sold anything, nor did he entrust it to a wife; but having left all things, he followed him. And therefore, the rich man who was in Abraham’s bosom was seen by the rich man, and just as he himself had rendered his own suffering more severe, by sitting in the rich man's vestibule and seeing foreign goods, so now he makes his punishment in Gehenna more severe by seeing the luxury of Lazarus: so that he might have a punishment more unbearable not only by the nature of the torments, but also by the comparison of the other’s honor. And just as God, casting Adam out of paradise, placed him opposite paradise, so that the continuous sight, renewing the passion, might more accurately provide him with the perception of the loss of good things; so did He place this man opposite Lazarus, so that he might know of what good things he had deprived himself. And for what reason did the rich man make his supplication not to Lazarus, but to Abraham? He was ashamed and blushed, and from the things concerning himself, he thought that he would hold a grudge in every way. For if I, he says, enjoying such abundance, and having suffered no injury, overlooked the man who was in such evils, and did not even share the crumbs, much more will he, having been so overlooked, not assent to the favor. And he called upon Abraham, whom he thought was ignorant of what had happened, not knowing that the patriarch did not speak out of his own mind the things which he said, but was reading divine laws to him; and he sought that finger which he had allowed to be betrayed many times to the tongues of dogs. But see the affection of the just man: he did not say, "You inhuman and altogether wicked one, having brought such great evils upon the man, do you remember philanthropy now, and mercy, and forgiveness? Are you not ashamed, nor do you blush?" He said none of these things, but what? "Child, you received your good things," for he says: C do not further trouble a humbled soul; the things of the punishment are sufficient for him; let us not add to his misfortunes. What I am master of, he says, I share with you; but to cross over from here to there is not a matter for us. Let us hear what the rich man says to Abraham: "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame" (Luke 16: 24). Why, therefore, does he not make his petition to Lazarus, but to the patriarch? And reasonably so; for he did not even dare to look at the beggar. For he considered his own inhumanity, and, weighing the cruelty which he had shown toward him, he suspected that he perhaps would not deign even an answer. Wherefore he makes his plea not to him, but begs of the patriarch. But yet, not even thus did he gain anything more. You see how much he who lay by the gate enjoys of honor and precedence—he who was held in contempt, the beggar, he who was continually struggling with hunger, he who was besieged by sores, he who was laid out for the dogs. For I gladly turn these things over and over, so that none of those in poverty, or in sickness and hunger, should despise himself by lamenting; but bearing all things with patience and thanksgiving, he may already be nourished by good hopes, awaiting those ineffable rewards and the recompense for his labors: of which may it happen that we all attain, by the grace and philanthropy of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom belongs glory, power, honor and worship, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
HOMILY VI. Concerning instruction and admonition.
D We were lately reproving those who abandon prayer, and who at that time spend the time outside the church; now, however, I wish to reproach those who are inside, not because they remain inside, but because, remaining inside, they are in no way better disposed than those spending the time outside, conversing with one another during that most awesome time, and overlooking the divine oracles. What are you doing, O man? Do you see so many captives among your brothers standing near? For the operation of the demons is indeed a wicked and grievous chain, and more grievous than any iron, and you are conversing about matters that are of no concern? Is the sight alone not sufficient to strike you with awe and bring you to sympathy? Your brother is in chains, and you are in sloth? What excuse will you have, tell me, being so unsympathetic, so inhuman, so cruel? Do you not wish to suffer with your brother? Even if only for your own sake, fear and stand up. Do you not fear that, while you are conversing, idling, and neglecting, some demon might spring out from there, and finding your soul vacant and swept, might enter with great ease, finding the house without a door? For is it not necessary for all to release fountains of tears in common at that hour, and for the eyes of all to be seen drenching, and for wailing and lamentations to arise concerning the whole Church? After the communion of the mysteries, after the enjoyment of the bath, after having pledged oneself to Christ, that wolf was able to snatch the lambs from the flock and hold them with himself, and you, seeing the misfortune, do you not weep? and are these things worthy of apology? If you saw your neighbor’s house being set on fire, tell me, even if the neighbor were the most hostile of all, would you not have run to extinguish the fire, fearing lest the fire, walking on its way, might also touch your own thresholds? Do this also with your brothers who are being harmed by the evil demons. For the operation of the demons is indeed a fire and a grievous conflagration. Observe, moreover, your own soul, lest the demon, walking on its way, might take it beforehand; and when you see him present, flee with great zeal to the Master, so that the demon, seeing your soul fervent and awakened, might henceforth judge your mind to be inaccessible to him. For if he sees you yawning and idling, as if into a deserted lodging, he will quickly enter; but if he sees you intent and awakened, and hanging from the very heavens, he will not even dare to look at you henceforth. So that if you despise your brothers, yet spare yourself, and block off the entrance against your soul for the evil demon. For nothing is so accustomed to wall off his approach to us as prayer and earnest supplication.
Homily VI
A If you wish to learn how great a good it is to be able, along with one's own salvation, to gain another's also, listen to the prophet speaking in the person of God: *He who separates*, he says, *what is precious from what is vile, shall be as my mouth* (Jer. 15, 19). And this is what he means: he who leads his neighbor from error to truth, or from vice to virtue, as far as human power allows, imitates me. B For if He himself, being God and partaker of that ineffable essence, embraced the cross and endured all other human things for our sake and for our salvation, what are we not bound to furnish to those who have the same nature as we and are our own members, that we might be able to snatch them from the jaws of the devil and lead them to the path of virtue? For if, in the case of food for the body, the matter is such that men, in keeping something for their kinsmen and friends, exhibit the greatest proof of charity, how much more will it bring us extra praise if we do this in spiritual things? C For if one busies himself to teach his neighbor, he does not merely benefit him, but procures for himself a more ample reward; he receives a double gain, because he obtains a greater remuneration from God, and moreover, in attempting to instruct his brother, he comes into remembrance of his own duties and renews his memory of what has been said. For if anyone, having placed a statue of an inanimate son, friend, or relative, thinks that the person is present, and through that dead image imagines the one who has long since departed, D much more do we enjoy the presence of the saints through the divine Scriptures, having represented not their bodies, indeed, but their spirits; for their words are a kind of image of their souls. Therefore, just as physicians do not compel the infirm, who are fastened to their beds, to be brought to their homes, but they themselves run to them so as to treat their diseases, so you too must labor according to your ability, and apply all diligence and care so that you may be able to liberate brothers who are sick in soul, mindful that this present life is very short. And if we do not seek these gains, no salvation remains for us to hope for in the other life. Often a single soul gained is able to wash away an immense pile of sins and in that day serve as a ransom for us. For if that Tabitha, who clothed the widows and relieved their poverty, returned again from death to life (Acts 9, 40), and the tears of those to whom she had shown mercy brought the soul of the deceased back to her body, when the resurrection of the dead had not yet appeared, what could not the tears of men saved by you accomplish? For just as those who stood by her recalled her from death to life, so too those who are saved here will stand by you and bring it about that you experience great humanity and will snatch you from the flames of hell. For if for expenditures and gifts of money there are so many crowns, so great a reward, such a recompense, how much more will very many good things be rendered to us for help brought to souls? No one can rightly look for his own advantage without the salvation of his neighbor. A For Paul says: *Let no one seek his own, but let each one seek the things of others* (1 Cor. 10, 24), knowing well that individual profit is contained in the utility of one's neighbor. For just as those who inflict injury on others and seize others' property, when they have departed thither and see those who have suffered such things—for they shall certainly see them, as is manifest from the story of the rich man and Lazarus—they will neither be able to open their mouths nor utter a word nor defend themselves, but full of immense shame and desperation, they will go from their sight to their punishments; so those who instruct and admonish others, when they see those who have been saved by their works standing as patrons for them in the other world, will be filled with great confidence. Nor let anyone say to me: "What business have I with him? He is a stranger and unknown." B As long as he is a believer and a partaker of the same mysteries as you, and assembles with you at the same church, he is more related to you than all brothers and kinsmen. For just as not only those who steal, but also those who, when they have the power, do not hinder it, pay the same penalties, so also not only the impious, but also those who are able to lead them back from impiety and yet refuse to do so, will pay the selfsame punishment. Let each of you therefore recover one brother; work diligently, be anxious and concerned, so that we may come to the congregation of the morrow with great confidence, offering gifts to God—gifts, I say, more precious than all else: the souls, namely, of those who have been led back from error. C Even if it is necessary to endure injury, even if it is necessary to receive wounds, even if it is necessary to suffer anything else, let us do everything so that we may at last be able to recover them. For even those who are afflicted by bodily illness often are accustomed to lash out and speak insults; nevertheless, we endure these things, nor are we moved by such abuse, having only one thing in our desires: that we may see the health of the man so indecorously behaving himself. How then would it not be absurd that those who look to the safety of the body should apply such study and diligence, yet be sluggish when so many souls are miserably perishing, and think that no heavier thing happens to us while our members are rotting away? D What are you doing, O man? Tell me, do you see your brother being carried to a precipice, having thrown away concern for his own salvation, not understanding what must be done, and yet you do not stretch out a hand, you do not rebuke, you do not argue, but you prefer not to offend him or appear troublesome rather than to provide for his salvation? And what excuse or apology will you have before God? Have you not heard what God once commanded the Jews? Namely, that they should not neglect the straying beasts of their enemies, nor pass them by if they had fallen. Is it therefore commanded to the Jews not to neglect the beasts of their enemies; and are we to despise our brothers' souls being tripped up daily? And how would it not be of extreme cruelty and savagery not to spend even such care on men as they did on beasts? This one thing overturns everything; this has disturbed our life: that we neither endure it with fortitude when we are corrected, nor do we wish to correct others ourselves. For this reason we are troublesome to others when we reprove, because when we are reproved by them, we are exasperated. For if your brother had seen that he was being praised by you when you were reproving him, he also would have rendered the same reward in return. Do you wish to correct your brother? Weep before God; having taken him aside, offer exhortation, show love toward the one who has sinned, persuade him that being concerned and caring, and not wishing to cast him aside, you are speaking about his sin.
C You must hold his feet, you must kiss his hands; do not be ashamed, if you truly wish to heal him. For physicians often do this: they kiss those who are sick and difficult, and by their entreaties they persuade them to accept life-giving medicine. And if it should be necessary to die for the sake of bringing a brother to his senses, do not hesitate; this is a martyrdom for you. Since John was a martyr, and yet he was not ordered to sacrifice, nor to worship an idol, but he laid down his head for the sake of the holy laws being outraged. Therefore, you too must contend even unto death for the sake of the truth, and the Lord will fight for you. A single human being D fired with zeal is sufficient to correct an entire populace. And let no one say to me, "I have nothing in common with my brother." We have nothing in common only with the devil, but with human beings we have many things in common: they partake of the same nature as us, they dwell upon the same earth, and they are nourished by the same food, they have the same Master, they have received the same laws. Let us not, therefore, say these things, but let us show the care appropriate for brothers. For how is it not absurd, if we see a fight in the marketplace, to step in and reconcile the combatants—and why do I say a fight? if we see an ass that has tripped, we all reach out a hand and hasten to lift it up; but to be negligent when our brothers are perishing, how is that not dreadful? Therefore, do not cease from admonishing a brother who you see is perishing, even if he reviles you, even if he insults you, even if he threatens to become your enemy, even if he threatens anything else whatsoever; endure everything with a noble spirit, so that you may win his salvation. If this man becomes your enemy, God will be your friend, and He will reward you with great goods on that day. For it is indeed a great good to show mercy to the destitute; but there is nothing such as that which is to lead someone away from error; for nothing is equal in value to a soul, not even the whole world. So that even if you give countless riches to the poor, you will not perform anything as great as the one who turns back a single soul. For the one who does this becomes like Paul and Peter, not by being in danger like them, and enduring famines and plagues and the other evils—for the present time is a time of peace—but by showing what comes from one's own readiness. And why do I say Peter and Paul? He shall be the mouth of Christ. For, "The one who brings forth the precious from the worthless," He says, "shall be as My mouth." It is possible, therefore, even for those sitting at home to perform this duty; if anyone has a friend or relative or acquaintance, let him do these things, and he shall be like Peter and Paul. And if you do not persuade him today, you will persuade him tomorrow; and if you never persuade him, you will have your reward in full; and even if you cannot persuade all, you will be able to save a few from the many. For the apostles, too, even if they did not persuade everyone, since they spoke to all, they reaped the reward for all. Therefore, because you cannot teach many, do not despise a few, nor, through the desire for the many, draw yourself away from the few. And if you cannot save a hundred, attend to the ten; and if you cannot save ten, do not despise the five; and if you cannot save five, do not overlook the one. For God is accustomed to determine crowns not by the outcome of the accomplishments, but by the intention of those who accomplish them. For we who teach are not held responsible for the listeners not being persuaded, but only for not offering counsel; for the admonishing is ours alone, but the being persuaded is theirs. And just as if we do not offer counsel, even if they perform countless good deeds, all the reward will belong to them alone, and there will be no gain for us; so if, when we give counsel, they do not heed it, all the punishment will overtake them, and for us there will be no charge, but rather the reward will be great, meted out by God; for we have fulfilled all that was ours. For the one who speaks to those who heed has the consolation of the persuasion of the listeners; but the one who speaks continuously, and is not heard, yet does not cease from speaking, would be worthy of greater honor, because, following what is pleasing to God, he fulfills his part entirely, even if no one heeds him. But if the reward is greater for us from your disobedience, nevertheless we desire this to be lessened rather than that, and your salvation to be increased, deeming your approval to be a great reward. If, therefore, you see someone in need of spiritual or bodily healing, do not say to yourself, "For what reason did such-and-such a person not heal him?" or "Because I am a man of the world, I have a wife and children; these things belong to the priests, these things belong to the monks." Tell me, if you find gold lying on the ground, do you not say to yourself, "For what reason did such-and-such a person not pick it up?" By no means; rather you hasten to snatch it before others. Consider it thus regarding brothers who have fallen, and think you have found a treasure in their care. "For the one who brings forth the precious from the worthless," He says, "shall be as My mouth." And what could be equal to this? For that which neither fasting, nor sleeping on the ground, nor anything else is able to accomplish, the salvation of a brother does. For I do not promise these things; God Himself said this: "Because if you lead out even one," He says, "your mouth shall be as My mouth." Therefore, let us not pass through saying, "Who has sinned?" but let us hasten so that we may correct them; and let us not look only at this, whether there are many who are carried along, but let us be zealous for this, how we may lead them away. For to secure brothers from falling before the sin, bestows upon us no small salvation; and to show great care for them even after the sin, this also provides no small praise. For physicians speak to and preserve the health of those who are healthy, regarding what is able to maintain their health and ward off every disease—but when they have been negligent of the instructions and fallen into infirmity, they do not overlook them, but then especially they show great foresight, so that they may deliver them from the diseases. And you, therefore, when it is necessary to correct a brother, even if it is necessary to give your life, do not refuse. Our Master died for us; and you, do you not even let a word escape your lips? And what [(etc.)]
A indulgence, what defense will you have? How, I pray, will you stand with boldness before the judgment seat of Christ, you who consider the destruction of so many souls to be nothing? Would that I were allowed to know them! I would not have waited for your service, but would have corrected them as quickly as possible. Tell me, I pray: if you saw someone condemned by a just sentence being led to punishment, and were able to snatch him from the hands of the executioner, would you not do anything at all to set him free from the penalty? Seeing a brother, then, being dragged, not by an executioner, but by the devil to the pit of destruction, do you not even deign to offer counsel to snatch him from that inhuman beast? And what indulgence will you ever obtain? But he is stronger and more powerful than you! Set him plainly before my eyes; I would rather behead myself than allow him to enter the sacred vestibules. For how is it not absurd, while we introduce children with hardship and trouble to business that has indeed laborious beginnings but a useful and good end, that we should be affected in the opposite way regarding spiritual matters? Indeed, if some stranger were to come to us from elsewhere and clearly understand the matters of the Christian religion and the discipline of our life, and then the confusion of our polity, I do not know whom he would judge to be more enemies of Christ than us ourselves. For we establish the rule of our life in such a way, just as if we had decided on purpose to walk a path contrary to His commands. For since what we are commanded to do is light and easy to those who want it, B but what He forbids is harsh and difficult, and we do what is forbidden and neglect what is commanded: will they not say that we are fighting against Him in doing these things? But just as it is customary for the good to advise their neighbors through those means by which they themselves have become good; so the wicked are accustomed to be the authors for their neighbors of those things through which they themselves have become perverse. For their type of wickedness is one and the same; and they consider the perdition of others to be a consolation for their own punishment.
Who among you, I pray, when he has been at home, has taken a Christian book into his hands and looked through what it contains, and searched the Scripture? No one will easily be found who can say this. We shall find pebbles and dice among our neighbors, but books nowhere, or only among a few; and these are no better than those who have none, because they keep them bound and stored in boxes forever, and all their zeal is so that the parchment might be fine, and the letters elegantly formed; but none that they might read. For they have not purchased books for themselves for the sake of utility and use, but have put such zeal into them only to display their wealth and ambition; such is this C empty boast. For I never hear anyone being ambitious because he understands what is contained in the books, but because they are written in gold letters. That eunuch, being a barbarian and caught up in countless cares, was reading while sitting in his chariot, even though he did not understand what he was reading. But if he showed such zeal for reading even while traveling, consider how much he would have spent while he was at home. If he did not let the time he was traveling go by without reading, how much more so while he sat at home? If, when he understood nothing, he never ceased from reading, how much more so after he was imbued with the doctrine? For just as feeling hunger is a sign of good bodily health, so to hear the divine words with zeal is rightly considered the greatest proof of the health of the soul. For why do we so frequently propose questions to you, but do not bring the solution? That we may accustom you not always to take food that is pre-chewed, but that you may also bring an answer to the proposed subject. And in this matter we imitate the doves, which, as long as D their chicks remain in the nest, feed them with their own mouths; but when they are already able to lead them out of the nest and see that their wings are strengthened, they do not do this any longer, but carrying the grain in their mouth, they show it to them. As they wait eagerly and approach, the mothers drop the food onto the ground and advise them to gather it up for themselves. Therefore, we do the same, namely, holding spiritual nourishment in our mouth and calling you, that we might reveal the solution to you according to custom; but when you have already approached and hope to receive, we omit the words, so that you might perceive the sense by yourselves. And just as music teachers take the fingers of their students and gradually adapt them to form sounds, and instruct them to touch skillfully, that they might teach them to create a sound sweeter and more pleasant than any voice from both the mute fingers and the strings: so we also do. For just as on the lyre the strings are plucked by both the skilled artist and the unskilled; and the latter affects the hearer with annoyance, while the former soothes and delights; and the fingers and strings are the same, but the skill is not the same: so it is also in the divine Scriptures. For many indeed approach the divine utterances or oracles, but not all of them derive gain from that, nor do all receive the fruit. The cause is that they neither penetrate with their understanding what has been said, nor do they take up the lyre instructed by art. For what is skill in plucking the lyre, that is the demonstration of works in the divine laws. And just as it is not necessary to set a short and suddenly prepared table before those suffering from poor health, but it is necessary to prepare foods with zeal, so that if the sick patient does not want this, he may take another, and if he does not admit that, he may accept another, and if he rejects this, he may accept another; and in this way, by the diversity of foods, we might overcome the annoyance, and by the variously prepared table soothe the irritability of the spirit; in the same way, one must act in the spiritual banquet when we are weak, so that from many and various examples a selection of useful things might become easy for you. Therefore, do not bear my exhortation heavily, for if it is necessary to bear something indignantly
A regarding the things said, it is rather necessary to accept and praise it. But if some are more weakly disposed and do not endure this defense of ours, I would say this to them: that I am not explaining my own laws to you, but I am reading the letters that have come down from heaven; and it is necessary for him who has been entrusted with this ministry either to say everything that is laid upon him with boldness, seeking in all things the profitable rather than the pleasant for his hearers, or, fearing the resentment of those who hear, to betray both his own and their salvation through this untimely indulgence. For that it is extremely dangerous both for him who speaks and for those who hear to conceal any of the divine laws, and that teachers are judged liable for murders when they do not explain all the judgments of God without reserve, I shall again provide Paul to you as a witness. For this reason I frequently take refuge in that holy soul for everything, because the words of Paul are certain divine oracles; for it is not Paul who speaks, but Christ moving his soul; for through him he speaks everything that he said. What then does he say? "I am pure from the blood B of all. For why? For I did not shrink from announcing to you the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20. 26-27). As if, had he shrunk from announcing it, he would not be pure from the blood, but would be judged as a murderer; and with good reason. For the murderer destroys the body alone and delivers it to the present death; but he who harangues for favor and makes his listeners more slothful destroys the soul, and sends it forth to immortal punishments and torments. Who then is so savage, and inhuman, and unsympathetic, as to blame him who is always speaking and discussing the wrath of God, and who is about to undergo such great punishment if he should be silent? For if I, by being silent, could conceal the sins, each one would rightly have felt resentful and indignant if I were not silent; but if, even while we are silent now, it is inevitable that the transgressions will appear there, what profit C could come from silence? He who looks to the benefit of the hearers, even if he praises him, is not only not worthy of being blamed, but is even worthy to be crowned; but if he is silent, then he is to be blamed. For even David, if he had been silent at the time of Goliath, would not have been allowed to go out to the battle-line, nor to set up that brilliant trophy. For this reason also I have already discussed this with you many times, and now I forewarn you, not by exhorting, but by commanding and enjoining: whoever wishes, let him hear; and whoever does not wish, let him be disobedient. For if you persist in the evils being done by you, I will not endure it, nor will I receive you, nor will I allow you to set foot on these thresholds. For what need have I of a multitude that is ill? There were twelve disciples, and hear what Christ says to them: "Do you also wish to go away?" (John 6. 68). For if we flatter throughout, when shall we recover D [them], when shall we benefit [them]? But, he says, "there are many sects, and they transfer to other [teachings]." Cold is this argument. "Better is one who does the will of the Lord than ten thousand lawless" (Eccles. 16. 3). And you, tell me, would you rather have ten thousand runaway slaves and thieving servants, or one well-disposed one? Let him who wishes leap away; I do not tolerate anyone. With this, give your consent. Until when? Until when? Once, and twice, and three times; not throughout! Behold, I testify again and protest according to the blessed Paul, that "if I come again, I will not spare" (2 Cor. 13. 2). For when I am about to be judged before the judgment seat of Christ, you too will stand far off, and the indulgence from you, while I have to render account.