819 A to make him a faithful man, as he says concerning Lazarus: “Father, glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee.” And a voice came from heaven saying: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again” (John 12:28). “I know that thou hearest me always; but because of the multitude standing by I said it, that they may believe that thou didst send me.” If, therefore, he endured anything, it was not for his own sake, nor for the sake of his Father, but that he might save the human race through the cross. And if you desire to know, beloved, the power of the cross, and how many things I could say to its praise, hear: The cross is the hope of Christians, the cross is the resurrection of the dead, the cross is the guide of the blind, the cross is the hope of those in despair, the cross is the way for the erring, the cross is the avenger of those who have suffered injury, the cross is the staff of the lame, the cross is the consolation of the poor, the cross is the bridle for the rich, the cross is the suppression of the proud, the cross is the repentance of those who live wickedly, the cross is a trophy against demons, the cross is the destruction of the devil, the cross is the teacher of infants, the cross is the support of the destitute, the cross is the pilot of those who sail, the cross is the harbor for those tossed by the storm, the cross is a wall for the obsessed, the cross is the father of orphans, the cross is the defender of widows, the cross is the judge of the unrighteous, the cross is the column of the righteous, the cross is the rest of the afflicted, the cross is the guardian of infants, the cross is the head of men, the cross is the end for the elders, the cross is light for those sitting in darkness, the cross is the magnificence of kings, the cross is the humanity of the barbarians, the cross is the freedom of slaves, the cross is the wisdom of the unlearned, the cross is the law of the unrighteous, the cross is the preaching of the prophets, the cross is the announcement of the apostles, the cross is the boast of martyrs, the cross is the exercise of monks, the cross is the chastity of virgins, the cross is the joy of priests, the cross is the foundation of the Church, the cross is the security of the world, the cross is the destruction of temples and altars, the cross is the B chasing away of the stench of sacrifices, the cross is the scandal of the Jews, the cross is the ruin of the impious, the cross is the strength of the infirm, the cross is the physician of the sick, the cross is the cleansing of lepers, the cross is the strengthening of the paralyzed, the cross is the bread of the hungry, the cross is the fountain of the thirsty, the cross is the clothing of the naked: but when I say nakedness, do not imagine it to be of the body, but rather the nakedness of faith. But when you have become a believer and have been baptized, then you shall be called clothed; and hear Paul saying: “As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). But when you hear “Christ,” understand it not as God only, nor only his dispensation in the flesh, but both. For I have often said, and I shall not cease to say: For it is not wearisome for me to say it, and for you C it is safe. He is called Jesus, because he clothed himself in flesh; he is called Christ, which name is of his flesh; he is called the Word, because he is the word of God from God; he is called the Son, because he is from the Father; he is called the Only-begotten, because he is the only one from the only God; he is called God, because he is the Creator. For hear John saying: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This was in the beginning with God; all things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:1–3). Do you see that this is he who by a word extended the heaven, and adorned the varied multitude of the stars, and decorated the earth to the likeness of a meadow? This is he who gave light to the sun alone, and defined its course; this is he who determined the moon to the setting; this is he who founded the earth upon the waters; this is he who commanded the earth to produce the herb of the hay, and the fountains to spring forth as waters, the rivers to flow, the lakes to gather together; and he set a boundary to the sea by the sand, and commanded D the waters to bring forth living souls, and the winds to blow; he who weighed the mountains in a balance, commanded the clouds to move, and the insects, quadrupeds, reptiles, and birds to run about upon the earth. But what shall I say of the angels, of the archangels, Thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim, Principalities and Powers, orders, times, years, months, weeks, days, and hours and nights, of light, of darkness, and of the substance of things? But finally, he created man according to his own image and likeness, and placed him in paradise. And seeing the human race overcome by the malice of the devil, he wished to clothe himself in our first fruits, and to affix them to the cross, so that, just as the transgression was through the tree, so again there might be salvation through the tree. And incited by envy, the devil, because he himself had been cast out of heaven while Adam was dwelling in paradise, used the serpent as a certain tool, and through it he acted, and thus he spoke for the first time to those dwelling in paradise: for being incorporeal, he could not speak with those who were corporeal. And he said to Eve: “This tree is good and beautiful to eat of,” and, “In whatever day you eat from it, you shall be like gods” (Gen. 3:5–6), knowing all things. Therefore, when he had persuaded Eve, he deceived her; then she persuaded her husband, and they ate from the tree. And when they had eaten, they appeared naked: then God said to Adam, “Where art thou?” (Gen. 3:9). When you hear “Where art thou?”, do not attribute ignorance to God; but he said “Where art thou?” because the devil had said to them, “On the day you eat, you shall be as gods”; as if they thought they would become gods, for that reason God said to him, “Adam, where art thou?” That is to say, “Have you eaten, and yet remained a man? Did I not command you not to eat from this tree? But you ate, and have transgressed.” This is what “Where art thou?” means. And they were covered with fig leaves, veiling the face of sin. And what does Adam say? “I heard thy voice walking in paradise, and I was hidden” (Gen. 3:10). And he said, “Why have you done this?” (Gen. 3:13). Then Adam said to God: “The woman, whom thou gavest to be with me, she seduced me” (Gen. 3:12). Then to Eve, “Who has done this?” What indeed did she say? “The serpent beguiled me.” O Eve, granted, I gave you to the man, but did I give you to the serpent? They excused themselves, wishing to escape the punishment; then God said to Adam: “Cursed be the earth in thy works; thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread.” Then to the woman: “In sorrows thou shalt bring forth children; I will multiply thy sorrows; and thy conversion shall be toward thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” Then to the serpent: “Upon thy breast and thy belly shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life, and man shall rule over thee, and he shall watch thy head, and thou shalt watch his heel” (Gen. 3:14 ff.). But why did he curse the serpent that it should walk upon its breast and belly, and eat earth all the days of its life? He cursed the breast, because in it consists the heart, which devised evil; the belly, because through food he seduced; he ordered it to eat earth all the days of its life, because Adam was earthly from the earth. Therefore, three received the sentence, since three also had transgressed. Since the transgression had arisen from the tree, as I said before, for that reason he wished to affix these first fruits to the tree, so that just as the transgression was through the tree, so there might be salvation through the tree. Let us offer glory for all these things to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and to the ages of ages. Amen.