[LATIN COLUMN] 707 ...ours: we have been bought with a price (1 Cor. 6.20). Who sold us, who bought us? The devil sold us through sin; Christ bought us through justice. How did He buy us? With gold or silver? By no means; but with His own blood, which is above gold and much precious stone; for He bought all our sins: which are certainly many, and in various and diverse ways stand against our salvation. Which sins? Of the Law: but the law is not sin, far from it; but because without the law I would not have known sin. Because, therefore, the law made me, as a transgressor, liable to the curse, for this reason Christ Jesus, coming, redeemed me from the curse of the law, having become for 708 us a curse (Gal. 3.13). Let us not, therefore, prefer the devil’s popular providence to the economy of Christ: let us not, for the sake of sin, pass over the beauty of repentance. If you fear threats, take refuge in the commandment: if you wish to escape future condemnation, *Turn away from evil, and do good* (Ps. 33.15); that is, lay aside sin and perform repentance; so that He, who does not wish for the death of the sinner, but that he should be converted and live, embracing the desire of your soul, may grant you the remission of sins. And let us, for the things said above, return praise and glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
ADMONITION ON THE FOLLOWING ORATION
That this cannot be Chrysostom’s, any person of refined taste will pronounce immediately, even at a first glance, but [that it is the work] of some little Greek who dared to ascribe his own little work to so great a doctor; of which kind were many Greeks, who brought upon us such a farrago of adulterated writings. We have corrected this from the Roman Codex, which presents it in a shorter form.DE ELEEMOSYNA
Fields are adorned with various and diverse flowers, some of which are suited for the delight of the eyes, others for the scent of the nostrils, and others for the exercising of the care of men, and each one is fit for men: so also the Church has the reading of the divine Scriptures, evangelical, apostolic, and prophetic, and the other divine books: but each one is referred to Christ. But in common fields the rising sun dries up the flowers, and their beautiful appearance is taken away: but in this field the Sun of justice rises, who makes one temperate, justifies another, and has mercy on another. For He has risen for us today through the Gospel, saying: *Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me* (Matt. 25.40). Again the mention of the poor, again the reproach of the rich. I do not reproach status, far from it, but an intemperate mind; I do not vituperate riches, but those who use them badly: for riches are good to those who administer them rightly: poverty also is good to those who tolerate it patiently. For Abraham also was rich, and he was not haughty against anyone; and Lazarus was poor, and he never bore it impatiently, even though he was placed in such necessity. But why have I brought here two witnesses? Come, let the blessed Job approach, who had experience of both; who, when he was rich, said, *My door was opened to every man*; who, when he was poor, said, *The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; as it pleased the Lord, so is it done* (Job 1.21). And how much the devil labored, and yet he did not break the just man! He emptied his quiver of arrows, and did not wound the soldier; he brought up engines, and did not shake the tower; he shook the tree, and did not pluck off the fruit; he broke the branches, and did not tear up the root; he bored through the wall, and did not plunder the treasure. I mean a treasure, not of gold and silver, but of his unshaken faith; for this was his treasure that the devil wanted to plunder. Have you seen the fruit multiplied? Have you seen faith firm as a rock? Have you seen the tower unshaken? Have you seen the soldier standing in battle line? The devil cast out? Have you seen God rewarding prizes? Have you seen the devil suffused with shame? By what name I should call that just man, I do not know. Shall I call him an athlete? But he endured many contests. Shall I call him a soldier? But he is firmer and stronger in heart than a soldier. Shall I call him a tower? But he is more sublime in sense. A rock? But the rock is firmer. A tree? But he is more beautiful. A treasure? But he is more opulent. By what name I should call that just man I do not know. Let the rich hear, let the poor hear, how this rich man dispensed his wealth in prosperous circumstances, and how much temptation he sustained in poverty; and the hope, which he had in God, was not cast down. Do you see how good wealth is to those who dispense it rightly, and how good poverty is to those who tolerate it rightly? Do not tell me, I fear poverty. You fear poverty, and you do not fear God? You fear need, and you do not fear sin? Do not fear poverty, but transgression, the mother of punishment. If you have a king as a friend, he will make you rich: and if you love Christ and the poor, He will make you rich. He makes rich and poor, He humbles and exalts: He raises the needy from the earth, and lifts the poor from the dunghill. The Lord asks for a commandment, and do you not give? For when you hear Him saying, *Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of these least of mine, ye have done it unto me*, you see that, if you give to the poor, you give to God. If you do not give to him, how will you ask of Him in that day, that He might have mercy on you? Will He not accuse you thus: You saw me hungry, and did not feed me; thirsty, and did not give me drink; naked, and did not clothe me? What, therefore, will you answer Him? What pardon will you obtain? You are clothed in garments of silk, of hare-skin, and of goat-hair; and the poor man has no rag: you eat pheasants, chickens, and geese and similar things; and the poor man cannot fill his belly with bread and herbs: you have gilded walls, varied Laconian marbles, columns and golden capitals of columns; and the poor man has no hut. Sometimes, indeed, you own a house from robbery, and afterwards you die, and depart having nothing, and your house remains a perpetual accuser, which reproves your deeds. For everyone passing by is going to say: This house is that of the robber, the avaricious man: how many widows he oppressed! How many orphans he hurt! How many goods he robbed! How many poor he despoiled! Do not tell me, I am a prefect; I do not know status, nor do I accuse it; but only the wicked, who use goods badly. It is good to be rich; that which God made, all things are very good. You see a poor man, and are haughty, and you do not think that both you and the poor man are human; human, a creature whom God cares for greatly; human, for whom the sky was stretched out; human, for whom the sun completes its courses; human, for whom the moon knows no setting; human, for whom the stars give their splendor, for whom the sea was poured out, the earth was founded upon the waters; for whom the mountains, the forests, the hills; for whom the groves, the woods, the valleys, the plains; for whom the fountains, the rivers, the lakes; for whom the earth brought forth the herb of hay, and the waters send forth living souls; for whom the beasts,reptiles, and birds; for whom the times, years, months, days, hours, and nights; for whom the angels and archangels, principalities and powers, thrones, lordships, the Cherubim and Seraphim. Why say more? For whom the Master shed His own blood. Is man redeemed by precious blood, and do you overlook him? Is he not a man, just as you are, because he is poor? Is it for this that you are arrogant toward him? Has not God chosen the poor? Or did He choose the rich? Peter, the leader of the apostles, the foundation of the Church, who was truly Peter both by name and by deed, was he not poor? Was he not pitiful and downcast? Was he not lowly and despised? Was he not a fisherman? Likewise, were not James and John poor and fishermen? And as Jesus was passing by,1 A He saw them and their father Zebedee mending torn nets. Such was the extremity of their poverty that they were so poor they could not even buy nets for their fishing catch, but were mending the old ones, and by their craft they sustained their craft—the mending with the fishing. Similarly, was not Matthew a tax collector? And as Jesus was passing by, He saw him sitting at the custom house and said to him: Arise, and follow me. And he arose and followed Him (Matt. 9.9). He did not think that he was being summoned by a regal word, but he realized that the King of kings was calling; and he who once seized others' possessions had now made himself a stranger to his own; he who was once a wolf was now a sheep. Peter threw down his nets and received the keys of the heavens. Matthew left his tax booth and received the Gospel. Likewise, was not Paul a craftsman? Did he not hold a cutting tool and cut leather? Did he not receive letters from the synagogue leaders, so that he might go and make the saints captive? And Jesus appeared to him on the road, and a light shone around him, and He said: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? But he turned and said: Who are You, Lord? And He said: I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting (Acts 9.4, 5). And falling on his face, he was struck blind. Why did He add, "of Nazareth"? So that he would not think that Jesus was one person, B and the One calling him from heaven was another. For this is what the Jews said, that Jesus was not taken up, but that His disciples had stolen Him. For this reason He said, Jesus of Nazareth, so that he might know that it is the very same One who was then and is now. So Paul entered Damascus being led by the hand, and he went to Ananias, and he laid his hands on the eyes of Paul and healed him. Great is the story, but I wish to recount it to you briefly. Having regained his sight, he immediately began to teach in the name of Jesus. But the Jews, hearing that Paul was teaching in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, sought to seize him. But the disciples of Paul, seeing this, put him into a basket and let him down through the wall, and thus he escaped and ascended to Jerusalem. O the blessedness of that basket, which sent such a provision to the inhabited world! Likewise, did not the blessed John inhabit the desert, and after this, did he not become a citizen of heaven? Did he not eat locusts and wild honey? Were not all the prophets and apostles poor, and was it not through these poor men that He prepared the salvation of men? How many kings, how many tyrants, or how many consuls, how many rulers, how many governors from the beginning of time have died, and all have been given over to oblivion? And these pitiful, downcast, lowly, and despised men were not given over to oblivion. But this king, who wears the purple, and has the diadem, glory, golden helmets, and bodyguarded soldiers, goes to the tomb of the fisherman, the poor man, the pitiful man, the despised man, and embraces him, and weeps, and prays to him who glorified him. Who persuades the king to do these things? Who? I tell you. Focus yourselves with me, I beg, pay attention to the things said. C He who said to them, Going, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; and I will be with you all the days of your life, even unto the consummation of the age (Matt. 28.19, 20)—he it is who has granted them such power. Do you see how much the poor avail? Not only this, but even those possessed by demons go to their tombs, and [the demons] are questioned. Do you see that the dead are more powerful than the living? No longer cast aside the poor. A poor man enters your courtyard seeking alms, and he spends two hours receiving nothing, and sometimes you order your slave to cast him out. Do you not know that if you cast the poor man out, you have driven away Christ? For He Himself said, that As long as you did it to one of these least, you did it to me (Matt. 25.40). Do you see that if you insult the poor man, you dishonor Christ? For whatever you do to the poor man, it recoils upon Christ, just as He Himself said. I say these things, and I will not cease saying them. To me the speaking is not burdensome, but to you it is safe. I will not cease teaching you until you become better; for it is written: Blessed is he who speaks into the ears of those who listen. Disobedience works death (cf. Rom. 5.19). Do you see a poor man and have no mercy? How do you go to the church and pray? How do you open your mouth, D and call upon God? Do you not blush? Do you not tremble? Do you not shudder? Do you enter the church of God to pray? Give alms, so that your alms and your prayer may be inscribed. Sometimes certain people present a petition to the earthly king, and they spend two hundred gold pieces, and often nothing comes of it for them, but they hold onto it like a scrap of paper. And you—do you not wish to sign your petition with two obols? Here the earthly king writes, and often the subscription is contrary; but if the King of kings signs, it is ratified and confirmed. Have you seen a petition signed for two obols? For this reason there are two washbasins before the gates of the church: one of water, in which you wash your hands, and one, the hand of the poor man, in which you cleanse your soul. Enter the church and wash your hands; bestow an obol into the hand of the poor man, and cleanse your soul. But if you enter and wash and pray, yet bestow nothing upon the poor man, what is the profit? You have wealth and you hide it in the earth, where thieves come by night and dig through and steal your treasure, and arising in the morning you see it plundered. Do you wish it not to be plundered? What I say to you, do this, and it will never be plundered for eternity. Do you have a treasure? Bury it in the womb of the poor, and be strengthened; for it can never be plundered. But if you bury it in the earth, you will lose it; and even if you do not lose it, but it is guarded, after your death others will be enriched by your things. What is it to you, the profit, that you labor and toil, and others enter into your possessions, from which you will receive no reward, and they revel in them? Have you not heard the prophet saying, The rich man stores up, and does not know for whom he will gather them (Ps. 38.7)? And again elsewhere the same man says, Ageless and foolish will perish, and they will leave their wealth to strangers (Ps. 48.11); and: Be not afraid when a man is enriched, or when the glory of his house is multiplied. For at his death he will not take everything, nor will his glory go down with him (Ps. 48.17, 18). And in the Gospels, the Lord says to the foolish rich man: Fool, this night they require your soul from you; what you have prepared, whose will it be (Luke 12.20)? Do you see how much those suffer who store up for themselves on earth? But store up in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and it remains unplundered. O wretched and miserable man, you trust in the earth, and you do not trust in God, who says, "What you did to one of these least, you did to Me"? Do you not know that there are some of these tillers who are poor, pitiful, providing their daily bread from their own labors, and in the time of sowing they have nothing from which to sow? And he takes the tunic of himself or of his wife, and often the very vessel in which he works the land, and sets it as a pledge, and borrows a bushel or two or three, or as many as his field can accommodate, and having borrowed, he scatters it into the earth, and he trusts in the earth, and awaits a clear time until the fruit comes to be in the earth; and he, having borrowed, trusted in the earth, and you do not trust in God? He trusted a fellow slave, and you do not trust the Master? What excuse, tell me, do you have? I say these things not because I condemn your great inhumanity—far from it—but because I am priming you to be ready for the
you have? I say these things not because I condemn your great inhumanity—far from it—but because I am priming you to be ready for A the poor, so that your prayer may be accepted. For He who knows the secrets of everyone’s mind, who knows all things before they come to pass, knows well that you would have given, had you possessed the means. He desires the intent of the soul; He searches the heart and knows it: for man looks at the face, but God looks at the heart. I entreat you, therefore, keep the commandment I deliver to you: "By this you shall be known as my disciples, if you love one another." This is the voice of the Lord Himself, which He spoke to His disciples; and again: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself." In these two commandments are the whole law and the prophets. I entreat you, therefore, that you be mutually humane, hospitable, and lovers of the poor; and above all, let us keep the love of God perpetually, so that we may be deemed worthy of eternal life: which may we all attain, by the grace and kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and majesty with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.
NOTICE CONCERNING THE SEVEN SERMONS ON FASTING
There is no reason for us to warn the reader that these very brief sermons on fasting are not the work of Chrysostom, but of some unskilled and generally trifling Greekling, who attributed these things, which he cobbled together himself, to Chrysostom. We have translated these into Latin, and not without B disgust and labor; for this writer expresses things at times so that he is scarcely understood, which is the greatest fault in speech, as Tully says.
ON THE PREACHING OF THE FAST. SERMON I.
God calls our race today to a cure. For by the prophet He defined fasting as a medicine: "Sanctify a fast," He says, "preach a cure" (Joel 1:14). For because God saw that Adam, having been finished off by many wounds, had been cast out of Paradise, He assigned fasting to him as a cure, and rightly so. For what does fasting not heal? What disease of the soul does it not erase? Once the saturation of intemperance is eliminated, it renews the heart; once the humor of the life is evacuated, it compresses the heat of anger, softens the hardness of envy, cures the swellings of desires, puts to flight the fever of pleasures, drives away the haughtiness of vainglory, casts out the sleepless watches of anxiety, purges the inflammations of the eyes, and cleanses the senses of body and soul: for as an artisan, it has received the power of healing from the Creator from above. Whoever, therefore, loves health, let him promptly give himself to fasting: for it does not demand C a price for the medicine applied; nay, it even adds a reward. What reward? For it will be worth the effort to learn this. It gives a reward, not coins, but tempered thoughts; not gold, but good character; not silver, but the purity of the members; not precious stones, but pious thoughts; not splendid garments, but the sound senses of the flesh. It gives to harlots the reward of chastity, to the drunkards abstinence, to the miserly liberality, to the lovers of gold love for the poor, to the haters of brothers love of brothers and hospitality, to the faint-hearted long-suffering: and what is greater, while it brings to life, it joins one to God. For they cannot, they simply cannot dwell with God, who have not first applied the medicine of fasting. For thus since the beginning, some have been proved enemies and others friends of God, depending on whether intemperance or temperance brought about the result. Adam, by eating, fled from God as an enemy: Cain, because he had not given the first fruits to God, groaned and trembled as an enemy of God: the contemporaries of Noah, giving themselves to delicacies, stirred up the Judge against themselves: the Sodomites, indulging in pleasures, received from above as enemies of God the thunderbolts: eating hindered Esau D from being called beloved and firstborn: food and drink made Israel the enemy of Him who had led him with signs and wonders: through wine and strong drink the prophet accused the people: wine and drunkenness deprived Herod of the friendship of John and Christ. Do you know those who were made enemies of God through intemperance? Learn of those who were admitted into the friendship of God through fasting. For Abel did not show himself a lover of God by what he had tasted, but by what he had offered to God: Moses, because he had fasted, was called a famous and faithful friend: after Elias had fasted, he was taken up as a friend: when the prophets had fasted, they knew the mysteries as friends of God: after Isaias had fasted, he saw the seraphim with six wings and described them: fasting, Ezechiel perceived in his mind the cherubim equipped with many eyes: God visited those in Babylon who had fasted, sending an angel to those who were in the furnace, and the prophet Habbacuc to him who was in the den: from enemies, the Ninevites were made friends through fasting: and similarly David was made a friend from an enemy. For when he loved the wife of Urias, he was an enemy to God; but when he humbled his soul in fasting, he heard this: "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man according to my heart." Why was John accepted by God? Because he remained in the desert, gathering locusts and wild honey. Why was Anna accepted by God? Because, applying herself to fasts and prayers, she served God night and day. Why were Peter and John friends? Because they went up to the temple at the ninth hour of prayer, fasting. Why was Paul a friend? Because he chastised his flesh and brought it into bondage. Why was Timothy a friend? Because through the polar water of fasts he extinguished the pyre of pleasures. Why was Cornelius a friend? Because, fasting, he received salvation through the ministry of Peter. Why were the martyrs friends of Christ? Because they despised the flesh and this temporal life. Do you see how God calls our race through fasting not only to obtain a cure, but even to divine friendship, providing that Adam may be made holy and healthy, continent, a friend, temperate, meek, modest, and of the same kind? For what is it to be a friend of God, other than to become of His kind? Be, therefore, through fasting, a friend of God; be, through fasting, of the same kind as God. Do not remain intemperate, do not remain an enemy, do not remain infirm, do not remain wounded, do not remain paralyzed. For behold, Christ today stands by you in this beautiful church, a new Jerusalem: behold, Lent is here, showing you a spiritual pool, not one that heals one infirm person through the annual cycle, but the whole people: behold Jerusalem, behold Christ, behold Lent, the spiritual pool. Enter rejoicing,
of its flowing filth; wash clean Adam, having heard Christ saying: “Arise, take up your pallet, and walk” (Mark 2:9). Is he who falls not able to rise? Stand, having feet that bring good tidings, thoughts that love God, hands that are generous, knees that do not bend, thighs devoid of pleasures, loins free from desires, a waist and belly secured, meditation on the law of God, a chest, a pure heart, a neck, a manner that is obedient, a soul, a mind that is reverent, a mouth that is dignified, an eye that does not turn aside, a hearing that remains steady, lips that bring forth things dear to Christ. Become such a one in this quadragesima, as having had the experience of a spiritual pool. For through this, Jesus desires to wash you all the more from your iniquity; through this, to purify from sin the One who takes away the sin of the world; through this, to heal; through this, to renew; through this, to sanctify; through this, to bring you again to the measure of the stature. And so that I may tell you something secret (but let not this hold you back, because of the Judge’s generosity, in a doze; shall I tell you something secret?) Christ desires by fasting to bring you, who have already been reborn by water and Spirit and divine fire, back to your primeval nobility. Behold, I have revealed to you the mystery of the Physician and Judge. Therefore, I beseech and entreat you, do not remain, as if having the medicine ready, beating [your breast] frequently; do not put off, as if having repentance, the mediatress, ready, while doing things not dear to God, rolling yourself in the world, and delaying the friendship with God, as if you have the purgative. For the future is uncertain, tomorrow is uncertain, today is uncertain, the present is uncertain; we are travelers in the world; we are not masters but strangers and sojourners as we are called. We are not able to be called the judge, standing by the soul; when demanded, we do not find a moment of time or occasion to borrow. Do not, therefore, with the rich man enjoying himself, let them find us who demand the soul from us, in a night of incontinence, in a gloom of wickedness, in a darkness of greed; but in the day of fasting, in the day of dignity, in the day of brotherly love, in the light of piety, in the dawn of faith, of almsgiving, and of prayer; so that finding us to be sons of the day, they may bring us to the Sun of righteousness, not having torn down the storehouses of wickedness, but having emptied and torn them down, and having renewed ourselves through repentance and fasting, by the grace of Christ, to whom be glory and power unto the ages. Amen.
On Fasting. Discourse II.
Again, the holy fast calls us to the enjoyment of good things; again, it prepares us as combatants; again, it wishes us to be heroic, so that it may declare us victors over the passions, and show the beauty of the soul more brightly, and through our labors weave crowns for our heads. For what is fasting, if not a crown of contests, and a procuress of rewards, and a way of salvation? For fasting transfers us from slavery to freedom, and leads us back from captivity to our homeland; fasting heals the wounds of the soul; fasting renews a soul corrupted by sins, strengthens the soul, makes the mind manly, introduces the fear of God, destroys the passions, and calms the thoughts. In the days of fasts, pleasures are extinguished, and virtues flourish, and the beauty of temperance is shown most clearly, and the body passes into the soul, having become spiritual beyond nature. Rejoice in the fast, and do not be gloomy like the hypocrites; they disfigure their faces for human observation, losing the reward of fasting. For the word is the Savior’s: “In the fast, anoint your head, wash your face with the doing of good, shine with the virtues, so that you may appear fasting to Me alone, to Him who sees the hidden things.” Do not be vexed, beloved, toward the fast, the mother of virtues, the root of good things, the fountain of temperance, the guardian of piety, the companion of the saints, the co-dweller of the angels, the enemy of the devil, the friend of the Spirit; through which pleasures flee from us and demons retreat, and anger weakens, and desire is deadened, and virtues live and shine in us; through which the passions are tranquil, and the disturbance of pleasures is stilled, and the mind sails as in a calm, having well navigated the billows of the winter of wickedness through this self-control, and having anchored the vessel in the harbor of virtue. You have, then, the profit inviolate, the cargo unshattered, when you trade with the commands of the Spirit, when, having steadied your reasoning with the fear of God, you push away present things, hearing the divine Scripture saying: “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world.” Let us not love the luxury of this world, which, becoming as a heavy cargo for the vessel of the soul, makes it sink. Or do you not know that it stops at the throat, and after the throat all luxury is in vain; but the punishment born from it has a torture that is endless? Luxury blinds those who are not sober, dims the beauty of the soul, and makes it a breathing corpse; it prepares one to do those things which are not permitted; it stirs the instruments of pleasure, increases the war, and awakens the desires; you are, then, incapacitated toward virtue. For when the members have been loosened and the mind stolen by excessive drinking, you are no longer able to contend, and you become easily attacked by the enemies, like a ship driven by the wind, not having a pilot able to struggle against the assaults of the waves, which is tossed here and there, and to which nothing else exists but to expect shipwreck. Do not, therefore, I beseech you, let us be idle in luxury after the fast, nor let us extinguish the many labors through negligence; but joining labors to labors, let us thus expect the reward. For when one joins reward to reward, he has much gain stored up. Let us not extinguish the flower of the fast, nor let us allow the mind to be shipwrecked upon pleasures through luxury, so that we may not store up the soul for incurable evils. And even if after the fast you wish to treat the body as one that happens to be weak, treat it with moderation; so that, just as a ship carrying a light cargo is higher than the waves of wickedness, if the temptations of the desires are stirred up, the soul may be able to be sober toward the struggle, toward the steering of thoughts, so that we may keep the vessel unsunk. For we have a sister of fasting as an ally for help—I mean prayer; even if it be death, or temptation, or another of the evils, it is dissolved by prayer and fasting. And what do I say? Fasting puts demons to flight, and destroys the tyranny of the devil, especially if it has prayer as a fellow worker; fasting and prayer led Elijah into the heavens, rescued the Ninevites from death, fasting kept Daniel unharmed from the lions, fasting kept the three youths whole in the midst of the furnace, fasting deemed Moses worthy of the unseeable glory, fasting made Elisha the leader of the prophets. And what more do I say? If it were not a medicine of salvation and a procuress of life, God would not have commanded from the beginning to fast. For if Adam had fasted, death would not have come near him, he would not have fallen from the dignity given to him by God, he would not have been cast out of the paradise of luxury, and he would not have been condemned to this toil-filled life; but since he obeyed the law of the belly, for this reason he arrived at death. Fasting is the diet of angels; and what is greater, the Savior fasted, not Himself needing the medicine of fasting, but in order to sow for us the patterns of fasting toward salvation. Take then the fast as a fellow traveler for your whole life, so that it may guard you, so that it may rescue you from death, so that it may save you from temptations, and lead you into the harbor of the kingdom of the heavens, by the grace of our Lord and God Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father be the glory with the holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
SERMON III. ON FASTING
A You have lately learned from what has been heard, brothers, how sublime and noble is the inception of fasting. For we have fasted as if we were admitted to a banquet with the elements of the world; and not with small, but rather with vehement effort have we contemplated God with the eye of the mind, stretching forth the heaven, adorning the firmament, restraining the sea, and preparing nourishment from the earth. And consider this wondrous thing with me: women bring forth infants, and then provide food, so that if the infant had not come forth, the breast would have been without milk; but the earth brought forth food before Adam existed, and before the birth the table was prepared for the boy; before the birth the table lay ready for the first parent: for God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass," and then He formed man from dust (Gen. 1:11 and 2:7); not without cause, but that, being produced from the earth and walking upon the earth and calling this his mother, and looking to her, he might not grow haughty, but might offer to God that Abrahamic voice: "I am but earth and ashes" (Ibid. 18:27). For this confession, while praying to God, that man of hospitality offered; and it would be best for us also to offer it. For this voice is the most secure bridle of nature; this does not permit anyone to walk inordinately if he loves the earth, since he himself is earth. For if he loves the earth, let him possess his own body, let him show it to be fruit-bearing, let him return virtues as the harvest to the Husbandman of the world; "My Father is the husbandman" (John 15:1), He says. For when will he covet gold, who knows that he is earth? When will he love splendid clothing, who calls himself dust? When will he be carried away with a desire for rank, who confesses that he is earth? That he who meditates on this voice will not speak evil of his neighbor, will not move tongue or hand against a neighbor, is known to all. So wise and divine B was the voice of the hospitable man; for he says, "I am"; he does not say, "Thy creature," although that was true: not "Thy image," although that was certain; not "Thy divine breath," which was accurately spoken; nor "A rational statue," which might safely be said: but leaving all these and passing them over in silence, he piously calls himself earth and ashes before the Judge. Whoever considers this voice with humility, let him practice modesty, let him follow it, let him concede the first place to his neighbor, let him not grow haughty in rank, let him not be inflamed in power, let him not lift up his eyebrows in his girdle, let him not hope in riches, let him not strike out in good health, let him not be arrogant in eloquence. For he who is today in honor, tomorrow will be in the earth; he who is today in glory, tomorrow in a coffin; he who is today on a throne, tomorrow in mourning; he who is today in pride, tomorrow in a sepulcher; he who is today at a tribunal, tomorrow at a monument; he who is today a general, tomorrow will be ash; he who is today conspicuous, tomorrow mud; today celebrated, tomorrow held in execration; today illustrious, tomorrow cast down; today causing terror, tomorrow wrapped in burial rags and windings; today eloquent, tomorrow without speech; today thronged by flatterers, tomorrow eaten by worms; today handsome, tomorrow deformed; today burdensome, tomorrow horrid. Beautifully the Wise Man said: "Why is earth and ashes proud?" (Ecclus. 10:9). When Anne, the mother of the prophet Samuel, knew this, praying she said, offering her son to God: "Let not the strong man glory in his strength, and let not the rich man glory in his riches" (1 Kings 2:10, in Greek); but let him who glories glory in this, in knowing the Lord. Let not the wise man glory, she says; for having become dust, he who was wise is unwise. Let not the strong man glory; for when he appears as mud in the sepulcher, he loses the flower of his body like grass. Let not the rich man glory; for he is a sojourner and a stranger to riches, as David C sings. But when He says "wise," "strong," "rich," He lowers the eyebrows of all those who place their hope in the uncertain state of the present waves. For the present things are truly waves and a sea, and the end of each is uncertain, as experience teaches; the present things are waves and a sea, and they excite frequent storms and tempests of the soul every day. For from honor it puffs one up, from a belt it inflates another; it oppresses one from power, and drives another from riches or from form into a precipice; but all, if I may so say, it has plunged into the depth of vices by the desires of the spirit. But you, O faithful one, according to the Apostle, a man of God, flee the waves of desire, turn away from the tempests of life; and having become superior to vices, as to storms, cross the sea of life in a ship, committing the skiff of your soul to the saving wood. Let the cross be your mast, faith your anchor, hope your cable, prayer your oar, right thoughts your rudders, Christ your sail, the Holy Spirit your favorable wind, the Father of all things your pilot. If you sail thus, the end of your life is not uncertain to you: for thus D sailing, Noah traversed that universal ocean without loss; thus sailing, Abraham yielded the first place to Lot, and called himself earth; and for the sake of this matter, Isaac obtained what he desired; thus sailing, Jacob remained simple, and was not agitated, asking from God only bread and clothing, not riches: for they who wish to be rich fall into temptation. Thus sailing, Joseph escaped the storm of snares and pleasure; thus sailing, Moses, Joshua, and the rest of the chorus of prophets and just men, as if into a harbor free from waves, took refuge in the right hand of the Lord, as in a ship. "For the souls of the just," it says, "are in the hand of God": who, after they have sailed rightly, have the divine right hand as a harbor: who converse with God, and call themselves earth and ashes. But, O the wonder, the ecstasy of mind! When Abraham was conversing with God, he was established as the father of nations, he was the heir of the promise, he was a sojourner, he was offering his firstborn as a sheep, and he called himself earth and ashes; but those who are now not masters of even the briefest space of earth, but stewards, adorned with temporal and daily dignity (for true dignity is piety), girded with a belt for a time, having temporal power; who have conversed with a king or with a prince, not with God, when they have offered to the church gifts from rapine, or have lavished a tiny bit of money on the poor, they immediately puff up their eyebrows, and address us as if they were looking down upon us from heaven, who are truly dust and ashes; or rather, fruit-bearing earth. For the soul of the covetous, brothers, is a place of thorns, a fruitless field is the soul of the money-lover, a fruitless possession the usufruct of another's good, a deserted field the body of the fornicator; filled with precipices is the place where the thoughts of the proud are; the words of accusers are trade without gain; a vain business, and a companion of the devil, is the one who lays snares for his neighbor. When we have learned these things in the church, let us hold rapacious men in hatred, let us practice virtues, let us flee wickedness, let us pursue charity, let us turn away from pleasure, let us embrace chastity, let us hate deceit, let us encourage simplicity among us: for he says, "Him that privily slandered his neighbor, him did I pursue" (Ps. 100:5). Let us show ourselves to be fruit-bearing earth, sending forth the plant of justice, bringing forth the fruit of humanity, continence, and equity, offering the ripe grape of confession to God. "For when," He says, "you have done all these things, say, We are unprofitable servants" (Luke 17:10). This is the voice of Christ the Lord: to Him be glory and power with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever. Amen.
SERMON IV. ON FASTING
The fountains that have been drawn forth emit purer water, and, satisfying the thirst of all from the spring, they always flow. Therefore, every individual can quench their thirst according to their need, the rich, the poor, the wise, the ignorant: for the fountains are...
...[717] providing drink in abundance, possess an inexhaustible treasure. Just as one fountain waters many mouths, so too does one Scripture illuminate the thoughts of many. Come, therefore, beloved, let us hasten to the aforementioned fountain, and let us partake of the teaching of the fasts. For this sufficed for the rich, and yet has not failed us who are poor. Elijah the charioteer, having fasted, divided the river with his sheepskin and rod. The same man, by fasting, closed the heavens; for by his word he locked up the rain-bearing clouds. The same man, having fastened the reins of fiery horses, by fasting, drove a chariot of fire into heaven. Moses, the servant of God, having fasted, split the fearsome sea, and turned the fish-bearing water into dry land, and having taken up the Hebrews, saved them, and drowned the Egyptians. The fast of Moses graced his right hand with the holy rod, and by it, having struck the rock, he provided water to drink. Fasting gave wisdom to Daniel, and revealed him as an interpreter of mysterious dreams. The same man, having fasted, muzzled the beasts in the den, and becoming the shepherd of the lions, he instructed them to look toward heaven. Fasting, by keeping the bodies of the three children uncorrupted, changed the all-consuming flame of the Babylonian furnace into dew; by fasting, Jonah the prophet, having bridled the whale and used it as a beast of burden, traveled to Nineveh. For the creature did not go wherever it wanted, but wherever the charioteer within desired, there did the whale travel. The Ninevites, having fasted, saved their city, and withered the plant of the prophet. Fasting is a gift of God, fasting is the food of the angels; fasting initiated Moses into the mysteries, fasting confirmed Abraham, fasting justified Isaac, fasting went abroad with Jacob, fasting adorned Joseph, fasting exalted Melchizedek, fasting snatched Lot from Sodom, [718] fasting struggled with Job, fasting gave wisdom to the prophets, fasting strengthened kings, fasting brought priests to perfection, fasting enlightened Moses, fasting performed priesthood with Aaron, fasting campaigned with Joshua, fasting armed Gideon, fasting made Samson manly, fasting gave birth to Samuel, fasting warred with Saul, fasting blessed Isaiah, fasting gave eloquence to Jeremiah, fasting sanctified Zechariah, fasting gave wisdom to John, fasting sufficed for Peter, fasting gave the prize to Paul, fasting sealed the inhabited world, fasting trampled the power of fire, fasting withered the tribe of lions, fasting extinguished the pride of dragons, fasting dried up rivers, fasting is the restoration of paradise, fasting is the final point upon the things mentioned, which, having armored the body of Christ, strongly received the attacks of the devil. Fasting is the companion of virgins, fasting is the increase of households, fasting is the advocate of those repenting, fasting is the yoke-mate of prayer, fasting is the beginning of wealth, fasting is the consolation of the poor, fasting is the helper of those who are oppressed, fasting drives away sleep and leads in a hymn, fasting provides us with water and prepares for us a fountain of immortality. O fasting, which prepares our souls for piety with bread, and wipes away the stench of our sins with salt; O fasting, which mapped out the forty days in the air and leads us through those into heaven; O fasting, which clamors mercy and judgment to God through the mouths of those fasting, as we have just heard from the things spoken. For David, the choir of the holy prophets, clearly describing for us the future judgment, mingled with mercy, said to God: "I will sing of mercy and judgment to you, O Lord" (Ps. 100). Fasting is the table-mate of the Cherubim, fasting is the tent-mate of the Seraphim, fasting settled Enoch in paradise, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom is the glory and the power unto the ages. Amen.
On Fasting. Sermon V
Today, beloved, let us worship the Physician. For behold, fasting is present, bestowing salvation of souls and bodies, offering a wondrous resurrection, acting as oil for us to be anointed for spiritual struggles. Prayer and fasting is the work of angels, fasting is the gate of paradise, fasting is the purgation of sinners, fasting is boldness toward God, fasting is purity of heart, fasting is the principal matter of all the goods given to us by God, fasting is the sanctification of the soul, fasting is health of the body, fasting is the security of the house, the tutor of the young, the guardian of infants, the temperance of the elderly, the adornment and order of women. But whenever fasting is accompanied by prayer and almsgiving, then the worker of piety is found rich according to God. For he who gives to the poor lends to God. Have you seen God become a guarantor for men? For this reason also the prophet, reproaching the Jews as those who were not performing the fast with all their strength, said: "This is not the fast that I have chosen, says the Lord, for a man to humble his soul" (Isa. 58:5). For what is the benefit, to fast with the mouth, and to murder through deeds? What is the benefit to abstain from foods, and to be defiled by fornication? You do not eat meat, but you devour the flesh of your brother. What profit is there in not being gladdened by wine, and being drunk on riches? What is the benefit of not eating bread, and being drunk on anger? What profit is there in withering away by fasting, and reviling your neighbor? What is the use in restraining from foods, and seizing that which belongs to others? What is the necessity to dry out the body, and not feed the hungry? What is the benefit in crushing one's limbs, and not showing mercy to widows and orphans? What gain is there in living in anxieties and cares, and not succoring orphans being tossed by storms? There is no benefit for men to bear the name of Christians alone, while not possessing good works; for offices are not honored before God, but works are sought. For even Judas existed among the apostles and enjoyed the same honor with the others, but having loved the love of money, he received a noose; just as even now many wear the clothing of sheep, but are inwardly ravenous wolves. If you wish to fast, hate the love of money; the love of money is a great evil. Are you fasting? Flee adultery, flee fornication, flee slander, lying, reviling, enmity, blasphemy, and all meddlesomeness. Are you fasting? Flee covetousness, theft, strife, and that soul-destroying envy. Are you fasting? Flee anger, fornication, zeal, perjury, and all injustice. Are you fasting? Flee gluttony, the parent of every evil, which separates us even from God Himself—gluttony, which drags us down to the abysses of destruction. If you fast for the sake of God, flee every thing that God hates, and He accepts your repentance. For the present time is for repentance, not for relaxation; repentance raises up the fallen soul, and makes the alienated one a friend to God; repentance awakens the torn soul, corrects the limping one, heals the crushed one, makes the wounded one sound. Let us hasten, therefore, to repentance, brothers, let us hasten. For it is a time to repent, not to live extravagantly or to be slothful; it is a time to mourn and weep, not to be flippantly minded or distracted; it is a time for confession, mourning, and sighing, not for neglect and listlessness. For repentance is the herald of the kingdom of heaven, and the entrance to paradise, and the enjoyment of eternal luxury; repentance is the release from sins, the cleanser of spots; repentance is the mother of salvation, the tripping up of the devil, the vanishing of passions; repentance dissolves the bonds of sins, saves desperate souls, illuminates those who are in darkness, turns those who are far away toward God, calls back those who have wandered; repentance is the recreation and consolation of all who have despaired; repentance is the infirmary and saving medicine for every psychic and bodily weakness. But let us return to the subject at hand. Are you fasting? Do not neglect the poor. Are you fasting? Look at the tears of the widow. Are you fasting? Clothe the naked. Are you fasting? Look at the orphans sighing. Are you fasting? If you have it, have mercy; if...
Are you fasting? Look at the tears of the widow. Are you fasting? Clothe the naked. Are you fasting? Look at the orphans sighing. Are you fasting? If you have it, have mercy; if you do not have it, at least do not seize the goods of others. Are you fasting? Restrain your tongue from evil, and let your lips not speak guile (Ps. 33:14), and that is enough for your salvation. Are you fasting? Do not disfigure your face as the hypocrites do (Matth. 6:16); wash your face and do not appear to men to be fasting, but to Him who examines hearts and kidneys. If you are to fast, fast as Christ has commanded, so that you do not exhaust your labor A and lose your reward. If you fast, take care not to lend your money at interest. Are you fasting? Tear up the bond of violent contracts; grant forgiveness, so that it may be granted to you; forgive your brother his injury, so that your own may be forgiven; have mercy, so that you may obtain mercy; forgive your neighbor his offense. Are you fasting? Have mercy on him whom you have injured; do not envy your brother ever, nor hate anyone. Are you fasting? Do not pursue vainglory. Are you fasting? Flee from fornication, which defiles both soul and body; fornication, which separates us from God and the saints; fornication, which brings upon us eternal and unquenchable fire. Are you fasting? Do not slander the poor, lest you irritate Him who made him. Are you fasting? Give food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, comfort strangers, visit the sick, do not forget those who are in prison, pity the afflicted, care for those who are weary and grieving; be merciful, mild, good, gentle, peaceful; be patient, compassionate, forgetful of injuries, no brawler; be pious, so that God may accept your fasting and grant you the gain of repentance with great increase. B For a brother cannot help us on that terrible day of judgment; but repentance and almsgiving will help. Let us, I beseech you, brothers, carefully keep these things, so that we may bring back the reward from God, and hear that blessed voice saying: Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and you gave me to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink: I was a stranger and weak, and naked, and in prison, and you ministered unto me (Matth. 25:34-36). May we all be deemed worthy to obtain this voice, through the grace and kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom belongs glory, honor, and adoration, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
CONCERNING FASTING. SERMON VI.
The season of fasting is here again, the occasion for delights is here again, the spectacle of contests C is here again, the trumpet of Christ once again proclaims a beautiful contest and gathers the contenders to the arena; once again the annual coming of Christ is proclaimed. Let us all make ourselves pure so that we may receive Him. For if the proclaimed coming of a mortal king compels those who are to receive him to prepare their houses with fear and trembling, so that they may construct dwellings worthy of the one who is to dwell there: how much more does it behoove us, who are about to receive the true King, to make ourselves worthy of Him who is to dwell within us? Let Jeremiah the prophet come today, who, having been sent by the Lord, heard: Behold, I have set you this day as a prophet over the nations, to root out and plant, to destroy and to build (Jer. 1:10). Let us listen to him: this is the one who prepares the temples of the great King. Let us root out pleasures and plant continence; let us pull up wickedness, let us build up virtues, let us pursue truth and gain the truth; let us cast out pride, let us resume repentance, let D us cut off anger, and let us take up gentleness. For Christ says: Upon whom shall I rest? Upon the gentle and quiet, and the one who trembles at my words (Isai. 66:2). Do not prepare a house from stones: For the Most High does not dwell in things made by hands (Act. 7:48). Prepare a rational temple, adorn it with virtues: the present time is convenient for you. Concerning this, Paul says: Behold, the time is short, so that those who have wives may be as though they had none; and those who buy, as though they did not possess; and those who use this world, as though they did not use it: for the fashion of this world passes away (1 Cor. 7:29-31). There is no need for gold or silver, there is no need for precious stones or grand buildings; but there is need for a cheerful soul, for sincere repentance. The precursors of an earthly king, who announce his arrival, wear nothing heavenly, but all things earthly; one a shield, another a breastplate, another golden dragons, another golden garments; the king himself bears power over all things within himself, the purple and the diadem: but the precursors of the heavenly King wear nothing earthly, but all things worthy of the King: Moses brings forth the royal law, Isaiah fasting, Jeremiah prayer, John the baptism of repentance: but the King himself bears the purple and the diadem, through which He grants liberty to all: for He has the purple: the body is the purple, the Word is the diadem. Seeing this, John cries out and says. We all in part. Moses gives the law to Israel, Isaiah prophesies to Israel, Jeremiah likewise; but I [give] the baptism of repentance to the world, yet no one gives liberty. He comes who has power over all things: He is the one who is proclaimed by us, He is the King of glory, He does not confer grace upon one nation, but becomes salvation for the whole world. The law had the lamb; but it was sacrificed for one nation, and did not remit sins; for it was a figure. After this lamb, Isaiah prophesies: As a sheep he is led to the slaughter, and as a lamb without voice before him that shears him, so he does not open his mouth. Who shall account for his generation? his judgment was taken away (Isai. 53:7-8). And now in the reality itself it appears: this is the one who delivered himself for the whole world: this is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The prophets foretold future things in writing, they did not exhibit the things themselves: if the things should happen, they prove the writings to have been true. David prophesied concerning the things that were to happen to Jesus; but since the things had not yet arrived, the things that were written were still a shadow, with God so dispensing. For if the Jews had known that the writings were proved true by the things themselves, they would have destroyed the writings, fearing lest they be refuted by the things themselves. For David was saying in the second psalm: Why did the nations rage, and the peoples meditate on vain things (Ps. 2:1-3)? He speaks of the arrogance of Herod and Caiphas: The kings of the earth stood, and the princes gathered themselves together against the Lord to prepare snares, against the Lord and against his Christ. Let us break their bonds and cast their yoke from us. And speaking of the cross in the twenty-first psalm he was saying: Many dogs have surrounded me, fat bulls have beset me. They dug my hands and my feet, they numbered all my bones. But they themselves considered and looked upon me: they divided my garments among themselves, and upon my vesture they cast lots (Ps. 21:13, 17-19). These things written were a shadow; but when the things happened, then the shadow departed. And the Jews see the hands and feet fixed by nails, with their own books refuting them in this way: nor can they destroy the writings any further. For both were made plain, while the writings harmonize with the things. Isaiah was saying: As a sheep he is led to the slaughter, and as a lamb without voice before him that shears him, so he does not open his mouth. His judgment was taken away. Who shall account for his generation? The Jews were reading, and were not understanding the things. For the law had a shadow of good things to come, not the very image of the things (Hebr. 10:1). But when the time came that the things should be made manifest, and the true Lamb should be led to the slaughter, and the true sheep should be sacrificed for the whole world, and true purification should be made for men, and the true blood should be poured out for the salvation of the whole world, and the Jews should perform those things; the prophecy of Isaiah being fulfilled, the Jews were confounded. For if the Jews should wish to deny, I read David to them, I read Isaiah; I refute them out of their own writings. Moses also came, defending me concerning the Crucified: who, wishing to preach to them him who was to be crucified, foretold this in writing
ON THE PREACHING OF THE FAST, SERMON VI
A it. Therefore he says, Even if I hold my peace, the works themselves will cry out. What works? The Jews are ignorant of this; for the shadow of the Law B prevails. But the time comes when the events are made manifest, and the shadow recedes, and the things themselves confirm what has been written. Serpents once went forth in the desert, and were biting the men; and Moses made a bronze serpent and crucified it, and commanded everyone who was bitten to approach and obtain healing. God provided this as a type, so that when the truth should come, the shadow might withdraw and the type might reveal the truth. That what was happening was a type of the truth, Moses spoke thus: This is not the truth; it is a type; the truth is yet to come. For you shall see your Life hanging before your eyes night and day, and you shall not believe in your Life. He calls Christ the Life hanging before the Jews, and the Jews not believing that he is indeed the Life. Why did Moses hang a serpent on the cross? As a type of Christ, since by means of sight and wood sin occurred; and it was necessary for Christ, by means of the wood, to undo the sin [caused] by the wood, and having drawn to himself the curse caused by the sight, to make it vanish; so that, having become a curse for us, he might bestow upon us God’s righteousness. For he knew no sin, and was crucified for our sake, that we might become the righteousness of God. The serpent hanging on the cross was not the Truth; it was a type; but the shadow brought the truth to light. The Truth, Christ, came; he ascended upon the wood. Then I read to the Jews the [words] of Moses, and stop their mouths up: And you shall see your Life hanging before your eyes night and day, and you shall not believe in your Life. And the blessed David, how did he speak to you concerning him? He ascended on high, he led captivity captive, he gave gifts to men (Ps. LXVII, 19). C He ascended on high upon the cross; he led the devil captive, he loosed death, he nailed sin to the wood, he cast away the curse and the serpent from the wood. Upon the arrival of the Truth, the types are cast aside; he himself sets up a trophy against the devil, and grants to those under him also the authority against the devil, saying to them: For your sake under a curse, for your sake under the law, for your sake under the witness; for your sake war, for your sake victory. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy (Luc. X, 19). To him be glory and power unto the ages of ages. Amen.
ON THE FAST. SERMON VII
Jeremiah the prophet has come again today, he who prepares the temples of the great King, and converses with us, saying: Break up fresh ground for yourselves, and do not sow among thorns (Jer. IV, 3). Now he speaks indiscriminately to all, having been instructed by the Master. For of old, being unwilling to speak to the disobedient people, he suffered the things which he himself recounted. For seeing the race of men defiled in sins, he did not wish to speak, saying: Cursing, and theft, and adultery are poured out upon the earth, and for this reason I hold back the word, until they cleanse themselves. Just as a faithful servant who has been entrusted with precious ointment does not pour this into a befouled vessel, lest the ointment lose its fragrance; in the same manner, the prophet, holding the word more precious than ointment, seeing men befouled, restrains himself from sowing the word. But this word became as fire burning in his inmost parts, and he was dissolved on all sides, and could not bear it (Jer. XX, 9). God said to him: You were sent to preach; why are you silent? You were sent to sow; why do you withhold the seed? Sow indiscriminately what I have entrusted to you; sow also upon the thorns, sow also upon the stony ground, sow also upon the good soil. You are a debtor to sow, and the earth is responsible to produce fruit. If thorns spring up and choke the seed, you shall not be the cause; if the good soil produces fruit, it repays the seed of the good soil also. You are a servant; I have entrusted silver to you; give it to the bankers, and I, having come, will demand it from the bankers. If they bring me back double [of that] which I entrusted to them, I will promote them from small to great, from earthly to spiritual things. But if, having received the seed, they do not prepare themselves to be fruitful, but accept the cares of the world, which are thorns, they will be worthy of fire. And if on the stony ground there is found no depth of earth—that is, if a man is found hard of heart and has not faith, but dries up the seed—he will be held accountable for his hardness of heart. In the same manner, [as for] those entrusted with the silver, as many as bring back double will be entrusted with greater things; but he who brings back only the talent which he was entrusted with will be condemned to punishment. But you, preach indiscriminately; for you have been sent as a physician to the sick. For the farmer tills the uncultivated D land, and sows the unsown. For the land that is uncultivated and sown does not need to be tilled or sown a second time, nor does the healthy need a physician; thus the righteous does not need teaching. For he who sees does not wish to see, but the blind [does]. For thus the Master says in the Gospels: I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matt. IX, 13). Consistently, Paul also said: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am first (1 Tim. I, 15). Peter likewise said in the Acts: Men, brethren, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit (2 Cor. VII, 1). And do not say: We have Abraham as our father. For I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham (Matt. III, 9). For this reason, the prophet having been instructed to preach indiscriminately, cried out: Break up fresh ground for yourselves, and do not sow among thorns. For just as the uncultivated ground is broken up with wood and iron as the oxen pull, and thus the farmer casts in the seed; so too, let us take up the wood and the iron and the pulling oxen in regard to men. Let the wood be the cross; the iron, the nails; the oxen, the Law and the prophets, pulling us by teaching toward him who was suspended on the cross; so that, having seen us prepared, he may send down the Holy Spirit for the sanctification of the waters, and for the regeneration of those born through the teaching, according to the blessed David saying: Thou shalt send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created, and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth (Ps. CIII, 30). Man was properly so called, because [God] breathed into his face, and man became a living soul (Gen. II, 7). David also says: Approach Him and be enlightened, and your faces shall not be ashamed (Ps. XXXIII, 6). And again in the Gospels, Christ, having called the disciples, breathed into their faces: Receive the Holy Spirit (Joan. XX, 22). Let us break up fresh ground for ourselves, put off the old malice, root out the thorns of disobedience; for when Adam disobeyed, he was cast out of paradise. This command he received from the Master: Cursed is the earth in thy works: thorns and thistles shall it bring forth for thee (Gen. III, 17-18). Knowing this, the prophet preached: Break up fresh ground for yourselves, and do not sow among thorns, signifying through the word that we must renew ourselves.
accursed, and iniquity is added to his iniquity, so that he may not enter into the righteousness of God: for the baptism profited him nothing. He approached the apostles, saying: "Give me this power, that on whosoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:19). Peter, however, said to him: "You have no part or lot in this matter, because you wanted to acquire the gift of God with money" (Acts 8:21, 20). This man did not obey the prophets, he did not renew his rational field: this man neither received the Holy Spirit, who had been preached by the prophets. Fear such an example, and renew in yourselves your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns. If you cut out the thorns, you will receive the seed, you will bear fruit, and you will be a partaker of the Holy Spirit. Thus Cornelius, obeying the prophets, renewed himself, cut out the thorns, and bore fruit unto God (Acts 10). For an angel was seen by him, saying: "Cornelius, your alms have ascended before the Lord." This righteous farmer pulled up the thorns, renewed himself as a man, his fruits ascended in the sight of God. Do you see the fruit of repentance? It ascended from earth to heaven, and stood with confidence before God. For just as good works pray with confidence, so those that are otherwise accuse zealously. You heard the good works praying for Cornelius: hear the murder committed by Cain zealously accusing: for thus God says to Cain: "The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me." Hear also the punishment defined: C "Groaning and trembling you shall be upon the earth" (Gen. 4:10, 12): hear also the reward of almsgiving and prayer, what the angel says: "Send to Joppa, and summon Peter, and he himself will teach you what you ought to do" (Acts 10:5, 6). Peter came, and when he began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon the apostles. Do you see the reward of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, the Holy Spirit given? This is the time of fasting and almsgiving: foreseeing this time, Elias fasted for forty days: therefore he is taken up in a chariot of fire, and to this day he is in the body. This time Moses prophesied when he fasted for forty days: therefore he received the law for the correction of his fellow-tribesmen. This time Christ taught us, who fasted forty days; that he might teach us that this method is to be embraced eagerly, by which the rational field is renewed, by which thorns are uprooted, by which desires are extinguished, by which the works of the devil are dissolved, by which the waters of the Jordan are sanctified, by which a man is regenerated, by which the Holy Spirit descends, by which life and resurrection are given. The prophets prophesied this, Christ taught this, let us love this, let us receive this: let us add almsgiving and prayer, that we may attain the Holy Spirit, like Cornelius; and let us glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. To Him be glory unto the ages. Amen.
ADMONITION ON THE TWO ORATIONS CONCERNING PATIENCE
These two orations are of the same stamp as the preceding ones on Fasting: they are clearly the work of a shallow Greekling, who affects eloquence and sprinkles everything with countless and mostly inept epithets. And if he ever puts forth some good things, he ruins them by his manner of narration. He uses unusual words, and because of this unusual manner of speaking, he often caused trouble for the Latin interpreter. We say this having experienced it: for it is not without difficulty that we have translated certain things into Latin.
ON PATIENCE, AND THAT THE DEAD ARE NOT TO BE BEWAILED IN A BITTER MANNER
Come, let us today approach the sermon of instruction more diligently than in the past days: for the sermon is wont often to bring relief from labor, and moderate instruction can release sorrow. For I see many of those who were with you yesterday are not present today; but either they have been called to the Lord, or they are lying in their beds, and all these are awaiting death. Therefore I see you in mourning, much tumult in the city, the utmost perturbation in the Church, the immoderate tears of those who mourn, the absurd habits and actions of many. Certainly I have often consoled you regarding this matter and warned you, namely, about patience and the giving of thanks in enduring the departure of children and kinsmen; and I have said that they should not act so dishonestly, nor should it be thought that those who have migrated to God have perished: especially if they be innocent infants who have left this life. Wherefore let us not bewail them, but rather ourselves, who lead our lives in sins. For if we do not keep watch today, when will we ever be converted? If the death of your brother does not persuade you to be wise, who will convert you? Unless, seeing him lying dead, you amend your life, when at last will you entreat God? Behold we see, behold we learn by experience. Therefore, I pray, let us spare ourselves, lest we be troubled in vain and to no purpose, and let us not imagine that we are immortal. For one is the path of death, and no other: it is a common cup, and it is given to all: one hour, and a bad hour: a bridge that has no exit, a debt of all, the first-fruits of all, and the end of all. It is the sword of God, which does not accept a face. For death does not fear a king, it does not honor a high priest, it spares not old age, nor beauty, it spares not youth, it does not pity the only-begotten, it is not turned by tears, it trembles not before a prince, it fears not tyrants, it is not avoided by money, it accepts not the face of anyone, nor the back; but death invades all equally. Those who are with us today, tomorrow will be there before us: those who today embrace us in friendship, tomorrow will be miserably carried out from us: those who today are in life, tomorrow in the grave: those who today are conspicuous, tomorrow will be gnawed by worms: those who today are anointed with perfumes, tomorrow will be stinking: those who today are delighted here, tomorrow will mourn there: and in a word, those who today have parasites, tomorrow will be condemned there. Often seeking them and ignorant of their passing, we ask one another: is that prince there? And we hear, He has passed on at last; and, Where is that dynast? we ask, and we learn that he is dead; and, Where is that proud king? Thither, they say, he is gone; and, Where is that friend? Thither he has departed. Thither, to where? Where the Judge of judges is: thither, where that formidable one is, mightier than all formidable things: thither, where the Eternal King and Judge incorruptible is. Thither? Where and how, in what place, or in what manner those who preceded us fare, no one can say: this alone we know, that they are there, where the only Eternal and only Immortal one is; where the only Good and only Benign one is, the maker of souls and bodies. Into that great and formidable tribunal he has gone, where there is not laughter, but mourning; where there is not pursuit of beauty, but darkness; where there is not an embrace, but a trial; where there is not accusation, but apology; where there are not riches, but horror; where there is not acceptance of persons, but just judgment: where we all stand naked, slave and free, noble and private, sinners and righteous, rich and poor; some confounded, others crowned. Where is the pride of kings there? Where