Thus, when a famine overtook the Jews, and their country was subjected to a great drought and everything was destroyed, one of the prophets said: "How the cattle groan! The herds of oxen walk in despondency, for there is no pasture for them, the animals of the field cry to Thee, because the streams of waters are dried up" (Joel 1:18,20). Another prophet, lamenting the calamities of lack of rain, again said this: "Even a deer gives birth in the field, and leaves [children], because there is no grass. And wild asses stand on high places and swallow air like jackals; their eyes are dull, because there is no grass" (Jeremiah 14:5-6). So also today you have heard what Joel said: "Let the bridegroom come out of his palace, and the bride out of her upper room, and gather together the young men and the suckling babes" (Joel 2:16). Why, tell me, does he call this immature age to prayer? Obviously, for the same reason. For all those who have reached the age of manhood have grieved and angered God; then let him beseech the Wrathful One, he who does not yet know sin. But, as I said, let us see what removed this unavoidable anger? Is not fasting only sackcloth? No, but a change of life. How can this be seen? From the most prophetic words. The same prophet who spoke of the wrath of God and of fasting (of the Ninevites), of reconciliation (of God with them) and the cause of reconciliation, says this: "And God saw their works" (Jonah 3:10). What business? Why did they fast, that they put on sackcloth? Not at all: but, keeping silent about all this, he added: "Then they turned from their evil way, and the Lord was sorry" for the calamity of which He had spoken that He would bring upon them" (Jonah 3:10). You see that it was not fasting that delivered you from danger, but the change of life that made God good and merciful to the foreigners.

I have said this, not so that we may dishonor the fast, but that we may honor it; and the honor of fasting is not abstinence from food, but abstinence from sins, so that whoever limits fasting only to abstaining from food dishonors it most of all. Are you fasting? Prove it to me by your deeds. By what deeds, you say? If you see a beggar, give alms; if you see an enemy, make peace; if you see your friend happy, do not envy; If you see a beautiful woman, pass by. Let not only the lips fast, but also the sight, and hearing, and feet, and hands, and all the members of our body. Let their hands fast, remaining clean from theft and covetousness. Let the feet fast, ceasing to go to unlawful spectacles. Let the eyes fast, learning not to aspire to beautiful faces, and not to gaze at the beauty of others. Sight is the food of the eyes: if it is unlawful and forbidden, it harms fasting and destroys the salvation of the soul; but if it is lawful and permissible, then it adorns the fast. It would be most absurd to abstain from permitted food in regard to food, and to devour with one's eyes even that which is forbidden. You don't eat meat? Do not taste with the eyes of immodesty. Let the ears also fast; and the fast of hearing is not to accept backbiting and slander: "Give no heed" (the word of God) says, "empty hearing" (Exodus 23:1).

5. Let the tongue also fast from foul language and abuse. What is the use of abstaining from birds and fishes, and biting and devouring our brethren? He who curses devours the body of his brother, bites the flesh of his neighbor. That is why Paul also said threateningly: "If you bite and eat one another, take heed lest you be destroyed by one another" (Gal. 5:15). Thou hast not sunk thy teeth into the flesh (of thy neighbor), but hast pierced his soul with evil speech, wounded it with evil rumors, and has done a thousand evils to thyself, and to him, and to many others; for in condemning your neighbor, you have done evil to him who heard you. If he is a sinner, then he becomes careless, having found an accomplice in sin; but if he is a righteous man, then he falls into pride and is haughty because of someone else's sin, receiving a reason to think highly of himself. At the same time, you (secondly) have harmed the whole church, because all those who hear do not condemn the sinner, but smite the whole Christian nation with reproaches. It is not heard that the unbelievers say that so-and-so is a fornicator and a lecher; but, instead of the guilty, all Christians are vilified as a shadow. Then, (thirdly) thou hast given occasion to despise the glory of God, because the name of God is glorified when we live well, but when we sin it is blasphemed and dishonored. Fourthly, you have put to shame the one about whom you spread bad rumors, and thereby made him more shameless, and made him an enemy and an adversary. Fifthly, have you made yourself worthy of punishment and punishment by undertaking such deeds as do not concern you in the least? Let no one say, "Then I would speak evil if I spoke falsely; but if I speak the truth, I speak no more." Even if there is truth in your backbiting, in this case it is criminal. The Pharisee, cursing the publican, spoke the truth; but it did him no good. Indeed, tell me, was not the publican a publican and a sinner? Everyone sees that he is a publican; but for all this, the Pharisee, because of his condemnation, lost everything. Do you want to correct your brother? Cry, pray to God, give him an admonition in private, advise, ask. Thus did Paul: "Again, when I come," he says, "my God hath not despised me among you, neither shall I mourn for many who have sinned before, and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have committed" (2 Cor. 12:21). Show love for the sinner; assure him that you remind him of his sin by being zealous and anxious for him, and not wishing to dishonor him; embrace his feet and kiss him, do not be ashamed, if only you truly want to heal him. Doctors often do the same: they kiss intractable patients, beg them, and, thus, force them to take a life-saving medicine. Do the same: show the wound to the priest; This will mean that you are anxious, anxious, and anxious (for your neighbor). But I urge you to shut your ears not only from those who slander, but also from those who listen to those who slander, and to imitate the prophet who says: "He who secretly slanders his neighbor I will cast out" (Psalm 100:5). Say to your neighbor: do you intend to praise someone and approve of it? I open my ears to receive this incense. But if thou wouldst slander me, I bar the entrance to thy words, because I cannot accept dung and uncleanness, what good is it for me to know that such and such a wicked man is? On the contrary, from this comes the greatest harm and extreme loss. Say to him: let us take care of ourselves, how we can give an account for our sins; and let us turn this inquisitiveness and this restless inquiry into our own lives. What kind of apology should we expect, what forgiveness, when we do not even think about our own sins, but are so curious about the sins of others? How unseemly and very shameful it is to look into a house in passing and notice what is going on in it; It is so extremely ignoble to be curious about someone else's life. It is still more ridiculous that those who lead such a life and do not care about their own affairs, revealing some secret, beg and adjure the one who hears them not to tell anyone else, by which they prove that they have done a deed worthy of condemnation. If you beg him not to tell anyone else, how much more should you not have told him about it beforehand. The word was in your complete power; and you, having betrayed him, now take care to preserve him! If you want it not to be transferred to another, then do not speak yourself. And when you have already handed over the custody of the word to another, it is an unnecessary and useless matter to persuade and adjure him to keep what he has been told. But is it pleasant to backbit? "No, it's nice not to backbit. He who speaks evil is restless, suspicious and fearful, repents and bites his tongue, fearing and trembling, lest the word spread among many should bring great danger upon those to whom it was spoken, and would not produce vain and pernicious enmity. And whoever keeps (the word) will live in perfect security and great pleasure.

"Thou hast heard the word," says (the Most Wise), "let it die with thee: fear not, it shall not tear thee asunder" (Sir. 19:10). What does it mean, "Let it die with you"? "Hide it, bury it, don't let it come out, or even move at all." But most of all, try not even to allow anyone to speak ill of others to you. And if you ever hear anything, suppress it, put it to death; consign it to oblivion, as if you had not heard: then you will lead the present life very peacefully and safely. Those who slander themselves, when they learn that we have more abhorrence for them than for those whom they slander, will one day give up this bad habit, correct their shortcomings, then begin to praise (others), and they themselves will proclaim us their saviors and benefactors. For just as a kind word and praise serve as the beginning of friendship, so slander and slander are the beginning and cause of enmity, hatred, and a thousand strife. And there is no other thing that leads us to negligence about our own affairs than inquisitiveness and inquiries about other people's affairs, because whoever loves to slander and investigate about other people's lives, has no time to take care of his own life. Since he uses all his diligence to investigate what is not his own, everything that belongs to himself necessarily remains in disregard. And how good it would be if you, using all your time in the care and judgment of your own sins, could make some progress! But since you are constantly concerned about someone else's things, when should you think about your own shortcomings?

6. Let us, beloved, avoid backbiting, knowing that this is a veritable abyss of the devil and a snare set by his deceit. The devil has led us to this habit so that we do not care about ourselves and expose ourselves to the heaviest responsibility. But the trouble is not only that we will then give an account of our words, but also that through this we will make our own sins more grievous and deprive ourselves of any excuse. He who strictly investigates the faults of others will receive no leniency for his own, because God will pronounce judgment not only according to the nature of our crimes, but also to your judgment of others. That is why He inspires: "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matt. 7:1); for sin will appear there not only as it was, but will also receive a great and inevitable addition from the judgment you pronounced about your brother. As a philanthropic, meek and forgiving person, he significantly reduces the severity of sins; so cruel, harsh and implacable adds much to his sins. Let us pluck out of our mouth all slander, knowing that if we eat dust, then even such a strict life will be of no use to us, if we do not abstain from backbiting; for "it is not that which enters into the mouth that defiles a man, but that which comes out of the mouth that defiles a man" (Matt. 15:11). If any one were to stir the dung as you passed, tell me, would you not scold and reproach him? Do the same with those who slander, for it is not so much uncleanness that strikes the sense of smell of those to whom its stench reaches, as stories that bring out the sins of others and reveal an unclean life, offend and disturb the soul of those who hear them. Let us abstain from backbiting, foul language, blasphemy, and let us not curse either our neighbor or God, since many of those who slandered have come to such madness that they have turned their tongues from their fellow servants to the Lord. And how great this evil is, you can judge from your present circumstances. A man is offended, and we all fear and tremble, both those who have offended him and those who do not feel any such guilt behind them. And God is insulted every day; What do I say: every day? "Every hour," the rich and the poor, those who enjoy peace, those who endure sorrow, those who offend, those who are offended, "and no one will think of it." That is why He allowed a fellow servant to suffer an insult [1], so that from the danger that followed this insult, you would know the love of the Lord. This insult was now the first and only; but even so, we do not hope to receive forgiveness and apology. But we anger God every day, and do not repent in the least, but He endures everything with all patience. Do you see how great is the Lord's love for mankind? And although the perpetrators of this crime have been captured, imprisoned and punished, we are still afraid. The Scraped One has not yet heard of what has happened, and has not pronounced judgment - and we are all trembling. God hears the insults inflicted on Him every day, and no one pays attention to them - and this is when God is so meek and loving to mankind! It is enough to confess the sin before Him, and the guilt will be resolved. With people it is quite the opposite: when the guilty confess to a crime, then they are punished more, as has happened now.

Some died by the sword, others by fire, others were given over to be torn to pieces by beasts, and not only adults, but also children.

Mothers followed from afar, looking at the children separated from them, but they did not dare to mourn their misfortune, because fear conquered love, and fear overcame nature. As those who look down from the earth on those who have been shipwrecked, however much they regret, they cannot come and save the drowning; so here the mothers, restrained, as it were, by the fear of the soldiers, not only did not dare to approach and release their children from punishment, but were afraid to weep. Do you understand from this what God's love for mankind is? How ineffable it is, how boundless, how it surpasses every word! Here the offended one has the same nature as us, and only once in all the time has he suffered this insult, and not personally, not in his presence, without seeing or hearing; and yet none of the guilty was pardoned. Nothing of this can be said about God.

Truly it is fitting now to exclaim: "Who shall speak the power of the Lord, declare all His praises" (Psalm 105:2)? How many have not only overthrown but trampled down the images of God? Because when you strangle a debtor, when you rob, when you drag him out, you trample on the image of God. Listen to how Paul says, that "a man shall not cover his head, for he is the image and glory of God" (1 Cor. 11:7), and again, as God Himself says: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Gen. 1:26). If you say that man is not of the same nature as God, then what of it? And the copper statue is not of the same nature as the king, and yet the guilty are punished. So it is with people: even if they are not of the same nature with God, just as they are not really of the same nature; but they are called the image (of God), and for the sake of this name they ought to be honored. And you trample on them for a little gold, strangle them, drag them out, and have not yet suffered any punishment.

7. God grant that some kind and happy change will take place. I, however, predict and declare that if this cloud passes, and we remain as careless as before, we will be beset by calamities even more grievous than those which we now expect. And even now I am afraid not so much of the king's wrath as of your carelessness. In order to receive our forgiveness, it is not enough to pray for two or three days; it is necessary to make a change in the whole life, and to abandon vice, to remain constantly in virtue. As for the sick, if they do not constantly lead a right life, it is of no use that they spend two or three days prudently; In the same way, sinners, if they do not abstain from vice forever, will receive nothing from a two-day or three-day correction. As they say, he who washes, and then gets dirty in the mud again, does not receive any benefit; so he who repented for three days and returned to his former did not make any progress (in virtue).

Let us not act now as we always do. When we were so often beset by earthquakes, famines, and droughts, we became three or four days more modest and temperate, and then returned to our former ways: this is why the real misfortune happened. But, if not before, at least now let us be constant in piety, let us preserve forever the same modesty, so that we may again have no need of another blow. Couldn't God have prevented what happened? But He allowed this in order to bring those who offend Him more to reason and humble those who offend Him by the fear of His fellow servant. And no one tell me that many of the guilty have taken refuge, and many of the innocent have been captured; and this, I hear, is often said by many, not only in times of present excitement, but also in many other similar circumstances. What then shall we say to those who say this? - That if the arrested person is innocent of the present indignation, nevertheless, at some time committed another more grievous sin, and since he did not correct himself afterwards, he is now punished. This is how God usually acts: when we sin, He does not immediately punish for our transgressions, but postpones punishment, giving us time to repent, so that we may be corrected and changed. But if, from the fact that we are not punished, we conclude that the sin has already been blotted out, and we give ourselves over to carelessness; then after this we will certainly be punished where we do not expect. And this happens so that when we sin and are not punished, we do not remain calm until we change, knowing that we will certainly be punished where we do not expect. And therefore, beloved, if you sin and are not punished, do not be puffed up with this, but all the more be afraid, knowing that it is easy for God to repay you whenever He wills. Then He did not punish you in order to give you time to repent. Let us not say that such and such an innocent person has been seized, and another guilty person has taken refuge. The innocent one, who is now seized, has received, as I have said, the punishment for other sins; but he who has taken refuge now, if he does not reform, will fall into another snare. If we reason in this way, we will never forget our sins, but, always fearing and trembling lest we ever be punished, we will easily remember them. Usually, nothing reminds us of sin so much as reprimand and punishment. This is evident from the example of Joseph's brothers. Though thirteen years have passed since they sold the righteous man; but, fearing punishment and fearing for their lives, they remembered the sin, and one said to another: "As if we were punished for sin against our brother" Joseph (Gen. 42:21). You see how fear reminded them of that crime. When they committed a sin, they did not feel it; and when they were waiting for punishment, they remembered (about sin).

Knowing all this, let us change and correct our lives, and, having first been delivered from the calamity that oppresses us, let us take care of piety and virtue. In the meantime, I want to offer you three commandments that you would fulfill during Lent: do not slander anyone, do not be at enmity with anyone, and completely banish from your lips the evil habit of swearing. As every man, when he hears that a tax has been imposed, hastens home, and, calling his wife, children, and slaves, thinks with them and consults how he should pay this tax; so shall we do with regard to these spiritual commandments. Everyone, returning home, call for your wife and children, and say that today there is a spiritual tax imposed - a tax on which will depend liberation and deliverance from the present calamity - a tax that makes those who pay not poor, but richer; Here it is: not to be in enmity with anyone, not to slander anyone, and not to swear at all. Let us think, take care, consult how we can fulfill these commandments; let us make every effort, let us remind each other, let us correct each other, so that we may go there as debtors, and then, when we need to borrow from others, we will not be subjected to the fate of foolish virgins, and we will not be deprived of eternal salvation. If we set our lives in this way, I give you my word and promise that for this there will be an end to the present calamity and deliverance from these evils, and, most importantly, the enjoyment of eternal blessings. It would be necessary to impress upon you the fulfillment of all the virtues; but I consider the best way of correction to fulfill the commandments in parts, first taking up one, then moving on to others.

May we all be worthy of this by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom be glory to the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

[1] i.e., the emperor.

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