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In venerandum crucem

To the precious cross.

59.675 1. Today a feast of the Cross is set forth, let the choir of angels leap for joy; a spectacle of the cross is coming, let the people of mortals worship; the divine power of the cross is exalted, let the host of demons be put to flight. But, O divine cross, the ineffable spectacle of the angels, the boast of mortals, the royal scepter! for I will speak to you as to an animate being, you who bear the joyful and victorious tidings of our salvation; through you the closed gates of paradise are opened again, through you the power of death has been shattered, through you hades has been plundered, through you the dead have been deemed worthy of life, through you the thief dances and rejoices in paradise, through you heavenly things are joined to earthly things; through you is the knowledge of truth, through you the baptism of regeneration has been granted, through you the forgiveness of sins has been bestowed upon men, through you the gift of the Holy Spirit has been sealed, through you churches, being signed, are called houses of God; through you we enjoy the body and blood of Christ, through you we are counted worthy to become sons of God and heirs of the kingdom of heaven, through you solemn assemblies and feasts are made bright and resplendent. And what tongue would be able to recount how many and what great things Christ our God has bestowed through you upon the human race?

Since we have recognized these things through the word, O sanctified and festival-loving multitude, let us with pure hearts and clean mouths embrace the venerable and life-giving wood, on which Christ our God was fastened, and divine palms were pierced with nails, on which the Lord-slayers drove the lance through his side, and gave him the taste of vinegar mixed with gall to drink; and passing by and going along, they wagged their heads, mocking and saying, Woe! He saved others, himself he cannot save; if he is the Son of God, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

These things the ungrateful and hardened assembly of the Hebrews said, which enjoyed the benefit of divine wonders; but let us faithfully worship the life-giving passions of Christ, the crucifixion, the burial, the three-day resurrection from the dead; that we may also rise with him, and be glorified with him, if indeed we suffer with him, as the chosen vessel, the divine Paul, foretold. In these things and in addition to these, the all-holy cross being celebrated today calls us together, and it permits these incorruptible and ever-living foods to all alike, in homes, in marketplaces, in nights, in days, in cities, in deserts. Let us therefore joyfully receive that which bestows its good upon us through so many things, according to the Lord's word, not looking gloomy like hypocrites, but unaffectedly showing the cheerfulness of the soul. And do not think that the exhortation concerning fasting requires as much effort from me as that of not falling today into the evils of drunkenness; for many accept the fast, both out of habit and out of respect for one another; but I fear drunkenness, which wine-lovers appropriate as if it were a paternal inheritance. For just as those who are setting out on long journeys, so some of the foolish today drink wine in preparation for the five days of fasting. Who is so foolish as to be delirious with the things of drunkards before beginning to drink? Do you not know that the belly does not keep a deposit safe? The belly is a most untrustworthy money-changer, an unguarded storehouse of many 59.676 things deposited, holding on to the harm, but not keeping safe the things deposited. See that tomorrow the things that come to you from drunkenness...

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In venerandum crucem

Εἰς τὸν τίμιον σταυρόν.

59.675 αʹ. Σταυροῦ πρόκειται σήμερον ἑορτὴ, χορὸς ἀγγέλων σκιρτάτω· σταυροῦ

θέατρον ἔρχεται, δῆμος βροτῶν προσκυνείτω· σταυροῦ τὸ θεῖον ὑψοῦται κράτος, πλῆθος δαιμόνων φυγαδευέσθω. Ἀλλ', ὦ θεῖε σταυρὲ, τὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἄῤῥητον θέαμα, τὸ τῶν βροτῶν καύχημα, τὸ σκῆπτρον τὸ βασιλικόν! ὡς γὰρ ἐμψύχῳ σοι διαλέξομαι, χαρμόσυνά τε καὶ νικητήρια τῆς ἡμῶν γε φέροντι σωτηρίας· διὰ σοῦ πύλαι παραδείσου κλεισθεῖσαι πάλιν ἀνοίγονται, διὰ σοῦ τέθραυσται τὸ κράτος τοῦ θανάτου, διὰ σοῦ ᾅδης ἐσκύλευται, διὰ σοῦ οἱ νεκρωθέντες ζωῆς κατηξίωνται, διὰ σοῦ ὁ λῃστὴς ἐν παραδείσῳ χορεύει καὶ ἀγάλλεται, διὰ σοῦ συνῆπται τὰ οὐράνια τοῖς ἐπιγείοις· διὰ σοῦ ἐπίγνωσις ἀληθείας, διὰ σοῦ βάπτισμα ἀναγεννήσεως δεδώρηται, διὰ σοῦ ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν κεχάρισται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, διὰ σοῦ ἐσφράγισται ἡ δωρεὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, διὰ σοῦ Ἐκκλησίαι σημειούμεναι, οἶκοι Θεοῦ χρηματίζουσι· διὰ σοῦ σώματος καὶ αἵματος Χριστοῦ ἀπολαύομεν, διὰ σοῦ υἱοὶ Θεοῦ καὶ κληρονόμοι βασιλείας οὐρανῶν γενέσθαι καταξιούμεθα, διὰ σοῦ πανηγύρεις καὶ ἑορταὶ καταφαιδρύνονται καὶ καταλάμπονται. Καὶ ποία ἂν γλῶσσα διεξελθεῖν ἰσχύσειεν, ὅσα καὶ οἷα διὰ σοῦ Χριστὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἐδωρήσατο τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων;

Ἐπεὶ δὲ ταῦτα, πληθὺς ἡγιασμένη καὶ φιλέορτος, διὰ τοῦ λόγου ἐπέγνωμεν, λευκαῖς δὲ καρδίαις καὶ καθαροῖς στόμασι περιπτυξώμεθα τὸ σεβάσμιον καὶ ζωοποιὸν ξύλον, ἐν ᾧ προσεπάγη Χριστὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ παλάμαι θεῖαι ἥλοις συνεπάρησαν, ἐν ᾧ τὴν λόγχην διὰ τῆς πλευρᾶς διήλασαν οἱ Κυριοκτόνοι, καὶ τὴν γεῦσιν τοῦ ὄξους χολῇ μεμιγμένην προσεπότισαν· παριόντες δὲ καὶ παραπορευόμενοι, ἐκίνουν τὰς κεφαλὰς, χλευάζοντες καὶ λέγοντες, Οὐαί! Ἄλλους ἔσωσεν, ἑαυτὸν οὐ δύναται σῶσαι· εἰ Υἱός ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ, καταβάτω νῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ, καὶ πιστεύομεν αὐτῷ.

Ταῦτα ἡ τῶν Ἑβραίων ὁμήγυρις ἡ ἀγνώμων καὶ πεπωρωμένη, ἡ τῶν θείων τεραστίων ἀπολαύσασα τῆς εὐεργεσίας· ἡμεῖς δὲ πιστῶς προσκυνήσωμεν τὰ ζωοποιὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πάθη, τὴν σταύρωσιν, τὴν ταφὴν, τὴν ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν τριήμερον ἔγερσιν· ἵνα καὶ συναναστῶμεν, καὶ συνδοξασθῶμεν, εἴπερ συμπάσχομεν, καθὼς τὸ σκεῦος τῆς ἐκλογῆς Παῦλος ὁ θεῖος προηγόρευσεν. Ἐν τούτοις καὶ πρὸς τούτοις συγκαλεῖται γοῦν σήμερον ἡμᾶς ὁ ἑορταζόμενος πανάγιος σταυρὸς, καὶ ταῦτα τὰ ἄφθαρτα καὶ ἀείζωα ἐδέσματα πᾶσιν ὁμοίως ἐπιτρέπει, τοῖς οἴκοις, ταῖς ἀγοραῖς, ταῖς νυξὶ, ταῖς ἡμέραις, ταῖς πόλεσι, ταῖς ἐρήμοις. Τὴν τοίνυν διὰ τοσούτων ἡμῖν τὸ παρ' ἑαυτῆς καλὸν χαριζομένην φαιδρῶς ὑποδεξώμεθα κατὰ τὸν Κυρίου λόγον, μὴ σκυθρωπάζοντες ὡς ὑποκριταὶ, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἱλαρὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀνεπιτηδεύτως διαδεικνύντες. Καὶ οὐ τοσούτου μοι δεῖν ἀγῶνος ἡγεῖσθε τὴν περὶ νηστείας παράκλησιν, ὅσου τὸ μὴ σήμερον τοῖς κακοῖς τῆς μέθης περιπεσεῖν· τὴν μὲν γὰρ νηστείαν, καὶ διὰ τὴν συνήθειαν, καὶ διὰ τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους αἰδῶ οἱ πολλοὶ καταδέχονται· φοβοῦμαι δὲ τὴν μέθην, ἣν ὥσπερ τινὰ κλῆρον πατρῷον οἱ φίλοινοι ἰδιάζουσιν. Ὡς γὰρ οἱ πρὸς τὰς μακρὰς ἀποδημίας ἀπαίροντες, οὕτω τινὲς τῶν ἀνοήτων σήμερον πρὸς τὰς πέντε τῶν νηστειῶν ἡμέρας οἰνίζονται. Τίς οὕτως ἀνόητος, ὥστε πρὶν ἄρξασθαι πίνειν, τὰ τῶν μεθυόντων παραφρονεῖν; οὐκ οἶδας, ὅτι γαστὴρ παρακαταθήκην οὐ διασώζει; Γαστὴρ ἀλλάκτης ἐστὶν ἀπιστότατος, ταμιεῖον ἀφύλακτον πολλῶν 59.676 ἐναποτεθέντων, τὴν μὲν βλάβην παρακατέχουσα, τὰ μέντοι παρατεθέντα οὐ διασώζουσα. Ὅρα, μὴ καὶ σοὶ αὔριον ἀπὸ μέθης ἐλθόντι τὰ