ON PRAYER
A ... B ... C ... D ... judgment? If you speak the truth regarding fasting, have joy in fasting; if you are pained, you wrong yourself; if you sorrow, you do not rejoice; if you pursue like one deprived of good things, you do not attain the good things. Jesus has been crucified for you, and He did not resent it, but rather even hastened to suffer; and do you not endure a small fast for your own salvation? O man, I do not have such power to cry out as I ought. Jesus is crucified; look, and beat your breast, bring down a tear from your eyes. He is crucified for you; be crucified with Him, be glorified with Him—not that you may die, but that you may be delivered from death. This is the day of Preparation, the day in which the cross was planted for you; and you, be crucified with Him, die with Him. For the word is concerning God, God who became man for you. Do we not respect the value? Do we not blush at the passion? Consider both, O man: who He was, and what He suffered. The Judge is judged, and Life is delivered to death; and He who feeds is hungry, and He who waters is thirsty; and He who is in glory is in dishonor, and the King is under a governor, and God is condemned by men; He who is true in speaking. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son; by whom is He who judges all things judged? These things are sufficient for you, O man, for a reminder of fasting. For it is necessary first to know in what state we are, and then to examine our affairs. When we love fasting and are well disposed regarding it, as those dancing at a feast, and at the banquets in fasts, we shall set forth the mysteries of fasting, honoring the Lord's table with the servants of the Lord, the glory before the ages, His economy in the latter times: who He was, and what He became, from where He came, and over what people He visited, and why: that, as those rejoicing and making others rejoice, we may have this fasting always, serving the Lord of fasting, thanking Him from everywhere, and always glorifying, always loving Him who loved us, and worshipping Him who took upon Himself our sins, and dying for Him who died, and hoping to be glorified with Him who was dishonored. And to the most holy Father, who deemed us worthy of the present fast, and who did not spare His own Son for our salvation, through Him who came let us send up glory to the Sender, together with the life-giving Spirit, now and always, and to the ages of the ages. Amen.
ON PRAYER
Come, all you, brothers, let us recognize Him who made us, our Lord Jesus Christ, the good and philanthropic and merciful One, who does not desire the death of the sinner, but that he should turn back and live. All you, watch and be ready, because you do not know at what hour our Lord comes; come, hear Him saying: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2). Finally, brothers, since the judgment is at the doors, there is need of many tears, of much lamentation, of much prayer; prayer not done today and tomorrow. For prayer is an inexhaustible treasure of every good thing, a harbor without storm, an occasion for tranquility, a dispensary for the soul; prayer is psalmody, sanctification of soul and body and, simply to speak, prayer is what opens the gates of heaven, it brings every man to God, small and great, rich and poor, and he who prays throughout every day with his whole soul is made greater than the angels. But what is this cold argument of the many? I am a sinner, he says, and without boldness, filled with shame, and I am not able to look up and see the height of heaven, because I have sinned much both in words and in works and in thought, and I have spent every day and hour of my life in dissipation, and with what face or boldness shall I enter into the church? How shall I open my evil and unclean mouth? How shall I move my lips, or for which of my wicked deeds shall I first entreat God? Are you thus saying these satanic words? Learn whom Christ calls, having come upon the earth: the righteous, or sinners? For He says thus: "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matt. 9:13). I am a sinner, he says, and how shall I enter into the church that I may become righteous? You speak well; because I hear, and I do not keep; and what is the benefit to me? And I say to you again: whether you keep it or do not keep it, only enter into the church, hear the divine Scriptures, hear the reading. I know truly that if you enter into the church, and hear the divine Gospels, and the teachers, the apostles, and the divine fathers, even if you have a heart of stone, even if you have the mind and ferocity of a beast, sooner or later and easily you will be pricked. Are you a sinner? Enter into the church, fall down, weep, lament, groan, shed tears. Have you sinned? Confess your sins to God; say only, "I have sinned"; say it to God who knew it before your birth; say it to God who examines hearts and kidneys; say it here, so that you may not be shamed and convicted there by myriads of angels and men. Tell me, what is better: here in the church to confess to God alone and to your spiritual father, or there to be publicized by so many myriads? Are you a sinner? Say only—I ask nothing else of you—only groan. What necessity is there for this? What affliction? What expenditure of money? What difficulty in saying only, "I have sinned"? But you say, "I am ashamed." Wretched and miserable one, when you were committing the sin, you were not ashamed, and when you want to repent and be saved, you are ashamed? When you were engaging with the harlot, the evil one, and doing an evil deed, you were not ashamed, and now you are ashamed? When you were sinning, when you were committing fornication and adultery, you were not ashamed; and when you repent and want to be saved, then you are ashamed? Because you were seizing the things of others, because you were oppressing widows and...
tery, you were not ashamed; and when you repent and want to be saved, then you are ashamed? Because you were seizing the things of others, because you were oppressing widows and despisers of the poor, you were not ashamed, and now you are ashamed? Because you were swearing by the tremendous name of God, because you were testifying falsely, because you were perjuring yourself, because you were committing every evil and all the wicked deeds that God hates, you were not ashamed, and now you are ashamed? O what a Lord, good man, we have, whom we neglect, and we are not converted! Christ advises: Do not steal, do not fornicate, do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not testify falsely; honor your father and your mother, love your neighbor as yourself; be meek, good, merciful, patient, be without strife; be peaceful, that you may be worthy of the kingdom of heaven; and there is no one who understands, no one who obeys, no one who pays attention. The devil suggests the contrary, saying: Be an adulterer, kill, perjure, steal, be inhuman, blasphemous, unmerciful, harsh, a corrupter; be greedy, a hater of men, nay, even a hater of God; be deceitful, unjust, desirous of riches; be rapacious, slanderous, a reviler, a brawler, a perjurer: and we know how many there are who do all these things, obeying him because, as servants bound by hands and feet, so we run and are subject by nature. Lo, we have spent our whole youth with demons: lo, we have grown old, and have become accustomed to sins. We cannot do good to obtain the kingdom of heaven: but the devil offers fire and eternal punishment, and we run to him. What shall we do for you, O man? What do you want? What do you desire? Whether to be with Christ, or to be with demons? Do you want to be with Christ? Finally put an end to delights and pleasures, and also to fornication, theft, drunkenness: make an end of seizing the things of others, make an end of mocking, of lying, of exalting yourself. Let no one deceive you; for no one of those who are such will enter into the kingdom of heaven. But if you desire to be with demons, if you wish to enter into the gehenna of fire, do as you wish, whatever life you desire to mention, no one will prevent you; choose for yourself the world, its shameful concupiscences, fornication, adultery, drunkenness, intemperance, every diabolical pleasure, no one hinders. For the gospels do not persuade you, the law does not render you more temperate, the prophets do not instruct you, the apostles do not bring you to shame, the admonitions of the fathers do not help you, the fellowship of the brethren does not avert you: you have become altogether shameless, the face of a harlot has become yours. Finally, receive your good things in your life: but there look for neither salvation nor inheritance in the future day of Christ. For the hour fails you, when naked and deserted you will stand before the tribunal of Christ, made a spectacle to angels and men. There you will appear as you are: there all your iniquity will be refuted: God is not mocked: and then you will hear that sad voice: Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the outer darkness: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. xxii, 13). Who, finally, will not flee from such a man? Who will not deplore him who for a temporary pleasure will be tormented eternally? Do not err, God is not mocked; it is written: Neither fornicators, nor revilers, nor the greedy, nor the drunkards, nor the unjust, nor the effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor idolaters, nor the blasphemous, nor lovers of money, nor any such person has an inheritance in the kingdom of heaven (I Cor. vi, 9, 10). Thinking on all these things, brethren, let us abstain from such evil deeds, and let us not delay to do penance with our whole soul, that we may escape from the future wrath, and attain to heavenly and eternal goods: which may it be granted to us all to attain, by the grace and kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom is glory to the Father together with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.
I CAME TO SEND FIRE UPON THE EARTH (Luke xii, 49); AND, I CAME NOT TO SEND PEACE, BUT A SWORD (Matt. x, 34).
Mothers who love their offspring, until infants arrive at a greater age, open to them the fountains of milk which they may suck, and soothe them with this perennial nourishment; but when they have arrived at a greater age and sense, so that they can chew more delicate foods with their teeth, first they introduce into their mouth bread that is harder and crushed, and tender like marrow. Such are the teachers of the Church. For those who are as infants in sense, they do not pose difficult sentences, but like mothers, letting down the breast of understanding, they bring forth simple words, which they may suck; then when they are endowed with greater intelligence, they reveal to them greater mysteries of sentences. Paul also used to do this: for to those who were still infants, he said: I gave you milk to drink, not food (I Cor. iii, 2). In the same way also today our Lord carries Himself: for tempering the evangelical senses according to the capacity of the hearers, in past days, as to infants, He brought forth to us the tender and easily grasped food of the word; but now seeing us increased in sense, He grants us to enjoy a stronger doctrine. For what does He say? I came to send fire upon the earth; and, I came not to send peace, but a sword. But those who are infants in mind think that the Lord came to consume all things with fire, and to slaughter all with the sword. But come, let us also, who have thought the same as the infants, talk with the Lord with the very words of the Lord, so that we may deliver the sayings of the Lord to the infants. I came to send fire upon the earth. Have You come to send fire upon the earth, Lord, and have You not come to send peace, but a sword? Sin besieged us, death ruled over us, You threatened us with gehenna; the army of wicked demons was waging war against us, and we were awaiting You as our helper, warned by the prophets; and after You came, You say, I came to send fire upon the earth, and, I came not to send peace, but a sword? The trophy of faith was not present for us, we were not able to repel the line of the devil: for the shield of faith was not present for us: by the breastplate of our justice the devil had stripped Adam in paradise; therefore we, each of us, stripped of aid, were crying out to You: Judge, O Lord, those who injure me, fight against those who attack me: take hold of weapons and shield, and arise in my help: pour out the sword, and close against those who pursue me: say to my soul, I am your salvation (Ps. xxxiv, 1-3). You say, I came to send fire upon the earth, and, I came not to send peace, but a sword? And where is the supplication of the saints, sent forth to You for peace: namely, O Lord our God, give us peace? For You gave us all things. We sought peace, we needed tranquility, we did not want war, we shuddered at it; and You, coming, say, I came not to send peace, but a sword? He armed a heavy army of wicked demons against us; slaughtering us all with the double-edged sword of sin, he was casting us into hell. Therefore we ask mercy from You, the whole chorus of saints was calling upon You saying: You who rule Israel, give ear, You who lead Joseph like a sheep, You who sit upon the Cherubim, manifest Yourself: stir up Your power, and come, to save us (Ps. lxxix, 2, 3). You say, I came not to send peace, but a sword? And where is Your promise by which You said: Behold, I will incline toward them like a river of peace, and like a torrent...