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De Anna i

54.631 SERMON 1. On the necessity of remembering the fast both during Pentecost and always, and that not only the presence, but also the memory of fasting is beneficial; and concerning the providence of God, and that among other things, not a small part of it is the

natural love of parents for their offspring; and that not only fathers, but also mothers are commanded to discipline their children, and towards the end

concerning Anna. 1. When we have hospitably received some stranger who has lodged with us for some days, and having shared with him conversation and salt, we send him on his way; on the day after his departure, when the table is set, we immediately remember both him and the conversations 54.632.40 of our time together, and we long for him with great affection; let us do this very thing in the case of the fast. For it lodged with us for forty days, we received it hospitably, and we sent it on its way; since, therefore, we are now about to set a spiritual table, let us remember it, and all the good things that came to us from it. For not only the presence of the fast, but also the memory of the fast could be of the greatest benefit. And just as those who are loved by us, not only when they are present, but also when they come to our mind, fill us with great pleasure; so too the days of the fast, and the gatherings, and the common pursuits, and the other good things we enjoyed from it, bring delight even from their memory, and if we gather all these things and remember them 54.633, we will gain great things also at the present time. I say these things not to compel fasting, but to persuade you not to live luxuriously, nor to be disposed like the majority of men, if indeed one should call men those who are so fainthearted, who, as if released from chains and freed from some harsh prison, say to one another: "At last we have traversed the harsh sea of the fast;" while others, of a weaker disposition than these, even fear the coming Lent. This happens from giving themselves over for all the rest of the time to luxury, and profligacy, and every kind of drunkenness with excess. For if we had practiced living the other days soberly and moderately, we would have longed for the fast when it was gone, and we would have received it with great pleasure when it was about to arrive. For what good thing is not ours from fasting? Everything is full of tranquility and pure calm. Are not homes also freed from noises and runnings about and all disturbance? And even before the homes, the mind of those who fast enjoys this quiet; and the whole city imitates the good order in the mind and in the homes. For one can hear neither people singing in the evening, nor people being noisy and drunk in the day, not shouting, not fighting, but one can see great quiet everywhere. But it is not so now, but immediately at dawn there are shouts, and noises, and the running of cooks, and there is much smoke in the houses, and much in the thoughts, with our passions kindling within, and the flame of unseemly desires being stirred up by luxury. For these reasons let us long for the fast even when it is gone; for it used to suppress all these things. Even if we have put aside its labor, let us not destroy our longing for it, nor extinguish its memory; but when, after having lunched and slept, you go into the marketplace, and you see the day already hastening towards evening, having entered this church, and having come to this bema, remember the time

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De Anna i

54.631 ΛΟΓΟΣ Αʹ. Εἰς τὸ δεῖν καὶ ἐν τῇ Πεντηκοστῇ καὶ ἀεὶ τῆς νηστείας μεμνῆσθαι, καὶ ὅτι οὐ παρουσία μό νον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μνήμη νηστείας ὠφελεῖ· καὶ περὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας, καὶ ὅτι μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων οὐ μικρὸν μέρος αὐτῆς ἡ

φυσικὴ τῶν γονέων περὶ τὰ ἔκγονα φιλία· καὶ ὅτι οὐ πα τράσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μητράσιν ἐπιτέτακται τὰ παιδία ῥυθμίζειν, καὶ πρὸς τῷ τέλει

περὶ τῆς Ἄννης. αʹ. Ἐπειδὰν ξένον τινὰ καταχθέντα πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἡμέρας τινὰς ὑποδεξάμενοι φιλοφρόνως, καὶ λόγων αὐτῷ καὶ ἁλῶν κοινωνήσαντες, ἀποπέμψωμεν· τῇ μετὰ τὴν ἀποδημίαν ἐκείνην ἡμέρᾳ, τραπέζης παρατεθείσης, εὐθέως ἀναμιμνησκόμεθα αὐτοῦ τε καὶ τῶν λόγων 54.632.40 τῆς συνουσίας, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς αὐτὸν ἐπιζητοῦμεν τῆς ἀγάπης· τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς νηστείας ποιήσωμεν. Καὶ γὰρ κατήχθη πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα, ὑπεδεξάμεθα αὐτὴν φιλοφρόνως, καὶ ἀπεπέμψαμεν· ἐπεὶ οὖν μέλλομεν παρατιθέναι τράπεζαν νῦν πνευματικὴν, ἀναμνησθῶμεν αὐτῆς, καὶ τῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς ἁπάντων ἐγγενομένων ἡμῖν ἀγαθῶν. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ παρουσία νηστείας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μνήμη νηστείας τὰ μέγιστα ὠφελῆσαι δύναιτ' ἄν. Καὶ καθάπερ οἱ φιλούμενοι παρ' ἡμῶν, οὐχὶ παρόντες μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς νοῦν ἡμῖν ἐρχομένοι, πολλῆς ἡμᾶς πληροῦσιν ἡδονῆς· οὕτω καὶ αἱ τῆς νηστείας ἡμέραι, καὶ οἱ σύλλογοι, καὶ αἱ διατριβαὶ αἱ κοιναὶ, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ἃ παρ' ἐκείνης ἐκαρπούμεθα καλὰ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς μνήμης εὐφραίνει, κἂν ταῦτα ἅπαντα συλλέξαντες ἀναμνησθῶ 54.633 μεν, μεγάλα καὶ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν κερδανοῦμεν. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγω οὐκ ἀναγκάζων νηστεύειν, ἀλλὰ πείθων μὴ τρυφᾷν, μηδὲ κατὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων διακεῖσθαι, εἴγε ἀνθρώπους τοὺς οὕτω μικροψύχως διακειμένους χρὴ καλεῖν, οἳ καθάπερ ἐκ δεσμῶν ἀφεθέντες, καὶ δεσμωτηρίου τινὸς ἀπαλλαγέντες χαλεποῦ, πρὸς ἀλλήλους λέγουσι· Μόλις ποτὲ τὸ χαλεπὸν τῆς νηστείας διηνύσαμεν πέλαγος· ἄλλοι δὲ τούτων ἀσθενέστερον διακείμενοι, καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς μελλούσης δεδοίκασι Τεσσαρακοστῆς. Τοῦτο δὲ γίνεται ἐκ τοῦ τὸν ἄλλον ἅπαντα καιρὸν τρυφῇ, καὶ ἀσωτίᾳ, καὶ μέθῃ πάσῃ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδιδόναι. Ὡς εἴγε μεμελετήκειμεν τὰς ἄλλας ἡμέρας σεμνῶς καὶ ἐπιεικῶς ζῇν, καὶ ἀπελθοῦσαν ἂν ἐποθήσαμεν τὴν νηστείαν, καὶ παραγίνεσθαι μέλλουσαν μετὰ πολλῆς ἂν ὑπεδεξάμεθα τῆς ἡδονῆς. Τί γὰρ οὐκ ἀγαθὸν ἡμῖν ἀπὸ νηστείας; Πάντα γαλήνης γέμει καὶ καθαρᾶς εὐδίας. Οὐχὶ καὶ οἰκίαι θορύβων καὶ δρόμων καὶ πάσης εἰσὶν ἠλευθερωμέναι ταραχῆς; Καὶ πρὸ τῶν οἰκιῶν δὲ ἡ τῶν νηστευόντων διάνοια ταύτης ἀπολαύει τῆς ἡσυχίας· πόλις δὲ ἅπασα τὴν ἐν τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ τὴν ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις εὐταξίαν μιμεῖται. Οὔτε γὰρ ἐν ἑσπέρᾳ ᾀδόντων ἔστιν ἀκοῦσαι, οὔτε ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θορυβούντων καὶ μεθυόντων, οὐ κραζόντων, οὐ μαχομένων, ἀλλὰ πολλὴν πανταχοῦ τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἔστιν ὁρᾷν. Ἀλλ' οὐχὶ νῦν οὕτως, ἀλλ' εὐθέως ὑπὸ τὴν ἕω κραυγαὶ, καὶ θόρυβοι, καὶ μαγείρων δρόμοι, καὶ πολὺς μὲν ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις, πολὺς δὲ ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς ὁ καπνὸς, τῶν παθῶν ἡμῖν ἔνδον ὑποκαιομένων, καὶ τῆς φλογὸς διεγειρομένης τῆς ἐν ταῖς ἀτόποις ἐπιθυμίαις ὑπὸ τῆς τρυφῆς. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα ζητῶμεν καὶ ἀπελθοῦσαν τὴν νηστείαν· ἐκείνη γὰρ ταῦτα πάντα κατέστελλε. Κἂν τὸν πόνον αὐτῆς ἀπεθέμεθα, ἀλλὰ τὸν πόθον αὐτῆς μὴ καταλύσωμεν, μηδὲ τὴν μνήμην σβέσωμεν· ἀλλ' ὅταν ἀριστήσας καὶ καθευδήσας εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐμβάλῃς, καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἤδη ἐπειγομένην ἴδῃς, εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ταύτην, καὶ παρὰ τὸ βῆμα τοῦτο ἐλθὼν, ἀναμιμνήσκου τοῦ καιροῦ