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In mediam hebdomadam jejuniorum

To the middle week of the fasts.

59.701 Blessed is God who has granted to the combatants of the fast also to behold the middle prize of self-control. For behold, we stand at the gates of the middle wrestling-grounds of the fast; behold, the middle of the contest lies before us. Come then, trusting in Christ the president of the games, let us dare also the second wrestlings of the fast. By the grace of the Lord, we have already reached the middle of the ladder that leads up to heaven; let us consume not only the half of our sins, but the whole. We have now come near to the prizes; let us therefore remain in the wrestling-grounds. For the gifts of the wrestling-grounds of self-control already shine, the crowns for the athletic sweats glisten, from heaven lie forth the awards of the contests, which Christ the president of the games awards to the victory 59.702.50 of those who wrestle. From heaven he strengthens us for the vigor of the fast, and from heaven he promises to give gifts to the athletes of the fast. Let us not, therefore, neglect the contests, so that we may reach the city of the crowned victors of the fast. For the nurslings of the fast roam about heaven, heaven embraces the imitators of the angels, since the citizenship of those who fast is heavenly. For fasting transfers men from earth to heaven, it raises them to the rank of angels, it makes the journey from earth to heaven easy, and it presents them before the heavenly king himself, granting the enjoyment of immortal goods. For strange, brothers, is the wonder of our contest. For children are anointed with men, women 59.703 compete with men, the weak nature of females is made manly for the contest.

The wrestling-ground of the fast is free to those who wish it. For Christ sits as a generous president of the games. Let us hasten also to the middle contest of the fast; let no one disgrace this spiritual contest; let no one desert these spiritual contests. For the enemy is bereft of boldness, the greater part of the battle has been taken away, he has been conquered by the judgment of God, having been defeated, he is enslaved, he is driven out through fasting, he has been thrown to the ground, laughed at by infants, receiving from them a reproachful epitaph of shame. Let no one therefore shrink, beloved, having come to the middle of the fast; let no one neglect the middle wrestling-grounds; for our nobility is his downfall. If someone competes sluggishly, he strengthens him; if any of you contends weakly, he invigorates him. Let us therefore stand for the contest nobly, so that the adversary may fall more greatly. Let us flee the desire for foods; let us persevere for a little while, that we may receive immortal grace. For Adam ate, and was condemned to death; Elijah fasted, and was entrusted with the keys of heaven; Noah drank, and his mind was altered; Enoch practiced asceticism, and was translated by angels; Pharaoh was sated, and was drowned in the sea with his chariots; Moses fasted, and descended to the sea, becoming a builder of newer walls from the moist substance of the waters, and having prepared the people to journey on strange land, he led them across the sea with dust-covered foot.

Eve partook of unlawful food, and all from her are handed over to death; the Lord born of Mary abstained from lawful food, and freed all from the condemnation of death. A taste of death was the tree in paradise. For on whatever day, says God, you eat of it, by death

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In mediam hebdomadam jejuniorum

Εἰς τὴν μέσην ἑβδομάδα τῶν νηστειῶν.

59.701 Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς ὁ χαρισάμενος τοῖς ἀγωνισταῖς τῆς νηστείας καὶ τὸ μέσον

ἆθλον τῆς ἐγκρατείας θεάσασθαι. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἐπὶ ταῖς θύραις ἑστήκαμεν τῶν μέσων τῆς νηστείας σκαμμάτων· ἰδοὺ τὸ μέσον τοῦ ἀγῶνος ἡμῖν πρόκειται. ∆εῦρο γοῦν θαῤῥοῦντες τῷ ἀγωνοθέτῃ Χριστῷ, κατατολμήσωμεν καὶ τῶν δευτέρων τῆς νηστείας παλαισμάτων. Ἐμεσάσαμεν χάριτι Κυρίου ἤδη τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάγουσαν κλίμακα· ἀναλώσωμεν καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων μὴ τὸ ἥμισυ μόνον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ὅλον. Πλησίον γεγόναμεν λοιπὸν τῶν ἐπάθλων· ἐπιμείνωμεν τοίνυν τοῖς σκάμμασι. Λάμπουσι γὰρ ἤδη τῶν τῆς ἐγκρατείας σκαμμάτων τὰ χαρίσματα, στίλβουσι τῶν ἀθλητικῶν ἱδρώτων οἱ στέφανοι, οὐρανόθεν πρόκεινται τῶν ἀγώνων τὰ βραδεῖα, ἃ βραβεύει ὁ ἀγωνοθέτης Χριστὸς τῇ νίκῃ 59.702.50 τῶν σκαμματιζόντων. Οὐρανόθεν ἡμᾶς νευροῖ πρὸς τὴν τῆς νηστείας εὐτονίαν, καὶ οὐρανόθεν ἐπαγγέλλεται διδόναι χαρίσματα τοῖς ἀθληταῖς τῆς νηστείας. Μὴ τοίνυν ὀλιγωρήσωμεν πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας, ἵνα καταλάβωμεν τῶν τῆς νηστείας στεφανιτῶν τὴν πόλιν. Οὐρανὸν γὰρ περιπολοῦσιν οἱ τῆς νηστείας τρόφιμοι, οὐρανὸς ἀγκαλίζεται τοὺς μιμητὰς τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἐπειδὴ οὐράνιον τῶν νηστευόντων τὸ πολίτευμα. Νηστεία γὰρ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανοὺς μεθίστησιν, εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀγγέλων ἀνάγει τάξιν, εὔκολον τὴν ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς οὐρανοὺς πορείαν καθίστησι, καὶ παρ' αὐτὸν τὸν ἐπουράνιον βασιλέα παρίστησι, τῶν ἀθανάτων ἀγαθῶν τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν χορηγοῦσα. Ξένον γὰρ, ἀδελφοὶ, τοῦ παρ' ἡμῶν ἀγῶνος τὸ θαῦμα. Παῖδες γὰρ μετὰ ἀνδρῶν ἀλείφονται, γυναῖκες 59.703 ἀνδράσιν ἁμιλλῶνται, ἡ ἀσθενὴς τῶν θηλειῶν πρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα ἀνδρίζεται φύσις.

Ἐλεύθερον τοῖς ἐθέλουσι τὸ σκάμμα τῆς νηστείας. Χριστὸς γὰρ ἄφθονος ἀγωνοθέτης κάθηται. Σπεύσωμεν καὶ πρὸς τὸν μέσον ἀγῶνα τῆς νηστείας· μηδεὶς καταισχύνῃ τὸν πνευματικὸν τοῦτον ἀγῶνα· μηδεὶς λειποτακτήσῃ τῶν πνευματικῶν ἀγώνων τούτων. Λέλειπται γὰρ ὁ ἐχθρὸς τοῦ θράσους, ἀφῄρηται τὸ πλέον τῆς μάχης, νενίκηται τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ κρίσει, δεδούλωται ἡττηθεὶς, ἐλήλαται διὰ νηστείας, ἐπ' ἐδάφους ὑπὸ νηπίων γελώμενος ἔῤῥιπται, ἐπιτάφιον αἰσχύνης ὑπ' αὐτῶν δεχόμενος ὄνειδος. Μηδεὶς τοίνυν ὀκλάσῃ, ἀγαπητοὶ, περὶ τὸ μέσον τῆς νηστείας γενόμενος· μηδεὶς ὀλιγωρήσῃ τῶν μέσων σκαμμάτων· ἡ γὰρ ἡμετέρα γενναιότης ἐκείνου κατάπτωσις. Εἴ τις ἀθλεῖ νωθρῶς, ἐκεῖνον ῥώννυσιν· εἴ τις ὑμῶν ἀσθενῶς ἀγωνίζεται, ἐκεῖνον νευροῖ. Στῶμεν τοιγαροῦν πρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα γενναίως, ἵνα ὁ ἀντίπαλος πέσῃ μειζόνως. Βρωμάτων φύγωμεν πόθον· καρτερήσωμεν πρὸς ὀλίγον, ἵνα ἀθάνατον λάβωμεν χάριν. Ἔφαγε γὰρ Ἀδὰμ, καὶ θανάτῳ κατεδικάσθη· ἐνήστευσεν Ἠλίας, καὶ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὰς κλεῖς ἐπιστεύθη· ἔπιε Νῶε, καὶ τὸν νοῦν μετεβλήθη· ἤσκησεν Ἐνὼχ, καὶ ὑπ' ἀγγέλων μετετέθη· ἐχορτάσθη Φαραὼ, καὶ ἐν θαλάσσῃ σὺν ἅρμασι κατεποντίσθη· ἐνήστευσε Μωϋσῆς, καὶ θάλατταν κατεπέβη, καινοτέρων τειχῶν ἐκ τῆς ὑγρᾶς τῶν ὑδάτων οὐσίας γενόμενος οἰκοδόμος, καὶ ξένην γῆν τὸν λαὸν ὁδοιπορεῖν παρασκευάσας, κεκονιαμένῳ ποδὶ τὴν θάλασσαν παρήγαγε.

Μετέλαβεν Εὔα παρανόμου βρώσεως, καὶ πάντες ἐξ ἐκείνης θανάτῳ παραδίδονται· ἀπέσχετο ὁ ἐκ Μαρίας τεχθεὶς ∆εσπότης ἐννόμου βρώσεως, καὶ πάντας τῆς καταδίκης τοῦ θανάτου ἠλευθέρωσε. Γεῦσις θανάτου τὸ ἐν παραδείσῳ δένδρον. Ἧ δὲ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ γὰρ, φησὶν ὁ Θεὸς, φάγησθε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, θανάτῳ