…thy bed, and depart to thy house." Bring the Jews to shame, astonish the demons, silence the gainsayers, give assurance to those who run to Thee, loose the rest of the Sabbath, and instead of a litigator, guard thy bed. Hearing these things, the paralytic, immediately setting aside the infirmity by the Lord's word, fulfilled the commandment and was carrying his bed; and he warded off the Jews who wished to stop him because of the Sabbath and were saying, "It is not lawful for thee to take up thy bed, because it is the Sabbath," as he was fulfilling the command of the One who ordered him, saying to them: "He who made me whole, that One said to me: Take up thy bed and walk." While the lawless Jews were accusing the Lord A *On the Gospel according to Luke, on the Drachma* [
Regarding the Gospel according to Luke: on the Drachma
]. Again, the bosoms of Christ send forth an unceasing fountain of love; again, the lamp-bearing wisdom of Christ, having lit a lamp and placed it on the lampstand of the Cross, enlightens the whole world toward piety. Using this lamp, the wisdom of God, having sought the one lost drachma and having found it, joined it to the nine drachmas of the angels. And who might the woman be who has the ten drachmas, it is necessary, beloved, to say. This is the wisdom of God, having the ten drachmas. Which ones? Count them: angels, archangels, Principalities, Powers, Virtues, Thrones, Dominions, Cherubim, Seraphim, and Adam the first-formed. This drachma of Adam, having been devoured by the wickedness of the devil and dragged down into this depth of life and buried by the many-voiced pleasures of sins, the wisdom of God came and found. How did it find it, beloved? It came from the heavens, it takes the earthen lamp of the body, it lights it with the fire of the Godhead, it places it on the lampstand of the Cross, it seeks the drachma, it brought it into the fold and the pasture of the angels. But perhaps some of those standing here, those who sinned after baptism, will say: "What is it to us if Adam was saved? How can we obtain mercy? How can we be saved, because we sinned after baptism?" To whom we say: Such as you are, do not fear, do not tremble, do not be shaken, do not lose heart; for God did not take thought for Adam while disregarding you; but if for him there was a woman possessing ten drachmas, for you there is a compassionate Father, having two sons, and embracing again the one who had wandered. For to all He became all things, that He might win all. Just now we heard the Gospel saying: "A certain man had two sons"; and the younger of them coming to the father said: "Father, give me the property." And he divided the living to them. B And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went away into a far country; and there he wasted his living, living profligately. And when he had spent everything, a strong famine occurred in that country; and he went to one of the citizens, and the citizen sends him to the fields to feed swine. And he desired to fill his belly from the husks that the swine were eating; and no one gave to him. And coming to himself he said: "How many hirelings now at my father's house have plenty of bread, but I here perish with hunger? Rising, I will go to my father; and I will say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and I am not worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hirelings." One must not look for the meaning of this outside, but in us ourselves. For the parables are spoken for our sake, and for our sake they are read, so that no one may despair of himself, even if he happens to be a great sinner; but let him come to God repenting and seeking from Him propitiation, especially if any of you through faith in the Lord has become a son of God. For as many as received Him, He says, He gave them power to become children of God. If, therefore, any of you through faith in our Lord has become His son, and has been distanced from Him—not in place, but in manner; if hunger has touched any one, not of common bread, but of the heavenly—(For "Bread of heaven," he says, "He gave them; bread of angels man did eat"); let him leave the bitter pleasures that are like unto swine, and let him C no longer desire to eat husks. What are the husks? The fruit of a tree. The husks are likened to sin; for just as the husks at the beginning of the tasting sweeten, but after the tasting make the throat rough; so also sin is sweet at the beginning of its tasting, but after the tasting it is rough. And this is that which was said by the wise Solomon: "Give no heed to a wicked woman. For honey drops from the lips of a harlot woman, which for a time anoints thy throat, but afterwards it is found more bitter than gall, and sharper than a two-edged sword" (Prov. 5:3-4). If hunger for the heavenly bread has touched any one, let him approach, let him seek. For everyone that seeketh findeth, and he that asketh receiveth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Knock at the door of repentance with thy unspeakable groanings; do not fear it, this door is not strange to thee; He died for thee. Even if thou sayest to thyself: "Who is it?" Christ answers thee and says: "I am the door of the sheep." Say thou also: "I have sinned against heaven and before Thee." If anyone having received the heavenly baptism has sinned, he has sinned against heaven. For he who sins before baptism, sins on earth; for "Earth thou art, and unto earth shalt thou return," was said to Adam. But if anyone has put on Christ in baptism, he is no longer earth, but heaven; for as the earthy, such are also the earthy; and as the heavenly, such also are the heavenly. "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ." If anyone, therefore, has sinned after baptism, he has sinned against heaven. Therefore, let him approach and say: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, I am no longer worthy to be called thy son." For what reason? Tell the cause. "My heart, sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, flowering beautifully, I have muddied with pleasures; I am no longer worthy to be called thy son. I provoked Thee, I embittered Thy holy Spirit, I have stained the gleaming robe of faith with sin; I am no longer worthy to be called thy son. My soul, liberated by baptism and whitened by the illumination, I have darkened with sin, I have enslaved; I am no longer worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hirelings." The senses of my body, having been made drunk with debauchery, like unruly maidservants, betrayed their mistress, the soul, to profligacy; but now, having disciplined these by fasting, I will make my soul chaste; make me as one of thy hirelings. I know, therefore, the deception of the Enemy, I know his trips, I know his dart-throwing of gluttony; I flee debauchery, through which he loosens the cords of chastity, I pursue fasting which provides me with sobriety; make me as one of thy hirelings. I too will work in thy vineyard; I will prune with the pruning-knife of the Spirit the superfluous (or rather, the crime-laden) branches of the rational vine that lies within me; make me as one of thy hirelings. I too will cultivate the most sweet cluster of love; I will prop up, just like stakes for my soul, the commandments of the Lord, so that it may not be dragged down by the gaze; make me as one of thy hirelings. I will cause it to look toward the heavens; I will prepare it to extend the tendrils of brotherly love, so that embracing the poor who are dragged into D the earth, it may bear them up; make me as one of thy hirelings. Give me back, father, the plow of the cross on my shoulders; plow…so that embracing the poor who are dragged into the earth, it may bear them up; make me as one of thy hirelings. Give me back, father, the plow of the cross on my shoulders; plow A the filth of my soul, pull up the thorny and harmful growths of the Evil One, sown by him as if they were heavenly seeds. May the showers from above water it, and may the furrow of my soul bear fruit: one thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another a hundredfold. Do not treat me as one of the hirelings. For thou wilt not entirely cast me off, my Father; the Enemy will not triumph, having defiled the robe of faith. For even if I have stained the beauty of the soul’s purity, still, I have not bowed down to idols. I did not betray thee, my Lord. Even if I sinned, I did not deny my youth; I did not trample upon images of demons, I did not fashion images of idols; the devil did not breathe into me, nor did he inject his poison. Now, I fall before thy footsteps; thou art the Lord, and God. Deal with me as one of the hirelings. If such is my repentance, if such is my confession, from afar thy heavenly Father runs to meet thee B. He falls upon the neck of the soul, he places the yoke of grace upon it, and with the kiss of truth, he loosens the yoke of the heart, setting it free from the enemy. Yes! He brings the priests to themselves! “Bring the first robe.” He did not say, “Bring one robe,” but, “Bring the first robe,” to show the first dignity of baptism. “Bring him the first robe, and clothe him, and give him the ring,” the pledge of wealth, the guardian of the treasury, the seal of the Spirit. “And sandals on his feet,” that is, the footprint of his soul by the words of the Gospel, so that the serpent may not again, by licking his footsteps, drag him back into the former error of sin. “And bring the fatted calf.” Who is this if not Christ, who is given to the worthy after baptism, as the Apostle says: “In whom dwells all the fullness of the godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9)? Bring it, let us eat and be glad. Who among the Jews and Gentiles will believe that the calf has been slain, and the world restored? O calf of the Virgin heifer, child sacred to the untilled womb! O calf, who wast slain and livest, who art always eaten by us and remainest unconsumed! Wherefore, beloved, into a secure and tranquil harbor casting the anchor of our word, let us set forth; after the influx of the Holy Spirit, and his fitting tongue, we have traversed the sea of the divine Scriptures; he himself will lead you into the heavenly city, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power, together with the Father and the holy and adorable Spirit, now and always, and for ever and ever. Amen.
THAT HE WHO HAS THE GIFT OF ANY KNOWLEDGE OUGHT TO IMPART IT TO HIM WHO IS IN NEED: AND CONCERNING THE PRESBYTER.
The benevolent God, having mercy on our race, does not leave any man without his grace; for he gives grace not only to the just, but also to sinners; because he is generous, and without respect of persons, and makes his sun to rise upon the just and the unjust, and wills that all men be saved. Nor does he despise the sinner; but to him also he gives a small grace, that receiving the gift, he may honor the giver, and giving thanks, and turning from his evil way, may repent. If, however, having received grace, he remains in the same evils, then at last the grace he received will be taken away from him, and he will be condemned to the fire of hell, because he did not know the honor and the One who honors; and that which is written is fulfilled in him: “Man, when he was in honor, did not understand; he was compared to the senseless beasts, and became like them” (Ps. 48:13). I know sinful men who have laid their hands upon the sick, and they healed them. But this comes about in two ways; not only unto the grace of the giver, but also unto the grace of the receiver. If he who receives did not believe, he would receive grace neither from the just nor from the sinner; he, however, who believes, receives the grace of healing even from a sinner. For to each is grace given according to faith. For the Lord said to those approaching: “According to your faith be it done to you” (Matt. 9:29). Believe in the name of the Lord to whom you approach, and do not hesitate in any way, and you will receive grace; for it is God who works. Many sinner presbyters offer the gifts, and God does not turn away from them, but by the Holy Spirit sanctifies the proposed gifts, and the bread indeed becomes the body of Christ, and the cup becomes the precious blood of the Lord. But some think they act appropriately by not communicating with certain presbyters, because they are aware of their wickedness; not knowing that they are sinning all the more while they think they are doing something good. For who are you to judge your superior? Have you not heard the Apostle saying: “You shall not speak evil of the ruler of your people” (Acts 23:5); and again, “Who are you who judge another man’s servant? To his own lord he stands or falls; he will stand, however, for God is able to make him stand” (Rom. 14:4)? You who are taught and instructed by him, you do not have the power of judging and reproving him; as the blessed Apostle Paul said: “Do not judge before the time, until the Lord comes, who will illuminate the hidden things of darkness, and will manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then each will have his praise from God” (1 Cor. 4:5). He who judges him is the Lord. And again the Lord: “Do not judge, that you may not be judged” (Matt. 7:1). You, according to the rule, render to him the honor that is his due; do not cease to give the firstfruits of the fruits and what you owe to the Church. Do not curiously inquire into the matters in which these are spent. But if you have attempted to judge him in this matter, look rather into your own vessel, and examine yourself, whether you have any evil in your conscience, and whether that condemns you. I do not say that you should explore the works of all your years, but of one day only: diligently search how you spent the day; whether you accused anyone, whether your eye was scandalized by anything, whether you despised the poor, whether you mocked your neighbor, whether you struck anyone. See whether you did not injure your own soul in these things. If you are pure from all these, keep your purity to yourself; for even then it would not be good to accuse either a presbyter or anyone else. But you will say, "He has committed fornication, and I have not." But you have stolen from the goods of your neighbor, and you have seized the property of the poor; let each consider his own evil works; do not pass over your own, while you explore those of your neighbor. If, however, anyone does not obey what has been said, but turns his tongue against a presbyter or another, let him expect that he will receive the same retribution. If you, while doing these things, search after what belongs to your neighbor, Christ will say to you, “Hypocrite, cast the beam out of your own eye first, and then you will see to cast the mote out of your brother’s eye” (Matt. 7:5). Be concerned about your own sins; and do not judge the one about whom you have no command to judge. Furthermore, the presbyter ought to be thus disposed toward the people: first, that he should pray for them from his whole soul; let him protect until death those who are unjustly injured, and it is necessary that he lay down his soul for the flock; he ought to help those who are in necessity, comfort the afflicted, and not remember injuries at all; for a presbyter mindful of injuries sins daily, a presbyter mindful of injuries never offers a pure prayer to God, while there is wickedness in his heart. Unless you are reconciled with your neighbor, and unless you put aside your wickedness, do not ascend to the throne. Remember this command of the Lord: “If you offer your gift at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, go, first be reconciled to your brother, and then coming, offer your gift” (Matt. 5:23, 24). Do not transgress the Lord’s command, lest you be condemned; do not meditate guile; do not exalt one and depress another. Do not honor the rich because he occupies the first seats; but despise the poor, who cannot offer you gifts: but let us maintain equality toward all. Do not quickly admit an accusation; do not tolerate vain rumors; let no one be condemned from hearsay: many are accused through envy and strife. But if after much investigation you find someone sinning, do not immediately reprove him before all, lest you give him occasion to respect no one. For two evils result from such a rebuke: for those who have been rebuked, not bearing the shame and disgrace, turn themselves to something worse, and when they are reproved out of season, they run to the noose and to death. Such is the devil; he suggests to man that he should perform evil; he also suggests another thing to be done, and when the deed is performed, he mocks him. He prepares proofs and accusers, who would accuse him in his calamity, and turn him to insanity, so that not bearing the shame, he runs to the rivers and nooses. Because of temptations of this kind, he to whom Christ’s flock is entrusted ought to be mild, so that he may seek out sinners with much caution, and when he has caught them, let him not immediately cast them out of the Church, lest by reproving him, the devil make him his own. When, however, someone has been cast out of the Church by the high priest, the devil takes hold of him, nor does he depart from him until he has attached him to himself. A priest should not frequently excommunicate or curse. When these things...