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1. Homily 1 is about love.

SELECTIONS FROM DIFFERENT WORDS[1]

CONVERSATION 1

O LOVE Our God, the lover of mankind, desiring to unite all by mutual bonds, beloved, has put into human affairs such a law that the benefit of one is necessarily combined with the benefit of the other. Thus the farmer does not sow as much as is necessary for himself, otherwise he would have destroyed himself and others long ago, and the warrior takes up arms against danger, not only to save himself, but to bring safety to the cities, and the merchant brings not as much as is necessary for himself, but for many others. If people were not placed in such a necessity, they would not want to seek the benefit of their neighbor; wherefore God united all things in this way, and did not allow them to attain their own benefit except by the benefit of others. There is no other way to be saved, and if you exercise even the highest wisdom, and do not care for others who are perishing, then you will not have any boldness before God. "If I give away all my possessions," says the divine Apostle, "and give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:3). But if you wish to know what weapons are acquired by one who draws to himself brethren, even if they are sometimes unbelievers, or who is meek, calm, and pleasant in his manners, then listen to what this blessed Paul himself says, appearing before the unfaithful judge: "I count myself happy," having to be judged "before thee" (Acts 26:2). He did not say this with the aim of flattering him, no, but wishing to achieve benefit through such meekness. In part, he achieved it - he who had hitherto been considered a defendant captured the judge; and the captive himself testifies to this victory in a clear voice in the presence of all, saying: "Thou hast not persuaded me to become a Christian" (Acts 26:28). What about Paul? "I pray to God that not only you, but all those present "may be made like me" (Acts 26:29). When, then, he demands such a great measure, and we cannot imagine even less, shall we be worthy of any forgiveness? And do not think that needing the help of another is something shameful; this is a matter of the ineffable wisdom of God. If we are in need of one another, and even this necessity of mutual help does not bind us together in bonds of friendship, then if we could satisfy our own needs, would we not become indomitable beasts? By power and necessity God has subdued us to one another, and we are daily confronted with one another. If God were to remove this bridle, who would seek the friendship of his neighbor? That is why God has given us one dwelling - this world, He has kindled one lamp for all - the sun, He has spread over us one roof - the sky, and He has given us one table - the earth.

And just as you could not say, Whence do I have kinship and intimacy with him? "Because it would be ridiculous, and you could not say the same about your brother. Let him not be your kinsman, nor your friend; but he is a man who has the same nature as you, the same Lord, and lives in the same world. In the discourse of money, we praise those who owe nothing; but in the discourse of love we praise and honor those who are always in debt. Let us be confirmed in this truth and unite with one another; and if anyone wants to fall away, do not fall away yourself, and do not say these cold words: if he loves me, I love him; but if the right eye does not love me, then I pluck it out. On the contrary, when he doesn't want to love, then show even more love to attract him - after all, he is a dick. When, by some necessity, the member is separated from the rest of the body, we do everything to reunite it with the body, and we show special care for it. If God commands us to invite to the feast those who cannot repay us, so that the recompense may increase, how much more should we do so in the discussion of friendship. He who, being loved by you, loves in return, already gives you a reward; but he who, being loved, does not love you, makes God your debtor in his place. And, besides, when he loves you, it takes a little effort; but when he does not love, then there is a need for your help. Do not do that which ought to be the cause of solicitude, the cause of carelessness, and do not say, Because he is sick, I despise him; This disease is the cooling of love: warm what is cool. After all, the desire to be loved strongly comes from strong love. When we are not particularly disposed towards someone, we do not need close friendship with him, even if he be a great and famous man; but when we love someone ardently and sincerely, even if the loved one be an insignificant and small person, we consider it the greatest honor that love which he inspires in us. If you do not know how to use your brother, will you ever be able to make good use of someone else's? If you do not know how to handle your own member, will you ever be able to attract and unite with yourself the outsider? Do you want people not to speak ill of you? Therefore, do not speak ill of others yourself. Do you want to be praised? Praise others too. Do you want to be pitied? Show your regret yourself. Do you want to be forgiven? Goodbye yourself. Do you want not to be kidnapped from you? Don't steal it yourself. Let us treat our neighbors as we want them to treat us. Just as a soul without a body is not called a man, just as a body without a soul is not called a person, so is love for God if it is not accompanied by love for one's neighbor. Do you want to serve so-and-so? I do not hinder; but let it not be to the grief of the other. For we have not been given teachers to be at enmity with one another, but so that all may be in union with one another. Why are you alone? Why don't you make many friends? Why are you not the creator of love? Why do you not establish friendship, that greatest praise for virtue? Just as to be in agreement with the evil especially irritates God, so to be in agreement with the good especially pleases Him. Do not be with many in wickedness; Prepare your friends before your home, above all else. If the peacemaker is the son of God, how much more is he who makes friends? If only the one who reconciles is called the son of God, then what reward will not be worthy of him who makes the reconciled friends? The devil urges us to be enemies of all, and God commands us to consider everyone friends and to love; He who nailed us to clay and clay (and such is wealth)

After this, is it not utter folly on our part not to love the Lord so meek and abounding in such blessings, but to enslave an ungrateful and cruel tyrant, who neither here nor there can be of any benefit to those who obey and are devoted to him? So, do not murmur for my words. And I would say of him who loves me that he does not only praise me, but when he rebukes me in order to correct me, and then he especially loves me. To praise indiscriminately everything, good and bad, is characteristic not of a friend, but of a flatterer and a mocker; on the contrary, to praise for a good deed and to reproach for a misdeed is the duty of a friend and well-wisher. Therefore the enemy is disagreeable to me, and when he praises me; but a friend is pleasant, even when he reproaches me. Though he kisses me, he is disgusting; this one, though he hurts me, is kind. "Sincere," it is said, "are the reproaches of him that loves, and false are the kisses of him that hates" (Proverbs 27:6). One, whether rightly or wrongly reproaches, does it not in order to shame, but in order to correct; another, even if he justly reproaches, reproaches not in order to correct, but in an effort to dishonor as soon as possible. Thus, beloved, nothing can compare with unanimity; At the same time, one is equal to many. If, for example, two or ten are unanimous, then one ceases to be one, and each of them becomes ten times larger, and you will find one in ten, and ten in one. If they have an enemy, he attacks more than one, and is defeated as if he had attacked ten. If one is poor, he is not in poverty, because the impoverished part is covered by the greater part. Each of them has twenty arms, twenty eyes, and as many legs; each has ten souls, because he does everything not only with his own members, but also with the rest. If there were a hundred of them, it would be the same again. One and the same can be in Persia and in Rome, and what nature cannot do, the power of love can. If he has a thousand or two thousand friends, consider to what extent his strength will increase. It's wonderful, indeed, to make a thousand out of one! Why do we not acquire the power of love and establish ourselves in security? How long shall we limit it to one or two? He who has friends, even if he is poor, becomes much richer than the rich: what he does not dare to say for himself, a friend will say for him; what he cannot deliver to himself, he will achieve through another. It is impossible for one who is guarded by so many squires to suffer any evil: the king's bodyguards are not so vigilant as these. The former guard out of need and fear, and the latter out of benevolence and love. At the same time, the king fears his guards, and a man who has friends trusts them more than himself. And, besides, is there any wall so indestructible, so fortified by a collection of huge stones, so inaccessible to the attacks of enemies, as the union of those who love each other and are united among themselves by unanimity? It reflects the wiles of the devil himself; And quite naturally. Rebelling against him in alliance with each other, such people become invincible by his tricks, and erect brilliant trophies of love. And as the strings of the lyre, though numerous, but tuned in accord, resound with the most pleasant sound, so also, united by unanimity, they emit the euphonious voice of love. After all, there is nothing more delightful than love. What will not a sincere friend do? What pleasure will it not give, what benefit, what security? Even if you point out thousands of treasures, nothing can compare with a sincere friend. Just as shining bodies spread their splendor to nearby places, so friends, wherever they appear, scatter their favor everywhere. It is better, therefore, to live in darkness than without friends. Fever does not burn the body as much as separation from loved ones burns the soul. The passion of love is such that it makes us daily imagine those who are dear to us, when they are not with us, but absent; it distracts the soul of the lover from all those who are present and binds it to one beloved. If, however, he who sees the beloved, or even only remembers him, becomes cheerful in soul and lofty in thought, and, delighting in the remembrance, bears everything easily, then he who has in his thoughts Him who was pleased to truly love us, and who remembers Him, will he ever feel any sorrow, or fear anything terrible and dangerous? Of course, never! If, taking advantage of the love of strong people, we are frightening to everyone, then it is much more so when we are loved by God. And even if it were necessary to give money for this love, or body, or soul itself, we will not spare it. It is not enough to say only in words that we love, but it is necessary to present proof of our love in deeds, since He Himself showed His love not only in words, but also in deeds.

Let us, therefore, not care for our own advantages in order to actually take care of them, but let us neglect them in order to acquire them. If we neglect them, God will take care of them; and if we take care of them ourselves, then God will neglect them. If anyone wants to love sincerely and know the power of love, then let him hasten to her pet, Blessed Paul, and he will teach him how great is the feat to endure separation from the beloved, and how great a soul is required for this.