; and the disciple, offering a kiss with his lips, prepared the sword in his heart; with his lips he uttered joy, and in his heart he belched forth deceit, saying, Hail, Rabbi; then he both kisses him, and turning said to the Jews, with a nod,

1

In latronem

Εἰς τὸν λῃστὴν, καὶ εἰς τὴν προδοσίαν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

59.719 αʹ. Ὢ πόση δύναμις τῆς ἡμετέρας πίστεως! ὢ πόσον ἰσχύει δέησις

φιλοχρίστου λαοῦ ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ἱερέως πρεσβεύουσα! Καὶ μὴ ξενίσῃ σε τὸ λεγόμενον· τοῦτο γὰρ παρὰ τοῦ θεσπεσίου Παύλου λέγειν πρὸς ὑμᾶς δεδίδαγμαι, διαῤῥήδην ἐν ταῖς οἰκείαις Ἐπιστολαῖς τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἐπιστέλλοντος· Προσεύχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, ἵνα δοθῇ μοι λόγος ἐν ἀνοίξει τοῦ στόματός μου. Εἰ δὲ Παῦλος, τὸ σκεῦος τῆς ἐκλογῆς, ὁ οὐράνιος ἄνθρωπος, ὁ τῆς χάριτος ῥήτωρ, δωρεὰν παρὰ τῶν οἰκείων μαθητῶν προσευχῶν ἐδέετο, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἐγὼ, ὃν πάντες ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐγνώκατε! Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τελώνης ποτὲ τοῦ πονηροῦ σκοποῦ μεταθέμενος, ἐγένετο μαθητὴς τοῦ Κυρίου· οἶδα δὲ καὶ πόρνην δάκρυα μετανοίας τοῖς ∆εσποτικοῖς ἴχνεσι προσενέγκασαν, καὶ τὸν πολυθρύλλητον τῆς πορνείας μολυσμὸν ἀποπλύνασαν· οἶδα καὶ τὸν λῃστὴν ἐκεῖνον τὸν φρόνιμον, τὸν καλῶς διὰ πίστεως τὰ μεγάλα συλήσαντα· τῆς γὰρ τοιαύτης αὐτοῦ λῃστείας τὸ κέρδος παράδεισος γέγονεν. Αἰσθάνομαι κἀγὼ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀγκύρας ἐπιλαβόμενος.

Τοιοῦτον γὰρ ἔχομεν ∆εσπότην φιλάνθρωπον, ὅστις μόνον εἰλικρινῶς δεξάμενος παρ' ἡμῶν τὴν δέησιν, εὐθέως τὸν ἔλεον ἀντιδίδωσι. Νόμον γὰρ ἔδωκεν· ἀλλὰ σκιὰν ἔχων ὁ νόμος τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν, οὐκ αὐτὴν τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν ἀλήθειαν, φωτίσαι οὐκ ἴσχυσε. Προφητικὸν δῆμον ὡς πρέσβυν ἀπέστειλεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ προφητικὸς δῆμος κρατηθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου ἐβόησε λέγων· Ἐγώ εἰμι γῆ καὶ σποδός. Ἄγγελος ἀτρέπτως σαρκοῦσθαι οὐκ ἠδύνατο. Οὐκ ἄγγελος, φησὶν, οὐ πρέσβυς ἐλυτρώσατο αὐτοὺς, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος. Εἶδε γὰρ τὴν οἰκουμένην βοηθείας ἐστερημένην, καὶ βοῶσαν πρὸς αὐτόν· Κλῖνον, Κύριε, τοὺς οὐρανούς σου, καὶ κατάβηθι. Ἐὰν γὰρ σὺ, φησὶ, μὴ καταβῇς πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἡμεῖς δι' ἄλλου τινὸς πρὸς σὲ ἀνελθεῖν οὐ δυνάμεθα. Εἶδεν οὖν, καὶ οὐ παρεῖδε τὴν δέησιν, ἀλλ' ἔκλινεν οὐρανοὺς, καὶ κατῆλθεν ἐπὶ γῆς, μὴ κενώσας τοὺς οὐρανούς. Συνελήφθη ἐν μήτρᾳ παρθενικῇ πλατυτέρᾳ πάσης κτίσεως. Ὃν γὰρ οὐκ ἐχώρησε καλύβη πατριαρχικὴ, αὐτὸν ἐχώρησε μήτρα παρθενική. Ἐσαρκώθη, ὡς οἶδεν αὐτὸς, οὐχ ὡς ἑρμηνεύουσιν οἱ αἱρετικοὶ, οἱ τὰ οἰκεῖα ἀγνοοῦντες, καὶ τὰ θεῖα μετροῦντες. Ἐτέχθη, ὡς ηὐδόκησεν.

59.720 Ἐπέβη τῷ ξύλῳ τὸ ξύλον τοῦ παραδείσου ἰασάμενος καὶ βοᾷ· Ληνὸν ἐπάτησα μόνος, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἦν μετ' ἐμοῦ, οὐκ ἄγγελος, [οὐ πρέσβυς, οὐκ ἀρχάγγελος,] οὐ προφήτης, οὐ βασιλεὺς, οὐδεὶς τῶν δικαίων μετ' ἐμοῦ· καὶ εἷς μόνος μετ' ἐμοῦ, οὐ μετ' ἐμοῦ συνέτριψε τὸν θάνατον, ἀλλὰ μετ' ἐμοῦ ἐκληρονόμησε τὸν παράδεισον· μετ' ἐμοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ ξύλου, οὐ μετ' ἐμοῦ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τοῦ θανάτου. Κύριος γὰρ, φησὶ, συντρίβων πολέμους, Κύριος ὄνομα αὐτῷ. Εἷς λῃστὴς ὡμολόγησεν. Ὢ τῶν ξένων καὶ παραδόξων πραγμάτων! ὁ λῃστὴς μετὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ὁ μαθητὴς Ἰούδας μετὰ τοῦ διαβόλου· τὸ φῶς γέγονε σκότος, καὶ τὸ σκότος εἰς φῶς μετεβάλ[λ]ετο· ὁ ἀμνὸς λύκος, καὶ ὁ λύκος ἀμνός. Ὁ λῃστὴς τὰς χεῖρας τοῖς ἥλοις ἐμπεπαρμένος, πιστῇ φωνῇ τὸν ∆εσπότην ἠσπάζετο λέγων, Μνήσθητί μου, Κύριε, ὅταν ἔλθῃς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου· καὶ ὁ μαθητὴς φίλημα προσφέρων τοῖς χείλεσι, τῇ καρδίᾳ τὸ ξίφος ηὐτρέπισε· τοῖς χείλεσι χαρὰν ἐφθέγγετο, καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ δόλον ἠρεύξατο, Χαῖρε, λέγων, Ῥαββί· εἶτα καὶ φιλεῖ αὐτὸν, καὶ στρεφόμενος ἔλεγε τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, νεύματι,