1. Yesterday's discourse [in the previous discourse on the Book of Genesis nothing was said about the Samaritan woman; it must be thought that between the 43rd and 44th discourse on the Book of Genesis, St. Chrysostom delivered a special discourse on the Samaritan] about the Samaritan woman sufficiently showed us both the ineffable long-suffering of the Lord, and His special care for her, and her gratitude. You saw how she, having come to draw sensual water, was watered by divine streams from a spiritual source, and thus returned home, having fulfilled in herself the saying of the Lord: "The water that I will give him shall become in him a fountain of water springing up into eternal life" (John 4:14). Herself filled with this divine and spiritual source, she did not restrain the streams within herself, but from her abundance, so to speak, poured out the grace of the gift given to her on the inhabitants of the city, and the woman, a Samaritan, a foreigner, suddenly became a preacher. You have seen how important spiritual gratitude is, you have also seen the Lord's love for mankind, how He despises no one, but at least in a woman, even in a poor person, in whom He only finds a vigilant and flaming soul, He immediately communicates His grace to him. Therefore, I urge you, let us also imitate this woman and receive the promptings of the Spirit with full attention, because the teaching we expound does not belong to us, and our tongue does not speak of itself what we say, but through us the love of the Lord works for your benefit and for the building up of the Church of God. Therefore, beloved, do not look at me who speaks, and at my poverty, but since I offer the words of the Lord, then, directing your mind to Him who sent me, thus receive my words with attention. For even in human affairs, when a king, clothed with a diadem, sends a letter, even if the one who brought it in himself was of no importance, there was a man of no importance, and sometimes one who could not count any of his ancestors, who was himself unknown and of unknown origin, yet those who receive a letter do not pay attention to it, and, for the sake of the royal letter, and he is given great honor, and the letter from him is received with great fear and reverence. If, therefore, he who brings a letter from a man, and a simple charter at that, is thus received from all, how much more justly should you receive with full attention the utterances of the Spirit, which are delivered to you through us, in order to receive you a reward for the good disposition of your heart. And the Lord of all, as soon as He sees the readiness of your soul, He will send down upon us the most abundant gifts for your edification, and He will give you greater understanding, so that you may understand the instructions. The grace of the Spirit is abundant and, being poured out on all, does not suffer any diminution in itself, but is even more multiplied in the very division between many, and the more those who partake of grace, the more abundant its gifts become. And so, if you wish, let us turn today to the order of our previous conversations and see where we have stopped at the word, and from where it is necessary to begin it today. To what have we first brought the word and where did we stop the teaching? We talked with you about Lot and the burning of Sodom, and we stopped talking about how this righteous man was saved in Zoar. "The sun rose on the earth," says the Scriptures, "and Lot came to Zoar," and then the wrath of God overtook the inhabitants of Sodom and destroyed that land, and the wife of the righteous man, forgetting what the angels had said to her and looking back, turned into a pillar of salt and for subsequent generations became forever a monument to her inattention. Today, continuing further, it is necessary for us to converse with your love about what you can again see the compassion and love of the forefather (Abraham) and God's favor towards him. When, at sunrise, the righteous Lot was saving himself in Zoar, and the inhabitants of Sodom were being executed, the forefather, at the same time regretting their destruction, which they had suffered for their own iniquities, and being very concerned about the righteous (Lot), went out early in the morning to see what had happened. "And Abraham arose," says the Scriptures, "early in the morning, and went to the place where he stood before the face of the Lord, and looked to Sodom and Gomorrah and to all the country round about, and saw, behold, smoke was rising up from the earth like smoke from a furnace" (Gen. 19:27-28). From the place where he had a conversation with the Lord and interceded for the inhabitants of Sodom, he saw the traces of this terrible plague and wanted to know something about Lot. Such is the characteristic of holy men that they are always loving and compassionate. And the Divine Scriptures, in order to show us how the grace of the Spirit immediately communicated to him the knowledge of what he wanted to know, and freed the righteous man from the care he had for Lot, says: "When God was destroying the cities of the surrounding country, God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of destruction" (Gen. 19:29). What does it mean: "God remembered Abraham"? Of course, the intercession that he expressed in the words: "Will You destroy the righteous with the wicked?" (Gen. 18:23). How is it, someone will ask, that the righteous man (Lot) was saved through the intercession of his forefather, and not because of his own righteousness? Yes, and at the intercession of the forefather. When we ourselves deserve, then the intercession of the righteous is of great benefit to us. On the contrary, if we ourselves are negligent and place all the hope of our salvation in them alone (the righteous), then it will not be better for us, not because the righteous are powerless, but because we destroy ourselves by our own negligence.

2. And so that you may know that when we ourselves are negligent, even if the righteous or the prophets are our intercessors, it is of no use to us (their virtue is revealed, of course, in this case, but it will not benefit us at all because of our own bad life), listen to how the God of all things says to the prophet Jeremiah, sanctified from the womb (mother): "Thou shalt not pray for this people, for I will not hear thee" (Jeremiah 7:16). Notice the Lord's love for mankind: He warns the prophet about this, so that he, not being heard in his prayers, will not think that it came from his own fault. Wherefore he reveals to him beforehand the wickedness of the people, and forbids them to pray (for them), so that the prophet himself may know their [the Jews'] utter wickedness, and they too may learn that the prophet will not help them in the least if they themselves do not want to do their own work. Knowing this, beloved, let us, of course, have recourse to the intercession of the saints and ask them to pray for us, but let us not rely only on their intercession, but let us properly fulfill our duties and take care of our correction, so that the intercessions (of the saints) for us do not lose their validity. Likewise, in another place, the Lord says to the prophet: "Do you not see what they are doing," burning fat and making "cakes for the goddess of heaven" (Jeremiah 7:17-18); as if God were saying: Do you pray to Me for such people, who do not lag behind their wickedness, who do not in the least feel the sickness that holds them, and live so carelessly? Do you not see their extreme negligence? Do you not see their great folly? How is it that they have not yet had enough of wickedness, and, like pigs in a swamp, have sunk in their iniquities? If they were disposed to conversion, did they not hear constant admonitions? Do I not call upon them through the prophets, and say, "And after she had done all these things, I said, Return unto me; but did not return" (Jeremiah 3:7)? Is this not the only thing I demand, that they should turn away from wickedness and cease evil? Do I demand an account for past deeds? How soon do I see that people want to repent of them? Do I not cry out every day and say, "Do I desire the death of the wicked? Is it not that he should turn from his ways and live?" (Ezek. 18:23)? Do I not do everything for this purpose, that I may deliver from destruction those who are carried away by error? Do I hesitate when I see their conversion? Did I not say, You will cry out, and He will say, Here I am? (Isaiah 58:9). Do they desire their own salvation as much as I care that all people may be saved and "come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4)? Was it for this reason that I brought you out of non-existence, to destroy you? Did He prepare in vain the kingdom (of heaven) and innumerable, unspeakable blessings? Did not Gehenna also threaten in order to induce everyone to strive for the kingdom (of heaven) by this means? Therefore, blessed prophet, leave them, and do not lift up prayers to Me for them, but take care only to heal their illness, to bring them to their senses of their infirmity, and to restore them to health; then I will do all that depends on Me. I do not delay or delay when I see a well-disposed soul; I demand only one thing – the confession of sins, and after that I no longer subject them to judgment. Is this My demand difficult and burdensome? If I didn't know that they were getting worse precisely because they didn't confess their former sins, then I wouldn't demand that. But I know that the human race is very prone to sin; That is why I wish that they confess their previous sins, so that such a confession would keep them from falling into the same sins again.

Reflecting on this, beloved, and imagining the love of our Lord for mankind, let us not be negligent, but, first of all, let us take care of ourselves, let us cleanse the filth of sin, and only then let us turn to the intercession of the saints. However, if we want to be sober and watchful, then our own prayers for ourselves will bring us the greatest benefit. Our Lord loves mankind, and does not so much listen when others pray to Him for us, as when we ourselves (pray for ourselves). Pay attention to the greatness of His goodness. He sees that we have fallen, that we have been subjected to dishonor, that we have no boldness (before Him); but when we rise up even a little and decide to resort to the riches of His love for mankind, He immediately hears our petitions, stretches out His hand to us, who are prostrated, lifts up the fallen, and cries: "Do they not rise when they fall" (Jeremiah 8:4)? But in order to prove to you from experience that many have been able to obtain what they wanted through their own prayers rather than through the petitions of others, it is necessary to present examples of those who have been vouchsafed this. These examples can also excite us to imitation and competition. Let us listen to how the Canaanite woman, a foreigner, who suffered in spiritual sorrow, when she saw the Physician of souls and the Sun of righteousness shining on those sitting in darkness, how, with what zeal, with what ardent zeal she approached Him, and neither the fact that she was a woman, nor the fact that she was a foreigner, restrained her, but, despising all these obstacles, she approached and said: "Have mercy on me, O Lord, my daughter is cruelly possessed" (Matt. 15:22). But the one who leads the innermost thoughts is silent and does not answer, does not dignify her with a word, and does not show compassion for a woman's infirmity, seeing her come to Him with such a cry. He hesitates, wanting to reveal to everyone the treasure hidden in it. He saw the hidden (in it) preciousness, and did not want it to remain unknown to us; therefore he hesitates and does not deign her to answer, so that the great firmness of this woman may become a lesson for all subsequent births. And see how ineffable is the goodness of God. "But He, says the Scriptures, answered her not" (Matt. 15:23). And the disciples, thinking to be more compassionate and loving to mankind than Him, do not dare to say directly: fulfill her request, have mercy on her, have mercy on her; But what do they say? "Let her go, for she cries after us" (Matt. 15:23), as if to say: deliver us from this document, free us from her cries. What about the Lord? Do you think, He says, that I am silent for no reason, and have not honored her with an answer? Listen: "I am sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 15:24). Do you not know that this woman is a foreigner? Do you not know that I also commanded you not to go into the way of the Gentiles? Why do you want to show her such compassion without testing? Look at the providential wisdom of God: and then, as He has already deigned to answer (to the cries of the woman), He smote her with His answer even more than with silence, and as it were inflicts a mortal blow on her, wishing little by little to force her to speak out in such a way that the disciples who did not know her would see the faith hidden in her. She did not lose heart, nor did she weaken in zeal, even when she saw that the disciples had not succeeded in doing more than her, and she did not say to herself, "If they also could not bow down (the Lord) by their intercession for me, why should I use vain efforts?" On the contrary, as if burning in fire, with her soul inflamed and her heart torn asunder, she approaches, bowing down and saying: "Lord, help me" (Matt. 15:25). But even after that He does not bow down to the woman's prayer, but gives an answer even harsher than before: "It is not good," he says, "to take the bread of the children and throw it to the dogs" (Matt. 15:26). Think, beloved, and marvel here at the strength of this soul and its extraordinary faith: when it heard the name of the dog, it was not offended, it did not retreat, but with great kind-heartedness said: "Yes, Lord! but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters" (Matt. 15:27). I confess that I am a dog; vouchsafe me, like a dog, at least a grain of the meal. Do you see the faith and good humor of the woman? She took upon herself what was said (by the Lord), and immediately received what she wanted, and moreover she received it with great praise. What did Christ say to her? "Oh, woman! great is thy faith; be it done to you according to your desire" (Matt. 15:28). "O woman" is a saying that expresses wonder and contains great praise. Great faith, he says, thou hast shown; and you will have what you desire. See how abundant is the mercy of the Lord, and marvel at His wisdom. Could we not at first think that He was not compassionate when He rejected her in this way, and at first He did not even deign to answer this woman, and then with His first and second answers, as it were, He only drove away from Himself and rejected her who came to Him with such zeal? But by the end (of the deed) judge of the goodness of God. He wanted to glorify that woman, so he was so slow to fulfill her request. For if He had immediately listened to her, we would not have known all the virtue of this woman; and since He hesitated a little, we saw both the Lord's ineffable love for mankind and her wondrous faith.

4. We have thought it necessary to set forth all this narration in order that you may know that we have time to get what we want, not so much through the intercession of others, as by ourselves, if only we approach with diligence and increased attention. This woman, having even the disciples (of the Lord) as intercessors for herself, could not receive any success until she herself by her patience attracted to herself the love of the Lord. Likewise, the well-known parable of the friend who came at the wrong time at night and asked for three loaves of bread inspires the same thing. Here it is said: "If he does not arise and give to him because of his friendship with him, then because of his perseverance, he rises up and gives him as much as he asks" (Luke 11:8). And so, knowing the ineffable love of mankind of our Lord, let us turn to Him, revealing and, as it were, presenting before our own eyes each of our sins separately, at the same time asking forgiveness for former sins, so that, in the future, showing greater diligence (in good works), we may be worthy of His greater favor. Then let us return, if you will, to the order of our reading. "Lot, says the Scripture, went out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him, for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he dwelt in a cave, and his two daughters with him" (Gen. 19:30). The righteous man, still in great fear on the occasion of the plague that befell the inhabitants of Sodom, goes far away and settles "in grief," as it is said, with his daughters. He thus remained in perfect desert and solitude with only his two daughters, settling on a mountain. "And she said, says the Scripture, the eldest of the younger, 'Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth that would come to us according to the custom of all the earth; therefore let us give our father wine to drink, and let us sleep with him, and let us raise up a seed from our father" (Gen. 19:31-32). With reverence and great fear, beloved, let us listen to the stories of the Divine Scriptures. Nothing is written in it without purpose and in vain, but everything is for our benefit and for our good, although we do not understand anything else, because we cannot know everything exactly, and although we try as much as we can to expound the reasons for some (of the stories of the Scriptures), yet even then there remains in it much that is hidden, treasures hidden from us and unsearchable. See, therefore, how the Scriptures, while speaking of all things with clarity and giving us to understand the intention of the daughters of the righteous, provide a sufficient justification both for them and for the righteous man, that no one should condemn either the righteous man or his daughters on the occasion of such an event, as if such incest had arisen from intemperance. How does the Scripture justify the daughters of the righteous? "She said," said the eldest of the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man on earth who would come to us according to the custom of all the earth." Pay attention to the goal, and you will free them from all condemnation. They thought that everything in the world had completely perished and that there was no one left of the people; moreover, they also saw the old age of the father. Therefore they say, lest our race should cease away, and we should not be left without a name (and the ancients were most anxious to continue our race through the succession of generations), so that we, too, they say, should not be utterly destroyed, since our father is already inclined to old age, and we have no one to mate with, to spread our race and leave a seed after us,  — "Therefore," says one another, "lest this happen, let us give our father wine to drink"; Since our father himself will never tolerate hearing about this [i.e., about the intention of the daughters, which is revealed from the following words of the Holy Scriptures], let us use deception by means of wine. "And they gave their father wine to drink that night; and the eldest went in, and slept with her father: but he did not know when she lay down or when she arose" (Gen. 19:33). Do you see how the Divine Scripture justifies even the righteous, and moreover, not once, but also at another time? First, by the fact that his daughters deceived him with wine, it shows that otherwise they could not have persuaded their father to do so; and then, what happened, as I think, was arranged from above in such a way that, on account of deep sleep and darkness from wine, he did not know what had happened at all. Thus he was not condemned. Only those sins subject us to condemnation and punishment that we commit consciously and voluntarily; and of the righteous man, as you see, the Scriptures testify that he was completely "ignorant" of what had happened. But here again another question arises – regarding intoxication. And everything must be examined, so that no pretext (for slander) is left for the foolish and shameless. What shall we say about this also? That he was intoxicated not so much from intemperance as from spiritual sorrow.

5. Therefore, let no one dare to condemn the righteous man, or his daughters. And would it not be utter folly and foolishness to condemn those whom the Divine Scripture exempts from all condemnation, and even offers such an excuse for them, to condemn us, burdened with an immeasurable weight of sins, without listening to the words of the Apostle Paul, who says: "Who will accuse the elect of God?" Does God justify them (Romans 8:33)? And that this happened not simply and not without reason, but that the excessive sorrow of the soul, through the use of wine, brought him to complete insensibility, listen to what (the Scriptures) says further: "The next day the eldest said to the younger, 'Behold, I slept yesterday with my father; let us give him wine to drink this night also; and thou shalt come in, sleep with him, and we shall raise up a seed from our father" (Gen. 19:34). Do you see with what right thought they did this? "And they gave their father wine to drink that night also; And the youngest came in, and slept with him; and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose" (Gen. 19:35). See, beloved, how this whole incident was the work of divine providence, just as it was with the first-created man. As then, during his sleep, God, taking a part of his rib, did it completely insensible to him, and having created a woman from this rib, brought her to Adam, so it was done this time. And if the taking of the rib was insensible (for Adam), because God brought a frenzy upon him, how much more could it be in the present case. And what the Divine Scripture inspires there, saying: "And the Lord God made the man fall into a deep sleep" (Gen. 2:21), is also meant here by the words: "And he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. And both daughters of Lota became pregnant, he says further, from their father. And the eldest gave birth to a son, and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. And the youngest also bore a son, and called his name Ben-Ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day" (Gen. 19:36-38). Do you see that what happened was not the result of intemperance? And they gave names to those born that indicated the event itself, and in the names of the children, as if on some monuments, they inscribed the memory of what had happened, and at the same time they foreshadowed that from them and from those born of them would come nations, and numerous descendants. One, as it is said, will be the father of the Moabites, and the other the father of the Ammonites.

6. However, at that time it was still the initial and primitive time (of mankind), and since everyone wanted to preserve the memory of themselves through the continuation of their lineage, the daughters of the righteous also took so much care to do so. But now, when, by the grace of God, the state of faith has been exalted and, in the words of Blessed Paul, "the image of this world is already passing away" (1 Cor. 7:31), we must leave a memory for ourselves by good works, so that even after our departure from here, the superiority of our virtuous life will be a reminder and edification for those who look at us. Those who are virtuous and observe chastity not only in this life can be of very great benefit to those who look at them, but also after it. To convince yourself of this, consider how many centuries have passed until the present time, and whenever we soon wish to arouse in someone a zeal for chastity, we present as an example the handsome, beautiful, young Joseph, who in his prime showed such firmness in the preservation of chastity, and thus try to induce our hearers to imitate this righteous man. Is it possible, tell me, to be sufficiently amazed at this blessed (man)

And as if a dove escaped destruction from a hawk, so the righteous man escaped from the hands of that woman. It does not seem to me so much surprising that the three youths in the Babylonian furnace were conquerors of the fire, and that their bodies did not suffer in the least, as it is wondrous and extraordinary that this righteous man, cast into a furnace more terrible than that of Babylon — I speak of the lewdness of the Egyptian woman — remained untouched and came out of it, preserving the pure garment of chastity. However, do not be surprised, beloved; since he, on his part, used all his strength for this, he also had help from above, which helped him, quenched that flame, and in the midst of the furnace gave him dew from the Holy Spirit. Do you see how virtuous people, both being here and after their repose from here, are examples for us for our benefit? Now we have cited this righteous man (Joseph) as an example, so that everyone would follow him. Thus, let us all compete with him, let us rise above sensual deceptions, and, knowing that "our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world" (Ephesians 6:12), let us arm ourselves in this way. Imagining that we, clothed with a body, are forced to struggle with incorporeal forces, let us protect ourselves with spiritual weapons. Since we are clothed with flesh, but have a battle with invisible powers, the Lover of mankind the Lord has prepared for us an invisible weapon, so that by the power of this weapon we may be able to overcome the nature of our opponents. Thus, trusting in the power of this weapon, let us also use everything that is necessary on our part: then we will be able, protecting ourselves with this spiritual armor, to strike the devil in the very face. He cannot endure the lightning emanating from such a weapon, and even if he strives to resist it, his sight is immediately blinded. The grace of the Spirit is sent down in abundance where chastity, honesty, and other virtues are combined; therefore Paul said: "Strive to have peace with all, and holiness" (Rom. 12:18; Heb. 12:14). And so, I exhort you, let us cleanse our conscience and mind, so that, freed from every impure thought, we may attract the grace of the Spirit upon ourselves, overcome the wiles of the devil and be worthy of the enjoyment of eternal, ineffable blessings, which may we all be vouchsafed, through the grace and love of mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

DISCOURSE 45

"Abraham went up from there to the south and settled between Kadesh and Shur; and he was for a time in Gerar" (Gen. 20:1).

The importance for the preacher of the good will of the listeners towards him. - Abraham's settlement in the Gerar land and the fear of death; true marriage. — The divine deliverance of Sarah from disgrace and the justification of Abraham before Abimelech. — Fulfillment of the divine promise of the birth of a son to Sarah. — An exhortation to firm hope in God.

1. I rejoice to see that you are gathered together to hear (the word) and receive our teaching with great pleasure. And that is why I myself with great diligence try to offer you my meager and poor meal every day. Your increased zeal covers the poverty of the meal and gives the small the appearance of greatness. A similar thing can be seen in sensual foods. Thus, whoever receives guests who are already satiated, even if he offers them a multitude of viands, the gluttony of the guests reduces the price of the treat, so that even great things often seem not worth any price, because the guests approach the dishes without pleasure. On the contrary, whoever receives the hungry who have a strong desire for refreshments, even if he offers a meager meal, it seems great, since those who are treated eat with great pleasure what is offered. In the same way, we, confident in your spiritual hunger, do not hesitate to constantly offer our meal to your love, although simple and meager. Thus the Most Wise One said: "Better is a dish of greens, and love is with it, than a fattened bull, and hatred with it" (Proverbs 15:17), expressing that love looks differently at what is offered, that to its eyes even the meager seems luxurious and the small great. And so, what state can be more blessed than ours, when we converse among such a multitude of listeners, who nourish such ardent and active love for us? Nothing is more necessary for the speaker than the disposition of the listeners. When he sees in his listeners ardent zeal, he himself is strengthened and, as it were, acquires great strength, knowing that the more abundantly he offers a spiritual meal, the more profit he will receive for himself. In this respect, the spiritual is the opposite of the sensual. There, the abundance of the table causes loss and diminishes the wealth of the host, but here, quite the opposite, the more people participate in the meal, the more our wealth increases, because we do not speak our own, but what the grace of the Lord gives us, out of His love for mankind and for your edification. Therefore, if you approach the hearing with such pleasure and diligence, then let us continue the explanation of the recently read passages of the Scriptures, and draw fruits from them for our own benefit. The great commandment of Christ: "Search the Scriptures" (John 5:39) shows that in the Scriptures there are many treasures hidden in their depths; wherefore inquiry is necessary, so that, knowing the power hidden in the depths of the Scriptures, we may gain all the benefit thereof. For this reason the grace of the Spirit was pleased to depict in the Scriptures the virtues of all the righteous, so that we might have constant instruction and, by the imitation and example of the righteous, order our own lives. So, let us listen to what the Divine Scripture wants to tell us today about the forefather (Abraham). "Abraham went up," he says, "from thence to the south, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur; and was for a time in Gerar." "Abraham arose," says the Scripture, "from there." Where did it come from? From the place where he lived in a tent, and where he was vouchsafed to receive the Lord with the angels. "Abraham rose up from there... and was for a time in Gerar." See how simple and unrefined was the way of life of the righteous, with what convenience they made their migrations, arranged their lives as strangers and strangers, and here and there erecting their tents, as if they had spent their whole lives in a foreign country. That's not what we do. Living in a foreign country, as if in our own country, we erect magnificent houses, with porticoes and galleries, acquire estates, build luxurious baths, and many other things without number. See, then, how the righteous man has all his possessions in his household and in his flocks, and how nowhere else does he have a permanent abode, but now he sets up his tent at Bethel, now under the oak of Mamre, now he goes to Egypt, and now he moves to Gerar, and endures all this with good humor, and for all he gives sincere thanks to his Lord. After such great promises and good news given to him by God, seeing himself surrounded by such (difficult) circumstances, exposed to many and varied temptations, he remained steadfast as adamant, constantly showed in himself a pious spirit, and in the midst of all obstacles he did not weaken in his activity. See now, beloved, what temptation befalls him in Gerar, and marvel at the firmness of the righteous man in virtue. This temptation, unbearable for anyone, so that someone else could not even hear about it, he endured without grief, without demanding an account of what had happened from the Lord, as many people do, being themselves burdened with an innumerable multitude of sins. When they are subjected to any sorrows, they immediately give themselves over to anxiety and inquisitiveness, and ask: Why did this and that happen? Why did God allow this? But the righteous man was not like that: for this reason he received the greater help from above. Such is the characteristic of a truly well-meaning servant – not to experience what happens from the Lord, but to receive everything from Him in silence and with thanksgiving.

2. Notice also how in the very temptations the virtue of the righteous shone forth more and more, because God in all cases revealed it. As before, having come to Egypt as a stranger, a man unknown and unknown to anyone, the righteous man suddenly returned from there with great honor, so now, having settled in Gerar, he first does what depended on him, and then receives such great help from God, that both the king and all the inhabitants there with all diligence render services to the righteous man. "And Abraham said," says the Scriptures, "of Sarah his wife, 'She is my sister' (Gen. 20:2). See what heavy feelings oppressed the soul of the righteous man, and what fear struck him. The former, though very strong, fear of losing his wife now gave way to the fear of death. And in order to avoid death, he had to see with his own eyes how his concubine fell into the hands of the King. And how unbearable this is, those who have wives know it. That is why the Most Wise One said: "Jealousy is the wrath of a man, and he will not spare in the day of vengeance, nor will he accept any ransom" (Proverbs 6:34, 35). But this is a difficult and unbearable circumstance for everyone else, see how generously the righteous man endured, for fear of death. The same usually happens in bodily sufferings. When two diseases strike our body at the same time, the intensification of one overwhelms the other; we give ourselves over entirely to the feeling of the strongest pain, and often we do not even feel another at all, because the feeling of the strongest pain carries us away and does not allow us to feel the weakest disease. In the same way, this righteous man, seeing the fear of death threatening him, considered everything else more bearable. However, hearing this, beloved, do not accuse the righteous man of cowardice, because he feared death. But it is better to marvel at what great love for mankind the Lord showed us in that Christ made death, which at that time was terrible for the most righteous and holy, contemptible for us, that the very death that virtuous men feared, who had such boldness before God, are now laughed at by young men and virgins. Death is no longer what it used to be, but sleep, removal and migration from a worse world to a better one. The death of the Lord has granted us immortality; having descended into hell, He crushed his strength and destroyed his might; and this hell, formerly terrible and insurmountable, Christ has now made so contemptible that some people (not fearing it) strive and hasten to move from here. In the same way, Paul exclaims, saying: "To depart and be with Christ... incomparably better" (Phil. 1:23). But all this is only now, after the coming of Christ, after the brazen gates have been broken and the Sun of righteousness has shone throughout the whole world. And in those (ancient) times (death) still had a terrible appearance and shook the souls of the righteous men of that time, so that everything else, even if apparently unbearable, they endured easily. Thus this righteous man, fearing the treachery of the inhabitants of Gerar, did not marry Sarah to his wife, but to his sister, and thus dwelt there. And just as God allowed him to move to Egypt in order that the ignorant and insensitive (inhabitants) there might know the virtue of the righteous man, so here also the Lord shows His long-suffering, so that the patience of the righteous may shine forth in all things, and God's favor toward him may be manifest to all. "Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah," v. 2. Imagine the spiritual storm that a righteous man had to endure when he saw the abduction of his wife, and had no way to protect her. But he endured everything in silence, being sure that the Lord would not leave him, but would give him an ambulance. One should also marvel at the great love of Sarah in how she wanted to deliver the righteous man from the danger of death. After all, she could, by revealing the secret, avoid the dishonor that undoubtedly threatened her. But she decided to endure everything generously in order to save the righteous man. And what was said was fulfilled: "They shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). They were so concerned about the salvation of one another, as if they were one flesh, and showed such unanimity of mind, as if they had one body and one soul. Let husbands hear this, and wives also hear: wives, in order to have the same love for their husbands and not to consider anything more important than their salvation; and husbands, that they might have the same great affection for them, and act in all things as if they had one soul and were one body.