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In sanctum Lucianum martyrem

A HOMILY OF PRAISE. On the holy martyr Lucian.

50.519

1. What I feared yesterday has come to pass, and has now reached its conclusion, 50.520 and with the feast having passed, the crowd has departed with it, 50.521 and our assembly has become smaller. And I knew indeed that this would certainly happen; but not for this reason did I desist from my exhortation; for if not all who heard yesterday were persuaded, yet not all disobeyed; and this is no small matter of comfort for us; wherefore I will not desist from this counsel today either; for if not through us, yet through you at least what is said will certainly be heard. For who could bear their great indolence in silence, or grant them pardon and defense, who after so long a time, having seen their mother and enjoyed the good things in her, have withdrawn, and did not endure to return a second time, nor did they imitate Noah's dove, but rather the raven, and this while the surging sea still remains, and that winter, and a more grievous storm arising each day, and this holy ark is set forth in our midst, calling all, and drawing them to herself, and offering great security to those who take refuge? For it repels not the assaults of waters, nor of waves, but the continual uprisings of the most irrational passions, and it destroys envy, and puts down despair.

For neither will the rich man here be able to look down upon the poor man, hearing from the divine Scriptures that, All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass; nor will the poor man, seeing another who is rich, be caught by envy, hearing himself another prophet saying: Be not thou afraid when a man is made rich, or when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dies he shall carry nothing away, neither shall his glory descend with him. For such is the nature of this abundance; it does not move with those who have it, it does not journey abroad with those who possess it, it does not stand by those being judged there and held to account, but is always cut off by death; and many it has left even before death; untrustworthy is its use, uncertain its enjoyment, perilous its possession. But not so are the things of virtue, and the things of almsgiving; but this treasure is inviolable. From where is this clear? He who philosophized about this wealth and said that his glory shall not descend after him, this same one also instructed us about the treasures of almsgiving, which always remain and are never plundered, speaking thus: He has dispersed, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever. What could be more paradoxical than this? The things gathered are lost, and the things scattered remain, and very reasonably so. For God receives the one, and from the hand of God no one can snatch; but the other is stored in human treasuries, where it is subject to many plots, where there is much envy and malice. Therefore do not be neglectful, beloved, of spending time here; for if any despondency troubles you, here it is put to flight; if cares of life, they flee; if irrational passions, they are quenched; but from the marketplace, and the theaters, and the other outside gatherings, we return home dragging along many cares, and despondencies, and diseases of the soul. If you spend your time here continually, you will certainly lay aside the evils you have received 50.522 from outside; but if you leap away and flee, you will lose also the good things you have acquired from the divine Scriptures

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In sanctum Lucianum martyrem

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ ΕΓΚΩΜΙΑΣΤΙΚΗ. Εἰς τὸν ἅγιον μάρτυρα Λουκιανόν.

50.519

αʹ. Ὅπερ χθὲς ἐδεδοίκειν ἐξέβη, καὶ τέλος ἔλαβε νῦν, 50.520 καὶ τῆς ἑορτῆς ἀπελθούσης, καὶ τὸ πλῆθος ἡμῖν συν 50.521 απεδήμησε, καὶ ἐλάττων ἡμῖν ὁ σύλλογος γέγονε. Καὶ ᾔδειν μὲν τοῦτο συμβησόμενον πάντως· οὐ μὴν δὲ διὰ τοῦτο τῆς παραινέσεως ἀπέστην· εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ πάντες ἐπείσθησαν οἱ χθὲς ἀκούσαντες, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ πάντες ἠπείθησαν· οὐ μικρὸν δὲ τοῦτο εἰς παραμυθίας λόγον ἡμῖν· διόπερ οὐδὲ σήμερον ἀποστήσομαι ταύτης τῆς συμβουλῆς· εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ δι' ἡμῶν, ἀλλά γε δι' ὑμῶν πάντως ἀκούσονται τὰ λεγόμενα. Τίς γὰρ δυνη θείη σιγῇ τὴν τοσαύτην αὐτῶν ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐνεγκεῖν, ἢ μεταδοῦναι συγγνώμης καὶ ἀπολογίας αὐτοῖς, οἳ διὰ τοσούτου χρόνου τὴν μητέρα ἰδόντες, καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ καλῶν ἀπολαύσαντες ἀπέστησαν, καὶ οὐκ ἠνέσχοντο τὸ δεύτερον ἐπιστρέψαι πάλιν, οὐδὲ τὴν τοῦ Νῶε περιστερὰν, ἀλλὰ τὸν κόρακα ἐμιμήσαντο, καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ κλυδωνίου μένοντος ἔτι, καὶ τοῦ χειμῶνος ἐκείνου, καὶ χαλεπωτέρας καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐγειρομένης ζάλης, καὶ τῆς ἁγίας ταύτης κιβωτοῦ προκειμένης ἐν μέσῳ, καὶ πάντας καλούσης, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἐπι σπωμένης, καὶ πολλὴν τοῖς καταφεύγουσι παρεχού σης τὴν ἀσφάλειαν; Οὐ γὰρ ὑδάτων, οὐδὲ κυμάτων ἐμβολὰς, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀλογωτάτων παθῶν τὰς συνεχεῖς ἀποκρούεται ἐπαναστάσεις, καὶ φθόνον ἀναιρεῖ, καὶ ἀπόνοιαν καταστέλλει.

Οὔτε γὰρ ὁ πλούσιος ἐνταῦθα τοῦ πένητος ὑπεριδεῖν δυνήσεται, ἀκούων παρὰ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν, ὅτι Πᾶσα σὰρξ χόρτος, καὶ πᾶσα δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου· οὔτε ὁ πένης πλουτοῦντα ἕτερον ἰδὼν βασκανίᾳ ἁλώσεται, ἀκούων καὶ αὐτὸς ἑτέρου προφήτου λέγοντος· Μὴ φοβοῦ, ὅταν πλουτήσῃ ἄνθρωπος, ἢ ὅταν πληθυνθῇ ἡ δόξα τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ· ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τῷ ἀποθνήσκειν αὐτὸν λήψεται τὰ πάντα, οὐδὲ συγκαταβήσεται αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ. Τοιαύτη γὰρ τῆς εὐπορίας ταύ της ἡ φύσις· οὐ συμμεθίσταται τοῖς ἔχουσιν, οὐ συν αποδημεῖ τοῖς κεκτημένοις, οὐ παρίσταται κρινομέ νοις ἐκεῖ καὶ εὐθύνας ὑπέχουσιν, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου διακόπτεται πάντως· πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ θανάτου κατέλιπεν· ἄπιστος ἡ χρῆσις, ἀβέβαιος ἡ ἀπόλαυσις, ἐπικίνδυνος ἡ κτῆσις. Ἀλλ' οὐ τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς τοιαῦτα, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης· ἀλλ' ἔστιν ἄσυλος οὗτος ὁ θησαυρός. Πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον; Ὁ περὶ τοῦ πλούτου τούτου φιλοσοφήσας καὶ εἰπὼν, ὅτι Οὐ συγκαταβή σεται αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ, οὗτος καὶ περὶ τῶν τῆς ἐλεημοσύνης θησαυρῶν, τῶν ἀεὶ μενόν των καὶ μηδέποτε συλωμένων, ἐπαίδευσεν ἡμᾶς οὕτως εἰπών· Ἐσκόρπισεν, ἔδωκε τοῖς πένησιν· ἡ δι καιοσύνη αὐτοῦ μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Τί τούτου παραδοξότερον γένοιτ' ἄν; Τὰ συλλεγόμενα ἀπόλ λυνται, καὶ τὰ σκορπιζόμενα μένει, καὶ μάλα εἰκότως. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ὑποδέχεται, ἐκ δὲ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χειρὸς οὐδεὶς ἁρπάζειν δύναται· τὰ δὲ ἐν ἀνθρωπίνοις ἀποτίθεται θησαυροῖς· ἔνθα πολλαῖς ὑπόκειται ταῖς ἐπιβουλαῖς, ἔνθα πολὺς ὁ φθόνος καὶ ἡ βασκανία. Μὴ τοίνυν ἀμελῇς, ἀγαπητὲ, τῆς ἐν ταῦθα διατριβῆς· κἂν γάρ τις ἀθυμία ἐνοχλῇ, ἐνταῦθα φυγαδεύεται· κἂν φροντίδες βιωτικαὶ, δραπετεύουσι· κἂν ἄλογα πάθη, σβέννυται· ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ἀγο ρᾶς, καὶ τῶν θεάτρων, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων συλλόγων τῶν ἔξωθεν πολλὰς ἐπισυρόμενοι φροντίδας, καὶ ἀθυμίας, καὶ ψυχῆς νόσους, οἴκαδε ἀναχωροῦμεν. Ἂν ἐνταῦθα διατρίβῃς συνεχῶς, καὶ ἅπερ ἔλαβες 50.522 ἔξωθεν κακὰ ἀποθήσῃ πάντως· ἂν δὲ ἀποπηδᾷς καὶ φεύγῃς καὶ ἅπερ ἐκτήσω παρὰ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ἀγαθὰ ἀπολεῖς