3. You see the goodness of the Lord! He rewards the righteous not only for virtues already committed, but also for those expected in the future. "For I have chosen him," he says, "that he should command his children." I, he says, know beforehand the intentions of this righteous man and warn him with retribution. Thus the Lord knows our innermost thoughts, and when He sees that we desire what is due and show sound judgment in ourselves, He stretches out His hand to us, and rewards us before our labors, thereby arousing us to greater zeal. And this can be seen in the lives of all the righteous. Knowing the weakness of human nature, so that we do not lose heart in hard labors, He often gives us both help and rewards in the midst of labors, making our labor easier and increasing our zeal. "For I have chosen him," he says, "that he should command his sons to walk in the way of the Lord." Not only does he foretell of him that he has commanded, but also of his sons, meaning Isaac and Jacob, that they will "keep" the ways of the Lord. "The ways of the Lord", i.e. commandments, commandments. "To do," he says, "righteousness and judgment," i.e., to prefer nothing to righteousness, to be a stranger to all unrighteousness. This is the greatest virtue, and for this all that the Lord had announced to him had to be accomplished. I think, however, that He had something else in mind when He said, "Surely from Abraham shall come a great and mighty nation." As if He had said: "You, who love virtue, obey all My commandments, and show all obedience, you will be a "great and mighty nation," but those wicked who dwell in the land of Sodom will all be destroyed, because just as virtue serves as a means of salvation for those who strive in it, so vice is the cause of destruction. Now, having stirred up the righteous man to greater boldness (of faith) by blessing and praise, God begins to reveal His destinies to him and says: "The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sin is very heavy; I will go down and see if they do exactly as the cry against them that goes up to Me or not; I will know" (Gen. 18:20-21). A terrible saying! "The cry," he says, "of Sodom and Gomorrah." Although some others were destroyed along with these cities, but since these were the most glorious, the Lord mentioned them in particular. "He is great, and their sin is very heavy." See how evil has grown there! A great multitude not only of outcry, but also of unrighteousness, because the words, "The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great," mean, I think, that together with the iniquity known not to be said and unforgivable, they also revealed many other unrighteousnesses: the strongest rose up against the weakest, the rich against the poor. Thus, it is said, not only is their cry great, but also their sins are not ordinary, but "their sin is very heavy." They invented a hitherto unknown iniquity, invented an unnatural obscene mixture, and were so inclined to evil that all were filled with all kinds of depravity, and no longer showed any possibility of correction, but had to undergo complete destruction. Their passions, having become incurable, no longer accepted any corruption. However, admonishing the whole human race that even if someone's sins are very great and known, it is not necessary to pronounce judgment on them before obvious proofs are presented, (the Lord) says: "I will go down and see whether they do exactly as the cry that goes up to Me is against them, or not; I'll find out." What is this adaptation in words? "I'll get off," he said, "I'll see." Does the God of all things move from place to place? No, let it not be! He does not express this, but, as I have often said, He wants to make us understand in a sensual way that we must be very careful, and that those who have sinned should not be condemned only by hearing, and that we should not pronounce the sentence without proof. Let us all hear this: for not only those who sit at the judgment seats are obliged to observe this law, but each of us should never condemn our neighbor for one empty slander. For this reason, later, the blessed Moses, inspired by the Holy Spirit, exhorted, saying: "Give no heed to vain ears" (Exodus 23:1). And Blessed Paul cried out in his epistle: "But why dost thou condemn thy brother" (Romans 14:10)? And Christ, giving commandments to His disciples, and teaching the Jewish people, the scribes and Pharisees, said: "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matt. 7:1). Why, says He, do you steal away the dignity of the judge before the time? Why do you warn of that (future) terrible day? Do you want to be a judge? Be a judge of yourself and of your sins. In this no one hinders you, and yet you will correct your sins in this way, and you will not suffer any harm from it. If, forgetting about yourself, you sit as a judge over others, then insensibly you collect for yourself only great burdens of sins. In the same way, I beseech you, we will in every way avoid condemning our neighbors. Though you have no judicial power, but condemn only by thought, yet you become guilty of sin when, having no proof, you condemn, as often happens, on mere suspicion and empty slander. That is why Blessed David exclaimed: "He who secretly slanders his neighbor I will cast out" (Psalm 100:5).

4. Do you see the superiority of virtue? Not only did David not accept what was said to him against others, but he also drove away those who wanted to slander his brother. Therefore, if we also wish to reduce our falls, let us be most concerned not to condemn our brethren, but not to allow those who invent slander against them, or, even better, to drive them away from us, following the example of the prophet, and to turn away from them completely. This, I think, is expressed by the Prophet Moses, in the words: "Do not heed empty ears." That is why, in the present case, for the benefit of our souls, the Lord of all kinds used such a sensual form of expression and said: "I will go down and see." How could it be otherwise? Did He not know? Did he not know the whole multitude of sins? Did He not understand the complete incorrigibility of those who have fallen into sins? But He showed such long-suffering, as if justifying Himself beforehand before those who would afterwards shamelessly accuse Him [i.e., of lack of long-suffering and justice], denouncing their light-mindedness and great poverty in virtue. And perhaps not only (He did so), but also in order to give the righteous man an opportunity to show compassion and the power of love (for his neighbors) in his soul. Thus, the angels, as it was said before, went to Sodom, and the forefather stood before the Lord (Gen. 18:22). "And Abraham came near," it is said, "and said, Wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked" (Gen. 18:23)? Oh, the boldness of the righteous! Or, better yet, oh, compassion of the soul! He, in an abundance of compassion, does not even seem to understand what he is saying. And the Divine Scriptures, showing that he uses his intercession with great fear and trembling, says: "And Abraham came and said, Wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked"? What are you doing, blessed forefather? Does the Lord need your intercession not to do this? But let's not think so. And in fact, Abraham does not speak as if the Lord really wanted to do this; but, not daring to speak directly about his nephew, he offers a common prayer for all, wishing to save him with the rest, and with him to deliver others (from perdition). And so he begins to intercede, and says: "Perhaps there are fifty righteous men in this city? Wilt thou destroy and spare not this place for the sake of the fifty righteous men in it? it cannot be that you should destroy the righteous with the wicked, that it should be the same with the righteous as with the wicked; it cannot be from Thee! Shall the judge of all the earth do wrong" (Gen. 18:24-25)? See how in his very intercession he expresses his pious spirit, confesses God to be the judge of all the earth, and acknowledges it just that the righteous should not perish with the wicked. And the merciful and loving God bows to his prayer and says: "I will do as you say, and I accept your intercession: "If I find fifty righteous men in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake" (Gen. 18:26). Fifty, he says, to the righteous, if they are found, I will grant the salvation of the rest, and I will fulfill your request. Then the righteous man, feeling boldness and taking advantage of God's love for mankind, goes further in his request and says: "Behold, I have decided to speak to the Lord, I am dust and ashes" (Gen. 18:27). Do not judge me, O Lord, as if I did not know myself, and I overstep the bounds by allowing myself such great boldness: I know that I am earth and ashes. But as I know this and understand it clearly, so it is not unknown to me that Thy love for mankind is great, that Thou art rich in mercy and that Thou wilt save all men. Having created (people) from non-existence, would You ever want to destroy them, who are already there, if the multitude of their sins were not great? Therefore I ask and pray again: "Perhaps five of the fifty righteous will be missing, will Thou destroy the whole city for lack of five? He said, I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there" (Gen. 18:28). Who will praise God of all things for such long-suffering and condescension, or who will sufficiently please the righteous who has received such boldness? "And he continued," it is said, "to speak with Him, and said, Perhaps forty shall be found there? He said, I will not do this for the sake of the forty" (Gen. 18:29). Then, as if fearing to test the unspeakable long-suffering of God any longer, and fearing lest he should appear to be transgressing the boundaries, and not go further with his intercession than is proper, he says: "Let not the Lord be angry, that I should say, Perhaps thirty shall be found there" (Gen. 18:30)? Since he saw that God bowed down to mercy, he no longer began to reduce the number of the righteous by a little, and having reduced not by five, but by ten, the number of the righteous, he thus continued his intercession and said: "Perhaps there will be thirty found there? He said, I will not do it, if thirty are found there" (Gen. 18:30). Behold, what perseverance there is in the righteous man! He is so anxious to deliver the people of Sodom from the punishment that threatens them, as if He Himself were to be subjected to the same condemnation. "Abraham said, 'Behold, I have made up my mind to say to the Lord, Perhaps there shall be found twenty there?' He said, I will not destroy for the sake of the twenty" (Gen. 18:31). Above all word and all mind is such goodness of the Lord! Would any of us, who live in the midst of innumerable evils, pronounce judgment on people like ourselves, show such condescension and philanthropy?

5. But this righteous man, seeing such riches of God's love for mankind, does not yet stop, but says again: "Let not the Lord be angry, what shall I say once more" (Gen. 18:32)? Having experienced the unspeakable long-suffering of God, and fearing that he might no longer stir up Him to anger against him, before whom he interceded for others, the forefather says: "Let not the Lord be angry"? Am I not acting foolishly? Do I not show something shameless? Shall I not do a deed worthy of condemnation, "if I speak once more"? But in Thy great goodness, accept from me one more prayer: "Perhaps ten will be found there? He said, I will not destroy for ten's sake. And since the forefather had said beforehand, "I will say it once more," it is said, "The Lord has ceased to speak to Abraham; Abraham returned to his place." (Gen. 18:33). Do you see all the condescension of the Lord? Do you see the ardent love of the righteous? Do you now understand what is the power of people who strive in virtue? "If there be found," says (the Lord), "ten righteous men," for their sake I will grant forgiveness of sins to all. Have I not truly said that all this was done for the purpose of leaving no pretext for reproach to those who would speak shamelessly (about these events)? For there are many fools who have an unbridled tongue, who want to reproach (the judgment of God), and say: "Why is Sodom burned? They [i.e., the inhabitants of Sodom] might have repented if they had been shown long-suffering." That is why God shows such an increase in evil, and such an impoverishment of virtue in such a multitude of people, that a second flood was needed, the same as previously covered the universe. Only in view of God's promise that such a punishment will not be repeated, God now uses another kind of punishment, subjecting the Sodomites to punishment together, and giving all subsequent generations a constant lesson in this. They perverted the laws of nature, invented a strange and unlawful confusion. Wherefore God also brought upon them an extraordinary kind of punishment, for their iniquity he smote the very bowels of the earth [of course, the barrenness of the earth, and the deadness of nature, which are still visible on the shores of the Dead Sea, where Sodom and Gomorrah were found and consumed by fire], and left a permanent monument for posterity, so that they might not dare to do such things, and not be subjected to the same punishment. Whoever wishes can visit these places, and see this land, so to speak, crying out and showing the traces of execution: after so many years, the wrath (of God) is so evident in it, as if the plague had struck it only yesterday or this morning. Therefore, I beseech you, let us understand the example of others, seeing the execution that has befallen them. But perhaps some will say: what is this? If they are thus punished, are there not now many who break the law in the same way as they are, and yet are not punished? Perhaps, but for that reason the greater punishment awaits such lawless ones. Of course, if we do not come to our senses by what befell the Sodomites, nor do we turn God's patience to our advantage, then think how much more strongly we kindle for ourselves the future inextinguishable fire, and how fierce a worm we prepare for ourselves! And on the other hand, even now, by the grace of God, there are many virtuous people who, like the forefather then, are able to propitiate the Lord, and if we, looking at ourselves and seeing our own carelessness, rightly recognize (in the world) a great impoverishment of virtue, then God shows long-suffering for the virtues of these people to others. And that the boldness of such people is indeed the cause of God's long-suffering for us, be convinced of what God says to the forefather in this very story: "If ten righteous men are found, I will not destroy them for the sake of ten." And what do I say, ten righteous men? In Sodom there was no one free from iniquity, except one Lot the righteous and his two daughters. His wife, perhaps for his sake, escaped execution in the city, but for her negligence she was subsequently punished. Now, through the ineffable love of God, works of piety have multiplied, and in the cities there are not a few people who are able to propitiate God; others hide in the mountains and caves. And the virtue of these people, even if they are not many, can cover the sins of many, because the goodness of the Lord is great, and He often, for the sake of the righteous few, deigns to grant salvation to many. But what do I say, for the sake of a righteous few? Often, when He does not find a single righteous person in this life, He is propitiated over those who live for the virtue of the dead, and declares thus: "I will guard this city for my own sake, and for the sake of David my servant" (2 Kings 19:34). Though they, he says, are unworthy of salvation, and in no way deserve to be delivered from misfortune, yet as it is natural for Me to show love for mankind, and as I am always ready to have mercy and deliver (people) from troubles, so for my own sake and for the sake of David my servant I will bring salvation to them. In this way, this man [David], who had departed from this life so many years before, becomes the author of salvation for people who perished from their own carelessness. Do you see the Lord's love for mankind, how He honors men who shine with virtue, how He prefers and opposes them to all the multitude of other people? That is why Paul also said: "They wandered in alms and goatskins, enduring deficiencies, sorrows, bitterness; those of whom the whole world was not worthy" (Hebrews 11:37-38). This whole world, he says, with all the universe, has no equal value with those who, for God's sake, spend their lives in sorrows, in anger, in nakedness, in wandering, or in caves.

6. And so, beloved, when you see a man outwardly clothed in poor clothes, but inwardly clothed with virtue, do not despise him for his outward appearance, but observe his spiritual richness and inner light, and then you will see in him everywhere a resplendent virtue. Such was the blessed Elijah: he had only one mercy; but Ahab, clothed with purple, also had need of his mercy. Do you see from this Ahab's poverty and the riches of Elijah? See, then, what a difference in their power: the mantle of Elijah closed the heavens, stopped the flow of rains, and one word of the prophet was like a bond for heaven, so that for three years and six months there was no rain; but he who was clothed with purple and diadem went about seeking a prophet, and could not derive any benefit from his great power. But see how loving the Lord is to mankind: as soon as He saw that the prophet, moved by zeal and great zeal, had brought such a great punishment upon the whole earth, so that he himself would not be subjected to calamity from this punishment and would not suffer like the wicked, He said to him: "Arise and go" [the saint recounts here an event from the story of the Prophet Elijah, not literally according to the text of the Book of Kings, but abridged, partly in their own words, partly in the words of the Scriptures, which therefore differ from each other in their double design] "to Zarephath of Sidon," for there I will command "a widow woman to feed you. And he got up and went. (1 Kings 17:9-10). Notice, beloved, the grace of the Spirit. And yesterday our whole conversation was limited to the love of strangers; And today this strange-loving widow will conclude our word. And he came, it is said, to the widow, and found her gathering wood, and said to her, "Give me a little water to drink" (1 Kings 17:10). She obeyed. And he said to her again, "Make me unleavened bread, we will sing" (1 Kings 17:11). And then it reveals its extreme poverty, or rather (to say) unspeakable wealth, because the increase in poverty has shown the greatness of wealth. She said, "Your servant has nothing but a handful of flour in a tub and a little oil in a pitcher: I will prepare this for myself and for my son; let us eat it and die" (1 Kings 17:12). Pitiful words that could bend even the most stony soul! There is no hope of salvation left for us, she says; death at the door; This is only one thing [i.e., a handful of flour and a little oil] and is left with us to sustain life; and even that will hardly be enough for me and my children. I did what was possible: I gave him water. But that we may know both the love of strangers of this woman, and the great power (of faith) in the righteous man, see what has happened. When the prophet learned all this, then, in order to reveal to us the virtue of the woman (for God, who said, "He commanded a widow woman to feed thee," in this case He Himself acted through the prophet), said to her: "First of these make a little unleavened bread for me, and bring it to me; but for thyself and for thy son shalt thou do afterwards" (1 Kings 17:13). Listen to this, you wives who are surrounded in abundance by riches: you waste your surplus on many useless things, and, in the midst of all your pleasures, you do not want to throw two oxen to the needy, or to any of the virtuous men who suffer poverty for God's sake. And this woman had nothing else but a handful of flour, and expected, according to her reasoning, to see the death of her children soon, but she heard from the prophet: "First of this, make a little unleavened bread for me, and bring it to me; and for yourself and for your son you will do it afterwards" – and she was not upset, did not hesitate, – she immediately fulfilled the command, teaching all of us to prefer the servants of God to our own comfort and not to ignore such favorable occasions, but to remember that for this we will be greatly rewarded. Look at this widow: for one handful of flour and a little oil, she bought herself an inexhaustible granary. After all, after the prophet had been fed, neither a handful of flour nor a jar of oil ran out of it, while the whole earth perished from hunger. It is also wondrous and astonishing that at that time she had no need to work, but always had flour and oil ready; it had no need of agriculture or oxen, and knew no other care; But with her, everything obviously happened supernaturally. And while the king, clothed with a diadem, was in a hopeless situation, under the yoke of hunger, the poor widow, herself deprived of everything, began to live in constant abundance because she had received the prophet to her. That is why Christ also said: "He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive the reward of a prophet" (Matt. 10:41). Yesterday you saw what blessings the forefather was honored with, showing with great zeal generous hospitality. Look also at this woman of Sidon, who suddenly acquired unspeakable wealth, when the word of the prophet, which held heaven in its power, made for her an inexhaustible handful of flour and a pitcher of oil.

7. Let us all imitate her, both men and women! I would like to stir you up to imitate the zeal and virtue of the prophet; but this will seem to you beyond your strength, although he also was a man clothed with flesh like us, and had the same nature as us; but he was worthy of grace from above because he did everything that depended on him in abundance, and (most of all) he loved virtue. And so, let us first imitate, at least, this woman (of Zarephath); and then, little by little, we will come to imitate the prophet. Let us imitate her love of strangers, and let no one plead his poverty. No matter how poor anyone may be, he cannot be poorer than this woman: she had food only for one day, but even in this state she did not hesitate to fulfill the request of the righteous man, but showed great diligence, and for this she received a speedy reward. Such are the works of God: for a little, God usually gives much. Tell me, perhaps, what did she do, and did she sacrifice as much as she received later? But our Lord usually values not the quantity (of what is offered), but the diligence of the soul, in which even the small becomes great, and vice versa: the great is often diminished when it is not done with a cordial readiness. Thus, the widow mentioned in the Gospel, when many put much into the treasury (of the church), having put two mites, surpassed all, not because she gave more than others, but because she showed her zeal with all her heart. Others, it is said, did this out of their abundance, but she put in all that she had. Let us, men, at least imitate women, and show ourselves not worse than they; let us not only take care to spend all our possessions on our own pleasures, but let us also take care of the needy, and we will do this with diligence and pleasure. The farmer, when he throws seeds into the ground, does so not with sorrow, but with joy and gladness, and with such confidence he leaves his seeds in the ground, as if he were already seeing the sheaves themselves. In the same way, beloved, do not look at what the poor man receives from you, and what expenses he leads you into, but imagine that Someone accepts from your hands what you do for the poor who stands before you, and this Other is not any mere person, but the Lord of all, the Lord of all, the Creator of heaven and earth. And your expenses become an acquisition, and not only do they not diminish your possessions, but increase them even more, if only you do this with faith and joyful zeal.

That country is above all such evil. Only let us do this not out of vanity, but according to the commandments of God, trying not to obtain praise from men, but from the Lord common to all: otherwise we will bear the costs and the gains, because the wealth transferred to heaven by the hands of the poor, becoming inaccessible to all other calumnies, can be destroyed by vanity alone. As here the moth and the worm injure the garment, so the wealth gathered in heaven by alms is harmed by vanity. Therefore I beseech you: let us not only do almsgiving, but let us also do it with caution, so that we may receive great blessings for the small, the incorruptible for the perishable, and eternal for the temporal, and so that in addition to all these we may be able to receive both the remission of sins and the eternal ineffable blessings, which may we all be vouchsafed to inherit through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom be glory to the Father, with the Holy and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

DISCOURSE 43

"And those two angels came to Sodom in the evening" (Gen. 19:1).

1. As a flowering meadow presents to the eye various and varied flowers, so the divine Scripture shows us the virtues of the righteous, not that we may enjoy their fragrance only in passing, as we enjoy the fragrance of flowers, but that we may constantly gather from it for our own benefit. There, as soon as we take the flowers in our hands, they soon wither and lose their pleasantness. But here it is not so: perceiving the virtues of the righteous with our ears and composing them in the depths of our hearts, we can at any time, if we wish, enjoy their fragrance. And so, if such is the fragrance (of the virtues) of the saints depicted in the Divine Scriptures, then let us today experience the fragrance of Lot's virtues, in order to know exactly how communion with the forefather (Abraham) raised this righteous man to the utmost height of virtue, and how (walking) in the footsteps of the forefather, he himself shows his love of strangers in deeds. But in order that our word may be clearer, it is better to listen to the very words of the Scriptures: "And there came," says it, "two angels to Sodom in the evening"? Why does the Scripture begin thus: "And those two angels came into Sodom in the evening"? After (the angels) had been received by the forefather and departed from him, the benevolent and loving Lord, who by His inherent goodness then appeared in the form of a man, remained to converse with the forefather, as you heard yesterday, wishing to teach us all about His extreme long-suffering and about the ardent love of the forefather. Meanwhile, the angels rushed to Sodom. Thus, the divine Scripture, observing the order of the narrative, now says: "And those two angels came to Sodom in the evening" in order to fulfill the command (of God). Notice, then, the accuracy and circumspection of the divine Scriptures, how they signify to us the very time in which (the angels) came; It says (that it was) "in the evening." What is the purpose of the time? And what exactly did they come for in the evening? In order to show us how great was Lot's love of strangers. Just as the forefather sat at noon, (at the door of the tent), watched the passers-by, so to speak, caught them, ran up to meet the travelers and received them with great joy – so the righteous Lot, knowing the extreme corruption of the inhabitants of Sodom, did not omit even the evening time, but waited even until that time, whether he would come across some treasure, and whether it would be possible for him to reap the fruits of the love of strangers. Truly, one must marvel at the greatness of the virtue of this righteous man, how, being among such lawless men, he not only did not become more careless, but showed in himself an even greater virtue, and when all, so to speak, rushed along the rapids, he alone among such a multitude walked the straight path.

However, I do not say this in order to prevent people from withdrawing from the cities and forbidding them to stay in the mountains and deserts; but to show that nothing can hinder him who wishes to observe abstinence and be vigilant. Just as the desert itself cannot benefit the careless and negligent, because the perfection of virtue does not depend on the place, but on the disposition of the soul and morals, so the sober and vigilant (over himself) cannot be harmed in the least by being in the midst of the city. I would even wish that virtuous people, like this blessed (man), lived most among the cities; here they would serve as leaven for others, and would stir them up to imitate themselves. But since this seems difficult, let it be as I said before [i.e., let those who desire to preserve virtue withdraw from the world]. "For the image of this world is passing away" (1 Corinthians 7:31), and the present life is short. If now, while still in the field, we do not perform feats of virtue and do not avoid the snares of evil, then later, although we will accuse ourselves, it will be in vain: then repentance will be useless. While we are in the present life, it is still possible, having repented, to receive benefit from it, and having cleansed former sins, to be worthy of mercy from the Lord. If, having omitted the present time (of life), we are suddenly raptured (from it), then, although we will then repent, we will no longer receive any benefit from it. And in order for you to be convinced of this, listen to what the prophet says: "In the tomb, who will praise You?" (Psalm 6:6)? And again: a brother will not deliver, will a person deliver (at all)? Will he not give God a ransom for himself (Psalm 48:8)? There is no one, he says, to deliver a person who has died from his own carelessness, even if there is a brother, or a father, or a mother. And what do I say, brother, father, and mother? And the most righteous ones, who have received great boldness (before God), will not be able to help us if we now give ourselves over to carelessness. If, it is said, Noah, and Job, and Daniel, they shall not deliver their sons and their daughters (Ezek. 14:18). Notice the strength of this threat, and what righteous men (the Scriptures) have set as an example. It was these same righteous men who in their time served as mediators of salvation for others: for example, Noah, when a terrible flood covered the world, saved his wife and sons; in like manner Job was the cause of salvation for others; and Daniel delivered many from death, when the cruel ruler (Nebuchadnezzar), experiencing certain supernatural phenomena, ordered the Chaldeans, the Magi, and the diviners to be put to death (Dan. 5:11).

2. Therefore we must not think that it will be the same in the age to come, that is, that virtuous men who have boldness before God will be able to free from future punishments those who are close to them, who live here in carelessness. For this reason the Scriptures cite the example of the above-mentioned righteous men, in order to strike fear upon us, and to teach us to place the hope of salvation, after grace from above, in our own good works, but not to rely on the virtues of our ancestors, or on anything else, if we ourselves remain in evil. If we have virtuous ancestors, then we must try to imitate their virtues. And if the opposite should happen and we were descended from vicious ancestors, then we should not fear any harm from this for ourselves, but only exercise ourselves in the feats of virtue; then there will be no harm to us from it. Each one is either crowned or condemned, according to what he himself has done, as Blessed Paul says: "To each one shall receive according to what he has done while living in the body, good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10), and again: "Who shall reward each one according to his works" (Romans 2:6). Knowing all this, and abandoning all carelessness, let us devote all our energies to virtue while we are still in the field, while the spectacle is not yet over; let us take care of our salvation, so that, having accomplished the feat of virtue in this short time, we may receive a reward for it in the endless age. And so the righteous (Lot), although he lived among such a multitude of wicked people, and had not a single imitator of his virtue, but, on the contrary, still saw that everyone mocked and mocked him, yet not only did not weaken in virtue because of this, but he also shone so brightly that he was vouchsafed to receive angels to himself, and when all were utterly lost, He alone with his daughters escaped the execution that befell the city. But let us return to the order of the word. "And there came," it is said, "two angels to Sodom in the evening." This indication of the time shows us with particular force the virtue of the righteous man: even with the onset of evening he did not leave his place in anticipation (of the travelers). He knew what benefit could come to him from here, and therefore, desiring to obtain such riches, he used all his diligence and did not leave [i.e., from the gate of the house where he was waiting for strangers] even after the end of the day. Such is the quality of a fiery and vigilant soul: not only is it not prevented from revealing its virtue by any obstacles, but, on the contrary, the greater the obstacles, the more strongly it is aroused, and the more the flame of jealousy kindles in itself. "Lot saw," it is said, "and arose to meet them" (Gen. 19:1). Let this be heard by people who drive away strangers who come to them with requests and with strong convictions, and reveal manifest inhumanity. Look at this righteous man, how he did not wait to be approached, but, like the forefather (Abraham), not knowing who these passers-by were, but only supposing that they were some kind of travelers, he only saw them, jumped up and was so glad, as if he were looking for prey for himself and had found what he was looking for. "He saw," it is said, "and arose to meet them, and bowed his face to the ground." He thanked God that He had vouchsafed him to receive these travelers. And this is the virtue of his soul: he recognized it as a great blessing of God that he had met these men, and by receiving them he fulfilled the desire of his own heart. Do not tell me that they were angels; But think about the fact that the righteous man did not yet know this, but accepted them as strangers, passing by, and was guided by such a thought in his actions at that time. "And he said, My lords! go into the house of your servant, and spend the night, and wash your feet, and rise up in the morning, and go on your way" (Gen. 19:2). These words are enough to see the virtue preserved in the soul of the righteous man. How can one not be surprised at his deep humility and the ardent zeal that he showed in hospitality! "My lords," he says, "go into the house of your servant." He calls them masters, and calls himself their slave. Let us listen attentively, beloved, to these words, and let us learn to act in this way ourselves. A glorious, eminent householder, who lives in such wealth, calls strangers, strangers, ignoble-looking, passers-by, in no way close to him, masters of travelers: "Go into the house of your servant and spend the night," he says. Evening has come, he says, so listen to me, and relieve yourselves from the day's labor, resting in the house of your servant. Do I promise you anything special, he says? "Wash your feet," which are weary of the journey, "and arise in the morning, and go on your way." Show me this mercy, and do not refuse my request. "But they said," it said, "no, we're sleeping on the street." But the righteous man, seeing that even after his earnest request they refuse, did not grow cold, did not abandon his intention, and did not act as we often do. Usually, when we want to invite someone to our house, we only notice that he, although he refuses slightly, immediately lags behind; And this happens to us because we do not do it with zeal and sincere desire, but for the most part we consider ourselves quite right if we can say that we have done our job.

3. What do you say, "I have done my job"? You have lost your booty, you have lost your treasure, and it seems that you have done your job? Then you would have done your work, if you had not thrown the treasure out of your hands, if you had not run past your prey, if you had shown the love of strangers not only in words, for the sake of decency. That is not what the righteous man (Lot) did, but how? When he saw that the strangers resisted (his desire) and wanted to remain in the street (and the angels did this in order to reveal the virtue of the righteous man and to show all of us how great was his love of strangers), he was no longer satisfied with asking and persuading them in words, but even using force. Thus Christ said: "Those who use force delight in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 11:12). Of course, where spiritual acquisition is meant, perseverance is appropriate, and effort is praiseworthy. "And he begged them mightily," it is said (Gen. 19:3). It seems to me that he even carried them away by force. Then, when the strangers saw that the righteous man had decided to do so, and would not leave until he had fulfilled his purpose, "and they went to him," as it is written, "and came to his house. He made them refreshments, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate" (Gen. 19:3). Do you see that here, too, the love of strangers is revealed not in the richness of the food, but in the abundance of spiritual zeal? Forcing them to enter his house, he immediately began to perform the work of hospitality: he himself was busy serving them, offering them food, showing every honor and service to those who came, taking them for ordinary travelers. "They had not yet gone to bed, when the inhabitants of the city, the Sodomites from the young to the old, all the people from all the parts of the city, surrounded the house, and called Lot, and said to him, 'Where are the people who have come to you for the night?' bring them out to us; we shall know them" (Gen. 19:4-5). Let us not, beloved, leave these words unheeded; Let us note not only all the fury of them (the Sodomites), which does not deserve any forgiveness, but also how the righteous man, living among such beasts, shone so brightly and showed such a great superiority of virtue, how he could endure their iniquity, how he did not flee from such a city, how he endured any conversation with them. "I'll explain how it happened. The Lord of all, foreseeing the excessive wickedness of the Sodomites, arranged for this righteous man to settle among them, so that he, as the best physician, could restrain the power of their evil diseases. And although the righteous man saw that they were already infected with incurable diseases, and did not want to accept any healing, he still did not abandon them. Such is the quality of the physician: although he sees that the disease does not yield to his skill, yet he does not cease to perform his duty, in order to show the power of his art, if he is able in time to restore (from the disease) the suffering; but if he does not succeed in the least, he will at least have all the more excuse for himself for the fact that on his part he has left nothing that he could have done. So it was here. The righteous man, despite the fact that he lived among such people, remained righteous and retained the love of good; but they lost all forgiveness, because not only did they not forsake evil, but they multiplied it more and more. See "surrounded," it is said, "the house, from the young to the old, all the people from all parts of the city." What a great agreement in evil, what a strong desire for sin, the unspeakable excessiveness of iniquity, the unforgivable intention! "From the young," it is said, "to the old": not only the young men, but also the old in years, and all the people together, strove for these iniquities. They were not ashamed to dare to undertake this shameless and shameful deed, they did not think of the Most High Eye, nor were they ashamed of the righteous man, nor did they spare those whom they recognized as strangers, and who enjoyed his hospitality; but without shame, with their heads uncovered, so to speak [the Orientals always walk with their heads covered; baring their heads means immodesty. Therefore St. Chrysostom, saying that the Sodomites approached the house of Lot "with their heads uncovered," wants to express the extreme degree of their impudence and shamelessness], uttering dissolute speeches, they approached the house, and, calling the righteous man, said to him: "Where are the people? Who came to you for the night? bring them out to us; we will know them." Out of fear of such-and-such, I think, their lawless intentions and impiety, the righteous man sat at the door of his house until evening, in order to prevent any passers-by who did not know this from falling into their net. Combining in himself lofty chastity with love of strangers, the righteous man took care that all those who passed by should be received to him, and wished that no one should hide from him; In this way, He received them (travelers) not as angels, but as ordinary people. But the wicked, not showing (on their part) anything of the kind, boldly decided only on such deeds as surpass all other evil deeds. And so, (the angels) wanted to remain in the street, in order to give the righteous man an opportunity to show his love of strangers to them, and in order to reveal to him from the very deeds of the inhabitants of Sodom how worthily these people deserved the punishment that awaited them, given over to such extraordinary iniquity.

4. But let us look further at the greatness of the virtue of the righteous man: "He went out," it is said, "to them, and shut the door behind him" (Gen. 19:6). See how the righteous man fears, and (how he) trembles for the safety of strangers. It was not without reason that he closed the door behind him, but because he knew the fury and audacity of the Sodomites and suspected their evil intention. Then He said to them: "My brethren, do not do evil" (Gen. 19:7). O long-suffering of the righteous! Oh, the depth of humility! To treat such people with such meekness is true virtue. Without a doubt, wishing to heal the sick, or to bring the demonic to reason, no one does it with anger and cruelty. Behold, then, how he calls brethren those who would commit such a crime, wishing to shame them, to awaken their consciences, and to divert them from their abominable intention: "My brethren," he says, "do not do evil." Do not conceive, he says, anything of the sort, do not undertake this shameful deed, do not pervert nature itself, do not invent an unnatural mixture. And if you already want to satisfy the attraction of your violent passions, then I will provide you with a means to do so that your crime will be somewhat easier: "Behold, I have two daughters who have not known a man" (Gen. 19:8). They have not yet experienced, he says, marital cohabitation, remain inviolable, in the most flourishing age, shine with beauty. I am ready to give them to all of you; Do with them what you want. Having taken them, he says, you will fulfill your lewdness with them and satisfy your impure desire; "Only do nothing to these people, for they have come under the roof of my house." I compelled them, he said, to come under my roof; Therefore, so that the iniquity done to them may not be imputed to me, so that I may not become the author of an insult to them, let them be free from your hands, and in their place I give you my two daughters. What virtue is in a righteous man! It surpasses all love of strangers! Who can worthily praise such love (for neighbors) of this righteous man, who decided not to spare even his daughters, in order only to show respect to strangers and save them from the iniquity of the Sodomites? And so, he even gives away his daughters in order to deliver strangers (I repeat again), unknown to him in no way, from the violence of the wicked. And we, who often see our brethren falling into the very depths of wickedness, and, so to speak, into the jaws of the devil, do not wish to take part in them, not even by word, nor to advise them anything, nor to admonish them verbally, and thus to deliver them from evil and guide them to virtue. What excuse can we have, when this righteous man, in his care for strangers, did not even spare his daughters, and we are so merciless to our (brothers), and often pronounce these cold and full of foolish words: "What have I to do with him? I don't care, I don't care about him." What do you say, man? As if you had nothing to do with him?

He is your brother, he has the same nature as you; you live under the authority of the Lord alone, and often partake of one and the same meal, I mean spiritual and terrible, and you say: I have nothing in common with him, and without mercy you flee from him, do you not want to give your hand to the fallen? The law commanded the Jews not to leave without help fallen cattle, even those belonging to their enemies. But thou, when thou seest thy brother wounded by the devil, and fallen not to the ground, but to the depths of sin, thou dost not draw him out of it by thy own instruction, and thou dost not give him any suggestions on thy part, and thou dost not care to take others with thee, if possible, to take with thee to thy aid, that thy own limb may be delivered from the jaws of the beast, and that thy own dignity may be restored unto him, that thou thyself may be restored to thy proper dignity. when you happen to fall into the snare of the evil demon (which God forbid!), you could have people who are ready to help you and free you from the hands of the devil. For example, Paul, wishing to stir up the Galatians to take care of their members, says: "Watching each one himself, lest he be tempted" (Galatians 6:1). It is as if he were saying: if you pass by your brother without compassion and mercy, then perhaps when you yourself fall, another will pass by you in the same way. If you do not wish to be left unattended when you should fall, then do not despise the fallen yourself, but show them all love, and consider it the greatest good to be able to save your brother. There can be so much virtue in nothing as in this matter. For if you think that the one whom you despise and neglect is honored by your Lord so much that He did not deny him even to pour out His blood, as Paul says: "Because of your knowledge a weak brother will perish, for whom Christ died" (1 Corinthians 8:11), then how can you not hide yourself (from shame) in the ground? If Christ even poured out His blood for him, what special will you do when you show your favor to him, raise up the fallen man by verbal exhortation, and raise his soul, drowned, or perhaps already drowned, from the depths of evil, help it to see the light of virtue and not rush again to the darkness of sin?