De caeco et Zacchaeo (olim sub auctore Joanne Chrysostomo)

On the blind man, whom Christ healed, and on Zacchaeus, and concerning judgment, and almsgiving, a homily.

Many and various are the teachings of the holy Scriptures, but one is the grace that shines upon all, and one is the fount of teaching, the Spirit of truth. And all that the law proclaims, and all that the prophets teach, all that the apostles preach, all that the Gospel of piety dictates, comes from one, as it were, flourishing and fruitful fount, the Holy Spirit; and it is not possible either to say anything holy, or to think anything right, or to do anything wonderful, without the Holy Spirit confirming the things said, and the things thought, and the things done. For even if someone glories in human wisdom, and has his soul fortified with human reasonings, but shakes off the word of God, he is nothing, and will be counted as nothing. For this reason the prophet says: They have rejected the word of the Lord. What wisdom is in them? To us, therefore, the Scriptures of piety are the flowers of truth; and many are the flowers, but one is the meadow that nourishes the flowers; many are the lamps of teaching, but one is the true light; many are the stars, but one is the heaven that bears the stars; many are the branches, but one is the root; many are the fingers, but one is the hand that writes through the fingers; many are the strings, one is the lyre of the Spirit; many are the teachings, one is the fount of piety. But I marvel how this blind man, not having read the law, not having gone through the prophets, not having encountered the Gospels, not having been confirmed by the apostles, called upon the Savior of the world, saying, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. From where did you learn to call these things, not having learned what you invoke? You have not read books, being deprived of sight; you have not had leisure for teachings, having one occupation in life, asking, or rather begging; from where then did you know the light of the world, whom you saw neither 59.600 in the heavens, nor on earth, being deprived of sight? But truly in this was fulfilled that which was spoken by David: The Lord makes the blind wise. A great crowd was around Jesus, and the blind man did not know the light of truth, but he perceived the power; he seized with his disposition what his sight did not receive. What, he says, does the crowd want? They say to him, Jesus the Nazarene is passing by. O the wonder! He is taught one thing, and preaches another; he hears Jesus the Nazarene, but does not call him Jesus the Nazarene, but Jesus son of David. Those who could see spoke from supposition, but the blind man preached from truth. Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. Therefore let each one, making the voice his own, break forth from his heart in confession, and let each one say this voice for himself, Son of David, have mercy on me. And just as, brothers, when many go to a mourning, and see a body laid out, and being wept for by its own, all weep, some sympathizing with the grief, others examining their own affairs; and often a woman weeps and laments, but not for the one laid out (for he is a stranger), but for her own who has departed before, and the stranger's situation becomes a reminder of her own evils; so each of you, brothers, when he learns the things preached by the saints, let him make the word his own, saying for his own wounds, Son of David, have mercy on me; and let each one say now, being stirred by his own evils, one, that he is blind in mind, another, that he has a deaf soul; another, that he has a lame reason, another, that he has a leprous opinion. For the afflictions which Christ healed in bodies, these also 59.601 happen in souls and need help from above. There is a blind soul, in need of sight, a blind soul, that does not see the wonders of the law, a blind soul, that

De caeco et Zacchaeo (olim sub auctore Joanne Chrysostomo)

Εἰς τὸν τυφλὸν, ὃν ὁ Χριστὸς ἐθεράπευσεν, καὶ εἰς τὸν Ζακχαῖον, καὶ περὶ κρίσεως, καὶ ἐλεημοσύνης, ὁμιλία.

Πολλαὶ καὶ διάφοροι τῶν ἁγίων Γραφῶν αἱ διδασκαλίαι, μία δὲ χάρις ἡ πᾶσιν ἐπιλάμπουσα, καὶ μία πηγὴ διδασκαλίας τὸ Πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας. Καὶ ὅσα νόμος διαγορεύει, καὶ ὅσα προφῆται διδάσκουσιν, ὅσα ἀπόστολοι κηρύττουσιν, ὅσα τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τῆς εὐσεβείας ὑπαγορεύει, ἀπὸ μιᾶς ὥσπερ τινὸς εὐθαλοῦς πηγῆς καὶ γονίμου περιέρχεται, τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου· καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν οὔτε εἰπεῖν τι σεμνὸν, οὔτε νοῆσαι δεξιὸν, οὔτε πρᾶξαι θαυμαστὸν, μὴ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐπιβεβαιοῦντος τὰ λεγόμενα, καὶ τὰ νοούμενα, καὶ τὰ πραττόμενα. Κἂν γάρ τις τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ σοφίᾳ κομᾷ, καὶ λογισμοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις ὠχυρωμένην ἔχῃ τὴν ψυχὴν, τὸν λόγον δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀποσείηται, εἰς οὐδέν ἐστι, καὶ εἰς οὐδὲν λογισθήσεται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησιν ὁ προφήτης· Τὸν λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου ἀπεποιήσαντο. Σοφία τίς ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς; Ἡμῖν τοίνυν ἄνθη τῆς ἀληθείας αἱ Γραφαὶ τῆς εὐσεβείας· καὶ πολλὰ μὲν τὰ ἄνθη, εἷς δὲ ὁ λειμὼν ὁ τὰ ἄνθη τρέφων· πολλοὶ τῆς διδασκαλίας οἱ λαμπτῆρες, εἷς δὲ ὁ φωστὴρ ὁ ἀληθινός· πολλοὶ οἱ ἀστέρες, εἷς δὲ ὁ οὐρανὸς ὁ φέρων τοὺς ἀστέρας· πολλοὶ οἱ κλάδοι, μία δὲ ἡ ῥίζα· πολλοὶ οἱ δάκτυλοι, μία δὲ ἡ χεὶρ, ἡ διὰ τῶν δακτύλων γράφουσα· πολλαὶ αἱ χορδαὶ, μία ἡ κιθάρα τοῦ Πνεύματος· πολλαὶ διδασκαλίαι, μία ἡ πηγὴ τῆς εὐσεβείας. Ἀλλὰ θαυμάζω πῶς ὁ τυφλὸς οὗτος, οὐ νόμον ἀναγνοὺς, οὐ προφήτας διελθὼν, οὐκ Εὐαγγελίοις ἐντυχὼν, οὐκ ἀποστόλοις βεβαιωθεὶς, ἐπεκαλεῖτο τὸν Σωτῆρα τῆς οἰκουμένης, λέγων, Ἰησοῦ, υἱὲ ∆αυῒδ, ἐλέησόν με. Πόθεν ἔμαθες ταῦτα καλεῖν, μὴ μαθὼν ὃ ἐπικαλῇ; Οὐκ ἀνέγνως βίβλους, τῶν ὄψεων ἀπεστερημένος· οὐκ ἐσχόλασας διδασκαλίαις, μίαν ἔχων ὑπόθεσιν τῆς ζωῆς, τὴν αἴτησιν, μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ προσαιτεῖν· πόθεν οὖν ἔγνως τὸν φωστῆρα τοῦ κόσμου, ὃν οὔτε 59.600 ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐθεάσω, οὔτε ἐπὶ γῆς, τῶν ὄψεων ἐστερημένος; Ἀλλ' ἀληθῶς ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἐπληροῦτο τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ εἰρημένον· Κύριος σοφοῖ τοὺς τυφλούς. Ὄχλος πολὺς ἦν περὶ τὸν Ἰησοῦν, καὶ ὁ τυφλὸς τὸν μὲν φωστῆρα τῆς ἀληθείας οὐκ ᾔδει, τῆς δὲ ἐνεργείας ᾔσθετο· ἥρπασε τῇ διαθέσει, ὃ μὴ παρέλαβεν ἡ ὄψις. Τί, φησὶ, βούλεται ὁ ὄχλος; λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος παρέρχεται. Ὢ τοῦ θαύματος! ἄλλα διδάσκεται, καὶ ἄλλα κηρύττει· ἀκούει Ἰησοῦν Ναζωραῖον, οὐ καλεῖ δὲ αὐτὸν Ἰησοῦν Ναζωραῖον, ἀλλ' Ἰησοῦν υἱὸν ∆αυΐδ. Οἱ βλέποντες τὰ ἐξ ὑπονοίας ἔλεγον, ὁ δὲ τυφλὸς τὰ ἐξ ἀληθείας ἐκήρυττεν. Ἰησοῦ, υἱὲ ∆αυῒδ, ἐλέησόν με. Τοίνυν ἕκαστος τὴν φωνὴν ἰδιοποιούμενος, ῥήξῃ ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας ἐξομολόγησιν, καὶ ἕκαστος ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ ταύτην εἴπῃ τὴν φωνὴν, Υἱὲ ∆αυῒδ, ἐλέησόν με. Καὶ ὥσπερ, ἀδελφοὶ, ἐπειδὰν εἰς πένθος πολλοὶ ἀπέλθωσι, καὶ ἴδωσι σκήνωμα προκείμενον, καὶ δακρυόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων, πάντες δακρύουσιν, οἱ μὲν συνδιατιθέμενοι τῷ πένθει, οἱ δὲ τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἐρευνῶντες πράγματα· καὶ κλαίει πολλάκις γυνὴ καὶ ὀδύρεται, ἀλλ' οὖν οὐ τὸν προκείμενον (ἀλλότριος γὰρ), ἀλλὰ τὸν ἑαυτῆς τὸν προαπελθόντα, καὶ γίνεται ἡ ἀλλοτρία ὑπόθεσις ἰδίων κακῶν ὑπόμνησις· οὕτως ὑμῶν ἕκαστος, ἀδελφοὶ, ὅταν τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων κηρυττόμενα μανθάνῃ, ἰδιοποιείτω τὴν λέξιν, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίων τραυμάτων λέγων, Υἱὲ ∆αυῒδ, ἐλέησόν με· καὶ λεγέτω καὶ νῦν ἕκαστος ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίων κακῶν διεγειρόμενος, ὁ μὲν, ὅτι τυφλός ἐστι τὴν διάνοιαν, ὁ δὲ, ὅτι κωφὴν ἔχει τὴν ψυχήν· ἄλλος, ὅτι χωλὸν ἔχει τὸν λογισμὸν, ἕτερος, ὅτι λεπρὰν ἔχει τὴν γνώμην. Τὰ γὰρ πάθη, ἃ ἐθεράπευσεν ἐπὶ τῶν σωμάτων ὁ Χριστὸς, ταῦτα καὶ 59.601 ἐπὶ τῶν ψυχῶν γίνεται καὶ δεῖται τῆς ἄνωθεν βοηθείας. Ἔστι τυφλὴ ψυχὴ, δεομένη ἀναβλέψεως, τυφλὴ ψυχὴ, ἡ νόμου θαυμάσια μὴ βλέπουσα, τυφλὴ ψυχὴ, ἡ